A/N: Hey all. Just a quick thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, faving, alerting, etc etc this time around. Things have been a bit busy lately so I'm not sure when the next update of Ever After will be coming up (no later than Easter with any luck) but rest assured that I'm not stopping Ever After if it gets to a point where people are wondering where I've gotten to.

This chapter, I officially christen as "The One Where the Shit Hits the Fan".

Please read, review and enjoy. Review mostly because they are my banana splits!

He knew all too well why he had been called to the Commander's office. He was just surprised to see Axel there in the waiting room too. Maybe he had been alerted of the appearance of a double-agent. Regardless, he kept his mouth shut about the topic; the Commander had ordered total silence on the matter. Even so…he couldn't help but notice that Axel seemed to be on edge. He put a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"Hey."

Axel turned slightly, one green eye watching him carefully. "Yeah?"

"You alright?"

"That concern coming from the almighty Ice Prince?" Axel teased lightly. Leon took his hand away as if it had been burnt.

"No. It's nothing. You just looked troubled, that's all." He turned his head away, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt. Leon didn't like being caught showing anything but his cold side.

"Ahh," Axel heaved a heavy sigh. "You're just not cute at all."

"Shut up you skirt-chasing idiot."

"Let's not forget one-time-trouser-chasing either," Axel quipped, not at all fazed by Leon's insult. Leon just went a rich shade of tomato red at that. God, did he have to imply that one time…

His train of thought was cut short when the doors slid open. That was their cue to pile in. Leon was first into the room, shortly followed by Axel who seemed to be slightly hesitant.

Commander Harvey was leaning against his desk, legs and arms crossed over each other. He was fiddling with a small disc that was producing gleams of rainbow colour along its round circumference. They stood at attention to him.

"At ease," the Commander ordered, his pale eyes watching as both SeeDs took the at ease position. He noted that Axel was holding a much more tense pose. "Both of you are aware that there is a double-agent in this Garden, correct?" Two nods of the head. "I can assure you that when he or she is caught, they will be court-martialled and discharged from service. I don't want the fact that SeeD and the military powers are being taken for idiots to reach the public and the media." He stopped fiddling with the disc. "Therefore, until I'm they are caught, I'm asking you to do a simple guard duty." He offered it to Leon, his eyes crossing from one to the other. "This holds important information concerning the Presidential Palace. I'd feel happier knowing it was in hands that I can trust."

"So you chose us?" Axel asked, looking quite surprised. "I thought it would be safer here."

"Not while there's a double-agent on the loose," Leon responded, catching onto the Commander's drift; this must have been the trap. If the double-agent caught wind that sensitive information was in the hands of a lone SeeD, then clearly they would try to attack them. That's when he would strike. Axel must've been let on to this too.

"You understand what I'm asking of you two?" the Commander questioned.

"Understood," Leon replied, taking the disc from the Commander's hand. "We'll keep it safe." Axel saluted his response.

"Good. Dismissed." They turned to leave. "Captain Johansson, just wait for a moment." Axel stopped and turned back, green eyes looking at the Commander quizzically. Leon continued onwards and out of the office, disappearing behind the automated door.

The Commander was looking at him with the most pokerfaced expression Axel had ever seen. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

At that, Axel knew that Commander suspected him. Part of him wanted to be disgusted with him for even doubting him; the other wanted to admit to everything. "No sir."

"Nothing at all?" he pressed on.

"No," Axel said firmly.

"Even though your sister went missing?" Axel tensed at that, his hands curling up into fists.

"No. And don't bring her up." He turned away rudely. "I'll save her myself." He stormed out, furious that the subject had been brought up. The Commander could only watch and sigh heavily once he was gone, looking up at the ceiling.

"So it is you…huh?"

Leon was trying his hardest not laugh out of sadism at the sight of Cloud trying his best to put enough distance between him and SOLDIER technician called Shalua Rui. On the other hand, he sympathized with the Fenrir model; Shalua was known to be pretty merciless with her handling of tests and deemed too 'liberal' to be a part of the Shinra company. Her methods were…unusual so to speak. Right now, she was holding a taser gun with full intention of use if the SOLDIER in front of her did not co-operate.

Cloud's eyes turned, seeing Leon and immediately hiding behind him as best as he could. Leon only sighed. "Shalua, can you please not try to kill him? If he goes back to the SOLDIER facility in pieces, Hojo's gonna chew me out."

"I'm trying to get him to co-operate, not kill him," Shalua replied flatly, prosthetic arm resting on her hip, right eye glaring lightly underneath her spectacles. "However, he ran at the first sight of a needle."

Leon looked behind him slightly; Cloud was refusing to look at Shalua, blue eyes burning with a pride that one might see in the eyes of an animal willing to fight its way out of danger. He very, very quietly smiled at the sight. "Cloud, they're only trying to help."

"Don't need it," Cloud grumbled stubbornly. "I'm just fine. As long as I can protect you, then everything's fine."

Stubborn. Just like Seifer. But while he knew that Seifer's stubbornness had come from an innate confidence of his own abilities, he knew that Cloud's bout of stubbornness had come from a fear of anyone in a white coat like Shalua's. "They just want to be sure you're alright. Shalua's only gonna do as much as a few tests. No tampering or tweaking involved. Right Shalua?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell him for the past half hour," Shalua groaned. "I swear he only listens to you."

Cloud was just looking at Leon, almost as if he was trying to find a lie in that statement. He found none. He looked away. "I don't like it." That took Leon by surprise. "She's saying I have to stay here overnight for these 'non-tempering and non-tweaking' tests. That means I can't be with you at the apartment. I don't like it."

"Is that what you're all worked up about?"

"I'm not worked about it!" Cloud snapped. "I'm entitled to want to stay with the person I'm supposed to be protecting!"

Leon didn't know what surprised him more: the fact that Cloud was expressing a very strong opinion, or the fact that Cloud had used a pretty advanced word for his still rather basic vocabulary.

He opted for the strong opinion. He sighed heavily. "Idiot dog." Definitely not like Seifer at all. "It's only for one night. I'll be OK. So don't worry about me." Cloud didn't look the least bit convinced. "Come on Cloud. Do you really want to get a taste of Shalua's taser?"

As if on cue, Shalua revved the small silvery device up. Cloud visibly flinched. "Alright! Alright! I'll do it! But you have to come get me tomorrow morning! Any later and I'll go on a rampage!"

"That a threat?" Leon smirked. Now that was definitely not like Seifer at all. He wasn't the type to make such flimsy promises like this. He knew Cloud wouldn't do something like that.

Then again…how could he be sure he knew Cloud that well?

"It's a promise!" And that was the next bit of surprise that attacked Leon. Cloud actually looked like he was going to keep his word about it. –Geez, why do I get stuck with all the stubborn ones…

"Alright. I promise not to leave you here any longer than necessary. The last thing I need to do is try to calm you down when you're in berserker mode." He petted the Fenrir's hair to reassure him and seal that promise. "You just do your best." The blond nodded his head, looking a little happier than he did before. He still regarded Shalua warily. "Shalua, be careful with him. He's still a little bit on the wild side when it comes to lab coats and whatnot."

"I am not!"

"See you Cloud," Leon waved, walking away from him.

"H-Hey!"

Leon wanted to laugh but he wouldn't let himself break the taciturn persona he had carefully constructed through the years. That…and there was no way he was going to let Cloud know of his own anxieties that he had kept hidden for so long from everyone. He'd never admit it, but he wasn't comfortable being in his own apartment alone. He put it down to getting too used to having another person living with him after three years of being on his own. He knew that the real reason was because he was being entrusted with such important information while there was a double-agent around. It made him uneasy knowing that he didn't have Cloud for back-up if something went wrong.

–Hyne, I'm over-thinking this. It's just a simple case of guarding a disc that's no bigger than my hand. What could possibly go-

"Leon!" No sooner as he heard that, he felt a huge weight fall onto his shoulder. He damn near yelled in surprise, but his SeeD instinct was to jab his attacker in the gut since he was unarmed. A startled 'ooph' echoed in his ears. "Ow ow ow ow. You didn't have to hit me so hard."

"Axel! Don't startle me like that!" Leon yelled at the redhead that was currently nursing his stomach.

"You're so uptight," Axel grumbled, a peeved expression on his face. "Anyway, you up for some fun tonight? This place is boring the hell outta me."

"Do realise that unlike you, I actually take my orders seriously," Leon pointedly said, having every intention of walking away.

"Aww c'mon. Just because we've got an order doesn't mean we can't go out for a bit of drinking, bit of dancing-"

"I am not going to the West Wing with you." And with that, Leon hoped that would be the last he'd hear of that. The last time he went to the West Wing with Axel, it ended with copious amounts of alcohol in his system, a terrible hangover and the realisation that he had done something very unlike him.

"And the Ice Prince strikes again…"

"Hmph. Honestly, you'd think by now that after three years of refusing your invitations that you would get the-" He paused suddenly as an idea came to him. Maybe he didn't have to be alone in the apartment tonight.

"Hmm? Leon? You alright?"

"You know, I've had a change of heart," Leon suddenly said, turning around on his heel. "Do you mind coming over to my apartment tonight? I'd feel safer knowing I had back-up in case someone breaks in."

"Huh? I thought Cloud would be with you."

"He's taking some tests with the SOLDIER technicians tonight. I won't be able to collect him until morning."

"Talk about bad timing."

"I know…Anyway, you don't mind do you?" If Leon had been anyone else, he guessed this was the point that he'd use either the most pathetic look or the 'fair-damsel-in-distress' look. But Leon is not just anyone else; he resorts to the 'help-me-or-you-are-going-to-regret-saying-no' look. To the cadets and his underlings, this would be what earned him the moniker of 'Leonhart the Devil'.

"Of course not!" Axel grinned, having learned since a long time ago that it was better to go along with Leon than to dare cross swords with him. "Always willing to help! Though…we could-"

"My answer is still a very emphatic 'No'."

"Ice Prince strikes once more. Sheesh, you just don't know how to have fun."

"If you want fun, bring your own party. Just don't make a mess on my floors," Leon warned. "Now if you excuse me, I have cadets to train."

"Don't you mean torture?" Axel laughed.

"Same thing, different word," was the haughty response. Needless to say, the poor cadets truly did get the brunt of Leon's cover-up to hide his anxieties; they had about ten laps around the training centre, fighting any monster that dared to attack them. Captain Glacier and the rest of the medical team were not amused by the injuries of varying degrees of seriousness. Fortunately, there wasn't anything too serious.

He had pretty much all but forgotten about his 'bring your own fun' comment by the time he got home at approximately 1700hrs, 19 December 3500. In the hour and a half that had passed, he had showered, changed into some more casual clothes (black tracksuit bottoms and a loose baggy blue shirt), put the disc into a safe hiding place i.e. a compartment in the desk in his bedroom, and was now reading the latest novel Zexion had been kind enough to send to him before he set off for Balamb. The Hacker Agent had good taste; this time it was a suspense novel from Setzer Gabbiani, infamous for being a playboy, but more well-known for being one of the few that could man a military air-galleon on his own during his spell in the military. Leon had to admit, rather grudgingly, that Gabbiani had a way with words.

So there he was, enjoying what he assumed to be a rather quiet evening, albeit lonely seeing as Axel had yet to make an appearance, when he gets an incessant buzzing from his doorbell. So much for a quiet night. Getting up and moving towards the intercom, he clicked one of the many buttons on the interface to ring up a monitor with Axel's mug on it.

"Yo! I bring gifts!" He lifted up six-pack of beer. "Times two!" And another one was lifted. Leon frowned with annoyance.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" he asked with a clipped voice.

"No, Leon. I'm trying to make the most of an otherwise boring night. Nothing wrong having a drink while we stare at each other mindlessly right?"

"If this is the opening line you give to every woman you set your eyes on, your bedside manner better make up for it."

"Aww Leon, you know what my bedside manner is like."

Leon flushed furiously at that. Twice in one day…He really needed to not fall for these traps. "Just get in!" He slammed the monitor off and pressed the enter button. He did not need any of his neighbours to hear about that one time escapade he had with Axel. He collapsed onto one of the chairs that were at the dining table, sighing in annoyance. "Seriously…what is his problem today?"

Axel was well into his second can while Leon was still sipping at his first. Somehow the redhead had managed to persuade him to watch some TV drama that Leon cared very little for. Something about forensic scientists or other from the looks of it, though he questioned some of the methods being shown on screen. Axel didn't really care though; he seemed more interest in the plotline, or rather, the implied sexual connotations between the lines.

"Is sex the only thing on your mind?" Leon drawled, looking at him with a bored expression.

"Yes, yes it is Leon," Axel grinned, giving him a thumb's up. "Especially since I'm not meeting one of my many, many conquests."

"Which amounts to zero I believe," Leon shot back.

"Ah, you're so cruel sometimes." He suddenly forced Leon's beer can to his mouth, other hand gripping the back of his head and pulling it back so that the pure amber liquid would cascade into his body. "Come on now baby, drink up so I can get the old Squall out!"

"Ca't breefff!" Leon struggled against the onslaught of alcohol. He lashed out quickly, kicking Axel in the gut with incredible precision despite being half drowned. "Hyne are you trying to kill me now?!"

Axel didn't answer, nursing a sore stomach again while gripping a half empty beer can. Leon sighed, noticing that there was beer splashes on his carpet. Well, he guessed it was due for a clean at some point anyway. "Honestly Leon," Axel groaned. "It's like you're programmed to attack me right there."

"Feel lucky that I'm not crushing your family jewels right now," Leon stoically replied. He looked down and reached out for another can since most of his first one had now disappeared in one fell swoop. "Another round?" Axel looked up with surprise.

"You're offering?"

"We might as well get rid as much as we can now. I don't really fancy having any around the apartment once Cloud's back."

"Ahhh, being abstinent to alcohol around him, huh?"

"Nothing as noble as that. I just don't want him to find out about it for now. I don't even know what he's like if he goes berserk." He passed one to Axel. "Here."

"Thanks." A click and hiss announced that the can had been opened. Leon opened one for himself too. It couldn't hurt just to relax. When was the last time he just spent time with someone he considered a close friend anyway? He almost jumped when he felt a small bump against his can, a brush of the back of fingers coming with it. "Whelp, to a long night of absolutely nothing interesting happening."

"I second that." He truly did hope for that.

Beer Can Count. Axel: 6. Leon: 4.

And both of them were holding the last two cans now, though they seemed more interested in laughing like hooligans at some old film called 'Jackass'. It was plotless, pointless, but desperately funny when you were as drunk as they were. After all, there's nothing funny than seeing a man getting his meat and two veg paintballed into oblivion.

"That's some funny shit," Axel laughed uproariously. His hand was wrapped around Leon's shoulders amiably, almost too comfortable for it to be considered just friendly. The brunet, pretty much out of it now, was just letting it happen, his cold personality forgotten as a more relaxed and warmer side of him came out. He was laughing too, a truly genuine laugh, while the credits rolled. He looked over to the digital clock on his side, deciding against putting it on hologram since it wasn't too far away. Nearly midnight. Amazing how time just seemed to fly by once coupled with a fake cop show, twelve beers and an old film about a couple of idiots pulling off stupid stunts. He shuddered when he felt Axel's fingers tickle the underside of his jaw.

"Axel, what are you doing?"

"Hmm, you seemed to like that last time."

"Last time, I was drunk, needy and vulnerable," Leon groaned, part of his mind screaming at him to push Axel away. The other part was purring like a kitten. He felt a shift of weight on the sofa, soon followed by the weight of another leaning against his back and an arm wrapping around his waist. "Stop it…" Leon whispered, but he didn't sound distressed. Those long, bony fingers were still tickling his jaw. Hyne did Axel know which buttons to press.

"Geez, are you purring?"

"I am not." –Lies. Lies. Lies you drunk slut, his mind couldn't help but mockingly sing. He cared not for that little voice in his head anymore; it sounded like it was just as drunk as he was if not more. He made a small, breathy sound when he felt Axel's hand trail southwards. Some part of his mind must still have been sober. He had quickly turned around instinctively, putting a hand on Axel's chest to separate them. Although his grey-blue eyes were glazed over lightly from alcohol, they still looked up at Axel with pseudo-sternness. "You want this, right?"

"This?" His green gaze followed Leon's other hand as it slowly, almost painfully slow, travelled down his being to explain what the brunet had meant. He smirked, nodding his head. "Yeah. That."

Leon's lips puckered slightly, looking like he was carefully considering this proposition. His hand on Axel, however, had taken to doing a little expedition around his chest. Axel could feel chills going down his spine; he knew Leon could be quite the cock-tease when he wanted to be. He moved his hips down as if to pin the other to the sofa, foreseeing that this would make the brunet try to wriggle out since he didn't like being overpowered.

As he predicted, Leon did try to wriggle out, his hips rubbing against the redhead's in a way that could be read as sensual implications. Leon's unwillingness to be dominated was one of the brunet's attractive points. Axel managed to grab his wrists and pull them up above his head, keeping them restrained. He leant over to the point their noses were just millimetres away from brushing against each other. Grey-blue eyes met bright green orbs in that instant, both challenging the other to dare try to push their way either towards or away from each other.

In other words, this was the allegorical cat and mouse game. Only thing was, it wasn't entirely clear of who the mouse was and who the cat was. Axel was fairly confident that he was the cat in this case. He leaned in about as far as Leon would allow him to, close enough to his ear, emitting a very taunting purr into the brunet's ear. Leon shuddered at the sound.

"Copycat," Leon rumbled.

"You love it really." A lick to the shell of his ear. Damn, Axel was on a roll tonight. He didn't know whether to be flattered that Axel actually remembered Leon's magic 'cum buttons' (as the redhead called them), or worried that Axel had remembered them at all after two and a half years. –Who cares?, his usually calm voice of reason laughed manically. "How long has it been?" Axel asked into his ear; his hand had managed to snake its way under the brunet's loose shirt, palming each muscle it came into contact with.

"Two and a half years," Leon breathed, eyes closing at the touch. "Give or take."

"Two and a half years of total celibacy?!" Axel had pulled away, looking at the brunet as if he were a madman. With that pull away the body massage had gone with it. Leon frowned at that, unhappy with the event.

"Yes. Now get back here," Leon muttered, putting both hands around Axel's neck and forcing him back down. "I was getting comfortable." Axel didn't look convinced but his hand returned to its work on Leon's upper body. The brunet had to contain the want to moan when he felt a cold pair of fingers tweak a rapidly becoming perky nipple.

"If it's been that long, maybe we shouldn't…"

"Axel Johansson, you had better not leave me hanging now or I swear to Hyne I'm going to hang you by your testicles out on my balcony," Leon threatened, a half-animalistic growl escaping him. He really was getting hot now; when hot, he had a pretty hellish mean streak develop in his otherwise perfectly calm demeanour. And Leon didn't make empty threats. Axel leaned in a little bit more (now their noses were touching) and whispered quietly, "You haven't used that bit for a long time though, right?"

Leon could only narrow his eyes and furrow his eyebrows. "You give me that 'I'll be gentle' shit and I'll break your balls. I'm not a woman." And that was the confirmation that Axel needed. His lips uncurled into a large toothy grin; Leon vaguely thought it matched Alice's Cheshire Cat's grin.

"Alright then," Axel smirked lightly.

"One thing though."

"What's that?"

"No kissing."

Leon wondered if that was an odd request to make; Axel seemed fairly surprised by it. To the redhead's credit, he just tapped Leon's bottom lip as if to seal a promise. "First time I've been asked, but a promise is a promise." And just like that, Leon felt his shirt being pushed up, cold air caressing painfully pert nipples and goosebumps prickling his skin. A warm, wet tongue flicked lightly against one, making the brunet's back arch against the sofa. Hyne…was foreplay always this good? The foreign wet muscle travelled down further, stroking places that hadn't been touched in this way for a long time. Leon by this point had brought a fist to his mouth, biting down on it to stop himself from letting out anything that might sound unmanly. He heard a dry chuckle escape from behind the head of gelled red hair, a green eye looking up at him with a cocky smirk.

"Silent as ever, huh?" Leon didn't like that overly confident look on the other's face, deciding to take matters into his own hands when he, with the graceful accuracy of a predatory cougar, managed to push the red head off him, getting him down to the floor. Axel, however, managed to grab him by the hips, pulling the brunet down with him. He almost felt sorry for the redhead; landing on the wooden floor while having a brunet that was probably slightly heavier than him -judging solely on how stick-thin Axel looked- couldn't have been comfortable.

Almost felt sorry for him though. Despite probably sustaining a sizeable bruise, Axel still looked like a cat that had just found its way into the dairy factory and a large colony of mice living inside it. Plus, the position they were in gave Axel access to Leon's behind if his long arms reached far enough: instant 'topping' death in Leon's view. "Why Leon, I didn't know you were so eager!" Axel exclaimed with mock-astonishment.

"Axel, just shut u-ahhhhhh!" Leon's eyes went as wide as saucers, trying to escape the alien object that had just inserted itself into his…unmentionable place. When it wiggled in the velvety warmth, Leon couldn't help but squirm uncomfortable.

"Thought as much," Axel said absently, sitting up while Leon was preoccupied. His finger was still wiggling about inside Leon's innards, while he reapplied his tongue to the soft flesh of Leon's neck. The brunet looked about just ready to explode, though he still refused to vocalise how he was feeling. He clawed into the skin of the redhead's back, leaving angry red marks in his fingers' wake when they slipped and slid in a desperate attempt to stay sitting up. They both knew that Leon was fighting a losing battle to stay in control. Axel leaned in up against the other's ear, whispering into it: "Hey, wanna move elsewhere?"

If Leon could talk, he'd probably lay down some backtalk to the other. As it was, he just dumbly nodded. Having sex on the floor was not exactlythe most comfortable thing to do. They pulled away from each other, it becoming very clear to them both the effect that their prior fooling around was; although Axel was being constrained by the tough fabric of his jeans, Leon's very, very apparent erection was standing proud within the loose fabric of his tracksuit bottoms. His hand covered it modestly, probably for the first time showing his embarrassment at being seen like this after so long. It didn't help matters when Axel took the hand away. "Don't be so uptight."

"Excuse me for not exactly being confident about this."

"Seriously, Leon, you need to get laid."

"I believe you're in the process of that."

"Exactly." A grab at the brunet's wrist alerted him that they were moving elsewhere. "Come on."

The rest seemed to be just a huge blur in Leon's mind, though he managed to just about piece together what was going on. Axel had got them into the bedroom; they continued the foreplay (and if the taste in his mouth was anything to go by, then he guessed there was oral going on too); now their clothes had pretty much been haphazardly strewn across the floor and bed, both of them panting heavily as a light sheen glistened on their skin in the light from the outside world.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other in the whole process, and Leon didn't once make a loud sound to announce whether he was in pain or in the midst of pleasure. Words and sounds weren't really needed though; his hands very carefully, almost hesitantly, slid around Axel's slim frame, feeling the bones of the other's spine. Axel's bony fingers slid down to his hips, his body sliding up in between Leon's legs. A silent nod of consent was all the redhead needed. A silent nod was what he got.

The brunet cringed and squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the other slip in all too slowly for his liking, his fingers digging into pale flesh. Axel grunted lightly in response, clawing at the other's thighs as he made the first careful thrust.

The redhead knew he wouldn't get a response from the other; Leon had too much pride to allow himself to be seen or heard moaning by anyone. It didn't matter though; the small grunts and pants coming from behind clenched teeth was more than enough for his satisfaction, not to mention the rhythmic pounding of the bed against the faux-brick wall. Even the slightest glimmer of pure unadulterated gratification on Leon's face, no matter how fleeting it was, told the redhead that he was doing a damn good job.

With the little experience he had with Leon, he knew the brunet was as tough to please here like he was during and after working hours. Taking those small sounds and fleeting expressions as praise, his actions became faster, rougher and deeper. To his surprise, Leon actually let out one baying moan at a particularly hasty thrust, a squelch accompanying it as Axel stopped himself in fear of having been a bit too violent in their excitement. To this, the brunet just started rocking his hips against the other's, his inner muscles contracting and relaxing in time to each push and pull. The move put Axel over the edge. With the last couple of thrusts, Axel was spent. Leon's body went taut, only to collapse again seconds later.

They couldn't remember much after that, of whether they collapsed into a drunken slumber or if they had another round. The only thing that Leon could safely say was…the night was unforgettable in the worst sense possible.

Smoke.

If there was one thing that annoyed Leon no ends was when someone lit a cigarette in his smoke-free haven. And more often than not, the prime suspect was Axel. Despite having a horribly throbbing sore ass, he was going to yell at Axel for lighting up in his bedroom when he heard the redhead grumble in frustration: "Where is the damn thing?!"

Leon froze in his spot on the bed, trying to figure out where the redhead was. He sounded a pretty fair distance away from the bed…and it was coming closer from the window where his desk was. –No…he couldn't be… He listened harder. Shuffling paper; the sound of drawers being opened carefully but with impatience too; the occupants of said drawers being disorganized in a desperate search for something.

–Shit…

For cases such as this, Leon always had a handgun secreted in his bedside table. And it was a gun with a Thunder Bullet in it. Not powerful enough to kill unless targeting specific areas, but enough to leave a large amount of damage on the target. The last thing Leon wanted was to kill someone in his own home. He also had a pair of electro-magnetic handcuffs hidden away with the gun to help him subdue any intruder…he had hoped that he wouldn't have to use either in his life. Apparently the Fates had other ideas.

Timing his move to the sound of another drawer being opened to be rechecked, Leon grabbed the gun and the cuffs, concealing them under the covers when he felt that he might have been spotted. He covered his tracks by letting out a small sleep-like groan. Axel had stopped in his tracks for a moment. He started again once sure Leon was 'asleep'.

Leon took his chance to strike. He sat up, cocked the handgun's hammer and pointed it at Axel. The redhead froze in his spot, having heard the click that the handgun had produced. The brunet hesitated for a while, but he knew…he knew that he couldn't let the double-agent get away.

"Get up."

Axel complied, slowly standing up. His hands went behind his head, showing that he was unarmed. Leon noted that Axel at least had the decency to put his jeans back on; maybe he planned on a fast getaway once he got what he wanted.

"Walk over to the wall and put your hands on the wall."

"I'm pretty sure you'd rather my hands were-"

"Don't you dare fucking well tell me how to do my job!" Leon shouted, trying his hardest not to let the reality of the situation sink just yet. He had a job to do. He'd think over what had happened later. To Axel's credit, he stayed silent after that.

It didn't feel real though as he walked towards the tall figure leaning against his bedroom wall, naked as the day he was born, holding a firearm in one hand a pair of handcuffs in the other. It felt surreal knowing that this man he was putting those cuffs on was what he might call his closest friend. It was bizarre telling the criminal to sit tight while he got changed, and that he better not make any movements otherwise those cuffs were going to give him the shock of his life when they weren't trying to cut off the blood supply to his hands.

It was almost as if he was seeing Seifer's face falling away all over again, and no matter how much he tried to grasp to the reason why it was happening, he could never reach it. Only hours ago they were just watching mindless TV to stave off the boredom of guarding classified information, relaxing with each other in a way Leon hadn't done for a long time because he threw himself into work. Now he was calling the Garden's 'graveyard shift' team, calmly as ever, to send over a group to arrest the caught double-agent.

And all through this neither of them had said a word to each other. It was just too much for Leon to face Axel, and it was vice versa for Axel. They stayed silent during the wait for the team to arrive, Axel sitting on the sofa with his hands behind his back, Leon leaning against his kitchenette's counter. Or at least, Leon wished they stayed silent.

"Hey…Leon…"

"What…?" Leon's voice was calm; too calm.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, or to even listen to what my reason was. But…" A pregnant pause followed by a small sound of uncertainty. "I'm sorry. For using you."

Leon said nothing, refusing to let himself break in front of Axel. He just gave him a cold stare.

The silence didn't last forever. The Garden Team finally arrived, all of them looking at Axel in shock when they realised that he was who they were coming for. Their shock was short-lived as they took him off Leon's hands, thanking the SeeD Captain for subduing the 'criminal' for them. Leon just nodded his head, not even looking at Axel. He knew what would happen to the redhead.

Tough interrogation depending on what level they were allowed access to by the Garden officials, no higher than level five (which allowed physical abuse if necessary). After that, if Axel stayed silent, he'd be put into a holding cell to await for the process to be repeated over and over again until he did talk. When he did, it was inevitable that he'd be court-martialled. Thankfully, executions had long since been outlawed, but that didn't mean Axel would be safe. He'd probably get a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

A part of him wished that he did listen to Axel. That he'd talk to him, find out why he was double-crossing them. He couldn't now.

And finally, the reality of the situation sank in. He had sex with the double-agent, putting himself at risk and the data. Said double-agent was a friend. And now he had pretty much sent his friend to his doom all due thanks to a handgun with a Thunder Bullet, a pair of electro-magnetic handcuffs and a phone call to the Garden.

He sank to the floor and -for the first time in a long while- he screamed in anguish.