Chapter 12---Awkward is as Awkward Does

Zexion couldn't remember a more awkward time in his life. Tonight had been by far taken the cake, the whole shebang, the kit and caboodle and all the what have you you can think of. Sighing, Zexion recalled the Awkward Evening from Hell.

(Flash back)

The group had agreed to meet at Olive Garden (AKA; Mistake Number 1). Sephiroth though it would be nice to have dinner with his sons and their friends. He had not counted on the awkward waiting period in which awkward silence ensured followed by attempted conversation which was even more awkward then the waitin and the silence combined.

Even sitting down had been weird. Riku kept looking to Leon for some sort of sign. Leon pointedly ignored the pleading looks (Mistake 2). Riku noticed, flopped down between Sora and Axel and sulked, eyes narrowd and head down. Sephiroth noticed the exchange and Zexion noticed the glare Seph aimed in Leon's oblivious direction.

What made things worse however was the fact that Zexion had an insatiable curiousity. Axel kept looking in his pocket, then to Sora and then to Leon and then back to his pocket. It drove Zexion nuts. So while Rku had finally managed to engage Sora and Sephiroth in non-awkward conversation, Zexion leaned over the table and snatched the contents of Axel's pocket and settled back down to look at it. Now Leon was curious. (Mistake 3).

"Zexion...where did you get that?" Leon's voice was very careful as he looked at Sora with questioning eyes.

"Axel's pocket." It was a picture. An old picture of a happy family. A young woman held a wild haired little boy with laughing blue eyes. Her husband stood beside her kneeling figure, hand on the shoulder of a slightly smirking, slightly scowling young Leon who avoided eye contact with the camera, teddy bear in hand. It was then that disaster struck.

The waitress set their food in front of them, but Leon remained oblivous, by far the worst mistake of the evening and mistakes were piling up like dead bodies in a poorly funded backyard zombie movie.

Leon had yet to stop looking at the picture. Septhiroth noticed and then Sora and Riku. (Mistake 4).

"Hey Leon, what that? Can I see?" Sora leaned over and grabbed the picture. Sora's first mistake of the night (Mistake 5...Zexion counted them as they mounted ever higher).

"...Why...I don't...understand." Sora looked up at Axel with confused azure orbs and then to Leon, who only looked away.

"I... I heard mom talking..." Sora frowned and looking at Leon once more. He had closed his eyes by now.

"You're not my brother, you're Leon's." Leon ran a hand through his unruly hair and sighed. Sora looked at his boss.

"No...That's not true..." Axel looked at his hands.

"Yes it is. Mom was going to tell you tomorrow. You'll be 17...They...they found you on their doorstep. I guess they kept Leon." Leon looked up with a glare and shook his head.

"They didn't keep me. My mother died. The police found her in an alley murdered, a baby blanket in her hand. They never found my brother. I was 8 when my father went crazy and killed himself and they sent me to an orphanage." Sora sighed heavily.

Sora was sad to know that his brother was not his brother. The boy he'd spent most of his life with, got into trouble with, shared evrything with and loved with all his heart, was not his family. Neither was the woman who loved him so much.

His boss was his brother. The man who was icy and cold, the one who hardly ever smiled and didn't talk much. The one Sora didn't know.

But it comforted him to know that his real mother hadn't wanted to give him up. It seemed as though she'd been trying to protect him. Leon was just trying to forget. Sora remained quiet for several minutes.

"Axel, you're still my brother and now Leon is too. I always wanted a big family." Sora smiled brightly and Axel heaved a sigh of relief. Leon stood to leave. Riku looked at him curiously.

"Where are you going?"

"Home." Riku saw Sora look at his hands sadly but the silver haired teen followed the man out the door.

"Leon, how could you do that to him?" Leon didn't answer.

"Leon answer me!" Leon spun around and glared at Riku, grey eyes dark and furious.

"I've been trying my whole life to forget what happened Riku. I don't want to remember. It never happened." Riku glared back with equal rage. Where was the man that had held him so gently?

"You've got to remember now. Sora needs you. You're all he truly has!"Leon closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head.

"No, Riku. He doesn't have anything. It never happened." Leon never saw Riku's fist, only felt his jaw crack.

A.n: woooo short update!! REVIEW ISH LUVVIED!!!!!!!!!!

Ulti-! Chappie 13 will involve zex and axels review of mistakes, why the were mistakes and how the awkward evening from hell ended on a goo note!!! muwahaha