Happy birthday, GunbladeMassacre! *heart*

Disclaimer: dood, fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and the characters and universes therein are the property of Disney and Square Enix. I receive no remuneration for this work; it is a parody and as such utilizes the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Act.

After the last Heartless was vanquished and the last luminescent heart ascended towards the twilit heavens of the Great Maw, Cloud turned towards Leon, eyes glowing with the lust of a battle won. The brunet was completely prepared for Cloud to turn and walk away without a word. He was prepared for the swordsman to glance his way and nod his acknowledgement of teamwork well-played. As ridiculous as it seemed, he was even prepared to reach out and knock his fist against the blond's like he had Sora's, commemorating their triumph though there were many major battles yet to come.

What he wasn't prepared for was Cloud suddenly in his face, one gloved hand holding the hilt of the Buster sword so its tip rested on the ground a few feet away, the other fisting into the fur ruff of his collar, or the faint scent of vanilla and mint on the air, on Cloud's breath, because suddenly their mouths were only inches apart and Cloud's eyes were searing into his own, alive and vibrant with battle-induced, adrenaline-fueled passion.

Leon drew half a breath, and time seemed to come to a jarring halt. Suddenly there was no battlefield, no comrades cheering off in the distance, nothing to see besides the blue-green fire in those eyes and the flush of exertion on those normally pale cheeks, and nothing to feel besides the suddenly unbalanced weight of the gunblade in his hand and the blessed stability of the rock beneath his feet.

He began to whisper Cloud's name in inquiry, curious uncertainty etched plainly onto his features, but before the first vowel sounded, Cloud closed the remaining distance and kissed him, really fucking kissed him, and Leon was far too stunned to do anything about it until Cloud's tongue pushed its way past his lips and attacked his own aggressively. Something startling and dark awoke in him then—a need he hadn't realized he held, a flood of emotions he never thought he could harbor after all he'd lost—and it ran free and fierce through the flow of blood pounding in his veins, rendering all conscious thought obsolete in favor of pure human instinct. He opened his mouth wider to receive the deeper kiss Cloud was forcing upon him, moaning low in his throat and tangling his left hand tightly in the crown of golden hair to keep the man from pulling away.

They broke apart for much-needed air for a few seconds, and now both pairs of blue eyes were burning, darkened with aching desperation and a need neither wanted to have to rein in. They moved together again as one, lips clashing and teeth biting and tongues reaching, and for a while it was all Leon could to do hold his own, but the shock was wearing off quickly and he eventually wrested control away from the younger man, not willing to be bested even in such unfamiliar, untested territory. He brought himself to his full height, tugging hard on soft blond hair and dominating the kiss, bringing the battle into Cloud's mouth and exploring there just as thoroughly as Cloud had tested him.

There was blood on the fingers pulling hungrily on his jacket, blood on their weapons and blood in the air, for none of them had come away from the fight completely unscathed. Beyond the traces of mint and vanilla, Cloud tasted of salt and rust and heat and adrenaline, sweet and addicting on his tongue, and Leon was blindsided by the realization that now that he'd had this, he'd never want to taste anything but the flavor of Cloud's kiss ever again, never want to smell anything but the scent of leather and steel and blood and Cloud, never want to feel anything but this lean body pressed against his own. His weapon fell to the ground with a sharp, echoing clunk that didn't even register in his ears. He grabbed the swordsman and pulled him in closer, possessively, and the entire world shrank to nothing more than the space the two of them occupied.

"I know a place," Cloud murmured, breath and tongue hot against Leon's lips for a moment before he kissed him again, deep and intent, smothering the feral, wordless growl of approval before it could even leave Leon's throat.

The others were too absorbed in jubilation to notice them stealing away—all except one, and that one's brilliant blue eyes and brilliant wide smile brightened even further upon recognition. He did nothing to give them away, instead turning back to his other friends and grinning and laughing and somehow feeling even lighter for the new secret he held in his heart.