The stars hanging over Traverse Town glittered and twinkled in their dark canopy. The small town glowed under the gases of the worlds and stars above it, the residents of the close-knit community inside and sleeping for the night, despite it being night all the time on this world.
Leon found himself strolling through First District, hands in his pockets as he jogged up the stairs and wound his way through the small streets of the town he used to live in. Pushing the large wooden gate of Second District open, the brunette stepped through and shouldered the gates closed again, eyeing his surroundings.
Stormy grey-blue eyes fell on the inn to his left and he strolled easily toward it, pushing the doors open before coming to a stop in front a specific door, turning the knob and walking in without knocking.
Cloud stood by the windows on the opposite side of the room as Leon stood half inside the room, half out. The blonde looked over his shoulder at the brunette, and the Gunblader rose his eyebrows simply in question.
With a simple flick of his wrist, Cloud motioned for Leon to enter and the brunette did so, closing the door behind him. The blonde made a circular motion with his hand, and Leon locked the door. With a small smirk, Cloud motioned for Leon to come forward.
Tired of being told what to do, but wanting to know what the hell the blonde wanted that merited leaving Hollow Bastion, Leon walked forward, but just as he passed the foot of the bed by the wall, he was shoved from the side, and he grunted as he landed on the plush blankets.
Rolling onto his back on the bed and raising a contempt eyebrow as he lifted himself onto his elbows, Leon sighed as Cloud stood in between his legs. Damn fast bastard.
Leon opened his mouth to ask the blonde if he was suffering from PMS, menopause, or any other feminine hormonal fluctuation that rendered the victim mentally unstable, but the moment he did, Cloud climbed onto his lap and shoved his shoulders against the plush blankets, pinning him down.
The two men stayed like that for a while; Cloud demonstrating pure dominance as he pinned the brunette to the bed, while Leon was as submissive as he thought the blonde wanted him to be.
"If you wanted me on the bed, you could've asked," Leon finally stated flatly.
Neither man had taken the step to actually have sex with the other, but the two of them often danced around the subject. Blowjobs had sufficed for seven months. Why should they?
Cloud had, once, while Leon had been checking on Hollow Bastion from Ansem's computer, explained in mind-numbing detail, leaning against the doorway casually, how homosexual sex worked, how it felt, and what was needed.
The brunette ended up hunched over the keyboard, head bowed, trying desperately to gain self-control as he heard the blonde's light-hearted laughter float down the hallway and out of range.
"You know I don't ask often," Cloud replied blandly before a small smirk glinted from his lips and he leant down, pressing an open-mouthed kiss against Leon's lips, placing his arms on either side of the brunette's head.
The blonde was immediately welcomed and Leon's hands slid up the other man's legs thoughtlessly as they bit and sucked on each other's tongues, Cloud pressing close gratefully, a gentle trill purring from his throat.
Finally, the blonde pulled back enough for both of them to breathe, trailing his slender nose down the brunette's cheek absentmindedly. Leon knew that his partner was a person who couldn't express himself in words well –Leon was the same– and often kept silent, but, the brunette had come to know that there were different kind of silences that came from Cloud.
The one that was emanating from his handsome partner now, was the hesitant and cautious one.
Raising a hand from fingering one of the blonde's belt-loops, Leon brushed his finger down Cloud's cheek, the blonde raising his unearthly blue eyes to look into Leon's own stormy grey-blue ones.
"What's wrong?" Leon murmured.
Beautiful blue eyes glinted from above the brunette, and Cloud shifted over him before rolling them over, Cloud now under Leon, who shifted so he knelt in between the blonde's legs, placing his arms on either side of his head. Leaning up and capturing the brunette's lips, Cloud leant back into the plush blankets as they kissed deeply, the kiss soft and gentle.
Finally, the two of them pulled away and Leon started pressing kisses down Cloud's jaw and neck, eyes closed, the blonde breathing gently into his ear.
"Fuck me."
Leon's eyes snapped open.
Very slowly, the brunette rose up and hung over Cloud, who was just laying there, eyes half-open, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"What?" asked Leon.
"Fuck me," repeated Cloud. His voice was deep and throaty, unlike his usual breathy, soft speech, but there was no raw emotion behind it. Just inklings.
Heat spread through the brunette's whole body, his heart starting to hammer in his chest. Swallowing, his mouth suddenly dry, Leon opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say died before it could be said, Cloud claiming the brunette's lips in a forceful, slightly painful kiss.
Sinking his teeth into Leon's bottom lip, blood spilt into the blonde's mouth and Leon let out a muffled grunt, pushing the blonde back down against the bed, wrenching his mouth away from Cloud's, staring down at him with wide grey-blue eyes.
Leon's tongue slid along the shallow line of broken flesh in the inner-part of his lip, the taste of blood strong in his mouth as he stared down at Cloud, who just watched him, back pressed into the plush blankets.
Finally, the blonde shifted, sitting up with a sigh, Leon quickly leaning back on his knees, the blonde's spread legs bent on either side of him. Cloud's bright eyes watched him fixedly before they closed, letting his head fall forward, bowing.
Leaning forward after a moment, the brunette pressed his lips against the top of Cloud's head, ignoring the blood on his lips and the dull pain. "It's just a bit sudden," Leon mumbled against the silky, tickling short spikes. "It's not that I don't want to."
Slowly, Cloud lifted his head up, the two men's faces a bare hair's breadth away from each other. Ducking forward, the blonde pressed a quick, gentle kiss against Leon's bottom lip. "Sorry, Squall," he mumbled against the soft flesh.
"It's fine, Cloud," Leon breathed, stooping a little to catch the blonde's lips in a tender kiss, his hand sliding up the blonde's side as Cloud rose a hand to let his gloved fingers trail down the side of Leon's jaw.
"Why so intent?" whispered the brunette against the blonde's mouth, feeling Cloud's fingers dance over his neck and shoulders as his own stayed by the blonde's hips and back.
"I just want to," Cloud replied, dragging his hands down Leon's shoulders, also pulling the brunette's jacket off at the same time; with the same movement. "Last time I did something to you that I 'just wanted to do', you didn't really seem to protest."
"My mouth was occupied," Leon stated, allowing the other man to pull his jacket off completely and throw it onto the floor with the blonde's gloves.
"And rightly so," smirked the blonde, kicking off his boots and socks, letting them fall to the floor with a dual thump. Sighing, the brunette looked over his shoulder and tugged off his own boots, feeling Cloud shift closer; a warm, wet mouth attaching to the flesh just under his ear, Leon closing his eyes and trying to focus purely on his laces –such difficult things– as that talented tongue and those lips and those teeth licked, sucked and bit at his neck.
Finally, his boots and socks fell to the floor and he turned back to his blonde partner, who moved away from his neck a little. "You're an ass," Leon breathed as their noses brushed.
He didn't even get a protest. Cloud just rose his eyebrows in a way that said 'yes, so?', his delicious smooth mouth spread in a smug smirk, his perfect white teeth glinting with a complacent air. Leaning forward to bite at those lovely lips, Leon captured Cloud's mouth and brought the other man into a demanding kiss.
During the kiss, the blonde had somehow unbuckled his shoulder-pad and let it fall to the bed, giving it a light shove, the piece of armoury falling off the bed and to the floor with a bang, the metal wolf emblem tinkling musically on the floor.
Separating smoothly, Cloud's smirk never wavered, raising a hand to grip at the front Leon's silver necklace, Griever; he slid backwards to the centre of the bed, leading the brunette forward by the warm, silver piece of jewellery. Finally, the blonde settled himself back into the plush blankets, pulling Leon on top of him, Griever biting into his naked fingers as the brunette slid in between his legs and hung over him, on all fours, silky brown hair spilling over his shoulders.
Fingers tightening on the sharp-edged lion medallion, Cloud pulled it down: the slender metal chain running around Leon's neck cutting into the flesh, pulling him down as well. Eventually, the brunette had to shift so his elbows were on either side of the blonde's head, his nose brushing Cloud's, the metal chain tangled around the blonde's fingers.
Pressing a kiss against Cloud's smooth neck, Leon shifted. Sliding one arm under the blonde's head and letting his weight focus on it and his legs, the brunette rose his other arm and trailed it down Cloud's chest, feeling the warmth under his leather-clad fingertips, and the blonde's pulse start to speed against his lips.
Every time Leon touched the blonde, Cloud's abnormally slow pulse would quicken and become stronger. It made Leon feel like he had power over him; like he could do anything to him.
Raising his hand to Cloud's own, Leon's smooth, warm fingers trailed over the warm metal cutting into the soft flesh of his partner's digits and slowly began to untangle the smooth chains, lifting himself up to claim Cloud's mouth again with a deep kiss.
Every movement was slow, purposeful and almost curious. Yes, the two of them had been naked together, but, it felt different this time.
Warmer.
Better.
Safer.
Cloud squirmed on the silken sheets, the blankets having been thrown to the floor with all the clothing, the blonde's smooth, naked back arching away from the sleek material and against hot, damp flesh. Leon pressed breathy kisses against Cloud's exposed neck, pumping the blonde's erection with a warm, slick hand, biting up Cloud's jaw to trust his tongue into his mouth, the blonde greedily kissing back, almost as if he was starved for affection.
The blonde swordsman still hadn't said why he specifically wanted to be fucked today, now, here. Leon had asked again just as the blonde yanked off his shirt, but all he got in reply was a possessive hand grabbing him through his tight leather pants and the brunette decided he deserved to get laid.
Dropping the blonde's erection, Leon let his hand fall onto the silken sheets again. Under him, Cloud let out a quiet snarl against his mouth and a hand shot up and gripped the side of the brunette's neck, his nails piercing the skin threateningly.
"Patience," the Gunblader whispered against his partner's lips, ignoring the pain shooting through the side of his neck and shoulder.
Raising his hand again, Leon flicked the drawer of the bedside table open, retrieving a small bottle of lubricant and a condom. Traverse Town was surprisingly well-equipped. The brunette lifted himself off Cloud slightly, but stopped when one of the blonde's hands grasped onto the hand that was holding onto the two items.
With the dexterity of a piano player, Cloud removed the condom from the brunette's fingers, holding between two of his own digits. Sharply, he flicked his fingers straight- the small plastic packet flying from his fingers, through the air, and falling onto the floor somewhere.
Leon didn't even get a moment to protest. Cloud just palmed him forcefully, making him moan deeply in his throat, and the blonde leant upwards, forcing the brunette's mouth open and delving into it with his tongue.
"Hurry the fuck up, would you?" Oh. Jokes in bed. Lovely. He wasn't even sure if that one was intentional.
The brunette supposed this was the reason Cloud had explained to him how sex between two males worked. Not just to make him sexually frustrated and barely able to stand up; just so that he actually knew.
As he stretched the tight ring of muscle with slick, lubricated fingers, Leon just watched Cloud's face fixedly, almost in awe at what he doing to the blonde. Cloud liked the mild pain from the stretching and was biting his lip so hard blood was seeping from under his teeth.
Running a finger over the blonde's prostate slowly, the brunette drew a tight breath as a low, broken moan tore itself from Cloud's throat, his head of golden hair thrown back against the silken sheets.
Finally –God, finally–, Leon pressed into the blonde, gritting his teeth and burying his nose into Cloud's shoulder as he slowly pushed himself, until completely sheathed, into his beautiful, blonde partner.
The sex was not slow, nor fast. Not painful, but not soft. Despite his vocalisations in the beginning that he wanted it fast and hard, Cloud said nothing during it. He just lay there, one arm curled around Leon's shoulders, the other between them, gripping at his own erection as he pumped himself in time to their sweet rhythm, pushing against Leon in time with the brunette's thrusts, heightening the friction; the pleasure.
Leon panted and groaned quietly against Cloud's shoulder, his messy locks of silky brown hair- matted and damp from sweat, sticking to his neck and cheeks. Cloud scraped his nails across Leon's spine, head bowed, soft mewls and gasps fluttering across the side of the brunette's neck, his lips pressed against the chain of Griever, the blonde's own hair sticking to his forehead and the back of his neck as their slick bodies slid against each other perfectly.
That flawless, quiet, broken intake of breath sounded by Leon's ear and the brunette immediately ducked up and caught Cloud's mouth with his own.
Their tongues darted against against each other heatedly until the brunette felt the blonde tighten around him and their lips wrenched away. Cloud arched up from the bed, head thrown back, mouth slightly open as Leon nearly pulled completely out and slammed back into him, sinking his teeth into the blonde's throat. Cloud's semen burst over their stomachs and the brunette followed a mere second later- both in complete silence.
The two men lay there, breathing deeply, hearts hammering against the other, the beats hardly seeming to slow, neither of them really wanting to move.
Smooth, slender fingers trailed down Leon's spine languidly, only barely touching the heated, sweaty skin. Slowly, the brunette shifted himself onto his elbows; cloudy, grey-blue eyes staring down at the misted blue ones beneath him.
The fingers stroked the back of the brunette's neck, threading through damp brown locks, tracing the barely-noticable ridges of his spine connecting to the back of his head. Leaning down obediently, Leon pressed a tender kiss against Cloud's lips, the blonde smiling contentedly under him.
"I... want to tell you something," the brunette whispered against his partner's lips, the two of them still connected, but neither doing anything to move away. Bright blue eyes stared up at him, and Cloud licked at Leon's lips questioningly.
Now was a good a time as any...
"Cloud, listen, I..." Leon swallowed. His mouth was suddenly very dry, his throat scratchy. It was hard to talk.
I love you.
Stormy eyes looked down at Cloud and the blonde was deadly silent, his mouth only just open, eyes slightly widened, his chest still. He wasn't breathing.
Swallowing again, Leon opened his mouth to say it, but the blonde under him immediately ducked up and pressed an urgent, open-mouthed kiss against his lips, his fingers curling in the brunette's hair.
"Don't say it," Cloud mumbled desperately, almost begging. "Please don't, Squall."
Staring as the blonde uncertainly let himself lay back down on the silken sheets: Leon had to admit, Cloud almost looked upset. Leaning down, the brunette pressed a tender soothing kiss against the blonde's lips. Very gently, Leon pulled out of Cloud, the blonde's long legs shifting on either side of him as he leant down and pressed a kiss against his chest.
Pulling a sheet over the two of them, letting it fall across their middles and legs, Leon lay on his stomach beside Cloud. He left a small distance between each of them; silently concerned over the blonde's plea, raising an arm and placing his cheek against it, beneath him like a pillow, Leon let his eyes fall closed.
Why had he been so upset over 'I love you'? Even if Leon hadn't vocalised it completely? And why had be been so insistent that they had sex? Come to think of it, nearly all of the steps in their relationship had been initiated by the blonde.
A gentle touch against his bare shoulder got Leon's grey-blue eyes to flutter open, and he saw Cloud laying right where he'd been when he closed them: the only difference being the blonde's face was turned towards him, his unearthly blue eyes on the brunette, and the hand that was closest was raised languidly and the back of one of his knuckles was placed gently against the warm skin of Leon's shoulder.
Leon watched as a small, almost shy smile spread across Cloud's mouth before the blonde bit on his lip, blue eyes flickering away, but his hand still placed against the brunette's shoulder.
After a moment, those blue eyes looked back at him; almost pleading for him to understand, his teeth worrying at his bottom lip.
I love you too.
With a blink, Leon rose his cheek off his arm, eyebrows raised.
Swallowing, Cloud looked away, his face turning away from him, obviously uncomfortable, but his hand staying exactly where it was. Tearing his eyes from the beautiful blonde and looking down at the perfect, slender hand against his shoulder, Leon could only just see the remnants of the indents the chain of Griever had caused.
Cloud looked back at the brunette at the feeling of gentle lips pressing onto is fingers and a small smile warmed his features as he outstretched his fingers and let Leon place a warm kiss against the palm of his hand.
Shifting over and letting the back of blonde's hand rub soothingly up and down his shoulder, Leon pressed a kiss against Cloud's lips.
"I'm glad it's mutual," he mumbled against the blonde's soft lips breathily.
"And if it wasn't?" Cloud asked, pressing a quick kiss against the edge of brunette's mouth.
Leon blinked and drew away from the blonde a little, but was stopped when the other swordsman quickly cupped the back of his head, pressing their lips together, kissing deeply.
It was just a question.
"Again," Cloud mumbled against his lips throatily, his hand slowly dragging down the brunette's naked, warm body.
Leon wasn't one to refuse.
((TBC. The second-to-last chapter, and the longest one to date, AND the one that gave me the most trouble! I've noticed that nearly all of the most important things in this series are communicated non-verbally. Huh. This chapter is dedicated to Knit.Pump, who put up with my whining and moaning when I couldn't write this. My first time writing detailed gay sex, I think, so, be gentle with me! I tried not to make Cloud to submissive. Tell me if I suceeded! Read, enjoy and review!))