The mighty have fallen

“The mighty have fallen”
Part 9


While waiting for the doctor to come, Cloud talked to Sephiroth about mundane things, trying to keep him lucid. The silver-haired man sat on the couch beside him, listening to his words and responding as necessary, but was obviously deep in thought. Cloud was encouraged by Sephiroth’s coherency and unlike the time when he first found snatches of information, there was sanity in his green eyes. If anything, the man seemed emotionally stunned. Cloud didn’t want to take any chances, though. The cold knot of fear in his stomach wouldn’t go away until he knew that his companion wouldn’t go on a blind, justice-seeking killing spree.

“Sephiroth, do you remember the year of the snowstorm?” Cloud asked as he tightened the makeshift bandage. “You were drilling the hell out of us in the field even though the snow was five feet deep.”

Sephiroth looked at him. “Vaguely. I was resentful of being assigned to train a bunch of cadets.”

Cloud forced a smile. “Yeah, you made us pay for it too. I fell into a snow drift, thinking it was a hill.”

He was rewarded with a tragically brief twitch of a smile.

“All I could see of you was a tuft of blonde hair sticking out of the snow,” Sephiroth said softly. Silently the general thought back on that day, remembering how exasperated he’d been and how he’d thought it was a wonder that the small blonde boy had passed requirements and made it into the military. He remembered Zackary pulling Cloud out of the drift and warming him up in a blanket, making the kid drink hot chocolate and telling him jokes while his teeth chattered. He also remembered thinking that Cloud was ridiculously cute and out of place in the military.

Cloud studied his face, hoping to see the marble features relax at least a little. Maybe he was expecting too much, so soon after Sephiroth finished reading all of the details about his life that had remained so carefully hidden for all this time. On any other man the grim expression could have been diagnosed as righteous anger and pain. On Sephiroth, though…

~Please, don’t let it take you away again.~

Hardly able to breathe through the constriction in his chest caused by the thought of losing the other man to madness again, Cloud became desperate. Hardly aware of what he was doing, he stopped fussing with the dishtowel binding Sephiroth’s hand and reached up to cup his face. There was a subtle flash of confusion in the reptilian green eyes and Cloud stared into them and whispered; “Stay with me.”

Held by the expressive blue eyes, Sephiroth parted his lips. He’d only seen that level of devotion and care for him once before, in the eyes of Zack. The young man cupping his jaw didn’t move or say anything else, he just sat there showing all of his emotions in his eyes.

~It’s…true,~ Sephiroth thought silently, ~Strife really cares for me. Why? How can he…after everything that’s happened?~

A knock on the door broke the spell and Cloud was forced to release Sephiroth’s face and eyes to answer it. He let Dr. Melvin in and told a little white lie, fabricating that Sephiroth had accidentally knocked the glass over and in his attempt to catch it, he squeezed too hard and shattered it. The doctor expressed surprise at how rapidly Sephiroth was recovering from withdrawals but he seemed pleased by the progress despite his shock. He unwrapped Sephiroth’s hand and examined it.

Sephiroth didn’t utter a single complaint as the doctor placed a tray on the floor to catch blood and began to tweeze out the bits of glass that Cloud hadn’t gotten. He winced silently a few times but kept his eyes lowered and held still while his injuries were treated and stitched up.

“You’re lucky you didn’t sever a nerve or an artery, son,” Dr. Melvin said as he finished the stitching and wrapped the hand. “As it is, you won’t be able to write or perform other delicate functions with this hand for a little while.”

“He’s left-handed,” Cloud informed impulsively. Now that he thought of it, he was glad Sephiroth hadn’t injured his sword hand. He shouldn’t be considering how dangerous the man was, but it was comforting to know that his fighting skills wouldn’t be overly compromised.

“Ah, a South Paw,” Dr. Melvin grinned. “My son’s the same. Well, we’re finished here. I’ll leave you with a roll of bandages and some antiseptic. Change the bandages every other day until it stops spotting and I’ll check at the end of the week to see when the stitches can come out.” He looked at Sephiroth and sighed. “Try not to injure yourself any further, young man. You’ve had a hard enough time of it as it is.”

Sephiroth nodded wordlessly.

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

Cloud offered to take the couch so that Sephiroth could have a bed to sleep in, but Sephiroth declined and insisted that the couch was fine. When he was strong enough to stand and walk without getting winded or shaky, Cloud took him shopping. Sephiroth purchased a new wardrobe and a dresser to keep the clothing in and Cloud cleared out the small spare room next to the laundry room that he’d been using for storage, throwing away what he didn’t need and storing the rest in the garage. It wasn’t much but he thought that since their arrangement was pretty much indefinite, Sephiroth should have a room of his own—at least to keep his clothes and change in until Cloud decided whether to stay in Kalm or buy a house somewhere out of the city.

Sephiroth’s physical condition and injuries recovered rapidly and much to Cloud’s relief, his emotional state remained stable. The psychological wounds were slower and less obvious to heal but the silver-haired man retained his sanity and seemed a little less distant with each passing day. Dr. Melvin expressed amazement at how quickly Sephiroth’s wounds healed but he asked no questions and removed the stitches after a week. As another week came and went, Sephiroth seemed to be close to full strength again—which meant Cloud could begin looking into buying a house somewhere and either selling or renting out his home in Kalm. He’d been waiting for the other man to be recovered enough to help with the move without straining himself.

Cloud began to feel confident enough to let Sephiroth out of his sight and he started visiting Tifa again and keeping her up to date. She was relieved that Sephiroth was dealing with the truth well but she wasn’t ready to start trusting him and she said as much to Cloud. She also hinted that she was a little concerned that Cloud might set himself up for heartache if he wasn’t careful with his feelings.

“I don’t plan on making any moves on him unless he gives me a reason to think he’d welcome them,” Cloud assured her. “I don’t want to crowd him and I don’t want to make an idiot of myself. I also want to be sure he’s as stable as he seems to be, before I let myself get too close.”

Tifa looked relieved. “I’m glad. I saw him on the street yesterday and if I didn’t know who he was and what he’s capable of, I’d be swooning over him like all of the other girls in town. It must be hard to resist him when you feel the way you do.”

Cloud grinned. “He’s got the girls swooning, does he?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, he’s gorgeous,” Tifa admitted with a shrug. “The women here have been practically breaking their necks between the two of you. Haven’t you noticed all of the double-takes you both get?”

“I can believe it with him,” Cloud chuckled, flushing a little.

“You should hear the whispered rumors, too,” Tifa said mischievously. “You wouldn’t believe how many girls fantasize about what the two of you do in that house. I’m surprised you haven’t caught peepers yet.”

Cloud choked on his beer and cast a look around the bar. “Shhh,” he hissed, blushing furiously. It was the middle of the day and there were a few customers in the bar. Cloud couldn’t be sure but he thought one woman was leaning in her chair as if trying to catch what Tifa was saying.

Tifa giggled, swatting the blonde lightly with her bar rag. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed, Cloud.” She sobered and bit her lip. “Cloud, I’ve thought about it and I don’t want you to move away. It’s your choice of course, but I know you were only considering it because of me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. I can learn to live with Sephiroth being here, now that I know he’s aware of the truth and not going psycho. I actually kind of prefer it because if he’s here, I can help you keep an eye on him and you’ll still be my neighbor.”

Cloud was touched, not only by her dedication but also by her strength of resolve. He smiled at her. “Thanks, Tifa. We’ll stay here, then.”

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

Now that it was established that there was no need to move, Cloud decided to buy a bed for Sephiroth. He did it while he was out, without telling the other man he was doing it because he knew that Sephiroth would insist on paying for it and Cloud wanted it to be a gift. Knowing Sephiroth’s taste and his preference for efficiency over luxury, the blonde picked out a sturdy, dark wood single bed with a mattress that was soft enough for comfort but firm enough for support. He scheduled for it to be delivered and went home in a good mood.

When he stepped through the front door of his house, he immediately noticed something different. It took a couple of seconds for him to realize that the difference was that the house was clean—thoroughly clean, to be exact. While he stared around in surprise, Sephiroth emerged from the west hallway.

“Yes, it’s clean,” the swordsman said when Cloud blinked at him. “And yes, I’ll decapitate the first person to crack a ‘housewife’ joke because of it.”

Cloud tried to hide his grin and failed. He cleared his throat as the other man’s eyes flashed. “Check. No housewife jokes. How did you get it this clean, though?” He looked around again in amazement.

“With a bucket, mop, soap and a dishrag,” Sephiroth answered dryly. “It’s housekeeping, not rocket science, Cloud.”

The blonde shivered involuntarily at the sound of his name. Somehow the way Sephiroth said it—even when he was irritated with him—was sensual. “Okay, I admit I’m lousy at domestics,” Cloud said, “But you didn’t have to do this. I’d have done it eventually.”

Sephiroth smirked. “I’ve accepted that I’m stuck here, Cloud. What I won’t accept is living in filth.”

“Filth! It wasn’t that dirty!”

“Maybe not to you,” Sephiroth shrugged.

Cloud sighed. The only thing that kept him from remaining indignant was the fact that Sephiroth looked like a male model in his snug black jeans, knee-high black boots and button-up green shirt. The collar of the shirt was open and the top two buttons undone, exposing a tasteful and intriguing view of his neck and clavicle. His silver hair flowed around his shoulders and down his back like shiny silk. It was hard to stay annoyed with someone that looked so damned beautiful.

“Fine, I’m a slob,” Cloud said with a shrug of his own. Lifting the brown paper bag in his arms, he said; “I bought you some apples while I was out.” He’d learned that Sephiroth’s favorite fruit was green apples and he noticed that morning that his supply had run out.

Sephiroth looked uncomfortable. “Appreciated,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.

Cloud smiled crookedly and headed for the kitchen, used to the other man’s difficulty in expressing gratitude. “You’re welcome,” he said over his shoulder. Once in the kitchen he started taking the fruit out of the bag and putting it in the bowl sitting on the counter. He heard the TV click on in the living room and knew Sephiroth was watching the evening news. He always watched it and Cloud thought it might be his way of trying to catch up with the world.

~It’s got to be hard for him, waking up to find the world changed, learning that nearly everything he thought he knew about himself was wrong, living here as a virtual prisoner, hardly getting out to do anything he could enjoy…~ Cloud’s pitying thoughts continued as he put the apples away, and he was struck with a sudden inspiration. There was one thing he knew Sephiroth enjoyed and the man’s strength had returned enough to do it. Cloud’s heart pounded as he considered it, wondering whether or not it was a good idea. Deciding that even if he couldn’t fully trust Sephiroth the chip would prevent any serious harm, Cloud made up his mind and returned to the living room.

Cloud opened his mouth to make his proposal but a knock at the door interrupted him. Irritated, he opened the door to find the delivery guys from the furniture store waiting with the bed he’d bought earlier that day. He’d forgotten all about it. He waved them in and Sephiroth watched with a puzzled frown as they carried the pieces of the bed into the spare room as Cloud instructed.

“What’s this?” Sephiroth asked as he followed and watched them put the bed together.

“I bought you a little something besides apples today,” Cloud said lightly. “you shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch all the time.”

Sephiroth stared at the blonde, annoyed by his generosity and friendly smile. He was beginning to resent Cloud simply for making it so hard to resent him. Sephiroth frowned and blinked, wondering if that even made any sense. Shaking himself out of the confusing thoughts, he asked; “How much do I owe you?”

There it was…that kicked puppy look. “Not a thing,” Cloud said stubbornly. “Look, you’ve already paid half of the water bill, half of the grocery bill and you refused to let me pitch in on your clothes. It’s a gift. I feel bad enough already without you treating everything I try to do for you like a debt.”

Sephiroth matched his stubborn stare for a little while, then finally sighed and nodded. “If it’s that important to you, I won’t argue. I…appreciate it.”

Cloud’s expression lit up and Sephiroth groaned inwardly at how easy it was to please him. He didn’t know whether it made him want to throttle him or kiss him. Maybe it made him want to throttle him because it made him want to kiss him. Sephiroth frowned again, wondering how Strife kept inspiring such conflicting thoughts and feelings.

Once the bed was put together and the deliverymen left, Sephiroth put the sheets, pillow and comforter that came with it on.

“Do you like it?” Cloud asked as the taller man sat on the bed experimentally. Sephiroth nodded, looking at him with something like gratitude in his green eyes.

“Good,” Cloud said. “Now that we’ve established that, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Sephiroth regarded him warily.

“It’s nothing bad,” Cloud chuckled. “I just realized that you’ve been cooped up here for all this time. You hardly get out. There’s an abandoned factory just outside of town off the highway and I thought it looked like a good place to duel. Are you up for it?”

For the first time in weeks, Sephiroth smiled.

It sent a thrill through Cloud’s body and he honestly couldn’t tell whether it was a thrill of excitement or fear.

~Too late to change my mind now.~

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

Anyone watching the two men sparring would have thought they were trying to kill each other. Sephiroth had informed Cloud from the beginning that if they did this, he wasn’t going to hold back. He gave the blonde the choice to back out but Cloud refused.

“Fuck,” Cloud yelped as he dodged another falling smoke column. Sephiroth didn’t seem to be playing around; he was slicing through structures with devastating accuracy, using the environment against him to keep him busy. The crash produced another cloud of dust, making it hard for the blonde to spot his opponent.

Sephiroth was suddenly flying at him through the dust and Cloud brought his sword up just in time to deflect the masamune. The impact was brutal enough to make his feet skid on the pavement but Cloud held his balance and stared into Sephiroth’s narrowed green eyes.

“Close, but no cigar,” the blonde coughed.

Sephiroth smiled.

Cloud sensed the reverse swing coming and he dodged aside and retaliated. Sephiroth ducked the blow and made a sweeping kick, which Cloud hopped over. Their weapons met and threw sparks again and again. After a while, Cloud began to realize that the reason Sephiroth wasn’t holding back was only because he respected his ability to defend against his attacks. He saw it in the taller man’s eyes when their blade’s locked and in the way he’d give him a quick nod of approval when he did something impressive.

Cloud began to enjoy himself. His main intention in doing this was for Sephiroth. Truthfully he’d been wary of it, fearing that the other man would take things too far and it would get ugly. Now he knew that he could trust Sephiroth not to cross the line. The general came at him again in a downward sweep and Cloud had to think fast. He popped the release on the First Sword and produced one of the hidden blades, then crossed both weapons over his head to block the masamune.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and gave Cloud the first verbal compliment he’d uttered in the fight. “Impressive.”

“Thanks,” Cloud grunted, kicking out with his boot. He caught the other man’s leg and made it buckle, throwing him off balance while he countered. Sephiroth rolled aside and came to his feet, slashing at Cloud’s duel-wielded attack. For a few moments, the silver-haired man was put on the defensive. Cloud was coming at him with a flurry of blades, giving him no option but to block. Any smug feelings the blonde might have had were stolen away when Sephiroth suddenly bunched powerful leg muscles and leapt into the air, somersaulting over his head. Cloud spun around to face him but Sephiroth swept his feet out from under him with a kick before he could attack.

Cloud landed flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him. He somehow managed to hold onto his swords but before he could gather his bearings and raise them, Sephiroth caught his wrists in a vice-like grip and pinned him down. Cloud bucked to try to dislodge the hold and Sephiroth’s hard body came down on him, pressing firmly. Cloud went still with shocked awareness as Sephiroth’s lean hips settled between his thighs. He stared up into his opponent’s emerald eyes, ceasing his struggles. Sephiroth’s mouth was only a hand’s breath away from his as he smiled down at him with satisfied triumph.

“So Cloud…do you yield?” Sephiroth purred.

~Oh god, he doesn’t hear the double meaning of that question,~ the blonde thought.

Cloud had fantasized about being in this very position more times than he could count. The only difference between his fantasies and the current reality was that they were clothed. His baser instincts got the better of him and he raised his knees and parted his thighs a bit further, nearly groaning with arousal as the other man’s pelvis pressed more firmly against his groin. He stared at Sephiroth and moistened his lips. “I yield,” he whispered, fighting the urge to flex his hips and grind his swelling arousal against the man.

Sephiroth’s features relaxed and the glow in his eyes became softer. After seconds ticked by, Cloud wondered what he was thinking. He hadn’t released him yet and he stared at him silently. The blonde didn’t strain against his hold, relishing the intimacy of the contact even as he balked at how horny it was making him to be restrained like this.

~If he were any other man I’d think he was getting ready to start kissing me and tearing my clothes off,~ Cloud thought with confusion, seeing the possessive light in Sephiroth’s eyes. Contrary to the desire that the blonde thought he could see lurking in the man’s expression, he hadn’t gotten hard. Another man in his position and wearing his expression would have had a stiffy by now and probably would have been grinding it against Cloud suggestively.

Sephiroth finally gave him one of those beautiful, sexy half-smiles before lowering his mouth to Cloud’s ear and whispering, “Good boy.”

Cloud’s eyes unfocused and his eyelids fluttered shut as his prick bucked in response. He knew Sephiroth could feel the reactions he was invoking and he was starting to think he did it on purpose. Too much more and Cloud feared that he’d shame himself and come in his pants, without Sephiroth ever having to touch him down there.

Sephiroth finally released his wrists and smoothly got up, offering a hand of assistance to Cloud. The blonde snapped his sword back together and took the proffered hand, rising to his feet with a flush in his pale cheeks. “Good fight,” he said, trying to get his mind off of how mind-blowingly hot the end of it had been. He didn’t even care that he’d lost. It was a good fight, not just because it had been such an intense workout and a challenge, but also because for once, it wasn’t conducted with intentions to kill or maim.

Sephiroth nodded in agreement and gave him a little smile. “It was. You almost got away from me. I underestimated how limber you are.”

Cloud laughed softly, taking it as a compliment. “Well, you’re stronger than I am. I couldn’t move once you pinned me down.” He flushed harder and slumped a little to try and hide his erection as the other man glanced at him sidelong and smiled knowingly.

~Part of you moved, Strife,~ Sephiroth silently responded, though he didn’t allow his eyes to drop to said part out of courtesy. ~Part of you strained against me even after the rest of your body relaxed. If I had been able to, I think I would have taken you right there on the factory floor.~

While musings of what it would be like to dominate someone sexually weren’t entirely foreign to Sephiroth, it was the first time he felt serious frustration at his inability to do so. Cloud had been begging for it and he couldn’t even get hard as a result, let alone oblige him. Sephiroth had never missed what he’d never had before until that moment. He had no idea what it felt like to have an erection and he could only surmise by his memories of Zackary’s shuddering gasps and moans that to push it inside of someone must be extremely gratifying.

Sephiroth’s musing wasn’t lost on Cloud. He saw the darkening expression on the other man’s face and could only guess at what was going through his mind. Wishing he could wipe that frown off the other man’s face, Cloud secured his weapon on his back and said; “I guess we should be getting back. The sun’s setting and I’ve got fish thawing for supper.”

Sephiroth nodded and together, they began to walk out of the factory. As they passed by one of the buildings they had been fighting near earlier, a pipe that hadn’t been quite severed broke away from the wall suddenly and started falling toward Cloud. The blonde was so preoccupied that he was slow to react, and he realized he was going to get an injury out of this no matter what.

Sephiroth was suddenly at his side, flinging his arm up and catching the pipe before it finished its descent. Cloud was half-crouched, staring at the object and the man that had stopped it from hitting him. Again, Sephiroth’s face was close to his own and again, the silver-haired man smiled crookedly.

“Watch your head, Cloud.” For a wild moment their eyes locked. Then Sephiroth heaved the pipe away and continued on. Cloud followed with a dumbstruck expression and a racing pulse.

~He could have let it hit me,~ realized Cloud as he stared at the general’s back, ~the chip doesn’t force him to protect me. He could have let that pipe brain me on the chance that it could kill me, damage my chip or put me into a coma…and then he would have been free.~

He could have, but he didn’t. Sephiroth chose to protect him, even though it meant giving up a chance for freedom. Cloud’s heart thundered for a different reason now. Was it instinct or choice that made Sephiroth look out for him like that? He knew the man would never tell him even if he asked.

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

As they started home on Fenrir, Sephiroth thought about his reaction to the danger he’d seen Cloud in. There had been no time to think…only to react…and Cloud was so preoccupied he didn’t realize the danger until it would have been too late. There had been a shock of unexpected fear in Sephiroth’s gut, followed by a protective urge too strong to ignore. He was aware even as he stopped the pipe that fate had given him a chance to break his chains, but he declined it. The price might have been worth the freedom a few weeks ago, but not anymore.

He liked Cloud. The impulsive blonde was a continuous source of amusement and comfort to him, even though he was also his captor. As soon as he admitted it, Sephiroth felt a curious weight lift. He hated the constraints he was living under but they were really nothing new to him. He was confident that some day he would find a way to break free, but he wouldn’t do so at the expense of the only living person he felt anything for.

With that realization came a desire to do something…nice…for the other man. Sephiroth’s condition hadn’t stopped him from learning a few…interesting…tricks. He smiled slyly and relaxed his hold on Cloud’s waist to move his hands to different areas.

Cloud felt Sephiroth’s hands slide lower on his waist but he assumed it was just to get a more secure grip. He frowned with confusion as the man’s gloved hands settled on his thighs and stroked them. His eyes went wide behind the goggles and his confusion grew as the hands slid down and their stroking moved to his inner thighs, very close to his crotch. His eyes practically bugged out when one of them cupped his groin and squeezed it briefly before rubbing it through the jeans, while the other hand crept back up and deftly burrowed under his shirt.

“What the hell?” Cloud gasped, struggling to keep his concentration on his driving. “Sephiroth, what are you doing?”

The other man didn’t answer him and Cloud shifted in his seat and bit back a moan as he hardened under the massage. The hand up his shirt stroked leisurely, the leather of the glove feeling sensual against his skin. He felt Sephiroth’s lips against the back of his neck, kissing and nibbling teasingly.

~Ohshitohmygodhe’sreallydoingthisandwe’regonnacrash~

Cloud’s thoughts were a panicked jumble in his head and his body twitched involuntarily as Sephiroth found his right nipple and gave it a tingling squeeze before rubbing it. Cloud’s mouth fell open and his eyes started to glaze with pleasure as Sephiroth firmly rubbed the length of his erection through the jeans. He couldn’t pry the man’s hands away because he had to steer the bike and he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop him anyway. Cloud instinctively pushed against his companion’s rubbing hand even as he hollered that he was insane.

“I c-can’t concentrate with you doing this!” Cloud shouted desperately.

“Then pull over somewhere,” Sephiroth suggested into his ear, licking the rim.

Cloud nearly lost control of the bike and he swore. He saw a stretch of trees off the side of the road to the right and he eased Fenrir off of the highway and made for them. His intention was to get the bike safely stopped and demand that Sephiroth cut it out. He was bewildered and confused by the man’s unexpected actions, especially since he knew Sephiroth couldn’t be doing it because he was horny.

Once they were safely behind the trees and sheltered from view, Cloud dropped the kickstand and cut the engine. “Sephiroth,” he gasped, “stop it!”

Sephiroth smiled against his neck and continued to steadily rub his crotch. “You clearly don’t mean that, Cloud.”

The blonde’s eyes unfocused helplessly with pleasure and he turned his head to bark the order again. Sephiroth’s mouth met his and muffled his protest, the tongue snaking in to thrust and explore. Cloud moaned and started to pull away but Sephiroth yanked his hand out from under his shirt and gripped the blonde’s jaw to hold him still.

Cloud’s desire began to take over and he reciprocated the kiss, sucking on the other man’s invading tongue and caressing it with his own. Sephiroth was an amazing kisser, so suggestive and sensual with the motions of his lips and tongue that it felt almost to Cloud like he was fucking his mouth.

Cloud regained some of his senses as his fly was pulled down. “Mmmph…wait,” he begged against the other man’s mouth.

“I don’t feel like complying with that order, Cloud.” Sephiroth murmured as he freed the blonde’s stiff sex from his jeans. Suddenly and smoothly, the general got off of the bike and Cloud fell backwards, unprepared for the abrupt lack of support against his back. The next thing Cloud knew he was laying back on his motorcycle with his legs dangling over the sides and Sephiroth looming over him. The silver-haired man had pulled his goggles off at some point during the incident and his green eyes flashed in a predatory fashion.

“Wha—“ Cloud gasped.

Sephiroth smiled wickedly at him for a moment and then he lowered his head to Cloud’s exposed cock. The blonde tensed all over and stared blankly at the canopy as he felt his sex drawn into Sephiroth’s hot mouth.

“Oh god,” Cloud moaned, clutching Sephiroth’s left shoulder. The general’s tongue swirled around and around the sensitive urethra opening, sending shocks of sensation up and down Cloud’s spine. He did it until the blonde was trembling convulsively and whimpering before progressing to another technique. His head bobbed up and down as he began to take Cloud in and out of his mouth, pausing each time he reached the tip to tease the head with his tongue.

Cloud’s other hand reached out blindly for something, anything to grab onto. It plunged into a nearby bush and he convulsively grabbed a handful of leaves, tossing them mindlessly as Sephiroth’s ministrations gave him greater and greater pleasure. The silver-haired man seemed to know when Cloud was getting close to his peak, because each time he’d stop moving his mouth and just hold him inside while squeezing the base of his dick, waiting for him to calm down before continuing. He held Cloud’s hips still as he took his time sucking him and a fine sheen of perspiration broke out on the blonde’s skin as the pleasure grew and receded alternately. Finally, Sephiroth stopped giving him breathers and kept a steady rhythm.

“Sephiroth,” Cloud groaned, releasing the other man’s shoulder to stroke his soft hair, “feels so good…ah…ah…Seph…I-I’m gonna come…I’m coming…”

Cloud tossed his head and bit his lip as Sephiroth sucked him hard into his mouth to the hilt, working his throat muscles. His hand cupped his balls and squeezed firmly and rhythmically and Cloud’s shoulders lifted off Fenrir’s seat with the force of his orgasm. His neck arched and his throat worked as he cried the general’s name and grabbed his shoulder again for support.

“H-holy shit,” Cloud exclaimed raggedly, raising his hips as his companion swallowed his come, continuing to suck until the spasms ended. He panted dazedly, spent and bewildered from the pleasure. Sephiroth skillfully and gently tucked his sated genitals back into his underwear before zipping his fly back up. He gazed down at Cloud with smug satisfaction, evidently pleased with the outcome of his unexpected playing.

“Why…why did you do that?” Cloud asked him when he found the breath to do so.

“Because I wanted to, Cloud,” Sephiroth said simply. “Don’t tell me you didn’t want it.”

Cloud shook his head and sat up, still panting heavily. “You already know I did,” he answered, staring up at him with dazed blue eyes. “I just…I never knew that you…I didn’t think you…”

“Wanted you?” Sephiroth supplied helpfully. Cloud blushed and nodded, lowering his eyes.

“Cloud, you can be really dense. My inability to get it up doesn’t make me incapable of enjoying encounters.”

Cloud stared at him with fascination. “What made you decide to do that? All this time I thought you were just trying to make me uncomfortable, maybe even mocking me for…for feeling the way I do.”

Sephiroth smirked. “I was trying to avoid complications, if you must know. My desire to hear you moan my name got the better of me.”

Cloud grinned bashfully and licked his lips. “Well, how did you like the way I moaned your name?”

Sephiroth leaned in and licked his jaw, making the blonde shiver. “Very likeable,” he purred.

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

-To be continued