Wow... two updates in one day.... I'm on a role....
Disclaimer: come on guys... you know the drill......
Leon sighed as he slipped in through his window later that night. The blond kept coming to mind... as did the kiss. That kiss... damn Cloud tasted good. Better than anything he'd ever tasted before. He was addicted off just one hit. The perfect drug.
He snorted slightly to himself before he shook his head and slipped between his sheets, not bothering to strip down like he always did. He fell asleep, that night, with images of cobalt blue eyes gazing back at him.
Take it from you Grandmother. I been Round.
Fret III: Dried up Hole of a Town
"UPSIDAISY, SUN SHINE!!!!!!!!" Zack screeched, grabbing Leon by his ankles and tugging him out of bed. The brunet squawked in shock, eyes shooting open as he roughly hit the floor.
"What the hell!? ZACK!!!!!"
"MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! THE GREAT ZACK! TRIUMPHS ONCE AGAIN!!!!!" The raven cheered, striking a pose.
"Oh you are SO dead! AND WHO THE HELL LET YOU IN!?!"
"Sora did..." a third voice stated, a smirk evident in the tone. Leon's head snapped in the direction of the door to find a grinning Cheshire cat with blond hair. "Morning, Leon..." Cloud added, tilting his head slightly.
"Cloudy-kins, here!" Zack started, a small "don't call me that" being heard from the blond, as the raven flounced towards the other and slung an arm over the shorter man's shoulder. "was kind enough here to tell me that you had yet to get up!"
"he was looking for you..." Cloud added, explaining why such information had been given.
"and thus! HE BECAME MY ACCOMPLACE!!!"
"More like you dragged me here against my will."
"That too! BUT! THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT!"
"You have a point?"
"Cloudy-kins! You wound me so!"
"Don't call me that!"
Leon blinked, watching the entire scene from where he was still lying on his stomach on the floor of his bed room. Zack and Cloud were bantering back and forth. This consisted of Zack making a fool of himself while somehow managing to be... well... Zack, and Cloud being the dead pan, sarcastic, comic relief. Thing is, Leon had the feeling this had been going on all morning. Wait... he glanced at his clock and his eyes widened.
"IT NOON!?!" He screeched, getting up, grabbing clothing, and darting into the bathroom. Zack blinked, having stopped in his bickering and grinned.
"Why yes, Squally-dear! Of course it's noon, silly! Why else would I be standing in your bedroom?" he paused and smirked evilly. "Of course... I could always be here every night if you truly wanted... you know... warming your be-ACK!" A door hit him in the face as Leon came back out, fully dressed, teeth brushed, and everything.
"Shut up, Zack." he muttered, hurrying back into his room to slip on his shoes. Damn he was late! Cid was going to kill him. He dashed passed the two and started down the stairs.
"oh, Leon. Your mother asked me to give you a message." cloud called across the hall, Leon stopping in his tracks and turning to face them.
"Yeah?"
"Cid called in. The shop's closed for repairs so you're free to do whatever..."
Leon blinked for a moment before sighing and stalking back up to his room. "I'm going back to bed...' he grumbled. Zack caught him by the arm, his grin returning.
"oh no you aren't! Yer comin' with me!"
Cloud chuckled, smirking. "Have fun..."
"Don't be silly, Cloudy-woudy! You're coming too! It can be...A THREESOME!!!" he cheered, cackling as he dragged both teens off.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The breeze was cool and the shade even cooler as the three teens lay underneath one of the few green trees in the town. The rock covered ground was a little softer here, allowing for a better place to watch the sky. The sun was high in the sky, blocked out by the trees long, strong branches. It was old, that much was certain. It had stood there for more than a hundred years, offering shade when it was needed, a shelter in the rainy season.
For the three laying there, it was a safe haven...
"So...you guys have really traveled a lot... haven't you?" Sora asked, brown hair rustling slightly in the breeze. Roxas cast blue eyes towards Sora and nodded as best he could, head resting on his folded arms.
"yup.. we've been all over the place. You'd love Hallow Bastian. It's gorgeous."
"Not nearly as pretty as Midgar." Axel threw in, the red head leaning against the tree and flipping his lighter open and closed, the flame dancing in the breeze. Sora sat up, grinning.
"What were they like?"
Both paused for a moment, thinking it over before they replied in unison. "Green."
"wow!" Sora's eyes lit up as he flopped back down. "Must have been a huge rainy season..."
"There really isn't a rainy season there... Those places are farther up north... thousands of miles north of here... They get rain nearly all year round." Roxas started, smiling ever so slightly as he thought of those places.
"Except for the three months where they get snow..." Axel stated, Roxas nodding in agreement.
"Snow?" Sora asked, tilting his head once more.
Roxas blinked, trying to think it through. "Um... it's.... like water only cold and white..."
"It falls on the ground and stays for about three months. Temperatures drop to nearly 0 degrees Celsius. It's amazing really. And in the spring everything melts and the plants branch out again."
"Wow... and this is normal?" collective nods. "Man... I wanna see that..."
Axel shrugged. "You might some day. All you gotta do is get outta this town."
"But... what about my family?"
"Every one leaves home at some point or another..." Roxas replied. Sora blinked.
"They... do?"
Roxas and Axel both blinked, looking at Sora in something that expressed shock. "You mean... people don't do that?"
Sora shook his head. "No... we merely move a few houses away when we get married, but that's it..." Roxas and Axel exchanged glances, not sure how to reply to this. Footsteps sounded as a few teens approached, one of them, Sora recognized, was an old friend of Leon's.
"Sora, where's yer brother?" Seifer called, walking over with his two lackeys behind him. The younger shrugged, not really wanting to talk to the blond.
"I don't know, I'm not his keeper...."
"What ever, I knew you were useless... especially if you're hanging out with these freaks." Seifer added, looking at Roxas and Axel. The red head snapped his lighter shut and Roxas sat up.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, you slut. I knew women were pathetic, but acting like a boy? That's just sick...."
"Why you!" Roxas growled, getting to his feet. Axel made a move to grab him but was too slow. The shorter blond tackled the taller, his fist making contact.
"Shit! Sora! Go get Cloud!" Axel shouted, trying to get close enough to pull Roxas back.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The three were sprawled out by the creek, Leon's and Cloud's thoughts straying back to the previous night, of which Zack was completely clueless about... at least... they hoped. Unbeknownst to them, Zack was watching the two with a growing smirk. He noticed the glances they kept shooting at one another while he prattled on. They were pretending to listen, but he knew better. Finally, when Leon shifted again, he spoke up.
"So... who kissed who?" The two looked up in shock, both paling considerably. Zack grinned. "Come on guys, I know better than that. And Leon, don't try to deny it. You know I know you're gay. As for Cloud... well, it's kinda obvious the way you two've been stealing glances at one another. So... who kissed who?"
"Zack, do we really have to-" Leon started, trying to distract his friend with an argument. Zack was having none of it.
"YES! THE GREAT AND ALL MIGHTY ZACK HAS SPOKEN! NOW! SPILL!" he ordered, fixing them both with a stern look. Cloud sighed.
"Is he always like this?" he asked, looking to Leon. The other nodded.
"Sadly, yes... but hey... it's Zack.. nothing I can do about it.."
"True... very tru-"
"CLOUD!!!!" Sora's voice reached them, the blond sitting up in seconds. Leon was up as well, both teens scrambling to their feet and running towards the younger teen. Zack was a few feet behind them, having been a little slower on the uptake.
The brunet was frantic, his blue eyes wide in panic. He spotted Cloud and clung to the blond, tears streaking his face. "Cloud! You've gotta come quick! Roxas and Seifer are fighting and-"
"Roxas is fighting!? Shit! Where?"
"In the town square! By the old tree!" Sora sobbed, stepping aside as Cloud took off at a dead run. Leon frowned.
"Zack, watch Sora!" he called over his shoulder, following after the taller blond.
-0-0-0-0-
"YOU SON OF A BI-"
"ROXAS!!!" The shorter blond froze, quickly scrambling back as Cloud snagged him. Seifer, the taller teen seething, wiped blood from his jaw.
"You little brat! You're dead!" he snarled, lunging forward. Cloud shoved him back.
"That's enough!"
A collection of townspeople had gathered, mostly consisting of teens and a few curious adults. All eyes peered down at the three in the middle of the circle. Axel stood off to the side, nursing a wound he'd sustained while trying to break up the fight. Leon arrived a few seconds later, nearly out of breath from his struggle to keep up with the blond.
"Cloud!" he called, stepping through the crowd and over to the blond. "Roxas all right?"
Cloud glanced at him and nodded, going back to watching Seifer. Leon followed his gaze and frowned. Seifer sneered.
"Figures you'd be seen with this loser..." the taller blond snapped.
"Shut up, Seifer..."
"Why should I, Leonheart? Scared I'll say something nasty?"
"No, more like worried Cloud'll kick yer ass..." The blond in mention sure as hell looked like he wanted to. Leon smirked. He could only imagine the image of Seifer being taken out by the lanky blond.
"Oh? I'm so scared. Look, Leon. Stop hanging around these fagots. Some one might start thinking you are o-"
There was a pop as Seifer's jaw was forced out of place, cloud having moved so unexpectedly that no one had been ready. Seconds later, a palm was forced into his chest, knocking the taller back before he was sung around by his arm, the appendage being forced up behind his back as he landed face down on the dust covered ground. The crowd blinked in shock, Cloud leaning down close to the cowering Seifer's ear. "Don't. Touch! My cousin again... or I'll rip your throat open in your sleep." he hissed.
Leon blinked, taking a step back before he smirked. "What I tell ya, Seifer..."
"And he lectures me about getting into fights..." Roxas grumbled from where he'd hidden behind Leon. Axel shot him a look and rolled his eyes.
"I want you and your hooligan friends out of here by the end of the week...." the local sheriff stated, frowning. Cloud let Seifer up and stepped back.
"It won't happen again..." he promised before grabbing Roxas by his arm and dragging him off, the younger blond flinching at the strength of the grip.
-0-0-0-0-
"Cloud..." Roxas whimpered once they were on the outskirts of the town. "You're hurting me..." he choked out, tears stinging his eyes. Cloud pulled to a halt and let go, making sure Roxas was in front of him and facing him. The younger shrank at the look on his cousin's face.
"You. Know. Better."
"I'm... I'm sorry, Cloud... it's just... he called us-"
"I know what he called you. Roxas, it's always the same thing. Why can't you just swallow it and get it over with!?"
"WHY CAN'T YOU!?" Roxas snapped back. Cloud frowned a little more.
"We're not talking about me, Roxas."
"You're point!? You're a hypocrite, Cloud! You tell me not to fight but look at you! You're always getting into fights! You're always getting into fights because you feel some fucked up need to protect me! I won't have it, Cloud! I'm old enough to take care of myself!"
"BUT YOU'RE NOT OLD ENUOGH TO GO TO JAIL!"
Roxas fell silent at Cloud's interruption, those cerulean eyes clouded with pain. He couldn't meet his cousin's gaze. He knew where Cloud was going with this... it was why they were heading north again... why Cloud had changed his appearance as much as he could.
"You were framed, Cloud..."
"Yeah, I know. But my point is, I fell into that fight and I lost. You've got to learn to stop making yourself a target. I've already done the time. Let me be the one taking the burdens. At leas then you'll have a shot at a proper life later on."
"But what about you? You deserve it as much as I do! You shouldn't have to be the one always fighting for us!"
"One black mark is all it takes, Roxas... accept it and get over it. I can take the fights. I wouldn't be able to take seeing you behind bars."
Silence hung over them after that, Cloud kneeling in front of Roxas as the teen struggled to stay on his feet. Tears continued to prick at his eyes, only causing him further pain as he finally let them fall. Cloud sighed, pulling Roxas to his knees and into a hug.
"It's okay, Roxas... Everything's going to be all right..... Everything... will work out... It'll... be........... ok...." he whispered the last part, looking down at the dust in front of him, eyes nearly dead.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"How is he?" Leon asked as Cloud entered the kitchen. The blond looked up from where he'd been watching the floor and shrugged.
"He's tired..." he muttered, sinking into a chair beside Leon. Grey eyes studied him, worry casting over the orbs. Cloud was slumped forward, eyes dull. His body language was off and he looked tired, much too tired for some one that had just spent the last two hours sleeping.
"How about you?" The blond looked up and blinked, clearly not understanding the question. Leon shooks his head. "How are you doing?"
"Me? I'm fine... why would you ask?" Cloud muttered, shrugging and looking back down at the table and at his folded hands. Leon sighed and set a hand on Cloud's shoulder.
"You don't look fine..." He stated, voice soft. Cloud shrugged slightly.
"It's nothing... really, Leon..." Cloud replied, offering a weak smile. Leon frowned a little more before sighing and pulling Cloud closer so he could lean on him. The blond blinked before relaxing, a small, real smile forming. "Leon... can I.... ask you a personal question?"
Leon blinked and nodded. "Y-yeah... sure..."
"Have you... ever wanted to just... leave?"
"Leave?"
"Yeah... you know... get out of this place... go somewhere new for a change...."
"Why do you ask?"
".... Would you hate me if I was saying I was offering you an invitation?"