Okay, let's crank up the dial on the Angst Machine. I mean, uh, let's have an update. Warning - I'm about to, yet again, inflict horrible newb Japanese on you. Just a tiny bit. I actually have a lovely friend I'm supposed to bounce this stuff off of first, but I didn't want to spoil anything. I'm not sure if it actually would have spoiled anything, but then, I lack perspective on that sort of thing when it comes to my own stuff, since I know all! (I don't really know all. I generally only know how a story ends and have to beat myself into the ground getting there.) :)
Sooooo, Angeal's finally realized how he feels! Unfortunately Zack is a trifle oblivious about...everything...so who knows when he'll figure it out? (I do, bwa ha.)
This may sound odd, and don't yell at me, but I honestly can't believe I've gotten more than ten reviews on this. Thank you, guys.
NOT WRATH OF GODS
Chapter 11 - The Fates Are Three
President Shinra scanned the last of the documents and shut the file stamped 'Classified - Clearance Level 1' with a grunt of ackowledgment. His pudgy red face held a familiar expression of vague displeasure as he looked up at the two Turks who stood silently waiting before him.
"That last report omitted nothing?"
"Nothing, sir."
"The prisoner said nothing else at all? Only..." Shinra checked the report again, squinted and pronounced the foreign word haltingly. "Fukushu?"
"Fukushuu, sir," Tseng corrected.
"Does it make a difference?"
"In Wutainese, sir, a single misplaced vowel can change the entire meaning of a word."
"Fine," the president said dismissively. "You used all reasonable means to extract information?"
Tseng felt a vague, dry amusement that had, after years of practice, replaced his disgust for most of his job's unpleasantries. Ruthless President Shinra authorized acts of psychological torture when necessary, but couldn't bring himself to use the word. Why have Turks at all, if not to give your own hands the appearance of being clean?
The Turk commander thought he heard the faintest chuckle from behind him, where his youngest subordinate was standing. He was pretty sure Reno was smirking, not in a you-old-fucking-hypocrite way so much as a your-son-and-I-are-secretly-fucking way. Behave, brat, or you lose piloting privileges.
"All possible means were utilized, sir, yes. He said nothing else intelligible."
"Like the others," President Shinra grumbled. "And he had the same symbol on his body, in the same spot, as all the other ringleaders."
"Yes."
"And the symbol means that word?"
"Yes, sir."
"What the hell does this mean, Tseng?"
"I believe it further supports our theory, sir. The various connected incidents are being carried out under orders from a Wutaian source. Most likely, some remnants of the war with a grudge against us. Many factions opposed the Aida Island Treaty, you'll remember," Tseng reminded him.
"And none of our opponents during the war used that symbol, as far as we know?"
"Two of my best people are researching possible links, sir, but we haven't been able to ascribe any significance to it yet," Tseng answered, his tone intimating a faint apology.
The president slumped back in his expensive desk chair, plainly showing his dislike of having to think. "What about them all having the brand on the same spot? Is that significant?"
Commander Tseng's half-Wutainese background had made him a target while growing up; there were plenty of times it had come in handy for him as a Turk. "Sir, there is an ancient belief in Wutai that the intestines are the seat of one's honor and integrity. Therefore, I would think a symbol worn on the stomach would represent a cause one is strongly devoted to, and has not undertaken lightly."
"Also, uh," Reno chimed in, and as always, Tseng held his breath. "The skin there is really sensitive, yo...uh, Mr. President. Maybe they had to prove their toughness to the ones who hired 'em."
To Tseng's relief, the president nodded shortly. He trusted his head Turk enough to give those he trusted a fair chance. But Shinra's beady eyes passed over the young redhead quickly and returned to Tseng, all seriousness now, no longer the man who was growing fat and lazy but the entrepreneur who had built his multibillion-dollar corporation out of nothing.
"All information related to these matters and referring to Wutai must continue to remain under wraps, Tseng. Any accusation or semblance of one could provoke Godo into action and I refuse to allow that until we have definitive proof."
"Of course, sir. You can depend on me and my people."
"My experience leads me to agree," Shinra said gruffly. "Is there anything else?"
"I don't believe so, sir, not at the moment."
"Very well. Wait a moment." The president peered at Reno and beckoned him closer. "Reno, Rude's partner. Are you the one who managed to diffuse the theulidium bomb in Sector Four?"
"Oh, yeah," the teenager said nonchalantly, flashing a dazzling smile. "Little bit of luck, a lot of skill."
Fortunately President Shinra was more lax with his Turks than he was with anyone else, requiring far less discipline from them than he did from, for example, SOLDIERs. And Reno's unfailing charm served him well; Tseng had seen it aid the boy many times. Behind his wide desk, the president chuckled.
"Well done, son. Just be careful that ego doesn't get too big for you."
"Got it, sir," the redhead drawled.
"You're both dismissed."
As they walked the lavish corridors lined with important offices, Reno said nothing at first, waiting to cutely smile his way out of any reprimands he had coming. But Tseng instead favored him with a look of stern approval, so the younger felt free to ask questions. To speak in general.
"He's not so scary. I could outrun that tub o' guts in my sleep."
Tseng halted and gave the boy a smart rap on the head, enough to make him wince and cry out. "Watch your mouth. Always assume someone is listening, Reno. Never forget."
"Sorry." The reprimanding hand went gentle and patted his red hair a few times; Reno squirmed away. "Tseng?"
"Yes?"
"Uh, could I maybe..." The office door Reno was nodding toward was Vice President Rufus's. "You won't need me again till later, right? Can I slip away?"
"Very well," his superior said with a resigned sigh. "But I remind you again, please - "
"Be careful, I know. Thanks, Tseng." The elder was about to continue on his way when the younger spoke again. "Tseng?"
"Hmm?"
"You gonna tell me what that word means? The one the symbol means? I should be allowed to know."
"I've been waiting for you to ask. Information only comes when - "
" - you seek for it, right. I'll remember. So what's it mean, Wise Teacher?"
"'Vengeance'," Tseng said softly as he turned again to depart. "It means 'vengeance'."
azazaza
Once he had his elegant office to himself again, President Rudolf Shinra sat still a long time, tapping his fingers on expensive polished wood, leaving a glass of imported brandy untouched. This predicament bothered him. All the challenges his company faced irked him, of course, and often more than irked; the recently-closed murder case in Midgar, for example. The president was not entirely heartless. He had a son of his own and, like everyone, felt a liking for Zack Fair, and so had breathed a sigh of relief to learn the pervert was dead.
Situations involving Wutai, though, were another matter. Wutai had been the company's greatest threat, a mass of warrior tribes united under one banner against the intruders, who made up for their inferior technology with fierce patriotism and a complete willingness to die. That unnerved and baffled Shinra, as it would any man who had never held a sword or loved an ideal greater than his own skin.
The war had been decisive; Wutai was thoroughly thrashed. But if not for Sephiroth...if that strange child raised in the labs hadn't grown up to be the demi-god Hojo had promised...
We would have lost. I would have lost everything. A few sips of the neglected brandy stopped the shudders that ran through his bulky frame. Shinra would not allow himself to show this weakness except in private. He couldn't do what he had always admonished Rufus not to do. Shinras shouldn't show fear in public, or bleed, or cry. And Rufus had grown up intelligent, serious, not as ruthless as he'd hoped but very studious. In time, he would run the company well...as long as they kept Wutai down...as long as they had their ultimate, inhuman weapon.
Shinra cancelled the company-logo screensaver by tapping his computer mouse and, without really knowing why, pulled up Sephiroth's file. It was more sparse than any of the others, with the spaces for parents' names blank and most of the medical information suppressed by Dr. Hojo. Only the scientist's brilliance excused his possessive selfishness and unpleasant character. Hollander wasn't nearly so difficult...but then, his specimens weren't the successes that Sephiroth was.
Shinra pulled up their files as well, and lined up the browsers so the three photos were side by side. In these men lay the true success of SOLDIER, of the corporation that had begun as a simple manufacturing company and now ruled the continent. Sephiroth, the murdering angel who drew recruits and slaughtered enemies with such effortless ease. Genesis, the SOLDIER supermodel, infuriating and uncooperative but a remarkable fighter whose charm had won over politicians and executives who then had a reason to be ShinRa's allies. And Angeal, the stoic leader everyone admired, as much an asset for his diplomacy and teaching skills as for his lethal sword. Three childhood friends who held up the program and the company on their shoulders by accident of birth and miracles of science, who fought for their own reasons. And fought for each other. Sephiroth may have beaten Wutai, but the general himself said it would not have happened without Genesis and Angeal.
Ice, Fire and Earth, people called them. The building blocks of the planet. The pillars of what made life possible. President Shinra gazed at the photos on his screen and saw the three Fates of folklore, the triplicity that held the destinies of men in their hands. No weaving of threads, though, only cutting them, though Shinra thought of Commander Hewley's talent for encouraging young SOLDIERs, nurturing them in his serious, distant way.
It seems, though, that Fair has changed him, as I've heard said, the middle-aged man thought. Other than Sephiroth and Genesis, Angeal never really formed any strong attachments before Fair. Maybe it wasn't so strange. The Trinity's middle child had always had a parental way about him. As long as he didn't spoil his student with coddling, Fair couldn't possibly be in better hands.
azazaza
As a rule, Zack Fair loved missions. Whether in cushy resort towns or zolom-infested swamps, missions meant constant movement, chances to fight and learn and meet new people, opportunities to hone his skills in preparation for the hero he wanted to be. Missions were awesome. But the night following his duel with Genesis, when informed that they would be departing the very next day for the village of Calora, Zack bounced even more than usual. Time alone (or practically alone) with Angeal, to get past this sudden awkwardness between them.
As he always did, Zack (gently, this time) glomped his mentor in appreciation, wondering with a bit of fear what the reaction would be. Thank Gaia, Angeal hugged him back, long and tightly, even rubbed his cheek against the glossy black spikes. But the embrace felt distant somehow, like Angeal was with him only physically, not mentally. When the elder began to let go, Zack clutched at him and hummed a soft whimper that made him blush with embarrassment. Immediately Angeal retightened his broad arms around the boy.
"What's wrong, Puppy?"
"S-Sorry..."
"I'm not aware of anything you need to apologize for."
"I just..." Zack spent a short pause snuggling closer into his teacher's sweater. Angeal knew he should discourage this, for the sake of propriety and his own emerging feelings, but it felt too good to have him close. "Am I doing okay?"
"As a SOLDIER, you mean?" Angeal felt him nod. "More than okay. I'm very proud of you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah, it's just that lately...y'know. I've been difficult."
"Not difficult, Zack, ill. That wasn't your fault."
Angeal put his hands on the 2nd's shoulders and edged him back a little to see his face. Satisfied for the moment, Zack willingly left the hug and smiled hopefully, which of course made Angeal smile.
"Are you sure you're up for this mission, Pup?"
"Hell yeah! I need to do something with this energy, now that I've got it back. We'll get to kick some butt, right?"
"Patience," Angeal laughed. "We'll be doing some recon first. We're going in without much information, so I want you to be prepared for anything and ready to follow my orders immediately."
"It's gang activity, right?"
"That's what the acts of vandalism and threats made to shopkeepers suggest." Angeal observed his precious student with the sternest expression he could manage. "This could be dangerous or it could be nothing, Zack. Be on your toes."
"Can do, sir!" Zack said cheerfully, rising up onto the balls of his feet. "See, I'm doin' it already. Whoa - !"
The teenager, normally so graceful in all his movements, lost his balance and tipped forward, briefly flailing his arms like birds' wings. Angeal easily caught him around his midsection, his head tilted down, Zack's tilted up and their eyes locked, both gazes holding confusion. Angeal felt a sort of warning tingle in his groin and quickly grasped Zack's waist to adjust him, before his close proximity triggered a full erection. Angeal was able to do so, and pretend he was just steadying the kid, but the pleasant feeling of his fingers on that slender warmth wasn't helpful either. Obliviously, Zack held onto his teacher's biceps as he settled back onto his feet, and laughed at his own klutziness. Angeal smiled tensely, as though his mind wasn't screaming at him for this near-violation.
"Okay, forget your toes. Just be careful."
"O-Okay." A slight stammer there. Could Zack have realized what Angeal just did? No...he would be scared and upset, and he only seemed a little tired and uncertain. "Varley's clumsiness must be rubbing off on me."
No one better be rubbing anything on you, Angeal thought absurdly, then told himself to shut up. "Maybe I should suggest ballet be added to the SOLDIER curriculum."
"Ugh, SOLDIERs in tutus? You're gonna give me nightmares," Zack pouted.
"Your sleep's been better, right?"
"Uh-huh." Oddly, Zack looked sad, not relieved. "I'm okay now."
"Good. Some things simply come and go at certain ages. It's all part of growing up."
The boy kept from blushing, though he was doubly embarrassed to realize he was still clutching Angeal's arms. Zack quickly snatched his hands away.
"You look tired, Zack. I think you should turn in."
"Okay, but make sure you get some sleep, too! Good night, Angeal."
"Sweet dreams, Puppy." Angeal's control held its ground through a brief hug, and he breathed out in silent relief as he pat Zack's hair a few times. "Be rested for tomorrow."
"I will be!"
Strangely enough, the willpower that kept Angeal from doing anything inappropriate in Zack's presence failed him in solitude. In his wide bed surrounded by darkness, the commander's fingers unconsciously rubbed together, trying to ignite the heat they'd felt from Zack. It shamed Angeal greatly, but semi-acceptable thoughts of his student in his arms were morphing into very very wrong imaginings of the two of them in the same configuration, only on the floor. And all the times Angeal had seen bits of Zack in the showers or the med lab, moments that had meant nothing...now he found himself trying to recall them all, piece them into a complete puzzle.
A long while of thinking unsexy thoughts cleared his mind sufficiently (nude Hojo covered in birthday cake was very effective, he'd have to remember that one), so Angeal could move on to berating himself. Finally, logic kicked in, There were really only two ways of dealing with this problem, as far as he could tell. One, give Zack to another teacher, as a precaution. Angeal rejected this option immediately. Even if doing so wouldn't break Zack's heart, Angeal knew he wouldn't be able to let go of him. Two, keep control and deal with his feelings so that they would never impact Zack. Guilt, Angeal could handle. Not having Zack, he could not. He could make this work. Zack need never know.
But the betrayal existed nonetheless, and the remorse that came with it was not likely to ever depart. For a man of such honor, there was perhaps no worse punishment.
azazaza
"What a gyp," Zack sighed, for roughly the hundredth time.
"I warned you, Pup. I told you it could be something or nothing at all."
"I knew there was a chance it was small-town stuff, not connected to this big conspiracy-thingy that no one will explain to me. But..." Zack made a childish whining noise and pouted at the campfire. "I mean, c'mon, a bunch of kids playing gang, extorting from their neighbors and committing petty acts of vandalism? I wanted a challenge, not a bunch of shrimps who cried their way out of real punishment and probably just got sent to bed without dinner or something."
"I'm sure you were always a perfectly behaved child," Angeal said with a teasing smile.
"I totally was! Ask anyone in Gongaga, they all love me!"
Angeal didn't doubt that. He could easily envision a tiny Zack with messy little spikes and the face of an angel running all over his hometown, so adorable that all his mischief was at once forgiven. That's a good idea, think of Zack as that little boy whenever the...bad images won't go away, the commander told himself.
"Angeeeeal! I was!"
"All right, I believe you."
The night was peaceful, and the sounds and scents of nature all around them helped to ease Angeal's tension down to a nearly subconscious level. They were no longer needed in Calora, and it was a short trip back to Midgar even on foot, but Angeal always brought camping gear on missions. Here was a chance to give his student more practice sleeping out in the field, and they couldn't have asked for a finer night. The full moon and stars were bright, the breeze fresh and cool, and all biting insects were repelled by the mako in their bloodstreams.
There were three of them in the clearing; Lieutenant Kleiss, a twenty-four-year-old 1st Class, had joined the teacher/student pair for the mission. He was a quiet, pleasant man, a great fan of Angeal's and very fond of Zack, and was currently snoring quietly over in one of the two tents. The night watch had been divided into two long shifts, and Angeal and Zack had volunteered for the first.
Full from a fire-cooked dinner and stream water fresher than any you could get in Midgar, Zack was feeling pretty good, aside from the day's disappointment. He was also happy to see Angeal so relaxed; he knew his teacher loved the great outdoors and never got to spend as much time there as he wanted. These were especially special times, with no paperwork or executive duties to get in the way of stories and conversation. And no one he had to share Angeal with.
"You've camped with Genesis before, right?" Zack asked. "What's that like?"
"Oh." Angeal chuckled. "Something I hope you need never experience. Compaints about dirt, animal noises, the hair products I'd make him leave behind. Also, he's terrified of snakes, so any movement in the grass and he'd leap on top of me, shrieking."
"Snakes?" Zack grinned. "Just the aggressive and poisonous ones, or - "
"All of them. Even Banoran hedge snakes, which are hardly bigger than worms and the gentlest creatures you can imagine."
The boy cracked up. "So if I came at him with a really convincing rubber snake..."
"I don't know if the fear of reprisal would be worth the entertainment value. Genesis is very very fond of you, but he can be quite ruthless to his nearest and dearest."
Zack's laughter faded away, and he looked pensively into the fire as Angeal fed it from the pile of fallen branches. Angeal gave his student this time to think, though he was concerned. Zack, he had recently realized, tended to get quiet whenever reminded of one or any of his many admirers. Do relationships frighten you, Puppy? There was no indication in Zack's medical records or psych profile that suggested any kind of abuse or trauma, and the boy had long been under orders to report any kind of harassment. These assurances comforted Angeal, but left him without an answer.
Maybe, in that aspect of life, Zack was just a late bloomer. After all, it was very likely that his recent night disturbances had been his first erotic dreams, while Angeal had first had that experience at age twelve. Normally SOLDIERs matured rapidly, they had to, but he had tried to shield Zack from that loss of innocence.
"Genesis and Sephiroth are...together, right?" Zack asked, abruptly breaking his reverie.
"That's...a complicated subject," Angeal said hesitantly. "One you're not supposed to know about."
"I'll never tell, I promise."
"It began as a sort of campaign on Genesis's part, to get Seph to open himself up further, maybe even accept another's feelings. I believe they love one another deeply." Angeal knew he shouldn't be discussing these private matters, but it seemed all right, he trusted Zack. "I don't know when or if their relationship will become committed and serious, but I would like to see that."
"Me too. I always kinda thought Genesis acts the way he does 'cause he's lonely."
"Perhaps."
"Is Sephiroth lonely?"
"Hard to say. He would probably find the question puzzling."
Zack sat up and edged over on the thick grass until they were sitting close together. "What about you?" he asked quietly.
Angeal smiled and ran his hand over Zack's hair, a gesture he couldn't back when he knew his touches were soothing. "You don't have to worry about me, Puppy. My hands and my life are full, between you, Seph and Genesis."
"Hmm." Satisfied, the 2nd plopped his head on a broad shoulder and murmured "Tell me a story."
"Once upon a time, there was a tired young SOLDIER who needed to be up at first light to help stow camping gear. So he went to bed when his mentor told him to, without any trouble."
"Angeeeal," the boy laughed, expelling warm breath through the sweater to Angeal's skin. "'M awake. Not sticking you with the watch."
"That won't be necessary," Lt. Kleiss said shuffling into their sight and rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Reporting for watch, Commander."
"Thank you, John. Alert me if there's any trouble. Come on, Puppy."
Zack yawned and slouched in the direction he was pointed, flopping down on his sleeping bag the moment he got into the tent. Shaking his head - How does he go from limitless energy to none so quickly? - Angeal removed Zack's boots himself and maneuvered him into the folded, insulated blanket before doing the same with his own equipment. The Buster Sword was placed carefully behind his back, and the commander lay facing his student, who mumbled something like "G'nite" and drifted off almost immediately.
Zack's beauty was no less when he was in repose, but it was a little different. Awake, the teenager's striking eyes and movements and the energy of his slim body were what one noticed first. In slumber, all Zack's youth and heartbreaking innocence rose to his face, flawless and doll-like in this stillness. His bottom lip, like the petal of a spring flower, poofed out slightly, as though in petulance, and long black eyelashes curled above his cheeks so, so prettily. Angeal wanted to pick him up, hold him close, but only permitted himself to adjust Zack's covering and gently brush his wayward hair back.
"Don't worry, Pup. I'll keep you safe," Angeal whispered, and let his eyes close.
Angeal woke with them still shut, to the sound of someone shifting nearby, and a breathy moan that was definitely not one of fear or pain. He thought it was a dream first, of sharing accomodations with Genesis during the war maybe, but then remembered his student, and shook himself fully awake. He was ready to do whatever was needed to care for Zack, to protect him from everything, from...?
There was enough moonlight pouring through the material of the tent to make clear what Angeal was seeing. Zack was flat on his back, covers pushed down to his waist, and - alarmingly - his arms were above his head with crossed wrists. They wiggled but remained in that position, as though...as though someone was holding him down. But no one was there, and Zack's pretty parted mouth continued to let out the little moans. He was arching up, rolling his hips beneath the covers in a rhythm that couldn't be anything else. But his hands, his hands were in plain sight!
"Zack..." He choked on the word, the name that usually leapt from his tongue with such grace.
The boy's head lolled from side to side, eyes still closed in sleep. His breathing sped up, the movement of his lower body too, and Angeal could tell he was getting close. What should I do? the commander wondered desperately, unable to tear his gaze from the beautiful, inappropriate sight. Interrupt a pleasant, normal dream and leave Zack frustrated and humiliated? But as the teenager writhed more and more, Angeal was really bothered by the way his wrists held together against the shivering and shuddering. It wasn't right, they were alone, but something was restraining his Puppy. Whether nightmare, memory, whatever, Angeal couldn't leave him like that.
"Zack! Zack - "
His hand clasped and jostled the boy's shoulder the very moment the dam burst. Zack convulsed under the touch, midsection fully off the tent floor, and groaned with pleasure as he released into his sleeping pants. Angeal was too flustered and frankly scared to get hard at the sight he had been secretly imagining. "Zack," he called again, firmly but coaxing, and pale blue eyes snapped open to stare at him in complete confusion.
"A-Angeal?" He sounded like a frightened child.
"Ssh, it's okay." Angeal went first for Zack's arms and drew them down, relieved to get him out of that forced-looking position. "It's all right."
"What happened? I..." Zack looked down toward his covered lap and went bone-pale with horror. "Oh Gaia, Gaia..."
"Calm down, Pup, you just had a dream, it's perfectly normal - "
"No dream, I wasn't dreaming. I don't remember...what...but it was real! I felt..." Zack swallowed a few times, with difficulty. "Someone..."
"Puppy, no one's been here, just us." Angeal got near enough to wrap his arm around Zack and hold him close. "Just a dream."
"I...I...oh Gaia not again, not here - "
"Breathe, Zack, it's all right. Don't be embarrassed, it's normal. Look...I'll get you another pair of pants..."
By the time he returned from Zack's pack with them, the boy had started to cry, and trying to hold it back only made him erupt into quiet sobs that wracked his body. Angeal dropped the clean garment and put both arms around Zack now, tucking the boy's head under his chin. Zack didn't exactly hug back, but he clung desperately, fisting his teacher's shirt.
"Zack," Angeal spoke over his student's weeping, "sometimes dreams seem very real. And these kind of dreams are normal for your age - "
"I don't remember any dream, it was real, I felt - " Zack lifted his wrists up and looked anxiously at them. In the dimness Angeal briefly thought he saw the imprints of fingers fading, but it must have been his eyes or the light tricking him.
"Zack, don't be embarrassed. I promise, this is perfectly natural for boys your age," Angeal said again, setting the pajama bottoms and a box of moistened towelettes (standard for a SOLDIER's traveling pack) down beside the teenager. "I'll turn around, okay, so you can get changed - "
He started when the tent's flap unzipped and Lt. Kleiss urgently stuck his head inside; the commander's attention had been so focused elsewhere that he hadn't heard anyone outside approach. Zack, already in a heightened state of anxiety, pulled his blanket up to his neck and began to hyperventilate, eyes bulging like twin orbs of sky.
"Sir, is everything...I heard crying. Is he okay?" Lt. Kleiss was trying to talk softly, and gazing at Zack with panic. "What's wrong, is Zack - "
"He's fine, John, he just had a very upsetting dream. Thank you. We're fine, please return to your watch."
"Yes, sir." Kleiss disappeared, though not without a last curious glance at each of them.
"Zack, it's all right, breathe. Puppy?"
Zack had closed his eyes, this was all too much for him. He automatically obeyed the order as he did all orders from his mentor, and began to counteract his hysteria with a breathing technique that SOLDIERs learned early in their training. It was torture to sit through this and have to be patient, but Angeal waited until Zack had calmed himself before laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Puppy," he murmured, and the eyes opened, but the 2nd was tense under his touch, frozen but for a slight trembling.
After a moment, Zack's confused stare flickered to meet Angeal's warm brown eyes. It was like a cry for help that the elder couldn't quite hear, and this made him feel like a failure. Time to fall back on his instincts, and Zack's unwavering trust in him.
"Okay, Puppy. Let me help you, let's get you cleaned up, okay?" Along with his worry, Angeal felt both grateful and guilty to see Zack make no complaint and hardly react at all to have the blanket peeled away and his pants tugged off. Zack closed his eyes again, slumped dejectedly and continued to cry in silence as Angeal hastily wiped him off and managed to get the green pajama bottoms on. Zack lifted up a bit to aid in this task, and once fully clothed he looked at his teacher miserably and whispered "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Angeal..."
"It's okay, Puppy. I've seen much bigger meltdowns, from SOLDIERs much older than you," the man said, an attempt at casual lightness. "It's okay, lay down."
Zack reluctantly let Angeal settle him back down and cover him up, blinking at the tent's ceiling, tired and dazed. The commander pulled his own bedroll over and stretched out beside Zack. They lay facing each other and Angeal ran his hand soothingly up and down the boy's arm, knowing he would be asleep again within minutes.
"Angeal." Zack tiredly slid his wrist into a patch of moonlight, and again he could swear that restraint marks were fading from it. "I think something's wrong with me."
Somehow the elder managed to speak, though his heart had gone up into his throat. "It'll be okay. Everything will be all right."
Angeal Hewley, #$&-block extraordinaire. I mean, uh, yay protective-Angeal! :) Looks like what's happening with Zack is far from normal...To be continued!