Whispers in the Roses

Whispers in the Roses

Flora Winters

I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Summary: Vincent wants to put Cloud’s heart back together again, but will Cloud let him. This story will contain boy love, some language, and violence.

Chapter Nine

All of my memories keep you near
In silent moments, imagine you’d be here
All of my memories keep you near
Your silent whispers, silent tears

--Within Temptation

Cloud was standing in a large shower with a waterfall of hot water falling down on his blond head. He couldn’t even see his hands in front of his face because the steam was just that thick. The scent of roses was all around him.

He stood perfectly still when he felt a hand begin to move up his ankle and a metal claw up his other. Those mismatched hands roamed up the backs of his legs, knees, thighs, buttocks, and to wrap powerful arms around his narrow waist. He was pulled back against something long and hard.

“Vincent?” He whispered nervously.

“Hmm,” that deep voice growled real low, lips traveling along the back of his neck. “I want you so much, Cloud.”

His knees were trembling. He wanted this. He wanted this so much. “Please,” he begged, moving his hand slowly behind to grip the larger man’s aching root. “I want you, too.”

Vincent moaned. “Let me love you…”

Cloud slowly turned around, quickly finding himself in a massive garden of wild blooming red roses. The air was so sweet and he called out for Vincent. He was no where to be seen.

“I’m over here,” the whisper came to him. “I want you to let me love you.”

He started to run through the maze of crimson jewels. The green walls were so high, coiling with vines and leafs. It was so vividly colorful and very beautiful.

“Come to me, Cloud,” Vincent whispered from the face of every rose within. “Come and find me in your heart.”

Cloud opened his eyes and his heart was racing a million miles an hour. He was so hard he felt like he was going to pass out from the pain that pulsed through his aching organ. It was screaming for release.

He noticed that Vincent was not in bed with him, and he could hear the shower running from the bathroom. He fell back against his pillow, and slid his hand under the sheets, into his pants, and began to take care of his early morning problem.

He pictured a very naked Vincent, lying spread eagled before him thanks to emerald green vines. His perfect body was so white and rippling with muscles he desired to lick for hours. That was all he really needed. He hadn’t gotten off in forever and it felt really good when creamy warmth landed on his chest and splattered his left cheek. He fought to stifle his moan.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

“Oops,” Cloud said, looking down at his feet. “I was drunk…”

“That’s not an excuse, Cloud,” Vincent said, crossing his arms. “You completely shattered his nose, and apparently you knocked out his two front teeth and a bottom one as well. I only saw you punch him the once.”

“I can be really fast when I’m pissed off,” Cloud said, not remembering anything he had done. “I guess you only saw what I wanted you to see.”

“And then you tried to slit his throat with a broken glass bottle,” Vincent told him, shaking his head.

Cloud gasped. “Really? What the hell did he do to piss me off?”

“I’m not saying, because now that you’re sober, you might be even more deviously calculating,” he said, walking over to sit down at the table in the little kitchen they were standing in. “I honestly thought you had killed him there for a moment with that punch.”

Cloud turned back to the soup he was fixing. Vincent had allowed him to use the can opener and then had quickly taken it away from him. Now he knew the guy really had reason not to let him around anything sharp.

“As far as I remember, Reno has always been a jerk,” Cloud said, stirring the vegetable soup. “He probably said something stupid or very callous. I don’t do stupid and I hate callous. He’s an asshole and he probably had it coming anyway.”

Vincent leaned back in his chair with a defeated look on his face.

“What?” Cloud asked, turning back to him. “What’s the look for?”

He watched the crimson eyed gunman get to his bare feet, and walk over to the closet door. He saw him pull out a large bag, and carry it over, plopping it down on the table with a loud thud.

“Um,” he said, watching as Vincent undid the yellow and green strings. “That’s not a dead body is it?”

Vincent shook his head. “Worse.”

His blue eyes widened in shock. A bunch of letter spilled out onto the table and slid to the ground. “What the hell are all those?”

“Your fan letters,” Vincent said, grinning at him with wicked white teeth. “Apparently you have a cult following more than ever now.”

Cloud cocked his head to the side, looking like a confused cute little puppy dog that could tear a bitch’s throat out in a split second. “Huh?”

“You honestly don’t remember anything about last night?” The dark headed man asked him.

Cloud shook his head. “I do remember riding Chocobos.”

“Well,” Vincent said, grinning even more. “That’s something.”

“What did I do, Vincent?” Cloud asked him in a deadly tone. A lesser man would have pissed himself right there. The look in his eyes alone could make a man’s penis want to invert.

“Hmm,” Vincent said, scratching his handsome chin. “Where should I begin?”

“How about you start with why all these people have written me all these letters?” Cloud told him, walking away from his simmering soup, and began to pick up scented pink envelopes. “Is that underwear?”

Vincent chuckled and told him everything. Cloud gawked and watched the taller man walk over and turn on the television set. His eyes widened even more. There he was on the screen, acting in LOVELESS…and he was damn good. “Oh my gods,” he said, putting his hands to his mouth. “That’s not me. It’s just somebody who looks a lot like me.” He was so embarrassed by his perfect performance. His cheeks were so pink.

“You were really good,” Vincent told him flat out. “I had no idea you could dance like that. It’s…very suggestive.”

“Well,” Cloud whispered, turning his face away from the crazy monster on the screen. “When I was in SOLDIER, I got bored a lot. I was really bored when…when Zack was away on very important missions. So, I took up a hobby. I would sing and practice dance in my room.”

Vincent looked at him.

“Zack was such an awesome SOLDIER, Vincent,” he said, twirling a strand of blond hair around a pale finger. “He never got credit for anything that he did. He just stood in the shadows while that Green-Eyed Demon took all the credit. The media paints only what they wish to see. Zack was the real hero. He was the one who truly protected Shin-Ra, and they betrayed him.”

Vincent looked down.

“He was the one who ended the war with Wutai. He was the one who went on all my missions for me. He defeated each and every enemy of Shin-Ra, and the list of his accomplishments goes on. I could name hundreds of things that he did for the people of Midgar. The people in the slums loved him. He was a true SOLDIER. He was the true meaning of SOLDIER FIRST CLASS. I know all of these truths and it kills me that he was never recognized for any of it.”

“Oh, Cloud,” Vincent said, walking over to him.

“He gave his love and his life for me,” he whispered, smiling through the tears. “He was everything and more to me, Vincent. He gave his life for this planet, just like Aeris did. They both gave their lives up so I could save the lives of everybody else. It was like they knew what was going to happen.”

Vincent held him close, rubbing soothing circles along his back.

“Zack is a true hero,” he said, rubbing his face against Vincent’s chest. “And Aeris…she was a goddess made flesh. Now I see that Zack was like her knight, protecting her from the evil in this world, keeping her safe until he could send me on my way to her. Did knowing that they were going to die open their eyes to the future in those few moments of time left to them?”

The tears streamed down his face as he listened to his voice on the screen. LOVELESS wasn’t just a play. It was a prophecy. It was all about his past, present, and the future that will never be.

“Sacrifices had to be made,” he said, pulling away from the sweet smelling gunman, looking up at the ceiling. “They loved me so much…they loved me…they loved me…”

“Yes,” Vincent said. “Their love for you gave you the power to save everything, Cloud. They’re not dead. They’re in the wind, the grass, the water, the trees, and all the flowers you see. Love can’t die.”

Cloud wiped the tears away with the back of his palm. “I want to go to Midgar.”

“What?” Vincent asked.

“I have to find things,” he said, turning away from him.

“What kinds of things?” Vincent asked him, turning off the forgotten soup.

“I don’t even have a picture of them, Vincent,” he said, turning back to him. “All I have of them…is my memories.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said. “I’ll pack our things.”

“Really?” Cloud asked in shock. “You would do that?”

Vincent nodded his head. There was a look in his eyes that made Cloud want to question his motives.

“And,” Vincent said, cleaning up the fan-mail. “You can read all of these along the way.”

Cloud seriously thought about throwing a fireball at him. But he had no materia on him, so it would just look funny if he tried.

“KNOCK, KNOCK!” A loud voice yelled, banging against the door. “LET ME IN! LET ME IN! OR I’LL SNIFF AND CRY AND KICK YOUR DOOR IN!”

He poked his blond head around the corner. “Yuffie?”

Vincent groaned from behind him. “I’ll throw these letters at her and we’ll run really fast while she’s distracted by the shiny colors.”

Cloud snorted.

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for your awesome reviews. I’m so happy that you’re all enjoying the story.

Flora.