Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

8/2 - Day 1 High School AU / First love 

Cloud returned from his lunch break suspicious. His last class of the day was full of seniors and most of them had taken his class before. He knew them, they knew him. They were up to something and he knew it immediately. 

He had a fairly good relationship with his students, mostly because he talked to them like adults and called them out on their bullshit just as quickly. Having not even hit thirty yet many of them seemed to think he could relate to them better than some other teachers tried to. 

He dropped one of his grading books on his desk, and since the bell hadn’t rung, none of his students had begun to pull out their projects yet. 

Cloud thought it was laughable that his position sounded so technical. They called it an industrial art course. Cloud called it shop class. The younger students did wooden projects and the older ones leveled up to metal work. It meant they got to actually work with their hands and most of his students liked that, it’s why they continued to sign up for courses. 

“Why are a third of you wearing shit eating grins?” Cloud asked casually. Teenagers were already little assholes, but his brats knew better than to mess around in his classroom that housed several tools and borderline dangerous things. It was a sure way for Cloud to kick them out for the remainder of the class. 

“No idea what you mean, sir.” One of the senior boys laughed. 

“Oh, i’m ‘sir’ now?” Cloud rolled his eyes. “You are laying it on thick today, huh?” 

Cloud couldn’t help the fact that his attention drifted to the filing cabinet behind his desk. It was covered in chocobos. Plushies, plastic toys, keychains, you name it, Cloud probably had it. There were various colors but most of them were yellow, laughingly because they supposedly matched his own hair. 

The birds had started off as a joke, and probably not even a nice one. One had appeared on his desk one day and he’d rolled his eyes, informed his class that they were hilarious and original and went back to teaching like nothing unusual had happened. He’d been a student once and he’d heard every comment in the book as far as his hair was concerned. A couple teenagers thinking they were funny didn’t exactly bother him. 

A few days later he’d found another chocobo on his desk. Then another and another. It had happened twice one day from two different classes. It was getting ridiculous, but because he wouldn’t throw them out, a small chocobo shrine began to grow in the corner of his classroom. 

It had taken around three months to get to the bottom of it. 

If he was honest, it had only taken a little observation but far more students were involved than he had anticipated. It wasn’t just one or two brats but at least ten of them across all of his classes. Some of them didn’t even bother to hide it anymore. They would stroll into his classroom and drop a chocobo themed something-or-other on his desk and take a seat, looking incredibly amused. 

His amusement over the gifts was drying up but it had only taken a smile and the threat of getting kicked out of his class for the day for one of the perpetrators to come clean. 

It was a younger boy, only in his second year of high school. He seemed overly shy, and not someone Cloud might have picked for such a teasing operation. “It was... it was Mr. Leonhart, sir. He asked me to drop it off on your desk.

Cloud had blinked, a stupor taking over for a moment as he absorbed the information. Leonhart? Squall Leonhart? Cloud only really knew him in passing. He was a newer teacher that year. He taught Esthar if Cloud remembered correctly. It had taken very little on his part to pull up his students' schedules and see that each and every kid that had been drowning him in chocobo merch also had Leonhart’s language class. 

It just hadn’t made much sense. He’d been mocked and teased before. It came with the territory of being a bit of a runt as a kid with unique…somewhat feminine features. He’d had chocobo names tossed at him before but some of those little trinkets were expensive. It didn’t make sense for a joke.

It had troubled him for the rest of the day, unable to work out the meaning of using students to pass strange little gifts along. It left him at a bit of a loss, and had taken him another few days to do anything about it. He’d given himself the weekend to decide how he was going to handle it. 

When Monday came around, he still didn’t know what he was going to do, but he’d been spurred on by another chocobo on his desk. Cloud had waited until school had let out for the day, kids still scrambling to gather their things and catch their buses home. He didn’t want an audience if he could help it. His brats were a handful already. 

There was a moment where Cloud had to remember the layout of the school. It wasn’t an a perfect system, but the school was sectioned off by classes. Many of the science courses were all down one hallway. Sports, health and history courses were all on the first floor. Computer classes were down one particular hallway. The art classes were down another hall. Cloud’s class in particular was as out of the way as they could make it since they made quite a bit of noise. 

Cloud needed to pull up his own mental map to work out where the language classes were. He didn’t have much reason to go into other parts of the school anymore. There were a few doors shut already, teachers having bailed for the day as fast as the students but Cloud just glanced inside a few more classrooms before finding the one he wanted. 

Squall Leonhart was a handsome man, Cloud could admit that to himself at least. His hair was french braided, the scar between his eyes so faint now that the injury must have happened when he was rather young. As he sat at his desk, going over papers likely just turned in, he looked like he could have been waiting for Cloud to show up. He wore reading glasses that looked a little too good on him and that threw Cloud off his game briefly. 

“ร๏ ץ๏ย'שє Ŧเภคɭɭץ ς๏๓є ๏ยՇ ๏Ŧ ץ๏ยг кเɭภ.” Squall muttered, not looking up. The Esthar rolled off his tongue beautifully as only a native speaker could. 

“Common mistake,” Cloud said. “I don’t have a kiln. Wrong medium.” 

Squall glanced up at him, surprise and something else shining in his eyes. “You speak Esthar?”

“Only enough to get by.” Cloud said, leaning against the door frame of his office. “It’s close enough to Nibel that it wasn’t as hard to learn as Wutain.” 

Squall rested his hand on his chin, his full attention on Cloud. “You speak Wutain?” 

“Only enough to get by.” Cloud repeated. “Not here for a language lesson.” 

“Shame.” 

Cloud raised a brow briefly, the silence between them lingering for only a moment before he knew he needed to press on. “You having fun using the students as your messengers?” 

Squall’s smile grew. “I might be.” 

Cloud knew a frown was tugging at his lips. “Why?” 

Squall watched him for a second before nodding to himself with whatever decision he’d just made. He stood up and Cloud tried to stop himself from scowling at the other man’s height. He wasn’t that much taller than Cloud… 

“You know, your attention is hard to get.” Squall said, drawing Cloud up short. 

“My attention?” Cloud blinked. 

Squall hummed his agreement. “I’ve been told by a few sources that it’s not unusual for you. Not to take it personally.” 

Cloud shrugged once. What did it matter if he liked to avoid unnecessary things? “And?” 

He looked amused. “A couple little chocobo’s sure got a raise out of you.” 

“A couple.” Cloud repeated. “My classroom is covered in them.” 

For whatever reason, Squall just looked pleased. “You kept them.” 

“Well what was i supposed to do?” Cloud asked, leaning towards exasperated. “You wanted my attention. You got it. What do you want?” 

“Dinner.” 

Cloud blinked, having heard the word but he wasn’t able to make sense of it. “What?” 

“Have dinner with me.” 

The moment was short, but Cloud felt like his floundering had lasted an eternity. All of this couldn’t have been so Squall could ask him out. “Sure?”

Squall seemed delighted, his eyes the most expressive part of him. That and the pleased upturn of his lips. “Good. Tomorrow?” 

“Yes?” 

“It’s a date then.” 

Cloud was sure he had blue screened, but they’d gone to dinner three times that week. In two weeks they had agreed that they might as well call it dating. Two months in and their very annoying students would refer to the other teacher as their boyfriend. 

It had been an entire school year since then, and Cloud still had his collection of chocobo’s in his office. Cloud had tried to leave them at home after summer break but Squall had just brought them all back, given them to his students who also had Cloud’s art class and instructed them to put them back. 

The asshole. 

When the bell rang, Cloud was jarred from his thoughts, and reminded that a number of his students were still snickering at his expense. 

“Well?” Cloud raised a brow at them. “Get to work. You have two more classes before your projects are due. Quit wasting time.” 

They were still making small things, but no less impressive for their ages. Picture frames, plant stands. Pencil holders. They didn’t have to be pretty, just functional and metal was hard to work with at first. 

There was a rush of movement in his class as everyone went to gather their projects and materials they’d need to continue. They put on their aprons and safety gear knowing that Cloud would knock off points if they forgot that crucial step. Cloud would wander around, lending a hand where he could or advice if that was all that was needed. 

For the most part, they were a good bunch of kids even if Cloud called them his brats. When he got up to draw a diagram of a table on the white board for one of the boys in the front of the classroom, he was drawn up short by the scrawling already there in far too familiar handwriting.

ђคקקץ, Ŧยɭɭ คภ๔ гเςђ เร ๓ץ ɭเŦє; ς๏ภՇєภՇ๓єภՇ เร คɭɭ เ รєє. 

ฬђץ คɭɭ Շђє гคקՇยгє, ן๏ץ, ๔єɭเﻮђՇ? เՇ’ร รเ๓קɭץ ๒єςคยรє ץ๏ย ɭ๏שє ๓є.

It was accompanied by a little doodle of a chocobo and Cloud felt a dueling flood of both affection and exasperation. When had Squall even found the time to sneak into his classroom? Let alone pull out some of that poetry that the Esthar natives were known for. 

“You can’t just erase that, Mr. Strife.” One of the brats snickered. “It’s like a declaration, right?” 

Cloud turned to them. “You tell me. How good is your Esthar? Go ahead and read it out loud.” 

The brat blushed furiously and Cloud just looked amused. Even if the kid could read the Esthar, he was too embarrassed to read it out loud.  

“Mind your business.” Cloud chuckled and directed them back to their work. He drew the diagram he needed and erased the annoying chocobo so he’d have more room but he left the poem. 

It wasn’t the first poem he’d heard from Squall, but it was the first one put up so boldly where annoying teenagers would see it and throw looks at each other for the entire duration of the class. Cloud hoped they learned from it though. Movies gave unrealistic expectations about relationships and no one did drama quite like high schoolers who thought they knew everything there was to know about dating. 

There were always rumors about the two teachers dating but that was because high school students like to blab, and Squall still had them drop things off in Cloud’s classroom. Let them see how a real adult relationship worked. It’s not like they saw anything other than chocobo plushies and poetry. 

When the bell rang again signaling the end of the day, his brats had already cleaned up their stations and were headed out to go home. Several waved to him on their way out and Cloud offered his own goodbyes as he stayed behind. There was a little more he needed to clean up before he could go but he didn’t mind the alone time. Mostly, he didn’t mind having the moment alone so he could pull his cell phone out and take a picture of the words still written across his white board. 

He’d have to erase it, but he’d have his copy of it too. He didn’t know when he became such a sap, but it probably happened somewhere along the lines of the last year. Squall was far more than Cloud expected at first, so much more than a handsome face.

Cloud went around the classroom, picking up odds and ends so he’d be ready for his first class the following morning. He did not do well at beating his students to class to prepare before they arrived. 

It mostly killed time while he waited for the buses to get out of the parking lot on days there were no after school meetings. There was no point in racing out most days. 

“Awe, you kept it up.” Squall mused, sounding stupidly smug. He already had his backpack stuff with school papers on, a jacket hanging over his arm. He had no problem walking into Cloud’s classroom as if it were his own. He eyed the board. “You erased my chocobo, how could you?" 

“You’re no artist.” Cloud snorted.

“But you kept the poem.” 

Cloud rolled his eyes fondly. “Fine. You’re a written artist, not a visual artist. That chocobo was bad.” 

Squall chuckled, “No appreciation.” 

“I appreciate you plenty.” 

The way Squall smiled had Cloud’s insides twisting. “You done? You can appreciate me more when we get home.” 

Cloud puffed out an amused laugh. “I can, huh?” 

“I’ll return the favor.” 

“Yeah?” A laugh was startled out of him. “Yeah. I’m just about ready.” He turned off his computer, and stuffed a few notebooks into his own bag. He needed to start his lesson plans for the following week soon. 

He walked up to Squall where he’d been waiting patiently, and while still in the privacy of his own classroom, pulled the taller man down to kiss. “You know i like your ridiculous, pretty words.” 

“Շђєץ คгє ภ๏Շ гเ๔เςยɭ๏ยร.” Squall muttered, fingers holding Cloud’s jaw. It made Cloud smile. 

“ץєคђ Շђєץ คгє. ς’๓๏ภ, ɭєՇ’ร ﻮ๏. เ’๓ гєค๔ץ Շ๏ ﻮ๏ ђ๏๓є.” 

Squall stole a kiss first, and Cloud pretended he didn’t see Squall pulling out a chocobo pen and dropping it on Cloud’s desk for him to find in the morning. Squall was pushy with his gifts, but he sure knew how to get Cloud’s attention. 

~

Happy, full and rich is my life; Contentment is all I see.

Why all the rapture, joy, delight? It’s simply because you love me.

-Simple Love By Joanna Fuchs

Chapter Text

8/7 - Strifehart day / Free Day

Squall could barely see where he was going, his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel being the only thing to anchor him. It was dark, the night sky cloudy and he was naturally on a back road that saw almost no traffic this time of night. 

He didn’t want to turn his high beams on, already feeling the target on his back enough as it was. His entire case might have been compromised but as long as he could pass his evidence along, he’d call it a job well done and cut his losses.

Not for the first time, he thought about getting a new job but he had a particular talent when it came to finding out someone else's secrets and if those people happened to be pieces of shit that deserved to be arrested, well then he was just picking up where the law left off. 

That didn’t mean he was always able to avoid awful situations. Frankly, it was amazing he was still alive some days. The present moment was a testament to that. He was speeding, going at least twenty miles over the speed limit and making each turn and curve of the road with nothing but luck. He had to make it back to the city, or at the very least, make it to a contact who would fork over the evidence he’d risked his life to grab. 

If he could get everything to Irvine, he’d be set. 

When he heard another soft rumble coming up behind him, he looked in his rear view mirror with a frown. It was one thing to know he was being followed, and another to KNOW they were right behind him. They didn’t have their lights on, but he could hear the motor of a fairly noisy car. Stealth clearly hadn’t been his pursuers concern.

“Shit.” Squall muttered, stepping on the gas a little harder. It was too damn dark and he only just vaguely knew where he was. When he felt the faintest of taps he swerved, not giving a damn if he was in the wrong lane. There was no one on the road but the prick on his tail anyway. The trees on either side of the road didn’t give him a lot of other options. 

For one insane moment he thought of slamming on his brakes but that was probably a great way to get everyone involved in the accident killed. He might not have been worried about the jackass behind him but he wasn’t looking to die without a damn good reason. 

He felt for the gun at his waist, fingers sliding around the handle. If he had the chance he’d shoot but not until he could see who he was shooting at. He had no doubt they were equally armed. 

He heard the car behind him rev again, but he was at a disadvantage since their lights weren’t on. He could see the shine of their hood in his mirrors thanks to his own lights but it only helped him so much and he couldn’t keep his eyes glued to his mirrors with as winding as the road was. 

He was tapped again and Squall gritted his teeth, grip tight on his steering wheel. It happened so fast right after that, the third contact was hard, clipping the back left of his car. He almost felt the tire blow more than anything as his car spun out. He tried to regain control of the car but the spinning left him disoriented. 

When the opposite side of his car rammed into a tree his car flipped, the impact giving Squall whiplash as he was buckled in against his seat. The airbag going off in his face had really done little but slam his head back against his headrest and hurt his nose. Sure it stopped him from being knocked through the windshield but that didn’t stop him from cursing its existence. 

The crunch of his windows was second only to his own breath being punched out of him. He rasped painfully, having only the weakest presence of mind to hope his evidence was still somewhere in the backseat. 

By the time the car stopped moving, he could just barely hear the motor of the car that hit him in the distance. It seemed they were getting out of dodge for the moment which was a small blessing. Squall on the other hand, was in pain. Upside down, only his seat belt kept him in place. 

He’d dropped his gun but that didn’t matter at the moment. The pain in his head however did. His nose might have been broken. His hip hurt. His lower back hurt. This was…rather bad. 

Squall weakly searched for his cellphone, sure it must have been in one of his pockets but he just couldn’t find it. He was able to inhale and there was no shooting pain so that was good, but being upside down was starting to make him wish he was dead. All the blood rushing through his already pounding head was not ideal. 

He needed to reassess, but couldn’t honestly think to do more than try to keep his eyes open and remain conscious. One of his headlights was still working which was good if anyone else drove down that road but Squall wouldn’t hold his breath. 

Step one was to get out of his seat belt and not kill himself when gravity kicked in. Step two was to see how fucked up he was. Step three was getting the evidence he needed out of his back seat. 

Simple. No problem whatsoever. 

Squall swallowed, feeling nauseous and he’d made no attempt yet to move. This was likely more of a problem than he’d hoped. 

His car was making noises, the engine sputtering. It only lasted a minute before it quieted which didn’t bode well for getting out of here but considering it was all four tires up, that had never been an option. 

“Eyes open.” He slurred, was blood sliding down his forehead? “Get moving…” He was probably concussed. 

There was another noise, movement around his car that he couldn’t place. Footsteps maybe but they were quiet and barely heard over his labored breathing. He was sure the second car had left but that didn’t mean no one had gotten out of it. 

He could turn his head a little, but not enough to see and the windows were all cracked. The windshield and passenger side window looked more like crushed ice and that didn’t help his visibility at all. 

Without warning the glass to the passenger side door was all but shoved to the side, and the dim light of his console cast a glow on what had to be a worst case scenario. A wolf was peering inside his car, a rather big one too. Its eyes seemed to shine a radiant blue and if possible, Squall felt the blood attempt to leave his face. 

“Fuck…” He muttered. “I really didn’t need this today.” 

The wolf crawled through the window, somehow heaving its large body through the hole it had made. It sniffed everything. The seats, his gun, the airbags, Squall. It pressed its nose to Squall’s face and hair and licked at his face once. He really didn’t want to be dinner… 

Squall was no expert, but the animal seemed to be acting strange. There wasn’t much room, but it pushed itself under Squall as much as it could before leaning up and snapping its jaws across the seat belt that constricted him. There was the briefest of moments where Squall wondered what the hell it was doing before he fell with a yelp, landing on fur. 

He groaned, partially from the pain in his hip and head and partially out of relief that he was no longer upside down. He brought up a shaky hand to his head and held on for a second. A part of him could have been content to lay there but the wolf moved and Squall’s confusion grew. 

The passenger side door was open now, and Squall was being dragged from his car by the wolf like some kind of overpowered, feral Lassie. 

“Ow, fuck.” he muttered, but inhaled again when the wolf nudged him onto his back. He might have been laying on leaves, sticks and rocks but he wasn’t upside down. He wasn’t still stuck in his car. 

The wolf was smelling him again, very gently nudging Squall until he shifted, totally out of his depth with this strange situation. 

“Thank you?” Squall muttered, wondering if this was just a very interesting trained dog instead of a wolf but he didn’t think dogs came this big.

There was a nose pressed to his cheek and Squall was floored by the response. 

“I’m concussed.” He announced as if he’d suddenly been given a medical degree. “But you understand me? Wild. That or my head is fucked up more than i thought and i’m in a coma.” 

The wolf made a noise like a yawn and nosed at him again. He went back and forth between sniffing around the car and checking on Squall but he was shaking too bad to move. Was this shock? He really needed to pull out his cell phone. 

He could move his toes and his fingers so that was promising. He felt a little floaty however and that was less good. 

There was a sound of a car door nearby and Squall was briefly relieved until he noted the way the wolf’s ears pulled back. It hunched itself low, hiding behind his car and well, being concussed probably didn’t lead to the greatest of ideas but Squall was ready to trust its judgement. There were no calls of ‘hello’. No flashlights looking down into the trees. He hadn’t heard this car pull around like the obnoxious car that had hit him but he hadn’t really been focusing on the road either. 

“Well now, still alive, Leonhart?” Braig greeted as he came closer. He didn’t bother to sneak around now that he knew Squall was, in fact, still breathing. 

Squall’s stomach dropped low, not surprised to see the lowlife but it hadn’t been what he was hoping for. He didn’t even have his gun since it was still in the car. 

“Your goons…aren’t very good at their job.” Squall said, tasting blood on his lips. 

“They aren’t, are they? Not terribly reliable. They said you were probably dead. Probably. Can you believe that?” Braig chuckled, walking closer. He seemed to give Squall’s poor state a good hard look, one he delighted in. 

“Good help... Doesn’t exist these days.” Squall rasped, following that bastard with his eyes and nothing more. 

“Too true. Not only are you alive, but you had the wherewithal to drag yourself from your car.” Braig said. There was a hint of mocking praise to his tone. “I could almost forgive the lack of diligence in those regards.” 

“How kind…” 

Braig chuckled. “But we both know you’re something of a rat, and your car wasn’t searched. Can’t have you scurrying off to the police with whatever you found, or think you found.” 

Squall grunted, trying to push up onto his arms but it made his head hurt worse. Lifting his head at all wasn’t happening right now. “So you came to get your hands dirty yourself. I’m touched.” 

“Oh you should be.” Braig said casually, pulling a gun out of his jacket pocket. “It might not look like the accident i’d hoped for, but well, getting rid of you has its own rewards.” 

“It won’t end with me.” Squall muttered, regrettably feeling like his time was up. 

“I’m rather certain it will.” Braig chuckled, bringing his gun up only to grunt in pain a second later when a dark shape tackled him out of the darkness. The gun went off once, twice but it wasn’t aimed at anything as far as Squall could tell. The wolf however was snarling, sharp jaws locked around Braig’s wrist and enormous claws slicing through his flesh. 

“Get it off! Get it off!” Braig was screaming, and Squall had to admit that he winced under the sound of crunching bone. “Get off!” 

Squall couldn’t sit up, he couldn’t do much of anything with the way his body thrummed in pain. He listened to the struggle, his breath catching when a particular snarl ended in a very wet noise from Braig. His cries had stopped. It had all happened so quickly but he didn’t know what it meant. 

Why would the clever wolf pull him from his car but attack Braig. Sure, Braig was a piece of shit but how was the wolf supposed to know that? 

The fight had rolled away from the faint light of his car, and it was too dark to see what had happened, but there was a very distinct dragging noise and Squall’s imagination supplied him the image of the wolf dragging Braig’s body away. He didn’t know why, but it did become quiet minutes later. Squall truly didn’t like the sound of quiet when it was just off the road in the middle of the night. 

A rock digging into his back was holding far too much of his attention span but at least it was keeping him awake. Unfortunately it meant he was all too aware of how much pain he was in. Braig didn’t shoot him which was nice but the odds were still remarkably high of him dying out here. 

When someone knelt next to him, he gasped, startled and… still shaking, he realized. Those same glowing blue eyes looked down at him but that wasn’t a wolf, that was a more..person shaped.. Something. 

Rough hands checked his vitals and blood was wiped off his face. Something was put under his knee to elevate his leg and fuck if that didn’t take pressure off his hip. 

“Stay awake.” The voice above him whispered, voice deceivingly gentle. 

“Trying…” Squall agreed, but his vision was going hazy. “Can’t.” 

“You’ll be okay.” 

He tried to point to his car. “Papers. Police.” Even if he didn’t wake up again, someone really could finish what he’d started. 

“I got you.” 

Squall wasn’t sure why the words were such a relief. He’d tried to keep his eyes open, he really had but everything just got dark, and not a 'laying in the woods after a car wreck on a cloudy night' dark either. He passed out. 

~

Squall came too with a jolt, lights in his eyes and people above him. He was on a stretcher being moved. It was still the middle of the night, the sky was still above him. 

“There you are, sir.” A man said, looking down at him. “Can you hear me?” 

“Yes…” Squall muttered, disoriented. 

“Can you tell me your name, sir?” 

He cleared his throat but it didn’t help. “Squall…Leonhart.” 

“Glad you’re with us, Mr. Leonhart. You had a nasty accident. Do you remember?” 

“Was hit…” He said and it seemed to be good enough. People around him were talking and he was being moved. There was a neck brace wrapped around his throat, preventing him from turning his head. All he could see were the flashing red lights bouncing off everything they could.

“Yes sir. We’re transferring you to the hospital now. You were pretty lucky Strife came across you.” 

“Strife?” he repeated, voice a little slurred. 

“Yep. EMT friend of mine was heading home and saw your car lights. He called the accident in and got you stable before we could get here.” 

Had there been a person? There might have been. “Was a wolf…” 

“A wolf?” the man above him looked skeptical. “Well all the noise must have chased it away.” 

No, noise didn’t chase it anywhere. It had run off with Braig though. That was an unsettling thought. 

“Po’ice…” Squall muttered. “Papers, in’m car.” 

The EMT above him just nodded. “Strife already gave them to the first cops on the scene. Detectives have already arrived to confiscate them. Dunno what you’re into Mr. Leonhart but it sounds like you're a hell of a whistle blower of some kind.” 

Yeah. Whistle blower, sure. 

“Let’s get him loaded up.” The man muttered, but he wasn’t talking to Squall. 

“Any luck on the second driver?” Someone called. 

“None yet. They’re looking.” It was a woman who yelled back. 

“Hey, where’d Wedge go?” The man above him called. “I gotta drive this thing and someone’s gotta sit with this guy.” 

“I’ll do it.” 

“You sure, it’s your night off.” 

“It’s just a ride, i got it.” The voice was familiar. 

The man looked down at Squall, light finally out of Squall’s face. “Well it’s your lucky day, Mr. Leonhart. Strife is gonna help us get you back safe and sound.” The stretcher was loaded into the ambulance, and the man disappeared from his sight. 

Only a second later he was replaced by another man with a smaller frame with silly spiked hair. Squall swallowed hard though, meeting very familiar blue eyes that he was sure glowed in the darkness.

“Hey there, Squall.” Strife said. “My name’s Cloud. I’m going to help make sure you’re alright.” 

“You…” Squall muttered, staring up at him. The man was different from what he saw in the woods but he was sure… 

“Me?” Cloud put on a friendly smile. 

“Wolf…” 

Cloud adjusted Squall’s arm that he only just realized was bandaged. “What a silly thing to say.” 

“You...” 

“Me?” he repeated. 

Squall inhaled softly. “Thank..you.” 

“I’m glad i was passing by to lend a hand.” Cloud said casually, but the words held more weight to Squall. 

“Really…” Squall muttered. “Thanks.” 

The back doors of the ambulance shut and Cloud leaned down, nosing at Squall’s cheek in those few seconds alone. “They’ll never find him.” 

Squall knew he meant Braig. He didn’t know how, but the science behind it didn’t matter. Braig deserved being killed by a wolf and left in the woods and far more besides. “Good…” 

Cloud chuckled softly and put on a smile again as the first man got back in the driver’s seat. “I got you.” 

Squall’s eyes fluttered shut and he allowed himself a moment to rest. One of his problems was dead and hopefully the police now had the evidence they needed to deal with the rest of his problems. It left him all the time in the world to contemplate his wolf rescuer. Werewolf? Was that a thing? He’d have to look into it later. 

He could hear Cloud laughing softly, but the man was also holding his hand as he was strapped down for the ride. 

He’d really like to talk to Cloud more about the whole mess. There were far worse ways to end his night than being taken to the hospital by a wolf in disguise.

Chapter Text

8/9 -I hate you don't leave me 

They deserved this. Squall and Cloud were not social men. They could put on a mask and fake it for a while but they were both too introverted to be the life of the party. Once their mingling batteries died, they needed to tap out and let the true extroverts shine. 

They’d tried though. When they’d been invited to a holiday party –a full month in advance– they’d done their best to put effort into the event. It was the holidays after all and they could at least give the gift of effort. Literally all of their friends were going to be there.

Both had gone as far as to dress up a little out of their normal comfort zones. Cloud was in an emerald green sweater, thick and soft. Squall wore a dark crimson red sweater over top a white button down shirt. They were presentable and at least three people validated that. 

They’d arrived on time and stayed for dinner. They chatted with a few of their friends and ignored the fact that the same fifteen holiday songs were playing somewhere in the house on repeat. They folded cookies Barret made into napkins and smuggled them into their pockets for later. Okay, that one might not have been festive, but the cookies were delicious and if the two were making them disappear off the tray one at a time it was their own business. 

They stayed for the gift exchange and while they gave each other looks, offered no snarky commentary. Squall ended up with a bag of bath bombs that he was not giving back and Cloud got a bottle of wine that he was also not giving back. Both of those would be good for a rainy day. 

Admittedly, they did hide in the pantry when the karaoke machine came out and everyone took turns singing but that was just asking too much of them. Normally they would have pulled a 'Neverland Goodbye' already and bailed without a word. 

More cookies were stowed away into their pockets but there was a price to pay for their good behavior. 

The moment the first guest left, they jumped at the chance to follow suit. They had a lovely time, truly! But they had to go. They weren’t fooling anyone, but they also knew their friends appreciated them being good sports over the duration of a crowded party. 

When they’d gotten home, the cookies came out. Several napkins worth just dropped on the kitchen table as they located their own liquor. 

They deserved a drink after a night of socializing. They wanted nothing more than for the rest of their night to be quiet, and a little boozy. In the spirit of the holiday season they started with mix drinks which led into drinking their liquor straight. This somehow turned into sharing the same glass when Cloud lost his or occasionally drinking right from the bottle. 

Did this have them both drunk by the end of the night? Yes. 

“Rinoa’s still in love with you.” Cloud said, tone so firm he refused to argue about it. It was fortunate Squall didn’t want to argue with it either. 

“She’s in love with the idea of me but she’s not gonna do anything but pout.” He reached for their shared glass, topped it off and then drank from the bottle. “Not like Tifa who i’m afraid will snap one day and actually try to break me in half.” 

Cloud didn’t dispute that either. “It’s been years and i’m not who Tifa actually wants. She cant stand me when we’re together for too long. She forgets that in the absence… you know, time. The distance of the time between hanging out.” 

“What are you saying, you drunk bitch?” Squall asked, brows raised. 

“I was agreeing with you!” Cloud said. “Probably.” They were both on the sofa, a small pile of stolen cookies had followed them from the kitchen. They’d take a bite, offer the other a bite and then finish the cookie themselves. 

Cloud was nearly laying down, having mostly changed from the party. He wore sweatpants, socks, and a lace lingerie corset top that had been under his sweater all afternoon. ‘Sober Cloud’ had made plans that afternoon that ‘Drunk Cloud’ appreciated but hadn’t put any effort into yet. He did like all the smoldering looks it got him out of the corner of Squall’s eye. 

“You’d think they’d get over it.” 

“Who?” 

“The girls.” 

“Get over what?” 

“Fucking Odin, did you hit your head?” Cloud asked, whining when Squall slid the glass and bottle away from Cloud. “Why are you a beast? Love me.” 

“I’m a genius. I can do both at the same time.” Squall said, his cheeks having long taken on a bit of a rosy color. It wasn’t often they drank, but when they did, they didn’t mess around. He’d dressed down too, now wearing Cloud’s emerald green sweater that he was pretty sure had been his to start with and a pair of boxer briefs. His hair had been pulled back into a bun with the last amount of logical brain power that ‘Tipsy Squall’ had possessed in case hair holding would become necessary later. 

He didn’t think it would, he and Cloud hadn’t gotten that drunk in years but he was prepared now. 

“Hey genius, your sweater’s on backwards.” 

Squall didn’t take the bait and look but he didn’t care either way. “I’m warm. It’s achieving it’s primary function.” 

“Oh prinay..primarou..prim. ary. Function. Fuck, you always talk pretty and gotta pull out the big words.” Cloud snorted, crawling over Squall and snatching the glass back to sip from. 

Squall sighed, fingers stroking across the lace Cloud wore. “They aren’t big words, you’re just drunk.” 

“Drink?” 

“Drunk.” 

“Didn’t we have to do one to become the other?” 

Squall paused, trying to play those words back in his head. “It’s hot when you try to stump me with riddles.” 

“It’s not a riddle, you're just drink.” 

“Drunk.” 

“That’s what i said.” Cloud said, flopping back down on the couch and stretching. The TV was on, but the sound wasn’t. The movement was enough to distract them every now and then but for the most part they focused on each other. Drunk or sober didn’t really matter. They were both always so keyed in to the other. 

“I adore you, why are you stupid?” Squall asked, his soft gaze making Cloud laugh. 

“I’m not stupid, you’re drunk.” 

Squall leaned closer and brushed his lips against Cloud’s. “You taste drunk.” 

“What does that taste like?” 

“You.” 

“Indredible.” Cloud puffed out a laugh again. 

“Incredible.” Squall corrected. 

“That’s what i said.” Cloud was almost giggling by the time he pulled Squall closer to kiss. 

A silence fell across the room, nothing to make noise but their own stifled breathing as they kissed. Kissing was hypnotic to them on a nice, sober day. When most of a bottle was gone just between the two of them, they could both fall into a rhythmic daze. 

Their cat, Shiva, jumping into the windowsill had them both pulling away and looking for the source of the noise. She gave them a judgmental look they ignored. Neither would be bullied by their cat when drunk.

“I’m tired, do we have ice cream?” Cloud asked, meshing two thoughts together. 

“We have cookies.” 

“And ice cream?” 

“I’ll look.” Squall said, getting up and taking the bottle with him. He wobbled once, legs a little unsteady but Cloud reached out reflexively to catch him. “But i’m not making you any.” 

“What? Why?” 

“M’cold.”

“What does that have to do with me?” 

“Just does.” 

“I hate you.” Cloud pouted, stumbling up to his own feet when Squall just walked away. “Don’t leave me!” 

Squall actually waited in the doorway, holding his hand out for Cloud to grab onto like they were little kids and hand holding was the pinnacle of good relationships. “Wouldn’t leave you.” Squall muttered, walking into the kitchen with Cloud now clinging to his arm. 

They spent a few minutes quietly wandering around. They did have ice cream and it was set out on the counter. Cloud got water and Squall made coffee and they took turns passing them back and forth. They continue to share cups as if there wasn’t a cabinet full of them. 

“I think Rufus is in love with you.” Squall commented, having gone back on his word to dish out two little bowls of ice cream because Cloud decided he didn’t like the way the spoon felt in his hand. 

“Nah, Rufus wants to have sex. S’different.” Cloud said, taking a bite of a cookie he found on the kitchen table before offering it to Squall who took his bite. “It’s like Seifer watching you when you got the too tight pants on.” 

“I don’t have too tight pants.” 

“You do. It’s all of them.” Cloud explained, shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth and watching as Squall poured whiskey from their bottle into the ice cream. “What are you doing?” 

“I love you, don’t judge me.” Squall said, taking a bite. 

“Is it good?” 

“No.” Squall continued to eat it anyway, licking the spoon clean

Cloud nodded. “Put some in mine.” 

Squall did as he asked and they had a moment of ice cream, whiskey, cookies, coffee and water. They were making a mess of the counter but that would be their problem tomorrow. For now they stood in the kitchen, purposely bumping into each other and making a mess. 

It was almost ridiculous how well they got along when they were really drinking, but few people had ever seen them like this. Aerith had. Irvine had. Zack had. They were just as bad when drinking and it wouldn’t matter who they told. No one would believe them. 

“It’s cold.” Squall complained, abandoning his half-eaten dish of ice cream. 

“You’re such a baby. Are those my underwear?” Cloud asked, attention broken as he poked at the boxer briefs Squall wore as if only just noticing them. They were mostly covered by the sweater but Cloud fingered the hem of them.

“I dunno, maybe.” 

“You’ll stretch them out.” 

“Your hips have already done that.” 

“Absolutely rude.” 

They left their mess for later, pausing to wash the stickiness from their hands before gathering up all of their beverages and taking them all back into the living room. Whiskey was poured into the coffee and the water was just water. 

“You know, the party was okay.” Squall commented, handing the bottle to Cloud to sip from. “A little loud, but fine.” 

“It was fine.” Cloud agreed, struggling to grab a blanket off the back of the sofa because Squall was leaning on it. “Too many people, but fine. Move.” 

Squall leaned forward and Cloud hummed a jingle of victory when he pulled the blanket free. He spread it across their laps and made sure to cover Squall’s bare legs. The gesture was a soft one but it had Squall sighing. 

“You’re impossible, why are you so possible?” 

“Like attracts like.” Cloud muttered, shaking the bottle in front of his face to listen to the sloshing. He was sure the bottle should have more in it than that. They didn’t drink that much. “You were the one that gave possible a chance.” 

“I did have my moments, didn’t i?” Squall muttered, pulling Cloud closer to lean against his side. “I got you a present. Should we wait?” 

“Let’s wait for morning.” Cloud agreed, snuggling into his side only after reaching to grab another cookie. Crumbs were going to get everywhere but that wasn’t their problem tonight. That was the problem of whoever vacuumed next and Cloud didn’t know if they even had a vacuum anymore. “Make morning special.” 

Squall bit into the cookie Cloud held. “Is this where i say something mushy about waking up next to you always being special?” 

“Nah, that doesn’t sound like you. Besides, you already called me impossibly possible and that’s better.” Cloud hummed and stifled a laugh when Squall squeezed his side. “I love needing you.” 

“I need you too.” Squall took the bottle from Cloud and dropped it with more of a thud than he intended to next to the forgotten drinks on the side coffee table. 

Neither really had any intention of moving to go to bed and it was already quite late. Probably. It wasn’t the first time they’d slept on the couch and wouldn’t be the last. Cloud snuggled into Squall’s chest easily, the blanket snuggly around them. 

“You know,” Squall sighed, fingers carding through Cloud’s hair. “I like you. You should marry me.” 

Cloud hummed. “I like you too. We’re already married.” 

“Riight.” Squall chuckled, “We’re just drink.” 

“Drunk.” Cloud said.

Chapter Text

8/11 - Cloud's Birthday / I will ruin you

It wasn’t often Leon finished his day early. Radiant Garden was growing at a steady pace, the little town becoming something of a city that surrounded the castle that Ansem the Wise had returned to. Had the man not helped Sora by helping Roxas and Naminé, he wasn’t sure he would have been so lenient for the man returning. 

The Restoration Committee had enough to do without wondering what that old man was up to. There was always something that needed to be done. With the newest wave of people however, came a decent amount of people eager to assist the committee as a means to ensure their own survival in the new town. 

Some worlds had just been beyond repair and people found their way to Radiant Garden from the crossroad worlds like Traverse Town. It was good in its own way, though they were contemplating building across the Great Maw just so things wouldn’t be so crowded. There was no harm in smaller towns around the larger city. 

The constant work load was what had Leon confused by the sudden lack of items on his to-do list. He had a feeling Aerith was involved, taking projects from him in hopes that he’d rest a little more. He wanted to be irritable, but who was he to grumble about getting home before dark and maybe being the one to surprise Cloud with dinner for once. 

Cloud was usually the one hunting him down for meals and a proper break. He’d definitely be surprised to see Leon home early. 

Their home was small, but perfect for a couple to share. It wasn’t too far from the town square which made it prime real estate but they'd been in Radiant Garden a long time now. Longer than most of the residents that had returned. It even had flowers in its window boxes thanks to Aerith, and a security system thanks to Tron. 

Just as Leon got to the door, someone was exiting. It had Leon’s hackles rising quickly since he and Cloud were usually like minded about having their space encroached upon. 

“The hell are you?” 

“Ah, i thought it was you.” The man offered Leon a coy smile. He was flashier than their usual residents. He was around Leon’s height and objectively attractive, his beard cropped close and well trimmed. He was fit, just not exactly warrior material. He had a bag slung over his shoulder but it wasn’t like they had valuables to steal.

“Excuse me?” Leon frowned, hand dropping to rest on the hilt of his gunblade but that just made the stranger's smile grow a touch more. 

He laughed quietly. “Yes, Cloud told me he was seeing someone. Living with someone. After that he wasn’t much for details, but he’s a private little bee. I thought it might have been you though, i did see you together when i arrived.” 

For whatever reason, the words kick started something in Leon’s mind. “Andrea, wasn’t it? You’re from Cloud’s world.” 

“Got it in one, clever man.” Andrea said. “I’d love to chat more, but i need to be going. Cloud helped me decide on a few minor details concerning my inn. I admit, i’m anxious to get going.” 

Leon frowned, sure he was missing important details in this conversation. Cloud was a lot of things but overly decisive wasn’t one of them. He could barely help Tifa pick out bar stools for the reopening of Seventh Heaven. “Is that right?” he muttered. 

Andrea chuckled, “Oh, honey, i can picture it now. You two must make quite the pretty sight.” 

“I’d appreciate it if you stop imagining it.” 

“You’d ask a man to stifle his desires? You ask too much.” Andrea laughed. “You should go in now. You might make it in time for a pretty sight of your own.” 

Leon’s eyes narrowed but Andrea didn’t offer him more than a casual wave as he strolled off again. Something about that whole conversation was off. He’d have to ask Cloud what it was that Andrea actually did. 

He went inside, finding it somewhat pleasant to be home before it was even dark outside. Seeing his home at a different time of the day was almost a novelty. What he did not see was his boyfriend. He hung his gunblade up on a hook across from the living room. Cloud’s own fusion blade hanging on its own hooks confirmed he was home. 

He could have called out, but he softly picked up on the sound of Cloud cursing from their bedroom, a softer thud following it. Andrea better not have been in their bedroom. The thought wasn’t a pleasing one, but he brushed it aside quickly. Cloud wasn’t the kind of man to cheat and certainly not in their own damn house. He was adorably dense, not stupid. 

When Leon filled the doorway he was drawn up short by Cloud fussing over his own attire. His mouth went dry. 

“What the fuck?” 

Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin, so preoccupied with trying to tear apart the outfit he was wearing that he hadn't even heard Leon coming down the hall. 

“You’re early.” Cloud said in an unhappy, accusatory tone. His hair was all but standing on end. 

“I am.” Leon muttered, eyes trailing up and down Cloud, committing everything to memory. Cloud was….was…. “What are you dressed as?” 

“I’m begging you to get out while i take this off.” Cloud muttered, face hot. He kicked off the black heels he’d been wearing, but it didn’t disturb the overall look too much. Cloud was wearing some kind of leotard? Black with yellow stripes that hugged his pecs into looking like breasts. The illusion was rather spot on.

The leotard was cut obscenely high up his thighs, leaving little to the imagination as it held his dick in a noticeable bulge. 

The fishnet stockings were something else, covering his legs completely in a honeycomb pattern. Ribbons were secured around his thighs and ankles, the heels had made it quite the look. 

“Would you stop looking!” Cloud hissed, blush staining his face. He was trying to rip off the pointless black and yellow wrist cuffs he wore that matched the leotard. 

“How can i not look?” Leon asked honestly. There was a little yellow bow tie on the floor that drew Leon’s attention. Small, detachable costume wings lay in the corner of the room where they’d clearly been thrown. Alongside it were other things. A frilly thing that might have been a collar of some kind and a black and yellow thing that Leon almost couldn’t identify until he saw the stinger. “A bee?” 

“This can not be happening.” Cloud muttered, finally free of the cuffs. 

“What is it…exactly that Andrea does?” Leon asked, continuing when he saw Cloud’s alarmed expression. “I saw him on his way out.” 

Cloud stared at Leon, swallowing almost nervously. “Andi’s recreating his precious Honey Bee Inn. It’s.. a..members only club. For.. dancing and performances.” 

“It’s a brothel?” Leon stared. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Cloud muttered making a face. “But i also wouldn’t… not say that.” 

Leon finally stepped into the room. “And the bee angle?” 

“Just Andi being Andi, i don’t know.” Cloud muttered, continuing to face Leon which was intriguing. 

“And he came over here to what..dress you up?” Leon asked. 

Cloud heaved an annoyed sigh then. “There were different uniforms for the honey girls vs, the honey boys but he’s looking into… expanding or something, i don’t know. He wanted a model.” 

“And picked you?” Leon asked, moving around Cloud but Cloud faced him still. 

“He’s an asshole who’s far too persuasive and tends to get his way.” Cloud grumbled. “So annoying.” 

“Uh huh.” Leon glanced over at the costume parts he’d already torn off. “How’d the stinger look?” 

“Fuck off.” 

Leon couldn’t help the way it made him laugh. “Are you wearing a tiara?” 

Cloud inhaled, hand going to his hair and all but ripping the head piece off. “Damn it.” 

“Turn around.” 

Cloud’s gaze shot back to Leon, eyes startled. “What?” 

Leon twirled his finger around. “Turn around. What are you hiding?” 

Cloud reached up to run his hand down his face. “Why are you home early?” 

“It was going to be a surprise, i finished up early.” Leon said, continuing the spinning motion with his hand. “C’mon. You are too pretty to not look at.” 

“I hate you.” 

Leon’s smirk remained and Cloud just groaned out his frustration. He spun around and Leon had to adjust himself in his own pants. Maybe leotard was the wrong word. It was more like some kind of one piece bathing suit. It was cut low across his back, but there was nearly nothing across his ass but a too thin piece along his crack. His ass cheeks were covered only by the same honeycomb stockings. 

“Should put the heels back on.”

Cloud whipped around, startled “What? You can not be serious. This can not be what it takes to seduce you.” 

Leon snorted. “You’ve seduced me before, Cloud. It’s all in the eyes and your head tilts. This is different. Still gorgeous though.” 

Cloud fumbled for something to say, he started and stopped several times before staring at the floor. The blush slipped down his neck and Leon was positive he was going to lose his composure fairly quickly.

“I bet the wings were cute.” 

“Oh, fuck off.” Cloud muttered. “I told Andi this was stupid. Dunno how they dance in all this. It’s such a pain to get on.” 

Squall hummed. “How is it at getting off?” 

Cloud was going to answer, probably a sweet, honest answer too before his mouth and brain caught up with each other and he actually heard what Leon asked. He brought his hands up to hide his face. “I can’t stand you.” 

“Yeah. I’ll have to wiggle my way back into your affections.” 

“Shut up.” Cloud was embarrassed. 

“Not a chance.” Leon muttered, hand on Cloud’s hip and admiring the fishnet stockings that both hid and revealed so much. Those patches of skin contact was really all Leon needed to be spurred on. 

“You can’t really be turned on..” Cloud said, but there was more of a shy lilt to his voice than before. 

“Why not? You are.” Leon said, which was impossible to not notice. Given what Leon could see, Cloud wasn’t wearing underwear so the only thing actually keeping his bulge in place was the stockings and leotard. 

Cloud huffed softly. “Really thought i had time to take this off and burn it before you got home.” 

“You should definitely keep parts of it.” Leon said, fingers sliding up Cloud’s arms. He liked Cloud’s arms. Somehow he maintained the perfect balance between lithe and muscular. Even now in such a feminine attire, the size of his arms didn’t take away from it. Most people wouldn't know just by looking at Cloud’s small frame that he could likely break them in half. 

Cloud just tsked, “If you’re going to be a simp then maybe i will just try to seduce you in this crap.” 

Leon’s lips turned up into a smile. “Oh, no, Cloud.” The hand still on his hip tightened. “I think it’s my turn for all that.” 

“Huh?” Cloud muttered, that pretty color still resting on his cheeks.

He only needed to lean a little closer to loom over Cloud. He watched his boyfriends eyes slowly widen as it dawned on him that Leon was going to take full advantage of this gift he’d been given. 

“Why don’t you keep this on a little longer?” Leon muttered, almost not recognizing his own voice. 

Cloud’s own words were stuck in his throat for the briefest of moments. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Immediately? Laying you out on our bed to see how shy a silly outfit makes you. Over the course of the night? Wrecking you.” 

There were few sights as pretty as Cloud’s breath hitching, searching for the right thing to say. “You…” There was a trembling to his voice he tried to clear away. “Might wanna get started then.” 

Leon reached up to trap Cloud’s chin between his fingers. He bent down, catching him in a kiss, “You want the wings?” 

“Oh, fuck off.” 

Leon laughed, bending enough to quickly scoop Cloud up and take those seven steps to their bed, “Maybe another time then.” 

This was definitely not the last he’d seen of this outfit.

Chapter Text

8/16 - Day 5 -Touch as Communication 

Cloud didn’t mind running the delivery business in his down time. He still trained with his friends but he needed something to do while Tifa ran the newly opened Seventh Heaven and most of the others were in the Restoration Committee. Life wasn’t all about killing Heartless and they still made trips to the Colosseum but he needed something to occupy his time or risk going stir crazy. 

Deliveries around Radiant Garden were fairly simple and there were occasions where he didn’t even need his bike to get a handful of them done. It was just him doing his part to rebuild their life. 

His schedule was fairly flexible and he’d been glad for that when he’d gotten a call from Yuffie one afternoon. She’d just wanted to let him know that Leon had taken the rest of the day off and he’d gone home. It was out of character for sure, but Yuffie was sure it was a good thing. Leon tended to overwork himself and a nice afternoon off was just what he needed. 

It wasn’t until Yuffie mentioned that he must have been tired because he was fumbling his words that Cloud had whipped his bike around and headed home. The rest of his deliveries could wait a day or two but he was suddenly sure Leon needed his attention now. 

Cloud had made it back to the small home he shared with Leon in just under twenty minutes. He parked and turned off his bike, hoping that noise wasn’t too much already. It couldn’t be helped but he’d make it up to Leon. 

Stepping inside revealed the mess Cloud had half expected. Leon’s boots were in the middle of the hallway. Doors to non essential rooms were shut and the curtains in the living room that were usually tied back were haphazardly drawn down. 

The living room was empty but Cloud entered anyway and promptly closed the curtains. The TV was off, so were the lights. From what Cloud could tell, all of the lights in the house were off. When he poked his head into the kitchen he found a medication bottle on the counter with the cap off. A half empty glass of water beside it. That was a better sign. 

Cloud kicked off his own boots and picked up Leon’s before slipping back inside the kitchen to fill up that glass of water to take with him. If there was one thing he could manage, it was working in silence. 

All but tiptoeing down the hall, Cloud pushed open his shared bedroom door and his heart gave a sad lurch at the way Leon was laying face down on the bed. His face was pressed against his own pillow his head was covered with Cloud’s. Leon’s jacket was on the floor and he hadn’t even tried to get into bed correctly. 

Sliding inside, Cloud set the glass of water on the bedside table next to Leon and quietly moved away to set their shoes down just inside the closet door. It was thankfully, already cracked open and meant he could avoid the possible creaking it could make. His next step was to grab a change of clothes for himself. 

Cloud slipped out of the room again and into the bathroom to change, not wanting to risk anything waking Leon up before he was actually ready to take care of him. That started with clean clothes. The ones he had been wearing weren’t even exactly dirty, but there was a faint smell of oil and exhaust on them from riding his motorcycle. Normally it was pretty unnoticeable, but not when Leon was like this. Small smells could be triggering and he’d avoid that if he could. His clothes from the day could stay in the hamper for now. 

This wasn’t the first time he’d taken care of Leon when he was like this, but it had been a bit of a learning curve the first time. Cloud had gotten rather good at it, for as infrequent as it happened. He prepared a heating pad, and pulled out a weighted blanket they kept in the guest room. Both ended up on the chest at the foot of their bed while he dug around in the top drawer of Leon’s dresser for his sleep mask. The fabric was thick and it was both form fitting to his face and soft. 

It got added to the pile while Cloud went to the window. The curtains had been tugged on furiously like the ones in the living room, but the black out curtains behind them were still caught on the hook. It was easy to assume the light got to be too much for Leon and he abandoned the task. Cloud took his time, letting the room fall in darkness as he got the curtains properly closed. Only the opened bedroom door behind him let in any dim light at all. 

Picking up the sleep mask again, Cloud crept closer to the bed and removed the top pillow he’d been using to block the light. He had to turn Leon’s head just a little, but by the time Leon grunted at being disturbed, the soft sleep mask was already covering his eyes. 

“Shh…” Cloud’s voice was just above a whisper. He gently ran his knuckles down Leon’s cheek, letting him know it was just him in the room with him. 

Leon let out a shaky sigh, one hand coming up to touch Cloud’s fingers. 

“Water?” Cloud’s spoke as quietly as he could and Leon still be able to hear him. He grunted a negative and Cloud ran his thumb down Leon’s jaw in understanding. He stood there for another minute or two, his thumb tracing a delicate line back and forth. 

Cloud waited for the tension in his shoulders to lessen just a little, and pulled away so he could get Leon ready for an early night. Had it been anyone else then Leon would have forced himself awake. He would have been grumpy and agitated and no one liked meeting him head on when he was having a bad day. Cloud knew better though. 

When Leon had a migraine, he just wanted to be left alone. At least that was the case before he caved and let Cloud take care of him. 

Since he was laying on his stomach, Cloud had to reach under him to unbuckle his excessive amount of belts one at a time. Once that was done though, he could pull Leon’s pants off, leaving him in his boxer briefs to sleep in. He’d gotten his jacket off already so he was probably fine sleeping in his t-shirt. 

Cloud adjusted his sleeping position, and Leon let him like a ragdoll. The heating pad was wrapped around his neck and the weighted blanket came right after. He was snug and that was something Leon usually liked. If he didn’t, Cloud would find out immediately. 

He reached into his pocket for his phone and fished Leon’s out of his pants pocket for his too. Both were put on silent, and for once, Cloud had the forethought to text Aerith and the rest of the committee that Leon was down with a migraine and that they were to be unreachable unless another thousand Heartless were about to drop on the city or something. 

They’d understand and most of them were more than happy to give Leon a few days off regardless of how long his migraine lasted. They’d take over Leon’s duties for a while and if it came to it, Tifa would handle his deliveries. 

With one last sweep of the room, Cloud tried to remember if anything else could be done preemptively and the only thing he could think of was to unplug the alarm clock. Leon wouldn’t need to know what time it was and the alarm didn’t need to be set. They’d have their phones if they really needed to know. Other than that, he was pretty sure he’d checked all the boxes. 

Water was set out, and Cloud wouldn’t bother with food until Leon wanted to eat. He usually couldn’t keep anything down when his migraines were bad and Cloud wouldn’t risk the uncertain smells. Yuffie had once suggested lavender or other softer, distracting smells but Cloud hadn’t been willing to try it yet in case it went poorly. 

He was sure he’d cave at some point and test it out. 

Leon had already taken medicine and wouldn’t need more for hours but it was Leon patting the mattress that got Cloud to stop fretting and just climb into bed beside him. He sat with his back against the headboard and took Leon’s searching hand in his. Out of habit he massaged each finger before focusing on his palm and wrist. 

The sound of Leon’s steady breathing was more than enough for right now. Leon didn’t feel like moving yet, his head probably feeling too weighted to move but at some point he would shift until his head was against Cloud and he would wait until then. This was the part of the process where he had to be patient. 

The heating pad would hopefully relieve some of the tension in his neck, but he’d resorted to getting a cold pack and icing Leon’s head too. It worked every now and then. 

They hadn’t even been dating the first time Cloud had seen Leon with a migraine. He’d been alarmed and anxious to help soothe his friend from the unreasonable pain. Leon had been having an off day. He’d been grumpy and uncharacteristically slow with his tasks. Cloud had been worried when Leon asked Cloud to walk him home, claiming to have temporarily lost his peripheral vision. 

He’d told Cloud later that it was a symptom he sometimes had that alerted him to a pending migraine. Sometimes it started with light sensitivity. Sometimes he stumbled over his words. Cloud had learned a lot, but these things were always just a little easier to handle when someone that understood was there to help. 

Sometimes Cloud would stroke Leon’s hair or massage his temple as gently as he could. That was one of the things he never did without an invitation though, given that he couldn’t be sure how tender headed he was at the time. 

“Cloud…” Leon’s fingers curled around Cloud’s. He didn’t even attempt to remove his sleep mask but he knew who was with him. Obviously, who else would he be? Leon knew though, and when he had the strength to move, Cloud would trade him the inconvenience of nagging him to drink water, with being his pillow for the night. 

“Mhm.” Cloud hummed, touch lightly roaming up the length of Leon’s arm to his shoulder. 

Leon sighed, probably not fully awake but satisfied that he was no longer laying there alone. 

Cloud had gone through his fair share of head pain and trauma, but all of that had its traceable sources. 

He knew the sensation of Reunion and Jenova poking and prodding at him but it was often something that was over with quickly. Migraines were a different beast, something people just had to endure or get treated. Symptoms could start hours before the pain and it could last for hours or for days. 

Cloud had never felt as useless as the one occasion when one of Squall’s migraines had lasted over forty-eight hours. Cloud had spent that entire night in total darkness with Leon in his arms. He remembered the way he rubbed small circles on Leon’s side for hours as pained tears fell down Leon’s face while he slept. 

Cloud had gone to Merlin after that and he’d come up with a little potion. Cloud didn’t ask what was in it. Leon didn’t either. The migraines still happened on occasion but they hadn’t been that bad again. They would take that as a win. 

“What time is it?” Leon asked, Cloud only able to hear because of his enhanced hearing. 

Cloud rubbed his hand along Leon’s shoulders. “Early. Not even dinner time.” 

Leon breathed out slowly and he tilted his head back just a fraction. He couldn’t see Cloud with the sleep mask on but he didn’t need to see him. Cloud scooted down the mattress just a little until they were just about even, and pecked his lips against Leon’s. It might not have been their usual, borderline aggressive, welcome home kiss, but it was more than enough. 

“Thanks.” Leon mumbled. ‘For being here’ went unsaid. He didn’t need to say it. 

“Nowhere else i’d rather be.” Cloud muttered, pressing one more soft kiss to Leon’s lips before letting him rest his head again. 

It took another ten minutes, but Leon shifted closer and threw a leg over Cloud’s hip. His head finally left his pillow to lay under Cloud’s chin. Cloud nuzzled his cheek against Leon’s hair and when it didn’t earn him a wince, Cloud shut his eyes to enjoy the afternoon nap. 

“Love you…” 

Leon didn’t respond, but Cloud felt Leon smile against his neck and it was more than enough.

Chapter Text

8/23 - Day 6 Squall's birthday/ Family 

Squall had been deceived by pretty wording and clever children. 

Cloud and Squall had originally known each other for sometime before they’d realized just how close their birthdays were to each other. Cloud’s on the eleventh and Squall’s on the twenty third. 

Celebrating twice in less than two weeks was frankly, too much for them. Instead, and as their relationship really took off, they celebrated their birthdays together, somewhere in the middle of the two dates. 

Keeping with tradition, Cloud and Squall celebrated together in Radiant Garden with the rest of the Restoration Committee and their children. Merlin’s magic house had been brimming with balloons and treats and all things considered, it had been a very nice occasion. It was the first time they’d gotten to share the event with their children. All seven of them. 

This had caused Squall to let his guard down. He’d been an absolute fool. When Cloud had suggested that the twins were old enough for a little ‘off world’ travel, he hadn’t considered any ulterior motives. 

Cloud wanted the twins to spend a little time on the Destiny Islands, and considering that was where Sora had grown up, how could Squall refuse? He’d been especially excited for the memories about Sora the trip might trigger in Cloud. If not Cloud, well, there were others around who would remember Sora being a baby there. He had only gotten to hear a few of them on their last trip. 

They’d agreed to make a long weekend of it, positive that Aerith and the others had Radiant Garden well in hand and they could always call if there was an emergency. What he didn’t take into consideration was the date. 

They arrived back in Cloud’s little house on Destiny Island on the twenty third. Squall was startled to find the house already occupied. Cloud’s adopted Islander mother Tara was already there, cooking up a storm if the smells were any indication. 

Squall had foolishly mistaken it as a warm welcome, but that misunderstanding had been cleared up quickly when their five eldest children descended onto the beach right outside their home. 

Ventus had brought Aqua and Terra. Roxas and Xion had brought Lea and Isa. Vanitas had brought Naminé and Kairi, and Sora and Riku had walked right out of Riku’s childhood home next door. It was anyone’s guess how long they’d been there.

Riku’s mother and younger siblings also seemed to be heading out to the beach. Riku’s older siblings loitered around nearby too.

Cloud smiled, Jessie cradled against his side. The twins were working on sitting up on their own but it was difficult for them when so many people wanted to hold them all the time. The proof of that asserted itself when Tara had taken Azure from Squall to greet the little boy with soft words he didn’t understand. 

“No.” Squall said, eyes narrowed at his husband. 

Cloud just hummed, picking up a string of beautiful flowers that had been left on the kitchen table. Cloud ignored his threatening gaze and placed the flower necklace over his neck. 

“Happy birthday, lion. Sora wanted you to spend your first birthday with your memories intact here on the island. I was not going to tell him no.” 

Squall frowned. “We already celebrated our birthdays.” 

“Yes, we did.” Cloud said, passing Jessie over to Squall when the little girl made grabby hands at the lei Squall now wore. “And now we’re celebrating yours again. You can tell the kids you don’t want to if you want, but i wouldn’t recommend it.” 

“He is absolutely not getting out of it.” Tara said, voice cracking like a whip. She was swaying with Azure in her arms and didn’t look the least bit fragile with the baby to focus on. “It’s his first birthday here and it will be celebrated.” 

“First birthdays are important here.” Cloud explained, his lips pressed in a way that said he was terribly amused. “I learned that when i mistakenly told Hana and Tara that Sora and i would be having a quiet day for his first birthday. They were downright insulted and planned his party for me.” 

“Being alive for a whole year is to be celebrated.” Tara agreed, sneaking something to Azure if the smudge on his lips was anything to go by.

Squall inhaled softly, and gently held one of Jessie’s hands so she didn’t tug too hard on the flowers around his neck. “And that is wonderful but it is not my first birthday.” 

“It is here.” Tara said in a tone that dared him to disagree. Cloud tauntingly made a gesture for him to abort any thoughts of back talking the woman. Squall rather thought Cloud was just happy to bare witness to Tara bulldozing her way into someone else’s life besides his. 

“C’mon. C’mon. Out. Enjoy the sun. Riku and his brothers have already started cooking.” Tara said, shooing them ahead of her as she also headed for the back door. 

“Isn’t that what you were doing?” Squall asked, a touch confused. 

“The baking, dear. Coconut pudding and malasadas. Hana already brought over a papou cake. The rest of the cooking is being cooked out here today.” Tara said, and Squall couldn’t exactly find fault in the delicious smells that battled the scents of the sand and ocean. 

“Dad!” Sora cheered, running up to the adults and pausing only to press a teasing kiss against Jessie’s cheek before hugging Squall tight. “Happy birthday!” He had another necklace of flowers that he threw around Squall’s neck. He was smiling, so genuinely happy in that moment that Squall caved. This was the kind of thing Sora had waited for and he couldn’t be a grump about it. 

“Thank you, Sora.” Squall said quietly, ignoring Cloud’s smirk. 

“Hey dad, we made you flower belts.” Roxas called from where he sat in the sand with Xion, Lea and Riku’s oldest sister Nadine. Her own son was over a year old now and settled in her lap.  

“Flower belt…” Squall repeated slowly, sensing a theme here. 

Xion was up on her feet, not even bothering to shake the sand off her legs as she headed straight for Squall. “Yep! Belts seemed more your style!” She had a long chain of flowers that she wrapped around his hips and somehow knotted with a shell that had come with a convenient hole already through it. 

Sora snorted, looking at his sister fondly. “I tried to explain the lei’s to them but they had their own ideas.” 

“New traditions are lovely.” Tara said, always delighted when Cloud’s kids showed up. The grandmother figure in the teens' lives was not something taken for granted and Cloud had mentioned more than once Tara’s own children had somehow grown up to be the biggest disappointments so he was making up for that. 

“I did not know this party came with an art and crafts class.” Lea muttered while Roxas got up and took his opportunity to tie his string of flowers around Squall’s waist. Holding Jessie meant he was unable to properly defend himself. 

“You just need a little practice.” Nadine offered. Her own son was just playing with petals that she was continuously pulling out of his mouth. 

Squall just shook his head faintly, unable to do much more than give his husband a fondly exasperated look. He already knew he’d be covered in flowers by the end of the day. Roxas and Xion fussed over the flowers he wore and finally decided they were in the right spot. 

Vanitas and Naminé were huddled together in the sand working on their own project and he spotted Lanai, Kairi, Terra and Aqua a little down the beach, likely collecting shells. 

Ventus and Isa were with Riku’s older brother Suoh as he cooked. They were more in Hana’s back yard than on the beach but it was close enough. 

Hana on the other hand was headed for them. Riku’s mother had the strangest ability to feel like someone he’d known his entire life. “Happy birthday, Squall!” She greeted. “Hand over the baby and no one gets hurt!” 

Cloud snorted. “I thought you were done with babies.” 

“I am. My own. I can still coo over someone else’s.” Hana said beaming when Squall handed Jessie to her. The baby girl looked around, fine with someone holding her when both her dads were in sight. She was sucking on her fingers but Squall was just happy she wasn’t eating sand.

“Your grandkid is right there.” Cloud said, a hint of teasing in his voice that had Hana bickering back at him. 

Xion wrapping her arms around Squall’s middle had him snapping his attention back to three of his older kids. They were still hovering, looking mildly amused. “You’re not too put out by the party, right?” 

Xion had Sora’s sad puppy eyes down to an artform. 

“Too bad if you are.” Roxas added more cheerfully. 

Squall snorted. “It’s incredibly annoying, and…really nice of all of you to set up. Thank you.” He might have ended with his tone a little softer than he’d planned but the pleased looks on their faces was priceless. 

“I told papa it would be fine!” Sora grinned. “Besides. Papa said he taught you to surf when you were here last time and you were stupid good at it. I’m gonna teach Roxy and Xion.” 

“They’ll be a sight.” Squall agreed with a huff of amusement. All it took for him to follow them was for Xion to tug on his arm once as they pulled away. They were already dressed to swim but Squall assumed he’d be staying out of the water today. He was being far more careful with the flowers he was covered in than he might have been any other time, getting them wet was probably a bad idea. He was sure someone would explain the significance to him at some point. 

He stopped beside Vanitas and Naminé, both who looked up when his shadow neared. They’d made flower crowns for Mocha and Cocoa. The two little Unversed seemed terribly happy about it too. They were sitting on a blanket under an umbrella and Squall was amused to see that Vanitas was carrying around Cloud’s parasol. 

“Now i’m sure the two of you were still in Radiant Garden when we left.” Squall mused, losing the battle at keeping a mask in place as a smile crept onto his face. 

Vanitas shrugged. “You and pops took the long way with the gummi ship. Naminé and i took a shortcut in a dark corridor.” 

“Brat.” Squall muttered. He didn’t ask how they’d gotten there. He knew how . Squall and Cloud would have likely taken a corridor too but they didn’t want to expose the twins to it while they were so young. Not even Cloud’s very specialized corridor that housed the Lifestream. That could have been just as bad for the babies as darkness. 

Vanitas hummed his agreement and hooked another belt of flowers around his waist. 

“Happy birthday, Squall.” Naminé’s smile was warm. For whatever reason, it wasn’t until that moment that he realized that everyone had known about today and had somehow kept it a secret. Even Aerith and the rest of the Restoration Committee must have known and they didn’t say a word. 

He was supposed to be done with secrets, even silly ones. It was hard to be upset though when his children had gone through all the trouble for him. 

“You going to surf with the others?” Squall asked. 

“Maybe.” Vanitas said, eyeing the three of them by the water. Sora had brought out the surf boards earlier. “Might be more fun just to watch.” 

“Oh, it’s going to be fun.” Riku said, approaching as Suki and Kaleo ran past them to greet the twins. Riku’s younger sister and brother were as excited to see babies that didn’t live in their house as Hana was. “Jai’s going to be backseat teaching.” 

Naminé snickered. “I assume he’s the one that surf’s professionally.” 

“Yep.” Riku agreed, nudging Squall with his shoulder. “Food will be ready soon.” 

“Thanks.” Squall said, not going to complain about eating the good smells that permeated the area. “I thought you were going to keep Sora from keeping secrets?” 

Riku shrugged, not bothering to hide his smile. “It’s a tradition. You should have expected it.” 

Vanitas snorted, “Ha.” He ignored Naminé playfully flicking his arm and telling him to play nice. 

“Hey dad!” Ventus called, “Come try this!” 

Squall just nodded, offering Vanitas and Riku a “Behave,” before walking next door. Hana had tables set out with food that were covered at the moment to keep the sand out of everything before they were ready to eat. Two grills of two different sizes were in use and both Isa and Suoh offered Squall a happy birthday before Ventus was handing him a skewer containing both meat and veggies. 

“Try this!” Ventus beamed. “They’re really good.” 

“Thank you.” Suoh sang, and Squall chuckled, not about to insult his cooking when he hadn’t tried it yet. 

It was pork, he knew that much and it was delicious. The seasoning was something unique to the Destiny Islands but he’d already had a growing taste for them. Merlin’s house produced things from other worlds and that made their kitchen very interesting depending on who was cooking. 

“It’s great.” Squall agreed with a smile and all three teens looked pleased. Squall had assumed Suoh was teaching them the way of the grill. He seemed to be cooking at least four other things and Squall already knew he’d be fetching a plate sometime soon. 

“Papa thought you’d like that one.” Ventus offered with a pleased glint in his eye. Like the others, he’d produced a lei but this one went over his head instead of becoming another belt. “Happy birthday, dad.” 

Squall sighed, heart swelling. One of the first gifts Ventus had ever given him had been a flower he’d found and picked. For some silly reason he felt like they’d come full circle now. “Thanks Ven.”

“We’re probably only staying till morning.” Ventus offered right after. “Then you and papa can have the rest of your weekend with the twins.” 

“You know i don’t care about that.” Squall said with a shrug. Granted, there wasn’t much space in the house but Sora and Riku claimed to have camped out on the beach before. Could be interesting to see who they roped into that. “We like it when you’re all here.” 

“Mhm.” Ventus said, throwing his own disbelieving look back at him, “And we like being around, but it’s still your birthday weekend.” 

“And i got what i wanted.” Squall countered, taking another bite from his skewer. “Don’t think otherwise.” 

Ventus’ look softened but it was Suoh who snorted and turned to Isa to commiserate. “Man, my dad sucks. Cloud was always my dad, you know? Then Squall just shows up being a good dad too.” 

Isa snorted, but looked like he agreed. He didn’t often say much around Squall but Roxas had once claimed it was because he was nervous and wanted Squall to like him. Squall wasn’t sure that was the entire truth of it though. 

Tearful whimpers stole his attention away and Squall turned just in time to see Cloud handing Azure over to him. 

“Someone noticed you weren't within sight.” Cloud mused, stealing Squall’s skewer as Squall cuddled the boy. Azure pressed his damp little face to Squall’s neck and Squall fell in love for the millionth time. He loved his kids, and they didn’t seem to mind loving him back. It might have been squishing the flowers a little but everyone would likely forgive the baby. 

“Awe, now he’s all better.” Cloud teased, taking a bite from his skewer and giving Suoh a thumbs up while Azure calmed himself in Squall’s arms. 

“You wanna go ahead and tell everyone to come eat?” Ventus asked. 

“We can do that.” Cloud nodded. 

Squall was going to tell him that meant getting his own food instead of eating his but there was no point. The pair turned back to the beach and Cloud nudged him. 

“Not actually upset, right?” 

Squall shook his head. “How could i be? This does not need to be a yearly thing but…coming back for the twins first birthday would be nice. 

“Tara would love that.” Cloud agreed, free hand rubbing up and down Squall’s back as they walked. Cloud called out to the teens that the food was ready. Those gathering shells turned back immediately and it was lucky Sora and the others hadn’t gone out past their knees in the water yet. 

Jessie had switched hands and Riku had her. He was sitting with Nadine and her son and the little boy was fascinated by the baby smaller than him. She didn’t appear to be as uneasy as Azure. 

Knowing that Cloud had made a home for himself and Sora instead of just drifting was a comforting thought. It being a place all of them could return to was even more of a relief. It wasn’t a place they had to give up. Not after they’d had to give up so many homes already. 

Sometimes Squall even missed the room he and Cloud had shared when fighting for Cosmos. 

“You can sit with him.” Cloud said. “I’ll make you a plate of food.” 

“Trying to get back into my good graces after deceiving me?” Squall quirked a brow, a smile tugging. 

“No, no. I’m not the least bit sorry about that.” Cloud grinned. “It is however, just a small reminder that you love me when exasperation does hit though.” 

That had Squall’s eyes narrowing at him once more. “Do you plan on my being exasperated?” 

Cloud hummed. “Maybe a little bit?” 

Squall didn’t even get a chance to ask why when someone else appeared on the beach, “Looks like i’m right on time!” Laguna yelled, getting cheers from most of the teens. “Happy birthday, Squall!!” His father yelled once he spotted him. 

Squall just gave Cloud a look, refusing to admit that it might have been nice to see his dad again. He’d returned home after the twins had turned two weeks old and had only visited twice since then. “Really?” 

“Really.” Cloud grinned, leaning closer to press a kiss to his cheek. “Go enjoy your party.” 

Squall made a face at him and hiked Azure up a little higher in his arms. He fully intended to do just that.

Chapter Text

Day 7 
8/30  - Noctis' Birthday /  Live

Cloud could taste the tang of blood on his lips. He could smell the metallic fragrance that was like an old friend at this point. His vision was blurry, and pain shot up his back and across his left knee with every step. None of it alarmed him. It was normal. 

Well, it had been a little less normal in recent months but it wasn’t hard for him to fall right back into it. Grit his teeth through the pain and move. He didn’t have time to be stagnant regardless of wounds. Staying in one place was a death sentence. 

The hand over his chest was only helping so much but the blood flow was slowing so that was probably good, maybe even a sign his enhanced healing was kicking in. He was sure he had broken ribs but he was less sure if his lung had been punctured. Breathing hurt, his breath almost whistled but certain enhancements made it difficult for him to judge just how hurt he was. 

That’s how they’d been designed, just go, go, go, and fight, fight, fight. You’re replaceable. Useful but replaceable. 

Cloud had turned tail and run the first chance he’d gotten, his fight with Sephiroth having dragged out long enough this time. They’d both just been going through the motions, neither satisfied with all the darkness critters roaming around. They were a nuisance and even though Sephiroth could control them fairly easily, he’d gotten bored of them. It was never good when Sephiroth got bored. 

Cloud had landed his newest limit breaker, six different blades landing hits against Sephiroth. The world they were standing on, small as it was, began to crumble and Cloud didn’t want to linger to see if there was anything around to catch his fall. He’d barely had the time to grab all of the pieces to his sword before leaping through a dark corridor.

Now he walked, hoping he was in a world he recognized. He could really use something familiar right now. The corridors didn’t always take him where he wanted to go. He thought he could smell something familiar, but the blood that coated his face got in the way of his senses. 

The crunching under his boots was familiar, the light of a town in the distance hazy to his sight. His right eye was nearly swollen shut but he could already feel that much healing. His left eye was watering from dust in the air. 

“Radiant Garden.” He breathed a raspy sigh of relief. It was the closest thing to a home he had. He could bully his way into Squall’s house and the man probably wouldn’t mind. He’d limp his way to the shower to get clean and collapse on the sofa to sleep and heal. If he was lucky he wouldn’t even be disturbed for days. Squall was good about that kind of thing. 

That dream for his immediate future however, was ruined when he heard annoyingly familiar shuffling. The sound came from all directions and with another sigh, Cloud pulled his heavy sword from his back. Heartless. The things must have bred like wererats because where there was one, there were a dozen. 

“Today sucks.” he whispered to himself, hoping he wouldn’t tear open the wound on his chest any wider. 

Enhanced didn’t mean invincible. He knew that well enough with as many people as he'd lost, but he wasn’t going to get one over on Sephiroth just to be taken out by a little shadow. 

Briefly, he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping his vision would be a little clearer as he opened them again. Spitting blood from his mouth, he raised his sword. 

Cloud said nothing before lunging into the fight on a protesting knee and ribs that called foul. What magic hadn’t been used up in his fight with Sephiroth had been soaked up in portaling his way somewhere safer. With no magic to assist him on fast healing, he just had to deal with it. 

Heartless were fairly weak, but what they lacked in strength, they made up for in numbers and the ability to be a true pain in the ass. Their shadow manipulation skills to sink into the ground had Cloud nearly tripping at least twice. 

Trying to keep his weight off his bad leg, Cloud attempted to keep his momentum going as he cut through the creatures. Any hard or sudden stops jarred his body too badly and he wanted to avoid those as much as he could. Keeping the Heartless away from town was a plus. 

Radiant Garden’s population numbers were slowly going up and the Restoration Committee was particularly proud of that. Having darkness trying to sweep through the streets wasn’t going to put anyone at ease. 

Cloud grunted when a Heartless rammed into his back sending him down to one knee. Pain radiated across his body, his spine and ribs screaming but at least he didn't hear a crunch this time. He broke his sword into two and he ignored the way dual wielding hurt his whole left side. He hadn’t stood up yet but he had better reach around him with two swords instead of one. He could just barely feel the give around him as Heartless were destroyed but one got past him, just one. It rocketed itself into his chest, knocking the wind right out of him with a painful wheeze. 

Falling onto his back hurt but he still had the wherewithal to rip the heartless off his chest before it tried to bury itself into his own heart. The jolt against the ground drew out a wet sputter of breath and he must have blacked out from pain briefly. 

When his consciousness returned he heard the very telling sound of Yuffie’s battle cry. Somewhere further away Cid was cursing at something. Cloud couldn’t turn his head without pain spiking down his back. The need to defend himself dwindled. The others were around so that meant Radiant Garden would be safe tonight and…what? What else mattered?

Cloud coughed, lips damp and the taste of his own blood was familiar. There was a Heartless on his leg and another that actually felt like it bit him. They were annoying, like mosquitoes. They didn’t cause more pain than what he was already in so he left them. It didn’t actually matter much to him but it was rude of his body to have roused him instead of letting him stay unconscious. 

He’d thrown everything he had at Sephiroth and now he had nothing else, the cycle continuing as it always did. Maybe he should have foregone his escape and let the crumbling world take him. Would he have died or would he have ended up at the CrossRoads again? 

He was probably overthinking things as usual. Was his arrival good timing or bad? Fuck his ribs hurt… 

Cloud closed his eyes, realizing the noise he was hearing was his own hoarse breathing. He’d heal if allowed the time to do it, but sometimes he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. A collapsed lung was never fun. 

“Cloud!” 

He jerked but didn’t respond, he didn’t feel…like getting up. He’d made it far enough for one day. It wasn’t like it would be his first time passed out on the ground. If he was lucky, maybe he wouldn’t even wake up this time. 

“Cloud! Damn it, Cloud!” The voice caught his attention again, and he realized it was probably a bad thing for him to have lost focus that fast. He cracked his good eye open and a part of him was deeply relieved that it was Squall. 

Head of the Restoration Committee and all around favored warrior in Radiant Garden, Squall was a hero. 

Everyone else called him Leon these days but Cloud still called him Squall because of the little crinkle between Squall’s brows but the smallest of upturns to his lips that it caused. It told Cloud that he did actually like it when Cloud used his first name and that was good enough for him. 

“Get up! You alright?” A spell was aimed at him, knocking the Heartless off of him which was its own relief. Cloud heaved a heavy sigh and let his eyes drift shut again. 

Squall had a handle on things now. He was dependable in that way. The man played a good game at being stoic and unflappable but Cloud knew his secret. He cared so much. It was the whole reason he’d practically spearheaded putting Radiant Garden back together. 

“Cloud!” 

The scurrying of the Heartless was still so loud in his ears but they were restless now that more predators were around. Cid and Yuffie were nothing to sneer at. They’d have this mess cleaned up in no time. 

“Shiva’s tits! Why are you bleeding so much!?” Squall dropped down beside him, hand on his chest to stanch the bleeding. It must have started again. “Heartless didn’t do this.” 

“No.” Cloud agreed, voice shredded. He coughed again, but Squall’s small concerned noise somehow seemed far louder. He may as well have been screaming. 

Squall whipped his gunblade around in a beautiful arc that destroyed all the Heartless inching closer to them for the moment. “Sephiroth?” 

Cloud scoffed, but that didn’t seem to be the answer Squall was after. “C’mon, lets get you up and out of here.” 

Cloud grunted a negative. “Leave me.” he muttered. “Finish up here.” 

“You’re bleeding out.” Squall snapped. 

“Mm?” Cloud wheezed out a puff of air that hurt his side. “So?” He did his best to look up at Squall and the man was not amused. 

“You need to take better care of yourself, dumb ass.” 

Cloud was sure he made another face again. “Why?” 

“So you don’t die!” Squall did raise his voice again then. “Are you spiraling again? Are you trying to get yourself killed!? Are lame ass Heartless taking you out the way you want to go?” 

Ouch, his pride.

“You’re not going out like this. Stupid.” Squall grumbled, his worry at war with his irritation. “Focus on the shit you have to live for.” He paused, gunblade raised again to get rid of a Heartless trying to sneak up under them. 

Cloud snorted and immediately regretted it. He clenched his teeth in pain, his fingers shaking loosely around the hilt of his sword. 

“Cloud…” It seems the worry had won over the irritation. He pulled off his glove and smoothed Cloud’s hair back out of his eyes. “I’ll get you back home safely. We’re going to have a long talk about self preservation and what to do when you don’t feel like getting back up again.” 

“Are we?” Cloud said dryly. 

“Yes.” Squall said, looking around in his pockets before finding what he wanted. In one quick movement he cracked the seal of a bottle and dumped half the bottle on Cloud’s wound and the other half on his face. The sensation jarred him so badly that he was gasping for air that didn’t hurt. 

His wounds were healing abruptly, bones correcting themselves and skin knitting back together. The phantom taste of blood remained in his mouth but his head spun at the sudden shift. That wasn’t a cure. That wasn’t a small spell either. Cloud laid there in a shocked stupor, mind racing as only confusion swirled. 

“Was…” He was still gasping. His eyes could open fully again, the swelling disappearing. Breathing didn’t hurt and the throbbing pain from his knee disappeared. 

“Hm?” Squall used a cloth from his pocket to wipe the blood off his face. He then started fiddling with the pink ribbon tied around his bicep. 

“Was that…?” Cloud inhaled. 

Squall thrust out an ice spell, getting rid of a few more Heartless before going back to his task hovering over Cloud. 

“Was that a megalixir?” Cloud felt winded. “Did you waste a megalixir?” 

“It wasn’t a waste. You needed it.” Squall said and the words did nothing to calm Cloud’s thrashing heart. Megalixir’s were both rare and insanely expensive and he’d just… just…. 

“Stupid…” 

“That’s you.” Squall said, holding Cloud’s ribbon carefully. He pulled one of Cloud’s gloves off and looped the ribbon around his wrist. 

“Squall… I heal…” 

“Yes, yes. Enhanced. Healing. Special. Whatever.” Squall said, focused more on what he was doing. 

“Yes, i am. I am fucking enhanced I heal on my own…” Cloud tried to sit up. He’d gotten as far as pushing up onto his elbow before he finally started to pay attention to what Squall was doing. His pink ribbon that protected him from certain status effects was looped around his wrist and hand, the other end wrapped around Squall’s. 

In less than two minutes he felt like the air had been knocked out of him a second time. “Squall…?” 

“You’re stupid, but you’re my kind of stupid.” Squall muttered. “I hate it when you treat yourself as less than worthy of something as free as living. If you’re going to be that much of a pain in the ass, then i’m going to have to cherish your life for you.” 

Cloud was floundering, lips moving but no words were coming out. He couldn’t take his eye off the ribbon that, while on all accounts was just draped over their hands, was attempting to bind them together. 

“Squall…” 

“You’re so smart.” Squall muttered. “How can someone so smart be so dumb. Do you even realize you’ve been living with me for a year?” 

The heat that filled Cloud’s face tried to suffocate him. “I…” Was he? He did stay with Squall a lot. It was basically the closest thing he had to a home, he’d admit that much. The apartment was small but good and it was safe and Cloud needed safe walls around him if he ever hoped to relax. 

Squall had offered him that. They’d shared a bed before too. Often, really. There was only one in the apartment and it was convenient…? Cloud’s breathing picked up. 

Was he that dumb? 

“You’re my home too, you know?” Squall was speaking quietly. “I don’t appreciate you laying here, willing to bleed out on the off chance your super special healing would kick in and save you. I like having you around. Do you understand that? I worry when you’re gone.” 

“You…” Cloud’s lungs burned for an entirely different reason now. “A handfasting though?” Squall had skipped the proposal. Hell, he’d skipped the dating but he was acting like they had been for a while now and Cloud just hadn’t…. He’d refused to…. 

“Yes.” Squall looked down at their hands tied together. The pink was almost startling but it was somehow appropriate. “Cloud, this is just an excuse to do what i’ve wanted for a while now. You’re it for me, and i’ve known that for a while too. We work. I’m not going to let you throw your life away, got it?” 

Cloud was nearly wheezing again despite being healed. “Got it…” 

“Good, now say something nice.” Squall smiled a little, that upturn to his lips that said he may as well have been cackling. 

Handfastings were fairly simple, or at least they could be. It counted as a union though it was usually actually attached to some sort of ceremony or wedding. Forgoing those things suited both of them. They didn’t need anyone to make a fuss. 

It did usually come with vows of some kind. Commitment of the couple shared verbally. Words really weren’t their strong suit, but Squall had said all kinds of things anyway. 

Cloud’s breathing was shaky. This was not where he thought his day would end after it had started with a death match between him and Sephiroth. He realized though that most of his good days did end with Squall sitting beside him. 

“I love you…” 

Squall’s expression softened, accepting those three words in place of anything else Cloud would have struggled his way through. He curled his fingers around Cloud’s, the hand holding suddenly so much more intimate than ever before. 

Cloud had held his hand quite a few times in the past… Fuck, they’d been dating… 

“This binding?” Cloud asked shyly. 

“Yes.” 

“Aren’t there supposed to be witnesses… or something?” 

Squall just hummed once, giving it some thought. With a glint in his eye that Cloud knew to be afraid of, Squall looked over his shoulder. 

“Yuffie!” His voice echoed across the Great Maw. 

“Squall.” Cloud hissed, face heating all over again. 

Squall was searching, the Heartless having been defeated for some time but Cid and Yuffie had still been making the rounds to make sure they got all of them. When Yuffie turn towards him, shuriken raised in case a threat was nearby, Squall raised his hand, fingers clasped with Cloud’s and tied with a familiar ribbon. 

A good beat or two passed before Yuffie screamed out her excitement, knowing exactly what she was seeing. She took off towards them. 

“For Odin’s sake…” Cloud muttered. 

“There.” Squall mused, pleased. “A witness.” 

Cloud huffed. “You are unbelievable.” 

Squall squeezed Cloud’s hand and leaned closer to brush a kiss against Cloud’s mouth. They could hear Yuffie’s squeal as she continued dashing closer. 

“Hey Cloud, I love you too.”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t often Leon finished his day early. Radiant Garden was growing at a steady pace, the little town becoming something of a city that surrounded the castle that Ansem the Wise had returned to. Had the man not helped Sora by helping Roxas and Naminé, he wasn’t sure he would have been so lenient for the man returning. 

The Restoration Committee had enough to do without wondering what that old man was up to. There was always something that needed to be done. With the newest wave of people however, came a decent amount of people eager to assist the committee as a means to ensure their own survival in the new town. 

Some worlds had just been beyond repair and people found their way to Radiant Garden from the crossroad worlds like Traverse Town. It was good in its own way, though they were contemplating building across the Great Maw just so things wouldn’t be so crowded. There was no harm in smaller towns around the larger city. 

The constant work load was what had Leon confused by the sudden lack of items on his to-do list. He had a feeling Aerith was involved, taking projects from him in hopes that he’d rest a little more. He wanted to be irritable, but who was he to grumble about getting home before dark and maybe being the one to surprise Cloud with dinner for once. 

Cloud was usually the one hunting him down for meals and a proper break. He’d definitely be surprised to see Leon home early. 

Their home was small, but perfect for a couple to share. It wasn’t too far from the town square which made it prime real estate but they'd been in Radiant Garden a long time now. Longer than most of the residents that had returned. It even had flowers in its window boxes thanks to Aerith, and a security system thanks to Tron. 

Just as Leon got to the door, someone was exiting. It had Leon’s hackles rising quickly since he and Cloud were usually like minded about having their space encroached upon. 

“The hell are you?” 

“Ah, i thought it was you.” The man offered Leon a coy smile. He was flashier than their usual residents. He was around Leon’s height and objectively attractive, his beard cropped close and well trimmed. He was fit, just not exactly warrior material. He had a bag slung over his shoulder but it wasn’t like they had valuables to steal.

“Excuse me?” Leon frowned, hand dropping to rest on the hilt of his gunblade but that just made the stranger's smile grow a touch more. 

He laughed quietly. “Yes, Cloud told me he was seeing someone. Living with someone. After that he wasn’t much for details, but he’s a private little bee. I thought it might have been you though, i did see you together when i arrived.” 

For whatever reason, the words kick started something in Leon’s mind. “Andrea, wasn’t it? You’re from Cloud’s world.” 

“Got it in one, clever man.” Andrea said. “I’d love to chat more, but i need to be going. Cloud helped me decide on a few minor details concerning my inn. I admit, i’m anxious to get going.” 

Leon frowned, sure he was missing important details in this conversation. Cloud was a lot of things but overly decisive wasn’t one of them. He could barely help Tifa pick out bar stools for the reopening of Seventh Heaven. “Is that right?” he muttered. 

Andrea chuckled, “Oh, honey, i can picture it now. You two must make quite the pretty sight.” 

“I’d appreciate it if you stop imagining it.” 

“You’d ask a man to stifle his desires? You ask too much.” Andrea laughed. “You should go in now. You might make it in time for a pretty sight of your own.” 

Leon’s eyes narrowed but Andrea didn’t offer him more than a casual wave as he strolled off again. Something about that whole conversation was off. He’d have to ask Cloud what it was that Andrea actually did. 

He went inside, finding it somewhat pleasant to be home before it was even dark outside. Seeing his home at a different time of the day was almost a novelty. What he did not see was his boyfriend. He hung his gunblade up on a hook across from the living room. Cloud’s own fusion blade hanging on its own hooks confirmed he was home. 

He could have called out, but he softly picked up on the sound of Cloud cursing from their bedroom, a softer thud following it. Andrea better not have been in their bedroom. The thought wasn’t a pleasing one, but he brushed it aside quickly. Cloud wasn’t the kind of man to cheat and certainly not in their own damn house. He was adorably dense, not stupid. 

When Leon filled the doorway he was drawn up short by Cloud fussing over his own attire. His mouth went dry. 

“What the fuck?” 

Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin, so preoccupied with trying to tear apart the outfit he was wearing that he hadn't even heard Leon coming down the hall. 

“You’re early.” Cloud said in an unhappy, accusatory tone. His hair was all but standing on end. 

“I am.” Leon muttered, eyes trailing up and down Cloud, committing everything to memory. Cloud was….was…. “What are you dressed as?” 

“I’m begging you to get out while i take this off.” Cloud muttered, face hot. He kicked off the black heels he’d been wearing, but it didn’t disturb the overall look too much. Cloud was wearing some kind of leotard? Black with yellow stripes that hugged his pecs into looking like breasts. The illusion was rather spot on.

The leotard was cut obscenely high up his thighs, leaving little to the imagination as it held his dick in a noticeable bulge. 

The fishnet stockings were something else, covering his legs completely in a honeycomb pattern. Ribbons were secured around his thighs and ankles, the heels had made it quite the look. 

“Would you stop looking!” Cloud hissed, blush staining his face. He was trying to rip off the pointless black and yellow wrist cuffs he wore that matched the leotard. 

“How can i not look?” Leon asked honestly. There was a little yellow bow tie on the floor that drew Leon’s attention. Small, detachable costume wings lay in the corner of the room where they’d clearly been thrown. Alongside it were other things. A frilly thing that might have been a collar of some kind and a black and yellow thing that Leon almost couldn’t identify until he saw the stinger. “A bee?” 

“This can not be happening.” Cloud muttered, finally free of the cuffs. 

“What is it…exactly that Andrea does?” Leon asked, continuing when he saw Cloud’s alarmed expression. “I saw him on his way out.” 

Cloud stared at Leon, swallowing almost nervously. “Andi’s recreating his precious Honey Bee Inn. It’s.. a..members only club. For.. dancing and performances.” 

“It’s a brothel?” Leon stared. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Cloud muttered making a face. “But i also wouldn’t… not say that.” 

Leon finally stepped into the room. “And the bee angle?” 

“Just Andi being Andi, i don’t know.” Cloud muttered, continuing to face Leon which was intriguing. 

“And he came over here to what..dress you up?” Leon asked. 

Cloud heaved an annoyed sigh then. “There were different uniforms for the honey girls vs, the honey boys but he’s looking into… expanding or something, i don’t know. He wanted a model.” 

“And picked you?” Leon asked, moving around Cloud but Cloud faced him still. 

“He’s an asshole who’s far too persuasive and tends to get his way.” Cloud grumbled. “So annoying.” 

“Uh huh.” Leon glanced over at the costume parts he’d already torn off. “How’d the stinger look?” 

“Fuck off.” 

Leon couldn’t help the way it made him laugh. “Are you wearing a tiara?” 

Cloud inhaled, hand going to his hair and all but ripping the head piece off. “Damn it.” 

“Turn around.” 

Cloud’s gaze shot back to Leon, eyes startled. “What?” 

Leon twirled his finger around. “Turn around. What are you hiding?” 

Cloud reached up to run his hand down his face. “Why are you home early?” 

“It was going to be a surprise, i finished up early.” Leon said, continuing the spinning motion with his hand. “C’mon. You are too pretty to not look at.” 

“I hate you.” 

Leon’s smirk remained and Cloud just groaned out his frustration. He spun around and Leon had to adjust himself in his own pants. Maybe leotard was the wrong word. It was more like some kind of one piece bathing suit. It was cut low across his back, but there was nearly nothing across his ass but a too thin piece along his crack. His ass cheeks were covered only by the same honeycomb stockings. 

“Should put the heels back on.”

Cloud whipped around, startled “What? You can not be serious. This can not be what it takes to seduce you.” 

Leon snorted. “You’ve seduced me before, Cloud. It’s all in the eyes and your head tilts. This is different. Still gorgeous though.” 

Cloud fumbled for something to say, he started and stopped several times before staring at the floor. The blush slipped down his neck and Leon was positive he was going to lose his composure fairly quickly.

“I bet the wings were cute.” 

“Oh, fuck off.” Cloud muttered. “I told Andi this was stupid. Dunno how they dance in all this. It’s such a pain to get on.” 

Squall hummed. “How is it at getting off?” 

Cloud was going to answer, probably a sweet, honest answer too before his mouth and brain caught up with each other and he actually heard what Leon asked. He brought his hands up to hide his face. “I can’t stand you.” 

“Yeah. I’ll have to wiggle my way back into your affections.” 

“Shut up.” Cloud was embarrassed. 

“Not a chance.” Leon muttered, hand on Cloud’s hip and admiring the fishnet stockings that both hid and revealed so much. Those patches of skin contact was really all Leon needed to be spurred on. 

“You can’t really be turned on..” Cloud said, but there was more of a shy lilt to his voice than before. 

“Why not? You are.” Leon said, which was impossible to not notice. Given what Leon could see, Cloud wasn’t wearing underwear so the only thing actually keeping his bulge in place was the stockings and leotard. 

Cloud huffed softly. “Really thought i had time to take this off and burn it before you got home.” 

“You should definitely keep parts of it.” Leon said, fingers sliding up Cloud’s arms. He liked Cloud’s arms. Somehow he maintained the perfect balance between lithe and muscular. Even now in such a feminine attire, the size of his arms didn’t take away from it. Most people wouldn't know just by looking at Cloud’s small frame that he could likely break them in half. 

Cloud just tsked, “If you’re going to be a simp then maybe i will just try to seduce you in this crap.” 

Leon’s lips turned up into a smile. “Oh, no, Cloud.” The hand still on his hip tightened. “I think it’s my turn for all that.” 

“Huh?” Cloud muttered, that pretty color still resting on his cheeks.

He only needed to lean a little closer to loom over Cloud. He watched his boyfriends eyes slowly widen as it dawned on him that Leon was going to take full advantage of this gift he’d been given. 

“Why don’t you keep this on a little longer?” Leon muttered, almost not recognizing his own voice. 

Cloud’s own words were stuck in his throat for the briefest of moments. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Immediately? Laying you out on our bed to see how shy a silly outfit makes you. Over the course of the night? Wrecking you.” 

There were few sights as pretty as Cloud’s breath hitching, searching for the right thing to say. “You…” There was a trembling to his voice he tried to clear away. “Might wanna get started then.” 

Leon reached up to trap Cloud’s chin between his fingers. He bent down, catching him in a kiss, “You want the wings?” 

“Oh, fuck off.” 

Leon laughed, bending enough to quickly scoop Cloud up and take those seven steps to their bed, “Maybe another time then.” 

This was definitely not the last he’d seen of this outfit.

He laid Cloud down on their bed, being more gentle then he really needed to be with the enhanced soldier. It was a sight and somehow more provocative than if he’d just been naked which was equally one of Leon’s favorite sights. 

“How do you feel?” Leon asked. 

“Like pushing you out the window.” Cloud grumbled, embarrassment settling in. Chances were good he’d have preferred to be naked now instead too. He squirmed nervously under Leon’s touch, but Leon hovering over him often had that affect. He started at the bend of Cloud’s knee, tracing along the fishnet stocking for a moment before his hands trailed higher. 

Cloud had such a lovely waist, good for grabbing and holding onto. His hips gave him a shape that he tried to hide with his normal attire but there was a reason Cloud looked so good in this bee costume. Leon leaned over him, lowering to kiss Cloud’s bare collar bone and he wondered silently if the outfit had continued up around his neck and he just hadn’t seen it before Cloud removed the pieces. 

All the same, he wasn’t going to mourn being able to press biting kisses to his chest that wandered up his neck. 

Cloud huffed once, head turned to the side. He was oddly pliant, letting Leon do as he liked despite the fact that he could have shoved him away at any time with that unreal strength of his. The fact that he wasn’t told Leon just how much he was enjoying himself despite the outfit. 

By the time Leon’s kisses reached just under Cloud’s ear, his hands were on his chest, teasing and pinching through the fabric of the leotard and smiling at the way Cloud jerked under him. Super enhancements also seemed to mean super sensitivity. It was a discovery Leon had made early on in their relationship and he wasn’t going to drop the ball now. He could happily waste a lot of time just playing with Cloud’s nipples and listening to the noises he tried to muffle. 

“C'mon.” Cloud muttered, voice breathy. He tried to speak around his clenched teeth. “Thought you’d have this thing ripped off me by now.” 

“Mm?” Leon nipped at his ear, his nose brushing against blond spikes. “What makes you think i have any intentions of undressing you? I think you should keep it on. It looks good.” He meant it, but Cloud likely wouldn’t care for his sincerity.

Cloud snorted, not taking him seriously as he’d expected. “Thought you talked a big game earlier. What happened to wrecking me?” 

“I’m more patient than you.” Leon muttered, getting a particularly good sound when he gave both of Cloud’s nipples a pinch. He saw the way Cloud actively kept his arms down instead of reaching up to grab Leon and pull him closer. This was so much more fun when Cloud was participating, even if participating was just letting Leon have his fun. He was playing the game. 

Cloud shifted a little, unable to dig the heels of his feet into the mattress for better leverage since the stockings kept making him slide. 

Leon had waited for Cloud’s eyes to flutter shut before he made an adjustment. A feather light touch to Cloud’s covered dick had him gasping, hips arching up for more attention. 

“Fine. You’re patient. I’m not. C’mon.” 

“Hm?” Leon smiled, rubbing his thumb against the spot of damp fabric with increasing pressure. The groan forced past Cloud’s lips was downright musical. His approach was to divide and conquer. Fingers teasing him through the fabric of the leotard while his other hand was alternating between playing with a nipple and tracing the hem of the fabric. Leon’s mouth was back on Cloud’s skin between the junction of his neck and shoulder and Cloud was pulled taunt. He didn’t seem to know if he wanted to arch towards Leon or away from him but there was a distinct whine in the back of his throat that almost made Leon dizzy. 

This was something they both found they liked and they’d both been subjected to it at one time or another. Stretching out the small touches, the light caresses. It built them up higher for the release they were after and it was all the more brilliant because they were actually getting it. Neither of them had many people they trusted themselves to be vulnerable with. 

“Move to your knees.” Leon muttered, moving off of Cloud to give him the space to do just that. Cloud hummed and moved without thinking. He was already on his hands and knees before he made a confused sound in his throat. He was still dressed. 

“What’s the plan here, lion?” he asked, a scratchiness to his voice that Leon enjoyed. 

Without warning, Leon grabbed both ass cheeks, stroking the fishnet stockings that was basically their only cover. 

“Hey!” Cloud complained, red face looking over his shoulder. His back arched when Leon dug his fingers in a little harder to the soft flesh. “Are you going to take them off now?”

“No.” 

Cloud groaned, this time a little more irritated than turned on. “Why not?” 

“Because i don’t need to.” Leon said, tracing a finger down the back of the leotard. It resembled something closer to a thong, and the string down his crack only needed to be moved to the side. The fishnet underneath, well, those he might have to tear a little bit. 

“You..” Cloud sounded winded, clearly catching on to Leon’s intentions. “Liar. You are not patient at all…” 

Leon smiled, and offered a playful slap to Cloud’s ass which earned him one of those noises that no one else would ever hear because Cloud didn’t make them outside of their bedroom. He pulled away, only to get the lube from their side table and he didn’t waste much time. It was hard to waste time when Cloud was on his knees with his rear up. Cloud was ultimately right. Leon wasn’t as patient as he pretended to be. 

He slid a lube coated finger through the honeycomb shaped holes of the stockings, teasing Cloud for only a second before pushing inside. Cloud just hummed the way he always did. More than once Cloud had claimed he didn’t need the customary prep time but Leon called him out on it every time. Partially because he liked doing it and partially because Cloud’s ability to withstand pain didn’t mean he should have to. As far as Leon was concerned, if people couldn’t take the time to have a little care when they were having sex then maybe they shouldn’t be doing it. Squall personally enjoyed it. He liked knowing that he was crumbling Cloud’s walls and pleasuring him at the same time. Allowing his guard to drop until it wasn’t there at all. 

There was also the positive fact that Cloud’s body healed itself well and he never really remained loose for all that long. It still drove Cloud crazy to be taken at such a slow pace, and Leon would be lying if he said that that wasn’t part of the fun. 

One finger became two and Cloud’s face dropped against one of their pillows, muffling the noises as Leon played around with his slow scissoring strokes. It was no different from his nipples, the sensation making him quickly over sensitive and his confined cock doing him no favors. 

At three fingers, the stockings had to be torn a little, the holes between the fishnet just not big enough. If Leon thought about it later, he’d attempt to keep the stockings from splitting altogether but if they did, he’d just have to buy Cloud another pair. He’d learned many tricks over the last several months. Every flick of his wrist that would have Cloud keening, every twist that would make his hips bounce. 

The unquestionable fact that Cloud secretly enjoyed being taken care of. He was so used to taking charge in fights that it was nice to not always have to in his bedroom. He trusted Leon to take care of him, even if he could be a teasing prick. 

Cloud was panting by the time he pulled away, and it was the most obscene look yet. Leon could tell Cloud was sweating from the strain, but there was something downright lewd about the hole torn in his stockings being directly over his stretched asshole. The open back leotard was perfectly showing off muscle that the outfit couldn’t hide. 

“You are too pretty.” Leon muttered, taking a second to just look .  

Cloud swallowed before trying to gulp down air. “A complement when looking at my face, not my ass.” 

“You glare at me when i call your face pretty.” Leon mused, shifting enough to get rid of his own pants. His own erection thanking him for being free reminded him of Cloud’s still trapped in the front of the leotard but he didn’t do more than palm Cloud once to get a yelp. 

“C’mon…”  Cloud swallowed again, voice thick. He kept his face against the pillow but he was clearly listening. He reacted to the bottle of lube opening again. The sound of Leon pouring it into his hand. It was all added anticipation that was made so much more visceral by Cloud’s own enhanced senses. 

Leon slicked up his own cock and didn’t dally much longer. Cloud might not have been watching but he knew what to expect when Squall grabbed his hips, his cock meeting the slightest bit of resistance simply because of how tightly Cloud was clenching already. There was a pop of fabric from the stockings, the hole tearing a little more. 

Cloud moaned, eyes half lidded as he was overcome by the initial penetration. The hesitancy didn’t last long, and Cloud was rocking his hips before Leon could even begin. They could both be greedy, but neither ever had much of a problem with pleasuring the other. 

Leon rocked against him, one hand holding his hip while the other reached to press onto the center of Cloud’s spine. It was a good kind of stretch and Leon liked feeling just how much Cloud moved under him. 

Cloud gripped the sheets, likely forgetting he was wearing the silly bee costume at all while he was lost in the first round of the night. It was nicely form fitting and Leon didn’t want to ruin it immediately. That would happen over time as he talked Cloud into wearing it again and again. The stockings…well those probably had another wear or two in them, right? The premade hole was sure to send premature quivers through Cloud whenever he looked at them. 

Leon really would have liked to see the wings on, and it suddenly occurred to him the bee was such an erotic theme for Andrea’s Inn. The stinger, the bouncing wings, the form fitted suit. It was hard to imagine it looked better on anyone but Cloud though. 

Leon leaned forward, hand moving from Cloud’s back to the mattress to help support him. His breath on Cloud’s shoulder blade caused goosebumps while he found some semblance of rhythm. Leon didn’t like sticking to the same pace. The same pace got boring. If he could shift just a little bit, he’d likely find a whole new angle that made Cloud purr. The moments Cloud bit his bottom lip until it swelled was usually a good sign too. 

Leon loved that. Super healing be damned, his lip would stay plump for hours afterwards. It was an involuntary response to his gratification and Leon had at least three pictures on his phone of Cloud pouting afterwards. 

“Squall…” Cloud gasped and it was the only time Leon didn’t give a damn about being called the wrong name. His hips swayed, adding to the friction that had Leon growling out something that had no words. 

It was melodramatic, but Leon felt like their souls touched in moments like these. The creaking of their bed created an atmosphere that somehow grounded him. They were together in their shared home, blending together into whatever the hell this was. Cloud had been his home for some time…

When Cloud came, it was sudden. His cry was more like a howl and it made Leon shudder all the way down to his toes. He reached around to massage Cloud through the wet fabric, gaining extra cries from his boyfriend. Leon wanted to drag out the orgasm as long as he could and he knew he was successful when Cloud's eyes squeezed shut. 

It was enough for Leon, enough for the moment anyway. He’d leaned forward to grip Cloud’s hair just before his own orgasm hit, Cloud’s hiss of pleasure heightening his own. They knew each other so well by this point, they were always along the same wavelength. It was why Cloud remained on his knees until Leon puffed out a sigh that said he was finished, only to then sway to the side, taking Leon down with him to spoon him.

For a good few minutes they did nothing but catch their breath and rest before the inevitable second wind. Leon had even pulled out of Cloud for this cuddle break. 

“This stupid costume…” Cloud muttered. 

“Looks fantastic on you.” Leon finished, nosing at the blond hair in front of him. “Most things do. It’s kind of unfair.”

Cloud laughed weakly, but his ears were red. “Maybe next time you’ll get the heels too.” 

Leon hummed his appreciative approval, “I’ll look forward to you being a little taller.” 

“Ass,” Cloud couldn’t help the grin his lips were being tugged into. “I thought you were going to ruin me?” 

Leon pressed a kiss to the back of Cloud’s neck. “Oh i will, it’s not even dinner time yet. I have all night.” He needed to get off work early more often. He really didn’t know if this was a coincidence or something Aerith planned somehow but it didn't matter to him either.  There was never anything wrong with spending his night alone with Cloud.