Lean On Me (FF7)

18

~Cloud's POV~

"No! Red!" Cid shouts as I pull a random cord in the a/c box. It zaps my fingers for the bazillionth time today and I groan with exasperation. This pilot is not a very good teacher.

"Why can't you just do it?" I whine at him.

"Because I'm getting old," he uses the same excuse as always.

"Would you stop saying that? You're only like forty two."

"And?"

"You're not that old! You're still pretty young on the inside, not to mention that amazing spear thing you got going on there," I laugh lightly at the huge stick strapped to his back.

"I wouldn't be talking, Branch Boy," he motions to the large broadsword on my back. I glare at him. Hush you. Instead of giving any response, he nearly smiles and stomps out the death-stick that was in his mouth. He seriously needs to quit.

"Fine. But will you at least let me be on you team the next time we get feedback from Sephir-dude?"

"Sephir-dude?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"Sure...?" I say uncertainly. Then I shake my head. "When are we going to the Sunken... whatever?"

"Sunken Gelnika?" he suggests, twirling his Gospel Peace easily between his fingers. How? No idea. Practice I guess. Somehow he funds it fascinating that I can swing the fusion swords in a circle above my head. It's not hard, once you get it going. What, it's a broadsword, it's gonna be heavy!

"That," I nod, grabbing a pair of pliers and squinting to find my wire-victim.

"Soon. Rather, as soon as you finish up."

"It'd help if you taught me."

"It'd help if what I taught you didn't go in one ear and out the other," he shoots back. "What're you even doing?"

"Trying to get this wire out... I think this is the one," I stick my head halfway into the electrical box. A live line shocks my elbow.

"Ow!" I yell, bumping my head on the top of the metal chamber. "Gosh darned electricity."

"You okay in there?" Cid says, but humor is laced thickly through his voice.

"Fine," I attempt to give him a thumbs up, but my fist hits the side and makes my knuckle pop. "Holy crap!" I yell again. "This is like a torture chamber!"

"Well don't punch walls, stupid," Cid retorts.

"Shut up."

"Just get back to work."

Rolling my eyes, I search for the purple wire I looked for earlier. Why purple? No idea. I reach for it and gently pull a piece of it towards me.

"Is it purple?" I call back to Cid.

"That's the one!"

I take a deep breath and snip the live wire. Nothing happens, to my luck. A sigh of relief passes through my lips.

"Well that was easier that I..."

Something inside the box explodes, filling in with smoke. I cough and gasp for fresh air, forcing the top half of my body out. Cid is cracking up in the corner, laughing way harder than he should be. He is a dead chocobo on a platter, headless and stuffed with apples. Yes, that is a short glimpse at my imagination.

"You are so..." I stop trying to swallow some non existent saliva to help with my dry throat. Instead I end up coughing again, wincing at the pain on my face. I've probably been burned a dozen times and my hair... Shoot! My hair! I look around the room desperately. I'm not obsessed with my hair, but I like it the way it is, and I don't want to have a hairstyle like Barret for the rest of my life time.