Chapter 36. Afterparty.
Sephiroth's POV
I had been alerted of suspicious movement around nine a.m. Surveillance paged me with the location and I immediately checked the coordinates.
Downtown, Entertainment Sector.
I narrowed my eyes at the area.
Well, well, well. Reno.
"Get me video." I paged back, the links dotting my computer as informatics accessed my device remotely.
My eyes were rewarded with a very subtle stalker. No pro, but no amateur either. I narrowed my eyes at the sight, not recognizing the man at all.
"Facial recognition. Now."
The search had retrieved a regular citizen, unemployed and with minor charges at the local authority. No suspect background, nothing at all that would give in high suspicion.
I bit the inside of my mouth out of worry. So this wasn't good news.
How come an average Joe was chasing… her.
Stevens, walking next to Reno with that… I gulped as my mind actually considered the way she dressed fitted her quite nicely indeed. A dress, so innocent and regular… favored her in a not-so-decent way.
I sighed, concluding I would have to step in. And SOLDIER as well. I wouldn't spare efforts in what concerned Stevens. Not now, not ever.
"Summon team 5, they're on call tonight." I declared by the speaker, as I rose from the chair, preparing to leave the office. "We are leaving in twenty."
Two vans parked away from the area. We exited, silent and dreadful, after careful instructions.
"No random fire is allowed until I say otherwise." I stated. "The offender is on me, protect the woman with your life. The rest is expendable."
My men nodded, and off to the place we went.
I was the first to reach the area, after the scouts scanned the area and getting it safe. I walked in long strides, calmly, until I reached the corner, moment in which I decelerated. I remained visible and eyed the door man. A stare and a sign was the only thing needed for the man to know it was time to close doors.
No one would leave now. Not in, or out. Whoever was inside and wanted to take Stevens' life wouldn't leave this place alive.
My face turned and I eyed Rude and the rest of the Turks, signaling them to cover all exits. Since they were here, we might as well work together. It was known that I didn't go along with many of Turks's manners but I never denied collaboration.
I did the math quickly. The suspect was inside already, for at least ten minutes. Surveillance informed me remotely and I took in their information, and positioned myself half-hidden in a corner, where no one saw me. The environment was soft and jolly, I had to admit. Reno had chose well the place to bring Stevens out… but sadly someone had anticipated his actions. That, or definitely Hojo was a very informed man. Which wouldn't surprise me. That walking shit had a hateful will - a will I feared… because he knew everybody's weaknesses.
Mine included.
I took a deep breath, trying not to think of Hojo right now. His mental figure was nauseating enough. So my eyes went along the crowd.
Everybody danced, clapped and smiled, until finally I found her. Stevens. She laughed so genuinely, panting like she had run a marathon, with that green, obscene dress that was starting to give me ideas.
For Gaia, how provoking could a woman be with a simple dress on and… flats?
My guess was, it was her, it had to be. Stevens. I was so used to see her in that black and white suit she wore at work… even if I, secretly, had wondered about the curves beneath it.
You're sick.
My mind accused me for being so pervert. My testosterone had its cons - namely in these situations. And I had to stop with this right fucking now. I was here to end someone. Period.
Not to fantasize about a woman.
I shook my head and focused. My eyes, hard on the crowd, scanned every human being. None passed by unnoticed.
The tune shifted and the environment changed. It got intimate, as the music asked for proximity. Everyone was so into the music, holding each other, choosing partner… to dance. Reno grabbed Stevens, holding her in a not-so-innocent embrace. I narrowed my eyes at his attitude, my jaw locking - the sight felt bitter and a childish anger invaded me.
Stevens's dress, fluid, leaving much to imagination, didn't help. My mouth watered and I chastised myself again.
What was I thinking, in the middle of an operation? My men held still, waiting for my orders and I was here, projecting someone's nudity? I had to be crazy.
Okay, this is going to stop, and I mean it right now.
My eyes refocused, now with renewed will. It took me mere seconds to - now - find the man I had been checking an hour ago, strategically positioned… with a gun on his left hand.
In the dark surrounding us, the intermittent flashes of light favored our blending in. As I walked towards the man - he, oblivious of my presence, attached a silencer to the gun.
So, he was going to do it that way. I smiled wickedly, silently ordering my men to be quiet.
I would catch him from behind.
He aimed, taking his time to adjust. My eyes, for moments, met Stevens's sillhuete… and Reno's stare. He spotted me in an instant, his face changing at once. I blinked, and in that moment, he knew that something bad was about to happen.
Reno reacted out of instinct and turned, his back to us, shielding Stevens, as the man decided to press the trigger before I could reach him. All this happened so fast I only had time to smash that man's neck in a sudden, effective move.
I removed the gun from his hand, shoving it towards my men. The body landed on the ground, lifeless. And in that moment, chaos landed on that club.
People screamed at the sight of someone on the floor, opaque eyes staring to nothingness, and also because Reno's shirt turned red. Blood fell on the floor and my eyes never left the couple whose balance seemed to shift. My heartbeat peaked, as I wondered if Stevens was okay. Had she been hit as well?
When I finally heard Stevens call out of Reno, I knew she hadn't. Her tone was one of panic -for someone else. She behaved differently when she was the victim.
As I walked over them, I considered the shot angle. It didn't seem fatal but it seemed serious enough to imply surgery and time off the Turks for recover.
I approached Stevens, making a considerate effort not to barge in the moment she was actually realizing Reno was bleeding profusely on her. The sight was degrading and her panic almost made my chest ache.
Her pain was something that affected me in a way I didn't like at all. What the hell? Feeling this over someone weakened me and I hated it!
Rude followed and as the club cleared, as I just observed the woman who seemed about to break. At any moment.
She compressed Reno's injury, crying openly. And despite Reno was awake and stable, the despair she broadcasted collided with me in a way that made me gulp dry.
Stevens was on her knees, her dress tainted with blood, tears falling and guilt overwhelming her.
I had to intervene at some point. She insisted in not letting go of Reno and I had to take her bloody hands off his chest. The thick wetness on her hands tainted mine and she let me… held her hands for brief moments.
Harsh words were exchanged, as Stevens grasped the severity of the situation. So, Reno had sacrificed himself for her, and the weight of that fact hit her hard. I sensed she tried very hard not to burst in tears as she saw the personal clear the area, the club now practically deserted.
"Is he going to be okay?" She asked, with trembling voice, her watery eyes searching mine. Oh, what a sight. I took a deep breath, deciding I was going to be honest with her.
"I don't know." I stated, my eyes finally on hers. Again. Only to regret at once seeing her the way she was. Torn. Destroyed. Beautiful. "That will depend on the injury."
She seemed so off of my perverted thinking it actually made me feel bad. Man, what was wrong with me lately? I just couldn't keep my eyes off her. Her green dress, previously the color of Mako, now tainted and wet with red… turned me on. I could even see the details of her underwear. Cotton. Black.
"Can I go with him?"
Her question took me out of my inadequate thinking, my eyes refocusing on hers again.
"I'm sorry, but… no."
"How can I know if-"
"I'll let you know."
Her stare never let mine. And it felt so damn powerful. Stevens's sad eyes begged me for support, and I felt a little out of actions, of words.
It was a fact we were in the middle of the club, this was no place to show her any type of support. So, eventually I searched for a way out.
"Here."
My hand found hers and we walked, far from the center of the club, to enter the bathroom. I closed the door shut behind me, as Stevens remained mute, in shock, clearly waiting for me to do or say something. She seemed to be floating in the middle of that tiled division. Our eyes met once again, now in the privacy of the ladies' room.
The place smelled of flowers, talc and disinfectant. She blinked absentmindedly, and I had to fight an intense and almost impossible urge of… hold her and… oh, man.
Did I really want this? Contact? Intimacy?
I took a deep breath and tried to gather myself and be a man, for Gaia's sake. Not a horny animal.
I walked towards her, grabbed her hands and directed us to the counter where the sinks were. Warm water took the blood of her hands away, at least most of it, and I dared to grab a towel and humidify it to clean some blood from her neck and chest. I didn't ask permission, I just started cleaning, as she allowed every gesture I made, in silence.
Way too much silence.
The tricky part arrived when I tried to angle her face up to clean her face. She didn't let me, her right hand suddenly grasping my left hand. Her face remained down, and I sensed an impending… breakdown.
A sob escaped her and her forehead bumped in my chest. I looked down, in silence, as Stevens trembled. Her hair was all I could see.
Watery dots landed on my boots, and in that moment I knew she was crying openly - giving me few space to behave like an insensitive bastard. Out of reflex, my arms surrounded her. I didn't know how, but the action seemed adequate.
It felt adequate and correct - the ideal for this moment, as the woman that stimulated my imagination cried like a child against my chest. My left hand shifted, now resting on her head, her wavy hair teasing my skin.
A couple of breaths after, I dared to look down again. How perfect and even comfortable this felt, I wondered. My face lowered a bit more and my cheek landed on her hair, next to her ear.
She felt so soft.
"It's okay." I whispered, knowing she would listen. "It's over now."
Some sobs followed and I didn't know what else to say… but to be blunt and honest with her. Come on, as much as the idea sounded appealing, we couldn't remain like this forever.
"Stevens."I asked for her, but she didn't squirm. "Listen to m- Eleanor!"
I put some distance between us, and searched for her eyes. She avoided me with all her will.
"Look at me, come on." I insisted. "Elie…"
Finally, after some painful seconds, her puffy eyes finally met mine. She looked destroyed, for heaven's sake.
"Things are this way, please stop blaming yourself." I said, guessing up her dilemma. "Yes, someone tried to kill you, someone is trying, for months now." I was being cruel but someone had to be rational in this moment. "I am not sure who is plotting this neither. My suspicions are high on Hojo, but… Rufus Shinra is now free to do whatever he like. So… he's a potential suspect as well. Not to mention AVALANCHE. They probably know you are the key to our information, but… feeling guilty over all this won't solve anything. Just…"
Man, where were the words now?
"I know…" She said, her voice failing. "But all I-" Sob. "-see is everybody getting hurt and-and d-dying because of me." And another sob. "And that is n-not fair. All I w-wanted was to prev-prevent people from dying, not the other way around."
I shook my head and tried to end up with this nonsense.
"Here." I took my coat off and dressed her up.
"What?" she asked, sniffing.
"You're covert in blood. Let's get out of here."
And in a sudden move, we left the place.
The travel home was silent, as SOLDIER guided us to Shinra HQ.
Stevens sat next to the window, her stare lost outside, tears falling occasionally. She grasped my coat, all over her, and I presumed she felt cold.
Hell, feeling cold was probably the least serious thing in the immensity of the night.
When we reached the subway parking I was the first exiting the van. And after giving strict orders to my men, I finally went for her.
Who remained in the back seat, like a lifeless doll.
Geez, how depressing this night had proved to be. I had to take her out of this mood or I would know what would follow.
Crying, then more crying. And I didn't want that. It weakened her… us both. I sighed at my tortuous thinking. Why did she have to be so emotional about everything? Couldn't she see that it wouldn't lead her anywhere?
When I opened the van's door she didn't say a word. She simply exited, walking next to me, in silence.
She resumed to follow me, and I didn't say a word against. But still, I felt her misery. And that unnerved me more than anything.
For Gaia, the things she made me feel.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice broke the introspective moment I was having. And, as I opened the door of my apartment, I resisted the temptation of looking her in the eye.
"Get inside."
She hesitated, clearly preparing to refuse.
"What-"
"Get inside, Stevens." My tone was now a little harsh, but she quietly obeyed. And in slow, defensive steps, she lingered in the middle of my living room, daring to turn to me, as I closed the door shut. "You'll be staying here." I added, and our stares finally met.
But her worries were far away from here.
"When can I see Reno."
"He's in the OR right now."
"But he-"
"Took a bullet for you? Yes."
I was being cruel and a total jerk on purpose. I had the complete notion my words hurt her and yet… I insisted. Maybe to placate my own frustration, I didn't know for sure. All I knew was the words came out, somehow gratifying, but then, watching the effect they had on her, it made me feel… torn.
"You don't have to be unpleasant." She stated, her face blunt.
"I'm being rational, realistic, Eleanor." I admitted. "It was Reno's fault this time. You would be dead if he hadn't spotted me going for the offender the exact moment he shielded you."
She gulped dry as she seemed to recall the exact moment that had happened.
"How did you-"
"We don't play around, Stevens."
She left my stare and silence followed for a while. It actually felt oppressive, and it was something very new to me.
"So what's going to happen now?"
Her question surprised me, and I tried to answer her as I walked around the room, preparing the area for her staying.
"Let's hope Reno walks out of this one. Your offender is dead. And you…" I paused, as I tried to choose the right words, " …I will have to consider restraining you."
Stevens waited, patiently, for our stare to meet again. She was angry.
"That's very rude of you. I'm no animal."
Her ironic words didn't match with the sight of defeat she had on her face. She was simply reacting to my natural harshness - confronting me, in a way that felt offensive and teasing, at the same time.
"I wish you were. That way you might have more discipline."
Stevens mouth opened a little and I sensed her feeling outraged. Really.
"You can't be serious!" She said, taking my coat off her. "I… I…I don't deserve to be treated like this."
And confronted with such explosion I decided to explore it.
"Like what?"
"I'm not one of your soldiers. You don't freaking own me and you don't remotely scare me with your feline eyes all bugged out at me."
I narrowed my eyes at her and snorted.
"Feline eyes? Clearly, you've drank too much."
"It was a couple of drinks, for Christ's sake."
Allright, nevermind.
"You'll be staying here until this little insurgency is solved." I turned my back to her and tried to walk away, but she didn't let me.
"Insurgency?" Her tone was shocked. "General, please, you can't blame Reno over-"
"It's not a question of blaming. Reno knew of the risks of taking you offlimits. He went against all the orders. Mine and Tseng's."
Steven's sighed as she processed my words.
"I was the one insisting. He didn't want to go, I swear, he-"
My stare met hers, this time hard and serious.
"Stop lying. I know he was the one suggesting that place in particular."
"Uh…"
"Have some sleep. Tomorrow I'll let you know how things went."
"A-"
"First door right."
"But I don't-"
"Yes, you do."
And then, something happened. Something I couldn't quite explain.
"Would you STOP?" Stevens screamed, with tears in her eyes. She panted, irritated and obviously pissed off. "You're impossible! Unbearable, unstandable! God, how can someone tolerate you?"
I blinked at her, a couple of times, realizing she was finally telling me how she felt about me.
"Watch your words, Stevens."
But my words didn't frighten her.
"Or what? You'll punish me? I'm not five years old for you to treat me like that." Her voice almost broke at the end of the sentence and for a brief second I wondered if I had been a little too hard on her.
"You're treated according to your behavior. If you disagree, then stop acting like a five year old."
My tone was now even, and I hoped it calmed her down. Kind of.
"I'm just saying I deserve to be respected."
There were tears and she fought the sobs that threatened to steal her coherency away. I gulped dry and tried to remain neutral.
"And you will be, when you'll behave accordingly."
"I want to go home."
"You can't. There's been an open attempt on your life, there are mandatory procedures." I explained. "You'll be safer here. It's probably the safest place in the whole city."
"That's not the issue here."
Now, her tone became rasp and furious. And I took the hint to get closer to her. What, was she breaking? After all this time?
"Then, what is the issue here? What is your problem, what is bothering you to the point of behaving like a stubborn child?"
She blinked at me, her watery eyes hurt and fragile. There was so much grief inside her and yet... here she was, throwing her fury at me - because I had provoked her.
"Stop insulting me."
And that sounded like a threat. Which actually amused me. Feisty, ha?
"Or?" I snorted, visibly curious to know what she would do if I kept saying things she didn't like to listen. Or simply because she couldn't stand me, like she had claimed, minutes ago.
"I'm not afraid of you."
Her affirmation held nothing of real, clear as water. Our eyes remained leveled, as I approached her a bit more. I could smell dry blood on her, as well as the faint aroma of her perfume. Sweet and soft, so like her.
"I can see that's not exactly true."
Her anger didn't do great things to her coherency. I knew her better than she did, in a way. So, it was actually very easy to me to predict what she wanted to do.
She wanted to prove her fierceness to me and reward me with a slap, maybe - but right before her right hand moved, my right one caught her.
And with a quick move, she swiveled - with her back glued to my chest, trapped in my hold in a way she couldn't move.
I had rendered her immobile, and the action felt rather provocative. She didn't know she had this effect on me, breathing the way she did, her silly fear of me when I handled her this way.
Before I knew it, my face lowered and my cheek met her temple, from behind. And, from there, my mouth aimed for her left ear.
"Don't you dare." I whispered, and sensed her trembling under my hold. "You have guts, Elie. But save your temper for other purposes. You can't win a fight with me. Any fight. Deal with it."
And, before things got even more intense, I decided to break the contact. It was simply too much and I couldn't afford to let myself go with… her.
"Now go to my room." I ordered, now standing on a safe distance from her. "You can use my clothes."
"No."
Oh-uh, this is not going to end well. My stare was hard on her.
"Oh, yes."
"I won't sleep in your room, much less use your clothes."
So that was her problem? Too bad.
"Tonight, you will."
My voice was hard, and our stare strangely intimate. Stevens breathed in and out, loudly, and I wondered what she was thinking.
Probably, she felt confused.
Hell, even I felt confused - I knew my behavior hadn't been consistent throughout the night and most likely, my actions had been misunderstood.
Or maybe not.
Our stare fought, and I wondered if I would resist the temptation. My hormones were peaking and she had been teasing my senses - not on purpose. She was not to blame of this, she didn't know her mere presence stimulated my imagination in a rather sick way… but in spite of being a very controlled man, even my control had limits.
And they were being reached tonight.
But thankfully, before something less adequate might happen, Stevens walked away. Slow and lazy steps took her to my bedroom, and I could finally breathe in relief when the door closed.
That was close.
I heard her shower and dress for the night.
Shorts and a t-shirt, items that probably would look like a night dress on her. She had been careful, shifting the sheets and lying in the bed, still.
I could only guess she would be crying. I just knew, it was far too predictable. Stevens was a very emotional woman, and she felt right so close to the heart the disgrace of others.
It had happened that way with Zack, and now… with Reno. She broadcasted in a very particular way and I had learnt to discern it.
Feel it. Feed on it.
Like a mental being.
Speaking of which.
"A call in such late hours, boy?"
The call had been made from my phone, as I sat in the bed of the guest room of my apartment. It was a place I used in very specific circumstances. Circumstances I didn't exactly feel proud of.
"I need a fix." I admitted, closing my eyes in shame.
I felt so needy and excited I knew only him could help me. Even if I hated him and would kill him gladly, he had me in the palm of his hands. Damn Hojo.
"Right now?"
I sighed, ashamed to admit it.
"Yes."
"In fifteen minutes, boy."
He hung up, and I knew he was arranging my fix. He did that whenever I needed, since I had left the labs to be on my own.
A man in my position couldn't afford to overfeel - that was the idea Hojo had imprinted inside my mind. That and the concept I was special, in every possible way. Enhanced and powerful. But in the middle of all that superiority, I was also a man.
With needs, just like any ordinary being. Needs that Hojo rapidly found an easy way to fix. He had tried to castrate me - chemically. He had told me he intended to do so, so that my focus could be absolute. Impenetrable and irascible.
But, then again, my genes didn't let him.
So he had to find another way.
I sensed someone at the door - and I knew my fix had arrived. Barefooted, only with shorts on, I walked towards the door, opening it with a silent move.
I couldn't see her face as she entered. But I knew she couldn't see me. Hojo had a very specific selection of fixes for me.
"The usual place?" Her tone was neutral, and I didn't recognize the voice.
"Yes." I answered, and she walked careful, her hands telling her the way. I walked behind her, contradicting feelings invading me.
In a way, this felt so wrong. Having a woman to satisfy my needs when I had the one I fantasized about sleeping… in my bed. Right there, what and who I wanted and desired, so within my grasp. A wall apart.
But reality was different. Hard and difficult. And I couldn't just… do that to her. I was an animal at the loose and I would hurt her, so much. I knew I would.
It was all I did.
Hurt her.
And as I closed the door behind me, I saw the woman stand in the middle of the bedroom, clearly waiting for my order. Roll over. Play dead. Lie down.
It was nauseating I had to recur to this… but I didn't have a choice. I had the means and the motivation and, who knew, maybe I could transform this into a nicer thing if I just… imagined I was with someone else.
And that would be a secret I would keep to myself.
"I'll need you to be silent." I said, as I removed the scarce clothing I had on.
"Yes, sir."
This submission was so predictable, so annoying. But… this was the price to pay for being a freak.
"On the bed." I ordered, and I saw the woman remove her clothes as well. In the nude, they were all the same to me. Just bodies I invaded occasionally. She positioned herself on her knees, giving me quite a view of her genitalia.
Well, today I wasn't in the mood for animalistic intercourse.
"Turn around." I ordered, again, and she took her time shifting. First, she sat, positioning herself by the edge of the bed. She opened her legs wide, and I sensed the effect of her naked actions on my body.
Physiology was a bitch. And my body needed this very badly.
So, I just grabbed her legs, positioned myself and closed my eyes.