AN Ayden has done it again, he started a new story. If your one of my other readers, you probably saw my note, that I was working on a Cleon one-shot. Well. This is the one-shot!! And it's a whole story now!! I just kept getting more and more ideas.

So this is how Cloud and Leon got together before they made their appearance in Alone (which is under rewrite, I have 2 chapters and about 6k words done on it now). It's going to be a GREAT story, if my ideas make their way from my head, through the keyboard, and out to you guys the way I want them too.

Cloud may be a little "OOC" a term which I hate. So what if he acted one way in the games/movies? Big effing deal. There's more to the characters than the way they were in the game, and I'm going to write them the way I feel they are, and how I like them. So no flaming.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Cloud, Leon, or any of the character's mentioned. Nor do I own Moon in a Cup, tis the name of Kaye's coffee shop from Holly Blacks The Modern Faerie Tale series.

Warning: When it comes, there will be some yummy shounen-ai, at least. Maybe some yaoi, if I can get it written without blushing my face off. Language, and Cloud's random homicidal thoughts.

Full Summary: Cloud is a popular heartthrob, Leon is the shy kid that everyone likes to beat up. When forced to drive their little brother's back and forth, they strike up a patchwork friendship, which deepens the more Leon gains self esteem, and Cloud opens up. But when tragedy strikes both families, and they need each other the most, could it be that friendship isn't all that's there? Leon has a secret, Cloud isn't as stoic as he appears, and Prom...well let's just say, Prom is going to be shocking this year. Rated M for later chapters.


Grimm Tales at Moon in a Cup

Cloud POV

Hi. M'names Cloud Eliziar Strife. I'm seventeen, and a swordfighter. I have homicidal thoughts (mostly about my little brother) and I like to listen to country music. The good stuff, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift. None of that bluegrass shit, the newer, good stuff. My parents live at their workplace almost, and I practically take care of my little brother. I have no social life.

That was the general info on my Myspace. Peachy, no? Yeah, I get loads of dates from that. Even though I'm sexy as hell (according to Vexen, the local stalker, and my gym coach, Auron), this stud doesn't get many dates. Maybe I should take out the homicidal thoughts part? Nah. I'm as honest as I am blonde. And I'm pretty damn blonde.

But being a teenager wasn't really much fun. Being a teen, with a little brother that had raging emo bitch fits wasn't fun either. It took everything in me to hold back the anger that wished to lash out at him…the tempting sight of my practice sword drove me wild sometimes. But I had to love the little douche, emo bitch fits and all.

Me and Roxas looked a lot alike, six year age difference aside. Same hair, same eyes. Same genes, no matter how much I wished he was in fact a clone freak we had adopted. Same body build, though, thanks to sparring with my dad, and working out a lot, I had filled out a lot more than I used to be. Oh, how the girls would look at me, how they would fight about exactly who I would ask out for Prom. Loads of fun, dancing with some insufferable bitch. I'd just glare at her through the whole thing. My stoic charade was a lot of fun (and work) to keep up.

Oh. And on the inside, I have a bitch of a sarcastic nature. Gotta love me though.

"Cloooooud!" he whined from the backseat. My hands clenched on the steering wheel. Stoic, stoic, stoic. "Turn the radio up please? I love this song." mutely I reached down to the knob, keeping my eyes on the road. Turning it a few more notches, horrible screaming and thrashing guitars filled my small car.

Turn off, turn off, where the fucking hell is that damn turn off!? I gripped the steering wheel even harder. I hated this. Why did our parents have to work so damn much, and leave me stuck with him? Oh, right, because they loved us and wanted to supply us with everything we wanted, and all that jazz. Still, didn't mean they had to work all the time, did it?

I watched intently for the sign that would point me in the right direction. A large, yellow sign, next to a paopu tree. Paopu tree…where the hell was the damn paopu tree and the fucking yellow sign!?

I could feel my brow start to crease. Damn it! Stoic, stoic, stoic! "Roxas, see if you can spot the sign and the paopu tree…I can't see them anywhere." calm, soft, my voice did nothing to reflect the way I felt on the inside. I was just too damn good for it to do that. I had been driving for half an hour with Roxas, and his hardcore emo music. The mother of all motherfricking headaches was residing in my skull, throbbing its merry way along with me as I drove.

"THERE IT IS OVER THERE!!" Roxas jumped up, pointing violently to the right, I did, in fact see the paopu tree, and the sign. "OVER THERE. OVER THERE OVER THEEEERE!!!!" pointing, yelling and waving was not enough for my suddenly energetic brother. He started to kick my seat, and then, as if that wasn't enough stimulation, he started to hit my shoulder. I was so tempted to do a break check, or swerve, but the stoic, responsible side of me said a stern "NO!".

"Okay." Okay ya little bastard sit still, I'm turning the damn wheel already! That was more of what was running in my head, but I couldn't say it. Stoic, remember? And this was only the first (and unfortunately not last) time I had to drive Roxas places. His best friend Sora unfortunately lived out in the country, a half hour away from our town house in Radiant Garden. The small rural community was home to only farms, animals, and the random convenience store.

I couldn't help but smile (even through all the abuse my poor car was taking), if it was only ever so slightly. Because our parents worked so much, he almost constantly had a friend over, or was at a friends house. They all seemed to be symbiotic, and I hated to think of what would happen when they got older and grew apart

Even though it was so small (only boasting a small grocery and a couple of gas stations), amazingly enough, there were about seven churches. Must be a pretty bad place to have so many churches…that or that's all they did, was go to church. Maybe they went to a different one, each day? I started to laugh out loud inside, and a smile twitched its unwitting way onto my face. I was such a fucking riot!

I bet Roxas would laugh too, if you told him that joke. A small, unhelpful voice wormed its way into my head. No. I couldn't tell him a joke, for Goddess sake. Then I really would have to murder him, he'd see I wasn't so stoic…that yes, Cloud was in fact able to make a funny.

"Are you sure this is right, Rox?" I turned right, onto the gravely road. Ah, my wonderful car. She could handle anything, a little gravel, a little mud, all of that didn't bother her at all. Bothered the people in her (especially the one that had to clean her), especially pot holes…they were the worst bitches ever.

"Yes, retard. Yellow sign, and paopu tree. How could you still ask if it was the right turn or not?" he went back to jamming away with the radio. I squeezed the steering wheel again. I think I heard a faint cracking sound this time. My poor car!

We drove another five minutes, up a long, long, long driveway. The Leonheart's owned a large acreage, that Laguna, Sora's father, rented to haymakers, and farmers. A pretty tidy business, apparently. Sora always had the best clothes, best toys, and the car that his mother drove was new and shiny.

"It's just around those trees, Cloud." Roxas leaned forward and pointed. "I wonder if the rest of them are here yet?" I looked at him from the corner of my eye, and I noticed a large blush creep across his face. Ah, so I was right! Mom, you owe me twenty bucks, Roxy boy's gone and gotten a crush.

"You like Namine, don't you, Rox?" my voice was calm, though on the inside I was cheering my good fortune. His blush just darkened in answer, and I shot him an amused glance. I had even guessed the right girl! Score: Mom, zero; Cloud, one! I had that strange ability, I always knew when someone liked someone else, it was a gift that I exploited secretly with even greater (and no less secret) pleasure.

I pulled up to the old farmhouse, and wasn't at all surprised to see the nice, shiny cars. I was surprised to see exactly how shabby the house looked…I thought they had money? I had always assumed they did…from the cars and the nice clothes. Well. I had only ever seen Sora's clothes. His older brother was a bit of an enigma to me, I only knew that a) he went to my school, b) he was a year younger than me, though still in my grade, and c) that I had never actually seen him in person.

"Good, stop the car, go spend time in the city till it's time to pick me up, and get outa here. You're an embarrassment." Roxas shoved the car door open quickly and roughly, jumping out to meet a running Sora in a highfive. Stoic, stoic, stoic…it's illegal to kill your little brother no matter how much you want to Cloud, just remember that… I thought to myself, as I gripped my poor abused steering wheel even harder.

I was going to ruin my car doing this. Every day. Until I died, or I got so pissed off that I finally gave into the urge and killed the little twit. My practice sword would be a very nice, easy to use murder weapon, though a bit obvious.

I'd use an icicle. I read about that in a book, the perfect murder weapon. It would melt away, all trace and fingerprints gone. So, I couldn't go crazy till this winter. Then, oh dear Roxas then, I could kill you and get away with it.

I was laughing maniacally on the inside as I drove away. Only smiling on the outside though, but still. On the inside, I had let my little devil free. Not that I would actually kill the kid, I loved him too much for that. But I could think about it. A lot.

I quickly turned around in the driveway, and drove towards the damn cattle gate. What was I supposed to do for the next few hours? Movies? No…they didn't have anything that I wanted to see. I wasn't in to shopping, so that was out too. Walking around the mall, alone, looking at things, alone, and buying things, alone. Not my cup of tea.

Tea. Coffee. Coffee shop. Wifi.

I'm not shitting you, that's what my thought process did. The only problem was, I had no idea where a free wifi carrying coffee shop was. I bet there was one in town somewhere…and well hell. I had hours to find a place.

Driving around aimlessly was a lot if fun. I got to watch people, and see how they acted. I saw a couple having an argument, an old man sitting at the playground reading a newspaper. A young girl, eating her ice cream, a tall skinny man walking a short, fat dog and a short fat man walking a tall skinny dog.

I finally found a coffee shop, a really small place called Moon in a Cup, boasting the best coffee and tea in town, and joy! Free wifi and computers inside, along with shelves of used books for sale.

Even though I'm what could be termed as a "jock" I loved to read. Books of magic, and dragons, and vampires. I love me some fantasy stories. Most of all, I loved the Grimm Brother stories. I loved them, from simple to complex, the way the Grimm's captured you in a story was amazing to me.

I ordered a large, steaming cup of sweet mint tea and a chocolate chip cookie, and headed over to an empty table. Unfortunately, all the computers were taken up. .I had guessed they might be, for such a tiny place, Moon in a Cup had a large clientele. Setting down my cup, cookie, and jacket, I politely asked my neighbour if they could save my spot for me. Luckily it was a girl, and the sight of me in just a tight, slightly holed black t-shirt guaranteed, she would protect the space with her life.

I headed over to the back wall, where shelf upon shelf of books were located. All in alphabetical order ( I didn't envy the worker that had to do that at the end of the day) and perused the shelves slowly. I really wanted an anthology of the Grimm Brothers, but I could make do with poetry. Some Lord Byron, or maybe some Poe, I wasn't picky, though Poe would be my first choice. I loved the Raven, with all my secretly not stoic heart.

"Grimm…Grimm…Come on they have to have it." I muttered under my breath as I searched, in vain, for my fairytale fix. I was just about to get really disappointed when a kid I recognised seeing beat up at school a few times shoved the object of my search in my face. I didn't know his name, only that everyone at school made fun of him for the way he dressed. Holes, patches, and just plain scruffy, he looked like a homeless person.

"Here. I'm done with it." flipping his jacket, which was a few sizes too large and patched up back onto his shoulders, he ambled toward the door. I could see that his shoes had holes in them, and that his socks were mismatched. I was one of the only kids that didn't pick on or beat him up. I could, mind you if I wanted to. I just always felt so bad for him. Here I was…rich ass Cloud, and there he was…poor as dirt.

Walking back over to my table, dutifully guarded by the random chick (I saw some people who were standing give me a dirty look) I sat down and opened up the tiny world of magic in my hands.


AN so, this is the first chapter of The Silver Lining. Hit or Miss? Review and let me know! :D Next chapter up within the next few weeks. ^-^