A/N: So, haven't written one of these for this story in a little while. Thank you to those who've followed, fav'd and reviewed: you keep my motivation up a little higher. In regards to a few comments lately- I kinda agree. Reviews are worth so much more than favs, and for something this long they're really, really appreciated. –My- working file for this is 73k (I don't post a chapter until the next one's finished, so yes, I'm about to start writing chapter 8).
Curious note: this story only shows up every now and then rather than when you do a normal search. I wonder if that's why it tends to go unnoticed.
I wanted to note some shout outs and thanks here, but I'll try to keep it short.
Miss Justice Tokidoki, your extensive reviews are appreciated, and I hope the confusion settles itself over the course of the story. I –try- to keep details as transparent as possible. Thank you so much 3
Other shout-outs:
Kitty-Cat-Gone-Bad wrote some of my favourite Vanitas-centric fics, and I recently discovered (perhaps rediscovered) that she's friends with one palito-de-pan, my favourite Vanitas artist on deviant art. And by favourite I mean Vanitas-modo Sora in chapter three is wearing one of the exact outfits she's drawn (motorbike garb). If you like Vanitas I recommend checking these out. The former is also one of the few writers of Vaniku, which I really like as a pairing.
Erased is a fairly long fic (in my favs) which partially inspired some elements of this story, mainly Leon as a vampire, but he really does suit it B| Blue Moon also joins this list. Mainly…because they're not bloody finished! :V
Archeia_Nessiah and Marimo have helped my beta a few things, with the former being super-helpful in regards to Cloud's personality. I struggle writing Cloud, and she struggles writing Leon/Squall. And thus a perfect friendship was born (we've been friends for a while over totally different reasons).
And finally EnTheOriginal's rendition of –Destati- has been ringing through my head for some time now. It's gritty and fierce, and reminds me more of what would play if you were running through Vanitas's awakening rather than Sora's.
So without further adieu, enjoy the chapter!
Thought of the day: Clear your mind. Picture Cloud and Leon. Now picture Cloud and Leon dressed as a chocobo and a Moomba. There, day instantly 100% more awesome.
Chapter Six: Amber
Cloud and Leon had spent most of their Monday scouring the town for signs of the silver-haired teenager to no avail. They'd found his SUV, abandoned and empty, but no other signs and no trail to follow. However, their search was semi-interrupted by worry over Sora; when Cloud and Leon had gone to check up and get the story from him, they'd found the raven-haired teen passed out. Even he wasn't sure what had prompted it, but from that point onwards he wasn't feeling well enough to accompany them on their searches.
By the time mid-afternoon rolled around Sora was getting desperate and the older two were beginning to resign themselves to the idea that there was a ninety-nine percent chance Riku would've been turned by now, if he had indeed been taken by vampires. Leon had sat Sora down in the lounge room, doing his best to calm the teen down enough to listen.
"Look, Sora" said the brunette, surprisingly gently. Cloud folded his arms, forcing his expression into a neutral one so he didn't smile at the sight. There was something so special in seeing the stand-offish brunette reveal his tender, compassionate side, the one that would jump to the aid of the helpless without a second's hesitation. He wondered if he was the only one who really noticed it, since the others just seemed to make a mockery of his shell without actually pointing out what he was really like.
"You're aware that's there is a strong chance that by this point Riku's no longer human, right?" he asked quietly, and Sora shook a bit, but nodded silently.
"Well…if that's really the case, Riku will probably demand to come back. If I'm not mistaken they're Marking rather than fully turning, which means he'll only be half, and will only be slightly light sensitive. No more than me or Cloud are."
"Oi" said Cloud, pouting a bit, and Leon gave him a deadpan stare, saying nothing before looking back to Sora.
"And that said, Cloud's issues only really concern headaches. So in the case he does come back to you…you're going to have a huge part in helping him adjust."
"Adjust?" Sora murmured, looking confused.
"It's not easy to become something else" Cloud said, thinking of Zack, Tifa and Vincent. "There's mental elements to accompany the physical ones. He'll be in a really precarious position mind-wise."
Leon nodded in agreement. "And with how close you two are, you're most likely going to be what he clings to as his pillar and connection to what he used to be and the means for him to adjust to what he will be. So…don't berate him with questions. Don't make it obvious, or niggle at him, at least for a little while. Ease into it, just like he will have to. If you catch him drinking blood, politely turn your eyes away. If he hisses or does something vampiric, don't make a big deal out of it. Make a note to throw out anything with garlic, and do it while he's nearby, but don't point it out to him. Do you understand?"
"Easy does it, huh?" Sora asked, nodding a bit. "I think I can try."
"Good. And don't be rough with him in any shape or form, especially anything that involves his torso. Vampires get very defensive of their cystathaeom and he may attack you without realizing what he's doing."
"Noted" Sora murmured. "But…do you think he'll be ok, Leon?"
The brunette was quiet for a few moments, before he smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. Riku's a strong person, and with you by his side, I don't see how he couldn't be."
Sora returned the smile, looking a little sheepish as he glanced at the floor. "Thanks, Leon. And Cloud. You've both been really helpful today."
He'd rung them mid-hunt to tell them that Riku had come home and asked if they could check up on him while he was at school during the day. The two men had agreed, knowing that Sora's silence regarding whether or not Riku had changed was telling enough on its own.
There was no doubt the silverette now walked a different road.
The blonde hadn't noticed too much when he'd visited him. He'd just said he wasn't feeling too well but would be back to school soon. Still, Cloud wasn't dense like Aris, and being a hunter meant you needed to know things. And the very core of Riku was different. Like someone had changed the colour tint slightly or twisted it, but the change was there, tangible and threatening. The threatening part wasn't from Riku; even with what being even somewhat vampiric gave him on the positive spectrum, the allergies and most importantly the cystathaeom made him a walking weakpoint. No, the threat came from the fact that now they'd taken Riku, if they were going to be taking another hunter the blonde was their next target.
The Wednesday, however, was the spark of a turning point for the week.
Even though Leon was a dhampir and Riku would be more sensitive to that fact now, in no way shape or form did Cloud anticipate he'd come out of the house with a bandage wrapped around his face. The two were making these visits together in case anything went horribly wrong, plus they both hoped that maybe the quality time might prompt and explanation for Sunday night.
So far, no such luck.
"What the fuck happened to you?!" Cloud shrieked, looking flabbergasted. Leon let out a lengthy sigh, his fingers ghosting over his face.
"Well, he attacked me" he said simply. "His vampire instincts freaked out over the fact I'm both part-vampire and a hunter. He got a 'dangerous' reading, tried to run, I grabbed him and he slashed me with his claws."
"I guess that wipes out the side-stepping of the vampire issue" said Cloud shortly, folding his arms. "Will you be ok, Leon?"
The brunette shrugged, as they walked over the road back to their vehicles. Cloud was still borrowing Sora's Void Gear, although the raven had initially asked for it back on Monday morning. That'd changed the moment they'd deemed him not well enough to look for Riku.
"I hope Sora doesn't blame himself" said Cloud, pulling his goggles off his bike handles. "I dunno, is he the kinda kid who'd beat himself up for this?"
"Those two are basically joined at the hip, Cloud" said Leon, running his fingers through his hair. "Of course he's going to blame himself. I mean, the one occasion where they're not hunting or travelling together, and Riku gets bitten. It'd do anyone's head in."
"I guess" said Cloud, rubbing his hair, before glancing at the bandage on Leon's face. Splotches of red had appeared on it, and Cloud's brow furrowed. "Are you sure that's going to be ok, Leon?"
The brunette sighed again. "It'll be fine. I have an improved healing factor, remember? It'll probably just scar."
"Jesus, Leon, if it's going to scar stop trying to make out it's just a scratch" muttered Cloud, peering at him. "Go see Aerith about it or something."
"She's still recovering magick energy from healing your bite wound" said Leon dismissively. "Stop getting so uptight. I can take care of myself."
Cloud sighed, putting a hand on his hip. There was something off in Leon's demeanour and tone that told him that the brunette was making a molehill out of a mountain rather than the other way around, and Cloud didn't like it. At present, Leon was his peer and as he'd so aptly put it, his awkward almost-friend, and the only one Cloud really had. Aerith was more like a sister (since to him, she'd always been Zack's girl) and he wasn't talking to Vincent or Tifa, neither of which fit into the previous category anyway. Sora and Riku he didn't know as well, plus they had each other and their own issues to deal with. So with Leon being the only one he could really hang around with, he was finding himself a bit more concerned for his safety than he was for the others. At least, that's what he told himself.
As though summoned by the thought, Cloud's phone buzzed against his leg. He'd opted for vibration settings when it came to Sora, who, as it had turned out, had made it that his phone calls would still initiate a ring tone and vibration. The blonde had edited said settings.
"That'd be Sora" said Cloud, pulling out the phone.
"Don't tell him about the fight just yet" said Leon. Cloud gave him a deadpan stare.
"You're going to have to tell him tonight, either a bandage or a massive facial wound demands an explanation."
"I'll just say I was attacked by an ordinary vamp. There, situation solved" said Leon, climbing into his car. "I'll leave you to it."
The blonde rolled his eyes as Leon started it up and drove away, and he answered his phone.
"Hey, Cloud" he said, sounding a bit bored. "How's Riku?"
"Ok, I think. Leon checked on him and there didn't seem to be anything wrong, so…"
You know, besides Riku fucking mauling Leon's face. The look on the blonde's features was not a pleasant one at this thought.
"Ah, ok. Well, can I ask you for a favour?"
Cloud blinked a few times. "A favour? Like what?"
"I need an adult blood-relative or a guardian for something. At present Leon usually pitches in for the guardian role since he's a bit older, but you're a blood relative so there's no complications there."
So Aris didn't even have formal custody over Sora? The situation really was that bad.
"When?"
"This afternoon? We can hang out a bit, too. It's at that mall a few blocks from my school. I wouldn't mind getting to know my cousin, and…well, a distraction sounds nice."
"You know what, that sounds like a great idea" said Cloud, smiling slightly. He was a bit worried about the kid (five year age gap justified the kid moniker right?) and distracting him from the situation with Riku sounded like a good plan.
"Great! Thanks, Cloud. Meet you out the front about 4pm? I'll walk and tell Riku I'll be a bit late coming home."
"Alright. See you soon, then."
Cloud had hung up, then driven away from Riku's house. He'd then spent majority of his day doing deliveries. He had a good amount of money stored away from this job, since he somehow kept managing to skip out on rent. It wasn't that Cloud was tight about his money, but nobody he'd lived with since paying rent had become viable had actually asked for any. Cloud wondered how Aris managed to pay his bills for a little while before remembering the ARMS store below the apartment was just that- a store. Come to think of it, all those times Aris had been 'out', the blonde hadn't bothered to check the shop.
Idiot.
About ten to four Cloud headed towards the shopping centre located near Sora's school. There were a few entrances, but a bit of driving around allowed him to locate the raven-haired teen, who was standing outside puffing on a cigarette. The blonde raised his eyebrows; he hadn't realized the two teens smoked.
The blonde parked the bike, pocketing his goggles this time and heading over to the teen, who gave him a half-wave the moment he saw him and extinguished his cigarette.
"Sup, Cloud?" he said, ruffling his hair. The blonde shrugged.
"I didn't know you smoked" he commented, and the teen chuckled.
"Yeah, I've been smoking since I was fifteen. Ri smokes with me every now and then, but he's not as hooked on them as I am. He asked me to think about quitting the other day…still considering it."
"Well, they're not exactly good for you."
Sora snorted, rubbing his nose as he span on his heel, heading for the door. "Yeah, but neither's our job."
Point.
Cloud caught up to him, tailing a few steps behind as Sora put his hands behind his head. The mall was huge; although it only had a single story it branched out like a spider web in several directions. Cloud hoped the raven-haired teen knew where he wanted to go, or they'd be here forever.
"So, how's things with the boyfriend?"
If Cloud had a drink he would've spat it half a mile. "What?!" he spluttered. "I don't have a boyfriend!"
Sora laughed out loud, grinning widely. "I know, just knew you'd react like that. Though in all seriousness, seen anybody you like lately? Girl, guy? I dunno."
"You sure are frank" Cloud said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Sora shrugged.
"My friend, Selphie, she's gone the whole shebang in telling me about relationships and stuff. I dunno, I think she hopes I'll make a move on Riku."
"…That's…that doesn't surprise me" Cloud said, remembering the emerald-eyed brunette. Sora chuckled quietly as the pair manoeuvred around a seven-member family unit that was bickering loudly.
"Oh, have you met Sefie?" Sora suddenly said, realizing that was what Cloud had implied.
The blonde rubbed his hair a bit. "Ah…briefly. We had a get-together on Sunday night."
Sora raised his eyebrows, rubbing his chin a bit as though he was considering something. He didn't voice his concern, however, and they fell into silence. Of course, being in a mall this definitely wasn't a true silence; the building was full of the sound of people talking, of machines and of doors, of footsteps, both the casual click of girls in heels and the excited pitter-pat of children's running as they squealed and giggled loudly. The blonde exhaled, turning his head down. He didn't really like shopping centres, if he was honest. They tended to get on his nerves a lot more than most other people. He generally tried to shop at smaller clothing stores or ones that weren't in a complex.
They turned down one of the paths and Sora came to a halt, putting his hands on his hips.
"This is it!" he said, grinning widely. Cloud blinked a few times, before giving Sora a disgruntled look.
He'd stopped them in front of a shop that specialized in using magick to change one's appearance. Proper cosmetic changes were illegal and the shops had a bad rap for being the place where wanted criminals came to change their look. Mostly they gave people a fake tan and changed someone's hair or eye colour, though pay enough and you could convince them to do more.
"What are we here for?" Cloud asked warily, glancing at the raven.
Sora put his hands behind his head, swaying a bit. "Well, I've actually had it in my head that I want a different eye colour for a while. I was just gonna get coloured contacts, but uh…well, they don't place nicely when you have to wear them all the time. I'm far sighted, y'know, so it's a bit of a pain in the bum."
He shrugged, dropping his hands. "So I thought I'd get them good and properly changed. Will you help out, Cloud?"
"What's Riku going to say?" said the blonde shortly.
"He'll probably be a bit annoyed, but it's not like he can really do anything about it. Besides, this isn't a choice I'm making on either side of a mood-swing, it's one I've thought about in both frames of mind, which is the only reason Riku ever has a problem with what I decide to do."
"I see" said Cloud, folding his arms, thinking about it. If he had to go out on a limb and guess why Sora was making such an explicit effort to change his appearance…he'd probably have to say it was because of Aris. Even though the man usually left himself unshaven, the two looked similar enough that one would see it straight away. Hell, their hair was the same. And he'd already dropped Soritas, so in his mind, this was probably the next step.
Good for him, trying to cut off ties like that. It took a lot of effort to force toxic people out of one's life, and Aris was that and then some.
"I'll one up on the help- I'll pay. Think of it as an extended birthday present" said Cloud, and Sora stared at him in shock.
"Are…are you serious? Oh man, thanks Cloud!" he shouted, leaping on him and wrapping his arms around his neck, almost bowling Cloud over.
"Jeez, get off! You're gonna strangle me!" the blonde exclaimed and the raven let go, looking a bit sheepish but still ecstatic.
The blonde rolled his eyes, and the two headed into the shop, walking up to the counter. A woman with long black hair looked up at them, her expression cold.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her tone icy. Cloud actually felt goosebumps run down his back at her demeanour, though it most definitely didn't strike him as vampiric.
"I wanna get my eye colour changed" said Sora cheerfully. She blinked a few times, before rifling under the desk for a few moments, snapping open a reference book.
"If it's not here, you will have to provide a colour swatch" she said, before looking at Cloud. "I suppose you are a relative? I'll need you to sign this waver."
Cloud nodded, as she handed him over a contract. He scanned over it, not liking most of the content, but he knew despite the warnings and failsafes in terms of the shop this rarely went wrong. At least, he'd never heard of someone coming out of these places severely damaged.
"This one" said Sora, as Cloud signed the waver. The blonde looked over and almost choked on his own saliva.
It was a very intense yellow. Not quite werewolf yellow- he knew that colour better than most- but closer to gold or amber. Definitely not a naturally occurring human colour, at least.
"Are you sure?" he asked, and Sora nodded.
"I would've gotten contacts in this colour if I wasn't getting this done, so…" he said, trailing off with a shrug.
Cloud looked at it for a few more minutes. "…But why that colour?" he asked.
"I dunno. I like it. It's creepy" he said, a smirk dawning on his face. "I kinda like scaring people to be honest."
The blonde blinked a few times, going stock still as an epiphany dawned on him.
This kid was a sadist!
"Are you the kinda guy who likes to trap spiders and watch them suffocate to death?"
"Oh, however did you know~?" Sora cooed, his eyes still glinting maliciously. "Either that or I put them in Riku's bed."
Yep, sadist. God damn.
The black-haired woman sighed, clearly ignoring their conversation. "That's $230, please."
Cloud sighed, rifling through his wallet and pulling out the cash. She put it in the till and stood up.
"Through here" she said, grabbing the reference leading them through the black curtains. There were a few people inside, wearing a uniform, and a couple of others having magick worked on their hair. Sora watched in fascination as he walked behind the woman, intrigued by the colours people were choosing.
"You dyed your hair normally, right?" Cloud asked, and Sora nodded.
"I figured it was a bit easier. Might get it permanently done eventually though…the brown eyebrows are kind of weird" said the raven with a shrug. "Extended Christmas present?"
"Don't push your luck" said Cloud shortly, and Sora laughed. The black haired woman sat him down before glancing over to one of the girls, a short-haired brunette with heterochromia. They spoke for a few moments, showing the reference book before the girl came over and the woman left.
"Hi there" she said, giving them both a wave. "I'm Yuna."
"I'm Cloud, and this is Sora" said the blonde, gesturing to each of them. She stared for a few moments at both their hair, before giggling quietly to herself.
"Is…that genetic?"
"Yes" the both of them mumbled a little crossly. No matter what Cloud did, he couldn't get the spikes to behave, so he doubted things were any easier on Sora's part. His might go higher, but Sora's stuck out at the sides.
"So, you're getting your eye colour changed, hm?" she said, peering at him. "I dunno…I kinda like this shade of blue."
"I have my reasons" said Sora, and the girl shrugged, sitting him down on a chair.
"Ok, just stay still. It'll sting a little bit…are you wearing contacts?"
Sora blinked a few times. "Oh shit, yeah I am" he said, pulling out a case from his pocket. He turned his head and carefully took them out, turning back and blinking blearily.
"I am so blind" he murmured, squinting at her.
Yuna smiled at him, gently patting him on the head. "Just stay still, then. This won't take long."
Cloud folded his arms, watching the proceedings as magick energy began to flow through the girl's fingers. She murmured some concentration words before gently placing her index and ring finger just below Sora's eyebrow and above his eyelid on either side. The raven didn't make a sound, though Cloud was sure it would've hurt; the yellow started directly around his pupil and spread outward, slowly enveloping his eyes until they were completely amber.
"There!" she said, removing her fingers. Sora blinked a few times, before reaching back to his pocket and putting his contacts back in, using his phone as a mirror.
"Ok, here are your eye drops, you'll need to use them for about a week and then you'll be fine. And here is your life-time guarantee certificate" she said, handing him a small bottle and slip of paper as soon as he was on his feet.
"Uh, thanks?" he said, looking at the slip of paper. "Do I go now?"
"Yup! Have a nice day" she said cheerily, waving him off. The raven still looked a little confuddled, so the blonde grabbed his sleeve and delicately lead him out of the store, giving the black-haired woman a short wave as they exited.
Cloud took a moment to take in the collected appearance. The yellow probably wouldn't have been so dramatic if Sora's hair was still brown, but with them being framed by a mass of blue-black, they were rather intimidating. The kind of person normal people gave a wide berth from pure instinct. Additionally, his general vibe was different. His brown and blue hues had more rung of his friendlier moods, when he was approachable and cheerful, but his current look rang of his dark attitude. The Sora who smoked and wore black and red biking leathers, who ran into battle brimming with confidence that bordered on arrogance.
"Waddya think?" he asked, looking at the blonde.
"It…suits you, in a way" he said with a shrug. "You look less innocent."
"Good" said Sora curtly with a short nod. "That was part of the plan. Well, wanna get something to eat? I'll shout this time, since you paid for my eyes."
The blonde shrugged, and Sora gave him a small grin, strolling toward the food court, Cloud tailing behind him.
The food court sat in the proverbial center of the complex, a circular room with murals of food and drink painted above the stores and across the roof (how'd they get that far up…?) There were a variety of stores circling a large cluster of tables, seats and booths, which were mostly occupied by students from Sora's school and the occasional family unit.
"Wanna have a look?" Sora offered, and Cloud gave him a short nod. They started walking the circular path, looking at the stores. Kebabs, sandwiches, chinese, indian, a few popular fast-food stores…a chicken schnitzel sandwich actually sounded pretty good.
"I might go back and grab a sandwich from back there" said the blonde, indicating backward as Sora stopped in front of an Italian store.
"Oh, dang" said Sora, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I was hoping you'd go halves in one of their larges. They only do small or large and the small's too small and the large is too large."
He made a disgruntled face, and Cloud rubbed his hair. "I don't eat store-bought Italian" he said, shrugging, and one of Sora's eyebrows quirked up.
"Why?"
"Ah…the garlic gives me indigestion."
The raven-haired boy spluttered a bit, running over to him. "Cloud" he said, keeping his tone hushed. "I mean, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too, but are you actually a dhampir too?"
"What" said Cloud flatly, giving Sora a deadpan stare. "No."
"…But the sunlight gives you headaches and you don't eat garlic."
"Sora, my dad isn't a vampire, so I obviously can't be a dhampir, can I?" Cloud retorted heatedly, folding his arms. "If he was, his brother probably would've killed him by now."
The amber-eyed teen rubbed his chin, thinking about it. "…Dang, that does throw a wrench into the works. I guess if you were, Leon would've pointed it out earlier than this, too…"
He still looked unconvinced, and Cloud exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not to mention I have two vampire friends, you dork."
The raven-haired teen looked sheepish, rubbing his hair. "'Spose you're right. Guess you're just a nearly vampiric human-type person."
"Sora, seriously" said Cloud, trying to stave off a headache. "You're making my brain hurt."
"That's because you're thinking, Cloud. Blondes aren't supposed to think, remember?"
Cloud immediately thwonked Sora on the top of his head with his fist, the shorter boy yelping loudly as the blonde stalked off in the direction of the sandwich bar. The raven-haired dashed after him, his hastily-said apologies choked off by his hearty laughter at managing to tick the mild-mannered blonde off.
"Sorry, buddy" Sora said eventually, properly this time, not liking how silent Cloud had gotten. "What're you after?"
"A chicken schnitzel sandwich" said Cloud, who then rattled a list of what else he wanted on it. Sora ordered and paid, eventually handing Cloud a tray with his sandwich and the drink that came with their combo deal (a lemonade, apparently. Cloud didn't mind, he liked lemonade.)
"I'll go grab my food and meet you at a table, eh?" said Sora, who didn't give the blonde a chance to respond before giving him a two fingered salute and dashing off.
Cloud exhaled, before wandering into the throng of afternoon shoppers getting snacks. He sat down heavily in a cushy booth, immediately propping his elbow on the table and resting his head in his hand. He'd kind of lost his appetite, if he was to be honest with himself. Still, Sora had bought it for him, and he was loathe to waste other people's generosity like that, so he reluctantly began eating his sandwich.
Sora came scooting back over with a plate of some kind of Chinese food with a deep, red hue and sliced chilies.
"That's an uh…interesting meal" said Cloud, one blonde eyebrow quirking up. Sora let out a low chuckle, his amber eyes glinting mischievously.
"Looks tasty, right?"
"I don't like spicy food" the blonde replied with a shrug, taking another bite of his sandwich, and Sora blinked, glancing at the plate and seeming to notice the chilies for the first time.
"Oh dang" he breathed.
Cloud blinked a few times, before his eyes narrowed, annoyance sparking in his deep blues. "You didn't pick it because it's red, did you?"
The look of one who's just been caught with their hand elbow-deep in the cookie jar spawned on Sora's face, and Cloud let out a long, frustrated sigh, before shrugging it off.
"You're the one who has to eat it. It'd be a waste to leave even one, tiny sliver after you've just spent money on it, right?" The same mischief was glinting in Cloud's eyes now, and Sora audibly swallowed, looking nervous, but still sitting down and beginning to pick at what looked like strips of meat.
Cloud took another bite of his sandwich, keeping his expression completely neutral but inside he was kind of enjoying Sora's struggle with the spicy food. Maybe the sadism runs in the family.
"You know…I don't want you to get offended or anything, but you've been…really balanced today" said Cloud, and Sora blinked, eating a forkful of carrot strips, before ruffling his black locks.
"Yeah…" he murmured. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. I'm not happy, so it's not like I'm a seven year old on a sugar high, and I'm not angry or sad, so I'm not acting like a demon from some circle of hell. I guess that's worry does to you, huh?"
He smiled sadly, his eyes glazing over for a moment as he played with his food. "…Cloud, this is going to sound really strange, but about ten minutes before I called you something terrified the living daylights out of Riku. Do you know what it was?"
Cloud had, luckily, just swallowed his mouthful, so he managed not to end up choking on his food. Still, the question had sent ripples of shock flowing through the taller man, as his jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide.
"…How?"
"…I don't know" said Sora, pressing the pads of his index fingers together. "Ever since…ever since I passed out on Monday I've been…feeling some of what Riku feels. It's really fucking weird."
"Like emotional empathy or something?"
Sora fidgeted in his seat, looking anxious, before mumbling "Not just his emotions."
This stumped Cloud for a few seconds before it hit him like a brick wall falling on his face, swallowing thickly. "You can feel when Riku's hungry" he whispered, and Sora nodded, still looking fidgety.
"It's not that I feel it, I just know he's feeling it. Like a…uh…like we're connected? I dunno."
"Well, are you?" Cloud asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Well, I don't think so…"
He froze, suddenly looking a bit stunned. "Unless paopu fruit counts."
"You didn't."
Sora looked sheepish, drinking his own drink. "I may have kind have tricked him into it?"
The blonde immediately pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you tricked your best friend into marrying you. Sounds like you're the greatest friend he could ever have."
"Oi, oi, I totally am! I basically said I wanted to be his friend forever and ever!" Sora protested, throwing his hands into the air. "And I do! Which is why I'm so concerned about the fact something terrified the ever-living shit out of Riku earlier today!"
The raven finished his sentence by violently jabbing his finger in Cloud's direction; the blonde had to admit, the kid had a way of rerouting the subject. He was kind of impressed.
The blonde eventually let out a long, exhausted sigh, massaging his forehead with his fingertips. "...Leon," Cloud murmured.
"Huh?"
"Riku freaked out because of Leon."
Sora's eyes widened, the raven leaning forward against the table. "Is Leon ok?"
"Riku lashed out. He's ok, I think, but it'll probably scar. Why'd you ask about Leon first, though?"
Sora sighed, ruffling his hair a bit. "The terrified feeling was followed by guilt, so I kinda knew something happened. Did you see Riku afterward?"
Cloud shook his head and Sora sighed, eating a mouthful of food. "Ah well…at least that bloodline of ours is coming in handy for once. I can't see there being any other reason for this."
The blonde smiled wryly. Obvious Sora had it drilled in as deep as he had- the Strife bloodline was sensitive. 'Sensitive' being that they were a little more prone to the supernatural than others. For example if a vampire scrapped their teeth against a regular person and broke the skin, there was a strong chance it wouldn't result in anything, since the infection would've been small enough for the human body to fight back. In the case of the Strifes, however, they'd most likely end up vampires.
One did wonder why a good majority of them were in the hunting occupation, actually. More or less, it meant they had to take more precautions than others would.
"So…" started Sora, fiddling a bit with some capsicum. "There's something going on between you and Leon, isn't there?"
Cloud shrugged, chewing his sandwich. "Not really" he murmured. "Why?"
"I dunno, you two were acting weird on Monday. Did something happen on Sunday night?"
"We got drunk and made mistakes" said Cloud shortly. "We're both trying to move on and forget about it, alright?"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "…Mistakes?"
Cloud groaned under his breath. He really did not want to discuss this with Sora, of all people. It was bad enough that Aerith knew.
"Wait wait, hold up. Like, I could guess, but- did Leon really-?" he said, half talking to himself as he rubbed his chin. "He wouldn't…he didn't even with Rin…Cloud, you didn't…uh- 'do the deed', did you?"
Cloud gave him a deadpan stare and said nothing for a few minutes, before exhaling. "What do you mean by 'he didn't even with Rin'?"
"He had a girlfriend he was really close to" Sora said with a shrug. "There was a really big incident with his group- like, we're talking faeborn and magick and near-death experiences, and they all got really close, especially him and Rinoa. We all thought they were comfortable together, but as it turns out Leon was having issues being intimate with her. They never got further than a bit of tongue play, actually. We all kind of suspect it's because Leon's got some severe issues with the fact he's not entirely human. So if he actually did it with you, even while drunk…hell, I dunno what it means. Something big."
Cloud blinked a few times. Leon did mention he was a virgin prior to their 'incident', but he'd kinda just thought Leon wasn't really in a position to get intimate with someone else. He wasn't sure how to feel now… awful because of how it happened, flattered because Leon had actually agreed? He had no idea.
"…I'm pretty sure we were just hella drunk and it doesn't mean all that much" said Cloud, sighing, and Sora's eyebrows hit the roof.
"So you really-? Jesus Christ, I did not peg you as gay."
"I didn't peg me as gay prior to Sunday" Cloud said sharply. "I lost my virginity to a woman, so I didn't really have a reason to think that, either. I still don't really peg myself as gay."
"Well, do you look at guys?"
"Why do you care?" Cloud said flatly.
Sora adopted an annoyed expression. "Because Leon is my friend. And if you think you're going to get away with a one night stand you're sorely mistaken."
"Sora, we're both adults!" Cloud groaned in frustration. "Do you want me to ask him on a friggin date or something like that? Listen, I like Leon. He's pretty cool and we mesh well, and I wouldn't mind being friends with him. But I sure as hell don't know him well enough to consider asking him out, even if I did feel comfortable doing so. Like I said, this is the first time I've wandered out of the straight-zone, and that in general is enough to make it weird, not to mention all the other crap surrounding the incident. And you said it yourself, Leon had a girlfriend before this, he might not be entirely comfortable with it either. I don't know what's the best course of action here, but I'm not about to go out on a limb and make a ridiculous move on someone that might result in us forever being awkward or weird around each other. Do you understand?"
Sora nodded, before breaking out into a grin. "Ok, so long as you're not just going to avoid him or something."
"We've spent the last three days meeting up regularly in the hope we might remember something from Sunday. It hasn't helped so far" Cloud muttered. "I don't like the situation, but this isn't one I can really turn tail and run from. It'd burn a hole in my conscience and I'd feel bad for the rest of my life…plus I think you'd kill me. It's not very often I meet someone I get along with easily, so even with this I don't want to just burn all our bridges."
"Yeah, Leon has that problem too. People kind of force their way into being his friend. You don't strike me as the type who'll have to do that."
Cloud sighed, taking another sip from his drink. He'd never been good with relationships. It wasn't until his mid-teens that he started making friends, and that was only because he left town to start training with Angeal and met Zack. Zack had been the catalyst for him to start developing a group in the first place; and now he appreciated and cared for all of them, even if he did ignore their phonecalls from time to time.
The blonde lapsed into silence, picking at his sandwich. His appetite had left him again, and Sora let out a long breath from his nose.
"Sorry for asking, Cloud. If it makes you feel any better, I was asking for my own benefit."
A single eyebrow quirked up on the blonde's face. "Not really. What benefit could you get out of knowing about my and Leon's relationship?"
"Well…I think Riku's been sending me signals and I was wondering if you knew how to interpret signals."
Cloud's second eyebrow joined the first. "Wait, are you sure?"
"No" Sora groaned, looking frustrated. "That's what's so annoying about it. He got mad the other day when I was flirting with some girls then says he doesn't know what his type is. Then the whole day he keeps staring at me weird. I'm so confused."
The raven-haired teen shoved his food to the side and laid his head on the table, looking defeated. "What do you think?"
"Do you even want Riku to be sending you signals?" Cloud asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You just said you were flirting with girls."
"I don't know" Sora repeated, putting his hands in his hair. "I mean…I dunno! Fuck! I like Riku and he has a nice ass but I don't know if I like him like that! But like…" he sat up, waving his hands around expressively. "Riku's the only one with enough balls to put up with my shit, I don't think anyone wants to deal with me long term. And he's always been there for me."
"And you're basically married already" Cloud commented lightly, sipping his drink.
"YEAH! But what happens if it doesn't work out or like…he's not actually into me or something?! I'll be alone…"
Sora's entire demeanour drooped at this, his brow furrowing in pain. "The idea terrifies the shit out of me, Cloud. Riku's the only one who's been there for me through everything. If I lost him, I…I don't know what I'd do."
Cloud sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He really did not understand why he'd just unloaded all of this on him, and frankly he really did have enough problems of his own to be getting along with. Plus he could barely follow the kid's train of thought, but at the same time he probably did need someone to listen to his blathering who wasn't Riku (or a vampire).
Well, maybe he'd just tell Sora what he wanted to hear and get on with it. (He was trying, really, really hard to convince himself he didn't care.)
"You should listen to your heart, Sora" Cloud said, nodding as though he knew what the fuck he was talking about. "If you really feel like you want to be in that kind of relationship with Riku, then maybe he feels the same way? You do live together."
Sora's eyes widened, and he almost bounced out of his chair. "Oh my god, Cloud, you're so right! My heart's never steered me wrong, if I follow it everything should turn out fine!"
He hit his fist into his other open palm, looking determined. "Thanks Cloud!"
"Just be careful, vampires get bitey when aroused, yadda yadda. I don't know if Marked are infectious but it's something to consider" said Cloud.
"I doubt it, but I'll keep it in mind" said Sora, waving his hand dismissively and finishing off his drink. "Ready to go?"
Cloud nodded. His own drink wasn't empty, so he took it with him, chucking the rest of the sandwich in the bin (it was just a couple of chunks of crust, which he didn't feel bad about not eating). He and the raven-haired teen made their way toward the exit, going quiet again for a little while.
However, Sora stopped at the door, folding his arms and tapping his head. Cloud turned to face him.
"…Dhampirs aren't infectious at all, are they?" he murmured.
"No, not according to every single book and story I've been told" said Cloud, but he ended up unconsciously fiddling with the collar of his turtle-neck sweater anyway.
"Thought so. You'd be screwed otherwise."
Cloud gave him a sharp stare, and the amber-eyed teen returned it with a sly grin, giving him a wave. "See ya 'round, Cloudy!"
He did a hop-skip and broke into a jog, leaving the building. Cloud sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before giving his neck a rub, reminding himself that if Leon was infectious, he probably would've noticed immediately. Vampire transitions were notorious for being very fast. Despite Aerith's best efforts, Cloud could still feel indents where Leon's teeth had pierced his skin. Thankfully Aris slept like a log even when he hadn't been drinking, so the blonde had been able to get up early, throw on a turtle neck and lightly dust the white marks with make-up still lingering in the cabinet of Aris's bathroom.
It probably belonged to Aris's estranged wife.
She was the thing on his mind as Cloud mounted the Void Gear, intending to head toward a liquor shop. The engine revved to life and Cloud pulled out of the car park, his mind swirling.
Aris's wife was like a rarely-spoken legend among their family. They hadn't been together for long before Aris's hatred drove her away. Cloud now assumed it was probably shortly after Sora was born, but he couldn't fathom why the woman would leave a baby in the man's care. He didn't know too much, honestly; his father spoke rarely of his little brother, not after the incident.
As Cloud pulled to a halt at a liquor store on the route to Leon's, it struck him that Aris's brutal killing of a vampire and her husband would've occurred when Sora was a year old. Still, why leave the baby? Hope that a child would ease what Aris had become- a cold blooded killer, more so than what he'd hunted down and slain? He was positive that the boy would've been better off if she'd taken him with her. Then again, maybe Aris hadn't given her a choice. He'd seen a photo once of her, Aris's arm gently drapped around her waist. Short black hair, deep blue eyes that matched her husband's. She'd been rather petite; Aris wasn't particularly tall (nor was his son), but she stood at least a head shorter than he did. If Aris had become aggressive, she wouldn't have stood a chance and probably made the right decision to flee.
As much as he tried, Cloud couldn't remember her name. His father could barely remember her, either, but Cloud was pretty sure he'd seen a wistful look in his eyes a few times. It had served to further widen the gap between Cloud and his father; honestly, Cloud always kind of been a momma's boy, and it annoyed him that their relationship had been so strained. He had no idea how they'd managed to end up together; both were very even tempered, which they passed onto their son, except toward each other. Cloud recalled some very intense arguments when he was a child, but the memories were mostly covered in a hazy fog. He tended to not really focus on those memories, anyway; he remembered his mother for her kind smile and the lullabies she'd sing every time he'd ask where his father had gone again.
The blonde shrugged it off and headed toward the liquor store, the glass doors sliding open. He was greeted by a breeze of chilled air and the scent that accompanied it, swirling and mixing with copious amounts of alcohol, mostly dominated by a strong one that itched at his nostrils; they'd must have had a recent breakage.
He wanted to get something social so he and Leon could hang out like regular people. He really did want to move on from Sunday night and as some people put it, 'wipe the slate clean'.
He browsed the fridges for a few minutes, originally reaching for bottles full of amber liquid, very similar to the colour of Sora's eyes, but he hesitated. Thinking about it, Leon didn't really strike him as a beer drinker. So he ended up walking down a bit further and grabbing out a case of coke and bourbon, shutting the door firmly behind him.
The cashier was standing in front of several cabinets adorned with labels like 'WE DON'T SELL TO U/18's' 'DON'T BUY IT FOR THEM' and 'SMOKING CAUSES LUNG CANCER' in big, bright lettering. Cloud assumed the cabinets were where the cigarettes were kept, but he'd never bought them so he wouldn't know.
The woman was in her late thirties, dirty-blonde hair tied back in a loose ponytail and lacquered nails tapping against the countertop as the blonde male put the alcohol down.
"ID" said the woman shortly, and Cloud rolled his eyes, fishing through his wallet and pulling out his motorbike license, which had his date of birth.
She gave it a short nod before scanning in the alcohol and asking for the money. Cloud handed it over, taking the change before leaving with his purchase, jumping back on the bike and heading toward Leon's.
The trip was short, thankfully, since pellets of rain had begun to drip downward. Shit…that'd make the night's rounds more of a pain in the ass than they already were. Sighing lengthily, Cloud dismounted the Void Gear and found a nice, sheltered spot for it, before rifling around one of the equipment compartments on the side. Sora had, as Cloud suspected, a rain cover, so the blonde draped it over the bike before heading over to the apartment block Leon occupied.
Something immediately told him Leon wouldn't be in his house- he wasn't sure exactly what told him so, but Cloud opted to check Leon's garage area first. It was a small line of concrete blocks with steel roller door fronts and smaller entry doors on the sides; Cloud recalled Leon's was the eighth down.
He walked down, tugging on the collar of his turtle neck a bit to try and keep the rain out. He could already feel the droplets wetting his hair, attempting to enforce gravity upon the infamous Strife locks, a task of which it would fail at. There was a family rumour that the spikes were actually the result of some kind of magick spell, but why someone had endeavoured to enchant/curse every male member of the Strife bloodline with gravity-defying spikes was the real question.
The blonde gently rapt on the door. "Leon? It's Cloud."
"Door's open" was the reply, and Cloud opened it up. The Coupe DeVille was jacked up and Leon was lying on a board with wheels, the only part of him visible being a pair of leather boots.
"Tune up?"
"Tempy's water tank was leaking a little. You can't let the minor things go when a car gets to this age, so I decided to fix it now."
Cloud blinked a few times. "…Tempy?"
Leon rolled out from underneath the car, wiping his forehead with his hand. His face was a bit oil-stained, his thick brown hair pulled back into a rough ponytail, but a good chunk of it was too short to reach around to the elastic holding it in place, so it was falling into his face. The bandage was missing, revealing the jagged gash that now arced from about mid-brow to the edge of the opposite cheek.
"I think you should still be wearing the bandage" Cloud said pointedly, and Leon ignored him, standing up. Cloud silently offered him a can of the bourbon and cokes, which the brunette gratefully accepted.
"Normal people would get beer."
"I'm not normal people" said Cloud, and Leon chuckled.
"So what's with the 'Tempy' title?"
"Her name" Leon said simply, leaning back against the car. "Well, it's actually Tempest, but I call her Tempy for short."
He patted the car affectionately, cracking open the can. Cloud felt a smile dawn on his lips; the Hardy Daytona didn't have a name, but Cloud felt the same affection for it. And he knew exactly what Leon meant about vehicles and age; he'd left the Hardy's tune-up for all of two weeks and it'd basically fallen to pieces.
Cloud refrained from the temptation to call Leon adorable again- as much as he thought it was true and enjoyed watching the other man get flustered, he didn't want to throw another spanner into the already struggling machine work that was their friendship. Thus they lapsed into a comfortable silence for a little while, until Leon walked over to the radio in the corner and turned it on. It was playing music a couple of years old, but Cloud didn't really blame the man for listening to older music.
"Sora changed his eye colour today" said Cloud, opening his own can, and Leon raised his eyebrows.
"To what?" he queried, raising an eyebrow.
"Amber."
Leon spluttered a bit on his mouthful. "He does realize that colour's usually associated with werewolves, right?"
The blonde nodded. "But it's permanent, so I doubt it'll get him in trouble."
"Idiot" Leon muttered, nudging a tool with his foot. "That kid is going to be his own demise, never mind the whole hunting thing."
"Yeah" said Cloud, smiling slightly as he took a sip of his drink and lent against the wall behind him. The combination went down well, and he inwardly praised himself for not getting beer. The other drink might've been more commonly accepted as a social beverage, but Cloud was almost certain Leon preferred the heavier liquors.
"So…I guess you were into mechanics before you got Tempest?" said Cloud, raising an eyebrow, and Leon shrugged, putting a hand in his pocket.
"Not exactly…like I said, my mentor gave her to me for my eighteenth. I didn't know much about the anatomy of classic cars so-"
He stopped suddenly, looking at his can of drink, swallowing a bit and looking kind of awkward. Cloud raised his eyebrows.
"…What?"
"I have no idea how to phrase the next sentence."
"…Just say what you need to say" said Cloud. "Don't beat around the bush."
"Zack taught me how to fix classic cars."
Cloud blinked a few times. "Come again?"
Leon sighed, fidgeting a bit. "I was close to Zack. Before I came to train with Aris, he and I were tutored by Angeal."
He should have seen that coming, really. Leon seemed to be very close to Aerith, and she and Zack had been together for quite some time; if Leon knew her so well there was no way he hadn't met Zack at some stage. The only reason it really surprised Cloud was that he couldn't recall either ever mentioning someone named Leon, and with how Zack was, the concept seemed impossible.
"…So you knew him before I did?"
Leon exhaled again, taking another swig from his can of drink. "Yeah. If Aerith's like my sister, Zack was my annoying older brother. I think I was about nine or ten when we met."
Cloud rubbed a hand through his blonde locks. With what assessments he'd already made about the brunette…this probably cut him up a lot more than he was making out.
Leon finished off his drink, and took another one from the case that had been left on a table in the corner of the garage. "I'm going to need a few more of these if we're going to be talking about Zack" he murmured, and Cloud nodded, thinking about it.
"You were at the funeral?" Cloud murmured, and Leon nodded, his hair falling in his face.
The blonde tried to remember, but the funeral had been a blur for him. Thinking about it, though, he did recall the light-blue car.
The Coupe DeVille had been the car that had brought Zack's coffin to the cemetery. And now he remembered; the brunette on the opposite side of the coffin, standing parallel to Cloud, bangs in his face and covering his eyes. His hair had been shorter, then, only midway down his neck. He'd stood at the grave long after the funeral had ended, despite the rain that had poured down that day, the same kind of rain that had accompanied Zack's final moments.
He'd stood at the graveyard's gates, watching the lone figure, and wondering who he was. But the thought had left him soon afterwards, because Cloud had started to try and move on, to fulfil his last pledge to Zack the only way he knew how.
"I remember" the blonde murmured, and Leon swirled his drink around a bit.
"Yeah. You were standing at the cemetery gate while I called him a son of a bitch" he muttered. Cloud raised his eyebrows in surprise, but ended up not saying anything. Leon just looked disgruntled and pained, now, as though Cloud had gone and taken a knife to old wounds. He hadn't meant to; hell, he'd just asked about the car.
"How did we end up discussing this?" Cloud asked suddenly, moving over to stand beside Leon, and the brunette sighed.
"I dunno. I thought it was a good a time as any to actually mention it. The longer we know each other the more likely it becomes that I'll mention him in some way or another. Hell, up until I was about seventeen, he and Aerith were the only people I really knew. I introduced them, you know."
He swallowed heavily, exhaling. "I don't make friends easily, Cloud. Humans might be consciously stupid most of the time, but there is a survival instinct underneath it all. And up until they start to really override it- i.e about puberty, they naturally give people like me a wide berth unless they're aware or something else themselves."
He sighed, and Cloud gave him a disgruntled look.
"C'mon, man. People do that to lots of people, human or not. Up until I left to train with Angeal I was my hometown's resident pariah. I only have the friends I do because of Aerith and Zack."
Leon raised his eyebrows. "That must've sucked."
"Yeah" said Cloud shortly, taking a deep mouthful from his can. "But I have friends now, so it doesn't worry me too much…"
"For the record, it's not an excuse. It's proven people avoid others with supernatural blood. I've always known about my bloodline, so I knew what to expect. I guess you just got unlucky."
Cloud's eyebrow twitched, he couldn't help it. He was still annoyed from the earlier questions from Sora. Leon seemed to notice, one of his eyebrows quirking up.
"Jeez, it's not like I'm implying you're a dhampir" Leon said shortly, and Cloud's jaw clenched down.
"Good, because I'm not" he said sharply, folding his arms. "Sora asked me earlier."
"What? Why?"
"Garlic gives me indigestion" he muttered, and Leon blinked a few times.
"…Really?"
"Would I avoid eating it if it didn't?" he snapped, and Leon's eyes narrowed in his direction.
"You can't blame Sora for asking" he said, looking annoyed. Cloud snorted through his nose, finishing off his can and grabbing another one.
Leon exhaled, rubbing his forehead, taking care to avoid the wound. "Alright, let's just drop it."
The blonde also sighed, knowing he shouldn't have gotten so annoyed about it. "I don't have a problem with dhampirs, I just…the implication makes my dad a vampire, and I really don't think it's possible."
"Fair enough" said Leon. "It did kind of seem like you were being prejudiced."
"I don't like the idea of being a vampire myself but…like I said, two of my friends are vampires and you're a dhampir, I was still very close to Zack when he turned. I stayed by his side during the conversion. I don't really care."
"Would you care if I was a proper vampire?" Leon murmured, and Cloud raised his eyebrows.
"No, I wouldn't. But you can't be infected, right?"
"Yeah. I'm stuck in the midpoint" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "But it really wouldn't matter to you?"
"Nope. I'm not interested in the what, it's the who I care about."
Leon looked pensive, staring at the wall for a few minutes, sipping at his drink occasionally as they lapsed back into silence. The song on the radio changed, and a small smile appeared on Leon's face.
"This is Rinoa's mother" he said, and Cloud blinked, listening.
"Your ex?" he asked, and Leon nodded, before freezing suddenly and shaking his head.
"Speak of the devil" he muttered, putting a hand on his pocket. Cloud raised his eyebrows, feeling a little confused. This feeling remained for a good five minutes before the sound of footsteps came from outside the door and a light knocking echoed around the garage.
"Come in, Rinoa."
Cloud eyes widened as the door opened to reveal a woman with dark hair, wearing a pair of light-blue denim jeans and a cream blouse. She kind of resembled Tifa, thinking about it. She put a curl of stray hair behind her ear upon realizing Leon wasn't alone in the garage.
"Who's this?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Leon sighed a bit.
"This is Cloud, a hunting friend and Sora's cousin. Cloud, this is Rinoa Heartilly."
A devious smile suddenly dawned on Rinoa's face, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came as she stepped forward, offering her hand. Cloud shook it, giving her a small smile.
"Nice to meet you, Rinoa" he said.
"You too. I've heard lots about you, Cloud" she said, smiling slightly. Cloud blinked, feeling a little confused. From who, exactly? Quistis? Leon certainly didn't seem like the type to go around telling everyone about him.
Unless it was Selphie, he supposed. The blonde grimaced at the thought.
"What prompts this visit, Rin?" Leon said, putting his can down and getting back down on the roller board, his shirt riding up for a second and exposing creamy pale skin. He grumbled a bit and tugged it back down, rolling under the car.
"I wanted to tell you how my date went, actually" she said, walking around the garage. "But you do have company…"
"I don't mean to interrupt-" Cloud said, looking a bit awkward.
He heard Leon grumble again from underneath the car, rolling back out. "She can prattle on about her date while you're here, Cloud. You might actually keep me sane for the duration."
Cloud blinked a few times, and Rinoa giggled a bit as the brunette rolled back under the car. The dark-haired girl immediately launched into a full-scale rundown of her date, which Leon would listen to patiently, only commenting every now and then. The blonde didn't know what to say, really; Rinoa and Leon's relationship kind of reminded him more of 'bffs' or something than people who had once dated. Despite Leon not talking much, he seemed to enjoy listening to Rinoa talk, which was a bit different to how he communicated with others, like Quistis. He seemed more stand-offish toward those people, while with Rinoa he seemed more like…himself.
"I dunno, Rin. He seems like he likes you, but on that same note he's such a creep."
Cloud chuckled a bit at this, and Rinoa smiled. "Yeah. So second date, yes or no? You're usually good at calling these things."
"…Give it a try, but I'd bring pepper spray."
The dark haired girl laughed again, as Leon rolled back out from underneath the car, grabbing a rag and wiping his hands clean before taking a drink of his can of bourbon.
"Rounds tonight?" she asked, an eyebrow quirking upward.
Leon nodded. "Yeah…I think tonight's going to be Riku's first night back since he got sick. Aris is going to get uppity if he takes another day off."
Cloud grimaced, polishing off his can, before realizing Rinoa hadn't reacted at all to the wound on Leon's face. Rinoa, however, seemed to read his mind.
"Maybe you should take a break, especially after last night's close call" she said, looking at his face. The brunette sighed, rubbing his hair.
"It's fine" he said, trying to shrug it off. "Seriously. You both need to stop babying me."
Rinoa raised her eyebrows, fiddling with some of her hair. "Oh, so you're worried about it too, Cloud?"
"It's not exactly a scratch" said Cloud, giving Leon a bit of a disgruntled stare. "At the very least, the bandage should still be on."
"I wanted to let it breathe" Leon retorted, beginning to pack up his tools. "I have to put the bandage back on before we head out tonight anyway; I'm going to have to wear it around Aris for weeks."
He let out a disgruntled exhale. "Enhanced healing is a pain in the ass."
Cloud rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "It's getting late. Should we head out soon?"
"Yeah. I need to head to Aris's to restock, and I think texted out a meeting notice. "
"Alright, we'll go together then."
Rinoa smiled a bit. "You two get along well."
Leon immediately pointed at her. "No."
"Huh?"
"No schemes, no plots, no plans. No" said Leon firmly, and Rinoa burst into fitful giggles at the look on his face.
She bit her lip for a second, the devious look returning to her eyes. "Not even a little one?"
Leon folded his arms, looking cross. "No. Stay out of it. All of you."
"What…?" said Cloud, looking for some kind of explanation, but Leon just grumbled under his breath. Rinoa still had the devious look in her eyes, but she ended up just giving him a little bit of a wave.
"Alright then, Leonie. Later~"
"I told you not to call me that, either!" Leon shouted, growling and throwing a stray spanner at the door as she shut it.
"…I guess we'd better leave now?" Cloud said awkwardly, and Leon sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Yeah, let's go."
Cloud stepped out of the garage as Leon went to lower the car, feeling immensely confused and a little worried. What kind of plans would a girl like that have up her sleeve? If it involved people like Quistis and Selphie…
Ok, maybe Leon had a reason to get uppity about it.