Under Covers

Chapter 8

"I want this over tonight."

The five officers had been gathered in the living room, all waiting to see what Leon's next course of action was.

"I think there's a pretty good chance of finding probable cause—with that, we can get a field warrant and ultimately, an arrest."

There were nods around the circle though Lightning's head was drooping toward her chest, keeping her eyes away from her commanding officer's. She hadn't spoken a word after Seifer's public scolding of her actions. Leon ignored her disinterest in his words for the time being; his intent was to speak with her later in a more private setting.

The Captain moved forward with his plan, outlining specific goals for the evening and reminding each person on his team of his or her strengths. Leon liked to work with encouragement rather than strict discipline; though he liked to stick to the rules, there was a reason why he was one of the more favored supervisors.

"Is everyone clear? Any questions?"

Snow raised his hand, earning a sigh and a half-smile from his superior.

"Now that we're back in second grade—yes, Snow?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Sorry, boss-man. Habit," Snow laughed, resting his elbow on one of the knees of his crossed legs. "I just wanna know—how are you gonna get Corneo to spill? That's part of your plan, right? Making him say it out-right?"

Leon's eyes narrowed a fraction in thought, his ashen eyes unfocused. "…Intimidation." There was a pause before he blinked and sharpened his gaze on Snow's face. "He's afraid of me, though he'd deny it to the grave. He thinks I'm willing to go as far as a turf war, which is nasty for business—not to mention what's at stake. For all he knows, I've got a whole army waiting for the word. He'd be cornered on a sheer cliff facing heavy artillery. He'll spill to me if I ask, don't worry about that." He nodded after he was finished speaking as if to affirm his own words.

"Not like he could stop us anyway…we're invincible. We get what we want, because there is nobody better."

Leon flinched at the sound of the voice in his head, his eyes widening slightly at the unwelcome intrusion.

"…Leon?"

His head snapped up to where Tifa's voice came from, her face tilted in concern. Leon gulped, willing the voice to go away. He couldn't deal with that right now…not with so much riding on that very night.

"I, uh…sorry, still kinda tired…" he excused weakly, running a slightly shaking hand through his hair. "Anyway, uh…any more questions?" He could feel Seifer's blazing malachite gaze on him, but he ignored it.

"Just…one."

Leon looked down to where Lightning was slowly lifting her head, her gaze leveling with his steadily.

"You say you plan on having this all done tonight, correct?"

The Captain nodded, all worries and concerns about his mental health gone in the intensity of Lightning's countenance.

"So…say you get the cuffs on him. Then what?" Leon silently congratulated the pink-haired woman on her poker face. He figured she must have a ton of practice with it, because he was getting absolutely nothing from her eyes or her face.

"Then we call an entourage and get his fat ass thrown in a cell until his court date," Leon answered, purposefully neglecting the answer he knew she was looking for.

"And the Honeybee Inn?"

He raised an eyebrow, blinking slowly as he decided to play dumb. "My best guess? It gets shut down and turned into something more useful by the city of Gran Pulse. But that's not my job, and nor will I make it so," he answered with an air of finality.

Lightning frowned, but stayed silent. With that, Leon stood from the couch and stretched his back before he looked down to his fellow officers. "Take the rest of the time we have left to get ready. We leave for the Pulsian slums at twenty-three hundred hours, sharp."

A small chorus of "Yes, sir," sounded before the troops scattered to whatever part of the suite they needed to be in. Lightning paused at the door to the room where she and Tifa slept. Leon sighed, stretching himself out on the vacated couch.

"What's on your mind, Farron?"

"Well, sir…" she started, but trailed off and remained silent.

"If it's about earlier," Leon said neutrally, "don't work yourself up over it. Yeah, I'm still kind of annoyed, but life goes on. We need to focus on tonight's events."

"…Sir, I can't apologize for any of my actions except for the ones in which I failed to realize your state of mind."

Leon sat up then, looking at his subordinate with a mixture of disbelief and cautious attention.

"I don't believe I was in the wrong to ask about my brother. I haven't seen him…spoken to him, for months. You spent over five hours with him last night and I don't think it's too much of a burden on you to spare a few words about how he's doing." There was no malice or anger in her words; only calm, neutral, tired and exhausted resolve.

"No…I don't suppose it is…" Leon started slowly, settling into a more comfortable position. He motioned for her to sit next to him, which she did quickly. At a raised eyebrow from the woman, Leon took the prompt and started.

"Cloud is fine." He thought back to the boy's shining blue eyes, full of hope and something he couldn't describe as he began to believe in Leon's cause. He completely believed that he would be rescued soon…and Leon would be damned if those hopes were dashed.

"…And?" Lightning was frowning impatiently.

"…And, he appreciates the necklace you gave to him," Leon said with a smile, remembering the mesmerized look on Cloud's face as he held up the necklace's lightning bolt charm to his eyes.

"Oh…oh, yeah, I'm glad you got that to him. I think it'll help…even if it's only a little bit, I thought it might…" she smiled, musing mostly to herself.

"It helped."

Lightning smiled up at him, the first real smile he'd seen on her since before her brother had been kidnapped.

"Um…he seems alright…mentally…" Leon began, before pausing and remembering the voice he'd heard in his own head. What was it…? Was this op really getting to him that badly? Maybe after they finished he should go see a counselor…

"…Hello? Hey, are you okay?"

"Eh?" Leon blinked as he looked into Lightning's concerned face.

"Hey, space case, are you back for real? That's the second time you've done that in the hour. Do you need to sleep again before we go?"

"No, no…I'm fine. Anyway, Cloud…well, I don't know how much he wants to tell you himself…"

Lightning took the bait, for which Leon was grateful. Her face twisted, anxiety forming in her furrowed eyebrows. "Tell me about what?"

Leon looked to the side, not sure what all he should tell her.

"Leon, tell me about what? Hey, you can't put it out there and leave me hanging. Just tell me!"

"Well…you know…The Don…what he does…"

'Aw hell, how am I supposed to say this in a way that isn't completely insensitive?' Leon thought to himself, sighing before continuing.

"He's made Cloud a Honeybee." Lightning's expression was still bewildered. 'Damnit…get the picture before I have to spell it out for you!'

"A…Honeybee. That's what they call all the staff there right?"

"Uh, yeah…the staff…"

"What?" Lightning asked suspiciously. "Stop beating around the bush and just say it."

Leon sighed and decided to take her advice. "You know what they do there, Lightning." It was more of an affirmation than a question, to which the woman nodded. "Well…that's what Cloud does, but it sounds like The Don keeps him to himself, so he doesn't deal with the…uh, clients."

She looked down at that, her expression no longer visible. "Y-yeah, I…figured. I…damnit," she whispered harshly, her fists balling up in the skirt she was wearing.

Leon gave her a few moments before clearing his throat, causing her to lift her face back up to him, the troubled expression not quite gone.

"Is he…hurt at all?" she asked quietly.

"Well…" Leon said, once again wondering how much he should say. "I think…he got roughed up a few times because he tried to escape. He said something to that effect when I asked him about it," he answered truthfully, not wanting to have to see the pain in his subordinate's expression if he told her about the numerous scars marring the skin of the boy's back.

"Oh…well, at least he's still alive. I just…I need him to be with me again…" she said, looking now into the space over Leon's right shoulder, a completely lost expression taking over her face.

"Soon."

Lightning looked up to her Captain's eyes again, expression clearing.

Leon left it at that, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he got up and started over to the master bedroom.

Tifa walked out of her and Lightning's room just as Leon walked past and looked out to the living room, spotting her teammate still sitting on the couch.

"Lightning?" she asked, her eyes meeting with the other woman's. "Wanna get ready now? We don't have much longer. I'll help you do your hair," she offered with a smile.

Lightning smiled, feeling an overwhelming wave of gratitude and affection for Tifa. Whether it was the thought that she might be breaking her brother out of his prison in mere hours or the fact that Tifa was ignoring her blunder a few hours earlier or whatever else, she couldn't have felt more elated.

She walked over to their room and stepped in, pausing for a moment to look the other woman in the eyes.

"Call me Light," she said, before continuing in.

"Kid, you got forty-five minutes before you're expected to be in the business room. Get your shit together and move."

Cloud sighed. Another one of Corneo's guards. They'd been pestering him for the last hour to make sure he was ready for Griever's entrance on time, as he was fashionably late for the last meeting. He nodded to the guard and began to stand slowly, wincing as his branded shoulder was pulled slightly with the movement.

"I meant faster than a wounded wendigo," the goon remarked snidely, to which Cloud hadn't the energy to even scowl at. His shoulder was in immense pain, something he was sure the greasy-haired man standing at the door couldn't appreciate at all.

Cloud walked over to the heap of material he was to wear that night and picked it up, looking at it with a grimace. The Don definitely had a thing for lace, because he wasn't sure that any part of this…dress was made of anything else.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" the man asked loudly, the rustle of fabric Cloud heard behind him implying he'd stood up straight from his leaning posture against the doorframe.

'No, moron. I'm being subjected to your unintelligent monkey grunts; it's quite different from actually listening to a person speak,' Cloud thought to himself.

Cloud stepped gingerly into the monstrosity before him, letting his current clothing fall to the floor when he was sure nothing was showing.

The guards were enforcers of Corneo's laws, mostly making sure the Honeybees were kept in line and that the clients paid their fees. However, on top of their pay, The Don allowed them what he called 'break time.' That meant that they could have any Honeybee whenever they wanted, however they wanted. The only restrictions were that clients came first, Honeybees weren't marked anywhere that could be seen, and hands off The Don's favorites.

Of course, this last rule was easy to bypass if The Don wasn't around—which he never was during the day. Cloud learned this very early on, and was part of the reason he rarely ventured outside of his room. He was aware of the very possible danger that was staring at him from his doorway, but his elation at Leon's inevitable presence that night, despite the pain of being branded, made him bold. He ignored the keyed-up guard and continued dressing himself, going slowly and trying to keep the movement in his left pectoral muscles minimal.

There were footsteps echoing toward him, and before Cloud could turn and defend himself, his vision was sideways and his breath was taken from his lungs as he hit the floor. A few moments later, he was rolled roughly onto his stomach while his face was pushed into the wooden tile. He cried out in intense pain as his arms were forced underneath him, held captive by his own weight.

"I asked you a question," the guard growled breathily. Cloud could hear him panting with arousal as he lifted the lacy skirt, running his hands up the blonde's smooth legs. It was degrading and repulsive, but Cloud couldn't get past the pain in his shoulder that caused bursts of light in his vision. The branding of his body was his undoing, and in that brief moment of clarity, the boy knew that there was nothing he could do to get out of this situation.

Those unwelcome hands moved around to the fronts of his thighs, pulling him backwards and lifting his hips so that his ass stuck up in the air.

The guard chuckled in aroused amusement at the sight, pushing the skirt up and over Cloud's back so that he was fully exposed to the open air.

"Yeah…that's what I'm talking about…"

Cloud groaned in pain and discomfort, idly trying to move his right arm out from beneath him and put a stop to what was about to happen. His mind was fuzzy and his brain blank, but the pain kept him awake enough to realize what was going on. His usual way of tuning out reality wasn't working; Cloud nearly began to panic as he realized just how helpless he was.

"Here…I'll be nice this time—for my sake, not yours. Don't want The Don to realize I've had you, huh…?" The man's hands groped his ass and squeezed, his thumbs pulling so that his entrance stretched. There was a pleased hum at the sight, and soon Cloud felt fingers inside of him, rough and jerky as the man hardly cared whether he hurt or not. That was nothing—hell, his dick probably wouldn't hurt as bad as Cloud's shoulder did at that moment.

Too soon he felt the man pushing his cock in, the lewd groans from above making Cloud's stomach churn with disgust. His arms were still trapped, and he had no way of distracting himself from the horror of what was happening.

Or maybe…

Cloud closed his eyes, moving his neck so that his cheek was against the floor instead of the front of his face. He thought of gray eyes and long, dark hair…that low, husky voice…it was easy to hear, and comforting.

The hands gripping his hips like vices were okay now, and strangely enough, were a bit of a turn-on. Cloud groaned as he let his fantasy grow, his hips rolling slightly with arousal. He imagined a beautifully masculine physique behind him, grunting with pleasure as he claimed Cloud's body for his own…

Cloud cried out when a thrust hit him just right inside, his back arching and his hips bucking, and he saw darkened ash colored eyes narrowing at him in approval from behind. The blonde was panting with need now, his hips jerking shakily as his pleasure grew. The pace was faster now, the rhythm shot as there was nothing but the goal of release ahead. Cloud's legs were flexing with lust for the man in his thoughts, his knees sliding sensually up and down against the wooden floor.

There was a deep grunt from behind him, and Cloud cried out as he was brutally pounded into the floor. That was all it took for the blonde to lose it, and he screamed brokenly as a blinding orgasm washed through his veins.

"L-Leon…" he whimpered as he felt the man's seed fill him.

There was a chuckle and a low whistle behind Cloud, both of which effectively destroyed his fantasy. He felt the man pull out and there was a soft pat on his ass before he heard him stand and put his pants back on correctly. Cloud was unable to do anything but roll over, unconsciously keeping the dress out of the mess he'd made on the floor. His gaze traveled lazily up to the man looking down at him, a strange expression on his face.

"No wonder The Don likes you so much…I'd keep you all to myself, too," he said with a smirk, before walking back and leaning against the doorframe again like nothing had happened. "You got thirty-five minutes, kid. Make 'em count."

Suddenly, the sight of the guard made Cloud sick. He couldn't believe he'd just fantasized about Leon to make getting raped easier on him. On top of that, the pain in his shoulder came back in full force now that his distraction was gone. He'd have to see Leon later that night—how could he ever face him again, after using him for such a sick, undeserving reason?

Cloud heaved himself up, resisting the urge to cry out with pain as his left arm moved. He walked past the guard with the makeup room in mind for his destination, leaving a mess and five droplets of salty tears behind on the wooden floor.

"Back to business, once again…how drab."

"It's what you're good at, boss."

"But it's so…boring."

Leon sat in the plush chair he'd had the night before, the girls sitting on the arms of the chair once again and the men standing behind. Leon's legs were crossed and he sat back, silently relishing in the comfort. He was stressed and tired, and if he had the time he'd take another nap when they got back to the suite that night.

Tifa gave a sultry laugh, leaning herself over her 'lord' before pawing at his shirt and jacket playfully. "All work and no play makes Griever a dull boy…but after work, there's plenty of play," she giggled, winking suggestively at Lightning who smirked in return.

Underneath their flawless act, all five officers had the same thought: Where was Corneo?

Snow, who had been the one conversing with Leon minutes earlier, was frowning in thought. Either something went down that Corneo had to attend to, or he was making them wait as a sign of dominance. Whatever the reason, it made Snow nervous. He cast his light blue eyes at the empty chair where The Don should have been sitting and grit his teeth in slight annoyance.

He didn't regret joining the team, not one bit. Undercover ops happened, and someone had to do it. Snow enjoyed a change of scenery from the busy, paperwork-filled open desks of the precinct, and he definitely loved his job and working with his fellow officers.

What bothered him about this mission was seeing the under aged kids walking around in barely anything, sometimes leading their 'clients' back to a room. What he couldn't do was stop the sick bastards himself, with his bare hands if he had to, and that restraint was killing him inside. Still, he reminded himself of his duty and remembered his responsibility to his team. He'd die before he let any of them down, of that they could be assured.

Still…what he wouldn't do to have Serah in his arms for even just a minute, to remind himself that she was really okay.

With that thought, he straightened his already straight posture and let the pseudo conceited gleam rest in his eyes once again. It was for her that he did this job; he'd keep the streets as clean as he could so that there was less of a possibility of her falling into danger. He would continue to be the shield between her and the scum of the world so that her raincloud colored eyes would keep that innocent gleam in them for as long as possible.

Seifer noticed the shift of weight in Snow's person and glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Snow looked over and shot a confident smile at him, receiving a smirk in return. He looked forward again just as the doors opened and Corneo paraded in with his dozen or so Honeybees around him, Cloud among them.

Once he settled into his seat and got comfortable, he looked to Leon once again, offering pleasantries laced with poison.

"Griever, Griever, Griever…how are you on this fine evening? My apologies for my tardiness…it was his fault," The Don gestured towards Cloud, whose head was hanging close to his chest. "Have to keep the servants in line, you know how it goes." Leon wanted to punch that pleased smile into next Tuesday.

"So…I believe I left you with an offer of twenty percent," Leon started, ignoring Corneo's obvious pleasure in Cloud's pain.

"So you did. You also left me with an offer of a greater percentage were I to give you this one in return." The Don reached over and slid his sausage-like fingers beneath Cloud's chin, causing his head to bob for a moment as it was moved.

"So I did…" Leon echoed, his eyes projecting caution. He thought Corneo would take his offer as a stunt to make him angry…had he really taken it seriously? Elation began to bubble within Leon's stomach at the thought of being able to take Cloud away from the Inn that very day, but he kept his features schooled as his thoughts ran wild. He tilted his head with curiosity, waiting for Corneo to start the bartering once again.

"I suggest we start with at least thirty-five percent."

Leon let a snort through his nose, raising an incredulous eyebrow. "You think he's worth fifteen percent? That's three quarters of my original offer, and I believe that's delusional."

"Well, I suppose that's dependent on just how much this boy means to you. I have no problem with keeping him for myself, you see." Corneo was smirking, drunken glee evident in his tiny eyes. Leon frowned, considering his options.

"Twenty-five. I'd let you have a quarter of my profits for him," he finally decided, a hand rubbing his chin in thought.

"Thirty. And that's as low as I go."

Leon narrowed his eyes, wondering silently about what would happen were he to give in now. It would be a blow to his bulletproof resolve that Griever had projected so far, but he figured that even crime lords made allowances for things that they really wanted.

"…I suppose that's doable. A bit on the high end…but nothing too drastic, I suppose. If there were to be a margin of error and loss, I'd rather it be here than elsewhere…" Leon spoke to himself, letting Corneo think that he had money to spare. After a moment of silence, he looked to Tifa and raised an eyebrow. "What d'you think, 'Belle? Is it worth it?"

Tifa's lips quirked at her shortened nickname, but smiled nonetheless. "Personally…I think an extra ten percent is within the expendable range. We have more profitable interests elsewhere, and besides…whatever you want is what takes precedence." She let out a purr as Leon smirked and ran his hand up her side in a sensual glide. "He would certainly be a visually pleasing addition to our party…" she trailed off, sliding her hand up underneath the hem of her Captain's shirt, teasing her fingertips along his defined musculature and smiling when his eyes closed.

He let her play for another moment before he grabbed at her wrist, putting her hand back to her side.

"I told you before, wait for our alone time. Now's not the time or place," he grunted with a slight frown, his eyes holding a threat of punishment. Tifa sat back with the expression of a scolded puppy, but did as she was told. Leon shook his head and glanced at the other woman. "Light? What do you think?"

"I agree. An extra ten percent is nothing." Lightning looked down and winked at her boss, twisting a finger into her pink curls. "I wanna play, sooner rather than later…can we finish this up, please?" she asked with a sugary-sweet smile.

Leon chuckled, smiling in an obviously fake apology to Corneo. "Sounds like the ladies agree to your offer."

Corneo was smiling at his successful business deal, with a touch of bemusement at Griever's actions. "You let your women tell you how to end your business deals, Griever?" he said with a laugh.

"Heh," Leon laughed with his eyes closed as he leaned forward. When he looked up there was a crooked smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold steel. "My women are perhaps the savviest creatures on this planet when it comes to dealing with business. Though they're quite useful behind closed doors, I brought them with me for more than a pleasurable night or two. I can hardly keep track of myself, let alone my finances; who better to take care of that than those who are kept closest to me?"

Leon reveled in his own reverse psychology, imagining just what would be going through Corneo's head. The Don knew Griever was intelligent, much more intelligent than he liked to let on. Making himself sound like a rich party boy weakly covered Griever's wit, giving something distracting for Corneo to think about.

"Interesting…" Corneo started slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Well, Griever, I do believe we've come to an agreement. I get thirty percent of the profits made from the items being trafficked through my territory. Are we concurrent on that point?"

"We are," Leon agreed, his eyes darting to the side as things began to wrap up. He'd wanted to be finished with this whole affair that night, but…he wanted to speak to Cloud first. He had a feeling the blonde could help them further. One more night…he could wait one more night before getting to feel that immense satisfaction of putting the glinting silver cuffs around Corneo's fat wrists.

"However, I must apologize in advance. I hate to drag this out any longer as I'm sure you've more important matters to deal with. I prefer to write out my own documents, and so I do require one more day before we can shake on this." At Corneo's suspicious stare, Leon raised his hands in a peaceful manner. "It's simply the way I do things. It will be relatively short and you may read it through for however long you wish."

Corneo was silent for several long moments before he responded. "Griever, I do not appreciate trickery. If I find out you are setting me up for failure…"

"Nothing of the sort," Leon started before The Don could continue. "I simply cannot stand poorly-worded documents in my possession. Call it a…personal quirk of mine," he finished with a smile. "Now…I wish to claim what belongs to me, if you don't mind." Leon motioned at Cloud, who still stood motionlessly at Corneo's side, staring at the floor.

The Don frowned briefly before looking at the boy to his side. "Well then, boy. You are released from my services. I do hope that you…enjoy your new home as much as you are able." Corneo was smirking at this, no doubt imagining the pain Griever was sure to cause him.

He pushed Cloud slightly, causing the blonde to stumble before he glanced up and began to slowly make his way over to Leon and his group. When he reached their side, Leon reached a hand out and ran his gloved fingers through Cloud's hair. His eyes softened a touch when Cloud's deep blue irises glanced up to meet his. They flitted away almost instantaneously however, to which Leon frowned a touch. He'd talk to Cloud later. For now, he ran his fingers down Cloud's boyish cheeks before pushing him gently toward Lightning. She took him into her arms gladly, standing up from the side of the chair to do so.

Cloud took a deep breath and pushed his face into her chest, his right hand reaching to her waist and fisting into the material there as Lightning's fingers ran through his hair before her arms wrapped around him protectively. Leon cleared his throat to distract everyone from the touching display of affection; he had Corneo in the bag, he couldn't let him get suspicious now.

"It seems he takes well to a woman's touch," Leon recovered, congratulating himself internally on his quick thinking. "Perhaps that was the reason you had issues with him," he laughed, glancing back over to the two, who had finished their quiet reunion.

Corneo hummed in response, a pensive look on his face. "Indeed, perhaps. Well then, Griever…I suppose I will see you once again tomorrow evening. Is eleven okay with you? It is a bit earlier than we have been meeting, but I have an appointment later on."

Leon bowed his head in affirmation, a smirk on his face. "Eleven is fine. See you then, Don."

Leon and Tifa stood, the Captain taking point as the group left the Honeybee Inn once more. Cloud walked awkwardly at Lightning's side, not quite sure where he belonged. He trudged forward with the rest of them, his mind finally gaining some peace with his sister's arm around his shoulders.

Lightning was cuddling Cloud so affectionately that it made the rest of the officers feel awkward when they reached the suite they took residence in for the moment. Leon smiled softly at the sight before suggesting loudly that they all congregate in the living room.

Once seated, every pair of eyes bar Cloud's was fixated on Leon, though Lightning's went between him and said blonde quite frequently. Leon sat on the couch, looking to his sides where Snow and Tifa sat, to the far wall where Seifer was leaning, and finally to the floor where Lightning had her brother on her lap.

"First of all, welcome back, Cloud," Leon started, smiling without noticing. "I'm sure you're happy to be out of there."

There was silence for a moment before Cloud looked up from the cradle of his arms he'd made to meet Leon's gray gaze. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, biting his lip. "I can't tell you…how happy I am to be out of there," he said in a near whisper, his voice hoarse.

Leon's smile brightened a few degrees before it faltered slightly. "Before I can let you go to sleep for a while, I have to ask you some questions. Is that okay?" he asked, a slight apologetic light entering his eyes.

"'s fine," Cloud whispered, swallowing before clearing his throat. He apologized softly, looking down in embarrassment.

"Don't apologize," Lightning corrected him firmly. "It wasn't your fault."

Cloud hummed a neutral response, sighing quietly. He winced when he fidgeted slightly, a sharp hiss escaping his lips before he could stop it.

"What is it?" Lightning asked with concern, leaning back to see if she could pinpoint the area hurting him.

"I—it's just, well…" Cloud started, looking around as his cheeks flushed.

"Kid," Snow started in a friendly tone, "look…we know what kind of place you were taken to against your will. If you need medical attention for anything, you may as well let us know rather than suffer quietly." He smiled warmly at Cloud, a gesture which was received well by the younger blonde.

"Um, okay…uh…" Cloud knew what the officer was hinting at, but his sore ass wasn't what he was worried about. Instead, he was more worried about Lightning's reaction to the brand on his shoulder. He knew she was on an important police detail, and he couldn't stand the thought of burdening her further.

Lightning's worried gaze was on him, and he realized that even if he wanted to, he couldn't hide anything from her. Not anymore.

"Last night," Cloud rasped, swallowing again, "The Don took out his anger on me."

Leon looked away, not sure if he wanted to hear what Cloud had to say any longer. He'd spent the last twenty-four hours trying not to think about what he may have caused the boy to go through. But if it was his fault, it was the least he could do to look at the repercussions of his actions, if only out of respect for the beautiful blonde boy before him.

"What did he do?" Tifa asked quietly, her eyebrows raising up in pity that she couldn't help.

"He…" Cloud started, twisting his mouth to the side as he decided to show them rather than try and explain. "It really hurts." He used his right hand to pull at the ridiculous dress he was still wearing, sliding the left shoulder down carefully and avoiding the hypersensitive skin of his burn.

Once the brand on his shoulder was bare to the officers before him, he gauged looks ranging from slight shock to intense sympathy. When nothing was said for several moments, Cloud shifted uncomfortably before continuing.

"He used a…brand, I think. It was by the fireplace, and that's what he used to heat it up."

Leon bit his lip with the overpowering feeling of guilt welling up within him. He would apologize and take the blame later, when he could speak to Cloud without Lightning's overprotective gaze on him. Until then, he'd do his best to make Cloud as comfortable as possible.

"Okay. Looks pretty bad…second or third degree, probably. It's gonna leave a scar, I think…" Leon mused aloud before his medical knowledge kicked in. "Tifa, can you get a towel wet with cold water? Make sure it's clean," he asked politely, Tifa nodding and getting up in response. "Snow, can you grab the first aid kit from the vehicle? I think there's some sterile gauze bandaging in there." Snow agreed and left the suite to do as asked.

Leon stood and walked over to Cloud and Lightning, kneeling in front of them, and lowering his head to look down at the burn on Cloud's left pectoral area. Cloud tensed at the proximity of the man he'd fantasized about not five hours ago. Leon noticed this and guessed incorrectly at the reason for the boy's discomfort.

"I'm not going to touch, promise. I'm just checking for blisters…which, lucky for you, there don't appear to be any." Leon lifted his head and sat back on his legs, nodding in approval. "It'd be a lot worse if we had to deal with infection on top of the pain you're going through now."

Cloud nodded, eyes wide as he took in Leon's handsome features. "Um…thank you. For getting me out. I know you didn't have to…" he started, unsure of how to express his feelings of deep gratitude.

"Hey, I told you already—it's my job. You don't need to thank me," Leon responded, looking away to hide his face.

"But I do," Cloud insisted, his eyebrows raising in a plea for Leon to listen to him. The officer turned to meet Cloud's gaze, unable to look away once he was there. "You don't know…what it was like in there. I don't even know how long I was…stuck in that place for. So many nights of mindless…" he trailed off, looking away in shame.

Lightning's arms squeezed him tightly, making sure to avoid his sore spot. "Hey, kiddo," she murmured softly into his ear. "I know you're gonna get sick of hearing this, but I'm gonna keep saying it til you believe it; none of this was your fault, and there was no way you could have stopped them. If anything, it was my fault…I should have…" she started, before choking on her own words.

Leon shook his head, putting a hand on his subordinate's shoulder as she buried her face into her brother's golden hair.

"It wasn't your fault either, Lightning. There's nobody but Don Corneo and his goons to blame for all of this."

Seifer snorted from his place against the wall, pushing himself out and walking over to the vacated couch and taking a seat.

"I'm so glad family therapy is working out for all of you, but I'd like to get this briefing done so I can get the hell to bed."

Leon shot Seifer a glare. The man shrugged in response, getting comfortable in his seat.

"I was under the impression that we were going to be finished tonight. Wasn't that what you said?" The tone the blonde haired man used was mocking, and the Captain didn't appreciate it.

"Seifer, I am about five seconds away from ordering you to go to your room to think about what you've said."

Lightning chuckled at this, looking up to Tifa as she entered the living room with a damp towel.

"Sorry, Cloud. I couldn't find any towels for the longest time," she apologized, smiling as she handed the towel to Leon whom was still sitting in front of the boy.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize." Cloud was clearly flustered by that, to which Leon laughed internally.

Tifa let out a chirrup of laughter before sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Seifer.

"This…may hurt." Leon folded the cool towel around his hand before gently pressing it to Cloud's burn. The boy's breath hitched, but he didn't cry out. After a few moments of quiet mending, Leon's eyes glanced up to Cloud's. "Is this okay?"

"Y-yeah," he responded in a breathy whisper. Cloud hoped Leon assumed he sounded that way because he was in pain. His shoulder still hurt, but this was nothing compared to before. No, he was breathless because of how intense Leon's eyes were on him.

The door opened and closed from the front of the suite, announcing Snow's return. He plopped down next to Leon and opened the first aid kit, rummaging around before he pulled out the promised bandaging.

Leon dropped the towel to the floor before taking the bandage and pressing it up to Cloud's shoulder, applying pressure which made the blonde wince. The Captain took Cloud's right wrist in his hand and pulled it up to the bandage before lowering both of his own.

"I know it hurts, but you've gotta keep some pressure on it until it's healed. We can't tape it down for you because it might stick to the burn. You don't want to know how bad that would hurt if we had to rip that off."

Cloud nodded, his eyes wide at the thought.

"Okay then…let's get this briefing over with." Leon spared one last glance for Cloud before he stood and sat in the center of the couch, looking around at his team. "I know I said we'd be done tonight, but something gave me the feeling that it wasn't the right time. Regardless, we're forced to be finished tomorrow night or Corneo will get suspicious of us sticking around for so long."

There were nods (and a scowl from Seifer) that encouraged him to go on.

"Captain?"

Leon looked over to Tifa, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I think I saw something that could be useful to us while we were at the Inn tonight. When I've been in other operations into…" she drew her lips to the side as her eyes darted over to Cloud, "…places like the Honeybee Inn, they usually have rosters of all their employees to keep track of them. I know that was one thing you were interested in finding, and I saw one while we were there. I could only glance at it, but I caught rows with names, ages, and profits."

Leon's eyebrows lifted, his eyes catching a light as he listened to the woman. "Where was it?"

"It was laying on one of the guard's tables. Right in plain sight!"

Leon looked forward again with a crooked grin, his eyes to the side as he nodded his head slowly. "Good. You're positive, right? Couldn't be mistaken for anything else?"

"Nope. Remember when I 'accidently' tripped on our way to the business room? I fell up against the table and took a better look for as long as I could. That's definitely what it was." Tifa was smiling with glee, her hands clasped in her lap. "I was thinking of trying to tell you while we were there, but I couldn't find a good time to do it without being suspicious."

"Good. Well, with that evidence as probable cause, we've just been issued a field warrant. I'll write it up tonight. We'll have to be able to find it tomorrow night though…which means a few more hours of acting. We still need to get in without them destroying anything that could help us."

Cloud bit his lip, his right hand setting the bandage down to rummage around in his dress. Lightning let out a noise of surprise, grabbing the bandage and pushing it back onto Cloud's shoulder. The blonde let out a grunt at the pressure, but otherwise ignored Lightning's hands on him.

"What're you doing?" Lightning asked lowly, aware that the rustling movement Cloud initiated had earned the rest of her team's attention.

"I…have something, too," Cloud huffed, sweat beginning to bead on his skin as he dealt with the pain. He'd hidden his contribution quite well.

"What are you talking about?" Lightning's expression went from concerned to confused as she watched her brother fumble around in his dress.

Cloud smiled when he felt the metallic object against his fingers and grabbed, pulling it out of the lacy mess around him. He held it up and sighed with relief as he no longer had to move around.

"A key?" Snow cocked his head, contemplating the small object. "To what?"

Cloud looked at Leon, a half-smile forming on his lips as he addressed the Captain. "Do you remember when I told you about that cabinet The Don keeps his videos in?"

Leon nodded slowly with recognition. "You found the key?"

"Yep. I opened it, too. There was a lot more than home movies in there, though." Cloud's smile widened as Leon's interest grew, his expression becoming more and more confident as his operation gained more and more proof. "There was…some kind of drug in there, too. I don't know if he uses on the down-low or not, but I think it might be the stuff that he gives to us to keep us from leaving." Suddenly Cloud's expression fell. "Oh…"

"He addicted you to drugs?" Lightning asked softly as the boy's blonde head drooped in shame.

Leon frowned before cocking his head in thought. "You'll get help with that. It's not going to be fun, no doubt about it…but you've got people who are more than willing to help you through it."

Cloud looked up at Leon's once-more confident smile and drew strength from it. He nodded softly, an echo of a smile on his lips in response.

"Well, we've got our work cut out for us," Leon addressed the whole group, "and once we get Corneo into cuffs, that's when the real work will begin…"

Cloud listened as Leon started outlining strategies and goals to achieve, his feeling of comfort and security increasing as he let the man's voice lull him to sleep while he sat in his sister's lap.

He didn't wake when Lightning carefully picked him up or when she placed him in her bed. Lightning smiled and whispered goodnight to his crown as she gently pressed her lips there. When she pulled back to make a place for herself, there was a smile on Cloud's face.

A/N: I am aliiiive!

I swear!

Ahaha…well here's chapter eight for ya. Hope you liked. Hope you TELL me if you liked. 8D *nudge nudge* well ANYWAY shit just got real! Lightning is HAPPY! Leon sometimes SMILES! Cloud is NAUGHTY! The Don is a FAT CHUNK! All is right in the world!

Another beta-less chapter. ): The mistakes are on me.

Well between making my cosplays, desperately trying to keep up on my drawing commissions and working mostly part-time, I think my update times are pretty good. NOT. I had a really difficult time with this chapter. Writer's block to the max, seriously. One…more…chapter…til…ugh! "dead*

PS: In the beginning of this chapter, Leon mentioned calling an 'entourage.' That's basically calling the cops and having them escort an alleged criminal to wherever they're being held.

Until next time, my lovelies.