"We need to come clean about us." Cloud insisted one evening. "Rufus won't give up when he knows something is up."
The blond was removing the contacts to reveal the intense green color that has dominated his eyes. It was eerie, but in the same instance it was also mesmerizing. The green was so vivid and reflected his mood. Right now they were a darker shade from concern.
"I know him well enough that he will use it as a means to despise me. He will use his power to help you be fixed. Or try to drive a wedge between us." Sephiroth replied dryly.
"And I will put a stop to his bullshit." Cloud declared. "He's gonna learn I'm not the one to mess with."
Sephiroth approached to stand behind the young heir. Cloud met his eyes in the mirror. No matter how many times they've made eye contact, his heart raced. It was a fluttering feeling he hoped would never go away.
"So how would you explain to them about us?" The general wondered.
Cloud actually had to think about it. He started to recall this strange connection between him and Sephiroth. It started maybe a week after their friends left. Or perhaps the early signs were just days.
They began to have a sense of each other's wants and emotions. It was brushed off as their bond growing stronger. Cloud had seen for himself how Tseng and Rufus were when no one was around. They moved in unison without a spoken word.
And then it grew more intensely. Noticeably after each night they had sex. At this point Cloud was alarmed to feel a presence in his head. The panic brought confusion from Sephiroth, who confided that he didn't know how he was doing this.
For a few nights Cloud was too nervous to do more than cuddling. Until Sephiroth made the move. He started with gentle kisses along Cloud's body. His hands ghosted over every muscle. As Cloud began to get into it Sephiroth intertwined their hands.
Cloud stared up into his eyes. He felt and saw the desires swirling. He felt Sephiroth's presence in his mind, but it felt like he was patiently standing outside the door.
"Do you trust me?" Sephiroth asked.
It took a moment for Cloud to calm the racing in his heart. The general's hands tightened a little. Enough to offer encouragement. Acceptance that he had a right to say no.
"Yes..." Cloud opened the door.
That night Sephiroth ravished him like never before. It was this night that their relationship took a turn. One where they opened a connection. This bond is proving to be permanent.
"I can explain that there's a connection between our minds - "
"Rufus will then jump to conclusions. That I will control you. Influence you. If you can think of a means to prove to him that is never my intentions, he won't stop. No matter what I say or do, he won't believe me. Thus it has to come from you with the proof." Sephiroth made it very clear he was uncomfortable with coming clean to the brothers.
"But you've never even tried. The thought never crossed you." Cloud frowned.
"He's going to need more than that to be convinced." The general had a feeling.
"If we come clean before they hire some new scientist to study us, then it won't look as bad. If a scientist can learn what is going on, then they might start to think I'm becoming you." Cloud countered.
They stared using the mirror. Cloud sensed the unease from Sephiroth. But he also knew that the general understood his point. After a moment Sephiroth turned away, moving out of the bathroom and towards the bed.
"Do as you will." Sephiroth was leaving it up to him.
Cloud felt a shift. Like his partner was beginning to close himself off. The blond pushed down the panic that rose in response. His arms felt like lead as he brushed his teeth.
When he climbed into bed, Sephiroth wrapped an arm around him. And the warmth was an apology. The general had sensed the panic. Cloud relaxed and snuggled closer.
"Thank you." Cloud whispered. He knew Sephiroth heard.
Some days later Cloud finally had the courage to bring it up. They were having a casual lunch together for just the three brothers.
"So there is something else going on between me and Sephiroth." Cloud grew nervous when Rufus had an expression that read about damn time.
"What is it?" Lazard tilted his head.
"There's a connection between our minds. It's like a phone, only we can sense each other's emotions." Cloud hoped he was explaining this right.
Silence. They both appeared to be contemplating the information. It was a strange form to process. And now they understand partly why Cloud and Sephiroth made the whole world wait.
"What about thoughts?" Rufus frowned.
"Not really. We haven't explored further of what we can do. Right now we're timid. It's still a bit strange feeling to get used to."
"But he can't influence you?" It as what Sephiroth expected with Rufus being suspicious.
"He wishes not to. He doesn't like the idea of having control over me. Hence why I mentioned we have been timid with this connection." Cloud assured, hoping this was enough.
He sensed Sephiroth's apprehension. Even so Cloud remained hopeful. He watched as Rufus considered their next plan of action.
"I can understand why you hesitated. But thank you for coming forward with this. We should find a scientist that will be loyal to us and study you both on a cellular level."
"Did he not wish you to come clean about this?" Lazard caught on, having a good understanding of the general.
"Kinda. He was mostly insisting that Rufus would find any means to hate him." Cloud sent a look at the middle brother.
"What? So long as he can't control you then it doesn't matter to me." Rufus huffed in defense.
"You didn't exactly have a good impression when I came back with my eyes changed. You were mad enough to try and deny him to be part of me being examined." Cloud crossed his arms.
"Because that isn't something that's considered normal."
"Since when is anything normal for us?" The youngest countered. Somewhere they heard a soft chuckle, the telltale sign of Tseng in the background.
"Fine. Nothing is never normal in our family." Rufus gave in. Although his face looked like he smelled something awful.
"When I go back into full Soldier duties, can I drop the eye contacts? I hate them." Cloud pondered.
He could sense them over his eyeballs. The feeling was irritating and invasive. Because of this he never allowed them to dry out on him. Cloud wasn't interested in feeling that sort of dry, itchy plastic over his eyes.
"Wait until you're First Class. At that stage it shouldn't be a huge shock." Lazard suggested.
Cloud frowned. The smallest tug from the corners of his mouth. While it was reminiscent of Rufus, the partial movement of his eyebrows was closer to Sephiroth. And both of his elder brothers noticed.
"I guess." Cloud gave in, sensing the change between them.
"It shouldn't be too long for you to reach the top. You have the advantage of being Sephiroth's lover." Rufus considered his words carefully.
"Yeah. You're right." Cloud relaxed.
At the end of the lunch Cloud knew that there wouldn't be much problem with his brothers. When the evening came and he came home to Sephiroth already preparing dinner, he couldn't help a wry smile.
"Told you so." Cloud earned a sigh.
"I suppose I can give you that much. I forgot he was the one who wanted to reach out to his brothers first." Sephiroth wasn't going to humor him more.
Meanwhile in the suite Rufus and Tseng shared, the air wasn't as relaxed. The Turk had overheard the whole exchange of Cloud coming clean about the mental connection he shared with the general.
"Am I the cause of all this? Asking for my brothers?" Rufus was deeply disturbed.
"No. Even if you hadn't, and they met much later, it would probably still be the same result." Tseng assured.
"I want to feel like I knew my brother well enough in a short amount of time. But now? It's like I'm staring at Sephiroth slowly seeping into him. And I see a stranger wearing my brother's face."
"Give them time to adjust. Remember they took their time before coming back for a reason. Perhaps they wanted to feel comfortable with this connection before stepping back into the life of the company." It was the best guess Tseng could come up with.
"In other words they were also in shock." Rufus read between the lines.
"As anyone should in their predicament." The Turk stated.
"I suppose there is that. But I should have known that when it concerns our family, nothing is normal. Especially if General Sephiroth gets wrapped up in this mess." Rufus sighed, part irritation, part exhaustion.
"Although, I am surprised at you. At how much you held your tongue during lunch." Tseng had observed this detail very closely. He had expected his partner to get defensive, accusing even towards the news of Sephiroth and Cloud having a mental connection.
"It was very hard to do so." The blond admitted.
"What made you hold back?" The Turk wondered curiously.
"I already almost lost him once. I don't aim to do so again by driving a wedge between us and Sephiroth." There was determination in his blue eyes.
That for once he was willing to care beyond just his partner. That he wanted his family to work. Even if that meant biting his own tongue on his opinions.
Tseng felt relieved in a way. Finally his years of hard work with Rufus was paying off. He was realizing that he has to step back and look at the big picture. That his brothers were people, too.
And Rufus wanted to put in the effort. This was a major breakthrough. One where, if they didn't have a shadow of fear on the horizon, Tseng would insist on celebrating.
Instead he leaned in close and placed a tender kiss on a temple. An affectionate display that not only was he proud of Rufus, but also a stand that he supported him. He felt the blond heir relax and lean into him fully.
It was a rare occurrence for Tseng to take the initiative of affection. And each moment Rufus cherished them. Together they took the solace that they were trying in their efforts to support Cloud and Sephiroth. Even if they weren't sure of these changes, they can't come between a pair destined by Gaia.