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Leone’s parents were getting their vows renewed. He was excited until his father told him he had a month to learn how to waltz. It would have been nice if he told him a few months in advance. Especially considering Leone’s style of dancing was leaning against a wall and watching others dance.
It was through the art of observing that he met Diavolo. They were both people watchers (aka awkward introverts). Though it felt like Diavolo was always close to stabbing someone. The more Leone knew about Diavolo the more he was positive that if somebody died the culprit would be Diavolo. But Diavolo was a caring guy. Kind of, he once handed Leone a taser and told him not to die. He is also a man with a hundred-plus skills because you never know what type of life-or-death situation you might get into. The point was, Diavolo knew how to waltz in case his life depended on it.
“Will you teach me to waltz?” Leone asked.
“Get a teacher.”
“Cost money.” I want to spend time with you.
“You’re lucky I value you as a human shield.”
“Thanks, I feel so loved.”
“Meet me at my house at midnight,” Diavolo walked away before Leone could reply.
Leone of course followed those instructions. He stood in front of the door. He debated whether or not to knock but decided against it. Diavolo’s father was a priest at his family’s church. Leone’s parents didn’t exactly know he was out tonight. He sent a quick text and prayed Diavolo would see his phone.
Diavolo emerged from the shadows.
Leone jumped back in surprise, “How?”
“Rule one of survival is knowing how to hide.”
“What is your obsession with survival?”
“Some people want to live.” Leone regretted ever showing Diavolo his poetry.
“Are you going to teach me to waltz or not?”
“Get in the car,” the pink-haired man pointed to his red truck that looked like it got into a bar fight and lost. Leone knew that Diavolo only bought the truck because the guy who sold it didn’t demand an ID. The engine let out a screech as it was turned on.
“I swear your car is haunted.”
“You’re into it.”
Diavolo drove for twenty minutes on roads that nobody had traveled on in years. And because was a bastard he made Leone where a blindfold. As the ride continued Leone was more sure he was going to die. Finally, they stopped.
“You can take it off.”
Leone opened his eyes to see an old, abandoned town. By town, four functioning buildings (look functioning) and two buildings looking like they were about to fall apart.
“How did you find this place?”
“I have my ways.”
Diavolo led him to a vine-covered pub. Inside were broken beer bottles scattered around the edges. The place had an old book smell to it. Diavolo turned on his phone light, guiding them through a mostly intact bar. Diavolo opened a box of candles. He carefully placed them in holders scattered around the bar.
“How often have you come here?”
“You know you’re not getting an answer.” Yeah, he was an asshole and Leone needed to question why he seek him out.
Diavolo handed him a silver lighter, “Be useful.”
The pink-haired man turned on his own and started lighting candles. Once all the candles were lit, they made actually good lighting. The bar had a clear patch of space, perfect for waltzing. At least that is what Leone assumed.
“Lessons?”
“Eager, fortunately for you I know how to perform both the follow and the lead. Tonight, you are the follow.”
“When aren’t I?” Leone muttered to himself.
“We’re starting with the box step, follow my lead,” Diavolo stood in front of Leone.
“One step forward on the left foot, move right foot forward, then connect left foot to right foot.”
“Understood sir.”
“Ha ha, shut the fuck up, one step back on the right, move left foot back, then connect right foot to left foot, got it?”
“Got it.”
They went through the motions a few times before Leone actually got it.
Diavolo turned to face his friend, “Do you want to try it together.”
“Sure.”
“Okay, follows start on their right.”
“In that case, I would say lead is easier.”
“Silence follow.”
“Fuck you.”
“I’m not wrong.” Diavolo put his right hand on Leone’s upper back. “Put your hand on my shoulder.”
Leone slowly put his left hand on Diavolo’s shoulder. They grabbed each other’s hand and started doing the box step. Diavolo set a slow pace for them. Leone couldn’t help but notice how close they were to each other. They were very close together. And making eye contact. All perfectly normal, Leone just wished his heart got the message.
“Do you want music?”
“Sure,” he said stepping away from Diavolo.
Diavolo started playing classical music from his phone. He set it on the bar counter. Leone recognized it as Frühlingsstimmen by Johann Strauss. It was a light song characterized by violins and was way too romantic for Leone’s heart to function.
Diavolo grabbed his hand and they waltzed. Leone wanted to let muscle memory take over as his thoughts ran a mile a minute. Instead of that, he kept on stepping on Diavolo’s foot.
“How are you doing worst?”
“Tired, I guess.”
“Pass baby’s bedtime.”
“Shut up.”
“Are you satisfied with your progress?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m not, you only know the basics, and messing that up, what will people think if they found out I taught you.”
“You want people to know you taught me?”
“No, but I have to be prepared for that outcome.”
“I want to know how the fuck your mind works.”
The song ended, and the duo blew out the candles till the only light was moonlight. Diavolo drove Leone home, making him wear a blindfold of course. He stopped a few blocks from his house, he wanted to avoid Leone’s parents at all costs.
Next Friday Leone was at Diavolo’s front door. He was thankful that these lessons were on Fridays because he needed the sleep he got on Saturday. Once again Diavolo emerged from the shadows.
“Can you walk like a normal person?”
“No,” Diavolo handed him a blindfold.
“Seriously.”
“Yes.”
It was another car ride spent thinking why he was friends with a guy who made him wear a blindfold. Diavolo took off the blindfold and led him to a bar. They silently lit candles until the room was bask in a warm glow.
“Tonight, we are doing the progressive.”
“Okay?”
“Do you remember the box step?”
“Yes.”
“We’re reviewing the box step.”
“Can I please lead?”
“No.”
“You know my parents are expecting me to lead.”
“Then your parents don’t know you well,” Leone glared as Diavolo continued, “For the progressive lead’s right foot moves forward and follow’s left foot moves backward.”
He pulled Leone toward him before he could protest. Turns out Leone didn’t forget anything like Diavolo was expecting. Then again Leone always had a great memory. Sometimes Diavolo questioned why he didn’t find somebody more forgetful to be friends with. Or really why he befriended anyone.
“Ready for the progressive?”
“Can we do it separately first?”
Diavolo nodded as he helped Leone through the steps. Despite only teaching one person Diavolo would say Leone was his best student. What could he say the guy was good at following instructions. Eventually, they started dancing together with Diavolo guiding them back and forth across the bar.
“Next we’re doing the left turning box then under arm turn.”
“Why?”
“You need to know the left turning box to do under arm turn.”
Leone stared at his friend, “Under arm turn?”
“You spin your partner, trust me, it impresses people.”
“You know I just need to know the basics.”
“It couldn’t kill you to learn more.”
So, Leone learned the left turning box, which was turning left during the steps. He learned the under arm turn which sucked. Follows had completely new steps to learn and Diavolo refused to give up being lead. Not that Leone cared but he had to pretend he cared. The under arm turn took forever to learn but eventually Leone didn’t slam into Diavolo.
“Hey, what time is it?” asked Diavolo.
Leone checked his watch, “It’s three in the morning!” They danced for about three hours. And his dad was going to kill him for not getting up till noon.
“Sleeping beauty needs her sleep?”
“Fuck off, not everyone is nocturnal.”
“I’ll take you home.”
Next Friday Diavolo had them review everything. Something that Leone was grateful for. The Friday afterward would be his parent’s renewal of vows.
“I have to say your parents are idiots.”
“Excuse me.”
“Why have two weddings when it’s unnecessary might as well give everyone your social security number.”
“Aren’t you extreme,” they were doing a basic box step with Diavolo leading of course.
“Honestly getting married in the first place is dumb, why keep a written document of you and your loved one.”
“Most people believe they wouldn’t die if there is a written document of them.”
“You can’t convince me that marriage isn’t stupid.”
“Maybe one day you would want to get married,” Leone did because he was secretly a romantic. More importantly, he needed to know if his friend was capable of romantic feelings.
“If I truly love someone to spend the rest of my life with them, I would take them to a cabin in the woods and we would avoid people as much as possible.”
“Aren’t you romantic,” Leone said sarcastically.
“At least I’m not recklessly endangering my loved one by documenting them.”
“Do you love someone?”
“That’s classified.”
“Holy shit you actually have feelings.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You would have said no if you didn’t.”
The duo froze in place. Diavolo liked someone. Diavolo liked someone. Leone swore his heart stopped beating. There was someone that captured that man’s heart. He used to think that was impossible. Fuck, why did he have feelings for Diavolo? Why did he have to ask that stupid question that was going to break his heart either way? On the inside Leone was dying, on the outside he was perfectly fine.
“So who is the lucky person?” Why the fuck did he ask that.
“You know you’re not getting that answer,” Diavolo resumed their dance.
“So, you admit you’re in love.”
“I know how to kill you and make it look like an accident.”
Leone rolled his eyes, “I think it’s time we end practice.”
“It’s only two, you baby.”
“I need my beauty sleep,” Leone said sarcastically. What he really needed was to break down and cry but he could keep his composure for half an hour.
“Alright, I’ll take you home.”