(A/N) Lookie, I finally updated! :D Took me long enough, haha.

But anyway, I hope you enjoy, and thanks again for reading!

After Inigo had taken drunk refuge in Laurent's tent, the mage hadn't met him at night to watch him dance. Really, the dancer should've been relieved; he didn't have to worry about being embarrassed anymore. However, he found that he was actually really upset about the whole thing.

It had been a relief to share his true self with someone. No one had ever accepted him and his dream like Laurent had, and no one had ever actually appreciated anything he did. It made him incredibly happy, and he'd come to look forward to dancing for Laurent. He enjoyed the time they spent together. Not only that, but it was a refreshing relief from the interactions he had with his father during the day.

He had no idea where it had gone wrong. He knew it had to be his fault, as it always seemed to be according to his father, but he couldn't remember saying anything that had hurt Laurent. The mage had made himself sad when he started talking about his mother and his childhood….

Suddenly Inigo knew exactly what had happened. After all, he had experienced it himself many times before.

Laurent was afraid of getting hurt. He was afraid that if he truly opened himself to Inigo that he would come to regret it, just as Inigo often thought about his own relationships with other people.

They really were more similar than he thought.

Standing up from where he'd been lying in bed, fruitlessly trying to sleep (he'd been too upset to go dancing that night), Inigo marched out of his tent. It was late, but Inigo knew the mage would be awake writing. As he approached the tent, he thought about what he was going to say. He knew he would have to be open to Laurent if the mage could ever open up to him, but the thought frightened him and for a moment he hesitated.

Why did he care so much about Laurent's friendship, anyway?

He knew why: Laurent was the only person who really knew who he was. He was the only person that cared about what Inigo was doing and supported him in his dream. He was the only person who had promised not to laugh at him. And Inigo knew that that meant more to him than any other friendships he could forge.

Taking a deep breath, Inigo partially lifted the flap of Laurent's tent. "Laurent?"

For a moment, no one answered. The dancer fidgeted outside, worried that Laurent wouldn't talk to him. He knew he needed the mage's friendship, but he felt that he needed Inigo's, too; he didn't want to be pushed away when they both needed it.

However, the tent flap eventually pushed all the way back and Laurent stepped outside. He looked tired, more tired than he usually was. Inigo immediately felt concern rising in his chest and then wondered why he cared so much. Laurent was always tired – and it wasn't like it was any of his business.

"What do you want, Inigo?" Laurent sighed. The sadness seeping from his voice broke the dancer's heart. Determination flooded through his chest and he squared his shoulders as he filled his lungs with air.

"I just wanted to let you know that you never have to be alone anymore. Your mom may have forbidden you to have friends as a child, but I'm your friend now and I refuse to let you be alone. I promise you I'll make up for all those lost chances you had to play as a kid."

Laurent looked shocked, and for a moment he didn't say anything. Inigo slowly lost his confidence and began shuffling awkwardly, not sure what else to say. He'd hoped that that was the only thing that the mage was afraid of, but he wasn't sure how to take his lack of reaction. Had he guessed wrong? What if Laurent had realized he didn't like associating with a drunken male dancer and had been trying to give Inigo a hint?

However, before he could lose himself in his doubts, a smile developed on Laurent's face and, to Inigo's surprise, he actually started sniffing. "Inigo… You don't know how much that means to me."

"I'll always be here for you, Laurent. That's what friends are for: there's your first lesson in friendship." A wide smile grew on Inigo's mouth. Before he knew what he was doing, he took Laurent's hand and started dragging him out of his tent. "So come on – let's get started! I know you want to watch me dance!"

Laurent actually laughed as the dancer dragged him out of his tent. With a warm heart, Inigo realized that that was the first time he'd ever heard the other laugh. He didn't know why, but he was really glad they were making some kind of progress.

When they made it to the clearing, the mage took his usual spot on a log near where the trees began to get thick again. As he pulled out his notebook and pen, Inigo breathed, preparing himself for the mindset he was going to need to do his dance. With Laurent watching, Inigo was proud to realize that he was beginning to come up with a coping method for performing in front of others. He just had to get in the mindset, where nothing else mattered besides the dance, and Inigo could feel himself getting better the more he practiced in front of Laurent.

He wondered if he was nearing the time when he could show Olivia.

Before he could begin to dance, however, Laurent spoke up. "Thank you, Inigo. I'm embarrassed to say I let myself get in a slump and almost ruined my one income of happiness; if not for you, I would be dejectedly observing a test tube. So please accept my sincerest gratitude."

Inigo, who had had his back to the other, turned to face Laurent. A sly smile slid onto his face. "You know, you have a funny way of making everything nice sound scientific and detached."

Laurent actually flushed before he looked down at his lap. "… I'm afraid that's a habit I adopted from my mother."

"Well duh," Inigo teased, sticking his tongue out at the mage. He then turned back around, preparing himself for dancing again. "I'll have to teach you some slang, too, as well as the tips on friendship."

As Inigo began to swirl around the clearing, he could hear the smile in Laurent's voice.

"I would like that."

Laurent never realized how good it would feel to have a friend. Sure, he'd known how lonely he'd felt his entire life, he'd known how badly he'd yearned for a friend; and yet, deep inside, he had convinced himself that it would never happen.

He didn't know how to make friends. The only way he even knew how to communicate was through big words that scared the other children away. He had no idea what the concept of playing even meant. What did one do when they played? Miriel had submerged him to a life of scientific research to the point that it was the only thing he knew how to do. He overanalyzed everything, which he had discovered really upset most people when they asked for his opinion. He was overzealous in finding solutions to problems, which caused others to be mad when he stuck his nose in too far. He didn't understand social atmospheres and had trouble picking up on subtleties such as sarcasm.

Because no one would ever teach him, Laurent knew he would never learn; therefore, he knew, he would never make friends.

To know that Inigo was his friend, by choice and not because Laurent was forcing him, was too good to be true. Someone outside of his father was actually interested in what he was doing, wanted to listen to what he had to say, was willing to hang around with him. It was unbelievable for Laurent. Had he had the capability of making friends all along and had just never known? Or was his personality type only compatible with someone like Inigo, who was so confident on his own that he could cover for Laurent's insecurities? Or, was it the fact that they both suffered from insecurities that drew them together?

"Uh oh, you've got that look on your face again." Inigo's voice drew Laurent out of his thoughts. When the mage focused on his surroundings, he was surprised to see Inigo standing right in front of him, panting slightly from the dance he'd just performed. "You're thinking too hard about something."

Laurent shuffled back a little, suddenly anxious of Inigo's close proximity. "I was just considering the possibility of—"

"'Thinking about,'" Inigo interrupted. When Laurent met him with a blank stare, he smiled and elaborated, "Instead of 'considering the possibility of.' You sound too overbearing, and you haven't even said what you were thinking of yet."

"Ah." Laurent stored the pointer to memory. "Then I was thinking about how nice it is that you're my friend."

Inigo seemed taken aback for a moment as a dark blush dusted his cheeks. "Wh-what?!"

"Is that such a weird thing to say?" Laurent asked, tilting his head a little to the side. "I just wanted you to know I enjoy your company and that I thank you for being my friend."

"W-well, it's kinda weird…" Inigo mumbled, looking down at the ground as he scratched the back of his neck. "But… thanks I guess…"

A small smile ghosted Laurent's lips. Inigo truly was amusing – he never would've guessed that the son of Gregor would've secretly been so shy and bashful. Though he supposed it was only to be expected when his mother was just as bad, if not worse.

"I'm gonna do it again, okay?" Inigo interrupted Laurent's musings as he backed up to the center of the clearing. His arms were spread out in front of him, his legs bent and a small distance apart. Laurent recognized it as the beginning step of the most recent dance he'd been working on.

The mage nodded as he flipped to his notes. "Of course – please proceed."

Inigo smirked at him, for a reason unknown to Laurent, and began to dance. The mage must've seen this about a thousand times now, but he never got tired of it. Despite the fact that he knew every step, knew every single one of Inigo's muscle placements by heart, the dancer always managed to blow him away. It was truly magical; Laurent had accepted long ago that he would never truly understand the power and beauty behind Inigo's dancing unless he tried it himself.

An idea wriggled itself into his mind at that thought, and it brought him such excitement that he could barely wait for Inigo to finish his routine so he could express it.

When the dancer finally whirled to a graceful stop, his motions like a cherry blossom petal floating in the wind, Laurent sat forward on his log. "Inigo, I would like to try an experiment."

Panting, Inigo raised an eyebrow as he took a few seconds to reply. "What… experiment?"

"Teach me to dance."

Laurent had been completely serious, which was why he was surprised when Inigo doubled over laughing. He laughed hard for several minutes, to the point that tears were streaming down his eyes, while the mage sat by, wondering what was possibly so funny about his request.

"You? You want to learn how to dance?" Inigo finally laughed out when he'd recovered enough to speak. "Are you kidding?"

"I am not." Laurent fixed Inigo with his serious expression. "Through observing your dance, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot understand the magic behind your dancing unless I learn to do it myself. And, quite obviously, you are the only one who could possibly teach me."

Inigo's laughter died out and he looked somewhat disgruntled. He eyed him. "You really want to learn?"

"I do."

Inigo thought for a moment before he stood and walked over to Laurent. "Well, I guess I don't mind. Though I seriously can't imagine you dancing. Like at all." A smile cracked his lips again.

"Then I suppose I'm lucky that you're the only one who will be seeing me." A light blush dusted Laurent's cheeks. "To be honest, the idea is quite embarrassing. But I would like to experience the magic from your end."

"Then let's do it!" Inigo grabbed Laurent's hands and pulled him to his feet. The dancer looked him over. "Though you're going to want to take your cloak and hat off, and whatever else you have in your pockets. You don't want anything weighing you down when you dance, at least as a beginner."

Somewhat reluctantly, Laurent removed his cloak and hat, as well as his magic tomes, and laid them next to his notebook and pen on the log. Underneath his cloak, he was simply wearing a plain white button-up shirt and a pair of probably too tight black pants whose bottoms were covered by his boots. Laurent blushed lightly as Inigo snickered at him.

"So that's what you look like under your cloak," Inigo snorted, obviously trying hard to conceal his laughter.

"… You can see why I don't often display it," Laurent sniffed, all too aware of his poor sense in fashion. Yet another thing he'd never been taught.

Inigo laughed outright once before he let him be and took his hands in his. "Okay, so you start with your feet like this…"

Laurent tried his best to follow Inigo's instructions as the dancer swept him around the clearing. It wasn't Inigo's usual dance, but apparently it was a typical partner dance that Inigo thought would be fun to learn so that someday they could dance together. Laurent quickly discovered, however, that he was not born to dance: though Inigo was counting out loud for him, the mage had trouble keeping his rhythm. He often rushed and then found himself on the wrong foot, which wouldn't have been so bad if Inigo hadn't laughed at him every time he did a little skip hop to get back on the right foot. Laurent was also apparently terrible at keeping in a tight enough space to dance with Inigo, as he stepped on his foot at least ten times. As Laurent stumbled around, trying to keep up with Inigo's grace and efficiency, he soon began to feel frustrated with his lack of progress. How had Inigo made this look so effortless?

"You and your two left feet," Inigo teased as Laurent yet again stepped on his foot.

Laurent recoiled slightly, offended. "I do not have two left feet. I can assure you I do not have a birth defect: I, in fact, have a right and a left foot."

Inigo laughed, which soured Laurent's mood a little bit until his pink-haired friend elaborated, "Oh my god, Laurent, it's an expression! Let me translate in terms you'll understand: you're hella clumsy when you dance."

Though Laurent was no longer offended, he deflated a little at Inigo's words. "… I'm trying my best."

Inigo looked at him with a surprisingly warm smile. "I know."

They began again, Laurent's determination and concentration renewed. Though it was hard to see, the mage could feel himself improving. It was slow, and barely noticeable, but he was getting better at keeping his rhythm. He felt a glow in his heart when Inigo eventually stopped counting; slowly but surely he was losing his crutches.

After what seemed like hours, and Laurent had long lost feeling in his thighs, they came to a slow stop. Inigo dropped his hands and stepped back from him as Laurent leaned on his knees, practically wheezing. He could not remember the last time he'd endured such physical training, and he was slightly embarrassed about how out of shape he was; especially when he realized that Inigo wasn't even out of breath.

"How do you…" Laurent puffed, "Make that…..seem so easy?"

"Because I'm amazing?" Inigo squatted so he could look up at Laurent. Bouncing on his heels, he sent the mage a teasing grin. "I've literally been dancing my whole life, Laurent; you can't expect to come up to my level after just half an hour of introductory course."

Laurent felt the blood drain from his face. "We…were only dancing…for half an hour?"

"Yup!" Inigo laughed again before he stood up and spun around in a circle. "You'll get better the more you practice! That is, if you still want to."

"I would like to." Laurent nodded before he stood up from his hunched position. He sent Inigo a soft smile. "I think it would be….fun to be able to dance with you, Inigo."

Inigo flushed a little, before he smiled back. "I think it would be, too. As long as you learn how to not step on my foot."

Laurent flushed as well at Inigo's jab, but let him get away with it as he knew it was true. He hoped he hadn't bruised the dancer's feet after how many times he'd stepped on them. If they had counted, the mage was sure it would've been an unbelievably embarrassing number.

After chatting about pointless things a little longer, Laurent and Inigo headed back for their respective tents for the remainder of the night. Despite his exhaustion and the aching in his legs, Laurent felt a strange energy buzzing through him. Even though he was nowhere near Inigo's level, as the dancer had kindly pointed out, Laurent still felt the same kind of exhilaration gripping him that he felt just watching. If he felt that way just learning introductory dance moves, he couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be able to do something like what Inigo did.

As Laurent made it to his tent and sat down at his desk to write, he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

He was starting to like this idea of fun.

Inigo's confidence was rising. And really, maybe he should have been wary about that fact, but it really put him on cloud nine. He'd always enjoyed dancing before, but now that he was getting used to the audience part of dancing he felt he was loving it even more. He could feel the time soon approaching where he would bring Olivia to the forest with him and show her everything he'd been secretly working on for years. He could just imagine it: the way her face would turn light pink as she smiled at him with a smile that reached her eyes. She would hug him and say how proud she was…

He couldn't wait.

Or, at least, that's what he thought.

That night, as Inigo trekked through the woods to meet Laurent, he thought about what he was going to do. He was going to run through everything once, get Laurent's final opinion, and then he would go back home, wake Olivia, and bring her back with him to show her.

He was determined to finally do it.

"Laurent, tonight's going to be special!" He declared as he pushed his way into the clearing. The mage, who'd had his back turned to him, jumped a little as he turned around and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Special how?"

Inigo strode over to where Laurent was standing. He beamed at him, confidence oozing from his pores. "I'm going to show you my routine, you're going to give me your final opinion and, if I pass with flying colors, I'm going to bring my mother here and show her!"

"I do not need to see it again. I already know what I will say." A small smile nestled on Laurent's face. "You pass with 'flying colors'."

Inigo smiled bashfully before he dragged a hand through his hair. "Thanks, Laurent. But let me perform for you once more anyway. A dress rehearsal, of sorts."

"Very well." Laurent nodded before he walked over and sat down on his log, for it had become his. "Begin whenever you are ready."

Inigo nodded back before he focused on steadying his breathing. He couldn't allow his excitement and nerves to distract him. As soon as he was in the mindset, he began, the steps flowing to him naturally without having to think about it. After all, he'd performed it so many times.

However, something was different this time. Maybe it was a poorly placed leaf or twig that hadn't been there before. Maybe it was the nerves clamping down on Inigo's stomach despite his best efforts to ignore them. Or maybe it was that he was overconfident, so sure that after so long he couldn't possibly make a mistake.

Whatever the reason, Inigo felt an unnatural shift in his body. On one of the harder steps, his foot seemed to collapse from under him and his leg twisted as his body's momentum threw him over his feet. He landed with a hard thud on his side, all of the wind knocked out of him. As his breath pounded unevenly in his ears, Inigo stared straight ahead of him at the sideways image of the forest. There was a dull ache in his foot, and he was concerned he may have twisted it.

What caused him the most concern, however, was the silence.

Inigo drew in a sharp breath as his confidence seemed to trickle out of his body, replaced by a forceful stream of his insecurities.

He'd made a mistake. And Laurent had witnessed it. And though he was immensely grateful he'd convinced himself to show the mage before he showed his mother, who he definitely wasn't going to show anything to now, he couldn't stop his heartbeat from accelerating as his blood pounded in his ears.

He waited for the laughter. He waited for the snort that would come out of the mage's nose before he was doubled over from the force of his laughter. He waited for the laughter that would shatter any confidence he may have had; he waited for the laughter that would convince him to never dance in front of anyone ever again. He waited for the crushing of his chest and the tightness in his eyes as his only dream and desire was mocked. He waited for the laughter that would dash his hopes for good. He waited for the laughter that would show him that men really weren't made to dance.

He waited for Laurent to reject who he really was, just like everyone else in his life.

However, no laughter came. Instead he heard Laurent's boots crunching on the ground as he walked over to him. Confused, Inigo held his breath and waited to see what the mage would do.

Eventually he felt an arm on his shoulder.

"Are you quite alright, Inigo? Did you twist your ankle?"

Inigo released his breath slowly. Eventually, not able to handle not knowing what Laurent was thinking, the dancer rolled onto his back. Ignoring the twinge of pain in his shoulder and foot, he looked up at the mage.

He was hovering above him, looking down at him with concern. Inigo searched his face. He searched it so hard he thought his eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any trace of mockery or humor in Laurent. There wasn't anything besides worry for his well-being.

Inigo didn't expect the realization to hit him as hard as it did. But to know that Laurent wasn't going to make fun of him for failing so miserably at something so important to him meant the world. It meant that he truly did support him in all of his endeavors, and that one mistake didn't change that. It made Inigo realize that his mistakes didn't define him: what mattered was the accomplishments of what he'd already achieved.

Such a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders that he started crying.

Clearly alarmed, Laurent kneeled next to him and began pressing different parts of his body gently with his fingers. "Inigo, please tell me where it hurts. I won't pretend that I have expertise in medicine, but I at least know basic procedures—"

"No, it's not that," Inigo hiccupped as he raised an arm to wipe at his eyes. When he lowered it again, he smiled through his tears at the mage in front of him. "You didn't laugh."

Laurent paused for a second before he lightly returned Inigo's smile. In a strange train of thought, Inigo thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Of course I didn't laugh, Inigo. All of your hard work cannot go to waste because of one mistake. You've demonstrated your dancing so many times that it can only be recognized as a scientific fact: you have a beautiful skill, Inigo. And that is no laughing matter."

Inigo actually cried harder. He was so happy. He'd never thought in his wildest dreams that anyone would ever say something like that to him. Eventually, when he thought he could speak, he reached out and grabbed Laurent's hand and said, "You don't know how much that means to me. I can't remember the last time someone's supported me like this."

Laurent tilted his head a little to the side, but he did not remove his hand. "Do your parents not support you?"

"Why do you think I sneak out here to dance?" Inigo's gaze hardened and he had to look away from Laurent. His tears had started to dry, but now they were threatening to start up again with the thought of his "family." He was starting to remember uncomfortably that the last time he'd spoken to his father was when he'd told him he hated him. "My father would kill me if he found me out here."

"Why?" Laurent squeezed Inigo's hand, and for a moment it was all he could think about. He couldn't remember why he'd reached for Laurent's hand, but now he was glad that he did as he squeezed back.

"Because it's not manly enough." And suddenly it was all pouring out of him. He told Laurent about how his father was constantly criticizing him, no matter what he did, how he thoroughly rejected everything that Inigo was. He told him that he wasn't even allowed to cry, lest he get beaten; he told him that that was why he'd gone out drinking, to drown his pain and sorrow, and then how much more punishment his father had dished on him after finding out about it. He told him about Olivia's failed attempts at convincing Gregor to change his views, or even at convincing Inigo that it was just his way of showing he cared. He admitted that the only thing he really wanted was his father to like him for who he was.

"That's why your support of who I am and what I want to do means so much to me, Laurent. It's all because of you that I have some confidence to dance in front of others," Inigo finished.

Laurent was silent for a long time. He had never dropped Inigo's hand or interrupted him during his whole spiel, but nevertheless the dancer was scared of his reaction. He had never laid himself so bare before, not even to his mother, and he was worried what Laurent would think of him now that he knew he wasn't as tough as he portrayed himself.

"Your father's missing out," Laurent finally said. Inigo stared at him.

"What?"

"I said your father's missing out." Laurent sent him another small smile that started a strange fluttering in Inigo's chest as he squeezed his hand. "He doesn't realize what a truly wonderful son he has."

Inigo felt himself starting to choke up again as a huge weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. He realized it was the second time in just a couple of minutes. Laughing, he tried to hide the tears now streaming down his face with a smile. "Laurent, stop it. You're making me blush."

"Really? I can't tell from beneath your tears." Laurent smiled warmly, and Inigo laughed again as he realized he was being teased. The mage had never teased him before.

He squeezed Laurent's hand again. "Thanks for being here, Laurent."

Inigo felt a squeeze back.

"I always will be."

Laurent never asked Inigo why he'd been crying that first time he'd followed him into the woods. He'd never deemed it appropriate, but to be honest he had completely forgotten about it. Though he was still hesitant to ask, the mage had a pretty good theory of what had happened after Inigo had opened up to him and shared his troubled relationship with his father.

He was surprised that Inigo had such a hard time when it came to his father. The façade he'd put up to hide his pain was good enough to slip past Laurent's observant gaze and he was honestly impressed by the fact. Not much escaped his eye. And though it saddened him to know that Inigo's father was so unaccepting and unappreciative of the wonderful son he had, Laurent couldn't help but feel relieved.

Inigo's problem with his father mirrored Laurent's problem with his mother, and the mage was glad to know he wasn't alone in the matter. It also helped him feel better with their friendship, as he felt that he could understand Inigo and trust him more now that he knew that he could share that kind of information with him.

Now, perhaps, it was time for Laurent to return the favor.

And though he was confident in his friendship with Inigo, Laurent felt cold sweat drip down his spine as he trekked into the woods. In his cloak he had his usual notebook and pen that he used to take notes on Inigo's dances, but in his hands he held an unedited manuscript of the story he was working on. He was determined to show it to his friend, but if he was honest with himself he would admit that the idea terrified him. His mother had abandoned him because of his stories.

He was scared Inigo would do the same.

Pausing right before the clearing where he always met Inigo, Laurent took a couple of deep breaths. Even Miriel had supported the science that deep breathing could help relax a person in times of stress, and this was as stressful as a time as any.

When he felt he was ready, Laurent stepped out from the trees into the clearing. Inigo was already there, doing some pre-dance warm-ups. He had luckily done nothing more than bruise his ankle when he'd fallen, and Laurent was glad to see that the fall had actually strengthened Inigo's desire to practice, rather than deflate it.

He hoped Inigo realized how strong he was.

The mage watched him for a few minutes, not alerting him to his presence, trying to fight the tight clamp of doubt that clutched his heart. He couldn't do this: Inigo would laugh at him, or find his stories farfetched, or even find them disturbing. He would label Laurent a freak and chase him away, forbidding him from ever watching him dance again.

Just the thought of it hurt Laurent so bad that he lost any confidence he might have had.

As he was about to turn away, however, Inigo spotted him and sent him a flashing smile. "Hey, there you are, Laurent! What took you so long?"

"I…" The words died on Laurent's tongue as he forgot what he was going to say. It was too late to turn back now, though he could feel his composure melting away the longer he stood there.

"Dude, are you okay?" Inigo took a few hesitant steps towards Laurent before he noticed the stack of paper in the mage's hands. "What's that?"

Laurent swallowed around the hard lump in his throat. "It's my writing… I… I wanted you to read it. It would mean a lot to me."

Inigo closed the remaining distance between them before he took the manuscript gently from Laurent. His eyes scanned the first page before he looked up. "Are you sure? You seemed so against me reading it before."

Laurent lowered his head, unable to meet Inigo's gaze. Now was the moment of truth. "To be completely factual, I am terrified of you reading it. I have a fear that as soon as you read it you won't want to be around me anymore. I realize it's irrational, but I can't completely dismiss it after my mother performed that very action."

"Your mother…?" Inigo's confusion was evident, and Laurent sighed. He was hoping he wouldn't have to elaborate, but he refused to run away any longer. Besides, Inigo had opened up about his father; the least Laurent could do was do the same. He forced himself to meet Inigo's gaze as he continued.

"After I displayed my story to my mother, she closed herself off to my father and I. She refuses to include me in experiments and ignores my father like he no longer exists. She holes up in her room and doesn't even look at us when we talk to her." Laurent felt tears well up in his eyes and he had to pause to swallow before he could go on. "It's not clear that my writing is the main cause for her seclusion, but I can't find any other evidence to what it could be. She is so disappointed in me that she has given up on our family."

Laurent had to pause again to wipe tears from his eyes, but he realized he was barely constraining himself. Small sobs were already escaping him and the tears were forming faster than before. Suddenly Inigo pulled him into a hug, and though the mage's skin crawled from the unexpected touch he accepted the shoulder to cry on.

After he got used to it, the hug was more comforting than any other kind of contact he'd experienced before. He found that his head fit perfectly into the crook between Inigo's neck and shoulder, even if he had to bend down a little to reach it, and that Inigo's hand rubbing small circles into his back was more comforting than anything else he'd ever felt. He found his tears drying in no time and, even when he had finished crying, he found it hard to leave Inigo's warm embrace.

Eventually, however, he pulled away. "Please excuse that sorry display of emotion."

"Don't ever apologize for crying, Laurent," Inigo murmured gently but, when Laurent looked at him, his gaze was burning with an unknown passion. "Letting it out is the only way to make yourself feel better. Trust me, I know; I'm a crybaby."

"Thank you, Inigo." Laurent smiled a little at Inigo's jab before he returned to the subject at hand. "Even though it terrifies me, I want you to read it. You trusted me in a way that you've never trusted anyone before, and I want to return the favor. You're my best friend, Inigo, and I want to connect with you in the way that friends should. So yes, I am sure."

Inigo hesitated a moment longer, searching Laurent's face, before he nodded and, without another word, walked over to the log that the mage always sat at. He plopped down and immediately began to read.

After a moment of awkward hovering, Laurent sat on the opposite side of the log and turned away from Inigo. He couldn't bear watching the dancer read it: it made it ten times worse than just knowing he was reading it. So Laurent distracted himself by studying his notes of Inigo in his notebook and doodling when he got too antsy to think straight.

An eternity seemed to pass before Inigo finished reading. When he did, he set the manuscript down with a heavy sigh and looked up at the sky. Laurent watched him over his shoulder, his anxiety increasing. He saw everything from Inigo's stiff shoulders to the way his foot tapped a rhythm on the ground and could gauge nothing but a bad reaction. His heart sank, even as he felt tiny needles of pain stab his chest.

Then, however, Inigo turned to him with the brightest smile Laurent had ever seen. He was blinded for a moment as the dancer began to talk. "You're amazing, Laurent! How do you come up with awesome stuff like this?!"

Laurent faltered, not expecting the reaction Inigo gave him. "Uh, I—"

"Like that part where they were in space and they ran into that guy from Mars and there was that epic battle! Totally wicked!" Inigo mimicked the sounds of explosions and threw a couple of fake punches. Laurent just stared at him, astonished. "I could just see everything in my head and it was awesome! I don't read much, but I really was hooked on what you wrote because it was so good!"

Laurent blushed as Inigo raved, suddenly embarrassed by the amount of praise the dancer was giving. However, the happiness he felt couldn't be denied; it was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He'd been so worried on how Inigo would take his writing, but in the end he'd loved it. He'd supported it, just like Laurent had always wanted someone to.

"Also, was that male dancer modeled after me?" Inigo suddenly asked, sending Laurent a flashing smile. The mage returned a small one.

"Indeed. I only base characters off of people that inspire me."

Inigo puffed out his chest, even as a blush dusted his cheeks. "Well then, now I have to work twice as hard to live up to such an awesome character!"

Laurent laughed at Inigo's antics when suddenly the dancer leaned forward, an excited glint in his eyes. "Hey, if you ever publish that everyone will know how amazing male dancers can be! Maybe you and I can defeat the social norm, Laurent! Maybe we can change it so that men can be appreciated as dancers!"

"Maybe we can," Laurent responded thoughtfully. It had never occurred to him before, but perhaps social norms could be changed in such a method. "A well-selling novel plus a very skilled dancer would make it hard for people to argue that men dancing were distasteful."

"Yeah, exactly!" Inigo beamed. He looked off into the distance, his smile still strong on his face. "Being accepted by society would be like a dream come true…"

Laurent watched him, a small smile on his face. He promised Inigo he would support him in any way he could, but he'd never thought that they could combine their shared dreams to work towards Inigo's goal. It almost made the dream more special because it meant so much to both of them to see it come true.

It almost made the mage feel like anyone else's rejection didn't matter.

"Hey Laurent?" Inigo's voice snapped Laurent out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Inigo?"

"Do you think we could actually do it? Change the social norms?"

Laurent looked into Inigo's eyes as the dancer looked back at him. "I think we could do anything if we worked together."

"Who knew you could be so optimistic," Inigo teased, his serious demeanor starting to melt away.

"I'm not being optimistic. Just realistic."

Inigo stared. "Really?"

"Well…" Laurent faltered again as he thought about it more. "Perhaps not. After all, it would be difficult to get anyone to accept our dreams so easily."

"I guess you're right," Inigo sighed, deflating a little. He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky. "It would still be pretty amazing, though."

"It would."

They elapsed into silence for a few minutes before Inigo once again broke it. "What if we focused on something smaller? Like what if we tried to change the minds of everyone in the Ylissean Guard?"

Laurent nodded. "That could work."

"And maybe it'd improve our relationships with our parents, too."

Inigo had said it, but they both stared at each other in shock once the idea reached open air. Laurent had been thinking about it in social terms, but it had never occurred to him that what they were thinking about doing could change the mind of their parents too. Perhaps he'd had it so ingrained that Miriel would never change her beliefs that he'd never realized that it could even be possible to try.

"Maybe it would," Laurent finally replied, leaning forward a little in excitement.

Fire burned in Inigo's eyes. "We have to try now."

"I agree. It would mean the world to me if my mother supported my dreams."

"Same here with my father." Inigo had an excited smile on his face and Laurent felt hope rising in his chest. Both of them had suffered from insecurities for so long; it would be amazing if they could actually fix everything. The weight of the task daunted on Laurent, however.

"It won't be easy," Laurent warned.

"I know," Inigo replied, his gaze never changing and his determination never seeming to waver. "But we don't have anything to lose. So are we doing this?"

Laurent took a deep breath. "I think we are."

"Great! Let's pinky swear on it." Inigo smiled widely and held out his hand, his pinky extended.

Laurent just stared at Inigo's hand, his confusion probably evident. "Pinky what?"

"Pinky swear," Inigo repeated, a different type of grin itching onto his face. It was the kind of expression that he always wore when he was teasing Laurent about not knowing something all of the other children knew. The mage felt his ear tips reddening. "It's a way to make a promise between friends."

"I see," Laurent said, even though he didn't really. He examined Inigo's hand. "How does it work?"

"It's really simple. Here, hold out your pinky."

Laurent did as he was told and held out his pinky. Inigo grabbed his pinky with his pinky and kept them linked together for a moment. The feeling was strange to Laurent, but not unpleasant, though he wasn't sure how such a weird gesture could possibly symbolize any kind of eternal promise.

"We're going to make our dreams come true, and in the process improve our relationship with our parents," Inigo said, his earlier excitement evident in his voice. "I swear it."

The mage tilted his head a little to the side. "It seems rather odd that this symbolizes an unbreakable promise. If someone came along and forced our two pinkies apart it would be quite easy."

"Oh, shut up, Laurent," Inigo snapped, though he wasn't angry. "That's just how it is, okay?"

Laurent just shrugged and squeezed Inigo's pinky. "Fine, fine, I swear as well. Though this still seems rather silly to me. Is there any scientific evidence that this method keeps promises forever?"

"I'm done with you," Inigo sighed in exasperation, throwing Laurent's hand down. However, when the mage looked up at him, Inigo was smiling. "How do you keep promises, then?"

"I don't. I don't make promises regularly."

"Then shut up and go along with it," Inigo exclaimed loudly before he leaned back on his hands again. He sent Laurent a teasing smirk. "Maybe this promise will provide all of the evidence you need."

Laurent smiled. "Maybe it will."

They elapsed into silence again, and Laurent fell into his thoughts. The task they faced was enormous, and it would take time, but he found he was looking forward to it. Maybe he was learning how to be optimistic, but he really did think that he and Inigo would be a powerful force to reckon with. After all, they had years of pain and insecurities to fuel their determination. Not only that, but they understood each other, better than any other human being did. They would work together well.

Laurent smiled again as he looked at Inigo spacing out.

It would be nice to be accepted.