A/N: Because ffnet is not letting us respond to your reviews, just know that we read each one and we are saving the emails so that we can hopefully respond to them soon...it's frustrating though. In response to a question, this will have 5 chapters altogether. XD
Leon - Later that day
Cloud stopping by my office had brought some excitement to my day, and my secretary was half in love with Shiva as well as most of the other females who'd had the chance to see her. She really was the best dog, smart and easy going, and it just made me want to hug Cloud and thank him again every time I saw her. My secretary was also impressed with Cloud, making a remark about how she looked forward to letting him into my office instead of other people who shall remain nameless.
I'd also realized that I wasn't staying as late as I used to, mainly because I wanted to get home now. Home to Cloud and Shiva and a life outside work. Amazing. At five o'clock every day now, I was out the door and on my way home, work easily forgotten and left behind. Today especially, since I knew that I could look forward to sharing a bed with Cloud tonight. Maybe he'd also move his stuff into my room again. I really hadn't minded the first time. It had thrown me for a loop certainly, but not an unpleasant one.
Ahh. I grinned as I turned down my street, I thought about just moving his stuff again without giving him a chance. Yup, that sounded like the best idea. Our house came into view and I frowned when I spotted Rinoa's car in my driveway. What the fuck was she doing here?
Parking the car quickly, I got out and frowned as I saw the following. Rinoa had her hands propped up onto her hips glaring at Cloud, while he stood square into the door frame, looking beyond pissed off. Shiva popped her head out curiously from between Cloud's legs, looking up at Rinoa who took a step back from the dog.
"What is that?" She shrieked.
Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know? You and her have a lot in common."
"And what would that be?" Rinoa asked disbelieving.
"You're both bitches!" Cloud shouted at her.
"What the hell is going on here?" I shouted, leaving my briefcase in the car and taking quick steps up the front porch.
"Leon!" Rinoa said happily, whirling around so she could rush up to me. Cloud groaned, hanging his head as he sat down beside Shiva. Rinoa smiled at me as she stood close before me, "Did you have a good day?" She then glared at Cloud and Shiva behind her, "That silly husband of yours is truly, very rude!" She snarled at him.
"You are on my property!" Cloud shouted back, "Leon, get her out of here or I'm letting Shiva loose!" He paused. "Worse! I'll let myself loose!"
"Rinoa, what the fuck do you think you are doing here? I've told you over and over to not come to my house. Leave before I have Cloud sick the dog on you." God damn her for ruining my day. I felt my eyes narrow and I was two seconds from calling the cops, seriously, if she even so much as resisted.
She blinked, "Don't you want me to make you tacos?"
"Oh hell fucking no!" Cloud shouted, jumping up onto his feet so he could storm over here, "My husband, my man!" His hand shot down and he grabbed my crotch, "My fucking balls!" He pushed her away from me, "My tacos!" He added in a shout, throwing his hands up in frustration and then stepping behind me, his hand clutching my shirt as he tried to calm himself down, most likely telling himself not to hit a woman.
"You let him manhandle you like that?" She shrieked at me, and Cloud's fingers tightened on my shirt. One look at Cloud was all it took and I whipped out my phone and dialed 911 for the second time in a month.
"I'm calling the cops Rinoa. This is the last fucking straw." And I ignored her, telling the dispatcher my information, as they assured me they'd be there in less than two minutes. Cloud's hand relaxed instantly as I hung up the phone, giving him a nod to let him know it was in motion. Sighing, he gave me a quick smile before settling into my side.
"Thank fucking god." He muttered against my chest. I wrapped my arms around him, keeping an eye on the crazy bitch in front of me. If she took one more step towards me, or touched either one of us, I'd sue her for assault and ruin her. This had better be the last time I ever saw her. Maybe as a part of the restraining order, I should push for mandatory counseling...
"Do you need me with the cops?" Cloud asked tiredly, "Or can I go inside and soak?" That meant a bath, which meant he needed a moment to ease himself down.
As much as I wanted to let him go, the cops would want to take his statement. I'd push to let him leave first though. "I'm sorry, but they'll want to talk to you after they cuff her. But, I'll tell them to get yours first and then you can go soak." And speaking of the cops...
Flashing lights and sirens were suddenly everywhere and I turned Cloud around and tucked him into my side, hiding him away from the world as best I could. I glanced at Rinoa to see if she was going to run, halfway hoping she'd get tackled as tasered. She didn't look upset, instead she looked confident; confident she'd get out of this mess. Which, come the next day, I would make sure she couldn't. As she was so certain, she didn't put up a fight or anything, which would work in her favor, but she wasn't getting out of this that easily. Settled in the car, the cop closed the door after her and then walked over to us, ready to take our statements.
"Okay, why don't you tell me what happened." The officer got out his pad of paper and looked at us expectantly.
"First off, this is Cloud Leonhart, my husband. He is not feeling well, so please let him explain and then he needs to go up and rest." My tone did not leave any room for argument and it's a damn good thing that he nodded and turned to Cloud.
"From the top, sir."
"She's Leon's ex. She strongly believes he still has feelings for her, that he's not gay and that I'm..." Cloud shrugged, "A lot of nasty words I'm not going to repeat. In any case. She came to mine and Leon's house a couple of weeks back, inviting herself in. And today she was about ready to do the same, but I didn't let her which is where she got nasty again up until Leon got home from work." He explained dutifully.
The police officer jotted some stuff down and then nodded. "Okay, that should be fine for now, you are free to head inside, and I'll just get the rest from your husband. Thank you."
I kissed Cloud quickly and gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Go and reassure Shiva and take a bath. I'll be inside in a bit." He turned to go do that, but then spun around, gave me another kiss before went inside to do as I had suggested.
Watching him until he was all the way in, I turned back to the officer and after giving him my card, I explained as much as I could, detailing her harassment and giving names of people who could act as witnesses. I'd been thinking about this for a while now, and most of this information had been gathered to put on the restraining order, so this would just be a perk. After just a few minutes of answering questions, he shook my hand and drove away, Rinoa staring at me through the glass. I scowled and flipped her off, hoping she wouldn't take that as an invitation. Turning around, I headed back inside to be with the real victim of this, Cloud. If Rinoa stressed him out enough to cause a seizure, I was really going to press charges. Bitch.
Cloud
Man alive, I am feisty! Where I gotten the courage to grab onto Leon's balls and claim them as my own? No idea, but that had been awesome! Of course, the whole situation didn't make me happy. Definitely not. Especially because she'd had the guts to call me a charity case right before Leon had gotten onto the scene. But that didn't matter. It had stung, but it wasn't important because I wasn't a charity case. Leon didn't see me as such and I knew that.
I'd reassured Shiva and had taken a pretty long bath like Leon had instructed for me to do. I'd been glad to soak in the warm water for a long while, letting all that rage I'd felt towards Rinoa fade away. Trying to ease down my stress a bit too, since I'm pretty sure heavy stress wasn't such a good idea for my brain at the moment.
Leon had ordered us pizza and by the time I got down it had already gotten there. After finishing up I'd told him that I simply wanted to go to bed. I just wanted to lie in his arms and feel good. So that's what I was doing now, pulling my shirt over my head but leaving the pajama bottoms on as I pushed the big cozy blanket aside so I could settle under it. Leon doing pretty much the same on the other side of the bed.
The moment he was lying down, I moved closer to him. His bed was really huge... Anyway, I settled my head on his chest, placing a leg over his, my palm resting on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. This felt so right... Our relationship had started out somewhat... creatively, original? Weird, I guess. It had been awkward too. I grinned at the memory of how I'd ended up here.
"Leon?" I asked softly, "What did you think of me when we first met?" And this was why I was grinning, "You know, when we got married?"
He sighed and nuzzled my head a little. "I thought you were very good looking. Cute. And it was almost impossible for me to imagine someone as amazing as you to have a brain tumor." He paused. "And then when Rinoa tried to talk to us? I felt so protective of you, it made me a little nervous." Rubbing my arms a little, he hummed. "What about me?" He asked softly.
I chuckled, "Well, when Tifa showed me your picture before the wedding? I didn't believe a guy as hot as you could possibly be gay." I sighed happily, tilting my head up so I could place a soft kiss against his jaw, "When I first saw you in the chapel? I was a bit intimidated and nervous about the whole situation too. Your photograph didn't really do you justice..." I confided, "Your voice was very calming and your eyes so sweet. Oh and then when you said 'I do'?" I smacked his chest lightly, chuckling, "You looked at me so... I don't know, but it made my knees go weak." I told him honestly.
Bringing up one of his hands to hold my own against his chest, he kissed my forehead. "I'm thinking that Tifa has masterminded this entire thing so that we'd meet." He chuckled and then brought my hand up to kiss the back of it. "I didn't really know I would end up feeling this strongly for you, but you seem to light up the entire house when you're here. I don't ever want you to leave." He murmured.
I never would, not if I had a say in it. And... I didn't want our marriage to be annulled. I realized that it had been awkward and strange, but... I liked it. It was my wedding with Leon and it meant a lot to me. I didn't dare tell him this though... I hadn't even told him that I loved him yet.
"I love you..." Okay, so apparently I was telling him now. Stiffening at my own words, I moved my head up so I could look at him, feeling a bit frightened.
His face looked a little shocked and I feared that I'd gone to far. But, then as quick as a thought, he smiled, a bright one that lit up his entire face. "I love you too, Cloud. Funny how the whole marriage thing works. Who knew we would go about it backwards..." Leaning down he captured my lips in a gentle kiss. I wasn't fooled though. His heart was racing and his muscles were tense, telling me he was not feeling gentle at all.
Propping myself up so I could lie partly on top of him, I kissed him a bit more deeply before breaking away for a second, "I'm not made out of glass, Leon, if you want me then take me." I whispered, my own heart beating faster, "I want you too." I said against his lips.
"Fuck, Cloud. Fine, but no whining about how I take you." His lips pressed back against mine and he rolled me under him, letting his hands roam over my sides, gently sliding down and around to grip my bottom.
I moaned, chuckling, "Fucking finally!" I parted my legs so he could settle between them, my thighs coming around his hips as I welcomed the feverish kiss he gave me, my hands moving over his back, exploring every inch of his skin with soft touches.
Pulling back for just a second, he gave me a stern look, trying to keep his smile hidden. "Blowjob. Okay? That's all your getting tonight because we both have work tomorrow. Deal?"
"I love blowjobs." I agreed easily, pulling his face back down so he could keep kissing me like he did so well. Letting my fingers slide into his hair, I tugged on the locks gently, my lips parting as I caught my breath for a second, feeling all kinds of hot and him on top of me like this fried my brain to wonderland in the most awesome way. Rocking my hips up to create some friction I desperately needed, I moaned softly as I finally got it. "Hmm... I'm so hot for you right now, even a pants on dry hump would do the trick." I told him, and it was the truth. I was so horny, I wasn't gonna last long at all.
"Sounds like an amazing idea." Leon gasped out, between kisses and his hips starting picking up speed, and moaning into my lips.
"Hey!" I tried to sound firm, but it was a bit hard to concentrate right now, what with him very intent on blowing our minds out, "What about my blowjo-" He jerked his hips roughly into my own, my head falling back so I could moan at the ceiling, his lips now pressed against my throat. "Okay." I agreed, my hands sliding down his back and over his ass, "You're right, this is better. But!" Hooking my thumbs in the edge of his pajama pants I gave it a swift tug, pulling his pants down when he stopped moving. Looking over his shoulder, I smiled at his yummy bare ass. "There... I can die happy now." I smiled, letting my head drop back in the pillow as I then made sure to even things out, pushing my own pants down my legs. "You may continue." I told him pleasantly. "I love you." I added because I could.
"Oh god, I love you too." His hands going back to grab my now bare ass, pushing himself in between my legs, making our dicks rub against each other as he went back to grinding against me.
This wasn't about making it last... Which I was perfectly happy with. Circling my arms around his neck, I leaned up, kissing him roughly as I planted my heels into the mattress, giving me the leverage I needed to push back up into him, his hands on my ass encouraging me to continue and I moaned again and again as we managed to keep up the rhythm, never skipping a beat as we worked ourselves sweaty and sticky in all the right ways. Grunting, I felt that rush build through me, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Leon, Leon..." I'm pretty sure I wanted to say something poetic, but he'd just ground all the vocabulary out of my system. "Oh fuck, so, so good-" My legs were trembling and my muscles kept tensing and I hoped he was right there with me because I was gonna come.
"Cloud, fuck, go, go..." Egging himself and me on, I felt him tense above me, his lips giving me a sloppy kiss, teeth clashing and tongue tangling with mine. Then the he shoved his arm under the small of my back, pulling me up so I was sitting on his lap, his fingers squeezing my ass, his lips still kissing me hungrily, having managed to not break the lip lock nor the friction as he'd moved us into a sitting position.
This gave me better access and I guess that's why he'd done this, so I could push back into him just as firmly as he was pressing into me. I let out a relatively high pitched moan in surprise as the orgasm was pulled out of me suddenly, my arms tightening around his neck and I was glad his body stiffened against my own, his low moan telling me he was right there with me. I pressed my parted lips against his open mouth, our chests bumping into one another as we tried to catch our breaths, my hips rolling slowly into his a couple more times to work us down the high gently. When I was boneless, I moaned softly, letting my body sag against his.
Holding me still, he gently turned and laid us both down on our sides, panting. "You okay, Cloud?" Leon asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, blue eyes searching mine.
Smiling, I nodded at him, "Are you?"
"Better than okay. Very satisfied." He grinned easily at me. "Let's do this again sometime." Wiggling his eyebrows at me, he squeezed my ass.
I chuckled, pushing myself up so I could sit on the bed, "Silly. You woke the monster now. We're doing this every night." I told him with a curt nod before shuffling my way out of the huge bed and walking into the bathroom to find us something to clean up with. "Oh!" I realized, grabbing the box of tissues before making my way back into the bedroom, "That's why you wanted to do blowjobs. No clean up to worry about." I grinned at his naked form, looking utterly relaxed, hands beneath his head as he seemed unwilling and unable to really move at this point. Climbing onto the bed again, I started cleaning us up.
"Thanks." He snagged me around the waist as I finished and tossed the Kleenex in the garbage next to the bed. Rolling me onto my back next to him, he nuzzled his face into the side of my head. "You wanna sleep naked?"
Humming in appreciation, I snuggled into his side, "Yes please."
I groaned as I heard Shiva whining, most likely at the foot of the stairs. She knew she wasn't allowed upstairs, at least that we'd taught her. She was a scared little creature though, a bit of a wuss and every time she heard something suspicious at night, instead of barking it away like a house dog should as their main job is to be an alarm... she squeaked and woke me and Leon up, hoping either one of us would come down so she could hide. We needed a guard dog. Seriously.
The house had a pretty neat alarm system, but a dog would warn you a bit in advance if something or someone came onto your property before they had the chance to try and break in or anything in the like. Shiva squeaked again and I shook my head stubbornly, moaning in irritation as she clearly wasn't going to let go tonight. Why tonight?
Tightening my arm around Leon's waist, I snuggled more closely against him, hoping she'd just shut up and leave us be. Leon grunted, having heard her too and he was intent on ignoring her as well as his arm around my shoulder pulled me even closer, his lips pressing against my forehead before his breathing settled back into it's relaxed, sleepy state.
And then she barked. Growling, I propped myself up, "Shiva!" I shouted, "Shut the hell up!" Nodding at the closed bedroom door, I lay back down as she didn't return my shout with a bark and then mumbled an apology for making Leon jump at my sudden action. Kissing his cheek, I was determined to just keep sleeping, but then she barked again. Untangling myself from Leon, I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I checked the clock.
"Four am?" Hanging my head, I reached over and patted Leon's chest as he groaned in irritation. "I'll go reassure her. Probably a squirrel in the garden or something." His eyes still closed, he nodded, reaching up to stroke my back softly, mouthing a 'thank you' for taking this turn.
Smiling, I slipped out of bed, scratching my head as I thought about putting on some clothes... But I wanted to be naked again when I got back here so I decided to put on one of Leon's bathrobes, taking the fluffiest one before making my way down the stairs. Glaring at the dog sitting there, she looked up at me with big eyes, her tail wagging.
"No." I said sternly, "You're not going to cute your way out of this." Grabbing her collar, I resisted the urge to cuddle her as I dragged her in direction of the garage. I wanted to just pat her and tell her everything was fine but then she'd think she was allowed to wake us up at night and that just wouldn't do. The garage was her 'punishment' to understand she couldn't keep doing this.
She whined and I sighed, "I'm sorry, baby, I don't like doing this but you can't do that." Spreading out a blanket on the floor, I pointed at it and she dutifully laid down on it, looking all kinds of sad that I was doing this to her. "Ah... Don't look at me like that!" I grumbled, trying to keep the glare on my face but I failed, "Maybe we should get you a friend... A sister to keep you company when Leon and I aren't there." I whispered, crouching down so I could pat her anyway.
She rolled over onto her stomach, loving the attention and after a moment of rubbing and scratching, I bid her a goodnight before making my way out of the garage, closing the door behind me. That could be a good idea... I'd talk to Leon about it, see if he'd like another dog... Shiva would then have a friend and I'd make sure this one wasn't as much of a wuss.
Snickering, I stepped over to the stairs and then winced as the muscles in my leg tensed, shooting it's way up my arm. The world was spinning all of a sudden and my body overheated as my arm retaliated by flinging itself outwards all the while my leg went completely numb. Moaning in surprise and discomfort, my eyes rolled to the back of my head and then everything went black.
Leon
I bolted up in bed when I heard a thump at the bottom of the stairs. Throwing my arm out, I didn't feel Cloud next to me. Then I remembered that he'd taken Shiva to the garage to calm her down, but I felt like he should be done by now. Another thump, and I jumped out of bed grabbing a robe from the hanger and throwing it on as I went to the stairs.
"Cloud!" He was at the bottom, his body jerking and I recognized the signs of a seizure again. "Shit!" Running, trying not to fall as I frantically tried to reach him before he did any damage to himself. The doctor had said the seizure could last anywhere from two to five minutes and after wards he could be disoriented and confused. Reaching him, I just gently cradled his still convulsing form, keeping his hands loosely at his side. "Cloud, it's okay...you're fine...I'm right here."
Before too long had passed, I felt his body go limp and I slumped with relief, stroking his forehead and pushing the hair out of his eyes. As much as I wanted to hold him in my arms, I had to put him in the recovery position, laying on his side arms stretched out. The floor was too hard. I licked my lips and gently picked Cloud up bridal style, grunting a little at the weight, before carrying him over to the couch to lay him on there.
"Cloud? Can you hear me, yet?" Stroking his arm after setting him down, I waited for a response. Nothing yet, but I wasn't too worried. Okay, I was very worried, but I knew that I shouldn't call the ambulance just yet. Pursing my lips, I looked over his form and decided that he would be better served if I was holding him. "I'm going to just sit and hold your head, okay? Okay, just relax, I'm right here, not going anywhere." Gently lifting his head, I slid underneath it, glad that I'd put on the bathrobe. My fingers started running through his soft spikes and I took a few steadying breaths, trying to slow my racing heartbeat. Another seizure. Not a good thing.
"I'm betting this is because I made you orgasm last night. I shouldn't have let you talk me into that, even though I wanted to. Should have known better, I guess." I placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head, moving my hand down to his arm and side. "Well, I'll know better now. As much as it's going to suck, no more naughty stuff until after your surgery."
His face scrunched up and he carefully opened an eye, "That's unfair..." He muttered, sighing as he remained where he was, not moving yet as he probably needed a minute, "Why did I go down again?" He asked softly, looking a bit scared as he couldn't seem to remember...
I refrained from grabbing him and clutching him to my chest, glad that he'd woken up on his own. "Shiva was whining, and you went down to reassure her." Let him ask the questions, clear his mind. If anything suspicious happened in the next half hour though, to the hospital I was taking him and demanding they get that tumor out now.
"Oh..." He said, nodding his head slightly as he remembered, "I talked to her and put her in the garage and then she gave me that look you can't resist. I resisted though..." He told me proudly, "Well. A little bit. I asked her if she'd like to have a sister to keep her company at night. Can we get another dog?" He asked hopefully. "Yes, I am definitely using my current situation to sway you into agreeing with more ease." He added shamelessly, giving me a small grin.
Resist Leon...dammit. "Okay, but two is plenty." Smiling, I leaned down to give him another soft kiss on the head. "And I'm only letting you because I'm afraid I will have to insist on no more orgasms til after your surgery. Deal?"
"Ugh," He groaned, "Should have expected that to happen." He scowled then, "Like giving me a tumor wasn't enough, now sex gets taken away from me?" He pursed his lips then, detaching his eyes from the ceiling as he'd been talking to higher powers, looking at me curiously now, "Orgasms in general?" He asked, "Are you actually going to stop me from masturbating?" He whispered, clearly not liking that at all.
"Well, have you masturbated after you found out about the tumor? Tell me honestly how often you've done it, and I might think about it." After all, maybe it was the actual bumping and grinding that did it, not the orgasm. Internally crossing my fingers, I prayed Cloud would say that he masturbated four times a day or something.
He had the decency to blush just a tad, a playful smile spreading over his lips, "How many times have you masturbated since I moved into the house?" He asked.
"You first. My lips are sealed and stop distracting me." I playfully glared and poked him in the side.
Squirming away from my finger, he chuckled, shrugging, "Once a day, at least..." He said first, then frowned, "Wait. Well, about. Definitely once a day since every time you come home in that suit of yours my dick springs to life and sings hallelujah. Why do you think I go take a shower after you come in? Sometimes I even had to take a shower before you even got here because the thought of you in a suit alone was enough."
"Really? Wow." I shouldn't feel flattered, but dammit. The idea of him constantly needing to touch himself after seeing me in a suit was a huge boost to my ego. And if he was that vigorous with his orgasms, then it wasn't those. It must be the excitement and the movement from the actual grinding that set him off. Well, that was good, at least, sort of. No sex, but just orgasms. Sighing, I went back to petting his side. "Okay, I've done my fair share of masturbating since you've come to live here. And I suppose that we don't have to stop all orgasms involved, but no dry humping or grinding of any kind. And no sex either."
Reaching up, he cupped my face, "I don't think it was linked to that, but." He placed his hand over my mouth, keeping me from protesting, "I understand your concern. I accept your deal with great reluctance, and only because I love you so much." He told me happily and then that glint in his eye appeared, telling me he had come up with something. "Oh! Maybe we can just shower together from time to time. We wouldn't be breaking the rules if we happened to masturbate in the same room together, right?" He asked innocently.
Groaning into the palm of his hand, I dropped my head back onto the couch. "Cloud... that's acceptable I guess. You feel up to walking?" He would feel more comfortable in bed, and I was starting to crash after the adrenalin high.
He nodded, "Yeah, I can walk." Sitting up, he carefully and slowly put his feet on the ground, smiling at me as I gripped his hand to help him push off the couch, "Thanks for taking such good care of me, Leon." He whispered as we made our way to the stairs.
"I love you, Cloud." I said simply, wanting him to know that I wasn't looking for anything, had no ulterior motives. I just loved him and wanted to take care of him. We made it up the stairs without incident, and I pushed open the door to the bedroom, waiting as he walked through it.
He made his way into the bed, lying on the same spot he'd been on before, reaching for my arm so he could tug me into the bed with him. "Love you too." He whispered, shuffling closer so he could snuggle into my side again. Draping my arm around him, I pulled the covers over us and let myself relax and fall back asleep.
Couple of days later
"Here can you file these really quick and then we'll be able to get downstairs to the party?" I dropped a few files on my secretary's desk, glad to be done with my paperwork on time, despite my distractions. It wasn't my fault that Cloud and I were still in the 'honeymoon phase' as my secretary called it. I no longer stayed late to get stuff done, so that meant that I actually had to work hard get everything done that I needed to if I wanted to make home in time for dinner. And I did want to make it home in time for that. Cloud's meals were amazing, at least to me, and the fact that he usually greeted me at the door with a kiss and hug was really the highlight of my day.
I'd looked forward to tonight, as it was my first real chance to show Cloud off to the people in my office. They knew I'd gotten married, and most of them had assumed it was to Rinoa. That bitch. So, now it was my chance to dispel those rumors once and for all. Glancing at my watch, I had about ten minutes before Cloud got here, and I went back into my office to grab my suit jacket to meet him downstairs.
Checking my jacket for white dog hairs, Shiva liked to see me off in the mornings, I found none and put it on and straightened my tie. Needed to look good, I guess. At least not an embarrassment. The company usually invited a few high profile clients to these, and I was trained to make a good impression to everyone. Closing my office door, I saw that my secretary had already gone downstairs, the files put away. That was fast. I headed for the elevator, hoping that the company had sprung for a buffet, because I was starving.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened and my breath caught as Cloud stood there in a pressed suit looking slightly nervous, nibbling on his lip.
Gaze landing on mine, he sighed in relief, "I feel immensely out of place." He said, tugging on the jacket a bit, and reaching up to try and tame his hair which... "I know. I tried very hard but not even the largest amount of gel is willing to keep them down." He flicked a spike, letting it bounce and he shrugged, smiling at me as I stepped into the elevator and closer to him. Moving into my personal space, he placed his lips against my jaw, "Missed you today."
"Missed you more." Only allowing me a chaste kiss because I was wearing suit pants and I didn't really want to get hard so everyone could see. I tugged a little on his hair. "I like it spiky. And you look great." I murmured, loving how he looked in a suit, and how well it fit him. "I love you. And don't be nervous. They'll love you."
"Love you too." He murmured, placing another soft kiss on my lips before grinning, "Seriously, look," Turning around he took a step forward and pointed at his ass, "See what I've been meaning all this time?" He chuckled. "Suits are bootyfyers."
I licked my lips and ripped my eyes away from his delicious ass back up to his face. Sending him a warning glare, I shook a finger at him. "Naughty Cloud. You realize that everyone will notice if we get hard? Now, here we are." The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. "Just mingle, be yourself, but feel free to stick to my side like glue so I can show you off."
He placed his hand on the small of my back, giving it a quick rub and me a smile. "I'll glue for now." Stepping out of the elevator, I then placed my hand on his back so I could guide him to the right part of the building where the party was taking place. Once there, Cloud moved closer to me, and when I looked down I grinned as his eyes were wide, staring at the huge crowd of people in fancy clothes, plates and drinks in hand as they talked. "Why am I here again?" he squeaked.
"Because you're my husband and people keep assuming that Rinoa is the one I married. You don't want that do you?" Sending him a pout, I rubbed his back and tried to reassure him. "Come on, let's get some food first, then maybe we'll find Tifa. She's been hinting that she was going to bring a date. First time too. We can give her a hard time." We walked forward, making a beeline for the buffet.
I knew exactly how Cloud would react when mentioning the fact people thought Rinoa was married to me and I was pleased to see it worked when the fear turned into determination. He didn't grope my crotch this time though, just stayed close and then smiled happily as he served himself a plate of food while I did the same.
"Is there a specific purpose to this party, or like... do you guys need to finish left over alcohol from the Christmas party?" he joked before putting an oyster in his mouth which then led him to grimace, frantically look for a napkin so he could press it against his mouth. He didn't spit it out though. He swallowed it with his eye twitching, his body shuddering as the oyster went down. "Hmmm. Yumm." He said sarcastically, trying a cracker with caviar next. He was having less difficulty with those.
"You are brave. I usually just go for the sandwiches at the end of the table." Shuddering, I watched him eat the caviar. "That is nasty. Anyways, they usually throw a party like this when we either win a big case, or sometimes it's to introduce a client that is hiring us for an extended period of time." I watched as he then tried some sort of snail looking thing. "Dear lord. That is gross."
He swallowed it, licking his lips, "These actually aren't that bad. Here," Taking one, he grinned and then, "Try one. For me?" He purred, "There is some sort of garlic type sauce on it."
Grimacing as it hit my tongue, I closed my mouth and slowly chewed... "Okay, the texture is kinda funky, but the taste isn't bad I guess. But still. That's gross." I spotted Tifa heading our way and I grinned at the overwhelmed looking gentleman that she was pulling behind her. "Tifa!"
"Ah! My two favorite men in the entire world!" Tifa said happily, grasping the man's hand who frowned at her in amusement, an eyebrow raising at her words. Tifa didn't see though, making her way through a couple of people before reaching us. She grabbed Cloud's chin first, pecking his lips like she always did before giving me a smile, reaching up to pat my cheek softly. "This is Zell." She then said, tugging on the man's hand to pull him closer and show him off with a big smile as she raked her eyes down his figure.
"She's eating him..." Cloud murmured at me, grinning at the poor confused man named Zell. "We're gay." He clarified so whatever testosterone had sprung to life when seeing Tifa so close to us would vanish at his words.
"Ah, okay. That makes more sense." He stuck his hand out with a grin on his face. "I'm Zell Dincht. Nice to meet you." I grasped his hand and was relieved to see no discomfort in his stance, meaning he wasn't uncomfortable with the fact that we were gay.
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Leon and this is my husband, Cloud." I grinned as I finally got to say that out loud in my office building.
"Yes." Cloud agreed happily, stepping closer to me, placing his arm loosely around my waist.
Tifa laughed happily, "And it's all thanks to whom?" She leaned forward, pressing a manicured finger against Cloud's chest, giving him a narrowed look.
"Tifa." Cloud grumbled out for an answer, clearly reluctant to give her any kind of power whatsoever.
"Well, it's true she introduced us, but I'd like to take some credit in managing to catch him." This was fun, bragging about getting Cloud, and holding him close to me, and watching as a few coworkers noticed us out of the corner of their eyes.
Zell grinned and put an arm around Tifa pulling her close to him. "It was nice to meet both of you, but I promised her some food, so we're off to get some. Later." Tifa didn't say anything to mine and Cloud's surprise, simply smiled softly at Zell, giving him a nod of consent before he guided her off and away, a quick smile over her shoulder with a wave before she began chatting Zell's ear off.
I turned to Cloud. "I think he might just be able to handle her. Good for her. Let's mingle for a bit."
We wondered around for the next few minutes and I introduced Cloud to a few of my coworkers that I worked with on a regular basis. My secretary asked about Shiva, wondering if we could bring her by again. It made me want to get her a puppy of her very own, and when I told Cloud that, he laughed saying I was acting like she was a little kid and not a grown woman. Whatever, I retaliated by pinching Cloud's ass discreetly when nobody was looking.
Finally making our way over to the corner and out of the press of the crowd, I nursed a coke, avoiding the alcohol with Cloud. The doctor had warned against having any kind of alcohol for him, and I was not going to drink in front of him. That would be rude. I pointed out my boss to Cloud and was surprised when she caught my eye and started heading towards us. Her secretary was walking right beside her, the phone ringing off the hook. Poor assistant, literally never stopped working. My boss never did either, but the party seemed to be a success because she was carrying that particular smile. She was only a couple of years older then me, and pretty big in the overall lawyer world.
"Leon," She said warmly, reaching out to pat my shoulder, "I'm glad you could make it." Turning to eye Cloud, she gave him a tentative smile, "Hello. I'm Larxene Bennet. You don't work for me." She pointed out, curious.
Cloud chuckled, "Ah, no Ma'am. I'm Cloud Leonhart." His cheeks tinted a light pink, but he didn't hesitate to tell her the following, "I'm Leon's husband."
"Oh! How nice." She said, and meaning it as she took his hand and shook it. Turning her attention back to me, she then smiled in that way where I knew she wanted something or needed something, "How long have you been married?" Of course she'd get to that after the pleasantries because she was a well brought up woman.
"About six weeks." I told her, glancing down at Cloud and smiling.
"Really?" Cloud asked, smiling, "Feels like longer." He laced his fingers through mine, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand as he seemed lost in thought, probably thinking about our wedding.
"Ah, the honeymoon phase..." Larxene murmured, "I remember it. It's why I've been divorced three different times. Every time the phase ended, I dumped the guy and then moved on to the next." She said cheerfully, "Now. Enough sharing." She crooked her finger, which then led her secretary to pop into our small circle, including herself in the conversation. "Kairi, stay alert." The girl with maroon hair nodded curtly, her fingers flying over the keyboard of a blackberry, never even making eye contact with me or Cloud. "Leon. You know that every year I take a few good people from the office with me on a trip to that spa out of town. Conferences, general overview of the company and then some relaxing and fun as well." She smiled, "I would like for you to join me and the others this year."
Wow. I can honestly say that I hadn't seen that coming. She forgot to mention that those few good people usually ended up becoming partners in the firm and having their career fast tracked. It was an amazing opportunity to even be invited. "When would you be taking this trip?" I asked, already wondering if I could fit it into my schedule.
Larxene's eyebrows rose in surprise and Kairi stopped in her ministrations for a split second as well, giving me a funny look before getting back to work. Larxene smiled in amusement, "Well this is a first. I know you know what this trip means and generally the people I ask to come with me don't exactly worry about the date." She poked Kairi, who giggled and then swatted her boss, who grinned in return. "See that, Kairi? Men like Leon are what I need to keep this heavy boat afloat." The secretary nodded and Larxene then shrugged, "First week of June. All expensives would be paid for, nothing is coming out of your paycheck." Cloud's fingers tightened considerably around my hand at her words.
Too bad. Being made partner would have been nice, but even so, I didn't even hesitate in my answer. "Unfortunately, I have to decline your generous offer. I'm sorry." I didn't want to share with the world our personal problems, and I don't think Cloud would appreciate it if I told random people that he had a tumor.
Cloud tugged on my hand, clearing his throat, "Excuse me, Miss Bennet? What would this trip do for Leon?" I was about to tell him it didn't matter, but Larxene of course jumped in first, answering him.
"He'd have the opportunity to become a partner in this very firm, work along side me and help run things." She told him. "He'd get a considerable raise." She added for good measure just in case Cloud was a gold digger.
Cloud blinked, "Would he get more days off?" He asked hopefully.
Larxene pressed her lips tightly together and I knew she considered lying for a split second but my look told her not to even try. "No. He'd work more hours, actually."
Cloud frowned at that, "Oh. Ehm... If you want this job," He told me, "Then you should take it. I..." He gulped, "I'll be fine." Liar.
"Excuse me for just a second, please." I told my boss, something that I'd never even considered two months ago. Turning to Cloud, I looked at him, silently trying to tell him to let me handle this.
Larxene gently placed her hand on my shoulder, getting my attention. "It's a big decision, Leon. I understand if you need a moment to talk it over with your partner. I'll be here all evening, so come find me when you've made a decision, yes?" She said, understanding.
I looked back at her, sending her a grateful smile before turning back to Cloud and giving him my full attention as she walked away. "Cloud, I'm not going."
"You don't want that job?" He asked, looking worried, "I don't want you to miss out on something so you can stay with me when the surgery happens." He paled some, "I'm not gonna lie, I really need you there, but this promotion sounds huge, so I wouldn't be mad if you had to do this. I'm sure Tifa won't mind sitting with me until you get back." He offered.
I scowled at him. "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not choosing my job over you. Not in a million years. Besides, I'm not looking for a partnership. Not now. Not when I finally have something to come home to." And it was very true. I'd never really cared to much about getting a promotion, but I'd never really thought about turning one down. There hadn't been a reason until now, and I wasn't going to screw up by choosing something like a promotion over Cloud.
He didn't look so worried anymore now as he stepped closer, his hands lightly resting on my chest. He wanted to kiss me, I could tell by the way he was looking at me. Not just kiss me, he wanted to do things to me that couldn't happen here in the middle of an office party.
"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't taking anything from you. Now that you've made clear I'm not..." He whispered, standing onto his tip toes to place a soft kiss on my cheek, "Please decline that job offer. I need you home with me every day." He murmured.
"Gladly. I'm just fine being a regular lawyer, with a house, a dogs and a damn fine husband." I kissed him quickly, before taking his hand in mine and went to find Larxene to give her my final answer.
Cloud
I am the luckiest man on this entire planet. Yes. I actually just said that after years of wondering why streaks of bad luck kept wrapping themselves around me. Not anymore though. I hadn't exactly asked to get married, it had just happened to make certain necessary things possible. In this process I'm pretty fucking certain I got the best man ever to say 'I do' and wear a ring that claimed him as my own.
I guess the tumor played a role in it, but I didn't want to give it too much credit because that was depressing. Leon. That's all. He'd told this big shot lawyer boss that he didn't want to be a partner in her firm... Just so he could keep coming home to me and eat dinner with me and be there for me when the surgery would happen. I'd never loved anything or anyone the way I did Leon. And somehow, if it was even possible, I fell a bit harder for him over the fact that he actually seemed truly very happy to decline this promotion so he could be there for me and keep up our cozy daily routine.
Not at all nervous about the party anymore, I washed my hands, smiling at my reflection as I made my way out of the bathroom to go find Leon. He'd been talking to his secretary when I'd gone to use the restroom. I hoped he hadn't moved because I'm pretty sure I'd get lost in this huge crowd of people.
Craning my neck, I tried looking over all the people, hoping to land my gaze on Leon's brown hair. I was startled out of my search though as a small hand came to rest on my shoulder, catching my attention. Turning, I smiled hesitantly at a tall woman with a tight brown pony tail. She was in her fifties, I'd say, wearing a fancy suit like everyone else in here.
"You look a little lost, young man. Perhaps I can help you find someone?" Her voice was smooth and warm sounding, and she gave me a friendly sort of smile.
"Oh, yes." I chuckled, "I'm looking for Leon. Oh, ehm, Squall Leonhart. Perhaps you've seen him?" I asked hopefully.
"I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sure he's here. And who might you be?" She replied, sounding interested.
"He's here. I just lost him for a second," I confirmed, "I'm Cloud Leonhart." And then came the best part, "I'm his husband." I told her happily, offering her my hand, "I don't work here, so in case you're someone who's supposed to be recognized, I apologize in advance before I ask who you might be?"
"Oh, my. I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm Lucrecia Leonhart, Leon's mother." She looked surprised, taking my hand and giving it a gentle shake. Now this. This was worthy of a fucking seizure. It didn't happen though. Shaking her hand limply, I stared at her, managing to close my mouth after a couple of seconds, shaking my head.
"Oh, woah. I'm sorry. I had no idea." Leon! Where the hell are you! "Our wedding happened sorta fast," I explained quickly, "I myself was a little blindsided by it." I told her in a nervous chuckle, "My parents weren't present either." I added, hoping that would lessen the blow even though I had no idea who my parents were.
"Cloud? Oh, there you are." I saw Leon over his mother's shoulder, grinning as he caught my eyes. "I was looking for you."
Staring up at him with huge, wide eyes, I nodded, "Your mother found me first."
"Mother?" Walking around so he could see her face, he looked startled. "I didn't know you were coming! Why didn't you call?"
She raised a delicate eyebrow, "You mean the way you didn't call to tell me you got married?" She reached out, patting my shoulder.
Leon had the decency to blush and stutter a little. "I'm sorry, Mother. This is Cloud, my husband. Is father around?" His father too? Dear god, I hadn't prepared myself for a family meet tonight!
"It's fine, Darling. Cloud explained the wedding happened somewhat fast." She smiled at her son, "And yes, your father is around here somewhere. Would you like me to look for him while you put some color back into your husband's cheeks? I'm afraid I may have shocked him a bit."
"Yes. Thank you, mother." Leon kissed her cheek and she set out to find his father apparently. He turned to me, looking sheepish. "Cloud? You okay?"
I smacked his chest, glaring up at him, "If we were actively having sex, I'd be denying you it tonight." I growled out.
Rubbing his chest and wincing, he whined, "Hey, I didn't know they were going to be here. And I guess I forgot to mention that I'd gotten married. In my defense, it didn't exactly start out as a regular wedding, you know." That brought me back to my main worry as of late. Would he still want to annul the marriage? He called me his husband, but that's because legally we were, in fact, married and we still had to keep up appearances so I could use the insurance. Sighing, I smiled up at him, patting the spot I'd smacked apologetically.
"I'm sorry, she was just sort of sprang on me and I didn't know how to go about it. I've never done the 'meet the parents' thing and I assumed I'd get at least a week of time to stress over it, planning out my most likable behavior so they would see I'm the right guy for you." Not caring about the crowd so much, I stepped into his personal space, snaking my arms around his waist so I could hold onto him, "I'm okay." I told him, answering his initial question.
Putting his arms around me for a quick hug back, he murmured in my ear, "Good, cause here comes my dad. Just be yourself, and we won't have to see them again until Thanksgiving." Releasing me, he gave me a quick smile and turned around.
Meeting his parents had turned out to be a lot less scary then I thought it would be. It had been extremely short... Basically, I'd shaken hands with his dad, Leon had introduced me to them and while I'd worried about what we would tell them when they'd ask 'where did you meet?' the question never came. His dad asked Leon about his job and the next question had been if I'd come to Thanksgiving with Leon, seeing as we were married.
His mother had then casually added they would understand and not mind if we spent it with my parents, but Leon had quickly swooped in, saying we'd be there. And ehm, well... Then they were off to go mingle with people. I'd asked Leon if it was like this for everyone and Leon had assured me it wasn't, that his parents just weren't close to him much at all.
I wondered if that bothered him, having parents. but not being close to them. I'd been a bit 'damaged' by the fact that I didn't have any family, but that had healed when Leon came into my life. He was all the family I needed. I was pretty certain Leon felt the same about me, which made me happy.
A/N: It could have ended right there people...but, what about Cloud's surgery? Will he make it? Any lasting side effects from it? You'll have to wait and see.
PS. Sorry for the late update. Me and Reyaa got busy with another fic today...which you shall have to wait for;)