Candles

By: Brown Sage

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all its characters belong to Square and Disney, but the plot belongs to me! Yay, I own... something!

Warnings: Yaoi (boy/boy pairings) in later chapters. Don't like? Don't read!

Pairings: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora?

"And then," Rinoa continued, and Leon was tempted to either strangle her or groan and collapse upon the table. "I was all like, 'Nuh-uh, he didn't!' and she was all like, 'Yes, he did!' and I was all like, 'Whoa!' and she was all like, 'Yeah!' and I was all like, 'No way!' and she was all like, 'Yes way!'"

"Breathe, Rinoa." Leon reminded her, more out of habit than actual concern.

"So, then we had to go see why Wakka had punched the living daylights out of Sephiroth of all people, and he said it was because Sephiroth had looked at him funny. Well, that must be a guy thing, because if someone was looking at me funny, I would ask them what they were doing, and not punch them, for heaven's sake! I mean…"

Leon tuned Rinoa out, a skill that he'd had plenty of time to practice on all of their past dates. Rinoa wasn't a bad person, and she could be kind of fun, except for the fact that sometimes she didn't know how to shut up and just enjoy the silence.

Leon could feel a migraine forming between his eyes, and he wondered why he hadn't just hung up on Rinoa when she had started whining. Knowing Rinoa, she'd just go and get someone else to go with her, and only pout around Leon for a few days to let him know she wasn't happy.

Leon bit back a small sigh. Maybe he could plead sick, and then Rinoa would have to let him go home. Tonight was not a good night for this.

"Rinoa."

"So Sephiroth said that he could look at anybody anyway he pleased, and then Wakka said well then he could bloody anyone's nose that he pleased, and then Sephiroth said that he could break anyone's ribs that he pleased and then Wakka said that he could set anyone's locker on fire that he pleased and then Sephiroth said-"

"Ri-noa." Leon sighed, stretching her name into an impatient sing-song.

"That the school could kick anyone out that they pleased, and then Wakka called Sephiroth a lying, thieving, snake, and Sephiroth laughed at him because, well, that's how he is and then Wakka tried to punch him, but Sephiroth just blocked it and walked away, and Wakka was screaming his head off and calling Sephiroth all kinds of names, and…"

"Rinoa… I'm trying to talk to you…" Leon interjected, but Rinoa plunged heedlessly on.

"So then the school was all mad, because Wakka had punched Sephiroth and set his locker on fire, which was actually kind of funny, but Sephiroth told them not to worry about it, so Wakka won't get kicked out of school, and I think it was Aerith or Cloud that told Sephiroth to back off, do you know?"

"No, I-" Leon began, but was cut off by Rinoa once more.

"Well, you could always ask Cloud, you know. I mean, he's the only person who can talk to Sephiroth, because Sephiroth is just so strange, you know? I mean, who wears leather in the middle of the summer, and has white hair down to their waist? Geez, he freaks me out, you know?"

Leon rested his face in one hand, giving up on an escape attempt altogether. At times like this, he wasn't sure if Rinoa was just ignoring him, or was purposely not answering because she knew Squall's intent.

Oh yes, Leon really had a headache now.

"Then again, Cloud can be kinda freaky, too. I mean, he's got all that poetry memorized in his head, and he can say the weirdest stuff. Aerith's nice and all, but she can be too nice, and it's obvious she likes Cloud, but she doesn't say anything to him, and that's weird enough because it would be so annoying to date Cloud. I mean, he never says anything that makes sense. Argh, I don't know how you stand him!"

"Persistence, Rinoa, persistence." Came a familiar voice, and Cloud plopped down in the booth beside Leon, Sephiroth standing coolly at the end of the table.

Rinoa went pale, glancing from the impassionate Sephiroth to Cloud with a comical expression of disbelief. Leon would have laughed, but his head hurt intensely, and he wondered if Rinoa's comments had hurt Cloud.

"W-what… are you two… d-doing here?" Rinoa stammered, flashing a nervous smile to Cloud, then Sephiroth. Cloud ignored the gesture, and Sephiroth only stared at her, a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

"Don't worry, Rinoa. I just came to deliver a message to Leon, here, and then we're out of your hair. I don't want to ruin your evening with your knight."

Leon stifled a groan, and Sephiroth's smirk widened slightly before he leaned forward and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"I will wait for you outside." The silver-haired teen said calmly, and then nodded at Rinoa cordially. "As a matter of fact, Ms. Heartilly, I did not break Wakka's ribs, and he did not 'bloody' my nose. We had a disagreement, argued briefly, and then parted. Perhaps you should check your sources, no?"

Sephiroth walked calmly outside, leaving Rinoa gaping and trying to compose her wits.

"Well?" Leon asked Cloud, turning to face the blond.

"Ah, yeah." Cloud nodded, then leaned in to whisper quickly in Leon's ear. Despite himself, Leon felt a tingle of electricity at the way Cloud's breath broke over his ear. "Your parents called. They had to leave, and they'll be out of town for a week or two. They said to stay with us, but I've still got your house key at my house. You can stop by and get it later."

Cloud slid out of the booth, smiling cheerfully at the stunned Rinoa. "Have a good time, you two."

"Wait." Leon said, not even sure why he did so. "Where are you going?"

"Heh, well… I studied awhile, then Seph came over, and we studied for awhile, and then we decided to head out and take a break. Seph's a great teacher, but even he has problems getting me to understand math." Cloud smiled faintly, a small, self-mocking smirk that so often appeared when he discussed his eternal struggle with math. "Well, don't want to keep Seph waiting. See ya, Leon! See ya, Rinoa!"

With a small wave, Cloud was gone, bouncing stride so different from the flowing grace of Sephiroth. Leon rubbed his temples, trying to sooth away the migraine and being met with little success.

"How rude!" Rinoa exclaimed. "They eavesdropped on us!"

"Well, you were gossiping about them." Leon pointed out. "Technically, they had every right."

"SQUALL!" Rinoa cried.

"Leon." He sighed, feeling suddenly weary.

"I can't BELIEVE you're taking THEIR side over MINE!"

"Why not? Which side I take isn't based off the person, it's based off how correct they are. In this case, they were correct, and you were wrong."

"Well, I'm your girlfriend!" Rinoa protested.

Leon sighed, one hand rubbing at the back of his head absently. "Yeah, I know. Look, my head is killing me. I'll drop you off at the dance, or take you back home, or… wherever you want to go, but I'm just not feeling up to this."

As predicted, Rinoa went into maternal overdrive. "Oh! You poor, poor thing! Why didn't you tell me? I would have insisted that you go home and rest! Awww, my poor Squally, are you okay? Is it the flu?"

Leon lifted a hand. "Nah, just a headache. Listen, let's go, okay? I'm sorry."

"Oh, of course!" Rinoa practically dragged him out of the booth, cooing and patting his arm like he had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Thirty minutes later, Leon was alone in the car, having just dropped Rinoa off by her house. He was making his way to Cloud's to get his house key, and then he had every intention of collapsing on his bed and sleeping.

"Gosh, why do I even go out with her?" Leon mused. Rinoa was nice enough, but even the stupidest of people could see that there was absolutely no chemistry. Leon sighed, pulling into Cloud's driveway.

Sephiroth's car was parked in the driveway, and Leon parked beside it. He wasn't sure why, as he would be leaving shortly. It's not like Sephiroth would be blocked in, or anything…

He knocked on the door, the dull thumps echoing through his head like gongs. Cloud's mother came to the door, and her smile dimmed when she took in Leon's face.

"Leon! You look… well, dear, you look absolutely awful!"

"Thanks." Leon responded dryly. "Where's Cloud?"

"Ummm… upstairs with a friend, I believe. I'm going to make you some tea, all right? No, no, don't argue. You could use it."

"All right." Leon sighed. Strife's mother was stubborn, and he knew from experience that there was absolutely no point in arguing with her. "Thank you."

A soft smile that reminded Leon so much of Cloud was his reward, and the woman pressed a kiss to his cheek fondly. "Don't mention it. Now, if Cloud bothers you, tell me. I swear, that child can talk the blue from the sky…"

Leon grinned faintly, and headed upstairs. The door to Cloud's room was open, and it was quiet within. Leon looked inside, surprised to see Cloud bent over his textbook earnestly. Sephiroth was seated at the desk, scribbling in a notebook aimlessly, while Cloud was cross-legged on the bed.

Leon walked in the room, catching Cloud's attention.

"Hey! Where's Rinoa? Hope we didn't ruin your evening, or anything…" Cloud exclaimed, then looked at Leon's face anxiously. "Wow, Leon, you don't look so hot."

"So your mom says." Leon answered, sitting on the bed wearily. "Hello, Sephiroth."

The other teen nodded, and then stood up. "It's late. I am going to go home."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks for your help. I'll walk you out."

Leon had the vague notion that he should ask Cloud for the key and leave as well, but his brain refused to cooperate. Cloud and Sephiroth walked out of the room, and Leon collapsed back onto the bed.

"Leon? You still here?"

Leon cracked open an eye to see Cloud, holding a steaming cup of tea and grinning. "If you don't watch out, Mom'll start forcing medicine down your throat."

"'M not sick." Leon protested.

"Yeah, that's what you always say. Geez, just slow down for once, okay?"

Cloud sat back on the bed, handing the tea to Leon. "Drink this. I swear, it'll taste really good and makes you feel better. Old remedy."

Leon took the mug, sitting up reluctantly. The first sip burned his tongue, but the fluid seemed to curl around his headache, softening it away into nothingness.

Cloud smiled, nodding his head. "See? Better, am I right?"

Leon nodded, and let a small smile creep onto his lips as well. "Yeah. Your mom's a miracle-worker."

"Yeah, but it makes faking sick a pain, you know?"

Leon "hmph"ed into the tea, taking another cautious sip. Cloud picked up the book, and went back to reading. The sight made Leon smile again. Cloud was the only person he knew who would read their Literature textbook for fun.

"Bookworm." Leon accused teasingly.

"I've been called worse." Cloud retorted, not raising his eyes from the book.

"What are you reading, anyway?" Leon asked. The tea was making him increasingly drowsy, and he couldn't even find the strength to be alarmed. He should be getting home, but he found that the idea of an empty house was growing less and less appealing.

"It's an old Scottish ballad. Bonny Barbara Allen. Tragic, really."

"Read it."

Cloud looked up at him in surprise. "What? Leon, the tea's making you woozy."

"C'mon, you read stuff so well… please?" Okay, so maybe the tea was knocking him for a loop. What did Mrs. Strife put in this stuff, anyway? Ugh, everything was so… fuzzy…

"Leon? Leon? Are you okay?"

"Read it?" Leon asked, the question coming out as nothing more than a soft sigh. "Please?"

"Well… all right, I guess. It's not really your style, but…"

"S'okay." Leon responded.

Cloud nodded, and began to read. Leon sighed contentedly, the tea, the old Scottish words, and the gentle sound of Cloud's voice, slightly accented to fit the old ballad lulling him off to sleep.

It was in and about the Martinmas time,
When the green leaves were a-falling,
That Sir John Graeme, in the West country,
Fell in love with Barbara Allen.

He sent his men down through the town
To the place where she was dwelling:
"O haste and come to my master dear,
Gin ye be Barbara Allen."

Leon gazed at Cloud reflectively. Maybe it was stupid, but he was perfectly willing just to spend the rest of his life right here. The blonde didn't seem to notice Leon's gaze, his voice continuing its soothing rhythm.

O hooly, hooly rose she up,
To the place where he was lying,
And when she drew the curtain by'
"Young man, I think you're dying."

"O it's I'm sick, and very, very sick,
And it's a' for Barbara Allen;"
"O the better for me you shall never be,
Though your heart's blood were a spilling."

Leon drained the last bit of the tea, and then lay back on the bed, yawning so hard his jaw popped. Yep, he could spend the rest of his life lying at the foot of Cloud's bed and be perfectly happy. Maybe he would…

"O dinna ye mind, young man," she said,
"When the red wine ye were filling,
That ye made the healths gae round and round,
And slighted Barbara Allen?"

He turned his face unto the wall,
And death was with him dealing;
"Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all,
And be kind to Barbara Allen."

"Hey… Leon." There was a nudge at his ribs, and Leon let out a slight grunt. "Leon… are you gonna sleep here?"

"Mmmm-hmmmm…" Leon mumbled, slightly embarrassed that the only thing he had to offer Cloud was incoherence.

"Guess you are, then." Cloud muttered, but didn't sound particularly upset. "G'night, Leon."

"M gonna move in a sec…" Leon protested, but the rest of him was humming in quiet contentment, limbs made of stone.

"Nah," Cloud interrupted himself by yawning. "Don't worry about it. You can stay."

"Mmmm… kay…" Leon agreed. Consciousness was slipping away from him, and he made one last attempt at coherence. "Morning… don't forget… Cloud?"

"What?" Cloud asked, but Leon was already sound asleep. Cloud picked up the cup, sniffing at the contents suspiciously. "Morphine? Gosh, does she want to knock him out for two days?"

The blonde shook his head, setting the innocent-looking mug down on his bedside table. He pulled the blankets down on the bed so that they covered Leon, and then grabbed an old down comforter from his closet. Without bothering to change, Cloud flicked off the lights and curled up on the fat green bean-bag that dominated one corner of his room.

"You are one weird dude on morphine…" Cloud remarked to the sleeping Leon, then pulled the blanket up around his shoulders and started to doze off.

"RIIIINNNNGGGG!"

"What the…" Cloud mumbled, groping for his phone. If it was Rinoa, he was absolutely going to kill Leon.

"Hello?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"CLOUD!"

"Rinoa?"

"No, silly! It's me!"

"Oh."

"Yeah!"

"Me who?"

There was an indiscernible shriek from the other end of and Cloud jerked the phone away from his ear. Nope, definitely not Rinoa.

"What? What? I can't… I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!" Cloud cried. Leon didn't even twitch, just snored happily on. Well, maybe not happily, as that wouldn't be very Leon-ish.

"KAIRI, you silly bum!"

"Oh. Um, hey."

"Hey! I missed your voice so much I decided to call!"

Cloud frowned. "How'd you get my number?"

"Well, I called Rinoa and told her that we were going out, and she said that she had stolen Leon's phone bank, and that she had your number in case Leon's phone ever blocked her."

"Uh-huh."

"So… I called you. Did you get my note?"

"Yup, sure did."

"Well, okay. I'm free on Friday!" Kairi chirped. "Which is… tomorrow! You don't have plans, do you?"

"Well, actually…"

"GREAT!" Kairi squealed. "See? We're perfect for each other!"

"Wait, Kairi, I-" Cloud protested.

"Oh, honey! Don't worry about anything, love! I'll plan for everything! Can you pick me up tomorrow at my house about eight?"

"Kairi…" Cloud's mind scrambled for an excuse. "I'm, um, busy."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." Cloud agreed.

"Doing what?" Kairi persisted.

"Uhhh…" Cloud glanced over to Leon, making sure the brunette was still sound asleep. "Actually, Leon has a… doctor's appointment."

"So?"

"I promised I'd take him."

"Let him take himself, the lazy bum." Kairi answered.

"Well… he can't go by himself." Cloud responded.

"What? Snookums, I'm sure he'll understand, just this once…"

"No, no, no. He needs… emotional support."

"Wow. For one doctor's appointment?"

"Mmmm… yes. He needs lots and lots of support. He's very… unsupported."

Leon snorted, and Cloud jumped about ten feet into the air. He threw a worried glance in Leon's direction, but the brunette remained a softly snoring lump at the foot of the bed.

"Oh." Kairi sighed. "Well… I'll come with you!"

"What? No, no! That's… not a good idea!"

"Why not, lovey-dovey?"

Cloud could feel his eye twitch. No was no, okay? "There's not enough room in his car."

"Drive yours." Kairi argued.

"Mine is… bad."

"Bad?"

"Tired, I mean. My car is… very tired. And… so am I!"

"Babe, why didn't you just say so?" Kairi squeaked. "Look, I'll see you at school, okay? Maybe we can sit together at lunch!"

"Right, uh, maybe. Anyway… see ya."

"Bye, Cloudy-poo!"

With an exasperated sigh, Cloud snapped the phone shut, and tossed it down on the floor. He yawned again, snuggling up into a contented ball, before falling soundly asleep.

Heh, a little more of Kairi's persistence for you.

The credit for the words to Bonny Barbara Allen go to my Literature book.And yes, I read it for fun. So sue me... or rather, don't... I have no money.

Before I get bombarded by any Rinoa and Kairi fans, no I don't have anything against them. I thought they both fell into the damsel-in-distress category, but they both had inner strengths. Truthfully, I just thought they would be good characters, and the idea of a Cloud/Kairi pairing amused me greatly.

Well, it disturbed me… but you have to admit, it would be kind of odd.

Okay, okay enough with my strange sense of humor. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look for a bit of Riku and Sora in the next chapter, as well as more Leon and Cloud! Yay!