Title: Hero worship
Author: Enide Dear
Pairing: CloudxnottellingcauseImevil
Rating: partial nudity
Summary: Angeal likes to think he is in control of the army, but he's about to learn that there are more things going on amongst the troopers than he ever knew
Angeal was used to being the one everyone turned to when problems needed solving. Not the big issues; this was the army after all and there was a strict hierarchy for troop movements, base camp settings, promotions and demotions and that kinds of things. No, it was the small troubles and problems, the little issues that meant nothing to the big corporation but everything to the individual who was exposed to them and which needed to be solved for the army to function as smoothly as possibly, those were the issues that he invariably ended up solving. It was only natural after all; Genesis was a great leader but far too egocentric to give a rats' ass about a lieutenant who was worrying about 'who will get custody over our pet Cactuar if I break up with my girlfriend' or a Second Class Soldier worrying about his mother's ailing health. And Sephiroth….well, he *tried*, but he simply lacked the most fundamental understanding of human interactions and his 'solutions' tended to carry the problem from minor into spectacularly disastrous. Slicing the poor lieutenants Cactuar in two exactly equal sizes had caused a mental breakdown of the man and Shinra had lost a competent officer. And the 'little talk' about Mothers Sephiroth had with the Second Class Soldier was still the stuff of living nightmares used to haze rookies.
No, everyone knew that if you needed that kind of personal help, Angeal Hewley was the general to turn to. He didn't mind although he sometimes felt like a mix between a father figure and the personal helper in a weekly magazine column.
Even so he wasn't at all surprised when Zack Fair came knocking on the officers' tent one rainy Wutai morning, dragging an embarrassed-looking trooper along.
"Angeal, do you have a moment? This guy needs someone to talk to." He winked and pushed the younger man forward, quickly slipping away in the dusk before Angeal could protest.
Swallowing a sigh - he had been very busy poring over maps for next day's troop movements - Angeal looked up and nodded at the trooper.
"Come in, trooper. What is your name? And you can take the helmet off."
"Yes sir. I mean, Strife sir. My name is Cloud Strife." Fidgeting a bit, the man braced himself and removed the helmet. A young-looking face with spiky blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes Angeal had ever seen looked up at him. Cloud Strife was not a tall man and Angeal felt like he was towering over him.
"Unless your problem is of a military matter, there is no need for 'sir'. Please,sit down." He gestured at a small camp table with two rickety chairs. "Would you like some tea?" That was usually a good start; being poured tea by him usually made the men forget that he was their superior and thus talk more easily.
"Yes, sir. Oh, sorry." A small blush crept up pale cheeks. "I mean, I would like that."
Angeal smiled a little to himself, the young man's shyness was rather adorable. Kicking Genesis' feet off a chair to the russet man's protests, he reached for the tea pot and two clean mugs. Gensis glared at him, but huffed and sank back into studying Loveless. How he could be so calm the night before battle Angeal never knew. Angeal himself constantly worried about the men fighting for him, especially when a battle was on the way.
"Here." He handed over a mug which Cloud took in a hand that was callused with rifle and sword training. So he wasn't quite the rookie he looked like. Amazing to go through a war and still retain that innocent look. "It's a bit hot, so be careful." He made a show out of blowing the heat from his own mug; as a First Class Soldier he could have drunk boiling water straight from the pot without any effect, but showing that kind of super powers never calmed people down. "What can I help you with?"
"It's a…personal question." the young man fiddled with his tea mug. "Of a…romantic nature."
"Oh I see. You want some tips on how to ask a girl out?" This was the most common question after all, and Angeal could see that someone as shy as Cloud would have trouble going up to a girl and talking to her.
"Um. It's not a girl." The blush turned fierce and Cloud hid his face in the tea mug, glancing up at the older man under his eye lashes.
Angeal was unfazed and even smiled a little. This was the second most common question in the ShinRa army, after all. ShinRa didn't believe in 'don't ask, don't tell' bur more like 'ask everyone, tell everyone, kiss everyone'.
"Don't worry about that." He reached out to pat Cloud's hand, marvelling over the fact that although his own hand all but covered the trooper's, Cloud hand still showed a remarkable strength when the man turned it into a fist and held on to Angeal's. "Homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed over. Although I can understand your hesitation. It was the same for me and Genesis in the beginning. And that relationship lasted until he got enough of sleeping next to, as he said 'waking up in the middle of the night thinking WEAPON have arrived', only to find out it was only my snoring." He smiled and leaned forward conspiratorially. "He should talk, he sleepwalks. In the nude. And once he put our tent on fire in his sleep." He winked at Genesis who merely snorted and made a rude gesture at them. The story was old by now, but it still helped to relax people to know their superiors had their faults as well.
"So it is alright, even if it is someone within the army?" Cloud's hopeful eyes made it difficult for Angeal to draw back. He realized he hadn't let go of Cloud's hand either.
"Oh yes. Just make sure he's on the same side as you are, or things might get pretty awkward." Who ever the young man's crush was, the man should count himself damn lucky, Angeal reflected. Those big eyes alone would melt any heart.
"I'm pretty sure he is." Cloud mumbled. His hand was trembling just the slightest under Angeal's. "But I have some trouble, you know, getting alone time with him to find out what he thinks about me."
"Really? I should think anyone would take time off to spend with you." Angeal said before thinking. He didn't want to sound like a lecherous old man to the trooper confessing his own love problems.
"He is very busy." Cloud defended almost by reflex and Angeal smiled again. The trooper was loyal to; he sure was a catch.
"If you want I can rearrange the bunking in the tents. Put you in the same ones." He didn't usually go to such extremes to help people out, but something about this shy yet fierce young man made him want to help in anyway he could. After all, the man had dreams. And honour.
Cloud sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. He shook his head and those feathery soft spikes waved.
"He's not a trooper."
"Oh. Hm. Maybe a transfer to his unit?"
Cloud shook his head again and made a gesutre with his free hand meaning 'even higher up in the hierachy'. A cold little dread pooled in Angeal's belly. *Oh no.*
"It's one of the First Class Soldiers, isn't it?"
Cloud nodded.
This happened, all the time. Hero worship that turned into infatuation that turned into a crush. And it was often the same Soldier.
"Well, I'm sorry, but general Sephiroth isn't even in this part of Wutai and I can't transfer a single trooper across hostile territory. You will just have to wait until we return to Midgard." He made a little twist with his lips. "And anyway, Sephiroth isn't exactly good at human relations."
"It isn't Sephiroth." Cloud had drained his tea. His lips looked wet and soft but there was an almost frustrated look on his face.
Angeal nodded and made a little gesture with his head towards the red-clad russet man still reading his book. But before he could say anything Cloud moved a little as if trying to remove some discomfort in his shoulder.
"Are you hurt?" Angeal knew that motion.
"It's nothing. Just a little scrape. A bullet nudged me during a scouting mission." Cloud looked embarrassed but continued. "Could you…perhaps take a look at it?"
"Sure." Angeal sternly tried to keep his mind out of the gutter as Cloud quickly stripped of his trooper jacket and shirt, leaving him in only combat boots, pants and the scarf hanging around surprisingly strong shoulders. Cloud moved over, close enough that Angeal could gently poke at the wound. It really was nothing, but he let a small trickle of Cure take it away. This close, Cloud smelled like sweet grass and a bit of mud, and he was stronger than he'd looked with the shirt on. His skin was vary smooth as Angeal drew a thumb over the now scar-free area on his shoulder. With an effort of will he turned back to the topic.
"So," he cleared his throat, now looking up at those amazing eyes. "Is it Genesis?" He really hoped it wasn't; he loved Genesis as a friend but the man was too caught up in himself to have any kind of serious relationship. And Cloud deserved better.
"No." Cloud said simply.
"Well, whoever it is I'm sure you just need to be a bit more forward and brazen….ouch!" Something had smacked hard into the back of his head.
Angeal turned his head just in time to get another hard smack in the neck by Loveless.
"Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Each word was followed by another smack as Genesis hovered over him.
"Gen, what are you doing?!" Angeal tried to grab the damn book, but Genesis was too fast.
"You have a half-naked young man who has been holding your hand for half an hour and are now almost sitting in your lap confessing his crush on a First Class Soldier and your advice to him is to be more *forward*?" Genesis smacked him again. This time it was easy because Angeal was just staring slack-jawed at him. "Stupid!"
"I…what…?" Angeal stared up at Cloud who only smiled down a little at him, at once shy and determined.
"Good luck with that one, trooper. Goddess knows you'll need it!" Genesis patted the trooper on the back as he walked out of the tent to give them some space. "And he still snores, you know!"
Angeal kept staring in disbelief as Cloud sat down on his lap, the strong, pliant body so close to his.
"I hope you don't mind." The young man smiled.
"No…of course not." Dizzy with wonder, Angeal slid his hands down the tender back. "But Genesis is right you know. I'm obviously a bit daft. And I snore."
Cloud laughed.
"Oh, I know. We troopers have a special WEAPONS guard outside your tent every night." he leaned forward to place a kiss on Angeal's lips.
"Really?" Angeal couldn't help but grin back.
"Yes, but don't worry. We have a fire squad outside Genesis' tent. And a special wake up call in case he starts another of his famous sleepwalking nude poetry readings." Cloud's eyes glittered with mischief.
"It seems there's more going on amongst the troopers than I knew off." Angeal laughed.
"Not for long." Cloud said and kissed him back.
A/N: This is it. I almost quit last time beacuse of the lack of response on my fics. If these three new ones do as badly I'll just cut my losses and withdraw to my normal hunting grounds.