Title: Priceless

Summary: Leon is a freshman in college with dyslexia, and his new Victorian Literature professor, Dr. Sephiroth, doesn't make things any easier for him. Desperate to help, Cloud considers Sephiroth's offer to pass Leon, but not without a price from Cloud. LC, RS, SephyCloud

A/N: First off, I'll have you know that I'm only a senior in high school, so I don't know much about college life. I'm also not an expert on dyslexia, but I did my best by doing a bit of research on it. So please excuse any inaccurate details that I may have.

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Chapter 2

I'm gona be late, I'm gona be late, I'm gona be late. Cloud ran down the quiet street, basking in the sun's mellow morning light, his black messenger bag swinging violently, striking his side repeatedly. Never before, he thought, did he feel a sense of urgency more pressing than right now. He simply couldn't bear to think of the consequences of being late, and picking up his pace, he rounded a sudden corner. Only there was someone obstructing his route, and immediately, he collided into a firm chest. Instinctively, his flailing arms reached out for something to grab onto and as luck would have it, his fingers latched onto a leather choker, dragging the person down to his doom.

"Shit…" Cloud opened his eyes to find himself staring at an extremely disgruntled man, who gracefully pushed himself off of the ground as Cloud continued to blink at him.

"Well? Aren't you getting up?" Leon questioned sarcastically, eyebrow raised.

"Y-Yea." Clumsily, Cloud collected himself, and Leon shoved a package into Cloud's arms.

"Got you your muffin. Last one left at Hojo's bakery."

Cloud's eyes widened as he peeked into the bag and triumphantly pulled out a fresh, blueberry muffin.

"Thanks Leon, you saved the day. I could never start a morning without one of these babies!"

Leon merely rolled his eyes, as he watched the blonde attack the muffin, slightly amused, and slightly disturbed. The two made their way onto the college campus, and chose their favorite oak tree to sit under. It was a majestic, old tree that was said to have survived 400 years already.

"Did you hear?" Cloud piped up. "Vincent's off to join SOLDIER."

Leon turned in interest. "SOLDIER? It's a binding contract of three years…" He looked away thoughtfully. "It's not easy…"

"A lot of people are going off to serve SOLDIER, though." Cloud plopped down on the grass, stretching out his arms and then resting them behind his head.

"And are you thinking of joining, too?" The brunette picked up an acorn, inspecting it.

"No way." Cloud shook his head and hesitated. "Not unless if you joined."

No further words were passed between them as Cloud anxiously wondered if Leon had caught on. But no, it didn't seem like it. The placid look on Leon's face gave away no evidence of his noticing, and Cloud was left with nothing to do but to carefully lick away at the remaining crumbs of his breakfast. He wasn't sure if he was to feel slightly disappointed, or slightly relieved, but he was sure that he felt both.

Leon looked up at the sky. "It seems like it's about to rain." He commented, as he began to stand up. "We have to classes to attend, anyway."

"…Right." Cloud said with a bit of reluctance. Professor Sephiroth's class was about to start and it was really the last place Cloud wanted to be, and where Cloud wanted Leon to be.

"Don't worry about me." Leon said, as if reading his mind, and made his way towards the English Studies building.

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"Good morning." Professor Sephiroth smiled as a crash of thunder echoed ominously through the lecture hall.

"Great…a bad omen." Cloud muttered to himself.

"You were all to have sent me your report last night before 12:00AM. For those of you that were even a second late—you fail. I do not accept late work."

A few audible groans came from certain students.

"And for those that have handed them in on time, they are already graded and ready to be returned to you. We will discuss your findings and any questions you may have concerning your papers. But regardless, your grade is final."

"How did we do, professor?" Someone called out.

Sephiroth paused to eye the student with keen emerald eyes as the student felt himself shrink in his seat. "Some need more improvement than others." He simply remarked. Cloud found his report staring at him from the desk. "Interesting, Mr. Strife." Sephiroth said softly, before turning away.

Did Sephiroth just pay him a compliment? Cloud wondered, slightly befuddled, as he continued to look at the 87 he received on his paper. He quickly turned to find Leon gazing at his paper with cool distaste.

"Unacceptable," was Sephiroth's comment. "We will speak after class."

For the remainder of the class, Cloud held a steady glare on Sephiroth, although the silver-haired man seemed rather indifferent about the threatening looks he was receiving. In fact, he seemed as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Sadistic, perverse, old man… Cloud thought, as Sephiroth passed by his desk. Cloud caught a whiff of what was probably Sephiroth's cologne, and to his surprise, it was pleasantly elegant, yet light. He had expected the man to wear a grave, musty odor that middle-aged, balding businessmen usually wore. Somehow, this only reminded Cloud of Leon's more casual, and clean, masculine scent. He knew Leon wasn't the type who bothered with cologne, but somehow, he had always retained a naturally manly scent. Cloud on the other hand was often told that he smelled of soap, body wash, conditioner, and basically every sort of scented body product there was out there. Yuffie had once remarked that Cloud smelled too fruity, but of course Cloud himself could not smell a thing.

"Fruity my ass…" Cloud muttered to himself.

"What?" Sephiroth softly turned.

"N-nothing." Cloud sunk down in his seat, suddenly feeling a bit unsettled. He had wasted most of class time thinking about bodily odors, and now he hadn't the slightest clue about what was discussed, and what was assigned. He figured he'd ask Leon later, and try to figure out how Leon smelled the way he did, while he was at it. Standing up and stretching a bit, Cloud yawned and tapped Leon's desk as he headed for the door. "I'll wait for you." Cloud said quietly.

Outside of the lecture hall, the blonde leaned against the wall, by the door, watching his classmates exit the room.

"Tough class…" Zidane mumbled to Cloud, flashing his report. Cloud grimaced in acknowledgement and turned his attention onto the rain that had begun to pour outside. The sky had rapidly darkened during the course of class, and he could see the trees swaying wildly in one direction as the rhythmic sound of the rain beat against the glass windows. Muffled voices began to speak, and Cloud slowly edged his way towards the slightly opened door to eavesdrop.

"…Don't understand. I fully supported, with legit sources…"

"I don't care." Sephiroth's sharp voice interrupted. "I will continue to fail you for the rest of the year unless if you concede to an agreement."

Leon was silent. "So basically, you're blackmailing me."

"If you want to put it that way. I simply want a few favors done. You expect something, and I expect something."

"Normally, a professor would only expect a good essay." Leon said from behind gritted teeth.

"Apparently you don't understand the position you're in." Sephiroth said, sounding amused. "It's the word of a renown professor against a disabled student. Now whom do you think everyone will believe? If I state your theory is inadequate, I can prove it, though I need not to."

"So you're saying anyone would listen to your bullshit?"

"Yes."

"I refuse to sink this low. Fail me, if it makes you content. I'm not intimidated by your threats. And I swear, I'll have you found out…"

"If you're not intimidated by my threats, why should I have any reason to fear yours? You haven't even heard my offer."

"And I don't want to." Leon paused. "Why me? What do you want from me that you can't have from anyone else?"

Cloud could feel the smile growing on Sephiroth's face, and it sent some shivers down the spine. "Don't flatter yourself. You're only part of the objective, but my offer will stay open for as long as you like."

A slam on the desk, and Leon rushed out the door in a brooding huff, as a confused and mortified Cloud ran to keep up.

"Leon!" He called out. "Leon!"

Leon halted by the building entrance. "What." He said darkly.

"He…what he's doing is wrong…" Cloud said, somewhat lamely, at a loss for words.

"You think I don't know that?" Leon spun around in a positively fuming manner, as if offended by the statement.

"What can you do? It's a pointless course to take if you know you're just going to fail it." Leon was silent for a few moments, slowly letting the fact sink in.

"I…" His voice faltered.

"Leon, you can't be thinking of accepting his offer!" Cloud yelled, grabbing a hold of Leon's shoulders, but Leon quickly, shoved the blonde off, refusing to speak. "Leon, you know you can't do this. It'd be…it'd be wrong. You'd be just like Sephiroth… Let me…let me help you! I'll do whatever it takes, Leon, what it takes, to pass your papers off as…as something so brilliant even the professor can't deny!" Desperate blue eyes searched Leon's face, knowing that his words were lost on the brunette.

"Cloud, you know that's impossible. You know he's firm on what he said. Does he seem like the type to give in?" Leon said bitterly. "Don't waste your energy. You can't possibly help one bit, and I certainly don't need it."

Cloud stared at Leon with wide eyes, clearly stung by his words. He opened his mouth, and then closed them again. "No…I—I guess I can't…" He turned, and briskly walked out into the storm.

Leon closed his eyes, and focused on inhaling deeply, attempting to clear his mind, fraught with emotions. He knew he wasn't being sensible, and that he had deeply injured someone he had not meant to. All this began to register with much more sense and slowly, everything logical clicked into place.

Shit…

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"Eh? You're not feeling well, you say?"

Cloud nodded tearfully, gorging himself on a pastry. "And—and he—he said that—that…"

"There…there now. You see what a rotten being, he is?" Hojo said kindly.

"No! Don't say that about Leon!" Cloud retorted.

"You're dripping wet, my boy. How about we get you out of these clothes and I'll let you rest upstairs in—."

The bell twinkled, signifying that a customer had entered the bakery. "…Cloud?" Both Hojo and Cloud looked up to see Yuffie standing in the doorway, closing her umbrella. "Cloud…why are you here? My god, you're soaked! You need to get your butt home, right now, mister!"

"But I don't want to…want to…" Cloud stuttered.

"I insist, the boy must stay here…" Hojo interjected.

"No." Yuffie said firmly, narrowing her eyes. "Unless if you wanna argue, eh, Mr. Freakenstein?" She reached for her shuriken.

"Oh, no…no." Hojo said, backing off.

"That's what I thought. Come on chocobo-boy." Yuffie grabbed Cloud's wrist without a second to waste and ushered him out the door.

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Just perfect. For all Leon knew, Cloud was probably running around, entertaining bystanders with what seemed like a crazed rain dance, knowing how Cloud was in his emotional rages. That, or he was busy filling himself with creamy pastry goods in an attempt to alleviate his woes. Either way, Cloud just wasn't safe out there on his own in a mood like this. Shortly, however, a knock on the door would answer all his prayers.

"Found your lost puppy." Yuffie stood at the door, struggling to support a Cloud who could barely stay conscious.

"Cloud…" Leon's eyes widened, as he quickly moved forward to relieve Yuffie of her burden. "Why is he drenched?" Yuffie shrugged.

"Apparently he was dancing in the rain earlier, and he was picked up by Hojo. Of course, I had to rescue him from that freak, or else Cloud would've been thoroughly molested, inside out, no pun intended."

"Well…thank the Lord." Leon said, a bit speechless, as he hastened to strip Cloud of his clothes. Yuffie quickly turned away from Cloud's most intimate parts.

"I don't suppose you'll be needing my help…"

"No…no…" Leon said distractedly.

Yuffie glanced into the bathroom to see an assortment of hair care products neatly arranged on a small shelf. "You need to take care of him, Leon. Cloud doesn't do it well enough, not because he doesn't know how, but because he's more concerned about taking care of others." She walked into the bathroom to examine the products more carefully and wrinkled her nose in distaste when she noticed that they were arranged alphabetically. She quickly walked back out. "None of us are around him all the time like you are. So if you don't take care of him…we can't guarantee that someone else will." Yuffie said seriously and with a brief gesture of the hand, she left as suddenly as she had come, allowing Leon to ponder over her words in peace.

Carefully, Leon had wiped Cloud down with a lukewarm, damp towel and had put on his pajamas for him. He kneeled on the floor, next to Cloud's bed, and leaned over to rest his cheek on Cloud's forehead briefly, finding that Cloud was quite warm and feverish. Instantly he placed a washcloth over Cloud's forehead and reached over to grab his own blanket, layering it on top of Cloud's own blanket. Leon wasn't quite sure if he had done right, but instinctively, he felt that he had, and he slowly relaxed against the side of Cloud's bed.

There were times when he found the blonde inexplicably attractive, he thought, as he gazed serenely at the Cloud's sleeping figure. But where did this attraction lie in? He could not pinpoint. There was a certain fondness Leon felt towards Cloud when he would arrive at Leon's house, in the past, on frigid winter mornings only to bring him a hot coffee cup, although Cloud always ended up drinking it himself because Leon never accepted the kind gesture. He remembered in high school, how he had found Cloud a tad bit annoying for picking fights with every student that so much as sneered at Leon's ability to read aloud, and how afterwards, Cloud would tentatively ask Leon if he was alright, and if he was feeling upset. And there were times when he sensed that Cloud's blue eyes were on him, not in a scrutinizing or judging manner, but merely understanding—understanding the right moments to speak, to crack a lame joke or to simply remain silent.

These were things that Leon had never stopped to consider much, and although he had long already known that Cloud harbored a gentle soul, he only now began to realize the true extent of Cloud's selflessness.

"…God, I'm such an idiot."

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"Riku!!" Sora burst into room to find the silver-haired young man in the middle of playing his trumpet. Riku looked up, his mouth still attached to the mouthpiece.

"Mm?"

"Selphie lost her puppy, Wolfy! Which means it's out there in the rain, somewhere! We have to go help her!" The next thing Riku knew, Sora had appeared right by him and was tugging on his arm.

"Pfft. Calm down, Sora." Riku said, pulling his arm away. "That's old news. She found Wolfy awhile ago."

"She—she did?" Sora ceased his urging.

"Yes, Sora." Riku answered patiently, setting down his trumpet on the bed, and then cupping Sora's face with both hands. "He was soaking wet, and all…" Sora stammered a bit, feeling aroused at an inappropriate moment, by Riku's voice, which suddenly lowered seductively. "So she dried him, and massaged his worn out little body." Sora felt Riku's hands drop to his ass.

"Hey!" Sora yelped, feeling assaulted.

"Shhh…" Riku whispered soothingly. "Aren't you interested in hearing the rest?" Sora looked up again with earnest blue eyes, trying his best to ignore the fact that Riku's hand was now somehow under his shirt, and another one was striving to dive into his pants. "And then, she put him to bed." He finished, and descended upon Sora's lips.

Riku backed away to find himself staring at a pair of unmoved, sapphire eyes.

"Riku…" Started Sora. "I know you were trying to seduce me…but somehow, that was just more disturbing. I mean…Selphie…and her dog?"

"Hmm…" Riku frowned. "Okay, you're right, bad approach. Humans, dogs and sex don't mix." The spiky-haired brunette flopped down on the bed in an inviting position and ran a hand slowly down his stomach, and lower. Immediately, Riku snatched the opportunity and pounced, smiling mischievously as he began to work the wonders of his hand. "Someone's especially hard, today…" Once again, however, Sora was unmoved.

"…Riku, that's not me you're groping."

Riku looked down to find his hand on his trumpet, which he had left in bed. Cursing, he pulled off his gloves.

"No more interruptions." Riku growled as he shoved aside the instrument.

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Second chapter finished! I'm surprised I even finished it. Reviews appreciated. )