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Airsick

Cloud peered out over the edge of the Highwind, feeling just a bit less woozy than he had a few minutes before. That was about when something ran over his feet, slight vibrations working their way through his steel-tipped boots and making him feel kinda weird. But that was before he realized something really had just run across his feet and that he wasn't just having new and mutated forms of motion sickness.

"Have you seen Junior anywhere?" a panicked voice questioned behind him a moment later. Cloud turned to regard a somewhat worried and somewhat green Yuffie. "His cage is open and I can't find him in my cabin!"

Cloud groaned, and it wasn't from his tummy playing jump rope with his small intestine. Junior was Yuffie's pet and despite her claims that she could keep him in his cage, apparently he was smarter than the little ninja had realized. That or he'd learned a few tricks from his mama.

And now it was time for yet another game of hide and seek. Not wanting to say that he'd probably just had Junior run over his feet but had dismissed it as his brain on overdrive, Cloud wandered off slowly in the direction he thought Junior had gone.

"You're going to owe us all," Cloud muttered as he walked, barely looking down.

"Thank you!" Yuffie called, running off in the other direction.

What he really wanted to do was just hide somewhere in some dark corner, letting Yuffie take care of her own problem. But he couldn't exactly skip out on her that easily. Deep down, he really did like Yuffie, even if she was more trouble than she was worth.

Ducking into the main corridor once he reached it, Cloud realized that he'd forgotten all about Junior for a few minutes and had more or less gone off on autopilot. What he really needed was a bit of time on his back with his eyes closed, oblivious to the gentle motion of the ship as it sped through the air.

Besides, he would have noticed Junior even if he hadn't been paying attention. He had the last couple of times the rodent had escaped, after all, despite a clip, a lock, some twisty-ties and whatever one of Cid's crew had done with pliers.

Cloud couldn't help wondering if perhaps Yuffie actually had two gerbils and hadn't told anyone.

Slipping into the nearest hallway, Cloud glanced around to orientate himself. He wasn't near the crew cabins, he knew, but more somewhere filled with useful rooms.

The first door he tried was locked, as was the second.

The third door, thankfully, gave way just as the ship lurched, sending Cloud tumbling into the darkened room and landing quite painfully on his bottom.

"Ow..." he mumbled, trying to get to his feet as his stomach attempted to protest any movement whatsoever that did not involve landing. Having no clue even where he was, Cloud groped around at the floor for a moment before standing and holding his hands out. He knew that his eyes would adjust quickly, using their own backlighting to let him see his surroundings.

He blinked twice, shaking his head until everything came into view.

"Graceful, ain't ya?" Cid commented from where he had been standing with a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. "Works better to turn the damned lights on unless you really are hunting for that rodent of Yuffie's."

"I'm not," Cloud said, watching as Cid lit a cigarette now that his presence was known. "But what are you doing in here? In the dark?"

"One of the panels on the bridge blew a fuse," Cid began, gesturing over at some boxes. "This is where they'd be but the fucking light is burned out and not a one of my crew had brains enough to change the damned thing. So I came in with a flashlight but had to set it down to open a box... The ship lurched and the flashlight fell, breaking the bulb at the same time a certain idiot nearly fell on me."

"I can see," Cloud said slowly as he realized that he hadn't seen stars when he fell - that was just the pop of the bulb. The dead flashlight had rolled half across the floor, making Cid's story perfectly viable. "Where are the fuses?"

"Blue box," Cid answered, moving in a bit closer. "I can see your eyes. That's fucking creepy."

"Here..." Cloud said, grabbing Cid's arm. "I'm not sure I can make out colors too well but you might as well come with me."

"You want one that says 'Fifty' on it. The number, not the word," Cid directed, flicking ash behind him and thankfully not hitting anything flammable.

"Okay. There are boxes..." Cloud thought they rather all looked blue. His eyes were blue. He was seeing everything with that bit of dim light.

He was just going to have to open them all.

"Wouldn't it be better to go get another flashlight?" Cloud asked. "Or a lightbulb?"

"The lightbulbs are under the damned fuses," Cid grumbled. "And that flashlight was the culmination of a fifteen minute search. You're easier."

"Maybe we'll find Junior, too," Cloud deadpanned. He'd found a box of '30' fuses with two missing. Setting it aside, he grabbed for the next one that was the same shape.

No, not that one either. Cid was still standing beside where he crouched, not having moved at all from when he'd let go.

"Find the damned things?"

'40's.

"Not yet," Cloud said. Cid put out his cigarette between his gloved fingers and tossed it behind him. The smoke lingered in the small supply room, thankfully rising before it could linger and impede the already slow search.

"What's..." The ship lurched again, knocking them both off balance as Cloud grabbed at Cid, pulling the pilot on top of him and the pile of boxes.

"Sorry," Cloud mumbled, realizing he likely was now laying on whatever he was looking for. And Cid was heavy. Not too heavy, but a little much for being on a pile of boxes.

"Fuck," Cid muttered before trying to get himself back to the much safer floor. "We're going to keep doing that until we get that fuse."

"Fine," Cloud replied as he slowly shifted to begin his hunt anew. There is was - '50' fuses. "I think we actually managed to fall onto the right box."

"You grabbed me. I didn't fall."

Cid was right on that, Cloud realized. He had grabbed. But he didn't like the airship to roll that much, either.

"Okay, so I grabbed you," he admitted as he snatched up one of the fuses and stuffed it into Cid's left hand. "Now... let's get out of here."

The ship lurched in the other direction and Cid was the one to stumble. But with Cloud basically holding his hand, they both fell, crashing against one of the walls.

"Cid?" Cloud asked after a moment, afraid for a moment that Cid had been knocked out from the force of their landing.

"You're still on top of me," Cid muttered. "I'd prefer to be on top of you the next time."

"What?" Cloud scrambled to his feet, realizing that indeed he had been in a slightly provocative position.

"You fuckin' heard me," Cid said as he stood. "Now find the door before we end up flying upside down."

Cloud hadn't been halfway to the bridge before an errant glance behind him had revealed a tiny fuzzy head poking from around a corner.

"Junior!" Cloud yelled before realizing that screaming at the poor creature wasn't going to help with catching it. And he certainly didn't notice Cid turning to watch him go before lighting another cigarette.

Reaching a dead-end with no sign of the rodent, Cloud sighed and sat down, kicking his feet out in front of him. He didn't feel quite as ill as he had before, but Cid's comment was definitely lingering in his mind.

He heard laughter.

"It's only funny because I just walked past Yuffie looking about the same," Cid said, shaking his head. "You two shouldn't be outsmarted by some damned rat."

"Gerbil," Cloud corrected. "And if your ship wasn't filled with holes for it to squeeze through..."

"My ship is just fine," Cid countered as he dropped to a crouch just in front of Cloud. "Those holes are for ventilation, one of those nice things that keeps you kids from puking all over most of the time."

"I don't feel that sick," Cloud said. "Just a little."

"Should try the best cure of all," Cid said, leaning over Cloud. "Then you won't feel sick at all."

"Best cure?" Cloud asked before he considered that he might not want to know.

"Yeah."

Cloud opened his mouth to speak but was met instead with a kiss. Cid kissing him wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to him but it really wasn't what he'd expected. Mainly out of curiosity, Cloud kissed him back, tasting liquor and smoke in equal parts. But if anything, Cid could kiss. Quite well, actually, Cloud decided as he reached to pull Cid to him, suddenly desiring a bit more contact. Cid's tongue teased at his, making a sort of promise that Cloud wanted to take him up on.

"Cid!" he exclaimed when the need for a deep breath overtook him and he had to break the kiss.

"Sorry," Cid said quickly. "Should let you punch me for pulling a damned stunt like that."

Cloud kissed him again before pausing to think.

"You're right," he said. "I don't feel as sick."

Cid was silent for a few seconds before bursting into the most obscene laughter that Cloud had ever heard from the man.

And it hit him - Cid was being his completely-honest rather-vulgar self. Cid had meant that innuendo in all seriousness. Cid had meant that kiss in all seriousness... or most seriousness, at least.

At twenty-two and unattached, Cloud didn't bother pondering. Especially not when he was quite aware that just those kisses had excited his body enough that standing up seemed like a very awkward option.

"So was that it?" Cloud asked once Cid had quieted down to an amused and fairly unoffended chuckle. "The entire cure?"

Cid's jaw dropped. Apparently he was still expecting a punch. "Cloud?"

Cloud was just hoping for somewhere not the hallway.

Two nervous false starts later, Cid had managed to get them both completely naked and onto what had to be the most comfortable bed in the entire airship. Cloud had always wondered what Cid's quarters were like but he hadn't ever expected to see them without his clothing.

Or with Cid's rough hands on his body, either, reminding him that it had been far too long since he'd been with anyone.

Moaning against Cid's neck as Cid slid a hand between their bodies to force their erections together, Cloud had a momentary snap of reason and wondered how the morning would be. No more awkward, he decided, as what it would be if he stopped now. He might as well get off. That and offer Cid the same consideration.

Cid, as Cloud quickly discovered, could do quite a bit more with his tongue than just kiss and swear. On his side with Cid's arousal in his mouth and his own likewise in Cid's, Cloud couldn't do more than try to remember to suck as he was pulled closer and closer to the edge.

"Ah, Cid..." Cloud cried while trying to take a breath. He was trying to work with motion, a hand stroking where his mouth couldn't reach and fingers gently slipping lower to tease Cid's scrotum.

Cid offered an echoing moan, electric around his erection and enough that Cloud gave up on restraint and surrendered to the sheer pleasure that Cid had teased him with. He hadn't quite expected Cid to swallow. And he hadn't quite expected Cid to pull back before coming himself.

Cloud was trying to catch his breath while Cid rummaged in a bag beside the bed, eventually pulling out some sort of lotion.

"Feel sick?" Cid asked, uncapping it.

"Only a tiny bit," Cloud replied, trying to smile. He knew the answer. It just sounded really stupid in his head.

Admittedly, Cloud had always though Cid was more into women. But from the way that Cid was stretching him for penetration, Cloud quickly changed his mind. The general aesthetic attractiveness of the crew members Cid retained suddenly made quite a bit more sense as well.

His body echoed the same sentiment that he'd half-thought while trying not to let his teeth scrape along the skin of Cid's erection - Cid was quite well-endowed. But Cid gave him time to adjust, too, filling a void in dialogue with more distracting kisses.

Needing movement, Cloud arched a bit. That was signal enough - Cid pulled back and thrust, starting a rhythm fast enough that Cloud found himself just hanging on until Cid came. Still joined, they lay together, breath fast and hard.

"I don't feel sick," Cloud finally said, wondering just why Cid kept poking at his thigh. "Cid... that kinda tickles."

"Tickles?" Cid asked. "My hands are up here."

Cloud double-checked that Cid indeed had both his hands up near his shoulders.

"Junior," Cloud muttered, trying to untangle himself from Cid. "That damned..."

"Fuck it," Cid declared, throwing off the blanket to reveal an absolutely empty bed save for Cloud. "You're imagining things."

A few minutes later with the lights off and Cid snoring softly beside him, Cloud felt that strange sensation again. The entire cause of everything that had just happened.

He didn't dare wake the sleeping man. But he was fairly sure of one thing. The gerbil was not the one at fault.