Just imagine a lot of snow.

Cloud x Leon

Dont own, dont sue.

There was a silence everywhere. No sound was heard, nothing moved but the white feathery snowflakes falling from the sky, covering everyting with their soft blanket of pure whiteness. A complete and utter silence. He liked that. Snow had that effect on scenery, it deafened all the sounds, even the wind was a quiet whoosh only on the piles of packed snow. Also it was so breathtakingly and absolutely beautiful, it made his heart feel feelings he had forgotten -or had he ever had the time to stop thinking and actually feel anything?-. All the trees were heavy with their load of snow. Why was it that his heart never knew this kind of peace in summernights, nor did he feel it in Spring or Autumn either.

The sun had gone down early, the clouds covering the sky made the lingering light behind them paint the horizon with mixture of pink, orange and deep purple. So beautiful. He couldn't think of any other word for this. It was like the cold wind was blowing a fresh air into his drained soul as well as over his face, as it blew gently past his standing figure caressing his blond locks of hair.

Lifting his face to look at the sky above him he saw only the little snowflakes falling, landing on his face, melting away quickly. A soft smile made its way to his lips, pale cheeks gathering pink on them as the frost got to him, standing there in the middle of the quiet space, far from the town and its busy people. Just him and the soft caress of snow. There was a light chuckle escaping his throat as he noticed how the snow landed on his eyelashes, making his view a little blurry. He tried to blink them away, only managing to make the flakes stuck more to his lashes and of course it made his laugh happily, it was so fantastic!

He felt like a kid in a candystore too. Raising his arms to his sides and simply just falling straight back down to the snow, with an muffled puff, momentarily disappearing under the whiteness before wiping his face clean with one leather glad hand. He laughed out loud, feeling his heart rejoicing with this calmness around him.

The ground was cold to lay on, but still at the same time comforting and numbing. All the worry and strain slowly were wiped away with cold seeking its way to under his clothes. He chuckled as he thought of something.

"All I want for Christmas.. is something warm." He whispered up to the falling snow. All remained silent and he closed his eyes, breathing steadily in his cold resting place the air turning white above his face.

From where he was standing, under the snow coated tree, Leon had the most perfect view to this scene that made his mind go to the Christmas-mode the girls had been trying to get him in for weeks already. It was pure coincidence he even was here to witness this moment. He had merely been walking out, his leather jacket tightly wrapped around him, a huge scarf around his neck and hands stuck into his pockets to keep him warm in this nippy air. He had been feeling useless the whole day, the girls were busying themselves with decorating the tree and house, Cid never leaving his computes and machines, Cloud.. He had not seen the blond warrior in few days now, but that was nothing new. So he left the house for a walk and ended up here, on the borders of the town, under this tree, watching everything being blanketed silently with snow.

Then Cloud had emerged from the darkness, obviously doing the same as he was; just looking at the scenery and looking for some peace in this comforting loneliness. Leon found himself mesmerized by his friend, seeing him smile for the first time so happily, hearing him laugh and nearly feeling the giddy happiness radiating from the usually stoic and brooding warrior. The blond hair soon had that white cover of snow as he just stood there, for a long time.

He startled as the other so suddenly just fell down into the pile of snow. Was something wrong? He nearly took off towards the other, but then heard the blond man laughing, wiping his face. Leon felt his heart to skip a beat as he heard the silent request aired from the ground. Something warm..?

Though, now that he thought of it, Cloud had very little on him, concidering it was such a cold evening. No jacket and definitely no scarf around his delicate neck. Only the turtle-neck shirt, this time at least it was a version that had sleeves, -thank goodness- and the usual baggy pants. He bitterly figured the blond hardly had had the sense to put anything warm under them, either. Cloud would be sniffing in no time with his lack of clothes, and now he was lying in the snow!

Leon shook his head and smiled gently. It was just adorable for the stiff warrior to let his moody demeanor drop and enjoy for once in his life something so simple as snow. He on the other hand.. he was having something warm forming in his chest as he thought of the blond man; his friend, his companion, his.. well, someone who held his trust.

Softly he made his way towards the lying man, trying to be as quiet as he could be, which was hard to manage since he knew the other was very alert usually. But Cloud just stayed still there, snow covering him like he was a statue forgotten on the ground to be buried under the winter frost. Leon managed to get next to Cloud's head, kneeling there and marveling the glistening snowflakes on the pale eyelashes, on the freezing cheeks and on the pink full lips. Something warm, wasn't it?

He leant down slowly, carefully placing his lips over the still lips under him. A light kiss, cold skin met not much warmer skin. Cloud startled, eyes snapping wide open to see who had intruded his peace.

"Oi, what..! ... Leon?" Blue eyes were holding a hundred confused questions, rightfully so. This was not something they had ever shared, perhaps never had even thought of sharing.

"Something warm, it was what you wanted for Christmas, right?" He had just felt like doing this, now surprised how natural it felt to do so, how good it also had felt.

"..." Cloud was silent for a moment, their lips not touching, Leon still lingering an inch or two away from his face. "Your lips are as cold a mine, so I guess it didn't count.."

"Oh.." The brunette smiled softly as Cloud reached one hand up to take a hold of his scarf and pull him down again. "Well, let's try again." Lips meeting, this time slightly warmer. It was nothing even close to passionate, only something they found they enjoyed sharing, something sweet and cute. Something silent and peaceful, like the scenery they had lost themselves earlier. There was something natural in this gesture, something they should have been familiar long time ago already.

As Leon pulled away slowly, he nudged the tip of Clouds nose with his own. "Merry Christmas.." Placing a tender kiss on the pink cheek before he backed off to stand up, still looking down at the other who was following him with those brilliant blue eyes of his and.. smiling so very softly it made Leon's heart to skip a beat again. Impossibly beautiful, just like this evening!

Cloud laughed softly as he held his hand up for help getting himself up. The standing warrior taking a hold of the hand eagerly, pulling the blond up and with one smooth move he had tugged the other straight into his arms and wrapped his arms around the snow covered waist. Cloud bursted into laughter again and hugged Leon with a happy smile on his pretty features.

"I had no idea you were such a softie." Cloud buried his face into Leon's scarf, warming his cold skin, nuzzling eventually to the brunette's warm neck, making the other shiver for the chilling contact.

"Only with you." Leon blinked after he realised what he had said, taking a moment to ponder the words, as did Cloud too. They just stood there, in each others arms, quietly. Just enjoying the frozen moment. Two stoic warriors finding something to cherish in their memories, in their hearts that weren't so cold they had thought.

Christmas Eve

"Ohh, Cloud open it! What is it!" Yuffie shrieked exitedly, around her the ripped papers of already open presents, watching with hungry eyes the blond man gently opening his soft packet that held no other card than the recievers name.

"Shut up Yuf and let Cloud open it in peace." Aerith kicked her friend gently from the sofa she was cuddled on. Cloud only glared at the raven haired girl, sneezed into his tissue went on opening the paper. He was actually curious what it was. A huge scarf fell to his lap and a card with it.

'Something to warm you.'

"Awww! A scarf! From who it is?"

"Doesn't say." But Cloud had raised his eyes to Leon who was sitting in one of the armchairs, smile hidden in his silvery eyes. Cloud took the scarf, wrapped it around his neck and stood up from the floor. He made his way to the brunette and leaned towards the brunette man with a smile creeping on the corners of his mouth. "Merry Christmas." And then gently kissed the sitting man straight on his lips, as softly as the other had kissed him few nights earlier in the snow, before patting away to the kitchen.

There was a stunned silence in the room, all eyes turning to look at Leon who was trying to sink under the armchair, slowly turning very Christmas red.

FIN

Yay. Happy Holidays, everyone! :)