Warning for language (I've probably missed a ton of these. I'm sorry if it's bothered you.)

James is a meddling bastard and awkwardness ensues

James had practically forced the T-shirt over his head. The nice T-shirt, the one that was too scratchy to even consider wearing. He drew the line at Sleekeazy, though. His hair would remain untouched and effortless until he died and he would make damn well sure that would happen before it all fell out.

"What are you doing?" Sirius demanded to know for the millionth time in the last ten minutes as James chucked his brown dress shoes at him.

"I told you -"

"Eilidh's coming. What does that mean?" Sirius was trying not to yell now. Eilidh had been in their dormitory, had hung out with them plenty of times, to not make an affair out it. Sirius coughed, choking on the bitter taste of the cologne James had surprised him with.

"You messed up and you suck at apologies," James said simply, marching across the room. Sirius took his frustration out on forcing his way into his shoes. James was probably planning something big and dramatic, maybe even romantic, but he was right. He sucked at apologies. He sucked at this whole non-platonic relationship thing. He had just gotten used to the platonic relationships.

Not that he would take it back. There was something satisfying about knowing that Eilidh fancied him.

James dug around in the closet that stored the clothes they promised their parents they would wear but never did. He dropped a box and a thousand bow ties littered the floor. Those were from Sirius's aunt: She had a thing about bow ties and had given one as a gift for every holiday and birthday for as long as he could remember. He didn't feel particularly bothered about them being on the floor. His cufflinks jingled against each other, or rather his father's cufflinks. Then James emerged, holding his brown leather belt over his head. Sirius hated that thing and had shoved it in the closet for a reason.

"It matches your shoes," James defended, mistaking the reason behind Sirius's expression.

"I imagine that's why my mother bought it," Sirius grimaced, keeping his bitter thoughts to himself.

"Look, you don't actually need it so you can wear it loosely. You won't even know it's there," James thrust the belt toward Sirius. Sirius stayed determinedly still and then stiffly accepted the belt. "Good." James dived back into the closet. Sirius tossed the belt to the side, hoping it would get lost in their communal pile of dirty laundry. "Last thing!" James stepped out of the closet, "where's the-"

"I lost it. I think it's time we cleaned up a bit," Sirius said appearing regretful.

"Whatever, put this on," James shook his head and ran for his trunk. It was a stuffy looking sports coat he wouldn't be caught dead in. Sirius grumbled, put it on, and examined himself in the closet mirror.

"I look like a twat," he announced.

"Fitting, considering that's what she just called you," James returned.

"I look like my brother," Sirius groaned. If he had accepted the Sleekeazy hair potion he would have been the spitting image of Regulus Black.

"She'll like it," James told him.

"Then she should date him," Sirius grumbled, ripping his arms out of the coat, striding for his trunk. He dug around until he found what he was searching for. He pulled out his black, smooth leather jacket that he had bought in that muggle village. (He supposed it was sentimental enough to make up for the lack of a sports coat.) He had fallen for it instantly but it didn't match his stuffy shoes so he traded them out for his regular boots.

He looked in the mirror again. This time he was met with a confident image reflecting back at him. The jacket was loud and too angry to really match with the soft, stuffy shirt and nice jeans but somehow he pulled it off. He didn't think Eilidh would mind if his boots were more than a little scuffed. He turned to James.

"Now can I know what the plan is?"

"It's a surprise," James said, smiling. A knock sounded at the door. Sirius's stomach dropped. James rushed forward, "here," and forced flowers into his hand.

"Where'd you - what?" Sirius hissed, hoping that she couldn't hear him through the door. James pushed him forward, ignoring his arguments but couldn't ignore Sirius pushing back.

"Come in!" James called out, realizing that he couldn't physically force Sirius forward.

"No, no, no!" The door pulled shut again.

"What are you doing?" James demanded.

"I - she's not gonna like these," Sirius hissed, thrusting the flowers back at James. He didn't know per se, but he felt certain that roses weren't Eilidh's favorite. James groaned, tossed the flowers in the bin, and produced another set, Tulips, with a wave of his wand. He didn't give Sirius a chance to protest this time. In one long stride, James was at the door and Eilidh was revealed while Sirius stood there like a prat in mismatched clothes, staring at flowers with a dumbfounded expression.

"Oh, that sneaky little minx," Eilidh muttered, staring at the stupid flowers through squinted eyes. She was in a dress so he didn't feel too horrible about his stuffy clothes.

"Hi," James peered around the opened door, probably wearing that stupid grin of his.

"James," Eilidh smiled her smile that wasn't really a smile. "I'd appreciate if you didn't involve my friends in your schemes."

"I didn't," James said innocently. "I involved a teammate in my schemes."

Eilidh clicked her tongue at him and continued to glare.

"You look like a girl," James commented.

"I hit like one too," Eilidh raised her fist threateningly.

"Eilidh!" Sirius, coming to his senses, strode forward, his arm outstretched. "These are," Sirius set out to pin the blame for the stupid flowers entirely on James. It was stupid and cliche and sappy and it made her eyes soften. "For you," he said.

"Thank you," she said, her fingers brushing against his as she accepted the flowers. Sirius stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets noting that she liked stupid and cliche and sappy.

"You look nice," he said feeling awkward as he said it but then she smiled, genuinely.

"So do you. But I take it that was the plan." Her eyes shifted back to James who was leaning against the open door with his annoyingly smug expression.

"No, that was genetics," James said, "and it's Sirius plan that I'm putting into action."

Eilidh looked questioningly at Sirius.

"I have a lot of plans," Sirius said and mentally added that none of them involved dressy clothes and suffocating cologne.

"This one involves the ballroom," James said.

"Mate," Sirius said. He had said in passing that Eilidh didn't know how to dance not that he was planning on teaching her.

"I personally think it's an incredibly romantic plan bound to make anyone's knickers drop," James said. Eilidh smiled awkwardly at him.

"Let's go then," she said quickly.

"Right," Sirius led her out and closed the door before remembering who he was friends with.

"Don't spy on us," Sirius hissed at James.

James gave a noncommittal hum.

"I'm serious, not even t-"

"I know perfectly well who you are, mate," James grinned before forcing the door shut. "Hold her hand!" he yelled through the door

Sirius scowled at James's shadow feet. He had every intention of holding her hand but now that he had been told to do it he couldn't. He needlessly adjusted his jacket.

"So, why are we going to the ballroom?" Eilidh asked.

"It's a surprise," Sirius said because he himself didn't know but didn't want to look like he was incapable of knicker dropping romance. They walked down the stairs side by side, their hands almost touching. He could still feel how soft her fingers were against his when she took the flowers. He'd look like an absolute idiot if he tried to hold her hand after James told him to do it.

"This isn't about the whole dancing thing?" she asked.

"No."

"It's really not a problem."

"Do you want to hold hands?" he demanded, his stomach in knots. She only blinked at him. "I just thought it'd be weird after James…."

"It's fine," she said.

"Okay," he said, taking her fine as a negative.

She sighed and laced her fingers with his. "It's fine," she smiled.

So they held hands and his stomach felt better.

Peter and Remus were in the ballroom, lighting the chandelier and setting the pixies meant for the Alum Ball free.

"A vase for your flowers, Madam," Remus said, offering the vase to Eilidh. "Sirius, there's a music selection in the crate over there. We borrowed it from Dumbledore so if anyone asks, it was here when you got here."

"Good night," Peter said, nudging Remus out the door.

"This is about the dancing thing," Eilidh said.

"What part of dancing isn't romantic?" Sirius challenged, backing away towards the music crate.

"Broken toes," she mumbled.

Sirius shifted through the records, heeding her warning, and chose a simple waltz.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, lowing the needle.

"I don't trust me," she clarified.

He stepped forward and guided her into the proper stance, one hand on his shoulder with the other cradled in his. His free hand he rested gently on her waist. He really should have held her more firmly but she was already uncomfortable.

"The waltz is a smooth, gliding dance in a three-quarter time with a simple three beat rhyme," Sirius explained, taping the beat against her waist. "Ready?"

"I'm going to step on your toes," she whispered.

"These are steel-toed boots," he whispered back.

"Please don't step on mine."

"Start with your right and follow my lead. Step. Step. Close."

She had oversold how terrible she was at dancing. She had a problem with letting him lead and she was too stiff in her movements but that went along with her character. Overall she wasn't half as bad as he was led to believe.

"Try to relax," he said and she took a deep, slow breath. It resulted in her ceasing to back lead but didn't help with the fluidity of her movements.

"Do you want to try a turn?" he asked, deciding that concurring a more advanced move would help with her confidence.

"Will I break my ankle?" she asked. He turned resulting in no injury but she did end up closer to him than before. He could feel her breath on his neck.

"Any broken ankles?" he asked.

"No. My toes are fine too," she smiled.

"Ready to move then?" he asked.

"We are moving," she said.

"Around the room I mean," Sirius said.

She looked truly apprehensive for the first time. "That's usually when I start stepping on people's toes."

"Steel toes," he reminded, taking the first swooping step. She looked down at their feet, her tongue actually sticking out like a concentrating comic book character. She started back leading again and her movements were not only stiff but clumsy.

"Relax," he said soothingly.

She looked up, kicked his ankle, tripped, and he trod on her foot trying to catch her.

"Ow, pain!" she groaned, clutching her foot while on the ground.

"Sorry! Sorrysorrysorry!" he said, ripping off his boots.

"Now your toes are unprotected," she said, trying to smile but grimace instead.

"The safer your feet'll be," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I've had worse," she said, taking off her own shoes. "You weren't lying about those steel toes."

He helped her up.

"It might help if you weren't so afraid of dancing."

"I'm not afraid!"

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's the only thing I can't do. I've won every clean fight I've ever been in. I'm fluent in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Runes. I can tell you the exact location of any star in the sky but put me in a ballroom and tell me to dance…." she laughed, bitterly, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You're thinking too much about it," Sirius told her, leading her to the centre of the room. "This isn't fighting, or languages, or Astrology. Those are all mental. This is physical. You need to feel the music. Let your body guide you."

"That's what the instructors always said," she said.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, pulling her back into position.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"I trust you so if you really trust me you'll trust yourself," he said. She chuckled. "Now. I don't lead you with my arms, I'm not pushing or pulling you around. I'm leading you with my body so let your body let me lead."

"I don't -"

"Just try it," he half groaned half laughed. He took a moment to count the beats on her waist again before restarting. One, two three. One swooping step. And he surprised her with a turn.

"I didn't fall!" she grinned.

"And my toes are intact," he smirked. One, two, turn. One, two, turn. "Are you ready?"

"What for?" she asked, slightly panicked.

Sirius raised his arm to let her spin underneath it. "Stay on your toes."

She spun successfully and was about to finish with a flourish when she lost her balance again. Sirius was able to catch her this time which created a very short moment when their faces were close together and their breathes mingled.

"I guess I really can trust you," Eilidh laughed.

He could still taste her.

"I think you're getting the hang of this," Sirius said.

"Well, it is a simple, smooth, gliding dance in a three-quarter time with a simple three beat rhyme," she said.

He couldn't fucking stop staring at her mouth.

"Or maybe I finally got a good teacher," she smiled.

"Can I kiss you?" he blurted before he could think about how stupid he sounded.

Eilidh blinked rapidly. "Er, you don't have to ask… Not with me."

"Okay," he said.

"Okay."

***Son of Whitebeard, thank you! I've been avoiding doing more girl chapters because we have so little cannon information about them they're really more like OC's and I know how people react to heavy OC stories. I suppose I should just suck it up and do it. We'll see :D

Thank you, .2018, I hope you continue to :)

BadwolfYuki, I am so honoured that you broke your habit twice for me lol I'm happy to hear that you will continue to read and enjoy. Thank you to you and your boyfriend for the compliments :D

***I'm not sure if this was my intended level of awkwardness or if this is the cringest chapter you've ever read because of my intended awkwardness being enhanced by my general awkwardness around the amount of fluff I was aiming for... Anyway, if I had to spend another hour editing this chapter I would have ripped all my hair out and stared into the void contemplating why people care about romance and I don't want to go to that place again. (I'm kidding. Mostly) That being said, I will come back to this and probably gut the whole thing: I'll let you know when I do in case you want to come back and read it.

Thank you for reading :D

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Until next time,

XO