Enjoy-ness!
Part 9 of 10 (I changed from 11, those that didn't read the AN)
Cloud and Sephiroth chuckled all the way to the car.
"Think they'll be mad?" Cloud asked as they opened the doors and sat down. "That I never told them?"
"They'll get over it." Sephiroth said, grabbing Cloud's hand and squeezing it lightly. "You told them today, did you not?"
"Yeah." Cloud smiled softly, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to Sephiroth's lips and pulling back before Sephiroth had a chance to reciprocate.
"Tease." Sephiroth muttered, mock-angrily. Cloud batted his eyelashes.
"But you love it when I tease!" he said, in a singsong voice. Sephiroth laughed and put a hand behind Cloud's head, pulling the blonde close and meeting Cloud's lips with his own.
"Mmmm." Cloud moaned lightly, lips opening automatically as he met Sephiroth's tongue in a fierce battle for dominance with no losers or winners. Sephiroth hands ran through Cloud's hair, down his back, Encouraging closer contact as Cloud pulled lightly on Sephiroth's shoulders, trying to bring the silver-haired man closer.
They broke apart when they finally needed air, straightening up and fixing their clothes. They both laughed lightly.
"I knew my hair was going to get messed up soon after seeing you again." Cloud sighed with mock-sorrow as he finger-combed his hair. Sephiroth smiled as he started the car.
"You look much better with your hair all wild anyway." Sephiroth said. "And, may I ask why you lied to your friends?" When Cloud looked at him, eyebrow raised in confusion, Sephiroth explained. "You know perfectly well we take turns being the 'man'-"
"Say no more." Cloud said, laughing and blushing furiously. "In this case you were the 'man'."
"Does that extend until tonight?" Cloud laughed again.
"Oh, you're horrible." he said as they pulled out of the parking space, laughing all the way to the restaurant.
Scene Change
The Valentine's Day dance was packed- people were everywhere. Most of the crowd consisted of people who weren't even going to the dance- they just wanted to see who 'Clementine' was. She had been the center of gossip for months, even after Sephiroth had stopped using the front page of the Echo. The curiosity had not died down- not when this bit of gossip concerned the number one bachelor in Midgar High.
Tifa, Barret, Zack, Aeris, Yuffie, and Vincent had kept it to themselves, only whispering the news to Cid and Shera when they arrived. Cid's eyes had bugged out of his head and he had shouted cuss words for ten minutes before Shera kissed him to shut him up. After that, Cid was willing to listen to the story quietly.
"Damn- never would have guessed Cloud's... that way." Cid said, hands twitching, desperate for a cigarette to 'calm his nerves'. "Not that I think any less of the kid, it's just... never knew."
"None of us guessed either- except for Aeris, who helped get them together." Zack said, smiling proudly at his girlfriend.
A sudden hush fell over the crowd as a familiar black car pulled up to the curb, parking neatly. No one had gone inside the school yet, as the dance wasn't scheduled to start for another two minutes, and everyone was curious to see who Sephiroth had brought.
Sephiroth stepped out of the car- a few girls squealed, having come only to see Sephiroth (fangirls were scary)- but he ignored them and went to the passenger side door. The school breathed in,holding it until the door opened to reveal...
Cloud Strife, who just so happened to be the second most elidgeable bachelor in Midgar High, though you'd never get the blonde to admit it.
Shocked gasps and whispers spread throughout the crowd as Sephiroth held out a hand to help Cloud out of the car and Cloud took it, smiling gratefully. The two men walked, hand-in-hand, and didn't seem to be affected by the shocked whispers. They marched right into the school, and to the gym. Slowly, the rest of the couples following while the singles stayed outside and diffused into little groups of friends, discussing and gasping over the new development. (Needless to say, the Fan Clubs of Cloud and Sephiroth got together and formed a new club- Cloud and Sephiroth Yaoi Supporters Group)
Cloud and Sephiroth owned the dance floor whenever they were on it, the center of attention. Their friends danced to the sides, every so often flashing a slight smile at the couple in the middle.
"Think we shocked them?" Cloud asked, referring to the stunned student body- many kept glancing at them nervously, as if unsure if this was a weird dream or not.
"I think we did slightly more than that, my dear Cloud." Sephiroth said. The song ended, another slow song coming up behind it.
Cloud and Sephiroth broke into identical grins as they recognized the song- it had been one of the few slow songs played for the Halloween dance, and was very special for them.
It was the first time they had danced.
"Maybe we should do something even more shoscking and scandalous than holding hands, hmmm Cloud?" Sephiroth asked in a whisper, directly in Cloud's ear. Cloud shivered at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, so breathy and light.
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then go for it." Cloud said, turning his neck as Sephiroth did so that their lips met. They pulled out every trick they knew, searching out spots that would make the other moan. They barely noticed when the rest of the students stopped dancing to gape in shock at the two men as they plastered themselves all over the other, hands running over the other's body in a very intense make-out session.
The four couples- Zack and Aeris, Cid and Shera, Vincent and Yuffie, and Barret and Tifa- smiled slightly and moved, so that the only two people on the dance floor were Cloud and Sephiroth. Those not sickened by the idea were completely entranced at the pure love that was evident between the two.
The kissing faded away with the song, ending with light, simple, chaste kisses. As the last notes died, Sephiroth looked deep into Cloud's eyes, placing a hand gently on the blonde's cheek.
"Will you move in with me? I know it's a bit fast, but..." Sephiroth asked, voice trailing off as he looked at Cloud, nervous but hopeful.
Cloud grinned broadly, crying in joy as he threw his arms around his lover.
"Do you even have to ask? Of course I will." Cloud said. Sephiroth embraced him tightly, smiling- some even swore they saw Sephiroth shed a tear or two for joy.
"I love you- so much." Sephiroth whispered. Cloud nodded.
"I know. I love you too."
One Year Later
Cloud hummed lightly, cracking four eggs into a frying pan.
Today was a special day- the first anniversary of their 'coming-out' to the entire school, the last Valentine's Day dance of their high school career. Cloud had long since moved in with his lover, and life could not be more perfect.
It had been like a wonderful dream- getting the movers to move his things from his old apartment, being able to call Sephiroth's condo home, and waking up next to the silver-haired man each day. Cloud was slowly being able to accept the dream as reality, though he was still overcome with wonder at how a bet lost turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.
"Sunny-side up eggs?" Sephiroth asked, coming up behind Cloud and wrapping his arms around the blonde. "Glad to know I'm not the only one who finds this day special." Cloud smiled- he had told Sephiroth the story behind the eggs, and his lover hadn't thought that it was silly at all, to be able to imagine his mother's love every time he made a certain meal. Sephiroth said that- no matter who made them- Cloud's sunny-side up eggs would always be the best, claiming he could taste the love Cloud put into making them. Cloud had laughed- Sephiroth was always saying something sweet and romantic like that, and it never failed to bring a smile to the blonde's face.
"First anniversary of that dance." Cloud said. "When we became 'official', at least to the student body." The eggs done, he turned off the stove and separated the eggs into two sets of two, putting them on separate plates, each with two slices of bread.
"I hope you have no plans for tonight- at least, none that don't include me." Sephiroth said with a smirk, taking his breakfast from the blonde. Cloud just smiled as they walked to the balconey.
"Why? Are you planning something?" Cloud asked as they sat down at the small table, putting their plates down.
"Maybe." Sephiroth said. "Just be ready to leave here at five. Dress nice." Cloud smiled, reaching across the metal table to lightly squeeze Sephiroth's hand.
"I will be- now lets eat, before it gets cold."
A Little While Later
Cloud was still nervously primping at four-fiftyfive, straightening and then restraightening his outfit- black slacks and a dark blue silk shirt that Sephiroth had bought him, saying it really brought out his eyes. He wore black dress shoes, slightly polished, and had combed his hair a bit. It was barely enough to get out the tangles- he had long ago given up trying to keep his hair in any sort of order around Sephiroth.
"Are you ready?" Sephiroth asked, coming up behind Cloud. "You look marvelous- don't worry about it." Cloud smiled, nodding gratefully.
"How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?" Cloud asked, deciding to leave his outfit alone as he grabbed a black jacket and pulled it on. Sephiroth smiled.
"I just know." Cloud took a moment to appreciate Sephiroth's outfit- black slacks, dark green silk shirt, and black vest with a silver chain.
"You don't look so bad yourself." Cloud said, whistling appreciatively. Sephiroth smirked.
"Thank you very much- shall we?" He offered his arm, which the blonde happily took.
"Where are we going?" he asked, contentedly.
"You'll find out when we get there."
Scene Change
Cloud gasped when Sephiroth pulled up to a small but obviously expensive restaurant- the sign in front said 'Casablanca'.
"You didn't!" he said in shock, smiling as he turned to his lover and kissed him. "Oh Seph..."
The Casablanca was a well-known restaurant- large dishes of expensive food, only lit by candles with tables for two people. It was extremely romantic, and you had to book weeks in advance for a reservation any day near Valentine's Day.
"Only the best, Cloud." Sephiroth said, getting out of the car and helping Cloud out. The two walked through the wooden doors- tastefully carved with images of cute cherubs and Cupid- and walked right up to the hostess.
"Reservation for 'Sephiroth'." Sephiroth said, flashing a smile at the woman. She smiled, grabbing two menus, and lead them to their table. (The Casablanca was also known for accepting all couples, no matter how old, how young, or even the gender)
"Please take a look at the menus- your waiter shall be along shortly." she said, turning and leaving the menus with the two men.
"Whoa... everything here would cost me half my paycheck..." Cloud said out loud, staring at all the gourmet food. He had a job as a delivery man- he enjoyed it, especially because he only had to worry about local deliveries- and got paid decent money, but this food was pretty expensive...
"That's why I'm paying." Sephiroth said. "Pick whatever you'd like." Sephiroth had a job in the militray- pretty high-up too, and got paid quite a bit of cash- and since it was peaceful and there wasn't likely to be another war for a long, long time, Sephiroth basically sat at a desk and went through paperwork about trainees. More than once, he had come home to complain to Cloud about the sheer ridiculousness of some of the requests. (I mean, what did Sephiroth care if they had run out of staples and they needed more? Buy the damn things then- you don't need special permission!)
Cloud looked through his menu carefully, mouth watering at some of the dishes- finally he settled on a pasta-and-shrimp salad in alfredo sauce and vegetables. Sephiroth had ordered a steak for himself, with stir-fried vegetables on the side.
"Hello, I'm Dawn- I'll be your waitress tonight. What would you two gentlemen like?" A woman with red hair walked up to their table, dressed in a black dress as was the uniform of waitresses in the Casablanca.
"The New York strip steak, please, with vegetables." Sephiroth told her, handing over his menu.
"The shrimp salad for me." Cloud said, also handing his menu over.
"Anything to drink?"
"Wine, please- red wine, if you have it." Sephiroth said before Cloud could say anything. Dawn nodded and walked away.
"Wine? You didn't have to-" Cloud said, looking at Sephiroth in shock. Sephiroth just smiled back at him.
"I wanted to. That's reason enough." Within a half hour, Dawn was back with the food and the wine. Sephiroth and Cloud traded bits of their meals across the table, exclaiming over how good it all was.
They had both cleaned their plates and were happily content an hour later.
"Mmmm. That was good." Cloud said, cleaning his face with a napkin.
"I agree, but..." Sephiroth hesitated, seeming nervous about something. "...Before we go, I have one question to ask you." Sephiroth slid out of his chair to kneel before Cloud, green eyes locking with blue as Sephiroth reached into his pocket with one hand and placed his other over Cloud's hand.
"I know it's not yet legal for two men to be married- but will you agree to an exchange of vows, in the likeness of marriage but without a preist? Just a small pledge to love each other forever and for always, in front of friends and family?" Sephiroth asked, pulling out a small gold ring. Cloud gasped, eyes misting over and he began to cry..
"Of course I will! Yes, Sephiroth, yes!" Cloud said, letting Sephiroth slid the band around his left ring finger before throwing his arms around his lover.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Sephiroth said, reaching back into his pocket and sliding on his own ring before holding his lover close. The twin bands twinkled in the candlelight, completing the perfect scene of love and adoration.
Sorry for the cheese- I know it has waff and fluff and mush up the wazoo, but it's just how it came out!
Hopefully if you liked this you'll also check out 'The Date' also by me- lately flamers have attacked it and (while I don't mind CONSTRUCTIVE criticism) I really hate flames. If anyoen could tell me what was wrong with it so I could FIX it I'd be very happy.
Next chapter: The wedding.