A Very Choir Halloween

by Amarissia

In Midgar, the Choir is celebrating Harvest, and none are more excited than Cloud. But where has the boy run off to, again? A Halloween celebration with Amarissia's beloved muses.

Greetings and a blessed Samhain to you all. Yes, I know, I've been the opposite of prolific lately, but I do plan on continuing to write. I have a Takumi-kun/DaiMao fic I will not abandon, and if there's any interest, I will revive the Gen/Angeal/Zack vampire smutfic, despite Choir!Zack's objection.

Here I have a not-great Choir fic to celebrate my favorite holiday. I hold it out in hopes that the FFVII fandom has not disappeared. I'm sure the remake (hell fucking yes thank you finally) will give us a jolt of life, and I'd be very happy to get back to weaving Zangeal stories that all essentially have the same plot. I never claimed to be original.

Nomura-sama owns the eye candy, I own their Choir personalities. No infringement intended, just a little holiday fun. Rated R for sexual situations.

A VERY CHOIR HALLOWEEN: OR HOW THE MUSES LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND EAT THE CRUMBLE

"So, as the sun began to rise on the day of Harvest Eve, the farmers rose even earlier than usual, in a hurry to start gathering in the crops before the weather shifted from the fading summer to the autumn cold. They knew that the wheat and corn, and especially the berries, should be left on the plants as long as possible to soak in all the summer heat and sun they could, but picked before the first bite of winter's cold. A farmer's family and livelihood and reputation depended upon having fully mature, flavorful, and unspoiled crops to take to market.

"On this long-ago day, a farmer named Jack was having one trouble after another. His wife, bored with housework and irritable in summer weather, nagged him incessantly with one trivial thing after another. Their son Jack Junior was lazy and had to be told constantly to attend to his chores. Their beloved little daughter Sara was frail and often ill, and the cold weather inching closer always made her worse. Despite these distractions, Jack went through the motions of the day.

"He, Jack Jr., and the field hands worked hard stripping the stalks, the bushes, the trees, filling the insulated barn with bushels of wheat, corn, and various berries while the wife and Sara cleaned the farmhouse for luck in the coming season, and cooked the traditional Harvest foods. As always, it felt like there were not enough hours in the day, but Jack and his people only needed two hours of torchlight to finish.

"The barn finally full and the plants picked clean, the men went into the house to a table piled high with roasted birds, creamy potatoes, fresh bread and harvest cakes, fried vegetables, and berry crumble. The family ate and laughed with relief and told familiar stories until the plates were empty. When the candles were nearly burned out, all bade each other good night and went to their welcome beds. It was tradition that working men need not rise at all the actual Harvest Day if they've worked the Eve, and Jack was looking forward to the one day of the year he could sleep as late as he liked.

"Under a woolen blanket, finally comfortable, Jack ignored his wife's mumbled complaints and crept toward sleep until she poked him hard.

"'What, woman?'

"'I said, did you leave the five-berry offering?'

"Jack froze. It was custom to leave out a bowl of the five traditional Harvest berries to Ofuyu, the king of winter, to ensure survival through the cold season. Berries were brought from all over Gaia through trade routes of land and sea to ensure even the most isolated growers had some of all five to make the offering. It was a simple gesture, no more than a small wooden bowl left at the barn door. But Jack had forgotten.

"'I'll do it in the morning.'

"'You know it must be done tonight!'

"'Then you do it.'

"'It has to be the head of the house, you know that!'

"'Woman, give me peace! It's only an old hen's tale.'

"No matter how she implored, Jack would not stir. He was exhausted enough to fall asleep despite her piteous crying. For a while, Jack slept peacefully for a few hours, but then he fell into troubling dreams of his children going missing, of finding his barn empty, of his precious fields as bare as a winter meadow. Finally, Jack woke, finding the house still, and when he checked, everyone was slumbering peacefully.

"Thinking there might still be time before midnight, Jack hastily put a handful each of the five Harvest berries into a bowl and strode out to the barn. In his haste to get outside, Jack shoved a lit candle not into a lantern, but a festively-carved summer squash his daughter had made.

"The moon, bright and full, and the makeshift lamp gave Jack enough light to get to the barn, where he found a sight that chilled his sleep-warm blood. Facing the closed barn door was a silvery, ethereal, half-transparent figure, with the face of a beautiful young man that turned to Jack with an amused smirk.

"'Jack o' the strange lantern,' a silky voice sang on the night wind, 'you neglected the offering.'

"'Lord Ofuyu,' Jack stammered, 'forgive me, I have it right – '

"'Twelve o'clock has come and gone, Jack. Tradition says I may take your entire harvest…or your children.'

"The poor farmer fell to his knees, scattering some of the berries. 'My lord, I beg of you, do neither. Take my soul, take me instead! I'll do anything!'

"'Well…you're not the first tonight who forgot. I've taken enough harvests and souls for one season, I suppose.'

"'My lord, I thank you – '

"'Not so fast,' the silken voice murmured. 'I fancy making a deal. For my part, I'll leave your harvest, bless your farm, and guarantee your unwell daughter will live to adulthood. In return, you will be my warning to all the others. You will wander every Harvest Eve immortally, collecting offerings for me, with only your charming squash lantern to light your way. You will not join the Lifestream for a thousand years or more. Do you accept?'

"What could the man do? What could any good father do? Jack accepted, and at once felt his mortal body fall away until he was a spirit being like Ofuyu, and he began the task of gathering berry offerings from his neighbors' farms, and from strangers'. His family never knew what happened to Jack, but after his father's disappearance, Jack Jr. took over the farm and it became the most prosperous in the area. Sara's illness vanished overnight, and she grew up and married into a rich family.

"Jack himself was bound to Ofuyu's assigned task, and his story would have been lost had he not been able to tell his story to a wise old woman who could talk to spirits. It was she who began the tradition of carving and lighting squashes and putting them outside to help him on his way as he makes his rounds. We do this to show kindness to a man who has long been punished for a small mistake."

Angeal finished the story and directed his usual paternal smile to his audience, an angelic teenage boy with a head of blond spikes and clear-sky blue eyes. Cloud scrambled off his cushion and plopped onto Angeal's lap, where he was welcomed with a laugh.

"I love this story! But it's so sad…"

"Don't be sad, little one. Jack didn't regret his decision, and one day Ofuyu will release him. And it's not in the story, but Jack gets a portion of all the berries left out. I made sure to put out the nicest ones we picked and bought."

"Thank you, Angeal," Cloud said happily, and placed a wet kiss on the chuckling man's cheek.

"No stealing my fiancé, Cloudy," a voice called from the kitchen, "or you can empty out this squash yourself."

"I won't! Do you need help, Zack?"

"Nah, I'm good. Don't worry, I'm leaving the fun part for you."

"Yay!"

Cloud slid down Angeal's muscular legs to the floor as though the limbs were a slide, and the commander picked him up and spun him a few times. Dizzily, the blond boy almost collided with Zack, who came out of the kitchen drying his hands on a checkered dish towel.

"Whoa, no knives until you're steady on your feet again, Spiky. Seph'll have my head if you cut yourself."

Cloud responded by picking Zack up quite easily and spinning him. It was always a little startling for them to see Cloud's strength, but he was after all the only one who could defeat Sephiroth (and occasionally had to on the rare occasions Jenova took him over), but at only a year older, 17-year-old Zack was hardly bigger or taller than Cloud. The elder boy was also pretty in a deceptively doll-like way, though his spikes were a silky black and his eyes a much paler blue.

Cloud gleefully steadied his now-dizzy best friend. "Don't worry, Angeal will catch you if you fall."

"Always," the commander confirmed, eyeing his young fiancé with his usual adoration.

"Sap," Zack laughed, tossing the towel which Angeal caught. "Berries are all washed for your…what is it again?"

"Jumble-berry crumble. Thank you, Puppy."

"I can't wait to try it," Cloud exclaimed. "Will you make it every Harvest?"

"I suppose so, if we continue to celebrate Harvest."

"We've got to! Ammy-chan says in her world, everyone trick-or-treats like I'm gonna!"

"Let's not mention the crazy lady," Zack said with a grimace. "She's left us alone so long, I'm hoping it's permanent."

Angeal shrugged, looking good-natured as always. "She's gotten busy with work and those Japanese actors Genesis drools over."

"She says she wants to finish the vampire fic, though," Cloud volunteered.

Zack shuddered. "Then she better not need our help. No way am I letting Genesis bite me."

"But you told him to bite you yesterday," the blond boy said innocently.

"Yeah, but I meant – "

The apartment door crashed open, rattling the wall's many picture frames. Genesis always did like to make a dramatic entrance, and he was resplendent in an elegant silk suit and cape, all in blood-red and black. His auburn hair was streaked with expertly-done black highlights, and his canine teeth, when he smiled, were revealed to have been professionally sharpened into fangs.

"I knew you'd be speechless," the 1st said airily, striking a slinky pose and smoothing his perfect hair. "But it's just something I threw together."

"Threw together? Gaia, Gen, did you permanently alter your teeth just for a costume?"

"Didn't I tell you, 'Gealy? I've been planning to do it for ages. I'm just trying to be a good muse. You should get yours done too."

Wearily, Angeal rubbed his forehead. "You're insane. And no, what if I hurt Zack with teeth like that?"

"Does that mean I can't bite him?" Genesis asked with a pout.

"Try, please," Zack growled. "I'd love to thrash the little bit of you Angeal would leave intact."

Genesis hmphed while adjusting his collar. "So uncooperative, no wonder we see so little of Ammy-chan."

"I like your costume, Gen!"

"It's more of a lifestyle choice, but thank you, doll."

"I'm gonna put mine on!"

Cloud dashed to the bedroom, and though his movement ruffled Genesis's hair, the elder merely smiled. Like everyone on the ShinRa Compound, he was immensely fond of the young honorary SOLDIER, and it was partly due to Genesis's cajoling and threats that most of the 1st and 2nd Class had candy ready for ShinRa's first trick-or-treating. Wisely fearful of Sephiroth, Genesis had long since given up on Cloud as a potential conquest and instead treated him like a treasured doll. Less scared of his life-long best friend, though, Genesis still held a hope of getting to sample Zack.

"Stop staring at me, weirdo."

"I'm trying to hypnotize you."

"Don't provoke Zack, Genesis. Mother sent me some Banora Whites, you want one?"

The elder SOLDIER accepted a purple-tinged apple, one of his true weaknesses. "You two really aren't dressing up? Such sticks-in-the-mud you are. I have plenty to spare, you know. I was just in my costume closet an hour ago, organizing."

"You've never been in the closet," Zack grumbled.

"I didn't come out till I was five, actually. My first meeting with Seph…awakened me, let's say."

"When he was a toddler?"

"Clearly you haven't seen pictures of Seph as a child. Like the single-most fuckable porcelain doll ever."

"Excuse me, I'm gonna go vomit."

As Zack left, Genesis pouted again at his best friend. "I'm never gonna win the cub over, am I?"

"It might help if you stop aggravating him."

"You know me, 'Gealy. I can't think logically when I'm lusting."

Angeal sighed. "Gen, I love you, but that is my heart and soul and fiancé you're talking about."

"It's not like I want to hurt it, I just want to play with it a little."

"Use pronouns, Gen, and no chance."

"What if I promise not to penetrate?"

Angeal's next threat was preempted by Cloud dashing out of the bedroom, a blur of yellow cloth and feathers. The boy bounced excitedly, clearly thrilled about his costume that Sephiroth had commissioned from the best seamstress in Midgar, taking special care to ensure the outfit was warm, comfortable, and easy to move in. Not that he expected any trouble within the safety of the Compound, but Sephiroth was notoriously protective of his personal assistant/soul mate.

"Isn't it awesome?"

"You look adorable, precious," Genesis cooed, then turned to speak to Angeal through clenched teeth. "Instructor Zane?"

"Seph sent him to Costa del Sol for the week. His therapy group is having a conference/break from their triggers."

"Thank Gaia."

Zack returned from the bathroom and beamed at his best friend. "Spiky, you look awesome."

"I look like a real chocobo! Just like Rethira-chan's!"

"Done vomiting, cub? Knowing Amarissia as I do, which is to say better than the rest of you, you might want to take a pregnancy test."

Zack glared at Genesis.

"You're proving my earlier point, Gen," Angeal sighed. "Zack's not going to warm up to you if you're constantly angering him."

"Sorry. His eyes are just so pretty when his feathers are ruffled."

"I have feathers!" Cloud said happily, twirling around with glee. The apartment's entrance door opened, and the boy beamed brighter. "Seph, look at me!"

The almost-too-flawless-to-believe SOLDIER general smiled with beautiful, genuine happiness at the sight of his beloved. He gave his comrades a brief nod of acknowledgment, and went to Cloud to give him a long kiss.

"You look like a real chocobo, Cloudy. Are you pleased with the costume?"

"It's the bestest!" Cloud clung to his boyfriend as he always did, as though he never wanted to let go. "Like you!"

Sephiroth, never intimate except with Cloud, breathed in the fresh-air scent of the boy's hair, and sighed as though the smell calmed him, which it did. "Excellent."

"Is it time to trick-or-treat yet?"

"No, baby, not till dark. Do you wish to remove your costume until then?"

"Nope, it's super-comfy. Do I feel super-soft and squishy and feathery?"

"You do. It's strangely pleasant."

Zack grinned. "Don't start thinking like Zane there, Seph."

"I assure you, I feel no attraction to real chocobos." The general watched with a smile Cloud, who was now twirling to make his feathers flutter. They were real chocobo feathers, because Sephiroth, wealthy from his successful career, spared no expense for those he loved.

Genesis pouted, as he always did when not the center of attention. "Not going to say anything about my costume, Seph?"

The hero briefly studied it. "It suits you. You are a quite believable vampire."

"And?"

"Very handsome."

"I was hoping for 'incredibly fuckable,' but thanks," the redhead said dramatically. "How come you're being a spoil-sport and not dressing up?"

"The president wishes me to be immediately recognizable as a discouragement to any who intend to commit acts of vandalism."

"Just because a few cadets toilet-papered a few trees last year? Gaia. Although I can't think of any costume that could possibly improve your appearance," Genesis said, with a little leering. Sephiroth, so used to being called beautiful that it didn't affect him at all, gave his friend a neutral, blank look.

Angeal spoke up. "Cloud, do you still want to help me with the crumble?"

Still in costume, Cloud darted to the kitchen and watched intently as Angeal demonstrated how to combine the almond flour, butter, and spices for the crumble topping. The boy freed his arms from the costume, washed his hand, and mixed the rest. Angeal added a few more berries to the dish, and stopped Cloud when he moved in with the topping.

"One moment, Cloud. Do you remember what berries we're using?"

"Um, I think so."

"Tell me."

The boy pointed to a very plump, dark red one. "Loji berries, right?"

"Very good. Sweet-tasting, grown in all temperate-climate areas. What's this one?" Angeal asked, indicating a wrinkly black berry.

Cloud squinted, then his porcelain face brightened. "Dogo berries!"

"Correct. Native to Wutai, slightly sour, grown in hedge bushes. What about this pink, squash-shaped berry? They're sweet and most often used in wine."

"Hmm…"

"Here's a hint – the farmer in the story."

"Right! Jack berries!"

"Also known as parapas, very good."

Cloud pointed to a vibrant purple, fat and juicy-looking sphere. "Sila berries! They come from Mideel, right?"

"Very good. Tart with a sweet aftertaste. And the last one?"

Cloud frowned at it, a very smooth, round, orange berry. "Oh, I always forget this one."

"It's from Gongaga. Maybe Zack will help you."

Zack, who had just come into the kitchen to place mail in a hanging basket, laughingly found his best friend pouncing excitedly on him. "Did you forget the berry name again, Spiky?"

"Give me a hint!"

"It grows on a tree that has great vines for swinging."

"Umm…"

"Some are sweet, some tart. The word for both the berry and the tree is colloquial Gongagan for 'uncertain.'"

Cloud pouted cutely, then grinned when Zack whispered in his ear. "Liwata! Liwata!"

"Good job, little one," Angeal laughed. "I'll show you how the topping goes on, and we'll start baking it."

Cloud happily helped Angeal spoon the rough, sweet rubble over the colorful circular baking dish, and squirmed with anticipation as the commander carefully placed it into the oven.

"How long does it need to cook?"

"About 20 minutes, but then it needs to cool a bit."

"And we get to eat it with whipped cream, right?"

"It's in the fridge and waiting for us." Angeal chuckled. "Between that and the candy, I hope you remember to brush your teeth before bed."

"Don't worry, Seph always makes sure I do!" Cloud flashed a smile of perfect white teeth. "And Gen says I can have his candy, 'cause he doesn't want to gain weight."

"Good Gaia," Zack groaned as he finished sorting the mail. "You'll be sugar-high for weeks."

"I'm gonna share with everyone! Even Seph, even though candy makes him sleepy." Cloud's eyes always glowed with joy when he talked about the partner he worshipped.

"Let me get my camera," Angeal said. "I want to get some shots of you in costume, Cloudy."

"Yay!"

Genesis, drawn like a magnet to photo opportunities, wandered in and began posing. Zack refused his request to take part in an about-to-bite posture, but Angeal took several shots of Cloud and Genesis both alone and together; Genesis made no attempt to seduce, and instead wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders and flashed the most wholesome smile he could manage. Then Genesis practiced the trick-or-treat dialogue with Cloud to make sure the younger remembered to say thank-you.

Meanwhile Angeal, something of a photography addict, had turned the camera on his young fiancé, who was used to being photographed even while doing the most mundane tasks, like cleaning or folding laundry. The teenager rolled his eyes and laughed, but played along. Angeal must have thousands of photos of Zack, and had once tried to cover an entire bedroom wall with them, until Genesis pointed out that he was starting to behave like a stalker or serial killer. Since then, Angeal restrained himself to no more than ten framed Zack photos on each wall of the apartment.

"Geez, don't you get tired of seeing me through that thing?" Zack laughed, playfully tossing a dish towel onto the lens.

"Who would tire of perfection?" the broad man answered.

"Sweet-talker. Don't worry, you're getting laid tonight, just like every night."

"My famous crumble and the taste of you, my Harvest couldn't be sweeter," Angeal murmured, putting the camera down to embrace his smaller partner and kiss him.

choirchoirchoir

"Seph's going to kill me," Genesis said in a dull monotone.

Angeal, brow furrowed with worry, glanced down an empty hallway, and they continued to speed-walk. "If anything, he'll blame himself for responding to the president's summons and leaving Cloud to trick-or-treat alone with you."

"I swear, 'Gealy, I took my eye off him only a second. Hanson's little girl, the one who has a crush on me, she wanted a picture with me, and…it's not just Seph I'm worried about. I fucking love that kid."

"I know, Gen," Angeal said gently, checking another short hallway. "We all love him. Try not to worry. He's still in the Compound, it was sealed hours ago, and there's no one here who would harm him. We don't even need to worry about Zane."

"What if he wandered into the stables and some horny stallion is having its way with him? I mean, that's a little extreme even for my tastes, but who knows about Amarissia's?"

"Callahan's group checked there first. And Sephiroth will understand."

"Ha. Then why did we send Zack to tell him what happened, the only person besides Cloud Seph can't get mad at?"

"Because Zack has a calming influence on Seph. Better safe than sorry." Angeal halted in the empty hallway. "Let's be smart about this. We know Cloud, we should be able to figure out where he's gone using our brains."

Genesis roughly rubbed his forehead. "Okay. When the doll disappears, it's usually because he got an idea and got so excited about it that he forgot to tell anyone."

Angeal looked deep in thought. "When he ran off during Winter Solstice, it was to decorate a tree for you, because he had been told why you didn't have one."

"What did you tell him today that might've urged the little one off to do an act of kindness?" Genesis mused.

Angeal smiled with relief and reached for his phone. "I know where he is."

choirchoirchoir

Sephiroth's hurried-walk speed required anyone with him to run if they wanted to keep up. Zack, an athletic young SOLDIER, was able to do this, but didn't have a chance tonight, as Sephiroth was fully carrying the teenager clasped to his side as they went down the paved walkway. Either he didn't trust Zack to move fast enough, or he was worried that Zack might go missing too if not held onto. Knowing Sephiroth's complexity, the slightly annoyed boy figured it was both, and a myriad of other concerns.

The garden was easy to find in the dark, as the walls that enclosed it all had lamps at the middles and the corners. Sephiroth aimed for the even better-lit door, where they found Genesis and Angeal.

"Is he here?" the general asked, an even voice betraying a hint of his vast worry.

"We'll see," Angeal said, pushing the unlocked (that was a good sign) door open.

The commander pressed a button beside the door, and all the bulbs of the garden's many lanterns switched on. SOLDIERs had good night vision, but none of them wanted to waste a moment having to let their eyes adjust. Once Angeal's garden was illuminated, it didn't take the four SOLDIERs long to spot the chocobo sitting near the far wall, beside the hedge he and Angeal had earlier picked berries from. Sephiroth dashed ahead of the others.

"Cloudy! Are you all right?"

"Uh-huh." The boy sounded a bit congested, and sniffled. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't've disappeared. Did I scare you?"

"Yes, but as long as you are all right, don't worry about it. Why did you run off to come here?"

Cloud gestured to the bowl of berries on the ground that Angeal had set out hours earlier, and a small plate beside it. "I feel bad for Jack, 'cause he has to wander all alone without a Seph or anything, so I didn't want to only leave berries for him, so I brought him a piece of Angeal's crumble. But he hasn't come yet."

Sephiroth stroked the sad-sounding boy's hair. "He won't come if anyone's watching, remember?"

"Oh…yeah."

As Genesis quietly thanked Gaia, Angeal moved toward Cloud to touch his face. "Kid, aren't you cold out here? Seph, he feels cold. We need to get him inside."

Worry creased the general's eternally-youthful face. Cloud had been exposed to mako sometime in his past, enough to make him the only one able to beat Sephiroth in a fight, though neither Cloud nor his mother knew how or when that had happened. But the boy was not altered to the point of no longer getting sick, as most SOLDIERs were, though he rarely fell ill. When he did, Sephiroth dealt with his concern by fussing over his partner, and now he quickly gathered Cloud into his arms.

Knowing Sephiroth was unused to dealing with even a simple cold, the others followed to help. As soon as they reached the spacious apartment, Sephiroth took Cloud to the bedroom to undress him and wrap blankets around him while Genesis ran a hot bath (complete with the boy's rubber duckies), and Angeal and Zack went to the kitchen. Zack grabbed every citrus fruit he could find and pulled out the juicer, and Angeal began heating up a pot of chicken broth, vegetables, noodles, and warmth-inducing spices.

"I am sorry my body does not generate heat," the general murmured to the boy he was holding.

"It's okay, I'm warm now." Cloud, whose head was tucked under the elder's chin, hugged his Seph tightly and ran his fingers through the silver hair that never tangled. "'M sorry I worried you, I won't do it again. Really this time."

"You are forgiven, and thank you." Sephiroth inhaled Cloud's scent, still needed reassurance, it seemed. "I love that you are so kind that you feel a need to do kindnesses for others. But next time, tell me and we'll do it together, all right?"

"We'll do everything together always, right?" Cloud asked before stealing a kiss.

"Forever, if that is all right with you."

"I love you more than anything," Cloud said tenderly, before sneezing, very cutely, three times.

Cloud emerged from his bath a bit sleepy, but to Sephiroth's relief, his skin was warm and he said he felt better. The makeshift family sat around the living room with a cozy blaze in the fireplace. While Genesis told stories (ones appropriate for Cloud, which was somewhat rare), Angeal dished out soup, slices of jumble-berry crumble with whipped cream, and hot chocolate, and Zack checked the candy Cloud had received. (All having come from SOLDIERs, it was no surprise that there were no suspicious pieces.)

When Cloud laid his head on Sephiroth's shoulder and closed his eyes, Angeal smiled and stood. "Gen, Puppy, we should get going. Cloud could use some sleep, I think."

The boy hugged each of his friends and kissed each on the cheek. Genesis, being mindful of his altered teeth, pressed his lips carefully to Cloud's forehead.

"Gaia bless you, doll. You scared us, but I admire your kindness. I aspire to it."

"I think you're super-kind, Gen-Gen," Cloud said sincerely.

Genesis quickly excused himself, wiping his eyes and smearing his black eyeliner. In the hallway, Angeal turned down Genesis's suggestion of a threesome for roughly the 400th time, and the elder haughtily announced he was going to visit one of the young SOLDIERs he dallied with, and the couple hurried back to their own place to get their clothes off.

For once ignoring a pile of dirty dishes, Sephiroth carried Cloud to the bedroom and gently set him down. He was surprised when Cloud opened his eyes widely and pulled the general on top of him.

"Baby, I thought you were tired."

Child!Cloud tended to disappear in the privacy of their room, and it was with a very adult lust that the boy was looking at his lover. "Not enough. I think you'll have to exhaust me."

"Anything you want."

"I want you." Cloud was slipping off his squirrel-patterned footsie pajamas. "I need you."

He was smaller than the elder, but Cloud in moods like this always seemed bigger and stronger, especially nude. He eagerly helped Sephiroth shed his own nighttime clothes, soft sleeping pants and a white T-shirt with a picture of a gray kitten on it (a gift from Cloud). The boy seemed to breathe in relief once their naked bodies were pressed together. Sephiroth took their organs in one hand and began to massage, while his groaning lover needily stroked the general's impossibly hard and toned chest, lingering often on the only soft part, the pale pink nipples.

Sephiroth liked this, and liked when Cloud bent down to gently suck on one. He soon brought the boy back up because they were both close, and he liked to watch Cloud's eyes while he came. He laid the boy down on the pillows, ignored his own erection for now, and closely observed while he brought Cloud off. He loved to see the sky-blue orbs dart around wildly, roll up to reveal cloud-white. The teenager squeezed Sephiroth's bare shoulders, writhed in a way that made Sephiroth's groin ache in anticipation, and let go, spraying the tiny stomach above him with semen.

Once Cloud opened his eyes again, they did not whisper "Come hither" so much as they shouted it. A soft, fair hand teasingly brushed Sephiroth's length, as the other grasped the elder's hip and pushed down. "Inside, inside," the young nymph begged, and smeared the proud erection with his own cooling come. Cloud hummed in relief when two slicked fingers gently began to probe him. But he also impatiently thrust to meet them, rolling his hips in a seductive manner that Sephiroth couldn't resist.

He lifted Cloud's legs and wrapped them around himself. He entered slowly, as he was big, though not inhumanly so, and when fully in savored the feeling of being as close to Cloud as he possibly could be. Sometimes Cloud would rhythmically tighten and loosen his insides to drive the general into a frenzy of thrusting, but it seemed on this night it was a slow fuck Cloud wanted.

The boy smiled contentedly at the face above his, stroked the smooth marble cheek, sighed as his palm was kissed reverently. "I love you, Seph."

"I love you, my Cloud."

Sephiroth began to move, slow but with force and purpose, targeting the prostate with his usual deadly accuracy. Cloud cried out with pleasure, slammed his hips up to meet each thrust and he was again as hard as the rod pulsing inside him. Sephiroth's silver hair fell around the boy like curtains spun from moonlight, and as usual, the feel of silken strands brushing him heightened Cloud's arousal. For both of them, fucking felt like an ascent to the heavens, culminating in a fiercely exciting, rapturous fall. They came together, a tangle of firing neurons and spasming muscles, and Sephiroth fell to Cloud's side and drew him close.

"Poor Jack," Cloud whispered.

"Baby?"

"He doesn't have a Seph. It's so sad that not everyone does."

The general smiled faintly. "There is someone meant for everyone, Cloudy. Jack will find his. Or maybe he already has and we merely have not heard about it. Maybe they spend every day except Harvest together, as happy as we are."

"Can I believe that, Seph? It makes me happy."

"I will believe it with you." Sephiroth nuzzled the soft blond spikes. "Happy Harvest, baby."

"Happy Harvest, everyone," Cloud breathed out, before surrendering to sleep.

THE END

Not great, but it was a bit of a rush to get it done and posted. I hope it was a pleasant diversion. Happy New Year, puppets, from Amarissia and the Choir.