Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't have debt
Warnings: Language and much explicitness
Chapter 6. Showerhead
Nibelheim was an old town. It pre-dated the reactor, Cloud knew because when his parents moved here his mother had said all the old locals would do was sniff about the lowering quality of life since the 'furrinners' had taken over. She laughed about it, but she was one of those looked-down upon foreigners even after nearly twenty years.
Most of the bathrooms in the village also predated the reactor. Which meant no showers. Showers were an idea imported from Wutai during the war. The old-timers believed that, showers were one of those nasty, new-fangled ideas that would lead to barbarism and creeping moral decay. Cloud hadn't even seen one until he'd moved to Midgar. The Mayor had one, built with money diverted from the waterworks project, but not even his brother was allowed to step into the precious cubicle tiled in imported slate. Everybody just got to hear about it. The old-timer's would shake their heads and say it proved their point about corruption; the mayor wasn't very popular even though he was a local boy.
The only other place to have a shower within the town was at the Inn. Shin-Ra didn't keep permanent staff at the reactor anymore. The system was remotely monitored and, when an alarm went off in Midgar, they'd send a team out to fix it. Rather than maintaining barracks or allowing them to use the Shin-Ra Mansion, the company had contracted the Inn to provide lodgings. Cheap, relatively close, and maintenance free had been the thought in the accountant's heart, except that, at the time, the Inn had been falling apart. It was dark, dingy, and depressing and suffering from dry rot. Plus, mice and other vermin found their way out of the walls and into the beds and the food. Employees had rebelled and a couple of them had had enough clout to make things happen.
The Inn was completely overhauled, from the basement to the chimney tops; everything was rebuilt, redesigned and reworked to give the place a bright, clean, modern look. As soon the construction crew was out the door, Old Gruber removed the comfy chairs and repainted the walls an ugly dark beige because the new atmosphere was 'ee-mascue-laytin' the cli-entell'. The lower level showers, put in for the use of any random, paying guest, had been left to fall into disrepair as being 'unwholesome'. Gruber Junior carried buckets of heated water to the old claw-foot bathtub just like his grandpa used to do.
At least Old Gruber and Young Mr. Gruber – Gruber Junior's dad, had had the sense not to allow the same thing to happen to the Shin-Ra showers. The area of the building that was set aside for Shin-Ra employees was practically larger than all the rest of the Inn. The Grubers cleaned it and made sure that it was sparkling for the odd times it was occupied by those 'sissies from the city' and they were richly paid for the scant work it took. There were the sleeping quarters, large enough for three beds, dorm-room style, and a decent sized seating area, and then there was the bathroom.
Cloud swore it was nearly the size of the whole main floor of the house he'd grown up in… and it was mostly bathtub. There were two shallow steps to climb to get into it, in case the engineers muscles were too tired from a day of pushing buttons at the reactor. Then, inside the lake-masquerading-as-a-tub, there were two steep stairs down that could double as a bench in case the whole team decided to share the water and have a party in it. Looking at it, because it was safer than looking at the tall, silver-haired man beside him, Cloud was sure that, if they filled it with water, he'd be able to swim a couple strokes, maybe more.
There were three showerheads, although that seemed too simple a term for them. There was the large, circular overhead one to get your head wet. Then there were two upright bars on the near corners with multiple nozzles that could be adjusted to cover the rest of your body. It was decadent, enormous and intimidating, and he was about to get naked with the General and step into it. Oh. My. God.
'Steady breaths,' he reminded himself. He'd faced down monsters and machines. He'd survived battles with unseen enemies, and it was amazing how little that reassured him in this situation. It was actually better to think about how absolutely, horrifyingly embarrassed he'd be if he passed out. If he couldn't be brave, he'd be stubborn, so he took deep breaths and stayed on his feet.
"Cloud." The young man looked up – way up, and was caught by those unique, grass-coloured eyes. People thought they were scary or weird but Cloud thought they were perfect and couldn't imagine the General without them. The silver-haired warrior had such a look in those eyes but Cloud didn't know how to interpret it. "Put your hand here while I undress."
Sephiroth placed the small, tough hand under his harness, over his heart. Long fingers reached for the fastenings of the famous leather coat. The corporal's brain started skipping. Ohgod. OOhgod. I'm gonna see the General naked! His heart sped up and it was all he could do not to check his chin for drool.
"I realize how difficult this is for you, Cloud. Your heart is beating very fast." That smooth baritone, so silky and seductive wrapped around the young mountain boy's brain – and other body parts. OOOmuhgod. Breathe, idiot! Breathing's good. The General raised a slim finger and brushed lightly over the pulse point in Cloud's neck. "I admire you tremendously. You have a great deal of courage."
"Is st-stubbornness, Sir." Yay, a complete sentence! There was no safe place to look. Straight ahead was pearl coloured skin, down was out because he was not going to appear to be checking out the General's package, and up meant looking into those hypnotic eyes. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something, anything to take his mind off of what was happening. The prime numbers are 1, 3, 5, 7...
A quirk of the lips, "Sometimes they're the same thing, Cloud." Sephiroth removed his coat and harness, and Cloud's eyes opened without his consent. He took in the General's perfectly shaped and oh-so wide chest and his gaze was drawn to the small pale pink disks that highlighted all that pearly skin. 'Shit, Cloud,' he ordered himself, 'don't look at his nipples, he'll think you're a perv.' Ohgod, they're so pretty! Cloud squeezed his eyes shut to force his thoughts away from forbidden territory. 11, 13, 17...
"I admit, at the start of this mission all I knew of you was that you were a friend of Zack's. Many people call Zack friend so I thought little of that, or of you."
That was... crushing, actually. Considering the work he'd been putting in to do better so he could one day get into SOLDIER. To realize the head of the program, his idol, and the subject of his sleeping fantasies, hadn't even noted your existence. The spiral of diminishing self-esteem was broken by unexpected movement. The General's hand had moved from his clothing to Cloud's, removing belts, undoing buttons – in his pants! What the fuck? Blushing bright red he realized that he'd said that out loud. "Sir, let me. I can do that," he protested. If the General continued, he was gonna see...
Sephiroth just smiled, "Are you aroused, Cloud?" OhmyfuckingGOD! This was going to be so humiliating. He wanted to run, but he couldn't. The General needed him. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter and tried to think of something, anything, else.
"I am aroused as well."
Big, blue eyes shot wide open and locked on the General's cat-slit ones. Sephiroth had a lazy, taunting smile flirting on those wonderful lips. Everything in the mountain boy stopped. 'The General couldn't mean...' Cloud couldn't even finish the thought.
"The first thing I noticed about you, was your eyes," he ran a thumb under one, "Even without mako they are luminescent. Did you know that, Cloud?" He mutely shook his head. "In the tunnel, we moved together so perfectly; our bodies matched, our minds synchronized," Sephiroth's voice stroked over him, "It made me wonder what we would be like in bed." His thumb had moved to caress the little Corporal's full lower lip.
It was nerves that caused the young man's tongue to slip out to moisten suddenly dry lips. It was an accident that he licked the tip of the General's finger. It didn't stop Sephiroth from humming in pleasure. Sephiroth didn't remove his thumb; in fact he dipped it into that moist mouth, just a bit. "So brave, my little Cloud. So loyal and determined. You humble me."
Cloud was shivering, an all over trembling that he could hear in his breath. He was so hard that the only thing holding up his standard-issue pants was his erection. Pale then flushed in turn, he nevertheless remembered to keep his hand in contact with the General. "Sir, don't," he protested, then stopped. What exactly was he protesting?
"Of course, Cloud," he conceded verbally but Sephiroth's body said he'd won.
"We should clean ourselves. Zack will be wanting to shower as well. I wouldn't put it past him to charge in and join us if we take too long." Sephiroth finished stripping them both with a ruthless efficiency. He wouldn't let Cloud help, not even to remove his boots. Instead, he calmly shifted Cloud's hand to his head and dropped to his knees in front of the smaller man. Ohgod.
The only thing that saved it from being completely erotic was the fact that Sephiroth was too tall to breathe directly on his engorged penis. On the other hand, he managed to lick Cloud's stomach just fine.
"Sir, sir! I'm gonna... If you don't stop." Ohfuck. He was begging. "Please, stop." This was too close to fulfilling one of his unacknowledged dreams and it had brought him way too close to peaking.
"My apologies, Cloud. I'm not used to restraint." Sephiroth was purring again, low and enticing, and sounding so satisfied that the young blond couldn't help but believe the General was indeed used to getting what he wanted. And it looked to Cloud that, gods! the General wanted him. At least he restrained himself long enough for them to get in the tub and get under the spray. The Silver General behaved long enough to wash his thigh-length hair. He pulled it forward draping it over and around the smaller man. As Sephiroth worked the shampoo through it, it moved over their bodies; the long strands caressing their naked skin. When Sephiroth soaped and scrubbed his body, he took time to slide his hands slowly, enjoying both the feel of his own skin and the young corporal's avid gaze.
Cloud no longer kept just one hand on that broad chest; he had both his hands on it. He'd given up on prime numbers, because he could feel the General's hard little nipples stabbing his palms. He gathered soap bubbles and watched fascinated as his hands massaged them into the General's ribs and belly. He flexed the tips of spread fingers, digging into the hard flesh with his short nails, just to hear the Silver Warrior catch and hold his breath. Cloud was so close he could almost reach out with his tongue to catch the water running in drops over that skin. He wanted to. Shiva's tits, did he want to. He swayed.
"I should," his brain was fizzing, "I should wash. Zack's waiting."
Sephiroth took the soap, lathered his hands, and cooed, "Allow me." Long, strong fingers washed, massaged and stroked all over Cloud's body: neck, shoulders, chest and arms. He was surrounded by the General: smell, sight, sound and the feel of him. He had to grab on to the General for balance his head was spinning so hard. He was moaning, he could hear it sometimes but really, all he was aware of was the man in front of him. The corporal wasn't a virgin, but half-drunken mattress bouncing hadn't prepared him for this all out assault.
The General sank to his knees in front of the youth, washing and caressing his flat stomach, lean hips, and long thighs – all the way down to his toes. Then he started up the back, reaching around so Cloud's smaller body was enveloped and surrounded by his. He leaned closer, to soap and slide up the long quads to tight buttocks, close enough to breathe on Cloud's straining penis, but he didn't touch, not with cheek or tongue – not even to lick up those tempting pearls of pre-cum. If long hair happened to brush over it, it was purely accidental, or that's what he'd claim.
Jagged moans, panted breaths caught and held, and indecipherable murmured pleas resulted from every action. The small trooper was twisting and thrusting helplessly. His fingers clutched at Sephiroth's strong shoulders silently demanding the older man finish it, do something, let him cum, anything….
Sephiroth thought he'd never seen anything so entrancing.
He shifted his attention to Cloud's back, reaching up to clean and massage the spine, and around the shoulder blades. He didn't stand up, but remained on his knees. "Cloud," he said. He had to repeat it before the young blond gathered himself up enough to look back at his General. Even then, he could only get his eyes half open.
"Sir?"
"Cum for me, Cloud," he ordered softly. Then he bent and licked the swollen head of Cloud's penis like it was made of chocolate ice cream, twirling his tongue softly around it then pressing firmly to get a better mouthful. Finally, he sucked hard, taking it all down.
"S-sir!" Corporal Strife gasped, and then he obeyed, helplessly, completely. A strangled scream forced its way out of his clenched jaw as thin, sculpted lips swallowed him, sucked him, and squeezed every drop from his pulsing body. "Fuck!" he panted. "Sir, I'm gonna pass out if you don't stop that. I swear to fucking gods." His legs were shaking, he couldn't catch his breath. Ooohfuck. His brain was whiting out as the silver-haired warrior gave one last, long, slow lick from base to tip.
He stood up, holding his lover's slim body upright, smiling down at hazy eyes in possessive triumph. The little corporal was his.
Cloud blinked hard and took a couple deep breaths. He looked into those smug cat eyes and his eyes narrowed. "My turn," he declared and dropped down before the General could protest.
He was tempted to swallow down the General's cock like he had done to Cloud's, but two things stopped him; one, he'd never done it before and figured there was bound to be a learning curve, and two, the General's erection reached up past the man's belly. The young soldier hadn't spent time checking out other guys in the shower or anything like that, but even he knew that the General's erection was longer than normal. Not the best choice for his first time giving head, but there were other things he could do.
"Cloud, that isn't necessary," Sephiroth declared.
"Don't care," he responded, pressing that hard flesh to his face, "I want to." Silver hair draped around him so that he was wrapped in a cocoon of scent and touch. He would do to the General the things that he enjoyed doing to himself. He closed his eyes and indulged his other senses.
He cupped the General's sac, squeezing gently, massaging the small globes encased there. Sephiroth was hairless, but the skin was drawing tight. He pulled down lightly, delaying the inevitable. He let one finger slide across the sensitive skin between scrotum and anus, barely pressing as it moved over and back. It was so soft and silky. He gripped the General's erection and squeezed, not so gently. He moved his hand up along its length, enjoying its velvety texture. It was hot and hard, and Cloud had a sudden visceral fantasy of having that long length seated inside him, thrusting gently, and he swayed in renewed desire.
"Cloud," Sephiroth protested, his eyes closing to mere slivers.
"Hush, Sir," the corporal commanded firmly, while he added tongue and lips and teeth to the mix, nipping at whatever surface presented itself: hips, belly, groin or balls, before settling into a slow rhythm to match his hand, running his open mouth up the side of the General's erection. He tasted as he smelled; a little spicy and exotic, a deep, rich musk that Cloud wanted to roll in so that everyone would know. He buried his nose in the light dusting of silver pubic hairs and inhaled until he was dizzy. It didn't take long.
He stretched so that he could suck his cock's sensitive tip into his mouth. He licked up the pre-cum gathered there, dipping his tongue into the slit, but it was a little higher than he could comfortably reach while on his knees so he had to regretfully let it go. He opened his mouth and let his lips and tongue run down the big, ropey vein. He stopped to nip, scraping lightly with his teeth. From the sounds the General was making, he liked the hint of danger.
Sephiroth was panting, nearly frantic and close to being unable to control his responses. He was making noises! He'd never experienced anything like it before. It was maddening and wonderful but unsettling, and he'd had enough of being unsettled. "Cloud," he commanded.
"Cum for me, Sir, like I did for you." Cloud ordered, "Now," and he pressed the tip of one slim finger up into the General.
It was bad enough that the teenage corporal was ordering around his older, more experienced, commanding officer, Sephiroth thought, but what made it completely improper was that he couldn't help but obey. He came in great, muscle clenching, gouts, shouting out his release in a most undignified way, but he couldn't stop himself. This was the most erotic encounter he'd had for many, many years.
He grabbed the young man and hauled him up; all the way up, so that his feet left the floor leaving his only option to wrap his legs around Sephiroth's waist. He dragged that sweet face up to his and kissed him hard and domineering. Instead of retreating or softening, Cloud responded with all his youthful enthusiasm, and pride that he was here in this shower with his hero and that he'd made the General cum so hard that he was trembling.
Sephiroth forgot his need to assert his dominance in his exploration of the textures and tastes of Cloud's mouth. One hand ran down the youth's back, following the sleek skin running between tight cheeks until his fingertips could rub against puckered flesh. He gave a pleased purr when his soft touch resulted in the corporal's penis regaining some of its hardness. Ah, the recuperative powers of the young, the General thought smugly.
However, they had both forgotten about the black-haired SOLDIER waiting in the other room. There was a loud knocking on the door. "Do you know how thin this wall is when you have enhanced hearing?"
The two of them froze, like guilty teenagers caught necking on their parents' couch. "One minute."
They stared at each other; Cloud in sudden awareness, Sephiroth in consternation. In fact, Sephiroth looked like a little boy who'd had his toy taken away. He looked... put out, was the best way the corporal could describe it, and it was such an odd look on that aristocratic, dignified face that Cloud couldn't help but giggle.
"Hmm," Sephiroth responded, the look deepening. "Perhaps we should prepare for sleep." Cloud nodded, sniggering too much to speak. He unwrapped his legs but Sephiroth didn't put him down. "If you would turn off the water, Cloud."
"Yes, Sir," the blond reached over to turn the heavy tap.
"You can call me 'Sephiroth' now; after all, we are lovers."
Cloud looked up into those cat-slit eyes, and an odd quirk of humour drove him to say, "I'll work on that, Sir."
"Hmm." In revenge, he carried the corporal out of the bath like a doll, not allowing his feet to touch the floor. He carried the smaller man while they towelled off, when they brushed their teeth. He'd let him down to use the toilet but, as soon as he was done, Sephiroth scooped him up again. At least the embarrassment of having to pee in front of his lover had stopped the giggling. Mostly. He had Cloud carry their dirty clothes while he carried Cloud out of the bathroom, legs once again wrapped firmly around his waist where they were supposed to be, Sephiroth had decided.
Zack was leaning against the wall just outside the door. He'd already stripped down in anticipation of his shower. "Well, it's nice to hear you've got your stamina back, General," he teased quietly, "That was better than a porn movie."
Sephiroth didn't bother looking, but he did notice that Cloud glanced down the First's body then away, blushing lightly. Zack wasn't just teasing, it seemed. "Yes it was," the General replied blandly. "There's still some hot water left."
Then Zack really looked at his young friend. He was curled up like a giant stuffy against the General's chest. The happy, satisfied look in his eyes was one Zack had never seen there before, and the black-haired First was stricken with doubts. Was it such a good thing if these two got together? Cloud was such an innocent; a decent guy who deserved to be someone's special sweetie. Would Sephiroth, private and controlled, be that someone or had Zack essentially pushed the boy into a relationship that would break his heart. Cloud was tough but, if that happened, would he be tough enough?
He glared warningly at his commander.
Sephiroth recognized that look: a mama wolf protecting her cubs. It amused him in a way. In a serious fight, the black-haired First would lose, but he also knew that Fair was dead serious about this. The young SOLDIER had never been intimidated by whom or what he was and he would fight the General if he thought it necessary.
"Don't worry, Commander, my intentions are honourable," he murmured. He meant it. He had decided that he would have this contrary young man in his life and in his bed. The argument that the General's favour would make the youth a target for assassination or kidnapping was valid, but irrelevant. Sephiroth would just have to make sure Cloud was protected. He could tell Zack knew he was serious. The First's stance relaxed, his eyes brightened, and his smile came back.
"Okay then. Congrats and everything."
"Do I get a say in this, Sir?" Cloud peeped, while nuzzling sleepily against that broad, warm chest.
"Only if you say 'yes', Cloud." The blond just smiled and gave the General's collarbone a lazy kiss.
"Awwww, that's so sweeeet!" Zack cooed but it sounded forced, "I'm only having a quick shower. Ten minutes, twenty tops. Just in case you're thinking of, y'know, doing something." He didn't wait for a response but eased around them into the bathroom. Sephiroth frowned at a glimpse of something 'off' in his friend's reaction. He had expected a little more posturing, or teasing, or something from the man. Zack had obviously taken the young trooper as his protégé, and his friend, and yet, aside from that glare, he had hardly said anything. It was worrisome.
Why was it worrisome? Why wasn't he relieved?
As he carried the young corporal to the large, sleeping surface Zack had created, Sephiroth pondered the question. Zack was an excellent SOLDIER, always had been. He was a decent Second-in-Command; not good with the paperwork, but Sephiroth didn't need help with that. He needed what Zack brought with him, the ability to soften behaviours that others found abrupt or offensive in the General. And, as much as Zack's humour was often loud and crude, he could appreciate Sephiroth's more subtle version.
He'd called Sephiroth 'friend' when the older man had forgotten what the word was supposed to mean. He'd been friends with Genesis and Angeal, at least he'd thought they were friends, but they had left him without explanation or even inviting him to go with them. For nearly three years, Genesis had allowed Sephiroth to think he was dead. It was only when he wanted something from Sephiroth, needed it, that the twisted former First had made contact.
Angeal... Angeal had made Zack kill him. He had, in fact, betrayed the both of them with that one act. He had given up and abandoned Sephiroth once again so perhaps, he and Angeal hadn't been true friends.
Zack, on the other hand, had disobeyed orders and risked death to come rescue him from the lab. He had thought Sephiroth important enough to risk everything for. Not because he was the General, or Shin-Ra's pet experiment, but because they were friends.
Enhanced hearing is a mixed blessing, the General decided, as he listened to Zack in the shower masturbating; alone and perhaps lonely because of them. That was unacceptable for his friend. He rolled that word around in his head, liking the feel of it. Tonight, he would share a bed with his lover and his friend. He would touch them and hold them. Comforting and being comforted by their mere presence.
He pulled back the blanket that Zack had made by tying them all together somehow. As SOLDIERs they hardly needed it, but there was something wonderfully symbolic about snuggling under the covers. He was indeed having a sleepover with his friends. The little inner child clasped happy hands under his chin, still yelling 'Sleepover! Sleepover with my friends!'
He climbed on the bed and put Cloud down in the center. The young corporal was careful to maintain contact even though he was more than half asleep. Sephiroth remembered he'd been injured during Genesis' assault. Looking down into the tired face of the soldier, Sephiroth realized why Zack's reaction seemed off. He recognized the look in the Commander's eyes as a milder version of what he'd experienced after Angeal's... death.
Zack was tired.
Not physically perhaps but mentally and emotionally. What they'd learned at the reactor; what Genesis had said, had disturbed the young First deeply. Cloud had been hurt, and Zack probably felt responsible for that – and for dragging him back to his despised hometown in the first place. Then Sephiroth had 'wigged out' as he had phrased it, leaving Zack in command which wasn't easy for him, he was too easy going. He'd had to make the decisions for all of them while Sephiroth was off planning to destroy the planet. Despite knowing that he'd been pushed in that direction by Jenova's voice, the General felt ashamed at having fallen under her spell.
He was firmly ensconced behind his small lover, the fit between them was perfect, when the black haired swordsman left the bathroom, still towelling off his hair, another knotted low at the waist. He wasn't looking at them. Sephiroth thought that was a bad sign. "Zack," he questioned.
Zack still wouldn't look at them, fidgeting a little, before babbling out what was on his mind. "Yeah, I was thinking. Y'know, you and Cloud might like some time alone together. I can always get another bed. It's–"
"Zack," Sephiroth interrupted, "You are not sleeping somewhere else. Neither Cloud nor I would be able to sleep properly." He held up the blanket in invitation.
"Yeah, but you and Cloud just, y'know, started your relationship." He was tempted though, Sephiroth could tell.
"You are our friend, Zack." He'd never said that word to his SiC before. It was long past due. "Hurry, before Cloud gets cold," the General ordered
Cloud spoke up, "You're being a dork, Zack. C'mere," He patted the bed and held out his hand. That was all it took for Zack to drop the towels and climb into bed. Cloud reached out and took Zack's hand, snugging the First in to rest under his chin, enfolding wet hair and broad shoulders in his arms. Sephiroth reached over to rest his hand on Zack's hip and Cloud sighed out a soft, "That's better," once they were comfortable. Holding Zack like this, nestled up to his heart, Cloud could sense the tension leaving the SOLDIER.
The events of the day – and the night, were finally catching up with the young soldier. He was warm, relaxed, and his friends were safe. Life, at this point, was good. "I'm not gonna get cold; yer both like furnaces,"
"It's the mako again," Zack murmured, "raises the metabolism, remember."
"Hmm. Jus' don' leggo of me, either of you," Cloud yawned, obviously fading into sleep, " If iz too hot jus' push the blanket down, 'kay?"
"We'll do that, Cloud."
"'Kay. Night, Zack. Night, Sir."
"My name is Sephiroth, Cloud."
"Yezzir. I' try to 'member that, Sir" the young man said. Sephiroth thought of protesting but Zack was chuckling. It was a good sound to fall asleep to.