Assisted Torture
Rating: R (naughty stuffs)
Assisted Torture
At the ring of the final bell, Sora lowered his keyblade, wincing as muscles pulled taut and throbbed with pain. He wasn't bleeding too much, but Sephiroth had given him a run for his munny and left him bruised and aching.
Of course, the silver-haired man seemed completely unaffected by the damage Sora knew he'd inflicted, and to add insult to injury, Sephiroth wasn't even winded or anything. Jerk. Jerkity jerk...
"You're getting better," Sephiroth said smoothly into the silence that had risen between them, and Sora pouted, lower lip sticking out. The man's green eyes sparkled with mirth as he grinned at the reaction. "I do intend that as a compliment, young one."
"I like beating Cloud more than I like beating you. At least he's not a jerk about it! And Leon gives me pointers if I screw up. You're just...just..." He searched for a word venomous enough to express his feelings. "A big MEANIE!"
Sephiroth, unfortunately, did not seem to be particularly affected by Sora's words. He looked, in fact, rather hard-pressed not to laugh.
Sora full-out pouted.
"I don't like you!"
One silver eyebrow rose. "So I've noticed. But you do like Cloud, don't you?" A sinister, knowing smile curled the silver-haired man's lips. "Most everyone does..."
Sora glanced up nervously at the sky, willing his keyblade away and starting to leave the arena. He wanted to find some way to hide his blush, but he also had a feeling Sephiroth was going to tease him about this. The way Riku would have.
Sephiroth and Riku were way too much alike for Sora's tastes.
Speaking of, the older man fastened Masamune to his side and began to follow Sora, after following the young man's glance to the sky. "Is something wrong?"
"Um...It looks kinda cloudy. I thought we ought to get inside."
Sephiroth laughed. "Well, at the least we would benefit from a shower."
Fighting the urge to freeze up, stammer, and blush so hard his knees went weak, Sora gave Sephiroth no more answer than a wide-eyed look of surprise, continuing to the showers in silence and stopping when he reached the door. The booted footsteps of his opponent turned...well, apparently comrade...or at least shower buddy...came to a stop next to him, and Sephiroth waited patiently while Sora stood facing the door, head down and shoulders slumped, and didn't open it.
Glancing around at the hallway, the ceiling, and the door itself, Sephiroth sighed as he turned his gaze on the boy to his left, one eyebrow lifted in question. "You do not want to shower?"
"UM." Sora swallowed hard, and ventured to look up for a split second before looking back at his shoes with a squeak. "...you...won't...kill me...while we're in there...right?"
Smiling, the ex-General of ShinRa reached out to open the doors to the bathing commons. "I will not harm you at all while we are in here, young Keyblademaster."
Blue eyes searched the aristocratic lines of Sephiroth's face for signs of a lie and, finding none, warmed into a hesitant smile. "Okay!"
Without further adieu, Sora raced into the bathroom, throwing off his clothes and leaping into the pool intended for bathing and meditation. Sephiroth watched with an amused smile as the boy splashed about in the water, waves rolling away from where he'd jumped in and trailing his path as he moved like a fish, perfectly at home in the embrace of the small pool.
Shaking his head, Sephiroth stepped inside the spacious bathroom and let the door close behind his trailing coat, gracefully throwing his hair over his shoulder. Keeping his eyes on Sora, he set about divesting himself of his own clothing step by step, folding each item and putting it all in a black and red leather pile in a dry, safe corner of the room. It took hardly any time at all; once he was clothed in nothing but skin and the silver silk of his hair, he stepped lithe and silent across the tiled floor to join Sora in the water. It was warm from a day's worth of sun, and pleasant to slide down into. The night had brought with it a slight chill to the air, even this late in summer, and it was warmer under the water than above it. Sephiroth let himself slip under the water up to his chin and stayed there, floating with his toes just above the floor of the little pool. He remained where he was, one eye closed and the other half open to watch Sora's antics as the boy continued to play in the water.
After nearly an hour of tireless frolicking amidst the water, Sora finally grew quiet enough to focus on simply cleaning himself. When that, too, was done, he moved to join Sephiroth and followed the older man's example, simply sitting in the water, calm and quiet. The General would even have suspected the boy of sleeping had Sora not grown bold enough to ask a soft question.
"...do you like Cloud, mister Sephiroth, sir?"
Sephiroth, who'd relaxed enough to close both eyes, snapped one open again, body tensing imperceptibly as he all but glared in suspicion at the boy. Sora's eyes were open wide with innocent curiosity, and he waited for his answer without flinching. His earlier fears seemed to have washed away in the face of Sephiroth's promise not to harm him.
...Of all the luck, he thought to himself wryly. But, as it was his own fault that the boy had grown so bold, and it didn't particularly matter if he told, he sighed and answered truthfully. "In the proper setting and mood, yes. I like him very much."
Sora's wide-as-dinner-plate eyes blinked once. "Setting? Huh?" He lifted his face higher above the water, swimming a little closer in curiosity. "Whaddya mean, mister Sephiroth?"
Opening his other eye, the older man gave Sora a definite 'shut up' look, green gaze frosty and powerful enough to have made other, more perceptive people grit their teeth and leave the bathroom for safety's sake.
Guileless as ever, Sora waited for an answer.
"I mean things that children like yourself should not--" Sephiroth hesitated mid-sentence, peering up over the edge of the pool to the door of the bathroom, which had just creaked. Following his lead, Sora quietly watched along with him as Cloud stumbled into the bathroom, clearly weary from a day of training and probably too exhausted to even notice them here. He looked much the worse for wear, and, Sephiroth noted in surprise, somewhat depressed. True, such emotions were rather normal for Cloud in his experience, but it didn't keep him from wondering at the cause.
They continued watching as the young man stripped himself of his clothing and stepped into a shower stall, turning the water on so hot that it steamed and sliding down until he sat with knees drawn up to his chin, shuddering softly, too tired to move.
Sora poked Sephiroth in the shoulder and whispered, "Do you think we should ask him what's wrong?"
Sephiroth glanced from the delectable (if dejected) piece of meat in the shower to the innocent little boy at his side who looked rather strikingly similar to said showering person. His brows jumped at the recognition. "...I suppose...we might," Sephiroth managed to say. "...perhaps...it would be best if I approached him alone, Sora."
Staring-- Sephiroth didn't call him by his name often-- Sora nodded and watched silently as the tall, lithe swordsman stepped from the pool and padded across the tile to where Cloud sat under the spray of the water, bangs washing into his face.
The blond jumped at the sound of his once-enemy's voice. "You are looking rather upset. Even for you, Strife."
"Sephiroth, what the hell--?"
Cloud's body tried to get him back up to his feet, but between his weariness and the slippery floor, he couldn't manage it, braced on his hands and leaning back in an attempt to get away from the other man, blue eyes narrowed into a silent demand to be left alone.
Sephiroth ignored that signal, smirking softly, and knelt down, his hair spreading over his skin and draping over Cloud's body like spider-spun moonlight, sinister but beautiful. "Very upset indeed; defensive, tired. Drained, perhaps. What is it you've done, I wonder? What is it you have to hide, coming to the showers so late at night that no one should be able to see you?"
As Sephiroth spoke he drew closer, holding the bewildered blue eyes of his prey, his underling, Cloud backing away until he hit the wall. Gazing up into the older man's eyes, he simply gulped nervously and blushed, trying to turn his face away.
Sephiroth frowned. He'd be having none of that. Reaching out to catch the younger man's chin with his fingers, he smirked, bringing their faces so close that he could have touched Cloud's lips with his tongue.
...tempting thought.
"Won't you tell me, Cloud? Or will I have to guess?"
Cloud, who remained very quiet and very wide-eyed, seemed to stop breathing for a moment and began panting when he started again, trembling faintly.
A not-quite-pleased voice behind him answered the question and nearly made him flinch. "I know what it is." Both Sephiroth and Cloud turned to face Sora, the latter simply staring, the former tempted to glower. The boy stood dripping, towel wrapped about his twig-thin waist, arms crossed over his chest and disapproving frown on his face. "You've been making deals with the darkness again, haven't you?"
Cloud made a sound between shock and agreement. Sephiroth felt his mind echo it. Perceptive kid.
"That's stupid, Cloud! You know you can't trust it!"
The blond glanced away, rebellious, irate denial crossing his face. Sephiroth took the chance to leap in, shaking Cloud with one hand to the younger man's shoulder, snapping his attention back to Mako-green eyes. "Is that true, Cloud? You've been selling your soul to the devil?"
Though he'd meant it as a metaphor, the wince that the statement earned him was telling enough of the truth, and Sephiroth couldn't help laughing, the tone as mocking as it was mirthful.
Cloud scowled, trying to push the older man away feebly; he lacked the strength to accomplish much, and in reprimand, Sephiroth backhanded the blonde, sending him sprawling over the tile. Sora made a soft, startled noise and Sephiroth held up a forestalling hand.
To Cloud, he said in his sternest of voices, "You've been terribly naughty, haven't you Cloud?" He got slowly to his feet, watching as Cloud quietly turned his face away, blushing, ashamed. His lips quirked; no surer sign of guilt. "You have."
Sora watched them both, confused. "Well...he won't do it again, right? You don't have to hit him," the boy's voice dipped accusingly, and Sephiroth could imagine the expression of righteous pouty indignance on the boy's face. Oh, for heaven's sake...
Wait.
His gaze flickered from Cloud to the young keyblademaster, and his lips spread into a terrible smile. "Ah, but that's where you are wrong, youngling. Without punishment, he'll never learn. Surely you've seen him do this before."
Sora blinked. "Do what?"
"Consort with darkness to further his cause?" Sephiroth offered easily. The boy brightened, nodding, then frowned. "...what's the matter?"
Shrugging, the body ducked his head, wet brown hair bouncing slightly with the movement. "Well, it's just...well, what you said. I did see him use darkness to do stuff before and I told him not to, and he still did it anyway."
Sephiroth smirked, holding out his hands in surrender. "Then you understand that he must be...encouraged to stop seeking out darkness, do you not?" Cloud, struggling to stand in the shower, glared balefully at his nemesis and scrabbled at the wall in a desperate attempt to get up and get away before this went anywhere.
The boy was still uncertain. "Encouraged? Like how? Can I help?"
It might not have seemed possible, but Sephiroth's grin grew even wider. "Indeed. You can use your keyblade to help make this lesson as effective as possible." He effortlessly knelt down and scooped the blonde man up into his arms, much to Cloud's protest. One dangerous look passed between Mako-infused gazes was enough to shut the younger man up. "In fact, I believe your assistance might make this lesson one that he'll never forget."
Sora brightened. "Great! I'll be glad to help!" He noted Cloud's struggling and adopted his best stern parent look. "And you wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't go using evil magics and stuff."
Cloud growled softly. "Sora, this isn'tOW!" Turning angry eyes on Sephiroth, he fell silent, petulantly rubbing at his arm as it healed the minor scratch.
"So, what do I do?" Sora asked eagerly, summoning his keyblade as he followed Sephiroth to the benches near the door. Sephiroth didn't answer immediately, sitting down and laying Cloud out over his knees, belly-down and one arm twisted behind his back to hold him immobile. The blonde hung limply, still too weak to protest much but clearly annoyed at the entire situation.
Satisfied, Sephiroth glanced up at Sora and nodded for the boy to come closer. "What do your parents do when you've been a naughty boy, Sora?"
The boy blushed, scuffing his toe on the ground. "...Uh. They spank me."
"Right. That's all you need do to Cloud. I'm sure he'll behave properly, given the right encouragement. He just needs our help to learn." Cloud gave a token struggle and Sephiroth used his free hand to swat to the ex-SOLDIER's behind, the motion resulting in a soft little fleshy slap. Cloud grunted indignantly and fell still. "See?" Sephiroth purred agreeably.
Sora stared, wide-eyed. "You want me to spank him with the keyblade? Wouldn't that really hurt?!"
"Not as badly as being killed by the darkness, I imagine," Sephiroth replied airily. Cloud made a muffled noise of displeasure and the older man pinched his behind to silence him.
Torn, the younger boy looked from Sephiroth's face to his keyblade, trying to make up his mind. He wanted to try and help Cloud, but he wasn't sure Cloud wanted his help. Plus...well, he'd never tried to use the keyblade like this before.
Maybe it'd be okay. Sephiroth was a pretty good guy, when you weren't trying to beat him for the Platinum match, so everything should be all right. Right?
Chewing on his lower lip, Sora reached out with the keyblade and tentatively tapped the round white curve of Cloud's ass with the teeth at the end of the blade. Cloud didn't react positively or negatively, and Sephiroth shook his head. "You'll have to do it harder, Sora. He's very stubborn; you've fought with him, surely you know that."
Sora frowned. He did know that. Cloud was one of the most stubborn guys he knew. Well... "All right..."
He struck again, this time a light tap that he usually reserved for Donald when he needed to get the duck's attention. Cloud's entire body jerked, and he went tense; Sora recoiled as if burned, worry in his eyes.
Sephiroth frowned, fighting not to roll his eyes. "He's fine, Sora; See? Harder."
Again, this time hard enough to kill a small heartless, and Cloud arced, the jagged red mark of the keyblade beginning to stand out on his bottom, face twisting in anger at this debasement, flushed with his embarrassment. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to brace himself for the next strike; it came a second later than he'd thought it would and was harder still than the last, enough to make him yelp, struggling against Sephiroth again.
Sora hesitated, nervously glancing up at Sephiroth, then down at Cloud's angry face. "...is that good?"
"Dammit, you sick per--" Sephiroth pressed down harder on Cloud's arm and the young man fell silent, grimacing. The silver haired man motioned for Sora to continue, and a little less reluctantly, he did so, striking again and again, slowly losing his inhibition and hitting as hard as came naturally to him. Cloud's soft cries grew in volume as Sephiroth explained the importance of distributing the blows evenly over Cloud's behind so that welts wouldn't develop from repeated blows in the exact same spot. Sora found his own face growning hot for no good reason as he dealt blow after blow, Cloud's body jerking under the force of it, his white-as-marble skin flushed to deep red all across his pert little ass.
Finally, as Cloud's cries began to grow urgent, tears streaking his face, Sephiroth lifted a hand for Sora to stop. The boy did so immediately, looking up at Sephiroth eagerly. "Did I do good?"
Cloud curled forward over Sephiroth's legs, trembling with exhaustion and...something, crying quietly, hiding his face. The older man smiled his approval at Sora. "You did very well. I'm certain Cloud will not attempt to use the powers of darkness again any time soon."
Sora outright beamed. "Great! Are you okay, Cloud?"
Cloud shuddered. "...n-nn..."
Quickly stepping in, Sephiroth made a moue of compassion, rubbing the blonde's back soothingly. "He's very tired, Sora, but I'm sure he'll be all right once he's had some sleep." Cloud made no move to protest, too tired and thoroughly embarrassed to disagree.
This was enough proof for Sora, and he banished the keyblade again, stretching and trying to cover a yawn. "...uuhmm..." He sighed, blinking drowsily. "I'm kinda tired too. Do you think you can get him to bed, mister Sephiroth, sir?"
Smirking like a cat, Sephiroth nodded once, cradling Cloud closer to himself. "Oh, it will be my pleasure, youngling."
"Good, 'cause I wanna go sleep." Yawning again, Sora waved to them both. "See ya tomorrow, Cloud. Bye, mister Sephiroth."
"Good night, youngling."
Sora left, closing the large wooden doors behind himself, and Sephiroth smirked down at the blonde on his lap. "You enjoyed that."
"...f-fuck...you..." Cloud wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to erase the most obvious signs that he had not enjoyed it at all. "Let...lemme go, dammit..."
Twisting harder on the arm he held captive, he sneered. "I think not." He lifted Cloud, turning him so that their noses touched, the younger man's legs splayed haphazardly around Sephiroth's waist, his slightly bruised red bottom resting on Sephiroth's knees.
Sephiroth's free hand slipped down to squeeze said ass cruelly, tearing a weak little whimpering moan from Cloud's throat. "Don't..."
"When have I ever cared if you said no, puppet?"