Cloud was a little tipsy. Perhaps more than a little; Cloud was blitzed. It had been a good night with plenty of food and even more booze and Cloud, his tummy full and wearing drunken grin, felt pretty relaxed. Until he laid eyes upon the man across the room. Leon, the one guest he had barely spoken to all night, caught his gaze and held it. Minutes previously, Cloud had experienced difficulty in keeping his vision in the singular but as soon as he spotted Leon, focus returned with his friend, clarity. Cloud fancied that he could see every pore on Leon's face, his scar all but glowing in an attempt to capture its viewer's attention. Following the jagged line upwards, purely involuntarily of course, Cloud's world was suddenly reduced to nothing but the two eyes peering back at him. Great. Not only was he staring; he had been caught.
"Fuck."
The muttered curse went unheard but not unnoticed as was apparent by Leon's eyebrow raising. With a smirk on his lips, the man pushed away from where he'd been leaning and slowly made his way forwards. The advance seemed to spin out for an eternity and all the while, Cloud was dimly aware that he could escape before Leon would reach him, but by the time he finally persuaded his feet to move it was too late. Leon stood before him with a shaky, equally as drunk, smile on his lips and gave Cloud, what he supposed was meant to be, a lewd wink.
"Was that an offer?"
Cloud stared dumbly at Leon, not quite sure of what the man meant. After running his tongue around his mouth in an attempt to work up enough saliva to enable him to speak, Cloud responded to Leon's query with as much eloquence and aplomb as he could muster.
"Huh?"
"I asked," Leon leaned a little closer, alcohol-soaked breath ghosting over Cloud's cheek. "If that was an offer. You did mouth 'fuck' at me, right?"
Watching Leon bordered on hypnotic; the man rocked backwards and forwards on his heels, lips quirked in a lopsided smile and eyes half-lidded, but still showing enough for Cloud to see a twinkle. Willing his thoughts back to the question posed to him, Cloud struggled to think of something witty to say. Quiet by nature, Cloud was ill-equipped for this type of conversation at the best of times but with alcohol-dulled senses and only just managing to remain upright, never mind flirt, Cloud floundered for a response.
"Uh, maybe?"
It wasn't the smoothest he could have managed. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure that Leon was flirting. The body language suggested so, as did the sultry tones but it was Leon and the only person in Radiant Garden as emotionally stunted and reticent as Cloud was Leon. It made his brain hurt.
"If it's a maybe then what do I have to do to make it a definitely?"
"Uh..."
Okay, so it was flirting. Who knew Leon was capable of flirtation? Cloud's mind backtracked and he found himself wondering if anyone knew that Leon even liked guys. Maybe it was just a drunk thing. People could do all sorts of out of character things whilst under the influence of a dozen or so shots. A gentle tug on his sleeve pulled Cloud from his thoughts.
"Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable if we took this outside?"
Outside sounded good, with fresh air and the like. Nodding, Cloud motioned for Leon to lead the way and following the other man, he couldn't help the way his eyes were drawn to slightly swaying hips, tight trousers, perfectly shaped ass.
"Like what you see?"
"It's very..." Cloud searched his vocabulary for a suitable adjective. "Pert."
Leon grinned over his shoulder and clenched then unclenched his buttock muscles, making his ass appear to dance.
"If you like it now, just wait till I get you home."
Home was a small house that Leon was renovating. One might think that after all the other restoration work in Radiant Garden, Leon might like to go home and relax. Possibly drink a beer or two. That wasn't the case; Leon claimed it was therapeutic to restore his own abode. He said it gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that the window beside his bed no longer leaked because he had fixed it. Cloud couldn't remember Leon ever fixing anything in his own room, though and was fairly certain that he was the only one with a non-leaky window. Still, Cloud knew better than to contradict his house-mate, lest he find himself with a hole above his bed, where the roof had once been.
Cloud lived with Leon at Aerith's insistence. 'He should have company and who better?' she had told Cloud whilst packing his meagre belongings and all but shoving him out the door. He also knew better than to contradict Aerith; that would be a fate worse than staring unhindered at the night sky. As it happened, the new living arrangements suited him and he had found Leon to be a most companionable house-mate. They rarely spent time together but when they did, it was a pleasant experience. Both men appreciated silence and could comfortably sit in the same room for hours without uttering a word to each other. It was no surprise, Cloud mused as he was pushed against the wall of Merlin's house, that he didn't know Leon's sexual preferences. Preferences which were rapidly making themselves known.
"I think you were avoiding me all night," Leon whispered against Cloud's throat. "Were you?"
Despite his drunken haze, Cloud became aware of Leon's thigh, pressing firmly between his legs and the implications of the action.
"I-I wasn't." He tried to sound certain; it came out breathy. "I was mingling."
"You stood at the edge, glowering at everyone and knocking back drinks like they were going out of fashion."
"Ah," Cloud said, knowing that he'd been busted. Then came his second thought. "You were watching me?"
The thigh pressed harder against his erection - now, when had that happened? - and Leon nodded, his hair tickling Cloud's ear.
"I always watch you. You're a sight to behold and did you know that when you read, you fiddle with your earring? And that you jiggle your left leg whenever you eat ice cream?"
Pondering over whether to mention Leon's habit of always nibbling around the edge of a sandwich, Cloud rolled his hips against Leon's leg.
"That's creepy."
"I also know that you watch me."
Busted again.
"What's your point?"
Whatever the answer he expected, it wasn't what he got. Leon's tongue invading his mouth was a far better response; actions speak louder than words and all that. The kiss was sudden, ferociously eager and bone-meltingly hot. It was all Cloud could do to remember to breathe through his nose as the other man refused let up on the kiss.
When the two finally parted, lips parted and breaths coming in short gasps, they reached an unspoken agreement, conveyed to each other in lusty looks and waving hand gestures. Both men turned on their heels, only a little unsteadily and practically ran towards their shared home.
The following morning, Cloud was the first to wake. He yawned, stretched, scratched his crotch and only once his itch was gone did he crack open his eyes. On the edge of his vision, he saw the brown mess that was Leon's hair and the events of the previous evening came flooding back.
"Shit, Leon..."
In typical hungover fashion, Cloud's voice came out as a throaty rasp and he had to clear his throat a few times before trying, once more, to rouse his sleeping companion.
"Oi, Leon!"
The no-less throaty rasp was accompanied by a nudge and Leon spluttered his indignation at the rude awakening. Then, it seemed, reality hit him as well.
"Oh fuck...did we...?"
The trailed off question couldn't have been clearer. Lifting his head as much as he could without incurring blinding pain, Cloud cast a glance over their prone bodies.
"No."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Well," Cloud said, gently lowering his head back to its previous position. "We're fully clothed and lying beside the front door."
"Oh. I thought your bed was awfully hard. Probably for the best, though. Right?"
"Oh yeah. Of course. Otherwise, we'd be horribly embarrassed and awkward with each other right now."
The comment raised a chuckle from both men, quickly followed by dual groans of pain and discomfort.
"I think I'm gonna go to bed. I need more sleep."
Leon disentangled himself, struggled to his feet then shuffled off in the direction of his bedroom and Cloud heaved a sigh. He wasn't disappointed, not really. Well, maybe just a little.
"Hey!"
Leon's voice filtered through Cloud's pretending to not be disappointed musings.
"What?"
"I hear that sex is an excellent cure for post-boozing blues."
And quicker than was decent for someone with a hangover, Cloud was on his feet and in Leon's arms, kissing the man.
"Just one thing first." Cloud said, pulling back and turning his head away.
"What?"
"We should brush our teeth. My mouth tastes like a hobo's jockstrap and you're not much better."
"Then sex?"
"Then sex."
"Deal."
The end