Dance With Me

[MICAH STOKES]

Micah watched as Eponine was lead onto the dance floor by the Gargoyle leader, his expression giving nothing away if anyone were to look at him. But the sight of watching that man pulling her further away from him didn't sit well and he kept his eyes on the pair of them, watching the way Snow put his arm around Eponine, to where their feet stepped up to their expressions. Eponine's seemed to be full of surprise during their dance, every time she spun he could see it. He wasn't a nosy person and didn't care much for other people's business but when it came to Eponine he found himself feeling like he was in the dark and he didn't care for it. He'd been in the dark more times than he could count but this time it was different. He'd been spending so much time with the woman who had saved his life that he'd managed to learn about her. They hardly left her place but when they did it was always together, and when they spoke it was to one another or she was talking to clients and coworkers on the phone.

But having her away from him and talking to someone else he felt this weird sense of emptiness and his brows knitted together giving him a confused look. That was exactly what he was; confused by emotions that he hadn't felt before. He saw Eponine look over at him and he tensed up wondering if she needed him, but she looked away and he realized she was probably just making sure that he was still there.

As a military man he'd learned to stand in one spot for hours at a time if it was necessary. It was a tactic to teach discipline and it was discipline like that which was hard to forget, but in that moment he found himself growing rather antsy. He couldn't just stand there any longer and after watching Snow spin her once more he finally decided it was time to break up their little social party. He'd allowed Snow to dance with her but it was long enough in his opinion, and Micah cut his way slowly through the crowd. "Mind if I step in?" He said after clearing his throat to make his presence known to the pair of them. He didn't know whether or not Eponine would be upset or relieved to see him but he didn't like the way that Snow was looking at her.

[EPONINE GASCOIGNE]

Eponine was still in shock with her whole exchange with Robert. Just when she was hoping it would be strictly business between them, he had brought up their non-romantic history together. Robert Snow was not a man who was used to rejection. Seven years ago, when she had rejected him, he had been very angry, putting him in an awful mood for two weeks. He had refused to speak to her for two years after the incident, but he admitted then that he had acted childish. Tonight, he took it much more professionally. He seemed to accept her answer, but with reluctance, trying to bring her and Micah’s relationship into the picture. She wouldn’t allow that, not now and not ever. She wouldn’t tell the Gargoyle leader who wanted to date her about her developing feelings for her former client. He let it go, doing a complete 180 degree turn by offering her a job as his legal counsel. That had shocked the hell out of her, though she was genuinely interested in the position. It was her dream job to be legal counsel for a leader! She jumped from a political outcast to a tentative shooting star in the course of a dance. She was trying to wrap her head around it when Micah appeared beside them and she felt a surge of relief at the sight of him. He could make the world stop spinning for her.

“Mind if I step in?” Eponine smiled warmly, appreciating his obvious concern. But before she could get wrapped up in her thoughts on that, she remembered who it was that he wanted to cut between. She turned her eyes up to Robert uncertainly, seeing the cold look in his eye. Micah had obviously peeved him, but Robert quickly hid it with an icy smile. “Not at all.” He stepped back from Eponine and she was grateful there wouldn’t be a scene. She was about to look to Micah when she felt Robert’s lips on her fingers once more. The look she gave him was a mixture of confusion and distaste, though she gave a strained smile to hide it. “I’ll be in touch on that offer.” Eponine nodded giving him quiet thanks, and watched as he walked away. She gave a heavy sigh, shaking out the fingers he’d kissed, and turned to Micah. Her smile came back, small but relieved, and she stepped to him.

“Thanks for saving me,” she said softly as she placed her hand in his and rested her other hand on his shoulder, her words almost playful as she said them. She wasn’t sure how much to tell Micah about her and Robert, and she bit her lip as she considered. When she looked at his kind face, though, she felt he deserved an explanation. “Robert tried to date me seven years ago,” she began. “He thought we were a lot alike in our political ambitions, but…I just didn’t like him, and I couldn’t see myself being with someone I didn’t like. He just asked me again and I told him no again. I don’t think he’ll be asking anymore. It doesn’t scare me, though. He was much angrier the last time than he was this time, and the last time he didn’t retaliate…well, not directly. He just made my life a living hell for a couple weeks at work, but it stopped. I think he respects me a little because I actually turned him down.” She gave a soft shrug, moving more awkwardly with Micah than she had with Robert, but she preferred Micah’s awkward dancing to Robert’s smooth moves any day. Just as she was starting to ease back into their rhythm, she looked like something occurred to her.

“Oh! And he offered me a job as his legal counsel. He said since I wouldn’t date him I would make a good candidate for the position. I don’t know if I should take it or not, though…I think I know your answer,” she said with a playful smirk at the end. Micah was protective of her, as he should be as her bodyguard, but part of her wanted to read more into it. She wanted to think that he genuinely cared, perhaps as more than a friend. But that was silly…wasn’t it?

[MICAH STOKES]

The look on Eponine's face was enough for Micah to feel good about stepping in. Snow didn't seem to be as pleased but Micah had been polite and if the leader truly wanted to he could have told him to go away in which Micah would have done, but he complied to the request but not until he'd kissed Eponine's fingers and told her that he'd be in touch about an offer that he made her. This, just as them dancing together, did not settle well with Micah. What sort of offer did Snow lay out for Eponine? He watched the leader walk away and get swallowed up by the crowd before he got back into dancing position, holding one of Eponine's hands out to the side and then the other resting on her hip.

"Thanks for saving me," He looked down at her and nodded a mute 'your welcome' and moved to the music, leading her the way that she had instructed. Sure he wasn't elegant and have the smoothness that Snow had but he wasn't a total lost cause. He had managed to keep off of her feet so far and the longer they did it the more he got the hang of it. He wasn't excellent but he wasn't completely awful either.

"Robert tried to date me seven years ago," Eponine spoke again and this time he looked at her surprised by the news, his left brow curving up as if to say 'oh really?' "He thought we were a lot alike in our political ambitions, but...I just didn't like him, and I couldn't see myself being with someone I didn't like. He just asked me again and I told him no again. I don't think he'll be asking anymore. It doesn't scare me, though. He was much angrier the last time than he was this time, and the last time he didn't retaliate...well, not directly. He just made my life a living hell for a couple weeks at work, but it stopped. I think he respects me a little because I actually turned him down." This was definitely news.

He didn't know what to think about what Eponine said. Snow had an interest in the woman and wanted to be intimate with her. Snow didn't seem like the intimate sort in Micah's opinion but he could be wrong. He was a great judge of character but he had gotten a person wrong every once in a while. You couldn't be right all the time.

"Oh! And he offered mea job as his legal counsel. He said since I wouldn't date him I would make a good candidate for the position. I don't know if I should take it or not, though...I think I know your answer," His answer? He noted the smirk that played on her soft lips and had to let out a small chuckle and shake his head. What she said wasn't funny but the look on her face sort of was. It was...cute. The news, however, was not.

"Do you trust him?" Micah asked and his face went serious once more, but a little softer around the edges than it would normally be. It was a softness that he reserved just for her as of late. "It wouldn't be smart to take political advice from a grunt. We come in after the politicians make their decisions and we act on them." He told her almost bluntly and it was true. Politics was never an interest of his and although politics played a major role in everything he'd done, between being a Guardian and a Marine, he just took the orders that were given to him.

"But it sounds to me that he wants to keep you close. Whether there's an ulterior motive or not it's too early to tell. But I wouldn't put it past him to make your life hell again if it's his toes you step on next time."

[EPONINE GASCOIGNE]

Micah’s soft chuckle made Eponine smile more, but she still waited for his thoughts on Robert’s offer. She was so uncertain about it. “Do you trust him?” Ah, that was the million dollar question. She studied the way his face softened as she contemplated her answer. “It wouldn’t be smart to take political advice from a grunt. We come in after the politicians make their decisions and we act on them.” Eponine gave a soft laugh and let her eyes fall to his chest. Maybe she shouldn’t be so reliant on his opinion, but Micah always seemed to have sound advice in her opinion. "But it sounds to me that he wants to keep you close. Whether there's an ulterior motive or not it's too early to tell. But I wouldn't put it past him to make your life hell again if it's his toes you step on next time." She nodded, considering this advice. “Maybe I’ll just sit on it for a while. There’s no rush and it’ll give him time to…calm down I guess. It’s a great opportunity for me, but…I just don’t want to be under Robert’s thumb,” she said thoughtfully, looking up at him. She let her eyes drop from his face to his tie and then to their hands as she contemplated her choice.

Why did she have to think about it now? She gave a sigh, letting her frustrating at the whole situation out and she shook her head. “I’m not going to think about it right now,” she said firmly, as if telling herself to stop it. As they moved on the dance floor, she realized they were moving much better than before. She smiled to herself at first and then she turned her smile up to him. “It looks like you’re getting the hang of this,” she commented, a slight tone of awe in her voice. Her smile grew, bright once more, and she noticed how close they were, almost as if it were the first time they were this close this evening. She felt a little giddy to realize his face was so close to hers and she had his undivided attention. It felt like for once they weren’t concerned about being attacked and doom and gloom, but instead they were concerned about enjoying each other’s company. It felt nice and she felt her cheeks flush a little. Her cheeks hadn’t flushed as much as they did around Micah in a very long time.

Without really thinking about it, Eponine laid her head on Micah’s chest. It was a small action, but a very big one at the same time. She was embarrassed to do it in front of a big crowd; hell, some of her peers were there and possibly her cousin. For once, though, she didn’t care about that. She didn’t mind showing her softer side for once, and it didn’t even feel like there were people around them. She felt like they were alone and the world really only consisted of them dancing, just for the moment. It felt nice, though, and his chest was hard and warm and Eponine felt…almost like she was at home.

[MICAH STOKES]

"Maybe I'll just sit on it for a while. There's no rush and it'll give him time to...calm down I guess. It's a great opportunity for me, but...I just don't want to be under Robert's thumb," Micah could see how she would see it as a great opportunity for her career. Politicians were big on their careers and they always wanted to move up. With Micah it had been different. He'd wanted to stay a grunt and with every promotion although he knew it was an honor, it just brought him further from what he wanted to do. He didn't want to be the one giving orders, he wanted to take them and act on them.

"I'm not going to think about it right now," Making a decision right now wouldn't be wise and he knew Eponine was smarter than that. She wasn't the kind of person who made decisions without thinking them through first. And he wanted to tell her that if they went public in a few years then she wouldn't have to worry about Gargoyle politics anymore and could go on to pursue a career in national politics. Hell, even world politics if she wanted.

But before he could say anything her head was lowering onto his chest and his breath caught in his throat. This was new. His eyes shifted, looking around to see if anyone was watching but from the looks of it nobody seemed to care about what the two of them were doing. His eyes moved down to the top of her head and watched her as they moved around the dance floor to the beat of the music just like she'd instructed.

He wasn't trained for this. It wasn't the first time that a woman had rested against his chest in that fashion but it was the first time he wasn't expecting it. But her warm face against his chest felt nice and he could smell the product that was in her hair and thought it smelled almost fresh and flowery. He wasn't going to deny that he enjoyed it and even though he was always tense, his hand that was resting on her waist slid around to her back feeling the design of her dress with his fingers.

"You.." he looked like he was having trouble figuring out the right words. "You're uhm.. a great teacher." He was going to say that she looked beautiful tonight, or that he enjoyed being around her, but all he did was compliment her ability to get big foot to dance without breaking anyone's feet. "I'm having a good time, here.. with you."

[EPONINE GASCOIGNE]

As Eponine’s head rested on Micah’s chest, she could sense how uncomfortable he was with it, but his hand slid to her lower back, his fingers coming across the designs of her dress. Her eyes slid shut, enjoying the feel of her heart racing for just a moment. She’d never done this before; she’d never been so girly and open with her affection. But nobody was watching them, she was almost certain of that. And if they were? Forget them. “You…” The sound of his voice vibrated against her ear and she looked up at him, picking her head up off his chest. “You’re uhm…a great teacher.” Eponine’s lips curled in a slow, soft smile. It wasn’t quite the compliment she was expecting, but she accepted it. He probably wasn’t used to giving compliments. Hell, he hardly spoke unless spoken too, so she was pretty certain he didn’t give compliments often. That only made her appreciate it more.

“I’m having a good time, here…with you.” Her cheeks actually flushed more and she couldn’t remember the last time she smiled so wide. So he wasn’t opposed to her head on his chest; not that she would have cared if he was opposed to it. She would have brushed it off with a bruised ego and moved on with her life. But it made her legitimately happy that he was okay with this. “Me too…with you,” she replied quietly. “And you’re not a half bad student.” She grinned wide, letting him know she was being playful.

Once more, she rested her head against his chest and enjoyed the feel of it. She didn’t give a flying fuck if Goodman was watching them or not at this point. Eponine was just glad to be dancing like this with Micah. She hoped after tonight it wouldn’t just fade away and they would act like it never happened. She didn’t intend for that to happen, and she hoped he felt the same.

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