Title: A Waste of Time
Prompt: "Sephiroth's First Time" Challenge on ffvii_yaoi (livejournal community)
Disclaimer: I have a job that doesn't include working for Square Enix and this isn't going to help me quit.
Pairings: mild Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth
Rating: PG to M
Summary: After Sephiroth's first battle he is embarrassed by his reaction. Angeal and Genesis are willing to help, and not just with his after-battle jitters.
Warnings: Swearing and some blunt talk about sex but that's about it.

"I'm fine," Sephiroth said it as firmly as he could. Unfortunately, his voice was trembling as badly as the rest of him. Despite that, he maintained his aloof stance in the middle of the tent he was sharing with his fellow SOLDIERs. He knew what was expected of him as Hojo's prize experiment and it wasn't this.

"It was your first real battle and it was a nasty one. You're allowed to be..." Angeal searched for the right word; nothing offensive or condescending.

"...freaked out," Genesis supplied. Not really caring if the new boy didn't like the term. "C'mon already. It's fucking cold!"

"'Freaking' is a waste of time and energy," the silver-haired youth paraphrased. He tried for the disdain his mentor would have used but his teeth were chattering too much. "Hojo will not be pleased to know that I have reacted so emotionally."

"He'll never know," Angeal reassured him. At just sixteen, Sephiroth was the youngest of the three of them. Three experiments, ShinRa's new 'Wonder SOLDIERs'; all of them brought to Wutai to see what they could do. They had as many observers with them as combat troops.

"I'm certainly not going to tell that bastard anything." Genesis' voice was distorted as he was busy rearranging the bedding to give them maximum comfort and warmth... once they managed to talk the new boy into joining them.

"It is not permitted," Sephiroth clutched himself. He was so cold. "I am not allowed to be so weak. I am to be better than that, better than anyone. I should—"

"You should allow yourself to be human," Angeal soothed, moving close enough to reach out a comforting hand. He was relieved when the young silver-haired warrior didn't shrug off his grip.

"The good Professor," the red-head's voice dripped scorn, "has never been in battle. He has no fucking clue what it's like." Angeal and Genesis were three years older and they'd been fighting in Wutai, off and on, for over a year as negotiations broke down and restarted. Each time it was as vicious and as bloody and as useless as the time before.

"He's a very learned man," Sephiroth defended his mentor.

"He's a fucking psycho. They all are."

"Gen..." Angeal cautioned his friend. A rant about the Science Department and their treatment of the three of them wouldn't help Sephiroth. "But he's right in a way. Nobody knows how they'll react to a battle. It's different for everyone. Getting the shakes doesn't mean you're weak—"

"It could mean it's fucking cold in here."

"—it just means that you're human."

"But I'm not fully human."

"You're human enough for this." Odd, cat-slit eyes blinked into warm, brown ones. "You are allowed to accept comfort freely offered, Sephiroth. We all are."

"And heat, don't forget that part." Genesis was now hopping from foot to foot. He was exaggerating somewhat, it wasn't that cold yet, but the temperature would drop dramatically. Wutai was not a gentle country. Even their altered metabolisms wouldn't protect against -30˚ weather when they only had a thin, standard-issue tent. ShinRa, in its fucked-up wisdom, had decided the SOLDIERs' didn't need winter gear.

"And heat. Genesis is right about that one," Angeal chuckled. "Huddling together is in the survival manual."

"Other soldiers do it?" the young fighter asked.

Genesis smirked, "They do much more than that," Angeal frowned at him—no need to startle the prey, "but we'll get into that later. For now, can we please get under the covers?"

Sephiroth reviewed the ShinRa Defence Forces' Extreme Weather Survival Manual, which he'd memorized, and found the passage the dark-haired SOLDIER had mentioned. It did indeed recommend huddling in groups under covers to maintain body temperature. It also said it worked best naked.

"Naked?" he looked horrified.

"Yes, naked," Genesis confirmed impatiently, "You'll like it. Can we strip now?" It wasn't whining but it was close.

Angeal rubbed a soothing hand up and down Sephiroth's arm, "It'll be okay. Trust me."

And Sephiroth, who hadn't been raised to trust anyone or anything other than his mentor, looked into kind, brown eyes and, for the first time, decided to trust his instincts rather than Hojo's training. He gave a quick, jerky nod.

Genesis whooped, "Finally!" and hurried to undo all the zippers, clasps and ties that made up the SOLDIERs' new uniform. The red-head hated it; it was awkward, cumbersome, complicated and it had no style. Once he had established a reputation he was so designing his own...

Sephiroth raised shaky hands to his own uniform. He couldn't seem to manage the small fasteners. He frowned. Angeal, seeing it, brushed his long fingers away and took over the task. He wasn't impersonal but he was efficient and he quickly had the young man stripped down to his pearly, goose-bumped skin.

"Go on," he said and gave Sephiroth a gentle push towards the nest Genesis had created. The smallest SOLDIER was holding the blankets up in invitation. Sephiroth could see a sliver of his pale chest, his muscles were clearly defined. The teen swallowed his nerves and tried to look confident as he walked over and slid in beside the brash young SOLDIER.

"Tsk," Genesis chided, "You need to get closer for this to work." So Sephiroth moved closer. It was startling to feel the heat of another man. It was doubly startling when slim arms encircled him and he experienced the smoothness and strength another person's naked body. Then he felt another one, stronger, more solid but just as warm and silky, slide in behind him, and he went beyond startled. He didn't know how to react to this.

Genesis chuckled, shifting silk-like skin over Sephiroth, "You're shaking like a virgin. I told you we'd save that for another time."

"Gen," Angeal scolded, "Leave him alone. If what we know of Hojo is correct then Sephiroth's probably never been cuddled before, especially not by two naked men." Large hands scooped up long silver hair and casually braided it. It stopped the young SOLDIER from asking when exactly the other two had been discussing him and why.

Genesis pulled back to look ice-blue eyes into acid-green, "Is that true, Sephiroth? Have you never been cuddled before?"

"I—I... it wasn't, umm," Sephiroth stuttered, "I don't believe so."

"Hmm," Genesis obviously disapproved. "You mean to tell me a boy as pretty as you, and you are very pretty though of course not as pretty as me," he smiled as he said it, as if to invite Sephiroth to join in a joke. Sephiroth just blinked, not understanding. Genesis sighed, "We'll work on your sense of humour. Anyway, where was I?" he asked the air.

"Being annoying," Angeal answered.

The red-head smirked, "That's part of my charm. Ah yes, I remember. You're attractive, you're sixteen, and you've never stolen a snuggle from a sexy nurse?" Sephiroth shook his head. "Never had someone invite you to a mutual grope session in the shower?" Genesis persisted.

Sephiroth frowned, "You mean has anyone ever grabbed for my, my penis while I'm cleaning myself?"

"A slightly more clinical description of the process but essentially correct. I assume someone did?" Sephiroth nodded. "So did you enjoy it?"

Sephiroth was torn. He wanted to answer truthfully but Hojo had forbidden him to mention that he had killed one of the men and maimed another. The third guard had run away and Sephiroth had never seen him again. Although... Genesis hadn't asked what happened; he'd asked if Sephiroth had enjoyed it. "Not really. I made them stop."

"Oh," Genesis exchanged a look with his best friend. He knew Angeal had caught the very telling 'them' in Sephiroth's short little statement. Young virgins didn't generally start their sexual lives with more than one partner. Although he fully intended for the new SOLDIER to do exactly that—might as well start as he meant for Sephiroth to go on, after all.

"Ever kissed anyone, boy or girl?"

A shake of the head.

"Ever been kissed by anyone, boy or girl?" Sephiroth was going to respond but Genesis added to the question, "and I mean on the lips preferably with tongue."

'People use their tongues to kiss?' Sephiroth thought and then wondered what it would feel like, but to answer Genesis' question he merely shook his head again.

"Have you ever jerked off? Please tell me you've at least done that."

"I... I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, "I don't know what you mean."

Genesis looked horrified, "You don't know... what that means? Honestly, what kind of an education did you get? Forget this 'you're not human' crap, I'm beginning to have serious doubts about Hojo being a mammal," he muttered in shock.

He continued to complain about Sephiroth's deprived childhood so Angeal took over the explanation, "It means to touch yourself on your penis and in the groin area in order to bring yourself pleasure."

"Lots of pleasure," Genesis expanded, "but it's better if someone else help you."

Sephiroth knew what they were talking about now. They were talking about erections and ejaculating. "Hojo didn't let me." A short explanation and entirely true if hardly complete. "He said sex was a waste of time."

Hojo used to have a machine milk him once a week after he hit puberty. The Professor had said it would increase Sephiroth's aggressive instinct to limit the release of sperm to a controlled schedule, plus the sperm itself was scientifically revealing when examined so it was an efficient procedure. The silver-haired teen had to agree with Hojo because he couldn't actually say he'd enjoyed the experience. He'd never liked being naked in front of all those lab technicians as they inserted the electrodes, and affixed the monitoring wires. The lab was always cold, as was the tube they'd used for the actual procedure. The end of it, the 'orgasm', often left him weak and fuzzy-headed enough that it was hard to remain standing, but he couldn't afford to fall because Hojo would get angry at any show of weakness.

He wasn't going to explain all that; he wasn't even going to try.

Angeal had finished braiding Sephiroth's hair. He tossed it over towards his friend and moved in tight, covering and warming the young warrior's slim back. "Next time you have an erection, we'll show you what to do."

"Bet your sweet ass we will," Genesis vowed, "Un-freaking-believable. Not know what 'jerking off' is! Here, we'll start with this," he announced and lifted Sephiroth's chin, "This is a kiss." He brought his lips down and carefully but firmly nibbled at the new boy's thin, rich mouth. He pulled a sculpted lip into his own, soothing the non-existent bite marks with gentle licks before exploring just inside Sephiroth's mouth; teeth, gums and, gently, delicately, tongue-to-tongue.

Sephiroth was shivering again but it wasn't from the battle or from the cold. It was anatomically impossible but stimulation of the nerves in his lips and mouth were causing ripples down his back and through his stomach. He'd felt this before, when Hojo conducted electro-shock experiments, except that this was different somehow... enticing rather than uncomfortable.

He moaned, but it wasn't from pain. No, it was something else. Was this the pleasure Genesis had been talking about?

It was amazing but it didn't end there. Behind him, Angeal was sucking at the nape of his neck. The warm-eyed, gentle SOLDIER scraped his teeth over Sephiroth's Atlas vertebra before nipping a path to the sensitive nerve cluster at the joining of neck and shoulder. The big man was stroking soft fingers down Sephiroth's spine and then back up over his side. If that weren't enough of a sensory overload, he was also making a soft noise that Sephiroth thought was called 'humming'. It made his skin vibrate.

Sephiroth decided that it was pleasurable, just as Genesis had said, but it was making his heart beat abnormally fast and his breathing was becoming erratic. He was losing control of his muscle function as well because he couldn't stop his hands from clutching onto Genesis. He knew he should be worried at the signs of physical distress but he wasn't. In fact, he was enjoying them. Was that normal?

Sephiroth could feel the erections of other two SOLDIERs. They were so hot. They weren't pressing their shafts against him, and he didn't think the other SOLDIERs meant it as an invitation rather it seemed like their body's natural reaction to what they were doing with their mouths. His own penis had filled in response to the stimulation but, unlike the others, he couldn't help but press it, just a little, against the red-head's firm thigh.

He could feel Genesis smile against his lips. The red-head pulled away. His ice-blue eyes were half-lidded with sensual pleasure. "Mmm, tasty," he sighed happily. "Did you enjoy your first proper kiss, pretty boy?"

All Sephiroth could do was nod his head. Angeal was still nibbling on his shoulder, but lazily now, slowing down.

"Excellent. So endeth the lesson," Genesis announced and swatted his friend lightly on the head to make him stop.

"What?" Sephiroth protested. He didn't want to stop, but maybe they'd moved on to some of the other things they'd talked about. "What about the other, other activities you mentioned?"

"Jerking off?" Genesis clarified. Embarrassed, Sephiroth ducked his head but he still nodded.

Genesis lifted the young SOLDIER's chin once again. "When you're not suffering a reaction to battle and cold; when you've had a chance to think about what we're offering and can accept it, then you can make that decision, because I warn you, pretty boy, once you agree to a hand-job you're agreeing to everything. Everything we can think to do with you—"

"And Genesis has a good imagination," Angeal interjected.

"You'll be ours and we'll be yours and that will be the end of it. Do you understand, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"Good," A quick kiss on his forehead, "Now get some sleep, Captain, you've had a long day."

Genesis wrapped his arms around Sephiroth. Angeal wrapped his arms around them both. Instead of feeling trapped or claustrophobic, the young SOLDIER felt safe and comforted.

Now that they weren't stimulating him, Sephiroth could feel the tiredness dragging at him, affecting his muscles and his mind. The warmth of the two sandwiching him was also having a debilitating effect; he felt as if his bones were dissolving or maybe they were becoming too heavy to move. He couldn't decide except that it was a... a delicious feeling, like eating his first chocolate pudding had been. Although his body tingled more from being kissed than it had from eating pudding.

He wanted to savour the feeling but Genesis had been right. It had been a momentous day. He'd fought in his first battle, commanded his first troop, he was receiving his first snuggle and sleeping skin-to-skin with other people for the first time, and he'd received his first real proposition. Or at least, the first one that interested him.

"Sex feels better than kissing?" he asked because he wasn't sure he believed it.

Behind him Angeal chuckled, low and filled with secrets. Genesis hummed, "Oh yeah."

Sephiroth pressed his lips together. He could taste Genesis on them. He twitched his shoulder and could feel echoes of Angeal's ministrations. His heavy erection was just beginning to subside. Those sensations were just from kissing. Amazing, he thought.

He decided Hojo was wrong—sex wouldn't be a waste of time after all.

For the first time in his life, he was smiling when he fell asleep.

Fin.