disclaimer: if i owned kingdom hearts, everyone would have skimpier outfits.
allergy warnings: boys love/shonen-ai (call it what you want, i really dont care anymore), fluff and slightly random conversations.
a/n: my throat feels like its been doused in gasoline and set on fire. i wish it would snow, even though summers barely started. i need yaoi NAO. plus, random confessions are fun to write. its funner to write something simple and refreshing other than somthing heavy and detailed--or, thats what i think. whatever. you make a choice.

Snow

Snow. Leon hated snow. It got everyone excited for no reason. And when someone's excited, work is the last thing on their mind.

So, in Leon's mind, snow equals no work.

No work is bad. People needed to work. To restore his home. Their home.

Leon hated snow.

--

Cloud disliked snow. It wasn't a hate, but it was a strong dislike. Snow covered up everything. Memories would be forever lost in the whiteness of it all.

In Cloud's mind, snow equals lost memories.

Lost memories was bad. He needed to remember everything about his past and himself.

Cloud really disliked snow.

--

Aerith joked they were perfect for each other.

Yuffie said that they would be a sexy pairing.

Tifa said they would be the best of friends if they weren't so antisocial.

Cloud said that he and Leon weren't gay and that he didn't need friends.

Leon just ignored it all.

--

Yuffie played in the snow, throwing snowballs and claiming war on anyone who'd throw back.

Aerith laughed and made warm drinks for everyone as she watched over them motherly.

Tifa became Yuffie's biggest rival in snowman-making and snowball-throwing.

Cloud stayed inside.

Leon just ignored it all.

--

Leon and Cloud had both decided to stay inside. They both were okay with silences, but not the awkward one that was being shared currently. Cloud broke it with a question.

"Do you hate the snow?"

Leon blinked and didn't respond, as if it was obvious.

Cloud shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't hate it… I just really don't like it."

Leon grunted, acknowledging Cloud's words.

Cloud continued talking, voicing his thoughts as they came to him. "I mean, how can you hate snow? It's just frozen water. But, I suppose, bad memories tied to snow may aid in the hating of it, but I don't have any bad memories connected to snow. I'm just not a winter person, which seems odd, since I'm always so cold. I think it's genetic."

Leon blinked. He'd never heard Cloud say so much before. Or ramble. He never knew that Cloud, the brooding ex-SOLDIER who Tifa was infatuated with, could even do that. Probably because he'd been hanging out with Yuffie too much. She's a bad example.

Cloud looked away, staring at the wall beside him. The faint shouts from outside entered the room, almost echoing in the silence.

Leon decided to throw Cloud a line and continue whatever conversation Cloud was having with himself. "I hate snow because no one does anything when it starts snowing."

Cloud stared at Leon, a little surprised at hearing his voice. "Well, of course they wouldn't. It never snows in Hollow Bastion."

Was Cloud contradicting Leon? "Doesn't mean you get a day off. Work is work."

"Everyone needs a day off sometime, Leonhart."

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" Leon was enjoying this. No one contradicted him. And, if they did, Leon always won. It's good to have rivals, or just a worthy adversary.

"I don't like snow," Cloud said simply.

"So, that makes you a summer person?" Leon snorted at the mental image.

"No. Autumn."

Leon pursed his lips, slightly aggravated. Cloud had won that round. Leon didn't know what to say next.

Aerith then entered, holding a plate with two cups on it, steam floating up from the rims. She smiled gently. "I thought I should bring you two some tea," she said.

Leon looked up at her. Cloud nodded his head in thanks.

"You both should really do some more talking," Aerith said, wagging a slender finger at them. "Or at least come out of the house. They're all having a lot of fun outside."

Leon continued staring. Cloud nodded again. Aerith sighed resignedly and placed the plate on the small table in the center of the room before leaving. Cloud eyed the cups before speaking.

"You can hold liquid in ceramic cups?" Cloud muttered, speaking more to himself then Leon.

Leon shrugged. "Depends on the glaze you put on it."

"But some glazes have lead in it. That could kill you," Cloud pointed out.

"There's not enough lead in it after being fired up to kill you. You'd die if you actually ate the glaze itself. Besides, I don't even think ceramics have lead."

"Well, there's got to be something in there that's not good for you."

"Some types of lead are good for you, really."

Cloud blinked at the new information.

Leon grinned to himself. "Some types of lead are good for the body."

Cloud frowned. "But, this isn't good lead. This is bad lead, like pencil lead."

"Are you afraid of ceramics, Cloud?" Leon asked, slightly amused and wondering why it was the blonde was so against drinking out of the cup.

Cloud looked confused. "Of course not. It's just, what if I get sick because of the lead?"

"Aerith wouldn't endanger our well-beings."

Cloud shifted in his seat, not saying anything. Leon smiled inwardly. Point for him.

There was another awkward silence as each man waited for the other to say something. Leon asked a question that'd been bothering him for a short while.

"Why do you hate snow, Strife?" Leon asked, glancing at the window quickly before looking back at the blonde's face.

Cloud shrugged. "I don't hate snow," he corrected. "And, I don't know. I just don't like it."

"Everyone has a reason to not like anything."

"I suppose mine is just a subconscious dislike."

"A past event?"

Cloud pursed his lips. Why was Leon showing such an interest in his past? "Maybe," he said, not bothering to explain the real reason behind his aversion to snow. It was too unusual for even Leon to comprehend.

Leon sighed, a little aggravated. Why was Cloud so set on hiding his life from him? "Don't hide things from me," he said, almost growling.

Cloud frowned. "Like you're one to talk, Squall. Where did you even get that scar?"

Leon scowled. "It's Leon," he said, irritated. "Besides, I got this in a fight with Seifer. When I was seventeen."

Cloud stared at the brunette, a little surprised. "Really? Huh. I always figured you got it in a battle of epic proportions or maybe when you were a kid."

Leon snorted. "Of course not. A stupid sparring session brought on a life-long scar."

Cloud almost smiled. "Sounds a little familiar, huh?" he joked, motioning to the bandage on his left forearm, left over from his and Leon's impromptu battle the other night.

"That was your fault. You could've dodged that."

"Ah, but I didn't. Besides, you probably could've dodged the attack that brought on that scar too."

Leon shrugged. "But I didn't," he said, repeating Cloud's words.

"That you didn't," Cloud said, not knowing where else to go with the conversation.

"I love you," Leon said calmly.

Cloud blinked at the sudden confession and change of subject, then smiled. "Thanks," he said, smiling wider.

"For what?"

"Saying that."

Leon grinned. "It's true."

"It's random."

"It's true," repeated Leon.

Cloud smiled wider, happiness radiating from his body. The sight made Leon smile in response, reassuring him of his feelings. "Thanks. I think I do too."

Leon looked out the window. The snow was slowing down and it was getting dark outside. Leon smiled a little to himself.

Maybe snow wasn't that bad.