And here's part two, so it'll be waiting for those of you who crawl bleary-eyed to your computers tomorrow morning, afternoon, whatev. Yay for meeting deadlines!

Special thanks to Amaya-chan for trying to explain explosives to me (I still say you know way too much about that stuff). Hope you're feeling better, dear. Thanks always to you and Kiisa for playing along in my deranged little world, and love to all my readers. Your support means more to me than you'll ever know.

Okay, you all know I don't own most of these people. I'll let you get to the smut now.

IMPROVISATION, PART TWO

Sephiroth was deep in thought and somewhat nervous as he left his quarters and began to head back to his office. He had spent most of the hour-long break pacing the expensive tile and imported carpet of his floors, wavering between yes and no on every decision he had to make. First dates were important, he assumed, and therefore there was a need for things to be perfect. Or, if not perfect, at least agreeable. Wild ideas crossed Sephiroth's mind, most of which were totally contrary to his character. In the end, he decided to use his own best judgment, and what he knew of Zack. And of himself.

This anxiety would not go away until the date was in progress, at the least, so Sephiroth did his best to lock it in the back of his mind so he could finish the afternoon's work. As he walked the corridors, it became abundantly clear that news of he and Zack had traveled. Every 1st he passed by congratulated him with a wide smile, and Commander Hitchcock jovially informed him that they were planning to celebrate at Avaldi's, an exclusive bar in Midgar, that night. Sephiroth didn't forbid this, though he did decline the invitation to join them.

"General, good day. And my congratulations on the happy news."

Sephiroth was nearly to his office door, and not terribly eager to get into a conversation with the head of the Turks, who was mostly a mystery even to the general, though his liking for attractive young men was known. One of these young men was Zack, which brought up a surge of possessiveness that was fast becoming a familiar feeling.

"Thank you."

Tseng offered his enigmatic smile. "True, some might say it's unfair to take you both off the market, so to speak, at the same time. And I confess I'm surprised, General, I didn't think you favored relationships. But I think you made an excellent choice."

Pretty words, Tseng, when your eyes speak only annoyance that you didn't get to have Zack while there was even the slimmest chance of doing so. Beneath his polite expression, Sephiroth was smirking. Too bad, Tseng. He's mine, and if you forget that, I will feel perfectly justified in giving you a reminder.

Either the pat Sephiroth gave his sheathed sword or the mischief in his eyes seemed to make Tseng think better of saying any more about Zack. The Turk cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

"I wish you both the best of luck. By the way, I advise you to be cautious around Amaya and Kiisa. They received the news with outspoken glee and I overheard them saying something about wanting to get pictures. You know where the security cameras are. Avoid them."

Sephiroth was slightly perturbed to think Tseng assumed he would be groping Zack in public and all over the ShinRa Compound, but after a moment's consideration, he found the idea rather appealing. There was the decorum of a SOLDIER to consider, and the propriety that a general was expected to uphold, but it wouldn't hurt to make clear to everyone just who Zack belonged to. Within the Turks alone, there was Reno, a notorious player who, according to Angeal, had had his eye on Zack for a while now.

"I'll keep that in mind, Commander. Thank you."

"Glad to be of service, General."

It was a relief to be back in the familiar surroundings of his quiet office, but only for a moment. Levine jumped to his feet as soon as Sephiroth entered, clearly distraught and nervously fiddling with his hands.

"Is something wrong?"

"General, I'm sorry, I told him no one's allowed in without authorization and that you were out, but he insisted on waiting for you. I said I'd call security, but...he just laughed, and I..."

A cold chill formed a ball in the pit of Sephiroth's stomach, and threatened to sneak its tendrils upward to keep him from speaking. "Hojo?" he managed to say calmly, somehow.

"Waiting in your office, sir." Levine's fists were clenched; he knew better than most how uncomfortable his employer was around the scientist. "Sir, I can have security here in moments."

"That won't be necessary, Levine, thank you."

The few steps it took to get to the door felt like an endless stretch of road leading to an unwinnable battle. Sephiroth's hand shook slightly as he reached for the handle. Hojo, he knew, was very possessive when it came to his "property". If he found out Sephiroth was falling in love, if he believed Zack had more power over him than Hojo himself...

I would kill him. I would kill him at last if he dared touch Zack.

Sephiroth inhaled a deep breath, opened the door and stepped inside with his posture rigidly straight and his expression neutral. A wave of disgust rippled through him as the scientist came into view, idly examining the objects and volumes on the shelves. He continued for a few moments before speaking in his shrill voice.

"Still have a taste for reading history, I see, my boy. I had hoped to see more science texts in here. Though you are a creature of death, not learning, however intelligent you've always been."

That insult would have stung, once, before his friends and 1st Classes had convinced Sephiroth that he was more than a killing machine. "Is there something you require, Doctor?"

"Require?" Hojo's hurt tone would have seemed genuine only to a stranger. "Must I have a reason to wish to see you, my boy?"

Don't call me that, you sadistic madman. "You rarely visit my office, Doctor. Usually you call and request my presence in the lab."

"True. But I find it interesting now and then to observe you in settings you find more comfortable."

Sephiroth walked briskly to the far side of the desk and sat down; now he could clench his fists without them being seen. "Now that you have observed, Doctor," he said tensely, "is there anything else? Have you begun analysis of the samples brought back from the site of the explosion?"

"Those useless Turks only got the samples here two hours ago," Hojo grumbled dismissively. "It will be some time before I can present my results to the president. But I thought you might like to know immediately why the SOLDIERs couldn't sense the explosives. Clever enough, I suppose, but no challenge for my intellect."

Hojo was clearly enjoying drawing this out and trying to catch his prized subject displaying impatience. Sephiroth knew this game and merely blinked passively, giving the scientist a few seconds of silence to gloat.

"Of course, Doctor. And the reason is?"

"I've not yet determined what fuel element was utilized. But it seems those that constructed the explosive device used military-grade mako for the oxidizer."

The general understood at once. "The SOLDIERs were unable to differentiate between the mako they sensed in each other and the mako contained in the explosives."

"Precisely," Hojo said, sounding bored. Unsurprisingly, he felt no concern for the lives that could have been lost.

"Mako is only safe to handle in its diluted form," Sephiroth mused aloud. "Such processed mako is not easy to obtain. That should aid us in our efforts to track down those responsible for this attack."

"Leave such things to the Turks, that's what we have them for." Hojo moved nearer, observing closely with unblinking, reptilian eyes, and Sephiroth quickly schooled his angry expression into one of emotionlessness. "Why so agitated, my boy? No lives were lost, therefore there has been no waste of training or negative impact on your army. The injured will be useful again shortly, or discarded if they've been too damaged."

Sephiroth kept his face an unmoving mask, a perfect likeness of the marble statues he was often compared to. But internally, his blood boiled to hear his loyal, irreplaceable, courageous SOLDIERs spoken of like objects that could easily be thrown away. As though their lives and dreams and unique personalities were worth nothing. It was no shock, of course, Hojo valued only himself and his work and Sephiroth. People were tools and subjects and things, like Sephiroth was a thing. The general's hands twitched; he gripped his knees to keep his fingers still.

"What's wrong, my boy? Not upset, are you?"

"No, Doctor, of course not."

"Of course not. I don't know why I bothered to ask. I know we see eye to eye in situations such as these." Hojo faintly smiled in a way that Sephiroth had learned to be wary of. "Have you heard the latest amusing rumor your men are circulating throughout the company? Something about you being in love? Apparently they don't know you as well as they believe if they think you capable of such foolishness."

Hojo laughed, always a terrible sound, and it was almost painful for the general to have to feign amusement. "Yes, well," he said flatly, "they are free to speak such nonsense as long as they follow orders."

"I must say, I am a bit surprised that you've chosen Fair as your latest sexual partner. I don't recall you ever selecting such a young one before." Hojo crossed the room to the opposite bookshelf, adjusted his glasses and peered at the rows of books one by one. "Hmm. Though if you set out to pick one of that age group, I can certainly understand your decision. Fair is quite lovely physically, however dull-witted and spoiled by Hewley he seems to be."

It was a very fortunate coincidence that Hojo happened to be looking away as he spoke, because Sephiroth couldn't entirely contain the snarl of rage that twisted his perfect features. He forced himself to breathe inaudibly, to regain his neutral expression as quickly as possible, reminding himself that Hojo needed to believe that Zack meant little to him if he was to remain safe. By the time the scientist turned to face his subject again, Sephiroth looked unmoved, even bored. Beneath the desk, the nails of his left fingers were digging into his palm and drawing blood that spotted his leather pants and trickled in rivulets down his wrist.

Hojo approached casually, hands clasped behind his back, until he was standing at the edge of the desk and staring down at the grown child he'd raised as though from a great, authoritative height. Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to look up, so he shuffled and sorted some papers and felt Hojo smirking at him.

"Not concerned there might be trouble with Hewley, General? Does he approve of you fucking his little pet?"

Even aside from his anger at Zack being spoken of so crudely, Sephiroth always felt unnerved on the rare occasions in which Hojo used profanity. He never did it unless it was to provoke a reaction. Sephiroth had to make sure he gave one that would dissolve any suspicions the madman might have, so he gathered his strength and looked up with a blank face and steel eyes colder than ice.

"Fair is old enough to legally consent. What I do with him is none of Angeal's business, and I will not allow him to interfere."

Sephiroth could not remember the last time he had vomited, if indeed he had ever done so, but Genesis had once described the feeling of it for him, in his usual dramatic way. And the sensation of cold and churning and urgency and awful sickness he had detailed closely matched the unpleasantness that Sephiroth was feeling now, as Hojo's triumphant smirk shifted into a smile that was only a shadow of true affection. Sephiroth held the eerie gaze, held his ground, and refused to flinch even when a cold hand briefly reached out and stroked his hair.

"Be careful, my boy. Don't do anything to risk your health. And remember that the company expects a great deal of Fair. Try not to break his weak little heart."

Abruptly, Hojo turned and left, giving the impression, as he always did, that he had much more important things to attend to. Numbly, Sephiroth without thinking rubbed his palm roughly over the hair that Hojo had pet, as though trying to wipe away all remnants of the doctor's touch. Slowly and with a faint trembling in his body that he ignored, the general stepped into his adjoining bathroom and cleaned up the small mess of blood his fingernails had made. He stared without blinking at his injured hand until the wounds closed, leaving no trace behind, then went back to his desk. Unconsciously again, he wrapped his arms around himself and squeezed his shoulders in tight, making himself as small as he could the way he had as a child, back when he still allowed himself to miss Dr. Gast and had believed he could ever hide from Hojo.

It suddenly seemed like an eternity before this day would be over and he could see Zack. Zack. Zack. Sephiroth filled up his frozen mind with images of the young man, his smile, his face in sleep, the smell of his hair, the taste of his warm mouth. He envisioned the evening and night they would have together, alone, away from everyone's judging eyes. And after a little while, Sephiroth had calmed and was able to concentrate again.

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Bouncing rather than walking was not an unusual thing for Zack - some might even call it his standard operating procedure - but this evening he was finding it hard not to outright skip through the hallways. After going off duty, he had showered, changed into civilian clothes - jeans and a black sweater lined with a pale blue that matched his eyes - and packed the dinner ingredients, fresh clothes, his toothbrush and Sephiroth's freshly washed pajamas into a bag. Now, after some nervous pacing and deep breathing and escaping Edwards from the P.R. department, Zack was on his way to his first date with Sephiroth.

A date with Sephiroth. Zack couldn't have stopped beaming happily if he'd wanted to, even when a group of 1sts caught him on their way out of the Compound and proceeded to embarrass him with hair-ruffling and winking and jokingly suggestive comments. Zack accepted their hugs and congratulations (knowing they all saw him as a little brother), swore to be good to their beloved leader, and assured them that he knew he could come to them if he needed advice or to talk. At last Hitchcock smirked and said they'd better not keep him any longer, and led the rest out merrily while several broke into spontaneous song.

After that, the halls were mostly quiet; Zack had purposely chosen a route that tended to be empty around this time. Therefore when he turned a corner and instantly spotted two of the few female Turks, it was not only a surprise - it was too late to hide.

The blond young women were walking together, Amaya tossing her knife repeatedly into the air and catching it while talking rapidly about something, and Kiisa listening and occasionally inserting a dry laugh or a comment that made them both giggle. They had waved to Zack right away, so he had no choice but to keep walking the corridor until they met in the middle. Then he waited with an uneasy smile as they finished up their conversation.

"I know Tseng says he doesn't want to hear how all my dates go, but he should have been interested in the part about me discovering a new way to escape regulation handcuffs. That's work-related, isn't it?"

"You're really so surprised, Aya?" Kiisa scoffed. "You know Tseng's policy on too much information. He was well within his rights to - "

"To throw the coffee pot at me?" The shorter blond tossed back her curly hair and made a little-girl pout. "You wouldn't defend Tseng-Tseng if you didn't have a dragon-sized crush on him."

"Aya!" Kiisa hissed, then cleared her throat and flickered her thoughtful eyes over to Zack. "Hello, Lieutenant Fair. We just wanted to say that we heard, and that we - "

"Want pictures."

"Yes. But we also congratulate you. We think it's wonderful news."

"And a pity we never got to install those cameras in Sephy's bedroom," Amaya said, wrinkling her nose with displeasure.

"General Sephiroth," the taller girl corrected. "You've got to stop provoking him."

"Well, he won't mind as much now, will he? He'll be all lovey-dovey and moonbeams and fluffy kittens from now on."

Zack laughed nervously. "It's a little early for that, don't you think?"

"No." Kiisa smiled warmly at him. "You're a catch, Fair, even the general's got to know that."

"Cuter than a baby chocobo holding a teddy bear," Amaya agreed.

The 2nd grinned and blushed slightly. He was firmly gay, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate compliments from the prettiest girls in all of ShinRa.

"Thanks, ladies. If you'll excuse me, I've got a date to get to."

Kiisa and Amaya exchanged excited glances and emitted soft fangirl shrieks in unison. "We won't detain you, then," the former said with a wink. "We need to be going, too. Confidential Turk business."

"Yeah," Amaya said in a dreamy, faraway voice. "We have to deliver Reno to Rufus before he gets desperate and starts humping my leg again."

"Aya!"

"What?"

The young women argued in light voices as they continued on one way and Zack headed the other, until he boarded the elevator and even his enhanced hearing couldn't pick them up anymore. He did some more deep breathing as a soft 'ding' announced his arrival on Sephiroth's floor, and he approached the apartment door with a feeling of exhilaration. He knocked three times, and the door opened, and all tension evaporated for the moment as he was immediately drawn into the most loving embrace he had ever known.

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Zack contentedly took the time to snuggle against Sephiroth's chest through the black silk shirt he was wearing, and appreciate the lips and fingers caressing his lavender shampoo-scented spikes. Sephiroth was holding him close and breathing him in deeply like he was much-needed oxygen, and whatever exact feeling prompted this, it was mutual. With the same slow frenzy, Zack dropped the bag he held and dipped his fingers into the remarkable flow of silver hair, and kneaded the strong shoulders he grasped for better leverage. This was heaven, and if it was only hugging, what would it be like to...

The teenager moaned into the open mouth that ensnared his own, licked at and tasted every bit of Sephiroth's inner heat he could get at. Not nervous in the slightest in this moment, Zack wantonly thrust closer to the hardness he felt and tilted his head willingly as lips wandered to gently suckle at his neck. A long-fingered hand was caressing his back beneath his shirt, the other cupping his ass, groping, squeezing -

And as quickly as it had begun, it was halted. Sephiroth wrenched himself a step back and tenderly cupped Zack's face as they caught their breath, and a little of the hot lust cooled out of their bright eyes. When Sephiroth kissed him again it was more chastely but no less loving, and when the general lifted Zack's hand to press his lips to it, the boy's knees nearly gave out.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"I have been longing for you all day," the general confessed, and was further eased by the adoration he felt in Zack's gaze. "Come. You must tell me if all is acceptable."

As the general drew him further into the apartment, Zack finally tore his eyes from Sephiroth and noticed what he was referring to. The simply but elegantly furnished residence was dim, lit by glass-encased white candles placed all over and making it seem as though the bright moon was shining on them from every angle. A few vases of plain but sweet-smelling white flowers perfumed the air slightly, enough to enrich the ambience without being too obvious. Soft, romantic instrumental music was playing from somewhere, and in the open dining area, the table was beautifully set for two, white tablecloth and plates with silver cutlery and silver taper candles surrounding one of the vases. Zack was speechless, and remained so until he was prompted.

"Is this all right?"

"Seph, it's..." Zack blinked rapidly to keep his eyes clear. "You did all this for me?"

"I would do a great deal more for you," the general said, so quietly and simply that Zack had to bury his face in the silk shirt again until he was sure he wouldn't cry.

Sephiroth played with and kissed his fine black hair in the meantime, and when Zack looked up and wordlessly pronounced himself ready, he led him into the kitchen. Admittedly, it was not the room that either of them were thinking of.

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Had there been any genuine anxiety left, the time spent preparing dinner would have resolved it. The kitchen rang with Zack's laughter when he announced that he already knew his way around the drawers better than Sephiroth, who admitted that he rarely put much effort into cooking. He seemed fascinated by Zack's ease with it, the graceful sweep of his arms as he strained the boiling noodles, the way he didn't measure the spices into the sauté pan but seemed to judge their proper amount by just watching and smelling.

Having requested to help, Sephiroth was assigned the task of chopping the vegetables, and with his usual meticulous precision he cut them into pieces of exactly the same size. Zack was startled by this, but to Sephiroth's relief he was also impressed and pleased.

"Perfect. You get extra points for aesthetic value."

"Points?" Sephiroth asked, and Zack laughed warmly.

The general had already guessed from the smell of the food that he would like it. But when they sat opposite each other at the small table and Zack tried not to look nervous as he took the first bite, Sephiroth was surprised by how delicious it was. The heat and spiciness reminded him of Wutainese cuisine, but this dish also had a faint sweetness and crunch from the vegetables that was very pleasant. He smiled and quickly took a second forkful.

Zack grinned. "You like it?"

"This is excellent. Who taught you to cook?"

"My mom. She started after I told her I was gay. I was, like, thirteen or something, and that was her reaction. She pulled me into the kitchen and said 'You better start learning this', which, now that I think about it, was kind of insulting. But I'm glad I learned now, or I'd probably be living on pizza. Angeal says I do anyway, but he exaggerates. Oh!" Zack's smile beamed even brighter. "You remember, I told you you've got to go to Pizza Palace with me sometime? Now we can make it a date! Um, I mean...if you ever decide you want to do public dates like that."

"I may have time this weekend," Sephiroth said, pausing to wonder why Zack looked both pleased and relieved. "That is, if you don't mind the crowds I tend to attract."

"No problem. I can be your bodyguard."

The boy wanted to protect him? Sephiroth took a sip of chilled wine to counteract the heat in his face. "I am also tailed by Turks whenever I go into Midgar."

"So we'll duck into a side alley and give 'em a show. Unless it's Amaya and Kiisa, or Reno. They'd enjoy it too much."

Or Tseng, Sephiroth added mentally.

The wine and good food and each other's company eased both of the SOLDIERs into a comfort they had neither of them ever felt with anyone else. Zack forgot completely that the famous general had ever intimidated him, and Sephiroth listened and laughed and displayed a happiness that even Angeal would have been shocked to see. They cleared the dishes together, and Sephiroth was about to mention the fudge cake he had bought for dessert, but Zack abruptly faced him beside the dishwasher and made him pause and forget everything else he'd been thinking of.

The boy's cheeks were slightly pink, maybe from the wine, and though his smile held a hint of shyness his cerulean eyes were on fire with need. Sephiroth pulled him close, so that the entire lengths of their bodies came together, and Zack pressed his face into the general's neck and groaned softly.

"I want you," he whispered boldly, sweetly, and nudged his clothed hardness up against Sephiroth's own. "I feel like I'll go crazy if we wait any longer."

"Are you certain you're ready?" Sephiroth murmured, though his thoughts were roughly ZACK BED NOW. "I don't wish to pressure or rush you."

"I think I'm rushing you."

"You can't be," the general said, softly and heavily. "If this is truly what it means to desire, then I have never wanted anything before you. I can think of nothing but you." Each uttered word opened him wider, made him more vulnerable, but he couldn't stop himself. "I don't know if this is permissible to say, but I don't just want your body but all of you. I want to keep you safe and make you smile, and destroy anything that tries to take you from me."

His arms wrapped possessively around the teenager, hands caressing and exploring and just barely tempering their urgency with the wish to be gentle. Zack was nuzzling and kissing his neck and jaw as he spoke, and Sephiroth only managed to stop his sentimental babbling when the boy's shoulders shook and he made a sound like a sob. Dismayed and cursing himself, the general pulled back, held Zack by his upper arms and examined the strange combination of wet eyes and a smile.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Nothing can hurt me now," Zack breathed out in a gasp, his chest beginning to heave. "But Gaia if you don't take me into the bedroom now or fuck, even take me here, I'm gonna jump you."

Requiring no more assurance than that for the moment, Sephiroth literally lifted Zack off his feet and had them inside his candle-lit bedroom before either of them could blink. He didn't put the 2nd down right away, and with their heights temporarily closer Zack could kiss him fervently without stretching. He did so, only stopping to touch the buttons of Sephiroth's shirt and pant "Can I...?"

Sephiroth tore the garment half-open in response, and let Zack do the rest. He set the young man back on his socked feet and pulled at the hem of his sweater, figuring that must be okay when Zack lifted his arms to let it be yanked off. Hands went for Sephiroth's zipper next, and he stepped back to quickly divest himself of his pants and the rest of his remaining clothing. Zack's jaw dropped at the sight of his bared body, and though he had received such stares of awe many times before, never had he appreciated any like this one.

Zack had abruptly stopped touching, his arms limp at his sides as he gazed, frozen with worship and want. Only Sephiroth embracing him again seemed to snap him out of it, though he couldn't make his working mouth expel any sound yet.

"Thank you," Sephiroth said softly, slipping his fingers beneath the waist of Zack's jeans. "May I remove these?"

Zack nodded eagerly and kicked them away when they fell, but then blushed and lowered his head to realize he was naked before Sephiroth, Sephiroth, who almost hurt his eyes to look upon. He would have covered himself instinctively had the general not taken his hands and, to Zack's amazement, looked him over with seemingly the same reverence Zack was feeling. The boy must have had on a questioning expression, because Sephiroth encircled his slender waist and stroked his hot cheek as he spoke his explanation.

"I have envisioned this, but you are even more beautiful than I could have imagined," and what might have been a line from someone else rang of absolute, baring-one's-soul truth. Zack was so stunned that his knees wobbled, and Sephiroth held him steady as they moved toward the bed. The general paused and waited for Zack to nod urgently before lifting him again and laying him down on the enormous satin-covered mattress.

Since following his instincts seemed to be working well for him, Sephiroth continued to act without analyzing first. He hovered over Zack, kissed downward from his neck as fingers clawed his shoulders, then straightened to look at him with reassurance as he gently rubbed just below the boy's stomach, so close to the source of Zack's feverish heat that he thrust up a little and mewled pleadingly. Sighing with the relief of finally having this, Sephiroth took the 2nd's erection in hand and kneaded, letting fingertips travel to explore every inch of his sex.

Zack's mouth fell open to gasp a low cry. His eyes were wide, hazy with pleasure but still the most remarkable translucent blue that Sephiroth had ever seen. Once he'd established a slow, teasing rhythm, the general watched with fascination as Zack's sweet face flushed and contorted, and he was worked up to the approaching climax with incomprehensible noises and moans that resembled Sephiroth's name. Clearly they were both enjoying this, though the brief threat of tears in Zack's eyes gave him pause.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

"Gaia don't stop," was the answer, half plea, half order, and Zack grabbed for Sephiroth's wrist to keep his hand where it was. "'M good, 'm good it's so good, never been like this before..."

"Relax, Zack. Breathe." With his free hand Sephiroth cupped and caressed his warm cheek, thinking he never wanted to stop touching this exquisite face. "I'll take care of you, trust me."

"Trust you, love you, Gaia I'm yours," Zack babbled, arching up and throwing his head back. "Seph, I want to...please - "

"You want to come for me? I want to watch you." Skillful fingers coaxed Zack's face back to where his eyes could be caught and mesmerized into a half-open, unblinking trance. "Look at me."

The mako-infused blue was glowing, their winter-sky color seeming to spasm as though threatening to explode. The smaller body, silken limbs on satin sheets, shook in a way Sephiroth thought he understood, though he'd never been with anyone so inexperienced or so incredibly sensitive to his every touch. All this time, he continued to stroke, aided by the slickness weeping from the erection's swollen head. Zack's heart pounded in time with this rhythm, his breathing became more shallow and rapid. He was close...he was croaking a subdued scream and arching rigidly...he was shooting a stream of heat that Sephiroth caught and exalted in. The sight of the young man in the throes of orgasm was indescribable, it would undo anyone, and between his own legs, Sephiroth's cock was eager and leaking with anticipation.

The boy closed his eyes and caught his breath for a minute while Sephiroth licked the salty-sweet seed from his palm. What to do now? The general knew what he wanted (what he wanted most, at least), but he didn't want to push or pressure. While trying to think, he wiped off his hand and tenderly brushed a few damp shocks of hair from Zack's face.

"Are you tired? Do you wish to stop?"

"Fuck me," the 2nd breathed, eyes beginning to blink. "Want you. I want to sleep naked in your hair."

"I don't think it's quite long enough to adequately cover you."

The laughter this prompted seemed to revive Zack. Sleepy eyes twinkling again, he pulled Sephiroth down for a kiss so deep that their tongues nearly choked one another. "Seph," Zack said at last, and the general reluctantly released the kiss-swollen lips. In the midst of this dreamy, shared bliss, Zack was looking at him seriously.

"I want you," the teenager whispered, seductive in his trust and innocence that time and experience couldn't rob him of. "Take me, make me yours."

Even if he'd thought it too soon to do this, Sephiroth couldn't deny that he wanted this nearly to the point of madness. And Zack was willing, smiling coyly, bending and lifting his knees and thighs to rub them against Sephiroth's sides. Flexible, as SOLDIERs had to be, drawing his legs toward his chest to expose himself. Somehow, in an instant, lubricant from the nightstand was in the general's hand. Without thinking first, he spread some on his fingers, but then held back and slowly thumbed Zack's nipple and the taut skin surrounding it instead.

"Are you sure?"

"Yessss," Zack hissed as the nipple hardened and glistened under this ministration, and the same was done to the other. "I need you, need you inside...ungh..."

That last noise was one of discomfort, encouragement and relief, forced out of his throat by the pressure of the first finger entering. It circled a little first, then plunged slowly into the almost-virgin tightness. He was as smooth inside as outside, fever-hot and constricting around the invading digit, but quickly beginning to relax. With two fingers Sephiroth grasped the prostate and stimulated, holding Zack's hip to keep him from flying off the bed. The teenager moaned his pleasure, wantonly spread himself open wider as he was scissored open. Another finger followed, and together they eased him open, slipped around in the slickness they were creating against the hot passage's walls. Watching Zack writhe and plundering him like this was immensely arousing, and Sephiroth considered adding a fourth finger, but was interrupted by shaking hands grasping his arms.

"Seph, I'm ready, please, take me, fuck me, fill me - "

He couldn't argue something they both needed. With hands beneath Zack's knees, Sephiroth positioned them both and slicked himself well. Slowly, he told himself, but edging the head inside, though it must have hurt a little, seemed to drive Zack wild. He immediately tried to impale himself further, and grabbed hold of Sephiroth and tried to pull him deeper.

"All...of it, give me all...of you - "

"I will, but slowly...I won't hurt you - "

"You won't," Zack groaned, clearly frustrated. "Fuck yes, open me up, I want to take it all..."

In the tiny part of Sephiroth's mind that could still think in sentences, he thought He looks so innocent, but he doesn't sound so... The general eased in further, forcing his eyes to stay open so he could watch Zack react. Sculpted legs locked around him and held him in place, but Sephiroth had no intention of leaving, no desire to be anywhere but here. This was a willing body, and there had been so many willing bodies, but the difference was too vast to measure even with Sephiroth's vocabulary. For the first time, the bliss he felt was concentrated in his heart, and it was warm finally, open as he and Zack were opening up to each other. This was more than sex, unfathomably more, and for the first time, Sephiroth realized this without fear.

For Zack, it seemed the entire universe was rapidly expanding and collapsing. Nothing existed but he and Sephiroth and flesh slowly thrusting into him, but the joy was too big to hold in the little world of their joined bodies. It spilled out in a few tears that rapidly disappeared into the pillows, it burned beneath his skin and between his legs, fragments of it sought the heavy air and escaped his mouth in the form of loud cries and groans of ecstasy. Sephiroth's face above was open to him in a way it never had been before, its statue-stillness shattered and its every contortion speaking pleasure. Silver eyes flamed like molten steel down upon him, and somehow their intensity, which frightened almost everyone, laid bare to Zack that he was indeed loved and needed and Sephiroth's, even if the general was unable to say the words. No matter. Zack heard them.

Tighter, the passage was clamping tighter on Sephiroth, pushing him further along this ascent to the peak. The contraction and the change in Zack's rapid breathing told him they were both nearing the end, and with a twinge of regret (and plans to do this as often as possible), Sephiroth made to curl his hand around the hard length prodding his stomach. But he had only to give it the lightest touch, and the inner spasms took hold of every part of Zack. Eyes locked on the teenager's face, Sephiroth only felt the warm spray coat his midsection, too enraptured by the blue eyes rolling back to white to glance away. Zack's scream was followed hard upon by his own cry, a sound he didn't recognize, and Sephiroth's last few thrusts as he shot deep into the boy's relaxing body.

The descent for the general was quiet, happy, not even brushed by the sense of loss he had come to expect. Zack looked completely drained, but made weak grabby motions with his hands, and to his own amusement, Sephiroth understood. He bent down and lifted the 2nd off the bed and wrapped him in his arms, kissing Zack softly and nuzzling with a strange desperation until the young man caught his breath. The urge to hold him closer was strong, so after a short time Sephiroth drew back (gently hushing the whimper this prompted) and carefully pulled out of Zack. Zack made a soft sound of loss and a little pain, then opened his eyes all the way to sense a flurry of rapid movement. Sephiroth had gotten a fragment of materia from somewhere in the room, light was expanding out of it...and at once, all the soreness and discomfort in Zack's lower body disappeared.

"You...Cured me?" The general looked concerned. Not regretting, please not regretting. "Seph? Wh-What's wrong?"

"There was blood. Did I - "

"I'm not hurt. I'm perfect, as long as you come back here."

Both displaying obvious relief, Sephiroth eagerly got back into the bed, and worked the comforter out from under their bodies to cover them. "Wow," Zack murmured again and again as though in a daze. His face was glowing with happiness as Sephiroth pulled him close and held him like there was a chance he'd be snatched away. Zack clung right back, and tiredly kissed Sephiroth's peaceful smile.

"That was beautiful," Sephiroth murmured into his mouth. "I want to make you do it again. I want you...always..."

Zack responded to this overwhelmed vulnerability by kissing and touching every inch of skin he could reach. "I'll never go away," he whispered, "you'd have to kill me", and Sephiroth relaxed again. He clutched Zack to his bare chest as sleep crept up on them both in the silence of the next few minutes, petting and rubbing this body he now considered his. Was such a thought improper, even offensive? He was debating whether or not to ask when Zack spoke in a tiny voice that made Sephiroth instinctively squeeze him closer.

"Keep me awake. Seph, keep me awake?"

"Why?" the general asked gently. Zack's face was hidden, buried in his chest, but his words were shaky and slightly alarming.

"I'm afraid if I go to sleep I'll wake up and this...will have been a dream."

However tired, Zack sounded genuinely worried. Sephiroth thought reassuring him must be the proper thing to do, but the idea the boy had expressed gnawed at him a little. Perfection like this had never before existed for Sephiroth, he'd never had a place that felt safe from everything unpleasant and hurtful, or someone he wanted with all of his heart to hold like this forever. It could be a dream. There had been a few good ones mixed in with the bad throughout his life - Genesis alive, Gast returned, kind hazel eyes that survived the death he had doomed them to.

Despite this, Sephiroth wanted to soothe Zack, to say it was impossible, but instead heard himself murmur "So am I."

"Seph." Zack's lips began to move on the pale skin of his chest and neck. This seemed to comfort him. "Seph..."

"I'll keep you awake as long as you want."

They had the strength only for slow kisses and exploration of the bodies they had just shared with one another. Though spent, they still tangled their legs together and pressed close, so each could feel the other and remember what they had just done, and anticipate all the times they would do it. Sephiroth's last thoughts of the night were not profound or even coherent, merely a wordless, endless spiral of love. He was still kissing and caressing Zack when they both surrendered to sleep.

Eek, Seph and Zack's first time, no pressure, right? I hope it pleased. See you in the next installment of Decorum, which I'm already working on. : )