Warnings: More bed play, so explicitness and language
Chapter 8. Just Can't Get Enough
The door had barely closed behind their bouncy companion when Sephiroth dragged his little lover onto his back, "So, I can bite you anytime, can I?" he growled playfully.
"I was kidding, Sir!" Cloud protested, but he was chuckling so the General decided to ignore him and nibble on that swan-like neck. His lashes were long enough to brush delicately along the surface providing a maddening contrast to strong teeth.
It also tickled and made Cloud laugh harder.
"It's commonly known that I have no sense of humour, Cloud. Therefore, I have no option but to believe you mean what you say." His neck tasted good, as did his shoulders and collarbone. "Besides, you were supposed to call me by my name." Sephiroth was not susceptible to the activity, but he had observed behaviour between friends that indicated that tickling was an acceptable form of punishment for mild personal infractions. He was pleased to discover that it worked.
"Do you surrender?" By this time he had the blond's wrists gripped in one long hand and raised over head, leaving his sides unprotected.
"I surrender, I surrender!" Cloud laughed, squirming helplessly under the larger man.
"And you'll start calling me by my name?" He lifted his hand but kept it threateningly close, ignoring their bodies' reaction to the struggle even though he was very, very aware of it.
Cloud smiled, "I'll try to remember to," he paused, "Sir."
Sephiroth was close enough to see the hint of friendly teasing in the young man's eyes. He drew back, "Are you mocking me, Cloud?"
"A- a little maybe," The corporal looked away, suddenly worried that he'd hurt the General by not calling him by name, "but I don't mean any disrespect by it. It's just... I'm only a corporal." Sephiroth growled at the apparent self-denigration. "I don't mean that in a bad way, Sir, but... in order to minimize any scandal, and there will be one once they find out we're a couple," Cloud couldn't stop the goofy smile that appeared when he heard his own words: he and General Sephiroth were a couple! "It'll be worse if they hear me calling you by name in public, especially in a situation where you're giving orders and being, y'know THE General. So it's best if I don't get into the habit of calling you Sephiroth or, Gaia forbid, Seph!
"And it's such a part of you, Sir," he continued, "I mean... Can you see yourself as a carrot farmer or an office drone or, or... a hardware store manager? You're General Sephiroth," he paused, took a breath and looked his lover in the eyes, "and from what you said to Zack last night and this morning, you're my General now. I'm allowed to make fun of you a little."
Sephiroth's gaze narrowed as he examined Cloud's words to see if they were sufficient explanation. "It's protection." Cloud nodded. "It's your way of 'claiming' me." Cloud nodded again. "And a private joke?" Cloud nodded, a shy smile playing on his lips.
Sephiroth knew couples did all those things to each other: protect, tease, and claim. It showed that Cloud had accepted their relationship. Therefore, Sephiroth would have to allow it; after all, he could always find other ways to force his name to pass those pretty lips. Those ways would include beds, toys perhaps, and hours to spend finding all of Cloud's erogenous areas and exploiting them. But he couldn't let his Corporal off completely....
"I will continue to request that you address me informally, Cloud, and I will punish you as I see fit when you disobey. Do you understand, Corporal?" His eyes were half-closed and glazed.
"Oh yes, I believe I do." Cloud's smile was equally as predatory. "Sir."
"Bad boy," the General purred and proceeded to punish the youth by biting, licking and scratching a sensuous trail all over his body. Sephiroth was careful, he had unusually sharp teeth after all, but Cloud didn't protest the couple times he drew blood. Instead he hissed, and arched his back, moaning jaggedly when Sephiroth lapped up the red droplets with his tongue, so he bit a little harder, deliberately breaking the surface of that rosy skin. A strangled cry of excitement was his reward.
"Sir, please. Please, Sir," the young man writhed, mind hazy, hands buried deep in the long silk that Sephiroth called hair. He was nibbling on Cloud's stomach, so close to his achingly rigid flesh. So close, but Sephiroth wanted something else this time.
"I want to be inside you, Cloud." In response, Cloud's penis shuddered and his breath caught. Sephiroth smiled. Obviously, his little blond lover liked that idea, but then he frowned, thinking of sizes. His erection wasn't small and he'd brought nothing with him to ease the way. He had to laugh, a soft, low chuckle that was precious for its rarity.
"Sir?" Cloud asked, bewildered by the sudden change in mood.
"Ah, Cloud. I may be THE general, able to anticipate an enemy's moves ten stages ahead but I have to admit I didn't plan for this, Cloud. I didn't plan for you." The young man just frowned in confusion.
"I have no lubricant, Cloud, and I don't think penetration is achievable without it," he paused and considered his words, "Not without great pain on your part and that would be insupportable."
Cloud brow lifted in enlightenment. "I may have something, Sir. Hold on," he ordered and he twisted and crawled out from under the General and over to his pack. Sephiroth let his fingernails drag over the smooth skin of his back, over firm and shapely cheeks, and down strong, beautiful legs. He enjoyed Cloud's quick shudder. Then the young blond was digging in the pack beside the bed, which caused all sorts of interesting movements and tantalizing glimpses. The silver haired SOLDIER looked up over that sturdy, young body and made a mental note to try certain positions at a later date. He stroked the surface of that body, digging in a little to raise pink welts, everywhere he could reach, which was almost – almost, to the intriguing crack that hid Cloud's vulnerable opening.
"Ah ha!" Cloud shouted in triumph, his breathing a little short. "I knew I had some." He twisted to hand Sephiroth a tube.
"Antibiotic ointment?" the General questioned.
"You put it on open wounds before bandaging, and it stays slick so that the bandage doesn't stick. It should work."
"So it should," he purred in agreement, and he gripped Cloud's ankle to drag him back where he belonged – under him. Hungry kisses while he opened the tube and covered his fingers and shaft. "Open for me, Cloud," he murmured and his young lover obediently spread his legs.
Cloud was running restless hands down his own body, playing with his sensitive nipples and enjoying his own skin before continuing the movement up the surface of his lover's body – his lover! Sephiroth was his lover. That pale pearl skin was softer than just about anything. The blond grabbed some of that luscious hair and raised it to his face, inhaling the scent, bringing it deep inside him, then letting it fall to caress his body as the General moved, doing his own touching and stroking.
Sephiroth looked down at the riches displayed and he hummed in appreciation. Cloud's erection was fat and flushed. His shaky breathing caused it to bounce lightly and there was a small puddle of pre-cum developing on his belly. The SOLDIER swirled that pearly liquid around on Cloud's skin while he slid one finger into the blond's opening, twisting and bending it slightly.
"Oh, god, Sir," Cloud panted; unsure whether to press down or move away. He clenched his hands on the General, anywhere they landed. He needed contact. It was amazing and terrifying. He wanted more.
Sephiroth enjoyed Cloud's reaction so much he rewarded it with a long nibble on his slim, sensitive neck. He added another finger, scissoring them, pushing the ointment in deeper while stretching the tight muscle. He would have loved to take more time but couldn't. His usually impeccable sense of time was failing and he wasn't sure if they had used only a quarter of an hour or three quarters.
With a growled question, answered with an enthusiastic affirmative, "Yes please. Now, Sir!" he eased his way in with little rocking motions. He kissed Cloud deeply, licking at the different textures of his mouth. He hummed, Cloud whimpered – it was wonderful.
Cloud was overwhelmed. The feeling was so, so huge and different, uncomfortable and remarkable. He wasn't just with a guy for the first time; this was General Sephiroth he was making love with. The SOLDIER's skin was fire, his scent was alcohol, and Cloud was burning. He pushed back onto the flesh impaling his body, gently because it did hurt a little, but it felt so good too, and then it felt even better than good. "Holy fuck," he gasped, breath hitching, body clenching.
"That's it, Cloud. That's what I want." Sephiroth had been seeking the little nub and now he massaged it with the sensitive tip of his erection. He changed the tempo and the pressure, pushing first lightly, then firmly, quickly then slow. He watched sweat start to bead on his young lover's temple. He enjoyed the rosy flush on plump cheeks and lips. Those he nibbled on in appreciation, letting his inhumanly long eyelashes brush over them. He ran his hands over his heaving chest up to circle Cloud's slim neck, enjoying the hard pumping in his lover's veins.
"Unghhh," the blond moaned over and over. He was writhing helplessly, a constant twisting motion. So deep, so deep. Scary, wonderful, weird, amazing. Invaded, filled... complete. Sephiroth was forced to sling Cloud's legs over his arms so that he could hold the boy's hips still. He didn't want to hurt his young lover since he was a virgin to this.
Sephiroth had known from the first moments of penetration that he was the first man to be inside Cloud's body. It had taken all his willpower not to drive himself in to the hilt in one fierce, possessive stroke, but he couldn't stop the triumphant tension that ran through his body. It whispered, 'mine, mine, mine!" with every movement and pushed him to the brink of orgasm far faster than he'd ever experienced before. He wasn't sure if Cloud was as close.
"Touch yourself for me, Cloud," he nipped at kiss-swollen lips, sucked at tender bite marks, and licked his hard little nipples, "I want to watch you."
"Yes, Sir," he breathed. A small, strong hand reached down to encircle his penis. It tightened and stroked, forcing more pearly liquid out which Cloud used to slick his hand. With one hand tight in Sephiroth's hair and the other one moving firmly up and down his shaft, Cloud watched the General watching him jerk off. Those green eyes glittered through his lashes, glowing slightly in the dim room, flicking from groin to face and back down again.
Cloud started to catch and hold his breath as he had last night, and Sephiroth realized it was a signal of the young man's impending orgasm. As was the spike in body temperature as his skin flushed. He adjusted his position so that he could hit the prostate more firmly, a move too painful for someone not on the edge. He wanted to feel Cloud's body tighten on his, to pulse and clench in time with his body's surrender.
"Oh muh god, Sir," Cloud called out. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. It was here, an explosion he'd felt before but nothing like he'd ever known. His whole body pounded and throbbed, and burned with it. "Sir!" He brutally squeezed the hard flesh buried inside him, he couldn't help it.
Sephiroth let himself go. There was nothing but physical sensation now. He could feel his muscles tensing and in pulsing waves. He could feel the liquid that spurted from him, filling Cloud and encasing his own penis in its heat. He heard Cloud's little 'oh' of wonder at this new sensation and, for the first time, considered what it would be like to be the one filled. Maybe, one day, with his little Cloud, he would find out.
For now, he was content to enjoy the aftershocks, the ripples of pleasure that ran through their bodies. He released Cloud's legs and allowed his torso to collapse to one side, breathing in the air left by the blond's quick panting.
"Did you enjoy that, Cloud?" Cloud managed to nod. He still had his hand wrapped in long silver hair. His hand would squeeze and pull as spasms ran through him. Sephiroth decided he liked the sensation on his scalp. "We should probably clean up before Zack returns, don't you think?"
Think?
Cloud made a noncommittal humming sound. He felt so relaxed, and the bed was so warm. It was nice to just lie here with his eyes closed, reliving the morning's activities. The General was his lover! He was smiling, even as he slid nearer and nearer to sleep.
Next thing he knew he was vertical and being carried, once again like a doll, into the bathroom. He was plunked on his feet in front of the sink. "Wake up, Corporal. Consider this reveille."
Sephiroth didn't think it would work, but it did. Cloud grabbed his toothbrush and began brushing away even though his eyes were still mostly closed so the SOLDIER herded him through the rest of morning preparations, Curing him to get rid of the bite marks, washing off the evidence of their activities, and keeping his ears open for sounds of Zack's return. A short lived experiment reinforced the necessity of keeping in contact, and woke Cloud up fully. That, however, didn't stop the larger man from carrying him around, after all he could move much faster than the unenhanced corporal.
He whisked the blond back into the main room to dress. Separating pant legs and buckles from sleeves and straps. Cloud laughed because it was so ridiculous and wonderful. It was like being in a dream and he was content to just enjoy it as a dream but there was one moment when he looked and actually saw his hand, small, pale and weak looking, resting against Sephiroth's hard slabs of muscled chest. He swallowed, and looked up – way fucking up, into cat green eyes that looked down on him in gentle amusement.
"Sir," he could hardly name his fears, "Is this… real?"
Sephiroth smiled down at his tentative young lover, a real smile not his usual half-quirk. "Yes, Cloud. This is very, very real." He leaned down to place a tender kiss on his forehead.
Then they went back to sorting out their clothes.
They had barely managed to pull their pants on when feet clomped up the stairs. Cloud looked over at the pushed together beds, "Sir!" he pointed at them. Having them like that, so obviously slept in by all three of them at once, would give rise to the kind of gossip they desperately wanted to avoid. Now he was awake.
"Follow my lead," was all the General had time to say since Zack was nearly at the door. He moved over to the entry and yanked open the door before the dark-haired First had a chance to reach for the handle. "You have coffee?" he demanded.
Zack, whose eyes had widened at seeing his General half-naked, narrowed his gaze at his CO, knowing immediately that something was up. Cloud eased around the large warrior and said to Zack, "It might be safer if l take your tray and you take Gruber Junior's. He's a little irritable." A head jerk indicated the mass of muscled warrior behind him.
"Right," the First agreed without fuss, and handed the tray over to the small soldier who staggered a little under the weight.
"You have the coffee," Sephiroth declared and followed the blond as he lurched over to the table. Gruber Junior would probably think the General was standing so close to Cloud because he was deadly impatient to get his morning caffeine fix. It was a good cover, and damn near true. Caffeine didn't affect SOLDIERs the way it did everyone else, but the Silver General got fucking cranky without it.
Zack turned to the innkeeper's son, who was looking rather nervous, and took his tray, "Why don't you go back downstairs now. We'll bring all the dirty dishes down before we go," and Zack, firmly but gently, shut the door in Gruber Junior's face. He took a comprehensive glance around the room, noticing mussed blankets, scattered clothes and a tube of antiseptic ointment? That explained the faint medicinal smell but he wondered why they'd needed to use it. He examined Cloud for any damage and was relieved to find none.
Sephiroth and Cloud were sitting in the same positions as yesterday. They had the food served up and the coffee poured. "Hurry before it gets cold," his young friend said already digging in.
"Built up an appetite did you Cloud?" Zack teased, sitting down and taking off his boots. Sure enough, his friends were back to playing footsie under the table. Cloud blushed and ducked his head, but Zack saw his smile as he glanced at his silver haired lover.
"Exercise is always good," Sephiroth responded blandly, then redirected the conversation, "Any ideas on how to proceed?"
"We need a plan?" his Second in Command responded.
"Unlike others I could name, I have never charged an entrenched position with a strategy that consisted only of a yelled: 'It'll be a surprise!'"
Zack grinned, unrepentant, "It worked."
Cloud's mouth was full of coffee and keeping liquids in the mouth while laughing is impossible. Since he didn't want to spew it out over the table he wound up half swallowing-half breathing it in. Instead of laughing he was choking and coughing like an idiot.
"Unfortunately," his commanding officer sighed. He looked at his blond trooper, his lover, who was hacking and gasping, "Will you be all right, Cloud? Do you need a Cure?"
Cloud waved it away, "Wrong spout," he wheezed.
Sephiroth watched the red-faced young man trying to cough the liquid out of his lungs for a moment, assuring himself that medical intervention really wasn't necessary. He turned to his SiC in disapproval. "I have only just found him, Commander Fair. I would be most distressed if you broke him before I've had a chance to get him home."
It was the tone that did it for Zack. Seph's humour was so dry and skewed that if you didn't know what to listen for you'd miss it entirely. He got it – he always had, and it was his turn to laugh his food out of this mouth.
Cloud managed to rasp out a protest, "I'm not a toy."
Sephiroth just smirked, eyes half closed. It was a look of content possessiveness and everyone at the table knew; Cloud may not be a toy but the General was the only one who got to play with him. As there was also fondness and respect, Cloud decided not to protest anymore. If he could tease the General then the General was allowed to tease him back. "Eat, Sir. We have a busy day ahead," he ordered.
It didn't talk long for the three of them to eat all of the food. They'd pile their plates up; swallow it all down, wait a few minutes then do it over again. It was a basic survival skill for times when meals could be interrupted by bullets. They still managed to talk about what had to be done that day.
"I thought about what Cloud said back in the labs," Zack announced.
"About the forgeries?"
"Not that," the young First waved those away, "About why you were sent here and not to Junon, or even kept in Midgar. I mean, no offense, but a couple of Thirds could've handled the monsters we've encountered."
"Except for the dragon," the General murmured. He'd enjoyed that fight. It had been a challenge even for him.
"Except the dragon," Zack rolled his eyes but agreed. "You weren't scheduled to come here. That's what you said when you tagged me to come with you so, who changed your orders?"
"Heideggar informed me of the change; brought me the new orders."
"Pffft. Heideggar hasn't had an independent thought since he gave himself that medal." Zack meant the Wutai Campaign medal that the fat 'General' had awarded himself for a campaign he'd been losing in a country he'd never set foot on. That would have been bad enough but he'd made the medal a Valorous Conduct with Cluster because it looked better on the green uniform with the overdone gold braiding. Cloud had heard the tale from outraged veterans, who'd been ready to revolt at the insult. President Shin-Ra hadn't taken the bauble away, but he didn't allow his Commander-in-Chief to wear it in public either.
"The President changed them," Zack stated.
"But Junon has a reactor and that big project," Cloud argued, "You'd think he'd want it protected."
"Or himself." Sephiroth was under no illusions about the man he served.
"So there should be a good reason. Since I know someone who might know something, I decided to make a call while you two were otherwise occupied." He didn't even wiggle his brows suggestively but just continued with his tale, "Turns out the President took someone's advice about changing your orders."
"Hojo or Scarlett," Sephiroth said the names like they were poison; which, in a way, they were. Either of them would kill you slowly. The only difference between them was Hojo would watch and take notes and Scarlett would walk away and leave you writhing on the ground.
"Your source couldn't be more specific?" The General touched a spot between his brows. Zack nodded slightly, confirming the guess.
"Maybe, but he won't unless he can do it safely."
"Hmmm," Sephiroth, as much as he'd like to be certain, knew that it was unlikely. Tseng was a good Turk, but he was too high-profile within Shin-Ra to be able to slip away to make a confidential phone call. "There's no point in him risking his life. We have enough to plan on."
Cloud's eyes had gone huge and his eating had slowed down to nothing. His face was even paler, as he listened to the two SOLDIERs. They were talking conspiracy, with people getting murdered for knowing too much. Those kind of plots only happened in the movies, not in real life – not to people he knew. "Are you in danger?" His voice was thready with fright but he thought that, given the circumstances, it was perfectly understandable.
"There is always danger, Cloud." Sephiroth wouldn't candy coat it. "The possibility of death in a war or against monsters is a SOLDIER's reality. Death from internal politics shouldn't be but often is. We will minimize the risk as much as possible although we could prepare more if we knew which was the threat."
"They might be working together. They do that sometimes," Zack explained to Cloud.
"Hmm," Sephiroth hummed unhappily. It didn't happen often, but yes, Hojo and Scarlett did sometimes cooperate on new weapons or fighters. "It is unlikely in this circumstance, however until we know more we will have to remain alert. We'll proceed with our immediate objective: silence Jenova."
"She's still shouting at you." It wasn't a question. Zack already knew she was still out there, waiting for Sephiroth to be away from the village, away from Cloud.
"Yes. We experimented earlier." At Zack's nervous visual check of his wellbeing, Sephiroth expanded on his statement, "It was an accident to start with. She was quite faint although I heard her words relatively clearly."
"It became louder and clearer the longer we were out of contact, so we stopped experimenting."
"Why did you do it in the first place? Last time you two didn't touch she froze Cloud in place and nearly took you over." He was outraged that they would risk so much without him there as backup.
"We wanted to see if we could figure out either her plan or the reason why she's here and not in Midgar with the Professor." Plus it was easier going to the bathroom if they didn't have to hang on to each other.
"I wrote down what the General heard but it was just nuts. Didn't make any sense at all, really. Just vicious ranting about ruling the cosmos and getting revenge." With a sigh the young First forgave them for being curious. After all, he would've done the same thing in their place. Places? Whatever.
"So no chance of negotiation, then," he said.
Sephiroth's lips quirked, "Not so much."
"Destruction then. That's always fun." Zack grinned widely, "How do you want to do it?"
"We could blow up the reactor," Cloud suggested. The older men looked at him in surprise. He blushed lightly, "Destruction, explosions, they kind of go together. Like in the movies."
Sephiroth hummed in disapproval, "We'll have to keep you away from the Turks. They'd like you too much."
"We'll keep that as a last resort, Spike, but it would be hard to justify the destruction of the whole reactor just to dispose of one body. Remember, we want to be able to go back to Midgar after this."
"It would upset a lot of powerful people in Shin-Ra, Cloud. Not the best way to minimize dangers."
"Like poking a hornet's nest with a stick," Zack murmured in illustration. "We could pitch her into the reactor core. The bottom is liquid mako, that should dissolve her."
"Liquid mako isn't acidic," said the local boy, "People have fallen into the pools before, kids usually playing around, and they were okay – outwardly, at least. It's not like their skin melted, or anything." Cloud looked at the mix of congealed syrup, butter, bacon grease and little chunks of food. His stomach bubbled in rebellion and he pushed his plate away.
"Huh," Zack grunted. "I always heard it was like acid in large quantities. I know the shots burn like fuck."
Sephiroth couldn't disagree, but it wasn't important. "If the body doesn't dissolve in mako then all we'd be doing is putting the problem off for another time. Someone else would have to deal with her. It may be ego but I doubt they'd be as prepared as we are."
"Got a hero complex?" Zack didn't wait for a response; it would just be an uppity comment about black pots and kettles anyway. "I'm sure Cloud would agree that nobody's as good as you are, Seph, so strong, so big–"
The Corporal slapped a hand over his friend's big mouth. "Focus, Zack. You're not at the porn festival now." He turned to the General. "If we break her, it... whatever she is, out of the mako, will she dissolve into the Lifestream?" It was a good question but neither of the SOLDIERs knew the answer.
"She has a strong personality. She may not break down as others do."
"Plus, if she's not human, the Lifestream might just spit her back out." Zack gave his CO an apologetic look. "Then we're back to having given the problem to someone else to deal with, whenever or wherever her body turns up."
"I see," Cloud responded. "I think we may be back to blowing it up."
Sephiroth smiled at his little corporal's destructive streak. "I have a Firaga but if she is indeed encased in mako, either solid or liquid, we'll have to remove her from it somehow."
"I vote for cutting her out," Zack grinned evilly, "and maybe 'up' at the same time. Perhaps she'll burn easier if she's in little bits."
"That sounds like a good plan. When you're making a wood fire, the smaller pieces always catch faster and burn quicker," Cloud agreed eagerly. "I wonder if the bits will explode. Wood that's been soaked in mako for a while does."
"That would be cool," Zack enthused.
"The fire's lots of different colours too – really bright!"
"I can see how you two became friends," Sephiroth said with a sigh.