Title: 100 Steps To Somewhere
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: 054. Victory
Word Count: 2,466
Rating: M
Summary: The house feels empty, and who the hell called Cloud eight times? He doesn't even know that number!
Disclaimer: Square Enix, Disney, and a bunch of other cool people own Kingdom Hearts. I'm sure that one day I will become affiliated with one of these companies, but as I am still a measly little peasant, I own no rights to the franchise. Let's face it: I don't even really own this plot. I just like to pretend things happened in canon that there's no proof of, because I'm deluded like that.
Step Fifty-Four: Of Emptiness and Telephone Calls
"House feels empty," said Cloud.
Leon barged into his bedroom at five o'clock the morning after his arrival, muttering something about the restoration. Cloud registered the words 'useless' and 'shower' before he realized Leon was insulting him, and trying to get him out of bed. A half hour later, Cloud emerged from the bathroom, towel drying his hair. Leon was in the kitchen, his hair a mess and still in his pajamas, smoking, with two cups of coffee steaming on the counter.
His eyes rolled up at Cloud's entrance. He sighed, flicked, and ran a hand through his hair. Cloud frowned. Leon didn't usually look so bedraggled at this time of the morning.
"Felt emptier yesterday," said Leon. "I made coffee."
"I see that. Thanks."
"No problem."
"What's with you? You're very . . . eh . . . out of character . . . today . . . Or maybe you're more in character . . ."
"Rough night. Couldn't sleep."
"Sorry to hear that." Cloud hesitated, and then sat across from Leon. He grabbed the other coffee cup and circled his finger around the rim. "So . . . what do you need me to do today?"
Leon waved his hand.
"I don't care. Whatever. There are some houses that need drywall put up. There's always painting. Aerith's working on the garden at the orphanage. Scrooge is doing something about a skate park. Cid's working on a playground. Unless, you know, the water main bursts again. We're almost at the castle entrance now, but there's still Heartless all over the place, so I wouldn't suggest there."
"What are you doing?"
"Well, we're still having problems with interfering systems, and since Riku isn't here to continue working on that . . ." Leon trailed off. He gulped down another large swallow of coffee. "My job now."
"Oh, yeah . . ." said Cloud. "That. He had to leave, you know? Sora. Roxas. The order of the worlds . . ."
"I know why he left, Cloud. You don't have to tell me. I don't begrudge him leaving. He didn't have to volunteer in the first place."
Cloud watched him for a few seconds. Leon stared into his coffee, and his eyebrows furrowed, the scar across his face bunching in the odd way that scars do.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong? Is it Riku?"
Leon snorted.
"No, Cloud. Contrary to popular belief, I am not trying to steal your boyfriend. I'm not angry he left . . ."
"You're angry that I won't tell you what happened."
"No, I'm not. I'm angry that Riku doesn't want you to tell me what happened. But you don't have to worry about that, either, because I'm aware he's your boyfriend . . ."
"He's your friend."
"Thought he was."
Leon stood and carried his empty coffee cup to the pot for a refill. Cloud sighed.
"He is your friend. Is that what you're weird about this morning? Cause if it is, you don't have to be. You're going to call him and get everything straightened out, right? Besides, you of all people should understand being embarrassed . . ."
"I'm not weird this morning, Cloud; I'm tired. I couldn't sleep. Believe or not, unlike you, my world does not center on Riku. I do understand, blessed as I am with the capability of thinking. Would you just get off my back already?" Cloud huffed. Leon sat on his stool again. "You should really drink that coffee before it gets cold."
Cloud nodded and took a sip. It was lukewarm. He grimaced. Leon chuckled.
"Told you so," said Leon. "So how was it last night sleeping in there?"
Cloud sighed.
"Rough. I just keep thinking about him, and I want to call and make sure he's all right, but I know he isn't, so what's the point? Besides, he's got stuff to do. It's just . . . weird. Him not being here."
"House feels empty," said Leon.
"Yeah . . . Oh! Hey . . . you get the number yet?" Leon shook his head. "Let me get that for you, then."
Cloud stood from his stool and walked toward the bedroom, passing a glance back to Leon.
In a way, Cloud kind of wanted to strangle Leon. He was a lying sack of shit saying that his bad attitude had nothing to do with Riku. Cloud was even more irritated that Leon wouldn't just admit to his feelings still being hurt. It wasn't like Cloud was some jealous psychopath that would forbid Leon to actually care about Riku's well-being. Okay, so maybe he was a little jealous of the friendship that forged between his boyfriend and best friend, but extenuating circumstances between he and Riku had made every day so unstable. Cloud never knew what was going to happen next, and while it wasn't always a disaster, there were still times like these when Riku looked liked Ansem and Cloud could do nothing about it. It wasn't completely ridiculous to think that the next bad thing would be for Leon to just sweep in, steal Riku away, and leave Cloud alone. He knew it wouldn't happen, but then again, he never saw this Ansem situation coming, either.
Cloud shook his head as he grabbed the phone from the dresser. He wished he wouldn't have gone off about Leon like he had at Christmas. It had apparently hurt Leon more than Cloud thought, and that was never part of his intentions in the first place. He knew that fear was ridiculous now. Why couldn't he have just known it back then? Cloud wished he would have thought more about the repercussions instead of letting his emotions get away with him like that. This strained friendship with Leon right now was more apparent with Riku gone.
Leon was still sitting at the counter when Cloud left the bedroom. He crossed to his seat and flipped his phone open.
"Damn," said Cloud. "I have, like, seventeen missed calls."
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you the popular one?"
"No . . ." Cloud viewed the list. "Three from you. That must've been in the World That Never Was . . ."
"Haven't you used your phone since then?"
"Sure, I talked to Riku. And I was going to call people, but I didn't want to not tell you about what happened over the phone, so I just skipped the call log. I didn't I'd have this many."
"That'll teach you to ignore your missed call list again."
"Guess so. I don't even know this number. I have three from you. Two from Tifa." Cloud snorted. "Yuffie. Aerith. And eight from some number I don't even know." Cloud pressed a few more buttons and held the phone to his ear. "Holy shit. I've got fourteen messages."
"Two of them are from me," said Leon.
"Yeah, and one from Yuffie. Why does she insist on annoying me everywhere I go?"
"Shut up. You like it."
"I do not."
"Oh, yes you do. We all complain about Yuffie, but we'd be miserable if she suddenly decided she didn't want to bug us anymore."
Leon moved around the kitchen, cleaning up. His eyes focused on what he was doing, but occasionally strayed to Cloud. After a few deleted messages, Cloud smiled at him.
"You were worried."
"Whatever . . ."
Cloud was silent for another minute, and then he frowned, glancing up.
"It's Reno."
"Hm?"
"Reno. Reno, Turk from Midgar, Reno."
"Sexually promiscuous, rebound after Zack, Reno?"
"Same Reno."
"What the hell does he want?"
Cloud frowned.
"Something about a job. And Shinra. Fuck them. Not interested."
Leon snorted.
"You tell that voicemail, Cloud."
"Shut up. It's Tifa. Oh, yeah, thanks. She says to me that Reno called asking for my number and she got bullied into giving it to him. That's helpful now."
"At least she tried to warn you."
"Oh for the love of Shiva, it's Reno again."
"What does he want now?"
"He's yelling at me for not calling him back. Fuck you. Not interested."
Cloud deleted the message, but the next three were from Reno as well, bitching at great length about Cloud avoiding him. Cloud shook his head as he deleted another message.
"It's too early for this crap. Oh, wait, Tifa again. She's yelling at me for not calling Reno back, because now he's bugging her, too. She says she isn't my personal secretary."
Leon smiled.
"Guess you won't be turning your phone off in the future anymore."
"Maybe I'll ask Cid to get me a new number."
"Maybe Cid would beat you if you did that, because we already have enough problems with the restoration."
"Probably. Oh, here it is. Last message. Reno again. He's starting to sound desperate."
"Maybe he's sexually frustrated."
"Too bad for him. I'm taken."
"That you are."
Cloud smiled and pressed the phone harder to his ear. He almost laughed at the pleading tone in Reno's voice to call him back, because there was a job. An important job. He couldn't say much because Rufus Shinra himself wanted to discuss the matter with him (Cloud should've known someone was behind Reno's frequent calls as Reno never called him this much when they were dating). Then Reno's voice broke off. Cloud waited for the prompt to delete the message, but he started speaking again.
"Look," said Reno. "I'm not supposed to say anything to you because we don't know for sure, but . . . There's some weird stuff going on around here. We think it has something to do with Jenova. We need you here. I have to head out to the Northern Cave, just . . . call me back, okay?"
The call cut off. The annoying automated voice prompted him to delete or save the message. Cloud flipped his phone shut.
"Well?" said Leon.
Cloud blinked, staring into nothing, and then he looked to Leon.
"I think . . . I think I have to go to Midgar."
Leon nodded.
"Of course you do."
"This job . . . Reno says that weird things have been going on. He won't go into detail because apparently Rufus Shinra wants to talk to me about it, and they don't really know for sure, but . . . he thinks it has something to do with Jenova."
"Which means . . ."
"Sephiroth," Cloud finished.
"Right. Well? Go pack. I have to get dressed. Busy day."
"But . . ."
"You've been waiting for this. This is a good thing. You want to defeat Sephiroth, don't you?"
"Well, yes . . ."
"I'll handle everyone. I'll let them know about Sora, and Riku, and everything. You just . . . just go pack, okay?"
"You still need Riku's number."
"Leave your phone on the counter. I'll get it."
"What about Aerith? I should at least explain myself."
"I'll take care of it. If Sephiroth is up to something . . . We all know what happened, more or less, the last time he was in Midgar."
"Meteor."
"Right. So . . . go take care of things. You don't want him getting closer to annihilating the planet again while you're here explaining yourself."
"But . . ."
"Get out of here already. I'm going to get dressed. I'll have my phone on me. Call me if you need anything."
Cloud held his phone out to Leon.
"Here. Make sure you get his number before I go. Do it now so you don't forget."
"You do know the sooner you take care of Sephiroth, the sooner you and Riku can be together."
"I don't think he wants me around right now."
"That's because you and Riku never know what's good for you."
Leon stared at the phone in Cloud's outstretched hand for a few seconds. He sighed and grabbed it, flipping it open. He pressed a few buttons, and then grabbed a piece of paper from the drawer. With the numbers jotted down, he snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Cloud.
"Happy now?" said Leon.
"What if it's not Sephiroth? What if . . ."
"Give it a rest, Cloud. Stop doubting yourself."
"But I just got here."
"And Hollow Bastion will still be here when you get back. We can get along without you. Restoration will probably go faster."
"That's not what I meant . . ."
"I'll be fine."
"House feels really empty."
"I'll be fine, Cloud."
"I know. I just . . . last time . . . when me and Zack left. And now you're being shoved out again. And Riku . . . He's going to tell you, you know?"
"Would you give it a rest? I'm going to be fine."
"You could come with. You don't have to stay here."
"Yes, I do. I have a restoration to take care of. And what happens if you're still off when Sora wakes up? I may not remember him, but he's supposed to be my friend. What if I'm off running around with you, letting Hollow Bastion fall to shit again when we all remember Sora, and he comes traipsing back into our world? Someone's got to make sure Yuffie keeps her mouth shut."
"I'm not trying to cut you out, you know."
"Oh for the love of . . . Cloud. Shut up. Let it go."
"But Aerith and Yuffie have each other, and Cid's got Cid, and you had me and Riku, but now . . ."
"Cloud, if you don't shut up and pack, I'm going to get the Gunblade."
"You should be working by now."
"Another excellent reason why you should let me get dressed. Go pack. I'll cover for you. Aerith just needs to know what's going on. She doesn't need to hear it from you. I baby-sit Yuffie better than you do. What are you going to do all day? Worry about Sephiroth? Put paint in your ears? Come on, Cloud . . ."
"I know. I just . . . feel bad."
"You never felt bad before."
Cloud hung his head and swallowed.
"Yes, I did. I feel bad every time I leave. I felt bad when I ran off after Riku, but he needed me . . ."
"And right now Reno thinks Midgar needs you. Tifa needs you. You were supposed to visit anyway. Say hello to Tifa and Vincent for me. Give the brats hugs."
"I will."
"Good. Pack."
Cloud sighed.
"Okay."
-----0-----
Under twenty-four hours after returning from Twilight Town, Cloud stepped onto his Gummi ship and thanked Shiva he didn't run into Aerith, Cid, or Yuffie on the way. He pulled out his phone and found Tifa in the contact menu. The controls were set for Gaia.
My Harry hiatus is over.
Obviously.
So there's fifty-four for you. Boo ya. We are moving on to . . . well, Edge, really, but Cloudykins thinks he's going to Midgar . . .
Didn't turn out at all as I expected. This transition to the FFVII world. Leon was still smarting off Riku more than I thought. But oh well. He's the boss of him.
I'm not replying. I am too tired. I have a nine-hour guard shift tomorrow and need rest.
Love to all.
-D