For Your Information
Cloud x Zack x Genesis x Angeal x Sephiroth
Synopsis: Personally, Cloud couldn't care less for his job. Until he meet four very special customers.
This one killed me. Honestly, I've never put a story on hold for so long except for one of my KHR series, actually took half a year to update because I couldn't write anything with my ridiculous writer's block. I think I took two months on this story. I'm so pathetic . :'D
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. Beep, beep. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.
Enjoy!
"Good afternoon, welcome to the city of Midgar, how may I help you?"
"Yes, the flower shop is to your left, on Main Street."
"Seventh Heaven is open from 7:30pm till 3:00am, sir."
"The map, tour guide and the keychain souvenir… that'll be fifteen gil, ma'am."
"Have a nice day."
Cloud slumped a little in his seat, rubbing his tired eyes as he tilted his headset back. One would think, after so many years of existence, people would eventually become bored coming to sightsee in the legendary City of Midgar. But no, year after year, tourists would flock into the fascinating city and look around all over again. It was a nice place, and Cloud would appreciate it too, if he didn't have to go through each and every one of the resident businesses every. Single. Fucking. Day. It was his job, in a rather unfortunate way. Cloud worked as an informant at the local Information Station downtown, in the heart of the city. Tourists new and old would come in every single day to check out new attractions or purchase large quantities of souvenirs and presents for family members and friends every time they visited. Even if they've been here many, many times already.
The Information Station was a small, cozy little store on the corner of the busiest intersection. Cloud sat behind the large desk, tapping away on his computer for whatever pamphlet his boss wanted him to work on or designed large posters and flyers to hang up or hand out to the tourists, and answer the occasional phone call. It wasn't a bad job, and he was well paid for it, but Cloud isn't normally the type to just sit and poke at a keyboard every single day. The only upside to this job was that he knew his way around the city like it was the back of his hand, and he was really good friends with some of the people around the city. Like Tifa, the owner of Seventh Heaven, the bar with the best drinks, and Arieth, whose flowers sold like hotcakes at a country fair.
It was a quiet day today. There weren't as many people as there would be on a normal weekend, Cloud noted. Perhaps it was because the big election was coming around the corner…something Cloud couldn't be bothered with either, really. Everyone knew that Shinra's party head Rufus would win again, so according to Cloud, there was really no point in voting. One would say the he had a rather apathetic reaction towards life. Yeah, Cloud wasn't going to deny that either.
The phone on his desk rang just as the chimes in the doorway tinkled, signaling the entrance of a customer. Cloud slid his headset back on as four men walked into the small shop, looking around. There was a tall man with long, silvery hair, another man with a handsome five o'clock shadow and a fierce gaze, a slightly shorter redhead reading from a book and a younger man with spiky black hair, who tried to catch Cloud's eye as they entered the Information Station. Cloud looked over from the top of his computer and called out to them, "I'll be with you in just a second, sirs."
The spiky haired guy grinned and nodded, and Cloud pressed the pound key on his phone and said into the mouthpiece, "You're reached in Information Station of the City of Midgar, how may I help you?"
As Cloud began conversing with his customer on the phone, he failed to notice that the other four customers were currently gazing at the blonde in a rather strange way. The redhead smirked a little and closed his book with a slight snap. He exchanged knowing glances with the taller silver haired man while the spiky haired guy tugged on the elder raven's arm, much like a child going into the store and asking for a candy they wanted.
"No problem ma'am. Have a nice day." Cloud pressed another button on his phone and hung up. He slid the headset onto his neck and scooted over a little in his rolling office chair to look at his new customers. The blonde did a slight double take when he finally got a good look at them. Those four men were fucking sexy. They were slim, especially the redhead, who was borderline skinny, but all of them were well built and had a strong, masculine appearance to them. Whereas Cloud…well, let's say that it wouldn't be first time for him to tell people he wasn't a girl. Other than his rather feminine appearance, he wasn't scrawny, but obviously as not was well-built as those guys. Cloud cleared his throat hastily.
"Sorry for the wait. How can I help you, sirs?"
The younger raven immediately bounced forwards, propping his elbows up on the counter and in one fell swoop, invaded the majority of Cloud's personal space. He was so close Cloud could practically see the flecks of gold in his otherwise violet eyes and count every eyelash on the spiky ravenette's face.
"How are you today? It's fun working here, isn't it? There's always so much going on in the city of Midgar, and I heard the Autumn Festival is coming up soon! Would you be going? I personally cannot wait for the food exhibitions, they're fabulous. In fact, I'm dying to find out what kinds of drinks they serve, I hear the local restaurants and cafes will be doing samples with drinks and foods, yeah? I love coffee! So does my friend Angeal here! Do you think you could tell us which ones have the best coffees to look out for? I'm Zack by the way, Zackary Fair, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Cloud blinked once. And blinked again. He could swear that the raven- Zack- didn't inhale once during his whole rant, and was beyond shocked that he wasn't a non-responsive, unconscious heap on the floor of the shop. He stared rather fearfully up at the older raven, whom Zack had called Angeal, and his gaze darted to the silverette and redhead before clearing his throat and saying, "Well, I-I could look them up for you."
"Would you?" Zack asked, giving off a dazzling grin that nearly blinded Cloud. "How kind of you, ah—" his gaze fixed himself on Cloud's nametag, "Cloud!"
Cloud let out a noise that sounded like a cross of "eep" and "huh?" before coughing and turning around to type on his computer, trying to ignore the fact that the four of them were practically eating him up with their gaze.
With shaky fingers, he typed in the keyword and leaned in. "Well, here I have several noted restaurants and cafes that will be taking part in the Autumn Festival…The Seventh Heaven, The Coffee Tree, uhhh, let's see…oh, and there's Buster's Café. These shops are well known for their original brands and mixes of drinks, I'm sure you'll enjoy them."
Cloud stooped beneath the counter to grab the flyers and pamphlets for each of the places he named and handed them over to Zack, who promptly tossed the whole thing over to Angeal without so much of a glance at it. "Thanks for your help, Cloud!" He beamed, grabbing Cloud's hand and shaking it up and down. "Say, have you ever been to any of them? Like, Buster's Café?"
"Uhh, no, sorry, but uhh, I've been to Seventh Heaven a few times." Cloud stuttered, noticing how Zack's hold on his hand seemed to linger, and how a look of disappointment washed over his face when Cloud said he hadn't been to the coffee shop before.
"Oh, okay, I see…well, you should definatly go sometime! It's a great place!" Zack beamed.
Cloud stared. "I thought you've never been to Buster's Café before…isn't that why you're asking for notable restaurants around here…?"
Zack's beam widened ever more. "That's exactly right!" He exclaimed.
Cloud stared again. Something was definatly wrong with them. Suddenly, the redhead sidled forward and gracefully shoved Zack off the counter and onto the floor with an indignant "Ouch!"
"Hello Cloud, I'm Genesis Rhapsodos, and this is Sephiroth…" Cloud hastily shook both their hands, feeling awkward. He didn't normally get people who introduced themselves to him and definatly never shook their hands. "We're both University students studying literature…do you know any bookstores around here that have fascinating reads? Such as…old literature, along the lines of Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe?"
Cloud let go of their hands extremely quickly and typed in the keywords on his computer. "There aren't many bookstores in Midgar, but I'd definatly recommend Kunsel's, they have an excellent collection of modern reads as well, but if you're specifically looking for old works, G&S has a vast assembly of authors and antique reads. I hope that helps."
Cloud passed on the flyers, but just like Zack, Genesis shoved him into Angeal's arms and smiled down at Cloud, not even bothering to look. Which Cloud found rather odd. Who were these people?
"Have you ever been to those stores, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked softly, peering down at him. Cloud swore his cheeks flared up at the guy's mere gaze.
"Uh, no…not really. I'm not that much of a reader." He mumbled, feeling a bit self-conscious now. Genesis, of all things, actually pouted, and said, "Literature is a great thing, Cloud! It'll expand your view of the world, like you've never seen it before! It'll open you up to brand new possibilities! You'll never be the same. I personally recommend LOVELESS. It's fascinating."
"Oh…uhh, sure. I'll check it out sometime." Cloud mumbled, trying not to make eye contact. Suddenly Angeal coughed loudly, then said in a calm, rumbling voice. "We have to get going now…thank you for your help, Cloud."
"Yeah! Thanks for your help, Cloudy!" Zack bounced over, shoving Genesis out of the way and ruffled Cloud's hair affectionately before Sephiroth hauled the hyper raven away. "Bye, Cloud!" Zack called as the mysterious group of four left the store.
Cloud's eye twitched testily. Some day he was having.
-line break-
They came back, all four of them, the following week. Zack bounced over and proceeded to tell Cloud his whole week of fun at Midgar, how much he enjoyed the views and the food and the entertainment and how much Cloud's information had helped, and that he was a fabulous informant, where did he get all his recommendations from? And he went on and on and on while Angeal stood by with his usual calm, serious face on, but occasionally Cloud would glance over a catch a soft, amused grin on the big man's face before Angeal looked away, or Cloud ducked, blushing.
Genesis seemed to have fallen in love with all the random souvenirs, maps, food samples and on-the-road books sold in the Information Station, and somehow always managed to leave with an armful of plush chocobo dolls or a copy of The Traveler's Guide to the Fantastic City of Midgar. Sephiroth often stood by like Angeal, but was by far the most tolerable of the lot, since he wasn't scary like Angeal, crazy like Zack, or just plain weird like Genesis. Save for his green-eyed, cat-like piercing gaze, the silverette was probably the safest one to talk to.
Cloud was curious about these tourists. They'd been consistently coming in for about two weeks now, always interested in something else, buying something new, or hanging around just to talk to him. Whenever Cloud got a call or had to help another customer, they'd fall back a bit, then plow on with full force like there had never been an interruption. They— as reluctant as Cloud was to admit it— pretty much flirted shamelessly with him, always. Little gestures like patting him on the head, loping an arm around his shoulders, complimenting his eyes and running their fingers through his blonde spikes; there was no way that it couldn't be counted as subtle advances on Cloud. And they seemed determined to spend as much time as they could with him. At first they'd stay long enough to buy something, then soon came back after lunch, and eventually, left only when Cloud told them he had to lock up for the night.
Where did they come from? Admittedly, while they were strange people, they were nice to talk to, and Cloud actually managed to have an intellectual conversation with all of them at some point. But they were always careful when talking about things such as hometowns, customs or anything remotely personal. Cloud was a private person himself too, but he didn't really mind telling them he was from Nibelheim, the most northern part of the country, and that he was currently living in Midgar for work and school. Other than that, Cloud didn't reveal much about himself, but he'd be a liar if he said he didn't secretly look forwards to their visits.
It was the day before the festival, and the street where the Information Station was located on was shut down for preparations, so Cloud's boss suggested he take the day off since nobody would be going there with all the construction going on around anyway. Grateful, Cloud had accepted.
He slept in for about two hours, waking up at nine and lounging around in his flat for a bit, having a late breakfast before visiting Tifa at Seventh Heaven and dropping by the Areith's flower shop to admire all the arrangements and displays they'd made for the festival. At around three, he left and decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back home. The October air was chilly but the sunlight warmed his back as Cloud tugged his new grey jacket closer around him and wound his matching tan scarf around his neck. He walked down Main Street, looking around to see if there was anyplace he'd like to eat. To his surprise, located at the end of the road was none other than Buster's Café.
Cloud smiled to himself, remembering looking up the coffee shop for Zack, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth. Crossing the street, he made his way over to the little store. Inside, it was warm and smelled wonderfully of baked goods and freshly brewed coffee. The tables were pretty filled, save for a booth in the far corner of the shop next to two men who were both deeply immersed in their work, a toppling pile of books hiding them from view. Cloud slid into the booth and loosened his scarf. Picking up a menu, he flipped idly through it while catching tidbits of the conversation of the two men working next to him.
"I fixed the shipment listing, check it again for me, will you?"
There was the sound of a piece of paper being slid across the table.
"For goodness's sake, Gen, why can't you write neater? The 'G' in G&S looks pitifully like a 'Q' or something."
"What? Ugh, stop pining over my handwriting, Seph. It's not so bad."
"Fix it."
"UGH, no way."
"Do it!"
"Screw you."
"Hn, tonight, then? How about we call 'Geal and the puppy over as well?" there was a note of seduction there.
The other scoffed loudly. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not going to be getting any for a long, long time if you keep this up."
A chuckle. "We'll see."
Cloud hummed to himself. So those two men were the owners of the bookstore G&S that he looked up for Genesis and Sephiroth. And from what he just heard— Cloud blushed at this— the two of them seemed to be in a rather complicated relationship with two others as well…probably male. Cloud turned the page over. Strangely enough, those voices sounded familiar. Where had he heard them?
Then, another voice came. And this one, Cloud recognized immediately.
"Genesis! I have your apple pie!" Zackary Fair bounded over to the table where the two men were working at, and, at this point, Cloud didn't know what shocked him most; seeing Zack Fair carrying a slice of pie on a tray, dressed in a Buster's Café uniform, or Sephiroth and Genesis Rhapsodos finally emerging from behind the pile of books where Cloud realized the owners of the bookstore G&S were working. G&S. Genesis and Sephitorth.
...Fuck.
When Angeal came over with a cup of coffee and lightly kissed Sephiroth on the cheek before setting it down on the table, Cloud swore his heart stopped beating for a moment.
"How's work?" Angeal asked softly, leaning over Sephiroth the look at the papers scattered all over the table. Sephiroth took off his dark-rimmed reading glasses and smoothed his long hair back into a loose braid.
"Genesis can't write."
The redhead immediately popped up, looking indignant and also whipped off a pair of frameless glasses. "If you think it's so horrible, write it yourself!" He pouted angrily and stabbed his pie with his fork. Zack laughed and started to massage Genesis' shoulders.
"You shouldn't be so tense, Gen. You'll get wrinkles." Zack teased. Genesis huffed, but Cloud caught a glimpse of a fleeting, gentle smile on his lips. His head was starting to hurt. He couldn't believe it.
They'd lied to him? Why on earth would Zack and Angeal be interested in looking for coffee shops when they worked at one? Why would Genesis and Sephiroth ask for bookstore recommendations when they owned one? Cloud could feel frustrated tears prickling his eyes. He honestly thought they were interested in touring the city, even if they seemed more interested in Cloud most of the time. He felt like a moron. The lived in this blasted place! No wonder they never revealed their backgrounds. And to find that all four of them were dating like this…Cloud's heart felt like knives were driving in to it. He felt so. Utterly. Stupid.
"Oh, hang on Gen-Gen, there's a customer. I'll be right back." Cloud's brain registered footsteps headed his way and before he could make a quick escape, Zack stopped right next to him at the table, beaming, "Welcome to Buster's Café! May I take your order?"
Cloud pushed the menu away from him and stood up, facing Zack, whose eyes widened in shock when he recognized the blonde.
"No." Cloud said heatedly, pushing past the raven, but he didn't even go two steps when Zack grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards Genesis and Sephiroth's table.
"Let go!" Cloud said harshly, trying to yank his arm away. Zack held on.
"Wait, Cloudy, let me explain—"
"I don't want you to explain! It's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?" Cloud said, glaring up into Zack's face and then to the rest of them even though he knew his eyes were watering. Genesis looked stunned, Sephiroth's eyebrows were furrowed and even Angeal's normally stoic appearance was replaced by one of confusion…and distress?
"What do you mean?" Zack asked, confused as well.
Cloud ducked his head, unable to hold his gaze any longer. "I know being an informant isn't a fascinating job, not like owning a bookstore or working in a popular café would be, but you—you didn't have to make fun of me about it, you know? Why they hell would you need directions to Buster's Café when you work here? Why do you need recommendations for literature when you own the freaking store?" His voice was breaking down now, tears running down his face, and Cloud wanted to vaporize on the spot .
"Don't fool around with me!"
"Cloud—Cloud, please, let me explain, this isn't—" Zack started to say, but when he caught sight of the tears on Cloud's face his voice faltered. Cloud jerked his arm out of Zack's limp grasp. He tried to glare at the others, but he could barely see straight anymore. "Don't come back again."
With those words, Cloud ran from Buster's Café, cursing his own stupidity.
-line break-
The fireworks whistled as it shot into the air again, before exploding in a shower of red, white and gold sparks across the inky night sky. The crowd "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" appreciatively, children laughing and pointing and adults clapped their hands. Cloud sat in the corner of the Information Station, huddled in a thick sweater on top of his uniform. His boss had asked him to keep the shop open until eight, seeing as there were so many people in the area and it wouldn't hurt to try for business tonight, and then Cloud would be free to enjoy the festival himself for the rest of the night. Not that Cloud was enjoying anything to begin with anyway.
He'd went home yesterday, practically burning with anger, embarrassment, and hurt after his encounter with Zack, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth at Buster's Café. He almost cried himself to sleep, but stubbornness against manly tears took over and the blonde had stayed up until three with a bucket of ice cream tucked under one arm in front of the television watching anime and late night cooking shows.
And today, he was back to his apathetic ways of life.
The shop lit up once more as another firework punched the air and scattered into bluish sparkles against the sky. Cloud sighed and closed his book, rubbing his tired eyes. He wasn't concentrating on anything, anyway. Reading only made him look busy so he could avoid as much eye contact as he could with the few customers that came in to buy Autumn Festival accessories and souvenirs. Cloud shoved the book back under the desk, powered down the computer and flipped the "Closed" sign over the door. He turned off most of the lights in the shop, ducked in the bathroom to wash his face, then grabbed his cell phone and keys off the counter before turning off the remaining set of lights in the back and stepping outside.
The noise was deafening. The fireworks were loud enough as they were, and the crowd cheering and screaming as the parade marched across made everything ten times louder. Cloud locked the door and pocketed his keys, shielding his gaze as another round of sparklers went soaring up into the sky. Tucking his hands into his sweater, he sighed and made his way through the packed streets.
It was way too early to go home, and with all the noise out, he wouldn't be able to listen to his television anyway. Sleeping was also out of the question, even with the blinds drawn, he know it wouldn't be able to block out all the lights of the fireworks. Cloud wandered along the streets behind the crowds, munching on a spicy chicken skewer he brought at the street vendor. It wasn't so bad, actually, he thought, peering around the other stands. He could actually have a little fun here at the festival.
And I sure as hell deserve it, Cloud grumbled inwardly, noticing a large crowd gathered around a particular stand. Curious, he walked over to see what was being sold. A tall redhead in front of him moved out of the way with a funny bald man wearing sunglasses, and Cloud froze almost immediately.
Zack Fair was standing by the stand, smiling and passing out cups of steaming coffee to the bundled up passer-bys. Next to him, Angeal was cutting and handing out slices of apple pie on small plastic plates. When another girl in front of him moved, Cloud saw Sephiroth and Genesis sitting in plastic folding chairs next to the stand, Sephiroth casually drinking tea and Genesis idly flipping through a red leather-bound book.
And then Cloud realized that he was in full view of the four men.
Frantic, the blonde tried to turn away, but in his haste, accidentally bumped into a short girl holding a bowl of fried corn chips.
"Wahhhhh!" she cried as the snack spilled over her cropped tank top, loud enough to wake the dead. Cloud staggered back, terrified. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, excuse me—"
"Vincent!" the girl whined to a tall, long haired man standing in the back that Cloud hadn't even noticed. "My corn chips spilled! I want a new one!" She pouted and tugged on the man's arm. Vincent stared at Cloud's frantic expression and drew the short girl away, mumbling, "Don't scare the man, Yuffie.", but the damage was done. Cloud was almost frightened to turn around to check Buster's Café's stand. He did anyway.
Zack was staring, open-mouthed, at him, the coffee spilling over the side of the cup. Genesis and Sephrioth now both sat upright in their chairs, Genesis shutting his book with a snap. Cloud gulped and did what any logical person would do: run.
He was dimly aware of the flurry of movement behind him and Zack's voice yelling "Cloud! Wait!" as he ducked around a group of laughing teens and bolted up the street, pushing through people with hasty excuse me's and sorry's. As much of an athlete as Cloud was (national track winner—for two years!) his legs were, sadly, still rather short in comparison to a certain silverette's. And so, as Cloud attempted to run into a smaller, less crowded street, he felt a pair of long, powerful arms wrap around his waist and practically lift him off the floor.
"Let me go!" Cloud cried, squirming in embarrassment and panic. Sephiroth was holding him up, for Gaia's sake! The arms squeezed comfortingly, and long strands of soft silver hair tickled his cheeks as Sephiroth leaned in, whispering, "Shh, Cloud, it's okay."
He felt himself being hauled into another's arms, and Cloud almost had a heart attack when he found himself looking into Angeal's face. He hid his face, silently admitting defeat. There was no way he'd be able to leave until these four said he could go. He heard Genesis say something, the sound of keys, and then he and everyone else were inside of a dimly lit bookstore. Cloud's heart raced and he unconsciously curled into Angeal's hold. The tall man raised an eyebrow, but gently tightened his hold on the blonde in a small attempt to give him comfort. Sephiroth pulled a chair over, and Angeal set Cloud down on it.
"Are you okay?" Sephiroth asked quietly, crouching down and reaching out to touch Cloud's face. The blonde jerked back, refusing to make eye contact.
"I don't know, how do you usually feel when you're talking to people who you know lied to you?" Cloud hated to be sarcastic and mean, but he was too angry to care. Sephiroth dropped his hand, looking sadly up at Cloud from his position on the floor. Zack hurried forwards, kneeling in front of Cloud as well.
"Cloudy, please, we're really, really sorry. We weren't trying to hurt your feelings, I swear. We only wanted to get to know you better and spend more time with you at your store. Please don't be mad, Cloud, please."
The blonde stared at the ground, trying to avoid looking at the kicked puppy expression on Zack's face. "Why would you want to get to know me better?" he muttered, playing with the hem of his sweater. He saw Zack and Sephiroth exchange looks out of the corner of his eye, like they were agreeing on something. He didn't have to tilt his head to know that Sephiroth also glanced up at Genesis and Angeal as well.
Zack took a deep breath. "Would you believe us when we tell you that we honestly think you're the most adorable person we've ever, ever met?"
"With the most gorgeous eyes," Genesis chimed in, stretching his arm out to brush Cloud's bangs back, revealing watery, crystal clear blue orbs.
"And the most charming expressions," Angeal added.
"And the cutest personality." Sephiroth finished, taking Cloud's hand into his own. Cloud sat, completely confused, completely shocked, and utterly embarrassed.
"Y—you think I'm cute?" he stuttered, face turning red. Zack grinned and leaned forwards, bumping his forehead with Cloud's. "Yeah, Cloudy, we do. Go out with us, please?"
"I—I…" Cloud stammered, unable to form coherent words. Zack leaned in and brushed his nose slightly against Cloud's, searching for resistance in his eyes, and then finally pressed their lips together. Cloud froze, trembling slightly, and then felt Genesis' skinny arms wrap around him from behind and the redhead's soft lips kiss his neck, breathing warm air against his collarbone. Angeal's big hand covered his right hand while Sephiroth squeezed the left, both of them leaning into the embrace as well. Angeal buried his nose into Cloud's soft hair, inhaling, and Sephiroth pressed butterfly kisses along his jawline, all while Zack gently pushed his tongue past Cloud's lips and tangled with his own as Genesis moved on to nibbling on his earlobe. Finally, after much coaxing, Cloud kissed back.
Zack's hands reached up to cup his face, and Cloud gasped at the sudden warmth, jerking back to catch his breath. The younger raven blinked at him, and then a huge grin spread across his face, eyes sparkling in delight. Cloud blushed again, hiding his face out of habit, making Sephiroth tut softly and Angeal laugh. Genesis' hands came from behind him and pushed his chin up, saying sternly, "Don't hide your pretty face from us, Cloud. We want all of you, even your adorably shy expressions."
Against his will, the blonde smiled a little out embarrassment and happiness, making Zack squeal and tackle hug him.
"Eep!" Cloud yelped as the chair nearly tipped. Angeal rolled his eyes and yanked Zack off. "Share, puppy." Zack pouted. "You're such a jerk, Angeal." He said, crossing his arms. Genesis stifled a laugh and tipped Cloud's head back, kissing him upside down. Then the blonde felt himself being pulled forwards again, lips now meeting Sephiroth, and finally, his face turned to the side for Angeal to give him a quick peck as well.
"Are we forgiven, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, cupping Cloud's face. The blonde sighed a little, smiling sweetly at his four boyfriends now. "Yeah, I think so. As long as you don't hide anything stupid from me like that again."
"Deal." Zack said, shaking Cloud's hand firmly.
"We promise." Angeal agreed, ruffling his hair. "Would you like to come to the festival with us? It could be our first date."
Cloud smiled again, corners of his eyes scrunching up cutely. "I'd love to. And for your information, I happen to know the best café and bookstore around. Why don't we start there?"
It was the start of a beautiful relationship…
Or rather, more or less Cloud finding himself being moved into a new apartment, being tackle glomped by Zack, getting fat on Angeal's delicious pies for desert every other day, have Genesis cuddle and read Loveless to him every night, Sephiroth now dropping him to class and work in the mornings and afternoon and being spoiled and adored and overprotected by his four amazing boyfriends…
…but still. It really was beautiful.
End
Wow, I'm done. Banzai! I actually like how the ending worked out. I had no problem writing their meeting, interaction and angsty scenes, but I couldn't, for the life of me, write up a cute ending. Hope this solves the problem.
Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated.
-BlackStar