Leopard Play

Avina Garamond

Disclaimer: I do not own Sephiroth or Vincent or Lucrecia for that matter. I own the idea.

NOTICE! This fictional work has a Neko in it. And a sex scene. Together. I don't want to hear that I burned out someone's eyes because I didn't give a warning.

To Kuro: My Christmas present to you is complete! Hope you like it! I can't believe I finished it by today. XD

To my darling readers: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I'll try to get another snowy special out without Christmas for those who don't celebrate! Thanks for reading!

Vincent walked through town, hands buried in his beige trench coat. It was freezing, though there was no snow. Street salt crunched underneath his black combat boots. A deeply unsatisfied, bordering on grumpy, look was stretched upon his face.

Lucrecia, that.... that... He couldn't think of a name to call her. She has been poisoning his image of her ever since he bothered to talk to her beyond the basic greeting. He had seen her at the pound today, looking at the stray pets. Vincent had showed up for a pet as well, but left as soon as he saw her spotless lab coat. There was no way in hell he was going to talk to his sadistic, animal-torturing ex-wife ever again.

He kicked a piece of ice that had not melted yet, frown deepening. He understood that scientists need test subjects but... couldn't they use mice or something? Why... cats... and dogs...? He looked around. So many people had pets nowadays. A man walked with a rather large mutt at his side. The mutt was an almost identical replica of the man, except from the chocolate curls on his head, emerged not human ears, but large, shaggy dog ears. From his torn jeans emerged a thick, curly-haired tail. The man and the mutt were talking to each other in low voices, both looking at the man's PDA.

Vincent passed him, jealousy overriding his anger for a while. He had lived alone in his apartment for so long, it was almost unbearable now. He just wanted someone to talk to. A dog, a cat. Anything. A little boy was chasing a puppy around and Vincent couldn't help but smile. When pets were young, they still walked on all fours and were covered in fur. It was only when they were full grown would they develop a hominid appearance.

A woman walked by with a parrot. The parrot girl had electric green and crimson hair and her arms sported matching feathers. Vincent tried to follow the conversation.

"...and then, Tali, we will go to the store."

"Go to the store."

"And buy a present from my Kiki."

"My Kiki."

Vincent passed them, mentally crossing off parrot from a list of potential pets. He wouldn't want his pet to repeat everything he said, but wanted to actually hold a decent conversation with them. A dog or cat then. They were the most intelligent of pets, having been genetically engineered first. They had... almost human thought.

Vincent sighed, breath misting out in front of him. He wished he hadn't run out of the pound. He wished he could have bought a pet just there and then.

Just then, as he stepped before and alleyway, a bundle of dirty fur ran into his boot and flipped itself over. A squeak, and it stilled. Vincent jumped. He didn't kill it, did he?! He hadn't meant to! The twitching creature's tail was crooked; did he step on it?! Vincent scooped up the little furball, already ignoring his onlookers.

"Hey!" he heard a voice call. He turned, the little fuzzball still twitching in his hands. He was surprised to see not one, but two people run up to him. They were in uniform, and a familiar one at that. Security guards from Lucrecia's laboratory.

"Can we have that back?" the guard asked. Vincent blinked, still holding the half-dead animal.

"Its nearly dead," he said. "You don't want it back." The guards looked at each other.

"Well, Miss Lucrecia just bought it from the pound and it escaped. We really need to give it back to her." As soon as Vincent heard Lucrecia's name, the frown returned to his face.

"More reason for me to keep it," he said. He pet the cold fur. The guards stepped closer to him.

"Look, we really need to get it back to the lab." Back to the lab? Did that mean that it wasn't actually from the pound? The guards were blatantly lying to him.

"I'll buy him from you. I've always wanted a pet."

"There's no way in hell you're getting that one. You don't even know what it is. Its a very expensive species of-"

"Its a mangy cat," Vincent cut off. "Kitten. I've always wanted a kitten. I'll buy him off you and you can go to the pound and buy a hundred more kittens just like him." The guards looked helplessly at each other. Then at the kitten. It was dirty and gray and unappealing in general.

Seeing their hesitance, Vincent pulled out a couple hundred dollar bills out of his pocket and gave them to the guards.

"Here, take it, and leave me alone," he said. He walked off, the kitten in his hands.

~*~

The kitten was alive and well, Vincent concluded happily. It walked softly through his apartment, clean and still gray. Vincent decided it was simply its coloring. He gave it a bowl of warm milk, which it lapped up hungrily. Vincent wrapped up the unfortunate's tail, hoping it would heal.

The kitten looked at him with wide, blue-gray eyes. Milk dripped from its whiskers. Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"I think I'm going to keep you," he told it. "You need a name." He lay down on the carpet next to the kitten. The kitten walked up to him and stuck his milky whiskers into Vincent's face. Vincent laughed.

"I think I'll call you Sephiroth. What do you think?" The kitten butted him in the face again and curled up in his arms.

"Are you cold?" Vincent crooned to the little kitten. He took it to his little radiator and set the bundle of fur next to it. He wrapped the radiator meticulously with cloth, in case the kitten had the lack of sense to curl up at it and roast itself before morning.

"Good night, Sephiroth," Vincent crooned again, petting the small head with his finger. The kitten opened an eye at him but soon went back to sleep. Vincent smiled, glad to finally have someone to talk to.

~*~

Vincent was astounded. The kitten grew and grew and grew. A cat would have turned to its hominid form quite a while ago, but this kitten just kept growing. And it wasn't gray anymore. It was a silver-ish white, with the gray clumping into clusters, like spots. Vincent frowned at the kitten, typing away at his computer. His search didn't come up with anything for spotted kittens. He looked at the kitten again, which was busying itself trying to jump on the couch without using the side table. It was almost able to make it.

Vincent closed his computer and took a coiled string from his desk. He whistled.

"Here, Sephiroth," he called. The "kitten" looked at him, then at the string. Vincent unwound the string and let it dangle at Sephiroth's nose. The cat instantly tried to swat at it, but Vincent was too quick for it, jerking it out of reach.

The angry kitten rose, swatting repeatedly at the acursed string. He jumped into the air, trying to capture the string with his claws and still it evaded him. Vincent kept smiling. He would never regret buying the little scallywag.

~*~

A snow leopard. It was unmistakably a snow leopard that was clawing its way up Vincent's leg for a piece of chicken.

"Go 'way," Vincent said, pushing it off. He ate his chicken. The snow leopard took his sleeve in its mouth and pulled.

"Hey!" Vincent yelled, flicking the leopard on the nose. "Stop that!" The snow leopard tugged on his pants instead.

"Sephiroth, I'm warning you. You rip any of clothes again, I won't give you food for a week," Vincent threatened. The snow leopard sat, tail flicking around lazily. It watched Vincent's face carefully, and licked its nose... casually. As if not chewing out Vincent's clothes was his own idea. Vincent laughed and threw the rest of his chicken into Sephiroth's bowl. The leopard leapt to it, chowing down.

Vincent looked out the window. It would be warm soon. It was already spring but still rather cool out. He should take Sephiroth out when he still could enjoy the weather. He patiently waited until the bowl was licked clean and took out the leash. That was the trouble with adopting a pet early, still in its kitten or puppy form. They had to be taken care of, and had leashes. Adult pets didn't have to be pampered.

Sephiroth watched Vincent put the collar and leash on with an expression of utmost boredom on his features.

"Hey, don't be mad at me," Vincent said. "Going to give you some excercise." He knelt down to Sephiroth's level. "Kiss?"

Sephiroth shoved his nose to Vincent's and licked his mouth. Vincent scratched him fondly behind the ears.

"Good boy," he said. He stood up and tugged on the leash gently. The snow leopard sprang to his feet and followed him.

There was still snow on the ground, though it melted quite drastically since the snowstorm. Sephiroth instantly bounded into the snow, rolling over in it and getting himself covered with snow. Vincent watched him, happy that Sephiroth had such distinct spots. His white fur blended him in perfectly with the snow, and with Sephiroth's rolling in the snow antics, even the black rosettes were becoming camouflaged.

Vincent whistled to him, getting his attention.

"Come on, park time," he called. Sephiroth leapt out of the snow and walked forward to the park, pulling on the leash. Once again, going to the park was his idea, not Vincent's. Vincent didn't want to go to the park; he had to be dragged there. Vincent jogged after Sephiroth, getting his own morning exercise... in the afternoon.

In the park, pets were allowed without leashes, but Vincent kept his on one anyway. The main problem was the leopard's hunting instincts. It was fine for Sephiroth to chase squirrels and rabbits but puppies were an issue. The first time Sephiroth chased after a puppy, Vincent hadn't taken off his leash yet, and was able to stop Sephiroth in his tracks, albeit strangling him slightly.

Sephiroth pawed out a hole in the snow to cool himself down in first. Vincent was used to that. It was way too warm in his apartment for a snow leopard and the jogging would have warmed him up too. After a few minutes, Sephiroth arched out of his spot and jogged through the snow. Vincent let the leash unwind as Sephiroth found a spot for his business and then covered it up with snow.

Sephiroth stopped. His ears and whiskers perked forward. His eyes followed a squirrel climbing down a tree. With a burst of snow, the snow leopard was gone, hurtling though the snow at the squirrel. In a spray of snow, the leopard bowled over, claws shredding through the little rodent trapped under him. Satisfied, the leopard took the squirrel in his mouth and trotted over to Vincent.

Vincent smiled at the people staring at him and his killer pet. He tried to ignore them but it was rather difficult when it was his pet that dragged a bleeding squirrel across a good hundred feet of pristine snow and then dropped it at his feet.

"Good boy," Vincent said, scratching Sephiroth behind the ears. "Thank you. Now go play," he said. He cleaned Sephiroth's bloody nose with snow and kissed it. "Go on." Sephiroth blinked and bounded off. Vincent picked up the squirrel while he wasn't looking and threw it into the nearest trash can. He glared at the few people that were still staring at him.

"Its not my fault cats try to feed their owners," Vincent muttered, turning to look back at Sephiroth. Sephiroth was playing with a rabbit. The leopard swatted at the terrified rabbit with its heavy paw, but did not extend his claws to actually hurt it. The rabbit tried to bite him but Sephiroth was quicker and kept his paw out of the way.

Vincent whistled Sephiroth over after a few minutes watching his antics with rabbits, squirrels, and snowmen. He was cold. Sephiroth shook himself and jogged over to Vincent. Vincent scratched him behind the ears again and pulled him home. Sephiroth didn't want to leave the park...

~*~

Sephiroth rubbed against the side of the couch, leaving a trail of fur there.

"Stop that!" Vincent snapped at him over the vacuum. He had been vacuuming all day, for the past three days. Sephiroth wouldn't stop shedding! He understood that it was warm and that he had to shed but this was excessive! Sephiroth sat, licking his nose. Vincent neared him with the vacuum and started to vacuum the excess fur right off Sephiroth.

Sephiroth arched, hissed and spitting and ran off into the other room. Vincent shut the vacuum off. Well, it was worth a try. He left the vacuum in the living room and took the pet brush from between the couch cushions. He went to try to find Sephiroth.

Sephiroth was standing arched and hissing in the corner of his bedroom. He ears were furled way back and whiskers quivering.

"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you," Vincent said. Sephiroth raised his paw warningly. Vincent sighed.

"Brush," he said, raising the brush. "Not vacuum." Sephiroth growled. Vincent tried to move the brush closer to him and it was batted down by Sephiroth's paw. Vincent tried again, but Sephiroth only batted it away.

"That's it you little devil," Vincent growled and tackled Sephiroth to the floor. Sephiroth squeaked and hissed and tried to crawl out from under Vincent but to no avail. He lay his ears down and his whiskers drooped in defeat. Vincent rumpled his fur.

"Don't be scared. Its just a brush." He started brushing Sephiroth's fur. Sephiroth stared wide-eyed at the bed stand while Vincent meticulously removed his excess fur.

A pile of fur on his carpet later, Vincent scratched Sephiroth's ears.

"Ok, stop that. I'm done," he said. Sephiroth lay still. Vincent swept the pile of fur into the trash can and turned back to Sephiroth. Except... Sephiroth wasn't there anymore. Vincent sighed and opened the closet. Nope, not there. He looked under the bed. Aha! Sephiroth stared at him from under the bed. Vincent smiled.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad," he said. "Come on out. I'll get you chicken." Sephiroth refused to move an inch. Vincent went back to the kitchen for his bribe. He washed a boneless chicken leg under the faucet and dried it slightly. He took it back to his bedroom and lay down again and waggled it in front of Sephiroth. He smiled as he saw Sephiroth's ears perk up.

"Come on. Chick-en. Your fav-orite," he crooned. The leopard flowed out from under the bed the lick the chicken and yank it from Vincent's grasp.

And crawled back under the bed. Vincent let his head hit the floor.

"Fine. See if I give you any more chicken," he said, and walked out of the room to finish vacuuming his living room.

He did manage to chase Sephiroth out from under his bed later on by vacuuming there, which earned a him a shriek, a scratched up nozzle on his vacuum cleaner, a severely clawed wardrobe, and a terrified Sephiroth perched on top of the wardrobe.

"Come down, I'm done," Vincent said. Sephiroth refused. Vincent tried to reach up to grab him which ended with him getting his hair completely screwed up as Sephiroth batted his head repeatedly. Finally, Vincent gave up. He needed some rest from this whole furry business.

~*~

Vincent dragged the string across the floor, laying on his bed. Sephiroth lazily swatted it. It was hot, and it was humid. The day dragged on for ever and ever and ever.

"Come on, boy, lets go outside," Vincent said. "It'll be good for the both of us." He clipped on Sephiroth's leash and pulled him outside. Sephiroth could only give a low whine as he followed Vincent on the hot streets.

Thankfully, Sephiroth's owner wasn't cruel, and stopped by a store to buy a bottle of cold water. He drank some himself, but the rest Vincent poured on Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth lapped it up in midair and shook himself, relishing in the coolness. Vincent smiled and continued to walk.

"Vincent!" he heard a woman shriek. He turned to the voice and was met with a slap in the face. His head snapped back and he dropped Sephiroth's leash. He pressed his hand to his burning cheek and looked back at the woman in surprise. White lab coat, angry eyes, frazzled hair.

"Lucre-"

"You bastard! I should have know it would be you!" Lucrecia screamed. "You! You would be the only one to follow me just to take my newest experiment!" She looked utterly livid. Vincent was confused.

"Wha-?"

"You stole my snow leopard!" Lucrecia continued to scream, cutting off Vincent. "Do you have any idea how much it cost?! I nearly lost my job you worthless prick!" Vincent glared at her.

"Its a shame you didn't lose it," he said cooly. "I didn't follow you anywhere. I don't want to be anywhere near you." Lucrecia didn't stop screaming, drawing a crowd to watch them.

"Only you would steal my experiment! You and your... your... stupid animal obsession! Its perfectly alright to experiment on animals! You can't steal experiments!"

"Shut up, woman!" Vincent yelled back. "I bought your snow leopard fairly. I wonder what sort of experiments you did on him then! His tail was broken!"

Lucrecia ignored him, scooping up the leash from the ground. Sephiroth growled, pulling against the leash. He didn't want to go wherever Lucrecia was dragging him.

"Come on, you stupid animal!" Lucrecia muttered, pulling Sephiroth to her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Vincent exclaimed. She was taking his pet away right before his nose! Suddenly, Sephiroth jumped at Lucrecia. A terrible scream ripped through the air, catching the attention of more passerby than before. Lucrecia's ever-present lab coat had blood on it, while the snow leopard hissed, back arched and hair raised. Vincent grabbed Sephiroth's leash.

"Good boy," he said, running off with the leopard as the crowd surrounded Lucrecia, asking if she needed any help. They stopped two blocks down and Vincent sat in front of Sephiroth.

"Now, I don't want you to ever do that again, alright?" Vincent asked. "Unless its her, or someone who's trying to steal from me or hurt us, okay?" The leopard looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Kiss?" Vincent asked. The leopard butted their noses together and licked Vincent's mouth. "Good boy."

~*~

Vincent fought in court over custody of the snow leopard. Thankfully, he won. It was winter again, an entire year had passed since Sephiroth first ran into his boot. He was a very large cat now, and could easily tackle Vincent to the ground if he wanted to. Still, he still kept his leopard shape. Vincent just had to wait.

He didn't really mind though. He enjoyed playing with Sephiroth as a snow leopard. They could actually "wrestle," with Vincent usually losing as Sephiroth batted his head until Vincent left the room. He would then parade around the house, looking deeply satisfied and irritating Vincent to no end.

"Alright, alright. Show off. Lets go outside. Its snowing," Vincent said, hooking the leash onto Sephiroth's collar. Sephiroth yanked the leash out of Vincent's hand and ran to the door. He looked at Vincent affronted. Why wasn't the door already open for him?

"Look, Your Highness. I still need to put my boots and coat on. Then we can go outside," Vincent said. Sephiroth looked away and pawed at the door.

"Keep ignoring me and it won't open," Vincent threatened, putting his shoes on. Sephiroth twitched his tail. Deciding that was his way of showing that he was in fact paying attention, Vincent opened the door. Sephiroth trickled out the door and Vincent just had enough time to take the leash before Sephiroth disappeared.

Sephiroth leapt in the snow in joy. Snow was everywhere. If it wasn't somewhere, more falling snow would put it there. Sephiroth rolled in the snow, tangling himself in his leash until he couldn't move and Vincent had to help. Vincent pushed his pet around, trying to get the leash from under him. Sephiroth enjoyed every minute.

Winter was great. Even Vincent found himself enjoying the season a lot more, and not minding the snow in his coat and the ice crystals forming on the inside of his sweater. It was fun going outside and just fooling around.

Spring was a sad time. The snow melted and it was beginning to warm. Both Sephiroth and Vincent lamented the passing of the season. But Sephiroth had a surprise in store for Vincent...

~*~

Vincent rolled over, feeling for his alarm. He frowned as his fingers couldn't find the damn thing. He contemplated opening his eyes when the alarm abruptly shut off. Vincent rolled over again, opening his eyes. Who shut the....

His jaw dropped. On his bed sat the most gorgeous human body he had ever set eyes upon. It made the statue of David look like the work of an amateur sculptor. His silver hair cascaded down onto the bed. Snow-white ears poked from behind long bangs. Even the ears had black rosettes typical of snow leopards on them. Sephiroth smiled.

"Good morning," he said. The deep bass with soothing but surprisingly stimulating. Vincent instantly woke up.

"Sephiroth?" Sephiroth nodded.

"Its me," he said. A white tail with black rosettes flicked across Vincent's lap. Vincent felt a tap on his chin and realized his mouth was still hanging open. Sephiroth sat up from bed and tugged Vincent's arm softly. Vincent followed him out of bed.

"I... I forgot..." he started.

"That I would stop bouncing around on four legs?" Sephiroth asked, eyes softening as he smiled. Vincent nodded. Excessively. His vision bounced on all four corners of the room as Sephiroth laughed.

"You talk," Vincent said finally.

"Which is why Lucrecia thought of me as an experiment. I have the ability to talk and a store of knowledge ingrained in me genetically."

"She can do that?"

"As you can tell," Sephiroth said. Vincent cast around for something else to say.

"Uh... you're wearing my pants."

"I could hardly go around naked, now could I?" Sephiroth asked. Vincent grasped around for something to say to that. Sephiroth chuckled again.

"I understand that its hard to get used to me all of a sudden becoming hominid..."

"Not at all," Vincent cut off. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Chicken?" Sephiroth shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. I'll eat whatever you eat now." Vincent instantly made breakfast.

"You're um... in good shape," he said finally.

"Well, you built up my strength quite well, pinning me to the floor constantly," Sephiroth said. Vincent looked away guiltily. "Not to worry. I think the games were fun." Vincent scratched the back of his head. How was he going to get used to this?

Sephiroth didn't need a leash anymore and went freely outside with Vincent. Vincent eventually learned that Sephiroth was very easy to talk to and loved his "childhood" and wasn't at all trying to embarrass Vincent when talking about it. In fact, the wrestling matches stayed even.

Sephiroth was as playful in his hominid form as he was in his leopard form. Occasionally, he would turn back into a leopard, feeling more comfortable with the form to do something drastic. Like claw his way up a tree to chase a squirrel. He also continued to use his leopard form to sleep. He'd curl up in Vincent's bed, tail covering his face. Vincent pet Sephiroth's leopard head until he too would fall asleep.

Days went by, then weeks. Lucrecia was still fuming, especially after she saw Vincent in town again with Sephiroth. Sephiroth instantly turned into a leopard and growled, standing protectively in front of Vincent. Lucrecia gave an evil, satisfied smirk and went off.

When Vincent asked about it, Sephiroth only shrugged.

"Pets can't willingly change form. As a new type of pet, I can. It just proved that her experiment was a success." Vincent nodded. How easily Sephiroth talked about pets. It was as if he didn't even care! He went to bed frumpy.

Sephiroth walked softly into his room.

"Vincent..." he called quietly. "Are you mad?" Vincent shook his head.

"No..." He gasped as Sephiroth nuzzled his cheek. In his hominid form. The touch was... too close for him.

"Sephiroth?" Sephiroth pulled away.

"Yes?" Vincent blushed deep crimson.

"I... uh..." Sephiroth nuzzled him again and licked his cheek.

"You worry too much. You can go to sleep if you want." Sephiroth turned into his leopard form and curled up. Vincent looked at him, still blushing. He pet the furry head a couple times and then scooted away a little. He didn't want Sephiroth to hear his heart hammering so quickly in his chest.

Vincent didn't realize how awkward it was being with Sephiroth until after the nuzzling incident. He had forgotten that Sephiroth was a cat by nature after all and showed affection physically. By nuzzling, and licking, and touching noses. All of which earned a deep blush from Vincent. When questioned for the cause of the blush, Vincent evaded he subject.

~*~

After a wrestling match in which Sephiroth lost, Sephiroth turned back into his affronted leopard self. Feeling much more comfortable with a leopard Sephiroth, Vincent hugged him.

"Don't be mad," he crooned. "Kiss?" He closed his eyes, expecting Sephiroth to mash his wet nose into his. He did not expect soft lips on his. His eyes flashed wide open and he tried to pull back in shock. But Sephiroth would not let him. Strong arms held him in one place, and Vincent was helpless against the forceful kiss.

Sephiroth pulled away and smiled and Vincent's red face.

"You said you wanted a kiss," he said, teasingly. Vincent blushed darker red.

"Though it wasn't properly done," Sephiroth added as an afterthought.

"Guh... wha..?" Vincent mumbled. Sephiroth dove at him again, kissing him into the floor. Vincent gasped, and that was all Sephiroth needed. A cool tongue plunged into Vincent's mouth.

"Mft!" Sephiroth ignored whatever Vincent tried to say, licking the inside of Vincent's mouth as if it was a bowl that had contained warm milk just a second ago. Sephiroth pulled away again, unconsciously licking his upper lip. Vincent continued to lie on the ground. He didn't think he could get up anymore.

Sephiroth butted their foreheads together.

"Vincent?" Vincent didn't react, still in a state of shock. Sephiroth whined and nuzzled Vincent's cheek. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no..." Vincent said. He pet Sephiroth's long hair. "I'm just... that was unusual." Sephiroth grinned, now knowing he was not at fault. He pulled Vincent up.

"Then what are you lying down there for? Lets go outside." He dragged Vincent outside again to chase squirrels in the park. Vincent followed in a daze.

~*~

"Kiiiiiiiss," Vincent whined, pinned down on his bed. Sephiroth was nuzzling him so much, static was starting to shock their noses every few seconds. Sephiroth kissed Vincent, tongue instantly exploring the inside of Vincent's mouth. Vincent returned the kiss, earning a deep purr from his pet. The tail curled in pleasure.

Vincent panted for breath as the kiss halted. Sephiroth licked his cheek. Usually, it was a great way for distracting Vincent from his thoughts but not today. Vincent whimpered, wanting Sephiroth's fingers to rake down his sides like he sometimes did playfully. He was feeling hot, sweaty, and wanted Sephiroth very much now.

"No..." Sephiroth said. "I can't do it." Vincent knew, knew, Sephiroth couldn't do it right now. But his own body was reacting. His own body wasn't clockwork. He was frustrated.

"Sing the national anthem?" Sephiroth suggested. Vincent shook his head.

"Don't think about it," Sephiroth offered again. Vincent shook his head. Sephiroth sat back.

"I don't know the first thing about pleasuring you in my hominid form," Sephiroth said.

"I know," Vincent moaned. "Can you just give me a few minutes alone?"

"No... we're supposed to go outside today and if you're alone then you'll shut me out again," Sephiroth said, with an accusing look in his eyes.

"Then turn around. You're not watching," Vincent said, blushing. Sephiroth shook his head, smiling.

"If I watch, I'll learn how to do it to you?" Vincent resisted the urge to throw something heavy at Sephiroth's head.

"No! Go away!" he cried exasperated. Sephiroth came closer and started licking his face again instead. Vincent was ready to cry. His pants were achingly tight and he was so sexually frustrated he was ready to cum there and then if he could. Sephiroth, seeing that his efforts were not working, finally decided to improvise. He unbuttoned Vincent's pants.

"Hey! No! Get! Go!" Vincent squeaked scrambling up the bed. Sephiroth lunged at him, pinning him down again.

"Let me try," he insisted. He kissed Vincent, tongue delving into his mouth again. Vincent moaned, arching toward Sephiroth. Sephiroth's fingers danced across his shirt, opening buttons in order to gain access to the heaving chest below him. He swiped at Vincent's sides gently, the tingling feeling only making Vincent's cock more rigid. Sephiroth let go of Vincent and crawled down where he could see Vincent's pants. He pulled them down, and the boxers too. Vincent blushed crimson as Sephiroth saw his exposed nether region.

He did not expect Sephiroth to start laughing. He felt humiliated. What was funny? Sephiroth wrapped a hand around his arousal and pecked Vincent's lips.

"It blushes the same color of your face," he whispered. It would have been funny if Vincent hadn't been trapped in a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment.

"J-just keep touching it," Vincent choked out. Sephiroth pet the head awkwardly. Vincent shook his head. "N-no... Just..." Sephiroth took it like the handle of a knife. Vincent nodded. "Up... and down, like that." He was just about ready to die from embarrassment when Sephiroth took the hint and pumped him once. Vincent sobbed in pleasure.

"Right. That's good. Do that again," he said, wrapping his arms around Sephiroth's neck and kissing the furry white ears. Sephiroth growled playfully but did it again. Several times. He watched Vincent's face and kept track of how his body jerked as he touched the man. He wondered if Vincent knew he was spreading his legs and giving him a show. Sephiroth decided he didn't, since Vincent's eyes were closed. Vincent was alternating between panting and moaning and Sephiroth was just confused. Panting and moaning to him meant a terrible sickness but it seemed that Vincent was getting a kick out of this. It was just so confusing to him.

He supposed it would make sense when it was his time to mate. So far, the only thing he could do is pleasure Vincent in this small way. Vincent gave a final jerk, thick liquid gooping from within him onto Sephiroth's fingers. Vincent practically collapsed on the bed and Sephiroth arched over him, concerned.

"I'm okay," Vincent said, petting Sephiroth's hair. "You were good." Sephiroth smiled.

"You look tired," he said. "Rest." He turned into a leopard and licked Vincent's mouth. For the first time, Vincent wished he hadn't done it. He wanted a real kiss, and screw the leopard kisses. He grasped the snow leopard and cuddled it. Sephiroth was baffled and growled but Vincent was already asleep, and his hold was not lessening. Sephiroth whined. He didn't like to lay like this. It was alright though, he calmed himself. Vincent was fine, and that was the important thing. He whined again. They were supposed to outside today...

~*~

"I want to go to Russia." Vincent turned to face Sephiroth.

"What?"

"I want to go to Russia," Sephiroth repeated. Vincent blinked.

"Why?"

"Because snow leopards live in Russia. Its probably nice and cold there with lots of snow already," Sephiroth said. Vincent smiled. It was late autumn outside and it was still hot enough for t-shirts. Vincent hugged Sephiroth from behind and kissed his beautiful white and black ears.

"We'll go to Russia. Don't be sad." Sephiroth turned into a leopard and curled at Vincent's lap. It was too hot and it was putting him in a rotten mood. Vincent pet him. "It'll be okay..."

~*~

Sephiroth fidgeted. He couldn't stay in one place so long. He was restless.

"Vincent?" he called.

"What?" he heard a voice come out of the bath.

"I'm going outside," Sephiroth notified.

"Fine," Vincent's voice said. Sephiroth opened the door of the wood cabin they rented and went outside. Snow was everywhere! Everywhere! He turned into a snow leopard and rolled around in the snow. He lay still in the snow after rollicking a bit. He heard the door of the cabin open.

"Seph?" Vincent called. Sephiroth didn't feel like moving. The crunch of boots on snow signaled Vincent coming nearer. Sephiroth felt a hand pet his fur.

"Seph? What's wrong? You haven't been acting yourself lately," Vincent asked. Sephiroth growled and the petting stopped. He whined and the hand came back, petting the fur on his back.

"Look you. I'm going inside to put a coat on. When I come back out, start talking." The petting stopped and Vincent went back inside, leaving the door open. Sephiroth rolled over, staring after Vincent. Softly, he stood up and padded into the house. He shed his leopard form.

"You don't need that," he said as Vincent took his coat. Vincent turned to him.

"Oh, so now I-" Sephiroth cut him off with a kiss. Vincent returned it, confused. Sephiroth hands held his waist, sensually almost. Vincent didn't expect Sephiroth to push him backwards. He gasped.

"What are you doing?" he asked breathlessly.

"Lets just say, hidden genetically engineered information is surfacing," Sephiroth said. Vincent looked at him confused. Sephiroth glanced over Vincent's shoulder. Vincent looked back. Nothing there except the bed...

It clicked.

"You're..."

"Mhmm..." Vincent let Sephiroth push him back and pin him to the bed. Sephiroth's quick fingers took off Vincent's shirt. His deft tongue licked a path down Vincent's chest, earning a hiss from Vincent. Sephiroth nuzzled his cheek, reminding Vincent unconsciously that he was still an animal.

"Seph, the... ugh, what's it called..." Vincent muttered. Sephiroth paused. "Not lotion, lubricant! Its still in my bag." Sephiroth cocked his head.

"Shit, I should have known," Vincent muttered. Sephiroth had no idea. He crawled from under Sephiroth and to his bag. He pulled out a little tub of Vaseline. Vincent turned back to Sephiroth. Sephiroth's ears were flat against his head.

"Hey, its just so that nothing would hurt," Vincent said. He set the little tub on the pillow beside him and sat down on the bed. He kissed Sephiroth's furry ears, willing them to perk up again.

"Hey, come on. Its not going to hurt you," he crooned. He pulled Sephiroth's ears up by hand, earning a laugh. Vincent kissed Sephiroth's precious lips, pulling on Sephiroth's shirt. Their kiss was broken for a second as Vincent pulled the shirt over Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth pushed Vincent against the bed again, kissing him deeply. Vincent's legs splayed, automatically putting themselves in a position where both he and Sephiroth would be comfortable, on either side of Sephiroth's hips.

Sephiroth's hand travelled down Vincent's body, not stopping at the pants, but going inside and stroking the long-awaited prize. Vincent's breath hitched. Almost needily, his hands pulled down Sephiroth's pants. The tail snaked out afterwards. Sephiroth kicked the pants off his ankles. Eager to get Vincent as undressed as he, Sephiroth took his hand away from Vincent's arousal and tugged on Vincent's pants. Vincent lifted his hips slightly, and the fabric slid away.

Sephiroth touched Vincent's cock, gently stroking him. He knew what sort of stimulation Vincent liked now. Vincent scratched him between the ears in approval. Sephiroth seemed to like that no matter if he was hominid or leopard.

"Hey... let me up a sec..." Vincent said. Sephiroth sat on his ankles obediently. Vincent pecked his lips softly. He took the tub of lubricant from the pillow and opened it. He sighed as Sephiroth's ears fell flat again. Vincent decided to ignore it for now. He scooped out a portion of gel-cream-salve-looking concoction and reached for Sephiroth's cock.

He could practically feel Sephiroth going rigid before he even touched him. He looked up at Sephiroth.

"Shhh..." he crooned. He kissed Sephiroth again. His tongue begged entrance until Sephiroth finally gave it. As soon as Sephiroth was distracted, Vincent's hand instantly slid up Sephiroth's cock.

Sephiroth pulled away with a gasp, ears again flat against his head. Vincent didn't try to kiss him again, but instead used his Vaseline-coated hand to stroke Sephiroth's cock. Sephiroth whimpered, the assault on his senses too much. He was feeling revolted with the goop on him but enjoyed the touches on his private parts.

"Shhh... Nothing's hurting you," Vincent said, reminding himself that he was putting goo on a cat that was terrified of vacuum cleaners. He grasped Sephiroth's half-hard arousal and moved his hand up and down the shaft. That perked Sephiroth's ears! He smiled.

"See? Not bad." He laughed as he saw Sephiroth's lust-filled eyes. Vincent lay back. Sephiroth bent over him instantly but Vincent brought his hand up.

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, wagging his finger. He pushed the little tub of lubricant into Sephiroth's hands. "Scoop some out and put it..." he faltered, embarrassed. "Put it uh... inside... uh..."

"I understand," Sephiroth said softly, saving Vincent some embarrassment. He scooped up some of the lubricant. Gently, he touched the outer rim of Vincent's entrance. The muscles twitched, inviting him in. He pushed in one finger, sliding it along the sides of Vincent's rectum. Vincent attempted to lay still.

"Ok... push in one more..." he said. Sephiroth flicked his gaze towards him, but obediently pushed another finger in. He kept them close together as he prodded around Vincent's insides. Vincent was trying very hard to keep a straight face. Any sign of discomfort, and he had a feeling Sephiroth would stop.

"Pull them apart." His breath hitched as the fingers pulled apart. Sephiroth's brute strength was successfully stretching him past what he could take.

"Another," Vincent requested. Nothing. He was ready to glare at Sephiroth when Sephiroth complied.

"You're hurting," Sephiroth said.

"Don't care," Vincent said. "Hurt now, feels much better later." Sephiroth already guessed that's what the gist was. He pushed his fingers deeper than before.

Vincent jumped, a moan expelled from his lips.

"Again, do that again!" he said. Sephiroth prodded him for a reaction. Vincent shook his head.

"Not there, not...!" He bucked up, another moan erupting from within him. Sephiroth grinned wickedly, prodding Vincent in the same place repeatedly, liking the reactions.

"Ah... fuck, take them out before I cum!" Vincent hissed, all of a sudden not embarrassed at all. Sephiroth took them out. He already figured everything out. He spread Vincent's legs a bit wider to not tangle himself in them. Slowly, he pushed his cock into Vincent. Vincent clutched his back so hard, he broke the skin.

"Vincent?" Sephiroth asked, ears back. He was afraid he hurt him. Vincent shook his head.

"I'm alright. Come on." Sephiroth thrust. Vincent gasped. Sephiroth thrust again. It was felt wonderful! His spine tingled; his tail shook in ecstasy! He growled playfully, thrusting into Vincent. Vincent arched into the contact. He hadn't contact with anyone since his ex-wife, and Sephiroth was... astounding! He told himself he was a pervert for being into this, but...

He mewled like a kitten as Sephiroth's thrusts hit his sweet spot. And Sephiroth was no fool. He knew where that spot was and insisted on hitting it. Vincent clawed at him.

"C-can't..." he whimpered. "Make it-t last..." Sephiroth slowed a little, letting Vincent adjust. Vincent wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck and pulled him into a soft gentle kiss. Sephiroth's tail twitched. Vincent stroked Sephiroth's heart-shaped face.

"I love you," he said. Sephiroth smiled. Vincent was lovely, the blush of activity on his cheeks, the strands of hair sticking to his face, the lusty eyes, and the gentle curve of his lips. Sephiroth paused his lovemaking to kiss those lips again.

"I love you too," he said. Vincent smiled at him and swallowed, modest again.

"Um, continue?" he asked. Sephiroth was only too happy to comply. The thrusts started slow but soon became near erratic. Vincent moaned and whimpered, though half the noise he made was smothered by Sephiroth's lips. Sephiroth gave a final jerk, and came. Vincent gasped, pulling away from the kiss and arched. The thrusts slowed to a trickle, but that was enough to send him over the edge as well. He toppled from his arched position as he came, Sephiroth slipping out of him without notice.

He panted for breath. It was mind blowing. It was... thrilling. He felt warm arms wrap around him. Vincent looked over to see Sephiroth spoon him. His eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"Seph?"

"Its human, right?" Sephiroth asked. Vincent nodded and turned on his pillow. His hands trailed over Sephiroth's, holding them gently. He closed his eyes and wished the moment would last forever.

"Good night," Sephiroth whispered. "Merry Christmas..." Vincent smiled. It was Christmas, wasn't it? He had forgotten. He had even forgotten to give Sephiroth a present.

"Merry Christmas," Vincent whispered sleepily. He fell asleep. Sephiroth soon followed.

~*~

Vincent woke up in the morning, feeling fuzzy. The first thing he did was to check if Sephiroth had turned into a leopard again. He tried to turn his head, but it too felt strange. Sephiroth had turned back into a leopard, so maybe that explained the fuzzy feeling. But... a very large leopard? He was able to completely surround Vincent with his bulk, while he used to be less than waist high. Vincent turned his head back around.

That's odd... His depth perception was off. No wonder the world seemed murky. He couldn't get a full picture at all. He could get either a decent picture to the right, or left, but forward? It was off. He couldn't tell how far away things were.

He tried figuring out things one by one. He could hone into a single object quite well. In fact, he could measure out in paces how far away it was, just by looking at it. He shook his head, startling Sephiroth awake. Sephiroth regarded him with ice-blue eyes and nuzzled him. A deep feeling of affection welled up in Vincent's chest, and he uncurled himself to hug his loving pet.

With a yowl, he fell out of the bed completely, misjudging how far away he was from the edge. He tried to get up, and found out he couldn't! He was on all fours, and he couldn't stand up at all! With grace only a snow leopard could muster, Sephiroth leapt from the bed. He stood next to Vincent, nuzzling him and nudging him. Vincent crawled on all fours to wherever Sephiroth was leading him. The mirror.

He gasped. Except that it came out as a whine. In the mirror, next to the snow leopard he knew as Sephiroth, stood a dark golden-red Amur leopard. Vincent sat. So did the Amur leopard. Vincent leapt to all fours and yipped at Sephiroth. The snow leopard backed off and transformed back into Sephiroth's hominid form.

"Just think of your regular form," Sephiroth said. Vincent closed his eyes and tried to think about it. Human hands, human feet. His knees hit floor painfully. He looked up.

"Seph?" His voice was back. Sephiroth smiled and looked into the mirror. Vincent gasped. From between black locks of hair stood two golden-brown, furry ears with black rosettes. A tail whipped from his lower back.

"I'm a..."

"You're a leopard too," Sephiroth said, grinning. "A rare one."

"Am I going to be like this forever?" Vincent asked. Sephiroth scratched him behind the the ears and Vincent felt himself mellow out.

"Its not so bad. We're together," Sephiroth said. Vincent nodded.

"Come, I'll show you how to live out there," Sephiroth said, turning into a snow leopard and leaping outside. Vincent turned back into an Amur leopard and scrambled after him. The snow was not cold, but only refreshing as they rollicked in it. Sephiroth led him far, far away. Away from society, the cabin, everything. Both the snow leopard and the Amur leopard were home in the snowy forests of Russia.

~*~

Occasionally they became human again, especially for bouts of lovemaking. They would melt the snow beneath them as they rolled around in it. Vincent became immune to the cold, and loved the snow more than ever. It was good to be a pet leopard. He nuzzled Sephiroth as they curled together in their den, both in their leopard forms again. He received an affectionate nuzzle back. He closed his eyes and curled into his fur. Sephiroth's tail covered his face, protecting it from the cold. They both fell asleep, leading happy lives.

Author's Note: So, I just now realized that only lets you have like... three? page break line things? GAH! Had to edit this all over again. Used to be that didn't like my ~*~ and I had to add page breaks instead of them. SO CONFUZZLED!!! D=

If anyone notices that something is kinda... odd... please tell me. XD The breaks are currently what's killing me. Now I have to re-read all of my other stories to see if they have to be edited too... =\