Title: Everybody Hates Sephiroth

Author: CrisisChild

Summary: Sequel to Everybody Loves Cloud. Two years after the Incident, Sephiroth and Cloud have become tentative friends. However, Sephiroth is now starting the transition of friends to more and everyone is intent on getting in his way. Sephiroth VS a lot of people in Shinra.

Rated: T; for generally silly situations

Beta'd: Nope

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the Compilation.

Author's Note: Merry Christmas. Enjoy this ridiculous(ly long) chapter that had so much set up it took over a year to write.

Everybody Hates Sephiroth

PART THE SECOND

vs Angeal & Genesis

[MESSAGE: CLOUD 9:49 PM] Sure thing. When do you want to meet?

Buttons beeped loudly in the little dorm room as Cloud hit 'send', just smiling a bit to himself, wondering just what had prompted Sephiroth to ask him out in the first place. All in caps, too.

Mayhaps he'd been too hard pressed to type normally? No, no, the man was known to be a lot more concise and proper in his mails; obviously, he deduced, the hand of another was at work here. Now who had the audacity to handle Sephiroth's phone against his will? His gil was on Genesis, but it could just as easily be Zack, as well. Angeal...hm...that was more of an underdog situation here. This was probably more a Zack or Genesis action.

What a character Genesis was, Cloud mused, as he went about his nightly routine. As he mulled over the wild, chaotically charged SOLDIER First in the midst of brushing his teeth, his mind couldn't help hovering over the Incident 2.0. He quickly shoved that out of his way, because Minerva, he was still awkward as hell about it years later, so he forced himself to thinking on another topic. The safest thing that came to mind was that introduction dinner he had thanks to Zack.

Now that was something to think about. Once again, Genesis and Angeal had been acting pretty bizarre. Not the kind of crazy that had people questioning their sexuality, but a weirdness that you'd expect from your senile great aunt Myrtle. Odd, but overall harmless, and maybe even a bit frustrating. Not for him, but...poor Sephiroth.

However, despite that thought, Cloud had a smile as he finished his nightly ritual and slid into his bed.

Sephiroth was...sweet. The man really was awkward when it came to social interactions, beyond what needed to be scripted for him. Cloud eventually learned that when he met others during public affairs, speeches were prepared for him and he was often coached on how to deliver his words. Normally eloquent enough, Sephiroth much preferred being direct and blunt over being overly flowery for no good reason, even though he could be formal all at once. That was the impression Cloud got, anyways. It was decidedly endearing.

Laying in bed, not quite falling asleep yet, he stared at the glowing screen of his phone and the messages beforehand. Seriously, just what prompted this?

"...a date, huh?" Cloud whispered, still unable to keep a stupid smile off his face. Whereas in the past he would have been very antsy and concerned, he was just looking forward to what will happen tomorrow. The introduction dinner really set the tone of how their relationship would go after the Incident 2.0. Laying there, slowly letting sleep overtake him, his mind drifted to that evening with Zack, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth...

Two years ago...

Genesis held a growl in as he watched his silver haired comrade finish yet another circuit in front of the door. By his count, it was his 56th round since he started talking himself in circle ten minutes ago. Like a caged Coeurl. It was kind of irritating and he'd wish Sephiroth would stop. However, just what was causing this reaction? That was a mystery...

"Hey, Gen," Angeal called quietly Genesis, gesturing for the redhead to follow him into an adjoining room of the spacious apartment he called home. With one glance thrown at the pacing SOLDIER, Genesis slipped into the other room, letting Angeal close it with a soft click. With how preoccupied Sephiroth was, he might not have noticed their temporary exit.

Before Genesis could inquire what was up, Angeal gestured for softer voices. While the silver was preoccupied, he could still overhear them if they're not careful and best not to discuss him within earshot.

"Have you ever seen Sephiroth looking so anxious before?" Angeal inquired, voice barely a whisper. His brows were furrowed in worry, pinched in such a way that it often made him look so much older than he actually was.

Genesis couldn't help, but to poke at the middle of Angeal's forehead, attempting to smooth it out. His mind was quickly cast to every instance they'd ever known Sephiroth and no immediate memory came to mind.

Or more like he wanted to not recall certain events.

"Not that I recall," Genesis answered at length. He drew his hand back as it was useless to try and stave off his friend's ever growing worry lines. "Not now, not when we were all green 3rd classes. Not ever, honestly. He paces, but not like this."

Genesis prided himself on his ability to read his opponents and after getting to know Shinra's own golden boy through years of service, intermittent sparring, and simply spending time together, he thought he had learned all of his friend's idiosyncrasies. If not all, then most. Sephiroth was not prone to showing anxiety overtly and the idea of nervousness was laughable. The man lived under the banner of absolute confidence – he took things at face value, like the honest person he was. There was no Machiavellian bone in his body, not a single iota that bore machinations and ambitions.

Sephiroth was surprisingly very...boring. Well, no, not really. But he was certainly sheltered and that led to some very vanilla, very shockingly innocent mindsets.

A man his age, with his ethereal beauty (and Genesis would begrudgingly admit that Sephiroth held an attractiveness even he could acknowledge; he preferred blondes) and power and status held very few confidences in terms of other people. He was not one to suffer incompetence, to the point as time marched forward from their initial childhood meeting, Genesis noticed Sephiroth would only ask for support if he was forced into it. He even had a habit of expending those poor infantrymen from the Public Safety Department like tissues. En mass and quick to toss them aside once they served their purpose. Everyone who worked for Shinra was a cog and if you didn't bother to fit, you really weren't fit in his eyes to remain. Cruel, frighteningly innocent in its simplicity, and pragmatic; that was just how Sephiroth was with anyone outside of SOLDIER. Not even the Turks escaped his disdain.

What a curious thing for him to be so distracted by one lone infantryman.

Angeal's voice cut through his reverie. "Do you think it might have to do with...what happened?"

When the dark haired SOLDIER spoke, it was with a deep grimace marring his face. That day that he hinted at was not their most shining and even Genesis didn't like dwelling on it. Their actions had been so appalling! Poor honourable Angeal; at least Cloud hadn't been a girl, or he suspect his childhood friend might have done the most gentlemanly thing and attempt to marry the younger man out of a sense of duty. ("Angeal, this isn't some regency piece where a man must uphold a lady's honour, just because he looked at her."; "See, Gen, this is why you're still single.")

That aside, Angeal's thought general train of thought had merit and Genesis nodded. "Perhaps. They were quite embroiled in the thick of things at the time."

Somehow, Cloud and Sephiroth had quickly formed a bond. Most likely from the stressful issues at hand, but Genesis couldn't help the bitter taste in his mouth. It took him years before Sephiroth managed a bond with him, and he had been in even more dangerous situations with him!

Angeal noticed the fuming air about his friend and gently (for him anyways) patted Genesis' shoulder.

"Hey, don't get jealous now. People might think you're in love with him."

Genesis blanched. "Don't joke, Angeal."

"One of us has to, and since two out of three of us has sticks up their behinds all the time," Angeal returned amiably. No one would think that the strict and stern Angeal Hewley, known for how hard he mentored one Zack Fair, and his gruffness when keeping other SOLDIERs in line was the one who made all he lighthearted jokes among the three Firsts. Genesis gave him a withering glare, but then pressed on.

"So, what? Do we assume he'll do something odd?" the redhead posed.

"It's Sephiroth – when doesn't he do something odd?"

"Hn. True enough."

That topic got run into the ground completely.

Angeal piped up again. "Well, I for one, am glad he's reaching out to others." A pause. "Maybe we'll see less missing members of Public Safety at the end of the day from now on."

An inelegant grunt left Genesis, and he nodded his agreement. Young men were never ending when it came to dreams of glory and grandeur, but if Sephiroth kept up the same pace of going through young army careers in the making, they'll never fill out their ranks properly from either division. The war was over, but it didn't mean problems at home were going to go away. The Turks, for example, were having trouble with this eco terrorist group lately...

"Sephiroth had his injections rescheduled, didn't he?" Due to the nature of what happened during the awful incident, Sephiroth had his treatments done later, after every syringe, vial and tank was checked for any possible contamination. "I wonder if he's actually having a delayed reaction. All that mako runs from the same pipes, after all..."

As much as the lab techs promised everything had been cleaned out, the vats disposed of, both Angeal and Genesis knew all too well how cheap the bureaucrats could be and would not be surprised if everything was processed back into the main source. Granted, anything thrown into the reactors would be diluted to Hell and back, but one could never truly know. Genesis himself did not question Hollander being cheap and reusing things where possible (not a scientist, but he as pretty sure that went against a lot of safety regulations), so why would Hojo be any different?

Stating things like that, Angeal couldn't help but eventually come to the same conclusion and then agreement. Sephiroth was acting more fidgety than was normal for him and what happened to most of SOLDIER with the mako definitely made everyone act more extremely and out of character. While it was more minute with Sephiroth, maybe they should keep an eye on things.

Just in case Sephiroth had been also accidentally, belatedly subjected to the horrible tainted mako and now his body was reacting to it, Genesis and Angeal would make the effort to keep an eye on him. After all, that was what friends are for.

"Friends don't let friends make passes at younger men!" Angeal chirped merrily.

Genesis nodded sagely, happy to have puzzled out what might be going on and looking quite pleased with himself. "Indeed. He did us the favour of keeping us from doing something absolutely foolish, so it's only fair we do the same for him!"

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

They were running late.

It had only been a mere few days since he last saw Cloud, but the intense need to know where the young man was, how he as doing and whether or not he was safe was burning within him. They were all meant to meet for dinner the night of the mass SOLDIER madness, but due to having to aid in clean up and withdrawal, a reschedule had to happen. Same for his injections. Face time with Hojo never seemed so long as his appointment for his treatments was set to an hour before the dinner party.

He could still feel the sting of the needle. His veins burned, but rather than waiting things out as he normally did, he got his injection, then stormed out in a hurry to get to Angeal's apartment where everyone would be congregating.

That was mistake number one. He knew better than to try and drive after a treatment. Although he had long since stopped feeling inebriated like all newer SOLDIERs did getting their first mako enhancements, even Sephiroth had his dizzy spells, a secret often kept from others.

Thankfully no one, but a 'mysteriously' broken security camera in the stairwell, had seen him trip on his own feet and fall down a single flight of stairs.

He had called for Angeal to pick him up and drive him over instead.

His second mistake was calling Angeal for help. One would think Angeal would have been the perfect candidate for asking for aid, but one couldn't be further from the truth. Outside of his work, his cooking and his plants, Angeal was the worst driver he had ever known. It wasn't that he had a habit of crashing or speeding or breaking any traffic laws.

Sephiroth never understood ho someone only slightly older than him could drive like he was 50 years older. Who in the world taught him to do hand signals, wasn't that what the signal lights were for? Granted, the vehicle he owned was a non-descript ancient clunker of a thing he got just for convenience's sake rather than to look good. It did the job of getting Angeal from Point A to Point B. However...he recalled it had to be fixed at least sixteen times and possessed a radio he was sure could pick up voices of the Ancients, it was that old.

Of course, he wisely never said anything about this to Angeal; Genesis complained about the car enough on his own.

Angeal compounded matters of the day by driving so slow he was sure snails were outpacing them. This made the eager Sephiroth feel so frustrated when he could barely contain himself. Injection day always made him more antsy, hyper aware and anxious. This was the main reason why he would hide himself the rest of the day and refuse contact with the outside world until a time when he could appear more composed and cool.

He forsook that all in the name of seeing Cloud again. He felt like a fool, yet at the same time, he found he cared very little. His wish was more along the lines of wanting Angeal to go faster, the speed limit on the highway was a guideline, he'd be in more danger from driving so slowly rather than following the fast flow of traffic –

The reasoning for Angeal's slower than a fat chocobo's walking speed driving was that he couldn't keep his eyes on the road for very long. Every now and again his eyes would flick quickly to his face, over and over. Sephiroth knew that look well. He often used it when trying to spy on Zack from the corner of his eye while trying to remain the aloof teacher he was trying to be, within earshot. The concerned mother chocobo look. It wasn't needed. Zack didn't need it as an exuberant SOLDIER with a lot of youthful sturdiness and Sephiroth, being even older than him, certainly didn't need it either as he was made of stronger stuff over all.

That look made him uncomfortable and he was already feeling less than stellar at the time. Angeal never said a word, but those furtive looks were enough to make Sephiroth feel apprehensive and irked. He did not need coddling!

It got even worse when the noiseless moving of his lips began, just te minutes shy of getting to Angeal's home. The words that he obviously wished to formed, died or were stifled before they could come to fruition. Either stymied by the honorable SOLDIER's own code of conduct about personal privacy or by Sephiroth's own increasingly baleful stare, which never moved from its forward position, staunchly refusing to even accidentally meet the other man's eye. Honestly, that was one problem Angeal had, it was not speaking up often enough, though it was in Sephiroth's favour this time round.

Obviously, they couldn't have gotten to the apartment sooner.

Genesis was already there, keeping an eye on dinner whilst the owner of the home was gone. He came out of the kitchenette, dressed very oddly in the hand made kitchen accessories Angeal had received over the years from his mother, Gillian Hewley. Sephiroth had never met the woman, but it would seem she was the avid crocheter; Genesis was decked head to toe in dumb apple themed hat, apron, oven mitts and what had to be some sort of face mask to cover one's mouth to keep dust out. He looked completely ridiculous, yet somehow retained whatever dignity he normally had in public.

According to him, anything made by Gillian was a million times better and precious than anything mass produced and sold in Midgar, no matter how silly it looked. Sephiroth took his word for it, mainly so as not to seem rude about Angeal's beloved mother. They had yet to meet, but the time would eventually come, time willing as the woman was getting on in years and it really would be a shame if something happened to her...

Ugh, why was he contemplating Angeal's mother? Truly, his mind was a wandering mess. He really needed to focus more...not that he'd allow Angeal to pester him about that by saying so aloud. They say those who spoke to themselves were intelligent beings, but he saw it more of a sign of mental decline tha anything else.

Focus, Sephiroth. You're here. And then Cloud will be joining you eventually.

When that thought came in finally, the silver SOLDIER was back to being highly concerned for Cloud. A quick scanning of the area with eyes and ears said that he had not yet arrived, nor had Zack for that matter, though he could scent small traces of him here and there; old signs of Zack having stayed over with his mentor to bond more. The time was well past when they should all meet and Cloud was not one to be tardy.

Genesis' irritated voice cut through the air, drawing Sephiroth back out of his reverie.

"What? Nothing to say?" he posed, almost sharply. He seemed put off that his (self-proclaimed) rival had remained silent for once about his unusual get up. Genesis gave a little insulted sniff and placed his mittened hands upon his hips. "This is the latest from Gillian, you know! Made especially because the dumbapples bloomed pretty recently."

Dumbapples. Always Loveless or dumbapples with this one. Sephiroth will show him dumbapples...

"Stop glowering at me and use your words like a big boy, Sephiroth."

Ugh. Everything was just so grating today. Why did today of all days have to be the one where he needed treatment? Surely by this stage of his life, he really shouldn't need the enhancements to be constantly looked after as often as a green Third class? Everything bothered Sephiroth at the moment. Genesis' voice was rubbing him the wrong way, the lights of the entryway were too bright, even his usual leathers seemed altogether too stifling. That last one was his own fault, but still; had he requested to stop at his own home to change, the car ride would have been even more gruelling than he could possibly endure.

So he did the only thing he could to make it all the more bearable until Cloud arrived. Silently, he began to pace. The repetitive movement and sharp turning at precise moments seemed to help him find some solid mental ground. An odd fix, but one that worked for him specifically. It usually added the effect of making him seem all the more intimidating and unapproachable – a great boon for moments like these when he felt as moody as most pre-teens did.

It worked. Genesis and Angeal gave him a wide berth, as per usual when he began doing this. He could see them sharing glances, before scuttling off somewhere. Cowards, he thought humourously and not at all viciously. He wasn't angry at them, but he sure didn't want to correct them. He needed some time to recollect himself and think.

Cloud, he found, had a propensity for getting into trouble. One look into his permanent record gave him this much knowledge about his past. 'Gets into trouble at the drop of a hat', one report from a teacher from the blond's youth had said. And upon entering Shinra he suffered no less, being bullied enough that boot camp instructors took notice so they could break up the fighting. No surprises there, history often repeats. What did surprise Sephiroth was how scrappy Cloud was, despite his size, his background, his everything that could possibly put him behind his peers. His ability had him entering the infantry corps and thus earning him ridicule despite his dream of joining SOLDIER, but he still remained hard working and shockingly defiant, a trait he had seen in Cloud when he and him went on that fateful mission together wherein the younger man yelled at him for leaving people behind when he could easily save them.

They did talk about it. It wasn't an especially long or soulful talk. Cloud apologized for his behaviour and bravely said he'd accept any punishment from his superior officer. Dressed in drag and looking worse for wear, he still held his head up high (though his cheeks had pinked from embarrassment from being still caught in that disguise) and spoke clearly and forwardly. Sephiroth told him there was nothing to be punished, and if there was, he figured he'd already suffered enough to probably last a hundred more moments of direct insubordination...although Cloud should try and avoid doing such things as much as possible.

Cloud had smiled and nodded (and then was quickly whisked away by the Turks for reasons unknown to him). They had not seen each other since and he worried, perhaps, the Turks had done away with him, however Zack assured him the spunky little infantryman was fine and was simply busy with more work. Still, doubt hit him hard and he felt more concern than was normal for him.

Then again, it wasn't every day he made new friends, especially ones with little to no enhancements.

Logic dictated that he should not be so occupied about the welfare of Cloud Strife.

Cloud was more than capable of holding his own, whether through sheer will or sheer dumb luck. However, the wrenching that continued to work at his chest in the last few days had not dissipated. There was no real reason behind this feeling, but he could assume it had to do with him knowing he could easily snap Cloud like a twig without trying and since his views on what was normal was skewed, he at times could forget facts like this or make some terrible comparisons. He had to learn a balance in the fact that not everyone was a super soldier, but neither were they weaklings that a breeze could blow away.

As capable as Cloud could be, he was still an ordinary man and one who had suffered enough in the last few days. Suspicion still lingered in Sephiroth, despite how normal Angeal and Genesis were acting at the moment, their bodies having already flushed the taint from days prior. However, he could not be sure, which led him to his next order of mental business:

Protecting Cloud from untoward advances. The thought of either Genesis or Angeal getting too close to Cloud made him feel strangely uncomfortable. This may not even come to pass, but Sephiroth did not enjoy uncertainty and would prefer being the one in control of the situation. The whole fiasco with SOLDIER made him realize he could never let anything get so out of hand ever again. He had even allowed Cloud to get swept away by a herd of cactuar for Minerva's sake.

A plan of attack was needed. Something simple that even his mako addled brain could handle. One thing he always did was protect the President during important events or times such that an assassination was possible and the best way to mitigate disaster was by sticking close to his ward. In this case, it should be no different, if he followed that logic to its conclusion. Yes, he thought, he was going to stick to Cloud like glue...

He might not appreciate the hovering, though, Sephiroth mused. What was an ordinary, unobtrusive way to stay around someone that would not be considered 'helicoptering', as Zack once put it concerning Angeal's own overbearing habits?

As if inspiration struck him, he suddenly recalled seeing small children being led around by their parents by the hand. Indeed, he had also seen older people do so as well, in order not to lose sight of each other. Such a partner system, he thought innocently (and a mite mentally disjointedly, thanks to the mako), would work wonders for his need to protect Cloud from the possible harassment from his friends.

Satisfied with his flawless logic, his feet came to a stop just as the door to the apartment opened, and the object of his thoughts appeared.

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

Dear Mother in Nibelheim...Something...weird was going on here. Like, growing a wing out of your back out of nowhere levels of weird.

Cloud sat at the dinner table with everyone around, listening to Zack chatter about the day enthusiastically. Although Zack's voice filled the air, there was still this feeling of tenseness around them all that had the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Glancing around the table gave him a general idea of how things stood:

Angeal and Genesis were whispering to each other, almost looking really intimate with how lowly they spoke that neither Zack nor Sephiroth seemed to pick up on their conversation (though in Zack's case he was too distracted talking; he couldn't tell what Sephiroth's excuse was). They had welcomed him into the apartment initially with a friendly warmth, though now looked like they had withdrawn into their own little private world, which was a bit odd, but Cloud paid it no heed and assumed this was how they were normally like. Zack had prepared him beforehand for this meeting, but probably not enough. Sometimes they'd catch them staring at him before the two SOLDIER First resumed their whisperspeak, at time, more hurriedly than before.

Although if Sephiroth refused to let go of their hands at the dinner table, he wouldn't begrudge the staring either.

Nigh the moment he made his way in, smiling, greeting politely and trying to hand off a bottle of non-alcoholic cider he managed to get with his measly pay as a gift to the host, the silver was on him like a Coeurl on a baby chicobo. There had been little time to process before his right hand was in the other man's and Sephiroth had led him away from a squawking Zack and a gawking pair of Firsts, straight to the dinner table.

Clearly, Zack had not prepared him at all for the circus that was the golden SOLDIER trio of Shinra Inc.

Convincing Sephiroth to let go temporarily had been a joint effort between himself, Zack, Genesis and Angeal. At the very least, they all said, he should free up Cloud's dominant hand so he could eat properly, unless he was also going to feed him, too. That last part had been sarcastically added in by the resident redhead, although they all shared a worried look as Sephiroth seemed to consider the jest. Thankfully, he saw reason and switched hands, and remained steadfast in keeping hold of Cloud.

Sephiroth did not speak much, nor did he really touch his food. In fact, it was as pristine as the moment it came out from the kitchen (a spicy behemoth meat roast, with mashed potatoes, boiled carrots and plenty of gravy drizzled all over), though now lacking steam. Far be it for Cloud to be worrying over the eating habits of his superiors, but he had been informed that this was outside work hours and while disrespect would not be tolerated, Cloud could be as honest as he liked. Genesis and Angeal had insisted upon it, actually.

"If there's something you don't like, don't worry about it and say so," Genesis spoke, with a quick glance to the left of Cloud. Cloud didn't have any complaints, though. The ambience, the food and everyone was really nice. He felt honestly welcomed, if only slightly awkward since, well, they were some pretty famous people sitting at the same dinner table as him. Having Zack being a constant stream of chatter definitely helped keep silence from reigning and making things more awkward.

While Zack kept up his diatribe of the latest and greatest from below the Plate and Genesis and Angeal seemed to be talking about some kind of 'mission' (that Cloud wisely decided to tune out, just in case the information might be too sensitive; Mama Strife didn't raise no eavesdropper after all) the blond turned his attention over to Sephiroth.

"Hey, er...sir..." Cloud began, unsure on how to directly address him now. Sure Sephiroth had mentioned wanting to be friends, but was it really going to be okay?

"Sephiroth. We went over this before." Apparently, it really would be that easy. Cat-like eyes focused on him when he spoke, the tone softer and gentler than he'd ever heard him use his voice. It was almost surreal. Well, they were in a more casual setting so no need for formalities, as his hosts insisted...

"Sephiroth," Cloud tried, using the name as firmly as possible. The older man nodded with, Cloud assumed, a pleased expression. Kind of hard when the man's features could be schooled to be so neutral. "You not hungry?" A gesture was made to the food with their still-joined hands.

"My appetite is optimal," came the vague reply. "Do not fret over it, though your concerns are exemplary."

Um...what?

What a weird way of saying he wasn't really hungry and that he was touched that Cloud was worried, maybe? Well, that's what he assumed Sephiroth was saying. He wasn't being verbose, but the manner in which he spoke was still kind of...really formal still. Kind of caused a little frown to enter Cloud's face, to which Sephiroth seemed to mirror. Oops.

"Are you troubled, Cloud?" Sephiroth inquired, voice just a tiny bit raised, just enough that Angeal and Genesis were now watching their interaction with interest. They didn't stop talking, but they were obviously listening in now. Cloud didn't know why, but he bristled a little.

Wonder from what? Sephiroth being worried or about two men watching me like a hawk like I wouldn't notice? Oof, good thing SOLDIER is never assigned to secret ops. Hahaha. Guess the Turks are right, discretion is not a SOLDIER trait.

Cloud simply shook his head. "No, big deal. Just wondering if you don't like the food or something...?"

He looked at his plate, then over at Sephiroth's. The results were night and day. When everything was brought out, Cloud had to keep his country bumpkin side from showing by not salivating like a starved dog. He had been given nice little bite sized morsels all ready to go and he happily tore into the food with a gusto only a growing boy could have, as much as Zack did (which made him feel a little better about his momentary lack of manners). Angeal was more than happy to serve seconds of this delicious meal, saying that SOLDIER metabolisms were different and he made at least three roasts to cover for Zack eating like a behemoth.

And that begged the question: shouldn't Sephiroth be the same? He didn't know everything that made up a SOLDIER, but if Angeal's words were to be taken at face value, shouldn't the famed silver First, the top of the top, be devouring his food, too? Or maybe he was just different?

But looking at Sephiroth's nigh untouched plate, he noticed it. Same for Angeal's, Genesis' and Zack's plates...compared to everyone else, his servings were given to him already cut up, whereas everyone else was given steakhouse sized cuts of the roast. In other words, the meat needed to be cut before it could be eaten in an unslovenly fashion.

Cloud wasn't sure if he should be touched or irritated that his hosts went through the trouble of pre-cutting his food for him as if he were an incapable toddler, but circumstances as they were, he supposed he should be grateful.

That in mind, he made a suggestion:

"Hey, want a hand cutting this up?"

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

"Operation Cloud Cover is a go."

"Genesis, please...you don't need to give this whole thing a name..."

The redhead sniffed. "Hey, it's all in good fun for a situation that could potentially get very hairy...!"

Dinner started with Angeal and Genesis doing the legwork in the kitchen. After enough discussion and logic, they did manage to avoid the problem of Cloud having his dominant hand essentially cut off from him, but little else could be done. Their commanding officer refused to budge on the matter of letting Cloud's hand go. While prepping each plate, Genesis actually took a bit of extra care for Cloud's food, looking a mite smug about something, which drew Angeal's attention.

"Gen, I know that face of yours – what are you doing?" the burly SOLDIER inquired, setting up Zack's plate, piling it high with extra vegetables.

"Just making sure Cloud can eat his food easily," came the breezy answer, with an accompanied gesture towards the smaller bits of roast. Angeal raised a brow, but understood what he was trying to do, but...

"And Sephiroth?" he added, since Sephiroth was also down one hand that would allow him to comfortably eat his food. Genesis gave a languid shrug.

"He's a big boy," Genesis replied, "he can figure it out on his own."

At this, Angeal just sighed heavily, knowing his childhood friend had a bad habit of antagonizing Sephiroth needlessly at times. Never during important operations or at work, solely in these times of peace and informal get togethers; his reasoning being 'he'll learn to be more like a normal person this way if he gets picked on, it'll build character'. Every time he heard this stupid excuse Angeal always reminded his friend not to go too far with an added roll of his eyes.

When Genesis wasn't looking, Angeal managed to cut some of the roast into thick strips, but not much else. Gruff looking as he was, he really was soft-hearted as they came.

Sephiroth, predictably couldn't really eat. He mainly took a few bites of his mashed potatoes and just a bites of one strip of roast, though abandoned it afterwards, as a little mess was made on his clothes from the dripping gravy. Although Angeal did feel some pity for his friend, he was really bringing this on himself for not letting go of their young guest's hand. This only solidified their theory that Sephiroth was too mako-addled to be thinking straight and, perhaps, might even be under the influence of tainted mako as they had all been mere days before.

He two friends from Banora whispered softly enough that their whispers could not be detected by the silver, discussing what they should do. The more the dinner dragged on, the more their suspicions were being confirmed, based on what they knew. Of course, as they had never seen Sephiroth directly after his mako treatments, they could only assume based on their own experiences and those of their fellow SOLDIERs. To them, Sephiroth was barely hanging onto reason. His words were more vague and unfocused than usual, which was telling.

"My appetite is optimal," they heard him say.

("...'Optimal'. What is he, a robot now?" Genesis hissed.)

(Angeal sighed. "Hush, Genesis.")

Sephiroth was going to be hungry, which really would affect his ability to focus, something they knew he had trouble with half the time. He had ways of keeping focus on things, but that was when he was at 'optimal' condition. Mako could inebriate a SOLDIER the same way a normal man would lose his faculties after binge drinking all night long. It was probably taking everything Sephiroth had to keep up holding Cloud's hand on an empty stomach.

But of course, they miscalculated on how stubborn their friend was and on the patience Cloud had.

They spoke to him, giving him an out that if anything was not to his liking, he simply had to say it. Hell, Genesis was putting on the theatrical airs he normally reserved for placating irritable bigwigs to try and gently nudge Cloud into getting away from Sephiroth without alarming him. Had he not been traumatized by everything that happened during the Incident? Did he not have any suspicions concerning this bizarre behaviour for a grown man?

A hand fell onto Angeal's shoulder as something dire came to mind. Genesis looked positively haunted.

"Hey, 'Geal...what if he's not being patient?" Genesis posed, voice very soft as he schooled the rest of his face into a plastered smile as to not alarm anyone.

Angeal fought the urge to frown, merely eyeing the redhead from the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he is an infantryman, and we are SOLDIER, First Class. And in the case of our mako-addled friend...he's THE First Class, What if he's just going along because of fear of reprimand?"

It was a valid point. Didn't Sephiroth and Cloud have some sort of altercation a month ago? Genesis was only privy to the broader details thanks to Sephiroth, but Angeal had been more or less informed by Zack as a precaution to aid Cloud from potentially losing his chance at advancing in the army from simply trying to save his comrades from a bad situation. A dumb, noble action, Genesis would admit. An amazing show of bravery and honour, according to Angeal. But Cloud was, for all intents and purposes, lower on the Shinra hierarchy and perhaps this imbalance of power was what was causing him to simply play along with Sephiroth's odd antics. With this in mind, it became all the more imperative they save the poor lad before things escalate like the other day.

"Hey, want a hand cutting this up?"

They missed out on a very critical moment while being caught up in their own little conspiracy bubble.

Cloud was taking up a fork while Sephiroth handled the knife. Messy little pieces of meat were cut and then eventually speared onto the fork, tapped on the plate to get out the excess gravy before being held out towards Sephiroth's mouth.

That moment moved so slowly, as the fork raised, poised to feed the silver, whose mouth was opening obediently.

Too close, Angeal thought.

Too intimate! Genesis mentally echoed, similarly.

There was little time left to act or counter. There was the dragging of wood against the floor, of clothes rustling fast. His voice could have travelled faster than him – clearly, Angeal's voice rang out in surprise when Genesis got out of his seat all of a sudden.

One step, two step, three step.

CHOMP.

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

How did it all come to this?

The resulting scene was one of absolute dysfunction.

Angeal was standing up, one hand gripping the table cloth and looking tense, the other hand reaching out and stopping short of halting something.

Zack, finally ceased in his yammering, was staring wide eyed at everyone with his jaw wide open, only just now seeing something going on around him.

Cloud was flummoxed, blue eyes so wide Sephiroth almost entertained the idea they might fall out.

He, himself, now had a lap full of gravy, cold mashed potatoes and bits of behemoth roast. Ah, thankfully he wore leather pants today, he could easily wash this mess off – focus, Sephiroth.

His cat-like eyes slid from the mess on his pants, over towards the person between himself and Cloud. The man had made quite the dash to round the other side of the table, coming over to them and, as he was going to be fed by a generously patient Cloud who aided him to finally get sustenance, ate the morsel meant for him.

If he weren't so hungry, he might have had the energy to be pretty damned cross at Genesis right now. Alas, with everything going on, Sephiroth only had just enough in him to be merely as irritable as a soaked kitten.

"Genesis," began Sephiroth in a controlled drawl, "what, pray tell, are you doing?"

The redhead's lips were still sealed around the proffered fork when he was asked this, and while wearing a perfectly innocent face, slid off carefully and then standing himself straight, as if he hadn't made a mad dash around the dinner table like a man possessed. Hands moved along the fabric of his shirt, like brushing off lint, and just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders with a tilt of his smarmy head.

"Oh, my I was just sooo hungry, I just couldn't help myself. And Angeal really outdid himself with his roast tonight. Even cold it's –" Here, Genesis did an action he had explained to Sephiroth once as the chef's kiss, a novel action one did when food is perfectly prepared and you wanted someone to know it. Sephiroth found it so odd a gesture to do n the middle of a conversation. "– perfection!"

"And this was enough to deem yourself valid in stealing my food?" This was absolutely childish, even for Genesis. Sephiroth gave him a baleful look, not believing a single word coming out of the other man's mouth. Hunger, irritability, and lack of general patience made the silver growl out his words, his tone low and threatening, as when he would address enemies on the battlefield. Used to this tactic though, Genesis was infuriatingly unfazed and simply waved off the moment.

Sephiroth's grip on his knife was enough to bend the metal, such was his self restraint at the moment.

A beat went by before Genesis replied, "Angeal's food is always worth a war. Maybe two."

Green eyes narrowed at this proclamation.

War, was it?

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

Cloud had no idea how things had come to this.

One moment he was trying to be kind to his superior officer, and then, quite the next, he was now nestled in between the silver and the redhead like some sort of Cloud sandwich on the living room couch.

The confrontation between Genesis and Sephiroth was swiftly ended by the intervention of Angeal and Zack. Angeal taking Genesis aside again and whispering something seriously into his ear (which really piqued his curiosity, did grown men really need to whisper so much?) and Zack tending to a silently fuming Sephiroth and the blond could tell he was in a bad mood. Somehow an explosion was diverted, but the mood for dinner was definitely soured, even when Angeal offered to get out another plate and set of cutlery for Sephiroth to use.

"Another set?" Cloud asked, looking to Zack, who shrugged.

"...I prefer not sharing contact with others, if possible," the man in question supplied, boggling Cloud's mind with the sudden revelation. If he was so against that sort of thing, why was he so readily holding his hand?

Actually, hadn't he been pretty touchy with him the other day, too? Thinking on this...had Cloud ever seen Sephiroth actually touch somebody? Casting his mind to the few scant times he'd associated with him, plus all the moments he'd caught of him in public events or from photos...no. Huh. Strange, that.

In contrast, Angeal and Genesis seemed pretty chummy. Looking over the the other two men, Cloud remarked how easily they spoke to one another. Zack had explained how the two of them came from the same hometown, even had been childhood friends, too (a thought that dredged up the memory of someone he once made a promise to); they were pretty normal compared te rather finicky Sephiroth in the young SOLDIER's opinion.

Cloud wasn't so sure, though.

The way Genesis leaned his head in, almost touching Angeal's shoulder, how the burly SOLDIER had lightly placed a hand on the small of redhead's back in such a gentle manner, it spoke more volumes to Cloud than mere words. He'd only ever seen certain kinds of people touch each other like that; this was something he'd put as an interesting tidbit at the back of his mind that he may forget later.

In the end, Sephiroth did not accept Angeal's offer, citing 'fatigue', saying that what little he had would 'suffice' and her merely needed to simply 'repose' to recover from the day, which was how Cloud found himself in his current predicament.

They all adjourned to the living after they picked up after themselves at the dinner table. Well, Angeal, Genesis and Zack did, as Cloud was firmly held down by Sephiroth and the man did not seem to be moving of his own accord to aid anyone. Probably used to people doing things for him, Cloud mused, mind remembering its fondness of being sassy about people's faults. Cloud had never gotten away of never clearing his own plates before back home or at the mess hall, so this was a first (and guest or not, he had tried volunteering to help but neither Angeal nor Sephiroth allowed him to lift a finger, frustrating him to no end).

What was that term he'd read once? Infantilization? Yeah, he was being treated like a kid and he kind of really hated it. Not being taken seriously, always being underestimated, decisions being taken out of his hands, basically just following blindly and acting like an obedient puppet to someone else's orders...he hated it with a passion. Granted he was a member of an army, but it didn't mean he was some souless automaton!

Finished with setting the dishes off to wash in a washer (the convenience of modern technology and a runaway salary you can't find out in the boonies), Genesis and Angeal soon joined them in the living for an after dinner movie. They came together, arms slung around the other's waist which made Cloud's brows raise up inquiringly. Zack had said they were good friends, but that was still closer than close than he was familiar with.

Nibelheim friendships were the kind you hear of as being a man's man's friendship. The most physical you'd get with another guy is maybe an arm around the shoulders and usually not too long. Even with Zack, the most physically affectionate guy in all of Midgar, Cloud made no exception to. It was how he was raised. You kept your hands to yourself unless you needed to lend a friend a hand or the other person happened to be your significant other.

Cloud looked over at Angeal and Genesis.

Hm...maybe...?

There was some mental stalling, like a car engine having trouble starting up, within the blond's brain as he tried to eventually sus out what was up between the two SOLDIERs. Judging from what happened the other day, with events today, hmm...hmm...hmmm! His head began to hurt, piecing things together, to the point he wanted to just drop things, but he was just on the cusp of discovery! And Cloud was notoriously stubborn, to boot. He didn't want to let go of this train of thought.

And then, just like that, the idea clicked into place.

Oh, Cloud thought, now calming down a bit, the mental burden easing itself off of him, they obviously like each other.

What a simple conclusion. Growing up childhood friends, growing closer and closer, going through war together, strengthening the bonds...obviously, they're a couple, right? That explained their dynamic so well! Understanding them now, Cloud became unbothered once again. What went on in their private lives was none of his business and he would treat them with the utmost resp – hey, what was Genesis doing?!

Just as Cloud came to the decision to be a respectful human being, he saw Genesis pull away from Angeal, going straight for the other side of the decidedly small couch and inserting himself assertively next to the young man, effectively squishing him in place. Glancing about Zack shared a confused look with him, whereas Angeal seemed to actually look grumpy. Tracing the line of sight, he figured he was none too happy with Genesis' sudden change of mood. (Probably wanted to sit with him, being a couple and all, he surmised.) Cloud took this whole thing in stride, despite how uncomfortable he felt, it wasn't as if he could really escape at this point.

Having divined what ailed Zack's mentor and said mentor's 'best friend' (Cloud couldn't help mentally winking and nudging at this), his thoughts were able to meander back to Sephiroth and his own comfort. After all, he only learned recently that Sephiroth did not like being touched and this left Cloud is a very precarious predicament. Whilst the silver did not seem to mind his touching, it may only be from some sort of patient grace he possessed when dealing with other people in public and while they were, generally, on good terms, Cloud wasn't comfortable enough to start pushing boundaries.

And while scooting closer to Genesis seemed to be the safer bet, his temper was legendary and on top of this, the look Angeal was giving him was positively incendiary now and he was barely moving closer to Genesis's side to give Sephiroth the space he needed without appearing like he was snuggling into his side.

This was the proverbial rock and a hard place. Or, in this case, between a dangerous SOLDIER and an even more dangerous SOLDIER. (Who was which could be anyone's guess.)

However, Cloud tried to make the most of it. Scrunching himself up almost painfully, Cloud plastered on his best (read: strained) smile and hoped for the best.

Dear Mother in Nibelheim, please protect me, your precious only son from getting skewered by somebody today. P.S. Remind me to throttle Zack for convincing me that meeting his mentor and his friends would be a fun idea!

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

There was something exceedingly irritating about your friends getting too friendly with your other friends. Not that Sephiroth truly understood the sentiment, but his inability to keep a properly cool head today was giving him an extra healthy view of human insight when it came to Genesis languidly putting his arm around Cloud, whom (now that he thought of it) had been one of the SOLDIERs the infantryman had been spared actual contact during the other day's embarrassing incident. Although Genesis had tried, he had been unsuccessful.

And I vow he will be utterly unable to do anything untoward towards Cloud on this day as well.

Their eyes met above Cloud's head. Within the other's gaze he could see the light of defiance and challenge, the likes of which he always saw during spars and practice duels. Genesis' eyes were goading him silently, and Sephiroth could read exactly what the other SOLDIER was speaking with his gaze.

'Tell me to move my arm, I dare you.'

Such silent words were normal between them, having coded the other's facial ticks across the span of over a decade. There was a nuance of language in every degree a brow could be raised. An unspoken message was returned posthaste by the silver, once he deciphered what the other meant.

'What are you playing at, Genesis?' Sephiroth's eyes demanded, earning him a tutting gesture from the offending hand that had started resting on Cloud's shoulder closest to him. The finger wagged enticingly and mockingly, testing the silver's patience, which none existed at the moment, tired and hungry as he was. Green cat's eyes kept watched on the wagging finger as Genesis returned fire with another facial message.

'Just keeping you on your toes,' was the reply. Once again, the challenge in the other's gaze was just riling him up. Couple this with the still moving hand, Sephiroth's eyes began to narrow dangerously, spelling out his displeasure.

Well, considering what had happened earlier, all was fair in war, after all and nothing he could do now would be considered dirty pool. So, without much ceremony, Sephiroth opened his mouth, leaned in over Cloud a little (inadvertently pressing more against the scrunched up blond between the two of them) and bit Genesis' hand. There came a single moment wherein time froze and he stared viciously at the other man with all the ferocity of a corner animal on the attack; Genesis, for his credit, looked quite displeased, pained, and shocked all at once, but managed to keep from shouting in surprise and pain a well as from reacting violently enough to throw him off in return.

They simply stared heavily at each other, waiting for the next move. Genesis' visage set in a concerted effort to not show anything other than disgust and the silver himself keeping his jaw clenched and unwilling to let go of his prey. Besides, it was the redhead's own fault for being so goading and infuriating while knowing Sephiroth wasn't in the best of moods. Vaguely he could tell Angeal was watching with disapprovement and that Zack himself was too engrossed with the movie that had started playing the moment they all took the time to sit down.

Cloud seemed to shift in his seat uncomfortably, though with Sephiroth's gaze locked on Genesis, he couldn't see the reason why.

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

SON OF A BEHEMOTH! That bastard was actually biting his hand and wouldn't let go! What sort of Philistine upbringing did Sephiroth have? No, wait, scratch that...he knew exactly what kind of upbringing Sephiroth had and the pettiness being exuded here could only be attributed to one Professor Hojo (who still had many, many, many things he needed to answer to, the latest Incident back at the labs days earlier notwithstanding). Seriously, only such a whacked out quack doctor would raise an equally unrefined SOLDIER.

Genesis gave a light tug, but there would be no budging. Sephiroth's teeth held fast. The only way out would be to forcefully open the other SOLDIER's jaw and extricate his own hand, but the aim of the game now was keeping Cloud in the dark about what was going on. Angeal and him had agreed to not cause the blond any undue stress that may result in tonight's attempts to keep Sephiroth away from him. However, it seemed that it resulted in failure.

In his (in his mind) great generosity, Genesis had made plans to give Cloud another out in the form of physical support. If he tried to curry him over to his side during the movie, perhaps things could end peacefully. A calm, non-threatening plan, he thought.

Angeal, far from being the strategist either Genesis or Sephiroth were, did not see the great wisdom in said plan, pointing out that it could end pretty badly in the most obvious way which, at the time, did not seem none too obvious to the scheming redhead. How was he to know that Sephiroth would honestly bite him like a petulant child? At least it cinched it to Genesis, Sephiroth was clearly unwell from his mako treatments.

Keeping eye contact with the silver, he relayed a silent message with a soft twitch of his brows for him to cease this foolishness, yet the silver returned with a maddening response of 'I dare you to tell me to let go.' The cheek. The nerve. He was lucky they had guests over in the two of two teenagers in Angeal's home, otherwise he'd honestly fireball Sephiroth right in his face! (Alas, his beloved Firaga materia was tucked away safely in a drawer in Angeal's bedroom, far away from 'bad tempers', as his friend put it.)

Quickly, his gaze went over to Angeal, silently asking for aid. 'Do something!' he demanded with his eyes. Thankfully, the look of asking for aid was universal and he actually got up from his seat, going around the long way to look like he would be passing by to grab something from the kitchen. Yes, a quick pass over! Good call Angeal!

However, what happened would not be so simple.

Normally Angeal was always capable of breaking up any fight that broke out between Genesis and Sephiroth. Whether physically throwing himself straight into the conflict or talking one of them down, while the other stewed and waited for their own turn to be spoken to. Not this time. Oh, no. While any other time he could simply walk by and slap them apart (most likely smacking Sephiroth into letting go so Genesis could make a tactical retreat and regroup), Angeal miscalculated on that front.

Or maybe Sephiroth had really fallen off the deep end much deeper than either of them had thought. There was a feral look in his eyes as he shifted and caught Angeal's hand right out of the air. One hand grabbing Angeal's, another set deeply in his teeth, the man was not the picture of sanity. (At least his sword was also nowhere in sight, like Genesis' materia.)

Now here they were, at a ridiculous standstill yet again, though now with the added member of Angeal to the tableau of ridiculousness that the night was becoming.

And yet, that was not the worst of it.

"Hey, guys? Am I in your way or something? Should I let you have some privacy? If you're having a lover's tiff or something, I could leave early, you know...let you guys sort it out. Not judging or anything, but it feels a little embarrassing, stuck in the middle and all..."

Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. An infantryman did not just infer that he was in some of lover's spat with Angeal and Sephiroth!

"I am not having any lover's tiff! Least of all with this mess of a man!" Genesis declared, more shrilly than he'd have liked. As much as he liked being as aesthetic as possible in everything including relationships, no way was he in that kind of relationship with Sephiroth. He'd sooner kiss Heidegger. Seemed his compatriot agreed and sobered up enough to want to try and say something himself, his teeth finally loosening up from his fingers and Genesis was now able to get himself free, putting distance between himself and Sephiroth as if he had the plague.

"If you haven't noticed, I've been trying to save you!" the red SOLDIER blurted out in the most indignant voice ever.

Cloud blinked at him. "...Save me from what exactly?"

Ah, hell. Looked like the Coeurl was out of the bag.

"What's going on?" Zack chimed in, looking worriedly again between everybody. Being clueless tonight seemed to be the boy's go-to, Genesis thought with a sneer.

Auburn hair was pushed back and Genesis gave a flippant reply of, "Your dear friend was being besieged by Sephiroth this whole time, hadn't you noticed?"

A growl sounded; Sephiroth had let go of Angeal now and was balefully glaring at him. Clearly, he did not agree with his assessment. "If anyone was doing any besiegement, it was you. Do not think I did not notice your conspiracy with Angeal all night long."

Well, that answer had Genesis flabbergasted. He shook it off easily, but was soon rounding off on the silver quicker than lightning. "The hell?! I was doing no such thing! You were the one acting weird."

"No, clearly, I was the only sane one here."

"Sane nothing. You bit me."

"Clearly, you deserved it at the time."

"Sheltered brat!"

"Unstable Loveless fanboy."

"You leave Loveless out of this!"

And so their argument went on for quite a while, in this vein...

==EVERYBODY HATES SEPHIROTH==

Apologies were eventually spoken. Some half-hearted, others genuine. Most of the genuine ones were thrown at Cloud, who had to endure all of the craziness of that evening and he honestly didn't mind. He had been weirded out, if he was being honest with himself, but seeing them act the way they did sort of made him warm up to them a lot more easily. Or maybe the better way of putting it was that their utter insanity tonight made him feel like he didn't have to be formal all night long, with his back upright and always at attention.

Turned out Cloud had gotten the wrong impression of everything and everyone.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) his mental image of the unflappable Sephiroth had already been broken a few days prior. He was as human as anyone came, just with a title he had to respect a little more heavily than others in his life. Now he could add Genesis and Angeal to the picture of humanity.

Going into this dinner, Zack had hyped Angeal up a lot (and Genesis to some degree, although it was more in a negative light than a positive one as it was for Zack's one and only mentor). So, he had expected to have to make a good impression and always acting on his best behaviour, it was honestly nerve wracking. But Angeal had proven to be a down to earth, kind hearted man that, while heroic, was still just a man.

Genesis had the whole warrior poet thing going for him that spread through the ranks at Shinra, as well as among his fan clubs (and Cloud was embarrassed to admit it, but he did subscribe to quit a few clubs upon getting his first PHS to keep up with fan news). As an intellectual with high standing, Cloud felt he would embarrass himself in front of him and not to mention how his best friend kept telling him Genesis also had a nasty temper to watch out for. And while, yes, he did show a fiery side, it wasn't all explosions and poetry.

Tonight allowed him a rare look at the petty childishly heroic side of the man no one else got to witness.

And honestly, he really had thought he was interrupting what then felt like a lovers' night in. He recalled how everyone had not been originally available all at once until a few days prior, where their original dinner meet and greet would be at another time and place where they could meet neutrally. But since they were all insistent on it anyways, they rescheduled at one of their homes, which seemed a big deal to Cloud who had never even had a sleep over at someone else's house before.

He felt bad for guffawing when all the tension released from him, watching Sephiroth and Genesis go at it like children. But a little explanation here and there did wonders for everyone and they were peacefully ending the night by finishing the movie.

Sephiroth had still yet to let go of his hand though, but Cloud did not mind it now understanding the reason why he did it. Genesis seemed to want to fight on the issue more, but shut up when Angeal slapped him upside the head to keep quiet.

At least he was getting some food now, having been fixed a leftover sandwich that Sephiroth could enjoy with his freehand.

The movie wasn't great. Grade C at best, but Cloud had never been so fully entertained, even if half the time he felt uncomfortable and terribly concerned for his well being.

Fingers squeezed softly around his, drawing his attention away from the screen wherein Scamp was chasing after some bad guys (seriously, who made this stuff; Shinra really should put their budget back into Public Safety rather than this propaganda disaster movie for kids).

He looked up at Sephiroth quizzically. "Something up, Sephiroth?"

The older man's lips moved, about to form words, but then they pressed into a thin line. Afterwards, he gently shook his head before looking away, unable to voice what he needed to. His gaze was neutral and set on the screen before them dispassionately, as if nothing were wrong at all. However, their hands remained intertwined and he squeezed his fingers once more, drawing the blond's attention back down to their joined hands. Though he spoke no words and seemed to have trouble expressing himself, it looked like he was still silently apologizing for the trouble.

Cloud just smiled to himself and settled in to watch the movie, hand holding with Sephiroth until long after the end credits rolled.