Happy Thursday! I hope you're having a good week so far :)
First off, big thank you to everyone who has donated to my Ko-Fi and has left comments on the chapters - You guys are the best group of readers, and I'm so happy that I can write for such an amazing, kind group. Seeing those notifications is honestly so motivating, especially when this have been so chaotic on my end!
That said, this chapter is finally done! It's a bit shorter than usual, but that's only because we're going to have to cover a lot of ground in the next chapter. You'll see what I mean when we get there :)
Enjoy!
PS: shoutout to silver-doe287 for being the best beta reader, as usual!
Cloud wished that he was anywhere but here.
After Zack had returned from his hand massage – or whatever it was, Cloud thought – Madam M had dragged everyone to the back of the parlor while she took Aerith's measurements. She didn't want anyone else disturbing them since Reno and Rude's appearance, and the back room she had him and Zack wait in was a strange mixture of an office and a storage room.
Unlike the rest of the massage parlor, the storage room did not have any expensive lanterns or vases against the walls, and there were no fountains bubbling in the corner. Crystals did not glitter beneath hanging lanterns, soft music didn't waft from a hidden speaker, and the decorations were few and far between. In fact, the room was modest; it could have even been considered to be bare.
But that didn't mean that it wasn't comfortable. A worn loveseat had made a home against one of the walls, and there was a small electric kettle on the coffee table. The nearby desk was simple and the bookshelf beside it, though full of weathered massaging textbooks and steamy romance novels, was clean and organized.
In fact, the only truly expensive item Cloud could make out was the jade figurine resting on the desk. The green crystal had been carved into a twisting dragon; Leviathan, he immediately recognized. He hadn't seen the deity of Wutai since the Wutai War, and Shinra had banned any and all forms of the relic on the land that they controlled. Of course, Shinra couldn't possibly hope to actually enforce such a law, but the point was made loud and clear: Wutai culture – or at least, the parts of it that Shinra did not agree with – was not welcome here.
It was a bit sad, and so Cloud moved his gaze towards the bookshelf instead. A small, framed photograph was leaning against an old cookbook. Smiling faces shown back from the black-and-white picture, and it took him a moment to realize that that was Madam M's family. Sure enough, he soon recognized her amongst the crowd; she was standing near the front, her hands resting on the shoulder's of a young boy, and her smile was dazzling.
She looks happy, Cloud thought, and then wondered: Why isn't she with her family?
But then he recalled the Wutai War, and decided not to follow that line of thought any further. The answers waiting there were too sad, too bitter, and hit too close to home, so instead he glanced at Zack.
Zack, unsurprisingly, was doing squats in the middle of the floor. His arms swung out dramatically with every up-and-down movement, and his brows were furrowed in concentration with every repetition. But it was his hands that had caught Cloud's attention. Like sure, they looked softer, and his nails had been manicured…
So he probably, actually, got a hand massage, Cloud decided. Aerith would be happy to hear that, at least. She sounded pretty upset earlier.
"So, Cloud." Zack's voice snagged Cloud's attention. "Tell me honestly. How loud was I, really? Like, loud loud? Or like, if you strained, you could hear… me?"
Zack's cheeked were flushed slightly, and Cloud could feel his neck heat up as well. He'd rather never have to discuss that again, and he turned away, if only so that he didn't have to look at Zack's expression. "Loud loud," he stated matter-of-factly, so they could stop talking about it. Like, he was already trying to forcibly eject the sound of Zack's… Zack's moaning from his memory, but every time Zack brought it up…
"But like, how loud?" Zack asked, huffing. "Like, how loud is loud loud?"
"Loud enough that everyone heard you and Aerith wanted to leave."
"She… What?" Zack paused, knees still bent mid-squat. He looked startled, scared even, like he had just bitten into a piece of fruit only to realize that it was rotten. "She wanted to leave?"
We almost did, Cloud thought, but kept that thought to himself given Zack's stricken expression. "Well, it was more like… like you were doing something else besides, um, a hand massage." He nearly winced at his poor choice of words. "If that makes sense."
Zack's brow furrowed. "Something else besides a hand massage?" he echoed, horribly confused. "What is that supposed to… Oh." His expression suddenly lit up in realization, only to immediately revert into abject horror. "Oh. So it, uh, sounded like that, huh?"
"Like that," Cloud affirmed, and he had a hard time meeting Zack's eyes. Like yeah, some of his bunk mates back in the infantry would talk about how they did the deed with their civilian partners, which he had no problem with. But it was one thing to just listen in on a conversation about it and quite another to, well, listen in.
Heat burned Cloud's cheeks, and he averted his gaze to the wall.
Zack made an almost pained sound. "Not you too!" he cried, sitting upright. "Look, what can I possibly do to make things better?"
"Nothing," Cloud said quickly, but he didn't turn away from the wall. "You're fine."
But Zack wasn't listening. "Look, what if I dress up as a girl too? Would that help?"
"No!" Why would he even get that idea?! "Look, you're fine, Zack. Don't worry about it."
"No, no, I'll do it. I'll swear I'll do it. How about…" Zack's gaze flicked across the room before landing on the wardrobe, and his entire expression lit up. "Madam M wouldn't mind, right?"
It took a moment for Cloud to realize what Zack was implying, but as soon as he did… "Zack, no! You – You wouldn't fit in her dresses," he sputtered. "Besides, we already have a plan. I'm already in… in costume, and Aerith is getting fitted for her dress, and then we're going to audition to meet up with Tifa. So you can, uh -"
"Sit this one out?" Zack finished, and Cloud ducked his head towards the floor. That was exactly what he had been about to say, though maybe in a more round-about, wordy way. Zack's loud huff echoed through the room, and he continued, "Sorry Spikey, but I can't let you and Aerith have all the fun. Not after everything we've been through together, and especially not right after we're all together again."
Tifa's face flashed across Cloud's mind, and he thought with a pang, Well, we're almost all together again.
"And besides," Zack continued as he opened the dresser, "once Aerith is fitted, then I'll be the only one without a dress! I'll feel left out!"
"That's – That's stupid!" Cloud somehow managed to get back on his feet as well. His heels still stung a bit, but someone – Zack, he figured – had bandaged them when he had still been out of it after his dance. "Zack, we can't all wear -"
"Ooh!" With a flurry, Zack suddenly pulled a dress out of Madam M's wardrobe. "How about this one?" The dress that Zack had selected was various shades of black and gray, with delicate pink bows adding splashes of color and also cinching the waists and ruffles flaring at every curve.
That said, it was also small.
"It's perfect," Zack declared as he held the dress up to himself. It was clearly meant to brush against the floor, but on Zack's figure, it barely reached mid-calf. The sleeves also looked like they would pinch in places, and as for the waist…
Cloud shook his head. "There's no way," he said. "There's just no way."
"Aw, don't say that, Spikey!" To Cloud's horror, Zack was already undoing his SOLDIER uniform's belts. The pants were the next to go and then his ribbed vest, until he was standing in the center of the room in absolutely nothing but his boxers.
His body was covered in scars. Silvery lines crisscrossed his chest and back like a grotesque game of tic-tac-toe. Claws traced his spine in deep grooves, a single streak cut across his chest, but what had Cloud going cold were the smaller scars. The ones that were hardly noticeable. They were the scars that mirrored his own; they marked out vital organs in need of enhancing, needle pricks where the mako drips had gone in, faint cuts where the scalpels had -
Pain lanced through Cloud's skull, and his sharp inhale whistled through his teeth.
"Cloud?" Zack was in front of him in a moment, one leg still trapped in the too-small dress, and if Cloud's head wasn't throbbing he just might have laughed. "You okay, bud? Lost you for a second."
Cloud shook his head. "Fine," he replied. "Just… Thought I remembered something, but I guess not."
A shadow passed across Zack's expression; but only for a moment, and then a small grin curved his lips. "And here I thought a glimpse of my perfect physique took your breath away," he teased.
"You wish," Cloud retorted, but a small smile had his lips curving as well. "Also," he added, unable to help himself, "you look ridiculous."
Zack's grin widened. "Just wait until I'm fully in this thing," he said. "Undo the back for me?"
"You're going to break it," Cloud told him, but he started to undo the tight buttons anyway. His fingers trembled against the ivory clasps and the buttons fumbled in his grip, but he was slowly able to undo them, one by one. "What if it rips?" he asked, if only to stave the silence. "What if you break it, and we gotta pay for it?"
Zack grinned, even though his expression looked a little pinched as he hiked the skirt up. "It's not gonna break, I promise… ah, would you mind pulling up the top? It's stuck."
Cloud loudly exhaled. "Zack."
"It's fine, it's fine! Look." Zack grunted as he hiked the skirt up higher. "We both knew that this – this was gonna be a tight squeeze, yeah? But think about how good I'm gonna look in it. I mean, black really is my color."
Cloud just about snorted. "Right. And suck in a little bit," he ordered. "I gotta rebutton everything now."
Zack nearly winced. "You sure?"
"Yes."
"Am I supposed to hold my breath the entire time I'm wearing this dumb thing?"
"You tell me," Cloud told him, and then forced the first button shut. Zack practically gasped. "This was your idea."
"F – Fine. Yeah, I know. Just… Just… Just give me a sec here." Zack painfully shoved one arm through the sleeve, which made a suspicious ripping sound that had them all freezing, before he carefully pushed his arm through the other. It looked painfully tight, and his face seemed a bit flushed by the time it was over. "Ramuh smite me, just how tiny is Madam M?"
Cloud leveled him with a look. "Don't look to me for sympathy," he told him. "You have no one to blame but yourself."
Zack winced. "I mean, you're right, but… damn. You've gotten cold, you know that?"
"Have not. And also," Cloud added as he inspected the back of the dress, "there's no way I'll be able to button this thing on you."
Zack tried to turn around, and then thought better of it. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." The black material had been straining before Zack had shoved his arms through the sleeves, but now the seams – and everything connected to them – looked about ready to split. The fabric groaned with strain, the waist was stretched to the point of bursting, and now that Cloud was really looking at everything…
"Are you sure you'll be able to take it off?" Cloud asked.
Zack scoffed, but it sounded more like a wheeze. "Of course I'll be able to take it off," he replied, with a tone as if Cloud was silly for even suggesting such a thing. "I'm a SOLDIER First Class, and if I can take out a Midgar Zolom -" he grunted as he hiked the skirt up a bit higher, "-and a Nibel Dragon-" there was a distinctive tearing sound, but he didn't seem to notice, "then I can put on this stupid dress."
With that, he blindly reached behind him to clasp the first button himself, but the movement proved to be too much for the delicate bust. Something popped, and before Cloud could blink, one of the buttons flew across the room and pinged against the decorative glass lamp. The hollow sound echoed through the room as the lamp tottered precariously, and as Zack moved forward on instinct to catch it, his legs pulled against the skirt. Something tore. His eyes widened, and then the entire back burst open and sent the rest of the buttons flying. He fell to the floor with a startled, high-pitched squeal, and with that, the lamp fell down on top of him.
And Cloud couldn't help it – it was hilarious.
A small laugh bubbled out of his throat. The laugh was rusty and wavered in the air, raw and trembling, and it quivered against the walls like an out of tune song. But it was there, and another quickly joined it, and then another and another, until he was doubled over laughing outright, tears in his eyes and sides aching from the fit.
He didn't even notice that Zack was staring at him, slacked jawed and misty eyed, until he smiled and began to laugh; and not just a little bit, either, but hysterically. It was as if something had torn open inside of him, and there was nothing he could do but laugh.
"It's not that funny," Zack said, the moment he had managed to catch his breath.
Cloud wiped his eyes, though he was unable to wipe the smile off his face. "It was a little funny." He chuckled a bit, unable to stop himself, as he glanced over the dress. "Guess you did break it after all."
"Guess I did," Zack grinned. He didn't seem apologetic in the slightest. "Looks like I owe Madam M a new dress."
"I agree," came a displeased voice by the door, and both of the boys' smiles slipped. "You do owe me a new dress, as well as an…" Madam M paused, lips pursed and holding her fan as if she wasn't sure whether to fan herself or hit something with it. "…An explanation for whatever is occurring right now. Go on," she added delicately as she turned to each of them in turn. Her words dripped like poison. "I'll wait."
Cloud swallowed thickly and dropped his gaze to the floor. Suddenly felt like he was ten years old and his mother just caught him doing something that he shouldn't have. It was a strange, conflicting feeling – especially considering his current attire.
"I, uh, um..." Zack's stammering filled the gaps between them. "Well, uh..."
Madam M's gaze narrowed. "Spit it out, or I will make you."
"Uhhh..." There was a pause, then suddenly Zack pointed at Cloud and said, "He started it."
Cloud's head snapped up. "I did not! It – It was Zack's idea!"
"I don't care whose idea is was," Madam M snapped, which had both boys going silent. "You will both will clean up this mess. And," she added, focusing on Zack, "for the goddess' sake, you're an ex-SOLDIER, not a door mat. Pick yourself off the floor and take off that hideous dress, please."
"Uh, yes ma'am," Zack replied as he slowly pushed himself upright, which was a bit awkward considering how he was tangled up in bits of ripped satin. "Um..."
"What?" Madam M snapped.
"I, uh, can't take it off."
"What do you mean, you -"
Cloud snorted, but quickly hid it with a cough when Madam M glared at him.
"I'll help you take it off." Aerith's voice floating down the hallway, and then a moment, she was suddenly at the door.
And she was stunning. She had been fitted into a striking red dress, one that cascaded to the floor before breaking out in flashy rivulets, and also had a daring slit that showed off her long legs. Her hair had been done up high with a graceful, waterfalling red bow, and her makeup made her look simply gorgeous.
"Also," she added with the faint quirk of her red lips, "I think we can all agree that I look the best in a ball grown."
Zack, who had been staring unabashedly, now blinked into sudden awareness and he took a step towards her, the mako in his gaze burning bright and hot. "Oh, I don't know about that," he replied in a teasing tone. "Cloud might give you a run for your money."
Cloud turned back to the wall and wished that they'd just leave him out of their conversations. He felt like the third wheel enough as it was. "Keep me out of it," he told them. "I don't care."
"He's jealous," Aerith giggled, which had Cloud's ears burning.
"I am not."
"He's jealous," Zack agreed, but then paused. The pause was dragged out, one second at a time, before he murmured under his breath, "You're beautiful." Another appreciative pause. "I don't think I tell you that enough… but you are. Really"
Cloud could hear the blush in Aerith's voice. "You think so?"
"I know so," he replied adamantly, then grinned and added, "Almost as beautiful as me in a dress."
Aerith laughed, but her laugh was cut off by Madam M loudly clearing her throat. "Well, now that we got that vomit-inducing display out of the way," she said, which had Zack frowning, "we can finally move on. Zack, you're with me. You need new attire as well to go to Corneo's manor, and it just so happens that Andrea sent something over. Not that you deserve it, seeing that you destroyed a dress of mine."
Zack had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry."
"Not sorry enough," Madam M said simply, but dropped the conversation. "Now hurry it up. I don't have all day, and you've wasted enough of my time as it is."
"But I can't get out of -"
"I'll cut it off of you."
Zack blanched. "You'll what now?"
"You heard me. And if you want me to be gentle about it, then you best be moving. Now!" she practically shouted and Zack Fair, a battle-hardened SOLDIER, practically ran down the hall, tattered skirts and all.
Wall Market was busy at night. The main road was clogged with people, and loud shouts cascaded over the road. Many whistles and slurs were especially directed towards Cloud and Aerith, as they were by far the best dressed out of anyone out walking right now.
Well – the best dressed with the exception of Zack, of course.
"I look ridiculous." Zack awkwardly tugged at his bowtie as he escorted Cloud and Aerith to Don Corneo's mansion. "I mean, look at me."
Cloud had to turn away to keep from smiling – he couldn't risk creasing his lipstick again, not after the lecture Madam M had given him when he had smudged it earlier. Zack looked a little bit silly; maybe not as silly as being dolled up in a frilly dress, of course, but it was definitely a bit jarring to see the ex-SOLDIER dressed up in a formal tuxedo. There wasn't a speck of dust on his sheer black suit and pants, and his similarly dark shoes had been shined until Cloud could see his eyeshadow in their reflection.
But the most striking piece of Zack's attire was, by far, the masquerade mask shadowing his face. The mask had been formed into the shape of a wolf, and its severe, cutting expression was matched only by Zack's pointed frown.
"I look like I'm playing dress-up," Zack complained.
Aerith hung onto his arm, and her flawless scarlet dress spilled across the floor. "Just like the rest of us," she quipped. "And weren't you the one who wanted to wear a dress? How is a suit worse?"
"I don't know!" Zack tugged at the collar, his lips pursed in dissatisfaction. "The dress felt more like a joke, you know? Like, it was funny. This feels more… I don't know, like I'm trying too hard. Like it's too serious, if that makes sense."
Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Zack," Aerith stated, "you are many things, but serious isn't one of them."
"I can too be serious," Zack said, and then grinned. "I am seriously in love, for example."
Aerith laughed. "That was bad, even from you."
"I got worse, if you wanna -"
"Can we just focus?" Cloud's tone was almost pleading. "We're almost to the mansion, and we have to -"
His heel suddenly dipped into a crack in a cobblestone, and with a breathless gasp he was suddenly pitching forward – but then he was being pulled back, almost before he realized that he was falling.
Zack's grip tightened on his forearm, and his smirk was just barely visible beneath the wolf's metal snout. "I got you, honey."
Cloud made a face. "Really?" he asked. Someone nearby whistled.
Zack's grin widened. "I'm just playing my role," he replied, which had Aerith giggling. Cloud shot her a look; she hadn't seemed to stop laughing since they left Madam M's place, particularly when Madam M had ordered Zack to escort the lovely ladies to Corneo. "I mean, you wanted me to focus, right? I can show you focused."
Cloud's expression soured further, but he wasn't sure what to say. After all, he was supposed to be a girl right now, and Zack was supposed to be escorting him and Aerith. This was all part of the act; in fact, it was the culmination of all their efforts – from meeting Chocobo Sam to dancing on the stage for Rhodea to freeing Zack from the Turks, to meeting Madam M for her approval. All that was left was this; walking to Corneo's mansion, auditioning, and somehow freeing Tifa.
And it was his plan. Aerith had helped of course, but the idea, the drive, was all his own. If he wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't just sick and helpless, that he could fight, then he had to just deal with being the fragile, helpless ward for now. He just had to bear with it a little longer, until Tifa was safe… Then everything would be okay again.
Keeping that thought firmly lodged in his mind, he swallowed his sigh and allowed his arm to remain intertwined with Zack's, like the good potential bride he was supposed to be. Aerith hung onto Zack's other side elegantly, gracefully, and completely naturally. She smiled at the people who stared for a little too long, giggled when someone whistled, smiled at Zack when he murmured something to her. Cloud couldn't do all of that, but maybe – just maybe – he could find it within him to stop scowling.
For Tifa, he reminded himself, and he tried to keep his expression as pleasant as possible as the three of them strode beneath the red lanterns that marked Corneo's mansion. I can do it for her. They crossed the bridge and approached the mansion's front door, and he even attempted to smile at one of the guards. And even if I can't, he thought as the mansion's grand doors wept open, I have to.
The three of them crossed the threshold, and Cloud knew that there was no turning back now.
He recognized Leslie immediately. The silver-haired man stood with his arms crossed over his chest and held an air of stark indifference around him, while two other men glowered at his side. Upon seeing the three of them, Leslie's eyes narrowed and he shifted his weight slightly, as if preparing for a fight.
It was only when they drew closer that Leslie's expression shifted entirely. "No way," he murmured, and shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a mirage. "There's just no way."
Zack cleared his throat, drawing the attention back towards himself. "Here you are," he said as he drew two letters out of his inner coat pocket. "These are letters from both Andrea Rhodea and Madam M regarding the two… candidates."
Zack's tone had a distinct authority to it, the sort that could only be hammered in by SOLDIER training, and the two guards standing at Leslie's side took a small step backwards at the sound of it. But there was something else buried within his tone as well, something that took Cloud a moment to place:
Disdain. Absolute raw disdain, and it took all of Cloud's willpower to not glance up at Zack and ask what was wrong – because something was definitely wrong, and it made Cloud nervous to not know what.
Leslie, to his credit, remained rooted in place despite Zack's frigid tone. Apparently he still hadn't gotten over his initial shock, because he shook his head against and said, "You serious?"
"Is there a problem?" Zack enunciated.
"No," Leslie replied with a faint sigh, and then stepped away from the doors. Turning to Aerith and Cloud, he added, "I hope you two know what you're in for."
Zack's expression hardened. "They do."
Leslie humphed, and the doors were forced open.
The room beyond was a simple corridor, one that reminded Cloud of a zen garden more than anything else. Water fountains bubbled beside a tiled walkway and lanterns, far more ornate than the simple paper ones outside, stained the path a deep, bloody red.
Aerith inhaled deeply at his side. "We'll be fine," she said to no one in particular, and then she walked forward without looking back. That was part of the act as well; after all, this was supposed to be a business transaction, and he and Aerith were the goods. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Cloud's heels clicked against the tiles as he followed Aerith, and he could practically feel Zack's worried stare boring into the back of their heads until the door slammed shut behind them.
Only then did Aerith allow herself to glance over her shoulder. Her expression was somewhat sad as she murmured, "Guess this is it, huh?"
Cloud's mouth had gone dry, and all he could do was nod.
The next door, the one that led into the main manor, seemed to open of its own accord once they got close. It spilled into a grand two-story room, one that had been painted a gaudy red and was lined with doorways on both floors. An intricate stairway connected the two floors, and large jade vases, branching coral, and other oddities and paintings were scattered across the floor.
If Cloud had glanced upward, he would have noticed the ceiling's golden mural, a pretty piece that depicted angels, light, and redemption. Yet his gaze remained straight ahead, and so he only saw the two guards waiting for them. They were dressed in black leather, the sort that conformed tightly to the body, and their eyes freely roamed Cloud and Aerith's forms. They were smirking.
Cloud shifted his weight and clasped his hands in front of him, distinctly uncomfortable. Aerith scooted a little closer to his side.
"The two of you here for the audition?" the nearest one asked.
Obviously, Cloud nearly replied, but caught himself at the last moment. "Yes."
"Second floor, at the very end of the walk," the man continued. "And don't go pokin' yer nose in where it doesn't belong, you hear?"
"Clearly," Aerith muttered.
"And remember, you can't afford a single thing in this place, so don't break shit," the other guard added as they began ascending the stairs. "Don't wanna make your stay any worse, now dontcha?"
Aerith shot Cloud a long look and mouthed, "Let's make sure we break something, okay?"
Cloud nodded, and they made their way to the opposite room. Both he and Aerith had small daggers strapped to their thighs, and Cloud took comfort in its subtle weight as they stepped into the room.
He was immediately taken aback by how shabby it looked compared to the rest of the mansion. The walls were a sickly pale shade, the floor was in clear disrepair, and a thick layer of dust covered the boxes and other objects that had been shoved against the walls. Cobwebs were draped across the rusted chandelier like a silken curtain. Dust danced in the air. Cloud immediately noticed that there were no windows, but there were strange vents mounted towards the ceiling.
Maybe for fresh air, he wondered.
"Well." Aerith stepped delicately across the floor, nose wrinkled in distaste. "This isn't creepy at all."
Cloud ran his fingers against one of the nearby statues, and a thick layer of dust coated his fingertips. Strangely enough, the entire room smelled sweet somehow, like incense that had been burning for too long.
He frowned as the dust drifted off his fingertips like snow. "Something isn't right," he finally said, and glanced at Aerith. "I think we should lea-"
The door slammed shut behind them.
Cloud's eyes widened a fraction. No. He started for the door, chest constricting, as he knew: It's a trap.
"What's that weird, sweet smell?" Aerith suddenly asked behind him, and Cloud glanced at her just in time to see her sway. "And why do I feel so dizzy..."
The vents, he realized with a curse. "Aerith," he began, but then it hit him, too. A sickly sweet scent flooded his senses and, suddenly lightheaded, he stumbled into the nearby statue. His fingers clawed against its glassy surface as he fought to stay upright. "Gas," he managed to choke out. "We need to get…" The world grew blurry around the edges, and he tried to blink the fuzz away. "We need…"
Images suddenly danced in front of his eyes.
"Gas," Zack murmured. His hand was tight around Cloud's bicep as he hauled the smaller man to his feet, and Cloud clung to that little fragment of stability like a drowning man clinging to a raft. His fingers scrambled for purchase even as the world rocked and swayed around him. "It's okay, Cloud," Zack continued, his voice rough and raw. "The exit's just a little further. Just a little further, and then -"
The image cut away without warning, and Cloud gasped – and immediately regretted it, as that sickly sweet gas filled his lungs. His lungs spasmed and then he was coughing, gasping for clean air that wasn't there, his chest futility expanding against a tight corset. He wasn't sure when he had fallen onto his knees. He wasn't sure when he had sagged against the statue. The world spun sickeningly around him and his stomach twisted, threatening to spill what little he had eaten for dinner. The room shifted in an out of focus.
Yet all he could think of was, I'm going to get my dress dirty.
A red smudge shifted in front of him – Aerith, he realized – and then he was fumbling to get back upright. "Aerith," he managed, "you – you gotta -"
"Cloud…." He could dimly make out Aerith reaching for him. The tips of her fingers were trembling, and he blindly stretched his hand out towards her.
This is like when Tifa fell back then, his mind supplied.
He stretched his hand out further, just as a door slammed open somewhere behind him. Muffled laughter echoed through the room, but Cloud didn't notice. He didn't notice until there were hands suddenly grabbing him, and -
- and then the lab assistants were pulling him off the floor, their disappointment obvious as they told him that he should have built up a far higher tolerance to the poison by now -
- and Cloud snatched his arm away, breathing hard, every breath sending the world turning and swaying and shifting beneath him. "Don't touch me," he practically snarled -
- and the lab assistants pulled something out of their pocket, something that Cloud couldn't quite make out. His imagination more than made up for it however, and then he was trying to crawl away, trying to get away from them. His body felt impossibly heavy and his head felt impossibly light. He needed to find Zack… Zack was just here, wasn't he? Where was -
"Sorry princess," a voice said, as if from a great distance, "but you ain't going nowhere." Hands grabbed him and were hauling him to his feet, forcing him to stand and go somewhere, and terror gripped him. He didn't want to go. It would be somewhere bad, and he knew with icy certainty that he couldn't go back there. He would rather die that return to that place… wherever it was.
Yeahhhh... sorry about that cliffhanger lol, but I needed to end the story somewhere! And that just happened to be the place to do it. At least you have a lot to look forward to next chapter, right? I mean, you've all played the game - the gang will finally be back together! I'm so excited to finally write that, it feels like it's been forever since I split everyone up.
Anyway, shameless plug time, feel free to follow my twitter (Rand0mSmil3z) for story updates and chapter previews! Links to my Ko-Fi page can also be found there if you'd like to support my writing, but there's absolutely no pressure to do so - if you're enjoying the story, that's honestly enough for me :)
Until next time: Stay well, stay safe, and I wish you all the best :)
