Disclaimer: I own nothing.

BTW:AUverse. OOC

Cloud's POV

Ugh. A new day, another set of miserable hours starving, being cold and hungry, and missing my parents every second of the day. Another set of stupid hours that I want to end and never start again...I hate my excuse of a life. Ugh.

So yeah, I just summed up my day, everyday,. My name is Cloud Strife, as of now I'm sixteen years old. My hair is supposed to be blond but since I'm an orphan I don't get the luxury of a warm shower and I only get partially clean when it rains. My eyes are blue... I think, I don't really remember, I haven't seen them in like...forever. My skin would be pale but it's caked in dirt so...yeah.

My only friend is opportunity, the opportunity to steal and get munny or food. My long time, since birth, enemy is opportunity...the opportunity for that man to kill my parents...and leave me an orphan...like the woman in Fury of abandonment by Ann Sexton I have no hands...no love in my life.

I let out a sigh as I walked down the dusty, unmaintained roads of my side of the city...the other side was so grand, so pretty...so unattainable and so uncaring to the people that die daily next door. It makes me sick, makes me want to sometimes. I walked past an apple stand, luckily the girl was working...she liked me and her father hated me.

I began to sweet talk her. "Hay sweet pea. I missed you, how have you been?" I started, she was mine from 'Hay.' Just in case I kept going. "You look pretty today, the ribbon makes your eyes sparkle." I said that every time and she loved it because her boyfriend Zack gave it to her. The ribbon was pink and clashed with her brown hair in a nice way...kinda but I wasn't into her. I found out, at an early age I batted for the other team...if you get my drift.

"So, Cloud, how many apples do you want today?" She asked. "You already paid for four." She told me...hmmmm more flirting for more apples...sure.

"Ummmm how much will, your so beautiful, your eyes sparkle, your face is the essence of beauty and your hair is softer then the warmest fur, buy me?" I flirted and she blushed, when she blushed I got at least a whole bag full...a dozen.

"Does two bags sound good?" She asked, the blush was really red. I nodded vigorously. She smiled and reached for two bags and filled them with apples. I kissed her cheek and ran off, happy for my earnings. That kiss would get me two bags...I hope.

I scurried, yes we homeless thieves are forced to scurry like animals. I made my way to a less crowded slum area and sat down in a small alleyway. I didn't notice the other occupant until he lunged at me. He was bigger then I was, more muscle, he was almost feral, more animal then boy. He reached for my apples but I rolled under him, when I was up I bolted. I stopped from my all out sprint when I heard the most heart wrenching sob EVER. It made the 'you killed my puppy dog' sob sound like a happy giggle.

I turned my head. The boy, whom I only now decided to get a good look at, was sitting in the spot I left him. His brown hair hung over his face, hiding his eyes. I saw a small frown on his face. I, reluctantly and hesitantly, walked over to him...he didn't make a move, he seemed defeated as I got close enough to read his body language. His shoulders where slumped and his limbs sagged. His stomach growled.

He blushed softly and I offered him an apple. He took it and polished it off, leaving only the seeds, stem, and leaf. "So, you like apples?" I asked, jokingly.

His voice was chocked a bit, sheepish. "Yeah." He flipped his hair out of his eyes to reveal the bright light blue eyes he had hidden seconds ago...I like those eyes. They where innocent, nice...mismatched with his ragged muscled body.

"What's your name?" I prompted. Lets see how much I can get out of this kid...maybe we could try to survive with each other, no longer alone...maybe I'll find my hands in this boy.

"My name is stupid...you'll laugh like everyone else." He told me. I shook my head.

"No way, nothing can be worse then Cloud Strife...I mean what the heck where my parents thinking? Cloud strife, they mine as well have named me Rain or something. I won't laugh at your name." I told him. He still refused.

"I like your name, and I think it is WAY cooler then mine." He said.

"Come on, please?" I asked him, still no. Maybe an apple for an answer. "How about I give you another apple if you tell me your name?" I prompted...yes!

"K, apple first." he demanded...he sounded tough like that...pretty cool. I reached into the bag and gave him another apple. He ate it just like he did the first one. He hesitated before saying his name. "Promise you won't laugh at me?" He asked again.

I sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I promise I will not laugh at your name." I told him.

"Okay...my name is...Squall Leonhart." He said, he sounded proud when he said it, not like the boy who thought it was stupid moments ago. But he was right, it was a stupid name,i stifled my laughter. He blushed and looked down at the ground. "I told you, you would laugh." He said. I shook my head.

"I- i- I'm not laughing." I said...so just jinxed myself. I busted out laughing. I was laughing so loud that I only heard him mutter something else. I stopped long enough to ask him a question. "Ha?"

He sighed. "I SAID I prefer Leon, but you would have heard me if you weren't laughing so loud!" He told me, almost yelling. I saw a tint of red on his cheeks as I rolled on the hard unpaved alley.

Squall/Leon's POV

I was so mad at Cloud, he promised he wouldn't laugh and there he was! On the ground laughing at me! Stupid, lying, beautiful, generous, hay is that his skin showing? It is...he looks nice. He was small and thin but looked good nonetheless. He had blond hair and blue eyes.

Oh Crap! What the hell is that? I thought. He had this hideous mark of black, tinted red, and super ugly mark on his back. I felt sick and my face showed it. He stopped laughing.

Cloud's POV

'Hehehe, he was mad, and he was cute like that...what the?' I thought, his face went from cute to almost barfing on the spot...oh NO! My shirt! It had ridden up past my stomach and he could see IT! He thought I was some type of monster now...there goes my chance at finding my hands. I stopped laughing and stood up quickly, I pulled down my shirt quicker.

"Leon...I...I..." I began, what do I say? What do I DO! He shook his head slowly and I began to cry. For the minutes I knew him, I thought he was awesome, cute to. Now it was over!

Squall/Leon's POV

"Leon...I...I..." Cloud started and then he began to cry, he looked wrecked...did he not want me to see that mark? I sure didn't want to see that mark. It was hideous, he bolted and forgot his apples. I picked them up and ran after him.

"CLOUD!" I called as I sprinted. He turned for a second and ran right into a man who happened to be passing by. He let out a 'ough!' as he fell and hit the ground. I offered my hand but he laid there crying, the guy didn't seem to care.

"Cloud, come on get up. You can't just lay there." I told him, my voice demanding. But he wouldn't listen to me, he stayed there crying.

"You...you...i'm ugly! You hate me! I...I...I saw you, you wanted to vomit when you saw what was under my shirt." He babbled out.

"Cloud, yeah sure it shocked me and all, and I would lie if I said it wasn't gross and a bit scary but just because I saw a little bit of something gross doesn't mean I think you are! You're a great person, cute to. You gave me apples when nobody would even look at me...I don't care that you laughed at my name." I told him. I wanted him to listen, and I wanted him to need some comfort so I could hug him...hehe.

Cloud sniffled and wiped away the tears, but I could see that water was still in his eyes. He sat up, his big blue eyes staring at me, a puppy dog look on his face. "Ya really think that Leon?" He asked me. I nodded. He smiled and stood up, taking my hand. "Oh, now I feel stupid for overreacting." He said, another blush on his face. He still had my hand in his. We blushed and separated. He teetered back and forth on his heels, thinking. He stopped when he noticed the bags of apples I had in my hand. "Hay, you brought the apples!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can't just leave them there, somebody would have taken them." I told him and he nodded. We stayed in an awkward silence and people began to stare at the two boys who where in the middle of the road.

He grabbed my hand again and lead my to an abandoned house. "This is my home!" He told my proudly. "I share it with my friends Tifa and Barrett. Oh and there is Vincent to." He told me. I nodded my head. "Tifa and me have stuck it out since we where little, I've known Barrett and Vincent for a few years. By the way how old are you?" He babbled.

"Oh, I am twelve. You?" I said...i hated being younger then people and being more mature...i think that is gonna happen...Cloud doesn't seem to be the most mature person I've met. But then again is me wailing in an alley so mature? Is some crazy guy with a gun mature when he shot my parents for not having their wallets with them? Better not to dwell on old scars, on all the pain.

"Oh, I'm fourteen. Tifa is thirteen, Barrett is seventeen and Vincent is seventeen to." Cloud said. He sure loved to talk but oh well he makes up for my lack of talking. We walked into the house. He showed me around a bit but told me not to go up to the third floor( the building had four floors) because the third floor staircase was broken and if you put weight on it they would break and all sorts of bad things would happen.

As he showed me around I saw a pretty young girl. She had long black hair and deep brown eyes. She had a small white t-shirt and a small black mini skirt on, she was kinda hot. "HI CLOUD!" She screamed as she saw said boy walk into the room, she didn't seem to notice me.

"Hay Tifa, this is Leon, we are taking him in! Say 'Hi' you to." He announced. Tifa smiled in my direction.

"Hi Leon, I'm Tifa, I am the thief of the group. I'm fourteen, just like Cloud." She told me and I nodded. She smiled at me and Cloud who smiled back.

I smiled at her in return. "I'm Leon, but you already know that,ummmmmm I'm twelve and uh I like apples." I told her sheepishly, I had NO idea what to tell her, I mean I don't even know her but she seems friendly enough. She nodded her head.

"So, Leon, I forgot to tell you, we each have jobs to do. Since Barrett and Vincent are old enough they can actually have jobs, with a little help from a forger buddy of ours they have an actual house and everything. Tifa steals and I recruit more people...as of now you are the first person that I recruited. Me and Tifa where picked up by Barrett and Vincent." Cloud explained as we walked further into the house.

" Hay Cloud" I started with a blush. "where do we sleep? Ans uh go to the bathroom?" I asked him.

"Oh since Barrett and Vincent have jobs we have air mattresses but they cost a lot so you can bunk with me and as of now we are squatters, don't worry though we have toilet paper." He told me and I nodded.

"Where is the toilet paper?" I asked him...i had to go. I ate those apples to fast.

"Their is a door in that room with the toilet paper, outside is our bathroom." He told me and I hurried off. I was done with my business in a few minutes. "That took a while." Cloud told me and I punched him, playfully, in the arm. He laughed again. "Ouch Leon, that kinda hurt." He said and punched my arm. Soon it was a contest, I was the victor because I had more muscles. We both ended up with bruises and I was tired. Cloud noticed.

"I'll show you the bed rooms." He said and, with our hands intertwined, he showed me his room. He had a small mattress in the corner and he had a set of pajamas on it. "I have another pair of pajamas somewhere." He told me and after scrummaging around he presented me with a pair of sky blue footy pajamas. " Which ones do you want?" The other pair was a pair of jogging pants and a shirt.

"I'll take the other pair, your name's cloud so you get the sky blue ones." I told him and dashed for the other pair. He blushed . "Well turn around and don't peek, I'll get dressed and then I am going to bed." He told me and I complied. He was done in seconds and I used all my will power to not take a peek. When he was done he layed down.

Clouds POV

I watched as Leon grabbed my pajamas, I was a bit depressed because I wanted him to where these but I bet these where going to make me look cuter so I would deal with it. And since he never told me not to watch him I did. He had a nice body and a bigger frame then mine. He slipped into the bed with me and after talking about ourselves for a few minutes he began to drift off into sleep. Before he fell asleep I kissed him good night. It lasted two seconds and at the end he started to kiss back but I broke away. I hugged him, all the while he blushed and didn't say anything, we fell asleep that way.