Warnings: Nothing really yet. Zack swears and Chaos has fun.
Chapter 12 : I'll Take Everything
The Nibel Dragon had been fun, faster and tougher than Chaos had thought. It had a rich, wild flavour that was satisfying although his host wouldn't let him fully indulge that part of his nature. The human had struggled to regain control so Chaos had stopped sampling from the beast—it wasn't essential to his pleasure, after all, and he wasn't ready to let his host take back control. Besides his host wasn't quite ready to return so he went looking for other things to play with.
He ignored the small creatures, the wolves and the zuus. They were hardly worthy of notice let alone attacking. He found a nest of feral creatures that reeked of contamination and unnatural things; they were of Gaia yet not. His host thought that they were experiments escaped from the lab, injected with the Not-Gaia creature that had been stored there. And so his immortalis approved of Chaos destroying them.
They were pathetically weak individually but with nine of them gathered together they were formidable. They had no real pack structure so it was hard to predict their actions. It managed to be an interesting fight so he'd let it drag on for longer than needed but it was almost as much fun as the dragon. He didn't bother to taste these ones, knowing they'd be sour from the infection of the Not-Gaia.
The host wanted him to disintegrate the bodies, remove all traces of them before unaltered scavengers could eat them and absorb their mutations but Chaos ignored him. Scavengers would eat them or maybe not. If scavengers did eat them, maybe they would be affected, maybe not. If the wild things did alter maybe they'd pass those genes on to their offspring, maybe not. Changes may occur or maybe not. He couldn't guarantee the outcome, he merely provided the opportunity.
Before his host could take control and destroy the bodies he flew away. Soon he would lose control of the body and once again be relegated to observer, but not quite yet...
"You're a mercenary?!" The dark-haired First shouted with glee. Cloud's wings lifted and flapped as if to echo his friend's emotions.
Sephiroth returned the smile, "And very content to be one."
"That is too fucking great." He had to jump up. This was too big to take sitting down. "Y'know, the whole time we were in there, the lab, I was plotting our escape, and I wondered what we'd do if we got out."
"Come looking for me, I hope," Sephiroth interrupted dryly, still sharing his meal with the Corporal.
"Duh! Of course. But we'd need to get some gil so we could afford to go looking for you. I mean, we're not qualified for much besides killing stuff, so guess what I thought we'd do?" he asked excitedly.
"Become mercenaries?" It wasn't much of a guess but Sephiroth knew he'd been correct when Zack pumped his fists down low.
"Oh yeah! Great minds or what," Zack was pretty stoked. Who'd have thought his by-the-book superior officer would've had the cheek to negotiate something like that. And for them. He'd done it for them. The General had literally spent years working to get them back.
"You don't have to give me an answer right away. I expect you'll want to look over the contract before deciding, but I want you to know that there is no one I trust more for the position. Kunsel was right. I am holding it for you."
He thought of what he and Cloud had done, of what he still had to tell the General. Shit, I don't deserve that kind of loyalty. Do I? He waited for Sephiroth to call him on his sudden change of mood but aside from a single sharp glance, the silver-haired warrior stayed said nothing about it. Instead he redirected his friend's attention. "Did you need more to eat? The Mess will send something over if I request it."
Zack looked at the table, which probably doubled as the General desk. It was a scene of epicurean devastation; trays, pots, dishes and jugs, all scraped empty and abandoned. "Nah, I'm good." Lacking anything else to do, and to delay the inevitable confession, he started stacking the plates and cups and organizing them on the trays.
At least it was a better use of his nervous energy than squats thought his General, carefully slicing the last meatball in half to share with Cloud. He held it up expecting the blond to open his mouth like he usually did. A slow blink was the only reaction. "Why is he holding his mouth closed?"
"Huh?" Zack asked startled. His mind had been drifting, trying to work out the best phrasing.
"He's not opening his mouth any more. Is there a problem?" The General didn't allow panic to show in his voice. Concern was acceptable.
"He's probably full, is all," Zack's matter of fact reply helped settle even that. "You can ask him. Just touch him skin-to-skin and, I dunno, send the question to him." It was kind of sweet to see Sephiroth cautiously touching Cloud's face, as if the contact would burn him.
Silver eyebrows dipped in concentration. He drew back in confusion. "I think he's saying 'gas'."
"Oh fuck, yeah," Zack chuckled, "I forgot about that, it's been so long since we had solid food. He needs to be burped."
"He needs to be... what?" Sephiroth wondered if he was actually still eating with the Wutaians and this was some odd daydream he was experiencing. It made about as much sense as dreams ever did.
"Cloud has gas, he needs to be burped. You know, like a baby?" Zack waited but Sephiroth only shrugged. "I can't believe you've never seen a baby being burped," Zack complained but he lifted the Corporal out of his chair and positioned the blond's fat little belly over his hip. "Shit, he sure ate enough," he laughed, "he feels like he's got a soccer ball in there." Then he proceeded to rub Cloud's back until he gave a loud belch. "It part of the whole coma thing," he explained to his entranced commanding officer. "Just like a baby, he can't control how much air he swallows with his food, so he's got to be burped. Especially after eating like a greedy little bandersnatch." There was another, smaller noise from the blond.
"How do you know so much about this?"
"Nieces and nephews back in Gongaga. Too many of them, actually," Zack explained. Sephiroth raised one eyebrow in question. "Shit, you gotta teach me how to do that," Zack called out and completely confused his silver-haired friend.
"I beg your pardon?"
"It's the eyebrow thing. I could've used it today in the doctor's office," he lifted his brows a couple times in illustration. Sephiroth was still confused. "Never mind," he shrugged it away. "As one of the older kids in the family, I was always being given a baby to feed and burp and change. It was one of the reasons I left for Midgar. I didn't think I'd ever have to do all that again." He sighed but smiled fondly at the smaller man still giving little burps. "The gods sure like laughing at us mortals, don't they."
Sephiroth decided to ignore any discussions of eyebrows and large families. They were irrelevant and confusing. Instead he asked the most important question, "What did the doctor suggest as treatment for Cloud?"
"Pfft," Zack responded in disgust, "Time mostly, to let the mako work its way out of his system. But," a deep breath, "I may have an idea." The dark-haired First looked over at the General diffidently. "Do you remember that odd trance he went into at Nibelheim? When we went to the reactor?"
It was enough, more than enough. With one final push, Vincent took control of his body back from the demon. He knew, he always knew, what Chaos did when he was in control. The few other times the demon had slaughtered Vincent had always felt disgust and horror at what his beasts were capable of.
This time he was thankful. It had provided an outlet and the rage had passed.
They'd killed more of Hojo's obscene creations, although it would have been better to destroy the bodies totally. He turned around, trying to figure out which way the corpses were but Chaos had travelled in random directions with his eyes closed so Vincent had no landmarks to reference. He could search but it would be pointless. *Quite pointless, my little immortalis* Chaos laughed.
No, he wouldn't find the bodies of those poor creatures, but he could see the distant lights of the ShinRa camp.
The camp where Sephiroth was. Sephiroth... his son...
'Lucrecia,' he pleaded to her ghost, 'why didn't you tell me?'
Her son, his son. Tortured and abused from the womb. Vincent had done nothing. He hadn't even tried.
He fell to his knees. This time his shout wasn't one of challenge but of pain. He hadn't known. If he'd known... If only Lucrecia had told him. Lucrecia. What had she done to their son?
His son. His poor boy...
He shouted out anger and pain and betrayal until he couldn't shout any more. Then he whispered it to the uncaring earth.
It wasn't really enough.
"So you think that we should go to this, this house of Cloud's, and call all his aspects back from the Lifestream. If they all gather we can fix his house, his personas will merge and Cloud will be healed?"
Considering how long it had taken Zack to explain everything, Sephiroth's two-line summation seemed rather terse. However, it was accurate. The SOLDIER nodded his head. Cloud was back on his chair, finishing up the last of the chocolate pudding. It was an amazingly messy process but the blond was making that happy humming sound so Sephiroth fed him a mouthful and patiently cleaned up any spills.
"And how do you suggest we get to his house? He can hardly tell me invite me to it. Although, I have to say I'm willing to try anything if only to hear him explain more clearly what he envisioned whilst in his trance. Your description was decidedly lacking in details."
Zack's cheeks flared red and Sephiroth dipped his head to hide his smile. He so very rarely had managed to tease and embarrass the First, he could be excused his enjoyment of the current situation. There was also the fact that his friend's stuttering, obviously highly edited, version of Cloud's trance had made them both half-hard. He could smell Zack's arousal from here.
Sephiroth wanted sex.
He wanted sex with Cloud... and with Zack. He wanted to wrap himself in their smells and their sounds, to breathe them in with all his senses. He wanted his scent on them and theirs on him. He knew if he pushed it the First would give in. The General, with his high level of Jenova cells, could 'call' the SOLDIER to him, just as that alien thing had called to Sephiroth all those years ago. He could do it... but he couldn't.
But he could still tease the Commander.
"From the little you explained, Cloud envisioned the three of us," he hesitated with false delicacy, peeking up from under his bangs in order to watch Zack's reaction, "engaged in sexual activities. Perhaps we should try to recreate the imaginary events in real life to establish the connection." It was a... well, not so innocent suggestion but it was made only to tease. Sephiroth was completely unprepared for the reaction.
Zack's mouth dropped open, but it wasn't shock or amusement but an odd kind of horror. His dark skin paled and he quickly looked away from his General. Cloud, who'd initially spread his wings excitedly, now whimpered and drew them back towards himself.
"What?" Sephiroth asked bewildered, "What's wrong?" He waited. "Zack?" he pressed.
The tall SOLDIER sneaked a quick look at his friends and looked away again. He shifted from foot to foot. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, rubbing one hand over his hair. "Ah well, yeah," he started but didn't continue.
Cloud's wings drew in even further. "Nnngg," The blond's voice was small.
"What is it," Sephiroth's voice was firmer, more demanding. Whatever was making Zack uncomfortable was affecting Cloud as well.
"Fuck," the Commander whispered. He sat down and dragged both his hands over his face. "Okay so, um, when Cloud first got his wings they made him use them all the time and his muscles got sore because, of course, he wasn't used to having wings. So I, uh, gave him a massage and, and... shit!" He leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees, eyes focused on them and nothing else. "I gave him a massage and he got a, y'know, erection, and he didn't want to stop and I didn't either, really. So we, y'know..." his voice trailed off.
He finally looked at Cloud. He'd promised his friend that Sephiroth wouldn't be angry at him but he couldn't bring himself to look at the silver-haired swordsman. "We didn't stop."
"You had sex with Cloud," Sephiroth clarified, "Not just a wing rub but penetration?"
Zack nodded jerkily. "It was just comfort between friends. It felt nice when so much in that place didn't." He finally looked up at the General. "And, and half the time he called out your name anyway. I stopped when he couldn't give consent. I swear and I tried to protect him from the guards. He didn't ever let them. I mean he fought—"
"Zack," Sephiroth raised a hand to stop his babbling. He hadn't thought, he hadn't realized that Zack would feel guilty about it. He needed to phrase this right, so they would both know that Sephiroth wasn't angry, and he didn't blame them that he, in fact, envied them a little for having had each other to turn to... and he realized that's exactly what he should say.
"Zack," he repeated. He placed his hand on Cloud's bare arm, "and Cloud. First off; there is no blame here, not for either of you. I would've been surprised if you two hadn't turned to each other for comfort, for something that would remind you that you were human and loved. I had already assumed as much and I am not angry with you. In fact, I envy you."
He stroked the shapely arm and smiled at the long-ago memory of someone doing the same for him. Then he thought of his old friend, the Red General and his smile slipped away. "Genesis offered to have sex with me, but he did it because he was bored and I was available. After being with Cloud, and sleeping with the two of you, what Genesis offered wasn't enough," he paused and decided to add some more to that statement, "He doesn't even like me anymore which is why he's close to old Midgar and not here."
Cloud's wings had begun to unfurl, tentatively reaching out to his silver-haired lover. It made Sephiroth smile, but it was a small thing. He reached over and lifted Zack's chin. Tears were brimming in his beautiful, expressive eyes. "Did you think I would condemn you, either of you?"
"I... I didn't know. I wasn't sure," Zack took a breath. "You and Cloud were so new together..."
"I know who to blame the brutality of Hojo's guards on. I grew up with them remember. I know you would've tried to protect him, and he, you. Whatever comfort you could offer each other, I'm grateful you had something pleasurable to counter their actions." He sat back, folding one arm across his chest and using the other hand to stroke at Cloud's long feathers; once again back within easy reach. "You are friends. Friends take of friends, sometimes in unconventional ways."
Zack was rubbing his eyes, taking deep breaths to steady himself. Sephiroth often forgot how young he was; only a couple years older than Cloud. He was strong, but he could be hurt and frightened.
He was as beautiful in his way as Cloud.
And he'd enjoyed his encounters with Cloud, that's why he'd gotten aroused when he told the tale of the blond's mystic protection. It increased certain possibilities and Sephiroth was far too much The Silver General to ignore such a opportunity.
The silver warrior had long been attracted to the dark-haired SOLDIER, ever since he'd seen the eager recruit at Angeal's side in fact; but Zack had always been unresponsive to any sexual advance made by even the most attractive of men... much to Genesis' disgust. Because of that, Sephiroth had never once made any comment or insinuation that would let the SOLDIER know how much he wanted to bed him. Their growing friendship, so different from the balance of power between him and Genesis and Angeal, had convinced him that it would be better to let the sexual attraction remain buried and he had done that.
That was over now.
It was obvious the SOLDIER had physically enjoyed his time with the Corporal. If the tale of Cloud's trance was accurate then his little Corporal had certainly imagined them all together at least once, and Sephiroth knew Zack well enough to know that after he'd heard the tale, Zack would've imagined what it would feel like for all three of them to be together in real life. At the very least, he would have wondered if it were possible because that was just the Commander's nature. The idea had been planted and Sephiroth wanted to see if anything had grown from it.
"Would it make you angry or uncomfortable if I admit that the idea of seeing you and Cloud together is... arousing? That I would like to make Cloud's vision a reality." When Zack just looked at him with his mouth again hanging open he decided to push it, "Maybe it will establish the mental connection you say is needed to find his 'house'."
Clouds wings extended fully. He pumped them in excitement, raising himself slightly from the chair and blowing an empty glass off the table. Zack caught it while Sephiroth smiled and soothed his delighted lover. "Well, he certainly makes his desires known," he commented dryly.
"Ummm," was Zack's less than intelligent reply. His deep blue eyes blinked slowly in shock. "Shit," he said next. Which still didn't answer Sephiroth's question.
The First scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair before jumping up to stand nervously. "Yeah, well." He crossed his hands over his chest, then propped them on his hips, "Funny you should mention that."
It was Sephiroth's turn to blink in shock, but it didn't last long before an unholy amusement took its place. "Are you saying—?"
"Well," Hands back over his chest, he wouldn't meet the General's eyes, "That's how it happened between Cloud and me so it'll, um, probably work again?" A pause, "Fuck," it was a heartfelt prayer. Sephiroth had never seen Zack's face so full of colour. The First picked up the dishes, loading himself up like a pack chocobo before carrying them over to the door. Sephiroth watched as he used his foot to manoeuvre the door open and placed the dirty dishes on the ground outside the door. He heard Zack ask the guards to call a crew from the kitchen to come get them.
It occurred to Sephiroth that the SOLDIER was more than embarrassed over this. That it was almost cruel to tease him this way.
"Zack," he said, calling his friend back from the door. He waved him back to his seat. "It may have been the way that you and Cloud did it, but it's not necessarily the only way, surely."
"It's okay," he responded but he still wasn't looking at the General.
"It's very obviously not," Sephiroth disagreed. "I was teasing earlier but I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don't want to—"
The First choked out a laugh, "That's just it. I do want to." He finally looked up. His eyes were dark with lust and with confusion and so many emotions it was hard to describe them all, "How do I tell Aerith?"
Sephiroth said nothing for a moment. He watched Cloud's wing stretch to his friend in sympathy while he reviewed all the interactions he'd had with his SiC's girlfriend. There weren't that many but they had been memorable. The little flower girl seemed so very innocent but she'd had ancient eyes... very appropriate considering. She may have been young in years but there was very little she didn't know, and accept, about human behaviour.
"The last time I saw Ms. Gainsborough was in Junon before I signed the contract with Rufus Shinra," Sephiroth said slowly, "I assured her that you were alive and that I'd find you. She replied 'He's one of your foundations, isn't he.' I'd never thought of our relationship that way but she was correct. We talked some more about you, mostly general things. Before I left, I promised her that I would return you to her. She looked at me for almost a minute before she smiled and said, 'We can share him. I don't think he'd mind.'" Sephiroth looked at Zack. "Her eyes were so bright, and so... knowing. She was the most fascinating and disturbing person I've met."
Zack sat, holding himself still, breathing only shallowly. His hands were tucked under the opposite arms, his chin was down. He looked like a distressed teenager and Sephiroth wanted to scoop him up and sooth him. Instead, he leaned forward, invading his friend's personal space only slightly.
"She is a very special person and I honestly do not believe that any relationship we," he circled a finger to indicate the three of them, "develop will stop her from loving you. However, if you feel that you are better suited to a more... traditional relationship... then I will respect that, and I'm sure Cloud will too—"
"Gghhh," it was an agreement.
"—and we will find some other way to make whatever connection you feel is necessary." Sephiroth very carefully, but firmly, placed his hand on Zack's knee. "Whatever else you are, you are my friend—"
"Ggghh."
"Our friend," he corrected, "and we will not jeopardize your happiness."
Zack finally looked up at him. He was silent for a long moment, just looking at them both. Then he swallowed heavily. "Can I borrow your phone again?"
AN: I've closed the poll. Unsurprisingly, the idea of having Vincent and Chaos involved with somebody led the results. Most people want him to get together with Genesis but Tifa was a close second choice. Like I said before, no guarantees but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for taking the time to vote!