"I hate this."

Alex Fierro was shifting uncomfortably in her dress. She and the rest of her hallmates were invited to "Valhalla's 4,794th Anual Screwups Dance," No, not invited, forced to go to the stupid dance. All Alex wanted to do was to go back to her room and make some pottery, or sleep, or do anything else but this.

Alex saw Magnus look very uncomfortable—maybe even more uncomfortable than she— and Alex smiled. She isn't going through this misery alone. She looked even more and saw Hunding looking like he wanted to pound his head against the wall and Helgi eyeing that bottle of vodka.

Alex was confused. Vodka wasn't Nordic!

All of the sudden Helgi looked at Alex and glared at her. Alex glared back. Helgi opened his mouth—probably to tell Alex that she want doing dish duty for fifty years— but then someone shoved a glass of something in his hands and his glare abated.

"Hey, uh, Alex—."

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

"Uh, what," Magnus asked.

"Nothing, nothing. What do you want?"

"To dance...with you." Alex looked at him. "Helgi is going around and shoving people together to make them dance."

"What? I just saw him looking at that..." Helgi was walking around with a glass in his hand literally pushing people together and telling them to dance. That was quick. "You know what, good idea!" Alex held out her hand and Magnus hesitated. "I don't bite. Unless you want me—." 

Magnus grabbed her hand.

"So, uh, how do we do this, Alex?"

"Well. I don't know if you know, but my parents forced me to do dance classes and I had to take ballroom. Just follow my lead."

Alex lead him to the dance floor and started doing a slow waltz. Magnus stepped on her foot every other step. Soon, he was getting the hang of it. Alex started to do the foxtrot and Magnus continued to step on her feet.

"I suck at this," Magnus sighed.

"I wasn't going to say anything; I'm trying to being nice-ish for once."

"You're never nice-ish."

"I know. I was procrastinating telling you."

Oh god. Really short, I know. Maybe I'll have something for you this month again?