Blonde Ambition

Sephiroth would have been so laid. So, so thoroughly laid.

But sadly, even though the guy had won the genetic lottery, Zack never once witnessed his best friend use it to his advantage. Nope. Never. Not even to charm some extra cheese onto his Subway sandwich. If only Sephiroth would have figured out a way to tap into that power of his – God help the female population! The two of them would have been unstoppable.

It was an epic waste. Sure, the man had a few dates here and there … But Zack could tell he wasn't really trying.

"He hasn't met the right girl," Aerith had decided. Then her face lit up. It was a look that Zack loved, and was also extremely worried by.

So, Sephiroth didn't try. Zack on the other hand, had to try damn hard to keep what he had. Sex was one thing, but he had a big mouth, wasn't too bright, and had a dangerous job. Not many women were willing to put up with that in the long term. Not the way his doll baby did. He was both grateful and grim about this fact while he played nice at an arranged brunch, Aerith and her best friend gossiping in excitement.

"What's he really like?" Kristen had wanted to know.

Both women had looked to Zack, whose mouth was full of food. He quickly swallowed, "Why you lookin' at me? You know him, Aerith."

"You can explain better," She reasoned.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to say here, and decided to follow the Golden Rule. What would he want advertised if Sephiroth was trying to convince a babe to date him?

The look that flickered across his face gave him away five microseconds before he declared, "He has a huuuge –!"
"ZACK."

Intercepted! So, instead he went with, "He smells like cookies."

"Awww!" Went Kristen. Aerith made a motion for him to keep going.

Zack thought about his best friend, and how much he wanted him to get fucked.

Now, when Zack pictured Sephiroth ’fucking’, what he really meant was ’tenderly making love’ which would mean that Sephiroth would indeed be in ’love’ and therefore he would be ’happy’. So the messy haired SOLDIER dug deep into the pockets of his memories for information a woman would want to know.

"He ... He's very polite and respectful. He treats everyone equally, no matter who they are, and he really listens when you talk to him."

Both women's mouths parted softly.

Zack was encouraged, "I have a picture on me! Wanna see?"

He pulled out his cell phone and found the one photo of Sephiroth on it. Zack recalled to the girls how they had spent several hours taking down a screaming motherfucking shitbeast. Afterwards, on the way back to the truck, Zack had pulled out his camera phone and threatened to take the picture, as a joke on how atrocious they both looked. To his surprise, Sephiroth had stopped walking and genuinely beamed, so the picture was taken.

On the small screen, Sephiroth was coatless and absolutely filthy head to toe. His muddy hair was tucked up halfway under a black cadet cap, battle paint that Zack brought for fun was smeared under both green eyes, and a vibrant splash of blood that didn't belong to him covered half of his face and clumped into his exposed hair. And with that huge cheesy grin and those perfect white teeth, Sephiroth looked to be straight out of an Orbitz commercial.

Zack didn't have any tendencies … But he could recognize.

And so could the girls! They all but grabbed the phone away and made high pitched noises of adoration. They also whispered intense, greatly amused words to each other that Zack supposed was a ladylike version of perverted musings on the General's body. What did they need to whisper for? He already tried to tell them Seph was packing.

"Here's the deal," Aerith said, more to Kristen. "Zack and Sephiroth are best friends. And you and I are … "

"Best friends!" Kristen squealed.

"So you marry Sephiroth, and I'll marry Zack, and we can live next door to each other!"

Kristen clapped her hands, "And I'll have a son and you have a daughter and they'll be best friends and then get married and then we'll all be a family!"

Both women looked to Zack again.

"Ha …" He said weakly.

Kristen leaned forward, "How many people has he murdered?"

That one caught him off guard. It wasn't something a SOLDIER talked about. Ever. He momentarily bristled at the taboo, then shrugged it off.

"… I wouldn't know, sugar!"

"Guess. Tens? Hundreds? Thousands?"

Zack had taken a big drink of his lemonade. He had to work damn hard to keep what he had, indeed. He had to sell his best friend's soul to the devil.

Sephiroth didn't seem to mind the devil that much. On their first date, a double with him and Aerith, he barely batted an eye. He wasn't dressed spectacularly, just his usual leather pants and a black t-shirt. He hadn't showered after work. Zack wasn't even sure if he had been wearing cologne or not. Sephiroth as usual, just didn't seem to try.

But for whatever reason, Kristen was fawning all over him at dinner, and getting quite familiar as they left together.

And unbelievably, the man had the energy to be found running on the track the next morning. Zack jogged up next to him.

"Soooo!"

"Soooo?" Sephiroth had echoed.

"Sooooo!" Zack said a bit louder.

"Sooooo?" Sephiroth droned dumbly.

"Get lucky last night?"

Sephiroth held out his arm and stopped cold, reverse clothes lining Zack onto his ass in the morning snow, then continued on alone. So much for polite and respectful!

"It's a valid question!" Zack cried, catching up to him and shaking snow out of his hair.

"Why are you so goddamn nosy?"

"Because that's what a best friend is supposed to be, jerk off!"

For the next few moments, the only sounds were Sephiroth's panting and their feet pounding against the ground.
"I didn't."

A simple and modest statement to make, but his green eyes blinked two times, too many. A very small detail indeed, but one that told Zack the whole story before Sephiroth even knew it himself.

It wasn't that Sephiroth did not get lucky. He did not want to.

It was no surprise that roughly four months later, Sephiroth said this: "I'm gay."

And then, roughly four more months later, Zack said this: "Cloud's gonna be here soon."

Sephiroth walked slowly into the living room, in costume and cheeks still rosy from the shower heat, "Huh?"

"I told him to be here at eight."

Sephiroth's eyes were as wide as Zack had ever seen them, " … You said the plan was to pick him up."

"Yeah, it was. But then I started thinking about Aerith and you know how she feels about your driving … And your place is so close to the train station. It's more convenient to meet here and take the train, than driving aaall the way down plate, then aaall the way back up, and then aaall the way to the school, and then aaall the way to the spot, right? Right?"

Sephiroth didn't reply, because he was busy gathering up the assortment of cups Zack had been drinking out of.

Zack went on, "And then I was thinking that everyone might be a bit soused tonight, I really don't want to have to deal with people trying to bum a ride home with us, ya know?"

Sephiroth still didn't say anything, because he was fumbling with his vacuum cleaner and sucking up Zack's cheese poof remnants off the floor, off the chair, off of his lap, and off of his fingers. When he switched it off he growled, "You know, I really do think you pull this shit on purpose."

"What?"

"You just love to … " He trailed off as he dropped to his hands and knees to peek under the black lounger Zack was on, and pulled out a plate that had been bumped beneath it. Ketchup and pickle residue. He had found and consumed the only solid foods in the residence.

Sephiroth looked at the filthy thing and then burst, "Why don't you ever tell people the entire plan? Why do you like to spring shit on people at the last second?" He pushed off the floor and took the plate, along with the rest of dishes into the kitchen.

"Well I … "

"You forgot!" Sephiroth shouted over the running water.

"Aaalright, I did! But thank goodness Uncle Jesse was going to paint over the pink bunnies in Stephanie's old bedroom, they kinda reminded me of Cloud!"

"What the hell are you talkin’ about?" Sephiroth asked with no desire to hear the answer. He came out of the kitchen and scanned the place, before his eyebrows bunched together in displeasure. He moved forward to stand on the couch cushions, and started pulling the pins out of the huge scary movie poster on his wall.

"What are you doing? Stop that."

"Shit," Sephiroth responded under his breath, more to himself, pushing the pins recklessly back in. "I don't even got anythin’ to drink … " He stalked back into the kitchen.

"You only have shit to drink," Zack pointed out, following along behind him.

"But I drank straight from all of those containers."

"Ha! That makes two of us," Zack admitted.

"All I have is a Yoo-hoo and an old ass Cherry Coke … " He grumbled into the refrigerator.

"Who doesn't love that combo?"

"I have to go to the store."

Zack was actually quite stunned. Showering for over an hour? Cleaning up house? Rushing out for fucking refreshments?

Sephiroth was trying. For Cloud. Really? When he thought about the guy, he mentally saw a strawberry haired little girl in a ponytail. He didn't pretend to know what that meant.

But he took an honest to God look at Cloud Strife, the man. He was what Zack categorized as ’extra terrestrially’ handsome, as if he had just dropped on in from another planet, and Earthlings couldn't quite understand his good looks at first glance. He was weird that way. Loud, and very, very loveable. Bingo!

Gas masks were used by SOLDIERs all the time. Zack was used to wearing them, and interacting with people who were wearing them. He could tell that Sephiroth didn't take his eyes off Cloud from the moment he walked through the door. And of course, Cloud's eyes were glued to him as well.

So, Sephiroth might have ruined Aerith's suburban, white picket fence family fantasy, but these two would make much more interesting neighbors in Zack's opinion. And while they were busy sizing each other up for the kill, he got to infiltrate the General's closet undetected and undisturbed.

Zack presently slung his arm around Aerith's shoulders, who leaned into him.

"Who's that guy Cloud supposed to be?"

Zack smiled, "Sephiroth's date."


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


Zack and Aerith were tiny versions of themselves on the sidewalk ahead, hand in hand and basking in the glow of each other's company. It didn't surprise Cloud that a man like Zack had a girlfriend, especially one as pretty as she was.

However! If some twat came out of the woodwork to try and claim the man beside him tonight … There would be a showdown. It would be a catfight, a dance off, a duel to the death!

He looked up at Sephiroth. The mixture of twilight and prematurely lit street lamps cast unusual shadows on his beloved. His hair was caught up in whatever light was nearest, alternating pink from the sunset, then glowing silver from the street lamps. The way he walked made Cloud almost dizzy. Sephiroth had missed his calling as a male model with that fucking strut.

"We're taking the train?" Cloud wondered out loud after the couple ahead turned into the station. It wasn't the greatest thing to say, but anything to break the silence was worth giving a go.

There was a sigh, "I suppose. But you know, Zack made a good point, we really don't want to be stuck driving home a crowd of hammered morons. Again."

Cloud giggled at the thought of him corralling, car pooling and dropping off an uncontrollable group of drunk, rowdy SOLDIERs, "Aww! You're like … The designated driver!"

"Never designated, it just happens. I don't drink."

"You don't?" Cloud gawked.

Sephiroth shook his head.

Well now he felt quite sheepish about his medical advice, but bounced ahead a few steps to walk backwards, "Well, good thing we're both abstaining then!"

Sephiroth grinned as Cloud stumbled and skipped around to regain his footing, "I was teasin’. You can drink if you want."

Cloud flushed at the appetizing notion of being teased by this man, "No sir! It'll be you and me and the hammered morons. It might be pretty entertaining!"

A genuine laugh, "Oh, it will be."

Cloud made a happy sound before smiling and they swung into the train station, where Zack and Aerith were having a heated conversation inside each other's mouths. Sephiroth stopped near them, not seeming to care either way, or just perhaps used to seeing it. But Cloud openly stared at the spectacle.

He had never before seen two people kiss so close up before, and watched it like he used to watch professional soccer as a child, hoping against hope that some of their technique would rub off on him. Whatever it was they were doing, it looked great. But how did they both know what to do? Were they breathing? Did they really have to swallow each other's spit? Cam's relayed experiences weren't very educational, "Wet. Good." No shit.

Their train arrived, and the four boarded. Zack and Aerith took a seat together near the back of the mostly empty car.

Cloud had a mini panic attack once again from being put into an awkward situation. Was he supposed to sit next to his beloved, or what? He decided to let Sephiroth make that choice, and slid lightning fast into one of the seats to the window, and busied himself looking out of it.

He felt the seat shift from Sephiroth's weight.

Is this a date? Cloud wondered incredulously to himself over and over in his mind while trying his best to look laid back and appealing. But oh … Even if it wasn't a date … He was sitting beside him, right? That fact alone should have been fuel enough for a lifetime of happiness.

When the train began to move jerkily, as if telling Cloud that it was safe now, he finally looked to Sephiroth. His eyes started at his big knees, then up his long thighs, to his hands laced casually between them, up to delicate tresses of pale hair framing a gas mask. Sephiroth's head was turned to stare out of the window of the opposite aisle, and the thick cord of his jugular peeked out from under his heavy collar. Cloud's lips ached to touch it.

Sephiroth turned his head, feeling the heat of a pair of eyes could carry, and one white eyebrow hitched slightly at the expression he found on Cloud's face. Then, he flashed a smile that might have been the most gorgeous thing Cloud had ever seen.

The odd thing was, it was a moment that he could almost remember happening before; the tremor through his body, the answering rumble of the train, the orangey purplish light of the sky seen from the window behind Sephiroth's head, even the safety poster in his peripheral vision.

It was déjà vu.


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


A stoic figure in a black cloak swung the door open and blocked the entrance, holding a clipboard, "Are there unanointed ones?"

Zack nodded.

"Come forward."

Zack hooked his arms around Cloud and Aerith and they all took a step.

The black figure loomed over them, "This is the inner sanctoom of SOLDIER. You are about to bear witness to our most ancient of secrets."

"The only ancient secret is that you drink cosmopolitans," Zack interjected.

One of the black figure's shoulders slumped.

"Aww. Go on," Zack said sincerely.

The figure straightened up with a flourish, "Bwa! The solemn acts you witness must be taken with you to the Lifestream. You must also abide by our game on this eve, as is tradition since the dawn of SOLDIER! If you do not agree, I shall cast ye away!"

"… Sure," Aerith said.

"Yes sir," Cloud agreed respectfully.

The figure made a flowy, dramatic gesture, "And the same goes for the anointed ones!"

"I do," Zack vowed.

"If I feel like it," Sephiroth said.

"Enter!"

The place was similar to the pub back home. His mother and her sisters liked to go out when they were in town. They drank. They smoked. They swore, laughed, degraded men, and his youngest aunt almost always fought someone. Older now, Cloud realized that those bitches had a rockin' good time. But to his childhood self, it was dullsville. He would bring a video game, or if he was really bored, sit on the broken pinball machine and watch the old, salty men play checkers. They'd usually tell him a dirty joke, he'd laugh, then they'd give him a beer. Success!

Here, there was that standard sickly brownish hue to everything and a haze of smoke in the air. People littered the room, half Shin-Ra employees, the other half was their dates, all of them in costumes. The bar itself was definitely unlike the pub's in Nibelheim, it was bright and multicolored lights glowed behind the hard liquor bottles, making them look too pretty to drink. There were sofas scattered here and there, a tiny dance floor, and in the corner a …

… Karaoke setup!

Cloud inwardly rejoiced. He had never experienced karaoke, and was already brimming with excitement at the opportunity to sing a love song to Sephiroth.

‘He doesn't want you. Can't you tell? You have nothing to offer him.’

Out of absolutely nowhere, Cloud heard the revolting black fog of his chronic depression threaten to chip away at his elated mood. It always manifested itself in a voice, and these days it sounded less like the assholes haunting Nibelheim, and more like a dark, mumbling version of himself. Instantly, and to the fucking core, it systematically deconstructed everything he was feeling and reversed it.

‘These people don't know you. Nobody in this room cares about you.’

Maybe he wouldn't feel this way sometimes if he had been happier as a kid. Thinking back to his wasted, friendless childhood, he wished to God he could have grown up with Sephiroth, Zack, and Cam. They should have all lived downtown and gone to school together. A cute, young Zack would charm their little group anywhere they needed to go. A wiry little Cameron would ward off the bullies. And baby fat kindergartner Cloud would hopelessly follow around a fifth grade Sephiroth, their fearless leader.

Oh, it would have been fun. But they wouldn't be who they are. If they all had the perfect, Stand By Me friendship, maybe Zack would have turned into a coward. Maybe Cam would have gotten into hard drugs. Maybe Sephiroth would have gotten fat and apathetic. Maybe Cloud would have turned into everything he hated.

Maybe he wouldn't be here with Sephiroth right now.

‘The pain was worth it.’

The blackness fizzled out and lifted. For the moment. It was always sitting up in the belfry of his mind, waiting.

The room was happy to see Zack and Sephiroth enter. Cloud kept a shrewd eye out for potential competition. Although there were some women who came up to greet the General, they seemed to not have any unsavory intentions.

They moved across the small room to sit at the bar. Cloud didn't allow a moment for awkward hesitation this time, he sat by his man. On the other side of Cloud, Aerith took a seat, and Zack on the other side of her. Once they were settled, the bartender took a hard order from Zack, a dainty order from Aerith, and skipped over Cloud entirely to give his attention to Sephiroth.

"Can I get a pot of coffee?" Sephiroth asked. Of course he could.

The bartender eyed Cloud, who shot a nervous glance in all directions before saying, "Bottle of water?"

Then a man, who looked remarkably like an older version of Zack and dressed as Sherlock Holmes, come up behind Zack and clapped a hand to the back of his neck. Zack yelled in delight and gave him an affectionate hug, and received a kiss from the man on the top of his head. The man then nodded at Aerith, and held out a hand to Sephiroth, who took it in more of a brotherly grab instead of a handshake.

"When the hell did you get back?" Zack asked.

The man made a face, "Yesterday."

"Bad?"

"Clusterfuck."

Sephiroth and Zack chuckled appreciatively. They started up some shop talk that Cloud didn't understand and obviously had no business listening to or commenting on, and so he cracked open his bottle of water and took an uninvolved gulp.

"This is Cloud," He suddenly heard Sephiroth say, and then he turned to face Cloud, "This is Angeal."

The man tipped his head politely, and Cloud cheerfully extended his hand to him. Angeal took it with a grin and shook Cloud's arm all around. Why the hell did everyone do that to him?

Cloud smiled, "Are you Zack's father?"

There was a heartbeat of silence before Angeal made a terrible face.

Zack held up his hands, "Wait! Wait! What did you just say?"

Cloud cupped his cheeks with both hands, "I'm sorry! You just … You two look alike … And … You're … " His face spilt apart into apology and humiliation up at the distinguished looking SOLDIER.

Zack screeched, Sephiroth made a low sort of groaning sound, then they both were in convulsions.

Angeal smirked, "It's okay," And then he threw a punch into Sephiroth's shuddering arm, and another on top of Zack's head before leaving. Their laughter raged on, and Cloud pouted.

"Angeal is Zack's mentor," Aerith whispered to him. "He's not much older though."

"I feel like an asshole."

"Don't! Angeal's actually very proud of not being a pretty boy."

Cloud had to smile at this. Were Sephiroth and Zack considered ’pretty boys’? Well, they were certainly pretty.

There was a squeal of a microphone, "The hour is at hand!" The black cloaked figure boomed, "As is our rite, we shall call this evening … Internal Strategical Review!"

And everyone made an odd noise that might have been a boo. Cloud looked up at Sephiroth in confusion, who still had the sparkling smile of post-hysterical laughter.

"Have we the executive?" The figure called.

An older gentleman dressed as a pimp stood up and waved. The room responded with unfocused noise.

"Have we the 'Sir of Duty'?"

Cloud saw a SOLDIER stand up, the only person in the room not in costume. He waved a walkie-talkie, "On duty!" He happily announced.

The cloaked figure threw up his hands, "I so forth declare this holy SOLDIER gathering … A business expense! Tab's on Uncle Shin-Ra!"

Cloud didn't know a room of human beings could make so much noise. Once the room settled down, the black figure continued.

"Now, as is tradition, I shall turn the honors over to the Grand Poo–Bah!"

Sephiroth, in full uniform, was walking towards the little karaoke stage. And Cloud did a double take. Sephiroth was sitting next to him.

Cloud gawked up at him, and found that the General was equally surprised.

'Sephiroth' took the microphone, and his identity was revealed. It was Max, the dickgirl guy! "Greetings, bitches!"

The room went crazy.

Upon further examination of Max's amazingly accurate costume, there were flaws. First off, the coat was way too long, it was almost hitting the floor. And the boots were really far up his thighs. And the leather pants were slightly baggy ... as if they were too big.

When suddenly it became clear, Cloud gagged on laughter. He turned to Sephiroth, and was too amused to hesitate putting a hand onto his bare forearm, "He's wearing your clothes!"

White eyebrows shot up and then sent a poisonous look to Zack, who was trying to look innocent while his head was thrown back in mid-guffaw.

Max put a militant hand on his hip, "Shut up."

The room was as quiet as a bunch of SOLDIERs could become.

Max stalked back and forth across the tiny stage, "We're playin’ Drinkieroke."

And the crowd goes wild.

"When I call your name, you will promptly report to tha stage. You will take an envelope from tha fishbowl. You will read it aloud, an’ follow all instructions. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Several people shouted.

"And if anyone wants to be a … pain in the ass about it … – " A lot of people joined in to chant that part, and it rolled off their tongues in one very Midgar-like syllable, "I will choke you to death!"

The room was hysterical. Cloud playfully nudged his knee against Sephiroth's, who was watching this all in gleaming, narrowed eyed amusement.

The first name was called, and it turned out to be a Turk, who sang a technoish sort of dance song, and everyone had to take a drink whenever he said 'tonight'. A girl was called up who started to freak out and panic, but Max was unyielding, and joined in with her to sing The Discovery Channel song, everyone taking a drink when they said 'mammals'. Zack was eventually called up, and he belted out Jenny (867-5309), but kept getting the numbers mixed up, even though he was being prompted right there on the screen. The one number he got right, everyone drank to: 'nieieieine!' Then there was a woman who had the worst singing voice in creation. There was a man who mooned everyone.

And then, an elderly man dressed as Cupid was called up. Cloud laughed especially hard, and stretched up near Sephiroth's ear, "He's my Algebra teacher!"

Sephiroth turned his face and leaned back, and Cloud's skin tingled at the nearness, "He was mine, too." The two exchanged bouts of crinkle nosed laughter while their teacher embarrassingly sang, It's Raining Men.

Then, Max called out, "Who is this Cloud Strife?"

‘Oh, no.’ He was initially excited about singing, but now in the face of his destiny he was petrified. Cloud flushed and looked to the real Sephiroth for protection.

"Better be prompt," He cruelly advised around the edge of his coffee mug.

Cloud slid off the stool, burning from the heat of a room full of eyes. Then people began to chatter. He was that one kid!

When Cloud took the stage and the microphone, Max bellowed, "The insolent fool who dared question my musical preferences!"

Cloud didn't know what to do, so he ducked his head and smiled shyly.

"You disrupted a school function! And you made a mockery of my hardcore speech!"

Cloud couldn't help but flick his eyes to Sephiroth, wondering what his reaction would be to these words.

Previously the Generals face had held the same smile it had all evening, but catching Cloud's eyes, it warmed, and turned into something different.

Something intimate.

Max had been dressing him down for several moments before his hearing fully returned from the rush of blood through his ears, and saw that the fish bowl was being waved in front of him. He snatched an envelope, and using his thumb, ripped it open.

Cloud read the paper inside to himself, and his free hand flew up to clamp over his mouth.

Everyone screamed for him to 'Read it!' 'Read it!'

"Don't try my patience!" Max roared.

Cloud uncovered his mouth and said into his microphone, "Pick a victim for a duet."

Immediately the room was divided into cries of 'Me!' or, 'Not me!'

Cloud fanned himself with the paper, "I choose … "

Not Sephiroth. No way. Not Zack, either … But he didn't know anyone else …

"Aerith!"

Her jaw dropped.

Cloud continued reading the paper," Take a drink every time either of us says the word 'love'. The song is 2 Become 1 by the Spice Girls!"

Aerith let out an anguished cry, and Zack joyously knocked her off of her stool. Sephiroth looked slightly demonic in his supreme amusement. She huffed at them both, then made her way through the crowd, every step towards the little stage seeming to melt a little of her prickliness. When she reached the platform, there was an obvious question on her embarrassed face, which Cloud ignored to move closer with the microphone.

"Cloud sings pink. Aerith sings white. Onward HOOO!" Max commanded, then dreamy pop music flowed out of the speakers.

The words that began to slowly scroll were pink in color, so Cloud began, "Candlelight and soul forever, a dream of you and me together, say you believe it … Say you believe iiit!"

The color changed to white, and Aerith flatly picked up where he left off, "Free your mind of doubt and danger, by for real don't be a stranger, we can achieve it … We can achieve iiit!"

Pink again, "Come a little bit closer, baby … Get it on, get it ooon … !"

White, "'Cause tonight … Is the night … When two become ooone!"

Pink, "I need some love like I never needed love before!"

White, "Wanna make love to ya baby!"

Pink, "I had a little looove … Now I'm back for more!"

White, "Wanna make love to ya baby!"

The chorus had set off a wave like motion of elbows and shot glasses in the room, followed by the subsequent whiskey hisses.

Surely this wasn't at all the sort of song he had in mind to sing to his beloved … But pop music is literally engineered to prey on the emotions of sixteen-year-old homosexuals. And the next time he was prompted to ask for love, like he never needed love before, Cloud actually did. He belted it out like Benjy, all but screaming it. His enthusiasm spilled over the edge of his being and all over Aerith, who came out of her shell and really sang. Perhaps she needed some lovin' as well.

The song ended with a drizzle of pop fluffiness, and they gave their bows and accepted their applause. Then, ran from the stage as though it had caught fire.

Aerith collided with Zack, who was ecstatic to scoop her up and regale her with praise and affection.

Cloud slid up onto his stool, full of endorphins and hormones and testosterone and adrenaline and bullshit. When he looked at Sephiroth out of the corners of his eyes, he was staring back. Cloud put a hand against the left side of his red face to block Sephiroth from his vision, and laughter radiated from the General.

The lustrious performances waged on.

Someone sang My Sherona. Three SOLDIERS got up to rap, one of them had an obviously female part in the song, and informed the other two that they would be getting absolutely none of his pussy juice if they did not shower him in cash and bling. A woman dressed in a skimpy costume got up and her goal was to be a sexpot, but her song to sing was Loser by Beck, so she was hilariously thwarted.

After a while, everyone was far too drunk to really play much more of Drinkieroke. Max sensed this, and spoke as himself into the microphone, "I think there might be one more person who we'd like to hear sing tonight … "

Cloud looked at Sephiroth, and so did the rest of the room.

"General Sephiroth?" Everyone started pleading like children.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud, "You want me to sing?"

Cloud's heart pounded up into his throat, and he swallowed it back down, " … Yeah."

The General got up and walked through the crowd as though he were walking through his living room in his boxers. When he reached the stage, he took a paper from the fishbowl and read it to himself.

"Nope," He let it drop to the floor and took another.

"Hey! That's against the rules of the game!" Max protested.

"Then I'm not playin’," S,ephiroth smiled with all of his teeth.

"… Oookay."

He smile vanished and Sephiroth continued picking through the fishbowl before finally lingering on one page for a little too long. The crowd encouraged him to read it.

He brought the microphone up to speak, but smirked in disbelief and shook his head.

'Noo!' 'Read it!' 'We want that one!' The room cried.

Sephiroth slowly sighed and read into the microphone, "Take a drink every time I say the word … Cock."

The room exploded in noise, mostly of the female variety. Cloud was unable to resist cupped two hands to his mouth and adding a little of his own. Okay, a lot. Sephiroth caught Cloud cheering, and waved the paper, speaking as if only to him.

"The song is Sugar, We're Going Down by fuckin’ Fall Out Boy!"

In all fairness, it was slightly cooler than the Spice Girls on the totem pole of karaoke, so he had no pity for his beloved, and made an exaggerated gesture of shrugging. He doubted very much that anything either of them really wanted to sing was in that fishbowl, anyways.

The soft core little guitar intro started.

Cloud was on the edge of his seat in anticipation when the words started rolling down the screen, and Sephiroth drew in a breath. When the song first came out, Cloud could recall all the girls at school humming it for approximately six months nonstop. He would have been able to die happy never having heard it again. But now, Cloud resigned himself to the fate of having to buy this stupid CD, just to be able to relive the moment when Sephiroth opened his mouth and started to sing.

His speaking voice was gorgeous. A bit clipped and even at times, but expressive. His singing voice was his speaking voice, but with an extra flowy lilt to it. And he really sang it out, and way better than the actual singer did.

"We're going down, down in an earlier round, and sugar we're going down swingin' … I'll be your number one with a bullet … A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it!"

Not quite the usage of the word Cloud had been hoping for, but he went wild anyways, as did most everyone else.

The song ended and Sephiroth took a deep bow before hopping down off the stage. His eyes locked on Cloud's and he started to make a beeline. But was stopped mid stride by a table of people who needed to speak with him right that fucking second.

Cloud exhaled a breath that he had been holding. He finally identified the extra strange emotion he felt towards Sephiroth. He knew he felt love, adoration, respect, but there was something bitter mixed in. Fear.

He was terrified of Sephiroth. Scared to death of rejection, but like most people, also intensely afraid of actually getting what he wanted. If he had Sephiroth's love, then wasn't able to keep it … He knew that he would become a ruined, broken person.

Cloud felt sick. Then green eyes looked his way while he chatted with the table of people.

Another emotion bloomed next to fear, nearly smothering it out: hope.

Drinkieroke was over abruptly and with much less fanfare than it had begun with. The room was already degenerating into smaller groups, music came on not sung by amateurs, and the Shin-Ra Halloween party really began. Zack and Aerith had long since left to move around the room, talking and being the social butterflies that they were. Cloud people watched alone at the bar, feeling incredibly out of place. He had a marvelous time shooting the shit with the guys at school, but the people here were all drunk Shin-Ra employees trying to get some ass. Cloud didn't feel that he had anything relevant to say to anybody. He felt the strong urge to find the bathroom and hide there. Or maybe just split.

Sephiroth eventually made it back over to his seat, but was still dealing with a flurry of conversationalists. They were like fucking pop-ups.

"General Sephiroth, would you like to hear my idea for the – "

"No."

"It'll only take a second! I've had half a bottle of rum and I think this is going to be brilliant!"

"Okay."

Cloud turned his stool around, nothing at all of interest to him in the room anymore, and caught a glimpse of himself in the bar mirror. He combed his fingers through the fringe that framed his face, and swooshed it as best he could towards the right side. He adjusted his Condor scarf. He checked his teeth. He then leaned onto his palm and gave himself a questioning look.

‘What am I doing?’

Everyone on the face of the Earth was chatting up his date, except for him. His date. His date. His beautiful, fucking date. He should have been closer to giving Sephiroth an impromptu lap dance, not teetering on the edge of being forgotten about.

Cloud waited, watching the back of Sephiroth's head in the mirror and the face of the current distraction, until the person grinned conclusively and disappeared. Then, Cloud swung his stool violently towards the General, effectively drawing those green eyes to look at him once more.

Cloud smiled shyly, "What do you collect?"

The eyes blinked, "Huh?"

Cloud then proceeded to tell Sephiroth all about his obsession with Nike uptowns, and his desire to own musical media, the most collectable of which happened to be vinyl.

"So, what do you collect?" He repeated, his face and body begging for conversation.

Sephiroth turned on his stool to face Cloud, boxing in his smaller, bare knees with his and using body language to deflect anyone who might try to drum up some chit chat. He took a drink of coffee, and after he swallowed, his mouth moved to one side in consideration, "Well, I don't think it's really a collection … But I hang on to ticket stubs."

Cloud smiled, "So you like going to the movies?"

"It's somethin’ I do. You?"

Cloud shrugged a shoulder, "I've never been."

One of his green eyes squinted almost shut, "Excuse me?"

"There isn't a movie theater in Nibelheim."

Sephiroth became physically upset, "How do you people see movies?"

"I always just waited for them to come on pay-per-view."

Sephiroth turned to the bar, and threw back the remainder of his coffee, straight from the pot. Then he wiped off his mouth, "Let's go."

"Go?"

"Fuck this party. Let's go," Sephiroth made a motion with his head and led Cloud over to the table where Zack and Aerith were involved in another kind of drinking game.

"We're leaving."

Zack held his cards to his chest secretively, "So soon?"

"We're gonna do a movie. You okay to get home?"

"I'll talk care of him," Aerith bluntly interjected.

"Right," He responded, perfectly militant. He squeezed Zack's shoulders in farewell, and was again moving towards the door.

"Bye Zack!" Cloud hugged his neck.

"Peace out little one," He purred. Zack was a very cute drunk.

Cloud then turned to his girlfriend, "Bye! … Sorry for making you sing with me."

Her eyes flickered from him to her cards, "It's okay. I um … Love the Spice Girls."

Cloud gave her a smile that begged the question, 'Don't we all?', then whirled around to catch up with his beloved, who was entangled in yet another conversation. This time with his look-alike.

"It was Zack's idea!" Max was yelping.

"I know. I'm curious though … " Sephiroth was saying as he pulled the coat away from Max's chest and peeked in, "Did you wash this stuff before puttin’ it on?"

Max shook his head, "No sir."

"Feel in the pockets?"

Max did, and brought out the plastic wrapper of a straw. Not knowing what else to do he handed it over to the General, who took it and immediately let it fall to the floor, "Those pants are dirty."

Max puffed out his chest, "I'm proud to wear your dirty pants, sir!"

Sephiroth chuckled, "You know I go commando, right?"

Both Cloud and Max made the same sound: "Guh!"

"… So please launder them before returning?"

Max nodded miserably down at himself as if he was now made of poison, and Cloud's mouth forgot how to close. Sephiroth smiled at the both of them and continued on the path to the door. Cloud was hot on his heels.

When they emerged from the club, it was rather chilly outside. The nippy breeze blew on the back of Cloud's bare knees, and he momentarily wished he had picked a warmer costume. Or that he could crawl inside Sephiroth's.

He let himself sigh happily, practically prancing along.

Sephiroth stopped on the corner and looked around in thought, "I really wish we didn't take the damn train, now. There's a good theater across the plate. Or there's a dumpy one around the corner."

"Dumpy," Cloud decided. The sooner he was in the dark with this man, the better. They walked a couple of blocks, then turned, then walked a couple more, and arrived at Galaxy Cinemas, Sephiroth's opinion of a shit movie theater. It looked pretty unimpressive to Cloud also.

"What do you wanna see?"

Cloud leaned forward on his feet and examined the row of posters next to the ticket window. There was a cartoon involving talking fruits, a movie about a bunch of pretty teenage bitches, a spy flick, a romantic sort of film, a big budget SOLDIER war epic … And two horror movies. Cloud had victoriously made it sixteen years without sitting through an entire horror movie. He was a wee bit afraid of the dark … And of … Gross shit. But after having seen Sephiroth's DVD tower, he sort of figured there would come a time when he would have to. But at least he had Cam and Psycho to protect him at night, now. And if he wasn't sleeping in the dorm, he would be in Sephiroth's bed, so what the hell!

One of the two scary choices was called Death Cane, and the poster showed a scary old lady brandishing a bloody walking stick. The other was called No Tomorrow, and the poster exhibited a close up of a horrified looking eye.

Sephiroth crossed his arms, "Death Cane looks stupid. Let's do the other one."

Do? Do the other one? Cloud smiled. Midgar dialect was adorable.

Sephiroth stepped up to the ticket window, and bought two tickets. They went inside and passed by a man who ripped them in half and gave them the stub.

"Are you hungry?"

Cloud felt all aflutter at being treated. But then something very, very male inside of him bullied its way to the forefront, "Are you hungry?"

Sephiroth got the hint, and after spending twenty five gil on tickets, wasn't about to argue, "Get me an Icee."

‘Poor baby, only liquids,’ Cloud thought, and marched up to the candy counter. He ordered a blue Icee for Sephiroth in a cup so big it could have been used as a blunt weapon, and for himself …

"Please give me that chocolate bar. No. That one." He pointed through the glass exactly to an especially enticing one in the row.

"Fifteen gil."

Cloud scrunched his nose, then looked at all the prices. It actually added up, so he forked over the cash. At least it was actually a legitimate expense!

He left the counter and found Sephiroth entertaining himself by checking out large displays of upcoming features. He was standing near a life size super hero cut out when Cloud approached him. AquaMan had absolutely nothing on Sephiroth.

When he handed over the Icee, there was a second, less potent case of déjà vu.

"Didn't we do this last week?" Cloud asked slyly when a gloved hand retrieved his cold, condensating treat.

Sephiroth smiled and took a drink, no less enticing than seven days prior, but now Cloud at least was mentally prepared for it, "Thanks again."

"You're welcome."

"Wanna go sit down?"

Cloud looked around at the little lobby and its ant farm-like corridors, "Where?"

Sephiroth showed Cloud his ticket stub, and putting his Icee in the crook of his arm, pointed at a number, "Theater three.”

Theater three was located, and they went inside.

It was so quaint to Cloud, because movie theaters really look in real life how the look in … Well, the movies.

Rows and rows of red seats, a big screen in front and a bright little window at the rear. The room was empty except for the two of them … and if movie theaters really were how they were portrayed in films, someone was getting blown. In all honesty, he couldn't help but wonder if Sephiroth knew that in order to get the most enthusiastic blow job of his life, all he had to do was unzip and say, 'Suck'.

‘I would choke down every inch of that shit,.’ Then Cloud mentally slapped himself on the hand., ‘Jeeeeezus! I'm a trashy date.’

The General chose the middle aisle, and scooted to the center of the row, Cloud following along right behind him. They sat.

Sephiroth put his Icee into the cup holder on the other side of him, and pushed up their shared armrest. Cloud inwardly bristled … Maybe someone was getting blown!

But instead of pushing Cloud to his knees, Sephiroth was using the extra space to … Take off his clothes! Even better! Cloud watched as he unfastened his vest, unbuckled the gas mask from his neck, and unsnapped some of the straps from his thighs. He rolled up the load and stored it on the empty seat next to him. Before finally settling in, he lifted his hips off the seat, twisted up all of his hair, and threw it over his shoulder as he sat back down.

Finally still, Sephiroth took a sip of his Icee. Cloud could have watched him do those little things all day. He could watch him wipe his perfect ass and be amazed by the grace and beauty of it.

The screen was smoothly transitioning between advertisements for sodas, and super easy movie trivia. Cloud rested his head back and let himself be advertised to, chewing on the back of his lip spike and just letting contentment and optimism wash over him. No amount of depression could deny the fact that yes, yes, yes … This was a date. He picked up his elbow to put it on their shared armrest, and it fell limply right into Sephiroth.

Cloud immediately retracted, "Sorry!"

Sephiroth's mouth was full of blue Icee, "Mm." He swallowed, and kindly put the shared armrest back down.

Well, that was no good. Cloud pushed it back up.

"You don't want it?"

Cloud shook his head, "No, it's okay. It's nicer this way. Airy."

Airy? Neither of them questioned it.

The lights went dim, and the screen boomed to life, deafening in the previous quiet. It was a preview for an action movie, followed by another scary movie involving fish monsters, then a gross-ish sort of manhunt movie, and a rather interesting looking film about the life and times of a jolly prostitute.

Then, eerie music filtered in, and a few credits rolled while scary images of eyes morphed into one another. No Tomorrow was about a girl who could see people's futures when she touched them. Between that, deadlines for the college newspaper, and her sexy/stupid boyfriend Brody, her plate was really full! But for some reason, every single person she touched this day was going to die in a horrible, grotesque way tomorrow. And she was trying to figure out why.

Cue the horrifying montages of death, blood, carnage, and destruction! This made Sephiroth cross his leg over his knee and slurp his drink loudly. Cloud finally reached for his candy.

Cue the scene where it's almost pitch black, but something truly terrible can be heard happening! The girl was screaming like a banshee but the only thing on screen were vague silhouettes. This made Sephiroth lean forward, and Cloud shrink down.

Cue the gratuitous sex!

"Yes! Yes! Oh! Yes! Ah! Harder! Fuck me! Harder!"

Cloud couldn't stand it anymore. He peeked over at Sephiroth … Whose facial expression could be described as deadpan.

Cue the chase! The girl was driving her car towards the power plant, trying to get there in time to stop the virus bomb, but the devil incarnate was trying to stop her and impregnate her with flesh eating little demon babies! Sephiroth slurped around the bottom of the cup, and Cloud folded his arms on the seat in front of him to watch in anxiety.

Cue the ball busting! The girl utilized every sharp weapon in imagination, and set them off in an intricate domino effect to immobilize the devil. She then ran in slow motion, tits bouncing like crazy, to disable the virus bomb.

Will she make it?

She did not.

The bomb went off. The devil's body died, and he took hers. She laughed, now possessed and surely full of demon babies, and went to wreak some havoc or something. The screen went black and heavy metal music blared.

"What!" Cloud threw up his hands, "What about Brody?"

"Fuck Brody. He's going to get paralyzed by the virus and eaten alive by ants!" Sephiroth laughed on a groan and stretched upwards.

"Ugh! This movie was … " Cloud sat back and searched inside himself. He hated it, but he had been so involved with it. So involved he was talking to the screen, giving Sephiroth confounded looks at the girl's stupidity, and even bouncing in victory when she chopped the devil's nipple off.

Sephiroth pushed down the armrest into place between them and leaned heavily on it, "The movie sucked. But it was fun, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"That's why seeing a movie in the theater is so … Good."

Sephiroth still had his hair tumbling mostly over one shoulder when he stood up and began to put the stray pieces of his uniform back on. His fingers did it with speed that was completely entertaining to watch. In less than half a minute, he was good to go.

They left their trash and were once again out and about in the night. Cloud wondered what time it was, and on the same wavelength, Sephiroth fished a phone out of his pocket. Cloud peeked and saw that it was a little past three AM.

"I'll take you home.”

Home. Let's go home.

When they got in, they would probably put some cat food in the bowls so the girls wouldn't start that infernal meowing at the crack of dawn. Sephiroth would shrug off his costume, leaving bits and pieces all over the loft, both of them too tired to worry about it. Cloud would take his off in the bedroom, feeling arms around him the instant his skin was bare. There would be giggling, there would be flirting, there would be kissing. But there would also be a 'not tonight, baby', it had been a long day. And besides … It would be so much better in the morning. Cloud would cuddle up inside a safe, warm cocoon of pillows and Sephiroth, like every night. They both would mumble 'Love you' before drifting off, like every night.

For reasons unknown to even him, Cloud's eyes brimmed with tears. Thankfully concealed by the dark of night, one fell, leaving a hot, salty trail on his now freezing cheek. He wiped it off, and the rest of the tears decided that one was good enough, and soon dried up.

The ride to the academy was a quiet one. They shared the train with quite a few other people, all of whom had their heads resting. One woman who looked like a hot mess, but was probably a ten any other day, was snoring steadily from the seat behind them.

Sephiroth relaxed back, his knees pressing deeply into the empty seat in front of them. Cloud instead leaned his head against the window, and watched the greenish glow of the city.

A thick billow of colored smoke puffed up from one of the reactors like a smoker's afterthought.

"I love when that happens," Sephiroth commented softly.

"Me too," Cloud whispered. " … I like when it makes the whistling noise."

Sephiroth whispered back, "That means it needs to be cleaned."

"Really?" Cloud laughed silently.

"I'll tell them to let it get dirty for you."

Words. Verbiage. Language. They could make a blonde blush so easily.

The ride was over in an instant, and soon a train station was a sidewalk, and street signs became familiar. Time was passing by too quickly. Looming above them in one direction was the academy. In the other, the Shin-Ra building.

Sephiroth checked his phone again, "Wanna know somethin’ funny?"

"What?"

"I have to be over there in half an hour," He pointed to HQ and laughed.

That was not funny! "You have to work on Sunday!"

Sephiroth delivered a look, "Um. Yeah."

Cloud's face became a blender of regret and concern, "If you knew you had to work … We shouldn't have seen that stupid movie! You should have gotten some sleep!"

The General pursed his lips. He said nothing, but the message was clear. He was the General, he would sleep if and when he wanted to. Blue eyes lowered in submission.

… But the General was also his man, goddamnit. Blue eyes shot up and Cloud gave a tiny roar, "Then I'll help you today! Take me to work with you!"

Sephiroth snickered.

"You already know that I'm very skilled at making copies!"

Sephiroth actually made a sound of consideration, "They were rather well made … "

"I can do a lot of things. I could clean your office! File? I could test all of your pens and throw out the crappy ones!"

"I think … " They stopped at the black school gate, and Sephiroth swiped a card to open it. "That you should go to bed."

Verbiage. Cloud smiled audibly and walked through the threshold held open for him. Sephiroth followed along, and let the gate close quietly with his fingertips. Their walking became slower, more careful. Fingers were hooked lazily into pockets and belt loops. Cloud led them meandering towards the Rufus building.

They stopped at the entrance.

"This was good," Sephiroth said.

"Yeah! … "

A moment of silence passed between the men.

"… Sephiroth … " Cloud wasn't sure what he wanted to say, and looked up at the sky in thought.

The man in question kept his hands in his pockets and tilted his head, listening.

"I want to know … " Cloud puffed aside a hanging lock of blonde that blew across his mouth and interrupted him. He looked Sephiroth directly in the eyes, " … If … "

The gentle, radiating glow of his green eyes caused Sephiroth's black lashes to cast long, delicate shadows on his cheekbones. The beauty of it caused Cloud to lose all of his speaking functions, and he crumpled inside and out.

"What?"

Cloud tried standing up straight for a moment, but then he put his weight comfortably on his left knee again.

"Do you … Want to see me? Again?" He finally finished, and peeked up at the green lights. When he found that they revealed nothing, and there was no immediate response, he cast his eyes down and prepared his already breaking heart for the finality of rejection.

Sephiroth placed a gloved hand on Cloud's shoulder.

It felt like pure static electricity.

His eyes were still firmly fixated on the bricks of the sidewalk when the warm, heavy object on his shoulder became almost feather light, and glided down his arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps along Cloud's skin. He closed his eyes when smooth leather enclosed around his hand, and turned it over. They fluttered back open when he felt a pricking sensation. Sephiroth was writing.

"Wh – ?"

"My cell phone."

Cloud's eyes watched the moving of the pen, and he felt far, far away in his own body.

His hand was released. He looked at the combination of numbers that led to Sephiroth once, and knew he wouldn't ever forget them. But for good measure, Sephiroth had also written his name beneath it. Underlined.

"If you call, I'll pick up."

He turned his head back up to look at Sephiroth, trying to decipher the meaning of that statement, and found him with his hands back in his pockets. Their eyes met, and after a long moment, Sephiroth rocked back on his heels. It was a movement that was playful. Shy. Inviting.

Cloud took an eager step forward, and their thighs bumped together.

He checked Sephiroth desperately for a reaction. The perfect lips parted, and the weighted presence of hands on his shoulders returned.

After a deep breath, Cloud carefully placed his hands on Sephiroth's arms. They were unable to resist cupping slightly to feel the hard, rounded muscles beneath the surprisingly thin fabric of his shirt. Cloud gave a tiny shudder of ticklish surprise when he felt the two hands move across his shoulders, and down his sensitive sides to come to rest on his waist.

Cloud's body and skin were sucking in sensations and body heat like a thirsty plant.

He had never before given a touch to someone for the sole purpose of touching them. He had never felt someone's fingers gingerly stroking at his waist. Even the subtle sound and movements of Sephiroth's breath against his hair made his heartbeat pound in his wrists. He put his face near Sephiroth's collar bone and experienced the manufactured, standard issue scent of his mostly borrowed uniform, along with something sweet, masculine, and strangely edible radiating from underneath.

Before Cloud could censor the impulse, he put a kiss against the Kevlar. Then another on the gas mask hanging just below eye level. Then another on soft black fabric clothing Sephiroth's throat.

Two hands stilled his face, and tilted it up.

Their lips touched with tender pressure for only a moment before the more experienced ones brushed apart, and the smaller ones obediently following their lead. There was an electrifying first meeting of the tips of their tongues. He lurched against Sephiroth, who responded by folding his lips carefully around Cloud's, and closing off the kiss with a gentle pop.

Their heads moved apart long enough for blue and green eyes to search each other out. Uncertainty and disbelief could be found in both colors.

Simultaneously, two arms hooked possessively around the General's neck, and a shorter than average blonde was picked up by the back of his thighs. Cloud barely had time to register the fact that he was now the taller of the two before their second kiss ignited.

Lips accepted one another immediately. Cloud shamelessly reveled in the warm taste of Sephiroth, in the wildly erotic sensations of a tongue skimming against his own, and in the spider web delicate strands of hair between his fingers. And also in the remarkable truth of this realness.

It wasn't his hand he was kissing, it wasn't a shower wall he was pressed against, it wasn't a fantasy.

Moreover, he hadn't been rejected. Which meant that indeed, his beloved wanted him at least for right now, at least for this. Relief and joy made him curl his arms around the man all the tighter, and love him all the more.

With every inch of his body involved with Sephiroth, Cloud was only vaguely aware of the passage of time, and the fact that he wasn't dead from suffocation.

You can breathe while kissing!

He noisily sucked in Sephiroth-flavored oxygen through his nose, refusing to break the delicious kiss for a lesser bodily need. He could feel the pillowy lips smile against his, and they winded down and down, until their sore lips were simply but sensually lingering against one another's. And for all the intimate discoveries that were made in the past several moments, Cloud's favorite was that the much adored crack in Sephiroth's bottom lip was a scratchy little point of texture in the smooth cushion of his mouth.

Cloud kissed it. And then, he was sinking.

Sephiroth had loosened the grip around his thighs and was letting gravity slide him down, tightly pressed against his body. Cloud let out a tiny noise as two gloved hands followed the curves of his ass and lower back until he was on his feet.

The way they interacted reversed with the height difference. Sephiroth's arms hooked solidly around his neck and shoulders. Cloud untangled his fingers from radiant silver hair and let them slide down the back of his shoulders and arms, unable to get enough of the hard contours.

And speaking of hard contours … His own was nestled audaciously against a thigh that definitely did not belong to him.

But that was put aside. There were more important things to consider in this moment.

He needed to tell Sephiroth something.

That he needed him. To be his friend, his lover, his everything. He needed to belong to him. He needed to go on adventures with him.

Cloud opened his mouth, and this breathlessly came out: "I need to go on you."

"… Yeah?"

Cloud nodded eagerly up at him.

Sephiroth's left eyebrow hitched just enough, "I'd let you, but I have to work."

Cloud blinked … And made a terrible face when he realized what he had just said. Then he registered the reply to it. Mortified, and he buried his burning face in the bulletproof vest.

"That came out … Weird," He muffled. Laughter rung out loudly, the movement from Sephiroth's chest jostling his hiding spot.

"Come back," Sephiroth chuckled sweetly.

"No," But the blonde head slowly pulled away anyways, unable to help a little grin from spreading across his features when he found the completely delighted look on his beloved's face.

"Take me with you…" Cloud begged.

Sephiroth let a long, amused sigh out of his nose and the big, heavy arms loosened and became lighter on his shoulders. It filled Cloud's chest with misery, because it was the action of someone who was about to leave, without him. And if he left, this spell might be broken tomorrow. Maybe Cloud would wake up and it all would have been a wonderful dream, hellish in its vividness. Maybe Sephiroth would somehow die tragically, perhaps paralyzed and eaten by ants, and Cloud would never get the chance to properly adore and enjoy him.

‘No.’ Cloud tightened his arms around the narrow waist.

"Call me tomorrow," Sephiroth reminded softly, and his fingers spread wide and combed all of the blonde hair out of Cloud's face and held it there, manually tilting his head up.

"I will," He whispered through closed eyes, his face silently asking for another kiss.

He got it. It enveloped the moment, and lips caressed almost chastely. That is, until Sephiroth sucked in Cloud's bottom lip, spike and all, and moving his head slowly away … Pulled it. A sound more like a vibration escaped Cloud's throat, and he felt a shocking jolt in his groin as a similar sound echoed inside Sephiroth's mouth.

Suddenly his lower lip snapped back against his teeth, blonde hair sprung back into place, and he was looking at Sephiroth's retreating back. Proud as ever, but maybe an extra little swing in his step, he strutted off into the early morning darkness.

Cloud's heart was still racing when he finally worked up the will to go inside, but something caught his attention.

Deep in the brick walkway right in front of him, there were slightly smoking imprints of two size twelve Shin-Ra issue combat boots.


A/N

Chapter Image can be found here! --> http://owmyhearteries.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=120#/d1co9te

1- My beta and I actually fought over the Fall Out Boy lyrics. He fixed it to 'gun', then triumphantly pointed out my error. Yeah, gun would make more sense, but the lyric really says a 'loaded god complex'. I'm sure it has a deep, deep meaning.

2- Wanna know what Cloud's singing voice sounds like? (Especially 1:31-1:43) The Kooks – Sofa Song

3- Wanna know what Sephiroth's singing voice sounds like? ( I like the barren dignity in the singer's voice, the young sounding twist, and the 's' sound in his speech) Minus the Bear – Pony Up!

4- Ohhhh my goodness. Your reviews make me joyous! Jubilous! Orgasmic! And by the way, Sephiroth hasn't come out of the bathroom in a while …

Cloud: Sir, are you okay in there? Are you okay? Are you okay in there? Do you need me to be in there? Hellooooo? :straightens out a hanger and begins to pick the lock: