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CHAPTER 14

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The blonde pondered on what he should do in the meantime. Then he remembered that he should phone his uncle, because he's been away for a full day, by now. With his mind made up, Cid got up and walked to where his pants were lying, removing the phone from one of the pockets.

"Hello? Kid? Fuck!"

He heard the voice on the other side cough harshly and blinked at the annoyed tone, and especially at the soberness in it.

"What happened now?"

Cid asked tentatively, knowing that the other man didn't mind much if he stayed out too late, so something happened after he left for his date yesterday.

"Ye will not believe what that bitch did, this time!"

Cid pulled the phone away from the angry shout, before cautiously returning his ear to it.

"What happened, uncle Chris?"

The blonde inquired with a sigh, already knowing the answer to his question.

"That god damned woman took all my drinks!"

Cid ran one hand over his face, sighing mentally to himself.

"An' what's worse, she took all me money, too!"

The blonde removed his palm away from his features, frowning to himself.

"What?"

"Yeah! I can't buy me squat!"

"Uncle Chris…have ye speak with Ms. Sophie, yet?"

"What ye dam' brat think I been doin' all this time?"

"She won't listen to ye?"

"…no….she's not home."

If Cid was a cartoon, he would have a giant sweatdrop hanging on his head by now, just like the ones he used to watch on television.

"Huh?"

"I been waitin' fer that ol' hag ta return so I can have a word with 'er!"

"Uncle Chris. Calm down."

Cid groaned, bringing his hand back to his face, rubbing his cheek as if to release some of the frustration. He knew that there was no possible way to reason with his uncle when he was mad at something.

"How can I, when I got such a nosy neighbor on my ass?!"

"She's jus' worried 'bout ye, uncle Chris."

The blonde pointed out, hearing the man on the other line scoff angrily in disagreement.

"No! She's a nosy thief, that's what she is, I tell ye!"

Cid found himself messing around with his short golden spikes as he listened to the complaints, knowing that this will take a while longer.

~I need a smoke~

"Are ye listenin', boy?"

Cid was brought back to reality when he heard the man speak in a much calmer, but dangerously low tone.

"Yeah, uncle Chris, I'm still 'ere."

"Listen, kid. I need ya ta go an' fetch me sum' liquor, a'right?"

Cid blinked, groaning to himself. He lost count of all the times he was sent to the stores for alcohol and cigarettes.

"A'right, uncle Chris. I'll get ye some."

The blonde complied with the man's wishes, nodding to himself with a sly smile.

"Not jus' sum'! Get me a full stock!"

"Alright."

Cid agreed, not bothering to argue. When he made sure that Christopher was calmer, he hang up the phone, muttering to himself a soft 'as if'. Then he switched his phone to silent mode, knowing that the man would call him relentlessly after two or three hours or wait.

"I swear, he's gonna kill himself one o'these days."

Cid mumbled, gathering his clothes that were still spread around the king sized bed. He had no change of clothes at the moment, so the ones of yesterday would have to do.

~Don' want to risk goin' back home an' deal with an angry uncle~

Cid could borrow some of Sephiroth's clothes, but his size would hang on the smaller man's frame and even fall off as he walked around. And there was no way he would go outside like that.

~I'll borrow some when I get back. I'm sure he won't mind~

A knock on the door snapped the blonde out of his thoughts, and he decided to answer it. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a maid.

"Good morning. I'm from ShinRA Room Service."

A young brunette woman spoke with a smile, holding in her hands the cart filled with cleaning utensils.

~I shouldn't be surprised at this~

"Is it a bad time? Do you wish for me to come back later?"

"No, no, you can come in now. I was going to leave, anyway."

Cid said and allowed the maid to enter, while he made his way out of the apartment

"Have a nice day."

He heard the woman speak and shoot a smile at her before leaving.

~Nice gal~

Cid thought, closing the door from behind him, his hand searching into his pockets.

~Oh damn, my cigs are inside~

Cid scratched his head and decided to wait for a while, not wishing to disturb the woman's job. He looked around himself, feeling like it was the first time that he was in this particular SOLDIER floor.

~Was too busy to notice~

The blonde felt the sides of his lips rise upwards at the memories.

"Cid?"

Cid reacted upon hearing his name being called and turned around to spot the same dark head he saw not too long ago at Sephiroth's balcony.

"Heya, again, Angeal."

The blonde man waved, watching the Dark General smile in return and walk over to him.

"Good morning. Are you going somewhere?"

Cid shrugged off his shoulders, his hand still inside one of his pocket.

"Not really. I just got out of the apartment an' was thinkin' about that."

"Do you have an access card? You can't leave this floor without one of those."

Angeal explained, looking at the blonde man.

"Yeah, Seph gave me one."

Cid nodded, bringing out the card in his hand. The taller toned man blinked at the nickname used.

~Seph?~

"An' you? I thought you guys were busy with general duties an' stuff."

Angeal blinked at the question, nearly forgetting why he came to one of the SOLDIER floors.

"Yes, I am. I just came back to get something from my apartment."

Angeal motioned to the door of his place, while speaking.

"Oh, by the way, Angeal."

The dark head watched Cid perk up, as if he just remembered something exciting.

~Cute~

"Yes, Cid?"

"I heard that ye got tea."

Angeal was taken aback by the sudden question and found himself stuttering on his answer nervously.

~Calm down. It's just a simple question~

"I-I do. You want some?"

He offered quickly, watching the blonde's face lit up like a child on Christmas Eve, such a sight that made his heart melt.

~I really have a soft spot for cuteness~

"Ye don' know how much I love you, right now! Of course I do."

Cid announced excitedly, a big grin on his face. Angeal could feel his heart skip a beat and his head feel light at the shorter man's antics.

~He's not confessing, you idiot~

"Then come along, I'll make you some."

Angeal offered with a smile, turning around as if not allowing the other man to refuse on his offer.

"Oh, don' go through all the trouble. Yer a busy man."

"It's no problem at all."

The Dark General reassured, keycard ready in his hand. But seeing Cid's dubious face, Angeal quickly thought of something.

~How do I convince him to join me?~

"I feel like it is my obligation to apologize for Genesis's behavior this morning."

~Thank you Genesis, for giving me ideas~

"Gosh, that guy jus' gives you trouble, huh? How do ye handle Genesis?"

Angeal chuckled at the question, shaking his head with a smile.

"Honestly, I don't know. But he's not all bad, when you get to know him."

Angeal tried to defend, finally opening the door to his apartment.

"I'm sure."

Cid said unsure, watching the other man walk in, while staying on his ground.

"Come on in, Cid."

The Dark General reassured, motioning the shorter man to walk in.

"Thanks, Angeal."

Cid decided to take on that offer and stepped into the apartment.

~So tidy! ~

Cid looked around the place, surprised at the order in the apartment, much like Sephiroth's place.

~Are they all clean freaks around here?~

Cid wondered, deciding to follow the Dark General to the kitchen, but something in particular prevented him from doing so.

"Make yourself comfortable, Cid."

Angeal called out from the kitchen, taking out the kettle and the tea box.

~He's in my apartment….stop acting like a fangirl!~

"Huh, Angeal? Do you happen ta own Cactuars in ye place?"

Angeal heard Cid call out from the living room, and replied from where he stood without turning around.

"I do. Don't pay attention to her."

"Her? But she ain't wearin' no ribbon."

The dark head chuckled to himself.

"It's a tomboy Cactuar."

"Oh…"

Angeal heard the other man trail off, while he placed the kettle on the oven, before hearing Cid speak again.

"I think she's comin' on to me."

Angeal left the kettle to heat up and made his way to the living room only to find the blonde trapped between the couch and his bouncing Cactuar, who appeared to be dancing for the guest.

"Strange, she never acted like that around guests, before."

The Dark General mused, crossing his arms around his chest.

"So, she hatin' me, or somethin'?"

Cid frowned, feeling slightly threatened.

"No, no. If she disliked you, she would have attacked."

The dark head explained, watching the blonde's shoulders relax a bit.

"Oh, that's comfortin'."

Angeal turned back to the kitchen when he heard the kettle hiss, leaving the blonde at the Cactuar's mercy, while she continued her dance, winking at him.

"Huh, nice meetin' ya too, missy."

Cid waved cautiously with a nervous smile. He heard some things about Cactuars, and none were good. But his nervousness left him as soon as the scent of tea filled the division, when Angeal brought a tray complete with cups to the living room.

"Hum, ye like cinnamon, Angeal?"

Cid breathed in the scents, watching the taller man with eagerness. Angeal just smiled, placing the tray on the table in front of the couch, careful as to not brush against the Cactuar's thorns.

"Yeah. What flavors do you like, Cid?"

Angeal inquired, while taking one of the cups to Cid, to which the blonde took willingly.

"Mine's earl grey tea. Now that's the stuff."

Cid stated, leaning over to the tray that Angeal brought, and added the sugar at his heart's desire.

~Four spoonful? He's got a sweet tooth~

"But this hits the spot, too."

Cid nodded with a happy sigh after taking a sip of his tea. The Dark General bit down on his lower lip, taking his own cup in his hands.

~So cute~

"So, what else do you like?"

Angeal asked while sipping on his own cup.

"Hum, a good smoke from Camel. But I forgot them at the apartment an' the maid's in there, now."

Cid scratched his head. Angeal raised an eyebrow.

"I can also spare you a smoke, but it's Marlboro's."

Cid's eyes lit up with hope, leaning on the couch towards Angeal's direction.

"Really? Ya don' mind?"

Angeal could swear he was blushing by how close Cid was on him.

"No, go ahead."

He dug a hand into his pocket and brought the cigarette's pack out, handing it over to Cid.

"Heh, I thought all you guys were sensitive to this."

Cid commented, eagerly taking one stick into his fingers, bringing along the lighter that was inside the pack.

~I guess Sephiroth already made a fuss about his habit~

"Sephiroth and Genesis are against it."

The dark head explained, before continuing.

"But I and Genesis used to sneak a few before joining in SOLDIER."

Angeal watched the blonde man lit up his cigarette before returning both the pack and lighter to its owner. The dark head also took one for himself, deciding to join Cid in the cloud of smoke.

"No way. Genesis, too? But he's so…"

Cid blew away some smoke, and noticed how the Cactuar bounced away from it.

"Oh, sorry about that."

Cid apologized, watching the creature disappear into one of the doors.

"We had to stop, because it lowered our chances of being SOLDIER candidates."

Angeal continued to explain, releasing the smoke from his lungs to the ceiling, before turning his attention back to the blonde, studying his features intensely.

~Except, Genesis stopped completely for Sephiroth's sake~

"Oh, so is it okay to smoke, now?"

Cid inquired, pointing at Angeal's cigarette locked between his long fingers.

"I am a First Class, now. No reason to deny myself certain things."

Angeal shrugged, inhaling on his cigarette again.

"Besides, it's not like I smoke often."

The dark haired man concluded. Cid scratched his head, leaning against the couch while looking up at the ceiling.

"I kinda smoke more than often."

Angeal looked over to the blonde, noting something else in his tone.

"Have you ever considered quitting?"

The dark haired man asked curiously.

"Naw. Don' have a reason to."

Cid waved a hand at the Dark General, making him blink in confusion.

"What about Sephiroth? I know he hates the smell."

Angeal pointed out, watching the blonde man's actions.

"I'll just take it outside, or somethin'."

Cid took another draft, shrugging his shoulder as if not caring.

"I wanna see who can get my cigs an' tea away from me."

Cid laughed softly with a grin.

~So there are things that he is not willing to let go off~

Angeal pondered, blowing away more smoke. Then he remembered one of the many questions that plagued his mind ever since he met the blonde. And this was the perfect opportunity to get his answers.

"So, do you work for ShinRA, Cid?"

Angeal asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Ye could say that. I'm in the air force."

Angeal felt his heart lit up at the newfound information.

~So he does work here. I can see him more often~

"Really? You're a pilot?"

The Dark General continued, casually leaning sideways on the couch to be able to watch the blonde closely.

"Not officially, but I can fly pretty well."

Cid spoke with pride, watching the ashes of his finished cigarette fall into the empty cup of tea.

"Oh, sorry about this."

"That's quite alright. Allow me."

Angeal took both the finished cups and the tray back into the kitchen, and returned immediately, for he was not done with learning things about Cid.

"If you're not a pilot yet, then you're still in training."

Angeal assumed, reclaiming his seat on the couch, but Cid noticed that he was closer this time.

"Yep. Gonna start real soon, an' show 'em what I'm made of."

Cid stretched out his arm, as if already imagining the path to glory that awaited him.

"Then, I wish you luck, Cid."

"Thanks, man."

Cid turned and closed his hand into a firm fist of courage boost, grinning at the taller tanned man. Angeal then made a mental note to himself. He knew that next week was the official welcoming of the new pilot candidates.

~I'll make sure to be there~

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a sudden movement on the couch and found that Cid had lifted himself off from it.

"That was great, Angeal. Thanks."

Cid stretched out a hand towards the Dark General, to which he took and shook in a warm and firm hold.

~I want to touch more than just his hand~

"You're welcome, Cid."

Angeal decided to get up as well, finding himself staring directly down to the blonde.

~I want to kiss him~

"Well, I don' wish to hold ye back or anythin', so I best be goin'."

Cid said with a smile, taking a few steps backwards for precaution. There was just something in the man's gaze that made him feel aware.

"It's no problem at all, Cid. Maybe we should hang out sometime later."

Angeal suggested hopefully, accompanying Cid towards the exit of the apartment.

"Sure, Angeal."

The blonde man merely shrugged, turning around to face the other man when he was back into the hallway.

"Then, I see you around, Cid. I have a student to train down there."

The dark head said with some regret, locking the door from behind him.

"Alright. Sorry about holding ye back."

Cid performed a playful salute to the general, watching the other man turn and face him directly.

"Don't worry about it. I had fun, Cid."

Angeal admitted with a smile, waving at the shorter man while making his way to the elevator.

Inside the elevator, he thought to himself.

~What are you doing? Trying to get a date?~

Angeal placed a hand on his face, as if out of shame.

~You just forgot to get the materia you promised to show Zack~

Angeal groaned hopelessly, knowing that it would look stupid if he returned to his room and ran into Cid again.

~Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea~

But he decided against it, reminding himself that the blonde was a taken man.

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TBC