[ A suspiciously short amount of time later, Tamaki shows up. He calls out his arrival before the door even shuts behind him.
Sou-chan better look out, if that determined expression on his face as he beelines for him is anything to go by. Manna potential is really just pudding potential and how much weirder can hugging be if you add a little movement? It looked easy enough. ]
[Thankfully, Tamaki having the decency to text before coming over allows Sougo to step away from his anonymous conversations and mentally prepare himself to act like the day's been completely normal. It hasn't, of course, but... hopefully Tamaki won't be able to realize that when he walks in, given that Sougo's sitting calmly in the living room.]
That was fast. [Look, he's all smiles!] Did something good happen?
[ No transition needed for Tamaki from anon to standing in front of Sou-chan. And is there really a noticeable difference with Malachite and Tamaki's honesty? Not really. At least not right now, before they've even hugged yet. And he casually tacks on -- ] Anon-chan helped.
Let's try it.
[ Arms wide open expectantly if Sou-chan doesn't have a heart attack. ]
[A "great idea" that clearly isn't going to be explained, if past experience is anything to go by. Even hearing "anon-chan" makes Sougo's heart constrict, the thought of Tamaki seeing any of the awful conversations he came across (or participated in) today unpleasant at worst and horrifying at best, but then Tamaki opens his arms... and Sougo just looks at him curiously.
They've honestly hugged quite a bit since Tamaki arrived here, not that it's surprising given a certain someone's penchant for physical contact. But it's usually Tamaki suddenly latching on to him rather than opening his arms like this, so it takes Sougo a moment to realize that yes, he should probably actually reciprocate before his lack of reaction is taken the wrong way. Awkward.]
...Try hugging?
[He's capable of handling this better than he would have at home, but there's still a little colour on his cheeks as he walks forward to gently step into the hug.]
[ Tamaki didn't understand half of the threads half as well as he thinks he did, but those are embarrassing questions for another time. It's hug-dancing time. His initial excitement wavers at that hesitation, but he's anything but deterred. They've hugged plenty, so it pulls his expression into a frown until Sou-chan finally moves towards him. ]
Huh? We hug all the time.
[ He sighs, no further explanation before moving to wrap his arms around Sou-chan like normal. Unlike normal, he moves to guide his partner's arms up to loop over his shoulders first before his own fall to settle around the smaller waist before him. Tugging Sou-chan closer, he takes a step back and aims to pull him along to follow his lead. ]
[Not that hugging isn't a good idea, but it certainly isn't a new one. Tamaki will likely be able to pick up on his confusion through Synchrony, but he's fine to treat it as always...
Until Tamaki adjusts his arms, that is, and Sougo feels his ears heat up. Isn't this kind of... uncharacteristically intimate? He doesn't mind, of course - maybe Tamaki heard that more contact means more manna (which is probably true, all things considered), but once he's pulled along and they begin moving, he can't do anything but gently tighten his hold and curiously look up to Tamaki.]
Is this... [Hold on, he's putting the pieces together.] A dance?
[ Tamaki treats their contact like a hug, comfortable in the way that doesn't strike him strange or embarrassing in this moment. His logic seems sound to him. They're partners, so of course it should be possible to get more manna this way; more contact, more movement, and less fretting over him. ]
Yeah. But we hug too.
[ It should be simple. Which is why it's so frustrating when it almost feels like less is happening at first. Tamaki's own confusuon spikes as impulsive ideas to make it work bubble up. Maybe they need to be even closer? Sometimes, people dancing like this looked super close --so close he couldn't always tell if they were actually touching or not.
He decides it's probably Sou-chan's fault. Stuff like the tighter hold, the confusion, and the colors that he saw on Sou-chan's face and ears didn't usually stop them from synchonry before though. ]
[Ah, alright. The situation is gradually falling into place, not that Sougo can really glean much from what Tamaki's said so far. An anonymous person most likely told him that dancing was a good idea to produce manna, and while Sougo doesn't necessarily mind, it's certainly not something he was prepared for. Tamaki's an amazing dancer, of course, but slow dancing? That is what he's trying to do, right?]
Ah, no... I just didn't understand what you were doing at first.
[They're kind of (?) getting better at communicating! Maybe. Sort of. Synchrony certainly helps, but Sougo still has to spend several seconds thinking of how to proceed from here... and stop assuming what he might if someone else did this. It's Tamaki. Calm down!]
I haven't done this in a long time, and it may sound strange coming from me in the first place, but... If you'd like, I can teach you how to waltz. [Is this a bad move? Probably.] It's a type of slow dance.
[ Synchrony helps, but it doesn't temper the flow of impatience as they dance and he can tell those gears are turning in his partner's head again. He waits for Sou-chan to catch up with what he thinks he's already clearly explained. It would maybe help if he had a wider vocabulary outside his own self taught moves and what he's learned since becoming an idol.
Luckily, if something has a fancy name like that, Tamaki can always count on Sou-chan to know it. Even better, sometimes he knows more about things than just the right words to use. Hug dancing, slow dancing, same thing to Tamaki. It might be a pain, but now his curiosity is piqued so there is no turning back. It's easier to get excited about something related to dance, though his faithfulness to the moves will depend on how boring the steps are. They can make a MEZZO" waltz and it'd be way cooler probably.
His movement halts almost as soon as the offer is out there, hands casually aiming to settle on Sou-chan's hips. ]
[Teaching Tamaki to slow dance is something that Sougo can safely say he's never once considered. The only reason he knows how to do it in the first place is due to his upbringing, but even then he hadn't really used it, given that dances like the waltz are still foreign in nature and only brought out when high class citizens are trying to seem extra fancy at Western-style gatherings. This is the type of thing that Nagi or even Torao would know more about...
But that's fine. The basic positions are easy enough, and even though Sougo is initially more than slightly flustered by Tamaki's first instinct to put his hands on his hips (?!), he gently guides them into the correct stance. Calm down... this is just for manna.]
Um, so... You hold your right hand out to the side with mine, like this. And then put your left hand near my shoulder.
[ Tamaki allows his hands to be guided, but his eyes linger on Sou-chan. Was getting the wrong position at first that embarrassing? This still isn't that different than hugging. Maybe it's best to keep Sou-chan in the moment instead of his head. But if he doesn't watch out, cheek pulling is also in the cards. ]
Like this?
[ It's an earnest question, hands settling comfortably where they're told. Their connection is spottier than normal, like a record with too many skips. Yet Tamaki isn't worried in the slightest. He is however becoming impatient, since he wants to get going properly already. ]
[As expected, Tamaki doesn't think twice about obliging and moving into position, which makes things easy. Sougo has no doubts that he'll master this easily in spite of it being an entirely new type of dance, and the subtle impatience that sparks between them is so very Tamaki that he can't help but smile.]
Right, just like that. And next is... you remember the box step, don't you? We do it quickly in our song, but it's originally a slower step used in ballroom dances. For this one, we count in threes and move around the floor together, like this...
[Without trying to drag Tamaki across the floor just yet, he does the steps on his own with a grin.]
One, two, three. One, two, three. See? It's easy.
[And finally, he does start to try coercing Tamaki into moving with him, starting by stepping backwards to let him take the lead and move in as close as he'd like.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ action ]
Sou-chan better look out, if that determined expression on his face as he beelines for him is anything to go by. Manna potential is really just pudding potential and how much weirder can hugging be if you add a little movement? It looked easy enough. ]
no subject
That was fast. [Look, he's all smiles!] Did something good happen?
no subject
[ No transition needed for Tamaki from anon to standing in front of Sou-chan. And is there really a noticeable difference with Malachite and Tamaki's honesty? Not really. At least not right now, before they've even hugged yet. And he casually tacks on -- ] Anon-chan helped.
Let's try it.
[ Arms wide open expectantly if Sou-chan doesn't have a heart attack. ]
no subject
They've honestly hugged quite a bit since Tamaki arrived here, not that it's surprising given a certain someone's penchant for physical contact. But it's usually Tamaki suddenly latching on to him rather than opening his arms like this, so it takes Sougo a moment to realize that yes, he should probably actually reciprocate before his lack of reaction is taken the wrong way. Awkward.]
...Try hugging?
[He's capable of handling this better than he would have at home, but there's still a little colour on his cheeks as he walks forward to gently step into the hug.]
no subject
Huh? We hug all the time.
[ He sighs, no further explanation before moving to wrap his arms around Sou-chan like normal. Unlike normal, he moves to guide his partner's arms up to loop over his shoulders first before his own fall to settle around the smaller waist before him. Tugging Sou-chan closer, he takes a step back and aims to pull him along to follow his lead. ]
Come on, it's easy.
no subject
[Not that hugging isn't a good idea, but it certainly isn't a new one. Tamaki will likely be able to pick up on his confusion through Synchrony, but he's fine to treat it as always...
Until Tamaki adjusts his arms, that is, and Sougo feels his ears heat up. Isn't this kind of... uncharacteristically intimate? He doesn't mind, of course - maybe Tamaki heard that more contact means more manna (which is probably true, all things considered), but once he's pulled along and they begin moving, he can't do anything but gently tighten his hold and curiously look up to Tamaki.]
Is this... [Hold on, he's putting the pieces together.] A dance?
no subject
Yeah. But we hug too.
[ It should be simple. Which is why it's so frustrating when it almost feels like less is happening at first. Tamaki's own confusuon spikes as impulsive ideas to make it work bubble up. Maybe they need to be even closer? Sometimes, people dancing like this looked super close --so close he couldn't always tell if they were actually touching or not.
He decides it's probably Sou-chan's fault. Stuff like the tighter hold, the confusion, and the colors that he saw on Sou-chan's face and ears didn't usually stop them from synchonry before though. ]
What's wrong? Is it bad?
no subject
Ah, no... I just didn't understand what you were doing at first.
[They're kind of (?) getting better at communicating! Maybe. Sort of. Synchrony certainly helps, but Sougo still has to spend several seconds thinking of how to proceed from here... and stop assuming what he might if someone else did this. It's Tamaki. Calm down!]
I haven't done this in a long time, and it may sound strange coming from me in the first place, but... If you'd like, I can teach you how to waltz. [Is this a bad move? Probably.] It's a type of slow dance.
... when you fall asleep writing a tag
Luckily, if something has a fancy name like that, Tamaki can always count on Sou-chan to know it. Even better, sometimes he knows more about things than just the right words to use. Hug dancing, slow dancing, same thing to Tamaki. It might be a pain, but now his curiosity is piqued so there is no turning back. It's easier to get excited about something related to dance, though his faithfulness to the moves will depend on how boring the steps are. They can make a MEZZO" waltz and it'd be way cooler probably.
His movement halts almost as soon as the offer is out there, hands casually aiming to settle on Sou-chan's hips. ]
Okay, teach me.
no subject
But that's fine. The basic positions are easy enough, and even though Sougo is initially more than slightly flustered by Tamaki's first instinct to put his hands on his hips (?!), he gently guides them into the correct stance. Calm down... this is just for manna.]
Um, so... You hold your right hand out to the side with mine, like this. And then put your left hand near my shoulder.
no subject
Like this?
[ It's an earnest question, hands settling comfortably where they're told. Their connection is spottier than normal, like a record with too many skips. Yet Tamaki isn't worried in the slightest. He is however becoming impatient, since he wants to get going properly already. ]
'Kay, now what?
no subject
Right, just like that. And next is... you remember the box step, don't you? We do it quickly in our song, but it's originally a slower step used in ballroom dances. For this one, we count in threes and move around the floor together, like this...
[Without trying to drag Tamaki across the floor just yet, he does the steps on his own with a grin.]
One, two, three. One, two, three. See? It's easy.
[And finally, he does start to try coercing Tamaki into moving with him, starting by stepping backwards to let him take the lead and move in as close as he'd like.]