Mind Games

Summary: Yazoo continues his pursuit of Cloud. While Yazoo may be a connoisseur of mind games, Cloud deals with life in simple terms of power.

(A/N: Special thanks to toxictattoo for his wonderful beta. He really helped pull it together and I am grateful for all his help.)


Power Games

Cloud swung his sword toward Yazoo's neck, jerking to a halt bare millimeters from skin and bunching the silver hair in tangles. Hands steady, he stared down at Yazoo, all leather and muscle and power, yet currently sitting on his knees as if in submission.

Submission... Cloud almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Why are you back?"

Yazoo blinked lazily up at him, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Why? Don't you like it, brother?" He trailed delicate hands in an arc down his body, gun nowhere in sight. "Me, on my knees before you this time?" His face held an expression of almost childish innocence, so deceptive from reality. "I thought this would make you happy."

With a deft move cultivated through years of practice and muscle and sweat, Cloud slid his sword under Yazoo’s tangle of hair to flip it back. The sharp edge was free to bite into Yazoo's neck, and Cloud increased the pressure, causing blood to trickle down over alabaster skin. Red. Bright red. The color of death and destruction... and Nibelheim.

He stepped back quickly, letting the sword hang deceptively loose by his side. "You're not worth it."

The taunt seemed to slide over Yazoo like water. He simply tilted his head and trailed his finger through the blood in a slow stroke.

"Blood. From a defenseless man." His eyes flashed with pleasure. "I didn't think you had it in you. You always seemed so... honorable." He made the word sound like a condemnation layered underneath his sly smile.

"I don't torture people." Cloud jerked his gaze from Yazoo to glance around the church. He took in his make-shift bed on the floor and the small crate that held all his personal possessions. He was here to save others from himself, not hurt them.

He wiped his sword clean before sheathing it with a final click. "I'm not like you."

"But you must be like me... a little. After all, it was your body inside me last time, wasn't it?" When Cloud didn't respond, Yazoo's smile grew a little slier, his voice more seductive. "I want to feel it again."

The scent of sex, the feel of warm skin, the tightness around his cock. The memory was still too fresh in Cloud's mind. He'd spent days disgusted with himself for his weakness. But then he had found his hand creeping down under the covers, the rough fabric scratching over his sensitive body, magnifying every rustle of the blanket against his arm as he stroked himself.

He wondered when he had become so twisted.

"Leave." The dark wood of the pews and the high ceiling of the church were supposed to be his refuge, and Yazoo was attacking that serenity with every sexually-laden sentence. Cloud filled his voice with contempt. "You don't belong here. You're just a remnant."

Yazoo blinked and his smile widened. "That's Kadaj's fear, not mine. I don't care how I got this body. As long as I can use it." He stroked his hands down over his chest, over his hipbones, sliding over the leather with obvious enjoyment. "So many fun things to do with it."

In a blur, Cloud leaped, and the hard sole of his boot connected with Yazoo's chest with a satisfying jolt. Yazoo rolled with the attack, his body flipping backwards through the air. Yazoo was always graceful, even while fighting, especially while fighting, and he landed lightly in a crouch on the other side of the room.

With his hand still on the ground in front of him, Yazoo looked up in victory, and Cloud knew he was playing right into his hands. He was showing how much Yazoo's words affected him. He quickly composed his face into a blank mask.

Yazoo unfurled his body and strolled back towards Cloud, keeping his shoulders open, his arms wide. "Do you remember, brother?" Yazoo whispered the words over Cloud's shoulder as he circled behind him. He was so close Cloud could smell his soap, a deep musky scent that mingled with the smell of oil and gunpowder.

Cloud remembered. He'd been unable to forget. He closed his eyes at the memory Yazoo was trying so hard to get him to respond to. But closing his eyes only made the memories more intense, beautiful pictures of skin and heat flashing in his mind. He jerked his eyes back open to concentrate on the setting sun that streamed through the stained windows, painting a riot of color on the concrete floor.

Yazoo continued his circle, dragging his fingers along Cloud's lower back as if he had every right in the world to touch him. Cloud jerked away from his touch, anger rising again. Yazoo got to him. And he couldn't seem to stop it.

He grabbed Yazoo's leather and swung him around in a circle, walking him backwards into the wall with measured steps, enjoying the in-your-face simplicity of a low-uttered threat versus high-flying aerials and leaps. It felt more visceral, it resounded in his gut.

Yazoo smacked back against the wall with a slight rocking of his head and responded with a low voice and coy smile. "You really do have it in you."

"Leave." Control resonated in Cloud's voice, brooking no other action.

Yazoo searched Cloud's eyes. Looking for what, Cloud wasn't sure, but apparently Yazoo had found his answer. "I'll go... For now."

He swooped in for a rough, demanding kiss, and Cloud backed two steps before catching himself and holding his body rigid. Yazoo swirled around and walked backwards towards the door with a knowing smile, and Cloud wiped his lips with the back of his hand as Yazoo retreated. "But I'll be back."

The tension eased in Cloud's shoulders after Yazoo slipped out through the wooden doors. He pulled his sword from the sheath for a vicious swing, splitting a pew in half and reveling in the sound of the splintering wood as the last bit of energy drained from his body.

He stood on shaky legs and eyed the damage he had done to his own home, and his fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword. Everything about this was wrong, and he was floundering in the face of so much life intruding on his sanctuary. Yazoo was making him feel. It made his gut tighten.

At a loss of what else to do, he resolved to forget it. Ignore it. Push it aside. It was what he did best, and it always served him well when life became too hard. He took a long deep breath, and concentrated on slow exhales, counting to ten, then starting all over again. Many minutes later, he approached a calm that allowed him to finally think of sleep.

But he knew he still needed something more to calm his mind.

He curled up in his blankets and slid his hand down to brush over his cock. It would be an outlet from the roller coaster day, a simple release, nothing more. He kept his thoughts blank, his mind dark. There was no movie in his head. No pictures. No memories allowed. He focused solely on his hand and the soft touch along his length, teasing himself and getting harder with every mindless, fantasy-free stroke.

Skin warming, hips rocking...

He usually only allowed himself this pleasure as an afterthought in the face of so many other layers of guilt and depression, but there was a comforting simplicity to the motions.

Grip tightening, breath coming in small gasps...

The hard wood floorboards underneath him dug into his tailbone, but he barely noticed the slight discomfort as he became further wrapped up in his movements.

Speed increasing, moans underneath him...

An increasing desire for harder, faster, more built in his stomach with each stroke over his cock.

Tightness inside, slick warmth, a slap of skin against skin...

A fall of silver hair.

He came in his hand with a rush that rocked his shoulders back against the floor, and the wave was intensified by unwanted flashes of memories. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out offending images in his head, working frantically to blank his mind back to emptiness and free of treacherous thoughts. His body shaking, his mind conflicted, he slowly came down from his high, knowing it was an act he was unable to take back.

Using frantic swipes with the blanket, he rid the come and betrayal from his body before rolling on his side to face the crate, shrinking his shoulders as he curled in the fetal position. It was long hours before he could actually sleep.

He woke the next morning still restless and itching to get away from the place of his downfall the night before. Long strides took him out to his bike, and he threw his leg over the seat and thumbed the engine to life. The motor revved to life and the back tire sent a spray of dust and debris in the air as it fishtailed.

He escaped the dismal grey of Old Midgar to the arid brown of the canyon. The world opened up, the horizon widened, and his view extended beyond the four walls of the church. Out here in the wide open, there was freedom from thought. From guilt. From second-guesses. Only the bike roaring, and the wind blasting his face with a pepper of fine sand. The small stings were a reminder he was alive.

A flash of silver caught his eye, high on the bluff. Yazoo was sitting in wait with the air of a lion patiently stalking his prey. His bike roared to life seconds before he plunged over the edge, straight down the canyon wall on a course to intercept, and Cloud shot forward.

Yazoo dogged his trail, staying always back and pacing him. When Cloud let off the throttle, so did he. When Cloud sped up, he swung out to the side, pulling up just enough so that Cloud could catch glimpses of him out of the corner of his eye, smiling from ear to ear in true enjoyment, so different from his usual calculated air of sexuality.

Cloud bent his cycle in graceful arcs along the floor of the canyon, and Yazoo mirrored him like a synchronized ballet, crossing within bare inches of each other's wheels. Yazoo raised one hand from the handlebars and called down energy from the very sky itself, until four shadowcreepers emerged from thin air to race along beside them. They obeyed the whim of their master, hardly noticing Cloud, simply joining in the fun of the chase, bones pointing sharply under their dark skin and tails whipping in the air.

Adrenaline flooded Cloud's body, and he jerked at the unfamiliar feeling of a smile crossing his face. He hit the brakes in a spray of dirt, swapping directions with a gravity-defying flip as Yazoo flew past, caught by surprise.

Yazoo slammed to a halt and the shadowcreepers disappeared with a flick of his wrist, and Cloud red-lined the engine in an all-out, head-long race back to the church.

Yazoo pulled in bare minutes behind him, slowing his bike to a respectable pace and closed the last few feet to Cloud's bike.

"I told you I'd be back." His wide-open smile of joy from earlier was gone now, replaced with the calculating smiles and head tilts from before. His sexuality was a mask almost as much as Cloud's detachment.

Yazoo swung his leg over to lean back against the seat, arms and ankles crossed. "Did you think about me last night?"

Cloud pushed his bike into the courtyard without answering. As he hit the kickstand, Yazoo prowled after him, pushing into Cloud's personal space. "I bet you did."

Cloud held his hand out against Yazoo's chest. "What do you want?"

"I thought that was obvious." Yazoo looked down at Cloud's hand, then back up with a gleam in his eye.

"Why me?" Honest confusion tinged Cloud's voice. Yazoo's persistent chase was throwing him off-center and Yazoo's motivation eluded him.

"Because you're different."

"That's it? You put me through all this," his hands circled in the air, "because of some twisted game in your head?"

"All this?" Yazoo repeated. "So I do affect you." He tilted his head with a look in his eyes that had Cloud shifting his weight.

Emotions swirled in Cloud's head, some obvious, others unable to be labeled, and Yazoo leaned in to watch the confusion flit over Cloud's face. "You don't like that."

With a sharp move, Cloud pushed Yazoo back against the nearest wall, keeping his voice low as he used his weight to pin him. "I should pay you back for what you and your brothers did to me." His hand curled in the leather with an extra shove to punctuate the words. "But then, you'd just get off on that, wouldn't you?"

Yazoo slid his hand over the front of Cloud's pants. "I think you would too." Cloud's breath hitched as he unconsciously pushed forward into Yazoo's hand.

"You'd like it if I threw you down."

"Yes." Yazoo's breath sped up.

"If I spread your legs wide."

"Yes." It was softer this time, his eyes half-lidded.

"Slammed into you."

"Yes." This time, it came out almost as an exhalation.

This was fucked up. This was twisted...

This was going to happen.

Yazoo may be smug but he was right about one thing. Cloud was hard.

Maybe it was the bike ride earlier, maybe it was revenge for last week, maybe it was simply the act of taking back control of his life versus hiding out from it. But something inside him urged him to consider it. Then he nodded.

He narrowed his eyes and added, "But not here." Not in his home, no matter how broken.

He strode out to his bike and took off down the street, with Yazoo following in the same follow-the-leader way from the morning. Cloud made a quick stop on the way, tossing supplies in his saddle bag before making his way to an inn. It was a different inn than last time. A different name on the sign out front. But you couldn't tell the difference once inside. That was just the way Cloud wanted it. Redemption in a blank room.

Once inside, Yazoo stood in the center of the room, deceptively docile like a domesticated cat. It was disconcerting to Cloud but also strangely erotic. He could understood the thrill of having power over someone now, especially someone as tightly strung with strength and energy as Yazoo.

He circled around him, not touching, not yet, just concentrating on Yazoo's reactions as he leaned in close. He could see Yazoo's breathing become heavier and could feel the odd pull between them. Jenova, calling in their blood, intensifying the memories, and raising the anticipation to new heights.

"Strip for me," Cloud pulled off his gloves and trailed his hand across the back of Yazoo's neck, one of the few areas of bare skin showing outside the leather. He finished his circle to stand back in front, pinning Yazoo under his gaze. "I want to see all of you."

He expected Yazoo to jump quickly at the chance. But this was Yazoo. Though he may have handed over control, he still held power in how he responded to the softly-spoken command. He took his time, peeling off the leather in a slow dance, with small smiles and coy looks through his eyelashes, until he finally rid himself of the last bit of clothing. He dragged his hands up through his hair and let the silver trail back down over his shoulders as he displayed his naked body to Cloud.

There were so many things Cloud wanted to do with such a willing partner, and the specter of revenge was drowned out in the face of lust and desire. His cock was straining against the tightness of his jeans but his mind wanted to draw this out.

He turned Yazoo around so he wouldn't be distracted by the tempting smile and exotic eyes, then put his hand on Yazoo's lower back as he breathed softly over his shoulder. "Touch yourself."

This time, Yazoo reacted without hesitation, sliding his hand down over his hipbone and through the thatch of silver hair to grasp the base of his cock, bringing himself to full hardness with a few simple strokes. Cloud plastered his body behind Yazoo, hips to ass, chest to back, and he slipped his hand around Yazoo's waist to stroke up over his bare chest.

He could feel the rise and fall of Yazoo's breaths under his touch, and the back and forth motion of his arm as he stroked himself. The show had Cloud sliding his tongue over his lips and grinding up against Yazoo's ass.

"Yazoo." His voice was tinged low, the name still unfamiliar on his lips but becoming easier each time he said it. "Undress me now."

Yazoo turned in his arms and looked up through his bangs as he kept his body plastered close for a few last sways of his hips. When he drove his hips up against Cloud, it drew an audible gasp from Cloud's mouth. He bit his lip to stop it, but Yazoo smiled anyway, having already seen the slight give-away.

Cloud pushed him back a few calculated steps to gain space and enforce his command. "Do it."

Yazoo's eyes brightened and he took his time unzipping Cloud's sweater, splaying his hands across his chest and covering as wide an area as he could. "I remember this, your skin. Your warmth." He leaned in to slide the sweater off Cloud's shoulders and nuzzled against his neck, breathing deep. "Your smell." He licked the flat of his tongue up Cloud's neck before he withdrew, and Cloud shivered.

When Yazoo dropped to his knees to unzip Cloud's pants, Cloud gripped his hands in his hair. Yazoo pulled his cock out of his jeans, licking his lips and wetting his mouth in obvious preparation, and Cloud jerked lightly on Yazoo's hair. "Not yet."

Yazoo's lush lips were too tempting, the thought too dizzying. The feeling in his gut was building too fast, and he wanted to keep control, not become a shaky mess under Yazoo's knowing smile.

Yazoo looked up, surprised, but obeyed the low-spoken command. Instead, he gave a slow tug on the belt loops to slide the jeans down over Cloud's hips, his eyes following the path of the jeans down over his legs. He tossed the jeans aside, not caring where they landed, before sliding the underwear down after them.

Cloud guided him up to stand in front of him and dove in for a savage kiss, demanding Yazoo open up for him, not taking anything else for an answer. He moaned when Yazoo opened easily to let Cloud's tongue invade his mouth. Cloud never relented as he backed Yazoo towards the bed, then gave him a small shove to land on his back, following on top, greedy for more.

Yazoo wiggled further up on the bed, dragging his fingers over Cloud's side and hips to urge him to follow, and the frantic touch was all Cloud needed. He reached over to dive his hand into the bag on the nightstand to pull out lube, any idea of slowness flying out of his mind. The hair on his arms stood on end at the feeling of electricity in the air.

Yazoo's lithe body. His eager expression. Cloud grabbed Yazoo's legs with a jerk and pulled them up to rest against his shoulders.

"Tell me you want it."

Yazoo smiled. "I want it."

Cloud spread lube on his fingers and inserted them into Yazoo with a sharp push.

"Tell me you need it."

Yazoo gasped and bit his lip at the intrusion of fingers. "I need it."

The breathless answer sent a jolt through Cloud's body, and heat spread through his stomach. He pushed up against Yazoo's ass to nudge at his entrance. He willed himself to slow down but his body was shaking from the restraint.

Control came first.

"Beg me."

Yazoo's eyes flashed with rebellion, and he shoved his body back against Cloud's cock, as if he could force him in. Cloud held his hips back, not allowing Yazoo to take what he wanted. Instead, he slid slick fingers over Yazoo's cock to tease him and lessen his resolve. Yazoo bucked under his hand with a keening moan, an expression of frustration on his face as he tried to reach up to pull Cloud closer.

Cloud pushed him back against the bed and leaned over him, stroking harder over Yazoo's cock. The pale body stretched out underneath him invited him to nip at Yazoo's neck, then nuzzle in to lick the sensitive skin with the flat of his tongue. His own cock was becoming harder in response to Yazoo's wriggles and moans, and he wasn't sure who was winning any more.

"Just do it." Yazoo bit out the words. His body was tense, his jaw tight, but his body was still rocking under Cloud's hands with almost feral savagery, and Cloud reveled in the power.

"Beg me."

"Fuck you." Yazoo tried to sit up and Cloud pushed him back again. Yazoo's body was warm under his hand, his skin flushed. The heat emanating from Yazoo's body brought up memories of tight heat around his cock, and Cloud increased his attentions, mentally urging Yazoo to just give in, to give them both the outcome they wanted. Cloud could be as stubborn as Yazoo. But it was hell to wait.

He slipped his hand off Yazoo's cock to slide down between his legs and brush over his hole. Yazoo fell back against the mattress, rocking the bed, and his hands clutched into the blankets.

Cloud repeated his command a final time. "Beg. Me."

Yazoo snarled and brought his hand to his own cock to fuck himself, his eyes closing in sheer relief at finally getting contact on his hard dick. Yazoo's smooth body was stretched out in a beautiful contrast to the stark white sheets, and Cloud's eyes were glued to the body squirming underneath him.

When Yazoo moaned under his own touch, Cloud jerked his arms around Yazoo's thighs to pull him down against his cock. Yazoo's hands fell away from his body, and a sly smile crossed his face. But Cloud wasn't ready to give in quite yet.

They stared at each other, the tension in the air becoming palpable as they held each other's gaze.

"You want me." Cloud knew it without a doubt. He could feel the sheer wave of lust that Yazoo was giving off.

Yazoo bit his lip with a growl. "Yes."

Cloud's voice deepened. "You pursued me."

Yazoo shoved back against Cloud with the slightest softening in his harsh gaze. "Yes."

"I'm here now. All you have to do is ask."

Cloud had been watching the expressions take turns over Yazoo's face with every sentence, switching from anger to frustration to finally lust. It was like taming a wild animal, knowing he could bite at any second, but the danger only made it more exciting.

Cloud rocked ever so lightly, the movement small but filled with promise. As his body rubbed against Yazoo's, Yazoo closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the bed.

"Yes." It was so quiet that Cloud barely heard him. But the simple word was filled with acceptance.

“Then say it.”

Yazoo opened his eyes to meet Cloud’s. “Fuck. Me.” There was a slight pause followed by the simple word, “Please.”

Relief flooded Cloud’s body and he finally allowed himself to enter Yazoo's body. He held back his urge to fuck deep until Yazoo had a chance to adjust. Yazoo sighed in relief then caught his breath at the stretch.

Waiting right then was the hardest thing Cloud ever had to do, and his stomach muscles were tight as they fought the urge to rock into the warm, willing body beneath him. He didn't want to hurt Yazoo. So he waited.

When Yazoo pushed back against him and nodded, hands still clutched into the blankets, Cloud finally allowed his body to do what it had been craving for so long. To slide in that tight heat, each rock of his hips building the intensity in his gut and sending a rush through his body.

He felt wild, and feral, and the only sounds in the room were the slap of hips to ass and the low moans from Yazoo. He could see Yazoo was close. As close as he was. His movements sped up and Yazoo whimpered underneath him. The small sound sent a jolt directly to his dick and he slammed deep into Yazoo's body.

He moved his hand down to Yazoo's cock and it only took a few soft strokes to have Yazoo shoving up into his hand, his whole body tightening as he came with a hoarse shout.

The picture of Yazoo under him, his back arching up into the air, silver hair spread out on the sheets, was a memory he knew would be burned into his mind. It was sending him rapidly to the edge. He fucked Yazoo with an intensity that surprised even himself, rough and hard, knowing he couldn't stop right now if a swarm of SOLDIERs entered the room.

Everything narrowed down to just Yazoo, the rise and fall of his stomach as he slowly regained his breath, and the sliding of his body across the sheets each time Cloud shoved inside him. Yazoo stared up with a Cloud as if a dare, clenching his ass around Cloud's cock to urge him to come. It was the intense expression on his face, as if his whole body was focused only on Cloud's pleasure, that tipped Cloud over the edge.

A flood of adrenaline ran through his body as his stomach tightened, a feeling that bested even the thrum of the bike underneath him or the joy in swinging his sword in battle. It sent his whole body into a delicious high. His orgasm rocked his body, his hips jerking as he buried himself as deep as he could, eyes closed to intensify the feeling.

With a few final strokes to milk the last of his orgasm from him, Cloud pulled out and collapsed down over Yazoo, skin flushed and hot to the touch, sweat still dripping down his back.

Yazoo stretched out underneath him with a smile, a different smile than Cloud had ever seen before, but any curiosity at the strange expression slid from his mind when Yazoo gripped the back of his head to guide him down towards his lips.

It was a slow kiss, long and languid, and Cloud's stomach flipped. He let himself return the kiss with a small slide of his tongue in between Yazoo's lips, a surreal feeling in the air around him at the unexpected action. Surprise at how right it felt.

He finally pulled back, holding himself up on his arms and look down into Yazoo's eyes. It was a simple look. No words were said. Cloud allowed himself to be pulled back down over Yazoo's body as their fingers twined together.

He woke the next morning stretched out on the bed, the covers on the floor and Yazoo tangled over him like a blanket. It was tempting to curl up and fall back into a light doze, comfortable and sated. Instead, he reached a hand out towards the bag on the nightstand, trying not to dislodge Yazoo and wake him. When his hand finally closed on what he was looking for, he rolled Yazoo off to land on his back beside him.

Yazoo woke with a sleepy smile, a groggy look in his eye. It was a look that instantly turned to anger when Cloud snapped one end of the cuffs around his wrist and the other end around the metal post of the bed.

"What the fuck?" He sat up in a rush and jerked his hand until it hit the end of the short chain and he growled in confusion. Cloud exited the bed to slip on his clothes with a rare smile on his face.

"Just giving you a little time to think about things. For next time."

Cloud strolled out of the room and the door swung shut behind him, muffling the rattle of metal on metal and the accompanying harsh snarls and growls. Cloud could picture the snapping of teeth and swinging of hair as Yazoo strained against the metal, and he grinned as he walked away.

~~~