Who: Gwen and Paine What: Dancing and flirting When: Recent Where: A dance club Rating: PG-13 status: complete
Most of the time, partying was just a way to blow off steam. Paine didn’t come to clubs to get drunk, that was what the bars were for, clubs were for dancing, mingling and using a little bit of alcohol just to boost the confidence a little.
Paine wasn’t insecure though, she could be intense and quiet, but she wasn’t worried about talking to people, dancing with people. Whatever worked for her really. It was a hot night, and hotter again in the club with all the bodies, she already had some body glitter smeared over her collarbone from one dance partner, her hair was somewhat damp and flopping, but she was fully prepared to hit the dance floor all over again and find another partner for the night.
There wasn’t even a process to it, start dancing and somehow you end up with someone pressed in close, it was just a choice to stay close or slip off to find someone else.
Gwen needed to lose herself in something alive. And few things were as alive as the dance floor of a club. She wasn’t so much interested in drinking, though she could stand to have one. Far from being exciting and happy, her dreams were non-stop painful, and she’d like off that ride.
Even the powers, being Spider-woman, swinging around the city, helping people… it almost wasn’t worth it.
But she could put aside responsibility for a night. The music was good, and it wasn’t live which was a little disappointing because she liked to shove the drummer off and take over.
Instead she melted into the crowd. It was a nice mixture of people and Gwen’s type was ‘yes.’
There was a pretty looking male pressed against her back, smiling somewhat shyly, and a brunette girl in front of her, and it looked like maybe they were a unit of some description trying out some sandwich fillings. It was fine for a while, feeling the thrum of the music and the pulse on the floor, enjoying the press of other humans against her. A connection of some kind.
But as much as Paine enjoyed a few adventures with adventurous people, she wasn’t a fan of interloping, regardless of the set up. Giving them a wink before slipping away, Paine bounced a little further into the throng on the floor, ending up in front of a cute blonde. “Hey,” it wasn’t likely to be heard, but the meaning likely carried with Paine’s smirk.
She expected her spider-senses to go crazy in an environment like this, but all they were doing was making it easy to avoid running into people. Gwen thought that was a great improvement over how her senses had been at first.
She gave someone who was being a little too creepy the slip, turning around and looking up at the short-haired woman and responding with a matching grin. She didn’t bother with words, not with music this loud, instead flowing with the music with a lithe grace, showing off all that ballet and acrobatics training.
There was something good about just dancing with a stranger; no expectations or requirements, just moving with the beat and the body beside or in front or to the side of you. Although Paine did catch sight of someone over the shoulder of her blonde partner, someone paying a little too much attention and caring a little too much.
Leaning in a touch more, so that her mouth could come level with the other woman’s ear, Paine raised her voice, but didn’t shout, “Do you have a boyfriend?” It might be possible that it was a spat, but it didn’t feel like that. Paine just wanted to be sure the creeper wasn’t creeping for a reason -even if it was a shitty reason.
“No,” Gwen said, eyes narrowing and her dance momentarily disrupted before she found her rhythm again. At first she thought the woman was coming onto her which wasn’t unwelcome, before she remembered the creepy dude. But she didn’t want to turn around to see, to alert him that he’d been noticed.
At least that narrowed down that the guy wasn’t an over cautious or annoying boyfriend, and was just an annoying creep. “Didn’t think so,” it wasn’t really good to try and have a conversation, but Paine narrowed her eyes over the girls shoulder, directly at creeper, just to emphasise the point that he best move on.
Although it was likely he wouldn’t get the hint, he did draw back into the crowd a little. “He’s gone for now,” Paine was still close enough to not need to shout, the music coming down from a high tempo to something more sedate, “but be careful maybe?” God knew if he was one of those creepers after all.
Gwen could normally take care of herself, but she appreciated being looked out for. “Thanks, I’ll have to be careful with my drinks tonight.”
And every night, but that didn’t really need to be said. Gwen danced closer, half to spite the man and half because Paine was hot.
“Pays to be observant, doesn’t it.”
Paine didn’t mind the spite at all, her arm wrapping around Gwen’s waist as they danced, keeping an eye on the creeper until he bled into the crowd completely. At least Gwen knew to just be aware of what was going on with her drinks, it would definitely mean Paine wasn’t going to offer to buy her one, just in case.
It was bad when you needed to be constantly aware, even if you were just out blowing off some steam. “I’m Paine, by the way, nice to meet you.”
“Gwen,” she replied, grinning lopsidedly. She’d never considered her name particularly common, especially in long form, but Paine’s name was definitely a rare one.
It took all her willpower to not make a ‘paine in his ass’ joke, but she was proud of it. Even if she did have to bite her cheek to stop herself. “Always come to the rescue of a girl in need?”
Smirking, Paine just gave a little shrug, “I’m a regular knight in,” she glanced down at herself, “leather shorts and a tank top.” Probably not what anyone really needed.
On the whole, in Paine’s opinion, they had to stick up for each other against people like that. They had to start at the bottom, work together and kick ass to the top. And if it meant potentially getting into someone’s business, Paine was willing to do it. “I find the swooning gets a little hard on my arms sometimes.”
“Sometimes leather shorts is better than shining armor,” Gwen reasoned. “Or a hero in spandex.” But she couldn’t really hide spandex in her clubbing gear, even if she felt kind of naked without her spider-suit.
When had that become a thing?
“Maybe you just need someone to catch you for once,” she suggested, slipping her arms around Paine’s waist as they danced and briefly lifting her up seemingly effortlessly as she did so.
Spandex, Paine was never going to understand that material. “Oh, I can imagine, spandex can’t possibly be a comfortable superhero suit.” She imagined anyway, from working with it infrequently, it must pinch in the most uncomfortable of ways, and end up in uncomfortable places.
When her feet left the ground a little, Paine felt the air punch out of her in a laugh, her hands automatically going for Gwen’s shoulders to brace herself, body tensing, even as Gwen seemed to have no problem with it. Which, okay, that was attractive in a way Paine hadn’t expected. “You’re full of surprises, huh?”
Gwen didn’t entirely understand it either but spandex in her dream universe(s) seemed to operate under their own unique and highly durable physics. She dimly recalled Janet Van Dyne explaining something about some kind of molecular thing the costumes were made of but couldn’t quite remember what just then.
Grinning confidently, she replied, “You have no idea.”
The confident grin was really what kept Paine there, while the songs changed and the tempo altered a little, Paine didn’t make an attempt to leave the blond. “Maybe I’ll have to hang around some tonight, see if I can’t figure out some of them.”
Because well, why not? It wasn’t like Paine had anywhere else to be, and the pretty blond seemed like fun.
“I hope you like challenges,” Gwen replied, hoping she did and hoping she didn’t end up sticking her foot in her mouth before the night was through. Thinking of her webshooters, she added under her breath, “And that you’re not afraid of heights”
“I love challenges,” Paine smirked, because she wasn’t lying, challenges were what made things interesting. Having some fun, gaining some experiences, doing something different, that was what Paine felt was needed for life. “Heights, well, I could take them or leave them.”
She didn’t mind high altitude, she could fly and she’d climbed an odd mountain here or there. She wasn’t opposed or scared of them. “Why, do you live on a cliff edge?”
“Oh, no, but I guess you could say I’m into Parkour.” Gwen tried to see how close she could dance to Paine without Paine being bothered by it. “I have classical ballet training but I like to live on the edge anyway.”
Not that ballet training was easy by any means. She still did some of the exercises to keep in shape for webslinging and liked to think it made her more graceful than certain other spider-people she could name.
The answer was very close, especially as Paine just looped an arm over Gwen’s shoulder. “I hear ballet is very difficult,” it had to be, given the strength and poise needed, and balancing on toe points? Yikes. “But can make people exceptionally flexible.”
It likely helped if she liked parkour too, grace and good balance for those things. Paine hadn’t ever been too taken with the trend -it seemed like so much work to run and leap over things than just walk down the stairs. And on certain mornings she wasn’t awake enough to walk properly.
Gwen could literally bend over backwards and grab her ankles, though there was no room to show off that particular skill-set, at least on this dance floor.
“It was, it’s why I never went professional. Much more fun to bang on drums anyway.” Her hands slid down Paine’s back, fingers dangerously close to the waistband of her pants.
—-
Banging on drums was probably just slightly less gruelling than ballet, possibly easier on the feet too. But Paine appreciated how big the contrast in interests were, it was good to spread yourself over a few hobbies after all.
“I’ll bet it’s more satisfying too.” Paine just smirked as Gwen’s hands went a little lower, putting a bit more of a sway into her hips to go along with it. Not like she was going to dissuade Gwen.
“Yeah I really like hitting things,” Gwen said, with extra emphasis on the word hitting. Maybe that was a little much, but her head was swimming in a nice way and her spidey-sense wasn’t acting up. It made her relaxed in a way she hadn’t been in weeks, and if she got to grope a hot person in the process she absolutely was going to.
So she did.
The emphasis wasn’t missed, and neither was the boldness with hands. It did spark a smirk on Paine’s face though, enough that she leaned into the hands rather than giving any kind of indication that they were in any way not okay.
“That’s good to know,” not that this club was a good place to have a conversation anyway. Paine just decided to grab the metaphorical bull by the horns. “Do you wanna get out of here?” A classic line, no misinterpretation needed.
Gwen let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and nodded. “Yeah… yeah I’d really like to get out of here.”
Maybe she’d regret it, but that was a problem for future Gwen. Right now she had too much energy and and it had been way too long.
Grinning broadly, Paine slipped her hand into Gwen’s, giving her a tug towards the edge of the dancefloor and out the door. Paine was just about having a fun night, and she had the idea that Gwen would definitely be on board for that.