Chapter Text
Siegbert leaned back with a soft sigh, the gentle hum of the radio filling the air as he tapped the screen of his phone. The display lit up, happily announcing to him that it was currently 4:42 PM. Just below, a notification stared back, reminding him to pick Forrest up in 30 minutes. Red eyes peered through long lashes, taking in the sight of the rather unattractive building in front of him.
At first glance, the building didn’t seem like much. It was large, tan, and box-shaped. In every sense of the word, it was plain and boring. It didn’t really strike Siegbert as a studio, much less one so famous as Valla Dance Academy. And yet there in front of him was a simple sign, letters etched across it in graceful cursive that confirmed that he was in the right place.
He twitched, pulling his attention away from the sign to his phone, the display now flashing 4:43 PM at him. A frustrated groan left him as he leaned against the steering wheel. There was no point in waiting around outside for another twenty minutes for Forrest to come out. Twisting his key, he cut the engine off and quickly exited the car. He tugged at the door handles, double-checking the lock, before shoving his keys and phone into his back pockets. With his scarf tied securely around his neck, he willed himself forward.
If Siegbert were being honest, he would rather be at home studying right about now. He was already a junior in high school, and the pressure of academics coupled with carrying on his family legacy weighed heavily on his shoulders. In between college applications and his ever-fluctuating grades, he had a lot on his plate, and he was more than certain he’d bitten off more than he could chew. Not that he would ever willingly admit to such a thing.
Snap out of it, Sieg. A rather forceful thought jolted him from his reverie. It’s just an hour away from the desk. Nothing you can’t make up for. It was a convincing-enough argument, but it didn’t make him feel as confident as he thought it would as he stepped in front of the automatic doors. But, truth be told, what was the harm in spending some quality time with Forrest? They hadn’t had much of a chance to speak with one another since he’d started dance lessons here at the academy, and one car ride wouldn’t hurt either of them.
Siegbert barely registered the soft chime of welcome as he stepped inside. He looked around, taking in the sight of the small, yet cozy lobby as the woman at the front desk spoke up again. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Ah…” He was caught off guard, not having noticed the blue-haired woman sitting at the desk until just now. “Yes. I’m here to pick up Forrest. Nohr. Forrest Nohr.” A flush creeped over his cheeks and he nervously tugged at his scarf. The woman, however, seemed unfazed, only giving him a reassuring smile as she turned towards her computer.
“It says here,” she turned back to look at him, warm, yellow eyes crinkling as she smiled, “that his class doesn’t end for another fifteen minutes.” Siegbert looked down, pressing the scarf against his mouth as he automatically mumbled out a soft apology. “Oh, you don’t have to apologize!” She quickly backtracked. “It’ll just be a few minutes before he’s allowed out of class.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath. “Yes, thank you.” His gaze finally met hers and he gave her a shaky smile. As he turned to sit on one of the couches in the waiting area, she called out once again.
“If you’d like, he’s in room 116.” Her lips twitched upwards again in a gentle smile. “You’re welcome to watch.” He paused in his step, fingers still bunched tightly in his scarf as he processed this new information. “It’s just down the hall, second room to your left.”
Siegbert opened his mouth to respond, to tell her that he was fine and that he could wait out here. “I would love to.” The words were out of him before he could stop himself. “Thank you, Miss...”
“Azura.” Her eyes sparkled warmly as she gestured towards the hallway. “Second room on your left.” Her voice was soft as she turned away, focusing back on the computer and whatever work she needed to finish.
Without another word, Siegbert made his way down the hall slowly. Curiously, he peered into one of the rooms he was passing, briefly taking note of the couple dancing together inside. The man lifted the woman easily, swinging her around before she touched down and they moved out of his range of vision. He wanted to move closer, but, not wanting to be caught staring, pulled himself away from the glass door in search of Forrest’s classroom.
A few more steps, and curious pauses as he glanced into every open classroom, Siegbert finally found his way to Room 116. From inside, he heard the emphatic beat of the music drum through the air and the occasional cheers of the room’s occupants. I should stay out here. I don’t want to embarrass Forrest. As quietly as possible, he turned away from the open door to lean against the opposite wall.
But as he waited, the cheers only spurred his curiosity. It was after the third repetition of the song had started did he finally cave and move closer to the door, peering in to see what was going on. He caught sight of familiar blond curls bouncing against slim shoulders as the entire group moved in time with the music. Siegbert watched, enraptured as the five dancers moved seamlessly from slow grinds to hip bumps.
His eyes trailed from dancer to dancer, coming to rest on a handsome brunette standing to Forrest’s right. He wore an enthusiastic grin, silver eyes gleaming in the light of the room as his hips swayed in ways that made Siegbert flush. Strong shoulders trailed to muscular arms as his hand snapped out in time with the beat. Then the entire group was doing a slow turn. Siegbert found his gaze trailing down to the curve of the boy’s ass, before he realized what exactly he was doing.
Ducking out of the room, Siegbert pressed himself against the wall and took deep gulps of air. He buried his face in his scarf, cheeks burning red as he tried to calm himself. From inside, he heard cheers as the song was cut off and someone, who he assumed was the instructor, called out for the students to quiet down. Tuning them out, he took another deep breath and willed away the image of strong shoulders and a well-toned backside as a chorus of thank you and see you next week came floating out from the room.
People began filing out, chatting amicably with one another as they headed down the hallway towards the lobby. Luckily, no one seemed to notice him pressed against the wall, and if they did, they didn’t bother to say anything. Siegbert waited for the crowd to thin, before slipping into the room to look for Forrest whilst praying that the handsome brunette he had been ogling had left.
“I’ll be fine, Shiro!” The soft lilt of Forrest’s voice caught his attention as Siegbert maneuvered himself past the last of the room’s occupants. “I’m sure dad’s just running late and… Siegbert!”
He managed to squeeze past the last group of girls, before finding himself surrounded by blond curls as Forrest gave him a hug. “Forrest!” Siegbert managed to sputter out in surprise, returning the hug awkwardly before pulling away with an embarrassed smile. “Uncle Leo wanted me to tell you he’s sorry. He and Father are stuck in a meeting and he couldn’t make it out in time to pick you up.”
Forrest’s smile dimmed for a moment, before he shook it off and gently grabbed Siegbert’s arm. “Honestly. I’m not helpless. I could have made it home.” He urged, amused by his father’s actions. “I can drive.”
“Not legally by yourself.” Siegbert reminded thoughtfully, gently disentangling himself from his cousin’s hold as he brushed one of his stray curls back into place. “And you don’t have a car. How were you going to get back?”
Forrest snorted, jerking his thumb backwards towards the group with a triumphant smirk. “Shiro has a car and besides, no one ever actually checks if the passenger is old enough or not.” Siegbert gave him a disapproving look, to which he gladly ignored.
“That’s illegal-“
“-and I know it.” Forrest finished with a laugh. “You know I’m kidding. Shiro could’ve driven me back just fine.”
“I don’t know how comfortable Uncle Leo would be with that.” Siegbert responded tersely, finally glancing up at Forrest’s companions. He did a double-take as he finally registered who Forrest’s friends were as the brunette piped up.
“Hey.” He started, a deep frown on his face, “He knows who I am!” Shocked, Siegbert stuttered out a hasty apology, although he was more caught up on the fact that standing before him was the handsome boy he’d been ogling just a few moments ago. Luckily, Forrest’s laughter distracted both of them.
“Don’t be mad at Sieg. I don’t really talk about you guys at home.” He started, gently resting his hand on Shiro’s arm as if to console him. “Father only knows about you because you insisted on meeting him that one time. I’m a bit worried he actually might not like you.”
“What?” Shiro shouted, face contorting into a grimace. “But… I was totally polite to him! Heck, I treat him better than I do my old man.” He huffed childishly, crossing his arms as the pink-haired girl reached over to pat him on the back.
“Aw, don’t fret, Shiro.” She quipped lightly, a smile on her face as a boy, who looked quite a bit like Ms. Azura, approached them. “Not everyone is charmed by that winning smile of yours.” Shiro had the decency to turn a slight shade of pink, before the blue-haired boy spoke up.
“Soleil has a point.” He said simply, his voice carrying the same gentle lilt that Azura’s had. “He didn’t look too… amused when you barreled into him.”
“I tripped!” Shiro shouted, cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of red as the other two burst into laughter. “Damn it, Shigure! I thought we weren’t going to talk about it again!” He turned on his friend with a hurt look as Shigure chuckled.
“Apologies, Shiro.” Shigure managed to respond as the laughter died down. “You have to admit, it was quite funny.” Shiro grumbled at the words, turning away with a soft huff as he crossed his arms.
“S’not funny.”
Siegbert looked on in confusion, unsure of whether he should join in the laughter or make himself sparse. He hadn’t really been expecting any of Forrest’s friends to jump into their conversation, but now that he had, he felt a little awkward standing there. Soleil must have noticed the expression he was making, as she quickly turned the conversation back to him. “Oh sorry! Sometimes we get a little caught up in bullying Shiro.” She smiled warmly at him, reaching out to shake his hand. “Soleil Carmina!”
“Siegbert Nohr.” He managed to stammer out as Soleil swung her arm around his shoulders.
“Nice to meet you, Siegbert!” She grinned up at him before gesturing at Shiro. “Mr. Grumpy over there is Shiro Hoshido!”
“M’not grumpy.”
“Hoshido?”
Both of them paused to stare at each other, Siegbert with a shocked look and Shiro with a calculating one. “Problem?” Shiro started slowly, a deep frown etched on his face as he stared at him. Siegbert flushed, nervously reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he shook his head quickly.
“No! Of course not!” He licked his lips nervously. “I was just… under the impression that President Ryoma didn’t have any children…” There was an awkward pause before he waved his arms. “T-That is, if Mr. Ryoma is your father and not Mr. Takumi.”
Shiro’s expression seemed to sour at his words and Siegbert was beginning to worry that he had offended him somehow. “No, you’re right. Old Man CEO is my pops.” He huffed, leaning back on the balls of his feet as he turned his gaze away. “Not that he really thinks of me as his kid.”
“I’m certain that isn’t the case…” Siegbert trailed off uncertainly, gaze cast downwards towards the ground. It was true that it was strange that he had never heard of President Ryoma ever having children, but he wasn’t the most observant of people when it came to things like this. He doubted too many people would know who he was if his father didn’t insist on bringing him to his board meetings.
As he found himself lost in thought, Shiro let out a scoff and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sure.” He mumbled, face stormy with emotion as Shigure cleared his throat.
“And I’m Shigure Valla. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Shigure hummed thoughtfully, holding out his hand to shake Siegbert’s. “You’ve probably met my mother. She’s the one sitting out front.”
“Oh! Ms. Azura?” Now that he thought about it, there was a striking resemblance between the two of them. Not to mention there was a certain gentle timbre to both their voices that Siegbert swore had to be hereditary.
“The one and only.” Shigure chuckled, gently tucking some of his hair behind his ear. “She and my uncle are the heads of the studio, so she takes it upon herself to be the very first face everyone sees when they walk in.”
Siegbert’s lips twitched upwards. “Well, she seems like a wonderful person. As do you, Shigure.” He paused, realizing what he had said as a bright flush spread down his neck. “Ah… I mean... Not to make assumptions… And not to say you aren’t wonderful-” He stammered nervously as Soleil and Forrest snickered in the background.
Shigure’s cheeks colored as he gave him a gentle smile. “It’s alright. I understand what you mean.”
Soleil decided to take that moment to jump in, slinging her arm as best as she could around Shigure’s neck. “Well, Siegbert. If you think he’s just a great guy now, you should’ve seen him when he started dancing.” She winked playfully. “Let’s just say he wasn’t the most graceful person on the dance floor.”
“S-Soleil!”
“Oh, don’t tease him, Leil.” Forrest grinned as he leaned over to grab her arm. “Not everyone is born with amazing dancing talents like you.”
Soleil winked, releasing Shigure to wrap her arms around Forrest in a tight hug. “At least someone appreciates my beautiful moves.” They giggled as Shigure simply shook his head. “Oh, Forrest!” She cried dramatically. “What would I ever do without you?”
Forrest and Shigure burst into laughter at her antics as Siegbert smiled adoringly. It was nice seeing his cousin surrounded by people who obviously cared deeply for him, and didn’t judge him for the way he dressed or held himself. The smile that lit up on Forrest’s face was enough to warm Siegbert’s heart, and even though he may have been a bit jealous of his good company, he was still happy to see him so lively.
Deep down he wished he could have friends like this one day.
“Forrest.” Siegbert called out, willing away the thought as he gently placed his hand on Forrest’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but…”
“Oh!” Forrest turned with a wide smile. “Yeah. Of course. Let me just grab my things, okay?” Siegbert gave a slight nod, watching in amusement as he ran off to gather his belongings.
“Hey,” Soleil started, turning Siegbert’s attention towards her as she beamed, “it was really cool meeting you. I hope we get to hang out some time!”
“Same.” Shigure echoed, a gentle smile on his face as he spoke. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Siegbert.”
Siegbert felt his lips twitch and he looked down to hide his blush. “Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you too.” He stammered out, before giving a slight bow. “I hope we get another chance to talk.”
Forrest returned at that moment, gently tugging on Siegbert’s sleeve as he urged the older boy to hurry it up already. Siegbert let out a soft, amused huff, before following him out the door. As they left, Shiro, who had been looking quite pensive up until now, called out to them. “You know. You’re not so bad for a Nohr!”
Siegbert turned in surprise at the words. “Thank you.” He finally managed to say, giving him an embarrassed smile. “You’re not so bad yourself, Shiro.”