DOGS of War

Happy birthday to me; have a chapter!

Since no one was against the occasional SephxCloud scene, I have included one here. I hope it makes you giggle as mightily as it has me. ^.^

Crisis Core fans may recognize Zack's spy-hunting mission from the game. It was seriously way too much running.

Might have more notes when I'm not so tired. >.>

~ ~ ~

Cloud closed his eyes as he flopped back onto the hard, metallic floor. Great. Not only had he probably not made a very good first impression on commander Rhapsodos, but now he was going to get someone else involved too. He was sorely tempted to just pick himself up and limp on out the door, but Genesis had told him to stay and he wasn't about to disobey a direct order.

He heard a soft noise by his head and he opened his eyes, looking up into curious, green cat's eyes. He jumped up, standing on his one good foot and saluting. “I'm sorry sir, I know I'm not supposed to be in here, but I was here with Commander Rhapsodos. I would have left, but he told me to stay,” he explained in a rush.

“You don't appear to be injured.”

Cloud gaped. Genesis wouldn't have... would he?! “I, really, sir, I'm fine. C-commander Rhapsodos overreacted a bit, it's nothing you need to bother with,” he stammered, hopping backward on one foot as Sephiroth approached. His heel caught on one of the raised areas of the floor and he fell back, landing solidly on his ass.

Strong fingers grasped his calf, holding his leg up. “Sir?!” he squeaked, turning into a tomato as Sephiroth knelt beside him and gingerly tugged up the leg of his pants, exposing his injured ankle. The general's touch was surprisingly gentle and Cloud's mouth dropped open as he stared, watching the most feared and respected man on the planet carefully undoing the laces of his boot and pushing down his sock to further examine his injury. “Sir, what are you doing?” he whispered, awestruck.

Sephiroth's lips curled up in a small smile. “Well, seeing as you are neither unconscious nor bleeding profusely, there really is no need to take you to the infirmary. I should be able to heal you myself--if you find that acceptable, of course.” He lifted his gaze, looking at Cloud through lowered lashes.

Cloud simply continued to stare in shocked silence. Seeing that Sephiroth seemed to actually want a response, he swallowed, attempting to will the gooey mess his brain had become into some semblance of order. He gave a wide-eyed nod, so very thankful that all the blood in his body seemed perfectly content with rushing to his face instead of other, more inappropriate, places.

Sephiroth carefully wrapped both hands around the swollen joint, reaching his consciousness into the glowing sphere tucked in the bangle around his wrist and calling forth the warm wave of green light that immediately soothed the sprain. As soon as he'd released Cloud's leg, the youth hesitantly rotated his foot to make sure all was well. He smiled gratefully, making Sephiroth's stomach do an odd little flip.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Do you have any other injuries?” Sephiroth asked quietly, almost hopefully.

“Just my wrist, sir, but it's not bad. I can just wrap it when I get back to the barracks if you...” Cloud stopped speaking as Sephiroth held out a hand expectantly. He slowly held out his own hand, forgetting to breathe for several moments after Sephiroth took a hold of it.

Much like with Haine, Sephiroth felt compelled to converse with Cloud. Fortunately, in this case, an acceptable topic of conversation was easy to find. “How did you receive your injuries?”

Cloud looked away, but answered anyway. “Um, Haine was supposed to be on the defense, but he wasn't moving so I had to, uh, improvise so I wouldn't punch him in the face. I twisted my ankle when we fell.”

The green glow enveloped Sephiroth's pale hands around Cloud's wrist, instantly healing his minor injury. “And your wrist?”

Deciding to omit the part about Haine nearly blowing his head off, he skipped to the event that caused the most damage to it. “Gen- um, Commander Rhapsodos sort of dropped me and I landed on it.” Sephiroth arched a brow and he quickly continued. “He was going to carry me to the infirmary, but I told him he should go after Haine instead. Apparently he agreed.”

Sephiroth chuckled lightly, decidedly enjoying the way that Cloud's diminishing blush flared again. “Are there any other injuries I should be aware of?”

Cloud's whole world narrowed around Sephiroth's smile. He opened his mouth but nothing came out, his embarrassment reaching a new plateau as he struggled to find words. “N-no, sir. You can... go now,” he mumbled, feeling humiliated. His misery was compounded to the nth degree as the soft smile faded from the general's perfectly sculpted lips.

“You are afraid of me,” Sephiroth said quietly.

“No, sir! Not at all!” Cloud nearly shouted.

“Then why are you frightened?”

Cloud was absolutely astonished to see the flicker of hurt flash across Sephiroth's features, and he decided to answer his question as honestly as he could. “I'm... I don't want to look bad. In front of you, that is.”

“What have you done that you think I would look poorly upon you?” Sephiroth asked, confused.

“Well, nothing. I don't think. I mean, it's just one of those irrational fears. Talking to someone you like is hard, because you know there's always that chance you'll say or do the wrong thing and then never get to see them again,” he explained. “And to be honest, this wasn't exactly what I'd pictured for if I ever got to meet you,” he added as an afterthought.

“What do you mean?”

“Um, y'know, flat on my ass with a twisted ankle,” he mumbled, blushing even harder.

“You injured yourself while trying not to harm another. I think... that was rather noble of you. It is no reason to be ashamed.”

Cloud was once again stunned into silence, the praise from Sephiroth making his head buzz.

Sephiroth sat for a moment, looking away as he remembered not to study Cloud too intensely and make him uncomfortable. “I noticed that Zack has the room booked for the entire evening. It would be a shame for it to go to waste...” He turned, giving Cloud another glowing, half-lidded gaze. Sephiroth never had really been much of a dog person. Chocobos, on the other hand... “Perhaps you could train with me, instead?”

Cloud died.

= = =

Genesis skidded to a halt in front of his own door, his fingers flying over the keypad as he punched in the numbers to open it. As soon as it began to move, he grabbed the edge with one hand, pushing it out of the way as he rushed into the apartment.

A quick scan of the room turned up empty and his heart sank for a moment before a subtle flapping of the balcony door's curtain caught his eye. He forced himself to calm down, not wanting to startle Haine as he crossed the room to the sliding glass door. He pulled the curtain aside, slipping out through the already-open door.

Haine was curled up in the far corner, both hands clutching his head. The balcony chair had been shoved aside and Genesis pushed it even further out of the way to kneel before him. He reached out, gently stroking the backs of Haine's hands, trying to coax him to let go. Haine jumped, looking up at Genesis as though he hadn't even heard the first coming.

Genesis grasped both of his hands, holding them gently and rubbing his knuckles with the pads of his thumbs. “I'm sorry. That was all my fault. I rushed you. I shouldn't have expected so much of you already. I should have just started from the beginning, but I got overzealous. Can you forgive me for being so stupid?”

“You're not stupid,” Haine whispered, forcing a tiny smile onto his lips. “A... crappy teacher, maybe. But not stupid.” His breathing was still a bit ragged, but he slowly relaxed as Genesis continued to hold and gently stroke his hands.

Genesis smiled, leaning forward to kiss Haine on the forehead. “Now you know why they won't let me teach the newbies,” he said, attempting a joke as the tiny albino relaxed into his touch. He closed his eyes, releasing one of Haine's hands to run his fingers through the boy's snowy spikes and hold him close. “From now on, we aren't going to push you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. And I don't want you to hesitate to tell us if there's something you can't do just yet.”

Haine shook his head. “No. No, that isn't fair. You don't do that for anyone else.”

Genesis sat back, pulling Haine into his lap and holding him tightly. “No, Haine. It is fair. It's very fair. No one else has been through what you have. No one else has to overcome what you do.”

“Did Sephiroth have these problems too?” Haine asked in a tiny voice.

Genesis let out a small laugh. “No. Sephiroth had a whole bunch of different problems. He still has some of them.” He placed a finger under Haine's chin, turning his face so he could look him in the eyes. “You and Sephiroth may seem different from the rest of us, but you aren't. You've both simply experienced different things in your lives that you have to cope with. But what you're doing to adapt, to learn how to live, that's the most natural and normal thing there is. No matter what happens to you, you're still you. And I'll always be here for you.”

“But I don't even know who I am,” he said weakly, his eyes briefly flooding with dispair.

“Well I do. You're Haine. You're my roommate. You're adorable and funny and sweet. And smart.” He laughed as Haine blushed, trying to hide in the collar of Genesis' jacket. “All we don't know is who you were. And I don't think that's very important at all when you still have so much life in front of you.”

= = =

Zack sighed, punching in the code to Angeal's door. It slid open and he dragged himself into the apartment, thoroughly worn out from his mission. The lights were on in the living room and Zack looked around, immediately perking up as he saw Angeal on the couch. “Hey. You're home early,” he said as he rested his sword against the wall by the door and settled on the sofa next to Angeal.

“Mhm, and you're home late. How was your training session with Cloud and Haine?” Angeal asked, looking up from a report he'd been reading. Even with Genesis taking half his work load, there was still too much for him to get done so he simply brought it home with him.

“I missed it. My mission was easy, but on my way back I got roped into giving some other soldiers a hand. I spent the last like four hours running around Midgar looking for spies.” He tried to keep his tone light, but his exhaustion was evident, along with a fair amount of disappointment.

Angeal frowned. “You didn't call.”

Zack shrugged. “I didn't think you'd be here.”

Angeal studied his student, noticing the fatigued way he slumped over, his elbows resting on his knees. Even his hair seemed tired, the long strands of his bangs hanging limply over his eyes as he stared at the floor. Angeal set the report aside, sliding closer to Zack. He gently reached around him, undoing the buckles holding his heavy sword harness in place and pulling it off of him. He let it fall to the floor, a muted jangling of the buckles the only sound in the room. He rubbed Zack's back soothingly, carefully kneading the tense muscles with his fingers.

Zack moaned, turning to goo under Angeal's tender ministrations. He flopped to the side, laying across Angeal's thighs as the elder continued to massage his back and shoulders. The day's exertion caught up with him full-force and before long, Zack was teetering on the brink of sleep. All too soon, the strong hands were gone, a soft crinkle coming from the report as Angeal picked it up once more. Zack pushed himself up, looking sleepily at Angeal.

“Zack, it really is late. I still have some work to do, but you should get to bed,”

Zack shook his head, laying back down on Angeal. “'s fine. 'm helpin',” he murmured sleepily.

Angeal chuckled, looking down fondly at the boy in his lap. “Yea, look at you help,” he murmured with a smile as he held up the packet of papers again and picked up reading it where he left off. His soft smile remained as he flipped through the pages, one hand lazily stroking Zack's arm and side.

Zack rolled over, trying to get comfortable on a pillow as hard as Angeal's leg. As he buried his face in the juncture of Angeal's hip, the strange, intoxicating scent once again filled the air. He let out a soft, contented hum and breathed in deeply, snuggling against his mentor. The smell suddenly shifted, a strange, acrid component tainting the usually alluring smell. Zack pulled away, his eyes wide with confusion as he suddenly felt an unbearable sadness and pain in his chest. It was intolerable, so very unlike when he was with Haine, and he wanted nothing more than to get away. Without looking back, he ran out the door, making a bee-line for Genesis' apartment. He had to find Haine. He wasn't sure how, but Zack knew that he could make that sad, awful feeling in his chest go away.

With shaky fingers, he hastily pressed the key code into the door panel and it slid open silently to reveal a dark, empty living room. Right, it was late, they were already asleep. Zack hesitated a moment before slipping into the dark unit and locking the door again behind him. Just being here calmed him and he considered crashing on the couch instead of bothering Haine. He stood for a few minutes, an internal debate raging in his head before a cool hand slipped into his, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see a very sleepy Haine pulling him gently down the hall. The tightness in his chest immediately released, replaced with something else. It felt almost sad, but warm. He rubbed his eyes with one hand as they entered the study-turned-bedroom, kicking off his boots before climbing onto the tiny bed. Haine plopped down next to him, grumbling about cold buckles as he drowsily helped Zack out of his clothes.

Zack slipped under the blankets, holding them up as Haine nestled in beside him. The smaller male curled around him, molding against him as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Zack immediately relaxed, his fatigue fully taking over.

“'sokay. Safe,” Haine mumbled before falling fast asleep with his head resting on Zack's shoulder and an arm draped over his stomach.

Zack realized then that Haine most likely assumed that he'd had another nightmare. That was fine. He didn't know how he would explain what he'd been feeling anyway. He might be embarrassed in the morning, but at that moment, he was perfectly content with his arms wrapped around Haine's slim frame and his nose buried in soft, snowy spikes. He breathed deeply, feeling nothing but warmth and happiness, all traces of sadness and pain long gone. It wasn't the intoxicating smell he usually picked up when Haine was close, but it was much softer and much sweeter. More like Genesis, his sleepy mind supplied. He drifted closer to unconsciousness, his fingertips stroking Haine's lower back as he pressed his lips gently against the sleeping boy's temple. “G'night,” he whispered before nestling down into the soft pillow, carefully pulling Haine closer.

Sleep claimed him quickly, a soft murmur escaping his lips as he slipped into the darkness, unheard by even himself.

“Love you.”

+ + +

Genesis pulled away from the door, closing it silently before turning and making his way back to his own room. He picked up the phone that lay on the end of his bed and held it to his ear. “Yea, he's here. Looks like something spooked him, but he seems okay now. He's asleep already.”

Genesis yawned behind a hand as he slid back into his bed, listening to a nearly panicked Angeal on the other end of the line.

“I don't know. You said he was falling asleep, he probably had another flashback or nightmare or something. Maybe if you two went to bed at a decent hour, this wouldn't happen,” he said curtly, sleep slurring his speech slightly. “No, I'm not mad I'm tired. I'm fine, he's fine, everybody's fine, go to sleep, Angeal. You can talk to him in the morning. I'm going back to bed now. G'night.”

Genesis flipped the phone closed, tossing it onto his bedside table as he flopped face down onto his pillow, a soft snore escaping him before he even landed.

+ + +

Angeal looked at his phone with a frown. What the hell was going on? First Zack had run out like he'd seen a ghost and now Genesis had hung up on him. Angeal glanced at the clock beside the TV. It wasn't even one o' clock yet. His frown deepened, the line between his eyebrows darkening. Genesis had always been the last to bed and the first to rise, but it had sounded like he'd already been asleep for some time when Angeal had called.

With a sigh, Angeal set aside the papers he'd brought home to work on. Genesis was probably right. Zack was fine now, and that was all that mattered, really. He stretched as he stood, deciding the paperwork could wait. It wasn't like it was going anywhere without him. He reached out to turn the small table lamp off, but hesitated just before touching it. With a decisive nod, he pulled away, turning off the large light in the room and heading for bed himself.

Leaving the small lamp on all night might be a waste, but Angeal left it nonetheless; just in case Zack wanted to come back home after all.

= = =

“Angeal, did something happen between you and Zack last night?”

“What are you talking about, Genesis?” Angeal asked, arching a brow and glaring at the redhead. He was not in the mood to deal with another lecture.

“Haine told me that Zack spent the night last night.” His eyes narrowed. “Don't tell me you didn't know.”

“Of course I knew,” Angeal answered sharply. “I called you last night having a damn heart attack when he ran out on me. You told me you got up to look for him; should I not have believed you when you told me he was there and that he was fine?” he asked tersely, standing and placing both hands on his desktop as he leaned over it toward Genesis.

Genesis went utterly still, the blood draining from his face. Suddenly, his eyes flared green with anger. “You called me when I was asleep! How can you expect me to remember that?! Why the fuck were you calling me, anyway?! Zack is your fucking responsibility! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why do I have to do everything?!”

Angeal was stunned into silence, his anger gone. He had never seen his friend get so furious so suddenly before. It was completely unlike Genesis, and it was frightening. “Gen, it's okay,” he started softly, attempting to reach out to him.

“No! It's not fucking okay!” he shouted, pulling away. “Nothing's okay! Just stay the fuck away from me you stupid... FUCK!” he screamed before turning tail and running out the door.

Angeal stood frozen, leaning on his desk and staring at the door; the sudden silence in the room ringing in his ears louder than the shouting had only a moment before.

+ + +

Genesis ran into his office, shutting and locking the door behind him. He leaned heavily against the door, panting. He hid his face in his hands, slowly sliding down the dark wood as the muscles in his legs gave out. He curled in on himself, silent tears streaming down his face. “I didn't mean it. I'm sorry,” he whimpered to the empty, cold room. “Please, don't leave me alone.”

= = =

Angeal dragged himself back to his apartment, feeling heavier than he could ever remember being. It was early, he hadn't gotten anything accomplished, and for once, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was on autopilot, not paying attention, and he jumped slightly as the door zipped open in front of him. With a sigh, he entered.

“Oh, hey! I didn't realize you were going to be home, I was just making some dinner. Are you hun...gry...?” The words died on Zack's lips as Angeal slowly trudged into the room and sat heavily on the couch. In an instant, Zack was beside him. “Angeal? What's wrong? Did something happen?”

Angeal slowly turned to look at him, seeing his face as though for the first time. He reached up, brushing Zack's hair out of his eyes. He had such beautiful eyes, why did he insist on hiding them? He stroked his thumb over Zack's cheek as he looked deep into the brilliant blue that was now glowing with worry. “Zack... I-”

A soft knock at the door cut him off, the SOLDIER first pulling away from Zack to answer it. He pressed the button for the door, the faint hope that had blossomed in his chest deflating as it slid open.

“Haine? What are you doing here?” Zack asked, coming up behind Angeal.

“Have either of you seen Genesis? He left early this morning and hasn't been back all day. I'd call him, but I don't have a phone,” he said worriedly as he entered.

Zack shook his head, gently draping an arm around the youth's shoulders and pulling him close. “I haven't seen him. Angeal?”

“Yes. I saw him this morning. We... had a bit of an argument. Haine, why don't you stay and have dinner with Zack? I'll go find Genesis.”

= = =

Angeal stood outside of the solid wooden door to Genesis' office. The redhead rarely used it, but Angeal knew he tended to view the large room as a bit of a safe-haven. After all, no one ever expected Genesis to actually be there. He raised his hand to knock, pausing for a moment before dropping it back down to his side. He listened carefully, picking up no sounds from within. If Genesis was in there, he seemed to be trying to hide the fact. He wouldn't answer even if Angeal did knock.

Angeal stood for a few more minutes outside the doorway. He felt foolish and immature, but he couldn't help it. Genesis had always come to him when there was trouble. Now that he was running away, Angeal was at a loss for what to do.

Carefully, Angeal tested the doorknob. Locked. That was no surprise. Finally making up his mind, he slid open a panel beside the door exposing a keypad. The ShinRa offices were made to look like regular offices, but the security was still all electronic underneath. He entered his security override for the door, flinching at the soft 'click' of the lock disengaging.

Angeal grasped the knob again, turning it as silently as he could and slowly pushing the door open. The dark stillness inside caught him off guard and, for a moment, he wondered if perhaps he'd been wrong. A soft sniffle reached his ears and he silently stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. His eyes adjusted in seconds and he spotted Genesis curled up on the tiny guest couch against a wall. The redhead's back was facing the room, but Angeal could tell he was asleep.

He crossed the room, kneeling silently beside the sofa. He leaned over Genesis, easily making out the tear-tracks on his face and picking up the quiet sniffling of a stuffy nose that came from crying oneself to sleep. Angeal felt horrible and he immediately regretted not coming sooner. He reached out, gently taking Genesis into his arms like he had so many times before. Angeal felt him wake and held onto him more tightly, refusing to let go this time. If he was still angry, so be it. Let him shout and kick and punch. Angeal knew now that he deserved it.

But the shouting never came.

“'geal,” Genesis whispered into his neck, wrapping both arms around him and clinging just like he always had. “'m sorry.”

“No,” Angeal said quietly, gently rocking his long-time friend. “You were right. I haven't been there for Zack and I haven't been fair to you. That's going to change, I promise. Just, please, give me another chance.”

Genesis pulled back, smiling sadly at him. “You know I always will.”

~ ~ ~