#miguno

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H drabbles III: Ballroom.

By: Yawar.

Canon: Beastars fanfic.

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It's hard running in fine moccassins. Durham knows his feet will resent it tomorrow. But if he doesn't make it in time he's gonna regret it all of today. And then before he knows it, here it is --Gulag, that small punk club that's easy to miss at first, tucked between two run-down apartment complexes. There's this small sign by the door advertising that tonight "The Carrions" are playing --that is Miguno's band. He takes just a minute to catch his breath. He's positive he's dressed all wrong for this place -- a coyote in his fancy borrowed grey suit and brown tie. Too bad!

**

"Guess who's Hikaru´s date for the next grand ball!" he had told the hyena playing guitar on the lower bunk bed, in his heart-patterned underpants.

"Hikaru?" said his best friend, Miguno. "That poodle girl from the gold district?"

"Fancy family! And you're looking at her next date!" Durham beamed. For all of five seconds. "I mean, she's no doubt slumming it, but--"

"All her curly fur," said Miguno, sincerely, as he climbed down from the bed. "Is not worth a single strand of yours."

"...why, thank you!" After a somewhat awkward pause, Durham added: "Huh, the real problem, though... is that I don't know how to dance. I mean not this kind of--"

"I can teach you. Hey, might be a fun project, even!"

**

In general, Durham did not have much luck dating. Maybe he just looked too rough or had too much of a reputation. Too unpolished, maybe a bit scary. Legosi 2.0 maybe.

The other boys in the dorm were so-so about it. Collot would date on and off. Voss and Jack were always preocupied with other stuff. Legosi was terrified of anything resembling dating.

Miguno, now, though. Dating did not seem to concern him at all. In everything else, he and Durham got along so well, were almost of one mind. They could talk for hours, hang out... enjoy each other's company. One way or another.

**

"And spin! Got it?"

"I still don't know if I'm playing the guy or the girl."

"The guy," said his lead. "Because you have your hand on my back. I'm holding your hand, yeah? Now, one more time! Step, step, spin!"

After only a few days using the dance room at the hours they knew it would be empty, Durham was amazed to discover how little he actually knew about dancing in general. How had he ever come to believe it was easy?

Still, he did get the gist of it, bit by clumsy bit. And then there was something so... sensual aobut it, so intimate. Whenever he got the steps right, he and Miguno felt fully in tune, moving as one. Would it feel like that with Hikaru, he sometimes wondered.

**

"The ball is when?"

"This saturday night, why?"

"Oh..." He saw Miguno's ears briefly go down, then right back up. "No, nothing! Just checking, really!"

But Durham recalled. "Wait. Saturday. Your band! The gig at the club, right?"

"Ah, it's not that big a deal..."

"...now your tail is down, too. Hey." He placed an arm around Miguno, drew him close. "It's unfortunate but you know I'll always attend every other gig. You know that, right?

"I do! I know. And I mean --this is important, of course! It's okay, really, it is!"

**

As it turned out, dancing with Hikaru did not feel quite so sensous, or intimate, or really much of anything at all. Less so once it dawned on him that she was mostly using him to tease another guy at the ball, some apparently popular German Shepherd who had brought a dreamy-eyed vixen as his own date. Yup. Slumming it with the big scary coyote. Yet again.

Coyotes, not so majestic nor impressive, except maybe in the eyes of--

...what was he doing here?

Between pieces, he excused himself to the restroom --and sneaked out.

Now, what was the name of that club and where was it?

**

The Carrions were just wrapping up the second number. He was in time after all, just about!!

He recognized the song. "Bloody loser". That ditty Miguno had written a couple months ago about a bleeding, bruised man who had just lost a match --but whom the lyrics described as beautiful.

Oh.

Wow.

How had Durham never realized who the song was about?

*

Miguno finished his rift, opened his eyes.

Could not believe what he was seeing. Durham, front and center, clapping. Cheering. Jumping up and down. Still in the borrowed suit!

*

Intermission. They ran to each other.

"What... how..?" said Miguno.

"Ball was a..." Durham began.

Another song began, different band.

Not at all a piece for slow dancing.

Durham offered his hand, had to shout to be heard. "May I?"

"I --thought you'd never ask!" But Miguno placed his hand on the small of Durham's back, just above the tail. "Only, mind if this time..?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Durham guffawed!

*

Coyote and hyena, two males slow-dancing together to a rock-punk ditty. One dressed for this place, one not. They look rather out of place --and could not care less. They are in their own private heaven.

**

END