Closed Dates And Dances

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander practically buzzed with nerves as he waited by the hall's entrance for Connor, shifting restlessly from one foot to the other, eager to dance - anything to get the energy that had built up as he prepared for the night, out of his system. His fingers fidgeted with the sleeves of his cuffs, trying to find the most comfortable position for them to sit on his wrists. He was excited, to put it lightly. He hadn't had a proper date to a dance since Nicole, and that hadn't really counted as a real date, they'd just kind of hung out. It felt like it had been a lifetime ago since. He was a teenager now, everything was different. More important. He'd worn his nice shoes, gelled his hair, and bombed himself in a ton of body spray to smell nice for the night. It clung to his clothes, smelling heavily of some kind of flowery fragrance. This was what being attractive meant, people always talked about how important it was to smell nice. Surely he had nothing to worry about. He gave up fidgeting with his cuffs, folding his arms to tuck his hands away instead, and leaned against the wall in an attempt to look cool and casual while he waited. He'd taken those dance lessons, he'd dressed nice, but no amount of preparation made him feel completely relaxed and ready for the night.​

@Connor Holland

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor spent a lot of his time being nervous, sure, but he didn't think he had been as nervous as he felt today for a long time. Not since he had tried out for the Quidditch team, for sure. Connor knew he was about the right age to start dating, knew that this was all normal, but somehow he still felt entirely unprepared for the situation he had found himself in. What if there were Date Things Lysander expected that Connor didn't know about? Should he have brought Lysander flowers? That didn't feel right at all. But what if Lysander expected it? All these worries reached a peak in his mind as he arrived at the dance, spotting Lysander leaning against a wall. He looked so cool, and part of Connor wanted to run and hide forever. He definitely wasn't cool enough to be here on this date. But there was no backing out now, and Connor did want to go on this date, as terrified as he was. So he approached Lysander, giving the Gryffindor a nervous smile. "Hey, Lysander." He said shyly, noticing as he approached that Lysander even smelled good. Was he wearing cologne or something? "You look nice..."

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander's face lit up when he spotted the Hufflepuff, and he pushed himself away from the wall in what he deemed an equally cool fashion. "Hey, Connor." He grinned. He looked down at his own outfit and did a small spin on the spot to show it off. It didn't have quite the movement he desired, and he realised he should have brought a jacket to go with it. He'd outgrown his old one, and it had been too late to try and ask someone to enlarge it by the time he'd pulled it out of his trunk for the night's dance. "Thanks! You look really good too. I like your suit." He complimented. He stuck his hands in his pockets, changed his mind and folded them across his chest again, before changing his mind again and dropping them at his sides. Eventually he decided to stick one arm out if Connor wanted to take it, not really sure what to do with his body. "Do you wanna waltz?" He asked, shuffling in the direction of the dance floor. "Or like, any dance. I just, uh, I know how to waltz." Did it sound impressive? He hoped it sounded impressive. He was a dancer now, as long as he could actually remember all the steps still, or else that lesson would have totally been for nothing.​

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor felt some of his nerves dissipate as he watched Lysander spin around, giggling softly at the Gryffindor. Lysander had always been fun to be around, tonight was hopefully going to be fun despite all his fears. "Thanks." He grinned brightly when Lysander complimented his suit. It felt a little too big and all kinds of clumsy, like he was wearing something suited for a more serious person than Connor had ever been, but if Lysander liked it, that was all fine. His eyes widened slightly when the Gryffindor extended a hand, and Connor reached out to take it, fumbling slightly. Should they be linking fingers? That felt like a step too far, so Connor just held Lysander's hand, the way he had held his older brother's to cross the road when they had been kids. "Oh, uh, I don't know how to waltz." He said a little awkwardly. "But we can try! You could teach me." Connor added quickly, giving Lysander a bright smile.

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander had to admit he was almost glad Connor didn't know how to waltz. He'd only just learned himself. The last thing he wanted was to make a mistake with someone who knew what they were doing, and without that fear, he was more confident in showing off. "Cool, well I'll show you. It's easy." He beamed, though his previous dance partner might have disagreed with just how easy a time he'd had. "You just gotta hold one arm out like this." He started, extending the one he already so it stuck out at an angle. "Then you put your other hand on my shoulder." He instructed, pressing his own free hand to the Hufflepuffs shoulder blade. "Then we waltz! I'll lead, you just have to follow my steps." Of course he was going to lead. Technically there were certain steps to take, but he couldn't remember, and completely intended to just wander about in a vaguely box-shaped way. "I won't blame you if you step on my toes." He commented as he took his first step to lead Connor around the floor, a playful grin on his face. Though really, he wanted to give himself an excuse in the very real scenario he stood on Connors's own feet instead. Being the one leading, he thought he was in the clear, but he couldn't be too sure.​

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor did like dancing by himself, and he certainly liked the idea of dancing with Lysander, but the fact that the Gryffindor had actually had dance lessons, and knew how to do a proper kind of dance was all a little unnerving. Connor went with it though, letting Lysander move him into position and resting a hand on the other boy's shoulder when prompted. "Okay." Connor said when Lysander reassured him that all he had to do was follow, but even then, Connor wasn't entirely confident in his own abilities. He nodded once before Lysander started moving, though his eyes were locked downwards on their feet. All he had to do was not step on Lysander, and the other boy was leading, so all he really had to do was not fall over or bump into anyone. Despite all that, Connor managed to pick up the wrong foot right away, stumbling immediately as he tried to step back the wrong way. "Ah! Sorry!" He said quickly, righting himself. "Which foot do we start with?"

 

[Lysander Summers]

Lysander couldn't help but chuckle, trying to stop himself from joining Connor in stumbling about. "It's my bad, I should have said. We go uh, we go with left first. Here, let's go slow." He offered, repositioning himself and taking a slow, deliberate step with his left foot. "Now, to the right." He continued, rocking his body the other way with more enthusiasm. He was having fun, even though they hadn't really even properly started yet, and he felt better about his own first attempts at dancing. "Don't worry, we'll be dancing superstars in no time." He joked reassuringly.​