#reeve tuesti x cloud strife

[sephirthoughts]

Just Like Honey: Chapter 9

SOMEONE PHOTOSHOP GLASSES ONTO A PICTURE OF REEVE PLEASE I NEED IT FOR REASONS

AU: organized crime, cabaret, sex work

SHIPS: MULTIPLE! rufus/cloud, vincent/cloud, sephiroth/cloud, reeve/cloud, rufus/cloud/tseng, cloud/other characters as clients because that's his job, weiss/nero, background aerti

RATING: EXPLICIT, MINORS DNI, NO MINORS ALLOWED

WARNINGS: sex workers, prostitution

Chapter 9: Friends in High Places

Leslie and Cloud’s old tenement apartment and Reeve’s Shinra Tower penthouse represented the bookends of residential living situations in Midgar. Expansive didn’t begin to describe Reeve’s place, and the entirety of it had clearly been furnished by a professional decorator. 

Overworked, oblivious Reeve probably didn’t even notice how gorgeous the mahogany bookshelves were, or how supple the calfskin leather on the couches, or how thick and plushy the hand-woven Persian rugs. To him, this palatial residence was a box he went into, once in a while, to sleep and shower.

In all fairness, Cloud hardly noticed, either, because Reeve answered the door wearing a cable knit, v-neck sweater, grey slacks, and a pair of—

“Glasses!” Cloud gasped, pointing accusingly at Reeve’s face. “And you didn’t even warn me!”

“Uh…sorry. Do you not like them?” said the understandably confused Reeve, reaching up, to take them off. 

“Nuh-uh! Don’t you dare!” 

Cloud kicked the door shut behind him, dropped his bag, and grabbed Reeve, dragging him into a kiss. Reeve was too startled to react for a second, then he gave a soft groan and leaned into it, letting his hands roam hungrily over Cloud’s taut little body, as they fumbled their way to the sofa and fell onto it, without breaking the kiss.

“I guess—I guess you like the glasses, then,” Reeve said breathlessly, when Cloud released him. 

“No fucking way, they’re flat-out cheating!” Cloud complained. “You’re already that hot, and you really have the nerve to pull out the sexy-dad glasses and sweater look? Rules violation, unfair play!”

Reeve chuckled. “Wow. No one’s ever said I look like a dad before.”

“Maybe not to your face. I bet a lot of little Shinra employees call you daddy behind your back.”

“You’re making me sound a lot more attractive than I really am. Trust me, there’s no way anyone at work thinks of me that way.”

“Oh, no. It’s just as I feared,” Cloud lamented, cupping Reeve’s face in his hands. “Overwork has fried your brain, and you’re living in a delusion where you’re not one of the sexiest men alive.”

“W—what?” Reeve stammered. “I’m not even close to one of the sexiest men alive. Especially not when men like you exist.”

“We don’t count.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. In the interest of fairness, athletic twinks have our own separate category. Otherwise, all other men would always lose to us.”

Reeve laughed again. “Well, you’re not wrong about that.”

Cloud couldn’t help but smile, too. “You’re a lot happier when you’re not in that stuffy office. Speaking of which, I’m gonna go change into something a little more comfortable. That ok?”

“Yes, please. Make yourself at home. The bathroom is the third door, there. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Yeah, anything’s fine. Whatever you’re drinking.”

When Cloud returned from the bathroom, Reeve choked on his sip of wine, coughing and sputtering into a napkin. “Holy—holy shit! You can’t say I’m cheating, when you’re wearing that!”

“What, this old thing?” Cloud said innocently, while doing a little twirl, to demonstrate that the pink-lace short-shorts laced up in the back, with a pink ribbon. With the matching camisole and slippers, he was basically dressed like he was playing a teenaged girl in a naughty sleepover porn. 

“You said you wanted the girlfriend experience, so I dressed accordingly.”

“If I had a girlfriend who dressed like that, I’d never leave the house,” Reeve muttered. 

“So, what do you feel like doing tonight, honey-bunny?” Cloud crooned, accepting the glass of white wine Reeve was holding out to him. “Want to snuggle up on the couch and pretend to watch a movie?”

“I, uh…yeah. That sounds good,” Reeve said awkwardly.

“Or, how about I give you a neck rub, and you tell me about your day.”

“Sure.”

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “Don’t just agree to whatever I say. I’m here to make you happy. If there’s something you want, I want to hear it.”

“No, no I don’t—well, maybe. Ok, yes. But it’s kind of…embarrassing.” 

“Good news. If there’s anyone you don’t need to be embarrassed telling about it, it’s me. You’re the one who told me sex workers are like therapists. So, treat me like that. A safe space.”

“Hoo boy.” Reeve passed a hand across his forehead. “It’s just, I know it probably isn’t a cool fantasy to have, and I’d never want to do anything like that in real life, I just—”

“Hey,” Cloud interrupted, taking his hand to squeeze it. “Every kind of fantasy is ok. It doesn’t matter what you get turned on by. It doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Reeve looked unconvinced. “Are you…are you sure?”

“I’m sure. You could tell me you daydream about fucking cartoon hedgehogs, and I still wouldn’t judge you. As long as it’s just fantasy, or you express it as part of consensual play between adults, literally anything is ok.”

“Well…alright.” Reeve took a deep breath and let it out. “Here goes. I would like it if you could pretend to…to be asleep, while I touch you and…do things to you.”

Cloud blinked. “Is that really what you were worried about telling me? Then it’s no sweat, I’ve done plenty of somno play.”

“Somno?”

“Somnophilia. Wanting to fuck someone who’s unconscious.” 

“Oh. Wow. I didn’t know there was a real term, for it. But there’s more. I—I also want you to ‘wake up’ partway through, while I’m already inside you, and, uh…”

“You want me to struggle? Beg you to stop? I can cry, if you want.”

Reeve squinted an eye at him. “You’re not nearly as weirded out by this as I expected.”

“Reeve, my sweet, summer wolfman,” Cloud sighed, patting his shoulder. “This is one of the least weird things I’ve been asked to do.”

“Really? Wait, wolfman?”

“Yeah, really. I had a client once who wanted me to soak in a cold bath, first, and play dead while he fucked me. I got a married couple who wanted me to pretend to be their kid, and walk in on them fucking. One wanted to be a new stepmother, and I was the horny stepson who took advantage of her, while dad was out of town. I have multiple current clients who like to be put on leashes and treated like dogs. I even have these four brothers who make me cook food for the three younger ones, then the older one fucks me in another room, while they eat.”

Reeve looked appropriately astonished. “My thing probably sounds pretty tame, then.”

“Non-con fantasies like that are the most common ones, believe it or not. But I’ve done pretty much everything. Power exchange, age play, pet play, teacher-student, coach-athlete, voyeurism, incest…”

“Incest?”

“Yeah, mostly daddy and big brother stuff.”

Reeve swallowed hard. “Would you…would you call me daddy?”

“Try and stop me.”

A little while later, Cloud was ‘asleep’ in Reeve’s huge, ridiculously comfortable bed, with the lights out, and the only illumination coming from the windows. The door opened softly, letting a beam of warm light from the hallway fall across the bed.

He heard Reeve call out, “Sweetheart? You awake?”

Cloud didn’t reply, obviously.

Cautious footsteps padded across the carpet, to the bed. He was lying on his stomach, hugging a pillow, with his legs splayed out and one knee bent, so when the covers were drawn back, the first thing Reeve saw was the pink lace of the tiny shorts, barely concealing the bulge of his sack, between his thighs. 

A knee pressed down on the bed, then big, warm hands slid up under the shorts, to gently cup his ass. Reeve’s thumb hooked the crotch and pulled them to the side, and the other thumb and forefinger spread him apart.

Cloud heard him curse under his breath and grinned inwardly. Covering his asshole, was a sparkling, pink, heart-shaped gem, which was the base of the plug he was wearing, and hadn’t told Reeve about. 

There was a short pause, then Reeve’s warm weight pressed down on him, as he leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Playing with yourself in daddy’s bed. I’ll have to teach you a lesson.” 

The scent of wine on his breath, mingled with Reeve’s aftershave, really did lend to the atmosphere of a slightly drunk parental figure, about to do unspeakable things to a sleeping teenager. Cloud’s dick began to swell and thicken, with excitement.

Reeve slipped his pink shorts down, leaving them hanging around his ankle, and slid a palm under his abdomen, to pull his half-hard dick down between his thighs. There was another pause, in which Cloud could hear Reeve’s uneven breathing. Then the hands took hold of his ass again. 

It was only because of his extreme professionalism, at that point, that Cloud was able to remain still and unresponsive, breathing relatively evenly. Reeve’s beard tickled his inner thighs as he bent down and put his hot mouth on Cloud’s sack, sucking and licking, while his thumb rhythmically prodded the plug. Pretty soon, Cloud’s dick was rock-hard, despite being forced to point downward between his thighs.

Reeve drew away, then took hold of the jeweled base of the plug and began to pull. Cloud stirred slightly and made a drowsy murmur of protest, as it popped out, with an obscene squelch. A thin stream of clear lube trickled down over his balls. 

“Got yourself all ready for daddy, didn’t you,” Reeve said hoarsely. 

Cloud heard a belt and zipper, and the rustle of fabric. Reeve guided the head of his cock to Cloud’s taut, lube-slick entrance. 

“Fuck, baby. Your pussy’s so tight,” he breathed, as he pushed in. “Daddy can barely fit inside you.” 

Cloud was about ready to explode. His dick was throbbing and drooling, and it took all his self control not to moan from sheer relief, when Reeve finally bottomed out, filling him to the brim. Cloud waited for him to set a good rhythm, then he began to stir, and groggily lifted his head.

“What…what’s happening,” he mumbled. Then he froze and pretended to panic. “What are you doing! Stop! Help!” 

Reeve grabbed his wrists and pinned them, as he began to sob and thrash. “Sh, sh, sh. It’s just me, sweetheart.”

“D—daddy?” Cloud sniffled. “Why are you…why are you doing this to me?”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? You were playing with yourself, in my bed, weren’t you?”

“I didn’t! I wasn’t—!”

“Don’t lie to me,” Reeve cut him off sternly, punctuating the sentence with a savage thrust. The uncustomary aggressiveness in his voice amplified his sexiness by about ten-thousand, and sent chills up cloud’s spine. “Daddy came home and found you asleep in my bed, with a toy stuck up your slutty little hole. Weren’t you playing with yourself and thinking about daddy fucking you?”

“Hngh—ah! I was! I was!” Cloud ‘confessed.’ “I’m sorry, daddy! I won’t do it again!” 

Reeve slid almost all the way out. “It’s too late for that. You wanted daddy’s dick, so now you have to take it.” He slammed it back in, all the way to the base. 

“Noooo! Daddy, it’s too big!” Cloud whined, pretending to struggle under Reeve’s solid weight.

“Don’t fight, baby. Be good and take it,” Reeve panted, thrusting even harder, as Cloud bucked against him. His cock was getting hotter and harder. He was close. “You’re gonna make daddy come, if you keep tightening up like that.”

“Daddy, s—stop! It feels weird!” Cloud wailed (while gleefully tilting his ass up to take Reeve’s dick as deep as he could).

“Hngh…baby! Daddy’s coming! Fuck!” 

Reeve pulled out abruptly, and Cloud felt warm fluid spattering across his ass and thighs. As soon as he’d finished, he pushed back inside, to ride out the spasms, while Cloud wrung himself hard and fast, till he came in the tight space, between his stomach and the mattress.

“Oh, fuck,” Reeve said breathlessly, falling onto the bed next to him. “That was—that was amazing. You’re amazing.”

“Not so bad yourself, daddy,” Cloud said, with a wink. Then he pretended to pout. “You’re not tired already, are you?”

“Not yet. Thank the goddess for all that boxing. Just, uh…just give your old man a couple minutes.”

They rolled around for a while, flirting and laughing, and wound up fucking again, with Cloud on top, riding Reeve cowgirl style. After that, they took a long shower together, in Reeve’s enormous spa-style Swiss shower. Reeve wanted to walk him out, but Cloud waved him off, saying he was a big boy and could take care of himself. And so the two cheerfully said goodnight at Reeve’s door, promising to see each other again, soon.

When the elevator reached the lobby, Cloud peered around, half expecting to see Zack, or Reno and Rude, but no one was around except for a few security guards and holographic receptionists. The scene was less desolate, outside, since this part of Shinra Tower was a block from Loveless Avenue, and the nightlife was always lively.

Cloud was crossing the bustling fountain square, bound for the train station, when a hand fell heavily on his shoulder, giving him a jolt. “I see you’ve been making friends in…high places.” 

Cloud attempted to swallow in a suddenly dry throat. “Sephi? W—what are you doing here?”

“I might ask the same of you, if I didn’t know perfectly well, already.” Sephiroth leaned close, so Cloud could feel his breath on his ear. “There’s a man’s scent, all over you.”

His voice was hard and cold and crystal clear. Like knives made of ice. Which meant he was sober, and thus at his most dangerous. Cloud suppressed a shudder.

A gloved hand took hold of his arm, and Sephiroth deftly steered him around the corner, onto the intersecting street. He glanced anxiously about, but he wasn’t thinking of calling for help. His fear was less that Sephiroth would hurt him, and more that he’d hurt other people. He didn’t want anyone to get killed, so the only choice he had was to go along with the man, and hope he’d stay calm.  

They walked for about half a block, before Sephiroth pushed him into a dark, narrow space between buildings and shoved him up against the brick wall, pinning him with a hand on the back of his neck and a knee between his legs. 

“I don’t think you quite understand your situation, little puppet, so I will explain it.” Sephiroth lowered his voice to a menacing murmur. “You belong to me. The fact that you are able to run about and do as you please, is because I allow it.”

“It’s my job, Sephi. It’s not like I can just—”

“Hush. If I objected to your waywardness, I would put a stop to it, but I do not. It amuses me, the way you play these fools like perfectly tuned instruments. The way you make them line up to lay riches at your feet, in exchange for a taste of your body. You have given yourself to so many men, and yet none of them can truly possess you. They are your servants and playthings. You are free.” 

“B—but you just said I belong to you,” Cloud faltered.

“That does not mean I intend to cage you. You would wither in captivity, and you would hate me. I would rather…but that is not what I’ve come to talk about. I sought you out because you are in a position to be useful to me. You are going to be my eyes inside Shinra.”

Shit. Cloud’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean? Why me?”

“There is no chance you would travel regularly to Shinra Tower for an ordinary client, and even less chance an ordinary client could dispatch the Turks, to transport you, to and fro. That means your clearance must grant you upper-level access.” 

Cloud was stunned that Sephiroth knew all of that, but he didn’t dare ask how. He also didn’t think his usual tactic of playing dumb was going to do much good, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Sephiroth slapped something onto the wall, in front of his face. It was a creased and faded photo, of a pretty young woman, with brown eyes and light-brown hair. 

“Who’s she?” Cloud asked, confused.

“Irrelevant. All you need to know is that she is somewhere in Shinra Tower. Memorize her face. You will look for her, for me. Tell me, immediately, the moment you see her. That’s all. Simple enough, yes?”

“Seph, this…I can’t just go snooping around in there. What if I get caught?”

“I trust you can use your talents to talk your way out of any minor trouble you encounter. But if it truly came to life or death, you’ve no need to fear. I will come to your rescue.”

“Oh, you will? And how the hell are you gonna rescue me, inside Shinra Tower?” Cloud demanded, his blue eyes sparking defiantly.

Sephiroth answered with a cold chuckle. “There are few places in this world that can keep me out.”

“If it’s so easy for you to get in, then why don’t you look for this woman, yourself? What do you need me for?” 

“The time has not yet come, to move openly, against Shinra. For now, I must stay in the shadows.” His grip tightened on the back of Cloud’s neck. “I trust my little puppet will do his very best, for me.”

“I—I will,” Cloud gasped, as Sephiroth pressed him into the wall with his body, and his hard dick dug into his ass. “You know I’ll—ngh! You know I’ll do whatever you say.”

Sephiroth gave a pleased hum, then grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. Cloud’s mouth opened readily, to submit to the invasion, as the man’s tongue rolled forcefully over his.

He didn’t like being suddenly grabbed on the street and ordered around, but being near Sephiroth for any length of time had an intoxicating effect on him. No matter how insane and dangerous his rational mind knew Sephiroth was, Cloud’s body always wanted him so badly he could taste it.

That raw, animal desire was even more intense now, away from his workplace, and without the context of a professional transaction. He was already fumbling to undo his own trousers and yank them down around his thighs, as they kissed feverishly. He heard steel buttons jingle faintly behind him, then that huge, heavy dick slotted into the cleft of his ass. 

“My bag,” he panted, licking his kiss-bruised lips. “There’s lube.”

Keeping a hand on his hip, Sephiroth reached down and picked up the bag. Cloud dug out the bottle of lubricant, which he squeezed all over his hand, then reached back to slick the thick, hard, veiny shaft. That was all the preparation Sephiroth had the patience for. He pushed the big, blunt head against his hole, still pink and swollen from Reeve, and impaled him, in one long slide, clamping a gloved hand over Cloud’s mouth, to muffle his moans. 

Once he was all the way in, he set a ruthless pace, showing no tenderness, whatsoever; thrusting hard and deep, pounding Cloud into the cold bricks. The way Sephiroth fucked was always pretty rough, but this felt different. Possessive and domineering, with a hostile edge. Like he was trying to fuck Reeve out of him (despite the fact that Reeve was a gentleman and hadn’t come inside, and Cloud had already showered, anyway). 

Just then, a wave of Sephiroth’s aromatic, masculine scent, like leather and cedar smoke, washed over him, and made Cloud’s head spin like he was drunk. He let go and lost himself in the unhinged lust and brutal intensity, radiating like heat from this monstrously strong and preternaturally gorgeous man. 

That massive shaft was drilling into him, thrumming over his prostate, making his dick so hard it ached, and was leaking like a faucet. He wanted to come so badly, he didn’t care about anything else, let alone the fact that they were outdoors, in a public alleyway, only a few meters from a busy street.

Biting his bottom lip, he looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, and grabbed hold of his leather coat, tugging him closer, urging him to fuck him harder. 

Sephiroth’s slit pupils dilated visibly in his pale, blue-green irises. He clamped his hand over Cloud’s mouth again, and with a low snarl, he bared his sharp teeth and bit into his neck, so deep it broke the skin. 

Cloud went rigid, screaming hoarsely into Sephiroth’s muffling glove, while he came hard, spurting against the wall, in hot, rapid pulses. Sephiroth came at the same time, with a strangled groan, hips stuttering, as his big, thick shaft pulsed, pumping a molten hot flood into Cloud’s convulsing hole. 

The gloved hand released his mouth. Cloud’s head lolled forward and he let his sweat-damp forehead rest on the cold brick, enjoying the soothing coolness, while he caught his breath. Sephiroth was breathing hard too, still holding him pinned, but more gently, now, pressing what felt like apologetic kisses to the badly bruised spot on his neck. 

When he pulled out, he held Cloud open with his thumbs, to watch the semen trickle down his thighs, which seemed to please him immensely. Cloud wrinkled his nose in annoyance, but he was facing the wall still, so Sephiroth didn’t see. 

It really was incredibly rude of him to come inside, considering Cloud still had to ride the train for an hour to get home. He was thinking irritably about that and zipping up his pants, when the roar of a motorcycle engine filled the air, amplified by echoing off all the walls in the small alleyway. 

“Come,” a much subdued and unusually lucid-looking Sephiroth said, holding out his gloved hand. “I’ll take you home.”

Kadaj was waiting on the street, astride one of the gang’s huge, black motorcycles. When he saw them step out of the alleyway together, he dismounted and stood there sullenly, looking at the ground. Sephiroth threw his long leg over the saddle and Cloud climbed on, behind him. Without so much as a glance at his younger brother, Sephiroth instructed Cloud to hang on tight, then gunned the engine and sped away, down the street.

Kadaj lifted his pale-blue eyes and glared venomously after them, his fists clenching and unclenching, at his sides, till they faded from sight. Then he turned and walked away, in the opposite direction. 

Atop the roof of one of the many brownstone residential buildings, that filled this area, another figure leaned out and peered down the street, in the direction Sephiroth and Cloud rode off, then the direction Kadaj went. Then it also vanished into the night.

When they pulled up in front of the Honeybee, Cloud clambered off the bike, and hung his arms around Sephiroth’s neck, while they shared a slow, lingering kiss. Even after they drew apart, Sephiroth gazed at him for a long time, tucking his hair behind his ear and stroking his face, like he was reluctant to let him go. 

Cloud’s cheeks got hot and his stomach fluttered. He’d never felt so much like Sephiroth was actually looking at him and seeing him, before. There was something lonely and longing in the man’s eerily beautiful eyes, that made made Cloud’s chest ache. 

His own eyes began to sting with impending tears. Then all at once, it was as if a wall of ice snapped up between them. The catlike eyes glittered and the line of that perfect mouth hardened.

“Go,” Sephiroth said, turning away. “Don’t forget to do what I told you.”

Cloud stood there looking dazed, as the motorcycle roared away, down the narrow street. Then he shook himself and hurried inside. He almost ran face-first into Nero, who was standing directly in the doorway, for some reason. 

“What the hell!” Cloud said crossly. “Why are you always blocking every door I go through!”

“Who was that man, on the chopper?” Nero asked. “It can’t be…does our little bimbo have a boyfriend?”

Cloud wanted to tell him to fuck off, but asshole or no, Nero worked here, now. He should know about the hazards he might encounter. “That was Sephiroth, the leader of the Remnants biker gang. He’s psychotic and dangerous as fuck and I don’t want to die, so I do whatever he says. If he comes here, we all do whatever he says, and don’t give him an excuse to kill anyone. You can ask Andrea, if you don’t believe me.”

“It didn’t look like you were scared for your life, just now. It looked like you were kissing your boyfriend goodbye.” Nero sniffed the air and smirked. “And you smell like you just fucked in an alley.” 

“How could you possibly smell an alley?” Cloud retorted. “You’re just saying any shit you can think of, to be insulting.”

Nero arched a black brow. “Am I wrong?” 

Cloud blushed guiltily and scowled to cover it up. “It’s none of your business! Why are you even talking to me?”

“Andrea wants you. He said to bring you to his office, when you got back.”

Cloud slumped. He was sticky and grouchy and exhausted, having spent the past several hours having sex with two men in a row, and then riding on a motorcycle all the way from the upper city, clinging to a madman for dear life, the entire time (which was still more than half an hour, despite Sephiroth’s kamikaze style of navigating traffic). But Andrea was the boss, so he dragged himself to the elevator, pointedly ignoring Nero, who followed him in, looking infuriatingly smug. 

“Cloud, you’re here,” Andrea said, beckoning them into his office. “Your client has confirmed that trip, he mentioned. You’ll be leaving Friday afternoon, and returning the following Friday.”

Cloud nodded, unable to suppress his smile, upon hearing that he really was going to Wutai with Vincent. And for a whole week! 

“That’s why I called you both in,” Andrea went on. “Nero, this means you’ll be filling in for Cloud, for the first time, Saturday night. It’s a big responsibility. The Honeybees will be counting on you to carry the show.” 

Nero’s crimson eyes flashed eagerly. “I won’t disappoint you, boss.” 

“Good! That’s what I like to hear,” Andrea said, looking pleased. “Cloud, you have a few days before your trip, so I want you to spend them helping Nero prepare for the headlining spot. That’s your top priority. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Cloud said glumly, his Wutai excitement severely dampened by the prospect of having Nero stuck to his side for three days.

When the two left the office, Nero’s hands were shaking with adrenaline. This was the moment he’d been waiting and preparing for. He was going to see Vincent Valentine, face to face. Finally, everything would be set in motion. Cloud noticed his agitated fidgeting, while they were riding the elevator, and misunderstood.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “It’s not much different from the Friday night shows.”

Nero didn’t correct his error. “I heard all the VIPs come to your Saturday shows, though. That’s a lot of pressure.” 

“They’re just bored, old, rich guys. They’re not scary,” Cloud assured him, as the two disembarked, on their floor. “The only one we absolutely must keep happy is Vincent Valentine, and he won’t be there, so there’s nothing to stress about.”

Nero’s heart stopped. “What…he won’t?”

“Of course not,” Cloud said, as if he should have known. “I’m going to Wutai with him. That’s why you’re covering for me, in the first place. See you tomorrow.”

Nero was still reeling from the emotional whiplash, as Cloud walked away, and their rooms were on opposite ends of the hall, so he had no excuse to follow and probe for more information. His initial disappointment quickly gave way anger, at the little blonde who was blithely ruining all his plans. Under a black cloud, he stalked to his room, slammed the door, and threw himself on the bed. Weiss flipped down from the headstand push-ups he’d been doing, and came to sit beside him. 

“I’m covering the bimbo’s show Saturday,” Nero said, before he had a chance to ask. 

“That’s exactly what we wanted,” Weiss pointed out. “What’s wrong?”

“Vincent Valentine won’t be there! He’s taking the bimbo out of town, and that’s why I’m covering for him! It’s like that little rat-faced eyesore exists just to get in my way!”

“There will be other opportunities. Don’t get upset, you’ll make yourself sick,” Weiss said, spreading his arms. “Come here. Let me hold you.”

Nero turned his back and curled into a sullen ball. Undeterred, Weiss dragged his stubborn little brother into his lap, to wrap him up in a tight embrace. Nero wriggled and kicked petulantly, but only for a moment. Then he surrendered and burrowed into his brother’s bare chest, taking deep breaths of his scent, to soothe himself. 

“I hate him, brother,” he pouted, peering up at Weiss from beneath his long, sooty eyelashes. “Kill him, for me.”

Weiss smiled adoringly, smoothing the silky, black hair back from his pallid face. “Soon, my love. We must first fulfill our purpose. Then we will have leisure, to bathe in the blood of our enemies.” 

“But who knows how long that’s going to take,” Nero huffed. “I want to kill him, now.”

Weiss chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated in his broad ribcage. “Have patience, little one. When all is done, I will bring him to you, and we will take our time with him. I wonder how long we can keep him alive.”

Nero pushed him onto his back and straddled him, sliding his hands up and down his ridiculously muscular torso, his crimson eyes kindled with a deranged light. “Tell me, brother. Tell me what you’ll do to him. I want to hear it, so I can imagine every single detail.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

MY SAD MURDER-BABY SEPHIROTH SOMEONE BE NICE TO HIM

[sebastianlynx]

aliya will

@aliyawill

[demialwrites]

FF7 x Reader

Annoying things about being in a relationship with them

Rufus Shinra

He knows how to clean surprisingly decently because of his time confined to Turk HQ in Before Crisis but stubbornly refuses to do certain things. It's 'beneath him'

Even if you're on birth control or otherwise can't get pregnant, it doesn't matter. He's wearing a condom and how dare you suggest otherwise

He takes up all the space in the closet because of all the layers he insists on wearing

He insists on taking his dog everywhere, even if you explain it terrifies some people. For example: your poor parents

Rude

There's a third wheel in this relationship and his name starts with a Re and ends with a No

Rude is very romantic. However, he only barely has time so his gestures happen spontaneously and it's hard to plan around his schedule

Often comes home with injuries and you're the one who has to patch him up and worry about him. He doesn't worry about himself

He prefers to show not tell. You have to learn how to read him with a glance

Reno

There's a third wheel in this relationship and his name is Rude

His insecurity randomly spikes and he gets mega jealous, sometimes with threats at the offending party

Very loud. All the time

Gets broody about things he has to do at work and sometimes nothing you do will help

Gets whiney when you don't have the stamina to have sex all damned night

Cloud

Cannot communicate his needs. Does not know what his needs are. WHAT ARE NEEDS?

Everyone flirts with him but if you try to talk to him about it, he never noticed the flirting in the first place

Sometimes cute animals follow him home and oops, one day you have seven cats, fifteen chickens, four dogs, several chocobos, and one of those giant elephant fiends because it was injured and alone. You didn't sign up to live at a zoo but here you are, shoveling elephant shit every day

Occasionally, one of his hair spikes stab you straight in the eye when he's being the little spoon

Barret

Thinks he can fix everything himself when sometimes you just need him to listen

Like Reno, Barret can be quite loud. If you like peace, sometimes you have to take some space. It makes the big guy sad

Not very detail-oriented. Leaves little things like ammo all over the garage/shed floor and small bits of trash all over the house. He meant to pick it up, honest!

Occasionally breaks the bed

Tseng

You can't be spontaneous for shit because he anticipates everything

He has certain cleaning standards but he doesn't always tell you. He just redoes it himself

Must be the one to clean and iron his suit himself or he will get annoyed

His handwriting is annoyingly perfect and it makes you feel bad about your chicken scratch

Elena

Puts herself in danger way too often. She doesn't understand your horrified reaction to her story of how she jumped out of a helicopter onto a moving dune buggy in the middle of the Corel desert

It can be hard to tell if she's actually angry or just venting

You know more about her work than is probably safe for you

Too spontaneous. She sometimes makes important decisions without consulting you first

Reeve

Main bad habit: he is a workaholic

Sometimes puts others needs before yours. He's just trying to help

Doesn't take good care of his health

Uses the sad puppy eyes to get out of arguments more often than he should

Sometimes leaves spare cait siths and his parts all over the living room

[mynameiskan]

Wip

Last sketch for the Christmas present for my bestie: Christmas present with Highschool AU! RudeReno.

I will post the full version tomorrow.

There will be some extra pages of [Christmas presents] story (also in Highschool AU) for Tserith, Rufus x Cloud, and 2 secret characters 👀 Let's see if anyone can figure out the correct answer.

Those will be posted on the 24th and 25th of December. I guess I won't be able to draw some smut this Christmas 😅 and I would like to apologize for that. I hope you guys won't mind my new plan.

[lassie719]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54297907/chapters/137514679

The end of Vincent Valentine Week 2024 doesn't mean the end of Vincent Valentine content, dear readers and potential readers! I am proud to announce the completion of "Second Chance," the Reevince slowburn installment in my series I Need Something More. An angst-ridden Reevince threequel will be rounding out the trilogy soon.

[howlingday]

(Jaune Strife AU) Uncle Vincent decided to stop by and he terrifies everyone. Everyone except the Arcs, even little Adrian is chill with the half-vampire adopted relative. Terra just thinks her in-laws are weird like that.

"Sorry I'm late." Jaune huffed as he passed through the doors.

"About time you got here, kid." Uncle Barret chuckled. "Any later, and he would have grown up on ya!"

"Oh, be nice!" Tifa slugged Barret in the arm. "Jaune, we're glad you made it."

"Yeah!" Aunt Yuffie nodded. "Besides, it's not like the little guy was going anywhere."

"Especially not with how tall, dark, and creepy is holding him." Cid gruffed.

Jaune looked to where his sister and her wife sat at a booth, with his Uncle Vincent sitting between them. In his arms lay a chubby baby who seemed to be watching the pale male with interest.

"Coochie-coo." Uncle Vincent cooed, wiggling his clawed finger at the babe.

"Be careful, Uncle Vincent." Saphron worried.

"He's fine, Saph." Terra waved. "I'm sure your uncle know how to hold a baby."

"When will it be my turn?" Red XIII asked from the other side of the table.

"Uh, well..." Terra scratched her cheek, unsure of how to answer the question.

"So, how's it feel to a grandpa, Cloud?" Uncle Reeves asked, holding a stuffed toy in his arms.

"Not bad." Cloud replied. "Never really thought I'd make it this far, though, having my own kids with their own kids."

Jaune walked up to the table, where his sister and sister-in-law looked to him. He smiled and waved at them, and they all gasped at what happened. The baby reached out with his tiny hands and waved back.

"H-Hi there, uh..." Jaune continued to wave as his face flushed. "What's his name?"

"Adrian." Tifa answered behind her son. "Adrian Cotta-Arc-Strife."

"Kind of a mouthful." Jaune chuckled. "I'll just call him Adrian."

"Well, that is his name." Terra giggled.

Adrian giggled, too, and Jaune felt his heart melt.

[tireddovahkiin]

Ultimate F/O list!!!

(if you see any f/o on my list that you feel uncomfortable sharing, feel free to block me! I totally understand the meaning behind it, so ur all okay <3 )

(the opposite also stands. If you see a f/o that I marked as 'uncomfortable with sharing'/if your f/o falls in my f/oe criteria, PLEASE don't interact. Thank you <3)

(Also, have in mind that my romantic F/Os are shipped with SELF INSERTS ONLY! Any other ones are OC x CANON! Every canon character has its own designated parter!!! But, Familial F/Os are a mix of S/I and OC pairing!)

(However, this selection is strictly through MY own side of the view, not through the OCs I ROMANTICALLY ship them with!!! (not all of them, tho) Ex. Irl see Calcharo as a qpr f/o, but I have an OC that I ship him with romantically!!!)

(the list is not in order!)

🖤- no sharing

💜- selective sharing

💚- okay with sharing

Main F/Os:

Romantic ↴

Hanami (Jujutsu Kaisen) - [tag: 🌹serenity upon a flower field...🌸] - 🖤

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy) - [tag: 🖤under my black wing...🪽] - 🖤

Room (_Boisvert) - [tag: 🪑together against the unknown...👥] - 🖤

Queerplatonic/Crush ↴

Sukuna Ryomen (Jujutsu Kaisen) - 💜

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) -💜

Calcharo (Wuthering Waves) -🖤

Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic The Hedgehog) - 🖤

Enrico Pucci (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) -🖤

Solazar (Friday Night Funkin') -🖤

D (Vampire Hunter D) - 🖤

Mahoraga (Jujutsu Kaisen) -🖤

Optimus Prime (Transformers) - 💜

Megatron (Transformers) -🖤

Gakupo Kamui (Vocaloid) - 🖤

Fifteen (Katana Zero) - 🖤

Leon Von Alvensleben (Katana Zero) - 🖤

Terminator T-800 (Terminator) -💜

Wan Shi Tong (ATLA) - 🖤

Dr. Veritas Ratio (Honkai Star Rail) -🖤

Shockwave (Transformers) -🖤

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic The Hedgehog Media) -💜

Morgo (Little Misfortune) -🖤

Nero The Sable (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Weiss The Immaculate (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Svarog (Honkai Star Rail) -🖤

Luocha (Honkai Star Rail) -💜

Wanderer (Genshin Impact) -💜

Thranduil (Lord of The Rings) -💜

Smaug (Lord of The Rings) -💜

Mystic Flour Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom) - 🖤

Tobirama Senju (Naruto) -🖤

Kakuzu (Naruto) -💜

Kisame Hoshigaki (Naruto) -🖤

Capitano (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Zhongli (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Legolas (Lord of The Rings) -🖤

Barok Van Zieks (Ace Attorney) -🖤

The Vigilante (Pizza Tower) -💜

Arataki Itto (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Logan Howlett (MARVEL X-men movies) -💚

Gyomei Himejima (Demon Slayer) -🖤

Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer) -💜

Platonic F/Os ↴

Junior (MY Oc) -🖤

Dagon (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Mahito (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Jogo (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Lee (Oc by @/mahitosoulmate)

Kuro (Oc by @/rabbitcyclops)

Kaze (Oc by @/flowey-apologist)

Yuuji (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💜

Alduin (Skyrim) -🖤

Odahviing (Skyrim) -🖤

Godzilla (Kaiju Monsterverse) -🖤

OMORI (Omori) -🖤

Soundwave (Transformers) -🖤

Costar (Oc by @/darknadaworld)

Mai (Oc by @/radaverse)

Deadpool (MARVEL) -💚

Zack Fair (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Tankman (Friday Night Funkin') -💜

Daidem (Friday Night Funkin') -🖤

Guardians of the Galaxy (MARVEL: Avengers) -💜

Familial F/Os ↴

Enmei (MY fanchild) -🖤

Marry (MY Oc) -🖤

Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Reeve Tuesti (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Cait Sith (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Aerith (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Boy n Girl (Friday Night Funkin') - 🖤

The Marionette/Puppet (Five Nights at Freddy's) - 🖤

Milky Way Cookie (Cookie Run) -💚

Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil) - 🖤

Minato Namikaze (Naruto) - 🖤

Nahida (Genshin Impact) - 🖤

Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog Media) - 💜

Clifford the big red dog (Clifford) - 💜

Adri (OC by @/one-winged-dreams)

Less important F/Os:

Romantic ↴

Sonon Kusakabe (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Queerplatonic/Crush ↴

Argenti & Boothill (Honkai Star rail) → poly ship - 🖤

Justine Courtney (Ace Attorney) - 💜

Ruvyzvat (Friday Night Funkin') - 🖤

Dark Cacao Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom) - 🖤

Erwin Smidt & Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan) → poly ship - 💜

Smokescreen (Transformers Prime) - 💜

Godot (Ace Attorney) -🖤

Shi-Long Lang (Ace Attorney) -💜

Diluc (Genshin Impact) - 🖤

Polytheus (Mia and me) - 💚

Bayonetta (Bayonetta) -💜

Platonic F/Os ↴

Rouge the Bat (Sonic The Hedgehog frandchise) - 💜

Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Cid Highwind (Final Fantasy 7) -

Angeal Hewley (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Genesis Rhapsodos (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Hanji Zoe (Attack on Titan) - 💜

Bandu (Friday Night Funkin') - 💜

Dave (Friday Night Funkin') - 💚

Bambi (Friday Night Funkin') - 💚

Venom (MARVEL X-men) - 💚

Knockout (Transformers) - 🖤

Familial F/Os ↴

Kel (OMORI) - 🖤

Tony Stark (MARVEL: Avengers) -💜

Gingerbrave (Cookie Run) - 💜

Dr. Wing Ding Gaster (Undertale) - 💜

The Narrator (The Stanley Parable) - 🖤

Reverse crush F/Os ↴

Choso (Jujutsu Kaisen) - 💜

Elena (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

F/Oes (dni if you selfship with these, thanks.)

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy 7)

[seven7thheaven]

welcome to seven(7)th heaven

howdy howdy yall! my name is rexxie, i'm twenty five years old, i'm an afab nonbinary ace lesbian and this is my blog for my final fantasy seven content.

i have played through the original game several times and have played the first part of the remake.

my ask box is open if you want to hear my thoughts on certain events, want me to write an imagine, headcanon or have a request. please do not send me a chat message unless we know each other.

i write x reader content as well as x original ocs (of my own - i won't butcher your oc's characterization).

byf. masterlist. ocs.

CHARACTERS WILL I WRITE FOR . . .

cloud strife

tifa lockhart

barret wallace

aerith gainsborough

vincent valentine

yuffie kisaragi (i will not write sexual content for her)

jessie rasberry

biggs

wedge

reno

rude

tseng

elena

sephiroth

reeve tuesti

CHARACTERS I WON'T WRITE FOR . . .

rufus shinra (as of right now; this may change in the future)

professor hojo

president shinra

marlene

dyne

CONTENT I WILL WRITE . . .

fluff

angst

smut

light bdsm (bondage, spanking, domination)

breeding/impregnation

female and gender neutral reader

named and unnamed female or gender neutral reader

light au/crossover headcanons (ie. avalanche's starter pokemon)

menstrual sex

pegging

CONTENT I WILL NOT WRITE . . .

abuse in any fashion or context

scat/watersports/vomit

dubcon/sa

paedophilia (adult/minor grooming)

kidnapping

vore

breathplay

ddlg/sexualized age regression

self harm/suicidal gestures

male/male content

sexual furry/scaly

yandere

please be aware that this blog may contain spoilers for the original final fantasy seven game as well as part one of the remake.

[queen-yalo]

FF VII | Headcanons | Dancing

Request: (im gonna make a request that is SO self-indulgent....) can you give me some hcs about angeal, reeve and cloud, and how their first dance with their s/o goes? as in, when does it happen, who initiates it, how good are they - that kind of thing? 🥺 bonus points if reader is super enthusiastic about dancing but isn't really very good at it lmao. chu chuuuu, u know who this is 🥰 [Anon]

A/N: First request since... a year at least. Let's do this! Hope you enjoy! ♥

Pairing(s): Angeal Hewley x reader; Cloud Strife x reader; Reeve Tuesti x reader

+++

[YOUR SONG: Take Me To Church - Hozier]

• Angeal is a surprisingly good dancer. He does not follow any 'dance-ettiquette' or anything. What for? He would never dance at official events / gatherings - only in secret, away from prying eyes.

• That is probably how your first dance happened. Somewhere secluded, on a meadow, under the moonlight. It was your anniversary, and Angeal promised you a dinner under the stars - quite literally.

• It was not planned; at one point you just found yourself in his arms, swaying to a melody silent to the ear. Surrounded by a soft breeze and the sound of crickets filling the night air, the grass underneath tickling your naked feet. It was a little forced and unsual at first, but you two quickly found a comfortable pace and rhythm. Dancing may not be his strongest ability, but it is by no means uncomfortable to dance with him - quite the opposite. He holds you gently, his arms wrapped around your waist loosely, as yours settled around his shoulders, your head resting on his chest. His heart beat faster than usual - he was nervous, but he would never admit that.

• Angeal knows that you two cannot enjoy as much time together, as you would like to. Of course, you understood - his job was demanding, dangerous, fast-pacing. That was exactly the reason why you cherished moments like these so much - moments where you were not talking to Shinra's SOLDIER, but to your partner and lover.

• He is a man of few words, but he does not need to say much. You can feel his emotions, his affection towards you. The way he holds you, how he buries his nose in your hair gently and leaves gentle kisses on the top of your head; he would marry you in a heartbeat if he could. But as long as that is not possible, he will make sure to show you how much he loves you every single day you are with him.

[YOUR SONG: Lay Me Down - Sam Smith]

• Oh, this precious shy boy. He wants to dance with you so badly - he knows how much you enjoy dancing. But what can he do? He has never danced in his life before. He asked Tifa for help, but she just said "to roll with it" - very helpful, thanks a lot.

• You could swear that you had never seen Cloud blush more than when he asked you to dance. It was after dinner in your apartment. You had made his favorite again - and it was delicious, as usual. And now... he wanted to give something back to you. You always did something for him, you always made sure he was alright and happy - and he knew it was time to step up.

• At first you thought he was joking - but then you saw the determination in his eyes. You smiled brightly, quickly putting on some soft music. Your furniture was pushed to the sides hastily - and then you two found yourselves in the middle of the room, staring into each other's eyes.

• It took a moment until you finally moved, taking his hands gently, and pulling him into a slow circling motion. You did not think it was possible, but at this point his blush became even deeper; you just had to close the distance and peck his cheek gently. "Relax, Cloud," you smile, placing one of his hands on your waist, holding the other one in yours, "we will learn together."

• It took a while, but eventually Cloud got more comfortable. Your feet and heads still bumped every now and then; it was part of the moment, the memory that was made. It was fun and romantic - and more than you ever could have asked for. You just hoped that it was not the first and last time you two danced together.

[YOUR SONG: Can't Help Falling In Love - Haley Reinhart]

• Shinra's annual ball for staff members and business partners - and you were trapped right in the middle of it. Of course you were happy to support Reeve, your partner and fiancée; that did not mean that you enjoyed the presence of arrogant and greasy rich people, and thanks to President Shinra there were a lot of them around.

• On the other hand, there were also a lot of very nice people - among them Reeve. Every now and then, you heard his voice through the masses, his laughter above everyone else's; how he still managed to make you feel like a child with a crush was a mystery to you. He had wandered off a few minutes earlier to talk with a few partners - or so he had said.

• It had been a lie. So you realized, when suddenly the orchestra stopped playing for a moment, until it started a new song that you knew very well. It was your song, Reeve's and yours. The song that played on your first date at the restaurant, the song that played during your first kiss and the proposal.

• Reeve smiled softly as he approached you, bowing slightly, like the true gentleman he was. "May I have this dance?" His voice was soft and warm; how could you have refused him? "When I first met you, I asked you to go dancing with me. I realized we had not done that yet."

• You giggled slightly, hiding your face in his chest, as he elegantly led you over the dance floor, somehow avoiding the other dancing couples along the way. You didn't need to worry; he was an excellent dancer. Leading firmly, yet gently - it was a true pleasure. After every turn, he pulled you back in carefully, holding onto you without pressure, but like his life depended on it; he did not want to let you go so soon. And he knew he did not have to. After all, you had agreed to marry him - and you were ready to experience many more first times with him.

[rauhallinen-hauki]

(edit: turns out that as of the time of posting this I'm actually early-misread june as july- but we can celebrate Barret and ff7 on this blog everyday anyway so its ok :) )

Sorry for being so incredibly late! romancingbarretweek 2022, prompts by @romancingbarret

july 3 - post-game -Barret x Cid: vacation at costa del sol after the main saving the world adventure is over.

july 4 - fighting side by side - Cloud x Barret x Aerith

july 5 - co-parenting|Marlene - Bareeve: the idea of bringing an actual "Caith Sith" to the team is brought up and approved. Marlene discovers the joy of owning a cat.

july 6 - hurt/comfort|hometown - Barrifa: venting conversation about their shared traumas involving their

hometowns being destroyed, somewhere in the valleys near Nibelheim and Corel.

july 7 - relaxing - Clarret: taking a nap together

july 8 - AU|canon-divergence - Barrifa: FF7 retold as an spaghetti western au

july 9 - free day- Barret x Cid: dancing :)

Once again, sorry for the delay but hopefully my love for Barret and FF7 shows trough. Thanks a lot for this event!

[ticklishcicada]

halloween party in sector 7 wooooo!!!!! Everyones invited!!!!

[sephirthoughts]

Just Like Honey: Chapter 10

big vincent lore-drop ahoy

AU: organized crime, cabaret, sex work

SHIPS: MULTIPLE! rufus/cloud, vincent/cloud, sephiroth/cloud, reeve/cloud, rufus/cloud/tseng, cloud/other characters as clients because that's his job, weiss/nero, background aerti

RATING: this chapter is teen and up i apologize and will make it up to everyone by making the next one extremely filthy

WARNINGS: sex workers, prostitution

Chapter 10: The Head of the Family

Strife: hey i wanted to give you a heads up. i won’t be available all next week. going out of town

Tseng: How far out of town? Give me an address, in case he needs you.

Strife: sorry i don’t think that’ll work. i’m gonna be in Wutai with a client

Tseng: Unacceptable. Cancel.

Strife: um. no?

Tseng: But have you even considered how this will affect me?

Strife: not for one second

Tseng: He’ll throw a massive tantrum, if he needs you and you’re away.

Strife: why do i feel like we have a child together

[Several minutes passed, then Cloud’s phone vibrated again.]

Tseng: Andrea has also refused to cancel. It seems this client is rather important. I’m not pleased, but business is business. 

Tseng: This may be too much to ask, but don’t do anything stupid. 

Strife: hey fuck you 

Tseng: If you get into trouble, call me. Wutai isn’t outside my radius of operation.

Strife: what seriously?

Tseng: I’m always serious.

Strife: ok mr. rainbow jelly girly boba

Tseng: 😑

Strife: you know you’re really sexy when you’re expressionless

Tseng: Don’t flirt with me unless you mean it.

Strife: WAIT A MINUTE WHO IS THIS

Strife: GIVE TSENG’S PHONE BACK TO HIM

Tseng: Very funny. Enjoy your trip.

Strife: fr tho does that mean i CAN flirt with you if i DO mean it? 😳 

Strife: ????

Strife: ???????

Strife: you’re really gonna drop some shit like that and then leave me on read

Strife: prick

When the driver opened the door, and Cloud saw Vincent sitting in the limo, waiting for him, looking like an overbearing-CEO-slash-tragic-gothic-beauty, his heart gave a giddy little flutter.

Not that he ever forgot how gorgeous Vincent was, in theory, but the man’s actual face was always so much better than the image in his head. Now, after a stretch of several weeks without seeing him, it was downright stunning. Despite the fact that he was covering half of it with dark-lensed sunglasses. 

That was admittedly, a little odd. He usually wore them during the day, but today it was pouring rain above the plate, and the visible sky was heavily overcast. It was also four in the afternoon, in winter, so it was nearly dark, already. Was there something wrong with his eyes? 

“Little devil,” Vincent said softly, as he climbed into the car. “I have missed you.”

“Obviously, you have. I’m amazing,” Cloud sniffed. Then he dropped the brat posturing and looked sheepish. “Um, also, part of my amazingness is that I get carsick, sometimes. Are we going a long way?”

“The airfield is on my family’s property, in the outskirts of the sector, which is thirty minutes or so, by car.”

“That should be ok, then.” He looked up into Vincent’s face, but was only met with his own reflection, on the dark lenses, and frowned disconsolately. “I haven’t seen you in forever and I still can’t see you. Can I take off your sunglasses?”

He reached for them, then huffed petulantly as Vincent caught his hands, to stop him. 

“Excuse my impoliteness, little devil. My eyes are particularly sensitive, this afternoon.”

Vincent’s pale lips curved up, ever so slightly, at the corners, but it didn’t look like a real smile. It was taut and wan, and his skin was even more ash-white than usual. His low-toned voice had a hoarse quality to it, too, that made Cloud think he’d been sick. 

Finally, it dawned on him that Vincent was in pain. He wanted ask about it, but unless Vincent brought it up specifically, he didn’t feel it was his place to press for details. 

“Have it your way,” he sighed, concealing his concern behind his bratty persona. “I think you’re just being a dramatic edgelord, wearing sunglasses in the rain and all this black and red, all the time. And carrying that cane, like you’re sixty years old. It’s silly for a guy your age to be dressing and acting like an old man.”

Vincent tightened his arm about Cloud’s waist, as the car pulled out into the street. “How would you like me to dress and behave?”

“Tch. Don’t pretend you even care what I think,” Cloud scoffed. “You’ll just keep being an edgy vampire, no matter what I say.”

“That is most probably true,” Vincent agreed. “I am rather set in my ways.”

As they turned out of Wall Market, onto the old highway, four big, black SUV’s came out of nowhere and proceeded to flank the vehicle, one pulling in front, one on each side, and one following, completely boxing them in. 

Cloud’s eyes widened. “Vincent—”

“Not to worry,” Vincent said. “Those are my people, in light-armored vehicles. They will escort us to the airfield. This vehicle is also armored. The windows are bulletproof, and the body can resist a direct hit from an anti-tank missile.”

“Oh. Is all that really necessary?” Cloud asked, uneasily.

Vincent looked unconcerned. “It is unlikely that I will be openly attacked, within this sector, but it is always a possibility. I would prefer not to risk your safety.”

The idea of being attacked hadn’t even occurred to Cloud, but he didn’t want to bring down the mood, when Vincent was already feeling unwell, so he swallowed his anxiety and asked about their journey, instead. “I’ve never been on a plane, before. Will we fly over the ocean?” 

“Indeed, we will,” Vincent answered. “Wutai is a chain of islands.”

“Why do the Valentines own a bunch of hotels, there?”

“My mother’s side of the family is Wutaian. I was born there and spent my early childhood there, until I was old enough to learn the family trade.”

The drive flew by, as they made chit-chat, and soon they were approaching the Valentine property.

Cloud knew this without being told, because suddenly there were high cyclone fences, stretching out in front of them, as far as he could see, topped with razor wire, and with guard towers spaced out along the length, like battlements on a fortress of massive scale.

The gates were heavily guarded by black-uniformed men, carrying assault rifles. They swung open, to admit the convoy, and all the guards stood to attention and saluted, as Vincent’s car passed by. 

Once they were inside the fence, the other vehicles fell back to a less suffocating distance, and Cloud could finally look at the scenery. 

It was the same flat, brown dirt, as all the land around Midgar, for a while. Gradually, though, it gave way to low hills of strangely striking colors. They seemed to be composed of some kind of rough, black gravel, and were streaked all over with red, anywhere from deep crimson, to a rusty orange color.

“These are volcanic hills,” Vincent explained, observing Cloud's curiosity. “The rock and scoria are rich in iron, which oxidizes over time, creating that look of rust.”

“They’re beautiful. And they match your color palette,” Cloud grinned.

He was dying with curiosity to see what the Valentine family home was like, but apparently the airfield wasn’t close to it, so he had to stay curious, for now. 

Waiting outside one of the multiple aircraft hangars, was a sleek, hyper-modern private jet, along with another small army of men and women, in black combat gear, carrying various automatic weapons. 

There were a few people standing close the plane, who all wore black suits and gloves, and weren’t openly carrying weapons. Cloud spotted the bulges of concealed holsters, though, and knew the hard, cold eyes of professional killers, when he saw them. He surmised that these must be the Valentine Syndicate’s elite enforcers, similar to the Turks. 

Speaking of the Turks, he had to admit, it felt a bit strange, being surrounded by all this Valentine power, considering his connection to Rufus Shinra. Also Tseng’s offer to send help, if he got into trouble, in Wutai. As for Sephiroth, Cloud wasn’t obligated to inform him of his whereabouts and wouldn’t know how to get a hold of him, anyway. 

The uniformed people all saluted, as Vincent and Cloud emerged from the vehicle, and the suited ones came forward to bow and give respectful greetings.

Cloud couldn’t help but stare at Vincent, standing tall and monolithic, with his long, black coat and hair blowing in the wind, and all these heavily-armed people, treating him with reverence due more to the king of a nation, than the son of their boss.

He was just thinking that everyone here looked Wutaian, when a blonde, white man, with ruddy skin and bright-blue eyes popped out from behind the plane’s landing gear, rubbing his hands with a shop rag.

He was wearing a rather eccentric pilot’s outfit, complete with scarf and goggles on his forehead, like an aviator in an old cartoon. He also had a cigarette sticking out of his mouth, which he did not remove, to speak.

“She’s all ready to go, Vinnie,” he announced, using a very casual manner of address, which stood in stark contrast to the strictly formal way Vincent was being treated by all the others present. “Hey, that your fella?”

“Cid, this is Cloud Strife,” Vincent replied tranquilly. “Cloud, this is Cid Highwind, my friend and personal pilot.”

“Cid Highwind,” Cloud repeated, as the blonde man shook his hand affably. “As in, Shinra’s famous ace pilot, Cid Highwind?”

“Tch, not anymore, I ain’t,” Cid sneered, puffing out a plume of cigarette smoke. “Shinra fucked me over one too many times, so I work for Vinnie, now.”

“But, I’m not a Valentine,” Cloud pointed out. “I even have friends at Shinra. Aren’t you worried that I’ll tell them where you are?”

Cid laughed heartily. “Trust me, kiddo, they know. Ain’t a damn thing they can do about it, is all. Anyhow, it was nice to meet ya. I’m gonna get strapped in and do a final instruments check. Whenever y’all are ready, we can get goin’.”

“He defected from Shinra, and you trust him to be your personal pilot?” Cloud asked Vincent, in an undertone, as the blonde man walked away. 

“I trust Cid with my life,” Vincent replied gravely. 

He didn’t offer any further explanation, so Cloud let the matter drop. It was none of his business, anyway. 

Overall, Cloud found air travel on the jet quite a bit less jarring than his helicopter rides. The takeoff was smooth and gradual, and once they’d reached cruising altitude, and the pressure was no longer making his ears pop and his stomach do flips, it was pretty comfortable. 

Turns out, he was unprepared for just how long a journey of several thousand miles was. He had wanted to see the ocean, but it was dark by the time they were flying over it, so all he could see was a vast and eerie expanse of blackness, far below. He shuddered and pulled the window shade down. 

Partway across that unsettling void, the plane suddenly jolted and shook, like it had been struck by a missile. At the same time, lighting flashed outside the windows, and thunder boomed. 

Gripping the arms of his seat in terror, Cloud looked at Vincent. Incredibly, the man was reclined in his seat, apparently asleep, with his sunglasses still on, despite the low lighting inside the jet. 

Cloud grabbed his hand, just as the plane rocked again. “Vincent! Vincent, something’s wrong!”

When he lifted his head and saw Cloud’s stricken face, he only smiled softly. “Turbulence, little devil.”

“What? What’s that?” Cloud panted, not letting go of him. 

“Cool air descending interacts with warm air rising, creating pockets of irregular currents. It’s perfectly normal.”

“But that didn’t feel normal, it felt like—ah!” Cloud yelped, clinging to Vincent as the plane bucked and reared, like an out-of-control chocobo. 

“It will be alright,” Vincent reassured him. “Come here. I’ll hold you, till it’s over.”

Cloud fumbled to undo his seatbelt, which he still had on, despite Cid’s announcement that they could take them off, and crawled into Vincent’s lap, burying his face in the crook of his neck. 

Normally, he would be extremely embarrassed to show Vincent such childish behavior (out of character), but he was too freaked out to care, at the moment. 

The lighting flashed and the thunder rumbled, and the small jet rocked and shuddered, tossed about by forces of nature, far beyond human control.

Strangely, however, Cloud’s fear quickly faded, and a deep sense of calm settled on him, as if arms like the bones of the earth, stronger than any storm, held him securely, in their embrace. 

He woke, to Vincent gently shaking him. “Wake up, little devil. We’ve arrived.”

“S—sorry. When did I fall asleep?” Cloud asked blearily, as he clambered out of Vincent’s lap. “There was that storm and then…I don’t remember what happened after.”

“You fell asleep during the storm,” Vincent said, with a trace of an amused smile. “I was quite surprised, considering how frightened you were, by the turbulence.”

“I was, but I didn’t feel scared, anymore, when you were holding me. I guess I drifted off, without realizing it,” Cloud yawned, while he stretched his arms, blithely unaware of the effect this offhanded remark had on his host. 

The sun had already set, in Wutai, and it was still cloudy and raining, but the atmosphere was thicker and more humid than in Midgar. Awaiting them on the tarmac, were yet another army of Valentine people—some in suits and some in traditional Wutaian clothing, but all in black. 

They made low bows, as Vincent came down the stairs, and two ran up with large, black umbrellas, which they held over Vincent and Cloud’s heads like a canopy, despite the fact that it was only lightly sprinkling. For some reason, Cloud was reminded of the scene in Junon, when he’d seen Rufus on television, addressing that crowd.

The vehicle they were shown to was a glossy, black and chrome Rolls-Royce, built in a flashy, retro style, and even outfitted with a gasoline engine. To Cloud’s surprise, Cid followed them to the car, and climbed right into the driver’s seat. Huh. Guess he was his pilot and driver.

There was another convoy, only this time, their car was escorted by much more imposing armored personnel carriers, which were far too big and brazenly militaristic in appearance, to be used on the streets of Midgar.

People in Wutai must be more used to seeing these kinds of vehicles. Either that, or there was no here one with the power to object to the Valentines using them. Cloud decided that was more likely the case, considering the way people on the streets stopped and stared. 

This was the capital city of Wutai. It was bustling with life, and looked prosperous and clean. It struck Cloud as a bit small and old-fashioned, compared to Midgar’s titanic upper city, but it was a large, modern city, nonetheless. There were a lot of gasoline-powered cars on the roads, however, which was novel to him.

“They don’t use mako-powered vehicles, here?” he asked Vincent.

Vincent shook his head. “Because of Shinra’s monopoly on mako technology, and the tension between the nations, most of Wutai is still dependent upon fossil fuels and nuclear power. There is some movement toward cleaner, more renewable energy sources, but it is a slow process.”

The city held Cloud's interest, but once they left its bounds, he was too groggy to pay much attention to the tree-covered landscape, and wound up falling asleep on Vincent, again.

About an hour’s drive out of town, the large and sumptuous Valentine ryokan was perched high up on a lush, green mountain, surrounded by vast miles of other lush, green mountains. 

Behind the stately walls, it was a modern update of a traditional manor complex, surrounded by tranquil, well-ordered gardens, complete with little footbridges over babbling streams, ponds full of fat, jewel-toned koi, and fountains with bamboo sozu, which made that pleasant knocking sound, as they filled with water and tipped over, to tap on the rocks. 

At the main entrance, they were greeted by what appeared to be the entire staff of the ryokan, who had turned out in their neat, black and white kimonos, to pay respects to Vincent. 

Cid took the car away, after they got out, and the armored vehicles hadn’t followed them up the gravel drive, so it was just Cloud and Vincent, at the moment. As a result, Cloud stood by, smiling and bowing and feeling awkward, as Vincent accepted greetings and spoke to people in Wutaian.

Chief among the staff, judging by her position in the group, and the richness of her clothing, was a middle-aged lady, with her greying hair in a neat bun. She was apparently related to Vincent in some way, that was vaguely explained to Cloud as a cousin on his mother’s side. 

She greeted Cloud with effusive warmth and even told him to call her auntie, before speaking to Vincent, in Wutaian. Cloud understood quite a bit of the language, but couldn’t follow the low, rapid tones the two spoke in. She seemed to be urging Vincent regarding something, and he appeared to be refusing. 

Twice, though, Cloud thought he heard the woman refer to Vincent as ‘oji-sama’. He decided he must’ve misheard, or maybe he didn’t understand this dialect that well, because that would be an excessively polite way to address one’s uncle, let alone a younger cousin. 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me, for a little while,” Vincent said, at last, turning to Cloud. “The staff will take good care of you. Make yourself at home, and be sure to tell them, if there is anything you need. I will return, once I have seen to this matter.”

“Is anything wrong?” 

“Nothing you need trouble yourself about. Only a bit of unavoidable family business.”

“Alright. See you later, then,” Cloud said cheerfully, not wanting to make things difficult for Vincent. 

Vincent walked away with the older woman and a cadre of attendants, and Cloud followed the young ladies, who were smiling and beckoning to him. 

The first thing he discovered, was that he had been given his own room, rather than sharing with Vincent, but he consoled himself with the fact that it was right across the hall from Vincent’s. Also, he’d have his own space, if he needed it, which was always nice.

The attendants explained all the features of the room, as well as the many amenities of the ryokan, and highly recommended the on-site restaurant, with its five-star chef, before they finally went away. 

Honestly, the room was pretty spectacular. It was actually a suite of rooms, decorated in the traditional Wutaian style, with tatami mat floors, and sliding, paper-paneled doors. 

The large main room had a low, lacquered tea table, with luxurious cushions for seating, as well as a modern sofa and coffee table. The second room was a simple but tasteful bedroom, with a huge, soft futon. In both rooms, the sliding doors opened on the cypress-wood deck and serene little private garden. 

Cloud’s personal hot-spring bath was carved right into a big boulder, and was fed by a fountain, pouring down a stack of smaller boulders, on one side. The blue-green water was steaming invitingly and smelled strongly of dissolved minerals. He was tempted to take a soak right now, but he wanted to do that with Vincent, so he decided to wait. 

Instead, he showered in the Wutaian-style bathroom, with a shower nozzle one removed from the wall, and a little bamboo stool to sit on, right in the middle of the fully tiled room. After he’d brushed his teeth, he dressed himself the navy-blue yukata and wooden geta they’d prepared for him, stuck his phone and room key in his pocket, and set out to explore.

To his surprise, there were two guards posted outside his room, and another two outside Vincent’s. He wondered if it was awkward just standing there, staring at each other across the hall, all day. The ones at Vincent’s door bowed and said ‘Strife-sama’, as he approached, and apologetically explained that the master had not yet returned.   

“That’s alright, thank you,” he said. “If he comes back, please tell him I went to have a look around.”

Cloud wandered about, for a while, looking at traditional brush paintings and beautifully shaped bonsai trees, but his stomach was starting to growl. Having no desire to sit in his room and eat, he decided to go see about that much-lauded restaurant.

The serene, candlelit dining area was deserted, from what he could see, and he was informed by the obsequious host, that he should sit anywhere he pleased, or if he'd rather sit at the bar, it was right over there.

From around the corner, Cloud heard a hearty, deep-throated laugh. He went and peered in the doorway, and sure enough, Cid Highwind was seated at the bar, in conversation with the bartender. 

“Howdy, kiddo,” Cid greeted, as he spotted Cloud. “Care to wet your whistle? My man Kashiwagi here makes the best damn cocktails in Wutai.”

“Sure, thanks,” Cloud said, coming to take the stool beside Cid’s. “What do you recommend?”

Cid rubbed his chin. “Hm. You’re a little fella, but I reckon you can hold your liquor. Brown or clear?”

“Anything but gin. Upsets my stomach.”

“Gotcha.” Cid turned and spoke to the bartender in Wutaian. 

The bartender, a handsome, older gentleman, with dark grey hair and spectacles, nodded and went to work making the drink. 

“You probably hear this a lot, but I seen a coupla your shows,” Cid said to Cloud. “You’re damn talented. You come from a circus family, or somethin’?”

Cloud actually laughed, which was rare for him, on a first meeting with someone new. “A circus family? Is that even really a thing?”

“Never know,” Cid grinned. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t come from a circus family. I came from Nibelheim. My mom’s just a seamstress.”

Cid looked surprised. “Nibelheim, huh? I come from thereabouts myself. You musta worked hard, to learn all that acrobat stuff, way the hell out there.”

“Yeah, pretty hard. But I love it, so it was worth it.” 

The bartended set a drink before Cloud. It was golden-orange colored and served in a coupe glass, with a candied citrus peel garnish.

“What is it?”

“Yuzu martini,” Cid said. “How d’ya like it?”

“It’s really good,” Cloud smiled, after he took a sip. “Thank you, Kashiwagi-san.” 

The bartender replied with a polite half-bow, and went away to dry some glasses, or something. 

“So, how did you go from Shinra to the Valentines, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Cid made a sour face. “Fuckin’ Shinra. I dunno about the kid, but the old man was a real son of a bitch. I was headin’ up the all-new aerospace program. My rocket, my flight, leavin’ the Planet’s surface for the first time. Woulda went down in history. Last minute—and I mean last fuckin’ minute—old man pulled the plug on the whole thing. Said manned space exploration wasn’t lucrative. Wanted me to switch the focus to drone-piloted rockets. And he wanted me to put weapons systems in ‘em.”

“He wanted you to do it?” Cloud asked, bewildered. “But you’re a pilot.”

“Well, it ain’t brain surgery, it’s just rocket science,” Cid quipped, chuckling at his own joke. “Most folks only heard of me as a pilot, but I’m an aerospace engineer, too. I designed most of Shinra’s aircraft.”

Cloud nearly choked on his drink. “You’re a fucking rocket scientist? What the hell are you doing chauffeuring Vincent around, then? No offense.”

“None taken. Like I said, Vinnie’s my friend. I don’t trust anyone else to fly him, so I do it. He funds my R&D, in return. Works out pretty good for me. I got a better workshop with the Valentines than I had with Shinra, and I still get to fly.”

“That’s impressive. But how did he get his father on board with funding an aerospace R&D department for the family?”

“His father?” Cid squinted. 

“Vincent’s father, Grimoire Valentine. He’s the head of the family. Right?”

“I dunno how outta date your info is, but Vinnie’s the head of the family.”

Cloud felt like he’d been struck by lightning. “He’s…he’s what?”

“Vinnie’s the patriarch, don, capo, big boss, whatever you wanna call it,” Cid explained blithely. “I never met his daddy. Reckon he’s been dead and gone, a long time.”

“But, Vincent’s so young. How could he be the patriarch?”

Cid snorted, over the rim of his highball glass. “So young. That’s a good one. You’re pretty funny.”

Cloud was still reeling, and didn’t really process that comment. “I suddenly feel like I’m being kept in the dark about a lot of things.” 

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Cid shrugged. “Vinnie don’t talk about himself much, but he ain’t secretive. Y’ever try askin’ him?”

“Well, no. Not really,” Cloud admitted. “It’s not that I’m not curious, but I’m just a whore. It’s not really my place to pester a man like him for personal details.”

“Wow, kiddo. What’s it like livin’ in that head of yours?”

“What do you mean?”

“You really think ‘just a whore’ gets invited to ride on the boss’s private jet, to the family vacation house, overseas?”

“I thought…this was one of the Valentine operated hotels.”

“It is. But this one’s only for Valentines. No guests outside the family allowed.”

“What about you?”

“I’m sworn in. So’s everyone who works here.”

Cid unbuttoned his collar and pulled his shirt to the side, to reveal a strange circle of arcane symbols, tattooed in scarlet ink, on the left side of his chest. It was small—only about the size of a baby’s palm—but it looked extremely ornate and detailed.

“What’s that?” Cloud asked, peering at it curiously.

“Mark of the blood pact,” Cid answered, as if that were a perfectly normal thing to say. “Makes me a Valentine, far as the family is concerned.”

“Do they all have one of those?”

“Anyone who’s taken the oath.”

Cloud’s face lost a shade of color. “They won’t make me take the oath, will they? Since I’m here?”

Cid scratched his head. “Uh. If Vinnie didn’t say nothin’ beforehand, I don’t think he’d spring it on ya. Seems like you’re an exception to a lotta rules, anyhow.”

“I am?”

At that moment, they were interrupted by a politely cleared throat. They turned to see one of the female attendants from earlier, bowing and smiling. 

“What’s up, Ai-chan?” Cid asked. 

“Pardon me, gentlemen,” the young woman said demurely. “Valentine-sama hopes Strife-sama is enjoying his time, in our humble hotel, and that he finds the accommodations satisfactory. Strife-sama is welcome to visit him in his suite, should he desire advice on the most enjoyable leisure activities.”

“Um. Thank you,” Cloud said awkwardly. After the young lady glided away, he frowned. “Advice on leisure activities? What’s that about?”

Cid burst out laughing and patted his back. “The boss is tellin’ ya he’s in his room and he wants you to come see him.”

“Oh, right,” Cloud said, with a sheepish smile, remembering that directness was considered rude in Wutaian culture. “I better go, then. It was nice talking with you, Cid. I hope we get a chance to hang out again, soon.”

“Likewise. See ya later, kiddo.”

Cloud hurried back to their hallway and went to Vincent’s room, where the guards bowed and opened the door for him. He felt a little weird about all this bowing, but everything about this trip had been weird, so whatever. He was entirely, absolutely, and in all other ways unprepared for the state in which he found Vincent.

The man was reclining in a low-framed easy chair, near the open back doors of his main room, which also looked out on a private garden, only much larger and more spectacular than Cloud’s. His gorgeous hair hung loose about his shoulders, and he was dressed in a long, black and crimson Daoist robe, which somehow managed to look extremely comfortable, and evoke ancient royalty. 

His sunglasses were finally off, but he kept his eyes closed, when Cloud entered, only smiling softly. “Little devil. You have come.”

“You…you look so…holy shit,” Cloud said, swallowing hard. “You should dress like this all the time. No, wait—strike that. Never dress like this, except when you’re with me.”

Vincent held an arm out, indicating Cloud should come sit in his lap. “I am glad you are in good spirits. I apologize for being a poor host.”

“It’s no problem. I ran into Cid at the bar, and we chatted for a bit. I like him.” Cloud glanced around, as he came over to sit. The room was lit only by a couple of lanterns. He couldn’t imagine such soft lighting could bother Vincent so much. “Are your eyes still hurting?”

Vincent hesitated for a beat, then he opened his eyes and slowly raised his black lashes, to look Cloud in the face. 

It was only Cloud’s years of hard-won experience playing an array of roles to perfection, in various dangerous situations, that saved him from reacting like he’d been hit with a stun baton. 

He was well aware of Vincent’s heterochromia, which meant one of his crimson irises had a ring of gold color around the pupil. He liked the vampiric look it gave the man, and never thought anything of it.

The difference, right now, was that the ring had grown to nearly encompass the entire left iris, and was actually emitting a faint, golden light.  

Heretofore, Cloud had only seen Sephiroth’s eyes glow, and that was under the influence of his heavy mako abuse. Fortunately, that also meant the idea of a person’s eyes glowing was already something that existed within his realm of accepted possibilities, so he wasn’t all that psychologically shaken by it. 

Honestly, it was more stunning, than anything. It actually made Vincent look even more rakishly beautiful. Like some kind of heavenly demon, from a xianxia novel. Especially with the dark-sexy Hanfu robe.

Mistaking his reaction, Vincent smiled ruefully, lowering his eyes again. “I apologize for appearing before you, in this condition. I’ve no wish to frighten or disgust you.”

“Disgust me?” Cloud said, taken aback. “What are you talking about?”

“I normally wait until the mark of the demon has left my body, before I visit you. But the signs have lingered, this time, far longer than usual. I’m afraid I’ve been selfish, and prioritized my own desire to see you, above your comfort.” 

“The mark…of the demon,” Cloud repeated. “What does that mean? Is it something to do with that sacrament thing? Did something happen?”

“It is related,” Vincent answered evasively. “But this is not unusual, for me, so you needn’t worry. Though, I must admit, I do find your concern for me a bit gratifying.”

“But I don’t understand why you think this would scare me or disgust me. I play a bratty kid for you, because you like it. Do you think I’m really that closed-minded?”

“Of course not. It is only my own internal turmoil that makes me reluctant to show you this part of myself.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Cloud ventured, remembering Cid’s advice.

“It is a painful and humiliating experience. Not something with which I should trouble you.”

“If it’s painful and humiliating, why do you do it?” 

“It is my duty, little devil,” Vincent said quietly. “The blood oath binds me as firmly as physical chains.”

Cloud balked. To him, this was the equivalent of someone claiming to be bound by an oath to Odin or Minerva. It was just something people said. It wasn’t real. “Isn’t that stuff all make-believe, though? I’ve heard what people say about the Valentines serving a demon, but it’s just some old religious tradition, right?”

Vincent regarded him from beneath his long eyelashes. “Would it ease your mind, if I were to say it is make-believe?”

“Would it be true?”

Vincent remained silent.

“If it’s not true, then no. It wouldn’t make me feel better. I don’t like being told comforting lies.”

“Very well. Here is the uncomfortable truth, then. My family bloodline, in perpetuity, is bound by oath to a demon-god. Long ago, our forbears agreed that in exchange for certain power, we would carry its curse, in our blood. Those who take the oath nowadays, do so of their own free will, but for my direct line. I became bound by the oath, simply by being born my father’s son. Now, the duty of bearing the curse has fallen upon me. That is the truth.”

Vincent watched Cloud, as he processed this information. Far from pity, or fear, or disbelief, or any of the reactions he expected, he found the brilliant blue eyes glittering with righteous indignation.

“I know it’s not my place to say this, but you deserve better. You shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice yourself, no matter how much power your family gets. If they really cared about you, they wouldn’t ask you to.”

Vincent smiled and stroked his smooth cheek. “Your straightforward way of thinking is certainly appealing. I only wish it were so simple.”

“Hey, wait. Are you calling me stupid?”

“Moral directness is not the same as stupidity. But in this case, where one needs a fine blade to dissect the complexities, it is too blunt a tool.”

With the things Cid said earlier weighing on his mind, on top of all of this, the question that had been welling up inside Cloud, finally blurted itself out. “Is immortality part of the curse? Is that why you look young and act old, like a vampire? Which is exactly what you seem like?” 

“You think I seem like a vampire?” Vincent asked, sounding amused.

“Um. Yes?” 

“But I don’t drink blood.”

“You’re right,” Cloud said drily. “You only look, act, talk, dress, and have taste in décor exactly like a vampire. Otherwise, you’re nothing like one.” 

“I suppose I would take umbrage to that, only I’ve long known that the commonly accepted vampiric aesthetic was borrowed from my family.”

Cloud blinked. “You’re…joking.”

“Not at all. Some centuries ago, one of my forbears had befriended an intrepid author, who then wrote of our family in caricature, for his vampire novel. Thus the Valentine peculiarities were canonized in popular fiction, making those traits appear vampiric, to the general public.”

“Wow. You’re actually sitting here claiming that��vampires are copying you. Just wow. I thought you were a dramatic edgelord before, but now I see that I’ve just been a frog in a well.”

“Now that you have seen the size of the sky, are you pleased with what you have learned?”

“No,” Cloud said, crossing his arms.

“What troubles you?”

“I’m fucking pissed off about your family curse, Vincent. That’s what troubles me. They’re using you to keep their hands on their power and wealth, and you’re suffering for it. That sucks.”

Vincent sighed. “You misunderstand. No one is using me. The oath goes well beyond acquiring power and wealth. It is a guardianship. A burden of responsibility, to keep the other powers in this world in check, and maintain balance, between them. Power and wealth are necessary evils, to accomplish our tasks.” 

“So, what…you’re telling me that the Valentine crime syndicate are secret guardians of the Planet?” 

“It is not a secret, it is only that no one believes in us, anymore. The world has changed. We have not. On the outside, we appear to be a criminal organization, because we respect no authority above our own, and obey no law that conflicts with our ordained duties. We do control some aspects of society, in order to keep others in check, but our goals are neither acquisitive nor destructive.”

“When you say others, you mean Shinra, right? Cause, no offense, but they seem pretty out of control, to me.”

“They are pushing the limits, of what we will tolerate,” Vincent admitted. “But they’ve yet to cross the line into upsetting the balance of the world. When they do, we will step in.”

“What about the Remnants?”

“They are…more difficult to deal with,” Vincent frowned. “Their intentions are still unclear to us.”

“Sephiroth’s up to something,” Cloud said abruptly, before he could talk himself out of it. “Normally, I’d never betray a client’s confidentiality, but I trust you. Also, if he’s planning something bad, you might be the only one who can do anything about it.”

“We have been keeping tabs on him, as well as we can. He hasn’t appeared to make any suspicious moves, since he has been back in Midgar. What do you think he is planning?”

“I don’t know. He’s usually wasted and talking nonsense. But the last time I saw him, he was sober. He wants me to look for a woman, for him. He said she’s somewhere in Shinra Tower.”

“Who is she?”

“He didn’t say. He just had a picture. He also said the time hadn’t come for him to move openly against Shinra.”

“Hm. That does sound ominous.” Vincent thought for a moment. “Thank you for alerting me. I will look into it. I’ll not ask you to compromise your safety by defying him, but please be careful, little devil. Shinra is a dragon’s den. I would not have you devoured.”

“Vincent, are you the head of the Valentine family?”

“Ah. Cid seems to have been quite forthcoming, with you,” Vincent observed, arching a black brow. 

“Oh, no no, he didn’t say much of anything, really,” Cloud said hastily. “He just, um…mentioned it casually.”

“It is not well known outside the family, because I conduct business in my father’s name, for various reasons, but yes. I have been the head of the family, for many years.”

“How many?” Cloud asked gingerly. 

“Since my father died, in 1977.”

“B—but…weren’t you a little baby, back then? How can a little baby be the head of the family?”

Vincent smiled again. “I was twenty-seven.”

“But that would make you…how can that—”

“You have already hit near the truth, yourself. My body stopped aging at twenty-seven, due to the curse. Chronologically, I am fifty-six years old.”

“Holy shit,” Cloud muttered. “No wonder Cid laughed at me when I said you were young.”

Vincent’s eyes narrowed. “He has been chatty, this evening, indeed. I wonder what else he told you.”

“Nothing about you, really! He mostly told me about why he left Shinra.”

“Did he show you his oath mark?”

Cloud choked. “H—how did you know?”

“He only reveals that mark to those he considers to belong to the family. I suppose that means you’ve gained his approval. And in such a short time, too.”

“Uh, ha ha…about belonging to the family. I’m not sure how to ask this, but…”

Vincent tousled his hair affectionately. “No one will be expecting you to take the oath, little devil. In fact, I forbid it. I’ll not have you bound to us by shackles, which you may one day wish to throw off.”

Cloud let out a sigh, unable to conceal his relief. “Thank the goddess, cause—oops, shit. I mean…thank the demon? Is that right? I don’t want to offend you.” 

“I can imagine no scenario in which you could offend me. But I’ve one more question, before we change topics. Knowing what you know, now, would you prefer not to see me as a client, anymore? If so, I would be disappointed, because I like you very much, but you have my word that it would have no bearing on your career, nor my solicitude for your wellbeing. I only want you to do what makes you happy.” 

“Are you kidding?” Cloud scoffed. “You’re about a hundred times sexier, now that I know you’re an actual old man. Also, I don’t want you to wait till the mark goes away, before you see me, anymore. That glowing eye is hot as fuck, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Vincent only smiled faintly, in reply, but his entire aura seemed to relax and soften. Cloud hadn’t ever seen him look this at ease, in fact. And maybe it was the sexy-ass robe, or the ryokan setting and golden lantern light, but Vincent was actually beginning to pull ahead of Sephiroth, for the best looking man Cloud had ever seen. 

Vincent drew him in for a kiss, and then chuckled when he pulled away, and Cloud pouted. “You’ve not eaten all day, little devil. Supper, before other things.”

“But I’m not even hungry,” Cloud lied.

“No arguments. I insist you replenish yourself.” Vincent leaned close and spoke low in his ear. “You will need it. I intend to work you hard, tonight.”

Lightning flashed and wind whipped torrents of rain against the floor to ceiling windows, of the cavernous presidential office, atop Shinra Tower. It was a grand scene for a villain, with the vast space mostly dark, but for the flashes of lightning, and a floating, holographic map screen, which bathed the faces of two men, in poisonous green light.

One of these men was in a white suit, seated at the desk, his shoulders taut and his brow furrowed, as if wavering in indecision, and the other stood behind him, in a black suit, hands clasped serenely behind his back.

“You’re absolutely certain that he’s with Vincent Valentine,” the man in white said.

“Yes, sir. Our intel has confirmed it,” the man in black answered.

“And the long range ICBMs can strike the target accurately, without visual verification?”

“Within a zero-point-seven percent margin of error, sir. The new targeting systems use satellite triangulation. They are extremely precise.”

The first man steepled his fingers and gazed even more intensely at a little flashing dot, on the map screen. Minutes inched by like continental drift.

Finally, he shook his head. “I have a doubt.” 

“Shall I call them off, sir?”

“Mn, do it.”

The man in black put his phone to his ear. “Stand down. Repeat, stand down.”

“Standing down,” a voice answered, from the phone's speaker. “Launch aborted. Weapons cold.”

There was a long silence, broken only by the rolling thunder and beating of rain on the windows.

“It’s not because I care about him,” the man seated at the desk said, apropos of nothing.

“Of course, sir,” said the man standing behind him.

“This just isn’t the right time, to make such a big move against the Valentines.”

“Understood, sir.”

As he said so, the man in black leaned over the other’s shoulder and tapped a keypad on his desk, causing the holographic map to flicker and wink out. 

The man in white gave a sigh that sounded half relieved and half exhausted, and slumped forward on his elbows. “When will he be back?”

“One week from today.”

“Book a session for then. My neck is…starting to act up.”

Unseen by him, the man in black smiled. “Yes, sir.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

if Square put Vincent in Wei Wuxian's outfit from MDZS i think my soul would actually leave my body 🫠

this outfit

[agrinsosardonic]

WOO CHAPTER 30!!!

Song Theme for Chapter 30- Bullet with Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins

He made a noise in his throat- a cross between a laugh and a growl- that rumbled through his chest pressed against mine. And before I could unhook his arms from my body, he pulled me into a tight hug that came out of nowhere and I hesitated for a moment. Reno wasn’t a hugger. Infact, the last time he hugged me like that was the morning I came out to him. And while he enjoyed the physical attention I showered on him daily, hugging was not his style. A level of intimacy, I think, he struggled with. So, when the initial shock wore off, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my hands in his mess of red hair. And somehow, he pulled me impossibly close. Like he was trying to meld our bodies together.

Read More at: AO3 and FF.net

[demialwrites]

Masterlist (FF7)

Updated as of Dec 13th, '24

Rufus Shinra

Headcanons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Fics: Hunted · Sand Through Fingers · 2 · 3 · Somnophilia · Rufus Vs Reeve · 2 · 3 · I Can Train You · Taking Your Hand · Kidnapped · The Secretary · Queen's Blood · You're An Idiot · Sparring · Degrading · A Freak · The Monster · Good Girl · 2(+Rude) · Butterfly in a Jar · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8

Rufus + Tseng

Fics: The Offer · 2 · Untitled · 2 · 3 · 4 · Straight Smut

Tseng

Headcanons: 1 2 3 4 5

Fics: Anything · Casual Relationship · Sub Tseng · Quarantine · Stupid · Pie in the Sky · Interrogation

Sephiroth

Headcanons: 1 2 3 4

Fics: Broken Toy · Fallen Angel, Down to Earth · Bonding Time · Bonding Time V. 2 · Experiment of Passage · Comfort & Dread

Rude

Headcanons: 1 2 3 4

Reno

Fics: A Short

Headcanons: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Cloud

Headcanons: 1 2 3

Barret

Headcanons: 1 2

Elena

Headcanons: 1 2

Reeve

Headcanons: 1

Fics: Submissive Reeve

Solo Character/Ship: Reno · Rufus Shinra · The Tower(Sephru) · I See.(Sephru)

[cloti-fics]

Don’t Think Twice | Chapter 20 | Author: Marle Nadia

Summary:

Living together with a makeshift family while Cloud and Tifa were secretly married was never simple at the beginning. After Cloud returns home he finds the life he came back to was now more complicated than ever – his wife had moved on after she thought he left for good. Taking every chance possible, Cloud will do anything to prove himself to his family… and Tifa. Post ACC

Drama/Romance — Rating: M

Pairings: Cloud Strife & Tifa Lockhart, Tifa Lockhart & Original Male Character

Characters: Other Characters: Marlene Wallace, Denzel, Yuffie Kisaragi, Zack Fair, Aerith Gainsborough, Reeve Tuesti, Barret Wallace, Cid Highwind, Shera, Johnny, Iris Amicitia, Alyssa Zaidelle, & Vincent Valentine

Fandom: Post Advent Children

Read on AO3 | Read on FF.net

[acedesigns]

Final Fantasy VII Masterlist

Here is my masterlist for all of the Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction I’ve written. All of which are X Reader with it being gender-neutral unless stated otherwise.

Other Masterlists

Biggs

Peace of the Present

Cloud Strife

A Beautiful Swordsman

Dating a Neko!Reader Headcanon

Reno

Back Pain

Soup

Who Do You Like? Part 1

Who Do You Like? Part 2

Reno and Soldier S/O Headcanon

Reeve Tuesti

A Fortune

A Long Day

Call

Rude

Lost

Negative

Rufus Shinra

High Expectations

Together

Traitor

Triage

Sephiroth

A Little Longer

Injuries

Like a Cat: Part 1

Like a Cat: Part 2

Like a Cat: Part 3

Wrong Number

Sephiroth with severe C-PTSD Headcanon

S/O Was There When He Discovered His Past Headcanon

Tifa Lockhart

Pandemic

Pull-Up Queen

Tseng

Dishonor

Thank You

Tseng with S/O Headcanon

Vincent Valentine

Boop

Heat

The Light

Lilacs

Ultimate Big Punch

Vincent Finds Out Reader’s Pregnant (Reader has a Uterus/Headcanon)

Dating Vincent Headcanon

Vincent with S/O Heacanon

Zack Fair

Flare Up