Prisoners of War Ch. 37
Title: Prisoners of War Ch. 37
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5500
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: hurt/comfort, romance
Warnings: umm, none really, I think maybe, umm... urgh. Spoiler, if you haven't been freaked out by anything yet, don't highlight, I think you'll be fine: non-consensual mind control
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.
Summary: Cloud and Sephiroth are taken prisoner by AVALANCHE. No one, least of all themselves, could have expected what it would set in motion.
Previous Chapters: | Part 1 |
| 29 | 30 | Omake 4 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
Hey, everybody! I have a rather large amount to say here, so feel free to skip it and just read the new chapter.
First up! Check out the Prisoners of War community found here: ffvii_pow. The first two pages of the comic have been posted there already! All the latest updates will be able to be found there. Possibly some extra stuff, I'm not sure yet.
Also, (this is somewhat random) the imported Wutai steaks that Tseng got Sephiroth to buy for him in chapter 23 were (probably not-so-cunningly) disguised Kobe beef. After having eaten Kobe beef, I think that there's no way I'd trade it for middle of the night boyfriend pickuppage. That is some damn good meat. And this is coming from someone who hated beef until I came here and there was nothing else to eat some nights. So now the whole chapter sucks because that just pulls me right out of it. Kobe beef > Cloud. Sorry, Cloud. I didn't even try the top-grade stuff.
And, a little bit more relevant, I've started updating some of the older chapters. Fixing up grammar, typos, and rephrasing or adding things. Nothing huge has been changed and there aren't any big new scenes or anything. All just little stuff, trying to take into consideration some of the concrit I've received. But if you're interested in a re-read, I've done up to chapter 6 so far.
Finally, this has been a really good writing week since I got back from vacation. I'm feeling a lot less panicked now. Hopefully it stays that way for the rest of the week before I go to Tokyo.
***
Sephiroth could see Cloud's sleeping form just fine, despite the lack of light in the room. "Can you see in the dark now, too?" he asked out loud.
"He probably can," Zack's voice was barely a whisper as he poked his head in through the door. "Can we come in? We promise to be quiet. And I brought you food." Zack held out a plate of sandwiches.
"Yeah, we need to talk. Is Aerith with you?"
"I'm here." Aerith clung to Zack's hand as she followed him into the dark room. "There are some things I need to talk to you guys about as well."
Tseng and Vincent followed them in; Vincent had had the sense to take off those ridiculous boots, so he moved as quietly as the others. When everyone had arranged themselves around Cloud's bed, Sephiroth spoke between taking huge bites of his sandwiches. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
"I know there are a lot of things we need to talk about, but I want to ask Aerith something first."
"Sure, what is it?" Aerith scooted a bit closer so she could hear better.
"I was wondering what to do about Cloud; he seemed fine when he was awake earlier, but it also seems like Jenova can take control of him whenever she wants. It didn't seem like Hojo really triggered him, just gave him an order, and then it took some time to kick in. Maybe distance will factor into how well she can control him, I don't know, but I'm sure that we haven't seen the last of that problem."
"I agree, the planet told me that her will is incredibly strong... I'm sure she can do it from a distance."
"So I was thinking about what we can do; it worked the first time, but I don't want to sedate him again. And I won't tolerate him being hurt anymore." Sephiroth shot a glare at Vincent, who shrugged.
"I did what needed to be done. It was common sense. I wasn't going to kill him."
Sephiroth kissed Cloud's head in response. "I won't let him be hurt again. So I was thinking," Sephiroth turned back to Aerith, "Jenova controls her own cells that were implanted in Cloud's body. She tried to control mine the last time we were here, but it didn't work so well, because according to that letter from Hojo, we didn't bond properly."
"I think that's about right," Aerith said, and Tseng nodded his agreement.
"She must have bonded with Cloud, though, in order to be able to control him that well."
"Yeah... poor guy." Zack reached out to ruffle Cloud's hair, but Sephiroth shooed his hand away.
"But, I'm sure that the bond between Cloud and me is stronger than that. And I was wondering if you think it might be possible for me to use the Jenova cells that we've both got and..."
"You want to control him instead?" Aerith asked.
"Only if I had to!" Sephiroth struggled to keep his voice down. "If I could just, I don't know, shove Jenova out of the way when she's trying to make him fight."
"I think it could work... You've spent a long time in the Lifestream; you could probably call on some of the planet's energy to sort of... override the controls."
"You're not actually saying it's a good idea, are you, Aerith?" Zack said.
"Why not? It's better that having Cloud attack us against his will."
"But, controlling his body... Cloud would hate that!"
"I'll talk to him about it first, of course. And you know I wouldn't take advantage of it. Right?" Sephiroth had to ask.
"I know you wouldn't, but still, it's a pretty big violation, don't you think?"
"It is," Aerith agreed, "But he's already having his mind violated. Two wrongs don't make a right, but in this case, we're simply choosing the lesser of two evils because there is no better option. Sedating him all the time isn't healthy at all. And I don't think I can block Jenova from him. She's too strong."
"Aerith is right," Tseng spoke up, "I looked at what was in that tranquilizer; we don't want to give him that too often. There were enough drugs in it to take down a Grand Horn."
Zack just grumbled, "I don't like it, but if you talk to him first, and he agrees, I guess."
"I'll think about how it might work and see if I can give you some instructions," Aerith said. "It might be best to try it first when it's not an emergency. It'd be less likely that you'd hurt yourselves then."
"That's probably a good plan." Sephiroth finished off the last of his sandwiches and set the plate aside. "Tseng, tomorrow I want you to go back to the mansion. I need you to get a staple remover from the lab; Cloud's got some staples in his skull and I want to get them out and heal him properly before he gets even more scars."
Tseng nodded. "I can do that."
"I also need you to look for any journals or notes Hojo kept. I need to know what else was done to him."
"You're right. If you want, I'll read anything I find and just pass on the relevant information. Hojo's a twisted man and I'm certain you don't want to know absolutely everything he came up with."
Sephiroth's breath hitched as he looked down at Cloud resting peacefully. He didn't want to know exactly why and how Cloud got all those scars, he knew that, but... "I should. If Cloud survived it all, I can read about it. I'm not going to run away from what was done to him."
"Think about it," Tseng said. "I, for one, don't think it would be running away. Just saving yourself a lot of meaningless pain."
"I'll consider it."
"I'll take Vincent with me as backup. I don't like the idea of being down there alone. And you know your way around there pretty well, don't you?"
"I do," Vincent said.
"I trust that you got something resembling a story from him?" Sephiroth asked.
"I did. I believe he's trustworthy. I can explain it to you later."
"Fair enough." Sephiroth didn't like the strange man, but he trusted Tseng's judgment.
"What did you want to talk to us about, Aerith?" Zack asked.
"Oh, well, um..." Aerith fidgeted a bit and looked up at Sephiroth. "The planet spoke to me a bit, when I was trying to get you out the Lifestream and again after Jenova knocked me out and... well, it wants you to do something for it. It thinks you owe it for letting you live."
"What does it want?" Sephiroth asked cautiously.
"It... it doesn't like Jenova. She's tainting the Lifestream. Those things we saw, in the black cloaks, those are clones. Made with Cloud's DNA and hers. I don't know what they're doing, but they're following Jenova's orders and the planet is sure that it's not going to be good. You see, Jenova was the Calamity that came from the sky two thousand years ago. She's the thing that tried to destroy everything and she wants to succeed this time."
"She's an alien?" Zack sounded incredulous.
"Well, she's not from this planet, so, yes. Anyway, the planet wants her gone. It wants you to destroy her."
"And it wants me to do it because I owe it?"
"That's what it says. But it's really because you're probably the only person strong enough to do it."
"I can't leave Cloud."
"I'm not saying we have to go right away, I'm sure there's time to wait for Cloud to recover."
"We?"
"Of course we." Aerith smacked the lump under the blankets that was his knee. "I'm not going to tell you to do this and just send you off alone. This is a fight for our planet, Sephiroth. We'll all help you, won't we?"
Zack and Tseng nodded and even Vincent gave a slight bob of his head.
"I wouldn't let you leave me out of this, Seph," Zack said firmly.
"If Jenova has Hojo on her side, or under her control, we're going to need a lot more than just us," Tseng said.
"What do you mean?" Zack asked.
"Hojo breeds monsters. He created those clones. He could create a whole army of things to protect Jenova, if he hasn't already."
"And also..." Aerith looked a little sad. "I think the only way that Cloud will ever be free of her influence is if she's gone. Same goes for you, Sephiroth."
"I'll do it if Cloud agrees." Sephiroth looked down at Cloud again. "Just tell me how."
"I will. I'll explain everything. But first I'll see if I can teach you how to control Cloud's Jenova-cells."
***
The door shut softly behind Aerith after she let herself out. Sephiroth still wasn't sure if he understood, all that talk of reaching out with his mind had just hurt. He was much better at practical things. Still, if he could help Cloud, he'd do his best.
"Did you hear any of that, Cloud?" he asked quietly. "You know I'd never take advantage of it, right? I just don't want her to be able to make you do something you don't want to do."
Cloud shifted against him and Sephiroth saw a pair of glowing blue eyes crack open.
"Sorry, Cloud. I didn't mean to disturb you. Go back to sleep." Sephiroth reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of Cloud's eyes, but Cloud jerked back with a snarl. "Cloud?"
The glowing blue eyes blinked and the pupils slowly narrowed into cat-like slits. "Traitor," Cloud hissed.
Sephiroth moved quickly, since he already had an arm wrapped around Cloud, and he pinned Cloud's arms to his sides and threw his weight on top of him. Cloud struggled loudly, but he couldn't get a good enough grip to throw Sephiroth off.
Light from the hallway flooded the room as the door banged open and Sephiroth heard Alde start shrieking at him to get off. She was pulling on his shoulders and, fortunately, not doing a very good job of it.
"Help!" Sephiroth yelled for his friends. He heard them on the stairs and hoped they would get there before Alde thought of going for his eyes or something.
"You're yelling for help? Get off of him, you monster!" Alde pulled at his hair and Sephiroth just fought to keep Cloud under him.
Sephiroth heard more people running into the room and felt Alde get pulled back. It sounded like Tseng was trying to calm her down. Zack rushed over and pinned Cloud's legs, which had started to work themselves free. Cloud howled in frustration.
"Sephiroth," Aerith said, "Try it. Just do what I told you and it'll be fine. Zack, keep Cloud pinned so Sephiroth can concentrate."
"Trying," Zack grunted.
Vincent came over and grabbed Cloud's shoulders, holding him down. Before Sephiroth could say anything, Vincent spoke. "I won't hurt him, just do whatever you're going to do."
Sephiroth shut his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to Cloud with his mind. He did as Aerith told him and thought back to when he had been in the Lifestream. He had been connected to everything then. It was just a matter of finding that connection again. He searched for that familiar buzzing sound that was Jenova and pushed past it, to Cloud's consciousness.
Sephiroth felt for his own Jenova cells, which, until Aerith had explained it to him, he hadn't realized he used all the time. It was good though, she had said, he had more practice than Cloud. His cells would be the stronger ones. As he reached for them, he felt a sort of longing to be reunited and they took hold of Cloud's mind with little thought on Sephiroth's part. The feeling was much the same as it had been when he had been searching for Cloud in the labs, only stronger now. Cloud was terrified, he could tell that immediately. Calm down, he ordered as forcefully as he dared. Cloud's mind seemed to pause, trembling. Shh, just be still. I'm not going to hurt you, Cloud. Sephiroth felt Cloud's body still beneath him as well.
Aerith had warned him not to push the connection too hard. She worried that there might be a risk of their minds merging together. So Sephiroth didn't say anything more; he just pulled Cloud out of Zack and Vincent's grasps and held him tightly in his arms. After what seemed like an infinitely long time, Sephiroth felt Jenova's presence begin to grow weaker until finally, it was gone.
He tried to withdraw from Cloud's mind gently, but a sudden shove, both mental and physical, sent him reeling. Sephiroth's eyes flew open and he saw Cloud scrambling away from him with wild eyes.
"What did you-You-Why-" Cloud curled himself into a ball in the corner, holding his head. Alde rushed over to his side and tried to hold him, but Cloud just screamed, "Don't touch me!"
"Cloud-" Aerith started to say, but that only caused Cloud to look up and see all the people in the room.
His eyes darted wildly from person to person. "Get away, get away, get away, GET AWAY!" Cloud screamed as loud as he could.
"Everyone out," Sephiroth ordered as he stood up.
"Sephiroth, we need to calm him down," Aerith said.
"I know, and I will. But everyone needs to leave."
Alde stood steadfast. "I am not leaving you alone with him!"
"Zack, get her out of here even if you have to drag her." Sephiroth stood between Cloud and everyone else and watched, as Zack really did have to drag Alde out. When Tseng shut the door behind them, leaving them in the dark once again, Sephiroth turned back to Cloud and sat down on the floor, still a ways away from him.
"Cloud," he said very softly, "Can you see? It's just me. Everyone else is gone."
"Y-you-you-you-" Cloud seemed stuck on the one word, but Sephiroth felt it summed up fairly well what he had done without permission. You.
"I'm sorry, Cloud. I'm truly sorry. Will you let me explain?"
"You-What-what did you do?" Cloud looked up at him with plaintive eyes and clutched at his knees, trembling.
Sephiroth sighed, "I used my Jenova cells to control you, instead of allowing Jenova to control you herself. I had thought of it earlier and was going to discuss it with you, but then... I shouldn't have. Not without your permission. It would have been better to sedate you again."
"You-you controlled me? You can make me do whatever you want?" Cloud's voice shook with fear.
"Cloud," Sephiroth said firmly, "I would never make you do something against your will. I only did it to stop Jenova from forcing you to do things."
"But you-you could."
Sephiroth nodded, he wasn't going to lie. "I could, but I won't. Please believe that, Cloud. I won't hurt you. And I won't take advantage of you."
Cloud just stared, occasionally blinking away the tears that were falling from his eyes and Sephiroth wished that he could go over there to brush them away. But he was pretty sure that was one of the worst things he could do right now. Instead, he moved very slowly, keeping his hands where Cloud could see them, and grabbed the chocobo off the bed. Cloud visibly tensed when he moved, but he didn't panic, so that was good. Sephiroth set Mini-Cloud down on the floor between them and gave it a shove in Cloud's direction. Cloud cautiously reached out and picked it up before hugging it tightly.
Sephiroth had learned during their time together that Cloud was a very physical person. He liked being held and hugged; even now, when he was feeling so traumatized, he needed something to hold onto. A stuffed animal would do until he could handle a real person.
"Will you let me explain what happened and why I decided to calm you down that way, instead of doing something else?"
Cloud stared at him a few moments longer before slowly nodding his head. Since Sephiroth wasn't sure how much Cloud really remembered from when Jenova was controlling him, and he'd have to do it sooner or later, Sephiroth decided to explain it all, starting from when he woke up in the Lifestream. He left quite a bit out, but it was still a long story. By the time he had slogged his way through all the important parts, Cloud seemed to have calmed down significantly. He was still clutching Mini-Cloud tightly, but only with one arm. The other was stroking the felt ruff on the chocobo's head and his eyes were a lot less panicked-looking.
"I didn't mean to scare you, or violate you in any way," Sephiroth said. "I just wanted to stop Jenova and I didn't want you to get hurt in the process. It seemed like the safest way, but that was a mistake. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"I-I don't want to hurt anyone," Cloud said quietly. "Especially not you."
"I know. But we can figure something else out, I'm sure."
"I don't like being sedated... it's scary waking up... And if you have to fight me, one of us, at least, will end up hurt."
"Cloud..."
"What if there are civilians around? I could hurt or kill someone." Cloud sat still for a long, long moment. "I want rules," he declared suddenly.
"What sort of rules?" Was Cloud going to allow this?
Cloud fidgeted with Mini-Cloud before dropping the toy and patting the floor beside him. Sephiroth moved closer cautiously, making sure it was what Cloud really wanted. When he was near enough, Cloud tugged on his arm and pulled it around him. Sephiroth embraced Cloud gently and kissed his forehead a few times. Cloud rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulder and hummed.
"No one but you is allowed to touch me."
"Okay."
"You're not allowed to do it for anything but Jenova trying to control me."
"Of course."
"Don't make me do anything. Just make me be still."
"Okay."
Cloud hummed again, thinking. "And you have to hold me."
"I can do that. Anything else you can think of, just tell me." Sephiroth stroked Cloud's arm. "And if we do it again and it's too much, tell me. We'll think of something else."
Cloud nodded slowly. "I will." He scooted a bit closer and wrapped his hand around Sephiroth's. "Life... kind of sucks, doesn't it?"
"It did for a while, but it's getting better now."
"Really? Because I can still hear my mom arguing that you were doing something untoward to me."
Sephiroth sighed. "Do you want to explain it to her, or should I try?"
"You think there's a hope that she'll listen to you? I'll explain. It's just a question of what."
"Do you want to tell her the truth?"
"I... I don't want to lie to her, but I don't think I want her to know everything, either. I think... I think I'll tell her about Jenova, but I won't say what you did. You just held me down. It was Jenova leaving and me realizing what had happened that freaked me out after."
"I think that seems reasonable. Having someone in your head is cause for freaking out."
"Yeah... no kidding."
"I am sorry, Cloud."
"I know, I didn't mean it like that. And I forgive you, so don't worry about it. You did what had to be done."
"I just... it was like..."
"I know," Cloud squeezed Sephiroth's hand tightly. "I don't want to think about it. I've got enough new traumas to deal with."
"Do you want to talk about the new traumas?"
Cloud shook his head. "Not-not yet. But... when I'm ready, I'll come to you."
"All right. I'll be here." Sephiroth went to touch Cloud's head and jerked his hand back when Cloud winced. "Are you in pain?"
"Not really. Just my head hurts a bit. It's no big deal."
"I've asked Tseng to get a staple remover from the lab. We'll get those things out of your skull and heal it properly. I guess... I guess he didn't bother healing you; he just dumped you in a mako tank whenever he did enough damage?"
"Yeah." Cloud absently touched his chest where the largest of his scars were. "Mako kept me alive. That was what mattered. It didn't matter if it left a scar or not. Sometimes he said... never mind."
Sephiroth felt Cloud start to pull away from him and squeezed him tightly. "I love you, Cloud. Always."
Cloud sat rather stiffly in his grip, but he didn't try to pull away any further. "Tseng's going back to the lab?"
"Yeah, he's taking that asshole we found with him. They're going to get some supplies and look for Hojo's journals."
"H-h-his journals? About-about me?"
"Yeah... we need them, I need to know what he did to you. So I can help you."
"No, no, Sephiroth, please, no. Don't look. I-I-I can't. I can't-if you knew, it-it would be too much. Too much, Sephiroth, please, you can't." Cloud was shaking violently as he clutched at Sephiroth's shirt and pleaded with his tear-filled eyes.
"Shh, shh, it's okay. If you don't want me to, I won't read them." Cloud had really meant it when he said he had new traumas. At least now he wouldn't have to feel guilty for not wanting to read the journals. "I won't read them, but is it all right if Tseng does? We really do need to know what he did to you."
"I-I-I-"
"It's all right, we'll talk about it later, okay? Don't worry about it for now."
Cloud nodded tiredly and leaned into Sephiroth, curling into a small ball on his lap with tears still streaming down his face.
"Just rest for now," Sephiroth said quietly. "Just rest. We'll work it all out."
"Can't rest. Mom's gonna break down the door soon, I know it. Why did you bring me here, anyways?"
"You can rest for a few minutes at least." Sephiroth gently rubbed the curve of Cloud's back. "I brought you here because Zack suggested it and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I'm thinking the inn would have been a much better choice. But... she deserved to know that you were alive."
"Was she worried about me?"
"Very much. She thought I had kidnapped you and made you my sex-slave or something."
"I think she reads too many books. But kidnapped and tortured by a mad scientist isn't a whole lot less weird, I suppose."
"It's not something most people would come up with as their first option, that's for sure." Sephiroth glanced around the room for something he could use to wipe Cloud's eyes and ended up just grabbing a pillow off the bed. He shook it out of the case and gently dried the remaining tears. "Feeling a bit better?"
Cloud nodded. "Thanks. I guess we should call her back in here. Try to explain."
"I don't mind if you make her wait the rest of the night."
"You'd probably love that." Cloud sighed heavily, "You don't think I have to move, do you? I'm comfy here."
"I think she can cope, and if she can't, that's too bad. Should we call her?" Sephiroth grabbed his PHS off the nightstand. "I don't feel like shouting or getting up," he added as an explanation.
"Go for it. I think I know what I'm going to say."
Sephiroth dialled Zack's number and asked him to send Alde up.
***
Zack hung up his flashy phone and turned to face Alde. "That was Sephiroth," he said. "He says you can go up now."
"Oh does he? I'm allowed to go into my own son's room? In my own house? Is he sure? It might be best to wait for written permission." Alde angrily set down the cup of tea that had been forced on her; as if that would make her feel better about walking in on Cloud being assaulted.
"Don't be like that, ma'am," Zack pleaded. "I know Sephiroth's a bit possessive and he comes off rather strong, but he only wants what's best for Cloud. Having all of us in the room wasn't going to calm Cloud down."
"Hmph." Alde could tell that the boy believed he was telling the truth. It wouldn't be worth it to argue with him. She stood and straightened out her housecoat; at least she had been allowed to retrieve that before being hauled downstairs and force fed tea. She marched up the stairs and threw the door to Cloud's bedroom open. She immediately regretted it when her son flinched and clung to the man whose lap he was sitting in.
They were sitting on the floor; Sephiroth's legs were crossed and Cloud was curled up in his lap like some sort of pet. Sephiroth was even petting him! It wasn't that Cloud was gay; she had been able to come to terms with that fairly easily. But it was the fact that he was with Sephiroth. Why couldn't he have met a nice boy his own age? One who wasn't in a position of power over him?
"Hi, Mom." Cloud's voice cracked and Sephiroth immediately reached for the glass of water that was on the nightstand. Alde attempted to get to it first, but that man was too fast and was holding it to Cloud's lips before she even got halfway across the room.
"Hi, honey." Alde sat on the edge of the bed. "Why don't you come sit up here with me?" She patted the mattress beside her.
"No, I'm good here." Sephiroth certainly seemed happy about Cloud's answer. Alde could have sworn she saw him smirk at her. He set the glass down beside them and went back to petting her son.
Alde sighed, feeling a little rejected. "Are you all right, Cloud? What happened to you? Why were you so upset? Why did you want me to go away? What was he doing to you?"
"You could give him a chance to answer." Sephiroth glared at her. Glared at her!
"You're the one who's not letting him talk! I want to know what happened!" Alde retorted.
Now Sephiroth was the one who was sighing. "Just... give him a minute. He can't explain if you overload him with questions. He's still tired."
"Maybe if you didn't sexually assault him while he's asleep-"
"Mom! Mom, that - that wasn't what happened. I-just listen, please."
"I'm listening, baby. I'm listening."
"Okay, um, I..." Cloud hesitated and fell silent, but Sephiroth leaned down and whispered something in his ear that Alde couldn't hear. Cloud nodded and looked back up at her. "When we were here last, a man named P-Pro-Professor H-H-named P-"
"Professor Hojo," Sephiroth interrupted, but Cloud turned and smiled at him gratefully.
"Named that. He-he set a trap for us... Sephiroth and Zack were knocked unconscious and he-he killed Marcus. Shot him in the back." Cloud paused and fiddled with a pillowcase he was holding while Sephiroth petted him some more. Alde waited patiently; that Tseng person had told her all this, but it was probably easiest for Cloud to start from the beginning. "We... we should do something. For him. Does his family even know?"
"I think so. Tseng had all of us listed as 'killed in action'. Although, apparently they're dragging their feet about notifying next of kin, since you weren't informed, were you?" Sephiroth looked up at Alde questioningly. She shook her head, no. She was enormously grateful that she hadn't gotten that letter. Although, not knowing had been bad enough. "We can do something. And I'll make sure his family knows he died a hero."
"Being a hero sucks."
"That it does," Sephiroth sighed again.
"I was taken to the lab, where H-Ho-where he experimented on me. I don't know what he did to me, really. But the end result is a creature called Jenova can control my mind and make me fight against my will. She-I'm supposed to kill Sephiroth. H-he said that Sephiroth was a failed experiment..." Cloud's voice trailed away again and he seemed lost in his memories. Alde was about to say something, but Sephiroth beat her to it, once again.
"You're doing great, Cloud." Sephiroth was petting Cloud's head now. "Keep going, you're doing great."
"Right. I can do this." Cloud took a deep breath. "Jenova can control me. Not all the time, but sometimes, and we don't know when it's going to happen. It happened just before you came in. I woke up and tried to attack Sephiroth. He was just holding me down so I couldn't hurt anyone. Honestly. He wasn't hurting me or doing anything that I wouldn't have wanted him to do. I know it looked bad, but it was either that, or they would have had to sedate me again. I wouldn't have wanted that. And... and after Jenova stopped controlling me, I had a bit of a panic attack. I mean, there was something in my mind, making me do things I didn't want to do. Anyone would freak out."
"But... you calmed down. And the others let go, and you were calm for a while, and then you got upset." At Sephiroth. Cloud had pushed himself out of Sephiroth's lap to escape him.
"I-I-um, it was a bit weird, when she first let me go. I didn't really realize what happened, but then when I realized, I freaked. I-I just didn't want anyone to touch me for a while."
"So Sephiroth didn't touch you after he kicked everyone out?" Alde was doubtful. Cloud was leaving something out, she could tell. And while he didn't seem upset anymore, who knew what Sephiroth had said to him while they were alone? Cloud was remarkably good at hiding when things were bothering him.
"No, Mom, he didn't. He sat all the way across the room and just talked to me until I calmed down a bit. And then he gave me Mini-Cloud to hold." Cloud waved a stuffed chocobo at her. Its name was 'Mini-Cloud'? And she was supposed to believe that these people weren't picking on him? "And then, when I said it was okay, he came closer and held me. Only when I said it was okay."
"Cloud..." Alde wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to insist that Cloud tell her the truth; what if Sephiroth took it out on him later? It didn't seem like he would ever hit Cloud, but Alde knew a fair bit about emotional abuse.
"Anyways, that's what happened. Sorry we scared you. I didn't mean to." Cloud sat up a bit and yawned, resting his head on Sephiroth's shoulder.
"That's okay, Cloud. Thank you for telling me." Sephiroth was scratching behind Cloud's ears now and Alde finally snapped. "Would you stop doing that!? He's not your pet dog!"
Sephiroth paused, looking startled. "Stop doing what?"
"You keep petting him and stroking his hair like he's some sort of animal!"
Sephiroth looked at his offending hand like he hadn't even realized he had been doing it. "I wasn't-I mean, I don't think-Does it bother you, Cloud?" he asked with something that sounded suspiciously like genuine concern.
"I like it, Mom. He's not treating me like a dog or doing anything else but show he cares for me. It calms me down." Cloud sounded rather annoyed when he spoke and Alde hesitated. She lost her chance to argue back when Cloud yawned again. "I'm exhausted, Mom. I want to go back to sleep. I'm sure you're tired too. Goodnight."
Alde marvelled at how Sephiroth was somehow able to stand without using his arms while he still held onto Cloud. Sephiroth whispered in Cloud's ear again and Cloud nodded. He walked out of the room without a backwards glance and Alde heard the bathroom door shut a moment later. She sighed and stood up off the bed. When she passed the bathroom, she waited for the toilet to stop flushing before calling out softly.
"Goodnight, Cloud. I love you."
"'Night, Mom. I love you too."
"Goodnight, Alde."
Alde glared at the door, but answered anyways; Cloud would appreciate it. "Goodnight, Sephiroth."
***
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5500
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: hurt/comfort, romance
Warnings: umm, none really, I think maybe, umm... urgh. Spoiler, if you haven't been freaked out by anything yet, don't highlight, I think you'll be fine: non-consensual mind control
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.
Summary: Cloud and Sephiroth are taken prisoner by AVALANCHE. No one, least of all themselves, could have expected what it would set in motion.
Previous Chapters: | Part 1 |
| 29 | 30 | Omake 4 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
Hey, everybody! I have a rather large amount to say here, so feel free to skip it and just read the new chapter.
First up! Check out the Prisoners of War community found here: ffvii_pow. The first two pages of the comic have been posted there already! All the latest updates will be able to be found there. Possibly some extra stuff, I'm not sure yet.
Also, (this is somewhat random) the imported Wutai steaks that Tseng got Sephiroth to buy for him in chapter 23 were (probably not-so-cunningly) disguised Kobe beef. After having eaten Kobe beef, I think that there's no way I'd trade it for middle of the night boyfriend pickuppage. That is some damn good meat. And this is coming from someone who hated beef until I came here and there was nothing else to eat some nights. So now the whole chapter sucks because that just pulls me right out of it. Kobe beef > Cloud. Sorry, Cloud. I didn't even try the top-grade stuff.
And, a little bit more relevant, I've started updating some of the older chapters. Fixing up grammar, typos, and rephrasing or adding things. Nothing huge has been changed and there aren't any big new scenes or anything. All just little stuff, trying to take into consideration some of the concrit I've received. But if you're interested in a re-read, I've done up to chapter 6 so far.
Finally, this has been a really good writing week since I got back from vacation. I'm feeling a lot less panicked now. Hopefully it stays that way for the rest of the week before I go to Tokyo.
***
Sephiroth could see Cloud's sleeping form just fine, despite the lack of light in the room. "Can you see in the dark now, too?" he asked out loud.
"He probably can," Zack's voice was barely a whisper as he poked his head in through the door. "Can we come in? We promise to be quiet. And I brought you food." Zack held out a plate of sandwiches.
"Yeah, we need to talk. Is Aerith with you?"
"I'm here." Aerith clung to Zack's hand as she followed him into the dark room. "There are some things I need to talk to you guys about as well."
Tseng and Vincent followed them in; Vincent had had the sense to take off those ridiculous boots, so he moved as quietly as the others. When everyone had arranged themselves around Cloud's bed, Sephiroth spoke between taking huge bites of his sandwiches. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
"I know there are a lot of things we need to talk about, but I want to ask Aerith something first."
"Sure, what is it?" Aerith scooted a bit closer so she could hear better.
"I was wondering what to do about Cloud; he seemed fine when he was awake earlier, but it also seems like Jenova can take control of him whenever she wants. It didn't seem like Hojo really triggered him, just gave him an order, and then it took some time to kick in. Maybe distance will factor into how well she can control him, I don't know, but I'm sure that we haven't seen the last of that problem."
"I agree, the planet told me that her will is incredibly strong... I'm sure she can do it from a distance."
"So I was thinking about what we can do; it worked the first time, but I don't want to sedate him again. And I won't tolerate him being hurt anymore." Sephiroth shot a glare at Vincent, who shrugged.
"I did what needed to be done. It was common sense. I wasn't going to kill him."
Sephiroth kissed Cloud's head in response. "I won't let him be hurt again. So I was thinking," Sephiroth turned back to Aerith, "Jenova controls her own cells that were implanted in Cloud's body. She tried to control mine the last time we were here, but it didn't work so well, because according to that letter from Hojo, we didn't bond properly."
"I think that's about right," Aerith said, and Tseng nodded his agreement.
"She must have bonded with Cloud, though, in order to be able to control him that well."
"Yeah... poor guy." Zack reached out to ruffle Cloud's hair, but Sephiroth shooed his hand away.
"But, I'm sure that the bond between Cloud and me is stronger than that. And I was wondering if you think it might be possible for me to use the Jenova cells that we've both got and..."
"You want to control him instead?" Aerith asked.
"Only if I had to!" Sephiroth struggled to keep his voice down. "If I could just, I don't know, shove Jenova out of the way when she's trying to make him fight."
"I think it could work... You've spent a long time in the Lifestream; you could probably call on some of the planet's energy to sort of... override the controls."
"You're not actually saying it's a good idea, are you, Aerith?" Zack said.
"Why not? It's better that having Cloud attack us against his will."
"But, controlling his body... Cloud would hate that!"
"I'll talk to him about it first, of course. And you know I wouldn't take advantage of it. Right?" Sephiroth had to ask.
"I know you wouldn't, but still, it's a pretty big violation, don't you think?"
"It is," Aerith agreed, "But he's already having his mind violated. Two wrongs don't make a right, but in this case, we're simply choosing the lesser of two evils because there is no better option. Sedating him all the time isn't healthy at all. And I don't think I can block Jenova from him. She's too strong."
"Aerith is right," Tseng spoke up, "I looked at what was in that tranquilizer; we don't want to give him that too often. There were enough drugs in it to take down a Grand Horn."
Zack just grumbled, "I don't like it, but if you talk to him first, and he agrees, I guess."
"I'll think about how it might work and see if I can give you some instructions," Aerith said. "It might be best to try it first when it's not an emergency. It'd be less likely that you'd hurt yourselves then."
"That's probably a good plan." Sephiroth finished off the last of his sandwiches and set the plate aside. "Tseng, tomorrow I want you to go back to the mansion. I need you to get a staple remover from the lab; Cloud's got some staples in his skull and I want to get them out and heal him properly before he gets even more scars."
Tseng nodded. "I can do that."
"I also need you to look for any journals or notes Hojo kept. I need to know what else was done to him."
"You're right. If you want, I'll read anything I find and just pass on the relevant information. Hojo's a twisted man and I'm certain you don't want to know absolutely everything he came up with."
Sephiroth's breath hitched as he looked down at Cloud resting peacefully. He didn't want to know exactly why and how Cloud got all those scars, he knew that, but... "I should. If Cloud survived it all, I can read about it. I'm not going to run away from what was done to him."
"Think about it," Tseng said. "I, for one, don't think it would be running away. Just saving yourself a lot of meaningless pain."
"I'll consider it."
"I'll take Vincent with me as backup. I don't like the idea of being down there alone. And you know your way around there pretty well, don't you?"
"I do," Vincent said.
"I trust that you got something resembling a story from him?" Sephiroth asked.
"I did. I believe he's trustworthy. I can explain it to you later."
"Fair enough." Sephiroth didn't like the strange man, but he trusted Tseng's judgment.
"What did you want to talk to us about, Aerith?" Zack asked.
"Oh, well, um..." Aerith fidgeted a bit and looked up at Sephiroth. "The planet spoke to me a bit, when I was trying to get you out the Lifestream and again after Jenova knocked me out and... well, it wants you to do something for it. It thinks you owe it for letting you live."
"What does it want?" Sephiroth asked cautiously.
"It... it doesn't like Jenova. She's tainting the Lifestream. Those things we saw, in the black cloaks, those are clones. Made with Cloud's DNA and hers. I don't know what they're doing, but they're following Jenova's orders and the planet is sure that it's not going to be good. You see, Jenova was the Calamity that came from the sky two thousand years ago. She's the thing that tried to destroy everything and she wants to succeed this time."
"She's an alien?" Zack sounded incredulous.
"Well, she's not from this planet, so, yes. Anyway, the planet wants her gone. It wants you to destroy her."
"And it wants me to do it because I owe it?"
"That's what it says. But it's really because you're probably the only person strong enough to do it."
"I can't leave Cloud."
"I'm not saying we have to go right away, I'm sure there's time to wait for Cloud to recover."
"We?"
"Of course we." Aerith smacked the lump under the blankets that was his knee. "I'm not going to tell you to do this and just send you off alone. This is a fight for our planet, Sephiroth. We'll all help you, won't we?"
Zack and Tseng nodded and even Vincent gave a slight bob of his head.
"I wouldn't let you leave me out of this, Seph," Zack said firmly.
"If Jenova has Hojo on her side, or under her control, we're going to need a lot more than just us," Tseng said.
"What do you mean?" Zack asked.
"Hojo breeds monsters. He created those clones. He could create a whole army of things to protect Jenova, if he hasn't already."
"And also..." Aerith looked a little sad. "I think the only way that Cloud will ever be free of her influence is if she's gone. Same goes for you, Sephiroth."
"I'll do it if Cloud agrees." Sephiroth looked down at Cloud again. "Just tell me how."
"I will. I'll explain everything. But first I'll see if I can teach you how to control Cloud's Jenova-cells."
***
The door shut softly behind Aerith after she let herself out. Sephiroth still wasn't sure if he understood, all that talk of reaching out with his mind had just hurt. He was much better at practical things. Still, if he could help Cloud, he'd do his best.
"Did you hear any of that, Cloud?" he asked quietly. "You know I'd never take advantage of it, right? I just don't want her to be able to make you do something you don't want to do."
Cloud shifted against him and Sephiroth saw a pair of glowing blue eyes crack open.
"Sorry, Cloud. I didn't mean to disturb you. Go back to sleep." Sephiroth reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of Cloud's eyes, but Cloud jerked back with a snarl. "Cloud?"
The glowing blue eyes blinked and the pupils slowly narrowed into cat-like slits. "Traitor," Cloud hissed.
Sephiroth moved quickly, since he already had an arm wrapped around Cloud, and he pinned Cloud's arms to his sides and threw his weight on top of him. Cloud struggled loudly, but he couldn't get a good enough grip to throw Sephiroth off.
Light from the hallway flooded the room as the door banged open and Sephiroth heard Alde start shrieking at him to get off. She was pulling on his shoulders and, fortunately, not doing a very good job of it.
"Help!" Sephiroth yelled for his friends. He heard them on the stairs and hoped they would get there before Alde thought of going for his eyes or something.
"You're yelling for help? Get off of him, you monster!" Alde pulled at his hair and Sephiroth just fought to keep Cloud under him.
Sephiroth heard more people running into the room and felt Alde get pulled back. It sounded like Tseng was trying to calm her down. Zack rushed over and pinned Cloud's legs, which had started to work themselves free. Cloud howled in frustration.
"Sephiroth," Aerith said, "Try it. Just do what I told you and it'll be fine. Zack, keep Cloud pinned so Sephiroth can concentrate."
"Trying," Zack grunted.
Vincent came over and grabbed Cloud's shoulders, holding him down. Before Sephiroth could say anything, Vincent spoke. "I won't hurt him, just do whatever you're going to do."
Sephiroth shut his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to Cloud with his mind. He did as Aerith told him and thought back to when he had been in the Lifestream. He had been connected to everything then. It was just a matter of finding that connection again. He searched for that familiar buzzing sound that was Jenova and pushed past it, to Cloud's consciousness.
Sephiroth felt for his own Jenova cells, which, until Aerith had explained it to him, he hadn't realized he used all the time. It was good though, she had said, he had more practice than Cloud. His cells would be the stronger ones. As he reached for them, he felt a sort of longing to be reunited and they took hold of Cloud's mind with little thought on Sephiroth's part. The feeling was much the same as it had been when he had been searching for Cloud in the labs, only stronger now. Cloud was terrified, he could tell that immediately. Calm down, he ordered as forcefully as he dared. Cloud's mind seemed to pause, trembling. Shh, just be still. I'm not going to hurt you, Cloud. Sephiroth felt Cloud's body still beneath him as well.
Aerith had warned him not to push the connection too hard. She worried that there might be a risk of their minds merging together. So Sephiroth didn't say anything more; he just pulled Cloud out of Zack and Vincent's grasps and held him tightly in his arms. After what seemed like an infinitely long time, Sephiroth felt Jenova's presence begin to grow weaker until finally, it was gone.
He tried to withdraw from Cloud's mind gently, but a sudden shove, both mental and physical, sent him reeling. Sephiroth's eyes flew open and he saw Cloud scrambling away from him with wild eyes.
"What did you-You-Why-" Cloud curled himself into a ball in the corner, holding his head. Alde rushed over to his side and tried to hold him, but Cloud just screamed, "Don't touch me!"
"Cloud-" Aerith started to say, but that only caused Cloud to look up and see all the people in the room.
His eyes darted wildly from person to person. "Get away, get away, get away, GET AWAY!" Cloud screamed as loud as he could.
"Everyone out," Sephiroth ordered as he stood up.
"Sephiroth, we need to calm him down," Aerith said.
"I know, and I will. But everyone needs to leave."
Alde stood steadfast. "I am not leaving you alone with him!"
"Zack, get her out of here even if you have to drag her." Sephiroth stood between Cloud and everyone else and watched, as Zack really did have to drag Alde out. When Tseng shut the door behind them, leaving them in the dark once again, Sephiroth turned back to Cloud and sat down on the floor, still a ways away from him.
"Cloud," he said very softly, "Can you see? It's just me. Everyone else is gone."
"Y-you-you-you-" Cloud seemed stuck on the one word, but Sephiroth felt it summed up fairly well what he had done without permission. You.
"I'm sorry, Cloud. I'm truly sorry. Will you let me explain?"
"You-What-what did you do?" Cloud looked up at him with plaintive eyes and clutched at his knees, trembling.
Sephiroth sighed, "I used my Jenova cells to control you, instead of allowing Jenova to control you herself. I had thought of it earlier and was going to discuss it with you, but then... I shouldn't have. Not without your permission. It would have been better to sedate you again."
"You-you controlled me? You can make me do whatever you want?" Cloud's voice shook with fear.
"Cloud," Sephiroth said firmly, "I would never make you do something against your will. I only did it to stop Jenova from forcing you to do things."
"But you-you could."
Sephiroth nodded, he wasn't going to lie. "I could, but I won't. Please believe that, Cloud. I won't hurt you. And I won't take advantage of you."
Cloud just stared, occasionally blinking away the tears that were falling from his eyes and Sephiroth wished that he could go over there to brush them away. But he was pretty sure that was one of the worst things he could do right now. Instead, he moved very slowly, keeping his hands where Cloud could see them, and grabbed the chocobo off the bed. Cloud visibly tensed when he moved, but he didn't panic, so that was good. Sephiroth set Mini-Cloud down on the floor between them and gave it a shove in Cloud's direction. Cloud cautiously reached out and picked it up before hugging it tightly.
Sephiroth had learned during their time together that Cloud was a very physical person. He liked being held and hugged; even now, when he was feeling so traumatized, he needed something to hold onto. A stuffed animal would do until he could handle a real person.
"Will you let me explain what happened and why I decided to calm you down that way, instead of doing something else?"
Cloud stared at him a few moments longer before slowly nodding his head. Since Sephiroth wasn't sure how much Cloud really remembered from when Jenova was controlling him, and he'd have to do it sooner or later, Sephiroth decided to explain it all, starting from when he woke up in the Lifestream. He left quite a bit out, but it was still a long story. By the time he had slogged his way through all the important parts, Cloud seemed to have calmed down significantly. He was still clutching Mini-Cloud tightly, but only with one arm. The other was stroking the felt ruff on the chocobo's head and his eyes were a lot less panicked-looking.
"I didn't mean to scare you, or violate you in any way," Sephiroth said. "I just wanted to stop Jenova and I didn't want you to get hurt in the process. It seemed like the safest way, but that was a mistake. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"I-I don't want to hurt anyone," Cloud said quietly. "Especially not you."
"I know. But we can figure something else out, I'm sure."
"I don't like being sedated... it's scary waking up... And if you have to fight me, one of us, at least, will end up hurt."
"Cloud..."
"What if there are civilians around? I could hurt or kill someone." Cloud sat still for a long, long moment. "I want rules," he declared suddenly.
"What sort of rules?" Was Cloud going to allow this?
Cloud fidgeted with Mini-Cloud before dropping the toy and patting the floor beside him. Sephiroth moved closer cautiously, making sure it was what Cloud really wanted. When he was near enough, Cloud tugged on his arm and pulled it around him. Sephiroth embraced Cloud gently and kissed his forehead a few times. Cloud rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulder and hummed.
"No one but you is allowed to touch me."
"Okay."
"You're not allowed to do it for anything but Jenova trying to control me."
"Of course."
"Don't make me do anything. Just make me be still."
"Okay."
Cloud hummed again, thinking. "And you have to hold me."
"I can do that. Anything else you can think of, just tell me." Sephiroth stroked Cloud's arm. "And if we do it again and it's too much, tell me. We'll think of something else."
Cloud nodded slowly. "I will." He scooted a bit closer and wrapped his hand around Sephiroth's. "Life... kind of sucks, doesn't it?"
"It did for a while, but it's getting better now."
"Really? Because I can still hear my mom arguing that you were doing something untoward to me."
Sephiroth sighed. "Do you want to explain it to her, or should I try?"
"You think there's a hope that she'll listen to you? I'll explain. It's just a question of what."
"Do you want to tell her the truth?"
"I... I don't want to lie to her, but I don't think I want her to know everything, either. I think... I think I'll tell her about Jenova, but I won't say what you did. You just held me down. It was Jenova leaving and me realizing what had happened that freaked me out after."
"I think that seems reasonable. Having someone in your head is cause for freaking out."
"Yeah... no kidding."
"I am sorry, Cloud."
"I know, I didn't mean it like that. And I forgive you, so don't worry about it. You did what had to be done."
"I just... it was like..."
"I know," Cloud squeezed Sephiroth's hand tightly. "I don't want to think about it. I've got enough new traumas to deal with."
"Do you want to talk about the new traumas?"
Cloud shook his head. "Not-not yet. But... when I'm ready, I'll come to you."
"All right. I'll be here." Sephiroth went to touch Cloud's head and jerked his hand back when Cloud winced. "Are you in pain?"
"Not really. Just my head hurts a bit. It's no big deal."
"I've asked Tseng to get a staple remover from the lab. We'll get those things out of your skull and heal it properly. I guess... I guess he didn't bother healing you; he just dumped you in a mako tank whenever he did enough damage?"
"Yeah." Cloud absently touched his chest where the largest of his scars were. "Mako kept me alive. That was what mattered. It didn't matter if it left a scar or not. Sometimes he said... never mind."
Sephiroth felt Cloud start to pull away from him and squeezed him tightly. "I love you, Cloud. Always."
Cloud sat rather stiffly in his grip, but he didn't try to pull away any further. "Tseng's going back to the lab?"
"Yeah, he's taking that asshole we found with him. They're going to get some supplies and look for Hojo's journals."
"H-h-his journals? About-about me?"
"Yeah... we need them, I need to know what he did to you. So I can help you."
"No, no, Sephiroth, please, no. Don't look. I-I-I can't. I can't-if you knew, it-it would be too much. Too much, Sephiroth, please, you can't." Cloud was shaking violently as he clutched at Sephiroth's shirt and pleaded with his tear-filled eyes.
"Shh, shh, it's okay. If you don't want me to, I won't read them." Cloud had really meant it when he said he had new traumas. At least now he wouldn't have to feel guilty for not wanting to read the journals. "I won't read them, but is it all right if Tseng does? We really do need to know what he did to you."
"I-I-I-"
"It's all right, we'll talk about it later, okay? Don't worry about it for now."
Cloud nodded tiredly and leaned into Sephiroth, curling into a small ball on his lap with tears still streaming down his face.
"Just rest for now," Sephiroth said quietly. "Just rest. We'll work it all out."
"Can't rest. Mom's gonna break down the door soon, I know it. Why did you bring me here, anyways?"
"You can rest for a few minutes at least." Sephiroth gently rubbed the curve of Cloud's back. "I brought you here because Zack suggested it and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I'm thinking the inn would have been a much better choice. But... she deserved to know that you were alive."
"Was she worried about me?"
"Very much. She thought I had kidnapped you and made you my sex-slave or something."
"I think she reads too many books. But kidnapped and tortured by a mad scientist isn't a whole lot less weird, I suppose."
"It's not something most people would come up with as their first option, that's for sure." Sephiroth glanced around the room for something he could use to wipe Cloud's eyes and ended up just grabbing a pillow off the bed. He shook it out of the case and gently dried the remaining tears. "Feeling a bit better?"
Cloud nodded. "Thanks. I guess we should call her back in here. Try to explain."
"I don't mind if you make her wait the rest of the night."
"You'd probably love that." Cloud sighed heavily, "You don't think I have to move, do you? I'm comfy here."
"I think she can cope, and if she can't, that's too bad. Should we call her?" Sephiroth grabbed his PHS off the nightstand. "I don't feel like shouting or getting up," he added as an explanation.
"Go for it. I think I know what I'm going to say."
Sephiroth dialled Zack's number and asked him to send Alde up.
***
Zack hung up his flashy phone and turned to face Alde. "That was Sephiroth," he said. "He says you can go up now."
"Oh does he? I'm allowed to go into my own son's room? In my own house? Is he sure? It might be best to wait for written permission." Alde angrily set down the cup of tea that had been forced on her; as if that would make her feel better about walking in on Cloud being assaulted.
"Don't be like that, ma'am," Zack pleaded. "I know Sephiroth's a bit possessive and he comes off rather strong, but he only wants what's best for Cloud. Having all of us in the room wasn't going to calm Cloud down."
"Hmph." Alde could tell that the boy believed he was telling the truth. It wouldn't be worth it to argue with him. She stood and straightened out her housecoat; at least she had been allowed to retrieve that before being hauled downstairs and force fed tea. She marched up the stairs and threw the door to Cloud's bedroom open. She immediately regretted it when her son flinched and clung to the man whose lap he was sitting in.
They were sitting on the floor; Sephiroth's legs were crossed and Cloud was curled up in his lap like some sort of pet. Sephiroth was even petting him! It wasn't that Cloud was gay; she had been able to come to terms with that fairly easily. But it was the fact that he was with Sephiroth. Why couldn't he have met a nice boy his own age? One who wasn't in a position of power over him?
"Hi, Mom." Cloud's voice cracked and Sephiroth immediately reached for the glass of water that was on the nightstand. Alde attempted to get to it first, but that man was too fast and was holding it to Cloud's lips before she even got halfway across the room.
"Hi, honey." Alde sat on the edge of the bed. "Why don't you come sit up here with me?" She patted the mattress beside her.
"No, I'm good here." Sephiroth certainly seemed happy about Cloud's answer. Alde could have sworn she saw him smirk at her. He set the glass down beside them and went back to petting her son.
Alde sighed, feeling a little rejected. "Are you all right, Cloud? What happened to you? Why were you so upset? Why did you want me to go away? What was he doing to you?"
"You could give him a chance to answer." Sephiroth glared at her. Glared at her!
"You're the one who's not letting him talk! I want to know what happened!" Alde retorted.
Now Sephiroth was the one who was sighing. "Just... give him a minute. He can't explain if you overload him with questions. He's still tired."
"Maybe if you didn't sexually assault him while he's asleep-"
"Mom! Mom, that - that wasn't what happened. I-just listen, please."
"I'm listening, baby. I'm listening."
"Okay, um, I..." Cloud hesitated and fell silent, but Sephiroth leaned down and whispered something in his ear that Alde couldn't hear. Cloud nodded and looked back up at her. "When we were here last, a man named P-Pro-Professor H-H-named P-"
"Professor Hojo," Sephiroth interrupted, but Cloud turned and smiled at him gratefully.
"Named that. He-he set a trap for us... Sephiroth and Zack were knocked unconscious and he-he killed Marcus. Shot him in the back." Cloud paused and fiddled with a pillowcase he was holding while Sephiroth petted him some more. Alde waited patiently; that Tseng person had told her all this, but it was probably easiest for Cloud to start from the beginning. "We... we should do something. For him. Does his family even know?"
"I think so. Tseng had all of us listed as 'killed in action'. Although, apparently they're dragging their feet about notifying next of kin, since you weren't informed, were you?" Sephiroth looked up at Alde questioningly. She shook her head, no. She was enormously grateful that she hadn't gotten that letter. Although, not knowing had been bad enough. "We can do something. And I'll make sure his family knows he died a hero."
"Being a hero sucks."
"That it does," Sephiroth sighed again.
"I was taken to the lab, where H-Ho-where he experimented on me. I don't know what he did to me, really. But the end result is a creature called Jenova can control my mind and make me fight against my will. She-I'm supposed to kill Sephiroth. H-he said that Sephiroth was a failed experiment..." Cloud's voice trailed away again and he seemed lost in his memories. Alde was about to say something, but Sephiroth beat her to it, once again.
"You're doing great, Cloud." Sephiroth was petting Cloud's head now. "Keep going, you're doing great."
"Right. I can do this." Cloud took a deep breath. "Jenova can control me. Not all the time, but sometimes, and we don't know when it's going to happen. It happened just before you came in. I woke up and tried to attack Sephiroth. He was just holding me down so I couldn't hurt anyone. Honestly. He wasn't hurting me or doing anything that I wouldn't have wanted him to do. I know it looked bad, but it was either that, or they would have had to sedate me again. I wouldn't have wanted that. And... and after Jenova stopped controlling me, I had a bit of a panic attack. I mean, there was something in my mind, making me do things I didn't want to do. Anyone would freak out."
"But... you calmed down. And the others let go, and you were calm for a while, and then you got upset." At Sephiroth. Cloud had pushed himself out of Sephiroth's lap to escape him.
"I-I-um, it was a bit weird, when she first let me go. I didn't really realize what happened, but then when I realized, I freaked. I-I just didn't want anyone to touch me for a while."
"So Sephiroth didn't touch you after he kicked everyone out?" Alde was doubtful. Cloud was leaving something out, she could tell. And while he didn't seem upset anymore, who knew what Sephiroth had said to him while they were alone? Cloud was remarkably good at hiding when things were bothering him.
"No, Mom, he didn't. He sat all the way across the room and just talked to me until I calmed down a bit. And then he gave me Mini-Cloud to hold." Cloud waved a stuffed chocobo at her. Its name was 'Mini-Cloud'? And she was supposed to believe that these people weren't picking on him? "And then, when I said it was okay, he came closer and held me. Only when I said it was okay."
"Cloud..." Alde wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to insist that Cloud tell her the truth; what if Sephiroth took it out on him later? It didn't seem like he would ever hit Cloud, but Alde knew a fair bit about emotional abuse.
"Anyways, that's what happened. Sorry we scared you. I didn't mean to." Cloud sat up a bit and yawned, resting his head on Sephiroth's shoulder.
"That's okay, Cloud. Thank you for telling me." Sephiroth was scratching behind Cloud's ears now and Alde finally snapped. "Would you stop doing that!? He's not your pet dog!"
Sephiroth paused, looking startled. "Stop doing what?"
"You keep petting him and stroking his hair like he's some sort of animal!"
Sephiroth looked at his offending hand like he hadn't even realized he had been doing it. "I wasn't-I mean, I don't think-Does it bother you, Cloud?" he asked with something that sounded suspiciously like genuine concern.
"I like it, Mom. He's not treating me like a dog or doing anything else but show he cares for me. It calms me down." Cloud sounded rather annoyed when he spoke and Alde hesitated. She lost her chance to argue back when Cloud yawned again. "I'm exhausted, Mom. I want to go back to sleep. I'm sure you're tired too. Goodnight."
Alde marvelled at how Sephiroth was somehow able to stand without using his arms while he still held onto Cloud. Sephiroth whispered in Cloud's ear again and Cloud nodded. He walked out of the room without a backwards glance and Alde heard the bathroom door shut a moment later. She sighed and stood up off the bed. When she passed the bathroom, she waited for the toilet to stop flushing before calling out softly.
"Goodnight, Cloud. I love you."
"'Night, Mom. I love you too."
"Goodnight, Alde."
Alde glared at the door, but answered anyways; Cloud would appreciate it. "Goodnight, Sephiroth."
***
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