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When Misha finally parted from her latest dance conquest, it took some long moments before she realized that the gym had emptied considerably. The snack table stood, decimated, while the tables containing punch and alcohol still boasted knots of her fellow Chosen. All in all, though, many people appeared to have left for their dorms and she wondered with a crooked smirk if they had all gone home alone or if there would be some interesting wake-up calls. She giggled to herself, remembering more than one resulting Walk of Shame on November first while in college.

There was a reason that colleges made jokes about All Saints' Day.

The thought suddenly in her head, Misha turned on her heel in a tight circle in a deliberate and measured attempt to spot specific people. She was not a betting sort of girl normally but she felt she had an eye for chemistry. Not to mention a good feel for those who were more than okay with casual hook-ups, endless flirting, and no-ties fun. Mal immediately came to mind when those qualities were considered. She did not see him in the remaining crowd but that did not necessarily mean he had left. If he had, though, who had he left with?

Would she leave with him herself? It was a thought. He certainly had charm in spades and looks to boot. The man could also kiss, she surmised, judging by the few he had managed to share with her.

Where was Ed? Rob? Lex? Mercy? Would Beth and Sylvia go home with someone? Certainly not.

A familiar width of green-clad back caught the corner of her eye and a wide smile grew on Misha's face. Brian. He was still there. Strangely, she found herself relieved and chastised herself for it. He was a grown man. The fact that he did not seem at all the type for a one night stand did not mean he could not enjoy one. She just would have missed him if he disappeared before she could say goodnight. It was that simple.

With quick steps, Misha approached her friend. As she neared, she noticed the faint sway of his hips as he responded to the music. It was subtle but she noticed things like that. Besides it gave her an idea.

She slipped an arm around his waist and, with a laugh, she shifted herself around him in a tight circle, using him rather like a central pillar, and finally ended up facing him with a gloriously enormous smile. "Hey, Handsome," she purred. "No dance partner? That's not good."

She put her other arm around his waist and stepped in until they were separated by only the slightest bit of air. With her gloves long since abandoned, she could feel the warmth of him even through the hooded jacket of his costume. With the new position and the dim light helping, Brian saw that Misha had already ditched her domino mask and the dainty zipper that had started the night well up and under her chin had migrated south until the barest peep of cleavage appeared beneath the black metal teeth.

"Would you like a partner?"

She had found him during the in-between moment of music when one song was winding down and the other not yet started so Misha easily fell into his sway. His hand on her hip warm and felt even through her costume made her relax even more and she tilted forward until she could rest her cheek on his chest. Her fingers laced together and rested at the small of his back. "I can't remember what song is next," she admitted. "Will you stay with me no matter if it's fast or slow?"

"I'm almost always having fun. It's the company, you know." His lowered tones and the touch of Texas running through it drew a soft sigh from Misha and she hugged him tighter. Then she lifted her head to share a gentle smile with Brian. "And, yes, that's a compliment so you better take it or else."

Suddenly, the music changed, the next song queuing up, and Misha straightened. Her eyes shone bright. Bringing her hands from behind him, she slid them both up his chest, her small palms exerting just the faintest pressure, until she reached his shoulders. Then she squeezed a bit and mover her hands to cup behind his neck, warm and demanding. She tugged him into her. "Dance with me, Brian. Please."

She was surprised he still had the cowl raised over his head; she would have thought it would be too warm. Misha could not deny, though, that there was something a bit intriguing about how it alternately hid and revealed Brian's face. It was as if his self-control and the iron grip he usually kept on his expressions now had a physical crutch. Intriguing was the right word, she supposed, but mysterious and alluring and sexy worked, too.

One corner of her mouth hitched higher than the other at the thought, amused and bothered in a good way, and she abruptly buried her face in his chest, closing the space between them until she was pressed firmly against him. She said nothing. Instead she focused on their movements, using her own body to encourage and direct until Brian picked up the beat. Side to side, indeed.

As Brian put a little extra something into his responses, Misha managed to muffle her wee noise of happiness in the front of his jacket. How had she forgotten he could do that since their last dance? She lifted her head to share a glowing smile with him. It was perhaps a bit tipsy and crooked but it shone honest and affectionate and more than a little interested.

Then she bit her lower lip and shifted her hips abruptly against his to a down-beat in the music and the chemistry of the smile melted into something a bit more dangerous, a bit more hungry.

Misha adapted her stance immediately to Brian's as he shifted and positioned their legs. Thank heavens for the catsuit. There were no skirts to get in the way of their new body tangling. She brought one hand away from the back of his neck, the other still cupped there and linking them together, and let it slide down his chest to press against his pectoral for a moment before she dropped it to hang loosely at her side. Then she leaned into him as he leaned back, chasing the motions of the music and his body.

Misha watched Brian's face and felt his body's movements and smiled lazily, almost drugged by the sway and rhythm. It felt good to be so close to him. Good in so many ways. Another glance at his expression brought a faint sigh to her lips. Oh, it was on. So definitely on.

Locking eyes with him, Misha moved her remaining hand from his neck and dragged it down his chest, nails scraping ever so slightly until she suddenly curled her fingers to grip a handful of his jacket. Then, trusting him and his reactions, she leaned back in a deep bend. Only her hand tangled in his jacket, their hips pressed together, and his grip on her hips and waist served as support and anchor to the motion.

Brian's ease in switching between the slow grind to the bouncier beat and back made her giggle with delight and Misha flung her arms around his neck as the beat settled back into the original rhythm. Her head tucked beneath his chin, her cheek against his chest, she closed her eyes to concentrate on sensation. Part of her knew the song would be ending too soon and she found herself dreading the moment. The rest of her let herself go completely into how well Brian moved with her and how his arms felt around her. It was safe and something else, something that she could not quite name in her tipsy state.

It didn't matter. This dance said enough on its own.

Misha lifted her head as she felt the end notes approaching to meet Brian's eyes. Her smile radiated happiness, no teasing, just pure joy. Without thinking, she tugged down with her hands until his head tipped down for her and she closed her eyes as she brushed a sweet, barely there kiss over his lips. The tingle that hit her from the contact sent a shiver through her body, clearly felt through their closeness.