Mislabelled: Chapter 3 - Braver
Title: Mislabelled
Chapter 3/8: Braver
Author: xpaperplanex
Beta: urplesquirrel
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5100
Characters: Sephiroth, Cloud
Genre: AU, friendship, drama
Warnings: language, a few violent situations, canon timeline has been thoroughly ignored, references to sex, potentially upsetting issues regarding brain injuries
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.
Summary: The sequel to Handle With Care. Cloud and Sephiroth have adjusted to their roles as toy and owner, but life isn't always easy, even with each other. Dealing with the past and the present can be a rough ride.
Previous Chapters: | HWC | 1 | 2 |
Just a reminder that there's plenty of stuff up for auction at help_japan and on Dreamwidth, including my own offer here and lovely beta (and awesome writer too) Kindra's here. She can even do more than one pairing! And... (are you ready for this?) more than one fandom. Ooh yeah. There are a ton of people offering to send postcards from all over the world for a Help Japan v-gift (LJ has finally announced the donations are going to Doctors Without Borders). I may have purchased way too many... *is a postcard freak* Okay, I'm done.
Additional disclaimer: I'm still not a doctor.
***
"Ready to go?" Cloud finished double knotting the laces on his steel-toed combat boots and stood up, holding out his arms to Sephiroth. He had never thought he'd be in a position where he'd have to wear those boots again, but now he was glad he had hung onto them.
Sephiroth mumbled something around the chunk of hair he was sucking on and picked Cloud up, squeezing him tightly.
"It'll be fine, Sephiroth. Don't you worry." He pulled the hair out of Sephiroth's mouth and gently stroked the side of his face. Sephiroth pulled Cloud's hand closer to his mouth and he let him suck on his thumb. It was just a comfort thing; if it helped him stay calm, it wasn't a problem. "Let's go then. We'll be the bravest friends they've ever seen there."
Sephiroth nodded and mumbled a muffled 'brave' before heading for the door.
The ride up to the sixty-eighth floor seemed to take an eternity and Cloud wished it could take an eternity longer. But when the doors opened on the sterile white corridors, Cloud whispered encouragement in Sephiroth's ear and convinced him to leave the safety of the elevator.
"We're here for Sephiroth's lab appointment," Cloud told an assistant behind what looked like the front desk.
"You... both?"
"Yes, here's my ID. It should have the proper authorization."
The tech took his ID with a confused frown, but ran it through the scanner. "Huh, okay. Wait here half a second while I go let Professor Sahmin know you're here."
Cloud wiped a few tears off Sephiroth's cheeks while they waited. "It's fine. We're fine," he murmured. "You're not alone and they're not going to hurt you."
"Sephiroth, come this way." Cloud turned at the harsh voice and narrowed his eyes at the new person who had arrived. He also looked like a technician or assistant of some sort. "You were supposed to be in three days ago, what happened?"
"There was a delay," Cloud said calmly. "I believe I already explained that when I rescheduled us. Come on, Sephiroth. We've got to go with him."
Sephiroth nodded and followed the tech down the hall towards a room with a metal table and rows of equipment along the walls. Cloud could feel his reluctance in every step he took.
Just outside the room, the tech stopped and turned to them. "Your friend can wait out here."
"Sephiroth, can you please set me down for a moment?" Cloud asked, taking a firm grip on Sephiroth's hand so he'd know he wasn't going anywhere. Sephiroth slowly lowered him to the ground, not taking his eyes off of him once. Cloud turned around and kicked, as hard as he could, hitting the tech's knee at the perfect angle. "I will not be waiting anywhere, unless Sephiroth is also waiting there," he said calmly, then turned back to Sephiroth, holding out his arms again. "Thank you." He wasn't sure if Sephiroth could hear him over the tech's swearing, but he grinned and picked Cloud up again.
"Brave."
"Wore my boots specially," Cloud said proudly, pointing at his feet. "No one's taking me away from you or doing anything unnecessary. Got that, asshole?"
***
"Fucking hell! What's your problem now, you little shit?" The assistant hopped back on one leg, looking furious.
"First Classes need to be screened for degradation, J-cell mutations, and a J-cell count needs to be taken, along with the regular blood work that all SOLDIERs need. That requires a twenty-five-millilitre blood draw, usually two ten-millilitre vials, and a five. What you've got there is way more than you need and way more than you're getting. So hop on back and get the proper sized ones."
"We need to get his mako levels as well." The assistant glared at him.
Cloud glared right back. "Bull. Mako levels are measured in all SOLDIERs' blood work, which means twenty-five is plenty. You're not coming near him until you've put those back. I don't give a shit about that second-rate scientist you call a boss or whatever experiment he thinks is going to make a name for himself."
"You know a lot," Sephiroth whispered conspiratorially in his ear when the assistant stormed off, limping. He had been getting more coherent throughout the day as the tests went on and Cloud kept fending off the scientists wielding scalpels.
"I did my research," Cloud whispered back. "There was no way I was letting them bullshit me about what needs to be done. How're you feeling?"
"Okay... still scared about the mako shower."
"I'll be right there with you the whole time, remember that."
"Here!" A new tray was slammed down on the metal table and both Cloud and Sephiroth jumped. "Is this good enough, your majesty? Can I take his blood sample now?"
Cloud inspected the new contents of the tray. There were only three vials now, a little one with a purple top and two bigger red ones. Those were the right colours, according to Zack. "That's fine, but I'd prefer it if someone a little less angry took the sample. I'd hate to have to injure you because you couldn't concentrate and ended up fishing around in his arm for a vein."
"You little..."
"Yes, yes, I'm a little shit, I'm ruining your career and your boss's career and your dog's uncle's career. Ask me if I care. I want someone else to take the sample." Cloud leaned his head on Sephiroth's shoulder as the assistant stormed off again. "Sorry for dragging this out, but I think he would have made it hurt more on purpose."
"It's okay," Sephiroth said, stroking his hair. "I don't mind waiting."
"Should be just this and the mako shower left. Then we'll go home and watch funny sitcoms until we forget this place exists."
"I want to eat ice cream."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. I got some yesterday. And the dinosaur sprinkles you like."
"Hey, guys, you need some blood taken?" The first tech they had talked to when they got here came over and pulled up a stool next to the exam table they were sitting on.
"We do. Are you going to be an asshole about it?"
"Nope, I'm good. I work for Hollander and he doesn't give two shits about Sephiroth. He's got his own projects. I'm Rick, by the way."
Cloud sighed in relief. "Cloud. Thank you, I just... I promised I wouldn't let anyone hurt him."
"I'll make it as painless as possible. He's... he's not going to try and attack me or anything, is he?"
"I'll be good," Sephiroth said quietly.
"Yeah, nothing to worry about." Cloud rubbed Sephiroth's chest and squeezed his hand.
"Cool! All right, let's get this over with, then." Rick grabbed a big rubber band and tied it around Sephiroth's free arm, then wiped the crook of his elbow with an alcohol pad. "Can you open and close your hand a few times for me?"
Sephiroth looked at Cloud for reassurance and he nodded. "Go ahead. I think that makes it easier to find the veins, right?"
"Right. All right, good job." Rick lifted Sephiroth's arm onto the rolling table and tapped at the veins in his elbow. "Try and relax your arm a little; if you're tensed up like this, it's going to hurt."
"Just look at me, Sephiroth. Talk to me. Can you guess what type of ice cream I bought?"
"Umm, chocolate?"
"Nope, try again."
"Vanilla?"
"No-eep" Cloud let out a squeak as Sephiroth suddenly squeezed his hand hard, but didn't react otherwise. Rick smiled at him over Sephiroth's shoulder as he removed the tourniquet from his arm and attached the first vial to the needle. "I'll give you a hint, it goes with the dinosaur sprinkles."
Sephiroth appeared to be thinking hard for several moments. "Oh! You got mint! With the chocolate chips so I can make rocks and mountains!"
"Yup!" Cloud grinned. Sephiroth's ice cream worlds for his dinosaurs never lasted long, but he had fun making them.
"Sorry, but huh?" Rick pressed a cotton ball to the wound and pulled the needle out.
"The mint ice cream is green, so it's like the ground, then you pick out the chocolate chips and make terrain for the dinosaurs," Cloud explained, feeling a bit embarrassed. Sephiroth wasn't stupid or childish; he just liked fun things like that every once in a while. Cloud didn't want people to look down on him for that.
But Rick just smiled at him. "That sounds like the perfect way to recover from a day at the lab. And you're all done, Sephiroth."
"Thank you for being nice."
"You're welcome. Thank you for not tearing my head off. Just your mako shower left now, right?"
"Better be, or someone's going to have new bruises," Cloud muttered darkly. "Don't suppose you can do it?"
"I would, but Professor Sahmin is in charge of Sephiroth now. The professors tend to get a little territorial."
"Damn. So far no one on Sahmin's team seems to think Sephiroth should be treated like a person. You know, he was so scared to come here, he was incoherent for a whole day. It ruined months of progress we had made."
"Shit, kid, I'm sorry. I'll see if I can at least hang out in the pod room with you. You want to stay with him while he's in the shower?"
"Yeah, I promised."
"All right, I can keep them from harassing you then. Come on, I'll show you where it is."
Sephiroth carried him there, for which Cloud was grateful. He was getting tired. This stupid day was ridiculously stressful, but he needed to hang in there.
***
"I think there's a mistake in your settings here, guys." Rick was looking at the equipment on the side of the mako pod Sephiroth would be put in. "You've got the concentration set at thirty-five percent."
"It's what?" Cloud rushed over to see for himself. "Fix it! I want it no higher than thirty!" He glanced around the room, daring someone to argue with him. Angeal said that his dosage was twenty-five, but he was pretty sure that Sephiroth's would be higher. But more than thirty percent was just plain toxic.
"Right, must've been a mistake," one of Sahmin's techs muttered and wandered over.
"Don't worry, Ethan," Rick said with a rather threatening smile at the other tech, "I can fix it for you."
Cloud went back over to Sephiroth and held his hand while he got undressed and a variety of wires were attached to him with sticky pads. Angeal said that Sephiroth once told him they inserted the wires directly into his skin so they could monitor him better, and had been prepared to fight against that. It was a relief that they didn't even try, though.
He led Sephiroth over to the pod and stole a quick glance at the settings on it. He wanted to trust Rick, but... it was hard to trust anyone up here. The glowing green screen read twenty-nine percent. "Okay, in you go," he said gently. "Where's his breathing tube?"
"He doesn't ne-"
"Yes, he does. The difference in absorption rates between breathing the mako during the shower and not is minimal, and not even close to being worth it considering how painful it is to breathe. Breathing tube or we're leaving."
Cloud murmured comforting things to Sephiroth, who was looking scared and cold while he stood, trembling in the tube while they waited for all the monitors to be connected and for someone to attach the oxygen. "I'm going to be right here the whole time. Okay? I'm not moving a single step away while you're in there."
"Kay," Sephiroth whimpered, clutching Cloud's hand tightly.
"You know we have to give him a weak paralytic before we fill it, right?"
"Yeah." Cloud glanced back at Rick, then turned back to Sephiroth. "It's scary when the tank gets filled, so he needs it so he doesn't hurt himself."
"That's right. People panic when their instincts are telling them they're going to drown and SOLDIERs can do a lot of damage to themselves trying to get out. It wears off after fifteen minutes."
"I understand. You can do it, just show it to me first."
"Okay. Just a few more minutes and we'll be ready. Then I'll give him the shot."
Cloud gave Sephiroth one final hug, being careful not to jostle any wires, and stood on his tiptoes to kiss him on the chin. "You're going to be just fine. I love you."
Sephiroth nodded as Cloud stepped back and carefully examined the vial Rick held out to him. The name didn't match, but it looked like the same things were in it that Angeal had said should be there.
"Sephiroth needs a stronger medication than the other SOLDIERs," Rick explained. He had probably noticed Cloud's suspicious look. "He's pretty resilient to most drugs, but it'll work the same way it does on the others."
Cloud nodded slowly. That seemed reasonable. He handed it back and Rick moved in to attach Sephiroth's breathing tube and give him the shot.
Rick hooked his arms over two bars in the pod so he wouldn't collapse and then stuck the needle in him. He rubbed the spot on Sephiroth's arm where he had stuck him. "Good job, Sephiroth. Cloud's right here. Don't be scared." Sephiroth's head bobbed as his knees seemed to give out under him. Rick stepped back and shut the door on the pod. "Go ahead and stand by the door; that's where he'll be able to see you best."
Cloud moved up and pressed his hand to the glass as the pod lit up and the shower started. A faintly glowing liquid began pouring over Sephiroth's head and pooling at his feet, quickly filling the pod. He could see Sephiroth's green eyes staring at him and he mouthed the words 'I'm here' at him.
***
The hour lasted just shy of forever. Rick brought over a stool for him at one point and, true to his word, kept the other techs from bothering him. Every once in a while Sephiroth seemed to wake up and he would reach out to touch the glass where Cloud's hand was. He looked rather eerie with his hair floating around him in the green... and still a bit scared.
Rick sat down next to him at around the fifty-minute mark. "Did whoever told you about mako showers also tell you about what happens when it's done?"
Cloud nodded, not taking his eyes off Sephiroth. "They said he'd collapse when the tank gets drained, and not to worry because it's normal. Then I'll have to step back while he's taken out. They need to check his vitals and unhook him from everything. He'll be pretty out of it for a little while, but he just needs to get showered off, then I can take him home. They said that I could probably be the one to shower him. I don't want someone else doing it."
"I don't see why you can't do that. You'd have to be careful not to directly touch him too much, but I'll get you some gloves and an apron." Rick stood and then paused. "How do you know all this, by the way? Your clearance just said you're a personal assistant."
"It does? It should say I'm a toy too. I'll get them to fix it. Angeal Hewley and Zack Fair told me and I pulled all-nighters memorising it. I made them tell me everything they know about SOLDIER treatments, which is quite a lot, especially Angeal."
"A toy?"
"Yep. Sephiroth's chocobo toy. Five more minutes, Sephiroth. Five more minutes and you're done." He could have sworn Sephiroth smiled at him, though he knew he was probably stretching it. It'd be hard to smile with that tube in his mouth.
***
"...thinking we should go for a picnic sometime. The weather's been so nice lately. What do you think? We could go out to the bluffs not far from the city and make a day of it. I always liked -"
Sephiroth's head jerked reflexively. Where was he? Had he dozed off?
"Hey, Sephiroth. Can you hear me?"
He blinked at the ceiling above him. This was... he knew this... he didn't like this place. Why was he wet? He struggled to sit up.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Cloud's face appeared in his line of sight and Sephiroth felt himself calm. Right, Cloud was with him. Just like he said. "I'm just rinsing out your hair and then I'll get you dried off and we'll go home. Are you feeling okay?"
Sephiroth nodded slowly and tried to sit up a little. He was on one of those chairs they used for the unconscious SOLDIERs they had to shower off. Cloud looked funny in a rubber apron and boots with big gloves up past his elbows.
"Hey, don't you laugh at me, mister. You're lucky I didn't have to wear the HAZMAT suit. How scary would that be to wake up to?"
Sephiroth tried to say that it would be scary, but it just came out as a mumble. He glanced around, looking for the scientists who would inevitably be looming nearby. But there were none.
"Rr-" Sephiroth wiggled his jaw and tried again. "Wrr?"
"Whirr?" Cloud looked at him questioningly as he hung up the shower nozzle.
"Werr?"
"Oh! Where? You're still in the lab, sorry. But we're almost done. You did really well today, Sephiroth. You were so brave. I'm proud of you. Let me just squeeze out your hair... damn you've got a lot - not that I don't like it, mind you. Hang on, I'm sure I don't need to wear these gloves anymore since you're all rinsed off. There, much better."
Sephiroth gave up on trying to ask where the scientists were, and concentrated on moving his limbs. He was supposed to take care of Cloud, not the other way around. What would Zack say if he knew Cloud had had to give him a shower? And now he was drying him off while he kept up a steady stream of chatter. He supposed this was one of those conversations he didn't really have to pay attention to. But hearing Cloud's voice was nice. It made him feel safe even though he was in the lab and couldn't move properly.
"Rick's going to help me get you dressed and into the wheelchair, okay?"
Sephiroth bobbed his head and let his attention wander as someone lifted him up and Cloud pulled a pair of pants over his legs. He couldn't quite believe he was almost out of here and no one had cut him open or made him run until he collapsed or shocked him. He wouldn't have believed it, except it had still been unpleasant and the mako shower had been awful, as usual. Except not quite as much, since Cloud had been there every time he had managed to open his eyes. That had been nice. The moving sensation as he was rolled down the hallway was nice too, and he felt his eyes drifting shut. "Thannyu, Clou..." he mumbled sleepily.
***
"You... didn't get the samples." The professor's fist tightened around the sheet of paper he had been handed. "You didn't do any of the tests I ordered! What the hell did you do?"
Ethan took a step back from the raging scientist, still limping slightly. "It was that kid he brought with him. He knew everything that needs to be done during the other SOLDIER's checks and he wouldn't let us do more than that."
"You let some kid stop you from doing the tests? This was going to be our big break, you idiot! The fat bastard only lets us bring Sephiroth to the lab once a year now because of all the damage he causes and you just let him walk out without getting anything!" Sahmin picked up a beaker full of something and threw it at the wall. The liquid hissed and bubbled as it dripped down.
"We couldn't do anything, sir! He had the authorization to be here and he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He kept threatening to let Sephiroth start tearing the place apart. I called Director Lazard and he said that they wouldn't send anyone down to subdue Sephiroth if he got out of control. Apparently it's the kid's job now to keep him under control. And he fucking kicked like a bitch!"
"You're whining at me because some little prick kicked you? Who the hell put him up to this anyways? It sure as hell wasn't Sephiroth. He's too stupid to even string a sentence together!"
"The president gave him his authorization, sir. I checked."
"Well that's just great, isn't it? I may as well be a family doctor, checking if the company moron has the sniffles. That kid needs to go."
"But... the president... that means the Turks -"
"Get out!" Sahmin threw another beaker, this time at Ethan, and he dodged, ducking out into the corridor.
"What's got his panties in a bunch?" That smug asshole, Rick, was sipping a cup of coffee. "I thought he'd be happy; we don't have to put three-quarters of our experiments on hold while we repair the lab."
"You know damn well why he's upset," Ethan snarled. They should have at least been able to do the mako test that Sahmin wanted, but Rick had reset the mix as well as the concentration, giving Sephiroth the regular one and ruining their last chance.
"I dunno..." Rick set his cup down and stretched lazily. "I came into work today fully expecting to get stabbed. I didn't get stabbed. I count that as a win. Sure, you've got a bruise or two, and I hear Seb's knee is actually broken, but maybe there's something to be learned from that."
"You think you're so damn perfect, don't you!?" Ethan yelled. "It's easy for you! It's not your career the kid was cock-blocking!" He shoved Rick out of the way and stormed down the hallway. When Project J had been handed to Professor Sahmin after Hojo's unfortunate demise, it had been a dream come true. And now it was like Sahmin said; they were checking him for the fucking sniffles. Rick wouldn't be so smug if it were Hollander's specimens that were completely useless.
***
Cloud shut the bedroom room door most of the way and turned on the lamp in the corner, dimming it so it wouldn't disturb Sephiroth. Although, he didn't think much would disturb Sephiroth tonight. He curled up on the couch and pulled out Sephiroth's PHS.
"Angeal? It's Cloud again. Did I wake you up?"
"No, I was just reading. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, we went to the lab today. I wanted to call and thank you for all your help. I don't think they got away with anything they weren't supposed to do."
"That's great news, kid. So Sephiroth handled it?"
"Yeah, he was a trooper... So, um, there was another reason I was calling. I know it's kind of presumptuous of me, and probably you think it's none of my business or you don't want to talk about it and you can say no if -"
"What is it?" Angeal cut off his rambling.
"I - I was wondering if you could tell me what happened in Nibelheim. Sephiroth has talked about it a little, but he doesn't remember a lot. I - I think it would be helpful if I knew what happened. He has a lot of nightmares and sometimes he wants to talk about them, but he needs to be prompted and I don't know what to prompt him with."
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "You like these middle of the night chats, don't you?"
"I'm sorry, I just - I don't want to bring it up when he's not thinking about it, and so he's sleeping now, but I could call ba-"
"Calm down, I understand. I don't mind... you just ask tough questions. Nibelheim... that place is hell."
"I know. That's where I'm from. My mom's the only reason I'd ever go back there."
"Your mother... We'd all go back to our hometowns for our mothers, wouldn't we?" Angeal chuckled and then stopped suddenly. "Sephiroth started acting strange the moment we got there."
"Strange how?"
"He became even more withdrawn than usual. He and Genesis... you know about their history?"
"I've guessed. They used to be lovers."
"I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, I think Genesis was the only person Sephiroth slept with more than once. They weren't really together, but they often worked as a sort of... team, I guess you'd call it."
"A team?"
"Never mind, you're too young. Anyways, Sephiroth said he wanted a room by himself, which was weird since they usually would just share one on missions. All the downtime we had, he just spent staring out the window of the inn, looking at the mountain. We knew something was up, but no one could figure out what."
"So what happened? Sephiroth told me something about his mother."
"Jenova." Angeal's voice was bitter. "She was this thing we found in the reactor. There was some sort of bizarre shrine built up around her, like she was a god. Do you know about Hojo?"
"Umm, didn't Genesis say something about killing him?"
"Yeah, he was the scientist in charge of Project J - the project that created Sephiroth - he was... crazier that Hollander and had even fewer morals. He was the one who put Jenova in the reactor and built the shrine to her; he was convinced she was a god. Maybe she was..."
"What do you mean?"
"Sephiroth reacted to her presence. Sometimes I could have sworn they were communicating somehow. It was like he was talking to himself, but someone was answering back. He started talking about how we were all monsters, but that he had a higher purpose. That was when he really got frightening. He talked about taking revenge on everyone who had hurt him, and about sailing the stars. He was convinced the thing in there was his mother. It was insanity, Cloud."
"You didn't know what to do."
"Well, we sort of figured that getting Sephiroth away from the thing that had made him act crazy would be a start. We dragged him back to the inn and tried to figure out where to go from there."
"Do you know what Genesis told him? What made him decide to destroy Jenova?"
There was a long pause before Angeal spoke again. "No... He kicked Zack and me out after half a day of trying to reason with him and said he'd talk to him alone. It must have been good though, because I was sure we'd have to fight him. It took us two days to agree to go back and destroy her. I wanted Sephiroth to stay behind, but he insisted on coming. He insisted that he be the one to..." There was a long pause. "We should have made him stay.
"Hojo showed up while we were trying to get into the shrine to where Jenova actually was. He nearly had Sephiroth convinced to turn on us; he told him that he was meant for higher purposes, that he could be a god. They were the ravings of a madman. Genesis cut his head off while I got to Jenova."
"Was she... what happened then?" Cloud wasn't really sure he wanted to hear this.
"Sephiroth was fighting with himself, but in the end, he threw every spell he had at that thing. When she died..." Angeal's voice trailed off.
"It hurt him."
"It did more than hurt him, Cloud. Gaia, I've never heard screams like that. We didn't know what to do. We called for a med-evac and he was still screaming by the time they got there and put him out. Genesis was arrested after we returned, for the murder of Hojo - it was eventually decided that it was self-defence, but he suffered a lot for it."
"What about Sephiroth?" Cloud had a really hard time caring about Genesis's suffering.
"Eventually he was put in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. We were told that his brain looked like parts of it had actually been removed. There was no hope of recovery. He didn't recognise anyone, couldn't speak, he would have violent outbursts..."
"But he got better."
"Yeah, he did. Though he was still... he wasn't Sephiroth. Genesis had been stuck in Wutai the entire time Sephiroth was in the hospital, as punishment for killing Hojo, and I was busy too. I know they were trying to figure out why Jenova being destroyed did that to him, especially why his memory got so bad, but without Hojo, they were pretty much at a loss and gave it up. And then when we were transferred permanently to the other bases, the news about him just dried up. All we heard were stories about how Sephiroth had thrown someone through a window, or this or that... only ever the bad stuff."
"So you just believed the rumours."
"I -"
"Never mind, I don't want to get into that. We can't change the past and he's really happy you're his friend again. Do you think he'll ever fully recover?"
"I've got no clue, Cloud. I would have said no, but he's gotten so much better, even just looking at the time from when I met you."
"Lab trips notwithstanding."
"Lab trips notwithstanding. Those freak me out too and Hollander's pretty much done tweaking us. I doubt he'll ever be the same as he was though, and to be honest, I'm glad. Your Sephiroth is a much better person."
"Really?"
"Really, I don't think you'd have liked him before all this. But enough of that, you've kept me up far too late again."
"All right, thanks for telling me all that. I know it must've sucked to talk about."
"You're welcome. Tell Sephiroth I hope he's feeling well in the morning and to give me a call if he's up to it."
"I'll do that. Thanks, g'night."
"Goodnight, Cloud."
***
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A/N: What was said between Genesis and Sephiroth in Nibelheim is no longer a noodle incident! I'll be posting that as a side-story after chapter 4.
Chapter 3/8: Braver
Author: xpaperplanex
Beta: urplesquirrel
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5100
Characters: Sephiroth, Cloud
Genre: AU, friendship, drama
Warnings: language, a few violent situations, canon timeline has been thoroughly ignored, references to sex, potentially upsetting issues regarding brain injuries
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.
Summary: The sequel to Handle With Care. Cloud and Sephiroth have adjusted to their roles as toy and owner, but life isn't always easy, even with each other. Dealing with the past and the present can be a rough ride.
Previous Chapters: | HWC | 1 | 2 |
Just a reminder that there's plenty of stuff up for auction at help_japan and on Dreamwidth, including my own offer here and lovely beta (and awesome writer too) Kindra's here. She can even do more than one pairing! And... (are you ready for this?) more than one fandom. Ooh yeah. There are a ton of people offering to send postcards from all over the world for a Help Japan v-gift (LJ has finally announced the donations are going to Doctors Without Borders). I may have purchased way too many... *is a postcard freak* Okay, I'm done.
Additional disclaimer: I'm still not a doctor.
***
"Ready to go?" Cloud finished double knotting the laces on his steel-toed combat boots and stood up, holding out his arms to Sephiroth. He had never thought he'd be in a position where he'd have to wear those boots again, but now he was glad he had hung onto them.
Sephiroth mumbled something around the chunk of hair he was sucking on and picked Cloud up, squeezing him tightly.
"It'll be fine, Sephiroth. Don't you worry." He pulled the hair out of Sephiroth's mouth and gently stroked the side of his face. Sephiroth pulled Cloud's hand closer to his mouth and he let him suck on his thumb. It was just a comfort thing; if it helped him stay calm, it wasn't a problem. "Let's go then. We'll be the bravest friends they've ever seen there."
Sephiroth nodded and mumbled a muffled 'brave' before heading for the door.
The ride up to the sixty-eighth floor seemed to take an eternity and Cloud wished it could take an eternity longer. But when the doors opened on the sterile white corridors, Cloud whispered encouragement in Sephiroth's ear and convinced him to leave the safety of the elevator.
"We're here for Sephiroth's lab appointment," Cloud told an assistant behind what looked like the front desk.
"You... both?"
"Yes, here's my ID. It should have the proper authorization."
The tech took his ID with a confused frown, but ran it through the scanner. "Huh, okay. Wait here half a second while I go let Professor Sahmin know you're here."
Cloud wiped a few tears off Sephiroth's cheeks while they waited. "It's fine. We're fine," he murmured. "You're not alone and they're not going to hurt you."
"Sephiroth, come this way." Cloud turned at the harsh voice and narrowed his eyes at the new person who had arrived. He also looked like a technician or assistant of some sort. "You were supposed to be in three days ago, what happened?"
"There was a delay," Cloud said calmly. "I believe I already explained that when I rescheduled us. Come on, Sephiroth. We've got to go with him."
Sephiroth nodded and followed the tech down the hall towards a room with a metal table and rows of equipment along the walls. Cloud could feel his reluctance in every step he took.
Just outside the room, the tech stopped and turned to them. "Your friend can wait out here."
"Sephiroth, can you please set me down for a moment?" Cloud asked, taking a firm grip on Sephiroth's hand so he'd know he wasn't going anywhere. Sephiroth slowly lowered him to the ground, not taking his eyes off of him once. Cloud turned around and kicked, as hard as he could, hitting the tech's knee at the perfect angle. "I will not be waiting anywhere, unless Sephiroth is also waiting there," he said calmly, then turned back to Sephiroth, holding out his arms again. "Thank you." He wasn't sure if Sephiroth could hear him over the tech's swearing, but he grinned and picked Cloud up again.
"Brave."
"Wore my boots specially," Cloud said proudly, pointing at his feet. "No one's taking me away from you or doing anything unnecessary. Got that, asshole?"
***
"Fucking hell! What's your problem now, you little shit?" The assistant hopped back on one leg, looking furious.
"First Classes need to be screened for degradation, J-cell mutations, and a J-cell count needs to be taken, along with the regular blood work that all SOLDIERs need. That requires a twenty-five-millilitre blood draw, usually two ten-millilitre vials, and a five. What you've got there is way more than you need and way more than you're getting. So hop on back and get the proper sized ones."
"We need to get his mako levels as well." The assistant glared at him.
Cloud glared right back. "Bull. Mako levels are measured in all SOLDIERs' blood work, which means twenty-five is plenty. You're not coming near him until you've put those back. I don't give a shit about that second-rate scientist you call a boss or whatever experiment he thinks is going to make a name for himself."
"You know a lot," Sephiroth whispered conspiratorially in his ear when the assistant stormed off, limping. He had been getting more coherent throughout the day as the tests went on and Cloud kept fending off the scientists wielding scalpels.
"I did my research," Cloud whispered back. "There was no way I was letting them bullshit me about what needs to be done. How're you feeling?"
"Okay... still scared about the mako shower."
"I'll be right there with you the whole time, remember that."
"Here!" A new tray was slammed down on the metal table and both Cloud and Sephiroth jumped. "Is this good enough, your majesty? Can I take his blood sample now?"
Cloud inspected the new contents of the tray. There were only three vials now, a little one with a purple top and two bigger red ones. Those were the right colours, according to Zack. "That's fine, but I'd prefer it if someone a little less angry took the sample. I'd hate to have to injure you because you couldn't concentrate and ended up fishing around in his arm for a vein."
"You little..."
"Yes, yes, I'm a little shit, I'm ruining your career and your boss's career and your dog's uncle's career. Ask me if I care. I want someone else to take the sample." Cloud leaned his head on Sephiroth's shoulder as the assistant stormed off again. "Sorry for dragging this out, but I think he would have made it hurt more on purpose."
"It's okay," Sephiroth said, stroking his hair. "I don't mind waiting."
"Should be just this and the mako shower left. Then we'll go home and watch funny sitcoms until we forget this place exists."
"I want to eat ice cream."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. I got some yesterday. And the dinosaur sprinkles you like."
"Hey, guys, you need some blood taken?" The first tech they had talked to when they got here came over and pulled up a stool next to the exam table they were sitting on.
"We do. Are you going to be an asshole about it?"
"Nope, I'm good. I work for Hollander and he doesn't give two shits about Sephiroth. He's got his own projects. I'm Rick, by the way."
Cloud sighed in relief. "Cloud. Thank you, I just... I promised I wouldn't let anyone hurt him."
"I'll make it as painless as possible. He's... he's not going to try and attack me or anything, is he?"
"I'll be good," Sephiroth said quietly.
"Yeah, nothing to worry about." Cloud rubbed Sephiroth's chest and squeezed his hand.
"Cool! All right, let's get this over with, then." Rick grabbed a big rubber band and tied it around Sephiroth's free arm, then wiped the crook of his elbow with an alcohol pad. "Can you open and close your hand a few times for me?"
Sephiroth looked at Cloud for reassurance and he nodded. "Go ahead. I think that makes it easier to find the veins, right?"
"Right. All right, good job." Rick lifted Sephiroth's arm onto the rolling table and tapped at the veins in his elbow. "Try and relax your arm a little; if you're tensed up like this, it's going to hurt."
"Just look at me, Sephiroth. Talk to me. Can you guess what type of ice cream I bought?"
"Umm, chocolate?"
"Nope, try again."
"Vanilla?"
"No-eep" Cloud let out a squeak as Sephiroth suddenly squeezed his hand hard, but didn't react otherwise. Rick smiled at him over Sephiroth's shoulder as he removed the tourniquet from his arm and attached the first vial to the needle. "I'll give you a hint, it goes with the dinosaur sprinkles."
Sephiroth appeared to be thinking hard for several moments. "Oh! You got mint! With the chocolate chips so I can make rocks and mountains!"
"Yup!" Cloud grinned. Sephiroth's ice cream worlds for his dinosaurs never lasted long, but he had fun making them.
"Sorry, but huh?" Rick pressed a cotton ball to the wound and pulled the needle out.
"The mint ice cream is green, so it's like the ground, then you pick out the chocolate chips and make terrain for the dinosaurs," Cloud explained, feeling a bit embarrassed. Sephiroth wasn't stupid or childish; he just liked fun things like that every once in a while. Cloud didn't want people to look down on him for that.
But Rick just smiled at him. "That sounds like the perfect way to recover from a day at the lab. And you're all done, Sephiroth."
"Thank you for being nice."
"You're welcome. Thank you for not tearing my head off. Just your mako shower left now, right?"
"Better be, or someone's going to have new bruises," Cloud muttered darkly. "Don't suppose you can do it?"
"I would, but Professor Sahmin is in charge of Sephiroth now. The professors tend to get a little territorial."
"Damn. So far no one on Sahmin's team seems to think Sephiroth should be treated like a person. You know, he was so scared to come here, he was incoherent for a whole day. It ruined months of progress we had made."
"Shit, kid, I'm sorry. I'll see if I can at least hang out in the pod room with you. You want to stay with him while he's in the shower?"
"Yeah, I promised."
"All right, I can keep them from harassing you then. Come on, I'll show you where it is."
Sephiroth carried him there, for which Cloud was grateful. He was getting tired. This stupid day was ridiculously stressful, but he needed to hang in there.
***
"I think there's a mistake in your settings here, guys." Rick was looking at the equipment on the side of the mako pod Sephiroth would be put in. "You've got the concentration set at thirty-five percent."
"It's what?" Cloud rushed over to see for himself. "Fix it! I want it no higher than thirty!" He glanced around the room, daring someone to argue with him. Angeal said that his dosage was twenty-five, but he was pretty sure that Sephiroth's would be higher. But more than thirty percent was just plain toxic.
"Right, must've been a mistake," one of Sahmin's techs muttered and wandered over.
"Don't worry, Ethan," Rick said with a rather threatening smile at the other tech, "I can fix it for you."
Cloud went back over to Sephiroth and held his hand while he got undressed and a variety of wires were attached to him with sticky pads. Angeal said that Sephiroth once told him they inserted the wires directly into his skin so they could monitor him better, and had been prepared to fight against that. It was a relief that they didn't even try, though.
He led Sephiroth over to the pod and stole a quick glance at the settings on it. He wanted to trust Rick, but... it was hard to trust anyone up here. The glowing green screen read twenty-nine percent. "Okay, in you go," he said gently. "Where's his breathing tube?"
"He doesn't ne-"
"Yes, he does. The difference in absorption rates between breathing the mako during the shower and not is minimal, and not even close to being worth it considering how painful it is to breathe. Breathing tube or we're leaving."
Cloud murmured comforting things to Sephiroth, who was looking scared and cold while he stood, trembling in the tube while they waited for all the monitors to be connected and for someone to attach the oxygen. "I'm going to be right here the whole time. Okay? I'm not moving a single step away while you're in there."
"Kay," Sephiroth whimpered, clutching Cloud's hand tightly.
"You know we have to give him a weak paralytic before we fill it, right?"
"Yeah." Cloud glanced back at Rick, then turned back to Sephiroth. "It's scary when the tank gets filled, so he needs it so he doesn't hurt himself."
"That's right. People panic when their instincts are telling them they're going to drown and SOLDIERs can do a lot of damage to themselves trying to get out. It wears off after fifteen minutes."
"I understand. You can do it, just show it to me first."
"Okay. Just a few more minutes and we'll be ready. Then I'll give him the shot."
Cloud gave Sephiroth one final hug, being careful not to jostle any wires, and stood on his tiptoes to kiss him on the chin. "You're going to be just fine. I love you."
Sephiroth nodded as Cloud stepped back and carefully examined the vial Rick held out to him. The name didn't match, but it looked like the same things were in it that Angeal had said should be there.
"Sephiroth needs a stronger medication than the other SOLDIERs," Rick explained. He had probably noticed Cloud's suspicious look. "He's pretty resilient to most drugs, but it'll work the same way it does on the others."
Cloud nodded slowly. That seemed reasonable. He handed it back and Rick moved in to attach Sephiroth's breathing tube and give him the shot.
Rick hooked his arms over two bars in the pod so he wouldn't collapse and then stuck the needle in him. He rubbed the spot on Sephiroth's arm where he had stuck him. "Good job, Sephiroth. Cloud's right here. Don't be scared." Sephiroth's head bobbed as his knees seemed to give out under him. Rick stepped back and shut the door on the pod. "Go ahead and stand by the door; that's where he'll be able to see you best."
Cloud moved up and pressed his hand to the glass as the pod lit up and the shower started. A faintly glowing liquid began pouring over Sephiroth's head and pooling at his feet, quickly filling the pod. He could see Sephiroth's green eyes staring at him and he mouthed the words 'I'm here' at him.
***
The hour lasted just shy of forever. Rick brought over a stool for him at one point and, true to his word, kept the other techs from bothering him. Every once in a while Sephiroth seemed to wake up and he would reach out to touch the glass where Cloud's hand was. He looked rather eerie with his hair floating around him in the green... and still a bit scared.
Rick sat down next to him at around the fifty-minute mark. "Did whoever told you about mako showers also tell you about what happens when it's done?"
Cloud nodded, not taking his eyes off Sephiroth. "They said he'd collapse when the tank gets drained, and not to worry because it's normal. Then I'll have to step back while he's taken out. They need to check his vitals and unhook him from everything. He'll be pretty out of it for a little while, but he just needs to get showered off, then I can take him home. They said that I could probably be the one to shower him. I don't want someone else doing it."
"I don't see why you can't do that. You'd have to be careful not to directly touch him too much, but I'll get you some gloves and an apron." Rick stood and then paused. "How do you know all this, by the way? Your clearance just said you're a personal assistant."
"It does? It should say I'm a toy too. I'll get them to fix it. Angeal Hewley and Zack Fair told me and I pulled all-nighters memorising it. I made them tell me everything they know about SOLDIER treatments, which is quite a lot, especially Angeal."
"A toy?"
"Yep. Sephiroth's chocobo toy. Five more minutes, Sephiroth. Five more minutes and you're done." He could have sworn Sephiroth smiled at him, though he knew he was probably stretching it. It'd be hard to smile with that tube in his mouth.
***
"...thinking we should go for a picnic sometime. The weather's been so nice lately. What do you think? We could go out to the bluffs not far from the city and make a day of it. I always liked -"
Sephiroth's head jerked reflexively. Where was he? Had he dozed off?
"Hey, Sephiroth. Can you hear me?"
He blinked at the ceiling above him. This was... he knew this... he didn't like this place. Why was he wet? He struggled to sit up.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Cloud's face appeared in his line of sight and Sephiroth felt himself calm. Right, Cloud was with him. Just like he said. "I'm just rinsing out your hair and then I'll get you dried off and we'll go home. Are you feeling okay?"
Sephiroth nodded slowly and tried to sit up a little. He was on one of those chairs they used for the unconscious SOLDIERs they had to shower off. Cloud looked funny in a rubber apron and boots with big gloves up past his elbows.
"Hey, don't you laugh at me, mister. You're lucky I didn't have to wear the HAZMAT suit. How scary would that be to wake up to?"
Sephiroth tried to say that it would be scary, but it just came out as a mumble. He glanced around, looking for the scientists who would inevitably be looming nearby. But there were none.
"Rr-" Sephiroth wiggled his jaw and tried again. "Wrr?"
"Whirr?" Cloud looked at him questioningly as he hung up the shower nozzle.
"Werr?"
"Oh! Where? You're still in the lab, sorry. But we're almost done. You did really well today, Sephiroth. You were so brave. I'm proud of you. Let me just squeeze out your hair... damn you've got a lot - not that I don't like it, mind you. Hang on, I'm sure I don't need to wear these gloves anymore since you're all rinsed off. There, much better."
Sephiroth gave up on trying to ask where the scientists were, and concentrated on moving his limbs. He was supposed to take care of Cloud, not the other way around. What would Zack say if he knew Cloud had had to give him a shower? And now he was drying him off while he kept up a steady stream of chatter. He supposed this was one of those conversations he didn't really have to pay attention to. But hearing Cloud's voice was nice. It made him feel safe even though he was in the lab and couldn't move properly.
"Rick's going to help me get you dressed and into the wheelchair, okay?"
Sephiroth bobbed his head and let his attention wander as someone lifted him up and Cloud pulled a pair of pants over his legs. He couldn't quite believe he was almost out of here and no one had cut him open or made him run until he collapsed or shocked him. He wouldn't have believed it, except it had still been unpleasant and the mako shower had been awful, as usual. Except not quite as much, since Cloud had been there every time he had managed to open his eyes. That had been nice. The moving sensation as he was rolled down the hallway was nice too, and he felt his eyes drifting shut. "Thannyu, Clou..." he mumbled sleepily.
***
"You... didn't get the samples." The professor's fist tightened around the sheet of paper he had been handed. "You didn't do any of the tests I ordered! What the hell did you do?"
Ethan took a step back from the raging scientist, still limping slightly. "It was that kid he brought with him. He knew everything that needs to be done during the other SOLDIER's checks and he wouldn't let us do more than that."
"You let some kid stop you from doing the tests? This was going to be our big break, you idiot! The fat bastard only lets us bring Sephiroth to the lab once a year now because of all the damage he causes and you just let him walk out without getting anything!" Sahmin picked up a beaker full of something and threw it at the wall. The liquid hissed and bubbled as it dripped down.
"We couldn't do anything, sir! He had the authorization to be here and he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He kept threatening to let Sephiroth start tearing the place apart. I called Director Lazard and he said that they wouldn't send anyone down to subdue Sephiroth if he got out of control. Apparently it's the kid's job now to keep him under control. And he fucking kicked like a bitch!"
"You're whining at me because some little prick kicked you? Who the hell put him up to this anyways? It sure as hell wasn't Sephiroth. He's too stupid to even string a sentence together!"
"The president gave him his authorization, sir. I checked."
"Well that's just great, isn't it? I may as well be a family doctor, checking if the company moron has the sniffles. That kid needs to go."
"But... the president... that means the Turks -"
"Get out!" Sahmin threw another beaker, this time at Ethan, and he dodged, ducking out into the corridor.
"What's got his panties in a bunch?" That smug asshole, Rick, was sipping a cup of coffee. "I thought he'd be happy; we don't have to put three-quarters of our experiments on hold while we repair the lab."
"You know damn well why he's upset," Ethan snarled. They should have at least been able to do the mako test that Sahmin wanted, but Rick had reset the mix as well as the concentration, giving Sephiroth the regular one and ruining their last chance.
"I dunno..." Rick set his cup down and stretched lazily. "I came into work today fully expecting to get stabbed. I didn't get stabbed. I count that as a win. Sure, you've got a bruise or two, and I hear Seb's knee is actually broken, but maybe there's something to be learned from that."
"You think you're so damn perfect, don't you!?" Ethan yelled. "It's easy for you! It's not your career the kid was cock-blocking!" He shoved Rick out of the way and stormed down the hallway. When Project J had been handed to Professor Sahmin after Hojo's unfortunate demise, it had been a dream come true. And now it was like Sahmin said; they were checking him for the fucking sniffles. Rick wouldn't be so smug if it were Hollander's specimens that were completely useless.
***
Cloud shut the bedroom room door most of the way and turned on the lamp in the corner, dimming it so it wouldn't disturb Sephiroth. Although, he didn't think much would disturb Sephiroth tonight. He curled up on the couch and pulled out Sephiroth's PHS.
"Angeal? It's Cloud again. Did I wake you up?"
"No, I was just reading. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, we went to the lab today. I wanted to call and thank you for all your help. I don't think they got away with anything they weren't supposed to do."
"That's great news, kid. So Sephiroth handled it?"
"Yeah, he was a trooper... So, um, there was another reason I was calling. I know it's kind of presumptuous of me, and probably you think it's none of my business or you don't want to talk about it and you can say no if -"
"What is it?" Angeal cut off his rambling.
"I - I was wondering if you could tell me what happened in Nibelheim. Sephiroth has talked about it a little, but he doesn't remember a lot. I - I think it would be helpful if I knew what happened. He has a lot of nightmares and sometimes he wants to talk about them, but he needs to be prompted and I don't know what to prompt him with."
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "You like these middle of the night chats, don't you?"
"I'm sorry, I just - I don't want to bring it up when he's not thinking about it, and so he's sleeping now, but I could call ba-"
"Calm down, I understand. I don't mind... you just ask tough questions. Nibelheim... that place is hell."
"I know. That's where I'm from. My mom's the only reason I'd ever go back there."
"Your mother... We'd all go back to our hometowns for our mothers, wouldn't we?" Angeal chuckled and then stopped suddenly. "Sephiroth started acting strange the moment we got there."
"Strange how?"
"He became even more withdrawn than usual. He and Genesis... you know about their history?"
"I've guessed. They used to be lovers."
"I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, I think Genesis was the only person Sephiroth slept with more than once. They weren't really together, but they often worked as a sort of... team, I guess you'd call it."
"A team?"
"Never mind, you're too young. Anyways, Sephiroth said he wanted a room by himself, which was weird since they usually would just share one on missions. All the downtime we had, he just spent staring out the window of the inn, looking at the mountain. We knew something was up, but no one could figure out what."
"So what happened? Sephiroth told me something about his mother."
"Jenova." Angeal's voice was bitter. "She was this thing we found in the reactor. There was some sort of bizarre shrine built up around her, like she was a god. Do you know about Hojo?"
"Umm, didn't Genesis say something about killing him?"
"Yeah, he was the scientist in charge of Project J - the project that created Sephiroth - he was... crazier that Hollander and had even fewer morals. He was the one who put Jenova in the reactor and built the shrine to her; he was convinced she was a god. Maybe she was..."
"What do you mean?"
"Sephiroth reacted to her presence. Sometimes I could have sworn they were communicating somehow. It was like he was talking to himself, but someone was answering back. He started talking about how we were all monsters, but that he had a higher purpose. That was when he really got frightening. He talked about taking revenge on everyone who had hurt him, and about sailing the stars. He was convinced the thing in there was his mother. It was insanity, Cloud."
"You didn't know what to do."
"Well, we sort of figured that getting Sephiroth away from the thing that had made him act crazy would be a start. We dragged him back to the inn and tried to figure out where to go from there."
"Do you know what Genesis told him? What made him decide to destroy Jenova?"
There was a long pause before Angeal spoke again. "No... He kicked Zack and me out after half a day of trying to reason with him and said he'd talk to him alone. It must have been good though, because I was sure we'd have to fight him. It took us two days to agree to go back and destroy her. I wanted Sephiroth to stay behind, but he insisted on coming. He insisted that he be the one to..." There was a long pause. "We should have made him stay.
"Hojo showed up while we were trying to get into the shrine to where Jenova actually was. He nearly had Sephiroth convinced to turn on us; he told him that he was meant for higher purposes, that he could be a god. They were the ravings of a madman. Genesis cut his head off while I got to Jenova."
"Was she... what happened then?" Cloud wasn't really sure he wanted to hear this.
"Sephiroth was fighting with himself, but in the end, he threw every spell he had at that thing. When she died..." Angeal's voice trailed off.
"It hurt him."
"It did more than hurt him, Cloud. Gaia, I've never heard screams like that. We didn't know what to do. We called for a med-evac and he was still screaming by the time they got there and put him out. Genesis was arrested after we returned, for the murder of Hojo - it was eventually decided that it was self-defence, but he suffered a lot for it."
"What about Sephiroth?" Cloud had a really hard time caring about Genesis's suffering.
"Eventually he was put in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. We were told that his brain looked like parts of it had actually been removed. There was no hope of recovery. He didn't recognise anyone, couldn't speak, he would have violent outbursts..."
"But he got better."
"Yeah, he did. Though he was still... he wasn't Sephiroth. Genesis had been stuck in Wutai the entire time Sephiroth was in the hospital, as punishment for killing Hojo, and I was busy too. I know they were trying to figure out why Jenova being destroyed did that to him, especially why his memory got so bad, but without Hojo, they were pretty much at a loss and gave it up. And then when we were transferred permanently to the other bases, the news about him just dried up. All we heard were stories about how Sephiroth had thrown someone through a window, or this or that... only ever the bad stuff."
"So you just believed the rumours."
"I -"
"Never mind, I don't want to get into that. We can't change the past and he's really happy you're his friend again. Do you think he'll ever fully recover?"
"I've got no clue, Cloud. I would have said no, but he's gotten so much better, even just looking at the time from when I met you."
"Lab trips notwithstanding."
"Lab trips notwithstanding. Those freak me out too and Hollander's pretty much done tweaking us. I doubt he'll ever be the same as he was though, and to be honest, I'm glad. Your Sephiroth is a much better person."
"Really?"
"Really, I don't think you'd have liked him before all this. But enough of that, you've kept me up far too late again."
"All right, thanks for telling me all that. I know it must've sucked to talk about."
"You're welcome. Tell Sephiroth I hope he's feeling well in the morning and to give me a call if he's up to it."
"I'll do that. Thanks, g'night."
"Goodnight, Cloud."
***
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A/N: What was said between Genesis and Sephiroth in Nibelheim is no longer a noodle incident! I'll be posting that as a side-story after chapter 4.