"Hurry Sav, we're gonna be late!", Phil's voice filtered through the bathroom door, the curly-haired man inside of it only sighing in return and continuing to tug on a protesting blonde curl that refused to stay in its place. Looking at his reflection in the small mirror above the sink he met his own dull blue eyes that had once sparkled in an ocean blue. He just looked tired nowadays, ever since that stupid chick had broken his heart. He had found her one day in bed with some stranger when he had come home and he was still mourning over it, even though it was stupid of him to waste so many thoughts on her since she clearly didn't deserve any of his attention.

Phil consistently told him the same thing and therefore tried to get him out and into clubs, hoping that he'd find someone to hook up with. But so far, his advances hadn't been successful at all. As stubborn as he was, Sav had always refused to start a conversation with any girl.

His mood was getting worse each day and by now it had robbed him of all of his former happiness. He started fearing that he would end up alone for his whole life.

Today was not that different, except for the fact that Phil didn't actually take him out into a club. He only insisted on Sav tagging along to his dancing course that he was taking together with a guy he fancied. It was an open beginner dancing course for everyone and they were so open that they didn't even care who was dancing with whom. You could just take your best friend and try it out.

Phil had forced Sav to go since he wanted him to rate his current dancing stage in order to know how long he would have to keep taking the lessons. It was a shitty excuse since Sav knew he would go on with the lessons because of Steve, the handsome blonde Phil had eyed for a few months by now, either way. He insisted that they weren't dating but Sav knew better. His best friend's sparkling eyes told him everything he needed to know on that matter.

Sighing again and ruffling one hand through his curls he finally called it quits, stepping out of the bathroom only to find his impatient mate by the front door, already dressed in both his jacket and boots.

"Sav! God, will you please hurry? Don't wanna keep Steve waiting- I mean, don't wanna miss the lesson!", he exclaimed with a small blush rising to his cheeks, throwing Sav's jeans jacket over to him while opening the door to step out into the hallway in front of their apartment.

"Calm down mate, we're not gonna be late. You can wait by the car though if you're so excited to get going", Sav replied with a slightly annoyed undertone in his calm voice, causing Phil to flip him off before hurrying down the staircase and humming an ecstatic tune that echoed off the stairway walls.

Sav just continued to tie his white basketball hightops, pulling the jeans jacket on before grabbing his keys and closing the door behind him. Why was he doing this again? He had absolutely no idea.

"SAAAAV!!", Phil's voice echoed through the stairway again, leaving him with no choice if he didn't want to get beaten up big time. With an eye roll, he took off down the staircase until he reached the underground car park, hurrying across the parking lot and over to Phil's tiny red car that was already running. As soon as he got into the passenger seat Phil started driving, leaving him with almost no time to pull the door closed properly. He just huffed and chose to ignore his best friend after that, after all, he wasn't doing this willingly and therefore didn't need a reason for his pissed-off behavior.

The car ride was uneventful, much to Sav's pleasure. He just wanted his peace for once. But as soon as they arrived, Phil started his incredibly hyped-up behavior again, pulling him by the arm to a large black door that seemed to belong to a dance studio.

"How do I look, Sav? Am I too dressed up? What do you think?", Phil asked him quite panicked, the insecurity in his voice throwing Sav for a loop. So this really was something incredibly important for his best mate. He gave him a quick once over; the snug-fitting, tight blue jeans and the white blouse with the first three buttons undone, the jingling silvery bracelets and matching necklace, and the expertly done black eyeliner rimming his blue eyes. He looked a bit too dressed up for a simple dance lesson but Sav chose to keep that to himself.

"You look awesome mate, I'm sure that Steve-guy's gonna love it!", he replied seriously and Phil gave him an honest thankful smile in return that somehow made Sav's frown disappear from his face for a while.

They finally entered the building, Phil leading Sav over to a large room with a perfect wooden floor that was slowly filling with people. The curly-haired one spotted a bank close to him and excused himself, sitting down on the side and watching Phil approach a lanky blonde with pale skin and blue eyes that stood by the side with another guy. His best friend tapped blonde-guy, probably Steve, on the shoulder and was greeted with a beaming smile and a tight hug that seemed to be quite appreciated from both sides. Sav decided that he would just let them do their thing and wait for the lesson to be over.

Soon after they had arrived, a man and a woman that seemed to be the dance teachers stormed into the room, the guy carrying a boom box while the woman had a bag with supposedly some records in it in one of her hands. They clapped their hands to gain everyone's attention and explained what they were going to do during the lesson. As far as Sav could follow, they were learning a dance called 'Rumba'.

As soon as the music started and the teachers showed the eager group of people the basic steps, Sav knew that it was some sort of romantic dance that could be danced to a slow ballad. God, why did everything around him have to be so sappy? Why was everything focused on romance with him being the only one that seemed to be lonely?

Before he could indulge in self-deprecating thoughts again he chose to watch the people dance instead. Some were actually doing a great job for being beginners while others seemed a bit hopeless even though they were enthusiastic. Sav was surprised to see both Phil and Steve doing a decent job on the dance moves.

For the first half of the lesson, they were simply required to practice the moves by themselves. After a while, the teachers stopped the music and informed them of a quick break before they could finally try out their moves with a partner. Phil and Steve both came over to him in the break, grabbing two provided water bottles before sitting down next to Sav.

"And? How were we?", Phil then asked, still slightly out of breath. Sav immediately had to smirk at his excitement.

"You were great, seriously. Both of you! Can't wait to see how that's going to look when you dance together!"

Phil's smile widened so much at his words that he feared his face would split in half. Steve just looked at the two of them with a shy smile, softly squeezing Phil's hand that was encased in his larger one. Phil immediately started to blush and Sav threw him a knowing smirk. The call of the dance teachers informed them of the fact that the lesson continued and the two young men excused themselves again, leaving for the dance floor hand in hand. The sight made Sav frown since it reminded him of his own very prominent loneliness.

Gulping his feelings down he watched Phil and Steve take positions, finally starting to dance to the slow music in the background. They kept their eyes locked in a warm gaze that said quite a lot and Steve led Phil around the dancefloor with such care that Sav could only smile at the sight. They really made a cute couple.

He was so focused on watching them that he didn't directly notice that someone tried to get his attention.

"Um... I'm sorry to bother you... But would you maybe spare me a dance?"

Sav looked up at the owner of that slightly raspy but soft voice that had just asked him for a dance. His breath caught in his throat and his heart started to beat a million miles per hour when he looked into those piercing green eyes for the first time. They belonged to a tall man with long lean legs encased in blue ripped jeans and a strong torso covered by a loose top with cut-off sleeves. Wavy blonde hair framed his handsome face that featured rosy lips and small dimples in his cheeks, his slightly tanned skin showing off due to the various holes in his jeans and his naked, defined arms. One of his inviting hands was held out for Sav to take.

"M-me? I can't dance. I think you should probably find someone else if you don't want your dance to be a catastrophe", Sav tried hesitantly, nervously biting his bottom lip while gazing into the stranger's bright green eyes. He just chuckled and raised an eyebrow before he started talking again.

"Yes, you. And I don't care if you can't dance, I just don't want to see you sitting here and sulking for the second part of the lesson, too -Don't think that I didn't notice your expression. And won't you even give it a try at least? I'm quite good at leading, I'd say."

Sav was completely stunned by then, his mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. Where had this man come from? Did god hear his prayers for some luck in life? The guy just continued to gaze into his eyes and since Sav was incapable of speaking in any way, he just slipped his hand slowly into the man's warm palm.

He gently pulled him up out of his sitting position and led him over to the dancefloor by his hand, Sav's heart continuing to flutter dangerously. What the hell was wrong with him? This man here was male and he had only ever been attracted to females all his life. Since when could a man's presence let the butterflies do somersaults in his belly? What was happening?

The man finally stopped and turned towards Sav again with a gentle smile, guiding the hand that was entwined with his own to the stranger's shoulder, indicating for Sav to hold on there while he took his other hand into his own and led it to the side of their bodies. When the stranger placed his own warm palm on Sav's waist as a final step, the curly-haired one had serious trouble fighting against the warm tingling sensations that made their way down his back and grabbed his heart in a heated grasp.

"I'm Joe, by the way, I kinda forgot to introduce myself", the stranger identified as Joe finally said with a chuckle and a smile that made Sav's knees weak.

"I'm Rick, but I like it better to be called Sav", he replied after gathering his voice and shyly smiled back, letting himself melt into the warm careful hold he was being held in. They were quite close now, Sav could feel Joe's breath grazing his cheek in a gentle caress with every breath he took and it caused goosebumps to rise on his arms.

"Okay then Sav, just listen to what I tell you and follow my lead. Start with letting the music consume you and try to distinguish the beat", Joe whispered, Sav nodding and closing his eyes. The song was 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles, he could directly recognize that. Trying to memorize the beat he looked at Joe again, telling him with his gaze that he was waiting for the next instruction.

"Now take a slow step to the right with your right foot, afterward one forward with your left, and then put your weight on the right foot again. If you put your weight on the right foot at the right time, you will also be able to create some hip accent. It's easy, just follow me", Joe instructed, gently putting some pressure on the hand that was resting on Sav's waist in order to help him move the way he wanted him to. After a few tries, they were harmonizing quite well and Sav was actually starting to enjoy doing it. Joe instructed him on the second part, which basically was the first part just in the other direction, and soon after they were fully dancing to the sweet romantic song without having to look down at their feet. Joe gently led Sav across the dancefloor and Sav wondered why he hadn't ever done something like that before.

Lost in their own little world they communicated with their eyes since neither of them wanted to break the magical silence the situation created. They still inspected each other's features though while the other one wasn't looking, both of them feeling some kind of connection that made them feel completely at ease and in some way, attracted to each other.

Much too soon the song came to an end and the teachers closed the lesson with a few appreciating words towards their eager students. Joe hesitantly let go of Sav and the latter almost wanted to scream in disappointment. But he put on a fake smile instead.

"Um... That was really nice. I really hope you weren't as uncomfortable even though you didn't dance beforehand?", Joe asked with a sweet insecure smile, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Sav gifted him the most beaming smile he could manage in return, a blush coloring his cheeks in an instant.

"No, I really enjoyed it. Thank you for everything", he whispered, then took a step forward and placed a short peck on his opponent's cheek without thinking beforehand. Noticing what he did, his eyes went wide and he stammered an excuse before quickly taking off, finding Phil and Steve on the other side of the dancefloor near the bank he had been sitting on earlier. Both of them just watched him with a knowing smirk, still holding hands. God, he was having a gay crisis and everyone around him did gay things all the time like it was the most normal thing in the world. It really didn't help at all. He needed out, right at that moment.

Quickly leaving for the door, he could swear he heard the husky warm voice of his former dance partner calling out for him. But to Sav's advantage, everyone started to leave the room at a similar time, blocking Joe's way and giving Sav a significant headstart on his way out. Once he was finally out of the building he looked around, seeing a small pub tucked away on the corner of the street. Hopefully, Joe wouldn't suspect him there.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door he was greeted by a large crowd of people squished into the tiny space while loud rock music vibrated off the poster-covered walls. The curly-haired man weaved his way through the crowd and to the bar counter, ordering himself a beer and almost downing the bottle in one go.

"Wowow, what happened to you, mate?", a smaller man leaning next to him on the bar counter asked with widened eyes, watching him closely while Sav downed the rest of his beer. It was a young man that seemed quite honest and friendly so Sav took a chance on starting a conversation.

"This is gonna sound pathetic but I'm having a pretty serious gay crisis at the moment."

The other man just smiled knowingly and nodded, patting Sav's back and ordering two beer bottles for the two of them before he replied again.

"Well, it's no crime, y'know? Just try it out if it feels good. Or is some attraction unrequited? You bolted in here as if your hair was on fire."

Sav chuckled softly and gladly accepted the beer bottle the smaller man held out to him, letting the words run through his head. His catholic education really didn't help at all since it made him feel more guilty than ever about a topic such as homosexuality. What was so special about that tall guy at the dancing course? Where had that sudden attraction come from? He didn't have an answer to that. All he knew was that he wanted to be in that warm caring embrace again.

"No, as far as I'm concerned it isn't unrequited, or at least I hope so. And thanks for the helpful words, they might help me with figuring out which way to go. I'm Sav", he finally introduced himself, holding his hand out to the smaller stranger. The guy took it with a smile that seemed so open and honest that it directly caused Sav to smile, too.

"I'm Rick Allen, pleased to meet you, Sav."

"Excuse me, have you seen a guy with long curly blonde hair and blue eyes?", Sav suddenly heard someone ask from further down the bar, snapping his head around and directly being able to identify the tall statue of his former dance partner. Blushing hard he turned towards Rick again only to find him missing. With a huff, he looked back at Joe on the other side of the bar, to his horror seeing Rick at his side and pointing over to where Sav was situated. Just a second later Joe locked eyes with him again and a hesitant little smile immediately stretched his soft-looking rosy lips. God, Sav was screwed.

Since running away again would seem pathetic, he chose to stay where he was instead, impatiently waiting for Joe to make his way through the overfilled club and over to him. After a few moments, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, the warmth of its palm sending shivers down his spine and directly letting him know who it was. Lifting his head he looked into the piercing green eyes once again, feeling the butterflies in his belly going crazy as if they had never stopped.

"Hey, why'd you run? You thought I would be mad at you for what you did?", the warm gentle voice asked concerned but with a slight undertone of amusement coming through. Sav could just nod while an embarrassed flush invaded his cheeks, making them burn in a pretty rouge color. Joe chuckled softly at his reaction and carefully placed one hand on the side of the shorter one's face, forcing him to meet his warm gaze once more. By instinct, Sav reached out and grasped the fabric of Joe's top with the hand that wasn't holding his beer bottle, bringing them closer while he continued to drown in the green eyes of his opponent. His own got hooded after a few moments as if he was getting drunk on Joe's presence, his pink tongue sneaking out to wet his plump bottom lip while his gaze dropped to the taller man's soft-looking ones in front of him.

Joe breathed a shuddery sigh at that particular sight, gently taking one of Sav's hands and placing his other one on Sav's waist, bringing them into the same position they had danced in earlier. Sav placed his beer bottle on the counter behind him almost in a trance, placing his now free hand on Joe's shoulder and letting him lead him again in a gentle sway, even though they were a lot closer now than previously. They slow-danced to a tune they only heard in their heads, their foreheads meeting and making them all too aware of the sparks that flew between them.

"God, I really wanna kiss you, Sav... Is that okay?", Joe asked softly into the silence between them, Sav's heartbeat starting to pick up speed once more. Gulping down the excited lump in his throat and licking his lips again he gave a small nod, turning his head slightly to the side to meet Joe halfway. The first touch of the other man's soft lips on his own made Sav as dizzy as the first hit of an addicting drug, all sense and reasoning flying out the window. Electricity ran through his veins and kept him rooted to the spot, the kiss deepening further when Sav let go of Joe's hand and looped his arms around his neck instead, pulling their bodies flush against each other. He had a feeling that he would never be able to get enough of Joe. Not ever in his life.

From across the pub, Phil and Steve tipped Rick handsomely while watching the scene unfold before them.

"Great job there, mate. If you want, we'll take you out to dinner sometime, our treat of course", they said to their young friend, patting him on the shoulder in a proud way. Phil then turned to Steve again, placing a soft kiss on his lips before grinning at him once more.

"So glad you brought your sulking friend and told him to talk to my bestie. Look where it led to!"

Steve just chuckled when they looked back at the scene, seeing their two former miserable friends entwined in an adorably intimate way while sharing kisses like the world was ending. Shrugging with a grin on his face he took Phil's hand into his own again.

"The power of dancing", he then stated in a dreamy sigh, causing his lover to start grinning stupidly, too.