Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This collection is mine, as are McCallister and Jake Alms. Enjoy!

..:-X-:..

173 –Tale as Old as Time

For Lett

"You're getting better."

"You sound surprised."

"You've been practicing?"

"With Aerith sometimes."

"I bet that's a sight."

Tifa shrugged, "She's the only other person who knows how to dance like this."

Leon tilted his head, "I could have practiced with you."

"Why do you think I was practicing?" She smiled, "I wanted to surprise you."

The massive golden chandelier was the only source of light in the ballroom of Enchanted Castle. Belle had promised a ball and a ball had been delivered. The entire population of the small town nearby had shown, as well as most of Radiant Garden, whom Belle had invited on principle, for being so hospitable during the war and her stay there.

Most of them were waltzing around the floor, but neither of the two was paying attention to what anyone else was doing. Unlike the last time Tifa dragged Leon to an event like this, she didn't care who was looking at her, and unlike last time, Leon was actually enjoying himself.

"I'm surprised." He conceded.

She smiled through a coy look as she moved her arm from his shoulder but kept her hold on his hand, spinning away from him. Her dark purple gown swished around her ankles as she did so, and she spun back into him, impressed with herself for actually pulling off the move.

He smirked and replaced his hand at her waist, quietly keeping them in tune with the other dancing couples. Huh…'other' couples.

"I never would have taken you for the dancing type." Tifa said.

Leon shrugged as the music carried on, "I'm an enigma."

They had both concluded that just dancing was slightly awkward, so between them, they had kept up a dialogue while the other dancing couples ogled and had eye-sex with each other. While Tifa had allowed Belle to dress her up like a doll, Leon had been let off the hook with just a more formal-looking uniform. He looked quite dashing, to be honest. Tifa laughed at his words and they danced a little closer.

"All right, Mr. Mysterious, whatever you say."

She was still laughing when Leon stopped his steps. While her momentum was still moving her sideways, he turned his upper body, keeping a firm hold around her back as he lowered her into a deep dip. Her laugh trailed off into a helpless little giggle as she held onto him.

If anybody tried to cut in right then, Tifa would have kicked the person's leg out.

As it was, a few chuckles were heard at the display and Yuffie whistled while Tifa distinctly heard Aerith say something about 'chemistry' and 'about time'.

Leon straightened, pulling her up with him, and Tifa couldn't stop the blood from rushing to her head.

"I think people are watching us." Tifa said, lightheaded, "And Beast just transformed back to human, so you'd think all eyes would be on him and Belle. This is their ball after all, and I don't think we're that interesting to look at—"

Leon interrupted her with a kiss, effectively stopping their dancing twice in the last two minutes. Tifa didn't mind and closed her eyes into the kiss. The dance went on without them for a few seconds, or maybe it didn't. Neither of them was paying much attention.

Eventually, though, oxygen ran out and the kiss ended. Tifa fought the dizziness and caught Leon snickering at her.

"Whoo—now people are definitely looking at us." She recovered.

He didn't look around, his eyes staying on hers. "Let them look."

Tifa tilted her head, taken slightly aback, "Well, well, you are quite the onion." She smiled as Leon took her hand back and they resumed dancing, "I'll just have to keep peeling back those layers, won't I?"

"I guess so." He replied as they slid back into the dance.

After that, conversation faded away and they finished the dance in silence, but neither of them missed the dialogue. Whatever needed to be said was already crystal clear to them.

Maybe it wasn't so awkward after all.

..:-X-:..

174 – Tickle Monster

For The Sacred and Profane

Leon leaned away, "Stop it."

"I've almost got it." Tifa didn't let up.

"I can do it myself—"

"If you can't SEE, then you can't very well get it out of your eye by yourself, can you?" She huffed, "Now sit still so I can—"

Leon turned his face away like a child and Tifa made an exasperated noise, stepping behind where he was sitting. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to sit back, leaning his head back until he was looking up at her.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but either way, you're not leaving here with that stuff in your eye." She said firmly.

He looked on the verge of arguing, but before he could retort, the door swung open and Yuffie strolled in. Both Leon and Tifa looked over and Yuffie put her hands on her hips, seeing Leon leaned back, Tifa standing behind him and bent over his face. For a second, nobody moved.

Then the younger woman rolled her eyes, "I don't even bother to ask anymore…"

She turned and left, apparently not finding who she was looking for.

After that little distraction, Tifa went back to looking at Leon. "So what'll it be?"

Leon would have glared up at her, but the fragments of whatever that had gotten in his eye had rendered the entire eye red and irritated, negating any glare he could have mustered up. He didn't dignify her with a response, and instead just stopped struggling against her.

Looking appeased, Tifa lit one palm over his scar to hold his eyelid open while she used the other hand to man the out of focus thing she had picked out to use on his eye. Leon swallowed and tried not to look at it.

Her fingers slipped across his nose and he jerked before he realized he'd done it.

"Leon, for the love of—" Tifa sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"I could take your eye out. Now hold still."

He grumbled but tried to sit still. She resumed trying to get the irritants out of his eye. Her hand ghosted over his scar again and his skin tingled. Before he could stop it, he'd spazzed again, turning out of her touch.

"What?" She smacked the side of his head lightly.

"I didn't mean to—" He sat up, "I'll get it myself."

"Wait—"

He picked up the mirror from the table and tried to inspect the damage to his eye for himself, but the vision in his right eye was too blurred to trust. Tifa moved around the chair and looked at him sideways.

"Are you—" She paused and reached out, poking his forehead.

He flinched involuntarily and swatted her away. "Stop it."

"You're…you're ticklish?...Seriously?" She tilted her head, poking him again.

Again he jerked and waved her hand away, "Cut it out."

"You ARE!" She said devilishly, "Wonder what would happen if I—"

She moved to poke him again, but enough was enough. Leon grabbed her arm and abruptly pulled her to him. She yelped in surprise and landed on his chest. The attack was too much for the chair, which buckled backwards, sending them both to the floor.

"Lemme go!" She struggled, but he had a hold of her now.

"See how you like it—" He grumbled and commenced tickling her.

Tifa cried out through a laugh and tried to roll away. In her wriggling, her knee crashed into his ribs, effectively throwing him off. With a grunt, he ended up on his back on the floor, but still keeping a hold of her.

"Oh yeah?" She reached for his face again, but his hands found her sides too quickly and she spazzed, laughing again. "Stop it! Leon—"

"Ahem." A new voice added to the commotion.

They both stopped again, this time with Tifa on top of Leon and his hands around her ribs. Cid stood in the doorway, deadpan and slightly annoyed.

"This isn't what it looks—" Leon started.

"Don't care." Cid lifted a hand, crossing the room to the computer, "Just use a hotel room next time…and protection."

..:-X-:..

175 – That's What She Said

For justagirl8225

The wooden splinter was the length of a toothpick, and only slightly less thick. It had wedged itself against the ball of Tifa's thumb, and bleeding just enough to look nasty. McCallister tried to keep her eyes off of it while Tifa sat cross legged on the couch in the break room, her splintered, bleeding hand palm up while Leon inspected it.

"Looks like it hurts." He said after a beat.

Tifa rolled her eyes, "Thanks, Dr. House, what ever would I do without your deep, insightful diagnosis?"

Leon looked flatly at her and then over to the soldier, "McCallister, bring in some gauze and antiseptic."

"Yes, sir." She closed the break room door after herself as she went to the storage area to fetch the items.

Considering that Tifa had fallen through a collapsing tree in Deep Jungle, Tabaeus figured a toothpick-sized splinter was a pretty good way for that to end.

Didn't make it look any less painful though.

By the time she returned to the door, Jake Alms had taken up station by the break room, ear toward the door, idiotic grin on his face.

"Jake, what're you—" She said, exasperated after just three seconds in his presence.

"Shh!" Jake lifted a finger to his lips. "Leon and Tifa are in there—"

"I know that, stupid." McCallister lifted up the supplies in her hand, "Major General Leonhart sent me to get these so he could—"

"Hold still." Leon was saying.

Jake shushed Tabaeus again and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Tifa snapped, "I'm having a little trouble sitting still with you about to—ow!"

"I didn't even touch you."

"Yes you did."

Jake sniggered, wiggling his eyebrows at Tabaeus, who slapped herself in the forehead.

"Jake, she has a—"

"Psst, psst!" He hushed her. "It's just getting good."

"Do you have to squeeze so hard?" Tifa was grumbling.

"If you'd hold still, I wouldn't have to." Leon mumbled back. "Where is McCallister?"

"I don't want an audience for this!"

Tabaeus moved to the door but Jake stopped her.

"You're a child," Tabaeus hissed, "She has a splinter and I'm—"

"Mother of God, Leon!" Tifa yelled suddenly.

Jake nearly hit the floor with the giggles that hit him then. Tabaeus rolled her eyes and shoved him aside, turning the knob on the door.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Leon said, holding up the bloody splinter as Tabaeus walked in, gauze and antiseptic in hand.

Tifa gawked at how far the blood reached on the toothpick-sized thing. She took it in her other hand while Leon set about cleaning the open wound on her hand.

"I've never had one that big in me." She muttered, looking nauseated at the thought.

Jake hollered with laughter at that this time and both Leon and Tifa looked over, startled but not surprised at finding him there. He was on his knees, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"That's what she said!" He howled.

Tifa and Leon exchanged flat looks. Tabaeus walked over and put a boot in Jake's chest, shoving him out into the hall and slamming the door closed after him.

Without commenting on the interruption, Tifa pressed the gauze over her hand again to stop the bleeding, and Leon dampened some of the cloth with antiseptic. Only Tabaeus seemed disgruntled at Jake's little cameo.

"How does he get IN here?" She stomped out of the other door out of the break room.

Tifa snorted and tossed the splinter in the trash can. Leon just rolled his eyes.

..:-X-:..

A/N 174: A little more fluff than I usually write, but I think it works.

A/N 175: Inspired by a similar scene from the movie "Look Who's Talking." Although, while I was writing this, Jake started to remind me of The Todd from Scrubs…I dunno.

Even though I'm not taking prompts anymore, there are still about eight chapters of ditties left for me to post, so I'll be updating still for a while. I'm also starting to try to narrow down the genre for the finale chapter. Let me know if you have a genre you're itching to see!