Author's Note: I don't have a lot to say about this chapter that won't give things away but after all the long-awaited fluff and fun times, we are heading back into plot territory. Hope you all like it and will continue reading with the promise of more good things to come.
Marken: When I first started writing this story, I had never written anything sexy or even fluffy so I'm really happy to hear that you like it. Honestly, some of the things I have coming up corrupted my search history for weeks after doing some research but it was so worth it. I think Gen and Seph were both trying to scratch an itch. Imagine if they'd been able to see the redhead sandwich Zack and Angeal made. 😉
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.
Chapter 29
Early spring in Midgar had been just as bitingly cold and dreary as the winter but, eventually, the storms tapered off and the sun fought its way past the clouds for days at a time. Trips out of the city became more frequent for Talin, sometimes even on weekdays, and the training became more intense.
Sephiroth pushed him to fine-tune his mako usage, making him fight for hours at a time using as little as possible or until he couldn't go any further. The VR room became a common tool for their classes, dropping him into unexpected surroundings for reconnaissance or a battle in progress that he would have to fight his way out of. More often than not, by the end of his session, Talin would only have the strength to make it back to his bunk, crawl under the covers, and fall asleep counting the aches of new bruises.
…
The chime of the elevator drew a small sigh from Talin as he stepped out onto the 48th floor. It was Thursday, the last training session with Sephiroth for the week, and the most likely day for his Mentor to push him hardest. With only a walking patrol on Fridays and the entire weekend to recover, the SOLDIER had made a habit of saving the most intense lessons for last.
Unwilling to be ambushed like last week, Talin went to pull his blades from their harness but stopped. Zack was standing outside the VR room door. Leaving his swords sheathed, the Cadet didn't hide the confusion as he came closer.
"I don't know if you wanna go in there," Zack winced as they both felt the thud of something smash against the training room wall. Soundproofed as the VR chambers were, they didn't hear anything but whatever had been thrown was large. "Seph just got a deployment notice..."
Eyes wide, Talin glanced at the opaque door before turning back to Zack. "I thought he said he wasn't taking any missions, that he was off the roster since he became my Mentor."
Zack just shook his head. "It was a direct order from the President. He can't refuse."
"So, where is he going? For how long?" Talin couldn't help the small flicker of worry. What kind of mission would make the President issue such an order?
"Just a few days. He..." Zack hesitated before continuing in a quiet voice. "They're putting him on one of the jets to Wutai. Not for a mission, but so he can be at some meeting with the country's leaders."
Worry morphed into confusion again. "If it isn't a dangerous mission, then why's he... well..." And Talin gestured to the still-closed door. Angry wasn't a word he would've used to describe his Mentor. At most, he had only ever seen the man's icy response to Hojo. This was on another level.
"It isn't dangerous, but if there's one thing Seph hates more than anything, it's to be used as a scare tactic. I'm sure you read about the war, did your instructor tell you what they called him in Wutai?"
The Silver Devil.
He had no trouble remembering the nickname. As he recalled it, everything snapped into place. Most of that country was still terrified of Shin-Ra, of SOLDIERs, but none more so than the mighty General. Shin-Ra intended to use that fear for as long as they could regardless of the toll it took on the man himself.
Zack saw the flash of rage in Talin's eyes. Rage against the people that would use such a proud person in such a disgraceful way. Those green eyes shifted to the door again, "If he's that pissed off, why are you out here? Shouldn't you or the others be with him?" The question made the SOLDIER flinch.
"No. Mostly we leave him alone when things like this come up. If he wants to be around us, he will be." Zack had seen this reaction before when the General was sent to Wutai. Angeal and Genesis had given him the same talk, but Talin wasn't Zack.
"You what?" The Cadet couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You leave him alone?!" Another thud rumbled under their feet as if in response to Talin's outrage.
Zack reached out and grasped the teen's shoulder. "T, it's complicated. Just leave him be till he comes ba-" Talin yanked his shoulder, dislodging the hand resting there, and took a half step back.
Green eyes flickered to glowing life at the Cadet's heightened emotions. "Fine, you stay out here, but I'm not going to just sit by and do nothing." The 1st felt the sting of those words. Mind made up, Talin didn't hesitate when he moved to the door and punched in the override code that he and Sephiroth used.
Knowing he only had a few moments while the program paused to open the door, the teen slipped his blade harness off and handed it to the crestfallen Commander. "I'll pick them up later." Not wanting to walk away on such a sour note, Talin leaned in and gave Zack a quick kiss before stepping into the frozen simulation.
On high alert, his brain collected information as fast as possible before the door snapped shut behind him and the world came back into motion. The desolate cityscape that Talin had used the night Genesis found him was even more a wreck than normal, which explained much of what they had felt through the wall.
"I'm ready for my session," He spoke to the empty surroundings, listening for any response, any movement, and heard none. Hairs rose on the Cadet's neck but he held his ground. He knew he was being watched, and that his entrance might not be the most welcome at this moment, but he wasn't going to back down.
Not even a whisper of sound betrayed Sephiroth's appearance behind him, but Talin knew he was there. Something just outside his grasp, an odd knowing that tickled at the edge of his awareness told him what his other senses didn't. "Training's canceled," The words were as cold as Talin had ever heard, but he didn't relent.
"Then let me be your sparring partner."
The rolling chuckle held no mirth, no warmth as it echoed off the crumbling structures around them. "You don't stand a chance." The snarl at his ear was so unexpected that Talin spun, half expecting an attack, but there was nothing there.
Heart pounding, he slowly turned and headed deeper into the city, all his senses straining for any sign of the General. "I can at least try... I know I won't win, but I can at least-" At the slide of rocks to his left, he dropped into a defensive stance... still nothing.
Unnerved but unwilling to walk away, Talin again started walking till he found himself in a small plaza that, while still as destroyed as the rest of the landscape, was mostly clear of debris. "I'm not going to just leave if you ignore me! You're my Mentor!" His shout was unnecessary considering the SOLDIER's sharp hearing, but Talin's resolve to find some way to help was quickly eroding away and being replaced by frustration.
"I'm in no mood to play teacher. Leave. Now." The words were smooth and cold like before, but under the ice was a warning that the Cadet didn't heed.
Talin bristled at the frosty dismissal. "I'm not leaving! I know you're pissed off about being sent to Wutai as a scare tactic! I get it! So stop hiding from me and come blow off some steam!" The same prickling sensation from before had made him pause, "I know-" the sudden heaviness of the air made the next words catch in his throat.
"What is it you think you know?" A chill ran over Talin's skin at the whisper, full of condescension and thinly veiled disdain. His previously ignored instincts were now screaming to get away, to apologize and leave, but it was too late for that. "Do you know," and the stress on the word was a hiss, "why the Wutanese are so afraid of me?"
"Be…cause you're powerful," He cursed the tremble of his voice, but couldn't fight the creeping chill of unease.
"Powerful? If I were just powerful, there would be far more stories of Angeal or Genesis…" The scoff wasn't boastful, and the words weren't full of pride, but of disgust. The faintest whisper of movement proceeded the whisper in his ear. "Yet there are only whispers of Shin-Ra's Silver Devil."
The flutter of movement behind him had been for his benefit and, sure enough, when he turned, Sephiroth was again gone. A rock tumbled from a height and Talin quickly followed the sound and finally saw the man's tall figure standing atop the tallest building near the plaza. "Shall I show you what they're so afraid of?"
About to yell that he wasn't afraid of his mentor, the Cadet's lungs froze as the General extended his hand and summoned Masamune in a burst of curling green flames. Without his own blades, he was helpless against any attack from the great katana, and his previous thought abandoned him.
With a lunge fast as lightning and a flash of silver, the SOLDIER disappeared, but Talin didn't have time to look for him. A crack followed by a steadily growing roar filled the air as the tall building buckled and started to fall directly towards the plaza.
A mixture of shock and disbelief rooted him in place and the moments felt like minutes. At first, he thought the building had been unstable and just started falling. But as it toppled closer, he saw the sections separate with clean lines. If those massive slashes, from the penthouse to the ground floor, had been intentional, then so was the direction it was falling... The realization finally broke his paralysis.
Mako exploded into his bloodstream. The torque of his sudden turn made his muscles shriek in protest as his earlier confidence deserted him. The thunder of the falling high-rise was abruptly muted as the main portion crashed into the ground with explosive force.
A shockwave of displaced air, rubble, and dust smashed into Talin and, before he could brace against it, it pulled him from the ground and sent him flying. His frantic attempt to catch hold of anything solid failed until he slammed into a large chunk of fallen wall across the plaza. His head hit the unyielding surface with a crack and the world spun violently.
Talin sat, leaning against the section of wall, fighting not to pass out as his world pitched sideways. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to breathe past the terrible dizziness, but pain in his ribs made every breath hurt. Slowly, pain started to register across his body as his brain struggled to process what had happened. Sephiroth had almost dropped a building on him...No, not almost, he had. Only the blast wave created from the impact of the lower section had saved him.
The hiss of metal against stone rang loud against his sensitive hearing and a sudden sharp burning at the tip of his left ear startled him into opening his eyes. Masamune was embedded in the concrete by his aching head and through the dancing black spots that crowded his vision, the Cadet saw his General crouched over him.
Pain raced across his battered body, vertigo twisted his dimming vision, and as he sat there, defenseless and disorientated, he felt a chill run down his spine. For the first time in over a year and a half, Talin was afraid.
Just when the teen's consciousness started slipping, the SOLDIER leaned closer. "Now do you Get It?" Bright crystal green eyes were all Talin could see as his earlier words were shoved back at him. And those eyes were the last thing he saw.
…
The feather-soft brush of fingers in his hair slowly drew Talin from a deep sleep. His brain was fuzzy and limbs heavy when he tried to move his arm. His groan of discomfort when he moved his head was loud in his ears and then strong hands were holding him still.
"Talin?" The worried whisper made the Cadet crack his eyes open to the dimmed room and he saw Zack leaning above him. The lopsided smile was a ghost of its former self on the man's face and the bright, joyful eyes were clouded with worry.
"Zack? What... happened? How..." A painful throb of his head brought a broken jumble of memories and he groaned again. The SOLDIER slid down into the bed and very carefully pulled Talin into his arms. The frantic beating of the young fighter's heart was loud in the quiet room and Zack tried his best to soothe his lover.
When he felt the first tremble beneath his hands and the choked gasp, his protective instinct took over. Cautious of the healing bruises and other injuries, Zack pulled Talin half under himself and threw the blanket over their heads to block out everything else. "I've got you, Red..."
They lay that way for hours till, at last, Talin's shaking stopped. Knowing he was safe, held by this fiercely protective 1st, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep once more. All the while, the Commander grit his teeth and fought the urge to hunt down Sephiroth for answers. He knew he would get none.
Between the four 1sts, they had an unspoken understanding. There were times you could help and times you couldn't for each of them. For the General, it was anything regarding Wutai and the war. So they left him alone. They kept an eye on him, were available if he wanted to spend time with them before his mission, but they didn't push him. Zack cursed himself. He never should have let Talin enter that room, but not in a million years did he think that Seph would hurt him.
He'd been apprehensive enough about the whole thing that he remained outside the VR room. When he felt the rumble of more destruction within, he had hoped that, by some chance, Talin had managed to coax his mentor into a training or sparing session.
Just as he'd been about to walk away, the door opened. Sephiroth had stopped only long enough to tell Zack to "Take care of him." before stalking off down the hall. At seeing the crumpled form of their Cadet on the VR room floor, Zack called Angeal.
The number of bruises had startled them both, but the back of his head had been the main concern. Red hair was stained a deeper rust from the slowly healing injury which explained his unconscious state. Using the first aid in the recovery locker, they checked him over, finding only one other injury. A small slice on the tip of Talin's left ear that was already closing.
After that, Angeal had carried him to Zack's apartment where Genesis was waiting. As upset as they were, that was not the time to corner Sephiroth. Gen and Angeal would have continued hovering around the small apartment but finally agreed to leave after Zack promised to message them when the teen woke. Talin roused not long after.
Now, hours later, the spikey-haired SOLDIER was tired, but couldn't sleep. He stood watch instead over his sleeping partner who had tucked himself further under his heavy body. Seeing the clock tick over to 10 pm, Zack buried his anger and silently wished Seph a safe trip and fast return. They would work out what happened when he came back and when Talin was willing to talk about it.
He hadn't cried, or even made a sound outside the first gasp as he'd remembered... something. As far as Zack knew, the shaking could have just been shock from the concussion, but he doubted it. Too tired to try and guess what happened, he settled his head and closed his eyes. He might not be able to sleep but a soldier nap would at least give him a bit of rest while his mind remained active and alert.
…
A grunt from beneath him woke Zack and he shifted a bit to one side when a hand pushed against his ribs. Talin wasn't sure how he had slept half crushed under the heavy SOLDIER but he had and felt better for it. Except for his head. It was tender and the constant ache was made worse with every move. Gentle fingers touched his temples and within moments, Talin was distracted from the pain by the massage.
"Let me get you some medicine then I'll keep massaging till it kicks in." Zack might have been tired but he moved quickly to grab pills and water and Talin took them after completing the painful task of sitting up. Before he could lay back down, Zack slipped into the bed behind him, leaning them both back against the headboard as he went back to the massage.
"Other than your head, how're you feeling?" It wasn't the question he really wanted to ask but decided to start with the obvious and easy ones.
"Sore, but it isn't too bad..." The response sounded almost scripted to Zack, like the thing you think people expect you to say. "I thought I'd feel worse, honestly..." That at least felt more real and he chuckled.
"We kiss fed you a potion. Angeal and I took turns." He squeezed his legs around Talin's and dipped his head to lay a kiss in the soft hair, well away from the tender spot. It was mostly true. At first, they had tried to just pour it a little at a time into his mouth, but he kept coughing it up. Talin just hummed in response and ran a hand down the 1st's leg while he continued enjoying the firm rub of fingers at his temples.
Letting silence fall between them for a while, Zack delayed asking more questions, knowing the likely effect. The body against him was limp with relaxation by the time he decided to stop stalling. "Why'd you think you'd feel worse?" The muscles of Talin's back, currently against Zack's chest, tensed.
"Well, if you had to give me a potion, then I guess I should've felt worse, huh?" The little laugh was strained and Zack's heart sunk.
Reaching down and threading his fingers with Talin's, the SOLDIER nuzzled his face into the silky red hair. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" The teen was honestly confused by the sudden apology and pressed himself back into the wide chest.
"I should have stopped you..." The dejected words sounded so sad that Talin wouldn't have believed they had come from Zack but for the heat of breath against his ear as they were spoken. "I'm sorry." He said again and let his head fall to the Cadet's shoulder.
Talin's chuckle was just as strained as his earlier laugh had been. "I had my mind set on going in. I wanted to..." The words stuck in his throat, "I didn't think that he..." Crystal green eyes flashed in his memory and a hard knot of fear formed in the teen's chest.
Zack's strong arms came up to surround him in a loose hug. He felt horrible, but knew he was going to feel worse in a moment. "Talin, can you tell me what happened? Please?" The response was immediate. Every muscle in the young fighter's body tensed and he could feel the pounding of his heart like a drum against his chest.
"No." Zack wasn't surprised by the flat denial. He stroked his thumb over Talin's in apology for the question and continued to hold him. It was a long while later that stiff muscles started to relax again. He finally lifted his head when one hand squeezed his. "I... can't." The fear that laced the words made Zack burn with anger. What on this blighted planet did you do Seph?
"It's ok, T. If you can't, that's ok." He tightened his hug but not so much that Talin would feel trapped. "If you ever can, if you ever need to talk about anything, you know I'll always be here."
…
It had been unexpectedly early when they had woken and still only just after seven in the morning when they got up and showered. Talin's headache had gone down thanks to the medicine but he gladly accepted Zack's supporting arms around him while they got cleaned up. Knowing his Unit would be concerned since he hadn't come back last night, Talin decided to go down to the cafeteria for breakfast instead of staying with Zack.
"I'll see you later tonight, ya?" The Cadet gave a careful nod and let himself be pulled into another tight hug. For a moment, he wished he could just stay that way, listening to the strong heartbeat, surrounded by warmth. With a sigh, he pulled back.
"I'll be up after my patrol... Pizza?" The question was met with a smile and a kiss.
"Anything you want, Red." One last kiss and then Talin was out the door. It was only when Zack turned to get his own breakfast that he realized the blade harness was still on its peg by the door. Sure, the teen didn't need them for classes or patrol, but...
Emotions pinging from sadness to anger and back again, the SOLDIER sent a quick message to Angeal and Gen. Maybe this weekend they could take Talin out of the city for a while, just the four of them.
…
It was by pure chance that Callian was waiting for the elevator when Talin's stopped on their floor. "T!" The blond's first thought to grab his friend and mess with him for being gone overnight was aborted at the wince from his loud exclamation. Stepping quickly into the elevator before it closed, he lowered his voice. "Dude, you ok?"
Talin chuckled and forced a smile. "Ya, just a headache. Hit my head last night in training." It was true, but he didn't elaborate. The rest of the Unit was apparently already down getting food, Cal had decided to hang back for a bit in case Talin showed up.
Finally reaching the right floor, they started heading down the long hallway but while Callian's mouth watered for breakfast, the other's stomach rolled at the thought. The elevator ride had made him slightly dizzy again and nausea killed his previous hunger.
At the last turn before the doors of the mess hall, a woman's voice cut across the buzz of sound from the busy room. "Cadet Graft." Talin again winced at the louder voice and turned to see a young woman hurrying towards him. Long strawberry blonde hair was mostly pinned back into a bun and her eyes, shaded by slim glasses, were sharp in their intelligence and focus as she stopped just in front of him.
While she was quite pretty, her looks were lost on Talin due to the long white lab coat and clipboard she carried. "Ma'am?" No point in being rude, he turned to fully face her, having to look down as she only stood as tall as his chest.
"I need you to come with me for a blood draw. We looked for you last night but were told you were training." Her exasperation was obvious as she pushed back a loose lock of hair.
Talin heard Cal shift behind him, having stayed with his friend after also seeing the lab coat. "Blood draw? For what? I had one at the beginning of the year." His confusion was made worse as another small bout of dizziness washed over him and his head started a light throbbing once more.
Talin heard the muttered curse under her breath, "Damn interns. Did no one tell you to come once a quarter for blood tests? You're not a SOLDIER but anyone with Mako in their system gets tests done four times a year to monitor their levels." Her frustrated sigh and obvious annoyance made the Cadet feel sorry for whoever she was going to rip into when she got back.
She took a deep breath, pushing aside her irritation, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to take it out on you, Cadet. You are a special case so I can't say I'm surprised they forgot." an apologetic smile before she looked down at her watch, "Here, how about this, since the elevator ride up to the lab takes forever at this time of day, there is a small med station only a few floors up that I can take you to. That way you would still have time for breakfast." Talin was unsure but as the lady shifted to start walking, he automatically followed. Not having to go up to Hojo's lab for the procedure was a strong motivator for him to just get this over with. Plus, the nurse was tiny. He wouldn't hurt her, but so long as he didn't sit in any chairs or allow her to strap him down, he knew he could easily get away from her.
A glance over his shoulder showed Callian taking a step, as if to come with them. "It's ok Cal, I'll be back in a bit." His friend's expression was concerned enough that Talin decided to be a little extra cautious. As he followed the petit blonde back to the elevator, he pulled his phone from his pocket. In dismay, he saw the battery was almost dead and he quickly tapped out a message to Zack.
SMS Message to: Zack
Talin: SOS, med blood work every quarter? Do you guys do that? -sent 7:44am-
He had hoped to wait for a reply but as he hit send, the phone went black. Crap, just one more thing that went wrong last night. Stuffing his dead phone back into his pocket, he stepped out of the elevator onto an unknown floor. He hadn't looked at what button she had pushed or the number before they left and his unease grew a bit.
"So, what kind of things do you look for in the blood tests?" He tried to fill the silence as they walked, "Mako obviously, but anything else? I guess I'm curious what my tests look like compared to a SOLDIER's." It hadn't taken them long to reach a door with a keypad lock and the nurse typed in the code while she answered.
"We look at all sorts of things, Mako being the most important of course." As the lock disengaged and the door slid open, she handed him the clipboard she'd been carrying. "Here, this is your chart from your last tests. You can look it over while I get what we need." She walked in ahead of him and Talin followed. Excitedly, he flipped the attached file open and came to a stop in the small room. The file was blank.
A crackling sound reached his ears just before his lungs seized into a pained gasp. The plastic clipboard shattered into shards that cut and imbedded into his hands as they too clenched down. The file he'd been so interested in had blocked his view just long enough for a high-powered stun gun to be jammed into his stomach. Designed to take down most 3rd and 2nd class SOLDIERs, Talin stood no chance.
Powerful bolts of electricity shot through him, cutting off his motor control. A swift sidestep and the nurse pulled back. Not able to stop himself, Talin fell first to his knees and then the rest of the way to the floor. Gasping like a fish out of water, he could only lay there as the remaining voltage made him twitch.
Panic finally flooded his mind as he regained some of his senses. Get up! I need to get up! Get away! In desperation, he reached for Mako to strengthen his still twitching limbs, but there was no response. Realization hit him just as the nurse kneeled down beside his head. In his blind panic last night, he had used all the Mako in his system to try to outrun the falling building, there was nothing there for him to use yet.
There was a pricking pain in his arm and the rush of something entering his system. Arms that had started to respond to his prompting, went limp. Soft hands rolled him onto his back and the tiny blonde that he thought he could handle leaned over him to shine a light in his eyes. Seeing his response to the light, she drew another needle and injected him again.
The tranquilizer did its job this time and his panicking mind slowed as darkness overtook him. "I'm sorry, kid." Her quiet apology was the last thing he heard, but the last thing he felt was a single tear roll down his cheek.
