Slow Dance

At first, his warmth had puzzled her; he went out of his way to make sure he was percieved to be made of ice. However, she proved that to be a fallacy the very first time she'd pestered him into dancing with her. It was a slow dance at a rather exclusive party they had both been invited to, and he was the only one she'd been interested in talking to. His boredom and utter disgust at the majority of the guests had opened him up to her conversation, as minor as it was. Within five minutes, she'd asked him to dance with her.

His immediate reaction was absolute; there was no way he was going to humiliate himself on the dance floor. She tried every trick in the book; pouting, sulking, coaxing him until finally he surrendered to her. One dance; one song. The next song they played was at a reduced tempo, and she took his hand, leading him onto the floor. It was larger than hers and felt amazingly warm; Mai hadn't really been cold before, but for a brief moment she believed that she felt his warmth rush through her. Blaming it on the miniscule amount of alcohol she'd drank that night, the blonde passed it off quickly. However, when he folded his arms around her however awkwardly, she felt the feeling again.

A look of mild suprise graced his features as she indicated carefully for him to move; he was a quick study. A naturally graceful man, Seto Kaiba was matching her moves perfectly; he'd yet to stumble over himself once, a large achievement for a man who didn't dance often. She'd only had to show him once where to place his hands (without any exploratory fumbles, something she gave him props for), still feeling the radiating warmth she'd first experienced, especially on the small of her back. Mai blamed the fact she couldn't control her smile on the alcohol again, despite her lack of it; she refused to admit that she actually liked her current situation. Looking up to see his reaction to things, Mai was secretly disappointed to see a look of sheer disinterest.

"Seto?" She asked, quietly. He looked down at her, finally, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is the song almost over?" The tall man asked, and Mai felt herself mentally kicking herself for enjoying the simple dance so much. She'd felt like they were in their own world; as if time had slowed down and everyone in the entire room was staring at them. Scowling, she realized that the last part was almost true--an assortment of people were amazed at the girl who finally got the CEO of Kaiba Corporation to dance with her.

"Yeah, I think so," she answered slowly, then leaned her head on his chest. "Did you know you're...really warm?"

"I am?" Seto asked, mildly interested. "I don't think I've ever been told that before."

"I never really pegged you as the type for excessive physical contact."

"You pegged me right," he answered, then looked down at her right as she looked up. "The song is over."

"I'm sorry," she spoke, and just as he was about to question her statement she leaned up and kissed him softly. Seto's body locked up immediately; she felt his chest stiffen, his arms reaching up to grip her shoulders. Thinking that he was attempting to deepen the kiss, Mai leaned up higher--and felt him push her down. His cerulean eyes were full of confusion and something else that she couldn't quite identify.

Nearly a minute later, Seto shook his head. "Good night, Mai." Releasing her shoulders, he turned away from her and headed towards the exit. Suprised at his actions, Mai stood behind and watched his back; she saw him reach up towards his mouth, and realized he was probably wiping her bold move away the first chance he got. She scowled, then turned away and resumed her earlier position near the punch bowl.

Anyone who could actually see Seto walking away could see that he wasn't wiping, he was examining--obviously, the brunette was suprised by Mai's rather sudden display of affection. What suprised him more was the fact he actually liked it; this is what had him pressing his index and middle finger to his lips gingerly. Turning around when he was sure she was out of sight, he almost smiled.

Almost.

A/N: This is actually for my 30kisses claim over at eljay (and it's been posted in my writing journal already), but for some reason I decided to move it over and post it here. :D This'll likely end up with a series of one-shot drabbles from my claims; so uh...yeah. Remember, I don't own Seto, Mai, or Yuugiou--and suing me would just make you suck. :