Cloud tapped his foot
impatiently. Where the hell were they? Zack and he had come down here for a briefing on
their next mission, only to discover that there was no one here to brief them. Beside him,
Zack shifted in his chair. Moreso than Cloud,
Zack had not gotten where he was by being patient. Not at all. After fidgeting for several
minutes, Zack propelled himself out of his chair, "What's taking them so long? It's
not like Sephiroth to be late for anything, much less the briefing of a mission which he's
going to lead!"
Cloud nodded, antsy
himself. To pass the time, he read the bio on their new team member for this assignment.
The man was a SOLDIER-First Class with a shining trail of commendations. He was formerly a
Turk, but when he proved himself to be an excellent sniper and more trustworthy than most
of the Turks, they recruited him into SOLDIER, where he advanced rapidly. Too rapidly,
some people said. They said he was kissing ShinRa rear, or that he had had
"help" from above. A halfhearted investigation was made, but nothing was ever
found, and the youth continued to rise. He became the youngest person to ever make
SOLDIER- First Class. He was 18 years old when the highest rank was bestowed upon him.
That was two years ago, and the only thing keeping him from rising to an even higher
position was his own insistence that he stay out in the field. According to the report, he
had suffered from several anxiety attacks whenever he was in Midgar for too long. In
response, they had never given him a desk job, and they gave him quarters in Junon. Cloud
read the name again. Valentine. Luc Valentine. Cloud had known Vincent briefly before he
had disappeared.
The infamous Turk had
been almost godlike to Cloud, who was far younger then. He supposed that if he had been
any older he would have been in love with the man, but seeing as how Vincent didn't look
at guys like that, it was probably a good thing that Cloud had known him when he
was younger, instead of later on.
But this young man,
only slightly older than Cloud himself, was a different story. He was Vincent's son. Would
he have the same good looks and brooding charm that Vincent had had? Or would he be
someone completely different? And what would he think of Cloud? Zack? Sephiroth? Sephiroth
said that he thought he had known Luc when he was a Turk, but he wasn't sure. At any rate,
Cloud would possibly be able to make a new friend and his friends were few and far
between. Though when two of them were Zack and Sephiroth, and one of them was the drop
dead gorgeous Tifa, who needed any more?
Cloud checked his watch again. It was almost 3:00, and
Sephiroth had said to be there at 2:30. Where on Earth was he? Just as Cloud
thought that, Sephiroth walked through the door, "I apologize for my lateness. I hope
you weren't waiting long."
"Only about 30
minutes!" Zack shot back, "This isn't like you at all, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth laughed
lightly, and leaned over to place a quick kiss on Zack's cheek. Zack blinked, caught off
guard, "Sephiroth? What's going on? What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing," he
laughed at some unknown, private joke, "Absolutely nothing has 'gotten into me'. I
though you might want to meet your new partner though. But since you don't seem
interested..."
Both Zack and Cloud
protested loudly, and Sephiroth grinned, "I thought so. Luc! You can come in
now?"
And Luc Valentine came
through the door.
Cloud's eyes almost
fell out of his sockets and he heard Zack's intake of breath beside him. Luc was ...
beyond describing. The words supernaturally beautiful came to mind, but they somehow fell
short of the youth that stood before them. Luc had Vincent's long black hair, glowing
green eyes, and the same brooding darkness that followed him around like a blanket.
However, Luc's face was smaller, more feminine, with a delicate nose, and perfectly
sculpted lips. He had a lazy, cool, almost heavy-lidded expression, and he
moved with more grace than even Sephiroth. Like a
panther, Cloud thought, exactly like a panther: sleek, lithe and lazy, until he found
something that he wanted to kill ... and then you would never stand a chance of escaping,
if it was you that he chose.
He extended a hand to
Zack like a serpent uncoiling, sinuous and slow, "Hello," he drawled out,
"I'm Luc Valentine," his voice matched the rest of him, a throaty, rich, low
whisper that made the hair on the back of Cloud's neck stand up. He was completely
enthralled with this man.
"My name is Zack.
Pleased to meet you."
Luc smiled slowly, like
a flytrap uncurling, "The pleasure is all mine," he turned to Cloud, "And
you are?"
"Cloud. Cloud
Strife," he managed to choke out through racing thoughts and blood. Luc's smile now
showed perfect teeth, and was even more predatory than before. Cloud resisted the urge to
lean over and lock lips with him. Why on Earth did he have this reaction to this young
man? Luc was beautiful, but Cloud had seen beautiful people before and had not had a
reaction this strong. Perhaps it was because Luc had the same
predatory "cat with a mouse" air about him
that Sephiroth did, but was closer to Cloud's age. Luc stared into his eyes for a moment,
then his wide grin turned into a small smirk. He KNEW! Cloud wasn't sure how he knew that
he knew, but he did. Luc winked lazily for only Cloud to see, then walked over,
insinuating himself into a chair.
"Good. I hate
introductions. Where are we going?"
"Always in a
hurry, Luc," Sephiroth said lightly, "We're going to Wutai. A survey team found
massive amounts of Mako energy in the area. We've been assigned to see if it will be
feasible to build a plant there, and aquire the land from the locals in any way necessary
if it is." Nobody looked thrilled.
"Wutai's out in
the middle of nowhere!" Zack moaned.
"Look, it's a very
important job. They aren't sending just anybody..." Silence. Sephiroth sighed,
"And we're booked for a week at the Gold Saucer afterwards." A trio of cheers
came up from those assembled and Sephiroth sighed once more, "Sometimes ... you are
worse than children!"
But he didn't seem
angry at all.
Later that evening,
Cloud and Zack sat on Zack's sofa, hot chocolate in hand, curled in each other's arms.
They'd been talking for
some time about the world in general, and trying very hard not to mention Luc, or the
journey they were about to embark on. But finally, Cloud could stand it no longer,
"So what do you think of Luc, anyways?"
Zack laughed, "You
mean 'Sex on Legs'? He's the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet. He's the only
man I think I've ever met who has sexuality comming out of his pores." Zack laughed
at Cloud's expression, "Hey, I never claimed to be a poet. And you did
ask..."
"Yeah... I
did."
Zack understood the
tone in Cloud's voice, it was one he had heard often in his own. Jealosy. Zack
laughed lightly, "Hey, don't worry Cloud,"he bent close to Cloud's ear, letting
his lips brush the hairs on the side of his neck, "He's too predatory for me."
Cloud was fighting to
keep breathing, but he managed to choke out, "So's Sephiroth, and you used to sleep
with him."
"Yeah, " Zack
continued in that same melting tone, "But I don't anymore..." Zack kissed a path
down Cloud's neck, "Come on... let's go to bed."
"Zack! We've got a
long day tomorrow, we need our rest..."
"Awwww... Come on
Cloud... have a heart."
"Sorry, but you
know it's true."
"Yeah, yeah,
yeah." Zack grinned fiendishly, "But this means you owe me one!"
Cloud grinned, "Is
that a promise?"
"Sure
is. And I'll hold you to it too!"
Cloud yawned and rolled
over, wrapping his arm back around the still sleeping Zack. Cloud had been skeptical that
Zack would actually let him sleep... and sleep himself, but he had done just that. He
brushed a lock of unruly black hair out of Zack's eyes, which fluttered open,
"Mmmmm... Morning Cloud."
"Morning
Zack," Cloud grabbed a quick kiss, and then laid back down beside Zack, staring at
the ceiling.
"Penny for your
thoughts?" Zack inquired. Cloud blushed,
"Umm... you don't
want to know."
"Yes I do."
"Well, this sounds
all wrong, but I was wondering if you thought Luc and Sephiroth were... um... er..."
"A couple? Yes,
the thought had crossed my mind. They do know each other from before, right?"
"Yes... I'm glad
to know my suspicions weren't totally un-founded."
Zack grinned and
ruffled Cloud's hair, "You're being too serious! Lighten up!" Zack
grinned," Have I ever told you how cute you are in the morning?"
"Zaaaack!"
They both laughed.
They boarded the boat
from Junon to Costa Del Sol. Though they had technically been a team for three days now,
Cloud still knew very little about Luc, "So... where are you from Luc?"
"From?" Luc
raised one thin eyebrow.
"Yeah, like your
hometown."
"Oh, that. Well...
I don't know. I don't remember where I was born, and I traveled around so much when I was
little. Midgar, I suppose. Or here in Junon. I've spent most of my life in one or the
other. What about you?"
"I'm from
Nilbihelm."
Luc's eyes widened
slightly.
"What?" Cloud
asked.
"Nothing... I
just... I get this weird feeling about Nilbehelm. Don't take this the wrong way or
anything, but I think something really awful is going to happen there." Cloud looked
at Luc, puzzled. Usually Luc was rather impersonal to everyone. Not cold, or emotionless,
just more concerned with other matters than the lives of those around him. To hear such a
statement from him was a bit jarring. Cloud opened his mouth to say something, but before
he could, Sephiroth and Zack returned from their inspection of the ship. "Luc... Can
I speak with you a moment?"
Luc walked over to
Sephiroth, and Zack came to stand behind Cloud. Zack and Cloud watched as Sephiroth held a
whispered conversation, Sephrioth's arm around Luc's shoulder. It looked friendly,
but Cloud could see something in Luc's eyes. Zack leaned over and whispered,
"Definetly sleeping together." Cloud bit his lip to stifle a giggle, and Luc and
Sephiroth wandered off together.
"Mabye they're off
to find a nice quiet spot... Mabye we should do the same?"
"Zaaaack! We're on
duty!"
"Yeah, I know... I
know." He looked sullen for a moment, until a thought came upon him, "Hey....
"he said slyly, "Now you owe me two!" Cloud laughed, and managed to forget
about his motion sickness for the rest of the voyage.
All had been peacefull.
They were in Costa del Sol after a week on the ocean, and all was finally better. Cloud
hated boats more than anything, but at least he had Zack to comfort him through it all.
Now he was lying on his back in a nice fluffy bed, on dry, unmoving land. Life didn't get
any better than this. Nothing could disturb such a peaceful day.
Zack stormed into the room, eyes blazing. He flung a
piece of paper at Cloud's head.
"Look at this! Just look at this!!!"
"Zack? Zack are
you alright?"
"No, goddammit,
I'm not "alright"! Sephiroth's a rat bastard!"
"Wha? Why?"
"Just read it,
Cloud!"
Cloud looked down at
the sheet of paper in his hands. It was light pink, so light it was almost white and of
excellent quality. The script of the writing was beautiful, and the whole thing had the
faint odor of a woman's perfume. Cloud began to read:
My Darling Sephiroth,
It has been five lonely
years since we last saw each other. I know you have been busy, and I have been too, but
there has been no reason for us not to see each other. And there is certainly no reason
for you to not write me back. I miss you so much, more every day. I've heard of some of
your "adventures" through conversations at bars, but you know I don't mind what
else you do, as long as you come home to me. Our relationship demands it. I haven't seen
anyone else... but you can understand why, can't you? Mabye I'm a fool, mabye I'm scared,
but I'm not ready to stick my neck out for anyone but you.
Never again.
I feel foolish when I write letters like this, but I
love you and I miss you, and these letters give me something to do while I wait for you to
return. I dream of the day when we can finally be together. Seph, I love you, and I'll
wait for you forever. But I need to hear from you. Please. I can't wear your ring forever,
though I will wait that long, if I have to. Please come back for me soon.
With all my heart,
Tia
Cloud's brow furrowed,
"So he has a lady friend. So what? So do you, right?"
"Read the last bit
again, Cloud."
Cloud did so, and the
color drained from his face, "You mean you think he's..."
"Engaged. Yes. To
this woman. And he's sleeping with Luc. Now this girl might be okay with this, she says so
in her letter, and I'm fine with it for my own sake, but I'll bet you that Luc wouldn't be
if he were to find out. And this letter is dated not long ago, about 4 days before our
mission. Sephiroth got this letter, read it, and then started the thing up with
Luc, or returned to it. That's... terrible!"
"I agree. But what
do we do?"
"We charge in and
make him confess!!"
"Whoa!! Whoa whoa
whoa! Slow down there Zack. Think about what you're saying! You're going to go challenge
Sephiroth? This is the kind of secret men kill to keep quiet. Do you really think that
he's going to just let you blindly accuse him and then go tell the world? No. No way. Now
mabye you're friends with him, and mabye he wouldn't hurt you, but he could ruin your
career, your reputation in SOLDIER, anything. Not to mention what this might do to the
innocents: Luc and Tia. We should stay out of this. You should go put that back from
wherever you got it, and we'll forget all about it."
"And we just let
him screw both Luc and Tia?"
"Do we have any
other choice... really?"
"Cloud..."
Zack sighed, "This seriously sucks."
"I know, but
getting ourseleves killed or demoted doesn't help anyone."
"Agreed..."
They were almost to
Wutai before Zack let the name slip. The four of them were sitting around talking about
their previous girlfriends.
"Yeah," Zack
said, "I knew this one girl. She was a real looker. Brown hair, big aqua eyes. She
wrote real good love letters too. But she was no Tia."
Cloud struggled not to
slap himself on the forehead, though he did kick Zack under the table. Much to Cloud and
Zack's surprise, it was not Sephiroth who reacted to the name, but Luc! Luc's eyes widened
slightly, and in a subtly shaky voice, he said, "Where do you know a girl named Tia?
It's an unusual name..."
Zack was his usual
quick-minded self, "At the Honeybee Inn. She was a damn good dancer... and that
wasn't all she was good at," he nudged Luc knowingly.
Luc laughed lightly,
"Must not be the same girl. The broad I knew couldn't dance to save her life."
All of them laughed. But Cloud caught a sudden gleam in Luc's eyes, and he knew that Luc
hadn't believed Zack's lie... they weren't out of hot water yet.
Zack and Cloud returned
that evening from a long walk on the beach. They quietly let themselves back into the
suite they shared with Luc and Sephiroth, and found the pair curled up on the sofa bed,
asleep in each other's arms. Though they were trying to be as quiet as possible, Cloud
couldn't help but whisper, "Awwwww... Look at them. They're so cute!"
Zack laughed softly,
and came up behind Cloud, wrapping his arms around Cloud's waist,
"Remind you of anyone you know?"
"I don't know...
you never look quite that peaceful."
"I don't think I've ever
been quite that satisfied!" Zack's voice was gentle, teasing, but he still got an
elbow in the ribs.
Then, Cloud turned
around in his arms, looking up at the slightly taller man, "Hmmm... seems to me that
I owe you a few. Want to see if I can get that look on your face this time?"
Zack blinked, obviously
caught off-guard. Cloud was not known for suggestive comments. And Zack was not known for
wasting opportunities. He leaned down and kissed Cloud,
"Already looking forward to it!"
They'd barely made it
into bed when they heard sudden talking from behind the wall. The walls were thin, but
they could still only catch snippets of the conversation.
"Whew! That
was---"
"Almost didn't get
the covers---"
Muffled laughter
floated out.
"----think we were
asleep?"
Cloud blushed. They'd
heard Zack and him! And then, he heard something that made his blood turn to ice,
"----Tia------- I mean, -------"
"You don't think
they-----"
"---------"
"-------------------
Cloud?"
"Cloud?"
They heard Sephiroth
laugh quite clearly, "Well, if you decide---------- in the future mabye
we'll-----"
"--------------------
Goodnight Sephiroth."
"Goodnight
Love."
And then there was
silence. Cloud was puzzled. They'd been talking about him? Why? He frowned slightly, his
playfull mood broken. Zack didn't say anything, or try to convince him otherwise. He
merely wrapped his arms around Cloud, and whispered, "Okay, no problem. But now you
owe me three."
"Thanks
Zack." Cloud smiled and began to fall asleep, "and one day... I promise I'll let
you collect.
Wutai was a great
disappointment. There *was* an overabundance of Mako there, but it was volcanic in nature
and highly volitile- impossible to use or to control. Dispirited, they headed back to
Midgar... But they had a half a week of vacation at the Gold Saucer first!
They checked in and
headed to the ammusement park first. After just standing there and staring at the
attractions for awhile- no one but Sephiroth had ever been before for more than just a
passing glance, Luc and Cloud decided that they wanted to ride the roller coaster and some
of the other rides, and the older two didn't. So they agreed to split up and meet back in
the middle to go to dinner. Cloud and Luc had been sitting in the middle for more than an
hour now, and there was not sign of the other two. Finally, Cloud stood up, "Screw
them. We've been waiting far too long."
Luc grinned like a cat
with a mouse, "I bet I know why."
Cloud grinned back. In
a lot of ways, Luc was older than his 18 years, but it still unsettled Cloud when Luc made
a crude remark or joke, he was usually very soft- spoken.
Strangely, the thought
of Zack and Sephiroth off somewhere together didn't bother Cloud. Mabye it was because he
believed Zack when he said that anything physical between him and Sephiroth was over. Or,
more likely, it was because Cloud was
alone for the second time ever with "Sex on
Legs" "Sooooo.... Since they've obviously forgotten us, you wanna get a bite to
eat?"
"Sure. Why
not."
Cloud pushed open the
door for Luc. Every head in the room suddenly turned and landed on Luc. Cloud almost
laughed. It was rather nice to be with someone who commanded such attention. Cloud
selected a table in the back, mostly hidden by large ferns. They both slid into the booth,
looking across the table at each other for a moment, enveloped in uncomfortable silence.
Finally Cloud cleared his throat and spoke, "Odd thing about the Mako being like
that..."
"Yes. Most
volcanoes don't spurt Mako. Most odd. Makes me wonder what's going on. Something weird has
been happening to the planet for several years now. You can see it on the charts. The
world's getting ready for something. The Mako veins are shifting dramatically. It's...
well this is going to sound crazy, but it seems like the planet's up to something. I
wonder what it is."
Cloud had been paying
attention, but he was also extremely aware of how close Luc was and how intimate the whole
setting was. His eyes were drawn down Luc's thinly muscled arms to his hands which were
even more delicate than Sephiroth's.
"Do you play the
piano?" Cloud didn't realise how much of a non- sequituer his comment was until it
left his mouth. He blushed. How much like a star-struck schoolboy he must seem! But Luc
only laughed.
"Why do you ask,
Cloud?"
"Well... because
you have such beautiful hands." he managed. Oh Lord... he was only making this worse.
Luc laughed again,
"Why Cloud, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were hitting on me!"
Cloud gaped like a
codfish, unable to speak. Luc grinned predatorily, then looked at his hands, holding them
up a bit, "But to answer your question, yes, I play the piano. Or rather, I used to.
Before I became a Turk. I haven't touched one since then, " Luc's voice had gone
pensive, soft. Cloud was beginning to see a new side to this
young man, a less predatory, more childlike side. But
then, the window into that side slammed shut, "But just because I play the piano does
not mean I will sleep with you!" The predator was back and he had brought his small
feline grin with him. Cloud blushed furiously, and the table lapsed into silence. Luc
caught Cloud's eyes, and held them. Cloud felt like a bug under a microscope. Finally, Luc
looked away, staring at
his beautiful hands on the table, "You know
Cloud..." Luc said, with that more gentle tone Cloud had just heard, "I wish
things could be different between us."
"What? What do you
mean?" Cloud was confused, in more ways than one.
"I mean... you're
a very handsome man. I... I wish that... But there'd only be problems later. There's
things about me..."
Clouds heart soared
into the sky. Luc thought he was handsome? Luc, who was the most beautiful man on
the face of the planet, Luc who was Sephiroth's lover, Luc thought *he* was handsome?
Cloud, the plain, small town boy, was handsome? He couldn't believe it. And then, the rest
of the sentance registered, "Things about you? What things?"
"You don't want to
know. Not now. Not like this. Someday mabye, I'll tell you, but not tonight. I have
secrets Cloud. Big secrets. I should go," He stood to go, "I seriously wish
things could be different... Awww... what the hell!"
Before Cloud could even
react to him, Luc had sat back down... but on the same side as Cloud! So quickly that
Cloud couldn't have moved, even if he'd wanted to, Luc grabbed him by the shirt collar and
pulled him against his lips in a long, slow, deep kiss. Luc pulled back ever so slightly,
his lips only a few inches from Cloud's, "Zack's a lucky man. Even surprised you're a
good kisser," Luc's lips broke into his usual grin, and he ran his
tounge across them slowly, "Mmmmmm... definetly
going to be problems later."
And then he rose gracefully out of the seat and was
gone, leaving Cloud in a small puddle.
"Ai yi yi!"
He muttered to no one in particular. Luc had just kissed him! KISSED him. And said he
would regret it later? How could there be problems with him getting that one kiss from
Luc? What could Luc have done, what could he do, that could possibly make Cloud regret
that one moment of contact? Slightly troubled, and waaaaay in outer space, Cloud rose a
few minutes later without ordering, and headed to his hotel room.