Dance with Me (Aly)

[Athanase]

Dance. It was his center and where he always found himself when times got rough. The city was like hell in a hand basket and so Athan turned more to dance as a means to take him mind off of it all. With the money he saved, he rented a small space to turn into a dance studio. There was still the idea or the thought to open his own dance studio. A place where he could teach others to escape and enjoy themselves the way he did in dance.

One of the perks to being immortal and having a very determined wife was that it made teaching a lot easier. The bit that he had begun to show her, when she would watch him turned into more complex moves and dances. It was nothing too complicated, but with their natural bond and her desire to perfect everything she put her mind to; she danced better than most people who went to school for it.

So it was that on a night as he warmed up with some playful moves, she joined in. Eyes on her hips as she swayed to the music he had on in the background he smirked and went to her. A small jump, spin and a few pirouettes as he lowered to his knees before her.

“May I have this dance?” he asked with his hand held out for her to take.

[Aly]

It was these impromptu dance moments that made this everlasting life worth it. It was these moments with Athanase that made this life bearable, worth it, something she looked forward to daily. After a day at Slaanesh’s business, dealing with clients day in and day out that needed support, she needed unwinding; That’s not to say she didn’t have patience to deal with—what some would consider—inane questions, but more that she needed to unwind after it all. On top of the work aspect of life, there was their existence as a whole, an existence that wasn’t supposed to be and wasn’t supposed to be known by those humans that resided in their midst.

Of late, their awareness was skyrocketing, leaving her constantly wary and on her guard. Feeding became so much harder for her now, unable to mask herself like some of those she knew, no hiding in shadows and catching someone unaware. If they weren’t perfectly alone…she was always getting spotted.

So, it was on a night like that, after work and after a failed hunt that she went home with the idea of unwinding. As she’d come through the door, the music was playing and Athan was warming up to do some of his usual dancing (an admitted pastime of hers to watch, and watch shamelessly). But, where the song was so catchy, her bag was dropped on the table by the door, along with her keys, and her hips began to move, dancing along to the beat as she made her way passed him to get a drink.

Athan had other plans. As he jumped toward her, spinning and pirouetting with a practiced grace, offering her his hand, her lips pulled into a big grin. A hand slid down her leg, down and around the back until it came back up and took hold of his offered one, lifting it and her leg simultaneously, using his hand and the momentum to run away from him to the other side of the room. A cheeky glance over her shoulder at him, she waited for his next move, his next attempt to get her to join him.

[Athanase]

This was what he wanted, what he enjoyed most of all when it came to their relationship. Throughout the entirety of his professional career there had never been a dancer who could not only keep up with him, but anticipate his actions and add to what he gave her. Sure, he had danced with several talented women over the years, some of whom he had shared a physical relationship off the stage. However, even with that added chemistry, it all still felt rehearsed. There was feeling in their movements, but none of it had ever been directed toward him.

Now, in this ever living life he found more than just a wife and a mate. He truly found a partner that he could share everything in his life with. A woman who challenged him and met him step for step through every aspect of their lives. Both off and on the dance floor; what more could a man ask for?

The flare she did as she took his hand, would have made his still heart race if it were possible. She spun from his grasp and he spun back to grab her hand to spin her once again. Now at her back, he moved with her to the music, easily and smoothly; from side to side, in sync but in opposition to one another. Once again her hand was taken and he spun himself under her arm to lower down to one knee. Here, he seemed to have lost a bit of focus, while his eyes drank in the sight of her moving hips.

[Aly]

His hand took hold of hers, firm in its resolve to pull her back but soft—like that of a lover’s grasp—and spun her back into his body. But, just being closer didn’t mean they were dancing together, not really. Her body continued to dance in time with the beat of the song, shoulders shaking in a loose rendition of a shimmy as she moved her body lower and lower. It wouldn’t be that easy, though. No, she knew Athan better than that.

Just as she’d prepared to do her own move, his hand had taken hold of hers again, spinning her around, suddenly flush to him, eyes locked on those deep blue hues of his own. He lowered to his knee, hand still holding onto hers, so she turned away, intent on giving him a bit of a show now that he was eye-level. Her hips swayed, danced to the beat, careful to keep a watch on him from her peripheral vision to see how he was looking at her, how he was drinking in her moves, if he were distracted.

As she’d predicted, he was more focused on her hips—on her—than the dance, so she pushed him away with a grin and a laugh. And, using that momentum, she turned into a pirouette, a spin that he himself had taught her some months earlier that she’d been working at improving upon. One revolution, followed by another, followed by another and another; Four spins total before the last, her leg extending into a long, fluid line, pausing to wink at him. Then, in graceful strides, she descended upon him, the leg he offered taken hold of with one hand as she walked over his form, her knee lightly kicking his face over as he rolled with it, stopping to grin at him triumphantly.

“Your move,” Aly lightly goaded, her thought pushing into his mind with a devilish gleam to her eyes.

[Athanase]

It was as if he were in the presence of living art, the way she moved. It was playful with a professionalism that he loved all the same. A challenging experience was what this impromptu dance had become. Where he had just been looking to warm up and stretch a bit, it had turned into something far more fun. It was obvious that she had been practicing the pirouettes on her own; it showed in her form and angles. If they were back in New York, he would have taken her to his former dance company. Have her demonstrate her skills and maybe get them a small show to perform in.

On his back now from her push, palms flat on the wood floor. With a bit of muscle he pushed up from the floor to spin in the air so that he landed back on his hands and one leg. The other he extended which she took and used it to step over him. The simple action once again drew his focus which earned him a light knock to the head by her knee. He rolled with the hit and found himself face down on the floor.

A glance over his shoulder at her, the wink only made him grin and he tumbled forward, only at the last moment he kicked up so that he landed flat on his feet and was able to stand to his full height. Now it was his turn to wink, which he did as he turned to catch her eye. A silent challenge being shared through that eye contact as he practically dared her to make the next move. To be a bit bolder than what they had been doing previously. Barely, he shifted his weight a bit, his stance a bit more planted and flat as if he were waiting for something big.

[Aly]

It took great skill to move the way he did, great muscle control. It never ceased to amaze her just how he moved, how he danced. The way his muscles rippled beneath his skin as he danced, flexed, pushing his own body to conquer feats most didn’t consider in a lifetime. Such a simple move, that jump, that lift…but complex in its simplicity that she’d yet to master it. Only attempting a few times, she’d been all over the place, her legs kicking and no grace to it at all no matter the unnatural amount she now possessed. But he…he had every line, every muscle and limb in its proper place, landing square on his feet.

Clearly, he knew just how well done his move had been as he returned that wink, preparing for something more. Something in his eyes goaded her on, had her wanting to test his limits, to see if he could anticipate her moves as well as she could his. He planted his feet, shifted, waited in a stance that said, “hit me with your best shot”, while she regarded him for what felt like an eternity; In reality, the moment lasted for the span of a beat.

But that moment was all it took. Without warning she sprinted toward him, jumping at him, no regard for whether he caught her or not. …Because she trusted him. The amount of trust she harbored for this man, for her husband, was enough that she knew her feet would never touch the ground. She knew he’d catch her, keep her safe, even in something as simple as this dance, as this lift.

It was just a matter of how he caught her.

[Athanase]

There was that moment, where there was a pause if only for the mere span of a single heartbeat and then she sprinted at him and threw herself at him. Not a moment was spared in thought of just how he would catch her. Instead he just reacted and caught her with just one arm, the full of her weight right there on his extended leg, so that she rested high on his left thigh. Her leg extended into a perfect point as he walked with her there and spun around four times before he allowed her to step down and spin away from him.

Eyes on her form as she danced alone to the music, he moved a bit on his own and then turned his leg out stretched fully, which Aly took advantage of to grab hold of his foot and pull him back down to her faster. Again, eye contact was shared and he just smirked to grab hold of her waist and pull her roughly against her body while he spun her around for the umpteenth time. Athan could not even begin to describe the pleasure he had when it came to dancing with her. This, to him, was far more intimate than anything else. So much trust went into a dance, so much passion that it was often more bonding than even a verbal proclamation of love.