A/N: As before, this is the edited version of the chapter. For uncut please see Ao3.

"Wark?"

Cloud's excitement peaked when they reached the farm with its large pen of Chocobos. He held himself in check, not reaching out to pet the bright-yellow birds though it was hard to draw his attention away from them. Right now he wanted to ignore them, unhappy with the species. This was the third time he had managed to attract a chocobo without meaning to. It was also the first after he made a concerted effort to ensure the chocobo lure materia was inactive and nowhere near him. His feathered admirer was sending his companion into fits of giggles as the large bird jerked its head from side to side behind him. Fits of giggles were not conducive to having sex.

They were apart from the other three. Red XIII had chosen to remain behind at the farm stating he would not be much use for capturing wild chocobo. That left four humans who split into two groups. Since they only had three chocobo lure materia between them, Aeris volunteered herself to go with Cloud. She insisted his hair would be an effective alternate lure. While Barret and Tifa set out to the West of the farm, the other two headed East. Cloud plucked at a strand of blonde hair as they walked and asked Aeris if she thought he would attract chocobos with it. She laughed at the question, telling him she did not think it was that likely. She had been more looking for a reason to get him away from their companions for a short while.

His face flushed and he almost stumbled, his mouth twitching and threatening to break into a grin. He reached out his hand to take hers before stiffening and let his arm drop back to his side. It had been a week since they left Kalm and the two had avoided spending too much time together. Not that they avoided any and all contact; that would have been suspicious all by itself. They would walk together, talk together, sit together, but try to never make it look deliberate or too comfortable. At least that was what he was doing; Aeris seemed only too eager to link arms with him. He did nothing to dissuade it and missed her touch when she let go. She did the same thing to both Barret and Tifa; this was how she was with other humans it seemed. Red XIII she delighted in patting his nose despite his half-hearted attempts to stop her.

Aeris had made no move or encouragement for another coupling since they set out and Cloud had made no attempt to seduce her. It never seemed possible due to the closeness of the group and the constant traveling together. Out here in the wilderness and well away from the others the delay made sense. The lack of privacy had concerned Aeris. As quiet as they might try to be, the sounds of moving bodies, gasps and held breaths would still be audible outside a tent. Even that privacy required both Barret and Red to be absent from his tent. Or that he could somehow get to Aeris's tent unseen and when Tifa was elsewhere. Then there would be the oh so knowing looks the next morning and assumptions about the relationship. How would the situation look to an outsider? When there was a basic physical attraction between them, but Aeris had nixed any possibility of a romance right from the start? She wanted a physical relationship, not an emotional one. Despite that he had almost reached out for her hand so many times now, wanting more physical contact. Even with the subterfuge and the delay he could not say the current arrangement was displeasing.

What magic she had she worked on him in that room in Kalm after he embarrassed himself? She had not judged his failure at pleasing her, instead she reached out to him even as he pulled away and talked to him. Speaking to her was easy, answering her questions about Mary and their time together in Costa del Sol with frank honesty. He had been so skilled that first time. Mary had been all soft skin, panting breath, encircling arms; he had left her both satisfied and begging for more. Despite his certainty the details escaped him. Her skin had been soft, but the tactile memories of her beneath his finger-tips or pressed against him were gone. He had made her pant, moan and beg, but he found himself substituting Aeris's voice in place of Mary's. He had been boastful at losing his virginity and had bragged about it. It felt mortifying to even contemplate doing that now. That trooper about her a year or two later had listened in rapt attention, the memory odd in its vividness contrasted to the others. The poor guy was always suffering motion sickness while in transit, but was a competent grunt in the field. He had been so shy around girls and had never gotten up the nerve to even talk to a single one.

He retained just enough memories of Mary to sate him during former nights. Now in the dark loneliness of the night, he relived the sights and sensations of Aeris straddling him. The sounds of her breathing, the moans that slipped from her mouth as she moved on top of him. The feel of her skin under his hands, her breasts pressed against him, the slick wetness enveloping his cock. To say his hand did not compare was an understatement. Now he was to have an opportunity again. But what to do first? Try to lure a chocobo for capture or get intimate? Aeris took the decision out of his hands by kissing him once they were well out of sight of the farmhouse. His body reacted, a fact that seemed to please her and she ground her hips into his. His hands were on her waist, and if he just reached forward a bit-

"Wark."

That had been chocobo one. It stared at the two humans as they both drew their heads apart to look back at the feathered interloper. The large yellow bird fluffed itself and continued staring.

"Cloud," Aeris said. "Did you activate the chocobo lure already?"

He shifted his arm and caught sight of the glowing sphere in his bangle. "Apparently." His brow furrowed. Was he so eager to see Chocobos he had initiated the lure while he should have only been thinking of Aeris?

She sighed. "Well," she said, dropping her arms away from him. "That's one at least. So what do you reckon? Should we let this one go, or hang on to it?"

"Well-" The chocobo interrupted by nuzzling its large, beaked head against him.

"I think she likes you."

"Seems to." Cloud reached up and ruffled the chocobo's head, the creature warbling with appreciation. "I guess we better hang onto this one. There can't be that many chocobos out here..."

Cloud deposited a few gyashal greens on the grass and secured the chocobo to a nearby tree. If nothing else it reduced messing around in the vague time-frame they had assigned themselves. Aeris stared at the huge bird and asked if she would be okay riding it.

"Should be," Cloud said. "Riding a chocobo can be picked up ridiculously fast and failing that we can just lead it if you don't feel able."

"I'd like to ride one myself if possible," she said. "Still, how about us?"

"Wark?"

Cloud looked at the chocobo. "Maybe somewhere a bit further away from this one?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a good plan."

They kept the caught chocobo in sight as they followed a rough path between scrappy bushes. Aeris turned on her heel and Cloud's lips pressed against something soft. His eyes closed as he surrendered into her kiss. He was still worked up from their earlier interruption, Aeris's hands now pulling at his shirt. His hands slid from her waist to her breasts, cupping them through her dress. He had never had sex outside before. What if they got caught? Some random passerby who happened to see him on top of Aeris, her legs wrapped around his waist would be embarrassing. But if it was one of their party? Red XIII would be shaking his head in bemusement, Barret rolling his eyes, or Tifa-

"Wark."

Cloud's eyes blinked open. Aeris's green eyes stared over his shoulder, and Cloud wondered if he had lured another chocobo or if the first had gotten loose. Standing before them and looking at them with avian confusion was another chocobo.

Aeris pulled his sleeve up and sighed as she spotted the glowing orb. "Well, at least you did catch another one. But maybe you should deactivate the spell this time?"

Cloud nodded as he tickled the chocobo under its beak and slipped the reins around it. Two chocobos within minutes. Was there a record for catching the birds? "Well, at least we have both of them ready now."

"True. Want to put it with the other one and then we'll try again?"

He hardened at her words, not trying to hide his reaction but his face still flushed at his body's eagerness. He trotted away, guiding the now docile bird to the tree where the first chocobo had finished gulping down the pile of greens. Cloud sighed, securing the second bird beside the first and dropping a new pile of greens for the chocobos. He popped the chocobo lure materia from his bracer, the intricacies of the spell dispersing from his mind. Leaving the sphere cradled against a knot on the tree he hurried back to Aeris.

She gazed up at him from the improvised blanket of her jacket, all the buttons of her dress undone and the garment lying open. The black underwear was for him - she was not wearing it because she liked the colour; she intended him to see them. No. That could not be right. Unless Aeris dressed in anticipation of sleeping with him, the choice of black underwear could not be for him. This was the first time Aeris had ever been outside of Midgar and she could not have foreseen the farm. But-

"Cloud?" He blinked and focused on the half-naked girl. "I'm flattered you like me so much you'd quite happily just stare at me like that, but I'd quite like you down here with me. I mean, if you're up for that."

"S-sorry." He flushed, pulling his shirt over his head and kneeling between her legs. Aeris traced a bare toe along his thigh, before curling her leg around him and pulling him closer. He settled between her thighs, weight on his elbows as his face hovered over hers.

"Now, where were we?"

Cloud smiled. "About here?" he said.

"Mmm. Almost. I think your hand was on my breast."

He complied as they kissed again, feeling her tongue slide into his mouth as he tried to mimic the action. Kissing felt easier, more natural, less new. His fingers flexed against her bra, his hand trying to pull it just a bit further away from her skin so he could slip his fingers underneath.

"Wark?"

They both froze. Cloud's eyes flicked open and he pulled a little away from his partner who kept her own eyes closed. "Cloud, you didn't stop the lure did you?"

"I did," he insisted. "I even left the materia behind. Look." He gestured to his arm and she opened her eyes a slit to confirm the empty socket in his bangle.

"Hmm." She leaned her head to the left and began to giggle. "Then we are going to have to face facts: Cloud, I think you actually are a chocobo magnet. And I think we've found your soul-mate."

Cloud turned to look up at the creature looming over them. It looked down at them both with much the same confusion as the other two birds. He sighed. "We definitely don't need three... do we?"

"We might. If Tifa and Barret don't catch at least one each." Her lips curled into a smile as she giggled at the chocobo's darting head.

"True. But we only have two harnesses."

She reached up and ran a hand through his blonde spikes, biting her lip before giggling again. "I'm sorry, but I have this sneaking suspicion she'll follow you back if we lead it."

He sighed as she pushed him back to sit up. "I guess this means... we head back now?"

She was smiling as she began re-buttoning her dress. "It might be for the best. Unless you like getting naked with someone else watching."

He gazed the yellow bird. It stared back ready to make warking commentary on his performance as he thrust into Aeris, each warble making her laugh. And with each laugh his erection would diminish a little more until he wound up disappointing her all over again. Aeris would wind up in outright laughter, not at him, but at the watcher and its confusion over what these two humans were doing. Not a comfortable prospect.

"No, I'm not really one for that," he said.

"Me neither. Let's get the other two back at least. And see if I'm right about the third..."

Cloud ruffled this latest chocobo's feathers as Aeris stood. They wandered back to the two restrained chocobos. "Want me to guide one for you, or do you want to try yourself?"

Aeris stared at the prospective mounts, a finger to her lips before replying. "I'm going to ride it myself. I just need you to give me a leg up to get on."

He nodded, crouching beside the chocobo, cupping his hands to provide her with a step. She swung her leg over the chocobo, exposing her panties with the movement.

"Naughty."

"What?"

She smirked at him. "I saw you looking." Cloud flushed and jerked his head away. "I don't mind you seeing them you know. You've seen me in less."

"I-I know," he said, mumbling his words. She reached down ruffling his hair.

"Come my human chocobo lure. Maybe we'll have another chance at the farm."

He stared at her as she flicked the reins and spurred her mount onwards. The chocobo veered a touch, before she tugged on the reins and got her mount headed in the right direction. He smiled, climbing onto his own chocobo and looked back at the remaining bird who still stared at him. "You coming too then?"

"Wark!"

Cloud spurred his chocobo onward hearing the extra footfalls right behind him.

Chocobo catching and frustrated almost couplings had filled the day so far. After delivering the chocobos to Bill, Aeris had tugged Cloud out of sight of the main house and behind the big barn. Red was absent; he had volunteered to take a lunch to the seeming less successful Barret and Tifa. Haste was vital this time and she was just settling into Cloud's embrace when the others returning became audible. Thwarted again, they straightened their clothes once more and went to greet their companions.

They could chance the swamp crossing whenever they wanted, but Bill advised against the mines at night. Far better to wait for first light so they could be clear of the caves before they had to make camp again. Cloud suggested they use the rest of the day practicing riding the chocobos at speed. As easy to pick up as riding them was, it was a different experience when they were flat-out sprinting. How much of Cloud's idea came from improving the party's skill and how much from his appreciation of the animals? He was trying so hard to hide it, but more than once he had slipped a few gyshal greens to a pleased chocobo.

Red XIII bowed out before proceedings even began, adamant that he would be best placed to share a mount for the crossing. Both Tifa and Barret were well versed in chocobo riding and took to the faster pace with ease. And Cloud, well he was in his element now. He seemed to be smiling the entire time while giving advice and demonstrating how best to guide the chocobos. The gentler persona seemed to rise to just beneath his surface once more. Of all the chocobos the party had captured, Cloud was riding the one they attracted without the Chocobo Lure. He had named her 'Choco.' Had he named all their mounts?

Cloud was a good teacher and soon the four of them were charging around at full-tilt on the grasslands around the farm. They wound up engaged in an impromptu game of chocobo-tag as the afternoon wore on. Even the skeptical Barret soon found himself drawn into the yells and chases as they dodged and weaved around each other. As evening approached their pace slowed, the humans tiring even if their mounts showed no sign of exhaustion. The group began heading back to the farm, Tifa and Barret certain they had practiced enough for tomorrow.

Aeris followed the others as she guided her chocobo back towards the stables. Maybe now she could split Cloud off from the others? She had been 'it' at the close of their game and Tifa and Barret were looking pretty tired from the day's exertions. It was doubtful they had the stamina to continue the game now, happy to let Cloud give chase. She let her partner draw level with her before musing aloud that she felt more practice would help and winked at him. He looked confused for a moment before she slapped his arm with a cry of "tag", his eyes widening. Aeris circled her chocobo before using the nearby pen to vault herself onto her mount. Flicking the reins, she directed her chocobo into a sprint away from the farm. That should be enough enticement. Would he pursue? Unlike the others she had never experienced life outside of Midgar before. The sights, the sounds and the smells still so new, so exciting, so different to the cloying stench of mako. She had so many reasons for heading out away from the farm on chocobo-back, though only one mattered at the moment. She slowed down some distance away, trotting along at a comfortable pace as she looked back. There was a movement in the distance.

Another chocobo raced across the grassland straight for her. And the rider was blonde. It would be nice to think that Cloud had entered into much the same thought process as her and why she would separate them from the group again. Even if he had not, it would not take much to persuade him. While sex was plausible, even more comfortable at the farm, the risk of discovery was that much greater. This time there was no materia-based chocobo lure to draw the creatures to them. She was chancing the presence of the human one, but would risk it. She kept her mount trotting forward, letting Cloud catch up to her. Just as he entered ear-shot she sent her chocobo towards a nearby rocky outcrop, forcing him to follow.

With quick flutters of its wings, the chocobo climbed the landscape until it reached a plateua. She slid from its back, securing the reins to a nearby tree. Darting uphill, she spotted a sheltered spot amongst a scattering of boulders. She leant against one of the rocks as Cloud's chocobo crested the cliff. He stared at her with slight confusion for a moment before securing his chocobo and venturing up to her. With a nervous hand he reached out and tapped her arm.

"Tag."

She smiled back at him. "You caught me then?"

"I did."

"And just what are you going to do with me?"

"Um... whatever you want?"

"Oh, good." Her arms were around him, pushing him back and into one of the larger boulders, her lips meeting his. He slid down the rock as she deepened the kiss and straddled him, settling against his body. His arms came up to encircle her, surrounding her once more. This was better than risking discovery at the farm where a literal roll in the hay risked observation by voyeur chocobos. This would do. A stone dug into her knee and she fidgeted on Cloud to avoid it. While circumstances required this, there were good arguments for restricting sex to the bedroom.