Final Fantasy VII; Sephiroth/Cloud; Theme 39 - owner/slave "Projects Part 3"
Title: Projects Part 3 Author: jessara40k Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Pairing: past Zack/Sephiroth, past Genesis/Sephiroth, past OMC/Sephiroth, Cloud/Sephiroth Rating: R Warnings: Slavery, slash, implied experimentation, implied abuse, implied bastard Zack Theme: 39 owner/slave
Sephiroth slowly blinked himself awake, wondering where he was, and why he felt so good when there was someone wrapped around him. Even Zack had barely touched him when he told Sephiroth to sleep in his bed and he’d never understood why his master had acted as if it was a reward when sleeping in the same bed as Zack was so uncomfortable. But...Cloud hadn’t tossed about all night the way Zack did, or stolen all the covers; he’d just moved Sephiroth away from the wet spot and hooked a leg over his hips then settled down to sleep. He shut his eyes again, enjoying the unusual sense of peace Cloud’s touch was giving him, until the growing pressure in his bladder became uncomfortable; then he shifted slowly, trying to work his way out of bed without waking his master.
He managed to get out of bed without waking Cloud, and moved near-silently to the bathroom - he’d learned that perfect silence was more likely to wake or disturb his masters than tiny, barely noticeable sounds were. But when he came out of the bathroom he realised that Cloud had woken anyway, even though he’d been careful not to turn any lights on, or to flush the toilet, and his master was leaning up on one elbow to look at him.
“You okay Sephiroth?”
“Yes Cloud. Do you want me to get back in bed with you?” If his master wanted him to stand here in the cold and answer his questions he’d obey, but he’d far rather return to the comfort of Cloud’s arms.
“You’re welcome in my bed, but I won’t force you. I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but I’ll always respect your right to say no in any...uhm, intimate situation.” As he spoke Cloud lifted the covers in invitation, and Sephiroth moved quickly to join him again.
“I do believe you.” Sephiroth was surprised at how easily that confidence in Cloud came to him, at how readily he relaxed at his master’s touch. “But I’d rather you just held me right now.”
“Yeah, I need to get out of bed in half an hour or so...we don’t want to have a reason to lose track of time. But it’s really not worth trying to get back to sleep either, so...you want to talk?” Cloud stroked Sephiroth’s lower back in small circles as he spoke, and Sephiroth shut his eyes with a smile, tucking his head against Cloud’s shoulder.
“Yes please. Ah...might I ask you why you agreed to have sex with me last night?”
“Because you weren’t offering as a way to thank me for teaching you. I...thought you were asking because it was something you wanted, rather than something you thought you had to ask. You didn’t offer yourself after I confirmed that you could socialise with Professor Hojo, or after I gave you those science books.”
“Oh!” Cloud had been really good about letting him meet with Professor Hojo, putting fewer restrictions on him than Zack had - when he’d belonged to Zack all the Professor had been allowed to do was eat lunch with him, and only in the science cafeteria, but Cloud had only said he wanted advance warning if Professor Hojo would be taking him to eat somewhere else in the evening and Sephiroth wouldn’t be cooking for him. “I...when you gave me the rules for socialising with Professor Hojo I remembered that you didn’t want me offering myself when you’d been kind to me, and you didn’t seem to expect anything but politeness when you gave me the science books. I...did want to have sex with you last night, and I think I will want to do that again, if you’re willing.”
“Oh, that isn’t in any doubt.” Cloud behind kissed his ear and Sephiroth shivered at the unexpectedly erotic contact. “But...I think I’m going to need to wait for you to start things for now. And please...not when you’re kneeling.”
“Not when I’m kneeling?” Why would Cloud add that restriction?
“I...it bothers me, leave it at that. Please.”
“As you wish.” It was little enough that Cloud was asking after all and Sephiroth didn’t quite understand why he was offering so much control over this side of things. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“I...you were crying last night, do you want to talk about why?” Cloud’s voice was soft and uncertain in his ear, but Sephiroth still felt himself stiffen at the question. “You don’t have to, not if it will upset you or make you uncomfortable.”
“I’d rather not. I...it wasn’t anything you did.” Even with Zack he’d never felt safe enough to cry like that, not when there was any chance his master would see him, and Sephiroth still couldn’t entirely believe that being with Cloud had made him feel secure enough to cry during sex. “I...I’m really sorry I did that, I know it upset you, and I wish I hadn’t made you feel like that-”
“Hush.” He obeyed at once, not quite sure it wasn’t an order despite Cloud’s promise to let him take the lead in sex. “As long as it wasn’t something I did I won’t pry, but I want you to tell me if I do anything to upset you, or if you think I’m pressing you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Can you manage that?”
“Yes. Or...I can try anyway.” But a month of feeling safe, of hearing that Cloud wanted him to play housekeeper, not wife or fuck-toy, wasn’t really enough to counteract everything else he’d known, and Sephiroth was certain that if he ever felt something was important to Cloud, was what his master really wanted, he’d just fold, submit to Cloud’s desires even if it scared him, or hurt him.
“I guess I can’t ask for more than that.” Sephiroth was spared the need to answer when Cloud’s alarm went off, and he reluctantly pulled away from him with one last kiss. “You don’t need to get up yet; I can do breakfast for myself easily enough, and if you want to try for a bit more sleep I understand.”
“No, I’ll go start doing a proper breakfast for you while you shower.” If he left it to Cloud he knew that his master would just settle for a couple of slices of toast, instead of having the protein he needed.
“You don’t have to.” But he knew that Cloud’s objection was only for show and he pulled on his trousers and a shirt to cook for them both. It surprised him when Cloud stretched up to kiss him before he left, but the casual token of affection felt nice, really nice.
Professor Hojo had said he wanted to join Sephiroth for lunch today, so he probably didn’t have time to take the sheets to the laundry, and he might as well wash his hair as he wasn’t going to leave the apartment. He showered first, washing his hair and using conditioner before putting clean clothes on and wrapping his hair in a towel to keep it out of the way. Cloud wouldn’t want to sleep on those dirty sheets again tonight and Sephiroth changed them out for fresh and did some clean-up before he started cooking lunch, including sterilising the dildo he’d tried fucking himself with.
Professor Hojo didn’t mind that Sephiroth cooked a fairly light lunch for them; since he needed to cook a large meal for when Cloud came back, and he began preparing a simple risotto about half an hour before the professor was due to arrive.
“Sephiroth?” He was busy when he heard Professor Hojo call for him from the main room, so he simply raised his voice to call back.
“I’m in the kitchen at the moment. Would you like to come and join me?”
“If I won’t get in your way.” He glanced over to where Professor Hojo was standing in the doorway with a smile.
“No, the kitchen’s big enough for the two of us. But you know that sir.” He let a challenging note slide into his voice, something he might not have normally dared to do, but he kept smiling, making sure Professor Hojo didn’t think he was trying to give offence.
“Yes, but it’s rude to just assume you’re welcome, or to take advantage of an offer made from obligation. You seem happy today, my boy. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”
“I am happy.” And it was true, even if Sephiroth hadn’t realised it until now. He should probably give the Professor a reason for why he was happy before he thought about asking for one. “Cloud started teaching me how to use a sword yesterday.”
“He has? That’s wonderful.” But Professor Hojo didn’t seem entirely pleased by the news. “That smells great, will it be long?”
“No more than ten minutes I think.” Sephiroth accepted the change of subject, and resigned himself to not discussing the change in his relationship with Cloud.
XOXOX
Sephiroth was sitting on the floor brushing out his hair when Cloud returned from yet more training. He hadn’t noticed it before; the way Sephiroth always sat on the floor unless Cloud or Hojo was there and made it clear he was expected to use a chair; but it bothered him, and he’d try to do something about that as well.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to do that in a chair?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always done it like this, and I’m comfortable like this, truly.” Cloud didn’t entirely believe that, but he couldn’t think of a way to say so without upsetting Sephiroth. “Cloud, would it bother you if I asked to be with you again tonight?”
“You’re allowed to ask whenever you want. I might say no, but I won’t be angry with you for asking.”
“Oh.” Sephiroth blinked, and swallowed, looking uncomfortable. “I...was that a kind way to refuse me tonight?”
“No Sephiroth.” Cloud moved to kneel beside Sephiroth, hesitantly reaching to rest a hand on his shoulder. “I was just making sure you understood that you’re always allowed to ask, and that if I say no it’s specific to what you’re asking for, at that time.”
“Not a rejection of me, just of the timing, or of a specific act. Yes, I understand.” Sephiroth smiled tremulously at Cloud before continuing. “Will you permit me to share your bed tonight then?”
“Yes, if that’s what you want.” Maybe this time he could find a way to avoid making Sephiroth cry. But there was something the other man might not have thought about...“I know I said that I’d let you make the decisions about our sex life, but there’s something I’d like you to think about.”
“Of course, as you wish.” He didn’t sound disappointed, or even slightly surprised, and that nettled Cloud’s pride - although at least Sephiroth didn’t seem to be upset in any way.
“I won’t bring it up after this; I just...from your attitude I don’t think it’s something that would ever occur to you. If you hate the idea you don’t need to worry about how to refuse me, just don’t mention it again, but I want you to promise to think about it seriously.” Cloud pulled his had back, Sephiroth seemed steady enough not to need the comfort, and he thought that what he was going to ask would be threatening enough, he didn’t need Sephiroth to feel restrained by his touch in any way.
“I promise I’ll think about it, whatever you’re asking I’ll give it full consideration.” Cloud hoped that Sephiroth really meant it, that he’d think about this and decide what he wanted, not just that he’d give Cloud whatever he asked for, but he couldn’t really say he had doubts, not without hurting the other man.
“Thank you.” He’d been playing around with how to phrase the question just about all day, whenever he didn’t have to think about something else, and he’d concluded there was no way of putting it delicately. “I...did it ever cross your mind to take me last night?”
“Take you? No.” Sephiroth shook his head almost frantically, a faintly panicked look in his eyes. “I’m yours. I...it isn’t my place to do that. I...I was being presumptuous even to offer myself, how could I dare to ask...”
“Sephiroth, hush.” He fell silent at once, trembling faintly, and Cloud silently cursed himself for pushing this when his lover was so unstable. “I waited for you to make the first move because I want you willing or not at all. Part of that is I want you to enjoy yourself; if you’re ever not enjoying yourself I expect you to stop, or tell me to stop.” He fell silent, watching Sephiroth to see if he was calm enough for that to sink in.
“I said I’d try to do that for you, and I will, I can’t promise more than that. But I did enjoy what we did last night, even though I started crying, I swear I did.”
“I believe you.” He was just fucking this up even more wasn’t he? But at least Sephiroth wasn’t trembling anymore, even if his voice was shaking with some unclear emotion. He reached out, offering his hand to Sephiroth, but leaving the choice of whether to take it or not up to him. Sephiroth took his hand, clutching hard enough that it hurt, but Cloud didn’t let that show, simply raising Sephiroth’s hand to his lips and kissing it. “But...if you enjoyed being taken why wouldn’t I? I mean don’t you think you could make it good for me if you were inside me?”
“I...if you commanded it I could, at least I think I could, but...I’ve never had a master who wanted that from me before. I...sometimes it’s felt good, physically, even with a master who didn’t care about my pleasure, but I...he was just using me. There was one master who liked to make it feel good for me on a physical level, but he used that to humiliate me, and I’d have preferred it if he’d just hurt me. With you and my last master I...it felt good emotionally too, and it didn’t matter that much that sometimes, with my last master the physical didn’t quite measure up, not when he usually treated me like I mattered.”
“I...see.” That was more information than Cloud had expected, and perhaps more honesty than he really deserved, but...it seemed to have helped Sephiroth to tell him all that. “I’m not going to order you to do anything sexual, but please, think about if you’d like to have a turn at taking me. If you do want that just let me know and I’ll get some new lube for that.” He’d heard something about it not being safe to share lube, and he was pretty sure the lube he’d used with Sephiroth last night had been made with a Potion, which Sephiroth probably needed more than Cloud did.
“I...if I ever feel I can ask for that I’ll let you know in advance. But...I don’t think I could handle that, not now, not unless it was a direct order from you.”
“And I won’t give you that kind of order, but as long as you understand that it’s an open offer I can settle for that.” Cloud stood up again, and helped Sephiroth to his feet, then stepped back to disengage a bit. “What did you have planned to eat tonight?”
“I’ve prepared everything to do a stir-fry. It should cook up pretty quickly, as long as you want it with noodles rather than rice.”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Sephiroth’s cooking was as good as Cloud’s mother’s, and a lot more varied. “You know I trust your judgement on what works food-wise. Do you need any help?”
“No, I can manage.” Sephiroth shook his head, backing away a bit. “You can set the table if you want.” And stay out of Sephiroth’s way. Even if he wouldn’t risk asking for that explicitly Cloud could read the subtext, and he couldn’t blame Sephiroth for wanting some time alone, without Cloud there to put pressure on him even just by his presence.
“Plates as well?”
“Please, I’ll bring the wok in to serve from.”
Cloud collected everything he needed to set the table before Sephiroth began cooking, and picked up his current book to do some studying while he waited for Sephiroth. It was hard to concentrate, his mind kept going back to how badly he’d messed up broaching the question of Sephiroth fucking him, and he kept on trying to work out how he could have done it better, without upsetting Sephiroth. He probably couldn’t, not without simply backing down and letting Sephiroth forget about it after that first mention, but Cloud didn’t want Sephiroth to ever think their sex life was about Cloud using him - and then, the way he’d reacted, it had left Cloud with the awful idea that Sephiroth might not have enjoyed being with him, might have somehow felt obliged to do something he hated.
But he pushed those issues from his mind when Sephiroth came in with the wok and joined Sephiroth at the table, serving himself first, because he knew that Sephiroth would never serve himself first, always waited for Cloud to get what he wanted first.
“I’ve got the day after tomorrow free, so I thought we could go and get you some better bras in the morning, then I could give you another lesson in swordplay during the afternoon.”
“You do? And you could? Thank you Cloud, thank you.” Sephiroth’s eyes lit up at the idea, but then something seemed to occur to him, and he looked down at the table, biting his lip. “I think maybe the reason you’ve got time off is that Dr Hollander is planning a longer experiment on you pretty soon. Professor Hojo did hint that he’d been talking about that recently; he just hasn’t got next week’s schedule yet.”
“I see.” It did explain why Cloud had been given more free time than he normally had recently. “Will you be okay while Dr Hollander’s got me in the tank, or whatever he’s got planned?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be fine. No one will bother me. I’ll be restricted of course, but that doesn’t matter, not really.”
“Right.” Cloud didn’t like that, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it, not and keep Sephiroth safe, not yet anyway.
XOXOX
Sephiroth dressed as a woman in anticipation of their shopping trip - skipping the dancer’s belt to test his theory that the skirt was full enough to hide his cock without any help. He’d slept in Cloud’s bed the past two nights, to see if his comfort of the first night had been some sort of fluke, and learned that his master was even kinder than he’d believed. The last two nights he’d only wanted to sleep with Cloud, but he’d thought that Cloud would only allow it after sex, so he made the offer that first time. Cloud had somehow realised that he hadn’t wanted it, even though he’d been responding physically, and stopped, saying that he wouldn’t fuck Sephiroth when he didn’t really want it, and that he could still share Cloud’s bed, at least that night.
“You look great Sephiroth.” Cloud smiled appreciatively as he looked Sephiroth over when he came into the main room, coat draped over his arm. “A lot more comfortable than you did last time, although...”
“Is there something wrong with my appearance Cloud?” Even with Cloud the faintest suggestion that he’d displeased his master was still frightening.
“No, not really. It’s just that your coat’s a bit fancy to wear normally. We need to get you a new coat, something a bit plainer, while we’re out.”
“Oh! Thank you, Cloud.” He hadn’t expected that, and much as he hated the attention the fur coat drew, the envious murmurs and angry glances, he would never have presumed to ask for a replacement. “Ah...will we be coming back here to eat, or do you want to find somewhere in Midgar?”
“I’m not sure. It depends how long we spend shopping, but yeah, we’ll probably be eating out.” Cloud rested one hand at the small of Sephiroth’s back as he left the apartment, locking the door behind them. “That is unless you’d rather not?”
“I like spending time with you, and as long as people aren’t likely to stare at me I’m happy to do whatever pleases you.” It was true, just being around Cloud made Sephiroth feel safer, and more content than he could remember feeling since Genesis claimed him - the very fact that he dared to ask Cloud to avoid situations where he’d be stared at, even indirectly should speak volumes. And it seemed that Cloud recognised that from the pleased smile on his face.
“Well, if you do get to feeling uncomfortable just tell me.”
“I will.” Cloud might not have entirely realised he’d given Sephiroth an order, however casual it was, or he might have realised how much more comfortable Sephiroth still felt obeying orders than presuming upon Cloud’s kindness. He didn’t need to say anything more as Cloud guided him out into Midgar, always touching Sephiroth in some way; a hand on the small of his back, holding Sephiroth’s hand in his, wrapping his arm around Sephiroth’s waist, or sometimes just linking his arm through Sephiroth’s as they walked. Last time Cloud had simply steered Sephiroth with that possessive hand in the small of his back, and he’d enjoyed that, but it hadn’t occupied his mind in the way that this shifting touch did, and he thought he liked this better. It made him feel as if Cloud was paying more attention to him than he had last time, and it helped him read Cloud a bit better.
The shop Cloud took him to was small, and Sephiroth was honestly surprised that Cloud had even known about it, given how little there was to even indicate that it was a shop, not someone’s home.
“Hello, can I help you?” The brunette had an almost suspicious look on her face as she looked at them both, focusing on Cloud,
“Yes, I’m teaching my girl to defend herself, and she needs a few better bras. Rosa advised me to come here.” It was as if the name was some sort of password from the way the woman’s expression opened up into a welcoming smile.
“Of course sir. Please, come on in. I’m Erica. Would you prefer it if I measured you in private madam, or do you want your boyfriend there with us?”
“Cloud?” He looked at his master with a sense of panic; something about the way this woman was looking at him made him feel almost dirty. “Stay with me, please?”
“If that will make you feel better. Here, let me take your coat before we get any further in. I’ve heard you keep the fitting rooms fairly warm.”
“Well it only makes sense sir; after all we do need people to strip to their skin to make the proper measurements.” Was Erica flirting with Cloud there? While he was helping Sephiroth, ‘his girl’ take off with his coat?
“I was under the impression you specialised in hiding weapons with the cut of your products and so preferred your clients to wear them when you take their measurements. Not that my girl here is going to need to hide her weapons. Any more than I do.” Apparently Cloud wasn’t any happier with Erica’s attitude than Sephiroth was, and she seemed to sense that, guiding them quickly through to a windowless room.
“If you’ll remove your shirt and bra madam?” Erica’s tone and attitude was completely professional now, which was a relief, and help Sephiroth relax a bit as he obeyed, watching Cloud carefully for any cues in case of problems. But Erica stayed professional, measuring him without once trying to grope him or letting her touch linger or turn into any sort of advances.
“Do you care at all about wearing an attractive bra while you’re training, or will you be happy with functionality madam?”
“Ah...Cloud, what do you think?” He’d prefer functional, but he couldn’t say that, not without his master’s approval.
“You normally wear white shirts, so your bras need to be unnoticeable under white shirts, other than that appearance doesn’t matter to me.” Cloud stepped closer, reaching up to rest a hand on Sephiroth’s cheek. “Does it matter to you?”
“No Cloud. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t bother you if they end up ugly.”
“They won’t be ugly. Plain yes, and they’ll probably minimise your breasts, at least a little, but we don’t do ugly. There’s no point to that. Ah...you do understand that you’re ordering these bras on commission, and you won’t be able to take them away today, don’t you?”
“I hadn’t realised that.” Sephiroth’s head snapped around to focus on Erica as he spoke.
“Neither had I, not really, even though I should have.” Cloud stepped back a bit, letting his hand skim down Sephiroth’s arm to rest at his wrist. “How long will they take to make then?”
“It depends on how many you want, but we should be able to make up to five inside of a week. Although that’s only if you can bring your girl back for another fitting tomorrow.”
“That won’t be possible. Give me a contact number and I’ll call...say a day before I can bring her in again for a fitting. Will a standard sports bra be more comfortable than the type of bra she was wearing when she came in?”
“Yes sir, but it won’t work anywhere near as well as one of the bras we supply.”
“Especially not with how big my breasts are?” He glanced at Cloud as he spoke, hoping he wasn’t being too pushy, but relieved to see his master smiling softly in approval.
“Yes, at that size you need much more control than most normal sports bras offer for more than the lightest exercise.”
“I know, which is why I still want to buy seven bras from you. Can she put her clothes back on now?”
“Not quite yet sir, I need to test some cloth samples against your skin madam, but you can put your bra back on now.”
“Thank you.” Sephiroth hadn’t really cared that he’d been left standing naked from the waist up while they’d had that discussion, but Cloud obviously hadn’t been pleased by it judging from the way he’d just relaxed almost imperceptibly. Erica had turned away and moved to pull out a booklet and a pile of fabric swatches, and now she returned to hand the booklet to him.
“If you’ll look through this, madam, and choose which style of bra you’d prefer, I can find the best match we have to your skin tone.”
“Very well.” Sephiroth didn’t do more than glance at the pages, picking out the plainest bra they had on offer while she held the pieces of fabric against his back one at a time.
“Cloud, does this meet with your approval?”
“Yes, that will do fine. Have you worked out which fabric to use yet?”
“Yes sir. You’re very pale madam, the ivory is the closest match we have to your skin tone. Is this acceptable?”
“Yes, of course.” He didn’t actually care, but Cloud looked as if he approved anyway and Sephiroth was allowed to finish getting dressed again while Cloud made the necessary arrangements with Erica.
XOXOX
“How are you feeling Cloud?” The question came from behind him as he lifted himself on one elbow, relieved to find that he hadn’t been restrained while he was unconscious, and because he recognised the voice he took a moment to assess his condition before he answered.
“Fine Professor Hojo.” He finished sitting up and turned to look at the scientist. “Do you need to run any more tests?”
“No, I don’t. Do you really think Doctor Hollander would leave those to me?” The question could easily have sounded bitter, but it didn’t, instead Professor Hojo seemed to be inviting Cloud to share a joke.
“No, I guess not. But I’d sort of thought he’d be the one here when I woke up after he’d finished his experiments.” Cloud smiled, letting the scientist see that he wasn’t at all disappointed that Hollander’s possessive instincts hadn’t acted as he’d predicted. “Was kind of dreading it actually.”
“You can expect a full physical sometime in the next week - probably tomorrow or the day after, and Doctor Hollander will receive a copy of the results, but no, he took all the measurements he felt he needed while you were unconscious.” Professor Hojo smiled almost ruefully as he spoke. “In his place I think I’d have preferred to wait and perform those tests when you woke up, but as it is there was no reason I couldn’t work in here while you were unconscious.” And he didn’t want to let Cloud wake up alone.
“Thank you. How long have I been out, and is Sephiroth doing okay?” He should have asked about Sephiroth earlier, but from the look of surprise on the professor’s face he hadn’t expected Cloud to ask about him at all.
“No-one touches Sephiroth except his masters, so yes, he was fine. And he’s doing well in catching up with the education he should have had. It helps that I’ve got so much access to him now. It’s ten days since Doctor Hollander started his experiment - you weren’t entirely aware of your surroundings at points. But Sephiroth will certainly be pleased to see you again. He’s missed you.” Professor Hojo paused then, frowning and visibly considering his next words before continuing. “More than he missed his previous masters when they had to leave him for one reason or another. Have you considered how Sephiroth will cope when he’s taken away from you?”
“Cope?” Cloud hadn’t thought about his ownership of Sephiroth being temporary, even though it was obvious now that Professor Hojo had brought it up.
“You’ve given me more access to him and given Sephiroth more freedom and choice than any of his previous masters. He learned techniques to survive and endure them, but he might well forget those techniques while he’s yours. It could well break him to lose all the little freedoms you’ve granted him when Doctor Hollander moves on to his next subject.”
“No, I hadn’t thought about that.” It shed a new light on the way Sephiroth’s previous master had treated him; kindly for the most part, or at least it seemed so from the affection Sephiroth seemed to hold for him, but he hadn’t allowed Sephiroth to forget that he was a slave the way Cloud was encouraging him to. He’d have to find a way to make sure he didn’t have to give Sephiroth up then. “I’ll do my best not to let that happen Professor, I promise.”
“I very much doubt that you have that power, but I appreciate the thought.” The professor smiled briefly before turning back to whatever work he was doing.
“If I can’t find a plan that would let me keep Sephiroth by the time I hit First Class I swear I’ll talk to him about what might happen with his next owner and ask him to prepare for that. But any plan I can create would be much improved if you can show that he’s capable of understanding most of the things you do here - and more importantly of explaining them to people without your training.” Cloud knew that he was possibly being too indiscreet, but the professor wouldn’t have spoken about his concerns so openly if this lab was being monitored would he?
“He’ll never be capable of actually holding more than a lab tech’s position in the department, even if he does learn enough to do more - he’s too badly broken to demand the sort of respect that would take, or hold his own against the department politics. But I promise I’ll teach him as much as he’s capable of learning, and I’ll push him as much as I can if you do the same.”
“I will.” Cloud didn’t think he’d really need to push Sephiroth to learn as much as he could, but he would certainly minimise his other demands on Sephiroth’s time. “Do you know if I’m expected to report to anyone today?”
“I don’t know, but I shouldn’t think so.” Professor Hojo turned back to his work then and Cloud stood up and made his way to his apartment to get dressed.
“Cloud?” Sephiroth sounded surprised, and very pleased to see him, standing from the table where he was studying something and coming forward to greet him. “I hadn’t realised they were going to let you go today.”
“I don’t know if anyone but the scientists did know that they’d finish with me today.” He hugged Sephiroth, unhappily noting the tension in the man’s body, but pleased to feel it dissipate slowly. “Are you enjoying your lessons with Professor Hojo?”
“Oh yes. He was really kind to me while you were gone; he visited every day, and he’s been helping me whenever I’ve had a problem with my studies that I couldn’t work out myself.” Sephiroth looked anxious as Cloud let him pull away a bit, and his next words were slightly worried. “It was okay for him to come and see me so often? He did have your approval?”
“Yes, of course he did. Go back to your studying Sephiroth, I need to change into my uniform and check what and when my next assignment is. You can tell me about what you’ve been learning when I come back if you’d like.”
“I wouldn’t bore you?” Sephiroth sounded almost incredulous, then he blushed and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be insolent. I’d be glad to tell you about my lessons if it would please you, it’s just, I wouldn’t have thought you’d be that interested.”
“Don’t apologise. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I am interested, but finding out what I’m assigned to is my first priority right now.” He was more interested in whether or not Sephiroth could make whatever he was studying understandable than in hearing about it, and he was conscious that if he was really interested in the subject matter he’d want to hear about it as soon as possible.
“Then I won’t keep you.” Sephiroth smiled sadly as he returned to his work, and Cloud went to the bedroom to change into his uniform before setting off to find out his schedule for the next week or so.
“Ah, Strife. Doctor Hollander let you go sooner than we planned for. You’ve got a physical in eleven days, and before then you need to log at least thirty hours in the holo-training suite, but other than that you’re free to do what you want.” The secretary handed a slip over with the details of when his physical would be, and Cloud thanked him, then went to book those thirty hours. He couldn’t get anything for the next day, but he managed to set up enough time to train in four or five hour blocks before his physical. He wondered if now would be a good time to arrange a meeting with his cousin to discuss the ideas he’d had about Sephiroth, but he was used to letting Rufus decide when and how they met, and besides, he needed to see how well Sephiroth could explain his lessons to him first.
“Sephiroth, do you have anything you can’t reschedule tomorrow?”
“No, of course not.” Sephiroth looked up from his work with a hint of surprise on his face. “Professor Hojo said he wouldn’t come to visit me tomorrow, and I am at your disposal in any case.”
“I know. I don’t have anything to do tomorrow, so we can go in to get you fitted for those bras if you want.”
“Please. Would you like me to finish up here while you make the call?”
“Yes, then you can explain what you’ve been learning.” Cloud patted Sephiroth’s arm as he moved past him. “I won’t be up to training you for the next few days though; I need to adapt to my new strength and reflexes first.” He’d been noticing the changes since he woke up, but he’d been able to consciously adapt to them; he just hoped those thirty hours he was supposed to put in would be enough to at least make a good start on shifting his adaptation to unconscious behaviour.