Where did one go when he didn't want to return home? The movies? The bar? A restaurant?

Neither of the three options seemed to appease Leon as he strolled almost begrudgingly about the vicinity of the campus. It didn't really matter anyway. As it usually went, he'd just walk around for a while, think things through, and return home. Today, however, he wasn't sure how long that would be. He had already been walking around for nearly half an hour.

Now of course as he was teetering between living and existing. Cloud envenomed his thoughts with the piercing stinger that was his stupidity. He was probably sitting at home further messing up the place or loafing around and listening to his music at the impossible volume he insisted keeping it at. As irritating as the thought of it was, it was still a bit comforting in its own way. The familiarity of Cloud's usually intolerable actions made Leon feel the tiniest bit eased.

Not enough to stop the pain, but enough to dull the edges.

He seated himself on a bench and blew out stream of air. He began to realize how impossibly headless his hasty exit was. He had no place to go, nothing to do and above all, in the chilly autumn night, he had forgotten his coat. In fact, he vaguely remembered glancing at it right before he left. This whole day was proving to be rather disagreeable, but this...this was senseless, asinine and...Cloud-like! Even so, he wasn't about to be the cold lonely kitten ingloriously returning home for supper—in this case a coat. In response, the wind chidingly blew about his body, and a shiver ran through his limbs.

Alright.

Today he would be the kitten.

XxX

Seifer stepped past Cloud and seated himself on Leon's bed. "So, what's shakin'?"

"Uh...not much." Cloud scratched his head wondering absently if this was a sign of some sort. He seated himself on his own bed.

"Were you going somewhere?"

"Wha?"

Seifer rolled his eyes and gestured toward Cloud's feet, still adorned with shoes.

"Oh...um...no, not really."

"O–kay." He kicked his shoes off and propped his feet up on Leon's pillow. "Yeah, I left my jacket here, so you know...have you seen it?"

Cloud shrugged gesturing toward the coat rack on the door. "I haven't exactly been looking, but you might check the rack."

"Gee, thanks." Seifer rolled over and snatched a magazine from the floor. "So... is this what you've been doing all night?"

"What?"

"Absolutely nothing?"

"No."

"..."

"Yes."

Seifer sighed, thumbing through the magazine. "You know, that's really sad."

"Hey!" Cloud snapped. "It's better than what you do! And anyway I took notes earlier...kind of."

"Ooh! How stressful!"

"Shut up! I dunno...I just don't feel...right."

"Was it the beer? Cloud! I knew you couldn't take it; you're such a—"

"NO! It's not the beer! I was fine earlier..." Then he muttered quietly, "…then Leon and I kind of had a fight..."

Seifer slapped his hand to his forehead. "Cloud! Is that why you're lifeless? Argh! I don't see why you care!"

"Well..."

"You act like he's your freakin' wife! Let him get over it. It's not your problem if he's crazy!"

"I know but..."

"What is it this time? Did you not fold your shirts at perfect right angles?"

"No..."

"Then what? What! You better have like...killed his mother or something, because I don't see any other reason you would be interested in whether or not he was mad at you!"

"...I really don't know...today, he's just been acting...unusual."

Sighing, Seifer stared at Cloud, and tried to reason with him. "Did it ever occur to you, that maybe you're overanalyzing him? Why can't you just accept that Leon is mentally disturbed and move on with your life? It's so much easier!"

Cloud waved him away. "Whatever."

Seifer pressed his feet deeper into Leon's pillow. "Do you honestly think I get all bent out of shape every time my room mate gets miffed? I think not."

"Yeah, that's why you're always over here. And get your feet of Leon's pillow, he's gonna go berserk if he finds out you're on his bed in the first place."

Without changing his expression, Seifer wriggled his toes even further into the pillow. "I don't care and neither should you—"

There was a quiet rattle at the door as it opened.