Title: The Panic Café

Authors: Ainahim Twilightbait and RainbowSerenity

Pairings: Zack/Cloud, Sephiroth/Genesis (it's hot, you know it).

Rating: M eventually, but T right now

A/N: Ainahim's Notes – RS translated this one from RP to story. And also, usually I'm not too up on vampire-feeding-off-other-vampire, but then I realized...duh, the blood of the humans they drink is still going through them, so yeah, it's possible. It just doesn't fill them entirely. Don't even pay attention to that, I'm simply musing on vampire theories. I think it's appropriate for this type of story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

RS's Notes – NEXT CHAPTER. LUFF IT.

DISCLAIMER: We do not claim to own anything Final Fantasy related. This monstrosity proves our statements further, being as it has nothing to do with the FFVII universe.

The Panic Café

Chapter 2

The music was still humming throughout the club, the feel of bodies human and vampire alike pulsing on the floor in more ways than one. Cloud couldn't feel any of that, however. All he could feel was panic – how appropriate.

He found Tifa easily, who was still dancing with the random person he'd seen earlier. She immediately glanced up when he approached, worry automatically in her eyes at his expression and shouted over the music, "What happened?"

Cloud shouted back, a distinct nervous waver in his voice. "There's been a change of plans. We have to leave."

"What?" Tifa glanced at the person she'd been dancing with, barely having a chance to say goodbye before Cloud dragged her out of there, his grip tense and unyielding. She couldn't speak until they were near the edges of the dance floor, where the music was much less intense. "Cloud, what's wrong?"

Cloud continued to tug at her, not bothering to speak until they were safely outside of the club, away from the stifling, throbbing music. "We can't come back here anymore." He sounded oddly firm and disappointed at once. "Can we just go?"

Tifa sighed heavily. "Oooookay." She got in the car and waited until Cloud had sat down beside her before turning to him with an exasperated look. "And just why can't I go back to my new place of employment? You know that I need this job."

"I know. But trust me – you don't need this job, you need a job. There are plenty of other less dangerous bars."

She raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous? Okay, it's probably hazardous to my hearing, but how else is it dangerous? I mean, sure, Sephiroth seemed a little...out there, but he did give me the job. And the people I danced with were nice enough."

Cloud let out a frustrated little growl, almost wishing that Zack had done something, left some kind of proof that he obviously wasn't human, just so he could prove his words to Tifa. "Zack...Zack told me that it wasn't safe, and since he's an employee who should obviously be promoting the place, it's probably a good idea for us to listen when he says we shouldn't be there."

Tifa blinked at Cloud's rambling, something sticking out in her mind. "Zack? Who..." She trailed off as a friendly-looking man with spiky black hair came to mind. "Oh, him. He seemed nice enough too, from what little I saw of him."

"Yeah, I guess." The blond suddenly tensed, which seemed apparent in his voice. "Can we just go?"

Tifa moved to start the car, but looked at Cloud strangely before she did so. "Hey, are you alright? You seem very...well, panicked."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

There was a pause for silence until Tifa sighed and crossed her arms, keys still in her hand. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you're so set on never going back to what would probably be a fairly well-paid job!"

Cloud flinched and practically yelled, "If you want to get eaten alive, then stay! If not, then drive me the hell home, please."

"Okay, okay! Geez." Tifa nervously started the car, so surprised by Cloud's sudden outburst that she felt she would've fallen over had she not been sitting in the car. She put the car in reverse, letting her foot linger on the brake for a second. "...Eaten alive?"

The blond looked out the window, glad that Tifa was finally moving the damn car. "Like I said, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "And like I said, try me." She was glad that Cloud seemed to have calmed down for the moment, even though he simply fell into silence and didn't answer her. She drove quietly, racking her mind as to why Cloud was so against a harmless little bartending job until his voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"...I'm sorry for yelling earlier."

She shook her head. "It's okay." And it really was. Sometimes Cloud just seemed so withdrawn. "I don't know why you yelled, but everyone's entitled to an outburst once in awhile, I guess."

He smiled a little in the glow of the streetlights they were passing. "It's a good thing you understand. I can't afford having you not like me – you're the only one who does." He laughed a little, though it seemed a bit sad.

Tifa chuckled lightly. "Oh, you know that's not true. You just don't give anyone else a chance. Not everyone is out to get you, you know." When Cloud snorted in response, her tone became exasperated. "Well, hey, it's true! You've gotta give people the benefit of the doubt or you'll be stuck with me nagging for you to put the vampire books down forever."

Cloud paused. "...Speaking of vampire books, maybe you should be picking them up."

"Why?"

"Oh...you'd be surprised." Cloud scratched the back of his neck.

Tifa shook her head again. "What, did you run into one there or something?" Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "Hey, where were you, anyway? I was going into the dance crowd, and the next thing I knew, you disappeared."

Cloud bit his lip, knowing full well he was answering both of her questions, even if she wasn't quite aware of it. "I...was with Zack."

A slow smile crossed Tifa's face. "Oh, reeeally? I thought he might be your type."

Cloud blushed furiously, hoping Tifa couldn't see it in the dark confines of the car. "N-No, it wasn't like that! ...Much," he added with a murmur.

The smile turned into a full-fledged grin. "See, now we have to go back! You like him!"

"No I don't – and no, we don't." Cloud gritted his teeth. "You can't 'like' somebody after ten minutes of dan...cing..." he trailed off, inwardly cursing himself at that word. Tifa knew that he did not dance under any circumstances.

Her mouth fell open. "You danced with him!? You must like him, then! We went out for what, two years, and you never danced with me once!"

"I almost danced with you that one time..." Cloud replied defensively, though it was hardly convincing.

There was a definite smirk in Tifa's voice. "Yeah, but certainly not for ten minutes." She laughed a little. "That's it, we're definitely going back tomorrow night – at the very least so I can tell Sephiroth I can't take the job for whatever insane reason you're not telling me."

Cloud groaned unhappily. "Fine, as long as you don't take the job."

"I still don't understand why you don't want me to," Tifa muttered.

"Like I said, pick up a vampire book. Maybe then you'll know." Cloud's voice had a little sing-song tone to it, like how one would talk when saying 'I know something you don't know!'

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You'll know if you read one, Tifa. Just trust me on this."

"Whatever." Tifa knew darn well she wasn't going to read any of that trash, no matter how much her mind was telling to not ignore Cloud's advice. It was so dumb. Vampires didn't exist.

--

Vampires were certainly existing in the dark shadows of an empty Panic Café the next day, where Sephiroth was already at the bar, getting things ready for the willing humans and the rest of his kind that night. Even though he was deathly pale and his senses were dulled from not yet feeding that day, he still knew when Genesis suddenly unlocked the front door and strolled in, calling his name.

Sephiroth smirked, answering when Genesis came closer, but not turning around. "Yes?"

Genesis practically slithered behind the bar, looking far too tempting as he did so. He slipped his arms around Sephiroth's waist, murmuring in his ear, "You don't look so well..."

"Hmm..." Sephiroth leaned back in the other's arms and glanced over his shoulder as much as he could. "What do you propose we do about that?"

Genesis smiled just enough to expose his fangs, sliding a teasing tongue over them. "You're the 'master'."

"So I am." Sephiroth gracefully turned in Genesis' arms, threading his fingers through the other's hair and tilting his head back just enough to expose that pale, tempting neck. He greedily inhaled that scent, wondering in the back of his mind if Genesis smelled as alluring to anyone else.

A sharp groan filled the air as Sephiroth teasingly brush his fangs over where there should have been a pulse point on Genesis' neck, only waiting a moment before he sank his fangs into that perfect skin. He closed his lips tightly over the wound, pressing closely to make sure he didn't miss a drop of his most desired drink. Genesis dug his fingers into the fabric clinging to Sephiroth's hips with a shuddering moan, unable to help himself – his sire feeding on him was always more intimate and pleasurable than it had any right to be.

Sephiroth pulled Genesis closer, leaning his hips into the other's as they backed up into the counter, suddenly feeling ravenous. It seemed only the other man's blood could be so fulfilling and not at once.

He finished feeding all too soon, pressing a kiss to the rapidly fading mark's on Genesis' neck before leaning up and capturing those lips, blood still thick on his tongue. Genesis gasped, diving into Sephiroth's mouth as they battled their tongues for every drop of blood that was left, one of his legs coming up to wrap around his sire's waist. Sephiroth groaned in response, reached under the other's thighs and easily lifting him up to sit on the counter, their desperate kiss never breaking.

Genesis made a surprised noise before it was swallowed with a groan and laced his fingers around the back of Sephiroth's neck. The silver-haired man's hands slid from where they'd been gripped in Genesis' hair and slowly down his chest, where they came to slowly undo the button of his pants.

A loud, needy moan filled the air even though it was hidden under frantic lips. Sephiroth smirked into the kiss, slowly, slowly, slowly pulling down the zipper. He had every intention of having his way with Genesis right there on the counter, but that didn't mean he had to rush it.

Zack's sudden appearance suddenly made him think otherwise. "You two should really get a room."

Genesis broke the kiss, looking over his shoulder to glare at Zack. "You had to come to work today?"

Sephiroth was also glaring at Zack, his eyes practically smoldering. If it had been any other vampire other than Zack in the room, they probably would've faint dead away. "Indeed. I didn't think you would, especially after your little stunt with that human last night."

"...What stunt?"

"The masochistic, almost-feeding-on-the-blond-with-perfect-veins stunt," Genesis replied bluntly, obviously still angry at the interruption.

Zack took no notice at the tone of voice, but instead at the words. He knew Genesis was right, especially since he'd gone half of his existence without feeding on humans and fully intended to keep it that way, but... "Perfect veins? Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Genesis didn't answer right away, but instead let his eyes slide to Sephiroth, who had squeezed his thigh in a silent promise that they'd continue what had been going on before the interruption. He smirked as his sire turned away with a languid stretch, looking considerably less pale, before turning to reply again. "You know it is. We both saw you leaning down to his elegant neck, wanting to take what is rightfully yours by turnright."

There was a harsh, dark undertone to Zack's words, and it probably didn't help that he was gritting his teeth so hard, it was a wonder his fangs didn't shatter the rest of them. "It wasn't rightfully mine. It's his blood - therefore, he should get to keep it."

Genesis hopped off the counter. "Zack, listen to me. Does a lion look at an antelope and think 'Oh, maybe I shouldn't eat it because it could have a family?' No. A lion thinks, 'I'm hungry. Look. There's food.' How many times do I have to explain that to you!? We are the hunters, and they are the hunted. That's just how things go."

"It shouldn't be like that!" Zack shook his head furiously. "By all technicalities, you and I shouldn't even exist! Why should we feed on humans, most of them to their deaths? What right do we have to treat them as mere food instead of the ones with actual souls?"

"Because that's what we are." Zack opened his mouth to argue, but Genesis continued in a deathly serious tone, "Whether we were born or turned...justice doesn't love us, Zack. So shun justice."

Zack threw his arms up in exasperation, suddenly in no mood to argue anymore. "Whatever. I'm still not going to fall on your side. No human will ever tempt me enough to feed on them."

Genesis gave an exasperated groan. "I don't know why you bother to keep that stupid promise, since you only made it for that silly little friend of yours. She died hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Just get over it."

There was a stunned silence before Zack was in front of Genesis, yanking on his collar and his eyes glowing ablaze with his fangs bared, looking every bit like the monster he was supposed to be. His voice came low and dangerous, "Don't you dare talk about her like you knew her."

"...I don't need to have known her," Genesis replied after a second, turning his face away to feel less violated. "Not if she's been chaining you for a thousand years, when you could be great."

Zack shoved Genesis away angrily, almost sending him flying over the counter. "I don't need to be great. I don't need humans to survive. That doesn't equal greatness." Even though he spoke them heatedly, Zack's words only sounded convincing in his own mind, and Genesis shook his head, sensing that. Their fights were always the same, and it wasn't any wonder that this one hadn't ended differently.

"Who are you trying to fool?" he muttered before crossing the room to set up the sound board.