"Puppy Love"
VII
FFVII Fanfiction
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I find it really hard to write this out all on my own. Which is why I have someone who pushes me further. Without him, this would've probably died before it got to chapter IV. ;;;; And thanks to everyone who's read and appreciated this story.
I thought the story needed some more fluff, so… Yay for fluff!
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Fog plagued the ground. The morning mist smoothed out, like the sea. The sun hadn't risen yet, and Vincent was up. He rolled over onto his other side, staring at Zack's sweet, sleeping face. He felt a tug at the corner of his lips at the sight. It was cute. Zack's dark hair fell over his face in a sloppy way that only made him look adorable, like a little puppy.
He laid there for a long while, simply watching the other, not daring to breathe, afraid of waking him.
Zack's eyes flickered open, the blue irises catching Vincent's. "Hm…?"
Vincent felt his cheeks burn slightly. He looked away upon having been caught. Zack grinned and reached over, stroking Vincent's cheek gently.
"Morning." The soldier greeted, his voice cracking under the morning. He cleared his throat and scooted closer to the gunman.
"Good morning, Zack." Vincent readily cuddled into Zack, feeling happy and at peace, save for the voice screaming in the back of his head. This was dangerous. He belonged to Sephiroth now. He had been permanently marked, and there was nothing Zack could do to free him, unless Sephiroth were killed.
Could the general be killed? At this point, it seemed impossible.
"Is something wrong…?" Zack asked, sensing the creeping worry from the other. "You just tensed up."
Vincent was quiet for a while, not wanting to ruin the mood. Nuzzling into Zack's neck, he spoke softly. "I shouldn't be here."
"Is it because of Sephiroth?"
"Yes." Vincent's eyes clouded over as he hid behind raven hair.
Zack pulled away, brushing back the hair and giving Vincent a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him and get this all cleared up."
"You will…?" Vincent looked shyly up at him, his cheeks pinking.
"Of course! I'm not your prince for nothing, princess." Zack gave a cheesy grin. "Now, how about a little smile for your knight?"
"I thought you were my prince?" Vincent questioned, his usual stoic feature returning.
"Oh… yeah, I am! A prince can be a knight, too!" Zack defended himself with a little purse of his lips.
"Mmhm…" Vincent mumbled with distinct doubt. "No smile for you."
"Aww, come on!" Zack whined. "How else am I going to get the courage to face the dragon?"
"You're calling Sephiroth a dragon?" Vincent chuckled, the corners of his lips moving upward into a very small smile.
Zack stared at the smile, his grin growing wider by the minute. "You smiled!"
"What?" Vincent's very small smile faded and he stared at Zack questioningly.
"You smiled! It was so cute! Do it again!" Zack was practically bouncing.
Vincent sat up, looking slightly disgruntled. "No."
Zack sat up and hugged Vincent from behind, his hands traveling across his chest. "Come on… or else I'll have to do terrible things to you...!"
The threat was secretly inviting for Vincent. He would never tell Zack, but he wished his hands would explore all over his body. Reaching up and back, his hands tangled into Zack's spiked hair, and he inhaled sharply, back arching.
"What kinds of things?" He asked, face flushing.
Zack smirked deviously and nipped at Vincent's ear, gaining a little moan from the other. "Oh, you know…" He whispered hotly into the gunman's ear. "Things you'd usually refuse…"
"Zack…" Vincent relished the feelings, but his business mind kicked in. This wasn't the time or place to do this. They first had to get Sephiroth to let Vincent go. "Not now… later."
"Alright. If you insist, princess." Zack released Vincent hesitantly. He didn't want to, obviously, and stated this matter with a kiss on his swan-like neck. "You hang out… uhm…" The soldier thought for a moment. He wouldn't send Vincent to Cloud, knowing that there'd be some awkward feelings between the two. "Urmm…"
"How about I just wait here?" Vincent suggested, sensing Zack squirming with his mind. "I'll wait for you to come back."
Zack hopped out of the coffin and stared at Vincent for a long time, leaning over the side and in the gunman's face. "You promise to stay here?"
"Yes." Vincent nodded. "Come back soon. I'll…" He looked away, blushing dark red. "… I'll be lonely without you."
Zack smiled gently and pecked Vincent on the lips. "I'll return a fast as I can."
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Sephiroth wasn't liking the sudden disappearance of Vincent. Having already dressed, he sat at the small table in the room, cleaning Masamune with a pure white rag. It was easier to tell where it was dirtiest using white.
His mind wandered around the possible places Vincent could be hiding. Probably with Zack, but then again, he had hurt their relationship. Where else?
Zack's mind was a tumult of emotions as he walked towards the inn. He wasn't sure whether or not he should be enraged, or angry, or how he should feel. After all, Sephiroth was his hero, his idol, what he wanted to be as a SOLDIER.
But what of the honor that Sephiroth once had that now seemed non-existent? He had lied to Vincent, and what was more, he had hurt him. It was unforgivable.
Did honor call for him to take vengeance on Sephiroth for Vincent's sake? He didn't know, but knew he would need SOMETHING, now that he stood before Sephiroth's room in the inn. He was here, and it was here he needed to take a stand. Throwing open the door, his eyes narrowed, trying to show how serious he was, he stepped inside.
"Sephiroth. We need to talk."
"Oh, Zack." Sephiroth glanced up at the young man. He hadn't really expected him so soon. "What do we need to talk about?"
You know damn well what we need to talk about," Zack replied coolly, not letting himself get upset yet. Sephiroth was smart, and he only got better as his opponents got angrier. He was good at that, enraging his foes. It happened on the battlefield, and Zack had seen it work far too many times. He needed to remain calm in this instance. "It's about what you've done to Vincent."
So… Zack and Vincent made up. That was awfully quick.
Eyes narrowing slightly, Sephiroth leaned forward in a calculating manner, hand half covering his mouth. "Is that so?" He said calmly. "Why are you the one talking to me about it? You don't own Vincent, and you don't look like his mother."
"And neither do you!" Zack hissed. "You have no right to treat him like you did! He's not property, Sephiroth! He's a human being! You can't just treat someone like that!"
Zack walked forward a step, but stayed there. Sephiroth was armed, and his blade had a much longer reach then Zack's. He could skewer Zack far too easily if things turned ugly during this confrontation.
"I want you to let Vincent go. He doesn't want to see you anymore. He's terrified of you and what you'll do to him."
Well, this was interesting news. He hadn't realized he was so terrifying to his captured raven. He would surely put this to use in the future. Sephiroth was a figure of fear, working hard for that title. It was his style, and made it incredibly easy to find and figure out enemy movements.
"Zack, you're in no position to talk down to me like that." Sephiroth replied curtly. "I could easily dispatch you for crude remarks, and Shinra would think nothing of it, considering it to be good judgement on my part. If I were you, I would stop talking and start taking orders."
He stood, reading Zack's movements all too easily. Zack wasn't an idiot all of the time. He was keeping a good distance between them. Taking a single step forward, he watched for any signs the blue-eyed soldier might make, empowering himself in the process.
Zack hesitated at that. If Sephiroth sent him away, then he'd be compelled to follow them. Which would mean that Sephiroth would be left alone with Vincent. This was something he would not allow, but he wouldn't say anything unless it really came to that. Still, as Sephiroth stood and drew closer, the SOLDIER did not back down. If it came to a fight, he would give Sephiroth one.
"You know that I follow orders as I'm supposed to," Zack replied through his teeth. "And even Shinra would have some questions regarding your reasons. After all, I'm not exactly on bad terms with the Turks. If they decided to do some delving, I'm sure that they'd take what they found to the President. You're not in charge of all of Shinra, you know. They will want answers eventually."
"Smart boy." Sephiroth nodded his approval, liking the logic Zack was pulling out. If it was a logic war, Sephiroth would win, hands down. But at the moment, he didn't feel like working for what was rightfully his.
In a slick movement, he rushed Zack, aiming to corner him, feigning to strike with his sword. He wasn't going to hurt his rival, only rough him up a bit. There was no reason to spill blood over a silly thing like this.
Zack saw the move and reacted quickly, springing back nimbly. Of course, he hadn't counted on the door. After he had pushed it open, and during his conversation, it was slowly closing, until it stopped a quarter of the way. As he sprang back, his body hit the solid wood, his head knocking against it painfully, leaving his stunned and vulnerable.
Perfect target.
Sephiroth brought the blade horizontally against Zack's neck and pressed his body into him heavily, pinning him while he was dazed. Leaning in close, breath against the other's ear, he whispered hotly, "I didn't see your mark on him while he was writhing in pleasure beneath me." After a pause, he continued. "You realize, don't you? He belongs to me and me alone. No one, not even you, can ever take him from me."
"M-mark!?" Zack gasped, letting go of his restraint on his anger. "I didn't need to mark him!" That wasn't true, completely. He had 'marked' Vincent, though that had only been a simple hickey.
Determined not to let the pleasure comment get to him, he kept very still, knowing he needed to remain calm. Sephiroth couldn't kill him. There would be too many questions. Zack wasn't exactly some nobody. He had a lot of friends both in and out of Shinra. Someone would question Sephiroth eventually.
"Vincent isn't an object or a pet! I love him, Sephiroth! Do what you will with someone who wants to be around you, but not with Vincent! He doesn't deserve what you've done to him!"
Even he knew what Vincent being marked meant. Still, he wouldn't let Sephiroth know the overwhelming pain that now invaded his heart.
Zack didn't realize it, but he was feeding Sephiroth so many emotions that could be used against him. Keeping himself calm and composed, he licked Zack's earring, quite sure that he could now feel the cold metal against his neck.
"You don't know anything about him, Zack." He said softly. "About what he really is. He's not as human as you'd like to think. He's more of a beast, a monster, than a person."
Zack's skin shivered. It was strange, really, but had the situation been different, only just a few days sooner, Zack may have felt a surge of pleasure from this situation. But now, he felt a mixture of disgust and fear. Sephiroth was quickly looking like a perfect being.
His stomach turned as he shoved the tiny hint of jealousy towards Vincent away, focusing on the situation at hand. "He's a living, breathing, thinking being," Zack replied with a hoarse whisper, his blue eyes glaring deeply into the beautiful green of Sephiroth's. Those eyes that knew no true tenderness, at least not anymore. "He is more human then you are, Sephiroth! At least you now! Why would you treat anyone like that! What did he do to deserve such disgusting behavior?"
"You're one to talk." Sephiroth said sharply, his eyes narrowed dangerously. All it would take to silence Zack forever was a quick slit of the throat. A tiny movement of the wrist and he'd be done-in. However much he wanted to do it at this moment, there'd be too many questions asked.
"You hit on Vincent the moment his coffin was opened." His tone was a growl. "Oh, yes, Zack. I know what happened down there. You were desperate enough without your girlfriend frolicking about to have your way with that beautiful man had you been alone. Don't put me in the category of gross and creepy when you had the same mind-set as I did."
Zack once again hesitated, and looked away, trying to form a response, which came very quickly, thank Odin. "I I may have hit on him, but we WERE alone, Sephiroth! I could have done what I wanted and then killed him! But I didn't! I teased him, yes, but that was it! I brought him back because I knew it would be good for him." It was a lame response, but it was all he had. "Had I known the hell you would put him through, I would never have brought him back!"
"Oh, you're so cruel, Zack Fair." Sephiroth said mockingly. "You should've known what would've happened to him in this cruel world. Especially to a beautiful man such as himself, who has no physical strength. You've lived in Midgar long enough to know how cruel people can be."
Zack's excuse was a bit too lame and was easily shot down. "If you really love him, then you wouldn't have brought him back to the living. He's better off sleeping forever, away from this crude existence."
Looking fully at Zack's flustered face, he couldn't help but notice how pretty it was. Especially when he was flushed with anger. Leaning close, he dragged his tongue along the line of Zack's bottom lip, before pressing his lips fully on the other's. Pulling back, he said smugly. "If you don't keep your paws off Vincent, I'll kill him."
Releasing the dark haired soldier of his hold, he went back to his seat, sitting down and resuming his cleaning.
Zack's face flushed again in that moment, as Sephiroth licked him and then stole a kiss, though, it certainly wasn't out of anger. He had expected that, and even with the threat hanging over Vincent's life, he was stunned, breathless as the swordsman pulled away and returned to his seat. But he wouldn't give up. Vincent meant too much to him! He loved him, no matter what Sephiroth said.
Moving slowly to the seated man, he looked down at him, anger in his eyes, despite the reoccurring sense of jealousy towards Vincent. "Sephiroth, please...Let him go. He's..." he struggled for the words. "Vincent is hurt enough. I beg of you, please, leave him alone."
"Request denied." Sephiroth said simply. There was nothing Zack could say that would change his mind. "I suggest you stop begging. It makes you look like a puppy."
"I'm not a puppy..." Zack mumbled, before pressing the matter. Going down on his hands and knees, he looked at the man's boots, trying to show how much this meant to him. "Sephiroth, please...I'll give you anything if you let him go. I'll do anything if you leave him alone."
Looking up, his eyes burned with hidden tears. Vincent's pain was his own. The man was so afraid, so hurt by Sephiroth, Zack couldn't bear the thought of him going through another night like last night.
"Yes you do, Zack." Sephiroth didn't look down at Zack's pitiful display, acting like the cruel-hearted man he was so well known to be. "And the answer is no. It will always be no."
Then he would take Vincent away. He would do just that. It was a desperate ploy, but it was his only choice. It crossed his mind right then to kill Sephiroth. The man deserved to die. But he couldn't. However much he hated him, Zack could not kill a man to whom he had felt such a strong attraction, rivaling even that of the one he had with Vincent.
"Sephiroth, let me take his place."
"You don't interest me, Zack." Sephiroth said coarsely. He was getting sick of these desperate pleas. "Go away, or else I'll go back on my word and kill him this minute."
Zack bowed his head, his last chance gone. Rising to his feet, he knew now what he had to do. He had to find Vincent and run. It was as simple as that. To where, he knew not, but he had to get him away. And if that didn't work, then he would have to go with plan B; kill Sephiroth.
