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"5, 6, 7, 8!" Elio claps enthusiastically in time with his counts.
The speakers crackle to life, the sounds of their shoes squeaking echoing throughout the dance studio.
They feel Elio's close attention and eager gaze on them while they go through the choreography with practiced motions. Keep your lines clear and sharp, they think to themself, trying not to be distracted by the literal personification of sunshine in front of them.
As the music peters out, they hit their ending pose with a flourish, looking at Elio out of the corner of their eye. They break character with a small laugh, heading towards Elio at the front of the studio. "So, coach, how'd I do?"
Elio regards them, smile blinding as ever. "Okay, so first things first. Your footwork got a little messy halfway through, but that's okay. I get it, it gets hard to keep up with the music."
"I just get lost in the sauce, man," they jokingly complain. "Anything else? I know I have to work on it."
Elio laughs heartily. "Just extend your arms a little bit more. You're killing it with your expressions, though."
They ignore the flutter they feel when he laughs, almost too bright to look at. Instead, they opt to sigh dramatically, placing a delicate hand on their forehead and fanning themself with the other. "I think I've heard this song too many times. I could recite the lyrics in my sleep."
He raises an eyebrow good-naturedly. "Percy would probably pay to see that."
"And have him see my bedhead? Perish the thought!" they exclaim, scandalized. "He'd take a picture for blackmail and hold it over me for all eternity." They shake their head lightheartedly.
Elio glances at the clock as the conversation stagnates. "Well, we still have some time in our time slot. Before we cool down—yes, you need to cool down," he says pointedly, looking them in the eye (oh no, their weakness: big brown eyes!), "we could try other choreos?"
"Oh, hell yeah, man. Then let's have some fun!" They excitedly bound to retrieve their phone plugged into the speakers. "It's time… for a K-pop random dance play!"
Elio shakes his head. "But then we're limiting ourselves. Why not some hip-hop?"
They playfully shush him, pretending to zip his lips. "I know you listen to K-pop! Cam told me, and you know how much they're into it." They shoot him a dazzling smile. "So, New Jeans fan, huh? But isn't everyone~"
"Hey, what are you trying to say?" Elio slightly narrows his eyes in pretend hostility.
They slip away in a graceful twirl, laughing innocently. A familiar harmony seeps out from the speakers, and they dramatically drag one of the chairs to the center of the room. Elio confusedly adjusts his hat, wearing his oh-so-cute trademark curved smile, watching as they hurriedly plop themselves down as the lyrics start.
To his complete surprise, they're still dancing, coordinated… while seated. But that's not even the most surprising bit. Elio can only stare as they start belting in Korean? Since when did they know Korean? But more than them randomly able to sing in another language, he's floored by how stable they sound, their infectious joy seeping into their voice. Color him truly impressed on multiple levels. Multilingual, dedicated, and a beautiful vocalist to boot.
Thankfully, they seem to be so completely immersed in their impromptu performance that Elio easily forgets it's impolite to stare, rendered absolutely mesmerized.
During the chorus, they light up, making direct eye contact. Luckily, they think in passing, he has no idea what I'm saying!
After the moment passes, Elio has to remind himself to breathe, as they're… spitting bars. In another language. Like it's nothing.
Suddenly, they're in front of him, motioning for him to join them while they're joyfully singing, "Baby, you're my lady," because Elio is truly the prettiest princess around, Jamie be damned.
He lets out a quick laugh before they hook arms together, and they both skip around the studio before dissolving into peals of laughter.
Letting go of his intertwined arm, they collapse on the chair in a giggling fit. "Why did you let me parade around for, like, five whole minutes?!" they demand lightheartedly.
"Hey, don't put it on me! You just looked like you were having a blast," Elio chuckles placatingly. "Since when did you know Korean?"
They wiggle their eyebrows at him, reveling in the mystery. "There's many things you don't know about me, Kealoha." After a pause, they admit, "My friends and I loved this song so much, we all decided to learn the lyrics together, and it's just stuck with me since. Gets the energy up!"
"Hey, wow, yeah, it sure does." Elio can't help the joy bleeding into his voice, sheepishly wondering if they caught on to his unabashed staring. They look knowingly at him, eyes squinting into an adorable eye smile. He clears his throat with a lopsided smile in a pitiful attempt to change the subject. "Looks like we just need to cool down, then we can head out, yeah?"
"Fiiine, coach," they say with a false air of haughtiness, following his lead regardless.
As they lower themself into a butterfly stretch, Elio sweats, literally and figuratively. He thinks he's seen this choreography before and makes a mental note to look up the song later. The way they called him "baby" had him fighting back a fervent blush; he was sure the song had some romantic connotations, but how was he to know for sure?
Guess that's a problem for future Elio.