shimyaku (shimyaku) wrote in kinkfest, @ 2008-11-20 01:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | f: final fantasy vii, p: cloud/sephiroth/zack |
Progression, Final Fantasy VII (Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud)
Title: Progression
Author/Artist: shimyaku
Rating: PG13
Warnings: none really
Prompt: Final Fantasy VII - Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud - Anthro - Sometimes, you had to groom just right
Word count: 1810
Summary: Zack watches over his two sleeping mates, and reminisces about how Cloud came to complete their perfect circle of three.
A/N: Indeed this is horribly late, but I was late claiming it so I suppose it makes sense... >.<" Also, I haven't specified what animals characterise each person, but I've done this on purpose - take a guess if you wish~. I'm thinking of possibly expanding this in the future, so that's partly the reason. ^^
Zack looked down at the pale-skinned boy that lay nestled between himself and the General, his spindly fingers gently carding through the downy-soft hair, hoping the motion wouldn't rouse the blonde from his sleep. Months had passed since they'd first taken Cloud under their wing, so to speak, and those months had not only served to expose just how awkward and unpredictable the boy really was, but also just how territorial he and Sephiroth had become of him. Almost embarrassingly so.
While both he and the grey-eyed male had always fought for their keep, even since acknowledging one another as mates, from the moment they'd set their sights on Cloud, the battlefield in their pursuit for dominance had immediately jumped up a scale. Initially it had been just the two of them vying for top position, feline versus canine, but it quickly became both of them together against SOLDIER and Shinra as a whole - there would be hell to pay for any beast who dared make a move on their Cloud. Of course they hadn't really realised it at first, but this blonde-haired Cadet had suddenly given them a greater purpose, something truly worthy of fighting for, and they had since grown to revel in the act of protecting something they called their own.
Little had they known however, that when they first 'adopted' Cloud as their goal, he would prove to be such a tough nut to crack. One could tell from the challenges of power he and Sephiroth continued to receive, that even besides their First Class positions the two were considered especially desirable within the many ranks of SOLDIER. Their physiques were strong, their presence commanding, their scent alluring... So why this particular creature had attempted to flee so often, neither could comprehend. In fact, it wasn't until much later that they finally convinced Cloud to remain indefinitely and that they wanted him between them, both figuratively and physically - as he was right now. The blonde admitted then that he'd been terrified in the beginning when they'd kept going after him, but Zack had explained that was just how it worked around here - courting between beasts generally involved a lot of persistence, determination, and quite a bit of brute force; but then, it rarely entailed quite as much of a physical chase... which is where Zack and the General had also gotten temporarily confused.
Grinning at the mental image of himself and the General bounding after Cloud, Zack gazed to his side, drawing in the sight of his two mates in slumber. There couldn't possibly be a greater catch than they - Sephiroth's strength and beauty, Cloud's fragility and grace; each complimenting the other and both quintessential examples of their respective species. Whether as a threesome or individually, they were the envy of SOLDIER's forces.
Shinra, and SOLDIER in particular, was filled with predators. Every individual possessed some aspect of animalistic nature to utilise at will, largely to fight, though most tended to keep this part of themselves as hidden as possible for the sake of fair treatment. Of course it was impossible to escape those little things, like pointed ears, sharpened teeth, Zack's own yellow eyes, or Sephiroth's powder-white skin, but anything further would only appear when emotions were high and one's blood ran hot. In Cloud's case there was almost nothing amiss with his appearance - sharp blue eyes and feather-soft hair could be passed off by anyone - but as the First Classes discovered during their 'chase', he could run like the wind, as if he were flying, with a mix of agility and ease they'd not seen before.
Zack recalled the eventual 'cornering' with great fondness, and not simply because of the expert plan he and the General had executed so perfectly in order to catch the blonde. No, there were plenty of moments from then that would be stuck in his memory for a long time to come - some to laugh about, and some that he could do nil but shake his head at, but all of them liberally plastered to the wall of his mind, the images as vivid as the day they were made. He'd come away from that particular encounter shouldering both relief and slight apprehension, he'd just gotten his first real glimpse into the reality of Cloud's character after all, and that was something he'd been pining for for weeks by that time. That had been where the apprehension came in however, for as well-rounded as Cloud appeared, his understanding - or misunderstanding - of the world around him was exceptionally obvious, and neither he nor Sephiroth had been sure how to proceed. They had thought perhaps the Cadet was just underdeveloped, what one might call a late bloomer, and perhaps they would need to become not only his mates, but also his teachers - which would certainly make for some more interesting memories.
***
"Why do you make us chase you like this? I train enough for SOLDIER as it is!" The dark-haired male attempted to gather his breath, noticing belatedly that his ears were showing - he must have been more puffed than he realised. But not to worry, no one else was around, and he and the General had made chase often enough that if Cloud hadn't figured them out by now, he must be significantly blind. Maybe he was a mole? They were blind, right? But they were also ground-dwellers, whereas Cloud seemed practically airborne most of the time...
And no sooner had the thought passed through Zack's mind than the blonde had jumped awkwardly to attention, eyes wide and unblinking. "Someone told me once to stay away from kittens and pups. I thought it was good advice."
Sephiroth abruptly stepped forward, eyes a shade of fearsome icy-blue. "Don't insult me young one, I am no kitten, nor is Zackary any kind of pup. My status is due far more credit than that, as is my species."
The youth seemed to waver on the spot, somewhat intimidated, yet obviously confused. "But then, what--?" What did these mammalians want exactly? What had he ever done, bar saving his own hide?
"Yeah, we get lumped into those categories when we have to," Zack piped up, "But we're so far gone from that, Cloud." He grinned with a jaw of glistening razor-teeth, a sight many would have found frightening, though his gaze was filled with nothing but sincerity. "We're different don'cha know? Me and Seph... we wanna take you in to our nest. We want ya to be ours."
Cloud's own jaw quivered, his shoulders twitching oddly as he gradually comprehended the older male's meaning. "You... you're not gonna eat me?"
"EEEHH? EAT YOU?" Zack whirled around to face the General, eyes shining with just as much disbelief and incredulity as the blonde's. "Seph, what's he yabbering about?!"
Naturally the General remained as cool and calm as always. He stared inquiringly at the boy. "Cloud, where did you grow up?"
"Uh... I dunno," the Cadet shrugged, his words emerging stuttered, "In s-some coop way out West... S-some place full of stray Avians. Small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business, if-if you get me."
"I see."
"So?"
The General turned to his fellow First Class, somewhat frustrated by his lack of understanding. As much as he respected the other, and as intelligent as he could be at times - especially during situations of battle - there were also those times where he just could be an utter dunce. He sighed. "Cloud was raised among Avians only, thus he was raised with a biased and very-constricted view of the Planet. He doesn't comprehend inter-genus relationships."
"But... you'll still come with us, right?" Of course Zack would be the one to bring everyone back to the topic at hand, largely ignoring Sephiroth's spout of logic. All he wanted right then was for Cloud to agree, and so he stared imploringly at the blonde with shining golden eyes, hoping he'd finally bend to their propositioning.
***
Zack shook his head in recollection, wishing he had understood Sephiroth's words better at the time. The General had this uncanny way of understanding people sometimes, quite often when it was least expected. He really couldn't explain it. But then, that was one of the things he loved best about him - the mystery.
Running a hand over the feathered protrusions on Cloud's back, the dark-haired male began to reminisce once again, thinking back upon the first time he and Sephiroth had laid eyes on those magnificent wings. It had in fact been the first time they'd touched Cloud intimately, and though the blonde had insisted he was prepared for it, his defences still rose tenfold at the simple contact from the General's mottled-white tail skimming along his side. The wings had practically shot out from his back then, extending from his shoulder blades and nearly knocking in to the wall on either side, such was their size. That was the first and only time they'd seen the appendages at full span, but Zack doubted that either he or Sephiroth would forget the sight any time soon, nor would they forget the look on Cloud's face, and the speed with which he drew the feathered limbs back into himself and made to run, as if he'd done something wrong.
The two of them stopped him of course, calming the boy and reassuring him. They offered constant encouragement after that event and over time Cloud had grown comfortable enough to expose his wings more often, allowing them to remain visible when he was alone with the two elder males - just as he was now. But even so, Cloud still responded in an almost exaggerated fashion to any proximate touches that were made unexpectedly, very few of those responses being of the positive kind. The Avian seemingly had no clue about being touched, so for the other two it became a matter of trial and error as to finding what was pleasurable, and what was to be forgotten and never repeated - the latter occurring far too regularly for their tastes.
Now that so many months had passed - and having learned that as a beast, one must not bite nor wrestle with the birdie as they may be otherwise accustomed to - both Zack and Sephiroth were finally starting to get the hang of it. Sometimes one simply had to groom just right, to draw that keening whistle from Cloud, and get his feathers to fluff into that particular sexily-dishevelled state they enjoyed seeing so much. Sure, it had taken more than the usual time and effort to get to this point of 'stability' within their unconventional partnership, but truly - and Zack felt it for certain - it was all uphill from here.