Stay and Drown: Leon
Title: Stay and Drown
Author: fireflypenance
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Characters/Pairings: Leon/Cloud, mention of Sephiroth
Rating: PG
Challenge: un_love_me
Prompt: You remind me of me.
The blonde haired man who came to Hollow Bastion wasn’t the swordsman that had been his best friend. But then again, he wasn’t the naïve mercenary he’d been either. He distrusted the man who Cloud had become, at first. Aerith chided him for it, insisted that Cloud would always be Cloud, and always their friend. Leon wasn’t convinced. He doubted he ever would be.
Perhaps he was a bit jaded, he mused alone in his room one night. Cloud was still here. That was surprising enough. He’d wanted to go, but Cloud had never been able to deny Aerith much. That much, it seemed, was in tact.
So Cloud remained. His room was just down the hall from Leon’s. The two swordsmen had barely said two words to one another. Leon was surprised at that, and yet not surprised. He could that some great darkness had settled over the blonde.
”I’m worried, Leon. He seems so distant…” Aerith had said only hours ago.
“Cloud has always been quiet.”
“This is more than shyness.” she’d insisted. Eventually she’d shaken her head and left him alone.
Now he made his way into the hall. He was restless. He would do rounds in the streets, and fight some heartless if it came to it. He needed the exercise. It seemed he couldn’t sleep until he was plainly too exhausted to stand.
He was surprised to find Cloud in the front room.
Leon had always been the better of the two at stealth, and had to clear his throat to be noticed.
“You’re leaving.” it wasn’t a question. Cloud shrugged. “You could at least wait and say good bye to her.”
Cloud squirmed, more figuratively than literally, for a moment. Then he replied. “I hate making Aerith sad. This way, I don’t have to see her cry.”
“Why go at all? Why not stay here, and help us with the restoration?”
Cloud hesitated. “You would have me?” Leon shrugged, this time. “I was under the impression you wanted me gone.”
Leon furrowed his brow. Whatever he did feel about Cloud in that moment, he hadn’t expected this conversation and it was throwing him off balance. For a moment he felt like he was looking again at his best friend. But he knew that Cloud had changed.
“You are welcome here.” he said finally. Cloud looked hopeful for only a second before something fell over it and smothered it. Leon suspected that he had almost had a chance to save Cloud, but now it was gone.
“I can’t stay.”
“Why go? Where will you go?”
“To protect all of you from him.”
Leon mentally reeled and closed his eyes. “You remind me of me.” he said, and it wasn’t a compliment. “We don’t need your protection. Not like that.”
“Good bye, Squall.”
It hurt, more than it should have, to heard Cloud use his name like that. He closed his eyes and listened to the door opening and Cloud walking out of his life again.
”Good bye, Cloud.” he muttered to himself.
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Author: fireflypenance
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Characters/Pairings: Leon/Cloud, mention of Sephiroth
Rating: PG
Challenge: un_love_me
Prompt: You remind me of me.
The blonde haired man who came to Hollow Bastion wasn’t the swordsman that had been his best friend. But then again, he wasn’t the naïve mercenary he’d been either. He distrusted the man who Cloud had become, at first. Aerith chided him for it, insisted that Cloud would always be Cloud, and always their friend. Leon wasn’t convinced. He doubted he ever would be.
Perhaps he was a bit jaded, he mused alone in his room one night. Cloud was still here. That was surprising enough. He’d wanted to go, but Cloud had never been able to deny Aerith much. That much, it seemed, was in tact.
So Cloud remained. His room was just down the hall from Leon’s. The two swordsmen had barely said two words to one another. Leon was surprised at that, and yet not surprised. He could that some great darkness had settled over the blonde.
”I’m worried, Leon. He seems so distant…” Aerith had said only hours ago.
“Cloud has always been quiet.”
“This is more than shyness.” she’d insisted. Eventually she’d shaken her head and left him alone.
Now he made his way into the hall. He was restless. He would do rounds in the streets, and fight some heartless if it came to it. He needed the exercise. It seemed he couldn’t sleep until he was plainly too exhausted to stand.
He was surprised to find Cloud in the front room.
Leon had always been the better of the two at stealth, and had to clear his throat to be noticed.
“You’re leaving.” it wasn’t a question. Cloud shrugged. “You could at least wait and say good bye to her.”
Cloud squirmed, more figuratively than literally, for a moment. Then he replied. “I hate making Aerith sad. This way, I don’t have to see her cry.”
“Why go at all? Why not stay here, and help us with the restoration?”
Cloud hesitated. “You would have me?” Leon shrugged, this time. “I was under the impression you wanted me gone.”
Leon furrowed his brow. Whatever he did feel about Cloud in that moment, he hadn’t expected this conversation and it was throwing him off balance. For a moment he felt like he was looking again at his best friend. But he knew that Cloud had changed.
“You are welcome here.” he said finally. Cloud looked hopeful for only a second before something fell over it and smothered it. Leon suspected that he had almost had a chance to save Cloud, but now it was gone.
“I can’t stay.”
“Why go? Where will you go?”
“To protect all of you from him.”
Leon mentally reeled and closed his eyes. “You remind me of me.” he said, and it wasn’t a compliment. “We don’t need your protection. Not like that.”
“Good bye, Squall.”
It hurt, more than it should have, to heard Cloud use his name like that. He closed his eyes and listened to the door opening and Cloud walking out of his life again.
”Good bye, Cloud.” he muttered to himself.
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