A/N: Special thanks to likkle cloud and Aozora .NejiSasUKE for their reviews! :)

And thank you to everyone else following this story, enjoy!

Stay With Me

Chapter 9: Leaving the Mirror Fogged

"You're here with me right now, aren't you? I can touch you, cant I?"

"You are here, Leon. You're here with me. You're not alone."

"And now, neither am I."

The brunet splashed cold water onto his face. Even though he had just taken a shower, he still wasn't awake, he still wasn't….right.

He would say he didn't feel himself but he wasn't sure if that entirely true because…who was he? All he knew is that he wasn't the same man who had first appeared to Cloud. No… He was still him…he was just, also, this Squall. That weak, pathetic human was living within him, and he couldn't allow himself to remember any more of him in the risk of forgetting Cloud, his mission, and his own will at…succeeding. It was as though he had two beings within himself. There was himself, who he named Leon since it was the first thing that came to mind which he thought he might respond to, if called by. Then there was Squall, this weak…pathetic human who, like Cloud, was ready to die…

Leon shook his head and began to splash more water cold water onto his face. No, he couldn't allow him to remember that girl which Squall had been so infatuated with. He couldn't risk remembering anymore pain. He had to stay focused and fight his… past self, or so it seemed to be.

The brunet sighed and finally began to dry himself, then looked to his side and…couldn't find his clothes. He thought back and realized, with a sigh, he had never grabbed any. Sighing again Leon cracked open the door to see if Cloud as near, and noticed he had some trouble opening the door. He looked down and become aware of a small pile of clothing by the door. The brunet smiled a little to himself and took the pile in. That was considerate of the blonde, thought Leon.

Then he paused and sighed, or perhaps the blonde just didn't want to see him naked again.

-oOo-

Cloud sat at the kitchen table, simply twirling his cell phone, lost in his thoughts…

"Who are you?"

It still stung Cloud to think of those words… How could the brunet have forgotten him so easily?
What happened to him when he had passed out…? Why had he passed out to begin with?

He hadn't seemed himself at the party either…his eyes held too much emotion… it wasn't like him. He was always so serious and cold…

"…they have lost those people too. Their pain may not match yours entirely but it doesn't mean theirs isn't just as real. They have been hurting for just as long as you have but they are trying to live with that pain…and they want you to live with them."

Where had all had all that come from? Cloud wondered to himself as the afternoon light spread throughout the kitchen.

" They don't want to lose you too…it would…kill them…" Leon had fallen to his knees after that…he seemed so weak… was he…remembering his past? What would that mean?

Cloud paused in his twirling of the phone, as he was struck by the thought. It was then he noticed the glowing of his cell phone. The caller ID read Tifa Lockhart. Cloud smiled a little, relieved he could finally tell her that Leon was ok.

He answered the phone and lifted it to his ear, "Hey Tifa…"

"Cloud! You answer! On the first ring at that! So…how is he?"

"He's ok. He woke up. He's in the shower now."

"Oh thank goodness. Though Cloud maybe you should have helped him in there. Don't want him falling down in there."

Cloud could feel the heat gathering in his cheeks, "No, he's fine! Absolutely fine on his own!"

Cloud could hear his friend giggling over the line, "You seem a little shy to shower with your boyfriend, Cloud."

"He's not my—!" Cloud cut himself off when he noticed the brunet standing in the doorway to the kitchen, dressed in the tank top and pajama bottoms he had given him. He had a towel hung around his neck, while his poorly dried hair dripped trails down his face and neck. He was looking to Cloud with a questioning glace, most likely from the rising of his voice. Yet all Cloud could do was stare at the other male in awe.

Tifa was giggling on the other end of the line, "Yuffie was right! Why won't you admit to him being your boyfriend? He's attractive and well mannered, no reason to be ashamed."

Tifa had a point there, Leon sure was…attractive. But as for the manners, Cloud thought with a slight annoyance, those only showed themselves in public, so it was no real benefit to Cloud.

"Hey Tifa, I got to let you go. I'll call you later."

"Oh? He must be out of the shower. Well, have fun Cloudy. Tell Leon I said 'hi'!" –click—

Cloud could only stair at the phone a little perturbed by what the other had said.
Have fun? What did she…
His face began to glow red at the realization or more so perverseness she most likely had meant.
What a …pervert… Cloud thought still flushing as he placed the phone back down onto the table.

"Who was that?" the burnet inquired as he made his way into the kitchen and began to look into one of Cloud's cabinets, most likely in search of food.

"That's none of your business… but it was Tifa, she says 'hi'— and get the hell out of my cabinets."

Leon just glanced at Cloud from over his shoulder with a questioning glance and grabbed a bag of chips before shutting the cabinet, "Well someone is sure cranky today."

Before the brunet had a chance to even finish opening the bag the blonde had snatched it away, right out of his hands.

The brunet could only blink, "What's with you?"

"You're not eating that." The blonde responded, rolling the bag up and replacing it in the cabinet.

"Then what can I eat?" the brunet asked a little frustrated, mostly from feeling so famished.

Cloud moved to the stove and began to fill a bowl with contents from a cooking pot, "Soup."

"Soup? Cloud, I'm not sick, please stop being so…I'm just so hungry." The burnet sighed, collapsing into a chair at the table.

"Stop your bellyaching. This is the first thing you're going to be eating since you've woken up, so it should be light so you don't get sick." Cloud rolled his eyes and placed the bowl in front of Squall, "By the way, its beef stew, not soup, so don't complain."

The brunet raised an eyebrow at the blond but decided it was no point in fighting him so he decided to just contently eat the stew for now, "Cloud?"

Cloud grunted from across the table in response as he gazed in the opposite direction of the brunet, out the window.

"Where did you get these pj bottoms? They're too big for you. Borrow them from Cid or something?"

The blonde blinked and looked to Leon incredulously, "No…One: Cid would never loan anyone his own clothing and Two: it's called a clothing store. We went to one the other day you know."

"Yeah but…these we didn't get."

"I know that. I got them for you the other day. Seemed like they would be more comfortable than jeans or being naked." Cloud shrugged.

"Well yeah…why are you so worried about me being naked? And when did you wonder off to do that? I've been with you this whole time."

"I just don't—! Wait…what?" Cloud asked, skeptically.

"You seem to get upset with me know whenever I'm na—"Not that! The other thing you said!"

"Oh…I've been with you all this time. When did you sneak off to get these?"

"Sneak?" Cloud looked confused, "Leon, how long do you think you were passed out for?"

Leon shrugged, "I don't know. A day? What's that face for?"

Cloud was just gawking at Leon then sighed, "No Leon, it's almost been a week."

The brunet looked perplexed, "What?"

Cloud seemed to be thinking back, "You passed out the night of the party, and have been out for the last four days and nights. It was about late afternoon today you woke up."

The brunet looked down for a moment, seeming to take in what the blonde had said, and then looked back to him a little concerned, "I'm…sorry…were you ok?"

Cloud blinked, confused, "Ok? Um, I was fine. I'm not sick or—"

"No…I mean…I'm sorry if I scared you." Leon said, gently. He seemed to be weighing out his every word, to make sure he wasn't going to upset the blonde.

Cloud was about to respond, to say he hadn't scared him and he was fine. He wanted to say it, he was going to but…his memory of that night over took him as well as the overwhelming fear that filled his heart at the site of the man before him on the cold hard ground… looking so pale…

"Leon!" Cloud was at his side, knelt by him, the moment he collapsed. "Leon! Leon wake up! Open your eyes!"

Cloud could see the other man's eyes moving about from under the lids, but he couldn't seem to hear him. His friends were about him a moment after, though Cloud took little notice of them. He was filling to the brink with fear, anxiousness, foreboding, and to deal with it all his anger flared out of him, "You bastard! Open your eyes!"

He began to shake the other man violently, "Don't you do this to me! Jokes over! Wake up!"

"Cloud stop!" A female voice had called out to him, Yuffie or Tifa, he couldn't be sure.

"Leon!"
At that moment Tifa roughly pulled Cloud into a strong embrace, Cloud knew it was her for Yufi wasn't strong enough to do so. She held him strong from behind even as the blond clung to the brunet in his arms. Cloud couldn't stop the tears falling from his eyes, he couldn't be abandoned again, not even by this asshole, he just couldn't.

"Cloud! It's ok…He's alive, you see his chest moving don't you?"

"Cloud…Cloud…"

"Cloud!"

The blonde came back to himself find the brunet mere inches away from his face. He flinched, "What?"

The brunet looked concerned, "Relax…" he said as he gently whipped the blondes cheek.

Flushing, unsure of what was happening; the blonde shoved his chair back and stood, "Relax? Why should I relax when you were the one yelling my name?"

The brunet stood straight to continued eye contact with the blonde as he responded evenly, "Because you were responding to me, your eyes were downcast, and tears were going down your face. Because I…was scared."

Cloud touched his own eyes to find the wetness left behind but then thinking over what the brunet said looked back to him, "You were scared? Scared of what?"

The brunet blushed and turned away, Oh course that what he would take away from what I said! But…why did I say it? Im not…I don't…care…I…

The brunet growled in frustration, "That's not what important!"

The blonde jumped for a moment, taken aback from the brunet's outburst. Then gaining back his composure he responded to the brunet, unable to help the little smirk growing on his lips, "Then what is?"

The brunet was quiet for a moment, then finally turning, eyes downcast he responded, "You. Just…ignore the rest…"

"And what if I don't want to?"

The brunet raised his gaze to question the blonde with his eyes.

The blonde didn't know where these words were coming from, but they were free flowing from his lips before he could even knew what he was saying, "What if I want to know everything about you? What if I want you to care? What if I wanted you to worry about me?"

Turning away he mumbled, "That would make you human."

"Is that your answer for everything?" the blond, unable to stop the soft smile on his lips.

The brunet looked up to see the slight sadness in the other's eyes as well.

"Because you're an angel means you can't feel? Can't love?"

"What does…that…" the brunet started but was unable to finish.

So the blonde decided to finish it for him, "What does it matter? Because you do feel!"

Shock from the rise in the blonde's voice became visible tin the brunet's eyes.

"That night when we were at my birthday party. What you said to me when we were alone, about my friends? Someone heartless could not say such things especially how you did…like every word was bleeding out of your heart…Like it hurt to even speak of such thing—because it did, didn't it! You were talking from your heart not from God!"

The brunet looked away as if he was scolded child.

Then, as Cloud began to catch his breath, he realized there were things the brunet was not going to tell him; for reasons Cloud wasn't even certain of. All Cloud knew for sure was that right now, at this moment, the brunet was not going to open up to him no matter what he did. So he decided not to push him. Instead he came up with another idea, "Heh sorry, got a little worked up there huh?"

The brunet looked back to him raising an eyebrow.

The blonde flushed lightly at how handsome the brunet could be, even when he was looking at him like he was a freak. Cloud cleared his throat and started, "So yeah. What do you say we go out and see Demyx and Axel."

Leon looked taken aback, "You want to get drunk?"

Cloud flushed, "No you dope! Just go and visit with some friends."

The brunet thought for a moment and then responded, "you don't want to go see Tifa or the others?"

"No." Cloud shook his head, "I want to go the Fools' Gold …place."

The brunet could tell he was opting out of the word bar. He sighed, "Promise not to drink?"

Cloud pouted almost, "I can't drink at all?"

"No, because you don't know when to stop. If you don't promise then I refuse to go." To prove his point the burnet sat back into his chair at the kitchen table with his arms crossed.

Cloud growled in frustration and hit the table, "Fine I won't drink!"

The brunet smiled devilishly, "Then what are we waiting for?"