Warnings: Angst, Language, Seph and Niisan flirt (& they're good at it)
Chapter 19 : Our House
"Oi, it really is the General, you weren't just fucking with me," The person with Corporal Strife strode into the cottage, casually slapping the NCO on the back and making him rock forward into Sephiroth's waiting arms. As much as Sephiroth wanted to savour the contact, this was the Corporal he was dealing with, not his Cloud. He set the soldier back on his feet and looked at the new addition to their party.
Spike, for it could be no other, was hanging his head, rubbing the back of it in embarrassment in an attitude that was so familiar it was eerie. "Sorry about that, Corporal. I forget my own strength sometimes."
"Not a problem, Spike," the Corporal replied solidly. "I'm sure you'll develop some control when you get old."
"Um, yeah, I suppose." Sephiroth's eyebrow rose at the subtle insult; Spike would probably never grow old.
While that little exchange was going on, the General took inventory of the latest addition to Cloud's personas. The hair was the same and the too old eyes but other than that Spike was, as he'd guessed, a blond version of Zack. He wore a black SOLDIER First Class uniform. His sword was wide and long but different than Zack's beloved Buster—it almost looked like crystal rather than steel. Another difference; Spike was taller than Cloud, nearly Sephiroth's height. When he spoke there was no trace of the soft mountain accent that graced the other personas' speech and his posture was pure cocky.
He stepped up to the General, hand confidently outstretched, "Hey Seph," he said and Sephiroth blinked at the casual address. "It's great to be working with you again."
"Indeed," Was the silver-haired warrior's neutral reply.
"Yuppers. It'll be just like it was back in Wutai," Spike said enthusiastically. Cloud had never been in Wutai. The initial surprised blink was the only indication of how odd and somehow disturbing, he was finding this encounter.
"Hopefully not." Wutai had been a bloody disaster.
Spike didn't even notice Sephiroth's dry response. He was busy looking around. "Wow, it really is a gathering of the clan, and the place is looking pretty decent too. Watchya looking at?" He bent over Weirdo's shoulder to look at the book in the young teen's lap, taking the opportunity to ruffle Raincloud's hair.
Before the boy could answer, a voice could be heard from outside raised in complaint. "I don't want to do anymore. I'm not going to do anymore. It's annoying!" Zack could be heard trying to negotiate with the silver-haired diva with a notable lack of success.
Sephiroth wondered if Angeal was somewhere in the Lifestream laughing at Zack's plight as cosmic pay-back for everything he'd suffered as the eager Gongagan's mentor.
Niisan paused in the doorway and took stock of where everybody was. His eyes narrowed when they saw the newest addition. His decision to ignore Spike was practically tangible. He turned his head away and settled his gaze on the General., he put an extra something into his hips when he entered the cottage… at least until Zack gave him a light swat on the ass. "Hey!" he turned around and jumped away from the dark-haired First. He glared at Zack and rubbed his stinging behind.
"You're already the sexiest one here, no need to swing it."
"Tch!" the silver-haired youth spit dismissively and turned back to the room, pointedly ignoring all his fellow Clouds. "Hello, General."
"Niisan," Sephiroth acknowledged, "Have you and Zack finished the walls?" He didn't bother asking about the roof as the light shining in through the missing section was quite obvious.
"Nearly," Zack said, "I think Niisan saw Spike arrive and got worried that he'd steal you away."
If Niisan had been a cat he would've hissed. "I was not worried. You're the one who said he'd like each of us differently so I had nothing to worry about." The young man poked the First in the chest... hard! "Were you lying?" Niisan's eyes were blue flame.
Zack retreated, "Ah, no. That's exactly right."
"Well then," Niisan brushed his bangs away from his eyes, his chin lifted arrogantly, "I have nothing to worry about from a sword-swinging bubblehead." Several of the room's occupants looked like they would protest, although Spike merely grinned at his fellow aspect. Niisan continued before they had the chance. "It's his fault the walls aren't finished," he declared dramatically, pointing an imperial finger at Weirdo.
The young teen gulped and paled, "M-e?" Even the knowledge that his voice cracked wasn't enough to bring colour back to Weirdo's cheeks.
Niisan put his hands on his hips and glared at Weirdo, "Yes, you! We were nearly done when all the walls disappeared and reformed with different windows that didn't fit the cottage's look at all! Then this insulated covering you put up that was horrible and that had to be covered. Then holes appeared in the side so that you could run pipes from the well! Pipes should be underground, you idiot! Then..." The silver-haired diva was panting with the force of his outrage, "more holes so that you could run electricity from the new windmill! On top of that, the walls you put up when you're done are completely hideous and don't match anything Zack and I have done!"
"We have a windmill?" Spike asked, "Cool," He stood, managed to grab a hair-ruffle from Weirdo as the teen sat there stunned, "I gotta go see it. Good job, Weirdo. This place is going to be rocking."
Niisan rolled his eyes, "It's going to be ugly and I don't want to be involved with something that looks like week-old dragon shit!" Hands balled into fists, he looked ready for a blood-pounding, bone-breaking brawl, and Zack was reminded that this skinny little aspect was as dangerous as any of them.
Sephiroth's smooth baritone easily broke through and stopped the brewing fight, "Spike and Zack can complete the outside. If Niisan is so concerned with how the cottage looks, he should be working on the interior. It looks a little stark at the moment." Niisan looked up and around. His lip curled at the rough stone floors and barely finished walls Weirdo had constructed to hold... whatever he had put in them. He sniffed and was probably about to reject the task when the General continued, "He's put in a water heater large enough to fill a tub for three. However, I'm not sure he's actually put the bathroom together yet."
"Um," Weirdo swallowed, "I haven't got that far yet."
"It should be something comfortable for a person of my size. Also," Sephiroth continued in his honeyed purr, "the kitchen is now wired and has running water but it is as you see it." Niisan glared at disassembled cooking area then he turned to glare at the General.
"You expect me to make that look pretty?" He flung out his hand in its general direction. He would've hit Corporal Strife except the combat veteran took one smooth step back and out of the way. Then the Corporal resumed pretending to be statuary while his laughing eyes enjoyed the family farce. Niisan didn't even notice him.
Sephiroth allowed his eyelids to fall half closed as he slowly perused the silver-haired diva. His fancy leather clothing outlined, defined, and accentuated all the youth's best features. Its dark colour made Niisan look like a weapon. He took his time, letting his eyes wander, and appreciate, Niisan all the way down and all the way back up. Skinny? Yes, but ethereal and deadly, erotic and powerful. Sephiroth let all that show in his eyes as he brought them back up to meet the silver-haired youth.
"Your taste is always good," the General purred and no one in the room—no one except Raincloud, missed the sexual undertone, or the heat between the two. There was a lot of discreet shifting and adjusting, and everyone heard Weirdo tease, "I think we need fire extinguishers..."
Incredibly, Niisan was blushing, a real blush worthy of Weirdo himself. Then he startled them all by laughing. He stepped forward, closer to Sephiroth, "You win, General... this time." He ran one slim finger up Sephiroth's chest before raising his hand to his mouth and blowing the Demon of Wutai an air-kiss.
"Do you have decorating magazines in that bag of yours, oddball?" Weirdo nodded and pulled out several. Niisan settled himself on fat, rich-coloured cushions that appeared and opened the first one.
There was a booming sound, like thunder. Then another.
Weirdo stood up in a panic, kicking his backpack over, spilling the contents over the floor. "They're attacking again!"
"Wrong tone," the Corporal disagreed even as he came to full alert.
"It's from Outside, over there," Raincloud said absently, still engrossed by his story. "They want to talk to the General."
Sephiroth frowned, "It can't be noon already," he muttered but, even as he complained, he prepared to resume his duty. These hours he'd had with Zack and Cloud had been a gift. If the hours hadn't been offered, he would've taken them, taken as many as he wanted and damn the war, but he couldn't abuse the generosity of the people who'd bent the regulations to give him some precious time. After all, the house was nearly complete. All of Cloud's different aspects were here. He could go back, Zack would continue, and soon, hopefully, both he and Cloud would wake up in his bed in camp.
Zack, watching his CO's face, saw each tiny flicker of thought pass through Sephiroth's eyes. He'd been the silver-haired General's friend for a long time, an admirer for even longer, he'd learned to read the smallest signals... he didn't always remember or choose to do that but he could when he wanted to. Right now, he wanted to.
Sephiroth was going back.
He didn't need the anxious flexing of long fingers on his shoulder-guards to know that it was a supremely bad idea. Every instinct he had said Seph had to stay here. The house was nearly fixed, the meadow was green and blossoming, even the acidic sky had retreated somewhat. It was bright, the world was sharp and clear, and they were so fucking close. Only the General could keep the aspects from scattering back to wherever they vanished to, and they may not get such a good chance at this again. It was beyond a feeling, he knew, he couldn't let Sephiroth leave here.
"I'll go," he offered. Sephiroth and Niisan stared at him, "I'll check it out; see if it's something important or just this camp's version of a Sephy Slut."
"Sephy Slut?" Niisan frowned. Weirdo blushed and tried to tuck his hair behind his ears, the Corporal looked up at the sky, and Spike rocked back on his heels, hands on his hips and a grin on his face.
"Um, yeah... A Sephy Slut is like a SOLDIER Slut but, y'know, focussed on getting into the General's pants." Niisan growled. "Not that Seph ever let that happen but all of us had groupies."
"Zack invented the phrase," Sephiroth explained further, "to describe those people who were biggest nuisances."
"They pawed at you?" Niisan's voice was still feral, his eyes still glowed.
Seph merely raised his eyebrows and snorted disdainfully, rejecting the possibility that he had ever been molested by anyone. It was Zack who answered. "Mostly they took up the General's time. They'd invent fake emergencies, deliver reports he didn't need to read, invite him to charity events. Shit like that."
"Once Commander Fair became my SiC he screened out the worst of them."
The silver-haired youth's hands relaxed from their claw-like state, "Zack protected you?"
"Of course I did," he confirmed. He'd actually been pretty good at sorting the 'starry-eyed fans who just needed to breath the same air to be happy' from the 'I'm going to get into his pants no matter what it takes'. Mostly because the latter group always offered to blow him first if it would get them into the General's office. Like he'd let their skanky mouths anywhere near his valuables.
"No one touched me without my consent," Sephiroth ground out, offended by the suggestion he'd needed protection.
Niisan whirled on him, eyes dim but narrowed, "You'd let anyone fondle you if it would prevent harm to your precious SOLDIERs," he spat. "Did it stop at groping or did you let them kiss you? Did you let them do more than kiss you?"
Sephiroth smiled, "I never 'let' anyone do anything," he purred dangerously. Then he stepped forward, grabbed Niisan under the chin and pressed his lips down, covering the youth's pouty mouth with his thin one. With thumb and fingers on the joint, he forced Niisan's jaw to open and then he pushed his tongue in, deeper, until he could touch Niisan's, and fight it into submission. It was a long kiss, heated and wet. Slowly it changed from battle to caress, but Sephiroth didn't stop until Niisan was pliant and limp.
The General drew back, one thumb wiping up spilled moisture from the youth's chin, "I especially don't let myself be controlled by jealous little divas." One last kiss, gentle and loving this time, and Sephiroth drew away. He kept one hand on Niisan, keeping him steady until he had his feet back.
This time Weirdo let out a heart-felt prayer, "Gods! I can't wait to grow up." He had a book held desperately in front of him and Zack knew exactly how he was feeling. In fact, the big First wished he had a book to hide behind too.
"Commander Fair, I accept your offer with the understanding that you will wake us if the matter is urgent."
"Understood, Sir." This was not time for Zack to get clever... besides he still hadn't worked any moisture back into his mouth.
Spike came up and squeezed the First's arm, "Be careful out there, Zack."
Zack's wing hand grasped the blond's forearm in reassurance. "Help him, Spike," the SOLDIER said, knowing it was the best way to get this persona to stay. Along with the uniform, Spike had inherited all of Zack's desire to be a hero. A short nod was his response.
"Did you need help finding the path out, Commander?" the Corporal asked, holding out his hand to be shaken.
"No thanks, Corporal. I always know which way I am," Zack responded, "besides, I think you're going to get to work with Spike on the outside walls."
"The honour leaves me speechless," the Corporal intoned, sounding anything but honoured. Spike rocked back on his heels, smiling in rueful embarrassment. Like Zack, he knew he had focus issues.
Weirdo was next to offer his hand. When Zack took it, the young teen shook it vigorously and then blushed at his own enthusiasm. "Take care of yourself, Zack."
"You too, Weirdo." The dark-haired First was beginning to feel funny. Sure this was unusual, the Clouds were all here, but it wasn't like he hadn't met them all before. He'd said goodbye to them before. Why the big production?
Even Niisan stood up and moved in close, close enough to put his arms around the SOLDIER. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising is that instead of grabbing his ass, the slender persona merely rested his head against Zack's chest. Zack was so startled by the non-sexual nature of the hug that it took him a moment to respond, but he did remember to bring his arms up and return the silver-haired vixen's hug. "Hey, hey, I'm not heading off to war, you know," he tried to comfort the youth.
"I know," he whispered. Niisan raised his head and stared at Zack. "Can I have just one kiss?" Again, the request was completely not Niisan's style; no innuendo, no sly teasing, no sexual promise—just a simple request.
Zack looked up at his CO. Sephiroth shrugged infinitesimally—he didn't know what was going on either, so the black-haired First bent his head and gave this part of Cloud a kiss. It didn't have the heat or the whole 'I claim you' vibe of the one Sephiroth had given the young man, but it wasn't exactly platonic either.
Niisan finally drew back, his hands clenched in the front of Zack's shirt. He let go and self-consciously patted down the non-existent wrinkles, "Don't go rushing in to danger without thinking."
This was completely bizarre, Zack thought. "I won't." Sephiroth coughed, "I'll try not to."
"Do that," Niisan ordered with a return of his snippy tone and stepped away, pointedly turning his back on the First.
"Zack?" The SOLDIER turned toward Raincloud, who was still lying on his belly on the floor. He looked up at the big First with his huge, blue eyes. "Don't forget what I told you, 'kay?"
"Umm, sure."
Fucking weird.
At least Sephiroth didn't go all 'tragic war movie' on him. The General gave his standard solemn nod and that was it.
He walked out of the house, through the new and improved front door. The pathway was evenly cobbled, with low-lying flowery stuff along its edges. The grass beyond it was lush yet still filled with wildflowers. Big old trees, branches bursting with life, invited either climbing or lying on the ground under them and watching the sunlight through the leaves. He could see Weirdo's windmill. Its sleek, high-tech design certainly added a futuristic touch to the pastoral scene. The blades were moving, whisper quiet, but Zack couldn't feel any wind.
He turned to look at Cloud's house, now that he had some distance from it. It looked good. It was still small but it looked sturdy and well-built... except for the hole in the roof, but he was sure the Corporal and Spike would be able to repair it. It still looked rustic and kinda primitive, still a Nibelheim cottage, but somehow it had more... flair somehow. Standing in front of it was the herd of Clouds, gathered outside and watching him disappear down the road. He waved and they waved back.
Melodramatic much?
Fuck, he thought as he turned the corner onto the mountain path, he was just going back to the real world. It's not like he was never going to see them again...
He was never going to see them again.
If this went right, he suddenly realized, then all the Clouds would rejoin into one. No more cocky Spike mirroring his every move, taking parts of Zack's life as his own. No more confident and quietly sarcastic Corporal. Weirdo and his books and his goofy shirts. Raincloud's little dragon. No more dodging Niisan's agile little hands without damaging his fragile sense of self.
C'mon, Fair, snap out of it, he ordered himself. After all, it wasn't like they would be dead, they'd just all be in Cloud, they'd be Cloud, but...
They'd been separate for so long it was hard to remember that they were all Cloud. Would Cloud have a hard time remembering what it was like to have all those personalities inside of him? What if they didn't integrate? What if he somehow splintered into the different aspects, each one taking over for a bit and talking with their own voice through Cloud's body? Would that still be Cloud or someone else?
What if all the different aspects fought inside him, each one struggling to be dominant; to, in a weird way, survive? Who would come out on top? Would he ever see Raincloud's oddly wise innocence in Cloud's eyes because, to be honest, he didn't see the little guy winning any kind of strength of personality contest against Niisan. Shit, he couldn't picture Cloud, the Cloud he'd known, acting anything like Niisan did. Yet, Niisan didn't just spring from nothing; Cloud had had that kind of sexuality in him.
And Spike's hero worship, let's not forget that one, Fair. What if Spike came out on top and Zack was faced with a blond version of himself everyday? He'd known Cloud wanted to be accepted into the SOLDIER program, back before the whole world went to shit. He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to be like Zack. Besides, Zack no longer believed that SOLDIER equalled HERO.
When he'd joined ShinRa, he'd believed the hype. SOLDIERs were going to save the innocent from the big, bad Wutai menace. He'd read the magazines and decided to become a hero like Angeal Hewley. Hardy-fucking-har on the big cosmic joke. Angeal hadn't really been a hero. He'd given up when things had gotten rough, and Zack...? The dark-haired First clenched his jaw and refused to cry, but really, some fucking hero he'd turned out to be. He hadn't saved Cloud from anything.
Sharp fingertips flicked his cheek making the SOLDIER flinch. Memories rushed at him…
"Well," Zack told the mayor, "I cleared out that nest of Deathclaws; burned the bodies too, in case they were infected with something."
"Thank you!" she responded, taking his hand in both of hers and shaking it, "They were so close to the town our kids… our kids weren't safe anymore. So thank you, thank you so very much!"
"Zack..." Cloud was so pale. He had the body of a warrior, thanks to Hojo's injections, but no strength because of the same experiments. He was kneeling beside Zack's bed. He had his hand on the SOLDIER's arm, his fingers on Zack's pulse. "That's it, Zack. Just keep breathing. I need you. Even when I can't say it, I need you."
"When you pushed me over the edge of the platform you saved my life." Sephiroth looked up at him, looked at him openly and firmly before saying, "Thank you for that…."
"I can't believe I owe my life to a fucking SOLDIER."
"Well," Zack responded with a grin, "considering it was a ShinRa robot that was shooting at you, it only seems fair that a ShinRa SOLDIER save you."
"True," The guy laughed, he looked Zack up and down, "You know if you make sure I get to the bar without getting shot at again, I just might buy you a round."
"Sounds like a plan..."
Angeal's voice, "If you want to be a hero you have to hold on to your dreams..."
"Shit! No way my people could've handled all those fuckers," the unnamed captain said, "I don't care if SOLDIERs are spoiled prima donnas, you just earned every bonus the company gives you." He held out a tough, scarred hand. "Thanks, Commander."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you that you're very loud?" Cloud's voice was a rough whisper and Zack knew, wherever his mind had been, the blond's body had been screaming.
"Fuck, Cloud. That was too long." He tightened his hold on the parts of his friend he could safely hold without causing him more pain.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. It hurt. It hurt so much."
"I know, babe, it's just that..." Zack's breath caught, he wouldn't cry, he couldn't cry. Cloud needed him to be strong, "...I'm afraid that one day you'll phase out and never come back."
"I... I might," Cloud admitted, "but I can always hear you."
"What good does that do?" he asked bitterly.
Slowly, painfully, Cloud's swollen hand came up to rest on his, "Because one day, you'll tell me it's safe to come back, and I'll just follow your voice."
"I once told you that no amount of Jenova cells could make you a monster, and if you weren't a monster then neither was I. Now I'm telling you that if I can't be guilty of not protecting you both, then you can't be guilty either." Sephiroth gave Zack's arm a light squeeze before releasing it, "If we tell ourselves that enough we might begin to believe it."
He sighed, knowing what his subconscious was trying to tell him. He was a far cry from the hero he'd dreamed of being, but maybe, just maybe, he'd done some good things. It hardly seemed like enough, somehow. Thin fingers ran through his hair, offering comfort this time instead of smacking some sense into him.
He couldn't believe his wings, well, he could because he'd had to live with them for the last couple years, but they'd never been this active or freakin' independent before. It was like they were showing off or something—not that Zack didn't appreciate Sephiroth's admiration of them, and they'd made Raincloud smile. Hell, they'd made the kid laugh. He'd been trying ever since he'd met the little guy to cheer him up and, in the end, all it took was a pair of cheeky wings... who-da thunk it?
The rope bridge was ahead of him. On the other side was the real world. He lifted a couple fingers to his shoulder pad and felt the long, skinny digits wrap around them. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay here with all of them. He wanted to hold them and tease them and if, when, they finished the house and all Cloud's personas rejoined into one, he wanted to be there to greet him. Except he'd still have to say good-bye to them and this time he'd know it was good-bye so there was a chance, just a small one mind, that he'd get a little red-eyed and Cloud would never let him live that down.
Fuck, he hated this emotional shit. He sniffed in disdain because he was not crying.
He could think about what might be happening back in the real world but he just didn't have enough information. When he remembered the kind of useless garbage that had crossed Seph's desk in the old days... It could be something like that. The knock hadn't been repeated as far as he knew. Surely, if it had been a world-threatening emergency, the person at the door would've been a bit more frantic?
He wouldn't find out by standing here. He stepped onto the flimsy rope-bridge with its loose boards. His wings let go of his fingers and moved to balance him with small movements he didn't even need to think about. He braced himself for the last step because, once he reached the far side, he was pulled through time and space like warm taffy through a keyhole.
It didn't hurt much—it usually didn't, it was just the odd stretching sensation made it hard to fit back into a physical body. After a normal sleep, he'd usually wake up all at once, going from unconscious to battle-ready between two heartbeats. He'd occasionally woken up softly and lazily—usually after a sex-filled night, and he enjoyed the slow rise to consciousness. He'd awoken from injuries with the world a kaleidoscopic blur—those had been trippy. He'd woken up filled with drugs a few times, usually in a hospital somewhere, aware of his surroundings but not in control of himself—not a sensation he'd enjoyed.
This was not like any of those experiences. This was like dragging his body out of a tar pit one limb, one bone, one sinew at a time. It didn't hurt, it just felt disorienting. He was awake, he knew he was awake but he couldn't organize the will to actually move. He'd just lay here for a couple more minutes. He'd be ready to get mobile after a couple minutes, he was sure.
He didn't feel very rested either even with the food, the safety and the sex, but he was used to that. As a specimen in Dr. Creepy's House of Horror he either hadn't slept or he'd had some really fucking awful nightmares. Besides, he'd been busy while he slept. Bricklaying wasn't exactly shuffling papers, and he hadn't worked that hard for a while.
He wondered if his muscles would be sore, but he wasn't sure he could get muscle strain from dream labour.
If it was possible, he should develop it into a kinda workout thing. Imagine the market for a weight-loss program that allowed you to sleep your way to fitness. That would be a better thing than the President's... former-President's, mythical Promised Land... plus he'd be rich. That would be cool. Bet, with something like that, he could get richer than Rufus ShinRa.
Little Rufus as President. Un-fucking-believable. Last time he'd seen the spoiled little shit had been at his, what, eighteenth birthday? At that overblown, ostentatious celebration the old man had thrown for him. The SOLDIERs had been there to impress the masses and Rufus had looked down his patrician nose at everybody. Maybe disaster had improved the brat.
His brain seemed to working the way it usually did, better than it sometimes had in the lab anyway. He knew who he was, where he was and who he was sleeping with…
They were breathing deeply, evenly… peacefully, like lovers should. He knew how Sephiroth was breathing because he was currently using the silver-haired warrior's rock-slab imitating pecs as a pillow and he could feel the General's chest rise and fall. Cloud he could feel because the blond was snuggled in practically on top of Sephiroth and Zack's hand was trapped between them. He could also feel Cloud's breath blowing over his forehead, making his bangs gently brush against his face. Cloud's wing still covered him and, shit, his own wings had come out to wrap around the group as much as possible.
He heard the soft tapping on the door. Whoever was out there wasn't going to go away obviously.
He extended his senses a bit. He could hear the person waiting patiently on the other side of the door. Their breathing seemed okay; not fast and shallow liked he'd expect if there was some kind of emergency in camp. A little further out and there was still no indication that the sky was falling. So why had they knocked on Seph's door at barely dawn instead of noon liked they'd promised? Only one way to find out, unfortunately, it involved moving.
First, he'd promised to make a report. He was practically sleeping on Seph and under Cloud so there was lots of skin-to-skin contact. He calmed until he could feel the distance, until there was a thin thread of something connecting him to Cloud's cottage. "It's not even close to noon. Everything seems to be calm. I'll let you know if that changes." He waited until he heard… felt… whatever esoteric bullshit label they wanted to give it, a faint acknowledgment from one of the Clouds. Whoever it was would pass the message to the General.
The knock sounded on the door again. "Give me a minute," he called out and started to extricate himself from the pile. First thing to do was get his wings unhooked from everyone.
He couldn't believe his wings were out in the real world. That had never happened before, at least not unconsciously like that, before he'd always had to concentrate to get them to show. He made sure they gently released the feathers they were buried in. His other hand had a handful of silver hair. It was easy getting that side out as Sephiroth's hair slid right through, just like silk. He slid his arm out from between Cloud and Seph then carefully rolled out from under the protective embrace they'd each held him in. He moved carefully and steadily, but not stealthily—nothing would bring out Seph's predator-defender as quick as having someone sneak around him.
Once he was beside the bed he stretched and rolled the kink out of his neck—Seph's chest did not make a comfy pillow. His wings stretched as well, extending to their full, less-than-impressive, size. The General had asked if he could fly with them, he remembered. As an experiment, he pumped them a couple times. He felt his heels lift so the answer was a definite 'maybe'. He thought of leaving them out but... but he wasn't ready for anyone to see them. Anyone else, that is, in a way Seph had already seen them, he supposed.
There was another knock, just a quiet little tap like the person on the other side wanted to remind him that someone was waiting. "Coming, coming."
Sometimes it was nice to be enhanced, he thought. He had time to make a quick dash into the small bathroom to empty his bladder and run a brush over his teeth. He ran back out and grabbed his pants and dragged them on. He pulled his shirt on next but didn't bother with his boots or his sword and harness; just picked them up to carry them into the next room with him. Boots and harness were noisy things to put on and Cloud and Seph looked so peaceful lying together the way they were. He knew, in his brain, that they couldn't be woken up in the normal sense, but still it felt wrong to risk it.
He took another moment to appreciate the picture they made then he softly opened the door to face the reality on the other side.
Blossoms from the trees swirled in the air. They waved when Zack did. There was no sound from the group, no grumbles, no speculation; they just watched silently as the big SOLDIER disappeared around the rocks. Even little Raincloud, who had tugged on Sephiroth's coat until he was picked up, didn't say anything; he just leaned into the General's broad chest and squeezed his dragon hard. Sephiroth knew that for them this was good-bye. If Zack ever returned to Cloud's soul none of these personas would be here. They'd be part of Cloud but subsumed, part of a whole instead of separate, so he stood quietly, waiting until they were ready to begin the reconstruction again.
"He'll be back," Spike said, finally breaking the silence. "He knows he's always welcome here."
"Not really the point, soldier-boy," Niisan sniffed dismissively. The silver-haired youth's eyes were suspiciously red.
"Well, it's just there's no point moping, y'know?" Sephiroth knew Spike wasn't trying to be obtuse—he was close enough to the SOLDIER in personality that he wouldn't be deliberately insensitive, but he certainly had the same way of dealing with emotions that Zack did: Ignore them until he burst.
"It's almost like he didn't realize he wouldn't see us again," Weirdo speculated sadly.
"He'll know," Sephiroth stated with certainty, "It may take him a bit longer but he will realize. He'll stop, wonder if he should come charging back down here to give you all extra hugs then talk himself out of it because that will just prolong the pain and he might cry. He hates for people he wants to be admired by to see that he's not always strong and in control."
They all looked at him. He gave them a mild look in return, "I have known Zackary a long time."
"Yeah, that sounds like him," Spike said and, since he was a mirror of the big First, they all had to accept it. "So, Corporal, it's you and me on the outside, right?"
"I've been anticipating it, Spike," the Corporal responded. From his tone, he'd been anticipating, and planning for, the apocalypse.
"Um, yeah. Great," the pseudo-First mumbled in reply, but he still ambled happily around the corner to look at Weirdo's windmill and stuff. The long-suffering Corporal marched after him.
"Niisan, do you still feel up to the challenge of decorating the cottage?" Sephiroth asked.
"Tch! It's hardly a challenge. I could put up purple wallpaper and it would be an improvement." He was still turned away from them, arms crossed defensively.
"Um, eww?" Weirdo commented hesitantly.
Sephiroth, looked at this prickly, emotional, part of Cloud, so easily damaged in so many ways, and walked up behind him. One arm was full of little Raincloud, but he hugged the aspect with the other, resting his chin gently on the youth's silvery hair. "Don't worry. I've always known you were there inside of Cloud," he reassured the boy, "You'll never completely disappear."
"I'm not worried," the young man sulked, "I just…" but he couldn't finish. Sephiroth didn't bother with words but just gave him a soft kiss and held him. Raincloud patted his arm a couple times before going back to hugging his dragon, and Weirdo stared at them wide-eyed, too nervous to risk Niisan's uncertain temper.
"You guys going to do any work over there?" called an impatient voice from the side of the cottage. It was startling, even frightening because it was the exact same thing Zack had asked, but it wasn't Zack asking. Spike's voice had some of the same rhythm but was much lighter.
"Let them worry about what they're doing while we worry about this," the Corporal's voice was deeper somehow, more resonant and commanding. "And leave Weirdo's wiring alone, godsdammit, or you'll electrocute us all." Even Niisan managed to chuckle a little at that.
Although he would never admit it, because it served no purpose and wouldn't help the aspects, Sephiroth knew he would miss interacting this way with each of them, but Spike was right; there was no point 'moping'. "Are you ready?"
A shrug, a surreptitious wipe across the eyes, "I suppose."
"Then let us proceed." Sephiroth lowered his arm until it rested on Niisan's lower back, knowing the touch would help calm the young diva, "I admit I'm looking forward to seeing the results although I have to agree with Weirdo about the purple wallpaper…"
AN: I knew this was going to be slow because of real-life stuff, but wow, am I having trouble with these next chapters and I couldn't figure out why it doesn't want to come out. It hit me when I was rereading this just prior to posting… I'm like Zack by the bridge. I just realized that we're getting near to saying good-bye to Raincloud and Niisan and Weirdo and the Corporal and Spike and I don't want to!
…I'm going to go hug my stuffy now. ={