Snakes and Snails

Love and Safety
Like Weiss on Rice

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Author’s Notes: This chapter is a little violent and gory, be warned.

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He sensed Marianne was just giving him a freebie. In the few months he stayed here the man hardly made a mess. He was immaculate even. Damn. Despite that fact, he made himself a list and he would clean even if whatever he was cleaning was clean. The man didn’t know how to cook though, or didn’t have the time or energy. He suspected Marianne lived off of sandwiches and cereal before he showed up. He didn’t make anything special for lunch but he always bagged something nice for him. He made a decent breakfast and at least a good dinner for him. Mari teased him and said he would make him fat.

Mari… Weiss rolled over onto his back. Somehow that made him think of his father. Ugh. He frowned. He could imagine what that old man would have to say about this living arrangement. He’d probably embarrass Mari again, he might even be mad at Mari for going behind his back. Weiss always made sure to hide from his dad when going into his apartment.

He suddenly felt warm and he kicked his covers off. The cooler air of the house felt nice on his hot skin. It also helped to cool his brain down after getting so flustered thinking about Mari. His father said before when he spent the night he better lay on his back because Mari would come in under the cover of darkness and jump on him. Although he doubted Mari would just walk into the room and pounce onto him he secretly wished Mari would come in one night like this and…

What the hell? He wrapped his fingers around his arousal and began pumping himself. He couldn’t help but think of that time when Mari walked out of the bathroom in that towel. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he did it. Of course all Mari could do was give him an aggravated look and give him a sharp, “What?!” Then there was that time Mari forgot to lock the door to the bathroom, he always remembered! And Weiss walked in on him. He hated staring like that, but he couldn’t look away from him. Mari looked really… really good. But of course that also made him feel self conscious.

He wasn’t as muscular as he could be, he worked out a bit, a little more since he went along with Mari to the gym every so often but he was not like him. He was bigger he guessed, it came from his father and he had some muscle tone but he was thin and soft looking in comparison. He definitely didn’t look as chiseled as Mari did. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man he liked.

He kind of hoped… it would be someone like him. Both of his soft hands worked his length now. He could only imagine what Mari’s hands would feel like on him. He touched his naked shoulder once with that rough calloused hand of his… he shuddered thinking of his hands against his skin, grasping his arousal… and…

He opened his eyes and there Mari was, staring at him, while he was sprawled out over his bed naked and masturbating. Eeeeeeee… He stopped what he was doing immediately, sat up and grabbed his sheets to cover himself.

Mari was just staring at him, wide eyed until he shook himself. “Sorry.” He shut the door immediately.

Weiss, mortified as he was, realized that was the first time Mari had ever apologized to him. He was half tempted to not follow after him, it might be a little weird and Mari might want to be alone, but he wanted him to know that it was okay. Mari didn’t make a big deal of him walking in on him so neither should he.

He got up and threw his pajama bottoms on and found Mari sitting at the table in his uniform. He must have just gotten off work.

Mari wanted to cover his face but knew by doing so it would only make him look even guiltier than he felt. Besides, if he closed his eyes again he might think of Weiss spread out on his bed while he was over him and God only knows he didn’t need that crap right now.

Mari wasn’t even looking at him! He was so insanely embarrassed he wasn’t sure where to begin. Oh wait! He knew. “I guess this makes us even.”

“What?” Mari asked absently, still trying to avoid eye contact.

“For when I walked in on you while you were getting out of the shower?” Weiss watched Mari look up at him suddenly, a little surprised before he grinned. He tittered when Mari began laughing.

“I almost forgot about that.”

“I didn’t.” And then he wanted to beat himself with how horrible that sounded. Of course Mari was still laughing so he probably didn’t catch it. “I bet you were going to ask me about dinner?” He realized why he went into his room now. “Sorry, I left a note on the refrigerator that I made it earlier. It’s in there. You just have to microwave it.” He fidgeted. “I just wanted to go to sleep a little earlier tonight. I’ve been a little tired at class.”

He didn’t look like he was doing a lot of sleeping when he walked in on him, he wanted to tease but he wasn’t going to say that. “I see. Sorry I’ve been keeping you up late.” They had different schedules. He was more of a night owl he guessed. He really hadn’t given it much thought. He didn’t need much sleep himself, he’d gotten used to it. Weiss could sleep like the dead though… one weekend he saw him sleep for twelve hours straight! He supposed he was making up for lost time from the week.

“Oh I don’t mind. I like staying up with you anyway. Some of my best stuff comes from when I work at night. It’s so quiet.” Weiss soothed. “I just need to remember to sleep too every so often.” He got up from the table and patted his shoulder to show there were no hard feelings. “Good night!” And he went off to his room.

Mari thought it might be nice to have a quiet evening by himself for once, in fact, he complained about not having one just this morning. Now, he felt kind of lonely. Not that he needed the boy to talk the entire time or even be in the same room… it was just nice knowing there was another human being in the house moving around. Everything seemed so quiet suddenly.

He got up from his seat and grabbed the note Weiss had put on the refrigerator door. He smiled, Weiss drew a little doodle of himself with a grin. Cute. He didn’t know why he wanted to, but he would keep this in his memory box with the letters and extra photos his sister sent him.

He grabbed the paper pad and wrote something himself then. It read: “Don’t make breakfast, I’ll eat dinner tomorrow morning. ~Mari” He wasn’t going to bother staying up and he shouldn’t eat before bed.

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“You’re so lucky.” Rosso said, sitting on the grass beside Weiss. They were both drawing in their sketchbooks for one of their classes. They had some classes together. Rosso was a little young for college but like Nero she studied and did well so they allowed her to take some entry level courses. “You’ve been staying with him this whole school year?” They were about to have their spring finals. She couldn’t believe he kept this secret so long. He was her self proclaimed best friend when he was still in high school. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“No.” Weiss blushed.

Rosso grinned at that, he was being rather shy. He used to talk to her all the time when they went to high school together. They hadn’t talked much while in college, but since they weren’t rushing off to classes they sat down and talked. He never mentioned where he was staying before. “Do you like him?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t like me much.”

Of course, he was an idiot. “He must like you… to let you stay with him.”

“Well, that’s what I thought too… kinda.” Weiss paused for a moment to look at her. “But he hasn’t made a move on me.”

Weird. “Maybe because he respects your dad?”

“Maybe.” Weiss sighed, that would be disappointing if Mari didn’t consider him just because of that.

She couldn’t help but grin at his tone.

“Hey Rosie… how have you been?”

“What do you mean?” She stopped then.

“You know, with your medication and stuff.”

“They finally got it right. I’m getting a little better.”

“I can tell. You’ve been in a better mood recently.” Weiss smiled. She was a mess when she was off it. Whatever they did to her when she was younger really scrambled her brains. Granted, it could have been a lot worse but sometimes he worried about her.

“Thanks for noticing. I feel better.” She could actually smile, and that warmed him somewhat. “And you?”

“They never did anything to me like you.” Weiss said. “But I guess being able to remember everything makes history class easy.”

“Why couldn’t they have given me what they gave you?” Rosso complained suddenly. “A perfect memory and you can go into the computer… literally GO into the computer with your mind! I’m jealous!”

“Thanks.” Weiss rolled his eyes. “It sort of sucks though.”

“Why?”

“I can remember every single thing I did and everything I ever learned like a computer… but I can’t erase it. I guess it seems nice but it kind of messes with me sometimes. It’s hard to remember what’s important and what’s trivial. It just sort of all blends in together.”

“At least they didn’t get Nero.” Rosso said.

“Yeah.” Weiss sighed. Otherwise he might have only had his father… what a nightmare! “Are you still dating that older guy?”

“Azul?”

Weiss nodded and smiled at her grin.

“He’s going to marry me once I graduate!” She announced happily, her little box of pencils fell over her lap and scattered unnoticed onto the grass.

“You’re going to get married?” Weiss laughed.

She looked affronted. “And why not?! You don’t think anyone would ever want me? He’s really nice and likes me just the way I am.” She eyed him then. “Don’t you want to get married?”

“Eventually.” Weiss glared at her, wondering how she turned it around on him suddenly.

“Well, they’d have to be desperate! You’re nothing but a giant awkward lummox! Not to mention a prude!” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Hey!” Weiss was about to start in on her when the whole world went dark.

“Guess who?” Asked a familiar voice.

“I don’t know… Nero maybe?” Weiss tittered when he felt Nero uncover his eyes.

“That’s right.” Nero plopped right down next to him. “You and Rosso drawing again?” It wasn’t a hard guess since they had their sketchbooks out. “Let me see!” Weiss handed it to him. “Wow… you know Weiss? Whenever I get my job… I’m going to have you paint stuff for my office.” He teased, knuckling his arm. “Then you won’t be a poor starving artist.”

“Oh shut up. You won’t be able to afford me because I’ll be famous.” Weiss teased right back.

“I keep forgetting.” Nero chuckled. “Won’t you give me at least one then since I won’t be able to afford it? I can’t wait! I’ll be related to someone famous.”

Weiss knew that even though Nero might tease him a lot, he really was pulling for him. He was always like that even when he was being lazy and didn’t deserve it. “I’ll give you one.”

“Thank you.” Nero kissed his cheek.

Rosso watched the two of them, they were so weird for brothers. They were always standing so close and just seemed to know what the other was thinking. When she had first met the two of them she thought they were dating.

Maybe she was blowing it out of proportion. She didn’t have brothers or sisters herself, so maybe this was just how they were.

“Just a head’s up.” Nero spoke softly, but not too softly that she couldn’t hear. “Dad knows you’ve been staying at Mari’s.” Weiss gave him a look. “I didn’t say anything! Don’t look at me like that!” He huffed. “He saw you going to the housing… and he sort of followed you.”

“That sneaky old man!” Weiss huffed. “How is it that when he walks around the house he sounds like he is trying to wear a hole in the linoleum but when it comes to work he’s as quiet as a mouse?”

“I don’t know… you know dad. If it seems anything perverted is going on he’s just floats right to it.”

“I’m not doing anything perverted!”

“I know, but he doesn’t.” Nero said patiently. “And why the hell hasn’t it anyway? Don’t you like him?” He pinched his brother’s side and made him giggle a little.

“Well, yeah… but you know Mari, Nero.”

“Oh yeah, I know him. That big dork. He’s been picking on us for ages.”

“I’d like to think it’s because he loves the two of us.” Weiss said with mock dreaminess in his voice, he remembered Mari did that to him once.

Nero’s voice suddenly took on a devious turn. “Maybe he’ll take me in too and we can both be his love slaves?”

Rosso rolled her eyes as the two boys giggled together. They were bigger girls than she was! “Okay ladies… let’s not go too far into the gutter today shall we?”

“And you called me a prude?!” Weiss poked her.

“Yeah!” Nero piped up. “You’re the biggest prude ever!”

“There isn’t anything wrong with saving myself… Weiss…” Rosso glared at him.

Weiss decided to take the heat off of him again. “So Nero… what’s it like?” And suddenly both Rosso and Weiss were staring at him.

Eep. “What? Sex?”

“No, flying. Yes, sex.” Weiss laughed. “You’re the expert.”

“Well, it’s great I guess. The first time is pretty weird though.”

“Weird how?” Weiss questioned.

“Well, I guess you aren’t used to it… so you cum really fast.”

“Ewwww!” Rosso threw her pencil box at him. “I don’t want to hear that.”

“Well, a guy will be doing you Rosy!” Weiss teased, “So you better listen too.”

“Why do we have to talk about this outside?” Rosso complained. “People are probably listening!”

“You wouldn’t want to hear about it even if we were in a bunker a hundred miles below ground.” Nero giggled. “You’re still dating that fossil right?”

“He isn’t a fossil!” Rosso yelled. “He’s just a little older… and he’s wonderful!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “He’s not as perverted as you two are. You two are the worst!”

“You obviously have never met our father.” Weiss laughed.

“The pervert king!” The brother’s said together in a singsong voice.

“Or the perverted walrus.” Nero covered his mouth.

“Maybe we should call him the Perverted Walrus King!” Weiss exclaimed, getting a little louder.

“Oh! That’s perfect! I’ll tell mom so she can call him that first…” Weiss knew what that meant, then they could all give him that nickname.

“You two get so loud.” Rosso whined. “We’re out in public.”

“Take a pill Rosso, no one is out here.” Nero grumbled, waving his arm around to show her. “Look, everyone left.”

Weiss hadn’t realized, but it had gotten rather quiet, he looked around and there was absolutely no one to be found. “Where did everyone go? There are always a lot of people out here.” There was even a swing set for the kids! Parents always brought their children here.

Rosso looked at the sky, forgetting that she couldn’t see it through the plate. “Is it supposed to rain today?” She fretted. She hated lightening and thunder.

“It doesn’t look like it.” Nero said softly. “Weiss, maybe we should leave?” He was starting to get a bad feeling.

Weiss couldn’t argue with that. With Rosso and Nero’s voices sounding just a little terrified it sent his heart into something of a panic. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll walk you guys home.” He offered, he was the bigger one and not many people bothered him.

They picked up their things, getting ready to leave and a group of individuals in suits approached them. “Weiss and Nero Zeus? Rosso Ivanova?” When they responded to their names and were rewarded with guns pointed at them. They were instructed to drop their things and put their hands over their heads. “You are experiments of one Professor Hojo, he has sent us to retrieve you.”

“They aren’t doing that sort of thing in Deep Ground anymore.” Weiss growled, he remembered that name. He was almost responsible for his father’s death! If Mari hadn’t…

“We’re not taking you to Deep Ground.” One grinned.

“Weiss…” Nero was afraid.

“Shut up!” One cocked his gun and pointed it directly into his little brother’s face and he whimpered. “One more word out of you…”

“What are you going to do with us?” Rosso asked, close to tears.

“You’re parents have all been a part of Deep Ground for years… we’re sure they’ve said things.” He smiled. “We’re hoping to get some information from you… or force it out.”

Weiss eye narrowed to slits. What idiots… did they think their parents had nothing better to do that talk about their work all day? Half of the stuff they did went right over their heads. “Why us?”

“So many questions?” One said. “And the last we’ll answer. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get to your families… the only ones who live outside the facility are yours… and you walk around in broad daylight.” His tone was positively gleeful.

Weiss knew there was a good chance that they would kill them no matter where they took them… especially if they got what they wanted out of them. Well, his brain wasn’t the only thing that had been modified on him. He grabbed a hold of both Rosso and Nero at once and ran with them under his arms.

The men in the suits were prepared for this however, and fired a tranquilizer into his retreating back. It took a moment but Weiss’ legs gave out and he dropped his cargo. They dashed their heads on the ground as they fell, and as the men in suits came upon them they found that all three were now unconscious.

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They seemed to have the most fun beating him, as he was bigger. He tried not to cry out every time they sent him reeling backwards onto the ground or when they kicked him when he was down. He knew that they were trying to frighten Rosso and Nero. If Weiss couldn’t stand up to them then they had no chance at all.

“Don’t damage his head.” One said.

“He’s the one with the memory.” Said another. “He might remember something.”

“The other two?”

“She’s useless.” Someone whispered. “Her father hasn’t worked for Shinra in years. She’s his friend.”

“The other is his brother. Use them.”

They were talking around in circles and yet they never even asked him a thing. At this point he’d tell them anything if they would just leave him alone. “What is it that you want?”

“We want to know what it is that makes you so special.” The first said.

“I’m not special.” Weiss looked down, his lower lip was swollen and bleeding and it hurt to talk.

A door opened in the darkness and a voice sounded out. “You have got to be kidding. You are Zeus’ sons… a few of the most remarkable naturally born children.”

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows. He was an older man with glasses, long hair held back in a low ponytail. His most interesting accessory however, was a white lab coat. Weiss remembered seeing this man on the news, he was professor Hojo.

“You not only possess the ability of total recall, or the ability to net dive but to mimic special abilities… given the right amount of training of course.” He motioned over to his brother. “Had I been able to introduce the G substance into your brother he would have been just as remarkable as you, in his own unique way of course.” He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “Such a pity that you were wasted.”

“And why do you care about this ability if I am a wasted experiment?” Weiss growled.

“Hm, perhaps I spoke too hastily. You are not a failure yet, there is still potential. The other two…” The man motioned to his men and they took aim at Rosso and Nero.

“Stop it!”

“Not so confidant now are we?” Hojo sneered. The stupid boy. He almost laughed at what he had become, some pathetic art student. He could have become one of the strongest soldiers on the planet.

“Leave them alone, I’ll go with you if I’m the only one you want.”

“We want a great deal more than that.” Hojo tittered. “We want to know how to make more of you.”

“Why don’t you just repeat the experiment again?” Weiss had no idea what the hell he thought he was going to get out of him. He might be able to remember everything since the procedure but not before. No one told him what they did to him.

“We were hoping that someone told you… or that it is locked away somewhere in that brain of yours. It would be a lot easier on us if you would just tell us, we could dissect you of course but that is always a slower road to take with things like these.” Hojo sighed. “I only wish I had looked over your files more while I was in Deep Ground. I had expected I would have stayed longer… but no thanks to your wretched father my time there was cut short.”

“I don’t know what they did to me. I know my parents consented to have my mind modified but that’s about it.” That metallic taste in his mouth was becoming a little too much and he spat upon the floor to Hojo’s distaste.

“I don’t know if I believe that or not. Your parents didn’t even tell you what they did to you?”

“No.” Weiss answered honestly, but he had little hope that he or the others would believe him.

“A pity.” He looked over at his men. “Take the boy away and do what you will… but don’t kill him.” He added at the last moment. Before the wide eyed Weiss could say anything Hojo made his last order. “Bring the girl here.” Rosso was shoved near Weiss and she practically clung to him, being utterly terrified. “You won’t tell us?” He aimed a gun at Rosso’s head and glared back at Weiss.

Rosso whimpered pitifully. She knew he didn’t know otherwise he would have said it, she was going to die. She started sobbing into his arm.

He grabbed her shoulder then and squeezed. He was utterly miserable, why wouldn’t they believe him? “Please don’t. I don’t know anything.” The gun went off just a whisper away and Rosso’s head exploded like an overripe melon.

Blood and gray matter spattered against the wall behind him and onto him before her body slumped against him and fell down to the ground. Weiss threw up then, shaking wretchedly after the contents of his stomach had been emptied out. His best friend died and he couldn’t do anything to save her! He started sobbing, he was as good as dead.

“You are an experiment of Shinra!” One of the men said, getting frustrated with his lack of cooperation. “Don’t fuck with us!” Now a gun was pointed at him and he still didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know!” He wailed.

“Put him in with his brother.” Hojo said, “We’ll figure out how to extract the information in other ways.”

Two members grabbed his arms and dragged him away, he was too miserable and frightened to fight back. They took Weiss to a holding cell and dumped him inside. He sobbed wretchedly and after waiting an eternity they threw Nero in with him. Although it was so dark he didn’t know it at the time.

“Weiss…” His little brother’s weak voice called out.

His own misery was quickly forgotten and he scrambled over to his sibling. He was sure they were only separated for maybe a moment. “Nero!”

“You’re… bleeding.” He said difficultly. His brother reeked of blood. Funny, until this day he didn’t know what it smelled like.

“No. It’s… Rosso. They killed her.” Weiss clutched him then, afraid if he let go that it would be the end and they would die.

Tears fell down Nero’s eyes then, she was his good friend too. The two of them had been close to graduating together… she was going to get married after they got out of high school to some solider bloke. She would have been a beautiful bride… he knew. But his own pain was too great to think on it for long. “Weiss.”

“What?”

“My arms are broken… please let go of me.” Nero whimpered.

Weiss released him immediately.

A scream sounded out some distance away followed by a wet crunching noise. The guards outside became alarmed at the increasing number of screaming soldiers. Obviously someone or something was causing a stir outside. Weiss didn’t even want to know what it could be… A nut case or one of Hojo’s experiments? Maybe both.

Despite his pain Nero wiggled closer to Weiss, but Weiss stood in front of him. He was so scared, but he wasn’t going to let anyone kill his brother without going through him first. “If the door opens, run and don’t look back.” Weiss whispered.

Nero realized what he was going to do! “Weiss!”

“Just do it.” Weiss ordered, trembling in fear. “Just run.”

They heard a crashing of glass, apparently one of the overhead lights outside had been smashed as the brightness from the small bared doors dimmed somewhat.

“Uuaaaagh!” A body splattered against the metal door, startling the two brothers. Weiss’ body was quaking now as he heard the guards who had been in front of the door become disemboweled from the sounds of it… quick slicing noises sounded out followed by the splatter of blood through the bars. He was afraid of what he would find once that door opened… he didn’t want to know. He looked back at Nero then, who was shaking just as badly as he was, with a fine sheen of sweat covering his brow. He was in pain… he only hoped he would give him a good enough head start.

Instead of the door being kicked open, like he might have seen in the movies, there was a metallic noise of a key being turned. There was a creaking of the door and a shadowed figure stood in front of it. He could not see what the man looked like, but he could see a glowing green-blue color in the shape of eye sockets float into the doorway. The man took off his mask then, eyes still glowing some eerie color and his face still cast into shadows. He then advanced towards the boys and Weiss remembered himself suddenly.

“Leave us alone!” He struck out at him, raking his nails across the man’s cheek and he reared back from the unexpected blow.

“Damn it!” The man snarled, moving at him again.

Weiss was once again clawing at him and threw a fist at him, only to find an armored shoulder waiting for it. It stung but he continued to assault the dark figure ineffectually until the man grabbed both of his arms. “Let me go!” He screamed wretchedly. He knew was going to die now. He only just realized Nero hadn’t moved from his spot, too petrified with fear to even move. “Run!” He screamed miserably.

“It’s me!” The man roared into his face.

Weiss took a moment to look at him in the dark, his eyes focusing in on the familiar shape of his face. “Mari?” He asked cautiously, actually looking at him. His eyes were still glowing some strange aquatic green-blue color. He forgot, his eyes always did that when it was dark, even from behind his mask when he wore it. He was so relieved he wasn’t sure what to do.

“It’s me.” Marianne repeated, a little softer than before.

“Mari!” Weiss latched onto him so suddenly it startled him. He wanted to tell him he was afraid, he didn’t know what to do… but he didn’t want to seem like a total cry baby. He was just so happy to see him.

Marianne wasn’t one for an overabundance of affection, but he put his arm around him then and patted his back before he squeezed him. “You must have been scared.” He understood. “You don’t have to worry anymore. I’ll take care of you.”

Weiss nodded then, that sounded a lot like a promise. “Nero…”

“Get him and let’s get the hell out of here.” Restrictor Mari told him, “Follow me.”

“Y-yes.” Weiss nodded, going to his brother and scooping him up.

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Author’s Notes:

Jesus I hope that didn’t sound as lame as I –know– it sounded. Why even bother with an action bit like this? I have no freakin’ clue. It just came to me one night. I hope it was decent.