Signed Sealed Delivered - Chapter 9

Main Pairing: Leon x Cloud

Warning: Male x Male Relationships, harsh language, AU, major OOC, characters from other games

A/N: Thank you for the wait and all your supports.

Ultimate thanks to Out-of-Character217 for beta-ing this story. What can I do without you T.T Thank you very much!

Don't flame me, please. It won't get me anywhere. Critiques and advices are much more appreciated.

After he talked to Zack, the raven haired man practically dragged Cloud to Leon's place. Zack had asked Leon if he was free to have dinner together with them at Cloud's place, which Leon obviously agreed to and Cloud took the opportunity to glance around his apartment. It was nearly empty. There was only a sofa in the corner which was quiet big and looked comfortable enough even for sleep on, but because it was put in a position that was hidden from his balcony, he hadn't seen it before. There was also an end table with a half-empty paper coffee cup sitting on it.

"Are you bankrupt or something?" Cloud asked sarcastically as they waited for Leon to change his clothes. Zack had insisted that Cloud cook and Leon had volunteered to buy the groceries. This was another reason why Cloud had given in: free dinner was always welcome, whomever it might came from

"Why?" Leon called from the other room, which Cloud suspected would not be much different, and just as empty as his living room.

Cloud touched the surface of the white sofa. It was soft and looked and felt really expensive too. Zack was already getting comfortable and was sitting on it like it was his own. "I just imagined this place was going to be crazy like that 'castle' of yours."

Leon's chuckle drew closer. "Like I said before, this place is just so I can get closer to you. I don't need anything else here."

Cloud turned his head; the brunet haired man was standing in the door frame smiling. He'd changed his black button-down shirt to a thin, maroon sweater and he wore a black tailored jacket on top of it to match his black pants. He looked stunning actually. Cloud held his breath for a second before he gasped and turned his head away to hide his blush. He rose abruptly and stalked to the door dragging Zack along by his wrist as he grinned in amusement. "You've finished changing, right?! Then let's go! I saw an ad. There's discount on crab in the seafood section today."

As simple as that, Cloud's curiosity about the lack of furniture in Leon's apartment was answered, and he didn't know how to react to that. His heart was still beating so fast. Maybe, just maybe, he was now starting to take Leon's feelings for him more seriously. But just a little bit. Luckily, the wild beating of his heart was overtaken for a different reason later in the parking lot. The second Zack looked at Leon's black sports car he jumped on it and hugged it as if it was his long lost girlfriend.

"I always saw it parked in front of this building. I didn't know this was your car!"

Leon laughed and offered Zack a turn at driving it. Zack took the steering wheel happily, but it was one of a few things Cloud didn't want to experience again; Zack drove like a speed demon being chased by Hades.

"Sports cars rock!" Zack exclaimed loudly, laughing like his brain had split in half.

Along the way to the supermarket, Cloud had braced his heart as if it would burst out his chest. He didn't even have the power to scream because of the shock. The blond had no idea Zack was such a speedy driver. Or maybe it was because Zack couldn't drive that fast in his old yellow truck.

On the other hand, Leon seemed to enjoying himself. He didn't seem nervous or scared at all.

"Zack, I take back what I said: when you're able to buy this kind of car, I don't want to drive with you! Ever!" Cloud shouted in a loud voice, making the patrons in the supermarket turn their heads at him like he was a mad man.

On the evenings menu was pasta with crab sauce: a tomato-based pasta sauce with lots of crabs. After they finished shopping in the supermarket, Leon directed Zack to drive to a high class patisserie shop in a luxurious district meant for rich folks, and bought a fancy chocolate mousse with fresh blueberry sauce as their dessert. In fact, Leon decided to pick this particular one because he saw Cloud almost drooling on top of the glass desserts counter. His eyes were glued tightly to the perfect circular chocolate cake, rounded with fresh berries and topped with tiny mint leaves.

Leon chuckled upon seeing the mesmerized man. He looked so cute that the brunet unconsciously stepped behind him and kissed his cheek in a quick peck. Cloud yelped, but his angry retort was halted when Leon ordered three servings of the dessert to the giggling sales-clerk across the counter, who was dressed in a purple maids outfit.

At home, Cloud very gingerly put the dessert in the fridge. Thankfully Leon had taken the steering wheel on the way back home, saving the delicate sweets in the shiny magenta box in Cloud's arms from the high possibility of it turning into a scrambled chocolate and blueberry mess, should Zack have driven the car again.

Cloud was now rummaging around inside his kitchen drawer for a can opener, flicking an occasional glance to the black haired man who was having a conversation with Leon about something to do with sports cars.

Zack knew. He knew about Leon's feelings for Cloud. But did Zack know about Cloud's feelings for Zack? If he was sharp enough to realize Leon's, then he should also have guessed about Cloud's. Although Cloud was sure it could be awkward between them, since he knew Zack loved Aerith to death. Cloud knew he had zero chance, because Zack had always said that Cloud was like the little brother he'd always wanted.

"Oh, so you have a girlfriend?! I want to meet her someday." Leon's words brought Cloud's attention back, half listening to the hissing tomato sauce in the pan and half to what they were talking about.

"I'll introduce you to her one of these days," Zack said, his eyes squinting in warning. "But don't even think you can try to flirt with her."

Leon chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I won't go usurping your lovely girlfriend. And besides…" He looked at Cloud fondly. "I've already planted my heart here."

"Planted, huh? What's wrong, Cloud?"

"Nothing," Cloud said in a hurry, picking up the ladle he'd unconsciously dropped. He could feel his face was really red like the boiled crabs. He couldn't turn his face to them without being asked what was the matter. He couldn't answer that. He wanted to know why himself. He wanted to… make sure.

The dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Either because the food was quite good (Cloud actually felt a bit proud of his cooking skills) or maybe it was because of the two other men who were busy talking to each other about something he didn't really care about, and had left him to enjoy his food alone in silence. But it wasn't until he realized the voices of the other two had ceased that he looked up and found they were staring at him.

"Uuh, what?" Asked Cloud, while chewing on a piece of crab.

"Cloud!" Zack exclaimed with a loud sigh, reaching a hand to pat the blond's head. "Get your head back here from crab land."

"We were talking about your mother," Leon explained, eyes fixed on Zack's hand perched on Cloud's head.

Cloud almost choked on the crab when swallowing. Luckily he managed to swallow it, and with a little sting in his nostrils, he cleared his throat. "My mom? What's wrong with my mom?"

"She called me the other day." Zack explained.

Cloud's head snapped to the raven haired man, his eyes widening. "What, why'd she called you?"

"Well, she said if she called you and asking about how you're doing, she'd only get 'Nothing happened, I'm fine, mom.' as an answer. So she called me." He took a drink before continuing, "She was very worried when I told her that you got a fever and almost fainted. She said she would pay you a visit one of these days."

"What?!" Cloud exclaimed loudly. His mother was always a worrywart, granted that Cloud was her only son, but that was just one of the reasons why, since he'd been a child, he never told her anything bad that had happened to him. Before he moved to town, he'd always kept his problems to himself. Not only because she was busy working as a housekeeper for two households since his father's unfortunate death when he was still a child, but also it was because she always took even the smallest problem to an excessive extent. Cloud could still remember how his mother had almost strangled the ambulance driver when he was taken to the local hospital, because one of his friends unintentionally threw a dodge ball at his head. He'd fainted because of that and the driver was both new and just got his driver license, so he drove the car very slowly and made Cloud's mother lose her patience.

"Can you drive faster?! What if my son dies because of internal bleeding? You drive like a snail with a hundred ton of weight on its bloody head!" That had been the cry of his mom as she'd yelled hysterically at the poor driver and almost broke his neck. If it hadn't been for the nurses who'd held her back and threatened to give her a shot so she could calm down.

Cloud exhaled in exasperation. If his mom came to visit him, how would she react to Leon suddenly molesting him right in front of her eyes, or something stupid like proposing to him. That would be…

Wait.

Wait…! If he did that, then his mother would deem him as a threat to her precious only son and she would throw him out, or at least keep Leon away from him. Put a restraining order on him or something.

Cloud's mouth twitched up at the corners, but then he scrunched it back. No. He couldn't make his mother do something like that. Letting her strangled Leon to death was not an option because he loved her too much to let her possibly break the law. He sighed, clicking his tongue in desperation. He heard a chuckle. Leon was smiling warmly at him when he looked up, propping his cheek on one hand on the table. Cloud made a sour face at him. "What's so funny?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, I'm just looking forward to meeting your mother."

Ooh… Those eyes. Cloud sensed danger from them. What should he do now? Let his mother clean up the mess, or try something – anything – so that Leon would not meet his mother. What if Leon told his mother everything? What if his mother threw Leon out and kept him away? Suddenly Cloud felt his heart clench. What if he didn't want that to happen? His brain was in chaos. His dinner on his plate was forgotten as he tried to ignore a wicked wink from Leon, which was starting to have an effect on the blood vessels around his cheeks, and Zack who failed to cover an amused snicker behind a mouthful of pasta.

A couple of minutes later Cloud jumped in surprise. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out and flipped it open. One message came in. It was from… his mother.

Zacky told me you got a fever.

I knew it! It's too soon for you to live by yourself so far away from me. :v

I'm coming to visit you in Radiant Town. Pick me up tomorrow at the train station. I'll be waiting.

Love and kisses. Mom. ^0^"

"Shit!"

End Note: Ohoho, Cloud's mom! I love my mother too. But she doesn't use emoticons when sending short messages. *Laughing out loud

I wrote Leon's clothing up there, based on the image of Mr. Yuuki Eiri that I saw on the ending clip of Gravitation anime (Black tailored suit with thin red sweater, or was it purple? Anyway, I wrote it maroon here ^^a) He looks so, aahh… I want to jump him right away. Hahahaha.

I will post the next chapter next week.