Subterfuge (chapter 1)

[stellareclipse]

Title: Subterfuge
Author: stellareclipse
Rating: T/M
Prompt: AU. Secret agent meets Don Corneo meets idek. Have fun!

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"Your girl's here," Tifa murmured, taking a sip of her drink and discreetly glancing across the room.

Leon followed her gaze and nodded.

"Be careful…"

Another nod.

Tifa sighed and slipped off of the tall stool, pressing a chaste kiss to Leon's cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

Leon watched her leave, then finished off his scotch and slipped a few bills beneath the glass. He dipped his chin at the bartender's acknowledgement and turned his attention to the pretty blonde near the entrance, clad in a flattering off-the-shoulder dress from what he could see through the throng of people.

He made his way across the smoky room, allowing his gaze to rove unchecked over long blonde waves and pale skin and dark, shimmering fabric. Unlike much of what this night would hold, his appreciation of his lover's body was honest, and he allowed a hint of that honesty to reflect in his eyes as he extended one hand and canted his head towards the crowded dance floor.

"She kissed you."

Leon laughed quietly at the annoyance in that soft-spoken voice, taking the obediently proffered hand.

"She means nothing to me, baby," he said wryly, pulling the blonde in to his arms. He nodded in approval as deceptively strong arms twined around his neck, allowing his hands to roam boldly over the slinky black fabric, partially for show and partially to satisfy his curiosity. His fingertips encountered the top of the nearly hip-high slit on one side of the dress, and he raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

Cloud rolled his eyes and tightened his arms around Leon's neck in warning. Leon just smiled, slipping his fingers just beneath the silky cloth, the touch subtle and teasing, not once breaking the rhythm of the dance.

"Smooth," he observed, the words a bare, husky whisper against soft golden tresses.

"How did I know you'd like that?" Cloud muttered crossly. "New dress. Meg's idea," he added, nodding towards the slender, exotic-looking brunette behind the bar. "Apparently it'd look suspicious if I'd worn the other one twice. Not sure why it had to be cut this fucking high, though."

Leon hummed in sympathy, glancing around the dimly-lit club in a deliberately casual manner, though his fingertips were quite focused on their task, still stroking Cloud's thigh and enjoying the feel of satin-soft skin over hard muscle.

"Watch it, Leonhart," Cloud hissed, digging his nails into Leon's nape. "Someone might begin to think you've got a thing for women."

That earned him a rough chuckle.

"Trust me, I know exactly how much of a man you are," Leon purred, just barely loud enough for his partner to hear. He emphasized the sentiment with a subtle roll of his hips and smirked at the involuntary shudder that pressed Cloud's lean body that much closer to his own. The amusement faded when the concealed holster attached to Cloud's padded bra pressed against his sternum, bringing him right back to the mission. "Think it'll happen tonight?"

"Fucking better. I don't know how you guys roped me into this, but—"

One word, one single name whispered into his ear was enough to remind Cloud why, exactly, they were doing this. By the time Leon drew back, Cloud's bristling irritation was gone and his vibrant blue-green eyes had become solemn and guarded.

"We can't risk any more of the girls," Leon added unnecessarily, then he fell silent, suddenly feeling the weight of someone's measuring gaze upon them. Without looking, he said softly, "The fish are biting. Eleven o'clock."

He took Cloud's hand up into the air and spun him around slowly, maneuvering him so that Cloud's back was to his chest. They had to be convincing to pull this off, so he fitted his hands lightly just below Cloud's ribs to hint at curves that weren't really there, guiding their movements in time with the heavy, sensual beat of the music.

Cloud's eyes immediately fell upon the balding man leaning against the wall in the back corner, though he was smart enough not to let his gaze linger. "Mm. And the suit over by the bar?"

"Yes." Leon dipped his head to nuzzle the exposed skin of his lover's shoulder, brushing aside blond locks to trace his mouth up the line of his neck. Once his lips reached the base of Cloud's ear, he murmured, "Be careful."

Cloud turned to kiss him, brief but meaningful. "You too."

Strifehart Round Robin

[onediagonalscar]

As well as the kink meme and the choose your own adventure, we thought it might be fun to try some collaborative story writing. The basic idea is that one person starts us off with a chapter, and then someone else picks it up and runs with it, and then someone else, and then someone else, and... well, you get the idea.

In theory this should be pretty simple. I've been in communities that work like this before, and I stole the model and a good few of the guidelines from the old Kingdom Hearts Rockin' Robins comm on LJ.

Here are some Basic Guidelines. Please read through all of these before deciding to join in!

1. This community is open to anyone who wants to write Strifehart stories collaboratively.

2. Anyone can submit an initial post of a story (but please see #6). While the story needs to feature Cloud and Squall/Leon as the primary characters, they don't need to be romantically/sexually involved (unless you want them to be). Similarly, other pairings are fine, as long as they are secondary. Initial posts can include primary genre(s), rating, and a prompt/description so that other writers will know in what direction to be thinking. Alternatively, the OP can leave all of that open, and give other people a free hand.

3. Anyone can call the next section through comments, first come first served, but please be mindful of others. If you've recently written something, give others a chance before diving in again. Also, please don't claim more than one story at a time, and make sure that you've read the previous parts of a story before choosing to write the next section. May seem obvious, but you never know...

4. There is a negotiable minimum of 500 words per update, and a week in which to post. If we don't hear from a writer within that time, the slot will be opened again for another writer to take. (If you know that you won't be able to update in time, please notify a mod as soon as you can.) There is no maximum limit for the length of an update. Update directly to the community, please; don't post your update as a comment on the previous installment. Tag your post with the story title, chapter number, and your pen name.

4. The point of this is collaboration. Please don't undo events that others have set up in the story. And feel free to communicate with other writers to clarify previous events if you need to. Chat, play, have fun!

5. Spell and grammar check, please. This group is open to anyone who wants to join, but it is a writing community. You don't have to be the leading expert on the use of the semi-colon, but make an effort to avoid too many typos, spelling errors, etc. If you're nervous about your writing, say something. There are likely people here willing to offer advice if you'd like it.

6. If you want to start a new story, check with a mod first. We're the ones who will be tracking claims and whatnot, so let us know what you're planning so that we can make sure we've got the resources to handle it.

7. Everything here is subject to change. We've never tried to do this before so we have no idea what might go wrong, so apologies in advance if anything does!

Community Respect:

We're here to have fun and make friends. It goes without saying that everyone here will treat each other with respect. Abide by that simple rule and we should be fine.



That's it! If anyone has ideas, suggestions or anything they'd like to contribute, or if you have questions, feel free to contact the mods.

Otherwise, have fun writing!