Last Dance (Luca x Reader Part 1)

The night was young and filled with couples of every age enjoying themselves. The rhythmic clacking of heels on the floor to the 3/4ths beat of the orchestra incited everyone to participate in the dance, though some had no one to dance with. (y/n) (l/n), and esteemed author, was one such person. Rather than finding a partner for the night, she held back and observed the other partygoers. Only high-class citizens were invited to these parties, and though she didn't consider herself to be "high class," the invitation she received every year said otherwise. For the umpteenth time this night, she sighed. As much as she wanted to leave, it was frowned upon by the people here. She busied herself with food and looking for someone to make conversation with. Her search didn't last long as she was approached by a man dressed in a beautifully tailored suit and tied back hair. His attire and manners presented him as a young man, raised to be civilized and respectful.

"It's not very polite to stand alone in a corner." He brought up, smiling with his words. She was dumbfounded, as he was right, but she didn't expect anyone to notice. "Don't worry," He continued, "I won't tell. Would you like to dance?" He offered her his hand; gracefully, she took it. While leading her to the outskirts of the ballroom, he gently placed his hands in the correct positioning, as well as leading her hands to where they needed to be.

"I tend not to dance at these events, I do apologize in advance." She chuckled as he did and they began their waltz, and another, and another. Losing track of time in each other's arms, they danced the night away in bliss. Their continuous, flowing movements soon brought them to the center of the room. Getting tired and stiff, they fixed themselves into a more comfortable position and looked for an exit path. Soon they realized they were stuck in a cycle until the shuffling order allowed them to once again reach the edge of the dance floor. They formed an unspoken agreement to rest as soon as they could find a way out. Twirling to the left and spinning to the right along with the tempo, they finally made it out for a break.

"Your dancing is incredible, Mister-" (y/n) trailed off, now cognizant of the fact she never learned the name of the distinguished gentleman in front of her. He was quick to give her the answer.

"Luca Balsa!" Eagerlyraising her gloved hand to his lips. She smiled and introduced herself with a curtsy.

"(y/n) (l/n)." She brought herself back up to be greeted by his enthusiastic smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Mister Balsa." They followed each other from the ballroom of the estate to a seating area outdoors. The breeze from the sun setting on the horizon was a welcome comfort after their hours of dancing.

"May I ask what your profession is, Mister Balsa?" She asked as she sat next to him on a nearby bench.

"Please call me Luca," the smile he bore never left his face, "I'm an inventor! Well, I'm an apprenticing inventor, but I've made great progress in my work and studies! I'm working towards my greatest invention, and-" He stops suddenly red in the face, "sorry, I didn't mean to annoy you."

"No no, keep talking!" She was clearly interested in his words, "you're excited about this invention, what is it?" They discussed technical terms and broad ideas even if she didn't quite understand what was coming out of his mouth. After a long moment discussing his profession, he turned the tables.

"And what do you do, Miss (l/n)?"

"If I am to call you Luca, please call me (y/n) as well." She addressed the formality, then answered his question, "I am an author, but you probably wouldn't know me." Though she was an author, she wrote under a pseudonym and only the host of this party knew that fact. She then realized how rude her statement sounded. "Not that I think you aren't well read, I just don't think my writing is what you would enjoy. Well I mean-" He noticed she was getting slightly too worked up over her mistake, so he stopped her.

"Can I have an example of your work?" He inquired, distracting her from her apologies. She listed off a few of her major works, then realized her second mistake of the night.

"So you write under a different name? That's interesting!" He lowered his voice for a reason unknown to her, "I have read some of your publications, by the way."

Though she didn't know why he lowered his voice, she liked it. His enthusiasm and voice is what she had to remember him by, as she would never see him again. Just a few weeks after their first encounter, Luca Balsa was framed for murder and sentenced to hang. (y/n) could not believe it. She knew that the energetic, sweet boy she met would never do something like that. How was she supposed to explain to everyone that there was a mistake, even if she didn't have evidence. She researched, gathered as much evidence as she could, and tried her best to at least be able to see the man she connected so well with again. As the day of his execution neared, all hope was lost for her. That was until she was approached by a man offering to help. His words were smooth, and she felt like she was taking a deal from the devil, though his words were too good to deny.

"I can set him free. We both know he did nothing wrong. I only ask in return for you to come with me. You can participate in a game of sorts, shall you accept." She didn't know what she was getting herself into; she didn't know what she just got him into. With a shake of the hand, she was whisked away to a manor in the middle of nowhere and introduced to a group of people. It was only a few days of participating in this game when someone else joined the manor. Her eyes lit up as she came face to face with the new survivor, who didn't greet her in return.

"Luca?" Hurt laced through her voice when she noticed he didn't remember her.

"Do I know you?" He slightly snapped, though it was clear he still tried to stay civil. This was not the man she met before, but she wasn't discouraged. A drastic change in personality only meant she would get to re-meet and reestablish their friendship.

"You used to, but I've heard you lost your memory. It's ok," She tried to match the grin he first gave her, "We can meet each other again!" He sighed.

"You're not just being this nice because you knew me, right? I don't know you." Defensively, he stood up.

"Nope, she's like this with everyone! No one is left alone to sit in a corner with (y/n) around!" The always cheerful Emma replied. She smiled at the mention of her name.

"Thanks, Emma. Don't pressure him, though." She rubbed the nape of her neck and kept her eyes from the others. "Why don't you introduce yourself formally, so that we can all know you." She offers to Luca.

"My name is Luca Balsa, after an incident that caused damage to my brain and for me to be sent to prison, I lost my memory and identity. All I know is that I must complete my greatest invention." The spark in his eyes was still there when he mentioned his invention.

(y/n) became excited to meet him again.

Word Count: 1295

A/N: How do y'all feel about splitting one-shots into parts? I can continue if it doesn't bother people, but if anyone would rather me do something different to make these easier to read, please tell me^^ and requests are appreciated! I'm kinda losing ideas a bit, but worry not! Anyways, part 2 will be out tomorrow! Thank you for reading!