For Cacell, for her gorgeous illustration of the same title. Hope you like this, sweetie!
Disclaimer: dood, fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and the characters and universes therein are the property of Disney and Square Enix. I receive no remuneration for this work; it is a parody and as such utilizes the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Act.
"You're back."
Cloud senses more than hears Leon's quiet footsteps coming up behind him, and though the edge of adrenaline has begun to wear off and he knows where he is and who he's with and that he's safe, he still has to force himself to not react violently to the way his lover's hand settles lightly on his arm.
The air is silent and solemn and still for several seconds. The stalemate is only broken when Leon's fingers finally squeeze around his tightened bicep, and with that firmer, reassuring gesture, all the fight Cloud has left in him, all the nerves and tension and strain suddenly dissolve away into nothing, until the only things he has left to feel are the raw, physical ache of his wounds and the overwhelming realization that he might actually be free this time around.
He shudders and lets out a soft sigh, unable to keep his body from slumping a little at the sudden lack of energy. He watches through lowered lashes as the older warrior begins to take slow steps around him, cataloguing all of his visible injuries with a critical eye and keeping at least two fingertips somewhere on him at all times, as if he needs to hold on to tangible proof to reassure himself that he really is back, that he's not going to up and disappear on him again. Cloud can't really blame him for that.
It's a full two minutes before Leon decides he's seen enough. Even though he's not very good at expressing how he feels with words, Cloud knows exactly what he means by the very careful way his lover handles him then, drawing him back against the solid warmth of his chest and pressing his lips gently, apologetically, to the torn, tender skin on his shoulder. It burns across the length of the wound and stings down into his very bones, but Cloud will gladly put up with pain a hundred times worse and a hundred times again to know that this kind of comfort will be waiting for him in the end.
"I'm home."