A/N: Geez, it's been nearly a month since I last posted anything. I've lost my muse! Anyways, here's a little something to help me get my mojo back. I've got about half a dozen drafts that I just can't finish. It's a bit of a different style from all my previous writings, I think. The title is from Journey's song "Sweet And Simple", one of the songs I was listening to while writing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts (Or Journey)
Leon cradled his cell phone between his shoulder and ear as he struggled to open the front door. How is it that his father always managed to call at the most inconvenient times?
"We never talk anymore, Squall." Laguna whined through the phone.
"How many times have I told you, it's Leon now?" Hands filled with paperwork and an empty travel mug, Leon was finally able to turn the key and push the door open. He dropped the papers on the couch to sort later before kicking off his boots. "And we had coffee just last week, Laguna."
"How many times have I told you, it's Dad?"
"Whatever." Leon mumbled. He peeked into the kitchen to find Cloud stirring something at the stove. Cloud turned to acknowledge the older man with a smile before going back to his cooking.
"And coffee for an hour isn't talking. I think we should spend an evening together. I haven't been to your apartment yet and you've lived there for over a year now…"
Leon groaned as he moved further into the apartment to finish the conversation out of the blond's earshot. He could feel a headache coming on as his father started up his not-so-subtle hints for an invitation over.
"I've told you before, Laguna. It's a small apartment. Not much to look at and no space."
"No space to have one guest over for dinner? No apartment is that small. Squall."
No, his apartment was definitely not that small. As a matter of fact, it was a spacious two-bedroom apartment with a large living room, kitchen, dining area, and a private balcony that over-looked Radiant Garden. The real reason Leon had never invited his father over was Cloud.
Leon and Cloud had started out as friends before becoming roommates after Cloud decided he wanted a more permanent residence. And now they were something…more. They never really talked about what they were to each other, and Leon never really put much thought into it. But one day they were sleeping in separate rooms. And the next, naked, sweaty limbs were tangled on the kitchen floor. The transition period of friends-with-benefits didn't last very long before feelings became involved, bringing them to where they were now.
Leon wasn't ashamed of Cloud. Far from it. But he was concerned about how Laguna would react. His father had no idea Leon was bi, and he definitely didn't know he had been living and sleeping with the same man for nearly a year.
Laguna had not known about Leon for most of the younger brunet's life. When he found out he was a father, Laguna searched his son out and they had been in and out of each other's lives for over five years now. But Leon was still getting used to having a father and didn't know Laguna as well as he would have liked. Admittedly he hadn't given the man much of a chance for them to get to know each other. He wasn't sure what of the whole situation scared him more; disappointing his father, or his father disappointing him.
Leon pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed into the phone. "Fine. Come over for dinner tomorrow night. There's someone I want you to meet anyways."
"Is this a special someone?" Leon could hear the grin in his father's voice and was already regretting his decision.
"Yes. But don't make a big deal of it."
"Oh come on, Squall! A father isn't allowed to be excited about meeting whoever it is that puts a smile on his son's face?"
"I mean it Dad. Don't screw this up for me."
"They mean that much to you, huh?" Laguna's voice sobered as the gravity of the situation settled over him. Leon had called him dad only half a dozen times in the years they had known each other.
"Yeah... They do. So make one wrong move and I will kick you out on your ass."
"I'll be on my best behaviour. So, tomorrow at six?"
"Sure. I'll text you the address. See you then."
Leon hung up the phone, peering down the hallway to see if Cloud had come looking for him. He could hear the sounds of cooking; the echo of pots and pans knocking against each other and something sizzling as it fried. This was either going to be the best decision of his life, or the worst.
Leaving his cell, tossing it on their shared bed through the open door, Leon made his way back to the kitchen. He leaned against the door frame, watching as the blond moved around the kitchen. Cloud's hair was slightly damp from an earlier shower causing his naturally gravity-defying spikes to slightly droop. A worn t-shirt hugged Cloud's lean frame making his back muscles visible as they moved while he stirred something in a pot. And a loose pair of faded jeans hung low on Cloud's narrow hips; the extra fabric gathered under his bare feet.
"How was work?" Cloud glanced at Leon over his shoulder before turning back to the stove.
"Boring. Tedious. How was yours?"
Cloud laughed, "About the same. That and dirty." Cloud wrinkled his nose at the memory of the grease and oil stains he'd been covered in thanks to a particularly troublesome repair job and incompetent co-worker. "So… how's Laguna?" Cloud chanced a guess at who Leon had been talking to when he arrived home.
"Fine. As frustrating as usual. He's coming over for dinner tomorrow."
"Really?" Cloud turned to fully look at Leon, a hopeful smile playing at his lips. Cloud has made it known to Leon that he wanted to meet his father but knew better than to push it.
"Yeah. Really. Figured it was time you two met." Leon gave a casual shrug as he tried to downplay the significance of his announcement. In response, Cloud's smile widened until he was positively beaming.
"Are you sure?"
"No." Leon answered honestly. Of all the things he'd done in his life, this was by far the most terrifying.
"Oh." Cloud deflated, his shoulders slumping as his smile faltered. A brief flash of hurt fluttered across his face before he put on his best fake smile. "I can always clear out for the night. And move my stuff back to the other room. Then you can tell him I'm your roommate. It's the truth, really…so…" Cloud trailed off as he turned away, avoiding Leon's gaze as he went back to absently stirring.
"I can't back out now. I told him I had someone I want him to meet and he won't believe I just meant my roommate. Besides, I want to introduce you two. I'm just…anxious."
Leon moved into the kitchen, approaching the blond so he could wrap arms around Cloud's torso. He pulled Cloud into him, bringing the blond's back flush with his chest. Cloud melted into the brunet's embrace. A soft smile tugging at his lips as Leon's breath tickled the side of his face.
"You want to?"
"I want to." Leon murmured into Cloud's ear before kissing a trail down the blond's neck. Cloud tilted his head to the opposite side, allowing better access to the sensitive skin Leon was currently worshipping.
"What should I make for dinner tomorrow?"
"Don't worry about it. We'll order a pizza or something."
"You want to order take-out the first time you dad comes over for dinner?" Cloud scowled at the idea. "Do you not like my cooking?"
"The opposite. If he gets fed one of your meals, he'll invite himself over every day."
Cloud let out a snort before turning to give Leon a quick peck on his nose as he shrugged out of the embrace. "Well tonight's dinner is ready. Set the table, please."
After a nice quiet dinner -that was as superb as always- Leon opted for doing the dishes in the morning choosing instead to take his younger lover to bed. He dragged their lovemaking out as long as possible; relishing in the sweet sounds emitting from the writhing blond sprawled out beneath him. Now satiated, they lay tangled together cherishing the silence. Cloud had his head nestled on Leon's shoulder as he traced patterns along the brunet's chest and across his abs while Leon had one arm wrapped around Cloud's back and the other tucked under his head, propping it up.
"What are you thinking about?" Cloud broke the increasingly tense silence.
"Tomorrow. What do I call you?"
"Usually Cloud. But sometimes Jerk, Ass, Idiot- Y'know, your affectionate nicknames kinda suck."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. Idiot." Cloud chuckled as the brunet lightly smacked his shoulder. "How do I introduce you to Laguna? I can't use boyfriend. It's juvenile."
"Yeah... We're not a couple of teenagers."
"How about mate?"
"We're not animals either."
"Well, one of us isn't."
"Hey!" Cloud slapped Leon's chest in protest. "You ever want to have sex again?"
Leon laughed as he kissed the top of Cloud's head.
"How about...accomplice?" Cloud suggested with a grin.
"We're not criminal masterminds." Leon laughed. "Though I could introduce you as my sidekick."
"If you do, I hope you enjoyed tonight. Because that will be the last time I ever have sex with you."
"Okay. Not sidekick." They lapsed back into silence. Cloud continued running his fingers along Leon's chest as Leon mimicked the patterns down Cloud's back. "Companion?"
"Uh-uh. It sounds…cheap."
Leon grunted in agreement before drifting silent once more.
"You know, I'm okay with roommate." Cloud murmured as his fingers halted in their movements, curling into his palm.
"But I'm not okay with roommate. I want to do this right."
"And introducing me as Master isn't right?"
"No." Leon let out another chuckle. "I don't even want to know how he'd take that."
Cloud reddened at Leon's insinuation, burrowing his face into the brunet's chest with a groan in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
"What about partner?"
Cloud pushed himself up and twisted so he was leaning over the brunet. He was propped up with his right forearm on a pillow and his left hand braced on Leon's chest. Cerulean eyes stared unwavering into steel-grey. "Partner?" he repeated, testing the word out as it rolled off his tongue.
"I know that it sounds long-term and we've never talked about the future. But we've been together for about a year and- I want long-term with you. You know...like...life-" Leon's ramblings were cutoff as Cloud leaned down to kiss him.
The blond pulled back breathless, "I like partner." He shifted so he was straddling the brunet's waist before leaning down for another kiss, his hands now braced either side of Leon's head. Leon wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders before flipping them so he had the blond caged beneath him. He deepened the kiss; running his tongue along Cloud's bottom lip before devouring any further words that would pass between them.