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Dripping with gore, dark magic, and wisps of lifestream, Galian Beast groans and sinks to a crouch, panting heavily. The battle is over. The enemy lays in a heap of twisted limbs, blood and life force seeping from its wounds, the stink of its violent demise overpowering.
"Hey, you okay?" The voice comes from his elbow. Galian Beast turns his heavy head and finds him standing there--blond, glowing eyes, fearsome sword, stinking with mako and sweat. He stares up at Galian Beast, frowning, concerned. "You usually change back by now."
Galian Beast’s lips peel away from his teeth in a snarl. Change back? To change is to sleep... how can he sleep when they are surrounded by death? When he must guard against the multitudes of enemies that he can sense, teeming deeper in the labs? He can not change!
"Cloud," calls one of the others, her voice thin with worry, her powerful hands clasping together as she shifts her weight. "Be careful--"
He waves over his shoulder without turning, keeping his attention on Galian Beast. "It’s okay," he murmurs. "Easy, easy. Everything's alright. We're going to take a little break now, okay?" Glancing over his shoulder, he adds, "Everyone is."
Slowly, looking at each other, the others edge to the nearest walls and sink down to sit.
"See?" He of the vicious strength and quiet sorrow lays a palm on Galian Beast’s arm. "It’s time to rest."
As the heat of battle fades, the furious power that flows under Galian Beast’s skin begins to cool. He feels heavy, slow. His head sinks, and he leans toward the little human standing beside him, shoving his muzzle into his armoured chest.
Chuckling, the human loops an arm around Galian Beast’s neck. "Yeah," he says. "That's right. There you go." His gloved fingertips stroke the side of Galian Beast’s neck, just under his jaw, and comb back through his hair before tracing around the base of a horn.
Galian Beast groans under the caress, closing his eyes, tilting his head to allow that delicious sensation to roam further, leaning into the chest of his human--
Until the human staggers back with a yelp and collapses to the ground. Galian Beast follows him down, ignoring the way his horn gouges the floor as he nestles his head in the human's lap, sighing with pleasure as he buries his fingertips into the fur. The caress briefly stops, leading Galian Beast to slide an eye open to glare. When he sees the human tugging off his glove, he lets the eye fall closed. A moment later, bare fingers dig in, blunt nails scratching the skin. Pure joy hums through Galian Beast’s veins, crackling from his head to the tip of his tail, making it lash and spark against the floor.
"Good boy," the human croons. "You fought so well, now it's time to rest. Good boy..."
--Vincent’s eyes snap open, and he bolts upright. His gloved hand flies to his head, where the scalp is still pleasantly warm as though he's just been... petted?
"Welcome back."
He whirls to find Cloud sitting beside him, cross-legged, pulling his gauntlets back on. A dark patch on his thigh glistens incriminatingly, and Vincent is horrified to discover his own cheek is moist. "Cloud--" he begins, his voice hoarse and tight as he realizes what had just happened.
"Don’t worry about it." A subtle crease at the corners of his glimmering eyes is as close to a smile as Vincent has seen from him. He stands, tugs his wet trouser leg away from his leg, and extends a hand to help Vincent to his feet.
Vincent stares at that hand, struggling with the sudden urge to... lean toward it?
He shakes his head before he can succumb to the desire for more pets, clasps Cloud’s wrist, and allows himself to be pulled up to standing. Breathing easier back on equal footing, he murmurs, "Thank you."
Cloud’s faint smile deepens. "Any time."