Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Blonde Ambition	By : sephcounttheways Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2097 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Pop-pop-pop, bracka..bracka..bracka, dingy-dingy-dingy drruuuuummmm roooooollllllllll, pop-pop-pop-pop!

“That’s enough, Cl – ”

Bing bing bing boing bing bong bracka-bracka-bracka pop pop pop pop.. pop ..pop!

“You’re catching up very well, Cl – ”

Doink doink doink dingy doink dingy boom-boom bada bada boom-boom!

“STRIFE! Wrap it up!” Coach Hendrix finally roared.

And fairy dust, fairy dust, fairy dust! Cloud thought to himself as he delicately tapped his final beats on the cymbals.

Their weekly performance assignment was to create an entire song with just a drum kit, and he had chosen the schoolgirl jump rope tune of ‘Miss Mary Mack’. The song repeated perpetually, and he’d been playing for nearly five entire minutes, happy as can be to continue on into eternity.

Cloud pranced back to his seat as the rest of the boys did their obligatory applause – most likely clapping due to the fact that it was finally over.

After Cloud got over his the bashfulness that came with inexperience, he fought to play the loudest and longest of all. Coach Hendrix often had to remind him that it wasn’t a contest to blow out the class’ eardrums.

It was this way especially when Sephiroth had been ill. Cloud would let his conscious mind wander and pound his little heart out, while the more duty-bound parts of his brain soaked in the instructor’s knowledge and picked up the material and battle tempos.

And while he was well on his way to becoming quite a good drummer, he was still a beginner in the grand scheme of things. The other boys had chosen more difficult tunes for their drum homework, such as Renold, who pounded out Metallica, or the big douchebag Stanley, who somehow perfectly replicated the Jeopardy final question tune.

Coach Hendrix was pleased with all of them. “Okay guys, I know we only have a few minutes left, but try to keep still. I want to have a short discussion with you.”

Like little children, the young men were restless and excitable, as it was their last class before their holiday break. Afternoon physical classes had been gloriously cancelled due to a heavy snowstorm, and while they very easily could have been hardasses and forced them to work through it, they instead gave the boys the gift of freedom.

Cloud was staying with Sephiroth for four days and five nights, and he had promised to take charge of cooking a yummy holiday meal in exchange for room and board. That, and getting fucked constantly.

That wasn’t merely an extended sleepover as far as Cloud was concerned. It was a brief glimpse of heaven on Earth, hosted by the most beautiful angel in the sky.

When the news about the class cancellation had broken during his lunch period, Cloud had abandoned his salad and darted back to the Rufus building phone to tell Sephiroth.

“Awesome…” he had murmured, sounding busy and distant. “I’m here until five. Wanna walk over when you’re all done?”

“Nah,” Cloud said. “Come pick me up.”

“’Kay. I’ll be there around quarter after five.”

Cloud whined, “Noo. Come pick me up at two.”

There was a pause. “You’re like a ten minute walk away, babe.”

“I’ll have to carry my stuff,” Cloud complained. “And it’s fucking freezing!”

“You’re a cadet, I could care less. If you don’t wanna walk, you’ll wait.”

Cloud poured his very best sex kitten pout on thick. “…What if I get snowed in…?”

“Snowed in?” Sephiroth chuckled warmly, mildly affected by the sexualized purring in his ear. “You won’t be. They clear it out all day with the fuckin’ zambonis’ or whatever they are.”

Cloud flirted shamelessly into the phone. “But what if I dooo? I don’t wanna be snowed in all alone… without you…”

“I’ll get a shovel and dig you out myself.”

“Seeeph!”

“…Fine.”

“See you at two!” Cloud sang, smooching the receiver.

“Fuckin’ brat…” Sephiroth grunted before hanging up on him.

Cloud grinned to himself in his reverie. He’d have to do something especially nice for Sephiroth tonight… and tomorrow night… and the next night… and the night after that…

His sticky, smug smile was wiped away when he tuned in what Coach Hendrix had wanted to talk to them about. “Now, I don’t want you to let it bother you over the holiday break, but after the first of the year, Shin-Ra is deploying troops to Wutai, and up North.”

The boys all stared at the coach, wide eyed and looking like a mismatched family of owls.

Coach Hendrix sipped his coffee with a wave of his hand. “Like I said, don’t let it bother you. We don’t know if there’s going to be any action, just know that there might be a travel opportunity coming up for one of you. Stay sharp on your tempos and be ready to rumble, okay?”

“My brother is actually in one of the troops being deployed,” Josh, the human wall offered. “He’s not worried. They’re negotiating for like, crater territory. They want muscle, that’s all.”

“No way, man,” Renold argued. “Wutai’s got nukes! They’re tryin’ to hide ‘em in the crater.”

“Do you believe everything you read in the tabloids?” Josh asked dryly.

“So what happens if we do have to go?” Cloud asked them all eagerly, his little butt almost wiggling off the edge of his chair.

“You’ll find out a week ahead of time,” Coach Hendrix offered. “You’ll get your gear issued, and you’ll travel with a squad of first class SOLDIERs. It’s a good opportunity to see how they operate. I’ve heard of drummer boys earning credits towards Junior SOLDIER just by working well on a drum tour.”

Cloud went misty-eyed at all of this information. “Do we get to carry a sword?”

“No,” Coach Hendrix said firmly.

“A gun!?” Cloud ventured, biting his fingertips in excitement.

The instructor leaned forward a bit, “A drum. Just a drum.”

Renold elbowed a slightly deflated Cloud. “And we get excused from our classwork for howevers long we’re gone, yo!”

Cloud perked right up. “Ooh! How long do you usually stay gone?”

Stanley puffed out his broad chest in pride. “One time I was gone for three whole weeks!”

Cloud couldn’t even fault the bloated douchebag for that obvious pride, either. He’d be marching around with a hard-on for the rest of his life once he’d seen actual battle.

But if troops were being deployed… Sephiroth might be leaving, as well.

Not even might be. He would be. At least eventually.

Cloud took Coach Hendrix’ advice and just tried not to worry about it. He had too much to look forward to, and couldn’t worry about what ifs. The bell sounded and the boys scattered, Cloud’s feathery spikes bouncing at the front of the pack.

When he got back to his room, Cam was there and gathering up his bags, already having packed them the night before.

“Going so soon?” Cloud asked, throwing his stuff on his bed.

“My dad’s already out in the lot,” Cam huffed.

“Oh! Before you go!” Cloud chirped, going to his closet and retrieving his and Psycho’s prettily wrapped gifts. “Merry Christmas!”

Cam grinned and dropped to his knees to reach under his bed and pull out a gift for Cloud. He had chosen to wrap it up with the school newspaper and held it together with Shin-Ra packing tape.

Cloud took the hand-size parcel slowly, feeling his throat tighten a bit. Never before in his entire life had he a friend who was as genuine as Cam was. Never had he a friend who didn’t constantly dare him into humiliating social stunts, or use him for a shoulder to cry on only to turn their backs the moment someone more popular came along, or kept him around for an expendable sidekick to tease at will.

Never had he a friend who actually thought to give him a Christmas gift. It might not have been pretty, but it was fucking amazing.

Cam sensed a shift in the blonde’s emotional tides and laughed for no other reason than to end the loaded silence. “Wanna open ‘em up now?”

Cloud shook his head violently. “No! It’s more fun to wait until Christmas! No peeking!”

Psycho’s nose couldn’t help it, though. The little wet, pink button twitched and rubbed against the smaller parcel with a red ribbon, which contained his paw print patterned lighters. He purred loudly, “Can I have mine, now?!”

Cam rolled his eyes at Cloud and ripped Psycho’s pack of lighters open, taking one out and flicking it on. The little red cat greedily lapped at the flames, and Cam sighed. “His shit’s gonna smell like barbeque.”

Cloud giggled, scritching Psycho behind his ears. “Be a good boy!”

Psycho’s big brown eyes widened sadly, and he turned away from the delicious flame. “Daddy’s not comin’?!”

Cloud shook his head, “No. I’m going over to Big Daddy’s house.”

Psycho’s brown eyes narrowed in jealousy. Ever since Psycho had met Sephiroth, he had since referred to him as ‘Big Daddy’. Big Daddy had left quite an impression with his ability to create flames without the aid of a lighter, and the kitten had developed a people- crush.

Cam handed Psycho over to Cloud. “I gotta do somethin’ wit my hair, or my dad’s gonna drive me straight to a fuckin’ barber.”

Cloud kissed Psycho’s furry cheek, who turned his face away in mock disgust although a healthy purr gave away the secret that he liked to be cuddled. “Have you seen your dad since he kicked your ass?”

Cam was in the bathroom mirror, tying his hair that had recently grown down past his chin into a little ponytail at the base of his skull. He then use his fingers to comb any stray strands behind his ears in an earnest attempt to look clean cut. “Naw. Talked to him on tha phone, but dat’s it. I’m not too worried, though, just so long as we don’t talk ‘bout Shin-Ra. Or politics. Or books. Or me beatin’ the livin’ shit outta dat punkass.” He turned away from the mirror with a bright smile.

Psycho was nuzzling Cloud’s neck and kneading his claws into his uniform vest when Cam emerged from the bathroom and pried him off. The little cat complained, swore, and meowed wordlessly as he was zipped inside his carrier.

“Quit bitchin’,” Cam smiled, holding an arm out to wrap around Cloud’s shoulders. Cloud hugged Cam’s waist, and turned his face to press a quick, dry kiss to his cheek.

Cam sighed longingly, “…I’m gonna miss spoonin’ ya.”

Cloud guffawed as Cam shoved him away. He threw his colorful menagerie of bags over his shoulders and picked up Psycho’s dreaded carrier, where he was currently having a fit of intense claustrophobia.

He turned to open the door, but first there came a booming knock. Cam snorted and called out, “Who tha mighty godless fuck is knockin’ so damn looou – duhhh…”

Cam’s confident, volumous voice trailed off when he found Sephiroth on the other side.

Sephiroth was halfway incognito with his nerdy glasses and his dark gray jacket’s hood draped over his head. But the long legs clad in leather, the tall boots, the supernaturally green eyes and stray strands of silver were still very telling. There would have surely been a crowd if everyone wasn’t in such a busy haste to leave for home.

Cam was stunned. Sephiroth looked down upon him, expressionless. Cloud covered his mouth and grinned maniacally.

He was surprised that Cameron Wedge of all people was stricken with Sephiroth Shock Syndrome. Cloud hadn’t anticipated that at all, as Cam never spoke reverently of the General, not in a fanboy sort of way, and especially not after all Cloud had said about him. Cloud wondered if maybe it was just a person’s natural reaction to the gorgeous man.

It was Psychopath that joyfully broke the awkward silence. “Big Daddy!”

Cam gingerly set Psycho down before saluting. “Sir.”

Sephiroth nodded gracefully. “Wedge, Cloud’s friend?”

He nodded, speechless, and bent his knees to pick Psycho’s carrier back up. His fingers searched around clumsily for the handle, as Cam was unable to take his eyes off of the statuesque figure filling the doorway. He turned to the side, sliding past the General who entered the room as he exited.

Cloud instinctually reached out for Sephiroth’s hand, who gave it to him.

Secretly, Cameron Wedge had always thought that Cloud was exaggerated, or perhaps even fabricated his relationship with Sephiroth. But it was obvious through the subtleties of non verbal communication that the General – the General – was really, truly crazy about Cloud. There was something slightly lascivious in the way his eyes flicked in their sockets, moving across Cloud to take in every inch.

Cam decided that it was high time to splitsky, but not before signing off quickly and respectfully. “Well, so long Cloud… and nice to meetcha, Sir.”

“Likewise,” Sephiroth returned politely, not taking his eyes off of Cloud.

“Bye…” Cloud called, clearly distracted.

Sephiroth’s lips were on Cloud before the tiny echo of the closing door was through vibrating through the small room. “Bad boy. You didn’t tell me he was so fuckin’ cute.”

Cloud gasped in offense and slapped at Sephiroth’s arm, then pulled his face down for another taste of his lips. He was slightly out of breath and far too overstimulated when he finally backed away a little. “…What are you doing up here?”

“I didn’t feel like waitin’ in the truck. The parkin’ lot is fuckin’ crazy…what?”

Cloud shook his head, but his smile was brimming over and causing his cheeks to glow.

“What?” Sephiroth asked again, suspicious.

“…You have snowflakes on your eyelashes.”

Sephiroth pushed up his glasses and made to rub at his eyes with the palm of his hand, but Cloud latched onto it with all his weight. “No! It’s cute!”

Sephiroth gave him a deadpan pout, and Cloud leaned forward and kissed his eyes, thus disintegrating the snowflakes. Cloud was a little startled at how thick Sephiroth’s eyelashes were, it felt not unlike kissing the bristles of a fanned out paintbrush.

When he was done, he smiled. “Sit. I still need to throw some stuff together and change.”

Sephiroth grunted as he sat down on Cloud’s bed, choosing it because it was the one that had Cloud’s purse lying on it. He put it carefully on the floor and stretched out, crossing his ankles and lacing his hands behind his head.

“I feel so gross. I’ve been sweating my ass off from the heaters!” Cloud complained, crossing the room and shirking his thick uniform vest off.

Sephiroth watched, and began to think that it wasn’t such a bad thing to get away from work for a few minutes to watch Cloud strip. His day had been a busy one, full of preparations for the new years’ troop movement. Zack had been the one to make the decision while he was recuperating. While he was a complete moron in most circumstances, Zack had done a truly outstanding job of taking care of business when he was needed most.

In fact, Sephiroth had called Zack in to take care of things while he came to pick up Cloud. Of course, he could have always called upon Genesis or Angeal for their help, but they had their own affairs to handle, and he felt that as a new General, and the youngest in history, he had a big, fat something to prove to the world.

After almost three years of constant work, even Genesis urged him to take some time for himself. Cloud had been excellent in the regard, as Sephiroth was seen lurking around the training rooms and loitering in his own office less and less on his personal time. And the fact that he requested Christmas day completely off and the day after had blown their minds, in the most pleasant of ways. Everyone was glad Sephiroth had something better to do for the holidays than troll the training hall, tricking for opponents – and eventually fighting himself when there were no suitable ones to be found.

Feeling far from the situation and surrounded by the soft scent of Cloud’s pillow and unmade sheets, he felt his body relax. With lidded eyes, he watched as Cloud pulled clothes off of hangers in his small, packed-full closet.

Cloud stood on the toes of his red converse, arching up to reach something on the top shelf of his closet. His back bowed in prettily, and his untucked uniform shirt rode up on his side to reveal a flash of tan, tempting skin. Sephiroth’s eyes naturally coasted down to Cloud’s ass, where his pants were wrapped tight to his body.

Don’t do it. Sephiroth warned himself.

“Hey.”

Cloud turned, a shirt in his mouth. “Nm?”

“…C’mere.”

Too late.

Cloud slowly put down what he was holding and walked to his bed, smiling down at the portrait of gorgeousness that had sprawled across it. “…What?”

“I wanna look atcha,” Sephiroth flirted.

Cloud giggled, running his fingers over the booted feet that were hanging off the end of his mattress. He let his fingers coast up the leather to the buckles. Sephiroth made a low noise in response and patted his lap in invitation.

Cloud took it, straddling his hips with a wide grin. “We’re not allowed to do it here, you know.”

“I’m allowed to look,” he defended, tugging on Cloud’s tie until he leaned down for a fleeting, bare tease of the lips.

“Maybe I should keep this on…?”

“Nah,” Sephiroth purred. “Take it off.”

Cloud gave him a sultry smile and made a move to get up off of the bed, before Sephiroth scolded him. “Hey. I didn’t tell ya to get up... I toldja to take it off.”

Cloud giggled again, blushing at Sephiroth’s superior tone, and obediently settled back into his lap. He shyly hooked a finger into the knot of his tie, pulling it away from his neck in a loose oval until it hang around his neck. He didn’t pull it off right away, instead he let it hang as he undid his row of red shirt buttons. He took his time undoing them, revealing a chest that was smooth and recently chiseled, a row of shallow, edged out abdominals that led to a sweet, protruding belly button, and two barely there cuts onto his hips that pointed without reserve to the long bulge in his black uniform pants.

Cloud left his shirt and tie hanging from his shoulders and pulled his red belt off and let it fall onto Sephiroth’s chest, who made no motion to move it. He only laid there underneath his slowly stripping cadet, thoroughly entertained and fully content to let him reveal what he wanted, at whatever pace he wanted.

Cloud unzipped his pants and leaned back, pulling them off of the beautiful and unusual lines and curves of his body. Sephiroth propped up his legs to make a human chair for him, and he leaned against the strong thighs, pulling his pants off of his legs.

Again with the fucking socks. Sephiroth went fully rigid at the sight of them. By now Cloud damn well knew what they did to him, as was evident when he made direct eye contact with Sephiroth while pulling up and straightening the left one that had bunched down slightly.

Sephiroth’s long fingers finally unlaced from behind his head and went to Cloud’s shirt, peeling it back off of his narrow, masculine shoulders. The nudity of his lover was too much for even Sephiroth to handle, and he decided that he didn’t much care about school policy. He craned his neck up to reach Cloud’s lips, finding them hot, soft and open.

He rolled Cloud underneath him, whose nimble, thin fingers were already working on the zipper of his hoodie. He pulled it open and pushed it off of Sephiroth’s shoulders, revealing shirtlessness except for two harness belts crossing his chest. It seemed Sephiroth was in full uniform, but had switched out of his leather coat for a simple hoodie in favor of discretion.

Cloud used his fingers to clumsily unhook and de-belt Sephiroth while their lips melted against each other’s. Sephiroth’s tongue flicked tirelessly against Cloud’s, remembering keenly how wonderful it felt to taste him again after the sudden brush with Jenova.

He didn’t want to think about that, but the moment he did the mood shifted slightly into something slower and softer.

Cloud ran his hands under the loose SOLDIER belt and separated it from Sephiroth’s thin waist. “…Can we do this all vacation long?”

“You’ll be fed up with me by Sunday,” Sephiroth promised, placing strategic kisses along Cloud’s jawline, nipping the soft curve towards his ear. “Right now we need to be kinda quick, though.”

“…Yeah…” Cloud agreed, or perhaps urged, his eyes closed and his voice growing dark and husky. “I don’t wanna get written up.”

The gentle tease brought a smile to Sephiroth, and he moved back a little and up onto his knees to quickly unzip his leather pants, but didn’t push them down farther than his upper thighs.

Cloud’s brain stalled for a moment as he gazed at the thick erection, amazed as ever that he had such an effect on his lover. Sephiroth smiled smugly, practically watching the gears turn in Cloud’s pretty, blonde head.

His blue eyes finally drifted back up to Sephiroth’s. “Mm… hang on a minute?”

Sephiroth groaned in protest, but Cloud slipped away to his closet and pulled out a fresh tube of lubricant, peeling the foil wrapper off with his teeth as he quickly returned to the bed.

They reconnected, and Cloud carefully rolled himself underneath Sephiroth, lying face down against the mattress. His back arched out and his knees moved apart expectantly.

Sephiroth kissed his way down the deeply indented line gracing the center of Cloud’s narrow back as he quickly handled him, lubing and coaxing his little opening loose with careful fingertips. He looked down at it, caressing the area with loving attention before kneeling down to observe it more closely. He became overcome with his adoration of the blonde creature and his countless lovely attributes.

Gently, Sephiroth pushed his tongue in with his fingers.

“Seph!” Cloud whispered, a blush audible in his voice.

There was nothing in Sephiroth’s considerable history to provide him with specific enough depravity to explain his utter enjoyment of licking Cloud. Maybe that was the beauty of it. It wasn’t like his little nurse fetish, prompted by a childhood of torture. This was purely his own brain, purely his own perversion, just simply and purely Sephiroth.

He closed his eyes as he withdrew his fingers completely and let his tongue push past the tight circle. The taste was warmer and heavier than that of Cloud’s soft skin, but very much the same and incredibly clean, all things considered.

As if reading his mind in reverse, Cloud peeked shyly between his legs, seeing nothing but Sephiroth’s long throat working as his long tongue pushed and writhed inside of him, his roughened hands holding him open to provide deeper access.

Cloud mewed. “…Seph? Does it... is it... okay?”

The handsome, hard lined jaw and soft, full lips were wet when they pulled away, looking down to find Cloud’s eyes, large, slightly worried and upside down against the mattress. Sephiroth’s smile would have been answer enough, but he licked his lips before rumbling truthfully, “You taste like fuckin’ candy.”

Cloud giggled wildly, attempting to arch away, but instead was held fast as Sephiroth’s fingers tightened their hold on him. Looking down the length of his own body, he watched Sephiroth’s bright red tongue flick from between his lips and make a delicate trail over his balls and back up to his opening.

Cloud closed his eyes, but didn’t shy away from or further question this attention. Sephiroth seemed to be greatly enjoying it, and it felt rather… interesting. Cloud wasn’t prepared to admit that it felt good, only because it tickled his keen sense of humiliation too intimately to fully allow him to relax.

This changed drastically, however, when the flicking end of Sephiroth’s long tongue actually probed deep enough to briefly and just barely graze the sensitive nerves inside of him. Cloud gave a long, slow little gasp, pushing his legs farther apart.

Sephiroth was surprised to have hit the jackpot. He delved it in again, and this time flicked his tongue against it. Cloud’s legs began to tremble, and he decided that enough was enough, but mentally mapped the route for later exploration.

Cloud looked over his shoulder as Sephiroth loomed tall behind him, his face out of sight, seeing only the milky ravine of his abs, the masculine curve of his hips, and the tip of his big, slickened cock rubbing up between his open cheeks.

“Fuck me…” Cloud whispered, restlessly offering himself, pushing back against the hardness that only hinted at invading. “…Fuck my ass…”

Hearing Cloud moan for him to ‘fook’ his ass was enough to curl Sephiroth’s toes inside his boots. He pushed into that undeniable opening, watching as it stretched wide to receive him. He hissed, seeing it, feeling it, hearing Cloud’s slightly pained little gasps.

He’d make damn sure that the pain was worth it for Cloud.

When the upturned curve wiggled a little at him, Sephiroth smiled, grabbing at it as he pulled away, only to push gently back in. He was careful at first, as Cloud felt even tighter than usual in this bent over position, making Sephiroth’s breath catch in his throat. But when Cloud began to push back at him, he began a quicker pace.

No time to draw it out, given their location, afterall.

He was the General, but that didn’t mean he was above scandal. Eating a student’s ass and then fucking him in the dorms wasn’t professional, couth, or even classy. Despite that, Sephiroth could tell that this was probably a first of many interludes on school grounds. Three years was a long time, afterall. And his physical hunger for Cloud was becoming more insatiable with every touch, every kiss, every soft little Nibelheim-accented groan.

Cloud’s back and shoulders moved and flexed with every one of Sephiroth’s thrusts, the willing little body too overcome by sensation to remain still. He gripped the bare mattress where the sheet rode up, one blue eye glaring behind his shoulder, dark and narrow with desire.

Sephiroth was about to get down to serious business, when he realized over the ringing in his ears that Cloud’s bed was rather squeaky. With every sharp thrust, there was a chorus of groaning beneath them from the used and abused springs. Sephiroth went a bit slower in an effort to quiet them.

Cloud wasn’t having it. “More, Seph!”

“S’loud, baby...”

“Don’t care!” Cloud groaned, grinding up insistently.

“Just a sec,” Sephiroth hushed, and pulled out of Cloud. He got off of the narrow bed and stood on the floor, his knees bumping the edge. Cloud got the hint and turned, crawling backwards until Sephiroth’s hands stopped him and he felt the hot, slick hardness push back inside, eager to resume what had been started.

Sephiroth had to bend down considerably to reach Cloud, but he made it work, and the bed quieted its’ creaking protest without his weight. He heatedly resumed and all was right with the world, except for Cloud. He was moaning and whimpering against the mattress with very little regard to stealth.

Sephiroth normally craved those particular noises, but now was not the time.

He shushed Cloud gently, running a hand up between his shoulder blades and into the blonde scruff brushing the nape of his neck in an effort to reel him back into reality and out of his mental pornscape. Cloud bit his lip and managed to remain silent for approximately five seconds before mewling anew with every sharp nudge against his prostate, louder than before and blatantly ignoring Sephiroth’s urgent shushing.

Sephiroth glanced down to the floor and spotted Cloud’s tie lying in a curled pile on top of his pants. He nimbly picked it up with outstretched fingertips, and then leaned forward, waiting until Cloud threw his head back with another restless moan, and took the opportunity to force the thing into his mouth.

“Bite,” Sephiroth commanded.

Cloud did, and it succeeded in muffling his moans, but not a distinct squeal of insult.

“Pipe down or I’ll stop,” Sephiroth said sternly. An outrageous lie!

But, it seemed to work. Cloud panted and whimpered quietly around the tie, the greater effort of keeping his volume under control seeming to send his body into a trembling frenzy. He worked himself against Sephiroth, reaching back to caress Sephiroth’s thighs and stomach with his hands, seeming to miss a little bodily contact in this position.

Sephiroth remedied it, bending over him and kissing across his damp, salty shoulders, licking a trail of sweat up into the matted blonde hair dusting his neck. He placed a hand next to Cloud on the bed, the other trailing over his hip, then underneath to Cloud’s hard cock, and encased the length in his palm. The school heaters were even affecting him, and he noticed a few drops of his sweat fall onto Cloud’s back, and that whenever his hair touched Cloud’s damp body, it seemed to stick like spiderwebs.

“Seph,” Cloud began to pant around the tie, and he knew well by now how Cloud liked it; long, hard strokes with a little twist at the tip. After a few moments, Cloud bared his teeth, gnawing on his own tie while his small, long fingered hands gripping Sephiroth’s, urging the fist around his cock to move just a little faster.

His water colored eyes clamped shut, and with an eerie, still silence, Sephiroth felt him clench and shudder as his body made its’ release. Sephiroth yanked the tie out of Cloud’s mouth and replaced it with his lips and tongue as he rode him through his own climax. He buckled and curled himself over Cloud in a way that reminded him of lions mating on the Discovery Channel.

Cloud giggled a little at the thought, softening against Sephiroth in every regard. He reached back to cup his head as Sephiroth buried his face in the nape of his neck.

“Love you, Seph…”

“Mmhmm,” Sephiroth agreed, squeezing Cloud into another tight, possessive lion-like hug before carefully pulling out. He caught a thick leak of drippage with his fingertips before going to the bathroom to wash up, his trembling legs getting slightly tangled in his pants on the way.

Sephiroth actually would have damn well tripped if Cloud’s closet door hadn’t been there for him to quickly grab onto. In a split second he caught the door handle and righted himself, then continued to strut into the bathroom as if it never happened.

“I saw that,” Cloud informed him.

“Meant you to!”

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

When two people attempt to go about their day after having sexual intercourse, it’s rather obvious, especially if they happen to be head over heels in love with each other.

Sephiroth and Cloud walked through the Shin-Ra building, leaving behind figurative footprints of their recent activities. Sephiroth didn’t appear overly mussed, but the lidded, content look on his normally stoic face, and the looseness in his usually tight strut would have been telling enough, but there was currently a severe snowstorm outside and the General was flushed and slightly sweaty under his coat.

Cloud looked like a pint size concubine scuttling along beside him, complete with an overly giggly demeanor and his obvious worship of Sephiroth, his blue eyes tracking his every move. He was even more flushed, with jutting spikes of yellow hair drying with sweat near his temples. In honor of Sephiroth finally being able to look through his closet, he had donned a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a little red soccer t-shirt, at his lover’s request. He also wore the dark gray jacket that Sephiroth had left the office in.

It was obvious to any and all that the two had just fucked, big time.

They entered Sephiroth’s office to find Zack working diligently on Sephiroth’s computer.

Zack Fair. Working diligently.

“You’re startin’ to freak me out,” Sephiroth declared.

“Just doing my job, boss man,” Zack shrugged, peeling himself up off of Sephiroth’s chair with a stretch.

Sephiroth reluctantly let go of Cloud’s hand, pulling on his fingertips until he was too far to reach as he went to retake his seat. “You’ve been here since midnight, why dontcha go home?”

Zack made a tired face, running a playful hand through Cloud’s hair as he passed to his perch on the windowsill. “I dunno. Just feel like working, lately.”

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Cloud chirped, bouncing a little in his shoes as he cleared the collection of office litter out of his way.

Zack smiled, but it was hollow. “Eh, not much.”

“Not going back home this year?” Sephiroth asked, ripping open a piece of mail on his desk with his thumb.

“What’s with the third degree?” Zack asked, laughing in an imitation of his usual mirth. “I’m just not feeling the Christmas thing this year.”

Cloud was currently too full of love to let the subject die. “Did you get anything special for Aerith?”

Zack looked down at the floor. “Nah. Not really.”

“Don’t tell me she’s still pissed about the proposal thing?” Sephiroth asked coolly, half of his attention consumed with reading his mail.

“No, no. She’s, um…” Zack tapped his fingers on his thighs uneasily. “We’re…”

“What?” Cloud asked, tilting his head. Behind him in the window, snow came down in furious gales, as if in some sort of personal beef from God.

Zack watched, sadness creeping into his features, causing him to look serious and for once, his age. “... Me and Aerith actually split about three weeks ago.”

Sephiroth paused, lowering his letter to his lap. Cloud’s eyebrows turned up in morbid surprise. They were both wearing precisely the expressions that Zack did not want to see.

“I didn’t tell you guys at first because I wasn’t sure if it would stick. And then I didn’t because this one was sick, and that one was sort of rabid. And then I just didn’t feel like talking about it at all, but… it’s been almost three weeks!” He shrugged, laughing a little. “I’ll be fine! I’m already like, mostly over it.”

Sephiroth’s eyebrows lowered from their raised, shocked place on his forehead. “You awright?”

“I’m fine.”

Cloud frowned. “Have you tried talking to her?”

Zack seemed to really consider it, before slumping against the bookcase. “I know her, and I know the more I call the less she’ll want to talk to me. I’ve been waiting for her to call me. The holidays were always a big deal to her, she liked decorating the church and my apartment. We had traditions, ya know? I was thinking if she wanted me back, she’d at least call me before Christmas…”

“Well, there’s still time,” Cloud pointed out hopefully.

“I doubt it, sis,” Zack looked out the window again. “And it’s so fucking cold outside. I know the space heater she has in that stupid church isn’t enough. She’d usually stay with me during weather like this. I just wonder where she is… if she’s warm enough…”

“I’ll throw the bitch in a sack and drag her to your place,” Sephiroth offered. Cloud looked at him to see if he was as serious as he sounded… and he was.

Zack chuckled briefly. “I’ve thought of doing the same thing myself. I know I fucked up, but I don’t feel like I fucked up badly enough for her to just… discard me. I mean, I don’t drink that much.”

Sephiroth winced one eye before he could help himself.

Zack huffed. “You only think I drink a lot because you never drink!”

“Why don’t you drink, Seph?” Cloud wondered aloud.

“I choose not to,” Sephiroth explained loftily. “Because it tastes like shit.”

“But you drink pure espresso!” Cloud laughed.

“True, but it keeps me awake when I need to be. Alcohol serves no purpose.”

Cloud smiled. “I’ll bet you’d be a happy drunk!”

“I bet he’s a serious, philosophical drunk,” Zack wagered.

“Find me somethin’ that doesn’t taste like vomited backwash and maybe you’ll find out.”

Cloud turned to Zack. “So, you like to drink. I like to drink, too. But… do you have to do it so much?”

“This comin’ from a Nibelheim native,” Sephiroth chuckled. “When those people tell ya to slow down, you should listen.”

Zack crossed his arms. “I don’t drink just to get drunk. I just like to… maintain a steady buzz when I’m not working, that’s all. It’s hard not to cross the line into excess, but I…” Zack blurted, “…need it.”

“Alcoholic,” Sephiroth decided with a judicial slap on his desk.

Cloud ignored him. “Why do you need it, Zack?”

Zack looked between the two of them slowly, and then pointed at Sephiroth. “If I tell you something, this one has to promise not to laugh!”

Cloud looked at Sephiroth. “Promise not to laugh.”

The man shrugged, back to reading his mail. “Fine, I won’t laugh. It won’t be hard.”

“Alright,” Zack let out a gust of air. “I’m… a psychic.”

Cloud immediately let out a short giggle, and the tinkling sound ripped a dark, involuntary gale of laughter from Sephiroth.

Zack waited for them to quiet down before saying, “Cloud, you used to make out with the television screen whenever Sephiroth was on and your mom wasn’t in the room.”

Cloud stopped laughing immediately and gawked at Zack. Sephiroth looked over at Cloud and snickered, seeing the truth in his expression.

“And Sephiroth. When you were a cadet, you used to jack off thinking about Bruce Campbell. You still do, sometimes.”

Sephiroth’s face drained of most of its color, which was not much.

“Seph? Did I ever tell you about the T.V. thing?” Cloud whispered, and then hissed. “And who the fuck is Bruce Campbell?”

“Nobody. And you …mighta mentioned the T.V. thing. Either way, it doesn’t prove anythin’. Everyone makes out with me on T.V.”

Cloud gasped in shock, disgust, and delight. Sephiroth had never openly referred to himself as a sex icon before!

“Fine, you want more proof?” Zack looked at Cloud with a touch of softness. “Cloud, your first kiss wasn’t exactly Sephiroth. You were at a birthday party and someone dared you to kiss a girl who was blindfolded. You put it on her cheek because you thought she’d be disappointed that you’d been her first.”

Cloud knew he hadn’t told Sephiroth about that one yet, he’d buried that shit deep. When they had taken the blindfold off of her to reveal who she had been kissed by, she had run from the room in humiliation. She then spread a lie that Cloud’s breath had reeked, and thus cemented his loneliness for the first half of high school.

As Cloud remembered this, Zack looked at him empathetically, as if he knew.

Well, perhaps he did know. Cloud leaned forward seriously. “Zack… will I make it into SOLDIER?”

Zack shrugged. “I’m useless about the future. All I know is shit about the past.”

Sephiroth hummed. “What did I have for breakfast this morning?”

Zack touched his stomach with a slight grimace. “You were running late, so you opened your refrigerator and just sort of... ate anything. Two slices of cold leftover pizza, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a pudding cup, and half a fucking lemon.”

“Holy shit,” Sephiroth chuckled. “You are a fuckin’ psychic.”

“You should moonlight at the Psychic Food restaurant!” Cloud cried.

Zack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. The thing that I can’t stand about it, is that sometimes I can… see things that happened a long time ago.”

“Like past lives!” Cloud supplied.

“Sometimes, but also other things. Like… okay, right now, standing here… I can feel that Sephiroth has felt a lot of angst in this room. Sometimes I come in and want to cheer him up, even though he isn’t sad anymore.”

Cloud stuck his bottom lip out at Sephiroth, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“I don’t know anything about myself though, or the fucking future. Nothing useful! Everything’s already happened, and I can’t do anything about it! It drives me crazy, and I’d just rather not deal with it. So, I get drunk, and I lose it.”

“Wow!” Cloud mooned, staring at Zack like a mythical creature.

“So, I just don’t think a tiny drinking habit should have made her dump me. Like, if I was a better psychic, I would know if she found someone else first…” Zack’s hair seemed to deflate a little bit. “Maybe she was just done with me.”

“I’ll slit his throat,” Sephiroth offered. Cloud looked at him again to see if he was serious. He was.

Cloud had a better plan.

He approached Zack and wrapped his arms around his waist. Zack closed his eyes and prepared to lean into a pint sized hug, before crying out in shock. Cloud began digging his hands into his pockets. “Give me your phone.”

“Jesus, Cloud!” Zack croaked, but it was too late. Cloud snatched away the cell phone, turned his back on Zack, quickly located the address book, but didn’t find any numbers belonging to Aerith, or cuddlebutt, or whatever else he might have nicknamed her.

“What’s the number, Zack?” Cloud finally asked.

After a moment of futile hesitation, Zack sighed the digits out, his memorization of them clearly evident.

Cloud put a hand on his hip and stared shrewdly into space, and after a few moments cooed, “Hello Ms. Aerith! This isn’t Zack, it’s Cloud Strife, Sephiroth’s boyfriend,” Cloud tilted his head and listened, and then nodded with a smile. “Yes. Yes! You heard about that? …Yeah, Sephiroth’s fine, actually. He was out for almost two weeks, but he’s had a full recovery, believe you me!”

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Cloud with a smile. He and his mother were so fucking much alike.

“Did you know that during the entire time Sephiroth was ill, Zack was actually the General!? Yeah! …And he did a wonderful job, Sephiroth told me all about it! He was so responsible, and even kept up with all his own work. Yeah! So if he hasn’t called you, it’s probably been because he’s been so busy. He’s fucking hot as hell, wouldn’t you say? Sephiroth’s been talking about me growing my hair out, I hope it turns out looking something like Zack’s! …What!? Hair spray?! No way, girlfriend, my shit is all natural!…”

Cloud went off on a short tangent, and Zack looked at Sephiroth miserably.

“Also, did you know that Zack’s…what? Yeah, he actually is right here. Are you sure you want to talk to him? We could just talk more about him. Like, how he’s proved himself to be sooo responsible! And he’s totally gotten hotter since you’ve last seen him, I don’t know if it’s the cold weather or what, but he’s standing right here in his uniform and he’s so big and tan and beautiful, he makes you just wanna rip him to pieces!”

Zack’s mouth was hanging open, and Sephiroth made a large, unidentifiable noise along the lines of ‘waaaoooh!’

“But even though Zack’s gone down in history, and he’s super hot, and he’s such a nice guy… he’s sad. He’s not looking forward to Christmas, and he seems very lonely, and he didn’t say so, but I think he loves you and misses you very much. But look, the reason I called is because tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Sephiroth and I are just going to be alone at his place, why don’t the both of you come over and have dinner with us?”

Sephiroth began feverishly shaking his head. Zack’s ice blue eyes lit up.

“No, please! I don’t mind cooking, just bring some jello or something! …Yeah, Sephiroth’s place. Come by at… Oh, I dunno, sevenish. Okay? Say you’ll come! You will? Great! See you then! Here’s Zack!”

Cloud handed the phone to him.

Zack slowly raised it to his ear. “…Hey…” He chuckled a little. “No, I didn’t train him to say all that… Nah… Yeah... So, okay… See you tomorrow night…”

Zack hung up with her and grabbed Cloud into a hug. “…Thank you.”

He released Cloud to light up the universe with his smile before opening Sephiroth’s door and evacuating with a skip of glee.

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

The ride home was slow due to horrendous traffic and slick roads. They’d listened to an entire CD and they still had a few more blocks to go.

There was something on the tip of Cloud’s tongue, but he didn’t know how to say it.

“This is gonna be like…” Cloud tried to choose his words carefully, but ended up blurting out what he originally wanted to say anyways. “Kinda like we’re married for the next few days, huh?”

“No, ‘cause married people typically hate each other.”

“Then, faggots in love and shacking up,” Cloud amended.

“Better.”

“It’ll be over too soon, I know it. Then it’ll be back to weekends.”

Sephiroth hated this particular conversation. “If there were more hours in the day and more days in the week, it wouldn’t be this way.”

“I know it’s the best we can do. I just wish I could be with you more…” Cloud sighed, looking out the window at the slow moving city. A lady with a stroller walked directly in front of the truck, and Cloud wouldn’t have faulted Sephiroth one bit for mowing her down. But he stopped, and now they were trapped at yet another light.

Sephiroth tapped the wheel in thought. “Cloud. What if you couldn’t see me for …a couple of months?”

Cloud moaned. “That’d be fucking awful!”

“It’s happenin’.”

Cloud swallowed, then smiled brightly. “Nuh-uh!”

Sephiroth didn’t say anything.

Cloud looked down to his lap, running a finger nervously along the seam of his jeans. “You’re leaving…” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“…When?”

“In two weeks.”

Cloud’s heart felt like a heavy boulder in his chest. He was stunned.

“Last time you yelled at me for keepin’ it from you. I just wanted to let you know now,” Sephiroth rationalized, feeling guilty for dropping a bomb.

Cloud pursed his lips and looked out the window. There were so many things to be happy about! Christmas! Snow! Love! Four days, five nights! He didn’t want to let bad news on the horizon spoil it all, but as the tears slipped down his cheeks, he found that he just couldn’t help it.

He jumped a little as he felt fingers touch his cheeks. Sephiroth’s gloved thumb wiped under his eyes. “I thought you mighta already known.”

Cloud’s voice was thick. “I did already hear about the deployment. I thought you might have been leaving eventually. Not so goddamn soon.”

“I’m here now.”

Cloud sniffed and hesitantly looked over at Sephiroth. Sure enough, he was the most beautiful man in existence. For a moment, Cloud’s heart wished that Sephiroth could have been uglier. Meaner. Less caring. Anything to make the thought of a lengthy separation easier.

But everything about Sephiroth was perfect. Even the imperfections were perfect. Dammit.

“We have these next few days together,” Sephiroth reminded Cloud with a smile. “And then, another week. I’ma see you as much as I can.”

“You’ll be busy,” Cloud bemoaned softly.

“You think I won’t make time for you? Gimme a break.”

Cloud finally smiled a little, although the corners of his mouth were heavy. “How long do you think you’ll be gone… really?”

Sephiroth’s chin hit his shoulder in thought. “I need to be there ‘til the problem clears up. I really don’t know.”

“So it might only be one day?” Cloud suggested.

“Don’t do that,” Sephiroth shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up like that, baby. It’ll be a little while.”

Cloud wiped his nose with his sleeve and said nothing. A few moments passed, and a song came on the radio that Cloud hadn’t heard in ages. He leaned forward to turn it up.

A little time apart. He would use it to its fullest extent, spend more time in the gym, train even harder so that these separations would never, ever happen after his schooling was complete.

As a SOLDIER, he’d be by Sephiroth’s side always.

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

Cloud was auctioning off famous, priceless works of art. Big, huge, hideous, ungodly expensive works of art. He was super psyched to have gotten the totally awesome gig as the auction caller.

“This is a totally awesome gig!” he declared into the microphone, and the noble room of snooty bidders looked impressed.

Sephiroth was sitting in the front row. When Cloud noticed him, he waved. “Seph, you’re here!”

He smiled. “Not for long, I’m leavin’ for work. Kiss me.”

Cloud frowned, and spoke into the mic again. “You aren’t staying to bid on my art?”

Sephiroth found that extremely amusing for some reason, and couldn’t stop chuckling. That was not appropriate behavior for such a high profile auction, and Cloud became quite impatient with him. “Fine, go if you must – but don’t distract the other bidders on your way out!”

Sephiroth laughed louder. “Who tha fuck are the other bidders? Should I be jealous?”

“Maybe!” Cloud turned up his nose, as there were probably some rich, gay men in the audience who were about to be thoroughly aroused by his auctioneering skills.

Sephiroth chuckled and put something small on the stage. “I’m leavin’ you my credit card. Go get a tree, and whatever you need to make your dinner. There’s a key here, too. Awright?”

Cloud eyed the card, then attempted to slide it into his inner lapel pocket with a great amount of class. He ran into difficulty for some strange reason, and it would only bump his chest clumsily.

Sephiroth affectionately took it from his hands and put it back on the stage. “It’ll be right here.”

“Okay… thank you.” He was still miffed that Sephiroth wasn’t sticking around for his big auctioneer debut, though. “I wish you’d at least stay and bid.”

“I’ll bid later,” Sephiroth chuckled and kissed his forehead, then his nose, then his lips. It was unbelievably warm, and the world around them responded with a bloom of rosy, pink light. Cloud wanted to leave the stage and follow his lover; he cared very little about the auction anymore.

But Sephiroth put a gentle hand on his chest to stop him. “Go back to sleep.”

Seemingly moments later, Cloud woke up alone. As his senses of sight and hearing kicked on full blast, all memories of his dreams vanished. He yawned loudly and kicked his feet under the blankets while checking the clock.

His blonde eyebrows rose a little to see that it was already past ten. But Sephiroth’s bed was so comfortable, and the loft was so utterly still and silent, and he was bundled under two comforters that smelled so strongly of his lover that he was surprised the man wasn’t in bed with him.

The first night of their holiday had been heavenly. They enjoyed an evening of television, and then had gone to bed early, bundled up together against the snowy weather. They’d spoken softly in the dark, mainly of what was to happen when Sephiroth left, Cloud’s grief mostly buried and giving way for educational interest. Sephiroth told him stories, nothing bloody or graphic unless it was also humorous. The deathgrounds of war were apparently ripe for human comedy.

“My teacher said we might be called in for drummerboy duty,” Cloud finally said.

“I hope you don’t.”

“Why?” Cloud asked, propping up on one elbow.

“You’ll see our guys fightin’, maybe dyin’, and you won’t really be able to do anything about it, least not in a physical way. That’s the frustration of the drummerboys I’ve talked to. I imagine it’d be just as hard on you.”

That was not the answer Cloud had expected. He anticipated Sephiroth to be protective of him, or express a desire to shield his eyes from death or war.

But that’s why Cloud was there in the first place. Sephiroth knew that, and respected him enough not to want to save him from his own life’s path. After a brief pause of Cloud soaking in the information and Sephiroth soaking in the way Cloud looked in the green city glow, they’d kissed each other so extensively that his lips still ached a little from Sephiroth’s sharp, nipping teeth. There was no need for sex, no rush. For once, they had the luxury of time, and enjoyed touching and kissing each other for the simple pleasure of it.

Cloud finally forced himself to roll onto his side and throw his feet off the bed and onto the cold floor. He eyed the credit card lying on the bedside table, knowing it was there and why, but not realizing how exactly he knew.

No matter. He picked it up and looked at the name stamped out onto it. Sephiroth was all it said. He smiled and ran his lips across the surface.

While Cloud stood under the shower head, savoring the intense water pressure and heat, and found his thoughts centered on his mother. He’d written a list with her over the phone of all the things he’d need to cook for Sephiroth, and she had given him a few culinary pointers.

He’d never really been all that great at cooking, nor had he such gusto to create deliciousness before, and it took his mother by surprise. He had explained that Sephiroth was hungry male by nature and that the way he’d truly get enjoyment out of the holiday would most likely be through his stomach.

“You mean he’s never celebrated it before? Is he Junish?” she’d asked curiously.

“No, it’s not that. He just had sort of a … cold childhood…” Cloud hadn’t filled his mother in on the missing gaps of Sephiroth’s life that he had only recently been filled in on.

It wasn’t anyone else’s business to know.

He stood under Sephiroth’s blow dryer, thinking about Nibelheim and his family. His mother was hosting that year in lieu of an empty house, and would have all the aunts over, his grandma, his old ass great-uncle, and the assload of cousins. Grandma would be drunk already, surely. There would be arguments about the ingredients to the stuffing, whether or not celery was too overpowering. His infamously identical female cousin Stella was probably being a bratty little twat, as usual. His little cousin Simon was probably sleeping in his bed and playing with his old toys in his absence. His mother was probably laughing her smoker’s laugh so loudly it could be heard from blocks away.

A big house full of blondes. Never in his life would he have imagined that hellish annual scenario endearing, but compared to Sephiroth’s non-family status… it was.

He didn’t require a holiday to cook for Sephiroth and give him gifts, but the obligation of Christmas just made it convenient without seeming weird. Cloud felt very suddenly grown up to be away from home, staying in the house of his lover, planning a romantic holiday versus a big, crowded family affair.

Ready or not, Cloud was a man. A manly man, at that! He flexed in the mirror, admiring his brand new hardware, then went to raid Sephiroth’s closet.

He threw on Sephiroth’s black Dior turtleneck, a red jacket that was new and stuffed on what Cloud had learned was the ‘designer sent it to me and I don’t want it’ rack.

His upper half was covered in Sephiroth’s warm, cuddly clothes, but his own jeans were full of holes, thus he was freezing his little nuts off the moment he stepped outside. The things he did for fashion! …Namely, genital frostbite.

He tucked it to the side the best he could and went to a Christmas tree lot on the edge of the plate. Cloud was afraid there would be a shitty selection so late in the game, but he found one that was perfect. It was taller than Sephiroth, and full with festive bushiness. The tree salesman had cleared his throat when Cloud stood and daydreamed for several long moments before it. It was not just a gorgeous tree, it was Sephiroth’s first tree.

And… a very, very expensive tree. But it was completely necessary!

Cloud arranged to have it delivered to Sephiroth’s loft, and booked to a department store in search of decorations.

There wasn’t very much to choose from so last minute, and what was there was all fancy and priced as such. Nevertheless, it was also completely necessary! Cloud kept mindful not to overdo it, but refused to skimp on the trimmings. He got plenty of bulbs and ribbons and strings of lights and a star, of course. And a Christmas tree stand, and a tree skirt, and special Christmas tree food so it would stay beautiful longer. And some garland and some tinsel and some candy canes and a special ornament that proudly and very cursively declared – Our First Christmas. He took his armload of crap and hauled ass to his next destination.

It would seem that he had arrived at the grocery store just in time to surf the wave of angry housewives doing their last minute feast shopping. Being small and cute had its advantages, as he could slither around the meaner ladies and their screaming children, and charm the nicer ladies with a dimpled smile as he snatched whatever it was he needed. He had a brief run in with a older woman who got a little selfish with the canned yams. He didn’t mean to elbow her quite so hard – he was no longer a civilian, afterall – but as she cussed him out, he successfully made off with what he needed.

And he didn’t even say he was sorry. Cloud was becoming a Midgarian.

Through stealth and trickery, he wrestled away plenty of items and ingredients for a holiday meal for four, affording plentiful leftovers and delicious munchies for the rest of their time together. He’d fought especially hard for hot chocolate and marshmallows with stars in his eyes, dreaming of the romantic interludes that could occur over it, and made sure to grab a couple of frozen pizzas just in case his meal bombed.

He was horribly laden with bags and ultimately shopped out as he tromped and struggled up the steps to Sephiroth’s apartment. He began to fish around for keys when he noticed that the door was already unlocked.

He burst through. “Honey, I’m hooome!”

“Hey,” Sephiroth called. “I just got here.”

Cloud dropped the bags off of his aching arms with a deep groan just as Sephiroth appeared from the other entrance to the kitchen. In nothing but leather pants. Cloud was so stunned he almost didn’t hear him ask, “What the fuck did you buy?”

“Not that much!” Cloud defended when he regained his speaking ability, but then looked at the massive amount of bags littered around his ankles. He unconsciously rubbed his arms, as they felt more sore than after training in the gym. “Urm, I think everything’s just kind of bulky, you know? I mean, I only went to three places! I have the receipts somewhere...”

Cloud double checked them before passing them over… and it was too late to retract them and burn them as incriminating evidence.

He had spent over 500 gil of Sephiroth’s money.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes for a moment, but did not complain. He only tossed the receipts onto the counter and began to pick up bags and put food away. “When’re you gonna cook for me?”

Cloud smiled, although feeling quite sheepish from his unintentional shopping spree. “I need to start right now, actually! Oh, before I forget…” Cloud took Sephiroth’s spare housekey out of his pocket, and held it out.

Sephiroth didn’t even look twice at it. “Might as well hang onto it.”

Cloud’s chest flushed under his clothes. “R-really?…”

“Ya might need to go out again sometime while you’re here.”

“Oh…” Cloud said, his hopes falling just a notch. He slid the key back in his pocket and happily began to prepare the kitchen to cook. “I found everything we need for Christmas dinner! I’m making kidney casserole, two caramel potato pies, green bean hash, onion rolls…”

Sephiroth had never heard of any of those things, and only nodded absently. Then, he reached into a bag to pull out a huge, cold lump, and was truly shocked when he realized what it was. “Cloud… is this a duck?”

Cloud’s face fell. “Oh no. You don’t like duck?…”

Sephiroth shrugged one shoulder and examined the shrink wrapped thing. There was still a beak. “I’m not sure, I’ve never had it… you’re not makin’ haggis, are you?”

“Nooo! Of course not!” Cloud laughed, relieved. “I promise you’ll love everything!”

Sephiroth kissed his cheek in passing. “I promise I’ll lie and tell you I do.”

That earned him a kick in the shin, and to Sephiroth’s SOLDIER senses it felt more like a flirty caress.

“Oh! I am making something I’m sure you like!” Cloud shook a box of macaroni and cheese. Sephiroth was already planning on loading his plate with it. Oops! No room for kidney casserole! Then, Cloud held up a bundle of radishes. “Nibelheim style!”

Sephiroth turned around and began rooting through the bags for any actual sustenance, but found inedible Christmas tree bulbs instead.

“Where’s the tree?” Sephiroth asked, searched through some of the larger bags expectantly.

“It should be here soon,” Cloud chirped. “…It’s not like I could carry it!”

“…How big is it? Like, this?” Sephiroth illustrated a gesture that was approximately as tall as Cloud’s combat boots.

“A lil bigger…” Cloud evaded, and before Sephiroth could say anything else, Cloud approached him from the side and began to search through the bags with excitement. “Check out this ornament!”

He showed Sephiroth the one that was commemorating the occasion of their first Christmas. Sephiroth took it from him. “Is that supposed to be us?”

“Yup!”

“We’re cartoon dogs in front of a fire?”

Cloud nodded, pressed his cheek into Sephiroth’s arm. “Yeah!”

“Are you the one with the pink bow?”

“No. The boy dog is a golden retriever, looks like me,” Cloud explained, pointing at the ornament. “She’s a Dalmatian. Looks like you.”

Sephiroth kissed him.

“You’re a dumb fuckin’ blonde,” was all Sephiroth had to say when their lips came apart, and then turned to scoop up the bags that didn’t belong in the kitchen and hauled them out to the living room. “Where do you want all this shit?”

Cloud was glowing. “I don’t care. Maybe in front of the window?”

Sephiroth had no complaint and deposited everything there. He’d been expecting it, but it was still a slight shock to him how utterly domestic Cloud was being. Buying groceries, planning meals, blowing through his money. It was terribly, disgustingly cute, and oddly sexy. It made him wonder if it was an act, or if this was the sort of thing he would someday be living with, provided they still made each other burn in three years’ time.

As he leaned into the kitchen and watched Cloud begin preparing whatever the fuck it was they were going to eat, he decided he could definitely get used to it. When Cloud noticed himself being watched, he turned and smiled.

Sephiroth helped when he could, but mostly stayed out of Cloud’s way. He had two notebook pages full of cooking notes, and seemed to be extremely focused on his task. Unfortunately for Cloud, the more busy he appeared, the more Sephiroth desired him.

Cloud began to whine and bat him away, clearly not in the state of mind to be pawed at. Denied, Sephiroth made his way to the living room and found a movie marathon that seemed divinely designed for him, Horror on the Holy Day, 24 hours of the most grotesque films allowed on network television.

After an amount of time, there was a knock. Cloud bounded to the front door, opened it just a crack, and slipped out. Sephiroth was tempted to get up and peer through his own fucking peephole, but instead turned up his hearing, closing his eyes to add more power to the sense. Cloud was thanking a delivery man as he signed a paper, in his wavy writing. The man wished Cloud a Merry Christmas and split.

Cloud opened the door again and dragged in a tied and bound behemoth of nature. With Sephiroth’s help, they set the tree it up in the stand, and very carefully cut the rope away. The tree sprang out and filled a great portion of the room.

“Holy shit,” was all Sephiroth could say.

“It looks bigger indoors…” Cloud admitted. “Do you like it?”

Sephiroth wasn’t quite sure why it needed to be in his apartment, but generally approved of its existence. “Sure, it’s great…”

Cloud made a tiny noise of excitement, “Okay, so we need to put lights on…”

Sephiroth did whatever he was told, and that was to reach things, and to open things. They twined lights around the tree’s massive girth, and began hanging bulbs.

Cloud became both curious and bold. “Did, um…” He had never said this name aloud. “Did Vincent ever give you gifts for Christmas?”

“Yeah, he did. Then he stopped.”

“When you became a SOLDIER?” Cloud guessed.

“Now one thing I do know about all this bullshit, is that a star goes on the top… think you’ll be able to reach it?” Sephiroth grinned.

Cloud sensed the subject was officially closed, so he smiled silently while he located the silver star. Although it wasn’t entirely necessary, Sephiroth wrapped an arm around Cloud’s thighs and lifted him up.

When Cloud put the star in place, he wrapped his arms around Sephiroth’s neck and growled. “I could have reached, ya know…”

Sephiroth kissed the growl away and dropped him onto his feet. “When I was little and watched Christmas specials, I thought it was the dumbest shit I’d ever seen. I didn’t get why you needed a tree at all. Then I saw Rudolph, the clay cartoon deer one?”

Cloud grinned. “I’m familiar with it.”

Sephiroth nodded, not entirely picking up on the cultural sarcasm. “Well in that one, they had Christmas trees outside. And, that made me think for a long time you needed one to protect the presents from the snow.”

“Aww!” Cloud cooed.

Sephiroth was greatly impressed with Cloud’s decision to put real candy canes on the tree as decorations, and was even more impressed that it would be acceptable for him to snatch one off to eat whenever the urge presented itself.

The tree was soon complete, and as the finishing touch, Cloud plugged the lights in.

The boys took a moment to admire their work.

Sephiroth spoke first. “So, we put presents under it now?”

Cloud gasped and shook his head. “We can’t just put them there. You have to do it when I’m not watching, and I have to do it when you’re not watching. You’re not allowed to let me see you do it, okay?”

This was something Cloud had pulled out of his ass. But as Sephiroth nodded seriously, he thought that it was probably one of many impromptu traditions that he could just make up on the spot. Like perhaps a blowjob in between each gift that they opened on Christmas morning.

The tree was lovely, but Sephiroth’s living room was a disaster. Cloud began to collect boxes to store ornaments in until next year, and Sephiroth grabbed at stray plastic wrappers that were strewn about.

“Did you do anything for other holidays when you were little?” Cloud wondered.

Sephiroth thought about it. “I went trick or treatin’ a few times. That was a holiday I could get into.”

Cloud smiled. “What did you dress up as?”

Sephiroth thought about it, then confessed. “I was a mad scientist a few times. I was a ghost. I was a cop. And I was a pumpkin once when I was really fuckin’ little.”

“Pumpkin...?”

Sephiroth picked up on the vibe immediately. “Don’t start.”

“…There’s a wrapper stuck to your sock, pumpkin!”

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

Sephiroth woke up to a heavenly aroma. He stretched out on the couch and looked at the clock, although the darkness in the room told him that it had to have been well past six.

He followed his stomach to the kitchen, and on his stove, all six burners had a different pot full of a different item bubbling away inside of it. With the aid of the oven light, he could see the duck sitting inside, covered in what appeared to be and smelled like apples.

It was like Sephiroth had never seen food before. He was prepared to eat everything, ready or not.

Cloud could sense this. He stopped kneading the onion rolls, opened a cabinet and threw a bag of marshmallows to Sephiroth, who tore into it like a hungry, prehistoric carnivore.

Far too soon, there was a knock on the front door. Sephiroth made no move to answer it, because he didn’t want either Aerith nor Zack over to begin with.

Cloud delivered a stank ass, sour look to him, and opened the door himself. It was Aerith.

“Hi!” he said to her. “Nice to see you again!”

She obviously wasn’t expecting a hug, but seemed happy enough to return it. “You too, Cloud.”

“I’m just finishing up, you can go sit in the living room…” They both turned to see Sephiroth taking up an absurd amount of the room’s breathing air. “… Or, you can help me if you want?”

“Put me to work,” Aerith smiled. “I feel bad you’ve done all this for us.”

“No, it was fun! I don’t know how it’ll taste, but…” The pleasantries flowed like bullshit tends to do, and when a second knock soon came at the door, Cloud turned to her seriously. “It’s Zack. You should answer it.”

Aerith paused while stirring the hash. “…Why me?”

“Because he’s here to see you, you know that. Answer the door for him.”

While they whispered back and forth about it, Zack let himself in as he was accustomed to. He spotted Sephiroth immediately, but could smell someone that was sorely missed. He meandered into the kitchen.

“Hi,” Zack said to nobody but her.

Aerith gave a little nod of her head. “Hi.”

“You never called,” Zack blurted.

“You never called, either.”

“Why should I have been the one to call? You dumped me, remember?”

“Maybe if you hadn’t been so drunk, you’d remember that I told you to call me when you’d gotten yourself straightened out.”

“For your information, I was perfectly sober when we had that conversation. I really think you just make up things to suit yourself, but that’s just my humble, drunk ass opinion.”

Aerith bit her bottle lip and looked like a very dainty tea kettle that was about to boil over.

Sephiroth had the pot of Nibelheim-style macaroni and cheese, and was hastily spooning it into his mouth as he watched the drama. Cloud tore it away from him and offered an onion roll, instead. Sephiroth stuffed the entire thing in his mouth in three bites and chewed contentedly.

Aerith’s main complaint seemed to be that Zack was unthoughtful, selfish, reckless, and unnuturing.

“Chick complaints,” Sephiroth drawled through the bread in his mouth.

Zack seemed to feel that Aerith was prudish, controlling, hypocritical, and he was frankly sick to death of her holier than thou attitude.

“Smoking is a harder habit to kick than most people think,” Cloud defended.

“Why are we even talking about this?” Aerith demanded. “We’ve been apart for three weeks! I don’t even know why I came here!”

She started towards the door, and Cloud ran to stop her. “Zack is such a wonderful guy, please just –”

The dainty, pretty tea kettle finally, finally burst. “Don’t tell me about Zack! I’ve been with the man for two years! He’s a big, fat, baby! He eats, he sleeps, and he doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself!”

“Yes he does!” Sephiroth roared, startling everyone in the room, if not the building. “He’s got the biggest fuckin’ heart out of anyone I’ve ever met, you fuckin’ miserable sloppy twatted bitch – !”

“Oh, shut up Sephiroth!” Aerith screeched back at him. “You and your crazy, addled, military, Shin-Ra poisoned –!”

“Crazy!? You don’t even know half of how fuckin’ crazy I am! I’ll throw your skinny, useless ass off the roof of this –!”

Zack piped up, “Okay guys, enough, nobody’s going to kill anybody!”

Aerith wasn’t interested in peace. “Maybe someone is going to get hurt if the General decides to have a war flashback –!”

“If I wanted you dead you’d already be dead –!”

“I’d love to see you try –!”

Sephiroth was slowly but surely approaching, and Cloud touched Aerith’s shoulders, extremely worried that there was about to be a crime scene. “Aerith, please…”

“Get your hands off of me!” she admonished. “I don’t know who you think you are, anyways! Just because you’re sleeping with that man, doesn’t mean you – ”

Sephiroth let off a visible wave of heat, and suddenly this quarrel seemed to carry some actual weight. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

Zack actually wrapped both arms around Sephiroth in an effort to keep him from moving anywhere near the girl, who didn’t look afraid in the slightest. “I really think we should all take a minute to just chill out. I mean it Seph, chill. And Aerith, shut your mouth!”

Aerith looked as though she had something smart to say back to that, but she paused, and then flushed hot pink. “Zack…Sephiroth, Cloud… I’m sorry. I start my period next week.”

And if that wasn’t a female’s trump card, nothing was. The charge in the atmosphere was immediately canceled out and all three men said the exact same thing. “Oohhh.”

Zack put himself between his friend and his ex. “…Let us talk for a minute, alone?”

“Sure,” Sephiroth rumbled, and turned into the kitchen.

There was a heavily loaded silence, while Sephiroth grazed and Cloud busied himself with taking his bird out of the oven. Sephiroth was taste testing, and already loading his plate with everything. Complete success! Cloud was incredibly relieved, and poked his head out into the foyer to offer the guests some food before Sephiroth inhaled it all.

He stopped cold in the doorway, because a blatant heterosexual act was happening. A shudder of shock went through Cloud’s diaphragm, and it released a gasp just loud enough to be audible. Zack and Aerith’s lips came apart and she had the graciousness to look embarrassed.

Zack however, wasn’t in the frame of mind to remove his hands from hip, nor her collarbone. “Can we get a plate to go, Cloud?”

Cloud then came to life. “Sure. Sure!”

He quickly made two plates of food, plus a plate of pie and rolls, and covered all three in tin foil. Aerith accepted them with a kiss to Cloud’s cheek. “Thank you sweetie, it looks delicious. I’m so sorry I yelled at you.”

“No! I understand the period thing,” Cloud smiled and waved his hand, unable to stifle a deep blush.

Aerith even went to Sephiroth and pulled him down for a kiss as well. “Sorry.”

“S’okay. I like you more, now,” Sephiroth admitted.

Zack was unable to speak in English, so opted to grin and make goofy, happy noises as the two of them blew out the door to do whatever it was straight people did. Light candles? Take birth control? Find the clitoris? Whatever.

“Just us!” Cloud shrugged as he closed the door behind them.

“Thank God!” Sephiroth bellowed. “Why the fuck did you invite them, anyways?”

“Because I knew one way or another, they wouldn’t be staying long,” Cloud smiled. “You are so sexy when you’re angry!”

“I wasn’t angry, I was hungry. Their drama was standing in the way of dinner,” He was still piling an alarming amount of food onto his plate. Cloud decided that there wouldn’t be that much leftover, afterall.

The duck, the hash, the rolls, and the macaroni were all great successes. The kidney casserole was a bit runny, but still tasted good. The yams were burnt on the bottom, though. Sephiroth had had no idea that the caramel potato pies were a desert item, and took the one that already had a couple slices taken out of it to the couch, where he then consumed the rest with a spoon.

Cloud ate in an enjoyable silence, although his thoughts were turning slightly dark. I fuckin’ love this. I fuckin’ love that. Why was Sephiroth so readily able to claim everlasting love and devotion to a stupid pie… but not to him? There was not some glitch in his vocabulary. He could say it. He said he felt that way. So why did he choose not to?

Because he’s not a liar. Cloud’s darker self suggested. He won’t say he loves you because he doesn’t. He just wants to fuck you. And it’s gonna get old, eventually.

“So good. Thank you,” Sephiroth smiled, pressing a kiss to Cloud’s cheek, perfectly oblivious to his coating of inner angst. He collected their dishes and made his way to the kitchen, where he voluntarily assumed the task of cleaning. Cloud considered just letting him handle it all, and Sephiroth probably would have been happy to… but he got up and helped out, if only to drown out his doubts.

Once the kitchen was clean and the tree had officially become a fragrant, blinking part of the room, and after they’d watched a number of cheesy Christmas Eve specials, Cloud got up to use the bathroom.

When he came back out, there were a dozen or so perfectly wrapped presents under the tree, placed almost… artistically. Visible even from a distance was Sephiroth’s chicken scratch hand writing on the tags.

Cloud stared at them for a moment, and then looked at Sephiroth, who was in the exact same place he had been in when Cloud had left, except for the curved end of a candy cane sticking out of his mouth. It was then that he suddenly remembered his made up rule, and was almost grief stricken with both adoration for the man that he loved, and regret for letting himself fall into yet another trap of self doubt.

Sephiroth sucked loudly on his candy cane, then looked up at Cloud. “What?”

What Cloud then did to Sephiroth might have been classified as an oral attack.

Small, warm lips that were far too busy to talk placed rough kisses across Sephiroth’s mouth and right on down his abdomen.

And if it had been suggested to Sephiroth one year ago, that next Christmas Eve would find him sprawled on his own couch, his shirt shoved up to his chin, his pants around his ankles, and a young man’s spiky, blonde head in his lap – he might have killed the suggestor on the spot.

But it was so. And that particular young man had appeared from thin air and had managed to embody everything Sephiroth never knew he wanted.

That’s the perfect kind of gift to receive. Exactly what you want, and nobody at all to thank.

Sephiroth refused to think this in plain English, because it was just far too fucking cheesy for him. People weren’t gifts! People in general were worth more than that, and Cloud was worth much, much more than that. The feelings Sephiroth had for him weren’t to be belittled into ridiculous, meaningless clichés; fate, soul mates, or even love for that matter.

And to be so arrogant as to think of Cloud as a gift? For him? That simply was old, creepy pervert talk… however…

Sephiroth couldn’t help but think that think a blue bow would look amazing nestled in those bouncing spikes.

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

The man liked to sleep in on days when he could. Sleep, eat, sleep, eat. Watch T.V. Then eat. Then sleep some more. Cloud had promised plenty of eating on this holiday, and Sephiroth had wrongly assumed that sleep went hand in hand with that.

He was already pulled into the living room before he had even fully opened his eyes. It was the ass crack of dawn, and Cloud was bouncing on the floor and already sliding presents his way.

“Open that!” Cloud bellowed.

Sephiroth did, with very little preamble. It was a leather strap. That woke him right the fuck up, before he realized it was only a tie. Still cool, though.

“Thanks baby,” he mumbled, wiping his eyes.

Cloud then shyly stretched his neck out towards his own gifts. “Which one should I open first?”

“Definitely that one,” Sephiroth pointed, before letting out a ferocious yawn.

“Aww,” Cloud cooed when he picked it up. Instead of writing Cloud’s name on the gift tags, he’d simply drawn a squiggly little picture of a cloud.

Cloud took a moment to appreciate the wrap job that was obviously done by hand and not a gift wrapping service; slightly crooked tape, a thick white ribbon and colorful, almost goofy penguin print wrapping paper.

Cloud slowly pulled the tab of the ribbon with two fingers, and it was strangely erotic, almost as if he was tugging down Sephiroth’s zipper. He peeked up at Sephiroth who was watching with a sexy, sleepy smile and a slight case of bed head, and Cloud’s morning erection made its presence known with a hard twitch. He shook his head a little and refocused on the lovely gift.

He measured its weight with his hand first. Deceptively light.

It could have been fucking anything.

After slowly unraveling the ribbon and the heart warming penguin patterned paper, a plain white box was revealed. Cloud tried to slid off the top, but was thwarted by strip of clear tape blocking an easy entry. So, he used his blunt nails to scrape at the stupid tape, every scratch harder than the last, his heart getting into the action by pounding out a little bit of impatience.

“Is every present gonna be like this?” Sephiroth complained, slightly bored and immune to the tension surrounding Cloud like an electric storm.

“Shh!” Cloud hissed, and when the tape was cleared away and the top was thrown aside, he relished in the parting of the bright blue tissue paper inside.

It was a cell phone. It looked exactly like Sephiroth’s, although it was white instead of the masculine steel and black that his was.

Cloud flipped it open. Pink buttons!

“I fucking love you…” he uttered, holding it to his chest for a moment and fighting a sudden and furious onslaught of tears.

“Don’t worry about service, I put you on my plan,” Sephiroth grinned, and crossed his ankles on the floor. “But if you download a bunch of bullshit and run up my bill, I’m gonna come lookin’ for ya.”

“I won’t!” Cloud swore, and looked back into the box. He found the charger, and a little instruction booklet. Not only had Sephiroth chosen a wonderful gift, he had masked it in a plain box to wring every second of gift-opening anticipation from Cloud. “...I so fucking love you!”

“Mm…” Sephiroth nodded. “I just thought it’d be good for you to have. You won’t have to fight for the stupid dorm phone… and if there’s ever an emergency, you can get a hold of me, I can get a hold of you. Ya know.”

Cloud nodded absently, consumed with his new gadget.

Sephiroth’s eyes widened considerably. “Oh, hey! Don’t turn it on yet…!”

Cloud wasn’t ignorant to technology, and had already pressed the power button. It was already fully charged, and Cloud smiled as Sephiroth’s warning then made sense as it booted up, and a special message that he must have programmed himself scrolled across the screen : ‘Merry Christmas, Baby!!!!!’

Cloud didn’t have time to properly adore the little message, because he hadn’t yet noticed that there was a camera involved with this phone. What he did notice was the picture for the screentop as the phone finished booting up.

Cloud’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.

Sephiroth, in his bathroom mirror, wearing a wide, horny grin that was barely suppressing laughter. And... that was all he was wearing.

Cloud screamed with a throaty shrill of embarrassment and lust, his eyes hardly able to tear away from Sephiroth’s washboard abs and that swollen, rock hard hunk of meat jutting from his hips.

When Cloud could finally look away, the real Sephiroth turned his nose up. “You were s’posed to see it later. When I’m not sittin’ right fuckin’ here.”

Cloud carefully cast his new, priceless possession aside and crawled over to him. Cloud said nothing, but communicated much with his smile, and pressed it all over his lover’s faintly blushing face.

Sephiroth very much liked his racy leather ensemble with the blue undershirt. He liked the Superman undies even more, and stripped himself of his sleep pants and put them on immediately.

He opened a present from Zack, which turned out to be a gag gift card for a tanning salon. Sephiroth offered it to Cloud, who noticed that the salon also advertised facials. Sephiroth decided to keep it, afterall. He had a gift from both Angeal and Genesis, which Cloud watched him open with wary, jealous eyes, and was relieved when it was only a fruit juicer.

Sephiroth regarded it with a warm, secretive chuckle. Cloud had tilted his head in wonder.

“Scurvy,” Sephiroth explained. “We all almost got it. A few times, actually.”

“What are you, pirates?” Cloud laughed.

Sephiroth actually considered that. “Sort of.”

Rhonda and Julie had given Sephiroth a gift card for an interior design supply warehouse.

“Ohh!” Cloud commented merrily. “I can’t wait to see you in your fag element!”

He received a smack on top of his head with said gift card.

Then there was a gift for the two of them from a one Mr. Rufus Shin-Ra. Cloud bounced in excitement next to Sephiroth, as it was surely something fabulous and exclusive and amazing! He let Cloud open it, and of all things, it was a pair of tickets for the Midgar Opera.

“…Is there a receipt?” Cloud wondered before he could stop himself.

“We’ll regift it,” Sephiroth decided.

“Zack and Aerith?” Cloud suggested.

Sephiroth thought back to the stupid tanning salon gift card. “Definitely…”

As for Cloud, Sephiroth had given him exactly what he wanted: clothes. Of course he wanted clothes! He was ever so grateful that his lover could read between the lines of his bullshit warning. It wasn’t exactly a test, Cloud just wanted to see what else his lover could have come up with besides the obvious. But when the obvious was expensive, designer, and trashy, who could complain?

Sephiroth had given Cloud a pair of gray, amazing destroyed jeans in just the right size of ‘pornographically small’. He’d also given him a package of knee high socks in various colors, a few cute t-shirts, and the very last package contained a black scarf that was about seven feet long.

When Cloud unraveled it, he realized that when unfolded, a perfect, life-size photo of Masamune was printed on both sides of the warm, soft material. Cloud wrapped it around his neck four times and was still surrounded by several feet.

Cloud’s gift from Cam was a personal planning book. Cloud laughed a little, because Cam often had to remind him of papers and homework assignments, even though they didn’t even share any classes. He opened up the planner to check it out, and out fell a train rail pass good for unlimited trips for the next three months. Cloud cried a little at the thoughtfulness, then cried a little more when he realized how much use he would be able to get out of it since Sephiroth would be gone. Cam was the best friend anyone could ask for.

His mother had sent an envelope, which contained a subscription for Fuck this Corporate Bullshit magazine, a letter full of love, and a smaller card within for Sephiroth.

Sephiroth opened it warily, probably assuming the thing would explode in his hands or infect him with anthrax, but was delighted to find a friendly letter telling him that every day he didn’t break Cloud’s heart found him further and further from being eaten alive. But also, a photograph of Cloud as a toddler, smiling the same exact smile that Sephiroth had grown to adore. When he turned it over, he read in delicate, feminine handwriting, Cloud, 3rd birthday.

There was an expected swell of hormonal embarrassment from Cloud, but it was short lived. Sephiroth kissed him into submission, and closed the picture into his card territorially.

The gift portion was then complete, and it was followed by a wave of contented drowsiness. Cloud smiled sleepily and laid his head down on Sephiroth’s lap, bundled in his scarf.

“Here. One more.” Sephiroth then reached underneath a pile of strewn wrapping paper and produced a very small, plain blue wrapped box. Cloud took it, and Sephiroth stood up with a stretch and scratched his chest. “You want some coffee?”

“Sounds good,” Cloud nodded, and proceeded to open it as Sephiroth disappeared into the kitchen.

He could hear the rumble of the coffee maker while he read a note that Sephiroth had scrawled on the small, white box.

Yours if you want them. If not, just leave them. I won’t be upset.

Cloud curiously opened the lid and found a set of dog tags.

For several moments that eventually ellipsed into minutes, the only sound in the apartment was the bubbling of the coffee maker.

Cloud finally touched them. Cold, metal, ordinary. He picked one up to read it, and the slight jingle of the chain momentarily added to the coffee pot’s thick noise.

5141412. Sergeant Sephiroth. Second Class SOLDIER. AB Negative. No religious affiliation.

The other tag was stamped with the Shin-Ra Army logo as it had been five years ago. They’d sharpened it up a little since then, it was now thinner and more streamlined. Then, it was simple, bold, and fitting for the army when the war in Wutai was new.

These were old tags, with an old title, with the old logo. Sephiroth was a Sergeant on his first tour of duty, when he was 17 years old. He had been wearing them when the MSO girl stole his first kiss. He had been wearing them when he ran through the jungle as fast as he could, and subsequently took out a medical tent and coined the greatest battle cry in Shin-Ra history.

These were better than his newer ones, which certainly would have said General Sephiroth and were probably shiny and pristine with the newer, sleeker logo. If he even had new ones. If he did, it was just a formality, there wasn’t a soul in this army or any other who didn’t know who Sephiroth was.

Cloud didn’t have a set of his own tags, yet. But he knew there was a massive significance in the giving away of one’s own. They might mean, ‘Wait for me’. Or perhaps if the owner had departed, ‘I’m always with you’.

What did these particular tags mean?

Cloud knew, and he didn’t want to think, or move, or speak, or cry, or even breathe. He only wanted to hold onto what he was feeling.

No matter how they fought with each other, or disagreed, or cheated on each other, or abused each other, or any other horrors the future between them might hold, Cloud wanted to always remember this very moment… and how it felt to finally know for sure, with not a single dark doubt in his mind, that he was loved.

Cloud was wearing the tags when he went into the kitchen to find Sephiroth.

He was found leaning against the stove in his Superman boxer briefs, gazing at the coffee maker. His eyes turned to Cloud, but other than that, he did not move.

Cloud made a fist around the tags, opened his mouth, but words wouldn’t come.

Sephiroth didn’t know what to say either, so he went for the mundane. “They look good on you. Really good.”

“…Glad you think so,” Cloud finally said, his voice surprisingly calm. “Because I’m never taking them off.”

Sephiroth pushed himself off the stove and crossed the room to him. Cloud sank to the floor and dragged Sephiroth down with him.

Chapter Image!! - http://owmyhearteries.deviantart.com/art/Blonde-Ambition-Ch18-107255699

A/N

1- I couldn’t squeeze New Years into this chapter. Next time, next time.

2- I don’t believe in that blood type/personality trait nonsense, it’s whack. That’s not why I chose what type I chose for Sephiroth. AB negative is the rarest type, the universal donor, and I’m sure if Hojo could control it, he’d want Sephiroth to have that. Thiiiiink about it. EDIT : I don't care to hear anything else about blood, it wasn't a big pivotal plot point, just a thought, that happened to be wrong. Thanks for the blood info, though, I guess.
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Blonde Ambition