A/N: Written for the new FFVII Kink Meme (which has moved to Dreamwidth, by the way, you should make sure to follow it over there ;D *pimps the kink meme out*). This fic features Sefikura with cis female Cloud. I don't have as much practice writing het as I do with the m/m stuff, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

This fic is works on the assumption that entry to any avenue of the military is at age 16 minimum; the cadet program is probably for 16 - 18 yo aiming to get into SOLDIER (entry to SOLDIER is 18 minimum). By the time Cloud reaches Second Class in this, she's probably like 20 or something tbh. It's a blatant AU; if we're accepting that Cloud is a cis female in this universe we can accept some age fudgery.

(Although tbh all of my fics are semi-AU that work on exactly that modified model of ShinRa's military anyway. xp)

PROMPT - Always female!Cloud is a cadet. She's not doing so bad, but there's a lot of pressure/interest because she's the first girl in the SOLDIER cadet program to make it so far.

She thinks that nobody's really interested by her progress because "she's just a girl", but in reality most of the SOLDIERs keep a very close eye on her progress and are hoping like mad that she'll become a Third Class because there are no girl SOLDIER yet and the only way they can fuck a civilian is if another SOLDIER is holding them down and they keep concentrating on not hurting said civilian.

So a girl in the SOLDIER program is like the holy Grail.

Bonus if she ends up with Sephiroth in a loving relationship,

But I'll take any Cloud/SOLDIER(s) pairing, filthy hot or unbearably sweet and cute.

"Wait, wait. How? Why?"

The fact that Zack was so very concerned was, in itself, concerning. Cloud furrowed her eyebrows. "Uh. Why is it such a big deal that I've never had a boyfriend? I mean, the SOLDIER program is pretty intense, there's not much time for fooling around."

"Speak for yourself, I fooled around plenty when I was a cadet."

Cloud snorted a laugh. "Figures. You know they even have a closet named after you, right? But anyway, no. I suppose there's time for fooling around, but just fooling around. I'd rather have a proper relationship first, y'know?"

"Ohh. Yeah. I suppose it'd be hard to date while in the program. But once you'll make SOLDIER, you'll have way more time! Well, between missions, anyway."

"I guess… I don't see why it's a big deal, though. There's so much shit going on that thinking about dudes is the last on my list of worries."

Zack nodded thoughtfully. "Sure, sure. But… you are interested in dudes, right? I mean, not that it's a problem if you're not! But if you were ace or lesbian or something, I'd have to tell the guys to back off..."

There was a long pause in which Cloud evaluated Zack with great suspicion. Then she sighed. "Are you trying to scope out info on me for someone else who wants a chance?"

"Uh, Cloud. Hate to break this to you, but most of SOLDIER wants a chance."

She raised her eyebrows and gave another small laugh. "You have a weird way to trying to raise a girl's self-esteem. I might be able to knock a man down, but I'm hardly most people's romantic material. Whatever. To answer your question, yes, I am into dudes. Mostly. There was Tifa, of course… but dudes as well."

"Whoa, hold on. Who's Tifa? Tell me more."

"Zack! What do you even need to know for?"

"As your best friend, it is my solemn duty to bear witness to all your romantic endeavours, past or present."

"You dork," Cloud said, lightly shoving Zack's shoulder. "Well, okay. I guess…"

It wasn't until long after Cloud had made SOLDIER, officially instated as the first female Third Class ever, that she realised Zack hadn't been exaggerating.

Truth be told, she'd been expecting a lot more bigoted dismissal. More 'I don't want to be on a mission with a weaker girl' type sneering. She'd been prepared with her physical exams results (near top of the class, especially in swordwork, take that) to give to the doubters to shut them up, and a solid right hook if that failed. But for some reason, they seemed to be falling over each other to work with her and help her out.

Although certainly better than the alternative, that got very annoying very quickly as well. It seemed more patronising than anything else. It wasn't until after four missions in a row, in which the SOLDIERs who had volunteered to work with her all asked her out, that it finally clicked.

Nonplussed, Cloud made a beeline for the sanctuary that was Zack's apartment.

"Zack!" she yelled. "Why the fuck does every person on this floor want to date me?!"

Unfortunately, she had burst in rather abruptly and not checked the apartment's occupancy before demanding answers. She had also managed to shout at the three elite First Classes, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal.

"Uh. Sorry, sirs," she said.

"No, no," Genesis replied, sounding amused but thankfully not offended. "That sounds like an important question you have there."

Angeal made a disproving noise and must have pinched Genesis somewhere, since the red-haired Commander proceeded to give a small yelp and glowered at the other SOLDIER.

Zack, helpful as ever, just busted his ass off laughing.

Still, Cloud seemed to be granted unofficial membership to the inner circle from that point on. She spent more and more of her spare time hanging out with them as a group and, frankly, it was a relief.

Zack was her best friend, and they had always been more like brother and sister than anything. Angeal and Genesis were already in a relationship with each other – childhood sweethearts, which had sounded cute until Genesis detailed the other escapades he'd had before returning to find true love in Angeal's arms. (Cloud was only slightly surprised to hear Genesis had been one of the people Zack had fooled around with at one point.) And Sephiroth... Sephiroth was just Sephiroth. He didn't tend to treat anyone any differently. The man had two settings; semi-formal military engagement, in which he was respectful of his colleagues and subordinates but otherwise brusque and detached, and then more relaxed around his small handful of friends and people he was fond of.

Cloud was surprised but incredibly flattered to find that she fell into the latter category.

It seemed a little rude to pick favourites out of her new-found group of friends, but she really did love spending time with Sephiroth the most. As much as she adored Zack, he – like any good older brother figure – did get on her nerves sometimes. Angeal and Genesis had each other, and spending too much time with the two of them together felt like intruding. With Sephiroth, though, it was easy to spend hours together.

Their sense of humour clicked; dry, but subtly wicked. They were both introverts, and the ability to spend time in each other's presence, together but not talking and it feeling so completely comfortable to do that…. it felt like a freedom in itself. When they did talk, conversation was easy.

Zack had always said Sephiroth was a good guy, but a little awkward with social things sometimes. Well, so was Cloud. Cloud had been forced to become good at acting like she was comfortable in social situations (and Zack was a very good template to base her acting on), but it was a draining task. Talking to someone who was on the same level of awkward was nice. Sephiroth didn't care if Cloud stopped in the middle of a conversation to think. He listened when she jumped three steps in logical thinking and had to circle back to explain herself. He did the same things himself. So, it felt like a lot less pressure. Cloud could let the façade drop around Sephiroth and just be herself.

It was nice.

With a solid group of friends supporting her, a solid training regime, and a solid collection of successful missions under her belt, Cloud was soon up for promotion to Second Class. The date offers still came, but she turned them down so frequently that the rumour started going around she must already be with someone. Not true, but at least she was mostly left alone, except for a few sidelong, longing glances and mutters of 'lucky bastard'.

Her promotion came and went. She found that with the extra enhancements and all the training she'd already done, she didn't need to keep up quite as a strict a regime. The missions became longer, riskier and more complex, but less frequent because of it.

With a little bit of free time to her name, Cloud finally slowed down enough to breathe in and look back at how far she'd come. And gods, she'd come far. Her success was something to be proud of. But it was only then, when she stopped to take stock of her life, that she realised she'd still never had a lover.

She'd been so busy it hadn't even occurred to her to be lonely. Besides, she'd had her friends, and she'd had Sephiroth. But… maybe she did kind of miss the idea of having someone she was romantically involved with. Kisses, touches, company at night… after all, there had to be some fantastic SOLDIER dick around.

Cloud suddenly remembered all those date requests, from what seemed like years ago now even it was probably more like just one, and almost regretted not even considering them.

It was a dilemma. She wasn't big on the idea of fooling around, or even a relationship that wouldn't work out in the long run. Being the only girl in SOLDIER, she was wary of the risk of being perceived as SOLDIER's slut if she did that. (Maybe that was an unfair thought – the guys had proven themselves to be decent and above that kind of sexist bullshit, but the voices in her head that sounded far too much like the judgemental old farts from back in Nibelheim proved difficult to dislodge entirely.) Still, she was more interested in something she could see working out long term.

It wasn't that Cloud didn't like the SOLDIERs she worked with, but… they were bros. They were a squad, friendly and joking, but not intimate. It would feel weird as all hell being romantic with any of them. Cloud needed someone she clicked with, who she trusted, who she was comfortable with… and a gorgeous body wouldn't hurt either, she wasn't above having needs, damnit. At least the latter was an easy fill. It seemed like the entire population of SOLDIER was made up of gorgeous men, and led by the most gorgeous of them all—

Sephiroth. Oh.

She dismissed the thought as soon as it came up – it was a stupid idea anyway, going through a mental list of her friends like 'oh hey if I had to date someone who would I go for?'. They deserved better than that. And Sephiroth had never expressed any kind of interest in her anyway.

It was too late, though. The idea had been planted.

Not much changed. She hung around with her squad, she hung around with Zack and the First Classes. She spent time in Sephiroth's office when she needed peace and quiet, but company at the same time.

She noticed the way Sephiroth's eyelashes brushed his high cheekbones as he looked down. Her heart fluttered when he gave her that smile, the small, kind of dorky one he reserved just for his friends. Had he always touched her so much? She'd never really considered how it had become a habit for him to lightly touch the back of her hand to get her attention before.

Fuck. How had she ended up with a crush on Sephiroth, of all people?

Zack worked it out, of course. Not about Sephiroth, specifically – at least, not at first. Cloud still got the occasional question about having a boyfriend, or if she was interested in anyone. Few and far between, and usually from the new Third Classes before they were quietly informed that Cloud had never said yes to anybody. It had never used to bother her, but now that question – was she interested in anyone? – made her face heat up.

Zack had been watching one particular exchange, and he knew. As soon as the Third Class had moved on, Zack pounced.

"Oh my god, you do like someone."

"What are you talking about, Zack? Stop being stupid."

"You're blushing. You never fucking blush. You always used to look at people who asked that kind of thing like they were aliens, you were totally oblivious to the idea, but now… who is it? C'mon, you gotta tell me."

"I don't gotta do shit. Just drop it."

"Cloooooud, come on."

"No."

"You know I'm going to annoy you until you tell me."

"Yeah, I'm unfortunately aware of that," Cloud sighed.

She swore Zack to secrecy before finally breaking a few days later. "Look, it doesn't mean anything, okay? It's just a stupid crush. It's not going to change anything. Hel, I don't even know if Sephiroth is interested in anyone, he's never seemed to look at anyone like that…"

Zack was oddly, dangerously quiet. "Talk to him," he said.

Cloud squinted at him. "What do you know?"

"Hey, what are you looking at me like that for? You said I wasn't allowed to breathe a word under any circumstance, so you go tell him yourself."

"Why would I do that? Unless you have some kind of information to suggest that would be a good idea, instead of just making things awkward all round. I'm not walking into a delicate situation without the relevant intel, SOLDIER. Tell me what you know."

Zack laughed. "You've started being in charge of teams of Thirds, haven't you? Sorry, I still outrank you. Just trust me. Talk to Sephiroth."

"You are insufferable."

"Love you too, Cloudy."

With Zack's not entirely reassuring assurances, Cloud decided to go for a middle ground. She wasn't about to admit to some passing crush on a whim, but… she would talk to Sephiroth. It was funny, she realised. She was doing basically the same thing Zack had done to her as a cadet those few years ago, probing for information.

She relayed a tale about being asked on a date while in Sephiroth's office one day a few weeks later. "Has anyone ever done that to you? Asked you out on a date?"

Sephiroth made a non-committal noise as he looked up from his paperwork. "I have received many from fans."

Cloud had to laugh a little at Sephiroth's expression. His fans were generally a decent bunch, but like any group, there were a few who were overzealous. "Have there ever been any of the non-crazy ones you'd actually consider accepting though?"

"No. I was informed by the Science Department that any form of copulation with an unenhanced human would likely result in injury. It is generally not advisable for members of SOLDIER to engage in coitus with a citizen without supervision and maintained concentration on their part – at my level of enhancement it would not only be unwise but almost inevitably cause grievous damages."

Cloud's laughter faded entirely, her stomach flipping in concern. "Oh. Shit. I'm really sorry, Seph, I didn't realise… it was that bad." The other guys joked and complained in equal part about how impossibly difficult it was to find a girl, and how careful they had to be and how much of a boner-killer it was to have another SOLDIER there watching just in case things went wrong, if they actually followed that advice at all. But that Sephiroth had just been flat out told he couldn't ever have sex with anyone? That was a lot worse.

"I have put it behind me. It is not a concern."

"…did you ever want to? I mean, there's always SOLDIERs. Angeal and Genesis get along fine."

"I am not interested in men, unfortunately. However, I see no point in pining after something impossible, so I have long since learned to tune out any semblance of desire. As I say, it is not something that concerns me any longer."

Cloud's heart ached. If Sephiroth just hadn't been interested at all, that would have been fine. But he had been interested at some point, it sounded like, and forced to entirely repress any semblance of sexuality his entire life. He deserved better than that.

Cloud stood and walked to stand in front of Sephiroth, touching the back of his hand in the same soft gesture he did for her so often. "You realise there's female SOLDIERs now, right?"

Sephiroth's brow furrowed. "There is only you."

"What, have you never thought about it? The entirety of SOLDIER kept trying to date me when I made Third just so they could get around their own troubles in bed, it can't have slipped your notice."

"I noticed," Sephiroth said, voice hard. "And I did not like that they viewed you that way. I would not do you the same disservice."

"What a gentleman," Cloud murmured. "What if I offered?"

"You do not need to feel obliged to do such a thing. I insist you do not."

It was so hard not to reach out and touch that infuriating, gorgeous man. "What if I want to."

"You have never agreed to be with anyone else."

"Because I'm not interested in them that way. But you…." She reached up to brush a thumb against Sephiroth's jaw. He did not respond – if anything his expression was torn. Almost fearful, like he was afraid of what he might do. "If you really don't want this, if you've never considered it, just tell me to stop. But gods, I want you. Sephiroth…"

Cloud kissed him. It had been a very long time since she had kissed anyone either – they were both rusty. But Cloud got back into the swing of things quickly, and Sephiroth was a fast learner. His lips were warm and soft against hers, kissing back insistently.

"Cloud," he said, and it sent shivers down her spine to hear Sephiroth say her name in that rough, desperate tone. "I won't be able to stop."

She kissed him again, deeply and thoroughly, the heat growing between them with each passing moment. "You don't need too. I'm a SOLDIER, I won't break."

His hands reached out to cup her face, to tangle into the messy spikes of her blonde hair. It was like a floodgate had opened. Once they started touching each other, they couldn't keep their hands off.

Sephiroth pressed Cloud up against the wall, and Cloud moaned, pleased. The weight of his body pinning her there felt so good. His tongue ravaging her mouth even more so. Cloud's hands ran over Sephiroth's exposed chest – Odin bless that ridiculous outfit – grabbing the leather straps and pulling him even closer. Her fingers buried into his hair, alternatively massaging his scalp and lightly tugging on the strands while they made out.

Because that was definitely what they were doing. Making out, hot and needy, all over each other. It left Cloud panting, her head spinning with want. Yes. Oh, gods, yes.

"Sephiroth," she moaned, loving the feel of his name on her tongue. Called out freely, instead of gasped quietly, guiltily, while pleasuring herself alone in the middle of the night.

She could still tell he was holding back though – his hands drifted to her chest, or to the belt of her trousers, before retreating abruptly as though he felt he was overstepping his bounds. It was sweet, honestly. If he was waiting for an invitation, she would gladly give it.

Cloud brushed Sephiroth's hands aside and pulled off her SOLDIER top herself, tossing it to the floor. Her bra quickly followed. She shot a grin at Sephiroth when his eyes widened, before sighing as he cupped her breasts.

"Feels good," she murmured, encouraging Sephiroth's leather coat and pauldrons off his shoulders as well. The sight of him like the, shirtless but for the leather straps crossing his chest, made her shiver with need.

He needed it too. Even through his leather trousers, Cloud could feel Sephiroth's hardness pressing against her. She wanted it. Wanted all of this. Sephiroth had been right – now they had started, they weren't going to be able to stop. But that was okay. The more Cloud thought about it, the more she realised she really had loved Sephiroth for a long time already.

"I want you to fuck me," Cloud said.

"Cloud." Sephiroth's voice was low and rough. "I don't—"

"You won't hurt me. I'm a SOLDIER, remember?"

"…I'll be gentle. As much as I can."

From a SOLDIER, even gentle meant a damn good pounding, and Cloud felt herself clench at the idea of it. "Yeah," she groaned heavily in agreement.

Sephiroth picked Cloud up – oh, that SOLDIER strength was nice when used on her too – and laid her out with her back on Sephiroth's desk. They worked together to get her trousers off, struggling a little because Sephiroth just wouldn't stop kissing all over Cloud's lips and throat and breasts. She laughed as she kicked her shoes off and they finally got the last of her clothing removed.

"Oh," Sephiroth said. His fingers travelled down the inside of Cloud's thighs. "You're rather wet already."

Cloud's laugh turned into something that was half amusement and half a moan. "Like you're not so hard you're about to burst through your pants," she said.

"The stitching is very strong. I don't think that is likely."

"You dork." Cloud yanked Sephiroth down by his bangs and kissed him until they were completely lost in each other again. She wrapped her legs around his waist, ankles digging into the small of his back to pull his up against her.

The hardness of his erection was pressed so perfectly up against her, and Cloud couldn't help but rub herself against is. She was leaving wet slick against the black leather that still blocked their way, but neither of them cared.

"Sephiroth, please… gods, do it, I need you to. Need you so bad."

His eyes were dark with desire when he looked down at her, and it made Cloud's head spin. She was naked, spread out on Sephiroth's desk, with the man himself looking at her like that. Gods. She was aching to be filled.

"I don't—" Sephiroth cut off into a low groan as Cloud pressed herself against his hardness again. "Condom. Don't have any protection."

"Oh. It's… it's okay. Mako makes any SOLDIER infertile, right? And we get enough blood tests and shit that we'd know if there was anything off disease-wise." Cloud groaned. "I really don't care, I just need you to do me."

"If you are certain…"

"Yes. Sephiroth, please…"

The sound of him undoing his fly made Cloud squirm in anticipation. Sephiroth pushed his trousers down his thighs, just far enough to let him comfortably get to Cloud, and Cloud's breath caught entirely. She gave a broken laugh. Fantastic SOLDIER dick indeed. That thing… that thing was going to feel so good.

He kissed her again, almost brutally now, but Cloud only loved it all the more. His teeth tugged at her lips while his fingers rolled her nipples between them, hands kneading her breasts. And his cock… the flushed head of his cock rubbed against Cloud's slick entrance. Oh, gods. She was ready, she was so ready.

They both moaned heavily as Sephiroth's cock penetrated into Cloud. It stung, but only a little and only for a moment. Cloud was slick and turned on enough that the entrance went easily, even with how damn big Sephiroth's cock was. Cloud went limp on the desk, body relaxing and mind lost in the pleasure of finally having something inside her. Something thick and hot and throbbing, and Cloud clenched almost involuntarily around Sephiroth's cock as it sank in inch by delicious inch.

"Ohh, that feels good," Cloud breathed. Why on earth had she put this off for so long?

Sephiroth groaned in agreement. "You're so hot inside…"

With a wicked grin, Cloud clenched down around him. That drew an actual fucking growl from Sephiroth. He drew back until just the head of his cock was still inside Cloud, then slammed back into her.

"Ahh, fuck!" Cloud screamed. Good scream. Definitely a good scream, though. "M-more. Again."

"Cloud, I can't hold back—"

"S'fine. That didn't hurt. Just… felt really good, oh gods, Seph, please move. Fuck me."

Cloud got her wish. Sephiroth pinned Cloud's wrists to the desk, holding her in place as he began to thrust into her. His face was a mask of concentrated control, even though his eyebrows furrowed in pleasure with each stroke into that tight, wet heat.

Slow, steady, but fucking powerful. It forced all the air from Cloud, leaving her head spinning and breaths coming in thick, moaning pants. Her legs squeezed around Sephiroth's waist, hips jerking up to meet him every time.

Cloud's entire world narrowed to heat and pleasure and Sephiroth. And Sephiroth's thick, hot shaft, pounding into her and making her scream.

"Ohhh, gods… nn, nngh. Se-Seph, fuck, I—aahh, ah!"

Cloud gave up trying to talk. She'd wanted to tell Seph how good it was, but there was no way anything coherent was going to come out of her overheated brain right then. Still, the moans got the sentiment across just fine.

It was gorgeous to watch, too. As if she wasn't turned on enough already. Watching Sephiroth's expression as his control slipped, his eyes glazing with need, the way he finally allowed himself to drink in the sight of Cloud's body and want it.

He rutted into her, deep and hard and yeah, she got why this would be a problem for someone unenhanced, but she was just as much a fucking SOLDIER as he was and the roughness of it only got her even hotter.

His cock felt so good as it drilled and filled her. Sephiroth leant over her, kissing her fiercely. His whole body was pinning her down now, and Cloud's heart soared. She loved it. Gods. Writhing beneath him while he ravaged her and she kissed him back just as savagely. It was fucking fun. And not only that, but—ohh. The change in position, the way he was leaning over her now… when he thrust into her, he ended up rubbing just right against her clit as well, and the extra stimulation of it left her near sobbing with need.

"Mmm, there! That's—" Gaia, she was close. "Keep going, nn, Seph, please!"

It didn't take much more before Cloud came, clenching and twitching tight around Sephiroth's hard length. "Ohh, fuck," she moaned thickly. Her whole body felt electrified with pleasure. Sephiroth kissed her again, hard and deep, as he approached his own peak.

He groaned Cloud's name as he shot his load inside of her, and Cloud gave a broken sigh in response. He kept rubbing inside her, shallow little thrusts that ground against all the right places, and Cloud clenched down around him to draw out the pleasure for both of them.

Sephiroth's hands slid down Cloud's heaving sides and came to rest on her thighs. He sighed deeply as he let his softened cock slide free.

"That was… was that okay for you?"

Cloud laughed, even though her voice sounded as wrecked as she felt. "It was amazing. Mm, I think I like it rough. What about you?"

"I've never… yes. Amazing seems an inadequate descriptor, but… nn. I would agree."

He seemed a little dazed. Not just from his orgasm, though that certainly played a role, but from the bewildering newness of the whole experience. To think this much pleasure had been withheld as impossible for most of his life… Cloud could get mad about that on Sephiroth's behalf later. There were more pressing matters.

"So, let me introduce you to the concept of post-coital cuddles," Cloud said.

They moved to the small loveseat Sephiroth had in the office, an addition that had been made once Cloud had started spending a lot of her free time there with Sephiroth and the extra seating had been required. It was also handy for lounging on after impromptu office sex.

They kissed a little more, gently now, and Cloud found herself smiling stupidly at Sephiroth for no real reason other than she felt so good. It felt very right to be nestled in his arms, boneless and satisfied to the core.

"Do you think you'd want to do that again sometime?" Cloud asked.

"I—yes." The very much was unspoken, but Cloud could see it in his longing expression. "But you should not feel obliged to provide sexual favours for me no matter the circumstances."

"Idiot. Have you really not realised by now I never had any intention of this being a one time thing?" Cloud kissed the tip of Sephiroth's nose, then sighed. "Although, we ought to prepare better next time. I really need to get cleaned up, but I can't get to the bathrooms without getting dressed first, and that's gonna be messy. You came inside a lot. Condom next time?"

"I will have some ready," Sephiroth agreed. "I've never had any need for them before, so…"

Cloud laughed. "S'fine. Not like I had any either."

They lay together for a few minutes longer, neither feeling any rush to get up. Sephiroth's fingers lightly stroked along Cloud's spine, and Cloud hummed softly in contentment. Eventually she glanced up, head cocked to the side with a clear thought in mind.

"You've never really been on a date, have you? You've only been asked through letters from fans."

"I suppose that is true. Why?"

"I wanna be the first. Come on a date with me. We can go out somewhere nice, have some dinner, maybe go dancing, whatever. Go back to your place after. It'll be fun."

"I… thank you, Cloud. I would like that."

Cloud smiled and kissed him lightly. When she drew away, Sephiroth was watching her closely.

"What is it?"

Sephiroth reached out to tuck one of Cloud's unruly bangs behind her ear. "It is nothing. I was just thinking, I am very glad you made it into SOLDIER."