Chapter Text
She didn’t tell Carmilla of course because where was the fun in that and bribed her into coming along with the promise that if it wasn’t fun Laura would let Carmilla be in charge of their netflix choices for the next week.
So, they found themselves standing on the edge of a hall in a community centre, the youngest in the room by several decades and with even Laura wondering if this had been a good idea as she looked at the dozen couples of men and women around them, all in their fifties and sixties.
The teacher introduced herself and welcomed everyone to her new eight week beginners course where she was going to take them through the basics of the most popular dances and if they enjoyed it they could join her regular beginners class that ran on a Thursday evening. She asked if anyone had come by themselves and a man and two women put their hands up, she nodded and then looked at Carmilla and Laura.
“I’m sorry girls, we don’t have any spare men, do you mind dancing with each other?”
“No, no we don’t mind,” Laura squeaked while Carmilla put her hand to her forehead in despair.
Under the cover of the teacher sorting out how the three single dancers could rotate with each other Carmilla hissed at Laura, “Sure you don’t want to go to a class with spare men cupcake?”
“Shut up,” Laura hiss back, struggling to hold back a laugh. Those around them in the class gave them bemused looks.
“Now, the easiest dance to start with is the Waltz,” the teacher said.
“Yes,” muttered Laura happily
“I could teach you to waltz at home”
“Shush”
“Now, gentlemen behind me,” the teacher said, moving into the middle of the hall and gesturing behind her.
“Crap, which one of us is the man?” Laura asked.
“Well, that’s a little offensive,” teased Carmilla.
“Shut up. We have to decide which of us is the man,” Laura said, her tone getting more urgent as the men in the room shuffled to follow instructions.
Carmilla laughed, “Or leader and follower and since I learned the follow steps when I learned to Waltz why don’t you take the lead?”
“Seriously?”
“Go lead cupcake,” Carmilla said, gesturing to the middle of the room.
Laura grinned and scurried happily off to the middle of the room to stand on the end of the line of men. She looked even more out of place as she turned to grin inanely at Carmilla and give her a thumbs up.
Carmilla shook her head and avoided the looks of the women left at the side of the room with her.
“Right, gentlemen,” the teacher began, “We always start with our left foot. Now, copy me and we step forward with our left foot.” There was a shuffle as the gaggle behind her did, Laura concentrating hard on not only the step, but how the teacher was shifting her weight. “Then, we step to the side with our right foot and finally close our left foot to our right foot.” She spoke slowly and moved slowly and the men behind her, and Laura, copied her.
“Then we do it again,” she repeated the steps and the group behind her did, “And again….and again and we go a little quicker and we waltz our way down the room, one two three, one two three, one two three.” There were some missteps as she sped up, but not from Laura who followed the basic steps exactly.
“Right, men, practice that while I take the ladies through their steps.”
The men shuffled off to the side of the room as the women took their positions up behind the dance teacher, Carmilla wondering why she was doing this. The women’s steps were the same, except stepping backwards with their right foot before stepping to the side with their left and then closing with their right. Carmilla shuffled through the motions of the steps, not needing to put much thought into what she was doing.
“Now, let’s try that together,” the teacher said, “spread out round the room with your dance partner.”
Carmilla turned, looking for Laura and they took each others hands as they found a gap on the floor and faced each other.
“Having fun cupcake?” Carmilla asked.
“I am actually,” Laura said.
“Gentlemen, you want to face your partner and put your right hand on their back, to their left hand side, just on the ribs. You don’t need to hold them tight, just place it there.”
Laura followed instructions, avoiding what she was sure would be mockery if she looked into Carmilla’s eyes.
“Ladies take your left hand and place if on the gentleman’s bicep, again, you don’t need to hold on. Now gentlemen hold up your left hand to the side and ladies place your right hand into the gentleman’s.”
Laura did, finally looking at Carmilla as she placed her hand into Laura’s, Carmilla was smirking, but not with mockery, but something like delight. She used her hand on Carmilla’s back to pull her a little closer so their midriff’s were in contact.
“Are we okay ladies?” The teacher said, interrupting their moment as she came round checking their holds. “We usually have the taller partner dance the gentleman’s steps in same sex pairings,” she suggested.
“We’re okay this way” Carmilla said.
“Of course and couples often find it easier to dance a little further apart when they start so they can glance at their feet and not worry about kicking each other.”
“Thank you for the tip,” Laura said, genuinely, but not loosening her pressure on Carmilla’s back.
“You’re just going to have to put up with it if I stand on your toes,” Laura said to Carmilla as their teacher breezed off to go correct other couples.
“I think I’ll cope,” Carmilla said with a smile.
Their teacher got the classes attention and counted them in, on the right beat Laura stepped forward, finding that Carmilla had of course stepped back, they both stepped to the side, closed their feet and repeated as the teacher counted one, two, three at the side of the room. Laura felt Carmilla putting a rise and fall into her steps and mimicked her. The group went the length of the room and then the teacher stopped them to talk them through how to progress anti-clockwise round the room. She emphasised that this being the gentleman’s job and joked about being sure that this was the only time when the women were going to actually let the men be in charge instead of just thinking they were in charge. Laura stayed in hold with Carmilla during the instructions and tested out the teacher’s instructions to steer Carmilla with pressure from her right hand on Carmilla’s back. She was oblivious to the fact that every other couple in the room had stepped apart to listen, but Carmilla wasn’t going to point it out to her.
“Right, we’ll put some music on,” the teacher said, going to the sound system at the end of the room.
Carmilla adjusted them so they were back on the right line.
“Hey, I’m supposed to be steering,” Laura protested with a smile.
“I will let you steer,” conceded Carmilla, “As long as you’re steering us in the right direction.”
“Is this dance class becoming a metaphor for our relationship?” Laura said, putting a mock frown on.
“Oh I hope not,” said Carmilla emphatically, looking around the room.
The music came on and the teacher counted them in. They started dancing, doing the same three steps down the room and Laura gently steered them around the end of the room, still copying the rise and fall that she could feel Carmilla adding. The same three steps repeated was not much of a dance, but they were torso to torso, bodies moving in sync, hands warm in each other and when they bumped knees or stubbed toes they laughed and apologised to each other and it was fun.
The teacher took the leaders and followers separately again to teach them a basic quarter turn to intersperse with their basics and then they danced again the music, alternating between basics and quarter turns and stuffing up more than they had the first time, but starting again when it went wrong and still laughing.
And then the class was over and Laura said thanks to the teacher and that they’d see her next week.
“That was fun,” Laura said as they left.
“It was,” Carmilla conceded, “Waltzing is a little more fun when both partners are trying to do the same steps at the same time.”
“Which we were doing most of the time, so success. You want to go back next week?” Laura asked.
“Sure,” said Carmilla.
“Is the lack of enthusiasm affected or genuine?” Laura asked.
“I had fun cupcake, I enjoyed dancing with you. I wouldn’t have picked to be waltzing in a room with a load of old people, but I can make that sacrifice for the fun of waltzing with you.”
“So noble,” teased Laura.
“I want to show you something later though.”
“Oh?”
“It will be a surprise, I just need a bit of time to set it up, so, after dinner?”
“Sure,” said Laura, curious, but willing to wait.
“And can I borrow your laptop?”
“Carm...when are you going to get your own laptop?”
“You’re going to stop letting me borrow yours?”
“No...but...”
“There isn’t a problem then.”