Dance Fever

Lights flickered around Haru as cheers egged him towards the dance floor. The glow of a disco ball flashed, blinding him momentarily before he saw his partner waiting for him on the other side.

Her pink hair draped down a cocktail dress that glimmered as much as she did. With a quick exhale to psych himself up, he broke free from the hands pushing him onward and dashed right up to join her.

With a dive to the knees, he slid to a stop, pointing his finger dramatically toward her in a challenge which she willingly accepted.

“It’s Friday night, Grace! Let’s do this!”

Haru and Grace were, of course, in a club within his dreams. As to why he found himself in such a situation, it was due to all the calories he had consumed the night before.

The binge eating session invoked a guilt strong enough to exercise. But the sanctity of his own room offered limited options to drive his motivation. The last thing he wished for was to bug his friends again to accompany him for something dumb.

Daichi might be a gym bro, but I can’t imagine Koichi lifting weights. He’d probably hit on some chicks instead…

After some web surfing, he came upon some dance videos, insert songs from anime and games. They were enough to spark a jiggle in his toes. He soon found himself upright and jiving to follow along. As always, throwing himself headlong into a spur of the moment was too typical of Haru; he should have expected the result.

At least, he could embarrass himself all he wanted inside his own dream.

Pulling out his best moves, he swung his arms wide, bounced all around, and did flips without a care. In the meantime, Grace simply glided with her arms while swaying her hips, a smile of pure enjoyment on her face.

Dreams were all about enjoying himself, so Haru was free to get swept up in all of it.

As the music winded down, he finished with a cool spin, a hop towards Grace, and a hand up in the air for a high five, which she eagerly accepted.

“Ahhh, that was fun! Even if I had no idea how to dance along with it!”

She was still bobbing side to side as if the music hadn’t stopped. Haru couldn’t help but feel a bit flushed after the excitement, but he quickly calmed himself before her.

“What kind of dances do Dream Fairies know to begin with?”

Grace froze at the question, deep in contemplation before gingerly extending a hand upward. The background of the club setting seemed to melt away, morphing into a more formal setting. The soft keystrokes of a piano struck, and then another. A cello and violin joined right after. A gentle instrumental hung in the air around them.

Just like her name implied, Grace’s movements traced the air with a certain grandeur. Even without wings, her body floated across the dance floor, seeming to barely kiss the ground with each step.

Haru’s jaw fell in amazement. It was like watching one of those artsy performances that he could never grasp. Those that often put him to sleep. Yet, Grace grasped his attention with every step and every sway.

And when Grace turned back to him with a hand extended, all he could do was gawk at her offer awkwardly.

“No, no, no.” He crossed his arms. “You don’t need me to muck up your performance.”

“This isn’t anything special.” Grace smiled innocently.

Not special like how Dream Fairies are not at all either…

Haru simply didn’t have the confidence to step forward. Even in a dream, he knew that it would be a disaster. And if he was going to experience the same fun that Grace was offering, some level of preparation was necessary.

#####

The next day, Haru scoured the internet for some reference materials. After searching for a while, he stumbled upon some dancing-themed anime. He took a quick look at the clock, noting that it wasn’t even noon yet.

I have the whole weekend ahead of me. I can manage to binge one or two series, can’t I?

Haru barely left the room that day except when he got hungry. He barely spoke two words to his parents on their off days, gobbling up his meal before returning to his room.

He practiced. He followed along with the routines, mimicking them as best he could. He fell over several times until his butt was sore, his feet aching from discomfort. But each time, the squeak of rapid steps over floorboards sounded again. And they continued into the evening.

Grace was once again waiting for him, the dance floor from the previous night still intact. The crowd had long faded, leaving just the two of them. Her eyes looked down, slightly bashful.

But when Haru extended his arm toward her, she perked up and gently took it. The sound of piano music began at their touch. Grace exhaled a wave of sparkles that enveloped their bodies. And then, Haru’s outfit became a tuxedo. Grace wore a fancy ball gown.

They were instantly a couple with eyes only for each other, confident in their partner’s approach. Haru wouldn’t let all the experience he gained to waste. He wanted to do as Grace did. But then, Grace tilted her head.

“Why are our necks so long? Our reach too?”

Haru looked down to see what he could only describe as a pair of giraffes with arms and legs stretched by a medieval torture device. For some reason, their bodies had become grotesquely long.

“Ah, dammit.”

Haru hadn’t noticed until now, but every character in the anime that he watched had exaggerated features, purposeful to highlight their poses. Haru tried to facepalm with a wobbly arm at how his dream had carried over such a meaningless aspect.

“Oh well, minor details.”

Grace’s smile took the lead as she guided Haru across the floor, following a simple ballroom routine. Haru instantly snapped to attention, settling into the motions that he had practiced beforehand.

Perhaps, all that effort paid off. Grace was synching up quite well with him. They slowly twirled around the floor, letting the music dictate their pace.

Haru didn’t want Grace to feel left out. His dreams could be pretty strange after all. But then, he was having fun himself.

Gradually, the distance between their bodies lessened. Grace finally pressed herself right up against him. Their arm and legs were no longer stretched out. Their necks shrank. But none of this mattered as their gazes remained on each other.

Just like the moment Grace had pulled him forward, he only had eyes for her. Her attractive features drew him in. He was holding a doll that was unknowingly carved to perfection. His face naturally drew closer, as if wishing to explore her deeper.

But then, he sneezed and tripped. Fumbling around, Grace let him go, sending him crashing to the ground. The heavy impact against his head made the surroundings go dark. After blinking a few times, he realized that the pain lingered. Not to mention, something was blocking his vision.

He moved to sit up but immediately banged his forehead. To his side, there was a wooden leg, likely what his head had bumped against. Turning the other way, he realized that he was underneath something, so he scooted down to free himself from it.

Somehow, he had fallen asleep while dancing and found himself under the bed at some point. The dust had triggered a sneeze, shooting him out of the dreamworld. It was a one-way ticket out of paradise, and he was rather annoyed about it.

Haru dusted himself off, took a shower to rid himself of the musk and sweat, and then, climbed into bed. The clock read 2:15 am. He cared about nothing else but returning for an encore.