A/N: Hoo, boy! I had fuuuun writing this chapter! It's so lemony fresh that my head is spinning. ^^; Sorry it took so long. I kind of lost my muse. Then I was just like, "Damn it, Omni! Write something!" So I did. And then I couldn't stop. *grin*

By the way, before I forget, I'd like to thank my most wonderfulest bestest friend for pushing me out of the hole I dug myself into with this chapter. I love you forever #1! ^^

Chapter 9 – That Sinking Feeling

He wasn't sure why he stayed. Cloud seemed like he didn't want him there. Perhaps it was for his own sanity, or lack thereof. He wasn't sure. He just knew that Cloud's dishes were dirty, and he felt the need to clean them. He needed something systematic, mechanical, something that he didn't have to think about in order to accomplish.

Almost violently, he scrubbed. Cloud had a dishwasher, but it was far more satisfying to scrub away the filth himself. He scrubbed, and rinsed, and scrubbed, and rinsed. He was so into his cleaning, he didn't realize exactly how hard he was scrubbing, and he accidentally smashed a glass by gripping it too hard in his artificial arm. Growling to himself, he cleaned up the shards of glass, and put away the last of the dishes as he finished washing them.

Cloud was still in the shower after his twenty-minute war with the dishes. Vincent stood in the middle of the kitchen and almost desperately tried to think of something else he could do. He thought about clearing the pile of gifts from the table, but figured Cloud might want to do that himself so he could put them where he wanted them. He thought about cooking something, but he wasn't hungry, and doubted that Cloud was either. He finally settled on seeing if Cloud had laundry that needed to be done. If he had been in a lighter mood, he probably would have laughed at his perfect-little-housewife behavior.

He walked into the ex-SOLDIER's bedroom and immediately began to gather clothes. He picked up a few shirts from the bed, a pair of pants from the back of a chair, and Cloud's pajama pants. He tossed them into the basket next to the bathroom door, which he finally noticed was open; steam pouring out and dissipating into the bedroom. His mind was set in cleaning mode, and he didn't think twice about walking into the bathroom to find more clothes.

A thick mist filled his lungs when he walked into the bathroom. He knew Cloud was in the shower, but his mind didn't actually register that they were even in the same room until he looked up from the floor after collecting more of Cloud's clothes, which he promptly dropped when he took in the blond's naked form behind the overly transparent shower curtain. His figure was only just blurred enough by the curtain that the gunner couldn't see the minuscule details of his features, but it was enough to make out everything else… everything else.

Vincent was mesmerized, and Cloud knew it. The blond let out a triumphant chuckle that was from neither happiness nor amusement. His satisfaction was immature, but it made him feel better. He turned his back to the gunner and continued running the soapy washcloth over his body.

Vincent suddenly felt embarrassed. He quickly picked up the clothes he had dropped and rushed out of the room, leaving Cloud still with his back turned as he rinsed himself off.

The gunner hastily dropped the clothes into the basket once he was back in Cloud's bedroom and lifted it, wondering where exactly he was moving it. Cloud didn't have a washer or dryer in the apartment. He put it down again and felt his heart jump a little when he heard the shower being turned off. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He just… felt like he shouldn't be there.

Cloud pulled the bathroom door open and strode out casually with a stark white towel around his waist, contrasting the slight tan of his skin nicely. Vincent was still standing next to the laundry basket, wringing his hands and quite obviously trying not to look at the swordsman.

How could he not want to stare at the blond? His toned muscles and peachy skin were covered in tiny droplets of water that he hadn't bothered to brush off; his hair was damp and shot out every which way, the tips of each spike slowly dripping more water droplets onto strong shoulders, under which Vincent could see the muscles tensing and relaxing as Cloud walked across the room and fished through his drawers for something to wear. The dark man groaned inwardly as he felt his pants grow tighter. That was not something he wanted to be concentrating on at the moment.

"You've got a lot of nerve to be staring the way you are." Cloud's words were cold, his tone almost dripping with contempt.

Anger rose in the gunman. "You've got a lot of nerve to be strutting about the way you are." He'd had enough of his own self-loathing. Cloud was just being cocky now.

The blond turned to face him and shot him an icy glare. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."

The gunner scowled and took a deep breath. Why were they fighting? "This will get us nowhere," he stated.

Cloud scoffed. "Who said I was trying to get anywhere?"

Vincent's eyebrows furrowed. If Cloud felt like picking a fight, he might just give him one. He had his own artillery. With a roll of his scarlet eyes, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked the other way.

Cloud cocked an eyebrow and walked around the bed. "Pulling the silent treatment on me, huh? Don't you think that's a bit immature?"

Vincent didn't answer him, as was expected. Typical.

Cloud sat on the bed and pointed a finger at him. "Don't get all 'high and mighty' on me."

Red eyes turned and stared at him coolly. Cloud exhaled and ran a hand through his wet hair. He felt like this should be one of those times when one's eye should start twitching, but nothing ever worked like that in real life. He was frustrated beyond belief, and the silence wasn't helping.

Vincent eyed the blond as he stood and started pacing angrily. He felt his guilt returning as he caught sight of the younger man's healing scars, but he still refused to speak. Cloud walked over to him and looked at him angrily, the mako in his cerulean eyes glowing.

"I want to know why! I want to know why this happened! I want to know why you won't talk to me! I want to know why you're acting like nothing's wrong!" He jabbed a finger in Vincent's face as the volume of his voice grew louder, his other hand keeping the damp towel from falling off his hips.

Vincent's eyes blazed, his own mako enhancements making them look like fire. "I'm acting like nothing's wrong?" So much for the silent treatment.

Cloud threw his free hand out to the side. "Well you won't talk to me, so what else am I supposed to think?"

The gunner's expression wavered before his eyes fell. "I just… Well, I don't understand it, so how could you?"

Cloud sighed, his arm falling to his side. "Can't you just tell me what happened?"

Vincent didn't raise his eyes as he spoke quietly. "I… I wasn't aiming at you."

Cloud didn't expect that. He blinked a few times and stared at the elder man. "What?"

Vincent looked up at him finally. "I wasn't aiming at you."

Cloud stared at him. "Sure looked like you were." He absentmindedly raised his hand to run his fingers over the rough scar on his shoulder, and his tone softened a little. "…felt like you were."

Vincent's gaze followed Cloud's fingers. Hesitantly, he reached over to lightly touch the wound as well. As his fingertips brushed the hardened flesh, he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. When the words fell from his lips, the dark gunner realized it was the first time he'd said them. His eyes opened and he looked back to Cloud. "I'm so sorry."

A drop of water from Cloud's hair fell onto Vincent's hand and started to slide down slowly. Cloud gently wiped it away, as if it were a tear. Instead of responding to the gunner's apology, he just moved forward and pressed their lips together. Vincent was uncertain, but let Cloud do what he wanted, for now.

Cloud was oblivious to Vincent's apprehension. He suddenly found himself feeling a very primal need for the gunman as he used his free hand to clumsily attempt to undo Vincent's cape. His lips moved furiously as he all but attacked the older man, who merely stood there as his cape fell to the floor.

The swordsman's fingers moved to the top button on Vincent's shirt and began working it open. As those fingers brushed over his skin, the raven-haired man suddenly flinched and stepped back. "No, Cloud."

Something unidentifiable flashed in Cloud's eyes. The blond reached out again and grabbed a chunk of Vincent's shirt and pulled him closer. The gunner's human hand wrapped around Cloud's wrist as he tried to back away. "No, Cloud!"

He pulled away and retreated to the wall opposite the bed. Cloud stood in the middle of the room and looked at him angrily. "Vincent, what is wrong?"

The dark man just sank to the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs without answering.

Cloud sat down on the bed heavily and leaned on his knees, running a hand over his face and sighing. "I'm just… tired of fighting, of being completely in the dark. I'm sick of it, Vince. So fucking sick of it."

Vincent took a deep breath and stretched his legs out as he leaned his head on the wall behind him. "I can't hurt you again. I won't."

Cloud stood, being careful to keep the towel in place. "So you've just decided to not even touch me?"

The gunner spoke with clenched teeth. "If that's what it takes."

"I won't accept that." The blond walked over and knelt at Vincent's feet. "You hurt me by avoiding me. I want you. I want you to touch me." The gunner looked into Cloud's eyes as the younger man crawled up to sit astride his legs. He leaned forward and whispered in Vincent's ear. "I want you to make it hurt." Even as he whispered, the older man could detect the deep lust in Cloud's tone and it made him tremble. "Hurt me, Vince." He took Vincent's arms gently by the wrists and put them on his hips. "Make me scream."

The gunman couldn't suppress the groan that escaped him when Cloud pressed his hands to the wall on either side of his head and pushed their hips together. His breath was hot on Vincent's ear as he let out a rather feral growl. "C'mon, Vince. Forget what happened. I want you."

"I… don't, I don't want to—" The gunner was promptly cut off by a needy kiss. Cloud broke the contact almost immediately and started nipping at Vincent's jawbone, speaking between bites and small kisses.

"I don't care if you hurt me. I'm asking you to. Hurt me, Vince." His left hand slipped down over the dark man's shoulder and started working on the black buttons of Vincent's shirt again. The gunner couldn't speak. He wanted to protest, but… no. No, he didn't want to protest. He wanted to tackle the blond soldier in his lap. Cloud's tongue slipped over his Adam's apple, and he lost it.

Without any warning, Vincent's human hand grabbed Cloud by the hair, forcing his head back and earning the gunner a very satisfying yelp from the blond. His neck now exposed, Vincent took the chance to attack the sensitive flesh with tongue and teeth alike. His mechanical hand lightly scraped down the younger man's back, eliciting more very pleasing sounds as Cloud's fingers entangled themselves in Vincent's hair, removing his headband and flinging it to the side.

With surprising ease, considering their position, the gunner managed to use the wall to push them forward so that Cloud was underneath him on the floor. The younger man clawed at his shirt, miraculously managing to get it off without ripping it or losing any buttons. Vincent roughly scraped his teeth down the side of Cloud's neck, making him whimper in a mix of pain and pleasure. The gunner again used his claw-like arm to scratch down the blond's shoulder and along his chest, tracing around a taut nipple just hard enough to leave marks, but not blood.

Cloud's back arched into him in the most erotic and graceful display Vincent had ever seen. It only fueled him further when the blond panted out, "…Bed…"

As requested, Vincent actually lifted Cloud off the floor, towel and all, and gruffly tossed him onto the bed when he was next to it. The towel hadn't stayed tucked around the blond's waist, but it was somehow still managing to cover him where he had intended to be covered. Vincent pondered this only for a second before he was pulled forward by the hem of his pants to land on his knees next to the swordsman, who was unbuttoning the very pants he had just used to his advantage with one hand, and flinging his towel away with the other.

Vincent took that time to open the small drawer of the bedside table and pull out a small, unmarked, black bottle as Cloud covered his chest with kisses. His ability to concentrate was dwindling and nearly left him completely when the ex-SOLDIER's hands slipped into his pants, taking what seemed an obscene amount of time to remove them.

Cloud grabbed the bottle and flipped the top open before squeezing some of the viscous liquid onto his hand. Using his other hand, he pulled the gunner down on top of him and crashed their mouths together as the hand with the liquid slipped between Vincent's legs. The older man's moan was lost in Cloud's mouth as the blond coated his arousal with the warm oil.

Cloud pulled Vincent's hips closer to his own, grinding them together with a grunt. The gunman's teeth raked over the younger man's shoulder, over the bullet wound without a thought, leaving small bite marks as Cloud thrust his hips up again. "Vince… I need you, now…"

Vincent grabbed the black bottle with his metal hand and started to open it, intending to use it to prepare Cloud, but the blond stopped him and took the bottle away. "No… I want it to hurt." The gunner looked into blue eyes with genuine concern but the owner of those eyes just pulled him down for a desperate kiss. "Please, Vince…" he panted.

Vincent was going to protest, but Cloud's fingernails suddenly scraped over his shoulder blades in a trail that led right to his backside, completely erasing any thoughts of dissent. He groaned and wrapped his arms around the blond as he sunk into him. Cloud let out a loud, scream-like moan and arched his back as he locked his legs around Vincent's waist, pulling him deeper.

His instincts having taken over, Vincent did not hesitate to start moving. He dipped his head down over the incredibly beautiful creature beneath him and licked a circle around a nipple before biting it gently. Cloud writhed under him, meeting his every movement with a feverish enthusiasm and a very pleasing scream.

He made sure to angle himself so that he would hit Cloud's sensitive spot with every push, driving the blond to release some maddeningly exhilarating sounds. His tongue ran over Cloud's slightly sweaty chest, the saltiness of his skin making him yearn to taste more. He felt himself close to release, and he knew Cloud was as well when the swordsman's muscles tightened around him. Leaning closer to the blond, he made sure the younger man's arousal would rub against their stomachs as they moved, and that idea proved to be worthwhile when Cloud gasped in pleasure, too exhausted to really let his voice out. Vincent came moments later and collapsed on top of the ex-SOLDIER, neither one caring about what kind of mess they had made.

Vincent slowly pulled himself along Cloud's body, as if he were climbing a rope, placing tired kisses on the blond's torso and chest as he made his way up. Cloud's eyes were closed and his breathing was labored, but his lips were curled in a very faint smile as Vincent kissed them. The swordsman sighed as Vincent settled himself next to him, resting his head on a scarred shoulder.

They lay still for a moment, catching their breath, before Cloud turned to Vincent and looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "Vincent?"

The gunner was on the verge of sleep, but answered with a breathy, "Hmm?"

Cloud hesitated a moment. "Are we… okay?"

Red eyes opened and wavered sleepily before focusing on blue ones. "I should be asking you that."

The blond chuckled quietly and sighed, absentmindedly twirling Vincent's hair around his fingers. Vincent leaned up and reached down to the foot of the bed with his human hand, bringing the sheets up and covering them both, and then they were lost to their dreams.

He didn't know where he was. There were no sounds, no lights, nothing but his own shaky breathing and wobbly footsteps. All around him was black. There weren't any walls, any doors. He wasn't even sure if he was walking on a floor. Only the sound of his metal boots clanking on something told him that there was even something to stand on. As for where he was going, he couldn't imagine, but he somehow knew that he should keep going, as if he was being called. No, beckoned

.

The air was stale and still. Even his own movements seemed to create no motion, and it was all a bit unsettling. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being lured to something, drawn by an invisible force that gave his feet a mind of their own. Something clicked behind him and he whipped around, human hand going straight for the gun attached to his right hip. When he saw nothing but the blackness, he walked toward where he thought he heard the sound and suddenly crashed into something hard.

Feeling around a bit helped him prove to himself that it was a door that had been shut behind him and locked tightly, given away by the immobile doorknobs that his hand brushed over. A sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach as he turned and faced the blackness once again.

It felt like a curtain had been pulled over his vision, and the lack of sight made his eyes water. But as he continued, he thought he could make out a very small sliver of light coming from somewhere up ahead; a line of silvery illumination sitting close to what he presumed to be the floor.

As he approached it, a curious sound filled the air, almost undetectable at first. When he came nearer to the light, he felt his brows crease in confusion. It sounded like… moaning.

Listening closely as he continued walking, he identified that it was indeed moaning, and that it was significantly male.

And frighteningly familiar.

He now stood directly in front of the light, which was at his feet, shining under what he assumed to be a door. He listened for a second to what sounded like shuffling bodies and muffled cries and concern rose in him as he pictured some sort of attack waging in the room. Metallic fingers wrapped around the doorknob and turned forcefully before he bashed the surprisingly heavy door with his shoulder to push it open.

It was an understatement to say that what he saw surprised him. 'Shocked' was a better term to use as the silvery light hit his eyes.

Cloud was perched in the lap of an unknown man, both very naked, and both very active. The blond swordsman let out a shrill cry as the mysterious man thrust into him from behind and pinned his arms between them, making sure to continue to hide his identity behind the screaming angel bouncing in his lap. He did, however, let out a sinister chuckle that shook the gunman to the core, and before he knew what was happening, he was aiming his gun at the man, inadvertently aiming it at Cloud as well.

The man spoke in a voice that was equally as chilling and sinister as his laugh, as if he were doing nothing at all. "Oh Vincent Valentine. What do you expect to gain by shooting me? Aside from more of Cloud's blood on your conscience, of course."

Vincent's gun arm trembled, but wouldn't move, as if he had no control over his body. Cloud seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Vincent was there, pointing a gun at his heart. He seemed oblivious to everything that was happening around him, a look of pure ecstasy gracing his features. "What is happening here? Who are you?" Vincent questioned shakily, not being able to pry his eyes from his lover's form submitting to another.

More bone-chilling laughter came from behind Cloud, but that was all. Vincent's fingers unwittingly cocked the gun. "Who are you?" he questioned again.

"Why not let Cloud answer that question?" The voice was deep, husky, extremely masculine, and it echoed in Vincent's head.

Vincent felt his fingers tighten around the trigger. He tried to keep them from pulling it, but it was strangely hard to make them comply. He vaguely felt like he wanted to shoot.

As Vincent fought the urge to fire, Cloud suddenly emitted a loud moan and screamed something the gunner never thought he would hear.

"Aaaahh… Seph… SEPHIROTH!"

The gunner only saw a flash of silver hair before his fingers won the battle and pulled the trigger.

Vincent sat up with a sharp intake of breath, chills running through him from the cold sweat on his body. He looked around frantically for a moment before realizing he was only in Cloud's bed, and it was only a dream. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Cloud stirred next to him and his arm sleepily ran across the area where the gunner had just been lying, searching for him. Vincent lay back down, taking Cloud's arm by the wrist and placing it around his waist before snuggling back into the warmth of his lover's embrace.

It was only a dream… he thought as he rested his head on Cloud's shoulder. The scar from the bullet wound brushed against his cheek and he shuddered, not being able to keep the vision of Cloud lying in the swamp, bleeding, from creeping into his head. He watched his hand resting on Cloud's stomach, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the soft flesh just to the left the blond's navel.

Cloud sighed and turned his head towards him. "Mmm… Vince…"

Vincent was about to answer, but he realized with an amused chuckle that Cloud was still asleep.

Cloud, apparently, didn't. "What time is it?" he muttered drowsily.

Vincent looked at the digital clock on the table next to Cloud's bed, a small smile gracing his lips. "One thirty."

Cloud stayed silent for a moment. "Is it time to feed Cubunya?"

The gunner had to use all of his will power to keep from bursting into laughter. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and Vincent, over the years, had come to the conclusion that 'Cubunya' was some kind of imaginary pet rabbit that Cloud thought he had, but only when he was sleeping.

"No, Cloud, I fed her earlier."

Cloud swallowed and sighed again. "Oh. Thanks." And then he was silent.

Vincent laughed quietly as he pulled Cloud closer and buried his face under his lover's chin. "What would I do without you, Cloud?" he whispered into the younger man's neck before giving himself over to sleep once again, thoughts of the chocobo-haired swordsman completely replacing those of the nightmare.

A/N: How's that for a twist?I know it sounds an awful lot like a bunch of fluff, but I swear it all has to do with the plot. Well, except, maybe, for the part about the imaginary bunny. That was solely for Troi's personal amusement. ^_^ Love ya Troi!

Now, Rufus Shinra, the President of Shin-Ra Electric Company, commands you to review! (I'd do what he says too, he's kind of scary sometimes… even if I do think he's adorable.)

Rufus: What?
Omni: Nothing! ^^;