Something fluffy for the holiday? Oh amber, how cliche of you. Seriously, this could possibly rot your teeth, get a toothbrush handy for when you finish reading!

Edit: Found some typos...fixed them, hopefully there aren't a hundred others that are sneaking around my processing ability...

Give and Take

Angeal didn't really do well with accepting presents. No matter how pleased a gift might make him, he just didn't enjoy the process…which usually was okay seeing as how the only people that would ever get him things would be Sephiroth or Genesis. Sephiroth probably held even less stock in the process of gift giving than Angeal did…and Genesis knew better than to bother…it was lost on his two friends.

The entire thing was driving Zack crazy.

Zack loved presents. The idea of gift giving and receiving was wondrous to him. That people would share thing without expecting anything in return was a tribute to what little humanity could be found in a time of war.

And he wanted to share this with Angeal.

His first attempt at a present had been a packed lunch he'd planned on sharing with Angeal during a break in their schedules. He'd left a basket of food in Angeal's office with a little note attached…Angeal had pulled the note off and kindly passed it on to someone who wasn't going to be able to take a break to get lunch that day.

…Zack couldn't be angry with that, which actually made him a bit angry. Angeal was so logical about it too, telling him that it was the time spent that really mattered and missing the fact that Zack wanted to do something nice for him completely.

Zack was determined to try again.

Buying something though, was pretty pointless. Angeal's salary was higher than Zack could hope to earn for probably at least a decade, and the older man already had basically everything he needed, along with a tendency to not want anything that he didn't need.

Still, Zack tried. He got him additional supplies to care for his sword, enjoying the time he'd spend leaning against Angeal while he cleaned his sword.

Angeal gave the supplies to the cadets' training staff, saying that they were running low and he still had plenty.

It was disheartening, but Zack decided to try again.

Since Angeal seemed to like the idea of puppies so much…Zack had yet to escape that nickname…he tried one of those next…a floppy grey one, feeling that a black one might give him and others the wrong idea. Angeal stared at it for about ten seconds before deciding that they couldn't keep a pet and giving it to the stable owner to help herd chocobos from their pasture.

Zack…was starting to wonder if he should try again.

There was a joke going around the compound about decorating one's privates with a wrapped box and giving that as a present…but Zack was afraid that that could go horribly wrong…Angeal apparently liked giving away the things Zack was giving him.

At the risk of losing important body parts, Zack finally decided just to ask. He waited until late one evening, curled against Angeal's side in bed.

"How come you never keep the stuff I give you?" Zack asked, frowning accusingly at him. Angeal thought it looked adorable, but had the sense and the experience not to say anything.

Angeal frowned in return. "What do you mean? What haven't I kept?"

"Um, everything?" Zack asked sarcastically. "I made you lunch that one time, and I got you stuff for your sword and a puppy…I thought you liked puppies…"

Angeal laughed softly. "Zack, I kept the most important part of all of those things."

Zack stared suspiciously at him. "What?"

"We did go and eat lunch together that day, remember? And even though we ate at a restaurant instead of what you made, I got to spend time with you, both waiting for the food and while we were eating it. I gave away the supplies you bought me because going and buying them on my own makes me think about you while I'm doing so and how you'll lay against me while I work and inevitably fall asleep…because we can't have you learning anything about swords now can we?" He teased. "And I've already got a puppy, haven't I? I'm not sure I can manage two, and I think I definitely kept my favorite one." Angeal said.

"You are without a doubt the biggest closet sap I've ever met." Zack said bluntly, grinning broadly and feeling about a million times better.

Angeal laughed softly, pulling Zack against his chest.

"I won't tell though." Zack said, grinning. "Hey, if I put my dick in a box, what part of the present would you give away?"

"Honestly?" Angeal asked with an uncharacteristic smirk on his face.

"Yeah, honestly." Zack said, not sure he liked the look on Angeal's face.

"The box." Angeal said flatly. "It would just be in the way."

Zack made a delighted noise as Angeal flipped him over against the mattress, covering him with his own body and kissed him firmly.

Not only did I bombard you with the cotton candy consistency of this fluff (sweet AND fluffy, who got that? :D) but I cut it off before there could be gratuitous smut. I'm such a cop out today...ah well, despite that...

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