After Divide

A/N¹: Thanks for Rocquell, not only for the amazing betaing, but especially because it was her fiction that inspired this story. The fiction is " Divide and Conquer" and you could read it at fanfiction.net/u/1678212/ or at her Lj journal .com/scribblearchive/


Chapter 4 - Redemption

Six Months later

Some weeks later after his encounter with Sephiroth, Cloud was notified that he would serve on the military base of Kalm. He was sure it was one of Sephiroth's tricks to have him again, trapped in his net.

But he was wrong. Cloud's battle skills had called the attention of his superiors.

He had forced himself into training to clear his mind, as if it was his last option as a therapy. He had been training hard, and only stopped when his skin was bleeding and some bone was broken in a fierce blow with the war simulators. Somehow, he needed pain to feel himself alive and to block the lack of what he was really missing.
With relief and a bit of frustration he found out that Sephiroth had nothing to do with this and he was far away in Wutai. There was the threat of an ongoing war in the distant country and a new squad was required in Kalm.

To Kalm, Cloud went. Somehow, he missed the coldness of Snowy Village. Kalm was dry, hot and noisy.
Because it was so close to Midgar, he came up on Tifa, his childhood friend who introduced him to new friends.
There was less solitude and he liked being lonely for quite some time. He was used to it and there were times that Cloud could not deal with people around him. It was as if his head would explode and he could not bear the other one's eyes on him.

Since his arrival, Cloud had been trying to avoid Zack, but as soon the man had known he had arrived, it became impossible. And the remorse of having had lay with Sephiroth knocked on his heart. Actually it knocked on every part of his body, but Cloud managed, again, to obscure his pain. He gave trying to see Zack again a try. He couldn't deny that he wanted to know if Sephiroth and the brunette were still together. With doubtful feelings, he hoped they were not…

They had hung out a couple of times but they were not what they used to be in the past. Their first meeting was in Kalm, Zack was preparing himself for a mission in Wutai. He would stay there for at least a year. Sephiroth wouldn't follow him, staying in Midgar. They were still together but living in separate houses. Surely, that every time Zack spoke about his life he tried hard to not mention his lover. But somehow, when the man's name came up, Cloud has averted his eyes from him. On their last encounter, Zack dropped Cloud at the soldier's lodge and after an embrace that Cloud felt was the last one, Zack kissed him.

Cloud didn't push him out. He retuned the friendly kiss and deepened it. The kiss had the taste for a request of sorry, of guilty, of friendship and of knowledge. Cloud shivered because in that exactly moment he sensed that Zack knew what he and Sephiroth had done in Snowy Village. However what should have put Cloud in a behavior of restrain, turned him on. If Zack wanted him…it would be another blow, a fierce one to the man who occupied his thoughts. The kiss led them to hands sliding on their bodies and it led to more caresses inside Cloud's apartment. But it didn't happen. With envy, the blond had found out that Zack was a loyal man. He said I'm sorry and probably ran to Sephiroth's arms, thought Cloud. That night, curled on his bed in the darkness, Cloud wondered when he had become such a cold man. Evil. Machiavelic.

After that, a week came and then another and Zack didn't call him. Even being on the same base, their time was blurred by their schedules. Or Zack's shame and regret to have kissed him.
One day he came home from a mission and when he opened the door, a note from Zack fell on the carpet:

"I'm sorry for everything that I had done to you Cloud. I still love you, but I don't want anything back.
Just that you be happy. That night, I didn't mean to offend you and I treasure you a lot in my heart to be offended by you at any circumstance. I hope you had truly forgiven me, us. It has been hard for him too, but I understand your point and I know that things never would be the same again. But remember that you are a Soldier and our vow. I still believe that time heals all wounds. Perhaps we can see each other in our missions. Get ready to go when a Soldier is needed. Your friend, Zack."

The blond closed his eyes and kept the letter close to his heart. He had lost Zack. He had turned his back on his friendship. He had made a choice, or fate had chosen for him.

Two weeks later, Cloud was sent to a mission at Junon. He was called to immediately report himself at the commander's quarter. The Demon of Wutai was there, but this time, Cloud was not afraid of himself, neither of Sephiroth.

Indifference had become a part so attached to his brain and heart, that he only thought, again, that there was no pain he could not endure. Actually, Cloud didn't see any meaning for his own existence, other than to be a Soldier or a helpful weapon.

When he entered the commander's office at Junon, he saw Sephiroth, majestically sitting at his temporary desk. Cloud waited for an order and remained in silence, upright, blank face as if he was in a battle array. The general glared at him and without a word, pointed to the metal chair in front of his desk.
Cloud's mind could not let to pass the scenes of that fatidic day in Midgar, when he still was sane. His torment had begun inside Sephiroth's office and there he was again. But now, he was so cold, so different from that hopeful boy who wore his dreams on his arms.

After Cloud had sat, Sephiroth threw some photos on the table. His eyes were cold and narrowed, scrutinizing Cloud's face. Cloud felt as if those green cat orbs would slice him in half.

" So…Was it really a farse, Cloud?" The general sarcastically asked.

Cloud noticed that he was holding a pen so tightly that his knuckles were white, however, his voice was still lowered. Always in control, thought Cloud.
The photos, taken by the security camera, showed Cloud kissing Zack, digging his hands under Zack's shirt and pushing him into his apartment. All the pictures were dated with the hour and seconds. Cloud only looked at Sephiroth with an expressionless face. Two years later and again this shit, but Cloud remained stoic.

" Not this time, Sir. But you have a very loyal partner or whatever you call them. He didn't want me, Sir."

Sephiroth stood up from his chair and paced around the small office. His impudent figure made a shadow over Cloud and the youth followed him with his head.

The man seemed oddly calm. Although the last thing Cloud was feeling was calm, he didn't show fear or anxiety. Would history be doomed to repeat itself? He pretended to be in a pretty relaxed posture. He could be beaten or tortured to death now, but it wouldn't rip out the pleasure he was feeling with Sephiroth's turmoil. Cloud wondered why he was so thrilled when he should be concerned about his life. He felt Sephiroth stop behind him, and when the man inclined his head over his left shoulder, he could hear the low, grave tone as his voice drifted to his ears. Cloud felt tingles in his stomach.

"If he wanted you, I assume that you will move on. Am I right, Cloud?"

"Absolutely, yes Sir."

"Why?"

The question had a very clear demand. Sephiroth already knew the answer, but this game was becoming much too interesting to stop now. He wanted to see how far Cloud would go to sustain it. Why he had adamantly alleged innocence when he was innocent, punished by it, and caught in the same error by his own will.? Zack had told him about what had happened with Cloud. And Sephiroth didn't think twice, to ask for the security cam's video. He saw it was Zack who kissed Cloud, but he also saw that Cloud was the one who had deepened the kiss, who had climbed on Zack and pushed him to his apartment.

And now the blond was there with that emotionless but sassy face, repeating the same motive of his previous suffering. He was leading Sephiroth mad with jealousy, with hurt and fury.

"To hurt you?"

Sephiroth walked towards Cloud and standing in front of the youth, he waved his hand in the air and slapped the blond, causing the young man to lose his balance.

His mako treatment was becoming very effective, thought the young man, when he found himself still sitting in the chair and not falling down to the floor. Although, he could feel the iron taste of his blood in his mouth.
Sephiroth's face was contorted in fury and he lifted his hand again for another blow. But Cloud took his hand in the air with surprising strength.

The General's eyes blinked in surprise when Cloud stood up from the chair and swiftly clutched onto his long hair.

And he kissed Sephiroth. Not a simple brush of lips, no, Cloud's free hand grabbed a lock of the silvery tresses and had managed to kiss the man, passionately, eagerly forcing his tongue inside the general's mouth. This time it would be very different, thought Cloud. Sephiroth would not rape him, but the contrary would happen.

General Sephiroth surrended himself and he felt his body and mind, numbed. Everything that he could feel, was the spicy scent of that bold young man and his warm body close to him.
Cloud raised his body up and wrapped his legs around Sephiroth's waist. He moaned into the man's mouth when he felt those strong hands painfully squeezing his buttocks, lifting him onto the desk.

The General quickly cleaned the table, making space for Cloud's body, not caring about what was falling to the ground. He was in a frenzied state, he never would have thought that Cloud would let him kiss those lips again and the youth's actions were more than welcoming. It had been a long time that Sephiroth was aching for Cloud. So much, that not even his controlled heart was taking it. He was on fire and damned if Gaia would explode now.

He needed Cloud, and he devoured his mouth, biting and sucking his tongue as greedily as the boy was allowing him. Why was he not able to control his own will whenever it concerned Cloud? He should be spanking him, for such outrageous behavior and not madly lusting after his body, not madly dipping into his mouth. And definitely, he should not be begging inside his mind to Cloud not stop to kiss him. He was a God; he knew it, but with that boy on his arms, he was just a man, a needy one carrying all the weakness of any other ordinary person in love with someone.
Love: Why did he think about this feeling with Cloud and not with Zack? Why did he, finally or unhappily, feel it with Cloud? It was so wrong, so abnormal for him.

"I should…" Sephiroth tried to regain his control, pushing Cloud away by his blonde, spiky hair, but not with sufficient effort or courage to break the blonde's grip on his body.

"Yes, yes and hard and now…Please, Sephiroth, Sephiroth, Sephiroth…"

Cloud stared momentarily at that exquisite face, kissing him as if he was in a fight, enrapturing his senses with nothing but the man before him.

Sephiroth uncharacteristically blushed when he pressed his body against Cloud and the blond felt the effects of his presence on the general. The man was as hard as a rock, the bulge under his pants was stretching the zipper exponentially. He broke the kiss and opened Sephiroth's zipper, revealing a very impressive erection. The head glistened with arousal, while his own pants were sliding down his legs with equal abruptness by the General.

Cloud moaned his name wantonly, needy and Sephiroth closed his eyes, only to open them again to face that warm and lascivious body. Cloud kept rubbing his crotch against him while he madly sucked his lips and neck, when he felt the man's hands lifted his hips and placed him the center of the table.

Sephiroth scraped with his teeth the blonde's neck and nape, sucking hard to mark the delicate skin of Cloud's chest when he yanked off his cotton t shirt and causing him to cry out.
No more tenderness for Cloud. He didn't deserve it. He didn't want it. When the general found the skin flushed and an already erected nipple, he abused and mishandled them.

Cloud cried out and pulled on his hair, his nails in Sephiroth's nape to leave a red stream. If he wanted to hurt him, he would let him do it. But he also would do the same. Not for revenge, but because he craved for it with the same intensity that he wished for the rough treatment.

Cloud grasped Sephiroth's head and stared for one second at him, before he kissed those lips again, wanting, needing to feel his tongue, his scent, his taste of mako, of power, of …Sephiroth himself.

So good. He was so good that Cloud hated himself for wanting it.

"Sephiroth…I need you…"

He was not pretending any more. Cloud really needed him and by the way Sephiroth was kissing him, claiming his body for dear life, he was almost to believe that he needed him too… or at least the twisted world that they had built to themselves at that moment. Cloud smiled when he had concluded this.

Sephiroth stopped to bite his shoulder before he stared at him, smiling too for the blonde and lowering his head towards Cloud's groin.

"I know."

They had escaped from that bedroom, one year ago, to be trapped inside their own minds. Sephiroth was bonded to him or he would not be there, licking Cloud's belly, sucking his cock and squinting at him with a wanton lust in those green eyes.
Cloud held Sephiroth's shoulder when the man grabbed his buttocks and pulled his legs on his shoulder. He looked at Cloud with a seductive smirk and tilted his head, the long mass of silver hair cascading to one side.

"Do you have lube? Or condoms? "

Cloud shook his head and closed his eyes. It was not the moment, but he felt ashamed.

"I guessed you came prepared, Cloud."

Their last encounter…It had hit Sephiroth's pride more than Cloud had thought. Though now, the young man didn't know if he was feeling avenged or not. The perversion side of his brain, to inflict some kind of punishment for Sephiroth was not working inside his heart anymore.

The sight of the man in front of him was so beautiful, so painfully carved on his mind and at the same time so desired by his body.

Cloud wriggled his hips, rubbing his hardness on Sephiroth's belly, while the general inserted two fingers coated with saliva inside him. The pain was delicious; he felt his bloody began to melt under the caresses of those long fingers, exploring his insides. But he sensed the jealousy behind his words. The blond was tired to pretend. Now he was. He wanted Sephiroth. Badly.

He wanted to deal with true consequences, not fake ones.

"You are the one…You were the only man that I have had…I don't care if you believe me or not. Usually you never do it."

Sephiroth stared at Cloud with narrowed eyes and somehow his heart inflated with those words. He knew it was true. It was. Not only because Cloud was tight as the first time he took the boy, but because he could saw, that old bright there. He leaned above the slender body and stroked his hair, sweetly kissing him and whispering at his earlobe. He slowly released his fingers from the boy's tight channel. He couldn't wait anymore.

"Let's see…"

With one long thrust, Sephiroth entered the warm body. Cloud was so tight that it hurt his member. He glanced at him, eyes closed shut, mouth parted and a frown, undoubtedly of pain. So beautiful his Cloud, and now he was positive the boy was his. A smirk lightned up his face. "Mine. He is mine."

Sephiroth never had wanted anyone so fiercely as he wanted to have Cloud. Not even the power could be so overwhelming. Sephiroth didn't move, he stayed quiet, only absorbing the warmth and clenches from Cloud's body. He wanted to cry. He wanted to tell Cloud that he believed at him, that he didn't know what he felt for Zack any more. That he couldn't touch the man without think about Cloud. That he couldn't deny for himself how much he wanted to be with Cloud.

"Cloud…"

Sephiroth placed his hands on the boy's chest, stroking the skin and leaning his head on the blonde's neck. When Cloud tilted his head to kiss him, the slight move made him moan.

"Yess…moan for me Sephiroth…let me know if you like me, only a little. Let me have this fantasy…"

Cloud had tears in his eyes and with an unknown tenderness, Sephiroth cleaned it away. He slowly began to rock his hips, while Cloud sobbed and gasped for air, his chest raising and falling, his legs wrapped around his waist.

"Oh, Ahn…Seph-Sephiroth…why did you make me need you?"

"Why did you do the same for me?"

The pace became faster, Cloud was sweating and his hips rocked in tempo with Sephiroth, he was in bliss now. He was truly in near-rapture with the slow movements, the large member of the general stroking his prostate.

The strong man lifted Cloud from the table and held him in a tight grip while his thrusts became faster, deeper, desperate. Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's nape and pulled his hair to make him face him. They were making frantic noises, the table was scraping the floor, tearing the shabby and old carpet.

"God…Say it Cloud."

"Yes…Sephiroth…Sephiroth…"

"I…believe…you…Ahn…gods! Be mine, please be only mine. "

Cloud clenched hard when he heard Sephiroth admit it. He scratched the man's back, feeling himself very close to release. He passionately kissed him, swallowing his moans and grunts.

Sephiroth deepened their moves and he placed his hand around the blonde's member, encasing it with fast and rough strokes.

A few seconds later Cloud came with a hoarse shout, engulfed by Sephiroth's mouth.

"I- I'm yours, Sephiroth."

The general grunted, tightened his grip, holding the limp body of the blond and Cloud felt Sephiroth's release inside him.

They stayed closed, together. This time, there was no running for bathroom, no escapades through the snow. There were no doors to be opened or closed. No hidden spots. They stared at each other and perhaps for the first time since they meet, they saw each other. They probably would become lovers, or they probably would kill themselves, emotionally or physically. But definitely they would be trapped for a long time. That was a sure feeling that crossed the mind of both men. They were walking on a thin line between love and hate and their future, now, belonged to Gaia.


The end.

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