Chapter 5: I Wanna Kiss You, But I Want It Too Much...
A sharp pain filtered through Kadaj's exhausted sleep. He opened his eyes and found himself wrapped up tight in Cloud's arms, the older man's nose buried in his hair. For some reason, that made him immeasurably happy, and he was closing his eyes to go back to sleep, when the pain returned, screaming up his arm and ripping through his chest. The silver-haired teen sat up groaning, his hands pressed to his stomach.
"Kadaj?" Cloud had woken up, and he sound genuinely concerned.
The pain intensified and was joined by an incredible queasiness. Kadaj gritted his teeth and gagged. "I'm going to..."
Cloud sprang up and half-dragged, half-carried the younger man to the bathroom.
The blonde held his hair back from his face as Kadaj retched into the sink. Scarlet splashed the pale marble. Kadaj squeaked in mingled surprise and pain before ducking back into the sink to expel more tainted blood from his system. Cloud began to freak out and yell, which didn't help the situation much.
"SHUT UP!" Kadaj barked, spraying him with droplets of red, and returned to his previous agenda as the blonde's mouth snapped shut.
The third heave brought a new wave of pain through Kadaj's insides, tearing at him and increasing the pounding in his head. Something big and round appeared in his throat, and he began to choke. He banged his fist against the counter to try and catch Cloud's attention, his eyes rolling back into his head from lack of oxygen.
Cloud abandoned his attempt at keeping the silver hair clean at once and tried to remember everything he had ever learned about the Heimlich Maneuver. "I'm going to help you, okay?"
Kadaj responded by whacking the blonde upside the head and pulling his arms around his waist. Cloud got the hint, pressed his closed fist against the younger man's stomach, and began to squeeze back and up.
Soon, the whatever-it-was that was caught in Kadaj's throat popped free and landed in the bloody sink with a glassy clank. Both men collapsed against the counter, breathing hard. As Kadaj recovered from his near-choking experience he began to notice Cloud's warm weight on his back and how perfectly they fit together, back to front. The older man's arms were still partially wrapped around his waist, his chin resting lightly on Kadaj's shoulder.
But then Cloud backed up a bit, a light blush painted over his nose and cheeks. "Are you okay?"
"I am now. Thanks." He smiled weakly and rubbed his neck, embarrassed.
"What was, uh, caught in your throat?" Cloud reached out to touch what was in the sink.
"Don't! My blood has mako in it!" Kadaj's own hand snapped out to catch the older man's wrist. The clear sapphire eyes looked up sharply, staring straight into pale jade. The icy blue depths caught and held him. He didn't so much as breathe.
"It's okay..." Cloud whispered.
"Huh?" Kadaj started violently.
"It's okay, I have it too. You can let go." Cloud smiled as the silver-haired teen snatched his hand back. He plucked a glowing green sphere from the blood, red running fluidly off it's smooth surface.
"Oh. The materia. The one I had in my arm."
"Yes, I remember. I'll go take stick it with the others I have. Um, the sink...could you?"
"Sure. Um...Cloud?"
The blonde turned in the doorway. "Yea—"
He was cut off as Kadaj ran forward and hugged him around the waist. "Thank you for saving my life," he whispered, "Again."
Cloud slipped his arms uneasily around the slender form, materia still clutched in one hand. He felt the silver head rub gently against his neck. "Kadaj..." Then he felt lips, warm and soft, graze his jawline, trailing soft kisses up to his ear. The younger man nipped him lightly.
Cloud broke away with a sharp intake of breathe. "Please...don't do that." The teen only looked at him with green eyes that were too wide, too innocent, and all too tempting. Cloud fled from Kadaj's hungry gaze, face burning.
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Notes: I wonder if Cloud actually knows the Heimlich Manuveaur...?
Well now he does! X
Whee, blossoming romance!! 33
-Dove