Across the Dance Floor
Andy is a shy, invisible nobody that hangs out in the corner while his friends have fun during school dances. John is the 'tough guy' that everyone avoids to stay out of trouble. But what happens when one looks the other's way one night? John X Andy AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Don't sue!
Warnings for non-Americans: the only school system I'm familiar with is the public schools in America. Sorry. So be aware that all of the terms and ages will be in American-style grades. And if you don't want to read anything smutty (sexual situations and terms), skip everything in chapters I preface with "MATURE". You'll probably be left on a cliffhanger, but oh well. That was your choice.
Oh, snap. I have nothing against any particular religion – I consider myself a Spiritualist-Episcopalian actually, so I can't and won't judge. However, Like all religions, I know that some have zealots and 'Bible thumpers'. It's nothing against anyone in particular, I simply based the groups off of what I know to be accepted by those in my area.
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Chapter 1
Andy cowered in the shadows behind the bleachers that lined one wall of the school gym. He had already assured his friends that he was quite content to hang back while they had fun. He couldn't count the number of timed he had insisted that 'yes, I'm sure that I'll be fine in the corner.' He really liked it there… it tended to be cooler there than in the rest of the gym. And no one ever asked him to dance. EVER.
Though, Andy had really lied to his friends. What he was doing was hiding. More specifically, hiding from the entire population of the gym. Why? Well, because he just never fit in with anyone. And EVERYONE stared. Like he was wearing bright orange or something. Andy glanced down at himself, just in case he had been colorblind that afternoon when he picked a shirt. Nope. As he had thought, his shirt was (as it was supposed to be), white.
He wasn't sure what it was about him that just made everyone around him feel awkward. Was it the fact he was in three advanced classes? Or because he had been friends with the head cheerleader since elementary school? Was it because he was a ginger? (Well, if that was the case, he couldn't really do anything about it. Blame genetics. And it wasn't quite accurate… he was actually a dark strawberry blond.) Or was it even deeper than that… did people just not like him?
Discouraged, Andy slumped back against the wall. Maybe if someone was willing to stick around with him, he wouldn't be so shy. But where, in all of high school, would any kid want to hang out with HIM? Drearily, he glanced over to the other side of the gym. Immediately, Andy's heart stopped. Staring directly at him was another boy.
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John grumbled to himself internally. He hadn't even wanted to go to this stupid dance in the first place. In fact, the only reason he had bothered to come was because his partner wanted to. John glanced sideways at him from his post by the back door. Jack was talking to some guy… probably his newest crush or whatever.
The two of them had been partners since their first day together in fencing. And they had somehow remained friends for all that time. John was frankly amazed that Jack hadn't run away like all his other classmates had. Hey, having three ear piercings in fifth grade wasn't that strange… well he hadn't thought so.
Pretty soon after joining the High School Team, the two of them had been picked as the captains. On any other day, John would be in the Aux Gym, or even his basement. He wouldn't call what he did 'practicing'… it was more like screwing around. He never used any of the skills in a real competition. Though it had saved his life one night…
John cursed mentally. Damn. If only he wasn't suspended from competitions. Now he had nothing to wake up for. Every cell in him waited anxiously for the day, the minute, the SECOND that his suspension came off and he could pick up his fencing gear again. That had been his life… and the school district had taken it away.
Bored out of his mind, John caught a glimpse of red in the corner of his eye. With nothing better to do, he lifted his gaze, blinking as his eyes leveled with a lone figure in the corner across from him. The boy had bright orange-ish hair… that had to have been what caught John's attention.
Against his mental will, John found his eyes roaming over the kid's body. He wasn't shy about his preferences: in fact, he was the most open guy in school. But this kid… something about him made John reconsider his usual, abrupt, confident approach. So he just watched, seemingly fascinated, until the boy raised his gaze from the floor. Their eyes locked.
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It took a while for Andy to return his breathing to normal. There was someone staring at him, but that wasn't anything new. No, he was more surprised by the first thing that came to mind. Typically, Andy kept himself clean – and he never looked at anyone else. At least, not like That. Though now, all that he could notice was that the boy watching him was very attractive.
Suddenly, the cross around his neck that his parents insisted he wear at all times seemed exceedingly heavy. Wasn't there a passage in the bible somewhere that forbade being attracted to the same gender? Something like "Men shall not lie in a woman's place"… Andy had trouble keeping track of every bible verse that his father threw at him periodically.
Sometimes, religion just made Andy weary. Did he really have to attend four masses a week just to make sure God knew he existed? Surely, HE would already know each and every creature living on the planet. So why did his dad insist on his almost daily trips to church. Perhaps that was what kept him isolated from the other students. Maybe they were afraid he was some bible nut that would throw scripture at them if they cursed or something.
If he could, Andy felt he would enjoy nothing more than to just leave his cross at home for one day. One day, without the constant reminder of having to be a perfect Roman Catholic. At least, his dad's opinion on the matter. The top ten commandments in the Davidson's house were substantially different from the ones in the bible. Despite his upbringing, his common sense, his social incapability, and his general inhibitions telling him not to, Andy found his eyes coveting every inch of the other boy's image.
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John started fingering the Star of David charm he kept around his throat. He Never took it off, except for Fencing competitions. And that's just because it was in the rule book, and he didn't want to get suspended. As if it had helped. But otherwise, it was always firmly around his neck. He even refused to take it off for gym class. They couldn't force him to take it off… and the only way that the thing was coming off his neck was if the teacher got a pair of wire cutters. (And if THAT was going to happen, the teacher would have to be pretty damn cute for John to stand still and not knee them.)
John's silver pendant was one of the few things he could carry around that his parent's had given him. They weren't dead, but most of the time, John was in his sister's care. She was pretty cool… but his twenty five year old sibling couldn't compete with parents who were traveling volcanologists. JEWISH traveling volcanologists. Jewish travelling volcanologists that Skyped him every evening to make sure he did his homework. (And John's friends wondered why he wasn't entirely in remedial classes like they were.)
But at least they weren't as strict as some people's parents. John remembered Jack saying something about one of the people he had class with… the poor sap's dad made him go the midnight mass every Saturday, then wake up and repeat the process Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. Ahhh… It made John happy not to be Roman Catholic. That just seemed like WAY too much effort for religion.
John's parents were pretty lenient when it came to his life… especially his love life. In fact, the first thing they had said when he came out of the closet (in sixth grade), was "It's about bloody time." And they had only placed one rule over him when he and Jack were a thing. Whatever evidence of 'extra-curricular activities' had to be disposed of where they wouldn't see it. So yeah, John basically had free reign to terrorize the innocent of the world. In a good way.
But, then why did the thought of treating this boy like just another toy seem very wrong at that moment?
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Andy shivered slightly, as his eyes took their own course over the boy's body. Black denim formed the tight, fitted material of his jeans. He swallowed, his hands sub-consciously shuddering at the thought of running his fingers over the skin hidden beneath the denim. He broke out in a cold sweat at the thought – and all of the thoughts that followed. Those jeans were really form fitting… even by just feeling around the material, it would be like dragging his hands over the rough, bare skin beneath… Andy started to blush, forcing himself to move on.
Two thin chains of what Andy suspected was polished steel glinted from where they draped through his belt loops. The kid wore tall, black boots, which probably reached up to his knees when they were tied correctly. However, right now, they were not tied correctly, and kept slipping down his legs.
The smooth, grey cotton of his shirt clung to the boy's chest in every place that flattered him. The shirt seemed like it would be very soft, and for some reason, Andy desperately longed to curl his fingers into the material. He wondered what it would feel like to drag his hands up, under that shirt, and over the skin beneath. It would looked like it would be smooth, taught muscle… just the thought of touching the other boy made him fiercely attracted even more. Andy's hands shook slightly, his palms sweating at the thought of it. His heart raced. Why did he even think that?
Then, as he attempted to calm himself, Andy noticed the boy's jacket. He froze.
The boy wore the bright red jacket that signified a member of the fencing team. And by the black bands around the shoulders – the boy was one of the team captains. Andy shuddered. He couldn't be thinking like that about one of the Captains of the Fencing team. Not only was he entirely out of his league, but he would be the laughing stock of the school. Nobody even got close to one of the team members unless they joined… or they got picked up as a date.
Andy felt a strange sense of hope blooming in his chest. That was a chance – the slimmest, slightest chance – that he might be able to get close to him. But Andy had nothing that would attract someone like that. He was smart, but not very attractive. He was about average height, not all that tall or short. His ears were too big and too far back on his head. And he wasn't even a true ginger. His scruffy, blonde-red hair ruined the green of his eyes… and they weren't even real green. He wasn't as well-built as most of the other boys in his grade, but wasn't overweight… he just had almost no muscle tone. And there was no way for him to compete with any of the girls in his class – they were all built like (he guessed) supermodels. At least, that was what his dad had said. That he was never that cute of a child… and apparently hadn't changed into an attractive teen either.
Andy swallowed, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. What hope did he ever have of even having an opportunity to speak to someone like that? Across the room, he noticed the captain's eyes widen slightly, as if sympathetic.
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John grit his teeth, biting his lip to keep himself backed against the wall in the shadows. He longed to just run over to the kid watching him, and… and do what? In any other circumstance, that would be an easy question. A) Hit the kid to make him stop looking at him, or B) tongue the kid. But right then, John drew a blank. He didn't want to hit the boy… but at the same time, he wasn't particularly desperate to steal his innocence either.
The boy had a shy, timid air about him. His innocent, pitiful expression made John want to walk over there and ruffle his hair. It looked like the boy had spent hours just brushing it, to ensure that every single strand was in exactly the right place. John shivered at that thought, becoming aware of how attracted he was to the boy watching him. He was just too cute – the pure, shy blush starting to climb up his neck was like a magnet to John.
John licked his lips, watching the boy for any sign of movement. But, in the process, his eyes wandered. The ginger wore impeccable jeans, with bright white sneakers. His hair just begged to be messed with. John wondered how it would feel to run his fingers through the short strands lining the back of the boy's head. He guessed it would be soft, and warm. His shirt looked like it had just been ironed. John fingers itched to grab a hold of the fabric, feel it wrinkle under his grip. Just to mar that one, flawless thing about the boy's perfect-pressed appearance. He longed to pry open each and every button, from the collar to the boy's belt, slowly, patiently – a patience that would usually be agonizing in other circumstances. His entire body pleaded for him to not stop at just taking off the kid's shirt – to see all of the body that possessed such an adorable, sweet expression…
John blinked, shaking himself free of his thoughts. He felt a blush pooling between his shoulders. Did he literally just start thinking about…? That shouldn't have made him feel so weird, but it did this time. Something about the kid just made thoughts like that seem… dirty, or wrong. He had never had that feeling before. John had probably spend more hours of his life fantasizing about certain members of the school population than he had spent doing homework. And none of them had ever ended because of his conscience getting involved. That was like – like, his math teacher telling him not to use an equation, or his English teacher scolding him for using complete sentences. It just didn't happen; well, it shouldn't happen.
Unnerved by his mind's refusal, John tried desperately to look somewhere else. There were other people in the gym, other things going on… but no. His eyes refused to move. They stayed permanently locked with the other boy's, as if a cable were attaching them (Which seemed like a very painful concept to John. A cable, connecting your EYE to someone else's? Ow!). Unknowingly, John's eyes widened, as he recognized the smallest of tears rolling over the other boy's face. Immediately, he felt the urgent desire to wipe away anything and everything that was causing the other boy pain. And that instant response just scared him more. What was he doing?
As if he were fighting off a rabid animal, John clawed at every chance to avert his eyes. He could watch Jack… but he had already spent way too long doing that. One of the cheerleaders had supposedly gotten a new skirt, and Rhys had said that it was like, four inches long… But girls really weren't interesting. John's brain bickered back and forth. Guys were supposed to like girls. Girls were supposed to be cutesy… blush at everything you did. But wasn't what he as looking at right now? The other boy just seemed ready to turn an irresistible shade of pink if someone breathed the wrong direction. It had been forever since he had dated a girl. Although, the only boy John had ever really Dated was Jack. And that was closer to an experiment than a relationship. But he had liked it. A lot. Probably a lot more than he should have. Was that just Jack, or was it something about John and guys in general?
A knot grew in John's stomach. Suddenly, no girl seemed at all appealing to John. At that very moment, the only being he wanted was the one watching him from across the room.
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Andy bit his lip, locking his knees and trying desperately to clear his mind. There was no chance of him ever even learning the captain's name. And somehow, that made him feel more depressed than all of his years of being ignored combined.
Suddenly, a girl approached the captain, clearly asking him to dance. He recognized the girl from one of the few times he had met Gwen after her cheer practice. Her name was…Terry or something. He found himself silently pleading that the other boy turned her down. He started to shiver, tears pricking at the edges of his eyes as the other boy looked away. Why did she have to interrupt? Andy's heart stopped dead as the other boy's attention was drawn away from him. For some reason, he hadn't wanted the seconds that their eyes were in contact to end. Andy was positive that she had just stepped between him and his only chance at being in contact with the boy who had been watching him. He was going to be satisfied with just their brief moment of contact… but now he couldn't even be sure of what he had been thinking.
Hanging his head, Andy turned and walked out of the gym. His entire mood deflated, he stumbled through the halls. Why did he still even try to attract people? Most of his classmates had already shown that they weren't interested in being his friends.
Sighing, Andy turned around the corner, starting his way down another hall. Before he had even passed the aux gym, He was flung up against the wall. Panicking, Andy pressed himself even farther back into the wall, and staring into the eyes of his attacker… the same exact eyes that he had looked into just moments before.