Alfred (April 25, Tuesday)

Ivan had taken Matthew off to some remote part of the school and now I was sitting on the stairs, glaring at the ground. I was bored and there was no way I was going to look like a nerd and pull out my homework. So I sat there and brooded. "Hey!" The sudden shout startled me and, with limbs flailing slightly, I snapped my head up and looked for the source. The source was none other than Gilbert himself, sauntering up to me. I blinked, staring at him before I responded. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, hands on his pockets and a grin on his face. "What's the matter with you? You've got your own little storm cloud above your head."

"I have to stay late and I have nothing to do..." I explained with an obvious pout. "Why didn't you catch the bus?"

He shrugged. "Well, my awesome intuition stated that you might be stuck here awhile and so I kindly took this as permission to stop by and entertain you." I narrowed my eyes at him, ninety percent sure that he was lying somewhere in that statement. "Come here," he commanded, holding out his left hand.

I slowly stood and took his hand with my right. "And how do you plan to entertain me?" I inquired curiously as he led me out to the open space of the evacuated and cleared cafeteria.

"Here, get in dance position with me," he instructed and wrapped his other arm around my waist. Startled as he extended our clasped hands, I gave my head no time to think before I rested my free hand on his arm, just under his shoulder. My feet fell naturally in place as we took a step to the side to make sure we were both in position and it didn't feel awkward.

My face was on fire; I could feel it. What was he thinking? What was I doing? I wanted to tell him that this wasn't a good idea and I should go find Matthew but before I could, he asked me what my favorite dance was. "East Coast Swing," I answered immediately. He kicked my foot back and counted out a quick beat and then we were off. The thing about the swing was that it wasn't as fast as, say, Jitterbug but it wasn't slow like the Waltz. There were moments where it felt like it was between the two, rapidly twisting around each other to make a spin or making a kind of pause to grab hands so I could slide under him before being dragged back into a standing position. It was an upbeat and fun dance, in my opinion.

But believe me when I say that I have never danced the East Coast Swing like I did with Gilbert. I was grinning like a madman. This was how it was supposed to feel – excitement built up in your chest, your feet moving faster than your brain processes the movements, a quick song running through your head as you let yourself fall into the dance. This was what I had been waiting for. I had loved dance just because it was fun and I was good at it. But now, it wasn't just something I could be good at. Dancing with Gilbert was an entirely new experience. I felt like we were in our own world, spinning and swinging around our own swirls of music.

And when we reached the end, we were both breathless but had on the widest smiles ever. "Will you be my dance partner?" Gilbert suddenly asked and I kind of felt myself deflate a little. He stood me upright and we faced each other.

"I don't know if... I want to go back to dance," I admitted, looking at our feet. "Even if it's temporary... It's not what it used to be to me."

"What was it to you?" he inquired, not letting go of my hand. "I mean, with all the competition and winning and watching everyone else dance and have fun... Isn't that just amazing?"

I snapped my head up, narrowing my eyes at him. "No, that's not the point," I told him, pulling my hand back. Instantly, he looked surprised. "See, most people either get too into the competition of they don't take it seriously enough. Dancing isn't for an audience approval. It's to let go, forget yourself, and get lost in footwork beyond your appreciation. It's to be who you can never be on your own." I leaned toward him, our nose almost touching, and peered into his crimson eyes. "It's to reflect a life you've never had, bring daydreams to life. Dancing is an escape you can find nowhere else and if someone is going to judge you on that, they'd better have been through Hell and Heaven to know what you're dancing for."

Gilbert stared at me, eyes wide, before smiling and closing the space between us. Before I could stop him – or comprehend what he was doing – our lips were locked together. And I didn't pause to think of pulling away. After a moment, we pulled apart and looked at each other. "Verdammt. That's what everyone on the team needs to believe. Please dance with me?"

I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to. It meant that I would have to help them in the upcoming concert but what if they wanted me to stay? What if the dances weren't like this? But before I could fully form the pros and cons, I blurted, "Yes. I will."

Matthew (April 25, Tuesday)

I followed Ivan curiously, my small hand wrapped in his large one. He led me to the auditorium where all the lights but a few onstage were off. I was afraid of tripping – on what? Who knew? – so I gripped his hand tighter. Slowing down a little, we headed for the stage where he hoisted me up and then climbed up after. "Ivan..." I murmured, looking out at the black that was the rest of the auditorium. "What are we doing?"

He smiled widely at me and threw his arms out like he was going to hug me. "This is our stage right now. We're going to dance." At first, his words didn't quite sink in. I thought maybe he was joking but he continued, "Let's do the Lindy Hop?"

"The Lindy Hop?" I asked and he nodded. I had never mastered the Lindy Hop so it wasn't one of my favorite dances. However, because it was a challenge, I decided to give it a go anyway. "Okay... Let's dance." He stepped up to me and took my left hand in his right, rested his left hand on my hip. As easily as it was to breathe, I set my hand on his arm and listened to him count out a quick beat before we took off. In my mind, I was yanked back in time. Music played off of a record and fueled my energy to keep up the fast-paced dance. I felt like my feet were hardly touching the ground. The dance position was lost to our hands clasped together as we swung around the stage and fell into the music in our minds.

It wasn't until I lost the rhythm and misstepped, causing us both to tumble, did we stop dancing. At first, I was afraid that he'd be angry that I'd lost it but was instead pleased to hear him laughing. I carefully stood up and offered my hand. "I'm sorry. I've never been very good at that dance..."

"Next time," Ivan said, standing up, "just say so and we can pick a different one, da?" I grinned and nodded, not really noticing that neither of us had let go of the other's hand. "Matvey... Be my dance partner?"

There was no hesitation this time. I could be on the ballroom team here and I could dance with the best partner I'd had yet. "Yes, please, yes," I practically begged him happily. His smile widened and he hugged me tightly while I laughed. The one place I belonged was on stage, dancing my heart out. It was where everyone noticed me, stared at me for the talent I displayed. I hadn't realized how badly I had missed dancing in these past few weeks but I had missed it sorely. Now I was being given another chance to be where I felt like I had a place. And with all the chaos in my life at that moment, there was no way I was turning it down.

"Spasibo," he muttered into my hair and I nodded, not needing to understand his language to understand that he was thanking me.

A/N: I am proud to say that I finally have this out! :D I didn't want to take too long this time. And the best part is, it's just the perfect setting for Valentine's Day tomorrow. Too bad it's way short. :c I feel bad about that... Hopefully I'll be able to extend the next chapter.

Hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow! Please review!

Translations:

German: Verdammt – damn

Russian: Matvey – Matthew

Spasibo – thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or characters thereof.