Prom: Lil and Johnny (and Peter)

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Johnny finally gets his dance.


Lil smiled at her dancer partner as another song began to end. How many they'd danced to - ranging from some of the crazier complete-with-steps-in-lyrics ones to slower, more intimate dances - she couldn't remember. All the blonde woman knew was that the growing concern over the upcoming mission and the psis they were growing to protect had melted away while in Peter's arms for the last hour or so. The hopeless romantic she rarely let out gleefully rose to the surface and would have been happy to spend the rest of the evening as is...

... and would have were it not for a small, polite cough coming from her right.

Lil's brow drew until she spied the white-haired boy. "Hiya, Johnny," she said with another grin. "All those lessons with Jean-Paul paid off, eh? You look wonderful tonight," the giantess told the student before gesturing to the man she was standing with. "Peter, this is one of the kids here, Johnny Gallo. Johnny, this is Peter Lakatos from Hungary."

The white-haired teen found himself immediately grateful for the dim lighting that swallowed up some of the color in his face, sparked into existence by the compliments and the mere fact that she had noticed him at all. He smiled back, "You too, I mean...really..." Johnny trailed off in search of the right words, but couldn't find them before the blond was gesturing to the unfamiliar figure at her side. He stared thoughtlessly for a moment, considering that the man was an awfully long way from home just to crash a prom, then slowly offered his hand, "...It's nice to meet you."

Lakatos, looking mildly bemused, shook the boy's hand, then seemed to remember precisely where he was and what he was doing. "Very good to meet you as well, Johnny," he said, then gave Lil a sheepish look. "Did you lose track of time, or was it just me?"

The tall woman laughed, her hand still resting on Peter's shoulder before admitting, "Yeah, I did. You probably have some prep stuff to handle or at least sleep to catch before tomorrow, don't you?" Lil replied as her fingers ghosted down his arm to his wrist to give it a squeeze. "I'll see you bright and early then?"

"Sleep is definitely a thought," Peter said with a wink for Lil and another, more natural smile for Johnny. "I think you have another would-be partner here, in any case. I will leave the two of you to it."

Johnny stayed quiet for this exchange between the older pair, watching Lil's hand slide down the man's arm and wondering with a heavy sort of feeling just what he'd interrupted. His own smile had faltered a little by the time Peter looked at him again, but he did his best to return it before the Hungarian departed, albeit somewhat sheepishly as he was called out on his original intention. His light eyes drew back to the blond giantess again and he found himself adding quickly, "If...if you want another one, anyway."

Lil's grin didn't fade as she watched Peter's figure disappear through the door and around the corner before looking back to Johnny. Sweet kid; bad timing. Not that she'd scold him for it. "Sure. I'd be honored," Lil answered honestly. "You put alotta hard work into learning and we wouldn't want that to go to waste, eh?" One hand extended toward him, palm up and welcoming.

The younger mutant wore his relief transparently, smiling genuinely again as the towering blond offered her hand to him, "Yeah...thanks, Lil." Johnny could feel the heat creep back into his face as he moved to take her extended hand and prepared to put his other carefully against her high hip. Hopefully in the right place. He lowered his fingers slowly, pausing to flash a grin to his partner as he remembered their lessons, "...Not going to 'slap me into next week', are you?"

Her joyous laughter rang out and Lil shook her head. "Not this time, Sweetie. You're doing fine," she told him, laying her other hand on his shoulder after giving a nod of encouragement that he was, in fact, doing fine and his hand was properly placed. "I saw you dancing with Dori; Jean-Paul taught you well."

"Between you, Mr. Beaubier and the mop, I guess I got a pretty thorough education," Johnny replied, with sheepish contentment and the silent hope that nobody had heard him admit to such a thing. Being taught to dance by the older mutants was one thing, but when cleaning supplies got involved, it was a little embarrassing.

"Well, I'm glad you're graduated in terms of partners," she laughed, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You were a very good student so I'm not surprised, really. Regular Frank Astaire."

The correction was on the tip of his tongue immediately, but Johnny opted to hold it there. There was no reason to venture the loss of a pleasant moment over a dead actor. 'Frank' would just have to cope. He smiled with amusement and the honest affection a lovestruck kid, "You've picked it up pretty quickly, too...regular Ginger Rogers."