Hey. The disclaimer is the normal. I'll warn that this is very obvious in-ya-face male/male relationships so if you don't like it, then you know where the - (back) button is. No flaming please.
Breach Of Contract.
To find sleeping beauty.Leon blinked down at the huddled figure lying on its side upon the grey slabs of the street. As usual he was perfectly silent and expressionless; the torment of the person whom he had found did nothing to alter his stoic exterior. He extended a leg and prodded the man with his foot, rolling the huddled fellow onto his back. This brought a fresh wince of extreme pain from the other and it was in that instant that Leon first saw his face.
His eyes were tight closed in agony, his mouth parted lightly and a sheen of sweat coated otherwise flawless skin. Ruffled blonde hair stuck to his forehead and crowned his head, lying flat on the stone as he rolled back onto his side again, arching his back oddly and pulling his thick red cloak around him, completely shrouding his back.
Leon's expression showed nothing of his opinions upon the matter but inwardly, incessant thoughts had much to say. The loud ministrations of his conscious mind were silenced by the voice of his companion, with whom he had been walking about the third district, disposing of various heartless when necessary.
"Sq…uh…Leon?"
"…"
"LEON!" Yuffie repeated somewhat louder wondering if the handsome brunette was truly distracted or just ignoring her as usual.
"I'm taking him to the house," Leon stated, not waiting to hear what Yuffie had wanted to say.
"Do you know him?"
Leon shot her a look that clearly stated 'no' and dismissed her as a fool simultaneously.
"Then what are you doing? He might be a … thief! He might want to steal all our stuff and so he's faking being…"
"He's not."
Leon bent and lifted the young man, throwing him over his shoulder and holding tight onto his legs. The other did not moan or shiver with pain, he was out cold.
He gave Yuffie a sideward indifferent glance and walked back toward the house at speed, hoping no heartless would intercept them before he could get the injured man back.
It took barely two minutes to get to the small house Leon shared with Yuffie and Aerith. Once he arrived with Yuffie close behind, he leant to open the door but Aerith had opened it wide from within almost putting him off balance. Leon walked straight past her without so much as a greeting and turning from the main room, walked up the stairs.
"Cloud?" Aerith gasped from behind him.
Leon did not stop until he reached his room and had laid the man down onto his bed. Only then did the thundering footsteps of the following girls claim his attention and at that only barely.
"Aerith knows him," Yuffie said as she stood in the doorway.
"He's called Cloud," Aerith told him, pushing past Yuffie into the room. "I knew him when I was younger, before I came to Traverse Town. He went away before all this happened, I never thought he would end up here, not in such a state…"
"I'll deal with it. Leave us."
"But Squall," argued Yuffie. "Aerith knows him, surely she can … Leaving."
Yuffie and Aerith retreated and closed the door. There was no arguing with one of Squall's death-glares.
Leon gazed at the man lying zoned out on his bed. He was lying awkwardly almost as if he had something under his left side. His blonde hair was tousled, falling over closed eyes. Leon longed to find out what colour eyes lay behind those eyelids. Why? He didn't know.
He took a few tentative steps toward him, Cloud. Cloud? Why such an odd name, almost girlish, natural, soft. Cloud. His clothes were encrusted with grime, the white sheets of Leon's bed were already filthy. Cloud wore a heavy red cape, obscuring most of his face.
Leon couldn't resist it. Cloud looked so peaceful and yet so vulnerable. The dirtied red cloak was flung over his lithe muscular body and he was curled up like a child on his left side. Leon just had to touch him.
'Why, what's wrong with me?' he thought as he sat on the bed beside the blonde and let his fingers brush Cloud's cheek. 'Why do I care?'
Cloud whimpered and Leon withdrew his hand like lightening. The blonde tried to roll onto his back but flinched and moaned and curled onto his left side again. Leon decided to remove Cloud's cloak for surely it was too heavy and dirty to remain on. It was obstructing his movement, besides the brunette wanted to find out how bad Cloud's injury was and check for any indication as to what caused it.
Squall Leonhart had the shock of his life when he gently removed the cape and saw what it was hiding. Cloud had a wing. Not two wings but one, a single black appendage attached to his left side just right of his shoulder-blade. His blue shirt had been slashed to allow the wing to protrude. Leon let the cape drop to the ground as he studied the wing. Surely it was not the sole cause of Cloud's pain although it was a little tattered in places and had stained the bed-sheets a brownish-red at its very tip. It was laid limp on the bed just like the rest of the little blonde.
Leon gently removed all of the metal armour and gloves from Cloud's form and laid them on the ground on top of his cloak. He then gently lifted Cloud's shirt to survey his back for any more injury. He found on the right side, a spectacular bruise varying in colour from black to yellow, the worst area situated just above his hip. The skin was not broken but he had taken quite some battering. He replaced the shirt trying not to allow his fingers to brush the painful bruise and wondered what to do next. He couldn't leave the blonde, he didn't want to face the questions of Yuffie and Aerith just yet either. He laid his hand across Cloud's forehead, he was not too hot or feverish, just slightly sweated from his ordeal. What had done this to him? Heartless? Must have been some strong heartless to cause so much damage, Cloud looked like one who could fight back but there was no sign of his weapon. Leon stroked away some dirtied strands of blonde hair from where they clung to his forehead reaching towards his closed eyes.
"What happened to you?" Leon whispered and stood up, pacing up and down the room indecisively before finally opting to lean against the wall beside his bed.
"Mmph. Searching…" Cloud suddenly spoke some time later, knocking Leon out of his thoughtful trance.
"Wha? For what? What are you searching for?" Leon asked, sitting on the bed and looking down at the blonde. He couldn't tell whether he was awake or sleeping still.
"Searching…" Cloud whispered. Leon kicked his shoes off and laid on the bed beside Cloud, who had stretched out a little. Leon propped himself up on one arm and asked again.
"For what Cloud?" he whispered deeply and touched Cloud's forehead again with the back of one hand.
"Seph. My light," Cloud murmured.
"Seph?"
"Seph. My light. My Seph," Cloud spoke in his sleep.
Leon stroked Cloud's face with the very tips of his fingers. His arm was losing feeling so he laid down completely, looking into the face of the lost boy he had found. Cloud had to be several years younger than him, the blonde only looked about eighteen.
"Who is Seph?" he asked, withdrawing his hand from Cloud's face.
"Don't leave me!" Cloud suddenly cried out, his arm flailed and grabbed onto Leon's jacket. He tensed with eyes squeezed shut and buried his face in Leon's shoulder. His fingers rhythmically gripped and released Leon's jacket.
Leon couldn't move now, he tentatively stroked Cloud's hair, caked with mud. Cloud let out a contented sigh and relaxed, draping his right arm over Leon's waist. Leon realised that he was tired, he had not had time to rest properly for many days. He knew he shouldn't sleep in case Cloud woke up and panicked. It was too late, lying on a bed in the arms of a beautiful stranger lulled Squall into a state of waking doze, still playing sleepily with Cloud's hair. A moment later they were both asleep lying comfortably in each other's arms.
You wouldn't believe how long it has taken me to write this down! I thought up the plot in March, wrote down most of the story on lined paper. Then promptly lost it. So decided to write something else. Did so. Then decided that actually I liked this plot better, scrapped the other one and started this again. It's now November you know. November!
Anyway so part 2 is already written on lined paper, kept somewhere where I will not lose it. So there shouldn't be too much delay between this chapter and the next. Can't promise anything for the rest but this is one story I'd like to see through to the end. Anyhow.
Bye
