Closed Never Too Late for a First Time

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius had never been one for these events. Not because he didn't know how to handle himself- he was no stranger to suits, or the formal event, but he'd wanted to do something more... meaningful with his time. And unfortunately, he'd never quite managed to find someone that understood that. And he'd never been the best at explaining that, either. Now, he was past caring. He didn't really care if he attended this or not, but he was sure it was something that Kiara would want. And right now, she was the one he was trying to win over. He stood outside the Great Hall, sighing and leaning his head back against the stone with his eyes shut. So much for staying aloof.

Kiara was a sweetheart, really, and somehow, she'd snuck under his skin. It scared him a bit, honestly, after the entire fiasco with Margo and Aika. Back then he'd cared too much and he'd never managed to recover from it. He focused on his breathing, trying to keep his heart from racing. He knew Margo was seeing someone else now- the new quidditch captain, if he remembered right. A part of him worried that would happen again- that he would slip up, be too vulnerable, say the wrong things, and then Kiara would run off and pretend he'd never existed, too.

He shook his head, resisting the urge to run his hands through his hair. He was older now, hopefully less stupid, and he just had to make it through tonight. Hopefully he wasn't so idiotic he could mess up a single night, right? He thought of Margo again. It didn't really hurt anymore to think of her. That was good, it meant he'd really moved on properly. He was... he didn't want to say indifferent about it, that wasn't quite right. He was more... relieved, he guessed, that she'd found someone. He'd never have forgiven himself if he'd done something so monumentally stupid that he'd hurt her too badly.

He just had to hope he didn't hurt Kiara. He bit his tongue lightly as he looked towards the stairs, hoping she'd be down soon. He could keep pretending to be charming, right? If he could just act like he had it all figured out, had himself together, then she wouldn't catch on that he was a mess and things would go smoothly. He hoped.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Events with a lot of people around had always made Kiara nervous and yet this years nerves weren't as familiar as the ones she had always felt. She had attended plenty of the school's parties and dances in the years prior but was used to attending them alone, never with someone. Never with a date. Well, there was that one time with Soren but she didn't really think that counted. It had been fun and she was thankful he had been willing to take her but there hadn't been any feelings connected to it. Not like there were with Valerius. She wasn't entirely sure what it was that made her have those feelings but she did know that she liked him - liked getting to know him, to spend time with him. All in a way that made her feel different from how she felt when she spend time with her friends. It made her excited to attend the ball with him tonight yet made the whole thing feel nerve wrecking as well. She wanted him to like her too, after all, wanted him to look at her the way she noticed some of her friends look at their dates or partners. Full of adoration. There was hardly anything wrong with dreaming of something like that, right?

When she had taken a little longer to get ready than she had aimed for and hadn't spotted Valerius in the common room Kiara was sure he had already headed down and tried to make her way down the stairs as quickly as her heels could take her. She slowed down when she reached the final staircase though, allowing herself some time to glance around the hall while she walked down to see if he was there yet. She could feel a small sense of relieve when she did and made her way through he crowd of students entering the hall towards him. "Hi," She greeted him with a smile. "I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

-godmods approved-

Valerius straightened up when he saw Kiara coming down the stairs. He gave her an easy smile, offering out his arm to her. He pulled out the red rose bud he had waiting in his pocket and tucked it behind her ear. "I would wait forever for you," He countered, giving her his most charming smile. "You look radiant. Potrei guardarti tutto il giorno." He told her, taking her free hand and lifting it, kissing her knuckles.

*I could look at you all day

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara felt her cheeks flush the second Valerius tucked the flower behind her ear, skin burning from the faint graze of his fingers against her face. She really needed to learn how to control that. To not get flustered so easily. "Forever's an awfully long time." She chuckled softly as she took his arm, looking at him when he said something she didn't understand. Perhaps it was time she started learning Italian. "I'm just going to assume those were both compliments." She smiled up at him, surprised by how she felt so nervous yet so at ease around him at the same time. "So, thanks. I love the colour of your suit."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled and began to lead her, walking into the room as he placed his hand over hers on his arm. He leant in to whisper in her ear. "It means, I could look at you all day," He breathed, squeezing her hand. He straightened back up and started for the dance floor. He stopped at the edge of it, turning to her and motioning with his free hand. "Would you like to dance?"

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara wasn't used to this type of attention, these sorts of compliments, so when Valerius translated what he had said she could feel heat rise to her cheeks again. Which made her shoes suddenly look incredibly interesting and she had no choice but to glance down at them to avoid looking at him. Even if it felt a little useless to try and hide that she was blushing. She was sure he had noticed before. Kiara finally looked back up at Valerius when they reached the dancefloor. "I would love to." She responded with a soft smile and as much confidence as she could muster when the idea of dancing with him made her feel nervous all over again. All while her initial nerves hadn't even disappeared yet.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled. It was almost a relief to see how easily flustered it made her when he behaved like this. That just meant that his plan was working and he was doing things right. He led her onto the floor as a slow song began, placing his hand on her waist and keeping the other, leading her in a simple waltz he knew like the back of his hand. Fortunately for him, dancing lessons had been a part of his early year curriculum. Father insisted that any gentleman worth anything could dance.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

It wasn't until they actually stepped out onto the dancefloor that Kiara realised she had no idea what to do. She had been taking ballet lessons for quite some years when she was younger and knew how to dance on her own, but she had no idea how to properly dance with someone else. She tried her best to follow Valerius' lead though and started to slowly feel like she was getting the hang of it. Until her nerves inevitably got the better of her and she took a step in the wrong direction, causing her to stumble.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius was trying to take the steps a little slower, letting her get used to the way he was leading her. It seemed to be working- at least, until she stepped the wrong way and fell. Valerius shot out an arm, catching her and holding her in a dramatic dip. He laughed breathlessly, trying to stabilize her before straightening. "Well, that's not usually how a dip is done, but if you really wanted one," He teased her gently, pulling her back to her feet and keeping his arm around her waist. "Careful, my sweet, or I might have to think you're looking for a kiss," He teased her again.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara could feel her face flush when Valerius kept her from falling, although it wasn't because of any sort of shyness this time around. It was pure horror. She was glad she hadn't actually managed to fall since that would've been worse but at least then she would've been able to excuse herself. Walk away and try to ignore that the people around them had without a doubt seen her stumble. She was sure it had been difficult to miss. But she wasn't able to excuse herself. Instead, she was left right there in the middle of the dancefloor, quite certain she would enjoy being this close to Valerius if her embarassment wasn't completely overpowering any of her other emotions. "Right now I'd rather disappear.." Kiara muttered, not quite realising how that might come across. This was so not going swimmingly.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled, reaching up with the intent to brush her hair back. "Hey, princess, it's all right. Would you like to take a walk through the courtyard?" He offered, stepping back just enough and offering out his arm. "Some fresh air might be nice."

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara could feel her heart flutter by how kind Valerius was being to her. He all made it look so easy while she was there still learning the steps. And she didn't mean the dancing. She looked at him when he asked her if she wanted to step outside, weighing her options. She did really want to dance with him but he was offering a way out of feeling like a fool in front of so many others and she would be foolish not to take it. "I would be happy to, but are you sure?" She questioned, refraining from taking his arm until she knew his answer. "I mean I can.. try again? If you prefer to keep dancing?"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled and held out his arm for her. "Absolutely. It's a beautiful night, it would do us both some good to get some fresh air, don't you think?" He tried to soothe her. He liked taking night time strolls, especially when it got him away from crowds like this. "Besides, wouldn't a nice walk under the stars be more romantic?" He winked playfully.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara felt a sense of relief when Valerius didn't sound like he only wanted to head outside because he felt she might need it. Perhaps that was still the reason, but if it was he didn't show it. "Fresh air sounds great." She chuckled softly before taking a hold of his arm so they could head outside.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled, putting a hand over hers and leading her away. He didn't speak until they'd made it to the courtyard. He stopped a few steps in, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air. "Hm, that's nice," He looked to her with a smile. "Shall we walk?" He motioned with his hand, giving her the option of picking which way they went.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara had to admit it felt nice to walk out of the hall, away from the crowd of students. It made her feel more at ease. Even if she loved the school parties she had never been really good with them, which was why she usually sought out her friends. Being there with a date had sounded fun but had also added so much more unexpected pressure. Something she hadn't realised would happen. Kiara smiled when he let her choose which way to walk, steering them to the right a little without really aiming for any route in particular. "It feels so much easier to breathe out here." She said quietly.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius put his hand over hers, following her and just letting them wander a bit, keeping a leisurely pace. "Doesn't it?" He agreed. He took another deep breath. "My head always feels a bit clearer on nights like this." He looked to her with a soft smile. "It feels like a whole new world out under the stars."

 

[Kiara Thompson]

"I don't think I've ever looked at it like that." Kiara responded to what Valerius was saying. She liked stargazing as much as anyone else but she had never felt like the world was so much different at night than it was during the day. Perhaps that said more about her than about him though. "Thank you, by the way," She looked at him now that the silence outside had gotten her head to quiet down and her nerves to retreat. Partially. "For asking me along tonight."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled softly, squeezing his hand over hers. "Of course," He agreed. "I asked you for myself, though," He gave her an impish grin. "You're a beautiful girl. I enjoy spending time with you." He stopped, conjuring up a single rose, and offered it out for her. "It has been entirely my pleasure, Kiara."

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara had lost count of how many times Valerius’ hand had touched hers, all she knew was that it was nice. Reassuring. She took the rose he had conjured for her and twirled it around in her hand for a second. “Thank you.” She smiled up at him. “I enjoy spending time with you too..”

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled, debating on how he wanted to go about things. He slowed to a standstill, and heard the music drifting out to them. An idea struck, and he pulled away, turning towards her. He bowed a little, one hand behind his back, the other offered out to her. "May I have this dance?" He asked, thinking she might like a private dance more than dancing in the middle of everyone had.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara was a little curious as to why Valerius stopped walking, especially since he had suggested a walk in the first place. She was pleasantly surprised when he offered her his hand though. At least out here she wouldn't feel like she was embarassing herself in front of a crowd if she made a mistake. She'd still embarass herself in front of Valerius, which was maybe worse, but he didn't seem to judge her for it. "Any time." She giggled while taking his hand.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled and pulled her in, leading her in a much slower, much more careful dance. He hummed along, trying to guide each step and make it easier for her. "Just follow my lead. One, two, three, four," He instructed, voice soft.

 

[Kiara Thompson]

Kiara had a much easier time following Valerius' lead now that they were out of the crowd and she wasn't completely overthinking every step she made. She tried her best not to look at her feet either and instead kept looking at him. Something she definitely didn't mind.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled, enjoying the more intimate moment between them. "Have I mentioned yet that you look beautiful?" He murmured, guiding her into a little twirl before pulling her back in and swaying her gently. It was easy to compliment her- and thankfully, she seemed to enjoy it when he did.