#number one red bastard ~ Reno

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Continued from here | @escortingsecrets

A good person, huh? He wouldn't laughed, if he wasn't aware and considerate enough of how sensetive a moment this was. For Shivan, and for him. He smirked, but that was as far as it went, as the smirk simmered down as he looked between them. He'd already been half exposed with his scars, but given the others exposure, and their long history, he saw no reason not to even things out. He let his top fall as well, looking over the memories marking his body.

Tattoos from another life, marking his actions and his 'successes'. Scars marking his successes and his survival and endurance. At least, that's how he saw it. Doesn't always leave confidence brimming, which was only part of the reason he liked to adjust his uniform to accent the parts of his body he did know, with confidence, looked appealing without putting the worst of it on display.

"Dunno about good person, sweet heart," he remarked softly, weak amusement in his voice, though he spoke the pet name he'd had for Shivan with more respect, "but it is what it is. It's reminders for me, too. All of it, marking my body. Most I can be proud of, others I just wear with the necessary shame. That's how it is. That's the life. As for one that didn't deserve so may?" he inclined his head.

His gaze flitted over Shivan, but it didn't linger. He knew enough about his history with Corneo, but unless absolutely necessary for any mission, he'd never pried anything out of him he wasn't willing to give, and he wouldn't start now.

Still...

"You're damn strong, ya know that, right? Stronger than most people I meet, and ya know that's saying something." he told him. His gaze flitted to Shivan's neck then, and he sighed. "Damn bastard. I'll celebrate the day we bring back firing squads for that fat fuck."

He looked over some of his cuts, none deep enough to leave major scars, but enough to have lingered still. He ran a hand over a particularly long one over his bicep, and laughed. "Stupid SOLDIERs went AWOL when I got this one."

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Shivan using his situational skills to get information wasn't something he'd prefer to ask for but, he couldn't deny it might get results, so he simply nodded along with it. "Don't bother if you're just fishing randomly. Unless you suspect there might be something hefty relating to ShinRa, it's not worth it, got it?" he reasoned. "And trust me, I know who they are. We get tabs on most of his people. Which is how my people found you." he explained pointedly.

As Shivan suddenly shifted, leaning closer, he watched and listening intently. He wasn't sure why the other was looking like he was trying to whisper, but then perhaps that was just habit when talking about sensitive information.

He considered the request, keeping his gaze on Shivan but sitting back as he ran the scenario. He didn't think Tseng would be too happy about him finagling something like that, but he couldn't see him condemning it, either, especially if Reno manages it smoothly and discreetly. And if it secured Shivan's compliance, it was a fair trade.

Besides, he knew somewhere. "I can. It wouldn't be the most cozy place, but I know someone that'd be vacant, next to no one goes there, and I will have access, so I can check in on you. That all your chips, then? Or you got anything else up your sleeve?"

A long pause followed, as Shivan carefully considered. Getting things out physically wasn't going to be possible- unless he considered asking the newest lackeys Corneo had. But then, he also didn't trust them one bit. A slow breath, as he considered it before looking at Reno again.

"Scotch and Kotch usually let things slip here and there. They're pretty loyal to Corneo, so I have to be careful how much I get out of them. But they're the easiest two to get information from." He admitted thoughtfully. "A few drinks, maybe a quickie, and they'll run their mouths very easy."

Not on everything, and maybe not on what Shinra was looking for, but it was worth an attempt. "I always know his next auditions- not that I think it would help you at all. If things get tense with you being around, I'm sure one of them would tell me. They're not the worst of the bunch, exactly... They're the announcers for that arena, if you were wondering. They're usually around for the auditions as well. Not good people, but they aren't bad, either."

Shivan shifted, arm resting on the back of the couch as he bent forward, closer to Reno. "I hate to add more, but I want one other things from Shinra. A safehouse- if things go bad, and I need to get away, I want somewhere to hide from Corneo." He said softly. Asking for any help was never a topic he wanted to discuss, but Shinra had Shivan on their radar, and they were a bigger threat than Corneo ever could be at the moment. "I don't care where in Midgar it is, but I need one. Can you guarantee that?"

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Continued from here | @ghostofnibelheim

His eyes were a bit too steadily locked on those legs, just the fucking legs--it's not like he'd never seen the mans bare skin, Turks have to keep their eyes peeled as it were and that meant following, that meant reading reports, etc.. But all of it, all at once, and Sephiroth's voice was distant as turqoiuse eyes took in from the ankles, to strong calves, to toned and firm look thighs, then just those abs, that chest, those arms.

But eventually, he did snap back to it, just chuckling at the droll humor. He wasn't going to bother responding to that, they both knew he was far from bad looking.

"Maintenance is on the way, this isn't the only place fuckin' up--but we had this issue months ago, and had to involve som'more in depth investigation when it turned out some shit heads were fooling around an dumping valuable content down the train, clogging crap up. So, big boy," he smirked faintly, his gaze stroking the other up and down, before continuing, "noticed anything extra weird? Strange smells, weird color to the water, anything other than just not having a working shower?"

He paced the locker a bit, lazily, pointlessly, looking around.

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

"Shut Up" Kiss Meme | Open

@escortingsecrets asked: "I don't need to hear it. I just need…" 💋 For Reno

Well maybe he damn well had more to say, Reno usually wasn't one that liked being interrupted, especially when trying to express himself on something he found very important--and the factor of Shivan and his worth and the very reality of how Reno saw the other man was very fucking important right now, but then the bastard was interrupting him and Reno was next to fuming.

But then a hand was reaching out, and Shivan had that look in his eyes, and it seemed their bodies just gravitated. On instinct, he knew what was coming, and met it half way after letting out a sigh to release the frustration pent up from all his ranting and being interrupted multiple times.

Perhaps Shivan was finally seeing. And if he didn't yet, Reno would make sure he'd see now.

The turks fingers reached to dig through long, soft strands, caressing and gripping as his lips pressed and pushed. There was the sparks and the threat of fire, as if his own lips could so easily consume the other if he didn't hold himself back, and yet they moved with a firm, ever present tenderness. His other hand found it's way to the small of Shivan's back, cradling him so carefully as he deepened the kiss, tongue just having to slip out for a brief tease at the breech of the others lips.

He wasn't sure how long they were kissing, but he did find himself catching his breath just a little as he drew back to look at the other man. This beautiful man. With his beautiful tragic scars, and his beautiful tragic heart. The hand in his hair moved to caress over his cheek and he sighed.

"...You get it now, sweetheart?" he implored, voice softer than usual, and aquamarine eyes bore into the other with a fondness few had ever seen.

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Platonic Sentence Starters | Open

@soulsfractured asked: ❛ here’s a spare key so you don’t have to keep coming in through the window. ❜ [Tseng to Reno]

Reno, currently half crouched over the windowsill, stared at Tseng as he offered the key to him. Was he worried about being caught climbing through the window? Not really. Was he surprised by the effort to get a key made? Only a little.

But then he pouted, and reluctantly took the key.

"Aw, com'on boss, that just takes all the fun out of it!!"

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Reno may be trust worthy in the beasts eyes, but at this moment, well...

Reno lacked in instinct and understanding with the behemoth, that was clear enough. He watched his actions, the way his tail pointed. Something with his back or neck, that he was mostly sure of. He was almost sure he'd recognized what he was saying before, but still...what the hell?

He reached out for the creatures neck and....poked. And pet.

"...Does it itch? Do you have, what, some animalistic off switch here...?" thought was doubtful, or it'd be used often, but, still...

"Think we can teach you sign language?" he joked.

Therion growled softly, the sound a low rumble as Reno scratched at the fur. Even going so far as the stick the tip of his tongue out, but hearing the question, his head came up very slightly. The behemoth seemed to seriously consider the question for a moment before starting to move again, rolling back onto it's feet slowly. Lucas knew one of the easy ways to handle Therion was to scruff the behemoth- but how to show that when it wasn't possible to talk? This was something Reno had to learn with the beast, after all.

Lowering it's head towards Reno, Therion's tail came up, pointing towards the back of his head as it stared towards Reno and growled- it didn't like when people tried to get control like that, but Lucas wanted to show Reno ways to help. The behemoth's tail thumped down onto the ground, as the creature's nose pressed into the ground and a second low huff followed the growl, waiting patiently to see if Reno would catch on.

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

@reno So do you sleep with Rufus because Turks can't get any outside of their little cult? I know he's pretty but clearly the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's retty pathetic.

Brutal Anons | Open

Reno stared blankly, for...more seconds than he would've preferred. The blank stare was all he showed, of course, he wasn't gonna let ALL his training go out the window. He couldn't let anyone read him so easily, not as a Turk. So he was pissed he even allowed such a reaction.

But then again, it kept him from knocking out the bastard with one punch, too, so maybe Blank was for the best.

A couple seconds more, and he smirked softly, quirking his head and leaning in, cocky an unserious. "Aaawww, look who's brains too small for their wittle head~ Presumptuous to think Turks can get any. Just because we choose our meals discreetly don't mean we don't have a variety of feasts if we so choose."

Straightening up, he fixed his goggles a bit. "Apples and trees, huh? Maybe, maybe not. Better to be a poison fruit consumable by very few, though, than to be a rotten one, sickening the whole town. What's the matter, someone hungry? Wanna bite? Jealousy certainly ain't attractive, but it sure is amusing~."

Now, if the fuck head had anything else smart to say, well, surely none of his bosses' could scold him much for sending a guy to the hospital if he came up with a valid enough reason? What about threat to security? Yeah, that'd work. Clearly, this guy was all up in the Prez' business, and they couldn't have that.

[leeus-writing]

Where is Home?

Anon asked for: Reno, Cloud and Rufus? Where reader leaves after an argument and ends up getting injured. Just some fluffy angst.

Hope you like this. This one is:

Reno

“Reno I’m not living here. I’m sorry but it’s awful. The people in this stairwell!? My bike got stolen. Then my Shoes when I left them outside the apartment. I’d stepped in Chocobo poo and they STILL GOT TAKEN! It’s my home or not at all!” You snapped fists balled.

“No Way! I’m not living with ya posh lot! Geeze! I’ll just get accused of being your Prozzy!” He snapped back folding his arms.

You laughed, exasperated, the hell was wrong with him! You ran your hands trough your hair and just walked in a circle. This was just… just.

“Well… Maybe if you didn’t dress like you do!”

“WHAT? I’VE ALWAYS DRESSED LIKE THIS!” Reno snapped, his hands spread out before him to emphasize his point.

No at that point you were sick of it. You turned and went to walk out the door. Your living arrangements with Reno had been a point of tension for days now. But now, you were done.

“Where are you going!” Reno shouted after you as you picked up your bag and keys on the way out.

“HOME, to MY home!” You snapped back opening the door and shutting it with a loud slam “bastard” you muttered as you walked down the hallway.

Reno kicked his kitchen table, breaking one of the legs causing it to clatter to the floor before sitting down on his sofa gripping his hair.

| |

Reno stood looking out his window. Midnight had come and gone, and he’d not heard from you. He’d sent a message expecting a reply. Nothing. He’d sent an apology, nothing. He’d called Rude who suggested that you were probably cooling off. Yeah, maybe. But you’d never gone this long without calling or messaging, not even after big fights.

Finally, your phone rang. Not a number you recognised.

“Hello?” Reno’s voice was cracking a little.

“Mr Lincon?”

Reno frowned, no one knew his last name apart, from maybe the bank…. HR and the guy who he rented from… and you! But this voice he didn’t recognise. Why would HR or the Bank be calling him at this time of night?

“My name is Reno… Just Reno,” Reno replied.

“Reno, my name is Dr Jones… Y/N was in a car accident your down as her-”

“WHAT HAPPENED WHERE IS SHE!”

“If you could just come down to Midgar Mercy West Hospital-”

Reno cut the call off before the Doctor could say anything else.

| |

You blinked a few times, confused as you woke up. You tried to sit up but ached to much. Blinking again, you turned your head to look around and saw you were in a hospital room. A heat monitor bleeped a few times, and you spotted a drip hooked up to you. With a moan you reached out for a button to alert someone, maybe they could explain? A nurse came in before you had a chance to press the button.

“Shh, Y/N. You’ve been in an accident. We’ve called your boyfriend and he’ll be here soon. Dr Jones has just had to step away, but he’ll be back to talk to you.”

You nodded before hearing a racket and a blaze of red hair.

“Y/N I’M SO SORRY!” Reno shouted running to your side “Are ya alright. Who hit ya? I’ll fucking kill em!”

A man you could only assume was a doctor walked in, “Mr Reno I assume? And Y/N Its nice to see you’re awake. Right then,” He clicked on a tablet screen and cleared his voice, “So from reports at the scene, it was assumed you’d been hit by a car. Unfortunately, this accident has broken both your left leg and right arm. You also got a good whacking to the head as well, which we are monitoring. Unfortunately, we have had to remove one of your kidneys and repair damage to your heart and liver…”

You swallowed and licked your lips. “How long will I be in the hospital?” You croaked.

“Love, don’t worry about that, I’ll watch ya house. Heck, I’ll move in. You’re right. My area it’s too dangerous,” Reno said stroking your hand.

You shook your head, “No… we’ll find a place together,” you replied.

Reno nodded, “yeah, you’re right that would be great. A home of our own. I’d like that.”

He took your hand and slowly started stroking your knuckles with his thumb. The Doctor smiled just a little, “It will take some time for you to recover. We may also have to perform further surgeries. Recovery may include some rehabilitation. It’ll be hard work, but I see you have a strong support network.”

You nodded and smiled up at Reno before yawning.

“We’ll leave you to rest and come back later,” Doctor Jones stated before leaving.

“I wont leave ya unless ya want me to,” Reno told you getting his phone out.

“I’d like you to stay a little longer,” You replied to reno before falling asleep.

| |

@electric-turks

@broken-kitty1995

@renohasbigtits

@finalsegamangalover

@miss-celeste

@okarawrites

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

He wanted to laugh at that first part. From what he observed, sure, yeah, he could be in the 'front seat' often, but was that really a choice? He wasn't sure it was, and therefor if it counted, but he decided not to address it as they turned another corner, checking and double checking each of the containers.

So far, all seemed sealed and secured, and he was tapping away notes on his phone for necessary updates to the proper people once they reported back to HQ.

"You're a funny guy, ya know." he retorts, assessing another tube, and glancing to Sephiroth. "I never really gave you enough credit before but, shit if your dry humor ain't something. You should use it more often. Maybe try it at higher execs when I'm around, I'd love to see their faces." he teased, knowing the other wouldn't dare. He didn't seem the type, unprompted. And even then... Well, he was a posterboy for a reason.

"I think I'll be fine, though if you're feeling a lil' touch-starved, I'm happy to help. You only need to ask." he teased, grinning to himself, only for the grin to fall as they reached the last three pods...with one empty, as if it had been opened back at the controls. Mako fluid spilled across the floor, along with other chemicals. Fuck, he thought he smelled shit, but he just thought it was the reactor stink you get used to. He stopped abruptly, for the sake of taking a moment to survey what got out and where to, but also knowing how harmful mako was to breath in too much. He avoided it at all cost, and was barely thinking about the SOLDIERs likely overexposure and therefor higher resilience.

"Well, shit. And here we were having such a nice, intimate stroll. Guess we gotta work harder now." he sighed, trying to get closer without stepping in the mako puddle to see if the tube was labeled.

"I'm a front seats kind of guy." Sephiroth replied cooly, keeping a calm but focused demeanor as he followed. His eyes carefully scanned their surroundings for hostile presence. This area was different, not the facility full of machines he'd spotted on the monitors.

But these pods weren't any less concerning. In the dim lights of the underground facility, they looked especially sinister. Reno was keeping his blasé attitude as always, but the SOLDIER wondered if he was just trying to act tough under outside appearances.

And if he himself may be a contributor to that effect.

"If it gets scary, though, I could hold your hand. You only need to ask."

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

Happy #CoverReveal for Bexley’s Biker by Misty Walker, coming October 12th! Amazon: http://mybook.to/BexleysBiker Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57322458 Enter to #win a signed paperback! Enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a3542050/ Bexley: Your secrets are safe with me. It’s been my number one rule since I opened my law firm in Reno, NV. No one knows the reason is because I have my own dark secrets to hide, and a past I wish I could forget. Strategically, I only accept clients who have more to lose than I do. Like the dangerous and deadly, Royal Bastards MC. Not the best company to keep, but the most lucrative.   Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore their toxic masculine energy, and overt sexual advances.   Especially from their VP, Khan. Just like the ancient ruler himself, he’s tall, muscular, and brutal. He’s also the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I fell victim to a man like him once before. I’ll never make that mistake again.   His relentless pursuit to get me in bed ends when he finds himself facing five years in prison, leaving me the only one standing between him and a cold, dank cell. The evidence against him is incriminating, but not damning. Not for an exceptional lawyer like me.   That’s when my past comes back at the worst moment with an ultimatum… fulfill my commitment to the RBMC or keep myself alive? Khan: Bexley’s the first woman who ever stood me up to me, and hell if it doesn’t make me feel a certain way.   I don’t know how to handle what she does to me, so I do what any emotionally immature man would do. I pick on her, tease her, and annoy her to no end, like it’s my favorite pastime.   When I catch charges for arson and auto theft, I’m forced to play nice with my playground crush. Never thought I’d say this, but I need her brain more than her body. For now, anyway. I’m one more court date away from being a free man, when everything I thought I knew about the attractive, curvaceous lawyer is proven false. She thought the worst thing that could happen to her is her ex tracking her down, but she’s wrong. She betrayed me and my brothers, and some things are unforgivable. I don’t see hearts in my eyes when I look at her now. Instead, blood-red vengeance fills my vision.   *Bexley's Biker is a dark romance with triggering elements.

[azure-steel]

@onewinged-tragedy​ said: [number one red bastard / Reno] = Always so tense, Soldier boy--think it's about time you play it rough and work out some of that tension. If you're up for the ~fight~ *twirls his baton suggestively* Unprompted Asks - ALWAYS ACCEPTING

There was something oddly evocative about the request Reno just put forward, couple that with the display of that stick in his hand and he could almost swear this guy was flirting with him. 

Not that Cloud knew anything about that, flirting with death maybe, but little else. 

Still, the little smirk that tugs at the corners of his mouth was difficult to ignore while he steps around the crimson-haired suit, slowly and so very carefully sliding his blade from his shoulders, giving the buster a little twirl of his own. 

“Bring it on, Turk. Might be nice to blow off some steam, and I got enough tension for the both of us, yeah~?”

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Give My Muse A Petname! | Open

@escortingsecrets asked: Shivan is still calling Reno Molasses Cookie- or Gingersnap. He switches between them

NEVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN | meh | idk how to feel about it | i’m ok with it | i like it | i love it | please call me that all the time

~

Reno just stared blankly at Shivan for the longest time, barely a twitch to his features...until finally, there was a twitch to his lip. "I swear on Ifrits BALLSACK, you keep calling me that, I will beat your ass!!"

He wouldn't beat his friend, of course, but he would very passionately make him pay, in whatever way he could think of that would have an impact.

"Would it kill ya to give me something COOL?!"

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

"Damn, Tseng, if ya wanted to let me know I was your favorite, you coulda just come right out and said it." he teased as they entered. The first here? He gets first dibs on spare slippers? He's treating him like some damn honored guest, or close to it.

It felt so....weird, to be honet.

He just went with some simple brown slippers, taking his other shoes and putting them away like the raven haired male suggested "I'll take coffee, ain't much for tea."

That actually brought a small laugh out of Tseng as he unlocked his front door. "Is that what makes it more enjoyable? I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He asked as he opened the door and stepped in. "Just watch your shoes- Pagoda likes to play with laces, you can put them in the closet if you'd prefer."

He quickly took his shoes off, tossing his keys onto the table and sliding his slippers on. "I have a few spare pairs of slippers, if you prefer them over your socks. You're the first here, so you get first dibs on which ones you want for yourself." Tseng crouched to pick up Pagoda, scratching under her chin. "Did you want a coffee, tea?"

[turnabouttoothbrush]

Reckoning, Chapter Twelve

Today’s sporkers: Chill, Kiri, and Anna.

Anna: I just realized that in the last sporking, we said we were going to update @askprincessmyshkin in the next week.

Chill:��Boy, that sure ended up happening, didn’t it?

Kiri: We literally don’t have an excuse anymore. All we’ve done for the past couple weeks is just lay in bed and slowly starve ourselves.

Anna: Shhh.

Chill: Roll fic!!

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Just thinking," he said. I smiled, but felt a little bitter.

"Just thinking…" I said, "about Luxord?" He didn't answer me and I knew I was right. "Did he injure your heart or your mind?" I asked, sliding my fingers along his chest. I was surprised when he shivered as I touched him. When he still didn't answer, I pushed him down gently.

"What are you doing Roxas?" He asked, clearly surprised as I kissed first his chest then his forehead, both deliberately slowly and lovingly.

"Whenever my dad would get angry and hit me when I was little, before my mother passed, she'd kiss me where I was hurt like that and I'd feel better," I said, running my fingers along the tattoos on his cheeks. "Was I wrong?" I asked, widening my eyes a little.

Axel smiled at me warmly. "No," he said, "I feel much better."

Kiri: *yawn*

I smiled down at the red-head, glad that I'd made him feel better.

Chill: I don’t know if anyone’s brought this up before-

Kiri: Probably, this sporking’s running on a bit long and we’re not rereading previous chapters before doing a new one.

Anna: When are we doing another intermission, again?

Chill: Anyway, this fic has a tendency of just kind of ending the chapter randomly in the middle of a scene and then picking up again literally half a second later in the next chapter. It’s really annoying, like, why end the chapter there? There’s no reason to.

Anna: Yeah, ending a chapter mid-scene should only happen if it’s a cliffhanger.

Chill: The way this fic is, it’s like the chapters just ended wherever the author decided they didn’t feel like writing anymore that day.

Kiri: Considering how short the chapters are, I believe that actually is the case.

"So are you gonna tell me about yourself?" I asked, still draped over him.

Axel laughed. "That's a lot of information. What do you want to know?" I pursed my lips, looking upward in thought. What to ask, what to ask… I ended up with going with the first thing off of the top of my head.

"Have you always worn boxers?" I asked.

Chill: Ah, I see we’re getting into the deepest facets of his characterization here. *nodnod*

I could tell he hadn't expected that, and saw amusement flash across his face before he laughed lightly.

"Yeah," he said, "have you? Or have you only ever worn mine?" he asked, fingering the black fabric he was referring to. I flushed a little before nodding, making him laugh again. I thought some more then asked more questions that came to mind.

"How did you become the leader of this gang?

Anna: Why does he have to stop and ponder twice before thinking to ask such an obvious question?

Kiri: Because he’s dumb. Next question.

Tell me about your family. Do you have any?" I asked, hoping I wasn't asking too much at once.

Axel looked at the ceiling searchingly for a few moments as if wondering where to begin. "I never knew my parents," Axel finally said. "My grandfather, who was the original head of my gang,

Kiri: Is this a street gang or the fucking mafia?

Chill: I don’t think the author knows the difference.

Anna: I think the only research the author did was watch West Side Story once or twice.

Chill: With The Godfather in between...?

didn't like my mother, so when my father died soon after we were born he took us away from her. He was very… influential."

"Us?" I asked.

Axel nodded, "Yeah, my twin brother Reno and I." Ahh, Reno. The person Axel'd killed Vexen for.

Anna: *as Roxas* He’d seemed unimportant, so I’d forgotten about him.

Axel paused, looking up at the ceiling again as he thought. "For some reason, the old man always liked me more, so when he passed on, he made me the leader of his gang about five years ago, not leaving Reno anything. Reno wasn't too happy about it. We ended up having a falling out and he left. I didn't hear any news of him until he joined Vexen's gang about a year ago just to spite me, since he knew that I hated the man and we were huge rivals."

Kiri: This is organized crime we’re talking about. He wouldn’t join a rival gang out of spite. He’d join a rival gang for a means to kill members of your gang, i.e. you, considering the jerk grandfather is dead. Yet you phrase it like he decided to go to a college whose sports team is at odds with grandpappy’s alum.

Anna: Again, West Side Story.

Kiri: People died in West Side Story!

He paused again to look at me. "I'd finally worked things out with him though about a month before I saw you for the first time," He said. "We'd just gotten on good terms again when got killed by Vexen."

"Your gang was started by your grandfather?" I asked,

Chill: *as Roxas* Your grandfather lived long enough to meet his grandchildren? And knew who his bastard children were well enough to know when they had bastards of their own?!

Kiri: I’d say the author has a romanticized view of gang life, but that would imply that it’s on some level based on reality.

thinking about the first thing he'd said and wanting to wipe the look of regret off of his face. I'd raised a question in my mind, even more so when he nodded. "But when we were at the hospital, a doctor said that the gang was new."

"Well," said Axel, "Most people confuse it for being new, since I implemented a lot of drastic changes and changed more or less everything.

Kiri: Of course, how he changed things will never be addressed.

Chill: But we know it involves more burning people alive! :D

Although my grandfather liked me, I wasn't so fond of him," Axel said a little bitterly. "I suppose it is newer than most of the gangs in town. Most've been around for far longer." I blinked, remembering what Zexion had said about using fire, wondering if that was new, but didn't press about it at all. I didn't want Axel to be mad at Zexion.

Anna: Considering it’s obviously part of the gang’s reputation, you could just say you heard it somewhere else.

Chill: Nah. Axel knows that Roxas doesn’t go anywhere or do anything without him and/or his cronies. Hearing it somewhere else implies Roxas has been somewhere else.

Anna: Oof.

"Why did you try to get to know me? What about me caught your attention?" I asked. The question had been brought on by the mention of Vexen.

Kiri: And totally not a desire to flatter your own ego.

Axel smiled, staring into my eyes once again.

"At first," he said, looking away as though he felt guilty, "I just wanted to steal you away from Vexen because we were rivals. Call it childish of me, but it's true."

Chill: Wow, literally admitting you see your partner as property/an object to be stolen and showboated. What number red flag is this by now?

Anna: It could be worse. It could be HIEQ2.

Chill: Hmmm.

I was about to scoff at him but then he opened his mouth to continue. "Even from a distance, I could tell that you were really pretty," he said, looking at me again, "but when I saw you up close, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen," he added, making me flush a little.

Kiri: *as Axel* So since you’re so hot and all, I figured that’d make for even better showboating, and the rest is history.

He smiled suddenly, at the remembrance our first encounter. "When you wouldn't look at me, even when we were alone, up until you rejected me, I became even more interested in you," he said

Anna: Telegraphing a lack of interest makes him more interested? What kinda creepy rapist shit is this?

Chill: +1 to the red flag count!

"What about after I rejected you?" I asked. "How did you feel about me then?"

"I wasn't resentful about it," he said, sighing, "Just… confused and a little upset. You were the first person to ever reject me in my entire life.

Kiri: Well, that explains the creepy rapist shit.

Chill: Haha, he’s just like the “One way or another, you will be mine!” villain from some bodice-ripping Mary Sue romance. They’re so used to having women ukes swooning at their feet that when the Strong and Independent™ Don’t Need No Man©️ lead rejects him, he gets obsessed and starts twirling his mustache and stuff.

Kiri: The main difference here is that Axel is not a villain and is, in fact, the love interest.

Anna: Didn’t Vexen have the exact same attitude, though?

I honestly was wondering if there was something wrong with me," He said. The statement made me feel guilty and angry at Vexen. "I almost didn't kill Vexen because I thought that you were happy," he said, recapturing my attention.

Anna: Seriously? He was gonna abandon his revenge quest just because the object of his vengeance had a hot boyfriend who might get sad?

"What made you change your mind?" I asked, shocked.

"Xaldin assured me that you were far from being even remotely happy," Axel said staring angrily at the ceiling. I made a mental note to thank Xaldin later. "He wouldn't say why, just that you weren't," Axel continued. "It was most likely to stop me from doing anything stupid, like going after the bastard all by myself."

Kiri: I don’t understand how these two concepts are related.

I nodded, remembering how he'd saved me from my dad all on his own. Not the wisest choice he'd made. He'd almost died for it.

"You would've forgone your plans for revenge for Reno, stood off to the side and watched me be happy with somebody else, just so that I could be happy? Even after I'd rejected you and even though you didn't know me?" I asked. I'd still been subconsciously tracing the tattoos on Axel's cheeks, but stopped as soon as I'd asked.

Axel looked at me. "Yes,"

Anna:

he said. "Perhaps I was just being irrational because I liked you a lot, call it love at first sight if you will, and I didn't want to hurt you."

I felt myself flush a little deeper at the confession. "Axel…" I whispered when a hand found its way to my face, caressing my cheek.

"I'm glad that I didn't have to though," he said. I smiled down at him.

"Me too," I whispered back.

Chill: This is corny. I thought I was corny.

Kiri: This scene exceeded WAFF and went to, I dunno, food poisoning.

Anna: Is it really WAFF if it’s got rape in it, though?

Kiri: There isn’t any in this chapter...

"Thanks for today," I said, after a long pause. "The funeral, the drive, the fissure; thank you so much for everything."

"…Roxas," Axel said, hesitantly.

"Yeah, Axel?" I asked.

"First, any more questions?" he asked. I shook my head no.

Kiri: Yo. Why was there a linebreak between this section of text and the last? It’s the same scene.

Chill: Not like we’d changed POV either or anything like that...

Anna: The author got bored mid-scene and ended it there for the day, then continued the chapter tomorrow. And failed to realize that just because you took a break writing there doesn’t actually mean you should put in a linebreak.

Kiri: It’s literally the same scene!

"Can I kiss you then?" he asked quickly after that, searching my face to see how I was taking his question. I was honestly surprised he'd asked. I'd never been asked for permission before.

I stared down at him, wide-eyed until he looked away. "Never mind," he said, sighing lightly and looking away. I scoffed at him for giving up before I'd even given him an answer. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to kiss me or not right at that moment, but the action had made me a little angry.

Chill: lol calm down

Gripping his chin I made him look at me. "Roxa-" was all he managed to say before I pressed my lips to his. I pushed my tongue inside his mouth in a forceful manner, briefly brushing it against his own tongue before pulling away. It'd only been a brief kiss, but I'd managed to turn his cheeks a light shade of pink.

Anna: Maybe the ‘change’ that the linebreak indicated was actually Roxas changing from a uke to a seme.

Kiri: Every time we use one of those terms I get instantaneously transported back to 2009.

Chill: This fic’s from 2009. Well, 2008-2011 anyway.

Kiri: Writing a fic for three years? Wild.

Chill: Aren’t you writing a fic longer than War and Peace?

Kiri: What’s your point? I started work on it June 2017 and if work continues at its average pace so far I’ll be done by this time next year. This fic’s only 89k words - counting author’s notes - while FeetGround’s at about 267k as of the time of this publishing.

Anna: Uh huh. And LAL was posted in April 2014 and the Janaverse still isn’t completed.

Kiri: I...! That...!! That’s different!!

"Did I say no?" I asked, looking down at him. He shook his head no, obviously surprised by my assertiveness.

Chill: *as Axel* Hey, that’s not how things are supposed to go!

"Then why did you give up?" I asked, bending back down, allowing him to slide his hand to the back of my neck.

"The look on your face… I thought…" he said, gripping the back of my neck lightly, stopping when I smiled at him.

"I was shocked," I said in an attempt to explain. "That's the first time anybody's ever asked for my permission to kiss me." I waited until a look of understanding came across his face before continuing. "The answer's yes, by the way," I whispered, just above his lips.

Anna: No shit?

Chill: *as Roxas now* Sure, I kissed you, but I just decided that the answer was actually no, so the campus rape police’ll be along shortly.

"If you get scared," Axel said before doing anything, "call my name to remember it's me.

Kiri: Okay, I kinda like that.

Chill: Why am I not surprised?

Kiri: Shut up.

Anna: How’s he supposed to call his name if he’s got his tongue down his throat?

If that doesn't work, tell me to stop, okay?" he asked, probably not wanting to scare me or make me cry again. I nodded. As soon as I did, Axel immediately raised his head just enough to capture my lips. I trembled against him as he ran his fingers along my neck, patiently waiting for me to open my mouth.

Anna: Haha, what? You were being all dominant a second ago, why are you shivering like a terrified virgin bride on her wedding night now?

Kiri: The seme-uke switch was a fluke and therefore very temporary.

I relaxed my jaw, allowing his warm, wet tongue to slip past my lips and part my teeth. My eyes fluttered shut as he began to explore my mouth slowly, as if memorizing it. I started to kiss him back but ended up gasping into his mouth when he pulled me closer and rolled so that he was on top. Axel tilted his head slightly before delving deeper into my mouth, urging me to participate again, which I did. By the time he pulled away I was breathless.

Chill: Why do I get the feeling that when Axel and Roxas finally smash it won’t be described as... sensually... as this kiss?

Anna: They’re still kissing?

"Can I continue?" he asked giving my lips a quick peck. I stared up into his emeralds,

Chill: wondering how much they were worth,

uncertainly, wondering what else he wanted to do… how far he wanted to go… before nodding in consent. It's not like I still had my virginity, so I wasn't nervous about going all the way,

Kiri:

Anna and Chill:

no, but every time I'd been raped, going all the way hadn't been a pleasant experience. It'd hurt like hell because I fought it.

Kiri: No, fucking really?!

Chill: I can’t decide if I like the implication that being raped is comparable to getting rained out at the beach, or that it wouldn’t have necessarily been an unpleasant experience if he hadn’t fought it.

Anna: I would have thought that being raped (RECENTLY) would make you way more nervous about going all the way than being a virgin would, but what do I know?

It didn't take long for Axel to kiss me again, then work his way down to my neck. I shivered, grasping his shoulders when teeth grazed my neck but shook violently, when he bit my neck, immediately reminded of Vexen. I shakily called his name twice, trying to keep myself from panicking. It wasn't working very well. I was just about to call his name for the third time when he pulled away from my neck and kissed me on the lips again, instantly calming me.

Chill: Is this the part where we make fun of them for using a safeword during vanilla sex?

Kiri: That’s enough.

Anna: At least they are using a safeword. Though if either one of them had a single brain cell to share it might have occured to them to get a rough idea of what Roxas is comfortable with beforehand.

Kiri: ...isn’t Roxas underage?

Chill: Haha, yeah.

"I'm tired," Axel said, probably not wanting me to feel bad for getting scared when he pulled away. "Wanna go to sleep?" I looked up at him gratefully for being so understanding before nodding.

Axel moved off of me, going to turn off the light as I got under the covers. When he came back he got under the sheets as well. I didn't protest when his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer to him until my back was pressed against his chest. He murmured something into my hair that I didn't quite catch. "What?" I whispered, turning my face toward his.

Anna: *as Axel* I said I was gonna collect that ass eventually and I meant it.

"Nothing," he whispered, just before a feather soft kiss brushed against my cheek. "Goodnight, Roxas," he whispered, settling his head against his pillow.

"Goodnight, Axel," I whispered back before doing the same.

--

I woke the next morning, opening my eyes wide when I felt arms wrapped around me loosely. I was just about to elbow whoever it was in the stomach to cause them pain

Kiri: As opposed to all the other reasons you might elbow someone in the stomach.

while I made for the door, 

Kiri: Oh.

Chill: Well now it just sounds like he’s simultaneously elbowing someone on the bed and getting out the door on the other side of the room.

Anna: That’s a loooong elbow.

but froze when I looked over my shoulder first and saw that it was Axel. Maybe tomorrow I should face him before falling asleep, I thought, glad that I'd looked first. I turned around in his loose grip, trying to be careful so I wouldn't wake him up. My movements, no matter how small, however, must've woken him anyway. His brilliant green eyes fluttered open almost immediately.

Anna: He’s a light sleeper, because if he wasn’t then it’d be too easy for his bitch to escape. :)

"Roxas," he said, tiredly, "good morning."

"Good morning," I said, smiling at him apologetically as he yawned. "Sorry for waking you."

Axel just shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said, looking distracted when he fully woke up.

"Is there something on your mind?" I asked, immediately getting pulled closer.

Kiri: Cliché morning wood setup?

Chill: *as Axel* You have to take care of it. Blue balls hurt, you know.

"Roxas," he said, seriously and tense. He relaxed a little when I raised my hand and ran my thumb along his cheek, "I know that you probably won't like what I'm about to say," he said, refusing to meet the intense gaze I was giving him, "but I want you to quit the gang."

I stilled my hand.

"What?" I whispered in disbelief.

Anna: I’m going to assume he’s in disbelief because that’s probably the first time in this whole fic that someone’s said something that reasonable.

Kiri: Yeah. We’ve already gone over ad infinitum why a street gang is a totally inappropriate environment for someone of Roxas’ background.

Chill: Even besides that, he kinda just got kidnapped and raped and stuff because of gang business on his literal first outing for them, so like... what the hell was he expecting here? Obviously he’d get kicked over that, he’s a danger to himself. And others. Demyx got shot because of him, right?

Anna: Though if Axel didn’t try to kick him out and the entire incident just kinda passed without further comment... I don’t think we would’ve noticed...

Kiri: Well, it’s not like it’s really occured to anyone else all fic that Roxas shouldn’t be in a bloody street gang.

Anna: It’s just gonna get milked for drama anyway. Even if Roxas isn’t technically part of the gang anymore he’s still gonna be hanging out with them foreverrrrr.

Chill: Because staying with the SO you had at age sixteen for the rest of your life is a good idea, right?!

Kiri: Urk.

Anna: Anyway, tune in next time for... drama milking...!!

To be continued!

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

"Hell no, you just get comfy back there." he retorted back to her, and with that, he proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the ride unless she had anything important to say or update with. His PHS was out occasionally, sending necessary updates to who needed it, before stowing it away.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later before they arrived and began piling out of the company garage. The other vehicle had taking the other civilian victims to a different location to be questioned, but the rest took all the items recovered off towards the #60 levels. Reno, however, turned to Thera with a smirk.

"Follow me. One of your Supervisors, and Tseng are waiting for us." he told her, nodding off towards the elevator. "We'll have a good, fun chat, then back to business as usual." he remarked, turning to lead the way then.

Jerk.

Jerk, a contrary inner voice reminded her, who just saved your ... there was a pause before she settled on, arse.

She wasn't going to credit Reno with saving her life, not completely; it would have been a real bitch and weighed down by protecting the other prisoners, but Thera was sure that when opportunity offered she could have gotten out of there by herself. The Turk showing up had just saved her the trouble.

But he had done that, and she had landed herself in the situation in the first place. She was just going to have to put up his being smug about it.

Her eyes rolled at the crack about paperwork, followed the infantrymen over to the truck, "Aw, what? I don't get shotgun?" She loaded into the back, worked on automatic to find and secure her seat belt before leaning back with eyes closed, waiting for them to be on their way.

[lettersofsky]

A Meeting at the End of the World

Written for the Fic Exchange over on AO3  for user frogslay.  A threat in the Northern Continent draws the attention of the world's saviour, while investigating they meet someone eager to be of assistance.

“And why should we help you? This s the third time you’ve managed to screw things up.” Cloud fixed Rufus with a bland look, staring down at the older blond seated behind the desk. He had, of course, been expecting something like this when Shinra called him and asked to meet, but being proven right never failed to brighten his move.

“The second time wasn’t my fault,” Rufus reminded him, the slight furrowing of his brow the only indication that the older man wasn’t as unaffected as he made himself out to be. “Nor is this one. You can’t blame me for the results of my Father’s actions.”

“You’ll fine I’m very good with blaming the wrong people for things,” Cloud stated, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting on his feet. “Just ask Tifa, she’ll tell you all about it.”

There was a minute twitch of a fine brow before the business man took a deep breath, releasing it with a soft, almost inaudible sound. “Regardless,” Rufus said, emphasising the word. “That isn’t what’s important here. Are you going to help or not?” The question would have sounded short from anyone else but from Shinra, the words were almost desperate.

Cloud wasn’t cruel enough to turn the man down, despite how much he thought the other deserved it.

“Of course I am,” he shrugged, rolling his eyes at the stunned look he got from the business man at his nonchalant words. “Just because I hate you, doesn’t mean the Turks deserve to suffer for it. They’re ok sometimes.”

Rufus stared at him silently, peering at him with cold eyes. He took a deep breath before releasing it harshly, speaking in a blank voice. “Do you need me to send you the coordinates?”

“Nope, Reno sent them before you called. Cid’s probably already waiting for me so we can leave.”

There was another twitch, this one a bit more noticeable than the last. “I better not keep you then,” Rufus forced out through gritted teeth. “I hope to hear good things from my Turks when they return.”

“The fact that they’ll have returned will be good enough.” Cloud called over his shoulder as he turned and strode out of the office. Pulling his PHS from his pocket showed him that he had several messages from his friends, they were ready and waiting for him on the Shera a few miles away.

He put his PHS away and continued to stride out of the building, making his way to Fenrir with steady, confident footsteps. He started the engine and immediately turned in the direction of the airship.

When he reached the airship, he discovered that neither Barret or Yuffie could make it to help them, Barret was dealing with issues in Corel and Yuffie was swamped with things in Wutai. Cloud didn’t hold it against them, they were both quite busy with their lives and couldn’t keep dropping everything to deal with Shinra’s messes.

Reeve was updating Cait Sith so the one he sent with them was only for communication and wouldn’t be joining them in any battles. The small robotic cat sounded far too downtrodden when he informed them of that.

Cloud strapped Fenrir down in the Shera’s cargo hold and put himself against a wall in preparation of the journey, he really hated having to travel by anything that wasn’t his own two feet.

“If you fuckin’ vomit in my ship, then you’re gonna be the one to fuckin’ clean it!” Cid shot at him as he started the Shera’s engine, the airship rising rapidly into the air.

It was time to save the world once again.

Apparently, the Northern Continent was one of the best places to try to end the world, the other was Midgar but that was more than obvious. The coordinates Reno had sent led them to an empty, mountain range and a smouldering wreckage of a helicopter.

It seemed that being unable to land a helicopter safely was something common amongst all the Turks. Cloud remembered that Tseng had somehow managed to crash one on a beautiful day, with absolutely nothing wrong with the copter and while nobody was attacking them; it was kind of amazing, now that Cloud could think back on it.

Cid set them down a few miles away from the crash and they quickly made their way to the helicopter. The smouldering metal was a stark contrast to the snowy mountain around them, it wasn’t on fire so Cloud counted that as a win; it meant that they didn’t have to worry about the helicopter exploding on them.

They started searching for Reno and Rude then; Nanaki trying to find a trace of their scent as the rest of them searched for more visible evidence of their presence. They soon found the two hidden away in a cave and were almost shot for their trouble; the two had had a tough time of things it the number of injuries they had was anything to go by.

“He was some fucked up dude, yo,” Reno told them after he recognized who they were, the man was a little woozy but still coherent. “That fucking throne dude from year, ya’ know?” Rude nodded silently from where Tifa was casting a Cure Materia on him, sunglasses broken but still on his face.

Cloud turned to where Vincent was lurking in the shadows, peering at the mass of darkness that was the gunman. “I thought you said he died,” he questioned, tone more curious than accusing. “You’re usually so good about things like that.”

The shadows shrugged but made no other move to answer. Cloud rolled his eyes at the gunslinger and turned back to the Turks, looking them over critically. “We should get you back to the ship,” he suggested, staring at the way Rude almost fell over himself where he was sitting. “You both look like you’re about to keel over.”

“Yeah, we’ll let you guys deal with the fucker, yo.” Reno agreed, waving a hand drunkenly in Cloud’s direction. “Just point us where and we’ll let you guys get to the thing.” Rude nodded once again, muttering a soft “yeah” to Reno’s words.

“You might die if you go alone,” Cloud informed them bluntly, looking over his shoulder at Vincent as he continued. “Vincent will get you back safely, won’t you Vincent?”

There was a moment of nothing, Cloud imagined that Vincent was giving him a dirty look from where he was hidden in the shadows, before the gunslinger nodded. “I shall meet up with you as soon as I am able.”

Cloud nodded at Vincent’s answer, turning back to his other companions. “We’ll start by going back to where Nanaki picked up that scent a few miles back, Vincent will be able to follow us from there.”

His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the words Vincent muttered under his breath, “I could track you in my slumber, in the dead of the darkest winter night.” He was sure the man was aware that he could hear him, so he ignored the other.

He got confirmation from the others and they informed Reeve of what their next course of action would be.

They left the Turks in Vincent’s care and set off for where Nanaki had picked up the scent of mako and blood.

“You sure they’ll be alright?” Tifa asked, casting a worried glance back at the cave they had just left. “What if he comes back for them?”

“Vin can hold off any fuckers that come at him!” Cid assured her, a wide smile on his face. “He’s a tough bastard! Nothing’s managed to kill him yet!”

Tifa nodded, looking reassured by his words. “Yeah,” she breathed, turning away from the cave to where Nanaki was already on the trail. “They’ll be fine.”

The Turks were, in fact, more than fine with Vincent.

And why was Cloud so sure of that? Because Weiss, the throne dude, made it obvious where he was.

A giant, glowing mako pool surrounded by large, terrifying monsters was not the most inconspicuous thing in the world. Then again, the world-ending threats never were inconspicuous; Sephiroth and Meteor couldn’t be ignored and Deep Ground made sure everyone paid attention to them.

Weiss immediately sent his beasts after them, content to sit back and watch them fall to his little (GIANT MAN-EATING) pets.

They might have been able to handle them if both hadn’t come at them at the same time. Two beasts, both larger than most houses were, bearing down on them at once, was not something they could handle easily.

Cloud almost screamed in frustration when a Limit Break did nothing against them, he did scream when one of them completely healed the other after they had almost whittled it down to nothing. Even Vincent joining them did nothing to turn the tides in their favour.

Then one of the beasts erupted into flames, writhing in agony as deafening screams of pain filled the air around them before it collapsed to the ground and went shockingly still. They stared at the corpse for a moment, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

Then a large blur of red slammed into the ground in front of them.

He stared at the man as he stood to his full height, he was tall and his red-hair fell to his lower back. He turned to them, fixing them with inquisitive mako-blue eyes before turning away with a scoff. “You’re lucky I decided to help, instead of letting these things tear you apart.”

There was a moment of silence, then;

“Aw, fuck you, you bastard! Come over here and say that to my face you fucker!”

Cloud sighed softly as Cid continued to swear at the newcomer, earning a cold look from the stranger. He decided not to bother with them for the moment and turned his attention back to the other beast; Tifa and Nanaki were divvying its attention between them while Vincent focussed on taking shots at the thing when he had the opportunity, he went over to assist them.

Taking the stranger’s example Cloud started using his Materia against the beast. While it’s twin had a weakness to fire, this other was taken down by a powerful lightning spell. Tifa and Nanaki were tired from their efforts, chests heaving with their breaths as the beast fell to the ground.

“Who’s that?” Tifa asked, gesturing towards where Cid was still shouting at the stranger. “Someone you know?”

Cloud turned to glance at the man, seeing that Cid was now shouting in the other’s face. The man looked less than impressed by what the pilot was saying. The stranger turned away from Cid suddenly, approaching them with a confident stride. “I don’t know him,” Cloud answered his friend. “But I’m not going to turn away any help we can get.”

“I agree with Cloud,” Nanaki said, watching the man approach them from the corner of his eye. “I doubt we’ll be of much help against the upcoming enemy.”

Tifa looked troubled for a moment but agreed with Nanaki. “You’re probably right about that,” she rolled her shoulder, wincing and reaching up to grasp her upper arm with her hand. “I think I’m out anyway.”

Cloud fixed her with a concerned look, “will you be ok?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I will be, I just pulled something.”

He nodded at her response but the stranger reached them before he could say anything else.

“What are we going to do about our friend up there?” The stranger asked, coming to a halt next to Cloud. He peered at them all with a judgemental look but didn’t say anything else.

“You, Vincent and I will be going after him while the rest wait here for our return. If things look like they’re going south, then they’ll come give us backup.” He turned to where Cait Sith was silently listening to them, “you got all that?”

“Ay lad, Reeve said yar in the clear! We’re ready to mark ya grave if ya don return.” The cat’s response drew a stunned look from the stranger and a surprised noise form his throat.

“Good, hopefully it won’t come to that.” He turned away from his friends then and stared at the man still seated above the mako-pool, it didn’t look like he had even recognized that his beasts had been killed. “Take shots where you can Vincent, just try not to hit us alright?”

Vincent scoffed silently but didn’t say anything and moved off to find somewhere to perch.

“Right,” Cloud breathed, nodding to himself. “Ok, let’s mosey.”

“What?” The stranger questioned, staring at him like he was insane. “What about a strategy of some kind?”

“I’m going to smack him with my sword and Vincent’s going to shoot him,” Cloud answered, continuing to move as he spoke. “Try not to die.”

A harsh sound came from behind him but Cloud focused on getting himself to Weiss.

Time to finish this.

Weiss wasn’t as difficult to take down as Sephiroth had been, even Kadaj-Sephiroth had been harder to take down. Maybe they’d been giving Vincent too much credit after the whole Deep Ground thing, especially if Weiss had been the strongest among them.

Weiss had gone down after two stabs; one through the stomach from Cloud and the other through the chest from the other man. Vincent hadn’t even gotten a shot in, it had been over so quickly.

“Is it always so easy?” The stranger asked, turning to stare at him over the corpse slumped over in the throne. Cloud shrugged in response, eyes trained on the other man’s sword; it was an impressive piece, a small SOLDIER sword retro-fitted with an ornate grip and etched with glyphs that pulsed with magic. It was also red, Cloud couldn’t tell if that was by design or something that had later been added to the blade.

“Usually there’s more destruction,” he admitted in a distracted tone, tearing his eyes from the crimson blade. “Midgar gets a bit more wrecked each time. Usually someone dies.”

The taller man blinked at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. “Ok,” he breathed, turning away from the corpse to where Vincent was perched a few miles away. “I expected it’d be harder to save the world.”

“Vincent might shoot at you if you ask him,” Cloud offered, hoisting First Tsurugi onto his back. “Or if you tell him how awful he is if he lost against that guy.” He stepped down to the strip of raised ground connecting the platform the throne was on to the shore of the lake.

The other followed him quickly, keeping up with him by virtue of his longer legs. “Where are you going after this?” He asked from behind him, pressing forward to breath into Cloud’s ear. “I’d love to hear about those other times.”

Cloud glanced over his shoulder, seeing glowing blue eyes staring at him intently. “It’s not that interesting,” he tried to tell the man.

“It’s got to be more interesting than this,” the other insisted, gesturing to the silent mountains around them. “It’ll certainly make the trip a bit more bearable.”

“The Turks will love that,” Cloud said in a bland tone. “Getting to listen to how useless they’ve been.”

“Turks?” The stranger questioned, freezing in his stride. “There are Turks with you?”

Cloud paused, turning to look at the man. “Yeah, they crashed their copter so we’re taking them back.” He was quiet, staring at him without really seeing him. “You gonna be ok with that? I mean, a lot of people are uncomfortable around the Turks.”

“Hmm,” The taller man hummed, blinking lazily before snapping back to attention. “Oh, yes. No, I believe we’ll have to save those stories for a different day.” He stepped back then, a large black wing materializing behind him. “Until next time.”

He was gone before Cloud could do little more than take a shocked breath, leaping into the empty sky and disappearing before his eyes. Cloud blinked at the dark spec in the sky for a moment then turned to look at the presence that just appeared at his shoulder. “That just happened, right? He’s got a wing too?”

“Yes, it was quite impressive.”

“Right,” Cloud nodded at the man’s words, sighing and turning to where their friends were waiting. “Let’s go tell everyone the good news.”

He realized while walking back to the airship that the stranger had never introduced themselves.

Only he and Vincent could make it the next ‘potentially world-ending crisis’; the others were too busy with their own lives to come help them. Cloud didn’t blame them; if he had a choice, he would have stayed home and slept in too.

When they reached the battlefield this time it was to see the swordsman from last time get thrown across the ruins of Midgar by an enormous creature with several arms. Its lower body seemed to be melded with wires and its body was dripping with mako, it was odd to see something like this; a kind of meld between something organic mixed so closely with something non-organic.

Cloud raced to where the man had impacted the ground, dropping into the small crater around the man’s body without a moment’s hesitation. He was relieved to see that the man was conscious, groaning as he pulled himself to sit upright. He turned to Cloud with hazy eyes, blinking at him a few times before speaking. “I believe I was robbed during our last meeting,” he told him seriously, raising a hand to grasp Cloud’s shoulder “Also, you’re far too pretty.”

Cloud ignored the man’s words, focusing on casting a Cure on the other man. He watched as some of the larger wounds on the man’s arms closed before stopping his spell, looking over the man for a moment. “You’re not gonna die yet,” he informed the other, watching the way blue eyes focused on him. “Think you can keep going?”

The man nodded after considering him for a few minutes, lifting himself to his feet. “Of course I can. Can’t let you have all the glory again.”

“If its glory you want then you can have all of it,” Cloud informed the man, lifting himself from the crater. “I’m just here to kill things and get myself a pay check.”

That startled a laugh out of the stranger and they set off to engage with the giant creature, keeping a close look of the other’s back as they fought the monster.

They eventually found the creature’s weakness; the underside of its head was particularly susceptible to stabbing so while Vincent and the other swordsman distracted it, Cloud forced two of his smaller blades into the soft skin, ripping its misshapen head from the rest of its leaking body.

The other swordsman was nice enough to catch him before he fell into the gapping, open wound of the man’s neck. He picked him out of the sky between one beat and the next, carrying him with the help of enhanced strength and his large wing.

Cloud could admit to himself that it was kind of nice. The man had a tight grip on him so he didn’t have to worry about being dropped and he smelled like apples and something he couldn’t identify, it was a very nice experience.

The man set him down safely on the ground, far away from where the corpse was dispersing into the Lifestream, the oozing flesh fading away and leaving the mechanical parts behind.

“I wasn’t aware your sword could do that,” the winged man said, the feathered limb dematerializing into nothing as he fixed his gaze on the blades in Cloud’s hands. He lifted his eyes from the swords to meet Cloud’s. “Any other special tricks?”

“None I’d ever show someone without knowing their name,” Cloud informed the man, turning to look for where Vincent had placed himself. He hadn’t meant to say that. His attempted to diffuse the coming awkwardness with his next words. “My friends want to have some standards.”

A soft noise of consideration came from behind him. “I suppose that’s reasonable,” the other man moved into his personal space, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. “Is a name all I need to see these special tricks?” The question was almost purred into his ear, warm breath fanning across his flesh and freezing Cloud in place.

He hadn’t expected the other man to response like that, it was unexpected to say the least.

Cloud swallowed heavily, abandoning the search for his friend. Vincent would have made himself apparent if he was here, meaning the gunslinger had left him to deal with this situation on his own. He wouldn’t put it pass the man to do that. “Um,” he responded eloquently, frozen for a moment as he tried to figure out how to react to this new situation. “It’s a start.” The words were muttered a few moments later as he forced down the heat that was threatening to rise to his cheeks.

He was usually much better around pretty people, he shouldn’t be getting this flustered by some random winged stranger that flung magic like he had been born doing it and had a sword as pretty as he was.

… Cloud might be a little bit screwed.

“Well then,” the other purred, pressing flush against his back and placing lips against his ear. “Genesis Rhapsodos, I can’t wait to see those tricks of yours.”

A shiver ran down his spine before Cloud could stop it, the way the other’s mouth grew into a smile told him that the swordsman, Genesis, had felt it as well. “Cloud,” he muttered quietly, shifting a bit to brush his mouth against the other man’s. “I’m… I’m Cloud.”

“Well, Cloud,” the way Genesis purred his name sent another shiver down his spine, not helped by the way their lips brushed with each word. “Shall we go to your place, or mine?”

There was a bright smile on the man’s face and he was staring at him with warm eyes.

Cloud was definitely screwed.

He was awoken a few hours later by the shrill tone of his PHS.

He groaned, reaching out from beneath the thin blanket to grasp the device. He lifted himself a bit, dislodging the warm arm that had been wrapped securely around his waist as he did so, and answered the call. He lifted the PHS to his ear and spoke, “hello?” His voice was gruff from previous activities and heavy from sleep.

“Cloud?” That was Reeve. Why was Reeve called him? “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” he answered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Why are you calling?”

The warm body next to him stirred, tightening the grip of the arm around his waist. Genesis lifted himself from the bed and pressed his nose into the hollow of Cloud’s throat with a disgruntled noise. “Whoever that is better be important,” he muttered into the flesh of his shoulder. “Or I will set them on fire.”

“Is there someone with you Cloud?”

“Yeah, he said if this isn’t important he’s going to set you on fire.” He answered, glancing down at the man nuzzling into his shoulder. “He’s probably serious about that.”

“… Ok. I take it things went well, then?” Reeve asked, bemusement clear over the PHS. “With the creature that is.”

“Things went fine,” he responded, ignoring the distracting way Genesis was dragging his fingers over the skin of his lower abdomen. “It had re-joined the Lifestream by the time we left. Didn’t Vincent tell you?”

“You know that Vincent can be very… cryptic. He said something about a crimson angel and seduction that made his own look like a ‘masterpiece of a declaration of affection’.”

Cloud furrowed his brow at Reeve’s words, reaching up to run his hand through his messy hair. Genesis took the opportunity to capture the hand with his own, bringing them to rest against Cloud’s chest. Cloud turned his hand to thread their fingers together, feeling the smile that the other man pressed into his shoulder. “Yeah,” he muttered in a distracted voice. “Is that all you wanted Reeve?”

“Yes! Of course, my apologies Cloud. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. I’ll speak to you later.” Reeve hung up then, the sound indicating he had hung up almost cutting off his last word.

Cloud pulled his PHS from his ear, closing the device and setting it back down away from the bed. Genesis pulled him back against the mattress, pushing him flat on his back and kneeling over his prone form. “I hope we won’t be having any more interruptions,” Genesis purred, eyes half-lidded as he ran a hand along Cloud’s side. “You haven’t shown me all your tricks yet.” His last words were accompanied by a smile, a warm, lazy curl of the other’s mouth that stirred a warm feeling in Cloud’s chest.

Cloud leaned forward to take Genesis’ mouth with his own, reaching up to sink his free hand into long hair. He wrapped his leg over the other’s hip, rolling up into Genesis’ space with an exaggerated movement. He used the moment of distraction to flip their positions, forcing Genesis back against the mattress before pulling from the other’s mouth.

He stared at the other with lidded eyes for a moment, staring down at him from his kneeling position. He shivered at the feeling of the man’s hand coming to rest on his side, pressing into the warm weight.

“I’ve got a few more things up my sleeve,” he breathed, using his grip on Genesis’ hair to urge the man up to meet his mouth. “Can’t promise that there won’t be any more interruptions, though. They might need us to save the world again.”

“Well then, we’re simply going to have to make the most out of our time. Aren’t we?”