Everyone knew the Lion. The Lion in Black. The Lion on the Wall. The Lion Among Crows.
So of course, the Wolf knew of him as well. And the Wolf, well… The Wolf was interested. Very interested.
Cloud had gone up and over the Wall more than enough times to get a bit of a look at the Lion himself. Not so close as to really see him, no, but enough to know that, oh, the Lion was a particularly lovely specimen of man. Thick brown hair, striking even when tangled and matted, just right to thread fingers through. A handsome face, scarred and strong, with a perfect amount of softness where it mattered. And eyes like steel, sharp, piercing. Cloud could still remember the first time the Lion had caught sight of him on the Wall, the way those brows had furrowed and those lips had parted to call his crows to arms. The shiver of lust that had shot down his spine then had not let him rest for days.
When something caught the Wolf's interest like that, he did not just allow it to go. Now he wanted. And what he wanted was Squall Leonhart, the Lion in Black.
Cloud watched, and Cloud learned, and Cloud began to put together the pieces of a plan. He followed his Lion's movements. He memorized the usual schedule, as Squall was certainly a man of schedules and organization. He saw the pattern of the guards. And he planned. A way to get what he wanted.
It wasn't long before he'd thought it all out, and not long after that , it was time for him to make his move. He did not waste a single day, nor did he let anyone know where he was going. They were free men, after all, not some obedient kneelers from the south. No one needed to know the whereabouts of the Wolf, not right now. He gathered up the few supplies he'd need on this journey, collected his ropes and hooks, and commenced the long, hard climb up the icy face of the Wall. It would never be an easy trek, no matter how many times he took it, but the reward at the end… Oh, that would make it worth all the trouble.
When Leon returned from his inspection of the barracks, he wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep. The newest recruits into the Night's Watch were nothing more than boys and criminals. Attempting to train them was exhausting- the rebellion so innate to their spirits, the wrath towards any commanding figures, their unwillingness to learn. It was not the kind of assignment Ser Leonhart had expected when he had agreed to come up onto the Wall. Sighing, he pushed open the door to his chambers-
And froze.
There was a man on his bed. A man in white and gray furs, with a mess of dirty blond hair and eyes as blue as the midday sky. Gods be damned. Leon knew this man. It was the one he'd seen climbing the Wall that one day so long ago. The one that every town nearby knew by name. The Wolf.
"What are you doing here?" Leon demanded, his hand immediately dropping to the blade sheathed at his hip. He didn't draw it out, though, much to his own consternation.
The Wolf shrugged and reclined further back on his bed. "Came to see you. Isn't that good enough?"
"Right," said Leon. He stepped forward, shutting the door behind him. "Am I honestly supposed to believe that?"
Another shrug. "I don't know. You're not calling your crows on me, so that must mean something." Brilliant blue eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at the corners of the Wolf's lips. "Were you hoping to see me, too?"
Leon snorted. "No. What would I want from a wildling? Perhaps I simply shut the door so I can kill you myself." His sword remained undrawn though, safe in its sheath. He wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't grabbing for it. There was just something about the way the Wolf looked in the light of the candles…
And it seemed that the wildling noticed his hesitation. That smirk widened, and the lean, fur-clad body sprawled back on his bed. "Somehow I'm doubting that. You could have killed me the moment you walked in." His legs parted slightly, one knee bending, and Leon found his eyes drawn to their lengths, the curve of them, apparent even through fabric and fur.
Then he caught himself and forced his gaze away. "Are you trying to seduce me?" The words came out far less incredulous than he would have liked, far more curious. Damn it all.
The Wolf tilted his head back, exposing the skin of his throat, bright eyes watching through lowered lashes. "Maybe. Is it working?"
There was no denying to himself that it was. Leon had never allowed himself to look at other men before, not once he'd realized that they could also inspire the bubbling heat of arousal in his belly, but this wildling was something else. He couldn't seem to make himself stop looking. But he had to. He was a commander of the Night's Watch. He couldn't just… "I took an oath. I cannot-"
"Lie with women, I know," the Wolf finished, voice a purr. His hands roamed lazily down over his front, untying the furs that covered him and pushing them aside to reveal the strong, scarred expanse of his chest, dusky nipples already peaking with the chill of the air. "And luckily for us, I can guarantee you that I'm not a woman."
"Yes," Leon murmured, eyes trailing over all that exposed skin, flames of lust begin to flicker in his belly, "I suppose you're not." His gaze shot up to meet the Wolf's, brief and intense. "But how do I know you're not going to kill me while I fuck you?"
Shrugging off his furs completely, baring his whole torso to Leon's hungry eyes, the Wolf only smiled wickedly. "You don't. Just like I don't know if you're going to kill me while I fuck you."
Leon let out a bark of laughter, his fingers already beginning to undo the clasps of his own black cloak and tunic. "And who said anything about me being fucked?" Oh, he was really going to do this, wasn't he? It was stupid, reckless, but he wanted. He wanted this impertinent wildling, this Wolf. And he was going to get what he wanted. "You'll be the one with your ass in the air, begging for more."
A visible shiver rolled down through the Wolf's body, and he spread his still-clothed legs further, the bulge at the front of his breeches obvious in the candlelight. "You think you can make me beg? I'd like to see you try, Squall."
Growling low in his throat, Leon pounced, his hands pinning the Wolf's wrists to the bed, the tightness in his own breeches mere inches away from the wildling's arousal. "Leon. You may call me Leon."
"Leon the Lion," the Wolf breathed, warm air ghosting across Leon's lips. "Then you may call me Cloud."
And their lips met, teeth and tongue and wild heat, and whatever words were spoken after that became muddled with moans and gasps and, perhaps, quiet pleading for more.
"I have to go," Cloud murmured against the sweat-slick skin of his Lion's shoulder. Leon grumbled something, a disagreement of some sort, and Cloud chuckled as strong hands tightened their grip in his hair. "I must leave, Leon. Morning's here. Your crows will come looking for you soon."
Leon growled and flipped them, pinning Cloud to the bed once more. "I'm their commander. Let them wait."
"Abusing your power?" Cloud smirked up at him, one hand coming up to trace over the scar so prominent between Leon's eyes. It only enhanced the attractiveness of that handsome face.
But instead of smirking back, Leon's expression closed off slightly. "No. You're right. You should leave before they can find you here." He still did not let go, though, frowning down into Cloud's bright eyes. "…Will you come back?"
Fingers that had been playing across the bridge of a strong nose slid down to feel along the curve of Leon's jaw, firm in their touch. "The Wall has never held me back before," Cloud said quietly. "It won't keep me away now."
Leon didn't say anything, just stared for a long moment before rolling to the side. "Go. Get out of here, Wolf."
Cloud did just that, climbing off the bed and redressing himself quickly, ignoring the aches and bruises of a wonderful night. He did not leave immediately, though, lingering at the door, though he did not know why. He'd gotten what he wanted, his Lion, and he'd gotten a request to return. So what was he still waiting for? He needed nothing else. He-
A strong hand closed on his upper arm, and Cloud turned back with a question on his tongue that was stolen away at once by the press of Leon's lips against his own. The kiss was gentle, soft, unlike any they had shared the night before, and Cloud couldn't stop himself from melting into it. He'd never- No one had ever- What did this mean?
But when the Lion pulled back, though his eyes were warm, they were unreadable. "Go on, Cloud." His hand squeezed the wildling's arm once, and let go. "I expect to see you soon."
"I'm a free man, Leon," the Wolf said in return. "You can't order me around." Yet as he pulled the door open, he met those steely eyes once more. Soon.
And he left, making his way silently through the Watch's encampment, back down the Wall.
This was dangerous. They both knew it, had known it from the start, but neither one of them ran from danger, and this was no different. If they'd known just dangerous it would end up being, though, and in what ways, perhaps they would have chosen never to start it at all.
Or perhaps they would have tried all the same.
Less than a week later, Cloud was once again climbing the Wall, heading for the warmth of a certain commander's chambers. And when Leon returned from his inspections, he once again found a certain wildling sprawled out across his bed, waiting.
There was no going back now.
A/N- Just some Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire AU. Unedited, very train of thought.
Marked as complete because it stands alone, but I might add more chapters at some point. Their story definitely isn't done.
