Chapter summary:

Genesis and the Turks are left trying to build bridges between Sephiroth and Vincent after the General's disastrous nighttime visit to the gunman. As their relationship becomes even more tense, complications arising from the enhancement session for the new Firsts threatened to shoot holes in their personal lives and at work.

14 - Silent Jealousy

If there was something Vincent had learned from his time as a Turk and refined since his Nibelheim ordeal it was to compartmentalise his life. It had been too long since he'd had to actively keep his private and work lives separate so he was a little rusty, but Sephiroth's disastrous visit jogged his memory and he slipped back into old habits rather quickly.

When Rude came to the apartment the previous night, he'd found him near the verge of collapse. His emotions were all over the place and it was by a very minimal margin that sadness and sorrow spilled through first. Having someone to lean on made him drop his guard and Galian leaped forward, completely bypassing Chaos's tenuous restraints and driving Vincent back into his mind so quickly that the gunman had no chance to recover. All Rude had time to do was call Reno to help him deal with Galian; since the Planet Protector had taken an instant shine to the redhead, he managed to calm him down and keep him from running after Sephiroth to avenge Vincent's honour.

It took Vincent several hours to be able to take control of his body, and that was after using all the protomateria shots he had at home. For an agonisingly long time it seemed like they would need the rest, so Rude ended up calling Cissnei and asking her to bring the shots Vincent had left at his office; by the time she arrived, though, the first five rounds had already taken effect and the protomateria stabilised enough that Chaos managed to rein in Galian and Vincent stepped through again. Everyone was at the gunman's apartment by then and they had all braced and prepared themselves to comfort him like they'd done the previous week. Instead, they were confronted with a wrathful Vincent that had to be talked out of a truly uncharacteristic rage fit.

Once he stopped pacing the room like a caged tiger and was able to speak without Chaos or Galian's gruffer tones slipping through, he explained what had happened. After Sephiroth kissed him, he sat down with the General and explained his relationship to the Turks (and now Rufus), and how Chaos and Galian were a part of that, too. After the initial shock passed, Sephiroth began asking questions. Vincent answered as many as he felt comfortable with, from when had his open relationship with the others started to how it differed from his first stint as a Turk. When the General's questions got more personal, the Director refused to answer them, stating that further details were not of Sephiroth's concern. The swordsman then started asking about Chaos and Galian; again, Vincent only provided facts that he thought might clarify things for the younger man but refrained from any specifics.

For some reason, Sephiroth thought that it would be a good idea for Vincent to suspend his affair with the others and give him a go. The gunman patiently explained that, even if he were inclined to do so (which he wasn't), Chaos and Galian would hear none of it. Without missing a beat, Sephiroth had gone on to suggest that Vincent should find a way to suppress not only Galian but Chaos, too, reasoning that, in doing so, the gunman wouldn't be 'forced' to keep his polygamous relationship going. Vincent did his best to remain calm but Chaos's indignation and Galian's outrage—who had woken up somewhere along the line without Vincent realising it—piled with his own anger, making him defensive and even aggressive. The swordsman responded in kind and the conversation turned rude and almost physically violent.

The fabled last drop came when Sephiroth brought the Turks into the argument, calling them Vincent's harem (Reno made the mistake of laughing at that, to which Vincent reacted by growling at him to shut up; the redhead did so immediately, once again finding this bossy and short-tempered side of the gunman incredibly arousing) and questioning their professionalism and ability to keep his family safe during the summit. He took a shot at Rufus, too, echoing his father's concerns that the young President gave the Turks too much leeway and hinting at his relationship with them as the cause.

Vincent had little problem with Sephiroth attacking him, but when he targeted Rufus and the Turks, he nearly lost it. Uncharacteristically, Chaos remained cool throughout—at least, cooler than Vincent and Galian—and managed to step forward and chase the General away before things escalated to an unfixable point.

Sephiroth left, not before making it clear that he wouldn't be added to Vincent's 'collection' and saying he wished he'd never approached him in the first place. However, the statement lacked a sense of finality, something to which Vincent had tried to cling but had quickly lost grasp on. After he finished retelling the night's events to the Turks, he more or less collapsed against a wall and slid all the way to the floor in abject defeat. All fight had left him and he felt tired and hollow; he couldn't cry or lash out anymore, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Tseng and Elena tried to hold him but he asked them not to. It broke their hearts but they complied, choosing to sit a few feet away from him. They talked to him for a long time, urging him not to give up on Sephiroth just yet. They tried to convince him that the General hadn't really meant any of the hurtful things he said and that he would come to his senses once he had some time to think things through. Vincent, however, continued to quietly shake his head, looking completely beaten.

Tseng looked at his companions one by one, receiving mostly encouraging looks back—Elena and Rude shared a guarded look of their own before shrugging lightly in their boss's direction—, before he turned to Vincent and tentatively suggested to give Sephiroth's idea a try. He wanted to say they could all step aside temporarily and then ease Sephiroth into the open relationship but Vincent wouldn't let him finish.

With a roar that was equal parts Vincent, Chaos, and Galian, the gunman stood up and forbid them all to even think about it. Usually, the Turks would've argued with him but the fact that his eyes blazed and his skin crawled like both creatures within wanted to break free at the same time stopped them.

"If I'm giving up on anything is on this stupid idea that I could try to have a relationship with Sephiroth."

Without further explanation, he strode to his bedroom and locked himself in. Everyone stayed frozen in place for several minutes until Elena stood up and went to the kitchen to make tea. When she saw the coffee mug that Sephiroth had used earlier, she took it and threw it with all her strength against the living room wall. Rufus jumped in his seat but stayed put as Elena shot an icy stare Tseng's way.

"Why would you say that, Tseng? Are we really just going to ignore everything Sephiroth said about us? About Vincent and Chaos and Galian?"

"Of course not, Lena, but fuelling their anger and resentment towards Sephiroth isn't a good idea, either."

"All the same, Elena has a point," Rufus intervened. "Why would you ever suggest giving in to Sephiroth's selfish demand?"

"Because…" He sighed and stood up, walking up to the hallway leading to Vincent's room. His hands fisted at his sides before he sighed again and turned to look at the others. "You don't know it, Rufus, but the rest of you should remember how guarded and distant Vincent was after he returned, how much it took for him to be able to open up to us. Since then, we've been trying to get him back into as normal a life as a Turk can possibly get, and I felt we made a lot of progress lately in spite of everything. And earlier… I could see him walling up little by little in front of us and I was desperate to find a way to stop him from it."

"Abandoning him doesn't seem like the best way to get that done," Rufus pushed.

Tseng stepped back, shaking his head. "It wouldn't have been that. We'd never do that to him."

Elena huffed and put the kettle on before sitting at the bar. "Sephiroth doesn't deserve him. He certainly doesn't deserve us going out of our way to help him."

"If we leave things up to him, though, Vincent's just going to give up," Reno pointed out. "It's hella clear Sephiroth can't keep himself in check."

"The General never struck me as particularly impulsive," Cissnei said. "Do you think…?"

"That McFugly had something to do with it? The thought crossed my mind."

"It'd be awfully convenient, don't you think?"

Everyone turned to Rude with questioning looks. He simply shrugged and went to the broom closet to get what he needed to pick up the broken mug. As he cleaned, he explained himself.

"Now that he knows what his link to Vincent is and that Hojo had a hand in all of that, he can shield himself behind that and everyone would believe him without further questioning. But I wonder if he won't just be using it as an excuse for his poor judgement."

"That's really cynical of you, Rude."

"It might be, Tseng. You do know Sephiroth better but I'm with Elena here. I don't think we should be so willing to help him out when there's a chance he's just in it to take advantage of Vincent."

Rufus frowned. "What do you mean? That he just wants to use Vincent for sex or something?"

"It's not that farfetched," Rude replied.

"It kinda is, partner. To be honest, up until tonight I thought Sephiroth might be asexual or something, yo. I mean, when was the last time you heard anything related to the man's sex life?"

Cissnei rolled her eyes. "Not all of us keep tabs on the company's employees' sexual exploits, Thunderbolt."

"Very funny, Frosty. I mean it like… Okay. Everyone knows about Angeal and Genesis even though it's supposed to be this huge company secret to keep their fangirls from rioting in the streets. And people murmur about Rufus and Tseng but no one makes a big deal of it because it's the Prez. There's nothing like that with Sephiroth."

"Well, asexuality is a spectrum, like many other things. It's possible that he's never been sexually attracted to anyone before and Vincent somehow awakens that desire in him," Tseng said.

"Have either of you ever talked to him about any of that?" Cissnei asked Tseng and Rufus.

"Not really," Rufus said; Tseng simply shook his head.

"None of this really matters if he's not capable of getting over himself to give Vincent a chance in spite of everything else," Elena pointed out. "And I'm not convinced that he can."

"I understand how you feel, Pixie, but if we're not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, how can we expect him to do the same with Vincent?"

Elena seemed about to protest further but Rude, who had just finished emptying the dustpan under the sink, hugged her from behind and whispered something in her ear. She blushed, looking mortified, and elbowed him in the stomach before turning around and kissing him quickly, murmuring something against his lips. Still blushing, she disentangled from him and got mugs out as the kettle started a low rumble. Rude smiled and leaned against the bar, looking at Tseng.

"I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that we're happy the way we are now, Anchor, but that doesn't mean that we don't understand Vincent's need for… more," he said. "And we would never deny him that out of selfishness or convenience. I mean, ever since he mentioned an interest in Sephiroth, we've all been willing to step aside and let him explore that possibility."

"Really?" Rufus asked. "Just like that?"

"We all love him too much to hold him back," Reno said, crushing his cigarette on the ashtray Vincent kept for him on the windowsill. "But it's definitely not 'just like that', Rufus. It's not easy to consider the possibility of an outsider joining us, but if that's who Vincent wants…" He trailed off and shrugged, lighting another cigarette.

"You must feel the same way, Ru-san, at least in some measure. You gave Sephiroth Loveless tickets and bought Vincent an extra suit so he'd have something to wear to the theatre."

The young President blushed and went to sit at the bar, toying with one of the mugs Elena had just placed there.

"I just thought Sephiroth would, you know, fit in like I did. I never imagined things would get this crazy."

"None of us did," Rude said.

For a while, they all went quiet, their brooding silence interrupted only by the rumbling of the kettle and Cissnei's furious typing on her phone. She stopped when Elena called her over to choose tea from Vincent's collection. She set her phone down on the bar while she browsed through the tea box and Rufus took the chance to look at the screen to see what she had been up to.

"Why have you been texting Genesis, Snuggles?"

Cissnei and Reno exchanged a quick glance before turning in the direction of Vincent's room. She poured a teaspoon of vanilla rooibos into the strainer in her cup before answering.

"He's our matchmaking partner in crime. He was supposed to keep Sephiroth in line until the summit passed so we could figure out a way to get them together once all that stress was over and done with."

Rude snorted. "He obviously dropped the ball."

"I already sent him a message about that. All caps, tons of exclamation marks. Language too strong for his dainty sensitivities but, given the circumstances, he's lucky it's a text and not a call," Cissnei said.

Reno grinned and smooched her. "I love ya, Frosty."

Cissnei rolled her eyes and pushed him away playfully.

"What's Genesis saying, then?"

"Well, to his credit, he's not making Sephiroth's excuses. He hasn't seen him, though, but he's confident he'll turn up at his and Angeal's apartment in the next few hours. He'll enlist Aerith, just in case Sephiroth decides to head to his parents' for some reason."

"Vincent won't like this," Tseng pointed out.

"You're not gonna rat us out, are ya, Aqualung?"

"And risk Galian killing the messenger? No, thanks, Kasai."

They decided to stay in Vincent's apartment in case he needed someone to talk to or just some company. He didn't emerge from his room until well after eight in the morning and wasn't too surprised to find Reno and Elena cooking breakfast while the others idled around the apartment. Everything was clean and tidy so he guessed Rude had spent a couple of hours cleaning; someone had done the laundry and ironing, too—the scent of fabric softener and steam lingered even through the fragrance of eggs and bacon. Reno had been smoking, too, the aroma of his new cardamom and clove cigarettes adding to the bouquet permeating the apartment.

It smells like home to me.

Vincent nodded and leaned on the hallway frame, taking a moment to just look at everyone for a few minutes. Tseng and Rufus lay on the couch, browsing on their phones and showing each other things the other might like. Rude was rearranging Vincent's old records while Cissnei read a magazine by the window, stealing occasional glances to her cellphone. Elena and Reno moved about the kitchen easily, talking softly amongst themselves.

While everyone looked relaxed, he could see and feel the tension in the atmosphere. He hated that he'd caused that and decided to find ways to make it up to them. He started by stepping into the living room and greeting them as warmly as possible. After they returned the greeting, he took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

"I apologise about my outburst last night. I had no right to raise my voice like that or to shut you off like I did. I'll try never to do that again."

Everyone rushed to tell him there was no need to apologise and he shook his head until it died down.

"It is necessary, but I understand your point. Now, how about we have breakfast and then Rufus and Tseng can take me out shopping while the rest enjoy what's left of your day off?"

"Sounds like a plan, yo."

"You're coming, too," Rufus said. "Don't think I'll let you keep that tattered wardrobe of yours any longer, Firefly."

Reno groused and complained, begged and tried to negotiate, but was unable to get himself out of the shopping trip. While he left for Sector Six with Rufus, Tseng, and Vincent, Elena and Rude went to her apartment to watch movies. Cissnei said she had an errand to run in town and parted ways with the shopping party at the train station.

All through the outing, Vincent kept telling himself that he'd only gone along with Rufus's idea because he needed some normalcy and to make up for his brash behaviour the previous night, but the truth was that he needed time to wall up all the thoughts and feelings that, if left unchecked, would run rampant through his mind, distracting him from the busy weeks ahead.

So he granted Rufus his whim and allowed himself to be dragged all around Midgar's largest and fanciest mall getting more clothes that he knew what to do with, all the while operating mostly on autopilot to work out his issues in the background. So far, the blond had already spent a small fortune on jeans and casual slacks that didn't need two belts to stay on Vincent's hips (although, just to be sure, Rufus added belts and suspenders to the cart), and they had moved on to shirts and tees. Vincent had argued that he didn't like wearing t-shirts outside of his apartment or the Turks' floor because of his left arm; Rufus shrugged and said he should get some, anyway, and they'd just add some extra long-sleeved ones he could wear under the tees when going out. Tseng was frankly surprised that Vincent hadn't tried to make a run for it yet but he could see his boss had come really close to it just then.

Reno, on the other hand, had managed to give them the slip for about an hour before reemerging with a cart overflowing with colourful tees and tank tops, cargo pants with dozens of pockets that no one but him would be able to fill, and assorted underwear. While not entirely pleased with the hectic style the redhead had gone for, Rufus was glad he didn't have to wrestle him into the dressing room like he'd had to do with Vincent at the beginning of their campaign.

After piling Vincent's arms with enough tees and shirts to keep him from doing laundry for the remainder of the year, Rufus escorted them to the shoe section. While he patiently explained to the gunman why he couldn't buy only work-related footwear and had to add variety to his closet, Tseng helped Reno choose something their boss would approve of and got a few things for himself, as well. They were nearly done when a voice called Vincent's name from not too far away, making them all pause and slowly turn towards the source of the interruption.

It was Genesis, looking impeccable in fitted slacks and a short sleeved button-up as opposed to his modified Soldier uniform. A small messenger bag with a Loveless motif hung across his chest and he held on to the strap with his right hand in a way that made it obvious to the Turks that he was on a mission and would not be deterred. It raised alarms in them but the first one to make a move was Rufus, who stood between the Soldier and the Head Turk with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at Genesis with a raised eyebrow.

"Here to make Sephiroth's excuses, Genesis? If so, save yourself the trouble and tell him to apologise in person."

"Sir," Vincent all but hissed.

Rufus turned and glared coldly at him, eyes narrowed in silent admonishment and warning. "I told you to call me Rufus outside working hours, Vincent."

"Fine, then. Rufus, there is no need to be rude to Genesis. None of this is his fault."

"I know that, but—"

"Calm down, Rufus. It's a Sunday but we can still draw a crowd," Tseng intervened.

Frowning, Rufus was forced to concede Tseng's point but he still refused to move from his defensive position between Genesis and Vincent.

"Why are you here?" he asked again.

"I need to speak to Vincent—in private. I found a way to thank you, I think."

The gunman's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Reminding himself to compartmentalise and not get his hopes up over pipe dreams, he glanced meaningfully to his shopping cart before looking back at Genesis.

"As you can see, I am rather busy. Will this take long?"

"No more than five or ten minutes, really," Genesis said with a small shake of his head.

Vincent nodded and, after squeezing Rufus's shoulder lightly, he led Genesis outside. Once they were out of earshot, Tseng turned to Reno with a slightly exasperated sigh.

"Cissnei's errand has anything to do with this?"

Reno had the decency to blush and look contrite. "Genesis texted Cissnei this morning and told her Sephiroth turned up. She met with him at a café not too far from here and, well… It's like you said, Tseng. Vincent's ready to just give up on Sephiroth and we can't let that happen. Not so randomly and stupidly."

"He insulted all of us, Reno. I understand not going after him to beat him up, but why would you even consider still helping him?" Rufus asked.

"We told you, Rufus—we just want Vincent to be happy. He's hurt now but he's really gonna regret not working things through with Sephiroth once everyone cools down."

Rufus frowned and busied himself with folding the clothes he'd chosen for Vincent. Tseng crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a moment. They hadn't reached an explicit consensus the previous night but he figured that Reno and Cissnei had done the right thing by keeping their original plan in motion. It would take some convincing to get Elena, Rude, and Rufus on the same page as the rest of them but it was manageable.

He just hoped Vincent wouldn't hold it against them when he eventually figured out just how much meddling they had been doing.

After finding a spot in the shade and away from prying eyes and ears, the Turk leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and raised his eyebrows again, indicating the Soldier should start talking.

"Sephiroth told me what happened last night. I should be making his excuses, since he's unlikely to make them himself any time soon, but I won't. I just need clarification on some things."

The gunman tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, tensing up all over. He wanted to ask what exactly had Sephiroth said but didn't for two reasons: he didn't have the time, and Genesis probably wouldn't go into details.

"Clarification on what and what for?" he asked instead.

"I need to know what to do with this situation, whether to step in and help you two patch things up or to let things run their course on their own, risking you two never seeing eye to eye."

Why does he care?, Galian asked, obviously annoyed.

He cares the same about Sephiroth as the Turks do about Vincent, Chaos explained.

Galian huffed but didn't interrupt again.

"What do you need clarified?"

"Your situation with Rufus and the Turks, is—?"

"What I told Sephiroth last night stands now and will forever stand," Vincent interrupted. "I will not give them up for him or anyone. Even if Chaos and Galian somehow stop being a part of my life, the Turks and Rufus will always be my family and I will always be with them."

Vincent's tone brokered no argument so all Genesis did was nod.

"But you still told him you love him. You are, or at least were, open to the possibility of exploring something more than friendship between you two."

"Not at the expense of what we currently have," Vincent said.

There was a hint of Chaos and Galian in his voice, and the barest flash of golden orange tinted his eyes as he looked at Genesis pointedly. The auburn-haired swordsman had never seen or heard either of the creatures living within Vincent in person but, much to his credit, he didn't even flinch as they lurked so close to the surface.

"Have you given up on him, then?"

"Not entirely, but I do not intend to give this any more thought until the summit passes. Until then, my dealings with him will be limited to our work together, which I will endeavour to keep to a minimum as much as I possibly can."

Again, all Genesis did was nod. He seemed pensive for a moment before a shadow of sadness passed through his features.

"We'll make sure he keeps his distance."

He seemed about to say something more but he stopped when he noticed Vincent frown and his eyes flicker between red and gold. The gunman shook his head grimly with his eyes closed and asked if there was anything else Genesis needed or wanted to say.

"Just… I'm sorry things got to this point, Vincent." When the Turk's crimson eyes fixed on him curiously, he elaborated. "I warned Sephiroth to take this slow so neither him nor you would end up hurt but he didn't listen to me. I know Aerith told him something similar but he's rather stubborn and…" He paused, unsure whether he should say anything more, but something in Vincent's eyes told him it would be better to finish his statement. "He really likes you, Director. I've never seen him so interested in anyone before and I'm afraid he has no idea how to deal with it. Hence his callousness.

"Whatever else happens after the summit, I hope that, in the end, you'll find a way to at least remain friends."

Vincent had to force Galian down while Chaos had a bitter laugh. "I doubt we can be considered friends at the moment, Commander."

"Beg pardon?"

"You see, at least where I come from, friends don't call each other 'greedy whores', nor do they refer to their friends' family as 'fuck toys'."

Genesis cringed. Sephiroth had been very agitated in his retelling of his meeting with Vincent, and had used those terms more than once. Since neither Cissnei nor Reno had brought it up in their texts or their earlier conversation, he thought his friend hadn't actually used them during his argument with the Director. Now he wasn't sure whether Vincent hadn't shared that part of the encounter with them or if they had decided to let it slide for some reason.

All the same, while hearing those words coming out from either man was extremely disconcerting, the acid tone in the Turk's voice made it almost unbearable. Not knowing what to say and not wanting to apologise on his friend's behalf, he simply sighed and nodded slowly.

"Like I said, we'll make sure Sephiroth keeps his distance and does nothing to jeopardise everyone's hard work in regards to the summit. Thank you for your time, Vincent. I'll leave you to your shopping."

Vincent nodded and watched Genesis walk away. He had to take a moment to compose himself and shove back his anger into the neat mental boxes he had been preparing all day long before he returned to the store. He walked up to the other three men just as Reno tried to talk Rufus into buying a hideous pair of sneakers as a prank to Cissnei. The blond was in the process of saying no for the fifth time when he spotted Vincent coming back.

"Well? What happened?"

The gunman took the sneakers away from Reno and shoved them on a shelf that the redhead would never be able to reach on his own. His expression was neutral and gave nothing away, making the others very nervous.

"Nothing. Genesis just wanted to assure me Sephiroth won't pose a problem for the next couple of weeks. Why don't we finish up here and then get some ice cream?"

Rufus seemed about to press the issue of Genesis's visit but Tseng's firm grip on his wrist stopped him. After pouting a little, he nodded and grabbed Vincent's hand, steering him towards the sports shoes area.

Tseng stayed behind with Reno, exchanging troubled looks with the redhead. Reno pulled out his phone and started texting while they trailed after their bosses.

Genesis stormed back into his apartment, slamming the door with all his recovered strength and using his Commander-Rhapsodos-is-having-none-of-your-bullshit voice to summon Sephiroth to the living room. The silver-haired swordsman had been sulking/seething in the guest room since earlier that morning when Genesis had left to do some recon on exactly how much damage Sephiroth had caused the previous night and whether things could be salvaged. On principle and listening only to his wounded pride, Sephiroth had tried to talk him out of it but one look from his friend's glacial eyes made him drop the subject almost immediately. Deep down he was thankful that Genesis was willing to at least try to help fix his mistake, although he was still too angry to admit that, even to himself.

So Genesis met up with Cissnei for tea to exchange impressions and brainstorm face to face. They spent several hours texting the previous night but both of them, plus Reno, felt it would be better to talk things over directly. Reno was meant to join them but Rufus had dragged him into shopping so it had just been the two auburn-haired operatives at first, with a brief phone call with the redhead when he managed to escape for a little while to see how things were going.

Cissnei had told Genesis very clearly what Vincent's current stance in the whole situation was but he still wanted to talk to him to gauge his reaction directly in order to have a better idea of what he was up against. He didn't know the Head Turk very well but he could feel a change in him from the last time they'd been in a meeting and it was chilling. He still hadn't found a way to put it into words but it made him extremely anxious, and when he got anxious, he became catty and bossier than usual.

"Where on Gaia are you, Sephiroth Faremis?"

Sephiroth appeared in the living room wearing nothing but sweatpants and a mostly neutral expression. Genesis had known him long enough to realise that he was still very angry but also curious as to why his friend was hollering like the apartment were being raided. Before he could even open his mouth to ask what was going on, Genesis unloaded on him.

"You are a selfish idiot, Sephiroth, did you know that? Not to mention a sorry excuse for a friend and a ridiculous manchild with no control over his hormones or emotions."

Sephiroth tensed and straightened his back, going into defensive mode in a second.

"Are you really taking his side, Genesis?"

"You make it extremely hard no to, Seph. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to believe you'd really said all those stupid, horrible things to Vincent and I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. But you did and you've made a wreck of things. Frankly, I'm surprised Vincent managed to keep everyone from coming after you like an angry mob. Even I'm fighting the impulse to punch you in the face right now."

"I can't believe you're all right with his debauched arrangement, Genesis!"

"That's Angeal's bullshit worldview coming out of your mouth and you know it."

"Even if it is, aren't you the eternal romantic?"

"I am; then again, you're supposed to be the cold, rational part of the group and are failing miserably at it. I told you to wait, to not push him until you were certain of how you really felt about him. Instead of listening to me, you let your urges call the shots and backed Vincent into a corner. He's this close to just giving up on you—by now, I'm pretty sure he hasn't done so only because the Turks are, for some unfathomable reason, interceding on your behalf."

That stopped Sephiroth's angry retort and had him eyeing Genesis suspiciously.

"That's right," Genesis said. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the armchair, explaining what Tseng had tried to suggest to Vincent the night before and the Head Turk's reaction to it. "In spite of his orders, they're still willing to find a way for you two to end up together. They're far more optimistic than I am, but they do know Vincent better."

Sephiroth huffed and sat on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from Genesis. Anger was giving way to irritation, most of which was aimed at himself. They all mocked Genesis for being too prideful and vain, but Sephiroth suffered from a touch of the same and it prevented him from admitting that the current situation was all his fault. Vincent's adamant position regarding the Turks had caused much of his anger, but it was really his refusal to even consider the possibility of getting rid of Chaos and Galian that finally blew his fuse. He didn't understand why the gunman would willingly harbour the two creatures within himself when it was obvious he was suffering because of it. If he could get rid of Jenova he wouldn't think it twice—he'd take the treatment right away.

"Would you, now?" Genesis asked when he finally voiced his thoughts. "Even if it meant losing everything that sets you apart from the rest and allows you to protect your loved ones?"

"You've got to be kidding me, Genesis. You're barely recovering from the side effects of Project G. It nearly killed you!"

"And I can tell you that I'd rather deal with those side effects than be left without my strength. You have no idea what its like to feel so weak you can't pick up your weapon or even block a halfhearted punch from your lover. The prospect of having to quit Soldier, to stay on the sidelines while Angeal and you continued to fight was almost too much to bear. I came really close to marching up to your father's office and demanding he injected Jenova cells back in just so I could go back to 'normal'.

"Also, my dear friend, it's thanks to Vincent and Chaos that I'm recovering at all."

Sephiroth pursed his lips into a line so tight it was almost invisible. He hadn't thought of that at any point in the last few hours and he was beginning to see what had been so clear to Genesis and the others: Chaos was not a burden on Vincent but an asset and an ally.

Genesis continued, adding to the silver-haired man's insight.

"What I'm getting at, Sephiroth, is that Vincent has very likely thought about this and decided the benefits of his situation far outweigh the side effects. You coming in and making demands that, at least to him, are unreasonable, is not the way to get into his pants."

Sephiroth sat up ramrod straight and shot a fiery stare to his friend. "That is not what this is about."

"I'm not saying that's all you're after, but you can't barge into someone's apartment and kiss them without warning and then claim that you don't want to have sex with them."

The General blushed, the colour tinting his face and neck all the way down to his shoulders. Genesis grinned and shook his head slightly before turning serious again.

"Why did you do it, Sephiroth? I do not mean to offend but you've never been one to give in to passion like that."

Sephiroth ran a hand through his hair before standing up to walk towards the window. Genesis's apartment overlooked a courtyard where several middle and upper level employees were currently sitting or walking around. Among them were a few couples hand in hand or sitting under trees, cuddling and kissing, looking as happy as can be. With a small shake of his head, he closed the curtain and leaned against the wall.

He hadn't explained to Genesis or Angeal what happened before he kissed Vincent and then went on to have the most regrettable conversation of his life. He pretty much had barged into their apartment in the wee hours of the morning and proceeded to ramble on about Vincent's confession and his disastrous reaction to it. His friends heard him out without interrupting and Angeal, being a traditionalist and consummated monogamist, had immediately sided with him. Genesis, on the other hand, had refrained from backing his friend when he only had his side of the story. His earlier admonishment made it seem like he had chosen Vincent's side, but Sephiroth now realised that it was likely that Genesis wasn't interested in giving his backing to anyone in particular but in trying to breach the chasm his friend had wreaked. If that was the case, then understanding Sephiroth's behaviour was important.

Keeping that in mind, Sephiroth backtracked and tried to explain what went through his mind before he ended up at Vincent's apartment.

After Vincent stepped out of the elevator and it began its ascent to his floor, Sephiroth slumped against the far wall with his face in his hands. He took deep breaths to calm himself down and clear his head. It didn't really help, as he was still as muddled and confused when the elevator's doors opened as he'd been the entire ride back home. He nearly got locked inside the elevator, barely managing to hold the doors open to step outside. As he made his way to his apartment, he kept thinking about Vincent's hesitation in the car and the weak smile he gave him as the elevator closed.

He'd moved back to his apartment only two days before and he hadn't had a chance to unpack properly. His suitcases were still in the living room, one of them open, its contents half lying inside and half all over his couch. He was usually much neater and mindful of his apartment's organisation but the many meetings he'd had that week had left him tired enough that he just couldn't bother with cleaning the apartment or storing his things.

Needing a distraction from his rambling thoughts, he set about to tidying up, clearing the living room and carefully placing back his clothes in his closet. The action was counterproductive, as he was immediately reminded of Vincent up on the measuring platform, Rufus and the Turks chatting lively with him. His irrational side latched on to that, once more asking why they got to interact with that Vincent while he was stuck with a Head Turk that kept sending him mixed signals.

Irritated at himself, he decided to go visit Genesis and Angeal to talk things out and maybe get some peace of mind. As he was removing his jacket, the tickets Rufus gave him fell out of his pocket, along with Vincent's wallet. The gunman had insisted on paying for the ice cream and Sephiroth had held on to his wallet while they returned to the car when Vincent had left it at the counter to pick up the cupcakes.

His first thought was to wait until morning to return Vincent's wallet. However, his mind kept going back to the Turk's easy smiles for the others and his behaviour during most of the day. Although he knew he should probably check in with Genesis first, his desire to see Vincent and obtain answers and explanations overruled everything else and he found himself shoving the gunman's wallet into his pocket and making his way to the other man's apartment.

He really just wanted to talk to Vincent, but when he saw the way his crimson eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sight of him, something inside just came undone. Suddenly, all he could focus on was the other man's mouth: the subtle Cupid's bow on his upper lip and the fullness of his lower one; the telltale, minuscule smudge of ice cream caught at the corner of his mouth; how his lips parted, creating a minute space between each other that seemed to beckon him closer. A shift in Vincent's jaw was all it took for Sephiroth to take a step forward and grab the other's shoulders while dipping his head to lick the ice cream away before pressing his lips against the gunman's.

He could feel the other man's shock and knew he had to stop, but rationality went out the window as soon as he managed to part Vincent's lips and taste him properly. He was sweet but not just because of the ice cream, and there was a hint of spice, too, something Sephiroth couldn't pinpoint but wanted more of. His stomach clenched in excitement when he felt Vincent relaxing in his arms and started kissing him back; unwilling to stop, he pressed the gunman against the wall and allowed his hands to begin exploring his skin, eager to expose it to his curious eyes and tingling fingertips. He vaguely remembered Vincent making sure his sleeves were completely down during their impromptu exhibition match several days prior and he had a sudden urge to undress the man and unveil whatever he was hiding from the world.

When Vincent stopped him not just once but twice, he felt a surge of anger. His first instinct was to ignore the gunman's silent protest and chase after him, taking what he wanted regardless of the other's wishes. Whatever had unraveled before, however, quickly repaired itself and restored a modicum of coherence to his mind, allowing him to hear Vincent's explanation.

"So it was lust," Genesis said after a while. When Sephiroth shot him an exasperated look, he shook his head. "Again, I'm not saying that's all you feel for him. Still, that's what happened last night—lust got the better of you. That and jealousy."

Sephiroth went very still again.

"Jealousy?"

It was Genesis's turn to look exasperated. "Sephiroth, you've been complaining about how close Vincent is to the Turks and others since your first non-date. I've caught you shooting daggers to whoever happens to bring out a smile to the man's face, too, so don't tell me you're not jealous and envious and everything in between the two."

The General frowned and shifted his stance, blushing yet again and feeling like a child caught misbehaving.

He had no delusions about Vincent being a blushing virgin or any other such nonsense, but a part of him had hoped that perhaps he could be the Turk's first in a long time. At the very least, he was sure he could have a part of the man that the Turks had no access to, something only he could see and share. Even so, when Vincent first pushed him away, a part of him was prepared to hear there was someone else, that he had grossly misread Vincent's actions and reactions and that it had all been in his head, that the attraction was one-sided. There was a second of elation when the gunman confessed his feelings towards him, but it quickly turned into resentment and even disgust when the rest of the information came in.

Genesis kept saying that he was being unreasonable but so was Vincent. He couldn't confess his love towards someone and then say there was half a dozen other people towards whom he felt the same way and expect them to just be alright with it.

The scariest part of it all was the fact that he knew there was a middle ground but he wasn't willing to settle for it. Or, there had been. According to Genesis, he might have very well burnt that ground into oblivion.

He ran his hands through his hair again and went back to the couch, resting his elbows on his thighs and covering his face with his hands and hair.

"I really blew it, didn't I?"

Genesis sighed and went to sit by his friend, running his hand in soothing circles on Sephiroth's back.

"Yes, you did. It's not hopeless, though. If you can manage to give Vincent space and wait until the summit passes, I think you could make amends… if that's what you want."

Sephiroth frowned and looked at Genesis with a raised eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Genesis shrugged. "Vincent is not going to change his mind about Chaos and Galian, nor about Rufus and the Turks. If you want to be in good terms with him, you'll have to learn to accept his decision. And then you'll have to determine what kind of relationship you want with him, and take it graciously if he decides he wants something different… or nothing at all."

The General sighed heavily and nodded, already mulling his feelings over.

Vincent buried himself in work, filling his every waking moment with meetings and preparations, focusing the entirety of his attention into the summit. The Turks realised this early on and made every effort to ensure their boss didn't work himself to exhaustion or forgot to eat. He was uncharacteristically testy with them about it but they stood their ground and managed to keep him within acceptable health parameters. The last thing they needed, they reasoned with him, was Gast getting word of Vincent crumbling under the pressure and stress and trying to force him into skipping the summit. The gunman reluctantly conceded the point and allowed the Turks to impose regular breaks on his schedule. Sleep, however, began to elude him and he spent most of his nights training in the Turks' gym or sneaking out into the nearby mountain range to let Chaos and Galian stretch their limbs.

He was serious when he told Genesis and the others that he would do his best to keep his contact with Sephiroth to a minimum. The one time he was supposed to attend a meeting along with the General, he sent Cissnei in his place while he and Reno went over the Midgar sewer and underground schematics. It wasn't an idle task, though; the team working on Avalanche's data uncovered an email discussing the possibility of infiltrating the city through the sewer system in the lower plates still under construction. Reno had an ongoing undercover mission to keep an eye on the vagrant community that lived underground and refused to move to the established districts. As such, he had a good understanding of the city's innards and could help pinpoint weak areas that Avalanche might exploit if they decided to follow through with their plans.

Genesis had been to that meeting, too, since he would be basically stepping into Vincent's position while the gunman was away at Modeoheim. What he didn't tell anyone, however, was that Angeal had tried to go to the map review instead of him to have a chance to talk to Vincent. After the weekend fiasco, Angeal had expressed his desire to give the Head Turk a piece of his mind regarding his polyamorous affair and its impact on his best friend. Genesis, for all intents and purposes fully recovered, managed to talk his lover out of it and made him swear he wouldn't meddle in Vincent and Sephiroth's business. After that, the auburn-haired Commander found himself running constant interference between the other senior Soldiers and Vincent; it was tiring but he saw it as a way to further pay Vincent back for helping Gast find a way to stop his degradation.

After going over a variety of possible infiltration scenarios, Vincent asked Reno to take on his undercover persona and go meet with the vagrants to check if Avalanche had contacted them and to enlist their help or at least make sure they wouldn't side with the terrorists. Once the redhead was gone, Vincent asked Genesis to stay for a moment. He mentioned part of his conversation with Gast the previous week and expressed his desire to speak to all Soldier Firsts on Friday. Before Genesis could think of a way to ask about Sephiroth's involvement in said meeting, Vincent took a deep, calming breath and told the Commander in no uncertain terms that he didn't want the General to attend the meeting and would prefer if either Gast or Genesis himself filled Sephiroth in on the matter.

Genesis nodded and thought for a minute before proposing a way to keep Sephiroth away from headquarters on Friday. There was a pending security inspection in Junon that had been postponed numerous times due to Genesis's condition and lack of staffing. Even though it would put some strain on the plans that had been drawn up for the days leading up to the summit, the Commander proposed to get Lazard to send Sephiroth to Junon. It was a good idea for someone to check on Junon in case Avalanche decided to expand its efforts to undermine the company and Vincent felt better having a valid reason to keep Sephiroth away from him, so he sent a message to Elena and Kunsel to double check all intercepted Avalanche communications for intel regarding Junon and to forward any findings to Lazard and himself.

As Vincent would later on find out, Sephiroth didn't take his assignment in stride. He tried to talk Lazard into sending someone else to Junon but Genesis had been very clear with the blond and Lazard didn't budge. Unsatisfied with the outcome, the General marched up to Rufus's office to demand that he override Lazard's order. Rufus hadn't been briefed about Vincent's involvement in the decision but his anger over the weekend's developments led him to want the swordsman as far away from himself and the Turks as possible so he backed Lazard's decision and even had Sephiroth pack up and leave that same day; he also gave him instructions not to return until Monday night, making sure Vincent would be long gone before the General returned.

Sephiroth had no choice but to comply with the orders, especially when Genesis, feigning ignorance regarding the origin of Lazard's orders, highlighted the benefits of being away from Vincent for a few days so he could get his thoughts and feelings in order. His parents and sister echoed the sentiment and, feeling completely cornered, the silver-haired swordsman shirtily boarded a Gelnika towards Junon.

Friday came along and Gast had all remaining Soldiers First gather in the Science Department's conference room. Lazard and Rufus insisted on attending, as well, much to the Professor's protests. He had tried to keep them out of the meeting by leaving the decision in Vincent's hands, but the Head Turk either failed to notice the pleading in the other man's eyes or chose to ignore it altogether because he said he had no issue whatsoever with the other executives' presence. As far as he was concerned, everyone involved with Soldier had a right to know of any changes done to the enhancing formula and be updated with any new information pertaining to the program. Gast's attempts at keeping things secret, no matter how noble his justifications, reminded him of the early days of the Science Department and made him increasingly wary when around him. Galian shared his misgivings, which put Chaos in the unlikely position of playing devil's advocate in Gast's behalf, although he wasn't exactly on board with the man's approach to things.

The conference room was packed and seemed to thrum with anticipation, most of it stemming from Cloud and Kunsel. Zack was also nervous as his last booster hadn't gone exactly according to plan; the mako in his system didn't react well with the modifications Gast made to the booster compound and he had to stay overnight at the lab. Gast assured him there would be no long term side effects but the memory of the nausea and cold sweats that kept him awake for over sixteen hours straight was still fresh in his mind. Angeal had warned him about bringing it up in front of the newly promoted Soldiers so he did his best to keep the conversation light and away from the enhancements they were about to undergo. However, there was something about the President's demeanour, Genesis and Angeal's closed-off body language, and Gast's clear overall displeasure that made all his attempts at humour an exercise in futility. That was why, when Vincent came in, Zack felt so relieved that he had to remind himself that hugging the Head Turk was not a good idea.

Vincent stopped mid-stride as he walked into the conference room. Even though he knew who would be attending the meeting, he still felt like the room was more packed than necessary. Not only that, but everyone was incredibly tense; he had no idea whether Gast had said something to put them all on edge or if it was just his admittedly strange request to speak to the majority of the Soldier Department prior to a, at least on the surface, routine enhancement procedure.

Too late to back away now.

The gunman sighed softly and nodded before taking the last available seat at the head of the table. After greeting everyone and thanking them for attending, Vincent explained what Hojo did with Chaos's regeneration factor and how that linked him to the senior Soldiers. Genesis and Angeal sat up straighter and looked confused for a moment before reacting with the wariness Vincent had anticipated.

"You mean to tell us that you always know where we are? That's… Intrusive, to say the least," Angeal pointed out.

"I—or, to be more precise, Chaos—can always feel where you senior Firsts are, but it's like an afterthought, just a general awareness of your existence. If he concentrates, he can pinpoint your exact location and know whether you're physically stable but it has to be a conscious effort. I understand that it feels like an infringement on your privacy, Commander Hewley, which is why we have never made active use of this tracking capability and we will never do so unless we obtain your permission."

Technically, that was a lie. After their disastrous last meeting, Vincent had made a habit of using Chaos's link to Sephiroth to avoid the General throughout the building. The day Sephiroth left, Vincent felt a weight lift off him the moment the aircraft left Midgar's airspace. It took him a while to realise that, while he could pinpoint Sephiroth's location if he tried, it was no longer a constant presence pushing against his awareness. He felt strangely relieved but also uncomfortably bereft, like he'd gotten so used to that pressure on his chest that, now that it was gone, he didn't know what to do with that emptiness other than fill it with even more work.

Mentally shaking off the that line of thought, he focused back on the senior Firsts in case they needed more reassurance that he had no plans to keep tabs on their location like some sort of stalker. Angeal still looked leery but Genesis seemed to be mulling things over from a different angle. The oldest Commander continued to baffle Vincent by nodding slowly and delivering a statement of absolute confidence.

"You have my permission to track me down if I ever go MIA, Director." Noticing the disapproving look his lover shot his way, Genesis shrugged and added, "It's a rare opportunity, Angeal, and I'm not passing it up. You shouldn't, either."

"Genesis is right," Lazard intervened. "If Director Valentine can find you if a mission ever goes wrong, it would save us a lot of time and resources. It could potentially save your lives, too."

"What if we decided to disappear and didn't want to be found?" Angeal countered.

Everyone in the room looked at him with wide eyes or raised eyebrows; the Commander sighed and threw his hands up. "Bad example, but still."

Vincent drummed his fingers on the table a few times, trying to find a way around Angeal's logic. It hadn't occurred to him that anyone in Soldier might want to leave the company and escape the heavy burden of their responsibility. Chaos was similarly stumped and didn't have any advise to offer.

"All I can do," the gunman eventually said, "is track you down and make sure you're alive and well. Whether you want to come back after that is up to you."

Angeal huffed and asked the question Vincent had hoped to avoid - what about Sephiroth?

"I will tackle that subject with the General once the summit has passed. Right now there is a more pressing matter, and that is Professor Gast's plans for Zack and all new Firsts."

Angeal seemed about ready to protest but Zack's excited intervention saved Vincent from further discussing the Commander.

"We're getting the GPS, too?"

"Not only that," Gast said with a hint of fond exasperation. "The new formula would also boost your immune system and accelerate your healing factor so your burnout would be greatly minimised."

Zack and the new Soldiers First looked at each other with varying degrees of enthusiasm before Cloud turned to Vincent with a smile.

"It sounds great. I mean, if it's not an imposition on you."

Vincent stared at Cloud for a few seconds before shifting his attention to Zack and then to Kunsel. All of them looked back at him with a certain careful hopefulness that left him speechless for a long stretch of time during which Rufus and Gast exchanged an amused look.

"I told you not to make a big deal out of it," Gast admonished.

The Head Turk felt himself blush and did everything in his power not to huff or puff his cheeks in annoyance.

"It is a big deal," he countered, unwilling to concede a point to the scientist. "Like Angeal said, there is the issue of privacy. More importantly, you have no idea how they'll react to the new formula."

Kunsel frowned. "That's… a good point."

"There shouldn't be any problems," Gast said, shooting daggers Vincent's way.

"But if there are?" Genesis asked. The edge in his voice made it clear he was thinking about his own condition not that long ago.

"I'll be monitoring," Chaos said, startling everyone in the room. "Afternoon, by the way. Sorry for barging in but I wanted to reassure the juniors that I'll be around during the procedure and afterwards to make sure everything goes according to plan."

There was silence for a moment until Zack nodded and said, "Cool. Thanks, man."

Vincent stepped back into the fore and took a deep breath. "Glad to have that settled, but there is one more thing."

"Vincent…" Gast warned.

Ignoring him, the gunman went on.

"There's a near imperceptible link between myself and the senior Soldiers First that stems from Hojo's experiments. That link drives me to be protective of them. If you three decide to go through with the procedure using the new formula, that link will extend to you, as well. That means that you'll be not only under my protection but that of Chaos and Galian, as well."

Turning to Lazard and Gast, he went on. "It also means that my loyalty regarding them will be as it has always been with the Turks—towards them as individuals, not towards the company as an entity. If anyone, anyone at all, ever threatens their well-being, they'll have us to answer to."

Lazard raised an eyebrow and adjusted his glasses. After a minute nod, he said, "Understood. For my part, I can say that my personnel's welfare is paramount, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"You and I have had this conversation before," Gast said. "I don't feel like rehashing it now, so if we could move along?"

Vincent nodded, not paying any mind to Gast's obvious irritation. Turning to Cloud and the rest, he asked if they still wanted the new enhancement.

"If Professor Faremis thinks there won't be any serious side-effects, I'm on board," Kunsel said.

"Yeah, it's all good, Director. I mean, it's like extra insurance, and that's always a good thing," Zack added.

"Thanks for consulting with us, Vincent. It'll be a great reassurance to know that you'll have our backs, too," was Cloud's response.

Don't you dare cry.

Asshole.

Someone's on edge…

Rather than answering, Vincent nodded politely towards the youngest Firsts and then looked at Gast expectantly. Taking the hint, the Professor led the way to the lab reserved for Soldier's enhancements. Five tanks took up most of the room but only three were ready to be used. Rufus and Lazard excused themselves, not having the right disposition to witness the procedure itself, but Vincent and the senior Firsts stayed.

Do I have to poke around in here to figure out what's wrong with you?

Feel free. If you find anything, please let me know.

"We're ready to begin."

Gast's announcement drew Vincent and Chaos out of their bickering and into a state of hyperawareness. They observed as the three Soldiers entered the tanks and aides hooked them to monitors and oxygen masks. Once everything was in place, the tanks closed and were filled with a modified version of the formula Hojo had created for the enhancement procedures. Originally, the mint green liquid was laced with mako and a stabilizing agent to prevent mako poisoning after prolonged exposure; Gast had substituted mako for a chemical distilled from a plant found in the Northern Continent with the same strengthening properties but without the dangerous side effects for both Soldiers and the Planet itself. The formula Gast extracted from Vincent's DNA was also part of the mix now, as well as the regular boosters all Soldiers First got every few months.

It would take four hours for the Soldiers to absorb the enhancements, plus another hour for the tanks to cool down and yet another four to six hours for the men to adjust and recover. Nearly twelve hours altogether, meaning Vincent would be spending the entire day at the Science Department. The Turks had expressed their concern regarding that but the gunman insisted on being present during the entire process; as a compromise, he agreed to have some of them check in on him every few hours and to have them bring him lunch. In the meantime, he grabbed a chair and took it to a corner of the room from which he could keep an eye on all three tanks.

Genesis and Angeal were on the other side of the room, and he did his best to ignore their hushed conversation and the rather hostile looks Angeal was shooting his way. He was unable to miss the two times the black-haired Soldier made to move towards him, though, or how he was stopped both times by his companion. Under different circumstances, he would've taken matters into his own hands and gone up to the Commanders to have a talk with them—more specifically, with Angeal—, but he was far more concerned with Chaos's monitoring of the men in the tanks than with whatever drama the senior Firsts had going on. Besides, he was already on edge for some unknown reason and he didn't want to add to that.

All of Chaos's attention was focused on the individual Lifestreams of the men in the tanks so Vincent stepped back and kept an eye on Galian. The Planet Protector had been quiet all day, even when Angeal mentioned Sephiroth; it should have been a good sign but it added to Vincent's inexplicable anxiety. He could feel Galian sleeping (or at least so relaxed or inactive that it seemed like he was sleeping) and the lack of someone to talk to or something to do was lulling him, too. He was fighting the grogginess off when he felt Chaos shove him, hard. The Weapon barked something at him but the words were garbled; their meaning, however, was clear: keep Galian down.

Why he was given the order wasn't immediately clear, though. Vincent was soaked in Chaos's sense of urgency but he didn't feel Galian stir. At least, not right away. While the gunman was still reeling from the mental shove, he felt Galian snap into awareness. Not being at the forefront of his mind allowed him to be more attuned with the Planet Protector's overall presence, and what he felt emanating from the beast alarmed him enough to pounce on him and push him as far down his mind as he could. Galian wrestled him, growling angrily and lashing out with all his strength. Vincent felt his grip on Galian slipping a few times and he called out to Chaos for help on instinct; the Weapon never answered and the gunman couldn't risk sparing a bit of his attention to feel what was going on outside; as it stood, he was barely keeping Galian under control.

As suddenly as it started, whatever emergency had thrown both of his guests into a frenzy came to a stop. Galian quit struggling and retreated to the further recesses of Vincent's mind in a state similar to shame. The Turk didn't follow him for two reasons: the Planet Protector had gone too deep, almost as deep as he himself had gone after reading up on Fail-Safe, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to crawl up from there on his own; perhaps more importantly, he really wanted to know what had just happened. Chaos was still high strung so he didn't relinquish his hold of Vincent's body but he did make room for the gunman to have a look.

Vincent almost wished he hadn't.

Zack and Kunsel's tanks were still closed but Cloud's had been torn open. There was glass and metal everywhere, and the liquid that had filled the tank was spilled all over the floor, what little remained of it making waves on the bottom part of the carcass left behind by Chaos's claws. That's when he realized that Chaos had at least partially transformed; now that he was aware of it, he detected a faint throbbing on his arms, which he knew would translate into bone-deep pain later on. He ignored it and tried to look around but Chaos scooted against the wall, plastering himself against it and holding something protectively against his chest. He made Vincent look at what (or rather, who) it was and the gunman choked on a gasp.

Chaos was holding an unconscious Cloud, his right claw gripping tightly onto the Soldier's left bicep; a black ichor oozed from Cloud's arm and it seemed like Chaos was trying to staunch the substance's flow. In the same way he felt the throbbing in his arms, he could feel the ichor was scalding the Weapon's skin and briefly wondered if it would show on his own hands once Chaos gave him his body back. When he backed against the wall again, Vincent realized he couldn't hear anything and Chaos was once again in full control of his body, so he had no choice but to be a spectator in a strange silent horror show.

Gast was standing a few steps away from Chaos and Cloud, hands up in an attempt at appearing placating; Genesis and Angeal were behind the professor, looking haggard yet hyper-alert. Their weapons had been left at the door at Gast's behest but Vincent knew the Commanders wouldn't hesitate to lunge at Chaos barehanded if they thought he was a threat. The gunman hoped that Cloud's vulnerable state would deter them from such a reckless action but it was all up in the air.

All of a sudden, he could hear again. The first thing that he registered was a low, constant rumbling coming from Chaos—a growl that was foreign in the Weapon but wasn't uncommon in Galian. After that came Gast's voice, trembling and strained, betraying his panic.

"Whatever that thing is, Chaos, it's—"

"I told you it's Jenova," Chaos spat.

"That's not—"

"They feel it," Chaos said, pointing with this chin towards the Commanders. "I can assure you the main body in the containment room feels it, too, and if you don't do as I say and bring in Ifalna or Aerith I will personally hold you accountable for whatever happens to Cloud. Now shut up and call them!"

Gast flinched and jumped back but showed no intention of listening to Chaos's instructions. He turned around and stopped on his tracks when he saw Genesis holding his phone against his ear. Before Gast had a chance to ask who the Commander was calling, the person on the other side picked up.

"Aerith darling, where are you?"

"Don't you dare!"

Genesis threw his coldest, meanest stare to the professor and kept on talking. "There's a bit of a situation going on, which is why I need you to do me a favour and come to the enhancement lab. Bring your mother if you can. I'll explain when you get here. Thank you."

He hung up and looked at Gast, daring him to say something or make a move. For a moment, it looked like Gast wouldn't do either but he gave in to the impulse, in the end.

"Why would you bring them here? Even if it's Jenova, which makes no sense—"

Vincent felt like strangling the man, and he felt Chaos barely holding on to his self-control. Luckily, Genesis had managed to pull himself together and set things in perspective for the scientist.

"Chaos is right, we can feel her." He paused and looked at Angeal; the other man sighed and nodded minutely. "I don't know why, Professor, and honestly at this point it doesn't matter; the reality is that we're dealing with Jenova and your wife and daughter are our best bet to find a way to help Cloud and Chaos."

Gast clearly wanted to keep arguing but he was forced to concede Genesis's point. In an attempt to keep busy, he moved to inspect Zack and Kunsel's vitals. Everything was in order and both Soldiers were still sedated. Since cancelling or delaying the procedure was unnecessary, he tried to talk Chaos into moving to another room. When all the Weapon did was shake his head vehemently, Gast sighed and turned to Genesis for help.

The Commander took a moment to wonder how he'd end up the official liaison between them but stepped into the role with ease.

"You don't want to move or you can't?"

"Can't," Chaos said. He sounded very stressed, rising all kinds of alarms for Genesis. "I have to focus or it will spread."

Genesis looked at Cloud's arm and the ichor still oozing from it. The skin around it was turning an ashy tone of green and sweat had broken all over the young Soldier's body. Chaos's sable skin rippled where it came into contact with the black ooze and there was a faint scent of burnt leather nearby. Trying his best not to wince, Genesis reached out to touch the substance but Chaos jerked Cloud away from the Commander with a warning growl.

"Don't. It's trying to get away."

The auburn-haired man frowned and took a closer look at the substance. After a short while, he saw it crawling along, following the ashen pattern on Cloud's skin and moving towards Genesis. There was a pool of it on the floor, too, and it seemed to be slithering towards his boots, as well. Unable to contain his disgust, Genesis took two steps back; his horror increased when the ichor seemed to follow him.

"Reunion," Angeal said from behind him.

Genesis took yet another step back, confirming without a doubt that the ichor was moving towards him and Angeal. Chaos shifted his legs to block it and the thing stopped slithering along and began to vibrate in place, instead.

Vincent's phone rang with Tseng's tone, the traditional Wutain shamisen's notes breaking through the loaded silence that had filled the room. After gaining silent permission, Genesis fished Vincent's phone out of his jacket's pocket and answered the call. As soon as Tseng heard the Commander's voice instead of the Head Turk's, the Wutain announced that he was on his way. Genesis tried to dissuade him but the call was over before he could try to explain. Feeling affronted, he tried to dial back but a low chuckle from Chaos stopped him.

"Let him come, it's—"

Cloud moaned, curling in on himself and, by extension, closer to Chaos. The Weapon frowned and held him closer, hissing when the ichor trickled down his arm under Vincent's shirt. He was about to try to peel the cloth off his skin when the blond sighed and uttered a single word that stopped him cold and had the other three awake men in the room look at him funny.

"Dad…"

Vincent's heart stopped for a moment before aching uncomfortably. He'd known all along that Cloud saw him as a father figure but for him to instinctively call him dad at such a vulnerable, stressful time… Chaos shared his unease and sighed deeply, curling protectively around the blond and tucking his damp hair under his chin, whispering 'I'm here' while rubbing his back as soothingly as his claw would allow.

"No wonder Sephiroth gets jealous…"

Chaos's sudden movement made Cloud groan but neither the Weapon or Vincent minded that time as their whole attention was focused on Genesis. The Commander's eyes were open wide and he had his lips tightly shut, something he probably wished he'd managed to do before blurting out such an awkward comment at an even more awkward time.

"Way to go, Gen."

There was no time for apologies or explanations as Aerith and Ifalna walked into the lab with Tseng in tow. Gast walked up to the women immediately, trying to shield them from the mess that was the lab but largely failing. Tseng, on the other hand, walked past the shattered tank and the flustered Commanders to kneel next to Chaos. As soon as he noticed that one of his eyes was red he felt relief wash over him.

"Do I even want to know what happened?"

Chaos sighed heavily, shaking his head minutely. When Tseng asked what he could do to help, the Weapon looked past him towards the Cetra women huddled next to Zack's tank. Both of them nodded and approached him with determined looks. When they got close to the black puddle next to Chaos's knee, they stopped; Ifalna looked angry while Aerith paled a little, but neither stepped back.

Vincent felt Galian come to the surface now, not close enough to vie for control but enough to be felt by the Cetra and interact if necessary. The gunman noted that the Planet Protector still felt ashamed and was acting rather more tame than he'd expect given Jenova's closeness. He attributed it mainly to Ifalna's presence which was, in some measure, comforting.

"What do you need us to do?" Ifalna asked.

If they can infuse water with Holy then we can wash Cloud's arm and draw out the rest of this filth.

Chaos relayed the information and Aerith immediately reached for her mother's headdress to disentangle Holy from it. The small orb glowed brightly in her hands, making the Weapon wince. Realisation filling her eyes, Aerith placed the materia behind her back and asked Genesis and Angeal to bring her a bucket of water and some clean gauze. While the men complied, she directed her attention to her mother, who had also reached the same conclusion.

"If you touch the water, Chaos…"

"I know. 'Soul wrought of terra corrupt' and all. I'll be fine."

Will you?

Yes. I won't be able to take over for a while but I'd rather burn my own hands than chickening out of this and risk this disgusting thing making a run for it. Or worse, attacking anyone in this room.

Vincent really wanted to argue the point but knew Chaos was right, so he didn't. When he saw Tseng was about to raise his own concerns, he shook his head, not entirely surprised that Chaos was allowing him some control. However, as soon as the Commanders returned with the things Aerith asked, he felt Chaos pushing him back a little, cutting off all sensory input so the pain wouldn't filter through to the gunman's consciousness. The move made even Galian nervous but neither of them said anything; this was Chaos's decision.

Aerith and Ifalna knelt in front of the bucket of water and entwined their hands around Holy, lowering it into the water and angling themselves so the glow wouldn't bother Chaos. After reciting a few words in Cetran, Holy pulsed a few times, mint-white tendrils of light gliding out of the bucket and over the floor; some of them weaved their way towards the dark pool at Chaos's side, neutralising the ichor and dissolving it into clear Lifestream that faded into thin air. One of the light spirals continued its way towards Chaos but Tseng gently turned it away. Once the tendrils died out, Ifalna pocketed Holy while Aerith took the bucket and knelt next to the Weapon. She tried to find a way to get at Cloud's arm without soaking Chaos's claw in Holy water but there was no way.

"I'm sorry…"

Chaos smiled as reassuringly as he could and closed his eyes. He flinched when he felt Tseng's hand on his shoulder but relaxed under its comforting weight. When the first splash of cold water hit his claw, though, he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. At least the water took effect immediately and he wasn't subjected to pain for long, but he still felt his skin burn and knit itself back together every time the gauze would graze him. It wasn't until Tseng pried his fingers off Cloud's arm so Aerith could get at the rest of the stain that Chaos was afforded some respite and he relaxed; his grip on Cloud remained even after Aerith was done washing his arm, though, and it took a lot of coaxing from Tseng and Vincent for the Weapon to allow Angeal to carry the blond away. He tried to stand up and follow them immediately after but found his legs didn't have the strength to do it.

I think it's time you take a breather, Chaos.

What Genesis said—

Not now. I need to check in on Cloud.

And make sure Sephiroth will not try to come back earlier.

See? More than enough on our plate right now. Let me handle this.

With a heavy sigh, Chaos retreated and allowed Vincent back to the forefront. A drawn-out groan was the first thing out of the gunman's lips; his arms ached and there was a persistent tingling where the Holy water had touched Chaos's skin. He examined his hand and found no markings so the pain was likely to go away once Chaos had gotten some rest. His jacket was ruined where it made contact with the ichor; the same with his shirt but he only took off the jacket and tossed it towards the broken tank. Genesis was standing next to it, still looking guilty and fidgety. The gunman wasn't in the mood to either delve into the Commander's comment or to comfort him so he focused on getting up, which he managed with a bit of Tseng's help. Gast and Ifalna were gone, presumably to tend to Cloud, so he had little choices to work with. In the end, he settled with leaning against the wall while bringing up Galian's concerns about Sephiroth. That snapped Genesis into attention and the Soldier pulled out his phone to start making calls.

Aerith took Vincent's hand in hers and recited a short spell that left him feeling energised and refreshed. He thanked her and then had Tseng help him towards the reception area to ask about Cloud's whereabouts. Tseng tried to talk him out of staying with the blond until he woke up but the Head Turk wouldn't back down, so the Wutain called Rufus and the others to let them know he'd be looking after Vincent. When they walked into Cloud's room, he was already awake and Gast was taking his vitals while Ifalna checked his arm. Vincent nudged Chaos to get a reading off Cloud's Lifestream.

It's… Complicated. Jenova is dormant now that Holy cleared out the tainted mako from his system, but it's not completely gone. He's like Sephiroth and the other two now, except…

Except what?

The strain of Jenova in his system is the same as Sephiroth's, so they're linked now. I can't know how deeply until they interact with each other.

Vincent rubbed his face and debated whether to share the news with everyone present but was interrupted by Genesis and Aerith bursting into the room.

"Sephiroth's missing and he's not answering his phone."

Cloud frowned and brought a hand to his forehead. It was there for only a second but Chaos saw his pupils shift into slits, like Sephiroth's, and his concerns grew. The blond's next words confirmed it all.

"He's coming this way. He… He doesn't know why but he feels he was to be here." When Gast pushed for specifics, Cloud shook his head. "I don't know… I'm sorry, it's so confusing. I'm getting just garbled thoughts." He blushed and looked away from Vincent. "He's got a lot on his mind."

The gunman didn't like that look but wouldn't pressure Cloud in front of everyone. After a quick consultation with Chaos and Galian, he told the rest to just let Sephiroth come over. Gast reluctantly agreed and excused himself to go check on the other two Firsts; Aerith and Angeal followed him while Ifalna, Genesis, and Tseng remained behind. Vincent tried to politely ask them to leave but each one had a reason to stay and putting up a fight sounded exhausting.

"How is Galian doing?" Ifalna asked.

Apparently, Gast had filled her in on what happened at the lab and she was worried the restraints on Galian wouldn't hold much longer. Vincent reassured her that Galian was under control and that he had remained calm while Jenova was physically in the room. Just to be on the safe side, Ifalna reinforced her bond with the Planet Protector before excusing herself to go check on her family.

"How are you feeling, Cloud?" Vincent asked.

"Really good, all things considered. It's just, this thing with the General… It's really strange."

Genesis sat at the foot of the bed and smiled reassuringly at Cloud. "If it's anything like what the three of us share amongst us, it will fade with time. Even if it doesn't, we found ways to ignore it. We can help you with it."

Cloud nodded slowly. "Do I need to redo the enhancement session?"

Genesis and Vincent exchanged a look before the Commander shrugged and told him they would have to wait for Gast to do an evaluation. The blond nodded and said he didn't want to miss the summit; Genesis was about to tell him not to worry about it when Vincent cut him short.

"You'll come with us. Chaos wants to keep an eye on you and will be able to know if something is wrong even before you notice it yourself. I would feel better, too."

Cloud seemed pleased with the answer but Genesis stood up and asked Vincent for a word in private. Tseng looked bemusedly between both men but told Vincent he'd keep Cloud company. After some hesitation—he had an idea what Genesis wanted to discuss and he wasn't in the mood for it—, he followed the young man out to the hallway. Again, he allowed him to start the conversation.

"Are you sure taking Cloud to the summit after all this is such a good idea?"

Vincent felt the hairs on his arms and back stand as Galian's hackles rose. After a placating word, he rolled his shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest before answering.

"I am. Are you sure you're asking this for Cloud's sake and not out of loyalty towards Sephiroth?" He didn't pause when Genesis shot him an offended look. "So this has nothing to do with what you said at the lab?"

Genesis took a step back and a deep breath. "I am worried about Cloud, just as I'm worried about Sephiroth's reaction to all this."

"All the more reason to keep him away from Cloud."

"Then why did you say it was alright for us to let him come back?"

"The sooner we get a clear idea of how deep their link runs, the better. Also, do you really think we can stop the General once he's taken a decision?"

The Commander shook his head. "Of course not; he's as stubborn as his parents—all of them. Vincent… About that thing in the lab…"

"There is no reason for Sephiroth to be jealous of Cloud, Genesis. If he does, that's not my problem, and I won't let him turn it into one for Cloud or myself. I hope you'll make that abundantly clear to him."

"You don't plan to talk to him about it, then?"

"I told you before that I won't address personal matters with him until the summit passes. Jenova's little stunt hasn't changed that."

Genesis nodded, obviously affronted, and took his leave. Vincent returned to Cloud's room to find the blond asleep and Tseng texting. When he saw Vincent come in, the Wutain looked at him curiously and the gunman gave him a brief explanation of what happened at the lab and his conversation with Genesis. Tseng smiled and shrugged, looking affectionately at Cloud.

"Family keeps getting bigger. It's a good thing."

Vincent nodded and asked Tseng to get him some food and a new pair of gloves. The Wutain nodded and left after hugging Vincent, leaving him with the impression that his second in command did it to derive comfort for himself as much as to provide some for his boss.

—

Chapter notes:

GAH. I'm so, SO SORRY it took this long to update this. I had a terrible case of writer's block that nearly turned permanent, several fits of depression and self-hate towards my writing that got really scary, and then this chapter had a mind of its own. I have three, THREE drafts of it sitting on Scrivener. And it wanted to be longer! But I had to cut it short before it became a novella in and of itself.

The next chapter is in the works but I will make no promises or predictions about its release! I just hope you'll bear with me 'til the end, whenever it comes.