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It's funny, Isa thinks to himself, biting down on his hand hard enough to taste blood. It still isn't enough to stifle his terrified yelp and he glances over his shoulder, wide-eyed and hoping against hope he hadn't woken Lea.
I wasn't afraid of thunderstorms as Saïx. I had never given them a second thought. Now, however…
He swallows down another fearful cry, trembling as a clap of thunder booms overhead; Isa's almost certain he can hear the windows rattling from the force of the sound.
I'm pathetic.
He knows Lea would want to be woken up, knows if he finds out he'll be hurt Isa decided to weather the storm (both figurative and literal) on his own. He still doesn't get up, only casting a pleading look to the door Lea slumbers behind.
Although he may pretend otherwise to allow Lea to save face, Isa knows he has nightmares; he's well aware of just how hard it is for Lea to fall asleep and remain that way for more than a scant number of hours. He can't wake him for something as trivial as this, and yet…
Thunder roars once more: Isa had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't had time to prepare himself for the inevitable fear coursing through his veins and he screams, loud and stricken and goddamnit, despite his best efforts, he can hear Lea's footsteps hitting the floor in a frantic staccato rhythm that matches his own heartbeat.
“Isa!” Lea bursts from his room, eyes wild and breath coming in heaves until he spots Isa--there, in the middle of the room, under a pile of blankets. Only his head pokes out, but Lea can see that he's shaking hard enough to disturb his protective layer of bedcovers.
“L-Lea,” he manages, not meeting his gaze. He looks steadfastly at the floor as though he wishes it'll open up and swallow him whole; Lea hates the look of quiet shame that twists his beautiful face and resolves to wash it away.
“Isa, thank the Light...hearing you scream like that, I was so worried that something had happened.” He doesn't elaborate and he doesn't need to. Isa shakes his head and the movement fast and jerky, a complete contrast to his normal poise and grace.
“No...it's nothing, Lea. I'm fine, as you can see. Go back to bed.” Upon seeing the incredulous look Lea's sporting, he adds a soft “please.”
Of course, Lea doesn't do that, instead walking over to Isa and kneeling down to be at his level. “Nuh-uh. Got room for one more in that nest of yours? Looks pretty cozy.”
“...fine.” It's grumbled more than said, but it's not Lea that Isa's angry with. He scoots over and Lea's quick to crawl on his knees to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and resting his face in the warm crook of Isa's neck. He makes a quiet noise but doesn't protest the closeness, ears burning almost as hotly as Lea does.
“Do you remember when we were kids?” The question takes Isa by surprise, but the sensation of Lea's breath tickling his neck makes his mind go blank and he takes a moment to find his bearings.
“I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific than that.” Lea laughs against his throat and oh, Light, Isa thanks whatever higher power that may be listening that he's able to hear that sound again. It's dorky, unquestionably, even a little obnoxious, but it's wholly Lea and there's nothing about it that Isa would change.
“You remember that real bad storm when we were, what, fifteen? Think it may have only been a few weeks before, well...y'know.” Oh, did he ever. Seeing his lips press into a grim line has Lea scrambling to finish his story. “No, hey, it's not about that. It's…” He takes a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm, but it's no use; the butterflies in his stomach have returned with a vengeance, flying so fast and frantic that Lea almost feels sick, all his nerves alight and alive and waiting for this moment.
“Lea?” Isa tries to turn his head to look at his best friend, but stops when Lea shakes his head, face buried against his shoulder.
“You remember...how scared you were, right? How I held your hands and just blabbered whatever thought came into my head to keep you calm?” Isa inclines his head, uncertain of where this story is going and what the point of it is. Of course he remembers; he can't forget anything about Lea even if he wants to (and maybe Isa doesn't want to, but Saïx did; Saïx burned Axel's old mission reports and cursed his name after he'd “died,” refusing to speak his name. In retrospect, he thinks it might've just made him grieve harder).
“I remember.”
“Well, see...the thing is…” It's now or never and if he's going to do this, he's going to do it right. Letting out a shaky laugh, Lea lifts his head from where he'd been resting against Isa and looks him straight in those inviting seafoam eyes; all he wants to do is drown in them. It's all he's wanted since he was old enough to know what want was, and probably even before then.
“Lea--”
“I love you, Isa.” The room goes silent save for Isa's sharp inhale and he looks at Lea in disbelief. He doesn't smile; he doesn't even move, and Lea can't help but laugh, the sound mocking and harsh. It's not directed at Isa and he knows that: it's tinged with self-deprecation and hurt, and Isa’s heart aches something awful just hearing it.
Lea casts his gaze to the ceiling above them as though it'll disguise the way tears have begun to pool in his eyes, highlighting just how green they really are. “Stupid, right? Me and my big mouth, can never keep shit to myself; I should've just--”
“Lea.” The sound of his voice shocks the both of them into soundlessness. Lea parts his lips to speak, but before he can get a word out, Isa shakes his head, reaching for him. He cups his face in his hands, stroking his cheek with his thumb. Lea's heart beats so rapidly that he's sure Isa can hear it, but he makes no indication of such, leaning in and kissing the corner of his mouth instead.
Isa goes to pull away, stunned by his own boldness, but it's then that Lea comes back to himself and settles himself in Isa's lap, a blush dusting his cheeks.
“I want a real kiss, Isa,” he says, voice surprisingly even, and Isa has no choice (no desire) but to comply, kissing Lea with the force of more than a decade's worth of pining. His hair's going to be a mess, but Lea can lecture him about that later. Right now he can't get enough of how it feels against the rough, callused skin of his palms, and...oh. His cheeks feel wet. Lea seems to register it the same time as he does, pulling away and fixing him with a concerned, hesitant look.
“I'm fine,” he says hurriedly, cutting Lea off before he can work himself into a panic. “My heart is just going into emotional overload. I've wanted this for quite a long time.”
“You...you have?” The smile Lea gives him is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, far surpassing even the most vibrant sunsets and the sights he'd seen on his travels through the Worlds. There's no competition, really, and he's quick to nod in lieu of speaking for fear of the desperate, lovesick things he might say.
Lea seems to understand all the same and wastes no time kissing the tear-tracks that stain his cheeks, winding his arms around Isa's neck in an impossible attempt to get closer to him than he already is. “Always loved you,” he says, almost shy, brushing his lips across Isa's forehead. “Since we were kids, which was the whole point of that story, and--” he cocks his head, listening to something Isa can't hear, but that's because--
“The storm has ended.” Isa had completely forgotten the squall brewing outside, the crushing vice-grip it'd held his heart in absent. In its place was a giddy lightness he couldn't recall feeling since...ever, if he was being entirely honest.
“What, no thank you kiss?” Lea's pout is exaggerated and terrible; Isa wants it gone immediately.
“Brat.” It's gross, almost, how sappy he feels. Saïx would've sneered in the face of Axel's affections, but Isa finds his lips curving into a radiant grin. He's acting solely on instinct, leaving warm, open-mouthed kisses on Lea's neck. He's never done this before but his inexperience doesn't seem to matter; Lea moans, low and needy, and Isa thinks it's the sweetest thing he's ever heard. He's never considered himself a particularly sentimental person, but in this moment, he finds himself utterly overcome and Isa can't imagine ever feeling any other way. He's not ready to go any further, still processing the weight of what they'd done, but Lea doesn't have any complaints, content to simply remain snuggled up with his (best friend? boyfriend?) Isa and greet the morning together.
Together. Isa's mouth quirks into a fond smile. He likes the way it sounds.