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evoblue · 1 month

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time capsule thread: dance of the heart with @/twilighttheater

summary: fueled by liquid courage, Blue decides she'll at least get her one dance with Red at the Goldenrod Grand Gala. one dance turns to several and Red then tries to make his move.

It's amazing how steady Blue is on her feet considering how many wine glasses she downed during her earlier conversation with Misty alone. Regardless of her stable footing, however, her inhibitions seem all but lost. With high color in her cheeks and a rare sparkle in her eye, she takes both of Red's hands and gently tugs him toward her.

"Dance with me?" After everything that's happened in the last several hours, she feels like the universe sorta owes her this.

—

He wasn't able to give Rosa the full explanation he'd wanted to, as she's quick to leave the second she sees that Blue is coming over. Though it doesn't seem like Blue completely realized she was there, it felt like she was paying attention to Red and only Red.

It took Red a moment to process the fact that she'd changed her dress sometime after the Magnemite incident had been solved. She was still just as beautiful as before if he was honest, though she was noticeably a bit more out of it now. Guess she must've had a few drinks while they'd briefly separated?

He can see that spark in her eyes this time however, and he remembers it so well. How many times had he seen that in his memories, and thought about how ridiculous he'd been to not notice?

He's not missing it this time, but he wonders if it means the same thing it meant in the past. It's a question he does pose but it's not one he lingers on either, instead deciding even if it didn't, he still had nothing to lose by reaching out. Things will start to be resolved between them only if they can actually talk about things like that.

But he'd rather act on this than talk at the moment, and it seems he's being given the excuse.

He smiles and turns them closer to the sound of the music. "I would love to."

—

Though she had been mostly confident that Red would humor her just for old times' sake, a tiny part of her had still been unsure of whether he'd actually accept her invitation. For all she knows, he might not even dance... Her qualms are quickly dispelled, however, when he draws them closer to the music with a gentle 'I would love to.'

Briefly, Blue holds his gaze. There he goes again, doing that maddening thing where he smiles and makes her heart flutter like a Butterfree. She then beams in return, hoping that whatever tumultuous feelings he's brought on don't rise to the surface. It's no small feat given her lack of sobriety; she yearns to present herself as an open book. It used to be so easy between them once upon a time...

But they're just starting to work through things, sparked by the events that had been brought to light in the concealed halls of the gallery earlier — there's no need to make everything infinitely more complicated.

"Thank you," she says softly. And then, they start to truly move.

By the gods' graces, the song playing is not a ballad. The beat is energetic and so are their steps. Blue might not hold a talent for the visual arts but she prides herself in being an excellent dancer and she's pleased to find that Red doesn't disappoint. Soon they find themselves spinning freely along their corner of the dance floor, getting carried away with the lively tune. It's easy to forget her cares and worries when all she has to do is fall into the rhythm, when she can turn off all her intrusive thoughts and just focus on moving her body alongside his.

Suddenly, Red twirls her and she falls into a graceful spin with her hands held high, the skirt of her dress fluttering around her. She spins faster, dramatically, a smile on her lips as she tips her head back. When she finally gets dizzy, she falls back into Red's arms in a fit of giggles. Oh, maybe she'd had one too much to drink.

"I had no idea you knew how to dance!" she laughs over the sound of the music, looking flushed and radiant as she playfully taps him on the nose.

—

Truth be told, he'd never been much of a dancer before, but in light of several events he'd attended over the years he had at least managed to build up more of a skill for it than before; more than he ever expected he'd have. Whether or not it would be enough to impress Blue was a complete other thing, but he figures maybe even if it doesn't, it would be something they could laugh about later. They needed things like that right now, and he was happy to provide that.

Still, they manage to follow the rhythm so naturally together. He feels like he's seeing glimpses in his memory of events far in the past when they were kids. Overjoyed just to be part of the fun, be there together like nothing could ever part them. He wasn't sure he'd ever feel that way in the present day ever again, not after everything he'd done. But there she was all smiles for now while the dance floor might as well be all theirs. He's absolutely captivated by her dramatic spin that he'd started and doesn't miss a beat in catching her when she falls back into his arms.

Part of him wants the moment to slow down, part of him is taking in all the energy in the room. Her laughter is so contagious when she taps his nose, happy to hold her close to keep her steady while her evident dizziness fades.

"And you've only gotten more amazing at it!" He replies with a grin. "That was the most intense move I've ever seen you do!"

—

Gone is the girl that would've scrambled to get herself upright and place as much respectable distance between them as she could. Red holds her close and she's got nothing to protest as she leans against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she waits for the room to stop spinning.

"Thank you. To be completely honest, that turned out far better than I expected," she beams, looking very much like the Purrloin who got the cream. In her mild state of inebriation, she'd expected to be a bit less graceful than when she's on form. As it turns out, the lack of inhibitions is liberating... perhaps in more ways than one.

Even when her world coasts back to a halt, she's reluctant to pull away. With Red's hands circling her waist loosely and the sound of his heart beating steadily against her ear, she feels more at home than she has in years...

If only she could tell him that. That and so many other things. Their unfinished conversation from earlier still haunts her but she knows now is not the time nor the place for it. As it is, she's lost her nerve to bring it up again.

They can't stay like this forever, either. She reluctantly withdraws from Red's embrace, but not before playfully tapping the brim of his hat upward so she can brush his bangs out of his face. His hair is a bit longer than she remembers and it suits him. Maybe she'll tell him before the night is over.

With her fingers now entwined with his, she entices him to join her in dance again. It sounds like the next song is another lively one.

—

For someone who seemed to always end up with background stress in his mind, for once he feels fairly free while being here dancing with her. Even while they've slowed down his mind doesn't wander, his focus is on the moment and he intends to keep it there. Her brushing his bangs from his face happens so quickly he's almost surprised, but he grins and readjusts his hat before she leads them both back into a dance.

He's careful to see if there are any signs of her feeling dizzy again, especially with another energetic song playing. But it feels like they're sweeping across their corner of the dance floor while keeping up with the beat; maybe he's feeling a bit more confident seeing her. Red himself may not have any flashy dance moves to show, but he's ever so happy to prompt Blue back into any that she wishes to show. Though he would naturally keep that attention on her if she tried any further dramatic spins, impressive as always but she was truly going to wear herself out at this rate.

He's not certain just how many songs pass them by through their fluid movements, beaming smiles, and the brightest laughter he'd had and seen from her in such a long time. But it's not hard to tell when they've both had enough, Blue seems so wiped out as Red takes her hand again to lead her outside the building. The music is left muffled behind them, and the cooler breeze feels nice.

"Didn't realize it was already so late in the day," Red states while looking up at the sky. "Feels like time just ticked right by us, but..."

He looked back at her with a warm smile. "Your dancing was fantastic, and so was dancing with you. I'm just glad I was able to keep up with you, guess the practice paid off."

—

Blue's lost track of how much time has passed since they stepped onto the dance floor together. Despite the fatigue, though, her joy is evident in the brightness of her smile and the rosy glow lighting up her cheeks. She can't remember when was the last time she and Red were able to have fun like this, never mind the last time she'd let her guard down long enough for him to catch a glimpse of the girl she used to be; the girl he might remember from almost a decade ago.

Unfortunately, after whirlwinding their way through about half a dozen lively songs or so, she's run out of steam. It's no surprise, though; the night has been hectic, full of unprecedented and exhausting events both physical and emotional alike. It's almost like Red knows, his hold on her hand delicate as he leads her past the double doors into the open-air courtyard without any prompting.

The crisp nighttime air raises goosebumps along her arms but she otherwise welcomes it, the breeze's cool caress wonderful against her overheated skin. Following Red's gaze, she looks up at the sky, the blanket of stars stretching over their heads to infinity. With the city lights dimmed in the aftermath of the blackout, the stars seem to sparkle brighter than ever... or maybe it's all in her head. The past hour or so has felt a bit magical, even after the alcohol wore off.

"Can't believe the night is almost over. Hardly even noticed." She returns his smile in earnest. "Thank you for dancing with me. Now that your secret talent is out, though, I hope you know you're at risk of receiving future dance invitations."

Maybe she's teasing, or perhaps not. Her relaxed face betrays nothing.

Despite her newfound cheeriness, she can no longer ignore her body's complaints so she unceremoniously drops onto a nearby bench, leaving enough room beside her in case Red wants to join her. After all that dancing, her feet are killing her.

The breeze picks up and she briefly finds herself wishing she were wearing a bit more. She rubs her arms idly to keep warm. It'll pass.

"I'll be honest," she says after a few quiet moments, choosing this moment to rub her sore ankles just so she can avoid his gaze. "I never thought we'd be able to have fun together like this again. I'm... really happy to see I was wrong, though."

—

"I'll be looking forward to it," he answers to the thought of further invitations. The thought honestly comes to him just so easily, more than he thought it would even. But his mind is feeling more impulsive, from the long day and their emotional moment from earlier. It's making him throw his overthinking out the window, for better or worse.

I need to tell her, he thinks. No matter if it's complicated, and she just can't accept, she does deserve to know doesn't she?

It's the least he could do after all this, he doesn't want to keep so many secrets when she's involved. He wants desperately for her to know that she can trust him again, though he also knows well that these things do take time. It was just... hard to not feel excited, hard to not think again about some sort of hypothetical situation for them.

Their quiet moment being broken also interrupts his thoughts, but he doesn't really mind. If anything... he feels like she's saying something she likely needed to, as much as it stings; he also knows it's true.

"...Well you're not the only one," he replies. "I wasn't very good at seeing into some sort of positive future before. Sometimes it's still hard even, but... times like this make it worth it."

I don't regret coming back.

He knows some part of him was left up on the mountain even now, but he still wants her to know just how much this means to him too. He doesn't want to dwell on it, and ruin a perfectly good evening that they have to themselves. Crowd inside be damned.

He does hear inside that the next song is playing, and it's much slower than anything else they've done tonight. He's not really in the mood to return to the group again... but there would be room to just move about out here, if they so chose.

He must be feeling bold today, it seems. He has this idle thought, and his actions follow it up without hesitation.

"I suppose if you have enough energy for one last dance, this one might be a bit more easy to handle."

—

Sometimes it is hard to consider that the future could hold something positive for them, whatever their relationship might be. At some point years ago, she had resigned herself to thinking that the two of them as close friends was just a thing of the past, that her long-standing love for him was always meant to remain unrequited, buried and left to haunt her like a ghost anytime her thoughts drifted too close to him and what could have been.

Of course, that hadn't been as much of a problem when he'd been absent from her life for years. There was always a hollowness, a dull ache in her chest, but she could drown that by keeping her mind engaged and distracted, by working herself to the point where she was just too tired to fall back into that trap. It's far more difficult to ignore it with him right here.

Perhaps what kills her the most is that he's making an effort now, isn't he? His support and appearance at the gala, the matching outfits, the forget-me-nots, the way he's been glued to her side for the better part of the night, both in leisure and in battle. It's belated, by all means, but earnest nonetheless.

Does he hope to mend their friendship? Is he seeking out something more? For not the first time this night, she vehemently squashes any thoughts of the latter. She can't think or hope like that, no matter how badly her wistful heart wishes for it to be so. She's already risking enough by letting him into her life again.

As she dares meet his eyes again, as she drinks in the sight of him bathed in moonlight, it dawns on her just how difficult this is. The gentleness in his eyes, paired with that easy smile, pokes at the flaws in her armor. Caught in a panic, she tears her gaze away from him, choosing instead to fiddle with one of the many rings adorning her fingers. Still, out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Red is now holding out a hand to her.

Gentle piano notes carry over through the double doors and Blue realizes, with mild panic, that Red is asking her to dance to a ballad. Out here. Alone. Just the two of them.

Her heart careens within the confines of her ribcage. For the love of Mew, why is he doing this now? She's very much sober by this point, all remnants of her earlier liquid courage long gone. The rational part of her is at war with herself, torn between 'it's just one dance' and 'you'll regret being so close to him'. But he's humored her for the better part of the last hour... She can at least give him this.

"...Sure, yeah. One last dance," she finally agrees. She can survive the next five minutes or so, even if she might possibly be in shambles after. Nothing a quick trip to the refreshments table afterward won't be able to fix...

She takes one deep, calming breath, and takes his offered hand, allowing Red to help her up and pull her close. Too close, when she's so emotionally compromised. Oh, Mew... she's made a mistake, she already regrets this.

—

He's so happy when she accepts, taking his hand and allowing him to bring her closer again. He can't deny the fact his heart is pounding, it feels like it's so loud it's almost hard to focus on the music. Yet even with this, he feels... relief, excitement, genuinely glad to be here in the moment with her. He brings his other hand to her waist while he prompts their movements, calm in swaying to the music.

"I wasn't much of a dancer back then, you know that anyway." He speaks softly. "But I suppose... call this making up for lost time, I know I would've liked to have done something like this sooner."

What would it have been like if he hadn't been constantly stepping to the side, believing that Blue and Green would've been a couple one day? He knows there's no point to really asking questions like that, but he remembers their moments of closeness before this point too. The festival they attended, the forest, every bit of the support she gave that he can never thank her enough for.

He eventually moved both of his hands to her waist, which is when he does realize that she seems so much more nervous than she had been earlier. The hints in her movements are subtle, but he notices and tries to give her a comforting smile. Her eyes looked like they were shining right now, up close to him and under the bright night sky. He knows what it's like when her smiles meet those deep blue eyes, he would like to see that at least one more time before the night is out.

It's just a few minutes, yet it feels like it goes on for so much longer. He can hear the ending notes of the song around the corner, and he steadies them both to a stop; but doesn't let go quite yet. His impulsive side still has a grip on him and he allows it, as he lifts one hand to caress her cheek.

What is there left to really say? He knows what he wants to do. Would she allow him? Would she be happy?

He leans in gently, closer than he ever expected he would be today. Yet as the music fades out behind them, he starts to hear a rustling getting awfully close to them.

—

Calm down, it’s just one dance.

A teenaged version of herself used to dream of moments like this, beyond the innocent whirls and sways at the Celadon flower festival, or even the thrilling and showstopping dances they’d shared not even half an hour ago. Their fingers intertwined, hardly a breath of sanity left in her as Red’s fingers splay across the small of her back and pull her close… so close that she can make out flecks of amber in his scarlet irises.

A woman stronger than her would allow herself to savor this moment for what it is, would lean against him and make his shoulder her resting place as they sway gently to the rhythm, lost in their own time, and then be able to walk away with her sanity intact. As it is, though, Blue is weak and this treasured moment might be her undoing. Once more, her sense of self-preservation finds itself waging a fierce battle against her yearning for him. It's too much. She wants to run. She can stop this now, claim her feet can no longer take it, that she’s needed elsewhere to wrap up the festivities—

—and then he whispers, like a secret, that he would’ve liked to do something like this sooner, echoing fantasies of her former self… and she’s weak, so she stays.

Me too, she thinks. Oh Red, you have no idea…

Her breath hitches as his leading hand releases hers and joins his other at her waist, leaving her with no choice but to loosely wrap her arms around his neck.

Mew… They’re impossibly close now and her heart can’t take it, she has to get away… But his touch at her waist grounds her, the gentle smile gracing his lips soothes her and leads her to her doom like a sailor hopelessly haunted by a siren’s song.

Are her feelings written on her face? Can he see the apprehension intermingled with the longing? The fear as she realizes that she’s never been more vulnerable as she is right now, enveloped in his arms? As it is, she can’t tear her eyes away from him. It’s like she’s bewitched… or maybe just in love.

With him, she always has been.

The rest of the dance passes by in a blur until, mercifully, the song starts to wind down. She’s waiting expectantly for him to release her from his trap so she can scamper away to the safety of the bar. Arceus, not even wine can calm her frayed nerves, so she'll need something STRONGER.

But that moment of freedom doesn’t come. They’ve stopped but Red’s hold on her remains steadfast. What is he…? Oh…

A tentative hand brushes Blue's cheek. It’s feather-light, barely there, but she is so strikingly aware. It’s difficult to breathe. This… this is…

Her voice is breathless, uneven, as she remains painfully still. “Red…”

Oh, she wants this and she wants him. She wants him more than she’s ever wanted anything or anyone. She’s well aware that she’s trembling. In panic, in anticipation, oh gods, she doesn’t know. And then, he leans in and all remaining breath leaves her lungs as their noses brush.

She shouldn’t. It’s too fast, the old wound too freshly re-opened, but she wants it anyway. Does she take the risk? What if it ruins her? Oh, hell… With Red looking at her with nothing short of absolute adoration, she finds any resolve or self-control she has left slowly crumbling.

Her lips part, her eyes fluttering shut as she leans in to close the gap between them—

“ZUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”

Startled, Blue sharply pulls back just as a familiar-looking Azumarill bursts through the bushes. Delta. Not only would Blue recognize Rosa’s aqua rabbit anywhere, but she’s also still cradling the taped-up Nanab berry she stole earlier. The water-type frantically looks all around the courtyard, as if wary of something or someone, before staring up at the two of them with her beady eyes. She clutches the berry to herself. “Azu! Zu!”

Blue's face is burning. She holds a hand over her chest, willing her heart to stop racing at such back-breaking speeds.

They… she had almost… gods.

But the moment is shattered now, isn't it? Blue glances from Delta to the ballroom's double doors, too chagrined to make eye contact with Red right now. From here, she can make out the DJ giving out their thanks as they wrap up their set for the night. Ah, that's right... in about a moment, she'll be needed elsewhere.

"I better go," she mutters half-heartedly. "Thank you for... everything."

And with that, she's gone.

—

It was so sudden, how they'd been so close just now only for the moment to be ripped away in an instant. His mind was having a hard time catching up with what just happened, if he wasn't flustered before this then he definitely was now. Though he didn't have any regrets in shutting off the guilt, the hesitation, and just letting his feelings take control for awhile.

What sort of bad luck did they have for things to play out like this?

He futilely raises a hand, wanting to say wait-- when Blue's already gone. Attending to her gala again, though he's not sure he'd be able to get the words out anyway. Once again his voice has locked up on him, as though all the emotions he shut off for just that moment are crashing down and he is feeling their weight.

All he can do is sigh, while reaching over to pat the Azumarill's head. He supposes it would be at least once that a pokémon would interrupt a kiss, huh? Maybe later on in life, this moment will be more funny to talk about. But for now, it's not really that funny, he feels more like another moment has been ripped away.

In a way he wants to look on the bright side, as he feels his resolve is stronger now after this. Maybe next time there will be... less of this hesitation haunting him.

Naturally, though his mind begs the question, would she even let there be a next time?

...

He supposes he's just going to have to find out, someday soon hopefully.

#❄️ time capsule thread.#twilighttheater #twilighttheater (red)#grandgala2023 #they are cursed with moments that keep being snatched away from them #❄️ you hold my heart in your hands. for you i'll take this chance (twilighttheater).#the post-gala reply is in my queue so I wanted to bring this over before then pfff #❄️ finished thread: dance of the heart.

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