Rating: has dancing


"Hey, Prunelle. Are you going to the fancy dress party? The one tomorrow?"

The editor didn't look up from his work. "I wasn't planning to."

"Most of the office are going." Gaston told him.

"I don't even have a costume-"

"I'll lend you one."

The editor considered it. Why not? It wasn't like he had anything to do tomorrow evening. However...

"It's not something too weird, is it? I'm not really planning on dancing, but it would be nice if I was able to move."

"It's perfectly fine! It's something I've worn myself, you'll love it!"

He doubted it. "What are you going as?"

"It will be a surprise!"

Yes, he was definitely starting to doubt it.


At least Gaston was on time to pick him up.

"HOUBA!" Gaston jumped to Prunelle's flat.

"You're going as Marsupilami, then?" Prunelle nodded approvingly. As far as Gaston's costumes went, this one was downright normal.

"What did you bring for me to wear?"

Gaston pushed the bundle of clothing at him. "Here."

It took Prunelle a while to realize what it was, the odd colour-scheme throwing him off.

"An another Marsupilami costume? But a black one?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be dull if we wore exactly the same thing. Come on, I'll help you put it on."

Prunelle had to admit, it was much better than he had feared, and he was even able to wear glasses comfortably.

"You happened to have two costumes like this?"

Gaston pulled the zipper on his back up. "Hm? Something like that. Come on, let's go."


"So, you came as a Smurf, then?" Prunelle asked, trying to make conversation.

Jef nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "Yeah."

"What Smurf exactly?"

"Just a Smurf."

"Ah." Prunelle suddenly remembered why he never really spoke to Jef outside of work.

And he was almost relieved when Gaston took his hand. "So, shall we dance?"

Prunelle hesitated. "I'm not-"

His objections were ignored. "Come on, we match, it would be weird if we didn't dance!", and the editor was dragged to the dance floor.

To Prunelle's relief, the crowded dance floor pretty much meant it was less of a dance, and more of the couples slightly waving back and forth.

However, it also meant they were pushed close to each other, and Gaston had draped the long tail of his costume around Prunelle, drawing him even closer.

Which made him uncomfortable, and yet he was oddly disappointed when the dance ended.

He returned from the dance floor, only for Gaston to follow him. (The tail still around him.)

"You can go and dance with someone else," Prunelle told him. "You know, since for once you are actually able to."

"No, we should stick together, since you know..."

No, Prunelle didn't know.

"You could try being in character a bit," Gaston told him.

"Houba houba. Sorry, that's as far as I'm going in-character."

"HOP!"

Prunelle smiled. "Hop."

"You should come to these things more often. We could do this again."

"Hm?" There was something about the way Gaston had said that. And- was he blushing?

Wait a second.

Wasn't this basically a date?

No, not really.

But Gaston had asked him to come, and picked him up, and made sure their outfits matched, and was now doing his best to keep close...

Prunelle glanced at Gaston, starting to wonder.

"This kind of thing?"

And now the office boy was definitely blushing.

"You know, relax a bit."

"Hm." Prunelle wondered if it was best to directly ask Gaston what he had thought this was. Whether he really considered this a 'date?'

But he hesitated.

And to his shock Prunelle realized that the reason he was afraid of asking was that Gaston could tell him no, this definitely wasn't a date.

He wasn't really certain what that said about himself, but...

Prunelle reached out a costumed hand and clumsily took hold of Gaston's.

"It might be nice. Every once in a while."

Gaston smiled, and Prunelle knew that even if this wasn't officially a date, and even if Gaston didn't think it was, he'd be calling it that in his mind.