All right here is Chapter 10… finally! This was originally going to be the chapter without much Cloud but apparently the boys had other plans. There isn't much action in this chapter though but there is plenty of fluff and a little funny. Take it for what it is but the next chapter should hopefully be more interesting than this one XD Also I did make an edit to the chapter before this so you may want to go back and reread that one before this or just keep in mind that as of Chapter 9 Cloud has been at Shin-Ra for a month, I don't think I originally mentioned how much time had passed since Angeal and Zack took over his training since Seph and Gen can't keep their hands to themselves.
Disclaimers: See chapter 1 and of course all grammar and spelling issues are mine and they may or may not be fixed later... lazy! But I am also still in the market for a beta if anyone is up for the job, it also means you'll get to see the chapters before anyone else!
Chapter 10 – In Which Things Mellow… Kinda?
After half an hour or so of Sephiroth trying to get Genesis to sit up properly on the couch, the red head obviously buying the blond some time to recover from his mother's rather surprising phone call, everyone finally settled back down. Sephiroth was back in his seat once more with Genesis lying on the couch, his head resting on the silver haired man's thigh while Cloud was surprised to find himself lounging against Genesis's chest, listening to the faster than normal heartbeat that he found there. He supposed the strange sounding heartbeat would throw most people off but he couldn't help but find it comforting in its own way, no matter how different it was it reminded him that this was all real and that he wasn't just going to randomly wake up. Considering he'd never really been this close with anyone, he still couldn't really believe it all and yet here he was getting attacked, the most amazing hand job of his young life and then… well snuggled for lack of a better word all in one day
The blond jumped slightly when he was suddenly poked in the shoulder by Zack who, without him noticing, had moved from where he'd been seated on the floor by Angeal and was now crouched next to him, looking at him with an expectant face.
"Oh right…" Cloud blinked slowly for a moment trying to fight off the urge to sleep that had washed over him. "Well I left Hand to Hand and headed into the locker room. When I got there I checked it out first to make sure it was empty before I even jumped in the shower…" He started out slowly.
Flashback
Cloud made sure to keep his shower short, despite the fact that he could normally spend an hour in one if he really wanted to, he'd gotten yelled at by his mother many a time about that. "If all queens take this long in the shower it's a wonder there is any water left on Gaia!" She would yell outside the bathroom door. At home though he didn't have a reason to be quick, now he just really didn't want to run the risk of someone coming in there while he was and heaven help him if Leften got in there without him realizing it. Regardless of the gloomy thought that had washed over him he'd managed to make it in and out of the shower before anyone else had come in. Sure enough someone did make it in there, but it was one of the other cadets that Cloud had helped find their way the first day of classes. The two exchanged a few pleasant words before the other cadet had left as Cloud finished getting dressed. He was putting his shirt on when he was suddenly grabbed from behind. The material of the shirt was still bunched around his head so he couldn't see who it was at first, though the minute the other spoke Cloud didn't need to see his face.
"No one coming to your rescue now is there?" The other guy mocked out. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who it was that now had Cloud damn near in a head lock. The little blond though wasn't about to just let him do whatever so he quickly managed to wrench one of his arms free and drive his elbow back into the other teen's stomach, causing him to yell out in pain for a moment before Cloud suddenly felt himself flying forward.
"Think you're so tough eh? Ya little SOLDIER bitch!" Leften yelled out before grabbing Cloud by the back of his hair and slamming the blonde's head roughly against the tile of the locker room wall. Cloud blinked for a long moment stunned by what happened before he was hoisted up by his collar and suddenly Leften was in his face again, his free hand running suggestively down Cloud's side. The blond squirmed trying to get away from the larger teen but being as dazed as he was from the blow to the head, the fight had all but left him, at least until the ugly teen tried to kiss him. Even half out of his head it was suddenly on like Donkey Kong and Cloud thrust his head forward causing Leften to push him back against the wall again roughly, turning his head into a bouncy ball once more against the wall as he clutched at his now split lip.
"Don't think this is over pretty, not by a long shot." The larger teen sneered before turning and heading out of the locker room quickly.
End Flashback.
"And then you guys found me in the shower stall just after that." He said nodding towards Angeal and Zack. "I guess it's because he tried to kiss me that I freaked, out of all the times I ever got my ass kicked none of them ever tried to do that." He said with a shudder before slowly calming down once again as Genesis started to run a warm hand up and down his back slowly and Sephiroth leaned to the side, planting a light kiss to the blonde's injured head.
"Oh Spiky." Zack said softly reaching out and patting Cloud's arm lightly before he finally stood back up and went back over to sit next to Angeal again.
As he sat back again a look that promised nothing but pain for the other teen darkened Sephiroth's expression. Genesis on the other hand glared up at the ceiling as he continued his gentle strokes along Cloud's back. Zack hadn't even noticed how tense he was until Angeal reached down and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze in an attempt to calm him. His eyes went wide for a moment before he looked at his lover and then followed Angeal's gaze back toward where Cloud was now lightly dozing on Genesis's chest. Zack's expression softened and he caught Sephiroth's gaze, wincing for a moment at the dark expression before nodding his head towards Cloud. Sephiroth followed the look and his own expression slowly softened as well, taking in the sight before he slowly stood up again.
He took Cloud carefully into his arms and carried the blond down the hall back into the bedroom. Laying him down and bringing up the blankets, Sephiroth turned to leave but a gentle tug on his arm stopped him. He looked back down, his cat like eyes glinting in the dim light of the room as they adjusted to see the blond more clearly. Cloud blinked up at him, his eyes hazy with sleep, and his other hand coming up to uselessly rub at them.
"What is it Cloud?" He asked while moving to sit at the edge of the bed. At the question Cloud thought for a moment about what Genesis had said about him calling the other man Seph and decided to roll with it, and if it didn't work he figured he could always blame it on being sleepy and being hit in the head... yeah he was plotting a little, so what! When you're in the bed of someone that hot… well, you know…
"Will you lay with me Seph?" He murmured out softly giving the silver haired man a sleepy look. A small smile graced the older man's face for a moment and he nodded his head slowly. The moment had been so quick that Cloud honestly wasn't sure if he'd seen it or not.
"Give me a second." He said patting Cloud's hand before going over to his dresser and finally seeing the mess that Genesis had left in the room. "I'm going to kill that damn idiot." He muttered to himself shaking his head slightly before grabbing a pair of drawstring pants and heading into the bathroom. Cloud couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the fact that Sephiroth had gone into the bathroom to change cloths but he felt a small flutter of excitement in his stomach when he reappeared in nothing but the pants.
Sephiroth walked back over to the left side of the bed and nudged the blond a bit and Cloud taking the hint, quickly shifted over towards the middle of the large bed before Sephiroth climbed in and settled down. Cloud just laid there for a long moment staring at the man with a slightly dazed look on his face before Sephiroth reached out and gathered Cloud into his arms pulling the blond snuggly against his chest. Cloud let out a small squeak in surprise at the sudden movement but quickly relaxed into the embrace.
"Thank you." Cloud muttered out softly finally allowing his eyes to drift shut again. Sephiroth couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face at this before placing a kiss to the blonde's forehead. Cloud sighed softly at the tender gesture and slowly felt himself drifting off to sleep again.
Sephiroth wasn't sure how long he had laid there watching the small blond sleeping in his arms. It was one of the few times he could ever remember losing track of time. The soft sounds Cloud made in his sleep were easily caught by the General's sharp hearing. That was the sight that Genesis walked in on and he couldn't stop the smirk that crept onto his face. Heading around to the right side of the bed he slipped in, snuggling up against the other two and as he did Sephiroth lifted his head a bit and looked at the red head.
"You've been in here for about an hour, Angeal and the puppy just left, they said we can 'discuss' things tomorrow when Cloud heads out on drills." He said quickly while shifting around a little bit to get situated, but at the same time being careful not to wake Cloud.
Rather than say anything Sephiroth merely nodded his head in response and put his head back down on his pillow finally allowing the feeling of sleep that had been tugging at him to have its way and overcome him.
Slowly clawing his way out of sleep Cloud couldn't ever remember his bed being so warm. If he weren't so relaxed at that moment and didn't feel as safe as he did, he most likely would have found the heat to be stifling but that wasn't the case. Turning over slightly he found himself face to face with a smirking Genesis. Cloud's eyes went wide for a moment before it all slowly started to come back to him, Sephiroth putting him to bed and then him asking him to stay with him. How he could forget he was in such a hot ass man's bed was beyond him, he blamed the blow to the head, yep that had to be it. He glanced over his shoulder and sure enough there was Sephiroth, eyes closed and mouth parted slightly in sleep looking nothing like the stern General he was known to be when he was awake. Cloud's face crinkled a little in joy at the sight that greeted him before he looked back to Genesis again. The red head smirked once again, but there was nothing suggestive about, just a pleasant little tug of the lips that he was too tired to make into a full smile, or at least that's what Cloud thought, though maybe his mind just wasn't that perverted until he was fully awake. The internal clock that Genesis had was telling him that Cloud technically didn't have to be up yet.
"You know you don't have to be up for another forty minutes. I'm surprised you're awake, we've been waking you throughout the night to check your head." He told the blond. At this Cloud nodded his head though he didn't remember being woken and slowly rolled back over and presented Genesis his back. The red head grinned again before reaching out and wrapping his arms around the blonde's middle and pulling him to his chest. "Oh my, now this feels familiar doesn't it?" He purred causing Cloud to shudder slightly, his body remembering very well what this position had led to last time he found himself in it. "Want to see something amusing?" He suddenly whispered. At the question Cloud found himself confused and slightly curious so he nodded his head quickly. "Rub your finger up and down his nose." He said lowly.
Cloud raised a brow but did as he was told, slowly reaching out and gently rubbing his finger along Sephiroth's nose. It started slowly but Cloud could clearly see Sephiroth's face starting to wrinkle up like he was either in pain or smelling Zack's cooking. Cloud just barely let out a giggle when he was suddenly seized but the wrist and his finger was being nipped at playfully by surprisingly sharp canines.
"You know, you shouldn't be letting Genesis teach you bad habits." Sephiroth grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes. The cat like pupils dilated in the little bit of light that was making its way into the room from the hall. Usually the bedroom would have been pitch black, but because Cloud had been there Genesis had left the hall light on just in case the blond had woken up and needed to find his way around the room, though he'd no doubt that had the blond woken during the night on his own, at least one, if not both of them would have been right by his side.
"I know…" The blonde murmured out, his eyes transfixed on Sephiroth's mouth which was now curved into a rather amused smirk before he grabbed hold of the teen, pulling him away from Genesis and rolling so that he was pinned below him, his long silver hair falling like a curtain around the two and the red head merely watched with a sleepy yet amused expression on his face.
"As much as we would like to keep you in bed all day…" the General said nosing his way along Cloud's jawline leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. "You have drills today." He ended with a quick kiss before rolling again so that Cloud was now resting on his chest with a pouty look on his face at the mention of drills. Sephiroth didn't know what it was but he always found himself to be more affectionate first thing in the morning, he supposed it was because it was before he had to get up and be "the General".
Genesis finally propped himself up on an arm and reached out gently trailing a hand down Cloud's back again causing the small blond to shudder happily. "How are you feeling this morning?" He finally asked with a still slightly sleepy, yet serious expression.
"I was perfect until someone reminded me about my drills today." He said with a pout clearly in place. He didn't know if it was because of what had happened yesterday with Genesis in the shower or because he had woken up between the two men but Cloud was feeling rather confident that morning about the whole situation he found himself in, not to mention the fact that he'd been at the academy for almost a month and this, whatever it was had been building since he'd arrived. The comment and the pout merely caused both men to chuckle lightly.
"All right you better get dressed; one of us will walk you back to your room." Sephiroth finally said after the three of them had laid there for a few more moments. Cloud opened his mouth and looked like he was about to protest being walked back to his room when Sephiroth held a finger to the blonde's lips. "Not just to make sure you make it there safely but because cadets are not supposed to be on this floor without a SOLDIER escort or special clearance, which you don't have." He explained though the 'yet' that was going to end the sentence was left unspoken. The ruffled feather look slowly left Cloud's face at that and he merely shrugged his shoulders before letting out a squeak of surprise as he was suddenly in the air. Genesis laughed from where he was now standing beside the bed and holding Cloud in his arms for a moment before he set the small teen down.
Cloud huffed slightly, which caused both SOLDIERs to laugh at him for a moment again before he made his way into the bathroom and shut the door behind himself. As soon as the door had clicked into place the two exchanged a look. "Go, I'll meet you." Sephiroth said simply before Genesis nodded and headed out quickly. While he waited for Cloud to come out, the General went about gathering his clothes as well as finding a shirt the blonde could wear at least until he got back to his room. As Cloud shuffled his way from the bathroom he squeaked again as he was quickly lifted off the ground and found himself in a rather heated lip lock for so early in the morning, his legs automatically wrapping around the taller man's waist, which pleased Sephiroth to no end.
"I'll be out in a few minutes." Sephiroth said before setting Cloud down and grabbing his things, he handed Cloud the shirt and then headed into the bathroom. Cloud wondered out to the living room after putting on the shirt, wishing more than anything he could be a fly on the bathroom wall at that moment and it wasn't until he flopped down onto the couch that he finally took note that Genesis was gone. He mentally shrugged to himself for a moment assuming that the man had things to do that morning that didn't include doing him.
Indeed he had, at least as far as he was concerned he did. Genesis was currently busy stalking down the halls towards the room that Leften was in, after he dug the information out of the computer system. Lazard must have figured that the group would try to find the guy after Zack had let the information slip because Genesis had to crack a rather annoying password system to get the information. He may have been a pretty face but that didn't mean he wasn't smart, far smarter than Lazard gave him credit for apparently if the fact that it only took him about ten minutes to crack the system and get the information he was after. What he hadn't counted on though was the fact that by cracking the system he'd sent an alert right to Lazard's office.
Back in the General's room Cloud caught himself enjoying the smell of the shirt he was now wearing, it smelled faintly of Sephiroth and leather, no doubt because the man had been holding it with his own clothes until he handed it to Cloud, but the blond stopped himself from burying his nose in it and letting the scent drag him back off to sleep. He was so focused on not allowing himself to drift back to sleep that Sephiroth suddenly appearing in his line of vision was enough to make him jump a bit.
"Come on Cloud let's get you back to your room." He said a small smirk crossing his features at the way the little blonde had jumped. Cloud nodded slightly, still obviously trying to wake himself up completely before following the taller man out of the apartment. The walk back to Cloud's room was silent and he couldn't really say he was all that surprised when they arrived and the older man followed him into the room. This Cloud knew had nothing to do with an escort and was just because the other wanted to make sure he didn't get jumped again, but between being slightly horny from the exchanges first thing in the morning and still a bit sleepy he couldn't find it in himself to get to bent out of shape about it anymore, but he had no doubt he would be later.
Changing into a fresh uniform he grabbed his kit from the closet and headed back out into the living area where Sephiroth was sitting on the couch. He looked up at the sleepy blond who was now rubbing his eyes and took pity on the blond. "Come here Cloud." He said simply before the blond shuffled over to him. Sephiroth grabbed hold of the bag slung over his shoulder and tossed it to sit on the other chair before tugging the blond down into his lap. "You have time for a half hour more of sleep." He said simply urging the blond to rest his head on his shoulder. Cloud let a small yawn escape him before rubbing his cheek softly against the leather clad shoulder and allowing his body to relax.
Sephiroth smirked slightly as the younger man drifted off and couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. When he was awake Cloud's face was so animated and expressive but when he was sleeping, he looked even younger than his sixteen years. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, whether it was Cloud himself or the annoying little voice that liked to show up in his head be he silently vowed to do whatever he had to too protect the little blonde and personally make anyone that harmed him pay either at his own hands or the tip of Masamune.
From where he had situated himself in one of the many balconies overlooking the cadet training grounds Genesis watched and listened like a hawk as Marcus Leften was doing his morning run. He mused to himself silently that the kid most likely wouldn't make it into the program past cadet training if he'd been there this long and hadn't picked up on the fact that he had been followed from the time he had left his room that morning but the thought wasn't enough to calm the anger that was coursing through the red head's veins. His PHS going off finally broke his concentration.
"Yes Angeal?" He purred into the device, having recognized the ring tone for his friend in the first two notes. "I'm on balcony D." He said simply before clicking the device off and turning his attention back to the idiot in the field.
Back in Cloud's room he woke again slowly to a gentle nudge and looked up at Sephiroth, blinking his eyes for a moment but already looking far more alert than he had when he woke up the first time that day. "As much as I would enjoy staying like this all day, we've got to get you to the training grounds." He said before standing with Cloud still in his arms. The blond looked at him in confusion which merely caused him to smirk. "How did you think I was going to get you there on time?" He said with a deep chuckle as he grabbed Cloud's bag off the chair and headed for the door. Closing it behind him he glanced down. "Hold on." was all he said before he took off down the hall.
If Cloud's hair didn't spike naturally it would have from the sheer speed of the run. As they neared the training field Cloud's half of the class was leaving from Sephiroth finally stopped and set the teen down on shaky legs. He really did look like a new born chocobo trying to walk for the first time. "We'll see you when you get back." He said wanting to kiss the blond again but being mindful of where they were. Once again though, he was stopped by a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to meet Cloud's wide eyed stare.
"Don't hurt him. I know he's a dick and deserves it, but don't. I don't want you guys sinking to his level." He said simply which stunned Sephiroth though it didn't show in his face.
"Is that a cadet giving a General an order?" He asked, his voice low but stern. Cloud bit his lip at the question and quickly shook his head.
"No, it's just… just someone who cares about you and the others and doesn't want to cause any trouble for anyone." He murmured out lowly but still managed to keep his gaze locked with the older man even though he was clearly in General mode now.
At the small admission Sephiroth's demeanor softened slightly. "Everything will be fine, focus on your training." He said before handing Cloud his bag and patting his shoulder for a moment before turning and heading back off with only a bit less speed than he'd used to get the two of them there. Cloud sighed slightly and watched until he could no longer see the black and silver blur before turning and heading to meet up with the rest of his classmates that were going on the drill, all while sending up a silent prayer to the Goddess that they four wouldn't do anything reckless.
Back on balcony D though it seemed the Goddess was on vacation as Genesis was now there with Angeal and Zack and the three were monitoring Leften as he continued his run. Sephiroth arrived to find the three of them silently staring down at the large teen, were he anyone else he most likely would have found the silence unnerving.
"I assume the idiot doesn't know he's being watched?" He asked stepping out onto the balcony to join the other three.
"Either that or he is just really good at pretending not to notice. I'm going to go with he's a damn dumb ass though." Genesis muttered out from where he stood causing Angeal to smirk and Zack to chuckle slightly.
"Cloud asked us not to hurt him." He said suddenly causing three shocked expressions to be shot at him, he merely shrugged.
"Spiky is too nice for his own good." Zack grumbled out causing the others to nod in agreement.
"You didn't tell him we wouldn't did you?" Genesis asked with a raised brow. Sephiroth merely shook his head at him.
"No, I merely stated that everything would be fine and that he should focus on his dills." He said simply, he opened his mouth to add to the statement when another voice chimed in from behind him.
"Indeed everything will be fine because you're all going to be honoring Cadet Strife's request and not lay a hand on Cadet Leften." The four turned quickly to find Lazard standing there with a frown on his usually impassive face.
"You can't expect us to stand by and let this guy torment Spiky." Zack snapped out surprising everyone. At the statement though, Lazard merely raised a brow.
"There was another incident the other day; we neglected to inform you because Cl- Cadet Strife did not wish to file a report." Sephiroth growled out between clenched teeth. Lazard frowned again for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"I see," He started before turning to walk away. "I do still stand by my statement though, you are forbidden from laying a hand on the Cadet." He said again but before the other four could burst out into protest he held up his hand. "Keep in mind that there are other attacks aside from physical, you're SOLDIERs, think about it." He said before slipping back inside. "Good day children." He said before slowly disappearing from sight.
It only took a second for the comment to register with the four men before they were all exchanging wicked smirks and glancing down towards the field once more.
"If this works, I'm going to kiss that man." Genesis said as his smirk twisted into something beyond cruel.
"Now that, I would pay to see." Zack muttered with a roll of his eyes which earned him a quick swat to the back of his head.
End Chapter
Again I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter as well as the lack of action of all sorts, but alas like all stories there will be chapters at times that are just build up, hopefully it wasn't too painful to get through. Thanks for reading!