Chapter 4

Author's note: I thought long and hard about this chapter, so hopefully it flows well.

Cloud woke up alone and cold. He groaned softly as he felt the splitting pain of a hangover, glaring daggers at the alarm that went off that morning. He rose up and smashed the snooze button and stretched, yawning loudly as he tried to push away the grogginess of the morning. He threw off his blankets and went to the bathroom, his feet slapping loudly as he walked onto the soft wood. He brushed his teeth, took a piss, then hopped in the shower, deciding to forgo the usual morning workout.

He put on his work clothes and headed downstairs, drank some coffee and made himself some breakfast. It was mostly a mashup of eggs and veggies, but it was enough to push away the worst of the hangover. He threw back some Tylenol, stretched one last time, fixed his suit, then grabbed his keys. Fenrir probably missed being stuck in the back.

Cloud stopped as the fog of a dream pulled into his mind, his entire morning coming to an abrupt halt. Cloud looked down to himself, then looked to the dark windows of Seventh Heaven. No, it must have all been a dream, right? His ass didn't hurt, so that was the first clue. He blushed as he wondered where the reality had ended and the dream had started, though he felt couldn't help but feel strange as he went to look at his pride and joy.

Had they seen the pictures of Fenrir?

Cloud decided he wouldn't bring it up unless thy did, shrugging as he got on his bike and started it. Having it purr between his legs was rather welcoming, the feeling reminding him of when he used to ride her outside Midgar. He actually hoped soon to open up his own delivery business, though the blueprints of the idea was hidden under a mountain of bills.

Cloud sighed before revving her engine, speeding out from behind the bar. He went to the highways that led out of the slums, paying the toll to get to the top plate. He rode through the near empty streets in the early morning to the Shinra garage, stopping at the gate when a guard stepped out. He showed him his ID, and waited patiently for the gate to open.

He rode a little slower as he looked for a parking space, feeling considerably less anxious as he got off and headed for the elevators. He pressed for the button, the dream a mere whisper in the back of his mind as he drummed his fingers rhythmically against his thigh.

Why he was having a good morning, he had no idea.

"Yo." Cloud looked to the opening elevator doors, trying not to frown at the red head who stood there. Cloud sighed anyway, getting in and swiping his card, pressing for his floor. He noticed with some annoyance, the Turk was going to the same floor.

"Stalking me too?" Cloud dared to ask, feeling a little braver today. The red head barked out a laugh, shaking his head as he seemed to nearly fuse with the elevator wall behind him.

"No, though I can if you'd like it yo." Cloud tried not to roll his eyes, resting a little against the far wall.

"No thank you," Cloud replied with a drip of sarcasm, almost hearing the other smile as he spoke next.

"Too bad yo. I love to watch your ass." Cloud raised an eyebrow at that, looking over to the red head. The man seemed rather laid back, confidence oozing off of him in waves. Though he wasn't Cloud's type, Cloud would admit his confidence did make him seem very attractive.

But he didn't sleep with his coworkers.

"Too bad indeed," Cloud sighed, straightening up when the doors opened. He walked over to his desk and sat down, Reno following but stopping at the other side. He leaned against his desk, his blue eyes alight with mischief. Cloud realized what he wanted, which only steeled his own nerves further.

"I don't sleep with my coworkers," Cloud told him, the red head raising an eyebrow as his lips pulled into a smirk.

"You'll find out soon enough blondie, everybody sleeps around here." The red head shrugged away his refusal, merely whistling as he pushed away from his desk and walked to the stairs. Cloud sighed and turned on his computer, waiting for it to boot up as he went to go grab a cup of coffee. When he entered the lounge, he was not expecting to see Sephiroth glaring at the coffee maker.

Cloud's cheeks burned as the dream came back in a blaring scream, the remembrance leaving him frozen like a chocobo in head lights. Sephiroth turned his eyes from the coffee machine to the blonde, noting his sudden silence and stiff posture. The general pointed at the machine.

"Since you're my secretary, fix it." The command brought Cloud out of his shock, his hands shaking at his sides as he went up to the machine slowly. He kept a wide distance from his boss as he looked to it, opening the lid and seeing that the water for some reason wasn't going through like it should. Cloud tried to focus on fixing the machine, and not on the way his boss was glaring at him now.

Cloud felt stupid, but he couldn't help but feel a bit aroused by being glared at.

God why was he so weird?

"What is wrong with it?" The general asked, a small growl in his voice. Cloud came to the sudden realization that the man was probably not a morning person, and the thought was just a little terrifying.

"I'm not sure," Cloud replied, almost hearing the man huff as he appeared offended.

"You can run a bar but can't fix a coffee machine?" The general heatedly questioned him, Cloud just embarrassed and annoyed enough to respond.

"Well you're not helping the situation either!" Cloud felt heat rise in his cheeks as the general seemed almost thrown off by getting yelled at, though he quickly got back his superior footing. Cloud felt small when the heated glare became an angered scowl, almost curling in on himself as the room became impossibly cold.

"It is your second day Strife. I suggest you control your tone, or it will be your last." Cloud pursed his lips but nodded, closing the coffee machine lid and trying to reign in his own anger.

"I'll call a technician," Cloud replied softly, Sephiroth nodding once before turning to leave. He stopped, throwing the words over his back.

"For now, you will have to get my coffee from upstairs. I prefer three packets of cream." Cloud nodded, keeping his eyes on the floor until the imposing man left the room. He tried not to kick the table as he worked over what happened in his head, slapping his face as he groaned softly.

How he managed to get hired was beyond him.

First, he had a sex dream of both his bosses, then he yelled at one? He was sure he would lose his job by the end of the week.

Cloud obediently went upstairs to snag the coffee maker from up there, switching it with their broken one. He plugged it in, grabbed the coffee grounds and proceeded to make a strong batch of coffee. He poured in the water then pressed start, watching lazily as the coffee began to drip into the coffeepot.

"Good morning Cloudy!" Cloud yelped when his hair was suddenly assaulted, slapping away the offensive hand and glaring at its owner. Even though Zack had drunk three bottles, he seemed nearly unfazed. Had it even happened though?

"Last night was fun!" Zack piped, Cloud fighting the blush that creeped up into his neck and cheeks. He looked back to the pot, wishing it would go just a tad bit faster.

"Aww what's the matter? Hungover?" Zack chided, tsking loudly as he hopped around the lounge, grabbing snacks.

"You don't just run a bar now Cloudy!" Cloud rolled his eyes at the nickname, trying not to give way to his very perverted thoughts.

"Who took me to my room?" Cloud ventured to ask, Zack throwing up an arm.

"I did! I like the bike by the way!" Cloud flushed red, wondering just how much of last night was either a dream or reality.

"Thank you, drove it here today," Cloud replied, Zack tearing open a bag of cookies and scarfing them down.

"I wanna see it! I told Sephiroth about it after he left, he seemed rather impressed!" Cloud frowned, not remembering the general leaving at all during the night. No, Cloud remembered him doing many other things last night…

"Why did he leave early?" Cloud asked, if only to drown out the dream that threatened to make him go insane.

"He said something about he had to go back to the office. Knowing him, he's probably been here since last night." Cloud frowned at that, looking over his shoulder to Zack, who lounged happily against a counter. He had three bags of cookies in his arms, with an empty one sitting on the counter behind him. Cloud looked back to the coffeepot when his eyes tried to venture lower, slapping himself mentally.

Why did he ever think this was a good idea?

"You should come meet my girl," Zack said through a mouthful of cookies, Cloud raising both eyebrows as his head snapped over his shoulder in disbelief.

"You're straight?" Cloud asked with disbelief in his voice, Zack stopping in his chewing to present his chewed up food to the world.

"You thought I was gay?!" Zack exclaimed, Cloud hoping to the gods he didn't offend the man as he his response came out as a sputter. Zack began to laugh though, shaking his head as he tried not to spit his food everywhere. Cloud's cheeks grew red enough to radiate their own heat, turning his eyes away with a wince. Zack eventually calmed down, swallowing his food before letting out a gush of wind.

"Aw man, that made my day," Zack chuckled, opening up another bag of cookies. Cloud hoped to Gaia he could melt into the floor. He had though everybody in Midgar was a little gay, though his only example had been the many men who hit on him every night at the bar.

"No, I'm one hundred percent straight," Zack finally spoke clearly, chuckling softly once again. Cloud felt stupid.

"Though you're not the first to ask me," Zack tried to justify, Cloud thanking the gods as the coffee finally finished brewing. He grabbed a cup and filled it, grabbing three creams and emptying them in. The silence was slightly awkward, though Zack seemed to be taking the time to assess Cloud's reaction to the information. The soldier grinned.

"Sephiroth's gay though."

Cloud tried very, very hard not react to that. He merely raised an eyebrow, pouring himself a cup of coffee. The last thing he wanted was for the soldier to see him get his hopes up for the stoic man. Or at least right now, the very grumpy general. Cloud sometimes really hated himself. Why did he always become attracted to the men who didn't want him?

"I feel sorry for the silver elite then," Cloud joked, Zack chuckling in response. The awkward air dissipated and Cloud relaxed, the solider hopping next to him as Cloud walked out of the lounge to give the general his coffee.

"Don't you have work?" Cloud asked as he walked to the closed double doors, Zack shrugging as he opened the door for him. Sephiroth looked up from his work, a frown pulling down at the sides of his mouth.

"Not really."

"Yes, you do Fair." The soldier laughed as he scratched the back of his head, Cloud walking over to the general's desk and placed down his cup of coffee. He tried hard to keep his irritation out of his voice.

"Sir."

Sephiroth nodded and took the cup, sipping it as he looked back to his computer screen. Cloud turned around, deciding to not to wait till he was dismissed. Zack had seemed to run as soon as he was caught slacking, Cloud smirking as he opened the double doors to leave.

"Strife." Cloud stopped, looking over his shoulder at his boss. Sephiroth was frowning at him now, the cup placed down.

"Wrong cup." Cloud looked down, his eyes widening slightly when he realized he accidentally gave him his black coffee. He quickly walked back, switching the cups with an apologetic nod. Sephiroth leveled him with his stare, Cloud feeling like a bug trapped under a microscope. A very hot and bothered bug.

"Second strike Strife," he spoke with finality, Cloud frowning just slightly as he nodded back seriously.

"One more and I will fire you."

"Yes, sir."

Sephiroth looked away when he felt his word was heard, glaring back at his screen. Cloud took a moment to look the man over. He was wearing a button up, the first two buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up, his gloves removed and exposing soft milky skin. His hair was pulled back into a braid, with the braid pulled over a shoulder, the few strands of his notorious bangs that peeked through only accenting his exotic features. It was all alluringly sexy, except for the dark circles under the man's eyes.

"Want staring to be the third strike?" Sephiroth questioned without even looking at him, Cloud tearing his eyes away as he quickly exited the office. He tried to calm his racing heart as he went back to his desk, raising an eyebrow at the folder on his desk. He opened it, trying hard not to outwardly groan.

It was an order for him to attend a Shinra function that night, and to dress appropriately. He saw it was approved by Sephiroth, his chicken scratch signature at the bottom. It was labeled as a fundraiser, though Cloud wondered if maybe it was just so the president could flaunt his wealth. Either way, he was now expected to attend, and dress formally.

He closed it and booted up his laptop, wondering what the hell he would even wear to the event. He could once again ask Vincent for his help, though he felt bad enough asking for a few suits to cover his work shifts. He sighed as he saw a million emails sent already, wondering why they were loading so much on him already.

He pulled up his calendar with Sephiroth's preset meetings, using the intercom to relay any meetings the general had that day. He only managed to fit in four meetings for the next two weeks, as the general was already booked. He got passive aggressive emails the rest of the day, while also getting many calls from fan girls who somehow got the office number, or people who were demanding him to grab papers or relay information that could have been sent to the general in a fucking email.

By lunch time, Cloud was close to screaming. Cloud stood from his desk angrily, trying hard not to stomp as he went to the lounge. He had an hour lunch, though he wondered if maybe he should leave the building for lunch. He poured himself a cup of cold coffee, the new brew significantly lighter than his own. He tried not to roll his eyes as he went over to the microwave, putting on one minute, then tapping his fingers against the counter impatiently.

"Long day?" Cloud looked over his shoulder at the smooth voice, seeing a dark haired soldier. He gave him a courtesy nod, looking back to the microwave when it beeped. He took out his coffee, nearly throwing back the lukewarm drink.

"Yes sir," he finally replied, turning to face the man fully and to move away from the microwave.

"Sephiroth's new secretary, correct?" The soldier asked, Cloud nodding as he threw away his paper cup. He tried to focus on the man, since he seemed to want to start a conversation. Cloud prayed the coffee would kick in during this forced debacle.

"Yes sir, my second day," Cloud replied, the soldier smiling as he leaned against a counter and looked Cloud over. Cloud raised an eyebrow, waiting for whatever else he had to say so he could go grab some spicy wutainese.

"I'm surprised you've lasted. His last secretary was fired for being too… Clingy, if that's the correct word for the woman." Cloud snorted, and this time it was the man who raised an eyebrow. Cloud shook his head, running a hand through his spikes and ruffling them slightly.

"He's not exactly my type," Cloud replied, turning his body to convey he was done with the conversation.

"I'm guessing you enjoy the funny type?" The soldier asked, Cloud stopping in his steps to raise an eyebrow as Zack flashed behind his eyes. He turned to face the man again, trying hard not to fold his arms over his chest. The last thing he needed was to show he felt a bit vulnerable in this conversation.

"No, low maintenance," he replied, the soldier letting out a boisterous laugh. Cloud relaxed just a bit, shifting his feet as he regarded the soldier silently. He was very well built, and was about Sephiroth's height. The large sword on his back gave Cloud an idea of who he was, but since he didn't follow Shinra as much as Tifa did, he needed clarification.

"And you are?" Cloud asked as the man's laugh became deep chuckles, the man's mako blue eyes holding a different light to them as they looked him over once again.

"Angeal Hewley, I am Zack's mentor." Cloud blinked, wondering if Zack had ever brought him up. When his memory retrieved nothing he nodded, looking to the time on the microwave and realizing he now had fifty more minutes.

"I shall leave you to it then. My break will be over soon."

"Where are you headed?" Angeal asked, Cloud pursing his lips before carefully replying.

"A wutainese shop down the street."

"Hmm," the man hummed, pushing off the counter and moving a step closer. Cloud tried very hard not to take a step back, though felt his foot twitch in response. The man gave him an award winning smile however, extending out a hand.

"It was nice to meet you…?"

"Cloud."

Angeal's hand was warm through his leather glove as it engulfed Cloud's smaller hand, sending a shock that brought a slight blush to Cloud's cheeks. The man merely smiled wider, letting his hand go before waving him a good bye.

"Have a good rest of your day Cloud." The man left with that, Cloud trying very hard not to let how he felt get to his head. He instead left the lounge, deciding to take his bike since he had already wasted so much time already.

It was a lot quicker, since more people were likely to move out of the way at the sound of his engine. He grabbed it and made it back to headquarters with thirty minutes to spare. He went back to the lounge and sat at the small table there, placing down his bag and searching for a water bottle. He found a cabinet full of water, grabbed one, closed the cabinet and turned around.

He stopped just short of jumping in the air when he found Sephiroth standing in the door way, his imposing form quiet as he watched him. Cloud swallowed his heart as he tried to take deep breaths, his lips pulled down into a frown. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you, sir?" Cloud all but growled out, Sephiroth merely staring blankly at him. Cloud walked over to the table once he was sure his heart was back in his chest, placing the water down and looking back to his boss.

"Do you have anything to wear to the event tonight?" Sephiroth finally asked, Cloud caught a little off guard by that. He shrugged, wanting to ask why he was even approved to go to the stupid thing anyway.

"I'll find something," Cloud replied, Sephiroth walking over to the table. Cloud almost backed up but stopped himself, his nose filled the general's vanilla scent. Sephiroth placed down a couple hundred gil, meeting Cloud's eyes.

"Get something nice to wear. Preferably black and white." Cloud looked down to the money, unsure of how to feel about this. On one hand, he felt he didn't have to tell the man how to spend his money. On the other, he felt absolutely like an escort.

"Sir—"

"Pay it back to me with your first check." Cloud felt something like pride swell in his chest.

"Sir, I don't need financial support. I am not a whore." Sephiroth leveled him with his gaze, and Cloud did the same. It was a standoff, though it wasn't hard for the general to win. Cloud's eyes darted away, wincing slightly as he registered his words.

"I shall not place that as your third strike, Strife. However, if you were a whore, you would not be paid nearly as much, I assure you." Cloud blushed fiercely at that, his eyes darting back to the exotic green. Sephiroth's features hadn't changed, besides a small up tilt of his lips. Cloud scowled back, angry that the man found amusement in his embarrassment.

"Enjoy your food, Strife."

He was starting to regret taking this job.