"I want—" What? What the hell does he want? Cloud is clearly struggling with an answer. He blurts out the first, easiest thing that comes to mind. "I want to be left the hell alone. I want peace. I want you to get a life, if you're not just going to fuck off and die."

None of that is untrue, but it's also bullshit. It's dodging the question again in an entirely different way. Sure, those are things he wants, but they're not what he wants specific to right here and right now. Specific to Sephiroth showing up on his doorstep beat to hell and looking to be put down, or... not. Specific to bringing him into the house, healing him, tending his wounds. What does he want out of this exchange, what does he expect? Cloud can't even begin to know, and he's frustrated with himself. For not knowing, for not being able to commit to one impulse or another. He's stuck between his anger and his mercy and it's so difficult to come out cleanly on the other side with Sephiroth staring him down like that, talking to him, laying on his bed bleeding all over everything. Cloud holds his gaze as long as he can, but naturally he's the first one to break and look away, letting up off of him and aggressively returning to his stupid cloth just to give himself something else to do with his hands.

To break the tension, obviously. After a moment, he murmurs out another answer just as it comes to him.

"I want to do the right thing."