Disclaimer : Don't own, Square Enix does, mm'kay?
First time posting here. Wish me luck. :D
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"Hey wait, Cloud, stop."
"..Huh?"
Cloud paused, looking over his shoulder at Leon, who was squatting down in front of a leafy bush and plucking some strange fruit from its branches. The blonde furrowed his brows slightly, trying to recognize it. He could not.
"What is it?"
"A pomegranate. Here, try it." Leon stood up, tossing the fruit at his boyfriend, who caught it easily. Puzzled, Cloud turned the pomegranate around in his hands, running his thumb over the fruit's rind. Was he supposed to just bite into it? He brought the fruit up to his lips- Leon abruptly snatched the pomegranate back, a surprised and amused look on his face.
Cloud glared. "What? You said to try it..."
The brunet shook his head and gave a small smile. "That's not how you're supposed to eat it. Haven't you ever eaten a pomegranate before?"
"...No."
Leon smirked and looked down, digging his nail into the fruit. "Do you know what a pomegranate is..?"
"Leon, shut up and stop rubbing it in my face."
"It only grows in places were its warm, so I guess it makes sense if you've never tried a pomegranate, much less seen one." He tossed the skin to the side of the beaten path they were walking on, and removed a couple of seeds. He offered them to Cloud, who only stared at the two seeds in his hand. After a few seconds, Leon sighed.
"Just eat them, it won't kill you, Cloud. But make sure not to swallow the seed."
Cloud rolled his eyes and took the seeds from Leon's hand before popping them in his mouth. A moment later, he spit the seeds out, where they disappeared behind some bushes. It tasted tangy and sweet. His eyes flickered to the rest of the fruit in Leon's hand.
"Well?"
"It's okay."
Cloud was shot a pointed look from Leon.
"What?"
"Do you want more?"
Cloud frowned.
"Yes."
"Have you ever heard the story about Persephone, who became Hades' consort?" Ignoring the fact that he'd changed the subject, Leon went on without Cloud's answer. "Her lover(1) grew sad when she suddenly disappeared and went to Zeus to try to get her back. Unfortunately, before Zeus could find Persephone, she'd already eaten food from the Underworld's garden. Anyone who ate something from down there was usually forced to remain there forever. However, in thi-"
"Wait, what does this have to do with anything?" Cloud interrupted.
Leon glared at Cloud and ignored his boyfriend's question, much to the blonde's annoyance. "..As I was saying, in Persephone's case, it was different. Hades, feeling bad-"
He was interrupted again by Cloud, who had snorted disbelievingly.
"...for how he had seen Persephone so unhappy in the Underworld and hadn't been able to do anything to please her. He allowed Persephone to return above after some negotiating between her lover and Hades, who had followed after Zeus once Persephone had been found. Eventually, Hades agreed to let Persephone go if she stayed in the Underworld and paid time for the two pomegranate seeds she had eaten. For the two seeds she consumed, she had to remain there for two months before being able to go back to the world of the living again."
Cloud was quiet for several seconds, just to make sure Leon wasn't going to continue. Once he was certain that his boyfriend would not, Cloud spoke.
"Okay...I don't quite get it. Why are you telling me this?"
The brunet gave an exasperated sigh.
"When I found you in the Underworld, it took me nearly two months to drag you out of there, miserable wreck you were, skin and bones."
"You know, that's a really shitty way of telling me you care."
Leon's left eye twitched.
"Just for that, you're not getting any for the rest of the week."
"Leon...!"
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(1) - If you've read the legend before, you'll know that it was originally Persephone's mother, Demeter, who was searching for Persephone after Hades kidnapped her.
(2) - Yes, I know that Persephone had eaten more, but I thought it would've been too long a time for my tastes, so I changed it a little. In the legend, I believe Persephone had eaten five or six.