Ta da. I'm not dead after all.
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One for the Band - Chapter Fifteen
'The Definition of Friendship'
It takes the human body an average of twelve minutes or so to completely shut down in order to fall into a deep sleep, REM and all.
Sora probably reset the average by falling face first onto the bed provided for him in the small cabin of the ship, fast asleep in less then two seconds. To say the boy was exhausted probably would've been the understatement of the century.
"Sora?" Riku asked hesitantly, stepping in through the doorway. The two of them were supposed to share a room. And that was supposed to be a cue for a romantic evening together. But apparently, Sora's tired body had other ideas, for the only sound filling the room was Sora's soft snoring.
Riku rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, dropping his luggage to the floor with a thump. Great. He finally got some time alone with his boyfriend and what did Sora do? He fell asleep. Just like that. Stupid boy.
Riku sat down next to the brunette on his bed and couldn't help but smile. It was understandable, really. After all, Sora was absolutely adorable when he slept. So cute... Riku made a face. Even when it came to Sora, did his thoughts always have to be so fluffy? It almost reminded him of all those sick TV shows, soap operas... Whatever.
Riku was about to go sit down on his own bed when he heard a light knock at the door to the cabin. It was probably Selphie again, or someone equally as hyper and bouncy. As it was, most of the band was jumping around with excitement up on the deck. Riku really just felt like waiting for Sora to wake up so he could spend some much needed time with the younger boy.
But, not wanting to be completely antisocial, Riku opened the door anyway.
"Riku?"
"Cloud!" Riku nearly slapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't want to wake Sora up. Bad things happened when Sora was so rudely awakened from his sleep. Well, mostly 'bad things' just meant Riku not getting any.
"Yeah, the one and only." Cloud gave Riku a smile, almost seeming every bit like the old Cloud from several weeks past. "You busy?"
"Sora's asleep right now. I was just gonna listen to music or something 'til he woke up. You wanna go do something else?"
Cloud seemed to think about it for a moment and nodded.
The two boys walked down the corridors of the ship, sunlight filtering in through the glass windows, carrying with it the glimmer of the open water. Cloud had expected himself to be able to let go of all his problems the moment the ship left the docks of Destiny Islands. Obviously, this wasn't the case.
He would bump into Leon by accident or catch his gaze for half a second and everything would just come roaring back into his mind. Every little thing he'd really wanted to forget. Cloud couldn't help but wonder if anyone else remembered...
Well it's tough to have a crush
When the boy doesn't feel the same way you do
Well it's tough to have a crush
When your best friend breaks the news.
Neither Riku nor Cloud knew how long they spent just wandering around the ship. They would occasionally stop by people they knew, and once then ran into Rikku and Paine. Both girls were obviously excited to finally be headed towards the competition grounds on the mainland, though Rikku naturally show it more than Paine, who just smiled calmly and chuckled and her girlfriend's hyper antics.
Perhaps you'll find me feeling better
In a day or two
But it's tough to have a crush
On you
It was when Riku and Cloud had covered nearly every possible foot of the ship and plowed through nearly every conversation topic that they reached the deck. By that time, twilight had already descended upon the ocean and the water was calm and peaceful, hardly a noise to be heard except for the quiet churn of the engine far beneath the water.
Riku figured this was as good a time as any to bring it up.
"Cloud?"
"Mm?"
"You've been humming that song for the past two hours."
Cloud blinked, suddenly caught off guard. He'd been thinking about the song, sure, but he hadn't realized he'd actually been humming it. Whoops. Unable to think of a good excuse as to why the song had popped up in his mind and stayed there, Cloud simply remained silent, leaning against the safety railing of the deck and pretending to be distracted by the vast expanse of water surrounding them.
"Cloud... I..." Riku sighed. He really wasn't good at this sort of thing. Were was Sora when he really needed him? Fast asleep, of course. "Listen, if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, that's okay. But you're really starting to worry me, you know."
"Yeah... I guess I worry a lot of people. I'm sorry, Riku," Cloud mumbled halfheartedly before once again falling silent. The song was there again.
Well it's tough to have a crush
Whoever knew such hullabaloo?
Well it's tough to have a crush
When it only leaves you blue
That stupid song... It just wouldn't go away. But Riku did. After several minutes of silence, Riku sighed again and bade farewell to Cloud, heading back towards his own room, probably looking forward to seeing Sora. Cloud simply allowed himself to think as he stood there, weight supported on the safety rail.
Wouldn't it be interesting if the flimsy metal bar just broke?
Cloud would laugh for sure.
Perhaps they'll find you in the river
In a month or two
Well it's tough to crush on you
"I remember that..." Cloud's eyes widened and he nearly jumped overboard at hearing the cool voice coming from behind him, seemingly right out of nowhere. Had the person been anyone other then Leon, Cloud probably would have been angry with them for just sneaking up on him like that. But it was Leon, of course. No one else. Sneaking was just one of those weird things Leon was able to do very well.
Cloud supposed it was a good thing that Leon remembered. After all, at least it showed that the other boy had been thinking about what had happened the previous night after Cloud's little outburst which Could himself still couldn't explain.
Resuming his laid back posture, weight once again resting on the railing of the ship, Cloud scoffed. His eyes remained focused on the inky surface of the water before him, though his mind was certainly running off elsewhere, leaving the rest of poor Cloud far behind. After a moment, he though to respond to Leon's presence and voice, though part of him still resented the other boy.
"Memories suck, don't they?"
Leon was quiet a moment and once again Cloud was surprised as the brunette appeared right beside him. Damn Leon and his stupid stealth... "Not all of them, no."
"Hn." Cloud didn't feel like talking, least of all to Leon. How fitting that the one time Leon is willing to actively participate in conversation Cloud would rather just crawl under a rock and stay there for a good long while.
"I think the best ones are the ones we don't have yet."
"What's that mean?" Cloud cocked his head to the side, pondering Leon's words. It wasn't the words that bothered him quite as much as the simple fact that it was Leon who had said them. And it didn't even seem like a very Leon-isque thing to say in the first place.
"Nothing at all," Leon said after a moment of silence. He shrugged one shoulder in an uncaring matter before turning and heading back towards the door leading inside the ship. He didn't get too far before Cloud's angry voice called out from behind him.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from me!"
"I'm not going anywhere," Leon lied. "Just around."
"No. Get back here, Leon."
Leon turned and surveyed Cloud with his icy gaze. On a regular basis, it was suicide to order the brunette around in such a callous manner, but then again, it was Cloud. It was expected. So Leon simply hardened his gaze, walking several steps back towards Cloud although not resuming his position beside him. "I'm here. What is it?"
"You are the biggest bastard... you know that?" Cloud was more than a little tired and Leon's cool attitude was really not helping the situation any. Pushing the taller boy right over the side of the ship was starting to look pretty damn good at that point. A fleeting thought caused Cloud to wonder whether or not Leon could swim. If he couldn't, he might need CPR when they pulled him back on the ship. Cloud was certified to give CPR if it was needed, after all....
"Thank you." The words neatly derailed Cloud's train of thought, causing a scowl to appear on his face.
"How can you be so uncaring? All I've ever done is try to be fucking nice to you! So why do you hate me?" Inside his head, Cloud's own mind was laughing at him, sending out melodramatic warning signs by the boatload. Cloud was, however, far past caring what was or wasn't overly dramatic. He figured he'd been juggling all the self-restraint he could handle for the past three years...
"I don't hate you."
Cloud blinked, slightly caught off guard by Leon's words. Perhaps it was because he hadn't been paying too much attention to their rather bitter conversation, or perhaps because Leon seemed to have suddenly melted away a bit from the freezing icicle he'd been only moments earlier. So Cloud did the only rational thing he could think of.
More like the only thing he could think of.
He laughed it off.
"Hah." Cloud snorted, turning from the ocean view and resting the side of his hip on the railing so he was facing Leon. Possibly not the safest thing in the world, but who cared? Leon didn't hate him... He'd never hated him. But still..."Well you sure have a weird way of showing it."
Leon raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest as though he were taking up a defensive position, trying to ward off Cloud's words. And with just a few simple words of his own, Leon did just that.
"Well I never said I liked you either."
"W-what?!"
"I said, Strife, that I never said that I liked you either. I know you can be slow sometimes, but you're not deaf."
"How can you say that?" Cloud wouldn't cry again. He cried way too much and he wasn't going to deny it. But boys weren't supposed to cry, so he swallowed hard and tried to keep the choking noise in this throat down to a minimum.
"Easily." Leon's icy nature had returned once again and in full force. Whatever it was that had warmed the brunette for that moment had just disappeared, leaving Cloud out in the cold. And Leon was leaving, just like that. He could turn around and walk right back inside without a second thought, just like he always could. Nothing had really changed at all, even after all those years Cloud had spent with the other boy.
"Leon..." Despite his efforts, Cloud's voice still sounded soft and strained. "Leon, come back. Leon!"
But he was already gone. If he had heard Cloud he hadn't paid any mind to the blonde's words. Some things really didn't change.
"Cloud..."
"Paine?" Cloud turned in bewilderment, only to have his gaze met by a pair of crimson eyes. He hadn't even noticed the other girl's presence at all! How was it that the entire world seemed capable of sneaking up on him without his notice? It was really starting to get annoying. "Wh-- How long have you...?"
"Long enough." Paine moved from her position by the doorway over towards Cloud, who looked terrible. It wasn't really surprising, though. No one ever really deserved the harsh words Leon often dealt out. Paine herself was surprised that Cloud was even able to survive so many years of being Leon's supposed friend. But what sort of friend was Leon to act the way he did?
"Listen, Cloud. You might get another chance with Leon. We all get second chances, most of the time. But you can't take that chance now. You can't be angry with him and you can't stop talking to him. You know why, right?" Cloud simply frowned at the floor of the deck, not willing to meet Paine's gaze again. Paine simply sighed and drummed her fingers against the railing of the ship. It was interesting how she always seemed to be the one stuck dishing out advice like this. Wasn't it obvious what needed to be done?
"Cloud, we've got the last competition of the year right in front of us. Don't break down now. The band needs you."
"Fuck the band."
"You don't mean that."
"No." It was Cloud's turn to sigh as he glanced over his shoulder, looking out at the ocean once more. It was dark now, and a little too cold for comfort with the breeze that was beginning to stir. "No, I don't." Another wash of cold air made Cloud wince slightly as he crossed his arms and started back towards the doorway of the ship. "I... think I'm gonna go find Leon."
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"You left them alone together??" Sora gaped at Riku. Wasn't he supposed to be the smarter of the two? That was usually the case, after all. What the hell had gone wrong? Perhaps Riku had hit his head while Sora was sleeping...
"Well..."
"Ri-kuuuuu... Can't you see something's going on between those two?"
"So why not let them work it out?"
"Since when do either of them work things out?"
"...Right. Point taken." Riku plopped down on the bed beside Sora, patting the younger boy comfortingly on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. They're mature enough to fix it themselves, you know."
Sora just sighed, leaning against Riku and closing his eyes. Mm... Riku was so nice and warm...
"Hey, it's okay, Sora. Really." "We should be about three or four hours away from the dock about now. You excited?"
"Yeah..." Huh. Sora sounded rather-- Oh great.
"Sora?" Riku should've known it was going to happen. "...Sora?" The brunette was fast asleep, leaning heavily on Riku's shoulder and preventing the older boy from moving at all, lest he wake Sora and face the wrath that was sure to follow. Wonderful. Let another opportunity for a romantic hour or two destroyed.
"Shit."
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"You know I don't exactly like muddling in other people's business, but can I at least ask you what the hell all that was about?"
Cloud blinked at the voice, rather lost and confused.
It was Paine again... But gone was the kind tone she'd been using with Cloud, instead a bitter edge was found in her voice. Apparently Cloud's little detour to the mess hall of the ship had allowed the other girl time enough to beat him to Leon. Well it wasn't Cloud's fault. He really needed that chocolate pudding.
"I didn't lie, if that's what you mean." Leon's muffled voice drifted out from the bedroom though the narrow opening in the doorway. Cloud knew it was wrong to be listening in, but...
"Well then what did you do, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I do."
"I don't really give a shit." Screw morality. Cloud wasn't about to walk into the room at that particular moment and he certainly wasn't about to go wandering around the ship like some lost and confused puppy. He would just say he was waiting to go into his room... That was all.
"When I said I never liked him, I wasn't kidding."
"You ba--"
"Would you let me finish?" Cloud couldn't help but lean in closer towards the door, anxious to hear more of Leon's deep voice and not just because he liked the sound of it either. "No, I never liked him." Unconsciously, Cloud bit down hard on his lip, trying to keep all his emotions in check. He leaned in closer still, trying to perhaps catch a glimpse of Leon somewhere in the room. There was Paine, leaning against a wall... There was Leon's foot. If Cloud were just a little closer, then maybe...
"I guess I just always l--" With a thud, Cloud tumbled through the doorway, letting out a yelp of surprise and whacking his shoulder quite painfully on the doorknob during the whole process before landing face-first on the floor. "Cloud, what the hell are you doing there?" A very good question indeed.
"Um... Just hanging around?" Levering himself up from the floor, Cloud chuckled nervously, hesitantly looking up at Paine and Leon who were both looking at him with puzzled expressions. Finally, Paine groaned, shaking her head as she stepped over Cloud to get towards the door.
"You both are impossible." Before closing the door behind her, Paine added on, "Just remember to get to bed early. You'll need the rest." Typical motherly advice. No surprise there.
Leon shrugged once the door was closed and stood up from his small bed, moving over towards his duffle bag which lay in a corner of the room. Bending down, he unzipped the bag and pulled out a toothbrush and toothpaste, heading towards the bathroom. This might be Cloud's last real chance before the competition... He couldn't lose it just because of dental hygiene.
Leaping up from the floor, Cloud placed himself directly in front of the brunette's path, neatly blocking him off from the small bathroom door, arms spread wide and a look of defiance on his face. Quite picture-perfect, really. "Leon! I need to have a word with you."
"Alright, then. Have a word. Have several." Leon smirked, crossing his arms. That was a weird way to word things. ...Wait a minute...
"Oh shit, you have got to be kidding me." Now was not the time for either of them to be waxing poetic, no matter how good or bad it may be. But Cloud had been the one who had started it, really, back in their freshman year. So there was really no one to blame but himself and there was really nothing to do but participate in the stupid game he'd made up.
"I do naught but act benevolent, dear."
"Were you a benevolent boy, that is," Cloud said, rolling his eyes. Was Leon purposefully doing this so that Cloud wouldn't have his chance to really talk to him?
"Good sir, I pray thee, spare me of thy words."
"And spare thee of thy grand torment? Like hell!"
"Look here, but what a saucy boy he is!" Cloud couldn't help but laugh at the statement and respond appropriately. Old inside jokes... Nothing could destroy a bitter mood better than those.
"Saucy like Prego... like Marinara?"
"And how clever thou are on top of that."
"Classy, Leon, jeeze." Five syllables. The question was, would Leon remember what to do?
"That is what I am." Apparently so.
"For sure, my dear sir."
"And you? What are you?"
"Nothing more than you."
"But nothing less, though."
"Everything less."
"I don't believe you."
"You must find it true." Cloud frowned, trying to figure out if there was any emotion other then amusement in Leon's gaze. He'd thought there was something there for a moment... concern, perhaps? But it was probably just wishful thinking on Cloud's part.
"Why would you say that? You've done nothing wrong."
"And I thought you'd never lie. Nice, Leon, nice."
"It isn't your fault."
"Yet I don't trust you."
"I ask not for that."
"I wouldn't give it."
"Keep your trust then. Give it to those worthy."
Cloud blinked, looking up at Leon. He hadn't even realized his gaze had dropped to the floor. Then again, he hadn't even realized it when their joking conversation had turned to one more serious. Cloud smiled then, though he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he really did see some foreign emotion behind Leon's well-guarded eyes, even though Cloud was unable to place it at that moment.
"I know of none worthier than you, friend.
But with that, I say farewell, friend, adieu."
"And I know not what to say but thank you."
"Any time." Cloud's smile stretched into a grin as he stepped aside, allowing Leon access to the bathroom. "Oh, but Leon? One more thing?"
"Hm?" Leon looked up from his toothpaste bottle, though Could couldn't help but notice the precise care Leon took in putting the damn paste on the stupid toothbrush. Only the obsessive-compulsive Leon would be capable of doing such a thing and yet still managing to some how look so hot while doing so.
"You suck with iambic pentameter. Just to let you know. Your English teacher would be ashamed." Cloud laughed, moving back in towards the main room of the cabin, pulling off his t-shirt and tossing it on top of his duffel bag carelessly. Naturally, he didn't notice the great efforts Leon went to in order to avoid looking at the other boy as he stripped down to his boxers, sliding between the covers of the small bed he'd been provided with.
"Go to hell, Strife."
Cloud chuckled again, rolling over onto his side and closing his eyes. "Meet you there, Leon."
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Check it out! One of my favorite chapters as of this moment! And do you know why? Because I got to have fun and write Ori-style Shakespeare. ...Yeah, I s'pose that calls for a wee bit of explaining, huh? Umm, basically, I was just sick and tired of Cloud and Leon fighting. So I pulled some plot strings and got them to share lines!!! In Shakespeare, those who share lines often have close emotional ties of either love or friendship. My iambic pentameter is undoubtedly wrong in some places, so don't bother pointing it out. I'm happy with their snippet there. There's also two rhyming couplets (showing strong emotion or feeling in the words), though I wish I could've used more of them elsewhere. Ah well.
And I was planning on having this chapter out yesterday, really I was. But my history essay on Confucianism tied my down almost all day and my typing skills had taken a beating after punching out who-knows-how-many pages of Chinese thoughts and logic.
Also getting sick. Erk. Oh wait, hold it! The song used is by OK Go ("Tough to Have a Crush"). If I come home early from school tomorrow due to sickness (can't miss it altogether, due to a CPR test and a French quiz), I'll try and get another chapter of something done. I know a lot of people was an update from Pretty Little Boy, but please be patient. ^^ That fic is surprisingly difficult to write, for some reason.
~Ori