Cloud let out another icy sigh, huddled behind one of the bulky marble freezers. He guesstimated that it had been about two hours since the gang had left and the door locked with him inside. After opening the door with every method he could (ramming into it, hacking away at the handle with a plastic utensil…yes, he was desperate), he surrendered to finding a new warm hiding spot until someone finally opened the (slightly) beaten-up door. The wires and fan near the freezer offered some heat, but it was still blisteringly cold.

I wonder if I'll ever get out of here. Maybe I'll just turn into a SOLDIER popsicle, Cloud Strife flavored. Cloud lamented. His lackluster sleep habits were also catching up to him, and he fervently tried not to drift off.

If I miss my chance, I'll be about as lively good as a frozen chocobo!

But as time stretched on, his frozen eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Cloud was at the edge of consciousness- dreaming about a wonderfully warm vacation at Costa de Sol when…

"C'mon, Sephi! You know you want some!" A jovial voice cut through the whirr of fans.

Cloud bolted upright, shaking away the notion of sleep.

Yes! Here comes the cavalry! Now, I just have to find a way to get through that door… Cloud noted faintly, too tired to pay attention as to who exactly had found their way into the room. The tread of footballs was quite far away from his position, so he quickly bolted to a fridge hidden in shadow, 10 feet from the door. Unfortunately, one of the two people started pacing the room.

"It's about time I was rewarded for my hard work! Show me your secret stash, Seph!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that? It's…weird. Anyway, you can choose anything you want in this room. Just…not the fridge by the door."

Cloud covered his mouth to mask his breathing and sat, statuesque.

"Why not?"

"There's…no ice cream in there."

"Are you sure it's not your super rare Costa De Sol Ice Cream?"

"N-no! I never have the time to go there anyway, why would I have that here?"

"Saying that I shouldn't do it practically means I have to. Let's see what's inside!" The person made large strides to Cloud's hiding place. Cloud curled into a ball further.

Please don't notice me! Just pay attention to the ice cream. Cloud internally broadcasted.

"Hey, I think someone forgot their SOLDIER clothes or something. There's a mound here.

Crap. Maybe if I stay still, they'll leave me alone.

"Throw it in the hallway. I don't want sweat-stained garments junking up my freezer." The other person scoffed.

"Yes boss." The person reached out and grasped Cloud's arm.

"Wait…" The person wrapped his arms around Cloud's torso and lifted.

Cloud's eyes flew open in terror.

"Terribly sorry!" He began but stopped when he saw who it was.

"Cloud?" Zack looked worried.

"Y-yes?" Cloud shivered.

"Gods, Cadet! You're covered in icicles! Fair, get him out of here. This can wait" Sephiroth ordered.

"Of course!" Zack cradled Cloud in his warm arms.

"I c-c-can walk on m-my own!" Cloud protested.

"Nuh-uh. You're shivering like a baby chocobo lost in the Northern Crater. The only way we can fix this is body heat, and luckily for you, I wear tank tops all the time! Take in the warmth of my buff arms, Cloudy" Zack laughed. Cloud looked back to see Sephiroth keeping even pace with them, with Zack keeping up a speed-walk.

"Good, Fair. The less jostling, the better. Now, why were you stuck in there, Cloud?" Sephiroth looked so concerned Cloud almost felt guilty about this predicament.

"Umm…"

"I won't reprimand you, just tell me what happened."

"One of my friends took me to get ice cream...then…ummm…" Cloud slurred, struggling to find the words or remembrances of the past four hours to tell his tale.

"Memory loss and slurred speech? Not looking good for the home team." Zack muttered to Sephiroth.

"When did you get locked in?" Sephiroth returned.

"Uhh…3 hours ago? But…where are we right now?" He craned his neck, expecting to find any landmark, but everything looked blurred. Zack gently pressed Cloud's head back down to a resting position.

"Thank Gods we're so close to my living quarters" Sephiroth mumbled.

"Zack?" Sephiroth was starting to sound like the General he was.

"Yes boss?"

"Employ protocol H4 when we get in. I'll take care of Strife."

Suddenly, Sephiroth was madly typing into a keypad.

"Just a couple more minutes out here, Cloudy. Hang on, please." Zack gave a weary smile and slowed to a slow, soothing gait.

Cloud simply nodded, just as Sephiroth open the door. Zack gently deposited Cloud on the bed. He sat at the foot of the bed, stripping off his tank top and pants.

"W-WHAT? Where are we?" Cloud slurred, clumsily flailing, trying to sit up.

"We're in my quarters. You're safe, Cloud. Right now, I need to also disrobe you slightly so we can warm you up. You lack motor control to do it yourself, in your current state." Sephiroth clarified lightly.

"Sex was not part of the training! I'm not sleeping with any higher-ups!" Cloud roared, thrashing weakly.

"Cloud, calm down. No one is having…sexual intercourse with you…without your consent. Zack needs to transfer his body heat to you in the fastest way possible so you can recover sooner. I will keep an eye on you all and make sure nothing…uncouth happens."

"F-f-fine" Cloud shivered. The General gently removed Cloud's exterior armor, then cut down the underlying frozen shirt with a mere kitchen knife.

"Wait! The higher-ups are gonna kill me for the damaged shirt!" Cloud shuddered.

"I'll get you another one, after all, your health comes first." Sephiroth asserted. He finally removed Cloud's pants, revealing frozen shorts underneath.

"Go ahead, Fair. I'm going to summon (sigh) Tseng"

"Alright! Cloud, I need you to lie with me. I'm going to get you warmed up first, then we can just put blankets on you."

"O-okay...if you all say it's alright…"

Zack climbed up to the head of the bed, also wearing nothing but shorts. He lazed out on his side, with Cloud nervously moving to face Zack's chest. He gulped and wrapped his arms around Zack's shoulders and almost instantly melted at the warmth. Zack draped the blanket over the both of them.

"Just relax and warm up, ok? Sephiroth's taking care of everything else."

"Thanks Zack." Cloud smiled. With the warmth, Cloud found himself drifting to sleep.