Writer's Note: Here's a little one-shot on the side, sparked from a conversation between me and my beta, Birddi. She insisted and it was too cute to pass up. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Anything related to Final Fantasy VII or affiliates belongs to SquareEnix and not myself. Though it saddens me to admit it, it's true.

Temporary Cure

Cloud Strife wandered the halls of Shinra, morose and out-of-sorts. He’d been a little down since that letter from his mother, and somehow that mood had translated to distracting his everyday activities. His mind just would not part from the nasty train of thought he’d been harboring for the past two days and it was beginning to bring everyone around him down as well.

To think, the mayor wanted to oust his mother from Nibelheim! She’d lived there all her life and she was the best cook in that whole town and she made the most beautiful rugs. To think they’d even dream of such a thing!

His mother hadn’t offered an explanation in her letter, probably toning down how bad the situation was for his benefit. It really only made it worse in the end though, because he knew things were never as grand she made them out to be. And now he had to wonder if he had something to do with this requested eviction. Nibelheim didn’t do this often; Cloud had only remotely heard about one other time, but the circumstances had been different. A thief had been hiding from the authorities in Nibelheim, so there was legitimate reason for the eviction, but his mother wasn’t doing anything wrong. The idea he might have indirectly caused this hurt as much as the thought of his kind mother putting up with the mayor’s bad attitude. She had teeth for sure, after all the jeers she’d put up with for having an illegitimate child and bastard for a son, but he was a SOLDIER – he should be the edge of her sword now.

The part that ate Cloud up the most though, was how little he could do from Midgar. As happy as he was here, his mother was having a difficult time. She was by herself out there, something Cloud hadn’t thought about in a while.

Which was why he hadn’t returned back to the apartment even though Sephiroth was probably there already and waiting for him. That left a nasty feeling in the pit of Cloud’s stomach, but he had to deal with this problem first before he dealt with that one. Cloud knew his mood had something to do with Sephiroth’s downturn too, and the blond felt bad about it. But he couldn’t seem to find a way out of this funk, so he decided to figure it out tonight alone, where there wouldn’t be any casualties.

It was his problem, since it was his mother, and he didn’t want to mix up the others in this personal issue. It also meant addressing past issues Zack, and especially Sephiroth, would not react lightly to. Like how he was the pariah of the town.

And of course, Zack would make made that explanation exceedingly difficult.

He was upbeat always, and was a constant annoyance when he pestered Cloud for answers in his not-so-subtle and sometimes outrageous ways. Trickery, debauchery, anything went and Cloud knew that if this mood lasted too long he’d be subject to just about anything.

The First Class came around the bend, more cheerful than usual, whistling a rather obscene song Cloud recognized. The SOLDIER First tended to enjoy turning up the radio in his office when a particularly terrible song was on, knowing Sephiroth could hear it even through his soundproof walls.

Zack stopped next to Cloud and caught his shoulder, effectively halting him in the middle of the hallway. They were on the lowest floor of the building, Cloud heading for the exit and Zack coming from it. They were in Sephiroth’s apartment building; Cloud had used the emergency staircase to get around Sephiroth, who always took the same route home. Why Zack was here he didn’t know, but Cloud had a nasty feeling it had something to do with him. It was late enough that the corridor was deserted, but still early enough that the guards hadn’t come out. Seeing Zack’s amiable face and the determined glint in his crystal blue eyes, gave Cloud a nasty feeling that he might be listening to a declaration of Zack’s resolve to lift his mood in a few moments.

If so, Cloud wanted to get away before it happened.

“Zack, tell Sephiroth I’ll be back soon. I’m just going to think out on the fields.”

“You can tell him yourself once you turn right back around.” Zack’s eyes flickered over Cloud’s head for just a moment, too fast for even Cloud to catch. He hadn’t taken his hand off Cloud’s shoulder, and even though the blond Second Class was no pushover, Zack was still a First and he had the advantage at the moment in both height and weight. Not to mention rank.

He turned Cloud around with both hands, redirecting him down the hallway back the way he came. The elevator was at the end, and therefore the top floor where Sephiroth’s penthouse was. Just as Zack pushed Cloud forward, there was a sharp crack across his backside and Zack’s cheery laugh.

“Buck up Cloud! Stop being so mopey! No one’s dead and you’re loved.” Zack was cracking up behind him as Cloud whirled around, feeling violated and confused. He’d just had his ass slapped by Zack of all people, and the guy wasn’t the least bit fazed by it.

“What was that for!?” He rubbed his rear gingerly. Zack had really laid one on him and even through his clothes it hurt.

“Just had to slap some sense into you Cloud.” Zack was still chuckling as he ruffled Cloud’s hair.

There was a soft step behind Cloud and suddenly a warm hand on his waist. “What happened here?”

Sephiroth’s melodic voice tickled the back of Cloud’s ear as he leaned forward. Cloud relaxed instinctively, enough that he would have pressed back against Sephiroth like he normally did before he caught himself. Despite how his body betrayed him when his head tilted back, seeking the familiar touch of the General’s lips, Cloud knew he couldn’t let that go anywhere. At least not in the hallway, and not right now. Sephiroth’s grip on him wouldn’t let him move away, but the man didn’t need any more encouragement.

All those thoughts zipped from his mind as Sephiroth pulled him a little closer, inevitably pressing Cloud’s sore buttocks to his thighs. Immediately Cloud’s face flushed, and the way Zack’s eyes flickered to it and the smile lit on his face made the color turn even brighter. He couldn’t believe this was happening!

Zack just smirked, flashing a cheeky grin at Sephiroth and wiggling his eyebrows in Cloud’s direction.

“Just offering to help lift his mood, sir.” That stupid smirk couldn’t hide behind his innocent expression. His waved and jauntily walked off, leaving a sputtering, red-faced Cloud and a stoic, but slightly confused Sephiroth.

“What just happened Cloud?” Sephiroth turned him around to face him, keeping him at arms length, his eyes trailing all over his body. Cloud was about level with his collarbones, his spiky hair, especially when towel-dried after a shower, could make him as tall as Sephiroth. The General didn’t see anything wrong, but Zack had obviously done something. It wasn’t a practical joke, no glue or dye anywhere to be seen. His eyes noticed nothing in Cloud’s pockets or anything in his hands. It just left Sephiroth with one option: Zack had said something.

Cloud’s face tinted a little darker under the scrutiny, but his bum still stung from where Zack had hit it. He ignored the uncomfortable sensation, worrying suddenly if it would bruise. If it did he thought he might die of embarrassment. After he murdered Zack.

Screw that he’s a First. That idiot’s gonna be so dead once I get my hands on him. If Sephiroth takes it the wrong way I’m blaming it all on him.

That First Class had probably done it on purpose; maybe he even tricked Sephiroth into coming here. That wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Zack, though the lewdness of the gesture was something new. Zack had insinuated before to Cloud, though never in front of the General, but had never actually done something.

“N-nothing.” Cloud was so red it looked like a terrible rash or some unfortunate sunburn.

Sephiroth took note of it, along with the stutter. Cloud rarely stuttered anymore, and he hadn’t in Sephiroth’s presence for a long time. For a moment the General thought he’d done something, before noting the embarrassment and deciding it all led back to Zack. Zack must have done something pretty bad or pretty humiliating to make Cloud react this badly, and if it fueled the rumor mill, the SOLDIER was in real trouble.

He looped his arm over Cloud’s shoulders, guiding him back to the quarters. The silence that fell over them was expectant, and Cloud knew Sephiroth would ask for details if he didn’t spill them first. If the silence held too long, the General would reach his own conclusions, and those were always worse than the truth.

When Cloud had refused to explain how Reno had managed to burn a hole through Cloud’s underwear, the General’s answer had been nothing short of horrific. Reno had barely gotten away with his life, and Cloud had probably cut ten years off his life stressing and being anxious over explaining his klutziness with a lighter.

Cloud learned after that it was better to face up to it, or at least water it down when you told him the truth, rather than let him ruminate on it.

“Zack was just having some fun.”

“I saw you turn around suddenly and shout. What did he do?”

Of all the questions… “It wasn’t anything.”

“Your cheeks are hot.” Sephiroth’s cool hand touched Cloud’s cheek and made the blond recoil suddenly. The General didn’t pull back though, but followed the movement of Cloud’s face. His lips were set in a grim line. “If you won’t tell me then I’ll make it an order.”

Cloud’s eyes visibly widened. “You wouldn’t! I swear it wasn’t anything!”

The implicit threat in Sephiroth’s eyes was making Cloud incredibly nervous. Sephiroth might come off as a rules and regulations guy, but he’d pull rank to punish Cloud – even if it was for an entirely personal reason.

“Cloud.” Sephiroth’s eyes were steely as they settled on him. The General always had this effect on people, and that weighty stare was usually meant to intimidate. For Cloud though, it was always a double-edged sword. It turned him on.

“He just slapped me… it was harder than I expected.”

Cloud made the mistake of shifting one of his hands to his offended rear, and Sephiroth sharp eyes caught the action. Before Cloud could even react, his eyes still caught in Sephiroth’s, the General leaned over Cloud’s front and grabbed the moving hand with his right. The left delivered a sharp swat to the other butt cheek Zack hadn’t hit.

Bastard probably hit me hard as he could knowing I can take it now.

“Ow! What the-”

Sephiroth pushed Cloud into the wall, caging him in with his hands and deliberately pushing his hips into Cloud’s, forcing the blond’s stinging ass against the wall. “Better now?”

Cloud choked down the low moan as Sephiroth rotated his hips against Cloud’s, thrusting a bit at the end just to catch the almost indecipherable whimper. The little noises Cloud made, not to mention his more persistent begging, always had a positive effect on Sephiroth’s libido.

“If this is all it takes then I’d be more than willing to help.” Whatever Zack had done had put Sephiroth in the right position to make Cloud be more… normal and not so gloomy. And with that thought his mouth connected with Cloud’s, taking and invading just the way Cloud liked it. The blond shifting his hands from within the hold, catching on to Sephiroth’s moonbeam hair and gripping it, pulling Sephiroth closer.

Sephiroth had found Cloud liked to have a hold on something when making love, whether to ground himself or just to get out some of the tension. It proved to be useful too when Cloud was denied the chance to hold on to something. Made him all the more antsy and more prone to writhing against him.

In response to Cloud’s grip, Sephiroth pulled away, nipping at Cloud’s lip as he pulled back. The low, throaty moan of disappointment that escaped Cloud’s parted lips was well worth it.

One of Sephiroth’s hands dropped to Cloud’s butt, using that leverage to push Cloud away from the wall. The blond stumbled into the taller man, and taking advantage of his new position before he could really think about it, he nipped at Sephiroth’s nipple through the loose material of his work shirt.

The General’s sharp slap to Cloud’s abused bum stopped him. “Did I say you were allowed to touch me?”

Cloud tried to straighten himself and found he couldn’t. Sephiroth’s iron grip held him against the General, even as they started to walk towards the elevator again. “No.”

Cloud cried out suddenly as Sephiroth’s teeth bit his ear. The touch was neither soft nor expected, and Sephiroth could feel Cloud’s hardness against his leg stiffen even further.

“No sir.”

Sephiroth released him, though his hold on Cloud’s ass didn’t let up. Frog marching the blond as he stumbled and righted himself, pressing to keep up with Sephiroth’s long strides. The elevator door opened just as they arrived at it, and he keyed in the floor number of their apartment.

Sephiroth half-smirked at the camera watching them in the corner of the elevator. “Kiss me Cloud.”