Requested by: Icetears-
Au: High school, junior year
Note: I only attended two military balls, so this may differ from your experience on what a military ball is like if you attended one before :)
-
"There's this military ball coming up for ROTC next week, and I was wondering if you'd be comfortable going with me?" Brick asked you, as he walked you to class.
You thought about it for a moment. "Um.. I'll have to think about it."
Brick nodded in understanding. Your boyfriend knew that you were very shy, and that social events like that can be hard for you. He always made it a point to encourage you, but to also help you open up at your own pace. It's still a work in progress.
You and Brick first met in gym class, where you had a hard time participating in volleyball. He felt bad when Jo kept yelling at you, so he stepped in to help. When you scored a lot of points for your team, he was impressed. This led to a friendship then eventually something more. You both had been together for six months already.
Brick dropped you to class, then kissed you on the cheek. "Have fun in class, honey."
-
"Brick wants to take me to the military ball." You told your best friend, Leshawna, as you two were packing your bags to leave class.
"Really? Go for it girl!" Leshawna smiled. "You need to put yourself out there!"
You nodded. "I'm trying to put myself out there more, especially for Brick. It's just that sometimes it's hard because I'm still not used to going to so many social events."
"I understand." Leshawna assured you, putting on her backpack. "If you feel you're uncomfortable, you don't have to go. Talk to Brick about this! He's such a creampuff, I'm sure he'll understand."
"I will." You smiled. You slung your bag over your shoulders, then walked outside of class with Leshawna.
You tried to weigh the pros and cons of going to military ball. You had never been to one, so you thought it might help if you did some research about it before making a decision. This military ball was for the school's ROTC program, so you knew it wouldn't be as formal. That eased your nerves a little bit.
After class, Brick met you by the lockers, so he could drop you home.
"How was class, honey?" Brick asked, as you walked together outside of the school.
"It was okay. However, I did speak to Leshawna for some advice." You told him.
"About what?" He asked, unlocking his car. He opened the door for you to get inside.
"The military ball." You answered, buckling your seat belt. "She said I should put myself out there more."
Brick smiled. "I do want you to go, but like I said, it's really up to you, honey. I'm not going to force you if it makes you uncomfortable. Baby steps, remember?"
You nodded, smiling. Brick was really sweet and understanding of your shyness, and he was always patient with you.
After a lot of thinking throughout the car ride home, you decided to face your fears and attend the military ball with Brick that night. You missed prom three months ago, so you felt you had to make it up to Brick by going to this.
-
It was the night of the military ball, and you were nervous yet excited because you barely did these things with Brick. When you told Brick last week that you decided to go with him, he was excited because he'd always wanted to take you to these kinds of events. He knew you were trying your best to be more open.
Brick texted you to let you know he was outside, so you fixed your appearance and your F/C floor length dress one last time, before answering the door.
"Wow." Brick gaped at your dress. He couldn't control the smile on his face from how beautiful you were.
"I tried to look my best." You chuckled, flattening out your dress again. Brick blushed lightly, silently admiring you.
"You look beautiful." Brick chuckled, leaning in to kiss you. You closed your eyes, kissing him back.
After you pulled away, your mother stepped into the living room and offered to take some pictures of you and Brick. You and Brick took multiple photos, then you both had to leave.
"You really do look beautiful, Y/N." Brick said again, starting up the car. "And I'm so proud of you for coming with me tonight."
You smiled. "Thank you. I just wanted to face my fears, and make better memories with you. I did miss prom a few months ago."
"Don't feel bad about missing prom." Brick assured you. "I still had fun taking you to the movies that day."
You nodded, but tried not to think too much about that. Brick noticed you were tense then reached for your hand.
"I'll make sure you're comfortable, Y/N. Just let me know if you need more time."
Throughout the ride, Brick kept showering you with compliments about your dress, and appearance, causing you to be a blushing mess. Brick noticed this, and kept kissing you at each stoplight. You felt a little more at ease, knowing Brick would be there by your side the whole time.
You and Brick arrived at the military ball, which took place at a hotel ballroom. When you got down, you noticed how crowded it was. The whole ROTC program, and their dates were here. Adding to that, there were staff members and some people who looked like they were from the national guard.
"Wow." You breathed out, eyeing the crowded area.
Brick rubbed your back, giving you a side hug in assurance. "Are you okay?"
You nodded, trying not to think too much about this.
Brick began introducing you to some of his friends and instructors from the ROTC program. So far, everything was okay, despite you still being nervous about tonight. The whole time, Brick kept rubbing your back to assure you that everything is fine, and he's here.
"Thank you for being patient with me tonight." You whispered, once you and Brick were alone. "It's really helpful."
Brick nodded, then hugged you. "You're doing great, Y/N. Just take a deep breath, okay?"
You nodded, trying your best to relax.
The ceremony began with the instructor going over the history of the army. Then, as the ball went on, there were a series of military ball traditions that you all had to follow. You followed them, beginning to feel less nervous because you were doing them with Brick.
One of the traditions was the military punch bowl ceremony, which included a range of odd ingredients such as butter, sweat, toilet water, and Lemon. The punch was passed around for everyone to drink, and you tried not to cringe at the ingredients, when the punch was poured into your glass.
Brick leaned in to whisper to you, "You don't have to drink it. If anything, give it to me."
You nodded, then to your horror, Brick drank the glass of punch, along with yours.
"Brick!" You chuckled. "You didn't have to do that!"
Brick shrugged, "I'm used to it by now."
You shook your head, smiling.
-
It was now time for dinner, and those on the tables with their numbers on them lined up to get their plates, when they were called. Soon, your table was called.
You began to feel nervous again, because you were shy about eating in public, especially when you were surrounded by people you didn't know. It was strange to feel nervous about that, but you were.
Brick noticed how tense you were then began rubbing your back again to calm you down. He leaned closer to you, "Are you okay?"
You nodded, but you were clearly overwhelmed and he knew you weren't really okay. Brick got up, then put his arm around you, taking you outside of the ballroom. He walked with you to the hallway, making sure no one else was around.
"What's wrong, honey?" Brick asked, frowning in concern. "You can talk to me. I'm here for you, remember?"
You sighed, trying to collect your thoughts together.
"It's just.. I still feel uncomfortable eating around others." You explained, looking embarrassed to say that out loud. "I know it's stupid but-"
"Honey, you're my girlfriend. It's okay, and I won't judge you for being nervous. I know you're very shy, especially around social situations, so you're still getting used to this." Brick assured you, pulling you into a hug.
You closed your eyes, feeling completely embarrassed still, and Brick held you tighter. He kept whispering that you're doing great, and he's proud of you for showing up tonight.
"If it will make you feel better, I can get the food for you?" Brick asked, smiling softly at you. "I'm by your side tonight, so you won't have to worry. No one is going to judge you, especially when I'm here."
You smiled. "I'll just go with you to get food. I'll try my hardest to not get too nervous."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
You and Brick went back inside, then lined up to get food together. You gave yourself some pep talks inside your head, gathering the courage to socialize, while you and Brick got food together.
When you got to your table, you did your best to focus on Brick, not anyone else, while you ate. Brick smiled, holding your hand from under the table. You felt your heart skip a beat at how assuring he was towards you.
Some people went up to dance, and Brick asked if you wanted to. Gathering the courage, you said yes.
You and Brick slow danced, and in that moment, you forgot there were other people in the room. It felt good to enjoy the moment like no one else was watching.
Afterwards, there was a Photo Booth, where you and Brick took more pictures. Brick hugged you from behind, surprising you. You blushed really hard, causing a lot of people in line to notice and smile at you. It was so obvious you were shy, but so far, no one had a problem with that.
Brick kissed the top of your head. "You're so adorable!"
-
"You did great tonight, honey! I'm glad you came with me tonight." Brick said, walking with you to his car.
"I did my best, even though I was nervous." You chuckled.
"I could tell. You're making so much progress." Brick smiled, starting up the car.
"Yeah!"
Brick looked around the parking lot, making sure the coast was clear. He then leaned closer to you, pulling you into another kiss. Afterwards, you blushed and covered your face. You were overwhelmed with butterflies from tonight.
Brick smiled, then lifted your chin up to look at him. He kissed your nose, causing you to blush even more. "You're very cute when you're shy."
You chuckled, "But I'm shy all the time."
"Exactly." Brick said, pulling you into another kiss.