A/N – I am terribly sorry for the long wait, but things went unexpectedly hectic the last two weeks. And I got to finish the prize for Yamilian (Shiro Usagi) and that was why it took me so much to finish this chapter.

Anyway, I had fun writing it. I can only hope you guys like it as well. Their relation-ship is finally evolving to something more concrete, but passion is definitely very hard to control and manage. Not to mention their…uh… urges? LOL

I'd like to thank all of you that reviewed – THANK YOU SO MUCH! – your reviews, comments, suggestions and adding to fav's feed terribly my ego and I am growing dependent on it. So please, keep on reviewing and making your point out there because your feed-back is more important than you might think :D

So, there you have it.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: As always.

Chapter 32.

Sephiroth's POV

There was no manageable way possible of focusing after lunch. I had left her in the kitchen, fighting a terrible urge of… grabbing her.

After all, we had talked and we had… understood each other. We were in accord. There seemed to be no problem between us and our little… arrangement. I didn't know if that was the right word to classify what we were right now.

It was a little weird to me, honestly, to feel so dislocated in what concerned this… feelings thing. I was used to static things, controllable events, not overwhelming sensations invading me when I least expected. And not to mention the nature of those sensations. That was simply awkward.

I tried to do what I did every regular afternoon. Go to the cabin, spy on Shinra and their dogs and then, when I considered it was enough for the day, get back home.

But I wasn't capable of doing so. Her face and images of her desirable apprehension filled, uncontrollably, my mind. When I got to the cabin I did what I did every time. But now, I wasn't listening. I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't… focused.

All I could think was her. All I could imagine was her smile. All I could feel was the desire, the need to touch her, to feel her skin against mine, her sweet lips meeting my own.

For Jenova's sake, get a grip.

My mind tried to focus. Yes, I tried. But to no avail. There was no way I was going to be able to be apart from her, from her smell, for a whole afternoon.

Before I knew it, I was already standing, preparing to leave that place.

Oh hell, what am I doing?

Yes, this was weird. I wasn't used to such unpredictability. I was a man that planned everything to an exaggerated detail, and this… was really driving me crazy. My heart beating never sounded this irregular. My mind never suffered this apparent… inability to concentrate.

What was this? Was this… liking someone?

So, liking was … feeling completely astray without that someone?

I had never thought about it. I had never felt this. I had no idea that feelings could be this powerful.

All I knew was I felt. I felt an almost unmanageable need to see her. And I needed to satiate my need. Now.

My hands, my legs, had a will of its own. Before I knew it, I was off that cabin, closing the whole place and going down the hill. And fast.

I walked swiftly. All I could think about was getting home and see her – see her face, her eyes, her hair, her kind expression always welcoming with an invisible smile, her complexion illuminated with something… I imagined it was the same thing I felt.

It had to be.

I remembered her words, her insistency the night we talked outside. She had been very sure of herself, and she had told me – today – she agreed with me. So, why was I feeling this anxious? She would be home, no matter the hour. She would be there, I knew it.

But I – simply – couldn't wait.

What does this mean?

It means that I want her. And I am going to get what I want.

My mind posed and answered the questions. It was a sign I was really tense.

Finally, I approached the house.

Too fast, my hands reached for the porch doors leading to the kitchen. She was there, I knew it. I could hear her breathe.

And I could hear myself breathing as well.

Okay just calm down or you're going to scare her, my mental voice warned. Yes, I had to calm myself down or I would risk her misreading the signs.

When I entered the place, she was hidden somewhere behind the refrigerator door. She took her time realizing I was standing there.

Startled, she stood and looked at me, her stare lost – at first. Then, her face changed. She realized there was something different in me, and her sudden heartbeat rising gave her anxiety away.

Don't fear me…, I thought. I wasn't capable of saying it. Now, all I could see was her.

I approached her. She stepped back, reflexively, as if she wanted to run away but, at the same time, she wanted exactly the opposite.

She let me hold her, and the tension in my body decreased a little. Yes, this was how I could ease my mind – being with her, next to her, feeling her.

It was obvious to conclude that rationality didn't play much in this specific area of life. Impulse took over constantly. And I was willing to let it take over – almost – completely. I was new at this, I had to be cautious.

It took a good portion of the strength I had in me to approach her slowly. Feeling her, sensing her face looking for mine, her mouth searching for mine… filled me with something extraordinary gratifying. I liked it, I wanted to feel it more often. Her hand touching my face, revealing a despaired ache for… me, my affection… compelled me to intensify the contact with her.

With exaggerated eagerness, I kissed her, again and again. No kiss was enough, no touch would suffice to placate the hunger I felt inside me.

With my eyes closed, sensing her responding me with so much fervor, it was like I was immensely aware of my surroundings. Her uneven breathing meeting mine, while our lips moved against each other, when our tongues touched…

Can I stop?

I didn't know. But I sure didn't want to.

Sora's POV

He was on fire all right.

The second time his lips met mine, his tenderness was a little mixed up with rush. Not only had his mouth felt urgent… his touch had too.

I felt his hands and fingers in my scalp, grabbing my hair, holding my neck a little too much… fiercely. His other hand rested on my lower back. Well, not exactly rested. Too soon his hand got bored of my clothing and it dived underneath my shirt, his warm touch setting my skin on fire, marking fiercely all the areas of my back, the places he touched.

It was inevitable not to whimper against his mouth while I sensed him. There were so many things at the same time: we, kissing; his mouth, tasting me; his hands, in my neck and in my back.

When I had physical space to verbalize something, all that came out was a nosy moan.

"That drives me crazy." He suddenly admitted, with his mouth still on mine.

We remained glued to each other. I was truly surprised with such straightforwardness coming out of him.

"What?" I asked, not really realizing what he was talking about.

"The sounds you make." He breathed, again, against my mouth.

"Oh." I said, too lazily. The tone of my innocent "oh" came out surprised and exasperated. It was like I was having trouble to catch breath. And, somehow, it was true.

"Please, don't stop making them." He said, again, that terrible teasing tone. Gradually, the proximity between us increased again and, before I knew it, we were kissing. Again.

I lost track of time. I didn't know how many time – minutes, hours – passed by. All I knew was his touch, his huge frame enveloping me, his smell driving me crazy.

Our kissing had ups and downs. There were moments he seemed to want me so badly that the pressure he applied was almost painful… but then, there were moments in which our lingering contact resumed to a naive touch of lips, an innocent tongue contact, or simply teasing lip bites. All I could recall was how he had told me he hadn't had any real relation-ship. How could that be, if he kissed this wonderfully? How could that be, if he excelled tremendously at being sexy and… and…oh, I didn't know. Maybe he was just the way he was and I, falling completely for him, didn't see any trace of unawareness in the matter. Being that matter, well, relation-ships and its predicaments.

Eventually our fierce contact faded and, when I finally opened my eyes, all I could grasp was the darkness outside. It was nighttime already. And we hadn't made it out of the kitchen.

Oh, this was going to be promising.

"Maybe I should… uh… make dinner." I said, still half-dazed. I felt my lips hot and swollen, and I could only imagine my facial expression. Not to mention my hair.

He nodded, a vague smile decorating his face. Even the General was slightly out of breath. Well, at least it wasn't only me.

"I… I'll help you." He suddenly said, with his arms still around me. His eyes were so, so remarkable, that I could only stare back to him, mesmerized.

"Oh. Okay." I said, feeling a little embarrassed with how obvious my adoration for him was. "I'd like that." I added, smiling.

"Shall we start?" He suggested, removing his arms from me. It felt strange, not feeling his touch and his… well, hotness. But hey, we had to be apart from each other, at some point.

I smiled in return, as we both turned to the counter.

-/-

Dinner consisted, in fact, of something with mushrooms on it, but don't ask me what it was. We didn't talk much – me, because I was still a little appalled with the latest events and him – well, he was basically himself. I was used to his silence during meals. However, I was too aware of him. If he touched me, even mind-absently, I almost felt a pang inside my chest. Not for the worst reasons, but mainly because his touch felt very addictive. It really was something extraordinary, how I never realized that. I remembered the occasional times he touched me, back in my apartment. It felt nothing like this… or, then, it had been fear tainting my senses.

After dinner, he excused himself out of the kitchen and went elsewhere. Most likely, to his dojo. But, in the end, I found him in his bedroom, it was already 11 p.m.

"Are you going to bed?" I asked.

"Eventually."

Oh, what a dry tone, General.

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I…" Yep. Bringing matters such as closeness during sleep was certainly an important matter to discuss right now. "…I don't know if I should… uh…"

Although my speech was frail, he did catch the essence of the problem I seemed to have.

"You've been sleeping in my bed for the last two weeks. Why shouldn't you keep on doing so?"

My mouth half-opened in response. Sometimes I did forget how direct he could be.

"I didn't know if you-"

"You really don't know me."

I felt my heart sunk. His face revealed annoyance, and I couldn't say anything in response. I felt like a little kid being punished by his parents. He was the one speaking, nonetheless.

"Just because we are committed now, it doesn't mean certain things are changed." His subtle reference to those "certain things" didn't miss me.

"That's not what I meant." I said, trying to explain myself, but obviously failing completely.

"What did you mean, then?" His tone was now, genuinely puzzled.

"I meant… I don't want to rush things."

There. Direct, as well. Straight to the point.

"Why would we rush things?"

"I just wanted to be sure."

There was an uncomfortable silence after my words came out my mouth. I could tell he was thinking. I could tell his eyes searched for mine, trying to catch the real reason behind my worry. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you trust me?"

Oh.

"I do." I said, almost automatically.

"Then…" He said, while he approached me slowly, until we were mere inches apart. "… don't worry over that."

"Okay." I managed to say, maybe a little too much excited by his closeness.

"Wait up for me."

And these were his last words, while he left the bedroom.

-/-

Eventually, I prepared to go to sleep.

I had developed this habit of sleeping only with my underwear – not only because it was comfortable, but also because his bedroom was really warm. If I wore anything else besides bra and panties I would certainly sweat like I had a fever or something. And I had his presence next to me, which was a plus: he warmed me as well, although we rarely touched when we were in bed. But, truth is, he seemed to exhale warmth to a point that I wasn't – ever – cold beneath the sheets we shared.

However now, things were different. Now, we were… well, something more. Something more that implied contact; something more that implied affection; something more that implied… intimacy.

And although he was gorgeous and hot like a mythical deity, he had also a difficult personality. That was why – sometimes – I didn't know what to think or what to do in certain circumstances. Namely, this one: Going to bed.

Well, he asked me to wait up for him. I guess I would. We were newly-committed, after all.

So, after I was done in the bathroom, I resumed to the bed. With my black and white underwear with slight resemblances with a bikini, I laid down with my belly up and I waited up for him.

And waited.

But my eyelids betrayed me several times. I had the impression I had fallen asleep intermittently, but my constant awareness didn't let me sleep profoundly.

Eventually, my eyes popped open when I sensed the bed moving, right next to my left side.

It had got to be him. I moved my head, to face him - but I found an upper chest wall, instead.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep." I mumbled, my forehead resting just below the crook of his neck. "It's late…" I said, not really knowing the exact time.

"A little, yes. I did get carried away during my practice." He justified, his voice neutral, as always.

"It's okay…" I said, repositioning my face, which touched his chest now completely. My nose was almost collapsed and I was able to discern how nicely he smelled. He had showered, and I didn't even notice.

He didn't answer me in return. I only felt his arms and hands around me, pushing my body to meet his and entangle me in between his form.

Oh, God, this was really heaven.

I wanted to hold him as well but I really couldn't, because we were side to side, facing each other and all I could do was caressing his chest with my hand and well, my face. For Christ's sake, his body seemed to be carved out of the most smooth, fine granite.

He seemed to enjoy that a lot, judging by his next action.

Suddenly, one of his hands met my cheek, my face, my neck. I felt his chin resting in my head, but his breathing, now a little altered, delated him.

Before I could blink, my face was completely up, and his nose was touching mine, his eyes meeting mine, informing me that… he wanted – very badly – to kiss me. It was strange, how his eyes were able to communicate with mine, but truth was – he could. Or then, I knew him too well by now.

And then, it was pure bliss. His mouth found mine and I abandoned myself to my luck. His lips were ardent, his tongue avid for mine.

I couldn't recall when, exactly, we stopped kissing. I couldn't remember when his grip softened, or when my arms let go of his neck, my fingers roamed along his face, hair, and the details of his adorable mouth.

All I could recall was feeling extremely happy, a sensation so long gone from my life.

-/-

I woke up at least two times that night. Once, it was still dark. The other, the sun had made its appearance already.

The reason for that was simply because I wasn't used to sleep cuddled with someone. I had lost the habit for so many years and the safety of a lonely bed won over eventually.

It was the feeling of his hand in my abdomen, while I felt the rhythm of his even breathing in my back, his chest close to me.

All simple things, but so overwhelming.

When I finally woke up, he wasn't next to me. The bed felt extremely vacant and cold. The first thought in my mind went to where he would be now. I didn't have much time to think about it, because I heard noise coming from the kitchen.

He was at home.

And my face instantaneously lit up with a huge smile.

I jumped out of bed and I made my way to the kitchen. When I reached the door, I was rewarded with the most striking image of the General. He was next to the kitchen counter, wearing only with his boxer shorts, bare feet, his hair dancing to the soft icy breeze that came from the window-door that led to the porch.

"Hey." I said, feeling my voice failing. It was difficult to be coherent with such a view in front of me.

"Good morning." He said, looking in my direction, searching immediately for my eyes. This was a man with intense eye-contact need, I could tell. "What is it?"

Oh-uh. What should I answer to that? You're too gorgeous for me to say a word? Nah, no way.

"Nothing." I managed to say, my voice giving up my anxiety. Well, he didn't seem too convinced with my answer.

"Indeed."

Oh, cold tone, General. There was no way I was going to let my infantile embarrassment ruin the moment.

"I am…" Okay, the lack of words wasn't helping. "… uh…"

Uh. Help.

"Anxious?" He suggested, now facing me completely. His hands were no longer busy with the ingredients on the kitchen counter, but he had his arms crossed instead. And he was looking at me. Very intensely. Crippling. Yep, a little bit.

"No, no." I said, trying to save the moment.

"Hardly." He answered, as quickly as before. He was teasing me, I could feel it.

"I feel silly, really." I admitted, avoiding his stare. My gaze traveled elsewhere, to any place where I could concentrate to verbalize what I was feeling.

He didn't say anything. He just stood there… waiting. Oh, come on, I had to say something.

"I'm glad you…" Come on, you can do it. Say it. "You're here." I finally managed to say, searching for his eyes. Although I felt slightly apprehensive with my little outburst, I was rewarded with the most expressive stare ever.

My feeble words meant so much. My childish embarrassment was a sign of how difficult it was for me to express myself, especially to a man like him.

"So am I." He said, some moments after.

I almost melted with the tone of his voice, with the fierceness of his stare. Suddenly but slowly, he approached me, until we were close enough. His hand reached my own. And, without thinking, I let my face rest on his chest and I let myself drift to the sound of his beating heart.

A/N – Okay, things are officially warming up guys. So, just a little question: A little more of foreplay or… not?

It's up to you. I'm willing to make the tension grow a little bit more if you want to. Or not. :D

Review and let me know! Your opinion is priceless! (As always)