#lambada

I walked through the Children of Echoes tribe with Kinich, glancing around at all of the people around us. 

Some were dancing on stages while others grooved off to the side to the music and clapped along to the beat.

It was a common scene here and was simply the culture of this tribe. Always lively, filled with complicated beats, and dancing people everywhere.

But right now all I could really wonder about was whether the dance competition would use a stage like one of these and if it would be as crowded there.

Because for me, unlike so many of these other dancers, performing was going to be a new thing. 

I’d only ever really danced for my own enjoyment, where others weren’t really around. 

Well, except for Kinich, of course. But he was different. He was my partner, and I knew there was going to be very little, if any, judgment from him.

Sure, Ajaw might be mouthy at times, but half the time Kinich put him in time out anyway.

I felt myself relax slightly as I spotted the form of Xilonen just up ahead. Because if she was here, competing in a dance-off, then absolutely no one was going to be looking at me.

It was true that I’d never seen her dance much, but I had seen her on her roller skates and just moving around in general, and there was always an easy, if lazy, sort of elegance to her motions.

And she wasn’t alone. Mualani was also there and quite obviously raring to go as well as excited as she visibly brightened as soon as she saw me and Kinich, “Kinich! Y/n!! Over here!” 

Mualani wasted no time in beckoning us over as the taller woman turned to glance our way, blinking slightly before turning to face us fully with a slight smile on her face, “I didn’t know you two were going to be competing.” 

I lifted my shoulder in a half-shrug, offering an awkward smile as we walked over, “Neither did we until just a little bit ago. Wayna said we ought to come though, so that the Scions of the Canopy would have some competitors.”

Mualani leaned over, winking at me before she bumped Kinich with her shoulder playfully, “If I’d known you were competing, I would’ve asked to partner up with you rather than taking a random partner.”

I smiled as I watched the two of them. And as always, Mualani was far more exuberant than the characteristically stoic Kinich, who crossed his arms before glancing her way, “I went and got Y/n as soon as Wayna asked me to compete.”

Xilonen’s eyebrows lifted, and she glanced my way while Mualani cooed out a far-too-teasing, “Oh,” before the taller lady glanced back over towards Kinich with a slight tilt to her head, “He asked you to compete?”

Kinich merely nodded, apparently unmoved by Mualani’s teasing or Xilonen’s question, and I felt myself sigh before I answered the blacksmith as I gestured over towards Kinich vaguely, “More like he got commissioned.”

Xilonen snorted at my words, but both women nodded. Neither of them in the slightest surprised that Kinich was definitely going to be getting paid for this. But then Mualani glanced my way, a playful glint in her eye that let me know her teasing was far from over, “You must be pretty good at dancing, though, if Kinich asked you to be his partner.”

She was all smiles as I laughed slightly, shrugging slightly only for Kinich to answer for me in his usual nonchalant fashion, “I’ve danced with her before.”

Mualani blinked at his words, her eyes widening briefly in surprise before she bobbed her head with an overly pleased smile as Xilonen eyed us. Her head tilting slightly before she turned to face the cleared-out area with a hum, “Looks like we’re getting started.”

And in mere moments the first two dancers' names were getting called, and I felt my eyes widen in mild alarm. 

“Y/n and Kinich dancing the lambada!”

Mualani gave a little cheer and applauded as Kinich started forward and I hurried after him. Faltering only slightly before I matched his stride and walked into the cleared-out area, feeling myself exhale slightly as he glanced my way.

Because this was what I’d been bracing myself for the entire time and the reason I’d been distracted the entire time we’d been chatting with Mualani and Xilonen.

Performing. Especially when lambada had the reputation of being a ‘forbidden’ dance, of all things. 

Just because the lyrics to the songs used for lambada often had rather naughty lyrics and many of the female dancers wore incredibly short skirts in the past didn’t mean it had to be a particularly dirty dance.

There were plenty of other styles that involved close contact between the dancers, after all. But the lambada’s reputation had always left me feeling antsy about ever performing.

And that was why I’d been surprised when Kinich had shown up at my house, out of nowhere, and asked me to be his partner for a competition that I hadn’t even known was taking place until today.

He knew about my mixed feelings in regards to performing and, even if he didn’t share them himself, had always respected them.

But I’d agreed quickly, and I knew it had nothing to do with his offer to split his commission reward with me.

Rather, I agreed because Kinich was always the person I danced with. Whether it was at home or while we were just messing around some place else. He was my dance partner and had been since early on. And I genuinely enjoyed dancing with him.

There was something so easy about it all that made me relax while we were together, whether we were dancing or just sitting together.

All of those reasons, as well as my honest fondness for him, were probably why the mere act of standing here with Kinich made this far easier than it would have been with anyone else.

And I couldn’t deny that, even though Mualani had just been teasing, it had been heartwarming to hear him assert that I’d been his first choice without any hesitation whatsoever.

I lightly rested my hand on his shoulder, stepping closer to him until there was minimal space between us as his arm wrapped around my upper back until his hand rested against my side.

And, as naturally as could be, our free hands raised until they connected as the beat hit, and we both began to move to the rhythm.  

We shifted along, our motions matching the rolling beat even as we shifted and spun out so that we were only connected by our interlocked hands until we looked towards one another.

My other hand reached out for his, and we bent at the knees together, sashaying our way down, and I felt a smile flicker across my face as we straightened once more and he let go of my hand. Moving forwards with his arm wrapping around behind him so that my hand could catch his as we passed by one another.

Our motions continued to roll along. One into the other as we constantly shifted. First in front of one another, then back to back, then side by side, and then facing one another yet again.

He led me around the floor easily. Spinning me from place to place without even the slightest hesitation to his motions, even though half the time he was leading with only one hand, which either held my own or rested relaxedly against my waist.

And even though our motions were relatively fast and filled to the brim with movements that rolled directly from one into the next, it was easy to relax as I danced with Kinich. 

I was already finding that I was surprisingly unbothered. Because even despite the crowd of people around us, it was just like dancing at home, in my living room, where no one else would be watching.

Distantly, I realized there were people clapping along as we danced. But I could hardly question it as Kinich twirled me across the floor. Occasionally shifting so that he would be behind me and we would both spin together until he shifted back around so that he’d be directly in front of me. Never with very much space between us.

It was easy to keep up our pacing, though. Almost as if it were second nature to us by now.

We parted, spinning separately, but it wasn't long until I felt his arm wrap back around me. Tugging me back towards him until I was securely in his hold once more.

There were moments where it almost felt like we were all tangled up together. Our arms interweaving and sliding past one another as we shifted constantly around the floor. Maintaining our steady rhythm as more and more people clapped along to the music.

He stepped back, leaning towards me as he gripped one of my hands in his while his other arm wrapped around my waist, and I leaned back. Lightly kicking up one leg as I leaned into the dip with a smile that widened as he pulled me back upright. His gaze briefly meeting mine before he swung us into a rotation where he walked around me lightly before whirling me into a twirl.

Our arms raised together, crossing in the middle as we peered between them at each other before he let go of my hands as I briefly caught my breath.

His hands were light in their touch against my forearms as he pushed them down in a wide arching motion. His eyes locked onto mine as his palms wrapped the rest of the way around my arms to grip them and swing them around him in a loose embrace that barely reached completion before we were in motion again.

We finished before long, though, him spinning me out so that we stood side by side once more. Just like how we’d walked onto the floor together. 

But this time we looked towards one another, his gaze holding mine steadily as I smiled back at him before we bowed as applause rang out. With Mualani in particular cheering loudly and jumping in place.

And even now, I had no doubt that we weren’t actually going to win. But we had still put on a performance we could be proud of. And by the end of it, I’d actually enjoyed myself. Even if I suspected that was largely due to the comfort of having danced with Kinich rather than anyone else. And I could honestly say that at this point, it was possibly one of the best dances we’d ever done.

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