Envy
Collab-fic between xbuttonsx and RecklessxDreamer. (But you already know that, don't you?)
Summary -Everyone knew that they hated each other. Everyone. But now they prove the world wrong.
Disclaimer- We don't own much, sadly. Definitely not the characters.
Pairing- CloudxLeon
FYI- Pagebreaks (-) mean that there is a switch in POV. The story starts with Leon and switches to Cloud. It goes back and forth in that order.
xXx
"You should really envy me, you know."
You glance up at me with those too-blue orbs and it sends a shiver through my body, but I don't allow you to see it. I won't let you know how much you mean to me. But would you really even care? The glare you send me is just so filled with contempt that it chills my blood.
"Oh really? And why is that now? Because you're a big, pompous ass?"
"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud!" I mask my hurt with a mocked expression of shock.
"Just, get out of my face, Leon."
I refuse to do as you say, staying right where I am with my arm holding me up as it rests behind you. It's lunch and I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see as you eat your salad, waiting for those idiot friends of yours to show up. But do you know how badly I want to be one of those friends?
As if to solidify my desire and to annoy you further, I slide into the chair beside you, pulling it up to the table in the cafeteria. You groan, causing a smirk to cross my lips. "What? You don't want my company?"
"Not at all."
"But Cloud," I whine, leaning closer to you. I just need to feel your heat. "Don't you wanna know why you should envy me?"
xXx
Part of me doesn't care for your reasons. Another part is curious. But why? I don't even know. I just want to eat my lunch. But your intense stare on me forbids me from doing so. I glance up at you, locking my eyes with yours. My curiosity begins to grow, but I fight it to stay indifferent.
"You do want to know."
No, I don't.
"I can sense it."
Pfft. Yeah, right. And Yuffie isn't the most annoying girl I've ever met.
"Come on Cloud."
"Go away Leon. You're ruining lunch for me."
"Why won't you just give into your curiosity? It's so obvious that you want to know."
And it's so obvious that you're a clueless bastard. "Leon, how would it make you feel if I told you that you are the sole cause of me hating my favorite part of the entire school day?"
Immediately you falter, your mood and disposition changing from "arrogant bastard" to something I've never seen on you before. You physically pull back, your steely-grey eyes holding what I think is hurt. I smirk at you; just need to say one more thing before I finally get you to leave.
"You hypocrite."
Didn't see that coming. "What?"
You're not looking at me, but at something invisible to me on the lunch table.
You repeat yourself. "You hypocrite."
I blink at you. I have nothing to say. You continue. "You call me a pompous bastard, but you, yourself, are one. You should hear the way you talk, all high and mighty, putting yourself on the highest pedestal possible. You belittle and patronize people, humiliating them until they feel like dirt before you step on them a little more, making sure you know they know their 'place'." You scoff. "I don't know how you have the friends you do, with the way you act. Your attitude pushes people away, so all they are to you are…? Lackeys? Puppets for you to play with? What? They mean nothing to you; just people who follow you around doing whatever you want them to do. They probably don't even care about you, either, just using you for your status, so I guess you figure 'what the hell.' But some people actually do care…they actually want to be a real friend to you…they want to be someone you actually care for too…but whenever you encounter someone like that, you're even more of an ass to them than to the ones who originally want nothing to do with you. Pfft…I don't even know why I'm spending time on explaining this to you…Don't even know whyI'mone of those people who even tries to be close to you…"
You stand up and my eyes follow you, my lunch completely forgotten. I'm speechless…I didn't expect that at all and now I have nothing to say in response. You place your hands on the table and lean forward, closing the distance between the two of us. I blink. "I'm about ready to give up on you. Don't even care to share why you should have been envious of me."
I open my mouth to say something, but then I close it again. I must look like a fish. You stand up straight and turn.
"Share with me anyway?" I might as well humor you, though part of me now really does want to know.
You look over your shoulder.
"Why should I?"
"Because…Because I really do want to know…"
xXx
You're lying. I know you're lying and it makes a shiver run over my body. I want to run and leave you. I regret ever coming to sit beside you. A glance over my shoulder towards your crystal-blue orbs stops me dead in my tracks as I move away from you.
You're hurt. You aren't lying. You care. You want me to stay.
"Leon, please?"
I force a smirk onto my lips because it just hurts too badly to let you win. Do you think I can remember why you have to envy me? Not at all. "Why do you want me to stay? Did I actually make some sense there?"
"Eh-" You falter and it forces me to come back and sit beside you. "I ... Yeah." I can hear how badly it hurts you to admit. Something clenches in my chest and I feel regret for putting you through this pain.
"Listen, I'm sorry. I was really out of line there." I don't see why I'm apologizing.
"I needed it, I guess. But, why must I envy you?"
I smirk. Of course you would ask again. Avoiding your gaze, I turn, looking around to see if your friends were coming. They weren't. "I was just trying to impress you." I wink. "Since, you know, you're God and I am nothing but scum beneath your feet, Your Highness." You glare at me and I shield myself away from your grumpy beatings. "Hey, hey, be nice, Cloud! I'm joking!"
"Well, don't. You're being a jerk."
"A sexy jerk, though."
"You-" You look taken aback, eyes growing wide. You're Cloud. You know when people are hitting on you. You've lived with it for years. So you know the curl of my smirk and slight movement of my body towards yours is me trying to sell myself for you. You just don't know how good it feels to sit here with you like this. You sigh, resigning yourself to the fact that you were flustered by me.
"There, that's something you can be envious of. I'm sexy."
You raise a golden eyebrow. "And I'm not?" It is my turn to grow flustered. I fall for your trap.
"O-Of course you are! I ... I just wanna be better than you at something."
The smirk on your perfected lips grows wider. "But you're better than me at so many things!"
xXx
You look at me incredulously, as if you aren't aware of this fact already. I know you are, but your eyes persuade me to think differently anyway. I lean back on my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.
"I'm telling you the truth."
You rest your arms on the table and lean forward. "Oh yeah? Name some things I'm good at."
I smirk. "You're good at being arrogant."
You scoff and glance away. "Should have expected you would say that, bastard."
You look back at me. "Now are you going to be serious or should I get up now and leave with whatever's left of my self-esteem?"
I gesture for you to stay seated. "Okay, okay. I'll be serious if that's really what you want."
You nod. Silence falls between us as I think of something to say. You stare at me expectantly.
I search my memories for something to compliment, but come up empty-handed. I don't know whether it's because I don't actually believe you are better than me at anything or because your intense gaze on me caused me to forget, but either way my mind comes up with nothing and it actually begins to shut down on me.
You are staring at me, waiting, and I have no clue what to do.
After a minute or two passes, your face falls and you scowl at me.
"Really Cloud? Is it really that hard of a request to fill? Telling someone that they're good at something, better, even, than you…Is that really so difficult?" You glare at me.
No, it's not like that.
"That's not it." I tell you, but you're already standing and turning away.
Now it's, for some reason, important to me to tell you you're fantastic at something. I had to think of a way to keep you from leaving, to give me more time to come up with a compliment.
Suddenly, I'm standing too. I grab your wrist and yank you back. Losing your balance, you brace yourself on the table with your free hand.
Before you can snap at me, I place my lips on yours. Why? How the hell should I know? It was the only way I could think of to keep you from leaving.
Besides, now I know I have one thing you are better at than I.
xXx
Your lips are on mine and I feel like I'm about to pass out. This is like everything I've ever asked for. How many times had I begged to be in this position with you? Your grip is still tight on my wrist, but I move the hand holding me up to rub against your neck.
"There. You're a better kisser," you huff, out of breath as we break apart. I fall back onto the table, gazing up into your bright blue eyes. You aren't looking at me, your face tinged red, eyes downcast, teeth nibbling at your lip.
"I gotta disagree to that, babe. That was ... definitely ..."
"Just forget about it, okay? Pretend it didn't happen. Please?"
I smirk. "Why? Did you not like it?"
You take in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to keep yourself calm. You've long ago released my wrist and I move my hand forward, gripping your own. You gasp.
"You can be envious of me for another reason."
You raise your golden eyebrows at me. "Oh? What's that?"
"I'm in love with a truly amazing person."
You just gape at me. It's like you've forgotten how to do anything else. Your expression blank, your breath hitches in your throat and you look as though you are ready to dash away. Did I say the wrong thing?
"I thought ... I thought you hated me."
xXx
A grin spreads across your lips. It looks awkward to me…You never grin like that.
"I'm a good actor too, huh?"
I don't know what to say to that. Thankfully, I don't get the chance to say anything because Tifa comes walking over, waving happily.
I yank away my hand and it goes to the back of my neck, rubbing it.
"Hey Cloud!" She greets me in her usual, cheerful way.
"Tifa." I nod to her. She looks at you.
"Hello Leon." You're still staring at me, grinning and completely ignoring her. Tifa glances at me and then at you. She tries to lock eyes with me, but I look at you to avoid her gaze.
"Well I best get going. Got places to be and people to see," You say calmly, breaking the silence. "It was nice…chatting with you, Cloud. See you later." You wave before turning and pushing past my raven-haired friend and walking off.
My eyes follow you before Tifa pops up in front of me, blocking you from my sight.
"What the hell was that? What were you doing?" She questions.
I blink at her before replying, "It was nothing. We were doing nothing." Emphasis on the 'nothing.'
"But he said 'it was nice chatting you with.' Chatting? With Leon? You hate Leon! Everyone in the entire universe knows that!" She exclaims.
I turn from her and look up to the sky. I feel a small smile grow on my face. When I look back at Tifa, she's staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Well, I guess things change."
xXx
The End
xXx
xbuttonsx - So, what did you think? It was such a blast working with the lovely RecklessxDreamer. She is such a great, wonderful person! You should go check her out if you haven't already. :D
