Faction Across the Stars: The Wedding of Alicio Organa and Amani Serys (GA, NJO, Friends)

[Alexander Hayes]

Alex smiled when Maeve threw caution to the wind and took a chance. There was a part of him that wondered if she would refuse, but it seemed his little gamble had paid off.

"Please don't let me regret doing this."

“I won’t,” he said softly. Alex was certainly no dance connoisseur, but he had some experience. Originating from a bet made years ago between his old squadmates. Very few of them believed Alex could dance well enough to impress one of the local girls. Little did they know how stubborn and determined Alex was to win a bet.

The K’paur led Maeve over to the dance floor, where a fair amount of people were still occupying it. But just as they went to take another step, the current song fell silent.

He raised a questioning eyebrow, until a slower song began to play. Alex chuckled quietly, glancing around. If he didn’t know any better, he’d suspect a certain party or two to be behind the sudden change.

Or maybe he was just imagining it.

Now on the dance floor, Alex turned to face Maeve. He gently pulled her close, his cybernetic left hand resting against her back, while he held her right hand with his own.

“Think of this as a spar almost, the footwork involved in it. But rather than trying to find an advantage, mirror how I’m moving. Let yourself just…go with the flow.”

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve blinked as the melody switched from upbeat to slow. Even if it was purely coincidental, part of her wanted to blame Amani, or maybe Valery. She wanted to blame someone for the embarrassment she was feeling, the heat in her face, because she refused to acknowledge that it was her own fault, or that this had to do with Alexander or the way he looked at her or how his arm rested against her back.

She stepped on his foot. Twice, at least. Shame continued to mount in her and she wished she had more scotch to drink, but at his voice, she looked at him, thoughtful.

"A sparring?" Maeve repeated. Briefly, she considered taking Alexander by the arm and throwing him over her shoulder and to the floor, but that probably wasn't for the best. While it would solve this dancing dilemma, it wouldn't exactly resolve much besides giving the decorated soldier a severe concussion.

So, she chose the next best thing: she listened.

Maeve glanced down and mirrored his movements. She'd heard the comparison about how a fight was like a dance, but never thought about it the other way around.

"Oh, shit," she murmured, following after him. "I think this is actually working." Maeve looked back up to Alex with an astonished smile. Somehow, she was dancing. "Where did you learn how to do this?"

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

The K’paur had expected some stepping on toes, but it didn’t bother him in the slightest. Now, if Maeve had been wearing her armour…well that would’ve been an entirely different matter. But fortunately she hadn’t, and instead Alex patiently guided her along until she started getting into the motions of it.

Her smile, the evident happiness in her expression brought a smile to Alex’s face.

“From a bet, and a drunken one at that.” The K’paur continued to guide the dance, gradually introducing some turns and pivots on occasion. “It was after my first deployment, we were all on shore leave. Decided to hit up a local club to spend the nights. Caught the interest of this girl, who was always on the dance floor whenever we were there.” Alex smiled slightly, remembering the memory fondly, but with a dash of sadness mixed in.

“The lads goaded me into trying to get her attention, betting on the fact that they believed I couldn’t dance.” Another mix of swaying, a small spin before Alex pulled Maeve close.

“I proved them wrong.”

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve never thought she would say it, but she quite liked dancing. Just as Hayes had promised, it proved little different than a sparring, only without the sweat and bruising blows of a fight. It was almost... pleasant. Especially with Hayes? Dancing came more easily with him. Less and less, she stepped on his toes, and as the rhythm of the music moved forward, so did she, swaying and following his every turn and whirl.

Part of her still favored fighting over dancing. Swinging a blade might've required significantly more effort, but it was simple and easy to understand. She found relief in thrashing dummies and punching bags. A dance with Alexander, on the other hand, made her feel strange. Like someone had planted a thermal detonator in her chest.

If that made any sense. Which it didn't.

She tried her best to fight that feeling. It wasn't easy. As he went on about his first dance and the girl from the local club, Maeve felt the stab of another unfamiliar sensation. Jealousy? Of course not. She did not get 'jealous.' Not especially over nameless girls or men like Hayes. The feeling was merely curiosity and that was all.

Still, Maeve cast him a narrow-eyed evaluation. She lifted an eyebrow as she kept one arm slung around his shoulder. "And then? What happened after?"

Alexander Hayes​

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