Counterclockwise
Chapter 01
Words: 10 088
Genre: Comedy/Romance (Fluff)
Pairing(s): CL (if you want), eventual LC
Notes: AU highschool!fic. After chapter 1, Leon will hereon be referred to as Squall. :D
Disclaimer: Inspired by Gosho Aoyama's Conan, as well as Staryday's fic, Child Again.
Warnings: A little swearing, a whole lot of... cute:D;;
Rated: R
"I don't think it's possible for me to hate you more than I already do."
He had this inexplicable urge to wince, but suppressed it.
It wasn't because of the completely furious look that the other boy was giving him, neither was it the expression of pure loathing and disgust – and, strange as it may be, pain – that flickered through those hauntingly bright blue eyes. It wasn't even the way the other boy's back had arched in anger, his stance defensive and livid, as though raring to strike at him.
No, it wasn't any of that.
Rather, it was the manner he had spoken in.
His voice had been eerily controlled – calm, to an extent – the bitterness and disappointment transparently conveyed as repugnance reflected clearly in his eyes.
Littering the hallways were pages upon pages of printed text and monotonous diagrams, each sheet bearing angry, tattered edges; ripped mercilessly from a single bind and crumpled pitilessly. Hundreds of these pages covered the cement floor, some containing dirty shoeprints, no doubt having unapologetically already been stepped on earlier. Most of them bore sharp tears down the centre, and all of them poured out from a single locker, its door hanging ajar; revealing the mess of books and files inside.
Hands still buried deep in his pockets, Leon glanced downwards, eyes scanning one of the many pages strewn across the floor, noting that this had once been a respectful biology textbook.
The silence that followed afterwards was unnerving, deathly. No one dared to speak, to move. They merely watched on warily, anticipating what next would happen in apprehension.
Leon was the school's academic star, also an active runner on the track team. He was silent, stoic and stern – someone who never lost his fights – someone you never messed with. He was undoubtedly the most popular student in school, what with his chiselled good looks and the air of mystery he constantly carried. He never made any effort to befriend others – he certainly didn't need them – and, though a blunt and insensitive teenager, had only few enemies. No one was stupid enough to directly face him off, and with good reason, too. The things he and his friends were capable of doing when riled were stuff of legends.
And then there was Cloud.
Cloud once had been the state representative in swimming, but had pulled himself out of the swim team only a year before without any real reason. His stunt had lowered the morale of his former team mates considerably, and things hadn't really picked up from then. He was a pretty average student – not really active in school – and to his relief, though good-looking, wasn't bothered much by the rest of the student population.
Not really, anyways.
Because it didn't really help that he and Leon despised each other with a passion.
This rivalry of theirs had spanned most of their years together, instigated sometime in primary school and built up throughout adolescence. The dark-haired boy was simply too rude and brusque for Cloud's caring nature, and he, likewise, found the younger boy annoying and self-centred. Leon was a good head taller than Cloud, but the blond teenager had the backbone to back up the obnoxiousness he returned to Leon tenfold whenever they were at each other's throats. Leon, being the more popular student, had a larger group of followers, and they would take matters into their own hands intermittently. Taking their history together into account, teachers had long ago washed their hands of their problematic relationship and focused on more pressing issues.
But even so, this prank had gone a step too far.
As evenly as possible, Leon raised his gaze and stared straight into Cloud's eyes.
Taking this as a sign of obstinacy, Cloud gave Leon a dirty look, disgust marring his handsome face. Calmly, taking a level breath, the brunet spoke in a clear, indifferent tone.
"The feeling's mutual."
At that moment, the blond's expression had become totally unreadable, though it was apparent that something was burning furiously behind his eyes. His expression darkened considerably, and, muttering something incomprehensible, he turned on his heel, walking to the end of the hallway and crouching over in order to gather the torn pages of what was once a textbook of his.
Leon managed to catch vaguely a word reminiscent to 'mother' and immediately felt his blood boil. The stupid idiot was hiding behind that pathetic excuse again, that very same excuse he used for everything. He was such a weakling, so useless and feeble. He couldn't even stand up for himself.
"Yeah, go ahead and hide behind a skirt, momma's boy," he jeered coldly, glaring at the blond.
Cloud shot up, his glower fierce and furious. Without standing up, he managed to speak loudly though his jaw had tightened and his throat was constricted with rage.
"At least I have some form of relationship with my mum. Unlike you, who probably only says a word a month to get cash to spend on your inadequate ass."
Uncaring, Leon merely walked away, hands still buried in his pockets as he slouched over slightly, trudging to his next class, ignoring the accusing gazes of the other students.
By the time the bell signalling the start of the next period rang, Cloud still hadn't returned to class. Not like Leon cared or anything. It was just duly noted. It was strange, he thought faintly, for something as extreme as that to happen. Sure, he'd dropped ink bombs in Cloud's locker before, and maybe he had even dumped a few rotten eggs in his gym bag, but even then, he didn't think anyone else was capable of taking his textbook and ripping it to shreds when the boy was taking extra biology classes for credit.
Leon didn't stoop that low.
Though he certainly wasn't going to bother setting things straight and letting Cloud know that, for once, any act of vehemence against the blond was not his fault.
Leon shook his head inwardly.
He was growing soft. Feeling even slightly remorseful for Cloud? Right. Like that would ever happen. He'd have to give credit to the smart ass who was brave enough to pull such a prank in the first place.
Smirking slightly, Leon merely leaned back in his seat and focused on the notes the teacher was writing on the blackboard.
After the final bell rang, Yuffie had promptly darted out of the classroom, her book bag in tow. Speeding down the hallways and weaving in and out of the crowd that filled the corridors, she managed to make it to the library in record time – grinning brightly as a familiar long-haired girl with emerald green eyes waved at her by the entrance.
"Wait for me long?" she asked, bouncing as she approached her senior.
Aerith shook her head, gesturing for Yuffie to enter the library first. It was emptier than usual; unsurprising, considering the fact that it was a Friday on the last day of school, and that students naturally steered clear of school during weekends. A few librarians were pottering about, rearranging a stack of books by some shelves to be set back in place, while others cleaned up the counter, occasionally tending after a student or two for the final time that year.
Quietly, they walked across the room and slipped behind a few shelves filled with big, old, worn books that were barely held together with tattered spines. They set their things down on a nearby table and immediately started to hunt around for a tome, fingers brushing the dusty spines and eyes scanning the shelf thoroughly.
It was Aerith who eventually found the book, heaving it out of its place and dropping it unceremoniously on the table, causing a cloud of dust to rise and temporarily seize her in a small fit of coughs. It was a heavy, leather-bound tome; its cover etched with cryptic symbols and a simple signature at the bottom in a deep shade of violet.
Aerith stepped away, covering her mouth and nose with a hand as Yuffie opened the book cautiously, careful not to disturb the layer of dust that covered the yellowed pages. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of aged papyrus and decayed leather, but continued to turn the pages carefully until she reached an index. Running a finger down the list, she spotted the subject of her hunt and immediately took to flipping through the book until she arrived at the desired page.
As she began to read through the first paragraph of the page, Aerith had managed to clear herself of the dust and was now rummaging through Yuffie's bag, shoving aside textbooks and sheets of writing pad until she came across a small, glass bottle that had its label torn off. She immediately recognized it as the bottle used for containing vanilla essence – for flavour – and chuckled softly, shaking her head as she set it on the table gently.
Inside was a light blue fluid, filled to up to the neck of the small bottle. It caused streams of light to refract and shine a hazy, misty colour on the table.
"I think I got it," Yuffie whispered with barely contained excitement. Aerith moved closer to her, peeking over her shoulder and reading a paragraph that the younger girl was pointing out. She read it out to herself, her eyes lighting up at the discovery.
"I think you're right," she murmured, her tone awe-struck.
"Don't you know it," Yuffie grinned in response, giving the brunette a wink.
"Can we check the book out?" Aerith asked, moving away from the girl and putting back some stationary that littered the table in her earlier efforts to locate the small bottle. Yuffie merely shook her head in response, frowning. She pointed at the spine of the tome, revealing that it had no sticker. Books without stickers couldn't be borrowed. Besides, it was the last day of school, and books were to be returned and not borrowed.
Sighing softly, Aerith said, "And I don't think photocopying the pages we need is too smart an option." Yuffie shook her head again.
"Look, we don't need much, anyways. We'll just copy it down. Everything else we need aside from that," she paused, tapping her temple with a finger, "is here."
The older girl smiled.
"Okay, then. You copy down the ingredients and I'll write down the procedure."
Quietly, they both set to work, occasionally referring to a dictionary to decipher some ancient text that had been jotted down alongside the main passage. The book was written in an old language, and it had taken them about a month to translate the first few pages that they wanted by themselves.
Once in a while, the work became frustratingly tedious. The language Cetra was fraught with metaphors, allusions to other manuscripts and constant references to the environment – often using the old names of herbs or plants in its text. They had almost given up completely, but after taking a break for a day or two, their resolves were immediately reaffirmed.
"You think Angelo will pull through okay?" Yuffie questioned timidly, breaking the silence between them as she paused in her etching. Without looking up, Aerith remained quiet for a moment before replying with a soft, "Yes."
Smiling, Yuffie nodded, scribbling the names of the last few herbs into her notebook hastily before throwing her pen down and leaning back in her seat. She pumped her fist in the air triumphantly, stretching as Aerith spent about 3 more minutes with her own section.
They were scanning through their notes a final time when a tall figure made his way towards them, hands in his pockets, slouched over languidly. The girls, only just having sensed his presence, immediately scrambled to hide the chapter they were reading, swiftly looking through some encyclopaedias that Aerith had brought out earlier should the need occur.
Warily, they looked up as the boy cleared his throat, ignoring their suspicious actions.
"Ansem needs you guys in the lab."
Eyes widening slightly, Yuffie turned to look at Aerith, who was also sporting a surprised expression.
Perfect timing, really.
Leon impatiently tapped his foot, eyeing the two girls expectantly as his brows furrowed together in annoyance. His lips twisted into a frown when the girls remained in their seats, exchanging glances and hushed words between one another. He waited where he stood for a minute or two more before finally losing his patience and clearing his throat loudly once again. The girls whipped around in their seats to stare at him. His eyes narrowed at them.
"Now."
Quickly, they leapt to their feet, shoving their books and notes from the table into their bags in a mad haste. With Leon's piercing gaze trained on them, they felt a little less indolent and were ready in fractions of a second, waiting at the elder's command. Yuffie managed to replace the book discreetly while Aerith packed their things.
Leon took long strides out of the library into the hallway, the two girls trailing him with a little difficulty. From the corner of his eye, he managed a brief glance to a small corridor and found that it was no longer littered with pages of biology notes as it had before, in the morning. He wondered, vaguely, if Cloud had taken to picking up an odd 300 pages or so by himself, thereby missing classes along the way.
Shrugging the thought out of his mind, he slouched again, slowing his pace marginally and turning to walk up a flight of stairs. The girls followed him silently, until they reached a large hall with big, white doors. The distinct scent of soap and disinfectant drifted through the air, and a tall, lanky figure wearing a pristine, white lab coat was visible, bent over a table, the sound of test tubes and vials clinking against one another.
Leon knocked the door lightly.
"Professor Ansem. We're here."
The figure stood up straight, greeting the newcomers with a brief nod and a small smile. He gestured them inside warmly, and almost instantly, Aerith and Yuffie relaxed. They stepped into the science lab, Leon trudging in behind them. Professor Ansem almost immediately pointed out a few crates in the corner of the room; crates that he assumed he'd have to move to the store by the computers as he had agreed to do earlier. The girls exchanged a few quiet words with the teacher as he set to work, shifting the boxes carefully as the delicate chinking of glass from inside informed him that he was carrying fragile goods.
Meanwhile, the professor had already resumed his work, allowing the girls to do whatever it was they had set out to do. Aerith walked over to a shelf filled with herbs and dried plants, taking some out of their cases and examining them closely before measuring the amounts they would need. Yuffie, on the other hand, had taken to setting up some apparatus on a nearby table, shaking the contents of the small glass bottle aforementioned and pouring about a small teaspoonful into a test tube.
She had taken out a few slips of paper from her bag and was reading from them silently, occasionally mouthing a few words to herself repeatedly before nodding in affirmation.
Leon only observed this in passing, not really bothering with the affairs of others. Sweat was already starting to roll down his back, not from the strenuous work but more from the heat. Summer was already here, and the afternoons were sweltering hot. He paused momentarily, wiping away a few beads of perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand before picking up another box that was labelled, 'Burettes'.
As time wore on, the science teacher eventually called it a day, leaving the rest to consort among themselves as he packed his belongings and looked forward to a summer without classes. He had taken out a few glasses from a nearby cupboard and had taken out a pitcher of cold water for the students should their throats feel parched later on.
All of them were immersed in their own work, completely oblivious to the kind gesture of their teacher as they continued to toil in the sweltering heat of summer in a science lab that lacked any proper air circulation. But they wouldn't have to worry about that for long. After all, it was the last day of school, and the buildings would undergo extensive renovation during their holidays.
"Yuffie!"
Aerith had called out the younger girl's name so suddenly that she had jumped, accidentally upsetting a few beakers and test tubes in the process. Aerith rushed over, quickly scanning the shorthaired girl for any injuries before eyeing the mess that was covering the floor. Shards of glass and pale bluish liquid were by their feet, and when Aerith noticed the expression of frustration that crossed Yuffie's features, she merely patted her back kindly.
"You didn't drop the potion itself, at least. We can pay for the broken equipment."
"But I dropped all the test tubes! We can't put the potion anywhere without using even a beaker, at least!"
"Hmm. . . what if we use my water bottle?"
"We can't use plastic, remember? It has to be glass. No matter what."
Aerith frowned, gaze averted thoughtfully before her eyes landed on a tray that had been set aside earlier.
Bingo.
"We can use that to hold it, can't we?" she asked quietly, pointing to the tray. "Once we're done, we can just store it and bring it back." To prove her point, Aerith took a glass and set in on their table, nodding at it and gesturing for Yuffie to pour the remnants of the potion in. She did so hesitantly at first, but after a few drops, she dumped the entire content of the bottle into the drinking glass.
Aerith read one of her notes briefly before taking a pinch of a clear coloured crystal, murmuring, "The final step, and it'll be complete."
Carefully, both girls watched in anticipation as the elder sprinkled it into the glass. A slight hissing sound accompanied what seemed like white foam, and condensation began to rapidly cover the outside of the glass as the substance inside began to twirl like a small whirlpool. The colour was changing from a pallid blue to a pure white, before the twirling stopped and it dissolved into a clear liquid.
Cautiously, Aerith sniffed it – it was scentless – and a grin broke onto her face slowly as she turned to Yuffie, her eyes lit up. There was a thumb's up on her behalf, quickly followed by a gleeful squeal from the younger girl.
They had done it.
Aerith slumped in relief, leaning against the table in barely contained delight as Yuffie began to dance a little jig of victory beside her, careful to keep her distance from the table containing the fruits of months worth of labour and research. As Aerith began to transfer their now-complete potion into a vial for mobility's sake, their names were called by a mature, female voice from the hall. She managed to pour in most of the liquid and set the empty glass aside for washing before joining Yuffie and leaving the laboratory.
When Leon returned, the room was completely empty. He had discarded his top quite some time ago, and sweat was causing his hair to stick to his face. It felt even hotter than usual, and even he had to take a break from his work. Eyeing the final two boxes left for the carrying, Leon sat down on one of the stools, fanning himself slightly. Letting his elbow rest on the table, he felt surprised by something hard and cold that he came in contact with. There was a pitcher of cold water on the table, and he'd have been damned if he hadn't taken the opportunity to cool down further.
He poured himself a glass and began to down the drink in greedy gulps – there was no one to witness how piggish he could be – and quickly refilled it, draining about half of the contents of the pitcher.
Water had never tasted so sweet. It had a lofty essence of sugariness about it, like honey, but less powerful. It tasted more like dew, like petals, and Leon – being the fan of sweets that he was – decided that he rather liked it. Of course, the second glass didn't have as much flavour as the first glass, but it made no difference to him as he was being rehydrated, either way.
Only when his hands began to tremble, hence dropping the glass that was in an equally shaky grip, did he realize something was wrong. Severely so. His entire body was burning up, like someone had set his insides on fire and his skin was being scorched, and there was a ringing sensation that echoed dully in his ears, his head pounding mercilessly. His throat felt hoarse and tight, chest heaving laboriously, his legs no longer able to support his weight.
As he collapsed to the floor, he barely registered the panicked shouts of two rather girlish voices. His eyes were squeezed shut painfully as he bit on his lower lip, body convulsing as he felt his stomach twist in agony, heat boiling his blood and searing through him with the intensity and burning of lava. Leon choked, unable to breathe or speak, clutching at his throat as he began to writhe.
It was like a volcano had erupted inside his body, spewing out boulders and steam and lava, burning through the cracks of the earth and setting the soil ablaze. Leon could barely keep his eyes open, feeling steam garner and rise through his lungs in sprays. His throat grew dry and felt as though it was being shredded mercilessly with a flaming blade.
He could feel hands on him, the rustle of cloth informing him that there were people by him, rubbing his back and massaging his chest and slowly – ever so slowly – his heart began to calm down. The heat began to subside gradually, and the pain ebbed away. His head began to clear, and soon, his breathing, too, slowed down. He blinked away the tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes from the pain and looked up slowly, his vision coming into focus as the four blurry figures before him reduced to two.
He rubbed his eyes with a fist, noticing the ashen looks on their faces.
"What the hell happened?"
Immediately, his eyes widened, hands flying to clamp over his mouth as the sound of his voice began to register in his head.
Since when had Leon sounded so. . . childish?
Warily, his gaze travelled downwards, and that was when he noticed how roomy his boxers had suddenly felt, and how baggy his pants had become. His undergarment was gathered loosely around his chest, and his black pants were pooled around him like a blanket. Everything looked so. . . big; larger than what he usually remembered. And when had Yuffie gotten so tall? If he wasn't mistaken, she was only up to his shoulder in height.
Disoriented, Leon squinted upwards and around, his eyebrows furrowed as he registered the change of size in practically everything. He could see his shoes jutting out underneath the pile of clothes, and practically felt his socks go up to his knees. Instinctively, his hands flew over his heart, but all he felt was a small, bare, boyish chest. A chain that had suddenly become far too large to loop comfortably around his neck hung low, the lion pendant that he owned covering his navel, the cool metal pressing against his skin.
The impulse to panic immediately set in, and his breathing grew erratic as he struggled to grasp this strange new dimension to reality. He could feel his heart speeding up as he had not yet removed his hands from his chest, and instantly forced himself to calm down. He chanted the words, "Don't panic," like a holy mantra in his mind, taking in slow, deep, albeit shaky, breaths as the room began to spin.
Leon felt the sudden urge to grab onto something to lean against. For lack of any coherent thought, he had already allowed his arm to jut out to rest on any nearby surface – habit, if you will – but there was nothing that his elbow came in contact with but clothes that were now seven sizes too large for him, and he fell to the side in a heap before immediately righting himself up.
He gazed at his hands intently, and after a moment of allowing everything to sink in for real, his horrors were confirmed, if a little incredulously. There was no way a 17 year old had such small hands.
Looking up at the girls, he glared at them for an explanation.
He was met with a beat of silence.
"OH MY GOD, LEON. YOU'RE SO CUTE!"
He could only stare in horror as Yuffie tackled him, her arms squeezing the last ounce of breath out of him as she let out a delighted giggle, ruffling his hair with one hand. He tried to push her away, but it seemed as though he was powerless against the strength of a girl twice his size. Hopelessly, he glanced past her shoulder and up at the more level-headed of the two, only to find that she was gazing down at the two of them with barely concealed amusement.
"I'm glad you find my misery entertaining," Leon huffed, immediately chiding himself for speaking with that childish tone of his that no longer held authority, because almost immediately, both girls had grinned like the idiots they had become and Yuffie had squealed, "CUTE," at the top of her lungs.
There would be hell to pay.
Hell.
It was one huge fluke. Really, it was.
And as Aerith bit down her bottom lip to keep down the manic grin that was threatening to upturn her mouth, she couldn't help but congratulate herself for a fluke well done.
Because Leon looked as cute as a button.
Really.
And none of the girls had any real qualms to voicing out their opinions this time round. Not with this adorable little child sitting on a stool and pulling a shirt that could actually fit him over his head.
Leon had lovely eyes. They were big and almond shaped and had the deepest shade of bluish grey you could have ever seen. His features were fine and soft and delicate, and his face had become more round and feminine with the absence of the tightness of the jaw and any additional muscle that boys usually gained after puberty. His lips were small and a light shade of pink, and they looked equally as soft – less severe on his face, even if they were twisted in his typical frown.
His hair had also reduced in length – though Aerith wasn't all that surprised, considering what else had shrunk in the process – and he was sporting a shaggy French crop, his long, untrimmed fringe tickling his cheeks and constantly getting in his eyes. His arms and legs were considerably shorter, too, but that was to be expected. However, when Yuffie had compared the shortness of his limbs cutely to that of a puppy – responded by another well-aimed glare that was now hopelessly cute – the grin just threatened to widen on Aerith's face.
The explanation had been simple, really. She and Yuffie had been busying themselves with making a de-aging potion for the past few months, referring to an old tome that belonged to an ancient alchemist. They had completed it, finally, and Leon had accidentally drank water from a glass that contained a little of the potion. It was, apparently, a very potent tonic, though they obviously hadn't been clued as to how effective it really was, considering the after effects. Had they known, the glass they had used certainly would not have been left for another to drink from.
Leon had been very sceptical of this explanation, and wouldn't believe it at first, but after thinking it through, there really couldn't be any other rationalization that would seem as strangely logical as theirs had been. He was still insistent on there being something other than their dabbling with ancient craft that was the cause of his 'problem', but eventually gave up arguing when he realized that he was uncomfortably semi-naked in the presence of two teenaged girls that were three times his size.
And so, with nothing else to be able to do, they had taken Leon back to Yuffie's house – it was the nearest – and had rummaged around for old children's clothes that would fit him. He had adamantly protested their mothering and constant teasing, fallibly fighting the girls off as they pinched his cheeks and preened him and had instead settled on glaring at them angrily whenever they went nuts over his new appearance. Aerith, being the more sympathetic of the two, eventually conceded and had nudged Yuffie into behaving, if only for a little while.
Of course, after all had been said and done, it didn't change the fact that Leon was still as cute as a button.
And that he had the chubbiest cheeks ever.
"I refuse to parade in public like this," he said brusquely, his voice louder and higher than usual so that it would somehow carry over Yuffie's muffled giggles, though his statement only made her giggle harder. Leon was properly dressed in a slightly loose grey T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, his legs dangling over the stool and swinging back and forth slightly as children often did when restless, his arms crossed, eyeing the girls expectantly.
Aerith merely smiled weakly at him, pinching Yuffie discreetly.
"Well, we're not specifically asking you to parade around like this, Leon. But I don't think it would be wise if we let anyone else know about your, ah, current situation," she told him, nodding. Leon snorted, gaze severe, as he muttered, "No shit."
"Bad word! Little boys shouldn't be saying bad words!" Yuffie exclaimed before succumbing to a fit of sniggers, clutching her sides desperately as she reached out to pinch the boy's cheeks, only to have her hand swiped away irritably.
"Anyhow, practicing alchemy is prohibited and I loathe the current state of affairs. We are going to help each other, primarily because all the fault is yours," he continued, trying best to ignore Yuffie's advances on his hair. Aerith nodded again. She smiled when she saw him rubbing his eyes sleepily, trying to blink away the drowsiness.
"My father won't hear a word. You understand?" the boy commanded seriously, suppressing a yawn.
This time, there was a thoughtful pause from the girl.
"But, shouldn't he know? If he were to return to a house without a teenaged son, surely things would stir. . ."
"Precisely," Leon interrupted smoothly. "He brews a storm. Any bit of news gets to him and the whole town knows. Journalists are strange like that," he said calmly, raising his gaze so that he and Aerith maintained steady eye contact.
"Besides, he's currently on an assignment overseas and will return once the war in Wutai ends. That should be plenty of time for you two to make an antidote," he finished resolutely, leaning back slightly and crossing his arms again, his gaze stern and studious.
"Okay, then. That means that you shouldn't stay in your house, unless someone drops by and recognizes you from your baby pictures or something. . ." Yuffie vocalised suddenly, causing her seniors to stare at her. She had calmed down only a few minutes ago, and, realizing that there was trouble to be had and it included her, she had to at least try to patch things up somewhat.
"Okay," Aerith nodded slowly in agreement. "You'll have to go off on some road trip and leave the house key with one of us."
"I don't think I can go on a bleeding road trip in this state," Leon argued impatiently, rubbing his eyes a little more furiously this time. It was strange for him to be feeling sleepy at this time of day, but already this body he was trapped in was beginning to display the wanton needs of a child.
"Obviously," Yuffie snapped in return. "That's just the excuse you'll be using. You'll obviously have to stay with one of us until we get that antidote right. And simply because it's a simple fact that she's better at me than any of these things, you stay with Aerith."
"At what kind of thing? I've been running my own life ever since I was 14. I think I can handle taking care of myself for a few weeks just fine."
"Yeah, right. You need a nap. You've been twiddling your thumbs and fidgeting like mad from sitting down for more than 10 minutes. You were giving a picture book a once over on your way in. And as flattering as you think being independent is, I'm sorry to say that you honestly can't cook for shit, Leon. Why do you think Laguna becomes extra twitchy when you decide to 'whip up a snack', eh? You may still be Leon in the head, but your body is a little boy's. I suggest you shut up and deal, because we'll be needing someone who has kid clothes, knows kid safety, knows kid attitude, knows kid food, and – god help me – actually knows how to cook!" Yuffie ended eloquently, throwing in all her arguments as bluntly as possible, because she knew that it was the only way anything could be drilled into Leon's stubborn head.
The boy frowned, glowering slightly, but he eventually conceded.
"Fine," he retorted. "I'm staying with Aerith. What excuse are you going to use then?"
"Uh. . . you're a cousin staying over with her for the summer?"
"Oh, no."
Leon and Yuffie turned to look at Aerith, who had a hand covering her mouth slightly as it had widened in revelation and shock. An extremely remorseful look crossed her features and she looked at both of them apologetically.
"My mother is coming over to take me on holiday for the summer. I won't be around, I'm sorry."
Leon gawked at her. Yuffie blanched.
"I am not staying with Yuffie!"
"I can't take care of little kids! I don't know how! Heck, I can't even take care of myself!"
Calmly, Aerith folded her hands and looked at them, waiting for them to quieten down before she spoke. It took a few minutes, but both of them eventually managed to compose themselves once again, Yuffie and the young Leon shooting each other glares every now and then.
"Look, I'm sorry, Leon. I know you're only in this mess because of our carelessness. However, at the moment, we don't have much to negotiate, seeing as my mother will be coming tomorrow evening to pick me up. You can stay over tonight, if you'd like, though. We'll help fix your house up to make it seem like you went on a trip. We'll even send Laguna a letter, seeing as talking on the phone with your voice would. . . give away a few things."
"And Yuffie. Regardless of whether you can take care of a child or not, looking after Leon's health is still your top priority, so it's best if you keep him where he'll always be visible to you. Leon is a capable 17 year old with more common sense than he seems to possess at the moment, so you'll have to trust him. I understand that it's primarily my fault, so I'll provide you with money and whatnot, but it's your fault, too, so you have to make the best of what you have."
Both of them were silent, acknowledging everything Aerith had said.
Leon did not look in any way happy.
Hell.
The only thing the boy had been able to do was quirk an eyebrow inquisitively at Yuffie's antics as she huffed into his house.
The girl had stormed in in a hurry, mumbling to herself frenziedly as she stalked into the living room and collapsed on the couch.
Yuffie fell onto the furniture in a dispirited heap, disbelieving of the fact that she felt so incredibly drained. She had never before felt so lifeless, had never ever recalled feeling as half-dead as she currently did. The twinkle in her eyes and the dimples in her cheeks were gone, her hair even more limp than usual. Her back was aching as though a few million watermelons were being launched headlong into her spine from 300 metres away. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for sleep to take her.
There had never been a time when Yuffie needed a nap.
". . . damn shi. . . I hate. . . baby. . .sit. . . stard. . . stupid moro. . . hole. . ."
"Sounds like you're in trouble."
She shot up, eyes narrowing at the languid figure in the doorway.
Almost immediately, a weak grin spread across her face.
"Yeah well, I've never been good at temping."
Cloud merely raised a brow, nodding silently as he made a move to close the front door. Yuffie had propped herself up on her elbows and had already begun ranting her sorrows to the blond, face upset and voice tinged with a tone of deliria.
"It's just that it's been so crazy in my house lately, and suddenly, out of the blue, I'm left alone with my dad and I have to take care of this disagreeable brat who thinks he's the king of the world or something. He gets all snappy when you talk to him, and he won't listen to instructions, and you know how much I suck at taking care of little kids, don't you? I have no idea how I got stuck with the little monster in the first place! I mean, sure he's cute and sweet looking with really soft hair and has the most adorable cheeks you wanna pinch, but his attitude drives me nuts! And he has so much energy, I can barely keep up with him, and-and-"
"Breathe, Yuffie. Breathe," Cloud told her, more out of habit whenever she began to hyperventilate than anything as he eyed her carefully, processing the information silently.
"You can't imagine how difficult it is to take care of the little kid! He's moody half the time, and when you think he'll actually lighten up or play or something, he completely catches you off guard and says something so blunt and unfeeling that you're just staring at him and wondering where the hell you went wrong! And the food he eats! I don't know how to make any of that, and it's so expensive to buy! He falls asleep on you when you're out and busy, and starts grumbling at you when you're trying to get him to do something! The worst part is I've got him sick and I don't know what to do! He's just lying all spineless-like on the bed, and he's burning up like a volcano! He refuses to eat anything and pushed me away each time I take his temperature or bring up something for him to drink! Oh God, Cloud, I'm so scared!"
She paused, expression worried and desperate as she looked up at the older boy.
"Can you take care of him? You can take care of him! You do such an amazing job! You have a way with kids! Take care of him, Cloud, please! I'm begging you!"
"Whoa, whoa there. Take care of who?"
Yuffie perked up almost immediately, scrambling to her feet, her eyes no longer downcast and despondent. In fact, now, they were shining with hope and excitement and expectation that Cloud felt a little bad just by looking at the sorry state she was in.
"He's a little boy, cute little shorty you'll absolutely adore. He's about 5 or 6, and he's, well," Yuffie paused, biting her lip hesitantly, "He's basically a stray Aerith picked up but couldn't take care of because her mum whipped her away to Destiny Islands for the summer. She left him with me! Can you believe it? I can barely take care of myself! And now I got him sick!" She had already gotten to him, tugging his sleeve desperately.
"Please, Cloud, I'm begging you! You're so much better at these kind of things than I am!"
Cloud was looking at the girl with a hopeless expression. He was already far too used to her pranks and jokes, but from the sheer distress that rolled of her in waves, plus her frantic tone and her panicked demeanour made him feel almost. . . sorry for her. She was on the brink of tears, as though a hurricane had taken grasp of her and shaken her violently enough to cause such serious trauma. From what he had heard, she had wanted to do some good, but it was obviously more than she could handle.
Cloud became still.
If Aerith had left a little boy with Yuffie. . .
"How long has he stayed with you?" Cloud asked quietly.
"Three days! I know it's been only three days, but I can't take it anymore! It's tough enough I have all those cats in my house, but taking care of a boy – solely – it's me biting off more than I can chew! I know, I know; it was unbearably stupid of me, but I-I don't know what to do!"
Three days?
With Yuffie?
Oh hell no.
"I'll take him," Cloud told her firmly before she could crack and start off on another rant. He shook her firmly by the shoulders, snapping her out of her stupor and repeating what he had just said, this time a little louder, so that she would finally calm down.
It took a while, but a small, shaky smile spread across her lips as she looked at the boy uncertainly.
"Re-really?"
Cloud nodded.
"For real?" She asked with a slight squeak. "You'll take care of the kid for me? You'll help make him eat and get better? For real?"
"For real, Yuffie. I'm sure my mum won't mind. There's an extra bed and we have enough room to accommodate one more, especially if he's just 5 or 6 years old. Are you gonna get him, or shall I come along if he doesn't want you to touch him?" Cloud asked calmly, rubbing her back in a soothing manner as she had latched onto his waist and buried her face into his stomach, letting out an overjoyed sob.
"Come with me! Come on! Right now!"
Yuffie sprung up with renewed fervour, grabbing Cloud by the wrist and striding out of the house towards her own residence a few streets down. He had initially wanted to protest at first. There was a lot of work involved in preparing to welcome someone else into a house, and he had wanted to at least get the kid's bed ready, but Yuffie had seemed so driven and worried that Cloud decided to take care of this matter first so that she could get what seemed like her first real rest after what seemed like weeks.
As he expected, her house was crawling with cats once they arrived. He gave one an affectionate scratch behind the ears as she fumbled with her keys, leading them upstairs to a room. From the hallway, he could hear throaty coughs from inside, and a strange, protective urge began to swell within his chest.
When he entered the room, his eyes landed on a small, petite figure buried under a bulky comforter, his white face tinged with a deep shade of red, eyes watery and half-lidded in drowsiness and exhaustion. Loose clothes hung to his small frame, drenched in sweat.
Cautiously, Cloud walked in and went to the boy's side, brushing away his long bangs and resting a hand on his forehead. Yuffie was at the foot of the bed, whimpering slightly at the boy whose pathetic state she so feared.
Cloud looked at the boy carefully, noticing the hazy swirl of grey and blue of his glazed eyes that he was having trouble keeping open. His lips were parted slightly, allowing harsh breaths and deep wheezing to pass through before his small body was wracked with another fit of coughs. His body was tense, frigid, as though unwilling for Cloud to touch him, but lacking enough energy to push him away. The boy was trying to let his eyes come back into focus so that the teenager would cease to be a blur, trying to squint up at him and put a name to the face he was peering at.
Cloud gave him a small, reassuring smile and murmured, "It's okay. Take it easy, I'm not here to hurt you."
"Well?" Yuffie managed weakly, looking up at Cloud.
"He's fine. He's probably got some sort of virus in his respiratory system. Kids get these a lot, especially if they are sensitive to dust or are asthmatic. I think he reacted to all the cat hair," Cloud paused, chuckling softly as he noticed Yuffie melt in relief. "He needs lots of water, lots of rest and nothing cold."
The girl nodded, getting to her feet and walking towards them. Cloud returned his gaze to the boy, trying to get the child to relax.
"Hey there, what's your name?"
Yuffie froze.
A name. They had completely forgot about a name to give to him should Leon be seen by outsiders. She wracked her brain, searching for something that would sound innocent enough, something without double meanings, and would be to Leon's tastes. If Leon didn't like the name Yuffie was going to label him with, well, she didn't want to think about the consequences that would occur once he got his body back to normal.
As Yuffie was busy with this internal debate, Cloud had leaned in slightly so that the boy could get a better view of him. He noticed the boy squint harder, eyebrows furrowing as he focused – hard – on Cloud, eyes widening in something reminiscent to discovery as his gaze immediately hardened, lips twisting into a frown.
Cloud nearly chuckled out loud at the sight.
"Macho man, are you? Well, the name's Cloud."
The boy's glare intensified.
"Don't like the name 'macho man', eh? Well, unless I get a name out of you, that's all I'll probably be calling you."
A ghost of a smile whispered over Cloud's lips as he saw the irritable twitch in the child's left brow, frown deepening. His bottom lip protruded slightly, expression cold as he looked up at the teenager irritably.
"His name's Squall," Yuffie piped up, eyeing the boy nervously, afraid that something would compromise the only good thing that had happened to them thus far. She didn't need Cloud to suspect anything really wrong with Leon, not at this point. Cloud had already agreed to take care of him, and their rivalry be damned, she would make sure that Leon stayed healthy and alive even if it meant putting him with the person he hated the most.
Cloud glanced at Yuffie briefly before returning his gaze to the boy.
"Squall," he said softly, as though testing it on his lips. "That's a good name. Squall," Cloud told him gently, allowing a miniscule smile to curl at his lips as he nodded to the child.
With that said, he rolled up his sleeves slightly and immediately set out to do the task he had come to do. Cloud's hands each went to Squall's side, sliding under the blankets and comforter and, finding the boy's heated body, wedged them between his back and the mattress to pull him up so that he could carry him.
When Squall began to struggle a little and push away, Cloud had frowned, but wasn't deterred from his undertaking. He instead shifted his grip slightly and moved the boy so that he would be more comfortable in his arms. Squall was surprisingly light for a boy, and was petite and small for his age. Nevertheless, the rough shoves and pushes that he was receiving, accompanied by some annoyed grunts from the kid made Cloud pause and hold him firmly, in a manner he often used when dealing with children.
It must have worked, for Squall had immediately quietened down, and Yuffie, who had been looking on apprehensively had slumped in relief to see that the blond knew how to handle children, as she had expected and hoped. Satisfied, Cloud brought Squall closer to him and flattened the child's body against his chest, letting his head rest on his own shoulder as he patted his back soothingly.
He continued to do so as Squall continued to squirm, rocking him back and forth until the boy eventually conceded and leaned against him for some measure of rest. His fever was making him feel drained.
Once Cloud was certain that he had Squall settled in, he turned to Yuffie and asked her to pack up his clothes and bring it over to his own house, to which the girl had delightedly agreed to after seeing that tactful display of skill, and he had then started to walk back to his own home, boy nestled comfortably in his arms.
As he stepped out of Yuffie's residence, a cold blast of wind hit them, causing Squall to shiver visibly. Cloud squinted upwards past his overgrown bangs, noting the swirls of dark clouds that had already gathered in the sky. Leaves were sweeping through the streets as a warm breeze gusted through, the tepid waves of a storm rolling through the area as a humid air settled itself on the neighbourhood.
Taking note of the heavy rain that was sure to fall, Cloud huddled Squall closer and began to walk briskly to his own house, gingerly holding the boy as he fished out his keys with his right hand once he reached the front door.
Squall had shifted in his grip, and, taking the opportunity to peer at the boy, he noticed that he was trying to blink sleep away. A ghost of a smile curled at his lips at the simply adorable display, and Cloud treaded into his room softly, setting the child on the bed and ruffling his hair slightly before ducking into the toilet to dig around for a spare towel.
From the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Squall rubbing his eyes furiously, looking around the room, the scowl on his face growing deeper as he recognized the room as the teenager's. The boy coughed lightly, but otherwise kept his vigilance.
In all honesty, he had not known what had transpired within the last 15 minutes.
One minute, he had been attempting to rest in Yuffie's cat hair-covered room, coughing and sneezing his lungs out, and the next, he had been whipped away in a pair of slightly muscular arms after being teased, pressed up against a warm chest, and had arrived in a bedroom as his kidnapper left him to orient himself with his new environment.
He was praying to God that the fact that his kidnapper happened to be bearing the face of one Cloud Strife had only been a hallucination due to the abominable illness of which he was currently suffering.
Because a day can only go so bad.
It didn't help at all that his throat was itchy, his head was heavy, his body fatigued, his back was throbbing, his knees were hurting, and that his eyes absolutely refused to stay open. Argh, damn it all.
But as he continued to observe this strange turn of events, he couldn't help but allow that sinking feeling to engulf him; he had a little trouble keeping his emotional defences up when his head was threatening to split open 46 different angles with several different and increasing degrees of pain.
It was definitely Cloud who had taken it upon himself to take care of him.
A day can only go so bad.
"Hey, if you keep making that face it'll stick that way, Squall," an implausibly soft voice told him amusedly as a fluffy towel sailed through the air and landed on his face. Getting it off of him, the boy trained his eyes on the blond for, an albeit sleepy version, of a poisonous glare.
Cloud chuckled.
"Come on. We have to get you clean of all that cat hair or you'll never get better."
He felt a pair of strong hands reaching for his armpits, raising him in the air and pulling him up against that chest again, the blond tipping over to the side to pick up the towel that the boy had discarded earlier. He felt his entire body bounce in rhythm to Cloud's with every step the teenager took towards a brightly lit, tiled room.
It smelled vaguely of peaches, though he was certain it was probably some simple soap that had been used on a frequent basis. It was white and sterile, toiletries neatly arranged on plastic shelves that had been nailed to walls. A porcelain toilet bowl was straight ahead, a sink on the right wall. Some in-built closets were situated by the sink. There was a tub towards the left, a showerhead hanging in its holder at the same level as the metal bar that the plastic shower curtains had been draped on.
With a light 'clunk', he noticed that the toilet seat had been lowered, and that he himself had been set down. Looking up, he noticed that Cloud had his gaze averted, busy lifting his shirt over his head.
Immediately, his eyes shot open. He began to pull it back down, a low growl sounding as he glowered at the teenager, the drowsiness he had experienced no longer plaguing his wretchedly small body as he drew away from Cloud, slapping his hands and attempting to kick him in the shins, grunting intermittently in the process.
It was bad enough that he had to be with Cloud, but damn it all to hell if he didn't at least put up a decent fight. He was not going to let some blond bimbo undress him and then dump him in a tub of water!
Cloud frowned. Something was off with this kid, something was. Disagreeable, most definitely. Bipolar? It seemed to be the case. No wonder Yuffie had been having the worst of troubles taking care of Squall. He was – what was the word. . . demanding. That's it. Demanding. Had to have everything his way, and absolutely hated change of any sort. Of all the strays for Aerith to pick up. . .
He shook his head inwardly, ignoring the boy's valiant efforts to evade the impending bath and proceeded to slip the shirt off of him in one fluid motion. The pants came off with another well-practised movement, and all that was left were his underwear.
Cloud paused, looking at the boy. He was hugging himself in a vain attempt to come off as decent, regarding Cloud with an enraged expression as his small body trembled with anxiety and fury, mingling with the repercussions of his sickness. His teeth were bared, and his eyes had been narrowed dangerously so, his entire body a deathly sort of pale, his clenched fists drained of any real colour.
Cloud forced himself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths before slowly approaching Squall, reaching out for the boy only to have his hand roughly slapped away. He tried again, and the same thing happened.
He let out small breath through his nose, looking at Squall with a somnolent, tender expression, standing still for a moment. He noticed the boy's harsh breaths gradually smoothen out, the shivering slowly subsiding. He was still shaking, but this time only from the cold. Cloud seized the opportunity to gently pick Squall up, holding him close to himself before manoeuvring to the tub that had already been filled with warm water earlier when he had been hunting around for a towel.
Cloud set Squall down, pulling off the last article of clothing before he was lowered into the tub. Cloud folded up his sleeves again, reaching for a washcloth and dipping it into the water before slowly, gently wiping Squall down.
He had simmered down, finally, and was extremely quiet as the teenager washed him. The only other time he had begun to fight back again was when Cloud had attempted to wash his hair, but even so, he had given up fighting the losing battle and instead preferred to stare down miserably into the water. Squall had stopped sneezing for quite a bit, though sometimes he was seized by a fit of small coughs, hiccupping slightly in what seemed like suppressed tears.
Cloud felt sympathetic for the kid, he really did. It wasn't nice to be uprooted the way he had been.
But if he wanted to pull through, he would have to put up for a bit.
Hatred filled him.
It was not possible for him to be filled with as much repugnance and odium as he did then.
Not only had he been de-aged by some nonsensical potion whipped up by two pubescent girls, he had been left behind with Yuffie of all people, had gotten one faceful too many of her cats, had gotten horribly sick, had been dragged away by a blond moron, and then forced to live with him.
He had been seen. Naked.
By the person he hated the most.
Who happened to have also bathed him.
Gently, which was odd, considering the person. He had never thought of Cloud as someone who had such a mild touch, had never recalled seeing as many smiles on his face throughout his life as he had in the past few hours. He had such a tender expression, had looked at him so kindly and affectionately, it was hard to remember that this was the same Cloud who whispered wishes of death on him every other time. Cloud's hands were rough and calloused, but they were also petite, and his touches were light and fleeting, almost like he wasn't really there. He had heard the blond chuckle, which was a nice sound on anyone but it just seemed to. . . fit. It fit Cloud. He had only ever heard the teen curse and growl and hiss at him angrily, but now that he had heard that soft laughter, he decided that it was a nice sound.
Wait a minute.
He did not just think that.
Cloud was not a nice guy; he was a pissy little shit who liked to pick fights with him just because. Cloud did not have a tender expression; he was a moron who was dull and had the facial expression of a rotting potato. Cloud did not have a gentle touch; he was a rough barbarian who knocked down everything he saw and demolished anything he got his hands on. Cloud did not have a nice laugh.
He didn't.
But even so, he was already starting to tune out the voices in his mind arguing the points and the counterpoints as he felt the lazy waves of sleep overcome him. Too tired to do away with the drowsiness, Squall allowed Cloud to pull on a loose shirt over his head, allowed himself to be lowered on the bed, allowed Cloud to gently pull up the blanket and tuck him in.
He was just so unnervingly exhausted, he had even forgotten to voice out his protest when Cloud brushed his hair out of his face and pressed a light kiss to his forehead, murmuring a quiet, "Rest well."
His eyes were already closed when the lights were switched off, the door closing silently as he finally let himself rest in the warmth of the room, the softness of the bed, let himself drown in a faintly familiar fragrance that permeated the house, and willed himself to sleep for the first time in what seemed like weeks.
A/N:
Ahahaha. It's been too long, yes, it has. D:
So. Hanae reporting for duty. Since people seem to only associate Hanae with smut, Hanae would like to abolish that stereotype and has thus written a fluffy, sappy fic for your reading pleasure that is, hopefully, going to be worthwhile (for you and me). -- (I hate emotes)
Check out my livejournal (that's where I've disappeared to now, so sorry). My username is hanae0711. :3
PLEASE DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT FORWARD MOTION OR REBIRTH PLZKTHX. (I promise THEY WILL BE UPDATED. Just not, y'know... SOON ...)
That said, review please. 8D