Ashen Skies

“Ashen Skies”
Chapter 16
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Warnings: Yaoi (hardcore, somewhat violent), Het (mild)
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*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
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Aerith regained full use of her body again when she woke up late the next morning. Zack was asleep in the chair beside the examination table she lay on and she stretched the stiffness out of her muscles and admired him quietly for a few minutes, grateful that he and the others had come in time to stop Hojo. She reached under her blouse and gingerly felt the spot where the professor had cut her. They must have used a cure materia or healing potion on her, because there was only a fresh, paper-thin pink scar to mark the experience. It would probably fade to near invisibility as it healed. She swung her legs over the table and touched down on the floor softly, bending over her husband's sleeping form.

"Zack," Aerith murmured, kissing him softly on the lips.

He snorted and woke up, blinking at her in disorientation for a moment before gathering his wits. "Hey there," he said with a relieved smile as he reached out and stroked her hair. "You're up and about! How do you feel?"

"A little queasy and weak," she answered, "but I'm alive, thanks to you."

Zack shook his head. "Thank Cloud, not me. We wouldn't have found you if it weren't for him."

She recalled the nightmarish events and frowned. "I don't remember seeing Cloud with you when you came for me."

"That's because the poor guy was under some sort of hypnosis Hojo put him on." Zack explained what happened to lead them to Hojo's hiding place and he told her they were investigating to find out who else he'd ensnared and what else he'd done. "Now that you're awake, maybe we can check on him and see if he's snapped out of it."

Aerith nodded in agreement, amazed at how much trouble one single man had caused. "I think I need to use the bathroom first," she said with a grimace, putting her hand over her belly.

Zack gave her a sympathetic look and got up, putting an arm around her supportively. "Maybe you should just lay down in our bunk after that while I go see Spike."

"I want to see how he's doing," Aerith insisted stubbornly. "Zack, I knew something wasn't the same with him when Hojo finished treating him for his lung infection that day. I thought I was just being paranoid but now..." she sighed.

"It isn't your fault," Zack told her gently. "We all thought we had that deranged freak under control. There was no reason to think he'd find a way around security to pull this off, Aerith. What's important now is fixing the damage Hojo caused."

"Maybe I could help," she sighed. "I can try to communicate with Cloud's spirit and find out what control word Hojo used on him."

Zack scratched his chin. "You know, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it's worth a try if you're up to it."

~***********************************~

Sephiroth was still in the examination room with Cloud when they arrived after taking care of Aerith's needs. The General was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room with his arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed. He appeared to be dozing at first but he lifted his head as they walked in and looked up at them with tired green eyes.

"Hey," Zack greeted softly. "How's he doing?"

Sephiroth looked at the blond, who still lay there quietly. The occasional blink was the only sign of animation Cloud gave. "Nothing much has changed. He does respond to simple comments, though."

"Really?" Zack approached the examination table and looked down at his friend. "Hey Cloud, can you hear me?"

Cloud nodded.

"Uh, do you know who I am?"

"Zack," answered Cloud in a soft, dreamy voice.

Zack looked at Sephiroth. "Have you tried asking him what Hojo's been doing to him? Maybe when he's like this he can remember."

"I attempted that," Sephiroth answered with a nod. "He doesn't seem able to give complex responses. All he's told me is that he has an 'appointment'. He asked when Hojo would be here earlier."

Zack shivered. "That's downright creepy. Have the investigation teams found anything yet?"

"They found research logs detailing the treatments Hojo was giving him." Sephiroth frowned tiredly at Cloud. "All evidence indicates that he was trying to accomplish an improved version of what he did to Angeal, Genesis and I."

Zack shut his eyes and swore softly, while Aerith approached Cloud and gently stroked his hair. "How far into it did he get?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "That's still up for debate. It's possible he didn't do enough to cause alterations. He may have only gotten as far as the prep work before his demise, or like you, Cloud may prove resistant to the experiments. We won't know until they can run some tests and I'm not willing to allow that until after he's come out of his trance. Can you recall what you were doing when Cloud became afflicted?"

Zack scratched his head and mentally reviewed the events from earlier. A lot of it was blurry because he'd been so anxious to find Aerith but his training helped him to focus better than average. Soldiers were taught to be aware of their surroundings and stay calm, so that they could debrief after missions with as much accuracy as possible. He used this training to his advantage and retraced his footsteps from the time he arrived back at Modeoheim to the moment when Cloud went into his trance.

"Cloud and I were looking for Aerith and we ran into Vincent and Reeve," he reviewed with a frown of concentration. "Reeve told us he'd searched through Hojo's personal computer files to see if he could find anything useful but I don't think he got a chance to scan very deep. Uh, maybe something he said set the trigger off because that was about when Cloudy zoned out."

"Try to remember what Reeve said," insisted Sephiroth. "Did he use any long or unusual words? I don't think Hojo would choose a common phrase and risk someone triggering Cloud by accident and discovering something wasn't right."

Zack wracked his brain but he couldn't think of a single thing Reeve might have said that was particularly unusual. "Sorry man, he just talked about computer files and information. I don't remember him using any unusual words. Something else must have done it." He looked at Aerith, who was gazing pensively into Cloud's blank, sapphire eyes. "How about it, babe? Do you think you can get a clue for us?"

Aerith chewed her lower lip and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll try." She gave Sephiroth a wary look and the General gave her a nod.

"I've been aware of your heritage for some time now," Sephiroth informed her. "There's no need to worry over revealing it to me."

She nodded and Zack remembered the day she'd used her powers to heal him and Sephiroth advised him to stick with the story he made up. Aerith cupped Cloud's face and gazed deeply into his eyes as Zack and Sephiroth watched and waited. To the eye that didn't know any better, she appeared to be doing nothing more than staring into his eyes. Zack had almost expected to see green tendrils of energy or some other visible sign that she was using her powers but he supposed it was better this way, in case anyone happened to come in and check on Cloud. After a few moments, Aerith spoke.

"I'm getting something," she said with a frown of concentration. "Something about...butterflies?"

"Butterflies?" The word nudged Zack's memory and he thought back to the conversation between himself, Cloud, Reeve and Vincent just before the blond went into his trance. He remembered the woman that was reading the book to her son while they were talking and he snapped his fingers. "Maybe it wasn't something we said that set him off. This one lady was reading a children's book to her kid while we were in the den. Something she read out loud must have done it."

"A children's book?" Sephiroth asked dubiously. "What word could possibly be in a children's book that Hojo would use as a trigger?"

Zack shook his head and concentrated. "I'm trying to remember what she was saying. Uh...the book had to do with how caterpillars turn into butterflies."

"What about a cocoon?" Aerith suggested, looking at Cloud hopefully. He didn't respond.

"The process of change," Sephiroth mused aloud, looking at his lover thoughtfully. "Metamorphosis, perhaps?"

Cloud blinked and his gaze focused on Aerith abruptly. His eyebrows hedged and he looked around the room in confusion. "Er...guys?"

"Cloud?" Zack asked with an excited grin. "You back, kiddo?"

"I didn't know I even went anywhere," answered Cloud in a bewildered tone.

Sephiroth stood up and regarded the blond with veiled relief. "What's the last thing you remember, Cloud?"

Cloud lowered his eyes and furrowed his brows. "We were looking for Aerith and talking to Reeve and Vincent. Next thing I know, I'm here." He raised his eyes to regard Sephiroth. "What's going on?"

"Cloud, you've been given a subliminal suggestion by Hojo," explained Sephiroth. "You happened to hear someone speak the trigger word while you were looking for Aerith and it put you into a hypnotic trance. Hojo has been experimenting on you, probably since the day he tested you for Mako enhancement candidacy."

Cloud stared at him in bewilderment. "How? How could I not remember any of that?"

"The hypnosis he used on you," Sephiroth told him. "It inhibits your memory when you're in your trance. We've just discovered the code word."

"Well, what is it?" Cloud asked.

"Meta-" Aerith quickly covered Zack's mouth with her hand before he could finish saying the word.

"If we say it out loud, you'll go into a trance again," explained the Cetra in a rush.

"Oh, right," Zack muttered, feeling stupid.

"Where is Hojo now?" Cloud asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Dead as a doornail," answered Zack with a little smirk. "Vincent took care of him when we found Aerith. Hojo lost whatever marbles he had left and he was trying to carve up my girl, here." Remembering something he heard Vincent say just before he killed the professor, Zack's eye shot to Sephiroth.

"You killed Lucrecia and experimented on our son. Rot in hell."

Zack tilted his head and studied Sephiroth closely. Maybe he'd heard Vincent wrong. Then again, the General did look a lot more like Vincent than Hojo.

"Why are you staring at me, Zackary?"

Zack cleared his throat and looked away. Saying anything about what the thought he remembered hearing might not be the best idea right now. He couldn't even be sure he'd heard Valentine right. His emotions had been high and Vincent hadn't been in the most rational state of mind, either. "Sorry, just thinking."

"What now?" Cloud asked.

"Now that we know the trigger word, we can work on reversing the conditioning," answered Sephiroth. "You'll need to cooperate with the medics and allow them to run some tests on you, Cloud. We need to know what Hojo did."

Cloud nodded and Aerith patted his shoulder supportively.

~********************************~

"We've discovered a list of everyone Hojo's manipulated," Lazard informed Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal later on that day. "We'll begin reversing the triggers immediately." He looked up at Genesis. "I'm afraid your name came up on the list, Rhapsodos."

Genesis' eyebrows shot straight up in the most open expression of surprise he'd shown in a while. "Surely, there must be some mistake. When would he have gotten to me?"

"By the looks of it, Hojo's been doing this for years, now," answered Lazard. "According to the records we retrieved, he implanted your conditioning a little over two years ago while you were recovering from wounds you received on a mission."

Genesis crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Pardon me Director, but I think that's bullshit. I recall the mission in question and I had no contact with Professor Hojo before, during or afterwards." Beside him, Angeal also looked doubtful.

"Oh?" Lazard looked at Sephiroth. "You should draw your sword, General."

"I beg your pardon, Sir?"

"Trust me," Lazard coaxed grimly.

Sephiroth shrugged gracefully and exchanged curious looks with Genesis and Angeal before drawing his masamune. Lazard looked at Genesis and scooted his chair back against the wall before speaking.

"Htoripes," Lazard said.

Genesis' eyes snapped to Sephiroth and his pupils dilated. In a swift, lightning movement he drew his crimson blade and attacked Sephiroth with it. Metal clashed as Sephiroth instinctively blocked the rapid blows with his own blade and he grunted a curse of surprise as Angeal shouted Genesis' name in shock. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver and Angeal wrapped his muscular arms around his lover's waist and tried to hold him back, calling his name all the while.

Lazard repeated the strange word and the attacks abruptly stopped in mid-swing. Genesis stared wide-eyed and blinking at Sephiroth, then at the broadsword in his hand. He lowered the weapon and Sephiroth warily did the same with his masamune. Genesis dropped the sword on the floor unceremoniously and cast a wild, bewildered look around Lazard's office.

"What in icy hell just happened?" the poet demanded.

"Your trigger is still active," Lazard informed him. "It seems Hojo had some concerns that Sephiroth would become a serious problem, eventually. As an added security measure, he implanted a suggestion in your subconscious that will prompt you to try and assassinate him when the right word is spoken. Given how often the three of you are near one another, I suppose his logic was sound."

Genesis licked dry lips, visibly shaken despite his attempt to hide it. He looked down at his sword as if it were a snake ready to bite him and Sephiroth calmly bent to retrieve it. He handed it back to the redhead hilt-first with a confident nod of encouragement and Genesis slowly took it and replaced it in its sheath.

"That word you spoke," Sephiroth murmured, "It was my name, said backwards."

"Yes," agreed Lazard. He took his glasses off and wiped at them with a handkerchief he produced from his pocket. "The odds of anyone accidentally speaking your name backwards are unlikely enough to prevent any premature triggering of Genesis' directive."

"Did any more of us make it on that list?" Angeal questioned in a low voice.

Lazard's eyes went to Sephiroth and he nodded. Genesis and Angeal both looked at the General with faint dread and Sephiroth frowned. "And what's my programmed objective?" inquired Sephiroth.

"To kill your father."

Sephiroth didn't think the situation could get any more insane than it already was. Before he could respond to that ridiculous premise, Genesis beat him to it.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," the redhead muttered, rubbing his forehead with a gloved hand. "Hojo implanted a suggestion in my mind to prompt me to attack Sephiroth, while implanting a suggestion in Sephiroth's mind to kill him? Goddess, the man was even more deranged than I thought!"

Lazard hesitated. "I'm afraid I can't say anything more. I may have said too much already."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at him. "Interesting."

The Director sighed. "Once we can be sure the trigger is removed, I'll explain further. It's best that we just leave it at this, for now."

"Do you know what my trigger word is?" Sephiroth asked.

"Your trigger is a condition, not a code word," answered Lazard.

"And how long can we expect to have this threat of puppetry hanging over our heads?" Sephiroth asked.

"We have experts working on it now," assured Lazard. "We'll begin with the most severe cases and work our way down. Half of the list of people Hojo manipulated aren't even among the living any longer. Most of them are current hospital staff and military operatives. Just be patient."

Genesis glanced sidelong at Sephiroth. "Well, at least with Hojo gone, your implanted suggestion is probably harmless. Strife simply does a doll impression and so long as I'm not near you, mine is probably harmless too. We'll just have to refrain from saying your name backwards when we're near one another for a while."

Sephiroth nodded but Lazard's hesitation earlier made him think there was more to his mental suggestion than killing Hojo. He'd said his "father" and his reluctance to say more about it was very suspicious.

~**************************************~

Later that afternoon Reeve stood in his workshop with his shirt unbuttoned and his back pressed against Chaos' powerful, preternatural body. The demon ran his claw over Reeve's chest and stomach, purring with delight as he familiarized himself further with his flesh.

"You made me wait," chastised Chaos. He flicked open the button of Reeve's trousers and dragged the zipper down. "I feel...cheated."

"Wouldn't you prefer that I be at full energy?" argued Reeve softly. "I was rather exhausted by the time things settled."

"I'm feeling generous," Chaos murmured, brushing his lips over the facial hair lining Reeve's jaw. "And I've worked up a healthy appetite. I might be persuaded to leniency if you cooperate with my desires, engineer." He bumped his armored pelvis against Reeve's backside and rubbed the bulge of his desire against the cleft between his buttocks.

"So I take it feeding isn't your only intention," commented Reeve in a low voice.

Chaos again admired the human's resolve. He could sense the underlying anxiety that Reeve couldn't quite hide, but the man wasn't allowing his fears to rule him. "I think it's time to stake my claim."

Reeve didn't argue. Of course, Chaos hadn't been ambiguous about letting him know that this day would come soon. The engineer's breath quickened but he didn't try to stop the demon's exploring hands as Chaos opened his pants and eased his erection out. Chaos stroked up and down the length of Reeve's cock and murmured a husky command for him to turn his head. Reeve obeyed and Chaos claimed his lips and began to feed while he kissed him. He made sure to do it sparingly so that he wouldn't drain him too quickly. He tugged the engineer's pants down over his hips, exposing his ass and groin to the cool air before resuming his stroking.

Reeve hastily reached into his pocket and dug out a tube of lubricant, making Chaos smile with amused delight. The demon took the object out of Reeve's hand and paused his actions long enough to squirt some out onto his fingers and smear it over them.

"Don't worry," Chaos assured his captive in a low, purring voice as he slipped his human hand down and stroked the fingers between Reeve's buttocks, "I had no intention of taking you dry, engineer."

"Thank goodness for small favors," Reeve said.

Chaos smirked at the cocky response. Deciding that his pet needed to be a bit more demure, he eased two slick fingers into his body without warning. Reeve groaned and Chaos cupped his jaw and forced his head to turn for another kiss. Chaos muffled the engineer's exclamations with his mouth and he lanced his tongue in to dominate the kiss. He dropped the tube of lubricant on the floor and gripped Reeve's swollen erection with his claw hand, mindful not to scratch the velvety flesh and damage it.

"Your cries please me," Chaos murmured against the parted, gasping lips. He thrust his fingers rhythmically inside of Reeve's body, noting how tight he was. "It's been some time since you've shared your body this way," he guessed. "That pleases me as well."

"Happy to stroke your...ego," Reeve muttered. He grunted softly as the demon rubbed the gland inside of him.

"I believe you're confused about which of us is doing the 'stroking'," commented the demon before claiming his lips again.

He drew deeply on Reeve's spirit energy, delighting in the taste and feel of him. He carefully pressed the tip of one claw against the tiny hole in the tip of Reeve's cock and moved it in little circles, making the engineer gasp and causing the organ to twitch. A husky moan reverberated in Reeve's throat, quickening Chaos' pulse and enflaming his desire further. He hadn't participated in the delights of the flesh for decades and Reeve's responses to his actions tried his restraint. Reigning in his lust, Chaos stroked and thrust with patient care, preparing the human in his arms for his pleasure. He was careful to feed sparingly, mindful of the fact that despite the strength of Reeve's spirit, he was vulnerable like any other mortal.

When he had Reeve trembling and panting in his arms and the resistance against his penetration was minimal, Chaos decided he'd waited long enough. He turned his companion around to face him and began to remove his clothing. "Assist me," he ordered the human in a husky drone. His garments were composed of form-fitting material and body armor, making removal of them somewhat of a chore.

"Definitely a two person job," Reeve murmured with a crooked smile. "How do you even breathe in this, Chaos?"

"I somehow manage," Chaos replied, amused. There was something pleasant about being treated as a lover by this man. The talented, circuit-embedded fingers worked quickly to help relieve him of his clothing and he realized for the first time that Reeve wasn't giving himself to him out of obligation alone. Chaos could easily tear the engineer in two and suck the marrow from his spine if he chose to, but Reeve was utterly fearless and he treated the demon with affection that Chaos found disarming and slightly odd.

"Tell me something, Reeve."

The engineer paused in the action of dropping another piece of spiky armor to the ground and he raised his eyebrows. "What's that?"

"If Vincent had never woken up again, would you still be doing this?"

Reeve seemed to consider the question. He looked utterly irresistible, with his shirt hanging open and his pants partially tugged down. Another man might look undignified in such a state but Reeve pulled the look off marvelously, appearing more dashing than put-upon.

"You're both two sides of the same person, to me," explained the engineer thoughtfully. His gaze swept Chaos from head to toe and he resumed his task of removing the demon's clothing. "Vincent lives in you and in turn, you live in him. I would be lying if I said I'm not...intrigued."

The answer was complex, as Chaos expected of Reeve. The demon smirked, somewhat confused by the explanation. It occurred to him then that Reeve's complexity was part of what made him so appealing. "You're no simple mortal, Tuesti."

"I'll take that as a compliment," answered Reeve.

He finished removing the last piece of body armor and moved on to the task of unfastening the black clothing. He was meticulous about it and his circuit-grafted fingers moved with skillful patience. Chaos silently watched him, neither helping nor hindering his actions. Before he realized what he was doing, Chaos reached out and ran his claws through Reeve's dark hair. The engineer paused and looked at him with a faint smile-which only served to confuse and frustrate the demon more.

"Careful," Reeve murmured, "you might start to like me."

Chaos snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm above you."

"Ouch," Reeve said with a wince, but the glint in his eye didn't diminish. "You know, you may be higher on the food chain than I am but there's still and undeniable symbiosis between yourself and we mere mortals."

Chaos shrugged fluidly and helped Reeve peel the rest of his clothing off. The material was designed to mold to his and Vincent's bodies and it had an elasticity that allowed it to expand and shrink to accommodate shapeshifting. In truth, it wasn't as restrictive as it looked and Reeve's eyebrows went up when he got the material pulled down to the demon's waist without any major trouble. He ran into a complication when he pulled the sleeve down over the metallic claw on the left hand but other than that, it slid right down. His eyes swept Chaos' naked torso with approval, roving over the ebony skin and tight muscles.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be," Reeve commented.

Chaos gave him an impatient look and the engineer cleared his throat and resumed his task. Chaos hid a smile, amused. He might have more balls than the average man but Reeve knew his place. He knelt down and released the clasps on the metal-spiked boots before taking them off of Chaos and then he stood up and took a visible, deep breath. Chaos silently waited with growing amusement and arousal as Reeve steeled himself and began to pull his breeches down. The way the human's eyes were fastened on his bulging crotch indicated that he was more than a little worried about what they were soon going to be doing.

Reeve tugged the garments down and Chaos stepped out of them smoothly while the engineer rose to his feet once more. Chaos didn't try to conceal his sharp, predatory smile as his exposed erection jutted proudly and Reeve stared stupidly at it.

"Well pet? Is there something you'd like to say before we resume?"

Reeve swallowed and visibly struggled to gather his wits. "Shit. Just...let me make sure I've got Cure materia equipped in my bangle, over there-" He nodded in the direction of his work desk, still staring at the demon's groin. He blinked and looked down at the forgotten lubricant as he tugged his pants up over his hips again so that he wouldn't stumble. Reeve bent down to retrieve the tube and as he stood up again, his head bumped Chaos' erection.

"Sorry," Reeve muttered awkwardly as the organ wobbled.

He sidled away to the desk with the precious lube in his hand, staring at Chaos' genitals and the black and crimson pubic quills that framed them. Chaos slowly followed him and his smile didn't fade. Finally, he was getting a reaction he was more familiar with out of the man and the taste of the anxiety mixed with lust only heightened his desire for him.

~****************************~

Reeve tried to calm his nerves as the tall creature closed in on him. He looked down at the bangle resting on his desk and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he not only had a Cure materia equipped in it, but a Regen as well. He hastily fastened it around his right wrist, just before he found himself backed up against the desk with Chaos' impressive body a bare inch away from his. The demon's wings partially spread for a moment before settling back down. The fanged smile that Chaos gave him left little doubt that he was enjoying himself and Reeve looked down at his groin again, worried not only about the size of his cock but the triangle of...spikes...that framed that big organ at the pelvis.

"Just a moment," pleaded Reeve, swallowing again. The spikes on Chaos' head weren't completely stiff. They moved when his head motions. Reeve dearly hoped the pubic ones gave a little too, otherwise he was going to end up looking like someone beat his ass with a porcupine.

"I'm losing patience, Reeve," Chaos murmured huskily. His golden eyes were blazing with desire and hunger.

"I know," Reeve pacified. "I just want to...uh...may I?" He rested a hand over the demon's stomach and slid it down meaningfully.

"You wish to familiarize yourself with my anatomy first," guessed Chaos. He nodded. "Very well, pet. I approve."

Reeve calmed a little and ran his fingers over the smooth white skin, dragging them lower until they came into contact with the black and red "treasure trail" of fine quills that started an inch or so beneath the navel and thickened at the pelvis. To his surprise and relief, they weren't sharp. They were a little rough but as he brushed his fingertips over them, they gave easily. Now that he examined them, they framed the demon's package rather nicely. The shape of the growth was aesthetically pleasing and they followed the grain of regular hair growth.

Curious, he slipped his hand beneath the thick shaft of Chaos' arousal and cupped his heavy balls. There was no quill or hair growth on them, he discovered. He looked up at the demon's face and noticed the way the amber eyes grew heavy lidded and the lips parted. Feeling a return of confidence, Reeve gripped the base of Chaos' sex with his other hand, spanning the girth with his fingers before giving the length a tug. Chaos made a sound that was a cross between a purr and a murmur. Encouraged, Reeve stroked his hand back and forth over the shaft while fondling the demon's balls. As Chaos parted his lips and sighed, Reeve dared to smile.

~I may be the puny one out of the two of us, but he's just as susceptible to a good stroke as a regular man. Maybe the power balance doesn't have to be so one-sided, after all.~

His feeling of triumph abruptly vanished as Chaos yanked his pants back down over his hips without warning and cupped the back of his head before lowering his mouth to his. Reeve had time to mutter a surprised curse before the demon's lips pressed demandingly against his and he felt his life force being drawn out of him again. He forced himself to relax and accept it but he refused to let Chaos dominate the kiss without a fight. He rudely pushed his tongue into the demon's mouth and explored, not giving him the chance to do the same.

A low hum of laughter reverberated in Chaos' throat and he broke the kiss to gaze down at Reeve thoughtfully. "Trying to be rebellious, are we?"

"Would you prefer I be a cold fish?" retorted the engineer.

"Not at all," answered the demon. "Prepare me, since you're so eager."

Reeve barely managed to contain his wince, but he reached for the lube without question and uncapped it again to squeeze a portion onto his palm. It was good lube, for which he was thankful. He jumped involuntarily as Chaos' human fingers stroked between his buttocks and slipped inside of him again, testing his readiness. Taking a few deep, steadying breaths and relaxing for the demon as much as he could, he started to work the slippery gel over his cock with steady strokes of his hand, careful to go from root to tip. He groaned as the questing fingers inside of him pushed against the most sensitive spot and he was forced to pause and take a shaking breath.

"That's enough, Reeve," Chaos announced after a few moments. He pulled his fingers out and grasped the engineer's wrist with his claw hand, halting his stroking actions. "Turn around."

Reeve felt a sudden urge to try and back out of it. The look on Chaos' face suggested that no compromises would be accepted, however. He did as the demon instructed and put his back to him, placing his hands on the desk and partially bending over it. He felt the cool, sharp metal of the claw press against the back of his neck, exerting enough force to let him know what Chaos wanted without hurting him. Reeve bent over the desk and gripped the opposite edge of it, bracing himself. He felt his companion's human hand slide over his ribcage and down to his hip before retreating. The claw remained firmly clamped down on the back of his neck and Reeve tensed involuntarily when he felt the smooth tip of Chaos' sex press against his sphincter.

Chaos pressed forward and Reeve grunted, unable to stop his body from resisting the intrusion, at first. He clutched hard at the edge of the desk and shut his eyes as he bore down, trying to open up for the demon to make it easier. Chaos eased back for a moment before rocking forward again. The liberal coating of lube allowed the head to slip in past the resistance and Reeve felt a moment of relief as the worst of the pressure eased. His relief was short lived when Chaos pumped again, driving deeper inside of him.

He tried to hold back his vocal responses but the effort proved fruitless as the thick girth of Chaos' sex nudged into him deeper with each thrust. A ragged moan burst past his lips through clenched teeth and he wondered if he could bear much more. Chaos paused at the sound and his human hand reached around and grasped Reeve's softening cock. He held steady inside of Reeve as he began to fondle him with slow, patient strokes. Reeve felt the demon's hot breath stir the hair at the nape of his neck as Chaos bent over him.

"I haven't even fully claimed you yet," Chaos murmured huskily. "Surely you're stronger than this, engineer."

"Y-you were right," Reeve panted, turning his head to the side in an effort to look at Chaos. "I haven't been with anyone this way for some time. Just...give me a moment to adjust."

~What does he mean, he hasn't "fully claimed me" yet? It sure as hell feels like he's in deep!~

After a few moments of skillful massage, Reeve hardened completely again and discomfort gave way to pleasure and renewed lust. He discovered what Chaos meant when the demon took his cue and began to move again. The swollen length of the demon's cock seemed to edge in deeper and deeper at a gradual pace and if it weren't for the angle Chaos had chosen, Reeve thought he would be begging him to stop, by now. As it slid back and forth inside of him, the broad shaft pushed against his prostate with uncommon tenacity. The stimulation of that combined with Chaos' hand stroking him off made up for the tight fit.

Reeve pushed backwards against Chaos in the next thrust and he growled low in his throat, shivering at the myriad sensations of pleasure, pain and desire. That damned claw was still holding him down by the neck as if he was an unruly dog but Chaos was surprisingly gentle with his thrusts. In contrast, his hold on Reeve's dick was firm and confident as his hand rhythmically squeezed and stroked it from root to tip.

"Very good, pet," Chaos purred in approval as Reeve's lust and pleasure drove him to keep rocking in synch with the demon's thrusts. He stopped stroking his cock to reach under and massage his balls for a moment. He ran his tongue over Reeve's neck before biting down lightly on it and the engineer's eyes opened wide and stared blankly as Chaos drove into him again and kept going until his pelvis pressed against his ass.

"Shit," Reeve gasped, squeezing the edge of the desk with white-knuckled hands.

Luckily for Reeve, Chaos paused in his thrusting again and held himself firmly wedged to the hilt for a few moments, giving him another breather to adjust. Reeve heard his husky chuckle and he gritted his teeth against the urge to demonstrate how vulgar his language could get under the right circumstances. He rarely indulged but he was confident that he could knock even Reno from his pedestal in a swearing contest, with enough incentive. He knew that Chaos was enjoying his responses, knew that it stroked the demon's pride to hear such helpless moans from his lips.

To his dismay, Reeve found that he couldn't restrain those sounds as the force and rhythm of Chaos' motions gradually intensified. The demon resumed jerking him off, this time employing the tactic of doing so hard and fast. Reeve was barely able to catch his breath between the rough cries that burst from his lips and he felt a sting on the back of his neck as his companion's claws dug in hard enough to draw blood. He wanted to speak up and warn Chaos that he was getting a little too rough but his orgasm surfaced and all he could do was grunt and moan as he bucked in the demon's hand and blew his load all over the side of his desk.

"There we are," Chaos announced in that damnably pleased, lusty tone as Reeve tensed all over and clenched rhythmically around the cock pumping inside of him. Chaos slowed his stroking as the climax ran its course and when it was over, he continued to pump vigorously inside of him.

Reeve's legs trembled and he was grateful to have the desk to support him. He blurted another curse as Chaos altered his motions again, thrusting more slowly but with greater force. The claw retreated from the back of his neck to grip his jaw and force him to lift his head and turn it to the side. Chaos' hot lips met his and the demon began to feed greedily on him, his deep, resonant voice purring and grunting with pleasure as his tongue lanced in to dominate Reeve's.

Reeve began to get dizzy as the intense sex and loss of spirit energy affected him. He fought to remain conscious as the minutes ticked by and Chaos fucked him and fed on him. Finally, the demon released his lips and drew back, hissing loudly. The black and crimson wings fanned the air around them as Chaos thrust sharp and deep inside of Reeve. Both of his hands gripped the engineer's hips as he filled Reeve with his seed.

Reeve half-lay across the desk and panted for breath, quietly examining the feeling of demon cock unloading inside of him. His eyes drifted shut as Chaos' tension faded and the demon sighed in satisfaction. The hold on his hips eased up and he felt those satiny lips brush against his neck, just above the teeth marks from his earlier bite.

"I look forward to doing that again soon, Reeve. You make a very satisfying meal."

Reeve parted his lips with the intention of saying something dry and witty, but even his tongue seemed exhausted and all he could do was moan faintly. The softening length of Chaos' flesh withdrew from his body and it was all he could do to maintain his hold on the desk to keep from sliding off and falling to the floor like a drunk. He sensed a shift in energy behind him and suddenly a slim, naked mortal form was pressing against him and supporting him.

"Reeve," Vincent murmured.

The man didn't have a wide range of emotional expression but Reeve thought he detected subtle guilt and concern in that low voice. He lifted his head with effort and propped himself up on his elbows, turning to look into the troubled ruby eyes.

"I'm okay," he assured him wearily. "I just need some rest."

Determined to take it like a man, he tried to stand up. His legs immediately started to buckle and Vincent caught him and supported him before he could hit the floor. The burn in his ass made itself known to Reeve and he snarled in pain before he could stop himself. To make matters worse, he could feel the evidence of Chaos' final pleasure dripping sluggishly out of him and down his thighs.

"Use your materia," Vincent urged with a glance at the bangle around Reeve's wrist.

He was too sore to argue. Reeve activated the Cure materia and sighed as the green glow washed over him and healed his aches and pains. "Thank you," he said.

"I'm taking you to bed," Vincent told him firmly, "you need your rest."

"No," protested Reeve, "I don't want people staring and wondering why you've got to drag me to my bunk. I'll sleep here tonight."

"The floor isn't suitable," argued Vincent with a frown. "You won't rest well."

"There's a cot." Reeve nodded at the back wall, where a storage closet had been hollowed out. "If you'll be so kind as to fetch it and the spare pillow and blankets, I'll sleep perfectly fine."

Vincent sighed and gave him a level, appraising look. "Can you support yourself long enough for me to set it up for you?"

Reeve nodded, though in truth his muscles felt jelly-like. The pain was gone but the effect of Chaos' feeding was weakness and dizziness. Vincent didn't argue with him further. He propped Reeve against the desk and searched through the drawers until he found Reeve's supply of sterile wipes. He cleaned him up and helped Reeve pull his pants up and fasten them before moving away. Vincent quickly went to the closet to pull out the folded cot and set it up in the middle of the room. Reeve leaned against the desk and watched him, struggling to keep his eyes open. The only thing that was keeping him awake and on his feet was Vincent's delightful nudity-which the gunman didn't seem to notice or care about even in the chill. Reeve glanced down at the pile of clothes and body armor he'd removed from Chaos, only to find that in its place was Vincent's clothing.

"Interesting," he remarked tiredly, "I knew your clothes are designed to allow easy shapeshifting but I never realized they changed shape according to your form."

Vincent spared the pile of clothing a cursory glance but didn't pause in his action of setting the cot up for Reeve. He covered the cot with a sheet, dropped the pillow at the top and spread the thick blanket over it, leaving it folded down so that Reeve could easily slip beneath it. With that done, he crossed the room to Reeve's desk and urged him to put an arm around his neck. Reeve did so, only because he was sure he'd fall on his face if he didn't accept the support. With Vincent's help, he got into the cot and under the blanket. His eyes drifted shut as soon as his head hit the pillow and he fought against the lure of sleep.

"I'm sorry it's not bigger," Reeve mumbled, trying to open his eyes and look at his lover. "Want to have a full bunk built into this room, so that I can...I can-" he yawned, "sleep in here permanently. With you, of course."

He felt a gentle hand stroke the disheveled hair away from his forehead. "In good time. Rest now, Reeve. I'll watch over you."

~**************************************~

"So Hojo planted a trigger in all of you?" Zack looked at his fellow officers and Cloud with a dismayed expression. "What about me, did he muck with my head too?"

"Your name didn't come up on the records and neither did mine," Angeal assured him.

Zack sighed and looked back toward the sealed base entrance, shivering a little and not from the cold. "Good. I don't think I'd want to be around Aerith if there was a chance Hojo did something to me that might make me hurt her. How long do they think it'll take to figure out how to reverse it?"

"They're hoping to find the solution within a few hours," explained Sephiroth, "until then, everyone affected by Hojo's manipulations is suspended from active duty, including myself."

Zack's face screwed up. "Seems a little extreme."

"Oh?" Genesis smirked. "Perhaps you can imagine this: we're fighting a WEAPON and someone happens to utter one of the trigger words. Observe." He looked at Cloud. "Metamorphosis."

All expression drained from Cloud's face and he started to turn and walk back toward the fort. "I have an appointment," Cloud murmured dreamily.

Genesis caught hold of the blond's jacket and held him back. Cloud continued trying to walk away but the redhead's restraining hold on him was too strong and he ended up steadily miring himself in the snow, single-mindedly moving his legs as if he thought he was going somewhere.

"You see?" Genesis announced. "The wrong word will turn Strife into a wind-up doll. Imagine him dropping his sword and marching straight under the feet of an attacking WEAPON in his single-minded trajectory."

"Enough," Sephiroth grumbled. "Metamorphosis."

Cloud abruptly stopped walking in place and looked around in confusion as he turned to face the others. "Why am I knee-deep in the snow?"

Zack raised his eyebrows. "Okay, I get your point."

"I asked a question," Cloud said demandingly.

"Quiet," ordered Genesis with an amused look at the blond, "the grownups are talking."

"Excuse me, but I happen to be-"

"Metamorphosis," interrupted Genesis coolly.

Cloud's face went blank and he turned around again. Sephiroth caught him this time and shot a glare at Genesis. "Metamorphosis."

Cloud stopped again and this time, he figured out what was happening. "All right, who triggered me that time?" He glared suspiciously at all of them before his eyes settled accusingly on Zack.

"It wasn't me, buddy." Zack chuckled with a nod in Genesis' direction. "He's your culprit."

Cloud pressed his lips together and gave Genesis a killing look. "It's not funny."

"Oh, but it is." Genesis grinned smugly. "Metamorphosis."

This time Sephiroth already had an arm around his lover, so Cloud was barely able to take a step before the General spoke the trigger word out loud and ended the trance once more. Without ceremony, Sephiroth reached out and smacked Genesis on the back of the head.

"Foul!" protested Genesis with an offended look at Sephiroth, "Zack, be a good lad and speak Sephiroth's name backwards, would you?"

Zack scratched his head in befuddlement. "Uh...htor-mmph."

Angeal quickly clamped a gloved hand over the gullible lieutenant's mouth to stop him. "Don't speak Sephiroth's name backwards," he warned, "at least, not within earshot of Genesis."

Zack pulled his mentor's hand away from his mouth and stared at him. "Huh? Why, is that his trigger word or something?" When Angeal nodded, Zack looked at Genesis. "Well, what does he do when he hears it?"

"He attacks me," answered Sephiroth calmly. He arched a brow and regarded Genesis challengingly. "If it's a duel you want, that can be arranged. Are you afraid to spar with me while conscious?"

"Pft...hardly," scoffed the redhead. He reached for his sword. "I'm willing anytime you are, Seph."

Zack sighed. Seph and Gen had a long-standing rivalry and though it was generally good-natured, they were known for allowing their duels to get out of hand. Angeal was of the same mind and the big man stepped between the two of them and gave them both a disapproving stare.

"Now isn't the time. Genesis, you've had your fun at Cloud's expense and you've made your point. We can't afford to get tied up in bickering right now."

Genesis stopped and shrugged. "Whatever you say, love."

"I think we should get back inside and rest," suggested Sephiroth, easily letting the matter drop.

The others agreed and they trudged back to the fort entrance together.

"So wait a minute," Zack said as they walked, "can you guys trigger yourselves?"

"It doesn't work that way," Angeal responded. "They have to hear the word from somebody else or it doesn't do anything."

Cloud bit his lip and looked up at Sephiroth.

"Something on your mind?" questioned Sephiroth.

"Do you think I could get a good pair of ear plugs from the medical staff?"

Sephiroth gave him a bare hint of a smile and briefly patted him on the shoulder.

~*********************************~

-To be continued