Chapter 7: Movie Nights

Disclaimer: The ownership thing again? I wished I owned Sephiroth, Final Fantasy or Cloud in general, I even clicked my heels together three times, and wouldn't you know it, so far no luck in that field. I wouldn't mind some Materia right now.

It's been too long since I've written for this fandom. This is a brief break from the Parenting Guide. It was supposed to be a humorous piece of Sephiroth looking after an ill Cloud but it's turned into more of a character sketch. I'd place this at around a year after the events of the first two chapters.


There were days when Cloud wanted nothing more than to hide away from the world. He longed to wrap himself up in his warm, fuzzy blue and yellow Chocobo print blanket and ignore the harsh reality that life usually presented. There were times when the only thing that Cloud really wished for was quiet solitude and room to breathe. When he could switch off the jarring static that surrounded him and immerse himself in the comforting fantasies that filled his mind.

It wasn't like Cloud was purposefully antisocial. As a young boy, he hadn't had many friends. Known as the bastard child of the village, most people kept their distance from his small house that rested precariously at the edge of the forest. The few humans that bothered to make any contact with him or his mother did so only to bully him. He had lost count of the number of times he had trudged back home, bruised and angry. His mother lived in a world of her own. Her mind was far too lost in the mists of the past to have any room to spare for bothering about her son.

Cloud's first friend was a snowman that he made in the dreary winter months. Lumi, as he'd called him, melted away within a few months but that meant little to Cloud. His lonely mind had grown happily accustomed to the companionship that his inanimate friend provided. He soon made friends with Odin, a massive tree in the forest. He spent many a day nestled in Odin's long branches, gazing at the world below. The ancient tree was filled with life and wisdom, Cloud could feel its power humming below the surface of the bark.

He also befriended a small wolf pup that he named Fenrir. Fenrir was loyal to his master, chasing the bullies away and keeping him warm on cold winter nights. They'd often go for long walks in the forest and when Cloud would visit Odin, Fenrir would rest on the roots of the tree, waiting faithfully for Cloud to return.

All in all, Cloud knew that he didn't have healthy relationships, but he wasn't one to complain.

Shinra changed things. Suddenly, Cloud was thrust into a sea of people. He couldn't avoid them; they were a part of his life. As social skills went, his were appalling. Somehow, his one sided conversations with a tree and a wolf didn't hold him in good stead with his new comrades. And so, the shy Nibel boy once again became a recluse.

But all that changed when he met Zack Fair. The energetic First Class turned Cloud's world upside down. For whatever reason, Zack liked Cloud. He genuinely wanted to know the small blond better, to be friends with him. And with Zack's friendship came that of others as well. Soon, Cloud forgot all about being lonely, he forgot about not knowing how to deal with people.

Zack was his first real friend in the army. Loud and brash, the man had a penchant for ruffling his yellow spikes and thumping him on the back (the first time he'd done that, Cloud had very nearly flown out the window). Weeks turned to months and soon, Zack was teaching Cloud how to hold a sword properly, how to level Materia and to Sephiroth's eternal horror, how to pick the correct flavored lube.

Cloud spent evenings in Zack's apartment, finishing homework and occasionally watching movies. He'd learnt that for all Zack's cooking prowess, the man couldn't clean up to save his life. The two fell into an easy rhythm on the weekends where Cloud would help with the laundry and the dusting, eat lunch with Zack and then help with the dishes.

He'd earned himself a place in Zack's heart when he aided Zack to secure a date with his long-time interest. Angeal and Zack had just celebrated their first anniversary and Cloud reminisced over the way the normally suave man had flushed a horrible shade of red when he'd offered Angeal a bouquet of flowers.

Then there was Reno. The Turk was an unlikely friend, but a valuable one. The fiery red head had shown Cloud around Wall Market and helped him pick up some gifts for the others. But perhaps the strongest reason for his rather unorthodox bond with the man was their similar upbringing. Reno's family life was just as lacking as Cloud's and he knew all about being alone.

About three months into his stay in Shinra, a group of large and exceedingly dimwitted cadets had cornered Cloud in the hallway. Somehow, his story had leaked and now everyone knew that he was the Black Sheep of Nibelheim. He doubled over as one of their boots made contact with his stomach. Shutting his eyes, he listened to their laughter. He waited for their punches, but they never came. Cracking upon his eye, he was amazed to see a young man, with the brightest red hair he had ever seen, waving what looked like an ElectroMag rod in the leader's face.

"If I ever catch you around this kid again, I'll be paying you a visit along with some good friends yo." Something about the way the rod in his hand crackled with electricity seemed to do it, and Cloud was soon left alone with his new savior. Tilting his head up, he met the glowing aqua eyes. "The name's Reno," he said, yanking Cloud up to his feet. "Damn," he whistled, "Those losers did a real number on ya huh? Let's get you to the infirmary."

After that, there was no turning back. From watching bad Wutaian movies to nearly burning his taste buds off while eating his cooking (Reno liked it spicy), Cloud knew he was stuck with Reno for life. He just, didn't mind it as much as he should have.

Angeal was more of an elder brother figure. The lone sane individual in the group, Cloud had once been scared to even breathe around the man. There was something about the way the tall man wielded the Buster Sword that sent cold shivers down Cloud's spine. Once Angeal and Zack had become a couple though, Cloud met Angeal on a nearly basis. Contrary to his earlier belief, Angeal was the most peaceful soul he knew. He'd been the one to teach Cloud how to clear his mind and keep out the clutter.

Among other things, Angeal was an ardent fan of gardening. Cloud loved spending time with him in his small garden, being reminded more often than not of his mother during her more lucid moments. Watching the Commander spray water lovingly on his ferns, he couldn't believe that at one point he had feared for Zack's safety.

Undoubtedly though, his most impressive achievement was his ability to sit through Zack's repeated miserable attempts at singing. Zack, bless his soul, was tone deaf. But Cloud loved watching the way Angeal's warm brown eyes fixated on Zack, the way he'd swing the younger man around the room as if it was only the two of them.

If Angeal was the sane one, then Genesis was by far, the most eccentric one. Cloud wasn't even really sure how they had met. All he knew was that one day, a red blur had burst into Zack's apartment and had started sprouting the most bizarre poetry he had ever heard. Too stunned to do anything, he'd just nodded and listened on quietly, wondering who in Ifrit's name this weirdo was.

Of course, eventually, Angeal had explained who Genesis was and they'd been properly acquainted. But that didn't stop Cloud from thinking that he was strange. He'd just learnt to deal with the weirdness. And the repeated attempts to get him to wear leather.

Last but not least, there was Sephiroth. If anyone had told him that the great General of Shinra would be among his motley crew of friends, Cloud would have probably died of laughter. But somewhere along the course of his stay, he had become close friends with his hero. After their first awkward encounter in Sephiroth's apartment, the two had managed to carve out a vague semblance of a relationship. He'd learnt that his hero was not the same as the person who he saw in the flesh, no, the reality was far better.

Both were socially inept, but that was probably what held them together. There was nothing more comforting than collapsing against the man's broad chest after a hard day of training. Interestingly enough, Sephiroth was exceptionally talented in getting Cloud to relax. He knew just where to press lightly on the younger man's scalp to turn him into putty. Nestled up against him, the tensions of the day melted away.

Sephiroth tended to have nasty days as well. Days where no one was allowed into his inner sanctum except his wonderful blond lover, who brought with him, wonderful, soothing, hot tea. A hot cup of tea coupled with an equally hot blond in his lap made even the most unpleasant of days bearable.

Cloud had a ridiculously poor immune system and tended to get sick often. His latest acquisition was a mild bout of food poisoning. Through the long, pain filled hours before the medicines kicked in, Sephiroth had held his hand and rubbed his poor stomach. He smoothed the sweaty spikes off his forehead and supported him when Cloud had bent over the toilet, emptying his stomach of what little it held. When Cloud could barely keep water down, he'd spent half an hour in the kitchen, making a vegetable broth to make sure Cloud got his nutrition.

Knocking on the door snapped him out of his reverie. He hurriedly washed his hands, drying them on the green towel that hung near the sink. "Cloud, are you almost ready?"

Grinning, he yanked the door open and hugged his startled lover. "Yeah, sorry I took so long." Sephiroth smiled at him softly, pecking his lips. "That's alright. Shall we go then? Angeal just called, Genesis has already started his rendition of Volume two and I believe Zack may make good on his threat to use the sour cream in a most unconventional manner."

Giggling, he let the man wrap a scarf around his neck and leaned into his side. Movie nights were always fun.

There were days when Cloud valued his solitude above all else. Today just wasn't one of them.


Author's Notes:

So…I'm not sure where this came from. The last bit about cloud being sick a lot is based on me. I just recovered from viral fever and now am on the recovery path from food poisoning.

Lumi is the Finnish word for Snow. Someone when I picture Nibelheim, I associate Nordic culture with it.

Also, writing this, I realized most shamefully that I don't know what color Reno's eyes are. I'm mildly disgusted with myself because I love Reno. If any of you know what color they are, let me know!

For the background of Cloud's upbringing, check out Substitute.

I think that's it for now. As a parting note, this hasn't been proofread properly. If there are any errors please point them out.

Feedback is appreciated!