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“What? You don’t know how to dance?”
A teenage Stanley Snyder prickled slightly at the incredulity in the other boy’s voice.
“...No? Why would I?”
Xeno looked puzzled and threw his gaze toward his mother.
“Now, now, everyone learns different things at their own pace,” she smiled gently, “and there’s nothing wrong with that. But…would you like to learn? Stanley?”
“Huh?! Well, no, I mean I don’t–”
“You said that you don’t know how,” Xeno repeated, curious to the gradual reddening on his friend’s face.
“I d-don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want–”
“But you sounded kinda…embarassed about it when you told me earlier.”
“I’m not embarrassed!” Stanley cried out, watching as Astrid Wingfield held out her hand toward her son in a grand gesture. Xeno took it, in a manner that echoed her theatricality.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” she mused as she placed her hand upon her son’s shoulder and joined their hands together, “here, you can watch us…and then we’ll have you learn the steps to a simple waltz. It’s quite easy so you might be able to get the hang of it too.”
“B-but I–”
His words fell short as he watched the mother and son gracefully step about the room, seemingly falling into an unspoken rhythm together. Xeno looked completely at ease as he and his mother danced. From over the ashen-haired boy’s shoulder, he caught an encouraging smile from the older woman. The movements did look simple enough, but he felt the shame flare further, imagining himself unable to fall into graceful, elegant movements like that.
In truth, the young marksman felt a little envious. But he squashed down the feeling, realizing that Xeno and his mother had ceased in their movements. Simultaneously, they turned their heads toward him.
“Stanley? Would you like to try?” Astrid’s voice was bright.
“Ah…uhm…I–”
“Come on, Stan,” the pale-haired boy crooked his head with a teasing smile, “there isn’t anything that you can’t do after all…”
Can you do it?
“F-fine,” the blond glowered as he rose from his seat on the couch and stood in front of his friend, taking Astrid’s place.
“Good!” She beamed, “you can place your hand on Xeno’s shoulder as he will be the one leading–”
“I’m the girl?!” Stanley blurted out as he tried not to clamp down on his friend’s shoulder.
“Oh ho,” Xeno chuckled out, “don’t think too much on it. The hand positions are easily interchangeable. This is just for learning’s sake.”
“Yeah yeah,” the blonde swallowed as he felt the gentle pressure of the other boy’s hand settling upon his waist, “what about–”
In an assertively graceful motion, Xeno reached out to intertwine their free hands and held them outward. The older woman hummed her satisfaction.
The young marksman tried to mentally talk down the blush that was rapidly spreading from the back of his neck toward his face. Xeno seemed to realize the closeness of their proximity and to Stanley’s horror, the very first traces of redness were creeping into his cheeks as well.
“Uh…okay…” Stanley heaved out, trying to avoid looking at the glossy black eyes in front of him, “what do we do next…”
“Well don’t you two look cute,” Astrid giggled, “basically what you’ll be learning is a ‘box step’. The basic pattern of steps will fall into a pattern of one-two-three, four-five-six. One-two-three, four-five-six. And so-on.”
Without thinking, the blonde used his fingers to gently tap the rhythmic pattern on Xeno’s shoulder as he counted within his head. Xeno’s mouth curled in response, but he diverted his gaze elsewhere.
The white-haired woman nodded, “And the manner in which Xeno steps, you will basically follow. He will begin with his left foot forward, so you will step backward with the same foot. At the same time that he steps with his left foot, his right will swing on over and so your corresponding foot will follow his.”
“It is simple in a most elegant way–”
“Yeah just don’t step on my foot,” Stanley griped.
“Well we can avoid that happening if you just make sure to follow my lead–”
“Okay!” Astrid clapped her hands, “...I’ll give you the count slowly so that you can try it once, so here we go.”
Both teens swallowed as they tensed, amber and sable eyes snapping toward each other.
“One-”
Xeno stepped forward on his left foot in a measured manner, allowing Stanley time to step backward. Managing to maintain his balance, the scientist seemingly dragged his right foot, making sure that the marksman followed accordingly.
“Two-three.”
“...Huh.” Stanley intoned quietly, surprised at himself.
“Good!” The elder Wingfield smiled, “that’s just the first half of it. It is simple, you see? The last three steps basically complete the ‘box’, if you can imagine it. And so, Stanley, you will be the one stepping forward and Xeno will be the one stepping backward.”
“...Okay.”
“...Four-”
Pressing his mouth into a thin line, Stanley made sure to emulate what he had seen his friend do and stepped forward slowly, observing Xeno respond appropriately. The white-haired teen gave a quiet, commendatory chuckle as he stepped sideways with his left foot and Stanley followed, cementing the closure of the series of steps that they’d managed to successfully complete.
Sheepishly, both teens gradually drew their hands from each other. Astrid blinked, then smiled as if some secret revelation had come to her.
“Whoa…” the blonde murmured, raising his gaze toward the scientist and then to Astrid, “I…I did it. I did it! It…wasn’t too bad, I guess.”
“Exactly!” Astrid bubbled, “yes, so if you take wider steps, you’ll be able to widen the ‘box’ area of which you are dancing in, if that makes sense. That is basically how Xeno and I were floating about the room moments ago.”
“I see…” Stanley said nodding, “...I uhm, would not mind trying that too.”
“Ooooh,” Xeno crooned, “...perhaps you’d like to try it with some music then?”
“Excellent idea, Xe,” the woman agreed, already at the side of a rather vintage-looking vinyl player. After rummaging in the cabinet underneath, she withdrew her hand with a large, shiny disc and placed it onto the instrument. The gentle, nostalgic melody of a song began to play and a woman began to sing:
“I was dancing with my darlin’ to the Tennessee Waltz…”
Stanley began to tap his fingers against the side of his jeans, once again trying to incorporate the rhythm into his mind. Thankfully, the song’s rhythm was unhurried and so he felt a little more confident.
“...Do you think you can follow it? Stan?”
Unconsciously nodding his head in time to the music that was playing, the marksman turned soft eyes toward the young scientist with a quiet smile.
“I…think I could do it. I can.”
“Sure,” Xeno nodded, suddenly feeling equally timid, “...you can lead this time then.”
A sentimental, knowing smile crept along the mouth of Astrid Wingfield as she watched the two boys step toward each other once more.
[fin]