For a few days life went back to normal—that is, a life without weird cats. Cloud dutifully attended all his drills and runs. He patrolled in the slums and stood guard outside important meetings as he always did. He saluted the right people and skipped the more inedible things from the cafeteria as any good infantryman would.

When he visited his usual spot by the roaring AC unit outside he couldn't help but be a little curious. He peeked in the vent once but there was no glint of a small golden crown hiding in there.

He was lying in bed one afternoon, listening absently to two of his bunkmates talking about how crappy their one drill instructor was, and thinking about Zack Fair. He had not seen the guy since their impromptu little… date? and while that may have been a cause for concern Cloud didn't feel too worried. Whatever his connection with Zack was, it felt easy. No rush. He was sure he'd see him again soon, even if it was another happenstance like last time.

Mm. Zack Fair. If Cloud had been alone, he'd slither a hand under his covers and grasp his cock, which was starting to get interested in all this thinking about the Second Class SOLDIER.

His PHS buzzed. Cloud rolled onto his stomach, fishing it out from under his bunk where it had fallen earlier.

Cloud, a message from an unknown number said, It's Cait Sith. I need your help again, and you look free at the moment.

Cloud frowned. He rolled back onto his side, curling up. He was sore from his huge run earlier that day… resting was important, too. He replied: How do you know I'm free?

I'm watching you through the camera in the corner.

Cloud sat up in a hurry, turning his head this way and that. There it was, by the door to the room that housed ten infantry at once. They all thought it was just for show—because there were dozens of little bunkrooms like theirs, and who cared about what the infantry was up to, anyway? Not SOLDIER, and not the executive branch of ShinRa either, the people who actually called the shots.

His cheeks were hot—it was kind of…embarrassing. And creepy. What if he had been jerking off, thinking about Zack?

what the fuck was his only response, sitting up and glaring at the camera.

Sorry for the invasion of privacy. Come outside and I'll direct you from there.

Cloud pulled on a fresh shirt, having been lounging in his sweat-stained one from earlier, stuffed his feet in shoes and left. His free time was precious, honestly, and he didn't appreciate being summoned by Cait Sith like this.

Go left down the hallway, and make your second right.

That was towards the newer wing of the Infantry's domain. While most Infantry things were pretty shitty, especially compared to the SOLDIER accommodations, it apparently had been exceptionally so and was renovated the year before Cloud arrived. A door separated the bunk area from this area, and Cloud stopped just before it.

Check the potted plant.

Oh—Planet. There was a fancy fake potted plant in the corner, looking out of place among all the metal. Cloud looked around, and when the coast was clear rummaged around in the wide, plastic leaves. He came away with a small, blinking device.

Now what, he texted, annoyed.

Cait Sith is inside the wall next to you. I would like you to slowly walk through the wing in front of you, keeping to the right side of the hall. Press the transponder to the wall briefly every couple dozen feet, if you would, please.

Why?

The response was a bit slow in coming, and Cloud stubbornly did not move his feet until he had it. He leant against the wall and felt a small tap from inside it. Okay, so Cait Sith was really in there.

The new wing was built hastily with cheap materials. It's being proposed to use those same materials to build emergency housing for the poor in a few sectors below-plate. You can't see, but the walls are crumbling on the inside and bending slightly. It hasn't been long since it was renovated either. I'm measuring wall thickness and doing scans of the wall between you and I to get an idea of the degradation. They want hard proof that the walls are shitty.

Cloud blinked—oh, wow. He knew a lot of infantry were really proud of this new wing. It certainly looked nice. The lights glittered and there were a couple new gyms in here. Some of the top-ranking Infantry officers had offices here.

Why me, though? Surely you've got people in your department or whatever who could do this.

Actually, came the response, I can't. While your ID will not allow you into many places in the Tower, executive branch IDs don't get us everywhere either. We are looked at with a great deal of mistrust from the Infantry. Not only are my associates unable to access this wing, they would be under heavy suspicion if they did manage to get in as well.

Cloud did not feel as strongly about this as some other Infantry, but some folks just hated SOLDIER and hated the fancy suit-wearing, briefcase-laden executives even more. He felt a rush of… pride in his people. Damn right they were keeping executives out.

Just not out of the walls, apparently.

He walked around, slowing whenever he got a message from Cait Sith to hold on a moment. Occasionally he could hear small noises from inside of the wall but generally it was just him and the voices of whoever else was in the area. He passed a couple of his friends (Cloud was getting more of those, as, over time, he shook off the shitty attitude he'd had in Nibelheim and learned to be a better version of himself, even if he'd always stay kind of prickly and quiet). He kept pressing the transponder against the wall, travelling past a couple locker rooms for all the Lieutenants and then past the office of the Infantrywoman who smacked him around with a sword a few times a week (gulp).

And then, a couple doors down, he stopped short to let someone exit the doorway he was about to walk past.

"Oh—Cloud," the man said.

"…Damon," Cloud greeted.

Turns out there was a SOLDIER in the Infantry area today—a tall black man with many long, thin braids piled up on top of his head. He'd had a short afro the last time Cloud had seen him.

"Hey," Damon said, looking just as awkward as Cloud felt.

Cloud heard a small noise; Cait Sith had to scramble above doorframes into the ceiling above and then back down, and was probably settling into place.

If Damon Klarke was visiting the Infantry wing, that probably meant… "Getting things ready for the drop-off?" Cloud asked kindly. Every couple months a large group of Infantry would be dropped off in the wilderness and have to navigate their way to a certain point, working together or alone to traverse the land and protect themselves from monsters. Damon, being something of a survival expert in SOLDIER, helped oversee it every time. It was how they met—and hooked up in a cave during a rainstorm, actually, Cloud's first sexual experience ever, and started dating shortly after returning to civilization.

Damon nodded. His eyes were the most beautiful color—such a dark brown, but with a brilliant mako green glow underneath, like a cat's. They looked Cloud up and down, unreadable. Cloud certainly didn't look his best, wearing a t-shirt and shorts and shoes without socks since he'd left his bunk so quickly. "Yeah," he said, "Next week."

"Cool. I hope they do well."

"Mm."

Both still had fake smiles plastered to their faces. "Well," Cloud said, "Gotta go—see you around?"

"Sure thing."

Damon side-stepped him and Cloud continued down the hallway, tapping the transponder against the wall. He pulled out his PHS and sent a message to Cait Sith, since he could feel the awkwardness and curiosity coming from the wall.

Ex boyfriend. Started dating him a month or two after I got here. Ended pretty badly. Sorry you had to hear that

You're okay? was the only response.

And that…touched Cloud, honestly. He hadn't really had anyone to talk about it with, as he hadn't had many friends when he and Damon dated, briefly as it was. As he walked, Cloud typed.

Yeah, thanks. I was a really different person when I first got to ShinRa. I was kind of a dick honestly. He was the first person I'd dated and I didn't handle it well. Kinda sucks to get reminded of how I used to be whenever I see him

In my experience ShinRa changes people for the worse. It's impressive if you managed to improve yourself after getting here.

After a moment, Cloud got another text: Also, he's ridiculously cute. Good job, Strife.

Cloud laughed out loud. Was Cait Sith attempting to bond with him? He tapped the wall and felt a small tap back, like they had fist-bumped. It felt like talking to the cat and texting the cat was like talking to two different people, and that was weird, but he was starting to actually like communicating with this thing.

I didn't realize you were a cat who was attracted to humans

Certain humans, I suppose was the response.

Cloud was instructed to hold on to the transponder until 'next time.' He returned to his bunk, eyed the camera in the corner, and told the guys who were in at the moment that he heard from a CO that the cameras actually worked. The guy in the corner on the bottom bunk dove for his container of rolled joints sitting out on a little end table.

After that, Cloud started texting Cait Sith fairly regularly.

Whenever Cloud saw cat-themed things through the windows of shops while on patrol he'd snap a picture and send it along: little stockings, paperweights, necklaces, even an odd pair of panties with pet this pussy on the waistband. Cait Sith replied to that one with Oh dear.

The whole thing was weird. Cloud was still not totally convinced Cait Sith wasn't some sort of terrorist-sent creature who was planning to take down ShinRa in one fell swoop and was aided by a dumbass Infantryman who couldn't tell that the little thing was full of shit. Cait Sith didn't seem bad though—he could hold conversations about President ShinRa and how much he sucked, and how the Turks' lurking made them both uncomfortable, and how Heidegger's laugh caused worse indigestion than most of the food around here.

Cait Sith even told him a bit about Sephiroth. He was not close, apparently, but they'd met several times, and Cait respected him. He said that Sephiroth actually doodled sometimes during long and boring meetings. Cloud spent days thinking about what kinds of things Sephiroth doodled.

It didn't take much prodding at all for Cloud to spill it all about his years-long crush on the man. He had posters on his walls back home, he had entire fleshed-out scenes of masturbatory material in his head (he didn't tell Cait that) and the man was his inspiration for joining the military in the first place (he did share that bit, even if it was a bit embarrassing).

What about Zack Fair?

I'd date him too, if he's into that. Him or Sephiroth, that's the goal.

It's good to have dreams, as Angeal Hewley would say.

Fuck you Cloud answered, laughing out loud on his lonely 2 a.m. patrol outside Rufus ShinRa's private residence. He then clapped a hand over his mouth, hoping he hadn't woken the irate vice-president.

Are there any crown-wearing cats in your life? Cloud asked.

Alas, Cait Sith is one of a kind. Laddie. :)

Sounds lonely

ShinRa can be a lonely place.

A minute later: It's why I am so pleasantly surprised to have made a friend in the Infantry. I didn't expect to still be talking to you after that first or second time you helped me.

You found someone in the Infantry stupid enough to believe what you say and to help you infiltrate the building, you mean

Something like that. Haha.

It was a Wednesday evening when, sore and battered, Cloud trekked through the lobby of ShinRa Tower back to his dorm, planning on taking a long-ass nap. He'd had to break up a bar fight in Sector 5; his hand was still sore from where he'd had to beat a man over the head with his orange baton. That guy's head must have been much worse.

He passed a mustached man in a blue suit who gave him an odd look. He was frowning at Cloud, staring at him out of the corner of his eyes.

Fucking rude, Cloud thought—yeah, he had a little blood on him that wasn't his own and his green scarf had a substantial rip, but he was hardly anything to gawk at. This building saw worse all the time.

He entered the elevator, the best one hidden in the back of the showroom, and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as other people filed in.

Someone tugged on one of his spikes. "Hey, it's you."

Cloud's eyes blinked open. Zack Fair, his brain registered, and then it stopped thinking entirely, as right behind Zack Fair and eyeing him curiously was the one guy he'd like to see even less while covered in someone else's blood and with a ripped green scarf. Sephiroth's eyes slid over him lazily without much interest.

"Zack," Cloud choked, "Uh, hey. And—hello, Sephiroth, Sir." Fuck. "Sorry I'm—y'know, gross, Zack."

"Aw, pssh." Zack waved a hand at him. "It happens, dude! Interesting patrol tonight?"

Cloud's mouth moved on autopilot. "Yeah. Bar fight. Wishin' I coulda hadda drink affer breakin' that up."

His accent was coming out, which happened when he was nervous. Zack looked delighted. "Well," he said, winking, which made the side of Sephiroth's mouth quirk up in fond exasperation, "I'll treat you to some drinks again soon, yeah? Maybe to a different place this time—I know a place you'd love."

There were three other people in the elevator who were probably listening. Cloud swallowed. "Good idea," he said, which made Zack cover his mouth and laugh softly, repeating him: "Good ideer."

Nibelheim.

And Sephiroth was just so gorgeous in person. Tall, soft-looking hair, bright green eyes, shapely lips, textured pauldrons showing off lots of battles. Hot.

The Infantry floors were pretty low down; the more important you got, the higher up you were. Cloud got off the elevator before everyone else, bidding his two crushes goodbye.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud," Sephiroth said, in a voice that could have melted butter, that could have made a dead flower bloom, that could have cleared someone's skin, that could have—

Cloud nodded at Sephiroth, cool as anything, and returned Zack's signature two-finger wave with one of his own. He strode out, confident despite being covered in blood, and as soon as the elevator doors closed behind him speed-walked back to his dorm, changed his clothes, and flung himself on the bed.

Holy shit, he messaged Cait Sith, because he had to tell somebody, somecat, about this, I just met Sephiroth in person.

He was a couple feet behind you and you didn't notice him, was the answer. I saw.

Watching the cameras again like a creep. Cloud shook his head, grinning.


Cloud's next major mission that wasn't a simple escort or a particularly interesting guard post was a trip to the mako reactor outside Gongaga. According to reports, monster activity was up and local civilian accidents were as well. A bad combination.

He told Cait Sith about it and the cat wished him well. His usual patrols were given to other people and he bade his bunkmates goodbye for a few days.

The usual ShinRa transports made him sick as a malboro so he visited the infirmary beforehand this time and got some anti-nausea medication for the trip. That meant that Cloud was actually able to function on the trip there. He set his large pack down in the bed of the main truck with everyone else's and settled in for the long haul.

Several hours into the trip, hours spent dozing and occasionally chatting with the two other Infantry and the SOLDIER Second they were accompanying, Cloud got a message.

Check your bag, it said.

…Wonderful. Cloud acted like he was going to be sick and was rooting through his pack for a bag—instead he opened his zipper and frowned into a furry feline face.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud hissed.

Cait Sith waved with a cartoonish white-gloved paw. "I've got business in the reactor," he whispered, chipper as always, "And I figured hitching a ride with you was the easiest way ta get there!"

The blond grunted, "Don't get me in trouble," and zipped it back shut, cutting off whatever Cait tried to say. Then, after a pause, he unzipped it a bit so the thing could breathe.

The remaining hours of the first leg of the trip weren't restful at all—Cloud was anxious that Cait would do something stupid and get them found out, or that one of his squadmates would root through his bag for something and find a chatty caped cat instead. They stopped at a small inn at a travelers' rest stop; there was a gas station with a tiny convenience store and the row of tiny bedrooms in a building just off the road.

The SOLDIER Second and the highest-ranking Infantry officer took one bedroom; Cloud, the driver, and the other member of the Infantry took the second bedroom.

There was very little opportunity for Cait Sith to romp about. Cloud dragged his pack into the bathroom when it was his turn to shower and released him. Cait was sleeping, his arms stiffly at his sides. He did not seem to be breathing.

"…Cait Sith?" Cloud asked, hesitantly touching a red-caped shoulder.

Cait's eyes opened all at once and his stiff muscles relaxed. His chest heaved with a breath—it was as if he was powering on. Weird.

"Laddie," Cait Sith greeted, looking around. "I figured we'd take a break on our way t' Gongaga."

Cloud, on his knees on hard, grimy bathroom tile, sighed. "Yeah, we are. I have to shower. They're right outside, so you can't leave, sorry."

"Cait Sith will be fine," Cait said, and stretched his arms and legs before hopping up onto the sink counter.

"Do you need… food or something? I have some protein bars in my bag."

Cait shook his head, his crown wobbling. "Cait Sith ate a large meal before sneaking aboard the truck."

As Cloud stripped off his shirt, he looked at Cait sitting there on the counter opposite the shower and realized just how ridiculous this situation was. Texting Cait so much recently—and having the cat respond like a real human—must have made him forget, a bit, just how bizarre Cait was. Cait swung his legs along to a rhythm Cloud couldn't hear, and he smiled as always, his feline eyes almost shut from how hard that grin was.

"Soap? Water?"

Cait Sith shook his head. "Don't you know cats hate water, blondie?"

"You're about as far from a normal cat as I am. Just thought I'd ask."

"Just take your shower already."

Cloud huffed a quiet laugh. He'd showered in front of other Infantry enough times that it didn't bother him and he'd gotten past any initial embarrassment in his body—in fact, he'd grown to love the way he could build muscle on top of a frame that was skinnier than most. As he aged his shoulders grew broader and stockier. Cloud knew he was hot. But… it was still weird getting naked in front of something that wasn't human, and who was now staring at him like he was a science experiment.

He got in and relaxed slightly once he pulled the shower curtain across, obscuring him from view.

Cait was in the same spot when he emerged from the shower, still swinging his feet and tapping his gloved humanoid hands. Cloud, wrapping a towel around himself, walked over to him.

"There's condensation on your crown," Cloud said. He reached out and dragged a thumb over it, leaving a wet finger smear. "Is that real gold?"

"'Course not—do ya think Cait Sith is made of money?"

"Well kind of, yeah," Cloud protested, drying himself off and climbing into his sleep clothes he'd packed, "You're apparently pretty high up on the ShinRa food chain. You definitely make more money than me. A cat."

"Cait Sith will buy ya a nice dinner in Midgar if it means that much to ya."

Cloud vowed to pick the most expensive place he could find. He deserved it after doing all this shit for him. "It's a date," he said, and once he was all washed up he held open his backpack. "Back in."

"Sleep well, laddie," Cait said, and hopped inside.

According to the SOLDIER Second on the mission, a man named Ronald, Gongaga's reactor was not the only one experiencing increased monster activity in the surrounding area. He didn't mention Nibelheim but Cloud couldn't help but wonder. He hoped his mom was alright. Her recent letters had not mentioned anything about monsters.

Their mission was pretty simple: stay close to the reactor for a few days and eliminate the monster hordes. Investigate the reactor and dispose of anything that had managed to infiltrate. The reactor staff, scientists and experts who lived nearby and responded to small needed repairs or hands-on processing that needed to be done, had been overwhelmed by it and were reporting noises from the depths of the reactor.

Done and done.

Their transport finally rolled to a stop outside the reactor. It was not quite as big as the Nibelheim one (Cloud had always been instructed to stay away from it, so naturally he'd investigated several times). Unfortunately Cloud's anti-nausea medication had worn off an hour ago, and when the truck stopped he staggered out and dropped to his knees in the grass. Nothing came up but ugh, he felt like shit.

"Strife!" his Infantry friend called; she tossed him his rifle from the bed of the truck. Cloud's training kicked in automatically—he caught it, fought back the nausea, and in the next moment was shooting cover fire for Ronald, the SOLDIER, who rushed towards the Bagnadranas and Kimara Bugs attempting to ambush them.

The Bugs exploded into nasty, juicy chunks as Cloud's well-placed rifle shots punched through them. One of the other Infantry cast a low-leveled Blizzard, freezing a couple monsters; Cloud's shots made them shatter into icy pieces.

When the last Bagnadrana fell they regrouped. Their driver, an Infantryman not trained in combat as much as the others, already had a Cure materia out in case anyone needed it.

"Phew," breathed Ronald, sheathing his sword. "Everyone accounted for? Injuries?"

"None," said the driver, after looking everyone over. "You good, Strife?"

"Yeah. Shocked the nausea right outta me."

"We've been welcomed to Gongaga," Ronald muttered.

They grabbed their stuff and set up a small base camp right outside the reactor, using crates from inside as a barricade and cover with the help of the two scientists inside who were assigned to the reactor that day. Cloud peeked in his pack, but in the kerfluffle from before Cait Sith managed to sneak off. He glanced at the reactor—his small friend (?) was in there somewhere, doing Gaia-knew-what.

For the most part Cloud's party was able to dig in their heels, set up the right defenses, and let the monsters come to them. The waves were small, but they kept coming—creatures frothing green from their mouths, or attacking each other just as often as they attacked them.

It was none of their jobs to speculate why this was happening, just to follow orders, but they guessed anyway.

The Infantrywoman at Cloud's right, who had been in his very first rifles class, a tall girl named Maya, frowned and said, "I didn't think mako was able to make monsters do this."

"We don't know for sure it's mako," Ronald countered, sweating as he cast Fira at the closest rampaging Bagnadrana. "Though it's likely, if this is only happening at reactors."

"Maybe someone is doing something to the reactors to cause this and it wouldn't happen otherwise."

"Four o'clock, Maya," Cloud called, and she turned and emptied a cartridge into the next wave.

Regardless of how it was happening they tried their best to deal with the results. The two scientists on duty dug through the stores in the small staff area inside the reactor and came back with some ethers and elixirs which they handed over.

When no more monsters would come to them they split up, Cloud and Maya one way and Ronald and the other Infantryman to the other, and reconvened around the back. Their driver putted off to Gongaga itself to check on any stray monsters that were in the town—he'd be able to handle that on his own.

It felt good being able to help out. As Cloud beat a monster to death with his baton, the creature having gotten too close to aim at quickly with his rifle, he felt rather proud—he'd come a long way. Maybe someday soon he'd be able to defend Nibelheim (or at least his mom and Tifa) from an attack like this and feel just as capable, SOLDIER yet or no.

Around sundown they moved inside the reactor. For an hour there had been no monster sightings at all; the rest were either sleeping, retreated, or were particularly good at lying in wait.

The inside of the reactor was like a different world—it was so big and vast. The sounds of mako dripping into vats or being processed beneath the surface echoed off of the metal walls and various walkways. Most lights were reddish in hue and provided just enough light so you wouldn't trip; the mako's natural greenish glow illuminated most things, casting dark and creepy shadows over the rest.

There were lots of places for monsters to hide, honestly.

One of the scientists came forward with some rations she heated in the small staff area. It wasn't a particularly special meal—the stew with potatoes pack, which wasn't even Cloud's favorite of all the pre-packaged ration meals—but it was warm from a real microwave and he dug in, suddenly ravenous.

They investigated where odd sounds had been reported, several floors down. The ladders and metal walkways seemed endless. Cloud's boots echoed so loudly on the stairs; discordant echoes came back to him and were swallowed up by the giant pools of mako.

They found a few Gagighandis lurking near the heart of the reactor, crazed and dripping greenish liquid from their jowls. Bombs waited a few levels above, swooping down from the darkness above trying to surprise them. Luckily they managed to take them all out before any got too huge and exploded (collateral damage was dangerous in a place like this).

When it looked like they'd gotten everything that was willing to show itself the five ShinRa operatives hunkered down in the tiny area where the scientists would stay for an overnight shift. There were a few cots, but the two scientists already here obviously got those first. The Infantry were used to sleeping on the floor, honestly—wherever they went, SOLDIERs got the comfier digs. So, Cloud washed up the best he could in a tiny bathroom and laid down on the floor with his uniform bunched up under his head. He bade the others goodnight and fell asleep, sore and exhausted.

In the middle of the night, someone tapped his nose. Cloud scrunched it up and rolled over. They tapped his back.

Groggily, Cloud opened his eyes and turned—he blinked awake at the furry face inches from his own.

"Blondie," Cait whispered, gesturing with his hand, "C'mere, lad, I've got a mission for ya."

Everyone else was very much asleep; it was pitch black except for the glow of an exit sign by the door and some green creeping in under the door. It was locked securely to protect them from any monsters that may still have roamed about.

Cloud was in his t-shirt and shorts; he staggered up, grabbing his baton and PHS on the way, and quietly padded out of the room after Cait. The cat knew a passcode to quietly unlock the door, which impressed Cloud.

The reactor seemed larger and more intimidating without his comrades nearby. They crept across a metal grated walkway, just an inch of metal and two thin railings keeping them from falling into a vat of mako.

"Where are we going?" Cloud whispered.

"There's a special room that will give me some diagnostics," Cait answered, "But I need you to come with me. Cait Sith isn't much of a fighter!"

"So I'm your bodyguard."

"Aye. I couldn't be in better hands, laddie."

Cloud rolled his eyes. He followed Cait down a staircase, eyes peeled for monsters, and they turned left down a hall. "It's a dead end," Cloud said, remembering going this way with the others earlier. It was just an observation deck for the vat, stretching around the side.

Cait didn't answer. Almost at the end of the walkway he raised a hand and tapped the wall. A small, hidden panel slid to the side, revealing a keypad. Cait Sith had to jump several times to reach it, but he punched in a passcode. He was standing rather weirdly; he looked unstable on his feet. Was he okay? More of the wall slid away, a small doorway.

"I know the man who designed the reactors quite well," Cait said, sounding proud of himself as he led Cloud through the door. It sealed behind them. Now they were on a wide ledge, still over the vat—in fact, Cloud could see the main walkways a distance away. This was visible from over there, they just hadn't thought to look over here. The floor was maybe fifteen feet across, and solid concrete, not a rough grate like before. A small computer terminal sat in the corner, and as Cait turned it on Cloud inspected the small area. The computer was all there was to it.

Gripping his baton, he peered in all the dark corners. No monsters in sight. He relaxed, wandering back over to Cait. "What are you doing?"

Cait had a drive in one hand that he plugged via a cord into the terminal. "The computer keeps logs of any irregularities," the cat explained, "Doors openin' at times they shouldn't, computers bein' accessed while people're off-duty, that kinda thing. It also logs the pH and composition of the mako. If these monsters are losin' it because they're fallin in or drinking little bits of the mako we should be able to tell." He put the drive down and sighed. "At least forty-five minutes for the download, laddie."

"I could be asleep," Cloud grumbled, but he gamely sat down against the wall to wait.

Cait did not join him, standing about ten feet away, closer to the railing and the long drop down into the mako. He just stood there, his arms swaying and head bopping to whatever music he always had running through his head.

"Don't just stand there," Cloud said, eyeing him. "It's gonna be a long forty-five minutes if you stand over there like a creep."

Cait Sith only moved a few inches forward, but he did sit down. His big pointy shoes looked ridiculous like this, honestly.

The little dude always had something to talk about; Cloud waited for him to start a conversation. Cloud wasn't the best at that sort of thing anyway. When Cait eventually did talk, he spoke softly as if to himself, "Aye, it's late. What am I doing?" Then, a minute later: "Cloud. Tell me about Zack Fair."

Cloud doubted he'd ever been called by his name before, and that was weird, but the request was weirder. "Um, Zack?"

"What d'ya like about him? Tryin' ta get a sense of your type, laddie."

"My type," Cloud repeated, with a small laugh. "Um. He's just really, er, magnetic, I guess. It's hard not to like him."

"He's rather funny, inne?"

"Yeah, he is. We had a mission together and he made me laugh a lot on it and he didn't even know me. He's… genuine, it feels like."

"Genuine, hmmm."

Cloud had to clarify: "Sort of. Well—I can tell that he's got this like, persona, of being funny and friendly and strong for the people around him, and that's also how he really is, you know? Just maybe… not as much."

"You're a perceptive one."

Cloud shrugged. "I might be reading him all wrong, but that's alright. I still like him."

"So… tall, dark, handsome?"

Cloud chuckled under his breath. What the fuck even was this conversation? "Uh, I guess. He's… really hot, yeah, that helps. I've only ever been with someone who was taller than I am, but I liked that." Then he paused, eyeing the cat, and couldn't help but add: "So sorry, Cait. You've got the dark and handsome down but you come up to my thigh somewhere."

"Ooh, drat! Alas, I wanted some o' that Strife for myself."

Pffffft. Cloud loved the joke. Cait added, "So is that SOLDIER ya met the other week youer only previous partner, or…?"

As Cloud thought over his response, Cait burped. His chest didn't bubble up or anything though—it sounded like it came from somewhere in his head. "Pardon me," Cait then said, mouth opening to speak. "Yeah," Cloud confirmed. "Just him. Haven't been with anybody since."

"You must be pretty frustrated, then."

Cloud eyed Cait Sith oddly. "…I guess."

"Do you only like men?"

Hmmm. That was a tricky question. "Nah, I don't think so," Cloud said, stretching out his legs and folding one over the other. "I used to have a crush on Tifa, a girl from my hometown. I think that, romantically, I could be into anybody of any gender so long as they were nice to me and we got along."

Cait prompted, "But sexually…"

What a bizarre word to hear from a caped, crowned, fuzzy little humanoid cat. Cloud closed his eyes. He pictured a pair of breasts—no one's in particular, just two of them, and fondling them. He thought abstractly about fucking someone's pussy, of grabbing their hips and bouncing them on his dick and rubbing a clit with his thumb as he tilted his head back for kisses, soft and sticky. He thought about strong arms lifting his up or pushing back his knees and then a dick stretching open his ass—he'd loved taking cock back when he dated Damon. He thought about fucking someone with a penis in the ass—he'd liked that too. Would it be all that different fucking someone with different genitals in the ass? He didn't know—maybe he'd find out some day.

He shifted in his seat, his cock hardening between his legs despite himself. Cloud cleared his throat, opening his eyes and focusing on Cait. "I really can't say. My instinct is to say that I only wanna sleep with people who identify as guys, but… who knows. It feels wrong to rule out so many people without ever having been with a girl, you know?"

"You're open-minded," Cait observed. "That is a good trait to have."

"Hm," Cloud grunted, shifting again, trying to discreetly get his short fabric to stop pressing against his dick.

But Cait kept asking questions: "What about Sephiroth, then?"

Cloud's voice went up a couple notes unconsciously: "What I like about him?"

"Aye."

"Uhhh… I, well, I don't know him like I know Zack, so it's all speculation. But it seems like people always say he's, y'know, scary and doesn't talk, and is just, untouchable and all—but he's got to be different from that."

"Why d'you think so?"

"Because he's friends with Zack," Cloud said, shrugging. "And he's friends with Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley. And a lot of SOLDIERs look up to him—I don't think you can inspire that many people just by being intimidating. There's got to be more to him that they genuinely like."

Cait Sith grinned. "You've got a mighty crush, but it's cute, laddie."

"Whatever," Cloud grunted.

"And he's awfully attractive, ain't he…?"

It was the middle of the damn night and Cloud was in a mako reactor—maybe some of his usual shields were down, back in the staff area with his physical armor. Cait had opened the floodgates. "Oh, hell yeah," Cloud blurted. "Gaia, I've been into him ever since I first saw him. There isn't anyone alive who looks like Sephiroth."

When Cait spoke next, he seemed to slur his words a bit. "Ssso… what d'you like about Sephiroth, specifically?"

"I mean, his face and stuff, of course." Cloud had never been particularly eloquent. "He has these silly big ears and," he mimed pulling down on Sephiroth's earlobes, frustrated with how the right poetic words wouldn't come to him, "I don't know, with his hair and everything, it's just—ugh."

Cait was sitting so still, just staring at him. Cloud supposed it made sense that a cat wouldn't have the best grasp of what was polite or not to humans.

"I've heard he's a good kisser," Cait said.

Heat shot into Cloud's cheeks at that thought. His chest heaved with a large breath; that would have to be…explored later. Sephiroth seemed like the kind of guy to like having a hand on his cheek—that was how Cloud liked to kiss, lovingly cupping his partner's cheek to guide them if possible but mostly just to keep them close. He liked closeness. And closeness with Sephiroth… would be an experience, with all that hair, and his height, and eyes that glowed brightly in pictures and undoubtedly did even more in person…

Cait offered, "And Zack too."

His cheeks blazing, Cloud eyed Cait Sith hesitantly. "Um…" he said, trying to articulate his question. Why was Cait trying to make him… think about this stuff? It wasn't subtle anymore—he was working Cloud up, but why?

Cait Sith seemed to realize the jig was up; Cloud had caught on. He had very little shame, and said, still smiling and sitting still, the accent suddenly gone, "I'd like it if you touched yourself."

"…What?" Cloud asked, his breath hitching. He'd heard the cat clearly.

"You certainly look like ya want to." Cait Sith's head tilted. "Don't you?"

Well, obviously Cloud wanted to. He was almost hard, first thinking about fucking people, and then Zack, and then Sephiroth, and now it was all running together in his head, thoughts of fucking Zack and Sephiroth or both and Cait just kept staring at him and it was really, really, really bizarre.

"Go on, Cloud." Cait Sith's voice was a little deeper and the accent was still much weaker, almost like someone else entirely was talking to him.

Despite himself, Cloud's hand drifted to his crotch. He rested his hand over the bulge of his partial erection, fairly obvious in the flimsy shorts he wore, and hesitantly gave a little squeeze, stimulating just a little bit. "Are you getting off on this?"

"Cait Sith is not," was the cryptic answer. No more information was forthcoming.

Cloud squeezed his dick a little more and moved his hand slightly, loosely fondling himself now, not really committing to anything but gripping a little more firmly.

If Cloud had been in Midgar maybe this would have been too much—but he wasn't, he was far away, and he was in a mako reactor with its green glow, and everything looked alien and unreal anyway, and it was that middle of the night hour where everything that happened in the day seemed far off and like another world. It was the perfect situation to say fuck it and jerk off for a cat wearing a crown.

Cait Sith didn't get Cloud off at all—not even the tiniest bit imaginable. He closed his eyes and waited for Cait Sith to get it.

He quickly did: "You should take off your shorts; I can't see you like this."

There were two things to do—comply, or start laughing hysterically. Cloud kicked off his boots and then his shorts, sitting down on them so his ass wasn't on rough, cold concrete. He pulled down his underwear so they hung off of one ankle and then brought his knees up, his half-hard cock and balls hanging down, now on full display.

Cait Sith said nothing, but seemed to realize Cloud needed a bit of motivation. "So…" he began, "Do ya prefer giving anal or getting it?"

Cloud bit back a laugh at Cait Sith saying the word anal. "Getting it," he said, licking a spitty stripe down his palm and wrapping his hand around his cock. He stroked it slowly, trying to get it into full hardness. "But I love giving it too… I think I'm into whatever my partner is into, really—it doesn't matter to me."

If Sephiroth wanted to bend him over his desk in his office and fuck his ass, Cloud would be okay with that. Oh, hell yeah Cloud would be okay. People talked about it all the time—the common Sephiroth fantasies or whatever. Desk sex was way high up there. Cloud had thought about being bent over it with his chest on the wood and his legs hanging down (surely Sephiroth was tall enough for his dick to line up with Cloud's asshole) or even lying on his back with his knees over Sephiroth's shoulders. He preferred that one.

Cloud hummed in the back of this throat as he pictured that. Sephiroth would plant his hands down flat on the desk and hunch over him, his hair hanging down around Cloud and his bright eyes illuminating the little cavern they'd created between them.

He was erect now, and rubbing his thumb over the head of his cock, teasing the slit gently. His hands were a lot more callused than they used to be before joining the military, and he was gentle. He didn't dare open his eyes to see what Cait Sith was doing; seeing the little dude sitting there and staring would be so awkward he'd have to stop.

If Sephiroth wanted Cloud to give it to him though… he totally could. Cloud liked doggy style—he liked to see his partner's ass jiggle as his bony hipbones smacked into them as he thrust inside. It made his thighs shake and his hands tremble and he would be exhausted by the end of it but he loved it, he had loved watching his cock sink into Damon's ass and could only assume it would be just as awesome with Sephiroth or Zack, maybe even more so.

The thing was, with Sephiroth's big leather coat Cloud couldn't really comment on his ass, but he knew for a fact Zack had a rockin' one. Zack's ass would be really satisfying to fuck; he could grab great handfuls of it and hold on as he rutted against him, and he could gently smack those cheeks and feel the flesh bounce under the crack of his palm. He could spread those cheeks wide and devour him—Damon hadn't been too into being rimmed but Cloud had done it a few times and had a lot of fun.

Cloud spat on his hand again, making it easier to work his palm from the base of his cock to the tip. He reached down to play with his balls with the other hand. Some people really loved the sensation and he liked it okay, but it wasn't his favorite. It made him feel deliciously dirty when they were gently sucked into someone's mouth.

"…Hmmm," Cloud sighed. He closed his eyes a little tighter, focusing just on the sensations he gave himself, the sound of his own breathing, and the steady, faint sounds of mako sloshing around and bubbling dozens and dozens of meters below. Breathing out through his nose, he tilted his head back until it rested against the wall. The heat was in his cheeks and his core, building and spreading outward…

…And then Cait Sith interrupted him. "Clouddie," he said, and it was a weird mix of Cloud and Laddie that Cloud suddenly realized he detested, "Would you use your fingers…?"

Instead of answering, Cloud stuck his ring and pinky fingers in his mouth, drooling on them and getting them nice and spitty. He spread his legs a little more and shifted how he was sitting on his tailbone, sliding down the wall a bit until he had access to his asshole. He swirled the spitty digits around the outside of his hole and then slowly pushed them in, still stroking his cock with his other hand.

Cait Sith made a noise like a great deep inhale, but his mouth wasn't open and his furry chest didn't heave. Cloud didn't stop to ponder it. He wiggled his fingertips around inside himself a bit, then removed them and stuck his pointer and middle fingers in his mouth. These went inside easier than the last two, since he wasn't totally dry. He sank these in much farther—and although he couldn't straight up fuck himself with them (spit was not an adequate lube no matter what some of his buddies insisted) the stretch of them just sitting there was nice, and he could move them side-to-side or slightly curl them.

It felt good—and Cloud never lasted very long once something went up his ass. It made him horny as fuck. His dick throbbed in his hand and he squeezed it, pausing to spit on his hand again before jerking himself again.

He couldn't help but put on a bit of a show, even though this was totally different from performing for, say, Zack. Ooh, that was good—imagining that it was Zack Fair standing a couple feet away, asking him to finger his ass as he worked his cock, watching with hot mako-blue eyes. Zack wanted Cloud to get off by himself, and then he was going to fuck the spent teen afterwards, that was it; he planned to fuck Cloud all the way through his refraction period, until he was hard again and came a second time—and then Zack would unload in his ass, tanned skin and hips flexing as he did so.

Whining quietly in the back of his throat, Cloud stopped to spit on his hand twice and hopefully for the last time. He worked his cock quicker, his brain picturing Zack Fair's cock bucking inside him and filling him up with cum over and over on loop. His toes curled and his thighs trembled—his orgasm moved inwards from the very ends of Cloud until it all crashed together in his core and at his cock. Cloud bit his lip, shaking through it, shooting off, cum dribbling down his hand and his shaft to pool on the concrete and stain the shorts he was sitting on.

He waited a long few moments to slowly work his cock until the sensations were too much, and then his hand fell away. He opened his eyes. Cait Sith still stood there, stock still, like a mannequin—but Cloud could hear ragged breathing coming from him.

Cloud wasn't sure what to say, and Cait Sith offered nothing other than a particularly sharp gasp made somehow without a single motion from the cat, and then silence.

"Well," Cloud sighed when he felt too awkward to say nothing, his soft cock drooping down between his legs now. "That happened."

Cait Sith moved jerkily and his small chest suddenly inflated with a breath. "Aye!" he said. "You know Laddie—"

Cloud did not find out what, Laddie. Cait was cut off by a screech—a Fly Eye launched itself from above, dive-bombing at Cait. The cat jumped to the side, but was caught in one of its large, powerful wings and thrown at the opposite wall.

Cloud dive-rolled, taking his shorts and baton with him. He got into them as Cait hit the ground from the wall, landing with a huge smack and several cracks.

The beating of its wings sent everything astray; Cloud saw his PHS blow around, skidding towards the vat of mako, but he couldn't focus on it—the Fly Eye picked Cait up with its feet, large silver talons often coated in the poison they shot out. It was a gigantic eyeball with wings, but they were fast—it threw Cait at the wall again and he hit much harder than before, a small ragdoll of fur, cape and crown that—

—broke into pieces when he collided with the wall.

Broke. Into pieces.

Cait's head rolled off to the side, and wiring and computer chips spilled out of the torn neck, Cait's face now slack and expressionless. The Fly Eye was as confused as Cloud; the small creature it was preparing to eat did not look nearly as appealing as it did a moment ago.

Cloud's initial horror turned to anger—it morphed further into rage as he heard a small, damaged speaker stutter inside Cait's chest. "Ah, shit," came a voice, and if they said anything else Cloud didn't hear it, because he kicked the robot's body with his hastily shoved-on boot and sent it sailing through the gaps of the railing and down the long, long drop into the mako below.

The Fly Eye came for him, but Cloud wound up with his baton and hit it like a baseball; it went flying back and then flew up towards the roof of the reactor, flying erratically with one crumpled wing.

Cloud was fucking livid. His PHS was gone; he'd seen it fall down into the vat. He yanked Cait's small computer from the terminal, not caring if the download was completed or not, and shrugged his shirt back on, stomping back out the small hidden door.

No one noticed his absence and Cloud got back in his sleeping bag, glowering at the small device in his hand, his face burning with anger and embarrassment.