Author's Note:  This was inspired by that lovely scene towards the beginning of Final Fantasy VIII.  I'm sure anyone else who has played the game shared in my shock during that party scene.  My conversation with my roommate, who was in her room at the time, was something like this:

Me: I'm sorry, I'm going to a party?  What am I going to do, lean against a wall and drink?  scene begins  … Apparently so.

Roommate:  Well, at least that's in character.

M: …Oh look.  Rinoa.  Go die please. 

R: Why?  What's she doing?

M: Talking to me.  Trying to get me to talk back.  And now she's grabbing onto me.  Whoa, I'm off the wall, and - - HOLY #&!

R:  What?  What is it?

M: I'm DANCING!

R:  WTF?!  runs in  Oh God.

M: The plot bunnies are starting to run.

R: You're going to write a fic about this now, aren't you?

M: Yep.

So yeah, this has been in the works since I got the game, which was … January. 

I apologise for any typos I may have overlooked in this.  I'm typing this while testing liquid latex and makeup for a cosplay next weekend at Anime North. XD

Disclaimer: I own nada.

            Yuffie came bounding in out of nowhere, starting Squall Leonhart from his contemplative state atop the Bailey.  "Heya Squall!  Whatcha doing?"

            "It's Leon, Yuffie," he replied gruffly, shaking off the arm she had slung about his shoulders.  "I was thinking."

            "Oh, you and your moody thoughts!  If I had a piece of munny for every time you had a moody thought…"  The hyperactive ninja wouldn't actually be as rich as she figured.  In truth, not all of Leon's thoughts were self-deprecating and angst-ridden; he just had that air about him.  He'd been thinking, before being so rudely interrupted, how nice it would be to have fish for dinner later this week.  He hadn't had fish in a while.

            "Was there a reason you came up here?"

            "Oh yeah!  Guess what?"  She took the grunt from the stoic brunet as a sign to continue.  "Sora's coming back!  And he's bringing his friends!  We're gonna par-tay!"

            "Oh good."

            Yuffie stuck out her tongue at Leon.  "Don't be such a sourpuss.  Besides, it's going to be tons of fun.  Sora wrote about this one world he went to where there was a party with fancy clothes and music and stuff, like the balls the King probably has to hold every once in a while, y'know, being King and all, and Tifa and Aerith and I thought it sounded so cool, so we're gonna try something like it!"

            He spared the diminutive girl bouncing around beside him a glance.  "Did you breathe at all during that last sentence?"

            "Nope," she grinned.  "But anyway, what I really came here to tell you was that Aerith wants you back at the house in an hour so she can measure you for your suit and then we can all have dance lessons!  Don't be late, or else!"  Yuffie giggled as she ran off, no doubt to share this bit of news with everyone else in Radiant Garden, whether they cared or not.

            Great, thought Leon.  Now his thoughts were angst-ridden.

            "No, Tifa."

               "But Sora's coming!  You like Sora, remember?"  Grunt.  "And besides, Aerith, Yuffie, and I have been working really hard on this, and I know you wouldn't want to disappoint us."  There was a thinly veiled threat there that the blond man didn't miss.  He stopped his senseless stalking through the marketplace, pivoting to face the buxom brunette woman who had been dogging his heels for the last ten minutes.  Seeing the bitter resignation in the man's eyes, Tifa sighed.  "You don't have to act like it's the end of the world, Cloud.  All we want you to do is show up in the nice suit that Aerith made you, dance a bit, and attempt to be social.  That's not really too much to ask, is it?"

               Cloud looked away, spiky blond hair not quite hiding the lack of happiness in his expression.  "Fine, I'll go."

               "Thanks, Cloud," she replied, smiling.  "Now, you'd better get over to Merlin's.  Aerith's starting dance lessons in a few minutes."  The look on Cloud's face couldn't have been more horrified if she'd just told him that the three women had decided to dress him in drag.

               "Okay, everyone," Aerith started in her honey-sweet voice that oozed positivity.  "We're all going to waltz at the party, so in order to prepare I've called you all here for lessons."

               "I don't care what anybody says, I ain't doin' no pansy-dance, an' that's final!"  Leon looked over at the speaker, silently agreeing with Cid's proclamation.  None of the males really seemed to want this, apart from Merlin, but he didn't count anyway.

               "Aww, come on, Cid!  Don't you want to be dignified and refined?" replied Yuffie, ignoring the incredulous looks from everyone else in the room.  It was sincerely doubted that the toothpick-chewing blond man would ever be described as 'dignified' or 'refined.'  A snort from Cid indicated that even he shared this sentiment.

               Clearing her throat, Aerith continued with her earlier speech.  "Now, before we begin, does anyone here actually have any experience in ballroom dancing?"  Begrudgingly, Leon raised his right hand.  "Oh, wonderful.  You'll help me teach then, won't you, Leon?"

               Cloud was many things, but stupid definitely wasn't one of them.  He knew an out when he saw one.  Quickly, he pushed himself out of the chair he'd been sulking in and walked over to Leon.  Grabbing the now confused man's still-raised right arm, he began to steer both of them toward the door.  "He can teach me.  Somewhere else.  This place is going to get dangerous if you try to teach us all at once, Aerith."  With that, Cloud exited into the square, Leon following close behind.

               "Where are we going?  Not that I care."

               Cloud shushed him.  "Castle.  We should be safe there."

               "What about the heartless?"

               "I cleared it out yesterday when I was wandering.  It'll take them another couple days to respawn."

               Leon shrugged in response.  "Whatever."

               Neither man spoke again until they were well past the Bailey, and even then it was only Leon remarking that Cloud still had a firm grip on his arm.  "Oh, right," Cloud said, relinquishing the limb.  Some strange, deluded part of him was sad to have to let go of the brunet, but he usually ignored that part anyway.  It was the same part of him that, just last week, had forced him to take a long, appreciative look at Leon's backside while the man was bent over, looking for a tool.  After that, Cloud was under the distinct impression that that part of him could roll over and die.

               "Whatever."

               Cloud snorted.  "Not exactly original with your dialogue, are you?"

               Leon turned and stopped, glaring at Cloud.  "At least I can hold entire conversations without the word 'darkness' coming out of my mouth."

               The blond looked away from Leon with a pain in his chest, reminded of his past.  "Don't bring that up."

               "Why?" Leon challenged, stepping closer to Cloud, which wasn't making this confrontation any easier on the blond.  "You don't feel like making more vague allusions to your terrible, angst-ridden past?"

               "You don't know what I've been through!"

               "Of course I don't!  No one does.  You never really tell anyone anything, and yet you never stop with that 'pity poor me' vibe."  Cloud flinched, knowing what Leon said to be true.  "Don't you just want someone to listen to you once in a while?"

               The blond's head snapped back up, blinking rapidly.  "… I never would have expected that out of your mouth."

               Leon shrugged.  "It's not, originally.  An old friend said that to me once.  I told her I didn't care, and ignored her."

               Now Cloud was curious.  Leon talked even less about his past than Cloud did about his own.  "So now you're regretting that, and this is what comes of it?  Heartfelt, 'sharing-and-caring' Leon?"

               Another glare.  "No, it just seemed like the right response.  Besides, I never said I was volunteering to be 'someone.'"

               That part of Cloud that he tried so hard to ignore was back in full force, and it was pouting.  Would it really be so bad to vent once in a while to a human being rather than a brick wall?  Brick walls weren't exactly known for their emotional support; then again, neither was Leon, but at least the potential was there.  Cloud had to admit, as much as he hated to do so, that he somewhat enjoyed his stunted conversations with the older man.  Granted, they mostly consisted of grunts, monosyllabic words, and requests for some tool or another, but every once in a while one would make a remark to the other that actually told something about them.

               Cloud was never one to dwell on the question of sexual preference.  To him, love was love, and it was never going to happen to him anyway, so why bother choosing?  Tifa had tried since they were children to get the seemingly emotionless blond to fall in love with her, but to no avail.  According to some sources, she was now completely convinced that Cloud was gay.  Until now, he had been inclined to disagree, having not been attracted to anyone, ever.  There was something about Leon, though, that made him want to reconsider his views.  Certainly the man was attractive, with his stormy grey eyes, soft brown hair, rugged scar, and worn black leather, but it was his personality, and the way it was so compatible with Cloud's own, that made the blond think twice about spending the rest of his days alone.  He wouldn't go so far as to say he liked Leon in any romantic sense, but he could see the potential, and that annoying part of him wanted to take that potential and run with it.

               "Cloud?  … Cloud?"

               "Huh?"  The blond hadn't realized that he had spaced out for so long.  "What'd you say?"

               "I asked if we were going to continue to the Castle, or if we were just going to stay here."

               "Keep going.  I don't think we'll truly be safe from the girls until we're in the computer room with Tron keeping all the doors locked."

               Leon sighed.  "I know it doesn't make sense to you to want to lock my friends out, Tron, but just do it."  He rubbed a gloved finger along the scar across his face in frustration as he finally heard the lock mechanisms click into place on the lab doors.  Turning, he slid down against the desk and sat on the floor, Cloud doing the same on the opposite side of the room.  The two men stared blankly at one another.

               "What now?" came Cloud's voice, breaking the monotony of the sound of whirring machinery. 

               Leon raised an eyebrow at his companion.  "I thought we came here so that I could teach you to dance."

               "No.  Definitely not.  I said that because it was obviously a way out for me.  I would have taken any escape that came up.  You just happened to be convenient at the time."

               Soft brown hair shifted as Leon shook his head, standing.  "You are learning to dance, no question.  I've seen Aerith angry, and it is not pretty.  I would rather face your so-called 'darkness,' what's-his-face –"

               "Sephiroth," Cloud interjected moodily.

               "Whatever.  I would rather face him weaponless than have you unable to dance at that party, because then Aerith will be after me for not teaching you like I was supposed to."

               "So you're actually going to teach me?"

               A shrug.  "Like I said, I'm saving my skin.  Now, up."

               "You're not serious."  Leon merely grabbed Cloud's arm, dragging him up before letting go, nearly flinging the younger man across the room and into the control panel.  "Damn.  Fine."  His hand rubbed his arm where Leon had yanked on it.  "How do we start?"

               He sighed.  "Come here, and follow me.  We're not going to do anything complicated.  Just move your feet: up with the right, side with the left, feet together.  Now back with the left, side with the right, feet together.  And just keep doing that over and over again."

               Cloud raised an eyebrow as mako-blue eyes blinked at Leon.  "That's it?  Are you joking?"

               "No.  Why would I joke about this?"

               "A cat could do that!"

               Leon smirked.  "That's not the whole thing, that's just the basis for it.  But, if you insist – "  Without warning, he grabbed Cloud and assumed the male position.  He wouldn't deny that he was enjoying this a bit more than he thought he should, but as long as he concentrated on dancing, none of that mattered.  Leon generally enjoyed Cloud's company more than anyone else's, mostly because the man knew when to shut up, and he was the only one able to contest Leon's own strength; lately, though, he's found his thoughts dwelling on the younger man in a slightly more than platonic manner.  It shocked him at first.  Not that he found himself attracted to a stoic blond male, but the fact that he was attracted to anyone at all.  He hadn't felt more than friendship or familial love for anyone since before his homeworld was destroyed.  It was unlikely that he would ever act upon this attraction; that just wasn't his way.  He would content himself with this small infatuation until it went away and he felt nothing more than a sense of brotherly camaraderie for Cloud.

               Speaking of the blond man, Leon was close to reaching double digits in the number of times Cloud had stepped on his foot.  "You're not following my lead."

               "This is ridiculous!" Cloud exclaimed, though he made no move to step away from the poor attempt at a dance nor to step away from the brunet.  "Why are you leading, anyway?  Shouldn't I be doing that, since I'm the one who needs to learn it?"

               He had to admit, the blond had a powerful pout, but he would not be deterred.  "You can't ever hope to lead if you can't first follow."

               "What does that even mean?  And besides, I'm stronger, therefore I should definitely be leading."

               "No you're not; plus, I'm taller."

               "By an inch."

               "Doesn't change the fact."

               "Augh!"  Leon had stopped counting, but his throbbing toes told him this was somewhere in the mid-twenties.  "The steps you told me aren't working!"

               "That's because those were the male steps.  Now, doing female steps, everything's backwards for you.  You need to go back with the right and forward with the left.  Got it?"

               Their dance smoothed slightly, though there was still the occasional wince of pain from Leon.  They fell into a comfortable silence, the noise of their shuffling feet blending into the whirring machinery.  Curiosity must have won out in Cloud's mind, though, because he looked up from his feet at Leon.  "When did you learn to do this, anyway?"

               Leon snorted.  "We were supposed to know it in school on my homeworld.  Something about politics and parties or something.  I hate parties."

               A small smile appeared on Cloud's face.  "So you didn't dance much, then?"

               "I avoided it, even the lessons, until one party when I was dragged out onto the floor by someone who I didn't know back then."

               "The same person you mentioned earlier?"

               Leon nodded.  "She dragged me away from where I'd been leaning with my drink and threw us right into the middle of the dancers.  She was never one to go unnoticed."

               Cloud got a mischievous glint in his eyes.  "How many people did you knock over?"

               "None," was the terse response.

               "But how many did you knock into?"

               Leon couldn't meet Cloud's gaze as he mumbled, "Only a couple.  I caught on fast."

               Cloud laughed a little at Leon's disgruntled confession, a sound that anyone rarely heard, let alone the brunet.  It tugged at that attraction he had for the other man, stretching it, magnifying it.  He had the sudden urge to show off to the blond with their dance, which had been going smoothly for the past few minutes.  He released Cloud's waist, turning him with the other hand.  Unfortunately, the younger man was caught off guard, having returned his gaze to his feet and therefore having no idea what Leon was doing.  He stumbled, and Leon's fighter-sharp instincts acted faster than his mind as he caught him and pulled Cloud to his chest.  The two stared at each other, momentarily frozen in their embrace, before Leon jumped back, letting go of Cloud.  His attraction to the man had grown impossibly large, and threatened to mutate into something else altogether if he didn't get out of this situation immediately.  "I think you know enough now to please Aerith.  Tron, open the doors."

               As the doors hissed open, Leon stalked out, needing to vent his frustrations on some heartless.  Cloud blinked, confused by what had just happened, though not to say he had enjoyed in any less; he followed a split second behind the brunet, bent on the same purpose.

End Notes: And that's it for Part 1.  Let me know what you thought!