Dear Tifa

Rating: PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): None
Warnings: Inappropriate use of hygiene products and footwear.
Summary: Cloud finally made it to Midgar, but there’s a wrinkle in his plan.
Notes: According to what I could find out at different sites, Zack is about four or five years older than Cloud, making him roughly nineteen in this fic. Which makes Seph about 23.

This chapter has an accompanying picture by the excellent Animama, which is at the bottom of the story.

e-mail
Sender: Cloud Strife (lord_destructor@midgar.com)
Recipient: Tifa Lockheart (fuzzy_bunny_slippers@nibelmail.na)
Subject: OK M heer.

Dear Tifa.

Hahahaha and you said I wouldn’t rite ‘cuz I dunt no how well this is me riting.

HAH!

Midgar is kinda biger than I thought it wood be. Kina a lot biger. I fond Shinra Centr but its HUUUUUUUUUUUGE. I ben here 5 ours now and all I fond was… well… the tower. But like how can you miss it? Anyway I cant find the recrutmint center and its getting dark. You were right I shuld have broht more money. Looks like I am gunna haf to sleep in an alley.

Shulda broht a blankit.

Fuck. Its raining.

Bye.

Cloud stepped out of the internet café and into the rain before the man behind the counter could throw him out. He supposed it was easy to tell he had no money. After all, he had been huddled in a corner for an hour rapidly firing off e-mails to his friends, most of which read “Hahahahaha and u guyz thot Id never make it”, and hadn’t bought so much as a cup of coffee. Not that Cloud drank coffee - his mother swore it would stunt his growth, and he was short enough.

He had not been deeply worried about his situation, but now, with darkness falling, and the city taking on a decidedly scary feel, Cloud was getting a little concerned. After all, he was only a skinny fourteen year old boy, and this was his first night in a major metropolis. He didn’t like the idea of sleeping alone in a dark alley, but there was no place else to go. He had no friends and no money, and no idea where the recruitment center to sign up for SOLDIER was. Not that it was likely to be open at this hour. And Cloud had no idea things like drop-in centers for homeless youth even existed. It was dark, it was cold, and the streets that had seemed friendly not long ago were taking on a decidedly different feel now the sun was set and day became night. He peered into an alley, but didn’t like the silhouetted figures he saw lurking there. He liked them even less when one beckoned to him.

He decided he would likely be safer in Shinra Square.

He made his way down the street, and managed to dart into Shinra Square before the huge gates were shut and locked for the night. He heard the sound of the electricity being turned on, current pulsing through the heavy-gauge wire mesh fence. Feeling a little safer, he began looking around for a place to sleep, or at least to hide. He made his way over to a small building, but it was locked, and the outside too brightly lit. He would be seen if he tried to hide here.

Cloud looked around, starting to feel a little scared and desperate, and his coat was not keeping out the cold dampness of an early spring night. Cloud liked to think of himself as grown up, but he wasn’t, and as he tried to find a place to hide in the enormous compound, it occurred to him that maybe he should have thought his great plan out a little better. He was beginning to feel frightened and desperate, hearing in the distance a pack of older boys whooping and screeching. It was a sound Cloud knew too well from his hometown, and usually heralded a gang of local bullies looking for someone smaller than themselves to terrorize. Cloud began to shake, tears coming to his eyes as he looked around the area.

“This is stupid,” he chided himself. “You’re joining SOLDIER. Guys in SOLDIER don’t cry.”

He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and picked one out, sticking it into his mouth in a desperate attempt to look cool and grown up. He put the pack back in his pocket and reached for a lighter, clumsily flicking it. A tiny flame shot up, and he brought it to the end of the cigarette, lighting it. Then to his surprise, a slender male hand picked the cigarette out of his mouth.

“Yo, don’t you know that’s a nasty habit?”

Cloud spun to face the thief, and stared, eyes large. The man blinked back at him with feline sensuality, his red hair tied back in a long ponytail. He was clad in a uniform of some kind, but the suit jacket was open, and the white shirt was untucked. He had on fingerless gloves, and a pair of pants that hugged his long legs all the way up. He put Cloud’s cigarette between his lips, and, in that very instant, Cloud understood implicitly that girls were highly over-rated. He gaped openly at the tall, lanky beauty, throat tight, mortified by the rising erection in his pants, but unable to move. The red haired man cocked his head, and Cloud forgot to breathe. The red head exhaled smoke.

“Cat got your tongue?” he purred.

Cloud tried to sound cool and grown-up, but the way his voice cracked betrayed him. “I’m trying to find the recruitment center.”

“It’s closed, yo. You should have shown up earlier.” He blinked those incredible tom-cat eyes, taking another drag off the cigarette and softly exhaling the blue smoke. “You’re drooling, kid.”

Cloud’s voice cracked like an old sidewalk. “I was here five hours ago but I couldn’t find it. I had nowhere else to go for the night, so I came in here. I thought it would be safer.”

“Hmmmm, well you got that right. Well come on, I’ll show you where the center is, but after that you’re on your own, yo. By rights I should be tossing you out on your cute little butt.” The beautiful, sensual male exhaled smoke, then flicked the remains of the cigarette at Cloud, bouncing it off his coat. “Follow me,” he said, and began sashaying away. Cloud scuttled after him, closing his coat over his painful erection.

“So, uh… what’s your name?”

“Reno.” He looked over his shoulder at his pint-sized admirer. “And you?”

“Cloud.”

“And… you do realize you have to be sixteen to sign up for SOLDIER?”

“I’m seventeen!”

Reno chuckled. “Suuuuurrrree.”

“I am! Wanna see my ID?”

“Please, kid, I should have already thrown you out, don’t hand me a fake ID on top of it, yo. I like working here.”

Cloud followed Reno to the recruitment center. It was a small, unmarked building, easy to miss, so Cloud felt a little better. If it had turned out to be a massive structure with the word SOLDIER written across the top in twenty foot letters, he probably would have just crawled back to Nibelheim and stayed there.

“So, here it is,” said Reno. He blinked at Cloud with those incredible eyes. “I’ll be on duty for another few hours, so I’ll check on you a bit later. Y’had anything to eat?”

Cloud’s stomach rumbled loudly. In truth he had not had more than a few bites of anything for over two days, and he was starving. Reno rolled his eyes, and began walking away, moving with that easy sway that made Cloud want to fall to his knees and beg for mercy.

“I’ll bring you back something, yo,” he called over his shoulder to the boy.

Cloud watched him go, walking with predatory grace, playing with some sort of long rod that made disconcerting electrical snapping noises as it shot brief, blue arcs of violently bright light. He felt lost in a strange web of emotions, fear and want mingling with a terrifying realization; he wanted this man. But… he was a man. Was that normal? Was he supposed to pitch a tent in his pants watching another male? Cloud watched Reno walk through a pool of light cast by a security light.

“You’re so pretty,” he whispered.

***---***

By the time Reno came back, Cloud had set himself up in a large empty shipping crate. He had thrown a discarded tarp over it to keep off the rain and make it a little more secure against prying eyes, and was feeling a bit more optimistic about his situation. He smiled as Reno slipped into the crate and handed him a paper sack. Inside was a tuna sandwich, some nuts mixed with dried fruit, and a bottle of iced tea. Cloud detested tuna, but was so hungry he didn’t care. He ripped the wrapping off and bit into the soft bread. He was surprised at how good it was; not like the garbage he had been getting out of the vending machines.

“This is awesome,” he said, his mouth full.

“Thank you, I made it myself.”

Cloud froze, staring at Reno with large eyes. “I’m eating your lunch?” he asked.

“It’s fine. The guy I work with brought pizza.”

Cloud would kill for pizza, but thought asking for pizza on top of eating Reno’s lunch would be a bit much.

“Thanks. You’ve been really nice.”

“You can repay me by not getting caught here, yo. Stay in your crate. If you have to go to the bathroom, there’s an unlocked employee bathroom straight across from you in the tower. And stay away from that vehicle over there.”

Reno pointed to something, and Cloud peeked out of the crate. Not far away was a huge military trailer, one easily larger than Cloud’s home in Nibelheim had been.

“Who is in there?” asked Cloud.

“Some big shots from SOLDIER, yo. And you do not want them to catch you.”

Cloud drew back into the crate, and looked at his new friend. “Thanks Reno. You’ve been really nice to me.”

“Don’t get me in trouble for it.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Reno smiled at him, and Cloud melted, watching after him as he got out of the crate and walked away.

***---***

The night wore on, cold and wet, the rain tapping on the tarp. Cloud huddled in his coat, freezing, watching his breath in the air. He shivered, rocking back and forth, eyes squeezed shut. He pulled his thin t-shirt up over his face so the air he inhaled would be a little warmer, but at last he could stand it no longer. The chill drove him out of his crate and into the parking lot, and he glanced around to see if there was anyone in view.

The square was empty and silent, and if there was anyone in the enormous trailer then they were asleep; the massive vehicle was dark and silent. Deciding the way was clear, Cloud ran across the huge expanse of parking lot to the cold, looming tower. He found the door to the bathroom without any trouble, yanking it open and darting through it. He sighed with relief as he felt the warm air, and went immediately to the sink, filling it with hot water in which to warm his painfully cold hands.

“Being homeless sucks,” he muttered.

Cloud lingered in the bathroom for as long as he dared, not wanting to get caught in there and thrown out of the square. He leaned back against the sink, smoking a cigarette, and found himself thinking about Reno. Cloud had never had a crush on anyone before, and he was lost in thoughts of the man; his lean, slim frame, his long legs, and those sensual eyes. Slowly, Cloud was coming to the understanding that maybe there was a reason all the girls in Nibelheim had seemed like a waste of effort.

“Didn’t see this coming,” he muttered. “Oh man, what do I do now?”

The boy was beginning to feel frightened and overwhelmed, and when he glanced at his watch and saw that it was only 11:30 at night, he felt as if he was trapped in some sort of nightmare. Morning would never come; he would never be warm and safe again. He was going to be trapped forever in this bathroom, and he would never get to join SOLDIER because SOLDIER wasn’t going to take a skinny fourteen year old nobody who just discovered he was a homo. And he was gonna be a lonely homo because he was a scrawny ugly nerdling with bad hair. Not tall and graceful and beautiful like Reno. Not powerful like Sephiroth. He had come to Midgar to be like Sephiroth; a great warrior and hero. He doubted very much Sephiroth was gay. Cloud knew nothing about homosexuals other than what the decidedly bigoted and ignorant people of his home town told him, and from what he gathered the best he could now hope for was to live a solitary life collecting china cats and going to antique shows.

“My life’s over,” crabbed the teenager. “May as well go home now and open a flower shop.”

He heard someone pass the bathroom, the slow tread of shoes moving over pavement. Cloud hoped it was Reno, because if it wasn’t and the person came into the bathroom, he was going to be in a lot of trouble. He froze, listening as he heard more feet outside the bathroom door, then voices. Cloud didn’t know who was there, but it clearly wasn’t Reno.

“C’mon you guys!” whispered a voice. The speaker sounded a lot bigger and older than Cloud. “Dan, you take up position over there, Red, you go there. I’ll pound on the door, and when the bastards come out, shoot. We’ll grab whatever is in the trailer and be gone before those stupid Turks even know we’re here.”

“What if they shoot back?”

“Don’t be a moron, SOLDIERS first class use swords.”

One of them laughed. “Pretty stupid, bringing a sword to a gun fight.”

“Yeah well just stay out of their way, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Cloud’s eyes grew large, and he stared at the door, trying to process what he had just heard. They were going to kill the men in the trailer? Just lure them out and slaughter them? Well surely no one in SOLDIER would be stupid enough for fall for a stunt like that! On the other hand, they were in a secure enclosure in their own trailer in what was supposed to be safe territory. It might be the last thing they expected. It might just work. Cloud looked around, hoping a superhero of some sort would show up, but none did. That left just one option; to try and thwart the interlopers himself.

Oh yeah, this night was just getting better and better. And what was he supposed to stop them with? His acne? His breath? Cloud looked around the bathroom, but saw nothing he could use as a weapon. No convenient sections of pipe, or tool kits full of big heavy things like they had in the comic books for the hero to find. This was a Shinra bathroom, and it was so clean a person could operate in there. There was nothing in there but a big ol’ bar o’ soap…

Grabbing the soap, Cloud sat down on the floor and yanked off his sneaker, then his decidedly well-worn sock. He dropped the soap into the sock, then pulled his sneaker back on. Armed and dangerous, Cloud ran out of the bathroom and after the trio of larger, older intruders. He came tearing up behind one of them, and as the man turned to see what was approaching, Cloud clobbered him with all his might. The man grabbed his face and bent over.

“Son of a bitch broke my nose!”

Hearing the commotion, the other two men turned to come to their friend’s aid. Cloud walloped a second man, then felt someone roughly grab him from behind.

“Got you, you little shit.”

Cloud bit him, bringing one foot back to kick his captor in the knee. The man dropped him, and Cloud spun to smite him with the soapy sock o’ doom. It caught him in the head and sent him to the ground. Then there was an incredible explosion, and a flash of hot light. Something tore past Cloud’s head, close enough to burn the skin. Had the man’s aim been slightly better, Cloud would have been a very brave, but very dead, kid.

The trailer door opened, and something came racing out; a streak of silent black and white death. Cloud ducked, putting his arms over his head and dropping to the ground. There was an indescribable noise, like the sound the butcher’s cleaver made when going through meat and bone. Then there was silence. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and waited to die.

Someone ran up and put his hands on Cloud’s shoulders, kneeling before him.

“Kid, are you all right?”

Cautiously, Cloud opened one eye. Before him was a large man, powerfully built, clad in military garb with the biggest damn sword Cloud had ever seen slung over his back. He had a lot of thick, black hair, which seemed strange for a man who was clearly military.

“I’m… I’m okay,” said Cloud, reaching up to touch the bullet-burn on his face.

“What happened?”

Cloud was shaking, a little overwhelmed at his own actions and at the thought of what had nearly happened to him. “I was hiding in the bathroom to keep warm and I heard these guys planning to lure the men in the trailer out so they could shoot them and… and I didn’t want to let that happen. So I… stuck a bar of soap in my sock and came after them.”

The man stared at Cloud, uttering a cough of disbelief. “You… attacked them with soap in a sock.”

“Yeah.”

“Three men. Armed with guns.”

Cloud nodded.

“Kid you got some set on you.”

“Set of what?”

The man grinned. “What’s your name?”

“Cloud. I came to sign up for SOLDIER but by the time I found the building, it was closed, so I was hiding in a crate to wait until morning.”

“Kid, tomorrow is Saturday, you would have had to live in that crate until Monday morning eight am. Don’t you have a home?”

“Yeah, in Nibelheim. I caught a ride from there with some long-haul truckers, and then I convinced a freighter captain in Costa del Sol to let me work on his ship to get to Junon. I just got to Midgar today.” He blinked big blue eyes at the man. “What’s your name?”

The man grinned. “Zack. Well, I don’t think there is any point in making you hide in the cold until Monday. You can hang in the trailer with us.” He straightened up, and smiled at someone who was approaching. Cloud turned to see what Zack was looking at, and felt his eyes grow huge.

It was Sephiroth. Cloud would know him anywhere. The one, the only, and large as life. Larger even. Posters didn’t quite capture the essence. He was wearing only leather pants and thigh high boots, his long white hair wild and rumbled, his bare chest flecked with blood. He had his masamune blade in his hand, and he looked like a man who had just been rudely awakened and was pretty pissed about it. The three decapitated bodies lying on the asphalt behind him bore silent testimony to his mood. He walked up to Cloud, looming far above him, seven feet of white death. He curled his lip slightly as he stared at the boy.

“What is that?” he asked, his tone irate.

“This is Cloud,” said Zack. “He’s our newest recruit.”

Cloud stared up at Sephiroth. Sephiroth glared down at Cloud.

“Well put it someplace where I won’t step on it. I’m going back to bed.”

“Yes, General.”

Sephiroth turned and walked away, Cloud watching him go. He felt Zack put an arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t mind him; he’s really a big sweetheart.”

“I heard that, Fair.”

“I said you were a formidable killing machine and a brilliant military mind.”

Sephiroth snorted. Zack grinned. “See? He’s a love. Just… make sure you give him your fullest respect at all times.”

Cloud watched Sephiroth walk to the trailer, then, to his complete horror, heard himself say aloud; “He sure is pretty.”

Sephiroth paused, and Cloud felt himself turn purple from the neck up. Finally Sephiroth made an irritated sound and resumed walking. Cloud wanted to find a rock to crawl under and die. He shot a glance at Zack, frightened at what his reaction would be, but to his surprise, Zack too was watching Sephiroth, his eyes warm and mischievous.

“Mmm-hmmm… that he is.”

Cloud stared at his new friend, jaw dropping, astonished at his remark. As he stared up at him, speechless, Zack gave Cloud a sidelong glance, and grinned.

“The guys do go crazy over a well built man with a big-ass sword.”

Cloud heaved a sigh of relief. “I thought I was doomed.”

“Why? Because you like guys? Or because you just ‘outed’ yourself spectacularly?”

“Both,” muttered Cloud.

Zack snorted as they began walking towards the trailer. “Then half of SOLDIER is doomed as well. C’mon, kid, let’s get you settled. And no playing the General’s video games. He really hates it when you do that.”

“I’m not a kid, I’m seventeen.”

“Right. Now, get into your jammies, and Uncle Zack will read you a story.”

“Read me the one about the soldier who gets whacked with a soap in a sock.”

Zack laughed. “Kid, I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine. Do you need to contact anyone?”

“Yeah, I think I should let my friend Tifa know I’m okay, so she can tell my mom.”

“We can do that.”

***---***

e-mail
Sender: Cloud Strife (lord_destructor@midgar.com)
Recipient: Tifa Lockheart (fuzzy_bunny_slippers@nibelmail.na)
Subject: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Tifa.

YOU WONT FUCKING BELEEVE WHERE I AM!!!!

Tifa rolled her eyes. “Cloud, learn to spell. And watch your language,” she muttered as she clicked on the attachment. She doubted she would see anything very earth-shaking; most likely a picture of the recruitment center or something. She waited for the picture to open, and felt her jaw drop.

The photo was taken with Cloud’s cheap picture phone, so the quality was not the best. But there was no denying what she was looking at. It was the inside of a military trailer for high-ranking personnel. Cloud had taken it himself at arm’s length to include himself in the shot. It showed a badly composed picture of himself, and a well-built man with his back to the camera, talking to a very tall man with long white hair, the bangs poking up in a way that could only possibly belong to one person: Sephiroth.

“You’re right,” she said, “I don’t believe it.”