Turn Out The Lights

Zero to Hero

I didn't end up going to the prom, but neither did Octavius. Since my observers seemed to understand how upset I was, they set up a small dance in the biggest room in the labs, the observatory. They worked with Octavius to make it more realistic and fun for us, they'd set up some speakers, snacks, drinks, and tables. They'd even hung some balloons and streamers around on the walls. Most of the staff in the building was invited but only a few people came, which I was pretty happy about. Once the night got started everyone entered into the observatory. It wasn't very well lit in there so that we could see the stars easier, and I remember looking up so much that my neck hurt for a while, even after the dance had ended. It felt weird to be in such nice clothing, especially since I'd dropped a little weight and the dress didn't fit as well as it had before. At first I was uncomfortable and nervous about everyone watching me, but after we'd all settled in and the music started, it almost seemed like nobody cared about what I was doing. It was great not being the focus of attention for once, and I was allowed to move freely in the room, so I grabbed some cake and went to sit at a table.

Octavius was still finishing setting everything up beforehand, and hadn't gotten to see or speak with me, so once he was finished, he came and found me. "Hi June, you look really pretty tonight."

I swallowed the cake I was chewing and choked out the world's least attractive "Uhh, thanks" in response, "You look pretty too Tave, want some cake?"

"Um actually I was wondering if you'd like to come dance with me," he smiled nervously and stuck his hand out.

"No thanks, I don't want to be in the middle of everything if I don't have to be," I responded, continuing to look him over. He looked very pretty in the suit he was wearing, and it fit him very nicely.

He pulled his hand back, "That's fine! We can dance right here if you want, would that be better?" He started fidgeting and playing with a button on his vest, looking more dejected by the second.

"No, there's not that much room here, and my wings'll bump into everything and cause a big commotion," I looked around and realized that only a few people were dancing now, so half the dance floor was empty. "Why don't we just dance on the edge of the dance floor, that way we're not too close to everyone else?"

Hearing that made him much more lively, "Of course! We can dance wherever you'd like," he stuck his hand back out and this time I took it, following him to the edge of the dance floor. I tried to keep my eyes on him and ignore the glances and soft coos sent our way.

I was still pretty unsure of how to dance, even though I'd danced with a few family members at my dad's wedding. But this didn't really feel the same, the music was much softer and slower, and I was much more nervous than I was then. I attributed it to being surrounded by observers as opposed to family, and tried to brush the feeling away. Once we'd made our way across the room, Octavius stopped and pulled me closer to him. I'd been close to him before, but I hadn't ever been this close. Normally he had little bits of fuzz and some darker hairs on his face, but they were gone now, and his face looked so soft. He pulled my arm up to his shoulder and held the other in the air as he placed his hand on my side, and I couldn't stop thinking about how sweaty my hand was. He started swaying so I followed his lead, and soon after we began moving in slow circle but never really leaving our spot. After a minute or so in our calm rhythm, he pulled me in closed and leaned his head against mine. "I asked them to stop paying me," he whispered to me.

"Why? Shouldn't you be paid for your work?" I tried to be as quiet as him while still being heard over the music, but it wasn't really working.

"This isn't work to me, and I asked them to stop paying me so you'd know that. I'm here because I want to be here, I like being with you." He slid his hand onto my back and lifted his head. I felt my cheeks warm up and kept my eyes on his chest, praying I wouldn't light on fire again. "I really like being with you, June. I like talking with you all the time, I like working out and playing games with you, I like braiding your hair and you playing with mine. I really like your hair, have I told you that? It's so pretty. You're so pretty, June. God, I just..." he stopped for a second and brought my head up so I'd finally look at him. "I love you June." I realized my mouth was open and closed it. We sat there staring at each other for a second that felt like forever, and suddenly he closed his eyes and leaned closer to me. His lips brushed against mine and I closed my eyes, trying to savor the moment. He pulled away fairly quickly, and put his hand against my cheek. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me, waiting for a response. Honestly it felt like I had no choice but to reciprocate.