And another longish one.
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII nor its characters. I also don't own the ideas taken from Love Monster.
It was well over a week before Cloud had a chance to tell Angeal and Sephiroth about his secret. Genesis and Zack had both settled the two general's on the sofa in Genesis' apartment before bringing Cloud in. They both had to keep an eye on him in case he changed his mind and decided to bolt. Genesis had to constantly remind the cadet that it was better to tell them now than for them to inevitably find out later.
"Before anyone says anything. Does this have something to do with Zack lying to me about the behemoth?" Sephiroth questioned as soon as everyone was in the room and Zack looked surprised.
"How did you even know I was lying?" Zack questioned.
"There's nothing to grab onto on the way down from the highway to the train graveyard." Angeal was the one to answer for Sephiroth. "So the thing that Cloud wants to tell us has something to do with that incident?"
"A little." Zack muttered grudgingly and the other two turned their full attention onto the cadet, who was fiddling with the ends of his shirt.
"I don't know how to explain this." He began.
"It's probably easier for you to show them." Genesis offered.
Cloud looked hesitant for a few more moments before he took a deep breath and released his wings. Both Sephiroth and Angeal watched in awe as the wings started out small and then they began to grow into pure white crow wings.
"You're a white crow?" Angeal was the first one to snap out of his daze to question the young cadet.
"Last time I checked I was." Cloud laughed humourlessly
"I knew there was something that wasn't quite adding up about Zack's story." Sephiroth added and Zack looked surprised.
"My story was perfect! What was wrong with it?"
"Besides the fact that you didn't look me in the eye? Considering both of your masses and the amount of muscle you carry Zack, I doubt his wings could hold you both enough to slow down your fall so that you could grab onto something. There's also the issue about the debris…"
"What's wrong with the debris?" Zack was pouting now.
"There's no debris that high up that you could have possibly grabbed onto up there." Angeal chimed in. "I read your report a little while ago. I thought it was weird too."
"I told you that you shouldn't have added that last bit in, but you wouldn't listen to me." Genesis pointed out.
"How was I supposed to know what Angeal and Seph would know the layout of the train graveyard? It's a graveyard for a reason. No one goes there!"
"Contrary to popular belief, there's quite a few monsters there that are fun to kill. I sometimes go down there to train." Sephiroth said.
"What?" Zack looked surprised. "You go there to train and you never invited me?"
"There are ghosts down there. I wasn't entirely sure how you would deal with them." Sephiroth replied simply.
"I never knew that you believed in ghosts." Zack said.
"I don't. They're a type of monster that turns invisible when you hit them sometimes. They're mostly pretty weak, but there are a lot of them. I know dogs are sensitive to spirits, so I wasn't sure how you would handle them."
Zack had gone pale at Sephiroth's explanation. "I don't like things that I know are there, but I can't see… How come I didn't see any when Cloud and I landed there? In fact, I didn't see any monsters along the whole way when I was coming home.
"They were probably just invisible. That behemoth landing probably shocked them all and they probably all went into hiding or they moved to where the behemoth landed to scavenge from the body." Angeal explained.
"Wait, is that why you never took me there?" Zack questioned and Angeal shrugged.
"There was a chance that you could be spooked and then I would have had to fend for the both of us, so I was waiting for a time when either Sephiroth or Gen were free. Gen never wants to go to the graveyard unless he has to though and Sephiroth only went when we had other things to do. By the time you became a first I figured if you never went there, then you would never have to deal with them, so I didn't bother."
"I could have gotten possessed!" Zack exclaimed and Genesis rolled his eyes.
"Ghosts only cast drain, scratch or a level one fire. They're pretty weak, but the fact that they're easy to kill probably doesn't help if you're scared of them."
"Maybe we should actually take the time to take Zack to the graveyard. We don't want them to fall off a building or the highway again and land there with no way out." Sephiroth pointed out.
By now Cloud was starting to get quite uncomfortable with the whole situation. His wings were still out and they were discussing an entirely different topic.
He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and he turned to see Angeal standing beside him with a reassuring smile. It seemed that Sephiroth, Zack and Genesis had immersed themselves in a conversation about how to deal with ghosts and why Genesis refused to go to the graveyard.
"They're going to be at that for a while. Do you want to go talk in the kitchen?" Cloud stared at him for a moment and glanced at the other three, who were still talking, then turned his attention back to Angeal and nodded his head.
The two headed over to the kitchen and Angeal closed the door to block out the sounds of the other conversation. "You look a bit lost there. Did our reactions surprise you that much?" He questioned and Cloud nodded his head.
"I was expecting a bit more shock or anger." Angeal laughed a little at that.
"Sephiroth was already suspecting that Zack was lying to him about something so he was already preparing for the worst. Since the three of you were spending so much time with each other he confided in me, but we both decided to just sit and watch until someone decided to speak up."
"What did you think the outcome was going to be?" Cloud questioned.
"I think Sephiroth was hoping for something weird, like the three of you had decided to get together and form a threesome."
Cloud blushed hotly at the thought. "I would never…"
Angeal laughed at that. "It's just wishful thinking on his part. I think Zack only thinks of you as a little brother at this point and I'm not entirely sure about Genesis. He used to show us nothing but disgust when you were mentioned and then just slight interest, then he took you out on that date…"
"That wasn't a date!" Cloud was probably as red as an overly ripe tomato now and Angeal couldn't help but think that it was cute that he was getting all flustered. "We just went to see Loveless, that's all. He said it was only because none of you would go with him to see it."
"Contrary to what Genesis wanted you to think, if he takes you to see Loveless and buys you something on the way home, then that's considered a date." Angeal pointed out with some amusement in his tone.
"I would have taken him out to dinner too, but it was getting late and I was trying to be discreet about it." Cloud jumped at the sound of Genesis' voice coming from behind him.
"You're kidding me." Cloud obviously didn't believe the red headed general despite him telling him himself that it was a date.
"Why do you think I was so surprised about the whole thing with Genesis giving you a present?" It seemed that Zack and Sephiroth had finished with whatever they had been discussing and they both had entered the kitchen after Genesis. "Gen doesn't do that kind of stuff unless it's a date."
"Speaking of which, you never did tell us how it played out." Sephiroth pointed out.
"We went to see Loveless. I paid for his ticket and bought him some materia and then we went home together after." When Genesis put it that way it really sounded like a date.
"Did you have fun?" Angeal questioned, aiming his question at Cloud.
"It was fun… Wait, why are none of you angry?" They all stared at him for a moment before all four of them started laughing.
"Seph's been making eyes at you ever since he met you." Genesis pointed out and the general made a somewhat uncharacteristic chocking sound. "Don't pretend that you haven't Seph. We've all seen it. The puppy also got along with you obviously and I wanted to know if it would be fun to take you out on a date, so I did."
"And General Hewely?" Cloud questioned, they all looked at the other general.
He seemed to stare at Cloud for a long time. "I guess I don't know that much about you. Well, not enough to make a decision on what I think about you, but I can see why Sephiroth and Genesis are attracted to you."
Cloud couldn't stop the blush that was already rising to his cheeks at Angeal's words. "General Rhapsodos didn't even say he was attracted to me. He just took me out on a date." Cloud pointed out as he turned his face to the ground. Not being able to look at either one in the face without his embarrassment showing.
"I did say that I was going to take you out to dinner too didn't I?" Genesis questioned.
"That's Genesis for he's attracted to you." Zack explained for Cloud.
"And you?" Cloud turned to Zack questioningly.
"Tell you the truth. I've been thinking about it ever since I found out that Genesis took you out on a date. I mean, if you're willing, I'd be willing to try it out."
"And General Hewely?" Cloud questioned the condor again.
"I'll admit that I never considered bringing you into our relationship." Angeal admitted. "If no one else is opposed to the idea, then I guess there's only one way to find out."
"I don't think that taking Cloud out to a gardening show would be a good idea." Zack pointed out and Angeal frowned at the wolf.
"I was going to say that we should head out of Midgar for the weekend." Zack's ears perked up at that.
"Road trip?" He questioned and Angeal let of a small laugh, petting Zack on the head.
"I meant just me and your little cadet over there." He turned his attention back over to Cloud, ignoring the fact that Zack was now pouting. "We haven't really spent any time to get to know each other besides those few times I taught you some hand to hand combat, since I have this weekend off for once, it would be a good opportunity to see if we're compatible or not. Besides, puppy, I heard from Rufus that you have another load of cadets to pick up from Junon this weekend."
Zack's jaw fell open at those words. "What did I do to him this time? I don't remember even speaking to him for the past week or so. How did he even tell you? Isn't he in Costa Del Sol?"
Angeal pulled out his phone and opened up a group chat that was shared between the SOLDIER's, the vice president and Tseng.
Zack was quick to snatch up the phone and read the Vice president's last message out loud. "Can someone tell Zack that he needs to go to Junon this weekend. Apparently Tseng couldn't find a Turk that was free to pick up a set of new recruits that Reno was meant to pick up."
The other SOLDER's and Cloud all laughed at that while Zack just glared at Angeal's phone, silently thinking up ways to get back at the spider for sending him over to Junon, again.