You will lead, then. Your right hand must be on your partner's back, while your other hand is holding your partner's.
[ He demonstrates this with Kise, with him assuming the leader role for now. It's a mistake, though, because even holding the blond's hand seems to colour his face a pale red. He's doing his very best to ignore it and pretend he's not at all affected by the slow trickling of Chroma. ]
If you're comfortable with your partner, your hand may rest closer to their waist. If not, then just here would be fine— [ As he speaks, the hand on Kise's back goes down closer to Kise's waist. It's much more intimate, but it only lasts a few seconds because he brings his hand back up to the middle of his back. ]
... Hm. I've never danced with anybody taller than me before. You understand though, don't you?
[So far so good- the instructions don't seem hard to follow. One hand on the back, the other holding... okay- why is he feeling so nervous all of a sudden? He can feel tingles go down his neck.
And they intensify when Akashi's hand moves to his waist. He can't tell if his face is showing anything, but he does feel as if the back of his neck is burning. What did he say again? Ah- hand on the middle of the back.]
Yes! Yes, I understand. So it's like this-
[-Kise shifts, stepping closer a tiny bit, shifts his hand so that it's holding Akashi's, and palm of his hand pressed against Akashi's back, right underneath the shoulder blades.]
-Right?
[...he never thought ballroom dances involved people being so close like this...]
[ Ah... Akashi doesn't even have to use his Emperor Eye to notice. This is affecting Kise, too. He'll have to be careful from now on. ]
Relax a little. [ But even Akashi does not sound relaxed... God help them both. ] The dance is supposed to be romantic and fluid. Being stiff doesn't help.
[If what Akashi said was supposed to be relaxing, it really didn't help much. So now they are both tense and Kise feels like a plank that has two cement tubes for legs.
Breathe, Kise, breathe, you can do this... Just think about death and you won't be tempted to randomly hug Akashi. His fingers shift on Akashi's back in an attempt to get some feeling into them and relax as advised.]
I-I'll do my best! So-! What are the beginner's steps?
[ Akashi takes a deep breath. Kise can't relax because of him, probably. His own body's a little stiff, too. He may have done the stretches already, but he just feels a little uneasy.
He pulls away from Kise and heads over to where the speakers are. There should be a wire to connect his device to the speakers.. once done, he opens up the Lunatian-Spotify app and picks a random song to play. He's back next to Kise after that, retaking the position they once had with Kise as the leader. ]
Waltz follows a 3/4 time signature. That means three beats in each measure, with quarter notes having one value. One-two-three, one-two-three— [ With the song already playing, of course, they should be moving to the beat, but Akashi waits until Kise understands and starts to move his feet. ]
Let's see what you can do first. This should help us both relax a little, too.
[When Akashi steps away to turn on the music, his hands feel cold as if something's missing. Thankfully, the scent isn't so overwhelming as it can be; it mixes with the smell of the room and rubber and floor cleaners so Kise has an easier time focusing on the actual task at hand.
He cracks his neck before Akashi returns and takes the same position again- he has no idea what he's talking about, however, the terms flying over his head. But he can kind of understand what one-two-three means, having watched movies and now listening to the ticks of the song.
Nodding, he glances down at their feet briefly and then looks at Akashi-]
[He's not sure, he doesn't remember. Learn definitively isn't one of the things.
Kise laughs a bit,] Haha, I won't, I won't! I promise.
[Well, it would depend on the type of stepping- still! He's going to be very careful as he dances. No stepping on the feet, that's not romantic, he knows.]
[ He punctuates his reassurance with a chuckle. He waits for a few good measures in the song, before another part starts. That's when he begins to move, carefully and gracefully leading Kise as his partner.
Admittedly, it's a little odd to have a taller partner, but Akashi's able to work with it, as he does with everything else.
He does end up letting out a heavy sigh at some point, finding the Chroma being generated from merely holding hands and with one hand on Kise's waist to be a little too distracting. Chroma always leaves you wanting more, after all. ]
[Akashi's chuckle only makes Kise's grin become wider.
There's no doubt Akashi can handle someone taller than himself, and he does it with ease too. Kise does his best to follow his steps, finding himself a bit clumsy when he misses the direction in which Akashi wants to go to, but he quickly fixes his mistakes- without stepping on toes. That's important.
Kise's never been focused a lot on how it feels to get chroma, but whatever this tingling warmth is that's dancing over his neck and down his back means it's that? Or maybe that's because Akashi sighed like that? He certainly felt his ears twitch at the soft sound.
Surprisingly, it only got him to relax even more as they glided over the floor, his hand pressed firmly to Akashi's back.]
It's easier to follow on your first time. Leading becomes a lot more natural if you're in tune with the music.
[ Dancing is an art, after all. There's a lot of self-identification with it. Akashi doesn't do any of that, but he knows and has danced enough growing up that this becomes easy for him.
Because Kise is bigger though, Akashi only does the basic steps and turns. He doesn't try dipping Kise or anything. That's... far more difficult at this time. When the song comes to a close, Akashi pulls away to bow, one arm in front and one at the back. This may just be practice, but he's as extra as he can be. ]
[Art isn't what Kise does either, but dancing has a physical aspect to it so learning the steps to it is rather easy? If it's ballroom dancing; freestyle is something he can't do but would have to improvise.
Kise didn't expect a bow though, so he fumbles to do the same. Damn that song was too short, he was just getting the hang of it too!]
I don't know why some complain about these dances, [Kises muses as he straightens after the bow,] it's kind of fun.
[When the song changes to something screechy, Kise jumps a bit in surprise, ear twitching (that was unpleasant).] Ah! [He rushes over to the music player and fiddles around to return it to the previous song, then goes back to Akashi. With a grin on his face, one hand on his back, he offers Akashi his free hand-]
[ The very same bow gets Akashi's ears on his face again once he stands up. It's annoying, and Kise will be able to see his former team captain pout and wrinkle his nose in annoyance before fixing them again with a sigh. ]
I'm sorry— these are always so inconvenient.
[ With Kise offering, though, Akashi assumes that he is ready to take the lead. ]
[Those ears, man- they seriously need to stop making Kise's stomach drop through the floor from how cute they make Akashi look. He almost reached out to move them away from Akashi's face himself.
Instead, he just bites his lip briefly, thinking a bit.]
Maybe... a headband? There are soft ones that keep bangs out of the way during training, I have one! I can lend it to you.
[He's not sure how good he will be as a lead, but he'll give his best!]
Yup! Let's try it out! I think I have the basics down.
If you worry how [cute] bunny ears will fit, I'll make it work! If I can fix my hair from looking like cotton candy when I blow dry it, then I can find a way for this too!
[Is he? He never thought of it that way. The only reason why he knows about all this modeling stuff is because his sister wrangled him into it.
Although maybe he should chat less and focus more on his feet- he's dancing a half waltz, half normal, slow dance in between chats. It's a bit off in tempo, but he's really trying to keep up with it.]
Aha, well... it's just that headbands aren't my style. Don't you think?
[ Kise would look good in one, for sure. Maybe even Takao... but Takao isn't here. He tries to imagine Midorima or Kuroko in one and he looks a little horrified. ]
No? I just think you need to find the one that suits you, that's all.
[Kuroko could use some hairclips for his wild morning hairdo. But Kise seriously thinks Akashi would look decent with one.]
Ah. Then- [Kise makes a pause in the dance, waits a few beats and then picks up again to it, this time more fluid and moving over the floor more easily.]
[ Akashi's a decent follower. He's already a good observer, though it's probably obvious that he's being very, very careful with how he's looking at Kise. Their eyes meet briefly, and Akashi never knew what it felt to be weak in the knees, but there's a second where his grip on Kise's hand gets a lot tighter because— ah...
[Kise very obviously perks up at the praise and focuses even more on the way he's moving across the floor, the rhythm and their movements. He didn't notice Akashi was watching him until his grip on him loosened a bit and he caught just a glimpse of it-]
Ah-! [Kise's grip instantly tightens and helps Akashi remain up on his feet, but not without briefly pulling him against himself.]
I'm sorry Akashicchi! [Kise stops, eyes carefully inspecting him] Was I going too fast?
[ ... Akashi remains quiet after that, eyes obviously away from Kise.
He's done a good job of avoiding Kise all these months whenever the Sanguis moon was out. It's not even because of Emerald anymore, but there's a huge part of him, whenever he's affected by his own moon that just... feels so hot. Anyone touching him sends the signal to his brain to spread his legs, so to speak.
It's a terrible urge. And he's doing his damn best to suppress it at this very instant. Kise pulling him closer is making Akashi want to climb into a garbage can and never come out...
His heart is racing, and he's not sure if Sanguis senses could even make someone hear that, but he fears it, anyway. He worries, because if he's the one who breaks first, then that gives Kise grounds to break, too. ]
[If someone told him that Akashi ever stuttered before, Kise wouldn't believe them. But he heard it. Right here, right now, and Kise's own legs are feeling a tad bit weak. A bit from that stutter, a bit from the voice it was said in, and a bit from the way it trailed off. A tingle crawls up his neck and Kise can't pinpoint what spurred it on.
And no, he can't hear how fast Akashi's heart is beating, and maybe it's for the best because now his own is matching it; he doesn't need extra senses to feel that atmosphere shifted a bit. He's not sure what miracle out there is allowing him to keep whatever composure he has from just turning this dance posture into a proper embrace.
Akashi speaking again makes him refocus-]
T-Thanks! Um- you're a great tutor!
[Trust him, he doesn't want to learn fast because it would be a ground reason for stopping the dancing and making space between them again. Sanguis in him is not thrilled at the idea.]
[ "You're a great tutor!" Naturally. Akashi doesn't say that out loud, though. Kise would have messed up ten seconds into the new song if Akashi wasn't good at teaching.
Then again, the thought doesn't even occur to him. His eyes remain away from Kise's golden ones. Instead, he closes them and focuses on himself. Akashi is able to move fluidly despite his eyes being closed, but he just needs a few moments to think about all this.
Ah, yes, thinking... That's not really something he can even do right now. When he closes his eyes, his other senses seem to heighten. Kise's hands somehow feel a lot warmer, which is far too distracting. The red lop bunny ears atop his head twitch a little as he opens his eyes, unsuccessful in being able to find a calm place.
Akashi's not panicking outwardly, at least. That's something he only does when he really can't control his emotions. He's still got a hold on them at this time, but the longer this song goes and the longer Kise holds him like this? He's not even sure anymore... (Somehow, he thanks the moons that Kise's not Cordis because boy, those pheromones would drive him wild.) ]
When you do this with your partner, they might appreciate being dipped.
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[ He demonstrates this with Kise, with him assuming the leader role for now. It's a mistake, though, because even holding the blond's hand seems to colour his face a pale red. He's doing his very best to ignore it and pretend he's not at all affected by the slow trickling of Chroma. ]
If you're comfortable with your partner, your hand may rest closer to their waist. If not, then just here would be fine— [ As he speaks, the hand on Kise's back goes down closer to Kise's waist. It's much more intimate, but it only lasts a few seconds because he brings his hand back up to the middle of his back. ]
... Hm. I've never danced with anybody taller than me before. You understand though, don't you?
[ He lets go after that. ]
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And they intensify when Akashi's hand moves to his waist. He can't tell if his face is showing anything, but he does feel as if the back of his neck is burning. What did he say again? Ah- hand on the middle of the back.]
Yes! Yes, I understand. So it's like this-
[-Kise shifts, stepping closer a tiny bit, shifts his hand so that it's holding Akashi's, and palm of his hand pressed against Akashi's back, right underneath the shoulder blades.]
-Right?
[...he never thought ballroom dances involved people being so close like this...]
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Relax a little. [ But even Akashi does not sound relaxed... God help them both. ] The dance is supposed to be romantic and fluid. Being stiff doesn't help.
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Breathe, Kise, breathe, you can do this... Just think about death and you won't be tempted to randomly hug Akashi. His fingers shift on Akashi's back in an attempt to get some feeling into them and relax as advised.]
I-I'll do my best! So-! What are the beginner's steps?
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He pulls away from Kise and heads over to where the speakers are. There should be a wire to connect his device to the speakers.. once done, he opens up the Lunatian-Spotify app and picks a random song to play. He's back next to Kise after that, retaking the position they once had with Kise as the leader. ]
Waltz follows a 3/4 time signature. That means three beats in each measure, with quarter notes having one value. One-two-three, one-two-three— [ With the song already playing, of course, they should be moving to the beat, but Akashi waits until Kise understands and starts to move his feet. ]
Let's see what you can do first. This should help us both relax a little, too.
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He cracks his neck before Akashi returns and takes the same position again- he has no idea what he's talking about, however, the terms flying over his head. But he can kind of understand what one-two-three means, having watched movies and now listening to the ticks of the song.
Nodding, he glances down at their feet briefly and then looks at Akashi-]
I think I got it. Let's try it!
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Don't step on me.
[ Lbr, Kise can... Akashi is just a wuss, though. ]
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Kise laughs a bit,] Haha, I won't, I won't! I promise.
[Well, it would depend on the type of stepping- still! He's going to be very careful as he dances. No stepping on the feet, that's not romantic, he knows.]
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[ He punctuates his reassurance with a chuckle. He waits for a few good measures in the song, before another part starts. That's when he begins to move, carefully and gracefully leading Kise as his partner.
Admittedly, it's a little odd to have a taller partner, but Akashi's able to work with it, as he does with everything else.
He does end up letting out a heavy sigh at some point, finding the Chroma being generated from merely holding hands and with one hand on Kise's waist to be a little too distracting. Chroma always leaves you wanting more, after all. ]
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There's no doubt Akashi can handle someone taller than himself, and he does it with ease too. Kise does his best to follow his steps, finding himself a bit clumsy when he misses the direction in which Akashi wants to go to, but he quickly fixes his mistakes- without stepping on toes. That's important.
Kise's never been focused a lot on how it feels to get chroma, but whatever this tingling warmth is that's dancing over his neck and down his back means it's that? Or maybe that's because Akashi sighed like that? He certainly felt his ears twitch at the soft sound.
Surprisingly, it only got him to relax even more as they glided over the floor, his hand pressed firmly to Akashi's back.]
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[ Dancing is an art, after all. There's a lot of self-identification with it. Akashi doesn't do any of that, but he knows and has danced enough growing up that this becomes easy for him.
Because Kise is bigger though, Akashi only does the basic steps and turns. He doesn't try dipping Kise or anything. That's... far more difficult at this time. When the song comes to a close, Akashi pulls away to bow, one arm in front and one at the back. This may just be practice, but he's as extra as he can be. ]
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Kise didn't expect a bow though, so he fumbles to do the same. Damn that song was too short, he was just getting the hang of it too!]
I don't know why some complain about these dances, [Kises muses as he straightens after the bow,] it's kind of fun.
[When the song changes to something screechy, Kise jumps a bit in surprise, ear twitching (that was unpleasant).] Ah! [He rushes over to the music player and fiddles around to return it to the previous song, then goes back to Akashi. With a grin on his face, one hand on his back, he offers Akashi his free hand-]
One more?
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I'm sorry— these are always so inconvenient.
[ With Kise offering, though, Akashi assumes that he is ready to take the lead. ]
Are you ready now?
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Instead, he just bites his lip briefly, thinking a bit.]
Maybe... a headband? There are soft ones that keep bangs out of the way during training, I have one! I can lend it to you.
[He's not sure how good he will be as a lead, but he'll give his best!]
Yup! Let's try it out! I think I have the basics down.
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[ He's never worn a headband before... He will probably look good though, but it just doesn't fit his style.
In any case, once he's ready, he takes the offered hand and waits for Kise to help him get into position. ]
The playlist is automatic. It should play a new song soon.
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[............he should really stop talking sometimes.
Clearing his throat, and with cheeks flushed a bit, he gets in the proper position to lead the dance this time.]
Please don't laugh if I embarrass myself...!
[No, Akashi should laugh. With that, and a brief squeeze of Akashi's hand, he starts off the dance as he remembers Akashi starting it earlier.]
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[ Because Kise is the most handsome of them all?! ]
You needn't worry— whatever happens will be a learning experience. And I won't laugh, I promise.
[ Following Kise's lead isn't that difficult. ]
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[Is he? He never thought of it that way. The only reason why he knows about all this modeling stuff is because his sister wrangled him into it.
Although maybe he should chat less and focus more on his feet- he's dancing a half waltz, half normal, slow dance in between chats. It's a bit off in tempo, but he's really trying to keep up with it.]
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[ Kise would look good in one, for sure. Maybe even Takao... but Takao isn't here. He tries to imagine Midorima or Kuroko in one and he looks a little horrified. ]
You're moving off beat.
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[Kuroko could use some hairclips for his wild morning hairdo. But Kise seriously thinks Akashi would look decent with one.]
Ah. Then- [Kise makes a pause in the dance, waits a few beats and then picks up again to it, this time more fluid and moving over the floor more easily.]
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[ Akashi's a decent follower. He's already a good observer, though it's probably obvious that he's being very, very careful with how he's looking at Kise. Their eyes meet briefly, and Akashi never knew what it felt to be weak in the knees, but there's a second where his grip on Kise's hand gets a lot tighter because— ah...
He's slipping. Seijuro, you gotta stay calm!! ]
Sorry— that's on me.
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Ah-! [Kise's grip instantly tightens and helps Akashi remain up on his feet, but not without briefly pulling him against himself.]
I'm sorry Akashicchi! [Kise stops, eyes carefully inspecting him] Was I going too fast?
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[ ... Akashi remains quiet after that, eyes obviously away from Kise.
He's done a good job of avoiding Kise all these months whenever the Sanguis moon was out. It's not even because of Emerald anymore, but there's a huge part of him, whenever he's affected by his own moon that just... feels so hot. Anyone touching him sends the signal to his brain to spread his legs, so to speak.
It's a terrible urge. And he's doing his damn best to suppress it at this very instant. Kise pulling him closer is making Akashi want to climb into a garbage can and never come out...
His heart is racing, and he's not sure if Sanguis senses could even make someone hear that, but he fears it, anyway. He worries, because if he's the one who breaks first, then that gives Kise grounds to break, too. ]
You're doing well.
[ Perhaps a little too well... ]
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And no, he can't hear how fast Akashi's heart is beating, and maybe it's for the best because now his own is matching it; he doesn't need extra senses to feel that atmosphere shifted a bit. He's not sure what miracle out there is allowing him to keep whatever composure he has from just turning this dance posture into a proper embrace.
Akashi speaking again makes him refocus-]
T-Thanks! Um- you're a great tutor!
[Trust him, he doesn't want to learn fast because it would be a ground reason for stopping the dancing and making space between them again. Sanguis in him is not thrilled at the idea.]
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Then again, the thought doesn't even occur to him. His eyes remain away from Kise's golden ones. Instead, he closes them and focuses on himself. Akashi is able to move fluidly despite his eyes being closed, but he just needs a few moments to think about all this.
Ah, yes, thinking... That's not really something he can even do right now. When he closes his eyes, his other senses seem to heighten. Kise's hands somehow feel a lot warmer, which is far too distracting. The red lop bunny ears atop his head twitch a little as he opens his eyes, unsuccessful in being able to find a calm place.
Akashi's not panicking outwardly, at least. That's something he only does when he really can't control his emotions. He's still got a hold on them at this time, but the longer this song goes and the longer Kise holds him like this? He's not even sure anymore... (Somehow, he thanks the moons that Kise's not Cordis because boy, those pheromones would drive him wild.) ]
When you do this with your partner, they might appreciate being dipped.
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