Welcome to 'Never Too Late'! XD Here we have yet another tribute to the lady Zephyr. With each entry I post, I hope to elevate her passion towards her own projects. Here's another attempt at presenting her with encouragement and motivation. I am proud to know such a pure-hearted, gifted mastermind.

Disclaimer: Other than a PS3 and a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4, I don't own anything related to Konami. I wish I had David Hayter, but that'll never happen. The same applies to Christopher Randolph.

Warning: As my other work does, this contains boy/boy love. If you're uncomfortable with yaoi, and can't even find the strength to stomach it, you're free to leave. The same applies to you if you're allergic to 'soft' Snakes.

His body was not only devoid of clothing, but devoid of life. It was devoid of beauty, ravaged by the many years he spent in battle. Wars were not his only plagues, though. The pain he had been forced to endure was explicit, standing out in the form of gashes and bruises. An average male of his age would have succumbed to death quite some time ago, but somehow, he was still alive. He had been beaten in the worst ways imaginable, and by his one and only brother. In addition to his throbbing, deep and crimson red wounds, he had poison sweeping through his bloodstream. Just moments ago, his brother had merrily stabbed him-several times-with a syringe. The syringe contained enough poison to kill an entire army. No doubt he would remain frightened of needles.

The ground was rough, hard, rocky. Every inch of his body was not only covered in blood, but in black gravel. The stench of rotting flesh, blood and flames pierced his nose, conjuring thoughts of Hell. Had he actually fallen into the Underworld? Was his brother actually the ruler of all things evil? It wouldn't be too ridiculous to assume so.

His brother led him through halls on a chain. He was no different from a slave, a beast forced to endure the cruelty of a heartless master. Sadistic, mirthful snickers pierced the halls, which were only lit with torches. He was dragged deeper into what appeared to be his brother's abode. Moments passed before he was thrown upon a black table, lying underneath a sea of blades. Obviously, Liquid's fun was about to continue.

Wait a minute. Liquid's abode looked very much like…Shadow Moses. And hadn't he been placed in a similar predicament there?

He really was in Hell.

He soon found himself tied down by chains. His master tied him down maliciously, giving no quarter while laughing. He was like a cat with a mouse-or rather, a demon with a human. "I think it's about time to punish you, my dear brother," he purred happily, eyes adopting a red glaze. "It's about time to punish you for your existence. I could kill you in an instant, since you've become so pathetically weak, but that wouldn't be any fun."

He opened his mouth to speak, but the worst form of speech imaginable emerged. Anger came forth, all right, but it came in the form of dog barks. 'Humiliated' was not a strong enough word to describe Liquid's captive. "I think I've had enough of your barking," his one and only sibling said, wringing his hands together. "Why don't I put my toys to further use? You're in need of some quiet time, my beloved sibling!"

From Liquid's sleeve emerged a blade. It was small, but prepared to deal extensive damage. Smiling with ecstasy that would have frightened a demon, he rose the blade above his prey's eyes, dangled it, and grinned. Tears emerged in the eyes of his helpless sibling, but the predator cared not. They were soon shut down, ready to face the inevitable. Pain, uncontrollable and unmeasured, exploded as the blade made contact with already bloodied flesh. It had struck his left arm, and obviously meant to cut it off.

"Don't take this personally, Snake. I'm only teaching you a lesson. I'm just trying to tell you that it's naughty for you to exist. You're being a bad boy, running around as if you've done nothing wrong."

The prey opened its mouth again, and as soon as it did, it realized its mistake. Liquid laughed at the additional barks, shaking his head and mocking the captive's tears. "Bad, bad boy," the master went on, wagging his free finger. He continued to cut into the prey's arm, slowly and rapturously. The howls of a wounded, livid canine pierced the air, but their sorrow was soon purged from the hellish climate by Liquid's ecstasy. He did,' after all, own the chamber.

"Bad boy. You'll learn soon enough, I guess. You poor thing."

Minutes passed, each one potentially lethal and devilishly poisonous. The dog's arm hung by a mere thread, connected by only the bone-which was soon cleaved off by a much larger blade. Howls, all of them immeasurably sorrowful and angry, continued to strike against Liquid's actions-but none of them were acknowledged. "Aww," his master cooed, petting the top of his head. "What's da matter, Snakey-wakey? Does it hurt too muchy wuch?"

Liquid's toy may not have kept a hold on verbal communication, but his eyes could speak a thousand words. With its green eyes the prey sent unfathomable, bottomless hatred-and equally endless pain. "Aw," Liquid repeated, voice losing its gentle edge. "What's da matter? Do you hate me now, Snakey-wakey? Is this too much to bear? Do you hate your big brudder?"

'Words can't measure how much I hate you,' the dog's eyes said, filled with tears. And seeing those words, Liquid took on the smile of an imp. "I'll just have to erase that hatred of yours, then," he purred, then licked his bloodied blade. His face soon lit up like a child's at Christmas.

"I know. Why don't I take your eyes out? Then you won't be able to hate me!"

Right then and there, the dog's heart escaped its chest. He no longer had a heartbeat, for his soul knew very well what lingered before him. Either that, or it was beating too fast to be measured. The poor little doggy didn't know. All he knew was his brother's blade, diving into his eye sockets. All he knew was his brother's laughter, and unbreakable pain. The beast cried and cried, but his howls weren't even cared for. If it had been able to speak in human language, his howls would have been translated into these words:

'Stop. Please stop'.

"Snake! Snake! Wake up! Come on! Snap out of it!"

His eyes shot open, instantly greeted to an unfamiliar world. Paranoia seized him in a flash, throttling him by the throat. Even as comforting words found his ears, he remained engulfed in maddening fear. The words of comfort did not reach his heart.

"Calm yourself! You're all right! Everything's fine! Everything's fine!"

He should have accepted the presence of a tender voice, and fell into a state of peace. Peace was nowhere near him, unfortunately. Like a terrified animal locked inside of a cage, he looked around while breathing heavily. Arms quickly found his shoulders, preventing him from tearing himself apart. However, they did not eliminate the possibility for convulsions. Seconds passed before he fell into a convulsive tornado, shivering while screaming. He didn't notice this, but his screams were once again the screams of a human male. A seventy year old male, to be exact.

No more words of solace were given. A gentle, comforting stream of 'sssh' was given, poured into the soldier's ears. Arms held him gently, cradling him as if he had been formed out of glass. He tried to shoot his hands to his face, but found himself unable to check for the presence of eyes. He was, however, somewhat relieved to find he still had his left arm. And with that discovery came the growth of peace. Screams soon ebbed into whimpers, tears streaming from sorrowful eyes. He was happy to see he was still in one piece, but the pain was not gone. The sadness was not gone. It was all there, just as strong as it had been inside of the nightmare.

His guardian slowly broke away from him, placing a three inch distance between them. "You're all right," a young male said soothingly, face radiant with the greatest concern. He spoke as if Snake had become a fragile bird, with a broken wing. "It's all right now. You were just having a nightmare."

He blinked furiously, then looked at his hands. He then checked for his eyes, which were (obviously) still in his sockets. During his examination, sobs came to a temporary end-but they were quickly resumed. Cold, snowy winds blew across a world that knew no light, close to the palace known as Shadow Moses. As they carried unborn fates, a soul continued to cry-and the other soul embraced him. With raw, unbroken sorrow a soldier cried, falling into a much younger soldier's arms. Tears were eternal, unbidden and painfully vibrant.

Five minutes passed before the cries simmered into tearful whimpers. A bundle shivered in a set of bulky, caring arms, drowning in tears. "You're all right now," the younger heart said comfortingly, eyes shining with affection. "There's nothing to fear anymore. It's all right now."

"No it's not. It won't ever be all right."

That caught his partner by surprise, but he quickly recovered his confidence. "Yes it will," he said, firm yet warm. "I'm-"

"You don't understand! You'll never understand! How could you?!"

The bond between them was temporary broken. The older male buried his face into his hands, shivering while sobbing. His partner looked on, sheltering a fusion of sorrow and gentle frustration. "There's no way in Hell you'd understand," Snake wept, breaking an excruciating stream of tension. "No way. You're not a beast. You're anything but a monster."

The young one looked on, heartbroken by the sight of his weeping partner. He said nothing for a while, which gave Snake additional time to grieve. What could he do? He could bring the old soldier into another embrace, but that wouldn't do any good. He would most likely be thrown off. Wounded animals didn't appreciate intimate contact, until their emotions were softened.

Snowy winds blew between them, brushing against the earth that lead to Shadow Moses. In their hiding place two souls dwelled, assigned to perform an intrusion into Liquid's plans but much too immersed in their own pain. Leon S. Kennedy looked on as his partner wept, mourning the loss of light. Mourning the inevitable loss of life.

Silence dwelled between the two, forming a glass wall. As all glass did, the wall shattered. Leon lost his meager comfort with the absence of comfort, heartbroken by the sight of his friend. Despite the cold that ravaged his body, and despite the absence of proper nourishment, he edged closer to Snake with a soft smile. "I never forgave myself," he began softly, returning to memories he found excruciatingly painful. Pain edged into his eyes, but he upheld his warmth.

"I never saw a way to forgive myself. How could I, after everything I allowed to happen?"

Those works worked their magic. Not only did Snake's sobs come to an end, but the old soldier lifted his head. Seeing this, Leon put forth a warmer smile. Unfortunately, the infinitely warm smile was tainted by everlasting pain. "They were killed, every last one of them," he went on, lowering his head. "There was nothing I could do. Their minds had been eaten alive, torn apart by the Las Plagas parasite. I had been called back to the office, but it was much too late. By the time I arrived, they weren't even human anymore. They were nothing but shadows of life, mere shells of what could have been."

Snake's reddened eyes widened. That was right. Leon had been assigned to the service of President Graham, transferred from the remnants of Raccoon City's forces. Due to a tragedy he previously knew nothing of, Leon had to seek work elsewhere. Fortunately, the president picked up his incredible talents. "It happened on a rainy night," the young agent continued, eyes adopting a distant glaze. "I could hardly see the hand in front of my face, it was raining so hard. I rushed back to the office and found everything in ruin. None of my comrades were left. Not even the commissioner remained. I was on my own, forced to kill everyone I had loved."

'Wow,' a babyish set of eyes said, filled with a painful, bittersweet form of awe. 'That's terrible. I can't believe that happened.'

Leon chuckled warmly. "My failure haunts me, night after night. It never goes away. I suppose that's a little pessimistic of me, but it'll never go away. How could a part of my life go away? I can't cut it off. It's not a slice of butter. That's not the only nightmare I have, though."

"What's your other nightmare?" a soft voice asked, instantly embarrassed. Leon laughed with twinkling eyes.

"Turning into a Las Plagas infected corpse, and having dogs eat me in a graveyard. Sounds like it would be fun, don't you think?"

But laughter did not come from Snake. Not even a smile came from Snake. He only lowered his head, eyes wielding these words: I had no idea. I'm sorry. Leon caught those words and ruffled the soldier's silvery hair.

"Don't give me that face. I don't want you to mourn any of my losses. You've been through enough of your own."

Sheepishly, cheeks burning red, Snake looked into Leon's face. "I've been selfish, haven't I?"

The younger male pretended to think on that for a moment, rubbing at his chin. "Um…not really. I've met selfish pricks, and you're not one of them. And what's selfish about having a nightmare?"

Snake's defenses were much lower. Leon seized the perfect opportunity to scoot closer to him. "You've been through a lot," the Kennedy said softly, eyes taking on a tender glaze. "It's okay. Besides, I want you to share with me. I don't want you to keep anything bottled up. I care too much about you to see you suffer."

A pair of cheeks adopted a much darker shade of red. "Wanna tell me what happened?" Leon asked gently, chuckling at the older male's red face. "I'm here. I'll listen. I promise. Besides, I told you my nightmares. Now you have to tell me yours."

"Isn't that blackmail?"

"Yeah. So?"

"You're sneaky," an old soldier laughed, still blushing. Leon beamed.

"Listen to the pot calling the kettle black. Now spill it, or else I'll force you to watch a slideshow of Naomi photographs."

Snake winced as if he had been forced to eat a tarantula. "I can't believe you brought her name into this," he moaned, placing a hand against his forehead. "Did you forget how she screwed Otacon over?"

"No, which is why I'd make a slideshow of her-just for you. I want you to remember how wonderful she was towards your best friend. Hey, I bet she made a porn video. I could find that for you. Would that be fun?"

A face took on a rather childish pout, bringing more warm laughter from Leon's heart. Neither of them spoke for several seconds, but then Snake proceeded to tell his tale. It transpired through a shaky, tearful voice, filled with the deepest pain imaginable. It then ended with tears-tears that threatened to transform into sobs. Seeing the unborn wails, Leon drew his partner close. The older male blushed at the contact, but his mind remained on the words at hand. "Why does he have to be mean to me?" he asked in a way Leon found incredibly adorable. It was disorienting to hear a legendary, seventy year old soldier ask the question of a toddler.

"I can answer that easily. He's jealous."

For a moment, Snake struggled to swallow those words. He then discovered their meaning, looking into Leon's face with the eyes of an astounded child. "I know why he's jealous of me," the old soldier said, his voice barely above a tearful whisper. "I have you. He knows…he knows that I'm…"

"I'm not the only one you have, nitwit. And what are you?" Leon asked, face edging closer to the other's with a roguish smile.

"What are you gonna do if I don't tell you?"

"Tie you to a chair and force you to watch Steamboat Willie, over and over again. It won't stop until you die. I'll even lock the door and throw away the key. There won't be any windows, either, so don't expect to escape through one."

"You'd throw me into an insane asylum?"

"If I had to," Leon replied with a playful grin. "Now finish what you started. What are you?"

"Your partner."

A sigh left the Kennedy's lips. "Snake, we're ten yards away from Hell on Earth. It's twenty below zero. We haven't eaten in hours. I'm in no mood for games."

"You can't order me around. I'm your superior, dammit!"

"Says who? We're on equal ground. I'm not your pupil, underling or whatever you want to label me."

"I'm speaking in terms of ability!"

"Yet you can't even finish a sentence. I don't think you have the right to talk down to me, Snake."

It was Snake's turn to sigh, and roll his eyes. Leon, meanwhile, chuckled with the warmest smile imaginable. Hearing Leon's chuckles turned Snake into quite an indignant kid. "I'm in love with you, all right?" he declared angrily, cheeks darker than cherries.

"There! Are you happy now?!"

"Yeah," Leon said, as if it should have been obvious. "You've obviously regained a lot of your energy, and you're no longer crying. I've got every reason to be happy."

Blushing furiously, Snake threw him a lethal glare. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Um…yeah?"

"So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I mean, you half-witted moron! I'm in love with you! That doesn't present any red flags to you?!"

Leon pretended to find a patch of snow interesting. "Um…no."

Anger dropped from the old soldier's face, leaving behind clear and dense embarrassment. "Didn't you tell me you wanted to…I don't know. Stay single?"

"Yeah," the Kennedy replied, then patted his mouth against a soft yawn.

"And you don't find my feelings a problem? I don't understand."

"Look, Snake," Leon said jovially, forming a snowball between his hands. "I wanted to remain single, yes. But that was before I found you. Everything's different now."

Snake issued another sigh. "We're at the end of the Earth, and you're telling me you've got feelings for an old carcass. I don't believe this."

"Age isn't an issue with me. You could be a thousand years old, and I'd still have my feelings for you. Nothing would change. You're still you. Besides, you're not even supposed to be at your current age. Your condition is not your fault. I can't hold that against you. And if you're worried about appearance…well, there's no need for you to be."

"And why is that?" a puppy asked, clearly bashful-and teetering on the edge of giddiness.

"It's simple. I think you're incredibly sexy."

The jaw of an old soldier dropped. He wavered between utter bliss and utter confusion, suffering from a brutal attack of dizziness. Meanwhile, Leon patted his snowball into being. While President Graham's agent hummed to himself, obviously happy with his snowball, a puppy stared. A puppy stared at the young agent, unable to fathom what he had just heard. "We could build snowmen out here," the young agent said happily, while a puppy looked at him with a universe of affection. "It's cold enough. Everything's just right for Frosty the Snowman to come alive."

What to do? He had seen enough of Otacon's anime shows-or so he thought. Obviously, he hadn't seen enough. Keitaro constantly found himself at a loss, and so did several other bachelors in Otacon's Anime World. But there were those that nourished bravery. Snake couldn't recall any of their names, but he knew they were out there-and he wished to have their courage. What could he do? Could he say 'thank you for falling in love with me'? Could he kiss the other? Could he break down in tears of joy? What to do what to do what to do?!

Meanwhile, Leon piled three snowballs on top of the other. "There," he said happily, proudly showing Snake his creation. "It's Liquid. Now watch this."

Followed by the wide, curious eyes of a pup, Leon stood in his place-then crushed the snowman underneath his feet. Laughing as a madman from a cartoon, the Kennedy placed his hands about his hips.

"Bwahahaha! Now you'll never hurt Snake ever again! Your wickedness can do no more harm! Bwahaha!"

"I'm surprised no one's caught us yet, after all the noise we've made," an old soldier said, face glowing with indescribable appreciation. "And I wish you'd stop laughing like an idiot."

"Yeah, you're right," Leon said instantly, retaking his seat. "Sorry about that. But you do know your brother no longer has any power over you. Right?"

Love and gratitude were uncontrollable, blossoming on Snake's wrinkled face like sunshine. "Aren't you supposed to do things like that with paper? Just checking after the shit I've seen doctors pull."

"The concept is the same, old man. Get with the program."

"Why didn't you make a snowman for yourself?" the pup asked, trying to hide volcanic eruptions of shyness and happiness. And obviously, they couldn't be hidden.

"I care for you more than I care for myself. Actually, I need you more than the air I breathe. Which is why I killed your brother."

Pretending to mourn the loss of Liquid the Snowman, Leon gave Snake an apologetic frown while placing his hands about his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Snake. I know you'll miss him."

"I'd sooner miss a cockroach," the older male said with a laugh, eyes glittering with tears. They exchanged a smile, one warmer than the sun and able to withstand the test of perpetuity. One smile burned amidst cherry red shyness, while the other dwelled in a sea of golden warmth. Snake was the one responsible for shattering their snowy silence.

"Leon?"

"You're not supposed to use my real name out here, dummy. I don't run around calling you 'Dave', do I?"

"No," the old soldier growled, giving Leon a harmless snarl. "Fine. Seraph, there's…something I need to tell you."

"Awwww. Snake, you're in love with Naomi after all. Woe is me."

"Will you stop playing around for a minute and listen to me?!"

"Ssssh! Quiet down. Liquid's friends will hear us!"

"You're the most annoying, wet-eared, low-down-"

Leon remained at the 'most annoying, wet-eared, low-down' status because the rest of his status wasn't completed. He silenced his partner with a sweet surprise-a kiss. Two pairs of eyes were quickly closed as two bodies fell into the first embrace of unbridled love. "Thank you for falling in love with something like me," a giddy puppy whispered between kisses. Nuzzling accompanied the sweet, soft evidence to rapidly growing affection.

And so, at the end of the world, two agents of Roy Campbell-one temporary and one permanent-confessed their love to each other.

Unfortunately for the permanent agent, the temporary agent ended the tender embrace quickly. He threw off the much older male, then peered at Liquid's looming palace. Smiling as if nothing had happened, he looked to the future. "We'd better get moving. If we stay here too long, Liquid's pals are sure to find us. And we're supposed to report to Otacon in a few hours."

"Screw Otacon! What in the hell did you push me off for?!"

"I don't like people that tease me. Simple as that."

"I wasn't-"

Snake sighed, giving into another smile. "You were the one teasing me," he said softly, eyes adopting a glaze of starlight. "Besides, what was the problem? We're the only ones out here. We're at the end of the Earth, remember?"

"Do you know how awkward it would have been if Liquid's pals found us? I'm sorry, Snake, but I'm not into orgies. And I'm not sharing you with anyone. If your brother wants an orgy, he'll have to hook up with other sources."

Laughter, withered yet vibrant, emerged from Snake's heart-for the first time in years. With Leon's playful mockery of Liquid, his brother didn't seem so scary anymore. And that said a lot, considering he had been through unimaginable nightmares of his only sibling.

Smiling, Snake also did something else he had never done. He took someone's hand, and that hand happened to be Leon's. They exchanged a nod and a smile, then set their eyes on the snow-covered castle. One last thought crossed Snake's mind before they left their hiding place, leaving their footprints in the snow.

It's never too late.

This was composed to 'Negai', the ending theme of 'ToS' (Tales of Symphonia). It actually makes a cute love theme for Snake and Leon (or Seraph XD). This was also composed to 'Calling to the Night'. Horribly sad, but it too fit the bill.

Steamboat Willie is a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon-and one of Disney's first creations. I have nothing against Disney. XD I adore it. I just don't see Snake as a Disney lover. XD

Leon stars in the Resident Evil series. His greatest role is in Resident Evil 4. And with good reason, he's known as one of the world's hottest game characters.

Because of Naomi's actions in MGS4: Guns of the Patriots, I don't appreciate her very much. I actually hate her. It's easy to tell, isn't it? XD I also hate her for giving Snake FOXDIE. Stupid Wicked Witch of the West…

The section after Snake's nightmare was meant to be much different. I actually planned on having Snake and 'Seraph' at Disneyland, celebrating Hal's birthday. Their conversation was meant to take place on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I love this version much more. XD

To my precious friend: I hope you enjoyed your gift of love. XD