drabble; prompt: this is without a doubt the stupidest plan you ever had. of course i'm in
pairing: rafael barba/olivia benson
word count: 671 words
prompt from aquabella; more prompts at my tumblr /notesfrome if you wish to request!
begin
"Seriously?" Barba stuffs his hand in his pockets and grimaces, glancing at the building. "How about…no?"
Laughing, Liv hooks her arm through his and tugs him forward. "Come on! It'll be fun!"
"What's not going to be fun is us tripping over each other's feet and us having swollen toes at the end of it." Barba's feet remains firmly planted on the pavement
"Dancing is an excellent form of exercise." She persists. "Besides, I already signed us up for a block of ten lessons."
He sighs; he knows he's not winning this fight, no matter how unwilling he is to partake in this. "Liv, you don't often have stupid ideas, so I'm going to say, this is without a doubt, the stupidest plan you ever had."
He smiles wrly. "Of course I'm in."
"Cuban Salsa? Liv, for fuck's sake..." Barba looks around frantically; maybe he can still make his escape before...
"Rafi Barba! Language!"
He winces, and turns to see a face from his childhood, a slim, gray-haired woman, with her hair pulled back in a severe bun. "Hola, Tía Carla. ¿Cómo estás?"
"Rafi, mi hijo." She hugs him hard and kisses him on both cheeks. "So good of you to come and see your Tía Carla...or are you here to polish up those steps of yours?"
Liv watches the whole exchange with an amused look on her face. "Polish your steps, Raf?"
"You don't want to know." He mutters under his breath.
"Ah, and who is this lovely lady, Rafi?" The woman Barba calls Tía Carla turns her attention to Liv, her face curious.
"Tía Carla, this is Olivia Benson, my girlfriend. Liv, this is Tía Carla, my mother's best friend."
"Dios mio, Rafi! Finally, you have a girlfriend! Your mother must be very pleased! She tells me, mi hijo, he is married to his job, and that is not good! He needs a woman, and..."
"Carla, it's time to start the class." A bespectacled woman taps Carla on the shoulder, stopping her stream of excited words, much to Barba's relief.
As they take their starting position, Liv raises an eyebrow at Barba. "When do you plan on telling me that you actually can dance?"
"I can't. But Tía Carla makes me, just because she's a salsa instructor and I'm her best friend's..." he is interrupted by Carla, who grabs his arm.
"La señorita Benson, I will borrow your partner, yes? Rafi, you come up here and show the class!" She enthuses as Barba looks back towards Liv with an expression of complete horror.
Liv snickers quietly to herself, while a part of her sympathises with Barba, another part of her can't wait for what is going to happen next.
The music blasts out from the speakers, and with a very reluctant face, Barba takes Carla's hand, and he begins to move.
Liv's jaw drops onto the floor.
Because Barba can dance. He not only can dance, but he is fucking amazing. Swivelling and twisting his hips, and moving his feet in perfect rhythm to the music. He turns, and spins, and gyrates, and Carla is a good partner for him. She couldn't take her eyes off him, he is mesmerising on the dance floor.
The song stops, and everyone claps as Barba scurries back to Liv's side.
"Not bad, not bad at all, Rafi, but there is still room for improvement, and that's what we are all here for. Okay, class, let's assume position..."
"Raf...that was...wow." Liv is aware that her mouth is probably still wide open from shock, but who would've thought that ADA Rafael Barba can dance?
He snorts. "Liv, as far as Cuban Salsa goes, I'm not considered good at all. Mediocre, that's what I am."
"Well, I think you are amazing." She says firmly.
He flushes, and Liv thinks he looks absolutely adorable. Laughing, she leans forward and kisses him lightly on the lips. "Are there any other secrets I should know? Are you also a Broadway singer, perhaps?"
"Now that you mention it..."
end
I apologise for butchering the Spanish language, if I had used any terms wrongly.