Final Fantasy VII/Final Fantasy VIII, Cloud Strife/Squall Leonheart, playing cards
It was just supposed to be a way to pass a little time at first, there weren't many people willing to challenge Squall to Triple Triad anymore, so an extra-terrestrial mercenary seemed like an easy mark. That it'd get Laguna off his back about meeting this person that Odine had dragged out of the ether in his latest experiment was just a bit of extra gravy. When it became apparent that Odine wan't going to be able to duplicate his test anytime soon (despite Cloud's encouraging offers to put him through a few walls to see if that would help shake loose some ideas - Cloud had a *thing* about scientists apparently) Squall had offered Cloud temporary employ and the card sessions kept going.
And they started to talk. Squall told Cloud about Rinoa, how she'd been his first love and still was even though too many differences had come between them. Cloud told him about Tifa and commiserated. Both agreed that if the two should ever meet, the universe would undoubtedly be in peril from the sheer amount of meddling the two women could accomplish. Evil corporations and megalomaniacal overlords would be pummeled, blown sky-high and any male companions in tow *would* learn to keep the toilet seats down. Or else.
Whiskers left unrinsed out in the sink would be instant death.
That's when Squall learned Cloud didn't shave. He'd reached over out of curiosity to feel the older man's chin and Cloud had gone a little shivery under the feeling hand and bright blue eyes met him a bit ruefully.
"Maybe I should tell you about Zack?"
It wasn't that Squall had never considered it, he'd had fantasies but there'd been *rules* and very watchful eyes. Not to mention decided power struggles that enacting on old urges would have caused to explode. But that was then and Squall was the Commander these days. Cloud wasn't *technically* a SeeD, nor was he a client. So he'd leaned in to kiss.
It was supposed to have been just a bit of exploration. Really. Only neither man felt *familiar*, there were echoes of things past or undone, but nothing that brought another person immediately to mind. For which they were both grateful, at least for the few seconds their higher brain functions still worked before sheer libido took over.
Squall didn't know leather could *rip* like that. And he would peel his Bahamut card off of Cloud's shoulder blade... in just one more minute.