( slow dancing in a burning room )

[absurdities]

 
slow dancing
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FORMAL OR INFORMAL, WITH MUSIC OR WITHOUT, YOU COULD BE AT A GLAMOUROUS GALA WHILE A SINGER CROONS SOFTLY OR IN THE SILENCE OF YOUR OWN LIVING ROOM. WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU HAVE THE URGE TO DANCE. DID YOU ASK YOUR PARTNER OR DID THEY ASK YOU? HAVE YOU GOT TWO LEFT FEET OR IS THE VIENNESE WALTZ YOUR JAM? IT COULD BE AWKWARD, IT COULD BE ROMANTIC. EITHER WAY IT'S CUTE AS HELL.

Comments

good |D also mobile tagging yaaaaay

[justgo]

[She swears she has a bad ear for this kind of thing, but that's only because in this day and age, having little things is what makes you vulnerable. Need to be shitty, and shitty people don't get to have hobbies, little vices like music or anything - it's wasteful. It's a good thing that only Joel is in the room, else she'd probably be tight-lipped, impartial despite a twitch of the lips, the possible curling of her fingers.

And them he checks the haul again. Tess looks up with a crooked brow, crosses over to him and gives him a nudge in the side. For an extra touch, she moves a hand up his arm, covers his knuckles with her fingers, in spite of how tiny she compares to him.] Hey.

Got a better idea than you checking that bag 'til your eyes bleed.

yayyyyyyy it's like a love/hate when you're at work or out but want to tag something good ohsobad

[beardedflannel]

Yeah? [ His gaze drifts to the hand over his. He never wants to think about the little things in life, how in spite of her hard-ass attitude, Tess is still a woman. There's something unmistakably feminine about her that tends to always draw him in, even if he fights it. ]

I'm listenin'.

[ A quick glance to her face and then he's looking back down at the haul. ]

it really is, ughhh 8(

[justgo]

Dance with me.

[It's blunt - no beating around the bush with it, because she'd sooner eat shit than get like a teenager who doesn't know how to say what's on her mind. Squeezing his hand, she tilts her head, moves the hand she's got a grip on away from the pack.] Now before you look at me like I've lost my mind, hear me out. It'd be nice, and we've got something to enjoy. I don't know about you, but I actually wanna enjoy it.

And I want you to be the one I get to do this with.

damn the game and these characters 8(

[beardedflannel]

Tess... [ It sounds like the beginnings of a protest. He's ready to pull out and move away, but it seems like she's already got him in her hold. How can he deny her something as simple as a dance? It's been years since they'd last heard anything musical, had such a luxury.

Joel stays where he is, his hand in hers. This is going to be like learning how to walk all over again, he just knows it.

A helpless glance is shot in the direction of the door. ]

exactly. how dare they make us feel this way!! :c

[justgo]

[No, she figures that this is the farthest thing from fair that she can do to either of them, but here she is doing it. Damned either way, is the philosophy here and Joel seems to prove that right considering the way he's responding. Her hand loosens, and she inches away just to give him space, let things stay in his court.] You want out, that's fine. All you gotta do is say the word and I'll get my things, leave yours and go.

Least I tried, right? [The song in the background starts to die out, moving onto the next track.] Can't hold it against me.

:cccccc

[beardedflannel]

That's not... [ A heavy exhale. You sure do have a way with words. He cups his own chin with a hand to scratch at his beard. She's taking his reluctance the wrong way, which he doesn't want. Does he speak up? Should he? ]

Tess-- Dammit. [ He's fumbling. It sucks. It' embarrassing. Joel's grateful it's just them and that the door's closed. ]

It ain't that. You're fine where you are.

[justgo]

You sure it ain't?

Then what is it? And don't tell me you've got two left feet or somethin', because I doubt anyone 'round here can even can keep rhythm at this point. [It's strange, hearing this string of words out of herself and then him, tongue-tied over what she thinks he might be. It's downright ridiculous almost, if it's thought on, and she's relieved that no one's around to witness this.]

[beardedflannel]

Look - I never said anything 'bout bein' able to do the cha-cha. I can sing but that don't mean I can dance.

[ Poor guy looks pretty tight-lipped about this. He looks over at the radio and then back to her. His one shoulder shrug is one of defeat, helplessness. ]

[justgo]

It's not like you're hot-wiring a car or somethin', it's just a dance. You can move your own two feet now, can't ya? [She moves close, holds a hand out to him.] I ain't so hot with this either, y'know. We'll... figure it out together.

- you more than me, probably. [A tease.]

[beardedflannel]

[ He eyes that extended hand. At her teasing words his eyes snap up to her face and he's scowling. ]

Play nice now.

[ A tentative step forward and his large hand takes up her smaller one. ]

All right then. Now what? [ Funny question coming from a man once married and had danced with his wife on numerous occasions. But that was a long time ago, some things are better left buried in the past. ]

[justgo]

No promises, but I'll go easy on you. [She flashes a smile at him, gets a hand on his shoulder right after she directs his own onto a hip.] Nice and slow, how's that sound?

[Tugging him away from the table, at least Joel's experience can speak volumes when compared to Tess' own accounts. She's just a little more sentimental compared to him, easier to remember it seems, when she straightens up and takes his other hand into hers.]

[beardedflannel]

We really doin' this?

[ Joel glances at her arm that's raised with the hand rested at his shoulder and then down at her. ]

Guess we are. All right.

[ He steps in closer and looks down between them to their feet, fingers squeezing at her hip. Deep breaths, Tex. Deep breaths. ]

[justgo]

I ain't pullin' your leg, that's for sure. [She makes a quick side-to-side motion with her hips as if answering the squeeze, a brow arched high in his direction as she spreads her feet, just barely.] Relax, cowboy.

Just you and me here, with all the time in the world. [With a glance to the radio, she tries to figure out the part of the current song before she counts it under her breath, leads with a step to the side. It's shaky and stiff, that's for sure, but it'll even out between the two of them, right?]

[beardedflannel]

[ He can do this because dancing can't be too hard to relearn, two decades later right? Catching the movement, it jerks him out of his thoughts and there he goes, already stepping on her toes. ]

Jesus. [ His fingers dig into her hip, squeeze her hand. ] Tess--

[justgo]

[Hurts like a bitch to have that happen, but all she does is wince and stop, look up to him. Head cocked to the side, she squeezes him on the shoulder in turn, waits.] I'm fine, it's not like you haven't done that to me before. The hip bit, though -

[She repeats the motion, looks coy once she spares the glance down.] - actually, that's real familiar too.

[beardedflannel]

[ His eyes dart down to the top of her head and then further down to where he feels she's looking, her skin feeling warm even through the thin material of her shirt. Without responding, Joel steps in as he pulls her towards him, the hand at her hip sliding back around to the small of her back.

Wordlessly he begins to lead this time. ]

[justgo]

[That's new.

Tess wasn't expecting Joel to take the lead, but she won't complain about it once they're closer. Practically pressed up against him, Tess looks up to watch his expression, fingers dragging down the front of his shoulder slow. She follows the lead, the corners of her lips tugging up.]

[beardedflannel]

[ It just took him a moment to get it. And stepping on her feet once to remember.

Unfortunately for her Joel's wearing no real expression. There's not much there for her to be able to pick at and wonder on. If anything, his gaze is thoughtful as it's not really focused on anything at her shoulder. Catching her lifted gaze in his peripheral, his eyes drift over to meet hers.

There's no need for them to speak. Things can remain as unspoken as they are between them. ]

[justgo]

[Her shoulders lift when his head moves, the breath in her chest swelling up. Slow, she lets it out as a sigh and shakes her head before daring to get closer. Turning just barely, Tess leans her head forward to rest against him while never missing a beat. Those feet move just as Joel's does, back when he goes forward, to the side just behind him when he sways.

Those fingers curled in his other hand? They squeeze, give this quiet answer against the music.]

[beardedflannel]

[ One, two, three, four...

It's a slow moving sway and beat. The silence between them carries on for a few more moments. The light weight of her head rested against his shoulder eventually has him lowering his own. His lips brush over the tip of her ear, her hair soft against his cheek but catching faintly in his beard.

One, two, three, four...

They move lower, over the shell he knows to be a sensitive place on her. One of her many. ]

[justgo]

[The little things are what she misses. It comes back in a near flood the longer they go at it. Joel always did have her somewhere - whether it was where he wanted, or where she wanted to be, he had it; she just doesn't know if he wants it, still. There's a shudder at the sensation, something that gets a soft gasp from her end.

With the hitch in her breath, she tilts her head away to show a little more skin, closes her eyes on the exhale. Fingers digging into his shoulder, she calms down. Keep with the count, Tess. One, two, three, four... ]

[beardedflannel]

[ The music is still there but it's almost faint-like, at the back of his mind. He hears the catch in her breath, trails his lips lower to her ear lobe, to the skin just beneath it that she's gone and given him more of. Maybe he can coax more sounds out of her - he knows he can.

His fingers press more firmly against her as his lips graze over her pulse to feel the kick of it. One... two... three....

The song might be ending now. That's okay; Joel's slowly moving her towards something more sturdy than that rickety kitchen table. ]

[justgo]

[She tries to keep herself distracted by focusing on the dance and the music, but that's the keyword. Those shoulders move again, rise in tune with the breath she needs to take and hold when it kicks in just where he's touching her. It's all the right spots, and somewhere she damns him for doing this to her.

Right here though, she thanks him for it without even paying mind to where this dance is going. The song's practically faded out by now, and she knows that's the end of the tape. Shoulders dropping slow, she opens her eyes and pulls her head back barely, watching him again.

She feels like s a dumb as hell teenager again. Well, almost.]

mobile taggingggggg

[beardedflannel]

[ Well now. Now that she's stopped and the tape has come to an end, signaling that one of them needs to turn it in the player, Joel lifts his head (as much as he doesn't want to). He looks down at her, silent as ever.

They got two choices, three maybe. One of them goes and turns that damn tape. He leaves to deal with whatever he's feeling at that moment. Or they stand there looking at each other.

Joel's not moving. Shit.

His hand moves off of her back. At first it might seem like he's going to pull back completely. The warmth of his hand cups the back of her neck, unexpectedly pulling her up to meet his descending mouth.

Or maybe there was a fourth option somewhere in there. ]

I knew you'd come back c:

[justgo]

[Maybe there was, but it's not even an option anymore. Tess isn't the kind to break first, he should know that by now. So the longer they go without a word, the more she wants to do something she's not completely sure on. Eyes lifting -from his mouth to his eyes-, she moves to say something, stops once it kicks in.

- oh. Tall as he is, she presses against him as he gets closer, stands straighter to close that distance. Fingers tightening in the folds of his shirt, Tess sighs deep. She kisses him back and makes sure she's got her hands firm on his shoulders.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.]