FF
When he opened his eyes, there was a ceiling over his head. He could feel again. His mind was less empty. Cloud Strife lifted his head, almost dizzy in the unfamiliar room where he was laying on a bed. It was day—possibly late afternoon—if the gold light streaming in through the dusty window was to be believed. Cloud lifted a hand and discovered that his metal gauntlets and gloves were gone, arms now bare. And while it wasn't cold in the room persay, something definitely felt missing.
He was about to move when a door right across from him swung open. And everything came back to him. Squall Leonhart met his eyes, but Cloud was staring directly at Squall's bare chest. Or more precisely, the long red scar spanning across it. And though it had been cleaned, the freshness of it reminded Cloud exactly how it had ended up there...
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...
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"Sephiroth," Cloud had said suddenly, "He's watching me..." His companions stopped in their tracks. They knew from the serious glint in his mako-infused eyes that the ex-soldier wasn't lying.
"Cloud..." Terra was the first to say, hands together as if she wanted to comfort him, and yet not knowing how. Squall studied the horizon in silence. Cloud's ability to feel when the one-winged angel was near didn't mean the threat was actually here. But then, he could also have been closer than they knew.
"Maybe you guys should go on ahead." Cloud stated. There was a tense draw to his shoulders. Anyone who had been with Cloud for more than a few minutes would tell you it's hard to figure out what's going on in his head. Unless it involved Sephiroth. Every inch of the blonde's body was prepared for an abrupt battle. The tight clench of his fists and the grit of his teeth was the tell tale sign that Cloud expected to suffer any minute now.
"You shouldn't deal with him alone," Terra almost scolded, but it was far too quiet to come across that way, "Let us help you this time."
"No," Cloud's clipped answer made Terra wince, "He's looking for me. No one else has to get hurt if I can deal with it by myself."
"And if he kills you?" Squall interjected for the first time cince they'd set out that day; "Cosmos would be without her full army—and losing you is a particularly harsh blow." It was so like him to think in terms of strategy. But what he wouldn't admit was that he didn't care about the mission any more than Cloud did. It was an obligation. There were just too many friends they weren't willing to let down. And that was enough to keep both of them going. But somehow, as Squall thought of losing Cloud, it felt like more than that. Terra probably felt the same way.
Cloud's blue and green glare crossed with the storm in Squall's eyes. But then, something happened. Cloud's determined glare changed to something like fear. His eyes flashed a complete green glow, and then lost their shine altogether.
Cloud...
It was in his head. He was in his head.
Cloud doubled over, hands and knees roughly sinking into the ground.
"Cloud!" It was Terra. But he couldn't hear her. The voice in his head was taking over. Everything else seemed to be slipping out of his grasp. Even the dirt clinging to his nails.
Squall didn't have to guess to know what this was. He'd seen it only once before. But for Terra, this might have been new. She knelt down beside Cloud, hands trying to reassure him to sit up and show his face. She didn't see Cloud's hand gravitating to the large buster sword slung over his back.
"Terra!" Squall dove, dragging the girl away just before the powerful blade smashed into the dirt where she had once been. She shrieked. Cloud lifted his head, and his eyes were devoid of life. His body moved in jerky little actions that betrayed the fact that Cloud's soul was prisoner in it for the moment.
"He's not in control of himself... Get your sword," Squall ordered. Terra wanted to argue, that she'd never try to hurt Cloud, but the blonde was clashing swords with the gunblader before the thought could fully process itself. His glowing eyes had shifted to a snake-like green, glared at his allies as if they were strangers who had offended him. Terra drew her own weapon and leapt back when Cloud's sword trained on her again.
"Cloud—control it!" Squall grunted, kneeing the blonde in the stomach. Predictably, it didn't keep him down long. Cloud rushed upward too quickly, and seared a burning slice directly across Squall's chest. Twisting the gunblade in hand, the lion warrior grit his teeth and met the heavy blade of his partner.
Terra surrounded herself in light with red hue, a spinning clock glowing around her feet. Aiming her hand at Cloud, she cast the spell. Cloud's form slowed to a crawl. His sword moved through the air at a half-paced speed, and Squall dodged it with no problems. Jumping and twisting his body mid-air, Squall kicked Cloud's back just as the spell was wearing off. The blonde soldier crashed into the dirt and the buster sword was torn from his hand. Terra quickly grabbed the handle of it, dragging it out of Cloud's reach while Squall restrained him against his bleeding chest.
Cloud thrashed. The wound across Squall's skin stung with every small movement. But Terra was aiming a glowing blue hand directly over the super soldier's forehead. When the spell made it's contact, everything in him froze up. And before he knew he'd even snapped like that; he'd passed out entirely.
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...
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"So..." Cloud spoke first, "I gave you that, huh." Squall didn't seem ashamed of it, going so far as to walk around the inn without a shirt as if he were showing it off. The prideful lion look had Cloud snorting and forcing some kind of feeling down to quip, "Lemme guess, you want an apology?"
"Well, at least you're back to normal," Squall laughed, rubbing a towel over his head to dry the brunette locks.
"Where's Terra? Is she okay? I don't remember what I did..." Cloud stood up, approaching Squall and trying to ignore the way his hands were shaking.
"Terra's fine. She's across the hall with Celes and the Onion kid." Cloud turned his back on Squall, gritting his teeth. He could feel that blue-eyed stare on the back of his head.
"Cloud..."
"Squall- I hurt you. I hurt you and I could have done a lot worse—this is exactly why I wanted to do this alone."
"Enough. I don't want you feeling guilty over this."
"Why?" Cloud reeled back, facing Squall with an intensity in his eyes, "That scar on your chest is my doing. You'll have it forever."
"Cloud, you know I got this scar on my face for doing something stupid? This scar you gave me means I was able to protect someone. I'll wear this one proudly."
"Protect Terra from me, huh—"
"No. To protect you."
"I don't need protection, Squall."
"I know... You only need protection from yourself, Cloud. You need to figure out that you don't have to do it on your own. As strong as you are by yourself, you're infinitely better with a team."
"You're one to talk," Cloud snapped coldly. This too was a classic Strife move. Get them to be angry at you, then you don't risk letting them down even more. Squall would recognize that tactic, when he himself employed it all too often. Squall said nothing to counter those words. But he did sigh with frustration. In the tense silence, Cloud searched the room for his sword. Though it took a mere few seconds to note that the buster and gunblade both were suspiciously absent from the wall where they were usually lined up with.
"Where's my sword, Squall?"
"Why?"
"Just tell me where it is."
"Why Cloud?"
"You KNOW why! I have to find him. He's here somewhere, and I'm sure as Hell not gonna let him kill any of you." Without waiting for an answer, Cloud stormed to the door. With every intent to throw it open and hunt down his weapon. Or ANY weapon, really. He'd carry a mop into battle if there were no other choices, ridiculous as that would have looked. But a sudden hand hit the door from behind him, sealing it shut before Cloud could get it open. Sensing the dangerous ire hiding within Squall's silence, Cloud didn't move himself or try to turn around. He instead moved his hand on the door, resting his palm against the wood.
"Don't go, Cloud..." Squall moved his hand away from the door to rest over Cloud's, locking their fingers together. Cloud's breath hitched. Squall pressed himself closer so that his bare chest met with Cloud's back. And even through the fabric of his shirt, the heat coming off of Squall made him feel lightheaded.
"Don't try to fight alone anymore, " Squall almost whispered into his ear. Cloud felt his heart hit a loud beat. His head was going fuzzy again.
I won't let you forget, Cloud.
You belong to me.
The blonde choked, pulling himself towards the door as a pain throbbed in his skull.
"Fight back, Cloud... don't let him in. You are stronger than him," Squall urged. Cloud wanted to believe that. But every second, he felt himself slipping. His eyes slowly glazed over.
That's a good puppet...
Now. Kill your friend, Cloud.
Do it for me.
Cloud turned himself around in a haze. He was aware of those blue eyes bearing into him, but only barely. Cloud raised his hands slowly, moving with unseen strings to close his fingers around Squall's throat. He never got that far. With rough hands, Squall grasped Cloud's wrists and pinned them against the door. Resolved not to move until the fire and life returned to Cloud's eyes.
"Cloud... I know you're in there. You have to fight him." Squall could feel Cloud struggling. He could see the defiance on his face, and in the movements of his pinned wrists.
"Squ..."
"Come on, Chocobo-head..."
Cloud. Do. Not. Fail. Me.
Squall wasn't prepared for the sudden shove. Cloud may have been small, but he was in no way weak. Even under Sephiroth's control, his mako-infused body could probably take on any opponent with ease. Squall was thrown onto the floor with a forced grunt. Cloud was out of his head, straddling the gunblader and eager to fulfill the orders in his mind. He was equally unprepared for Squall to fight back. The switch was abrupt as the crack of a whip. Tipping Cloud onto his back, Squall pressed down over him and regained both of Cloud's hands into his own.
"Cloud, wake up, you idiot!" The blonde fought beneath him. It seemed hopeless. If Sephiroth could so easily steal Cloud's mind... No... Squall could feel the real Cloud just under the surface. The blue in his eyes was glowing under the green. He just had to find a way out.
Then it occurred to Squall... Something crazy to overthrow Sephiroth's control.
"Please... come back, Cloud." Pressing himself down, Squall fit his lips against Cloud's. The blonde stopped struggling. His hands fell slack to the floor, completely pinned there. Unsatisfied, Squall pressed even closer until he could feel Cloud's heartbeat drumming against the new scar on his chest. It sped up under him. Heat returned to Cloud's body, and the blonde made a muffled sound. Cloud tilted his head beneath Squall, melting into the prolonged pressure against his mouth.
Squall pulled back, only the fraction that it took to disconnect from the kiss. He stared down at Cloud's eyes, mentally noticing the pink color flushing the blonde's face.
"Squ—Squall why did you..."
"Are you back, Cloud?" a rare smile spread across Squall's face. His grip on Cloud's hands loosened slightly, to curl his fingers around the others.
"He's not there... what happened?" Cloud reeled, and burned with embarrassment and whatever else. Squall gets off of him, and gives him space to breathe again. And Cloud stares ahead at him. Staring with his oceanic blue-green gaze. There is no Sephiroth for a moment. However briefly, that purring voice inside his head has been smothered. Cloud puts on a shit-eating smirk and shakes his head with disbelief. Then he levels that stare at Squall with a biting quip.
"I'm gonna kick your ass for that kiss, Leonhart."
Squall rises to the challenge easily, smiling into the words, "Oh, you think you can beat me, Strife? You better save that gusto for Sephiroth, when we all go find him. Together."
The words are a bit cheesy for the great Squall Leonhart. But with Cloud making the room gloomy, someone has to rise to the sunlight and keep the ex-soldier from going overboard. He's ecstatic when Cloud holds out his hand. Even though the blonde is looking away, there's a peace about his expression that reassures Squall enough to clasp it in his own hand.
"Together," Cloud says quietly, "Heck. Terra might be able to kill the guy before the rest of us even draw our swords~ "
"You're damn right~ "
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...
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They don't talk about that odd burst of romantic tension. They don't mention the kiss outside the inn. But every so often, the flush of Cloud's face gives Squall a stutter deep in his chest. Squall used to have a lone wolf problem too... But now that he's got this squad of weirdos to battle alongside... Now that he's got Cloud to fight alongside...
He was going to cherish every moment of it.