May 2238
He could hear the music from a fair distance, and the proximity of Flora as she held his hand and dance-walked beside him made the beat seem even closer than it could have been. Her long hair bounced, caught under the light of the street lamps that lined the avenue, and Montgomery wondered yet again at the fact that he was the one holding her hand.
"I'm... uh. Nae sure 'bout this," he said, but she probably could have told him to crawl over broken glass and he would have. Let alone take her to a concert.
"Ye'll love it, I swear!" She did another half-danced step, twirling around in front of him and taking his other hand, then walking backwards. "Dinna fash, I willna make ye dance."
It was probably for the better that she said that; Montgomery was sure he'd hurt them both if he tried. He didn't listen to a lot of music -- mostly, he just didn't think to. It wasn't to say he couldn't understand rhythm or hear for a tune, but he just didn't really think to turn on a radio. Therefore, dancing was out of the question.
He was still grinning like an idiot, though, looking at his girlfriend's beautiful face. She looked so happy, it was impossible not to smile back at her. She stopped walking backwards, and when he pulled up short, she stole a little kiss on his mouth that just made him beam even brighter. It was only her tug on his hand that got him to move again.
He wanted to bulk at the sheer number of people crowded around the outside of the arena, catching a free concert even if they couldn't see it. They were just the types he naturally avoided; loud and silly and often more gregarious than he was, though he was sure it wasn't always a good thing. Flora, though, wasn't the least bit put off -- she even waved.
And then she dragged him around the edge of the arena.
"Fit...?" Montgomery asked, wide-eyed, looking back over his shoulder at the main gate where they should have, rightfully, been buying tickets to get in.
"It's half o'er, no sense in payin' full price," Flora replied, with a giggle, as she pulled him along. They must have been near behind the band before she stopped, and then she started shimmying in between two links of the portable fence.
He stared at her, then back the way he came; Montgomery wasn't all that concerned with breaking the law, but he wasn't a big fan of doing it just to escape paying for concert tickets! But then he winced to himself, and as he started wiggling his way through that same narrow space, she took his hand and all was right again.
No one noticed. And before long, Flora had found them a spot towards the edge; had led him there, crouched low, beaming that smile of hers, her hair falling straight down in that cascade.
It was only then that he really became aware of the music; a powerful kind of beat and a certain note he'd never heard before. There was a lot of... rawness in the sound, like the singer was singing it straight out of some place deep inside. It was some Irish band, doing a lot of covers, and the crowd was quite into it.
"One day you'll look back, and you'll see
"Where you were held now by this love
"While you could stand there
"You could move on this moment
"Follow this feeling..."
Some movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he turned his head.
"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right
"She moves in mysterious ways
"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right
"She moves in mysterious ways..."
Flora was dancing with somewhat wild abandon, her slim body moving, skirt twirling, hair flying. It was, Montgomery thought, one of the most unfathomable, wonderful things he'd ever seen. As though there was nothing in the universe, but her and the music, some good Irish band, a beat and singer that sang from some place deep.
He looked back up at the stage, and without even realizing, his head started bobbing to the beat.
"Does it move you, she moves with it
"Lift my days, and light up my nights..."
--
Three years and three universes later by his borrowed memory, when there was a good Irish band, a beat and a singer that sang from someplace deep, it was Scotty who was dancing with abandon. His husband danced with him.
He could hear the music from a fair distance, and the proximity of Flora as she held his hand and dance-walked beside him made the beat seem even closer than it could have been. Her long hair bounced, caught under the light of the street lamps that lined the avenue, and Montgomery wondered yet again at the fact that he was the one holding her hand.
"I'm... uh. Nae sure 'bout this," he said, but she probably could have told him to crawl over broken glass and he would have. Let alone take her to a concert.
"Ye'll love it, I swear!" She did another half-danced step, twirling around in front of him and taking his other hand, then walking backwards. "Dinna fash, I willna make ye dance."
It was probably for the better that she said that; Montgomery was sure he'd hurt them both if he tried. He didn't listen to a lot of music -- mostly, he just didn't think to. It wasn't to say he couldn't understand rhythm or hear for a tune, but he just didn't really think to turn on a radio. Therefore, dancing was out of the question.
He was still grinning like an idiot, though, looking at his girlfriend's beautiful face. She looked so happy, it was impossible not to smile back at her. She stopped walking backwards, and when he pulled up short, she stole a little kiss on his mouth that just made him beam even brighter. It was only her tug on his hand that got him to move again.
He wanted to bulk at the sheer number of people crowded around the outside of the arena, catching a free concert even if they couldn't see it. They were just the types he naturally avoided; loud and silly and often more gregarious than he was, though he was sure it wasn't always a good thing. Flora, though, wasn't the least bit put off -- she even waved.
And then she dragged him around the edge of the arena.
"Fit...?" Montgomery asked, wide-eyed, looking back over his shoulder at the main gate where they should have, rightfully, been buying tickets to get in.
"It's half o'er, no sense in payin' full price," Flora replied, with a giggle, as she pulled him along. They must have been near behind the band before she stopped, and then she started shimmying in between two links of the portable fence.
He stared at her, then back the way he came; Montgomery wasn't all that concerned with breaking the law, but he wasn't a big fan of doing it just to escape paying for concert tickets! But then he winced to himself, and as he started wiggling his way through that same narrow space, she took his hand and all was right again.
No one noticed. And before long, Flora had found them a spot towards the edge; had led him there, crouched low, beaming that smile of hers, her hair falling straight down in that cascade.
It was only then that he really became aware of the music; a powerful kind of beat and a certain note he'd never heard before. There was a lot of... rawness in the sound, like the singer was singing it straight out of some place deep inside. It was some Irish band, doing a lot of covers, and the crowd was quite into it.
"One day you'll look back, and you'll see
"Where you were held now by this love
"While you could stand there
"You could move on this moment
"Follow this feeling..."
Some movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he turned his head.
"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right
"She moves in mysterious ways
"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right
"She moves in mysterious ways..."
Flora was dancing with somewhat wild abandon, her slim body moving, skirt twirling, hair flying. It was, Montgomery thought, one of the most unfathomable, wonderful things he'd ever seen. As though there was nothing in the universe, but her and the music, some good Irish band, a beat and singer that sang from some place deep.
He looked back up at the stage, and without even realizing, his head started bobbing to the beat.
"Does it move you, she moves with it
"Lift my days, and light up my nights..."
--
Three years and three universes later by his borrowed memory, when there was a good Irish band, a beat and a singer that sang from someplace deep, it was Scotty who was dancing with abandon. His husband danced with him.