Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, uhhhh, Cloud?”

Wedge’s hesitant voice at the door cut into Cloud’s reverie, and he raised his eyes from his work to fix them questioningly on Wedge. The man scratched nervously at the bandana covering his hair, wincing slightly and letting loose a short, pained laugh. His wounds still haven’t healed, Cloud mused, frowning and taking note of the way Wedge still favored his left side. He should be resting. “What is it, Wedge?” he prompted when Wedge still didn’t say anything.

“Oh, uh.” Wedge grinned sheepishly, his words coming out in a rush. “Sorry, bro, I know you're getting ready for your rescue mission and all, I just—just got a, uhh, problem and the others are all busy helping Elmyra cook.”

“Mhmm.” Cloud’s fingers tightened on the needle and thread in his hands, trying not to let his impatience show. Why does everyone insist on calling me that? “And the problem is...?”

“Biggums has some medicine she needs to take, and—” Wedge winced again and put a hand gingerly to his side, staring at Cloud hopefully. “Normally I can do it myself, but...could you hold her for me, please?”

Cloud stared silently at Wedge, frowning harder as a mild flash of panic went through him. His first instinct was to flatly refuse—what the hell did he know about how to wrangle a cat, especially with his track record so far? First aid for humans was tricky enough, but with a creature as delicate as a cat, he’d be far more likely to hurt her than help. No way in hell. But as he watched the man visibly deflate with his continued silence, he felt like an asshole. Damn it. She led us to him, the least I can do is help him out. With a sigh, he stuck the needle into the glove he’d been mending and set it aside on the window sill. “Fine. But if she scratches me and it gets infected, you’re paying for the antibiotics.”

“Really?!” Wedge’s grin was bright enough to light up the room, and he nodded quickly, beckoning Cloud into the next room as he laughed, “You got it, bro.”

Cloud rolled his eyes as he followed Wedge, unable to hide a tiny smile at the man’s enthusiasm. Wrangling the nervous calico went about as well as he’d expected, even following Wedge’s instructions—‘You’re gonna have to keep her still...No, Cloud, you gotta hold her gently, gently – yeah, that’s better!’ ‘Okay, now hold her mouth open for me – oh Biggums, I know baby, I’m sorry.’ But though Biggums struggled in his grip and whined, and tried several times to bite his fingers, he managed to calm her with gentle strokes to her back, at least long enough for Wedge to make sure she swallowed the sedative. A distressed yowl erupted from the cat, and Cloud quickly released her.

“Bigguuuuuums!” Wedge wailed, reaching for her as she darted under the bed.

Cloud watched with wide eyes as she crouched in the shadows, her tail flicking sharply behind her as she stared accusingly between him and Wedge. Hoo boy. “You really...think that's wise?”

Wedge shook his head and tried to peer under the bed, but stopped with his own hiss of pain, clutching his side. “Ow...Daddy’s sorry, Biggums!”

“Hey, uh…” Cloud sighed and stood, brushing cat hair off his clothes. He grabbed the collar of Wedge’s shirt and hauled the man up off the floor, guiding him to sit down on the bed before saying pointedly, “You should probably rest a bit, or you’re going to hurt yourself more.” His cheeks reddened slightly at Wedge’s effusive thanks, waving it away with an embarrassed mutter of, ‘Don’t mention it’, before retreating to the other room. He quietly resumed his mending, keeping an ear out until he heard a happy exclamation from Wedge. She forgave him, good, he thought, smiling to himself again and turning his full attention back to his work.

Cloud was just beginning to patch up the last tear in his other glove when he felt twin points of unexpected pressure on his knee. He looked up sharply, freezing as Biggums’ inquisitive green eyes stared up at him from her perch on his crossed legs. What? Biggums mewled at him and began to delicately step into his lap. “Kitty, no.” He tried to shoo her away, even picking her up and placing her back on the mattress, but she just climbed right back up and settled herself comfortably across his thighs, a low purr rumbling through her little body.

This was unexpected. Cloud stared down at the contented cat in confusion, shoulders still tense and unsure of what to do, what with never having had a pet—or even very many positive interactions with domesticated animals—before. “I thought you were mad at me,” he said softly, chuckling ironically under his breath when she just flicked her ear in response. “I don’t speak cat, sorry. I might have to ask Wedge what that means.” Biggums turned her face up to look at him, and he could have sworn the expression she wore was smug. Oh gods, I’m being sassed by a cat. “Biggums, I’m trying to finish mending my armor.” She stared at him for another moment before yawning, and Cloud couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, okay, you win.”

Setting his work aside, Cloud let one hand hover hesitantly above Biggums, marveling to himself over her seeming acceptance of him. Maybe saving Wedge makes me alright after all? He carefully rested his hand on her back, and her purring instantly rumbled a little louder. “Are you stoned, kitty?” he asked, eyes crinkling in amusement as he lowered his other hand, letting her sniff at his fingers. Almost immediately, she began to nuzzle into his hand, her eyes closing until all he could see was the smallest sliver of green. Aww… Even Cloud could tell what that meant, unable to hold back his affectionate smile anymore. He stroked his thumb gently behind her ears, whispering, “Good kitty.”

Chapter Text

The sound of unfamiliar laughter split the afternoon air, jolting Aerith and Tifa from their light doze in the summer sun.

“What was that?” Aerith mumbled sleepily, rubbing at her eyes before pushing herself up to peer around the garden.

“That sounded like Cloud – but I haven’t heard him laugh like that in a long time,” Tifa responded, stifling a yawn and following Aerith’s example.

It turned out to be Cloud and Sephiroth, both men seated leaning up against the rock face in the shade with their attention turned to something in the grass between them. Cloud’s laughter was bright and sharp, like a burst of sunlight shining briefly on an overcast day, drowning out the sounds of Sephiroth’s amusement. Seeing them so comfortable with each other still felt like a punch in the chest for Tifa, even after everything that had happened in the last year, everything Sephiroth had done to prove he wasn’t out to kill them this time.

“What the hell is so funny?” she muttered, pushing herself up off the blanket and brushing grass off of her clothes before starting over to them. The smell hit her first, and she paused at the top of the ledge with a frown. Were they...smoking?

“Oh fuck, look at him go!” Cloud burst out, his face scrunching up with hilarity. Tifa could see him messing about in the grass with one hand. What was he doing?

“I can see it, Cloud,” Sephiroth said with a fond smile on his lips, his voice low. His gaze was warm as he watched Cloud, only flickering briefly to Tifa as she approached cautiously, unsure of what was happening.

Once she was close enough, Tifa abruptly understood. Of all the animals for Cloud to befriend, of course he would go for the ones everyone else gave a wide berth to – there in the grass, rolling around and trying to playfully evade Cloud’s nimble fingers, was a baby skunk. It was one of the strangest and cutest things she had ever seen Cloud do.

“Oh, how sweet!” Aerith’s voice rang out with a squeal as she rushed past Tifa, looking utterly enchanted as she knelt in the grass unselfconsciously by their feet. She offered her hand out to the tiny creature, a delighted grin on her face when the baby went to sniff her fingers. “He’s so cute! Did he come to visit you boys?”

Cloud and Sephiroth traded a brief look. “Actually,” Cloud started, leaning forward to sling an arm over one knee. “We, uhhh...found the mother half eaten. So I’m gonna take care of him.”

Aerith made a sad noise, nodding. “Poor thing. What are you going to name him?” She cooed softly as the little skunk trundled into the palm of her hand, accepting the scritches she gave him.

Sephiroth pressed his lips together to suppress clear amusement, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gave Cloud a pointed look. Tifa came to sit down beside Aerith, taking care not to startle the skunk.

“Reno.”

Tifa looked at Cloud sharply, her eyes widening in surprise at the satisfied smirk on his face, and Aerith burst into giggles. “No!”

“Hell yes.” Cloud’s grin widened, his tongue briefly wetting his lips before he spread his hands in a mocking, innocent shrug. “Hey, it’s not like he’s gonna know unless he comes poking around again, right?”

“He’s going to pitch a fit,” Tifa breathed, trying hard not to laugh.

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”

Tifa grinned at Cloud, pleased when he reached out and squeezed her hand in thanks. For not talking him out of it, she presumed, watching him as he turned back to Aerith and started peppering her with questions about taking care of skunks. Petty, harmless revenge suited him, she decided. Caring for the lonely and orphaned creatures of the world suited him even better.

Cloud was endlessly amused by the new status quo. He got a kick out of seeing people in the streets give him funny looks and go out of their way to avoid him—what was even funnier was the people who started coming up to him after a few weeks and asking if he was high.  

“Yeah, I’ve started growing now,” he said straight-faced to one nervous looking guy, folding his arms in front of his chest. “I could hook you up, want some?”

The guy stammered, and then abruptly shut up, his eyes going round as he looked at Cloud’s shoulder. “Never mind!” he squeaked, beating a hasty retreat.

Cloud smirked as he watched the guy run off, reaching up to offer his fingers to the inquisitive little snout poking out from under his shoulder pauldrons. “You ruined the joke, Reno,” he murmured, chuckling when the little guy huffed and retreated after realizing there were no treats forthcoming. He continued on his way back to Aerith’s with no further incidents, stepping into the house only to hear a very familiar voice coming from upstairs. Speak of the devil...

“—ly wants to make amends for the way things went down, Princess, surely you can just come see him for, like, ten minutes.”

Cloud heard a derisive snort and glanced into the kitchen to see Sephiroth leaning against the counter, a glass of water in his hands.

Cloud suppressed a snicker and sat down quietly at the table, gently extricating his fussy, furry companion as he heard the pair start down the stairs. Aerith’s voice was flippant as she said, “Reno, for the last time, I am not going topside to see Rufus or Tseng. If they really want to make amends so badly, they can bring their pampered asses down here themselves. Got it?”

“Geez, fine, whatever!” Reno sounded irritated. Cloud smirked, broadcasting his intentions silently to Sephiroth so his lover knew not to get possessive. “I got it, you don’t gotta be bitchy about it.”

“No, that’s your job,” Aerith said sweetly.

“Rude.”

“Awww, are you in a mood, Reno?” Cloud cooed, stroking the little skunk’s ears. The footsteps stopped abruptly behind Cloud, and he smirked, but didn’t look back at the Turk as he continued, “Will a kiss make it all better?”

“The fuck?” Reno’s voice sounded bewildered. Cloud finally looked around at him, blinking up at him innocently. The confused look on the Turk’s face instantly transformed into a leer, and he cocked his hip out and ran his tongue along his teeth before asking smugly, “You flirtin’ with me, First Class?”

Cloud gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, keeping his face impassive as Aerith giggled, clapping one hand over her mouth to muffle it. “Depends.”

“On what?” Reno laughed, gaze flickering nervously into the kitchen where Sephiroth was watching with seeming disinterest. That only emboldened him, his voice dropping suggestively, “If you’re offering, I think I can swing something—”

“I was talking to my skunk,” Cloud interrupted. The corner of his mouth twitched as he heard Sephiroth’s sputtering snort.

Reno’s expression froze. “Your—what?”

Cloud lifted his hand to present little Reno, who let out a disgruntled squeak as he scrabbled to hold on to Cloud’s glove, clarifying, “My pet skunk.”

Aerith gave up trying to hold back her laughter as Reno’s face darkened, wiping tears away as she doubled over.

“You named that stinky thing after me?”

“Yup.” Cloud smirked at the offended glower on the redhead’s face, stretching his legs out in front of him and bringing his hand up to his shoulder. His grin widened as the little skunk squeaked happily and curled up against his neck. “I thought it was appropriate—after all, you’re also a grumpy little rodent with a funky hairdo.”

Sephiroth laughed outright at that, crossing his arms and shaking his head in amusement at the way Reno sputtered incoherently and glared around the room at everyone. ‘Hm. You aren’t wrong, Cloud, he is very rodent-like.’

Reno huffed loudly and smacked his baton down on the table in front of Cloud, startling his namesake into making a distressed noise and scrabbling underneath Cloud’s shirt. “You’re a little shithead, ya know that?”

“Reno!” Aerith admonished him with a frown, hands on her hips. Cloud was too busy keeping the poor skunk from burrowing too far down his shirt to respond, curling his fingers protectively around the quivering lump at his chest and murmuring soothing sounds to it.

Reno opened his mouth with a sneer, clearly intending on sassing her back, when a low, dangerous baritone slid through the air. “What did you just say, Turk?” All eyes turned to Sephiroth as he slowly straightened to his full height, his gaze fixed intently on Reno. His expression was flat, giving away no hint of what he was feeling.

The sneer remained on Reno’s face, though he swallowed hard as he jutted his chin out defiantly in Sephiroth’s direction. “I didn’t say nothin’ that wasn’t the truth!”

“You called my partner a shithead.”

“Fuck—c’mon, I was just joking!”

Cloud nearly cracked up at that, having to hide his grin behind his hand at the nearly frantic grimace Reno was making in his attempt to backtrack. If he hadn’t been able to feel the amusement radiating through the bond he shared with Sephiroth, that stone face might have convinced him that Sephiroth was pissed, too. He wasn’t quite ready to let up on the teasing, either, a thrill of petty satisfaction going through him. ‘Let him have it, Seph.’

‘As you wish, my love.’ Sephiroth stepped forward to loom over Reno, staring him down. “Apologize to Cloud.”

Reno gaped up at Sephiroth in surprise, then burst out testily, “What the f—are you kidding me? He started it!” When Sephiroth merely arched an eyebrow at him, Reno pointed at Cloud and added indignantly, “Make him apologize for naming that little stinkbomb after me!”

“Stinkbomb,” Cloud repeated, snickering. If nothing else, he had to admire the guts of the Turk, talking back to Sephiroth when he was at his most intimidating. “Good one.” He turned his attention back to little Reno, who had finally dared to peek his fuzzy head out of the armpit of Cloud’s shirt. He poked the soft little lump in an attempt to coax the skunk back onto his hand, murmuring quietly, “Come on, get out of there.”

Sephiroth said, “You should be flattered, Reno.” 

Reno snorted derisively, but it had no effect on Cloud. The fondness flooding their bond stole his breath away, and he spared a sweet, knowing smile for Sephiroth before holding out his free hand expectantly. Sephiroth smiled indulgently back, retrieving the box of treats that Aerith had begun stocking in the cupboard and shaking a few into the palm of Cloud’s hand. As Sephiroth settled into the chair beside him, Cloud couldn’t resist leaning into his side, a warm feeling spreading through his chest with the casual way Sephiroth draped an arm around his shoulder.

Over Aerith’s cooing, Sephiroth remarked softly, “Just look at how cute this little guy is.”

Cloud watched Reno surreptitiously from the corner of his eye as he let the skunk eat out of his hand, waiting for the moment the Turk realized they were just messing with him. The redhead was clearly at a loss for words, the scowl on his face not quite as severe as it could have been, all things considered.

“Fine. You win, lovebirds,” Reno drawled, straightening up and shoving one hand in his pocket. “I’m so sorry I called you a shithead, Cloud.”

The insincere sarcasm in his voice made Cloud grin. “Eh, it didn’t bother me anyway.” He felt more than heard Sephiroth’s amused chuckle, like a caress in the back of his mind. Soft lips pressed against his hair, and his breath caught, a light blush rising to his cheeks. That didn’t stop Cloud from turning his head to brush his lips against his lover’s jaw, gently chiding, ‘Stop that until we’re home.’ Out loud, he said, “Apology accepted.”

“Ugh. If you two are gonna make out, I’m outta here.”

Cloud pulled back and turned to Reno, the smirk on his face mirroring Sephiroth’s. “See you later, then.”

Rolling his eyes, Reno turned to Aerith hopefully. “So, Princess, any chance you’ll—”

“Bye Reno!” Aerith chirped, mischief sparkling in her eyes as she gave him a little wave.

“You all fucking suck,” Reno declared petulantly. He flicked his ponytail over his shoulder and sauntered towards the front door, only pausing to look back over his shoulder with a shit eating grin. “By the way, shithead, you musta flunked out of school, because skunks ain’t rodents, they’re weasel adjacent.” Aerith let out a delighted giggle as Sephiroth started to stand, and Reno gave him a mocking salute. “Get it right next time!”

“Thanks for the zoology lesson,” Cloud said dryly, reaching out to tug Sephiroth back down beside him.

“Anytime, First Class!” Reno blew him a kiss, cackling in the face of Cloud’s confusion as he finally left.

Cloud turned to the others, bemused by the way Aerith was clearly enjoying the whole thing. “Did he really just...do that?”

“Want me to cast Mini on him?” Sephiroth asked, staring at the door intently.

Aerith laughed all the harder, slapping Sephiroth’s shoulder lightly and saying, “Don’t you dare!” Sephiroth shot her a slight pout, but relaxed. Hoisting herself up to sit on the table, Aerith held out her hands hopefully, grinning when Cloud passed the skunk to her. “Soooo, how’d your merc work go today, Cloud?”

“Hoo boy. It was something else.” Cloud settled in with a grin to relay the highlights, enjoying the gentle stroking of Sephiroth’s fingers against the back of his neck. “And I finally just made a dumb joke about growing weed,” he concluded with a snicker, rolling his eyes. “Not that I would.”

Aerith’s laughter tapered off and she cocked her head thoughtfully to the side. “Hmm...why not, though?”

“C’mon Aerith,” Cloud scoffed, reaching up to twine his fingers through Sephiroth’s. “Where would I grow it?”

“Certainly not at our home,” Sephiroth murmured, glancing sideways at him.

Ignoring the comment, Cloud continued, “For that matter, where would I even get any in the first place?”

“Oh, I know a guy.” Aerith’s expression lit up. “But seriously, if that’s your only objection, then you should definitely do it. You’d make a killing – much more than you make as a merc.” She held up a hand to forestall his objections, and said excitedly, “I’ll help! I’ve got the space already, and I even have the perfect cover if you wanted to set up a storefront in Wall Market!”

Cloud stared at her in surprise for a moment, then a slow grin of realization spread on his face. Of course, her flowers. “Holy shit.” He looked up at Sephiroth, squeezing his hand. “Well? What do you think? Would you be embarrassed to be dating a merc-turned-flower-seller?”

“That is not what you’d actually be selling, Cloud,” Sephiroth responded dryly. Cloud’s grin grew wicked, and the man hesitated before shrugging. “You’re going to do it no matter what I say anyway, aren’t you?”

“Probably,” Cloud agreed easily, leaning up to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

“We should call it Cloud Nine,” Aerith suggested with a giggle, letting little Reno climb up her braid.

Cloud groaned and buried his face in Sephiroth’s shoulder. Sephiroth shook his head at Aerith, asking flatly, “Do you want to be obvious what your true product is? Absolutely not. I will not have you getting my partner locked up, Gainsborough.”

Cloud shot Sephiroth a startled glance. “What?” A smile began to creep back onto his face. “So you’re on board?”

Sephiroth sighed and nodded, giving Aerith a look that was tinged with amusement. “I suppose someone has to make sure you two try to look legit.”

Aerith clapped in delight, declaring, “Well, now that that’s settled! You two staying for dinner, or—”

“We’ll talk more tomorrow,” Sephiroth cut in before Cloud could respond. He stood and gently scooped up the skunk, depositing him on Cloud’s shoulder before reaching for his hand. Cloud smiled to himself, thrilling at the possessive impatience pouring off of Sephiroth as the man tugged him towards the door, explaining politely, “Thank you for the offer, but we’ve taken enough of your time today.”

Cloud called his goodbyes to Aerith distractedly, falling into step beside Sephiroth. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, their hands intertwined and a warmth blooming between them as they made their way out of Sector 5. Finally, Cloud asked softly, “Did you miss me that bad, Seph?”

“I wanted you to myself,” Sephiroth confirmed immediately, lips twitching into the faintest beginnings of a smile. He spared a glance around before draping his arm around Cloud’s shoulder, drawing him close. His voice dropped into a low, intimate caress, “And..to answer your earlier question, Cloud, no. I would never be embarrassed to date you, no matter what you choose to do.”

Breath catching, Cloud slid his arm around Sephiroth’s waist and sighed contentedly. “It will be nice to do something that doesn’t involve fighting, for a change.”

A nearly violent shiver went through him at Sephiroth’s chuckle, warm breath ghosting over his ear as the man whispered, “Then perhaps now you’ll finally have enough free time to teach me how you dance so sexy.”

Fuck. “No time like the present,” Cloud breathed, pulling back and determinedly grabbing Sephiroth’s hand. They made it home in record time.