Disclaimer: Squeenix owns it , I'm just having fun with it
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairings: Cloud/Zack; Cloud/OC
Warnings: Anal, AU, Language, M/M, Minor, Non-con, Oral, SH, Violence

Chapter 10. Routine Alarms

Cadet Strife. The healer has concluded his examination. He will proceed immediately with treatment. This will include a combination of materia use and surgery. He is planning the operations for later this week and expects them to be completely successful. We will keep you informed. S

The first time Cloud was seriously harassed was nearly a month into the semester. It happened after Physical Training. They were currently working on their endurance so PT consisted of doing the same set of exercises over and over and over again, and then repeating the process. By the end of the class, they were all dirty, sweaty, and sore. At least the schedule allowed plenty of time for hot showers, so the locker room was always busy.

Since he wasn't alone, he figured he was safe. After all, you'd have to be a complete exhibitionist to assault someone in a crowded room. Cloud couldn't imagine it so he couldn't imagine anyone being okay with it. That could be why he didn't recognize the attack when it came.

"Look, Tony. Isn't that a pretty kitten," somebody said. Cloud blithely continued soaping his mucky body and watching the brownish water swirl away.

"I bet he likes to be stroked," said another voice, closer but still unknown and nearly buried in the noise of teenage boys taking showers, chatting, flicking wet towels at each other, and generally being rowdy and obnoxious.

"Let's find out." Suddenly a hand pressed onto his shoulder. "Hello, pretty kitty. Can I make you purrrrr?" The last word was drawled right into his ear as the hand moved firmly down his spine to his butt, where it curved around and grabbed on.

Cloud jumped, but the guy had his arm almost wrapped around his back and his hand on his ass kept him locked into place. "What the hell?" he yelled, "What are you doing?"

The second guy, standing out of sight somewhere behind him, laughed softly. The first guy, the guy with his hand on Cloud's butt, moved closer, putting his mouth nearly on Cloud's, "We're introducing ourselves. We want to get to know you better."

Cloud twisted his head away and pushed at the chest beside him. "Not interested."

"Aww," said Ass-grabber, "a pretty little kitty like you needs a group, for fun... and protection."

He finally pulled the fingers out of his ass and placed his back to the shower wall. It wasn't a full wall. In fact, it was barely chest high on most of the cadets. It was impossible that the other cadets didn't know what was happening in Cloud's stall but no one was interfering. "I have a mentor, thanks anyway."

His PHS was lying on the top of the wall, within easy reach as Tseng had instructed so he hit the panic button; also as he'd been instructed. It should bring Hansin running.

Ass Grabber reached out with one thick finger and made as if to run it down Cloud's exposed chest. Cloud swatted it away, eyes slitting in anger. "Not a very good one," said Back-up Boy, "after all he left you all alone, and vulnerable. We could do a much better job of taking care of you, little kitten."

What pissed him off, more than the other cadets pretending this little scene wasn't happening, was the fact that he was naked and they were not. He felt skinny and tiny and weak and helpless. It didn't help that the collar tabs announced the two as being sophomores. In the cadet world that meant they had rank over freshman Cloud. They were probably higher than D class as well, just to make this situation even more fucked up.

"Hey, shrimp! Where the fuck you hiding?" Reno's shout echoed in the tiled room. "We got things to do, yo!"

Rescue was at hand. Cloud looked Ass Grabber right in the eye, "Over here!" he shouted back.

"Like that fucking helps! If you jump I might be able to spot your hair." Despite the teasing, it was only moments before Reno's ambled down the aisle and up to Cloud's stall.

It was long enough for Ass Grabber to whisper to him, "Is that your 'mentor', little kitten. Do you think he'll sell you?"

"You got company?"

Cloud hadn't broken eye contact since Reno had called out. "They were just leaving."

Reno said, "Doesn't look like they're leaving," at the same time Back-up Boy oozed "We'd like to stay," and examined Reno from the hair to the feet. He gave a hum of approval, "Ooo, I like them dirty."

Reno looked at Back-up Boy, "Then you're in the wrong fucking place, yo. This is the showers." With one contemptuous flick of his eyes, he dismissed Back-up boy, "Moron."

"Is this your mentor, kitten?" Ass Grabber also looked at Reno, "You chose this skinny, slum rat to guard your… back?"

"Woah, you harassing my roomie?" Reno looked very surprised, which made Cloud instantly suspicious. He watched as the redhead moved very deliberately to place himself between the two sophomores.

"You're not kitten's mentor?" Ass Grabber purred. Cloud was pretty sure he was now thinking that he'd get two for one. He was also pretty sure that Reno was thinking the same thing.

"Shit, no, but he's got one. Hey, kid, did you wanna go with these guys?" Reno asked all casual. He'd looked just as relaxed before flattening Victor Moore, Cloud remembered.

"No," his answer was flat and hard, he'd moved to a ready stance, up on the balls of his feet, "but they're second years, Reno." He warned the cocky redhead.

"Got it, they don't know the word 'no'." Which wasn't actually what Cloud meant but if that's how Reno chose to take it…. "Did you wanna fight?" Reno asked the one who'd groped Cloud, his tone hopeful.

"Fight for a chance to pet little kitten here?" said Ass Grabber, reaching out as if to stroke the blond. Again, Cloud swatted his hand away.

"Nah, just fight. Haven't had any decent action since I got here, yo. Buncha upper plate pussies."

The two sophomores laughed. Cloud knew they were thinking that they were bigger, heavier and had more training than the redheaded cadet. Then there was the ego factor, "We don't fight freshmen and, even if we did? We wouldn't fight a slum rat like you."

"Good enough, shit brains. Let's play takedown." Suddenly the redhead was in motion. An elbow slung backwards got Back-up Boy in the face. His head flew back into the wall and bounced out again. Blood sprayed from his nose and he started to wail.

Cloud, recognizing Reno's moves somewhat better after a month, lashed out with his fist and landed a solid hit on Ass Grabber's kidneys. This turned him slightly and Reno took advantage by kicking him in the balls. Hard. Ass Grabber collapsed in a whimpering heap, clutching himself.

Back-up Boy stopped clutching his face and grabbed Reno's hair. He was going to use it to reel in the wiry teen but instead Reno used it as a guide to throw his left arm around the older boy's neck. He locked his grip forcing the sophomore to bend and then shot a series of hard jabs into his ribs, his kidneys, anything he could reach.

Ass Grabber, proving himself tougher than he'd seemed so far, reached out with his hand to grab Cloud's leg, but it was wet and slick and his hand slid right off; but it alerted Cloud to the danger so he lashed out with his foot, heel forward to protect his toes like Zack had taught him. The kick landed high on the ribcage, close to the heart, there was a 'crack' and Ass Grabber was gasping for breath.

Cloud turned to see Reno finishing off Back-up Boy by pounding his braced left elbow into the vulnerable spine. With a grunt, he joined his friend on the wet shower floor. The whole fight took less than five minutes. There were a few cadets watching but most continued on with their routine, either not wanting to be involved or not wanting to be late for their next class.

"Well, that was fucking disappointing," Reno stated contemptuously, "You'd think a couple second years could do better than that, yo."

"They weren't expecting you to attack," Cloud said then frowned. Was he defending them?

Reno was disgusted, "If you're in a fight, or nearly, you should think anybody who comes up to you is a threat. Who the fuck is teaching these guys survival skills, yo." He looked at the collapsed and/or moaning duo laying on the floor, "Do you think I can ask one of them?" Cloud was startled into a chuckle. Reno sounded so outraged; he was probably serious about asking who the sophomores' instructor was.

Just then, Hansin came trotting up. Reno saw him first. His scowl didn't change much, "Useless prick," he muttered. Cloud didn't want to agree but, if this was his back-up's first test, he'd failed. He didn't know why but his roommate had decided long ago that he didn't like, or approve, of Cloud's 'mentor' and, like most of Reno's likes and dislikes, he had no hesitation in letting the world know.

"Are you all right, Cloud? I heard there was something going on."

He didn't get a chance to respond. Reno had his own priorities, "You know these guys?"

Hansin looked at the two downed teens, "Um, I think so."

"Fuck, princess, they're second years like you," scorn dripped from Reno's voice. "You can't place them?"

"It's just they look different, with all the blood and stuff."

Reno just sneered, "You know who's teaching them survival?" Hansin blinked at Reno in shock, "because who ever it is, is fucking shitty and I don't want to be in his class, yo."

Cloud was tired of being the only naked one. He slipped past the pair, sniping at each other – at least, Reno was sniping, Hansin was floundering as he usually did around the convicted felon, and grabbed up his towel. "We need to move it, Reno," he said, "Class in ten."

"Okay, kid," he made no move to follow when Cloud went to the locker area. He put his hand out to block Hansin in, waiting until the blond was out of earshot. "I know Cloud has a panic button, and I know he pressed it. Next time, you might want to move your ass a little faster, yo. It won't look good on your transcript if your apprentice gets killed, will it." With a little shove, he abandoned the stunned Turk wanna-be.

The next attack took place on the payday, so Cloud was never sure whether the boy, a first year cadet from one of the other programs, was after his ass or his wallet. It was a brief tussle that ended when the blond jabbed his attacker sharply in the diaphragm. While the other cadet lay gasping like a landed fish, Cloud took off running and didn't look back.

Then there were the two guys he'd come across harassing one of the secretaries. She was one of Reno's favourite targets, sweet and naive; the redhead could get around her in a heartbeat, but she always gave Cloud a home-baked treat; a cookie or a muffin. Her name was Darla. He remembered it because it was so close to 'darling' and that what he secretly thought she was. He wasn't sure what class or rank the guys grabbing at her were, he didn't think of it till later. All he thought was she was one of the few genuinely nice people he'd met in Midgar and, 'what would Zack do?'

With no other thought than that, he yelled, ran in and assumed a defensive posture. They both turned to face this new entertainment, which was good because Darla got away, and it was bad, because Cloud realized these weren't cadets: these were full-fledged members of the Army – and they were drunk.

He tried to run but they caught him and were in the middle of beating the crap out of him when Darla arrived with members of the Civil Guard. He was taken to the infirmary, Cured, and released with a warning not to be so stupid. The secretary pressed charges, which she could do since she was an adult and a B4 and her attackers disappeared. Probably into that materia mine of Reno's.

Of course, Darla talked to her friends, who talked to their friends. Suddenly, Cloud Strife was being talked about as a hero and fussed over in the Admin Building. The next time Reno took him to distract the office staff; he got given sandwiches, cookies, cake, and sweetbuns. The quality of the goodies certainly topped what even Reno could get in the high-class food line.

Not everyone thought that the cadet deserved the praise. One definitely felt it wasn't right for a D3 to be lauded for interrupting his betters. After all they'd just been having a little fun. William Descartes, self-proclaimed protector of upper class privilege, decided to keep an ear out for information on little Cloud Strife, the darling of the secretary circuit because, honestly, creatures like that needed to learn their place.