Current chronology: Call of Duty, Blackmail, Qualifications, Exposed. Chapters not posted here can be found on my LJ (more info in my profile).
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.
Call of Duty: Exposed
They pull into the parking garage in silence. Leon finds his assigned spot and backs into it, careful as always, twisting a little with a wince and bracing his right hand on Cloud's seat so he can better judge the distance behind them. It's unusual for Cloud to be with him on a run, but the blond's bike is in for scheduled maintenance so Leon decided to take him along, saving him from a day of being cooped up in the office, shuffling papers.
Now, Leon's more than a little grateful he made that decision. He's glad he had Cloud with him, because the younger officer very nearly saved his life.
He cuts the engine and clips the key ring onto his belt, then releases his seatbelt and leans back against the headrest with a sigh. After a few seconds, he glances over at his reticent passenger. "First big firefight?"
Cloud is still staring straight ahead, face somber, motionless as he's been the whole way back. He's only halfway listening to the calm, professional sound of the dispatcher's voice as she trades information back and forth with the few other officers still on scene, and the utter blankness in his eyes is not something Leon wants to see, but he does understand the reason for it.
Cloud had lost his first partner a few years earlier in a similar situation, back when he was a rookie. The man had died protecting him. Leon hadn't known the Lieutenant—this was well before his transfer into the unit—but everyone who'd worked with him said Fair was a damn fine officer. It was a devastating loss for the force, and especially for Cloud, who took it exceptionally hard according to the blond's file.
"Thanks," Leon says, solemn and sincere, again trying to bring Cloud out of his reverie. "For not hesitating. Probably would have more than just a scratch on my neck if you hadn't taken him down when you did."
Cloud looks over at him then, some shards of emotion finally breaking through the porcelain mask. He glances at the thick pad of white gauze and tape tucked low inside the torn, bloodstained collar of Leon's uniform, and nods stiffly.
"Strife," Leon says, then furrows his brow and softens his voice without really meaning to. "Cloud...I mean it. You had my back. Thank you."
The blond nods again, slower and more deliberate. After a few seconds he opens his mouth as if to say something, then shakes his head and frowns slightly. When he looks back up at Leon, something in his eyes has changed. He looks conflicted, absolutely broken and completely determined all at once, and before Leon fully realizes what he's doing, Cloud has unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over and there's a hand cupping his cheek and warm lips pressing firmly against his own.
It doesn't last long. It seems like only seconds before Cloud loses some of his nerve and quickly pulls back, leaving Leon frozen and staring at him with wide eyes.
"W-what the hell was that for?" he manages once his heart starts beating again and his mind has caught up with what just transpired. Now, now he's scared—not when he's facing down thugs armed with automatic weapons but because just like that, with one single kiss, all the feelings he's been trying to fight off for months are suddenly being unearthed, and they're glinting sharp and raw in the glow of Cloud's eyes where he can't possibly deny them anymore. Doubt and uncertainty pull his mouth into a weak frown, and he starts to shake his head, even with the blond's hand still warm on his cheek. "Cloud, we can't—"
"Leon, sir, all due respect—shut up," Cloud says in a tight voice, tucking his thumb under Leon's chin to keep him from looking away. There's more than just shards of emotion on his face now, but even through his shock Leon can see that regret for what he's just done is not among them. "I thought I was going to lo—"
"You don't walk into this job blindly, Strife. That is a risk we all take, every damned day," Leon says firmly, trying to slip back into his role as Cloud's commanding officer because he's not certain he can handle this conversation without that shield in place between them. He jerks his head away and glares at the darkened gauges on the dash, afraid of the look in Cloud's eyes and his own weakening resolve. "That is why it's dangerous to get involved."
"But isn't it worth it?" Cloud argues, braver now that everything is out in the open. "Isn't this what we're protecting? Life and liberty...what about happiness?" He takes a breath and pushes it out in a heavy sigh. "...Look at me, Leon."
Reluctantly, with his stubborn heart tight in his chest, Leon obeys. The shield is already crumbling in places, he can feel it. It's a precarious position to be in, for both of them really—but deep down, he's wanted this for longer than he cares to admit, and today's reminder of just how mortal he really is is forcing him to face that fact.
Cloud's face is solemn as he braces one hand on the dash and leans in again, pausing a couple of inches away. It's silent for a moment, tension building with each second that ticks by, and finally Leon realizes he's waiting for him to make the next move. He wants acceptance, and proof that Leon wants him just as much. He wants to know that he's not the only one who believes this is worth fighting for.
Leon breathes out carefully, and hooks two fingers into the front of Cloud's collar, steeling himself to take the one chance he swore he never would again.
Because maybe this time, it is.
Slate blue eyes locked onto ocean blue-green, he gradually closes the distance, lips parted so that he can almost taste the other man's breath. His lower lip comes into contact with Cloud's upper lip first, still mostly breath and only the barest of touches, and then he licks his own lips just slightly and Cloud makes the smallest sound in the back of his throat and it's all over. The space between them vanishes and their lips meld together and then their tongues do, and it's instantly hot and smooth and deep and intense and god, if they had chemistry before, it's nothing on what they have now.
Cloud soon arches closer and braces his hand on Leon's chest instead, fingers catching between the buttons of his uniform. He angles his head to drive the kiss even further, and Leon cups the back of his neck and instinctively shifts the other way to compensate only to have a sudden searing heat rip through his skin, radiating from his deltoid all the way up his neck and down into his chest and shoulder. He tears away with a short, raw gasp that bleeds into a violent oath, and immediately clamps his hand down over the temporarily forgotten laceration as if that would somehow ease the pain.
"You need to get that checked out again," Cloud murmurs a little breathlessly, an apologetic frown tugging on his mouth and creasing between his brows. "Probably pulled the stitches."
"I think you're right," Leon says through clenched teeth. Traces of wetness are already seeping up through the gauze, and he grimaces and presses down harder, trying to calm his racing heart so the blood won't rush up quite so fast.
The intensity of the moment fades quickly with the unexpected reminder of his injury, and it leaves the air between them hollow, exposed and vulnerable. The truth lingers in Leon's ears and on his lips. He knows they can't go back now.
He stares at Cloud's faintly kiss-swollen lips, at the barest bit of color on his pale cheeks, anywhere but in his eyes—and swallows hard and returns to staring at the gauges.
"No one can know," he says very softly after a moment, and he's not talking about trivial things like gunshot wounds or torn stitches. "Maybe now more than ever."
"Yeah," Cloud agrees quietly, slouching back into his own seat and gazing through the windshield. "I know."
