Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cloud isn’t entirely sure how he got himself into this situation. Just his shitty luck. One moment, he was scoping out the surrounding town for an upcoming mission that he and the other SOLDIER First Class’s had been assigned, and the next, he was slipping and falling. After a bone chilling moment of free falling, Cloud had managed to catch himself on a pole that was sticking out from one of the many run down buildings around him. A sickening pop echoed through the air, and a splitting pang shot from his shoulder to his arm, a pained gasp escaped his lips as he let go of the pole he was hanging on to at the sensation.

Cloud’s vision spun as he hit the concrete beneath him, shoulder first. He screamed at the blinding pain that wracked his body, especially his shoulder, his other arm floundering in an attempt to self soothe, but the pain only seemed to get worse. His screams began to turn into gags as the white, hot pain in his shoulder and the ringing in his head seemed to worsen. After his body settled into this newfound pain, the gagging eventually subsided, and he instead groaned deeply, panting into the pavement.

The blonde SOLDIER eventually managed to flip onto his back, using his one good arm to scoot himself back against the nearest wall, wanting anything to support his body. Tears streamed down his face and his usual pristine spikes were beyond fucked up from the fall, but he had more pressing matters to deal with than worrying about his looks. Taking a deep—not very calming—breath, he moved to take out his PHS.

The screen was slightly cracked from the fall, but otherwise it worked fine. Through teary eyes, he looked for a certain contact in his phone, one he knew would pick up, even at this hour. He pressed the call button, and shakily put the device to his ear, grip tightening as it rang once, twice, three times…

“Hey, Spike! Are you on your way back yet?” Zack Fair’s voice filtered through the speaker, causing Cloud to slump in relief. He almost forgot to respond, snapping back to reality when he heard Zack concernedly calling his name again.

“No…” Cloud managed to get out, his breathy tone not at all like his normal voice. Zack immediately knew something was up, Cloud could tell. He hated worrying the black haired SOLDIER, but he had promised Zack that he wouldn’t hide injuries anymore after almost dying from an infected wound. So here he was. Worrying Zack. “Can you come pick me up? Please?”

A fresh wave of tears welled in Cloud’s eyes as he asked, his voice wobbling. A silent sob wracked his body, the pain in his shoulder getting harder and harder to ignore as time went on, and the sobs were causing his body to convulse, only making it worse. His cries must not have been as quiet as he hoped, because Zack started swearing on the line, obviously moving around if the thumps and jingles in the background were anything to go by.

“Shit. Cloud, hey buddy, it’s okay,” Zack said softly, attempted to soothe Cloud over the phone, “It’s going to be okay. I’m on the way right now, just stay put and I’ll be right there, okay?”

Cloud couldn’t find it in himself to respond, sniveling and hiccuping as he tried to stop the constant flow of tears from his eyes. His mouth felt dry, and his skin felt tight as he scrunched up his face in pain as another hiccup took over his body. Through the PHS, he could hear the starting sound of an engine, and Zack’s continuous sweet nothings, but he couldn’t make out exactly what was being said. Cloud closed his eyes, hoping it would block out the world spinning around him. He must have hit it when he fell.

Cloud blinked open his eyes blearily, not quite registering the world around him, only that his body was slightly shaking. It irritated his shoulder, so he whined his disapproval, trying to move from whatever was shaking him. It eventually stopped, moving to pat at his cheek instead. Another warm mass reached for his other cheek, finally pulling him back into his own head. He gasped a little at the contact, blinking a few times as he registered the face in front of him.

It was Zack, a worried expression creasing his features. Cloud realised his lips were moving, but his ears were ringing. Feeling overwhelmed, Cloud closed his eyes again, only to be patted much more firmly by the man currently crouched in front of him. Groaning, Cloud squinted his eyes open. Zack seemed to only be more concerned than before, thumbs rubbing up and down on Cloud’s cheeks as he bit his lip, obviously lost in thought. Cloud would have blushed at the attention, if not for the pain that was currently taking up all his brain space.

“Cloud?” Zack sighed deeply in relief as Cloud finally gave an affirmative, despite the obvious overstimulation the blonde was experiencing, “Oh, thank god. What happened?”

Cloud took a few moments to process what the other had said, blinking sluggishly before finally opening cracked lips to mumble, “..Fell…”

Zack somehow found it in himself to be even more concerned at Cloud’s lack of a proper sentence. A determined look suddenly crossed the other’s face, and he scooted closer to his injured coworker, sliding one hand under his knees and the other caressing his back. Not knowing what exactly Cloud’s injuries were, Zack lifted the other.

The pain was unbearable, Cloud’s vision went black for a moment, before he screamed in pain, causing Zack to jump out of his skin and nearly drop the male in his arms. Cloud’s flailing didn’t help much either, and Zack would’ve definitely dropped the other if he wasn’t as enhanced as he was. The only thing Shrina was good for, he supposed. His enhancements also allowed him to finally see Cloud’s glaring issue: the arm that was hanging out of its socket.

“Oh, shitshitshit,” Zack apologised profusely as Cloud whimpered, “Sorry, Cloudy, I didn’t know. Fuck.” The SOLDIER jogged to his bike as quick as possible without jostling Cloud too much. He set Cloud on the bike in front of him, getting on and pulling the injured blonde close to his chest. He’d have to drive with one hand, but it would have to do. Zack checked one more time to make sure Cloud was secure before revving the engine, taking off into the dark streets of the Undercity.

“Sephiroth!” Zack called as he burst through the door to their shared apartment, Cloud in his arms. The silver haired SOLDIER seemed to appear out of thin air, a grim look on his face when he registered what was in front of him. The two brought Cloud to the dining room, setting him on the table.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Zack worried, chewing on his lip as Sephiroth examined the other, a concerned expression painted on his face. The silver haired male tried to give Zack a comforting look, but he was too focused on the pained expression that was contorting Cloud’s face. Not wanting to waste another second, Sephiroth tore off the shirt that Cloud had on, revealing the shoulder, now obviously out of its socket. Zack hissed in sympathy at the sight, and Sephiroth had to agree. It looked pretty gnarly. Sephiroth ran a leather-gloved hand lightly over the affected area, almost soothingly, before straightening up.

“Zack, go get an ice pack.” Sephiroth was always one to get right down to business, and Zack nodded, a determined look on his face as he scurried off. As he waited for the other to return, he took Cloud’s—now ruined—shirt in his hands, tearing it in a way that he could easily fashion into a sling. Once Cloud’s arm was in its socket, he could cast a healing materia, but Sephiroth knew that both Zack and himself would feel better if Cloud took it easy for a few days afterwards.

Zack returned soon after, armed with an ice pack from their freezer, something they would usually put in their packed lunches. Sephiroth watched silently as Zack set it next to Cloud, before looking up at him, puppy eyes basically screaming ’now what?’ Sephiroth sighed deeply, mentally preparing himself before turning to Zack.

“You will hold him down. I will set the shoulder back into place.” He instructed, waiting for Zack’s affirmative before looking down at Cloud. Zack quickly got into position, one hand holding down his torso, and the other holding his legs in case he kicked. Sephiroth took one leather glove off, putting it in Cloud’s mouth, and directing him to bite down on it. If Cloud understood, Sephiroth didn’t know, but at least the presence of the glove would prevent Cloud from accidentally biting off his own tongue. Once all preparations were made and Sephiroth could procrastinate no longer, he himself got into position, one hand slowly pulling the arm up, slightly shaking the arm occasionally.

After what seemed an eternity, a sickening pop echoed in the room, causing Zack and Sephiroth to wince and Cloud to scream in pain, muffled by the leather in his mouth. His eyes flew open as his body attempted to arch away from the pain flooding his system, only to be held down by Zack. He began to retch again, thankfully no bile coming out as Zack attempted to soothe him, whispering sweet nothings and pressing kisses to his sweaty forehead. Tears leaked out of Cloud’s eyes, but he had stopped making noise, just laying there as miserable whines left him. Sephiroth immediately put the ice to Cloud’s shoulder, wrapping it up in the makeshift sling he had prepared. Once he deemed his work to be satisfactory, Sephiroth allowed himself to comfort Cloud, running his gloveless hand through surprisingly soft blonde locks as he cast healing materia over Cloud.

Once Cloud’s breathing had calmed to a more appropriate pace, Zack picked him up, careful of his now restrained arm, and took him to his and Sephiroth’s shared room, laying him gently on their plush bed. He brushed the hair off of Cloud’s forehead, leaning down to kiss him on the now exposed skin before turning to leave the room. When he turned, however, Sephiroth was right there, leaning against the doorframe with a smug ‘i told you so’ expression painted on his face. Zack rolled his eyes at the other, playfully pushing him out of the room by the shoulders, then stretching up to press a kiss to his lips. “I know, I know, I’m smitten.”

“At least you are aware.” Was Sephiroth’s only response.

Chapter Text

When Cloud woke up, he felt at peace, worlds different than whatever clusterfuck happened the night before. His shoulder still twinged a little with pain—there was only so much the materia could do to his enhanced body—but anything was better than what he felt like before he fell asleep. Sitting up in bed, Cloud stretched out his body, careful not to jostle his sling, before standing up and making his way to the kitchen, where he swore he smelled pancakes.

Rounding the corner, Cloud’s suspicions were correct, Sephiroth standing in front of the stove, armed with a spatula that looked like Zack’s famous Buster Sword, lightly humming a song as he flipped the pancakes in the pan. Zack was on his PHS at the dining table, obviously playing a game if his flying fingers and scrunched up face were anything to go by, but once he spotted Cloud, he quickly put the game down, almost bouncing out of his seat as he waved him over.

Cloud went willingly, smiling lightly at Sephiroth who purred out a greeting, and sat next to Zack, who threw an arm around Cloud’s good side and squashed him into a side hug. The black haired SOLDIER held him like this for a few moments, before pulling away to his own space, talking to Sephiroth about their plans for the day.

Maybe he was still half asleep, or maybe the materia had an effect on him, but before Cloud could even think of the decision, his body was moving, sliding over to sit himself squarely in Zack’s lap. Zack yelped, jumping at the sudden contact, his hands flailing as if he wasn’t sure what to do with them, before they rested on the small of Cloud’s back. Sephiroth had whipped his head around at Zack’s noise, only to throw his head back in deep laughter at the sight. Cloud quickly tucked his head below Zack’s chin, face red as he realised just what he was doing.

“Uh, what’s up, Spike?” Zack sounded unsure, but an air of smugness had begun to surround him. Cloud could feel him looking down, his chin pressing into Cloud’s hair. Pulling away slightly, cheeks still hot with blush, Cloud looked up at Zack through his eyelashes. Zack was looking down at him, eyebrows drawn up in question, but his lips were pulling into a slight smirk. Cloud chewed his lip—a habit he adapted from too much time around Zack—in anxiety, his eyes flitted down to Zack’s lips before he caught himself, face going impossibly redder as he noticed that Zack definitely saw where he was looking. Cloud hid his face by burying it into Zack’s chest once again.

“You’re warm..” He mumbled into Zack’s chest, causing the other to laugh lightly, the sound alone making Cloud’s cheeks warm further. Zack moved again, a hand grasping Cloud’s chin to lift his head, forcefully making eye contact with the other. The two stared at each other as if they were in a trance, before Zack broke the contact, his eyes slipped down to Cloud’s lips, licking his own before opening his mouth.

“Can I kiss you?” Cloud’s face flushed as he shyly nodded, and Zack closed the ever receding space between the two. The kiss was sweet, no control or lust, only the love that was shared between them. They separated moments later, staring into each others eyes before a lighthearted throat clearing caused them both to freeze. Cloud whipped his head around to see Sephiroth smiling at them, a plate of pancakes in his hand. Something flashed in his eye as he looked at Cloud, but it disappeared as he walked towards the duo.

“Breakfast is ready.” Sephiroth announced as he placed the plate with a stack of pancakes on the table, along with cut up fruits and other toppings. On his way to his seat, he leaned down, pressing his lips to Cloud’s before rising to his full height and continuing on. Cloud sat ramrod straight, cheeks flushed so red you would think he was with fever. Zack took one look at him before pouting at Sephiroth, who was now loading his plate with food.

“Seeee-ph..” Zack complained, “Look, you broke him!”

Sephiroth only huffed amusedly, cutting into his pancake as he spoke, “So, the mission?”

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Cloud spoke, now in work mode, “Place is clear for us already,” He started, “Must’ve been the Turks. All we have to do is show up and kick some ass.”

Zack nodded approvingly, “What we do best!”