For three days, Shayna had been absent from class and when she finally returned the day before the dance, she looked pale and drawn. When they began to practice straight jabs, Loki watched her falter again and again as she aimed for Marly's outstretched hand.
He glanced at Logan across the room and then at Shayna. Logan shrugged and mouthed, "Go talk to her." He excused himself from the student, a young boy, that he'd been helping and made his way towards Shayna and Marly. Marly saw him coming first and her eyes began to widen. Shayna took immediate notice and turned around just as Loki reached them.
"Marly, will you please go and practice with Adam? I have noticed that Shayna needs a little help."
Marly nodded, gave Shayna one more look, and trotted to the front of the class where Adam was standing, rolling his eyes as he say the direction she was heading in.
"Shayna, you aren't in the ready stance, turn your back foot outward a bit more, relax your knees, do not lock them. The more rigid you are, the more your opponent will use it against you."
Shayna leaned back a bit on her foot, bent her knees slightly but kept her eyes at the floor.
"Now when you make that jab, you must keep your thumb on the outside of your fist or you risk breaking it with your strike. Do not over extend your arm, give it a little leeway to bend, and let the people on the second floor hear you when you yell. You must intimidate your enemy, make them believe you are braver than you may seem."
He took her hand and formed the fist for her, felt her trembling. He stood upright and bit his lip, sighed. "Shayna?"
She couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears, trying hard to stop herself only made it more obvious and after a few seconds, he put a hand on her shoulder and guided her to the other side of the gym, sitting her down on the bottom row of bleachers and taking a seat beside her.
"There is no need to cry. You will learn what to do in time." Loki caught Logan's eye but he simply nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
"I know what to do, it's not that." She gave a hiccuping sigh, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't seem to shut my big mouth when I should. I told my friends that you said I was a quick learner and that you were always helping me."
Loki nodded, "You are a quick learner, you have the heart of a lioness."
Shayna smiled through her tears, "I also have the yellow stripe of a coward."
He reached over and patted her hand, "Trust me, you are not a coward."
"When my friends started to pick on me, I got so sick I couldn't come to class because I was scared they would pick on me again."
"Well then they are not your friends, am I correct?" he hesitated, trying to think of a way to broach the subject she was so obviously tiptoeing around, "Is this what Miss Archer spoke to the students about last week?"
Shayna stared at him wide eyed, her face red as her hair and he felt the heat start to build off of her, "Shayna, control yourself. Take deep breaths."
She closed her eyes, drew in a big breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth slowly. Another one and her color was beginning to pale. Finally she nodded, "Don't tell me that you know what they said."
"I am flattered, Shayna, trust me. You are a beautiful young lady and you deserve a beautiful young man. I, however, am old, and taken."
"You're not old, Mister Laufeyson."
He shook his head, if she only knew, "I am older than you think. Now we must be brave again, show our enemies our strong front, never our weak backs, even if we are afraid, we must never let them know it."
Her color had returned to normal, her tears were beginning to dry up, "So you're not mad then?"
Loki chuckled, "I am not mad at all, are we still friends?"
Shayna nodded and gave him a small smile, "Then shall we return to class and learn the proper way to face an enemy?"
As the students filed out of the gymnasium, Logan ambled up to Loki who was untying the sash of his gi.
"Nice form back there. You're not careful and Ororo will recruit you as a guidance counselor."
Loki tilted his head, "Guidance.."
"Never mind, geez, you chaperoning that sordid affair tonight?"
"The dance? Yes, did you not sign up?" He headed towards the locker rooms, Logan following behind.
"Nope, Friday nights are my own, Ororo knows that. Who else signed up?"
Kurt, Ororo of course, Miss Pryde, Mister Summers.."
"Oh sounds like a blast, carry on without me will you?"
Loki shook his head as he opened his locker and drew out the button down shirt and pants he'd worn to class. Logan opened his own locker and pulled down a towel from the top shelf. "What about Miss Archer? She didn't sign up? She usually loves that shit, like a mother hen."
"I did not see her name unless she signed up after me."
Logan eyed him and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Have you ever used a contraction in your life? You sound like a Charles Dickens novel, I am, I shall, you are...try don't...go on."
"I speak properly, I have had this conversation before with my friend Thomas. He told me I spoke as if I was to dinner with the Queen of England."
Logan laughed, "And he was right. Why don't you try to interject one new word a week into that vocabulary of yours, I'd have you talking like a sailor within a week. Come on, one word, don't."
Loki buttoned the last button, "Logan,"
"Don't.."
He groaned but a ghost of a grin played at his lips, "Don't...is that what you must hear from me?"
Logan nodded, "It's a start."
Loki had chosen a plain green t-shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans that morning and laid it out on his bed before he'd left for class. Kurt had told him that the dance would be casual dress, then had proceeded to tell him patiently what that meant. He had returned to his room after class, showered, dressed and eaten dinner and was now standing outside Kurt's door waiting for him to unlock it.
The door swung open and Kurt waved his hand with a flourish, "Come in, I vill be but a minute. I vas looking over der syllabus for next semester. Ororo asked me to take over der German class as Professor Heidorf is getting married and moving away. I am nervous about it but I enjoy a challenge. Fencing is much easier dan teaching someone to speak as you have all your life."
Loki sat down in one of Kurt's easy chairs and noticed that he had a glowing fire in the fireplace.
"You are smart, Kurt. What have you to fear?"
"Failure, just like everyone else." He grabbed his long brown leather jacket from his bed, "Now to play keeper to the insanity dat are teenagers."
The gymnasium was humming with voices, the music not yet started. Loki followed Kurt up to Ororo who was standing at the table where the DJ had set up. Teenagers milled around, teasing, talking, shouting, laughing and waiting for the fun to begin.
"You missed my little speech guys. I told the students to behave and have fun. I threatened them with essays. Scott's good at handing them out."
Scott gave Loki and Kurt a nod, "I have a couple subjects all lined up for them too."
"Sorry I'm late."
Loki glanced at Kurt, knowing he was watching him as Grace jogged up to the table. She had on a red v-neck t-shirt, a black broomstick skirt with velvet edging at the hem and a pair of black flats. Her short hair was done up off her neck in a vague reminder of the way Sarah wore hers. He fought the urge to search for Sarah in his mind. Grace saw Loki, nodded then turned to Ororo and began to talk to her.
Kurt led Loki across the dance floor to the bleachers which were beginning to fill with teenagers. As they reached the bottom bleacher, the large overhead lights went out, replaced by the light show on the bars raised above the DJ's table and loud pulsing music filled the gymnasium.
"Loki, it is not so bad," Kurt had seen Loki's face as the music started, "I rather like some of dere music. It has a beat, and you can dance to it." Kurt was tapping his foot in time with the current song.
"I am not used to such noise."
Kurt laughed, leaned over, "Now you are sounding like a teacher."
The crowd moved and cliques formed, girls running, squealing, talking to the boys, the boys watching the girls, dancing together. Kurt had to warn a few couples who'd found the shadows a chance to make out, Loki saw Scott following a couple of boys out of the gym, his hands on their shoulders. Ororo was leaning on the wall near the gym entrance talking with Grace.
"Come on, vee should mingle a bit. Make sure der kinder know vee are still here." Kurt pulled Loki to his feet and they started to walk through the sea of teenagers, Kurt dancing a bit as he glided across the floor. Loki shook his head, all at once hearing a chorus of voices yell, "Hi Mister Laufeyson!"
He saw Shayna, Marly, Adam and a shy younger student by the name of Reese waving and running towards him, sliding to a stop before him in their socks on the polished floor.
"Come on and dance, Mister Laufeyson!" Loki looked up to find he'd lost sight of Kurt and he tried to stifle a sense of panic as Marly and Shayna grabbed his arms, pulling him deeper into the dance floor.
"Thriller" had just started to play when Ororo nudged Grace, "Do you see who's out there on the floor?"
Grace scanned the crowd until she found the head of a man taller than most of the crowd, "Oh god, he's been kidnapped, literally."
Kurt danced up to them from their left, "Ladies, how are vee doing tonight?"
"I'd say better than Loki is." Ororo cocked her head towards the dance floor.
Kurt spun around, saw Loki, "Mein Gott, vee got separated!"
Grace rolled her eyes, "I'll rescue him,"
Another song had started as she made her way through the groups of teenagers, keeping an eye on Loki's position. "At least he's got rhythm." she thought to herself. She got within a couple feet, trying to maneuver around the teens surrounding him, finally reaching for his arm, and standing on tiptoe,
"Loki," She yelled in his ear, "Come on, you poor thing."
Loki felt her take his arm, and he heard Shayna and Marly whine, "Aw Miss Archer, we were teaching him to dance."
"And probably scaring the hell out of him!" she shouted above the music. She kept her hold on his arm and guided him through the sea of kids to the wall where Kurt and Ororo stood, Ororo with a smile, Kurt visibly worried,
"Loki, mein freund, I am sorry, I did not know you had been curtailed."
Loki gave Kurt a lopsided smile, "I survived the ordeal." then he turned to Grace, "Though I appreciate the rescue."
Grace shrugged, "It was a toss up, honestly. I was torn between leaving you out there and watching you flounder, or joining you and showing you up, amateur."
Loki laughed, "I am indeed an amateur. You would have had no trouble."
They leaned at the wall, chatting, listening to the music and Loki was about to lean over and ask Grace again about her gloves which he'd noticed were red tonight to match her shirt when another pack of students ran over to her, "Come on, do the Cupid Shuffle with us, Miss Archer!"
Grace protested at first, digging in her heels until she was already in the midst of the group. She shook her head and started to dance in a line with the kids.
He stared at her, the way she moved, her hair coming unpinned as she held her skirt up out of her way, her face becoming flushed with exertion, smiling, a sheen of perspiration across her forehead. He was starting to feel, heady, dizzy, unsure if it was the music, he shook his head, it had to be the music.
The teenagers convinced her to stay for another song and at one point she looked at Loki and crooked her finger at him, to which he mouthed "Never", she throwing her hands at him in mock disgust.
After the second song, she had to bow out and returned to the wall, slumping down the side to sit cross legged on the floor, panting. "That's a workout right there. I gotta get a drink."
"What do you wish?" Loki asked, standing over her.
"Oh I'll get it," She struggled, attempting to get up.
"Stay here, Grace, I shall get it. What do you wish?"
"Water is all,"
They watched Loki head for the gym doors, and returned their attention to the floor again, for a few moments until Kurt caught Ororo's eyes over Grace who was still sitting on the floor. He looked at Grace, then in the direction Loki had gone, then back to Ororo again. Ororo gave him a smile and shook her head. Kurt sighed, he was sure Ororo was missing it, wondered why he seemed to be the only one who hadn't. Whether either of them could see it or not, he was sure Loki was becoming infatuated with Grace.
Loki brought the water bottle to Grace and slid down the wall to sit beside her. "Thanks."
She undid the bottle and drained it by half in one swallow and held it out to him. "Want a drink?"
Loki hesitated, then took a swig, handed it back. They watched the kids enjoying themselves, listening to the music, missing the glances being exchanged by Kurt and Ororo over their heads.
The DJ had started to break down his equipment, Scott, Loki and Grace had volunteered to help carry things to his van and Kurt and Ororo sat on the bleachers watching the last of the teens file out of the gym.
"I think they're just acting like friends,"
"And I see something different. He vatches her like a hawk without knowing he's doing it. He cannot take his eyes off her sometimes. I think I should talk to him about it but den I think it is none of my business."
"I say hold off on saying anything. Don't jump the gun, Kurt. And don't look for things that aren't there."
"Ja, I guess so. I vill say nothing for now."
Ororo patted him on the leg, stood up and wandered over to the DJ's table. Kurt sat there a bit longer, watching Loki watching Grace talk to Ororo, then he sighed and shook his head.