The mighty have fallen

“The mighty have fallen”
Part 13


Cid piloted the Highwind to the borders of Midgar, touching down just outside the base camp set up by the militia that Reeve and Rufus sent to deal with the problem. As soon as Cloud and his party exited the craft and started toward the base to assess the situation, none other than Tseng of the Turks came to greet them. The sharp-dressed man’s long black hair was immaculately groomed as always and his eyes were hidden behind dark shades.

“Great,” Cloud muttered, “just what we need on top of everything else. I really could have lived without dealing with the Turks.”

“Rufus’ idea, no doubt,” Vincent commented softly as they closed the distance to meet Tseng. “Although Reeve is publicly active in government matters, Rufus is still behind the curtains and he keeps his Turks involved to monitor everything.”

Tseng stopped a few feet away and Cloud could tell by the angle of his face that he was looking at Sephiroth. The Turk grimaced and pressed a hand against his torso in a gesture that seemed involuntary. Cloud smirked; realizing he was remembering the near-fatal wound given to him in the Temple of the Ancients by who he thought was Sephiroth.

~He looks like he’s ready to shit his pants. This is the first time I’ve ever seen his composure shaken.~

Tseng seemed to collect himself—perhaps reminding himself that the silver warrior standing before him wasn’t actually the one that nearly killed him. Still, he approached with caution. It dawned on Cloud that Tseng had known Sephiroth back in the days when he was still active as the general of the Shinra army. Evidently, the familiarity didn’t ease his tension.

“Strife,” Tseng said formally, giving a small bow. His head turned to Sephiroth. “General,” he said, this time with a deeper bow. “It’s good to see you’ve…recovered.”

“Yes, you seem very enthused,” returned Sephiroth derisively.

“How is Edge holding up?” Cloud asked, trying to avoid unnecessary confrontations and eager to get started.

“Most of the structural damage was done to the inner city sectors,” Tseng explained, “The newer structures in Edge have held up fairly well, save for the walls. We’ve blocked off infested areas to keep the rest of the outer city safe from the creatures but we haven’t been able to spare enough people to go into the invaded zones to rescue anyone trapped there. That will be up to you and your people.”

“You left people trapped in there?” Barret sputtered, clenching his jaw. “Man, you Turks are still as cold as ever!” Thankfully he and Marlene had been visiting Rocket Town when the disaster struck and he was able to leave her with Shera’s mother while he left with Cid to come and help.

Cloud could see the fury building in the dark man’s eyes and he patted Barret’s shoulder and murmured, “Take it easy. Marlene’s safe and we’re going to fix this.”

“We did what was required to minimize the damage,” countered Tseng impassively. “Some of the citizens that were in the blocked sectors have already managed to escape through the broken wall segments to be taken in and cared for by our medical staff. The rest are either wounded or trapped, somewhere in the deeper metropolitan of Old Midgar or in their homes in Edge, waiting for help.”

“We’ll get them out,” Cloud promised…not so much to Tseng but to Barret and Tifa, who were both getting increasingly agitated. “First, we need to see a schematic of the city if you’ve got one, so we can get an idea of what sectors are blocked off. Shera also has some equipment on board the Highwind that she’d like to bring into the camp. She has some ideas she’d like to discuss with your science team.”

“Of course,” Tseng agreed. “Please, come this way.”

“We’ll save them,” Cloud whispered to Barret, looking at him with earnest sapphire eyes.

Sephiroth silently watched the way Cloud interacted with his friends and the way he took charge. The general smiled inwardly, impressed and even a little proud of the young man. If he’d seen this side of Strife when he’d first joined as a recruit, he’d have called the commanding officers that voted against Cloud being promoted into SOLDIER fools. Then again, Strife had matured far beyond the shy, jittery little teenager that previously worked as a grunt. While still retaining some of his youthful innocence, shyness and looks, he was clearly a different man now than he was then.

He walked beside Cloud as the group followed Tseng into the base camp, his sharp eyes taking in the layout of the encampment and the distance to Midgar. He noticed Cloud watching him and he raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

“What do you think?” The blonde asked, gesturing at the camp and the city below the cliff with a broad sweep of his arm.

“I think you’ve got the situation in hand,” Sephiroth answered honestly. “If I find something flawed in your decisions I’ll let you know.”

Cloud flushed with pleasure, his lips curving upwards at the corners as he lowered his bright eyes. Sephiroth found himself inexplicably breathless and afflicted with a sudden and powerful urge to ravish those lips, without regard to the audience around them.

~Dammit Strife…your effect on me becoming distracting. How can I want you this much when I don’t even have a proper libido to speak of?~

It was maddening. All it took was a smile from that sweet mouth of his to make Sephiroth want to do things to him…things that would make him cry out and moan the way he had on the bike, then on the couch and finally in the shower. Sephiroth wasn’t used to wanting to initiate contact like that all of the time and it confused the hell out of him.

~I just have to stay focused, as I always do. It would be pathetic if a man that can’t even get it up were so distracted by a smile from his lover that he couldn’t concentrate on his priorities. I’m above that sort of foolishness.~

Sephiroth kept telling himself this as they progressed into the base camp, but he was powerless to stop looking at Cloud from the corner of his eye and admiring his beauty. Obviously he wasn’t so far above such foolishness as he thought, because memories of previous, pleasurable encounters with Cloud kept flashing in his mind and Sephiroth knew that if he weren’t afflicted as he was, he’d have a raging erection by now.

He knew that the attraction he felt for Cloud was as much due to the blonde’s courage and dedication as it was to his looks. It was a small comfort to the general, because the reasons for his feelings didn’t change the fact that he was fast approaching an obsession.

~***************************~

“The worst of the damage is near the old Sector 7 area,” Tseng pointed out as they crowded around the map.

“Sector 7,” Cloud repeated softly, remembering the Church and Aeris. He felt a lump form in his throat and he swallowed it. Tifa’s hand reached out and grabbed his, squeezing it gently. He returned the pressure and focused his attention back on the schematic.

“I think we’re going to need snipers to cover the barricade points,” Cloud mused. They can cover anyone trying to leave and stop any beasts from making it into the safe zones.”

“We can provide some, but not many,” Tseng said.

“Those turkeys couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn anyway,” Cid commented with a shrug. “I say we let Scarf-Head and One-Arm take point on the east and west side. That way we’ll have some real firepower happening.”

Both Vincent and Barret looked at Cid with a mixture of annoyance and flattery, insulted by the nicknames he gave them while at the same time mollified by his faith in their marksmanship.

Cloud smiled and nodded. “I like that idea. So, now that we have the blockades covered we need to decide who’s going to search the housing in Edge. My guess is that if there are women and children trapped anywhere, most of them will be in the newly built areas.” Cloud looked up from the map and considered his group, trying to decide. Tifa was good with children and probably the least threatening and most levelheaded member of the team. “I think Tifa should go, but she’ll probably need a partner.”

“I’ll go with her,” offered Yuffie immediately. Cloud thought about it and nodded. “All right. I think we need one other person, though. Some buildings might be collapsed and you need some extra muscle. Our top priority is getting the women and children out.” He turned to Sephiroth and asked; “What do you think?”

Sephiroth immediately looked at Cait Sith, who had his little elbows propped on his mog’s head and was leaning over to look at the map. “You. Er…cat. What weapons do you have at your disposal?”

The little cat held up what appeared to be a megaphone.

“That’s it?” Sephiroth snapped, losing patience.

“Well, there’s tha’ megaphone, and I’ve got this fellow,” Cait Sith replied as he curled a paw and knocked on his mog’s head. “He packs a punch, lad!”

Sephiroth revised his opinion of the automated animal (and with it, Reeve’s sanity). He also realized that the megaphone could prove useful in more ways than storing materia. “Perfect,” the general said in a much calmer voice, giving everyone pause.

“What? I don’t get it?” Said Yuffie.

“Frightened children are likely to trust a stuffed animal and a pair of women,” He elaborated, “and the cat can call out to survivors with that megaphone he carries, as well as direct them to safety. Unfortunately it may attract the attention of any roaming creatures but I’m sure you ladies can handle that while the feline guides civilians to safety.”

Yuffie exchanged contemplative looks with Tifa and Cait Sith. Tifa nodded. “It sounds reasonable to me.”

“Yeah,” Yuffie agreed resentfully. She clearly hated agreeing with any plan of Sephiroth’s but it really did make sense.

“Count me in!” Cait Sith meowed enthusiastically.

Cloud grinned. “Cool. I’ll be taking Fenrir into the inner city. It’s too hard to navigate with a regular vehicle or on foot. Nanaki’s the only one that can keep up, so he’ll be going with me. Is that okay, Nanaki?”

“Of course,” answered the lion.

“Then that leaves the borders between Old Midgar and Edge,” Continued Cloud. His blue eyes looked at Cid and Sephiroth and he winced a little. “Sephiroth and Cid will be in charge of searching and clearing those areas.”

The general and the pilot looked at one another, neither looking particularly enthused with the pairing.

“Between the two of you, there’s good range and power,” Cloud explained. “Sephiroth can slice through just about anything and Cid can spear through just about anything. You can both knock down walls and get past debris better than anyone here. That’s going to count where I’m assigning you.”

Sephiroth tried to think of any excuse not to be teamed up with the obnoxious pilot and his smelly cigars, but Cloud’s reasoning was flawless. He looked the blonde in the eye and silently told him he would pay for this, but he nodded. Cloud grinned at him, catching the private message and apparently not intimidated by the promise of later punishment.

Cloud almost laughed at the expression on his lover’s face. Given how health conscious Sephiroth was, he felt bad enough for teaming him up with a smoker. Cid’s uncivilized demeanor was probably just as torturous to Sephiroth as the cigar smoke was. The pilot likewise frowned unhappily with the decision but truthfully, the only members of their group besides himself that Cloud could imagine not hating being teamed with Sephiroth were Cait Sith and Nanaki…and possibly Tifa. Unfortunately they were needed elsewhere and Cid was a good match, at least in fighting style.

“Okay, now let’s have a look at the map again, so we can work out exactly where we’re going,” Cloud said. He moved around the table and brushed up against Sephiroth in the process. He bit his lip as he felt the taller man’s pelvis briefly rub against his bottom and he reminded himself that there was work to be done.

“Vincent, Barret, your posts are here. You can decide between the two of you who takes the east and who takes the west…” As he continued on, he sensed Sephiroth’s rising tension. He finished briefing Tifa’s team on where they should go and he paused to glance up at his lover, who was standing beside him.

Sephiroth had a very odd look on his face. His silvery brows were drawn down and his green eyes were shifting about and unfocused, as if he were listening to something only he could hear. What was even stranger was the expression on his face. He had the half-surprised, half-concerned look of someone that had just come to a startling revelation. Cloud paused to murmur; “Are you okay?” to the general.

Sephiroth seemed uncharacteristically startled by the question. He looked at Cloud, then looked swiftly away and whispered, “I’m fine. I just remembered that I left something in the…ship. Carry on with what you’re doing, I already understand my part and I’ll be back before we move in.”

Cloud and the others watched him go and Cloud noticed that he moved unusually awkwardly, hunched over slightly and nearly limping.

“What’s with him?” Inquired Barret.

“No idea,” Cloud answered truthfully, more worried than he cared to reveal. Most of them had no inkling of his true feelings for the general and only Tifa was involved enough in his everyday life to guess that his relationship with the man had progressed the way it had. Doing his best to hide his concern, Cloud finished with the briefing and spoke to Tseng.

“We’ll do our part. You just need to be ready to assist when we bring people here,” Cloud told him.

“We will. Reno, Rude and Elena are already in there searching the borders between Midgar and Edge. They have instructions to assist you if required and I hope you’ll do the same for them.”

Cloud grimaced. He had a feeling those three would be here if Tseng was, but he’d been holding onto the slim hope that they weren’t. “Fine. Just make sure they don’t try to start anything with anyone.”

“We aren’t a ragtag gang of criminals, Strife,” Tseng said mildly. “We’re here for the same reasons you are.”

Somehow Cloud doubted that, but he kept his mouth shut. He jumped involuntarily as something landed lightly on his right shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that it was Cait Sith. The little cat cupped his paws over Cloud’s ear and whispered; “Ye might wanna check on yer lad Sephiroth. He didna’ look so good when he took off.”

Cloud remembered the distracted expression on his lover’s face and his heart leaped in his throat. He honestly couldn’t think of anything that Sephiroth brought that he might have forgotten to retrieve from the Highwind. The man was just too thorough and as far as Cloud could tell, everything they’d brought was there in the briefing tent. “Yeah,” he whispered back to the cat, “Tell the others I’m getting Fenrir and I’ll be back with him as soon as I can, so that we can get started.”

“Gotcha,” Cait Sith replied before hopping back off of his shoulder and onto his waiting mog.

~*****************************~

Cloud’s heart was slamming against his ribcage as he hurried back to the Highwind and imagined a horrible repeat of Nibelheim. He’d never seen a look quite like that on Sephiroth’s face, but once before he’d seen something that came close. Jenova’s head—what was left of it—was last present in Midgar. He’d watched Kadaj dip into the container of her remains and change into Sephiroth…and then he’d had to kill Sephiroth…again. They’d never found the container and he’d assumed it was destroyed or buried beneath rubble…or even drawn back into the Lifestream.

Now, the horrible possibility that it was still there in Midgar and Jenova was trying to manipulate Sephiroth lent speed to Cloud’s dash.

~I won’t let you…I won’t let you do it again! You can’t take him away from me again, you fucking bitch!~

“Sephiroth!” Cloud cried as he reached the Highwind and struggled to open the cargo door with shaking hands. His adrenaline lent him strength and he turned the sealing wheel with surprising speed. When the lock released, he yanked the heavy door open as if it were made of wood rather than iron and he charged into the cargo bay like a man possessed.

“Sephiroth?” Cloud said uncertainly when he saw his tall companion standing against the back wall, near Fenrir. Slowly, the figure turned to look at him. What he saw on Sephiroth’s face and in his eyes wasn’t the madness that he feared, but complete and utter bewilderment.

Cloud’s racing pulse slowed with relief and he took a few steps closer. “What the hell was that back there? Talk to me.”

“I have a problem,” Sephiroth responded tensely.

“I figured that out,” Cloud answered a little breathlessly. His heart and lungs were still trying to catch up, now that his fear was lessening. “What’s the problem?”

Sephiroth turned around fully and Cloud’s eyes were drawn downwards. “Oh,” he said, staring.

Sephiroth tilted his head, not moving from the spot and still looking bewildered and a bit frustrated.

“Oh…OH!” Cloud exclaimed. It all made sense as the realization of what he was seeing clicked in his brain. Sephiroth’s black pants outlined a very obvious and very impressive erection. Cloud was momentarily flustered and speechless, staring at the prominent boner in a daze. He shook himself out of it when he remembered the situation they were in. “Well…isn’t that a good thing?”

Sephiroth hissed impatiently. “Ordinarily I would say ‘yes’, but given the current timing and situation…it’s…distracting and uncomfortable—not to mention, entirely inappropriate. The words: ‘Wrong place at the wrong time’ spring to mind.”

~Holy hell, the words aren’t the only things springing, here,~ Cloud thought, finding it difficult to tear his eyes from the sight of Sephiroth’s manhood proudly pushing against its constraints.

“Cloud!” Sephiroth snapped urgently, “How do I get rid of it? I can’t do my job in this condition!” His voice was strained and uncertain.

“Well,” Cloud said as he took a few steps toward the other man, “I could…maybe…”

“No,” Sephiroth said firmly. “Not now. There’s no time for that, much as I’d love to try it.” His green eyes were blazing with lust as they looked Cloud up and down. “No, you seem to find ways to make yours go away without…that. How do you do it?”

Cloud was about to explain the complicated nature of hard-ons when Sephiroth suddenly slapped his erection out of pure frustration. Cloud’s perfectly reasonable speech dissolved into helpless chuckles. “Wait, that isn’t going to help. If anything it might just make it—“

“—Harder,” Sephiroth finished for him, groaning softly.

Cloud bit his lips, trying to control his laughter. Sephiroth noticed and frowned fiercely at him. “This is funny to you, Strife?”

Cloud cleared his throat, understanding that Sephiroth was actually scared. He remembered the first time he’d had a real boner and how alien it had felt. What must it be like for a man that lived his entire life without ever having one? The thought sobered Cloud and he closed the distance.

“It’s okay,” he said when Sephiroth backed away from him. “Hey, it’s natural. Calm down. I’m not going to jump you. I don’t want your first time to be rushed. Just let me help you work this out, okay?”

Sephiroth stared at him warily and Cloud felt a rush of love and sympathy for him. “Trust me,” he said gently. “Please, just trust me Sephiroth. I won’t touch you. Just listen, okay?”

The taller man stopped backing away, whether from pride or trust, Cloud couldn’t tell. “I can’t…I’m not used to this,” Sephiroth whispered.

“I know,” Cloud replied soothingly. “Just think unsexy thoughts. Sometimes it works. You can’t really control when you get a stiffy, but sometimes you can make them go away faster if you think about things that turn you off. Try it.”

Sephiroth nodded and closed his eyes. After a few moments, they flared open again and he snarled; “The only problem with that, Cloud, is that I have no idea what constitutes a ‘sexy thought’ and what doesn’t.”

“Oh yeah,” Cloud muttered, wanting to kick himself for the lack of insight. “Okay, well how does it feel when you think about what we’ve done together?” It was a risk but he was interested to know if Sephiroth was capable of being turned on by him.

“Don’t be stupid,” Sephiroth said acidly, “It was your ass colliding with my pelvis that created this problem, Strife.”

Cloud almost giggled…almost. “Uh…I see…so at least you know sexy thoughts include me, right?” He blushed a little as he looked at him.

Sephiroth’s expression softened but his eyes retained the glow of lust. “Absolutely.”

Shoving his relief and pride to the back shelf, Cloud reasoned; “So now you’ve just got to think of something that doesn’t turn you on. Maybe even something gross, like maggots or whatever. Just don’t think of me.”

Sephiroth considered this for a moment and sighed. “You’re standing right here, Cloud. I find it difficult to concentrate on what doesn’t excite me when you’re right in front of me, licking your lips like that.”

Cloud had never paid attention to how often he moistened his lips but it gave him a thrill to know that the action made Sephiroth aroused. “Sorry about that,” he said insincerely, making a mental note to do it more often around him. Inspiration struck him suddenly. Of all the things in the world that could repulse Sephiroth, the thought of being experimented on was certainly high on the list. Cloud frowned and wondered if it was worth traumatizing the other man to help him get rid of his erection.

“What is it, Cloud? This thing isn’t going away and the clock is ticking.”

Cloud sighed. “Hojo. Think of Hojo and all of the things he did to you.”

Sephiroth looked stunned for a moment but he didn’t object. He silently considered the blonde’s words and Cloud watched a little regretfully as the tent in the other man’s pants slowly deflated.

“I think that’s doing it,” Sephiroth said in a low voice, keeping his eyes averted.

Cloud didn’t say anything, feeling guilty for bringing up such a sore subject. There was also a private fear that Sephiroth wouldn’t be able to duplicate this condition again, but he kept it to himself. If he was able to get a hard-on for the first time in his life now, it surely meant that Dr. Melvin was right and Sephiroth was fortunate enough to be numbered with the men that recovered from the impotency effects of the drugs that Hojo kept him on.

Sephiroth felt conflicting feelings of relief and disappointment when his erection faded. While it was distracting, undignified and generally embarrassing, feeling his groin pull taut in response to Cloud’s tight little ass brushing against him had also been gratifying and enthralling. He looked at Cloud and saw the same worries mirrored on the blonde’s face that he held inside.

“Later,” Sephiroth promised as he approached the smaller man and bent down to give him a lingering kiss. “I can’t promise you I’ll cope well with it, but I think an encore is bound to happen. Preferably at a more opportune moment.”

Cloud smiled up at him and nodded. “Will you let me take care of it the next time?”

“That depends on when and where,” Sephiroth answered.

“Says the man that gave me a rub-down while riding full-speed on the highway,” Cloud countered with a smirk.

Sephiroth chuckled. “There was nobody around and we weren’t in the middle of a rescue mission. I promise, Cloud. I’ll let you introduce me to it all when the time is right.”

Cloud accepted that, unable to refute Sephiroth’s point.

~************************************~

-To be continued