A/N: … … Damn that was fast. Lol. I had something to say that was more profound than that, but then my short-term memory loss kicked in and now I have no effing idea what the heck it is that I wanted to say. Urgh. Stupid short-term crap. *mumblemutterrazzlefrazzle* -.-;

Uh… I do know that I enjoyed writing this chapter very much, which is why it was probably done so fast. And so far it's the longest in the story! Though with the way I write sometimes… yeeeaaaah. Let me know, if anything; I tend to ramble. Lmao. Hope you guys enjoy. ^.^

Disclaimer: I don't own ze wonderful song "That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)", which IS owned by Panic! At the Disco. (Damn, I love that name!) I also don't own Final Fantasy blah, blah, blah… we know this already. On with the fic! :D

"Things are shaping up to be pretty odd-

Little deaths in musical beds;

So it seems I'm someone I've never met.

You will only hear these elegant crimes

Fall on your ears from criminal dimes;

They spill unfound from a pretty mouth.

And everybody gets there, when everybody gets there,

And everybody gets their way…

I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her-

Now I'm the only one to blame.

Things have changed for me, and that's okay.

I feel the same, I'm on my way, and I say-

Things have changed for me, and that's okay…"

-"That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" by Panic! At the Disco

Title: When You Walk Away

Chapter Five: That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)

Cloud sighed as he silently trekked through the wreckage that was the student body in Midgar High, making his way to the familiar (and oh-so-cherished) school entrance that also served as one of the many school exits within their hellish institution.

Hellish was an appropriate way to label the place, especially since it had been one of the last places he would have liked to have been stuck in…

Yeah, he remembered that conversation with Gast; it was very memorable indeed…

"Do I really have to?" Cloud implored, his light blue eyes and pouty face a deadly combination to a person as susceptible to cute faces as his guardian was. "Isn't there any other school that will take me?"

"I'm sorry, Cloud." Gast pushed his glasses up against the bridge of his nose as he gave the young boy his sternest glare (which really didn't amount to anything as Aerith cooed at the young boy right over his shoulder). "The school is the closest in the area, and before we can think of putting you up in any academies, it's best to see where you are at educationally and behaviorally."

"You don't trust me to be good?" Cloud kicked up the watery eyes an extra notch, thinking he had this in the bag.

"Of course he does!" Aerith interrupted before pushing her father out of her way, green eyes glowing with amusement. "What he means is that he wants to see how you get along with kids your age and whether or not the classes are too easy for you! Think of it as his own science experiment on you."

Both Aerith and Gast pretended to ignore the loud gulp Cloud exhibited as they both continued to smile happily. "Besides, I don't see the big deal; I attended Midgar High for four spectacular years before heading off to university! I'm sure you'll have fun, Cloud!"

"Exactly!" Gast gave his young daughter a round-about hug and smiled at the morose blond in front of him. "And if Aerith had a good time at the school, I'm sure you'll have just as much fun son!"

Cloud conceded the battle once he heard the word 'son' enter the conversation. Though he had only been in their home for a couple of months, both father and daughter had treated him like nothing less than family. To hear a man who was not only trying to help Cloud but sincerely love him as well refer to him in such an affectionate way was the killing blow to the blue-eyed boy's campaign against public schooling (or schooling of any sort, actually).

Nodding timidly in begrudging acceptance, Cloud barely had time to prepare himself for the two-way hug he was pulled into courtesy of Aerith and Gast.

Trying to keep the smile ready to burst its way over his lips at bay, Cloud gently reciprocated the hold with bashful force.

'Maybe school won't be all that bad this time…'

'And maybe most dinosaurs weren't carnivorous beasts; just severely misunderstood.' Cloud thought snippily to himself as he nearly tripped over someone's outstretched foot-

Yet again.

'Lovely.'

Finally pushing his way out of the large double-doors, Cloud didn't even blink as the sight of a lazily-slouched Sephiroth leaned against the school's gates, eyes catching his the moment he stepped outdoors. The latent insecurities implanted within him from the night before caught the smile he had attempted to shoot over to his older companion and smothered it to death, causing a strange sort of tick to develop against his face. Sephiroth simply quirked a silver eyebrow as the boy quietly made his way over to the extremely tall man and waved, not even pausing as he made his way through the gates with a nervous pace.

"Cloud?" The now-confused college student didn't even hesitate to follow as the majority of the student body within the courtyard swooned/fainted at the sight of his backside and flowing silver hair. "Are you alright?"

And somehow, someway, Sephiroth knew-

"I'm fine."

That that dreaded word was going to haunt him once again.

Not noticing the odd twitch now infecting his companion's left eye, Cloud took to his age-old habit and began to fiddle with the straps of his backpack, his demeanor and strangely cold and distant.

He could still hear the voice reverberating in his head repeating the mantra he hated more than anything else-

'It's all temporary… everything around you, it'll never amount to anything worth keeping; especially this.'

But…

'I want to keep this…'

And it was the truth.

Coming to a complete halt, Cloud blinked as Sephiroth nearly continued on without him, long limbs still geared for continued motion. Bedraggled green eyes met tired blue, Cloud's emotional exhaustion pouring over from his expression without him even meaning to.

'Can't I just have this one thing?'

Instead of holding back the tiny grin wanting to split over his smooth pink lips Cloud let his expression morph as it pleased, watching as the confusion slowly bled from Sephiroth's own expression and holding a small unsure beam of its own.

"How was your day at school today?" Cloud asked uneasily, not sure if he was doing the right thing and not caring for once in his life.

"It was very educational." Sephiroth replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as Cloud laughed in response to his dry humor. Shrugging his shoulders, the older man took in the candid openness within the schoolboy's expression and felt a small thrill of success run through his lanky frame. "I was nearly mobbed, as usual, I was lectured by people who spent half of the time they were supposed to be teaching me gawking openly at me instead, as usual, I was openly annoyed by Zack, as usual, I proceeded to beat him in front of people, as usual-"

"Wow, pretty normal day." Cloud sarcastically remarked, the softness of his tone creating a light lilt that Sephiroth had never heard before. "I'm sure that just happens to everybody…"

"I wish." The college student muttered, running a free hand through his lengthy fringe. "Maybe then other people would be stalked and know how creepy it feels."

'IRONY.' Sephiroth didn't even wince as he heard the word begin to ring through his head, the voice sounding suspiciously like Zack's. 'THIS IS IIIRRROOONNNYYY!'

Scoffing at his own thoughts, the silver-haired prodigy merely countered in return, 'Never called myself a saint…'

And truly, he hadn't.

Yet.

Tilting his head to the side, Sephiroth gave the boy a predatory glance. "And you? What's a normal day for Mr. Cloud Strife?"

"Uh… well… it's nothing nearly as exciting as yours…" Or awe-inspiring, Cloud thought to himself, wanting to flinch back in shame. "I got an A on my History paper…"

"That can't be all." The 21-year-old prodded, thinking back on this morning's sight and the accompanying rage that had settled over his stomach as a result. "I distinctly remember high school being a lot more interesting than just papers and exams…"

"I'm sure for you it was." Cloud stated, sighing in relief as he saw his house over the distance.

"Cloud-" Sephiroth could also see the impending house and decided that dropping the subject in favor of one much more pleasurable would have to do; if he had his way, he would have the boy cornered tonight and there'd be nothing Cloud could do about it. "I do have something to ask you before we get to your home."

"Yeah?" The blond sincerely hoped that the man wouldn't try to delve deeper into his school life, somehow knowing that that would cause nothing but problems. Everyone knew that once Sephiroth became invested in someone, you did not mess with them.

At all.

And unfortunately for Cloud, he was a fist-magnet with a side of easy-target printed on his forehead.

That… and how embarrassing was it to admit to someone like Sephiroth that you got beaten up on a daily basis? He hadn't even told Aerith and his… father for gosh sakes. Perhaps it was because he was so used to it that he didn't even put up a fight anymore or told people about them, but it didn't dissuade from the fact that they did indeed happen and he would rather die than look Sephiroth in the eyes and tell him such a humiliating fact.

He didn't want to be pitied or protected; no, it was better that such a subject was avoided at all costs…

"Are you… going to be doing anything tonight?"

Cloud's head whirled to the side in a (literal) break-neck speed, his large blue eyes suddenly wide and gleaming.

"You… huwah?"

Sephiroth let his nervousness hang in the back of his head as he gave the boy a smooth smile and stopped in his tracks once more; this time, of his own accord.

"I wish to know if you will be occupied for the night."

"No…" Letting the word drop of his tongue in a slur, the teenage student let his mouth fall slightly open and stared at his taller counterpart, his aged leather jacket and skin-tight jeans clad with knee-high leather boots contrasting greatly with the boy's puffy jacket and slouchy high-school uniform. "Not… really…"

"Zack and I wish to invite you and Aerith on an excursion if such is the case. Are you willing to come along?" Willing? Excursion? Sephiroth inwardly rolled his eyes at the words. Perhaps Zack was right; he really was too uptight…

"I… I don't think I'd fit in with the three of you." Cloud back-pedaled, paling incessantly at the thought. "You'd probably be better off without me."

"And have to watch Zack and Aerith's public displays of gratuitous affection by myself? No thanks." Using his height as an advantage, the older man leaned over the tiny blond head and let his smile become edged with determination that usually got him his way. "I insist that you accompany us."

"I'm sorry." Cloud nearly bowled over himself as he turned around and power-walked past the gate surrounding his home, trying not to notice Sephiroth's looming form still following him. "I just don't want to over-crowd the three of you. You're all always watching out for me… you don't need to hang out with me too."

Not understanding the saddening undertone within Cloud's voice, Sephiroth continued forward until the young boy opened the door and turned around, quite willing to follow him into the house uninvited if he had to and trailing after him until he received a solid yes.

"Cloud, I wish for you to accompany me and I will not accept no for an answer." The older man plainly stated, not caring about social etiquette anymore and simply demanding the younger man's acceptance instead.

"Sephiroth…"

"Ah!" Both man and boy nearly jumped out of their skin as a sharp baritone cut through the air, turning towards the bifocal-clad old man that had taken Cloud into his home and allowed Sephiroth a haven away from all the stresses of his life in the form of this house and his family's company. "Now this is a surprise; not only am I greeted by the sight of my actual son, who I haven't seen in a good two weeks, but my yet to be adopted child whom I haven't seen in even longer! How have you two boys been whilst I've been gone! Taking care of Aeri and the house, haven't you?"

"Of course… dad." Cloud blushed at the large grin that overtook Gast's face at the sound, his eyes grateful and full of bashful affection. "How long have you been home?"

"Oh, only about an hour… got to get back to the lab soon, though." Giving the blond a miserable glance at the thought of having to leave so soon after having been gone for so long, Gast instead decided to lift up the mood with his next mini-announcement. "But I'm pretty sure we're going to be reaching a break-through any day now! And after that, you all will have me for as long as you like!"

"Or until you go off on your next experiment," Aerith chirped, smiling as she entered the living room from the kitchen. "Then what will we do without you?"

"You'll still have three strapping young men ready to entertain you, Aeri." Ruffling his son's hair, Gast nodded as he gave Sephiroth an appraising glance. "But that's a long way off. Sephiroth, what brings you to this part of the woods?"

"I was escorting Cloud home." Sephiroth stated, not finding anything wrong in his intentions so as to alarm the old man whom had practically raised him in his parent's stead. "Since you are here…"

'Oh no.' Cloud thought to himself, noticing the subtle changes in the college student's face and not knowing how to take the sudden sharpness of his features.

"Would it be alright for Cloud to accompany Aerith, Zack and myself out tonight?"

'Fudgity-fudge-fudge.' Hanging his head in shame, Cloud didn't even look up to see Aerith's face, whom he knew was grinning maniacally at the invitation. 'Why me?'

"I suppose as long as all of you are back at a decent hour I have no qualms… but why the sudden politeness, Sephiroth?"

"Is that… not how one proposes a meeting towards one's parent in this situation?"

"Well, if it's of the romantic sense, than yes, you would have it right on…" Gast nervously laughed before immediately tensing, noticing Sephiroth didn't even flinch at the teasing gesture or implication of words. "Unless… Was it a romantic proposition…?"

Cloud's head snapped up so fast he felt the back of his neck ache from whip-lash.

Aerith simply giggled, bouncing with glee.

"Would that be alright?" The silver-haired man leaned in closer as Gast's eyes widened underneath his wire-frames, Aerith's giggling turning into a full-fledged cackle.

Before Gast could answer everyone turned as a large thump reverberated through the air, a tuft of spiky blond hair shooting up from the ground as a small thin body twitched on the floor.

"You should probably pick him up and take him to his room." The chestnut-haired girl laughed under her breath as she stared at her now-unconscious brother sprawled out on the floor, shaking her head as her father nearly fainted as well. "We'll talk once you come back down."

Sephiroth didn't even hesitate as he hauled the boy up into his arms and made his way upstairs, long arms encasing the tiny teen's form almost entirely.

"Well…" Gast cleared his throat. "At least it was him and not Zack. Now that would have been awkward."

Aerith's laughter was heard all the way down the street, making some neighbor's stare out their windows in confusion.

After gently placing the young boy onto his bed and watching him for a moment, Sephiroth took the chance to mosey around and take in the tiny room that fit its equally tiny owner. It wasn't exactly small per se, but for someone like Sephiroth who was on the brink of hitting a good seven feet tall, it was diminutive to say the least.

Random band posters decorated the walls of the boy's inner-sanctum along with doodles and written out pieces of lyrics to songs from said bands, giving the room a bit of edge. There was a small amount of clutter here and there; a random shirt hanging over a bed railing, scattered colognes and moisturizers lying over the teen's bureau (Moisturizers? Who would have thought?) along with a small stack of shoes piled in the corner of the room, untied laces hitting the floor in an array of colors.

It suited the young boy where as his own room did not.

Fingering a smooth spike laying limply over the unconscious teen's forehead, Sephiroth let out a rather fragile smile before backing away.

He would have his date. Sephiroth was not someone who was easily denied, damn it. Not even by Cloud.

Wondering if he was about to be reproached, Sephiroth made his way out of the room and downstairs, hoping he would still have two good friends by the end of this conversation.

"Why so nervous?" Aerith gently asked as she set down a cup of tea in her friend's hands, smiling just as soothingly. "Afraid we'll take you out to pasture?"

This time it was Gast who laughed instead of Aerith, his fatherly disposition easy-going and non-threatening. "Yes, because if anyone could do it, it would be Aerith and I."

"I… suppose I did not entirely think things through in terms of how the both of you would react." Sephiroth carefully sniffed the tea, trying to discern if it was poisoned or not. "I did not wish to create unnecessary problems…"

'But it won't stop me from courting the boy, just so you know.' Was the unsaid sentence finisher that was lingering at the end of statement, both father and daughter knowing without having to be told that Sephiroth would do what he wanted and not care whether or not his own actions would hold any ill consequences in the end.

"As if we would have any objections. Right father?" Aerith smiled pleasantly at her father, who nodded in response. "As long as your intentions are honorable and you don't hurt our little Cloudy, I'm perfectly ok with it!"

Suddenly snapping her head towards the silver-haired collegian who was now sipping on his tea, Aerith gave him a sharp glare that seemed both scary and unfitting on her fair, delicate visage.

"Your intentions are honorable right?"

Quickly nodding so as to not raise the younger woman's ire, Sephiroth inwardly sighed in relief.

It would not do to have Aerith as an enemy…

You never knew what she was capable of underneath all that sunshine and rainbow crap she liked to spew all the time.

"So, the four of you including Zack are going to be going where…?" Gast gently asked, gaining back both college-students attention.

"Oh, we'll just be going out for dinner. I think Zack said something about wanting to go to the arcade to try out some new dance-dance something, but I don't know really know yet… When he called me, he was being very… vague." Aerith shrugged, now back to the smiling little flower girl that everyone knew and loved.

"Well, if Cloud's alright with it, then so am I." Standing up, the older man smiled at his two charges before making his way out of the kitchen. "I, on the other hand, have to get back to the lab. Have fun, you two! And try not to scare poor Cloud to death. I just got the boy to start opening up to us, after all…"

Watching her father stroll out of the house, Aerith grinned. "Oh, he'll be alright with it."

Sephiroth quirked up an eyebrow in response, now a firm believer that this was definitely not a woman who should be messed with at any cost.

Aerith simply smiled in return.

"More tea?"

Sephiroth sweat-dropped, shaking his head.

Cloud groaned as the surface beneath him became less substantial and his body began to quake, eyelids fluttering with wakefulness.

"-oud!"

'Huh…?'

"Get up, Cloud!"

More shaking, this time much more violent than before.

"Cloud!"

"Huh?" Cloud finally mumbled out loud, still a bit out of it. Aerith's pretty green eyes were the first thing he could focus on after being out for who knows how long, long thick lashes quivering as the a smooth guffaw escaped her lips. "Wha…?"

"You've been out for almost an hour, Cloud. It's time to wake up! No more dilly-dallying around…" Pulling the unstable 16-year-old onto his feet, the cheeky brunette let the boy hang onto her for a second in the name of stability. "We have to get ready, after all."

"For what…?"

"For our dates, of course!"

"… … …"

Cloud seemed to take this in for a moment, eyes still half-lidded-

"WHAT?!"

And then the shock nearly killed him.

Blue eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as they rolled around, his internal memory going into hyper-drive as he thought back to before he became personally acquainted with their living-room carpet and nearly fainted again.

"No." The blond stuttered, trying to get out of his older sister's impenetrable grip. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no-"

"Cloud, calm down-"

"No, no, no, no, no-"

"Cloud, isn't this what you wanted-"

"No, no, no, no, no-"

"Cloud…"

"No, no, no-"

SMACK!

Cloud blinked as he held onto his now reddening cheek, staring at Aerith with a gaped expression that rivaled a suffocating fish.

"You ok?" Aerith sweetly asked, eyes glittering with humor.

"… … I think so." Working out his jaw, the now non-hysterical blond nodded absently in startled bemusement. "Did you just-"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Oh. Thanks."

"It's what big sisters do." Aerith cheerfully supplied, moving away from her little brother to hold out the outfit which she picked out personally. "Now what do you think? I think it'll make you look cute. Right? Right. Cute it is."

Without having even interjected any sort of comment (but knowing that even if he did it wouldn't have made a difference) Cloud nodded and grabbed the dark blue lofty jeans and light blue tank-top and white zip-up hoodie with intricate black and gray symbols crawling up and around the material.

"Aerith?" Freeing himself of his jacket (which he hadn't even had the chance to take off before face-planting onto the floor), the boy grabbed the clothes before making his way to the bathroom in a strange sort of daze. "Am I dreaming?"

"If you are," the young woman giggled "you better hope you don't wake up."

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Sephiroth blinked as he stared at his best friend, not sure why he was being yelled at. "I spoke with Gast and Aerith. Was that an inappropriate thing to do?"

"No, not that!" Zack flailed as he almost tripped over his sneakers, barely having pulled on his shirt after Sephiroth had dropped the bombshell he did over his head and not even had the cohones to even seem embarrassed by it. "You told Cloud you were-"

"I suppose in a back-handed sort of way." Sephiroth shrugged, not seeing what Zack was overreacting about. "Why? Was that inappropriate?"

"Seph, when you're courting somebody, you usually let them know face-to-face that you're doing so… privately."

"But I did let him know face-to-face. And it was at his home, so it was private. I do not see why you are so angry."

"… … Seph you surprise-attacked him by announcing to his dad before you even told him that you wanted to date him. Hell, the kid didn't even know you liked him like that before you asked him out on a date that he most likely didn't even know was really a date! Poor kid probably doesn't know what to think right now!" Once again waving his arms around in a strange motion, the slightly younger dark-haired man gurgled as Sephiroth still stared at him as if he were alien. "My point is, Seph, you caught Cloud completely off-guard and that's most likely gonna put him more on edge than just taking him out without all the hub-bub would have."

"So…" Sephiroth still appeared to be confused. "I messed up…?"

Zack hung his head, amethyst-colored eyes rolling in exasperation. "A little bit, Sephy-poo. Just a little bit. But we can fix this."

Although he had been ready to punch the younger man in the face once the name 'Sephy-poo' had escaped his lips, the 21-year-old restrained himself as he listened to the rest of his friend's sentence. "What do I do?"

"Well, you're going to have to be extra assertive tonight; if you think Cloud was closed off just trying to be friends with him, then he's going to be ten times worse now that he knows you have romantic inclinations in mind…" Pulling at a random lock of ebony-black hair, Zack rolled his eyes upward. "Not that I think you can't handle that, but now you have to realize you're probably walking on a mine-field. Kid's full of 'em once he lets you get close enough…"

"Hm?"

"Oh, sorry." Smiling bashfully, Zack nearly hit himself after hearing his own slip. "Well, the best thing you can do is be yourself. I mean, really be yourself. Just keep prying to he either explodes on you or kisses you."

Sephiroth gave the man a baleful glare, silver hair hanging over his face like a cloak.

"I mean it! Just go for it! He keeps a lot of stuff inside, Seph; Aerith told me so!"

Feeling as if he had just gotten conned somehow, the older man nodded his hesitant acceptance. Zack patted him on the back in a sign of camaraderie, knowing that this night was either a disaster in the making or the greatest night of Cloud Strife's life.

'Hopefully you don't hate me for this, kid…'

Aerith pulled back her long hair and smiled, tying the pink sash at the top of her head into a tiny bow that suited her needs perfectly.

"How do I look?" She pondered quietly, watching Cloud from his spot on the bed through the mirror in front of her.

"Pretty." Cloud gave one of his trademark smiles, knowing his older sister would find no lies within it. Watching her pull at her jean skirt, white tank-top and pink half-cardigan out of the corner of his eye, Cloud nearly had a heart-attack as a knock from downstairs escalated into Aerith's room.

"They're here!" Aerith announced unnecessarily. "Come on, Cloud!"

Running a hand through his thick fluff of golden-blond hair, the fretfully shy boy followed after the blur of pink, white and blue rushing down the stairs and watched the exuberant girl open the door and jump into her boyfriend's arms, the dark figure behind them patiently awaiting his own date to appear. Cautiously making his way to the last stair, Cloud stared at the tall figure towering over the boyfriend/girlfriend duo absconding its path, blue eyes guarded and unfettered.

"Hey there, Cloud-ster!" Though Zack attempted to act as the buffer between the two males, Cloud was not having it, knowing without a doubt that this had most likely been one of Zack's half-baked schemes gone wrong. "Ready for a night of fun and magic?"

"Absolutely." The 16-year-old deadpanned as he moved forward, shoving on his jacket which he had remembered to pick up in his room after showering. "I'm ready if you guys are."

Zack winced at the boy's tone, knowing he was most definitely going to be hearing it later from all sides.

Sephiroth nodded, grabbing the boy's arm before he could rush past him. "I believe it is customary for us to begin the night by holding hands. Would this be pleasant to you?"

Cloud quite literally gapped (again).

"Uh…"

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows, ignoring Zack's snickering as Aerith hit him on the shoulder.

"O… k…?"

The blond boy barely had a chance to gather himself before his left hand was grabbed and held in a tight grip, the steely warmth of the other's non-gloved hand warming Cloud from the inside out. Pulling the teen forward, Sephiroth didn't even wait to see if the couple behind them was following the pair as he marched over to his car and opened the door for Cloud.

Not used to being handled like a (he wasn't going to say girl, damn it!) piece of glass, Cloud slowly entered the large SUV, jumping as Sephiroth closed the car door behind him. Zack seemed to be laughing himself silly as Aerith pulled him into his own car, the young girl smiling at him as they walked past.

"Please buckle up." Sephiroth's voice boomed within the large space of the car, his eyes serious as ever. Slowly pulling the seat-buckle over his body, Cloud bit his lip in nervousness.

Both men stared at each other, not sure what to say.

"Uh…"

Sephiroth started the car as Cloud began to tap a rhythm on his thigh.

"So… where are we going?"

"Dinner." Sephiroth answered easily enough, not noticing as Cloud continued to stare at him, waiting for a much more specific response.

"Dinner where…?"

Silence reigned as Cloud, who felt too stifled by the quiet, stared at the man behind the wheel whose concentration seemed solely on the road.

"Surprise." Sephiroth muttered, not entirely comfortable with being stared at by Cloud. Strangers he could stand, but this was supposed to be different type of affair… right? "Do you have any more questions?"

Once again Sephiroth didn't notice the snappy quality of his tone, causing Cloud to shut down almost immediately. Wondering if he should have brought his mp3 player as he eyed the radio in front of him, Cloud let out a tiny sigh.

'This is going to be a looooong night.'