Quiet: ....don't ask.
(AngealSephiroth)+ZackxCloud
Zack hiding from Angeal and Sephiroth, and two firsts go to Cloud to see if he knows Will Cloud be able to convince them he doesn't know???
A whirlwind of motion sent the door flying back on its hinges, and Cloud jerked his head up from the book in his lap to gape at his boyfriend. The older boy looked as if he was fighting back both laughter and panic as he slammed the door and made a frantic shushing noise at Cloud.
"I'm not here," he whisper-shouted, disappearing into the bedroom before coming out a minute later and jamming himself under the kitchen sink.
Bewildered, Cloud sat and stared. Zack was so weird sometimes, but judging by the hurried hiding spot, he was expecting someone to come looking for him soon.
"Zack?" he called nervously. "What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble…?"
The door cracked and Cloud caught a glimpse of Zack's mako bright eyes before a gloved hand waved at him in a shooing motion. "Just act like you never saw me," the older boy said, pulling the door to so that there was just enough space for him to peep through.
"O-okay," he said, resisting the urge to go peer nervously out into the hall. As much as he wished he could just go back to reading like Zack had ordered him to, he found himself sneaking little glances at the cabinet. How the hell was Zack fitting in there, anyway?
A knock sounded at the door, and Cloud jumped.
"I'm not here," he heard from the kitchen again and sighed. Who did Zack prank this time? He wondered as he opened the door.
"Cadet."
Uh-oh. Cloud knew who that voice belonged to. He stared as Angeal Hewley, Sephiroth's current Second in Command looked down on him, his face thunderous.
"Where is Zackary?" another voice hissed, and Cloud stiffened into a terrified salute at the site of the General himself glaring as his eyes scanned the apartment.
"I-I don't—"
Angeal gently nudged Cloud to the side and walked inside moments before Sephiroth, whose anger seemed to fill the room with energy.
"U-uh, sirs? Is there something wrong?" he asked, knowing the answer was obvious from their tense stances and hardened expressions.
"Where is he?" Sephiroth asked, nothing but demand in his voice.
"I'm not sure—"
"Cloud," Angeal interrupted, standing before the cadet in his most imposing manner. "I'm doing you a favor when I cut you off before you lie to one of us, because now's not the time for games. Now where is Zack?"
Wincing, Cloud withered under the combined stares of the SOLDIERs as he floundered helplessly for a way out of this.
Under the cabinet, Zack cursed himself for leading the two higher ranking SOLDIERs back to his apartment. Cloud was one of those by-the-book types that followed rules and regulations as if his life depended on it; it had been unfair of him to put him in the position of facing off with two of ShinRa's top employees and their wrath.
Just as he made to reach out and open the door in order to rescue Cloud and take his punishment, the blond drew himself to his full height—which, admittedly, was pretty measly compared to that of Sephiroth and Angeal—but the fact that he had done it at all caught their attention as effectively as a shout of defiance would have.
"I saw him," Cloud said honestly, looking Angeal in the eye. "But it was only for a brief moment, and he didn't tell me what was going on."
There was silence for a moment as Cloud was appraised by two critical stares, but after a moment, Angeal's stern expression was replaced by one of reluctant admiration.
"Fine. If you see Zack, tell him that if he fails to produce the camera, he's got PT in the mornings with Sephiroth for the next three months, and he better be up at oh-three-hundred tomorrow to meet him in the simulation room. And after that, he's going to meet me on the obstacle course for 50 laps, no exceptions."
Cloud hastily nodded before saluting. "Yes, sir. I'll tell him when I see him."
"Maybe next time, he will think twice before spying on his superiors during private moments," Sephiroth said as he took his leave.