I've had this ever since I wrote Calm Before the Storm, but never got around to putting it up. Sorry! Cloud would not let me sleep until this was written the night I wrote Calm, since I clearly couldn't leave CBTS at that. Jerk.

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Kingdom Hearts.

-o-

"You are an idiot."

Leon let out a tired groan and rolled his eyes. "You've told me this already. Four times, in fact."

"That's because I can't seem to get it through your thick skull."

"Whatever."

Leon could almost hear the blond's jaw clench, but the hands tending to his wound remained gentle. "You wouldn't be sitting here with half of your side torn open if you hadn't been an idiot."

"Five times."

Cloud paused to send the brunet an exasperated glare. "You want me to let you bleed out?" When the other didn't respond, he returned to his task. "Don't jump in the way again."

Leon hissed when Cloud pressed down on the gash. "You left yourself wide open."

"I had it under control."

"You turned your back on two big bodies and a neoshadow." The brunet's expression darkened. "That's not control, Strife. That's suicide."

Blue eyes narrowed again. "I knew they were there, you don't have to remind-"

"Good!" Leon interrupted, his temper flaring. "Then I'll make sure to inform the next person you patrol with to let you handle it all, since you apparently have a death wish."

Cloud's next words were pitched low with warning and reprimand. "We both know I can take more damage than a normal person." He tied off the bandages and dropped his hands, but refused to lift his gaze. "I would have been fine."

"You would have been sliced in half!" Leon pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on against and grabbed the collar of Cloud's shirt. "Are you listening? You aren't invincible. You'd probably be dead if you'd taken that hit!"

Cloud released a low growl before throwing off Leon's arm and shoving the older man against the wall again, pinning him in place. "No, you listen to me, Leonhart. I knew the heartless were there, but I had to deal with the other neoshadows that were heading towards town. I would have dodged in time to get only a scratch." His eyes flashed in anger. "You stupidly threw yourself in the way and nearly got hacked to pieces, and now you have the nerve to lecture me about immortality?" The blond took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, though his grip didn't let up. "You can't always be there. You can't save everyone, Leon."

The words sunk in slowly. He wanted to reject them, to continue believing he could. But as Cloud's expression finally softened, Leon saw something in those glowing eyes that he hadn't seen before: fear.

"There are going to be times... when you can't save someone. You won't always be able to throw yourself in harm's way and save a life." He held Leon's gaze, refusing to let the man look away. "There are other ways to save people. You're rebuilding a city. You're restoring life to people who thought their lives were over. You're giving hope and a future to a whole city of people, Leon. If you died because I used a debatably stupid battle tactic, it would all come to a grinding halt. I've survived up 'til now; have a little faith in me, alright?" The blond dropped his head, letting his forehead just barely rest on the Leon's shoulder. "So don't scare me like that again, okay?" It was hardly a whisper, and Leon almost missed it. Almost.

They sat like that in silence for a few moments, neither man moving. Leon struggled to find something to say, to no avail. He gaped at the blond, trying to will his vocal cords to form a sentence, when Cloud suddenly swore under his breath.

"You're already bleeding through the bandages. I shouldn't've pushed you." Cloud pulled back with an apologetic look.

Leon shook his head. "It's fine." I probably deserved it anyway. "We should probably find Aerith."

Cloud nodded and put a hand to Leon's side again, a soft glow surrounding the wound. "I can stop the bleeding at least. You're not allowed to move until I bring Aerith back, got it?"

Leon opened his mouth to protest, but a familiar look sent his way shut him up. Cloud had really been spending too much time with the healer, if he had already mastered Aerith's motherly warning face. "Fine, I'll be a good boy and sit still." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall to emphasize his words.

"Good. I'll be back in a few, then."

Cloud was glad Leon couldn't see how his legs shook with exhaustion when he pushed himself off the ground, or how his hands trembled when he removed the healing materia from his arm. Never again would he try to refuse when Aerith suggested he take materia on patrol.

Repeated nightmares of Leon's lower torso sliced cleanly in half, his chest lacking the normal movement indicative of breathing, would haunt his dreams for years to come.

"Cloud."

The blond glanced over his shoulder and froze. Leon was watching him. He couldn't suppress the shaking.

"... Thank you."

Cloud cracked a very, very small smile.

"Anytime."

-o-

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