by NightsDawne
Chapter 2: The Dance
She sipped from a glass of champagne, listening to Zell chatting to Cid and his wife, Edea. Her golden hair was pulled up into an elegant twist, crowned with a peach rose to match her tea-length satin dress, thin straps exposing her shoulders to the light breeze that blew in from the balcony. She shifted her gaze once more to the large doors of the ballroom. Was it him coming through them? She craned her neck, feeling a moment of disappointment as Seifer strode in, his short blond hair combed back from his scarred forehead, broad shoulders looking as if they were made to show off the black uniform he wore. Selphie rushed over to throw her arms around him, the two laughing, eyes lit up at being together again. She'd never imagined that her exhuberant best friend would fall for the infamous bad boy of Balamb, but she'd never seen her so happy. She'd never seen Seifer so happy, either, his chiselled face softened by affection as he scooped his love up in his arms, her short yellow gown puffing up so that she had to grab at her skirt to keep it from exposing anything immodest, her giggles stiffled by a kiss.
Raijin stumbled through the door into Seifer's back, the huge youth nearly knocking the pair over, apologizing quickly and turning red as he noticed his hand was on Captain Seifer's girlfriend's bare shoulder. He stepped back, nearly trouncing Fujin, who was right on his heels, earning himself a kick in the shins from the girl, who kept her arms crossed over her chest, looking entirely uncomfortable in a feminine dark blue floor length gown, her short silver hair set in soft curls around her face, a steely eye daring anyone to laugh, the other covered by the black eyepatch she always wore. Quistis smiled a bit. She'd never seen Fujin in a dress and doubted that anyone else in the Garden had, either. She made a mental note to talk to the girl and try to put her at ease. Fujin seemed to have her own way of making herself at home, though, as she grabbed Raijin's hand, yanking the limping SeeD graduate after her towards the dance floor. Raijin cast a lost look back at his captain, who merely cracked up, setting Selphie on the floor to follow.
Quistis looked to the large clock over the balcony, wondering where the other graduate was. She was sure he'd make an idiot of himself again, dancing with anything in a skirt and making himself at least a half dozen new girlfriends by the time the evening was over, but she couldn't help wishing he'd arrive. His constant flirtations usually annoyed her, but she found herself thinking about them with a small smile as she walked over to the buffet table to get a plate of canapes. He was like a natural teen idol, always full of suggestive compliments, one eye always on a girl even when he was involved in a conversation, only fending off the jealousy of other men with wisecracks and an almost self-mocking arrogance that appealed to his male friends. Even those who weren't close to him couldn't help but respect him in spite of his behavior, a rifleman with an infallible eye, never missing once he'd targetted, fearless to the point of suicidal bravado in battle. He'd confessed to her in a rare moment of anger once that he had a heart like the rest of them, making her watch him afterwards, seeing beneath his frivolous exterior something more, someone with a quiet pain, thoughts he hid behind his constant smile.
"Quisty?" Quistis turned. She blinked, stunned by the young man in front of her. The small plate in her hand tilted, caviar and toast sliding to the floor. His dark hair, kissed by a touch of auburn, was pulled back neatly from his face, revealing the high cheekbones and angular jaw usually hidden under loose waves fallen free from his ponytail and a smooth high forehead almost always covered by his ever-present black hat. His light blue eyes seemed to draw her in with their expressiveness, uncertain and self-doubting. His soft full lips were parted slightly, the cocky grin replaced by a hint of a nervous smile. He looked down, righting her plate. "Sorry, didn't mean ta startle ya."
"Ir.." Quistis cleared her throat. He looked older, a man, not the cute boy he usually was. "Irvine?"
Irvine nodded. "Yeah. You okay?"
"You look so different." Quistis looked him over, not used to seeing the unkempt cowboy so elegantly clad. The SeeD uniform fit his tall, lean body perfectly, the black fabric easing over the tight muscles of arms used to swinging a rifle around as if it were a toy.
Irvine laughed quietly, reaching back to run a hand over his hair as if he missed his black stetson. "That bad, huh?"
"No, it's good. It's definately good." Quistis blushed a bit, turning hurriedly to refill her plate. Why had she said that? She was acting like one of the swooning airheads who doted on the gunslinger's flirtations. She braced herself for one of his stupid comments that always came out like lines from romance movies.
"Thank you. You're.. you're beautiful in that dress." Quistis felt him step next to her, saw his hand reach for a plate. He usually wore fingerless shooting gloves, but tonight his hands were bare. They were graceful, strong, but with long fingers that moved with delicate dexterity as he served up a pair of prawns. "Um, you want some?"
"Thank you." Quistis held her plate forward for him to put one on, struggling to recover her usual authoritative cool. He'd only been there five minutes, he still had plenty of time to make an ass of himself. "So, who did you come with?"
"Nobody." Irvine smiled a bit, getting himself a glass of champagne.
Quistis quelled the flutter the answer caused in her chest. "Well, that figures. Don't want to limit yourself to just one girl when all of the SeeDs are here."
"Actually," Irvine murmured softly, turning to face her, "I was kind of hopin' there'd be someone here who was free herself."
Quistis looked up. "Oh, really? Who?"
"Um, you." Irvine's nervous smile as he took a sip of champagne caught her off guard and she found herself staring at him. He swallowed, looking down again. "Unless ya came with someone else, that is."
"What? No... No, I didn't."
Irvine lifted those enchanting eyes to hers again, setting his plate and glass down on the table. "Quistis Trepe, would you do me the honor of dancin' with me?"
Quistis felt her food sliding to the floor again. "I'd love to, Irvine." He smiled, gently taking her once more empty plate and setting it next to his, then offering her his arm. She took it, feeling weightless as he led her to the dance floor.
The band started up a waltz and Quisty found herself surprised by Irvine once more as he took her hand, eyes on hers as he gracefully fell through the steps. The only dancing she'd ever seen him do before was slow dancing and a sexual hip grind that bordered on dirty dancing and had earned the name of the Cowboy Boogie after he'd demonstrated it at the first dance he'd attended at the Garden. She found it effortless to follow his lead, the floor clearing around the two as others turned to watch. He twirled her to him, catching her against his chest. She sucked in her breath, her lips only an inch from his, feeling a bit dizzy as they seperated again. Time seemed to pass in slow motion around them as she longed for the next turn when she'd be in his arms again, close enough to smell the subtle cologne he wore. She was half afraid he might try to kiss her, more than half hoping he would, but he didn't, keeping faithful to the steps of the waltz. She closed her eyes as the notes died away, resting her cheek on his shoulder, barely aware of the scattered applause the other dancers gave to the couple. "I never knew you could waltz," she whispered.
He shrugged lightly, his arm loose around her waist. "Figure skatin'. Gotta know how ta do all the dances."
She looked up at him with a smile. "For a moment I thought it was magic. Like Squall with Rinoa."
"Me, too." His smile made her heart skip a beat again, genuine, bringing a light to his eyes. "You were wonderful." She pulled herself up a bit, letting her lips meet that beautiful smile, closing her eyes as she felt his embrace around her tighten, his warm breath against her cheek.
Edea nudged Cid, nodding toward the couple with a little smile. Cid followed her look, sliding his hand into hers, remembering the moment when he first fell in love with the beautiful sorceress and the joy when he knew she returned his feelings. Someone besides him had finally seen the tender heart that lay under his son's confident mask. It was a moment he knew would be forged in Irvine's heart forever.
