Perfection

A MGS One-Shot by ChronicLegCramp-Since'99

Pairing: Vamp/Raiden

*Disclaimer: Metal Gear Solid and all its characters do not belong to me*

"I can't get rid of you it seems," Vamp folded his arms and leant against the door frame, as he smirked down at the man with the snowy-white hair and shadowed eyes.

"So are you gonna let me in?" Raiden returned, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Vamp chucked, straightening up and gesturing in his usual, extravagant way for Raiden to enter.

"After you…" as the white haired man shrugged past the Romanian into the flat, the latter grabbed the former's arse, earning himself a scowl from the cyborg ninja. Raiden went straight through to the sitting room, taking off his jacket and laying it over the back of Vamp's sofa. The ex-member of Dead Cell's home was cramped and always heated- the kind of warmth that you felt in every breath and movement; the ninja still couldn't decide whether the temperature was comfortable or stifling. Nevertheless, you were sure to sweat while wearing more than trousers and a thin t-shirt. Vamp came up behind Raiden, resting his hands on the ninja's waist and breathing in his scent. However, the white haired man brushed him off, moving to sit on the blood-red velvet sofa.

"Must we do this every time?" the Romanian leaned back against the island of his kitchenette, hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans.

"What do you mean?" Raiden replied in a deliberate tone, pulling his grey jumper over his head and balling it up in his hands.

"We both know why you are here, Jack," Vamp began patiently, gliding over to the cyborg and bending down so that his mouth hovered by Raiden's left ear. "Why don't we…cut to the chase, as they say," if the white haired man still possessed real- human- blood, he would have blushed. As it was, he sighed and allowed the Romanian to start up kissing his neck. Within seconds of sensing the ninja relax into him, Vamp leapt easily over the back of his sofa and straddled Raiden; forcing the ninja's head back by his feather-textured locks, the Romanian trailed his tongue up Raiden's throat from the collarbone to his partially open lips. The white haired man growled, biting down hard on Vamp's bottom lip before kissing him properly, opening his mouth for the ex-member of Dead Cell's tongue to roam about his wet cavern. A guttural noise vibrated deep in the back of Vamp's throat, reminding Raiden- not for the first time- of a cat and a wild one at that. The ninja brought his hands up to entwine his fingers into Vamp's silky dark hair.

Raiden had spent almost every night like this, leaving Rose and John sleeping in the middle of the night, to seek 'sanctuary' with the enemy. Of course, by now the line between friend and foe had all but dissolved; although the cyborg was sure that one of them was destined to die by the others hand, the Romanian had become one of Raiden's few, true confidants. The white haired man had also adopted the twisted logic that his killer could only be Vamp and no other and was even comforted by the thought. The relationship between he and Rose had slowly deteriorated from the moment he'd found out his entire life had been a lie- including the love they'd shared- back during the Big Shell incident. Every time he looked at her, he was reminded of the space in time where they'd lived together in blissful ignorance- a dream of training, dating, making love, happiness. And then he'd remember how he had been the only one really dreaming and the dream itself had been nothing more than a pretend reality, which Rose had helped create.

In the present, Raiden broke his and Vamp's embrace, toppling the Romanian off him and getting to his feet, a hand covering his eyes for a split second. Vamp stared at the ninja's turned back briefly before falling backwards on the sofa and propping his head on his arm.

"Go home, Jack," he said in a calm voice, closing his eyes. Raiden remained where he was, trembling and topless; Vamp had practically ripped it off of him minutes ago and thrown it who knew where, along with his own- which he rarely wore anyway. "You belong with your family,"

"I don't belong anywhere," the ninja shot back, turning to look down at the Romanian, hands fisted at his sides. "But no, that's not true either- my home is the same place it's always been: on the battlefield." Vamp started chuckling, quietly at first before building to full-out laughter. Raiden glared at him, gritting his teeth and refusing to give the Romanian the satisfaction of demanding what the hell was so funny.

"Jack," Vamp started, composing himself and shaking his head. "Foolish boy, 'home' is where you are loved. The battlefield is a place of death; it has no need for love, let alone time for it. You of all people should know this,"

"I thought home was where you're at your happiest?" Raiden replied stubbornly, crossing his arms and looking away.

"It isn't happiness you feel while fighting," the Romanian told him, sitting up and stretching.

"Oh? Then what is it? Enlighten me," the ninja retorted in a sarcastic drawl.

"Adrenaline. And that is all." Vamp answered simply, taking one of Raiden's hands and drawing the white haired man towards him. The cyborg didn't protest, but neither did his stormy expression lift. "Now, since you're going to be no fun tonight, you should return to your family,"

"Right, 'cause I'll find no love here," Raiden replied in a clipped tone, though he didn't take his hand back.

"That is what you come here looking for, is it? I was under the impression you keep coming back for the sex…" Vamp's lips twitched up into a smirk at the look Raiden gave him. "Tell me, did you sleep with your wife before coming here tonight?"

"She's not my wife," the ninja said automatically, evading the question. The Romanian stood up, placing himself in front of the white haired man and using the crook of his finger under Raiden's chin to raise his head.

"Well? Did you?" Vamp persisted, capturing the cyborg's colourless eyes in his own smouldering ones.

"What does that matter?" Raiden couldn't place the emotion that flickered across the Romanian's face, which he instantly schooled away. It was the first time the ninja had glimpsed a sincere emotion on the ex-member of Dead Cell's face; Raiden pressed the palms of his hands to Vamp's scarred chest. "What, do you want me all to yourself?" the Romanian eyed the white haired man silently, showing no outward reaction to his taunt.

"It would make no difference to me if you never came back,"

"You're lying. C'mon, admit it- you want me." The ninja ran one of his hands down Vamp's torso and stroked his crotch.

"It seems to me that you are the one in denial," the Romanian replied, tracing the shape of Raiden's lips with his finger. "But since you are offering your body…" he immediately went to work on undoing the ninja's jeans before shoving them and his boxers down around his ankles and bending him over. The white haired man braced his hands on the arm of the sofa, almost eagerly; a gasp escaped Raiden's mouth and his grip tightened when he felt Vamp force his middle finger inside him. Soon the Romanian was pumping two fingers in and out of him and the white haired man was trying desperately to hold in the mewling sounds he was emitting. Eventually there was a pause and then something bigger and thicker was sliding inside him, causing his back to arch and even more embarrassing noises to fill the humid air surrounding them. Animalistic groans could be heard behind him through the lustrous haze, in sync with the Romanian's fluid thrusts. After what seemed like forever of ever-multiplying pleasure, Raiden came, choking out profanities as Vamp continued to pound in and out of him, before releasing as well. Both men stayed in the same positions for a minute, panting heavily and waiting to catch their breath before the Romanian pulled out of Raiden and they collapsed together on the sofa. They lay on their sides and Vamp subconsciously hugged the smaller man to him, tucking his head under his chin.

Raiden stayed awake long after the ex-member of Dead Cell had fallen asleep, watching and listening to the latter's heartbeat pulsing through his neck. This was usually the time he'd leave, returning home to sneak back into bed beside Rose. But something- other than Vamp's muscular arms- prevented him from moving this time. Would it really be so bad if he never went back? He'd abandoned Rose once before and she'd survived, but there was little John to think about now. It wasn't the first time he'd had these kinds of thoughts and he doubted it would be the last. It was a continuous debate over which was worse: to leave, hurting his son a little to ensure him a normal, happy life, or stay and risk warping John and his life forever. Raiden knew he had to make the decision soon, once and for all- he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on living this double life. But he'd lost track of which version was the real Raiden; the person he was when he was here with Vamp, or the so-called father he was while with Rose and John. Perhaps there was no real Raiden at all, or maybe this was all a front and his true self was the mindless, killing machine in the form of a dirt-covered boy, with haunted eyes and an AK in his hands. The cyborg ninja squeezed his eyes shut, wishing there was an off switch for his thoughts- he could go crazy, going around and around in his head like this. Slowly he inhaled and exhaled, refocusing on the steady beat of Vamp's heart. He was a hypocrite, he realised suddenly. He shied away from the memory of his and Rose's years of dillusionment and yet here he was, living in a dream world with Vamp, away from responsibility half the time and for the rest in reality with his family, without truly embracing it. Raiden sighed, resting his forehead against Vamp's shoulder, never wanting to let go. His first encounter with the Romanian of this nature floated to the forefront of his mind then. He was no longer fully human by that point and Vamp had had to gradually coax him out of his clothes. When he'd removed the white haired man's final garment, his eyes had wandered over Raiden's naked frame for several thoughtful moments, before he'd murmured, "Perfect." His accented voice had enunciated the word in such an intimate way, that it was the equivalent of having someone press a kiss to the hollow beneath your ear. The ninja shifted so that he could gaze at the strong lines of the Romanian's peacefully oblivious face. Vamp had been right. After all, there is no perfection in reality.

As carefully and soundlessly as Raiden could, he disentangled himself from the ex-member of Dead Cell and got dressed. On the way to the front door, he glanced back just once at the sleeping beauty he was leaving for another and committed the scene to memory; this was something he wouldn't see again.

It was about time that the former child-soldier stopped running.