disclaimer: I own nothing except for the idea of this story.

Forgive me, Cloud may be a bit OoC.

Enjoy though. C:

Sweeter Than Cake

The sound of pots and pans clanging together woke Cloud up with a scare. He jolted off the bed, falling with a loud thump and groaned painfully, rubbing his head. What the hell...?

The tired twenty one year old heaved a heavy sigh and stood up, walking towards the door to check what was going on. He went into the kitchen, still dazed from sleep but saw Aerith clearly at the kitchen counter hugging something to her body. Again, the exhausted boy sighed heavily and rubbed his face, obviously annoyed by his early wake.

"Aerith... What are you doing?" His words came out tiredly with an irritated tone hidden underneath.

The young brunette detected her boyfriend's tone and cheerfully greeted him despite the fact. "Good morning Cloud!" She grinned widely at him as he plopped onto one of the chairs at the counter and buried his face in his hands. "I'm making a cake..." She saw Cloud's brows twitch up at the sound of his favourite dessert and then blue eyes peeked through the spaces between his fingers, looking at Aerith in interest. She smiled slyly at the boy and waved her wooden spoon at him,

"Too bad, it's not for you." She stuck her tongue out and tapped his hand lightly with the spoon. A glob of cake mixture slid down from his knuckle and he quickly licked it off, sticking his tongue out in disgust after the sticky cream touched his tongue. "Ew..." He saw Aerith's eyes widen in shock and lightly laughed, sticking his tongue out like she had before. "Just kidding." She glared at him mockingly and shook her head, continuing to stir the mixture.

Cloud propped his elbows on the table and rested his face in the palms of his hand, watching her amusedly. He yawned after awhile, feeling sleep coming back to him, and took on a lazy expression.

"Hmm... I'm bored..." Sighing lazily, he slouched down onto the counter and watched as Aerith broke two more eggs and poured it into the batter. She threw the egg shells into the garbage can and wiped off her hands, "why don't you go back to bed then? You look tired." She suggested, looking at him with gentle care that her eyes always seemed to hold.

Cloud quickly shook his head and suddenly stood up, walking up to the other side of the counter where Aerith stood. Standing behind her, he slid his arms around her waist and held her close, not bothering that she was busy stirring. He received a sudden yelp from the girl and heard the bowl drop onto the counter with a clatter. He felt Aerith wriggle under his hold, trying to get loose but he tightened his arms around her.

"Cloud! What are you doing?!" She questioned heatedly, trying to get free from his hold.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and leaned on her cheek, the soft spikes of his blond hair lightly tickled her, making her lips curl up undesirably.

"Only if you go with me..." His tone was amative, which was quite surprising but Aerith didn't catch it and he received a quizzical, "Huh?" in response. He shook his head against her cheek receiving a small giggle from her and chuckled along. "To bed. I'll only go back to bed, if you go with me."

His lips curled up coyly and he began planting soft butterfly kisses along her jaw line and slowly down her neck. A small moan escaped through her amused lips but she controlled herself and turned her head, blocking Cloud's path. He looked up at her sullenly with his azure eyes and found a pair of verdant eyes glaring back at him.

"Cloud... I have to finish this cake!"

Feeling his hold loosen around her, she grabbed his arms and peeled it off her waist. Cloud sighed but Aerith ignored it and grabbed the bowl and wooden spoon before continuing to mix it, like she had before. Cloud reoccupied the seat at the counter and resumed watching Aerith work on the cake. Resting his face in his hands again, he closed his eyes to think and suddenly, a questioned popped up in his head. Opening his eyes, he looked at Aerith, who was now pouring the batter into a pan, and raised a questioning brow at her.

"By the way... What's the cake for?"

The brunette looked up from her hard work and picked it up, opened the oven door, and popped it inside. Closing it now, she turned around and brushed her hands off, feeling accomplished for finishing the cake. Aerith took a stool from the wall and pulled it to the counter, she took a seat across from Cloud and mimicked his position; elbows propped and face resting in her palms. She smiled at him teasingly and finally answered his question.

"It's for Nanaki."

Cloud stared at her dumbly and shook his head in disbelief. "You made a cake... for a dog?" Again, he raised his brow at her and gaped his mouth slightly. Aerith stared at him, feeling slightly insulted, and scoffed, defending thei—no, her friend. "He's not a dog..." She paused, knowing that Nanaki was actually a dog and quickly recovered herself with a stupid come-back.

"He's a flame-retardant dog." She smiled at him sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head.

Cloud rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. "Do dogs even eat cake?" He asked her with slight sarcasm. Aerith stuck her tongue out again and stood up, walking towards the fridge. Cloud watched her from his seat and suddenly straightened his posture, excitedly, when he saw her pull out another cake from the fridge, baked and already iced with white, sugary sweetness. Aerith came back to the counter, setting the cake down and looked at Cloud, "You tell me."

She smiled slyly and sat back down as Cloud laughed dryly at her answer, eying the cake hungrily. Aerith pulled out a fork from the drawer and tore off the saran wrap that was protecting the cake. She gently slid the fork into the soft layers of the baked good and pulled out a large chunk with a ton of icing on the outside. She slowly offered the fork to Cloud, watching him amusedly as he opened his mouth, eager to eat the cake. Just as he was about to devour the piece of cake, Aerith quickly drew the fork back and popped it into her own mouth, the taste of soft bread and sweet cream instantly invaded her taste buds. She squealed at how delicious it tasted and teased Cloud, as he was glaring at her for stealing his chance of tasting a sweet and yummy delicacy.

Aerith giggled at him and pierced the cake once again, pulling out another chunk. She offered it to Cloud for real this time. He just stared at her suspiciously, so she waved the fork in front of him. "Here. I promise, I won't eat it again."

Cloud looked at Aerith and then at the fork. Frustrated, she waved the fork at him again urging him to take the bite but was stopped when his hand grabbed hers and the sound of the plate being pushed aside was heard.

Cloud leaned across the table, cupping his free hand over Aerith's cheek and pulled her into him, gently kissing off a dollop of cream that was unknowingly clinging to the corner of her lips. She gasped as his tongue slid smoothly over her skin, and was about to protest but his lips had already silenced her with a soft, chaste kiss.

He finally pulled away, leaving her wanting for more but before she could lean in again, he had already blocked the path to his lips with the fork in her hand. Cloud encased the fork with his mouth and pulled the cake off, chewing it thoughtfully. He swallowed and licked his lips while looking at Aerith craftily.

"Hmm..." He mused to himself, leaving Aerith puzzled. Finally, he cupped her face in his hands once again and pulled her in close, until their noses lightly touched. Cloud smiled and finally voiced his thoughts.

"Hmm... The cake is good, really good..." He gazed into her eyes, captivated by her emerald pools lovingly and could feel her cheeks heat up underneath his hands. His low chuckle filled the empty silence in the kitchen and he spoke once again.

"...But I think you're much better Aerith."

Aerith blushed, grinning brightly and grabbed his face gently in her hands. Gushing silently, she pressed her forehead against his and softly kissed the corners of her mouth before Cloud once again claimed her lips with his in a slightly more passionate kiss than before.

Even though the oven was now producing a light puff of smoke from behind them, the two continued to indulge in their affection; the kind that they both agreed to be sweeter than any cake in the world.

-

Whee, Clorith love!

author's notes: Well, that was quite amusing to write. :)
I like this story, it's very sweet like yummy-nummy cake. xD
Sorry, if Cloud was a bit out of character but wasn't he just oh-so cute?
Anyways, I'm rambling, I hope you enjoyed this story like I did.
Feedback would be nice. :) Thanks for reading!