She apparently must have missed the entire conversation he had with her mother because she never showed a sense of knowing the past Sabine had just shared with him. His heart was racing and he didn't think he was going to keep up appearances much longer without her noticing something was wrong with him. She was pretty perceptive, but he didn't think he wanted to be found out like this.

He didn't think he could just spill his guts and confess any feelings he may have. He didn't want to make things uncomfortable between them right now when it was not the time for that. He ran away from home because of her, for her, and he was here to see her. There was nowhere else he could go, and if he rocked the boat and screwed this up, he would have to go back home and that wasn't a pleasant thought right now.

He snuck a few looks at her, seeing her attention mostly on her meal and hardly on him. She seemed kind of oblivious and he was partially thankful. Even if he wanted to act on his feelings, his brain was screaming to be rational right now.

He couldn't help but wonder if her feelings were still there, even years later. Sabine mentioned the time he got pulled from school after his mother's accident, which was already five years ago. That was a long time and people changed, just as Sabine had mentioned about him. Thanks to ballet, he wasn't the scrawny, slightly short, boy anymore...

He didn't even remember that time, but his mother's death did have a horrible aftermath on him and it did screw him up for a while. There was a lot that got wiped from his mind as a coping mechanism, whether he liked it or not. Not to mention he was forced to return to homeschooling until he graduated and went to his father's ballet school full-time. It had pretty much been ballet and Natalie's teachings everyday for years.

He couldn't picture how she used to be for the life of him. It was a blank space in his mind. He barely remembered much of his time from junior high, even if it wasn't that long ago. He knew he had enjoyed his time and was sad, plus slightly resentful, that it was over, but people and events slipped from his grasp.

He felt kind of sad that he knew Marinette and had forgotten her. Sabine's words about her feelings for him went through his head and he almost wanted to apologize to her about them. Did she hurt too much for long? She seemed fine now and he almost grimaced at thinking he may have been a source of pain for her.

It would be too much to wish that she still feel something for him after all this time, all this distance. What would he even do with her emotions anyway? He was in no way capable of doing anything with them right now so it seemed pointless to accept them...should they still be hidden somewhere deep inside. He had only a few pairs of clothes to his name and some cash; he was pretty pitiful and undeserving of his lady's affections at this point. Even if he may feel something now, she may not and he grimly accepted that.

She ate like normal for a few more minutes in silence, spying a few glances at the front door, before figuring the coast was clear. She took a long drink of her milk before leveling him with a stare that gave no room for discussion. "Okay. Out with it. No hiding anything. Give me the full story."

He sat back at the verbal onslaught and the demanding look she was giving him. He blinked in confusion; the different tone and sudden conversation not fully getting through his muddled brain right now. Was...was she asking about how he was feeling right now and why? "Full...story?" He dumbly echoed. "A – about...what?"

She gave him a dumb look. A hand waved at him as if it were obvious. "At your running away. Just because your father forbade you from returning to dance overnight should be no reason for you to leave home. At least...I hope not... Is there something else you didn't tell me?"

He quietly looked to his food and picked at it with dull eyes. All of yesterday ran through his mind. How quickly he'd been willing to throw it all away. He felt kind of stupid now when he thought to the home he had abandoned now that he was actually sitting in hers with her.

His mouth scrunched up as he recognized a little of his foolishness, but...it was impossible to rewind time after all...

He started from the morning they parted yesterday and ended with the moment he watched her practice ballet and fall into the fountain. He left nothing out, not wanting to hide anything from her. She would know if he was and since he came here to rely on her, there was no point in not giving all the facts.

He commented on her skills, stating with a wry smile that he would have to try water fountain ballet sometime for the balance help. She didn't look very pleased that he had watched her dance, sullenly stating that she only liked an audience when she wanted one.

She finally heaved a sigh, propping her head up with her hand and looked to her food. Her mind whirled at all that she had just learned. She couldn't, or could, believe the actions of his father. Adrien had hid the entire thing from him for months, as rightly he should have, but it still sucked for him. She bet that kind of a schedule would probably have continued for quite some time until Gabriel felt that things were back to his liking and could let up. From what she knew about the man, from all she had seen and heard, he was stiff and stern at his school and apparently showed no quarter at home either.

A fork slowly tapped on her plate and she idly watched it move. Still...running away to avoid a problem was never the answer. Had he not chased her, he would never have had that issue with being caught in the first place. His actions were selfish to some degree and he should have attempted more of a proper conversation with his father after the pair had calmed down in a few more days. Even if it meant that he would have to suffer in the meantime, he DID kind of put this all on himself with his stunt concerning her...

She sighed again, shoulders slumping, face going into her hands. This was all messed up!

In the harsh truth of the matter, she had initiated this whole thing, despite the fact that he didn't have to accept her invite. But, when she considered the mystery and intrigue of it all, he wouldn't have refused it based on the history the Underground had. She knew everything that surrounded it with help from Alya and her online skills; Adrien was like a moth to a flame and she had burnt him quite badly.

Had she never brought him to that world, he would still be home right now, probably having breakfast in his own dining room and getting ready for ballet soon. Guilt started eating at her, though it was hard for her to really feel the full brunt of it. Her opening the door to that world was only part of it; he had to walk through the threshold himself in order to actually accept it. They were both at fault here, but there was little to do to rectify the situation right now.

Everyone was at fault and yet no one was. She probably shouldn't have so haphazardly invited him without knowing his current home life; he should have been more careful to not get caught, no matter what the circumstance that led to it was; and his father could have reacted a little better!

"Are you okay...?"

How did she answer? 'Yes' wasn't correct, but neither was 'no'. She was so conflicted right now! Hands finally shot away from her face in her frustration. She looked at him, feeling sorry and upset and annoyed all at once. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing proper would come out.

She looked to her plate as a last resort, slowly picking up her fork. "I...don't know... I...I just..." She sighed again. "It's...complicated..."

"Would you tell me why you seem so upset? It has something to do with me running away for the Underground, doesn't it? I told you that you can trust me with anything. Would you tell me what's going on in your head?"

A finger tapped on the table and she looked at it in thought. She knew what he was asking, what he had been asking, and what she had denied him before. Well, now he was here and he was closer than anyone else from that place. He had seen her, knew who she really was, and he had left home for the Underground. He had chosen it as more important than his daily life; perhaps such devotion necessitated a little info on it, more than what lived on the net.

She sat up straight and nodded, leveling him with a solemn stare. "It's a very long, very complicated story that involves many people. I don't want to reveal who they are because I doubt they want you to know. But, I can at least talk about the things we've done together..."

"Their helping in my initial folly ended up exploding into what you see today. The Underground has turned into its own thing that can't be stopped...and I initially created it. It started back in high school when I was just seventeen, just after I tried out for ballet at your father's school for the first time. I really wanted to get in, but I was denied."

His mouth fell open a little, vaguely recalling their last conversation about all her tryout attempts.

"I was really depressed about the whole thing for a few weeks about it until A...u – until my friend told me to lighten up and redirect my sadness to other things. That led to a crazy talk of dance as an outlet for my emotions. She took dance when she was a kid, and she thought it'd be a good idea because of how much I love ballet and how I get lost in the music. I thought about it a lot and found that I needed help if I wanted to make my plan work."

Her lips tilted a little at the memory. "Now that I look back at it, it was out of spite really. I wanted to create a place of total freedom for anyone that wanted to dance like they wanted to, but were constrained for whatever reason by society. I found those people in daily life, or they were brought to my attention. I had my friend investigate them before sneaking them invites that I created. I also enlisted myself a dj; the Bubbler. For the face stuff, my painter friend figured it out and created what we use now in order to keep our lives a little more separate. Since it was his idea, I asked if he would help and he accepted."

"We had to relocate a few times over the years due to those who thought they could bring anyone in that didn't deserve to be there. We packed up and emptied the building overnight, and my friend found us another one that we could take shelter in. I wanted to keep it for those who needed the outlet...like you..."

Her eyes lowered, hands clasping together. Her forehead heavily rested against them. "Had I ever thought that it would lead to this, I would have never sent you such a thing. I'm sorry for causing you such undue stress in your life and kind of making you run away from home."

She looked like she regretted ever showing him such a place that had captured his heart so. He wouldn't have such a thing!

His hand lashed out and grasped one of her wrists, getting a gasp from her. He all but glared across the table, ignoring her surprise.

"I have never felt more alive than the time I spent dancing in the Underground!" His eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't trade it for the world; I even threw away my life as a ballet dancer for it. I won't hear of you apologizing for allowing me to have the time of my life in that place! The things that you gave me, what you inspired in me, I would never relinquish for the world! You showed me how much fun dancing could be and I grew to love it again. No one could pay me enough money or do anything else to make me to wish I had never gone. Even after all that's happened to me since I first arrived, it's still worth it. I cherish those times like nothing else in my life. If you tried to go back in time and stop yourself from giving me that invite, I would never allow such a thing!"

Somewhere in his pretty speech, she became vaguely aware of her face heating up...and that he had fairly intense eyes. She had forgotten just how green they were until they were flashing with the heat of his emotions directed her way. He was passionate about his love for the Underground. She knew this, but to hear him say such devotions made her shiver a little.

She harshly swallowed, eyes wide, as he pinned her with those emerald stones of his. She found she couldn't move a muscle as he stared at her in the silence.

His grip tightened just a little as words of a different, yet slightly similar nature crossed his mind and tried to escape. He lost himself to his feelings as they steered in a somewhat alternate direction...one devoted to her. He cherished those times mostly because he danced with her so exclusively for so many nights. The words that he spoke about the Underground could have easily been said about her.

He didn't know if she thought of such a thing in this second. He stared into her gorgeous, wide eyes, unmarred by red paint. His eyes lowered a little as they flickered across her features, finding her beautiful this close with surprise littered everywhere amidst her blush.

His mouth opened and he pushed a syllable out, but almost forcefully stopped himself and abruptly let go of her hand. Fear trapped him and he looked away in order to get over himself and push everything back.

She blinked at the sudden change and watched as he went back to his food as if he hadn't just declared such faith to her night world. She had never heard nor read such heartfelt gratitude from anyone since starting this. It warmed her a little to know that he had been so helped by her creation, which was the original intent.

A sheepish smile broke through she she looked to her own plate and the remnants of her meal. She quietly grabbed her fork and stuck a bite in her mouth, finding the food almost cold and fairly unappetizing after his whirlwind.

Neither of them spoke, merely eating. The situation and his final words hung in the air, but she ignored them easier as the seconds ticked by. She swallowed the final bite and put her utensils on her plate, giving him a small smile. "I need to go teach soon...would you like to go with?" Her eyes darted over his face. "Unless...unless you're too tired? You could always sleep in my room if you are; my parents won't check on you and I won't be gone long."

He smiled and also put his utensils on his now empty plate. "I'd love to see you teach! I never knew you were a teacher. This will let me learn more about you in the real world, my lady."

She looked away, feeling her face heat again, before sliding off her chair. She gave a somewhat helpless smile and shook her head. "We'll need to leave shortly then. It's getting about that time and it's still a short walk away."

He nodded and put his dishes in the sink. He watched her wash them, not allowing him the ability to pick up after himself. An idea suddenly came to him. "My duffel bag is in your room right?" He waited for a nod and headed for the stairs without another word. "I think I left my slippers in there from practice yesterday. I'll take my bag with in case I need them."

"Hurry up then. We'll need to leave in maybe two minutes." She called. "And don't touch anything else up there!"

He was back down before she could dry her hands off. He held his prize in the air for her to see and grinned. "Just need to get my shoes on." He slipped them on as she went to her room again for a moment, returning with a duffel as well. She was slipping into her sneakers seconds later before opening the door and the pair headed out.

The humidity and warmth had risen noticeably within the short time he had been inside. It felt good though; comfortable mainly because he was walking next to Marinette. He cast her a subtle look as she stood just a little ahead of him to direct him. Teeth nibbled his lip a little.

This felt so strange to be doing something so mundane and to be so apart of her world, but he liked it. The additional feelings enveloping and spreading in his chest felt nice. They were his emotions for her, but they were also somewhat new. They were morphing, changing and increasing at this chance to learn about the girl behind the mask.

The walk was fairly short. He watched her unlock a simple door to a somewhat small section of the building. She shut the door behind him and left him at the entrance, flicking on lights as she went to the back of the area. He looked around at all the windows lining the space, at the hardwood floors underneath his feet. This place was hardly a classroom compared to what he had been in, but he could still tell what kind of dance it would house.

The place was silent, save for her movements. He slowly trod in, hand lightly grasping his duffel strap as he went to where she was. He looked around the quaint area, liking it and attributing it to her. It seemed to match her somehow, though he couldn't put his finger on it. The place was small and kind of old, but it felt like something more impressive rested under the surface. He felt a thread of anticipation for when her classes started, knowing the place would transform once her students showed up.

There were a total of five for the first class; a pittance compared to his classroom size. He hung out in the back despite the introduction to her students. He listened to the questions and demands of who he was, and why there was a guy in their school when there usually wasn't one. Apparently boys weren't as interested in ballet as in his father's school, which provided much more prestige and worth the harassment for wearing tights.

"He's just a friend Manon. He's my assistant today and his role is no different than Alya's whenever she's in to help me."

He didn't know how familiarized her students were about with his stage presence, despite being in all of his father's ballets, and thus donned a cap she had loitering in the back office. He used it to hide himself from her students and make it a little more impossible to tell who he was. He tried to put as much of his hair underneath the cap as possible and hide his eyes with the brim. He didn't need to cause her anymore undue stress than she was going to endure with his being here. The Agreste Dance Troupe was famous in Paris and anyone interested in ballet, or not interested even, would have heard of it.

If someone found out he was here, his father's wrath would definitely fall upon her.

He mainly sat next to the small cd player and changed songs upon request. It was fun to watch her interact with the kids and perform with them. She was a great teacher, good with the kids, and her moves were flawless. She was funny, kind, talented, and very knowledgeable. The smile she gave them at times, or the laugh when they told a joke, made his heart flutter. He couldn't help but watch her and nod at her coaching, knowing her directions all by heart.

There were a few times that she asked him to help her students when they were doing specific sets of moves and she needed to focus on only one person. It took a second for him to get his ballet slippers on. The others seemed a little reserved, but once they were aware of his obvious skills and easygoing demeanor, they lightened up and smiled back at him.

Two classes were fairly short compared to what he was used to. They were only an hour a piece and that really didn't seem like enough time to do all that she got done. He was more than impressed at her teaching and dancing abilities in the classroom. She really was amazing and he almost wished he had her as a teacher instead of The Beast. Her knowledge easily rivaled his and he had been doing ballet for a decade now.

He was still wearing his slippers when the last student headed out with a wave. He watched her from the floor in back of the small studio, waving to them and bidding them cheerful goodbyes.

She stood in the open doorway for a bit before flipping the sign to 'closed' and slowly closing the door behind her. She didn't turn his way, merely rested her hand on the knob. He wondered what was going through her mind and decided to prod...hoping it still wasn't about him. He didn't want such dark clouds to hover over her after seeing how cheerful she had been.

"Well...that was fun..." He lightly threw out. He leaned on his legs and threw his arms over his knees. "What are we going to do now?"

That got her to look at him. He noticed how absentminded she seemed during the second class and his head cocked to the side. She stared at the floor, obviously thinking of something and he was dying to know what it was. He remained in his sitting stance, taking in her morning attire and slippers. She looked adorable like that, but he tried to bypass the fluttering in his chest for what was on her mind.

A hand rose and rubbed over her lower lip as she thought. She had almost forgotten he even spoke, was even there, until she looked to him. "Your...your father's fall auditions are coming up soon..." She quietly began. She looked away, feeling a little bad at having mentioned it. She was silent for a few more seconds before pushing on. "This is my last attempt before I move on and give up. I told you during the spring auditions about it, if you remember." She watched him nod, smiling a little that he remembered.

"You were going to do fashion school." He added. His brow furrowed. "I still don't know why you would change to such drastically different subjects. Why fashion school?"

She smiled. "I also create things. It's just one of my natural talents." A hand pointed to her outfit. "I made these clothes. And my Underground outfit. And my purse. Plus some other things in my room."

His mouth dropped open. "That's pretty cool! Can you make me something?" He blurted out. She blinked at him, brow raising. He quickly waved a hand at her. "Kidding, kidding." He grinned.

The smile fell a second later when something occurred to him. "If you're going to forgo ballet for fashion, what's going to happen to this place? What'll happen to the Underground?"

"I haven't thought that far in advance. I'm still hoping I get into ballet school. Since I'm kind of stuck in limbo, I haven't given any thought to moving on from either of those places." She sighed, crossing her arms.

"I need to find something more amazing than even Swan Lake to impress your father with. I've been trying to think of what I need to show him in order to get accepted." A knowing smile peeked through as she thought to the poorly-formed idea she was still working on. "I think I may have finally found something to use to my advantage though..."

A brow rose at that utterly mysterious sentence. "Oh?" His head tilted. "Well...if you want, you could tell me your idea. Being an Agreste and privy to how father works and all that..."

She stared at him, a smirk forming. She'd do more than tell him...

Not that he would probably mind.

She didn't answer and instead crossed the area in her slippers to grab her duffel from the back office. She dropped it near him and rummaged through it, grabbing a cd from it seconds later. She handed it over and let him look at it. "I still need to get the choreography fully worked out, but I'm thinking I'm going to use a song in this cd."

She watched him pop open the case and look to the lyrics booklet. She saw recognition come as he flipped the unreadable pages. He found the printout she made from the internet so she didn't just have the Korean lyrics.

"You seem to be aware of the songs by this band from the Underground, yes? There's one in here I was thinking may just work." Her fingers laced through each other. "If I can't do just ballet because my hip hop shows through, then I'll find a way to mold the two together and blow your father out of the water."

A brow rose, as did his skepticism. It was risky and knowing his father, which he did, it may not work...not that he wanted to tell her that. She seemed somewhat pleased with the idea and he couldn't bring himself to burst her bubble.

He looked to her with a smile and popped the cd from the case. "How about you show me then and I'll judge for myself. I've done so in the past, so this time won't be any different, right?"

She nodding and standing. "Track three. Butterfly. Make sure to turn it up. I work best when I can't hear anything but the music."

She headed for the middle of the room and suddenly spun to him before he could press play. "Familiarize yourself with lyrics so you know what it's about. The song is in Korean so you won't have any idea otherwise." She watched him open up the paper and scan the words. His brows moved in time with his interest and confusion, but he would know more soon enough.

When he finished and looked up, she pointed a finger at him as if he were already ready to rebuke her. "This is just a really rough draft mind you! I only thought of it this morning when we were walking to the school. I kind of thought up some of the moves during class with the others. It still needs a lot of work, but I'm hoping that if I can impress your father with a dance that I created, he may just bend and let me in."

He shrugged and shook his head. "Well...show me what you've got so far and I'll give my two cents where I can."

She nodded and took a few deep breaths, rolled her shoulders and neck a few times before shaking her fingers. "Be the butterfly...be the butterfly..." She mumbled, mostly to herself. She took one of the five foot positions, heart starting to race, and looked to him.

The second he pressed play, the song started (1) and she jumped into action. He tried to keep the paper in his hands so he could keep up with the words and watch her dance, but it soon proved to be less attractive than her movements. The romance of the words and the melody, combined with her utterly graceful twirling and dipping, entranced him and he soon forgot he was even holding the sheet in his fingers.

She was much more elegant than the Odette she tried to play mere months ago. None of the swans he had ever danced with, had practiced with, could ever compare to her. She had gone beyond the bulky, large swan into a beautiful butterfly flittering around. Even when the song sped up about halfway and totally changed tempo, she went with it and twirled at a speed and fluidity that had him stunned.

The words he could remember ran through his brain and he was vaguely aware of his heart speeding up. It felt harder to breathe properly and he forgot to blink in his attempt to watch every second, every move. He became overwhelmed as his emotions swallowed him up...what she caused a surge of with mere spinning and variety of movements. She was amazing and she had him awestruck. He wasn't even aware when the paper fluttered out of his hands and fell to the ground below.

When the music stopped as suddenly as it started, she ended in an Arabesque Penché and looked his way for the critique. She quickly straightened at the strange look on his face. He suddenly seemed to return to himself, shaking his head and blinking. His abrupt, deep inhale had her at his side in a second. "Hey...what's wrong with you? Are you okay?!"

She shook a shoulder, face wrought with confusion. All he could see were her blue eyes so close to his, jotting around his face as if he were injured. He didn't hear her words, too consumed by the feelings that ran free during her dance, and he didn't even control his movements.

His emotions directed him and a hand whipped out, clutching the back of her head and bringing her lips crashing over his.

Her eyes flew wide, staring at his lashes as she felt the heat of his mouth against hers. The blood roared in her ears, adrenaline spiking to such a degree that she had never felt in any time she had danced with him. The slow touch of his lips, the gentle pressure he applied, had her lost for agonizing moments before her wits finally returned and she shoved at his chest.

She wrenched herself away and fell back onto the floor, face hotter than the sun and eyes about ready to pop out of her head. "W – w – what...what was that?!" She stuttered, the back of her hand pressing against her lips as she scooted away a few paces. She wanted to tear off across the floor and hide in the office from him! What did he do that for?!

His face was probably as red as hers, heart racing just as much. His chest heaved in attempt to get his breathing under control from that stunt. He stared at her, feeling her lips still and badly wishing they were still there. He had no way to explain his actions and thus remained quiet, although he felt like his eyes gave him away.

He gave it only a few more rapid heartbeats before he scooted to her and grasped a hand. He gave it a squeeze, piercing her with the awed inspiration she gave him. "That...that was...incredible! Your moves...they...they were flawless! I can't believe it! You were amazing; you could totally win my father over with this!" He couldn't help the smile that gradually appeared. "It's just...you just need something...like a...a partner..."

He was bypassing the kiss like it never happened, but his words had her brow going up. She gave him a weird look and yanked her hand back, not comfortable with him being so close, let alone touching her after what he just did.

She looked away, resisting the urge to fidget. "I kind of have to do a solo audition, or have you forgotten that? Do you think you'll be able to go with me and dance on stage when you've been judging me the last few years?"

"I'd find a way."

Her eyes narrowed a little at his cocky attitude. She tuned in to her Underground personae a bit as she stared at her usual partner, wondering at his means.

Her partner, Chat Noir. He had been watching her like he would die if he stopped staring and then he went and kissed her! Now he was wanting to help her on her audition to the point of joining it? Her chin rose a little.

"Okay Monsieur Agreste...why don't you prove to me that I require a partner for this song... Not that I'm accepting this, mind you. I just want to see what you're thinking." She didn't wait for him to stand as she got to her feet and left him on the floor for the middle of the room.

He quickly grabbed the remote and hurried to stand in front of her. His hear thundered in his ears as he looked at her for a second before turning to the remote. The sudden adrenaline in his system made his breathing a little choppier. He had never been this nervous when doing ballet! Ingrained perfection was suddenly riding on his ability to show her that they belonged together on his father's stage for her final audition.

He got the song situated and gave her a final look. She nodded that she was ready and he pressed play before tossing it onto the floor.

She started in first, some of the moves different from what she just did since they hadn't been practiced enough to be memorized. More of her moves changed as he forced her to adapt when he joined her.

He thought to the song and became the artist who sang the words to his butterfly in wish to keep her from flying away. He spun around her and attempted to take her hands a few times when the feel of the music was there. His new personae chased after her whenever she tried to flutter too far away. He didn't think to his footing, just went with the heart of the song and how she made him want to keep her close. Years of experience flowed through him like water.

The soft, melodic voices, with words that he occasionally understood, reminded him of most the lyrics and the heart of the song. A love song from a man to a woman whom he was so in enamored with and was scared may fly away from him any second, never to be seen again. The singer wanted to pause time so badly because if it moved, all of their time together would be nothing more than a bittersweet dream. He felt a horrible kinship to the words, to the singers, and his heart pained him whenever she got outside touching distance. It looked like she would take off into the sky without a care and he found himself lost in the dance...lost in his own emotions that made him run after her again and again.

She could feel the difference in this dance versus the first. Their previous time together in the Underground helped them to read each other's moves well and she flowed with him, as he did with her. There was a sense of romance that they were exuding...hard as she may try to deny acknowledging it.

She tuned in to his movements, heart speeding up whenever she caught that soft, almost pleading look in his eyes. Her heart thudded in her chest and she moved away instinctively, somewhat surprised when he expertly followed in perfect form and in time to the music. She was amazed at how well their ballet was, though with what they had done for months on end almost every night, it shouldn't be shocking.

The song finally stopped, but broke only the part of the spell. They ended in the final pose he made up, staring at each other mere inches away in the silence. He balanced in a dip on one foot, leaning over her. The other strayed away from him, his toes the only thing touching the ground to keep him stabilized. One hand was over the small of her back to help her balance, the other gracefully behind him to maintain their weight. She was arched back, hands behind her to mimic a pair of closed wings at being caught, one leg angled behind for balance.

He slowly helped her straighten, seeing she was breathing as hard as he was...from exertion or emotion he didn't know. His heart was pounding in his chest, blood roaring in his ears. Her eyes seemed a little clouded, perhaps as much as his were, and she was directing them his way. She was slightly breathless, red in the face, eyes full of emotion. She was absolutely breathtaking and it was hard to breathe with her this close. The fingers still resting over her back died there and remained.

He stared, harshly swallowing and forgetting everything outside of them. His free hand slowly, eventually, floated up to gently cup a cheek. His eyes darted over her features, watching her eyes widen a little...teeth catching her lower lip in uncertainty. His lips tilted just a little, feeling his heart expand even further for her. "See? You just needed a partner..."

(1) Butterfly song: youtube com/watch?v=TfKYWOUlq1o

Ballet moves: en wikipedia org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet