HEY! Thank you so much for the request, I already have some others in my inbox as well so I'll try to get to at least a second one today since it's my day off! I thought it would be cool to start with these since there's not many around yet. Enjoy! ^^
Tenna x GN!Reader - General Headcanons!
(...they are below the cut. :3 )
♡ Let’s start off by saying that Tenna absolutely has a soft spot for you, as his trusted, wondrous partner: he can come off as obnoxious and demanding to his subordinates, and while these characteristics also pop up in the course of your relationship sometimes, he always makes it a point to be nicer to you and communicate as best as he’s capable of.
♡ You don’t even need to remind him who he’s speaking to much if he ever gets like that, because the love towards you that fills his heart does enough of a good job to remind him itself. You’re one of the few individuals he sincerely apologizes to whenever he’s made a mistake, and if for some reason he doesn’t end up apologizing straight-forwardly, he surely acts like hurting you even on accident might just be the worst act he has ever committed...until you remind him that going back to normalcy is what you guys should be doing instead.
♡ He likes praise...a little too much, perhaps. Your compliments never fail to make him grow a whole foot taller at least! If you keep your praise for rarer occasions, you might...no, you WILL catch a blush on his cheeks as well (in the form of SMPTE color bars on his whole screen)! In return he will compliment you just as much if not even more and you should probably prepare yourself to engage in his silly little antics...because depending on the context he might pick you up and spin you around as he chants all his adoration towards you!
♡ He’s also surprisingly clumsy when it comes to things like cuddling and hugging, unless they’re part of an act and he can get unserious with it: it might be because of his size, or even because of the lack of physical affection in his everyday life except when it comes to you...or both. Either way, he never really knows how to position himself, and usually his hugs in private are quick and a bit awkward at least at first. However, he would very much like to get cuddlier with you, so questions such as ‘Are you liking this, sweetheart?’ are ever-present whenever either of you initiates any kind of affection. Over time he becomes more natural with it but he still asks almost every time...just to make sure!
♡ Tenna is...quite passionate when it comes to his show! And as such he likes involving you whenever it’s possible; if you’re camera shy, don’t you worry, for you don’t even have to be part of it directly! Of course it would be awesome if you could be on stage together, but for him it’s enough that you’re enthusiastic about trying out his games and quizzes before the show airs. It’s never really an issue if you can’t get the answers right or you can’t beat a level, as long as you give gentle feedback on how to improve it. And if you ever do end up on stage, prepare yourself to be the spotlight! He’s VERY excited to have you there, and will make it his life mission for the night to get it across that you’re his beloved partner!
♡ Dates with Tenna are extravagant, so you should also be prepared each time he decides to take you on one! There’s no such thing as ‘boring’ when he’s involved, for better or for worse. Yes, sometimes he deems it a bit too important to be entertaining, when you’d just like to have a little moment for yourselves. It’s very difficult for him to unlearn to be an entertainment all the time, and to instead learn to just...be. Sometimes it has you wondering if he was programmed for it, but TV shows can be chill and so can he, by logic. So yes, it’s very much possible for him to tone it down and just enjoy his alone time with you, especially when you’re the organizer of the date. He learns to enjoy to unwind, and so you slowly become his safe, comfortable place.
♡ Overall though, Tenna makes it a point to be as charming as he can whenever a special occasion comes around: your birthday, Valentine’s Day, your anniversary, your monthiversary, your...dayversary...yes, he’s absolutely one of THOSE people. If you worry about dates, then stop right now, because he will remind you anything and everything related to you and your relationship and even more if you ask him to. On the rare occasion that he forgets, something is probably up and you should worry, but he seems to be incapable of forgetting, be it because he’s constantly thinking about schedules or something else. Though it could be overwhelming if you’re not the type to celebrate such things all the time...it’s clearly a good indicator that he absolutely cares!
WARNING:There are bit suggestive parts!+bit of angst
He tries to impress you so you'll like him. He has to hear it, hear you say "I love you Tenna". He would be very happy if you told him how much you love and care for him. Will make him a bit less nervous.
Pull on his lil antennas, he loves it. Gets him super red but its worth it.
He loves your touch. Caress his screen, pet his head, hug him, hold him- you get the point.
Hold his head by the edge of his monitor. He's so touch starved, every bit of affection you show him gets him to a flustered mess.
He adores your kisses. Makes him feel cared for. Now a makeout makes him feel some other way that goes directly towards his pants.
Cuddle him in bed, it comforts him. He'll be your little spoon
Speaking of sizes, he is pretty tall. Depends on how tall are you but he'll definitely be taller even by a head. He can change his size depending on his mood. He might shrink, he might grew even taller. Might even tease you in his bigger form knowing you cant do anything but look at him with that adorable face of yours.
He is very energetic, moving around a lot. When feeling super excited he'll be spinning or jumping around you like a ballerina. He also loves to dance, he'll ask you to dance with him out of nowhere. Slow or fast it doesn't matter to him.
He calls you petnames like: Sweetheart, honey, darling, dear, my love and other cheese old names like that.
Do you like playing video games? Cuz he would love to watch you play, even play with you if the game let's him. But even so he loves to watch you 'perform' and will narrate or ask questions about it. He'll clap his hands and will compliment you when you win/achieve something.
He really loves to praise you. Tell you things he loves about you. Sometimes he just stares at you with a greedy look screaming "they are mine, they are really all mine". Guys just happy to be in the same room as you.
He switches from his narrator kinda self to his more goofy one far more often around you. He lets himself be honest with you.
Do you wanna be in his game show? Of course you do! He'll cheer for you the whole time. Even let's your bad answers pass and call you the star of the show.
Beneath his lively persona he is still insecure inside, and fear that you might abandoned him, leaving him all alone on his own. But you'd never leave him would you? His thoughts crash together. He has his nights when you have to hold him close and reassure him. Tell him he's not worthless or useless. He'll want, he'll need you to stay by his side all night. Wanna go to the toilet? Thats too damn bad. When he feels you moving away, your warmth leaving him, fear hits him, 'where are you going? Did you get tired of him, are you leaving and never coming back, back to his hold?'. He's grip around you becomes stronger, he might even start sobbing. His heart calms down once you quickly go back to hold him. He'll be so glad to see you by his side in the morning.
Despite being egoistic he has a kind heart, and even kinder for you. Your lil Tv headed boyfriend will make sure to keep you entertained and make you smile everyday!
: ̗̀➛ Mr. Ant Tenna & Lightner Reader Imagines #13 [⚠︎ 18+]
It’d been difficult to not be excited. Tenna was nothing short of lively and energetic, and you’d had so much fun with the games and quizzes that time had gone entirely too quickly for you.
. . .
Well, at least you had enjoyed every moment of this. You had yet to understand why Susie and Kris were here. The front door to Kris’s home had been open after all and you’d been terrified that something had caught fire from the sight of black smoke streaming out, but when you’d burst inside you’d found yourself brought onto the stage of a game show, and both Kris and Susie had been shocked beyond belief at seeing you.
At least their friend was polite enough, although he reminded you a little about Asriel.
Oh, well, either you’d choked and died from black smoke, or you’d hit your head and fallen into a fever induced coma. Whatever it was, you chose to just go with the flow, and Tenna, who had introduced himself quite politely at your sudden appearance, had been overjoyed at your enthusiasm for his show.
That joy had quickly vanished once things went south, and now you were all trying to escape.
“Catch those Lightners!” Proclaimed Tenna, pointing at you all as Darkners emerged from behind him.
“Scatter!” Yelled Susie, and though it’d meant for you all to scatter in different directions, it’d ended with the ‘Fun Gang’ running one way whilst you ran an entirely different one. Momentarily raising your arms in frustration at being left alone, you instead pick up speed as a few Shadowguys comes your way, their silly saxophone sounds making you involuntarily smile.
“I shouldn’t even be here; wherever here really is!” You yell, running across floorboards and through doors until carpet is underfoot, muffling your rapid footsteps. “Honestly! I was having a great time! Weren’t you!?” you ask, looking over your shoulder at your pursuers. The question throws them off-guard, some of them smiling and raising their hats in agreements, the others bunched their shoulders, still chasing you.
It is only when they come to a rapid halt as Tenna comes barrelling down from overhead, his large body landing with such a heavy thud it made the ground shake, that you stop for a moment; almost thrown off balance.
“You, the jovial one!” He said, pointing at you and smiling with those sharp teeth of his. Oh dear, you’ve yet to be proven wrong that he was a handsome old-timer, who had then quickly become absolutely adorable when he’d shrunk from your “old-timer” comment. Those teeth looked dangerous… and strangely sexy?
. . .
Yeah, you must have hit your head on something.
“Hi!” You greet, waving your hand before leaping over the edge of the tall stage you’d fled onto, turning around mid-air to send Tenna a kiss. “Bye!” His shocked – rapidly flushing red face – became mortified as you vanished from his sight, falling to your possible doom as a second stage is just a little too far beneath you.
You hadn’t thought this through, but as you prepared for a broken hip, or worse, a cracked spine, your landing became significantly less painful than you’d thought as a pair of arms caught you. A startled Shadowguy held you, his face clearly confused and surprised at having one of the Lightners handed to him on a silver platter.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” you say, grateful for only having slight whiplash when you’d expected intense pain. The Shadowguy flusters at the nickname but looks up as a large shadow comes falling from above, and you have no time to react before he suddenly drops you and scatters as though the devil himself came from him.
Well, in his case, Tenna might as well be the devil, for you screech as his feet land on either side of you; making you bounce on the floorboards as he once again lands with a heavy thump and intense tremor. He’s changed, now sporting a set of two extra arms, having torn their way through his shirt and coat. A tail swishes behind, and you can only assume that he also kept that hidden, because you definitely would have remembered if you’d seen a tail during the show.
His, now elongated, antennas stretched down and touched your head, dragging across your hair and skin as if inspecting you, and you blink, an equal measure of intrigue and fear filling you and making your stomach tickle something terribly.
“Are you crazy!?” he yells at you, cheeks still slightly flushed, teeth bared. “You could have hurt yourself, or worse, died!” And he’s looming over you, hands coming down to cage you as he breathes heavily. Whether it was from chasing you or concern for your well-being, you couldn’t tell, but now you were panicking because he has you trapped. And so, without thinking, you kiss the tip of his nose.
He startles and chokes in shock, and his arms almost buckle as he stares (you can feel it), unbelieving of what you’ve just done. A flower bursts from the tip of the very nose you’d just kissed. It startled you, but you quickly recover.
“I’m sorry, I loved your show, and it was really fun to play along!” You quickly say, smiling innocently, stroking one of the arms closest to yours. He was shuddering from your touch. You could crawl out from under him if you just distracted him a little more. “I do love TV; adore it even! And I find you absolutely gorgeous! I love the extra set of arms, they make you dangerously handsome, I must say. You shouldn’t hide them but hey you do what you must, but I find you pretty and cute and sexy, but I’ve got to fly now!” You ramble on before you roll out from beneath him, his stunned, open mouthed expression an indicator that he was far into his head from your shower of compliments. Falling off the stage, you land with a heavy thump and a groan before stumbling up to flee from the scene.
And either your distraction worked a little too well in a ‘certain direction’, or Tenna was just all too eager to catch you, but you hear him pounce and quickly his footsteps come closer and closer, his strides far longer than yours.
Fear and excitement of a chase you weren’t entirely sure would end well anymore made your speed quicken, and you halfway step on a wall to gain monument as you flee into a hallway, Tenna close at your heel. You spare a glance over your shoulder, breath heavy from running, but it stalls as he appears as a ravenous giant; crashing into the wall, his two set of right arms clawing up the wall as he quickly comes after you; expression determined and flushed red.
He looked like he wanted to eat you, and somehow, that didn’t scare you as much as it should.
He’s gaining on you; fast.
A terrified chuckle tickles in your throat, and suddenly you come to an abrupt halt as you crouch down into a ball. Tenna, having too much speed, startles and trips as he attempts to come to a full stop. His hands catch his fall but still he ends up tumbling over you, nearly knocking you over in the process.
You send him a wink and another kiss as you catch his stunned expression. He’s breathing so hard, claws digging into the floor as you flee back from where you’d come from. Perhaps you could hide if you were fast enough. Perhaps you could sneak under the stage and stay there until he gave up.
You could have done a lot of things, but as your feet ran across carpet and past stage curtains, something came crashing through them from the other side; grabbing you and immediately pressing you against a huge, warm body as a large palm shielded your head from knocking into the floor.
The red curtain fell across you both, and thought Tenna initially struggled with the red fabric, he soon tore his way through it to finally see you.
“It was genuine,” he said, panting hard, pressing down closer to you. He was all you could see. “I heard it. I didn’t have to force you to say it.” His expression was almost pained, brows furrowed as he struggled to calm down.
You try to regain your breath, your heartbeat in your ears, your lungs weeping for air.
⚠︎ Warning: NSFW below the Cut. 18+ ⚠︎
Previous / Next
“Say it again…” Tenna said, hips pinning you down as a hot bulge pressed against your crotch. Your breath hitched. “Please, say it again,” he begged. His original set of arms rest beside your head, but the second pair is touching; roaming across your sides, sliding up your waist and down to your hips, feeling as much as possible. Your skin tickles once claws find their way beneath your shirt.
“... I love TV,” you say, still partly breathless.
Tenna whimpers and heat explodes throughout your body.
“Again.”
“I love TV.”
His hips jerk and his breath grow laboured above you. Gently his hands trail across your skin, fingers squeezing soft flesh, taking little heed to whether this was appropriate or not. Only you two were around, though the partially ripped curtain shielded you from unsuspecting eyes.
“It’s been so long since anyone enjoyed my show the way you did,” he said, voice trembling. “And then you did all that—that flirting!”
“I-I, heh, well I just,” you swallow, “I just… love TV.”
“Hng… Y- yes,” Tenna moans, and quickly his roaming hands travelled down until they were upon your thighs, squeezing, feeling, and then spreading them apart. Immediately, his hips fell between them and his burning bulge pressed against your own clothed sex. The friction was heaven and hell. Too much yet not enough at the same time.
He was so pent up, so desperate. All of this caused by your panicked teasing and flirting. You scarce had a mind to wonder what he would be like if you’d truly tried to get him excited. Perhaps he would have used those claws a little more aggressively? Tearing at your clothes until nothing but rags were left?
God, the thought made you excited, and Tenna moaned as his hips began to roll against yours, humping all too eagerly and without much thought.
“What have you done to me?” He whimpered, quickly coming out of any sense of rhythm as he desperately rolled his sex against yours. “Aah, you feel soo—hnng! Oh! You feel so good!”
Was this some strange kind of Lightner effect? Your body was so warm, so irresistibly soft, hr couldn’t stop squeezing it, arching against it. Already you were a drug upon his mind, and he needed more, more; more! Your steadily growing moans filled his mind with euphoria, and he dared a chance to look down at you.
You were watching his every move, eyes refusing to close as your hips joined in obscene heat. A captivated audience of just one. Thats fine. He’d only need you. And so, he pressed himself harder against you, and that blissful moan filled his head once again.
“Aah! Say it again,” he blubbered, drooling.
“I-I love TV,” you say again.
“Hng, yes, yes—ah!” he moans, clawing at the floor and tightening his grip on your thighs. “Y-you loved the show—aah… didn’t you? You loved—hng! You loved it!”
“I loved it,” you say, voice a mere breath as your roll your hips upwards, meeting his eager humping and making him gasp above you. “I—o-oh! I—I loved watching you! I love—AAH!” You scream, partly in pleasure, partly in pain as suddenly he descends upon you, claws ripping away at the fabric over your shoulder before teeth sink into your flesh, puncturing, then digging deeper.
Tenna groans as trickles of blood touches his tongue, and all too eagerly he laps up the treat, feeling guilty yet far too desperate for more. He ceases his poor attempts at holding back, humping and rolling his hips so aggressively against yours that, in the back of his mind, he fears he might break you. But you do nothing but moan, voice breaking as it calls his name, your small hands landing atop the ones that hold your soft thighs.
Stars, he unravels right then, staining his trousers yet feeling your burning heat come undone in tandem to his release. It’s all too much, and he’s only half a mind to use his arms for support when he slackens and nearly collapses on top of you.
Breath ragged and mind delirious from pleasure, post climax clarity quietly creeps up upon you, and though you do not regret this experience in the slightest, you were still supposed to get away from none other than Tenna himself. A small part of you didn’t want to, but how were you even going to make him loosen his grip on your thighs anyway? He held you in an iron grip, and the way those fingers curled all the way around your flesh… It almost riled you up all over again.
Crotch stained from both yours and his release, you wiggle your hips slightly, testing how stuck you really are. Tenna’s breath hitches above you, a set of claws digging into the wood beside your head. He’s still pressed flush against you, hips against hips. Still, he doesn’t move, too busy attempting to reel back a tiny semblance of control over his body. He’s still breathing hard.
Mind clouded, judgment poor, you reach up for him, nudging his head as best you could. He feels your touch and moves just enough to look down at you, his screen flushed a pretty pink. Briefly, you pause your movement, caught by how beautiful he is.
His brows are furrowed and yet he seems so starstruck, expression dazed yet focused entirely on you. If you hadn’t known any better, you would have thought he’d fallen head over heels in love with you right then, but that… couldn’t possibly be the case… Could it?
No, no, don’t get distracted now. You’re still trying to escape, remember?
And so, you reach up further until you find his antennas. Here, you begin a gentle motion of stroking over them, smoothing them back over and over, petting him. Maybe they’re so sensitive that he’ll pull back, or maybe he’ll feel flustered from having them touched, or… or…
Or maybe he’ll mewl and purr and completely collapse on top of you, crushing any air out of your lungs and making you wheeze. His second pair of arms come around your back; squeezing you against him in an impossibly tight embrace.
Wrong move.
Damn TV is purring as you’re dying, and he’s nuzzling his face against your neck, licking at the remaining blood from the puncture wounds he’d inflicted. And yet, you feel those sharp teeth nip at unmarked skin as he lifts himself slightly, allowing you to breathe again.
He will not let you go, it’s obvious in the way those two sets of extra arms hold you tight, and especially so with how he’s stroking through your hair: cradling you near to him. And should you catch a glimpse of his face again, lovestruck and needy for your attention, then maybe any thoughts of wanting to leave will vanish in just a mere blink of an eye.
Previous / Next
Music: Toby Fox – TV World & Dear Gravity – Featherweight
read on ao3 (more warnings and notes here too) | masterlist
Steb is your date to the first annual Unity Gala - and you find that your little crush not only grows upon spending the evening with him, but that your feelings may be reciprocated.
rated T+, about 4k words, nothing too suggestive, minor alcohol consumption - I really wanted an excuse to write something based on the amazing art of Steb smiling and dancing (art linked from IG). Please enjoy!
“Champagne, ma’am?”
A server was at your side, smiling warmly as you nodded gratefully. Balancing an ornate silver platter on the palm of one hand, he grabbed a flute from among several others that rested atop that very tray, and handed it to you. The server nodded as you thanked him before he departed on his quest to serve another guest.
From the balcony and with a drink now in hand, you observed the many people pouring into the University, gathering in the ground floor atrium to meet up and converse before ascending the stairs to the ballroom located where you were on the second floor. Your hand loosely held the railing as you continued to peer down and around. Survivors from Zaun and Piltover alike were dressed in their finest, and even though the regional styles were normally quite different from one another, the dress code had been decidedly more laxed for the evening, keeping in mind those who may have not had much left after the war.
You smiled as you brought the glass to your lips.
This would be the first annual Unity Gala, and while the surface reason of this event was in the name–to celebrate the unity of Piltover and Zaun–the gala had another purpose: to raise funds toward relief efforts for those who were majorly impacted by the war; rebuilding, relocating, medical aid, and more. The dust had only recently begun to settle; many were still trying to get acclimated to the newer appearance of the city, while many others were attempting to accept the newfound peace between the formerly at odds cities.
You, among many of the other planners, were hoping that the more fortunate would dig into their pockets and donate to the relief fund. That was why it was a deliberate decision to invite the elite and political heads of other regions of Runeterra; maybe they’d show their gratitude toward one of their most powerfully influential partners by donating to them in their time of need.
You took another sip of champagne.
Still eyeing the entrance, you finally spotted your date for the evening.
Watching him navigate through the throng of people was… adorable. Observing him smile and nod, wordlessly greeting people he may or may not know. He always did seem entirely out of place in large crowds, and that could be said now, as he was out of uniform and off the occupational clock. Right now, he was a normal citizen of Piltover. A guest at the gala, just as you were.
You figured that you should meet him downstairs, but as you started to walk along the edge of the balcony, he’d seemingly clocked you before you had a chance to save him from the growing crowd.
As he ascended the stairs, you nervously smoothed your hands down your dress, a garment you’d never had a chance to wear out until now. It was a bit much, in your opinion. Definitely a piece way outside your comfort zone, but you weren’t oblivious to its alluring effect – if the many looks you were getting from other guests were anything to go by. This type of attention you were receiving was more than you’d gotten in your adult life, and you weren't going to feign ignorance as to why.
The dress really did look good on you, contoured to accent your silhouette in a surprisingly complimentary way. Geometric in pattern, the black lines shimmered under the light, running along the lines of nude that were an extremely similar tone to your skin. While it adorned no straps, the neckline was not as low-cut as some of the other dresses you saw wandering around, but what you spared in cleavage was more than made up for in the back. The purposeful dip plunged low, exposing a generous amount of skin down to your lower back, the curve of your spine.
You slowly moved along the railing, the slit of the dress parting with the slight bend of your knee as you took every step. You’d almost forgotten just how much of your very bare leg would be exposed when you walked, and you took a breath to cool down the heat that steadily rose to your cheeks.
Another sip of champagne would help.
Steb finally made it up the stairs, and the smile that tugged at his berry lips as he approached you was unexpectedly arresting. You’d almost forgotten how to speak, how to breathe. You were suddenly, comically, very aware of how you were dressed in his presence. The two of you were here, together, while you were looking like… this.
Another sip from the glass.
His eyes were wide and appreciative as he not-so-subtly appraised you. You felt your cheeks heat at his gaze. He’d never really had a chance to see you so dressed up before; there’d never been an occasion for you to be.
Blessedly, his hands were quick, beating you to a greeting. You nodded your hello, but couldn’t stop yourself from saying something ridiculous.
“A lot different than the usual attire, huh,” you joked.
Steb smirked. You look beautiful, he signed. His elegant fingers looked mesmerizing as he moved his hands so fluidly, despite the slight expression of what you read as self-consciousness.
There had to have been a blush darkening your cheeks. Your friend, someone who you’ve had a silly, schoolgirl crush on for a year now, was totally liking what he saw. Bashful turned confident.
More champagne.
“You know, you clean up well yourself.”
He really did look so good in his white button up dress shirt, fastened with a black split tie and accentuated with a navy suit jacket hugging his lean torso. Dark slacks fell from his narrow hips, and shoes shinier than you thought possible practically reflected his stature under the shimmering lights of the many chandeliers.
“Thanks for accompanying me this evening,” you continued, noting the beat of awkward, unspoken tension left from the exchanged compliments. “I know you’re not one for crowds.”
I may not be, but it’s for a good cause. Steb looked around for what seemed like the first time since reaching the second floor, noting the floral arrangements and table settings that were surrounding the polished ballroom floor, already filled with lightly dancing and conversing guests. You did a fantastic job.
You modestly shook your head, what you were hoping would be a distraction from your blushing. “I was only a small part in this.”
Your date gratefully declined a passing server’s offer for champagne with a gentle, dismissal wave of his hand before returning his attention to you.
Regardless.
Your heart was suddenly beating a little too rapidly – and you could have pinned that on the bubbly, but the disarming charm Steb was capable of most definitely was the culprit.
Glass now empty, you looked around for a place to dispose of it. Almost on queue, a server took the flute from you, but this time when you were offered a full replacement, you declined.
You nodded toward the seating area, where the hors devours were being served. Steb extended his forearm, and almost too eagerly, you wrapped your fingers around it. “Let’s just hope this evening’s elite put their money where their mouths are.”
The string quartet had started playing not too long ago, right on schedule, and many guests had taken to the dance floor, abandoning their small plates and drinks at the well-dressed tables. You and your date, however, took advantage of the thinned mass, and claimed seats just out of the way of the main walkway that led to the crowded floor. The music was gentle, as were the voices of the guests and the clinking of dinnerware. It was all very elegant, and up until Steb had cleared his throat, you weren’t sure just how long you’d been sitting in silence, admiring it all.
“I’m sorry.” You met Steb’s arctic ocean eyes, easily finding whatever forgiveness he felt needed displaying. “I was lost in all of this–” You gestured vaguely to your surroundings.
As if in total understanding, Steb nodded solemnly. From his seat his back was to not only the quartet but the growing crowd of guests, and with nothing more to say, he turned in his chair to watch what was happening behind him. You, on the other hand, had an opportunity to instead watch him – the way his ears flickered whenever there was a sudden crescendo in sound, a boisterous laugh or click of a glass in cheers. Even the fins of his dorsal that began at the back of his head and disappeared into the collar of his suit jacket seemed to move ever so subtly–if you blinked you’d miss it–perhaps in involuntary reaction to the many stimuli the evening had to offer.
You weren’t great at small talk. Bedside manner came a little easier, in an occupational setting. You weren’t sure what to say, not that you wanted to disturb Steb’s people watching. He was good at that – observing and analyzing. It bode well for him on the job. Perhaps he’d find an interesting conversation starter to try with you in his apparent hunt for entertainment. You were just hoping that he wasn’t considering how horribly boring of a date you were.
Maybe you needed another glass of champagne.
The servers here must have truly been mind readers, because not even ten seconds later, a dashing young man arrived with another tray balanced on his gloved hand, only this one carried a single glass, and it was soon offered to you along with a bright smile. Your verbal thanks to the handsome young man seemed to pull Steb’s attention, and he turned back around, a little smile pulling at his lips as you seamlessly brought the glass to yours.
You had no time to feel bad for not offering Steb a glass before the server had departed because you quickly remembered his decline to the offer before the two of you had sat down.
“You don’t like champagne?” you asked, curious enough but also grateful for a real inquiry for gracing your thoughts.
Steb fully turned back around, his hands gently tapping against the perfectly white tablecloth in thought.
In truth, I have not tried it. He looked down at his hands with a knowing, almost secretive smirk for a beat before returning his gaze to you. I’m not a consumer of alcohol.
More of your curiosity piqued, fanned further by his attempt at hiding what could be an engrossing anecdote, one that may be at his expense. Absently swirling the sparkling liquid in your glass, you tilted your head in thought, resting your chin in the palm of your free hand.
“Any particular reason?”
If you must know… my tolerance is not high by any means.
“I’m assuming there’s an interesting story behind that self discovery?”
A teasing glint narrowed his eyes. Maybe.
Conversation came a little easier after that. The two of you had begun sharing stories about work, a topic that was simple enough to discuss. You had met Steb through your work, afterall; someone he and his former partner had arrested needed medical assistance before their arrival to Stillwater, the kind of treatment the officer couldn’t administer at the time with his limited resources. You’d been the paramedic on call that evening, and just a few short months later, he’d reentered your life instead as a coworker, having changed careers following the end of the war.
You rarely share shifts with Steb, but whenever your rotations had lined up, you could never help but to have felt entirely too eager. Even in those few and far inbetween shifts at his side, you’d been too consumed with the job at hand to even discuss hardly anything outside of the job. So what was taking place now at the gala was new, and a little exciting, especially as the two of you entered the territory of sharing more personal information – like regarding family and interests.
The last time you’d been on shift with Steb was about a month ago – and that’s when you’d brought up going stag to the gala, innocuously commenting on how you weren't going to have a date to something so large in importance to your healing city, to something you’d been planning alongside the surviving council members and their associates for months. In truth, you hadn’t considered taking him as a date, but when Steb had so benevolently offered to go with you, it hadn’t been difficult by any means to refuse him.
The quartet took their leave a short time ago, but the music never stopped. You noticed that the tune of the evening started to change as the genre of music switched to something more instrumental, and had more people joining the mass of moving bodies. Coattails and dresses flared and swung to the beat, couples smiling as they moved fluidly as pairs.
The whispering scrape of Steb’s chair legs against the floor quickly overtook your attention.
He was upright now, looking down at you with his dark cyan brows raised in an almost expectant way, and you practically missed the way his hand had slowly extended toward you.
It was an invitation.
Too many thoughts flew around in your head, but most of your focus was volleying between two:
Oh my goodness… he’s asking me to dance…
…Steb knows how to dance – Do I know how to dance?
Standing slowly and with a healthy dose of uncertainty, you accepted the invitation. With your hand held loosely with his own, Steb guided you toward what you had previously assumed would be one of his worst nightmares, his feet moving with a determined fluidity across the polished floor. Blessedly, he found a spot not too thick in the throng – but you stood there, surely visibly shocked and unsure of how to proceed.
A handsome smile changed his expression into one of understanding and acceptance.
Gingerly, he guided your hand to his lean shoulder, your other hand encased in his own slender one. He didn’t give off much heat, but you became aware of just how close you were to him, and could smell the faint aroma of what you assumed was his natural scent, something unlike any cologne you’d ever smelt. It was refreshing – like a meadow after rainfall.
His coolled hand on your bare back brought you back to reality.
The look in his eyes was soft and careful, something that sought after a confirmation, to which you quickly gave – but not first without an empty swallow that felt entirely too thick for your throat.
Steb took the lead immediately.
The classical tune was slow enough for you not to trip over yourself – or him, thankfully. Your inexperience was easily masked by not only the crowd of many others moving similarly, but by Steb’s apparent expertise in the steps. His closeness to you, while still remaining considerate, gave you enough room to admire his footwork, the way his shined shoes effortlessly waded through polished waters.
Trust came easily, any hesitance diminished as Steb guided you every step of the way. He was good at this, at navigating a dance floor. He held you, not too tight but with just a firm enough grip to make you weak in the knees while still staying alert and ready for any change in step, but he kept it simple, novice, accommodating for your introduction to the movements.
You risked a glance up, and instantly felt heat rush to your cheeks when seeing how Steb was already looking down at you, a faint smile on his lips and a sparkle of fondness in his eyes. The little frills accentuating the sharp upper curves of his cheekbones flitted as he watched the inevitable question transfer from your thoughts to your lips.
“Where did you learn how to dance like this?”
Steb bit back a laugh at your inquiry, one he must have known had been coming. He shook his head, the telltale gesture of one requesting a conversation to be tabled for later. You ceded with little effort.
The tune faded out, and Steb’s hands regretfully removed themselves from your skin. All you could do was suppress an even larger grin while looking up at him, and it was clear in his expression that he was both glad to have led you during the dance, but a bit sheepish at the overall exchange.
The song changed into one more upbeat, a pleasant change in genre. You recognized the tune as a popular track from your current favorite record – and feeling emboldened, it was self-decidedly your turn to take the lead.
Steb was now the one feeling out of place and unsure. He pressed his dark lips into a line. Regarded you with uncertainty.
You couldn’t help but fully grin now, an expression that admittedly felt too cheesy and ridiculous as you squeezed his hand.
“No steps,” you spoke a bit louder over the rising volume of music, the formal gala turning into more of a party with the passing of time further into the night. “Just… feel.”
You began to sway with his hand still in yours, your arms flowing like grass in a gentle breeze and taking him along for the ride. He still wasn’t moving much, his attention too focused on you, perhaps trying to decode the freestyle movements. There seemed to have been something akin to amusement twinkling in his eyes as he watched you move to the upbeat instrumentals.
Then you released his hand and nodded to him with encouragement. Steb’s eyes widened comically, but you didn’t relent.
“Listen to the music and do what your body is feeling.”
As if mustering up the courage, he bobbed his head along with the beat once, twice, thrice before seemingly coming to a decision.
Unexpectedly, he twirled you, then pulled you in toward his torso before grabbing your other hand and moving a few steps backward, arms extended. You laughed out loud at that, a sound unmistakingly full of glee with a tinge of surprise. The reaction was a grin spreading on his face, the gleam of white teeth more dazzling than expected. Steb was so handsome, and you felt that crush of yours had since grown, the pull of his orbit too strong to fight. Not that you wanted to fight it – not now, as you witnessed first hand his walls beginning to come down, those fortified borders that you assumed would only weaken with a battering ram made of trust and affection. Steb’s entire demeanor changed, the carefully crafted stoicism faltering now that he was here with you.
Maybe you weren’t the only one with feelings for the other.
A few more upbeat songs had played since the first. Steb’s jacket had been shedded, his tie loose around his collar. Inhibitions thrown to the wind, you had started to get closer to him, using the music and its dance as a more than believable excuse. You grasped his shoulders, his arms–which were more defined than you’d thought–and his hands, carefree and enjoying every minute. Steb seemed to similarly be more forward with his gestures. His hands, though still respectful in their various placements, found themselves on your arms, your back, your sides. He’d pulled you in for another close dance, one that suggested a slower melody, even when the music itself was anything but.
The two of you were enjoying this, enjoying each other. You think you’d heard him laugh along with you at one point, after he’d twirled you a little too far to where you’d almost bumped into another couple dancing. He was intoxicating, his smile, his touch, his very presence. You had half a mind to thank your supervisors for inadvertently keeping your shifts separated, lest you’d fallen harder for him long before this evening, only making the plummet deeper for yourself.
After what felt like an hour–neither one of you apparently wanting it to end–you made the call. Steb followed you back to your table, where his discarded jacket had been waiting from its spot hung over his chair. From the pitcher of water that had been placed on the table, Steb poured you a glass, then one for himself.
You guzzled it down in seconds, more parched than you’d thought.
That was… nice, Steb noted, his hands loosely signing after finishing his own glass. He poured you each another.
“Now are you going to tell me where you learned to dance?”
He huffed a light chuckle. Only if you tell me where you did.
“That’s different!” You giggled. “What I was doing didn’t require learning anything.” You took another sip of water. “Freestyle is just that. You move with feeling, not with memorization.”
That’s fair, Steb ceded. The academy I attended offered dance as an elective.
“That’s not something I would imagine many people, let alone young students, would jump at the chance of taking.”
His gentle, incredulous smile was almost hidden as he brought the glass to his lips. A flirtatious feeling tugged at you, and pulled the next words out of you easier than anticipated. The sparkle in your eyes, however, came naturally.
“But I suppose you’re not like many people, Steb.”
Your experimental tone earned a raise of his brows. You were hoping you hadn’t crossed a line, though taking into account the length of time the two of you had been dancing together not too long ago, the line was admittedly a bit blurred. Was there even a line at this point? If eyes could talk, his had already sent several coquettish comments your way.
Steb leaned forward, as if to speak secrets into your ear, but kept enough distance to allow you to translate the motions of his hands.
If you’d allow me to take you out, maybe I could show you more of just how… different I am.
You bit back an eager smirk. “I’d like that.”
The pair of you left the table shortly after that exchange, tension sitting heavy in the air between you two. Your hand wrapped around his bicep, Steb walked you out into the crisp evening air, pausing once reaching the grand entrance, lined with dazzling lights and balloons that practically glittered in reflection under the stars.
Your apartment was only a few short blocks from the University, not that Steb knew that.
He turned to face you. Would you like me to walk you home?
His offer, however innocent it meant to be, was a tempting one to accept. However – you felt that if he were to walk you home, you’d be fighting the urge to invite him inside…
You weren’t totally ready for that yet, and if you knew anything about Steb’s true character, neither was he. You truly felt as if he’d be someone to take it slow with. Savor in. What you could possibly have with him could be better than anything you had previously, and you weren’t going to risk ruining it right out of the gate.
You smiled gratefully, and placed your hand on his shoulder. “That’s very kind of you, Steb, but I’m not too far.” To ease the blow of rejection–if that were something he was feeling deep down without letting it show–you tacked on, “I am looking forward to spending another evening with you, if that’s something you were still interested in?”
Of course. Will I see you at work tomorrow?
Your schedule’s image thankfully popped inside your head rather quickly, and recalling that you would in fact be on shift tomorrow, you nodded.
We’ll set something up then.
With all the admirable poise of a gentleman, Steb lifted your hand and placed a chaste kiss over the inward curve of your fingers. His eyes shone an even more dazzling shade of icy blue as he observed your pleasant reaction to his gesture. He took a step back.
Have a lovely rest of your evening.
Steb turned and started toward the opposite direction of where you’d soon be headed, leaving you standing there in something not unlike starstruck awe.
When you finally did get home, showered and changed into your comfortable loungewear, you rested in bed and stared at the ceiling, too effortlessly remembering the feeling of his hands on you, his scent, as he moved with you on the dancefloor, the press of his cool lips against your hand, his arresting smile, the sparkle of his glacial eyes.
Excitement was an understatement when ruminating on your feelings regarding seeing him again.
I know many of you like this fish boy — I do too) So, I decided to give him a special place in my gallery. From now on, the 5th of every month will be 'Steb Day'.
