With everyone back at Merlin's house, there was always noise, always talk, and always something happening. Leon was glad that Cloud was back; though, he did not forget his feelings for the blonde, he acted like they were never there.
Cloud had changed, but, for the better. He smiled more, he spoke more often, and, when he was sure no one else would notice, he'd just linger around Leon a little, the back of his hand maybe brushing against the brunette's side in a fleeting stroke of warmth.
He didn't fight as often as he usually did, but, from what Leon saw of Cloud's fighting now, he was almost unbelievably powerful.
Said blonde then found himself a week or so later, sitting on his favourite reclining couch, chin in his hand, his legs brought up and crossed at the ankle, his eyes staring into space blankly.
The rest of the Restoration Committee had gone shopping on Aerith's orders, claiming that they needed some time off, since Hollow Bastion had almost been finished, and there would be no working today, so, Cloud said that he'd stay at Merlin's. That was a few hours ago, and it had only just turned noon. The blonde was bored out of his mind, and he didn't feel like killing any heartless.
"Leonhart," Cloud called through the empty halls of Merlin's house, for the only other person who said that they didn't want to go shopping.
"Leonhart!"
"What?" The brunette poked his head into the living room, his shoulder against the arch of the kitchen. He wore his 'relaxing' attire. A pair of loose black jeans and a button-up white shirt, the first few buttons undone. He usually did relax when there was nothing to do, and he saw no use to wear his usual attire in the presence of no one else.
Cloud apparently was 'no one else'.
The brunette could've sworn that he saw Cloud's blue eyes flicker down his exposed neck and top half of his chest, and he bit his tongue to stop himself smirking. Self-control indeed.
The blonde sighed leant back on his recliner, letting his head fall back against it, eyes on the ceiling. "I'm bored, Leonhart," he drawled.
"And what do you want me to do about it, master?" Leon asked sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I didn't know you had a thing for BDSM," Cloud hummed offhandedly before lifting his head back up and looking at the brunette again. "I want you to amuse me," he said.
The brunette nodded, rolling his eyes skyward. "Right. I'll go get my nurse outfit and the cream pies."
Cloud immediately rose his eyebrows.
"Sarcasm," Leon stressed, his cheeks burning a very light pink. "Sarcasm!"
Looking ever so slightly put-off, Cloud placed his chin back into his hand and did his best to look bored and miserable. Leon never did like leaving someone who was miserable. Letting out a reluctant groan after a moment, the brunette moved into the kitchen and started rummaging around the cupboards.
Waiting patiently, Cloud watched Leon re-enter the living room, two bottles of spirits hanging from one hand, a medium-sized closed box held in the other. When the brunette placed the bottles on the coffee table, Cloud rose an eyebrow. "A bit early, isn't it?"
The brunette placed the box on the table too and shrugged. "You were the one who wanted to be amused," he replied, yanking a checkers board from being tucked under one of the couch cushions, placing it on the table too, before sitting on the couch opposite Cloud, the table between them.
Watching bemusedly, Cloud stared as Leon opened the box, which was filled with about three different sets of shot-glasses; and started placing two of the three kinds onto the checkers board, in the pattern that checkers-pieces usually should've been.
A slow grin melted onto the blonde's face as Leon stood up again and walked back into the kitchen; tall, cylindrical shot-glasses on the brunette's side of the board, and short, sake-glasses on Cloud's side. Letting his recliner snap back into the position of a normal chair, the blonde edged it closer to the table and placed his elbows on his knees, waiting patiently.
Returning with a bowl of pitted olives which he placed on the edge of the table, Leon seated himself on his couch opposite Cloud, and started mixing the drinks.
Finally, it was finished. Basically, just a normal checkers game, but, instead of coloured pieces of plastic as counters; they had shot-glasses filled with mini-martinis.
Four hours and three games later, the two men weren't looking too good.
"I do believe we have sullied one of the most innocent games in the universe, Leonhart," Cloud observed. Surprisingly, he did not slur that much. Leon waved a hand, taking hold of one of his shot-glasses on the board, and jumping two of the other pieces, landing on the back row. "King me," he said.
His opponent picked up one of the olives from the bowl beside the board and placed it into the mini-martini on the back row while the brunette picked up the first shot-glass he jumped, threw it back with a grunt, placed the empty glass on the floor by his ankle, blinked a few times to get his eyes to focus again, and grabbed the second one.
After Leon had finished his shots, Cloud squinted at the table and blinked a couple of times too. "Who's turn is it?"
"I have no idea," croaked Leon, placing his chin in his hand, staring at the board. "Who's winning?" he asked after a moment.
"You, probably," mumbled Cloud, taking one of his pieces and jumping three of Leon's. "But, then again, you're cheating," he said, throwing back his shots one after another before gripping the arm of the recliner he was sitting on to stay upright, squinting at the brunette. "It's two against one."
"Really?" asked the brunette, sounding fascinated, moving his recently-kinged piece back toward him a square. "I didn't know."
"Bull," stated Cloud eloquently. He looked down at the checkers board and frowned. "Wasn't that my piece?"
"No, I think it was mine," replied Leon.
"You sure?"
"As sure as I can be."
"Oh. Is that really sure?"
"I think so."
"Okay, then." Cloud picked up one of his pieces and jumped one of Leon's pieces, placing it on the back row, receiving a unhappy frown from his opponent. "King me," the blonde said before throwing back his shot.
Placing one olive in Cloud's shot-glass and a few other ones in his mouth, Leon looked down at the bowl of olives, to find it nearly empty. "Fuck," he stated flatly, chewing on the small oval fruits.
Cloud staggered to his feet and immediately slapped his hands onto the table, only just keeping himself from falling onto the game of checkers they were playing, the glasses jittering slightly from the sudden bump. Carefully, he pushed himself upright and regained his balance. "I'll get them," he murmured before circling the couches and walking into the kitchen, yanking the fridge door open.
Of course, this would've been a perfect opportunity for Leon to cheat, but, the brunette only used this moment in time to settle further back into his chair and sigh. Cheating would've needed energy and a clear mind, but, unfortunately, the brunette had neither.
Coming back again with another bowl of pitted olives, Cloud grabbed hold of the back Leon's couch so he could lean over and place the bowl beside the other one without falling onto the table.
Turning back again, the blonde tripped over his feet and promptly fell onto Leon.
Letting out a sharp grunt of 'god, you're heavy', Leon stared down at Cloud, who was, on further inspection, on his lap, straddling him, with his nose buried in the brunette's shoulder.
Silence engulfed both men as Cloud straitened up slowly, their eyes fixed on each other's, their breaths, saturated in alcohol; mingled, and heat spread through both their already warm bodies: burning.
Very slowly, Cloud dragged a hand upwards and slowly stroked the back of his thumb along Leon's jaw, keeping eye-contact, moving ever-so-slightly closer.
Moving forward, Leon grazed his nose against the blonde's, the combined heat of the two of them making them both sweat, the stench of alcohol making it hard to breathe, one of the brunette's hands sliding up Cloud's thigh leisurely, the rough material of the cargo-pants making his fingers prickle.
Leaning down, letting his cheek graze Leon's, Cloud breathed out gently, his breath ripping along the brunette's jaw and neck, Leon's stormy eyes closing headily, inhaling slowly.
Cloud's fingers slowly threaded through Leon's hair and cupped the back of his head. Burying his nose in the brunette's silky hair and pressing his cheek gently against Leon's, Cloud breathed a quiet question into his ear.
"Do you remember?"
Turning his head, Leon slowly let his eyes flutter open, Cloud moving back; but still keeping a hair's breadth away, glowing blue eyes roaming over the brunette's face before coming to a stop on the grey-blue eyes before him.
Finally, Leon rose a hand and gently trailed his gloved fingertips over the blonde's cheek, the warm leather caressing Cloud's soft skin, one fingertip slowly wandering to the edge of his mouth. The blonde man chose that moment to slowly drag his tongue across his lips and gently bite at his bottom lip, giving Leon a glint of white teeth on soft flesh.
Stormy eyes, which had been observing Cloud's mouth intently, slowly rose to meet the blonde's bright blue ones, which stared down at him, half-lidded.
Leon dragged his fingers down Cloud's slender neck slowly, the blonde's eyes closing in content, the brunette slowly trailing his fingers back up and cupping the back of Cloud's neck, spikes of blonde hair tickling at his gloved hand.
Blue eyes fluttered open again and a barely visible smile melted onto Cloud's face as he looked down at Leon, the hand on the back of his neck gently pulling him forward, stopping just as his nose grazed the brunette's. Alcohol-saturated breath mingled and was breathed in, warmth rippling all through both their bodies.
"Kiss me," Cloud demanded softly, his lips millimetres away from Leon's, hot breath rippling over the brunette's lips. Leon opened his mouth and moved forward to comply; to cover his lips with Cloud's. To kiss him, finally, after such a long time apart.
There was a bang, and the door of Merlin's house flew open and chatter exploded into the house.
Both Leon and Cloud snapped their heads in the direction of the doorway and paled; Cloud quickly jumping off Leon with the speed of someone sober, the backs of his legs hitting the coffee table, making the glasses jump and wobble, before he quickly staggered over it and fell back into his recliner.
The Restoration Committee entered, and there was a chaotic swirl of talking, noise, and movement as they came in and started going about their business. As she entered, Aerith noticed the two males sitting in the corner. She immediately noticed the shot-glasses, some of which were upturned on the table between Leon and Cloud, and the nearly-empty bottles lying on the floor.
What surprised her, as her friends hurried about her to put their things away, was how Leon and Cloud were acting. Leon was sitting on the couch opposite Cloud watching everyone move around the room, looking a little flushed –maybe from the alcohol?– and shocked. Cloud however, was hunched over with his face in his hands.
Despite her distance from the blonde, Aerith could see the flush crawling up his neck and ears.
Pursing her lips a little, Aerith wondered what the two of them had been doing.
((TBC. Arrrghh! I'm only two and a half chapters in front of you guys, and I've still got three and a half chapters left to go! DAMMIT. But, yes. The Gay is back. I got the mini-martini-checkers idea from a MASH episode. Love that series. Read, enjoy, and review if you feel like it.))