Yay new chapter. Sorry for the delay, I'm taking Honors classes so I have tons more homework and I also have a poem series I'm working on. Anyway, enjoy and please comment.
-o-o-
"You will NEVER believe what we found!" Genesis said happily, barging into the bathroom without a thought. He stopped to observe Zack holding Cloud close, but was pushed through the doorway by Angeal. Genesis took a seat on the floor, Angeal took a seat on the closed toilet, and Sephiroth resumed his position next to the bath. "So what have you been up to?"
Cloud, fully immersed in the chilly water, just sighed and let his eyes drift shut. Zack kissed his damp head and began to slowly rock him. "Me and Seph weren't careful enough having sex and Cloud got overheated. He scared me, seriously."
Genesis debated with himself, trying to figure out if it would be totally inappropriate if he made a joke. He had decided that it wouldn't be, but Angeal sent him a stern glare that made him reconsider.
"It's good to see that you're okay, Cloud," Angeal said courteously.
"Thanks," Cloud breathed, relaxing even further into the water. "So what won't we believe that you guys found?"
"Oh right. Well we went walking and we got lost and we found this place with people and we got directions to a zoo! It's pretty new, so maybe you haven't heard about it yet, huh Zack?" Genesis rambled.
"A zoo? Seriously? The only place I've seen a zoo is that one thing they have the nerve to call a zoo in Junon. We should totally go, but tomorrow, cause I'm pretty sure I'm done for the day," Zack said, looking at Sephiroth hopefully.
Sephiroth's brows were furrowed in something close to pain. He entwined his long fingers and stared of into space. "Zack, Genesis... I don't think I could go with you... I don't think I could see anything in a cage... Not after how I grew up in one."
Zack was disappointed, but he was determined not to let it show on his face. He didn't want to force Sephiroth into traumatic memories or something. His arms felt empty as Cloud slipped out of them and leaned over the side of the bath to wrap his arms around the pained man. Sephiroth reciprocated and they stayed like that for a time.
"I think you should go," Cloud said softly. "I think you have to face it. Besides, these animals aren't in cages, or they shouldn't be. I heard that zoos have enclosures for the animals they have. And sometimes animals get hurt and would die if not for zoos."
"We took a peek, they all have outdoor enclosures except for the ones that wouldn't survive in heat like this," Angeal put in.
"You went through hell, but you survived, Sephiroth. Maybe you'll enjoy seeing the animals, they're like a little piece of so many cultures," Cloud tried again.
"I-I will try, but Zack was right. Tomorrow is soon enough," Sephiroth said back, kissing Cloud lightly.
"Of course it is. Did you really think I was giving up my nice cold bath for some more torture in that heat?" Cloud asked lightly, sliding back into the tub and submerging himself once again. Sephiroth smiled and skimmed his fingers over the surface of the water, relieved that he was surrounded by people that cared for him and understood what he went through.
-o-o-
"So what are we doing tomorrow? We have a choice of looking at shiny weapons or looking at animals that could probably eat us," Zack told them over dinner. "Earlier we agreed to look for another weapon to train Cloud in, but then we made plans to go look at hairy beasts all day. So which is it?"
"I wanna go to the zoo!" Cloud said cheerily. He was in much better spirits now that he was significantly cooled down and he was wearing light, loose clothing.
"We can find a shiny weapon on the way back from the zoo," Sephiroth said absently, picking at his food. They all looked at him with concern, wondering if he was having second thoughts about his choice to go to the zoo with them.
"I'm going for a walk," Sephiroth said abruptly, looking over to Cloud. "I'd like you to come with me, Cloud."
"Uh, alright. Here, let me take your plate," Cloud reached for the plate, but Zack snatched it back.
"He hasn't taken a bite and if he doesn't want it, I'll eat it. I love you're cooking, Spike," Zack said, pushing all of the uneaten food onto his own plate. Sephiroth smiled a little sadly and shook his head at his antics.
Cloud sighed good-naturedly and slipped on his boots as Sephiroth waited with the door open. When Cloud came over, they said their goodbyes and they left the room, slipping silently into the inky darkness of the rural village. Sephiroth was silent as he led his charge outside and towards the woods. They walked in complete silence until they couldn't see the lights of Gongaga anymore. Cloud strained his eyes while he looked around at the area Sephiroth had led him to.
"Cloud, I'm worried about you," Sephiroth said awkwardly.
"Huh? Why?" Cloud was baffled. He hadn't done anything stupid or put himself in any danger other than that overheating thing, so where was this coming from?
"Usually people that are less strong in physical aspects are best with materia. People that focus on more than brute strength. Fight smart, not hard. These people find materia very easy to use. You're one of these people, strong as you are, but you cannot even use materia," Sephiroth tried to explain.
"Oh, is that bad?" Cloud asked uneasily.
"It's not bad, per se, but it is... weird. For now we'll keep this to ourselves, we don't want anyone finding out and telling Hojo that you're not exactly normal, all right?"
"Uh, yeah. But will we have to keep it from Zack?"
"...No, I think not. But I'm still not sure of Angeal and Genesis. As I have said, everyone believed them to be dead. While they may have just gone into hiding, it's highly unlikely. I know you are fond of them, I am as well, but don't let that make you stupid."
"...Would going to a zoo they mysteriously found near Zack's hometown that was built without his knowledge count as 'stupid?'" Cloud wanted to know.
"Oh yes, but then we will have the advantage of numbers. We'll be taking our weapons with us under the guise of weapon shopping afterwards. If nothing happens, they need not be any wiser than they are now."
"So... We have to be careful? Should we tell Zack too?"
"No," Sephiroth reassured him. "Zack will be fine; he's already figured it out."
"Oh... so I was the only one that didn't?"
"Well..." Sephiroth stalled. "Angeal and Genesis don't know..."
"...My noticing skills suck."
"Yes, they kind of do," Sephiroth admitted, relieved. He took Cloud's hand and begun leading him back towards the town and all was quiet around them. When they could just barely see the lights of the homes filled with happy people living their lives, Cloud tugged on Sephiroth's hand and the stopped.
"Sephiroth, will there ever be a time when people won't have to be afraid of other people?" Cloud asked, looking up at Sephiroth with eyes that looked older and more pained than they had any right to be.
Sephiroth was quiet for a time, then he looked up at the sky and Cloud did as well. They watched silently as a star fell from its home in the sky to crash land somewhere on this unfamiliar terrain, never to be reunited with the home it had once. Sephiroth looked down, knowing his own gaze was just as sad.
"I don't know, Cloud. I just don't know..."
-o-o-
Upon their return, Cloud resumed his post by the window, staring out without seeing. Zack and Sephiroth started up a discussion about if they thought Heidegger and Scarlet would be back and why. Angeal listened incredulously as Genesis slipped away to sit with Cloud.
"You can be serious," Angeal said, stunned.
"Oh, no, he's serious. He is soooo serious." Zack hurriedly assured him.
"Is it so hard to believe that Heidegger deserved it? He struck Cloud and he needed to be humbled," Sephiroth argued.
"Yeah, and Scarlet was just there and looking mean at Cloud. So she had to be hurt too," Zack explained, lighthearted at the overprotection of his favorite cadet.
"Well my theory is that if anyone doesn't like Cloud, they should keep it to themselves because neither Zack nor I want to hear their deluded ramblings," Sephiroth sniffed haughtily. Angeal was forced to give up his disbelief and just laugh at how much Sephiroth had changed.
They were interrupted as Cloud came over and lifted Sephiroth's arms out of the way so he could straddle his lap, face pressed into his chest, without so much as asking permission. Sephiroth and Zack were confused, but pleased at the confidence he was slowly growing.
"Genesis is being stupid, so I came to visit," Cloud explained, wrapping his arms around Sephiroth's torso just under his arms so that Sephiroth could still move. He also braced his legs on the back of the chair so that he was comfortably wedged between the chair, Sephiroth, and the table.
"Is he now?" Sephiroth inquired lightly, throwing at glare over his shoulder at Genesis, who only grinned.
"Mmhmm, he was asking if I planned to... Do anything to get overheated," Cloud muttered into Sephiroth's chest. "I didn't like being overheated, you know. It was scary."
"What did it feel like?" Zack asked curiously. He knew the symptoms well and he had seen people get overheated, but he had never been so himself. He was too adjusted to the heat.
"Well I felt fine until I started feeling weak, then I tried to sit up and it all started going black," Cloud whimpered. "It all got darker and darker until the towel woke me up."
"Poor thing," Sephiroth soothed, petting the wild spikes firmly pressed against his chest. Zack made a face that he hoped conveyed his sympathies.
"Cloud," Zack said abruptly, sounding strangely urgent. "You know we're never going to do that again, right? I don't mean sex, I just mean... We're going to pay attention. We won't hurt you, I promise. You know that right?"
Cloud was silent as Zack's anxiety grew, then he unwrapped himself from Sephiroth and resumed his previous position on Zack's lap.
"Of course I know. And it didn't hurt, it was just scary," Cloud told him. Zack breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a hesitant smile that was returned at once. Cloud then tucked his head into Zack's shoulder and sighed contently.
Genesis dragged his chair back over to the table and neatly pushed it in. Angeal stood and did the same for his chair.
"I think me and Angeal should get going. We'll be right down the hall if you need anything," Genesis said casually. They exchanged goodbyes and Cloud lifted his head up long enough to wave goodbye, and then the two ex-Generals departed for their own bed.
Zack stood and held Cloud to his chest, happy when Cloud's legs wrapped around his waist so he could cling to Zack as he moved about the room. He retrieved light sleepwear from their packs and took Cloud into the bathroom and set him on the tub. He retrieved Sephiroth and they both stripped the blonde and redressed him, and then Zack waited patiently as Sephiroth and Cloud did the same to him. Once finished, Zack and Cloud gave the same treatment to Sephiroth and didn't hesitate to jump in his arms after they finished. Sephiroth lightly laughed at them and took them to the bed.
Cloud kicked the thick blankets over to Zack's side and took the thinnest sheet for himself. He wrapped himself in it and watched as Zack assembled the other blankets to form a sort of nest. Once the makeshift bed on the bed was complete, Zack invited both of his lovers in it and they both accepted.
Entwined, they all relaxed and basked in each others presence until the slowly fell asleep.
-o-o-
As morning came, Cloud found himself waking up first. He stayed as he was for awhile, just so he could watch Zack and Sephiroth sleep. An idea formed in his mind and he slipped out of their soft grips and out into the warm air, resisting making a face. In his absence, Zack and Sephiroth slipped closer to each other. Cloud smiled and retrieved his private bag. From it he withdrew a pen and a notebook. He sat at the window again as he scribbled across the page.
The activity, though quiet, was enough to rouse the SOLDIERs. They blinked sleepily and looked to Cloud, who realized he was being watched and hastily shoved his notebook back into the bag.
"Good morning," he greeted quickly, trying to distract them. Sephiroth disguised his curiosity to smile at the cadet. Zack just stared at the bag for a moment before flopping back onto the warm sheets. He was asleep within moments.
"Good morning for some, but not for others," Sephiroth sighed, glancing over his shoulder to peek at Zack. When he looked back to Cloud, he was met by a happy smile.
"Yeah, but Zack is more of a noon kind of guy," he laughed. "Here, I'll go out and see if I can find anything for breakfast. I only had enough food to last us yesterday. I'll go see if Genesis can take me back to wherever he got the questionable food."
Sephiroth's gaze sharpened and he mouthed a warning to be careful. Cloud nodded and stood, coming for a kiss before taking his bag with him into the bathroom. Once he emerged he was dressed and looking at lot more awake than before.
"You should probably get some more sleep," Cloud advised, trying to discretely hide his bag behind a dresser.
"Yes, perhaps I will," Sephiroth said, yawning. Cloud smiled once more and let himself out of the room. Sephiroth was surprised at the willpower it took to let Cloud out of his sight. He worried for both of his lovers, of course, but Cloud wasn't as strong. He had natural skill with a sword and he was fast, but that couldn't save him if he was attacked unarmed. It definitely wouldn't save him if he was attacked by Genesis.
He listened intently and smirked when he heard Genesis swearing and Angeal stammering and Cloud laughing. He idly wondered what Cloud had walked in on, but figured he would learn of it later. Now he had a much more pressing concern to deal with.
He slipped out of the bed, ignoring when Zack reached out to try and hold him there. He walked to the dresser slowly, listening for any indication that Cloud would be returning, and he pulled the bag out. He carried it with him to the foot of the bed and opened it up curiously. If Cloud had a secret, Sephiroth had to know it.
He combed through the bag skillfully, taking in all of the contents. His eyes were sharp for anything that might have been out of the ordinary. The bag only contained clothes, small packets of tea, a book from one of Cloud's classes, writing utensils, and a small, thick notebook. He withdrew the last item and flipped open the cover and was surprised at what he found.
Cloud wrote poems. Lots of poems, apparently. He flipped to a random page and began to read.
Tired,
so tired.
Voices all around,
yelling to awaken us,
to give us reason to face a new day.
A new day,
full of life and opportunities,
a day that could change our lives.
Right now I just want to give away my days,
to someone who wants to change their life,
and I'll just focus on my nights,
so I can sleep in peace.
That definitely sounded like Cloud in one of his more grumpy moods. Sephiroth found himself grinning and wanting to read more. These words came from Cloud. They came from Cloud before he knew him. They came from the Cloud before anyone had really known him. Sephiroth settled himself and began to read through from the beginning.
