Work Text:
"You cannot be serious, Charles!" Edwin remarked with disbeleif - an echo of conversations concerning every one of Charles' more daring plans ever since they'd met.
In his defence, those were the ones that always seemed to find a way to work.
besides, the situation was far stranger than the soloution in this case, he thinks. So he had a right to defend his thoughts:
"No i'm serious! If all the... singing blokes-"
"The hivemind," Edwin chimed in.
"Right. Them. If all they want us to do is dance, then we should dance! It could be exactly what we need to make our way through, get a sample of the pathogen and then get out without being dragged away!"
"and if they seperate us?"
He couldn't deny it, Edwin had a point. He thought for a second, drumming his fingers on the desk behind him as he leant on it, watching Edwin pace back and forth through the office.
There had always been something graceful about how Edwin moved, he thought absentmindedly. Like a prince or something. Or a ballroom dancer.
And there it was - eureka!
"Well then we'll just do it together then, won't we?" He piped up, followed by a confused Hm from his partner.
right. Clock now said fifteen minuets past. He'd taken a couple of minuets to think of that one.
He blames his old youth musicals days for that one. all solo focused, rarely a good waltz in sight.
Either way, he decidedly adds, "The dancing. For the sample."
A completly frazzled looking Edwin turned his head to him in near comedic slow motion. Eyes wide as saucepans.
"You're still running with that?" He all but sqwawked, running his hand through the now mess of his dark locks, "Charles it's proposterous!"
"How? It's just us, we know eachother well enough"
"Have you ever taken part in partner dancing before?"
"We could figure it out!"
Edwin sighed before walking towards Charles, then put his hands in the air in a manner of exasperation.
"And here we find problem two. Our second one yet. We simply cannot ooperate a plan with two problems"
"First one isn't really a problem, is i-"
"Who will lead?"
A beat. Then Charles piped up again.
"Have you ever lead before?"
"Well, yes-"
"Sorted then. I'll follow your lead. That way you can steer us away from any danger and we blend in."
Edwin, finally struck wordless, pondered the idea for a moment. His eyes seemed to follow his thoughts, glinting grey-green tracing out an intricate map of What Ifs and But Thens before softening. Giving in. Because he knew that charles was often right, and if he wasn't it would be fun to try. A new experience. Sod it.
"Fine," he sighed as he watched a smile burst into life on charles' face, barely containing his own, "But we must rehearse first." He took a record - Elvis, can't help falling in love, one charles had found in a charity shop - from their shelves and set it on their slightly dusty record player.
"On your feet charles, chop chop," he beconed. Then took the boy - the angel he had been blessed with - into his arms, "you have a lot to learn".
---
Later, about to brave the singing streets the hivemind had claimed once again, they took themselves into eachother's arms again. They were ready, prepared and unashamedly happy, all things considered. They'd spent almost an hour dancing together, how could they not be.
"This could kinda be considered our first dance, right?" Charles noted
"Charles, we aren't married, that concerns the first dance done as a married couple"
"Yeah. you're right.
But we could be. One day"