A/N: Terribly sorry... It seems I have difficulty writing one shots. If I decide to continue them, they always take forever to update! I hope you all enjoy the continuation of this strange little Sephiroth/Cloud story... We're still in the build-up to the horror. Forgive the interrum chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own this franchise. Please remember to support the official releases!
Chapter 2
Cloud always helped clean up the bar when he was at home. It was a routine he didn't skip out on, no matter how rough his last delivery had been, or how down he was feeling. He might have, but he found that both he and Tifa were happier if he helped. If he saw her come upstairs without having helped her clean up, he would have felt horrible. And for her part, some days it was the only time she got to spend with him.
The evening of Halloween was no different. Though this year she didn't call him downstairs—he just took it upon himself once the screams and hollers from downstairs had died down into nothing and there remained nothing but the quiet clink of someone picking up glasses off of tables. He didn't glance back as he left the room.
The downstairs was a disaster. There were pieces of costumes on the floor, and it seemed that more than one of the revelers had overindulged. There was even a broken chair. Cloud sighed and walked forward, starting to pick up the larger marks of destruction.
"Cloud?" Tifa asked, eyeing him carefully. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Tifa," Cloud muttered, lifting the first of the chairs and flipping it up onto the table to get it out of his way for cleaning.
"And your boyfriend?" Tifa asked with a teasing smile and a knowing tilt of her head.
Cloud twitched, then shivered. He shook his head silently, casting her a 'please not now' look. He only relaxed when she sighed and went back to her work. She cleaned out glasses swiftly and thoroughly, stacking them in little towers on the towel she'd spread over the bar.
"He's cute," she commented after a moment.
"Tifa," Cloud scolded with a little frown.
"Sorry, sorry," Tifa said with a smile. "I'll let you keep your private life private. I'm just happy to know you have a private life. I was starting to worry about you."
"Let's just clean up and get some sleep," Cloud muttered. "I need to think straight before I go into this with you..."
"Alright, then," Tifa said with a nod. "You keep it up. I'm going to touch base with Barrett and see how the kids did tonight. I'm so glad he keeps them on Halloweens. I don't know how I'd manage without daddy around to look after the kids now and then!"
Cloud gave her the little smile he knew she wanted, and watched as she walked out of the room, pulling out her PHS as she went. Then he returned his eyes to the messy floor, moving slowly to fetch a broom, tossing dish towels over the soggier messes.
He stopped in the middle of the floor a moment later, holding the broom and staring down at a bunch of chip crumbs on the ground. What was he doing? What in the hell was he doing? He was sweeping the floor, obviously. But he was sweeping the floor while Sephiroth was...
Why had he asked the goddess to wait? Because Zack had asked him to? Because Sephiroth had looked so sad? What did he care if the man who had destroyed his entire world got eaten by the darkness? He should have let him, he thought to himself, tightening his grip on the broom. He should have watched Sephiroth vanish again and reveled in it. But then, he never had reveled in Sephiroth being hurt. Not even after he killed Aerith.
The thought made his hands tighten automatically, and the broom splintered and broke in his hands, falling in pieces, leaving him holding nothing but splinters. He sighed and went back to the broom closet, pulling out one of the backups. It was an unfortunately common event.
It didn't matter, he told himself after a moment. How he had gotten to this point couldn't matter. It was all about what he did from here. He had a Sephiroth upstairs, who didn't look like Sephiroth. Tifa thought he had a new boyfriend, who just so happened to be his mortal enemy in a disguise that was not of his own making. But it was obvious that Sephiroth had no powers. Cloud had grabbed his arm briefly, and nearly snapped it before realizing that he had to tone it down. The bruise had already been livid when he came downstairs to clean.
It could have been a trick, he supposed, but Sephiroth had never really been one for tricks. Traps, certainly, and mental control in his darkest, cruelest moments, but not emotional manipulation. You had to understand emotion for that to be possible, and though Sephiroth knew many things, Cloud was well aware that the once-great-general had been terrible at them even before he went insane. The memories he carried from Zack were enough to tell him that.
And the pain in his eyes had been honest, though he hadn't made a sound. Cloud had watched his teeth clench and grind—his back arch—his eyes tighten at the corner and brighten in pain before closing in resignation...
"Cloud!"
Tifa's voice was not her usual half-worried questioning address. It was the tone of voice that reminded him of the woman who'd planned the destruction of reactors and killed those who got in her way. Cloud felt himself tense up defensively. He turned his eyes to the doorway, listening to her footsteps thunder closer. The moment she stepped into the room, he knew he was in deep shit. It was an absolute and instant gut-instinct. He could save the world, destroy Sephiroth, become strong enough that not even a train derailing or a bullet to the head was likely to kill him, but there was no time in his life he would ever not be afraid of the look on Tifa's face right then.
"We live in a house with children," Tifa snapped, ferociously.
"I know," Cloud said slowly, stepping back from his cleaning, to a less cluttered place, just in case he needed to run. He never had, but he always worried.
"Children who, though they are away right now, have keys to this house and often wander around without supervision."
"Yes Tifa," Cloud said slowly.
"And as happy as I am that you are finally expressing your preferences and getting out in the world, it is NOT a house where you can leave your boyfriend tied up in the attic for long periods of time!"
Cloud's face heated. The rush in his ears overwhelmed the next few things that left Tifa's mouth. She'd gone up to the attic. The word 'shit' ran through his mind at least seven times before he caught up to what she was saying.
"I understand that it's a perfectly legitimate thing to be interested in," Tifa was saying swiftly, "and goddess knows I'm happy that you've finally found someone, but-"
"Tifa," Cloud said, feeling his brows twist desperately. "Please don't say anything else."
"Go untie him," Tifa ordered, pointing to the door that would lead Cloud back towards the attic. "And next time stay at his place for whatever games you want to play. Got it? And bring him by for dinner next time, don't just tie him up in the attic without introducing me!"
"Sorry Tifa," Cloud rasped, amazed that his voice caught at all and he didn't just wheeze in shock.
If he moved a little faster than his usual walk towards the attic, it was not because he was eager to get there. He was eager to escape from the knowing look in Tifa's eyes that was so wrong on so many levels that she couldn't possibly understand. Her ire was definitely roused. He really ought to learn to plan ahead. He missed having Vincent around to advise him on his next move.
He slowed when he stepped into the attic. He was instantly pinned by a fierce and accusatory glance from the corner where he'd left his unexpected visitor. Sephiroth's eyes were fierce green, even without the blaze of mako backing them up. His furious look was softened by the binds holding his hands behind his back and his feet together. He made not a sound, but Cloud was willing to bet that had more to do with the tight gag between his lips than anything.
The man hadn't fought when Cloud tied him up. He hadn't moved since catching sight of the strange reflection in the glass of Zack's signature. He hadn't struggled at all until Cloud tightened the gag in his mouth and rose an grunt of objection from the otherwise stone-still man. He'd left him there without thought. He'd needed to get his head on straight. Looking at the monster tied up in the corner and glaring with those inhuman eyes that Cloud hated so much from behind slightly messy silver bangs, Cloud knew it had been pointless. None of the panic that suffused his entire being had subsided during his absence. And yet, he was out of time to calm down. He moved over slowly.
Cloud removed the gag from Sephiroth's mouth as quickly as he could, trying not to touch his skin any more than he had to.
Sephiroth's lips pulled back briefly, but he said nothing. He just stretched his jaw. Cloud looked with interest at the reddened corners of Sephiroth's mouth. A disturbingly human mark, he thought to himself. Not one a super soldier would have.
"Your girlfriend was very distressed." Sephiroth rasped once he had finished shifting his sore mouth around.
"Why are you here?" Cloud hissed darkly through clenched teeth, not letting himself object to having Tifa called his girlfriend. He tried to remind himself that he didn't care what this man though of him.
"I came to ask your forgiveness as I said." Sephiroth replied. Whatever strange panic had overcome him before had vanished without a trace, but his voice was still raspy and damaged. "Why I have not vanished, I do not know. That was your doing."
The words were followed by a dry, ragged cough. Sephiroth turned his head till the fit passed, unable to cover his mouth with the hands bound behind his back. When he turned back, his expression was passive, but his cheeks held a tinge of pink. Cloud was alarmed to realize that it was because of the cough. It was such a disturbingly human reaction. He shifted a little closer, looking Sephiroth over, not letting himself look at those reptilian eyes.
His bound fingertips were blue from lack of circulation. His breath rasped through his lips. The blood that had poured from his non-physical form had vanished, leaving no trace, but he was shaking. Cloud watched the subtle, subconscious twitches of his fingers with foggy, detached interest.
"Cloud," Sephiroth started.
"Don't call me that," Cloud hissed, meeting Sephiroth's eyes as his disinterest faded in the wake of a cold fury. The memory of lips curled in a mocking smile purring his name rose to choke him.
The general hesitated, considering. Cloud watched as his eyes unfocused and refocused again, as though if he looked at Cloud correctly he would make sense.
"Strife," he said after a long while, waiting a moment to see if that would be acceptable. He continued when Cloud didn't comment. "Why did you change your mind?"
"Because Zack and Aerith asked me to," Cloud answered without hesitation, his teeth still tightly clamped together. "And if I had known that would mean you staying here-"
"You would not have done it," Sephiroth said his voice grim. "I know. But I am here now, and if I am not mistaken, I am human."
"Not just human," Cloud muttered. "Tifa can't see you. Not for what you really are."
"I noticed." Sephiroth said mildly. "She had quite a little rant when she dropped by."
"You talked to her?" Cloud snapped, snarling at him.
"Mostly she talked," Sephiroth corrected with a shrug that made his blood-deprived fingers twitch. "But she did unbind my mouth to question whether my captivity was 'consensual.' I told her it was, though I fear that it led to some confusion regarding your relationship to me. I apologize if it caused her to doubt your fidelity, but she replaced the gag before I could clarify."
"Good thing," Cloud muttered, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "Better that she think I'm into this," he gestured inarticulately at Sephiroth "than that I'm kidnapping crazy people off the street."
"What will you do now?" Sephiroth asked after a moment of silence.
"Don't move," Cloud ordered, gritting his teeth.
Sephiroth held very still, but Cloud still barely refrained from losing it as he had to touch the man's hair to undo the binds on his wrists. He felt a brief twinge of guilt as he saw how deeply the rope had pressed into Sephiroth's skin.
Sephiroth waited until Cloud had backed away again to slowly pull his arms around from behind his back. His face stayed passive, but Cloud knew on a visceral level that the motion would hurt after more than an hour of being bound.
'Good,' a part of him thought as he watched his mortal enemy rub his wrists with numb hands. 'He deserves to suffer for what he's done.'
Cloud thought of the darkness that had risen from the floor to entrap the general. Had that been the punishment the man deserved, waiting to claim him? He shook the thought from his head. Zack wanted him to try, and more importantly Aerith did. So Cloud would try.
"You can't stay here," Cloud muttered to himself. "I'm not letting you anywhere near the kids."
"Good," rasped Sephiroth. "I dislike children."
"Pretty sure the feeling is mutual," Cloud muttered. "Untie your legs. We're going to the church."
"Ironic," Sephiroth commented, his numb, shaking fingers fumbling with the knot Cloud had used to bind his feet.
"Why are you shaking?" Cloud demanded at last, annoyed by the persistent sign of weakness.
"I am cold," Sephiroth replied blankly, not lifting his eyes from the knot. "It is October, I am not enhanced, and whatever deity or devil chose to drop me here decided to forego a jacket."
Even the piece of his mind that had been silently screaming 'kill him' every moment Cloud was with Sephiroth went quiet for a moment. The ex-general seemed unperturbed, but now that Cloud looked for it, he could tell that the man was freezing. He'd been so stuck looking at that hated hair and his monster eyes that he hadn't noticed the baggy pants and t-shirt with a button down dress top pulled over it. Three quarter sleeves displayed the deep purple bruise on his forearm where Cloud had gripped too hard. A part of him found the image hilarious. But most of him felt a little sick. He didn't object in theory to hurting Sephiroth, but he hadn't intended to. He swallowed, considering, then spoke softly.
"Don't go anywhere."
"Unlikely," Sephiroth commented, gesturing to the knot that he'd made no headway in with fingers that were still blue-tipped and twitching.
Cloud left the attic quickly, closing the door behind himself. He slipped into his room as quietly as he could. The last thing he needed was to run into Tifa right now. He knew on a visceral level that he should tell her exactly who it was in her attic. Hells, being Tifa, she might even actually believe him. She had stuck by his side through stranger mental crisis, and crazier events. She'd never turned her back on him. Not even when he'd handed the black materia over to...
To the man who was currently unsupervised in his attic. Cloud looked down at his hands, feeling panic blossom from nowhere. Would he know if he was being puppeted? He didn't feel like it had felt before, but then it had always been things he knew instinctively were WRONG that Sephiroth and Jenova tried to force him to. Killing Aerith, surrendering the black materia—those had been obviously evil, and he had fought them as hard as he could. But this?
He lifted the jacket he'd come for in the first place, looking down at the fabric with a faint frown. It certainly seemed like the right thing to do. Sephiroth was his prisoner, after a sort. Or his charity case. Either way, it wouldn't be right for Cloud to let him suffer.
He shifted the single sleeve over his left arm and frowned faintly at it. He couldn't tell how cold it would feel to be unenhanced in this weather. Tifa walked around in short sleeves even at this time of year, though usually only when she was working. And after all, cold air sank and warm air rose. Shouldn't it have been warmer in the attic than anywhere.
Cloud hesitated, memory flashing through his mind. A man scoffing behind cold, shining glasses rose unbidden in his mind.
"Silly boy," the scientist scoffed. "Someone with as much mako and J-cells as you have—it would take far more than this to break you."
Cloud shuddered as hard as he could, trying to shake off the memory with the movement. He picked up the jacket, and after a moment of thought grabbed the nicely crocheted hat that Tifa had gifted him for when he wanted to be anonymous in a crowd. It was warm, at least. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that Sephiroth wearing a hat would be officially the strangest thing he had seen thus far in his life, even with all of the magic, and gods, and miracles he had witnessed.
When he returned upstairs, it was to find Sephiroth still doggedly picking at the tight knot, wearing it down with sheer persistence. The silver-haired once-general didn't even look up from what he was doing. Cloud clenched his jaw briefly, then tossed the coat at him. He had to hold back a laugh when it simply landed over Sephiroth's head, his prisoner's reflexes not fast enough to catch it. The little jolt of surprise he gave was deeply entertaining.
"Put that on," Cloud instructed firmly. "We're heading out for the night."
"Very well," Sephiroth said, his voice still raspy but calm, even as he ducked out from under the jacket to slide his arms into the sleeves. They were hardly longer on him than the three-quarter sleeves of his dress shirt, and the front would not close over his broad chest, but it was better than nothing. "However, unless you would like to carry me, I believe you shall have to undo this knot."
Cloud tightened his jaw. "If you kick me, I'm going to throw you out a window. And I don't think you'll survive it."
"Threat noted," Sephiroth rasped dryly.
Cloud untied his legs without ceremony, and stood back. Sephiroth didn't move at first. His legs straightened slowly, and he flexed his feet. He was wearing sneakers. Cloud had to look away. It was too bizarre. He averted his gaze to the outdoors, through the small circular window that was the only portal to outside from where he was. He usually kept it covered. He shifted the curtains to glance around.
It was late now. Only a few straggling trick or treaters were out and about. It had to be past three in the morning, because that was when Tifa closed up on holidays. Still, Cloud saw a few teenagers slipping through the streets with mischief in their minds. He caught sight of one of them, smacking gum with a mock Tsurugi slung over his shoulder and a lop-sided blonde wig. He pulled away from the window swiftly and looked to Sephiroth.
"Get up," he said swiftly.
"I don't know how long it has been since you were bound for a long period of time," Sephiroth said dryly, "but it is not the easiest or most comfortable thing. I recognize that you are not used to keeping prisoners. If I could recommend allowing me a drink and a moment to recover, I think you would find I would suddenly become more able to obey."
Cloud clenched his jaw tighter, feeling his teeth grind and watching Sephiroth. He was met by a blank stare, almost suspiciously empty of malice. After a moment of holding his gaze, Cloud sighed.
"Fine. Take your moment. You can drink something downstairs before we go."
"Many thanks," Sephiroth drawled with what Cloud was certain had to be sarcasm.
"I didn't ask for this you know," Cloud hissed. "You are terrible at staying dead."
"Or perhaps you are just bad at killing me," the man said darkly in return, a significant wheeze underlaying the words.
"Up now or I'm dragging you downstairs," Cloud snapped in return, his patience taxed by Sephiroth's fierce attitude.
He watched as the man leaned forward slowly, as though deeply stiff. His hand pressed against the floor as he slowly rose to his full height, staggering to the side to lean against the wall. His face was still blank of emotion, but Cloud heard his breath hitch, and watched his hands flicker, as though looking for his blade. No weapon appeared for him. Cloud shifted back and opened the attic door, waiting expectantly, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and disquiet.
Halfway down the stairs, Sephiroth's legs gave out, and Cloud moved without thinking. One hand grasped the man's belt and an unfortunate amount of hair while he yanked him back and shifted in front to brace him. Sephiroth choked at the touch, and Cloud himself froze up as the general's weight landed on his shoulder. He was heavy. He was warm. For just a moment, his enhanced senses allowed Cloud to intimately hear Sephiroth's heartbeat thundering, his breath rasping, his clothes shifting over his skin. Then he was pulling back, shoving Sephiroth into the wall where he leaned limply against the railing.
"Is everything okay up there?" Tifa called upstairs with a fierce note in her voice.
"Fine, Tifa," Cloud called back instantly, his eyes not leaving Sephiroth's.
"You are very bad at killing me," Sephiroth whispered after a moment of catching his breath.
"If you fall again, I'm letting you split your head open," Cloud snarled, moving swiftly the rest of the way downstairs.
Despite his words, he still waited at the base of the staircase for Sephiroth, ensuring he didn't really spill his brains on Tifa's floor. He told himself it was to keep Tifa safe and happy. He wasn't sure that was entirely true.
He led the man into the blissfully empty bar, slipped behind the counter, and filled a tall glass of water, slamming it down on the bar with just a little too much force. That he managed not to break it was more from luck than attention. Still, Sephiroth didn't seem to mind the reluctance with which it was given. He lifted it in shaking hands and drank deeply, as though he had been thirsting for days. Cloud watched him closely, even as the man set the nearly empty glass down, drawing in a deep breath.
"Your special for tonight is interesting," he muttered, gazing at the wall behind Cloud.
Cloud glanced back and sighed at the flowery description of 'The Sephiroth Slayer,' which was a variation on his favorite drink on the rare occasions he indulged. He shook his head and turned away, frowning deeply. He knew Tifa would have just forgotten to take it down. Outwardly she supported his reluctance to revel in his role in Sephiroth's demise. But he knew that she, like most of the others, would never understand why he didn't wish to celebrate that victory. She was happy he had killed Sephiroth, and more than willing to celebrate it with the populace when Cloud wasn't there to be upset by it.
"It's popular on Halloween," Cloud muttered.
"Halloween," Sephiroth said with a dry laugh, lifting his water again. "Pointless."
"Tifa," Cloud called over his shoulder. "I'm going to steal the truck for the night, okay? I'll bring it back in the morning."
"Don't run over any kids!" Tifa yelled, before peering into the room and giving a warm, affectionate smile towards them both. "And for the love of the goddess, Cloud, introduce me to your boyfriend next time before you tie him up in my attic."
"Yes, Tifa," Cloud muttered, not bothering to argue. It was almost worth it when he saw the affronted, bewildered expression on Sephiroth's face.
"She does not fear me," Sephiroth whispered as Cloud gestured for him to follow outside.
"Of course not," Cloud scoffed. "You look like any semi-good-looking construction worker off the street. You look like the guy who runs the butcher shop down the road. You did see your reflection, right?"
"Yes," Sephiroth said slowly and darkly. "It is strange. I have never been looked at like that before. Except for-"
"I don't care." Cloud interrupted sharply, opening the truck swiftly and firmly. "Get in the damn truck. I'm taking you to the Church. Then I'll figure out what to do with you."
He had a feeling it would not be as easy as he had hoped. He hesitated a moment, then pulled the crocheted hat out of his pocket and tossed on the once-again-shivering Sephiroth's lap.
"Put on your hat," Cloud muttered as he gunned the truck. "It's not a heated church."
"Joy," Sephiroth said darkly, shoving the crocheted hat on his head with a little more force than was necessary. "What a delightful revelation."
Cloud was very, very glad when Sephiroth didn't attempt to continue anything like a conversation after that as they drove through the city of Edge. It was a quiet drive, and almost entirely free of late-night revelers. The streets were nearly empty. And yet, Cloud could not shake the feeling of something following him.
How to make 'The Sephiroth Slayer'
Take two ounces of Vodka, one fourth of an ounce of lemon juice, half an ounce of Hpnotiq liqueur, and one ounce of white cranberry juice. Combine in an ice filled shaker, shake hard, and pour into a glass, excluding the ice. Your drink will come out a beautiful mako blue.