Out of Practice (Together) – Critical Role, Widomauk

[thecrazyalaskan]

Title: Out of Practice (Together)
Author: fireweed15
Fandom / Setting: Critical Role — Campaign II: The Mighty Nein
Characters / Pairings: Mollymauk "Molly" Tealeaf x Caleb Widogast / Widomauk
Rating: T
Word Count: 604
Summary: The name of the inn was irrelevant, but this moment was too precious to pass up.

turns out my conscience wouldn't let me rest until I gave Molly and Caleb some fluff too >w< my last hurrah before NaNoWriMo, enjoy!

• • • 

 

The name of the inn was irrelevant, as the inn itself was a welcome reprieve. The Nein were scattered among the tables, drinking and engaging in conversation with each other and a few of the other patrons—except for Caleb, who was bent over his spellbook and writing furiously as he copied from a recently obtained scroll, his own drink untouched.

At length, Molly all but swooped in, his brightly colored cloak visually announcing his arrival before he dropped into the chair beside Caleb and leaned in with interest. "Whatcha readin'?"

"New spells I'm studying." Caleb's gaze never wandered from his work, nor did he elaborate.

Silence settled around them. On the far end of the inn, a three piece band played, the music coaxing a few patrons and a handful of couples onto the open space that could generously be described as a dance floor. "Good music tonight," Molly commented, watching Caleb deliberately.

"Ja," he replied, the words underscored by the scratch of his quill against the paper.

The silence settled in again, thicker than before. Molly's fingers drummed a light staccato on the table before he lifted his hands as if appealing to an unseen power. "Oh for the love of—" He waited until Caleb lifted his quill from the page before tugging the page away. "Do you wanna dance?"

Caleb blinked owlishly at him, quill loosely gripped in his fingers. "With you?"

Molly shook his head patiently, the baubles on his horns jingling softly with the motion, as he worked the quill from Caleb's hand. "No, with my father—" He took the human by the hands and hauled him to his feet.

"I'm out of practice," Caleb protested, allowing himself to be led onto the open floor.

"So am I," Molly replied, lifting Caleb's arm and turning himself under it. "We'll be out of practice together." His turn brought him face to face with Caleb, their fingers interlaced as his free hand settled on Caleb's shoulder, as naturally as if it belonged there.

In response, almost second nature, Caleb's free hand lifted to rest on Molly's hip. "That… that sounds nice," he admitted. "Weißt du—do you know the, ah, bachata?"

"Who doesn't?" Molly teased. At the same time, the band started a new tune.

Caleb counted the beat of the music softly, more to himself than aloud, before leading Molly through the steps—ein, zwei, drei to the left, and a smart tap on vier, the back again. Side to side and back and forth in time to the beat—both picked up on the cues easily, giving the impression they had been dancing together for years. Caleb's lead through the steps and turns was steady and unwavering, leaving Molly free to add flourishes—the swish of his tail or an exaggerated sway of the hips—that were second nature to him.

"If this is you out of practice, I'd hate to see you at the top of your game, Mr. Widogast," Molly teased, ending a turn a little closer than he had begun it.

Color rushed to Caleb's cheeks, but the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth was undeniable. "You are a shameless flatterer and a flirt, Herr Tealeaf."

Where Caleb's smile was subdued, an expression just for his partner, Molly threw his head back and laughed, the sound mingling with the music in a way that Caleb could only describe as beautiful. "But that's why you love me." There was an almost feline, flirtatious lilt in the words.

Caleb smiled a little wider, a little warmer, as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Molly's cheek. "Ja, it is."