Truth and Lies
By: .x.Sephy.x.
Rated: T
Warnings: Yaoi (boyxboy), Fluffiness
Disclaimer: Since Kingdom Hearts DOES NOT belong to me, Square Enix gets no cookies. Ok, maybe they can have some of the oatmeal raisins…
A/N: Hello, people! I know I just wrote a story a few days ago, but I couldn't resist since I keep getting good ideas. I have a strange feeling that in a month or two I will have many more stories! Enjoy the fluffy LeonxCloud goodness!!
Leon awoke with another sore back, just like the last few days. He could tell it was going to be one of those 'get-out-of-my-face-or-I'll-slice-you' days…Well, once again, just like the last few days.
The Heartless kept arriving by the thousands in Hollow Bastion and were causing everyone to have to work overtime. The annoying things seemed infinite, you killed one, and two more appeared. Leon didn't know how much more he could take.
Especially with all the distractions Leon had to put up with all day. Namely, Cloud Strife. Ever since the blond had randomly shown up and joined the Restoration Committee, Leon couldn't take his eyes off the quiet man. He also couldn't drive the attractive man from his thoughts. It was driving him nuts!
Leon kept telling himself that it was just physical attraction, but he quickly proved himself wrong. Whenever Cloud would be hurt in a battle, Leon would stay up all night worrying about him, and wouldn't be able to shut his eyes until he knew Cloud was going to be okay.
Leon, to comfort himself, would list the reasons why he could not have Cloud:
Cloud was straight
Cloud was in love with Tifa
Leon didn't want to lose someone the same way he had lost Rinoa, who he had found out was cheating on him. With Seifer.
Leon had sort of assumed the second, but he couldn't help but notice that the two were very close. They didn't act like lovers, but nevertheless Leon wanted to tear Tifa's head off. Of course, he would never really do a thing like that. Probably.
Leon still shuddered at the third thought. It had caused him so much pain to find out that his dear Rinoa didn't really love him. Well, she had claimed she still did, but by that time, the man was already out the door and going in blind directions. Leon had never actually told his friends of his past, except for Yuffie who had pried Leon into telling his real name. Nothing more had slipped past his lips, though.
Squall had been a mess when he showed up at Hollow Bastion, but had gathered himself enough to try and start over. Thus, he had changed his name to Leon and begun the Restoration Committee.
Leon walked out of Merlin's house, where he was staying, and towards the crystal fissure, where he would meet up with Cloud to fight more heartless. That blond seemed to have unlimited energy, Leon mused.
When the brunette showed up at the crystal fissure, Cloud was already there, leaning against a wall as he awaited Leon's arrival.
Leon muttered a quick, "Let's go," and set off towards the spots that the heartless usually inhabited.
Cloud didn't say a word, as usual, as he pushed off of the wall and followed Leon, emotionless expression on his face.
As the two stoic men walked, Leon looked over slightly so that he could admire Cloud's unbelievable blonde hair, beautiful light blue eyes, and full pink lips, set in a sturdy frown. Leon secretly wished he could someday have the pleasure of witnessing that frown turn upwards and those eyes light up in laughter.
Leon couldn't blame the blond; his life story was just as bad. The brunette mused that he and Cloud were actually very similar, their likeness in their fear of opening up to others.
The man was pulled out of his thoughts when an extremely large sword passed within and inch of his face, a puff of dark smoke surrounding him. He watched a sparkling heart rise above his head and finally fade away into the darkness.
Leon realized he hadn't been paying attention and cast an apologetic look at the blond, who was currently scowling at him.
"Don't let your guard down. You act as if you've never seen a Heartless before." Cloud muttered. Leon was surprised, seldom did any words pass the other man's lips.
"Mm." Leon replied swiftly, setting his mind on the aforementioned task.
Leon and Cloud fought fiercely and mercilessly together, each eliminating an equal amount of Heartless, their skills being matched almost perfectly. The contrast of Leon's quick gunblade and Cloud's strong buster sword made them an exceptional fighting pair against the Heartless.
By the time the two were ready to return to Merlin's house, Leon had been wounded in the side by an unexpectedly difficult Heartless, having for the opportune moment let his guard down, no doubt daydreaming about his dueling partner.
"You should be more careful.." Cloud said scoldingly as the two men approached the house, the blond supporting Leon by the waist, the brunette having slung an arm around Cloud's neck.
"Sorry…" Leon replied shamefully as he blushed with the embarrassment of having shown his less alert side in front of Cloud.
"Don't be." Cloud responded amusedly, although the corners of his lips twitched a microscopic bit at Leon's obvious discomfort.
Of course, the embarrassment was only half the reason the brunette was blushing, considering the very close proximity between the two men. Leon could feel Cloud's side rub against his with each step the blond took.
When the two finally reached Merlin's, Leon reluctantly left the warmth of Cloud's protecting embrace to sit carefully on the edge of the blue-sheeted bed.
Yuffie and Cid rushed over, worriedly glancing along Leon's wounded side and over to Cloud and back again.
Yuffie loudly exclaimed, "LEON! ARE YOU HURT?!"
Leon muttered, "It was just a small wound to my side, but now that I have sufficient damage to my ear drums, I would say yes."
Cid gruffly responded, "You ain't the one who's been stuck with the little brat all day!"
As Yuffie offendedly scolded Cid for his comment, Merlin rushed over and inspected Leon's side.
"Yes, yes," the old wizard said distractedly, "I'm going to need to heal this with a spell, since Aerith is helping out in Traverse Town."
"It's alright, I heal quickly." Leon informed him, trying to stand on his own but immediately grabbing his side and slowly sitting back down. Apparently he wasn't going anywhere.
"Nonsense my boy, a little magic will speed up the process dramatically. Besides, we can't have members of the Committee off the job, we need all the help we can get." Merlin lightly chastised the brunette.
The wizard began talking to himself, trying to recover the right spell from his old mind.
Everyone watched with blank looks on their faces as the old man paced the room, absently flipping through what they suspected were spell books.
Finally Merlin exclaimed with a "Eureka!" that he had uncovered the appropriate spell.
"I certainly do hope I've chosen the correct spell.." Merlin accidentally said out loud.
"What do you mean hope?!" Leon once again tried to stand but failed once again as he lowered himself with a moan of pain.
"My dear boy, I am the most skilled magician you shall ever come across! Don't you worry, I'll have you fixed up before you can say hagglesnorf!" The wizard proudly exclaimed, while raising his wand as if to assure everyone that he was a 'certified' magician.
"Whatever. Just make it quick." Leon interjected, cutting the man off from another one of his mind-numbing speeches.
Cloud leaned up against the far wall and silently observed everyone's movements, but especially the brunette's. He may not have shown it, but he was extremely worried about Leon, for he knew of Merlin's accuracy with magic. (Or lack thereof)
Leon's face stayed emotionless as Merlin shot an odd pink light out of his wand, casting an eerie glow around the room. The light focused over Leon and caused him to feel all of a sudden very light-headed and relaxed.
As soon as it came it was gone, and Leon was left feeling slightly dazed. He glanced down and to his horror, the wound was exactly the same as it had been the moment before.
Everyone's eyes widened as they, too, observed Leon's right side.
Leon quietly but in a very intimidating way inquired, "What did it do?"
Merlin was at a loss for words as he scrutinized Leon's form and muttered things along the lines of, 'No visible bodily fluids', 'No unseemly protrusions', and 'No extreme rise in temperature..'
Leon impatiently waited for an answer as the others, including Cloud, tried to figure out what the wizard had cast upon the brunette.
Cloud approached the brunette as the others panicked and babbled about possible affects, walking slowly towards the source of their worried chattering.
The blond all of a sudden roared, "QUIET!!!" The sound of Cloud's smooth voice echoed off the walls as the room became completely and totally silent. You could have easily heard a pin drop.
"Now," the blonde started, "I think I have an idea of what happened."
Everyone waited on the edge of their seats as Cloud slowly addressed the brunette, "What is your name?"
The others in the room looked around confusedly at the obvious question.
Leon gave Cloud an odd look before replying, "You very well know my name. It's Le-. It's Le-." Leon tried but could not utter the syllables. All of a sudden he blurted, to everyone's surprise,(Except Yuffie's)"It's Squall Leonhart!"
Leon turned an amazing shade of red as the others bombarded him with questions like, 'It is?!' and 'Why'd you change it?!'
Leon shouted, "Stop calling me that!"
The group once again silenced as Leon elaborated, "I changed it to forget my past. Case closed. Now, Cloud, what is it that the spell did to me?" The brunette attempted to appear calm as he asked this.
"I suspect that it was a truth spell. You are no longer able to tell a lie." The blond stated as if he was telling them what the weather would be like this afternoon.
As everyone gaped, as Cid smirked and inquired to Leon, " What exactly was your past, dear Squall?"
Leon flinched but could not escape the room, considering he could not stand. He reluctantly replied, " I was a mercenary for a company in another world some ten years back and practically gave my life for a girl only to find she had cheated on me with my mortal enemy." Leon spewed this information quickly but not too quickly to the point that no one heard.
Leon looked down dejectedly as everyone stopped the playful banter. That statement sure wiped the smirk off of Cid's face. Cloud glanced over at the brunette sympathetically and put a hand on the man's shoulder to comfort him.
The action must have triggered something for Leon, completely involuntarily, stated a reasonably loud, "Cloud, I love you."
Everyone, including Leon, gasped and a hand shot quickly to cover Leon's mouth as he turned a shade of red none in the room thought physically possible.
All of a sudden Yuffie burst out laughing, Cid soon following. The foreign sound of Cloud's involuntary laughter then filled the room, but soon came to a halt for unknown reasons to the pilot and ninja, due to the fact that the two had yet to become aware of their surroundings, eyes shut tight in laughter.
By the time the two had gotten over their fits of laughter, they opened their eyes to a very unexpected sight: Cloud kneeling to reach Leon as he pressed his lips against the brunette's, one of his hands on the man's hip, while Leon's had been slung around Cloud's neck, pulling him closer.
The two quickly burst into fresh peels of laughter at the irony of the whole situation, rolling on the floor for at least ten minutes, unaware of the fact that Leon and Cloud had long ago left the room.
The two were already in their own world, where they could see, hear, and touch nothing but the other; the one they loved and always had.
Adorableness, no? I hope that turned out okay, because I had been thinking about that plot idea for a while. Wouldn't it just be cute beyond reason? By the way, no hagglesnorfs allowed!
Love and snickerdoodles,
.x.Sephy.x.