1-3-12
8:39pm
Summary–So now they've both caught that little bug and need to resolve the situation. You can't just give up on friendship. Emilia/Bodie
Disclaimer–I do not own Dance Central, which belongs to its respective owner(s) and is only being used in a fan-made, fictional story.
xoxo
Title–Whiplash: "an abrupt snapping motion or change of direction resembling the lash of a whip"
By–Moon Prynces
xoxo
If things kept up this way they might as well dismantle their crew and go their separate ways.
But that was the coward's way out. What they should do is act like the adults they are and confront the situation.
...Now who would go first?
Well, it was actually a spur of the moment decision on her part. She hadn't yet come to the conclusion that they should sit down and have an actual talk to clear the air, and it had only been a couple of days since they'd first performed that song in public.
She got up that morning and pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and a clean white tank before quickly tying her hair up and out of the way in the same sloppy ponytail.
And she headed out to the gym where she was supposed to wipe down the equipment really quick before opening. Then it would only be five hours before Bodie showed up to take over, go over something with the finances, and she was free to spend the rest of her day however she wanted.
Except she got there to find her BFF sticking his own key into the door and glancing up at her approaching footsteps with wide eyes.
"Hey," he managed with a smile. "Was it...?" he tried to ask with a nod in her direction.
Emilia nodded with a hand going to her waist self-consciously.
"Totally forgot," he said, pushing open the door and allowing them both inside before turning around to lock it again while she headed off to the alarm system. "Was gonna start on the bills," he threw over his shoulder to be heard.
When he turned around he found her with her arms folded and shoulder leaning against the doorway she had come through.
And she was staring wistfully at his jeans.
He smiled easily, the one that everyone was familiar with and said, "What's up?"
But then her gaze swept down to her own pants, looking well-worn enough that they should probably be switched out for a new pair.
"We need to talk."
At such direct and clear spoken words he looked back up to see her staring at him for real this time. And with some amount of surprise.
Emilia gasped lightly to herself after realizing she'd verbalized her thought without thinking about it first.
Well, it was already in motion...
So she took a deep breath and led them off to the room they usually practiced in, turning on lights as they walked through the place. She made herself comfortable on a spot on the floor close enough to the wall so she could lean back if she wanted, and watched as Bodie cautiously stepped over her legs to sit down next to her.
He didn't sigh or look uncomfortable, always with that easy-going smile that made her want to punch him sometimes.
She propped her knees in the air and leaned her arms on them. "I'm sorry about introducing that song out of nowhere." Then she thought for a moment. "And that really early wake up call last week." This was followed by a shrug, as she couldn't always control her enthusiasm so there was no promise for next time.
Then there was a pause, and she was grateful he didn't just say something like, "No problem."
"But you sure conquered those moves," she muttered anyway, letting her legs fall flat on the hardwood floor and becoming slightly aware of the unattractive view her behind must present in such low jeans.
Bodie glanced over and held back from nudging her playfully with his shoulder, which would have been something he'd easily have done before things got awkward.
The brunette was back to examining all the rips in her jeans. She scoffed. "Can you believe some people actually buy pre-ripped jeans? That it's some sort of style?"
He just shrugged and leaned back on his palms, looking down at his own clothes.
Her booted foot nudged at his, causing him to look at her. "Remember all the stories behind it?"
The blonde grinned with recognition. "They didn't get ripped all on their own, that's for sure." And he looked between both their pants. "We have had a lot of adventures in them."
"Like trying to learn how to skateboard?" She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, also leaning back on her palms.
"Your knees aren't as bruised anymore." But he didn't mention the various holes up and down the front of her legwear. "Or when we snuck in after hours to the pool that summer you worked there? The fence didn't look so high..." he chuckled.
"Totally worth it," Emilia said animatedly. "Even if we did get caught and I got fired and didn't see that last week's paycheck."
"We wouldn't have gotten caught at all if you had just waited another fifteen minutes! I knew they couldn't have left just yet."
"Yeah, yeah. We still got five minutes in the pool."
"You pushed me in."
"And you made sure I went down with you. Happy?"
"Would have been happier if my parents didn't get called and I wasn't forbidden from hanging out with anyone for the next two weeks. What a waste of summer." He was also looking up at the ceiling, maybe remembering the clear summer days when they were teenagers or just turning into adults. "Can't believe I've had these pants that long."
"It's only been like five years." But she looked unsure at her math. "About."
"Yours look so much worse though," he commented, glancing at her jeans and making her do the same. "You wore them almost all the time."
"They're my favorite," she said defensively, fingering some of the loose threads affectionately. "And I don't wear 'em so much anymore. Mostly just keep 'em around for the memories. Like how some people keep teddy bears and stuff."
Bodie laughed loudly at her comparison. "It's a good thing I've been around to make sure you don't get into too much trouble."
She smiled fondly at the thought. "We have been friends for a long time."
Both heads turned to face each other.
"Until you moved away," she added with a cheeky smile.
"Hey, you moved away too," he countered with a similar expression, minus some of the attitude.
"Typical we'd meet up somewhere along a shoreline," she shook her head. "All I remember from surfing is that I didn't wear my favorite jeans and...knocking myself out with the board in the middle of learning how to stand on it."
"Well, you were standing on it in the middle of the ocean."
They shared another laugh as she recalled the piece of wood rushing up to meet her before toppling into the water. Then the sounds died down as they watched each other with delirious smiles for the moment.
"I'm glad we've been best friends for so long. Even after all the moves or stupid things we used to do," Emilia admitted, leaning back against the wall and placing her hands in her lap.
She looked away after that – at her hands, the floor nearby, anything. Because this was the part where they should definitely talk about any awkwardness one or both of them had felt lately. This was the part where they (she) confronted any...feelings. Like, non-platonic feelings.
"Bodie, did I do something to upset you lately?"
Pfft, like she was going to confront her own feelings first!
At hearing his friend use his name (something of a rarity) he glanced at her curiously. And then he thought on the question and a mental image came to mind that had his hormones– Well, it just wasn't good.
This was why he avoided looking at her and shrugged once.
She scoffed loudly at herself. Subtlety was not her thing.
"Okay, you weren't really into the song. Remember that?" she asked this time in a much more blunt manner.
"It was alright," he responded with, and then chuckled jokingly. "Who knew you'd come up with the whole thing on your own."
"Yeah..." she dragged out the word while rolling her eyes and ignored his diversion. How easily he forgot she used to dance solo and did her own choreography then. "A little weird for me too." She paused, eyes looking upward while making some faces of indecision. "Weirder though would be imagining my best friend naked after having danced to that song."
Bodie bit his tongue and sat up straight to stare at the girl next to him. But she was back to inspecting her pants.
"Even weirder when you're imagining your best friend naked and doing things t–"
Bodie choked on his now abused tongue while trying to say something to prevent her from speaking any further. His hacking coughs did the job just the same.
She glanced over to see her friend holding up his hands loosely in some gesture of "please stop" with a frantic expression. At least he hadn't crawled backwards away from her like she was some soul sucking leech.
The thought made her smile quickly for a second, something that probably overwhelmed him even further so that she ceased immediately.
"Oh, come on. I wasn't the only one hiding something," Emilia rolled her eyes. "You were the one who started it!"
And she punched his arm in the way they would have usually done jokingly except this time there was a little more force to it. But he didn't actually feel it, what with being so ripped and all. Luckily she pulled back, looking as though she'd been the one physically affected.
"We've danced to dozens of songs together! Why now?" She turned her head upward as if asking some omniscient being.
Bodie looked at her like she was crazy, and then he found himself with a very amused smile and shaking his head to himself. His mouth twisted to the side to avoid letting out any laughter.
Seriously, after all they'd been through, who would've thought he'd be sitting here listening to his tomboy BFF look so adorably troubled over–
And that unfinished thought was enough to halt his amused feelings. Did he just call her adorable?
This caused him to stare at her, somewhat frustrated, until she noticed and looked to him unsurely.
"What?"
He let out a single chuckle of disbelief that kind of had him twitching like he was the crazy person. It didn't help that mental pictures of something he'd never actually seen with his own eyes were suddenly floating around his head and making his skin get warm.
Emilia could tell the tension was rising but didn't have a real explanation for why. She hadn't even gotten to the part about...about feelings and stuff. Then she realized Bodie was looking nervous and guilty. He was so easy to read.
Come on, she'd known the guy since they were like fifteen or something. A few missing years in the middle just barely affected their friendship, even though they hadn't really kept in touch during that period.
Maybe this was the awkwardness they were due because of that separation. And because they'd kind of skipped over it when they'd met up again it was just waiting to bite them in the–
She swiftly turned her head away with a disturbed expression. Was she seriously thinking about his ass just now? Oh god, the word bite combined with it just set her brain on fire.
Oh shit. Now the word bite was put over his head and ass over hers in the little "sim" world in her head.
Could things get any less PG in her mind?
Okay, now there was an explanation for the tension.
This is ridiculous.
And if they could read each other's mind they would know they were on the same page.
"Okay," she started and looked back to him, both seeming startled at the eye contact. "I don't really know what's going on anymore. I think that's the first time I wished my brain would just short circuit or something." And she put her hand to her head as if actually suffering. "All I know is that we're friends and I should not be having weird thoughts about you."
"Me too."
Both pairs of eyes went wide at the unintentional admission.
"I mean," Bodie continued on, trying to regain his calm and patient and not-so-frazzled nature, "that we've been friends for a long time. Best friends."
Emilia nodded with a slow, unsteady smile. "Right. And I-I don't need the distraction of thinking of nakedness or biting or–" Bodie was looking at her strangely. "–or hip rolling. We're not just friends anymore, we're also a crew."
"Yeah," he was agreeing. "There's more going on now."
She sighed in relief that they were coming to an understanding and the nervous swirling of her insides subsided somewhat.
There was a moment of quiet reassurance, where they grinned unsurely at each other with slight nods.
It felt...great!
Until the build up of excitement caused her to breathe unevenly and him to curl his hands shakily into fists right before they both reached forward to attach their mouths together and entangle their limbs.
Oh my god, she thought while they both moved frantically. This was such a better way to get rid of that tension.
Except that now every nerve seemed to be electrified and each touch sent some pleasant numbness for a moment that made her want to feel it again and again and...
He wanted to lean forward more, try to get to – couldn't believe he was thinking this – to touch more of her. Instead – Emilia being the more assertive of the two – she climbed into his lap, somehow without injuring either of them, and placed one of her knees perfectly between his legs.
There was the comfortable pressure of one of his arms around her middle with the other hand on the side of her face, fingers reaching into her sloppy hairdo. Meanwhile, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and pushed him to lean back against the wall.
It wasn't one long kiss; it was a series of short ones – each ending quickly so they could start another, sometimes with a slight tilt of the head or greater parting of the lips.
But still, neither opened their eyes in-between. Or let any thoughts cloud their heads and take away from the experience. It was all action and movement and not unlike their attitudes in dancing and life.
Except for being kind of clumsy and unrehearsed.
And there was the friction of their jeans moving against each other as they tried for the moment to get closer.
Maybe a bit closer than friends or best friends or crew members. Maybe a lot closer.
xo end? xo
1-8-12
7:13am
I wanted to ask seriously, where is the material you all reference after saying that Emilia and Bodie are related? I'm really willing to believe it if I can find the truth confirmed by the game and people involved in it! I've tried searching myself but I don't find any answers or all I do find are people assuming there's a familial relation without any reputable information to support it! If anyone can send a link my way that says so then I won't have to worry about putting up this story...
What I did find was the video by Harmonix on youtube where some of the people who worked on the game talk about the characters and crews. Bodie is described as being "the sporty character. He's kind of our surfer dude...ah, but more the, like, positive, older brother type." If you listen, this does not equate him to being related to any character that we know of so far. Maybe he acts as an older brother type to Emilia, is what they mean. But that doesn't say there is an actual familial relation and so I'm thinking I'm not writing incest here.
Anyway, the ending is iffy, I think. Maybe there's more to explore. Maybe there should be another chapter. Maybe...it's because tomorrow still rolls around when no one's looking and none of us really knows what "tomorrow will bring".
It was difficult to write after the initial easy start, because I wasn't sure how to really characterize them. Their thoughts or reactions to this situation and topic were hard to gauge because as video game characters in this type of game there isn't much given to really understand or get to know them (though I do try). It's why you have to try to observe all details and make certain inferences. Of course, I'm writing fanfiction here so let me just shut the hell up. And it was meant to be more from Emilia's perspective this time, as the first chapter was more about Bodie and his thoughts (until the end).
Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! Was the gradual build up of their thoughts and tension unrealistic in this setting? Did I push it too quickly? Did it seem forced? Should I have not bothered writing another chapter? Is there something you'd like me to try and write? I'm not really a slash writer, though I probably could be if I found a couple I really supported. Either way, I need inspiration and time to write – one of which I am sorely lacking lately.
7:57am
Reread, edited, I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this...
9:27pm
