Chapter Text
So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
'Cause I don't know
Leon sat in the cafe with his mug still steaming, despite having finished his drink. It was raining outside, hard--and the sight sort of reminded him of his school days back at Balamb. Those rainfalls, however, were gentler and pleasant to fall asleep to or just think for a few hours. This rain, here in Midgar, smelled slightly of sewage and acted more like bullets.
Normally, Leon would never go near a place like Midgar if he could avoid it. Midgar sucked--plain and simple. The bottom was full of houses made of trash and random vehicle parts, and was called oh-so-creatively 'The Slums'. He had been told the place used to be worse, though. At the very least, the little cafe and flower shop was pleasant.
Ever since he left SeeD and the Garden behind, he wanted to go places he was a lot less likely to be found; his friends were good-hearted, but pushy and demanding. They wanted him to face his personal issues and power through them, and felt he was making the whole 'issue' that sent him away deeper than it needed to be--as some form of running away (again) so he wouldn't have to face pain or whatever.
That was when he was a teenager, though. Leon could admit he was a very angsty teen who needed guidance and help, and was too stubborn most days to admit it. This was so much different. This time, he just didn't have the lifeforce in him to keep up some act of normalcy or ignore what Rinoa had told him--what she had admitted.
Leon refused to be anyone's pet project.
There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place
And there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds
But seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you
Walls that we just can't break through until we disappear
Cloud leaned back on his bike and stared up at the sky as it soaked his hair and clothes. He couldn't be bothered to care--and it wasn't as if he got sick too easy anyway (tell that to Aerith, though).
To be fair on her part, however, the rain was... grimy. If it wasn't the cold that got him, it was whatever new sewage pouring down would.
It didn't matter.
None of it did.
Cloud couldn't keep arguing daily with Tifa anymore. It used to be nice to have a motherly influence for a girlfriend; no decisions, no confusion on what to do next, always clean and fed... but being her quiet pet turned out to be more frustrating than he had expected.
Cloud was weak, sure, and a total dork sometimes, but losing all autonomy was too much. She had gotten too used to telling him what to do all the time, and Cloud still sucked at expressing himself. Tifa had taken over completely and Cloud began to rebel without explanation. Of course they were doomed.
Then, Tifa said something Cloud couldn't get over. There would be no time alone to cool off, come back, and make-up this time.
That's when she said, "I don't hate you, boy.
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save."
That's when I told her, "I love you, girl,
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have."
Leon ignored the calls and texts that followed him daily. He knew if he wasn't going back he should just block them all, but he still cared--even if they think he didn't.
Things had been so good for once. Leon wasn't alone for once. He had friends and someone he could say he loved, but they never really saw him the same way and he realized that now. Even more reason to block them, but he was too afraid to close that door completely. He couldn't go back, and he couldn't go forward--it was frustrating.
Leon huffed as he stood up and threw his leather jacket back on. It was still rainy and foggy outside, but he couldn't just sit still forever. He left a tip on the table as he walked away and pulled out the umbrella he had bought: some flowery monstrosity, because none of the umbrellas were just a plain color. It was far better than nothing.
"Have a nice day!" Came a cheery voice from behind him. Normally, someone so sugary sweet would annoy him, but in this environment? Anyone who could manage to stay so kind and positive was to be respected (and feared. She had pulled out a large, steel pipe and beat up a thief earlier that day before returning to business as usual. She even convinced the guy who tried to rob her to work for her instead).
There was a soft jangle of a bell as Leon exited the little cafe and entered the storm with a long, drawn-out sigh.
And the day pressed on like crushing weights
For no man does it ever wait
Like memories of dying days
That deafen us like hurricanes
Bathed in flames we held the brand
Uncurled the fingers in your hand
Pressed into the flesh like sand
Now do you understand?
Cloud was zooming along the barely-there roads of the slums, almost too fast perhaps. It was rare for anyone to be outside in the rain, he figured--no one but him wanted their skin to be grimy and breathe this shit in. Not that Cloud wanted that, either, but he just couldn't be assed that day.
Cloud had a choice to make now that he had left Tifa: leave Midgar and do what? Or, stay for the orphans, keep working, and... deal with it. Around his now ex.
Cloud screamed into the rain despite what a bad idea that was as he pushed his bike harder, faster--more recklessly. Cloud was not known for smart decisions.
He saw the light of the cafe, that used to be the old church, up ahead. Aerith had installed something like a lighthouse beacon where the roof once had a hole.
One thousand miles away
There's nothing left to say
But so much left that I don't know
We never had a choice
This world has too much noise
It takes me under
It takes me under once again
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, no
Leon looked up as he stood outside for a moment, to watch and listen to the gross rain pelt the umbrella. It was almost peaceful, but the little bits of dirt he could see being left behind on the plastic made him grimace. He had been up on the plate before, and it was a normal, busy city. People were living paycheck to paycheck to avoid being sent to live in The Slums. It was a sad existence, to live with that kind of fear, but so much worse to see it in person. No wonder they needed help from an ex-mercenary.
Leon had been contracted by a place called 7th Heaven--a type of orphanage, delivery, and repair place that had offered him a job. He didn't even need to have a background check or an interview--the busty lady with the heavy gauntlets was just happy for help.
She also claimed to be a good judge of character and Leon would fit in great with her motley little crew, but whatever.
There was a roaring in the distance suddenly. Leon turned to see what he thought might be a headlight in the mess of fog and rain--in an area he had never seen vehicles in. He had thought everyone walked, at least in the sixth district.
Leon made to walk out of the way, but perhaps it was the storm making it difficult to judge distance...
Before Leon could take more than two steps, the roar was in his ears and his body was flying.
I don't hate you
I don't hate you
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, no