Dancer's Embrace

Chapter 2

Talents of the Wandering Boy

Thanks for the reviews ! I'm so surprised I got two reviews in less than twenty four hours ! That really made my day, guys. Thanks ! I love all of you. And I really am trying to write more. The reason I can't update my YGO fic is because all the information is on the other computer. I already have chapter 2 halfway done, but I can't get to it until I get grandma's permission to unhook the External hard drive and hook it up to my computer to get all my picture, music and story files. Until then, I hope you guys like my Leon x Cloud fic. And this is just a filler chapter. The real story begins in the next one, hopefully. I had intended on something important in this fic, but I just enjoyed the character interactions too much. XP I wanted to see how things played out.

Recap :

"So, do you mind telling me your name at least?" He sat down on a chair and stared at the guy on the couch, hoping upon hope that he could at least have that luxury, if nothing else.

"..." The boy remained silent, and just as Leon was heading upstairs to go to bed, he heard a soft "Cloud...my name is Cloud..." coming from the couch. So...Cloud was his name, huh? Interesting enough. Now. He learned his name. Time to go back to sleep and wake up to another average day.

The next morning Leon awoke with a start, ears ringing at the sound of his alarm clock. He grumbled and slammed his hand down on the top to turn it off. The dream he had last night, and the beautiful man he saw in it. He didn't want it to end, but dreams ended eventually, no matter how good...or how much of a turn-on they were. The brunette released a sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed, grumbling at the fact that he had to rise to another day of work, and then another three before the weekend came. It was always worth the toil and the wait, however. Two days of peaceful solitude. No Yuffie, no Sephiroth, no anyone. Just him and the covers on his bed. That was all he needed, and really all he wanted.

Fighting the urge to just say 'to hell with it' and go back to bed, he pushed himself off of the comfort of the mattresses and sheets, and forced himself to trudge into the bathroom and brush his teeth. He reached for the tube of toothpaste, where it usually was, but looked downwards to see that it was not in its 'usual' place. He always kept it right by the toothbrush cup, which 'usually' only held one tooth brush. His green one. But there were two toothbrushes now. And that unfamiliar blue one looked like it had been used recently. Recently as in this morning. He blinked and looked around for the toothpaste and found it closed, but on the other side of the sink. It had definitely been moved. He might as well assume that his toothpaste had suddenly developed legs and moved on it's own as well. But...then again, he knew better.

He decided he'd skip brushing, just this once. One missed day of clean teeth isn't going to bother him. He'd only had one cavity in his life, and that was when he was little. Since then he made sure he brushed every day after every meal. But, something concerned him. Something wasn't right. But there was still one thing he couldn't go on without doing. He grabbed his hairbrush from it's spot on the sink and pulled it through his hair until he could no longer feel tugs from any tangles he might have received last night. He set the brush down when he was done, obviously missing the stray strands of yellow hair that mixed with his own on the brush. He then put the gel in his hair and styled it the way he always did before walking out into the hallway. Leon was a creature of habit and liked staying in his comfort zone, and when he left it, he wasn't happy. And right now, he was outside of his comfort zone, way, way out of it.. His toothpaste had been misplaced, and, though he knew it was silly, if not stupid, he wanted to know why.

When Leon arrived in the living room he looked around. No one. There wasn't anyone in there. A few moments later his nose picked up a strange aroma wafting from the kitchen. He tilted his head to the side, and then sweatdropped. Oh no... was Yuffie trying to cook him breakfast again ? Last time that happened she nearly blew up his kitchen trying to make toast. He followed the smell into the room, and saw a boy with platinum blonde hair piling pancakes onto a small plate. He also heard sizzling, the sizzling that sounded when bacon was frying on a pan. And, sure enough, there were two other pans on the stove besides the one for the pancakes. One had about six pieces of bacon, and the other had two fried eggs.

The blonde must have heard Leon step in because he quickly turned and faced him, eerie blue eyes staring into the dull grey of Leon's. Those eyes were wide in surprise as he stared at the boy before him. It was...what's his name? Cloud. Yeah. That was it. It was Cloud, the boy he had let sleep on his couch last night ! ... wait... but...that was a dream, right ? ...obviously not, because there he was, staring at him. A shiver ran down his spine as he peered into the deep blue hues. They were so creepy, yet..so gorgeous. He found himself looking into them for what seemed like forever until the blonde spoke.

"Where do you keep your big plates?" ...hn.. That sure was one hell of a 'good morning' eh? He could have said 'thank you' or 'I appreciate your help', but 'where do you keep your plates' was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

"I'll get them." Leon replied, knowing full well he would have said the same thing if he was cooking breakfast at a stranger's house. He watched as the blonde sat down at the table and took two plates from the top shelf, dividing the food Cloud had cooked evenly. He set one down for the blonde and one for himself, pulling out his chair and taking a seat. He didn't usually eat breakfast, but if the other worked so hard to make it, he could at least try some.

Surprisingly it was good food. The only person, he thought, that cooked better than this was Roxas. He'd always bring lunch over for all the employees, refrigerating the food overnight and heating it up in a microwave at the store around noon. That way Leon and the others could, at least, have one good meal a day. Wait till the guys at work heard about this.

Wait...work? Shit ! He was going to be late ! And what the hell was he going to do with Cloud ? What did Cloud plan on doing ? Was he going to leave ? Was he going to stay ? He didn't have time to debate this. He quickly ran into his room and started changing his clothes to get ready. Just as he was hurriedly tugging on his shirt, Cloud walked in, a bewildered look on his face.

"...what's going on?" He asked, standing in the door way. He looked confused, but inside he was smiling as he watched Leon retie his boot laces at least three times before actually getting it right.

"Work. I'm going to be late for work." Leon replied, searching around his room for anything else he might need.

"Need these ?" Cloud asked, holding up the keys, swinging them back and forth. "They were on the computer desk."

"..." He sighed and took the keys. "Thanks."

"Can I come with you?"

Leon froze. Come...with...him? Why would he want to do that ? It wasn't like there was much to do over at his job. All there was, really, was a bunch of idiots, and if they ever saw the brunette walk through the door with Cloud, they'd automatically assume the worst, he finally got a boyfriend. But he wasn't Leon's boyfriend. No way. All Cloud was, was a boy he helped out. Yeah. He helped Cloud avoid those...people that were looking for him. But, he still had no idea why they were looking for him in the first place. Was Cloud a fugitive ? A criminal ? He'd have to ask him later. Right now, he needed to go, so he quickly nodded and opened the front door, letting Cloud walk through before closing it and locking it.

And so the two boys walked down the dirt road, side by side. He glanced at Cloud and finally realized that he was wearing the same outfit he had been last night. But, quite obviously, it was clean, devoid of any sweat stains, any mud or dirt. Leon gathered that the blonde must have washed it last night while he was in bed, asleep. Asleep. Was he still asleep? Was he still dreaming ? He wasn't sure, really. All he was sure of was that Cloud was next to him, and that the road ahead seemed to stretch on forever, though the clothes store he worked at was only a few blocks ahead. If he was still dreaming, he would have run into some weird creature, or even a dragon. Leon had a lot of weird dreams, including one where he had to rescue Yuffie from some sort of evil being, Sephiroth. He chuckled inwardly as he remembered it. But, it seemed the only out-of-place thing so far was Cloud. Such beauty, such perfection. Could a man be so perfect? That was the question that kept him pondering on the fact of whether he was still unconscious or not.

Leon stood at the front doors of the store, staring up at the sign that said 'Leonhart Clothing'. Yeah. Sephiroth was so original he used Leon's last name for the store. He shook his head and stepped inside to the noise and commotion of the shop, wincing as something hit him in the head.

"Oh ! Sorry Leon !" Yuffie exclaimed, walking up to him. "Axel and I were bored so we decided t-...who's your boyfriend?" Thank you, Yuffie. If nothing else, Leon could always count on the raven-haired girl to make his worst premonitions reality. She had a sort of...knack for it, actually.

Both men blushed and Cloud rushed behind Leon as the brunette waved her off. "He's not my boyfriend. He's just a stranger that wandered into town last night, that's all." He led the blonde behind the counter and turned on the cash register, taking his usual position in leaning against the counter to wait for customers, while Cloud sat in a rolling chair behind him.

"Rriiiiiggghhht. He's not your boyfriend. Okay, I see how it is." She grinned and hopped over to Cloud, bending down and patting him once on the head. "How does it feel to have such a hardass for a boyfriend ? He doesn't even acknowledge his love for you !"

"I'm not his boyfriend." Cloud stated, turning away from her, only to yelp in surprise when Yuffie spun the chair around so he was facing her once more.

"What ? But you're so pretty ! You could pass off as a girl with a bit of make-up here and there !" She laughed and spun around on one foot. "How 'bout it ? Wanna be dressed up all pretty ?"

"NO !" Both men said in unison. Cloud said it only because he really didn't need any make-up to look pretty. Someone else he cared about had told him that a long time ago. Leon said it because he really didn't want to see a guy in make-up. But, then again, Cloud didn't really need it. Pretty much everyone in the shop had agreed to that.

Roxas walked up to Cloud and studied him, scratching his chin. "Leon, if he isn't your boyfriend, who is he? And why did you bring him to work with you?"

"I brought him because he asked. I just helped him last night. He...needed a place to stay." He shrugged. He wasn't about to say Cloud was being chased. It would only raise suspicion, and there were enough assumptions being made already. Leon looked back at the blonde who mouthed a 'thank you' in his direction when the others weren't looking. The sword master nodded and turned back to the others. Axel was already spewing his daily flirting lines for the day, while Hayner was busy outside trying to bring people into the store.

Leon busily tapped away at the computer next to the register, resting his cheek in his open palm, elbow resting against the counter top. He was playing solitaire. Yeah. He was THAT bored. He clicked at the mouse, moving the card from one pile to another, watching lazily as the cards bounced across the screen when he won. At one point in time, he didn't know when, the cards took on the shape of Yuffie, bouncing here and there and off screen. He could just see the mouse becoming Axel's lecherous hand, grabbing and groping anything that was male within his reach. And, he pretty much made sure Roxas was one of the main things within his grasp.

The brunette was brought out of his daydreaming when he felt a light tapping on his shoulder. He turned around, only to have his eyes meet with Cloud's once more. He blinked and tilted his head to the side. "Is something wrong ?"

"I'm...bored..." He answered, with what could pass of as a pout. He didn't seem like the type, but Cloud must be the kind that can't keep still for very long. Despite his outwardly laze appearance, he must be full of pent-up energy waiting to be released. Leon did think the blonde was awfully skinny. Slightly muscular, yes, but not enough to where one would consider him a weight-lifting champion of the sorts. Cloud's reply, however, made Leon smile.

"I'm not sure there's much you can do for amusement around here, aside from the computer games." Yeah. Crappy computer games. But it was all Leon had to keep from going insane. All his other co-workers seemed to enjoy one another's company, but Leon felt like he would be better off without it. Yuffie always made her own fun, picking out daily victims to tease and taunt. Axel and Roxas pretty much enjoyed each other's company. Sephiroth was always off doing things with one of the town's girls, while Hayner was busily chatting with a couple of his friends on the pile of crates outside the store.

Leon, however, never had anyone to talk to, anyone to enjoy a good joke with. He had to admit, it was nice to have someone as quiet and anti-social as he was around. That way he didn't feel like a complete ass when the others asked if he wanted to go out and do something with them, which he always replied to with a gentle 'No.'

He watched, amusement tugging on his lips, as the blonde's blue eyes gazed over to the computer, watching Leon's wrist movements as he clicked the mouse to move the cards from one part to another. He seemed amazingly awestruck at his flawless tactics of moving one card to the Aces pile, only to have about nine more automatically go up to the top. "You're...really good at this game."

"It's not difficult." Leon muttered, looking down at him.

"Yes, but... Zack was really good too. I could never beat his highscore." Cloud added, continuing to watch as the cards suddenly began to dance across the screen once more. Leon raised a brow. Zack ? Who was Zack ? Probably an old friend of his. He didn't let it play on his mind too long as Roxas walked in with an armful of bento boxes, signaling the start of lunch hour.

Cloud blinked, tilting his head to the side, staring down at the box that the other blonde had set before Leon, but winced when Yuffie released a loud excited holler that could wake the dead. "Yeah ! Food ! Finally !" Blue eyes watched as she ran over and swiped her own box, jumping onto the counter with ninja-like skills, and devouring hers like a starved animal.

"Hey, Roxas." Axel whistled and eyed over the lunches. "You really outdid yourself this time." He smirked and ran a hand across the other's cheek, making the blonde blush, though he didn't pull away.

"Agh. Axel..." He looked away and then saw Cloud staring around the room, giving him an apologetic sigh. "Hey, whatever your name is, sorry. I had no idea you were coming. If I had, I would have made you a box too."

Cloud shook his head and hid behind Leon again. "N-no. It's alright. I'm not that hun-" But before he could finish his sentence, Leon sidestepped and brought the box closer to the edge of the counter.

"We can share for today." As much as he hated sharing his own food, the slight rumble from the blonde's stomach showed that his lips twisted themselves into a white lie, while his stomach craved for the food around him.

"..." He blushed a bit, but quickly fought the red off of his face and nodded, grabbing a piece of sushi and nibbling at the edge, shrinking back when he saw everyone staring at him. "What? Did... I do something wrong ?"

Sephiroth smirked and shook his head. "No, we're just surprised, that's all. Leon doesn't usually share his food, let alone anything else."

"..." The blue-eyed boy looked up at Leon, but the swordmaster quickly turned his head away from any and all gazes and stares he was receiving. "Don't listen to them, Cloud. The clowns around here make a living off of torment. You just learn to tune it out, eventually."

"What ?" Hayner shouted, standing up and walking over to the tall man behind the counter. "What the hell is your problem? You're the one that refuses to socialize in any way shape and or form ! You really tick me off, you know ?"

"..." Cloud sighed and sat back down on the rolling chair. It was best if he didn't get involved with a squabble between two co-workers. If they did this daily, it would blow off sooner or later, without any physical injuries, right ? He wanted to do something, anything. Zack had always told him his special 'talent' really helped soothe the souls of arguing people. But would his 'talent' be appreciated here ? Where he came from, his talents were a sight to behold, especially from the males. But he wasn't sure about the customs in this new place. But...he had to try.

He sighed and stood to his feet, walking to the middle of the room as the white strip of fabric flowed behind him with every step he took. All of the others blinked and stared at him as he stood still, eyes closed, body ready. He took a step forward, then another, and then swung his body around to face another direction. Another step, another turn, and then he lifted his arms, the fabric following with a light rustle. He extended his leg farther this time, spinning around and throwing his head up as the pace of his movements quickened. All the others watched in awe as Cloud began to dance.