Skywalkers

15: Surrender

"You know, Cloud," Leon said, dumping his armful of grocery bags on the counter, "back when I agreed to stand by you against Sephiroth, you never mentioned that it would involve me cooking for eight people, four of whom are Skywalkers." He glared over at the blond who was leaning against the refrigerator and munching on an apple.

Cloud shrugged at him and swallowed his current bite before replying, "Well, if I had, you probably wouldn't have agreed." The tiniest hint of a smile flitted over his face.

Leon grumbled and began unloading food from the bags. "Do you have any idea how much money I just handed over for these?"

"Oh stop griping, Squall." Leon looked up to find that Sora had appeared at his elbow and was helping to unpack the bags. His little brother grinned at him and continued, "You're filthy rich. You can afford it."

"Wait, so he's good-looking, talented, and rich?" Reno asked from his spot at the kitchen table. "Not bad, Spike. Not bad." He leaned back dangerously far in his chair, pulling two legs off of the ground. "So, Squall, you got a sister?"

Leon turned slowly and stared down the red-head. Deliberately, he stated, "My name is Leon."

"The kid called you Squall."

"The kid is my little brother and has been my friend and companion through every difficult moment of my life. You are a stranger and got your ass kicked by Cloud when you were armed and he wasn't. You will call me Leon."

Reno gulped while Zack, sitting across from him at the table, laughed mercilessly at him. From his spot on the other side of the room, Cloud commented, "Just be glad he's not making you call him 'sir'."

"I think I'd pay to see that!" Zack declared. He dodged the drink coaster that Reno had hurled at his head.

Reno was saved from any further embarrassment by the ringing of the phone. Sora leapt for it before Leon could react and answered it immediately.

"Hello!" he chirped into the receiver. "You have reached the home of Squall Leonhart, aka Leon Heartilly, the semi-famous romance novelist and best brother in the whole world. This is Sora Leonhart speaking. How may I direct your call?" After a pause, he looked up and announced, "Squall, it's your editor."

"Hang up on him," Leon ordered.

"He said I'm to hang up on you, so good-bye." But before he could, Leon's editor was talking again, his near-frantic tone just barely audible. Sora listened for a moment and then looked at Leon again with wide eyes. "You're retiring?"

Leon winced. He hadn't wanted to tell them yet, but there was no denying it now. "Sort of. I'm going to keep writing, but I'm not going to do romances anymore."

Sora's entire face lit up. He opened his mouth to comment, but the voice on the phone stopped him. After listening for a second, Sora cried into the receiver, "Talk him out of it? Are you nuts? I've been trying to talk him into it for years! Yeah, I'm hanging up now. See ya." The pleading on the other end stopped abruptly with a beep, and Sora threw the phone onto the counter before attaching himself around Leon's waist. "I'm so happy for you!" he exclaimed. "Are you writing something now? Can I see it? What genre is it? What's the plot? I'm sure it's awesome. 'Cause, you know, you're really talented even though you've been wasting it for years on heaving and throbbing."

Repressing a sigh, Leon reached down and ruffled his brother's hair. "To answer your questions, yes, no, not telling, and also not telling. You'll have to wait until it's finished."

"Awwwww …"

"Hold up a sec." Zack had one finger in the air as if asking to be noticed. "Leon writes romance novels?"

"Oh yeah," Cloud answered with a monster smirk. He stood up straight and started out the door. "Come on. I'll show you." Zack immediately leapt up to follow him.

"Yo, wait for me!" Reno called after them. The chair clattered dangerously as he jumped out of it, but it eventually settled back with all four legs on the floor.

Leon groaned and resisted the urge to bang his head against the counter. "As if the oven mitts weren't enough," he grumbled to himself. "Now I'll have all three of them in the act."

"Oven mitts?" Sora questioned.

"Never mind." He grimaced at the laughter that was already floating out from the bedroom. This was going to be a nightmare. "Where's Kairi?" he asked as he pulled out enough steak to reassemble an entire cow. "I'm going to need help if I'm supposed to cook for this many."

"She went to the video store and took Riku and Naminé with her. I asked her to pick up some movies for us to watch tonight."

"Which ones?"

Sora grinned. "Star Wars, of course."

"Of course."

"I also suggested she pick up The Matrix what with the whole zapping of information straight into your brain thing."

"So you and Kairi are going to turn my living room into a theater for a sci-fi film festival, and Cloud is in the process of recruiting new players for his game of 'Tease Leon until he snaps'." Another round of laughter rang out from the romance readers, making Leon sigh and shake his head. "I used to have such a quiet life," he lamented. "Just me by myself. How the hell did it turn into so much noise and chaos?"

Sora laughed at him and gave him a quick hug. "That one's easy, Squall. You fell in love. Isn't it wonderful?"

They both jumped at a mild crash from the bedroom. Cloud's voice yelled something in reprimand, but everything soon dissolved into laughter once more. Leon sighed again and rubbed his aching forehead.

"I give up."

xXx

Movie night was a relative success. At the onset, Leon had to stop a popcorn fight between Sora and Riku and then listen to Reno bitch about the lack of anything stronger than beer. (Leon had plenty, but he wasn't about to let the red-head know that.) When the film started, things calmed down somewhat. Although once Sora suggested that Cloud would have looked good in the role of Luke, Zack and Reno couldn't help sniggering at every line that came from Mark Hamill's mouth.

Interestingly enough, the movie did not seem to hold Cloud's attention. Just as the heroes were struggling through the final battle - "Use the force, you fucking moron!" "Reno! Will you watch your mouth? There are ladies present!" "Ifrit's fiery balls, Riku, who jammed a stick up your ass? Zack?" "Don't look at me. I don't touch straight guys. They have cooties." - Leon felt a sneaky tongue begin to slide its way along the shell of his ear. He hissed a warning at his lover, but Cloud didn't stop. The tongue continued to move, occasionally slipping inside, and soon teeth had begun to nip gently at his earlobe. Leon dug his fingernails into the shoulder he held; Cloud only chuckled softly and continued his seduction. By the time the credits were rolling, Leon was fighting to keep his breathing steady so that no one else would notice.

However, in spite of his efforts, someone had in fact noticed. Next to him, Naminé turned her head and regarded him with her clear blue eyes. Leon felt himself begin to turn red at her examination, but then she smiled gently.

"You look tired, Leon," she commented. "You've done so much for us since yesterday, accepting us into your home and taking care of us. You deserve to rest." When Cloud faked a yawn, she added, "You too, Cloud. Both of you go get some sleep."

"What about the second movie?" Sora protested, waving the box at them.

"I've seen it," Leon replied as casually as he could.

"And I can see it some other time," Cloud added, faking another yawn. "Sorry, Sora, but I doubt I'd make it through anyway." He made a show of having trouble getting to his feet; Leon was actually impressed by his acting.

As he stood, Leon asked with a smirk, "You gonna be able to make it to the bedroom without falling? Maybe I should I carry you." The joking around had made his arousal less obvious, but he was still glad for the dimmed lights in the room.

"No thank you," Cloud replied to his offer. "I'll be fine."

"Yeah," Zack chipped in from his spot on the floor. "Save that stuff for the wedding night. You are going to invite me, aren't you, Spike?"

"Stay on my good side and you can be my maid of honor."

"Awesome! Just no taffeta, okay? Oh, and I look awful in seafoam."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Reno groaned loudly and shook his bottle of beer at them. "If you're going, go! Yo, Sora, put that other movie on. It's got fighting and shit, right?"

"Yeah. Lots."

"Good. These queers are gonna make me vomit. I need a testosterone jolt stat!"

"Coming right up!" Sora cried, jumping for the DVD player while Zack laughed at Reno's discomfort.

"Good night, Leon, Cloud," Kairi called from her chair. The others echoed her in their own ways, and Leon and Cloud sent their goodnights around the room as well.

As they rounded the corner of the hallway towards the bedroom, Leon half-expected to be pinned up against the wall, but Cloud behaved himself. In fact, Cloud hadn't so much as brushed up against Leon by the time they got to the bedroom where Leon locked the door and promptly turned on the other man.

"You fucking brat! How could you do that to me in front of everyone else? And with Naminé sitting right there!" He hung his head a bit and rubbed at his eyes. "Dear God, if she picked up on half of the things I was thinking about doing to you … . The poor girl's going to need serious therapy."

Cloud just smirked at him. "I was bored."

"Yeah well, if you're so bored, you can go to sleep."

"You don't want to do those things you were thinking about?"

"No," Leon answered with a glare. "Not with everyone else sitting out there. So you can just get into your pajamas, because nothing's going to happen toni-" His voice died suddenly as he finally looked into Cloud's eyes and paid attention to what he was seeing. The normal flickers of green that always appeared when Cloud was aroused had intensified to the point where the blond's eyes were actually glowing. "Are … are you okay, Cloud?" Leon asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine," Cloud replied, his gaze and voice both perfectly even. He took a step forward, and in spite of the fact that this was the man he loved and trusted more than any other, Leon took a step back. "I was just wondering …" Another step forward and back. "Which position did Rinoa prefer?" And another. "Was she a missionary girl?"

Leon's back hit the door. He pressed up against it, for some reason unable to wrench his gaze away from those glowing eyes. "Y-yeah, she was."

"But I bet," Cloud said, still taking deliberate steps forward, "every so often, she flipped on you and wanted to play cowgirl. Didn't she?"

"Every so often," Leon admitted. Cloud's hands were on his shirt now, slowly pushing each individual button through its corresponding hole. Leon's brain was spinning. Why was Cloud asking these questions while acting so very strange?

"Yeah, I thought so." Leon's shirt was open now, and Cloud's hands were slowly sliding over his chest. He leaned forward and brought his lips next to Leon's right ear, not close enough to touch but close enough that Leon could feel Cloud's breath against his skin. "The thing is, even the most submissive lover in the world …" His hands began to move lower, tracing Leon's sides. "… occasionally feels the desire …" They slipped around to glide over the curves of Leon's backside. "… to completely and totally …" His lips came even closer to Leon's ear until his words seemed to flow directly into Leon's trembling body. "… dominate."

With his final word, Cloud pulled Leon towards him, grinding their lower halves together, while simultaneously clamping down on Leon's ear with his teeth. The double assault of pleasure tore a loud moan from Leon who immediately felt a rush of embarrassment at the sound.

"Cloud," he protested, trying to push the other away, "we can't. Everyone else …"

"… is a couple of rooms away watching a loud movie," Cloud finished for him. His fingers were already undoing Leon's pants. "Besides, I don't recall giving you a choice in the matter." No sooner had the zipper come down than Cloud's hands were on Leon's backside again, this time cupping flesh instead of fabric. He rocked their bodies together a second time, and Leon's head rolled back against his will, hitting against the wood of the door with a dull thud.

"Cloud …"

Warm fingers found his chin, and Leon opened his eyes to look directly into Cloud's, still glowing slightly. "You're a wonderful lover, Leon," the other man told him. "When you ravish me, it feels so good that I can barely breathe. You deserve to feel like that as well. So tonight, I'm going to ravish you." Before Leon could reply, Cloud was kissing him, pulling him close until it felt like their bodies had locked together.

Leon was utterly lost. He had no idea what to make of the feelings that Cloud was kindling in him. The blond was doing everything: taking off Leon's clothes, leading him to the bed, kissing him, touching him, making him shiver and cry out in desire. He felt helpless, like a small child, like everything that needed to be done was being done for him. It was a little frightening, but also a little liberating. Leon suspected that if he could get used to it, it could become something amazing.

The trouble was the fact that he wasn't the one in control. Cloud allowed Leon to touch his body and encouraged his equal participation in their kissing, but it was always clear that this was Cloud's show. Cloud was on top with the freedom of movement while Leon lay beneath, writhing and gasping from his touches. He knew he was supposed to just lie there and appreciate the worship his body was receiving, but it was so hard to give up his claim to dominance completely. That desire to flip Cloud over and seize back the reins kept nagging him at the back of his mind, making it impossible to fully enjoy what was happening to him.

And then a wet finger was pressing between his cheeks, and Leon panicked.

"Cloud! Wh-what … what are you doing?"

Cloud lifted his head from the nipple he had been sucking and smiled, his chin resting comfortably on Leon's chest. "Exactly what I said I'd do. I'm going to ravish you. Completely."

"No … no! I-I … I'm not … I'm not ready for that!"

"Sure you are. You just need to relax." He began kissing a trail down Leon's chest. "Relax. I promise if you don't like it I won't make you do it again. But you should try it at least once." He smiled again and licked a slow ring around Leon's navel before continuing, "You know, like your vegetables. Just try a bite and then you get dessert."

"That's not how my mom worked," Leon informed him, trying to ignore the pressure that was slowly getting worse. "She made us sit there until we cleaned our plates."

Cloud chuckled against Leon's abdomen, sending hot shivers running up and down his legs. "Then this should be no trouble for you," he remarked, and he lifted himself up so that he could run his tongue in a circle around Leon's head. Leon moaned at the sensation and then hissed as he realized that Cloud had used that moment to push the finger inside. He dug his fingers into the sheets as Cloud began to suck him off from one side and stretch him out from the other.

Even with the pleasure that Cloud's mouth was giving him, Leon had to grit his teeth and breathe carefully through his nose. It wasn't that it hurt, but holy fuck was it uncomfortable! Nothing any doctor or dentist had ever done to him compared to this. In his heart and in his mind, he knew that he adored Cloud with everything he had, but it was taking everything he had not to tear Cloud off of him and hurl him out of the room with a black eye and a broken nose.

And then Cloud's finger moved just so.

A rippling shock of pleasure surged through Leon's body, leaving in its wake a burning need for it to happen again. Leon's eyes snapped open with the shock of it, and his lungs seized up, refusing to let go of the air they had captured. His cock suddenly seemed so much harder and tighter, and all of the uncomfortableness had miraculously dissipated.

Cloud chuckled and gave Leon's shaft a playful lick. "Found it," he teased. He moved his finger again, and again the wave flooded over Leon's senses.

When he came to this time, Leon was panting furiously. He sought out those glowing eyes with his own half-frantic ones. "Again," he near-begged.

Cloud smirked. "Sure."

This time, Leon rode the wave without fear or surprise, and the sheer bone-aching bliss of the feeling ripped a deep moan from him. When it had passed, he started to gasp, "A-agai-" But Cloud had anticipated the request and had started something that spelled utter doom for Leon: a rhythm. His finger moved steadily, in and out, circling slightly so as to help widen, and each time it passed over that special spot and added a bit of pressure before retreating.

"Oh god … oh … Cloud … oh god …"

Cloud's mouth was on his once more, but Leon couldn't concentrate enough to kiss back. His brain was a formless haze; his body was on fire. He was going mad. At one point, he realized that two fingers were inside him, perhaps more, but he didn't care. He just wanted more, more, more of this amazing feeling. He didn't want it to stop, not ever.

"Leon," Cloud whispered. "Look at me."

His eyes weren't really focusing at that moment, but Leon obeyed. Cloud was smiling at him, with a hint of amusement, yes, but mostly with love. He leaned down until their noses were just touching and murmured, "See? I told you it would be all right. And you know what?" He tilted his head slightly and let his nose fall past Leon's, bringing their lips closer together. "This indescribably wonderful feeling that you're experiencing right now? It's exactly what you do to me." Gently, he brushed his lips against Leon's in a feather-light kiss.

Those soft, sultry words accompanied by the kiss and the image that they evoked, it was too much for Leon. His muscles had finished contracting almost before he realized they had started. As far as orgasms went, it was short, mediocre, and extremely embarrassing.

For several heartbeats, Cloud just blinked at him. Then, he started to laugh uncontrollably. He dropped his head onto Leon's shoulder and let loose, his whole body shaking with the force of his amusement. Leon attempted to melt into the mattress. His face was burning.

"You know," Cloud managed after a moment, "you weren't supposed to do that."

"I'm sorry, okay? Now shut up."

Cloud grinned at him, but it faded when he felt something on his neck. He lifted a hand to investigate and grimaced. "Ugh. Leon, you got my hair."

"I said I was sorry," Leon growled.

"But my hair, Leon."

"Whatever. You're such a fucking girl."

Cloud snorted. "Says the one who seconds ago was moaning and writhing like a cheap slut."

"I was not!"

"Oh yes you were!" the blond laughed. He lifted himself off of the bed and stood up. "Come on," he said, offering a hand to Leon. "Let's go shower. We both need it."

Leon glared at him a moment more out of principle but finally accepted the hand and got out of bed. They wandered into the master bedroom's adjoining bathroom together. The shower was just a stall, not a bathtub, but it was large enough for two adults to get clean without bumping into each other too much.

"Is that where I get to hang my towel?" Leon asked, using a finger to tap the side of Cloud's still-prominent erection and making it sway back and forth a bit.

"Only if you want it to get wet," the blond replied as Leon slid open the shower door and stepped inside. "I'm coming in with you." He smiled broadly, and his eyes gleamed with a hint of hunger.

The expression was not lost on Leon. "You realize, don't you," he asked as Cloud stepped in behind him, "that while sex in the shower is one of the most clichéd romantic scenarios, it's actually pretty much impossible to accomplish it without drowning."

"Have you tried?" Cloud asked. He reached around Leon and pulled the knob out from the wall, causing cold water to splash down on Leon and make him yelp.

"Yes, I have," Leon answered once he had recovered. "More than once."

"With a man?"

"No, but I fail to see how that makes a difference."

"It doesn't, but I thought I'd ask anyway."

Leon rolled his eyes and reached for the soap only to find that Cloud had already taken it. Slicked hands began to glide over his back, and fingertips massaged his shoulder muscles gently. Leon sighed and dipped his head forward, letting the warm water flatten out his hair and run in rivulets down his neck and chest. Cloud obviously intended to keep the control in his own hands, and in this case, Leon was willing to give it up. This wasn't so much a question of dominance as it was a case of pampering, and, although Leon was a proud man, he wasn't so stubborn as to refuse the chance to be spoiled.

For several minutes, Cloud concentrated simply on washing Leon's body. His touches were so soft and gentle that Leon very nearly forgot the event that had brought them into the shower in the first place. But then, as Leon yawned and thought about how wonderful it would feel to sleep after getting clean, Cloud reached around him for the shampoo, momentarily bringing their bodies together. For a brief second, hard, heated flesh brushed up against Leon from behind. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but the moment woke Leon up completely. The memories flooded back into him, all thoughts of sleep banished in an instant.

While Cloud's hands worked the shampoo into Leon's hair, Leon's mind raced. Back in the bedroom, Cloud had clearly intended to go all the way and would have if Leon hadn't come early. Could Leon handle that? He still had enough straight-guy mentality in him to feel freaked out by the thought of someone's dick up his ass, but the point was that it wouldn't be just someone. It would be Cloud. Cloud, who until now had taken it up the ass without complaint. But tonight he wanted to do it differently. Leon owed it to him to at least try. And perhaps even more than try. After all, his fingers had felt so good. Leon felt himself start to get hard at the thought.

Cloud's hands were now washing out the shampoo, and Leon once again felt unsettled by being in the submissive position. What was Cloud thinking? When they had stepped into the shower, the blond had looked like he wanted to eat Leon, but he hadn't made a single pass at him the entire time. Did he intend to try again once they were back in bed? Or had he given up for the night? Leon felt a twinge of unhappiness at that thought and realized that he didn't want Cloud to give up. He wanted to try again. Preferably now, in spite of his aversion to drowning. But how could he let his lover know without violating the rules that the other had set for the evening? Cloud hadn't said a word, and from that Leon had gathered that he wasn't supposed to either. So he needed to figure out a way to tell Cloud physically and yet still subtly that he wanted to be taken.

Cloud was reaching around him again, presumably to turn off the water. Before he could, however, Leon grabbed his hands and brought them to his chest so that Cloud was holding him. He pulled gently until the blond had to take a step forward to keep from falling, and their bodies lined up against each other. Leon again felt that hard flesh, this time pressing into him approximately where he wanted it to go, and a sudden shock of heat shot through him. Yes, he wanted this; now to let Cloud know. Keeping Cloud's arms in place with his hands, he pushed gently back against the blond's body, rocking his hips up just slightly. He smiled at the hiss that followed his action and the small return pressure from behind. And then Cloud's hands were moving and Leon let himself relax completely in the other's embrace.

The shower spray was angled so that the droplets bounced off of Leon's chest, but Cloud moved him ninety degrees so that they hit his left shoulder instead. He captured Leon's lips in a heated kiss, making sure to turn their faces enough so that neither one got splashed by the water, while his hand moved down to encourage Leon's half-hard arousal. The water added both heat and slickness to Cloud's hand, causing Leon to shiver and groan with delight into his lover's mouth. Before long, he was rocking his hips up, trying to convey his eagerness. Cloud turned him again so that they faced each other, and while they continued to kiss, he moved his hand around to Leon's back.

When he felt Cloud's finger enter him, Leon took the blond's lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it in an attempt to stay calm. He waited, trusting. A moment later, the pleasure shot through him, and he threw his head back, receiving a blast of water in the eyes for his trouble. Chuckling softly, Cloud wiped away the water with his free hand and guided Leon's head to his shoulder. Leon wrapped his arms around Cloud's torso and held on tight, riding wave after wave of ecstasy that made it damn near impossible to stand.

Just when he began to feel afraid that he was going to come early again, Cloud pulled his fingers out, and Leon suddenly felt terribly empty. A sound that was dangerously close to a whimper rose from his throat. He lifted his eyes to Cloud to find the blond fiddling with the shower head. Then, he was moving Leon again, turning him all the way around and pushing him up against the wall. He guided Leon's left arm to lie against the tile and support his head, while the right arm he let fall free. Once he had positioned Leon to his liking, he stepped back, leaving Leon now to feel cold as well as empty, but the coldness was washed away as Cloud repositioned the shower head once more, this time to flow directly onto Leon's back. Leon stood there for a moment, enjoying the warmth, but then he felt something entering him again, something much thicker than fingers could ever be.

And now it hurt. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but Cloud's hands were on his hips, keeping him in place. Breathing harshly through his teeth, he tried to relax, but he couldn't help curling his hands into fists and squeezing his eyes shut. Cloud's right hand lifted to run soothingly down Leon's arm. He shushed Leon gently and then took his hand and guided it around to Leon's front. As his fingers closed around his erection, guided by Cloud's hand, Leon realized that his lover had just put himself directly underneath the stream of water so that he could help Leon get through this. He redoubled his efforts to relax, stroking himself slowly and forcibly keeping his breathing steady and even. After a moment, Cloud pulled back, sputtering a bit as he pushed soaking hair out of his face. And then he began to rock, pushing in a little more on each movement, just as Leon had done.

Gradually, the pain began to fade, and before he knew it, Leon was panting not from pain, but from pleasure. Cloud was giving him a rhythm, and even though he wasn't the one directing it, Leon was being swept away by it. He could hear Cloud's gasps over the sound of the running water; they were different somehow, deeper, more in control. They gave Leon the courage to let himself go completely and cry out exactly the way his body wanted to, without embarrassment or restraint. He suddenly understood why Cloud never called his name. He could barely keep enough of his mind together to remember his own name, much less the one of the man loving him.

An abrupt pause in the rhythm made Leon groan in disappointment, but it soon started up again. And now Cloud was pressed up against his back with the water aimed so that it hit the back of the blond's shoulders. He buried his face in Leon's neck as he continued his rocking thrusts, and Leon turned his own face to rest against Cloud's wet hair, breathing in steam and the smell of shampoo with every shaky inhalation. Cloud's hand came around to detach Leon's from his erection and took hold of it instead, stroking in time with his rhythm which was steadily getting faster. Leon flattened his free hand against the wall, wishing desperately that he could push his fingers through the cold tile just so that he could have something to hold onto.

His orgasm hit him without warning, and it hit him hard. Suddenly his muscles were seizing up and his knees were threatening to give out as fireballs of pleasure burst throughout his body in rapid succession. He arched up and threw his head back, running the risk of a mouthful of water, but thankfully, the spray missed his face. Behind him, Cloud groaned, peaking as well, and pushed deep inside Leon only to freeze there for several heartbeats. Leon willed the ecstasy to go on for as long as he could, but eventually it faded away and he stood with his forehead pressed against the cold tile, panting heavily. He honestly wondered why he hadn't collapsed to the floor yet.

After a moment, Cloud pulled out and aimed the water to flow down Leon's back. His hands gently cleaned as best they could while Leon just concentrated on breathing again. Eventually, the water ceased, and Leon felt Cloud's warm body embrace him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Think you can make it to bed without falling?"

Leon snorted. He had heard the smirk in his lover's voice. "You offering to carry me?"

"Sure. If you want."

"Yeah, no thanks." He leaned back more comfortably in Cloud's arms and remarked, "You know, now I won't be able to watch Star Wars without getting a massive hard-on."

Cloud laughed and replied, "It's a good thing then that I'll be around to help you with it."

"Yeah." Leon laced his fingers with the set that lay over his heart. "You will, won't you?"

"Of course I will."

"Good." He shut his eyes and sighed, relishing the warmth of Cloud's body even as his own began to cool in the now steam-free air. His heart beat against Cloud's palm, and Leon knew that that was exactly where it now was and where it belonged. Safely in Cloud's hand.

"I don't want anyone else."