Warnings: Explicit M/M/M action... finally.
Chapter 13 : Flamed My Heart
Vincent wasn't sleeping but in a state close to it. His mind was empty, except for Chaos' comments, and he was managing to ignore those quite nicely.
He hadn't looked at the stars in over thirty years. As a child, he'd looked at them often with his father and had listened to the scientific explanation of the stars as balls of gas burning light-years away. He'd never told his father that he'd preferred his nanny's stories of gods, heroes and epic battles. Her myths had made just as much sense as his father's more scientific explanation to his young mind. Besides they were a lot more fun.
As he'd gotten older, he'd cared less for why they were there, content merely that they were there. They looked pretty so did they need any other reason than that to exist? Although the idea of life on other planets was intriguing and he'd read all the cheap science-fiction he could sneak past his disapproving teachers.
When he'd joined the Turks he'd stopped looking at them except to assess them as a light-source during night operations. Then had come Kalm and the mission from one of Bahamut's Hells that had resulted in eight innocent people being killed including two little children. Nibelheim had followed; a soft, penalty assignment to allow him to 'get his head on straight'.
He'd relearned how to look at the stars. How to sit under a tree and watch the fruit blossoms fall. How to look into a pair of pretty, brown eyes and dream...
He didn't know how to dream any more, not about anything. He didn't want to relearn the activity either. Dreams hurt.
He could look at the stars though. He could look at them and call them by the names given them by his long dead nanny. That one was Ramah's Bolt, named for the nebula that almost looked like a blurred lightning strike if you squinted. That one was Bahamut's Fury. If your imagination was good enough it could look like one of the great beasts with its wings spread. It didn't have the brightest stars but it had a lot in the second magnitude, he'd forgotten their scientific names.
He ignored the soft pad of approaching footsteps. Whatever was approaching smelled of Gaia, not Jenova or Hojo. It was therefore no threat. Vincent would ignore it as much as possible, content to keep his mind empty as he looked at the star-filled sky.
That one was Odin's Might, the All-Father mounted on a rearing horse getting ready to attack the Bahamut and protect the planet. Odin's constellation held four of the six brightest stars.
"Do the stars speak to you?" the creature asked.
"No."
"My Grandfather says they speak to everyone although each person hears their own story." The creature was well-spoken and obviously intelligent, but it was still annoying that it was here and not elsewhere.
He didn't look over. "That is your Grandfather's opinion."
"I am called Nanaki." The creature lowered itself to the ground, crossed its ankles and rested its chin on its paws. Settling in for a long night, it seemed. Vincent hoped its fur was thick enough to combat the cold. Mountain nights were always chilly. He no longer noticed extremes of temperature. He could survive being frozen, and being encased in fire. He didn't remember those experiments but Chaos did.
"Your name is?" Nanaki persisted. From the corner of his eye he could see Nanaki turn its head and fix its gaze upon him. It was a steady, unblinking stare. It would look at the gunman until it received an answer.
It was an innocuous enough request. "Vincent Valentine."
"By your scent, I'd say that you know more of how the planet works than most people."
"I do not." He was sure that Shiva's Dance was over there. Her constellation contained the other two brightest stars but he'd always had trouble locating her.
"You smell of Gaia," Nanaki gently contradicted.
Vincent didn't sigh, he didn't shift; impatience was for the pure man, the man without sin, "Then I should probably bathe."
Silence fell. Vincent watched the flickering light that was the Bahamut's eye. He could use it to locate Shiva's Dance if he could remember the second star to triangulate with.
"I saw your other self's fight with the experiments. You represent a new element in the war for the protection of the planet, and my grandfather will never forgive me if I don't bring back complete data." Nanaki stated patiently and firmly.
Vincent sighed.
They were prepared for bed. They'd brushed their teeth, washed their hands and faces, and taken care of all their other bodily needs. Now they were standing in the General's bedroom awkwardly ignoring the large pile of mattresses Sephiroth had ordered assembled into a surface large enough for three to sleep on. There was a small camp stove to provide light more than heat as it wasn't cold enough to affect any of them.
The General stood holding Cloud under his knees and shoulders; cuddling him like a new bride, using him like a shield. Now that the big moment was here he was nervous.
Zack was standing rubbing his hair, conspicuously not staring at the bed. He also avoided looking at the discreet bottle of oil on the nightstand that the General had retrieved from his kit. It had felt weird asking his girlfriend permission to sleep with another guy. It had felt even weirder when she given him permission and, with a teasing giggle, had asked him to take photos. Aerith was a perv, and he hadn't known!
Even with her permission, and downright encouragement, it still felt odd and embarrassing but, as much as he wanted to run away and be true to his girl, he couldn't give this up. He needed this. He needed to be part of this small group. He needed to touch, and hear and smell his little community. It was an ache but it was also un-freaking-believable.
"Ngghh?" It wasn't even a word yet it said so much. Cloud was impatient, eager, and wondering what was taking them so long.
It was perfect for making the two SOLDIERs look at each other and laugh softly at how ridiculous this was. And yet… when Zack truly looked at his commanding officer, he could see the uncertainty, like Sephiroth still wasn't sure Zack truly wanted this. So Zack was the one to make the first move. He stepped in and pressed his full, wide lips to Sephiroth's thin, sculpted ones. Sephiroth didn't move, he didn't make a sound except for one soft sigh. Then he slowly opened his mouth just a little, enough to let his tongue reach out and taste Zack's full lips. They tasted of toothpaste and Zack. They were delicious.
Sephiroth tilted his head, giving his lips a different angle to explore. From one corner of Zack's mouth to the other, the General took his time tasting his friend until finally Zack drew away. The SOLDIER's eyes were closed. His breathing was quick and shallow, and it wasn't all from nerves. Sephiroth knew. The scent of Zack's arousal was thick in the tent's still air.
Cloud gave a small sigh and his wings flapped lazily. Sephiroth knew that the blond had enjoyed their kiss—he remembered his Corporal's lust scent very well. He also knew, probably through that 'connection' Zack spoke of, that he was anticipating the follow-up. Well... so was Sephiroth.
"Perhaps we should get undressed," the General suggested. Cloud's wings fluttered in agreement before he drew them back in and made them disappear with a pop similar to air pressure equalization. The Corporal had a lot fewer inhibitions in his coma-like state than he had when fully conscious, Sephiroth had realized while readying his lover for bed. It made Sephiroth smile.
Zack chuckled, "I think he agrees with you."
The First had already placed his huge sword to one side. Now he sat down on the palette to remove his boots. Sephiroth sat down beside him and stripped Cloud's uniform shirt off. He ran a hand down the smooth, muscled chest, over the large scar left by the bullet's exit, and over the small bump that showed just how much he'd eaten. It filled the General with an odd kind of pride—he was providing for his mate, and Sephiroth was never, ever going to tell the Corporal he'd thought that. He turned to lay the blond carefully on the bed so he could remove the loose uniform pants. He gave his naked lover a long, firm stroke. It was odd, he thought, Cloud was thin, yes, but still muscular. He should weigh much more than he did.
Zack had already finished stripping and he climbed under the sheets, holding them up so Sephiroth could tuck his young lover in beside him. The SOLDIER pulled Cloud up to nestle on his chest and the silver warrior could see the comfort Zack drew just by being near his friend.
The General finished undressing, tidily folding his clothes and placing them on the chair by the bed. A habit so ingrained it required neither thought nor effort. Another habit was to partially braid his hair before getting into bed. It didn't tangle but it could twist and tighten around him as he slept, and he'd often awoken when his hair was so tight he could no longer move his head. Sephiroth raised his arms to gather his hair and heard Zack catch his breath. He hadn't thought of the picture he'd make; naked, muscled, and partially erect—a silver god outlined in fire.
"Don't, don't braid it," Zack asked hesitantly.
Sephiroth let his hands drop. Zack was watching him with huge eyes, nervous yet hungry. It caused his body to tighten and what was to have been a straightforward walk over to the bed became a predatory prowl. His hips swung a little more than he normally let them. His shoulders swung a little differently. His eyelids lowered and he knew he was smiling like a cat with prey. He didn't forget himself enough to allow his Jenova cells to activate. No 'Psycho Alien Bitch', as Zack had called her, was going to interfere with his first time with his two friends.
Thinking of Jenova made Sephiroth remember his own legacy from the genes he carried inside. He almost rejected the thought—he didn't like doing this in front of strangers. Except these weren't strangers. 'These' were Zack and Cloud and they deserved to see. So, despite the temptation to just climb on the bed and give in to their every desire, he would do this one thing before he joined his companions. Seduction fell away and he gave them an oddly vulnerable look. "A moment," the General requested. He hadn't done this often. As little as possible in fact.
Zack, his fingers absently stroking down Cloud's spine just so he could feel the blond's erection jump against his hip, pulled himself out of his haze and focussed on the silver-haired fighter. When Sephiroth lifted his right hand close to his face, the gesture was strangely familiar but Zack didn't care. Just having the powerful General allow himself to be vulnerable around them filled Zack with a sense of protective pride. He was one of the few Sephiroth could do this with.
Zack felt a shift in air pressure, and a large, black wing appeared from behind Sephiroth's right shoulder. His eyes widened; Seph's wing was fucking huge! It was huge and full and feathered, and beautiful and perfect. Shit!
Alpha male, anyone?
The sight of it made him realize, really realize that he was going to be bottoming for his friend. Shitshit. Could he do this? Sephiroth wasn't the guards in the lab. He was safe with Seph, he knew this, but what if he froze or had a flash-back or did something that was disappointing or made Seph think Zack didn't want this? He did want this. He did...
Cloud, even in his vacancy, seemed to know about the wing. He gave a happy little 'meep' and one of his own wings emerged. It was maybe half the size of the General's but he didn't care. He flicked it a couple times then let it rest along his spine. The movement snapped Zack out of his funk and back to the present, where Sephiroth, his friend, was standing there with his huge fucking wing, looking sexy and powerful but vulnerable. He was as uncertain about this as Zack was. It was reassuring to see it in the normally confident warrior. The First smiled and hoped it contained all the acceptance and friendship... and lust, he felt for his CO.
Sephiroth saw Zack's smile change from his normal one to something deeper, more sensual and inviting. He still wanted this, wanted him.
The General let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. "I thought you should know," he said. "I am, however, more comfortable with it... put away… if that's okay with you?" Zack nodded silently. It took him a little longer than Cloud to make his wing disappear but he sighed in relief once it was done.
Sephiroth moved until his knees touched the side of the bed. He stared down as his friend. The sheet was pushed down low on his hips. He was, if anything, even more muscular than before. Light patches, scars from the bullets he'd taken at the reactor, decorated his skin like snowflakes on a dark coat. It didn't detract from his attractiveness but made him look like what he was; a warrior. 'He's beautiful,' Sephiroth thought, catching his breath as he realized all that beauty was his tonight;, his to stroke, his to lick, his to enjoy. His.
The General's breathing became as ragged as his SiC's. "Touch yourself?" he asked. Zack swallowed, but did as requested.
At first, it was easy to tell he did it for someone else; his hand moved but didn't caress, over stomach and chest. Then his fingers snagged on one of his tight, little nipples... snagged and returned. The warrior ran his rough fingertips over the nub. A light pinch, a twist, and the dark-haired First was stretching like a cat. The dim light played over the textures of his body. Sephiroth watched it all with an avid gaze.
The big SOLDIER's chest was moving rapidly as Zack took shallow, panting breaths. His nipples, dark red disks on dusky skin, were already full and tight. The thin sheet couldn't hide the prominent bulge at his hips. His blue eyes, normally so bright, were dark and liquid in the dim light. His cheeks and lips were flushed. Anticipation thrummed through the Commander, and filled the room.
"Your skin gleams," Sephiroth said, watching the uneven camp stove light ripple over taut muscles.
He sat down at Zack's hip and placed his pale, pale hand on that smooth skin. Long fingers traced muscles, bones and the patterning of scars. Cloud's arm, draped limply over Zack's torso, was explored the same way when the General's fingers encountered it, as if it were only natural for the blond to be included.
Cloud stretched his wing a little. It was large and it was strong, and it blocked Sephiroth's view of his lover's face. He put his hand on Cloud's arm and 'asked' him to put the wing away for now. He promised that they would explore the possibilities some other time. Cloud made a sound that must have been acquiescence because he shivered and his wing disappeared.
Sephiroth smiled at how agreeable his little Cloud was. How... how happy he seemed with the situation. In reward, and because he wanted to, the General pressed an open hand up over strong shoulders and down along his lovely back and into that soft, warm down. Zack's hand was still resting there, dark against the small white feathers and Sephiroth was struck by the contrast. Cloud's skin was the warm peach tone typical of the northern part of the Western Continent. Zack's skin was the colour of a deep tan, and his own? His was an unhealthy, pasty, blue-grey when placed next to theirs. Their skin looked alive. His... did not. Startled by the realization he pulled his hand away.
At least he tried. Zack was, indeed, much faster than he had been.
"Friends," the First stated firmly, and entwined their fingers. He placed their joined hands on Cloud's back, right on the sensitive down. The blond purred in contented excitement. Sephiroth caught his breath as the sound caused his own arousal to spike. He was suddenly, painfully hard and any reservations about what he was and what they were doing fell away. He wanted this.
The position of their hands pulled Sephiroth lower, closer, until he was near enough to kiss. Zack chuckled softly as the General decided to take advantage. A touch of the lips, short, dry. A longer touch, rubbing a little, heads tipping to match up the angles, to get closer. Lips parted just enough to taste each other's breath, moist and warm. A little wider to let tongues touch, lightly, hesitantly.
It was different from kissing Aerith, or from kissing Cloud. This time the SOLDIER was responding to someone else's actions. It was actually kind of nice to not be the one in charge, to be able to lay back and enjoy. Although it was never a good idea to let the General have everything his own way. Zack pulled back, smiling lazily. "You taste good," Zack said before returning for more, pressing firmly this time, opening wider, searching deeper. He raised his hand to explore pearly skin. He lifted his leg to cradle the General's long body more securely, and every move shifted their hands over Cloud's tiny, soft feathers.
It didn't take long until all three were breathing heavily.
Zack broke first, "I can't... It's been too long." His hips were undulating, rubbing his erection on smooth skin. Sephiroth didn't think the SOLDIER was even aware of it. He licked at the drops of sweat pooling in the dip above Zack's collar bone, feeling the resulting moan as a vibration against his lips.
"I understand," the General replied.
"How're we going to do this? I mean with Spike the way he is."
Sephiroth smiled deviously. He gave Zack's lips a quick lick, and Cloud a hard kiss. "I have a plan." He sat back on his knees between the dark-haired SOLDIERs legs and lifted his small lover so that he was laying groin-to-groin with Zack his legs draped on the outside. The Corporal was small enough that he tucked nicely under the larger man's chin. Zack automatically placed one hand between the blond's shoulders and one hand on the base of his spine to brace him, but it also worked to stimulate both of them as their sensitive erections rubbed over each other. Sephiroth had thought that would be the case.
"Ggh!" Cloud blinked, not the slow lazy blink they'd grown used to but quick, excited blinks.
"Excellent," Sephiroth hummed but he wasn't finished yet.
He took a pillow, easily lifted the pair of them, and placed it under Zack's hips. It forced Zack's legs both higher and wider. As a bonus, Cloud's legs also spread wider so it provided a very nice view for the silver warrior. Sephiroth took a moment to enjoy it before reaching for the oil. Delicate fingertips traced over the smooth inner thighs of both his lovers, following the crease of Zack's hip joint down to the centre of their bodies. He outlined their genitalia, what he could reach of it, even as he stretched for the lubricant. He had very good control, but it had been so long. Cloud was humming and Zack was moaning, and this was pushing his limits.
From Junon to South Corel and on past Cosmo Canyon, he'd carefully packed and carried this little bottle of sensual oil. The last time he'd been with Cloud they'd had to use medicated ointment as a lubricant because Sephiroth hadn't thought to bring anything. It had been during the Nibelheim mission. The attraction, and the opportunity to act on it, had been unexpected. This time he'd done better. He'd debated on which scent to purchase, but he didn't know any of Cloud's favourites so he'd bought one that he thought he'd like, dark mocha. After all, one could never go wrong combining chocolate and coffee. He carefully opened it and poured some on his hand, all the time watching his two companions.
Zack was pressing Cloud's hips down to his own and thrusting slowly. His eyes were half-lidded and dark with lust. His attention was focussed so tightly on the sensations of his body that Sephiroth thought he probably didn't realize he was groaning low and deep. Zack's other hand was clutching and massaging the area on Cloud's back where the Corporal's wings emerged. The blond's eyes were also half-closed and he was humming his enjoyment. His lips—those luscious, bow lips, were slightly open but making soft sucking motions, as if he were eating something tasty.
Sephiroth couldn't resist stealing a kiss from the Corporal before leaning back, once again. He ran one slick finger down Cloud's cleft, over his exposed sac, to Zack's tender flesh and further down, barely touching the SOLDIER's tight little opening.
"Seph, please, gods!" Zack begged. Sephiroth was driving him nuts. He could smell the combined scent of sweat and arousal, the smell slightly different for each of them; unique and wonderful. He could hear every pant, the shift and slide of Sephiroth spreading the oil on his hand. Cloud's hum and Sephiroth's absent purr. He knew he was moaning, louder than the two of them combined, but he couldn't care. Not when Sephiroth was so close to, to something.
"Relax your arm a bit," the General instructed, touching the hand on Cloud's spine to illustrate which arm he was talking about.
"Why?" the dark warrior asked even as he did what he was told.
"Because, you're going to give yourself friction burn in a minute." Sephiroth explained, even as he reached his oily hand between their bodies.
The sheer banality of the statement, in a situation like this, made Zack laugh involuntarily. Trust Sephiroth to worry about something like that. His amusement was cut short when long, warm fingers surrounded his engorged penis, sliding slowly up then down, twisting slightly to ensure complete coverage. Then the General did the same thing to Cloud's and Zack could feel it. He was so close, so close. His moans shortened into pants but the silver-haired warrior used his free hand to pull down gently on Zack's scrotum, holding it in place until the First's orgasm retreated.
Zack was trembling with need and it got worse as long, elegant fingers encircled both of them, squeezing them tight to each other and sliding up and down. He could feel each ridge in Cloud's penis, each throb of his pulse, the click as their heads caught on each other.
"GGH!" Cloud shouted and shivered.
"Look out," Zack called. Just in time.
Sephiroth barely had removed his arm and leaned out of the way before Cloud's large wings sprang into being with enough force to make his long hair blow back. The wings beat a couple agitated strokes before being folded slightly and placed on the bed beside Zack, bracing him more firmly so they rubbed together harder.
"He must be getting close to lose control like that," Zack explained roughly, his breath uneven.
"Or perhaps he knows he doesn't need as much control as before." And, to make the statement true, he explored his lover's wings with his clean hand and with his lips. He rubbed his own blood-swollen flesh against the blond's cleft, rubbing the tip over his opening, hopefully reminding him of happier times. With licks and kisses and soft nips he paid homage to the legacy of pain revealed by the pale pink scars covering the small warrior's back.
It made Cloud lift his wings and flap them erratically for a bit before the blond brought them back under control. But the large feathers had created a breeze which pulled their combined scents into the air and made them go swirling around the trio. All three of them, with their enhanced senses, could smell themselves and their lovers in the rich, musky aroma. There was something very primal about it.
"Fuck, Seph," Zack panted, pulling in more of their scented air, "He's not the only one who's close."
"Very well," the silver-haired warrior responded, leaning back once again and retrieving the oil. He poured more out on his hand, using it to slick himself up. By the time he was finished, his fingers were covered as well. He didn't slide into Zack's body right away, as much as he wanted to. This was the only first time they would have and he wanted it to be more than giving in to physical urges. So Sephiroth trailed his fingers over the extremely sensitive skin between the SOLDIER's sac and around his puckered opening. He slowly increased the pressure so that, instead of merely circling the anus, his fingers dipped in. As expected, Zack was very tight. Sephiroth continued to travel that path, matching his movements with the flow of Zack's hips as they flexed and twisted.
A large, dusky hand held Cloud in place so that every movement of the First's hips rubbed their erections together. Strong fingers flexed and stroked sensitive feathers. Cloud's humming purr was getting louder and jagged. It matched the First's moans of pleasure. Listening to the sounds of excitement, Sephiroth decided it was time to stretch and prepare the dark-haired swordsman for the actual penetration. The General was not a small man and he'd be very surprised if Zack had bottomed for Cloud during their encounters in the lab, and being raped wasn't the same thing at all. The silver-haired warrior pressed one finger in, not too far, not yet, and twirled it.
He also decided to snack on the cute dimples Cloud had just above his buttocks. After all, his friends were spread before him. Who could blame him for sampling the feast? He took his time, nipping at Cloud's smooth flesh, while his free hand ran over dusky skin and light.
Two fingers, now, scissoring, seeking that spot...
"Shitfuckgodsdamnit!" Zack's big body jerked hard enough that Cloud would've been bucked off if he hadn't been held securely.
Sephiroth smiled triumphantly. He'd found it.
The General withdrew his fingers and added more oil, spreading it on both his hands now. He delved back into the SOLDIER, two fingers then three, but he also penetrated his blond lover. Just a thumb, and not too deep, because, even with his thumb inside Cloud, his long fingers could reach down and play with their scrota, tight now with impending orgasm. He could make them both moan. It was wonderful and addicting and Sephiroth didn't want it to end, but Zack was swearing and cursing at him. There was a fine tremor running continuously through Cloud's wings and down his back, and he himself had had to take a moment to pull down his testes in order to delay his release.
The General removed his fingers from Zack. He took a steadying grip on his penis as he lined himself up and pushed. Not too fast, but a steady pressure, allowing plenty of time for his friend to adjust. Zack was so warm. It was like being encased in liquid heat. Sephiroth couldn't hold back his own groan of pleasure. He rocked himself into the SOLDIER, moving all three of them. Slowly to start, gentle, aware of his friend's every subtle wince.
It was so different than with the guards in the lab, Zack thought, barely conscious of thinking at all. All he'd felt then was being stretched and in pain. He felt stretched, all right, and full and a lot more than he'd ever felt with the guards, but he didn't feel pain. A little discomfort maybe, Seph was pretty fucking big, but it didn't take discomfort long to fade back into arousal. Zack knew he was muttering, a string of pleading curses; demanding that Sephiroth thrust faster, harder. That he wanted to cum, he needed to cum, and Seph better damn well make sure he did.
It reminded Sephiroth of the First in battle, with his mouth talking and his brain busy doing something else. It was so perfectly the Zack of old that he couldn't help but smile even as he felt his own climax approaching. He wanted them to peak first.
His thumb, half buried inside Cloud, massaged the sensitive ring of muscle. His movements within Zack shifted the First's body, stroking his erection against Cloud's, and the SOLDIER still had one hand buried in the Corporal's thick, white wings. Cloud's wings, which were no longer braced against the bed but stretched out, beating out a jerky rhythm that shifted him over Zack's body even more. His groaning sounds were gaining in pitch and volume and Sephiroth knew his lover was close.
He stroked harder into Zack's body, quickening his pace. His heart was pounding. His breath was rasping. Muscles quivered as the tension gathered. He couldn't take much more. "Come for me, Zack. Squeeze me!" he gasped, "Now, now!"
Hearing the command, the SOLDIER obeyed.
With a shout they could've heard in Wutai, Zack tensed, released, tensed again before, finally, his whole body convulsed with pleasure. Heat came off him in waves, in time with the clenching of his body. It was sheet lightening within him, whiting out his nerves, taking away his control, but not his awareness. He knew when Cloud's body, stimulated to breaking, jerked in orgasm. He felt the blond's hot fluid jet out to be smeared between their straining bodies. He knew when Sephiroth followed them into bliss.
There was no rhythm now. They were a straining mass caught up in released feelings, in the pleasure running through their bodies; grounding them and freeing them at the same time.
Sephiroth wanted to shout. He wanted to collapse into a boneless heap. He wanted to laugh with joy, and cry for the same reason. He wanted to look at his friends and see them in the aftermath. Most of all, he wanted to do it again.
He'd have to recover first, he decided, because he had no strength to move. Collapsing into a boneless pile was sounding better and better, but he didn't want to drop all his considerable weight onto his spent lovers. He couldn't fall to the sides either because Cloud's wings covered most of the bed. An interesting problem that he solved by bending forward and resting his head on Cloud's rump, slightly sticky from sweat, but smooth and soft. His to touch, the General thought happily.
His hand fell to rest lightly on Zack's trembling thigh. He smiled deeper... also his to touch.
"Shit, Seph," Zack panted. "That was... that was... Fuck, I dunno."
"Good?" The essential question.
"Yeah," the SOLDIER chuckled tiredly, "better than."
"Good," this time the voice was full of proud satisfaction.
The smell of their fluids was rich and earthy. The chemical overtone of mako and Jenova was as familiar to the General as his own skin, although Cloud and Zack had added their own unique tones to the smell. He could just stay here and just breathe it in for much longer and be happy, however, it would be most uncomfortable for his companions if their semen dried and sealed them together.
"Take a deep breath then release it," Sephiroth instructed, "Again." As Zack obeyed he eased himself out of his friend's body, as gentle coming out as he'd been going in.
"I'll be right back," he said before making his way to his small bathroom. He didn't wait for the water to run warm but merely wet a cloth then cast a weak Firaga on it to bring it up to body temperature. He cleaned himself up first then rinsed the cloth and reheated it. When he returned to the bed it was to see that Cloud had pulled in his wings and was lying on his back beside the dark-haired First, ready to be cleaned. His eyes were half closed. He was blinking lazily and Sephiroth swore he saw a small smile—no more than the corner of his lips turning up. It nearly made the General freeze with hope.
Then Zack shifted and pulled his attention to the large SOLDIER. "Do you need a Cura?" he asked the First, as he ran the cloth over the Corporal's body.
Zack tensed and wiggled his hips, checking them out, "Nah, I'm good." He reached for the cloth but Sephiroth pulled it away. Zack took the hint and laid back, letting the General take care of him. "That was incredible, Seph. I never realized..." He shuddered as Sephiroth cleaned around his groin. Green eyes looked up into large, dark eyes, darker than he'd ever seen them. Only a very thin strip of bright blue was visible. They were different but the pale swordsman couldn't define the change. Then Zack blinked and smiled. "Thank you," he said softly, deeply.
The sex was done. Tomorrow they would wake up and be General and Commander again, friends and comrades always, but maybe not ever lovers again. However, tonight the lovemaking wasn't over, not while Sephiroth carefully wiped the evidence of their activities from silky skin. Therefore it was allowable for him to lean forward and steal another kiss from Zack's wide, inviting lips.
It wasn't quick yet it wasn't demanding either. They lingered over it but when Zack pulled back, Sephiroth didn't try to continue. "You're welcome."
The silver-haired warrior tossed the cloth in the direction of the bathroom. He didn't care if he missed. His ingrained tidiness losing out to a different kind of desire. "May I sleep in the middle?"
"Yeah sure. Probably a good idea anyway. For the connection thing," he explained when the General raised an eyebrow in question. He could already feel the post-coital lassitude pulling at him, and the reassurance of being in a group encouraged him to relax even more. His muscles were slow to respond to his commands to shift over but he managed it.
Sephiroth crawled in between them. He pulled his hair away so he wouldn't lay down on it. Zack grabbed it and waited until the General had pulled Cloud in snug under one arm, encouraging the blond to use his shoulder as his pillow. Then he tossed the long silver strands over the blond. Cloud wouldn't move as much so there was less risk of unintentional hair-pulling than if the hair covered Zack. The General lifted his other arm, inviting Zack to use him as a pillow. A moment of hesitation, then the SOLDIER placed his head on Sephiroth's other shoulder.
"You won't be able to move," the dark-haired First commented, "If we're attacked or something."
"You'll just have to protect me," Sephiroth murmured in reply, and was pleased when Zack chuckled.
It was Zack who pulled the sheet up, but Cloud decided that wasn't good enough and he brought out one wing to cover them all. Sephiroth couldn't help if the gesture made him feel soft and... tender. He was allowed to have such feelings about the man who was his lover. Not that anyone would ever know. With one last happy grunt, the young soldier's breathing evened out, deepened, as he slid into sleep. Sephiroth still wasn't sure how he knew that his little Corporal was sleeping rather than just lost in his twilight awakening, but he knew.
"Seph?" The Commander's voice was slurred with the beginnings of his own slumber.
"Hmmm?"
"How d'you lift one eyebrow? Izit a skill? Cannit be taught?"
Both of Sephiroth's eyebrows rose, and he wondered, once again, just how Zack's mind worked. "I've always been able to do it."
"Well, shit," the First grumped sluggishly, "gonna hafta figure it out on my own then." The sentence trailed off into silence as Zack drifted into sleep. He didn't go easily. He twitched and shifted as if arguing with his subconscious until finally, like turning a switch, he also became a boneless mass.
Tiredness dragged at the General but he forced himself to stay awake a while more. He extended his senses for a quick auditory check of the camp. There was nothing but the normal noises of pickets and night-crew going about their business. He brought himself to here, now, and allowed himself to enjoy the bodies laying tight to his. They were warm, soft and breathing in time with each other. With a quiet smile he let his breathing match theirs and so followed them into sleep.
"That is all you found out?" Nanaki asked. "That this Omega will cleanse the planet and lead all our immortal souls to a new beginning somewhere in the stars?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, intriguing but not very reassuring, I think." They were making their way back to the camp. Both of them relaxed and moving easily through the dark woods. Rather than talking too much about himself, Vincent had chosen to talk to the creature, properly called a Gi he'd been told, about the information Lucrecia had left on Chaos and Omega.
Lucrecia... just thinking about her caused a spike of painful emotions to run through him. Talking to Nanaki about her work, and obliquely his resident demon, was easier than thinking about her betrayal of everything he'd thought she'd hold sacred. His son...
"My grandfather says the planet, Gaia, is alive and aware. It knows when it is threatened or in danger."
"The Lifestream?" Vincent confirmed.
There was a picture in his head of green streamers of energy, floating and twirling around each other, racing to some central point in a frenzy of fear. It wasn't his picture. 'Chaos?' he called to his most dangerous form, but the demon remained silent. It had been silent since early in the conversation. At first it had been restful, but as the silence continued, Vincent grew disturbed. Chaos never slept and it never passed up a chance to comment on humanity's petty, to it, concerns.
"Indeed. It was once part of every living thing and it runs through Gaia like a bloodstream. They give each other life, strength, balance and, hopefully, wisdom."
"As most living things don't tend to act overly smart, even when capable of doing so, I think wisdom is too much to hope for." The large animal chuckled, exposing very large teeth.
A rather disturbing sight, Vincent observed, but even that comment didn't draw out his uninvited guest. Chaos, who should have been contemptuous of the Gi's possible threat, said nothing. Vincent got the sense that its attention was elsewhere. It was the first time he'd ever experienced the feeling and, the longer it went on, the more it left the gunman feeling unsettled. What was happening and where?
"One of the things Grandfather has been researching is what would happen to Gaia if the Lifestream becomes too damaged."
"Nothing pleasant, I assume."
"You assume correctly." Nanaki took a moment to growl a warning at a predator that came too near to the duo. Neither of them wanted to waste their time in pointless battle. "Ancient texts talk of Gaia as having defenders or weapons that it can call upon or activate if it perceives a threat to its existence. What Gaia would perceive as a threat isn't mentioned. Neither is what these defenders or weapons would do."
"Omega is certainly a threat. If Lucrecia was correct, its appearance signals the end of all life and the destruction of the planet."
"But that doesn't mean that Omega destroys the planet. Merely that it precedes the earth's destruction," the large felid argued calmly.
"Even though she stated that, once Omega appears, all life here will end and this planet will wither and die?"
"She also said that Omega will lead our immortal souls to another planet. A rescuer, if you will."
"Then you think Omega might be one of Gaia's defenders? Although, more like a life raft on a sinking ship than a soldier." Vincent rolled the idea around in his mind. It sounded... possible.
The creature shook his head unwilling to make a positive statement one way or another. "As my grandfather would say, 'anything is possible but few realities are ever revealed'."
Vincent barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "Your grandfather sounds..." annoying, "...interesting."
"I often don't understand him either." Nanaki chuckled, "Maybe that's how he ends up being right most of the time."
"Undoubtedly," was Vincent's dry response, "Obscurity is given more praise than true wisdom because it's so easy to twist it to fit events after they've happened."
Nanaki merely laughed some more. "I think he would very much like to meet you. Perhaps, if your duties permit, a trip could be arranged?" It wasn't the first time the Gi had mentioned travelling down to Cosmo Canyon and the ex-Turk was already well experienced in just how persistent the felid could be. It was going to be a long walk back to camp.
Vincent sighed.
AN: I feel I should mention that the most common source I use to research dialogue, events and creatures are the scripts, encyclopedias and walkthroughs hosted on GameFAQs. The amount of patience and persistance shown by those contributors is astounding. Kudos to them all.