Running Up That Hill

A/N: And now I've got so many running projects, I think I may go mad.

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The a/c in Leon's truck was on its last legs, struggling desperately to be of some use.

It made little difference whether the windows were up or down. Leon had his rolled down already, one ratty denim-clad arm resting on the sill.

He seemed regal, somehow, as Cloud studied him. Unbothered, but not untroubled. This man had seen plenty of conflict, and he had faced it head-on. There was a fearlessness in him—one that Cloud envied.

For the time being, Cloud was safe. For the time it took for the old machine to make its next destination, he could rest, if only slightly.

After that, he was gone. He had to be. But he would do his best to leave this man's world just the way he had found it.

It was troubled, but it was intact.

“Can I...?” Cloud's fingers brushed the crank-handle, twitching at the feel of hot cloth. He was eager for the feel of the wind, arid or otherwise, but this rumbling old monster wasn't his to toy with.

Those wide blue eyes could be a trap, but Leon didn't look. “No one's stopping you.”

And it was true.

Leon was nothing if not observant, and there were a lot of things to observe here.

This thing—this Cloud—was caught somewhere between boy and man, buried in dirt and dust and nervous eyes and fingers.

Looking at him, Leon was immediately struck by the sense that the blonde was being swallowed. He was struggling, definitely, but that didn't mean he would win.

Cloud was impermanent.

Something Tifa would call a 'damaged creature'.

As if Cloud was something that could be fixed like a fussy engine.

Leon pictured the boy crumbling into dust and blowing out the window.

What could it hurt to give him a ride? To give him just a little bit longer?

“It'll be cold, come sunset.”

“It's always cold at night.”

He would know.

Leon sighed, glancing sideways at his companion.

In the hours since he'd picked him up, they'd exchanged only a handful of clipped sentences. In this space, they were suspended. Cloud sighed, as if in response, chest rising and falling with a slight hitch. Almost crying.

With every hitch, Leon felt his own determination build. He couldn't watch this boy suffer on shotgun. It forced him to remember what he worked to forget.

“I'm headed to Balamb. If you need a stop before that, you'll have to let me know.”

“Ah...,” Cloud's eyes focused, turning back to the driver, “No.”

“No?”

“I don't have any place in mind. If you can take me as far as Balamb, I'll be grateful.”

“You plan to stay for...?”

“I don't know. As long as I'm comfortable.”

There was silence for a while, and Cloud went back to his own thoughts.

He'd been at this for a long time, hadn't he?

“We'll stop in Kody tonight. We'll grab some food and you can wash off all that dirt.”

Cloud nodded, and the silence softened.

Dust rises in a cloud under the tires.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long. There's a lot happening, and it's hard to think.