Gah! I KNOW I made the fifteen review thing, but... The comments to this story were so nice! They reallly mad my day, so I wanted to make everyone else's day.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any of its characters, nor do I make any profit of this. If I were Nomura, the legacy we see today would instead be a beach resort yaoi paradise full of host clubs.
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"This is my lair!" Genesis dramatically burst as Zack followed him inside the apartment.
It was spacious, befitting someone as important as the Commander, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and living room. He was shown into his new living space, and breathed in the excitement of a new experience. Nothing could go wrong.
The same thought was entertaining Genesis, as he watched Zack in amusement. The beautiful boy had bounced across the apartment at least four times already, and still wasn't finished. His attention wandered to every detail, his eyes moving quickly from one thing to the next. He was precious.
No rabid sex tonight, apparently… Genesis thought. But he would have fun enough teasing the fifteen year old about anything he could find. And, of course, it would be amusing to throw out suggestive comments, seeing as they would go completely over the boy's head.
He flopped onto the sofa beside Genesis, a curious expression on his face. He closely resembled the puppies he'd been complaining about earlier that day.
"What?" He asked, coming off slightly irritable, but that was just normal for him. Zack, however, didn't know this, and assumed the other was annoyed.
"Well, I was just wondering something." He stated, continuing when Genesis raised a chiseled eyebrow, the product of long hours of pain.(He was a perfectionist concerning appearances)
"What are you going to teach me?" Zack asked, trying to sound mature. He failed miserably, and more resembled a wide-eyed child.
Genesis hadn't thought that far yet. Oh shit.
"Well, who knows! Valuable information of course! We might, uh.. Spar a bit, and you can follow me around work while I do paperwork and other exciting things of that nature!"
Though he'd botched that horribly, Zack seemed to accept that answer, and nodded eagerly.
"What about missions? Top-secret SOLDIER stuff!"
Genesis blinked. He didn't know such a thing existed, but lied anyways.
"Yeah! Since you'll be with me, you'll get to go on missions reserved only for top-notch SOLDIERS."
Heh, more like 3rd class, but he wouldn't say that aloud. The boy looked appeased though, and a dreamy smile spread across his face. He was probably imagining it now.
The next day was anything but a top-secret mission. Zack sat, bored, in a chair while an equally bored Genesis was looking over mission reports. And a bored Zack was awful, for the energy he so charmingly possessed had to find an outlet somewhere. In this case, it was in the form of increased wriggling and fidgeting in his seat. Frankly, it was as distracting as it was cute.
"Zack, would you like to make yourself useful?" He asked, naturally not realizing how short-tempered he sounded. Luckily, that was no match for the other's extreme good mood.
"Yeah!" His nod was overeager, and quite innocently suggestive.
And that was the biggest mistake, that eagerness to please, and it ended with Zack helping with paperwork, the most tedious of tasks.
When that whole affair was over, Genesis was at a loss. Then, he remembered the boy's talent. Leading the way to the first-class gym, he briefed Zack on their next activity.
"We're going to go train. You have a lot to work on."
Excited, Zack bounced into the gym after Genesis, and was given a spare sword. The commander rustled in a closet for a questionable amount of time, but returned with a sheath.
"I want you to keep this with you from now on."
A happy nod was the reply, and both took a fighting stance. Genesis really had no idea how he was supposed to train someone less skilled than him, and merely fought, barely even letting up with his blade.
Zack was no match, especially without the other pulling his blows, but he tried valiantly. Genesis, meanwhile, was growing increasingly agitated. He couldn't figure it out. Shouldn't the boy be learning? Was HE doing something wrong? This frustration manifested in stronger blows, and finally, he knocked the sword out of Zack's hand, jarring his arm with the impact of it.
"Why did you let me do that?" He burst "You know that's not the point of it, right?"
"I tried…" Zack seemed to deflate. "You just… I couldn't win."
Here it was, a prime example of the one thing Zack couldn't cope with: being weak in any way.
Genesis was sadly letting his temper and inexperience in teaching get the better of him.
"Well, you obviously haven't improved since we started!" He sheathed his sword in a huff. "We're finished. Come on."
Zack seemed smaller, somehow, as he followed his mentor. Though he'd clearly done nothing wrong, he was under the impression that he had, and was disappointed for messing up the first training session he'd had. There was no bounce in his step.
"We have to stop by Lazard's office before going home." Genesis grumbled. "Mission."
Despite the joy that would've caused him ten minutes earlier, Zack was still sad about having his teacher angry with him, even though he didn't understand why. The unhappy pair entered the director's office, both having a seat. Lazard, a gentlemanly figure, began to speak.
"Genesis, I have a mission for you today in Costa del Sol. There's been rebel activity, and I'd like it quashed. It's been arranged, of course, for your student to accompany you."
The look he gave the auburn haired man was one that clearly expressed that he couldn't fathom why he'd actually taken a pupil. And obviously thought him incapable of it, something Genesis resented. Actually, he was starting to feel slightly guilty, the pretty boy looked hurt, something he'd had yet to witness. It was not a happy sight.
"Sure thing, director. Have the details sent to me. When do we leave?"
"Next week. The duration of you're stay will be however long it takes to get the job done, plus another two nights to ensure complete stability of the area."
Lazard's eyes fell on Zack, a calculating glance. His gaze drifted leisurely over the boy, and he gently smirked before smugly regarding Genesis.
It's obvious why you offered to mentor him.
Genesis understood the look and scowled. Assuming they were finished there, he stood with a flourish and pranced arrogantly out of the room. Zack followed, unable to stop at least a little excitement for the upcoming mission.
With his unfounded anger at Fair vanished, he felt bad, and wished he hadn't said those things, an unfamiliar feeling for the usually remorseless man. He peeked a glance at Zack before trying to speak.
"Er, Zack?"
"Yes?" He answered in a small voice, hoping there wouldn't be any more scolding.
"I'm uh, I'm… Sorry. About earlier. You actually did good, so… there, I suppose I'm new to teaching, so I hope you'll forgive me."
The single most excruciating moment in his life was made worth it when Genesis received a blinding beam from Zack.
"Really!? You mean it?"
And before he thought about what he was doing, in his cheer, Zack tackled his teacher to the floor in a glomp to end all glomps. Not sure if that just happened, Genesis lay beneath the clinging boy, stunned into silence.
Then Zack realized what he'd just done. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" He hurriedly helped the frozen man to his feet, cringing in expectation.
"I guess I just…Forgot how to think for a minute. I'm sorry, I'm a touchy kind of person!"
Genesis blinked, then broke into laughter at Zack's unwittingly suggestive comment. What a surprise! The boy liked to touch! He stood, shaking his head in amusement.
"It's fine, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I have another idea. Maybe I'll try this teaching thing again."
Relieved to be in the man's good graces, Zack bounced behind him to the next destination.
"What's this?" He asked when they stopped in front of a door that said 'Authorized Personnel' "Are you authorized for whatever this is?"
Genesis winced. "Er, no, I'm not. Buut, this is the science labs, so there's lotsa stuff I can teach you in here! About… Mako injections, and… Materia!"
He paused. "Actually, I'm not supposed to be in here. Ever since I slipped some diuretics into Hojo's drink, I haven't been allowed near the drugs." He used a keycard to unlock the door.
Uneasy about the situation, Zack accompanied the man inside. The room was full of ceiling-high shelves containing glowing, dangerous looking liquids, and pills. File cabinets were placed haphazardly in the remaining space, and there was little light to see by.
"Shh, this is just storage." He went to the nearest shelf and carefully examined its contents, exclaiming over what he found.
"Aha! Lookie here, Zack, it's an aphrodisiac! I could use this!" He pocketed it while the other made a generic noise of agreement. It was obvious he didn't even know what that was.
A door on the other side of the room opened, and footsteps accompanied the universally hated voice of Dr. Hojo. Genesis, instead of panicking like his companion, looked around furiously, then grabbed Zack's shirt and pulled him into the nearest closet.
Hearing Hojo's mumbles directly outside made it somehow harder to keep unnoticeable, and Genesis became painfully aware of how near the closed space pressed him to his pupil. He could feel what seemed like every boyish curve pressed to him, even the drawing of his breaths were pronounced in such close proximity.
Zack, in his blessed innocence, felt funny. It was strange being pressed against someone like this, and while he didn't understand this feeling, he DID know what sex was, despite contrary belief. His face heated up and he turned it away, hoping his teacher wouldn't notice.
And then it was over. The door closed behind Hojo and the two left their hiding place while Genesis dragged him back into the hall. He took a sick pleasure in the near memory of Zack's momentary trembling and heat.
In the apartment, not long after, Zack was watching TV with Genesis. The man enjoyed the most ridiculous soap operas, but then again, he also enjoyed Loveless. Zack's mind was occupied with the event from earlier.
What was wrong with him? Surely it would be disgusting to be sexually attracted to another man, let alone his teacher? He wasn't sure what to think of the man at all. He was flamboyant, immature. But he had also apologized, so he couldn't be a completely bad person. Perhaps he was just…eccentric. Yes, that was it!
Genesis was avidly watching his soaps. He found it strange that Zack merely sat beside him, deep in thought. BUT OH MY GOD SHE'S HIS SISTER!! His eyes almost popped out of his head at the dramatic revelation. Just when the two were about to engage in wild, animalistic sex, she had to say THAT.
A soft head bumped onto Genesis' shoulder, and he looked down to the most adorable sight of his life. Zack was fast asleep, his rosebud mouth parted in a sigh. His sweeping lashes almost touched his cheeks, and he had to keep from flipping the boy over for a good long fuck right there on the spot.
He moved Zack into his bed-an unheard of kindness on his part, but then again, the boy wasn't heavy at all. It was with a confused and aroused heart that Genesis lay down to sleep that night.
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President Shinra was a man of particular tastes. His wines were the finest, his sheets were the softest, but most important of all, the young men he took to his bed were the most beautiful.
He sat at the head of his almighty conference table, in close speech with his executives. After all, a captain had to know his crew, and this man had built his fleet out of nothing. Tseng was a comforting presence behind him, the man he could trust with his life, no easy thing to earn. His son sat to his left, the shrewd young man who would someday be in his seat of honor.
"And what of the recent happenings in SOLDIER, Lazard?" He asked, alert in all matters of his business. His reply was the usual, putting down rebellions and other objectives successfully fulfilled.
"However, sir, we do have a rising star in the program."
"How so?" The president asked lazily, not concerned with some nobody. Wait until the idiot was a 1st class to bother him about it.
"Cadet Zack Fair in the SOLDIER program has shown remarkable skill. We've put him into an official mentorship with Rhapsodos, as an experiment to see if he will blossom."
Old Shinra was interested now. Such a thing could easily benefit the company, if used right. "Pull up his file."
On the large screen on the wall, a record was pulled up of the most charming boy he'd ever seen. His statistics were documented alongside a photograph of a grinning teenager, his porcelain skin not seeming to have needed the photographer's extra lighting at all.
"After this meeting send me his files and video footage. I'll review it myself."
Lazard, smiled, not the only one in the room who mirrored what they knew to be the president's thoughts.
"On to the next matter." Shinra declared. He may just need to have a quick chat with that boy. After all, Rhapsodos couldn't fairly keep that all to himself, now could he?