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-Chapter Twenty-One-
Cid's Birthday Party
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Cid's birthday was coming up soon, and his friends wanted to do something special to show their appreciation. Problem was, the only thing Cid wanted for his birthday was booze – no presents, no party, no cake – just booze, and plenty of it. And that meant going through Leon.

Cid couldn't remember the last time he had truly tied one on. The only time he had even wet his whistle on anything alcoholic since arriving in Traverse Town was that night at Leon's, uh ... Leona's, house, and that hadn't even come close to qualifying as a good drunk.

You see, Traverse Town was a dry town, and Cid understood they had Leon to thank for that; it had been his idiotic idea. Okay, so maybe it hadn't been an idiotic idea... okay, so maybe it had even been a good idea, Cid begrudgingly conceded, but it had been an easy choice for Leon; Leon didn't drink.

Merlin had told them about the days before the three friends from Gaia arrived, and according to him, things had been pretty rough. There were too many people from too many worlds, and the only thing they all had in common was their highly unstable emotional states. They were lost and confused, and they were angry at fate, but with fate being unavailable for a solid pounding, they took it out on each other. It seemed that the human race hadn't evolved any more peacefully on any of the other planets either.

Alcohol was certainly not a good thing to throw into the already incendiary mix, so Leon had suggested they remove it, and for once, the mayor had actually listened to reason. Either that, or he just didn't care, for he had agreed far too readily. Merlin and Leon suspected it was because he was sitting pretty – as evidenced by his shiny red nose and his irrational behavior – on top of his own private stash.

At any rate, from what Merlin had to say, there had been a huge improvement in the town's stability after that, and everyone agreed it had been a wise move. Still, Cid was determined he was going to get plastered for his birthday, even if it meant taking a gummi all the way to Port Royal. Alone.

Of course, no one wanted to see Cid spend his birthday alone, but neither was anyone particularly thrilled by the prospect of traveling all the way to Port Royal to spend the evening with a passel of rowdy pirates, especially since it meant they would likely have to spend the night there, as well as a good portion of the following day because no one would be in any condition to fly the gummi home. Unless they could convince Leon to come with...

Right.

The odds were better on convincing him to get shitfaced and dance with Cloud in front of the whole town.

They could have gone straight to the mayor since it was, technically, his call to make, but no one wanted to go over Leon's head; it felt too much like mutiny, and Leon was a captain that nobody wanted to overthrow. So one by one they worked on him, and it was Cloud, unsurprisingly, who finally succeeded in winning him over. Whether that was due to the fact that Cloud just happened to be the last in a long line of people wearing him down, or simply because it was Cloud, nobody knew, and nobody cared. They were getting their party, and Cid was getting his booze.

It started out as a simple, clandestine affair with a small guest list consisting of the gang from Gaia and Leon and Merlin, as well as Fairy Godmother – despite Leon's understandably paranoid protests that it was not a good idea with alcohol present – along with a few of Cid's closest associates such as Geppetto and the fellow who had taken over the accessory shop, and of course, Sora and his motley crew, should they happen to be in town at the time. But somehow, as secrets are wont to do, word got out, and soon the entire town was buzzing. It seemed there wasn't a single soul in Traverse Town who didn't want to wish Cid Highwind a Very Happy Birthday!

Who knew the cantankerous old coot was so well-loved? That underneath that gruff and grizzled exterior was a generous, big-hearted softie who didn't fool anyone?

Apparently, everyone.

It seemed that everyone in town had some story to tell about a time when Cid had helped them out, sneaking some item into their bag that he knew they needed but couldn't afford, or installing his very best block on their gummi while only charging them for a cheaper one.

And everyone was well aware of the generous contributions he was always sneaking into the relief fund jars around town when he thought no one was looking, or the small candy treats he was always sneaking into eager little hands when he thought that Mom wasn't watching.

No, that crusty facade didn't fool anyone; Cid Highwind had a heart of gold, and everybody knew it. Their already difficult lives would have been that much more difficult without Cid around, and they were all eager to repay his generosity.

Of course, the prospect of free booze and a party didn't hurt any either.

The original plan had been to clear out some space in the gummi garage and have Merlin magic in a few tables and chairs, while Aerith would provide some home-cooked goodies, and Yuffie, some music CDs and a portable player. Cloud and Vincent were given the unenviable task of flying to Port Royal to pick up the booze, but it quickly became apparent they were going to need a whole lot more of everything.

Though the end of February was still technically winter, the weather in Traverse Town was mild year round, with evenings that were pleasantly cool and clear, so it was decided to move the location to the square outside the cafe. Open invitations were tacked up all over town, and coffers were set up at the cafe, the accessory shop, and the grocery store for anyone who wished to help with expenses. All three were soon overflowing.

The cafe was hired to do the catering, with Aerith overseeing the menu and contributing a few of her own specialties, such as barbecued ribs and fresh apple pie, and Yuffie was officially placed in charge of the entertainment. Taking it upon herself to audition everyone in town, she put together a surprisingly talented band to provide live music for the event, while Geppetto drew up the plans and supervised the construction of a temporary stage in one corner of the square.

Merlin brought in the extra tables and chairs – lots more of both than originally planned – and Cloud and Vincent flew off to Port Royal for the booze – lots and lots more than originally planned. They returned the following day with a large assortment of alcoholic beverages and mixers, as well as a large assortment of colorful bruises and scratches and cuts. "Yeah, but you should see the pirates." was all they would say, matching shit-eating grins on their faces.

Yeah, the whole thing was turning into quite the elaborate affair, and Cid watched the activity with growing amusement.

Leon watched with growing apprehension.

When the long-awaited day arrived at last, the tables and chairs were set up around the periphery and covered with colorful cloths, and an open bar was set up in front of the cafe. Festive lights were strung throughout the square, and a Happy Birthday! banner was hung above the stairs in front of the accessory shop. Soon, mouth-watering smells began to waft from the cafe kitchen, and the excitement in the air reached palpable levels.

As the appointed hour finally approached, large platters and covered serving dishes began to fill the banquet tables outside the cafe; the band began to tune their instruments, and the guests began to arrive, dressed in their finest clothing and bearing finely wrapped gifts. A second, and then a third table had to be set up just to accommodate all the presents, in spite of the fact that Cid had specifically stated on the flyers: "NO GODDAMN GIFTS!"

At first, no one seemed to know what to do with themselves, standing around in closed little circles and looking stiff and uncomfortable as if they had all forgotten how to relax and have fun, but when the band began to play in earnest, and the cocktails began to have their desired effect, everyone started to loosen up. Soon they were talking and laughing and eating and mingling, and tapping their toes to the tunes, while the children raced wildly around the square, their joyful screams and exuberant laughter a fine harmony to the music.

As people gradually began to make their way to the dance floor, Cid handed out the sparklers he had ordered, and Merlin, not to be outdone, conjured up a flock of magical fireflies and sent them twinkling around the square, sending spirits soaring even higher as the party kicked into full swing. The band was cooking, and the dance floor was burning up.

Even Vincent allowed Yuffie to drag him out on the dance floor, and Cloud interrupted his serious drinking session with Cid to share a few dances with Aerith – the lesser of two terrifying prospects when measured against the consequences of saying no.

Merlin cut a surprisingly spry figure, and a damn mean rug, out of the dance floor with Fairy Godmother, and Cid, having apparently lost his drinking buddy, decided he might as well bump butts with the buxom blonde from the cafe. When he accidentally bumped butts with Merlin instead, the crowd held its collective breath, waiting for the two men to start butting heads. But Merlin merely chuckled and waved his magic wand; if it was fireworks the townsfolk expected, then it was fireworks they would they get!

He started off with a few standard rockets and starbursts and streamers that whistled and crackled and popped, just to make certain he had everyone's attention before moving on to his more elaborate custom designs.

There were three ruby dragons for Huey, Dewey and Louie, and a giant blue whale for Pinocchio and Geppetto. For the ladies at the cafe, a beautiful rainbow arced across the sky and then dissolved, band by band, into colorful butterflies that fluttered away, and for Fairy Godmother, a majestic tree unfolded, leaf by leaf, which turned from green to red and gold and then floated to the ground.

There were pink and white lilies for Aerith, small buds that climbed the sky on slender green stems and then burst into bloom, and for Yuffie, bright yellow throwing stars spun through the night, leaving trails of orange glitter that drifted down and made everyone sparkle.

Oohs and aahs filled the square as Merlin's magic filled the air, and unbridled cheers broke out when a golden wolf and a silver lion bounded across the heavens. The spectacular display was surpassed only by the grand finale: a magnificent airship that sailed across the sky, leaving in its wake a thousand bright sparks that spelled out 'Happy Birthday Cid!'.

The band segue into the musical version of the same, and the crowd immediately joined in, erupting into their own joyous, if somewhat off-key, vocal rendition. Then the very night itself turned magical as people began to remember what it was like to be happy.

Everyone except Leon, that is, who apparently had never had a happy moment in his entire life to remember, or so it would seem by the way he was still leaning against the wall with his trademark scowl firmly in place. He did, however, remember the last time his friends had gotten drunk, and he had been turned into a princess – a very angry princess – and he remembered the last time he had gotten drunk on a bottle of Galbadian whiskey. Though he couldn't remember exactly what he had said to Aerith that night, he was certain it had been too much, and he had vowed to himself he would never allow that to happen again. And so, here he was, still stubbornly holding up his own sober little corner of the Traverse Town world.

That, of course, was precisely when Cloud realized that Leon still hadn't joined in the revelry and decided to do something about it. That something turned out to be a friendly little wager: "Just you and me, shot for shot, starting from now."

Well, Leon wasn't about to back down from a challenge from Cloud, especially one that was such a sure bet, and this one was already in the bag. Cloud had been drinking with Cid for most of the night and had already put away quite a few – quite a few too many, judging from his obviously clouded judgment, Leon snickered to himself, and he might have felt guilty about taking unfair advantage if Cloud hadn't been so damn cocky.

What no one had bothered to tell poor Leon was the fact that Cloud's Mako-enhanced body handled alcohol far better than the average person, so it was with misguided confidence that Leon raised the first shot of tequila. "To the last one standing," he said smugly.

By the second shot, Leon had loosened up considerably and removed his jacket – in public – and by the third, he was humming along with the band. By the fourth drink, he reluctantly allowed Yuffie to pull him out on the dance floor where he pretended not to know how to dance, because by the fifth, he was dancing with Aerith, and it was obvious to everyone watching his smooth, sexy moves that he knew how to dance quite well. By the sixth shot, he was dancing with Cloud, and smooth and sexy was on the verge of becoming downright seductive.

As much as Cloud was enjoying rubbing bodies with Leon, his instincts told him he wouldn't be enjoying it in the morning should he allow this to continue and Leon remembered. So by the seventh shot, Cloud good-naturedly conceded defeat, and Leon promptly passed out.

After a considerable amount of struggling, and absolutely no assistance from Leon, Cloud finally managed, with Vincent's help, to get him back into his jacket and then back to the house, each of them taking an arm and half carrying, half dragging him home.

"Thanks, Vincent," Cloud said when they reached the front door. "I'll take it from here." Vincent nodded and went back to the party to keep a protective eye on Aerith and Yuffie. There were a lot of very drunk guys there, and the girls weren't in much better shape. Even Yuffie had been sneaking sips from Aerith's glass behind her back.

As soon as Cloud picked Leon up in his arms and carried him into the house, Leon let out a moan and opened his eyes, looking around the room as if trying to figure out where he was. Evidently satisfied with whatever conclusion he had reached, he sighed and wrapped his arms around Cloud's neck, laying his head on Cloud's shoulder. His hair was soft and silky against Cloud's cheek. "You smell like Cid's cigarettes," Cloud chuckled.

"And you smell really nice," Leon slurred, nuzzling further into the crook of Cloud's neck as Cloud carried him into his bedroom.

Leon's breath whispered warm and moist across Cloud's throat, filling his belly with butterflies and stealing the strength from his legs. He gently lowered Leon's feet to the floor, keeping his other arm wrapped securely around Leon's waist to support him, but the brunet's legs had turned to rubber and buckled beneath him. He lurched forward against Cloud, almost causing the blond to lose his balance as well. Cloud might not have been as drunk as Leon, but he wasn't exactly sober either, and having Leon in his arms wasn't doing a thing to help his equilibrium.

In a valiant attempt to steady himself, Leon threw his arms around Cloud's neck and leaned against him heavily, but Cloud was having a hard time keeping himself steady with Leon clinging to him so tightly, his hot, sexy body swaying softly in Cloud's arms. Leon seemed to think they were still on the dance floor because he was rocking gently from side to side and making these erotic little humming noises against Cloud's throat. Cloud's body was burning.

"Leon," he whispered, shaking Leon gently in an effort to rouse him. "Come on, we need to get you to bed..."

"Yes, we certainly do," Leon agreed far too readily.

Cloud struggled not to give in to the temptation of that hot, sexy body rocking against him softly. "We need to get your jacket off."

And why, oh why, hadn't he thought of that before going to all the trouble of putting his jacket back on? Yeah, hindsight and all that...

"Mmmm," Leon murmured, swaying, swaying; sexy smirk on his face. "And my pants."

"Leon," Cloud tried again, becoming increasingly desperate as the fire spread downward, smoldering in his belly and igniting in his groin.

"Mmmm," Leon murmured again, pressing his body even closer to Cloud's and beginning to nibble on Cloud's neck. "You taste pretty good too." And then he giggled. Yes, giggled. Like a girl.

"Leon," Cloud actually whimpered, afraid of completely losing control of his senses. Had he even the slightest bit of faith that Leon was still in possession of any of his, Cloud would have wholeheartedly given himself up to Leon's amorous advances, but he didn't have much confidence that Leon was even aware of what he was doing, much less who he was doing it with. God, he should never have given him so much tequila.

Right. There was that old hindsight thing again... Cloud laughed nervously and gently pushed Leon a few inches back, holding him by his shoulders. "Slow down there, tiger."

Leon's head wobbled as he attempted to focus on Cloud's face. "Ahm notta tigerrrr," he stated in utter seriousness. Then he smiled, a slow, sexy smile, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Cloud's, nose to nose. "Ahmuh, ahmmuhlion."

"A malion?" Cloud giggled.

Oh god, not him too. What was happening here?

"Mm hm," Leon nodded and collapsed in Cloud's arms.

Cloud gave up on trying to get Leon out of his jacket and concentrated instead on just keeping them both off of the floor. Placing his hands on Leon's hips, he walked him backwards towards the bed. When the back of Leon's knees hit the edge of the mattress, they buckled and he flopped backwards onto the bed, taking Cloud with him. Cloud attempted to keep himself from pitching forward face first, but Leon's arms were still locked around his neck, and he crashed down on top of the other man in spite of his efforts.

Thankfully, Leon was out cold, Cloud realized with a surge of relief only seconds after realizing that his very pronounced erection was poking Leon firmly in the thigh. Cloud groaned and forced himself not to give in to the overwhelming temptation to grind himself against that hard, muscled thigh, but it was almost more than he could bear because, oh god, it would feel so good. And Leon would never even know.

Cloud could touch Leon's perfect body, lying unaware beneath him, maybe kiss him once or twice, and Leon would never even know – taste those slightly parted lips, so sweet and full, and run his hand down that hard, flat stomach to the warm bulge under soft leather...

And Leon would never even know.

But of course he didn't. Cloud knew only too well what it was like to be taken advantage of when you weren't capable of defending yourself, and he would never – could never – do that to anyone, not even his worst enemy, and Leon was certainly no enemy. Leon was...

He was...

Well, Cloud didn't really know what Leon was, but he knew that he never wanted to lose him. So he carefully pushed himself off of Leon's body, slipping his head out from under the dead weight of Leon's arms, and rolled off the bed. Fighting the urge to simply turn tail and run, Cloud adjusted himself to a more comfortable position in his pants and tried to focus on something other than the problem throbbing there. Unfortunately, the thing he needed to focus on was the cause of that problem to begin with.

But it was Cloud's fault, after all, that his friend was even in this condition, and he couldn't very well just abandon him, fully clothed with his legs hanging off the bed. Cloud studied the situation.

Belts. What to do about Leon's belts? He supposed he could just leave them on, though they didn't look very comfortable to sleep in. If only they weren't so close to his ... right on top of his ... oh, hell.

Boots. Boots, he could handle. He would tackle Leon's boots first, and maybe in the meantime, a solution to the belt dilemma would present itself.

By the time he had finished removing both of Leon's boots, Cloud was feeling a little more courageous, and decided to go straight for the belts. Not giving it even the tiniest of second thoughts, he unbuckled all three, being careful not to let his fingers stray. All went well with the first two buckles, but the third one was stubborn, and Cloud had to press down a little in order to free the metal tongue from its leather hole. Leon let out a little moan and Cloud froze: the proverbial kid and the cookie jar. But oh, what delicious cookies.

Cloud realized he was actually sweating and laughed at himself for being so silly. Fighting back with a daring act of bravado, he firmly grabbed all three belts by their buckles and pulled them free. The action caused Leon to buck his hips upward as if subconsciously trying to help, and Cloud felt a surge of renewed interest in his groin. It was hard to believe how such a small movement could be so erotic, but then, everything about the sultry brunet was erotic, and Cloud was still sporting the evidence to prove it. Hard evidence.

After removing the belts wrapped around Leon's slim, sexy hips, the one around his waist was a piece of cake – devil's food cake, to be exact – and Cloud had it off in a snap, followed quickly by the ones on his arm. Then he lifted Leon's legs onto the bed and straightened him out, rolling him first to one side and then the other to remove his jacket. Gently raising his head, Cloud slipped off Leon's necklace and placed it on the table beside the bed where Leon usually left it overnight.

Having achieved his objective of making Leon more comfortable, Cloud turned to leave, but something made him pause, the other man's magnetic attraction so strong, even in sleep, that it stayed Cloud's feet. He sat down on the edge of the bed and studied Leon's face.

He truly was striking, with his well structured face and his aristocratic features; the high cheekbones and the straight nose, the sharp chin and strong jaw. His mouth was soft in repose, full lips relaxed rather than pressed in a thin line, and his thick, dark eyelashes made a jagged contrast against his smooth cheeks. His skin was the color of rich cream with a splash of coffee, and his burnished chestnut hair framed his face like a mane.

He truly was a lion. A king. Nobility was written all over him.

Leon's stern face looked so much softer in sleep that Cloud couldn't help but smile. He looked almost sweet with his face so open and innocent. Like a child, Cloud thought, and suddenly he could see the young boy hidden deep within the man.

The child had been hurt, and the man was guarding him still.

A deeper desire settled over Cloud then, a desire to look after this man who so selflessly looked after everyone else. To protect him.

A violent wave of nausea swept over him like a swift kick in the gut as reality hit home.

The only thing Leon needed protection from was Cloud – from the darkness that followed him wherever he went and destroyed everything, everyone, that he loved. Cloud was only fooling himself to think he would ever be free of it, or that he could ever allow himself to love. Cloud's love meant death.

A bitter huff of self-scorn wrenched itself from his lips; he had deceived himself yet again, falling so easily for Sephiroth's trickery. He was still playing by Sephiroth's rules, perfectly playing the part that Sephiroth had scripted for him in their never ending cat-and-mouse game.

He had planned to go searching for Sephiroth as soon as everything settled down and life in Traverse Town returned to normal after their ordeal at the coliseum, but rushing off to look for Sephiroth was exactly what Sephiroth wanted. He would delight in leading Cloud on a merry chase, luring him through the Dark Corridors to other worlds and messing with his mind. Cloud refused to give him that pleasure.

Besides, he didn't have to look for Sephiroth; Sephiroth would find him. Sephiroth would always find him.

And he knew exactly where Cloud was – where he was and who he was with. After all, Sephiroth was the one who had brought him here. It hadn't been a coincidence; Traverse Town hadn't been some random world pulled out of a hat. Sephiroth had chosen this place because he knew who was here: Yuffie and Cid, two of the people who had helped to defeat him before, and Aerith...

Wouldn't he just love to kill her again.

And Leon. Did Sephiroth suspect Cloud's feelings for Leon?

It was Cloud's move, and Sephiroth was just waiting for him to make it. If he waited too long, then Sephiroth would make his. He didn't like it when Cloud broke the rules, and he would punish his puppet for trying to cut his own strings. He would punish him by hurting the ones Cloud loved. The best way to protect them was to get the hell away from them; by staying in Traverse Town, Cloud would only be bringing the danger to them.

He continued to sit there for just a while longer, allowing himself a few more moments to memorize the lines of Leon's face. He brushed a stray strand of hair from his face and traced the line of his scar. He knew that Leon thought it was ugly, and Cloud wondered if he had deliberately refused to have it magically healed for that very reason, for healing with magic rarely left a mark on the skin.

Too bad nothing worked that well on the deeper scars that he and Leon both carried.

Cloud could certainly understand if Leon had welcomed what he considered to be a disfigurement to his perfect face. It was just one more thing they had in common – their too-pretty faces; they only brought them unwanted attention. Pity for Leon, he didn't seem to realize that his scar only added to his allure.

Cloud stood up and pulled the covers over the soundly sleeping man, then bent down to place a light kiss on top of the mark between his brows. "Sweet dreams, my beautiful malion," he whispered. Firmly resolved to his course of action, Cloud turned and quietly left the room.

He would return to the Coliseum tomorrow and wait for Sephiroth there. Alone.