Warning: second scene includes ass to mouth, that is anal sex followed by the bottom performing oral sex on the top.
"You don't seem to be that worried about this Cloud." Damon sounded as if he was trying to distract himself from his own nerves by questioning Cloud, so Cloud smiled at him calmingly.
"Well, I know that I'll be in the more advanced group. My contact was able to tell me that. I'm sorry, I didn't think of asking about anyone else."
"You wouldn't want to push things anyway, would you?" Warren sounded knowing, and Cloud decided to deflate him a bit.
"He could have given me the full list of who was in which group, since he saw it in the course of his duties, but I didn't think about asking for it." Cloud was almost certain that other people besides Sephiroth saw those lists during the course of his duties, so he wasn't being indiscreet by telling them about the sort of information his contact had access to. He didn't have a chance to say anything else, since their instructors arrived then and everyone came to attention.
"You'll be split into two groups based on the results of the last week's testing. The group that scored lower will continue training with us, while the group that scored higher will be training with these officers. SOLDIER 3rd class Cloud, SOLDIER 3rd class Damon, SOLDIER 3rd class Francois, SOLDIER 3rd class Isaiah, SOLDIER 3rd class Killian, SOLDIER 3rd class Marco, SOLDIER 3rd class Matthias, SOLDIER 3rd class Peter, SOLDIER 3rd class Rupert and SOLDIER 3rd class Warren leave with your new instructors now."
They saluted and obeyed, following the older SOLDIERs 3rd class through to a different training hall.
"You're supposed to have enough training to be useful now, so you can expect to be leading monster hunting patrols, as well as joining rebel suppressing missions under the command of SOLDIERs 2nd or occasionally 1st class. SOLDIER 3rd class Cloud pay particular attention to this. There is a standard list of equipment and supplies you are supposed to requisition when leading monster hunting parties which I expect you all to memorise. There is also a standard procedure that does not include emotionally blackmailing your men into accepting inadequate shelter on the grounds that you camped out in worse conditions with less equipment as a child."
"Yes sir." Cloud knew he was blushing as everyone else stared at him, and he refused to explain himself. Still, he couldn't resist the urge to protest just a little bit. "I do know what the standard equipment list is sir, I just thought some parts weren't necessary in this case."
"Come to the front and tell everyone what the standard supplies for a five man monster hunting patrol lasting a week are then, if you can."
"Yes sir." Cloud thought quickly as he made his way forward. "To clarify, you mean four troopers and either a non-commissioned officer or a SOLDIER 3rd class commanding?"
"Yes, of course."
"Right sir. Well, you need five bedrolls, made up from a sleeping bag, at least two blankets, possibly more depending on the season and where you're going hunting, a groundsheet and a pillow." It would probably be easiest to cover the equipment needed in groups of what they were used for, so he'd start with the gear to sleep in. "You need two tents, one four man tent for the troopers and a one man tent for the commander." He knew that Scott, at least, had only requisitioned a tent and sleeping gear for himself, and had to scramble to get the extra sleeping gear he needed - although at least his tent had been 'misordered' as a six man tent, probably by some kind supply officer.
"Why separate tents?"
"Procedure sir, an officer, even an NCO isn't supposed to share a tent with his men. If it was a six man patrol, with a second NCO or SOLDIER 3rd class acting as the second in command then it'd be a four man tent and a two man tent, which would be a bit warmer." Having two NCOs or SOLDIERs 3rd class, or a SOLDIER 3rd class with an NCO second in command was the other standard option for a small monster hunting patrol, although sometimes they did send out five troopers under one NCO or SOLDIER 3rd class.
"I didn't ask about a six man patrol. What else do you need?"
"Two cooking pots and a portable stove, with sufficient fuel for a week. Also rations for five men for a week."
"Specify. What do you mean by rations for five men for a week?"
"It usually amounts to fifteen MREs or ration bars a day, for a total of 105 to cover a week, generally with two MREs for every ration bar. Of course these can be supplemented by any food that can be gathered without interrupting the mission, hence the cooking pots, even though MREs come with a chemical heating system and ration bars are intended to be eaten cold." Cloud's team had made up a stew of meat with their MREs during the first evening and finished it off for breakfast, adding the morning MREs, which were supposed to be some sort of porridge, to the stew then.
"What else?" The teacher seemed more confident in his abilities now, no surprise since Cloud had requisitioned everything but the tent correctly, and nothing left would need expanding on - Cloud would make sure of that by going into unnecessary detail without prompting. Once he'd finished Cloud was allowed to return to his place in the ranks and they were led on a run, then through obstacle courses for the rest of the day.
xoXox
Sephiroth knocked cautiously at Angeal's door; Zack had been assigned away from Midgar today, and Sephiroth was fairly sure he saw Gregori's hand in that, so it would be just the two of them.
"Come in." Sephiroth obeyed, moving as quietly as he could, and looking down, making sure Angeal could see his respect in his posture. It wasn't entirely a surprise when Angeal grabbed him as he shut the door, pulling him by one arm, Angeal's other hand covering his mouth, and Sephiroth went limp, allowing Angeal to do whatever he wanted, but not co-operating, not without orders to do so.
"Open your mouth." Sephiroth didn't resist as Angeal pushed a ball gag into his mouth, he knew that his lover wanted, almost needed, his absolute submission, so that was what he'd give him. So he let Angeal throw him to his knees in front of the low table and push him forward to rest his body on top of it, pulling his long leather coat from his body, and he didn't resist when Angeal bound his arms behind him, fastening them into an arm-binder. It didn't interfere as Angeal finished stripping him, moving Sephiroth's body however he needed to in order to do so, and once he was naked Angeal put him over his knee.
"Your ass is pretty now, but it'll be prettier after a good spanking. I do like the way you colour up, pink and red mixed together." Sephiroth shut his eyes as Angeal ran a hand over his ass, knowing that his lover would feel his arousal against his thigh and how he'd most likely react. "You like that idea don't you? I think you need something to help you with your self-control." Angeal slid a hand between Sephiroth's legs, fastening a cock-ring onto him, and connecting a ball-stretcher to that. As the first blow landed Sephiroth wondered how different it would be when Cloud tried his hand at doing this; Angeal's blows were hard right from the start, and Sephiroth was torn between flinching away from the blows and moving into them. He suspected that he'd only feel the latter urge if the first blows were lighter, working up to the heavier blows, but he couldn't know that for certain.
Sephiroth could feel the heat in his ass when Angeal stopped, and he was relieved by the feel of the cool lubricant Angeal used to stretch him before pushing a butt plug into his body. Then Angeal pushed Sephiroth onto the floor and arranged him in a kneeling position in front of his lover. Sephiroth kept his eyes fixed on the floor in front of Angeal's feet, waiting for instructions and not allowing any hint of discomfort to show. He shut his eyes and leaned into Angeal's touch when the other man caressed his cheek, not quite purring.
"You are a magnificent creature, aren't you?" Sephiroth could feel the heat of humiliation flare in his cheeks; he hated bring reminded that he wasn't really human, that he'd been designed and created in the lab to serve the purposes real people wanted him for. But Angeal wanted his absolute submission, and so he didn't do anything to show how much that hurt him, just stopped trying to purr. At least it was only the people he desired himself that Sephiroth felt compelled to please sexually, not everyone who looked as if they wanted him, he couldn't have handled that - not that he'd ever understood why so many people lusted after him. He didn't look human, or even act it in a lot of ways and 'beautiful' meant humans, human women or pieces of art, and weapons weren't art.
"Much as I like the look of your pretty eyes I think I'd rather you couldn't see at the moment...and it looks like you don't want to be able to see either." There was laughter in Angeal's voice as he fastened a blindfold over Sephiroth's head, then he leaned forward and traced Sephiroth's stretched lips with first a finger then his tongue, prompting an involuntary moan. But Sephiroth fell silent when Angeal slung him over his shoulder unexpectedly; Angeal had never told him that he wanted Sephiroth to make noises when he did this, so Sephiroth didn't, he only moaned or made sounds for pleasure, never for pain, or anything else really.
Sephiroth felt Angeal lie him down on his back, arranging cushions so that he wasn't too uncomfortable with his arms trapped behind his back like they were, then his lover pulled the butt plug out and lifted his legs to thrust into him without any more preparation. Sephiroth was almost bent double by the older man's action, but he could feel how close he was to climax, restrained from it only by the cock-ring and ball-stretcher. A haze of pleasure filled his mind as Angeal drove towards his own climax, only increasing when he felt the warmth of Angeal's seed inside him, followed by the warmth of his mouth on Sephiroth's straining cock.
It wasn't enough to let him climax despite the cock-ring, but Sephiroth knew better than to expect that from Angeal, and it was rare enough that he got this. He couldn't keep from showing his pleasure at the act, and he pushed the nagging comparison with how Cloud did this for him as far from his mind as he possibly could, focusing on the moment. He didn't whine when Angeal pulled back and flipped him onto his knees again, pulling the ball gag out and thrusting his cock against his lips.
"Suck." Angeal didn't give Sephiroth much time to show off his skill at this, although he did his best while he could, closing off his mind to the taste - and he was immune to diseases so he didn't really worry about the safety aspect either. Soon enough Angeal was just thrusting into Sephiroth's mouth, and he was blessing his total lack of a gag reflex, relaxing his throat as much as he could and letting his lover use him.
"Good, very good." Angeal stroked his hair and began unbinding him, arms first, then removing the blindfold, before pulling Sephiroth into his arms, resting on his chest for a moment, wrapping his arms around Sephiroth controllingly. When Angeal added a leg over Sephiroth's he knew he wouldn't be able to move without hurting his lover. Finally Angeal slid his hand between them, wrapping it around Sephiroth's cock once he'd removed the ball-stretcher and cock-ring, and Sephiroth felt himself climax over Angeal's hand.
xoXox
Cloud knew the moves their teachers were demonstrating for the rest of the group, and the counters for most of them, but he also knew that there was no point in embarrassing them. Besides, he needed to put in more practice, build the muscle memories he'd depend on in a real fight, and for that it didn't really matter if he was training against someone like Zack or Angeal, or against Damon. But he didn't try to hold back, fighting at his full capacity, forcing his teachers to spar against him themselves instead of assigning the duty to one of his peers. He couldn't afford to do anything less than learn as fast as he possibly could after all, and he certainly couldn't risk developing a habit of holding back.
"Are you holding back?" SOLDIER 3rd class Darres, the teacher he was sparring against sounded suspicious, and Cloud resented that just a bit.
"Not exactly. I'm restricting myself to what you've shown us, not using the stuff Zack and Angeal taught me as well." Cloud shrugged, without ever letting his eyes leave his opponent. "I need to get more practice in without resorting to the more advanced tricks they've taught me." And besides that they'd been told to only use the techniques they'd been taught today in these 'spars'. He was using them as inventively as he could, but he did obey the instructions he'd been given - and he shouldn't have to explain that to the other man.
"We'll be doing some free sparring later on. I want to see you use everything you can in that."
"Yes sir." Cloud glanced past Darres for a fleeting second; everyone else had stopped sparring, even Matthias, who merited special coaching as the worst in the group. "Are you supposed to be demonstrating something 'new' now sir?"
"Ah...yes." Darres looked a bit startled, and joined the other two teachers assigned to the group, helping demonstrate the attack and classic defence they were supposed to be studying now, the third set of the day. Then SOLDIER 3rd class Remus came to work with Cloud, letting him attack first, then switching places with him, so that Cloud was running through the defence to the demonstrated conclusion. There were other options, better ways to deal with the attack, but obviously Cloud wasn't supposed to know about those yet, so he didn't risk the 'innovation'. Besides, the better ways were dependent on certain circumstances, so it was probably safer to engrave the standard defence into muscle memory, and use the alternate options only when he needed to.
"Swap partners and use everything we've shown you today." SOLDIER 3rd class Lionel came to take over from Remus, who went to help Matthias, while Darres took over the duty of watching the class as a whole and correcting any problems. Cloud wasn't going to do exactly as he was expected, even though he was sure it would probably make things easier on himself if he let Lionel guide him through whatever pattern of attack and defence would work best for them. But he was also sure that his teachers would push him harder if he irritated and frustrated them, so he made sure to do almost the exact opposite of what Lionel was expecting. Of course he couldn't afford to antagonise his teachers too much, so he stayed strictly within the rules set out, and he was grateful to see that there was no way he could embarrass Lionel too severely within those limits.
"Switch partners again, and spar freely. Use whatever you know." Darres looked unnervingly eager to see Cloud fight with everything he knew, so Cloud decided to give him what he wanted, even risking a few moves he wasn't quite happy with, knowing that he probably couldn't pull them off just yet.
"You're trying too hard." Darres looked amused now. "Want me to give you a hand getting those moves right? I think you can afford to spend this time actually learning something instead of going over stuff you already know."
"Thanks. You did say you wanted to see everything I know, so when I had the chance I thought I'd try the last few techniques Zack taught me." Zack and Angeal, but Angeal had apparently sought Cloud out on his day off to make it clear he didn't want any of the 'credit' for training him.
"Well, it looks like you're going to spend a lot of time bored."
"Or building more muscle memory, and it's a bit more of a challenge, to fight using a restricted number of moves." Cloud shrugged and waited for more instructions, running through the moves he'd been having trouble with under Darres' observation, making the changes he suggested.
"Well, at least I can help you learn something new now." There was a hint of satisfaction in his voice as Cloud pulled the move he'd been struggling with ever since Angeal taught him it off almost perfectly after hearing Darres explain what he needed to do better.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome." By the time they finished for the day Cloud had two of the moves he'd learned from Angeal, but not had the chance to go over with Zack down perfectly. He put up with the rest of the group teasing him about being the teacher's pet, especially since they seemed grateful for that, muttering that none of them wanted to face him in sparring, not the way he was fighting. Zack had always had him come up with three alternative uses for every move he was taught if he could, and told him to try to find at least one counter from the moves he already knew. It hadn't always worked, but it gave him a different view on his training, and on the options open to him. Cloud was torn between missing Zack while he was assigned away from Midgar, and being glad, because now he didn't really feel guilty about telling Sephiroth they'd be together this evening.
xoXox
Sephiroth absently shuffled his new deck of 'Tarot' cards, as he wondered what his keeper would want to do with him tonight. He didn't feel up to anything too rough emotionally, but he didn't think Cloud would ask for anything like that, not yet anyway. He was looking forward to the time that Cloud did ask for something like that of course, but just now he was grateful that Cloud seemed to prefer being gentle with him. He laid out the cards in a random order, not really thinking about it, just making a pattern as he waited, abandoning it to stand and greet Cloud when he arrived, eagerly returning his keeper's embrace and nuzzling into his hair before speaking.
"Did you enjoy practising your swordwork with the rest of your group?" He felt just a little bit guilty for hoping that the answer was 'no', that Cloud hadn't really enjoyed the chance to show off his skill among the less skilled, people who hadn't been forced to improve as swiftly as he had.
"It was a bit of a challenge trying to spar using only certain moves, and I did need to build muscle memory, but mostly it was boring. Useful, sparring always is, but boring. SOLDIER 3rd class Darres helped me master two moves I knew, but hadn't quite gotten right until today." Cloud turned in Sephiroth's embrace slightly, looking at the table he'd laid the cards out on. "Are you trying your hand at predicting the future then?"
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth didn't understand what he was talking about as he followed Cloud's gaze to the low table.
"Those cards, they're supposed to be a way to read the future, didn't you know?"
"No...I saw a picture of one of the images, the lovers, and I liked it, so I ordered the whole set of cards by that artist in the dragons theme." Sephiroth looked at the cards with new interest, as Cloud pulled him over to the table, wondering if there was anything he could tell from how he'd laid them out. "How does it work?"
"I don't know. I don't think it really does let you tell the future, but it's a fun game if you know how you're supposed to use them. There's books on the meanings of the cards, and the basic spreads, but I went to a card reader once and she didn't use any of the normal spreads according to Tifa." Cloud pushed Sephiroth down onto the couch and sat on his lap, stroking his hair with one hand as he pushed at one card gently. "This looks a bit like the spread she did for me."
"Might I ask what sort of things she predicted for you?" He hoped he wasn't asking for something too intimate, but he didn't think he was since Cloud was treating it as a joke.
"She said eventually I'd achieve my greatest dream; that my love would be returned by someone who'd never had a protector before, who would need my love and caring. And that I'd have trouble along the way from people ruled by their hatreds and prejudices, but that I'd rise above them." That sounded unnervingly accurate, and Sephiroth bit his lip as he wondered how to tell Cloud that. "Some of that she probably figured out from what she saw during the five days they were at Nibelheim for; I only went at the very end of their visit when everyone else had been to see her, but I never thought I'd get to be with someone like you."
"Thank you." Sephiroth was flattered that Cloud thought so well of him, but he didn't like the implication he thought he heard in Cloud's words and he hoped he was wrong. "Were you...mistreated in your home village?" He didn't like that idea at all, but he could just be projecting his own issues and fears onto Cloud.
"I wasn't popular, and it was a small town. I was the only blond there including my mom, so I was seen as an outsider, especially since my father came from outside of Nibelheim, and he died when I was young. But it doesn't matter. I've got you now, and I know you love me." That was a yes then...but Cloud didn't seem to be angry about it, so Sephiroth wouldn't try to do anything about it yet...he just made a mental note to refuse to go anywhere near Nibelheim unless it was at Cloud's request.
"Yes, I'm yours, in whatever way you want. And I do love you, with all my heart." He loved Zack and Angeal too, but not the way he loved Cloud; Cloud could easily be everything to him, Sephiroth could build his whole life around Cloud if he was permitted to.
"I love you too, my beautiful silver blade." Cloud kissed him almost chastely, petting his hair carefully, and Sephiroth closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the contact - and the pet name Cloud had used, something he couldn't really ask for no matter how much he wanted it. "I...don't want our time together to be just sex, but..."
"We don't get much time together at all. I know. Please Cloud, I want to feel you in me." He knew that Cloud would be gentle, and he needed the reassurance of feeling Cloud claim him again after Hojo had cornered him with questions about their relationship. He'd tell Cloud about that if he had to, but he'd far rather forget it in the pleasure of Cloud's touch and some of his hunger must have been obvious from the way Cloud laughed quietly.
"Then let's move this to your bedroom." He stood easily and held out a hand to help Sephiroth up, a little courtesy that always made him feel valued, even though, or perhaps especially because it wasn't needed.
xoXox
Cloud liked the way Sephiroth leaned against him for a moment as he helped him up, and he was tempted to keep him there, but that wouldn't get them to the bedroom. He kissed his mate swiftly, pushing his tongue into Sephiroth's mouth, 'forcing' his lips apart instead of waiting for him to open voluntarily, free hand sliding up into his hair. Then he pulled back and pulled gently on Sephiroth's hair, using it as a leash to make his lover follow him into the bedroom.
"Lie down on the bed." He could see how much the quiet order seemed to please his mate, perhaps especially because he gave it verbally, not through their link. Cloud loved how promptly Sephiroth obeyed once he let go of his hair as well. "Do you want us to do this without using our link at all tonight?"
"Please." There was a hint of pain in Sephiroth's voice, but Cloud wasn't going to ask him about that now, resting one knee on the bed to pull Sephiroth's boots off, then sitting down to remove his own. Glancing over at Sephiroth Cloud found himself smiling because his lover had stayed where he put him, even though it must have seemed that Cloud was ignoring him for a moment, and then felt just a little guilty about that.
He crawled over to lie on top of Sephiroth, kissing him gently and stroking his hair and his side, but Cloud was going to wait until Sephiroth did something more to raise the level of intimacy this time. Sephiroth made a soft, slightly impatient noise after a while, and wriggled underneath him for a moment, but Cloud refused to give in, and eventually Sephiroth lifted his hands to slide beneath Cloud's shirt. Cloud rewarded him by moving to kiss his throat, sucking teasingly as he began unfastening the straps across Sephiroth's chest, giving him a wordless hint about what to do next.
When Sephiroth began removing Cloud's clothes he bit down on his lover's throat, sliding his hands down his body to work at Sephiroth's belts, awkward as it was. Eventually they'd both done as much as they could without moving, and Cloud pulled back reluctantly.
"Just stay where you are." Sephiroth liked being dominated, but Cloud wasn't up to doing anything more than give him orders and biting him at the moment. He finished stripping quickly and efficiently, then he moved to kneel beside Sephiroth and strip him, kissing the exposed skin every so often.
"Might I touch you?" Sephiroth's voice was just a little uncertain, and despite the flare of arousal he felt on hearing it Cloud didn't like it that his mate felt compelled to ask permission to touch him. Except...he'd just told Sephiroth to remain in place, and he was asking Cloud to change that order.
"Feel free." But he still lay down on top of Sephiroth, kissing his throat and running his hands over his body, doing his best to overwhelm Sephiroth enough that he wouldn't be able to think of returning the favour. It worked for a while, but not for long and soon Sephiroth was touching him eagerly, teasing him, probably without really realising what he was doing.
Cloud slid his leg between Sephiroth's to force them open and began thrusting against him, guiding Sephiroth's hand down between their legs to work at Cloud while he returned the favour for his lover. But when he felt Sephiroth was just about to climax he shifted his grip to the base of his dick and squeezed hard enough to keep him from climax.
"Don't stop." He could feel Sephiroth faltering, and he didn't want that, not when he was so close to climax himself. When he felt himself come over his lover's hand he pushed away reluctantly, kissing Sephiroth gently on the lips and rolling over onto his back to finish his orgasm.
"Cloud?" Sephiroth sounded unhappy, not that he could entirely blame him for that; what he'd done could seem like a rejection all too easily.
"I want you to clean me up, then get me aroused again and ride me until I come." It wouldn't take too long for him to get hard again, not with Sephiroth, but he didn't want Sephiroth to think that he didn't care about what he needed. "I'll give you a hand if you need me to after that."
"As you command Cloud." But Sephiroth didn't sound too happy about it and Cloud couldn't see why. Unless it was that problem Sephiroth had with the idea of him having any control during sex, and Cloud could deal with that easily enough. Especially since Sephiroth hadn't started yet. He reached out and grabbed hold of Sephiroth's hair, pulling his head and mouth to the highest point his seed had fallen on his body. It worked, and Sephiroth began licking him clean enthusiastically, more so when Cloud kept his hands resting on his head, guiding him in his task.
"Good. Now grab some oil and prepare yourself for me." It was waiting on the side of the bed and Cloud watched with a smile as Sephiroth began stretching himself, a bit quicker than Cloud might have, or than Sephiroth would stretch Cloud, but he was sure his mate knew how much he could take. He let Sephiroth straddle him without doing anything to encourage him, and he just watched as his lover reached between his legs to guide Cloud into him, but once his mate had settled down onto him fully Cloud took hold of Sephiroth's hips, controlling the motion.
He could have left Sephiroth to move by himself, but from the look on his face his mate would enjoy this more, and Cloud gave himself over to the pleasure he was feeling. He wanted Sephiroth to come first, so he moved one hand after he was sure Sephiroth had the rhythm right, and stroked his cock roughly, watching how his lover tossed his head back, that beautiful silver hair falling down his back. He climaxed a few seconds after Sephiroth did, and rolled onto his side, wrapping his lover in his arms, and pulling out carefully.
xoXox
Just one year until Cloud qualified for a room to himself; fifty-one weeks now. Then they wouldn't have to sneak around like this to get time together, Sephiroth could openly acknowledge his involvement with Cloud and even if Cloud decided to forbid that they could sleep together after sex every night if they wanted. And Sephiroth wanted that, badly; it made him feel almost dirty that Cloud didn't stay with him afterwards, even though he knew that Cloud didn't really have that option, and his keeper stayed with him every time that he could.
Last night had been...odd for him, odd but very good. Despite the commands Cloud had given him Sephiroth had been allowed a lot more control than he was used to with Angeal or Zack. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle that very often, but it would be nice as an occasional treat, if Cloud was willing to allow him that sense of control, however illusory it might be in reality. Cloud had said he was willing to indulge him like that sometimes, but he hadn't expected it to happen again so soon after the first time. Which had probably been foolish, since they hadn't actually done anything when Cloud had rolled to put Sephiroth on top of him, he'd been too busy panicking for that.
This time the orders Cloud had given and the way he'd controlled Sephiroth's head and set the rhythm as he rode his keeper had kept him from panicking, or even consciously recognising the similarity with what Zack had done the last time they were alone together. When Zack had ridden him he'd never felt a moment's doubt that Zack was the one in control, but feeling Cloud's hands on his head, and on his hips, setting the rhythm had been enough to make him feel securely under Cloud's control, even after Cloud let him continue with the pace set. He loved the fact that Cloud had been willing to give him one night without using their link, and that he hadn't had to ask for it, as well as the way Cloud had trusted him to keep to the rhythm he'd set.
He'd spent too long lying there thinking about the previous night and Sephiroth dressed quickly before making his way to his usual training room. He glanced around, disappointed to see that he didn't have an opponent available today, then began working through a solo kata. Much as he was tempted to Sephiroth couldn't quite justify destroying some training equipment in an effort to get even a bit of a challenge, so instead he spent the full two hours before he had to get ready for breakfast practising his forms.
There wasn't anyone to eat breakfast with either, even though he was later in than usual, and Sephiroth wondered if Angeal was doing some sort of passive-aggressive thing because he'd spent last night with Cloud. He could have just come to eat earlier, or be planning to eat later, but Angeal was being a bit difficult about Sephiroth's relationship with Cloud, even if he couldn't figure out why. Angeal had known he was interested in Cloud even before the final decision to have him conditioned came down, so why was he so annoyed that Sephiroth had seized the opportunity to build a relationship with the blond out of this?
Zack wasn't angry that Sephiroth wanted a relationship with Cloud; he'd even encouraged Sephiroth to make a move on him before he was ordered to submit to Hojo's conditioning. Sephiroth didn't get why Angeal saw Cloud differently to the way he'd seen Zack: Angeal had been happy enough to add Zack to their relationship when he'd mentioned he was interested, was it because Cloud wasn't involved with Angeal as well? Should he try and convince Cloud to get involved with Angeal and Zack as well? But he didn't like that idea for some reason, and he pushed the thought away as he made his way to his office.
There was a message from Angeal on his desk, and Sephiroth read it eagerly. Apparently about four fifths of the cadets from Gregori's classes who'd found out they could apply more than once had been told directly by him, after they'd failed the first application. Of those almost a third had been accompanied by two instructors on their training exercise facing monsters. And there only four instructors who'd been assigned to do that...Sephiroth was glad Angeal had thought about getting that information, because he hadn't and it was more evidence against Gregori, as well as against the four instructors he'd obviously subverted. The cadets who learned they could apply more than once from someone besides Gregori had usually got the information from someone in a different class, or from a SOLDIER they'd made friends with. This was almost enough to indict Gregori by itself, but Sephiroth wanted to get as many of the SOLDIERs he'd corrupted as possible.
xoXox
NOTE: The second scene does not describe good or even remotely safe BDSM practice. When binding someone a good top will make sure the bondage is not painful, and keep on checking to ensure it does not become harmful - meaning he checks for coolness and numbness, both of which can indicate a loss of circulation. He will also help rub out any aches and pains when he removes the bindings. A gag should not be used without establishing some sort of signal to indicate any problems. And you never go from anal to oral without a thorough washing in between and a change of condoms.