#JAMES DOUGLASS. YOU 🫵🫵 ARE DOWN BAD

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

charm for someone of your choice :)

thank you, anon!! decided to use this as an opportunity to introduce another ship - maisie and douglass!! ONE WORD PROMPTS

-> charm

Swing music thrummed through the officers' club, vibrating off every surface and combining with the din of chatter in an almighty cacophony. Or at least, it certainly seemed that way to Maisie Flynn. Practically pressed up against the side wall, she cradled a glass of lemonade with both hands, zoning out slightly as she watched the constant spin of dancing feet across the floor. Nora was out there somewhere, swaying with the rhythm in the arms of the unfamiliar pilot that had carted her off. When Nora was around, Maisie could talk and joke and laugh like anyone else - but alone, she was all but useless, lips pursed in awkward silence, a wallflower if ever there was one.

"Flynn! Hey!" A voice called across the room, snapping her out of her somewhat dazed state as she glanced up at James Douglass, approaching with a warm grin.

"Hi," She half-squeaked, offering a wide-eyed smile as he came to stand beside her, assessing her expression in the way he always did, the way that made her squirm.

Maisie wasn't sure where her friendship with Douglass had begun - nor why it had, really. He looked out for her, he filled in a gap when she was in danger of withdrawing into her shell - she couldn't confess to having any idea why he bothered, but she would never complain that he did.

"You want me to buy you a drink?" He asked.

"I haven't finished my lemonade," She replied, utterly earnest. Douglass bit at the inside of his lip to suppress a smile as he nodded.

"That is true."

Maisie hummed in confirmation, lifting her glass to her lips to take a sip, gaze surveying the dancefloor as Douglass stood obediently at her side. She hadn't noticed, but as she watched the couples twirling in time with the band, he watched her, the faintest of smirks curling his lip as he did. After a moment of drawn-out silence, he cleared his throat slightly, nudging her with his elbow. "You should get out there - find someone to dance."

She let out a huff of laughter, faintly shaking her head. "You sound like Nora."

"Well, is she incredibly wise and handsome?"

Maisie considered this. "...Y'know what? Kinda."

"Well then it's a good comparison," He smiled as she chuckled. "Seriously though, every guy in this room would dance with you if you asked."

Biting her lip slightly, she looked around the place, finding too many free men to count. Their sheer volume was overwhelming - how was she ever supposed to choose one? 'Every guy'... did that include the one next to her? Maisie struggled to ever find herself certain of what Douglass was implying. She took a deep breath, turning her head to meet his eye. "D'you know how many people there are in my hometown?"

"How many?"

"Twenty-seven. That's... not even half the number of people in this room. I'm good just standing here, I promise. I get to have a drink, and then I can walk Kit home when she gets too wasted," She shrugged.

"Then start easy," Douglass held out a hand to her. "Maisie Flynn, will you dance with me?"

Maisie grinned, chuckling as she shook her head. "No, c'mon - I'm not gonna bog you down and ruin your night - I know you'd rather be chatting up some pretty Red Cross girl. Like... that one," She pointed across the room to a woman sitting at one of the tables. "She keeps staring at you," As Douglass's gaze landed on the woman, she was already looking straight back at him, a flirtatious smile adorning red-painted lips. He knew himself well enough to know that a smile like that could get him any time, and if it had been any other night, he would've already been halfway across the floor, advancing towards her. And yet...

"Not interested," He declared, offering his hand once more.

She bobbed her head, doing her best to mask a smile, but failing rather miserably. "Liar," She breathed, tipping her glass and downing the last of her lemonade in one final gulp. The action made him beam, and he trailed after her as she squeezed his hand, tugging him past the dancefloor.

"Hey, uh," Douglass huffed with amusement. "Where we goin', doll?"

"Well, I'm not dancing over there," Maisie declared, surprisingly assertive for once. His brow raised, somewhat impressed as she led him down the hall and through the side doors, the night air striking him with a sudden chill. With the door propped open, the music remained easily audible, even out here, and she nodded in satisfaction. "This works."

It hadn't quite fallen completely dark just yet, the purple tint of sunset still narrowly scraping the tips of the clouds, and yet the streetlight was already lit, casting a puddle of golden light upon the ground. "Maisie Flynn, you old romantic," He teased, shaking his head in mock disbelief, unable to quite wipe the grin from his face.

She screwed up her face in a sort of pleased embarrassment, letting out a snort of laughter as Douglass drew her close with a gentle tug, their palms clasped together as a warm hand rested in the curve of her waist. They stepped tentatively from side to side along with the music, still blaring from indoors, his beaming grin steadily fading to a soft smile as he stared back at her - at the way her fringe twitched slightly when she blinked, strands of hair catching on her eyelashes, as the way she blushed whenever she met his eye, catching him looking. Maisie never returned his gaze for more than a couple seconds, her eye pretty much fixed on his shoulder or the collar of his shirt. But he knew she meant well - she always did. It wasn't her fault.

"See?" He prodded.

"See what?"

"You've got charm in spades, honey - Just gotta coax it outta ya."

Maisie chuckled, head tipping downwards as a red flush coloured her cheeks, oblivious to the way he smiled at her, ducking forward slightly until their foreheads were almost touching. "I look silly," She insisted, blinking in rapid succession as she straightened herself.

"Nah," Douglass shook his head, dissenting without a moment's hesitation.

"Nah, you don't."