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Chapter Text

It was a well-known fact that Yuffie couldn’t cook. The girl was too hyperactive by far and never followed directions. She preferred to throw whatever was at hand into a pot and turn the heat up high on the stove to “cook” whatever hellish concoction she thought up. That was why Aerith had banned Yuffie from the kitchen after the girl had set fire to it twice. Another time she had somehow managed to weld the toaster to the ceiling. (Leon had not been happy about that.)

But Aerith had caved when the girl had pleaded to make a cake for her “big brother” Leon for his birthday. Her wish had been granted and everyone living in Aerith’s house had been kicked out as Yuffie worked on her masterpiece. Aside from a couple explosions and a minor fire, everything had been quiet in the house for the past three hours. That did not bode well for anyone when the self-proclaimed ninja was involved.

So it was understandable that Leon was a bit apprehensive when Yuffie plopped down a monstrosity of a cake in front of him at the kitchen table. It was decked out in colors of gold and red with swirling frosting designs that dripped off the sagging, ten layer cake. An excited grin stretched from ear to ear while she lit the gigantic number 18 candle in the middle of the cake, proclaiming in her upbeat tone, “Happy Birthday, Leon!”

“Uh,” Leon said stunned. He eyed the tilting pile of cake and wondered how he was going to get rid of it without Yuffie noticing. There must have been at least three bags of sugar in there judging by the granular sugar sprinkled on top of the frosting. He could already feel his teeth screaming in pain. “Thanks…” he trailed off uncertainly.

“Aren’t you gonna blow it out?” she asked, hands clasped behind her back and a pink party hat tipped to the side of her head. She bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly. She knew that Leon was going to love it.

No. No, Leon did not want to eat his cake, his very lopsided cake that was actually leaking some sort of syrupy liquid around the edges. It pooled on the floral plate before running off the sides and onto the tablecloth. Although he wasn’t much of a baker himself, even he knew that a cake wasn’t supposed to liquefy like that.

The man wanted to decline, he truly did, but one look at the puppy dog look from the girl and he could hear his will cracking underneath the assault. Yuffie had worked pretty hard on the cake, practically the entire morning and into the afternoon. He told himself that it couldn’t be that bad…

“Of course,” he muttered while trying to infuse some cheer into his voice. It fell flat when Cloud elbowed him in the side. He could feel the other man smirking beside him—the only other witness to Yuffie’s birthday surprise—and his fingers twitched around the handle of the cake cutter. The cake let out some weird sort of hiss when it came into contact with the silverware.

Leon was deeply unhappy.

He cringed, hearing Cloud snickering almost inaudibly behind him as he chipped off a tiny piece of the cake with his fork.

“Go on Leon,” Yuffie encouraged. “It’ll be great.” She’d take a picture to remember this moment if she had her camera with her right now.

Leon sighed and smoothed out his expression into a blank mask as he opened his mouth to slip the food inside. His eyebrows shot up as he chewed; actually this cake wasn’t that bad. It tasted vaguely of blueberries—which he thought was an odd flavor for a cake—but it was pretty good. Maybe Yuffie wasn’t such a bad cook after all.

Of course just as he finished swallowing he lurched to the side as if someone was tugging him towards the ground. He felt dizzy, his skin taking on a prickling sensation as the world spun around. He closed his eyes and gripped the edge of the table to keep from tipping over as he heard Yuffie and Cloud’s shocked exclamation. The last thing he heard was Cloud shouting, “Leon!” before the world seemed to shrink and he passed out.

Chapter Text

There was a moment of silence as Cloud and Yuffie stared down at the unconscious man. Well, actually a very unconscious boy.

“He’s so cute!” Yuffie ran around the table to easily pluck Leon out of his chair.

“You turned him into a four-year-old,” Cloud said aghast as he watched the girl hug a child-sized Leon to her. “What did you do?”

Yuffie dropped down on the kitchen chair Leon had been sitting in. “Nothing,” she protested, giggling to herself as she pinched chubby cheeks. Leon was a cute kid. And without the almost grouchy scowl fixed to his face, he looked so innocent. “I just made him a cake.”

Cloud eyed the quivering mass of confection Leon had just eaten. The frosting was literally burning a hole through the table. He shuddered to think what it was doing to Leon’s stomach. “What did you put in it?”

Yuffie wasn’t paying that much attention to Cloud; she was too busy playing with Leon’s soft hair and exclaiming over the child-sized clothes that had shrunk with him. “Just whatever was in the fridge,” she said dismissively as she cuddled the child. Leon was just too cute and as soon as the boy woke up they were going to have so much fun together. She’d always wanted a younger sibling to be friends with.

“Great,” Cloud sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. Merlin kept some of his more interesting experiments in the fridge. Yuffie could have used any number of potions that could have done more than just de-age Leon. “You had better pray you get this reversed before Leon wakes up or he’ll be pretty pissed,” the man commented. He envisioned a pint-sized Leon with a scowl on his face while wielding his oversized gunblade. It almost made him want to smile.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Oh come on Cloudo. Think of this as another adventure,” she said while gently rocking the boy in her lap. “I’m sure Leon will laugh over this as soon as he wakes up.” Cloud raised an eyebrow, leveling a look that showed just how much he thought of that idea. “Okay,” she conceded, “maybe not laugh, but you gotta admit it’s pretty funny.”

“I admit nothing,” Cloud answered as he tried, and failed, to keep his eyes off of Leon. He had to concede the man, er; child was kind of cute when he was sleeping like that. Too bad he was going to go on a killing rampage as soon as he woke up. At least Cloud hoped Squall was just sleeping and not in a coma or something.

The front door slammed open and a harassed looking Cid walked in carrying multiple bags of groceries. “Stars above, Aerith how much did ya buy?” the pilot growled around the unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth. He tottered under the many bags he was caring. “There’s some heavy shit in here that weighs a fucking ton.”

“No swearing around the toddler!” Yuffie shushed the pair quietly as she rocked the small child in her arms. “You’ll wake him up.”

The bags fell to the floor as Cid stared wide eyed at the girl with the child in her arms. His cigarette fell out from between his loose lips before he turned his head to call out the front door, “Aerith, Yuffie got knocked up with a child!”

Cloud had to suppress a snicker at an indignant squawk from the girl as Aerith glided into the room with a sunny expression on her face. “Don’t be silly, Cid. Yuffie’s too young to have children.”

Cid looked unconvinced and pulled out another cigarette from his pack to stick in his mouth. “Then how the hell do ya explain that?” he asked, jerking his thumb towards the kitchen at Yuffie and Cloud.

Aerith unceremoniously dropped her grocery bag to the floor. “Oh,” Aerith said softly in surprise, seemingly unaware that she had just cracked a dozen eggs on her tiled floor. She looked between Yuffie and the boy in her arms with a startled gaze before fixing her eyes on Cloud. “Cloud Strife,” she began in a threatening manner. There was no way that the child could have been Yuffie’s, but Cloud was certainly old enough to have a child. Maybe it was on one of his expeditions on the off worlds when he had been fighting Sephiroth. He had been gone an awful lot.

The soldier took a step back at the look in Aerith’s eyes. He respected his friend deeply, and had made it a point to never get on her bad side. “Aerith, it’s not what it looks like,” he said nervously as he tried to put some distance between him and Aerith. “Leon—”

“And what about Leon?” Aerith cut in as she stalked towards her friend. “You’re going to shatter that poor man’s heart when he finds out.” She couldn’t believe Cloud would do something like this.

“What?” Cloud squawked as he backed up until the back collided with the counter. “Aerith I didn’t, I never,” he stuttered with his hands held out in front of him to ward off the angry woman.

“Yeah, relax Aerith,” Yuffie giggled as she readjusted her grip on the sleeping toddler. As much fun as it was to see Cloud getting berated by Aerith, she really wanted Leon to wake up so they could play together. “You know Cloudy’s wrapped around Leon’s finger. He’d never do anything to hurt him.”

“That’s right!” Cloud agreed quickly despite his very manly pride nagging that it wasn’t true. Just because he did everything possible to please Leon to make his life easier didn’t mean that…okay, so he was whipped. It was worth it though because their regular nightly activities well made up for it. And the morning ones. And sometimes the mid-afternoon ones. And…well, yeah.

Aerith seemed to mull over the information, a thoughtful expression on her face as she stopped in front of Cloud. “I suppose so,” she murmured as she glanced between her friend and the child sleeping in Yuffie’s arms. Now that she had a better look the child didn’t look anything like Cloud. Actually, the boy looked a lot like— “Is that Leon?” she asked in disbelief, eyes taking in the small—and dare she say it, adorable—form. “What did you do?”

“There was a little accident with Leon’s birthday,” Cloud supplied as he shot a glare at a cooing Yuffie. “Yuffie turned him into a child.”

“No shit,” Cid snorted as he eyed the sleeping runt in Yuffie’s arms. As if dealing with a moody stoic bastard wasn’t bad enough with Leon as an adult, now he had to deal with a mini version of it. He scrubbed a hand across his face and opened the fridge door for something to drink, maybe a lot of somethings. He didn’t think one beer was going to take care of this little problem. “What are we goin’ to do with ​​‘im?”

“Get Merlin to change him back,” Cloud answered. No way was he going to allow Leon to be paraded around and treated like a little kid.

Aerith frowned and shook her head. “We can’t, Merlin’s the only one who knows enough about potions and he’s on vacation.”

“So call him back,” Cloud argued, feeling a headache coming on at the thought of Leon stuck in the child-sized form. “We can’t leave him like this.” The desperation tingeing his voice was because of his concern for Leon and certainly had nothing to do with the threat of being celibate for a period of time. Yep.

“Well of course we can’t leave him like this,” Aerith sighed good-naturedly as she made her way over towards Yuffie and the toddler. “But Merlin’s going to be gone a month and we have no way of contacting him. So we might as well make the best of the situation.”

“A month?” Cloud nearly wailed as he clutched at his hair in frustration. “What am I going to do until then?”

Yuffie giggled as she handed Leon over to Aerith before bouncing over to the distraught Cloud. “Don’t worry Cloud, it’s not like Leon was turned into an actual child,” she consoled as she patted her friend on the back. “He’ll still be the same grouchy face as before. Maybe the two of you can do some adjusted sparring, or work on some of the projects around town Leon hasn’t had time to get to yet.”

“I guess so,” he muttered. Maybe it wouldn’t be entirely awful; he could still hold a decent conversation with the other man (well…more like long stretches of silence punctuated by an occasional word or two). And maybe he’d get to tease Leon for finally being taller than him. Feeling slightly better than before, Cloud turned his attention to the child who was just starting to wake up. He watched as the kid wrinkled his nose, mouth parted in a cute yawn before wide storm blue eyes fluttered open to look straight at him.

“Um, Yuffie?” Cloud asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched the boy look around at his surroundings with increasing fright on his young face. “Are you sure it was just his body that aged?”

“Pretty sure,” Yuffie waved off his question.

Aerith smiled down at the boy. “Hey Leon, have a nice nap?” she said gently, reaching out to ruffle the boy’s soft hair.

Leon flinched away from the touch, curling into himself as he looked around the room with watery eyes. “My name’s not Leon, it’s Squall,” he said softly in a wobbly voice.

And then he started to cry.

“Oops,” Yuffie said sheepishly, having the grace to flinch under the twin glares of doom coming from Cloud and Aerith as the woman tried to comfort the boy.

“You can bet yer ass that’s right, brat,” Cid said gruffly as he grabbed a couple beers and edged out of the room. No way was he going to get involved with this one.

“Oh hell,” Cloud muttered as he dropped his head into his hands. It was going to be one long month.

Chapter Text

Cloud stared at Squall. Squall stared at Cloud. They were sitting relatively alone in the living room across from each other on the couch. Cloud didn’t really know what to make of the boy. He wasn’t very good with kids. Hell, he had hardly been a kid himself. What did he know about interacting with one, much less taking care of one?

“So uh, your name’s Squall, huh?” he asked awkwardly. Inwardly he was annoyed that the boy had been dumped on him. Cid had ditched them as soon as the child had started to cry and Aerith had run off to try to root through Merlin’s books for a solution. Cloud had sent Yuffie on a “mission” when it became clear that Squall was terrified of the hyperactive girl by the way she kept trying to smother him with affection. That left him to watch after the boy, and well, he was a slight step up from what Yuffie could do.

The boy—Squall, Cloud had to remind himself firmly—nodded hesitantly as he looked around the room with wide eyes. He was chewing on his bottom lip nervously, back pressed to the large armchair he was huddled in as if he wanted to disappear. The belts on his now shrunken pants jangled together as Le—Squall drew his legs up. Cloud thought it was an odd sight for a four-year-old to be wearing leather. He could just imagine the scandalized looks from the neighbors if the kid were to wander down the street. All Squall would need was a mini motorcycle and he’d be all set to form his own toddler gang.

Cloud let out a snort of amusement, startling the boy from his thoughts. “Cloud?” the boy asked softly in his childish voice. It came out more like “cowd” with Squall’s difficulty in pronunciation but Cloud didn’t mind. Squall was only four after all thanks to Yuffie. At least he was potty trained.

“Yeah…” Cloud trailed off, unsure of what to say. There wasn’t much he could say as Squall’s mindset had changed along with his body. He didn’t remember his older self, his friends, or anything from his future. According to what Aerith had gotten out of the quiet boy, Squall had gone to bed at the orphanage where he stayed and woken up here.

The toddler mumbled something that was too soft for Cloud to hear, fingers nervously tugging on one of his many belts in anxiety.

“What did you say?” Cloud asked, probably a little harsher than he intended by the way the boy was looking at him with wide, frightened eyes. Shit. Aerith would have his head if he scared the kid. He just wasn’t good with kids and he didn’t know what to say to Squall. Aerith had stressed that heartless, fighting, Sephiroth, Darkness, and Squall’s future self were all off limits to talk about. If she came home and found Squall terrified with nightmares—or goddess help him, in tears—death would seem like a blessing to Cloud.

The little boy looked well on his way to tears. Cloud tried to keep his panic at bay while he wondered what to do. Why had Aerith left him alone with one? He should have snuck out like Cid. “Um, hey I’m sorry,” Cloud said stiltedly as he got up to scoot around the coffee table towards Squall. The boy pressed himself into the couch a little more, wrapping his tiny arms around his drawn up legs. He looked like he was going to pass out from fear at any second and Cloud stopped, rising up his hands in a placating gesture.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly, lowering himself onto his knees so he was eye-level with the child. “I just didn’t hear what you said. You need to speak up, kitten.” The endearment slipped out without thought and Cloud wanted to bang his head on the coffee table in embarrassment. That’s what he had called Leon to soothe the man when Leon had woken up from nightmares, disoriented and afraid.

It seemed to work on the younger version of the man as well because the boy had visibly relaxed, giving a slight nod of his head. At least the boy wasn’t looking at him with abject terror. “Now what did you say before?” Cloud asked in the same soft tone, brushing soft chocolate bangs behind Squall’s ear.

“‘m hungry,” the boy mumbled. His pale cheeks was blushed pink with embarrassment. “Can I hav’ somethin’ t’ eat?”

Cloud breathed out a silent sigh of relief. That was something he could do without screwing things up. He’d be happy. Squall would be happy as well. And all would be right with the world without impending doom until Aerith came home and fixed Yuffie’s mess. “Sure,” he agreed. “Would you like to help?” he asked as an afterthought. He vaguely remembered when his mother used to make him lunch and she would extend an offer for him to help her. It made Cloud feel important and useful, something he thought Squall would need now so he was a little less lost.

The child gave a shy smile that Cloud found endearing. “Yes pease,” Squall responded politely as he slipped off the chair to stand next to Cloud.

“Right,” Cloud said. He gestured down the hallway towards the kitchen with one hand. “This way.” He blinked in surprise when a little hand was slipped into his own but didn’t say anything as he gently tugged the boy towards the kitchen. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Are you sure this was what Cloud meant when he sent you on this ‘mission’?” Tifa asked Yuffie as the girl ducked into another store. She’d been invited to go shopping by an exuberant Yuffie after the girl had exclaimed that Leon was turned into a toddler. Tifa had agreed since it was a slow day at the bar anyway and she couldn’t pass up a chance to coo over a pint sized Leon. She loved kids, but she never really had an interest in wanting her own.  This way she had a chance to spoil a child, a friend she loved very dearly, even if it was only for a little while until the magic went away. Leon could always use more love in his life.

Yuffie nodded enthusiastically as she held up a super cute sailor set and another outfit with a lion on the top. “Of course, silly. Cloud said to go out and get things for Squally. Well, here we are clothes shopping for him.” She hummed to herself as she looked at the two outfits. Now which one should she get? Both outfits ended up in the cart with the growing pile of clothes. No sense in wasting them and Cloud had given her munny to buy Squall items. Well, more like she liberated the munny from him. It wasn’t like he was using it anyway.

Tifa didn’t look convinced as she threw in a baseball shirt and jean shorts in the mix. “Yeah, but don’t you think we should cut back on the spending?” she asked. “It’s not like Leon is going to stay this way forever.” As much as she wanted to spoil her friend she still wanted to be practical.

“Oooh, we just have to get that for him!” Yuffie squealed as she grabbed a pair of green striped overalls with a smiling yellow sunflower on the front pocket.

“You know Leon’s going to kill you when he grows out of this,” Tifa pointed out dryly as a floppy sunhat went in next with a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses.

Yuffie waved away the comment as she pushed the huge cart towards the front of the store. “Pfft, so? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get him out of all that black.”

A small smile graced Tifa’s face as she fingered the soft fabric of a little black hoodie. “I think we should allow Squall to choose,” she said and added the hoodie and a couple other black items of clothing to the cart. “And if he leans towards a certain style then that’s okay, we’ll return what he doesn’t like.”

Yuffie sighed. “I guess you’re right.” She eyeballed a pink princess dress that would look adorable on Squallie.“Although,” she said with growing enthusiasm, “this does mean more shopping trips with baby Leon. We could do that and toys and get food together.” She pushed aside the pink dress on the rack to throw a pair of black jeans in. She couldn’t wait to get home and show Squall what they got for him.

Chapter Text

Looking through Merlin’s spell books all day was exhausting and Aerith just wanted to get home and relax. She couldn’t find much to explain what Yuffie had done to change Leon into a child. What she could find was nearly illegible in the aged wizard’s spiked handwriting, and even then it didn’t seem that promising. Aerith wasn’t too put off though, because it was only day one since the incident and worst case scenario Leon would be a child for only a month. Taking care of an adorable Squall wouldn’t be that bad, and he’d have a lot of people watching over him.

Aerith shut one of the dusty books in Merlin’s office and got up to go home. It was enough research for the day, and she’d task Cid with being responsible for organizing a research team so everyone had an equal time in Merlin’s library looking for a cure. It took a village, after all, and all of them were capable adults that could balance their own personal lives with temporary childrearing and research.

Walking towards her house, Aerith immediately knew something was wrong when there was a lack of noise coming from her house. The last time there had been this complete silence was when Yuffie was baking a cake and Aerith knew how that turned out. Her worry increased when she noticed bread slices and stained children’s clothes littering the front yard and up the front steps of the house. “Oh no,” she murmured as she quickened her steps and pushed open the unlocked door to get inside.

“Oh no.” This time there was a twitch to her lips, and she tried to suppress a smile despite the absolute wreck her home was. “I see you three had fun,” she murmured as she walked into the living room. She edged around an open-faced peanut butter sandwich in the hallway.

Yuffie beamed from her position on the couch holding a giggling Squall in her lap. “Yep, isn’t he such a cutie?” she asked. “Tifa and I went shopping for clothes today/”

Squall wore a mis-match of a sparkly top and striped pants with little black motorcycle boots. His face was smeared with peanut butter along with the couch and Yuffie’s clothing. “Hi Aerith,” Squall said and wiggled out of Yuffie’s lap to walk towards her. “I dressed myself.”

“I can see that,” Aerith replied with a fond smile. “You look very handsome.” His long hair was a rat’s nest with one black hair tie slowly sliding out of a messy ponytail. She picked up Squall to settle him in her arms. He felt a lot lighter than he should be, and she made a mental note to make sure he was eating more. “Where’s Cloud?” She gently tugged out the hair tie and pocketed it. If Squall wanted, she’d retie his hair later so it was out of his eyes.

Squall stuck his thumb in his mouth, silently pointing towards the kitchen where a weary groan came from.

“Never again,” Cloud moaned, slumped over the kitchen counter with his forehead resting against the surface. Open jars of jelly and peanut butter littered the counter, mixed in with lacy socks and brightly colored jumpers. He looked up with weary eyes as Aerith walked into the kitchen while carrying Squall against her hip. “Next time I’ll go to Merlin’s and you can watch him.”

“Excellent idea, it’s something Cid will be organizing.” Aerith set Squall down on the floor when he tried to wiggle out of her hold. As soon as he touched the ground he made a beeline towards Cloud and tugged on the man’s pant leg to be lifted up. “What happened?” she asked.

“Squall was hungry so we were making sandwiches,” Cloud said tiredly, glancing down at the little boy who was shyly looking up at him. He quirked an eyebrow in amusement before scooping the boy up and gently settling the child in his lap. “And then Yuffie came in with bags of clothes so she could have a fashion show with him.”

Aerith had to hide a grin at the small exchange; it seemed like Cloud was adjusting to a child Squall just fine. “And the mess?” Aerith inquired, looking at the walls that were smeared with food items by sticky fingers.

Cloud hunched his shoulders in mild embarrassment. “We uh…maybe had a little fun with a sandwich making competition.” He picked up a napkin to wipe a smudge of peanut butter from Squall’s cheek. “And it may have turned into a little bit of a food fight.”

“Which I won!” Yuffie called from the living room.

Cloud scowled. “She did not,” he muttered. He turned towards Aerith. “Did you find anything?” He asked hopefully. He was careful not to mention about magic around Squall, no need to make the boy feel uneasy. Cloud wasn’t sure what Squall knew or what the boy’s home world was like.

Aerith shook her head regretfully. “Nothing so far. He’ll have to stay with us until we find a solution.”

There was a sniff that interrupted the thoughtful silence and both adults looked down to see a very forlorn looking Squall. “I wanna go home t’ Sis ​​an’ Matron,” he said quietly, lower lip wobbling and tears collecting in large stormy eyes.

Cloud looked horrified at the prospect of a crying Squall in his lap as Aerith knelt down to be eye level with the little boy, a comforting smile on her face. “I know you do,” she said soothingly as she stroked silky brown hair. “We don’t know how you got here, but you’ll see your family as soon as we’re able.”

Aerith’s heart melted at the lost look in Squall’s eyes and she wanted nothing more than hug the child and take the confusion away. “Do you want to stay with us for now? With me and Cloud and Yuffie?”

Squall looked up at Cloud for reassurance and Cloud offered a tiny grin of encouragement after getting a death glare of doom by Aerith. The little boy nodded hesitantly, sniffling and wiping his nose with his arm.

Aerith beamed and lightly patted the boy on his knee before she stood up. “Excellent, why don’t I get you cleaned up and we’ll have dinner.” She held out her hand for the little boy to take but Squall looked at it with wary apprehension and clutched onto Cloud. “Or Cloud will give you a bath,” Aerith corrected, noticing the way Squall had taken to the man. “Isn’t that right, Cloud?” Her airy tone was tinged with steal and the promise of immediate pain if Cloud were to protest and the blond prudently closed his mouth.

Instead he meekly nodded his head in agreement. “I’m sure there’s some bubble bath upstairs in the bathroom,” he offered after another pointed look from Aerith. The little boy beamed, tears instantly gone with a bright smile as he latched onto Cloud, forcing the blond to pick him up.

Aerith watched the pair go with a fond smile on her face, knowing Cloud would loosen up around Squall. A jelly sandwich that had been stuck to the ceiling suddenly dropped to the floor and Aerith’s good mood evaporated. “As for you,” she said firmly, reaching out and snagging the collar of Yuffie’s shirt when the girl tried to sneak by her, “you’re going to clean up this mess.”

“Oh come on, Aerith!” Yuffie protested, trying to wriggle out of the grip. “It was an accident!” A less than amused look met the statement and Yuffie sheepishly smiled.  A mop was forced into her hand and a bucket in the other.

“I expect this place to be cleaned up by dinner,” Aerith commanded as she walked past the girl and towards the back door.

“Wait, where are you going?” Yuffie squawked, a pout on her face that she would have to clean up the entire house by herself.

“Tifa’s,” she answered, flashing Yuffie a cheeky grin that was reminiscent of the girl’s. “I know you were able to get Squall in more outfits, and I want the pictures for later.” Aerith gave a tiny wave and strolled down the road towards Tifa’s bar.

“Drat,” Yuffie huffed, glaring at the ceiling where delighted child’s laughter was coming from the bathroom. Cloud was probably having so much fun with an adorable Squall and here she was cleaning up the mess. She sighed and trudged towards the kitchen sink to fill up a bucket with warm water. No matter, she’d get back at Chocobo-head later. Right now she had to figure out a way to get peanut butter footprints off the ceiling.

Chapter Text

“So it sounds like your trip to Merlin’s today didn’t work out?” Cloud asked as soon as Yuffie disappeared upstairs carrying a sleeping Squall in her arms.

Aerith sighed and blew a strand of stray hair out of her face as she picked up the dirty plates from the dinner table. “Nothing helpful,” she replied, handing the dishes off to Cloud for him to clean. “Merlin’s books don’t state anything about age reversal, and it’ll take us ages to find out exactly what Yuffie put in the cake. All the bottles were unlabeled.”

Cloud frowned, depositing the dishes in the sink and turning on the tap. “That could be dangerous for Squall. We don’t know what the long term effects are.”

Aerith smiled faintly while while she pushed in the kitchen chairs. “Someone cares for our little Squall.”

“I care about my libido,” Cloud said firmly, rolling up his sleeves before he filled up the sink with soapy water. He didn’t want Leon to be stuck like that and Cloud knew he wouldn’t go to someone else for temporary relief. Although he and Leon had never talked about love per se, they had something special, and Cloud…sort of…maybe…didn’t really want anyone else except him. He’d never say that out loud though. It’s not how the two of them were.

The woman lightly smacked Cloud on the back of the head as she walked by. “Liar.” The silverware clinked together as Aerith dropped them in the sink for Cloud to wash. “You care about him and Squall’s got you wrapped around his finger like always.”

Cloud scoffed and got to work scrubbing some of the forks. “You know I’m not good with children and I don’t know what to do when he’s around me.”

Aerith hummed, picking up a dishtowel to dry the plates. “Children don’t come with an instruction manual, Cloud,” she said wryly.

Cloud gave a slight pout as he handed Aerith the wet silverware. “I wish they did,” he muttered.

“So does every parent.”

The man groaned and flicked soapy water at Aerith. “Don’t say that. It’s already hard enough seeing my—” he broke off, unsure if he wanted to call Leon. Lover? Boyfriend? Fuck buddy? “—Leon like this,” he finished lamely. “You’re going to give me some weird type of complex if you refer to me as a parent.” Although the thought did bring up some interesting role play possibilities when Leon was changed back and definitely not a child.

“Well he needs to look up to someone in his life right now, and instinctively Squall is turning to you,” Aerith said as she propped a hip against the counter while she finished drying a glass.

“Can’t you hurry up and change him back?” Cloud asked insistently and neatly stacked the washed plates on the counter for Aerith to dry. Contrary to what he’d said earlier, Cloud didn’t miss the sex (that much) but he already felt unsure of himself in a way he hadn’t felt in a while. The Leon he knew was predictable, grounded, and provided a sense of security that Cloud hadn’t known he valued until it was gone. The child in his place, Squall, was completely different and unpredictable. He didn’t know much about kids but Cloud knew they were impressionable and so very fragile. And the man didn’t want to break the tentative bond he had with Squall because Cloud fucked something up.

Aerith gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “We are going to all work together finding a solution, which means you better be going to Merlin’s soon to help read through those books.” Dinner cleaned up, she gently pushed Cloud out the kitchen. “In the meantime, just get used to Squall. He needs you, and I think you need him as well.” She bid Cloud a goodnight as she headed upstairs towards her bedroom, leaving Cloud to his own devices.

“I don’t need him,” Cloud protested more to himself, turning off the kitchen lights before walking up the stairs on silent feet. Need meant that he depended on something which was a weakness. Cloud didn’t depend on Leon just like the other man didn’t depend on him. They were men of action. Manly men. Loners, who just happened to be alone together. There was no “need” involved. Except…

Cloud paused in the middle of the hallway, looking at the closed door that was right down the hall from his. It was Leon’s old room before the man’s things had gradually relocated to Cloud’s room until they were living together. Aerith used it as a storage room, but judging from the faint sounds coming through the door, Yuffie had turned it back into a bedroom for the time being.

The door soundlessly swung on its hinges when Cloud pushed it open. He peeked inside to see how Squall was doing. Leon always had trouble sleeping because of his nightmares, and Cloud wanted to know that Squall was all right. Just to make sure.

Pale light from the hallway spilled into the cluttered room to reveal the sleeping boy curled up in the center of the large bed. Squall was wrapped up in a soft yellow blanket with kittens printed on the side and a stuffed plushie wolf was held in one hand while he sucked on his thumb. Squall twitched his nose when the light hit the room, looking more like a little rabbit in his pale blue, bunny footie pajamas. Aside from the fact Squall looked like an overgrown stuffed toy, the boy was sleeping peacefully.

With a final glance back, the soldier carefully shut the door and made his way towards his own room at the end of the hall. It was cold, Cloud noted as he entered his room, stripping down to his boxers and carelessly throwing his clothes on the floor. Had it always been this cold? He flopped down onto his bed and pulled up the sheets that hadn’t been made that morning.

“There better be a cure soon,” Cloud whispered in the silent night. Because maybe Cloud could curl around Leon to let the heat seep into his bones that the brunet always emitted. And maybe because it made it easier to sleep at night listening to Leon’s even breathing when he slept. Or the feel of Leon in his arms, a solid reminder that Cloud wasn’t alone in the dark with only his private fears.

But that wasn’t need, Cloud tried to convince himself as he fell into an uneasy rest. Not at all.

There was a slight scuffing noise and Cloud was already up with his sword in hand from its resting place beside the bed before he was fully awake. A startled cry followed and a chill rushed through Cloud as he realized who had entered his room. “Oh holy fuck,” he breathed out raggedly, heart hammering in his chest as he quickly dropped his weapon from where it was resting against Squall’s neck. Fighter’s instincts were hard to get rid of, and everyone knew to knock before entering his room if Cloud was sleeping. Everyone except a very scared looking little boy.

“I had a bad dream,” Squall whispered, trembling as he looked at Cloud with large watery eyes as he held the stuffed wolf in a death grip. The hood from his pajamas was slipping off and the long bunny ears were flopped over in a sad state to hang into the boy’s eyes.

Cloud scrubbed a hand across his face, forcing himself to calm down lest he scare the boy more. “I’m sorry, Squall. You startled me, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized. “Come here,” he said softly. He sat up in bed holding open his arms and hoping he hadn’t damaged the fragile trust Squall had placed in him.

Cloud’s fears were unfounded as the next second Squall had thrown himself into his arms and started to sob into his shoulder. Cloud’s arms immediately closed around the boy as he held Squall close, whispering soothing words into messy chocolate hair. This was familiar and Cloud knew what to do as he comforted the boy until Squall had calmed down enough to talk.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly once the sobs had been reduced to sniffles and the odd hiccup.

Squall nodded hesitantly, curling closer to Cloud as he sat in the man’s lap. “I had a d-dream about th’ orphanage,” he started in a trembling voice. “I was wif S-Sis an’ Matron an’ t-then they started to disappear until they were g-gone.” He started to cry again and Cloud rocked the small boy.

“It’s just a dream,” he said soothingly even when he felt something twisting up in his gut saying it was a lie. Although Squall didn’t know, Cloud realized that the boy was remembering things about his past when Sis had left and he’d been taken to Garden. The man just hoped other memories didn’t surface that would upset the boy. “It was just a dream,” he said firmly, rubbing small circles between Squall’s shoulder blades.

“I don’ want you t’ disappear too,” Squall said brokenly into his shoulder and Cloud just melted at the devastated tone.

“Oh kitten,” he breathed out, hugging the small body close to him. “I’ll never leave you.” And he meant it, not just as words to soothe Squall, but a vow to be there now and later.

“Promise?” Squall asked, looking up at him with the flickering hope alighting in stormy gray eyes.

“Promise,” Cloud said firmly, gently brushing away stray tears from Squall’s cheeks with the pad of his thumb. Squall offered him a watery smile and Cloud gave him an answering one in return. “Why don’t you go back to sleep?” Because a quick glance at the clock showed it was way past midnight and Squall looked like he was fighting to stay awake.

“Can I stay here wif you?” Squall asked timidly, linking his arms around Cloud’s neck in an effort not to go.

“Always,” he answered, feeling as if his heart was threatened by a wide-eyed Squall who was breaking through Cloud’s defenses that he hadn’t known he’d put up. Dropping a light kiss on Squall’s brow, he lay down and drew the covers up around them. Almost immediately the small boy curled into him, head tucked under Cloud’s chin and soon off to an easy sleep.

“You little rascal,” he whispered fondly, lightly tugging on one of Squall’s bunny ears. Settling down and wrapping his arms around Squall protectively, Cloud found he wasn’t cold anymore.

Maybe they did need each other after all.

Chapter Text

Giggling pulled Cloud from his sleep. He groaned and tried pulling up the sheets over his head to drown out the noise to no avail. He cracked an eye open to meet a messy head of  brown hair when the sheets didn’t budge, and for a moment Cloud felt a surge of relief go through him that everything was just a dream. That thought came crashing down when the person in his arms was significantly lighter than he was used to. It almost made Cloud want to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, persistent giggling and the soft click of what suspiciously sounded like a camera kept Cloud from it.

“Aww, how cute you look,” Yuffie cooed, sounding way closer than what Cloud wanted this early in the morning. “Don’t think you can fool me, Cloudy, I see you’re awake.”

“What did I tell you about knocking?” Cloud grumbled, careful not to wake up Squall as he rose up on one arm to regard the grinning girl. He scrubbed a hand across his face, catching a glance at the clock and seeing it was well past when he usually woke up. He blamed it on the snuggling child in his arms.

“Since when did I ever listen to your silly rules?” Yuffie responded flippantly, dancing out of Cloud’s reach as she took a couple more pictures. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up and they were excellent pictures to embarrass Squall with when he was turned back to normal. “Besides, your door was left wide open. That’s free game, Cloudykins.”

Cloud muttered something and ran a hand through his flattened spikes. “Whatever,” he sighed, taking a page out of Leon’s book of phrases. It was, well it wasn’t too early, but he just wasn’t up for Yuffie right at the moment. “Why are you here anyway?”

Yuffie stuck out her tongue, slipping the slim camera into one of her many large pockets. “Aerith wanted me to get you sleepyheads up, it’s time for breakfast. And she has plans for what we’re going to do today.”

“Wonderful.” He looked down at Squall who was starting to wake up. An unbidden smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. The boy’s mouth was wide open and he was tangled up in the sheets, trying to press as close as possible to him. At least some things hadn’t changed. “We’ll be down in a minute. Go bother Aerith.” He waved off Yuffie who was just looking at them with a huge grin on her face.

“Fine,” Yuffie huffed, sticking her tongue out at her friend. She had enough pictures for the moment anyway.

Cloud watched her skip out the room and sighed. He really needed to get a lock on that door. “Hey, time to wake up,” Cloud murmured, lightly tugging on one bunny ear. A stormy blue eye peeked out beneath a fringe of long hair. “There’s pancakes for breakfast,” he added temptingly.

“Blueberry?” Squall asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up with a stretch. Sometimes when he was good, Matron would put blueberries on his pancakes for breakfast. Maybe if he asked nice enough Cloud would do it too. “Pease?” he added with a shy smile. He’d always been told by Matron to be polite and mind his manners.

Cloud ruffled Squall’s hair. Cheeky kid, he knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted. And it was working too. “Sure,” the man answered, looking around for the pair of pants he had discarded yesterday. “Let’s get you dressed first.”

Squall sucked on a seasalt ice cream while he looked around at the strange buildings and stranger people in Hollow Bastion. He had never seen real fairies or talking ducks or wizards before, only what was read to him in storybooks and he wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. He had even met a friendly ghost that he couldn’t wait to tell Seifer about when he got home to Matron and the rest. Squall had learned that not all ghosts were out to scare people.

“Ooh, this store!” Yuffie squealed and Squall was pulled from his thoughts as Tifa took his hand and steered him towards another clothing store after Yuffie.

Yuffie and Ms. Tifa had taken him out today, which was mostly clothes shopping but they did have lunch together and he got to pick his favorite foods to eat. Ms. Tifa let him have two desserts afterwards, which was something Squall never got to have before.

“What about this, Squall?” Yuffie asked as soon as he stepped foot into the store, dangling something in front of his face.

The object was a gray shirt with a picture of a dog on the front and Squall nodded his head in acceptance. He liked dogs and he knew that Cloud had a metal wolf thing on his clothes, so maybe Cloud would like it too. Matron had said dogs were friendlier versions of them after all.

Yuffie beamed and more clothes were added to the pile. “Isn’t this fun Squally?” the girl asked and Squall wrinkled his nose at the nickname. His name was Squall, but Yuffie and Tifa were nice enough to buy him clothes so he didn’t say anything. Besides, he thought, most of the time Yuffie said the right name to him.

However, that didn’t stop him from voicing other opinions. He turned towards the other woman. “‘m tired,” he said with a slight whine as he lightly tugged on Tifa’s hand.

Tifa smiled down at him and dropped down on one knee to give him a quick hug. “We’re almost done, Squall,” she said. “Why don’t you sit in that chair and as soon as we’re done we’ll go to a toy store?”

Squall nodded eagerly and tottered off towards the plastic chair sitting in the corner of the store. Toys were always hand-me-downs at the orphanage, so he never had something that was really all his own. And maybe Cloud would play with him.

Ten minutes later and the little boy looked on while Yuffie talked to Tifa. He licked the last piece of ice cream from the stick, impatiently swinging his legs on the chair he’d been told to sit in. It was nice to have new clothes and not hand-me-downs like before, but he was bored and it was getting too noisy in the crowded shop. He snuck a glance over at the women again who were too absorbed in talking with each other before the boy slipped off his chair. It wouldn’t hurt to wander around for a little while. They wouldn’t notice.

His shoes clicked against the floor as he skirted around other busy shoppers, trying to find a quiet place to sit down. Looking out the giant shop window, a flash of bright yellow caught his gaze in the crowd and Squall grinned, rushing towards the front of the store. “Cloud!” he called out happily as he pushed open the door and ran out, heedless of the dark clouds that was forming overhead.

Thunder rumbled in the rapidly darkening sky and the first drops of rain started to fall, quickly picking up intensity with the wind that was slicing through the streets. “Cloud!” Squall called out again, running faster to keep up with the man who had disappeared around a corner. Water soaked his skirt as the boy splashed through puddles and got jostled around by the crowd, wanting to catch up towards Cloud. However, no matter how fast he ran or how loud he shouted, Cloud never turned around. “Cloud!”

Steady panic made his breath come out in short gasps, wide eyes looking around for any sign of the man in the dark alley. He clutched at the front of his soaked hoodie fearfully, a tiny whimper slipping out of his mouth. Cloud wasn’t anywhere that he could see, the man had disappeared.

A crack of lightning startled Squall and he slipped on a discarded bottle, landing hard in a dirty puddle. Another bolt of lightning ripped across the darkened sky as wind howled through the mouth of the alley started to make the little boy tremble. He didn’t like it and he wanted to go home to Cloud and even Yuffie.

Picking himself up and wincing as the scrapes on his palms and knees stung, he turned around to go back the way he came when he froze in terror. Something was pulsing in the shadows that blocked the entrance of the alley. The little boy had never felt so cold in his life. A forked tongue of lighting streaked overhead that lit up the alleyway in a brief flash of light. Something stepped out of the deep shadows.

Something that was darker than the shadows swirling around it.

Something that had glowing yellow eyes and pointed claws.

Something that was coming right towards Squall.

Chapter Text

Rain pelted against Yuffie’s bare skin and soaked through her clothes as she ran down the narrow streets and alleys. Cloud was going to kill her when he found out she had lost Squall. No, he was going to maim her and then kill her and then have Merlin bring her back to life to do it again. Yuffie just prayed that she would be able to find Squall before he did.

“Squall!” she called out above the rumbling of thunder as the storm raged on. “Squall!” Her feet thudded against the cobbled streets as she searched for the little boy, frantically hoping that Tifa had found him back at Aerith’s.

They had split up to cover more ground once both had realized Squall was nowhere inside the small clothing store. Yuffie had checked the surrounding stores before heading down the side streets hoping to find the little boy holed up somewhere safe out of the storm. “Squall! Where are you?” It was getting harder to see. Her only source of light were the flashes of lightning, and Yuffie felt she would have to head back to Aerith’s if she didn’t find Squall soon. Maybe Cloud and Aerith would help her find the boy. “Squall!”

“Yuffie!”

The ninja skidded to a halt, booted feet slipping over the slick street as she whipped around. “Cloud!” she shouted over the storm, equal parts glad and horrified to see him. “I—”

“What are you doing here?” he cut her off, sword out and held up defensively as his eyes scanned their surroundings. “You have to go back to Aerith’s!” He seems unbothered by the rain pelting down on him.

Yuffie shook her head, finding it had to see as the rain came down in sheets. “I can’t!” she yelled, running over towards Cloud. “Cloud, I—”

“Yuffie, it’s a Heartless attack!” he cut her off again and the girl could hear the words echoing in her head. He gave her a gentle nudge towards the main street of town. “I need you to get out of here and make sure people are safe along the way.”

“No wait!” she protested and grabbed onto Cloud’s arm. “Cloud wait! W-wait!” Her words were snatched away by the screaming wind. “Squall’s lost!” she managed to get out, the words carrying a heavy weight as lightning ripped through the sky above the clash of thunder.

She almost flinched when Mako blue eyes flashed with wild emotions that were too quick for her to pick out as they connected with her own. His mouth pressed into a tight line as he unhooked Yuffie’s fingers from his shirt.

“I’ll find him,” he said in a low tone, voice devoid of emotion as a hard look passed through his eyes. “You go back to Aerith’s.” Her mouth parted as if to say something else and Cloud nearly growled as he pushed her towards Aerith’s. “Go!” he barked out.

Yuffie stumbled back, nodding once in Cloud’s direction before running home with her Shuriken held at her side to battle any Heartless that were in her way. She took one glance back to see Cloud’s black wing unfurl with a wet snap before he took to the sky with single-minded determination, and Yuffie knew if anyone could find Squall it would be Cloud.

Seifer had always talked about monsters that hid in the shadows with glowing eyes and sharp teeth that ate sissies, but Squall had never believed him. Not even when Matron had said that naughty little boys would get taken away if they didn’t behave. Squall wasn’t a sissy, and he was always good so there was no way monsters would get him. Except now there was a monster in front of him, and the little boy had never been so very, very sorry in his life.

Silent tears slipped down his cheeks that mixed with raindrops as he hid under a small space beneath a wooden bridge, hugging his knees to his chest. He had run when the monster had appeared, shooting off down the alley as fast as he could. His hands and knees were scraped and bleeding, clothes muddied and shredded from where he had crawled through a small hole in the wooden fence to get away.

He could feel the monster behind him the entire time he had zigzagged, darting through alleys and under fences in an effort to get away because there had been more monsters everywhere Squall looked. So he’d run faster, tripping over himself and splashing through muddy puddles to dive beneath a low bridge next to the rushing water where it was safe. Except now he was lost and didn’t know which way to go, hiding from something that filled him with nameless terror that threatened to make him sick.

A tiny whimper escaped past his clamped lips in an effort not to make noise as thunder boomed in the sky. It was cold, his clothes long since soaked from the rain and the crack in the bridge where water steadily dripped down into his hiding space. He wanted Sis and he wanted Matron, but most importantly he wanted Cloud. He wouldn’t care if Seifer called him a sissy one hundred times over for it. If Cloud were here then he’d make the monster go away. Squall knew that he’d make everything better.

A sob did escape his throat this time and he buried his head into his knees, shivering as the wind screamed under the bridge and rain stung his exposed arms and legs. He wanted to go back home to Aerith’s house where it was safe, but he was lost and they would never find him. “Cloud,” he muttered forlornly and clutched himself tighter, his fear exhausting itself to hopelessness inside.

“Squall!”

The little boy’s head snapped up at the distant sound. His ears strained through the howling wind and rain to hear a familiar voice again.

“Squall!”

In a flash Squall scrambled up with a sense of relief flooding through him. That was Cloud’s voice. He’d take the monsters away. “I’m here!” he yelled, darting out from under the bridge. “I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!” He could see blond hair in the flashes of lighting and Squall started to sob in relief, arms open wide as he slipped and scrambled over the slick rocks along the riverbank towards the man. Cloud would make everything better.

A startled cry tore itself from Squall’s throat as the shadows suddenly surged up in front of him and one of the shadow monsters stepped out. Everything slowed down around him, and all Squall could hear was the steady thumping of his heart in his ears. His body was screaming at him to move as he looked into soulless yellow eyes, but all Squall could do was watch as the monster’s clawed hand slashed down at him and ripped into his face.

The little boy could distantly hear Cloud’s terrified yell as he crumpled to the wet earth in a mix of blood and rain. He took comfort in it as he closed his eyes against the rapidly numb feeling spreading throughout his body. Cloud had found him and he knew everything was going to be all right.

Chapter Text

Aerith pursed her lips worriedly as she glanced at Yuffie who was huddled in the corner of the kitchen. The girl hadn’t said anything after relaying Cloud’s message about a Heartless attack and trying to find Squall, instead nervously clutching onto the towel Aerith had provided and looking out the window. “I’m sure Cloud will find him, Yuffie,” Aerith murmured as she handed Yuffie a mug of spiced cider.

The girl fixed Aerith with a pained look as she gratefully took the mug. “I know, Aeri, I’m just afraid of what will happen to Squall before Cloud gets there.” She nervously rolled the mug in her hands. “It’ll be my fault if anything happens to him.” Her face crumpled into a dejected look as she stared down at the tiled kitchen floor.

“It’s my fault as well,” Tifa sighed, dark eyes worried as she reflexively clenched and unclenched her hands. She hadn’t had any luck finding Squall on the way to Aerith’s, only a swarm of Heartless, which helped her relieve some of her worried frustration. It wasn’t a bad attack but it had surprised her. There hadn’t been one in quite awhile in Hollow Bastion. Still, it worried Tifa with Squall all alone and defenseless against something he had never encountered before. “We shouldn’t have left him alone.”

The rain pattered against the roof, filling the otherwise silent kitchen as Aerith tried to make an early dinner. It kept her mind off of the anxiousness that was gnawing at her stomach. Aerith had helped her neighbors get home to safety before heading home to check her emergency Materia for healing spells if needed. One of her staves was leaning against the wall, ready to be snatched up at a moment’s notice to use again that night if needed. The only reason she wasn’t out there again was because she knew Cloud would be the one to find Squall, and she sensed she was needed here when the pair returned.

“Tifa, why don’t you go the my study and read through one of Merlin’s books I brought back?” Aerith asked to give the woman something to do instead of thinking about things that couldn’t be undone. “It’s your turn in the rotation anyway, and I could use your help reviewing some of my notes.” The group was slowly but surely working through the huge library of spell books.

Tifa gave a wry smile. “Giving me busy work?” But she got up from the sitting chair and towards the steps that lead up to Aerith’s study. “I’ve read your handwriting before and it’s atrocious.” Aerith may look like a perfectionist but she had Cloud beat when it came to the worst penmanship in the group. It was something that Tifa constantly teased her friends about.

“It’s still work that needs to be done,” Aerith answered. “Just a couple chapters would be good, and you can mark off some areas for Cloud while you’re at it. She tossed an apple at Tifa as the woman passed her. “For some quick energy.” Tifa clapped her on the shoulder in thanks.

Aerith turned towards Yuffie. “Why don’t you take over with the soup?” She could use the girl’s nervous energy, and even though Yuffie wasn’t the strongest in cooking, the girl could follow directions when she wanted to. For once, Yuffie didn’t put up a protest and quietly picked up the wooden spoon to stir the pot. “Thank you. And Yuffie, it’ll be okay.”

Yuffie gave Aerith a quick side hug. “I believe in Cloud.” She knew that Cloud would stop at nothing to find Squall and bring him home. She just feared for the state that Squall would be in. She bit her lip and slid some chopped onions into the soup to try and take her mind off of it.

The violence the storm had entered with was abating, leaving just a heavy overcast and a downpour. The sky was still dark with thick clouds, but not nearly as pitch black as before from when the Heartless swept through the town. The rain pattered against the glass of the windows with the occasional burst of wind rattling the window panes.

Aerith steadily looked out the window hoping to find a shock of blond hair like a beacon of light. Her eyes drifted towards her staff and she wondered if she should do one more sweet around the perimeter. She turned back around, taking a deep breath to settle the unease that had suddenly welled up within her. “Yuffie do you—?”

The back door slammed open and Aerith towards the hallway to see Cloud stagger inside. A hand flew up to the woman’s mouth. The man was hunched over and even though he was soaked she could tell he was heavily bleeding. For a moment, it was just as if Cloud had come back from fighting Sephiroth, wing out and hunched over as if in pain as he staggered through the door.

“Cloud, are you all right?” Aerith asked, heart racing as she hurried over towards her friend. She could hear footsteps thumping down the stairs.

“What happened?” Tifa demanded. She’d come downstairs as soon as she heard the door slam.

“Did you find Squall?” Yuffie crowded around the bedraggled man. Worry made her brows pinch together and her eyes darted everywhere trying to pick up clues to what had happened.

Aerith tried to help Cloud out of his wet clothes but he shrugged her off, holding something tightly against his chest that Aerith was unable to see.

“Help him,” he said insistently and Aerith shot him a lost look, wondering if the man had brushed too close to a Heartless that had left him unbalanced. “Aerith, he’s bleeding and I need you to heal him.” He stood up, carefully revealing what he had hidden beneath his soaked, tattered red cloak.

Aerith felt a wrenching feeling within her at the sight of the limp Squall heavily bleeding in Cloud’s arms, reaching out a hand to lightly touch his chilled forehead before she settled into business. “Yuffie, I need you to grab my emergency Materia. Tifa, go fetch me warm water and a lot of towels,” the woman commanded as she carefully took Squall form Cloud and gently laid him out on the kitchen table. She frowned worriedly at Squall’s shaky condition, his tiny chest barely rising and falling with each labored breath. He was hot to the touch, indicating a growing fever, and the faint tremors shaking his body were worrisome.

Tifa ran back in and deposited the towels next to the unconscious boy. She touched a light hand to his temple before her mouth pressed into a thin line. “Are there still Heartless?” she asked. She only had her Kaiser Knuckles with her, but if she paired up with Cloud the two of them could do some serious damage to Heartless while protecting the town.

“Many of them.” Cloud’s heart clenched at the small form of Squall on the table. It was difficult to turn away from him, but there was more work to be done.

“Where are you going?” Aerith asked, sharp eyes scanning the man’s body with a healer’s attention to detail. “You’re hurt.” Not all of the blood on Cloud came from Squall, and Aerith could see a rip in the man’s clothes where a Heartless had slashed at his side.

Cloud pressed a hand to the wound fleetingly; his eyes betraying no emotion as he yanked open the door. “I’m going out to help Cid protect the town from stray Heartless.” It was what Leon would have done to guard the town and Cloud was determined to do the same as well.

Tifa slipped on her gloves. “I’m coming too.” She needed to make amends for being so careless, and Aerith was a powerful healer who didn’t need tow additional people with him. Cloud looked at her and nodded once in affirmation.

“Take care of him.” Mako enhanced blue eyes strayed to the pale form on the kitchen table before he stepped out into the rain with his sword drawn and took to the air with Tifa running down the pathway in the same direction.

Aerith watched her two friends go before shutting the door. She knew Tifa was capable and she didn’t have time to worry about Cloud for the moment. She nodded her thanks when Yuffie brought her extra Materia. She had a job to do.

“Where have you been?” Tifa hissed as she opened the front door and yanked a battered Cloud inside. She’s come back hours earlier after clearing out a good portion of Heartless towards the shop, but sometime in the fray she’d lost sight of Cloud. And by the time she was done he was no where to be found and she needed to regain some energy and had headed back to Aerith’s.

“Finishing up,” he said. His eyes flicked up the stairs as he tried to shake off the bone weary exhaustion that had settled within him like a solid weight during his fight with the Heartless.

“It’s well past midnight and Squall’s been calling you for hours.” She was near the end of her rope, worried out of her mind for Squall as she continuously fetched glasses of water for him. The little boy had picked up a serious fever from being out in the rain which had made his nightmares worse, and Aerith was still trying to heal Squall. “The town could have handled it without you staying until the very end.”

He knew Tifa was right, and he had a hard time looking her in the eyes to acknowledge it. Tifa was a powerhouse and had assisted in cleaning up the worst of it with him before she’d headed back. The Heartless were the weaker ones and there wasn’t a huge outbreak of them, just enough to cause some minor damage throughout the town. Thankfully no one had been lost but still that wasn’t an excuse for having been caught so off guard. The guilt of that was eating at him, and he’d used that as an excuse to push himself instead of thinking of Squall.

Cloud leaned his sword against the wall. “Is he okay,” he asked quietly.

Tifa sighed in frustration, but she couldn’t stay mad at her friend. She knew he was a difficult man and sometimes needed his space. “He’s upstairs.” She caught his sleeve when he moved to head upstairs. “But you and I are talking later,” she said seriously once she had his attention. She waited for him to nod in acknowledgement before she let her arm drop. “And take this.”

Cloud automatically took the tall glass of water from her and headed up the stairs. The stretch of muscles aggravated his wounds from the fight, but they were inconsequential as his ears picked up the sound of distress coming from Squall’s room. “Squall?”

A soft glow was emitting from under the door before the man pushed it open to find Aerith kneeling next to Squall’s bed with the little boy thrashing around on top. The woman chanted something, touching the boy’s forehead before sliding her hands down his body. Instantly the little boy stopped jerking around. The quiet whimpers and slight trembles as he battled his fever still remained and the woman sighed, worry etched into her brow as she smoothed back a lock of hair that had fallen into Squall’s face.

“How is he?” the man asked, heavy boots thudding against the floorboards as he made his way over towards the small child. He could see the face wound had healed, although it remained a thin pinkish scar so similar to what Leon had, but the little boy looked far from healthy. He was still abnormally pale with two high spots of color on his flushed cheeks. The boy continued to twitch in his uneasy rest despite Aerith’s hushed spells.

“Not good despite my best efforts,” Aerith murmured while she tucked the animal print blankets back around Squall. “I’ve used simple Cure spells for the basics such as the scrapes and bruises that had littered Squall’s skin. I’ve done a mild Sleep spell, but I don’t want to use anything more powerful. I’m still not sure which potions Leon had ingested so I don’t know how the different spells will react with each other.” And until she could recognize it, she didn’t want to risk doing something else to Squall. Merlin’s spells were often unpredictable and hard to control.

Cloud nodded, throwing his tattered cloak over the back of a chair before heavily dropping to his knees beside the bed. Guilt was roiling around inside of him when he focused on the fresh pink scar slicing neatly between Squall’s fluttering eyelids. He might as well have done that with his own blade for failing to protect the little boy.

Squall whimpered in his sleep, a soft exclamation of fear slipping between pale pink lips as the brunet turned his head to the side.

“Is there anything else you can do?” he asked, gently laying a chilled hand against Squall’s hot cheek. Almost immediately the little boy quieted and leaned into the touch as if knowing on a subconscious level that Cloud was there.

Aerith shook her head tiredly, noticing how much calmer Squall was now because of the man and she smiled gratefully. “Ride it out for now and provide plenty of fluids and warmth.” Treating a fever without the use of magic could be done and it was the safer course of action considering all the unknown variables.

“Then why don’t you go to bed, Aerith?” Cloud suggested, his eyes never straying from the sleeping child as he softly carded through the boy’s silky hair. “You look tired and I can take care of Squall now that you’ve cured the worst of it.” He motioned to the glass of water Tifa gave him.

Aerith refrained from pointing out that Cloud looked no better. He was soaked to the bone from the violent storm and battered after fighting the Heartless, dark circles around his eyes and a pained tension within his body. She remained silent after looking at the tender expression on Cloud’s face that was mixed with regret as the man looked on at Squall. Cloud needed the time with Squall and Aerith nodded in agreement, silently promising to herself that she would heal her friend in the morning.

“Goodnight,” she whispered to the pair, collecting Merlin’s books and scrolls that were scattered around the room. She intended to do a bit more research before she went to bed to see if she could help ease Squall’s nightmares as well as try to find a cure to change him back to normal.

Turning to look back one last time to make sure Cloud was okay, she paused and let a secretive smile slip across her face. The man sat beside Squall’s bed, hunched over the little boy protectively with his wing out and curved towards the boy. He was humming softly to Squall, a simple lullaby Aerith almost recognized, as Cloud held onto the boy’s hand that was lying atop the covers. Silhouetted as he was with the moonlight filtering through the blinds, Cloud looked like a one-winged guardian angel.

“I think you can heal him better than I could,” Aerith murmured to herself as she gently shut the door and headed on to bed with a warm, glowing feeling spreading within her from the sight. Love was the most powerful medicine of all and Aerith had seen in clearly shine through Cloud’s eyes whenever he looked at Squall.

Now if she could only get the stubborn man to admit it.

Chapter Text

Cloud sneezed, thinking dark thoughts about why Merlin couldn’t have found a potion to cure the common cold. He didn’t often get sick thanks to the Mako enhancing his immune system, and when he did Leon was always there to take care of him. Sometimes he even dressed up in that nurse costume Cloud had given Leon for Christmas, and then Cloud really didn’t mind being sick. Unfortunately there was no Leon around to pamper him and do interesting things with the thermometer, only a well-meaning Aerith and an annoying Yuffie.

Aerith had confined him to bed rest after he had almost collapsed in exhaustion when trying to make some coffee to keep himself awake. He had constantly been at Squall’s bedside helping the little boy fight the raging fever alongside Aerith. Half the time Squall was caught up in one nightmare after another that had left the little boy thrashing around in his sleep. When Squall was awake, he was too delirious to comprehend his surroundings and almost immediately went back to sleep when Cloud was done feeding him. That had lasted for three days before the fever finally broke and Squall was able to get some peaceful rest. After which, Cloud’s cold had demanded it not be ignored anymore and had decided to attack the man’s immune system with a vengeance.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door and Cloud frowned, settling further into his fluffed up pillows and snatching another tissue from the box on the nightstand. “What?” he asked with a touch of annoyance; his voice a little nasally from his stuffed nose. Right now he just wanted to be alone so he could sulk in peace with his red nose and achy body.

The door was slowly nudged open and Cloud’s mood instantly brightened when he saw Squall enter. “Hello Squall,” he greeted warmly to the little boy. “What have you got there?”

Squall beamed, his eyes bright with excitement as he carefully carried a tray in his hands with single minded concentration. “Orange juice,” he responded proudly once he set the cup on the nightstand. “I made it myself,” he added, holding up his hands that were sticky with freshly squeezed juice and orange pulp.

“Thank you,” Cloud said graciously with a warm feeling spreading throughout him. Squall looked much better than he had when Cloud had first carried the little boy in. The brunet’s eyes were clear and he was back to a healthy color thanks to the strict diet Aerith had put the boy on. The faint pink scar was still between Squall’s eyes that Aerith hadn’t been able to fully heal because of Merlin’s unknown spells that had changed Leon’s body, and Cloud felt a pang of remorse. He should have been able to protect Squall to prevent that from happening, but Cloud hid his regret with a faint smile for the little boy’s sake.

Along with the sticky glass of orange juice, there was a bowl of soup Aerith had prepared and a plate of crackers. Cloud’s eyes caught on the piece of paper that was sticking out under the slim, blue vase with a single daisy in it. “What’s this?” he murmured, lifting up the vase to get the folded up paper.

“I made it to make you feel better,” the little boy mumbled in embarrassment as he dropped his eyes to the floor. Yuffie had bought him crayons from the toy store when Aerith had told him to stay in bed to get better. Squall had used them to make a card for Cloud when he had found out the man was sick as well. He had worked really hard and Squall hoped Cloud liked it. It was the first present he had ever given anyone.

Cloud unfolded the paper to reveal a colorful crayon drawing. There was a mess of blue at the top for the sky and a giant yellow ball to represent the sun, and down below was a lot of green scribbles for the grass. It was the middle of the picture that made Cloud’s breath hitch at the two stick figures. One was small with messy brown hair wearing black pants and a white shirt who holding onto the hand of the taller person. The tall one had a shock of spiky yellow hair and big blue eyes wearing a red cape with his big black wing curled around the smaller figure. And just above their heads next to the red, lopsided heart was large clumsy handwriting that said I LOVE YOU.

“Squall,” Cloud said, blaming his unsteady voice on the cold he had, “come here.” He opened his arms and the little boy crawled into them with an unsure look on his young face. Cloud’s arms closed around Squall in a fierce hug as he tried to get a hold on his emotions that were threatening to spill over. “Thank you,” he whispered heartfelt into silky hair. “It made me feel a lot better.”

Squall grinned and turned around to settle firmly onto Cloud’s lap, relieved that Cloud had accepted his present. With enthusiasm the boy started to point out certain parts in the picture in the man’s hand and explaining them. Cloud nodded with an indulgent smile curling the corners of his mouth as he held the child. The little boy’s excited voice and bright smile that glowed from within was like a special medicine to Cloud, and the man could hardly tell he was sick anymore.

An hour later when Yuffie went to go check on Cloud and put down Squall for a nap, she found them both sound asleep with the little boy nestled in the man’s arms. The picture was still clenched in Cloud’s fist and she gently pried it from his hands to set on the night stand. Collecting the empty tray, she couldn’t help squealing softly and taking a picture of the pair for Aerith’s photo album.

Something had definitely happened between Cloud and Squall during the time they were recovering from their illness because both of them seemed changed. The man seemed more emotionally free, as if he had finally admitted something to himself, and Squall was more relaxed and acted like a well-adjusted little boy. Aerith couldn’t count the number of times Squall had gotten into mischief during the past week, and it didn’t help that Cloud was often the leader in those instances.

“No,” the woman said firmly, looking up from her gardening at Cloud and Squall. “Yuffie worked really hard on making dinner tonight and you’ll spoil your appetite if I give you cookies.” She was assaulted with two pairs of puppy eyes and Aerith was startled that Cloud could pull it off so effectively. She had forgotten that the man used to do it when he was younger to get his way.

“That was the point,” Cloud muttered. He pasted on an angelic grin when Aerith shot him a look. “Please?” the man wheedled. “We’ll only have one.” Privately, he knew it would probably be more than one if he could find them but Yuffie had hidden Aerith’s tin somewhere. He was hoping Aerith would know where the girl stashed them.

“No,” Aerith said again, almost caving at Squall’s look who was trying to imitate Cloud’s pout as he sat atop the man’s shoulders. “And don’t encourage Squall. You’re a bad influence.”

Cloud sighed before reaching up to grab Squall around the waist and flipping the boy forward. “What do you think, kitten?” he asked above Squall’s delighted shrieking as he tossed the child in the air. “Am I a bad influence?” He caught the laughing boy, making a silly face before tossing Squall in the air again.

Aerith rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Get out of here and go play,” she shooed the pair away. “Dinner will be ready at six and don’t forget, after you wash up it’s your turn for some Merlin research.”

“Fine,” Cloud sighed as he held Squall up in one arm. “We’ll go play with Cid.” Placing Squall atop his shoulders again, he ran off down the hill towards town where the man lived with the little boy’s delighted laughter ringing out.

Aerith’s faint smile melted into a worried frown once the pair was out of sight. She wiped her muddy hands on her gardening apron. On one hand it was heartwarming that Cloud finally admitted to himself that he loved the adorable little boy. It was something he hadn’t done with Leon when they were together. Affection wasn’t just a physical thing, and both men were stubborn when it came to opening up emotionally. They were both emotionally fragile in their own way and apprehensive of getting hurt if they expressed themselves. She was a quiet spectator of the pair and it was maddening to her as those men had danced around the issue. They were two halves of the same whole; the Light Cloud had been looking for and the stability that Leon had quietly wanted.

On the other hand, Cloud’s newfound ability to express himself was a direct result of Leon being turned into a child. Without the physical attraction there was less of a chance for Cloud to be left vulnerable. A child gave unconditional love with unwavering trust, allowing the man to easily become attached to the little boy without second guessing himself. And as much as Aerith was happy that the pair had created such a strong bond, she was worried about what would happen to that bond at the end of the month when Merlin returned.

The little boy they had come to know and love as Squall couldn’t stay a child forever.

Chapter Text

“Aerith!” Cid roared as he kicked open the back door and stalked into the kitchen. A very muddy Squall wearing a white scarf was carried under Cid’s arm. A satisfied looking Cloud with goggles perched on his head was being dragged by the back of his shirt by the irate man.

Aerith nearly dropped the book she’d been reading before raising one eyebrow. “What did they do?” the woman asked, her lips twitching in amusement at the sight the trio made. If only Yuffie was here with her ever-present camera.

Cid chewed on the end of his cigarette, his face nearly purple as he tried to limit his language. Aerith had had a “chat” with him about friendly language around the kid and he didn’t want to anger the woman. She was worse than Shera when her fuse was lit.

“Get. Them. Away. From. Me,” the elder man managed to grind out as he shoved Cloud away from him. He measured a hard-edged glare at the brat before depositing him into Spikey’s arms. Both of them had identical grins on their faces and Cid had to bite his tongue in order not to curse them out. “You should put those brats on a leash,” he bit out before turning around and slammed the door behind him.

“Do I want to know?” Aerith asked dryly as she looked at the very muddy pair.

“We were playing airplane so we needed to borrow some props,” Cloud said with a straight face although his eyes danced wickedly in amusement. More like they had broken into Cid’s workshop, but Aerith didn’t need to know all the details. He hadn’t counted on Cid being home for once instead of down at the construction site overseeing some renovations in town.

“I’m a plane flyer,” Squall said seriously in Cloud’s arms. His little face tilted up to look at Cloud in reassurance that he had used the right word.

Cloud felt his heart swell and he snuggled the boy in his arms. “That’s right. You were a pilot just like Cid.” He lightly tugged on the end of Squall’s white scarf they had “borrowed” from Cid.

“You didn’t take one of Cid’s planes, did you?” Tifa asked as she set down the jar of polish she was using to shine one of her gloves. It would explain why Cid had been so pissed off. She tossed a smile at the giggling Squall who waved back from his perch in Cloud’s arms.

“No,” Cloud answered. He could barely fly a Gummi Ship to save his life and getting anywhere near Cid’s personal ship was a death wish. “But we made our own fun.” He flapped his wing once for emphasis. Simple was always better and Squall had been delighted seeing Hollow Bastion from a bird’s eye view in his arms.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up?” Aerith suggested. Both males were muddy and wet as evidence of their activities and if they weren’t careful they would get sick again. “And thank Yuffie when you knock on her door. She was able to get all the ingredients you needed for you to make dinner tonight.”

Cloud had many talents but the kitchen wasn’t one of them. However, he was on rotation and it wasn’t hard to make a salad and baked ziti. He remembered his mom had a recipe she used and he could make it from scratch without setting fire to the kitchen. “What do you think, kitten. Would you like to be my mini chef tonight?” He bopped Squall’s button nose.

Squall grinned. “I’m a great helper!” he proclaimed.

The man chuckled and hitched the boy higher on his hip. “Then let’s get cleaned up and start on dinner.” He carried the boy up the stairs while making airplane noises, much to the delight of the child.

Tifa hummed in thought as she set down a couple thick books for Squall to sit on in his chair when it came time to eat dinner. “I see what you mean, Aerith,” she said in relation to what the woman had been talking about earlier. She was just as fond of the adorable little boy as anyone else, but she knew that Squall had to be changed back into Leon. And with the new information Cid had unearthed at Merlin’s place when researching spells, it would be a lot sooner than they expected. She just hoped Cloud was ready for it.

Both women didn’t have much time to think about their worries as Yuffie bounded down the stairs followed shortly after by a freshly washed Squall and Cloud. Aside from a comment from Yuffie wondering if pasta was supposed to be so black (and Cloud’s snapped back comment to shut up and eat it), dinner passed by without incident and soon it was nearing Squall’s bedtime. There was just an hour of daylight left and the pair was outside making the most of it. Cloud sat under a tree coaching Squall on how to hold his wooden sword. He had been teaching the boy the finer points of sword fighting after Squall had displayed an interest in the Buster sword. The man looked up when he heard gravel crunching on the path to see Tifa and Aerith walking towards him.

“Cloud, we need to talk,” Tifa said seriously and Cloud could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the looks the women gave him. It was the look that said “you have, or will do, something wrong and it’s going to go poorly for you when it does.” It generally meant a lot of pain and suffering on his part as usually they only got that way when it involved Leon. Judging by the way both women were looking at him with just a flicker of sympathy in their eyes meant it was really serious.

Cloud nodded in agreement, knowing it was best to get it over with. “Hey kiddo, why don’t you practice more of your footwork?” he asked and ruffled Squall’s hair. He watched with a fond smile as the boy nodded seriously with a look of concentration on his face as he set to work. Squall had picked up the basic footwork extremely quickly and it wouldn’t be long before they could do some mock sword fights. Maybe he could even influence Squall to like a regular sword better than a gunblade. The good mood evaporated when he turned around to face the women and they beckoned him inside the house towards the library where there was more privacy.

“Cloud,” Aerith started gently once the library door closed behind them. She hesitated, wondering how she was going to phrase the sentence without seeming like she was attacking her friend. At Tifa’s encouraging nod Aerith sighed and looked directly at the man. “Cloud, Squall can’t stay here,” she said, knowing it was best to be blunt with the man to get things through to him. Sometimes he was just so dense.

“You’re kicking him out?” Cloud asked defensively, blue eyes narrowed in anger at Aerith’s comment. He thought they loved Squall as much as he did and yet they wanted to leave him on the streets to die? He wouldn’t let them. He would take Squall and go somewhere if he had to.

Tifa grabbed Cloud by the back of his shirt and forced him down into a stiff-backed chair. The man looked like he was ready to crawl out of his skin. “Calm down,” she snapped and leveled a glare of her own. “You’re acting unreasonable.” She adjusted her stance so she was blocking the quick escape through the door. Cloud could be a slippery one when faced with difficult conversations, but this was something that he needed to hear as much as it pained her to do.

“I’m being unreasonable?” Cloud demanded in disbelief, shooting an incredulous look at the pair. “You’re just going to forget about Squall?”

“We’re not forgetting anyone, Cloud,” Tifa shot back sharply as she crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s not a child, Cloud,” the woman stressed. “And I don’t think you understand that.”

“I do,” Cloud shot back edgily as he tensed up in his seat like a cornered animal. He didn’t like what Tifa and Aerith were telling him and all he wanted to do was take Squall and run.

“Do you?” Aerith asked, laying a hand on Cloud’s shoulder. He gave her a stubborn look and the woman sighed, moving over to sit on the arm of the chair Cloud was sitting in. “I’ve seen the way you’ve interacted with Squall and how much more open you’ve been around not just him, but everyone else as well. You smile more and you’re less guarded than you used to be. I think it’s wonderful.”

“Then why are you acting like it’s a bad thing?” Cloud challenged. Squall viewed Aerith as a mother. And Tifa—Squall hadn’t stopped talking about the woman after she took him to the park to fly Squall’s newly purchased kite. The boy even liked Yuffie after he got over his initial fear of how hyperactive she could be, and those two planned more pranks together than anyone else. So Cloud didn’t understand why they would change that.

“It can’t last forever, Cloud,” Aerith said quietly. Her eyes drifted to the open book at the desk where Cid had bookmarked an important passage. “It’s not fair to us and it’s not fair to Leon.”

Cloud’s shoulders slumped at the mention of the other man and he leaned his forearms against his knees. “Couldn’t we just wait a little while longer?” he asked softly and Aerith almost caved at the beseeching look on her friend’s face.

“How much longer?” Tifa shook her head, feeling her own remorse bubbling at the surface. “A week? A month? A year?” She clenched her fists as her side as she paced around the room. “Why don’t we just keep feeding him potions to make Squall stay a child forever, or better yet, why don’t we just raise Squall and completely erase Leon from existence. Is that what you want?”

“No!” Cloud snarled, slamming his fist down on the armrest hard enough to crack the wood in two. His eyes were flashing wildly as he jerkily pulled himself out of the broken chair before he went and destroyed something else. “That’s not what I wanted.”

“Then what do you want?” Aerith insisted as she rose from the other arm of the chair to stand beside Tifa.

Cloud’s shoulders tensed again as he faced the floor to ceiling picture window. It overlooked Aerith’s garden that she worked so hard on, and beyond that her yard lined with trees. “I just wanted to make him happy,” he said quietly, watching Squall out in the backyard with a bright smile on his face as he played with Yuffie. “I wanted to give him the childhood he never had.”

It broke Tifa’s heart to hear Cloud, because she knew how much he loved the boy. Her footsteps carried her across the small room so she could wrap her arounds around him from behind in a quick embrace. “Cloud,” Tifa said hesitantly, all of her earlier anger gone, “he might not even remember.”

Cloud turned out of her loose hold. “You’re lying.” His voice was flat with denial. What they said couldn’t be true because if it was that meant that… that everything would have been for nothing and Cloud refused to believe it. He couldn’t.

“Cloud, we looked through all of Merlin’s journals and scrolls for hours ever since Leon was changed. You helped as well. You know that there’s nothing that says anything about retaining memories once a person was changed back,” Aerith said as she picked up the book that was highlighted with meticulous notes crammed into the margins with her neat handwriting. “Cid found the specific passage himself. You can look if you want but…” she trailed off at the closed off look on Cloud’s face.

“I’m sorry,” Tifa whispered sorrowfully, recognizing the crushed look Cloud was trying so hard to hide. She wanted to reach out again and pull her friend into a hug but she knew the man would shrug it off. “We all love Squall, but would it be so hard to love Leon too?” she asked in a last attempt to reach out to Cloud.

There was a tense silence as both women watched the man who was gazing sightlessly out the window before he spun around. He walked right past the pair without a word and left with a flutter of his tattered cape.

Cloud didn’t return for six days.

Chapter Text

The rain pattered lightly against the windowpane. Squall’s nose was pressed against the glass, his large stormy eyes were trained on the muddy dirt path hoping to catch a glimpse of sunshine yellow hair to crest over the hill. He was curled up in a tiny ball on the widow seat, a navy blanket wrapped tightly around him that he had taken from Cloud’s bed. It smelled like the man, of metal and the sharp bite of sword polish Cloud used, and Squall took comfort in it and imagined Cloud was watching over him.

A tiny hand reached out from the thick blanket to feel around his plate for the carrot sticks Tifa had left for him. A cup of half full apple juice was next to it along with the stuffed wolf toy Yuffie had bought him. She had tried to get the little boy to play a game earlier but the child had refused. Instead, he insisted on staying by the window so he would be the first one to see Cloud when the man came back. The little boy was worried that he would miss his chance if he was playing make-believe with Yuffie.

Cool ceramic met his touch and Squall reluctantly looked away from the heavily overcast night to find his plate was empty save for a dollop of Ranch dressing in the corner. His stomach growled, reminding the boy he hadn’t eaten much since breakfast when Yuffie had made him eat at least one pancake and a sip of orange juice. Squall placed a hand on his tummy, looking between his empty plate and back outside again clearly torn between filling his stomach and watching for Cloud. Hunger won out in the end and he supposed he could ask Aerith for some dinner and then bring it right back to eat.

Nodding to himself at the plan, Squall climbed down from the window seat before carefully taking his cup and plate from the bench. He paused, looking back over his shoulder and out the window again before setting down his dishes when another thought came to him. “Stay here an’ watch for Cloud,” the little boy whispered solemnly to his wolf toy, positioning the stuffed animal so its button eyes could look out the window and down the road. He patted the wolf on the head, scratching behind one of the toy’s soft ears before picking up his dishes and tottering towards the kitchen.

There were loud noises the closer Squall got towards the kitchen and the little boy paused a couple steps away from the entrance. He didn’t know if he should go in or not, and he didn’t want to cause unwanted attention if that yelling was because of him. He shifted from one foot the other, wondering if perhaps he could just wait. He set his plate down next to the half-wall with the intent to sit until the yelling was over.

“That godsdammed pigheaded man!”

Tifa’s voice carried over the short hallway wall. Squall didn’t know if he should cover his ears or not at the bad word. He had only heard Seifer use them, and every time Matron has washed out his with soap as a punishment. Squall never liked being around the kids who said bad words in case Matron tried to wash his mouth out with soap as well.

“I’m going to kill Cloud when he brings his sorry ass back here!” Tifa carried on.

At the mention of Cloud’s name, Squall tentatively lowered his hands from around his areas. He would risk getting his mouth washed out if it meant learning where Cloud had gone to. Squall carefully tiptoed his way towards the archway to peer around the corner.

Tifa angrily stalking around the kitchen, gesturing wildly and throwing punches in the air every few steps. “Why is he like this?”

“Shh, Squall will hear you,” Aerith admonished.

The little boy ducked back at the mention of his name while still peeking around the corner so he could see.

“Squall hasn’t been paying attention to anything since Cloud left. He’s been sitting at the window every chance he gets waiting for that man.” Yuffie scowled in anger, kicking the legs of the stool she was sitting on with the back of her heals. “When I get my hands on that Chocobo head, oooh!” she broke off into fierce mutterings. How dare Cloud just leave Squall after everything they had told him? Didn’t the little boy mean anything to him?

Aerith’s mouth thinned into a straight line, gripping her pen harder than necessary as she took notes from one of Merlin’s books. “There’s nothing we can do now until Cloud comes back,” she said evenly, tying to be the voice of reason even though she would have liked to give Cloud a piece of her mind. She wasn’t one for violence but for that man’s case she’d make an exception.

“But when?” Tifa asked aggravated, doing another tight turn as she hit the end of a wall and continued to pace. “He’s been known to just take off for months without a word and Squall doesn’t have that much time left.”

“I know.” Aerith heaved a sigh, rubbing at her temples tiredly. “Squall could very well be gone by the time Cloud gets back.”

Squall’s eyes widened in shock and he scooted back so he was fully hidden from sight again. He didn’t want to go. He couldn’t leave everyone behind when they had all been so kind to him. He thought they loved him. Squall clutched at his shirt, tightly squeezing his eyes shut. Cloud was…was his everything and just thinking about never seeing the person who he loved more than anything filled the boy with a terrible hollow feeling inside. Tears pricked his eyes and he sniffled, furiously wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Yuffie ventured after awhile as each woman was lost in her own thoughts. “We don’t know what conclusions Cloud is drawing and he could complicate things if he’s here when Merlin comes back.”

“And what would we say to Cloud?” Tifa murmured, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed under her chest.

“That Squall’s returned home,” Aerith replied quietly. “And hope that Cloud understands.”

Home.

It left a funny feeling inside of him at the word and Squall thought back to the orphanage he had always considered his home. It was the only home he had known all his life with Matron to take care of him and Sis to watch over him along with the other kids that were there. It had been nice, and Squall didn’t mind much even when Seifer teased him and always stole food off his plate just to be annoying.

And then he had come here where he wasn’t competing for attention with other children, and he didn’t have hand-me-down stuff that always got taken. He woke up in a warm bed not shared by another and got to pick what he wanted to eat that was made just for him. And he had someone that was always there for him no matter what he did. Squall felt as if he finally belonged in a family and not as a burden to others who didn’t always have time for him.

But could he just leave the orphanage without saying goodbye? He couldn’t leave Matron who had done so much for him. And Sis…she was the only real family he had. They must be concerned about him and Squall felt bad for making them worry. He wanted to go back to them and yet he wanted to stay here with his new family. Frustration welled up inside as the little boy tried to figure out what he wanted. He was close to tears again while he tried to fumble his way through an answer that didn’t end up with someone getting hurt.

“Poor little guy,” Tifa’s voice floated from the kitchen, cutting through Squall’s thoughts. “Let’s hope Cloud does return in time for Squall’s sake.”

The little boy’s face cleared and he felt as if a weight had been lifted inside of him. He would go to Cloud for an answer because Cloud knew everything. Conflict passed for now, Squall quietly got up and headed back towards the living room. He wasn’t worried as he crawled back up on the widow seat, pulling the blanket around him once more as he looked out the window. The man had promised he wouldn’t disappear and Tifa had said Cloud always kept his promises.

Tucking his wolf under his chin, the child pressed his forehead against the cool windowpane as the rain continued to gently fall. He would wait for Cloud to come home to him.

He would always wait.

Cloud scrubbed a hand across his face. He felt gritty and sore from two nonstop days of fighting and sleeping out underneath the stars. He had taken one of Cid’s Gummi ships with pre-programmed coordinates to get away for a bit to clear his head and take out his frustrations on any Heartless that happened to cross his path in the worlds he had visited.

Despite being bone tired and knowing he was going to get reamed by three angry women the moment he stepped foot into Aerith’s, Cloud had never felt better. He had figured out what he wanted and he was okay. No—better than okay, and he wanted nothing more than to get back home.

The lights were off in Aerith’s house and Cloud took that as a good sign while he eased open the back door. He knew he had to face Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie at some point but right now he wanted to see Squall before collapsing onto his bed.

“Six days.”

Cloud froze at the harsh voice echoing in the pitch black kitchen. “Aerith?” The lights suddenly clicked on and Cloud blinked rapidly, noticing the woman sitting on a bar stool in the corner of the room with the deadliest glare Cloud had ever seen.

“You left Squall for six days without word on where you were or when you were coming back,” Aerith said in a hard voice. “Six days, Cloud.”

“I was coming back,” Cloud answered defensively. “I wouldn’t leave him.”

“Tell that to the child who’s been sitting at the window from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed waiting for you.” Aerith exhaled a sharp breath, clenching her fist above the counter. “Cloud, you can’t do that to a child.”

Cloud’s heart twisted in his chest at the image of a forlorn little boy. He hadn’t meant to hurt the boy. “I just needed to figure some things out.” He wanted to make the best choice for Squall, and he couldn’t do that when the little boy was always there. He didn’t want to make a mistake that would end up hurting someone in the end.

“Cloud, Squall just wants to be with you,” Aerith said tiredly. She turned her palms face up on the counter in a restless gesture. “He loves you.”

“I know,” Cloud said firmly, running a hand through his hair. “I know.”

There was silence as Aerith looked at Cloud as if searching for something and he stared right back, his blue eyes unwavering. Finally Aerith gave a tiny sigh and her mouth lost that hard edge to curve up into a natural smile. It seemed she had found the answer she was looking for and she got up from the stool to give Cloud a hug. “Take good care of him,” the woman whispered, squeezing the man before letting go. “I’ll go see that Yuffie and Tifa don’t murder you while you sleep.”

Cloud gave a faint smile at the woman. Nodding a goodnight, Cloud made his way upstairs towards Squall’s room. His heart melted just a little as he made his way over towards the window where Squall had fallen asleep with his face pressed up against the windowpane. The boy was wrapped up in a blanket that Cloud recognized had come from his room. A stuffed wolf was loosely clutched in one tiny hand.

The man carefully picked up the child in his arms and tucked the boy back into bed, settling the wolf into the little arms. Squall looked angelic while he slept and Cloud smoothed back a lock of messy hair, a warm feeling bubbling up inside of him that Cloud finally recognized what it was.

He placed a light kiss on the little boy’s forehead, vowing he would spend the rest of Squall’s time creating as many happy memories as he could, even if it wouldn’t be remembered later. And just before Cloud left he whispered his confession in the moonlit room to the man who had stolen his heart and the little boy who had made him realize that.

“No matter who you are, just remember that I love you.”

Chapter Text

“Oh no, here comes Madam Princess to beautify you!” Yuffie gasped, forming her gloved hands into claws as she chased Squall around the backyard.

The little boy shrieked in delight as he ran away with his cardboard sword bumping against his side. “No, help me Cloud!” he yelled, darting around a tree to escape Yuffie’s grasp. He fisted his hand to his mouth to stop the giggles as he peeked around the tree to watch out for the girl.

“Gotcha!” Squall let out a yelp as Yuffie grabbed him from behind and picked him up. “Now face the wrath of my glitter power!” She cackled gleefully while holding Squall under one arm despite his squirming and took out a tube of neon blue lipstick from her side pouch to paint his face with.

“Unhand him you fiend!”

Yuffie mock gasped and turned around where she almost died with laughter at seeing Cloud. He was standing on the roof with MM taped to his naked chest while he wore white pants and combat boots. His red cape was flowing in the wind and he even had a sock tied around his head with eyeholes cut out to form a mask.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Yuffie laughed while trying to tie Squall’s hair in pigtails.

Cloud dramatically tossed his cape over one shoulder while striking a heroic pose. “It is I, Manly Man, and I’ve come to save my fellow sidekick, Boisterous Boy.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Yuffie declared. “I shall turn him into the ways of everything pink and glittery to become Fairy Boy.” She laughed manically with an evil expression before taking off. The skirts of her poofy pink and purple ball gown trailed out behind her as she ran away with Squall under her arm.

Cloud flipped off the roof and landed on the ground in a crouch before giving chase to the pair. “When I’m done with you Madam Princess, you’ll be lifting free weights and drinking milk straight from the carton!”

“Never!”

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Squall was the only one changed into a child,” Tifa commented wryly as she sipped on her coffee at the kitchen table. She looked out the large bay windows that faced the backyard, watching Squall and Yuffie run around with a giggling Squall in tow.

Aerith chuckled as a tug-of-war ensued over who would get Squall. “At least they’re having fun.” Time was running short and Cloud was determined to make those last days together count for Squall. Hence why a grown man was currently running around with his underwear on the outside of his pants and a sock tied around his head. She almost wished she had her camera to take a picture of the moment.

“When will you tell them?” Tifa asked, setting her mug down on the table.

Aerith watched the trio for a time before dropping the curtain back into place. “Tonight,” she said with a sigh. Merlin had unexpectedly come back from his trip that morning, and Aerith had run into the aged wizard on the way home from going to the market. Tifa had been with her at the time and the pair had explained what had happened to Squall. Hopefully Merlin would know if Squall’s case was serious or not.

“Are you ready?”

Aerith gave a slight shrug and a tired smile. “As ready as one can ever be,” she replied. “Although I think I’ll miss him helping me bake in that pink apron.”

Tifa snickered, glancing at the incriminating photos that were spread out on the counter top. “Yeah, but maybe if you’ll ask nicely Leon will still do it. You know he has a soft spot for you ever since you fixed his wolf.” Squall had taken to carrying around the stuffed plushie everywhere since Yuffie had first given it to him, and eventually all the wear and tear had made the wolf lose a leg. Squall had been near to tears before Aerith had fixed it with a little needle and thread, even going so far as to tie a big red bow around the collar when she was done.

Aerith made a noise of agreement, plopping down on the kitchen chair next to Tifa. “If he remembers,” the woman murmured, idly plucking at the scraps of lace and ribbon on the table. It was left over from a project she had been working on and she hadn’t had a chance to clean up from it yet.

“Has Merlin said anything about it?” Tifa asked, watching as Aerith started sweeping glitter off the table and into a container.

There was a commotion outside before the back door burst open and three red-faced superheroes spilled through the entryway. Aerith finished putting the contents from the table back into the shoe box just as Squall made a beeline towards her. “Ms. Aerith, I’mma sidekick!” the little boy declared proudly, showing off his towel cape that had no doubt been snatched off the clothes line. He was also sporting a pair of heart boxers on the outside of his jeans and wearing mismatched mittens on his hands.

“I can see that,” Aerith said with a smile. “And what’s that all over your face?” She licked her thumb and tried to wipe off the pink smudge on Squall’s cheek much to the little boy’s discontent.

“Madam Prin’cess tried ta make me a girl,” Squall said breathlessly as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“I was trying to make him prettier in the world,” Yuffie defended with her hands on her hips. Her crown was askew on her head and mud was dripping off her princess dress but that didn’t stop her satisfied grin. “And then Macho Man had to swoop in and get caught in the crossfire.”

“That’s Manly Man to you,” Cloud said haughtily and Aerith couldn’t help the snicker at the wide crimson smile Cloud was sporting and the glitter that dusted his clothes. “And I had to save my little buddy here.” Squall giggled as he was picked up in Cloud’s arms and set atop the man’s shoulders.

“So who won?” Tifa inquired. It didn’t look like either team had made out on top, equally covered in makeup products as well as mud and bits of leaves.

Yuffie and Cloud looked at each other in a beat of silence before both declared they had won and then breaking out into a squabble into who had actually won the heroic battle. Aerith cleared her throat before another epic battle could break out in the middle of her kitchen. “Why don’t you guys get cleaned up?”

Cloud made a face at Yuffie before giving up the argument. He had so won against Madam Princess. “All right.” He lightly bounced Squall on his shoulders. “How about you and I go conquer Dr. Soap and Mistress Washcloth?” The little boy nodded and Cloud saluted the three women before heroically gliding away with Squall on his shoulders.

“And make sure you get behind his ears!” Aerith called out after the pair and Cloud rolled his eyes.

“Yes mother,” the man drawled good-naturedly. On the way towards the stairs the doorbell rang and Cloud veered off to get it. “It’s probably Cid demanding back his scarf,” he commented to Squall. He opened the door fully intending on giving Cid a rambling answer on why they had never given back the scarf they had “liberated” and froze, not expecting to see the person on the other side.

“Hello Cloud, it’s good to see you again,” Merlin said pleasantly, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts holding a carpet bag by his side. “And you must be Squall.” He dropped the bag, readjusting his crooked glasses as he looked up at the small figure on Cloud’s shoulders with a broad smile. “Ah, it looks like my newest invention has worked, although it shouldn’t have aged him so far. I’ll make sure to make a note of that in my studies.” He hummed and stroked his beard thoughtfully, no doubt thinking of how to tinker with his spell to improve upon it.

Cloud shut the door in Merlin’s face.

“And what’s the earliest memory you remember, Squall?” Merlin asked quizzically while he scribbled down some notes on his paper.

Cloud half listened as Squall gave a halting answer as he tried to remember, every so often looking up at Cloud for reassurance. The man squeezed the little boy’s hand in comfort while Squall finished his story and then waited while Merlin asked him another question. This had been going on for a while now with Merlin asking questions and checking Squall’s vital signs with instruments that had been changed to look like doctor’s items instead of magical instruments so Squall wouldn’t get stressed out. There was no magic where he came from, and the sight of it still overwhelmed him from time to time.

Merlin needed to start from the basics to know what had changed Leon and thankfully there hadn’t been that many tests. Cloud didn’t know if that was a good thing or not by the interested look on Merlin’s face when the aged wizard would mutter to himself and furiously scribble something down. Every so often the white-haired man would shoot looks at Cloud that he couldn’t determine before Merlin asked another round of questions to Squall.

There was a sharp snap as Merlin shut his book, pulling Cloud from his thoughts. “Are you done?” the man asked, looking over at Squall worriedly. The little boy looked tired as he sucked on a lollipop that Merlin had given him, struggling to keep his eyes open. Cloud furrowed his brow as the little boy yawned around the candy. It was nearing Squall’s bedtime and Cloud didn’t want the little boy to stay up too late.

“Hm?” Merlin asked, writing something down in the margins of another book that was open on the counter. “Oh yes, we’re almost done here. Just a few more things right about…now.”

At his words Squall’s eyes shut and he nearly toppled over on his bar stool if it weren’t for Cloud’s arms around him. “What the hell did you do?” Cloud accused, pulling Squall towards him. The little boy’s head lolled to the side against Cloud’s shoulder and he placed two fingers against the Squall’s neck to check for a pulse.

Merlin didn’t look fazed by Cloud’s glare. “It’s just a minor Sleep spell I’ve given Squall designed as a lollipop.” He held up the colored candy that had fallen out of Squall’s mouth and onto the counter. “Ingenious really, all medicine for children should come like that. It would solve a lot of problems; I’ll have to remember that for Yuffie the next time she comes down with a cold.”

Cloud’s glare softened when his fingers found Squall’s steady pulse and he curbed the urge to harm Merlin. Tifa had already punched him in the arm for shutting the door in the wizard’s face and she would probably do much worse if Cloud decided to shove Merlin’s wand down his throat. “What do you have to do now?” he asked, cradling the softly snoring Squall in his arms.

Merlin adjusted his glasses before flipping through one of his spell books. “I just have to check for the magical signatures emitting from him. It’s easier for me to do it with my wand and some of them would feel a little unpleasant for Squall were he to be awake. Not painful,” the wizard added at the dark look Cloud was sporting, “just some slight pressure. Perhaps some itching. This is an untested potion that Yuffie had fed Leon.”

Cloud nodded once in understanding although he didn’t exactly like it. “What do I have to do?”

“Just lay him down on the table,” Merlin answered, conjuring up a pillow for Squall to lay his head on.

“Can I stay?” he asked quietly after watching Merlin silently set up his magical equipment. Cloud didn’t know what else to do with his time. Tifa was pulling a late shift at the bar and Aerith was doing something with pictures Yuffie had taken. Cloud didn’t have such other activities as the past month had been filled with Squall, and he felt restless without the little boy in sight. Not even the prospect of training appealed to him like it once did.

“Of course,” Merlin answered absentmindedly. He gestured towards the bar stool Squall had been sitting on.

Cloud scooted the stool back to allow Merlin more room as items started to float about the kitchen to assist the wizard. He watched with his chin propped in his hand while Merlin whispered spells, and Squall started to softly glow in the darkened room. Red. Blue. Green. Yellow. And many more colors as the wizard tried to determine how to change the little boy back. It was the absence of colors that finally alerted Cloud that Merlin was done and he shook himself fully awake, having partially dozed off sometime during the first hour of testing.

“Interesting, I’ve never heard of such a reaction before,” Merlin trailed off into a mutter as he stood up, popping the kinks from his back from having been stooped over for so long. He shrunk his equipment with a spell and marched them into his carpet bag at his feet. He did some quick calculations. “I can have a potion ready in two days.”

Two days? Cloud felt his heart drop and his stomach flip over. He didn’t know if his reaction was from excitement or dismay or a little bit of both. “Will he be okay?” Cloud asked after some time, gazing at the sleeping little boy and imagining the man he would become.

“He’ll be right as rain after he sleeps it off. Squall should just be a little hungry come tomorrow morning,” Merlin answered, watching with a critical eye as his equipment was packed away.

“Oh.” Cloud smoothed back a lock of Squall’s hair, unsure of giving voice to the doubts that were crowding inside his head and the many questions he wanted to ask. “Thank you,” he said with a quiet sigh, gathering up Squall into his arms to put the boy to bed.

“And Cloud,” Merlin said as the other man was getting ready to take Squall upstairs, “as I’ve told a young ward of mine, love is stronger than gravity.” With those words of wisdom Merlin picked up his bag and vanished in a puff of blue smoke, leaving Cloud to ponder his words.

“I will never understand him,” Cloud muttered as he clicked off the kitchen lights with his elbow before making his way up the stairs towards Squall’s room. Yet he did feel a little bit better as he tucked Squall into bed, feeling the knot within him loosen a little as he looked at the angelic boy. His Leon would be back soon and Cloud felt okay with that; he knew what he had to do. Although that still didn’t stop Cloud from thinking Merlin was a crazy old man. He’d never seen something more ridiculous in his life than Merlin wearing knee high toe socks with sandals and he snorted in amusement as he closed Squall’s door to go to bed.

He seemed to forget that he was still wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants.

Chapter Text

Two days went by faster than anyone expected it to and Cloud found himself tired, bruised, and sore but ultimately satisfied as he sat lounging on the hammock with Squall. Both of their faces were flushed, their clothing was beyond repair and Squall’s mouth and hands were stained blue from the seasalt ice cream he had eaten earlier. Cloud thought it was a job well done for an afternoon packed with fun and he had no regrets. Well…almost.

“Cloud?” Squall asked drowsily from his position nestled in strong arms.

The man hummed in acknowledgement as he leisurely carded his hands through Squall’s hair. It was something that Leon had only let him do occasionally, complaining that he wasn’t Cloud’s personal cat, and he was going to take advantage of it while he could before Squall was changed back to Leon.

The little boy was tense, his eyes flicking up to meet Cloud’s before dropping to his lap. “Will you come and visit me at the orphanage?” Trepidation colored the little boy’s voice that spoke of too much disappointment in the past, and Cloud’s fingers momentarily stilled in Squall’s hair at the innocent question.

“If I can,” the man answered softly and tried to ignore the twinge of guilt at the look of reassurance on Squall’s face. It would be over ten years before they would see each other again, and during that time Squall would make great sacrifices and suffer unfathomable loss. But he couldn’t tell Squall that and he let the little boy hope, wishing that he wasn’t causing Squall further harm with his lie.

Seeming satisfied with the answer Squall settled further into Cloud’s arms while playing with the ears of his stuffed wolf toy. All apprehension had melted out of the little boy’s body and he happily chattered away at all the things they would do when Cloud came over. “An’ even Yuffie can come over,” the boy added as an afterthought. “She can dress up Seifer.” He wrinkled his nose and giggled at the image of Seifer in a princess dress.

Cloud’s smile was more of a grimace as he tried to stay positive for Squall’s sake as the boy rambled on. It was better to let Squall think what he wanted instead of the harsh realities. Earlier in the day he had even helped Squall pack all his belongings to take with him. Even Cid had given the boy a small model rocket ship made out of scrap metal. The little boy hadn’t noticed the tightness around Cid’s eyes or the suspicious gruffness in his voice as the man tried to gently shake off Squall’s enthusiastic hug of thanks.

Squall’s chatter was interrupted by the soft swish of the grass as someone walked towards them that had caught the little boy’s attention. “Unca’ Merlin!” Squall greeted, wriggling off of Cloud’s lap to hug the aged wizard around the legs. He had become quite fond of the old man during the past couple days, and had been astounded at all the magic tricks Merlin could do.

Merlin smiled at the title Squall had given him and patted the boy on the head. Affectionate young tyke, the boy was. “Why hello, Squall. I see you’ve been up to some fun today,” he said as his blue robe was stained by sticky little fingers.

Squall nodded. “Cloud took me to th’ circus inna spaceship!” the little boy said excitedly. “An’ I brought back some candy ta give t’ Sis.”

Merlin stroked his beard thoughtfully. “That’s very nice of you, I’m sure your sister would like it very much.” He gently tugged Squall’s hands away from his robe. “I thought I heard Aerith calling you in the kitchen if you would like to help her make rainbow cookies.”

Squall’s eyes lit up and he raced towards Aerith’s house up the worn walkway. “Bye Cloud!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Cloud nodded and gave a faint wave back as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the hammock. “Aerith’s not baking cookies, is she?” he asked wryly as he stood up.

“She will be,” Merlin responded, pulling out a clear vial from one of his many hidden pockets for Cloud to see.

“Is that…?” he asked, unable to finish the question as his heart clenched painfully. He knew this was coming ever since Merlin’s arrival but he had hoped that it wouldn’t have been so soon.

Merlin nodded at Cloud’s unfinished answer as he held out the container for Cloud to take. “This should revert Leon back to his proper age. It’s tasteless and odorless and can be put into any substance.”

Cloud swallowed and took the glass carefully to hold in his palm. “Will it hurt?”

The wizard scoffed and folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe. “Of course not. Squall will ingest the potion and go to sleep where it will, pardon the pun, ‘work its magic’ and in the morning Leon will be there.”

The man frowned and gave the vial back to Merlin. “That seems kind of underhanded.” He didn’t know how he felt not telling Squall about the change. He wouldn’t have any last goodbyes before he was suddenly changed back into Leon.

Merlin slipped the glass back into his robes. “It’s the best way to do things without causing unnecessary emotional troubles,” he said serenely with an encouraging look at Cloud. “I would have found a better way if I could.”

Cloud exhaled harshly and tugged on one blond spike in annoyance. “Yeah,” he muttered, jaw clenched tight as he fixed his gaze past Merlin’s shoulder. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He didn’t think he would be able to handle it if he told Squall he would be returning tonight. The little boy knew he had to go home at some point because Cloud had explained it to him, but he didn’t think Squall really grasped that fact despite what the little boy said.

He could feel a little bit of him crumbling inside at the thought that he tried to clamp down on. “Thanks,” he said tersely with a brusque nod. He ignored the wizard’s knowing gaze as he headed off down the path away from Aerith’s house.

“Don’t worry, Cloud. Leon will be changed back to normal,” Merlin reassured as Cloud unfurled his black wing with a snap in the light breeze and took to the air. “At least I hope so,” he added to himself. Magic was a tricky thing after all and one couldn’t account for everything.

Squall tossed and turned in his bed, finally kicking off the covers in annoyance after he became entangled in them. He couldn’t get to sleep and he was feeling a little apprehensive despite the fun day he had had with Cloud. Aerith had cooked him his favorite dinner and everyone was there, even grouchy Mr. Highwind who had said he could keep the white scarf Cloud had borrowed from the elder man. So he didn’t understand why he couldn’t get to sleep. It almost felt as if he had a tummy ache and Squall thought perhaps he shouldn’t have eaten more than one of the rainbow frosted cookies Aerith had made especially for him.

Rubbing his eyes and glancing out his window where the moon was hanging full in the sky, he grabbed his wolf and slid out of bed. If he couldn’t sleep then maybe he could stay with Cloud. The man had seemed sad when he had tucked him in bed and Squall thought maybe Cloud was feeling lonely.

Well, he could fix that and Squall padded on bare feet down the hallway with his wolf under one arm. There was light shining under Cloud’s door and Squall easily pushed open the door and walked inside. “Whatcha doin’?” the little boy asked curiously as Cloud sat hunched over his desk, a pen clenched between his fingers as he stared down at something.

Cloud jerked in surprise and pushed the papers he had been reading in a pile before shoving them into the top desk drawer. “Just taking care of some last minute things,” he answered, pushing back from the desk and standing up. He stretched and tried to hide a yawn, glancing at the clock mounted on the wall that read midnight. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Squall bit his lip. “Couldn’t sleep,” he said softly as he hugged his wolf to him.

A slow smile spread across Cloud’s face and he scratched at his stomach idly. “Ah, I see. Well I’m about to get ready for bed if you’d like to…” he trailed off, nodding towards the bed which already had a couple books stack atop each other on one side of the bed for Squall to use as a footstool.

Squall nodded shyly and made his way over towards the large bed, using the books to help boost him up on the bed. He was already settled beneath the covers with all the pillows surrounding him by the time Cloud had changed into his sleepwear. The little boy giggled at the yellow Chocobos printed on Cloud’s pants. Yuffie had described the bird-like animals to him and how they always seemed to like Cloud because he looked like them and Squall had to agree. Cloud’s spiky hair looked a lot like the yellow animals.

“What are you giggling about?” Cloud asked with a crooked smile, tugging the blankets towards him and grabbing one of the many pillows Squall had stolen.

“Nuthin’,” Squall answered impishly, feeling a lot better now that Cloud was with him. He snuggled down into the sheets, getting as close to the blond as possible. The little boy yawned, suddenly feeling tired and he curled his fingers into the front of Cloud’s shirt, tucking his head beneath the blond’s chin. “G’night,” he said tiredly. “I love you.”

Cloud’s heart gave a painful little jolt and he hugged the boy close to him. “I love you too,” he whispered, stroking Squall’s hair back from his forehead. He thought he saw Squall’s mouth curve in a sweet smile but the little boy was out like a light that Cloud assumed was from Merlin’s spell.

He watched Squall for a while in the pale moonlight, looking for any signs of change as he turned back to Leon, determined not to miss a thing. But it had been a strenuous couple of days and soon Cloud had succumbed to sleep, snoring softly as he curled around Squall and hoping things would be okay in the morning.

Cloud jolted awake with the sound of glass shattering and his eyes widened in fear as he clutched at the empty space next to him. “Squall?” he called out worriedly, mind still half asleep as he jumped out of bed to search for the little boy. He stumbled over the wolf toy and nearly brained himself on the edge of his desk before his sleep-fogged mind cleared and excitement coursed through him tinged with anxiousness. If all went right then Merlin’s spell had worked and he would have his Leon back.

"Leon?” he asked, following the trail of ripped clothes that Leon must have rapidly grown out of during the night and towards the closed bathroom door. “Baby, are you okay? I thought I heard something shatter.”

The door to the bathroom swung open and Cloud gaped in disbelief at the unfamiliar figure on the other side of the door who wasn’t quite as tall as Cloud remembered. “What. Happened. To. Me?” the man nearly growled, fear swimming into oh-so-familiar large stormy eyes as he clutched at the doorframe in a white knuckled grip.

Cloud felt the bottom drop out of his stomach and he was going to kill Merlin because something had gone horrifically wrong.

That wasn’t his Leon.

Chapter Text

Leon had a hard time recognizing the person reflected back in the full length mirror. It was as if he was stuck growing between his Balamb Garden self and his Hollow Bastion image. (Or as Yuffie had put it, “the freaky incestuous love child of the two, but still kind of hot.”) Leon wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that.

Slender fingers carefully skimmed over slightly tanned skin, mapping out all the new slopes and lines of his body. Scarred skin had smoothed over and hard cut muscles from long years of hard physical work had given way to a sleeker, swimmer’s build from his youth. His hair was still the same chocolate brown color with choppy bangs falling into slightly larger eyes. Or at least Leon thought they looked larger, a little bit too bright. He leaned in closer to the mirror until his nose nearly touched the smooth surface. There was the absence of worry lines around his eyes that had quickly appeared from the stress with Ultimecia and had gotten progressively worse over the years. It made him look too young as if his childhood hadn’t been fraught with steely determination and life threatening danger. He looked…it felt like he looked too youthful…and not the battle hardened man of before. His mouth reflexively pulled down in a deep frown. Everything just looked wrong.

There was a knock on the bathroom door that pulled the gunblader from his thoughts.

“Leon, are you okay?”

It was Cloud but Leon didn’t want to talk to him at the moment. Fuzzy images kept trying to claw its way to his conscious and feelings Leon couldn’t pin down surfaced whenever he saw the other man. He needed time to think before he started asking questions that he didn’t know if he wanted the answers to. “I’m fine,” he answered quietly in a voice that wasn’t quite as gruff as it had been.

Leon could almost feel Cloud’s worried gaze on the other side of the bathroom door. They had walked down (more like Cloud had dragged him down) to Merlin’s to find out what had gone wrong. Leon still wasn’t sure of the details, something about a child and his birthday cake gone wrong. What he did know was that he had been de-aged and Merlin hadn’t returned him to his right body. After a couple hours of testing, and some acidic glares from Cloud, the aged wizard had determined nothing could be done at the moment.

There was a tense silence followed by a soft thunk and Leon could picture Cloud resting his head against the door. “All right,” Cloud said after awhile. “I’ll be around if you need me.” There was another pause as if Cloud was waiting for something but as the silence stretched out Leon could hear a sigh before the man’s footsteps faded away.

The teen clenched his hands around his towel in nameless frustration and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, wondering what he was going to do. He had locked himself in the bathroom after Merlin’s statement and was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. Cloud had sent the women away when Leon had been overwhelmed by their questions. Gratitude had welled up along with a lightweight feeling he couldn’t place. Worst of all was the way his body wanted to curl around Cloud and never let go. It was unlike him and just another part of the puzzle Leon still had to figure out.

He had never been the sort to shy away from his problems, preferring to face them head on, and he wasn’t going to stop now. He got up from the edge of the tub and knotted the towel securely around his waist. “Cloud?” he called out while pushing open the bathroom door. He didn’t expect an answer, and a quick check down the hallway showed that the other man must have gone downstairs. Or more likely out to train.

Leon closed his bedroom door and dropped the towel, quickly slipping into the pile of clothes that had been neatly laid out on his bed. He felt a little more comfortable once he was in his leather with the familiar weight of his belts around his waist and arm. The jacket and shirt fit okay but the pants were loose around the waist and the length was just a little longer than normal. He tightened his belts another notch to hold his pants up but Leon wasn’t happy about it. He wanted his old body back.

“Right…left…right…blue…twenty-three…December third…Yuffie, I don’t know what ‘Xemnas’ rearranged is.”

Cloud watched as Sq—Leon answered question after question sitting in just his pants on Aerith’s kitchen table. It was supposed to just be another check up after the man had been re-aged the other day, but people kept sneaking in to see how the former child was doing.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was you on that examining table,” Tifa said dryly from the corner of the living room as she flipped through a street fighter magazine Aerith had lying about. “Why don’t you calm down?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he stood poised at the entrance of the kitchen. He had the urge to just take Squall and hide him away from the world so they could be in their own bubble again, but Cloud knew that wasn’t possible. Mostly because the women would break his thumbs if he even so much as hinted at it, and Cloud really needed his thumbs for…doing stuff. He flexed them absently, feeling Tifa give him a weird look.

“Cloud, it’s only been a day,” Tifa said as she set down her magazine. “I’m sure Merlin will be able to reverse it. And besides,” she added reflectively as she glanced into the kitchen, “is it really so hard dealing with Leon as he is now?” It would her a little bit to get used to this new/old Leon. He was little shorter, a little thinner, and a little younger looking than what she had been used to, but he was more or less the same man they always knew.

“I don’t know,” Cloud mumbled more to himself, pulling away from the kitchen to lean against the arm of the couch Tifa was sitting on. It wasn’t only the way the gunblader looked that was hard to adjust to, but the way he acted as well. It wasn’t the easy no-strings-attached companionship from before or the strong bond that had formed fast with Squall. It was something else Cloud couldn’t quite determine, and the man didn’t want to push Leon one way or the other. Why couldn’t anything ever be simple? He almost missed the days when Sephiroth would try to kill him. At least that was predictable.

Cloud shrugged, hand unconsciously slipping into this pocket where he kept the picture Squall had made him. “He’s different,” he finally admitted with a sigh, sinking into the red striped armchair across the coffee table from Tifa.

“Well of course Leon will be different now.” Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin as Merlin seemed to have materialized out of nowhere behind him.

“Did you find out anything?” Cloud asked neutrally with only a slight brusqueness in his voice that betrayed his anxiousness. He tried to casually lean sideways to peer around Merlin to look at Leon. The man didn’t look any different than before, but maybe upon closer inspection…

“Well, I’ve found the solution to the Leon incident,” the aged wizard answered. “Yuffie, if you would call Aerith in from the garden?”

Cloud felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at the serious tone and he moved over in the armchair to make enough room for Leon in a silent invitation. To his quiet delight the other male slipped into the chair without comment. Cloud felt his protective urges welling up to hold Leon, seeing the same wary look on Leon’s face that Squall had had when he was first changed. Instead Cloud settled for placing a hand on Leon’s knee, smiling faintly when the Leon relaxed against him with their sides pressed closely together.

“What’s this meeting about?” Aerith inquired, wiping her dirt stained hands on her gardening apron as she walked into the living room. She sat on the couch between Yuffie and Tifa, a worried crease in her forehead as she regarded Merlin with a questioning look.

Merlin readjusted his glasses, stroking his long beard once or twice before folding his hands behind his back. “As you know, Leon has been turned into a child by one of my potions I had left in the kitchen with a ‘Do Not Touch’ label on it.” Yuffie grinned sheepishly at the pointed look she received from the old man. “Where young Squall spent a month in the care of all of us at Aerith’s house until recently when he was changed back.”

“But I’m not back to normal,” Leon protested quietly. “I’m…”

“Different?” Merlin supplied with a nod. “Well of course my boy, growing up changes all of us.”

“What?” Yuffie asked, pointing a finger at Leon. “I thought you turned him back to normal. Does that look normal to you?” Squally was definitely different than before, not bad looking at all, but he wasn’t the same. Everyone could see that.

Squall shrunk back into the armchair at the five pairs of eyes directed at him. He nervously twisted his fingers in his lap feeling uncomfortable under all those looks. “I feel the same,” he protested. He didn’t feel as if he had changed mentally; he just looked different.

“Magic didn’t ‘turn him back’, Yuffie. It aged him up.” Melin stroked his beard as he addressed the room like the scholar he was. “Like I said, you grew up one year at a time at an accelerated rated over an eight hour period during the night,” Merlin began as he started to pace around the room. “Quite fascinating really, everything we’ve done with young Squall has influenced the boy’s outcome. Growing up this time around with all of you has changed him so of course he would not be exactly the same.”

“I’m…like this forever?” Leon felt a moment of panic well up within him thinking about all the changes in his life. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t remember his own childhood—just bits and pieces of happiness and despair that was so hard to sort out what was in the past and what had happened when he was de-aged. His memories were one of the precious things he had when there was nothing else for him to hold onto and they were just…gone.

“I would like to think for the better,” Aerith said gently at the distressed look on Leon’s face. “Not that you weren’t fine before,” she clarified at the stricken look on the male’s face, “but you look happier.” She tried giving him an encouraging smile.

“And younger looking without all that stress you’ve carried with you before,” Tifa added in helpfully.

“And hotter,” Yuffie chimed in with a giggle. “I think spending all that time with Cloud has done you good. He gave you back your childhood.”

None of that appealed to Leon. He didn’t have a perfect childhood—or much of one at all—but it was his. It made him who he was. Or used to be, he amended to himself as he remembered Merlin’s words. This was what he was now and he didn’t even have those memories of this new childhood his friends had given him when he was de-aged. Everything was just so jumbled and nothing made sense.

He turned to look at Cloud who had been holding his hand, looking through hopeful Mako eyes for any sign of…of anything. Cloud stared back at him with a bitter twist of his lips that made Leon feel unbearably regretful. Of what he couldn’t say.

“You don’t remember your time with us when you were young, do you?” Cloud asked with a quiet acceptance at the blank look in Leon’s eyes.

Leon silently shook his head.

There was a remorseful silence in the room, broken by Tifa’s hesitant question. “But he could get them back, right?”

“There is a small chance he might recover some of them, but I wouldn’t place too much hope in it, Tifa,” Merlin answered sadly as he looked at the pair leaning against each other in the armchair. “Leon has grown up to his correct age and most of what he would remember would be his later years in life, and not during the period when he was turned into a child. If he doesn’t remember now then I don’t think he ever will.”

Those words reverberated hollowly within Cloud and he knew that Squall was lost forever.

Chapter Text

Leon was curled up in the armchair while looking out at the drizzling gray skies. His legs were drawn up towards his chest with his arms wrapped around them in a position that was familiar from when he was a child. He still felt like a child in some ways with half formed memories he couldn’t remember. It was worse when Cloud was around because of the strong feelings that Leon never remembered having before. He’d taken to avoiding the other man in order to sort out things for himself, which was why he was sitting in Aerith’s library. He looked away from the window when there was a knock on the door, uttering a quiet, “Come in.” He unfolded himself from his curled position to feel a little less vulnerable.

Aerith sent him a warm smile as she walked through the doorway. “I thought I’d find you here.” She closed the door behind her with her hip before walking across the carpeted room towards the brooding man. “Something on your mind?” She could see the shadowed stormy eyes weighted with heavy emotions that she wanted to soothe away. But what was ailing Leon couldn’t be fixed by her. Instead she sat down on the matching armchair across from the man. “You know we’re always here if you need someone to talk to.”

“I know,” Leon answered as he resumed looking out the window, “but it’s nothing you can help with.” He’d read through Merlin’s spell books in the past week looking for any clues that could help him understand the changes he’d went through. Some of his childhood memories were altered because of the new ones that replaced it, but he couldn’t tell what they were. It was more like sensations of warmth and happiness that—although weren’t entirely unpleasant—just unsettled him. He knew in some way it was linked to Cloud, but the man had taken off as soon as Merlin had discussed his condition to the group. That was just over a week ago.

Aerith sighed and leaned back in her chair, watching the quiet young man lost in his thoughts. Much like Cloud, Leon had also made himself scarce the entire week either at Merlin’s or holed up in her library quietly brooding and searching for answers. His memories hadn’t returned like the wizard had cautiously warned everyone, but she still held out hope. If only Cloud was back so the two men could talk. She was sure Leon would remember more. A frown creased her brow in a silent pout of irritation. Why were men so frustrating?

The silence stretched out in the small library with only of the ticking of the wall clock keeping time of the minutes slipping by. Rain lightly pattered the windowpanes as it continued to steadily drizzle outside creating a somber mood, much like the one within the room. After a while Aerith stirred when a thought suddenly came to her. “Leon,” she said slowly as her mind thought over possibilities, “I think I might have something that could help you.”

The man turned to look at her with a tentatively hopeful expression. “You’ve had it this entire time?”

“Yes, well, it wasn’t ready yet,” she answered distractedly as she got up from the armchair. It had been a whimsical side project of hers throughout Squall’s stay that had kept her busy. Tifa had helped her put it together and they had finished it a couple days ago before Squall had been turned back to Leon. It was supposed to be a present to both Cloud and Leon, but maybe it could work in a different way…

“I’ll be right back.”

Leon watched her go with a faintly puzzled look. He didn’t know what Aerith was talking about but it looked important by the way she had nearly rushed out of the room. She was back in a relatively short time with a sunny smile that stretched across her face. A thick, bound book was held between her hands and Leon wondered if it was one of Merlin’s.

“It’s a scrapbook,” Aerith explained to Leon’s unanswered question. “When you were Squall Yuffie took pictures of you that Tifa and I put together.” She smiled fondly and smoothed her hand over the dark wood cover with blue accents that simply read MY CHILDHOOD in gold embossed letters. “I had forgotten all about it until now and maybe it will help you answer some questions.” She held it out for her friend to take.

Leon took it was a mute nod of thanks. It was a solid weight in his hands and he could see scraps of cloth and what looked like a leaf peeking out between the thick white pages. He set the book in his lap, fingering one of the letters thoughtfully. He could feel Aerith’s gaze on him and he looked up to see her smiling down at him.

“Take your time, Leon,” she said, bending down to give the man a quick hug. She pressed a light kiss into his hair before he could respond, thinking of all the times she had done that to Squall when the little boy had given her hugs. “And remember we love you no matter what.”

A blush stole across his face that Leon willfully tried to ignore, instead ducking his head so his hair could cover some of his face. He heard Aerith chuckle softly before she walked out of the room closing the door behind her. When he was sure his face wasn’t flaming in embarrassment he turned his attention towards the scrapbook. His anxiousness was only fleeting as he opened the book to rediscover his memories.

A stranger’s face stared up at him with large storm blue eyes, long messy chocolate hair, and a cherub face that only a child could have. Leon knew it was him, but he never remembered looking so…carefree. Slight dimples showed on his chubby cheeks when he smiled at something in the distance, a wolf plushie clutched in one small fist. The caption underneath read SQUALL'S FIRST SMILE in Aerith’s neat script. It looked like it had been taken in the living room. He didn’t remember having it taken. He also didn’t remember wearing child-sized leather pants under a pink tutu but he could bet Yuffie had something to do with that.

Turning the page, he found another picture of himself frozen in laughter atop Cloud’s shoulders. The man was actually smiling large enough that it lit up his blue eyes in a look Leon couldn’t even begin to describe. Both of their mouths were blue from seasalt ice cream as they walked down the street shops in town without a care in the world. ENJOYING A DAY OUT was written under the picture, and the smaller ones around the page were all candid shots of the same day.

Leon slowly flipped through the book, pausing at certain pages as if he could almost recall what had happened. He quickly found out the book was split up into sections with Aerith taking up the first part filled with candid shots of him cooking with her, playing out in the garden, and other every day things. Yuffie’s was more chaotic with bits of cloth (which looked suspiciously like Cid’s scarf), leaves, and other trinkets to go along with the sometimes blurry, sometimes embarrassing (those princess shots were getting burned) pictures of him. Tifa’s followed after and Leon was surprised to see that even Cid had his own page. It was blank without embellishments with just one picture dead center of the mechanic giving out a small metal rocket to Squall. Underneath it said DON'T EVER LET CLOUD NEAR MY GUMMI SHIPS AGAIN in the man’s rough, blocky handwriting.

He snorted in amusement, his mouth twisting up in a slight smile. He remembered that Cloud had a playful side that often ended up getting someone in trouble. Leon could imagine the man influencing an exuberant child to harass the surly mechanic.

Throughout most of the book there were pictures of him and Cloud together. Sometimes they were laughing as they played some silly game, a few were of Cloud reading to him, and other times they were just quietly resting with Squall curled up in the man’s lap fast asleep. Leon lingered over those pictures the most, his finger carefully tracing the glossy edge as he looked upon the image. Cloud looked content and happy in a way that Leon had never seen before, and it was all directed at him.

Leon was almost sorry as he came to the end of the scrapbook, wishing there were more pictures to look through. He may not have remembered what had happened exactly, but the feelings the images evoked were just as powerful. For the first time all week the tension and worry that had plagued him were finally melting away. Maybe not completely, but it was a start thanks to the scrapbook. He had more answers now as pieces of the puzzle fit into place.

Something fell out of the scrapbook to flutter to the floor when Leon closed the book. It was folded into a small square that looked well worn from having been carried around. He picked it up from the floor between loose fingers, immediately recognizing the slight scent of oil and the sharp scent of metal that belonged to Cloud. He curiously opened the scrapbook again to the back but it looked like the paper had been put in as a last minute add on. He wondered if Aerith had noticed it in the back.

The paper crinkled when Leon unfolded it despite his best efforts to not damage the fragile paper. He was surprised when he saw a rough sketch of himself before he had been de-aged. It was done in black pen of him sprawled out in Cloud’s bed deep in sleep, one arm thrown over his eyes and rumpled sheets tangled around his legs. The next image was one of Squall with a look of intense concentration on his young face while he held a play sword aloft in a clumsy stance. The last drawing looked to be more recent and Leon’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It was one as he was now sitting underneath the shade of a tree in Aerith’s back yard. One leg was stretched out in front of him; the other raised up to rest his arm on his knee. He looked pensive, his face in three-quarter profile as he looked off in the distance.

It was the message written at the bottom that had Leon clenching his jaw to hold back strong emotions as he read in his messy handwriting.

My Leon, my Squall, my heart.

I love you no matter who you are.

Leon stood up suddenly, setting the scrapbook down on the end table and tucking the note into his back pocket.

He needed to find Cloud.

Chapter Text

Cloud opened the back door while trying to make as little sound as possible. It was late, well past the hour when everyone went to bed, and he didn’t want to disturb anyone. He’d already get an earful from the women in the morning for having been gone all week, but he needed the time to himself. Seeing Leon revert back to his usual stoic self had hurt, but he’d understood how the man coped when he felt vulnerable. Cloud had wanted to take Leon in his arms and soothe him like he had done with Squall except the brunet needed his space. Their relationship had changed and Cloud didn’t want to push anything onto the other male.

He pulled off his muddy boots and left them by the kitchen door. He had spent time off world staying in rundown hotels and participating in underground sparring matches while he waited. It had been a good way to blow off steam and work out his frustrations about his unknown relationship with Leon. Cloud sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair as he stood up. There would be no more running from his problems. He would face them head on tomorrow with Leon to see if there was anything to their relationship anymore. He knew he loved Leon but he wasn’t sure how the other man felt. He wondered how much his bond with Squall had affected Leon, or if it did anything at all.

Cloud made his way down the unlit hallway and up the stairs, making sure to step over the creaky fifth step that had given him away countless times before. He smiled in the darkness wondering how many times he had snuck into Aerith’s house late at night. During those times Leon had always left their bedroom light on even though they both knew Cloud could see perfectly well in the dark. It was a gesture between them that meant Cloud would never have to come home to darkness anymore. And as much as Leon complained the light made it hard for him to sleep, he faithfully left it on whenever Cloud came home late.

There was no light seeping under his doorway at the end of the hall. He wondered if there ever would be again. Leon’s room was the first one down the hallway and he hesitated on his way by. He was tempted to just peek in on the sleeping man to make sure he was okay just like he had done every night for Squall. His hand hovered over the doorknob in his indecisiveness but in the end he let it drop to his side and continued on towards his room. If he peeked in he knew he’d want to touch and to hold and Cloud wanted to give Leon his space.

He opened his own bedroom door and paused right at the threshold. Leon was sprawled out in his bed, reminiscent of what he used to do before they started sleeping together. One hand was curled up under the pillow and the other flung out with his hand nearly hanging off the bed. The sheets were more of a twisted rope around his legs that did little against the slight chill coming in from the cracked open window. Cloud felt a surge of affection go through him when he noticed the tiny candle on the bedside table giving off a weak, flickering flame that had nearly sputtered out.

“You did remember,” Cloud said softly. Leon snored slightly in response and turned over on his side with a tired little coo. A small smile tugged on Cloud’s mouth as he sat down on the edge of the bed. The dip in weight caused an immediate, instinctive reaction from Leon born out of years as a gunblader. Cloud easily intercepted the arm that swung out in response to a perceived attack with a slight chuckle. “As quick as always, Leon.”

Leon came awake a second later ready to defend himself before he noticed who was holding his fist. Hair mussed and nose scrunched up in confusion, he relaxed his fist while he blinked owlishly to get Cloud into focus. The bars of moonlight filtering in through the blinds cast an almost ethereal glow against the man’s pale skin. “You came back,” he managed to croak out with a voice hoarse from sleep.

Cloud nodded and let go of Leon’s fist. “You can go back to sleep, Leon.” His fingers itched to reach out and brush away choppy bangs from sleepy eyes in an affectionate caress. Instead he ran them through his own spiked blond hair in a habitual nervous gesture. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” If Leon was sleeping in his bed then he would take the man’s old room for the night.

Cloud made to get up off the bed and Leon surged forward with his mind only focused on one thing. “Wait.” He reached out and wrapped his fingers around Cloud’s wrist to keep him from leaving. Faintly glowing blue eyes looked at him with an expression he couldn’t read, and Leon struggled to find the right words to say. He had meant to stay up late like he had done the previous nights instead of falling asleep, but now that Cloud was finally here he didn’t know where to begin. “Aerith…gave me a scrapbook,” he said haltingly after the silence stretched out between them for too long. “Filled with pictures.” He nodded towards the desk in the far corner of the room where the book was lying open.

Cloud was at a loss for what to say as he looked over towards the desk. He had no idea that the woman was taking pictures to collect into a scrapbook despite the amount of times Yuffie had managed to snap a picture or two of he and Squall together. He had thought it was just the girl being her exasperating self.

“That’s…good…” the man responded stiltedly, feeling as unsure of himself as when he had first met Squall and not knowing what to do. He wanted to have hope that the pictures would jog Leon’s memory and the other man would remember at least a little something. He tamped down on that hope with Merlin’s words still echoing inside of him, refusing to believe in something that was not possible.

The sheets of the bed rustled when Leon sat up to rest his back against the headboard, leaving enough space for Cloud to slide into bed next to him. “I looked over them for days when you were gone,” Leon continued quietly. “I saw Squall interact with Aerith and Tifa and even Cid shining with love and laughter and care. Most of all I saw the love you had for me.”

Cloud hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed. It took an effort of will not to have his hands tremble by the unnamed emotion rising inside of him that threatened to set ablaze the tiny flame of hope he carried. “You could tell that from just looking at the pictures?” he tried to ask casually. It was hard to be this close to Leon without touching the other male. He forced himself to sit still while watching Leon out of the corner of his eye taking in all the subtle body language and fleeting emotions that crossed his face. He was waiting for a sign—for something that told him it was all right to just hold Leon the way he wanted to.

“Some of it I could,” Leon answered. It was hard not to with the way Cloud always seemed to light up whenever he was around Squall. The pictures captured more than just the images of them together but the emotions that were so strong it almost hurt to look at the them. “And I found the sketch you made too.” He looked at it often and usually carried it around with him. “It fell out of the back of the scrapbook.”

Cloud immediately recognized what Leon was talking about. It was the sketches he had done of Leon, of Squall, and the changed Leon when the other man wasn’t looking. He had lost the paper weeks ago and had assumed it had accidentally been thrown away by someone. He was more than a little embarrassed that it had found its way to Leon. Cloud had never meant for the gunblader to see the sketches that were his own private confession.

“Did you mean it?” Leon wasn’t looking at him, jaw clenched and a faint scowl on his face that he always got when he was anxious and tried not to show it.

“Of course I did.” He leaned in and cupped Leon’s jaw, running his thumb along his bottom lip. “It just took a child to make me realize something so simple.” Giving into temptation he pressed his lips against Leon’s in a soft kiss.

Something fragile inside Leon unfurled and spread throughout his body in a warm rush at the contact. It terrified Leon, these strong emotions he had, but not as much as the stronger feelings that told him this was right. Hands not quite calloused from years of fighting as they had been slid up to clutch onto Cloud’s shirt and pulled the other man closer. Immediately strong arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace that ached with familiarity. This was what he wanted.

Cloud pressed light kisses along Leon’s jaw line, holding onto him tightly as if afraid Leon would disappear if he let go. He knew his eyes were nearly glowing with energy when he pulled back, his whole body vibrating with having Leon finally in his arms again where he hoped the other male would want to stay. Leon’s body seemed to melt against his and Leon dropped his head onto Cloud’s shoulder. It wasn’t something he would have done prior to the potion accident, but Cloud was starting to grow to the subtle changes in Leon now.

They spent the next few minutes quietly wrapped up in each other trying to adjust to the new shift in the relationship. After a while Cloud stirred and paused from stroking up and down Leon’s arms in an absent gesture. “Do you remember?” he asked, eyes straying over towards the scrapbook again.

Leon gave a tired sigh. “No,” he responded quietly. Cloud tried to hide the mournful look that flashed across his face, but Leon still caught it and it cut at him deeply. He had tried so hard to remember more than bits and fragments until he’d given himself headaches with nothing forthcoming. “But I remember this.” He grasped Cloud’s hand and pressed it over his beating heart. “I remember how you make me feel and what that means. And,” he bit his lip, suddenly so shy as he looked at Cloud, “I remember that I love you.”

Nothing could describe the happy, tender joy coursing through him and Cloud simply held onto Leon. “I love you too,” he whispered into long, silly hair. They stayed like that until Leon was nearly nodding off to sleep again and Cloud quickly changed out of his clothes and slipped back into bed. It was the first time in awhile he was able to sleep with Leon held in his arms and he noted the minute changes in the other male. He was leaner and slightly shorter than him (something that he couldn’t wait to tease Leon about) and the fit was different, but it was not unpleasant. This was something that  Cloud looked forward to growing used to. It was something new and exciting just like their relationship.

“It’s all right if you don’t remember everything,” Cloud whispered against the soft skin on the back of Leon’s neck before planting a kiss there. “We’ll just have to make new happy memories.” Leon gave a tired sigh already fast asleep in his arms and Cloud squeezed him tight.

There was an “aww” followed by a blinding flash of light and Cloud whipped his head around just in time to see the bedroom door closed. “Yuffie!” he snapped but made no move to get up. He could hear the girl’s delighted cackle from the other side of the door.

He growled and shook his head before settling down, deciding to deal with that girl tomorrow. For now he was glad that all the chaos from the past month was finally over.

There was another blinding flash before the door slammed closed a second time.

Mostly, at any rate.