FFVII - How Chuck Nokia Saved the Planet by Being Himself

by dragonqueen909

(translation of fumseck73 fic) AU. How one of the first SOLDIERS created saved the Planet by being... well, himself. (this fic contain spoilers from the remake you have been warned)

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 9: An Angel return from Heaven

Angeal was confused and somewhat panicked. Under other circumstances, he would have asked where the Behemoth that had jumped him was coming from... but he was struggling to even think coherently, too busy struggling to try to extricate himself from under his attacker, who was also snarling at him. A moan of pain escaped him as something hard sank into his pelvis, pressing painfully on a sensitive area. The vulnerable position he found himself in didn't help him calm down at all, even causing him to instinctively spread his wings in a desperate attempt to break free. A furious growl was his only warning before teeth closed around his throat, causing him to freeze, his body going completely limp out of pure instinct, much to his confusion. His heart was still racing… but, strangely, he didn't really feel in danger?

After a few moments, he finally realized his eyes were closed, much to his bewilderment. When had he closed them? Not daring to reopen them immediately, he just listened, trying to analyze the situation if he could. Other than his still strained breathing… he could hear that the other people present weren't breathing in panic. Cautiously opening one eye, he realized that it was Sephiroth holding him to the ground, holding his wrists tightly above his head with a strong grip, almost painful for he was squeezing so tight but not actually hurting him. And the only reason he had realized that… was because of the cascade of silver hair that was partially blocking his view. On the other hand... it was the first time he had seen him react like that since he had known him. What happened after he deserted? He wondered absently, confused. His memories were so unclear at times… that he couldn't understand a thing.

Angeal was brutally pulled from his thoughts by Sephiroth releasing his throat, staring at him hard without getting up… before he suddenly rose to his feet, pulling him by the collar to put him back on his feet as well, then dragging him towards the corner sofa, much to his confusion. Angeal couldn't understand what was going on… but seeing how Sephiroth literally snarled at him when he opened his mouth to ask a question… he didn't dare protest when the latter forced him to sit in the corner. Barely bothering to wrap the largest of his wings around his body, like a protective blanket.

The scene had lasted less than a minute in total, explaining why no one had reacted to what had happened. Chuck had remained rooted to where he was, an eyebrow raised in amazement. He would have intervened if things had ever gone too far... but other than acting like a Guard Dog asserting dominance over a member of his pack that had been absent for some time without permission... Sephiroth had done no harm to Angeal. Even if he had probably traumatized him somewhat. Snorting with some amusement, seeing that the silverette seemed to more or less have the situation in hand, he decided to go to the kitchen to start preparing the evening meal.

Sephiroth sat back down between Angeal, who didn't dare move from his seat, and Caroline and Zack, who was still on the other side. The woman had been rather surprised to see the silverette literally jump on the man, and especially behave like that. After a few seconds of hesitation, she stood up, approaching the poor Commander, who seemed to still be in shock. She didn't had time to reach him though, Sephiroth grabbed her, seating her on his lap with a low growl, causing her to blink in surprise.

"Seph, I don't think Angeal is going to hurt me," she objected softly.

"Don't care, you stay here," he muttered, burying his nose in her hair.

Caroline sighed softly, shaking her head even as Sephiroth leaned to the side to retrieve the controller, which he had at least dropped on the couch before pouncing on Angeal. Which continued to look at the situation with confusion, especially when she spoke again.

"Why do I have to have such strange partners?" She asked with some amusement.

Zack chuckled, unable to help, especially when Sephiroth rubbed his jaw against her, gently kissing her neck as he resumed the game. The giant blinked, bewildered on seeing that his former apprentice seemed more amused than anything else about the situation... and absolutely not jealous. What had happened between them? Why did Sephiroth seem so… relaxed? Calm? Angeal… had never known him other than tense as a bow. He had never really seen him… relax. Ever. He was pulled from his thoughts by the latter, who asked angrily to Caroline how he should go about defeating the game boss he was facing. The latter sighed fondly, before stroking his hand almost absent-mindedly, the gesture clearly intimate and accepted by Sephiroth on a level the former commander never thought possible, nearly missing her next words.

"You saved the game at the last save point, didn't you?"

"Of course," Sephiroth snorted. "You explained to me that it was important to save as often as possible, and especially when I found good chips."

"Okay, so load up the save, and get out of the amusement park. Then, return in the desert, to the buildings. Do you remember where they are?"

"Of course," the silverette replied, complying. "But why do you want me to go back there?"

"Mainly two reasons, Seph," she replied gently. "1, to gain levels, and 2, collect chips better than the ones you have, not to mention unlock the rest of the slots to equip them and buy the pod programs. Right now... you are very under-level and quite under-equipped. You will also have to improve your weapons by collecting animal skins... did you equip the chip that I told you to?"

Angeal was quickly lost by the conversation, much more technical than it seemed and clearly calling on a knowledge of the game he didn't have... but that his former boss and Caroline did. Zack gave him a slight apologetic smile when the silverette growled softly at him as he moved up to go talk to him, the young man sitting back down without arguing, letting Sephiroth nibble his ear almost absently, making the Puppy blush and shiver slightly at the actions of his… lover? Angeal was confused and disoriented… but not stupid. Unless he was wrong… these three had ended up being a couple. Or, anyway, Caroline and Zack had incorporated the silverette into theirs.

The day had already started oddly for Angeal… but it was clearly not getting better. It was even more and more bizarre, he told himself, confused, watching their interactions. They were behaving… like old SOLDIER couples, who had been together for years. What had happened?

oOo

Chuck didn't really believe in coincidences… or even premonitory dreams, normally. But when you had the exact same dream night after night for almost a week… you would come to reconsider your opinion on the subject, like him. And that was why he was there, in the damaged Reactor 5, trying to get to its core.

Reactor 1 was in such bad shape that going inside was forbidden, and he had to be… creative to get into it. Once inside, it hadn't taken him five minutes to realize he was in the wrong place, especially seeing the damage. He had turned around with an annoyed growl, retrieving his bike to go to No.5, cursing the traffic in Midgar, the assholes who had collapsed Sector 7 (causing a chill to run down Reno and Rude's spines.), and the fact that he had to cross the whole town to reach his goal.

The old SOLDIER let out a sigh of relief when he saw that he was in the correct Reactor this time. Stepping forward, the workers who were trying to fix the Reactor cautiously stepped out of his way, seeing that he wasn't in the mood. Chuck didn't quite see why he had these dreams, knowing Caroline was sure Genesis was underground, in a cave. He suspected, however, that there had to be a reason… maybe related to Angeal? He thought absentmindedly, carefully crossing the temporary walkway that had been placed over the hole that took away some of the permanent walkways. Before shrugging at that thought. He wasn't sure that was it, partly because the Commander was dead… but at the same time, so had been Sephiroth. However… this one had had a reason to crawl out of the Lifestream. Chuck didn't think Hewley did, but considering all the weird things happening lately… not much could surprise him.

Eventually, he hit the reactor core... or at least what was left of it. The back platform was totally gone, and the flickering lights didn't shine much light. Most of the light came from the Mako, quite far below him.

Frowning, the SOLDIER cautiously approached the edge… before suddenly freezing, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword as something suddenly started to move in front of him. Chuck blinked in disbelief, however, when he saw a green tentacle rise in front of him. Since when were there Malboros in the Reactors? He wondered in disbelief… before realizing that they were not at all the same color as the tentacle he was seeing in front of him… and realizing that the appendix in question held something… that looked furiously like a human body.

What the hell is this? Chuck thought, confused, as the tentacle of… Mako? dropped its load almost delicately on the floor… before saluting him insolently, making him tick slightly, and retreating into Mako's pool below. The SOLDIER stood still for several seconds, surveying the pool with a suspicious eye, before cautiously approaching the body on the ground. Flipping it around with the tip of his boot, he was left speechless as he realized that it was Angeal Hewley. Who was dead, last he heard. The old warrior let out a sigh, rubbing his hand wearily over his face.

"Well shit," he grumbled, leaning over, effortlessly lifting the giant to settle him on his shoulder with a grunt of effort. "Looks like you've all decided to come back to life, kids. Well, the Pyromaniac will wait a bit longer I think," Chuck grumbled, turning around. "But it gives me time to plan the lessons I'm going to teach him."

Getting back outside with a limp body on his shoulder wasn't easy, especially when he had to climb up the ladders he had descended. At least Hewley was unconscious and not struggling. It would certainly be another story with Rhapsodos, the old man suspected. It would probably take a hard time for him to be quiet… but at least Hewley was generally calm. It was always that. And luckily, the technicians paid little attention to what he was doing, thinking he had come to pick up another SOLDIER who had made the mistake of breaking into the Reactor, possibly to win a bet. And seeing how the kid was hanging over his shoulder… it was hard to make out his face, his hair partially covering it.

Chuck thanked Minerva when he saw several jeeps parked in front of the Reactor, these probably used to transport the engineers, and requisitioned the first one he saw, ordering an infantryman to return the bike to the Tower later. He could have taken a car when he left the Tower, that's true, but the advantage of the bike was that he was less delayed by traffic, being able to squeeze between vehicles quite easily. At least it wasn't his personal bike, he told himself as he got behind the wheel, making sure Hewley was seated in the passenger seat. The Mako had started to dry on his clothes, and the old SOLDIER made a note to stick the kid in the shower as soon as possible. SOLDIER 1st Class or not… it wasn't good for him at all. Especially since he was literally drop out of fucking pure Mako!

It took Chuck nearly an hour to make it to the Tower, although luckily he didn't had to travel around town for that. The infantrymen at the checkpoint paused when they saw who was in the passenger seat... before flinching when the old man literally growled at them, motioning for him to pass with what looked like enthusiasm. They may not all have been there when Angeal died... but some had eagerly read the old newspapers, and seen his eulogy. Which left them with very few options as to what to do. 1, he was an actor posing as the ex-commander, in which case they weren't paying much for his skin, 2, he was a relative of one of the younger 1st Classes, which would explain the likeness, and 3, was actually Commander Hewley… in which case they didn't want to know. The last idiots to chat mindlessly in the Tower had never been seen again… and Dr. Creepy had been in a foul mood for weeks after that. They might as well wait until they were back in the barracks to talk about it.

Ignoring the infantrymen, Chuck immediately pulled into a corner, making sure to leave enough room on the right side to easily get Hewley out of the car. However… the latter had started to regain consciousness, as evidenced by his groan when Chuck lifted him to put him on his shoulder. He hadn't took ten steps when the 1st Class began to move quite noticeably, alerting his elder to the fact that he was waking up, and the old SOLDIER thanked the Goddess that they had at least reached the Tower before the kid woke up, he didn't dare imagine the potential damage if they had still been on the road. Laying him down on the ground, propping the giant against a pillar, he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Angeal to emerge completely, just so he could say two words to him before dragging him to the nest.

Angeal emerged slowly, feeling vaguely like that time Genesis had dragged him and Sephiroth to 7th Heaven to celebrate something… he couldn't remember what, but the hangover was quite similar. He opened his eyes, regretting it immediately when the pain immediately spiked, causing him to moan in pain in spite of himself as he closed his eyes again, placing his hand on his forehead. His brain was still struggling to analyze his surroundings, and it took him several seconds to realize that the lights that made his migraine worse, despite his closed eyes, were artificial, like those in a garage... or a lab, making his heart beat faster under the effect of panic. Forcing himself to open his eyelids again, he narrowed his eyes, his eyesight blurred with tears, trying to clear it up to know where he was. How could he be alive when he remembered being dead? Part of him continued to whisper that a monster wasn't allowed to live... before falling silent when his gaze fell on the last person he expected to see.

Lieutenant Chuck "The Invincible" Nokia stood in front of him, arms folded across his chest, staring at him sternly, and Angeal couldn't help the whimper of terror that escaped him at his sight.

"So, Hewley, I have two words to say to you about your brilliant idea of committing suicide via Puppy. Do you have any idea about how much that hurt the kid?" He asked in a more than severe tone.

Oh shit, thought the giant, suddenly terrified. Those kinds of words from his elder… were guaranteed to herald a monumental correction in the near future… so Angeal felt that his actions could in part be excused by his state of mind at the time.

Jumping to his feet, the ex-commander staggered for a fraction of a second at the dizziness that ran through him, before attempting to flee, half because of his still-present self-destructive tendencies, and half because of the terror he felt at the old SOLDIER's presence. He didn't take two steps though, although Chuck gave him the illusion for a moment that he would manage to escape, before his hand shot out, faster than lightning, closing on his collar and stopping him short.

"If you take it that way Hewley, fine," said his elder calmly. "We'll go back to the nest first, and then you'll listen to me, because I have two words to say to you."

Nest? Angeal thought, confused. What nest? He wondered briefly, before Chuck started pulling him toward the elevator, having him make a terrified whine. The giant man couldn't help but keep whining softly as the old warrior dragged him behind him, but not daring to make his case worse by struggling. Chuck refused to let go, even when they reached the Tower's lobby entrance, exiting to change elevators, causing him to try to curl up under the incredulous stares directed in his direction by visitors and staff alike. He didn't recognize anyone on the way, a small consolation. Especially since everyone stopped dead, freezing where they were when they saw them go by, taken aback. Because seeing a man of average build literally dragging a giant behind him without the slightest effort… had something to do with it. Especially with the terrified whines he was letting out.

And just because Angeal hadn't recognized anyone during the brief walk through the tower's public area... didn't mean that no one had recognized him. Simply... Reno had been behind his back, and recognized him, freezing with wide, shocked eyes. He snapped out of his trance as the elevator doors closed behind the two SOLDIERS, and rushed towards another elevator, focused on finding Tseng. It took longer than he would have liked to get his hands on him, which was why he was hardly discreet once he saw him.

"Boss man! Boss man!" Reno cried when he finally saw Tseng, who was talking with another Turk.

The latter turned to him with an inaudible sigh, frowning.

"Reno. I hope for you that you have completed your task?"

The redhead nodded furiously, speaking again.

"Of course, yo! But there is more important, boss man!"

The Wutaian raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at the agitation of his subordinate… which was absolutely not normal. Reno could be an electric battery at times, even if he wasn't up to Zack's level... but his current behavior wasn't normal at all. People often took him for an idiot because of his attitude... but Tseng knew full well that was far from the case. Which made his agitation worrying.

"And what is it?" He asked, impassive.

"The dead boss! They're coming back to life, yo!" Reno exclaimed with wide eyes.

Tseng imperceptibly twitched at this. Palmer had been raving for about a week that he'd run into Sephiroth in the hallways for anyone that listened to him, but as far as he could tell, Reno wasn't aware of that.

"And who would have come back to life?" Tseng asked in a neutral tone, wanting to check that Reno was talking about Sephiroth.

"Commander Hewley, yo!" Reno yelped, drawing the attention of Hojo who was passing by. "Lieutenant Nokia was dragging him towards the elevator, but I recognized him! He was alive and breathing and everything!"

The leader of the Turks blinked at that. Hard. All Turks knew that Angeal Hewley had died at the hands of his own apprentice… and how devastating it had been for the Puppy. According to Cissnei… he had spent several days clinging to Caroline like a lifeline, mourning the death of his mentor. If he had really come back to life… he knew a few who would come and say two words to him when things calmed down. And, strangely… it made him reconsider what Palmer said. Sephiroth… was maybe indeed alive. Obviously, given the chaos that had reigned in the Tower since the President's death (absolutely not regretted by most people), no one had thought of checking the surveillance camera recordings… which had probably been erased some time ago now. He bit back a growl at that. He had too much work to bother chasing witnesses… and so were his subordinates. Besides… he knew that Reno might like to mess around and explosions… he was serious about his job. And if he said he saw Angeal Hewley alive, despite Zack's testimony that he killed him… Tseng believed him. Just like he had believed Zack back in the day when he reported being forced to kill him. His mentor was one of the things he never joked about, the others being Aerith and Caroline. As well as Sephiroth.

Finally, the leader of the Turks spoke quietly again, his gaze crossing the hallway, but missing Hojo, who was just behind the corner of the crossing, invisible.

"Not a word of any of this to anyone, Reno. With the death of the former President…"

"We're already busy enough like this trying to protect the Boss," Reno confirmed seriously. "Not to mention the Lady yo."

"Right," the Wutaian confirmed. "Continue with your usual missions. As soon as I have time… I will personally dig into it."

The redhead couldn't help a wince at that, knowing that it meant going to chat with the Dragon. The one time he'd spoken with him outside of work… it had been the most terrifying moment of his life, even though he didn't regret it. He had never mentioned it, however… knowing that it meant he would have to admit he was gaming during his working time. Right now, even though Tseng must have been suspicious… as long as he didn't say anything, everyone could pretend they didn't know. He didn't dare imagine the consequences if it happened… even if he was careful to only do it during the most boring times.

And Reno… was probably the only one besides Papa Dragon who knew BB Dragon's true identity… and he wasn't planning on revealing it until she was ready. Despite the pleas of others when they realized he was part of the BB Dragon Protection Squad. He was very much attached to his own ass! Reno never spoke of it… but he had never forgotten that day when he incurred the lieutenant's wrath. He still swore that his ass hadn't been the same since that day… and was very careful around the old SOLDIER. At least… no one knew about this event. And he prayed that He would never learn of his role in destroying the Plate.

Hojo frowned at the discussion. Hollander's failed specimens had never inspired him anything other than contempt until then, which was why he didn't think they were part of his theory about Reunion. Sephiroth, he wasn't surprised that he had come back to life, on the contrary, because it confirmed the theory in question. Hewley? No. However… Sephiroth had totally vanished since he reappeared, around the same time the President had died. And the problem, from his point of view… was that the son, who had taken over the company, was denying him the funding he was asking for. Stating that the money could be better spent elsewhere. And he had the audacity to ask him for the in-depth audit of the Science Department's accounts. To make sure the money was being spent the way it was supposed to be! The scientist gave a growl of anger, turning back furiously, before grimacing in pain as his leg reminded him of this horrible memory. Even though he had more or less come to terms with the almost constant pain… there were times his leg reminded him he was going too far. And the only way to ease the pain… was to use a walker, to rest when he needed it, or to sit in the closest chair.

The scientist hated wasting time, however, and only used the walker when the pain exceeded his tolerance level and prevented him from moving at a normal speed. Reeves had taken far too long to make him a more discreet and manageable one, not to mention light or useful. He was indifferent to the stares of others, but he couldn't stand them looking at him contemptuously, or laughing at him... even if no one openly did. Hojo suspected they must be talking behind his back, however, the number of conversations that stopped when he entered a room was a good indicator. At least they had the intelligence to shut up, the scientist thought to himself as he walked to the nearest elevator. He couldn't stand stupidity… although it made for good experimental subjects. Calling the elevator, he let his mind wander, returning to the subject of Hewley. Maybe he wasn't as failed as he'd thought so far, if he'd heard the Reunion's call. And that he had indeed come back to life. To dig about later, he thought absently as the doors closed.

Meanwhile… Chuck and Angeal were in their own elevator, slowly climbing towards the old SOLDIER's apartment, too slowly for the younger's liking. His elder had briefly released him, since he couldn't go anywhere immediately. And it hadn't even occurred to the giant to break down the walls to try and escape. The old warrior turned to the former commander as they reached his floor, staring at him sternly.

"Listen to me now, Hewley. I know that you are awake and that you will listen to me carefully. You have a lot, and I really mean a lot, to fit into your thick skull. Some parts should have been addressed a long time ago, but since it didn't happen, as soon as we enter the nest, I'll give you a full rundown of what you did and why it was monumentally stupid."

Angeal swallowed hard upon hearing that. Yep, he was fucked. He considered for a second or two to jump out the common area window when they got out of the elevator… but that plan was already doomed before it was even put into action, he was aware of it. Especially since Chuck took hold of his collar again the instant the doors opened, dragging him behind him. Quickly unlocking the door, the old warrior forced Angeal to walk past him, closing the door after them with a distracted kick. Pushing/dragging the youngest, he led him into the living room, where the giant was surprised to see Sephiroth on the couch… looking infinitely more relaxed than he had ever seen him.

He had only just realized that the silverette had something in his hands that looked a lot like a game controller when Caroline turned her head in his direction, her eyes widening in surprise as they fell on him.

"Angeal?" She breathed softly, drawing the attention of the other two.

Zack's whimper of shock and sorrow was the last thing Angeal registered before he found himself on his back, Sephiroth above him snarling like an angry dragon.

oOo

And that was how he had found himself sitting on the corner of the sofa, like a kid caught and sent to the corner, watching Sephiroth play a video game like nothing had happened, further confusing him. And listening to Caroline's directions, sitting quietly on his lap, as he had sometimes seen her do with Zack. The giant wondered if he wasn't hallucinating, including his return to life, because he couldn't even imagine his former boss playing a video game. Unable to actually compute the information in his state, he decided to focus on their interactions, to try to find some semblance of meaning in the situation. However... everything he saw confirmed his first impression that they had ended up forming a threesome.

Either way, the phenomenon didn't surprise him more than that, especially considering Sephiroth's Mako levels. Relationships with three or more... were much more frequent with 1st Classes than others, because of Mako's level and the fact that one partner wasn't always sufficient due to missions. Few of the 1st Classes were sent alone on a mission... although Lazard rarely separated partners when possible. And Angeal… had rarely been sent on a mission separately from Genesis… or vice versa… because he was the only one who could more or less control his childhood friend. Even though it hadn't been of much use in Wutai, the giant told himself in sorrow, thinking about what they had done. How Sephiroth could want a monster like him was totally beyond him…

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by Sephiroth growling at him, the sound slightly different from when he had forced him to sit on the sofa, but still containing a clear warning.

"Sephiroth?" Squeaked Angeal, surprised and disoriented. "Wh-why… are you growling at me?"

The silverette blinked, visibly focusing out of the game, and turned his head in his direction, staring intently at him, before pausing and lifting Caroline effortlessly, placing her in Zack's lap. He then approached Angeal, who instinctively curled up, bewildered and worried… before blinking in disbelief when Sephiroth simply pulled him against him, rubbing his jaw against his head, purring softly.

"Stop thinking bullshit, you idiot," Sephiroth growled, his nose buried in his neck.

"But, Sephiroth, I didn't…" Angeal began, before being interrupted by his superior with a slap on the back of the head, accompanied by a stern look.

"I told you to stop thinking bullshit," the silverette ordered firmly. "You are wanted here, dumbass! You are certainly not a monster!" He hissed, a painful shadow in his eyes.

When Sephiroth placed her on Zack's lap, Caroline was surprised, wondering why he was doing this. When he had gone to hug Angeal, purring softly, she couldn't help but smile, squirming on Zack in excitement and anticipation (and a little relief), causing the latter to blush. Because feeling her move like that on him… was erotic to him. And even if he had to admit having sometimes fantasized about his mentor (hormonal teenager doped with Mako, sue me, he thought absently with humor) before he got into a relationship with Caro... he doubted that the latter was currently in a position to think about this sort of thing. The brief conversation between Sephiroth and Angeal, however, made the woman realize that she needed to get him out of that state of mind, and quickly.

"Angeal…" she said softly, drawing his attention to her. "If you want to see a monster… you don't have to look far, look at Hojo for example."

"Hojo?" The giant asked, confused. "What does he have to do with this?"

Caroline sighed softly at that. She had planned to say it when Genesis got there… but Angeal needed to hear it just as much.

"From what I know… there was a good chance that Hojo knew how to cure Genesis… but refused to do so because he only saw him as a failed experiment."

"WHAT?!" Angeal cried angrily, his wings instinctively spreading, feathers bristling.

Sephiroth forced him to stay seated, even though he could understand his anger… although he wasn't particularly surprised for himself. What Hojo considered to be a failed experiment (human or not) usually found itself left on its own, without food or water. And even though, from his perspective, death was probably a deliverance at this stage… it was still horrible, he was aware of it. He returned his attention to his mate, noticing that she looked angry herself, which he could understand. Despite their differences… he never wished Genesis a slow death. Especially knowing what state he was in at the end, from Zack's report. Caroline nodded gently, speaking again.

"These are just theories, though, but considering how Hojo is… they're more than likely. The Degradation… was caused by the dead Jenova cells that you both received when you were in your mothers' wombs. However, since they were dead, even though they integrated into your body... you were literally walking around with a cellular time bomb in your body. I think… it was only a matter of time before your condition deteriorated."

Angeal didn't know what to think, his mind swirling almost too quickly for him to think. Regardless… he knew she had always been as honest as possible with them, despite the Geas. And, apparently… this one had finally been broken, allowing her to tell them what she knew without a problem. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, he spoke quietly again. He would ask her later how she knew all this. For now… he just wanted answers, and she was obviously more than willing to give him some.

"So… Hojo knew how to heal Genesis? And he refused to do it… because he was Hollander's failed experiment, right?" He asked, trying to keep his anger under control.

Angeal had always been seen as the one who kept the peace in their trio, being the one who got angry the least easily… except when Genesis really crossed the line, which was rare. Or that someone was picking on those who were dear to him, like his friends, or her. Caroline nodded in response.

"I'm not totally sure how that works… but I have serious doubts that Seph wasn't compatible with Genesis, blood type wise. And if he was compatible… Hojo deliberately withheld this information. Because Seph… received live cells from Jenova for his part. And a blood transfusion from him… would probably have replaced Genesis' dead cells with his own living cells… and prevented his Degradation when he was injured. It also probably would have healed him after it started."

"So… Hojo willfully let him die in excruciating pain?" Angeal asked, furious and hurt.

Because he remembered how Genesis was in permanent pain when they deserted. His moans, sometimes, at night. Even though looking back to that time… he realized that some of his decisions made no sense. And that anger that clouded his judgment… even though he had learned he was the result of more than doubtful human experimentation… Why had he acted like this? However, even if Angeal was normally a gentle giant… at that moment he had a furious urge to go and wring Hojo's neck for deliberately leaving his childhood friend in agony, when a simple blood transfusion might have saved him. The woman nodded softly in response.

"Exact. And that, Angeal, is a real monster. Unfortunately… it's not limited to your universe. There was someone very similar in mine… at least we didn't have an alien bitch who made an unspeakable mess."

Angeal couldn't help but blink in surprise, gazing at Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye, bewildered to see that he wasn't reacting when he heard Caroline insult the woman who was apparently his mother. Chuck chose that moment to come out of the kitchen, unperturbed.

"Alright kids, enough of the depressing stuff! The meal is almost ready, can any of you come and set the table? Ah, and put your wings away, Hewley, please," he added, turning around. "Otherwise you're going to put feathers everywhere, and then it's going to be a mess to clean up."

Angeal did so, blushing, embarrassed and uncomfortable, though he could see that Chuck looked about as disturbed by his wings as he did by the oddly light-colored Guard Dog lying on the ground, staring at him with attention and curiosity, slightly suspicious, but not hostile.

"We'll take care of it!" Zack exclaimed at the same time, happy that he could think of something else.

The way Caroline had wriggled on him… had him a little aroused, and he had to admit that he was relieved at the opportunity to clear his mind. Besides the old SOLDIER was right, that was enough depressing subjects. Angeal would certainly have to be updated on everything that had happened after his desertion, and especially his death… but that could wait, he told himself firmly. When he was better. Although they would probably have a hard time convincing him he wasn't a monster, he thought absently as he took out the plates, Caroline taking out the cutlery. Maybe… accepting him in their couple would help? The young man mused, scratching his head thoughtfully. He would have to talk to Caro and Seph anyway. It wasn't a decision he could make on his own. They also had their say in it.

The silverette refused to let Angeal go, even for the meal, and dragged him to the table, to the mortification of the giant. Which made himself small between Chuck and Sephiroth, eating obediently, realizing almost with confusion that he was starving. He continued to observe the interactions between Sephiroth, Zack and Caroline, as well as Chuck, while he ate. Besides what he had observed with the first 3… he had the distinct impression that Chuck was behaving more or less like a father to Caroline. Angeal… almost felt like someone had decided to turn the world upside down, the situation was so strange… but his hangover when he woke up testified to the fact that he was indeed alive… even if he didn't understand how.

When the meal was over, Sephiroth dragged him back into the living room, asking Caroline how to save her game so that he could shut down the console, surprising Angeal, who realized at that moment that it didn't look like a Roblix at all. Large and rectangular, it was also a matte black, unlike their console, which was gray. Caroline explained to him that if he turned off now, he would lose all the progress he had made since his last save, because it was impossible to save everywhere… and he was currently too far from a save point, not to mention that he wouldn't find the same chips. However, she added, it was quite possible to put the console to sleep, and resume later at the same point. Demonstrating it to him immediately, to the silverette's satisfaction.

The latter refused to let go of Angeal, but he had to admit that it was certainly understandable. After all… the last time Sephiroth had lost sight of him… he had deserted, done more or less morally wrong things, and ended up dying. The giant… had been able to see that his superior was socially handicapped, to the point that when the latter had finally really trusted them, he had peppered Angeal with questions about things that he considered so obvious… that he sometimes had the greatest difficulty to explain them to him. Humor had been tricky at first for the silverette too, for example, and he was in his twenties before he started to even understand what humor was. Once he understood, however… Sephiroth had displayed a particularly sarcastic and scathing sense of humor, which made Genesis laugh a lot… when he wasn't throwing a fit of jealousy.

The giant man was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by the silverette, who dragged him down the hall behind him… towards the bathroom? Angeal tried to resist, or at least protest, but Sephiroth growled at him again, and he instinctively fell silent. It wasn't because he was embarrassed to be naked in front of Sephiroth or Zack (not with the number of times they had bathed together to get rid of monster blood and/or mud), but Caroline had accompanied them, and the tall dark-haired man was afraid he might react… inappropriately to her. He had never even hinted at how he felt about her, for several reasons, the main one being that by the time he started to think of Caroline that way, she was in a relationship with Zack. The second one, was that Genesis was having fits of jealousy all the time, both towards himself and Caroline. Convincing him that Zack wouldn't replace him in his heart had been difficult. So he hadn't wanted to make matters worse by showing interest in the young lady.

Sephiroth closed the door behind them, bringing him back to the present, and making him blush despite himself, especially at the flat look his ex-boss gave him.

"Strip," he ordered, starting to remove his own clothes.

Angeal started to protest, embarrassed, but Sephiroth cut him off with a growl.

"Take your clothes off, or I'll do it for you," he said, looking at him sternly. "You have thirty seconds to start."

The latter hesitated a few more seconds, especially seeing Caroline and Zack undress quietly on their side, before giving in and removing his clothes, making Sephiroth nod in satisfaction. The latter grabbed his things as they were removed, throwing them in the trash without him daring to protest. The thought of walking around the apartment naked terrified him, to be honest, although a towel would cover his modesty… as long as he wasn't too aroused he told himself, carefully avoiding looking in the direction of the other two. It wasn't too hard to push back the arousal though, confusion and embarrassment being predominant in his mind. Especially when Sephiroth pushed him firmly into the shower, Caroline and Zack taking the tub. If they ever decide to do more than wash, I'm going to snap, thought the former commander, redder than a tomato, thanking Sephiroth with a nod when he passed him the shampoo.

Fortunately for his nerves, the two lovebirds effectively limited themselves to soaping each other, from what he could see out of the corner of his eye. A treacherous part of his mind not being able to help conjuring up very daring images, despite all his efforts to think of something else. If Sephiroth noticed the slight arousement he was unable to hold back, he made absolutely no comment, much to his relief. Angeal washed up as quickly as possible, blushing despite himself when Caroline came to help Sephiroth wash his hair, the silverette purring softly with pleasure.

After Seph had rinsed his hair, and everyone had dried themselves off, Sephiroth dragged him into their bedroom, much to Angeal's embarrassment. He tried to protest again about sleeping naked with them, mostly because of Caroline, but the ex-general growled over him with anger, making him flinch and tuck his head down fearfully.

"You. Stay. With. Us!" Sephiroth ordered sternly. "End of discussion."

The giant shyly nodded, embarrassed, and didn't even dare to resist when the silverette almost tore off the towel he had around his hips, before pushing him onto the bed. Angeal quickly moved away to free the space when Sephiroth climbed onto the mattress in turn, blushing again when he saw that it brought him closer to Caroline, who just smiled gently at him, Zack snuggling up to her and kissing her neck softly. The woman had stifled a small laugh when she saw Angeal trying to protest, before falling silent when her partner growled at him. The sound didn't sound really aggressive, more of a firm punishment/warning than anything else. It was almost adorable, especially since there had been no consequences for Angeal other than the fact that he went immediately silent. Caroline had to admit taking the opportunity to admire Angeal's body, something she hadn't really been able to do before, especially when her relationship had been only with Zack. His mentor… was well built, physically, even more so than her two partners. And let's not talk about his manhood, she thought absently, moving over that area as quickly as possible so as to not bother him… especially since she could see that he was already having a very slight reaction from that side. But he was clearly uncomfortable enough that way, so she didn't insist.

Caroline let Zack pull the blanket over them, sighing as she felt him snuggle up to her, his warm body reassuring her. She would have liked Sephiroth to be on the other side… but the latter obviously still wasn't completely trusting that Angeal wouldn't try to escape into the night, if she judged by the way he forced him to lie down, pulling the blanket over them as well, before putting an arm around him too. Caroline gave Angeal a reassuring smile, seeing his embarrassment, as well as the fact that he seemed to have trouble keeping his eyes open. She doubted he would last long before falling asleep, though she or the others probably wouldn't fall asleep right away. But it wasn't the first time that they had gone to bed early, just to snuggle each other like this, even without having sex.

She couldn't hold back a yawn in spite of herself, Zack's warm body making her drowsy, feeling him kiss her neck again, causing her to chuckle sleepily. Caroline quickly slipped into sleep, lulled by the others' breathing, feeling completely safe thanks to them.

oOo

Sephiroth woke up to Zack's muffled snickers, who seemed to be finding something very amusing, although he was at least kind enough to not make too much noise. Slowly opening one eye, he realized that Angeal was still asleep and that their positions had changed overnight. The giant was now sleeping on his back… and Caroline had migrated onto his chest, still sleeping soundly too, despite their partner's chuckles. The blankets had slipped down to their feet at one point (but probably recently, or he would have woken up before), exposing their bodies. Angeal had red cheeks in his sleep, strangely, and moaned at times, gently shivering all over his body, one arm wrapped around Caroline, his hand twitching as well.

Looking up to see what was going on, Sephiroth realized that Zack, if he was still lying down, had moved to be level with Angeal's crotch, his hand moving up and down in that area, making him blink in puzzlement. What was he doing? Sitting cautiously so as to not wake Caroline by moving the bed (Angeal was usually a heavy sleeper, especially if he felt safe), he leaned to the side to see what the Puppy was again doing as nonsense… before blinking at the spectacle offered. Angeal… had a morning erection, which Sephiroth didn't find really surprising considering his situation (he couldn't count the number of times this had happened to him when Caroline was sleeping on him), and the silverette couldn't help himself from admiring it with desire. In the back of his mind, he wondered what it would be like if Angeal ever decided to be active with him, almost shivering gently with envy, the arousement building quickly.

A movement caught his attention, and he realized that Zack was… teasing his former mentor's erection, gently stroking it up and down, making him moan with desire in his sleep, at the same time shivering with each caress. Sephiroth felt his own erection form in turn, desire building up in his lower abdomen at the somewhat erotic sight in front of him. The Puppy had done it to him sometimes too, and he had to admit that it was a pretty nice way to wake up… but right now it made him very horny, and he didn't want to wake Caroline up just for sex. Without a second thought, he teleported behind Zack, making him jump in surprise, especially when his arms closed around him. Sephiroth nibbled at his ear with a soft growl, letting him feel how his actions had turned him on. Also feeling how much Zack was excited too, making the desire rise even more.

"If you were this horny, you just had to wake me up," he purred softly, making Zack shiver. "Naughty Puppy."

"Sorry," the younger moaned softly. "I just couldn't resist…"

"I see that," Sephiroth replied with amusement. "Now come with me, we'll take care of this."

The silverette gently pulled his mate by the arm, pushing him off the bed, and led him into the shower, careful to close the door behind them. Gently whispering to him to try to be discreet, he got down to the task of attending to their desires, leaving the other two to sleep some more.

Angeal woke up slowly, his brain clouded. When… was the last time he had slept so well? He wondered, still asleep, disoriented. After his desertion, the stress hadn't allowed him to sleep properly. But there… the presence of Sephiroth and the other two had been like a comfortable and reassuring blanket. Allowing him to finally feel safe and to really rest, despite the erotic dreams that had invaded his sleep. Between Sephiroth, Zack, and Caroline, he couldn't figure out which dream had been the most exciting. Although it didn't help that the three of them had been there. A weary sigh escaped him. It wasn't like he would ever dare to ask them for help on that side, and let's not talk about asking any other SOLDIERS. He was technically dead for them. If Genesis was still alive, he certainly would have gone to see him. But considering how quickly his condition was deteriorating, he was surely dead now. What to do then? He wondered absently, before forgetting what he was thinking when he felt a movement on him.

Opening his eyes, he immediately began to panic when he realized Caroline was literally sleeping on his chest, using him as a mattress. Fighting the urge to react violently, he gently removed his arm from around her before putting it back into place when she protested in her sleep. The giant was still terrified of her reaction when she would wake up, especially since he could feel that he had a monumental erection and that it was brushing against a part of the woman's anatomy that he was trying to avoid thinking about, because it wasn't helping his reaction. And where were Sephiroth and Zack? Angeal wondered, terrified that Caroline would wake up before they came back and that he could manage to slide her to the side without waking her. Because each attempt made her protest in her sleep and more or less cling to him. What to do? He wondered, panicked, his brain spinning in circles without being able to find a solution especially since, despite his panic, his erection wasn't going down.

The sound of a door opening made him look up, before turning pale when he saw that it was Sephiroth and Zack coming out of the bathroom, worsening his panic, especially since at their angle, they had a breathtaking view of his reaction. Terrified, he began to let out inconsistent excuses, trying to both apologize and justify himself, emitting a panicked whimper, just wanting to express an "I'm sorry I won't do it again, don't punish me"… to see the two men just laughing in response, much to his confusion. Especially when Caroline mumbled something that sounded like "too loud, wanna sleep…", making him realize she was waking up.

Seeming to realize at least one of the reasons for his panic, the silverette blinked and gave a soft coo, silencing much of Angeal's terror, who quickly calmed down, surprised and disoriented. He never should have been able to calm himself so easily with a simple sound… and yet, the instant Sephiroth uttered that strange cooing sound, it was as if the panic had literally been drained from his mind and body. Caroline shifted gently on top of him, snuggling more against his chest with a sigh, but not fully waking up. Anyway, she didn't seem like she wanted to move, Angeal observed with some resignation. Especially when the other two crept back into bed, Zack moving with a certain stiffness that made him blush, knowing what was the most likely cause after years in SOLDIER, seeing SOLDIERS come out of their tents in the morning on a mission and knowing that they were in a relationship. The pictures in mind didn't exactly help him calm down, as he had seen them come out of the bathroom together, leaving little doubts as to why they were both in it. He remained quite confused as they moved back around him like the day before, Sephiroth on his right flank and Zack on the left, surrounding him again even though he didn't feel like it was to prevent him from fleeing. He already barely dared to breathe anyway, for fear of waking Caroline. Angeal couldn't imagine her reaction when she would wake up… especially since he really couldn't calm down. And the other two who seemed to find it funny!

The bedroom door suddenly opening made him flinch in surprise… before blushing red again when he saw Chuck pointing his head in the bedroom, barely raising an eyebrow at the situation, obviously used to it.

"It's almost breakfast time, kids. Bring your ass out of bed if you want some hot pancakes," he said with some humor, closing the door behind him.

Angeal couldn't suppress a whimper of absolute mortification, closing his eyes, his cheeks burning.

"Kill me now, please…" he moaned softly, mortified.

As if it wasn't embarrassing enough for the other two to see him like that, it just had to be worse with the old SOLDIER, who was seen a bit like a father figure for the majority of SOLDIER, to see him naked and reacting to Caroline's presence on him. The final nail would be if she woke up… and begrudge him for his reaction. He would never forgive himself.

"Are you done thinking bullshit yet, Angeal?" The woman in question mumbled, making him jump.

"Sorry?" He asked in confusion, bewildered to see that she didn't seem really upset.

Caroline straightened up, looking at him with a bit of annoyance. Definitely… he had a particularly hard head. The young woman then deliberately sat on his lower abdomen, her hands sliding down his sides, making him shiver and blush as she brushed against his manhood. Herself… had to admit that the little she could feel was pretty hot… and that explained why Zack and Sephiroth had gone for a stroll in the bathroom to have a good fuck, even though she hadn't woken up until the very end. Maybe she should take one of the two aside that same evening. Maybe Zack, to let Sephiroth keep an eye on Angeal. Who couldn't prevent his gaze from wandering over her body, visibly interested, but refusing to do more than that, much to her frustration. She might not have the same level of needs as her partners, but she had learned to enjoy group sex. And adding Angeal to their relationship, especially if the other two agreed, didn't bother her at all. Caroline suspected, however, that it would probably be necessary to do the same as with Sephiroth, and take the initiative. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she eyed the giant intently, frowning.

"Seriously, Angeal, do you intend to go on like this for long?" She asked, annoyed. "Seph told you, right? That you were wanted here, weren't you?"

The concerned looked away and closed his eyes, embarrassed. The way the young woman was exposing her body… made him quite uncomfortable. He had sometimes imagined her naked… but the reality had nothing to do with his fantasies. Caroline… was even more attractive that way, clearly comfortable with her body and her sexuality, from what he could see, and it appealed to him even more. He almost felt like she was exposing herself like that on purpose, as if to taunt him with what he could never have… even though he knew her enough to know that it wasn't her style. Angeal was partly right… but only about half of why she was acting like this. She had purposely exposed herself… but to try to convince him to accept what she was proposing. A place by her side, in their relationship, and in her heart… if he could accept it.

"I know but…"

"But what?" The young woman asked firmly, refusing to let it go.

"After what I did… what I am… how can you… OUCH!" He yelped as his hair was roughly pulled.

Opening his eyes in surprise, he realized that it was Caroline who had just pulled on one of his locks, making him swallow when he saw her face close to his. For a second or two he thought she was going to kiss him, much to his embarrassment. It would have been embarrassing enough if it had been just the two of them, but with Sephiroth and Zack still present… he couldn't imagine their reaction. Although, for now, they seemed quite happy to watch what was going on. Zack was staring at her with a mixture of love and desire… and yet… the Giant didn't really feel like a third wheel… for he almost felt he was included in that look. The woman tugged at his hair again, bringing his attention back to her, making him swallow at her annoyed gaze.

"Angeal… stop thinking about it. You weren't totally responsible for your actions. None of us consider you a monster. No matter what people think of you. We want you. In every sense of the term. Now let's stop talking about this, Chuck is going to be waiting for us," she said, releasing him, sitting up on his stomach and stretching with a sigh. "And I'm hungry."

The gesture drew Angeal's attention to her breasts, the giant having an even harder time taking his gaze away than before, especially when she pulled away from his body, and he saw her staring at his erection with what could only be interest, making his embarrassment even worse. The black haired man got up as quickly as possible to go and lock himself in the bathroom, rushing into the shower and turning on the cold water all the way. He didn't dare stay under the water as long as he would have liked, not wanting to anger Lieutenant Nokia by being late, but it was enough to take care of most of his erection. Coming out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips, he was relieved to see that the others were dressed. Although he couldn't help but blush when his gaze met Caroline's, unable to remove the memory of her body on top of his from his mind… especially when she had sat up.

Turning away before overreacting, he looked at Sephiroth with a mixture of worry and confusion, wondering how he was going to be able to dress and unwilling to wander just with a towel around his hips in Chuck's apartment. Caroline's laugh caught his attention, and he turned his head in her direction, puzzled, to see her bend over, picking up something from the floor, which turned out to be a gym bag. The young woman then turned, and approached Angeal, handing him the bag with a smile.

"I think this is for you, Angeal. In my opinion, it must be some clothes of yours that Chuck picked up last night or early this morning, as you can't borrow any from Zack or Seph."

Taking the bag and opening it in confusion, the ex-commander could see that she was right and that it was indeed his clothes. A small tube with a note was on top, and he pulled it out, curious before blushing again when he saw what was written on the note. I know you must be feeling very frustrated, kid, but at least wait until I'm outside to use it, Chuck. Making him realize that it was a tube of lube, making him want to spontaneously combust, especially when Sephiroth grabbed the note before he could destroy it and reading it aloud, bursting with laughter, imitated by Caroline and Zack. Finish me now… the giant thought again, mortified, seeing them cry with laughter at his embarrassment. He didn't say it out loud this time though, having learned the lesson, and just went and locked himself in the bathroom to dress in peace. His things were a little dusty and smelled slightly musty, but at least they were clean and his size. He wouldn't be against washing them, though, but it could wait a few hours.

The others were still waiting for him when he came out, and Angeal didn't know if he should be touched or annoyed but he could understand. Until they were convinced he wouldn't kill himself at the earliest opportunity, he doubted they would leave him alone for more than five minutes. What made him honestly confused, was their calm acceptance of his interest in Caroline, who didn't seem to be bothered herself, on the contrary. He knew she wasn't jealous of Zack's needs, he reminded himself as he followed them in the direction of the kitchen, but, from there, to accept not only another man in their relationship… but even himself… he no longer understood anything. It was… as if Minerva had suddenly decided to turn the world upside down… after shaking it like a cocktail shaker. All his bearings had taken a hit, and he didn't know where he was anymore.

Which was why he tried to deal with breakfast, wanting to find some semblance of normalcy in familiar gestures, only to be met with a firm refusal from Chuck. And despite his insistence, the old SOLDIER refused to let him cook, saying that, for now, he needed to rest and put his mind back in place. Unfortunately, in the state of mind he was in, it was a bit of a killing blow. Angeal half-collapsed in a chair, mentally exhausted after all of these events, almost delirious that no one wanted a monster to cook for them, before being brutally interrupted.

BANG!

"OW!" He yelped, shocked.

Angeal saw stars at the hit, though it was more surprising than really painful. Turning in the direction from which the "attack" had come, shocked, one hand on the bump on his head, he fell face to face with a pissed Caroline. And in a way that only Genesis had usually been able to provoke. Slamming violently the pan she held on the table, she glared at him, clearly enraged.

"NOW THAT'S ENOUGH WITH YOUR CRAP!" She barked at Angeal, shocking him. "I'm sick of your self-pity! How many times do we have to tell you that you're not a damn monster? Do you enjoy torturing living beings? To let them agonize for days or weeks? To kill them in excruciating pain? To make them suffer psychologically? To put them in situations they had no chance of winning?"

Angeal could only shake his head negatively, instinctively curling up on himself, staring at her with wide, scared eyes, shocked at his anger. The woman was generally docile and meek, except when Genesis was involved, and even then she rarely did direct actions, even though he remembered what Sephiroth had told him of when Gen had called her a gold digger, shortly before she and Zack formed a couple. The only other time she had been physically violent had been when she threw her mug at Genesis' head because he had stolen her chocolates two months in a row. But right now her anger was clearly directed at him, and he couldn't help but shrink, seeing Zack and Sephiroth doing the same on their side, also staring at her with wide eyes.

"No but…"

"But what?" She scolded in annoyance.

"I'm not… completely human… what Hollander did to my mom…"

"And?" She asked, annoyed. "Neither does Seph, although you seem to have forgotten it. He might even be less than you, physically speaking, in case you haven't noticed. Does that even sound like a problem for me?"

Angeal had to admit he had completely forgotten that detail. But it was true that she had told him that Sephiroth had also received cells from Jenova before he was born, live ones. But the way she'd called Jenova an "alien bitch" as if she wasn't human. Did he really want to know? He wondered in a corner of his mind.

"No," he admitted softly. "But…"

"But what damn it?" She growled, her hand tightening on the handle of the pan, causing him to swallow fearfully.

"How… can you be interested in me?" He asked, confused. "You already have Zack and Sephiroth, so why me?"

The young woman let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in slight annoyance. At least she had managed to get him out of his dark thoughts.

"Do you really have such a hard time with where you came from, to think that someone wouldn't want you? Sexually speaking I mean?" She asked, purposely being crude to get his attention. "Angeal… you are eye candy. Are you the same as Seph? Or Zack? No, and that's totally OK. You are yourself. Sephiroth is cold, patient and deadly, Genesis is fire, passion and haste, Zack is fun, games and joy. And you? You are honor, loyalty and calm. Each of you is different… and without Jenova you would have complemented each other perfectly. I even think that without her… Seph would probably have come to you when the frustration finally became too much."

"Frustration?" Angeal repeated without understanding.

Caroline gave him an annoyed look.

"Seriously, Angeal, with the job he had, plus his "education", can you tell me when he might have found the time to have a good fuck? You and Genesis, at least, had a few hours off in the evenings after work. And days off. Can you tell me of ONE TIME where Sephiroth was able to take time for himself?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

And Angeal may have searched his memory for one... he was unable to refute her words. And now that he saw Sephiroth so relax… he had to admit that it matched with what he had seen about some SOLDIERS who were having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of sex with a male (not necessarily romantic, even if it ended sometimes that way between partners), just before they crack and get used to the idea.

"No," he admitted softly. "You would really have come to us for help, if we hadn't…"

"Deserted?" Sephiroth completed, continuing to look at Caroline out of the corner of his eye, as if worried that she would get angry at him. "Angeal… you, Genesis and Zack were my only friends. And the only people I was close enough to consider that sort of thing with. Although I have to admit that without Caroline… I probably would have had a hard time asking for your help," he admitted softly. "I spent my childhood in Hojo's hands. For me, sexuality was a concept that I had a hard time understanding, like humor. And physical contact was something that only brought pain... causing me to avoid it as much as possible. Without Caroline to help me get used to it… I don't know if I could have asked for your help."

"And frankly, Angeal, Zack and I had to force Seph a bit to accept our help," Caroline added calmly. "It's true that I was the one who suggested to Zack to help Seph… but without him, I couldn't have done anything on my own."

"That's right," the youngest man sighed, relaxing as he saw that she seemed to have calmed down. "It took us hours to get his frustration down the first time and a good week to make it completely disappear."

"Although I have to admit it was fun to see people avoiding me as much as possible, not understanding how I could be so relaxed," the silverette snorted, amused. "Too bad it didn't last long."

The other two chuckled at hearing this, imitated by Chuck, who sounded very amused… and Angeal felt his cheeks heat up again as he realized how much the subject had deviated from the beginning one, but he didn't dare bring it back on the table. He still couldn't figure out how Caroline could be attracted to him, but he didn't dare ask the question again.

Chuck spoke at that moment, drawing attention to himself, grabbing the pan Caroline had finally let go, examining it with amusement.

"Anyway, kid, you got a nasty right hit," he said with an amused smile, making her blush, especially when he turned the pan in question, showing the dent formed in it now. "Do you mind telling me why you used a pan though?"

Caroline didn't know where to go, embarrassed now that the anger had subsided and the attention had shifted to her.

"I doubt he would have felt if I had tried hitting him with my bare hand… not to mention that I would have probably broken every bone in my hand if I had tried like that," she confessed. "At least that way I was sure he would listen to me."

"For sure," the old SOLDIER snickered. "Now, kid, listen to me carefully. These three told me about how good a cook you are, and I assure you I want to see it for myself. But for now, you've just come back to life, you're lost, disoriented, and let's not talk about your other issues. In the future, once you're clear minded again, of course you can cook. You can ask them, by the way, I cooked for them until Zack was fully recovered, and Sephiroth was feeling better, mentally speaking. So don't worry, you will have your chance."

"I just have to convince him that he really interests me for himself," Caroline sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Because I can tell he's interested in me too… just gotta get his head out of his ass."

Angeal blushed, uneasy, especially seeing the other two's amusement.

"But you already have two partners," he objected softly. "You don't need me…"

Caroline rolled her eyes, annoyed… before literally plopping down on his lap, cutting him off completely from his train of thought in shock, and leaving him speechless. And the other two who still didn't seem upset, which completely disoriented him. Chuck looked amused too, even though he turned around to start making breakfast, placing the pan in a corner and Angeal hoped that was to throw it away. His attention was again drawn to the woman, who had grabbed his arms to make them surround her, leaning against his chest. She seemed perfectly at ease, and Zack couldn't help but joke about it, trying to lighten the mood.

"Can I join?" He snickered, tilting his head to the side and making Caroline snickers along.

"Sorry Zack, but Angeal may be tall, there isn't enough room for two on his lap. And even if you put yourself under me, the poor man would have a hard time eating his breakfast."

"You can always get on my lap if you want, Zack," Sephiroth offered, an amused gleam in his eyes.

The boy seemed to consider the thing for a few seconds, before chuckling.

"Nah, Seph, that's nice. Angeal already looks like he's on the verge of exploding from embarrassment, we're not gonna make it worse for him, poor man. And then, it's you that I'll prevent from eating quietly."

All three burst out laughing, seeing that Angeal did indeed look very embarrassed and suspecting why. Especially when Caroline squirmed a bit on his thighs to position herself a little more comfortably, making him blush despite himself, feeling his erection return to full strength in seconds. But he could see that she didn't seem to mind it at all, quite the contrary, if he trusted the way she leaned against him, giving him a smile when she lifted her head to look at him. As if to say "Everything is fine. I am genuinely interested in you.". He didn't know what to think of this offer that was almost screamed in his ears. How could she want him? And the others? Why were they so accepting of him? Why did they want him? He wondered, softly thanking Chuck who was serving him, starting to eat, resigned to the fact that Caroline was determined to stay on his lap. All he hoped for… was that he would have managed to calm himself down by the time breakfast was over, although he doubted it, seeing how she seemed to have placed herself on his erection on purpose, fueling his desire as much as his fantasies.

Just… why? He wondered in confusion, unable to stop thinking about it. Why did they seem to love him, almost? Wanting him?

oOo

Caroline gently brushed Angeal's hair, almost making him purr with pleasure, amused to see that he reacted exactly like Zack or Sephiroth when she brushed their hair. Of course, the sound he was making was much deeper to her, almost a continuous growl, but clearly expressing his pleasure that she could also see by the way he was almost melting, sagging on himself, his body completely relaxing. Gently scratching his scalp with the brush, she was rewarded with his moan of pleasure, a shiver running through his body.

The woman was glad to see that Angeal was resisting her advances less and less, seeming to come to terms with the idea that she was genuinely drawn to him for who he was, and this whatever his background. It had only been a few days since he'd come back, but she seemed to have more or less managed to get him into his head that it wasn't because he was half (maybe a little less) human that he was a monster. Well, she had to use the pan again, two days after the first time, but he seemed to have got the message, and never said out loud that he was a monster again. She tried not to overwhelm him by going too hard, as Genesis had done with her, but Caroline could see that he didn't dare take the initiative with her, forcing her to do so, even though it wasn't really in her character. She had also spoken with Zack and Sephiroth, that time when Angeal had been in the shower the day after he returned, regarding adding him to their relationship. To her relief, Zack had already thought about it, and even Sephiroth did also.

All three agreed that Angeal needed help, but the fact that he was keeping them so much at bay meant that they would probably have to insist or use the frustration he was building up to accept their help. Because she could feel him react every time she sat on top of him, feeling his erection under her as soon as she got on his lap… Angeal apparently resigned himself to this fact, even though he did hug her himself now, which was a step forward. She was beginning to grow impatient with Geal's hesitation though, but refused to give up or go too far. Would kissing him now be too much? She wondered absently, pulling his hair back, tying it at the back of his neck in a ponytail. They had grown well, between the time he deserted and the time he died, about a year at least, enough that he needed to tie them up so as to not have them in his face as soon as he leaned forward. Sephiroth was the only one who didn't mind long hair, but he was used to it. Still, he liked Caroline to brush his hair so much that he let her braid it without any problem, even reclaiming attention in his own way.

With Angeal, Caroline had tried to do a bit like Zack with Sephiroth, bringing him snacks every now and then, not to mention drinks. She would also snuggle up to him at the slightest opportunity, trying to get him used to her touch. He was hardly startling now, barely flinching, although he was clearly confused at the lack of reaction from her boyfriends.

A mental sigh escaped her as she came to sit on Geal's lap, who immediately closed his arms around her, pulling her against him, still lost in the effects of the brushing. The three of them hadn't done anything since she'd been there and she could feel it was starting to weigh on her a bit, for her part. Zack and Sephiroth at least had the opportunity to be able to have some sex every now and then in the bathroom, but her a lot less. Oh, it added spice to do it like that, she wouldn't say the opposite, especially when Angeal was in the bedroom, but as soon as he heard them start, he would immediately run into the living room, embarrassed. So it didn't help much. Besides, she definitely preferred the bed, it was more comfortable.

After a few minutes spent like this, she saw Zack enter the living room, smiling tenderly at her, and she returned it, happy to see him. Sephiroth wasn't far behind him, and she noticed his amused smile in front of the scene. Caroline pulled away a little reluctantly from Angeal's arms, before turning at the last second, kissing him gently on the corner of the mouth, making him jump in surprise, especially since she stood there for a few seconds, waiting to see if he would react. Seeing that he had no other reaction, she stood up with a sigh, going to join Zack, kissing him tenderly, the latter responding with love, one of his hands sliding behind her back, coming to rest on her ass, squeezing very gently, making her moan slightly with desire.

For his part, Angeal had remained stuck in place, unable to move, when Caroline kissed him gently on the corner of the mouth, almost certain she was waiting for him to respond, but he couldn't. The frustration had skyrocketed suddenly at the almost innocent gesture, taking his breath away. Especially seeing her walk away, visibly disappointed, going to Zack, who responded enthusiastically to her kiss, hugging her, gently squeezing one of her ass cheeks.

Angeal felt like a dam finally gave way inside him, almost feeling like he was being hit head-on by a train, making him gasp as his vision clouded slightly with desire, causing him to moan weakly. Getting to his feet was difficult, and he wobbled slightly, catching himself up on the back of the couch to stay up, meeting Sephiroth's gaze. He was lucid enough to know that even if he desired (and loved, he admitted in the back of his mind) Caroline, in his condition he would be far too demanding of her. He needed someone stronger than her, at least in the beginning. Approaching Sephiroth, trying to ignore the other two on the side, who had stopped when they saw him in this state, gazing at him in concern, he tried to speak, asking for help. But the words refused to even form in his mind, and he had to bring himself to let out a desperate whine, trying without words to beg for help from Sephiroth.

The latter blinked, bewildered at Angeal's demeanor for a few seconds, before seeing the bulge distorting his pants, and realizing the problem. Smiling gently at Angeal, he gave a soft coo, grabbing his arm to help him stand, and leading him into the bedroom, followed by Caroline and Zack. They had been astonished and somewhat worried seeing Angeal being so little… himself, before getting confused when Sephiroth dragged him gently behind him. Intrigued, they followed them, slipping into the bedroom after them, before realizing what was happening when they saw Angeal undress without hesitating, not even seeming to realize that they were there, when he usually always protested a little to remove his clothes in their presence.

Closing the door behind them, Zack activated the sound blocking Materia, exchanging a smile with Caroline. Angeal… definitely would have taken his time to make up his mind, the woman thought to herself with a mixture of annoyance, amusement and burning desire, undressing herself. At least… the boys could help him relieve himself a bit before she did, she told herself as Angeal took the initiative with Sephiroth, making her desire even more intense. But no way she'll miss her chance, she told herself as she climbed onto the bed with Zack.

oOo

Angeal let out a sigh, leaning against the back of the couch, Caroline on his lap, as she has often done since his return. She didn't neglect the others, obviously, but she spent a lot of time with him. Of course, things were a little more complicated now that he was also in their relationship, but he sometimes wondered why he had resisted so much. The giant still found it hard to not think of himself as a monster, but those thoughts were getting rarer and rarer. Seeing Caroline behave towards him or Sephiroth the same way Zack did… helped him feel less like a monster. Because she treated them all the same. Like her companions. He wasn't sure how they would do in the future, because at the moment they were still looking for their bearings. Zack reassured him by telling him that they had done the same at first with Sephiroth, even though things had been more complicated at that time with their missions and it was only after Zack was rescued by Chuck, same as Sephiroth, that they had really been able to straighten things out, especially for the silverette who was totally new to dating. They had assured him he was part of the couple, and it had been the same for him.

His former apprentice had cornered him the day after that time when they had made love together, and when, for the first time, he had made love with Caroline, seeing that he was more or less dodging them, asking him what his problem was. Angeal had explained to him his confusion that they had accepted him so easily in their relationship, and Zack had looked at him like he was an idiot, before giving him a speech he hadn't been able to forget:

"We need you here with us, Geal," he said surprisingly seriously. "We lost you once before, and the idea of it happening again is unacceptable. So we need you to be closer, and that was obviously the only way to show it emotionally. I mean, it'll probably be the same for Gen if he comes back to us. Unless he absolutely refuses."

Angeal had been both surprised and relieved to hear that. At least that meant they wouldn't abandon him in the future. Not like he had done. With any luck these events wouldn't happen again. Anyway, they wouldn't let him. And knowing that Genesis was still alive and healed of his Degradation… had also been a huge relief. He missed his friend very much, because they had rarely been separated since they had met as children in Banora. And knowing that he too would be accepted into their relationship, reassured him. Because it meant no one would be left behind, alone. A hint of amusement travels through him at the memory. Caroline was going to end up with a real personal harem, and he saw many of their fans freak out at the news. Knowing that the Holy Trinity was taken by an almost unknown was going to cause riots in their fan clubs. Literally. Angeal no longer counted the number of times a woman had tried to seduce him even though he was known for his sense of honor, and wanted someone loving him for himself and not just for what he represented, or as a way to get closer to Sephiroth or Genesis. Well, he thought to himself as he felt Caroline run her hand through his hair, gently massaging his scalp, making him shiver with pleasure, his eyes half closing, he had at least found this person now. And even the fact of "sharing" her, in a way, with others seemed and felt right. After that time they had made love together, it had felt like being finally complete, or almost, like a puzzle that had found its missing pieces. The only thing missing was Genesis to make everything perfect, he thought absently, responding to the young woman's kiss, shivering as she then sat back down on his lap, facing him, looking at him with amusement and affection. Visibly feeling his desire under her, as she often did when she did that. Of course, the fact that she didn't have their needs or their stamina made her recover more slowly but when she participated, she was just as enthusiastic.

Angeal chuckled softly when she sat down properly to watch the cartoon (anime, he reminded himself firmly, Caroline having explained the difference to them, mostly cultural), gently shaking his head when she turned in his direction to look at him, raising an eyebrow, making her understand that it was nothing serious. She gave him a brief skeptical look, but seemed to decide to trust him, sitting down properly, and returning her gaze to the television.

He had just remembered that time Sephiroth had released his wing in front of his eyes. The conversation had deviated from the subject at one point, Zack melancholy saying that he wished he had wings like them. Angeal hadn't really agreed with that, finding that this was one of the things that made him a monster but Zack told him that made him an angel, like his name, and not a monster. Sephiroth had stared at him for a few seconds, before his gaze shifted to Caroline, staring at her for even longer before deploying a wing to his right side, of a gray so dark it looked almost black, making feathers fly everywhere. The woman had remained still for a few seconds, looking at him with wide surprised eyes, but not shocked or scared, more surprised at his confidence. Her almost pleading "Can I touch it?" had surprised Angeal and Sephiroth before the latter nodded, almost hesitating before literally melting in pleasure on the couch, purring even louder than usual, his gaze completely glassy, sagging to the side as Caroline buried her hands in the feathers, smoothing them and gently scratching their base. The silverette had looked totally drugged up, in heaven, almost more so than when she brushed his hair or caressed him in bed.

Apparently, their wing was even more sensitive than Angeal had thought, especially with someone they trusted. He himself only remembered the pain when his own had come out, and when a monster managed to touch them, preventing him from retracting them until they were healed, as healing magic had little effect on them. Neither he nor Genesis had experimented with their wings, treating them as a necessary evil, though useful for moving around without leaving a trace, especially after dropping their PHS, knowing that they could be located by them. Something told him they really knew too little about them. Even so, he still didn't feel comfortable enough with his wings to dare to let them come out like that, in an almost "public" space in a way. Maybe in a while he would dare to deploy them in the bedroom, but not immediately.

A snicker escaped him at the anime they were watching even as he was dying to try some of the recipes shown by the characters. Food Wars, originally named Shokugeki no Sōma, was a series about the son of a chef who, leaving to cook around the world, suggested that his son join an elite culinary school, where only 10% of those enrolled were graduates. The series was interesting both for him, with all the dishes on offer, and for Zack, who loved humor, laughing out loud at the scenes. Sephiroth, on the other hand, just enjoyed spending time with them in any way, and laughed softly at the anime, one arm around Zack's shoulders.

His attention was abruptly caught by whimpers coming from the entrance direction as the door opened, the others' eyes also turning in that direction in confusion.

"Guys... is it me, or is that voice vaguely familiar?" Zack asked puzzled.

"No, you're not the only one," Caroline replied, equally confused. "Where have I heard it before?"

The voice was vaguely familiar but it was mostly the feeling of familiarity that confused them. As if they should have known the voice but couldn't quite recognize it.

To be continued…

Hehehe, but who is making these whimpers? The answer in the next chapter!