The mighty have fallen

“The mighty have fallen”
Part 5


The next morning, Cloud found himself facing a dilemma. Actually, he had two dilemmas. For one, Sephiroth had no clothing. For another, Cloud’s transportation was a motorcycle, which wasn’t very convenient for carrying a weakened passenger.

“Maybe you could wear some of my clothes until we get to Kalm and can shop,” Cloud suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Sephiroth was sitting up in bed, finishing his orange juice. The taller man looked Cloud up and down, raising one silver eyebrow ironically. “I couldn’t fit one leg into your pants, Cloud. I could perhaps squeeze into a shirt, if it’s loose enough. Doubtful since everything I see you in is snug.”

The blonde looked down at himself and smirked. “I guess not,” he sighed. “Well, I could look around at the shops here in Junon for something. It might not fit perfectly since I don’t know your measurements but I can make a pretty good guess.”

Sephiroth shrugged. “You could do that…or we could check my old locker in the military base here. Chances are it hasn’t been reassigned since my…vacation. I’d rather not be indebted to you for clothing.”

“You may just have to swallow your pride and deal with it,” Cloud said with annoyance. “If buying you clothes was a problem for me I’d say so.”

“You won’t have to buy my clothing, if my locker is still intact,” Sephiroth insisted. “I had a spare uniform, gil and a secondary masamune stored in it.”

Cloud’s blue eyes widened at the thought of giving Sephiroth a weapon, but he supposed he could keep him from using it against anyone. The ride back to Kalm wasn’t completely safe, given that there were still mutated beasts wandering the wilds. “How many of those damned swords do you have stashed away?”

Sephiroth smirked. “A good fighter always has backups. How many weapons do you boast in your arsenal, Cloud?”

The blonde snapped his mouth shut, forced to concede the point. “Fine. Let’s just get one thing clear right now: If I let you go armed, you aren’t to raise your weapon against any human being without my permission.”

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed but there was nothing he could do against the command. He nodded once, curtly. “I believe you said you had some information for me?”

Remembering the documents Vincent brought for him, Cloud nodded. “It’s in my room. If you want to read it all now we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get out of here. It’s going to take you a while to go through them.”

Still doubting that Cloud really had anything of real significance to show him and not eager to stay in the lab for another night, Sephiroth shook his head. “I think it can wait. My immediate interest is in getting my belongings and leaving this place.”

Cloud couldn’t blame him. Sephiroth probably had seen more than enough labs and hospital rooms in his life. “Then we should get going. I’d like to get home before nightfall.”

Sephiroth pushed his tray aside and started to stand up. He staggered and Cloud was at his side in an instant, bracing him with his smaller body.

“I don’t need your help,” Sephiroth stated with annoyance, even as his arm instinctively went around the blonde’s waist.

“Fine, I’ll just send for a wheelchair.”

Cloud’s hunch that Sephiroth would balk at the thought of being wheeled around was right on the nose. “I suppose I can accept a little support,” the taller man sighed.

Cloud hid his smile.

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

Cloud checked himself and Sephiroth out of the hospital, informing the nurse that they’d be back to get the rest of his things before leaving the city. It must have been terribly embarrassing to be out in public wearing an ill-fitting hospital gown and scrub pants, but Sephiroth seemed to take it stoically, ignoring any stares they got. Cloud hailed a trolley to spare walking time to the military compound. Sephiroth was accepting of his support without complaint but he knew it rankled him, so the less the taller man had to lean on him, the better.

They arrived at the military base and Cloud had a moment of panic when Sephiroth’s legs nearly buckled under him. He had plenty of strength to support him but his smaller stature made it awkward. “You okay?” he asked as he helped him rebalance.

“Fine,” Sephiroth said shortly, not looking at him.

Cloud didn’t say anything else, not wanting to hurt the other man’s pride any further. Sephiroth was weaker than he’d thought. The adrenaline rush that had allowed him to move so quickly and demonstrate such strength yesterday must have been phenomenal. Together, they made their way through the front door of the base. The guards asked for identification and Cloud groaned.

“We don’t have—” Cloud started to say.

“Try ID number 773154,” Sephiroth interrupted.

The guard on the left held up a handheld electronic device and entered the numbers. When he got the results, his mouth fell open and he stared up at Sephiroth with huge eyes. “S-sir!” he said, standing at attention abruptly. He was shaking like a leaf. “We thought…that is, we were told you were dead!”

Cloud frowned and looked at the device still clutched in the man’s hand. He was able to make out the word “General” on the small LCD screen and see an image of Sephiroth’s face, but the guard’s fingers obscured the rest. Great, now they’d have to deal with rumors and speculation getting spread about by the military personnel here.

“Do I look like I’m dead?” Sephiroth asked evenly.

The guard shook his head. “N-n-no sir! Your clearance level’s frozen, but I can correct the mistake.”

“Do that,” Sephiroth ordered.

The guard nodded so rapidly that Cloud thought he’d surely have whiplash in the morning. He tore one of his gloves off with his teeth and started pushing buttons rapidly, with shaking fingers. “Oops,” the guard muttered nervously, correcting a mistake. The other guard was staring at Sephiroth with slack-jawed amazement while this went on.

“You’ll catch flies if you keep doing that, soldier,” Sephiroth remarked, and the other guard snapped his mouth shut and saluted.

Cloud was a little surprised when the first guard informed them that Sephiroth’s clearance was accepted for renewal. He knew that the Junon military once had orders to locate and retain the general, but he supposed those orders no longer stood since the threat was gone. He could see the questions burning in the guards’ eyes as they started through the sliding doors.

“He’s just come out of a coma,” Cloud explained, hoping to quell any wild theories before they started. “They’ve been keeping it quiet because they didn’t know if he’d wake up.”

Sephiroth gave him an annoyed look and the two guards nodded convulsively and saluted again.

“I had to tell them something,” Cloud whispered after the doors closed behind them. “When the shock wears off they’re going to be spreading the news.”

The taller man grumbled, “Let’s get this over with.”

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

Cloud had his doubts that Sephiroth’s locker was still in his name, but when they reached the barracks the other man entered a combination on one of the deluxe sized lockers and it opened. Inside was a familiar outfit of black cloth and leather, as well as an even more familiar sword. It barely fit in the locker and Sephiroth had to maneuver it a bit to get it out. He placed the masamune on one of the benches and pulled his uniform out.

“This will need washing,” Sephiroth said with a frown as he lifted the outfit.

“Can’t it wait?” Cloud asked.

The taller man’s emerald gaze flicked to him and he grimaced. “Would you like to wear something that’s been hanging in a locker for years, Strife?”

“I don’t know…wasn’t it washed before it was put back?”

“Yes, but that was over five years ago.”

Cloud scratched his head and flushed with embarrassment at the look Sephiroth was giving him. Clearly the man thought he was a pig. He dreaded what he’d say when he saw the clutter in his house. “I don’t know where the nearest Laundromat is, and we’re on a schedule,” he said lamely.

“This is a soldier’s barracks, Cloud,” Sephiroth sighed impatiently, “men live here. There are washer and dryer machines located right in this hall. You should know that.”

Cloud stammered and fell silent. Yeah, he should have known that. He felt incredibly stupid as Sephiroth shook his head and looked at him as if saying: ~”You really are a natural blonde, aren’t you?”~

“How long will it take?” Cloud asked—and he immediately regretted it.

Sephiroth arched a graceful, pale brow. “Does your little friend Tifa do all of your laundry for you? It should only take a half-hour, forty-five minutes at the most. The pants are the only part I can run through the machine…the leather I can foam clean while we wait.”

“I wash my own clothes,” Cloud protested, “I just don’t wash them one outfit at a time!”

Sephiroth smirked at him and Cloud couldn’t tell if it was because he was amused or if it was because he was pleased to have gotten under his skin. The tall swordsman’s smirk turned into a gasp as he turned to walk out of the locker room and he stumbled. Cloud quickly jumped off of the bench and put his arms around him, keeping him from completing his fall. He noticed sweat beading Sephiroth’s pale forehead and suspected that activity was taking more effort than the man let on. For a moment their eyes met and Cloud felt tingles shoot through him as he became aware of the feel of Sephiroth’s hard body pressing snugly against his.

“Here, let me take that,” Cloud mumbled, trying to pull the pants out of Sephiroth’s grip. “I can put it in for you while you start on the leather pieces.”

“Are you certain you know how?” Sephiroth replied dubiously.

“I told you, I know how to wash clothes,” Cloud snapped, “I’m not as dumb as you think!”

“Just air-headed,” Sephiroth returned, but he smiled a little as he said it and his tone was slightly teasing rather than dismissive. Cloud’s heart skipped a beat. Was their a touch of fondness in that smile, or was it just more of Sephiroth’s sardonic disdain for him? “Very well, use the permanent press cycle and a low heat for drying.”

“I will,” Cloud assured him, understanding that the instructions were Sephiroth’s personal preference and not an attempt to further treat him like a laundry idiot. He helped the taller man to the bench and located the can of foam leather cleaner in the locker, which was sitting on top of a black metal box in the bottom. Beside the can were a soft bristled scrub brush and a sponge. Cloud noticed that the box had a combination lock on it and he assumed it contained Sephiroth’s gil stash.

He took the items and placed them on the bench next to Sephiroth. “I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t go anywhere.”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes as the compulsion took hold. “Must you do that, Cloud? It isn’t as though I’m in the condition to go anywhere on my own.”

“I’m just covering my bases,” Cloud said, smiling a little at the other man’s frustration. “I know if you really wanted to, you’d find a way.”

He felt Sephiroth’s eyes boring into his back as he left the locker room. ~I think I’m getting the hang of this,~ Cloud thought, ~I just hope he stops resenting me so much sooner or later and realizes his situation could be a lot worse.~

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

Cloud had to stop and ask a passing cadet for directions but he found the laundry room in good time. He selected a detergent that he thought Sephiroth would use and put the pants into the machine. As he was selecting the settings, he overheard a conversation between three soldiers in the room.

“Is it true? The General is here?”

“I heard he’s been in a coma for all this time.”

“He had some blonde dude with him, I hear. They’re in the building somewhere.”

“That blond dude over there?”

Cloud turned around to find all three of the men watching him. One of them, a young looking guy with brown hair and green eyes, cleared his throat. “Hey, did you come here with General Sephiroth?”

Cloud sighed inwardly, predicting that the rest of their time here was going to be spent warding off autographs and questions. “Yeah, I’m his…friend. He just got released today and we’re just picking up some of his things.” Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. They might not be bosom buddies but right now, Cloud was the closest thing to a “friend” Sephiroth had.

“Where is he?”

Cloud’s sense of foreboding increased. “He’s in one of the locker rooms, but I wouldn’t bother him if I were you. He’s not in a good mood.”

All three of them paled and Cloud forced down a grin. For once, he was thankful of Sephiroth’s fearful and awe-inspiring reputation. He remembered feeling the same mixture of fear and respect for the man, when he was their age.

“Oh no, we won’t bother him,” the soldier with the sandy blonde hair said hastily.

“I wouldn’t mind having a look at him,” the redhead commented, “He’s a living legend and I’ve never seen him in the flesh before!”

“It’s your funeral,” Cloud said, not really joking. He didn’t imagine Sephiroth reacting well to being crowded with ogling soldiers and he feared it may enrage him to the point where the command not to kill might not work.

“Uh, I think we should do what he says and leave the General alone,” the brunette said nervously. “I don’t think pissing him off would be a good idea.”

~No, it wouldn’t~ Cloud silently agreed, ~and just to be sure that doesn’t happen, I’d better get back to him. There’s no telling how many soldiers have been in and out of that locker room since I left him there…I just hope I don’t go back to find a pile of corpses!~

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

“Why do you look so worried, Cloud?” Sephiroth’s lips curved into one of those sensual, knowing smiles as he looked up at the blonde hurrying back into the locker room.

Cloud ignored the amusement in the taller man’s bright eyes. “Word is out and I wanted to get back here before you got too many unwanted visitors. Don’t look so smug, you know damned well why that worries me.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve already had the pleasure of a few gawking onlookers. They left in a hurry when I looked back. I can’t imagine why.” Sephiroth returned his attention to his long coat, shaking the can of foam before spraying a dollop on the leather. His silvery lashes lowered, concealing his eyes as he carefully rubbed the foam into the leather and Cloud couldn’t help but admire how long and thick they were.

“Sephiroth, is that all you did?” Cloud demanded, not willing to trust that he didn’t hurt anyone.

The silver-haired warrior looked up, not pausing in his work. “Check the lockers for bodies, if you think otherwise. Although logic would dictate that if I had killed anyone, there would be blood somewhere. Don’t you agree?”

Getting the feeling that those emerald eyes were laughing at his paranoia, Cloud blushed. Damn his complexion and low blush factor! Sephiroth took note of the heightened color of his cheeks and grinned.

“You can’t blame me for being careful,” Cloud said, leaning against a locker and crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, I suppose not.” Sephiroth’s long fingers worked the sponge skillfully, pressing it down on the leather and rubbing in a firm, circular motion. Cloud’s eyes were drawn to it and the unwitting question of what it would feel like to have those hands working their magic on his body popped into his head. His blush deepened and Sephiroth tilted his head curiously.

“I wonder what thoughts are going through your head, to make you blush like that,” Sephiroth observed as he turned his attention back to putting more foam on his coat. “Your bashfulness is almost endearing.”

Cloud shifted his feet wordlessly, ridiculously affected by the general’s observation. Endearing? Did Sephiroth just hint that he thought he was cute? To distract himself from all of these unhealthy questions and concerns, Cloud reached down and picked up one of Sephiroth’s leather boots. “I’ll get started on these if you don’t mind. It’ll go faster with both of us doing it.”

Sephiroth paused to regard him. The doubtful expression returned to his face. “You know how to clean and polish boots?”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “You really do think I’m a fucking imbecile, don’t you?”

Sephiroth smiled again, his emerald gaze roving over Cloud’s face. “It was only a question, Cloud.” He wouldn’t say it out loud but it was entertaining to watch the young man get hot and bothered so easily.

Cloud grumbled and picked up the brush to start. Still grinning softly, Sephiroth applied a bit of foam to the boot for him before focusing his attention back on his coat. ~Temperamental little blonde,~ Sephiroth thought, allowing himself a bit of amusement at Cloud’s expense.

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

Thankfully the pants were finished within a little under a half an hour. While Sephiroth finished up with his chest straps, Cloud retrieved his pants from the laundry room and hurried back. Evidently the military personnel had enough common sense not to linger in or around the locker room but there was always a fool somewhere and Cloud didn’t want to push his luck.

“I’ve got your pants—“ Cloud said as he shut the door behind him. He turned around to face Sephiroth and his voice caught in his throat. The tall man was already disrobing, with a complete lack of modesty. It shouldn’t have come as a shock to Cloud, given the military background and the fact that dressing and showering in front of others was a part of that life, but this was Sephiroth, not some average guy.

Sephiroth discarded his robe and turned to face Cloud as he untied the drawstrings of the scrub pants he wore. He pulled them down and reached out for the pants clutched in the blonde’s hands, absently kicking the hospital scrubs aside. The silver general paused with a frown when Cloud didn’t hand his pants to him. He looked at the young man and found him staring with wide blue eyes and a frozen expression. He almost resembled one of those popular ball-joint dolls, with his porcelain skin, gently curving lips and impossibly bright eyes.

Sephiroth stared back at him and almost asked if he’d hit his head, but then the eyes scanned his body and it occurred to the general that the concussed expression on the young man’s face was caused by his nudity. He should have realized with Cloud’s bashful nature that he was probably the type that waited for the other soldiers to leave before dressing or showering. The blonde’s expression softened and the sapphire eyes rested on his genitals, revealing to Sephiroth that it wasn’t just shyness that made Cloud react this way.

Now Sephiroth was uncomfortable. He’d had people look at him that way before, of course, but he never expected to see that expression on Cloud’s face. Logically he thought that the last thing the blonde should ever feel for him was attraction, but the visibly growing bulge in Cloud’s jeans said otherwise. Sephiroth didn’t know whether he was pleased or disconcerted with this new revelation and he snatched his pants out of the blonde’s slack grip quickly and turned his back on him, cursing the heat he felt warming his cheeks.

Cloud tried to snap out of it, tried to tear his eyes off of the firm, round ass that was partially covered by the silky curtain of Sephiroth’s hair. “Uh, can you ride a motorcycle?” He heard himself say. He felt like he was in a dream, because he’d surely fantasized over this very thing more than once before.

“Yes,” Sephiroth answered shortly. ~Stop looking at me that way, Cloud.~ He could feel the blonde’s eyes on him as he pulled his pants up and fastened them. Cloud was the only person on Gaia that could be considered somewhat of a comrade to Sephiroth now. The last comrade that looked at him that way…no…he didn’t want to think of it. He reached for his harness and was surprised and annoyed to find his hands shaking as he struggled to fasten it. He didn’t know if it was due to nerves or weakness but it made his fingers clumsy.

Cloud noticed that he was having difficulty. Knowing that his help wasn’t wanted, he waited to see if Sephiroth could finish securing the harness over his naked chest on his own. When the taller man growled in annoyance, Cloud hesitantly stepped forward to help.

“Here, that thing looks tricky,” Cloud murmured as he tugged the harness in place in the back and moved around to Sephiroth’s front. He didn’t look up at him as he tightened the straps and buckled one of the fastenings. His pulse quickened as his fingers made contact with Sephiroth’s too-perfect chest and he swallowed. The back of his knuckle brushed the left nipple and it hardened as a result. Cloud somehow fought the wicked urge to fondle the nub with his fingertips, moving on to the other buckle. He was surprised that the other man was allowing him to do this, but upon feeling the slight tremor in the body he was helping to dress, Cloud realized that Sephiroth’s strength was hanging by a thread. “There,” he said as he finished, finally looking up at him.

Sephiroth. Was. Blushing.

At first, Cloud thought that his eyes were tricking him. He’d seen the general’s high cheekbones pinken the slightest bit yesterday when his stomach had growled, but now they were highlighted with a charming rose tint. A horrifying realization stole over Cloud at that moment. ~I’m such a fucking idiot! Why did I have to stare at him that way…now he knows!!~ And it was clearly making him uncomfortable. If his attraction for the silver-haired man was inappropriate, the disappointment he felt at the thought that it wasn’t returned was even more so. Cloud berated himself for even entertaining thoughts of becoming anything more than Sephiroth’s custodian. How could the man return his feelings, when he was his prisoner?

“Let’s get your coat on,” Cloud said as steadily as he could, trying not to reveal the hurt he felt. Sephiroth was blessedly silent, either possessing too much class to say anything about Cloud’s reaction or too flustered by it. He let him help to slip the trench coat on and didn’t protest when Cloud fastened the front. The only thing missing from the outfit was Sephiroth’s shoulder guards. Personally Cloud thought the outfit looked better without the oversized things, anyway. He stepped back to inspect the outfit, making sure nothing was loose or crooked.

“It looks like you’re ready to go. Now all we have to do is get your boots on and strap your masamune to your back.” Cloud hoped that his voice was casual. His cheeks were still hot with embarrassment, but his boner was thankfully softening in his pants.

Sephiroth sank carefully onto the bench and Cloud noted that he was breathing heavily. This whole morning had taken a toll on the man’s energy and he wanted to get him home to Kalm as soon as possible, so that he could rest and recover in peace. He waited while Sephiroth tugged his boots on, noticing the way his hands shook as he did it. Cloud hid his frown, not wanting to insult the general by showing his concern. He began to wonder if it was a good idea to take him out of medical care so soon. He was starting to think he was actually a little worse today than he was yesterday and there was so much he didn’t know about the stasis he’d been in.

“Something troubling you, Cloud?”

The young man looked up, seeing his companion regarding him suspiciously. His concerns must have been showing on his face despite his efforts to hide them. Slipping his hands in his pockets, Cloud shrugged. “I don’t know…I’m starting to think I shouldn’t take you out of the hospital this soon. You seem a little—“

“I’m not staying in that place another night,” Sephiroth said firmly. “I just need a few days to recover my strength and get my body used to activity again.”

Cloud knew there was no winning this argument. The taller man’s lips were drawn into a hard line and he could see the sincere dread of all things lab related behind the slit-pupiled gaze. “Okay, but if you start to get worse I’m going to have to make a house call for a doctor and you’ll have to submit to it. I’m not going to have you keeling over on me when you’re under my protection, clear?”

Sephiroth’s expression changed, a hint of wonder softening his features. For the first time he began to think that Cloud really wasn’t doing this to get revenge against him. “I can agree to those terms,” He replied.

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

-To be continued