❧ Out ❧ Of ❧ Time

[tinkertank]

➷ Pick A Muse
➷ Post a Prompt: leave a picture, a line, or a full-on tag!
➷ THE CATCH!: AU-it! If they're sci-fi? Stick them in BCE. If they're Victorian? Put them in the 1920s. If they're from Candyland? Put them into Steampunk Dystopian Veggieland. WHERE IN TIME IS CARMEN SANDIAGO? them. Let's do this.
➷ Label who you're tagging.
(Also put what time period/theme, if you have something specific in mind and think it's unclear.)
➷ ♥

Comments

Sock hop it is!

[laughingandlyric]

[While the adults are away, kids will play, right? That was the old adage. Or new adage, actually; relative to the... you know, age of the earth. Adages like 'I came, I saw, I conquered' were actually antiquated, as opposed to the 20-year-old cracker-jack box saying people thought were old.

...Corrections like that were probably the reason he was stirring his drink alone, weren't they? Oh well. Not that he minded!

His grandmother was having one of her dinner parties, so he'd opted to actually go to the school dance for once. He did like the rock music, and the disk jockey the school had hired was pretty good. Besides! A great excuse to push way too many maraschino cherries into his coke and stir it by the stems while enjoying being at school without any shoes on. Best? Best!

He had no intention to dance, really, just to listen to the music. He'd already said hello to a few friends, but the noise wasn't any good for talking. So, he was parked at the side of the gym, back to the wall, mumbling the words to the popular song that was playing, pretty happy all on his own, thank you very much.]

[affablecharm]

[Courfeyrac, meanwhile, needed no such reasons to be present at the dance. He preferred them tremendously to his family's insistence of spending the evenings together. His two elder sisters remained home, fulfilling their duties to it, while he and his younger sister had rushed off to the dance.

While she was out cutting the rug with some friends of hers, he was finishing dancing with his most recent fling... Or three. Worn out, he makes his way over to where Jehan is and leans against the wall next to him.]

Gonna be a wallflower all night?

[laughingandlyric]

[Barely noticing someone heading his way until he was propped onto the wall beside him, Jehan smiled down into his drink, shrugging his shoulders up to his ears.]

Wallflowers are cultivated specifically in enclosed gardens... I prefer to think of myself as a little more wild than that.

[Glancing up with a quite smile, he finally plucked out the cherry he'd been stirring with, and wiggled a heel against the floor.]

Don't tell me you're tried of dancing already?

[affablecharm]

[He stretches a little, turning his head to look at him... With a small, sly grin.]

Not just yet. Needed a breath of fresh air and perhaps a little... wilder... of a dance partner.

[.... Well if that wasn't forward, what was? Courfeyrac was, at least, known for his varying-- ah-- tastes. And the fact that he was likely to flirt with nearly anyone, regardless of how socially acceptable or not it may be.]

[laughingandlyric]

[Brows rose a little at that... before he returned the smile, popping the cherry cheerfully into his mouth and giving a flitting glance up, to survey the dance floor.

Before, bluntly, though with a kindly tone:]

You aren't my type.

[He didn't mean boys, per say... well, he thought that would be obvious, if Courfeyrac was asking him in the first place. Boys certainly could be his type.

He meant more... people who danced with everyone. Dancing was supposed to be intimate, romantic, inter-personal, emotive...

Which brought him to problem number two.]

And I can't dance. What about Stevens, in the red dress?

[Supplied, nodding to one of the prettier girls, a good dancer, to boot.

Because there was no way he was getting landed with the 'well why don't you let me teach you?' come back. He was unteachable.]

[affablecharm]

[Courfeyrac happily ignored the "not my type" comment. He didn't mind being told that, really let it roll off his shoulders. In fact, when it was suggested he dance with another of the girls, he didn't even look at her.]

I don't believe that for a moment... And I don't really care to dance with her...

[Not now that a challenge has been issued, that is.]

[laughingandlyric]

[Jehan bit his tongue short of saying 'you usually care to dance with everyone' and instead, settled on giving him a quizzical stare and a bemused smile.]

You don't believe that I'm an awful dancer? Have you seen me walk, Rey?

[affablecharm]

Not the most graceful, but maybe that's because you should be dancing instead.

[A big grin.]

Jehan, please? I'm a really good lead. I promise.

[laughingandlyric]

Oh, charmer!

[he gave in response, almost in a squeal, and half-cringing he was so embarrassed.

He was charming, too, and the worst part was? He knew it. That made it at least a billion times more awful, definitely.

Blushing despite himself, he went to idly chew on the end of the cherry stem, shaking his head no.]

No. Nonono. I can't dance, no matter how good you are. And definitely not in front of all these people.

[And definitely not with a male classmate in front of all these people. Not when B had already popped out early, after spiking the punch.]

[affablecharm]

[He couldn't keep from chuckling at the near squeal Jehan gave in response to that. He knew he was charming, but he did like to hear it more and more often.]

And if it weren't in front of all these people? Apolline could teach you if you really wanted... She's only a hair worse than I am...

I know... if we go dance with her and her friend, no one would be the wiser.

[laughingandlyric]

[Again, Jehan eyed him for a moment, as if considering...

Before resolutely returning his eyes to his feet and shaking his head no for the second time, more sheepish now.]

I can't, Rey. If it's with Apolline, then I'm leading.

[And to be honest, dancing with Courfeyrac's little sister (who was a sweetheart, and probably a better dancer than her brother, Jehan guessed) while Reynaud ambled off with her friend was not his idea of a good time. If Rey needed a diversion tactic, Jehan was sure he could think of a better one than that.]

If it weren't in front of all these people, I might be willing to try... but that's kind of the point of a dance, isn't it? All the people? I couldn't.

[affablecharm]

Then you've clearly never danced with her before. She'll lead even when she's not supposed to.

[He grins and nudges Jehan's arm with his own, raising an eyebrow.]

The point of these is to have fun... Not necessarily being around all these people. I know where there's no crowd, if you wanted.

[laughingandlyric]

I was having fun.

[He insisted, sniffing, as if offended by the correction... but any offense didn't sink into his expression as he chewed on the inside of his lip, thinking.

Then, with a little fidget,]

Okay-- that would be okay, I guess. Somewhere we can still hear the music?

[It was pretty loud.]

[affablecharm]

[He raised both his eyebrows in a 'really?' expression...

And grinned when Jehan relented.]

It might be a little muffled, but we'll still be able to hear it. Follow me.

[laughingandlyric]

Following.

[He relented, setting his coke down on the bleachers and sticking his hands into his pockets to amble after Courfeyrac, still a bit distracted by all the noise and motion on their way out, dawdling mildly.]

[affablecharm]

[He didn't make a beeline out of the room, not wanting to draw attention to anyone that he was leaving. But when he found the spot just out of the way of everyone else, he leaned against the wall and just waited for Jehan to catch up with him.

The music was still easy to hear, if not a bit warped by the walls between them.]

[laughingandlyric]

[Raising his brows a little, he sped up and almost skipped the last steps to him, once the distractions were gone.]

You will regret this lesson, Mr. Courfeyrac of the Green Hill Boulevard Courfeyracs. I will absolutely step on your toes no less than twenty-six times.

[affablecharm]

I'll count them to hold you to that promise.

[Pushing himself off the wall, he grins and holds out his hand.]

[laughingandlyric]

I can't-- believe you're really doing this.

[Gave, looking halfway between skeptical and shy for a moment before taking his hand with a bobbing nod.]

You're not going to tell me you made a bet with someone that you could get literally everyone to dance with you after this, are you? Because then I'll step on your feet twenty-seven times.

[affablecharm]

I promise I didn't make any bets... At all.

[Now with his hand, he grins and waits for the right beat in the song before starting them with a slow move.]

Just wanted to dance with you.

[laughingandlyric]

[And Jehan tries to mimic, but as promised, he's a little clumsy.

It doesn't help that he feels a little flush and fluttery at the second portion of that statement. Not that he should, but it was a little difficult not to, when one had consumed as much sugar as he had.]

All right... so show me what to do.

[affablecharm]

[Starting with a few simple steps, he murmured them for Jehan to follow.]

Like this for now, then we'll speed them up. Let me know when you're comfortable...

[laughingandlyric]

[A nod, and Jehan tried. He really did. It fluctuated between getting it, and then messing up here and there, so that any improvement seemed to negate itself...

But from the way he was looking down at their feet, brows knit, mouth fretting in concentration... he at least really was giving it his all, since Reynaud was taking the time to show him.]

...I don't think I'll ever be comfortable. I am the worst. Maybe literally.

[As if to prove it? #1. Stepped on his foot.]

[affablecharm]

[Courfeyrac kept the movements slow, grinning and watching Jehan's face instead of their feet.]

Not the worst- [He cuts off with a slight wince, but at least they aren't wearing shoes.]

Okay, stop looking at your feet and just let loose, that should help. [And he speeds up the count a bit so Jehan has no choice but to follow his lead.]

[laughingandlyric]

[So follow he does. He feels... well, really ridiculous... but at least the faster they go the less he can focus, and the less he can focus, the less he cares about mistakes and just begins to enjoy it.

It wasn't awful, actually... surprisingly.

And Courfeyrac was far from a bad partner.

By the time the next song ended, he was actually grinning, biting his lip.]

Okay... so you are as good as everyone says.