aterat | A Winter's Ball

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A Winter's Ball

Who; Everyone!
What; The Ball promised by Halcyn!
Where; A newly (and quite abruptly) renovated ballroom in the Noble District
When; December 15th, evening
Warnings; None as of yet, though there is some mischief afoot for those looking for it

The morning of the 15th, the day of the Ball, opens with a letter under every door, reminding the residents that today is the day, that the Ball to celebrate and be merry is upon you. It also includes a small golden ticket that all attendees are asked to present at the doors to be allowed into the hall in the Noble District. It bids the attendees to enjoy themselves, forget their worries for a time, and is each personally signed by Halcyn.

Arrival | Under the Mistletoe;

The chill in the air at the change of seasons makes for a cold journey to the Noble district, though the streets are well-lit (an improvement in the otherwise dilapidated quarter in the first place) and at the end of the street indicated in the invitation letter, stands a beautifully restored building wreathed in white lights and adorned with wreaths and holly. All roads and citizen paths have lead to the ballroom today, and it is a beacon of civilization in the otherwise unused quarter. A guardsman is checking tickets at the door, and allowing admittance to the foyer of the ballroom.

The foyer is also decorated in trees adorned with shining lights. There are people flitting about with trays of champagne and people are greeting each other, gathering in groups and generally enjoying one another's company. Six archways lead further into the ballroom, and into what seems to be a seating area with round tables atop which glittering floral arrangements sit and to which servers bring meals for those who have a seat. At the top of each of the six arches hang six bundles of mistletoe.

Some are able to pass beneath the bundles with no issue, but others may find their way blocked by an unseen wall, unable to escape the arch until someone joins them, and a kiss is exchanged. It could be innocuous, even a cheek would suffice, but who's to know that without experimentation?

Try the Grey Stuff, It's Delicious

In the dining hall, meals are limited, but there are options for various palettes and even a vegetarian option. There is wine and champagne, and also non-alcoholic options of you're less inclined to partake. The music from the main ballroom, accessible through a set of ornate double doors, is muted here, providing a sense of ambiance but not overpowering the conversations that may occur at the tables scattered about the room.

The desert is the same for all who try it, though, and fluffy (is oddly colored) meringue that is simply to die for, but it seems to have some strange side effects. As the night progresses for those who've eaten the strange confectionary, they will begin to feel more and more happy and carefree, but also much more open. Those who are reserved about their feelings or their thoughts, even their histories, will feel less inclined to be so withdrawn. That couldn't possibly make anything awkward, could it?

Shall We Dance the Night Away?

The main even by far is the grand ballroom. A 15 piece orchestra sits atop a small stage to the north of the dance floor, their music varying between melancholic, haunting, warm, and uplifting, and the citizens are quite enjoying the time to let loose and dance the night away with their partners.

Spiral staircases lead to the balconies on the second floor overlooking the dance floor below, affording tired dancers chairs and refreshments with which to rest in order to return to the floor below. The music here, due to acoustics, is muted which affords a more intimate place to converse.

Even more intimate are the outdoor balconies accessed from either side of the second floor. Here, small sconces have been lit to afford a romantic glow to the area, but the light is dim enough to enjoy the glittering starlight above. The flames also give the area some warmth, warding away the chill in the night air and allow guests to enjoy the solitude of the area without freezing. The music out here is a pleasant background hum, making the setting even more romantic and ethereal.

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Jacob's grin became sheepish and a little embarrassed. "Yeah. I haven't even really looked at the ballroom." He scratched the back of his head before turning his attention to his glass of champagne. He took a sip and then carefully inspected the glass before placing it down again. He wasn't really interested in the drink, instead, he was acutely aware of where Yuki was standing in the room.

Jake was trying to act casually like this was all super totally normal, and he really didn't want to admit to Yuki that he didn't know how to dance.

"No. They don't or maybe they do? I haven't been to anything like this. I don't really go to parties, let alone dressed like this." He held out his arms and gestured to his prince-like attire.

"You look good though." He hoped that sounded casual.

"You don't want to. Everyone's all dressed up in the fancy clothes and it's pretty hard to not get almost stepped on." But that was why he'd ended up sticking close to the walls, at least they provided protection.

He'd noticed the champagne glass but didn't drink so he didn't think to comment on it but when Jacob said something about his attire, Yuki smiled. That quickly turned to a blush and he lowered his head.

"Uhm..thank you..you look nice too."

Okay that was odd to say.

"Uh, thanks," Jacob replied back before letting the room fall into an awkward silence. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had never had issues talking to people before but he usually had something to talk about.

Why was this so difficult?

He took another sip of his drink and realized that it was empty. With a soft exhale he walked over to the small end table and gently set the empty glass down. He didn't like to drink a lot but he had needed something to steady his nerves.

"So you're used to it? The party, that is. It doesn't sound like you like them very much."

Yuki was wondering if Jacob was going to head out at that point because somehow it felt like the wrong thing to say. So he kept his head down, unsure as to what to talk about.

His gaze lifted a little hopefully at the question but the grey head shook. "We..no. There's nothing like remotely this back there. But people here somehow expect you to know or ask you to dance and it's just stupid I guess."

Or he was being a child and pouting, which could be the case too. "Even if we did, I'm sure I would've missed those classes." Because he would've transformed along with the other cursed members of his clan, but he didn't say as much. Akito kept him with her as much as possible too, it was rare for him to get the same time with Kazuma for martial arts due to that. She had even covered his eyes at one point when he was trying to watch Haru and Kyo.

"You think so?" He watched Yuki. It was like he was seeing him for the first time. "You really think it's stupid? I don't really know how to dance. My mother-" He paused and had to shake away the unpleasant knot of emotion that tightens in his chest. "She taught swing dancing. My sister used to go but I never did. I kinda wish I did or that I knew how to dance now."

He wondered if Yuki would think that was stupid too. Maybe it was... but he'd give anything to have that time with his mother. As it was, he barely remembered what his parents looked like. Every time he imagined them they were covered in blood.

"I think my school had a dance class but I think I missed it too."

The silver head shook. "Dancing isn't stupid. Others expecting you to know how is." And then he turned to look at Jacob as he went on about his mother.

Oh.

"There has to be someone in this world that can teach you. Not that it'll help much tonight." And then a thought occurred to him. "Could you ask your Sensei? He might know how to dance and could show you." It was the only thought he really had right now to help solve the situation.

"Oh." Jake looked as if he was glancing beyond Yuki for a moment except that he couldn't see the main ballroom from this room, so it was a pointless gesture. "I guess I didn't get that sense from people... but I haven't spent a lot of time in the ballroom."

He shrugged in reply.

"I am sure Nida knows how but he'd tease me the whole time." His hand ran through his hair as a soft tired sigh fell from his lips. "Not sure I can make it through that or even focus on dancing with the teasing. He does it when we train all the time. Plus he'd want to start here if I asked tonight and I don't know if I want people to watch me stumble across the dance floor."

"It was weird." He couldn't admit to Jacob that he got called 'pretty' even being a guy. He'd told Miss Honda once that guys didn't like to be called that, but somehow even here that really annoying trend had persisted and it made him mad.

But the teasing comment irked Yuki so he had to ask. "What does he even tease you about?" Somehow he had the foreboding that now the man had seen them in the library together he was thrown into the mix. But that was an opinion he wasn't about to voice.

A gentle smile appeared. "I know what you mean. I don't really know how either. But had I known something like this was coming I might've looked for someone to teach me." Maybe Caelan, but he was busy dancing with other people right now and Yuki had actually waited to see if he could get the man's attention. But he'd looked like he was having a grand time on his own and he didn't want to bother him.

Jacob shifted his weight between his heels as he searched the empty air for an answer. "It isn't anything bad. He just thinks that I'm holding back and until I stop... he's probably going to keep teasing me." He paused and then continued a little more sheepishly. "I also think it's just how Nida shows that he likes his friends. I'm just easily flustered." Which was something that both Nida and Caelan had pointed out to him. It wasn't much of a secret.

"But it's fine." He waved away the thought, stepping towards Yuki with a small smile. The alcohol was doing its work. Jacob was feeling more relaxed and he wanted to dance and it seemed that Yuki wanted to dance... so why couldn't they?

"Why don't we dance? No one is here and maybe we can figure it out." He held one hand behind his back while holding the other out for Yuki to take.

"Holding back?" Yuki asked softly. Did Jacob mean with sparring? And then Jacob seemed to dismiss it so he shook his head with a small smile. Jacob wasn't the only one who was easily flustered.

And then the gray eyes got a little bigger and he almost stepped back. Personal space didn't seem to be a thing at this point and he floundered a moment. "Uh..you want to dance with me? But..I don't know how."

That was when he noticed the hand and Jacob looked so very handsome. He could hardly breathe right now, and his face felt hot so it had to be quite red. Still, he took the other's hand slowly and shyly, hoping the blonde wouldn't regret it.

It wasn't a question that Jacob was willing to answer... not yet. He wasn't convinced that he could truly be happy. "It's okay." He said softly, trying to exude confidence. He didn't feel confident but Jake was a fan of pretending until he didn't have to pretend anymore. "I don't know how to dance either. We'll figure it out together."

Jacob gently pulled Yuki close, his hand coming to rest against Yuki's lower back. His voice lowered and he felt his own heat rise as his lips whispered into Yuki's ear. "I'll lead you."

He knew a few steps and as long as they remained close, bodies nearly pressed together, Yuki wouldn't see how red Jacob had become. This was more than he had originally intended but he didn't want to stop. He felt the heat of Yuki's body against his own and an ache that centered in his chest.

He moved in closer and wasn't sure what to do or say. Everything in him seemed to be pretty frozen at this point and he just stood stiffly. He didn't even want to look up into those eyes, afraid of what he'd see or wouldn't see. So Yuki's grey eyes stayed trained on the frilly cravat.

That was of course until Jacob whispered low in his ear and he could feel himself starting to shake. Was this..what he was supposed to be doing?? His hands..where were they supposed to go?

The heat was entrancing and he felt as if some spell had been cast on him. And to his shock he found that he really wouldn't care if one had been. Jacob was holding him close as if he mattered, as if he was cherished. Unbidden the thought of the other being gone from this world ran through his head and his eyes closed against the unwanted and unexpected tears. And that was when he wrapped his arms around the other's neck, as if to hug the other and to silently tell him that he mattered a lot to Yuki.

Edited 2021-01-13 07:34 (UTC)

Jacob took a step forward in an attempt to lead Yuki in their dance and then stopped. Yuki wasn't following him, in fact, his friend had gone still.

He was trembling...

Jake knew that this had been a mistake. Yuki was too kind to push him away and he'd gone to far. He was going to separate himself from the young man and make a quick retreat from both the room and the party but then he felt Yuki's arms wrap around his neck.

Jake froze.

Heat curled beneath his skin as Yuki pressed his body close. The reaction was expected, he couldn't deny his attraction, but it didn't quell Jacob's anxiety. He hadn't had a chance to talk about these feelings and he had no idea how to approach them. He wasn't sure that he wanted too and Yuki... What if his friend was only being kind?

He was confused and embarrassed, uncertain and panicked, and more than anything... he wished he had his sisters powers to just disappear. "Y-Yuki." His voice trembled but his hands remained in place, one against Yuki's lower back and the other on Yuki's waist. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry." He whispered quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jacob didn't know what he had done, only that he'd done something.

"I'm okay." Yuki said after a moment. His arms slid down from around Jacob's neck, as the hug was over now. But then his grey eyes looked up confusedly. "You didn't hurt me."

And then the uncertainty set in and he smiled to hide the pain. "I'm sorry, you wanted to dance, and here I am ruining it." Now he felt bad and wasn't sure what to do. If Jacob didn't want to dance anymore it was okay, but Yuki was confused, not hurt. However, he didn't want to inflict that status on the other so maybe he should just disappear. Really he shouldn't be here anyway, this wasn't the way it was all supposed to go.

This was all new to him and Yuki had no idea which way to turn. The hands on his back and his waist felt odd but he didn't mind them where they were. Still, he couldn't bring himself to verbalize his feelings about the hug, as accidental as it had been. Jacob would only think of him as a child if he heard the reasoning behind it and the other might even think of it as an excuse. On top of it, he was pretty sure he'd cry trying to explain and that would be worse.

Finally the silver head lowered and slowly shook. "I'm sorry, maybe I should just go."

"No." He spoke too quickly and felt the heat in his body rise. Color flooded through his body while heat gathered and knotted in his lower abdomen. Yuki was so close and it was having an affect on him that he was sure that Yuki would soon notice... or feel.

"I mean- I was just worried." Something had happened but Jake didn't know what it was. He just wanted Yuki to be okay.

He moved about an inch away from Yuki, far enough to hopefully hide the affect Yuki was having on him but not far enough away to make Yuki think that he wanted to stop. "If you're okay and still want to dance..." He felt flustered and nervous, his cheeks red, but he couldn't bring himself to completely pull away.

Yuki was magnetic. Jacob felt himself being pulled towards the silver haired man and while he didn't understand why, he couldn't fight it.

Now he was even more confused. Why wasn't Jacob letting him just go? Surely Yuki was being far more trouble than this dance was worth and it just wasn't adding up.

"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me." He tried to smile for Jacob's benefit because how in the world could he verbalize all of those feelings without crying or looking stupid? No it was best to just keep them under his hat so to speak.

And that was when he noticed Jacob was red and what was going on with that? So he pushed his own confusion aside and focused on the man in front of him. "Maybe I should be asking if you're okay. Do you have a fever?" So without thinking he lifted a hand to place it to the other's forehead. If the blonde was sick, they needed to get him back to his place before anything bad happened. "We really shouldn't be dancing if you're not feeling well."

Shit.

"N-no" Jake stammered and suddenly felt like a young awkward boy again. "It's just the drink. I probably had a little too much. I'm..." He cleared his throat. "...flushed." It was an excuse. He had only had the one drink and it wasn't enough to cause the flush coloring his face but Yuki didn't know that.

"I want to dance with you." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. Maybe this was a mistake... He couldn't... Jake didn't want to be happy and he hadn't realized how much he'd been holding back or for what reason until he met Yuki's gaze. There really must be something wrong with him...

"We're both okay. Right? It's okay if we're not... I mean, we don't have to pretend?" He was talking about himself but he had directed the comment towards Yuki like he'd been talking about his silver haired dance partner. Jake wasn't good at talking about himself and Yuki was standing so close... it was hard to organize his thoughts.

"Oh." Yuki replied, lowering his hand and feeling embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn't have touched Jacob at all. But he'd been concerned and well maybe that hadn't been okay to do in the first place. He wanted to fuss and have the other sit down for a minute, but so much seemed to be coming at him so fast.

He then listened as the blonde said he still wanted to dance and while he was happy about it, he was just so confused inside. And then he heard the part about being okay. Yuki didn't feel as if everything was okay, that something was wrong somewhere but neither were talking about it. And if Jacob knew he was trying to redirect and ignore his own feelings, well that's when it registered that things could not be okay.

So the silver head shook. "I..we can still dance. I mean, since you said you wanted to." The grey eyes just blinked up into the other's and couldn't shake the feeling, so he asked in a softer than usual tone. "But is something wrong?"

Jacob gently released Yuki's waist and instead, took the boys hand in his. Yuki's palm was hot against Jake's skin but he tried to ignore it. This wasn't the time to get distracted. "Nothing is wrong." He lied and smiled, a mask much like Yuki's.

It was then that Jacob began to truly lead Yuki in the dance. It was a slow simple step that took them in a small circle around the small sitting room. His eyes focused on Yuki's face, his smile. There was stress around the edges as if he was forcing the expression into place but Jacob didn't know if he was only seeing things.

Maybe he was imposing his own feelings onto Yuki and seeing something that wasn't there...

"See." He spoke in a low voice and kept up his smile. "This isn't so bad."

"Okay." Yuki said after searching Jacob's eyes a moment. He wasn't going to bother him or try to call him out because he knew he could be called out too and that wasn't something that he wanted for himself. So he wasn't about to do it to the man in front of him. So a smile was in place though there seemed to be some sort of look or something in the other's eyes he hadn't seen before. Or maybe he just never noticed?

He tried instead to focus on dancing and it felt like he really wasn't going to get even this simple thing, even if normally he excelled at so many things on a first try. This was quite a different situation altogether though and those hands on him were a distraction he tried not to show.

But when the low tone was used, it just tore right through any of Yuki's defenses and his face reddened slightly. He wasn't sure why, but it just did something to him that he totally wasn't used to at all. And unlike Jacob he had nothing at all to conveniently blame it on.

The song continued to twist invisibly through the air as Jacob lead Yuki in the simple step. It wasn't anything fancy but it allowed them to move together. He inhaled and the sweet scent of flowers and warm earth filled his nose. Was that Yuki?

He hesitated on a backward step without giving Yuki the indication to stop. Their bodies pressed flush together and in a panic, Jacob lost his balance. He tumbled backwards, his hand never leaving Yuki's back as he crashed onto the hard floor.

The wind escaped his lungs as the press of another body was pulled on top of him. His eyes opened and his heart stopped. Yuki was pressed against him, their faces inches apart. There was nothing to hide behind now, no mask to keep his secret, Yuki could feel the ache that thrilled through Jacob's body.

Jake was ashamed but he couldn't move. He wanted to run and hide. Yuki wouldn't want anything to do with him now.

Everything seemed to be evening out between them and for that Yuki was grateful. At one point the grey eyes even closed, trying to follow without overthinking this. It was rhythmic and steady and he grew a little more confident.

But all of a sudden the next thing he knew was that he was toppling over and landed right on Jacob, who was on the floor. Eyes wide and full of fright, he started to panic and look for signs of injury or blood which he wasn't seeing at all. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to.."

And that was when he noticed. His face then promptly turned pink and then bright red in very short order. He was no fool and he wasn't stupid because he damn well knew what it was that was poking him in the seeming 'right' place. So he inhaled an unsteady breath and blinked down at the other, no longer calling himself an idiot because his mind had gone pretty blank at this point in time.

His mouth then went dry and he tried to speak but absolutely nothing was coming out. So he breathed and stared down, placing his hands on either side of Jacob's head.

Jacob felt his heart stop and his blood run cold. Yuki wasn't moving. He could feel the heat of his friend's breath brush across his cheek and his pulse quickened. He choked out a strangled cry and promptly pushed Yuki off him.

It was clumsy. He hadn't wanted to hurt Yuki but he needed to calm down. He needed to get away from here; away from Yuki. "S-sorry." He stammered as he quickly rose to his feet. His throat felt dry and the words forced.

How could he let this happen?

It didn't feel like it was okay but his heart hammered in his chest and he suddenly felt too dizzy to stand. "I should-" He looked down at Yuki and swallowed, his voice falling to a whisper. "-go."

Jacob turned and all but ran from the small room, hoping to hide his embarrassment in the crowds of people. He had felt his eyes water but hadn't noticed that he'd been crying until the cool touch of a tear ran down his cheek. It was stupid to cry about it...

For his part, Yuki moved when pushed and ended up on the floor. And he was too stunned and hurt to even try to call the other back to talk this out. This reminded him of the time Haru just up and left, telling Manabe to take care of Yuki for him and that it 'was a good fight'. There had been so many tears that day after school and now the silver head hung down, wondering what he did this time.

The floor provided no answers as he pondered what he did wrong. He had simply crashed into Jacob and then it went downhill from there. There'd been a sorry and the other just up and left him. Now he could completely understand if he'd turned into the Rat - because of the disgust and the revulsion associated with it. The only one who never did that was Miss Honda of course but that was a one in a million shot. And of course he did think of getting up and going after Jacob but as far as he saw it the other didn't want anything to do with him. He'd done something very wrong and he couldn't figure it out.

So he slowly got to his feet and took the long way around to get out of here. Yuki figured Jacob had gone home and that's where he was headed too. And while he knew he was probably going to cry all the way home, he decided he'd hit the library again tomorrow to see if there wasn't a book or way to go home because he'd lost the one friend he had.

His presence or absence here wouldn't matter at this point.

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A Winter's Ball

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