Tales of Destiny (Leon/Stahn)

[ctrl-a.livejournal.com]

Title: Predictability
Author: Elwen Skye (ctrl_a)
Rating: G
Warnings: Uh, spoilers? o.O;;
Word count: 872
Summary: Leon ponders deep thoughts while Stahn falls asleep keeping watch.
A/N: This fic is set in the timeline of my AU, Thicker than Blood. I apologize if that's not what you were hoping for. The only thing that makes it AU is a little change in what happened at Libra IV -- I'm sure Leon fans don't need to be told more than that. ^.~

Prompt: Confusion/Ambivalence - "I don't know why you consider me a friend."

Ever since joining the royal forces, Leon never slept for more than three hours at a time. After three hours, he would find himself instantly and completely awake, confirming the situation and ready to take his turn at keeping watch if need be. (And if all was well, he fell back asleep just as quickly.)

Tonight, though he sensed nothing wrong and knew that with his current travel companions he would never be trusted with a watch, he nonetheless climbed out of the tent he shared with the other two males in their group. He'd already noted that Stahn's place was empty and thus knew whom he would find outside.

The camp was quiet under the clear sky. Clouds rarely formed above the Aethersphere, and the stars were much brighter this high up. Leon almost wished they traveled at night, when the sun did not burn their skin and blind their eyes. But it was also bitterly cold where the air was so thin, so the sun's warmth was welcome, and it was better to bundle up and sleep in the darkness.

Leon spotted Stahn sitting at the edge of the camp, his back to the pitched tents and small pile of supplies and equipment. For some reason, Leon thought of how Rutee would never think of turning her back to him -- to her, the dangers within the camp were worse than any monsters roaming the barren wasteland of the Aethersphere. But Stahn was not Rutee, and Leon realized that not only did the blond-haired boy have his back to the camp, he was also nodding off.

It was surprising to see the blond-haired boy, who by now was a seasoned traveller, neglecting his watch, but Leon remembered how hard the day's battle had been on the boy and couldn't blame him. Leon briefly considered sending Stahn back to bed, but if Rutee got word of his leaving the watch to the traitor, as she thought of Leon, Stahn would never hear the end of it. Instead, Leon quietly walked over and sat down by the banked fire, keying his senses to alert him to any changes in his surroundings.

Eventually, Leon's mind wandered back to his original thought of how Rutee would never trust him, and he wondered why Stahn was so different. At first, he'd merely thought the boy was appallingly simple-minded, as most country boys were. But that wasn't quite the entire story, Leon found out. Stahn had determination and strong faith that belied his uneducated background. It wasn't simple-mindedness that led him to dive into a raging torrent to save an enemy, Leon knew, even though he personally still found it rather stupid and, at best, blind to reality. On the other hand, he couldn't say Stahn seemed to have suffered from that decision as yet.

Leon frowned. Why had that seemed to work out so well? Of course Stahn had always thought, and probably still did think, that they were friends, allies, people who would help each other out. And, reluctantly, Leon had come along and helped, more or less. But why hadn't Stahn figured out that his idealistic vision was simply wrong? It was true, contrary to what Rutee thought, that one could turn her back on Leon and not regret it, but Stahn was confident in more than that. Leon shoved away the irrational thought that Stahn had known ahead of time that if he nodded off during a watch, Leon would be there to take over. No one knew him that well. Leon didn't know himself that well.

In a way, Stahn expected more of him than anyone else. Rutee expected nothing. Philia merely hoped. Garr was all about practicalities and mutual benefits. But to Stahn . . . it wasn't a matter of trading benefits. It wasn't as if he thought he was owed anything for saving Leon's life. He merely believed. In a Leon that didn't exist.

Leon looked up sharply when he heard a thump accompanied by the crunch of gravel. A moment later he relaxed, realizing that it was just Stahn, who had now completely keeled over and was snoring quietly. Leon glanced around, wondering if the sound would awaken anyone. This was certainly not the best situation for Stahn to be caught in, especially by Rutee. But the girls' tent was silent. Instead, a rustle from the men's tent indicated that Garr had not slept through Stahn's unceremonious union with the ground. Leon shrugged. Garr would understand. He knew how hard Stahn had fought today.

Garr climbed out of the tent and his eyes met Leon's. In an instant he took in the situation, including Stahn's sleeping form. "It's almost time for my watch anyway," Garr murmured quietly. "Why don't you get him properly to bed?"

Leon nodded. Practicalities and mutual benefits.

He nudged Stahn's sleeping form with his foot before remembering the blond boy's sleeping habits. With a resigned sigh, he pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder and began dragging him into the camp, careful not to make any more noise.

As he shuffled along, Leon frowned again. Maybe Stahn did know him that well after all.