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Who: Simon and Cloud
What: Simon coming home~
When: A few days after this thread
Where: House 50 and immediate surroundings
Summary: Simon's back from a quickie-kidnap (more of a punishment for screwing with the barrier) and makes it home to Papa for a nice man-to-man chat :|
Rating: PG, most likely

Simon wasn't having a very good day. It hadn't taken him long to decide this - the first hint was waking up in a daze not far from the barrier, in a considerable amount of pain and missing both drill and journal. Figures, another kidnapping? He grumbled to himself and forced himself to his feet, starting a rather interesting climb down the mountain. If he could make it to his old house, chances were someone would find him, if not Cloud himself. He had no idea how long he'd been gone, or if Cloud was still a child, but he was determined to find out. He'd promised the poor kid to come home soon, after all...

He made it as far as the edge of the backyard before he collapsed in a noisy heap, utterly drained from both kidnapping and the climb down the mountain. Mercifully the grass was nice and soft, so he settled against it as comfortably as he could considering he was face-first on it, and let himself doze off again.

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Cloud had spent the last few days a nervous wreck; he'd barely eaten or slept -thankfully the Mako and Jenova cells kept that from becoming a physical hindrance- so his nerves were shot to hell. He constantly had his journal open, scanning and rescanning every page for a sign of Simon; several times he'd gone up to the barrier to see if he could find any hints of his return, or a way across so he could rescue him himself. There was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

And Cloud was getting sick and tired of it. He wondered how much longer he would be able to roll with the punches when they kept hitting him where it hurt. When they kept aiming at his family. So for the billionth time Cloud stood up from the couch, paced a few circuits around the dining room table and moved to flip open his journal, searching for anything useful, anything at all-

If his hearing wasn't so advanced, he wouldn't have heard it; thank Holy it was, and thank Holy he did, because he heard the groan that was as familiar as it was foreign and he was already out the door before Simon had even fully collapsed. He slouched onto the grass and passed out, and Cloud was at his side just after his eyes closed, rolling him over to check him frantically in the fading sunlight. A quick once-over revealed signs of a severe beating, but -and Cloud couldn't believe it had come to saying this- nothing more serious. So he let out a low breath, hanging his head and pressing the heel of his palm into an eye before lifting Simon halfway into his arms and patting his cheek. "Simon," he called, giving the larger man a shake. He could carry him inside, but it would be fairly awkward. Not only that...but he wanted to check Simon's mental state. "Simon."

Simon stirred almost as soon as he dozed off, jostled about by someone lifting him up and shaking him none too gently. He set free a groan - dammit, he didn't want to be awake anymore, it hurt - and squinted at first, resisting the urge to wake up. Someone had called to him, though, and he couldn't refuse that, so he finally lifted a hand to rub sorely at his face before opening both eyes to see who was calling him. It was little more than a yellow blob at first. "Nngh," he muttered, the peak of coherency, then tried again. "What...?"

Thank Shiva, he could move. Okay; Simon was going to be okay. Cloud finally let himself relax, slumping and letting the tension bleed from his shoulders as he lowered his head. He allowed himself a minute before reaching up to stroke Simon's hair, and his hand lingered at his brow for a moment; the eyepatch was missing and his eye was...off color, a bit. He couldn't see with the sun sinking back behind the trees. Had they done something to it?

Anger flared and lifted Cloud's resolve, and he murmured an apology before taking Simon's arms as gently as possible and lifting him up, halfway on his shoulder and halfway bridal-style. While Simon wasn't heavy in the least -the man was far too skinny for Cloud's comfort, and he wasn't exactly weak- he was a decently taller than Cloud, and that made carrying him awkward. Luckily, the house was only a few meters away, and Cloud had Simon inside and reclining on his bed within moments, setting the man carefully down on the mattress and taking advantage of the light to give Simon a more thorough examination.

Edited 2008-08-07 04:57 (UTC)

Simon grimaced, but he didn't complain, letting his expression speak for itself. There was no sense in griping at the person who was helping him, after all. So instead he leaned on his helper, staggering as best as he could to their destination and slumping down gratefully where he was deposited, thankfully more comfortable than the grass. The light was annoying, so he clenched his eyes shut for a moment or two, opening his eyes more slowly the second time and letting himself adjust. The blurs were starting to form into actual shapes, and before too long, he caught sight of Cloud - older now, it must have been a few days then - looking him up and down. Injuries, Simon guessed, and shifted against the bed, weakly trying to remove his weather-beaten cloak to help him out.

"P... Papa," he called faintly, not sure what else to do or say. He had the feeling he'd forgotten something.

Edited 2008-08-11 17:16 (UTC)

"Shh," Cloud told him, quietly but sternly, and set his arms back at his sides as he worked to remove the cloak himself. He removed the clasp and tugged it from beneath Simon, setting it aside before turning back. There were bandages wrapped around Simon's arms, but after prodding a bit he discovered they weren't for any serious injury and he relaxed.

Leaning down a bit closer, Cloud turned Simon's head slightly towards him and tugged his gloves off to brush his hair back from his forehead, peering closely at his eye. For a moment Cloud didn't understand; there was something strange-

And then he saw it. Simon's eye...was a spiral. It looked like the barrel of a gun only brought into a finer point, and Cloud's hand shook just a little as his fingers lit on Simon's cheekbone. What had those bastards done to him...?!

It took a long moment for Cloud's expression and behaviour to click with the fact that his eyepatch was mysteriously gone. In a flash Simon raised a gloved hand to grasp Cloud's wrist, smiling faintly, hoping to reassure him. "It's alright," he murmured. "They didn't do this to me."

Not that he had a good explanation for why it existed, but still.

That brought a little comfort to Cloud, but not much. Simon was still conscious enough about it to hide it from him, so there had to be something about it that made Simon feel that ashamed. Slowly sitting on the edge of the bed, Cloud pushed his hair back again, gazing at it and trying to make sense of it. He opened his mouth to ask...and then shut it. Simon didn't want him to know. He'd hidden it.

But damn it all, he was concerned. Things didn't just randomly happen to your eyes, and for all he knew it could be painful. He frowned, brow furrowing, and simply settled for resuming his check for injuries.

Simon hesitated, sensing, more than anything, Cloud's desire to ask what it was. But Cloud was not Sephiroth - he wouldn't ask when explaining was potentially painful to him. And while it was a difficult, frightening topic to be discussed, he'd had years to adjust to the fact that it was now his reality.

Finally, he sighed softly, shoulders slumping, and offered Cloud a weary smile - weary, but not hurt or reluctant. "If you want to know, I'll explain. It doesn't bother me the way it used to."

"You don't have to," Cloud told him quietly, prodding his chest and stomach gently and searching for bruises with the practiced ease of someone who had done as such many times before. It was true that he was curious, but he was the last person who should push a painful conversational topic. He hopefully wasn't that much of a hypocrite.

Simon winced a little now and then, but it was a mild pain, the sort that healed by itself if left alone, and he'd always been a fast healer. He pondered Cloud's words for a while, then curled his fingers in the fabric of the bed and murmured, "You remember what I told you about Spiral power? This is what happens to people who abuse it. It's... a warning, you could say."

And one he had tried to heed, but had thus far failed, apparently.

Spiral Power? The term sounded vaguely familiar, and Simon spoke of it as if they'd already had the conversation so the odds were that he was supposed to know about it. Somehow stopping himself from grinding his teeth in frustration, Cloud gave him a hesitant, "...I see," in response and hoped that would suffice.

It sounded serious either way, though, and whether or not Cloud knew what Spiral power was, it was obviously a painful subject for Simon. He'd rather not make him have to explain it again.

Simon watched Cloud for a moment, then sighed softly, leaning back against the pillows once more and closing his eyes. "It doesn't matter, anyway. As long as I'm careful, it's not something you have to worry about."

He didn't particularly want to worry about it either - it was just there, in the back of his mind, tugging at his thoughts now and then, every time he looked in the mirror.

"Wonder what they did with the eyepatch," he mumbled, rubbing sorely at his forehead. He was starting to get a headache.

"We can get you a new one," Cloud assured him, sitting back once he was satisfied with his examination. A few nasty bruises, and he wasn't exactly pristine. He'd need a bath once he was was feeling up to it, but first and foremost he needed rest. If he were smaller Cloud might have bathed him, but trying that now would not only be difficult, it would be fairly uncomfortable.

He watched as Simon rubbed his forehead, and moved to stand. "You should rest. Can I get you anything before you go to sleep?"

"It's not a big deal," Simon replied, though his hand lingered over his eye, covering it from sight, and when he lowered it, he kept his eye shut. "I'm a little hungry, but I think I should wait until after I've rested. Just give me ten minutes and I'll be fine."

He'd managed with less sleep in the past, after all. He didn't want to waste his time here with sleep, especially now that Cloud was back to normal.

Ten minutes. Cloud gave Simon a look that said he would put him to sleep if he so much as moved from the bed and stood, patting his shoulder. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get you some water and painkillers."

Rummaging around in the cabinets gave him time to think. It wasn't hard to tell the signs of nervousness; he may be unfamiliar with this older version of Simon, but he retained the habits of the younger one to some degree. Something about that eye really had him rattled, and Cloud couldn't help but wonder if there was something he could do. He doubted it; it...well, it looked like a rather personal problem, but still.

Returning with a couple of aspirin and a glass of water, Cloud set them on the nightstand and moved to help Simon sit up. "Want me to turn off the light?"

Simon took the pills and the water gratefully, downing both in a flash of movement and setting the glass back on the stand. He smiled faintly at Cloud, already looking weary again. "You can if you want. Ten minutes - that's all I need."

"Buu-buu~" came a sound from above him, and Boota hopped down from the headboard and landed on his shoulder, nuzzling him worriedly. Simon chuckled softly and reached up to stroke his fur with a finger. "Sorry, sorry, you were worried, weren't you..."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cloud informed him, and sat on the edge of the bed again, reaching to turn the lamp off. "So you can take more than ten minutes. In fact, I'd feel a hell of a lot better if you did, okay?" He watched as Boota snuggled up to Simon's cheek with a faint smile. The little...rat-thing -molepig, right? He could never remember- had been so very worried about Simon the entire time he'd been gone.

Simon blinked, surprised by that, though really he shouldn't have been. He settled down in the bed, Boota curling up in his lap, and smiled gratefully at Cloud. "Don't wear yourself out looking after me," he murmured, already starting to doze in the dark. He was asleep within seconds.

Cloud didn't bother to answer, simply shifting his weight so that he could lean against the headboard, one knee up on the mattress as he strokes Simon's hair. He missed his little boy; there wasn't any question about this. He missed being able to carry Simon in his arms, read to him...he even missed the way Simon would sometimes cling to his leg and trip him up around the house.

But this older Simon needed someone just as badly as Simon had when he'd first arrived in Luceti, and Cloud couldn't help but want to protect him. Whether it was because it was Simon or whether because Simon reminded him so much of himself, he didn't know. What he did know, however...was that this Simon needed someone just as badly as his seven-year-old version.

And if he ended up being sent back, Cloud would tear Luceti apart at the seams to find a way to get him back.

Simon smiled in his sleep, enjoying the most calm and peaceful rest he'd experienced in years. He slept for the better part of two hours, finally snapping back to consciousness with a faint murmur, almost a groan, though the pain of his injuries had faded significantly. He blinked awake slowly, glancing around, spiral eye glowing in the dark. "Papa...?"

Was he still there?

Of course he was. Cloud turned his head slightly, eyes opening and noting how Simon's eye with the spiral glowed faintly. He almost chuckled at the irony; they shared physical features and they weren't even blood related. Luckily, he was a light sleeper and had only been dozing, so Simon's voice woke him out of it immediately and he shifted to let Simon know he was still there, his hand brushing his bangs. "I'm here. Sleep well?"

Cloud lifted his wrist and checked his watch. Only around two hours; not as much as he'd hoped, but it's not like he could drug him or anything. No...that was the last thing he wanted to do, actually.

Simon sat up a little, rubbing his forehead, still a little out of it, dizzy and still waking up. After a moment it cleared. "I think so. I don't feel too tired... I guess I did need the rest. Should probably get up, though..." He gently lifted the sleeping Boota off his lap to set him down on the sheets beside him, moving the blankets as if to get up.

Cloud pressed a firm palm to Simon's shoulder. "What for? I'm not going anywhere, anything you need I can get for you. Unless you feel up to a shower, you should stay in bed for as long as you can. You've had it pretty rough."

Simon blinked, sitting back in bed without another word for a long moment. Again, there was a flash of surrealism - usually people were waking him up to kick him out of wherever he was spending the night. He hadn't heard anyone to stay in bed for years. "Er... I... guess I could rest a little longer... but no more sleeping!" He gave Cloud a firm look. "I don't want to sleep all the time. It's getting closer to the end of the week, and..."

He trailed off, unwilling to finish. How long would this experiment last?

"Fine, you don't have to sleep." Cloud wasn't going to force him, and if Simon was tired he'd fall asleep on his own anyways. In fact, it brought back memories of when Simon was small and and would try so hard to stay awake, begging for just one more story even as he nodded off during them. "Just don't move around a lot. I think you might have a cracked a rib."

He hesitated before speaking again, haltingly. "Simon...you know that I promised to find you, right? Even if this turns out to be an experiment...I'll find some way back to your time and world and get you."

Simon was quiet again, hands clenching together, then slowly relaxing. "... I'll wait for you, then," he murmured, head bowed, gazing at his lap. "I'll... try to be in a place where you can find me."

He couldn't really explain it, but... he had a bad feeling, one he couldn't explain. What was it...?

Cloud offered him a faint smile, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "I'll make plenty of noise when I get there. Believe it or not, I'm good at that kind of thing." He didn't know where he was getting all of his confidence; the Malnosso's methods of transportation were questionable at best. What if the only way to Simon's world was through some strange de-molecularization process or something equally gruesome?

Simon's worth it.

...yes. He was. Cloud knew that with certainty. Instead of voicing his doubts and worries aloud, however, he merely nudged Simon with his shoulder, encouraging him to scoot over so that he could sit up next to him on the bed.

Simon blinked, then nodded and shifted over on the bed, giving Cloud some room. He gently lifted Boota back up into his lap for the sake of extra space - the molepig grunted softly in his sleep and settled back down a moment later.

"I'll keep an eye out for a really noisy chocobo head," he teased cheekily, making good use of the nickname he remembered Zack using now and then.

Sputtering for a bit, Cloud gave Simon a particularly peculiar look, a mixture of embarrassment, exasperation and affection. Fantastic; hopefully Zack hadn't spilled too much to this older Simon, because if that was the case then Cloud was in for a world of teasing from both sides. He knew it was all in love and good taste, but...honestly. Chocobo head? He knew his hair resembled a chocobo's ass, Barret didn't fail to tell him every day when "white boy," and "Spikey" lost their charm.

"Then I'll just have to find you fast," Cloud huffed, folding his arms and arching a brow at Simon.

Simon's smile softened; it had been a long time since he'd been with people he could tease like this, and he'd hardly ever been this way with Cloud as a child. It was a nice experience, but he didn't want to irritate his adoptive father, so he reached out to grasp the man's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You'll find me when I need you," he murmured. "You always do. I believe in you."

Cloud flushed a little bit in embarrassment; it was different, hearing someone other than a little child have such unwavering faith in him, especially when he was so unsure of himself. It was also comforting, and even as Cloud ducked his head he nodded, squeezing Simon's hand a little in return. "I will. I'll bring you home, I promise."

There was no explanation of what 'home' was for Simon. Because even though it seemed arrogant to assume...Cloud knew that 'home' for Simon wasn't that world any more, if it ever had been. Home was with his family. And that's exactly what Cloud knew he would always be.

Simon sighed faintly, smiling to himself, and nodded his approval and agreement, resting his head peacefully against Cloud's shoulder. He felt right at home already - not too brash or too forward, or even the fact that he was a grown man cuddling up to an equally grown (albeit younger) man. Cloud was Papa, and he was his Simon. It was as beautifully simple as that, and he felt no shame for taking small comforts while he could.

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