Chapter Text
Someone cleared their throat pointedly.
"No," Cloud told him and then turned around, to lie on his side instead. The sand was warm and cool at the same time under him and with a sigh he lifted an arm to rest his head on his bicep. "Go away."
"Excuse me?" a voice, painfully familiar and almost enough to make him open his eyes demanded.
"No, go away," Cloud repeated, running a tongue over his teeth and swallowing the slight tinge of morning breath away. "I'm sleeping and I don't want any of your anything. So go away."
There was a silence, laden with disbelief and maybe even a bit of outrage. Then, another pointed clearing of the throat. "Sir," the man said, his voice carefully even. "I have some questions."
"Well I know nothing, I am the dumbest idiot on the planet and also? Sleeping. Go away," Cloud answered, took a deep breath, and then let himself fall lax on the sand. He probably should just get up and head inside, sleep on the veranda maybe – but that would require getting up. And he kind of thought he might want to take another dip in the ocean later.
Plus Cloud was feeling particularly contrary today.
"Sir," the man said, his voice still carefully even, but with added grit. "Your presence is causing a disturbance and if you do not answer, I will have to arrest you."
"'m sleeping, not causing nothing," Cloud grumbled and frowned. Arrest him? What the hell – was this one of Rufus' goons?
There was a pointed silence. "Sir," the man said, slow, threatening.
Cloud sighed and turned back to his back, opening his eyes. He blinked blearily at the bright, cloudless sky up above and then at the figure standing beside him, hands at his hips. Then he frowned at the man, who frowned back.
It was Sephiroth.
Cloud tilted his head, feeling the sand dig into his hair. Yep, it was Sephiroth alright. He was standing beside him in… SOLDIER uniform? It looked good on him, showed his arms the way his coat never had, sadly, though it was pity about chest. He looked weird and young, still pretty and androgynous, but not… ageless the way Sephiroth usually did.
"Oh," Cloud said to him. A dream then. Or possibly a hallucination. Maybe a high, depending on what he'd eaten last time. What had he eaten? Some sort of seafood… it didn't matter. "I am not about to start having sex dreams out in the open," Cloud told Sephiroth, pointing a finger at him, "So off you go."
"… Excuse me?" Sephiroth asked with disbelief and then glared at him. "You're a SOLDIER," he then said, accusingly. "What are you doing out of uniform?"
One of the kinkier dreams then. "Nope, not starting this right now," Cloud said, and yawned, turning away from Sephiroth again. "Check back in the evening once I'm at home, or something."
There was a moment of silence, during which the waves lapped and gentle wind blew and somewhere near, someone was smothering laughter badly. Then Sephiroth let out a sound of annoyance. "If you do not get up this second and answer me, SOLDIER, I will make you."
Cloud sighed. His libido was being insistent today. And also tiny bit crazier than usual, but then it was never exactly sane, was it. "Pretty sure erections don't happen on command," he grumbled. "Especially not mine, because fuck Mako."
There was a strangled sound of frustration and someone burst out into laughter. Then, a boot ground against sand and Cloud felt the creeping chill of someone's about to touch my stuff up his spine. The Sephiroth hallucination was reaching for his sun-shade – his full assembled fusion sword imbedded couple feet deep in the Costa Del Sol sand.
Without looking, Cloud swung an arm, and hit the man straight on the backs of his boots. There was not quite a yelp of surprise and then a resounding thump as Sephiroth fell over, knocked straight of his feet and to his ass on the sand.
"Don't touch my stuff," Cloud said, looking at the man over his bare shoulder. "Rude."
Sephiroth quickly struggled to sit up, his hair messed up with sand and somewhere in the side someone was, judging by the sound of it, choking in their laughter. "You -!" Sephiroth started and stopped, furious, as Cloud pointed a warning finger at him.
Then, confused, Cloud poked at the man's side. It resisted his touch, the muscles hard under the SOLDIER turtle neck sweater and Sephiroth scowled at him, affronted.
"Holy shit," Cloud said flatly and then, just because it was there, he groped at Sephiroth's chest. The man very nearly hissed at him for it and quickly scrambled back and up to his feet, bristling like a affronted cat. It was hilarious. And bizarre.
Slowly, Cloud sat up, ruffling the sand out of his hair and looking around. Everything seemed just about normal – sandy beaches, clear blue skies, crystal clear ocean, handful of beach goers lounging about the same as he had… a group of SOLDIERs hanging around near by, one of them looking like he was low key dying.
Cloud blinked at them and then at Sephiroth, who was on his feet again, brushing sand off his hair and uniform. "Huh," Cloud said, peering up at him. It was and wasn't like any Sephiroth he'd ever seen. The face was a bit off – the expression, too open. Plus he was younger, under twenties at least. His hair was shorter too – it only reached his waist. Still pretty, but… wrong age.
Younger Sephiroth, plus number of other SOLDIER, in uniform, who were watching them and enjoying the spectacle Sephiroth was making…
Cloud made a face. "You know what," he said. "I'm not even going to start with this."
With that said he laid back down in his sword's shadow. "Don't touch my stuff again," Cloud said, crossing his wrists behind his neck and yawning. "Seriously, don't."
"I'm going to report you," Sephiroth said dangerously.
"Psh. Have fun with that," Cloud said and settled down again. "You tattle tale."
The sound Sephiroth made at that was almost as bizarre as everything else, but Cloud was determined to ignore it. Whatever this was, he was not having with it. Not at all.
He fell back asleep to the sound of Sephiroth's receding steps, and then cajoling of the SOLDIER as they needled at Sephiroth for his failure to put him in his place.
There was a SOLDIER watching him from the distance when Cloud woke up. Humming, Cloud glanced at the man and then spent a moment staring up at the darkening sky. Sun was setting and the stars were coming out and it was pretty.
Then he looked up at the man watching him. Why was there a SOLDIER watching him? Judging by the looks of it, the guy had been at it for a while too – he'd made sand castles all around himself and what looked like a small coast line city with houses and roads, and pebbles for cars.
"Evening," Cloud greeted the man.
"Evening sir," the SOLDIER answered, brushing sand off his hands. "Did you really knock Sephiroth off his feet?"
Cloud considered. "Maybe," he admitted and then sat up, scratching his sand encrusted arm. The beach had a different beach goers on it now – less sunbathing and more drunken kind. There were few people lazily surfing out on the evening waves and a couple was sitting hip deep in water, lazily making out.
Standing up with a grunt, Cloud stretched his arms before leaning onto his sword where it stood, still imbedded in sand. He vaguely remembered that Sephiroth had tried to touch it. Sephiroth had tried to touch his sword.
For all their years of fighting, dying, resurrecting and fighting again, Sephiroth had never tried to touch his sword.
"So what's going on?" Cloud asked, glancing back at the SOLDIER who was standing up and casually sauntering over to him.
"Well, theory has it that you're a deserter," the SOLDIER said. "Or just very rude when you're off duty. I'm here to make sure you don't run off, and that you get questioned properly."
"Huh," Cloud answered.
"Mm-mm," the SOLDIER said and offered him a smile and his hand. "Angeal Hewley."
"Cloud Strife," Cloud answered and took the hand. It was… beyond weird seeing a SOLDIER in SOLDIER uniform – those things were collector items where he came from, and not many had a full set and if they did, they sure as hell didn't wear them. But then… where he came from, SOLDIER's them selves were even rarer than their uniforms.
"So are you?" Hewley asked.
"Am I what?"
"A deserter."
Cloud shrugged and then tugged his sword off the sand. Hewley watched him with studious composure, and the move he made to reach for his own sword was almost imperceptible. Cloud ignored it and hoisted the sword to his shoulder, resting it's weight there.
"Can't desert something you're not part of," Cloud answered and looked the SOLDIER over thoughtfully. The sword in his back was… familiar. Very familiar. "Hmm," Cloud hummed, eying it. "Are you going to follow me?"
"I'm afraid so," Hewley said. "Unless you'd like to head to the barracks for questioning."
"Don't think so," Cloud answered and after giving the shoreline a considering look, he turned to leave the beach. "So, what brings your lot to Costa Del Sol?"
"Downtime, thanks to the ceasefire," Hewley answered, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Week here to recuperate and then were heading to the front again."
Ceasefire, front? Cloud pursed his lips. That sounded like a war. There hadn't been a war since Wutai. And Wutai war was… years ago. That, and younger Sephiroth, and SOLDIER in what seemed like active duty…
"Sounds like fun," Cloud commented, thoughtful.
"Not if you ask Sephiroth," Hewley shrugged and gave him a look. "What about you?"
"Retirement," Cloud answered, rolling his shoulders. "And also general hedonism."
That made the SOLDIER smile. "Yeah, we kind of got that impression, watching you just roll around while Sephiroth was looming over you. You got some guts, sir."
"Psh," Cloud answered. That was one way of putting it, he mused, as they headed up the main street. There were some people out in the streets, hanging about front of bars and restaurants, drinking and smoking and chatting. Music was coming from all directions – there were even couple of people drunkenly dancing in the cobble stone streets, giggling as they stumbled over each other.
"Man I love this place," Cloud sighed, eying them. World ended and Meteor fell and they had a pandemic and all – but Costa Del Sol never changed.
Hewley followed him all the way through the town, up to a stairs and to the Villa and then stood back, staring as Cloud shimmied a key out of the pocket of his swimming trunks. "Uh," the SOLDIER said and then blinked as the door unlocked.
"What?" Cloud asked, pulling the door open.
"That's… the Shinra Villa. Isn't it?" Hewley asked.
"Hm? Oh," Cloud said and then glanced past the stairs and to the backyard – where his bike was supposed to be. There was no sign of Fenrir, however. The spare wheels, parts, the tool chest and everything else was missing too. The back yard was completely empty.
Well, damn, Cloud thought, shrugged, and headed inside.
The Villa wasn't like anything he'd left it. All his stuff was just gone, so was most of the furniture. His whole sword collection was just… not there, neither was the work bench, the grinding wheel, or all the other stuff he needed to keep his arsenal in tip top shape.
Frowning, Cloud walked around the mansion with Hewley hot on his heels, peering into the bedrooms. They were all different – and his room was the worst of all. There were two single beds in place of his full sized double, and none of his racing trophies were anywhere in sight. The lounge area was different too – Tifa's piano was nowhere in sight either, and the shrine housing Aerith's weapons was gone too.
Cloud stood in the middle of the villa for a moment, one hand on his sword grip, other at his waist.
"This isn't my house," he said, disgruntled.
"No," Hewley said slowly, staring at him with wide eyes. "This is the Shinra Villa. How do you have a key to the Shinra Villa?"
Cloud made a face. His bike, his swords, his collections – everything he housed in Costa Del Sol from Materia, to Items, to Gear, Potions… all gone. "Well this sucks," he muttered and then leaned his head back too. "Hell, now I got nothing to wear either."
"Um," Hewley said, still staring at him.
Cloud sighed as he tried to come to terms with the concept that all of his things were just gone. With his things went his money too. So. All he had was a pair of sandy swimming trunks and his sword. And key to a Villa that was still in Shinra's name.
And here he'd been hoping that if he just ignored the weird stuff, life could continue on as normal. Apparently not, and now he had nothing to wear. Or any money. Or a home.
"Oh, whatever," Cloud said and turned to Hewley. "Alright, fine. Take me to your leader then."
Sephiroth stared at the blond man from the beach. The guy was lounging about in his chair across from Sephiroth, a table in between them and number of SOLDIER around them, watching them. It rather felt like they were expecting an arm wrestling match to commence.
"Name," Sephiroth demanded.
"Cloud Strife," the blond man answered, casually picking sand from his hair. "Age 32, place of birth Nibelheim, date of birth… August 11th or 19th, can't remember which."
Sephiroth folded his arms, scowling at him. "Rank," he said, eyes narrowed.
"Unaffiliated," Strife answered and flicked a bit of sand to the floor. "I'm a human experiment, not a SOLDIER. And before you ask, yes, I escaped. Years ago."
A silence followed that, while the SOLDIER around them shifted uneasily and Sephiroth stared at him. That was… quite load of information to just drop like that – which meant it was either a lie, or a half truth hiding a bigger secret.
"And you decided to hide in Costa Del Sol of all places?" Genesis asked with some amusement and stepped closer to the table. "Those are some balls on you."
"You have no idea," Strife said with a grin that was just a hint away from leer. "And I'm not hiding. No one's after me, so, why would I hide?"
"Indeed?" Genesis asked, leaning his hip on the table and folding his arms. "I find it interesting that someone with your level of Mako enhancements would be allowed to just… run off."
"It's a funny old world that way," Strife answered with a shrug and turned to Sephiroth. "So, now what? Gonna report me, tattle tale?"
Sephiroth harrumphed and bit back the annoyed blush that threatened to push through – everyone was looking at him and he wasn't going to give this man the satisfaction. "How strong are your enhancements?" Sephiroth asked.
Strife looked him over – a long, considering, raking look, the kind Sephiroth had been receiving a lot in the last few years, but never quite so blatantly. The blond man smiled then, slow and challenging. "Well. You'll just have to find out that for yourself, don't you?"
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, thinking back to the comments from the beach. "I guess I must," he said and ignored the look Genesis sent him and how the SOLDIERs around them whistled and laughed.
It was going to be… an interesting leave.
It was like they'd adopted a very big and very contrary cat.
Strife slept in their barracks, ate their food, lounged about in their clothes and wandered in and out however it pleased him. And they let him because, well, so far no one had been able to stop him.
The first time Sephiroth had tried to stand in the man's way, he got bodily picked up and just moved aside – and it had been really something, to see much shorter Strife handle the strongest SOLDIER there was like he was an annoying piece of furniture. The second time...
"Are you sure you want to get into a dick measuring contest with me?" Strife asked, staring at Sephiroth's Masamune. "Because, baby, I got you beat, I got you beat so bad."
"Excuse me?" Sephiroth asked, bristling. He did that a lot with Strife.
Strife swung his colossal sword down and then, while the SOLDIERs stared, he started taking it apart, piece by piece – sword by sword. Two sets of asymmetrically matching swords – two heavy long swords and two one handed machete type blades with folding handles – a massive hollow sword that made the full assembly's blade, and a sword at the core, the handle of which everything else sat in.
Array of six heavy swords stood between Strife and Sephiroth and everybody just stared as Strife nodded with satisfaction, turning the core sword in his hand and opening the blade with a snick.
"And the prize got the biggest penile extension goes to me," Strife said, sounding pleased, and looked around. "Or does someone want to contest?"
Sephiroth just blinked – he made attempt at scowling at Strife, but he, like every other SOLDIER, was too enthralled by the display of sheer versatility in front of them.
Genesis snorted softly at that. "I'd accuse you of compensation, but I get the feeling you're proud of it."
"Damn straight I am," Strife said and then started putting his sword back together in well rehearsed motions that made it clear how often and how easily he did it. He wasn't even looking, and yet everything slotted in its place perfectly.
He could and had done it in battle dozens, if not hundreds, of times.
"What do you need that many swords for?" One of the older SOLDIER asked, not quite accusing.
"Stuff and things," Strife answered with a shrug and with his sword put together again, he hoisted it to his shoulder. "So," he said, turning to Sephiroth. "Are you satisfied or should someone fetch a measuring tape? I'm going to draw a line on starting a circle jerk though. I prefer my orgies a little less crowded and with lot more preparation than this."
Someone choked at that and even Sephiroth went a little red – and Genesis had to admit, Strife wasn't the only one openly admiring that look on him.
So in the end, Sephiroth let Strife go as he pleased and no one tried to stop him after that – but seeing that Strife ended up wandering back at some point, and that he never bothered hiding where he went... well it was easier just to let him do what he wanted. Sometimes a SOLDIER or several went with him and after the first day, it wasn't just to keep an eye in the man.
Cloud Strife, whatever he was, knew how to appreciate the little things in life. And while Genesis couldn't say he cared for the man's habit of rolling around in the sand, he could see the appeal in the company if man who knew how to enjoy himself. And others.
"So, is all the talk of sex just that, or are you really as much of a slut as you sound?" Genesis asked conversationally while enjoying a glass of iced tea under a sun shade while Strife lounged about on a tanning chair.
"How very dare you, sir," Strife answered without opening his eyes.
Genesis smiled, looking him over. Strife had, again, ditched the Third Class uniform they'd given him, and was wearing only his swimming trunks. They left very little to the imagination. "Enquiring minds want to know," he commented, appreciating the view without bothering to hide it.
Strife shifted his position and his knees drifted apart. It had to be intentional. "Well that depends," he said and opened his Mako glowing eyes. They reflected Costa Del Sol sun like polished crystal. "Which enquiring minds?"
Genesis arched an eyebrow at the meaningful, considering look sent his way. "I'm a SOLDIER," Genesis said slowly.
"Mmm," Strife agreed, slow, contemplative. "Can take a beating. Could take a pounding too, I bet."
If they needed any proof that Strife wasn't actually a runaway SOLDIER, this was it. The lucky son of a bitch had no idea. No idea at all.
"I don't know what swims on your veins, or how you were made, but SOLDIER enhancements come with..." Genesis looked for a word, "some unfortunate side effects and setbacks."
"Yeah. It's a bitch, isn't it?" Strife asked with a sigh.
Genesis frowned. "So you are aware."
"Dulled sense of touch, reduced hormonal activity and damn steady and regular heart beat," Strife listed. "Plus other small physiological quirks that make it hard to get it up, hard to get excited at all. And to top it all, total sterility, just to add insult to injury."
Genesis frowned at that.
"But on the flip side," Strife continued. "Can't catch anything and can't transmit anything, which is wonderful if you prefer it bareback."
"So... you are like SOLDIER," Genesis murmured thoughtfully.
"Close enough."
"But you can...?"
Strife blinked and looked at him. "Shit," he said. "Really? You haven't, at all, since your conversion treatments?"
Genesis resolutely did not blush at that. "Its a scientific fact that it's lost cause," he said somewhat defensively. "It's a small sacrifice to make, for a SOLDIER's strength."
The look Strife gave him was full of sympathetic understanding. "Let me guess – this fact of yours comes from professor Hojo, ShinRa's Science Department and ShinRa in general? Which by no means would in any way benefit from a celibate, non-distracted military force constantly on brink of frustration with no other way except battle to relieve their tensions?"
Genesis stared at him. Then he cleared his throat. "Do you think we haven't tried?" he then asked and damn it it did not sound plaintive.
Strife shrugged. "It took me almost five years before I figured it out, and it still takes effort and dedication most guys just don't bother with," he said. "So I'm not saying you haven't tried. But I doubt you've tried hard enough."
Genesis opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked at the man. "Hard enough?" he asked slowly. "Really now."
Really now, Cloud mused later while rubbing hand up and down along Genesis' trembling, sweaty back and staring up at the Inn ceiling.
So the SOLDIER corps were full of tightly wound, sexually frustrated men at peak physical fitness, all of whom were under the impression that their impotency was an indisputable fact that they could do nothing about. That... explained some things.
"Holy shit," Genesis gasped hotly against Cloud's throat, as full body aftershock shuddered through him.
Cloud patted his shoulder comfortingly. "You want another?" he offered. "Its easier now while you've got your blood pumping and while you're still a sore. You're young, you might even be able to squeeze a third one, but after that healing factor tends to kick in."
Genesis moaned brokenly at that and, taking that for an answer, Cloud flipped him onto his back and went back to work.
It wasn't until late in the evening that Strife and Genesis returned to the barracks – and it was obvious the moment they did that something had happened. Genesis looked like he'd hit his head or something and Strife looked far too thoughtful and contemplative.
"Genesis?" Angeal asked worriedly. Since Genesis had volunteered, Angeal had taken the day off the Strife Watch to visit the spa and it's hot pools, and now he wondered if leaving Genesis alone with the strange enhanced had been such a good idea.
"Mmm?" Genesis hummed, almost purred, at him.
"Are you alright?" Angeal asked slowly looking between Genesis and Strife, who was looking over the group of SOLDIERs playing card bear by.
"I'm excellent," Genesis said and then tilted his head thoughtfully, almost swaying where he stood. "Mmm, yeah. So," he cleared his throat and announced, "I just had sex."
Silence fell at that – even Sephiroth looked up from the paperwork he'd been doing in the corner of the room.
Genesis grinned smugly at them. "And it felt so good," he added and then sauntered off, humming to himself.
Angeal stared after him, his mouth hanging open. Then he turned to Strife, who was looking around consideringly.
"What?" Sephiroth asked, staring at Strife. "The hell?"
Strife shrugged and pushed his hands into the pockets of his borrowed Third Class SOLDIER uniform. "So," he said. "I hear you guys don't know how to do orgasms?"
Sephiroth stalked out of the barracks, his ears flaming. Behind him he could still hear Strife's calm voice going, "and if you really want to get there fast, Materia is your friend. The Mako in your blood reacts to Materia usage like nothing else, so a good short cut is to just cast a couple spells. I suggest something harmless, defensive – healing spells usually do the trick, Esuna is excellent. Barriers, Shells, Reflects… a little awkward in the bedroom, but if you can swing it…"
Though the voice faded quickly as Sephiroth made his way away from the building, the things Strife had talked about… they seemed to follow him. Sephiroth knew his anatomy pretty well – he'd been grown in a lab, he'd had so many surgeries when he was young that he could probably recognise number of his own internal organs and bones by sight. But there was difference in knowing what was where and how to apply it.
It didn't help that Strife was… Strife. And had a certain, brutal, crude way with words.
Sephiroth did not want to hear the word prostate ever again.
"Well, you look flustered," a voice commented and Sephiroth sent a glare in Genesis's way. The fellow First Class was lying lazily on a sun chair, stripped down to his waist, drinking something that looked vaguely alcoholic.
He was still smirking like an idiot.
"What are you doing?" Sephiroth muttered, almost derisive. "You can't even get drunk."
"Not the point," Genesis answered and held the fruity looking drink up to the sun. "It tastes good and there is a ten second buzz after every sip, as the alcohol is broken down. It's pleasant, in a weird way – and it turns out, it gives you a MP boost."
Sephiroth blinked at him. "What?" he asked with disbelief.
"You remember those old guys in Wutai, the Summoners?" Genesis said and sipped his drink. "I always wondered why they were carrying sake around, always drinking before battle. Now I know."
For a moment Sephiroth just stared him. "Something else you learned from Strife?" he demanded.
Genesis' smile turned positively revolting and Sephiroth let out a disgusted sound at it. "He's giving a lecture on intercourse back in the barracks. Why don't you go join him?"
"Why? I got one-on-one lesson," Genesis grinned and leaned back. He was absolutely glowing with smug satisfaction, it was sickening. "It was so good too. He is… very good."
"I don't want to hear this," Sephiroth muttered and turned around to leave.
"You actually do want to hear it," Genesis said sharply, before he could take a step. The redhead arched an eyebrow at him. "You've always had Mako, haven't you? You were raised in the labs. Official SOLDIER when you were twelve, right?"
Sephiroth hesitated and didn't answer.
"Strife said something… interesting, before," Genesis said, shifting where he sat, leaning forward a bit. "About how it makes sense that we're told we're incapable."
"We are incapable," Sephiroth said.
Genesis laughed. "Me and my multiple very pleasurable orgasms beg to differ," he said and met Sephiroth's dubious gaze levelly. "But for ShinRa… having a military force of super SOLDIERs, all of them oh so frustrated physically and only able to get any kind of release from battle? Not exactly undesirable for them."
"Naturally not," Sephiroth scowled. "Those sort of things are… unnecessary. And distracting."
"Precisely," Genesis said and looked him over. "And they bring people together, create bonds – friendships, couples, marriages, children too in some cases. All distracting unnecessary human things. Utterly irrelevant for us monsters in the SOLDIER program. Right?"
There was a moment of silence as they both contemplated that, Sephiroth not knowing what to say and Genesis eying his drink. "This isn't necessary either. Hell, it can be detrimental, even," Genesis said, lifting the glass. "And yet millions of people indulge in it, some of them on daily basis. And for a good reason too. Sometimes how necessary something is has nothing to do with it."
"Hmph," Sephiroth answered, casting him a look. Genesis was the poster boy of unnecessary indulgences – now more so than ever. "Coming from you that means… almost nothing."
"Tch," Genesis answered and glared at him. "If you do nothing for yourself, if you enjoy nothing in your life, and only do what is necessary and demanded of you… then are you really even a free person? Or are you just a puppet to the wills of others?"
Sephiroth glared at him, silent and oddly frustrated, and didn't answer. It wasn't as if he hadn't… asked those questions from himself before.
"I don't know about you," Genesis said and leaned back down. "But I've already given quite a bit of myself for ShinRa's use. We're on a leave, Sephiroth, the department sent us here on bid to keep us from going insane with the war. Why shouldn't we take advantage of it."
Sephiroth thought of Strife, lying mostly naked in the sand, muttering vile, enticing things at him as he utterly disregarded the threat Sephiroth represented. Thought of him standing now in front of audience of suspicious and yet eager SOLDIERs, explaining to them that the limitations of their bodies weren't as insurmountable as they thought.
Thought of the look in Strife's eyes every time he raked his eyes over Sephiroth's form. Heated, low lidded, contemplative, appreciative.
Hundreds of people had given him similar looks, with varying levels of desire along with them. But Sephiroth had always dismissed it, knowing… it was futile. Knowing it would lead to nowhere, would mean nothing. But now, Strife and Genesis had…
"You and Strife are…" he trailed away, a little unsure.
"We're nothing," Genesis said, watching him. He smiled. "That guy is the very definition of no strings attached. He won't be nailed down, especially not now that he has a horde of fit sexually frustrated young men to entertain himself with."
Sephiroth coughed. "Really," he muttered, awkward and a bit embarrassed.
"Really," Genesis snorted.
Angeal sat back, arms folded, feeling a bit like he was sitting in the heart of the hurricane. Strife had commandeered the entire room, even gotten someone to bring out the white boards, and had drawn them illustrations as he explained that, while difficult, yes SOLDIER could actually have and enjoy intercourse.
It was one of the most illuminating and mortifying lessons Angeal had gotten since leaving Mideel islands. ShinRa had never been particularly interested in sex education – naturally not, especially in light of Strife's theories of ShinRa's particular sex activity related cover-ups. The old teacher back in Banora had nothing on Strife though.
Strife had no shame.
"Okay, that's about the gist of it," Strife said and capped the marker he'd been using to draw his illustrations. "Now, I fully expect you to disperse and do some self exploration after this, but before you flounce off to your beautiful future sex lives, there's one ground rule."
He looked seriously from one SOLDIER to another as they all listened. "If there is ever," Strife said slowly. "And I mean ever anything other but enthusiastic consent happening when you guys have sexy times, it's not okay. And if you ever take a no for a yes, I will come after you and I find you and I will kill you."
There was a moment of awkward silence and Strife nodded. "Right. Any questions?"
Immediately about dozen hands shot up.
"You, name?" Strife pointed to the nearest.
"Jacobs, sir," the SOLDIER Third said. "All that stuff you – you've done that?"
"Mm-hmm," Strife nodded. "From both sides, sometimes from the outside, and sometimes alone."
"And it always is… good?"
"Well, no obviously not," Strife answered and hopped to sit on a near by clothes chest. "Sex isn't science. It's messy and awkward and if it's not a bit spontaneous then you're not doing it right. Sometimes it goes badly no matter how you try – the times when I've failed to get it up outnumber the times I got it up by three to one, easily. And the times I had to stop because the other party wasn't into it, well, that's a higher number."
Jacobs winced. "Ringing endorsement."
Strife shrugged. "I told you, it's not easy, just that it's possible. It takes us longer to get revved up than other people, and we go harder than other people – and unenhanced are just not used to that much work. And at the end of the day, we're abnormally strong and that can fuck things up six ways to Sunday. You gotta just experiment and figure out how to go about it. I suggest learning how to do oral sex properly. Kept me from kicked out from so many beds over the years."
Angeal ran a hand over his face, trying not to imagine it all, and ending up imagining it all.
"Okay, you, name," Strife said, picking another question.
"Oaky, sir," another SOLDIER – a Second, couple of years older than Angeal. "Can I ask about you and commander Rhapsodos?"
Angeal lowered his hand at that, frowning.
"I don't mind, though he might," Strife mused thoughtfully. "Buut I don't care if he does. What about it?"
"How… did that go?" Oaky asked, nervous and curious all at once.
Strife folded his arms, considering it. "Pretty much how I expected it, really. Almost hour of prep and stimulation before I got his pulse high enough, and then about another hour of foreplay to get him actually erect. Might cut down that time a bit next time, now that I know what he likes better, but yeah, it's about how it goes for me too. The following orgasms were easier though, because he was already half way there."
Angeal stared at him in mix of horrified dismay because, damn it, now he was imagining that. But at the same time –
"The following orgasms?" another SOLDIER asked.
Strife shrugged. "SOLDIER refractory period is pretty fast because our enhancements want to keep us at optimal condition at all times. You just need to figure out the sweet spot between refractory and recovery – if you go at it too quick, healing factor might kick in and if you go too slow, well, you recover. And then you have to start all over again."
"Damn it's like a freaking obstacle course," someone muttered.
Strife shrugged again. "Any other questions?"
"Yeah – will you have sex with me?" Jacobs asked and everyone fell silent, staring at him. "I mean," Jacobs said. "You, uh, you do… that sort of stuff. Yeah? I mean, uh…"
All eyes turned to Strife. The blond man just sat there for a moment, arms folded, considering Jacobs coolly as he started to sweat nervously. Finally Strife leaned his head back and sighed – and it was both exasperated and weirdly obscene.
"Okay, first of all – way to make me feel like a prostitute," he said and pointed a finger at Jacobs. "Second, don't ever approach anyone for sex under the expectation that of course they will have some with you because they happen to like having it. Not unless they actually are a prostitute and you have the money. Third, pick up lines, have you heard of them? Fourth –"
Angeal wasn't the only one who leaned back a bit under the barrage of Strife's bullet point lecture, and poor Jacobs sort of sank in his chair, folding under each point. It was kind of hilarious but also weirdly terrifying. They all had seen the sword – and the way Strife could manhandle Sephiroth…
Strife, for all his easy going attitude, was actually surprisingly serious about his sex life, it turned out. It was… weird, and yet weirdly gratifying.
"…And finally, buy me a drink, and we'll talk about it," Strife finished.
Jacobs blinked and lifted his head a bit. "What, really?" he asked with surprise.
"We'll see," Strife answered and looked away. "Any other questions?"
There was a moment of silence. Then multiple hands shot up in air. "Reys, sir. Can I buy you a drink too?"
Angeal stared between Strife and the SOLDIERs – all of whom were eagerly looking at Strife, apparently pretty much all of them thinking of the same thing. Strife arched an eyebrow at them and smiled. "I do like quick learners," he muttered, satisfied.
This, Angeal thought privately, was probably going to be trouble.