Title: A Twisted Kind of Honour
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud, Zack/Aeris (some S/C/Z)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Warning: BRITISH SPELLING! Direct talk about rape. Voyeurism. M/M scenes. Terrorism. Het.
Chapter: 14/20
Comments: This chapter will probably divide the people in this fic. There is a het sex scene in this chapter. It is vital to the plot. Do not tell me that it's cruel to Sephiroth etc. as it's meant to be. And it will be dealt with appropriately.

Chapter Fourteen:

An Elaborate Game

Aeris put the plate of food in front of Zack. He'd come over for dinner. It was the first time she'd seen him that week. He'd phoned her, and naturally she'd pretended everything was alright. Yet now, with him here in front of her, laughing with her mother, she couldn't pretend everything was alright any more. She sat to the table, watching as Zack devoured the steak and kidney pie and potatoes with relish.

"I was thinking that we could go out tomorrow night," Aeris said, keeping her voice light. Zack's face fell and he quickly swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Er... I kind of planned something with Cloud," Zack said. Aeris looked down at her plate.

"Oh. Just Cloud?" she asked. Elmyra seemed to realise that there was a conversation happening under this conversation and excused herself to go and get a drink of water.

"Ah. No. Sephiroth too," Zack said, looking shifty. Aeris sighed and pushed her plate away.

"Zack, why are you lying to me about it? Don't you understand that this is hard enough?" she asked, green eyes annoyed when she turned to him. Zack hunched over his plate miserably.

"Why'd you say yes in the first place then?" he asked his potatoes. Aeris felt sick when she realised he wouldn't even look at her.

"Because it was the right thing to do for everyone else," Aeris replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was the right thing for you, obviously. You prefer them to me."

"It's not that-" Zack began but stopped, his mouth snapping shut. He looked up at her, mako blue eyes boring into the side of her face.

"I understand. Cloud is vulnerable. A little brother figure. He reminds you of home," she whispered. Zack shook his head.

"It's not that. I just... I can't abandon them now. Cloud's made such progress and I don't want him to go backwards... I mean, I'm not involved all the time now, but Cloud still likes me within ear-shot, y'know?" Zack said, obviously trying to make her understand. Aeris folded her hands in her lap and tried not to show him how upset she was.

"There's going to come a moment when I lose you..." Aeris said softly. "There will be a moment when you stop coming here."

Zack was silent for a long moment. "Come with us tonight. We're just going out. You know, dancing. I'll prove to you that things aren't that bad."

Aeris glanced at him then nodded once, grimly. She hoped that Zack was right.

*

Cloud felt extremely awkward. Zack had assured him what he was wearing was fine before he'd gone to pick up Aeris. Cloud wasn't so sure. He had a pair of jeans on that were way tighter around his backside than he'd have ever bought for himself and a long sleeved black shirt that also seemed to be made to fit like a second skin. Zack had even forced him the change the buckle of his belt to something loud and glittery and that had a stupid reconstruction of a dragon on it.

All in all, Cloud felt a little ridiculous. He looked in the mirror though and was surprised to find that he did look older, at least. The darker colours gave him a more serious demeanour and made his tanned skin seem lighter.

The bathroom door opened and Sephiroth exited, towel around his waist. Cloud breathed in sharply, catching the scent of Sephiroth's aftershave. The other had been relatively uncertain about going dancing, convinced that he would attract unwanted attention. Zack had just laughed and told him that if he couldn't dance, he would leave him behind. Sephiroth had given him a long look and then shrugged, leaving Zack and Cloud to plan.

Now though, Cloud could tell that Sephiroth was as nervous as he was. The other was going to rather impressive lengths to be presentable, particularly if he was wearing aftershave of all things. Cloud walked over to him, wrapping his arms around his damp waist.

"Are you sure we couldn't just stay in?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth shook his head.

"Zack has invited Miss Gainsborough. He'll be annoyed if we ditch him to stay in and watch television," Sephiroth pointed out. Cloud pouted and let Sephiroth out of his grasp. He watched as the other walked to the wardrobe, hands twitching automatically to the usual battle leathers he wore before he drew them aside and began to look through his other clothes for something to wear.

Cloud wished that Sephiroth would just wear the damn battle leathers. It would be less weird that way. Sephiroth threw some clothes onto the bed and Cloud was at least a little relieved that a pair of leather pants were there. It wouldn't be a complete transformation then. Sephiroth turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you hovering? Are you going to tell me off for my fashion choices?" he asked, dropping the towel and stepping straight into the leather trousers. Cloud groaned. Now it would be in his head all night that Sephiroth had no boxers on.

"No, I was just thinking that this isn't us, Seph, this is Zack," Cloud said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Sephiroth zipped up the trousers and pulled on a dark grey shirt that had a weird silky sheen to it. He began to button it up.

"We try it once. If it doesn't work, then we don't do it again," he said simply. Cloud flopped back onto the bed.

"I know but... Do you get the feeling that Zack's... I don't know... here too much at the moment? I can't remember the last time he said he was going to see Aeris," Cloud wasn't sure that Sephiroth would share his concerns. He had noticed though, that Zack was calling Aeris less and less, talking about her only occasionally and making more and more plans with Cloud in particular. He'd known that things would change with the nature of their relationship, but Cloud kind of missed the Zack who was so in love with his girlfriend that he couldn't stop talking about her. It sometimes felt to Cloud like he loved Aeris more than Zack did.

"That's Zack's concern," Sephiroth said curtly. Cloud sighed, knowing that Sephiroth just wouldn't get it.

"I guess so..." he said. He felt a pressure as Sephiroth knelt on the bed and leaned over him. He could see the concern in Sephiroth's eyes, even though his expression was carefully blank.

"It bothers you that much?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, meeting his eyes.

"I won't need Zack to be with us forever. He's my best friend, but he's not my lover. I'm worried that he'll have no life to go back to once I've got over this," Cloud replied. Sephiroth reached out to slowly trace his fingers over Cloud's cheek. His fingertips ran over the ridge of the scar and Cloud let his eyes close.

"I will discuss this with Zack if you want," Sephiroth offered. Cloud nodded.

"I don't want to seem ungrateful, Seph, but... it's not Zack I'm in love with," he said with a shrug. He saw something flutter across Sephiroth's expression, but he had no idea what he'd said to cause it. It had looked happy, at least.

"I will speak to him," Sephiroth said, leaning in to kiss Cloud.

"Yo guys! I'm back!"

Sephiroth sighed when he heard the front door slam as Zack came back, presumably with Aeris. Cloud wanted nothing more than to just snag the back of Sephiroth's neck and kiss him, but the other pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead and pulled away, going to find his shoes.

*

Aeris saw the way that Cloud carefully avoided eye contact with her and Zack. She also noticed that Sephiroth steered Zack away from Cloud pretty quickly when he first walked in and distracted the other with talk about where they were going to be going that night. She was more than a little relieved that it seemed that Cloud and Sephiroth were aware of the changes that had come over Zack the same as she was.

Cloud eventually awkwardly offered that she looked nice. Aeris smiled and couldn't resist the urge to tease. "Is that in an aesthetically appealing way, or in an 'I think you're attractive' way?" she asked. Cloud turned pink.

"I like girls too," he protested. Aeris found herself giggling.

"I do! It's just... they scare me a little and... I really don't think a girl would understand... Well, maybe one of the Turks girls would..." Cloud realised he was babbling and Aeris patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay Cloud, I was just teasing you," she said. Cloud shook his head.

"I just don't want to be stereotyped as Sephiroth's homo as hell boyfriend," Cloud replied and Aeris guessed that this had been something that Cloud had heard from somewhere. She wondered who it was that gave the boy grief about their relationship, but then Zack was walking over and offering her his arm.

"Come on, we're going to get so drunk we can't stand up straight!" Zack announced.

"You are," Cloud dead-panned. Zack guffawed.

"Oh, now that is a challenge."

*

Cloud stared. Zack danced like he didn't have a bone in his body. It was almost frightening how well he managed to lose himself in the music. Cloud had never seen a man move his hips that way outside the bedroom and he was pretty sure that it wasn't just him that was noticing Zack. Zack, meanwhile, was oblivious, dancing with Aeris. She wasn't quite as boneless or fluid as Zack, though she had a kind of grace about her that meant it didn't matter. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. She looked happier than she had done in weeks and Cloud was glad she'd somehow reconnected with Zack.

He glanced down at the drink in his hand. Zack had refused to buy him soft drinks so he'd ended up on shots of whiskey. It had been Sephiroth's idea. Shots were less likely to be spiked and freed you up quickly so you weren't holding onto glasses with the likelihood of having it spilled. Cloud drank it, feeling it burn all the way down.

Sephiroth had an arm wrapped protectively around his waist and Cloud leaned against him. The amount of people and the heat was making him a little edgy, but he still would use it as an excuse to cuddle up against Sephiroth's side all the same. The other didn't seem to mind that much.

Cloud thought it was also kind of cute how Sephiroth's eyes really did glow in the dark here. In their apartment Cloud would sometimes watch as Sephiroth fell asleep and marvel at how even when his eyes were closed, the green glow penetrated his eyelids. Rather like a torch with a piece of paper held over it. In the night club, under all the UV lights and bright colours, Sephiroth's eyes looked almost normal.

"What?" Sephiroth said lowly, leaning down so that his lips were next to Cloud's ear.

"It's nothing," Cloud murmured back, happy to have Sephiroth's undivided attention. Sephiroth's lips quirked upwards and he casually moved his hand so that it was just underneath the cloth of Cloud's shirt. Cloud felt all the hairs on the back of his neck go up and all his awareness go to that warm hand curling around his side. He let his eyes drop to half-closed.

The song changed and Aeris leaned forward to talk to Zack. They retreated back from the dance floor and Cloud reluctantly straightened up a little. The whiskey was starting to have an effect and he was feeling rather mellow, all things considered.

"Come on Spike. Aeris wants a drink but I want to dance!" Zack said, grabbing Cloud's arm. Cloud gave Sephiroth his empty glass and followed Zack awkwardly, not sure how to tell the other that he couldn't dance. In the middle of the dance floor Zack stopped and Cloud tried his best not to look terrified.

"Don't look so frightened, Spike. It's just dancing!" Zack said, laughing. He then positioned himself behind Cloud, his hands holding the other's hips lightly. "Just follow my lead, okay? That's all Aeris does. So long as you pay attention to the beat, you'll be fine."

At first Cloud felt stupid, with Zack pretty much moving his hips for him. Eventually he relaxed a little and began to move a little more fluidly, his head dropping back against Zack's shoulder. The older man didn't flirt, didn't say anything ridiculous, and Cloud quite happily lost himself in the music.

*

Watching Cloud be dragged off by Zack left Sephiroth with a strange problem. He and Aeris didn't get on that well at the best of times. Now with the prospect of watching her boyfriend pawing his, he wondered if this was going to be more awkward than even he could handle.

"We should dance," Aeris said resolutely. Sephiroth just blinked at her. She smiled up at him, her hand held out. He reluctantly touched her and noticed that she barely even flinched.

Following her to the dance floor was surreal. He could no longer see Cloud clearly and he felt almost like a traitor to him when Aeris' arms wrapped around his neck.

"I've been wanting to talk to you," Aeris said as they began to move to the music. Sephiroth said nothing, figuring she'd either tell him or not.

"I want this thing you have with Zack to stop," she continued. "I don't want to have to share him any more... I'm losing him." She looked afraid and Sephiroth could feel her body was tense as he let his hands rest on her waist. She was probably thinking about how he could crush her with a simple squeeze if he was so minded.

"It seems in this, Miss Gainsborough, we are in agreement," he said and was pleased when he saw complete surprise spread over her features.

"Cloud has expressed his displeasure in the situation also. He doesn't want Zack to forget where he belongs and asked me to address it with him. I will do so, but I thought that for tonight, it would be wiser to let him have fun. It has been a tough few months for Zack, after all," he said. Aeris was nodding to everything he was saying, listening intently. He began to forget that they were meant to be dancing.

"Thank you," Aeris said, her eyes closing. Sephiroth nodded and let his hand drop from her waist.

"You're more than welcome, Miss Gainsborough."

*

The Turks Annual 'Let's Get Rat Arsed Drunk' Fest, was in full swing. They entered the club like they owned it and, while Rude and some of the others immediately hit the floor, Reno and Tseng gravitated towards the bar. Reno didn't mind dancing, but he preferred a good hard drink first. He started as he meant to go on, with the cheapest vodka he could get. He drank it like it was water. A night didn't really get interesting until he was seeing double anyway.

His gaze was caught by a few couples on the dance floor that he hadn't been expecting. The General was there for a start. He wasn't dancing with a pretty boy blond either, but rather with Fair's girl. The Ancient. Reno watched as the two slowly stopped dancing, obviously talking intently. She'd probably just discovered that Fair was having hot dirty sex with the General. It was the most likely situation after all. You couldn't hide something like that forever.

The other two who came into view immediately changed Reno's suggestion of the events. Maybe they're swingers? He saw Zack and Cloud dancing with each other. Cloud followed Zack's movements almost seamlessly, his inebriation obviously helping him get over his nervousness and draping over Zack. Reno smirked. Maybe Sephiroth and the Ancient did have a lot to talk about if these two had got caught up in each other?

"They look good together, do they not?"

Reno lowered his shot of vodka from his lips to see Rufus. The man was still dressed all in white and Reno growled when he realised the other had come out without any kind of protection at all. Nearly every Turk in the room had just lost their night out in lieu of protecting their ignorant VP.

"Pft. They're completely incompatible," Reno replied, swallowing the shot and calling the bartender over for another. He began to dig into his pockets for the money but Rufus suavely handed over the cash before Reno could even get his wallet out.

"Explain," Rufus said, leaning against the bar. Reno grabbed his shot, deciding not to say thank you. Rufus wouldn't have bought it for him if he weren't after getting him drunk for information anyway.

"Fair's a selfish kind of guy. He bounces around like a puppy dog, not realising that he breaks a lot of shit he touches," Reno said, eyeing the two who were dancing together. "He ultimately puts his own needs above others. You wouldn't want to be the one waiting for Zack at home, cuz if he's busy, he ain't gonna be callin' ya any time soon. Just look at him now, he's clearly not thinking one bit about his girlfriend."

Reno turned to Rufus, wondering if he was still listening. He was surprised to find that Rufus was. He smirked and downed the shot of vodka, waiting for Rufus to refill his glass before continuing.

"Sephiroth on the other hand is someone who feels so worthless, they'll do anything to prove it," Reno said. Rufus frowned, as though he was about to protest. "Nah, hear me out. Sephiroth will do almost anything for Cloud. He'd chop off his own dick if it would help the lil' guy out with his issues. Someone who's damaged, they don't need someone who will forget about them just cuz they're not in their immediate line of sight."

Reno began to wonder if he should move onto the tequila. It would hurt more in the morning, sure, but it would taste better than this vodka. Although he thought that maybe Rufus had been ordering him some of the more expensive stuff...

"And since when did you become such a good judge of character, Reno?" Rufus asked, his arm sliding around Reno's waist. Reno didn't say anything. Sleeping with Rufus and flirting with Rufus was one thing, but Reno hated it when Rufus patronised him. He wasn't a child, and he wasn't stupid. Uncultured he'd admit to, but stupid?

"Since I realised someone close to me was playing games, yo," Reno replied, his green eyes flashing dangerously towards Rufus. The Vice President looked mildly surprised.

"I thought you liked playing games, Reno. Keeps you on your toes," he replied after a moment. Reno let out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah. And you treat us Turks like dogs. Like we don't understand what's goin' on in front of our eyes," he accused. "But just so you know, Rufus, I play games like the best of them. I'm already one step ahead o' ya. Just so ya know." He put his glass on the bar.

"Just what are you referring to?" Rufus asked, obviously worried about what Reno knew about his little game with AVALANCHE. Reno just smirked.

"Can't you read my poker face, yo," he said as he disappeared into the crowded dance floor.

*

Cloud had seen Sephiroth leave the dance floor again with Aeris and had felt weird. They'd been dancing together? Surely that was a bit strange. Zack hadn't even noticed, he was pretty sure. Cloud wondered what they had spoken about. He was about to break away from Zack and go and find out when he saw Reno materialise from the sea of people.

"Yo. Just thought I'd say good luck for tonight," Reno said to Cloud, ignoring Zack all together. Cloud blinked.

"Er, thanks," he said, wondering how Reno had found out that he planned to meet AVALANCHE tonight. Reno had smirked and ruffled his hair before leaving.

"What was that about?" Zack asked suspiciously, his grip on Cloud's waist tightening. Cloud let out a quiet gasp as he felt the fingers tighten hard enough to bruise.

"Zack, that hurts," he said. Zack let go immediately looking mortified. He looked down at his hands and then up at Cloud.

"I'm sorry... It's just... SOLDIER y'know..." Zack looked so guilty that Cloud couldn't feel angry at him. He still rubbed his sore sides a little though.

"He was just teasing me, Zack," he said, not sure why he was lying about going to an AVALANCHE meeting. He hadn't wanted to tell Sephiroth before hand just in case the financier didn't turn up. Not telling Zack was just because he didn't want the other to try to come with him.

"Are you sur-"

"Hey you two? Are you going to get another drink? The bartender's just announced it's two for one on all shots for the next ten minutes," Aeris said, sliding her arm around Zack's waist possessively. Cloud took that opportunity to escape, promising to bring back drinks.

*

Cloud was watching from the bar. It was getting close to midnight. Any moment his phone would ring to tell him that it was clear for him to make his way to the Honey Bee. He watched as Cissnei, who was already pretty drunk, climbed onto the stage and started to dance. She ran her hands through her hair and swung her hips around wildly. Even Cloud had to admit that she was the picture of free-spiritedness.

Cloud laughed when Reno followed her up, grabbing her hips and making lewd faces. Some on the dance floor were laughing and pointing, others were too caught up in dancing themselves to care. Reno attempted to slid his hand up Cissnei's top and got his wrist twisted up behind his back for his cheek. If Cloud squinted he thought he could read Reno's lips yelling 'I yield! I fucking yield okay?'.

A few moments later Zack was on stage as well and Cloud put his hand to his cover his mouth. He saw Aeris' hand reaching for Zack's pants leg to pull him down again but he shrugged her off, grabbing Cissnei and putting him over her shoulder. Reno grinned evilly and began to spank her while Zack laughed and she beat him on the back.

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket and Cloud tore himself away, slipping out of the club seen only by a single pair of green eyes.

*

The Honey Bee was a hive of activity. Cloud had never seen so many AVALANCHE members in one place at once. He felt a little guilty at not telling Sephiroth. Tonight would have been a perfect night for a SOLDIER raid. Even so, he felt that whatever information he could get about the finances would still help prevent further attacks. If Shinra could block the flow of money it would eventually stop AVALANCHE without a great loss of life on both sides.

He had to admit, he was rather drunk. He'd had at least twelve shorts of whiskey in the club and the warmth that had settled in his chest was starting to radiate throughout his body. His cheeks were glowing rosily. He wasn't so drunk that he would say something stupid, but he knew that his judgement was impaired. Why had he let Zack convince him to drink anyway?

He let himself be ushered into the Red Room where he was sat down next to Elfé. For once she wasn't her obnoxious self. She spoke to him civilly, her tone could even have been described as warm. He let himself be drawn into a conversation about weaponry rather easily, more easily than he would have done without the whiskey in him. He felt a little sleepy now, in the warm, and also ravenously hungry for some reason. Elfé rested her hand on his shoulder as she leaned forward to tell him a small detail about the hilt of a sword she had her eye on.

The door swung open and at first, Cloud didn't even notice. Seconds later though a hush came over the room and Cloud found himself looking towards the tall, blond Vice President of the Shinra Electrical Power Company.

"Strife?" Rufus said at the same time Cloud got to his feet with a startled "Rufus?!".

For a long moment there was a stand off and everyone in the room seemed to be looking between the two of them. Rufus collected himself first and stalked over to Cloud, grabbing his arm and throwing him into the en-suite attached to the room. Cloud stumbled inside, grabbing onto the sink for support. Rufus kicked the door shut behind him and locked the door.

"What the fuck, Strife? What are you doing here?" Rufus snarled. Cloud straightened, wishing more than ever that he hadn't drank so much. What had he been thinking?

"I could ask the same of you," he pointed out. Rufus tensed up.

"We have a stalemate. Sephiroth knows you're here- Oh that bastard. This is what he meant isn't it. 'Look after him'. Oh really, Sephiroth, only you would be so romantic to think that I wouldn't kill you just out of loyalty to him," Rufus began to bitch. Cloud noticed that his pupils were slightly dilated as well. He's drunk too... And he's crazy.

"Keep your silence here and I keep mine in Shinra," Cloud interrupted. Rufus' blue eyes snapped towards Cloud's and for a moment there was silence.

"I should kill you here and now. Who cares if Sephiroth discovers?" Rufus said, reaching into his jacket for his gun. Cloud lifted his head, standing as straight as he could. If he was going to be shot, he was going to be shot at least while looking his murderer in the eye. Rufus couldn't get his gun out of the holster though, his fingers fumbling on the latch.

"You can't afford Sephiroth to come after you," Cloud said softly. "And you don't really want to kill me either."

Rufus' hands stilled. He looked up at Cloud and then sighed, dropping them from the holster and letting his jacket fall back over it.

"Strife, how can I trust you to keep your word?" he asked. Cloud looked over his shoulder.

"You think I'd manage to avoid AVALANCHE on a vengeance mission? Forever? Even Sephiroth can't guard me twenty four hours a day," Cloud pointed out. "If they find out who I am, I'm dead."

*

Sephiroth realised Cloud was missing after Tseng managed to coax the Turks and Zack off the stage. Aeris had immediately grabbed Zack and started to scold him while Cissnei had chased Reno all the way to the bar with her belt in her hand. Sephiroth had winced when the belt whipped across Reno's shoulders. The other swore and seemed to change direction towards the men's. Cissnei wasn't deterred by the sign on the door and did, of course, follow him in.

It was when Sephiroth scanned the bar that he realised something was wrong. There was a gap where Cloud had been stood. An empty glass stood there. Scanning the dance floor Sephiroth couldn't see the distinctive mop of blond hair anywhere. He gestured for Zack to come over.

"Find Cloud," he ordered. Zack frowned and glanced around the room much as Sephiroth had. He then turned to Sephiroth and nodded, disappearing onto the crowd. Aeris frowned.

"Do you want me to help?" she asked. Sephiroth nodded and they all split up. Sephiroth headed for the men's toilets, the most obvious place for Cloud to be other than the bar. He pushed open the door.

"Ya crazy bitch! Get out of the men's toilets!" he heard Reno shouting. Sephiroth began to walk along the cubicles, pushing open each door. At the end one Cissnei was trying to kick the door open and it was clear that Reno was in there. All the other stalls were empty.

"Reno, Cissnei. Have you seen Cloud?" Sephiroth asked. Cissnei turned to him, startled enough that she dropped the belt. Reno must have heard the buckle clink because a hand darted out from the gap under the door to snag it, disappearing inside with it a moment later. Distracted from his question, Cissnei began to hammer against the door, demanding it back.

"Cissnei, have you seen Cloud?" Sephiroth repeated, losing patience.

"He left earlier, yo," Reno called from inside the stall. "Saw it while I was on stage."

Sephiroth frowned. "Alone?"

"Yeah. I figured he jus' wanted some air, ya know?" Reno replied. Sephiroth gestured for Cissnei to back off. She did so. Sephiroth gave the door a firm kick that knocked it off it's hinges completely. Reno fell against the toilet, his arms raised to protect his face.

"Are you lying to me, Reno?" he asked. Reno pushed the door off himself and glared at Sephiroth.

"Look, if ya can't keep ya boyfriend on a leash, don't freak out when he leaves without ya, yeah?" Reno said, moving so he could get out of the stall. "'sides, if he didn' tell ya where he was goin', why would I tell ya? There might be a reason for his secrecy ya know." Sephiroth realised that Reno's slum speech got heavier the drunk or more pissed off he was.

"Do you know where he is, Reno?" Sephiroth asked. Reno shook his head.

"Wish I did, yo, then I'd kick the VP's ass," he said with a shrug. Sephiroth froze and his eyes narrowed.

"What did you say?" he asked. Reno seemed to realise he'd said too much and held his hands up.

"I didn' say nothin'," he protested. Sephiroth stepped forward.

"When was the last time you had your head flushed down a toilet, Reno? Cadet school?" Sephiroth threatened. Reno's eyes widened and Cissnei smirked behind Sephiroth.

"Shit. Don't you fuckin' dare. Look, I know who Rufus is, alright? I'm fucking him, so it's kind of hard for him to hide it," Reno was speaking very, very quickly. "But I don't know where he is tonight. Or where Cloud is for that matter. I assume wherever they are, they're probably together."

Sephiroth moved out of the bathroom with a speed that left Reno staring at the spot where he'd been without realising he'd left. Cissnei rolled her eyes.

"Now you've done it, Reno," she said, folding her arms. Reno was just glad that he hadn't accidentally given away where AVALANCHE were meeting. He knew he was going to have to give Rufus and Cloud enough time to scram before SOLDIER found them.

*

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding. Why did no one inform me that Strife here was an informant?" Rufus said as he stepped from the bathroom. Cloud walked out, wiping his lip. Rufus had hit him 'just to feel a bit better about the deal' and then run away before Cloud could retaliate. He felt a bit stupid pressing his fingers the the corner of his mouth and checking for blood.

"We would have done if you'd have listened, Mr Shinra," one of the members of AVALANCHE piped up. Rufus just shrugged and walked into the room. Cloud went to sit next to Elfé again. She began to fuss over his lip straight away, handing him a tissue and pressing it to the corner of his mouth.

"I want to talk to you outside," Elfé whispered to him. Cloud nodded. She rose to her feet and left. Cloud waited a few more moments, dabbing his mouth. He saw in the middle of the table there was a bottle of wine. Without caring any more, he grabbed it and instead of pouring a glass he just drank as much as he could from the bottle without choking. Across the room, Rufus raised a glass of some kind of alcohol to him in salute. Cloud slammed the bottle down onto the table and glowered at him before getting to his feet unsteadily.

Rufus had clarified a few things to him in that bathroom. For a start, Sephiroth had known. Sephiroth had known who financed AVALANCHE and not told him. Did the man think he risked his life for nothing? Was he so far from reality that he didn't think that it mattered to Cloud that something like this might be dumped on his lap?

Cloud left the room, looking around for Elfé. She wasn't inside the building, that much was clear. He stopped a bee-girl and she pointed him towards the door, saying that Elfé had left a few moments before. Cloud stepped out of the Inn, swaying drunkly as the cold night air hit him like a brick wall. Feeling a hundred times more drunk than he did before, he staggered around the side of the building, trying to avoid the neon lights. They seemed to be spinning.

"Cloud? Shit, you drank way too much," he heard Elfé say. He looked up and saw her leaning against the wall of the Honey Bee. She was looking at him with calculating brown eyes.

"Rufus... stupid bastards the lot of them..." Cloud slurred, trying to clear his head. This had been a bad idea. Why had he followed her? He propped himself up against the wall.

"Indeed. You know, Rufus is our trump card. He's going to take AVALANCHE to the big time," she said. Was she moving towards him or was he falling forward? Cloud couldn't be sure anymore.

"Rufus is just a child playing with big boys toys," Cloud managed to say. "He holds no real power in the company... Just has his daddy's credit card."

"But he does have some authority. He keeps the Turks off our cases sometimes. And he kept your SOLDIER at bay, didn't he? Sephiroth hasn't launched an attack on us in months," Elfé was moving closer, Cloud was certain now. He felt her hand against his cheek. It was cold.

"Sephiroth knows about Rufus. I don't know why he isn't doing something about it," he said. Elfé looked surprised when he said that, but Cloud didn't understand what was so surprising. Of course Sephiroth knew. Sephiroth knew everything, didn't he? This was just giving his pet a safe job... Sephiroth was always one step ahead of everyone else.

"Oh Cloud... you hate him so much, don't you?" she said. He could feel her breasts pushed up against his chest. It was different from being with Sephiroth or Zack. She wanted him to hold her, wanted him to act, not be purely reactive.

"No. I don't hate him Elfé," he admitted softly. "I love him. That's why all this hurts as much as it does."

Elfé tilted her face up towards Cloud. "Do you love him so much that you won't look at me?" Cloud looked down at her brown eyes. She didn't understand, of course she didn't, but she was offering solace. Selfish, disgusting, sordid solace, but it would be comfort all the same. Someone wanted him, not knowing his past, not pitying him, just pure lust and admiration for his character.

Someone who wasn't playing games with his fucking head.

"'m drunk," Cloud muttered. Her lips were close to his now and he could smell the scent of her perfume, cloying and deceptively flowery.

"Forget them, Cloud... Forget Rufus, and Sephiroth, and those that hurt you... I won't hurt you..." Elfé coaxed. Her lips were warm and soft against his, and his arms automatically wrapped around her. She pressed him against the wall, sliding a hand gently against his scarred cheek.

*

Zack had gone to Wall Market, despite Reno's insistence that the Turks check that area. He had automatically smelled a rat at Reno's overwhelming assertions that Cloud would almost definitely be waiting at home. Sephiroth had just gone home, obviously knowing where he needed to look first.

Wall Market had been buzzing with activity, as usual. Zack tried to keep himself as out of sight as he could. He checked the bars and restaurants first, wondering if Cloud had got hungry. He then started to check out the seedier aspects, hoping he didn't find Cloud there. He stopped up short when he came to the Honey Bee Inn.

He stared at the neon monstrosity and immediately struck it from his list. There was no way that Cloud would be in there. For a start, Zack was pretty sure that Cloud was as gay as they came, and no amount of women in bee costumes was going to help him get it up, and secondly, if he and Sephiroth couldn't make Cloud comfortable with sex, how could a complete stranger?

He turned away, about to slip down the back of the building towards the back alleys that would lead him towards Don Corneo's mansion, when a flash of golden hair caught his eye. He focused his vision, staring through the gloom.

He felt the peculiar sensation of all the blood rushing to stomach and bubbling there at what he finally made out. It was definitely Cloud, and a woman whose face Zack knew but couldn't quite place. Cloud had her pushed up against the wall, her legs around his waist. It was clear what they were doing and Zack felt bile rise in his throat.

What the fuck is he doing? Everything me and Sephiroth have done for him and he's fucking around on us? With what? An AVALANCHE slut?!

Zack turned away in disgust and went to find the nearest bar. He typed a quick message to Sephiroth on his phone though.

'Cloud not here. Someone says he was just a while ago though. Stay away while I poke around. Don't need to scare them with the Silver General after all.'

The lie felt bitter, but the truth was even more so.

*

Cloud moaned. She was wet and tight and soft. She was everything that Sephiroth wasn't. Her body reacted to every touch. He felt no threat from her. Elfé just arched against him, mewling out soft moans and clutching at his shoulders in desperation. She grew tighter and tighter, her body making hot slick noises as they moved together.

He came inside her, reaching down to hold the condom on as he pulled out. She touched herself for a few more seconds before moaning out her completion and trying to pull him forward to kiss him. Cloud pulled away from it though, his brain starting to clear.

"What was in that wine, Elfé?" Cloud asked suddenly. Elfé just gave him a contented smile and slid her panties back up her legs.

"It was Rufus' idea. He wants to make sure he has something concrete to prevent you from snitching on him for a reward," she said, withdrawing her PHS. There was a red light to show that it was recording. Cloud snarled and tried to grab it, but he overbalanced, falling to the floor amongst the trash.

"You're doing remarkably well for someone who's drunk a mix of a powerful aphrodisiac, a dash of Rohypnol and as much alcohol as you have," Elfé's tone was condescending. "I expected you to pass out half way through. I guess it just goes to show that once you start you see things through to the end."

Cloud swore at her, desperately trying to stay conscious. She laughed and patted his cheek. "Oh, don't get me wrong. This was really fun. You're my favourite out of all the boys at the moment, but really Cloud... You finished far too soon. It's polite to wait for the lady... Although I know you've not got much experience with that."

"I'll kill you for this..." Cloud spat, feeling all strength leave his muscles. He felt hate bubbling in him so strongly that he could barely see straight.

"Hm... I'd like to see you try... Goodnight Cloud."

And she began to cover him up with trash.

*

Reno dropped by a few hours later. He stared at the Honey Bee Inn for a moment, always taken in by how goddamn bright that thing was. He then went down the side of the building. He'd recovered more Turks from this alley than he could count, and he had already heard from Rufus that Cloud would be here.

He found him with his pants still around his ankles, face down under a pile of garbage. Reno made a face and extracted him from it. Cloud made a low gurgle in his throat.

"Yeah. I know. Elfé is bitch. So's Rufus," Reno said softly, adjusting Cloud in his arms. "You need to put weight on, y'know. You're pretty light..."

"'m sorry... I didn't... I wasn't thinking straight..." Cloud whimpered. Reno sighed.

"We'll talk about what happened in the morning. You can apologise as much as you want when the drugs and booze aren't talking..." Reno said. Cloud buried his face into his chest and started to sob. Reno didn't say anymore.