Disclaimer: I do not any of the canon characters, the places, or anything to do with the FFVII universe, the only thing that is mine is the writing.
Cloud had to admit, the food had been beyond good and listening to Zack happily blabbing on and on about his plans, his hopes for him and all of the other inane things that were going through his mind made the blonde feel more than a little serene. He found himself wondering just how long it had been since he had last heard that voice talking so ecstatically, not tainted by any kind of sorrow or hurt and he could only sadly say that the only place he remembered hearing him this carefree was in the lifestream. It had always been so wrong for the man to have been taken so early and now, having learned that the Turks had been sent to save them but they hadn't been able to find them – he still wondered how on earth it was possible for the Shinra Army to find them but not the Turks – it added to the pain of having lost him for naught. He hadn't even realized how deep in thought he had fallen, blue eyes having become clouded as he simply sat there, almost listening but not quite.
And then a grape smacked him straight in the forehead and he sat up, blinking rapidly, eyes refocusing and his body tensing, as if ready to bolt, only for him to register Zack's laughter and relax again.
"You should've seen your face! Beyond hilarious! C'mon Chocobo brain, no reason for you to be all gloomy. You are under my tutelage and thus you should be rejoicing and announcing it to the whole world!" Zack's face was alight with that wide grin of his and the blonde could only feel the loss he had once suffered yet again. If he had been exactly like this before, then even he had seen a shadow.
"That's a big word for you, Zackary," Sephiroth commented almost dryly, earning a very annoyed huff from the Puppy.
"That's not fair, Seph! Even if you're some hotshot genius, I am capable of using big words, too! I just don't push the big words onto everyone all the time," he muttered, plopping down next to Cloud before concentrating on the task of staring the mighty General down. A soft laugh left Cloud at the ensemble the two made and he couldn't help but shake his head, opting to stay out of the discussion. After all, he didn't exactly want to upset the General – he didn't know what his sense of humor was like, for Gaia's sake! – let alone Zack, who would thus be even happier to drill his ass to the ground the next day.
Sephiroth seemed to opt for a reply of one raised eyebrow and an amused quirk of his lips, clearly questioning Zack's reasoning, which earned him another huff and glare from the black-haired man, even as he started to chomp down his own food, muttering to himself. To Cloud, it almost sounded like growling but then that would have just been more than a little fitting for him. After all, he did have to have some kind of similar traits when compared to a puppy if Angeal had given him that name. And that rose another question in Cloud's head, one that he wasn't quite sure what to make of. If Angeal called Zack a Puppy, then what was he supposed to be? A puppy molester? Cloud blinked at his own thoughts, seeming almost confused for a moment as he yet again roused himself from his thoughts, his eyes turning to watch Zack. That question was almost a bit disturbing now that he thought about it.
…. and did that make Sephiroth a chocobo molester, then?
He couldn't help the quiet snort of laughter, making both Sephiroth and Zack look at him with mirroring expressions of worry, both clearly having decided that he was losing his mind to be suddenly amused in the situation they were in. Which seemed to be glaring daggers at each other and Cloud couldn't help but let out an amused laughter, shaking his head, making his overgrown hair tickle his nose in a rather annoying fashion. He really, truly needed to get it cut.
"If you two would excuse me, I'm rather tired, thanks to Zack. I'm going to go take a nap," Cloud said with a polite nod of his head even as he stood up from his chair, gathering his dishes.
"Wake up at one; we're going to the gym!" Cloud could only groan, letting out a soft sigh. How on this sweet Planet did Zack think he had the strength to actually do weight training still? He was starting to question just how nice he was in the end, what with these ideas of his seeming almost sadistic in nature. At the same time, he realized Zack had most probably been taught the same way and if it had worked the way it had for Zack, then maybe it would make him exceptional as well. Still, he had to wonder how much he would have to downplay himself in the future. After all, he had already shown some skill but he couldn't even quite recall what skills he had displayed and that created a whole new dilemma for him. How was he supposed to convince everyone that he was simply something of a prodigy, without them starting to question whether he had been trained?
Taking the dishes to the sink, he could almost feel those green eyes raking over his form and he knew that if Zack wasn't there and he hadn't told him to go slow, Cloud wouldn't have been left to have this much space for himself. But at the same time, Cloud realized that Sephiroth was physically far away, it felt as if he was close, almost pressed up against him and he couldn't help but wonder just how silly his own mind could be.
Shaking his head, he gave the two a slight smile as he walked back towards Zack's bedroom, hearing how Zack started asking Sephiroth about him. Apparently he had seen him going into his room and then sneaking out, only having pretended to not notice. At the bedroom's door, Cloud was blushing furiously, biting his lower lip as he stepped in and closed the door behind him, a soft groan leaving his lips as he ran his hand over his face. That Zack Fair was going to be the absolute death of him yet in some ways, he rather liked that notion. With a soft sigh, Cloud made his way to the bed, forcing his mind to slowly shut down all impeding thought processes, using a technique he had mastered ages ago when there had been more than one presence in his mind, so that he could actually fall asleep. As he finally toppled on the bed, he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow, his mind and body welcoming the rest.
Those hands along his slim body, teasing the already sensitive skin, setting his body alive had Cloud gasping for air, arching up into the touch and earning a chuckle from the body on top of him. He wanted to open his eyes, but soft lips kissed his eyelids and told him to keep them shut, even as those wicked hands kept teasing, going lower on his abdomen, teasing the small trail of golden hair only to ghost along the base of his erection, a thoroughly teasing touch before both hands moved over his hips to tickle the underside of his buttocks, making the blonde quiver in excitement and arousal. Those fingers were driving him crazy, especially when the teased down the back of his thighs, only for the man teasing him to settle himself in between his thighs, hands running up the insides of his thighs, making his breath hitch almost painfully as he reached the very top of his thighs, fingers almost touching yet not fully doing so. Another almost tortured whine left Cloud, only to feel the comforting weight of the other hovering over him.
Almost of their own accord, Cloud's legs wrapped themselves around the man's slim hips, the feel of smooth, silky hair giving him just the right idea of who it was that was playing his body like a fine instrument. Fingers found that cascade of thick hair, tugging slightly as they tangled in it, drawing a very wonderful sounding groan from the man above him as those wonderful lips found his own and made him forget everything. With his eyes shut, the kiss was that much more intense, with him responding just as eagerly, lips molding against each other, parting to allow tongues to duel. It was absolute heaven and Cloud didn't quite know what to do with himself, not when there was a passion raging in him that threatened to make him break that threatened to make him forget everything that had ever happened, threatened to make him feel loved. Without even realizing it, he was giving himself to this man with every single moment the kiss lasted and even as their lips simply lingered a scant few inches from each other, a ragged gasp leaving Cloud as he finally blinked his eyes open, looking up into those green eyes.
"I've thought of a wonderful present for you... Shall I give you despair?" A sudden, overwhelming pain went through Cloud and he found himself impaled on the Masamune, gasping for breath as he was suspended in the air by the large sword yet again but instead of being able to fight, it was as if he was unable to do anything but stare into those green eyes that had looked so loving just a fraction of a second ago. It hurt. The change truly hurt and it was partly from that that he was gasping.
"Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away."
Cloud woke up with a start, a muffled cry on his lips as he sat up, panting as if he had been running a marathon, his thoughts frazzled, confused and completely out of order as the dream ran through his mind over and over again, those words going over and over in his head. Sure, they had been spoken in a moment when he had been confident, when he had known what he was doing and he had been able to defeat the man but out of context, spoken after he had seen the way the man could be, was what truly unsettled him. Everything had been fine until he'd kept his eyes closed, everything had been absolutely wonderfully arousing once his eyes were closed but the second he had opened his eyes and came to the full realization of who it was on top of him, his mind had had the dream-Sephiroth impale him on that huge sword and that did not go down well for the blonde. Putting his head into his hands, he simply gasped for breaths, fingers finding his own hair as they pulled, trying to regain his senses, trying to realize that it had only been a dream, that it hadn't happened and that Sephiroth wouldn't try to kill him.
But what made him so sure? Doubt started swirling in his mind yet again, flashbacks of all the things Sephiroth had made him endure going through his mind so fast he was afraid he was going to have a headache but instead, he had to rush out of bed and throw up everything he had eaten, retching almost violently. He didn't even realize he was shaking, didn't realize that he was clutching the toilet bowl so hard his knuckles were white and most of all, he didn't realize that he was almost about to cry. It was as if his mind was trying to remind him of what always happened when he felt safe, when he felt a place like home. It would be him trying to take it away, him trying to alter it and him trying to make him succumb to silly feelings that could never be anything but hopes and dreams.
Getting up, he stumbled to the sink and turned the water on, splashing his face with ice cold water, slapping his cheeks to get himself to actually focus again and as he turned his eyes to look at himself, he could have sworn he had seen his pupils change into vertical slits, but he put it down to the fact that he was in no shape to be looking at anything. A somewhat pathetic whine left him as he stared straight into his blue eyes, realizing they were glowing more than they should have for a trainee but it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. Yet now, as he stared, he had to question why on earth was he opening himself up like this, why was he giving everyone the easiest opportunity to hurt him? Without even realizing it, he was starting to hole up again, burying his old self behind layers and layers of cold, skeptical thoughts. What he didn't expect was to find a part of him resisting the change. A part of him fought strongly against it and soon enough, he had to give in, not being able to push aside the thoughts of safety. A soft, ragged cry left his lips as he splashed his face again, forcing himself to stay standing, to keep himself together.
He also noticed he needed the silver-haired man then and there yet Sephiroth didn't show.