From the Strifehart kink meme. Prompt: Squall/Leon plus Cloud plus at least 1 disability of your choice (either physical or mental).

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.

Squall doesn't know why they're sending him to this new school. Socialization, they tell him, but what good will being around normal kids do when he can't even understand what they're saying? When they won't ever be able to understand what he's trying to say?

He sighs, frustrated, and scuffs the toe of one of his new tennis shoes against the dirt. Fifteen more minutes until the bus arrives. Can't be late for the first day of school, Squall, his mom had told him, right before she shooed him out the front door with his lunch in his backpack and a granola bar and packet of juice to consume on the way.

Five minutes later, he spots another boy approaching from down the street. He looks about the same age as Squall, and has a backpack slung heavily over one shoulder and spiky blond hair that sticks up in all kinds of funny directions, like he slept on it wrong and his mom didn't make him comb it out. Squall doesn't recognize him, but that's not anything to wonder about. He's lived here his whole life, and he still doesn't really know anybody in the neighborhood.

The blond's head stays down until he reaches the school bus stop, marked by nothing other than it being where Squall is standing, just off the side of the road near the ditch. He glances over at Squall, blue eyes giving him a quick once-over, and then he looks down again without even trying to greet him. Which is fine by Squall. With any luck, he won't be forced to try to explain himself before the school day even starts.

He sighs again, and glances at his watch before staring at the crumbling edge of the asphalt in front of him. Still five minutes to go.

It's going to be a really long day.

Mom?

Yes?

Please don't make me go back tomorrow. I hate it there.

It will be good for you, sweetie. You'll see.

But I don't know anybody, and people look at me like I'm stupid and don't belong there and—

Oh, honey. It's like that for everyone on their first day, especially in a new place. Give it another chance, okay? It will get better, I promise.

...Okay.

You're deaf, aren't you?

Squall stares down at the question scrawled on the first line of the spiral notebook in front of him, and his gut clenches angrily. He scowls down at the words, and then at the boy across the table who had pushed them his way. The boy from the bus stop.

Yeah, so? he retorts. He shoves the notebook back across the table and shoots a quick, defensive glare at its owner before returning his attention to the whiteboard, but he can't concentrate on what the teacher is writing anymore.

Don't get mad, the boy writes back, his mouth twisting slightly downward. It was just a question.

Well, thanks for pointing it out. I'd forgotten all about it.

His sarcasm isn't lost on the other boy, who has the grace to grimace a little and glance apologetically at him.

We have Science after this, he responds, changing the subject unexpectedly. Want me to show you where it is?

Squall frowns down at the notebook, his anger slowly beginning to fade to distrust. The boy shakes his head and reaches across the table to scribble something else down before giving it back again.

Okay, let's start over. My name is Cloud. What's yours?

Squall.

Cloud nods in solemn acknowledgement. Okay, now we're friends. Right?

Still frowning a little, uncertain, Squall responds, I guess.

Follow me after class, okay? You won't find the lab on your own.

Squall pauses and eyes the other boy, searching for a reason to still be upset, for a reason to not trust him. Back at his other school, he hadn't really had a lot of friends. Granted, it was a much smaller, specialized school, but he had at least known who everyone was. Here, he only knows his interpreter, and the teachers if they have their name written up on the board.

And Cloud is the only one who has even made an attempt to say hello...

Okay.

Mom?

Yes, sweetie?

Please? Can't you just...

Oh, Squall. Do you think you can hold out until the end of the semester at least? For me?

...I will try.

Cloud sits down across from him in the cafeteria one day, and Squall quirks a curious brow at him, chewing a little slower on a bite of his peanut butter sandwich. Usually the other boy sits next to him so they can pass their notebook back and forth more discreetly. It's been that way for weeks now, ever since the second day of school.

This little break in their routine is unsettling.

Cloud only offers him a shy smile in return. He sets his backpack on the empty seat next to him and folds his hands on the table, fingers flexing together a little almost like he's nervous. Squall is about to indicate that he should pass him the notebook so he can ask what's going on when Cloud locks suddenly determined eyes with him and lifts his right hand up beside his mouth. His fingers are flat and together, palm open and facing Squall, and after a brief pause he pushes his hand up and away from his face.

Squall's eyes widen, and a bright, genuine smile immediately crosses his features. Hello, he signs back quickly.

The tension on Cloud's face eases at his eager response, and then he looks back down at his hands, brow furrowing again in concentration. My...name...is...C...l...o...u...d.

Squall bites his lip against a stupid grin. My name is Squall. He signs it slowly so Cloud can read his hands easier, spelling out his name just like Cloud had done.

After several seconds, comprehension dawns on the other boy's face, and he looks back up and smiles, much less hesitantly than when he'd first sat down. Hello.

Squall's stomach sinks with a giggle before he can help himself. You already said that, he signs, even knowing his friend won't understand.

Mom?

Yes?

Thank you.

For what, sweetie?

For...everything.

A/N: I imagined them to be in about fifth grade in this, and my own experience at that age was having three different teachers and classrooms so we could start getting accustomed to how middle school and high school were going to be. Sorry if this caused any confusion on how old they seem versus their schedule. ^^;