A/B/O Promptis Ball/Teach me to dance

[starless_sky]

The newspapers and the internet alike were abuzz with the news about the red carpet gala happening at the the Citadel. It was some charity ball but the tabloids and entertainment news didn't waste a chance to gush about the celebrities who were already confirmed to be attending. The dignitaries, the CEO's, the movie stars, singers, the socialites... and of course the royal family. It was so rare that Prince Noctis showed his face at such events it was an event in and of itself to see him shined up like a new crown and MAN was he a HUNK now. Right ladies? What is he going to wear? YSL? Burberry? Take a look at this edition of Elle~

That garbage was why Noct ignored the news. He stayed offline, didn't have a twitter account, didn't post photos of himself ever. He was comfortable that way. It was just him and Prompto and he needed little else. Things were great at home. They had school and all but they worked on their studies... on Ignis' orders. And they had each other. Noctis couldn't put to words how nice it was to have someone to look forward to seeing, someone to come home to. He had his best friend and his lover all in one and he never knew how lonely he'd been until he wasn't alone anymore. He had Prompto. Not just for sex but to curl up with and to talk to and to laugh with. He was his person. 

His father was well aware of the changes in him and Noctis hadn't made it a secret that he'd taken a mate. Regis wasn't exactly thrilled with his son's choices in bonding so young wihout consulting anyone but he did not say much on the matter. It was done, unable to be undone now. And Regis did not dislike Prompto, quite the opposite. But he wished... he wished for a lot of things. That they had been older, that it had been under less dire circumstances, that they'd talked about it beforehand... but he couldn't regret the marriage. He could not, as a father, regret anything that made his son so happy. 

It was Regis' idea that they hold the charity ball and that Noctis should attend. With Prompto. Officially. It was a positive way to bring Prompto out to the public, it would be a lovely way to take control of the PR moment and stage it in a nice light... and also not allow the reporters to eat Prompto alive. It was a perfect opportunity. Noctis couldn't deny it, but that required getting Prompto Ball-Ready which.... was why he was sitting flipping through music and wondering how he could teach his mate to dance. He didn't know how to dance, he just did it on command, he didn't think about it. How could he explain it? 

He'd tried to get Ignis to teach Prompto only to be shot down. 'He is your mate, you will be the one leading him, he needs to learn how to read you, Noct, not any lead but you.' 

And so here he was trying to figure out how to start this at home. Just them with some music. He had pushed the couch to the windows, the dining table too. The floor was wide open and before he saw Prompto, Noctis just wanted to get the steps in his head. He started a waltz and began stepping across the floor, arms out for an invisible partner. Expertly he danced alone but he was trying to mind his own movements and try to find words to explain them to his mate.

Comments

[everatyourside]

"Okay..."

He let Noct take his hand and pull him along, but his gaze dropped to their feet, watching where Noct stepped and trying to move along. He stumbles a couple times, taking a stuttered step to catch up, but more or less following along. It's not graceful, not like how Noct was moving on his own, but he manages, more or less.

"R-right," Prompto replied, feeling pretty far out of his depth. He feels like a new baby chocobo, wobbling around on unsteady legs, and the thought of looking this inept in front of a crowd has him feeling just as shaky inside as out. His nerves cause a mis-step, right on Noct's toes, and he stumbles back to correct it, losing his balance as he tries to pull back.

"Oh- I- Gods, Noct, I'm sorry, I- Is your foot okay?"

[starless_sky]

He may be going too fast but he had to start Prompto somewhere. They didn't have forever until the ball. Didn't they teach people in a week on Dancing with the Stars? He could do this... Right? He and Prompto had longer than that!

"Don't look at your feet, look at me." looking at his feet is going to get him off... Aaaand he was right. The way he stumbled was kind of artful. It was like a dance all on its own. Noct darted forward, curling an arm around Prompto to catch him before he fell.

"Woah... You ok?" he smiled gently. "It's alright. You want to try again? I'll go slow. "

[everatyourside]

Prompto was pretty skeptical that it would help to look at Noct instead of his feet. At least his feet gave some indication of where he might move next. But looking into Noct's eyes was just going to get him flustered for a whole other reason.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I- sorry," he mumbled, at least Noct had caught him so he wasn't falling all over the floor, but his confidence took a knock and it wasn't terribly high to begin with. He knew he needed to calm down and maybe going slower would help. It was impossible to say no to Noct when he smiled like that.

"I'll do better," he promised. Maybe not immediately, but hopefully they had enough time to practice til he got it right

[starless_sky]

He had to get over that too. But it was like watching your fingers when playing piano. It just made you trip up when your fingers knew where to go and you thought too much about it. Prompto would get used to it.

"I went too fast. It's my fault. Come on." he held Prompto close before starting again. He knew this was asking a lot for him to master a new skill and demonstrate it for the world to see in just a few weeks. He ought to spoil Prompto more...

"Just a few minutes and then we can call it quits for tonight. I'll take you to look at cameras." because he felt like a demanding mate asking him to do this.

[everatyourside]

Noct took the blame, but Prompto wasn't entirely sure he agreed. All the same, he nodded, willing to keep trying. The position was closer this time, he was almost sure, but he took a breath and tried not to look down.

"You don't... have to. I want to learn it," Prompto insisted. If he wasn't watching Noct's feet, he'd have to pay attention to other tells. With how close they'd gotten, both on the training grounds and in the bedroom, he knew Noct's movements intimately. It was just a matter of equating that to a dance floor.

[starless_sky]

He was the lead and in dancing if the follow falls it is the lead's fault. He had to give Prompto ample opportunity to get used to the newness of all this.

"Alright then, we can try this and look at cameras tomorrow." he had promised it now so they had to. Besides, Prompto was going through a lot of adjustment so well. He deserved a treat.

"You'll do great. I know you will. Just look at me. We'll go slow, just straight... okay?" and across the room he went. "Okay, now let's go to the right.... now the left... I'm gonna go backwards ok? We can do this a few times and when you are ready I want to try it without cues."

[everatyourside]

Cameras tomorrow sounded fun, Prompto loved going to see what the latest lenses and filters looked like, thought about how it might be to set up a nice studio somewhere someday. Backdrops and lightboxes, the works. Outdoor stuff was his passion, sure, but he liked learning about all the equipment, and being able to control his lighting and effects was fun too.

"Ooh, I wanted to look at some of the gels they got for the latest Lokton model..."

Prompto followed along much better the second time, finding it was easier if he put his weight more in the balls of his feet so he could pivot and move with more agility and without stumbling quite as much. He had to focus on the small things, the way Noct's hand seemed to cue him to the direction they'd move, with a slight push or pull. The way his eyes flicked for a moment here or there, making sure their path was clear. He wasn't sure he could do it without the verbal cues yet, but the other cues were slowly becoming more obvious.

"Y-yeah, I think- I- maybe..."

[starless_sky]

He knew Prompto went a bit gaga over things like that. He didn't necessarily understand the difference between... any of them... but he just went along and let Prompto browse as long as he wanted. He couldn't tell the things apart so Prompto had to pick out what he wanted if he wanted an upgrade. One lens looked the same as another to Noctis. Maybe when they were older Noctis would turn this apartment into an indoor studio for Prompto or designate a room in the citadel for him to transform as he wished... maybe as a wedding gift.

"They use gel? Isn't that bad for cameras?" he was clueless about them. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what a lens pen was.

Noctis praised him for his good routines. He hadn't even thought to tell Prompto that he ought to look for the pull or push in his hand. Again, it was all automatic. He would glance in the direction they needed to go and that subtle hand would be Prompto's lifeline.

"This hand." he squeezed him. "Never lets go of mine, the other you can let go for spins or something. But I always guide you with this one." it came to him belatedly. He was a bit embarrassed. He wasn't the best teacher, Prompto was an apt pupil though.

"You're doing really well. Do you want to try it without cues? Same path, same timing, you can do it."

[everatyourside]

"N-not that kind of gel," Prompto explained, "it's more like, it lets me use color in a lot of different ways, kind of like a filter? They're basically sheets of thick colored plastic. You uh- you bounce light with one and..." he trailed off, somewhat self-conscious about getting too technical. He didn't want to bore Noct with the details. And with photography a lot of time it was more about showing the result than talking shop.

It was a relief to know that the hand-holding part was something he was supposed to catch on to. And knowing he only had to worry about the one was helpful as well. He wasn't sure he was ready for spins, but he nodded to show he understood, all the same.

"Yeah! Why don't we try it?" Prompto agreed. If he could follow okay talking photography without stumbling, if he was concentrating, he could probably do it without the verbal cues, right? Hopefully? Noct said he was doing alright, and he hadn't fallen since the first one. Or stepped on Noct's foot again.

[starless_sky]

"Oh. That makes sense." he felt a bit foolish not knowing a damn thing about cameras. He tried but there was just so much and honestly, it was overwhelming. He had no idea where to start. Sometimes when Prompto talked about it he was already lost but he wanted to be a good mate so he just smiled and nodded along... like a complete ass. "Go on, I want to hear." he had to learn at some point.

Prompto was lucky he was as smart as he was. Noctis was a bit bone-headed about how to explain things he'd done without thinking for so long. He wasn't the best teacher either. If Prompto was a poor student on top of that they'd be in need of Ignis as an intervention.

"Alright, same as the other times, come with me." and Noct started backward, then to the right, then the left, and pushing Prompto back. He only pushed him with his hand as a warning beforehand. Teaching him the signal now while he was expecting it so later when he wasn't he could recognize it. Hopefully.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?"

[everatyourside]

"Yeah?"

Prompto perked up immediately when Noct showed interest, unable to keep a smile from his lips. His folks had never cared much about his photography, so he mostly kept it to himself. But the topic brought him endless excitement.

"Mm, okay, so you know how some cameras have a flash, right? They also have lights you can trigger to flash in time with the one on your camera, kinda like... remote? Or you set them to go off one after the other real fast. It lets you have like, absolute control of what the light looks like when you do things like portraits," he started, hardly even aware that Noct had started leading him.

"So if you use gels with it, you can also throw color on the subject, it like... it's like shining a really soft light on them in just the right places, so you get all the artsy stuff."

Before he knew it, he'd finished, and he blinked a few times, back in starting position. Had he done okay? He hadn't stepped on Noct that round, and he hadn't fallen over. But when his attention was focused on something else, it was a lot easier to just let Noct lead and his body react and follow. His mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

"How did you do that?" he gaped, one brow raising in a teasing pout, "magic? hypnotism? a blessing from the gods?"

[starless_sky]

The way Prompto lit up was worth every bit of Noct's confusion. He loved the way his mate lit up when he blathered on. He just wanted to know what he was going on about. But as Prompto continued he understood it just fine.

"Sounds like you can customize exactly how your photo would look. And you'd have a lot of options to customize." hell, you could get lost in just the options alone if there were a lot of choices for flashes, lights, and gels. Did Prompto... need more of those things? Noctis didn't really know what he was looking at and thus had no clue what Prompto had or needed. If he was going to surprise Prompto with camera goodies he couldn't just peek at his stash and buy something.

But before he knew it they were finished with their lap around the living room and Prompto had done perfectly. So that was it. Distraction. Of course, he knew that Prompto overthought stuff... so he had to busy his brain and he'd do it. Of course... so he could just talk with him. Easy.

"You did it. Not me." he smiled at him. "Do you want to go again or... try a few steps?"

[everatyourside]

"I..."

Prompto still wasn't sure how he'd done it. Or if he could do it again. But he was pretty sure it had a lot more to do with Noct being a good lead than it did with anything he'd done. Doubt crept in, urging him that if he couldn't replicate the result, it was probably just a fluke.

"Can I try again?" Prompto looked down, flustered by the praise he wasn't sure he deserved. "I just... I wanna be sure I have it right."

Especially if they were going to be doing this in front of all those important people, maybe in front of cameras or press? It was easy to let Noct distract him into doing it right when it was just the two of them, but it would be so different at the event.

[starless_sky]

"Sure. Alright... Ready?" slowly he'd start same as before. But this time he just started talking.

"So... Those gels. Do you have a lot of them? Do they come in a lot of shades?" this could pull double duty as Prompto's distraction and his way to discover cameras. In fact... This might be the subject that could distract Prompto even in a ballroom full of people. He fully expected this to be a game changer now. Prompto could just dance like it was effortless and discuss his favorite hobby at the same time. He'd rather talk while dancing anyway. And maybe he would figure out what to buy for Prompto's birthday.

[everatyourside]

"Um... I think so," he said after a moment, brows knitting together in concentration. Prompto was expecting the talk this time, but tried to force himself to pay attention to both, rather than let them flow naturally. But Noct hadn't started moving either; was he interested, or trying to distract him? Could it be that easy? What if he tripped up during a crucial moment?

"Oh, u-um. I don't. That is. Have any, I mean. I tried them at school a few times, but I don't own any."

He found his gaze dropping from Noct's eyes to their feet, worried for when they might start moving again. Was it back and then left? No, he was sure it was right, not left.

"I... yeah, they come in every color. Most photographers just get the basics though. Red, yellow, blue," he explained before trailing off.

"Sorry, I... is everything okay?"

[starless_sky]

Noctis stammered, he hadn't realized he stopped. "I ah-- No. I mean yeah, it's fine." he started moving around the living room again, no cues other than his hand. Oops.

"Sorry. You're just... when you get so excited about things it's hard to look away." or think about much else it seems. Was he that easy to captivate? Was Prompto just that captivating? He was making an ass of himself as a lead.

"So you don't have any." he could get those for him... unless they got them tomorrow. But he didn't want to cut Prompto short, his birthday wasn't until October after all. He shouldn't have to wait so long for something just because Noctis couldn't think of anything else to get him.

Around the living room floor, soon they were at their starting point again, Noctis wondered if he could try to get Prompto to just twirl. A simple single turn, he pushes out with his hand guiding Prompto in a circle and then back to center with him. What could go wrong?

[everatyourside]

Prompto hadn't even thought it might be the same for Noct. He'd seemed so graceful all on his own, walking through the steps, but surely it must take a great deal of concentration to lead, to worry about whether a partner could keep up, if they were following properly, signalling their movements, not to mention keeping in time with the music.

The sudden compliment threw him though, enough that his feet followed without much conscious thought of them and a blush rose in his pale, freckled skin.

"Oh, I... probably shouldn't distract you... right?" he said somewhat guiltily.

Prompto shook his head, almost missed a cue, but stumbled back into the steps a moment later. Still, he'd call it a win, making it back to the starting position once more. The next cue was unfamiliar, and while Noct usually moved with him, as his hand signaled, this time, only his hand seemed to lead.

He followed, body spinning in a tight circle before returning. His steps are probably a mess, but he does follow, even if he bumps into Noct as he spins back into his arms, off-balancing slightly and leaning into his partner. He laughs a little breathlessly against him.

"What was that?"

[starless_sky]

He was poised but he was easily distracted by a pretty face... as it seemed. At least this one pretty face. This was going to be a difficult balance. Trying to distract Prompto enough to get him to dance but not so much that Noct forgot to... or he could just be more honest about his idea.

"I was trying to distract you. You do much better when you are talking about cameras. You did great just now. And..." he leaned in to peck his mate's lips. "That was just a spin. You did great. If you can follow my hand you can do anything. Dancing is about trust. So trust me, I won't let you fall." it was almost a sort of alpha/omega relationship on the dancefloor. A leader who controlled and a follower who obeyed. Their success and failure ultimately fell to the lead. The alpha. Noctis didn't think he was a leader so much as a partner but... still.

"Do you... want to try it again? Spinning?"

[everatyourside]

Prompto laughed again, his hand instinctively wrapping around Noct's waist as he leaned into him.

"We're a real mess huh," he shook his head, looking up just in time to catch the kiss Noct brushed against his lips. He knew he could be easily distracted, but it usually worked against him, not for him. That Noct could strategize well enough to actually make him a better dancer with it, he really was brilliant.

He reached up, kissing the tip of his nose playfully, feeling himself relax, getting more comfortable in this position, less intimidated by the idea. Trust? He had that for Noct in spades and he should've listened, should've been a better follower. Noct wouldn't drag him into something he didn't think he could handle. Noct wouldn't let him fall.

"I trust you," he insisted, "there's no one I trust more."

Prompto was finally starting to get into it, to actually enjoy exercise and learning something new. The spin had been a little dizzying, but it seemed fun, especially if he could get it right.

"Yeah, yeah, let's give it a shot!"

[starless_sky]

"Guess so." he smiled a bit wearily at Prompto. He was kind of tired of being such a mess. He knew he had to get it together. Sometimes he thought it might be the day but here he was still being a weirdo who didn't communicate well.

He wiggled his nose in response to it being kissed. Prompto seemed playful so that was a good sign. He'd likely do well this next time around the floor. But first, he wanted to just spin him.

"Okay, just like this, I push with my hand and that signals you go back, you always turn in the direction of this hand, ok?" he pushed his hand forward, turning Prompto as he just had before. Slowly this time. "And then you come back to center with me. I take your free hand and we continue... so let's go as we did before. I'll spin you and we'll go around the room, and when we get back here I'll spin you again. No cues."

If Prompto had any protests he'd listen but otherwise, Noct counted silently in his head and started with a gentle spin, twirling his Omega and then he started them off around the living room same as before. This was slow but at the same time, Prompto was making great progress. While they hadn't gotten specific steps in, Prompto was learning the meat of dancing which was body language and unspoken cues. If nothing else, he knew his mate could follow him specifically. And if Prompto could follow him they could perform any dance. It was all numbers and steps at this point.

[everatyourside]

Prompto's laughter died at that expression. He was so used to using self-depricating humor on himself, sometimes it just didn't register that it could be hurtful to others too. If anyone was responsible for their failure, it had to be Prompto, completely inexperienced as he was. He had to try harder, had to show Noct they could make it work. That Noct was a good teacher, he was just a poor student.

"We'll get it."

He tried to focus all of his concentration into listening and making his body obey, following Noct's demonstration and quietly nodding along. The spin was just another addition to the steps he already knew. A bit of flair. It was still little more than rhythmic walking, right?

"Mm, y-yeah, I think."

He was a little stiff as he moved, forcing his concentration, ready for each small cue as they made their way around the living room. It was easier this time, repetition helping it sink in, helping his body memorize the motions. Halfway through he realized he'd been holding his breath, and let it out shakily, managing to keep up a bit smoother, to follow without stumbling. He'd prove Noct was a good teacher.

[starless_sky]

That's where he was wrong. Noctis was the one who needed to practice more. Not only in being expressive but in explaining this new world to his mate. They lived in privacy here in the apartment but the ball represented that changing. The walls were coming down between Prompto and himself and the world.

"I know..." it was a crime that Prompto was trying to make himself the problem child. That he was trying to cover for his Alpha's flaws was saintly. But Noctis wouldn't have it if he knew that's what his mate was doing and as Prompto exhaled while they moved he knew he needed to step it up.

As they made it back around the room he spun Prompto one more time.

"Good. Really good. Let's take a break. Do you... Feel ok?" feelings weren't the easiest thing for him to talk about but he seemed to be making Prompto more nervous, not less.

[everatyourside]

Prompto got the feeling Noct was still blaming himself, and hoped his own performance made his mate feel a little better. He managed to complete the circuit without stumbling, perhaps a bit stiffly. He wanted to hold Noct and tell him he'd be fine, that he'd do his best not to mess up.

As they finished though, Noct seemed pleased by his improvement, if somewhat worried. He was doing ok, right? Maybe a break would help.

"I... sorry, I'll get it, I just- keep thinking about all those people watching and..." he shook his head. "Sorry, it's dumb. I know this is important. I'll practice, I promise!"

[starless_sky]

There he was being the emotional dummy between them. Prompto was having to do the heavy lifting here. Offering comfort when that was Noct's job. It wasn't until Prompto was audibly nervous that it dawned on Noctis to do something.

He pulled his mate into a hug and slowly rubbed his back. One hand went to the back of Prompto's head.

"It's not dumb. I get it. I don't like them watching either... But you'll be ok. You've done the hard part already." he thought about what Prompto was saying. He needed to know he wasn't going to be rejected.

"No matter what we do someone is going to disapprove. I'm not taking you to the ball to get the public's approval. I'm introducing you so they can get used to you as my partner. Whether they like that or not. But they will. You're one of them. They'll love you."

[everatyourside]

Prompto sighed into the embrace, tucking his head under Noct's chin and leaning on him, breathing in his comforting scent. It was so much easier to relax here, to let that comfort and serenity in.

It was probably true that someone would dislike the idea of the future king mating with some immigrant peasant, okay, maybe a lot of someones would dislike it. He couldn't change the circumstances of his birth, but he could still try his best to be someone who could support his mate, to understand his heavy burdens, to not let his actions reflect badly on Noct.

And that now included things like politics and fancy dinners and press conferences and yes, knowing how to dance in a formal setting.

"I know..." he conceded, "I'm not worried about me, I'm worried... I just don't want to, y'know, reflect badly on you. Make them think you made the wrong decision or... or question your judgment I guess."

The public might approve. But for every common Lucian citizen who agreed, he was sure there were a bunch of politicians who were frustrated Noctis hadn't picked a powerful allied country to marry into.

You're one of them. He tensed, but only for a moment. Was he? Noct knew he wasn't Lucian. What if the circumstances of his birth came to light? His features definitely weren't classically Lucian, he could maybe pass as Tenebraen. Maybe. But people would suspect, wouldn't they? And if they found out the truth...

"I hope so."