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Everyone assumed, just by looking at him, that Jason couldn't dance, which honestly made sense. He was big and bulky and he generally kept both feet planted on the ground with a sort of steadfast sturdiness that refused to go unnoticed. (Unless, of course, he was flying, but that was a whole different can of worms.) Expecting Jason to dance was akin to expecting a non-Frank elephant to dance. People just assumed he didn't have any rhythm, and they weren't wrong, exactly. Jason didn't have much rhythm outside of company marching, but what he did have was phenomenal pattern recognition and near-perfect control of his body. In addition, he had years of formal training learning various dances for various Roman festivals across the calendar. (Leo informed him he was “line dancing for the Lord. Well, lords,” and Jason informed Leo that he was an ass with laughter on his lips and love in his eyes.) Which meant that while he wasn’t exactly tearing up the dance floor in the club, he was a flawless ballroom dancer, and he loved it.
Meanwhile, everyone just assumed Leo was great at dancing. He was constantly moving and light on his feet, which would have theoretically translated into effortless dance. This was entirely incorrect. Leo, whose brain ran like a machine and expected the world to follow suit, and who couldn't tell you what half of his limbs were doing half the time, was not built for dancing. Add on the fact that his only experience with dancing was shrieking and flailing about to the sound of KidzBop in his Mamá's workshop, followed by years of school dances where he was either standing in the corner trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible or being chased by kids half again his size, the chances of him ever learning how to dance was slim, and he always begged off any offers to dance.
The Waystation, and more importantly Jason, either didn't get the memo, or, more likely, neither of them cared.
Leo was working on a project, a collapsing spear for Frank for those pesky situations when shape-shifting wasn't an option and the fight was too close range for a bow. They didn't happen often, but when they did, Frank made sure to bitch about it to everyone. Seeing as the big guy's birthday was coming up, Leo figured he could solve Frank and everyone who had to listen to him's problem, no sweat.
That's when he heard music start to play softly through the air. He still didn't know where the music came from, but one too many times of Jo smacking him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper when she stumbled upon him trying to dismantle her house had curbed his curiosity. Still, he knew what sudden music meant, and, right on cue, he felt a pair of thick arms wrap around his waist and a hooked nose being pressed into his curls. He chuckled softly and leaned back against the sturdy chest behind him. “Having fun sniffing me, you weirdo?”
“Mhm,” Jason hummed. He nuzzled even closer, and Leo could feel the smile against his scalp. “Always do.”
Leo sighed happily and let himself be held and snuffled until Jason started softly swaying in time to the music and Leo groaned, sagging in place.
“Dance with me, Leo,” Jason coaxed, proving that he definitely didn’t care about Leo’s aversion.
“C’mon, Jason. No,” Leo whined. “You know I can’t dance.”
“Yes, you can. We dance all the time.” Remarkably, Jason sounded genuinely confused, and Leo fell in love all over again.
“Okay, I'm physically capable of dancing, but I'm not good at it.”
“Who's asking you to be good at it?”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Well, I don't know about you, but I don't particularly like making a fool of myself by doing things I know I suck at. I don’t even know why you want to dance with me, considering how often I stomp all over your feet.”
Jason was quiet for a moment before he tightened his grip on Leo’s waist. “I just like being close to you. It makes me happy,” he said, his voice tiny. “Do you really hate it that much?”
“Jace,” Leo breathed. He leaned in just that little bit closer to Jason's chest, and lifted one hand to pet through his hair. “God, no. That's not– I just don’t like stepping on your toes. I feel guilty about it, okay? No matter what you say, it makes me feel bad.”
To his credit, Jason actually took the time to think over Leo’s complaint before he ducked his head down to press a little kiss to the side of Leo’s neck. “What if you couldn't step on my toes? Would you like it then?”
“In some magical world where I'm good at dancing and don't crush your feet, sure. I bet I love dancing,” Leo scoffed. “But that's not this universe. I can assure you that even you don't have quick enough reflexes to dodge my stomping.”
“Who said anything about reflexes?” Jason grinned. “Come on, Leo. Do you trust me?”
“You cheating bastard,” Leo chided, even as his face softened with amusement. “You know I do.”
“Then dance with me. Please?”
Leo groaned again, but he still turned around in Jason’s arms and took up his reluctantly practiced position. “Fine. I'll dance with you. Happy?”
Jason beamed at him and ducked down to rub their noses together in a delighted puppy nuzzle. “You make me very, very happy.”
Leo smiled up at him, and tightened his grip on Jason’s hand. “Alright then. Sweep me off my feet, Superman.”
For some reason, Jason’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Trust me, I fully intend to.”
Before Leo could get in another word edgewise, the music swelled, and Jason began leading their dance. As always, Leo made it a couple steps in before he stumbled, and he was certain that he was about to stomp Jason's toes into the dirt, but the wind suddenly picked up and soon they were gliding through the air. Leo gasped, the breath stolen from his lungs, and he blinked, starstruck, up at Jason, who looked more than a little pleased with himself. “Can't step on my toes now, can you?”
Leo let out a noise that was half a groan, half a laugh, and buried his face in Jason’s shoulder. “I can’t believe I let you Howl me.”
“I howled you?”
“Yeah, like Howl's Moving Castle?” Jason still looked perplexed, so Leo let out a disgusted noise. “I still haven't shown you Studio Ghibli? I'm a terrible boyfriend. Everyone should watch Studio Ghibli.”
Jason laughed at him then pressed their foreheads together. “I personally think you're a wonderful boyfriend, actually. Better than I could ever ask for.”
This close, all Leo could see was Jason’s bright blue eyes and the way they shone with adoration. He looped his arms around Jason's neck and kissed him, content to let Jason spin and twirl him all around the room so long as he was able to stay right where he was forever.
Leo wasn’t good at dancing. He probably never would be, but if Jason was willing to be his dance partner, he figured that didn't matter too much.