Eventually, before they could get further lost in thought, the song ended. Luther stopped, then, briefly holding Kieran for a moment longer before slowly lowering his hands from the other's waist. "How about you take the lead now? I'd like to see how well you're doing so far," he said with a small smile
Kieran offered a lopsided half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. After a brief lapse of silence, he placed his hands just above the subtle curve of Luther’s waist. “Alright, I’ll take the lead.”
Luther returned the smile with a gentle one of his own, his hands reaching up to rest on his shoulders. He ignored the way his breath caught ever so slightly at the feeling of the other's hands on his waist, not wanting to acknowledge it at all, especially if he was starting to act like…that again
Kieran hummed quietly as they moved, feet gliding across the floor with each step he took. The feeling of another man’s waist beneath his hands… it was too familiar, dredging up too many memories.
Luther fell silent again, letting himself get lost in the music with his movements. Kieran taking the lead like this felt so nice. He rarely ever got to let himself be the one following another's lead dancing like this–even when he was first learning, his grandfather's butler had him dance with the maid, the poor girl giggling when he would fumble trying to take the lead
“Are you doing anything on Halloween?” Kieran asked finally, trying to fill the silence with words. “It’s only a week away. Giving out candy to trick-or-treaters?”
Luther shook his head at that, swaying softly as they danced. "I've never been good with Halloween. I stopped a few years ago, after some drunk man mistook me for a maid and tried to…court me, to put it nicely," he said with a soft grimace
Kieran nearly choked on his own spit.
“O-Oh,” he spluttered, blinking. “I see.”
"Yes, I was humoring the landlord handing out candy, and one of my friends insisted I dress as a butler for Halloween. Didn't save me from that experience, however," Luther said, his nose wrinkling a little now
"Ouch." Kieran winced, stumbling the tiniest bit as he tried to lead Luther through a more complicated step. "I can see why you don't want to relive the experience."
Luther could only chuckle softly at that, and he moved with Luther as Kieran did his best to lead through the more complicated step. He stabilized them easily, making sure Kieran didn't fall. "Careful, now. Don't fall," he said with a small smile
"Sorry…." Kieran muttered under his breath, listening closely to the music. When it repeated, he tried the complex footwork again, this time much steadier. "Like that?"
"Better, definitely," Luther said with a soft smile, helping Kieran move a little to further stabilize him. "Good, you're getting better. Your improvement is incredible," he said with a happy smile
Kieran flinched almost imperceptibly, not used to compliments such as these. "Thank you," he answered, almost automatically. What else was there for him to say?
"It often takes many more months for any of my other students to get this far. Soon you won't need my help at all," Luther joked lightly, though he couldn't help the soft pang of sadness he felt. He hated when one of his students left his class, but it was inevitable, really
Kieran bit the inside of his cheek, unsure how to respond to the second compliment. So he asked a question instead, hoping to evade any awkward conversation. "How many students do you have right now?"
"Not many. Only about ten or so at the moment. A few had to drop out this past month or so for various reasons," Luther answered with a small shrug
Kieran nodded in understanding.
"Any group classes?" he added, "Or do you usually teach single students at a time?"
"Usually single students at a time. It's easier, though I was thinking of eventually hosting a…ball, if you will, for my students once they all reached the point where they could dance properly. I thought it would be nice, and others could come to," Luther answered
"That would be nice," Kieran agreed, the slightest traces of a genuine smile ghosting over his lips. "Do you have an even number of boys and girls? Or would some boys dance with boys and vice versa? Will you be dancing?"
"I would like to dance, yes, but no one would want to dance with their instructor when they have friends and other students they could dance with," Luther said with a small, almost sad chuckle. "But like I said, anyone could dance with anyone. I don't mind, and other people would be invited."
Kieran suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for the other man—something very unusual for him to feel. "Well, I don't really have any friends," he chuckled, "At least, none here. I'd….."
Are you really about to sympathize with your dance instructor? Since when is kindness your thing? Besides, you might not even live here anymore by the time that happens..
"I'd be happy to dance with you, I guess."
Luther's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise, but he quickly shook his head. "No, I couldn't. You shouldn't have to feel as if you need to pity me," he said softly. Though even as he spoke, his heart ached for him to accept the invitation. But he could always try and find someone to invite, since he was convinced he'd be all alone otherwise
The faintest of scowls flitted across Kieran's features. "I don't do pity," he told Luther, doing his best to refrain from being blunt. "But to be frank, I'd rather not spend the entire time dancing with strangers. I'm not very….. social."
Luther blinked owlishly at Kieran, seemingly a little surprised. And nervous, too, as he seemed to realize that he might have said something to upset Kieran. "I…I'm not either, I suppose…" was about all he could manage to say