A/N: Inspired by Seether's cover of Careless Whisper.

One Shot: Please Stay

Cloud spotted her in the crowd, stunning in her flowing black dress that moved with her, swayed with each of her graceful steps. For him, the bright lights of the ballroom illuminated no one but her, but still, he looked onto her with a mere fleeting glance, not able to hold it on her for too long. Not like he used to be able to. Those days were gone now, shattered by a rumor, a careless whisper of a good friend that…that just may be true.

"He loves her."

Cloud looked away from her when he saw her head slightly turn towards him, but it was too late. She saw him.

The musicians took up their instruments again and began playing a light-hearted waltz. The people around Cloud partnered up and began their dance, and Cloud contemplated finding the exit, but then felt a touch on his shoulder. Her touch. There was no mistaking it. No one else felt so gentle, so familiar.

His breath escaped him as he turned around to face her and her hand trails down his arm from his shoulder to his hand. She looks up to him with just a ghost of a smile, though there's something in her eyes, reminiscent of a silver screen and all those sad goodbyes. Time can never mend those three simple, harsh words, burying three other small words that she never heard from him. Not once.

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He didn't know what to do, but still, he takes her hand so comfortably into his, and he leads her to the dance floor with measured steps, trying to hide his guilt. And as they face each other again, she looks up to him, and he smiles gently onto her. Though it was easy to pretend, Cloud knew she wasn't a fool. She could see right through him. She had always could. She could see his doubt, his hesitation, and something else just by the way he looked at her. Yet, he slides a hand onto her waist and she holds onto his shoulder, as he leads her, falling into perfect step as they had always done from the beginning. There was always something different about the way he danced when he danced with her.

The music seemed so loud that night and Cloud wished that they could just leave the ballroom with all its glaring eyes. Cloud wished he didn't have to pretend like this, as they swayed in sync with each other. But then, what would he say? What would she say? He closed his eyes tightly. To the heart and mind, ignorance is kind. There's no comfort in the truth. He'd only find pain, pain that he had not intended. He had intended none of this.

He opened his eyes suddenly when he felt her head resting on his shoulder, her soft cheek just touching his. She could never reach him. But maybe it was better this way. Maybe the reason why she never heard what she had always yearned to hear from him was because he had someone else in his heart. They could have been so good together. They could have lived this dance forever.

As the music died, the pair fell motionless. Cloud looked down at her and lifted his hand from her waist to stroke her hair and hold her there, close to him. Then, she looked up to him again, and the tears he saw in her eyes scared him. He held her tighter, but he felt her try to slip away from his grip.

"Please…stay," he whispered into her ear just before he let her go.

But she tore herself away from him, looking back once, with those eyes again, those tearful eyes. And she shook her head ever so slightly, and began running out of the ballroom.

Cloud stood there and watched her go.