REFUTATION
Written by ~Violet Chan.~
Overview of story: The Shinra Corporation are stricter on rules than meets the eye, and when a young cadets sexuality is leaked out, the stake of his future is put on line. Frightened by the consequences; Cloud finds himself giving in to blackmail and taunting to protect his 'little' secret. The only person he can turn to for comfort is Zack.
But keeping his secret hidden is difficult - especially when unwanted feelings begin to surface.
This fanfic is about friendship, hurt, love angst and the effect of lies. It will be sad, funny, angering and infuriating. Set in the times of Crisis Core after Cloud and Zack meet in Modeoheim. Will include other characters; however, the main focus is clack. Please review and let me know whether you like this story. Enjoy!
Prologue
There was a tensional stillness amongst the room; frightening the already restless blonde. The lights above him were blindingly intense and the walls were painted a suffocating white. There was only one source of colour before him; belonging to a bright blue liquid located to the left of him. The room was unfamiliar, it was unsettling; it gave a strong sense of loneliness. It almost looked like an unsatisfying version of heaven. However, that didn't even remotely compare to the pain the cadet felt.
His mouth was dry and his head was pounding; confusing slowly settling in. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself muted. There was something tying his arms down, preventing him from moving even the slightest. Fidgeting even proved difficult. His muscles ached and spasm with each attempt; the thousands of possibilities swarming through his head. This felt like a beating. The cadet felt like he had been physically abused. But he couldn't remember...
What happened to me?
"Cloud Strife, is it?" came from above him, the shadow of a stranger looming into view. "I'm Dr Woods, if you can recall that."
Who is he?
"It appears you're suffering from shock," the dark voiced tittered. "Memory loss, too. It's common for men to forget a few things after the injections."
What is he talking about?
The stranger smirked. "What a wonderfully unique reaction to your first set of tests."
Do the injections always feel like this?
"Isn't Mako a strange thing?" Dr Woods mused to himself. "It seems a little bizarre for you to react in such a way, regardless." His voice was strangely unsympathetic. "Perhaps I gave you a tad too much?"
The look on his face clearly stated that yes; yes he had given him too much – and yes, it most probably had been intentional.
Why can't I remember taking the dosage?
Cloud gazed up at the man with helpless eyes; confused as to why he was still restrained if the process was complete. Were there more tests to come? He wasn't sure he could stand the thought of readjusting himself to this confusion all over again. This felt more like a torture chamber than a science lab.
"I'm afraid we have a problem," the man sighed with feigned sadness. "It seems the high dosage caused you to reveal a few undisclosed pieces of information to me."
What kind of information?
"The effect of Mako causes the subject to blether," he continued, the look of delight apparent across his face. "Sometimes, they talk about completely irrelevant matters. Other times they decide to pour out their hearts. We cannot tell until the process is complete."
Cloud's heart began to hammer against his already tender chest.
Why does he look so smug?
"I have to write down everything on report," the Doctor explained, thrusting a clipboard at the silent blonde. "How you react; whether it was successful; the things you mutter."
"Everything must be recorded, Strife."
Is there something I said that will look bad on paper?
"Usually the subject mutters silly truths," Dr Wood's admitted. "You know, the first time they had sex, the reason they go to bed with the light on. Things that hold no importance and are quickly dismissed. Things that don't affect the company badly. However…"
"… This is something entirely different."
His tone of voice was entirely wrong – his expression was entirely uncaring – his explanation was entirely unnecessary.
Cloud knew this was serious.
"H-hey, calm down!" the man cried, holding his hands out as the blonde writhed and wriggled. "You'll pull your fucking arms out! Stay still! We can negotiate."
What does he mean by negotiate?
Cloud whimpered – something which sounded like a stifle – mentally cursing the bonds tying him down.
"If you help me…" the man explained, digging deep into his lab coat pocket. "I'll make sure that the information is 'coincidentally' missing on report."
Is that a threat?
"However if you do not…" he quickly added, licking his lips in perverted excitement. "I'll make sure to alert the company of your deceit and get you booted out of here quicker than you can batter those blonde lashes. Let me assure you that the company are very strict when it comes to guidelines."
That's his big warning?
"Let me have my fun," Dr Wood's growled, edging closer towards the staggered cadet. "Otherwise I might have to let slip a few disgusting tales."
Is this… blackmail?
Cloud opened his mouth to scream; releasing only the meekest breath. The pain shot through him like no other feeling before – stabbing unmercifully at his tied down skin.
…The man had sliced him.
He could smell the nauseous scent of blood, but he daren't look down.
This is torture!
Dr. Woods stepped back from him, temporarily relieving the shaken cadet. "Someone seems restless…" he snickered, picking up his clipboard once more. "Would you like to read what this says?"
Cloud shook his head, but it was no use… the man ignored his reluctance and stepped back over.
"Here you go," he spat, throwing the paper onto his lap. "Read it yourself and make a final decision. I'd think it through, if I were you."
This cannot be happening…
The blonde glared down at the piece of paper; ready to fight for himself and defy the twisted bastard. There was no secret that he would blurt out so willingly; especially not a highly significant one. There were some things he would never share. Regardless of the effects of Mako, he still knew he could never…
… Never.
His heart stopped.
'The blonde cried a little more to me, before uttering his final sentence. I assumed it was a secret he hadn't told anybody else. The Mako had not completely shielded him from his reluctance and fear of unravelling the truth. However, he proceeded to tell me whatever was bothering him.'
Cloud couldn't believe it… he had... cried?
'He told me that he was sorry, and that he hated himself for it. The tears kept falling as the last few drops of Mako pumped in. I tried to calm him down, but he refused to settle. He began muttering words about the company and his mother. I was still confused at this point.'
"No…"
The last sentence tore through him; his stomach churning up in sickness.
"YOU'RE LYING!" he screamed, clutching his head in agony. "I NEVER SAID THAT! IT ISN'T TRUE! GET RID OF IT YOU BASTARD!"
The fear in his voice however, confirmed very differently.
'The boy said he had trouble talking to his male friends about girls. I didn't understand his declaration… until the final utterance.'
"Please…"
The bitter blackmail and risk of torture didn't seem so bad after all. He would take it... He would endure any pain to have the paper destroyed.
How could he have admitted something he had spent his whole life shielding in only a few seconds?
'Strife admitted to being homosexual.'
Please review! =3