For GunbladeMassacre on dA, inspired by his beautiful painting, "Sunrise". I just saw it and was kinda stunned into writing. XD I wrote this side-by-side with the painting, and I recommend you read it the same way.
Revised a teeny bit. Thank you to J Plash for your input!
Disclaimer: dood, fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and the characters and universes therein are the property of Disney and Square Enix. I receive no remuneration for this work; it is a parody and as such utilizes the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Act.
And so it ends.
Leon's nimble fingers, now gloved once more, fix Cloud's belt and adjust the length of fabric draped off of the younger man's hip. Cloud idly fiddles with the three straps of leather around Leon's forearm—the ones he had never bothered to take off, not this time—and allows the gesture, because it's nice to let someone worry over him sometimes, as long as it's this someone.
They're closer than toe to toe; there's hardly any space between them still. It's dark and quiet, and the smallest of breezes is beginning to smooth across the flat blue rock they stand on, but there's no plant life here to move with the wind, nothing to indicate its presence other than the slight ruffle of brown and blond hair and the faint shift of heavy canvas around Cloud's legs. They're still alone on the empty expanse of the Dark Depths, and the forthcoming sunrise is barely starting to grace them and the surrounding terrain with the promise of its warmth.
They stand there for a time, content to just be in each other's presence. Eventually, Cloud tips his chin up, and Leon does the same. Their eyes meet in a gaze both solemn and subtly heartfelt, and Cloud's leather-covered knuckles come up to graze along Leon's jaw. The touch isn't gentle, and it isn't firm; it's just Cloud, and Leon sighs softly and closes his eyes.
"You should go."
"Yeah. You too."
And so they do.
So it begins.
