Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is the property of Square-Enix. No profit is sought from this work.

The Mission

Strategy

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!" Genesis tore at the buckle on his harness and turned his back away.

Sephiroth stared at the man and frowned. He tilted his head to one side then the other, trying to figure it out. "Where is this coming from, Genesis? You never minded before."

Genesis snorted quietly. "Things were different before."

Sephiroth sat down to work on his boots. "How so?"

"They just were, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth was not impressed. "That is supremely childish reasoning, Genesis. It's nowhere near good enough and you know it." He began the delicate operation of pulling his gloves off. These were his very best pair, made of buttery soft leather that glided over skin, the pair he reserved for special occasions. He busied himself with treating them tenderly while he waited to Genesis to explode.

Never one to disappoint, Genesis slammed down the lid of his foot locker, kicked the thing once (halfheartedly, or he would have destroyed it), then stalked over to the window for some air.

Sephiroth gave him a minute before speaking again. "What's so different, Genesis? I'm afraid I don't see. There is a younger, less experienced partner who wants to explore a side of himself you can't help him with. How is it so different?"

Genesis looked askance at Sephiroth. "Is that why you're okay with it? Because you think it's just like it was with you?"

"Isn't it?" Sephiroth labored to keep his voice even. Part of him almost wanted to laugh.

"No, Sephiroth," Genesis snapped. "It isn't."

Sephiroth took a deep breath. "Is it because he's not a SOLDIER?" Genesis curled up in the window seat and stared out at the smog below. Sephiroth went back to undoing buckles. "He can defend himself, Genesis. We wrestle with him all the time."

"But we're not trying to hurt him," Genesis said, toes starting to tap a nervous rhythm. "If it's another SOLDIER he wants, even a Third, and this SOLDIER decides to take undue advantage, what chance does he have?"

"You were planning to leave them alone together?" Sephiroth pulled hard and got one thigh boot off.

Genesis's head turned. Sephiroth could not read the expression on his face. "You were planning on spying on them?"

"Of course." Sephiroth bent to the other boot. The silence made him rise again. "Is that not okay?"

Genesis appeared to think it over. "The idea has some merit. It's borderline sick, but for safety reasons if nothing else, it has merit."

"So is that all?"

Genesis's frown returned. "Hardly."

Sephiroth worked his other boot off, shaking his head. "Then explain it to me, please, Gen. I don't get it. How is this any different from before?"

Genesis's lips pursed. He shook his head as he tried to find the words, for once at a loss. "I wouldn't mind so much if it was some girl, but what does he need another SOLDIER for? He's got two already!"

Sephiroth chuckled. "Well, there is that." It had been something of an issue for them a long time ago that Sephiroth's long-dormant libido, when finally awakened, had come out swinging every which way there was to swing, determined to hit everything in its path. Angeal and Genesis had attempted to offer guidance and eventually resorted to looking the other way while Sephiroth amused himself as he pleased. "You know, he's probably bisexual too," Sephiroth added. "There is that girl back in his hometown that he's mentioned."

"The boy's just young and confused. It's common at that age," Genesis scoffed with a pointed glance at Sephiroth. "Of course, some poor sods end up twisted for life." Sephiroth smirked at him. Genesis smirked back and then went boneless in his seat with a heavy sigh, head rolling back against the wall. "Why another SOLDIER, Seph? Aren't we enough?"

Sephiroth's hands dropped from his belts. "Maybe we're too much."

"What?"

Sephiroth shrugged, hiding his face behind his hair. "We do play rough with him. We have practically from the start."

Genesis snorted. "If he wants vanilla all he has to do is ask!"

"I don't think that's all there is." Sephiroth carefully stowed his leathers and began a thorough inspection of his blades. They needed a thorough cleaning before being put away. "This SOLDIER is... younger. Closer to his age. It's different footing for him."

"Why does he need different all of a sudden now?"

Sephiroth stood, and bare feet padding on the thick carpet, walked over. He put his hand on Genesis's shoulder in a gesture Angeal had taught him. "Gen, it will be okay. It's just an experiment, like we all had now and then. He'll come back when the novelty wears off."

Genesis crossed his arms and looked away again. "Angeal didn't."

Sephiroth's hand slipped. "Gen?"

"He's gone, Sephiroth. Left us for his young pup and not coming back."

Sephiroth swallowed, knowing only that the issue had drifted into deeper waters than he could handle. "There's still time," he said, feeling the telltale signs of his throat closing up and his voice want to come bellowing out in protest.

Genesis shook his head wildly, almost hunching in on himself. "He's not coming back," he said again, voice higher than usual and not as steady. He stared down at his fingers, steady as stone but blurring before his eyes.

"Gen." Sephiroth's voice was hoarse. He tried to place his arm around Genesis more firmly, to offer what support he could.

"I tried, you know," Genesis was saying, still staring at his hands. "The last time I had to keep him busy. Told him if he wanted to know what we were up to that he was welcome to come and watch. He didn't even notice." Genesis sighed heavily. He blinked at the wetness that had the nerve to cling to his eyelashes.

"We're still here. I am," Sephiroth offered, rubbing his partner's back.

Genesis stared at a spot on the wall, eventually reaching up to catch Sephiroth's hand. "He was my first, you know," he said with a wry smirk. "We were each other's." Sephiroth frowned, trying to reconcile the admission. "Oh, Angeal doesn't know," Genesis chided. "I never told him. He thought I'd come back from summer camp that year all corrupted and worldly." Sephiroth enfolded the man in his arms. Tears would not fall but Genesis sounded shaky. "It happened in the orchard."

Genesis leaned into Sephiroth with a muffled cry and let himself be comforted. Sephiroth stroked the short red hair, noting not for the first time how easy it was to muss. Genesis got himself under control fairly quickly, but he stayed where he was. Sephiroth began to sway with him the way he sometimes did with Cloud, and Genesis was content to move with him, eyes drifting closed, lips slightly apart.

Sephiroth wasn't sure he really understood the emphasis some people put on first times. His own had been nothing special, the other party involved even less so. But technically speaking, he, not Genesis, had been Cloud's first, and yet it was Sephiroth who was willing to let Cloud run off and experiment at will.

"I don't think he'll leave us, Gen. It's not in him."

Genesis sniffed. "We never thought Angeal would leave either and now look at him. Chasing his puppy's tail."

"Cloud's still not Angeal, Gen," Sephiroth tried in vain to smooth Genesis's hair. "He's given us fair warning. Angeal... Angeal left us to figure it out on our own."

Genesis nodded, bending his head to hide his face. "Bastard," he choked out.

"A little bit, maybe." Sephiroth set his chin on Genesis's head. He felt a small spot of wetness on his chest, where Genesis's face lay, but said nothing about it.

"He's so happy though," Genesis said, sounding steady, but listless. "Can't even stay mad at him."

Sephiroth chose to say nothing. He had no idea what to say. Genesis leaned against him till the pattern of light coming through the window shifted to cast them in shade. Then the man steeled himself, straightening up and letting his long legs hit the floor again. Sephiroth stepped back to give him some room.

"Shower?"

"Shower."

They made quick work of it, scrubbing down with no conversation but necessary requests to pass the soap and towels. They entered the bedroom and shut the door carefully behind them.

Cloud lay in the center of the bed where they had left him after undoing the bindings and making sure that he had proper circulation in his extremities. The covers were tucked in at his waist. The marks were still bright on his wrists but he had asked to keep them till morning. He had curled up on his side somewhat, conserving warmth while waiting for his preferred pillow and blanket to arrive.

Genesis slid in behind the boy, curling himself around Cloud's slender form. Sephiroth watched the pair for a moment before getting in on the other side. He reached up to the wall behind the bed, flipped the light switch and began to settle in for the night. He saw Genesis stroking Cloud's arm and attempting to smooth the unruly hair.

"Cloud?" Genesis whispered.

"Gen," Sephiroth protested, "he's asleep."

"Mmm, 'm not," Cloud mumbled.

Genesis smirked at Sephiroth over the boy's shoulder. "Cloud," he said, "Love you, Cloud."

"Mmmhmm, I know." Cloud shifted a little, seeking Genesis. He pursed his lips for a kiss but gave in to sleepiness halfway through the search and settled for a smooch sound instead.

Genesis smiled in the dark. "Cloud, I just want you to know, if this other SOLDIER is what you need to be happy, go ahead."

"Mmm." Cloud didn't say anything more for the night.

Genesis wrapped himself tight around Cloud. Sephiroth lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He tracked the sound of Genesis's uneven breathing for a long time.