Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 7

“Alliance”

Chapter 7

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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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“Who did this to her?” Zack stared into the room where Cissnei lay, her face terribly swollen and bruised. There was a cast on her left arm and bandages around her right leg, where they had sutured a nasty cut.

 

Reno stood beside Cloud, who was to Zack's left. His blue-green eyes were bright with fury as he stared at the abused form of his fellow Turk. “From what we could get out of her, Deepground did it,” he said. “She was checking out the Cosmo area and she found something near the Ancient Forest. She went in to check it out but she got caught before she could call for backup. They beat her up pretty good before she got away and I still don't know how the hell she managed to escape. Her pilot had to carry her from the landing pad, she was in such bad shape.”

 

Reno's voice dropped and he swallowed. “She freaks out when any men try to touch her. They've got her sedated but even juiced up with the good stuff, she takes a swing when any males try to get close. The doctors think they…they…” He shook his head and dragged his fingers through his bright hair, snarling softly.

 

“They think she was raped,” Zack finished with a clenched jaw.

 

Reno nodded and clenched his fists. Like many other Turks, he had a soft spot for Cissnei and the thought of anyone doing something like that to her made his blood burn. Tseng was locked in his office, already making plans to assemble a counter-strike against the bastards and possibly take prisoners to get more information. The Wutaian's eyes were so hard and cold when Yuri interrupted Reno's report to tell him about Cissnei. Tseng almost had a paternal attitude toward the young woman and Reno didn't doubt that the news of her assault angered him as much as it would have if she'd been his flesh and blood daughter.

 

“They're gonna pay,” the redhead promised gruffly. “They'll pay until they wish they were fucking dead.”

 

Cloud reached out and rubbed his lover's tense neck, helpless to say or do anything to make the situation better. Zack was just as tense as Reno and he had a look on his face that Cloud had only seen once before; back when he was only partly aware and suffering Mako poisoning. That look that was on the black-haired fighter's face now was the same one he'd had when Hollander tried to get to Cloud. Zack was in full protective mode and Cloud almost felt sorry for the people that hurt Cissnei.

 

A female doctor went into the room and closed the door. Cloud guessed that she was examining Cissnei for evidence of rape and he hoped she'd cooperate with a woman. They heard a soft sob and the voice of the doctor trying to soothe Cissnei as she instructed her to relax. Cloud looked from Reno to Zack and he imagined what the two of them would do to the people responsible for Cissnei's condition if they got their hands on them. He'd love to get his hands on them too, but he didn't know Cissnei the way his lover and friend did.

 

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a female voice suddenly cried from behind him; “Did you see what they did to her?!”

 

Cloud whirled with his heart in his throat; automatically reaching for a weapon he didn't even have on him. Elena had come up behind them in the hallway and Tifa was close behind.

 

“They'll get theirs,” promised Cloud.

 

Tifa's eyes went to the door where Cissnei's soft moans of distress emitted. “How is she?”

 

“The doctor's looking at her now,” Cloud said. He glanced at Reno, who looked about ready to explode. “I guess we'll find out how much was done when she's finished.”

 

Elena noticed Zack and she stared, openmouthed.

 

“Uh, hi,” Zack said, his feathers ruffling instinctively with discomfort. “I'm Zack Fair.”

 

“E-Elena of the Turks,” the blonde woman returned, sticking a hand out automatically. When he smiled and kissed it she blushed. “So you're that guy we found in the…uh…that life support tank, right? I've heard a lot about you.”

 

“Yeah. I kind of grew extra parts since then,” he informed ruefully, releasing her hand.

 

There was another miserable moan from inside the room and Zack winced, looking over his shoulder. Reno's snarl deepened and Elena cringed. They stood silently for a few minutes, waiting anxiously for the doctor to finish her examination.

 

“We're going after them, right?” Elena asked Reno.

 

“Hell yeah,” the redhead answered. “As soon as I hear some news from the doc, I'm touching bases with Tseng to get this ball rolling. Someone's gonna bleed for Cissnei.”

 

The door opened after a couple more moments and the doctor came out. She left the door open and spoke to them in a low, soft voice. “It's confirmed; there was penetration.”

 

Elena made a distressed sound and Tifa patted her back. Reno's eyes were flashing dangerously and his wiry body was tense all over. “Did she give you any details?” asked the redhead stiffly.

 

“She's still too traumatized to say much about it,” the doctor said gently, “but I did get enough information to conclude that she was…had…by three separate men. She described them all as Mako enhanced. I've done a rape kit on her and given her emergency contraceptives…though I doubt the latter is needed, due to the damage she suffered.”

 

Reno swore and bowed his head. He knew personally how strong Mako enhancements made people and the thought of not just one but three such people violating Cissnei's petite form made bile rise in his throat.

 

“How bad is it?” the redhead asked in a strained whisper.

 

“There's a lot of bruising and some tearing,” answered the doctor, “along with some internal damage. I don't know what this young woman's plans are for the future but I hope children weren't part of them.”

 

“You mean she can't…ever?” Elena asked huskily.

 

The doctor shook her head. “I highly doubt it. The soft tissue damage is too extensive and she may even require surgery. She could be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life and the odds of her carrying a successful pregnancy to term are slim to none. We have to watch over her carefully for hemorrhaging.”

 

Zack turned abruptly on his heel and stalked to the end of the hallway.

 

“Zack?” Cloud called, concerned.

 

The black-haired fighter suddenly punched the blameless wall, putting an impressive hole in it and burying his fist up to the mid-forearm. The doctor looked as though she wanted to say something to him but she wisely held her tongue, shaking her head instead and regarding Reno.

 

“Cissnei can have one visitor at a time and I wouldn't suggest any of them be equipped with male genitalia. She's incoherent right now and it may be some time before she can be around men without trauma. Understand?”

 

Reno nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, I get it. Can't blame the poor kid. Okay Elena, you go in first. She might be happy to see ya.”

 

Elena was looking at Zack thoughtfully. He'd pulled his fist out of the wall and stood motionless, breathing heavily from his emotions. “I don't know if all men would scare poor Cissnei,” she said with a meaningful nod at the ex Soldier.

 

Reno followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes. There was some merit in the blonde Turk's observation and he was surprised she'd thought of it before he did. Cissnei had been very fond of Zack…maybe she'd even loved him. What she needed right now was some hope. Seeing him back from the dead might be therapeutic for her.

 

“Zack, maybe you should go in and see her,” Reno suggested.

 

The doctor looked at him disapprovingly. “What did I just tell you about male visitors?”

 

“Lady, this guy's not a regular man,” Reno argued firmly. “And if anybody can crack that shell of fear around her right now, it's him.”

 

The doctor considered the man in question, taking in his sweeping white wings and handsome features. “If you insist on this, don't send him in when he's this agitated. Cissnei requires patience and calm right now. Let him settle down first.”

 

“Roger,” agreed the redhead. “Yo, Zack, did ya catch all that?”

 

“I heard,” responded Zack faintly. He looked up at them and Cloud's heart clenched at the misery in his eyes. “I'll cool off and go see her. Maybe I should try to make these wings go away again first, though. I don't want to freak her out. Oh and uh…sorry about the wall.”

 

“Keep the wings, man,” Reno suggested. “If I know Cissnei, they won't freak her out at all. They might even cheer her up. Don't worry about the damn wall.”

 

~***************************~

 

Roughly twenty minutes later, Zack was walking hesitantly into Cissnei's infirmary room. His bare feet touched down on the linoleum floor with hardly a whisper, thanks to remembered SOLDIER training. He bit his lip as he drew closer to the sleeping woman, ambiguous about waking her up. She needed her rest and yet, she needed to see a friendly face too.

 

He stopped at the side of her bed and refrained from leaning over her, thinking that he shouldn't crowd her. “Cissnei?” he murmured, reaching out to gently stroke her hair. Both of her eyes were blackened and for the first time, he noticed the bruises around her throat. Someone had strangled her…possibly while they were raping her. He drew his hand back and rubbed his eyes, his throat tightening with pity and anger.

 

She stirred restlessly and opened her eyes as much as she could. Zack brought his emotions under control and forced a friendly smile onto his lips as she looked up at him.

 

“Hey, you.” Zack whispered the greeting. He couldn't stop his feathers from ruffling with agitation but he kept his voice level and his expression light.

 

Cissnei peered at him and licked her cracked lips. She blinked, possibly thinking that she was hallucinating. “Za—ack?” Her voice—like her body—was ravaged. The inquiry came out as a bare, scratchy whisper.

 

“Surprise,” Zack murmured. He reached out to stroke her hair again and she cringed. He tactfully withdrew, opting not to move too quickly.

 

“You're…really here?” Cissnei questioned as she tried to sit up. He reached for the bedside remote and eased the top half up for her. “I saw…you die!”

 

“Yeah, but I'm back now,” he said gently. “It's kind of a weird story. I'll explain later. Right now you're what matters.”

 

Cissnei's soft brown eyes fixated on his wings and widened as much as the swelling would allow. “You're an…angel. Am…I dead?”

 

Zack swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head. “No honey, you're not dead and I'm not an angel. I've got wings because I was given G-cells, like Angeal and Genesis. It's okay though. I'm not deteriorating or anything.”

 

He noticed how she stared at the ivory feathers and he smiled at her. “Do you want to touch `em?”

 

She swallowed and looked up at him uncertainly, reaching out with her good arm. She held her petite hand out as if she couldn't help herself. “Can I?”

 

Zack nodded and extended one wing toward her, proud of himself for mastering a little muscle control over the appendages. Her fingers touched the soft feathers hesitantly at first, then with more confidence. She stroked them along the expanse she could reach, combing through the feathers gently. He was a little surprised by the sensation the touch provided. It felt…soothing. He hadn't expected the wings to be sensitive to touch.

 

“See? It's all real,” Zack said.

 

Cissnei's reaction wasn't what he had in mind. She withdrew her hand and covered her swollen eyes with it, sobbing softly.

 

“Hey, don't do that, dollface,” Zack said softly.

 

“Doll…face?” Cissnei repeated, peeking at him from between her fingers. “Look at me!”

 

“I am,” he insisted with a sorrowful frown. “The bruises and swelling are temporary, Cissnei. As soon as they've gotten the tests run that they need, they'll give you some potions or use a cure materia on you and you'll be back on your feet in no time.”

 

She shook her head. “N-no…I'm stained…for life! If you're really here and your wings are real then it really happened to me! Don't let it…be real, Zack! Please, I don't…want it to be real!” Her voice was a desperate, ragged sob.

 

Zack tentatively reached out and put a gentle arm around her, at a loss for words. Surprisingly, she only cringed a little but didn't pull away. “It's okay,” he murmured, drawing her closer as he sat on the edge of her bed. “It's just me and you're safe now. I can't take it away but I promise, the guys that did this to you are going to get what's coming to them.”

 

“Th-they said it was a m-message,” Cissnei whimpered against his chest.

 

Zack glowered over her head, his jaw clenching. “We're going to send a little `message' of our own, then.”

 

She kept crying softly, letting him stroke her back. He wrapped his wings around her in a protective cocoon and held her until she exhausted herself and fell asleep in his arms.

 

~*****************************~

 

“So we're all in agreement? This matter is to be dealt with swiftly and without mercy,” Tseng looked at each of the assembled Turks, his black eyes hard as flint.

 

Rude's answer was to draw his gun, click the safety off and nod. Reno and Gun both voiced their accordance passionately, while Rod, Elena and Dorian nodded with enthusiasm. There were other Turks assembled in the office as well but they didn't have a personal connection with the stricken woman that prompted this meeting.

 

“So when are we sending the strike teams out, yo?” Reno asked eagerly.

 

“In two day's time,” Tseng answered. “Any sooner than that and we risk going ill-prepared. I want this to be a clean sweep and I'm coming along to personally ensure that it will be.”

 

The office door burst open, the lock broken by the force of a blow for the other side. The Turks turned and readied their various weapons as one, prepared to fire on the invader even as they stared with amazement. Zack Fair stalked into the room, his wings practically touching the floor behind him and his eyes alight with fury.

 

“Hold up,” Reno ordered, and Tseng added his command as well.

 

“Zackary, it was very foolish for you to burst in here like this,” Tseng said calmly as the former Soldier approached. “I can only assume you have good reason. I also expect you to work off the cost of that lock you just broke.”

 

The Turks parted warily as Zack strode to their leader's desk and leaned over it, placing his hands flat on the surface. “I want in.”

 

Tseng's black eyebrows rose elegantly. “This is a Turk matter,” he informed politely.

 

“Bullshit,” Zack snarled. “This goes further than the Turks and you know it. A fight's been brewing for a long time and your organization can't handle it alone. I want in on this strike. Those bastards are going to pay and I want to be one of the people that makes them.”

 

Tseng exchanged a look with Reno and the two of them considered the angry fighter carefully.

 

Zack gave them both a sharp, lupine grin. “You know things would go faster with me on your team,” he tempted.

 

Tseng gave a barely perceptible nod and Reno smirked at Zack. “Okay Fair. You're in. What does Cloud have to say about this?”

 

“He wants in too but he's not as stubborn as I am,” Zack said with a shrug. “As a matter of fact, I'd better get back to him and show him I'm not full of bullet holes again.” With that said, he straightened up, turned around and strode back out of the office, leaving the Turks staring in his wake.

 

“Well, that was…abrupt,” Tseng murmured. He decided that now would be a good time to inform the President of the assault plans. The Turks were Tseng's jurisdiction but he still exchanged information with Rufus and it wouldn't surprise him if his lover decided to add some of his own militia to the strike teams.

 

~**********************************~

 

“Hey Chocobo. See? I didn't get shot.” Zack turned in a circle before Cloud, standing outside the door of his suite. The blonde had his arms crossed over his chest and his expression of annoyance didn't fade.

 

“Next time, let me talk to Tseng or Rufus first,” Cloud muttered. “Between trying to inhale your hamburger and barging into a room full of armed and trained Turks, I'd almost think you're trying to get a one-way ticket back to the Lifestream.”

 

Just as he finished speaking, one of Zack's wings inadvertently smacked him in the face and he sputtered and pushed it away. “Cut it out,” Cloud complained with a little chuckle he couldn't hide, “I'm convinced you didn't get shot, okay?”

 

Zack grinned and stopped turning in place. “So where are the kids? It's still the weekend, right? Shouldn't they be around causing trouble?”

 

“Tifa took them to the movies and the arcade,” Cloud said. “They needed to get out and she was pretty upset about Cissnei too.” He sighed and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. “So what are we going to do about your wings? I hate to say it but you're out of practice with combat and you've never flown before.”

 

“Guess I'm going to have to learn pretty fast then,” Zack shrugged. “Give me a minute and I'll change into something a little less comfortable. I guess I could jump off the roof. After I get the hang of that you and I can duel a little in the sparring gym.”

 

Cloud stared at him. “J-jump off the roof? Zack, what's with the suicide fixation?! This building's over thirty stories tall!”

 

“I've got wings, featherhead,” the black-haired fighter reminded him. “I'm not going to go `splat' even if I can't figure out how to steer right away. Hell, I could just drift down and use my wings as a parachute the first few times.”

 

“You're crazy, do you know that?”

 

Zack laughed softly and brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of his friend's eyes. Cloud was so cute when he was worried. “But in a good way, right? Besides, I've heard about some of the wild stunts you've pulled. Does the fight with Bahamut ring a bell? How about your last fight with Sephiroth? You guys were fighting all over skyscraper rooftops, right?”

 

Cloud mumbled something that Zack couldn't quite make out.

 

~I know, kid. It's different because it's me. I'd probably feel the same way if it were you in my place.~

 

~************************************~

 

A few minutes later, Zack was dressed in a pair of jeans and sneakers. He was still bare-chested because he obviously couldn't fit a shirt on without cutting gaping holes in the back for his wings, but it was springtime so the temperature outside was nice. He and Cloud got onto the elevator and the blonde pushed the button for the very top floor.

 

“Are you sure you wouldn't rather try from a balcony on a lower floor first?” Cloud asked softly as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent.

 

“Nah, I've got to do it like a band-aid. Yank it off fast and get it over with, you know?” Zack was tapping his foot, hinting that he was a little nervous about his idea too.

 

Cloud was about to try further discouragement, honestly scared for Zack's safety. His cellphone rang before he could open his mouth and he dug it out of his pants with a sigh. He'd been letting his message service get calls that he didn't recognize because he wasn't in a position now to make deliveries. He recognized Reno's number and he answered it.

 

“Hey Cloud,” the redhead said when he answered, “Have ya talked to your boy Zack yet about the strike?”

 

“Yeah, we're both in,” Cloud answered. “I'm going to start calling my friends too. They won't make it in time to join the strike but I've got a feeling things are going to get hairy before long.”

 

“You sure they'd come and help?” Reno questioned dubiously.

 

“They've teamed up with the WRO before against Deepground,” reminded the blonde. “They'll do it again if it comes to it. I'd rather have them aware of the situation in case we need them.”

 

“Guess it couldn't hurt anything,” Reno conceded. “So what are you up to now?”

 

“I'm about to watch Zack jump off the roof.”

 

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Seriously?” Reno finally asked.

 

“Yeah,” Cloud said, smirking as Zack overheard and winked at him. “We're in the elevator now. He thinks being extreme about it is the best way to learn how to use his wings. I don't agree but he's as bullheaded as you are.”

 

“Damn, I've gotta see this,” Reno announced. “I'm coming up to meet you.”

 

“Sure, why not?” Cloud said crossly. “Let's both watch my best friend turn himself into roadkill.”

 

“I'm not going to be roadkill, Cloud,” Zack said with a smirk. “Have a little faith, will you?”

 

“You've never flown before!” snapped the blonde.

 

“Neither did Angeal, Genesis or Sephiroth before they got their wings but that didn't stop them, did it?” Zack's amethyst eyes were level and confident on him.

 

“Boy, sounds like you two lovebirds are really getting into it,” Reno observed with a faint snicker.

 

Cloud flushed. “We're not…oh, forget it. See you on the roof.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and replaced the phone in his pocket. “I don't suppose there's any chance of me talking you out of this before we reach the top,” he said to Zack.

 

“No, but I appreciate the effort,” Zack said with a smile. “Lighten up, Cloud. I'll be fine.”

 

The blonde grumbled under his breath and sighed, leaning back against the wall and staring up at the flashing numbers over the door. Zack studied him, admiring his profile. He thought about what had happened to Cissnei and he realized that there really were no guarantees in life. He could very well kill himself in his efforts to use his wings for the first time and a thought occurred to him.

 

~Maybe Cloud's not ready but this could be my last chance to give it a shot. I never got the chance to act on it before and I know I'll regret it if I don't at least try it once while I've got a body to do it with.~

 

The more he thought about it, the more worthwhile the risk seemed. He kept looking from the digital numbers overhead to Cloud, realizing he was running out of time. Cloud noticed that he kept looking at him and the blonde glanced at him sidelong, with a quizzical expression on his fair features.

 

“What's the matter?” Cloud asked.

 

Zack hesitated a moment longer, wondering how his friend would react to what he was thinking of doing. “What the hell,” he finally said. He reached out and pushed the stop button, making the elevator halt its ascent. A warning bell rang but he ignored it and stepped into Cloud's personal space, grinning at him as the blonde stared up at him with confusion.

 

“Zack, what the hell—mph!” Cloud's inquiry was abruptly muffled as the dark-haired fighter's mouth covered his.

 

He went utterly still with shock for a moment and then what was happening registered in his brain. Zack's mouth moved against his with confident skill, the lips soft and firm at once. Cloud's mouth parted and the other man's tongue slid in with tender care, stroking against his coaxingly and seductively. It was everything he'd ever imagined it would be, though he'd never entertained the hope that it would happen because he'd been so thoroughly convinced that Zack was only into women.

 

A low moan rose in Cloud's throat before he could stop it and he put his hands flat against his companion's smooth chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the hardness of his muscles and the heavy thump of his heart.

 

It ended far too soon. Zack pulled away after a moment, leaving Cloud breathless and weak-kneed. He looked into his eyes and his breath was slightly labored. “Just in case I do go `splat',” he murmured with a mischievous grin. He reached out and pushed the stop button again, making the elevator lurch to motion once more.

 

“Wh…why,” Cloud began, his words clumsy. He swallowed and tried again. “Why did you do that?”

 

Zack shrugged and gave him an apologetic look. “I just wanted to see what it was like while I had the chance.”

 

“And?” Cloud prompted, a blush suffusing his cheeks. “How was it?”

 

“Awesome,” Zack answered sincerely. “Uh, I'm sorry I didn't ask first.”

 

“Why didn't you ever do that before?” demanded the blonde, ignoring the apology.

 

Zack was pleasantly surprised and his smile grew with his confidence. “Well, first you were jailbait, then you were catatonic, and after that I croaked. I never got the chance, man.”

 

Cloud's pulse was racing and his body felt hot. He glanced up at the numbers overhead and saw that they had only five floors left before they reached their stop. He didn't give himself time to think. He hit the stop button again and cupped the back of Zack's head, drawing him back to his mouth demandingly.

 

It was Zack's turn to be stunned. He knew Cloud had to have a passionate side to be involved with Reno, but he had no idea that he could be so assertive. The blonde's mouth was hot and eager against his and Zack put his arms around his waist and returned the kiss with feeling. Their teeth scraped together in their fervor, their tongues caressed and their breath quickened.

 

“Zack,” Cloud murmured between kisses, just to speak his name. Zack's body pressed firmly against his and he could feel the other man's arousal pressing against his hip, leaving no doubt that this wasn't just acting on a moment of random curiosity. The force of his own desire overwhelmed Cloud. It was like Zack had opened a floodgate when he kissed him and now it couldn't be easily staunched.

 

“If we keep this up we're not going to make it to the top floor,” Zack warned against Cloud's lips.

 

“Just a little longer,” insisted Cloud. Zack's tongue thrust back into his mouth obligingly, with greater aggression than before. The blonde gasped as his friend pinned him harder against the wall and pressed a thigh between his legs, rubbing against his stiffened groin. At this point, Cloud didn't care if he ended up on his hands and knees with his pants down around his ankles. Actually, the thought of that happening only made him hotter and he groaned into Zack's mouth and rubbed back, letting the friction against his crotch drive him into a frenzy of lust.

 

It was funny how one kiss from Zack could make him immediately want to bottom for him. Usually it took some coaxing or even trickery for Cloud to agree to such a position. He imagined those great, white wings curving over him as Zack took him and he impulsively reached between his friend's legs and copped a feel, wondering what he'd be in for if the fantasy came true.

 

“Whoa,” Zack groaned, pausing in his kissing as the blonde's hand groped him. “Easy there, sexy thing…there's a limit to my control!”

 

“Whoa, yourself,” Cloud gasped, squeezing the impressive length he felt under his hand. “Shit, you should be proud.”

 

Zack laughed huskily and closed his eyes, briefly enjoying the pleasure of Cloud's hand massaging his hard on through the jeans. “Cloud, come on man…I want it to be something special if it happens,” he said seriously, reaching down to disengage the blonde's hand from his crotch.

 

“Oh, it's going to happen,” Cloud stated. There was no way it wasn't as far as he was concerned, now that he knew Zack wanted him.

 

“Yeah?” Zack smiled, his breath catching softly as Cloud's touch made him throb with need. “Well, I don't want it happening in an elevator. It's too important to me, Goldie.”

 

Cloud came to his senses, realizing he felt the same way. This was Zack and while a quick, spontaneous screw might sound great, he didn't want to cheapen the moment like that. He stopped fondling the other man with a sigh, blushing furiously at his own behavior. He felt selfish and a little sullied.

 

“I'm sorry,” Cloud mumbled as he averted his eyes. “I didn't expect it to hit me like that. Didn't expect you to ever kiss me at all and once you did, I just kind of lost it. Now's really not the time for me to be jumping your bones anyhow.”

 

Zack chuckled and nuzzled his flushed cheek. “Hey, I'm glad it hit you like that. I don't have to worry anymore about whether you'd go for me or not. Just one thing though…are you sure this isn't going to cause problems with Reno? You said you're in an open relationship with him but you never gave me all the dirty details.”

 

“I'm pretty sure he'll be fine with it,” Cloud said with as much confidence as he could. “I think he half expects it to happen anyway. He saw it coming way before I did and I kept telling him you weren't into guys. Guess I really only fooled myself.”

 

Zack thought of the sexy, sly redhead and he nodded. Of course Reno saw it coming…the possessive behavior he'd been displaying in front of Zack said it all and he'd tried to tell Cloud so. The thing that bothered him was that if Reno were really okay with it, why would he feel threatened?

 

“I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we reach it,” Zack murmured. He pulled away from Cloud slowly, shifting uncomfortably at the tightness in his groin. “Uh, want to give it a couple of minutes before we start this elevator back up?”

 

Cloud glanced down at his own prominent bulge and nodded with agreement.

 

~******************************~

 

“Hmm, the left elevator's stuck,” Reeve announced with a little frown.

 

Reno stood next to him, also waiting on the right elevator. The redhead looked up at the number over the left elevator and saw that it was stuck on the thirtieth floor. Cloud and Zack were probably in it, too.

 

“Yeah, stuck,” Reno said facetiously. “I'll just bet it is.”

 

~I'll also bet Blondie and Wolfy are getting it on as we speak.~

 

The thought didn't bother him as much as he expected it too, mainly because of the little talk he'd had with Rufus the other night. If the boss could suck it up and cope, so could he. The question was, would Cloud come out and tell him or was he going to have to catch them in the act? If he did come clean with him, did Reno have a chance of joining in the fun eventually? He couldn't tell whether Zack found him attractive or not…which was ironic because Reno could usually spot an interested party from thirty paces away.

 

~Stop worrying about it right now, asshole. There's more important shit going down.~

 

Just as Reno finished mentally lecturing himself, the left elevator moved again. If Strife and Fair had gotten it on in there it was one of the quickest fucks on record. He chuckled to himself, unable to imagine two Mako enhanced guys only lasting for a couple of minutes. He relaxed as the elevator he and Reeve were waiting on arrived at their floor and opened.

 

~All right, so maybe I'm a little more like the boss than I realized. I really don't mind my baby getting together with Fair, just so he doesn't make the same mistake I did with Rufus and try to hide it from me.~

 

His mind went to poor Cissnei as he stepped into the elevator with Reeve and his mood darkened again. He remembered the night of Meteorfall, and how she'd hesitantly tried to get him in bed so that she wouldn't die a virgin. Being the flamer that he was, he'd refused…but honestly if he were into girls she'd be the one he'd probably go after.

 

~Dammit, I hope she's had at least one good experience before this happened. It's gonna be hard enough for that girl to recover from this but if she was still a virgin when they did that to her…motherfucking bastards!~

 

“You okay?” Reeve asked as he and the Turk selected their floors and the doors closed.

 

“No man, I'm not okay,” Reno answered with a sigh. “One of our best agents and one of the sweetest girls I know had her life ruined in one fucking day.”

 

Reeve bowed his head and nodded. “It's terrible, I know. All we can do now is support her and try to bring the culprits to justice.”

 

Reno nodded and pressed his lips together, choosing not to elaborate on what his particular idea of “justice” was. Reeve was a gentleman and though he wasn't ignorant of the dark dealings that the Turks committed on occasion, Reno knew he didn't like to speak of it or think about it.

 

~*********************************~

 

-To be continued