A/N: This just came to me about a week ago, and I couldn't just not write it. It's much slashier than my other stories about these guys. If that bothers you, feel free to just not read this story. I have others that don't have romantic relationships between these guys. You can just read one of them, if you're interested.
Despite what Panchito and Donald seemed to think, José knew his way around languages. He may not be as fluent in some of them as he liked to think he was, but José knew for a fact that he was an expert in the languages that derived from latin, the romantic languages. French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and a number of others, he knew them all well enough to speak them as fluently as a native speaker could.
These languages had been easy to learn, as they were remarkably similar to Portuguese. That wasn't the reason why he had learned these languages though, oh no. José had learned these romantic languages because of what they symbolized to him. They were the romantic languages, and José considered himself a romantic guy, so why wouldn't he have learned the languages of love?
More times than José could count, he had used one of these languages to woo or charm a young lady. The ladies would either be flattered by the clear effort that it takes to learn a new language, or they would be intrigued by the exotic nature of a foreign language. José knew that this method didn't always work, and it wouldn't work for everybody, but it worked for him. So when Donald came to him for advice on how he should woo Daisy, José hadn't hesitated to begin teaching Donald some basic, romantic phrases in a number of romantic languages.
José hadn't stopped to think that speaking a language and teaching it were two completely different things.
"Hola, Daisy," Donald said roughly for about the fifth or sixth time. He knew the words, and how to pronounce them, but his accent...it definitely needed some work. "Eres muy bonita esta noche."
"...Well, it was better than last time." José grimaced slightly. It wasn't that Donald's annunciation was inherently bad or insulting, but he was learning these phrases in an attempt to impress Daisy, and José didn't think he had ever met a woman as difficult to please as Daisy was. If Donald wanted to impress her, he would have to go above and beyond, and a simple compliment given in broken Spanish just wasn't going to cut it. "Perhaps if you tried saying it a little faster you would get the feel of it."
Donald took a deep breath and then spoke in a garbled nonsense that was too loud and too fast to be the least bit understandable. José couldn't think of anything he could say about the mess that had just come out of Donald's mouth. Unfortunately, Panchito could.
"Lo siento, but, was that supposed to be Spanish?" Panchito asked as a grin slipped onto his face. José knew that his friend would never intentionally be cruel to anybody, especially not Donald, but Panchito could be a lot more blunt than he probably should be. "It didn't even sound like words. If I didn't know what you were trying to say, I would think that you were being eaten alive by wild coyotes while underwater."
José covered his mouth to keep himself from chuckling. Panchito's comparison made absolutely no sense, but it provided very vivid imagery that José couldn't help but find hilarious. He knew that Donald, who was already extremely frustrated, probably wouldn't appreciate being laughed at, so he kept his amusement to himself.
"Panchito, if you wish to help us, you are more than welcome to." José said. "You are more familiar with this language than I am." José had merely chosen Spanish because he had heard that it was one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. It was also one of the most recognized foreign languages for those who may be a little naive to cultures outside of their own.
"Why are you guys teaching Donald Spanish anyways?" June asked. She and her sisters had boredly been watching their exchange. April and May were still on their phones, boredly ignoring the conversation.
"I am trying to teach Donald the languages of love." José said. At his words, April and May looked up, suddenly interested.
"Languages of love?" April looked over at Panchito, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Panchito knows all about the languages of love, don't you?"
"Uh huh." Panchito nodded eager. "There are two very effective ways of expressing love. They're understood by everybody around the world, and are very easy to learn."
"They are?" Donald looked interested. He had been getting frustrated with learning simple Spanish, so José didn't blame him for wanting to take an easier path.
"Sí," Panchito nodded as he jumped eagerly to his feet. Panchito approached where Donald and José were sitting and pulled them both to their feet. "Dancing is very easy."
"Dancing?" José frowned slightly in confusion. He had been expecting an actual language. Though, to be fair, dance was recognized as a very romantic gesture. And, Donald had told José and Panchito how one of the things that had gone horribly wrong during a previous 'date' with Daisy had been the dancing. (though José didn't know if it could be called a date when Daisy's nieces had pretended to be Donald the whole night while he communicated with Daisy through a mirror...that really hadn't been one of their better plans).
If a failed date had included bad dancing, then maybe if Donald showed Daisy that he had learned some fancy footwork, she would be impressed by the vast improvement.
"No, nu-uh, I'm not doing it." Donald shook his head. "I don't dance."
"And Aunt Daisy knows this." June said.
"So she'll be that much more impressed when she sees that you're willing to try." April added.
"Even if you're not that good." May said dryly with a smirk.
"They have a point, Donald." José admitted. "Many ladies can't resist gentleman that dances."
"Really?" Donald looked at all of them, and slumped in defeat when the five of them nodded. Donald sighed. "Fine."
"Yahoo!" Panchito cheered, sounding way too excited. "I know just the dance you should learn." Panchito nodded at the girls. April and June giggled, and May, looking rather pleased with herself, pushed a button on her phone and suddenly the room was filled with music. She had already had the music set up, which meant that the girls and Panchito had planned this whole thing.
José didn't know what they were up to, but before he could even begin to think about what was going on, his curiosity shifted to the music. José didn't know this particular song, but he was most definitely familiar with the style of music, and he didn't understand why they would have chosen it.
"Samba?" José looked at Panchito curiously. If Panchito had planned this all along, why had he chosen music from José's home country instead of his own?
"Sí, you know Samba dancing, don't you?" Panchito asked.
"But of course." José was mildly hurt at the suggestion that he didn't know the Brazilian dance. As a Brazilian who was a fan of music and dancing, he would almost be insulting his culture if he didn't know how to Samba.
"So you'll be able to help me teach Donald. Two teachers are better than one, no?" Panchito said with a grin.
José shook his head, amused. "Sim, of course." He still knew that Panchito was up to something, but the rooster wasn't exactly the most subtle creature in the world. Sooner rather than later, José would be able to tell what was going on. Until then, he didn't mind teaching Donald how to dance a little.
José closed his eyes and listened to the music. Even though the notes sounded unfamiliar to him, the rhythm sounded like home. José smiled and began to sway to the music, tapping his feet as he went. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that Panchito was probably already dancing wildly. José wasn't like Panchito though. While he enjoyed spontaneous dancing, he liked to let the music guide him, which meant that he had to wait until he was familiar with the song.
Soon, José got the feel of the music. He relaxed and simply let his body move to the music. Samba dancing was very simple and natural, at least, it was to José. He just let the music guide him, and that was all there was to it. José looked to see Panchito dancing Samba as well, and for somebody who wasn't Brazilian, he was a natural. Panchito moved his feet and turned his body so easily, he looked like he had been born to Samba.
Out of the corner of his eye José saw Donald standing there. He wasn't dancing. He was barely even tapping his feet. Well, that just wouldn't do. José and Panchito exchanged glances, and at once the two of them moved in on their friend.
"We're teaching you how to dance, Donald." Panchito reminded the duck as he grabbed his hands and pulled him out to the middle of the floor.
"Sim, and we can't do that if you won't move." José put his hands on Donald's waist. He chuckled when Donald let out a squawk like noise. "You need to relax, my friend."
"Yeah, loosen up a bit." Panchito let go of Donald's hands and shook out his own limbs so wildly that it looked like he was trying to fly. "Now watch, just do what we do." Panchito began to move to the music again, though not nearly as elaborately as he had been before. Panchito just did a basic whisk step to the right. Donald tried to copy the way that he stepped, to the side with his right foot, back a bit with his left, and then pressure back on his right foot. The steps themselves weren't all too difficult for one who had a basic concept of counting and rhythm, but the real difficulty of the Samba dance came with the fluidity of the movements.
Keeping one hand on Donald's waist, José put another hand on Donald's knee and pushed it slightly to get him to bend it move. "You need to feel the music." José whispered. He gently pushed and pulled at Donald's waist and knee to help him to move.
"Just like this." Panchito did a whisk step again, emphasizing the movement in his hips. Donald scowled, but tried the step again, following Panchito's example and José's guidance. It wasn't as fluid or relaxed as Panchito's was, but it actually looked like a dance move rather than an awkward stepping around.
"Bom, Donald, bom." José said when Donald began to get the hang of it. When he thought that Donald was comfortable enough, he took a step back and let Donald continue on his own. José moved so that he was standing next to Donald rather than behind him, and he continued to dance the Samba. Donald stumbled a little bit, but with Panchito to one side, and José to the other, he was able to feel comfortable enough to find his own rhythm. Within a few minutes, Donald looked as smooth in his steps and movements as could be expected from a beginner.
Which meant that it was time to take things to the next level.
"Now that you have the basics, you're ready to learn how to dance with a partner." Panchito gestured for the girls to join them. June rushed Panchito's side before her sisters could even move a muscle. April happily joined Donald, which left José with May, who was smirking just as much as ever.
"Now, Donald, the first thing you need to know when dancing with beautiful young lady is that you're not holding onto them for support." José, with May's help, demonstrated the basic dancing position, with his right hand in her left, and his left hand loosely around her waist while her right hand rested on his shoulder. They weren't gripping each other, merely touching in a way that made it look like they were. "Keep the pressure light."
Donald grimaced, but did let April guide his hands where they should be. After some light encouragement on her part, Donald loosened his grip a little. They still didn't look completely natural or comfortable, but it was better than how Panchito and June were, as the two of them were far too excited to get started to even consider not actually holding onto each other.
"The most important thing for you to remember when dancing with a girl is that it is your responsibility, Donald, to lead." José said.
"What does that mean?" Donald asked.
"It means you're the one who decides when and where you go." Panchito slowly demonstrated, moving his left foot back, prompting June to bring her right foot forward. "The girl should follow you." Panchito moved his left hand, the one that was holding June's right hand, out and lifted it slightly even as he pushed gently with his left hand. Following Panchito's prompting, June spun under Panchito's arm. "See? It's easy."
"Let's not confuse him with complicated moves." José said. While a basic spin was far from complicated, it was more than what they were teaching, so it could wait for a later time. "For now, let's work on the Samba. Now, Donald, just do the same thing as we had done before, but be aware that you are no longer just one dancing duck, you are now two who must become one in your movements."
"Now who is the confusing one?" Panchito teased. "Just go, Donald, you'll get the hang of it after a few minutes. That's what happened last time."
José knew that Donald wouldn't just begin dancing when nobody else was moving promptly began to dance to the music himself, with May stiffly following his lead. Panchito and June were dancing as well, having fun and laughing as they went. Donald grumbled under his breath, but when April stepped up and took the part of the leader to get them started, Donald followed.
The three pairs danced around the room for a few minutes, at varying levels of experience. It was fun though, and Donald seemed to be getting the hang of it, so José considered the lesson a success. He wasn't in a hurry to finish dancing though. José closed his eyes and let the Samba music engulf him. He could probably dance the Samba all day.
Just as he thought this, José felt a tap on his shoulder. May stopped sooner than José had, almost as though she had been expecting this interruption. José turned to see June looking at him, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Mind if I cut in?" June held out a hand. Now José understood. June had just wanted to switch partners. Well, he was more than happy to oblige.
"Of course." José gently brought May's hand to his beak and kissed it in farewell before he stepped away from the orange wearing girl. He expected June to step in and take her sister's place, so he was surprised when instead the girl took May's hand and pulled her away to dance. José stood confused for a few moments, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Excuse me?" Panchito approached José and offered out his hand. "I see that you don't have a partner. Do you want to be mine?" José could hear all three of the girls giggling and whispering about them, and he suddenly realized what they had been up to this whole time.
"If you wanted to dance with me, all you had to do was ask." José smiled as he accepted his friend's hand. Panchito grinned and pulled José close, much closer than either of them had been to June or May.
"Maybe this is my way of asking you." Panchito suggested mischievously. José chuckled and put his arm so far around Panchito's waist that it was practically around his back.
"Well, in that case, how can I say no?" José said in a low voice. Panchito's smile became so bright that it alone made his agreement worth it. José could hear the girls still giggling behind them, they must have helped Panchito arrange all of this, but he pushed them to the back of his mind. At that moment, Panchito was the only one on José's mind.
The two of them began to dance to the music. José had wondered if there would be any confusion as to who would lead, but that didn't happen. Neither of them was truly leading, they just moved together, as though they could read and predict each other's movements. Just as the best dance partners should be.
They danced for a few minutes before José remembered something that Panchito had said earlier. "So, if dancing is one of your languages of love, what is the other?"
Panchito stopped so suddenly that José nearly danced right into him. José looked at his friend in slight concern. Panchito didn't meet his eyes. While he didn't necessarily look shy, he did seem to be far more reserved than he usually was, though also somewhat hopeful at the same time.
"...I can show you." Panchito said. "But you need to close your eyes."
José was tempted to point out that Panchito couldn't show him anything if his eyes were closed, but he kept his thoughts to himself. José just did as he was told and closed his eyes. He and Panchito were standing so close together that he could practically feel the rooster's breath against his feathers. Nothing happened for a few moments, but José could be patient. He could wait.
A few tense moments later he felt Panchito lean closer to him until they were practically chest to chest. As long as it had taken Panchito to get this far, at this point he decided to just take the dive. José barely had the time to feel how tense Panchito got before he felt a beak press against his own.
José smiled slightly to himself and tightened his grip on Panchito to draw him closer. He had expected something like this, but it was still felt pretty incredible. He didn't even mind the girls catcalling, laughing, and 'aw'ing' behind them. All that was on José's mind was that he hadn't even realized that he had been waiting for this.
After a few moments that somehow felt both like a miniscule amount of time and an eternity, Panchito drew back. The rooster smiled at him, and José smiled right back.
"You were right." José said. "Dances and kisses can be considered universal signs of love."
"Though, I guess a sincere 'te amo' every once and awhile isn't so bad." Panchito shrugged with a slight laugh, and José chuckled with him.
"The dancing can lead up to that." José admitted, because a hastily spoken 'I love you' may actually do more harm than good. "Next time, you should teach me a dance from your country."
Panchito smiled. "How about the Jarabe Pateño?" He suggested. "It's my favorite dance."
"It sounds like fun." José said, knowing that it would likely be much less formal than what he was used to, but any dance that Panchito liked how to be one of high energy. "And maybe you could also show me the, uh, how do you say it, Pasodoble?"
Panchito's eyes brightened. "Hey, did you know that dance was based off of bullfighting?"
"That's exactly why I knew you would be an expert on it." José said softly. And if he wasn't mistaken, he would swear that Panchito's cheeks became redder. Was he blushing? Well, that was interesting. José would have to figure out what about what he had said had made Panchito blush like that, because he wanted to see it again.
"So...you wouldn't mind doing something like this again?" Panchito asked somewhat hesitant.
José laughed and brought Panchito's hand to his beak and gave it a light kiss, the same way he had done with May before, though they both knew that it meant a lot more. "I would like nothing more." José assured him. "And maybe we can build up to my languages of love?"
Panchito laughed. "I'd like that." Even for one who believed that actions spoke louder than words, like Panchito, a kind and loving word was definitely appreciated if it was at the right time and from the right person.
José just hoped that he was the right one for Panchito.
A/N: I swear, one of these days I will get around to writing a story from Panchito's point of view...it's kind of strange that I haven't yet, considering he's my favorite Caballero.