Ouch!
Ocellus inhaled sharply before turning to meet Smolder's searching gaze with as much patience as she could muster.
"Um, you're standing on me."
Realisation dripped slowly into Smolder's eyes, forcing them into the shape of saucers. "A—Again? You just keep finding your way under me, huh?"
Ocellus giggled as Smolder removed her foot, the sharp stab of pain quickly forgotten. "I know, right?" she replied above the beautiful swell of the music filling the hall. "I think I've got two left feet today."
Smolder flashed her a look that was somewhere between embarrassment and gratitude. "Honestly? You're not the only one."
Ocellus smiled, or at least tried to. Taking the form of a dragon had been beneficial in learning to dance ballroom—she had the height to lead like this, the ability to properly grip Smolder's hands with her own—but dragon faces just didn't seem to want to smile easily.
"Do you want to go again?"
Smolder looked as though she was trying to keep down her breakfast. "Do you?"
"Of course! I'm having so much fun!"
"Right… Uh, me too." Smolder exhaled, looking down at their linked hands, and then at their feet. She straightened her frame in erratic snaps, her lips working as she moved herself into the correct position. Ocellus watched as anxious colour began to stain her girlfriend's scales. She had never seen Smolder as vulnerable as she looked right now, and as much as she wanted to pull her into a protective embrace, she also felt a guilty sense of relief. It was all too easy to worry that she was the only one in the relationship staving off anxiety or self-doubt: the range of Smolder's expressions since they had started the lesson was honest, unguarded, and wonderfully reassuring.
Perhaps it was that relief that spurred her on, or perhaps it was something more mischievous altogether, but Ocellus found herself stepping forward so that her ventral scales was pressing against Smolder's. Her hand became insistent against the base of her girlfriend's shoulder blades, keeping her in place, close.
Smolder gasped and spluttered, her face turning crimson. She glanced up at Ocellus, and for a moment something beautiful and nourishing flashed in her eyes before they narrowed.
"You suck!" she hissed.
"I lead," Ocellus replied, and so she did.
They stumbled and tripped and stomped across the sprung floor of the hall, their feet clipping, their hands and arms slipping out of place and their wings flexing and flapping as they tried to keep their balance. They were awful, but Ocellus didn't care, and if the other dancers were watching them, well she didn't care about that either. She kept her eyes on Smolder's, she kept her smile on her lips, and she kept the blush on her face.
And oh! How her heart fluttered, keeping pace with the the rhythm of the music pouring from the phonograph. One two three, one two three, one two three.
At some point they gave up trying; their positions and frames collapsed entirely. With her lip between her teeth, Smolder closed her eyes and leaned into Ocellus' hold. Her arms wrapped around Ocellus, her claws dancing their own routine before gripping tight. Unable to do anything else, Ocellus copied her girlfriend's actions, leading her into a slow rotation on their part of the dancefloor.
"Are you having fun?" she whispered, enjoying the feel of her jaw moving against the top of Smolder's head and spines.
"Yeah, this is actually the best." Smolder's voice was muffled by Ocellus' scales, but it sounded warm, relieved, genuine. "Thanks for coming and trying this with me."