𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 // mcyt apply fic // ᶜˡᵒˢᵉᵈ

⁰²² ᴛʜᴇ sʟᴏᴡ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ

𝟶𝟸𝟸. [𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.]

𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜

-

Techno took Iris to her first dance. For the record, it was his first too.

It was in middle school, 'The Holiday Dance'. Like most junior high dances, it was awkward. They never really specified whether they were going as friends or as something more, but he hugged her at the end of the night and that was enough to fill her stomach with butterflies.

So, it's kind of fitting that he's taking her to Senior Winter Ball. They've come full circle in a way. Of course, for the second time around, neither of them know if they're just friends anymore. Even though everything feels the same, but Iris is smart enough to know that it's not.

Techno picks her up a half an hour early to get milkshakes, sure, but the silence between them is not it's normal, comfortable self. It's tense, awkward even.

They really are just repeating seventh grade, aren't they?

-

The night of the dance is not very wintery. It's a brisk fifty degrees, though still not warm enough to be ideal for Iris's strapless dress.

They stop in front of the door before walking in, staring at each other. Techno reaches out, placing his hand on her jaw and swiping his thumb across her cheek. Iris freezes, feeling heat creep across her face.

"Whipped cream," He whispers, and it almost sounds like an excuse.

"Oh," Iris says. Maybe she wishes it was an excuse.

Somehow, after that, it's less tense. Maybe finally acknowledging the thing between them was the missing key. Iris brushes off thoughts of that night, of his lips on hers, and lets herself get swept up in the dance.

-

They gather in a big group, the whole diner gang (and their dates) on the dance floor, jumping up and down to the music until Iris is sweaty and her makeup is starting to slide off her face. The Dj finally turns on a slow dance, and as they start to pair off, she looks over at him, eyes sparkling.

"Tech?" She starts with a toothy smile.

"Hm?"

"Your tie is messed up," she says, and moves forward, her hands sliding along his collar. His breath hitches as she looks up at him, blindly retying the silk.

He breathes out, "Thank you," as her hands slide down to rest on his chest. The lights are low and the music bleeds out of the speakers in slow beats.

She bites her lip. "Wanna dance?"

He's looking at her like she's his whole world, this girl he's known nearly his entire life. "I thought you'd never ask," He grins, whisking her into a twirl. She throws her head back and laughs, and the music is so loud he almost doesn't get to hear it.

When she twirls back in, pressed against his chest, he presses a kiss to her forehead. "Your laugh is so pretty," He admits, and she ducks her head to hide her blush.

"Shut up," she says, but she's smiling as she rests her head on his shoulder.

-

Eventually Techno disappears to the bathroom, and Iris is left standing by the snacks, scrolling on her phone while she waits for his return.

Here With Me by D4VD starts playing and Iris lets out a sigh, glancing back to the doors. "I love this song," She says quietly to herself.

"Of course you do," Says a voice behind her. She spins around, rolling her eyes when she sees him.

It had to be him, didn't it?

"Where's your date?"

She scoffs. "Bathroom,"

He smirks, stepping closer, a teasing edge to his voice. "It'd be a shame if you didn't get a chance to dance to your favorite song," She takes a deep breath, and this time it's her turn to take a step closer.

"A real shame," She echoes.

He leads her onto the dance floor wordlessly, hand on her waist. And then, they dance. It's a slow sway, and when Iris lifts her head from his shoulder to look up at him, he's already looking down at her.

So what she feels a spark? It's a slow dance, of course she's gonna feel a little electricity. It's not him, it's the dance, she tells herself.

She pulls apart from him quickly the second the song ends, and she sees Techno watching them from their table, jaw clenched and bouquet in hand.

"Hey, you okay?" she asks, walking over to him. Guilt is filling up her chest, even though she's not sure what she's supposed to feel guilty about. It's not like they're together or anything.

"Yeah." He replies dryly. "Here, I went out back and picked these for you while you were dancing with..." He trails off, sending a glare over to Dream. He hands her the tulips, and her mouth falls open a little. So that's what she has to feel guilty for. She might've felt a spark while dancing with Dream, but this is something else entirely. Her whole heart feels warm. Loving Techno feels like the warmth that radiates off of a hearth, cozy and safe and simple. And in this moment, she really does love him.

She doesn't say that though. She just gestures to the dance floor and asks: "Can we dance?"

His hard-set expression melts a little bit and he nods, waiting for her to set the flowers down before pulling her back onto the dance floor.

She thinks she might love Techno, no matter what. His presence is the most comforting thing in life right now, and she wants to stay like this, head on his chest, forever. He's warm and soft and safe, and some part of her is finally caving into the idea that this might be more than just platonic. That maybe it's been more than that for a while, and she just didn't notice.

When she pulls her head off his chest and kisses him, everything else just fades away. 

-

[𝟶𝟸.𝟷𝟷.𝟸𝟹]