Fan Fiction ❯ Wings ❯ Ascent ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

 

Author's Note: Here we are - and it's a really strange place. This is the first story that I've finished in under 20,000 words. It's the first erotic fiction I've written. Not only that, it's the first M/M fiction I've written. I'm not quite sure where to go from here, but I'm pretty sure that plot-bunnies will track me down.

Riku managed to raise his eyes from the strong fingers that were curled around his wrist. Raised them to see the precious few inches that separated him from the safety of the roof. Encouraged, he reached up with his free hand and drew himself over the cornice.

“Thanks,” he said, once he had caught his breath. It felt completely inadequate.

“Let's get inside.” There was a swirl of black leather and moonlight hair, and Riku found himself following Sephiroth through a door tucked into a recess.

The room inside wasn't much larger than the room Riku had claimed below, but it showed signs of long habitation. The spartan furnishings that seemed to be a standard decor had been modified, replaced, or discarded to better suit the needs of the winged swordsman. A chest-high counter seemed to take the place of the chair and desk. A tall wardrobe served the purpose of storage. The wooden chair was the same, but it lingered awkwardly just inside the door with a pair of discarded boots beside it. A sheathed blade dominated one wall of the room, and Riku suddenly realized that Sephiroth had not carried the Masamune at any of their past encounters.

The unfurling snap of soft leather broke Riku's reverie. He turned to see Sephiroth hanging the black trench coat on a rack in the corner. Now barefoot and shirtless, the taller man turned back to face him. Bottomless eyes narrowed.

“You'll have to remove your shirt.”

Riku blinked. “Excuse me?” The older man had turned away again, searching for something stored in the counter. Riku glanced down at his shirt and was slightly surprised by the razor-thin slice through the fabric. As the adrenaline continued to fade from his system, it was just beginning to sting. Wincing, he pulled the ruined shirt over his head.

The blade had been unnaturally sharp. The cut was clean and had only bled a little, thanks to Riku's reflexes. The climb hadn't helped matters, though. He heard the sound of a drawer closing.

Sephiroth had a small bottle in one hand, and was stripping the glove from his other hand as he crossed the room. Before Riku could react, slender fingers were applying the ointment to his injury. Gradually, the cool touch erased the all but the memory of the wound.

“You were lucky.”

“Yeah. He was really going all out there.” Riku shivered as he remembered that unreasoning look in the blonde's eyes.

“It's not often I have - a visitor. Fortune favored you there as well.” Sephiroth continued, and Riku realized how differently the climb could have ended. The fall, in that wind, would have left him off-balance at best. And still confronting an opponent who had no qualms about a fatal outcome. He suddenly felt dizzy.

“I - I think I need to sit down.” His vision was going gray around the edges, and his heart was suddenly racing. Sephiroth took hold of his arm as his balance failed him, and Riku was suddenly seated on a yielding surface. He lowered his head and concentrated on getting his breathing under control.

Slowly, the gray receded and royal blue fabric came into focus. Riku sat up straighter and realized he was sitting on the bed. He heard the sound of glasses clinking just beyond one of the other doors. He was starting to consider standing up when Sephiroth came back into the room carrying two glasses and a dark bottle. Something like liquid rubies glittered in the two vessels.

“You shouldn't do that yet,” Sephiroth's tone was casual, as if he had been discussing the weather. He handed one of the glasses to Riku. “Here. You need to relax a bit.”

Riku raised the glass to his lips. The scent of wine wasn't completely new to him, but he had never been allowed to drink before. He hesitated, looking up at his host.

Sephiroth was leaning back against the counter, one foot propped on a low rail that ran along the floor. As Riku watched, the older man raised his glass and took a slow sip.

“It may not be one of the best vintages, but it has promise.”

Riku sampled the wine, exploring the unfamiliar flavor and feeling the tension slowly seep out of him. A relaxing warmth spread through him. As he continued to sip, he found his eyes drawn to the lithe physique of the swordsman, remembering the feel of those powerful arms.

A renewed clatter from outside shattered Riku's reminiscence. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and glanced towards the door.

“Might as well get comfortable,” he said, setting his unfinished glass down next to the bottle. “Those winds won't be letting up for a while.”

Riku accidentally took a larger swallow than he intended, and felt the rush of the alcohol entering his system. He wasn't sure how he could be any more comfortable. Except - again, he found himself watching Sephiroth as the other man walked into one of the other rooms. He raised his glass again, and drained the last crimson drops.

Riku considered the empty glass for a moment. Lacking an alternative, he rose to his feet and took the few steps over to the counter. He felt slightly detached, as though his feet were crossing the distance without direction. As he set the glass down and turned back toward the bed, his gaze swept across the wooden chair near the outside door. Sephiroth's boots stood neatly beside it.

Glancing back in the direction of the other rooms, Riku walked over to the lone chair and sat down, pulling off his much-abused footwear. The carpet felt soft under his feet as he walked back over to the counter. The edge of adrenaline had faded, and he began to realize that he had no idea what to do next. After reaching what he had spent the morning looking for, he wasn't sure what he had found.

As Riku considered pouring himself some more wine, Sephiroth walked back into the room. With an inscrutable half-smile, the taller man topped off his own glass and poured about the same amount in Riku's before leaning against the end of the counter. A rumble of thunder rose above the clatter of the storm.

“Do you think he's gone yet?” Riku asked, unconsciously smiling at the image of the blonde camping, soaked to the skin, on the windswept terrace.

Sephiroth raised his glass. “At the moment, I'm not particularly inclined to find out,” he replied. His eyes locked on Riku's, and Riku felt a flush that wasn't entirely due to the wine. Suddenly, the blonde warrior's obsession lacked any sort of priority.

Riku took another sip from his refreshed glass. His thoughts tumbled over one another and the questions that he wanted to ask dissolved as Sephiroth stepped closer. The glass was forgotten as slender fingers ran along his jawline, tilting his lips up to be captured by a wine-flavored kiss. The light touch held him as securely as any embrace.

Riku's lips parted, inviting Sephiroth to deepen the kiss. His hand fell on a finely muscled arm, and soft feathers swept in like a curtain separating him from the counter. Sephiroth's tongue brushed past his lips coaxing a muffled cry from the younger man. Long fingers threaded through Riku's hair, drawing him even closer.

Riku felt the soft brush of the carpet on his bare feet as he leaned into the embrace. His hand slid onto Sephiroth's chest, lightly tracing his collarbone. The ebon wing closed further around him, and his feet shifted again as he tried to regain his balance. Sephiroth's other arm curled around his waist, and the changing position took him through another series of steps.

A soft pressure against the back of his leg gave Riku a point of reference. He forced his eyes open long enough to confirm that he had just contacted the bed where he had been sitting earlier. The realization sent a strange thrill through his spine.

Sephiroth seemed to realize their position at the same time. He pulled back slightly, and Riku found his gaze trapped in the depths of the other man's eyes, the enigmatic smile causing his own breath to catch. The arm around his waist shifted, and he felt the warmth of a hand sliding beneath his waistband. A few light caresses caused his heartrate to rise, the sound drowning out the rain outside.

Sephiroth's other hand trailed down Riku's spine and the taller man leaned forward as he eased the elastic over narrow hips. Riku shivered as the fabric slithered down his legs and pooled around his feet. Cool air formed a counterpoint to the warm hands that now sought out his most sensitive areas. Riku's hands tightened on Sephiroth's shoulders as he tried to anticipate the next contact.

To Riku's surprise, Sephiroth leaned even further forward, his lips brushing lightly along Riku's jawline. Strong hands traced their way back up on either side of his spine. The room seemed to tilt, and Riku suddenly found himself sitting on the bed.

Sephiroth had planted one hand on the bed, supporting himself just above Riku's upturned lips. Riku felt the other hand move feather-light along his taut throat, pausing briefly above his racing heart before descending slowly towards his waist. He trembled as fingertips grazed his thigh and then - vanished. A yearning cry escaped him.

Riku felt the mattress sink slightly as Sephiroth shifted his weight, pressing a knee against the edge of the bed. There was a soft, wet sound, like a blown kiss, and Riku felt something cool and slick press between his legs. His eyes widened with surprise, but his body yielded, accepting and then embracing the intrusion. His hips lifted, and he felt the faint brush of leather against his bare skin.

The brush of lips against his throat coaxed forth another soft cry, and Riku's vision blurred as ocean blue was veiled by moonlight. Sephiroth's mouth covered his, and the other man's tongue proved skillful enough to distract him from the second pressure. The slow thrusts were mirrored by the questing fingers, and Riku collapsed back onto his elbows.

Sephiroth followed him down, maintaining the kiss. Riku moaned as he felt a third contact. Long, slender fingers slid deeper and Riku gasped as an unexpected shock flashed through his body. As the fingers withdrew, his back arched as he tried to recapture the sensation.

“Patience, fledgling.” The silken voice was as soothing as a physical caress, and just as arousing. Sephiroth pushed off of the bed, and Riku heard the whisper of something sliding to the floor. The mattress sank again, and Riku felt the rippled plane of Sephiroth's stomach against his lower body. The new sensation caused him to press upward, craving the friction. The pressure between his legs returned and Riku froze, anticipating Sephiroth's next move.

“Are you ready, fledgling?” Riku forced his eyes open to meet Sephiroth's. Strong hands ran along his hips, and he realized what was about to happen. His mouth shaped the word soundlessly, then he swallowed and gave it a voice.

“Y - yes...”

Fingers tightened, and Riku felt the pressure increase. Suddenly, there was motion, and Sephiroth's hands slid up his back, raking across his shoulder blades. For a long moment, there was stillness. Even the wind seemed to be waiting.

Riku made the first advance, rocking his hips against Sephiroth's. There was a low chuckle from the winged swordsman, and he shifted slightly, setting up a slow rhythm. Riku faltered as Sephiroth edged deeper, stopping just short of the exquisite contact he had made earlier. His fingers tangled in the deep blue sheets, silver hair pooling behind him. He pushed upwards again and Sephiroth responded, increasing the tempo but going no deeper.

Words half-formed in Riku's mind before being torn apart by his rising need. He thought he spoke, felt his voice twisting in his throat before emerging as wordless emotion. Fingers tightened on his shoulders and Sephiroth pulled him closer, finally reaching the depth Riku was craving.

The long-anticipated shock radiated through Riku's body, wrenching away all semblance of control. Every muscle shared in the tremor of release, and his cry of release was answered by a silken sigh. Ocean blue eyes focussed on a contented smile, marred only by the shock of separation. Ebon feathers spread across two sated bodies, as racing pulses slowed into shared slumber.

* * * * * * *

Riku woke early, and carefully extracted himself from the soft, black feathers that covered him. The wing fluttered briefly, but Sephiroth did not wake up. The storm had faded hours ago, and the younger man pulled on his pants and walked out onto the rooftop. A glance down showed that the blonde warrior had abandoned his watchpost, but Riku felt no urge to make the descent to the terrace below.

“Awake so soon, fledgling?” The silken voice behind him sent a surge through his heart rate. “There is more that I can show you, if you wish to join me.” Sephiroth walked over to the edge of the roof, letting the wind flow across an outstretched wing.

“I'm ready,” Riku replied, feeling his breath catch as he looked up, following Sephiroth's gaze across the distant cliffs.

Dove-gray wings unfurled. It was perfect weather for flying.

 

END

 

Author's Note: OK, I've had those last two sentences written for months now - it's always been a matter of getting the right words to connect them to the beginning bits. Much love to all my reviewers, and as an added bonus, I've got a fanpic to go with this: www.deviantart.com/deviation/20696433/ I expect you'll have to copy/paste that link.

My next immediate project is going to be a quick contest entry with all original characters - I will be posting it here as well, and might expand it.