The Anatomy of a Parody Heart

smile

The prom. Tonight.

Tonight.

Dan told Enzo that he will pick him up at seven; Harry, Gem's 'date' is coming a little later. Enzo wonders whether Dan will look different to him, now that they have kissed. Then he realises that he is being stupid. Of course Dan won't look different to him. Dan is Dan. Enzo has him memorised.

At half six, Enzo changes into the tux. He has showered - standing too long under too hot water - and his hair is still a little wet. Robyn does the bow tie for him, and Gem polishes his shoes. His school shoes, but Gem assures him that once she has them polished, they won't be school shoes anymore - they'll be prom shoes. Enzo finds this doubtful, but as he has never actually seen real prom shoes before, he agrees to let her try.

"Ready?" Robyn says to him. They are standing in the bathroom, next to the mirror.

Enzo eyes his reflection. "I think so."

"Do you want hair gel? Grease?"

"Grease? In my hair?" Enzo scowls. The Enzo in the mirror scowls, too. "I've just had a shower."

Robyn shrugs. "Some guys do."

Enzo smiles. "I'm not a guy guy."

"Ha." Robyn tugs on Enzo's fringe. "True."

Dan comes just a little before seven. He meets Enzo in the living room, all smart black tux and neat blonde hair and stupid - stupid - ocean eyes.

Dan. In a tux.

He takes Enzo's face in his hands.

Kisses him, lightly, on the mouth.

"Hey, you," he says, softly. Steps back. "You look amazing."

Enzo feels like there is some kind of lump in his throat. Constricting him.

He swallows. Smiles. "So do you."

"My mum's in the car," Dan says. He holds his hand out to Enzo. There is a fresh IV mark on his arm. Enzo tries not to notice it. Dan pulls his sleeve down. Smiles.

Enzo takes his hand.

Dan's mum drives to Enzo's school. Dan decided on Enzo's school for the prom, because he said that the hall was bigger, and nicer. But Enzo knows that that wasn't the real reason that Dan decided on Enzo's school. At Enzo's school, everyone knows Enzo. People are mean, people stare - but they aren't shocked. They aren't shocked in the way that they would be at Dan's school - open-eyed, gaping, pointing shocked. I-don't-care-if-I-hurt-you shocked.

Dan lets Enzo walk him into the hall. Enzo is dragging the little oxygen tank on the trolley.

No one notices them, at first. Enzo is glad of this. They sit together at a table, in the corner.

Dan gets Enzo to point people out to him - "That's Tyler, and Betty, and Jason and Mark and - " He breaks off. "Hang on. Where's Ryan?"

"Ryan?" Dan echoes. "He's the tall one, right? The one with blonde hair and blue eyes. The handsome one."

Enzo snorts. "He sounds like you when you describe him like that."

Dan smiles. It is a half-smile.

An unusually shy smile for Dan.

"You think I'm handsome?"

"What? No." Enzo avoids his eyes. "And since when did I say that Ryan was handsome?"

There are dimples in Dan's smile. "I assumed he was, since - you know - he looks like me."

And then, a second later, "Ow! What did you kick me for?"

Enzo is the first to spot Ryan, swaying to some stupidly slow love ballad on the dance floor. Enzo is surprised to see Sonja in his arms. Sonja from the library.

"Do you know her?" Dan asks, after a moment.

"Yeah," Enzo says. Sneaks a look at Dan. "She asked me to the prom."

"She did?"

"Don't look so surprised." A smirk. "Don't you know that the girls all love me?"

"Ha. What do they call it - the I-love-Enzo fan club?" Dan grins. "Can I join?"

Enzo shakes his head. "You're an idiot."

The song changes. Dan holds out his hand. "Dance with me, Callahan?"

Enzo stares at him. "You're kidding, right?"

Dan laughs. "No. Come on - it'll be fun."

"I don't dance."

"Don't or can't?"

"Dan - "

"Don't worry, I'll teach you. It's easy."

Dan hauls Enzo to his feet. Leads him out onto the dance floor.

"My tank'll get in the way."

"No, it won't. Just trust me, Enzo." Dan takes his hands, both of them. Puts one on his waist, one on his shoulder. Then he does the same to Enzo - one hand on Enzo's waist, one hand on Enzo's shoulder. "Follow my feet. Like this - see?"

"Since when did you become such a good dancer?" Enzo mutters.

Dan flushes. "I've been dancing since I was four. No, don't look at your feet, Enzo, you - Ow!"

"Sorry."

Dan laughs. Bumps his head gently against Enzo's shoulder. "Don't be sorry."

The song changes again.

Another stupidly-slow love ballad.

Enzo feels his cheeks heat up. "Do you want to dance to this? I don't want to dance this. Shall we - "

"Enzo," Dan whispers.

"What?"

"Don't be ashamed of us."

Enzo looks away. "Sorry."

"I thought I told you not to say that."

Enzo opens his mouth. Closes it.

Dan smiles.

Enzo loves Dan's smile. He loves it so much that he decides - right then, right there - to kiss it.

He kisses all the places it begins and all the places it ends. Then he moves his mouth up a little and kisses his dimples.

"I'm not ashamed of us," he whispers, as he pulls away.

"We're beautiful."