Secrets
Chapter VII
By tir-synni
Disclaimer: If I was the creator of ff7, Tifa would have died a nasty, horrible death before the end of the first disk.
Author Notes: This chapter contains a lemon scene which was a personal challenge to myself. Mostly if Cloud can make an acceptable seme and if yaoi sex can occur without penetration.
Warning: Refer to prologue
Rating: NC-17
Beta: Thank you, arete! (Huggles happily)
Secrets
Chapter VII
By tir-synni
Trapped inside his mind, all Cloud could hear was Jenova's insidious whispers, beguiling poison spinning around to form an iron cage. No matter where he ran, there She was, Her words a nonstop stream designed to flood his senses.
But then Her voice began to fade, and the metal bars evanesced. The harsh river of speech calmed to a peaceful, burbling creek. A familiar scent of pine and musk swept over him. Oblivious to all else, he allowed the scent to carry him to another time. A time when Sephiroth was there, alive and sane. He could remember that so clearly.
He remembered....
"No training today!" fifteen year old Cloud Strife cheered, leaping around his bedroom. "My day off! No asshole of a drill sergeant, no punk bullies, and no standing in the hot sun in that damned helmet. Ha!
Lithe, bare feet carried Cloud in an artless dance around the bedroom he shared with his mentor and lover, General Sephiroth, and out into the living room. "Dancing with the rest of the sprites," Zack would always tease, but Cloud didn't care. He could always make Seph smile with his odd dance. Still, that didn't help with his current problem.
Spinning on his heel, Cloud fell backwards onto the lush couch (Zack insisted Seph buy it, telling the older man that he needed a better place to sleep than the old, militaristic couch, to which the older man replied that he had his own apartment, go there once in a while) with a dramatic flourish. His first true day off in three months and he had nothing to do. He had attempted the ever-rare "sleeping in," but over nine months of training had ruined that for him. Technically, he slept in two hours, but 7:00a.m. was still too early, dammit!
Bright blue eyes trailed to the stand beside the couch. A chocobo phone greeted his eyes, and he scowled in remembrance of Zack's snickered comparisons. Still... Cloud nibbled his lower lip. Maybe I should call Mama, he thought, reflecting on Eris Strife's smiling face. The memory of those identical blue eyes coaxed a wistful smile. I haven't talked to her for a while. I hope she remembers to pick those blackberries for me.
Then his eyes caught sight of the clock beside the phone. Cloud cringed. Or maybe I should make breakfast. I've been up for two hours already, and I haven't eaten yet.
At that thought, Cloud's good mood faded. Up for two hours and I haven't seen Seph yet, either. I thought he was supposed to be back from his assignment sometime last night. Did it run late? Cloud's shoulders slumped, and he stared at the smoke-stained ceiling. Damn, that bastard ShinRa probably piled paperwork on him. And Zack is with him, so I can't hang out with him, either. Cloud sighed and glanced again at the phone. "Let me get some food, and I'll dial you up, Mama," he told the phone. The chocobo's bright eyes stared blankly at him.
Dragging himself from the sofa's loving embrace, Cloud placed his hands on the back of his head and sauntered to the kitchen. For the life of him, he could not imagine his warrior lover, no matter how elegant he was, fitting into the professional kitchen ShinRa provided. Until Cloud had returned to complete the trio, the large kitchen had remained untouched. Humming an old Nibelhelm song about the dragon Nidhogg, Cloud reached for the cutting board and a large knife. If Zack provided the humor and Sephiroth the strength, then Cloud provided the "home fires." After years of helping his mother around the house, it was a simple task to ensure his friends were well-fed.
Cloud Strife. Future 1st Class SOLDIER and housewife. Heh.
Cloud glared moodily at the clean counter even as he dropped green and red peppers onto it. He could actually see the white of the counters! The actual color was supposed to be hidden by Seph's coffee stains (quite possibly the man's only bad habit) and Zack's giant globs of apple jelly (one of his many bad habits). He reached into the fridge to grab some eggs, scowling as no warm arms teasingly blocked him. Where was Seph to embrace him from behind and inquire as to the point of chocolate milk? Where was Zack to hog their food rather than find his own? Where was Seph–
Cloud cut himself off. He had been separated from them for almost fourteen years. They would never treat him like an adult if he continued clinging to them like a child.
He had just begun whipping the eggs in a bowl when he heard the door swing open. Instantly, the bowl and eggs were in the sink, and Cloud was pressed against the wall. Seph and Zack never made a sound when entering the suite; they made sure of it so they could startle him.
Heidigger? Cloud wondered, his deceptively slender hand clutching the kitchen knife from earlier. Who else would enter the General's apartment? Balancing the knife carefully–it was neither the Buster Sword nor the throwing knives he was used to–Cloud slunk towards the archway leading to the living room.
"Hojo said the papers should be on the desk," Cloud heard as he braced himself against the wall. "We just find the papers, and we can scram."
Hojo?! Cloud's eyes narrowed. Papers? Sephiroth, what the hell have you been keeping from me?
One vivid blue eye peeked around the corner. A burly brute caught his eye first, leaning stiffly against the wall in the living room. The man was speaking with a taller figure. Their tawdry clothing clashed with the simple elegance of Sephiroth's rooms. Cloud cringed but noted they seemed alone in the living room. His sharp eye caught sight of shadows shifting on the far side of the room. In the bedroom, near the bedroom? At least four roaming around the suite, then, perhaps all of decent size if the first two were any indication. For a man of science, it was ironic that Hojo relied on brute forced to get his dirty work done.
"What if the General finds us in here?" the tall one asked nervously. "He could kill us, no problem!"
There was a snort from the direction of the bedroom. "He's in a meeting with President Shinra at the moment," a deep voice replied. "Nothing to worry about."
So that's where he is, Cloud mused. But if he's in a meeting with the perv, it shouldn't take him long to escape it and come up here. He's always quick about—
The burly man shifted restlessly, and his dark eyes roamed around the living room. Cloud ducked back, bracing himself against the wall and clutching the kitchen knife. Four in the apartment, one of him, unknown—
"Holy shit! There's someone here!" erupted from the living room. Cloud's eyes widened, and he hastily checked himself over. Not even his shadow was showing, so—
His hair. Fuck. So that was why Zack always told him to tie back his hair.
"Well, don't just stand there! Deal with him!"
Shit.
Cloud dived backwards, feeling strong hands scraping against his shirt. The tall man caught Cloud around the waist before he could catch his footing, only to scream and fall back with Cloud's knife shoved in his gut. The tall one fell back, and Cloud cursed his loss of weapon as he darted towards the living room. The two from the bedroom emerged at a run. Not pausing, Cloud balanced himself for a spring.
"Ugh!" the blond cried out, something heavy pulling him down from behind. The third. Seph was going to kill him!
The burly man relied on his greater mass to hold the young wildcat down. A fierce elbow slammed into vulnerable ribs, coaxing forth an involuntary grunt. Cloud's head snapped back and almost broke the man's nose. A bare heel kicked out, aiming for the man's balls.
"Damned hellcat!" the man roared, and the weight lifted. Before the man could land his punch, Cloud twisted and shattered the man's nose with his elbow. Even as the stranger screamed, Cloud was darting again for the door.
"You little prick!" Cloud heard behind him. A stinging pain raced up his neck and down his spine. Stars exploded before his eyes, and he fell in a heap on the floor.
Pressure point. You bastard, the guys back in Nibelhelm never used that trick.
"What the fuck is he doing here?"
The harsh snarl resounded in Cloud's aching skull as the boy slowly regained his wits. Carpet, he acknowledged dully, struggling to concentrate. He instantly recognized the fabric against his cheek. Sephiroth had fucked him on it enough. In the same fashion, he knew those were not Seph's hands holding down his arms, Seph's weight pinning down his legs. Oh. Yeah. Shit.
"How the hell should I know? Hojo said the suite would be empty!"
"Apparently, the psycho was wrong!"
"So what should we do with him?"
The calloused hands around Cloud's wrists tightened. "We kill him, of course."
The heavy weight on Cloud's legs shifted. That's two, he noted, struggling not to change his expression at the chilling words. Where's the other one?
"He's probably the General's whore. Look at his pretty face! I don't want to piss off the General by killing his slut!"
Slut? Slut! Behind closed lids, vivid blue eyes blazed. It took all of his willpower not to lash out. Still didn't know where the last one was.
"We're not supposed to get caught, dipshit. Kill the whore, find the papers, scram. A knife to the throat will work."
Damn, that was some good motivation to move! In one swift motion, he bucked his slender form, kicked his legs and opened his eyes. As the one on his legs–the large one, he noted sourly–tumbled head-first into the sofa, Cloud opened his mouth and released a blood-curdling scream. Still screaming, he rolled backwards, kicking at the one holding his hands. The dark man ducked his legs and reached for Cloud's mouth. Sharp teeth sunk into the man's palm, and one flailing foot kicked the man's howling mouth. The large one pushed himself off the couch, and Cloud dived away from his grasping hands. The click of a gun stopped them all.
Standing in the doorway of Seph's and his room, a short man with dark red hair stared coldly at Cloud along the barrel of his revolver. Panting lightly, Cloud glared back.
"Enough of this," the redhead said shortly. "I'll take care of him."
Fuck.
Abruptly, the redhead's eyes widened, and Cloud felt a spray of a hot liquid splash against his cheek. Strong arms yanked him backwards. He breathed in the familiar scent.
"Zack!"
The Masamune sliced the gun, then its owner in half before Cloud finished the syllable. Eyes shining, Cloud watched his lover finish the remaining two with a half-sweep of his blade. Cloud had barely had the time to say Zack's name before the fight was over.
"Seph–" Cloud began before Zack hugged him fiercely from behind. Sephiroth carelessly wiped the blood from his sword on the stocky man's shirt before turning to the two.
"We heard you screaming," Sephiroth said simply, his intense emerald eyes never wavering from Cloud's face.
Zack hugged him tightly one last time before letting go. "Damn, Cloud, you were in the apartment! How did you find trouble here?"
Both SOLDIERs stared at him, oblivious to the coppery scent of blood rising from stained carpet and the sprawled bodies. Unfortunately, Cloud had no such luck. Wrinkling his nose, Cloud gestured at the corpses. "Um... can we do something about them first?"
Zack glanced quickly between the pair. "Seph, get the scoop. I'll take care of this."
Seph nodded solemnly and reached out, pulling Cloud swiftly into his arms. Cloud didn't mind. With a slight purr, he buried his face in Seph's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zack smile tightly at the corpses. "Let's mosey!" he murmured, and that was all Cloud heard before Sephiroth herded him into the bedroom.
Nothing appears out of place, Cloud noted, allowing Seph to pull him onto the bed. Sephiroth's desk, sitting beside the window so Cloud could see outside while he worked, appeared as meticulous as ever, Seph's papers neatly stacked, the desk drawers closed. The large closet doors opposite never appeared to have been opened. The nightstand appeared untouched (Cloud cringed at what he imagined they found in there). Their large bed remained as ruffled as when Cloud had risen that morning. He wondered if they had been pros or simply had not had the time before discovering him.
"Are you all right?" Seph murmured, arm protectively around his shoulder. Cloud hid another cringe when he noticed that. Heidigger would lose limbs if he tried to flirt anytime soon.
The blond looked up at the taller man and raised an eyebrow. "SOLDIER recruit ring any bells? Mostly annoyed that they got an advantage on me like that." Ignoring Seph's intense eyes for a moment, he glanced towards their bedroom door. "Do I want to know what Zack is doing?"
For the first time since walking into the door, Sephiroth relaxed. A little. "No."
Cloud glanced at Sephiroth and sighed. The man was a mother hen in another life, he would stake his life on it. He hated to see Sephiroth when he made it to SOLDIER. As much as he loved the man, Cloud hoped he never had a mission with him.
When lover is panicking, there is only one thing to do, Cloud decided, feeling Seph's arm tense around his smaller frame. Distract him.
With easy grace, Cloud swung himself around and straddled the startled other man. He saw the protest in Seph's eyes–if the SOLDIER mentioned trauma once he was a dead man–and cut it off with a strong kiss.
Early in training, Cloud had learned his somewhat diminutive height led people to believe he was childlike and/or effeminate. They underestimated his strength, speed, ambition, and intelligence. Unfortunately, even after all this time, Sephiroth and Zack still fell under this category.
It led to many surprises in bed.
Sephiroth's soft protests transformed into groans as Cloud's teeth nibbled his lower lip before sweeping across the pliant flesh with his tongue. Casually, the blond rocked against the older man, his petite size working easily to his advantage against the large man. Involuntary moans echoed pleasingly in Cloud's ears, the blond smiling internally even as he himself hardened.
"Clou–" Sephiroth began, only to groan as Cloud's small hands slid under his black leather trenchcoat. Slender fingers–pianist's fingers, his mother always told him, and now was not the time to think about his mother–toyed with taut nipples. Cloud pulled his mouth away from Seph's slender jawline, sliding his nimble tongue to duel with Sephiroth's once more. Slowly, he pulled back, smirking internally as Seph struggled to prolong the kiss. A quick tug at his nipples distracted him.
"So," Cloud murmured, "why the hell don't you wear a shirt, anyway?" Not listening for an answer, the blond raked his teeth over his lover's jaw. Seph snarled and attempted to roll him onto his back, but as quick as a snake, Cloud pinned the older man to the mattress. "No, no, no," Cloud chastised, happily settling his hips on Sephiroth's hard cock. "Trauma and all that. Need for control to balance off the lack of control earlier." He smiled winningly at the General's glower. "Thanks for the therapy, though." And he sank his teeth into the juncture between the neck and the shoulder.
"Cloud!" he gasped, but Cloud was having far too much fun in the role of seme. Licking the wounded flesh in mock apology, he shoved the trenchcoat from Sephiroth's shoulders, pinning the man's arms behind him.
With one last lick to the already healed wound, Cloud slithered down the long, muscled frame. Sephiroth was groaning beneath him, arching his hips as Cloud's own cock slid down it, followed by the stomach, chest, before finally Cloud kneeled before the black leather pants.
"Mmmmm," Cloud purred, slender fingers parted from hardened, reddened nipples to play with the single button holding the pants on Sephiroth. "Easy access. I love these pants."
With unnecessary slowness, Cloud ran his finger around the button. Sephiroth snarled above him, writhing in a fevered attempt to free his arms from the coat and at the same time urge Cloud on. Unseen by Sephiroth, Cloud smiled. Sometimes, it felt so nice to be in control. Always, someone attempted to dominate him or treat him as a child, especially those nearest and dearest to him. He was soon to be a SOLDIER, one day a first-class SOLDIER fighting at his lover's side. When the opportunity came to surprise Sephiroth like this arose, he milked it to his best ability.
"Like this?" Cloud breathed before lowering his face to mouth the hard, pulsing cock encased in the leather. Sephiroth's soft cry made Cloud remember his own rock hard cock. Mentally shrugging, Cloud sucked the bound prick, toying with the lone button even as his other hand trailed down to undo his own pants. Cloud's soft moan of relief as his own cock sprung free made Sephiroth shudder.
He could feel Sephiroth's blazing emerald eyes on him. Cloud raised his eyes to wink at his lover, taking a long moment to enjoy the sight of Seph's flushed face and sweat-lathered chest, before popping open the button. The leather clung to sweaty legs, but Cloud successfully slid them down, his prize congenially presenting itself at mouth level.
The taste of salty pre-cum exploded in Cloud's mouth as he eased the thick head past his lips. He moaned, hearing an echoing moan above his head. For a moment, he simply suckled on the head before sliding down, feeling the large cock expand his cheeks. He paused again to suck hard, Sephiroth writhing wildly under him.
"Cloud!" Sephiroth snarled, and Cloud pulled his hands away from his own clothing to slam his hands down on the rising hips before Seph choked him.
Shush, love. Let me have my fun.
Cloud straddled one of Sephiroth's legs as he slowly slid more of Sephiroth's cock into his mouth. An echo of the man himself, long and pale and pulsing with strength, he eased it down his willing throat. It took months before he could manage that one. Sephiroth's scream almost undid him, and he rocked his own hard-on against Sephiroth's leg, smearing precum over the pale flesh. Still holding the man down, he concentrated on sucking, hearing Sephiroth's raspy cries and pants. It filled his mouth, sliding smoother down his throat than the dildo with which he initially practiced. Cloud groaned; Sephiroth howled.
Strong hands yanked him off the cock. Eyes narrowing even as his chest heaved with exertion and arousal, Cloud glared at Sephiroth. The older man's glazed eyes met his. Cloud's smug smirk return, uncaring of the white liquid sliding down his chin.
"Not yet, lover," the blond purred, lust and Sephiroth's cock formerly shoved down his throat making his voice raspy. Sephiroth opened his mouth, but Cloud knew what he was going to say and hastily kissed him. As much as he enjoyed it, he was not in the mood to have a cock up his ass, and Seph hated being penetrated by anything beyond Cloud's tongue. He dragged Seph's tongue into his mouth and sucked hard. As Seph moaned, Cloud aligned his body with the silver warrior. Seph cried out softly as Cloud's bared cock met his, the precum flowing acting as lubricant. Still sucking Seph's squirming tongue, Cloud thrust against him. The pair moaned in unison as their hard cocks rubbed against the other's. Sephiroth writhed and met Cloud's thrusts; the soft cotton of Cloud's pants rubbed against Seph's balls. At moments like these, the General's legendary control was gone. Cloud reveled in it, pushing harder and harder between Seph's legs, riding him. Heat swept over Cloud, but he bit Seph's lower lip and imagined President ShinRa in one of his infamous dresses. That alone kept Cloud's orgasm as bay.
"Cloud," Seph moaned into his mouth. "Cloudcloudcloudcloud–"
Cloud bit at Seph's lips and grinded down. The slick skin of their cocks rubbed, the thick heads bumped together, and that was all it took. Sephiroth tore his mouth away from Cloud's and screamed. Hot liquid gushed across Cloud's groin and stomach, and Sephiroth shuddered and shuddered and shuddered before collapsing beneath him. Cloud buried his face in Seph's sweaty shoulder, feeling the leather of Seph's clothes against his shins, feeling his clothes scraping Seph's skin, feeling his hard, wet cock rubbing slickly against Seph's drenched groin over and over and over and not even the pervert could distract him, he couldn't remember the pervert now, all he could feel was heatheatheat rising and pounding and burning and he could finally let go–
Fire exploded from his groin outward, expanding and glowing until all Cloud could do was scream.
When he next opened his eyes, Seph was languidly wiping away the cooling semen with the edge of the blanket. Seeing Cloud stirring, he quirked his lips at him in a small smile. "Control, heh?" he murmured.
Cloud smiled contently back at him. "Control," he confirmed, letting Seph wipe his stomach clean. Then he knocked the blanket out of Seph's hand and curled into the SOLDIER's chest.
Seph's arms wrapped around him in a possessive grip, but Cloud decided he would allow it just this once. "Love you," he murmured.
Tender lips brushed his head, and even Cloud's sharp ears had problems picking up Seph's response. The blond fell asleep with a smile on his lips.
"Love you... always."
/Sweet dreams, beloved./