Ballroom

by XpaperplaneX

Sephiroth hadn't planned on becoming a caretaker when curiosity made him glance through the sample room window. He needs to learn to cope with it, however, because Cloud has no one else to turn to.

1. Chapter 1

Title: Ballroom
Chapter: 1/11
Author: XpaperplaneX
Rating: R
Word Count: ~5900
Characters: Sephiroth, Cloud, Zack, Tseng
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: darkfic, drama
Warnings: Squick all over the place. I'm not warning for anything specific, though, so read at your own risk. Not a happy fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.
Summary: Sephiroth hadn't planned on becoming a caretaker when curiosity made him glance through the sample room window. He needs to learn to cope with it, however, because Cloud has no one else to turn to.

Holy shitsnacks, I finished it! Credit goes to Urplesquirrel for cheering me on and generally being awesome. Okay, darkfic and no warnings being given. I mentioned on my journal that it's like Twilight except not meant to be romantic, and there are no vampires. Got it? Then buckle up! There's one NC-17 scene, but I'll mention when that goes up so you don't accidentally read it at work. So...enjoy!

XXX

Sephiroth walked quickly through the echoing hallways, eager to get out of the lab and back home where he could sleep off the effects of whatever Hojo had done to him this time. It wasn't too bad today, he had to admit, just a migraine and some soreness. The spots behind his eyes were already clearing.

It was late in the day—he always scheduled these things so he wouldn't be expected to go back to work afterwards—and the lab was nearly vacant, so it came as a bit of a surprise when he noticed the lights on in one of the rarely used sample-containment rooms. He peered in through the viewing pane, wondering what Hojo had acquired, and saw a human shape huddled in one of the corners.

"Who did that bastard kidnap this time?" Sephiroth muttered to himself as he punched in Hojo's code on the keypad. Honestly, the man really needed to stop using it in front of him.

The door opened with a swoosh, and the figure in the corner cringed and curled in on itself even further. Sephiroth slowly approached and noticed that it was a girl, unclothed, but apparently unharmed. She looked absolutely terrified though, and she was sobbing desperately. Sephiroth took off his jacket and laid it over her to cover some of her nakedness.

"Hey," he said as gently as he could, "What happened? Where did you come from?" Where she came from was the important question. If he could get her back to wherever that was, he could go home. Sometimes he hated his curiosity; he knew what went on in the labs, but usually turned a blind eye to it. He wasn't heartless enough to just leave someone to suffer if he came across them, however.

The girl looked up with wide, tear-filled eyes, and they widened even more when she seemed to realize who Sephiroth was. "I—I don't know what happened," she stammered. "I was—I was coming back from drill when—they didn't say—they didn't say anything! Then I—I woke up here and—I was like—like this!" The girl flapped her arms in some sort of incomprehensible gesture, then pulled Sephiroth's coat close to her body.

"Like what?" Sephiroth asked as patiently as he could. "And—wait—drill?"

"I—I'm a guy!"

"A guy?" Sephiroth glanced down; that was not a male body, not by a long shot. "Oh...shit." How the hell had they managed that? No wonder she was so upset. This wasn't someone he could just send home then either. "Are you a cadet?" Sephiroth had long suspected that Hojo occasionally kidnapped struggling cadets that wouldn't be missed when he needed a disposable sample.

The girl—no, boy—nodded slowly. "Y—yes. Echo Company, sir. I—I—what are they going to do with me?"

"I...don't know." Sephiroth could think of a number of possibilities; none of them were pleasant. "Don't worry about it. I'll get you out of here, and we'll see what to do from there. What's your name?"

"Strife, sir. Cloud Strife."

"Okay, Cloud. I'm going to find something for you to wear, and then we'll go." Sephiroth stood and exited the room, heading for the nearest change room. He grabbed a set of scrubs and hurried back, wanting to get the kid out of the lab before someone caught them. Cloud hadn't moved by the time he returned, and she made no attempt at moving when Sephiroth held out the scrubs.

"Come on," Sephiroth said, "We've got to get out of here." He pulled the top over Cloud's head and shoved her unresisting arms through the sleeves. Of all the things that he had to find in the sample room, it just had to be something he couldn't ignore or send away. Not that he could blame the kid for being basically useless. He'd probably be the same way if he woke up one day with a girl's body. He kept that thought firmly in mind as he pulled the pants up over Cloud's hips and coaxed her into a standing position.

Sephiroth grabbed his coat off the floor and pulled it on, then took Cloud by the elbow and led her towards the door. "Let's go. That's it, one foot in front of the other," Sephiroth encouraged her as Cloud stumbled behind him.

"Where?" Cloud asked and fought back a sob—his voice had sounded awfully feminine there, if a bit hoarse.

"We'll go to my apartment. Even Hojo doesn't have access to it. You'll be safest there if he decides to come after you." Sephiroth had meant for that to be encouraging, but Cloud let out a pained noise and clutched tightly at Sephiroth's arm. "It'll be okay," he said, despite the knowledge that he had no way of knowing that. He could keep the kid safe from Hojo, but that didn't mean it would be okay.

This definitely wasn't making his migraine go away, he thought glumly as he hit the button for the elevator and prayed no one else would be in it. He tucked Cloud off to the side, just in case, so she wouldn't be seen if there was anyone in the elevator. When the door opened, Sephiroth saw a man in a suit and quickly pretended that he just realized he had forgotten something. The man shot him an annoyed glare, and the door shut again. The next elevator that stopped was mercifully empty and Sephiroth ushered Cloud onto it, thankful that Cloud was small and he was able to keep her—dammit, him—out of the security camera's line of sight. Their luck held and no one else got on, and they arrived at the ground floor without further incident.

"If anybody approaches us, don't say anything," Sephiroth instructed Cloud. "Let me do all the talking." He realized too late that Cloud's feet were bare and just how obvious it would be that he wasn't where he belonged. There was nothing he could do about it now, however, except move quickly. Fortunately, the building was mostly empty by now, and Sephiroth practically dragged Cloud past the security desk as soon as the guard turned away. She kept tripping as they ran across the open area, and Sephiroth wondered if she had been drugged as well.

The joint Turk and SOLDIER apartments were a lot busier, unfortunately, and Sephiroth opted for taking the fire escape up instead, despite living on the twentieth floor. "I hope you're feeling up to climbing, cadet."

Cloud was wheezing and gasping for air by the time they got to the eleventh floor, and Sephiroth took pity on him. "Climb on my back," he said, crouching down. Cloud hesitated, but was too wiped to really argue. But there was a small whimper when Sephiroth felt the two fleshy lumps pressing into his back. "Just hang on, I'll be quick." True to his word, Sephiroth covered the remaining floors as fast as he could and set Cloud down at the top.

"Won't there be an alarm?" Cloud said softly, and pointed to the sign on the door.

"Don't worry. I disabled that years ago; the fire escape is the only way up to the roof, and I like sitting up there sometimes." Sephiroth quickly unlocked it and opened the door, then led Cloud through after making sure that Tseng wasn't about.

Sephiroth breathed a sigh of relief when he finally shut his front door behind them and deadbolted it. They were safe for now. Cloud seemed to have run out of tears and was just sniffling quietly and staring ahead with a blank expression. "Come sit down, Cloud," Sephiroth said, guiding her towards the comfortable couch in the living room. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

Cloud looked up at him, blinking. "I—I—okay."

Sephiroth watched sadly for a few moments as Cloud tried to arrange himself on the couch in a position where he had the least contact with his own body before he turned to go to the kitchen. This was stupid; tea wasn't going to make him feel better, Sephiroth thought as he plugged in the kettle and started rummaging through his tea stash. But he didn't know what else to do except grab a couple of painkillers out of the cupboard above the fridge and down them. He didn't have any ideas about what he should do with the kid. He didn't know how to fix it. Maybe tomorrow he could start investigating, but in the meantime he had a cadet one bathroom trip away from a panic attack on his hands.

The kettle boiled and shut itself off, and Sephiroth pushed himself off the counter, deciding to pour a cup for himself as well. Tea wasn't going to help put off the bathroom situation either, he thought, but that was inevitable anyway. "Take it one step at a time and remember that he's male," he murmured to himself before returning to the living room with the two steaming cups.

"Here you go." Sephiroth set one of the cups down on the side table next to Cloud and took a seat in a chair across from he—him.

"Th—thank you, sir." Cloud picked up the cup with trembling hands and blew on it before taking a tiny sip.

"Cloud—" Sephiroth began, and then hesitated. What the hell was he supposed to say? "Tomorrow...tomorrow I'll start looking into what was done to you. And ways I can change you back. But...don't get your hopes up for a quick fix. They'll bump up security in the labs because of your disappearance. And anything related to what was done to you will be extra-heavily guarded. But I will do what ever it takes to fix this," Sephiroth quickly added, seeing Cloud's look of despair. "I'll find a way."

"You shouldn't—" Cloud choked. "Why waste your time? I'm just a cadet."

"Just a cadet in my army, Cloud. Experimented on by the company I work for. It's not a waste of time; it's the bare minimum I should do. But while I'm doing it, I need you to be strong and hang in there for me. Can you do that?"

"I—I don't—I don't know if I can, sir." Cloud glanced down as his voice broke into a sob.

Sephiroth only hesitated for a moment before moving over the couch and reaching out to rub Cloud's back. "It's okay, it's okay," he murmured, "Just don't think about it and don't look."

Tea sloshed onto the carpet as Cloud flailed his arms in frustration. "How the hell am I not supposed to think about it?" he snapped. "And not looking doesn't help! I can still feel everything! I've got breasts, sir! And—and it's not there anymore! How the fuck do I not think about that?"

Sephiroth grabbed the teacup away before Cloud burnt himself. "I'm sorry," he said, pulling Cloud in to rest his head on Sephiroth's chest. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do, and I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." He felt completely useless as the cadet sobbed on him; he had never felt less in control of a situation than he did right now. Even being strapped to a table in the labs was preferable to this. He let Cloud cry until he seemed to run out of tears again, although Sephiroth was certain the boy—boy—was nowhere near finished. By the time the sobs and screaming had died down into sniffles, Sephiroth had made a decision: he needed help.

"Cloud, I'm going to call my 2IC and get him to come up here. He's a really good guy, and I think we could both use his help to deal with this. Is that okay?" Sephiroth was already pulling out his PHS and dialling Zack's number. He didn't really care if having another person know would upset Cloud more; Sephiroth couldn't deal with this on his own. And honestly, how much more upset could the kid possibly get? Cloud didn't protest, though, which came as a relief. While he was willing to ignore Cloud's feelings on the matter, he probably would have felt guilty for doing so.

"What's up, sir?" Zack answered on the fourth ring.

"I need your help with something, Fair. Can you come up to my apartment?"

"Sure. Is this a right away sort of thing, or do I have time to finish my dinner?"

"It's a right away sort of thing," Sephiroth said while he continued to rub Cloud's back. "Sorry."

"Damn," Zack sighed, "Canned chili is never as good when you heat it a second time. So what's the problem? Are you okay? You had an appointment with him today, right?"

Sephiroth could hear Zack putting his boots on and a door opening and then closing. "I did, but that's not it." Sephiroth wondered how to explain it. "When I was leaving, I found...well, I've got a cadet in my apartment, and I don't really know what to do with...him."

"A cadet? You found a fucking cadet in the labs, Sephiroth? Is that what you're saying?" There were heavy footsteps. It sounded like Zack was taking several stairs at a time; he only lived one floor down, after all.

"Yes," Sephiroth said as he heard the stairwell door slam open. "Just a second. Cloud, I'm going to go let Zack in. I'll be right back."

Cloud nodded and shifted away and Sephiroth stood up, putting the phone back to his ear.

"Sephiroth! Did you say Cloud?" Zack was shouting loudly enough that Sephiroth could hear him from outside.

"Yes, that's his name. Do you know him?" Sephiroth opened his front door and Zack flew through before the alarm had finished its three beeps announcing that the door was open. He hung up the phone and pointed towards the living room.

"Cloud! Cloud, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Zack rushed to Cloud's side and pulled the unresponsive boy into a hug and then paused.

Sephiroth froze. Shit! He should have warned Zack or something first. Held him back while he explained. He tried to move to pull Zack off, but he was too slow.

"Cloud, did you just...squish?"

Cloud finally moved and shoved Zack off of him. He got up and ran, stumbling across the room, and looking around wildly. "Bathroom?" he asked desperately with one hand clamped over his mouth.

"That way." Sephiroth pointed. "First door on the left."

Cloud ran and Sephiroth heard the door slam followed by the sounds of Cloud vomiting. Zack was still looking shocked, but got up and moved towards the bathroom. Sephiroth grabbed his arm. "Just...just give her—fuck—him a minute."

"What the fuck, Sephiroth?" Zack turned on him with blazing eyes. "Did he seriously just fucking squishwhen I hugged him?"

"Yes...sh—he was like that when I found him." Sephiroth silently berated himself; he needed to use the right pronouns, especially when he was speaking out loud. It shouldn't be that hard to remember.

"Why the fuck? And how? And what happened? And—"

"I DON'T KNOW, ZACK!" Sephiroth shouted and lashed out in frustration, putting a fist-sized hole in the wall. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I don't know what they did to him or why. I can guess it was magic, since there aren't any signs of surgery. But I don't know. And I don't know what to do. I need your help, Zack. You know him?"

"Yeah, we've met a couple times. Us country boys have to stick together. So..." Zack stepped away from the bathroom where they wouldn't be heard if Cloud was listening. "He's really?"

"She was—shit, I mean, he was naked when I found him. On the outside, at least, he looks female."

"Completely?"

"Completely."

Zack let out a low whistle. "Shit, Seph. This is...this is more than I know how to deal with. I guess get him to stop puking would be a start. That can't be healthy."

"Right. That's a start." Sephiroth turned back to the bathroom, but Zack caught his arm.

"Maybe you should go get him a glass of water."

Sephiroth nodded silently and headed for the kitchen instead. Even though he hadn't been the one to send Cloud fleeing into the bathroom, he probably wasn't the best person to get him out either. He stared at the water swirling down the drain and zoned out for a few moments. The water was oddly fascinating and much easier to deal with than the mess that he had gotten himself into. Still, he was obligated to help.

He angrily grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and shoved it under the tap, banging down a little too hard when he shut the faucet off. This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to any of them, and they didn't deserve it. He heard shuffling footsteps in the living room and sighed heavily before going back out there.

The only thing that didn't look female about the pale, trembling figure on the couch was his hair, he thought with yet another sigh. Sephiroth set the glass down in front of the two and sat back down on the edge of his chair, ready to do whatever was needed. Zack was wiping Cloud's eyes with a tissue and had taken a box of them from the bathroom. He tossed the soiled tissue down on the table and held out the water.

"Here," Zack said quietly, "Take a sip."

Cloud silently obeyed; he didn't really appear to be processing much at the moment.

"I guess, for tonight, you can stay with me. My roommate doesn't get back from his mission until late tomorrow...I don't know what would be best after that. I'm sure that if we explain..."

"He can stay here," Sephiroth spoke up.

"What was that? Seph, you've never let anyone stay in your apartment before!"

"I do have a spare room. I'll have to clear it out a bit and make up the bed, but it'll be better than your couch. It's safer for him too. The less moving around and the fewer people who know, the better."

"Yeah, that's true, but...Are you sure?"

"I don't mind. I was planning to let him stay here anyway. Before I called you."

Zack nodded and looked down at Cloud, who had yet to show any sort of reaction. "Is that okay with you, Spike? Want to crash at the great Sephiroth's place?"

"Kay."

Sephiroth rather doubted that Cloud had even heard what Zack had asked. Not that it really mattered, he supposed. If Cloud changed his mind later, they could figure something else out.

"What about he—his things?" Sephiroth asked. "We should probably get them out of the barracks before they disappear."

"And you'd probably be tons happier if you had your own stuff here, hey, Cloud? Don't want to be stuck in stupid green scrubs all the time." Zack had to be given credit for trying; Sephiroth was impressed with that. "Well," he glanced at his watch, "If I go now, I can say I'm just finishing up some business for the day before I go home. I'll think of some reason for me to be taking his footlocker. Cloud, do you have things anywhere other than your footlocker and closet? Hidden under your bed?"

Cloud's head shook slowly from side to side, so Zack nodded and stood, ruffling Cloud's hair. "Gotcha. I'll be back as quick as I can then." Zack shot a concerned look at him as he passed Sephiroth's chair.

"We'll be fine, Zack," Sephiroth said and hoped it was true. He took Zack's place on the couch and hesitantly wrapped his arm around Cloud's shoulders like Zack had been doing. Cloud didn't react, so at least it didn't appear to be the wrong thing to do.

Zack gave him a smile and a quick salute before he disappeared, and Sephiroth heard the door slam a moment later.

"Do you want some more water?" Sephiroth held out the glass.

Cloud nodded and took a few small sips before placing the glass back on the table. Tears were streaming silently down her face and Sephiroth grabbed another tissue to wipe them away. "Can I really stay here?" she asked quietly.

"Of course you can," Sephiroth said, mentally smacking himself upside the head again for thinking of Cloud as a girl. "You can't go back to the barracks like this, and I've got room to spare. It's about time I got myself a roommate anyway."

"Thank you, sir. Sorry for all this."

"There's nothing to be sorry for; you've been holding up admirably, all things considered."

Cloud almost smiled at that. "Yeah, right. I've been hysterical since you found me. Crying like a girl..."

"Crying like someone who's had their life fucked over royally in the space of one afternoon. I'm pretty sure I'd be hysterical too." Sephiroth continued before Cloud could say anything else. "We'll fix it, Cloud. We'll find a way."

XXX

Cloud was leaning comfortably against Sephiroth with his eyes closed by the time Zack got back with the footlocker and a few hangers with clothing draped overtop.

"He sleeping?" Zack asked quietly.

"No," Sephiroth said at the same time that Cloud noticed Zack was back and sat up. "Cloud, can you wait here a few minutes while I go get your room set up?"

Cloud nodded. "I can help."

"That's fine, Cloud. It'll only take a minute to clear off the bed and throw some sheets on it."

"We've got you covered, Spike, don't worry about it." Zack readjusted the heavy trunk in his arms and followed Sephiroth down the hallway.

Sephiroth flicked the lights on in the seldom-used guest bedroom—damn, he hadn't realized how much junk had accumulated in it over the years. The rest of his apartment was so neat; it seemed like all the random stuff gravitated towards this room. "Just set his trunk down where there's space, and I'll clear off the bed. There're sheets and bedding in the hall closet if you want to grab some."

"Sure thing, boss. You know, I'm a little shocked you even have a bed in here."

Sephiroth shrugged as he started dumping old clothes he didn't wear anymore in a pile in the corner. "It came with the place."

He had done a rather hasty tidy-up job by the time Zack got back with the bedding. The bed was free of junk and there was a path leading to it from the door. They quickly made up the bed, and Zack took a look through Cloud's footlocker for pyjamas.

"Do you think...do you think he'll be able to handle getting changed?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth said, "I pretty much dressed him after I found him."

"Right, well, maybe I should stay with him and make sure he's okay...unless it would be better if you did...since you've already seen him...like that. Shit, I don't know." Zack ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "And if he's staying here, then he's going to have you around more often, so he should get used to you, but I'm his friend. Maybe he'll just want to stay in the scrubs."

"Zack, I think you're thinking too much." With that, Sephiroth went back out into the living room and crouched down next to the couch. "Cloud, the bed's made up for you. Are you tired?"

Cloud nodded absently.

"All right, come on, let's get you settled in." Sephiroth took Cloud by the hand and led him to the spare room. "It's a bit messy, but I'll clean it up tomorrow. For now, it should do."

Cloud sat down on the bed and looked around a bit. "Thank you, sir."

"Here, Zack found your pyjamas." Sephiroth held up the clothes for Cloud to see. When Cloud didn't make any move towards them, Sephiroth decided that efficiency was the best way of dealing with it for now. "Let's get you changed."

Cloud barely had a chance to react before Sephiroth pulled his scrub top off and couldn't even glance down before the t-shirt was pulled over his head. Cloud actually cooperated with putting his arms through the sleeves, which helped a lot.

"All right, half done," Sephiroth said encouragingly. Now for the really tricky part. "Can you stand up for me? Good, and just look at the ceiling or something. No point in forcing yourself to see just yet." Sephiroth was pretty sure that social protocol dictated that he should have been punched for yanking off a girl's pants that quickly, but Cloud just placed a hand on his shoulder for balance while Sephiroth lifted one foot at a time. He transferred the old pant leg off and the new one on at the same time and had the sleep pants pulled back up in a matter of seconds.

"There you go." Sephiroth nudged Cloud to sit back down again. "All done."

Cloud gave him a weak, embarrassed smile and plucked at the fabric of his pants. "Thanks. I should have—"

"It'll get easier, Cloud," Sephiroth said, guessing at what Cloud was most likely thinking. "I don't think you're incapable, I just think you've had a long day and you shouldn't have to deal with anything more tonight." He pulled back the blankets and got Cloud lying down. Sephiroth covered him up and gently rubbed his back. "Get some sleep. If you need anything, my room is right at the end of the hall. Or just yell for me, okay?"

Cloud nodded and shut his eyes, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

"Sleep well, Cloud," Zack said from the doorway.

Sephiroth turned away and followed Zack out of the room, not quite closing the door all the way.

"Holy fucking shit, Seph!" Zack exclaimed in hushed tones when they got to the living room. "You needed help? Dude, you got him changed and into bed before he even blinked. I would have been so awkward."

"I just thought it would be best to get it over with," Sephiroth said. "If he didn't have a chance to think about it, he might not get upset. That's what I was hoping, at least."

"Well, it worked. Seriously impressed here, man." Zack made a short trip into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, coming back with two bottles of beer and flopping down on the couch. "Here, you earned it." He held one bottle out to Sephiroth, who took it and sat down in his chair. "I can't fucking believe you had to rescue a cadet from the labs. I mean, we've all heard the stories, but they were just that. Stories! No one actually believed they were true. It's like that story about the ghost in the men's room on the twelfth floor, you know?"

Sephiroth nodded, understanding that Zack needed to get it off his chest. Zack had a strange need to vent his feelings whenever he was upset, and that venting usually came in the shape of a long monologue.

"I mean, sure," Zack continued, "It's kind of creepy and there's that one light that's never worked and I swear the tap turned on by itself once while I was in there. But that shit's just to scare people! And the lab stories keep the cadets working hard. I've said it myself: 'If you don't finish your laps, you're going to end up part of someone's science project in the lab!' But...it's true." Zack's voice suddenly got quieter. "And it happened to my friend...to Cloud. He's the sweetest fucking kid, Seph, why would anyone want to hurt him? What kind of company do I work for?"

"I wish I could tell you that this was just a one time thing, Zack. That Shin-Ra's not really like this. But I've had my suspicions about the cadets for a long time. Letters have occasionally gotten through to me...people wondering where their sons are...sons that have supposedly dropped out and gone home." Sephiroth took a large swig of his beer. "I never had proof until now though."

"So, what do we do? Go public? That'd kill Cloud."

"I think you're right, he's not in any sort of condition to do that. I want to find out what was done to him, and see if there's a way we can reverse it. Was—I hate to ask it, but was Cloud doing well in the cadet program?"

Zack hesitated a moment before replying. "No...it's not that he didn't work hard or wasn't cut out for it; I think he's just a late bloomer. A lot of his instructors said that he was mentally weak. When I went to pick up his locker, everyone assumed that he had dropped out. I didn't even need to tell them anything."

Sephiroth nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "I think that those are the ones they pick. The ones nobody will miss or care that they're gone."

"I'd miss him. And I'd care."

"I know...Zack, do me a favour and keep an eye on the other strugglers. Ask your friends to help out, if you think they can be discreet. I want to put a stop to this, but I want to figure out how to fix Cloud first."

Zack nodded his agreement. "I'll do that. I know a few guys who'll help. So what are we going to do about Cloud?"

"I'm not sure, I—" Sephiroth paused as he heard a noise from the bedroom, followed by soft footsteps down the hallway. Cloud appeared at the entrance to the living room and they both stood.

"What's up, Cloud?" Zack asked.

"I—" Cloud's voice was barely audible. "I have to—go to the bathroom."

Zack and Sephiroth exchanged nervous glances before Zack sprang into action. "Sure, bud, maybe you should use Sephiroth's bathroom, since the other one's a bit messy...it's just through here. Now, um, you know girls sit down to pee, right? Of course you do. And, oh! I read in a magazine once that they're supposed to wipe from front to back, for like, infections or something...I dunno. Is Midgar Girl a reliable source, Seph?"

"I've never read it," Sephiroth said shortly. He knew Zack was nervous, but his 'advice' didn't appear to be helping Cloud look any less terrified. "Cloud, do you think you can do it on your own? Or would you rather one of us—" Sephiroth caught Zack's horrified expression and reworded. "Or would you rather I come in with you?"

Cloud was red as a tomato and trembling. Sephiroth was certain Cloud couldn't actually handle it by himself, but he was too embarrassed to ask. He didn't want Cloud to panic again if they could avoid it, so he tried to convince him. "I can hold your hand and talk to you, or help you out if you need it. It's just going to the bathroom, Cloud. We all do it. I don't mind being there."

Cloud gave a shaky nod of his head; it appeared that the fear had won out over embarrassment. "Please," he whispered.

Sephiroth sent Zack away with a glare and took Cloud by the hand, leading him into the bathroom. He put the seat on the toilet down and sat on the edge of the counter. When Cloud hesitated, Sephiroth started talking. "Your t-shirt's long; it's going to be able to cover you while you're sitting. Just pull your pants down far enough, and take a seat; you don't need to look to do that."

Cloud took a deep breath. "Okay..." He let go of Sephiroth's hand long enough to pull his pants down while staring at the ceiling. When he was seated on the toilet, Sephiroth reached out and pulled the t-shirt out a little ways so it covered a bit more before taking Cloud's hand again.

"Good job," he said, giving Cloud's small hand a squeeze. "Now you've just got to relax and let it out." He reached over and turned on the tap, hoping to minimize Cloud's embarrassment. He could still hear, when Cloud finally started urinating, but hoped that Cloud would think that he couldn't. When it stopped, Sephiroth reached down and unrolled some toilet paper. He wasn't sure how much girls used, but figured too much would be better than too little. He held it out to Cloud. "Can you?"

Cloud nodded almost firmly and took the paper from him, taking another deep breath as he did so. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling again as Sephiroth pulled Cloud's shirt out of the way. There was a small whimper as Cloud hastily patted himself dry and dropped the toilet paper in the bowl. He sprang up and pulled his pants back up as quickly as he could before leaning, gasping and shaking against the wall. Sephiroth flushed the toilet and pushed himself off the counter. He guided Cloud over to the sink and got him to wash his hands and wiped a few tears off his cheeks.

"There, you did it, Cloud. You did really well."

More tears followed moments later, and Cloud choked back a sob. "I—I—I needed help! Going to the bathroom! You—I mean—You congratulated me on pissing!"

Sephiroth pulled Cloud into his arms, hugging her tightly. Had be been wrong? He thought he was just encouraging he—him, but maybe it had sounded patronizing. "Shh, Cloud, it's all right," he said helplessly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. And I don't think any less of you for needing help. Anyone in a similar situation would be the same, I'm sure of it. Come on, let's go back to your room." He started walking awkwardly while still hugging Cloud. Zack was waiting out in the hallway and stepped aside as they came through. He had just gotten Cloud lying back down when Zack came in.

"You doing all right, buddy?" Zack asked as he handed Cloud a tissue and Sephiroth stepped back.

Cloud wiped his nose and nodded, trying to blink away the tears.

"Sorry for running out on you like that. I think Seph's a lot better at stuff like that. It takes a helluva lot to embarrass him."

"Comes from growing up giving all sorts of samples in front of a roomful of people," Sephiroth said nonchalantly. It was true; there wasn't a whole lot that he could be asked to do that would faze him. Even providing sperm samples was routine enough to not bother him anymore.

Cloud sniffled and curled up into a ball before cringing and straightening out again. Zack had taken over the emotional comfort, for which Sephiroth was extremely grateful. He would have to get better at that, he knew, if Cloud was going to stay here, but for now, he was glad for Zack's help. Sephiroth quietly slipped out of the room and went back to the living room. He took a sip of his beer, and then poured the rest down the drain. It was warm, and he wanted something stronger. But when he looked at the bottle of scotch, he decided against it and just collapsed on his chair instead. Now wasn't the time to be getting drunk, however much it might help him deal with things.

XXX

A/N: I don't know what my update schedule is going to be like, but I'll attempt to make at least one post while I'm on vacation. Thank you for reading!