Warnings: Squick all over the place. I'm not warning for anything specific, though, so read at your own risk. Not a happy fic.

XXX

Sephiroth stared around the silent apartment with a frown. The lock hadn't been tampered with, and there was no sign of a struggle, so where was Cloud? He called Cloud's PHS, and it went immediately to voicemail.

"Cloud, it's Sephiroth. Where are you? Call me as soon as you get this." He hung up and tried Zack's number, which also went straight to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message and pondered the situation.

Cloud had apparently gone out and turned off his phone. Zack had the afternoon off, and his phone was also off. They were friends, so it was possible that they were together, but he couldn't rule out interference from Hojo. Sighing, he put his boots back on and went to make sure.

The lab was quiet, with the only noise coming from the humming of a few machines. A few assistants were cleaning up the day's experiments, and they jumped when Sephiroth approached.

"What can we do for you, sir? Professor Hojo isn't here."

"Has he left for the evening?" Sephiroth asked.

"No, sir. He's gone for the week. Had to take a trip out to one of his remote experiments. He'll be back in two days."

"I see." It was highly unlikely that Cloud's disappearance had anything to do with Hojo, in that case, but he decided to look anyway. "I believe I left some papers here the last time I was in. Do you mind if I take a look around for them?"

"Go ahead, though if it's been a while, they've probably been destroyed."

"Understood." Sephiroth dismissed the workers with a wave of his hand. "I'll just take a quick look."

He quickly pretended to look through the main lab area, and then made his way over to the sample containment area. Most of the cells were empty, and the only remotely interesting one held a strange lion-like creature that looked at him with surprising intelligence. He stared at it for a few moments before moving on. One rescued creature from the lab was plenty.

When he had determined that Cloud wasn't anywhere in the lab, he checked Zack's apartment, and upon finding it locked and apparently vacant, returned to his own. Cloud still wasn't there, so he tried calling again and left another message, then settled in to wait.

"And when he punched the guy, and he went flying through the wall? So cool!" The alarm beeped and Sephiroth heard Cloud's footsteps in the entryway.

"I know! But the car chase was the best scene, you've got to admit." It didn't sound like Zack had actually entered the apartment.

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Hey, thanks for taking me with you."

"No problem, Spiky. You don't get out enough, you know. You need to start living a little."

Cloud laughed. "Yeah, I know, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing. Have a good night."

"You too. Say hi to Sephiroth for me."

"Will do."

Sephiroth heard the door close and waited impatiently for Cloud to get his shoes off and come in.

"Holy—" Cloud came around the corner and jumped. "Sephiroth? Shit, you scared me! Why didn't you say anything? And what are you doing sitting in the dark like that?"

"I was waiting for you, Cloud," Sephiroth said in a level tone. "Where have you been?"

"Zack took me out. We went to a movie and grabbed some dinner. I've got leftover fries, want some?" He held out a cardboard container and smiled.

"No, Cloud, I don't want fries. I want to know why you didn't tell me you were going out, and why you didn't return any of my calls. I was worried about you."

"Your calls? Oh shit! I never turned my PHS back on." Cloud rummaged through his pockets and pulled out his PHS, pressing the button on the top. "I had to turn it off in the theatre, see?"

"I had to go up to the lab," Sephiroth said, and Cloud paused, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"The lab?"

"To look for you. I had no idea where you had gone. I thought Hojo might have found you."

"Shit...Sephiroth, I'm so sorry. I didn't think. I—Zack just came by and said we should go—I'm so sorry. I should have left you a note." Cloud hurried over to his side and sat down on the edge of the couch, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"You should have called me. Zack probably didn't even check on Hojo's location before taking you out. It was incredibly selfish and stupid. Do you want to end up in the lab again?"

"No! No. I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"I could have lost you, Cloud," Sephiroth softened his tone and reached out to touch Cloud's cheek. "I couldn't stand that."

"I know," Cloud said softly, leaning into his touch. "I couldn't either."

"Please don't go out again without telling me first. Zack..." Zack interfered far too much. "Zack just doesn't understand how careful you need to be."

"I won't, I promise."

Sephiroth continued to stroke Cloud's cheek, happy to have him back where he belonged. He had been taking care of Cloud for months now; he was everything to him. He couldn't risk letting him get hurt or taken by Hojo again. If Zack had decided that he could just take Cloud out whenever he wanted...that was unacceptable. He would perhaps have to start limiting the amount of time Cloud spent with Zack. It wasn't worth the risk. Cloud was his most precious thing, after all.

XXX

"Sephiroth?" Cloud said quietly, as though he were hesitant about interrupting.

"What is it?" He leaned back in his chair, looking away from the report he had to finish. He could use a break.

"I—" Cloud came further into the office and curled up in his favourite reading chair. He held his knees in a position that seemed to Sephiroth like it was meant to protect his vital organs from harm. Sephiroth frowned at the odd behaviour, but waited for Cloud to continue. "I got a job. At the chocobo stable on the outskirts of Sector Four."

"What?" Sephiroth had heard correctly, he was certain, but surely Cloud didn't mean that he had gone behind his back and left the apartment without permission.

"Zack—he took me this afternoon. He said—" Cloud paled and looked away from him.

"He said?" Sephiroth prompted, adding a layer of ice to his voice that he had, up until now, avoided using with Cloud. He had given Zack a mission for the afternoon. Could he have traded it with someone else in order to see Cloud without Sephiroth around?

Oddly enough, the threatening tone didn't work. If anything, it made Cloud sit up straighter, and he looked him in the eyes. "He said he'd take me down there and pick me up from my shifts. It's just part time, but I'm going crazy stuck in this damn apartment all day."

"You're stuck here for a reason, Cloud," Sephiroth attempted to be patient while he explained, yet again. "I thought you understood that. It's not safe."

"Bullshit!" Cloud slammed a small fist into the arm of the chair. "Zack said it'd be fine. Tseng said Hojo's not looking for me anymore, and he doubts he'd even recognize me if he were. You keep holding Hojo over my head like some sort of bogeyman, and sorry, but I'm beginning to not give a shit about the monsters under the bed. What's the point if my entire life consists of an apartment and occasional walks with my owner? I'm not your fucking pet!"

"Pet?" Sephiroth balked at the descriptor. "I don't think of you that way." He cared for Cloud and provided for him, but he didn't consider him a pet.

"I just..." Cloud sighed tiredly, like his outburst had taken all his energy. "It's been two months since you changed me back, but nothing's changed. I thought I'd get my life back with my body."

"Cloud..." Sephiroth crossed over to the chair and knelt in front of it, cupping Cloud's face in his hand. He leaned in and kissed Cloud softly on the lips, prompting a startled, slightly frightened noise, but he held him there and continued to kiss him until he relaxed.

"I—I thought you—I know when I was a girl—" Cloud stammered when Sephiroth finally pulled back slightly.

"I liked you, Cloud. And I still do. Though it might be best if you didn't mention anything to Zack. You'll be happy at this job you've found?"

Cloud nodded, looking slightly dazed.

"Then I'm happy for you. I'll do my best to keep you safe while you're out, and I'm sure Zack won't mind helping."

"You mean...I can?"

"Of course you can." Sephiroth kissed him again and brushed some hair out of his face. This was just a small concession—Cloud wasn't leaving him. He simply had to learn what the appropriate amount of slack was to prevent Cloud from getting restless. If he balanced it correctly, Cloud would never even know. "I just want you to be happy."

"Thank you."

Sephiroth inched his way onto the chair, encouraging Cloud onto his lap bit by bit as he continued to kiss him and let his hands explore. He was careful not to push too much, however. Cloud would be completely his in time, and Sephiroth was willing to wait until he came to him. It seemed to please Cloud to be able to make his own decisions.

XXX

Sephiroth tapped his foot on the floor as the helicopter made its painfully slow approach to Midgar. Cloud's first shift at the stable had been today, but Sephiroth had been called out on a mission at the last minute. It infuriated him that he hadn't been able to at least accompany Cloud to and from. He had known from the moment he opened his mouth that attempting to convince Cloud to postpone until he got back was out of the question. Instead, he had been forced to rely on Zack to see him there and back safely.

When they finally landed, Sephiroth ignored the office completely and went straight home. Cloud had agreed to return immediately with Zack—no going out for dinner or dawdling in the slums—so he was going to be waiting for him. He resisted the temptation to call while he made his way to the apartment building. The last thing he wanted was for Cloud to feel like he was checking up on or smothering him.

The shower was on when he let himself into the apartment—that was a bit of a disappointment, but he supposed that if Cloud had been working hard all day, he'd want to freshen up. And he could smell something in the oven. He took a peek and discovered a roast and potatoes cooking. There was still plenty of time left on the timer, so when he heard the shower shut off, he went and knocked on the bathroom door.

Cloud yelped and hastily wrapped a towel around his waist—Sephiroth hadn't given him a chance to answer before opening the door and he caught a nice glimpse before Cloud hid himself behind the towel.

"Se—Sephiroth! Shit, give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

"Sorry," Sephiroth said with a smirk. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm home. How was your first day on the job?"

"Really great, but, uh...can I put some clothes on first?" Cloud was beet red and seemed entirely unwilling to move his towel, even though his hair was dripping all over the floor.

"If you insist." Sephiroth took a couple steps forward and caught Cloud's chin. He stroked his thumb over the damp skin on his face before kissing him passionately. He grinned when Cloud tried to follow him when he pulled away. "Clothes, remember? Unless you've decided you don't need them."

Cloud yelped and grabbed at his towel, which had dropped dangerously low. "I'll be right out. Dinner's in the oven. Will you set the table?"

"Of course."

Sephiroth was just finishing slicing the roast out when Cloud emerged from his room, fully clothed. "Cloud, I wanted to apologize to you."

Cloud stopped and stared at him. "Oh? For what?"

"For not realizing sooner that you needed something like this. I should have known that you wouldn't be happy sitting around all day doing nothing. I let my concerns for your safety override your happiness."

"No," Cloud said as he took the dishes over to the table and sat down. "You were worried about me. Are worried about me. I just got so frustrated. I didn't mean to—I mean, you've done so much to help me. I don't want you to think that I'm ungrateful."

"I know you're not." Sephiroth gave Cloud's shoulder a squeeze before sitting down. "And you were right; you need to go out and live your life. I'm going to see what can be done about Hojo, but in the meantime, I'll just have to do my best to look out for you, okay?"

Cloud smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Sephiroth smiled in return and passed the potatoes over to Cloud. That would do nicely. Cloud was happy again, and Sephiroth was back in his good books.

XXX

"Good news, Cloud," Sephiroth said as he slammed the door and began pulling off his boots.

"What is it?" Cloud came out of the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's waist.

Sephiroth spent a moment kissing Cloud before he finished getting his things off. The change in Cloud's attitude towards him over the past few weeks since he had begun working was remarkable; he had been right in thinking that he just needed to work out the right balance. "Hojo has scheduled a test for me in the training room in three weeks, and he'll be there to observe in person."

"That's good news?"

"It is for us. He's testing my combat abilities. Unfortunately, the training room's been seeing a lot of use lately. People get slammed into the viewing panes all the time, and the glass is probably quite weak. There could be an accident."

Cloud's face lit up as he processed the information. "You mean—?"

"It would be most unfortunate if that glass were to break while Hojo is standing on the other side of it," Sephiroth said with a grin. "He could get hurt...even killed."

Cloud laughed and hugged him tightly, but Sephiroth tilted his head up for a kiss.

"Supper can wait a while, right?" Sephiroth asked when he pulled away. At Cloud's nod, he kissed him deeply again and began working Cloud's shirt off. For news like this, he thought as he trailed his hands over Cloud's chest and plucked at his hardened nipples, he deserved a show of appreciation. Cloud would give it to him.

XXX

He trailed his hand over Cloud's nude form as he lay resting against him, taking in the smooth skin that he had held off from touching for so long. "Sleep here tonight, okay?"

Cloud's eyes opened, blinking in the soft light. "I can stay?"

"You've always been welcome in my bed, Cloud."

"Oh..." Cloud blushed and shifted slightly closer.

Satisfied that Cloud wasn't going anywhere, at least not tonight, Sephiroth changed the subject. "Zack and I are being sent on a mission that will take the next two weeks."

"You're going away?"

"Tseng is arranging for a fake ID and transportation for you. Civilians often use Shin-Ra ships, and then once we're in Costa del Sol it will be easier to just have you travel with us. He says he doesn't have time to watch over you while I'm gone, but truth be told, I'd rather have you with me." Sephiroth rubbed his thumb over Cloud's lower lip and pressed it into his mouth slightly, letting Cloud suck on the tip. "Do you mind coming with me?"

"No," Cloud whispered. "I—I'll tell them at the stable. Two weeks?"

"Yes. We'll be back in plenty of time for my session with Hojo."

"Where are we going?"

"Your hometown."

XXX

"Cloud? Cloud, is that you? What's wrong?"

His head bobbed and the motion made his stomach turn. He tightened his grip on the thing in his hand and looked around for the source of the voice, willing his stomach to settle. Green clouded his vision for a moment and he shut his eyes again.

"Cloud? Are you okay?"

He forced his eyes open and blinked in the harsh light. A woman's face came into focus. She was standing over him, looking concerned. Cloud...his name was Cloud. He turned and looked at what was in his hand. A sword. A big sword, like what a SOLDIER would use. That was right. His name was Cloud, and he was a SOLDIER.

"Come with me, Cloud." The woman pulled him to his feet and supported him as he staggered a few steps. "Can you walk? Here, lean against me. I can't believe you're here after all this time. What happened to you?"

"Sephiroth..." Cloud mumbled. Where was Sephiroth?

The End

XXX

A/N: He went to see his mother.

There's a smutty scene that I cut out (with girl parts Cloud) that I'll post at some point. Probably after I move and have internet again. Thank you for reading!