Sorry for the long absence, being a soldier while yor country is in a war is rather time-consuming.
I didn't check the chapter for any mistakes because I'm absolutely exhausted. So here you go, raw version.
Chapter 21:
It was good to be home. It has not been her home since she was four years old, but it did not seem to matter once she returned. Mei had a lot of catching up to do with her mother, and even more acquainting to do with her brothers, and she enjoyed every second of it. Yun, her younger brother, warmed up to her almost instantly, although Xue was still very suspicious of her.
"So when are you getting the results?" Her mother asked Cloud, while they were having dinner together.
"In a few days." Cloud replied between bites.
"He passed." Mei stated confidently.
"How would you know?" Both her mother and Cloud cocked an eyebrow.
"Because you aced it, and Angeal gave me the thumb ups when you finished." Mei replied with a grin. "Also, I talked to Sephiroth in that morning and he asked me to wish you luck on his behalf. He was certain you had what it takes to make a fine SOLDIER."
"He really said that?" Cloud inquired dreamily, his eyes wide with joy.
Mei conformed with a nod.
"Sephiroth, as in general Sephiroth?" Her mother gave her a curious look.
Mei shrugged casually. "He's an acquaintance. We've been on missions together."
Before Cloud managed to volunteer sensitive information, Mei shot him a warning glare. She hoped her mother did not notice. "Is this so..." The older woman said, sounding unconvinced.
"Yeah. Yun, can you pass the pie?" Mei changed the subject, taking another delicious slice.
"And when is the ceremony?" Her mother asked.
"When the general is back from his deployment." Mei replied, trying to sound offhanded.
"My mom said she wants to come. In case I'll make it." Cloud remarked with reserved excitement.
"It's gonna take him at least a month until he's back." Mei informed him, taking a sip from the fresh apple juice.
"She needs to ask for a leave to come to Midgar. Can you ask him if he knows the date?" Cloud asked innocently, but Mei knew very well he was setting up a trap.
"I'm off duty so it's unlikely that we'll talk, but I'll ask him if we do." Mei promised, sounding nonchalant.
In a very unfortunate timing her PHS rang, and she excused herself from the table. She waited until she reached the privacy of her room to answer it.
"You're still in Nibelheim?" Was Sephiroth's first sentence.
"Yeah..." Mei replied, confused with his question.
"I'm coming. I'll arrive around midnight." Sephiroth informed her, stating a fact.
"What-Wait? What do you mean-" Mei started to argue, but Sephiroth caught her short.
"-See you in a few hours, baobei." And then he hang up.
Mei took a few deep breaths, seconds away from a panic attack. Sephiroth was coming over. To her house. Where her mother and brothers lived.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, triple fuck.
She was so not ready to deal with it, especially moments after she bluntly lied to her mother about her relations with Sephiroth. When she was sure her composure was back, Mei returned to the dining table, although her appetite disappeared.
"I'm gonna have a friend coming over to visit later at night," Mei addressed her mother, "So don't freak out if you hear voices."
"I sleep better now that I have a Turk guarding my house, and a SOLDIER just across the street." Her mother winked at both Cloud and Mei.
Cloud was giving her a very curious look, and Mei prayed to Gaia that he would contain his curiosity until when they were alone. He kept his yap closed thankfully, and the rest of the evening passed in relative peacefulness. When Cloud joined Mei as she smoked on her front porch, he chuckled at her "A friend coming over?"
Mei shook her head with despair. "Sephiroth." Mei revealed reluctantly. "He simply informed me that he was coming, and hung up before I had a chance to argue. I am so not ready for this."
"Yeah, you need to take a shower and fix yourself up because you look like shit." Cloud teased her.
Mei gave him a dark sidelong glare. "My mom is Wutainese, Cloud. Can you imagine how she would react to Sephiroth?"
Cloud appeared slightly worried by the concept but soon it passed. "Your mom is cool. She's gonna handle it well."
Mei watched the small drops of water forming on the ground. "I sure hope so. You better go home before the rain gets nasty."
Cloud gave her sloppy salute before walking to his house, and Mei went back inside, following Cloud's advice and taking a relaxing shower, rinsing her hair and choosing one of her mother's expensive soups. She also used the body lotion with the intoxicating jasmine scent, and put on her nightgown, with no underwear, feeling naughty and daring. Half an hour before midnight she heard the sound of a motor, and her PHS vibrated with a text message. She read it quickly and went down to open up the door.
Climbing off a motorcycle in the pouring rain, was Sephiroth, all black leather that clang tightly to his sculptured body. He stepped under the roof of the front porch and took off his helmet, and his wet hair made him look like a drowned cat. "Are you fucking insane to drive here, in the rain, on a motorcycle?" Mei whispered, shocked.
"It would have taking twice longer with a car. Crazy traffic." Sephiroth shrugged, and quickly took off his muddy boots.
It was in that moment that Mei realized he was actually there, on her front porch, close enough to embrace, and to kiss, and to whisper lovingly to. She literally threw herself at him, ignoring the fact that it was freezing outside and that his wet clothes were making her thin nightgown practically transparent. Sephiroth immediately caught her in his arms, burying his face in her hair and sniffing.
"Coming to see you was definitely the best decision I took in the last few months." Sephiroth mumbled into her neck.
"I thought you would be in Wutai." Mei said, leaning her cheek against his chest.
"We headed to north Corel because Angeal joined us there." Sephiroth informed her, as Mei guided him into the house. "He let me burrow his motorcycle."
Mei smiled inwardly, thinking her advice to Angeal turned out to be quite clever. She felt Sephiroth's hands sneak around her waist from behind, and his lips sucked on her neck. Mei turned around to push him away, since they were in the middle of the fucking living room, but Sephiroth caught her mouth in a breathtaking kiss. His hand moved to cup her breast, his thumb teasing her hard nipple.
"My room." Mei panted between kisses.
"I'm not going to make it to your room." Sephiroth chuckled, pressing her into the hallway wall, and letting her feel just how desperate he was. Mei was tempted to let him take her right there, against the wall, but she was painfully aware her mother was sleeping just behind that wall.
Mei pushed him off and ran to her room, Sephiroth close on her tail. He closed the door behind him, dropping his backpack and the Masamune down, and after a second thought, locked it as well. "You should Cast Silence." Mei smiled at him from the other side of the room, slowly taking her nightgown off.
Sephiroth seemed to forget how to use Materia while his eyes were glued to Mei's naked body. He managed to concentrate long enough to Cast, and then he simply stood by the door and watched her, in a daze. Mei walked towards him, and caressed his cheek gently before taking off his leather coat. He allowed her to lead him to her bed, and to strip him from his soaking pants, before pulling him under the covers.
Feeling her naked body against his tore him out of his trance, and he crawled over her, crashing his mouth on hers with a passionate kiss. Mei missed his weight pressing her down, and it felt almost perfect, and she frowned while dragging her fingers over his ribcage. "You've gotten thinner."
Sephiroth pulled away slightly and seemed embarrassed. "I might have neglected myself lately."
"Your friends are worried about you." Mei mentioned severely.
"And you?" Sephiroth cocked a teasing eyebrow.
"It's my duty to worry about you." Mei stuck her tongue out, which resulted in another heated kiss.
Their intercourse was rushed and rough, as Sephiroth seemed to lack the patience he usually had, and Mei did nothing to stop him, easily recognizing his fervent need. She barely managed to get used to his girth inside her when he gave a few desperate thrusts and came with a low groan, burying his face in her shoulder.
"You feel so good," He murmured into her neck, "Especially after nearly two months of celibacy."
"This isn't the way to atone for your sins." Mei replied, smirking.
Sephiroth gave her a hard look. "We really need to have a serious conversation."
"You have my full attention and utmost gravity." Mei tried to keep her face straight, unsuccessfully. Sephiroth let out a frustrated groan and smacked her with a pillow. "Can we have this conversation after I clean myself from your cum?"
Sephiroth rolled away, allowing her to clean the dripping liquids, and when Mei was done, she turned to him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Sephiroth pulled his knees to his chest, eying her with insecurity that seemed so unfitting on his usually confident features.
"You waited, like I asked you to." He stated.
Mei simply nodded.
"I promised I would make it worth it." Sephiroth said, casting his eyes down to the bed sheets. "In retrospective, it's a promise I'm not sure I can keep, but..."
He trailed off and Mei remained silent, looking at him intently. "I want us to be exclusive. The whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing. I never really cared for it before, and I'm probably going to be a shit boyfriend, but I'm willing to try. If...If you're interested." Sephiroth finished in a shaky voice.
"Do you really believe it's going to work?" Mei asked softly, her expression hopeful and skeptical all at once.
Sephiroth reached for her hand, taking it in his. "We'll make it work." He promised, giving her hand a squeeze. Mei smiled at him, a cautious, tiny smile, and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
"I take it as a positive answer?" Sephiroth grinned at her, lowering his knees and pulling her into his lap.
"Yes, my general." Mei replied huskily, straddling him and initiating another passionate kiss. Apparently, Sephiroth appreciated the inappropriate use of his title as she felt his cock twitch against her stomach, already half-hard. Smiling to herself, Mei ground her hips into his groins shamelessly, provoking a feral growl and an immediate change of their positions, finding herself beneath him once again.
Their second time was less hurried but every bit as passionate as the first, and Sephiroth made up for his selfishness in the first round by going down on her until her vision blurred and she could only gasp incoherently. Mei let her hands roam all over him when he sunk inside her, feeling the powerful muscles as he held himself up on his forearms to avoid crushing her. His pace was slow, enabling him to stroke her face gently and kiss her lazily, taking his time and dragging the act on, until Mei ordered him to pick up his pace and finish her off.
Mei found herself smiling dumbly, her body limp and tingling after she reached her peak. Sephiroth collapsed on her, resting his head on her chest, and allowing her to untangle the knots in his still wet hair. They lied together in silence, simply appreciating the each other's company, basking in the intimacy that was deprived from them for such a long time. Mei gazed at the man slumped over her, who was humming approvingly as she caressed his hair, and a grin formed on her face. Praised general of Shinra, horror of Wutai, was just a man after all.
"Tomorrow morning is going to be rather awkward." Mei decided to tackle the subject, despite the discomfort involved.
Sephiroth craned his neck slightly, and opened one glowing green eye to watch her. "Why?"
"My mom is Wutainese. Most of her tribe was...ugh...during the war." Mei replied, lacking the eloquence that she usually mastered. Sephiroth closed his eye and let out a heavy sigh. "And I just lied to her about the type of our relations on dinner."
"I could leave unnoticed before sunrise." Sephiroth offered flatly, rolling off her and staring at the ceiling.
Mei touched his arm lightly, feeling the tension in his body. "I want you to stay." Mei said with conviction.
"Are you sure? I didn't mean to cause you inconvenience." Sephiroth said, his voice still cold and his expression blank. Mei knew him well enough to recognize insecurity that begged for reassurance.
"We decided that we would make it work, right?" Mei took his hand in hers. "Consider it our first challenge."
Mei knew he was smiling without looking at him, and he pulled her into his arms a moment later. She felt weightless in his embrace, surrounded by power that could not be matched, and she grimaced thinking about how vulnerable he was despite it. Mei found sleep long after Sephiroth's even breathing indicating his slumber, troubled and worried over her lover.
Morning came too fast, with irritating sunbeams and ample amount of sweat. Mei was still pressed against Sephiroth, who was awake, his fingers lightly traveling up and down her spine. She could hear her mother cooking from downstairs.
Sephiroth, given his enhanced senses, was even more aware. "I smell pancakes."
His stomach grumbled and Mei chuckled. "Let's take a quick shower and go downstairs."
Although his hunger was evident, Sephiroth had no qualms about delaying his breakfast in favor of sex. What was supposed to be a brief shower turned into two rounds of carnal passion and mild violence and Mei was concerned that tiles of her shower stall would fall off. Even brushing his teeth, Sephiroth looked very smug about his performance and Mei had to admit it was justified. To her relief, he had brought civilian clothes that made him look less like the angel of death and more like a charming, sophisticated man. Despite the promising way in which the day had began, the walk downstairs was the longest and most terrifying one she had.
Mei stepped into the kitchen, with Sephiroth closely following behind her, and while her mother was preoccupied with her cooking a dumbfounded Yun dropped all the plates he was carrying. Her mom was about to rebuke Yun for his clumsiness when she noticed the silver-haired man standing beside Mei.
"Hi mom, this is Sephiroth." Mei said lamely, knowing full well the introduction was unnecessary.
There was a long moment of silence in which her mother crossed her arms over her chest. "Obviously he is not just an acquaintance, as you claimed yesterday."
Mei shifted uncomfortably, positively looking like a child being caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Well, you see-" Mei began to reply, hoping that an appropriate excuse would magically pop in her mind, when Sephiroth intervened.
"-Mei and I finalized the nature of our relationship the previous night. We refrained from informing our close circle since we were unsure of our status." Sephiroth explained, and Mei stifled a chuckle at his rigidness, as he appeared like he was making excuses to the Shinra management.
Her mom gave Sephiroth a long, soul-searching glare, and then moved her attention and obvious disapproval to Mei, who slightly cowered under the powerful stare. "You're lucky your boyfriend defends you, and also happens to be the strongest man on Gaia. Otherwise, you were up to some serious reprimanding for lying to your mother."
Mei smiled weakly and her mother added. "Sit down and have breakfast, hopefully we still have some plates left."
Mei exchanged glances with Sephiroth and the both of them sat at the table, while Yun recovered from his shock and started to collect the broken plates with a broom and a dustpan. Xue placed the maple syrup on the table, looking at Sephiroth as if he could not believe his figure to be corporeal.
Her mom returned with two plates piled with pancakes and placed it in front of them. Sephiroth looked at it gingerly and then glanced at Mei. Her mother rolled her eyes. "You're not in Wutai anymore, it's not poisoned."
This actually managed to elicit a chuckle from Sephiroth, who in response reached for the chocolate syrup and coated the first pancake with generous amount before rolling it and devouring it. Whole. Seeing as the tension decreased and everyone was deeply occupied with their food, Mei allowed herself to indulge in the divine sweetness of home-made pancakes. With a smile, Mei noticed Sephiroth tried every topping available, from powder sugar to raspberry jam. Her mother noticed as well, and her lips slightly curved upwards. When Xue and Yun finished eating, they placed their dishes in the sink and left the kitchen to their rooms, after the older woman gave them a meaningful stare.
Once it was only the three of them, Mei looked up from her plate to her mom. "So you're not mad at me?"
"That depends. I disprove of your dishonesty, even if to you it seemed justified." Her mother replied sternly, and her gaze shifted to Sephiroth. "I'm not going to shun you because of your lover, if this is what you fear."
Mei was about to speak when her mother raised her hand to silence her. "I know about your part in the war, Sephiroth, and I'm painfully aware of your involvement in the calamity that came upon my tribe." Her mother looked calmly at Sephiroth. "I'm also aware that you were only a teenager at that time and that you were raised in Shinra, trained and manipulated to serve their goals."
Sephiroth lowered his eyes sadly and she continued. "Your sins lie on Shinra's shoulders. That applies to you too, Mei."
"I still feel I have a lot to atone for." Sephiroth confessed, his expression morbid.
"You can start by going to the grocery store." Her mother said lightly, quickly scribbling something on a piece of paper and handing it to Mei.
Sephiroth and Mei looked at each other with utter puzzlement before they thanked the older woman for breakfast, and left the house in the direction of the store. "That went infinitely better than I imagined." Mei admitted.
Sephiroth nodded approvingly. "You're mom is cool. A bit intimidating, but cool."
Mei gave Sephiroth a wide grin before noticing something to his left. There was a crowd of loud teenagers and in its center she spotted the unmistakable blond spikes. Mei pushed Sephiroth lightly in the direction of the group and by his narrowed eyes she knew he also recognized Cloud.
"So you're still not a SOLDIER." A chubby black-haired boy said, "We always knew you were a fraud."
"Nobody that short can actually qualify as SOLDIER." Another teenager snickered.
Cloud stood in the center of their malicious attention, his face stony and calm as if he was completely unaware of their existence. He then proceeded to walk, trying to distance himself from the petty bullies, but was shoved when he tried to leave the circle. Although the tall lad put all of his strength into pushing, Cloud did not budge even one inch from his place. Frustrated, he tried to punch Cloud, but his hand was caught midway, and held in an iron grip. Cloud's eyes were burning.
While Mei watched the scene from a few meters distance, Sephiroth made his way to the assembly, looking absolutely menacing even without his sword and leather outfit. He walked to through the crowd, his aura of authority clearing his way, and stood beside Cloud, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Cloud passed his entrance test three days ago. He would be officially joining SOLDIER next month." Sephiroth stated, his eyes scanning each and every one of them. "Harassing Third Class SOLDIER Strife would immediately evoke a harsh reaction from Shinra's management. Am I clear?"
The teenagers nodded silently before fleeing, terrorized by Sephiroth's murderous expression. "Let's go, Cloud." He said softly, and walked towards Mei.
"Did I really pass, sir?" Cloud asked hopefully.
Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. "Did you have any doubts? Angeal said your performance was flawless. I'm actually rather curious to see for myself."
Sephiroth smirked and Cloud literally beamed with happiness. Mei felt an uncontrollable urge to hug both of them. "Help us carry the groceries from the store and then you can duel with Sephiroth." Mei promised Cloud.
Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow. "We just started our relationship and you're already bossing me around." He said teasingly.
Mei rolled her eye at him, but smiled inwardly. It was a wise decision to recruit Cloud for the mission, as her mother's shopping list was much longer than she initially estimated. They were all struggling with handful of bags when they finally reached her front porch, and dropped it down carelessly. Sephiroth, who had the heaviest load, wiped a bid of sweat from his forehead and stared down at it. "I don't have that many sins."
Cloud seemed confused but Mei laughed wholeheartedly. With the help of her mother and her brothers they quickly stored all the products, and Cloud ran to his home to bring his sword. When he returned, Sephiroth examined the weapon with clear disapproval. "We'll have to get you a new one. Let's see what you can do with this piece of junk."
There were many things Mei never imagined happening, but Cloud and Sephiroth having a friendly duel in her backyard was definitely at the top of the list. She was proud of Cloud, for the progress he made, both in his fighting and in his attitude. Cloud still held a healthy amount of respect for Sephiroth but the hero-worship symptoms were long gone. And she was proud of Sephiroth, for lowering his guard and going against his nature, just because he knew Cloud was important for her.
"He looks happy." Her mother remarked, standing beside her as they both watched the duel.
"He has every reason to be. Sephiroth just verified he passed the test." Mei replied with a smirk.
"I was talking about Sephiroth." Her mother clarified, with a gentle smile.
"Oh."
Mei focused on Sephiroth, and how carefree he seemed. Cloud was panting heavily and Sephiroth called for a break, giving him a brotherly punch on his shoulder, nearly sending Cloud to the ground. Sephiroth looked at Mei, sending her a wide grin.
He really did look happy.