Cloud came home to the now familiar sounds of Angeal hard at work in the kitchen. For all Genesis and Sephiroth's brave attempts, and improvements, Hewley still had the most consistent results. "Hey, 'geal," he said, sticking his head in. "Need some help chopping or washing?"

"Nah, I'm good," Angeal said, breaking pasta into boiling water. "Keeping it simple tonight." But he beckoned Cloud into the kitchen with a crooked finger all the same. He kissed the boy's forehead and handed him an apple. "Go keep Gen company for me, will you? He's been a little down lately."

"You saw it too, huh?"

Angeal quirked an eyebrow at Cloud. "It's Gen. Who could miss it?" He sent Cloud out the door with a shared laugh and a friendly swat on the bum.

Cloud found Genesis in the bedroom in half a state of undress. "Cloud, sweetheart," Genesis said, letting his pajama top fall to the floor. "I was just about to take a shower. Care to join me?"

"Sure," Cloud said. "To keep you from fainting in the bathroom at any rate."

"I didn't faint, I passed out," Genesis insisted. "And it wasn't in the bath."

Cloud stuck his tongue out at the man and began to undress. His uniform he folded into a neat square pile with sharp corners. He would have to slip back into it when he left. The pajamas he shoved into the hamper.

"Oh, just toss them all in together, Chocobohead," Genesis said, ruffling blond hair. "Seph's due to run a load of laundry tonight and you might as well have a clean uniform to sneak back out in."

They waited twenty seconds for the water to heat up before stepping in, a luxury that wasn't available in the trooper showers, or the SOLDIER communal ones either, to be honest. But rank did have its privileges. "You ever wonder how come nobody's noticed anything?" Cloud asked, lathering up in the generous space. Genesis's bath products this month smelled like cake frosting.

"I'm sure someone has," Genesis said, applying conditioner with a rather heavy hand. "But on these floors discretion is part of the deal."

Cloud pondered a moment. "Will I get in trouble?"

"Not if we can help it, little bird. Turn around, let me scrub your back for you." Genesis lathered up the washcloth. It was yellow with a printed beak and eyes, chocobo style for a little bird who was fast outgrowing such things. Cloud had grown in more than height. He was beginning to look proportional again, body filling out to match his frame. Not tall, he would never be tall, not around them, but muscle showed on his back and his legs. Genesis let his hands linger.

Cloud moaned and leaned forward, resting his weight against the tiled wall. Genesis recognized the invitation. He rinsed the washcloth of all suds, letting it grow heavy with water in his hand, before wringing it over Cloud's waiting back. Rivulets poured down, seeking the lowest point, tracing the new definition of Cloud's body. Genesis pulled the shower head down and aimed, teasing Cloud with the water as he rinsed.

"Gen," Cloud whined, widening his stance. Genesis felt himself harden immediately. He barely managed to get the shower head back in place before pulling Cloud's hips closer. They were wet, and ready, and Cloud was eager for penetration. He cried out a little and threw his head back at the first breaching thrust. Genesis bit his ear and held him tight, not giving him any leeway. Cloud met him the best he could for every desperate thrust, in the end just able to keep his arms straight enough to keep his face from hitting the wall. Genesis gripped Cloud around the waist and ran one hand down Cloud's flexing back, admiring the rhythmic curves of the motion of fucking.

It was quick and messy, Cloud spilling into Genesis's hands the instant he heard the feral howl of the SOLDIER's climax in his ear. They sank together to the floor of the shower stall and caught their breaths while the water took care of the mess.

Cloud looked back over his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Delirious," Genesis said. "We should get out soon. The water will get cold."

"Yeah," Cloud said. They stayed in the shower ten minutes more.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well, you two look like a couple of boiled lobsters," Angeal said, taking in the particular flush in Cloud's cheeks.

"Yeah, we have a real good water heater, don't we?" Genesis said. "I never really appreciated it before."

Cloud rolled his eyes and scrubbed at his hair with a blue towel. "Yeah, Gen, like he totally didn't hear us at all."

Angeal blinked in an exaggerated fashion. "Hear what?" Genesis giggled and glanced away. Angeal turned to the stove. "It's good to see you with color in your cheeks anyway. Dinner'll be ready in an hour."

Genesis snorted. "An hour for pasta?"

"There'll be fresh garlic bread."

"Ooh." Genesis put an arm around Cloud's shoulder and steered him away. "Let's leave the man to his work, little bird. He doesn't need interruptions."

They bundled up together on the couch in clean flannel pajamas and two of the blankets that were part of the general décor now. Genesis reached under the coffee table for a very solid book. There was sound and motion at the door that made them pause in their snuggling.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Zack said. He looked fresh from a workout, clad in a tshirt with a towel still around his neck.

"Gen's going to read me a story," Cloud said.

"Well, it's actually more of a picture book," Genesis said. "Get on in here, puppy, I'll tell you too." He held up the book with an obviously hand-decorated cover. The SOLDIER logo shone out, dazzling in glitter.

"Is that…?"

"One of my scrapbooks?" Genesis smirked at him. "You bet your tight little ass. Get over here."

Zack did not need to be told twice. He stripped and tripped on the way over, pulling himself up and sidling in at Genesis's other side. A little squirming and wriggling to get all the wrinkles out of the wrapped blankets and Genesis the storyteller was sandwiched as warm as he could wish between two fine young men. "I feel like a proper wandering bard," he said.

"Gen," Cloud whined. "Share the goods."

"Of course, of course," Genesis said, and opened the book. A fine fall of glitter dusted the blanket over their laps. "This pic is from when Angeal and I first started training…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"And finally, after all that sweat and tears and the drunken fistfights, we were being sent off to Wutai to meet The Great Sephiroth. I had such imaginings about how it would go." Genesis lost himself in reverie.

Zack and Cloud shared a glance and stared back up at Genesis. "Uh, Gen?" Zack asked, reaching up to nudge the man.

"What? Oh, yes." Genesis came to and kissed Zack's finger.

"So how'd it go?" Cloud asked.

Genesis took a deep breath and stared down at the last shot of Angeal, in a Third's uniform, boarding the chopper ahead of him. "Not as expected," he said at last and turned the page.

They stared, all three. "Oh. My. Goddess," Zack said. "Is that Seph?"

"In the flesh," Genesis said.

Cloud shook his head. "But he's so…" His hands flailed in the air, grasping for words that weren't there.

"Cute?" Zack offered.

"And short," Cloud said, almost squeaking.

"Mmhmm," Genesis said. "If you ever wondered why there were no publicity shots of him from back then, this is it. Look at him, he was cute as a button."

"Yeah, man," Zack said. "No way anybody's buying that as a First Class murder machine."

"He made it work for him, don't you doubt it," Genesis said, exhaling into his hair. "I got to admit, I was a real shit to him at first. Couldn't believe this pretty little munchkin was what I'd been dreaming of all along. They sent him there so young."

"So what happened?" Zack asked.

Genesis checked both boys over for any signs of distress. "Brace yourselves," he said, turning the page. "Puberty hit."

Both boys screamed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Come on, Gen, it wasn't as bad as all that," Angeal said, waving his spoon.

"Oh, really?" Genesis said from under his blanket hood.

Angeal fidgeted in place. "Well, it turned out pretty good in the end."

"Pretty darn good," Genesis said, "but there's no denying it was touch and go for a second there."

"I guess, but there's no need to go making a horror story out of it. Look at them."

Genesis stared first at Cloud, then at Zack, and shrugged. "They look okay to me."

"Gen," Cloud said, tugging Genesis's sleeve. "What happened next?"

Genesis smirked in triumph at Angeal. "See, they want more."

"Mmhmm," Angeal said. "Well, we'll see what Sephiroth has to say about it when he gets back." He returned to his pots and his fresh baked bread.

Zack was still staring down at the picture in total disbelief. "What happened, though, really?"

"No one knows," Genesis said. "Once his hormones kicked in, they kicked in. Hard and fast. He grew four years in four months, if you ask me, had the whole adolescence thing over and done with in a blink."

"I wish I could blink," Cloud said.

"I'm turning the page now so here's your chance," Genesis said. "Now the uneven growth spurt was one thing, but then came the acne."

They screamed again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sephiroth came home in time to share dinner. He sat at the table, barely out of battle clothes, and ate like he had not seen food in days. With his face down in his plate, he did not notice Cloud and Zack taking note of his face. They whispered together, things that were no secret to Angeal or Genesis, or Sephiroth himself if he could bother to hear anything above the sound of his own chewing.

"Slow down before you choke, Seph," Angeal said.

"Bu' ah'm hungry," Sephiroth said around a mouthful of bread. Angeal didn't even bother to tell him to stop talking with his mouth full.

"There's plenty more in the pot, you don't have to suck it down like a convict," said Genesis. Sephiroth shot him a wry glance for the phrasing and kept eating anyway.

"Didn't they feed you on that last mission?"

"Field rations," Sephiroth said. A murmur of sympathy went up from all present.

"Yeah, okay, that's not food," Genesis said, setting more garlic bread on Sephiroth's plate. "Wine?" Sephiroth shook his head.

Angeal went back to the pot and dished up some more pasta. "Here you go. What's this company coming to if they send you out without proper supplies and backup?"

Sephiroth slowed his chewing. He swallowed and savored the question. "They're wearing out."

"Hm?" Genesis got busy with the parmesan cheese and the grater.

"The war," Sephiroth said. "It's wearing Shinra out. Going on too long. They can't hold much longer, even with us."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Genesis said. "We don't quite have them outmanned, but they are outmatched."

"I know," Sephiroth said, "but Shinra's been playing it safe for a while instead of going for decisive targets. I feel like I could figure out why if I tried, but I've been too tired."

"Not you too," Angeal said with a glance in Genesis's direction. "To bed, both of you."

"I love it when you give orders, Angeal," Genesis said, grinning.

Zack and Cloud were smirking too. "Can we watch?"

"That is not what I meant and you all know it," Angeal said.

"He's grumpy," Cloud said.

Genesis nodded. "We should take him to bed."

"Can I eat in bed?" Sephiroth said.

"Well, of course," Genesis said.

"I meant food," Sephiroth said, slurping down pasta.

"You'll mess up the sheets," Angeal grumbled.

"Don't we always?" Genesis said. Angeal left the table in a mock show of disgust.

"I'm just going to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the night," he said. "There'll be no sense out of you tonight."

"You can have everything else you want out of me though," Genesis said, giving Angeal a come-hither stare. Angeal opened the fridge and got himself a beer.

"I know what I want," Sephiroth said. "I want to know why there's glitter on the couch."

The guilty three gave themselves away in an instant. "Uh…" Zack began most eloquently.

Genesis propped an elbow on the table and set his chin in his hand. "I was showing them your baby pictures."

"You don't have my baby pictures," Sephiroth said. He frowned. "I don't have my baby pictures." He sat up. "I don't know who has my baby pictures." Cloud rubbed his back and offered a hand to hold for comfort.

"I meant your baby SOLDIER pictures," Genesis said. "From my scrapbook."

Sephiroth's face fell. "Oh. Those." He shuddered.

"Things came together pretty well in the end, didn't they?" Zack said, forcing a grin.

Sephiroth picked up his fork again. "I suppose."

"And you know what else?" Genesis said. "The lucky bastard hasn't had a single pimple since."

-.-.-.-.-.-

The VR room was a SOLDIER mainstay, where they could train with abandon, go as hard as they please, and provide valuable performance data to the company for the good of all SOLDIER. Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis had not been there in a while.

"Why did we take so long to come back here again?" Genesis asked, leaning back on the simulated tower rooftop. "This used to be our thing."

"We found a new thing," Angeal said. "Two new things, even."

Sephiroth glanced back over his shoulder at them, eyes fixed in a silent warning about listening ears. There were few places, so very few, where one could be alone in Shinra. He was beginning to understand the logic of keeping the highly ranked within the tower walls. He turned back to the sunset without a word. This wasn't the place for the things he wanted to say.

Genesis pulled a familiar red book out of his pocket and began to read. His lips moved but there was no sound. A few good pillow smacks from Zack and Cloud had taught him the virtues of silent reading. Sephiroth wished he had thought of it himself. He huffed, watching Genesis read. It would not have worked anyway, coming from him. Too much rivalry between them, not enough care. At least, there had been.

It may have been the lighting, a faux sunset, still in the early stages, bright and gold. Genesis's red hair looked like fire. In comparison his skin was white ash.

"How are you holding up?" Angeal asked, breaking Sephiroth's train of thought.

Sephiroth's lip curved. Before Cloud, no one had really asked him that kind of thing with any regularity. Now it was just habit among all the people who mattered. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"No major reason, just asking." Angeal said. "I know how you get expecting new SOLDIERs and all."

Sephiroth shrugged, but it was stiff. "The exam happens every year."

"Yeah, but every crop is different," Angeal said. They did not mention how. Sephiroth crossed his toes in his boots because he did not dare cross fingers where cameras might see. "I think this one will be good," Angeal was saying. "Plenty of good hopefuls this year."

"I suppose." Sephiroth stared directly into the false sun. Even if it had been as bright as the real thing, his eyes were built to handle it. "They'll have to go directly to war," he said, fists clenching. "They're needed."

Angeal sighed. "This war is taking a while, isn't it?" He paced a short distance up and down the canon. "I remember when the President promised we'd have it all wrapped up in a year, with the three of us being Firsts." He stopped himself right there. There was only so much that was okay to say.

"Can't plan for everything," Sephiroth said.

"All the same, guess we should be glad, eh?" Angeal said, staring at Genesis. "If there's no war, we're out of a job, and then what would we do?"

Sephiroth watched Angeal's back as he walked away. "Yes," he murmured. "What would we do?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lazard kept the scores under strict lock and key and the Firsts were traditionally not to be bothered with such details. A bunch of green Thirds was of no concern to such men, once the formality of an 'interview' was done. As such they could make no discreet inquiries without looking suspicious. But Zack, now Zack could do what he pleased. So they sent him down to wheedle. He knew a guy, he said.

But all 'the guy' could give him was that the scores were still being calculated. There was the overall performance record to consider, and any infractions to be taken into account. Attitude and general psychological fitness for the program was also very important, and being a subjective measure, was harder to weigh in. And tolerance to mako, despite recruitment blood tests, was a toss-up. Zack was sure his contact knew more than he was saying, but whoever that guy was and whatever avenues he had, he knew how to keep a secret.

"Sorry," Zack said. "Couldn't get a thing out of him, but I'm sure you got in."

Cloud shrugged. "It'll be what it'll be."

"I hear that," Genesis said with a towel over his head. "You've come far, Chickabo. Even if it's not okay, you can always try again."

"I guess," Cloud said. "But it will mean waiting even longer to start walking out with you guys."

Genesis pulled him close. "We've made it this far," he said. "We can hold on a little longer, if you can."

Cloud buried his face in Genesis's chest. "You know I will."

"Good."