A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry to say that no one has guessed correctly. Reyaa said that I can give one more hint cause the last chapter will be posted tomorrow.
HINT: It's a pairing we don't give the spotlight to often, which annoys some of you! Good luck!
Cloud
I scolded Kalinka for running off again like I had hundred times already today, not able to stay very angry with her long though, as I was just happy to have her back. So I patted her, letting her graze while Leon took down some of his saddle bags. He seemed to handle things pretty well, even though one of his arms was injured. I'd walk over to him and help with the detaching of the saddle bags and then dinner, but he'd told me to knock it off and not worry so much about him. He'd said it nicely of course, clearly not minding my nursing him all that much, but it flustered him. My mind was whirling right now though, making it hard to remember that I felt the need to help him out what with his wounded arm.
Staring rather absently into space, I blinked out of it when Leon waved a hand before my eyes. I offered him a quick smile. "I'm going to wash up." Stepping closer, I placed a small kiss against his cheek, and then moved out of his arms and over to the stream, making sure a couple of trees blocked me from his view so I couldn't tease him with my nakedness more then I already had.
I'd have snickered at the memory, but I couldn't help but stay stuck on the fact that Leon hadn't answered my proposition yet. Not that it didn't make sense, of course it did, he probably wanted to check out the land before agreeing to it. I even told him to do so myself when making the proposition. But I just really wished he didn't need to think it over too long, because the suspense was killing me.
Sighing at my silly self, I shrugged out of my clothes, leaving the underpants on in case there were any more leeches around this part of the stream as well. At least the fabric would stop them from going anywhere near my willy. I clenched my teeth at the coldness of the water, but quickly got used to it as I definitely needed to wash. I smelled terrible.
I heard a splash from behind me and Leon's voice cursing as he was no doubt getting used to the cold water as I had. "Cloud? Mind if I join you?"
I couldn't help grin, turning around. "You're already in. But no, I don't mind." I swam over to him, because I liked being close to him. Humming and smiling in return, he swam and met me halfway giving me a kiss and cupping my face with his good arm.
"Can I get you to maybe wash my back?" Smirking as he turned around, I was given a delicious view of his naked ass. Staring, I reached out, but then quickly remembered I couldn't grab his ass. Not without any kind of back rubbing introduction first anyway...
So instead, I put my palms onto his shoulders, stepping closer, nearly letting my chest press against his back, but feeling somewhat shy as we'd never been quite this intimate before... That very idea had me realizing the situation we were in right now, leading me to smother a moan as I let my forehead drop against his back between his shoulder blades.
"We're even now." I declared, tilting me head up, letting my lips drag over his skin leisurely while my hands washed his back with care as he'd so kindly asked me to do. I'd need a cloth to do a proper job, but I wasn't going to interrupt this just so I could get me one of those.
No... I wanted to hold onto something altogether different right now. Trailing kisses down his spine, I let my fingers slide down his sides, my heart speeding up and my breath becoming heavier as he was most likely the handsomest man I'd ever seen and touched.
"I'm so attracted to you, it drives me insane..." I whispered, not really minding all that much I didn't have full control over my brain, clearly, as I don't think I'd have told him such a thing while not being dazed with the warmth of his skin so close.
"I feel as though this is just too good to be true. Meeting someone as handsome as you, and finding that we have more in common than we realized, is beyond amazing." His voice was low and he shivered, leaning his head back and offering me his lips.
I nodded, agreeing that we both had a damn lot of luck. Leaning up, I took the kiss he gave me, my left hand moving to his front so it could rest on his stomach, while I couldn't stop my right from sliding down, placing it on his butt. Klaus had never let me anywhere near his ass, so this was new territory to me. I was fine just leaving it there forever if Leon was okay with it; my hand was very happy where it was.
Groaning against my mouth, Leon pulled away only to turn around so he was facing me as his lips connected back to mine. His good arm settled on my ass, squeezing it softly as his lips teased mine before his tongue pushed it's way into my mouth.
"You taste fantastic." Murmuring between his kisses, he pulled me closer against him. Sliding his hand hesitantly to the hem of my underwear, he paused before sliding it underneath and resting his palm against the bare skin. Grasping his neck, I pushed up, kissing him feverishly, desperately. I'd never felt this way with anyone else before...
When our skins touched, my body went all hot and it seemed hard to find any coherent thoughts in my mind. It was also very hard to concentrate on everything all at once. I didn't know whether to drown into the kiss, or let myself moan as his hand squeezed my butt gently in all the right places. Was it possible to enjoy both at the same time? Maybe we'd just have to do this more often, get more experience. Yes, I liked that idea very much.
Moving his hand, he made the quick decision to push my underwear down my backside, touching every inch of skin that was revealed. His kissing stayed slow, but intense and he stepped forward enough so that our skin was touching from chest to knee. Helping him, I removed my hands from his chest just for a moment so I could push my underwear off completely. He was naked, so I could be naked. Naked was better. I managed to do it without breaking the kiss, throwing the wet fabric blindly over his shoulder and hopefully onto the bank, but not caring all that much really as my fingers could finally return to him. Slipping them around his waist, I nearly hesitated, but then realized that was just silly and moved my hands down, letting my palms rest on his ass.
"Oh god." Moving his injured arm to wrap around my waist, Leon pulled away from the kiss and looked at me. "Cloud, I'm not sure if this is alright, but I'm going to try something, okay?" He murmured, his lips bruised from kissing me.
I smiled up at him, my mind a bit foggy. "Okay." I had no idea what he was going to do, but all that we'd been doing so far had felt great, so I'm sure whatever he had in mind couldn't hurt. While he would do that, I wanted to... Leaning forward, I placed a kiss against his neck and then another, and another. His skin tasted salty and he smelled very nice.
He took a deep breath and suddenly his uninjured hand was moving from it's place on my ass, sliding around my hip and finally resting lightly against my cock. Pausing for only a second, and moaning as I nibbled on his neck, he wrapped his hand around it and slowly started pumping it. My lips stopped moving, mouth simple open and pressed against his shoulder as I breathed in, my body trembling as his hand paid soft attention to me. Slipping one arm up and around his neck, I hoped he wouldn't mind if I hung on to him as my legs were feeling weak and-
"Leon." I moaned, surprising myself with the sudden noise of sheer want and need, but not all that surprised at the same time either as what he was doing to me felt amazing. Increasing his speed just a little in response to his name, Leon leaned forward and started nipping and kissing my neck. With every stroke, he grew more confident and sure of himself and what he was doing to me. He was moaning quietly and his hips were slowly pushing into my hips trying to create friction on himself as well.
Realizing Leon had a cock of his very own, I pulled my lips from his skin, "I'm sorry! It's just very hard to concentrate..." I gave him a sheepish smile, ducking my head down as I felt my cheeks burn while my hand quickly moved down his body, my fingers dipping into the water so I could wrap them around his length. I rubbed the way he had, figuring that if it felt good on me, it had to on him as well.
"Shit..." Gasping out my name as I continued pumping him, he slumped into me slightly but his hand never faltered.
"Not really, but I suppose cursing is appropriaa-" I choked on my words as he squeezed, my eyes rolling back into my head as I dropped my forehead against his shoulder. "I- Oh god..." I panted, my body covered in goosebumps, a shiver running down my spine in the best way possible as he was making sure my cock would feel very satisfied. Following his lead, I quickened my hand on him, slowing occasionally to squeeze and then just as soon picked up the pace again. Face pressed deep against his neck, my shoulders trembled and I was pretty sure Leon would kick me straight into heaven if he kept going. Which he did...
"I'm feeling funny..." I said breathlessly, moaning against his skin, and when that funny feeling turned to bliss, my teeth bit into his shoulder to smother the loud exclamation that wanted to come out.
Grunting in surprise, Leon's organ pulsed in my hand and he suddenly tensed. "Cloud..." He moaned and held me against him, each one of us using the other to lean on. Panting, he murmured, "Are you alright? Because I'm feeling amazing...
"Very, very alright. I'm good, amazing. You're amazing. I- This." I shook my head out of my ramble, deciding to just lean into him, kissing the spot I'd bitten before smiling against it. "Where did you learn how to do that?" I asked curiously, still somewhat breathless.
Blushing as he moved away a little, he mumbled, "I guess I just felt like touching you...and then, I remembered having done something like that to myself and that's it..." Reaching up to push a lock of hair out of my face, he smiled, "Felt good, right?"
I smiled back, "Very." I agreed. "Now I'm hungry though..."
Leon - The following morning
The next morning I was up before Cloud, finally back into my routine of getting up before the sun. However, I had a hard time crawling out from under him because apparently, I was his new favorite pillow to lay on at night. Smiling down at him, I concluded that I didn't mind in the slightest. My arm was still pretty sore, not so much from the bites, but from the bruise that the jaws of the wolf had caused with how hard it clamped down on me.
Flexing my fingers to remove the soreness, I quickly gathered another log to add to the fire, hoping that I could get coffee going before he woke up. Yesterday was still a pretty strong memory in my mind, what with exploring Cloud's body and us experiencing each other like that. Besides the fact that Cloud was a man, I wasn't completely sure about the socially accepted sexual acts one could do with one's partner.
I was familiar with the saloon girls and the different unsavory acts that they would perform, but I wasn't sure about Cloud. He'd seemed a little naive about what we were doing and it seemed as though he might not be as knowledgeable about such things. But, even without that knowledge, he'd been extremely enthusiastic about what we had done, so I can't say that I was unhappy with his naivety.
As I quietly packed up the things we wouldn't need for breakfast, I thought more on his offer to buy half of his ranch. It seemed like an ideal solution, especially since I was loathe to just leave once I'd dropped him off. Even if, for some wild reason, we didn't end up staying together in the sense of us being lovers, I would still be able to stay and run my half of the ranch. Or, he could do some parts of it, and I could do the parts that he didn't know how to do. He was a quick learner and I could see him learning how to run a ranch after seeing it done.
Looking over at him, I smiled. Not only was he smart, he was educated. Starting a school in a town that might not have one was a good way to utilize and spread that knowledge. And even if there was already a school, Cloud would probably be able to become a teacher, or he could even become a judge. Those with an education could go far in this world. Well, I figured that I'd say yes to his proposition and when I saw the ranch, I could make my final decision like he said. It could be the best offer I could possibly get. Putting some salted pork that Tifa had given me into the frying pan, I made my way back to where Cloud was laying on my bedroll.
Leaning over him, I quickly bent down and kissed his lips softly. "Cloud." I murmured still close enough to touch him.
"Hmm?" He opened an eye, giving me a smile, "You get up much to early." He murmured. "I'm awake." He told me while falling back asleep.
Poking his shoulder gently, I grinned down at him. "Cloud. Come on, we gotta get started. We've been lazy for long enough. Breakfast will be ready soon." I saw the sky grow lighter as the sun peaked over the horizon. Yup, time to get going.
"Okay." He mumbled, sitting up, his arms coming around my neck, his lips pressing against mine. He wasn't going for a light quick kiss as he parted his mouth, snaking his tongue out and touching it to mine while pushing me over so I suddenly found myself on my back, Cloud practically on top of me. Which is when he ended the kiss. "Morning!" He said happily, pecking my lips one more time before getting up and walking over to the fire where the pork was frying.
"Dammit." That was totally unfair. Glaring at him, I stood back up and stomped over to the fire. "That was cruel. So, how did you sleep?" Flipping the pork, and enjoying the site of it browning, I filled Cloud's cup with coffee and handed it to him.
Taking a sip, he then grinned, "You're very comfortable." Sneak. "How did you sleep? Your arm feeling better today?"
"It feels fine. Here." Handing him the pork on a slice of bread, I cleared my throat. "And I was thinking about what you said about buying half your ranch." I waited to see if he was following me.
He sighed heavily. "I was trying very hard not to say anything and let you make the decision without pressure and continuous comments on my part. Please put me out of my misery and tell me what you think of it?" He blurted out, making clear he'd been thinking about it quite a bit.
Chuckling, I nodded. "If you were still serious about it, then yes, I'll take a look around and if I like what I see, then I'll buy half." Breathing deeply, I waited to see if I was nervous about saying it out loud. Nope, it felt good actually. Like I was taking a step forward. Finding a home.
"Oh thank god..." He breathed out. "I hoped you'd say that, because although sudden, I was serious about it and am really comfortable with the idea. If you hadn't agreed to it then that might have meant we weren't on the same page, and I don't like the idea of us not being on the same-" He cut his ramblings off by himself. "Yes. That sounds good."
I didn't respond right away, thinking about what he said about it being sudden. We'd known each other for less than a week. Glancing at him, I thought about not seeing him again. And the thought made me a little sick to my stomach.
"Let's get going." Packing the rest of the stuff after breakfast, I gave Cloud a quick kiss and we headed out.
The next few days were a blur of waking up, eating, occasionally hunting for some quick meat, and finally sleeping next to each other every night. We kissed every chance we got, and sometimes I was unable to keep my hands off of him and I took it a little farther than that. It shouldn't have been hard, but the way the sun made his hair shine sometimes...I wasn't responsible for my actions. No, not responsible.
One morning had been rather amusing as Cloud had tried to kiss me silly, which had worked, but of course the tease had then pulled away before it could go any further. I hadn't allowed it that time though, pulling him back in my arms, making sure to turn that hair of his into a complete mess before he could eat some breakfast.
He'd still been rather sleepy after wards, and then seemingly swimming in the kiss even though it had ended, he'd forgotten to tie his saddle the right way, leading him to climb up Kalinka on one side, flopping down onto the ground on the other as the saddle had twisted and slid down his horse's stomach. I'd been worried up until I'd seen Cloud groaning into the dirt, looking somewhat confused at what had taken place.
As I'd laughed at him, he'd then gotten back at me later on by cutting my suspenders, innocently informing me he liked the way my pants hung so low over my hips. I'd then cut his, giving him the same innocent explanation, leading us to hitch our pants up for the rest of the day. Until that evening when we'd both agreed it wasn't practical at all, and ended up sitting by the fire, sewing our suspenders back in order.
Cloud had surprised me one evening, by quietly singing as I'd been feeding the fire and his voice had been so clear that I'd asked for a song every chance I got. Plus, it had been one of the only ways to get him to stop asking me questions sometimes. The man never seemed to run out of them...
As if making a silent agreement, we hadn't talked about the ranch at all. I needed to see it and Cloud wanted me to see it before we made a real final decision. The decision would be big, a huge step forward. So we didn't talk of what we could do with the place, no planning in advance, not even really mentioning it. It was okay, we could do all of that once we had arrived and made the decision.
The land surrounding us was beautiful, green and vibrant with plenty of grazing for potential cattle herds. I was anxious to see the ranch that Cloud now owned and if it was half of what I was seeing around me, I'd definitely be interested in buying half of it. The land around here had already been homesteaded and now people had to purchase the land from others or the government so it was good to have an in already.
Glancing at Cloud's wide eyes, I chuckled to myself. I guess he wasn't used to the wide open terrain and the fact that you could go days without seeing a soul. I liked it like that, but I didn't mind sharing the wide open space with Cloud. It was our last day of travel and we were avoiding the town that was about five miles away from his ranch, hoping that we could just settle in before heading into town to see about getting supplies.
We needed to see what was there and what we needed to possibly order in the way of supplies. With the many trees in the area, we wouldn't need to buy lumber, but it would be faster. I'd have to see what Cloud had in the way of funds. I knew he was well off, but I didn't know how well off. And I really didn't feel too comfortable asking that. It wasn't really any of my business.
"Hey, can I see that deed again? I want to check the location one more time." Each deed was made in relation to the nearest town or homestead office. According to his deed, he owned about fifty acres northwest of the town. A great location with at least one documented water source.
Fishing the paper out of one of his saddle bags, he handed it to me. "I can't quite believe I own the ground I'm riding on right now..." He murmured. It was already an amazing piece of property. Since we'd arrived mid morning, I'd taken him on a longer route around the back so that he could get a good look at everything he owned. I'd spotted about a hundred head of cattle already, deer sign and a large spring that fed into a pond. Truly a prime spot to own. It was probably worth more than I had on me and I was nervous about the price that I would have to pay...
"Tell me if you have any questions, or if you see the house that your uncle built. I'm thinking it will be at the southern end closest to the town."
"I hope my uncle played the piano." He said with a smile, looking relaxed as he didn't seem so pressed to ask me any questions for once, clearly content to just drink it all in bit by bit.
"Did you ever meet your uncle?" I had an idea about a piano if he truly wanted one. The town was supposed to be a fairly large one, probably only a year or two away from getting a railroad through here. I could probably order him one...
Cloud shook his head. "No. He was first born, expected to marry a good match and take over my grandfather's responsibilities. He left, which is how my father stepped in and became the head of the family name. Apparently he was a lot like my brother, Zack. I've seen pictures of him, they look exactly alike, while I look more like my father." Cloud shrugged, "He didn't write as him and my father weren't on good terms at all. I'm surprised my uncle left the ranch to my father."
"Oh? So, it's actually in your father's name?" That might be a problem unless his father had signed over the deed to Cloud's name.
"He signed it over to me." Cloud assured. "Along with half of Aerith's dowry, which is enough funds for me to live off of without ever having to work." Blinking in surprise, I tried to fathom exactly how much that would be exactly and I couldn't. Cloud looked sheepish at my perplexed expression. "I'm well off, not rich. I could be very rich for a couple of years and then run out of funds very fast, or, I can be smart and live modestly and securely for the rest of my life without ever having to worry about money."
I nodded. "That makes sense. And a ranch like this can be profitable without growing too large for one or two of us to handle. Hey, I think that's the house up there." Pointing to a building that was showing through a break in the trees, I squinted and tried to get a better look.
"I can't tell if it's in good state from here..." Cloud grinned as he prepared himself to lead Kalinka into a gallop, clearly wanting to race me to the house.
I was about to answer, when there was a sudden CRACK and Arrow reared up in surprise as a puff of dirt sprang up in front of us. "Shit!" Someone was shooting at us! "Cloud, run!" Spinning my horse around, I figured that the shot came from the house and we'd better head for the trees behind us. Hoping it was just a warning shot, but not wanting to stick around and see for sure, I glanced over at Cloud to see if he was following me.
"Waarom zijn der mensen in mijn huis?" That was the most irritated growl I'd heard out of him ever yet, the glare coming from his eyes wasn't pleasant either as he spurred Kalinka on, following me.
I heard one more shot following the one that had spooked my horse, and I glanced behind me, catching a glint off of a rifle barrel from the house before it disappeared behind the trees we'd run into. Still running the horses, I figured the best thing to do would be to head into town. Quickly. If they were shooting at us, whoever they were, then they could possibly hunt for us.
"Follow me!" I yelled over the pounding of the horse's hooves. Pulling ahead of Cloud, I let the roan have his head and put as much distance as possible between us and that house. What the hell? I thought the place had been abandoned...well, this was a prime location and we shouldn't be surprised that squatters may have settled onto it. We needed a marshal...
After about fifteen minutes of heavy riding, I decided that we had enough of a head start that we needed to slow the horses and decide what to do now. Pulling back on the reins, the roan snorted, clearly happier running than stopping, but he eventually slowed to a walk, sides heaving.
"You okay?" I asked as Cloud's horse caught up with mine.
"The America can be very rude sometimes!" He glared over his shoulder. "It's supposed to be abandoned!" He shrieked, patting his horse absently while looking completely frustrated.
Taking a gulp from my canteen, I offered it to him. "How long has your uncle been dead?"
He took it, gulping some down before answering, "Nearly four years. Five maybe... My father forgot to mention the exact date."
"That's a long time to be abandoned, but some people just get greedy." Thinking it over, I figured that since they hadn't shot to kill, we might have a chance at a peaceful resolution. We'd approached the house from the back, so maybe if we showed up with the marshal and tried the front door we might have better luck. "We should head to town and find the marshal."
"I'll get my house back?" He asked happily, the glare completely gone as I'd given a solution.
Nodding at him, I replied, "You have the deed. It's your land. They are squatters at best and downright thieves at the worst. We tell the marshal, and he should take care of it. I'm not looking to get into a land feud on the very first day we get here. Come on, let's get going." Clicking to my horse, I pointed him in the direction of town. I wanted this taken care of, and fast.
Cloud
"I just don't think it's proper for someone to just move into a home they know isn't theirs. It simply does not make sense in my head. If I were to run into a house that was empty, I wouldn't just settle into it and say it's mine when I know it isn't." I muttered, irritated somewhat still as we came to the edge of the town, finally. "I almost need a drink. But don't let me go to the bar because I'm sure my hair color or accent will set off some guy like Wil Hatchett and get me into trouble again." I puffed out some air, trying to settle my nerves.
Slowing our paces as the street we moved into was packed with walking people, I looked around, seeing that this town was bigger then the one I'd met Leon in. This was all still very new to me. Towns didn't look like this back in Europe at all and this was only the second one I'd properly set foot in. I was used to the American grass fields and forests now, but towns I'd still need to get used too. I also felt like people were staring, but maybe I was just paranoid. Were they staring? I pulled my hat up onto my head for good measure, hiding my hair as apparently that wasn't the most common color around here.
"How is it you people can smell foreigners the moment they set foot in your country?" I whispered at Leon.
He chuckled at me and shook his head. "It isn't really foreigners that we smell. It's strangers. You'll notice I'm getting just as many stares as you are. Relax. This is your town now. Just be friendly and everything will be fine." Pointing to a tall building at one end of the main street, Leon continued. "Why don't you head over and get us a room? I can go and find the marshal, or there might even be a sheriff for this size of town."
I was about to ask him whether I had to take just one room or two, but he was riding off already and although I could still ask him, the dozen people around us would hear the question also and I'm pretty sure it didn't matter how friendly I'd be after making something like that clear... Alright then. Pursing my lips at Leon's retreating figure, I guided Kalinka over to the post before the hotel, dismounting and tying her to it while the matter of one or two rooms ran through my mind. If I took one room, which I really wanted too, we might risk people noticing and thinking things... If I took two rooms, Leon might believe I didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him.
Patting Kalinka on the neck, I then walked over to the front of the hotel building, making my way inside. Leon was a smart man, he'd understand the precaution if I were to decide on taking two rooms. But did I want to sleep in a separate bed? I'd gotten very used to using Leon as my pillow, I'm not sure I could sleep without him anymore.
A delicate clear of the throat pulled me out of my thoughts, my eyes focusing on the person who'd asked for my attention. I smiled at the lady behind the reception desk of the hotel, realizing I'd walked all the way up to it without paying much attention at all.
"Hoi! I'm sorry, I was lost in thought." I told her pleasantly. "I am Cloud Strife and am new in this lovely looking town." Leon had told me to be friendly... "Do you have rooms available? My friend will join me soon." Two rooms, or one? Hmm...
She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Welcome to town, Mr. Strife. And yes, we have rooms available." Opening the hotel registry in front of her, she quickly scanned the page. "I have rooms three, four, six, and seven available. Three and four face the main street, while six and seven face the hills to the south." Glancing up at me expectantly, her pen hovered over the book.
Two or one... Why wasn't there just one remaining room available? Then I wouldn't have to decide. Sighing discreetly, I chose to be cautious. "Six and seven please, Miss...?"
She giggled and blushed. "Charity." Turning around she grabbed two keys from the wall behind her and held them out to me. "I'm Charity Townsend. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cloud Strife." Stepping back after handing me the keys, she gave me a quick curtsy and giggled again.
Taking the keys, I nodded at the window behind her, "Maybe you should open it some, Charity Townsend." I pointed at her cheeks, smiling, "It seems to be a bit warm in here." That was friendly. She was most likely overheating in that heavy looking dress of hers. Women were very brave to wear such elaborate costumes. "Is there a bath house?" I asked, "Oh, and would you like me to pay for the rooms now or when we leave?"
Giving me a puzzled look, she nodded. "There are baths for the hotel guests at the end of the hall that you can find your rooms on. And yes, please give a nights deposit now, and then each morning pay for that day." Smiling at me again, she added, "You may also pay in advance for however long you will be staying with us."
She was nice. "I'm not quite sure yet how long, but here is the deposit and I will pass by tomorrow morning to inform you of how long we will be staying." Handing her the money, I gave her a tip too, because I'm sure that was the friendly thing to do. "Thank you very much for the normal welcome into this town, Charity."
I turned around, about to walk out and get my saddle bags, but then remembered to tip my hat at her because at some point during our trip I'd asked Leon when I was supposed to tip my hat and... Dammit, I should have taken it off when entering the building. Oh well. Shrugging, I tipped it at her anyways and then walked out to get my stuff.
Once I'd gathered my items, I went back inside, giving Charity another smile because she gave me one, passing by her and then making my way to room number six, figuring Leon could take number seven. Opening the door, I walked inside, stopping in my tracks as a little lady seemed to be dusting off the furniture.
"Hoi!" I said pleasantly, letting her know I'd come in so I wouldn't startle her.
Turning around and giving me a curtsy, she smiled at me. "Please excuse me, sir. I'm just finishing the dusting of your room. I'm finished now, so please excuse me."
"Sure, that's okay, thank you." I told her, giving her a smile while I walked over to the bed, settling my bags on top of the wooden chest placed by the foot of it. I was going to love sleeping in that bed, I could tell just looking at it. But it would have been better with Leon in it. Maybe I could sneak into his room during the night... Giggling, she smiled and closed the door behind her as she left and I heard her footsteps quickly running down the hall getting fainter by the second.
Figuring I could go to the bath house later, I walked out of the room, locking it behind me and taking both keys of rooms six and seven, sticking them into one of my pockets before making my way back into the reception area. I'm sure Leon was hungry too and would know to find me in the dining area of the hotel.
Walking by Charity and the maid standing behind the reception desk, both giving me friendly smiles, I returned it, wondering if all people in this town would be so welcoming as I made my way passed them and into the dining area, seeking out a table that was in plain sight so Leon wouldn't miss me.
Leon
Slapping the dust that I'd picked up on the way over here from my pants, I stepped into the hotel lobby and blinked to adjust my eyes to the dimmer light indoors. Sighing and fingering the badge I'd been given, I slipped it into my pocket, not ready for people to know who I was yet.
Walking over to the counter, there was two women giggling and talking quietly to each other. One was holding a duster while the other seemed to be the receptionist. Stepping up to the counter, I waited for a few moments, hoping they would notice me without me having to interrupt. I was tired and hungry and just wanted to know where Cloud was and what room he'd gotten.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat and put on a smile, hoping they wouldn't stare at the scar that was across my face. It was usually a topic of discussion wherever I went, and I was used to most people staring at it.
"And that hair, it's like he dipped it into gold or something." The one with the duster said.
The receptionist giggled, "I know! He told me he was very glad for the normal welcome I'd given him and then he smiled at me." She sighed one of those girl sighs...
"Did you see a ring on his finger?" The one with the duster asked then, "I didn't have time to see."
The receptionist shook her head, "No, I didn't see. But he said he'd come by tomorrow morning to tell me how long he's staying, so I'll check then." Clearing my throat again, this time louder, I held in a chuckle when I figured they were talking about my fair haired companion. Too bad they didn't really stand a chance with him.
The one with the duster heard me now, looking towards me. "Oh!" She blinked first, then fixed her eyes onto mine. "Hello, sir..." She murmured, her cheeks turning pink while giving me a smile. "I'm very sorry. We didn't mean to ignore you." She said quickly.
The receptionist nodded her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Apologies, sir." She gave the one with the duster a pointed look. "Talk later, Lilliane." She hissed before turning back towards me, offering me a smile. "How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for my friend that checked in earlier. His name is Cloud Strife. Have you seen him?" I figured I didn't need to describe him since they'd apparently been discussing him before I'd walked up.
She smiled brightly. "You're his friend! He's in the dining area on your left, sir." She pointed towards the room. "Excuse me, sir?" She caught my attention before I walked off. "Your friend isn't from anywhere near, is he?" She asked carefully. When I shook my head, she smiled. "If he ever needs a guide or help with the English language, could you tell him that I work at the town's school on Saturdays? I'd be happy to show him around and help him."
I just nodded, getting the feeling that she was hoping to catch Cloud's eye. "I'll let him know, miss." Tipping my hat at her, I quickly walked away towards where she had pointed Cloud would be. Walking through a doorway, I caught the familiar sight of Cloud's spiky hair as he sat near the window of the dining area, looking out of the window. Feeling a little pained, I wanted to be able to enjoy time alone with him again, but I sucked it up and went to sit down.
"Hey, how did the room thing go?" Grinning as I thought about the two women who he'd apparently impressed, I took a sip of the coffee he had ordered for me.
He shrugged, "Fine. The rooms look good." He pointed big blue eyes on me then, leaning socially acceptable closer towards me, whispering, "I took two for cautiousness." Leaning back again, he spoke at normal volume. "Did the marshal agree to help us out?"
Ducking my head, I stared down at my coffee cup, nervous about what I had to tell him. "Um, he actually wasn't any help at all." Just spit it out, Leon. He'll find out sooner or later anyways...
"Oh? How come?" He asked, frowning, "Are you okay?"
Rubbing the back of my head and looking everywhere but at Cloud, I finally decided to just say it. "There was no marshal. There hasn't been one for about a month since they buried the last one. The mayor, who I didn't realize was the mayor when I shared a drink with the guy, offered me the job." I totally blamed Cloud for making me more comfortable over the last ten days about talking to strangers.
"Didn't you say marshals don't live very long?" He squeaked out.
Finally meeting his gaze, I noticed the fear in his eyes and felt a little guilty. "Well, that's just relative to how violent a town is. This place isn't so bad. The marshal actually died of a fall from his horse. And it doesn't have to be permanent if it doesn't work out." I winced. That sounded ominous.
"Okay, well, just be careful." He murmured, "I don't actually like closing you up with hot blades, you know."
I cringed and resisted the urge to reach over and grab his hand, running my fingers under my hat and through my hair instead. "Yeah, well, I've never really done anything like this, but it's actually a quick way to get on peoples good side. And I did find some stuff out about who lives on your ranch."
I was surprised by the sudden big warm smile he gave me. "That means you're staying."
Giving him a small smile I nodded. "Yeah, looks like I'm staying."
"Good." He said. "Now, very nice new marshal of the town I'll be living in but don't remember the name of, what do we do?"
Taking a gulp of my coffee, I thought about it for a second. "I say we stick around town for a few days, meet people and feel out the situation. Apparently, it's two brothers that are squatting on your place, and they already have made themselves a nuisance in town. So, we just need to present the deed to the judge, and then I'll make out a warrant to take out there. Sound good?"
"Sounds good. Remind me to tell the girl in the lobby, Charity is her name, how long we will be staying, I think she'd prefer it if I paid in advance and we want to be friendly."
Biting my lip to keep from chuckling, I nodded. "Oh, what rooms did you get?" No need to point out that he'd made quite an impression on the poor young thing.
"Six and seven. I settled into number six because that one was closest and my bags were heavy."
"Sounds good." I didn't mention anything about having him sleep in my room. It would be nice, but he might not feel comfortable doing that while we were in a town. I'd miss his warmth. Noticing that the sun was settling itself on the horizon, I finished off my coffee. "Want to walk around town for a bit, or should we just settle into our rooms?"
"I want a bath." He whined. "I smell... And they have soap here." He added wistfully.
"Let's eat some dinner, and then baths and then bed. Tomorrow is a new day and we can start fresh in the morning."
A/N: Last chapter will be up tomorrow! In case you didn't hear, if you can guess the next couple in the pairing, we will send you a sneak preview!
