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Xander knew that there would be a few things he didn’t already know and would need to learn after he ascended the throne and became king of Nohr. But, he didn’t expect dance lessons to be such a priority. With peace agreements finally reached between Nohr and Hoshido it was only natural that celebrations would follow. Therefore learning to dance and actually participate in the festivities would be a necessary evil even if he would rather be anywhere else at the moment. It wasn’t that he hated dancing, it was just that he was not as coordinated as the activity required and there was a seed of frustration that grew every time he missed a step.
He really was trying his best as he followed his instructor across the beautiful tiles of the empty ballroom. Well, the room was not completely empty as Laslow and Peri watched from the side in barely concealed amusement, glancing at each other with a smile whenever Xander grunted at stepping on his instructor’s toes. The woman had to be saint as she kept composure despite the fact that a painful bruise must be forming due to the man’s clumsiness.
After a few more missteps the instructor cleared her throat. “Why don’t we take a ten minute break, Lord Xander?”
Xander nodded, feeling almost embarrassed by his complete lack of skill. “Yes, that would be a good idea.”
Laslow approached Xander as the instructor left the room for a breath of fresh air and Peri went off to fetch some water. Even if he was a bit entertained by the man’s inability to dance, he didn’t want to see his lord fail or humiliate himself further.
“My lord, do you mind if I offer a few tips? I may not know much about Nohrian dances specifically, but my mother was a dancer and I learned from a young age so I would say I’m well versed in the dances of my homeland at least. Surely, some things are universal.” Laslow left out the part that aside from his mother teaching him the dances of Regna Ferox, his father and the traditions of the Ylissian royal court had him go through very similar lessons when he was a child to Xander’s current situation. So he understood exactly how repetitive and dull these lessons could be. He also felt some pity for the instructor since he too had the same bruises on his feet as she likely had now. His sister was not the most graceful when it came to dance and was constantly stepping on his toes, he knew the pain all too well.
Laslow extended a hand towards Xander as an invitation. The blonde man accepted it and they both took a step closer to each other, resuming the position he’d been in moments before with the instructor. Now very much in each other’s personal space, they began slowly moving along to the same pattern as before.
“You clearly already know enough of the technical skills, my lord, it just seems like you’re getting too hung up on the personal aspect of it.” Laslow said, flawlessly following Xander’s movements as they fell into a rhythm.
“What do you mean by that?” So close together, Xander spoke at a lower volume than usual and Laslow could almost feel the rumble of his low voice in his chest.
“Well, it may sound vague but it is important nonetheless. In order to dance well, you need to completely trust your partner.”
“If it’s you I think I can do that.” Xander said without thinking through how his words would come across to the man in front of him.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
The silence that followed and the lack of space between one another became more awkward than it had been seconds prior. But, that only lasted for a moment as Laslow would quickly break the silence as he continued to give little tips here and there.
Eventually Xander saw Peri peer through the door out of the corner of his eye but she quickly went scampering off while dragging the instructor who knows where. Even she could see that Laslow was working hard to improve on the lessons the instructor had left with before she requested the break. Xander also couldn’t deny that having Laslow teach him was more… enjoyable.
Eventually Laslow ran out of things to say and settled for humming a tune Xander didn’t recognize. Following along to the shorter man’s humming, they glided across the ballroom.
So caught up in the moment, it was as if the world outside this room didn’t exist for a moment and it was just the two of them. Xander didn’t even have to think anymore, they moved as one being. A single unit, in perfect harmony. Before when he’d look down and catch Laslow looking back up at him, they’d both bashfully look away as quickly as possible, but now they comfortably gazed into each other’s eyes as they moved along to the music.
As Laslow’s song came to an end and their steps slowed, still in perfect sync they closed the little space between them. No words were spoken as their lips touched in a kiss. It wasn’t until they’d already separated and their eyes had fluttered back open to gaze at each other once again that they’d realized what happened.
Quickly taking a full step back from one another, neither dared to look at the other.
“My apologies, my lord! That was incredibly-“
“No, no, my apologies, Laslow, I shouldn’t have-“
“I was just caught up in the moment-“
“It felt right at the time-“
They slowly looked back at each other, relaxing a bit. It was Laslow that spoke first. “Was that okay?”
A light blush dusting his cheeks, Xander heaved a sigh, considering the benefits and detriments to admitting what he’d been feeling. “In all honesty, that wouldn’t be the first time I thought of doing that.”
Shock crossed Laslow’s face before a blush gradually darkened his cheeks. “Yes, I… I may have thought of that before. On multiple occasions.”
Neither knew what to say next after such confessions and stood across from each other in another awkward silence. Soon Laslow began to quietly chuckle, Xander quickly doing the same, both finding the humour in the situation. There wasn’t much else they could do. When they calmed down again, they found themselves once again standing close.
With the mood lightened and both having more or less confessed their feelings, Xander gently held the side of Laslow’s face. The retainer leaned into the touch, a hand coming up to rest on the taller man’s chest.
Xander’s forehead came to rest against the top of Laslow’s. “Can I kiss you again?”
Laslow’s only response was shift into a more comfortable position so that there was just barely an inch between there lips. “Of course, my lord.”
Their lips met for the second time that day and like they were dancing, they were once again one being in perfect harmony.