Final Fantasy VII; Sephiroth/Cloud; Theme 39 - owner/slave "Projects Part 2"
Title: Projects Part 2 Author: jessara40k Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Pairing: past Zack/Sephiroth, past Genesis/Sephiroth, past OMC/Sephiroth, Cloud/Sephiroth Rating: R Warnings: Slavery, slash, implied experimentation, implied abuse, implied bastard Zack Theme: 39 owner/slave
Cloud had gone off to either training or the labs without leaving Sephiroth any instructions on how to organise the books he’d bought yesterday, but he had told him to go to Hojo for any help he needed, and he’d seemed to like it when Sephiroth had shown initiative so far. He might as well try organising it himself; he didn’t think Cloud would punish him too badly if he failed, his master hadn’t even hit him once despite his failures, so at worst he thought he’d have to organise the books again, to Cloud’s specifications.
First he began making a list of the categories he wanted to divide the books into - he would need some way to mark them off, but he could go to Hojo for that, once he had decided how to show where each category started and ended. The books that didn’t have some sort of use in training a SOLDIER, or a future commander or even General, would all fit on one shelf, so he didn’t need to mark those off separately - just as well since they were a pretty eclectic selection covering all sorts of topics, from needlework, to space travel. He’d put all the military books on one of the two bookshelves; the larger one, that way they’d all fit even sacrificing one shelf to the...pleasure reading he guessed. History, geography, languages and composition could go on the smaller bookcase.
Some sort of block, with the category printed on the side, one to go at each end of a section, should work. And he had a full list of categories, so it would probably be a good time to go looking for Professor Hojo. He hoped he wouldn’t be interrupting, but the professor had always been kind to him, even though his ability to help and protect Sephiroth had been reduced a lot after Genesis decided he wanted him. And it would be ungrateful to do anything to endanger the professor’s position more than he had to...Sephiroth glanced at the time, and decided to work on moving the books around until eleven, when people tended to start breaking for lunch in the labs.
He only managed to get one shelf sorted by eleven; the shelf with the pleasure reading, but that was more than he’d really expected to manage. He brushed his clothes down, and hesitated before unfastening the top two buttons of his shirt - Cloud might not have bedded him yet, and Zack might have kept him away from the lab techs for the most part, but he still remembered how to make them respond well to him. He took a steadying breath, and walked out into the lab, grateful again that Cloud didn’t lock the apartment door whenever he left the way Genesis had.
“Hey! What are you doing out here?” The lab tech was new, and Sephiroth turned to him, forcing a smile and bowing his head submissively.
“My master told me to speak to Professor Hojo. Could you tell me here I could find him sir?”
“Why are you looking for that old stick?”
“Because he’s the one assigned to deal with any issues that affect my master. Please sir, can you help me?” He didn’t like the way the man was looking at him, and he shifted his weight in preparation to flee if he needed to.
“I’ll take you to him then.” Sephiroth couldn’t run away, no matter how creepy the lab tech was, all he could do was hope the letch had enough brains to realise that Sephiroth belonged to Cloud, that he wasn’t available to anyone else. He moved forward, intending to trail behind the lab tech, by at least one step, preferably two or three, but the man took hold of his arm and pulled him forward to walk beside him. Sephiroth really didn’t like this, but no one seemed willing to help him, and he didn’t dare risk making a scene.
“Professor Hojo!” But he could call out in greeting as soon as he saw the professor, and Sephiroth tried to pull forward away from the lab tech as he let a smile form on his lips.
“Sephiroth, my boy.” The Professor seemed pleased to see him, pleased, but at least a little surprised, and that bothered him a bit, but at least his voice wasn’t cold the way it was when he spoke to the lab tech. “Lewis, what are you doing? Let him go.”
“He said he needed to talk to you.” The man shoved Sephiroth forward roughly as he answered. “I wasn’t sure he was supposed to be out in the labs.”
“Sephiroth wouldn’t come looking for me without his master’s permission. He’s allowed to go anywhere is master gives him permission to. So, how’s Cloud treating you my boy?” Professor Hojo reached out to Sephiroth with one hand, and Sephiroth took that hand, letting himself be pulled away from the lab tech - Lewis - as Professor Hojo deliberately turned his back on the man, putting himself between Sephiroth and Lewis.
“Really well. I...he took me shopping yesterday, and he wanted me to organise the books he bought...”
“You need advice then, or help?” Did Professor Hojo really think he was that stupid? Even though he’d been teaching Sephiroth to help him before Genesis...
“No, not exactly, I’ve already planned out how to do it, but I need something to mark off where each section starts and ends.”Sephiroth didn’t think he’d let his hurt show in his voice, but something in the Professor’s expression told him that he must have.
“Planned something simple then? I didn’t think you’d learned any of the formal ways of organising books.” Professor Hojo sounded pleased, with a gratifying lack of surprise, and Sephiroth was relieved to see Lewis walking away from them, anger apparent in his stride.
“Ah...no, I hadn’t. I’ve made a list of categories, and I thought some sort of block, would work perhaps?”
“Hmmm, yes, I can arrange that for you.” Professor Hojo accepted the list, looking it over with an air of amusement. “Is there anything else you need?”
“I...it would help me take care of my master if I had some idea of what was scheduled to happen?” He’d sometimes been provided with one before, not with Zack or Genesis, but with Rodrie and Adric, but this was the first time he’d dared to ask himself, however indirectly.
“Sephiroth!” Professor Hojo’s voice was sharp enough that he almost flinched, and Sephiroth knew that whatever he was going to say had to be important. “Did your master want you to ask me for some advance warning about what Dr Hollander intends to work on involving him?”
“Yes sir.” He was lying, but from the satisfaction in the professor’s smile Sephiroth had given him the answer he wanted.
“Good. We get a schedule for the next week starting on Monday every Thursday, so I’ll see that you get a copy by every Friday morning. And I’ll print this week’s schedule off for you now. This way my boy.” Sephiroth trusted the professor enough to walk beside him without being pulled forward, but he was relieved to see that they’d lost their audience at some point. “It was about time for me to break for lunch, do you think Cloud will mind if you came to eat with me?”
“He didn’t give me permission for that; I didn’t think of asking.” Sephiroth shook his head in regret. “I don’t want to risk it sir. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry my boy.” Professor Hojo reached up to push Sephiroth’s hair out of his face with a sad smile. “I just hoped that Cloud would be like Zack, and willing to let you meet with me socially.”
“He might be, I just didn’t think to ask; I wish I had, and I will when I get the courage up, I promise.” He accepted the schedule Professor Hojo gave him and handed over his list in return and the professor insisted on walking him back to Cloud’s apartment. He didn’t have time to really sort any more of the books out, not if he was going to prepare a good meal for when his master returned, so he settled for just putting the books on the bookcases he’d decided they should stay on, before he began cooking.
“Hello Sephiroth. That smells delicious.” Cloud glanced over at the bookshelves as he spoke. “Have you made any progress on sorting those books out?”
“Yes Cloud. I know it isn’t obvious just now, but I separated the recreational books from the others, and the non-military texts are all on this bookcase.” He moved closer to the smaller bookcase, indicating it as he spoke. “The recreational books, the ones that aren’t going to make you a better SOLDIER or officer, are all on the top shelf of the other case.”
“I’m impressed. Did you need any help from Professor Hojo?”
“Yes, I did, I asked him to get some blocks labelled with the different sections, and...I also asked for this.” He picked up the printout Professor Hojo had given him, bringing it forward to Cloud, hoping he hadn’t been too presumptuous.
“A schedule of what Hollander wants to do to me? That’s a great idea. Thank you, I wouldn’t have thought of it, and I’m grateful that you did.”
XOXOX
Sephiroth looked unhappy and anxious for some reason when he got back from his afternoon training, and Cloud really shouldn’t be happy about that, instead of - well, as well as - sympathising with him and wondering what would make him feel better. But he couldn’t help seeing that as a little victory, a sign that Sephiroth was beginning to feel safe enough with him to show how he felt instead of putting on a show of being contented and perfectly submissive all the time. He glanced around, looking for some sort of indication of what might be the problem, not really expecting to see any progress in organising the books, or any real change.
“I see Professor Hojo managed to bring those section blocks over today.” He’d thought it was a nice innocuous way to start a conversation; he hadn’t expected the way Sephiroth flinched at the professor’s name.
“Yes, he did.” There was pain in Sephiroth’s voice, pain he visibly forced down as he moved to pick a printout up from the table and bring it to Cloud when he sat down on the couch. “He brought this too.” It was the schedule for what Dr Hollander wanted to do for him next week, but Cloud only glanced at it before putting it to one side and pulling Sephiroth down to sit beside him.
“Did he do something to upset you then?” It was the obvious question, no matter how surprised Sephiroth looked to hear it.
“No Cloud, no, he didn’t.” But there was a hint of panic in the way he shook his head that told Cloud that Sephiroth wasn’t being entirely honest in his answer and he wasn’t sure if he should push, or let Sephiroth keep quiet about whatever was bothering him, and hope he’d share if he needed to. Sephiroth shivered, sliding to kneel at Cloud’s feet and rest his head against Cloud’s thigh, inviting him to touch without words. Not a problem, Sephiroth’s hair was beautiful, and Cloud loved petting it, and him, enjoying the feel, so silky compared to the metallic appearance, and he could feel how this was helping the man relax.
“Do you want to show me how you’ve been organising our little library today, or would you rather wait until you’re finished?” Surely this would be an innocuous enough question.
“I can show you, yes.” Sephiroth looked up, blinking slowly, calmer than he had been and almost relaxed. “If you wish it. And I suppose it would be easier for me to change how I organise the books now, rather than after I’ve finished.”
“I don’t have a clue about organising books or any of that, so I’ll probably just accept whatever you’ve done, as long as you keep it simple enough that I won’t mess it up too badly. I know better than to try and micro-manage someone who understands the task at hand better than I do at least. I just thought you might want to show off a bit. Do you?”
“Ah...I think I’d prefer to show you when I’m finished if you’re unlikely to want me to change things. It seems intuitive enough to me, with each section clearly labelled as such...although, would you prefer me to arrange the books by author, title or how advanced they are within each section?” There was a faint frown on Sephiroth’s face as he asked that last question, but if anything he’d relaxed a bit more as they spoke.
“Author or title, I’m not particularly bothered which, but the other option would make it harder to find things.”
“I suppose it would. I hadn’t really considered that, I’m sorry Cloud.” Sephiroth bowed his head, but he didn’t tense up again, and Cloud realised that Sephiroth didn’t sound as if his name was just another way of saying ‘Master’ and wondered when that had happened.
“Don’t be. I’m just pleased you thought to ask. Will this mean you have to do anything over?”
“No, not really. I already sorted the recreational books by author, and the others I was waiting on getting them all into the right section before deciding how to sort within each section. Ah...you do realise that you don’t have to put a book you’re reading back in the right place, don’t you?”
“Give you something to do putting them away, yes, I understand.” Cloud ruffled Sephiroth’s hair before smoothing it back into place. They just sat like that for a while, and Cloud enjoyed the peace, eventually pulling his hand back when Sephiroth began shifting where he sat.
“Am I starting to bother you?” Cloud hoped not, hoped that Sephiroth hadn’t been just putting up with Cloud mauling him because he didn’t think he had the option of refusing, but he knew how real a possibility that was.
“No Cloud...I was enjoying it, but I do need to start cooking if you want to eat any time soon.”
“Go ahead then. Can I help?” He wasn’t too clear about what he could do to help, but he had no problem with the idea of following Sephiroth’s directions in the kitchen, whatever they happened to be.
“No Cloud. Most of the preparation work is already done, I really only need to turn the ovens and hobs on, then I can come back in here and sit with you.”
“That sounds good.” He decided to do a bit more reading while he waited for dinner to cook, partly to visibly occupy his hands so that Sephiroth would be less likely to sit at his feet again, so he wouldn’t be tempted to take liberties with Sephiroth, pet him like a lover. He knew that no-one would object if he raped Sephiroth, fucked him even though he didn’t have the option of refusing, but Cloud couldn’t do that, no matter how beautiful the man was, how much he found himself wanting him. Sephiroth seemed to take the hint when he came back in, crossing the room to pick up his current piece of crafting and settling down in one of the padded chairs to work in a companionable silence.
“Do you want bread with your meal, Cloud?” Sephiroth put whatever he was working on to one side and stood up as he spoke.
“Yes, want me to cut a couple of slices?” Sephiroth always cooked large portions, but Cloud usually liked to have bread with it as well.
“If you would.” Sephiroth smiled as they worked to dish the steak and vegetables out, and towards the end of the meal he began shifting uncomfortably.
“Is something wrong Sephiroth?”
“No, there isn’t.” Sephiroth shook his head, and Cloud could see when he made the decision to explain himself a bit better. “Professor Hojo asked me if I was allowed to socialise with him when I asked him about the section markers and he asked me if I’d asked for your permission when he brought them here with the schedule for next week.” That came out in a rush, but it was more or less understandable, and Cloud reached across the table to hold Sephiroth’s hand.
“I didn’t realise you needed my permission to socialise. Do you want to be able to spend time with Professor Hojo, or do you just feel you have to ask to repay him for his help?”
“I want to spend time with him. He’s been really good to me.” Sephiroth shut his eyes for a moment, shivering. “If I hadn’t had the problems he told you about, with Potions and materia Professor Hojo would have been Head of the Science Department, but because I was a failure Doctor Hollander ended up in power. But the professor still made sure I was educated, even though I was useless at first, and then he began training me as his assistant, so I would become useful.” So what had happened that Sephiroth ended up like this? Cloud wasn’t going to ask, Sephiroth had already shown him a lot of trust by even telling him that much. Still, he was reluctant to just allow Sephiroth to spend time with the professor until he’d seen how Professor Hojo treated Sephiroth - and there were a couple of extra chairs in the kitchen.
“Do you think we could fit three people at this table?”
“I...yes, at least if I do something simple.” Sephiroth tilted his head to one side, a faint frown on his lips and a distant look in his eyes as he considered the question. “It would be crowded, but you do have the dishes and cutlery if you need or want them.”
“Tell Professor Hojo that then, that it will be crowded, but I’d like him to come and have dinner with us on Saturday or Sunday.” Cloud released Sephiroth’s hand, trying to keep him from feeling pressured, or letting him know that the meal would be a test for the professor. “That is if you think you’d like that?”
“Yes!” Suddenly Sephiroth was kneeling beside Cloud, head pressed to his thigh, nuzzling softly. “Thank you, thank you so much.” Sephiroth slid a hand up Cloud’s leg suggestively, until Cloud took hold of his wrist to stop him.
“Sephiroth, you don’t have to do this.” Cloud stroked his hair trying to ease the rejection. “Not because I’ve shown some basic humanity and you feel grateful. I won’t ever force you to anything you don’t want to do.” And the only way to make sure of that was to wait for Sephiroth to make the first move, if anything ever happened between them.
XOXOX
Sephiroth was shaking as he reached into the lower drawer underneath his bed for his ‘toybox’. He hated just about everything in there; the chains Genesis had used to hogtie him when he slept in his bed, the clamps that had been used all too often on his nipples or his cock, the rings Jesse had used on his cock to deny him what little pleasure he’d gotten from being fucked, those thin rods Adric had pushed inside his cock...the only things he didn’t hate were some of the smaller butt plugs and dildos. And he wouldn’t even turn to those if he’d been able to jerk off without them.
He laughed bitterly as he opened the box, grabbing some lube and one of the smaller dildos. Once he’d thought it would be paradise to have a master who didn’t fuck him, who’d leave him alone and just expect him to cook and clean up after him. And Cloud was even better than that. He’d taken Sephiroth out into Midgar without putting him on display the way Zack had, bought things for him and hadn’t demanded that Sephiroth display his gratitude in any way, not like how Genesis had made him do a lapdance and strip-tease then beg to be fucked whenever he’d allowed any little favour. Or the way that Zack had expected him to initiate things after those dates Sephiroth had suffered through.
But it had been a month since Cloud had arrived and he’d finally accepted that his master didn’t want him, not that way, or at least that he wasn’t going to take him, and he’d tried to masturbate, the way Rodrie had sometimes ordered him to do for his amusement, but it hadn’t worked, not when it had just been his hands and fingers. He prayed that this would work, or that the dreams he’d been having would start to do more than just frustrate him, as he shoved his toybox back into the drawer and closed it.
Where should he do this? Sephiroth had learned to handle being locked into his bed while he’d belonged to Genesis, and despite the bad memories it had become a sort of sanctuary for him, somewhere he could hide and his master wouldn’t notice or think about him. There were only two other places he really felt relaxed, and he certainly wouldn’t presume to use Cloud’s bed for this, and the bath was a bit too public. His bed, with the doors closed most of the way, was the only place he could have any privacy, and he stripped quickly before climbing into it, and shutting the world out.
He started by remembering how Zack had played with his breasts, stroking them in mimicry of the brunet’s strong hands, then sliding one hand down his body, eyes closed, remembering how Zack had felt over him, and allowing himself to imagine it was Cloud’s hands touching him, Cloud’s voice giving him orders on how to pleasure himself. Cloud was very innocent, so he’d want Sephiroth to prepare himself for him, and he started with the lightest of touches, imagining the approval it might bring to his master’s eyes as he ran one finger from just behind his balls to circle his asshole before pushing inside oh-so-carefully. He could keep up the illusion of serving Cloud, putting on a show for him, and it was working better than anything he’d tried before...at least it worked right up until he pushed the dildo into himself, and the illusion shattered, because he just couldn’t actually imagine Cloud taking him.
He kept on trying, stroking himself, and angling the dildo to rub up against his prostate gland, but it didn’t work, not well enough for him to climax, and eventually he pulled the dildo out with a sob of frustration before dressing again. What could he do now? This wasn’t healthy, and he knew it, he just didn’t know what he could do about it. And now wasn’t the time to brood over the question, not when he could hear Cloud returning to the apartment. He didn’t think he had time to put the dildo away properly, so instead he just hid it under his pillow with the lube as his master called for him.
“Yes Cloud?” He’d finally managed to get past the reflexive urge to address him as ‘master’ and it wasn’t hard to smile at the sight of him.
“What were you planning to do for dinner?”
“I’ve got a stew in the oven now, on low. But if you want something else I can easily keep it for tomorrow.” At least as long as he wanted something Sephiroth could cook from frozen. He shifted his weight, ready to move to the kitchen if that was what Cloud wanted.
“So, we’ll still have something hot to eat if I take you out of here for the afternoon?”
“Oh, yes.” Was Cloud going to take him into Midgar again then? “If you want potatoes with it I’ll need to peel them and cut them up first, but if you’re happy just to have crusty bread with it I made some loaves yesterday.”
“Bread will do just fine. Would you like to start learning how to use a sword?”
“You’d teach me?” Give him any ability to defend himself? Even Zack had as good as said that he liked the way Sephiroth’s strength was useless, because he didn’t have a clue how to use it.
“Yeah, well, it’ll make me look at the basics again, help me get better and learn a bit about how to teach. And none of my usual sparring partners are available.” Cloud shuffled a bit in place, trying to brush off his incredible generosity as a way to make his own life easier. “So, do you want to learn?”
“Yes, please, I’d love to.”
“Put some shoes on and come with me then.” Cloud looked as if he was going to wait right where he was, so Sephiroth quickly turned to go back into the bedroom, pulling on one of the pairs of loafers his master had given him, before returning to follow Cloud. The lab techs seemed a bit surprised to see him and he got a lot of stares from soldiers, and SOLDIERs, once he’d left the lab, but that didn’t matter, Cloud was going to teach him to fight.
“If you find it’s difficult to move right in those shoes then just tell me, and we can stop long enough for you to take them off.”
“Difficult?” Sephiroth wasn’t sure what was wrong with his shoes. He wouldn’t try learning to fight in the sort of shoes Zack had made him wear, but these loafers were comfortable, and didn’t mess with his balance.
“They don’t have that good a grip, and they look like they might fall off. Most of the reason we wear boots is because it gives our feet a bit of protection, and it makes our kicks that little bit more effective - at least before we get enhanced it does. I think those shoes will do, but I’ve practised barefoot before, and I’d fight barefoot over shoes that might fall off if I jumped or kicked a bit too high or fast.”
“I see.” Sephiroth bit his lower lip for a moment, before making his decision. “Well, can I try with these on first, then change if I have to?”
Cloud agreed, and they started the lesson, although it turned out that Sephiroth’s breasts were more of a problem than his shoes he found himself learning easily, and that using the sword Cloud lent him seemed almost natural, stirring vague memories of starting to learn this before he’d proved to be useless as a weapon.
“Enough for now. You’ve made good progress, better than I expected, but I think we need to find you a better bra or something before we try again.”
“Yes Cloud.” That meant another trip out into Midgar, which sounded nice, but for the express purpose of choosing more female clothes, which Sephiroth wasn’t looking forward, even if the new bra would keep his breasts from hurting quite as much or as often. “I pleased you then?”
“Yes, you did well. If you keep learning so well you might be my equal inside a year, and I expect you to make a decent sparring partner even sooner than that, especially considering how I need to keep from actually injuring you.” Cloud began leading Sephiroth back to the labs as he spoke, and Sephiroth smiled in pleasure at the compliment, even if he wasn’t sure he’d earned it.
“Thank you. Then...might I ask you a question?” Sephiroth hesitated, then took the opportunity to expand his request when Cloud didn’t answer at once. “I mean, I want to ask you about something you might consider private, or my question might be impertinent, if you’ll grant me permission?”
“Wait until we get back to the apartment to ask then.” From Cloud’s swift answer he didn’t have a problem with Sephiroth asking a question that could be seen as prying. “I might not be willing to answer you, but I won’t be angry that you asked.”
“I understand Cloud. I...appreciate your self-control and restraint.” Cloud didn’t say anything in response, and Sephiroth followed him back to the apartment in silence, removing his own shoes as soon as they got inside and kneeling in front of his master to remove his boots once Cloud had sat down.
“You really are worried about this question of yours I see.” Cloud sounded amused rather than angry, and he casually crossed his legs at the ankle before he spoke again. “All right, what is it you wanted to ask?”
Sephiroth swallowed, hard, already regretting his boldness before he spoke. “I was wondering...why haven’t you fucked me yet?”
“Because Professor Hojo made it clear you didn’t have the option of saying ‘no’, and I don’t fuck the unwilling. Why? Do you want me to take you to bed?”
“I...” Cloud’s question shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise, his previous masters had all wanted to hear Sephiroth declare his desire for them, but until Zack that had always been a lie forced from him, and even then he’d never considered his own desires separate from how they pleased his master. But, thinking about it, about the dreams he’d been having. “Yes, yes I think I do want you. I...hadn’t realised before.” He looked up, daring to meet Cloud’s eyes, reading the disbelief in them through his own sense of wonder.
“You do? Why?”
“I...you’ve been so incredibly kind to me. And...” Sephiroth looked back down into his lap, Genesis had always been furious when someone called him ‘beautiful’, and he wouldn’t risk angering Cloud if he had a similar response to the word. “You’re really handsome. I’ve been dreaming about you for a while. I feel safe with you, and I know you won’t abuse me.”
XOXOX
Cloud looked down at Sephiroth - if he hadn’t mentioned his dreams Cloud would have thought he was lying for some reason, even though by now he must realise that Cloud had no intention of bedding him. Or he hadn’t until Sephiroth approached him like this. But despite the way the other man was trembling now, simply by asking his question, Sephiroth had displayed courage worth admiring, admiring and rewarding. And Sephiroth was very beautiful, and Cloud had come to like him since they met.
“No, I won’t.” He reached down to stroke Sephiroth’s hair, petting him until the trembling stilled, then cupped one cheek in his hand to lift his face. “And since I do want you, we’ll eat first, and then retire to bed, together.”
“Thank you Cloud, but...I should probably clean myself, inside, before you take me. Would you rather I did that now, or after we eat?”
“Do it now. That’s something I wouldn’t have thought about.” And it answered the question of whether he should try to take Sephiroth or let him do the work nicely. “If you realise I’m missing anything else then do tell me. This will be my first time, so I want you to let me know if I do something wrong.”
“I...if that is what you wish Cloud.” There was a hint of confusion, and almost disbelief in Sephiroth’s eyes as he stood and left for the bedroom, why would he need to go there first? Cloud should probably ask him about it, but not now, later. For now, he’d wanted to get through another chapter or more of his current book on tactics today and this was as good a time as any other. He deliberately didn’t look at Sephiroth as he came out of the bathroom carrying something that looked like a hot water bottle and coils of tubing, and moved into the toilet; he could give Sephiroth privacy for this at least.
He’d gotten through three full chapters of the book and was considering starting a fourth, by the time Sephiroth came back out of the toilet, moving straight to the kitchen, and Cloud put his book away to follow him.
“Can I help at all?” He was careful to make his offer before Sephiroth even opened the oven, so that he wouldn’t distract the man and possibly make him burn himself.
“If you could cut a few thick slices of that crusty loaf it would be a help, and take the butter through to the table, along with a knife for it?”
“Sure, think we need knives to eat the stew with as well, or will forks do for that?” Cloud was already getting a butter knife and two forks out of the cutlery drawer, along with the bread knife, but he waited for Sephiroth to confirm that they’d just need forks before closing it and starting to cut the bread.
They ended up eating in a slightly awkward silence, Cloud knew he was thinking about what was going to happen afterwards, and he assumed Sephiroth was as well. He wouldn’t hurt the other man, but he wasn’t sure he could make what Sephiroth wanted feel good for him, and he did want to make Sephiroth feel good, because he liked him, and because if Sephiroth enjoyed what they were going to do he was more likely to want to repeat it. He only hoped that Sephiroth would be comfortable enough to actually tell him if he didn’t want to be with Cloud again, that he’d believe Cloud had the decency not to force him, but he didn’t really think that was very likely.
“I’ll rinse off the plates first, if you don’t mind?” Sephiroth stood and gathered their plates as he spoke, looking to Cloud for approval.
“Yes, then join me in the bathroom. We can start by showering together.” They needed it, he might not have worked up much of a sweat in Sephiroth’s lesson, but the other man had, and Cloud wanted a chance to touch Sephiroth without it seeming at all threatening.
“That sounds...nice.” There was an odd look on Sephiroth’s face, and an almost disbelieving note in his voice, but he left before Cloud could work out what it was about. It would wait. He’d known for a long time that patience was the key to dealing with the animals around Nibelheim, and Rufus had taught him that he could apply the same techniques to understanding the people around him here in Midgar. He moved to the bathroom and brushed his teeth quickly before starting the shower, leaving Sephiroth’s toothbrush out in what was probably a pretty heavy handed hint.
He had time to wash his hair quickly before Sephiroth arrived, already naked, with his hair twisted up in an odd sort of bun, secured by two long pins, and glanced around. He smiled when he saw his toothbrush, and took the hint, brushing his teeth before he joined Cloud in the shower, standing just on the edge of the spray.
“I’d rather keep not get my hair wet, it takes an hour to blow dry.”
“Not a problem.” Cloud adjusted the showerhead so that the spray would hit Sephiroth at the chest - at his breasts - before pulling him in. “You want to start by washing me, or would you rather I washed you first?”
“Please, let me tend to you.” From Sephiroth’s swift response Cloud suspected it would help calm and sooth him, so he simply relaxed, letting Sephiroth move him however he needed to and enjoyed the skill in Sephiroth’s hands, the way he eased aches Cloud hadn’t really noticed himself, and subtly aroused him.
“My turn now?” He picked up the body wash without waiting for a response, but waited until Sephiroth nodded permission before poring some into his hands and reaching out to work it into a lather against Sephiroth’s stomach. He was careful to avoid Sephiroth’s breasts at first, and between his legs, moving slowly, alert for any sign of discomfort. He’d expected Sephiroth to have almost the same sort of muscles he had, or any other soldier, but he didn’t, and Cloud only just managed to hide his surprise at the softness of the flesh under his hands. At least he hoped he hid his surprise, and Sephiroth...Sephiroth watched him warily at first, but eventually he shut his eyes and seemed to relax a little bit more.
“Do you mind if I touch your breasts now?”
Sephiroth’s eyes flew open, surprise and confusion apparent in them. “I...of course not. Do what you want, please. I...asked for this, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” Cloud stepped close, pressing himself against Sephiroth as he wrapped his arms around those broad shoulders and stretched up a bit to kiss some of the uncertainty from his oh-so-vulnerable mouth. Sephiroth seemed to just about melt into that kiss, and Cloud stepped back just a little, running his hands up Sephiroth’s body, cupping his breasts and lifting just enough to feel their weight. They felt odd, but maybe that was the way breasts were supposed to feel, and Cloud ran his thumbs over the nipples to feel them harden briefly, before he moved to wash the only area left on Sephiroth’s body, working between his legs quickly, almost impersonally.
“Cloud?” Sephiroth sounded confused again, and maybe a bit hurt.
“I’d like to move this to bed now, if you don’t mind?”
“Ah no, no I don’t.” Sephiroth smiled at Cloud then, pulling away a bit and glancing over to the towel rail. “I’d like that. The bed’s a lot more comfortable than trying something in here.”
“Yeah, I thought it might be.” They moved to the bedroom, and Cloud smiled to see the tube of lubricant resting prominently on the table by his bed, but he didn’t say anything in case it made Sephiroth uncomfortable. Sephiroth looked sort of lost, so Cloud sat down on the bed and pulled Sephiroth to sit beside him, then kissed him.
“Let your hair down for me.”
“Yes Cloud.” Sephiroth smiled and reached up behind his head, pulling out one pin, then the other, and shaking his head until the hair fell loose around his shoulders. Cloud couldn’t resist the urge to run his hand through Sephiroth’s hair, and the other man shut his eyes to lean into his touch.
“Tell me what you want, how I can make this good for you.” He stroked down Sephiroth’s spine as he spoke, pulling him closer, almost hugging him.
“I...kiss me again please?” Cloud thought Sephiroth wanted to ask for more, but didn’t quite dare. Still he wasn’t sure what else he could do for him, so he would start with that. While they kissed Cloud let his hands wander over Sephiroth’s body, even though all he did in return was to wrap his arms around Cloud’s shoulders.
When Sephiroth began shifting in his embrace Cloud didn’t hesitate to let him pull away, smiling to see him relaxing as he lay down and looked up at Cloud with appeal in his eyes. “I...can you prepare me now?”
“What do I need to do?” Cloud grabbed the lube as he spoke, waiting for Sephiroth to explain.
“Put some lube on your fingers, and start to stretch me. I...I can handle two fingers right away.” Sephiroth began blushing as he spoke, and Cloud found the faint flush of pink on his cheeks enthralling. “And, could you please stroke my dick while you stretch me?”
“Yeah, I can do that, or I’ll try at least. Can you open your legs for me?”
Sephiroth didn’t reply, just opened his legs, and Cloud quickly moved to kneel between them and obey his directions, squirting lube onto his fingers and pushing them into Sephiroth while he stroked his dick. It was difficult trying to co-ordinate stretching Sephiroth and jerking him off, but he did his best, and then Sephiroth gave a shuddering moan, for no reason Cloud could see.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Please, I’m ready for you.” Sephiroth’s voice was trembling, but Cloud didn’t have a clue what that meant, not really.
“I...okay. Just tell me if I hurt you, or if you want me to stop, and I will.” He pulled his fingers out, trusting that he’d done enough preparation, and slowly pushed into him, giving him time to adjust and controlling his reaction to Sephiroth’s heat. He could kiss Sephiroth’s breasts now, and he did as he started to move, supporting his weight on one elbow while he stroked Sephiroth’s hip and thigh with his free hand - the clean one.
But when he looked up at a soft moan he could see tears on Sephiroth’s face, and froze, slowly lifting his free hand to cup the side of his face. “Sephiroth? I told you we could stop if you asked. I won’t do this if you don’t want to.”
“I w-want to do this, please.” And Sephiroth clutched at him, smiling despite his tears. Cloud didn’t really want to stop, this felt good, but he was sure that he was screwing up somehow.
“Hold onto me then.” He rolled them both over, putting Sephiroth on top of him. “If you want this then take it.”
“Take it?” Sephiroth sounded frightened and confused, and Cloud reached up to stroke his hair, soothing him.
“Move for me, take your pleasure from this.” Sephiroth still looked confused, but he pushed back to settle himself more fully on Cloud’s cock and started moving, uncertainly at first but with building confidence.
“Cloud? W-will you touch me?” It only took a few strokes for Cloud to get Sephiroth off, and he felt himself come almost immediately afterwards. Then Sephiroth stretched out on top of Cloud, letting him cuddle the older man as he wept, apologising and thanking Cloud at the same time.