AN: This fic was inspired by a lovely picture by Lilly White on tumblr. Google "lilly white collared soldiers" or look up this fic on my AO3 to see the link. Please go give the art some love! It's gorgeous!
Genesis was the worst. Seriously the worst.
"Everything all right?"
Zack shoved the PHS back into his pocket. Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all.
First Class Leere raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
Angeal wasn't so kind. "You're flushed. Don't tell me you're worked up already. We've barely started."
Zack opened his mouth to tell him - about the smirk and the banana and the way Gen's coat had 'fallen' off his shoulders to reveal his mouth-watering biceps - but there were about four dozen other SOLDIERs milling around, waiting for the next test to begin, and as much as Genesis might have enjoyed getting everyone within hearing distance all hot and bothered, Angeal wouldn't. Zack closed his mouth without saying anything. He shook his head.
It earned him a frown from Angeal, but the whistle blew before he could question Zack any further.
"All right Seconds!" Everyone turned towards First Class Simli. "Sixty seconds until start. Same thing as the last time: get to the end of the course within the allotted time and you won't have to go through remedial training with the Commanders."
Zack winced. Everyone knew that 'remedial training' was really just code for 'have Angeal and Genesis kick your ass for a few hours or until they got bored, whichever came later.' Sometimes Sephiroth showed up too, but supposedly that was only for special cases of spectacular failure.
Zack wouldn't know. He'd never failed, let alone spectacularly, though something told him his punishment would be a bit different than everyone else's if he did.
Angeal's hands dropped onto his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
Was Zack imagining it, or was Angeal's voice just a little…threatening?
"Remember, the monsters are real and the machines will attack you when you enter their designated areas." And then later the machines would come hunt them down. Outrunning them could be fun, but also kind of terrifying.
"If you get into trouble, call your back-up. That's what they're there for."
Well, technically they were there for when things shifted into First Class level towards the end of the evaluation. But if by some fluke things went seriously FUBAR before then, they'd step in if needed.
And then Seph would kick the ass of whoever'd called them early.
His PHS buzzed. Zack pulled it out and eyed the notification. New message from Genesis. No way was he opening that. Fool me once…
Except if he didn't open it, he'd end up imagining what the picture showed and that was almost worse, wasn't it? Unless the pic was really, really bad, in which case he was screwed. But Gen didn't usually send nudes, so could it really be that bad?
"Ten seconds!"
Zack flicked the PHS open.
It was bad. Really, really bad.
Genesis was the worsssssst.
It had to be one that Genesis had saved just for this occasion, or else he'd somehow managed to do something with his hair in the past two minutes that made him look a thousand times hotter and stripped out of his clothes and collared himself with a belt. A belt. Oh Gaia. Zack could imagine himself guiding Genesis around the room: Gen on his hands and knees, crawling around with nothing but that damn belt on. And Zack wasn't even into domming. How in the world…?
It was the eyes. Had to be. The eyes just screamed "fuck me," and Zack very much did want to do exactly that, except he had to take this test first-
Zack slammed on the mental breaks. His test. His eyes darted around the clearing. All of the other Seconds were gone, leaving him alone with the Firsts, who were all looking at him with varying degrees of amusement.
Uh oh.
He took off, tossing the PHS over his shoulder as he went. "Hold that for me!"
He heard Angeal sigh, and then he heard Angeal curse, and he could only assume he'd caught sight of the picture. That horrible, terrible, no good, dirty, so dirty, so very very dirty picture.
Gaia, he was so hard.
"Arm."
Sephiroth held it out. He kept careful watch over the needle as she drew his blood. He'd been useless for two entire days after they'd slipped him something the last time.
Another assistant came from the other side. He placed sensors on Sephiroth's bare chest before pushing his hair out of the way and attaching the rest to his neck. Sephiroth pursed his lips. He'd long since grown used to them touching him at will, but he did wish they would ask before handling his hair. It was far too difficult to maintain already without people constantly manhandling it.
A third of Hojo's minions came over with a clipboard and asked if he really didn't want to take his pants off? Just for a few tests?
He did not.
His PHS beeped. The one drawing his blood - did they truly need that much of it? - tsked in disapproval. Sephiroth ignored her. Her tsk had nothing on Angeal's, and he wouldn't have cared even if it did.
He glanced at the sender information. From Cloud? Unlikely. Not at this time of day. He opened the message.
Should I kill them?
Hmph. Genesis, then. Hojo and Genesis did not…agree on certain methods of evaluation. It was better that the sender be suspected, but unprovable, than to have Hojo take his PHS away for 'encouraging that failed experiment to destroy my precious research, the likes of which such an imbecile could never hope to understand.'
Which was unfair, in Sephiroth's opinion. Genesis had burned down the off-site lab entirely of his own volition.
He texted back, He's not here. And I am capable of disposing of them myself should they require it.
Good. And rephrase: May I kill them?
Sephiroth's lips quirked.
The woman tsked again.
Perhaps later.
I'll hold you to that.
Sephiroth was in the middle of tapping out a reply when a new message popped up. He opened it.
It was fortunate that he'd not allowed them to take his pants.
Usually he was the one on his knees, but there was something oddly alluring about Genesis on the floor, a belt dangling down from his neck like a leash ready to be yanked. He was staring up at the camera, and in his mind's eye Sephiroth could see the way Gen's chin would be forced up should someone pull it, forcing Genesis to look up at them with those "come hither" eyes he was so readily displaying in the photograph.
The hair did nothing to help his arousal. It was a different style than usual: one which begged to be touched. Sephiroth had no doubt that it was pleasantly soft and smooth. He ached to run his fingers through it.
Sephiroth ached for a great many things right then.
"Call Professor Hojo. We're receiving unusual readings from the sensors."
"Should we initiate containment procedure?"
"No." Sephiroth stood from the metal chair they'd been all too prepared to strap him into. "I have an urgent situation that requires my attention."
"The tests aren't-"
Sephiroth carved through the machine they'd set up to gauge his strength, most likely while under the influence of some unnamed drug. "Done."
"You weren't supposed to destroy it!" one of them snapped while another muttered, "100,000 gil down the drain." As if the Science Department didn't have the largest budget in the company.
"You wanted me to fight it, correct? It has been fought." He grabbed his coat.
"But-"
"I'm leaving."
And he did.
Genesis was waiting for him when he got home. The belt was nowhere in sight and his hair wasn't as wavy as it'd been in the picture, but he was naked. It would have to do.
Genesis smirked. "I see you got my message."
Zack had warned him: whatever you do, don't open any messages from Genesis until you're done with the evaluation. Cloud hadn't been certain that he'd believed him at first. He'd never gotten any racy photos from Gen before, and Zack did have a habit of exaggerating at times. Not on purpose. It was just the way Zack was. Everything was always so much more with him.
But he'd seen the photo that Genesis had sent from his PHS that one day he'd asked to switch; his excuse being that he hadn't wanted Angeal to be able to lecture him if he decided to burn down another lab. He'd decided the safest course of action was to leave it in the transport. As much as loved looking at Gen, he couldn't bear the thought of being distracted right now.
His lovers had assured him that failing a SOLDIER evaluation wasn't that awful. Sure, the other SOLDIERs would make fun and you'd have to 'duel' Angeal and Genesis until they felt that your skill had increased to an appropriate level, but it wasn't as if he'd be kicked out of ShinRa. They didn't even demote SOLDIERs. You couldn't have mako-enhanced troopers, after all.
But how would it look if he, someone who'd failed the SOLDIER exam the first time and then gone on to receive special one-on-one training with the most elite SOLDIERs in all of ShinRa in order to pass the second time, failed his very first semestrial evaluation?
Cloud would rather die.
Zack jogged over to him. "Hey, you got your PHS on you?"
Cloud's shoulders drooped. He was already messing up. "No, sorry. I left it in my duffel bag. I should have brought it. I think there's still time to go get it. I'll be right back. Sorry."
Zack grabbed him around the middle before he could take off toward the trucks. "Hey! Calm down. I was just going to take it from you if you had it. Believe me, you do not want to run with one of those." He made a vague motion towards his cock.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Hey, it's ok. You apologize way too much, Spikey." He ruffled Cloud's hair. "You'll do fine. And even if you don't, you know they wouldn't actually kick your ass. It's way too cute!"
One of the nearby SOLDIERs let out a suspicious cough.
"Zack." Cloud could feel the heat on his face.
"See? I told you you should have requested me instead. You can't take this guy anywhere." Kunsel poked Zack in the side with his elbow as he came to stand beside him.
Zack jerked. "Do you mind? I'm trying to be motivational here."
"Is that what you're trying to do?"
The puppy face came then, and Cloud couldn't help but feel a little better.
Right. He was going to do fine. He forced his lips into a tentative smile.
Zack beamed. "There you go!"
"Hey guys." Luxiere stopped in front of them. He held his PHS out to Cloud. "Got something you're supposed to look at."
"Me?" Cloud took it. A message?
"What is it?" Zack came around so they could look at it together. Kunsel appeared on Cloud's other side.
Luxiere shrugged. "No idea." Cloud clicked 'open.' "The Commander said he'd murder me if I looked, and I believe him."
Zack tilted his head. "The Comm- Oh crap! Don't look!"
Too late. Cloud's eyes widened.
The camera appeared to have been positioned on the floor beneath Genesis. He was on all fours, blue eyes bright in the dim room as he gazed down at the camera. The notorious belt was there: wrapped around his neck again, this time hanging straight down. It was as if someone had taken a picture of their dog from below when they were ready to go for a walk. Except Genesis was no dog and the only walk he'd be going on was to the bed.
For one brief instant, Cloud considered whether having them kick his ass later would really be that bad. Or was the penalty worse for bailing on an evaluation? He could probably ask Genesis…
Kunsel whistled, breaking the spell. "Tell how I can get in on this thing you guys have got going on."
Cloud forwarded the message to himself and deleted the picture. What had he been thinking? He couldn't fail the evaluation!
Zack shifted and then Cloud shifted and it hit him that he was really hard. He was also really terrified. If he failed…
Zack's PHS buzzed, and they both looked at each other.
"I'll check it." Zack flipped his PHS open, his face a strange combination of wary and excited. It shifted to pleased, a soft smile playing at the edge of his lips. He held the PHS out to Cloud.
It was the same picture of Genesis - Gaia - but underneath were the words: "I send all of you a reward during evaluations because I already know you'll do marvelously."
Cloud's shoulders relaxed. Genesis believed in him.
Cloud looked at the picture again. Gaia, the things he wanted to do to Genesis right then. He was so hard. How was he supposed to get through the evaluation now?
Zack slapped him on the shoulder. "I guess you could say it's tradition at this point, huh?"
Cloud smiled. Yeah. Tradition. He liked the sound of that.
"What are we wagering this time? Angeal asked, bending down to touch his toes.
Genesis turned his head to watch. "The usual?"
The usual being one week where the other had to help with some 'unpleasant' task. Genesis had made Angeal take him to a different play every night, followed by a meeting with Study Group, where they'd discussed how LOVELESS may or may not have influenced the playwright. Angeal had made Genesis garden.
"Fine with me."
"What happens if one of you gets into trouble?" Cloud looked around at the group of Firsts, none of whom had any back-up.
"Seconds and Thirds are more likely to be placed in pairs or groups while on missions, so we allow them back-up if needed. Firsts are expected to complete missions with minimal outside help," Sephiroth said.
"In other words, if you can't complete a simple evaluation on your own, then you deserve to be left to cry for help until one of the other Firsts takes pity on you."
Almost immediately, Genesis could see that his words had perhaps been a tad harsh. He pulled Cloud in for a kiss before those soft pink lips could turn downward. Their dear Cloud worried too much.
"Technically you're not supposed to use the back-up anyway, if you can help it," Zack chimed in.
"Correct." Sephiroth tilted his head in agreement. "They are there for when you reach the end of the evaluation and encounter high-level threats designed to gauge whether you're ready to advance to the next class."
"Don't worry," Angeal said, straightening. He patted Genesis on the back. "If you get into trouble, I'll rescue you."
Genesis released Cloud in favor of capturing Angeal's mouth. A chaste kiss. Anything more and Angeal would accuse him of cheating.
"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end,
The goddess descends from the sky."
"Good to know I'm a goddess."
Genesis smirked. "That and more. Tell me, did you get my message?"
"Don't do it, it's a trick!" Zack darted forward to stop him, but Genesis had taken special precautions.
Angeal pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "You printed it this time. Clever. I didn't even notice you'd slipped it to me until about half an hour ago."
The other three clustered around as Angeal unfolded the paper. Zack let out an audible groan when he saw it, while Sephiroth swallowed and Cloud gave Genesis the pleasure of a most delicious flush.
"Do you like it?" he asked with a false casualness that would fool none of them.
Zack groaned again, Cloud nodded dumbly, and Sephiroth merely responded with an honest "yes."
Genesis grinned. He'd been rather fond of that one. The culmination of his theme: him on his back in bed, the belt tight around his throat, his head arched back as he panted at the viewer and begged them to fuck him with his half-lidded eyes. He'd paid careful attention to his hair: mussing it like Angeal mussed it during sex. The man had a thing for touching their hair.
"Well?" he prompted, waiting for Angeal's answer.
Angeal rolled his eyes, though that didn't stop Genesis from seeing the way he trailed his fingers down Zack's back. Angeal got so touchy when he got aroused.
"I'll text you my answer."
Genesis' grin grew.
He received a message about five minutes later, after they'd moved to the starting area and were waiting around for the whistle to blow. A picture message. He clicked on it, expecting it to be Angeal giving him the finger or maybe even rubbing himself through his pants - a poor attempt at retaliation.
It was neither.
Angeal was also lying on the bed with his belt wrapped around his neck, only instead of holding it himself or allowing it to lie against his chest, Cloud had been recruited to hold the end. Dear, sweet Cloud, who was sitting on Angeal's lap, obviously naked though the photo stopped just above where you would have begun to see cock. Beside him on his stomach was Zack, who was looking back at the camera over his shoulder. His head was angled perfectly to cover Sephiroth's cock, who was sitting at the top of the bed with Zack in between his legs, clearly ready to receive a blowjob.
Genesis licked his lips. He glanced at the lot of them, who were all wearing identical looks of satisfaction.
Touché.
AN: Let me know what you thought! :3 All reviews are loved and constructive criticism is more than fine.
Also, feel free to follow me on AO3 if you also want to see my explicit fics (username pt_tucker).