The mighty have fallen

“The mighty have fallen”
Part 17


Cloud was restless and frustrated. Now that the danger of amputation had passed, his friends felt safe enough to leave him in the doctor’s care without a guardian and Tifa resumed helping with the search for any trapped people remaining in the city. Cloud felt useless and boredom was eating at him. The nurses gave him some magazines to read but he finished them in a couple of hours.

Doctor Alerick kept a careful eye on him—so careful that Cloud started to get suspicious. He seemed to be paying much more attention to him than any of the other patients and some of them were worse off than he was now. One of the staff brought Cloud a light meal at noon composed of vegetable soup, crackers and a bowl of orange segments. He wrinkled his nose and the nurse scolded him and told him he couldn’t start out on steak and potatoes after being so ill. Remembering that he’d fed Sephiroth much the same thing when he’d been sick, Cloud grudgingly cooperated and ate the meal.

While he was eating, the doctor came by to look at his leg. “Don’t mind me, this will only take a moment.” He lifted the right side of Cloud’s blanket and examined the wound with professional, critical eyes. “It’s looking better and better,” he said after a moment, giving Cloud a reassuring smile. “Soon the infection will clear out enough for us to use a Cure materia and take those stitches out. How is your pain?”

Cloud swallowed a mouthful of soup and shrugged. “Not too bad. It hurts the most when I accidentally move it but most of the time it just throbs and feels kind of hot.”

Dr. Alerick nodded. “The heat sensation is due to the remaining inflammation. It should go away in a day or so. If I’m satisfied with your results by tonight I may allow you to get a bit of exercise, but I can’t promise anything yet.”

Cloud looked at the man thoughtfully. “Doctor, you seem pretty dedicated to getting me back on my feet. Did something happen or do you just really like me?”

The doctor looked nervous and uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and made a show of examining his wristwatch. “General Sephiroth was very adamant that you keep your leg. It was a judgment call on my part and my first choice was to remove the limb to save your life, but he…persuaded me…to wait. Your infection was bad, Mr. Strife. It’s important to monitor it until it’s cleared up.”

Cloud’s eyes went blank as he turned the information over in his mind. The doctor left and Cloud watched his retreat, noticing the tense set of the man’s shoulders. A combination of gratitude, amusement and concern arose within the blonde as he pictured the conversation between his lover and the doctor that changed the course of his recovery.

~Sephiroth, what exactly did you say to him? I guess it shouldn’t matter because if it weren’t for you, I’d probably be crippled for life. Maybe I shouldn’t ask when you come back…maybe I should just be grateful that you care so much and I have both legs.~

Maybe, maybe, maybe. None of those “maybes” answered the questions that were burning in Cloud’s mind.

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

When evening fell, Nanaki came bounding into the medical tent before the others. He placed two paws on the edge of Cloud’s bed and bumped his head against the blonde’s shoulder in a feline gesture of affection. Cloud chuckled and patted the lion’s back.

“You’re pretty chipper today,” Cloud observed, “I guess that means everything went pretty well.”

“It did,” Nanaki agreed, “and I’m relieved to see you looking so well, too. Does your leg pain you?”

“Not as much as yesterday and this morning. How’s everyone doing? Nobody got hurt this time did they?”

Nanaki shook his great head, the decorative beads and feathers tied to his main swaying with the motion. “Fortunately, no—at least, not badly. Sephiroth was a bit too enthusiastic cutting aside some debris to free a trapped family and he’s sporting a small cut on his forehead. Other than that, everyone conducted their part unscathed.” Nanaki gave Cloud a knowing look. “I think he’s eager to be done with this, so that he can take you home.”

Cloud felt his cheeks heat up a little and he bit his bottom lip and lowered his eyes. “Yeah. I got that impression too.”

“I’m happy that your new mate is so devoted to you, Cloud,” Nanaki continued, provoking a wide-eyed look from the blonde, “I never imagined it would be him, but you’re well suited to each other. He and the others should be here soon. I’m famished, so please excuse me while I go and eat.” With that said, Nanaki bumped his head against Cloud’s shoulder again and bounded away.

“’Mate’?” Cloud echoed as he watched the lion go. “That sounds kind of weird.” He supposed the term meant the same thing to Nanaki as “lover”, “boyfriend” or “spouse” but it took a little getting used to.

He shifted into a more comfortable position and winced when it caused a throb of pain in his leg. When he looked up again, Cait Sith was hopping into the tent and heading toward him. “Lookin’ good, lad! I’ve got some news for ya.”

Cloud grinned at the cat. “Go ahead.”

“We’ve just about finished and the WRO can handle the rest. Thanks to you and the others, the casualties weren’t high.”

“Humph, I barely did anything,” Cloud mumbled.

“That’s not true,” Cait Sith argued. He hopped off of his mog and onto the bed and putting a consoling paw on his shoulder. “Ya came and ya nearly got yerself killed tryin’ to help others. In fact, someone wants to see ya and express their gratitude.” He whistled and his mog turned and motioned to someone at the tent entrance.

The two teenaged boys he’d helped rescue came in with a middle-aged woman that looked a lot like the one who’d been trying to free his friend’s foot. “I want to thank you for getting my son Thomas and his friend safely out of there,” the woman said with an expression of gratitude. “If it hadn’t been for you, who knows what would have happened!”

“Ma’am, all I did was end up trapped with them,” Cloud said with embarrassment.

“Nonsense. They told me it was your quick thinking that kept them from being crushed,” she insisted. “And I also found out you’re a volunteer. It takes a big heart and a lot of courage to put yourself in danger like that with no thought of reward, young man.”

“I…I used to live here,” Cloud excused lamely, “It really wasn’t a big deal.” He was blushing profusely and the woman gave him an adoring look, leaving little doubt that she thought he was darling.

The boy named Jenkins stepped forward. “Thanks for what you did, sir. If you hadn’t gotten my foot free and pushed us in that hole, we’d be dead meat now.”

His friend Thomas nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry you got hurt so bad trying to help us. We wanted to come and thank you earlier but you weren’t awake yet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Cloud, “I’m just relieved you two are okay. Stay out of the condemned zones from now on, eh?”

“Oh, they will,” Thomas’ mother said severely, making both teens wince. “Come on boys, it’s dinner time and I’m sure the young man would like to rest and talk to his friends.” To Cloud, she said, “Thank you again for all that you did, Mr. Strife. I hope you feel better soon.”

Cait Sith was grinning at him and swishing his tail as the family left. “Well now lad, that ought ta have made ya feel pretty good.”

“I’m not comfortable with that sort of thing,” Cloud said, averting his eyes.

“What, praise for doing good? Gratitude for savin’ lives? Och Cloud, yer a stubborn one!”

Cloud spotted Sephiroth approaching and his pulse quickened. Cait Sith noticed the change in his expression and turned a bit. Seeing the general approaching, the cat grinned. “Guess I’ll be going now, to give you two some privacy.” He jumped back onto his mog and went on his way.

Cloud noticed the thin cut on the upper right side his lover’s forehead as he approached and he was relieved that it seemed very minor. Sephiroth’s hair was damp and he wasn’t wearing his gloves. Cloud assumed he’d taken some time to clean up before coming to see him. He wouldn’t have cared if he was coated from head to toe with mud, but he’d learned early on that Sephiroth was a very hygienic person.

Sephiroth looked Cloud up and down, pleased to find that he’d regained his coloring and lost the glossy look to his eyes. He closed the curtains around the bed for privacy and started to sit in the chair, but Cloud wriggled his body to the opposite side of the narrow bed and patted the spot in front of him.

“Come on, nobody can see,” Cloud smirked when his lover hesitated. “I’ve been bored out of my mind all day and I want some of that chest.”

Sephiroth followed the blonde’s gaze to the portion of his chest exposed by the opening in his uniform. When he looked back up, he noticed that the sheet covering Cloud from the waist down was tenting in an obvious way. Sephiroth smirked and shook his head. “Clearly you’re feeling more like yourself again. Would it help if I simply left my chest with you every day, Cloud?”

“If only you could,” the blonde sighed, forcing his eyes back up to Sephiroth’s face again. He patted the empty spot on the bed again. “I’m waiting.”

Sephiroth pretended a sigh of annoyance and pulled his boots off before sliding onto the bed and resting his back against the raised part. Cloud snuggled up to him and laid his cheek against his chest, tracing the criss-crossing leather straps of the harness with his fingers. Sephiroth gingerly put his arm around him, supporting him carefully so that he wouldn’t jostle his leg and hurt him. He closed his eyes and gave into the temptation to nuzzle Cloud’s soft hair, admitting to himself that he loved the way the blonde fit against him. Cloud began to place soft butterfly kisses on his chest and Sephiroth felt his groin beginning to stir as a result.

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you,” Cloud murmured between kisses.

“Do you?” Sephiroth replied huskily, distracted by the feel of Cloud’s lips caressing his skin. He closed his eyes and tried the trick Cloud had taught him when they first arrived. It wasn’t doing any good—he found it impossible to think un-sexy thoughts when a hot looking, helpless blond was kissing and sucking on his chest.

“Mmm-hmm,” Cloud hummed, licking a nipple. He grinned when Sephiroth’s breath caught and he glanced down and noticed that the man’s black pants were swelling nicely at the crotch. It was good to know that the “problem” Sephiroth had experienced when they first arrived wasn’t just a one-time deal. “How did you ‘persuade’ Doctor Alerick to save my leg?”

“What makes you think I had anything to do with it?” Sephiroth said evasively.

Cloud’s kisses migrated from the taller man’s chest to his neck. He sucked on the skin there briefly then moved his mouth to his ear and nibbled the lobe. “Just a feeling I’ve got,” he whispered into the ear. He fondled a nipple with his fingers and it pebbled immediately. He followed up by scraping the earlobe teasingly with his teeth again. “So, what did you say?”

“Cloud,” Sephiroth whispered unsteadily, “That’s…very distracting.” His eyes rolled and fluttered shut as the blonde blew gently into his ear and traced the outer shell of it with his tongue.

“That’s the point,” Cloud chuckled. He stopped teasing the other man’s nipple and dragged his hand down, pressing lightly as he caressed Sephiroth’s chest and abdominal muscles. He paused at the thick part of the harness, tracing the skin surrounding it with his fingers before dropping his hand to the rising bulge between his thighs.

At this point Sephiroth lost what was left of his common sense and tact, utterly fascinated by the feel of his companion’s hand resting over his hardening sex. “I told him that if he failed to save your leg, I’d cut his off to replace it,” he blurted.

~Shit, I didn’t mean to say that. Cloud is such a boyscout; I’m probably in for a lecture now. So, this is what it’s like to be at the mercy of the “smaller head”.~

Cloud paused and pulled back to look at him with wide eyes and Sephiroth braced himself for criticism. He was therefore taken by surprise when the blonde’s mouth curved into a crooked smile. “You really said that?”

Sephiroth nodded warily. “It was effective, wasn’t it?”

Cloud huffed a laugh and coughed, feeling terrible for finding it funny. “Damn, no wonder the poor guy always looks like he’s about to shit himself.”

“He was going to cripple you, Cloud,” Sephiroth reminded him evenly.

Cloud sobered a little and looked him in the eye. “This is gonna sound really cheesy,” he said softly, “but I think what you did is probably the most romantic gesture anyone’s ever done for me. Go ahead and make fun of me and call me girlish if you want to.”

“I won’t do that. I was prepared for a lecture, actually,” Sephiroth murmured, reaching up to trace his mouth with his fingertips. He sucked in a sharp breath when Cloud’s lips parted and drew his fingers into his mouth. “What I AM going to call you is a horny little blonde,” Sephiroth revised breathlessly.

Cloud felt Sephiroth’s stiffening cock spring fully erect beneath his hand, practically bucking against it. He sucked on the other man’s fingers and swirled his tongue around the sensitive pads at the tips, daring to squeeze the impressive length that his hand rested over. Sephiroth’s emerald gaze was hot on him and his fingers slid deeper into Cloud’s mouth, then withdrew and did it again.

~I should stop this,~ Sephiroth thought even as he continued to thrust his first two fingers in and out of Cloud’s suckling mouth. He was transfixed by the sight of the blonde’s lips closed around his fingers and the way his fathomless blue eyes stared directly into his. He was humbled to hear a soft groan burst from his mouth and his heart pounded so fiercely he thought it would break through his ribcage.

Cloud forgot about his injury and tried to throw his leg over Sephiroth’s hip. The blinding flare of pain in his thigh rudely reminded him of where they were and how they got there. A ragged moan reverberated in his throat before he could stop it and Sephiroth quickly withdrew his fingers from his mouth and held him supportively.

“I’m okay,” Cloud panted, upset that he’d fucked up such a beautiful moment by being careless. He clenched his jaw hard and fought the pain, his own erection deflating quickly.

“No, you aren’t,” Sephiroth stated firmly. He rubbed his back until the pain and tension faded, then eased himself out of the bed and carefully repositioned Cloud in the center. He looked down at Cloud’s disappointed face and brushed his lips over his sweat-beaded forehead. “What was it that you said to me when you first brought me to your house, Cloud? I seem to recall something about my being mortal, and not to push myself.”

“Yeah…okay,” Cloud grumbled, nearly pouting at him. “I just wanted—”

“I know,” Sephiroth interrupted, pressing his fingers against those sinfully tempting lips to shush him. The curtains didn’t prevent people from hearing what was being said and Sephiroth didn’t want to give the medical staff and other patients a commentary. “I do too, but not here and not until you’ve healed more.”

Cloud grinned playfully and tried to suck the other man’s fingertips into his mouth again.

“You little shit,” Sephiroth muttered, pulling his hand safely out of reach before he could succeed. He glared severely at the blonde, who was chuckling silently. “I really don’t think you appreciate what a fine line I’m walking between self-control and a total loss of it, Cloud.”

Cloud sobered and his erection returned. Sephiroth’s jaw was tense and he now had a faint sheen of perspiration making his flawless skin glow. He was breathing heavily, that stunning chest rising and falling as he stared down at him with hungry eyes. Cloud knew suddenly that the only thing stopping Sephiroth from taking him right now was his injury and the audience surrounding them.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered sincerely, reaching out to cover one of the taller man’s tense hands with his. “I keep forgetting you haven’t had time to adjust to…that. I was just playing.”

“Your ‘playing’ is my bane, Strife,” Sephiroth warned, still devouring him with his eyes. “And right now, you’re far too breakable to endure the consequences.”

Cloud smirked a little and lowered his gaze. “I know. I guess I should thank you for keeping your head. Obviously I lost mine.”

Sephiroth leaned over him and kissed his lips briefly. “When you’re healed,” he promised.

Cloud caressed him with his eyes and refrained from asking him to describe exactly what would happen when he healed. He knew what Sephiroth had in mind but the thought of hearing him say it in no uncertain terms made him restless with desire. It would have to wait, for now.

They changed the subject and talked about the progress in Midgar until the doctor came and nervously said that it should be okay for Cloud to walk around for a little while, as long as someone supported him. Sephiroth helped Cloud into a robe and took him for a brief walk, helping him to exercise his muscles without putting weight on his damaged leg. When the blonde started to get winded and sweaty he took him back to his bed and sponged his face and neck off to cool it.

Sephiroth stayed in the chair at Cloud’s side all night long, dozing lightly at various intervals while his lover slept.

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

“He said THAT?” Tifa exclaimed the next morning when she had breakfast with Cloud and he broke down and told her what he’d said to the doctor. “That’s…that’s…” She sighed and shrugged, grinning. “You know, I can’t even pretend to be surprised.”

“You’re lousy at it,” Cloud agreed, sipping his orange juice.

The doctor came by again and cleared his throat politely. “Your infection’s been driven back enough for us to use Cure materia on your wound. After that you can go home as soon as you like, though I strongly recommend that you have your regular doctor give you follow-up examinations until you’ve regained full use of your leg.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” Cloud said with relief. He was more than ready to get out of this place and have a real bath and sleep in a real bed. He thought about apologizing to the man for what Sephiroth put him through, but changed his mind. Now that he thought about it, Dr. Alerick deserved the terror that Sephiroth had put him through. The man had wanted to take his leg off without even trying to save it first. Considering that he’d almost crippled Cloud for life, a few days of mortal fear was a small price to pay.

“I’ll be back with the materia,” the doctor said, but Tifa stalled him and held up her arm meaningfully, flashing the bangle on her wrist that already had several green materia and some blue ones in it. “Or, Ms. Lockheart can do the honors,” the doctor finished with a little smile. “I’ll just remove the stitches first and let her take over from there.” He opened a case he’d been carrying and took out a pair of special clippers and tweezers.

“Gladly,” Tifa said. She waited while the doctor pulled the sheets aside to expose Cloud’s leg and winced in sympathy as he cut and tugged out the stitches, one at a time. Cloud didn’t flinch and he rolled over carefully when prompted so that the doctor could get the stitches on the back of his thigh. When that was done, the doctor helped him to roll onto his back again and nodded at Tifa.

“Hold still, Cloud,” she said.

He did, and she held her hand flat, hovering an inch or so over the wound. She closed her eyes and activated the materia. A green-white glow spread from her hand, intensifying and sparkling as it covered Cloud’s leg. He sighed with relief as the throbbing pain subsided and the skin closed. She kept the spell active until the wound was replaced with a thin white scar on both sides. With time, thanks to his enhanced biology, the scar would fade further and be hard to notice, if it didn’t vanish altogether.

“Done!” Tifa said with delight, hugging Cloud. “How does it feel?”

He experimentally raised his knee. There was no pain but the muscle in his thigh felt tired and weak. “Pretty good,” he said. “Just sort of tired.”

“Be careful with how you use that leg for a while,” the doctor advised. “The muscle’s been weakened so it would be easy to strain it and make it lock up. I can recommend some stretches and light exercise for you to start out with. If you were an ordinary patient I’d say it might take several months for you to regain full use of it, but for you it wouldn’t surprise me if it only takes one or two. Just don’t overdo it and you should be fine.”

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

Cid drove Fenrir back to the Highwind and loaded him up for Cloud. Reno stopped in to see him before they left, surprising him with a pair of pants. “Yours were trashed,” He explained after tossing the pants to Cloud and getting a surprised look from him, “so I stopped into the safe zone of town and did a little shopping. These look about your size and style, yo?”

Cloud held the pants up and looked at them. They were reinforced navy blue cargo pants, loose enough to wear easily without being overly baggy. The material was supple but tough, designed for comfort and efficiency. They were also a major expensive brand. “Holy…Reno, I can’t take these, they must have cost—“

“Shaddup and take ‘em,” The redhead insisted with a smirk. “Go in style for once. It’s a gift from the Turks, for helping us out.”

Cloud flushed and nodded. “Thanks, man. I’ll try them on.”

“Can I watch?” Reno asked with a grin.

Cloud stared at him and worked his mouth.

“Kidding!” Reno laughed. “You’re taken and I’m not into suicide. I just like to fuck with you. Take it easy, Blondie.” He walked away, whistling a tune.

Cloud watched the redhead go, confused and surprised. “Gay?” he muttered to himself. Then he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter…I’m ready to get out of here.” He pulled the curtains closed and was mildly thankful that Sephiroth hadn’t been there to witness Reno’s flirtation, whether it had been genuine or not. He didn’t want to test how possessive his lover was if the result could end up being Reno having to have his head surgically removed from his own ass. The guy was annoying most of the time but he had his good points.

Cloud stumbled a little as he pulled off his underwear and reached for the clean ones he’d packed, thankful that Tifa’s idea to bring extra clothes for herself inspired him to do the same and toss some extra clothes of his own in his duffle bag just in case.

“Cloud?”

The blonde stopped with the fresh boxers clutched in his hand. “You can come in,” he said with a smirk, even though he blushed.

The curtains parted and Sephiroth stepped through. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Cloud’s state of undress, his eyes scanning his body. He almost started toward the blonde but then he stopped and hastily shut the gap in the curtain behind him. “Showing off, Strife?” he said huskily.

“Only for you,” answered Cloud, smiling shyly at him.

Sephiroth grinned, seeing that Cloud’s boldness only went so far. The slighter young man held his boxer shorts over his groin, hiding it from view. “How can someone have such slutty sensibilities and be so bashful at the same time?” Sephiroth purred softly as he closed the short distance between them. He put his hands on the blonde’s hips and slid them around to cup his ass. He lowered his mouth and kissed him, pushing his tongue past his lips aggressively.

Cloud groaned softly into the other man’s mouth, taken by surprise. He’d expected an appreciative look, maybe followed by a brief reserved touch and a command to get dressed so that they could go. Judging by the erection he felt poking him in the belly, Sephiroth was losing his patience as well as his reservations about others knowing what they were doing. Cloud let the other man’s tongue dominate his mouth and he threaded his fingers into his long, silken hair. Sephiroth’s hands squeezed his ass and pulled him harder against his body.

“Gaia, you’re a temptation,” Sephiroth purred against his lips as he broke the kiss. He reluctantly pulled away and averted his eyes, turning his body too late to hide his hard-on. “Get dressed before I humiliate us both and our first time goes down on public record,” he said roughly.

Cloud snickered at his words and wisely pulled his boxers on. He nearly fell when he put his left leg through because his right one wasn’t strong enough to fully support his weight. Sephiroth heard him grunt with exertion and saw him stumble from the corner of his eye. The tall swordsman was at his side quickly, putting an arm around his waist to support him.

“Thanks,” Cloud said softly, trying to ignore the feel of the leather-clad body pressing against his naked skin. He hurriedly put his other leg through the hole and pulled the boxers up, then sat down on the bed to put his legs into his new pants.

~I should have done this with the underwear, but that kiss made me stupid.~

Sephiroth watched him slide his legs into the pants and as he was pulling them up, the silver-haired man spotted the pricetag still attached to the waist. “When did you find the time to shop, Cloud?”

Cloud froze and Sephiroth noticed that he paled a bit when his pretty blue eyes lifted to regard him. “Uh…Reno brought them before you came in. They’re a gift from the Turks to replace the ones I ruined.”

“How…considerate of them.” Sephiroth said in a low voice. He saw the flash of panic in his lover’s eyes and he remembered Tifa’s lecture from the other night. Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. “Don’t look so worried, Cloud. I can control my jealous streak, even if I can’t stop it from rearing its ugly head. I’m not going to decapitate the loud redhead or his friends.”

Cloud tried to conceal the relief he felt but the smirk Sephiroth gave him said he failed miserably. He stood up and pulled the pants over his hips, zipping the fly and buttoning them before limping over to stand before Sephiroth. He looked up at him earnestly and said; “I don’t mind you feeling possessive. I kind of like it, actually. Just so long as I don’t have to worry about you punching people out for looking at me or making stupid accusations, we’re cool.”

“Fair enough,” Sephiroth agreed, cupping his chin for a brief kiss. “Ms. Lockheart already had this discussion with me and she made it clear that resorting to jackassery to cope with my jealousy is highly unattractive and immature.”

Cloud burst into laughter, surprised that Tifa had gathered the nerve to lecture the great Sephiroth. “She’s got more balls than a drill sergeant!”

“That, she does,” Sephiroth agreed. “In fact, I’ve come to respect all of your companions’ cunning and resolve.” Anyone that could stand up to him without flinching tended to earn Sephiroth’s respect. “Now, let’s get your sweater and jacket on so that we can leave this place and take you home.”

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

-To be continued