It was a beautiful summer's day, if you liked those kinds of things. The sun was shining, there was a nice cool breeze, clouds drifted aimlessly through an azure sky, and the sound of Merlin and Cid having a spat could be heard through probably all of Radiant Garden. Or at least, that was how Cloud felt as it woke him from the nap he'd been taking on their roof.

Cloud sighed. He really didn't understand why those two stayed together sometimes, since they argued so much that it was a bit hard to believe they were in love. You had to look closely to see it. Still, when he saw how much those two argued despite the fact that they were together, it made him feel a little less lonely about the way his relationships never worked out.

"Hey Cloud!" a voice called from below. He raised his head to see Sora below him. "Tifa's looking for you," Sora said in a teasing voice. If Sora had been someone else, Cloud would have sent him flying. But Sora was special, so Cloud would let it slide. Except as Sora waltzed into the house without regard for the dangers of being around an irate Merlin, Cloud heard a giggle from behind him. He froze and slowly turned his head. Aerith.

"Got something to say?" he asked after he managed to calm his pounding heart. What if it had been Yuffie? That pest was a horrible gossip.

"Oh, not really. But shame on you, hiding from Tifa again."

"Taking a nap is not hiding."

"It is if she can't find you."

"That's the point."

Aerith sat down beside him. "Are you just embarrassed because Sora came for a visit?" she asked, a similar note of teasing creeping into her voice.

"No, I just want to nap in peace. Tifa's not exactly subtle, you know. She'd probably come running up and toss me into some well again."

"She wouldn't toss you in a well. She'd probably choose Merlin's bag instead."

"Yeah, hence a nap where she doesn't think to look for me."

It was true. Tifa had no concept of subtlety, and it had been less than helpful in the past.

Like back then.

Originally he and Tifa had been besties together. And then they'd met Zack and Aerith, and Cloud had developed a huge and merciless crush. Tifa had decided to help him out by locking him and Zack into store rooms, closets, ventilation ducts, mine shafts, and all sorts of tight places. It had been very awkward.

Luckily, Aerith, being Zack's best friend, was privy to his confidence and so managed to convince Zack to confess. Cloud had figured there was zero chance of them getting together after Tifa's attempts to intervene, but thanks to Aerith things worked out between the two of them. So they'd been together for a short while. It had been absolute bliss, but it hadn't lasted.

Zack had vanished. Cloud spent years following him, and managed to pick up the trail at the Olympus Coliseum. However there he received heartbreak, as he found out that not only was Zack no longer there, but while he had been there he had flirted with at least three different guys before falling for her. Aqua. Not only that, but when she left the Coliseum, Zack had waited around until he found out she was lost in the deepest darkness, and then had taken measures to ensure he could go into the deepest darkness after her.

As he'd been searching for Zack, Cloud had met Sephiroth. He'd known from the start that Sephiroth was interested, but he had wanted to remain faithful. Once Zack was clearly out of the picture, he had no inhibitions left and had agreed to go out with Sephi. Soon however, he realized he was only trying to rebound, he didn't actually love Sephiroth, and also, his new boyfriend was crazy. So he'd hastily backed out of that one, but had to start watching over his shoulder at all times because Sephiroth had promised revenge. But then, rather suddenly, Sephiroth had quietly faded, just before Cloud entered the tournament at the Coliseum.

Which was just in time too, because that was when Cloud met Sora. Not that anything had happened there. Cloud never had the courage to ask him out, and apparently Sora had been the same because much later Cloud heard from Sora's friend Kairi that Sora had written quite a bit about Cloud in his diary around that time, but Sora hadn't asked him either. Eventually, that flame had extinguished on its own.

And then Cloud had come to Hollow Bastion. And oh god was that torture. Because there he'd met someone new, but right around that time he'd found out that Sephi had so conveniently faded just so he could pursue Cloud's "exes" Tifa and Aerith and Zack and now Sora, and had even already gone after Sora once in the Coliseum. And Cloud could not let him harm any more of his friends. Or any more lovers. Which meant no relationships until he'd dealt with Sephiroth.

So despite his growing feelings, Cloud remained aloof. And while he was not flirting with his latest crush, Hollow Bastion turned out to actually be Radiant Garden, and then Tifa showed up and then Sephiroth and then Sora and Sephiroth had gotten into a fight which Tifa joined and oh it had been a mess. Cloud had stepped in, and had finally (he hoped) discouraged Sephiroth from continuing this madness.

And now he was back in Radiant Garden, but he had gotten used to restraint. How could he possibly approach him like this? There was just no way it could work.

Cloud was startled from his reverie by Aerith.

"Uh-oh. It looks like she's spotted you."

Sure enough, Tifa was sprinting all out along rooftops, headed their way.

"Gottagobye," Cloud said, and slid off the roof.

"Oof."

Did he just? Oh no. He did. He'd landed on Leon. Why did it have to be Leon?

"Sorry, I- uh," he said, scrambling to his feet and reaching to help Leon up. Oh man. Why did he always become so articulate around people he had a crush on? He sounded like a moron.

"It's okay. Actually, I was looking for you."

"So's Tifa."

"Yeah, I asked her if she knew where you were."

"Oh good, you found him," Tifa called down. Her head was peeking over the side of the roof, and she looked pleased with herself. Her head withdrew.

"So um, why were you looking? F-for me that is."

"Er, well, I was wondering… What are you doing tomorrow night? Because if you'd like, I was thinking we could get dinner."

Cloud almost forgot to answer since he was so deliriously happy. Yes, yes, and yes! This was what he had been dreaming of! Now he just needed to go and comb his hair and try on some different outfits, and this was so exciting!

The next day, when Leon came and picked him up, Cloud was a little less excited to see Sora, Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa all tagging along.

"Sorry, I couldn't get rid of them," Leon hissed to him as they headed off.

"Don't mind us. We got kicked out of Merlin and Cid's place because they're having a date night to make up for their squabble yesterday," Yuffie informed him cheerfully.

It was quite miserable, since Cloud had thought this was going to be a date and it wasn't. He didn't even get to sit next to Leon and hold his hand.

Of course it had been too good to be true. There was no way Leon liked him back. Sure they'd had a couple of moments, such as when they'd been fighting off the mob of heartless and nobodies that had swarmed Hollow Bastion, but those were just moments and nothing more.

All too soon and yet somehow not soon enough, they were returning from the diner they'd gone to. When they reached his house, Cloud let Leon walk him to the door, depressed. With a sigh, he turned to say good night, only to meet Leon's kiss head on.

"Ah, sorry," Leon whispered. From the street, their entourage cheered wildly, causing a few of Cloud's neighbors to peep their heads out. "Next time I'll try and skip the audience," he added with a wince.

Cloud didn't remember how to control his body until long after Leon and the others had left. His face unfroze first, breaking into an enormous grin. He eventually managed to get inside, which was good since he'd scared a couple of children playing nearby in the fading light.

As he prepared for bed, Cloud found himself dancing around his bedroom. Maybe tonight hadn't gone so well, but he'd been promised a next time. A next time with just the two of them, him and Leon, on a proper date.