Author's Note: Here we go again! Another week, another chapter as promised. Hope everyone is well and enjoying their weekly dose of drama and romance. I know I'm enjoying writing it for you.

Marken: I always loved Lazard for his dedication to the people he considered his. He genuinely cares about them all and I'm sure he would know better than most how likely Talin is to pass the SOLDIER test and considers him already under his protection. Also, they really don't pull any punches (pun not intended) when it comes to training. Favoritism like that in their line of work would only lead to Talin being underprepared in a real fight and I don't think any of the 1st's are willing to let that happen. As for Sephiroth, he has a few things to work out... like boundaries... but he's getting there.

Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.

I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.

Enjoy and please R&R.

Chapter 37

After Sephiroth's departure, Angeal took the time to treat Talin's ankle before having Gen cast a healing spell to clean it up along with most of the bruises. The Red Commander took the teen and headed back to his apartment with the promise to call whenever he woke up. The hall was silent as the 1st walked the short distance to his apartment and it gave him ample chance to ponder today's event.

Genesis hadn't been surprised by Sephiroth's actions today. He truly did care about Talin, longed to be around the vibrant Cadet, but his obvious concern wasn't quite enough to prove that he'd recognized his errors or that he was ready to atone for them. The man could be so infuriatingly stubborn sometimes and this was turning out to be one of those moments.

Well, time can heal some wounds and distance makes a lonely heart long for company... He thought as he glanced down at the peacefully sleeping teen. His mind drifted and returned to the advice he'd given Talin that first night. He's starting to come to you, Little Bird. I just hope you're ready to handle it.

Arms full of dead-weight, the Commander was glad for his door's auto-open function and strode quickly inside after it registered his keycard. Knowing it was likely to be a long night, Genesis snagged a book from the shelf on his way up to the bedroom. Setting the book and the Cadet on the bed, the SOLDIER sighed in feigned annoyance as he stripped them both of their clothing and headed for the bathroom.

Gen's love of his enhanced strength grew deeper as he maneuvered Talin into the bath, taking the time to wash his hair and double-checked that the healing spell had worked fully on the small cut. Once clean and dried, the Commander dressed them in simple sweatpants and settled into bed. Sitting against the headboard, he opened his book to a random page and started reading. His habit of not starting from the beginning annoyed Angeal, but he'd read all the books in his collection enough times to not need to 'trudge through the boring bits'.

He'd tucked Talin in next to him, expecting a rather calm night, but it wasn't quite what he'd hoped for. The teen usually slept peacefully, curling up in one position and not moving an inch till morning. Tonight, he shifted almost constantly, as if unable to get comfortable even though he was still very much asleep. Eventually, seeking hands found Gen's leg under the blankets and he snuggled up at the man's hip and finally relaxed.

Genesis couldn't help his chuckle at the contented sigh from Talin and threaded his fingers through the teen's soft hair in a slow petting motion as he went back to reading. Hours quietly passed and the Cadet remained firmly tucked into Gen's side, his breathing the only sound other than the occasional rustle of a page being turned. It was almost eleven when the SOLDIER started to think that Sephiroth's second estimate of tomorrow morning was more likely to be when Talin would finally wake.

Gen was surprised when the Cadet took a deeper breath about thirty minutes later, tightening his grip on the Commander's leg and nuzzling his hip. He petted through the flame-red hair, half expecting Talin to fall back asleep, but when he heard a muffled "Gen?" he put aside his book.

"I'm here, Little Bird." The dull tone of the teen's voice, full of sleep grogginess, along with the still slow beat of his heart and yet unopened eyes made the Red Commander add, "Are you awake?" There was no response, just another deep breath as Talin curled himself around the leg he'd claimed for a pillow.

Genesis cocked an eyebrow and ran his hand from the soft hair down the Cadet's neck to his back, rubbing soft circles as he went. The sound he was rewarded with, a happy, deep rumbling, that was so near a purr that the 1st had to fight hard to stifle a laugh. Sleep talking? He's definitely still asleep but...

Deciding to test his theory, Gen kept his voice very quiet as he continued his gentle petting. "Talin? Are you ok, Love?" His response was another rumbling sigh and a slight nod. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Burnout...pulled too much..." The words were barely a whisper but Genesis caught them. Smiling, he pushed on with his questions. The only person more honest than a talkative drunk was someone who thought they were dreaming...

"And why did you do that? You know better, so why did you push that far?" His tone remained velvety soft and comforting. The silence that followed stretched so long that he worried he'd missed his chance, but then the teen shifted slightly.

"I... I wanted..." The muscles under Gen's hand tensed minutely and then relaxed as Talin finished his thought. "to impress him." Hand still working in soothing circles, the Commander didn't need to ask who the 'him' was, but he wanted to see if the Cadet would say it.

"Impress who, Little Bird? Angeal?" The smallest shake of the head on his thigh. "Zack?" Another shake, slower this time, as if hesitant because of who that left.

"I just... I wanted to impress Se-… Him." The twitch of muscle under his hand and stutter of Talin's heart at the whispered confession made Gen's own ache. He'd seen the pain, both physical and emotional, the teen had endured and had been slowly fighting his way back out of, and now... Now he was almost back to square one but still longed for Sephiroth's approval, even if that wish was buried deep in his subconscious.

"I'm sure you did, Talin. Just, please, be more careful next time." The SOLDIER murmured his praise as he pulled the blanket up over the teen's bare shoulders. He kept talking while working fingers through silky hair till the tensed body again went limp and Talin's breathing evened back to that of deep sleep.

With a sigh, Genesis pulled his phone from the bedside table and messaged Angeal. It was highly unlikely that Talin would wake tonight. Unintended as it may have been, if he'd been aiming to impress, he would have pulled more than just a little past his limit. The message back from the other 1st was an almost instantaneous "Just let me know" before their normal round of goodnights.

A simple command from his phone turned out all the lights in his apartment and Gen carefully slipped down into the bed. Talin didn't so much as twitch as he was shifted from cuddling a leg to snuggling against the man's chest. Only when the Commander wrapped his arms around the smaller body did a small hum come from the teen as he leaned into the embrace and tangled his legs with Gen's.

Something tells me you've done more than enough to impress our beloved General, Talin. Now it's up to him to impress you.

…

Talin didn't wake till late the next morning and then two things happened in rapid succession. First, he was set down to a large breakfast that Angeal put together, and second, he was scolded for his reckless actions of the day before. He knew he deserved it, but it didn't make it any easier as he sat through the reprimand.

The only thing that surprised him was that the others hadn't known about his 'burnouts'. He tried to think back, positive he'd talked to someone about it before, but all he could remember was working with the General to determine his limitations. Shy with the realization that he'd unintentionally withheld the information, he explained in greater detail the cause-and-effect of depleting past the safe percentage and the difference between that and hitting total zero.

He'd only done the latter a few times in his life, the most recent being when he'd run from the falling building. "If I pull everything, down to the last drop, I've got about fifteen to twenty minutes to get someplace safe before I crash." That fact was still somewhat based on guesswork since, due to the debilitating recovery time, he'd never tested it in a controlled environment before.

As with the burnouts, he would fall unconscious as soon as his body used up the last of the Mako and stay that way for up to twenty-four hours. The worse issue was that he couldn't access the replenishing Mako again for several hours after he woke. That was why he'd been unable to even try escaping after being hit with the stun gun in the lab, there'd been nothing available to pull.

Angeal cataloged the information, making a note to do some 0% testing down the road sometime. Not wanting to drag the topic out any longer than needed, he concluded the conversation with a promise from Talin to be more restrained in his training. The teen knew he'd allowed his emotions to overrule his common sense the previous day and quickly agreed.

The big SOLDIER pulled him into a smothering hug, soothing the sting of his reprimand a bit, and was glad when Talin snuggled deeper into his chest. His eyes met Gen's over the Cadet's head and they shared a knowing smile. Talin and Zack were much alike, and Angeal felt a sense of almost DeJa'Vu from when he'd first been working with his hyperactive puppy.

Feeling Talin's shoulders fall slightly, he chuckled and nudged him towards Genesis. "Get some rest, T. Your training next week will be special but if you're not ready for it it's going to be rough."

...

Since it was a Saturday, the teen took the chance to rest and recover, crashing back into bed as soon as Angeal left for a meeting. It wasn't till hours later, when Genesis hauled him bodily from bed and told him to put on workout clothes, that Talin finally got back up. Shaking off the last lingering effects of sleeping so late into the day, he cleaned himself up before meeting the Commander downstairs.

Thankfully, the 1st didn't take him to a training room, as he'd half expected, but down to the VR chambers. "You need to warm up and get moving at least a bit today," The SOLDIER said with a sly grin from the terminal. With one last tap on the keys, the room darkened, and the shadows twisted as the particles started forming the requested terrain.

Talin hadn't moved his eyes from Gen's, even as the world around him swayed and swirled into shape. Only when he heard the quiet calls of birds and the small scurrying of other animals did the Cadet grin and let his gaze wander through the forest that now surrounded them. As he looked, he realized it wasn't the one he'd expected from his first VR experience.

That had been a true jungle, thick with underbrush, the air slightly muggy from heat, and busy with all manner of life. This woodland spoke of the northern reaches, full of evergreen pine trees, hilly terrain, rocky outcroppings, and brisk with the slight bite of chilly late autumn. Talin felt his heart kick at the smell of the trees and that cold fresh feeling that always preceded the change from fall to winter. It felt like home... or as close as he'd ever dare be to what had been home.

Genesis watched the flow of emotion in the Cadet's eyes as he slowly circled to view his surroundings. Saw him take in and hold a deep breath, no doubt picking up on the scent he'd programmed into the simulation. It was a new feature the technicians had installed recently and, from the way Talin's focus became distant, lost in thought or memory, it was apparently accurate in its recreation.

Gen had wanted to play a game. Something to get their blood pumping with a reward that was bound to leave them both happily exhausted, but he rapidly altered his plan. The bright flicker of memories across the teen's eyes was too often smudged with deep shadows for the kind of game the Commander had hoped for. With a sigh for his failed romantic pursuit, Genesis moved towards the distracted Cadet, silent as a shadow, even over the carpet of pine needles and small twigs.

Talin's mind was spinning, twisting, with half-forgotten moments of time spent in woods just like this. Although he knew it was fake, his overstimulated brain nearly expected to see someone come out of the bushes and yell at them for trespassing. However, only the cawing of birds disturbed the stillness and the Cadet almost forgot that he wasn't alone.

The suddenness of a hand in Talin's hair made him flinch, but the warmth of the body pressed behind him and the softly massaging fingers had him relaxed again in moments. When Gen wrapped his other arm around the front of the teen's shoulders, pulling him back against his chest, Talin gave in instantly. Dropping his head back against one strong shoulder, he let his eyes slip shut and just enjoyed the affection.

Not one to pass up an opening, Genesis pressed a feather-light kiss to the arched neck, smiling into the soft skin when he felt the Cadet's small shiver. "Come, Little Bird, let's stretch your wings a bit." Talin chuckled at Gen's favorite nickname for him and, with a sigh, stepped away from the warm embrace and found himself pulled into a light jog. The slow pace quickly sped up and, before long, the teen was moving as fast as his feet could carry him over the uneven terrain followed silently by the SOLDIER.

Talin had always found joy and freedom in running. He'd sprinted like this through the forests around his village, using trails known by very few, and feeling like he was flying over the ground instead of running upon it. It was only later, when he started hunting, that his enjoyment of the wild hills and forest had been tainted. By violence, by cruelty, by a driving force he couldn't fight...

Almost stumbling at the suddenness of the painful memory, he forcefully slammed the door on that line of thought. Vaulting a fallen tree, he pushed ever faster, trying to drown out the past by focusing on the present. Rocks, logs, and streams all passed beneath his feet as his mind became laser-focused on evading obstacles in his path. His leg muscles started to burn, not having pulled any Mako to support and strengthen them, but he continued to run as the ache increased.

Fleet as a deer, Gen kept up with his Cadet easily, but his original enjoyment of the exercise evaporated as he watched the teen become more and more troubled. He didn't miss the lack of glow to Talin's eyes or how his pace had faltered before charging forward again. Whatever had been swimming behind those jade green eyes was still there and it apparently had a nasty bite.

The Commander was more than willing to let Talin use their run to bleed out the poison, even if it was only a temporary relief. However, when he saw the young fighter wince and a muscle in his thigh twinge as he took his next step, he knew more harm was being done than good. By chance, the randomly generated terrain opened into a clearing not more than a minute later and Genesis didn't waste time catching up to the teen.

Using the same trick Talin had against Angeal, the 1st pushed his mind across the other's, hard enough to cause disorientation, then sprinted in and scooped the teen off his feet. Laughing as the Cadet let out a startled yell, Gen twisted and rolled them into the tall grass, ending with Talin pinned beneath him.

"What the hell, Gen?! You scared the shit out of me!" The words would have sounded angrier if he'd been able to get enough breath, but, with the run and the weight of the SOLDIER pressing him down, it wasn't possible.

Genesis chuckled and shifted to hold himself up so the teen could breathe easier. "That's your own fault. Both for getting too distracted and for pushing yourself too hard." His smile faded as he spoke, gaze becoming a touch more serious but still glittering with a teasing light. Talin would have rolled his eyes, but, instead, winced again as one of the abused muscles in his leg started to cramp.

In a fluid movement, the 1st shifted and then was kneeling beside him, firmly massaging the area. His gasp of pain at the pressure was ignored as Genesis worked the spot till the muscle finally relaxed again. When Talin opened his eyes to look up, he saw the Commander's raised eyebrow and sighed. "Ok, ok, you're right. I was being stupid." He dropped his head back to the grass as fingers started massaging his leg again.

"What was it that set you off?" The question was quiet, enough so that Talin was tempted to pretend he hadn't heard it, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

Unwilling to lie but not wanting to dive into it, he simply replied, "Bad memories." He tensed, waiting for another question, but relaxed when the only response he got was a soft hum of understanding. Hands moved to his other leg, giving it the same thorough massage, and Talin let his eyes slip shut again as the ache was worked away.

As often as Gen found himself surprised by this unique Cadet, he just as often found Talin to be predictable. You have a great many 'bad memories' Little Bird, and the one person you'll apparently talk with about them is currently on your shit list. The thought made him chuckle again as he smoothed his hand over the loosened muscles.

"Well, it might not have been the exercise I'd intended, but at least you got up and around today," He said as he stood, reaching down to pull Talin up when he extended a hand. "For now, we are both in desperate need of a shower and you need to get some more rest." Gen had wrapped his arms around the Cadet, holding him loosely as he spoke. When an uncharacteristic pout appeared on Talin's face, the SOLDIER couldn't help but lean down and nip his extended lip before kissing it better.

Just like with Zack, Talin found himself unable to remain irritated with Genesis, and he was drawn into the slow and playful kiss. Why do I even bother... They almost always win anyway and sometimes it pays to lose. The kiss didn't deepen, remaining firmly on the side of affection rather than passion. Both were disappointed, but neither thought the other willing to go past that point just then.

After another few minutes of teasing kisses and gentle touches, Genesis called out to the computer to terminate the simulation. "We'd best get back, Love, before your legs decide to fail and I have to carry you." The thought of Gen carrying him again was both tempting and embarrassing but, considering that this floor was full of SOLDIERs who would definitely see them this time, the embarrassment won. Talin pulled away, taking tentative steps towards the door followed by the smirking Commander.

They showered separately once back in the apartment and then, uncaring of his still soaking wet hair, Talin threw himself back into bed. He was too tired to do more than grumble when Gen dropped a towel on his head, rubbing and fluffing till the strands were mostly dry. "You really are pathetic, aren't you? Maybe I should hand you over to Angeal to care for if I'm going to have to keep mothering you like this..." The threat of the words was ruined by the overly dramatic sigh the man gave and Talin scoffed.

Peeking up at the 1st from under the towel, he saw amusement dancing in his teal eyes. "Ah, c'mon, you know you love having me as a roommate." The Cadet said as he snaked an arm out to hook around Gen's waist and pulled himself to lay across his lap. "You'd be lonely in this ugly apartment without me."

That drew a chuckle from the Commander along with a shove as the man stood, leaving Talin to curl back up on the pillows instead. "Indeed, it would be far too quiet without you here so I guess I will keep you around." He ruffled the teen's hair one last time. "Get some rest. I have some work to do but will just be in the office downstairs."

Dimming the lights on his way out, Gen glanced back to see Talin already almost asleep, buried in the excessive number of blankets and pillows he'd dragged into the bed over the last few days. The teen seemed to prefer being surrounded when sleeping, either by another body or pillows. It was cute to see him snuggled into the fluffy mess like a kitten in a laundry basket. It also made Gen think about how long it would be till he and the others would all be sleeping in one bed wrapped around their Cadet... Now I really need to get a bigger bed...

…

Half asleep, in that vague between of awake and dreaming, Talin groaned and shifted in the bed when he felt the silk soft brush against his mind. He was once more verging on sleep when it came again, slightly stronger this time and enough to nudge the teen groggily awake. His mind was foggy after pulling back from the rest he needed and his body was heavy, slightly unresponsive from being so close to REM, but he didn't need to move for this.

It only took a thought for him to gather his aura together, forming a smaller dense cloud as he looked around for the one who'd reached out. There was a chance it was someone he didn't know, but something about it had been familiar. Scanning the void space around him, he finally locked onto a darker patch nearby. Unformed beyond the rough outline, they were at a respectful distance, as if waiting to be acknowledged.

It wasn't Angeal or Gen... maybe Zack? Talin hadn't yet had reason to interact with his bouncy lover's aura and, knowing the limitations the 1st had with the ability, hadn't wanted to ask in case it was a sore subject. 'Geal had already warned him about strangers within the void, that he needed to be wary till he was better trained, so he cleared his mind as best he could before shifting form into his shadow.

That transformation was an indicator of a willingness to meet, but it was also the best shape to be in if he needed to snap up his shields. In the event of an attack, the moments it would take to gather a cloud together could cost him dearly. He'd practiced with Angeal and knew he couldn't make the transition fast enough to defend against a surprise attack, but as a shadow and already prepared, he was relatively safe.

The odd sense of familiarity crept over him once more as the other mind moved closer, the twisting and churning dark center of it visible now that it was nearer. It was such a unique action that Talin felt drawn to it, wanted to watch as each swirl drew a shape only to roll into another and another. It was like cloud-watching on a sunny day, spotting different shapes as the white puffs floated by.

Suddenly realizing he'd lost focus, Talin quickly reassessed the situation but was relieved to note that, while they had come quite close, they were still far enough away to be considered unthreatening. On guard against the compelling motion within the cloud, the teen decided to keep his distance and pushed outward with his thoughts. It was the same way Angeal always radiated calm, soothing energy but the Cadet had to do so consciously where the Commander did it by instinct.

The first he sent out was a feeling of welcome and the second was a questioning request for identification. The itch at the back of his head said he knew them, but of the SOLDIERs he'd met, he wasn't sure who had an aura and who didn't. Zack did, but it didn't feel like what he'd expect from the smiling 1st... What about Kunsel? Or maybe Varo?

His pushed question must have either been received, or the look on his shadow's face was expressive enough to convey it, because the cloud suddenly pulled in on itself and started forming a figure. It coalesced, growing with the same almost artistic curl and flutter and Talin found himself again lost in its display as he watched. Long legs and arms formed first followed by waist and body... then a long coat... and long hair that was black instead of silver...