Rufus smiled as he slipped into the bedroom, being careful not to let the chains in his hands make any noise as he eyed the sleeping blond stretched out on the sheets. It was getting on to late afternoon, but Cloud was fast asleep, both hands above his head as he enjoyed the square of sunlight that fell through the window to illuminate the bed. Cloud had come back a few hours earlier after a long and difficult delivery, made so by the various monsters who decided that the blond was an easy target, and he had just enough energy to inhale some food, scrub the dust and blood off, before he fell into bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Blue eyes trailed over tanned skin glowing in the sunlight, and lust stirred Rufus’ blood as his eyes drifted over that nicely muscled chest with the nipples that always seemed to beg to be bitten, to the rippling abdomen and finally to the thick penis that promised pleasure even soft. It always amazed Rufus that neither Vincent nor Cloud had any hair beyond what was on their head and their eyebrows, and he learned that it was from the SOLDIER treatments both had undergone at Hojo’s hands.

It was also those treatments that made both insanely strong, and what had lead Rufus into procuring a pair of manacles made to restrain a SOLDIER First Class. That and the call made by a completely inebriated Cloud before they had become friends much less lovers, where Cloud had slurred that he had been tired of being fucked over by Shinra and if Rufus wanted to try again, he’d damn well better have chains to hold Cloud down ‘cause that would be the only way. Later, when Rufus had confronted a sober Cloud with that information and casually inquired if Cloud wished for Rufus to tie him to the bed before fucking him, Cloud had blushed, stammered and changed the subject, but for a few seconds there, there had been definite interest and curiosity in those mako blue eyes.

Now, with Reeve and Vincent due back in a couple of hours, it was time to call Cloud on that desire, and with as tired as the blond was, it would be the work of seconds to get the manacles around his wrists, chaining him to the bed.

Gliding silently across the wood floor, Rufus slid onto the bed and managed to loop the manacles through the iron headboard that had been custom made for them because Vincent and Cloud had the bad habit of breaking regular beds, without waking the sleeping blond. Smirking, he carefully fastened one of the manacles around Cloud’s wrist, the action drawing a sleepy murmur from Cloud, indicating his return to consciousness, and Rufus snapped the other manacle on just as mako blue eyes flew open.

Instead of the anger or confusion that Rufus was expecting, those glowing eyes were filled with a soul-chilling terror, the only warning the young president received before Cloud started screaming and thrashing like a man possessed. Rufus reached up to undo the manacles, unfortunately before his fingers touched the metal, a powerful leg came out of nowhere and threw him across the room where he hit the wall hard enough to dent the plaster.

“NO! Hojo... no!” screamed Cloud, and it was the memory of his lover’s terrified face that Rufus carried with him as he succumbed to unconsciousness.

Vincent followed Reeve into their house, the role of bodyguard ingrained in him from a time when he wore a blue suit and white shirt instead of black leather and tattered crimson. The house was quiet, but there was something in the air that stated something was wrong.

“I hope Cloud will be up soon,” remarked Reeve only to blink up at Vincent as a leather encased hand came down on his arm. “What is it?”

“Something’s wrong,” stated Vincent, his voice soft before he takes a deep breath, sorting through the myriad of scents that linger in the air. The normal scents were there, but hanging on the air were the faint tangs of terror and pain, hours old, and he was running before he realized his body was moving. Up the stairs and into the bedroom with Cerebus in his hand, red eyes scanning for threats as the scents he had followed filled his head.

Rufus lay crumpled on the ground beneath the dented wall where he had obviously been thrown with great force while Cloud lay sprawled on the bed, motionless with his wrists chained to the headboard above his head. Mako blue eyes glowed in the sunlight, empty and staring, a familiar sight after the worst of Cloud’s nightmares, but it was still a month before the next cycle was to begin.

Behind him, Vincent heard Reeve swear quietly, and the crimson cloaked man has holstered his gun on his way to the bed. “See to Rufus,” he ordered, tossed casually over his shoulder.

“Was it an attack?” asked Reeve, his dark eyes dancing around the room even as he knelt next to Rufus.

“No,” replied Vincent, stripping his clothes off. Their security was too good for any but the four of them to enter without it being *obvious*, and he had noticed the comments Rufus had tossed at Cloud about chaining the other blond up. “Rufus did this, and Cloud threw him into the wall in his desperation to escape.” He could see blood staining the metal cuffs where the blond had torn the skin trying to escape what was probably SOLDIER-proof manacles and the iron headboard was warped from Cloud trying to break free before he had slipped into his current catatonic state.

Sliding onto the bed, Vincent’s fingers found the release for the manacles, and he threw the blood stained metal to the floor with a grimace of disgust. It was apparent Rufus hadn’t been thinking when he had started this, because this was the most stupidly suicidal stunt he had pulled since the Remnants. Cloud may not have held the rank of SOLDIER First-Class, but he still had the instincts and training of one thanks to Commander Zack Fair. Any Turk would tell you that it was a Very Bad Idea to surprise a SOLIDER by chaining him to a bed, and with Cloud’s past as Hojo’s experiment, it was even more dangerous for both Cloud and whomever decided to chain him.

Easing the muscular arms down, Vincent massaged them, knowing that they must be hurting, before folding them across Cloud’s waist, and there was a startled hiss that caused Vincent to pin the now awake Rufus with a burning glare. The other blond was being helped to his feet by Reeve, one hand holding the back of his head as he grimaced.

“I hope you are satisfied,” growled Vincent as he stretched out next to Cloud, and Reeve manhandled Rufus over to the bed so he could see exactly what his insane plan had done to the most vulnerable of his lovers.

Rufus glared back, ice blue eyes meeting burning red. “This was *not* what I had intended,” he replied, his words clipped as he drew himself to his full height, becoming every inch Rufus Shinra, President of Shinra Inc.

Rolling out of the bed, Vincent stood before Rufus naked except for the metal claw and grabbed the boy’s chin, golden points digging into the pale skin as a promise of the violence that was held, forcing him to look at Cloud, forcing ice blue to meet vacant mako touched blue. “Look at what you have wrought, Rufus Shinra. Your actions are not without consequences, even if they are not the consequences you desired. This is the mess that you have created for someone else to clean up, and I certainly hope I can pull him back from where he has retreated.”

The words were softly hissed at the blond before Vincent released him to slide back into bed, pressing his bare skin against Cloud, and he stroked the spiky blond hair with his human hand. It always surprised him at how soft the blond hair was, like chick down, and Vincent nuzzled his nose into the fine strands of gold, placing his lips next to the shell of an ear before he started whispering to the catatonic blond. Gentle words to coax Cloud back, letting him know that he was safe and it was all right to come back, while Vincent stroked his human hand over the blond’s face, shoulder, arm, through his hair, comforting touches as soft as the words being whispered.

Shaking his head at the stubbornness he could see in Rufus’ eyes, Reeve curled his hand around the younger man’s arm and pulled him out of the room, leaving Vincent alone with Cloud. He had known Cloud suffered from debilitating nightmares, but this wasn’t a nightmare. Nightmares didn’t chain people to beds and leave them there as they tore their wrists open trying to escape.

“Just *what* was your plan that you managed to fuck up so badly?” demanded Reeve as he shoved Rufus onto the couch in their living room, and a small part of him delighted in the wince that he received from his rough treatment of the blond.

Rufus sighed as he relaxed back against the cushions, one arm coming up to rest across his eyes. “If you must know, I was going to chain Cloud down and wake him with a blow job before moving on to more interesting pursuits,” he drawled, lifting his arm to toss a glare at Reeve. “Do you wish to know the technique as well?”

Reeve snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “No, I want to know where you left your brains to come up with that idea,” he stated, his anger growing at the spoiled brat in front of him.

“Simple. When I confronted Cloud about his behavior towards me when he had been drunk and inquired if he wanted me to chain him down before fucking him some time, he had protested but there had been interest in his eyes,” stated Rufus, dropping his arm to stare at the older man. “Whenever I tested the water by teasing him about chains, he would change the subject, and I thought he was being shy so I decided to force him to confront the issue today.”

“You forced it, all right,” snarled the dark haired man, his fingers clenching in his jacket sleeves to keep from striking Rufus. “Forced Cloud right into a catatonic state. I hope you’re happy.”

The blond shook his head, wincing at the movement. “That was never my intention,” he objected. “The second I realized something was wrong, I tried to unfasten the manacles only Cloud kicked me across the room like a blitzball.” He spread his hands in a ‘so there’ gesture. “The rest you know.”

Running a hand through his shoulder length dark hair, Reeves started pacing even as he growled in his chest, a habit he had acquired from Cloud and Vincent. “Did it ever *occur* to you that there might be a *reason* Cloud was hesitant about letting you chain him to the bed? Such as bad memories?” From the surprised look on Rufus’ face, he realized that it had never occurred to the blond. He threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Of *course* not, because your Rufus Shinra, and you know only as much as you *want* to know about someone so you can manipulate them better.”

Sniffing, Rufus stood up, brushing a bit of dust off his clothes as he did so. “I refuse to stay here and be browbeaten....”

“SIT DOWN!” roared Reeve, and Rufus sat with a surprised look on his face. Next to Cloud, Reeve was the most good natured of the four and never before had Reeve raised his voice to any of them.

Dark eyes snapped with fury as Reeve towered over Rufus. “When you are out there, surrounded by your Turks, then you have the right to act like President Shinra. But in here, when it’s just the four of us, you’re simply Rufus Shinra. Today, you hurt one of your lovers *badly* by this little stunt, and strained your relationship with the rest of us at the same time. If I were you, I would keep my ass planted there and seriously think about what happened and what your next move is going to be, because if I know Cloud, then he’s going to run. Not because what you did could be considered an attack, but because he hurt you by throwing you into the wall. Even though that’s nothing more than what you deserved for that stunt.”

With that, Reeve whirled and left the blond sitting thoughtfully on the couch as he returned to the bedroom, pausing only long enough to grab a mastered Restore and the bracelet to slot it into along with a damp washcloth. He slipped out of his clothes upon entering the bedroom, neatly folding them on a chair, before kneeling next to Cloud on the bed, gently holding one lax hand as green danced over the torn skin, mending it without a problem. Softly, Reeve ran the washcloth over the blood, removing it from his lover’s skin before repeating the process with the other wrist, replacing Cloud’s hands on his waist when he was done.

Sliding the bracelet off his wrist, Reeve dropped it on the night stand and stretched out next to Cloud, marveling once more at the heat that seemed to pour off the blond even as he gently petted the soft skin, dusky fingers sliding over faint scars barely seen by regular eyes. It always amazed him to see his lovers’ skin next to his own, each distinct in their own way. Once, when they had been pleasantly tipsy together, he had marveled at their coloration out loud. Vincent had been ivory and ink, Cloud had been dubbed peaches, cream and gold, and Rufus had ivory and white-gold to describe him. They in turn had decided he was caramel, and after they had returned back to their home, they had decided to see if each tasted as sweet as they looked.

“Come back to us, Cloud,” murmured Reeve, trailing kisses down the blond’s face. “We’re going to tune of Fenrir this weekend and get dirty, spending the entire day in the garage with grease under our nails. We might even be able to convince Vincent to join us if only to get him into something other than black leather.” A soft chuckle brushed against Cloud’s ear. “I’m thinking of making this year’s anniversary party for WRO a costume party where everyone has to dress as someone from the past. Think we could convince Vincent to don that horrible blue suit he use to wear as a Turk?”

“You would have to be *very* convincing to get me back into that suit,” remarked Vincent, his red eyes flashing playfully even though his face never changed. “The question would be if you are planning on dressing up as Cait Sith or the giant moogle that cat rides around on.”

There was a slight hitch in Cloud’s breathing, and Reeve propped himself up on his elbow to watch awareness return to those mako-touched eyes as the blond slowly blinked. Cloud frowned in confusion as he looked up at them.

“Vincent? Reeve?” he croaked and winced as his apparently sore throat made itself known. “What happened?”

“Easy, Cloud,” soothed Reeve as he sat up with the blond, cuddling Cloud to his chest. “What happened was Rufus didn’t think about the consequences of his actions.”

Those blue eyes looked up at him, searching his face for any clue, but Reeve refused to give anything away that might send their fragile blond back into the catatonic state he had just been coaxed out of. “I remember collapsing in bed, exhausted after that delivery,” began Cloud, frowning as he puzzled through the memories. “There was someone on the bed with me and then metal and chains...”

Cloud’s breath started coming faster, and Reeve cuddled him close to his chest, one hand holding Cloud’s head over his heart and the other stroking that broad back. “Easy, everything’s fine now. You’re safe and with your lovers and friends.”

“It was Rufus,” gasped Cloud, blue eyes wide as he clutched at Reeve’s arms. “He’s the one who chained me for Hojo...” He was starting to gasp, his breath coming faster, and Reeve continued stroking his back.

“Easy Cloud. Just relax. Hojo’s dead and gone and you’re safe,” soothed Reeve as Vincent moved to face Cloud, his metal claw stroking through the soft blond hair. “Vincent and I won’t let anything happen to you.” Cloud buried his face in Reeve’s shoulder as sobs wracked his body, and Reeve gently rocked the blond as he cried himself to sleep. The bearded man eased the sleeping blond back on the bed and tugged the covers over him before standing up. He glanced over to find Vincent pulling his clothes on and followed the ex-Turk’s example. He ignored the long tunic-like jacket he normally wore to slide on pants and a shirt before they wandered down to the kitchen.

As he passed the living room, Reeve was not surprised to find Rufus had vanished during the time that they had been upstairs with Cloud, and he shook his head as he started making dinner for the three of them.

“Rufus claimed that he tried to free Cloud when he started panicking but was thrown into the wall before he could,” remarked Reeve, his voice neutral as he focused on the meat cooking in the pan. “He also thought that Cloud’s reluctance at being chained up was just him being shy about it.” A bitter laugh slipped out of the dark haired man. “Didn’t even occur to him that there might be more behind Cloud’s feelings than that.”

Vincent didn’t say anything, but his presence was a comfort to Reeve who wanted nothing more than to track down Rufus and spank the spoiled brat. “The trust required for that comes from it being given, not taken, because when you allow someone to tie you up like that, you are placing your *life* in their hands in the hopes that your trust isn’t misplaced.”

“You seem to know a lot about such things,” remarked Vincent, and Reeve glanced over his shoulder as a faint blush stained his cheeks at the question in red eyes.

“Scarlet talked when she was drunk,” he confessed. “It was after Meteor had been summoned, and we decided that it would be a good idea to loose a few hours to alcohol.”

Silence descended on the kitchen as Reeve cooked, but the dark haired man didn’t take offense to it. He had learned that Vincent spoke when he felt was necessary or when he wanted to know something.

“You realize he’s going to run,” remarked Vincent as Reeve placed everything on the table, and Reeve nodded with a sigh. There was no need to ask which ‘he’ the gunman was referring to when it was obvious to both of them.

“It will probably take some serious persuasion to convince him to come back,” Reeve stated with another sigh as he started picking at his dinner. “If he runs, it will be to the church.”

“And we will follow,” agreed Vincent turning towards his own dinner.

Leaning over the pool, Cloud stared into the water as he tried to make sense of his chaotic thoughts. It had only been a day since that disastrous incident in the bedroom, and while neither Vincent nor Reeve had told him where the new dent in the wall had come from, Cloud knew that it had been his fault it was there. He was a danger to his lovers, save Vincent, and even then, Cloud could hurt him if he wasn’t careful.

‘None of them need someone that dangerous in their lives,’ he decided, glancing almost guiltily at the bag of clothes and toiletries he had packed after Reeve and Vincent had left for the WRO office. Part of him wanted to be angry at Rufus for putting him in that position, but he knew that it was his own problems that had endangered Rufus. What if he had hurt the other blond enough to endanger his life if Vincent and Reeve hadn’t come back when they did? Cloud shook his head.. He couldn’t endanger them, no matter what they said.

A soft breeze drifted through the church and ruffled his hair almost affectionately. ‘Silly. You’re not dangerous to them,’ sighed Aeris’ voice in his head. ‘Accidents happen all the time.’

‘But I could have killed Rufus,’ he protested, leaning back to sit on his heels as he buried his face in his hands. ‘If I had hit him a bit harder or at a slightly different angle, I could have easily snapped his neck.’

‘Nah, those Shinra are durable bastards.’ Now it was Zack who was talking. ‘You might have knocked some sense into him.’

‘You’re good for them and they’re good for you,’ added Aeris with a firm certainty. ‘You’re someone Reeve can get dirty with in the garage. You can hold your own against Vincent when his own demons get too loud. You stand up to Rufus and refuse to back down, something he needs more of in his life.’

Cloud only shook his head and curled his arms around his legs before resting his cheek on his knees, watching the sun play on the water. He didn’t feel like arguing with the ghosts in his head, not today and probably not for a few days until he didn’t feel like he was stretched too thin like a pie crust rolled out by a child.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, watching the water sparkle as the scent of Aeris’ tulips filled the air around him, before the door at the front of the church opened to admit two familiar figures. He didn’t move as they walked across the floor and Reeve sat in front of him, mirroring his position, while Vincent remained standing next to them.

"You know, it’s hard to convince Vincent to join us in the garage if you’re here with Fenrir," remarked Reeve, his tone light and casual. "So how about returning to the house with us?"

The blond shook his head as he closed his eyes. Why did they have to make this harder than it already was?

"Why not? I mean we could stay here but it would be hard to work on that behemoth with all our tools back at the house," the bearded man pointed out logically.

"I d...don’t want t...to hurt you," stuttered Cloud before groaning in utter humiliation as he buried his face in his hands. It had been years, at least five before he ran off to join the Shinra Military, since he had stuttered that badly, and he had been sure that he had finally grown out of it.

"You forget who you are talking about," remarked Vincent with a touch of amusement in his voice, and Cloud looked up at them with worry clear in his mako-touched blue eyes.

"I c...could have k...killed Rufus," he objected. "W...what happens if n...next time I m...manage to k...kill him or y...you DAMNIT!" His clenched fist slammed down on the wooden floor next to him hard enough to break the wood, and Cloud closed his eyes as he tried to keep from screaming out his frustration. He wasn’t sure he would be able to stop if he started, and the last thing his lovers needed was him having another emotional breakdown.

The scent of blood filled the air and Vincent knelt next to Cloud, avoiding the broken wood as he grasped the blond’s hand. Some wooden splinters had pierced the skin and drawn blood, and Vincent used his teeth to pull off his leather glove before turning his attention back to Cloud’s hand. The scent of gunpowder, dust and cinnamon swirled around Cloud as the gunman bent his head to easing the wood out of the bloodstained flesh, and Reeve moved to sit behind Cloud, his own scents of sandalwood, machine oil and ink mixing with Vincent’s. A soft sigh slipped out of Cloud as Reeve’s arms came up to wrap around his waist, and the blond leaned back against his older lover, feeling some of his anxiety drain away.

"It’s a good thing that you heal quickly," remarked Vincent, his voice soft and it washed over Cloud, soothing his frazzled nerves a bit more even as he watched the shards of wood being eased out of torn flesh only to be followed by crimson before the skin healed. One of Reeve’s hands moved from Cloud’s waist to his head, urging the blond to lean back against him, and Cloud didn’t have the energy to fight them at the moment, not with their scents mixing with the peaceful atmosphere of the church that managed to sooth tense nerves even when he was slowly dying of Geostigma.

The hand on his head started gently stroking his hair, and Cloud’s eyes slipped shut under the gentle touches of his lovers, not even flinching when soft kisses were placed on the back of his neck. Cool fingers stroked over his hand, soothing the ache away with the familiar tingling of a Restore before warm water washed the blood away, and the blond melted under the care and safety of his surroundings.

Never ceasing his stroking of Cloud’s hand, Vincent stared at the relaxed features of the younger blond and a small smile stretched his lips. While the Turks now resembled glorified leg-breakers and corporate thugs, in his time they had been much more skilled and subtle at gathering information from unwilling or reluctant sources, and he hadn’t lost any of his skill despite being locked away for three decades. His partner before the deadly Nibelheim assignment had been extremely skillful at coaxing people into light trances to get information out of them, and she had taught Vincent well.

"Cloud, why won’t you return home with us?" inquired Vincent, his voice staying soft so as not to rouse the blond.

"Don’t want to break you," sighed Cloud, his voice laced with sleep but the stutter that had been prominent before was gone again. "Break too much already."

"What do you break?" Reeve’s arm slipped back around Cloud’s waist but his voice was just as soft as Vincent’s.

A soft hum came from the blond’s chest. "Glasses, doors, walls, people."

Cloud’s face twisted slightly in remembered guilt, but Vincent petted it away with his bare hand and soft shushing noises. "Are you scared of what Rufus did, chaining you to the bed?"

"No, Rufus always takes, never asks. Like Hojo," confessed Cloud, his voice sad. "Hojo chained people to tables. Rufus chained people to beds."

Startled red eyes flew up to meet equally startled hazel, and Vincent felt like swearing at Rufus’ idiocy. If the blond President had thought Cloud had been twitchy before when dealing with him, then Rufus was going to be in for a surprise once he came back. The fact that Cloud classified Rufus in the same category as the late Hojo did not bode well for the other blond.

"Do you object to being restrained or because they didn’t ask first?" Vincent ignored the second startled look from Reeve as he kept his attention focused on Cloud.

The blond hummed again. "Zack asked. Liked to hold me while wearing his gloves. Felt safe then."

‘And Hojo would only use SOLDIER-proof metal,’ added Vincent with a decisive nod before asking his last question. "Would you be able to forgive Rufus for what he did?"

"Maybe, if he apologized." Cloud wrinkled his nose. "But he’s a brat and won’t mean it. Brats need to be spanked to take out the brattiness."

Reaching out with his uncovered hand, Vincent stroked the side of Cloud’s face with a firmer touch, and sleepy blue eyes blinked open to meet amused red. "Do you feel better now?"

The swordsman nodded, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, Vincent. I appreciate it." He looked much calmer than he had been, the wary tension running through the blond’s body had faded away a bit faster than Vincent was use to after the few previous times he had calmed Cloud down with a light trance, and part of him wondered if Aeris had helped. His only answer was a soft breeze teasing his hair and a very faint giggle.

"Are you going to come back with us?" inquired Reeve, apparently content to remain sitting on the hard wooden floor with Cloud in his arms for the rest of the day.

"I’d like to, but I don’t know about Rufus," confessed Cloud, biting his lower lip. "I want to trust him, but between his habit of manipulating those around him and not asking before he takes, it’s difficult to do."

"Yet you trust us," remarked Vincent, pulling his glove back on. "Perhaps Rufus needs to be taught the error of his ways. Including that he is not the Master he believes himself to be."

Cloud looked at him, confusion in those beautiful mako-colored eyes, but Reeve gaped at him. "Vincent, Scarlet only *told* me about stuff like that. I don’t know if I’d be able to actually *do* anything without running a risk of hurting him."

A smirk crossed Vincent’s face. "Lucky for all of us, Turks in my day had a much broader job description," he drawled. "Including infiltration and long term assignments if it was required."

"Since when did the Turks provide master/slave training and why hasn’t Tseng used it on Rufus before now?" inquired Reeve as Cloud blushed a bright red, but didn’t duck his head in embarrassment like he would any other time the conversation turned intimate.

"Because Tseng never had to spend six *convincing* months in a club trying to track down a leak in information," remarked Vincent with a shake of his head. "Combine that with the torture techniques that are a standard of any Turk’s training, and there are very few people I could not break before Nibelheim."

"I bet you could still break people," objected Cloud, his face still flushed but his eyes were brighter with more things than just mako. "After all, you’re strong enough to keep four demons under control most of the time. How many others would have that strength?"

Vincent made a startled noise in his throat at the unexpected compliment. None of them had ever mentioned the demons contained inside the gunslinger, and Vincent honestly didn’t give them much of a thought unless they grew overly loud or he required their assistance in a fight. He had assumed that his lovers had not wanted to acknowledge that part of him or even forget that it existed. Cloud surprised him at the thoughtfulness that stated the blond had simply accepted the demons as part of his more silent lover without giving them a second thought.

“Perhaps I should visit Tseng and suggest the Turks learn more about the human body than they do now,” mused Vincent, resting his chin in his clawed hand, the sharp points of golden metal tapping softly at his cheek. “I am sure that with a bit more training, Rude would have Reno firmly in hand, and Elena or Tseng would have no troubles with Rufus should he decide to act up again.”

"Like taunting Remnants or falling off the thirteenth floor of an unfinished building?" inquired Cloud, a grin on his face now as his blue eyes danced with laughter. He shook his head, blond spikes waving with the motion. "I still can’t believe he managed to survive that idiocy in that condition."

"Some people just have all the luck," Reeve remarked. "How else would you explain Reno?"

"Can *anyone* explain Reno?" countered Cloud, grinning wildly now as Vincent watched the interaction. Cloud had been getting better at pulling himself out of dark depressions brought on by guilt better than he had been before that time with the Remnants, but he would still bear watching for the next couple of days to verify this mood had passed for now.

Gracefully, Vincent rose to his feet. "If you will excuse me, I have some Turks to speak with," he said, before turning with his crimson cloak flaring around him and walking to the door. Before the heavy wooden door closed behind him, Cloud’s voice floated out to follow him."Do you still think we can get Vincent in the garage this weekend?"

He was unable to pull his eyes away from the folder open on his desk, blue eyes riveted to the cold, clinical descriptions of torture carried out in the name of science complete with photographic evidence tucked away in the notes. Each picture showed a *very* familiar blond strapped to a metal table by metal restraints or floating in a mako-filled tank, blank eyes staring out at nothing. Nearby, another folder was open, but the label, ‘Specimen V’, was neatly printed on the tab. When he had asked Tseng for the files on Cloud, this was not what he had imagined, and he had been equally horrified to read what had been done to not only Cloud but to Vincent as well.

‘At least now I know why some of those troops came back babbling about demons,’ Rufus thought without a trace of humor, his eyes flickering over to the four pictures stapled on the inside of the folder, each labeled with a firm hand so anyone could read it instead of the messy scrawl Hojo seemed to inspire in his assistants. Galian Beast. Death Gigas. Hellmasker.

Chaos.

"How could *anyone* survive such torture and remain sane?" he muttered, shaking his head even as his eyes remained glued to a picture of a catatonic Cloud surrounded by mako.

"There are some that would argue that none were sane to begin with," remarked a deep voice behind him, and Rufus managed to bite back the startled scream but he couldn’t stop himself from jumping at that voice. A second later, there was the rustle of tattered velvet and the soft creek of leather as Vincent moved around to stand in front of the desk, red eyes peering out from behind black bangs to glance down at the open folders. A bitter smile flashed behind the high collar of his cloak as golden claws trailed over the pictures of the demons in an almost loving caress. "That was when Hojo wished to see what it would take to release them, and if I could return afterwards. It was an amusing game for him."

Rufus swallowed around the lump that had appeared in his throat, and for a second realized what people meant by the phrase ‘their heart in their throat’. Vincent always could unnerve him, even more than Cloud could, and Rufus tried not to let it show if he could help it, years of it being trained into him by his bastard of a father that revealing emotions was akin to baring your throat to an assassin’s knife.

"I am surprised to see you. I would have thought that you would be with Cloud in that ruined church of his." Rufus was glad that his voice didn’t shake with any of the nervousness that was thrumming through his body.

That sharp smile flickered, partially hidden behind crimson fabric, but not hidden enough that Rufus didn’t see the sharp fangs. "Are you trying to test my patience, little boy?"

There was a soft purr in that smooth voice that made it sound darker, inviting Rufus to see how far Vincent could be pushed before that darkness spilled out to either sweep anything away in a wash of crimson or enfold it in black leather. "And if I am? What of it?"

A whisper of cloth and suddenly Vincent was *there* between Rufus and the desk. Somehow the chair had been moved back just enough for the gunman to stand there without being crowded against the desk, and Rufus swallowed nervously. He hadn’t even seen the other man move, not even a flicker. Golden claws reached out and gently curled around his chin, holding his head immobile as red eyes burned into his own. "Bad little boys are punished. Perhaps that is what you want, to be thrown over my lap and spanked until your ass is as red as Reno’s hair, unable to sit down without a reminder of what happens to bad little boys."

"How do you know I won’t shout for any of the Turks before you get that far?" inquired Rufus, trying to ignore how hard he was as well as the lust that raced through his body like a Bolt spell at Vincent’s words. Part of him wanted to see if Vincent would actually follow through with his promised threat while another part rebelled at the thought of *anyone* controlling him.

A dark laugh in his ear as Vincent leaned closer, his lips a breath away from Rufus. "How do you know that I haven’t talked to them before coming in here and convinced them to ignore anything coming from this office?"

Each word was breathed across the blond’s lips, a soft caressing promise of things to come, and Rufus shivered, his eyes large with surprise and desire as the scent of gunpowder and leather swirled around him. Then Vincent leaned forward, claiming his mouth in a hard kiss, his fangs nipping at Rufus’ bottom lip hard enough to draw blood before his tongue swept in, tasting the spilt blood and claiming every inch of the blond’s mouth.

A moan slipped out of Rufus only for that desperate, needy sound to be swallowed by Vincent, and just as suddenly as it began, Vincent pulled back, leaving the blond gasping for breath as his head spun.
"Reeve and I have managed to talk Cloud into returning home with us after he ran," remarked Vincent, back on the other side of the desk, his voice casual as if the past few minutes had never happened, and Rufus blinked as he managed to get his breathing under control once more. "If you apologize to him, make sure you mean it because otherwise, I don’t think he would forgive you."
Then, he was gone, leaving the dazed blond with a bare desk and an erection hard enough to dent concrete in his pants.

Reeve glanced up from where he was sprawled on the back porch with Cloud as Vincent emerged from the house and waved for their dark lover to join them on the blanket and pillows spread out on the wooden planks. Vincent hesitated for a moment before sitting down with his back against the wall, putting him firmly in the shade of the house.

"How did your talk with Rufus go?" inquired Reeve as Cloud blinked sleepy blue eyes from where he was resting his head on his folded arms, the sun warming his back and illuminating the golden wings tattooed there.

A small smile quirked Vincent’s lips. "Most enlightening for him," he stated before pulling out two files from somewhere in his cloak. "He apparently decided to do a bit of light reading in Hojo’s library."

The files were held up and Cloud shuddered at the sight of them before burying his face in his arms. Reeve slid his hands through the blond spikes, trying to sooth the tension out of that broad back, and Cloud relaxed, turning his head to watch them again with eyes darkened with past shadows. Vincent held the file marked ‘Specimen C’ out to Cloud even as the one labeled ‘Specimen V’ remained in his lap, and the blond warily took it, acting as if the gunman had handed him a Kalm fang cub.

"The only people who have a right to read that file, Cloud, are the ones you want to read it," stated Vincent, his hands lying on top of the folder in his lap in a proprietary gesture.

"Thanks." Cloud sat up and stared at the file before holding it out to Reeve. "Here. I know you won’t use what’s in there against me while keeping it safe."

Carefully, Reeve took the folder and stared at it for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the two men. "Do you mind if I show these to a particular doctor who understands what ‘confidentiality’ means and will be able to help either of you if something serious happens?"

A small frown crossed Cloud’s face as he pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Can you trust this doctor?"

The bearded man nodded. "She worked for Shinra before defecting after Meteor, and apparently, many of Hojo’s so-called ‘specimens’ either vanished or freed themselves when she was around. Dr. Hope Takajira also was working on finding a cure for Geostigma before the Planet and Aeris intervened." He chuckled as he thought of the tiny woman who habitually wore jeans and button down shirts in the office. "She wears a blue lab coat covered with chocobos. Absolutely refuses to wear anything *close* to white coats, and doesn’t keep her examination room anything but a pleasant temperature, citing doctors with cold hands do not inspire confidence in their patients."

"She sounds like someone Zack would have liked," mused Cloud before shaking himself out of his thoughts. He stretched back out in the sun and folded his arms under his head again, turning to watch his lovers. "Maybe some other time."

Reeve reached down and stroked his hand across the tattooed wings. "That’s fine," he agreed with a small smile as Cloud closed his eyes briefly at the contact. The tattooed skin on Cloud’s back was strangely sensitive when compared to the rest of his skin, and Reeve wondered if mako had been mixed into the ink to not only make the gold shimmer but to make the skin that sensitive. "So what are we going to do with Rufus? He damaged our trust in him, and we need to show him that it is not acceptable behavior for any of us to act like that."

Vincent chuckled. "I have already started planting the idea that he is not the Master that he believes himself to be, and it has definitely interested him," he remarked, a smug tone in his voice. "Perhaps we will be able to move on to the next part this evening, if you both are agreeable."

"I’ll do it," agreed Reeve before looking down at Cloud. He had a faint idea where Vincent was going to go with this and it would require Cloud’s agreement before Vincent would include him. Which probably wouldn’t be that hard.

After all, Cloud trusted them like he didn’t trust Rufus.

The blond slowly blinked his eyes before frowning at Vincent, confused. "What’s this plan of yours?"

"It’s simple," began Vincent, pulling four black leather strips with a buckle on each one out from under his cloak as he moved over to sit next to Cloud who sat up on the sun warmed wood. He held out a strip to Cloud and the blond took the leather to examine it. It was soft, like kidskin and Zack’s gloves, and had an occasional hard, flat lump in it, and Cloud turned a questioning gaze towards Vincent who moved another of the strips close to the one Cloud held. Mako-blue eyes watched as the two strips moved towards each other before touching. "They’re magnetic."

Sure hands fastened the two strips around Cloud’s wrists before moving them together until they touched, and the blond tested the strength of the magnets holding him. They were strong enough to remind him of their presence but not so strong that he was trapped, and his eyes widened slightly at the thought of being restrained by simple strips of leather, lust heating his blood.

Strong arms slid around his shoulders, golden claws lightly scraping down his arms as Vincent moved to sit behind Cloud, his fingers lightly tracing his wrists encircled by the black leather. "I will not take what is only yours to freely give, but I would be lying when I say the thought of you surrendering to me does not stir my blood. I can promise you that I will ask each time I hold you with something other than my hands and body, but ultimately, the decision is yours.""Would this just be part of your plan to punish Rufus?" Cloud wasn’t sure if he could admit it out loud, but there were times when he was so *tired* of being the strong one all the time. Ironic considering how he wanted to be strong when he had been with Zack, but that had been when he had wanted to be an equal to Zack, and not someone the dark haired SOLDIER had to be careful with.

“It can be only that or it can be more often if you wish. That is your decision,” remarked the gunman, wrapping his arms around Cloud and holding the younger man.

Closing his eyes, Cloud fought the dark shadows that still lingered in his head even as he trembled in Vincent’s arms. It was too soon after Rufus’ attack to make a decision like this, not with the memories still fresh in his mind and the fear singing through his blood.

“Sorry,” gasped Cloud, slipping out of Vincent’s arms before fumbling with the leather straps as he shook his head. “I just... it’s too soon.” He managed to unbuckle them and let them fall to the wooden deck with a thunk before he slipped off the porch.

He only got two steps away when a leather encased hand curled around his arm, and Cloud looked back to find Vincent standing there with an apologetic look on his face. “I apologize, Cloud. I didn’t mean to push you so soon. I should have known that it was too soon for you.”

A bitter laugh slipped out of Cloud as his lips twisted in a mocking smile. “Why should you be apologizing? It’s me and my problems that keep fucking everything up,” he announced, looking away from his lovers. “Why should this be any different?” He tried to pull away from Vincent but found his arm held in a firm grasp.

“Don’t run from us, Cloud,” requested Reeve, walking over to stand next to the blond, and Cloud turned his head towards him but didn’t look up. “We won’t let you run if you try.”

“I don’t want to be a burden.” The words hung in the air between them as Cloud finally looked at Reeve with an almost emotionless gaze. “Especially for my lovers.” He had been a burden to too many in his life and each time, it had resulted in those closest to him dying. His widowed mother in Nibelheim, then Zack after the lab, and in a way, Aeris with his fractured memories.

Reeve nodded once. “That was why you ran when you had the Stigma. You didn’t want to be a burden to us.” Cloud nodded his agreement and Reeve reached out and punched him in the shoulder, earning a startled blink from the blond. “Idiot. You’re *never* a burden, no matter what happens. When there are those that love you and want to take care of you, you can *never* be a burden.”

Strong arms wrapped around his waist again, and Cloud wondered briefly how Vincent was able to get behind him again.

“You realize that if you run, we’ll only follow you,” remarked the gunman, his words sounding like a promise to Cloud’s ears. A promise that sent a shiver up the blond’s spine. “And that between the four of us, you won’t be able to get away easily.”

“Four?” asked Cloud, his voice soft with curiosity and wonder. No one had threatened to chase after him if he ran before. Well, no one other than Zack.

Reeve smiled as he cradled Cloud’s face in his hands. “Me, Vincent, Galian and Chaos,” agreed the bearded man before claiming the blond’s lips in a gentle kiss, more of a caress than an actual kiss.

A soft sigh slipped out of Cloud when Reeve pulled away, and blue eyes opened to meet laughing brown. “Why don’t we move this discussion inside into more comfortable surroundings?” invited Reeve before slipping inside, leaving Cloud and Vincent standing there.

“I’m sorry I can’t help with your plan against Rufus tonight,” apologized Cloud.

“Don’t be,” the gunman replied. “It just means I can work on him longer while you heal from this. That part of the plan will be when *you* are comfortable with it, and no sooner.”

Cloud nodded his understanding as Vincent lead him into the house. After all, his lovers had threatened to follow him if he ran, and what better declaration was needed than that that they cared for him?

Sighing in frustration, Rufus opened the door, pausing once to glance back at Tseng before entering the house. The past two months had been frustrating for the blond president. He had been accepted back into his lovers’ bed, but Cloud slept on the outside of the bed, usually curled in Vincent’s arms. He also wouldn’t let Rufus do anything more than hug or kiss him, and whenever Rufus tried to do anything more, Cloud would slip out of his arms and leave. That behavior continued even *after* Rufus apologized and meant it.

Of course, Vincent was getting his own form of revenge by visiting Rufus almost daily, dropping enough comments to get Rufus aroused before casually leaving the blond aching and frustrated. But considering the night terrors Cloud had suffered a few weeks ago, terrors Vincent had confided in them that the blond swordsman was prone to but never as bad as the ones Rufus had witnessed, Rufus figured it was only appropriate that he suffer some.

As he shut the door behind him, Rufus was suddenly aware at how dark the living room was, and he froze as his eyes focused on the scene before him. Illuminated by a single shaft of light was Cloud, kneeling on a large cushion next to one of their chairs from the living room, and Rufus stared at the sight of the naked blond glowing in the light, arms behind him in a submissive pose. Mako colored blue eyes stared straight ahead with a slightly sleepy expression on his face belied by the hard cock that was standing proudly from between slightly spread legs.

“Beautiful, isn’t he?” remarked a husky voice, and Rufus jumped slightly as Vincent materialized out of the darkness to stand next to Cloud. Soft black leather pants clung to the gunman’s long legs like paint as they rode low on his hips, the only thing he wore aside from the ever present golden claw, and his long black hair was brushed out of his face, revealing burning crimson eyes as red lips spread in a knowing smile to expose long fangs. But it was the large, blood red leather wings that flexed slightly behind Vincent that announced for anyone to see that Chaos was very close to the surface.

Swallowing, Rufus straightened up and tried to act as if the scene before him wasn’t affecting him any. “Cloud is always too gorgeous for his own good,” he stated, his voice trembling slightly but he pressed on. “I’m surprised you decided to instigate this considering how he has been acting towards me these past couple of months. Especially since I tried the same thing which lead to our problems.”

Vincent chuckled, a dark velvet sound that rolled through Rufus and settled somewhere low in his stomach. “But unlike you, I know that this won’t have the same effect on Cloud because I asked for permission instead of taking what wasn’t mine.” That golden claw reached out and ran through the spiked hair, and Rufus felt a spike of jealousy stab through him when Cloud leaned into that touch.

“Well, I’m sure you have a wonderful and interesting evening ahead of you, so if you will excuse me, I have work that needs to be done,” Rufus remarked in a flippant manner, starting for where he knew the stairs were, not wanting to watch the other blond submit to someone else like this. Not even one of their other lovers. *He* was the one who was suppose to teach Cloud how to bend to another’s will and enjoy the feel of leather holding him down.

“I never gave you permission to leave, Little Boy,” purred Vincent in his ear, and Rufus jumped, a startled squeak slipping out of him. He hadn’t heard the dark haired man move, and now those strong arms were wrapped around him, pinning his own arms to his sides. “If you’re going to be a bad little boy, then you’re going to pay the consequences.”

A snort slipped out of the blond. “I think I’ve been paying these past few months,” he drawled, trying to get his racing heart back under control. “After all, you’ve been coming into my office almost daily, teasing me, and then leaving me horny and frustrated for the rest of the day. Cloud still won’t let me touch him beyond kisses and hugs, and Reeve is about the only one who will consider screwing me into the mattress.”

That chuckle was dropped into his ear again, producing a delighted shiver that Rufus couldn’t hide. “This is your punishment for what you did to Cloud. The best way to punish a child is to take their toys away from them until they’ve learned their lesson.”

“I’m not a child!” snapped Rufus, not knowing what game his lovers were playing but refusing to be the butt of the joke. “I am 24 years old, have seen more death and destruction than some people *twice* my age, came closer to death than I like to think about, and am the president of the Shinra Inc Company.”

“Your body may be grown, but your attitude is that of a child,” admonished Vincent, the golden claw coming up to trace down the front of Rufus’ shirts, and the blond held still as the razor sharp tips caressed his skin as the fabric gave way beneath the metal. Sharp points caressed his skin with a feather light touch before circling a nipple exposed by the shredded cloth, causing him to gasp and arch into the light touch as the skin hardened.

Another whisper of movement, and Rufus opened his eyes to find Reeve sitting in the chair, wearing only one of his tunic-like jackets buttoned only by one clasp and running his hand through Cloud’s hair as if the blond was an obedient pet. Cloud leaned into the touch, his eyes taking on a sleepy look as he was urged to rest his head on Reeve’s thigh, and Rufus opened his mouth to protest only to hiss as that metal gauntlet slipped down his loose pants to caress heated flesh. Two quick slashes and the white fabric fluttered to the floor to pool around his feet.

“Time for your punishment, Rufus Shinra,” purred Vincent, somehow slipping the shredded shirts off of his shoulders without releasing him. Metal closed around Rufus’ wrists, causing him to glance down to find the SOLDIER-proof manacles that he had trapped Cloud with before he was pulled over to a flat surface and draped across it like a forgotten rag doll. It was a table of some sort, padded with a black velvet cloth, and his arms were stretched down to hook the chain between his wrists around a small hook in the floor, leaving Rufus balanced on the surface that was wide enough to support his chest and abdomen but caused his cock to twitch each time it brushed the velvet. His toes barely brushed the floor, giving him no purchase to thrust against, and he moaned at the soft feathery caress of the velvet.

A thick leather collar was fastened around his neck, forcing Rufus’ head up, and his eyes were riveted on Reeve who had pulled the other blond up onto his lap for a deep kiss. Now, Rufus could see the black bands fastening tanned wrists to elbows even as the golden wings shimmered in the dim light, and part of his mind noticed that the bracer Cloud always wore on his right forearm was gone, removed for this. With his arms bound in such a manner, Cloud wouldn’t be able to use his strength to shred the bands due to a lack of leverage and was essentially helpless in his lover’s lap.

Reeve turned Cloud around, trapping those bound arms between them as he started placing nibbling kisses along the blond’s neck, and Cloud moaned softly as he tilted his head to allow Reeve better access. Rufus watched helplessly as a dark hand trailed down that muscular chest to lightly caress Cloud’s hard cock, causing the swordsman to arch into that gentle touch with a cry, causing the light to glimmer off of a golden ring placed snugly around his erection.

‘Oh Sweet Freya, he’s gorgeous!’ thought Rufus as a blush spread across Cloud’s face and descended down his chest when those glowing blue eyes met his frank and appreciative gaze. A sharp smack to his ass caused Rufus to jerk more in surprise than actual pain, but the next one has him whimpering before another dozen fall on his ass, warming the skin and causing his cock to twitch against the velvet.

“You should see yourself like this, little boy,” Vincent’s dark voice swirled around him, making his hips twitch in response. “All stretched out on black velvet, your smooth skin glowing and begging to be marked, helpless against anything we might do to you.”

Rufus whimpered again as a wet tongue traced up his spine before Vincent stretched out on top of him, the gunman’s hard erection digging into the blond’s sore ass. “Perhaps we’ll take pictures to show Tseng and the other Turks how lovely you are. Would you like that?”

The idea of his Turks seeing him in this position sent a strange bolt of lust through Rufus, and he moaned, his eyes fluttering briefly shut as long fangs nipped at his ear. That tongue trailed back down his spine before strong hands wrapped leather around his ankles, tying them off to the sturdy legs of the table, leaving him open and helpless before his demonic lover’s burning gaze. It was getting harder to think, the lust that flooded his blood clouding his mind as he lay there, unable to move anything but his hips and turn his head.

Cloud’s breath hitched in his throat, and Rufus forced his eyes open, unsure when they had slid shut, to find the blond swordsman’s legs were hooked over the arms of the chair, leaving him wide open and on display as Reeve’s fingers slipped past tight muscles, slowly stretching Cloud. The sight of those dark fingers vanishing into that tight heat caused Rufus to gasp in delight even as he felt that metal claw dance teasingly along his back before fingers encircled his cock, leaving cool metal behind, and a frustrated whine echoed in his chest, causing lust darkened mako eyes to meet his.

“It wouldn’t be a punishment if you came before you had permission,” Vincent purred, grinding his leather-covered erection into Rufus’ ass and the blond tried to press backwards, encouraging the dark-haired man to fuck him through the table. Strong fingers slid through his hair before gripping with a painful force, and his face was turned back to where Cloud was still being stretched by Reeve. “You’re not allowed to look away, little boy. We want you to remember this the next time you decide to do something without thinking everything through.”

“Vincent,” whined Rufus as a hot, wet tongue teased his entrance, and his hips jerked, brushing the tip of his cock against the velvet again. The tongue withdrew only to be replaced by slick fingers, and he tried to thrust back on the fingers only to groan in frustration when they were removed.

The dark chuckle echoed through his head again as fangs were drawn across his back and the fingers returned to tease his entrance. “Now, now, you don’t get any choices except to lay there and watch Cloud.”

Those words brought his attention back to the couple in the chair just as Reeve placed the head of his cock against Cloud’s stretched entrance and slowly slid into the blond swordsman. A soft cry spilled out of Cloud’s lips as his head fell back against Reeve’s shoulder, his chest heaving as he desperately tried to catch his breath, and Rufus watched as a drop of sweat trickled down that strong chest, following it down as it vanished behind the cockring.

Suddenly, something blunt and hard was pressed against Rufus’ entrance, and he cried out as Vincent eased his way in. He had barely been stretched but from the amount of lube running down his thighs, he knew Vincent wasn’t trying to hurt him in a serious manner. That still didn’t keep Rufus from feeling that Vincent was too-big-too-much-not-stopping-oh-GOD!

Then Vincent’s hips were against his ass and Rufus felt the brush of leather against his legs and his sides as blood red wings moved forward to caress his skin. Rufus whined at the feel of the leather caressing his skin, the velvet brushing his cock, and the throbbing hardness in his ass. It was too much, and he threw his head as much as he could, whining in his chest, but not begging. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of hearing him beg.

“So beautiful.” Reeve’s voice drifted through the air to reach his ears, and Rufus forced his eyes open once more - why was he unaware of when he closed them?- to find those dark, brandy eyes staring at him even as he slowly fucked Cloud. “Isn’t he beautiful like that, Cloud?”

The swordsman lifted his head from where it rested on Reeve’s shoulder and stared at the other blond with glowing eyes that had darkened to a deep sapphire despite the mako glow.

“Yes,” he breathed in agreement, but Rufus barely heard him, focused instead on the slow slide of that dark cock in Cloud’s ass while the ache in his ass faded to a delighted full feeling. Rufus tried to shift his hips backwards, hoping Vincent would take the hint and fuck him, but found that he couldn’t even move his hips with Vincent pressing him into the table.

Sharp fangs nipped at his ear as a cool body was pressed against his back, the rustle of leather wings folding against a pale back. “Watch the show, little boy,” breathed a voice in his ear, one that promised blood and violence as well as a pounding fuck-through-the-mattress, and Rufus obeyed without question, his eyes firmly fixed on Reeve fucking Cloud.

Then Vincent began to move, that hard cock brushing against the small nub inside of the blond, and he opened his mouth.

“Please, fuck me!”

Gasping again, Cloud felt Reeve slide back into him with slow, deliberate strokes, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the scene before him. Rufus Shinra was stretched out over the black velvet covered table, his manacled wrists chained to the floor and his legs tied to the thick legs of the table, and Vincent moved over and in him, the blood red wings of Chaos folded against his back. Since Vincent had first outlined the plan he had to make Rufus think twice about doing something without thinking about the consequences, the three of them had been working together to get it absolutely perfect, but Cloud hadn’t imagined that it would be *this* perfect.

The feel of the leather around his wrists and arms, holding him by magnets only, and the snug gold ring around his cock keeping him hard as Reeve slowly fucked him was building on the feeling of being completely exposed with his legs thrown over the padded arms of the chair, making him feel a bit disconnected from the world around him. The only thing keeping him grounded in his body instead of floating somewhere in the Lifestream was the firm touch of Reeve’s hands on his body, stroking his arms, chest, and thighs even as those long fingers petted his hard cock and balls.

“Please, fuck me!” The broken plea hung in the air and cut through the haze of lust that had enveloped Cloud, causing his eyes to fly completely open, and he stared at the flushed face of the other blond whose eyes had darkened with desire. Vincent’s hips were moving in slow, shallow thrusts, and Cloud swallowed at the look of pure desire on the gunman’s face.

“Not until I’m sure that you have learned your lesson,” purred Vincent, his voice as dark and smooth as the velvet under Rufus, and the other blond whined in his throat, a desperate needy sound, as he tugged on the manacles around his wrists. Cloud knew that there was no chance of the unaugmented man breaking the metal, but Vincent seemed to find it amusing.

Raising his human hand, Vincent brought it down on Rufus’ ass with a loud smack. “Naughty little boy,” he hissed, punctuating his words with strong thrusts that rocked Rufus into the table. “You don’t get free until your Master says you can.”

Rufus yelped at the smack before moaning helplessly. “Who’s my Master?” he gasped out, eyes wide as they remained riveted on Cloud and Reeve, and Cloud gasped as a wet tongue traced some of the inked feathers on his back, flooding his blood with another wave of lust. The scent of their lust filled the air, swirling around his head and drugging his senses as each brush of Reeve’s skin and the silk of his tunic against his skin sent sparks dancing along his nerves.

Cloud couldn’t hear anything over his own gasping and the slide of Reeve’s skin against his, a whispery sound that filled his ears, and he let his head fall back against the older man’s shoulder again as his eyes slid shut. Then Reeve was stopping, pulling out of Cloud who whimpered in protest before urging the blond to stand, and somehow Cloud managed to convince his shaky legs to hold his weight as Reeve helped him over to the table to stand before Rufus.

“Open your mouth and relax your throat, little boy,” ordered Vincent, burning red eyes catching mako-colored blue, and Cloud moans as Rufus swallows him. Golden metal curled around his shoulder, holding Cloud steady as Reeve slid back into him, forcing him deeper into Rufus’ throat, and he groaned when Rufus swallowed around him, muscles fluttering along his aching hardness.

Then Reeve started gently thrusting, moving Cloud with him and it was all too much. He had been in a heightened state of arousal for *hours* as they had prepared for this. Added to that the leisurely fuck from Reeve while watching Rufus and Vincent and, now with Rufus’ mouth hot and wet around his cock, it was too much for Cloud.

“Please,” he begged, every nerve sparking and crackling in his body as he was rocked between Rufus’ hot mouth and Reeve’s thick cock. “Please let me come.”

Reeve’s thrust stuttered for a moment before hands came down to remove the ring around his cock, unfastening it by pulling the magnetic pieces apart, and thrust one last time, hitting that small nub inside Cloud. The blond screamed as every muscle in his body stiffened, and Rufus’ throat worked around him, milking everything he had to offer, before Cloud’s knees collapsed with a groan.

The dark haired man behind him managed to catch him before he hit the ground, and Reeve eased Cloud to the floor. Cloud tugged at the straps holding his arms but couldn’t work up enough strength to pull them apart since the force of his orgasm had left him with noodles for muscles. Soft fingers danced over the leather before they fell away, freeing his arms, and a relieved groan echoed in Cloud’s chest as he let his arms fall to his sides.

A gentle hand brushed over his hair before Reeve spread his tunic over the blond. “Sleep, Cloud. You deserve some rest.”

Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, the restless nights combined with the spine shattering orgasm he had just experienced, Cloud smiled a tiny shy smile at Reeve before drifting off to sleep.

Reeve smiled down at the sleeping blond before tuning his attention to Rufus who was begging to be fucked hard, his blond hair plastered to his face by sweat. Vincent was still rocking his hips slightly, ensuring that the younger man’s prostate was massaged, and Reeve flashed Vincent a smile before slipping under the table to take the almost purple cock in his mouth. That got a high pitched whine out of Rufus as Vincent started to thrust harder, rocking the table and shoving Rufus farther into Reeve’s mouth. One of the bearded man’s hands fell to his own cock, stroking it with the same rhythm as he sucked on Rufus’ cock, and his free hand came up to unfasten the cock ring from around the bond.

On the next thrust, Rufus howled and came hard, and Reeve quietly moaned as he spilled over his hand. He managed to crawl out from under the table as Vincent increased the pace of his thrusts again, those crimson wings flaring behind him as the metal claw dug into the table. Throwing his head back, Vincent snarled as he came, his wings beating a furious tattoo in the air before he rested his hands on either side of the still bound Rufus, desperately trying to get his breath under control again. The wings were folded against his back before they shrank, sliding into the skin as Chaos was suppressed by Vincent.

A low chuckle escaped from Rufus ans he lay there. “If this was punishment, I might have to act up more often,” he rasped, and Reeve snorted as he stood up even as Vincent took a couple steps back.

“It’s not over yet,” remarked Reeve in a casual manner. “Now you get to stay in a Time Out and think about everything.” Vincent moved around to gently scoop the sleeping blond up before carrying him up to their bedroom, and Reeve just stared at Rufus, not making any moves to unfasten him except to take the collar off.

“Wait a minute,” protested Rufus, tugging at the manacles with what little leverage he had. “You can’t leave me like this!”

Reeve snorted and folded his arms as he turned back to the blond. “Here’s two facts I bet you didn’t know,” he drawled. “Cloud stutters when he’s extremely upset and stressed out, and he lumps you in the same category as Hojo.”

That got Rufus’ attention, his blue eyes widening behind his blond bangs, and Reeve nodded. “Rufus always takes, never asks. Like Hojo. Hojo chained people to tables. Rufus chains people to beds. That is his opinion of you even if he won’t admit it. You have a long way to get back into Cloud’s good graces as well as ours.”

Turning, Reeve left Rufus lying there as he entered the bedroom where Vincent had placed Cloud on the bed, the tiny shy smile still on the swordsman’s face. He reached out and ran a gentle hand through that wildly spiking blond hair to get a sleepy murmur, and Cloud curled up on his side, his hands tucked under his chin, appearing even younger and innocent.

“How did we ever get mixed up with someone that looks like that?” mused Reeve, shaking his head. “Makes me feel like a dirty old man at times.”

Instead of replying, Vincent moved around behind him and wrapped strong arms around his waist as sharp fangs trailed along smooth skin. Reeve could hear a soft purr from the black haired man and tilted his head in an offer, knowing Vincent hated voicing this need to any of them. With Chaos as close to the surface as he was, Vincent needed blood to settle the demon again, either through violence or through feeding, and while it was usually Cloud’s mako-rich blood that was offered, Reeve never minded it when he donated a few pints to his lover.

His eyes fluttered closed as he felt the sharp fangs ease their way through the thin skin at his neck, a flare of pain that was quickly replaced by a calm feeling. It lasted only a few seconds before Vincent pulled his lips away, and Reeve blinked sleepily as he was gently laid beside Cloud, a cover tugged up over both of them.

“Are we going to leave Rufus down there all night?” asked Reeve around a yawn as Cloud turned to snuggle into his arms, blond head tucked under his chin.

Ruby eyes flickered over to the door. “I will release him in a couple of hours after he’s had a chance to seriously think things over,” he promised, reaching down to smooth his clawed hand over dark hair. “Rest. Rufus is my responsibility now.”

The promise followed Reeve into the peaceful slumber that rose up to embrace him.

Growling in frustration, Rufus stopped tugging at the metal shackles that encircled his wrists before he tore his wrists open trying to get free and glared at the wooden floor beneath the table he was strapped to. This definitely was not how he had imagined spending the evening, not that he was regretting the hard fucking he had received, but now he should be upstairs with his lovers, whom he had thought had forgiven him for his actions, cuddling with them in their bed. Instead, he was still strapped to the velvet covered table feeling Vincent’s come slowly trickle down his legs, another reminder at his helplessness.

‘One of them could have at least cleaned me up if they had decided to leave me here,’ he silently snarled, mentally rallying at the unfairness of his position in a better attempt to forget Reeve’s parting words. Why did he care if Cloud stuttered when stressed? Or even tossed him in the same category as a mad scientist? It wasn’t like he was here because of *love* or some equally ridiculous notion. He simply desired companionship and the three men in the bedroom upstairs seemed to understand him better than anyone outside of his Turks.

A quiet footstep and a rustle of leather came from behind him, but Rufus couldn’t look over his shoulder with the way he was tied. Looking down between his legs, and wasn’t *that* another insult, Rufus could make out something dark moving towards him with light glinting off bits of gold. Just Vincent then, probably coming down to release him now that his lovers had made a point.

“You’ve made your point. Release me,” demanded Rufus, raising his head again. There wasn’t any sound behind him nor were there hands releasing his bonds, and he growled, tugging again at the chain between his wrists even though he knew he didn’t have the strength to tear the hook out of the floor or break the metal. There was a deep, rough chuckle behind him before the sharp tips of the golden gauntlet were drawn up Rufus’ back, leaving stinging welts behind. “This isn’t funny, Mr. Valentine. I demand you release me at once!”

“You are in no position to make demands of me, human,” mused a voice that sounded deeper and more gravelly then Vincent’s normal husky voice, and the person that was most definitely not Vincent Valentine moved to stand in front of Rufus. Black skin broken up by what looked like golden armor stretching from knee caps to toes while a tattered spider web of faded black leather covered his groin, and golden metal encircled his left hand while trailing up to his elbow, matching the golden zig zag encircling his chest. A dead white face contained golden eyes that glowed like an active materia while red cloth surrounded those eerie eyes before rising in tattered spikes to mix with the black ones, and framing his slender form were a pair of tattered crimson wings.

Wings that Vincent had been wearing earlier in the night and could only belong to one being that Rufus had only seen as a picture stapled in the front of a folder with a single word scribbled beneath it.

Chaos.

“You have sown the seeds of discord in my pack, young one, and that is not tolerated,” remarked Chaos, resuming his stroll around Rufus who was starting to tug harder at his restraints, desperate to get away before this demon could do anything to him. Sharp claws trailed down the other side of his back, adding to the stinging welts already there and drawing a pained hiss from the blond. “Normally, I would kill those that caused discontent among my claimed, but you are one of them. Therefore, you will be taught better manners.”

Panicking at the idea of a demon teaching him better manners, Rufus started frantically struggling, desperate to get away but unable to anything other than rip the skin on his wrists. That dark chuckle echoed around the room again as feverish hot hands rested on his buttocks, the faint tickle of sharp claws teasing the still reddened skin, and the blond whimpered softly, trembling in his bonds. “I would suggest you stop struggling because you will only end up hurting yourself.”

A feverishly hot body stretched out across his back, hard bands of what could only be metal digging into his skin, but Rufus didn’t feel the spider web of leather that was stretched across Chaos’ groin. Hot breath carrying the reek of blood and meat blew past his face before a nose nuzzled at his throat, and Rufus whimpered again, unable to stop the small, scared sounds from escaping. How had Vincent lost control of Chaos, allowing the demon to emerge? He had been in control earlier. What had happened? And where were Reeve and Cloud? Why weren’t they here to stop the demon?

Then his brain reminded him of the image of Cloud, passed out on the floor from the force of his orgasm, and he realized that he was completely at the mercy of the demon pinning him further to the padded table. Even if Reeve was there, the blond doubted that the bearded man would be able to take on Chaos and win, or even stall the demon long enough to free Rufus. The blond was in a position that he never thought he would be in since the Turks had been assigned to him as his guards even as he started taking his own destiny in his hands.

Completely helpless and alone.

Fetid breath caressed his cheek in a chuckle as sharp fangs caressed his skin along with the gentle tick of claws. “Perhaps this is how we felt, trapped in tiny cages only to be released and forced to dance for that imbecile. Completely helpless and alone.”

Pain lanced through his neck where it met his shoulder, and Rufus cried out in pain and fear, unsure what had happened. He didn’t ask how the demon had known what he was thinking or feeling, not caring about the minor details like that as tears started streaming down his face. A long tongue snaked out and licked a salty drop off his cheek before retreating. “You weep, yet I have done nothing to you that you had not done to the others.”

“I didn’t take advantage of them while they were tied up and helpless,” retorted Rufus, finding the courage to snap back at the demon from somewhere only to be answered by another dark chuckle.

“Yet that was your plan for the pale fighter, wasn’t it?” purred Chaos, his voice sounding rather smug about it.

Rufus shook his head, blond hair flying everywhere. “It wasn’t going to be like that!”

That dark chuckle echoed through his head again. “How was he suppose to know that? You never asked him, after all. He just woke up, entrapped yet again.” That hand ran down his back again, sending shivers through his body. “Just like you are now.”

There was a soft whisper of movement before Cloud moved into Rufus’ sight, still gloriously naked but the leather straps had been removed from his arms. Hope raced through Rufus at the appearance of the other blond. Cloud would be able to get Chaos under control and even free him. After all, the blond swordsman took on Sephiroth and won so a demon shouldn’t be any trouble.

Instead of saying anything to Rufus, Cloud leaned past the restrained blond to kiss the demon, a gentle caress of lips that didn’t seem to do anything except get a delighted purr out of Chaos. Rufus could only stare at the smooth expanse of tan skin before his eyes, the sharp angle of Cloud’s hip that when stroked would send a shiver through the other blond, and the muscular thigh that was almost begging to be stroked.

“I think you’ve given him enough to think about,” murmured Cloud, and Rufus managed to tilt his head to look up at the swordsman only to find those mako-colored eyes fixed firmly on the glowing amber gaze of Chaos. “Because now he knows how it felt to be in Hojo’s lab.”

Rufus was startled when Cloud took a step back and hooked a finger under his chin, forcing him to meet glowing blue eyes. “It’s not as much fun as you thought it would be, is it? Being completely helpless to those that have power over you.” Cloud shrugged a shoulder. “That’s how it was in the lab. I don’t remember a whole lot from my time as Hojo’s experiment except that I was restrained a lot, and I always hurt.”

A wry smile twisted Cloud’s lips. “There are times when I hate the fact that those memories are gone, yet on the other hand, I’m glad not to remember what happened.”

That startled Rufus. Of all the things he had learned about Cloud, the one thing the swordsman cherished the most were the memories he had managed to recover after his mako poisonings. But to be glad that memories were missing, even ones of his incarceration?

Cloud stepped away from Rufus, but the restrained blond didn’t notice as his thoughts whirled. He never noticed when Cloud coaxed Chaos back up the stairs, leaving him still restrained and alone as Rufus became absorbed into the puzzle that he had been given.

Chaos stared down at the sleeping humans and felt a sliver of satisfaction warm his heart at the sight of the pale fighter curled against him even as his tattered looking red wing was stretched over the bed like a blanket. Sunlight fell on the floor, not bright enough or warm enough in the early morning hours to coax the dark one out from under the covers, but that wasn’t important right now. What was important was the pale fighter who seemed to have lost most of the fire he normally exhibited since the selfish one had attacked him. That was not right. It was that fire that had attracted Chaos and Galian Beast to the pale fighter, but since that day, the pale fighter had been acting more like a pet, timid of his own shadow.

That would not do.

The pale fighter started stirring, and he watched as glowing blue eyes still cloudy with sleep gazed up at him. “Chaos? Why are you still here?”

“You are not yourself,” purred the demon, folding his wings against his back. “Perhaps your fire was quenched.” He rolled over, pinning the pale fighter to the bed and smirked down into those surprised blue eyes.

The movement caused the dark one to stir before sitting up with a yawn. “What’s going on?” he asked in a sleep roughed voice before glancing over at them with large eyes. “Cloud? Vi-Chaos?”

“Reeve, go see to Rufus,” ordered the pale fighter, determination flickering across his face. “I’ll stay with Chaos.” He tossed the dark one a smile and the dark one nodded before scooping up a robe and leaving them alone. Blue eyes snapping with anger turned back to Chaos as the pale fighter brought his hands up to shove the winged demon off of him. “Why haven’t you let Vincent come back?”

Grasping the slender wrists, Chaos quickly pinned the pale fighter to the bed as his wings flexed behind him in anticipation. This was going to be interesting. “I do not answer to a pet.”

“I am *not* a pet!” snarled the pale fighter, his eyes flashing with fury as he started struggling against the clawed hands pinning him to the bed.

“You have been acting like one,” purred Chaos, his sharp teeth flashing in the sunlight as he leaned down to drag his tongue up the pale neck. “Afraid of your own shadow. Not willing to step out of bounds for fear of being punished. Too timid to fight back when provoked. Perhaps a collar and leash do fit you.”

Growling, the pale one started fighting against the hands that held him to the bed and managed to get a foot planted on Chaos’ chest before shoving *hard*. Surprised by the force, Chaos crashed into the wall, denting the plaster, and he laughed as he wobbled a bit on his feet, the scent of blood staining the air. Deliberately, he licked the blood off his claws, drawn from the pale one’s wrists, and savored the heady mix of mako, and spice that was the pale fighter.

The pale fighter rolled off the bed and into a fighting stance, ready to meet anything Chaos might do. With a roar, Chaos launched himself at the pale fighter, determined to find out for himself if the pale one was a fighter or had become a pet once and for all.

Gritting his teeth, Cloud met Chaos’ attack with determination, the blood from the five cuts on each wrist painting macabre designs on his skin before the skin had healed, and he ducked a swipe of those claws before spinning out of the way and shoving Chaos into the other wall hard enough for the demon’s horns to get stuck in the wall itself. The good thing about their bedroom was that the only things in it were the bed and the two small night stands while solid doors hid the walk in closet from view.

*Of course if this keeps up, the walls will be in danger as well,* part of Cloud mused as he hastily grabbed the sleeping pants that were next to the bed and slipped into them as Chaos managed to get his horns out. The pants wouldn’t be much protection against Chaos, but they were better than nothing in a fight.

“You will regret that, pale one,” snarled Chaos, his wings flexing, and Cloud risked a glance around for something, anything, to hold the demon off with, but nothing appeared. He could fight unarmed, everyone who enlisted in Shinra’s military were taught unarmed combat first, but he was much better with the sword. Coming to a decision, Cloud spun and raced out of the room, using every bit of the speed he possessed. An angry roar behind him indicated that Chaos was following, and Cloud nodded once. He only had to get outside.

Jumping down the stairs, Cloud didn’t hesitate as he raced through the living room, and his hands lashed out, grabbing familiar handles before he skidded to a stop on the damp grass outside, spinning to meet Chaos’ furious charge with the main and second blade of the First Ken in his hands. Metal claws struck sharpened steel with a clang as they met, neither willing to give ground even though the force of the blow slid Cloud back a few inches in the wet grass.

The next several minutes were a blur of attacking and defending as blows were traded and blocked. Cloud felt his blood boil with the heat of the fight, burning away the lethargic apathy that had enveloped him since Rufus’ attack, and laughter spilled from his lips as he sent Chaos spinning from a hard blow. This is what had been missing, the thrill of dancing the blade’s edge in a battle that could lead to victory or defeat in the twist of an arm, and the blond warrior reveled in the feeling of being *alive*.

Finally Cloud had Chaos pinned against one of the trees scattered around the yard with a blade at the dark throat, and with a flash of respect in amber eyes, Chaos melted back into the familiar form of Vincent, whose eyes were burning as hot as Cloud’s. Snarling, Cloud dropped the swords to bury his fingers in that dark hair and pull the gunman into a heated kiss, teeth clashing as tongues battled for dominance.

Freeing one hand, Cloud reached between them and attacked the leather pants Vincent still wore from the night before as he trailed biting kisses down the pale neck. Vincent shuddered as strong arms encircled Cloud, pale fingers stroking tattooed skin and sending fresh waves of lust through Cloud as sword callused fingers wrapped around heated flesh freed from confining leather.

The fight continued, now one of flesh, blood and lust instead of steel and claws. Cloud sank his teeth into the base of Vincent’s neck, blood slipping over his tongue before the small wound was healed, and golden fingers tightened on his hip, ripping through the thin pants and drawing blood along with a small growl. The scent of blood in the air increased the lust burning through Cloud, and he ground his hips into Vincent’s as he bit down on one pale ear.

“I want to be in you,” growled Cloud, his fingers tightening on pale hips. “I want to be buried deep, fucking you through this tree.”

Pale fingers threaded through golden hair to pull Cloud’s head back far enough for burning blue eyes to meet blazing red. “Lube’s in front pocket.”

The words seemed to be a release for the blond as much as they were permission from the gunman, and he dug into the front pocket, knowing Vincent would keep the delicate tube in the right one where it would be grasped by blunt human fingers instead of inhuman gold. He smiled at the dark haired man, a sharp smile promising rough and fighting instead of gentle and carefulness, and Vincent answered with a sharp smile of his own, fangs flashing in the sunlight.

A bit of wiggling and the leather pants were discarded off to one side to lay forgotten in the grass as Vincent attacked Cloud’s mouth again, fangs nipping at the swordsman’s lower lip. Cloud managed to slick his fingers before carefully stretching Vincent. Despite the urgency he felt, he wouldn’t rush this and risk ruining it for both of them.

Snarling, Vincent bit the blond’s shoulder hard, blood trickling down Cloud’s chest from the wound, before he wrapped his legs around Cloud’s hips. “Stop teasing and *fuck* me!”

“If you insist,” replied Cloud, wrapping a slick hand around his own hardness before sliding into Vincent with one smooth movement. Groaning at the feel of the tight heat that enveloped him, Cloud rested his head against Vincent’s shoulder as his hands gripped pale thighs. He gritted his teeth as he waited for Vincent to relax enough for him to move. Despite the instincts that were screaming at him to take Vincent hard and fast, Cloud wouldn’t move until Vincent was ready because to do so when the gunman wasn’t would only hurt him.

It felt like forever before the tightness eased enough for Cloud to move even as Vincent snarled and rolled his hips in an encouraging gesture. A dark laugh spilled out of Cloud as he slowly moved, feeling the muscles loosen a bit more, and after a few thrusts, he was slamming into Vincent, shoving the pale man into the rough bark. Vincent snarled in response, his fang stained a faint red from the blood that hadn’t been licked from them yet, and Cloud quickly caught Vincent’s lips in a harsh kiss even as the blond licked his own blood from the sharp teeth.

There was a creaking of wood from the tree as Cloud continued pounding into Vincent. The gunman snarled in their kisses while drawing bloody lines on Cloud’s skin with his claws, and Cloud loved every second of it. This was violence on a more primal level, that everyone had, but for a SOLDIER, it was another excuse to fight, to feel the play of muscles beneath skin, for flesh to part and release crimson stains. It was bloody, unforgiving, and absolutely perfect.

Vincent gave one final snarl as he sank his teeth into Cloud’s shoulder, his release painting their skin, and Cloud groaned as he followed Vincent, the pain tipping him over. He managed to lock his knees to keep them both from collapsing to the ground and tried to catch his breath. Slender legs slipped off Cloud’s hips as Vincent managed to stand, and Cloud reached up to cup Vincent’s face in his hands, tipping his head forward to rest their foreheads together.

“Thank you, Vincent. And you as well, Chaos,” murmured Cloud, staring into dark red eyes. “Thank you both for reminding me how to live again instead of just existing like I was.” He placed a soft kiss on swollen lips before straightening.

A soft chuckle slipped out of Vincent. “We should get cleaned up before the neighbors start complaining,” he teased, scooping up his pants and walking back to the house, his pale skin painted in a macabre of streaks and smears with Cloud’s blood.

Shaking his head slightly, Cloud scooped up his swords and followed Vincent into the house. Things would never be back to the way they were before Rufus’ little stunt, but they certainly weren’t as bad as they had been since then.

And the relationship between the four of them could only improve from here. Right?