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Floyd felt his phone go off in his pocket. He put down his serving tray to look at his phone.
Goldfishie <3
Do you want to teach me your moray eel dance? Azul didn’t tell me the name.
He almost couldn’t believe it. Not only had Azul told Riddle about the courtship dance, but Riddle also wanted to do it with him. Floyd nearly dropped his phone in excitement.
“Jade!” He sprinted over to his brother. “Can you cover me for today and probably tomorrow?”
“May I ask why?” Jade lightly put drinks on his serving tray as he spoke.
“Goldfishie wants to do the courtship dance with me!” Floyd yelled happily.
“Oh.” Jade got a small smile on his face. “I would be happy to. Don’t go too hard on him.”
“I won’t!” Floyd bolted out of the lounge and sent a quick text back.
I'll meet you at Heartslabyul!!! <333
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“Oh, hello Floyd.” Trey waved at him as soon as he made it to Heartslabyul. “I'm assuming you’re here for Riddle. He's waiting for you in the tea garden. He had all the furniture moved.”
“Thanks!” Floyd gave him a quick wave back before running off. Floyd has been to Heartslabyul so much he knows it like the back of his hand. Originally, he was only able to go so much because he had told Azul it was to collect more information. Over time, though, Azul just let him go whenever he wanted, as long as he wasn’t on the clock.
When he reached the tea garden, he nearly screamed in joy. Riddle was standing there in his PE uniform, nervously shifting on his feet. He had a singular rose in his hands.
“You’ve made it.” Riddle shyly played with the rose. “I heard this dance could be very complicated, so I wanted to be prepared. I didn’t know if it would be difficult, but I dressed for if it was as you can tell. I feel a bit underdressed.”
It was to be expected. Floyd was still in his dorm uniform while Riddle was in a PE uniform that was still a bit too big on him. It fit them in its own weird way.
When they first announced they were dating, nobody believed them. They seemed like the weirdest matchup anyone could think of. That didn’t matter to them, though.
“Hehehe!” Floyd walked up to Riddle and lifted him into a tight hug. “You look silly!”
Riddle wheezed as he felt the air get squeezed out of him. “You don’t have to rub it in! I only knew the dance was ornate!”
“It’s okay, I'll never stop liking how silly your PE uniform looks on you.” Floyd slowly lowered him. “You even got me a rose too? How sappy!”
Riddle huffed and turned away from it. “If you’re going to be so ungrateful, maybe I should just leave.”
“Nooooo~.” Floyd whined. “Please still give me the rooooose!”
Riddle sighed fondly and turned back to Floyd. Floyd leaned down so Riddle could place the rose behind his ear. It was a moment of silence that they both enjoyed. It’s not like they hid their relationship, but they still appreciated privacy.
“Kay, so first things first. The dance on the sea and the dance on land are very different.” He took off his dorm uniform blazer. “Both are still affected by the dancers, though. My mom told me no two eels should have the same dance.”
Riddle smiled. “I hope I can do the other water dance with you one day.”
Floyd quickly scooped him up again and bit his cheek. “If you keep being so cute, I'm going to eat you! Is that what you want?”
Riddle struggled in his boyfriend’s arms. It was a bit of a common occurrence for Floyd to bite him whenever he acted too cute or looked too beautiful. It was more common for Floyd to just bite him for no reason too. It was weird to others, but it was fine to them.
“Can we please get to the dancing part?” Riddle wheezed again.
“You’re so impatient.” Floyd pouted as he put Riddle back down. “Fine, let’s get started! You go over there.” He pointed to a shrub wall.
Riddle walked to the wall as Floyd went to the opposite one.
“We have to dance towards each other. You can pick whatever dance move you want. Surprise me!”
Riddle panicked and took the first step. He wasn’t even sure what dance move he did. All he could go off was Floyd cackling at him.
“HAHAHAHA!” Floyd held his stomach as he doubled over in laughter. “YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS! WHAT KIND OF DANCE MOVE WAS THAT!?”
“SHUT UP!” Riddle went red in the face. “You said surprise you!”
“You don’t have to force yourself to do something like me.” Floyd still had a teasing smile on his face. “Clearly you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you can’t. That dance move looked stupid!”
Riddle sighed and walked back to his spot. He had to go with something he knew. He gently took his shoes off and placed them to the side before getting into a tight first position. He took a deep breath and began a series of chaîne turns.
He trusted that Floyd would be there to stop him. Floyd had watched him do ballet dozens of times and helped him practice occasionally.
Riddle’s mom had put him into ballet when he was young to teach him discipline and perfection. She only took him out when she found him practicing it instead of studying one day. But she wasn’t here; it was only him and Floyd.
Floyd grabbed him by the waist to stop him. “I could watch you spin all day! The next thing is—”
“I want to see your move.” Riddle moved back to his spot again. “Show me.”
“Awww~. So sweet.” Floyd walked back to his spot. His dance moves were like everything he did. Unpredictable.
It was a mix of waltzing, ballet, and something Riddle didn’t recognize. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did. The movements were beautiful and fluid in a way only an eel merfolk could be.
“There!” Floyd stopped and posed. “A version of the dance I did. It’s mostly freestyle!”
Riddle walked up to Floyd and got back into the dance position they last ended in. “It was…interesting. What’s next?”
“This!” Floyd quickly turned Riddle to face him and lifted him. “Now warp your legs around my waist!”
Riddle didn’t question it. He held on tightly.
“Hold on tight!” Floyd gave Riddle one warning before wildly moving them around. It was a bunch of spins, twists, and turns that made Riddle a bit dizzy. It all came to a stop at once. “You good?”
“Yes.” Riddle took the time to regain his bearings. “How often does this happen in the dance?”
“A couple of times. Don’t worry, we’re only like 1% through. It will be a while until we get to the next spinny part.” Floyd tightly held him and nuzzled into his hair.
“1%?!” Riddle proclaimed in shock. “How do you know that?”
“Well, when we first started dating, I immediately began thinking of this dance.” Floyd explained like he didn’t just say the most romantic thing Riddle had ever heard. “I know where every part is supposed to start and end. I mean…” Floyd got a slightly self conscious look that Riddle hated. “I can change it if it’s too much for you.”
“No.” Riddle nuzzled him back. “Don’t you ever change. I'm going to learn this full dance. Are you doubting my abilities?”
Floyd's face broke into a contagious smile. “You’re the best Goldfishie!” He kissed Riddle.
Riddle kissed back. It was their own moment. It was perfect to them. That was all that mattered.