Fanfic Title: A Romance with Masks
Game: Final Fantasy IV
Pairing: Kain x Cecil
Author: keadeblue264
The AU taking place in a celebratory Halloween masquerade party fic no one asked for but I wrote anyway. Welcome to a fest of cliché. Please enjoy.
Summary: Cecil meets a stranger at a friend's masquerade party and things take an unexpected turn. AU. KainxCecil. Halloween special.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy IV and I make no money from writing this.
Warnings/Notes: boy-boy romance, real world AU. Also contains slight EdgexEdward.
~**A Romance with Masks**~
It felt like a night where almost anything could happen. Halloween was just like that. Though evolved from more spiritual and supernatural based backgrounds into the modern celebrated affair, the occasion was still special in a way that seemed limitless.
A masquerade party, however, wasn't exactly what Cecil thought of when that particular sentiment came to mind. But Edward looked like he had his heart set on it the week before so he agreed to attend. He couldn't turn down the invitation even if he really wanted to.
The room was filled with all the invited guests and their friends, all wearing masks of different colors and styles with their suits and dresses. Softly playing classical music was in the background of the brightly lit space, going at a slow beat and slightly drowned out by sound of voices. As expected, the floor was filled with all kinds of couples dancing together.
Cecil watched everyone else have fun from his place against a wall, hands buried in the pockets of his pants. The mask on his face was a pure white color and bordered with a thick line of blue glitter around the edge. He hadn't picked it out personally, but he supposed it was better than sticking out with no mask at this kind of party. Edward did say it looked good on him when he put it on.
He hadn't brought a guest along and was originally planning to stick with Edward until he was ready to leave. But the last time he'd seen his friend, Edward was having a conversation with a man with short lightly colored hair, all blushing cheeks and softly smiling lips underneath his orange and red mask the whole while. The flush increased when the man fingered the tips of Edward's hair, and Cecil chose to leave them alone after seeing that. He figured Edward would come find him if he was needed.
Cecil adjusted the mask on his face with a sigh. He was feeling a tad lonely and thought he should mingle at the very least, removing himself from the wall for that very purpose. Weaving through the closely grouped crowd of people and excusing himself, he looked around as he walked, almost yelping when he tripped over someone's foot. Before he could hit the floor or prevent himself from it, a hand grabbed his upper arm and steadied him.
"You don't want to fall in here. You might get stepped on."
Cecil looked toward the deep voice speaking to him, automatically realizing that he didn't know the man holding onto his arm. He had blond hair hanging over his shoulders and down his back, stopping near at his waist. His mask was a combination of purple and dark blue, and his eyes were a rather attractive shade of blue.
Blinking, he cleared the sudden lump from his throat and replied, "I apologize. That was clumsy of me."
The man laughed lowly. "It's all right. No harm done."
Cecil nodded with a hum, taking another look at the man as his arm was released. He'd be lying if he said the other wasn't handsome, even with a mask on. The black suit jacket he was wearing fit well across the chest, and the rest of the suit looked fitted decently as well, as if it was specifically tailored for this event.
Catching himself before he started staring for too long, Cecil looked back up to the man's smiling face. He cleared his throat once more. "I should probably introduce himself. My name is Cecil."
"Kain."
It wasn't until a dancing couple bumped into his back that Cecil realized that they were in the middle of a crowd. Suddenly, he felt like he was standing out. He shifted from one foot to the other.
"Maybe standing here isn't a good idea," Cecil said, looking around nervously. "I should go now."
"Why don't you dance with me instead?"
"Um."
Quite the elegant answer if Cecil did say so himself. But he was surprised by the request to say the least. Not that he hadn't danced before, but he just wasn't expecting to be asked to.
"We can talk more in the meantime if you like," Kain said, holding out a hand in invitation.
Cecil took a deep breath, thinking that he had no real reason to say no and replying, "All right." He took the hand offered to him. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."
Kain stepped closer and placed his other hand on Cecil's waist, bringing them together until they were almost touching. Cecil did the only thing he really could and wrapped his free arm around Kain's shoulders, being careful not to pull his hair. Kain then lead them both into a slow sway, moving around in a gradual circle.
They stayed quiet for a while and simply danced along with all the other couples. The whole thing was almost strange to Cecil. Nice, but still strange at the same time. The pounding of his heart picked up speed, and he could feel Kain's slow breaths brushing against his face. He hoped that the other man couldn't tell that he was feeling rather nervous.
And he just couldn't bring himself to look at Kain in the face. With them being this close, it almost seemed like that would be too much. It didn't help that Kain was decidedly attractive either. Cecil didn't want to chance being caught staring for too long.
"This is kind of embarrassing," Cecil said loud enough for only Kain to hear, eyes trained on the floor beneath their feet.
The body in front of him shook slightly with laughter. "Being seen with me you mean?"
"No, that's not it at all. It's just—" Cecil stopped himself, feeling heat creep into his face and trying to fight it back.
"It's all right. I understand." Kain continued to make them dance around for a minute before speaking again, "So, what brings you here?"
Watching their legs carry them in yet another circle, Cecil answered, "My friend is the host."
"I see. Are you enjoying yourself at least?"
"Would it be odd if I said I wasn't sure yet?"
Cecil braved a glance back up to Kain's face just in time to see him smile. This time the blush won out and his cheeks turned a light pink.
"Not at all."
The music ended and all the other couples broke off, some to socialize and others to move to the food tables. Cecil didn't let go of Kain just yet and he was oddly relieved that he wasn't released in return.
Kain's voice was steady when he next spoke, but it was also slightly hesitant. "Would you like to come outside with me? I could use some air right now."
"Okay," Cecil responded without really thinking it over but not regretting it in the least.
Kain gave a small smile and lead him away by the hand, their fingers interlocked. Soon reaching a pair of doors leading to a balcony, Kain pushed them open to let Cecil walk through before doing the same and closing the doors behind him. Cecil walked forward some and stopped, resting his hands on the curved railing.
The night sky was dark and the air was blowing coldly unto Cecil's exposed face and hands. He slivered a bit, bringing his arms back to his body. He regretted not bringing a better jacket.
"It's chilly out here," Cecil said, rubbing at his arms.
"Is that a problem? We could go back inside."
Cecil turned his head to the side, seeing Kain come up beside him. "No, it's okay." He looked back up at the sky. "I like the night air."
Kain hummed an agreement next to him. The next few minutes were quiet, the only sound being the wind rustling through the tree branches. Cecil enjoyed the break from all the noise inside. He looked back to Kain, almost jumping when he saw Kain looking at him, some blond hair falling into his face and over his mask with his titled head. Cecil noticed for the first time how the mask almost seemed to suit Kain.
Cecil took in a breath. They didn't really know much about each other, but Cecil could already say that he liked Kain. He wasn't sure what kind of like yet, but he was steadily working on finding out. He met Kain's eyes, taking in the nice color fully.
"So," Cecil began, breaking the silence, "you never told me what you're doing here."
"I was dragged here by a loud mouth."
Cecil chuckled before he could stop himself, raising his hand to his mouth to prevent more from coming out. Kain seemed to smile at that, and Cecil could feel his face warm up. Kain was really attractive when he smiled, Cecil noted.
"I assume you didn't come here willingly then?" Cecil asked after removing his hand.
Kain shook his head. "Not necessarily." His eyes locked with Cecil's, dark blues reflecting the light coming. "Can't say I regret coming now, though."
"What makes you say that?" Cecil asked, admittedly slightly nervous.
"Well." Kain stepped closer and turned fully to face him. "I met you."
Cecil turned himself as well with a smile. "And that's a good thing?"
"Yes," Kain replied, his own smiling curving his lips.
Cecil then noticed how close Kain had come to him. He darted his eyes to his feet, suddenly feeling apprehensive for reasons he wasn't sure of.
He felt fingers on his cheek tracing underneath his mask. "That mask looks good on you," he heard Kain say.
Cecil looked up just in time to see Kain's face coming close to his own. Before he could say anything, their lips pressed together, and Cecil immediately felt like he was tingling everywhere. That simple touch, one almost as old as humanity, had him feeling light and at the same time. The pressure was simple, almost sweet and definitely soft. They parted soon, Cecil gazing up into Kain's eyes, his own slightly dazed.
Kain's mouth twitched as if fighting back a frown. "I haven't just made a mistake, have I?"
Cecil took in a shaky breath. "No."
The blond leaned in and kissed him again with a smile, and this time Cecil couldn't resist reaching a hand up and threading his fingers through Kain's hair, the strands soft against his hand.
When they broke apart a second time, Kain said, "We should go back inside."
Cecil smiled and nodded, taking Kain's hand in his own and letting himself be lead.
Halloween was definitely a special occasion this year.
Author's Notes: Happy Halloween, peeps. Please Review.