Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was quiet in the kitchen, Angeal cooking something with Sephiroth sitting at the island. Cloud was in Angeal’s room, sleeping off a migraine he had. Papers were scattered over the island, but he wasn’t looking at any of them. His eyes blink slowly, staring out of focus at the papers.

His ears hum with the distant sound of Angeal’s voice and the sizzling of a pan, barely catching the sound of his name. His head lifts up and he stares blankly at his partner, blinking slowly as sound fully comes back to him.

“Seph? Seph, could you help me here real quick?” Angeal gently calls, snapping the General from his silent staring.

He blinks, then smoothly slips from the stool and shuffles to stand next to the ravenette. Their arms brush together, the soft material of Sephiroth’s hoodie tickling Angeal’s bicep. The blue eyed SOLDIER smiles at him as he turns down the flame on the stove.

“I need to go check on Cloud and see if he wants to eat. Could you just watch this for me? All you need to do is stir it, ok?” Angeal asks, waiting until Sephiroth looks at him to move.

He brushes a comforting hand over Sephiroth’s arm, then turns and leaves the kitchen to head towards the bedroom. Sephiroth looks down at the large pan in front of him, which holds some type of pasta. Lightly poking at the pot of sauce beside it, the General hums and turns back to look where Angeal had gone.

His ears twitch at the sound of Angeal’s gentle voice cooing and whispering to Cloud, who is whining and muttering about his headache still being consistent. Humming in thought, Sephiroth turns back around. If he remembered correctly from the last time he saw Angeal cook pasta, it should be ready by now.

Moving quickly and silently, he strains the pasts in the sink and mixes the sauce into it. Blinking at the spice cabinet, he once again tries to remember what he saw his lover use. Picking out the ones he believed he saw, he lightly mixes them in and timidly tastes it- breathing a sigh of relief when he finds it as close as it could be.

He is startled when a soft knocking is heard behind him, whipping around to find Angeal leaning against the island watching him. Sephiroth blinks, face tinting pink as Angeal smiles at him and walks around the island to approach him. He peeks at what Sephiroth did, smiling wider.

“Thank you, Seph. It looks delicious.” He hums, making the General bow his head and silently preen at the praise.

“You’re welcome.” He mutters in reply, letting the man lean in to kiss his cheek.

The soft shuffling of feet makes them both turn, finding a sleepy Cloud leaning against the doorway with Zack’s blanket around his shoulders.

“It smells nice in here…” He whispers, blinking away sleep and yawning softly.

Sephiroth once again silently preens at the praise. Angeal nudges him towards the table, which he does after walking towards Cloud so he could lead him over. They both sit and wait for the ravenette to bring them the finished pasta, Cloud shyly tucking his chair closer to Sephiroth’s.

Angeal sets bowls down in front of them both along with a healthy serving of garlic bread, then sits on Sephiroth’s opposite side. They eat silently, still cautious of Cloud’s dying headache, before Angeal breaks it with a soft mutter:

“Again, thank you Sephiroth.”

“You’re welcome, Angeal.”

Chapter Text

“Aww, come on!"

Looking up from his tablet, Sephiroth glances over at Zack. The young SOLDIER is leaning forward on the couch, elbows on his knees, a gaming controller in hand. Sephiroth then looks up at the screen, watching with slight curiosity at the game being shown. Chocobo Racing.

He had heard Zack and Cloud talking about it during their last group outing, making a friendly competition on who could be the fastest. Seems like Zack was trying to get some practice in, but was swiftly failing. Multiple times over the past half hour. With a small sigh of amusement, the General scoops up his tablet and stands from the table.

Zack tosses his head over his shoulder at the sound of the squeaking chair, watching as Sephiroth walks over and around the couch to settle beside him.

“Hey. Sorry, did I bug you?” Zack asks sheepishly, relaxing when the man shakes his head. “Ah, good.” He sighs, leaning forward again as he restarts his game.

Sephiroth merely presses his thigh against Zack and goes back to his tablet, listening to the sounds of Zack muttering, the clicking of the controller, and the game. A few rounds later, Zack leans back again with a surprised huff, making Sephiroth look up at him again. His face is twisted in a confused, yet pleased expression

“Look at that! You must be my lucky charm Seph~” Zack chirps, leaning over to bump his shoulder against Sephiroth’s and hums happily to himself. “You should sit with us when me and Cloud play, you could help me win~” He laughs before going back to his game with a determined look.

Sephiroth feels a small smile appear, lightly nudging their elbows together playfully and chuckles when the ravenette whines ‘don’t distract me!’. He ruffles Zack’s hair, making the man close his eyes and his lips curl into the smile Sephiroth loved so much.

He briefly dips his head, pecking Zack’s forehead before turning back to his tablet, ignoring how his face burns when the SOLDIER playfully teases him. The two sit close to each other, eventually evolving to Zack leaning back into the armrest on the large couch with Sephiroth between his legs.

Zack had moved his legs to be one behind Sephiroth’s back and the other over his lap, the General resting his arms on the one in his lap so he could keep working. Cloud came home a few hours later and stopped behind the couch, looking down at the two with a slight smile.

Sephiroth was laying on Zack’s chest, the SOLDIER’s arms tossed over his back and hugging him closer while snoring softly. Cloud went to the loveseat and grabbed the large blanket hanging on the back, unfolding it so he could toss it over the sleeping duo- after pulling the game controller from Zack’s hand.

He freezes when Zack shifts and mutters, curling both arms around Sephiroth’s back and hugging him closer. The General blinks his eyes sleepily, lifting his head out of Zack’s neck to peek at Cloud. The blonde tilts his head, squatting down when Sephiroth’s hand lifts from the floor.

He slowly pets the top of Cloud’s head, messing with the spikes for a moment before rubbing his cheek. Cloud tilts his head into Sephiroth’s palm, holding it in place before gently moving it away to be on the couch as the General’s eyes flutter closed again.

Cloud leaves them be, the sound of his and Zack’s bedroom door closing being the last sound Sephiroth hears before he falls back asleep.

Chapter Text

When he walked into the apartment, Sephiroth wasn’t surprised to find Genesis laying on the couch. The Commander’s arm was tossed over his eyes, the other dangling and toying with a tiny fidget device Cloud had gotten for him, his legs sprawled over the couch.

“Genesis?” He calls, and while the man’s fingers twitch in response, he gets nothing in reply.

Sephiroth walks closer, stopping at the end where his feet were. His head tilts as he looks the redhead over, finding no obvious reason for his boyfriend’s actions, then moves his foot close to the leg dangling off the couch. Genesis huffs, laying limply as Sephiroth lightly nudges his leg again.

The General blinks, tilting his head more and moves to sit by the man’s head (he was thankful for helping Zack convince Angeal into getting a bigger couch). The redhead peeks an eyes open, peering up at the other for a moment before rolling onto his stomach and slides up to lay over Sephiroth’s lap like a lazy cat.

And as soon as he was comfortable, feeling Sephiroth’s hand on his back and the gentle rise and fall of the chest pressed against his side, Genesis just started venting. Most of it flies over Sephiroth’s head- he truly loved Genesis and how much he adored his plays and need for gossip and drama- but he never fully understood.

But he would gladly sit and listen to the Commander’s huffing and pouting, especially if it meant he would stop sulking. Genesis knew Sephiroth tried to pay attention the best he could, but there was really nothing more he could do. But when one or more of their partners were brought up, he fully paid attention.

“Cloud has been avoiding me lately.” He grumbles, looking at the fidget device in his hand with narrowed eyes. “I don’t know what I did! One second we were happy and the next he won’t even look at me!”

Sephiroth hums, lightly twirling some of the auburn strands in his fingers. This wouldn’t be the first time Cloud and Genesis had a small issue like this. Cloud was young and nervous around all of them still, especially with Genesis. He could be overwhelming at times, so no doubt the blonde was just stressed and flustered as hell.

The Commander was the romantic of their group, so he had managed to fluster all of them a few times to the point of needing a break from his presence. Cloud had seemed distracted the last time he saw the SOLDIER, his ears and cheeks a soft shade of pink.

When asked, Cloud had simply glared and said he was just a little overheated from training and to not worry. Though Sephiroth had known he was lying, he directed the man to sit and hydrate before leaving him to relax. The next day led him to where he is now.

“What happened the last time you talked to him?” Sephiroth asks, trying to remember what he heard Angeal ask when the man had found Genesis during his last sulk session.

Comforting people wasn’t something he was used to, at least by himself.

“Well…” Now Genesis looked almost sheepish. “I wanted to see what he would look like in a certain makeup look. He would look so beautiful with it. But when I tried to ask him, he got all flustered like he usually does-” He falls silent, a slight realization filling his eyes. “ Oh. ”

A small smirk appears on Sephiroth’s face. Sometimes, Genesis needed to hear what happened during a situation to fully understand why things turned out the way they do. His face twists into slight shame, face tinted red when he catches Sephiroth’s smirk.

“Don’t say anything.” He grumbles, sitting up and moves to stand- only to stop and turn back towards Sephiroth.

He leans in close, pecking the General’s cheek with a wide smirk as the man’s face turns pink.

“Now then,” Genesis stands from the couch, straightening his slightly ruffled appearance. “I need to go find our Chocobo. Don’t be worried if I’m not back soon- that boy has a lot of hiding spots.” He grumbles, strolling out of the apartment.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Sephiroth hears one of the bedroom doors open and turns to look behind him. Cloud stands there with a hesitant look on his face, glancing between him and the front door. Zack peeks around the corner, grinning at Sephiroth.

“So who’s gonna go get him before he searches the whole tower?” Zack asks, grinning wider when the General runs a hand over his face.

“Angeal already said he would once Gen reaches his office. That gives you about twenty minutes.” Sephiroth sighs, watching the duo as they retreat back into their room.

He could already hear Genesis yelling once he found his makeup stash gone, safely tucked away in Sephiroth’s bedside table. Cloud’s idea, according to Zack.

Chapter Text

Going out was always something Sephiroth tried to avoid, mainly because it was difficult to hide his trademark silver hair. Put him in as many hoodies, sweatpants or even a kigurumi (he still doesn’t remember how Zack got them all to buy and wear those things) and you could still tell it was him.

His eyes didn’t help either. One slip of his sunglasses and people would notice. But he still tried . He wanted to be able to go out with his boyfriends and do things out in public. Genesis had figured out a way to pin Sephiroth’s hair up into a messy bun using only a butterfly clip and he quickly assured the General his glasses would never slip.

It was this exact getup that he struggles into with Cloud waiting anxiously in the living room. The blonde had asked if Sephiroth could join in on a trip to find something for Angeal’s approaching birthday. He accepted eagerly, always happy to spend time with any of his partners.

Now he was wondering if it was such a good idea, with how nervous Cloud looks as Sephiroth walks into the room. Zack is trying to calm the blonde’s nerves, playfully ruffling his hair and gently teasing him. Sephiroth still can’t figure out if the chocobo was nervous about going into public in a possible big crowd or nervous about going out with him.

Cloud is the newest addition to their group, so he was hesitant around almost all of them- Zack being the exception. It was him who had suggested it, being Cloud’s closest friend. Now here they were, five months later, no longer walking on eggshells around each other. But Cloud’s fears still festered silently in the back of his mind.

“Ready?” Sephiroth asks, holding his hand out to the blonde when he turns towards him.

He blinks when Cloud mutters something, barely catching it with how incoherent the words were.

“Cloud?”

“You don’t have to come, you know. I understand you have a meeting later.”

He must’ve seen the reminder Angeal put on the calendar in the kitchen. Zack gives a tired smile, silently telling the General that this was what was making the youngest so nervous. Cloud keeps his gaze down, hiding the disappointed look on his face. That won’t do.

“Cloud,”

The young man slowly looks up, eyes widening when Sephiroth raises a hand to rest on the soft blonde spikes.

“It’s alright. I want to.” He whispers, petting the top of Cloud’s head.

It was something that calmed them both down. The gentle rubbing from Sephiroth’s hand and the softness of Cloud’s hair. He pulls the little chocobo under his arm, looping it over Cloud’s shoulders as the blonde’s arm rests comfortably around his waist. It makes Cloud relax and both Sephiroth and Zack to smile.

“Shall we?” He whispers after a few moments of letting Cloud calm down, moving to open the door with a hand outstretched to the blonde.

Cloud doesn’t hesitate to grab his hand and let himself be pulled into another soft side hug, saying a quiet ‘see you later’ to Zack. Zack grins and waves happily to the duo, yelping when Genesis suddenly yanks him back while closing the door. Sephiroth and Cloud silently pray for Zack, who would no doubt be subjected to LOVELESS marathons.

The two take the elevator, making the familiar trip down till they reach the ground floor. Cloud expected to be led into the garage and to one of the First’s cars- only to be pulled outside the building. It clicks in his head as they take the routine walk to the subway station.

Sephiroth liked to take the train, claiming it would be less likely for him to be on such a public transportation- and it let him hug Cloud close when the train car grew crowded. While Sephiroth thought he was being sly with that move, all of them knew why he did. The car is already crowded when they enter it, most of the seats taken.

So Sephiroth simply grabs one of the poles connected to the seats, tugging Cloud close to his chest as the blonde scowls at the people around them. It makes Sephiroth snort in amusement- which turns into a grin when Cloud whips his head up to send a piercing glare at him. He simply hugs Cloud closer.

The train ride was only 20 minutes and Sephiroth passes the time by counting the freckles on Cloud’s nose and cheeks. With how often the blonde was in the sun, he seemed to almost always gain more. How he loves to press gentle pecks to the little stars, watching them disappear into a cute blush.

People around them either scowl at the public display of affection, or secretly smile at how cute they were. Cloud nearly drags him off the train as soon as it stops, his face the same color of Genesis’ coat. Adorable. They make it to the shopping district and immediately set off to find the best gift for Angeal.

They find many good gifts, but none really call out to them. Genesis was already getting him a new camera, Zack choosing a recipe book to add to Angeal’s slowly growing collection, and Sephiroth had found a tiny plant called a succulent to add to the more delicate plants. But Cloud couldn’t figure out what his gift would be.

Wandering into an accessory type store, Cloud huffs as he puts back a tiny charm he deemed ‘not good enough’. Sephiroth, having noticed the familiar panic on Cloud’s face, points to a small stand of leather wallets. Angeal was one of those people who would always hold onto things without getting a new one. Case in point: his wallet.

The dark brown leather was worn smooth, fraying at the edges, the tiny embroidered name on the inside faded ages ago. Whatever design that was on the front of it was long gone.

“How about one of those? You know he'll appreciate whatever you give him anyway.”

Cloud blinks, turning to look at the tiny stand. Sephiroth can see the puzzle pieces slowly click in his head. Cloud shuffles closer, lightly plucking one of the wallets off the stand and turns it in his hands. It is navy blue with the edge sewed in a silver thread. On the inside, resting on the corner, is a tiny wolf paw print. It makes Cloud smile.

He buys the wallet with only a little hesitation, but afterwards he is happily walking out of the store with Sephiroth. When it comes time for Angeal’s birthday, Cloud hands it over with a blush and a shy smile. Angeal sighs, but grins sheepishly as he takes out his well loved wallet.

Everything is moved over, soon joined by a new picture that was taken with Angeal’s new camera. The group of them are standing in the kitchen with Zack’s sloppy birthday banner in the background, a tiny cake with a single candle sitting on the island in front of them. Each of them gets a copy to do with as they wish.

Sephiroth happily places it in a tiny book he hides in his desk drawer- next to the picture of him and Cloud before their first one on one date. He looks at the book when the day feels long and taxing, remembering what was waiting for him when he gets home. And home is exactly what it felt like.

Chapter Text

It was quiet in the apartment, the two inside moving quickly and silently to prepare for their partners to return. While each of them had their own physicals to stress about throughout the year, it was Sephiroth they worried about the most. His was done by Hojo, where the man had almost free reign over the General.

Sephiroth leans heavily against Angeal as the man pulls him along through the endless hallways, vaguely recalling how he had gotten to where he was now.

The recent testing Hojo had put him through…

It left him feeling almost lifeless, lost and in pain.

As usual, Angeal was there to lead him back. They met with Zack at the lift on their floor, who takes Sephiroth’s other side with a soft whisper “it’s alright” and a warm hand on his back. Zack only moves away to open the door to their apartment, where Sephiroth is greeted to the sight of Cloud walking past and down the hall to their room.

His arms are full of blankets, the gentle scent of warmth flowing from them. Genesis emerges from the kitchen, muttering something to Angeal before taking the man’s place in holding up the limping General. Sephiroth just blinks, staring blankly in front of him as he is shifted to lean against Genesis.

Angeal retreats to the kitchen, Genesis and Zack continue to walk to the master bathroom. Before he can lay down, they need to get the mako infused sweat off of him. Zack lets him go, retreating after Cloud as Genesis carries Sephiroth into the bathroom.

He is sitting on a tall stool, leaning back into the wall so he doesn’t fall and watches as the redhead walks around collecting things after starting the shower. While he knew Genesis would want to spoil him with a relaxing bath, the commander knew he was tired. So after giving Sephiroth a gentle caress to his cheek, he leaves the General alone.

Even though being left alone right now made his anxiety worse, he knew he wasn’t weak enough to need help. It took a bit of effort to stand and undress from the simple sweats and shirt he had put on before going to the labs. A little more got him into the shower and under the gentle cascade of warm water. It chased some of the chill away.

He cleans himself slowly and carefully, sometimes grabbing the metal bar attached to the wall when he feels like he is tipping over. Genesis comes back in when the shower shuts off, directing Sephiroth to sit on the same stool again after giving him a towel.

Using another towel, which was warm and softer than usual, Genesis dries the long silver locks. A hair dryer would be more helpful with his long thick hair, but the noise would only make his head hurt more. Once his hair was mostly dry, Genesis loosely braids it so it wouldn’t get tangled and moves to help him stand again.

The redhead hovers while Sephiroth dresses in the sweatpants and shirt he brought it, smiling when the General seems to breathe easier. Sephiroth slowly reaches out towards his boyfriend, curling his arm over his shoulders so Genesis could help him walk to their room. While he could stand on his own, walking is still a task.

Their feet shuffle over the smooth tiles towards the door that connects to the master bedroom. The door is cracked open from when Genesis first entered and he nudges it wider with his foot, revealing the dimly lit room. Scentless candles are sitting on the dresser, giving enough light to see but not irritate Sephiroth’s sensitive eyes.

The smell of thin smoke makes him shiver, but he relaxes when a warm palm presses against his spine. In front of them, Cloud stands nervously beside the bed, watching as Genesis helps Sephiroth lay on the warm sheets. It cushions and cradles his cold, stiff body, warming him slowly.

He unclurs from himself, letting his fingers reach out and grab onto the edge of the blanket closest to him. His eyes flick up when Cloud moves into his line of sight, sighing when the blonde takes the blanket and carefully moves it to lay over his trembling body. Sephiroth’s hand finds Cloud’s, humming louder at how warm he was.

Tugging weakly, he closes his eyes and feels Cloud slowly lay down beside him, the smaller man curling an arm around his back. Sephiroth hugs the blonde close, nuzzling his nose into the softened spikes and filling his senses with the touch- smell- sound- of his lover. Anything to get the harsh stench of the labs from his mind.

He lets his mind drift, barely feeling Cloud’s hands as he traces them along his back and arm.

“Hungry, Cloud?”

Blinking his eyes open, Sephiroth is slightly startled to find that the light peeking through the blinds and curtains was almost gone. Did he fall asleep? Turning his head slightly out of Cloud’s hair and behind him, his eyes lock onto Angeal standing in the doorway and feels warm when the man smiles at him.

“Evening Seph. Sleep well?”

Did he really fall asleep that quick? At least his head didn’t hurt anymore. Cloud shifts in his arms and he instinctively hugs him closer, humming when the young man huffs in fake annoyance.

“No, I’m not hungry yet. I had a big lunch with Zack earlier before Seph came home.”

Angeal nods and approaches the two, gently ruffling Cloud’s hair, then brushing his fingers against Sephiroth’s cheek.

“Let me know when you feel well enough to eat, ok?”

Sephiroth hums again, slightly bobbing his head and is rewarded with another gentle caress to his cheek. He vaguely feels Angeal sit on the bed behind him, the side of the man’s leg and hip touching his back. He probably grabbed his book to read, the familiar click of the bedside lamp turning on.

The candles had been long extinguished, and the low warm light didn’t make his eyes pinch. His ears perk at the sound of Zack and Genesis whispering to each other, the two in the living room. His hearing was still sensitive, but not as much as before thankfully.

He listens closely as Genesis leaves the apartment, followed by Zack entering the bedroom to join the trio. He sits behind Cloud, pulling out his device to play games on a low volume. It sounded like one of the games Nico forced him to download so that he could play when stressed.

Gentle music, soft meowing of cats, bubbling, and other little noises followed. Sephiroth shifts, moving the arm under Cloud’s shoulder so that his hand brushes Zack’s thigh. Zack looks over, smiling at the General and lets go of his phone to grab his hand. Zack’s hands weren’t larger than his own, but held more calluses and tiny scars from before he became a SOLDIER. They are so different from his. But they feel nice when he holds them.

Zack’s thumb traces circles over the back of his hand, his attention drifting back to his game. Cloud moves to lay on his other side so he can face Zack, bringing up a new game that was coming out soon. Sephiroth closes his eyes again, simply listening to the two in front of him, as well as focusing on the heavy warmth against his back.

It wasn’t long before Genesis returned to them, thankfully. The man strides in with a confident smile on his face, holding a fabric bag that held something large in it. Seeing that Sephiroth is still asleep, Genesis’ face falls into a softer expression. He moves to accept a chaste kiss from Angeal, then around the bed to get one from Zack.

He places the bag on the ground and moves to sit between Zack’s legs, leaning back against their puppy as he continues with his game. Cloud’s hand finds his and Genesis lightly toys with the bracelet in his wrist. It was one they all had, a simple leather band with tiny stamped designs on them.

Angeal had gotten them only a few weeks ago, shortly before their first year anniversary with Cloud. He still thinks fondly of the laughter, tears and love that filled the air that day. The same kind that surrounds them all at this current moment.

Sephiroth smiles into Cloud’s hair, keeping his eyes shut as he listens to Genesis playfully bicker with Angeal about his book of choice. To the sound of Cloud’s soft breathing and hums as Zack whispers about his game. The warmth in his chest blossoms beautifully, chasing away the fear and pain until it was but a distant memory.

This is where he belongs. This is where Gaia planned him to be. And he will never let it go.