Title: Cages
Author: Garnet Eyes
Archived: fanfiction. net, y-gallery. net
Summary: Sephiroth is none too pleased with his current assignment, but perhaps karma will balance.
Rating: T
Pairings: Sephiroth x Cloud
Author Notes: I have not had the time to watch/play anything in the Final Fantasy VII universe beyond the original game and Advent Children. Therefore, I am certain there are inconsistencies between my writing and newer games or movies.
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.
...
This mission was possibly the most pointless ever assigned to a SOLDIER, let alone three including both Zackary Fair and Sephiroth himself. The Shinra heir wanted protection for his "night on the town," celebrating his birthday of all things. Reasonably, he wanted a few Turks for the duty but needed confirmation from his father to prevent his selections from being assigned double duty. The President, after the recent threat to his own life, did not wish to part with any of the Turks his son requested, unreasonably. He did not want to make his son forgo celebration, however, and refused to allow the heir to leave the compound unprotected. Ultimately, Shinra decided for this venture into the Slums a few SOLDIERs would suffice. Tseng, who usually guarded the heir, was highly uncomfortable with this setup since in general SOLDIERs didn't know all the back ways and secret areas in the Slums. Sephiroth, who had been pulled from his standard duties for this farce, agreed that this was a poor setup but the President was both mulish and resistant to any amount of logic in this instance. The General had turned into an escort for the evening, as had the only individual he would have trusted to take care of things in his stead, but apparently a young Turk by the name of Reno was going to be shadowing them regardless of the President's wishes. Perhaps it should have been more offensive to the silver warrior that the Turks did not trust in his abilities, but frankly he was displeased with this abuse of his time and the heir was better off with a guard who regularly spent days in the Slums and was familiar with the area.
Regardless of all else, circumstantial or otherwise, the SOLDIERs were ordered into "club attire" in the attempt to better blend in. Luckily, Zackary actually knew what that meant or the silver warrior would have simply headed out in his uniform. As it was, he ended up in his leather uniform pants and a plain white dress shirt, untucked and not fully buttoned because the brunette told him such a thing was fashionable, with his hair tied back and a pair of standard issue combat boots to complete the look. Masamune would be too much and far too awkward for a crowded place, so his sword for the evening was the wakizashi he normally kept with him at night. Zackary was dressed in a somewhat similar style with black slacks, a black sleeveless ribbed turtleneck, black combat boots, and a set of three silver chain necklaces of varying lengths, a katana strapped to his back.
The club was loud, too many lights flashing onto a dance floor while darkness overtook the rest of the space, practically blinding the SOLDIERs with their many enhancements. The odors mingling together from all of the sweaty bodies, various alcohols, and perfumes were revolting. Sephiroth forcibly restrained himself from wincing as they entered, sending his own around to scout the area. The Turk could handle Shinra himself; SOLDIER would simply secure the building. Unpleasant though it was, the General observed the club from his current position in a corner near some plush leather booths, finding the entire area curious. Hanging from the ceiling were large bird cages, housing various forms that had to be people but why anyone would want to be imprisoned like that was beyond comprehension. There seemed to be no way to hydrate oneself and, should something happen and an evacuation be necessary, the caged individuals would likely be left to die.
Jade eyes skimmed over the faces in the cages, simply curious as to who would allow themselves to be placed at such a disadvantage, before he paused and blinked, positive the lighting here was playing tricks on his eyes. But no, the image presented to him did not change. It wasn't believable; if Sephiroth hadn't seen it, he would have immediately denied it. Even having seen it he still didn't quite believe it. Timid, mousy, skittish little Strife – Zackary's little soldier ally – was in this club doing things up in a cage. According to the methods of the rest of the club, it was dancing, but to the SOLDIER it was sexual intercourse minus a partner. It didn't help that the boy seemed to be sans a functional shirt and wearing pants that were much too tight. The General hadn't even known that the blonde owned any leather apparel. A quick glance around showed no sign of Zackary, thankfully, because the brunette would never have left the little teen alone if he had seen. Jade eyes instantly refocused on the caged soldier, taking in the lean lines of muscle and multicolored flesh undulating under the various lights.
The General was not a man who lied to himself, even in an attempt to gloss over pain or instill some frail hope over a subject. Therefore, he could not deny the one emotion he could unquestionably sense roiling under his skin: this display was making Sephiroth unbelievably horny. It didn't help that he already found the boy charming in his own right the few times they had spoken. The blonde had never once come across as afraid of him; rather, the teen hesitated to voice his opinion no matter who he spoke to, Zackary included. Now, however, the silver warrior was forced to add the descriptor "sexually appealing" to his conceptual idea of the boy and Zackary would probably be most displeased with him if he ever found out. Plus, the SOLDIER was on a mission and he was not supposed to be eyeing a trooper's legs and salivating over rather unholy thoughts. He should remove his gaze and just keep track of the club goers, but his libido had not been satisfied in close to half a year and two SOLDIERs and a Turk were more than enough to keep the young Shinra safe.
Not entirely certain why his body was moving when he had not consciously commanded any action, the silver warrior gracefully slipped into the throngs of dancers made his way closer to the cage. Able to see the teen better, Sephiroth could clearly see the beads of sweat dotting tan flesh, lips parted in heavy pants and azure eyes closed in the ecstasy of movement. The music, if it could be called that to the SOLDIER's sensitive ears, pulsed in a throbbing beat that dictated how the small male moved. No energy was wasted, speaking of years of experience and amazing sensuality that could also be expected in bedside demeanor. Young Strife was completely uninhibited in this scenario, so unlike the General had ever seen him before.
Coming to a halt when he was close enough to reach up and touch the cage, too focused on the teen to feel foolish about standing still in a crowded dance floor, the silver warrior did nothing more than watch and wait until he was noticed. Azure eyes slit open after several minutes, perhaps sensing the nearby SOLDIER or perhaps reorienting himself with his surroundings, and quickly took notice of the silver warrior openly staring at him. Pale eyes widened, but the boy blessedly took in his outfit and assumed the SOLDIER was there because he wanted to be and thus did not cease his erotic display. Compelled to do more than watch, Sephiroth reached up to the cage, forced to jump and grasp the bars in order to lessen the distance between himself and Strife. The boy teetered dangerously for a moment as the cage tilted and swung, but the chains holding it up were strong and the clumsy motion was just as appealing as his dancing anyway.
Once the teen was stable, pale eyes flicked toward the older man without mirroring a single recognizable emotion. What caused the next action, the silver warrior did not know, but the boy's lips were very soft and the metal bars pressing awkwardly into his cheeks were surprisingly warm. The electric jolt that coursed through his body like a weak lightning spell sparked near desperation in the SOLDIER as the boy's tongue swiped against his lower lip. Hungry for more attention, the General growled petulantly when tan lips pulled back, willing the boy to get closer again. Azure eyes held jade for only a moment before Strife turned toward a hinge near the top of the bars, presenting the older male with a pleasant view of his lithe stomach before he opened the cage and slipped to the ground. Releasing the bars, Sephiroth dropped down to join the boy on the floor. There were many half formed thoughts vying for the forefront of his mind, but the SOLDIER found he honestly couldn't be bothered to think when that small form turned and pressed against his, moving in time with the music again. The General had learned enough about rhythm and dance from early instruction in ballroom etiquette to follow along, nearly groaning outright from the occasional brush of their bodies.
Feline eyes scanned the crowd to assuage the nagging in his mind about duties, surreptitiously checking that Fair had not seen them, before returning to the blonde before him. On impulse, the SOLDIER grasped a thin hand, engulfing nimble digits in his much larger fist, and leaned down to capture tan lips when the boy tilted his head back questioningly. Strife pressed back, slipping his free hand up to hook around the silver warrior's neck for leverage. Nearly purring, Sephiroth retreated from lip lock long enough to gesticulate a desire to be off the floor. Azure eyes hooded, sending a violent jolt straight to the General's groin as he was led to the edge of the dance floor. Jade eyes immediately scanned for the most suitable area, ushering the teen to a relatively private corner and into a booth, hardly believing his lack of control this evening. As small hands curled around the lapels of his white shirt, tugging the SOLDIER down with commanding force, Sephiroth decided that he could forgive himself his indiscretion.
Perhaps he could excuse the President for wasting his time this once. As long as Zackary didn't notice for at least a little while, anyway.