A/N: Whelp, here 'tis. One-shot the first. I've always wanted to do a Persona x OC something-or-other, so those ideas manifested themselves into this short random thing I wrote really late at night. I can't decide if I want to go into any more detail and turn it into a multi-chap fic, but I think I'll wait and see what people think. Also, I realize that the rating might be a bit much, but that's only because when I see K or K+ in romance, I expect cutesy little things, and in my opinion, sexual tension is anything but cute.

With that said, I don't own anything that has to do with Gakuen Alice, only Helena, and I swear I'm not crazy, I just happen to find Persona very attractive.

First Dance

The skirts of the girls' dresses fanned out in flashes of color as they flew around the dance floor. The music swelled and dipped around them in snatches of energy and excitement. Helena stood at the edge, staring hungrily at the light touches of hands and the feet tapping around each other in a dance of their own. She longed for emotional human contact, having been denied it her whole life and shut away from society, and to her it seemed that to be able to be near someone and hold them was almost like heaven. But so many were afraid to approach her. They slid their eyes over her face as though scared to make eye contact.

I guess that's what comes with extreme power. She thought to herself. Heaving a sigh, she scanned to room for anyone that she could at least talk to, but it seemed like they were all happily engaged in the dance, leaving her to feel excluded and alone.

Suddenly, she felt a presence at her side. Casting her gaze to the left, she caught a glimpse of black spiky hair and a pale face before he was standing in front of her and looking her straight in the eyes.

"May I have this dance?" he all but whispered.

She was speechless for a moment. Was this who she thought it was? Wasn't this the man who contaminated everything he touched? She peered into his face and thought she caught a hint of nervous energy underneath his mask of serenity, and in a rush of understanding she realized that he was just as uncertain as she was. After all, she knew what it was like to be alone and ignored, unacknowledged by the rest of the world and hidden away as though the world was ashamed of her. Even so, how could she dance with him if she couldn't touch his skin?

In a flash of memory, she remembered their first meeting. She had brushed his hand with hers by accident, not realizing that he was the man she had been warned about. They had been standing in the headmaster's office, and the moment it happened he had whirled around to stare at her face in shock before quickly replacing his mask-like façade and hurrying away. She had thought nothing of it at the time, but now she understood.

Even so, how could she know that she would be safe? One touch was not enough to be sure, but she knew how it felt to be feared. In a second she had decided.

"Yes."

His eyes underneath the half-mask were black and cold, but they held an apprehensive gleam. He stretched out a hand and she only hesitated for a moment before removing her gloves and gently laying hers on top of his exposed skin. His eyes betrayed nothing, but she could feel the slightest of tremors as his fingers closed around hers.

Without once taking his eyes off her face, Persona led her slowly out onto the floor with their clasped hands displayed for all to see. As they passed those already dancing, the ones who recognized both her and her partner gasped and stepped aside, gaping at their hands. It was so obvious that they thought someone was playing a trick on them, because as far as they were concerned, Persona was nothing but a dark presence constantly in shadow. He wasn't someone that they had ever imagined touching someone of his own volition, let alone dancing.

Helena paid them no mind. She was almost floating in a parallel universe where no one except her and Persona existed. When they reached the center of the floor, a large space had cleared and almost everyone had ceased to dance in favor of watching this surreal scene unfold. The couple faced each other, hands still locked together, and as she reached up to put her free hand on his shoulder, his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. The violins, who had also stopped, now realized it was their cue to resume playing and began a slow, lilting waltz. Her feet began to move almost of their own accord, but her mind was preoccupied with the depth in his eyes and their constant flickering between hers, searching her soul. She could feel his heartbeat pressed against her chest, but the closeness didn't bother her.

They danced without speaking through the sea of students holding their breath, simply gazing into each other's faces as though looking for an answer to the unspoken question. How was this happening? Persona opened his mouth as though to say something, but then she realized that he had been holding his breath. He opened his mouth once more, but this time he spoke.

"How?"

Helena sucked in her breath and forced herself to inhale deeply before answering.

"I don't know. I don't understand it either."

For the first time the guard around him dropped a little and she saw a tiny flash of amazement cross his features.

"I've never felt this before. Someone actually touching my skin. It's strange."

She smiled a little. "I can't imagine what this must be like for you."

The arm around her waist tightened and he squeezed her hand.

"I feel as though you're the only thing in this room that's real right now," he murmured.

A tiny flush appeared on her face, but she refused to look away. Silence fell between them once more. They didn't even notice that they had stopped dancing. Even when the violins began to wind up their song, they simply stood. They only noticed once the music stopped completely and silence reigned supreme.

He was the first to step away, but he didn't break eye contact even as he brought her hand up to his cool lips and whispered "Helena," before he dropped her hand. Then, as abruptly as he had come, he tore his gaze away and walked out through the students who jumped out of his way.

Helena watched his back move farther and farther away, barely registering the whispers around her. Her hand was tingling where his mouth had touched her, but she knew it wasn't from any disease of the flesh. Suddenly, her knees buckled beneath her and she crumpled to the ground, hardly feeling the hands that caught her at the elbows and led her away from the floor to a chair. The water that was pressed into her hands was set aside. His eyes were burned into her memory, and accompanying them were repetitions of the barely audible whisper of her name.

"Helena."

She ignored all of the questions that were being flung at her, and descended into her own little world, but not before whispering her own response to his departure.

"Goodnight, Serio."

A/N: Again, depending on whether people like this or not, I might turn it into an actual story, so let me know what you think! :)

-A Heart of Glass