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Late evening; the last beams of sun shine through tall, ceiling high windows, painting everything they touch in a bright orange while even brighter lights are lit from a tall chandelier that hangs high above the ground. Music plays; Antonio and Frederic play a duet, a quick waltz, while people dance in sync to the music that is played. Lively steps, twirls and wildly flowing fabric from everyone that is present and who’s currently painting the dance floor of the ball room in the brightest colours.
A time where all come together; everyone can let go of their worries, just taking pleasure in dancing with a friend or even significant other. Truly, a magnificent sight to behold, awakening the urge in everyone to just let go and join in the fun; join into the pleasure of dancing; a greatly underestimated activity. One of the purest ways to just… let go of everything; all the tensions - to bring the emotions out to light. In this case joy and happiness, usually something rarely seen so out in the open in these halls. Through the quick rhythm every pair has their own way to dance their own waltz, as if only in their own world - some keep it simple, others extravagant and some others seem to have something completely different in mind. It looks funny how some jump more over the dance floor than anything but it just comes to show how free the people can feel. At least the ball room is great enough so the dancers don’t accidently step into each other. Only a few times has it been pretty close but a clash was always avoided by a quick, skillful step to the side - as if planned.
Marcus stands at the side, watching the dancers, laughing softly occasionally when he spots a shocked face in the crowd when the dance partner steps on their foot - or vice versa. It happens a few times, since not everyone here is well versed on the art of dancing. Neither is he, which is why he stays where he stands - safely leaning against a pillar, a wine glass in hand, without a worry that someone might step onto his feet any time soon. Of course, something inside of him wishes that he could just step out of his comfort zone, yet he hesitates time and time again to just join in.
He doesn’t have a partner anyway and can’t dance, so why bother? He is fully content with watching the others having fun.
“I noticed you just standing there, Marcus. Why not join them?” The Cueist hears the soft voice of the person who made all of this possible. He turns his gaze from the ever moving crowd towards the Opera Singer, walking towards him in her royal-like robes. She looks incredibly beautiful in her costume. It was her who wished for this ball. It’s her birthday after all and she wanted to make something like this happen for quite some time now. When she reaches the smaller hunter, she comes to a halt, resting one hand on her hip, smiling softly down towards her colleague.
Marcus just smiles softly and takes a sip from his wine.
“Why, I am just sparing the others from my wildly untalented two left feet.”, he jokes lightheartedly, making the woman laugh softly.
“Come now, it can’t possibly be that bad. You look so beautiful today. It would be a shame not to show off at least a little, no?”
The Cueist hums softly while he swirls the wine a little. “Thanks, but I am happy the way it is right now. I’m not much of a dancer.”, he says, before sighing and looking back at the crowd that halts for a moment when the music stops. They seem a little out of breath; winded even, but happy nonetheless. He can’t help but feel a little envious.
“Neither are many others here. Look, even someone as clumsy as Joker is trying their best. And you both have prosthetics, so I won’t take that as an excuse to not at least try, because you are very much able to. You’re just too shy.” Sangria reasons, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Marcus looks up at her again. She looks at him with raised eyebrows and a slight grin.
“Shy? Me? Nonsense, I am not shy! I’m simply… very thoughtful of the others.”, he tries to argue back, sipping again from the wine, this time taking a bigger sip.
“Haha, you’re very shy when it comes to certain things. Come on. You don’t have to be perfect here. You excel at billiards but it’s okay to try new things and be not perfect at them.”
As if caught red-handed, Marcus’ eyes lower down towards the floor, deep in thought.
“Marcus, look at me. Don’t lower your head. Being shameful doesn’t suit a prideful person like you.”, Sangria says softly, to which the Cueist lifts his eyes again, to look at her, noticing with surprise that she holds a hand out towards him.
“Let me show you some basic steps. And don’t worry about making mistakes. The more you think about it, the more you tend to misstep.”
Without really thinking twice, the Cueist takes the hand that is being offered to him. “Oh, wait, what’s with the wine glass?”
*Just put it on the floor. You can pick it up again later.”
Marcus does as he’s told, bowing down to put the glass behind the pillar, before he stands up again.
“I’ll lead. You just listen to my voice and repeat the steps after me.”, she explains, before gently introducing the smaller man to the first and most basic steps. Like she suggested, Marcus tries to not think about it too much, but only thinking about this makes him overthink automatically. He feared that anyone might step on his feet, jet now he’s the one who almost steps on hers time and time again were it not for her quick reflexes.
“I’m sorry.”, he mutters.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re doing well so far.”
They continue the small dance lesson, with Marcus growing a little more comfortable and accustomed to the movement. From basic to advanced, to expert. Before he knows it they dance like the others to the music while he still follows Sangria's patient and gentle lead. For Marcus’ sake they stay at the edge of the dance floor so as to not overwhelm him yet.
The lesson is over, when the music stops. Only then does the Cueist come to his senses again. He was so focused on the dancing, that he didn’t notice how long he’s actually danced with the Opera Singer. He’s a little embarrassed when he takes a step back.
“I-I apologize if I took too much of your time.”, he apologizes, but Sangria only laughs.
“It’s fine, Marcus. But I’m glad that you were able to feel comfortable enough to dance with me through a whole set. You are a pretty quick learner.”, the woman replies casually, watching the man grow flustered. He scratches the back of his head, averting his eyes again, before mumbling: “We-well… Thank you for teaching me.”
Sangria hums softly, before bowing down to plant a soft kiss on the Cueist’s cheek, making him freeze slightly.
“You were a good student. Oh, and don’t hesitate to try new things just because of the fear of failing. Failing is natural, and if you do, you try again. Nobody expects or demands from you to excel at anything here. As long as you’re having fun, all is well.”
And with that, she leaves again, leaving Marcus there, stunned from the words he heard. His heart beats faster, as he lets these words sink in. It’s difficult to wrap his head around them, so he goes back to his previous place to think over this whole thing while downing the wine.
He’s so deep in thought, that he doesn’t notice the steps that come closer to him. Only when a set of feet enters his line of sight, does the cueist lift his head again to look at the man who stands in front of him - with the brightest smile that somebody could ever wear. Marcus’ eyes widen when he recognises Hernando in his costume. The Matador seems to shine in this light, with the light design and choice of colours. Much in stark contrast to himself who is dressed from top to bottom in dark blue, black and silverish clothing. He looks… beautiful and absolutely stunning.
“Marcus! I haven’t noticed you until now! I was wondering where you were! Why are you hiding behind that pillar?”, the Matador starts a light conversation, stepping a little closer. He smells of flowers and a fresh springs breeze, Marcus notices.
“I’m not hiding!”, he protests and downs the last sip of his wine with one gulp, before averting his eyes in embarrassment.
“Well, if you’re not hiding, why not dance with me? You don’t seem to have a partner yet and I would be most delighted if you’d give me the honour to be my partner for the next dance. Por favor, querido.”
The Matador holds out his hand, waiting patiently for Marcus to take it, while having that typical puppy-eyed look on his face. The Cueist eyes the hand for a moment, hesitating, before he puts down his glass onto the floor again, to take Hernando’s hand into his, accepting the invitation politely.
“Fine," he sighs. “But only once. And be aware that I am not the best dancer.”
“¡Bah, tonterías! Just follow my lead.”, Hernando retorts in high spirits and as energetic as ever.
That’s exactly what Sangria said. Marcus counts himself lucky that it isn’t him that has to lead since he wouldn’t be able to do that. Then, he’s suddenly pulled closer by Hernando, who puts his hand on his waist while holding his left hand. The Matador looks at the Cueist with a loving gaze and a soft smile. It makes Marcus’ head light and his stomach fills up with butterflies. With the way his face heats up, he’s sure that he’s blushing. How could he not, when Hernando is pulling him so close so suddenly? Besides, they are so close! It feels very… Intimate - not that it bothers Marcus. It feels surprisingly well and like it should be.
Then the music starts. At first, Hernando is gentle and slow with his steps, giving Marcus all the time he needs to grow accustomed to the way he dances. Like this, they can get in tune with one another, which goes surprisingly well. It’s as if it’s meant to be and just like Sangria advised him, Marcus stops worrying about not being perfect from the get go.
Soon enough they can dance just as freely and wildly across the dancefloor like the others, seemingly without a worry in their minds. For these two, there’s only them.
New steps come naturally to Marcus, just because Hernando leads him.
Oh, and does it feel good.
He smiles brightly, while Hernando looks at him fully enchanted. It’s rare to see the Cueist, who’s usually so serious, smile so carelessly. He’s enjoying himself and that’s all the Matador could have ever asked for. Without a warning he picks the man up by his waist, lifting him as high into the air as possible. He turns with him once, before letting him land back on the floor, onto his feet. It’s obvious that Marcus was surprised by that sudden act, but the show goes on. Hernando smiles at his partner before taking his hand again, continuing the dance just like before, with the difference that he’s holding the Cueist closer.
“I don’t know what you meant~ You are a wonderful dancer, Marcus.”, he breathes out, slowing down again so that they can share a little calm moment before he and his partner would make the dance floor unsafe again.
Marcus blushes even more now while averting his eyes in embarrassment. Yet his smile doesn’t die down even the slightest. It stays and will do so for a while - hopefully. Hernando wants to see the Cueist happy for longer - for all eternity. He wants to make him happy; wants to be the reason why the man smiles. His heart rate picks up while he admires the hunter who stands so close to him like never before. He doesn’t even notice what happens around them - doesn’t notice the other dancers.
“Well, I must have the greatest partner there is then.”, finally the Cueist says back. It’s these words that hit the Matador like an arrow to the heart; he’s completely smitten, now even more than ever before. He just can’t hold back anymore.
Without another word or a warning, he crosses the small distance between their faces to kiss Marcus on his lips. And it’s as if his heart would burst into a firework inside his chest. The butterflies flutter wildly inside his stomach, now even through his whole body.
Is Marcus surprised by the sudden kiss? Oh, he definitely is. The two of them stopped dancing just for this moment but despite the shock, Marcus doesn’t withdraw. His heart beats rapidly against his chest and his whole body feels warm and alive again. This feels right. This is how it’s supposed to be.
The Cueist lifts his hands to hold the Matadors face, before he kisses him back, but with a little more energy. When there’s no way to speak out what he thinks, he needs to show the other by his actions - make him feel what he feels.
When they part, their eyes meet, full of surprise and adoration. Then Marcus laughs slightly, shaking his head. “You have a thing to make a show out of everything.”, he teases, making Hernando realize where they are and that they’re surrounded by many onlookers. He instantly blushes profusely, but stays proud. He straightens his back and pushes out his chest, turning towards the others.
“Why did the music stop? ¡Vamos! Pick up the music again! ¡Vamos a bailar!”, he declares and with a quick sign from Sangria to the two musicians, the music picks up again where it stopped and the other dancers make the dance floor lively again. Marcus and Hernando regain their composure as well, positioning themselves again so that they can start dancing again.
“So that’s what you were feeling.”, Marcus starts, before Hernando resumes their dancing slowly.
“Since the first day we met. Your presence enchanted me as soon as I laid eyes upon you. From then on my feelings only grew and grew but I never… I never dared to actually pursue you. I feared that it would tear our friendship apart.”
Marcus' face softens at these heartfelt words. He feels touched by these honest feelings.
“You are a true romantic. I learned to appreciate your presence greatly with time. And… this right now, it feels just right.”
“It does,” Hernando responds softly, before lifting Marcus up into the air again for a moment. When he’s back on the ground, he holds him at his back, to lean him back towards the ground. It surprises the Cueist, which is why he grabs onto his partner tightly.
“From now on…”
“From now on we’ll not have to hide our feelings any longer.” Marcus’ smile grows wider and warmer as he says this, making the Matador sigh lovingly, completely falling for the hunter once again and even harder.
“From now on we’ll be a couple?” he asks with hopeful eyes as he pulls the Cueist back up, to turn with him.
“Yes. But don’t think that I’ll go easy on you just because of that.”
“Oh, please don’t~”
Marcus laughs whole heartly. That’s his Matador.
And once again, they dance fully in tune with each other. Like it’s meant to be.
With a proud look in her eyes, Sangria watches the two from a distance, Ivy at her side.
“They are really cute together. It really was about time that they got together! I knew Hernando was planning something like this when he asked you to teach Marcus how to dance.”
The Opera Singer hums slightly at that.
“I just gave them a little push into the right direction. Now, my love, will you do me the honour and dance with me?”
Ivi looks up at her girlfriend, smiling shyly.
“Well, of course.”, she giggles, taking the hand that is offered to her.