Title: The Morning After
Author: Sorceress Fantasia
Pairings: Leon/Cloud
Warnings: Romance, sap, fluff
Word count: 938
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to lay claim to Cloud, I'm kinda scared of Leon's gunblade. So well, I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its character, and neither do I own the various Final Fantasies and their characters.
Note: Written for greenelysium for Christmas, with the prompt 'The Morning After'.
Summary: In the morning, when the alcohol has faded, that's when the pain starts to really come at you. But if it's Leon, then Cloud doesn't really mind.
Alcoholic eggnog and mistletoes were a bad combination that led to drunk kisses and equally drunk catcalls from the sidelines.
Alcoholic eggnog, mistletoes and a huge, comfortable bed were a horribly bad combination that meant a drunken graduation from already not-so-chaste kissing to even-less-chaste fondling and groping.
Alcoholic eggnog, mistletoes, a huge and comfortable bed/and/ a handsome boyfriend?
/That/ was literally a pain in the ass.
However, it was one of those things that one only found out in hindsight, Cloud decided, as he snuggled deeper into the pillow. A sharp stab of pain hit him when he moved around too much, and he winced. Sighing, he carefully shifted into a more comfortable position and pulled the blanket closer to himself. He consoled himself that at least he didn't have to work today and so didn't have to get out of bed at all.
Not that he hadn't tried, unfortunately. Just some time ago, he'd tried to pull himself up against the headboard despite his body's protests, and the moment all his weight shifted to his bottom, the almost distant throbbing pain shot up his spine immediately like a high-speed train crash. After that, Cloud very obediently crawled back under the covers…
…and cursed Yuffie for spiking the eggnog. How much alcohol had she thrown into the concoction, anyway? Probably enough to drown the other ingredients, judging from the girl's tendency to underestimate severely.
But even so, Cloud couldn't blame her for what happened afterwards. It wasn't just the alcoholic eggnog. It was that damn thing plus sprigs of mistletoe everywhere plus a bed plus Leon. Oh right, he couldn't forget Leon.
Because after the eggnog, after their many kisses under the many sprigs of mistletoes, and after tumbling down into bed together, Leon was the one who refused to stop. He'd swallowed all of Cloud's protests with his ardent kisses, coaxed Cloud's wandering arms with his tender touches, and encouraged Cloud's moaning with his husky whispers of how he'd desired him since the first day he'd laid eyes on him. With gentleness nobody would have thought he'd possess, Leon had made Cloud felt so good he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.
A blush crept up Cloud's face, and he gathered the blankets closer again.
To think Leon had managed to keep this side of himself hidden from Cloud! Once or twice, ever since dating Leon three years ago after Sora and Riku defeated Xemnas and returned home to Destiny Islands, Cloud had wondered if Leon desired him in a more-than-chaste way. For no matter how many times Yuffie and even Cid teased them about strenuous activities that might break their beds, no one realized that while Leon and Cloud lived together, they actually had separate bedrooms and obviously separate beds at Leon's insistence.
There was certainly a good reason for that, if last night was any indication.
Then, a tentative knock on the closed door resounded. The door opened to admit a very quiet Leon, his hair mussed from sleep among other things and his clothes crumpled and haphazardly thrown on. A tray was in his hands, and the sweet fragrance of blueberry pancakes with maple and honey syrups wafted into the room before Cloud even saw what was on the plates.
"…Leon?"
The brunet nodded gingerly, like he was half-expecting something to leap up and attack him without notice. He ambled inside his room and set the tray on the nightstand, eyes not meeting Cloud's.
"Breakfast. Made your favourite," he mumbled, kneeling by the bed.
"Thanks," Cloud replied softly, uneasy with the tension in the room. Lured by the food, he tried propping himself up with his arms. A spike of pain surged through his body and despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop his wince from surfacing. Almost immediately, he felt an uncertain hand cupping his cheek. Then as quickly as the hand had touched him, it slid away, and fell to Leon's side helplessly.
"It… it should have been our best night together."
Cloud blinked.
"But I hurt you, and… I'm sorry. I… I thought that if I stayed away and gave myself more time, I'd be able to better control myself when we made love. I didn't expect a little alcohol would make me lose all my inhibitions and self-control. I'm sorry for causing you pain."
All through his words, not once had Leon raised his head, choosing to instead focus on their parquet. His voice was soft, quiet and laced with remorse. Together with his messy hair, crumpled clothes, Leon had probably never looked as haggard and unkempt off the battlefield.
Cloud thought he'd never loved the man more.
"Leon? Look at me. C'mon, look at me."
It took a moment, and even then, Leon only looked up hesitantly. Despite the terrible pain, Cloud leaned forward for a short, slow kiss.
"I want breakfast, but I don't want to get out of bed. Feed me?" Silly Leon. Did you think I was going to stay mad forever? And no matter what happened, I'll never forget last night.
Leon stared at him for a long moment, mouth slightly open and blinking. Then he broke into a smile.
"Of course. Maple or honey syrup?" I wanted you to remember our first night together not because of the pain. I wanted to give you nothing but pleasure.
"We're sharing the food, so you decide." But I'll remember the night for both the pleasure and the pain, and because it was with you.
"Then let's have maple first. And then honey." Gods, I love you so much.
"Sounds good." I love you too.
-owari-
A/N: Aww, aren't they just so sweet? Sometimes, I worry if I'm giving anyone cavities. XD Anyway, please review if you enjoyed this ficlet! They do wonders for my motivation! Thanx in advance!
And if you're still hungry for some LeonCloud action, I've recently updated Vanilla and Vanilla Souffle, so you can hop on by for a read:D Please review those too if you liked them, alright? Thanx!