(January '17) Prompt #1- "I am never gonna dance again"

[Kris]

January's 1st prompt is "I am never gonna dance again"



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[Omac]

So I have to post them to Wattpad, because it crashes when I copy and paste from Google Docs to RPA for some reason. Here. (https://www.wattpad.com/357142162-crystal-cavern-2017-i-will-never-gonna-dance-again) It got weird... I hinted at a larger story in the mix of all the fun.

[ArtisticVicu]

His leg gave out from under him and he hit the ground hard. He was glad that Tony was the only one there as embarrassment rushed through him, coloring his cheeks and driving him to push himself back up. Calloused hands redirected his motion into a sitting one and he grunted in disdain, grounding out, “I’m fine.”

“Doesn’t matter,” the inventor retorted, hands moving over the prosthetic. “I want to check the limb.”

Steve leaned back on his hands, letting out a huff of air. His frustration slowly faded as he watched Tony work with half lidded eyes. A soft wind kicked up and it drew Steve’s gaze away and up. Soft, white clouds slowly drift by as the wind curled around him and he briefly forgot his frustration as he watches the sky.

Those same calloused hands that had created the prosthetic moved over the stump and across to the other limb. Steve looked down at Tony, bewildered. “What?”

“Checking to make sure you didn’t break anything else.”

Steve caught Tony’s wrist, finally gaining the man’s gaze. “I’m fine, Tony.”

Tony gave him a rather dark, flat look. “Says the man that took a nasty fall while running at full till and can’t even tell that he’s lost a good amount of skin on either arm.”

Astonished was the only word Steve could find that seemed to fit his own reaction. He pulled his hand back to turn his arm so he could see the underside. Sure enough the part of his forearm that had hit the pavement was scrapped and bleeding, his left even worse. Though, that made sense, seeing it was his left leg that had given out. The moment he registered the wounds, the stinging sensation hit him. His hands twitched and his face scrunched slightly, but he merely lowered his hands, looking to Tony sheepishly. “Got anything to tend these?”

Tony’s rather dark, flat look was on him again and Steve couldn’t help the nervous grin that crossed his face. “Right. Billionaire and over prepared for just about everything.”

Tony’s gaze dropped back to the prosthetic, fingers ghosting over the complexity of wires and metal in what Steve could only describe as a nervous tick. “The prosthetic is fine. You should be able to walk." The thinner man pushed himself upright before offering a hand to Steve. Steve took it and got up, keeping all his weight on his right leg as he did so. Once he was upright, he slowly added weight, letting out a sigh when the limb and prosthetic took the weight without trouble. Tony turned and stalked off, leaving Steve to catch up.

Silence settled between them but it was tense. Steve found it hard not to fidget when he stopped in the kitchen at Tony's directing. Tony disappeared briefly, returning with a first aid kit in hand as well as a tool kit.

The hydrogen peroxide stung but Steve barely flinched, holding still as Tony poured the chemical over the wounds. The tap was already running cool water and it somehow felt better than the hydrogen peroxide till Tony started using soap and a cloth. Steve bit back a hiss, turning it into a sharp inhale, as he jerked back out of instinct when Tony did something that had actually hurt.

"Sorry," the man muttered, "but I have to get the debris out."

Steve game him a soft smile, offering, "I know, Tony. It's ok."

The brown eyes he was hoping would flicker his direction never did and the smile fell.

Once Steve was patched and cleared by Tony, they made their way into the sitting room. Steve settled on one of the couches as Tony went to the liquor cabinet. Steve watched him. It was after a moment when he asked, "Have you ever danced?"

Tony gave him an owlish look, as if the genius's brain had failed to properly process the question. "Of course," Tony voiced skeptically. "Is this a trick question?"

Steve leaned his head back against the couch. "I've never danced."

"Never?" That time it was skeptical without the trepidation and Steve couldn't help the chuckle that rose from his chest. "I highly doubt a soldier like you would have never gone dancing before."

"Never," Steve countered, enjoying this.

"Not even to prom?"

Steve snorted, looking at the inventor finding the slighter man leaning against the liquor cabinet with forgotten alcohol behind him. "I was a nerdy lanky kid back in high school." He shrugged at the disbelief that filled Tony's expression. "I didn't hit my growth spurt till college and, really, it was the military that really gave me the body I have now."

"I would have taken you," Tony blurted and Steve laughed. Tony blushed violently but he stood his ground. "I'm sure you would have been a great prom date."

Steve flashed him a smile. "Tony, I don't dance and we grew up in an era where two boys going to prom just wasn't how things went."

Tony pursed his lips before walking towards something behind Steve. Steve lulled his head about, keeping an eye on Tony but losing any real detail on what the man was doing with the odd angle. He didn't overly mind. He was pretty certain whatever Tony was doing wasn't going to kill him.

Music filled the room and Steve's insides went cold. Ok. Maybe he was wrong. He watched with an expression befitting a deer caught in the headlights Tony cross the room to stand before Steve, hand extended. "Dance with me," Tony spoke, his voice firm.

Steve blinked at him. "Tony," he tried, speaking slowly, "I don't dance."

Tony rolled his eyes. "So? I can teach you."

It was Steve's turn to be skeptical. "Really. You teach me how to dance?" Steve's chuckle was nothing more than a huff of air. "Tony, I have two left feet. Now more so than ever."

Tony nearly growled as he insisted, "Quit being stubborn and just take my hand, Rogers."

Steve couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright," he conceded, taking Tony's hand. The man pulled him up. "But if I step on your toes, don't say I didn't warn you."

Again, Tony rolled his eyes, but this time there was amusement on his face as he pulled Steve a bit closer, positioning Steve's other hand on his shoulder. "Duly noted."

They started out slow and Steve was really, really bad at it. He kept losing track of which foot was to go with which beat in which direction and, while Tony had such great form and was a wonderful lead, Steve found it hard to keep up. Running laps was becoming a lot more preferred over this.

"Quit thinking so hard," Tony ground out.

"What do you expect me to do instead?" Steve asked, tripping slightly and accidentally stepping on Tony's foot again. Steve winced, rushing a, "Sorry," before Tony could even chastise him about saying sorry again. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Tony gave him a look and the sheepish grin was totally involuntary. Tony sighed and stopped them both. Steve blinked, mildly confused until Tony shifted before him, adjusting his form. Tony met his gaze again and this time it was just as calm and open as when they had started. "Don't think about your feet," Tony said. "Just move."

Tony took a step to the side. Steve faltered as he went with but he found that his foot went to the right spot without him having to place it there. Tony's lips twitched. "When you react," Tony stepped backwards and this time Steve didn't resist and, again, his foot landed in the right spot, "you're actually a lot better than you think you are."

Tony started a slow dance that had nothing to do with the music and slowly Steve became more and more relaxed in Tony's guidance. Around the room they spun as Tony led the way. The mishaps became fewer and fewer as they started to chat and laugh and just enjoy the moment. But, just like every moment before, disaster of some sort struck and it turned out to be Steve backing into the coffee table that Tony somehow had spaced. Steve toppled backwards as Tony went with him and the table snapped beneath them. Winded but unharmed, Steve looked down at Tony. Out of instinct bread from the war, he had pulled Tony to his chest, wrapping his arms around the man's head and shoulders to protect him. He eased his hold on the man, allowing Tony to look at them. There was silence for but a moment before they were both laughing.

Tony moved away, sitting on his ankles. Steve propped himself up on his elbowed, grinning at the other. "You are a horrible lead. I am never gonna dance again. Not unless it's in a ballroom or some sort of open space and you are teaching me how to lead."

Tony laughed. "Fair enough."

[m139]

I am never going to dance again.

I do not know why I decided to go out tonight, why I decide to step out of those doors. After all, I am a busy person, and I do not have time. I still do not have time. But something drew me- an old thought perhaps- and I found myself placing a hand on that dusty doorknob and turning it.

Instantly, a burst of cool air smacked me in the face. I almost closed the door then, I did, but instead, I found myself opening my eyes.

From the light in pouring out behind me I could see a little ways out into the yard. There was the large tree- bigger than when I had last seen it- standing right in front of me, its leaves rustling gently in the wind. On one of its branches, two long metal chains hung down, glittering in the light. Suddenly, a memory hit me:

Once, as a child, there had been a slab of wood attached to those two chains, and I had gone swinging to the sky. Up and up I flew, heading higher and higher to the air above. Never mind that I had to go down between, I always went up again...

Strange how in those memories I never remember getting off the swing, but only getting on.

I took a step forward. Slowly and silently, the door began to close behind me. I took another step. If I kept this up, I would soon be at the swings.

And soon I was. My hand reached out, and I found myself touching one of the cool metal chains. As I followed the length with my fingers down to the ends, I wondered how long it had been since wood had rotted away.

Suddenly, I thought I saw some movement to my left, out among the trees.

I squinted. Had I really seen anything? It could just be the lighting...

Now that the door how closed behind me. this little yard and the woods behind it was illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight. The stars overhead, shown too: a million tiny pinpricks in that vast endless sea of night.

For a second, I glanced behind. The only hint of what I had left was the cold muted glare coming off of the little porthole on the door. And yet I was drawn to it.

I hesitated again. There were two pulls on me: that of the familiar and that of the unknown. And although I had not felt the second pull for such a long time, and usually ignored it if I did, something- maybe it was the moonlight- made me follow this long forgotten urge. The chain fell from my hand, and I went forward, into the woods.

There- there that movement was again. It was too fast in this dark night for me to really see it well, but I knew it was there. A little deeper, a little farther...

The woods were a lovely place. Lovely, and lonesome. But the beautiful kind of lonesome. For a minute or two, I even found myself forgetting why I had come, and instead just drunk the beauty of this space around me.

And then, just when I had forgotten my reason for coming, I saw her. She was maybe five or six, and her long black hair hung freely down her back. Her eyes were filled with a shine I had not seen in so long, as she moved from tree to tree. From time to time, she would stop, suddenly, and stoop down to inspect a plant, or stand on her tiptoes to peer into a tree. Then, once again, she would run in the darkness.

I could almost hear her laughing. Her mouth moved up and down, but from where I stood, I could here no sound.

But I could watch her. And watch her I did. I watched her lightly dance in her little joy, I watched her run and skip as if there were no cares in the world. And I saw her mouth move- up and down- but there were no words or laughter.

And my heart was saddened. I wanted to hear the laughter, I wanted to hear the babblings of an innocent child. But, I think more than all that, I wanted to join her. I wanted to dance.

I could feel it, with all my body: there was a longing to join her, even if I could not hear her. Oh, I had not felt this longing for such a long time, the longing where my composed self just wanted to be free again, to be the child it once was...

But it could not be. Something hold me back, and I knew a bit of what it was. It was the responsibility, the burdens, the maturness I had put on when I had to leave that magical phase behind and become an adult. And somewhere in it all, I had to let go of the wonder and awe in the world. Somehow, I forgot about my old nightly excursions, when I, too, snuck out at night, to go run over the moonlight hills.

I smiled to myself, a slow sad smile, one all at once filled with a bet of joy, and a bit of regret. I looked for the child, for I wanted to tell her to never lose the little world she had found out here, but she was gone: somehow, she had disappeared into the shadows.

And without her, the shadows were becoming simply shadows. I no longer saw the strange and beautiful shapes they cast along the grown in the moonlight. The moonlight, too, had ceased to be magical and its light was simply a useful beacon to guide myself back to the portal door.

And when I reached the door, I paused with my hand on the handle, and looked back, although I do not know what for.

I did not see her, and I do not think I ever will, for I cannot dance again.