"He finds my conversation dull??" Cloud squealed at Zack, who was chuckling on the bed.
"I looked down Aries top last night..." Zack got a pillow in the face then grinned at Cloud, who was still pacing the dorm. Zack smirked and sat up hugging the pillow.
"Would you shut up about Seph please??" Zack rolled his eyes at cloud who just went on muttering.
"Dull. What is that?? I'll fuck out his brains and if he calls that dull I'll fuck him harder...mutter...mutt..." Cloud obviously forgot his roommate was there for the moment.
"What did you say?" Zack stood up and shoved the pillow at cloud who raised his arms in mock defence.
"What? Nothing nothing..." Cloud carried on pacing while Zack shook his head and sighed.
"You always say stuff like that Spiky, and you never do it... just go and rape him...man… but Areis...phoaw..." Zack got the pillow in his face again, and hearing the door slam, smirked and began to daydream of that cleavage.
Cloud slammed the door behind him and went off in search for the general. Hearing old rock music he followed his ears to the generals spare office about 300 metres away from Cloud and Zacks dorm. Cloud leaned on the doorway and watched Sephiroth. He was sitting at his desk with a computer in front of him and paperwork to his left on another desk. Cloud waited until Sephiroth looked up and smiled at the cross face of the general.
"Can i help you?" Sephiroth's tone was a little sharp slightly aggravated and a little bored. Cloud just walked in smiling and sat on his haunches by the general's right side. Looking up at him slightly he cocked his head
"Erm...well..."Cloud pursed his lips, you can love me... he didn't say it. Sephiroth sighed, rolled his eyes and tried to repress a smirk.
"What?" Sephiroth looked down at the annoying little boy and tried not to sneer. It was hard to cover his growing affection for the boy. He knew that if they had a relationship it would be bad for the both of them. Hearts would break and he'd break the boy down. He'd grow to love and need the boy too much and... He couldn't let that happen to either of them. He would be in charge.
"I um... well what you doing?" Cloud didn't know what to say or do. It was intoxicating being next to this person. Whatever he said to anyone especially Zack, he really loved Sephiroth. He loved him so much that it was painful, and no words would ever describe it. But Sephiroth seemed incapable of Love. Especially for Cloud.
"Not much. Now are you going to leave me alone? Go and annoy Zack." Sephiroth wondered if Cloud would be yet immune to his coldness and how long it would take to kick in the hint. Cloud just smiled wearily and left, humming to the tune that was playing from the computer speakers. He closed the door behind him. Cloud leant on the wall next to the door and bit back hot tears. Inside Sephiroth waited a few seconds and leant his head down into his palms and clenched his jaw as he tried to strain back his emotions. This was unhealthy for both of them but neither would give in; neither would admit for fear of the others retribution.
Cloud opened the door, ignoring Zack and slumped down to watch the news. Anything to get his mind off his heart. It didn't work. It was boring. DULL. Zack tactfully kept quiet and carried on writing in his diary. Probably about Aeries again. Cloud had read some of it, and the fact that Zack talked non stop about her, it was pretty obvious that she was as much of his heart as Sephiroth was for Cloud. Sephiroth Sephiroth Sephiroth Sephiroth... Clouds mind was killing him. Anything to take his mind of that...Cloud leant over and opened the top draw on the stand by his bed. He rummaged and found what he was looking for. He glanced over at Zack to see his best friend looking at him. A sad, pitiful look traced with hurt and confusion.
"Not again Cloud." Zack put down his diary and started to get up. Cloud didn't move. Zack leaned over and took the offending article out of clouds fingers. Zack slipped the small blade in his pocket to
Dispose of later and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.
"Just don't..." Zack said nothing after that but instead walked out. Closing his diary as he went. Cloud just stayed on the bed and stared into space. He moved off his leg and felt something in his pocket. He pulled it out his pocket. Rhodotrendich. A brown glass tube, a little smaller then his little finger. He took two and Cloud's head sank into his chest. Two more and Cloud could neither see nor hear anything properly anymore. Cloud zoned out.
"What did you say to him?" Zack leant on the doorframe and glared at The General. Only Zack had the ability to do so. Sephiroth frowned.
"Nothing." He turned back to the screen. Thoughts racing. Zack walked in the door.
"Nothing or nothing..." Zack looked down at Sephiroth and raised his eyebrows.
"Zack...i don't like him...why can't you understand that, or him? He is annoying...dumb...dull..." Sephiroth looked into his lap and whispered something Zack did not hear, a tear rolled down his cheek. Zack placed a hand on his friends shoulder.
"I know Seph. I know."
"Zack? Cloud...?" Aries walked in the dorm room and took one look at Cloud oddly sprawled on the bed and knew he wasn't just sleeping. She walked over and pushed him a little. Cloud just fell but his eyes moved. It was obvious he had been crying.
"Cloud? You okay? Where's Zack? What happened...?" Aeries looked into Cloud's eyes and he just looked back and didn't say anything. He couldn't. Aeries raised an eyebrow and propped Cloud up against the wall. She got off the bed and went to the kitchen. Cloud heard the water and he felt his tongue, it was dry. It always did that. Aeries came back with a glass and Cloud sat up enough.
Zack walked in and took in the situation slowly. He smiled at Aeries and felt his heart jump when she smiled back, shut the door and walked over to Cloud. Zack looked into his best friends eyes and then in his right hand which was holding something brown. Zack knew what it was but knew Aries didn't, so he chose to say nothing.
"You okay Spiky?" Zack winked at Aeries who blushed and got up as Zack sat down. Cloud smiled and nodded. Zack looked back at Aeries and took in her figure appreciatively like he always did.
"What you doin' Aeries?" Smiling a Zack smile. She smiled back and raised her eyebrows.
"Just seeing what you guys were up to...i was bored so i just headed over and found this one stoned or drunk, whatever you were doing..." She shook her head at Cloud who shrugged innocently.
"Well matter fact little Aeries we were also bored. What did you have in mind?" Zack walked closer to Aeries and smirked. He dropped to his haunches and Aeries widened her eyes for a moment. Zack straightened up holding some DVD's.
"What first?"
Sephiroth never knew why he chose to work in this office sometimes. It was always obvious Cloud would find his way here and not leave. Sephiroth sighed. Why did things have to be this way? Somehow he knew it was his fault. He stared into space and let his mind go blank. The song that was playing died down and Sephiroth heard faint laughing and the sound of a movie. Another song started up but Sephiroth turned it down. In the holidays, break times for soldiers the corridors and dorms were creepily quiet. He distinctly heard Zacks loud laugh. Sephiroth sighed and turned off his computer. Maybe he could talk to Zack, get him to help him out of this situation. Great general he may be but this sort of thing was not his speciality. More like wielding swords not love or other emotions. They weighed one down, the steel he wore on his back, didn't. Sephiroth took himself to Zacks dorm room and knocked. Then remembered he was authority and stood up straight.
Zack heard the knocking and reluctantly moved Aeries of lying on his lap and crossed the room to open the door. Sephiroth stood in the doorway with a comically stern look on his face.
"General?" Zack smirked and looked at Sephiroth with scrutiny. Aeries looked over and then back to the screen. She wondered if it was her business to be here, but she didn't want to move in case she woke up Cloud who had fallen asleep a movie and a half before. She just varied her glances from the screen to the great and powerful general who was probably lecturing Zack.
"Hmm, cadet…" Behind the now closed dorm room door Sephiroth relaxed. He glanced up at Zack who was peering at him.
"Zack… please." At this last word, Zack understood. He slowly nodded and grimaced slightly.
"But where's he going?" Cloud felt filler then the Rhodotrendich had ever made him. Sephiroth was leaving, on some stupid government mission. Zack had to be the one that passed it over breakfast.
"Oh just up North." Zack tried to say it airily, like it didn't matter, but it hurt inside to say this to Cloud. Running away from ones problems what not something he admired. Especially in the great General. He preferred to stay and fight himself, and he had seen Sephiroth do it may a time and wondered why, for his little friends sake, why he had chosen to do it this time. Zack could see Cloud's eyes welling up with tears and the boy did not stop them but let them fall down his face.
Sephiroth knew better than to say goodbye properly. It would kill him more inside. Sitting at his desk, he shut down his computer slowly and packed up his things. Thinking of al the times the small thing would have been here taking up space, chatting away, looking at him adoringly or staring into space not knowing Sephiroth was looking at him. Sephiroth stood to go. He didn't like these emotions, it felt wrong and he felt slightly better that he was powerful enough to shake them off and break them. He turned to the door, and there Cloud was. Collected, but dying inside. Sephiroth saw that, and took his hand in his own and walked together with his little one. For the first and the last time.