Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr – Shall We Dance?
"Well, it would be rude to refuse." Taylor said, trying to sound reasonable as she stared at the invitation in her hands. When she glanced up into Markus's face, however, he still looked skeptical. Behind him, North had a look of utter contempt.
A nearly identical invitation had arrived to hers and Connor's hotel room that morning. President Warren was holding her annual holiday gala and had invited the four of them to go, in lieu of what was occurring in Congress or whatever other controversy it might incur.
"We have to get back to Detroit. Sooner, rather than later." Markus grimaced, and North spoke up for him, sensing that he was hesitant.
"Josh and Simon are acting leaders, but everyone recognizes Markus. Especially newcomers. That is who they expect to see." The android fixed her with a hard stare, a frown etched into her face. "Things can destabilize quickly without his presence."
"This is only a couple of days away." Taylor tried again to sound practical, but the sneering dislike that North seemed to have for her made her jittery. "We can go back right after. President Warren is an ally to us, and right now we don't have enough of them in Washington to be ostracizing anyone."
"There is also the threat of Helping Humans to consider," Connor said from just over her shoulder, offering his support to her argument. "You came here, in part, because their androids had already infiltrated the CyberLife tower."
"There haven't been any more sightings of them since the first android we found. Josh and Simon have been subtly screening every new android that comes through." Markus looked between them, crossing his arms. His face was a mask of seriousness.
"That could just mean that they've gotten smarter, right?" Taylor said. "They have to know you're here in Washington D.C. with me. It's been all over the news."
"She's right," North admitted, looking disgusted to be agreeing with her. "They could be biding their time. We can't be too careful. Not until this whole thing with Congress is over."
"Exactly." Taylor nodded, trying to emphasize that they were on the same side. "If the bill passes, deviants will be full citizens. What Helping Humans is trying to do will be a crime, punishable by law."
The two women stared at each other for half a second, until North's frown eased off. Just a little. Taylor felt like she may have won a point or two.
"This invitation still feels like some kind of human trap." North said, looking at the thick parchment card in her hands with the same air of distaste. Taylor almost laughed, but she knew if she did, that she would lose whatever inch of ground she had just gained with the redhead.
"It isn't a trap," she said instead, suppressing her mirth. "Well, not exactly. It's politics, which is its own kind of trap I suppose. We are here as ambassadors. To not invite us would be much more noticeable than having us there causing a stir."
"Sounds like a stupid human trap to me," North confirmed, rolling her eyes. Markus was smiling now, trying to fight off his own bought of laughter.
"Diplomacy," he said congenially, touching her arm. He looked back to Taylor, nodding. "If you think we should go, then I suppose that we must. We will return to Detroit first thing next week."
The certainty with which he said it made Taylor swallow, remembering that she still hadn't made her decision. Or she had, and everyone was questioning it, so now she was questioning it, too. Going back to Detroit meant that she would need to decide, sooner rather than later.
They excused themselves, and as they headed toward the elevator to return to their own floor, Connor spoke up. "You seem worried."
"A little," she admitted. "You think Markus will be enough to keep North from punching anyone in the face?"
Connor laughed, suddenly and unexpectedly. She nearly tripped, the sound making her heart do crazy flutters in her chest. He immediately stopped, looking back at her with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it was just..." She trailed off. With him blinking at her inquisitively, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and couldn't bear to explain how cute his laugh was. "Never mind."
"Now put your hand here." Connor allowed Taylor to move his hand up her waist before she settled into his arms again. The hotel they were staying in had a ballroom, mostly out of use, and Taylor had worked her magic to somehow get them access to it for these nightly dance sessions.
"You're supposed to lead." She smiled, her teeth showing, and he blinked to dispel his errant thoughts. He really didn't need to be shown how to do anything more than once. He just liked the look of slight concentration on Taylor's face as she directed him through the steps, her body pressed against him.
"Got it." He nodded, squaring his shoulders. The soft instrumental music was playing out of Taylor's phone, and it echoed in the acoustics of the room.
"Left foot first," she said, encouraging him to move. He picked up the beat a second later and stepped forward, drawing her into the dance. "Step, step. Side, side. Perfect."
Technically, he was an advanced prototype android and he was practically cheating. But he still liked it when she praised him, even if it required very little effort on his part. They continued through the steps of the foxtrot until the song faded out and she was satisfied.
"You're too good at this, it's really unfair." He thought for one panicked second that he had been caught, but the easy smile on her face let him know that she was just teasing again.
"Teach me something more difficult." His lips quirked at the skeptical look she shot in his direction. "What dance were you dancing with Kent?"
The grimace that came to her face made him wish he could take it back. He hadn't meant it in the way it had certainly sounded, like he was punishing her somehow when they had moved past that moment. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, she answered him. "The tango."
Another brief moment of quiet. She was looking into his eyes, trying to read his face. He was deciding whether it would be better to say he was sorry or let the instant pass like it never happened. She must have read some of the struggle on his face, because her expression relaxed.
"Do you want to learn it?" He nodded, maybe too eagerly. Her face stretched into another smile, her eyes crinkling softly. Then she moved his arms again, adjusting his stance around her. "I'll lead the first time."
"Okay," he said, watching her glance down at his feet. She moved one of his feet with the tip of her toes, getting him into the right position.
"Okay, left, right, left, sidestep, now drag your other foot. Not all the way." Connor mirrored her movements, slightly awkward with her leading. She had worn heels, claiming it was easier for her to dance in them than without them at this point, so their height difference was minute. The problem was his ability to surrender his control over to her while she guided him through the steps.
"Let's try that again," she said, frowning at their feet. She turned them so they were facing the opposite direction. "Bend your knees a little. You have to bend in the tango. Try to relax."
Easier said than done. She steered him through the steps again, calling them out as she went. They did this several more times before they finally switched roles, Connor resuming the lead. By now, he had the simple steps mastered.
"This doesn't exactly look the same," he said after the third time. Taylor dissolved into giggles, resting her forehead against his shoulder.
"These are the basic steps," she said when she stopped laughing. Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes, her own blue eyes bright. "There are lots of different walks in the tango. It's going to take a while to learn them all."
"We have time," he said in return, arching his eyebrows upward.
"Fair enough." And so they began. The more rotations of steps that Taylor taught him, the easier it became to let her lead him through it, until they could almost change roles without him missing a step.
Connor wasn't sure how long they had been at it when Markus found them. He appeared in the doorway of the ballroom, watching them in silence. Taylor was concentrating and didn't notice his presence at first. She was in the lead, counting out steps, watching his footwork.
"Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow—" They turned, and she caught sight of him, finally, freezing in her tracks. The abrupt halt made him stutter a step, but he recovered immediately. He released her as she straightened. "Hi Markus."
"Markus," Connor nodded to him, straightening his tie.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Markus began, a smile on his face that suggested he hadn't minded it at all. "I expected you a little while ago. I was concerned when you didn't show."
This was directed at Taylor. Connor checked his internal clock and realized they really had been dancing longer than he thought. On top of their daily lessons, Taylor had stayed true to her word and met with Markus every night, over the past few days, to tell him the stories.
"We lost track of time," he said, before Taylor could respond. She was still catching her breath, and he realized with a quick scan that she was exhausted. He felt suddenly guilty.
"Take your time. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Markus glanced over Taylor again, his eyes lingering on her wrist. She'd stopped wearing the brace, her sprain mostly healed, but the bruises were still faintly visible.
The two of them had shared words, so to speak, over the precarious situation in which Markus had unwittingly placed Taylor. Rather, Connor had expressed his displeasure and Markus had listened very patiently. At the end of it, he had not objected, had promised to do what he could to relieve the risk to Taylor and ensure her safety.
He supposed that Markus showing up now was an extension of that promise. Now, however, he could not help but feel annoyed that Markus was interrupting their time together, as drawn out as it may have been.
"It's about time we wrapped this up for the night anyways, right, Connor?" Taylor finally spoke up. She had regained her composure, her breathing even, and she was looking to him for affirmation.
"Right." He nodded again. Taylor walked over to collect her phone, cutting off the loop of music that had been playing while they danced. Then she turned back to Markus.
"I'll go back up with you?"
"Sure." Markus nodded, quickly enough, though he seemed surprised. He glanced over at Connor. "Would you like to join us?"
"No thanks." Connor had gone along one time, and it had been enough to know that he didn't really belong there. Freeing androids, being an activist, it was a very Markus and Taylor thing. He was deviant now, certainly, but he had been a deviant hunter before that. The gulf was too wide.
He wanted his people to be free, but he could not mire himself in it as the two of them had. In their company, he felt like an outsider, and so he hadn't been back. Taylor turned to him, detecting his hesitation.
"I'll see you soon." She made to walk away, but he reached for her. His hand found her waist, and he held her still while he pressed a kiss against her lips. Sudden, chaste. He released her just as quickly.
"See you later." Connor didn't know why he did it, except that he wanted to, and he knew that he could. It seemed like a good enough reason. Taylor's lips were slightly parted in surprise, her cheeks turning rosy. Markus was giving him that knowing smile that always rubbed him the wrong way.
"R-Right. Bye." She turned on her heel and started walking away, leaving Markus to follow. Connor's lips curved upward as he watched her go.