At least there was a small upside to being held back after class for extra physical training, Cloud grumbled as he twisted the shower handle and was drenched in wonderful, hot water. The run-down, broken tiled trooper showers were empty, all of his fellow troopers having escaped the ShinRa facilities for a Friday night of boozing and partying as soon as they could. But at least, Cloud thought to himself as he twisted the knob for further heat, at least that meant he could get a hot shower after the grueling extra training. Of the ten showerheads in a row, only four gave hot water. It almost made up for being left behind and lonely on a Friday night. Almost. He sighed, and tried to relax his stiff muscles. The training sergeant insisted he was still too small to make the outtake for Soldier and pushed him ruthlessly through extra exercises. In a way it was a kind thing; Cloud was the most talented swordsman in the class and the training sergeant was damned if he'd lose a talent due to him not making the weight and height requirements. But it meant special treatment and late evenings, none of which facilitated making friends.
Cloud stared glumly at the rundown shower, just an open area with ten showerheads dripping forlornly on one of the walls, a few hooks on which to hang towels and nothing more. Such things as privacy were not for troopers. Rumors had it that some genius engineer over at the Space Program had got fed up with their lousy shower stalls and had reworked the whole deal over a weekend. Now they had functioning pluming, massage-head showers and a freaking Jacuzzi. Maybe he should have been an engineer instead. Those skills seemed rather useful now, compared to being able to whack things with a sword.
He should get out of the shower, dry off and try to find his classmates and join the party, although that was an impossible task in a huge city like Midgar. Unless you were a Turk. Another bunch of ShinRa employees with some useful skills to them. Maybe the army really was a bad choice. But the hot water felt good on his aching muscles and he didn't feel like wandering around lonely on a Friday night in Midgar again. Maybe he should just make an early night out of it. Again. Cloud closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing.
A small sound made him look up. Someone was changing out in the locker room and heading for the showers. Strange, he'd been certain he was the last trooper left.
Cloud's jaw dropped as the person walked in; not a trooper but two meter muscles topped by russet hair, the second most famous man on Gaia.
Genesis barely spared him a glance as he walked over and hung his towel on a hook before heading for the shower furthest away from Cloud. Stark naked except for some brand-name flip-flops, he was also sweaty and bruised and some of the muscles were quivering as if he'd just had a strenuous workout. He reached for the shower handle.
Cloud couldn't stop himself from blurting out:
"Not that one!"
Genesis paused, hand outstretched, and turned disquietingly beautiful mako eyes towards the trooper who felt a shiver of dread go through him despite being hosed by hot water.
"It's…it's…there's just cold water in that one, sir." Cloud managed. "Only these four have hot water." He gestured at the closest ones.
Genesis didn't answer, but stepped away before turning the shower on. Cold water hit his hand and Cloud could see a minuscular shiver go through the General; mako or not, being hit by freezing cold water when you were sweaty and aching was not pleasant. Genesis turned off the shower and stepped in closer to Cloud, taking the functioning shower furthest away from the trooper.
"Thank you, trooper." He nodded and then sighed a bit as he stuck his head under the hot water.
Cloud tried no to stare. He'd seen the First Class Soldiers before, but only on a distance. This close, the very presence of Genesis was overwhelming, the grace apparent in the smallest motion, the coiled strength just waiting to be released, the mako beauty of him.
And at the same time he seemed more human. He had a broken nail on one toe. He was shaking the shampoo bottle which made those rude farting noises they did when they were almost empty, and his russet hair was dark and slicked back over his head which somehow made him look smaller.
It was all quite awkward, and Cloud had decided to bolt for his towel and get out of there when new noises came from the locker room. A lot more noises this time. Genesis didn't' even look up, but Cloud spun around as in walked more of ShinRa's heroes.
Angeal and Zack looked similar enough to be brothers although Angeal was a freaking bear; at least twice as broad over the chest as Zack and even managing to sport some chest hair to match his beard, something neither Zack nor Genesis had. They were also both sweaty and bruised and had some minor cuts but despite the tired muscles Zack was jumping around his mentor, eagerly discussing something about training and swords to which Angeal mostly grunted answers. Spotting the trooper Angeal waved distracted and Cloud instinctivley made a salute which felt ridiculous when you were naked and sopping wet, with shampoo running down your eyes.
"Those showers are broken, sir." Cloud managed to stay a lot more polite this time as Angeal and Zack headed for the showers. "These work." He waved at the closest ones.
Angeal paused and grunted.
"Still just cold water, huh? I must have a word with management. These haven't worked since we were troopers. I appreciate the warning, trooper." He took the shower next to Genesis who was conditioning his hair. Zack jumped in next, which was the shower just next to Cloud.
"Hi there!" he grinned. "Still wanting to be a Soldier? Hang in there."
"Um, yes, I will." Cloud stared at the three men; they were all so much taller than him that he felt like a midget, at least twice as broad over the chest, and mako-perfect each in their own way. To even aspire to something like that felt ridiculous. "Why….why are you all in here?"
"First Class Soldier showers broke down and we're just off training." Zack had a head full of shampoo, rubbing vigorously. "Hey, wanna see what I learned today? Assault Twister!" With no warning he spun around on his heel, splattering the three others with shampoo suds to loud protests. "Wasn't that awesome?!"
"Why are you still here, trooper?" Angeal didn't have the kind of scented shampoo and shower gel as Genesis had, but a normal kind of hard bar soap that Cloud recognized from home; it was the cheap but effective brand his mother used to buy.
"Extra training, sir. To put on weight." He couldn't look at Angeal's heavily muscles yet perfectly proportioned body when he said it.
"Oh, I've heard about you." Angeal rubbed at his hair. "Cloud Strife, isn't it?"
Cloud could just gape. A First Class Soldier had *heard about him?!*
"Yeah, he's Cloud." Zack grinned, coming to his rescue.
"Best in your class at sword," Angeal mused as he drew on his recollection. "Need to work on materia use and ranged weapons. And need to put on some muscles."
"Well, he is rather small but that's not necessarily a bad thing," Genesis shrugged. "Small and fast makes for a difficult target to hit. And once you get to Third Class Soldier grade, ranged weapons are useless anyway. You are better of spending that time learning how to use materia. I can give you some tips later if you want."
Cloud's head was spinning. Not only had the First Class Soldiers heard of him, they were offering advice. And training! Surely this was all a cruel dream. Perhaps Luxiere had managed to hit him in the head with a training sword.
"I, uh, I would love to, sir!" If it was just a dream he might as well take advantage of it.
"I do owe you one for warning me about the shower," Genesis nodded, looking at him for the first time. "So you are Cloud Strife? You are smaller than I expected."
"And still too skinny!" Zack hip-checked the gawking cadet's scrawny hip. "Hey, we're going out for burgers and beers after this, wanna join?"
A dream. Most definitely a dream.
"Of course!"
"Just don't expect us to pay for it. We don't have the Turks salary." Angeal mumbled, half under water.
"Maybe we should form a Union?" Zack suggested.
"Oh, Lazard would hate that," Genesis smirked.
"I'm not sure four people are a Union." Angeal shook his head.
The bickering would have continued if not for the fifth person entering the room. This time there were no sounds, nothing to alert to his presence. Suddenly he was just *there* and everything and everyone else seemed to fade into the background.
Sephiroth didn't ignore the trooper like Genesis did, but he didn't greet him like Angeal had done either. Instead he just stared, with those cold inhuman eyes, for what must have been five seconds but felt like an eternity. Cloud didn't feel the urge to salute. He felt the urge to run and hide, or possibly whack with a sword which would have been stupid beyond proportion.
Sephiroth wasn't sweaty. He wasn't bruised, or bleeding from small nicks, or had trembling muscles. He looked just as cool and detached as any of the other time Cloud had caught a glance of him. He looked as graceful standing still as Genesis did when moving, stronger than Angeal and….
"I see you left the cold showers to me." Sephiroth grumbled, sounding like a pouty teenager.
"You can have mine, sir." Cloud breathed, but Sephiroth didn't acknowledge him. Instead he went over to an empty shower and turned it on.
Ice cold water hit pale skin with almost a hiss but Sephiroth's face betrayed nothing of discomfort. Cloud's eyes went huge and he couldn't help them from straying. Nope, the cold water had no effect whatsoever.
Genesis snorted.
"Showoff."
Sephiroth ignored him and emptied a whole bottle of shampoo over his head before nodding at Cloud.
"Who is he?"
"He's Cloud." Zack explained. "He's joining us for food later."
"Is he?" Sephiroth said coldly, rubbing up lather on his head.
"Don't be an ice queen, Sephiroth. Which reminds me, do *not* wear that blue shirt tonight. It does nothing for your complexion except make you look half dead." Genesis started to move out of the shower to towel off.
"You were the one who insisted I try some colour in my wardrobe. When I put on a red shirt people thought I'd burned in the sun. When I took the green one I looked car sick. I'm sticking to black." He swung his hair over his shoulder, meticulously rubbing shampoo into every strand.
"C'mon," Zack grinned and patted Cloud's shoulder. "He's going to take forever with that hair, he always does. Plenty of time for you to run to your dorm and put on some clothes. Don't take the uniform. Angeal gets all wonky when you wear a uniform when off duty."
"That uniform represents your honor…." Angeal, having the least hair of all of them to fuss over, had already started to put clothes back on but was interrupted by a chorus of 'boo' from the other three Soldiers and slaps with wet towels as soon as the word 'honor' came over his lips.
"It's dishonorable to take about honor once you've clocked out to," Genesis used a very small Fire to blow-dry his hair. He really had amazing control over that element.
Cloud felt like giggling. They were all so, well, so *normal*. Not the high and mighty First Class Soldiers. Just a bunch of guys getting ready for a night on the town, enjoying their freedom. And they knew about him. And had invited him along, almost as if he belonged.
His heart was soaring when he ran for his room to change. Maybe this would be a perfect night after all.
Review and I will continue their Perfect Night!