When he had time to, if he hadn't set an alarm or been woken up by something or someone, Cloud tended to wake up slowly. So he wasn't that surprised when he slowly came back to awareness in the warmth of Sephiroth's arms and bed, but he wanted to protest when he felt his mate pulling away from him just a bit. But when he felt Sephiroth's mouth close, warm and wet, around him it startled him into waking fully and his hands fell to rest on Sephiroth's head gently.

"Oh, that's good. Don't stop." He caressed Sephiroth's hair and opened their link enough to send what he was feeling along to his mate.

'You don't need to do that; I'm more than content to simply please you, my own pleasure has always been secondary for me.' Cloud didn't like what that implied, and he hadn't expected Sephiroth to be able to use their link to communicate with him at the moment, but he was happy to return an answer in a form Sephiroth couldn't doubt or misunderstand.

'But I want you to enjoy this as well, it would please me if you did.'

'Yes Cloud' There was a mix of surprise, gratification and oddly enough resentment as Sephiroth set to work pleasing Cloud in earnest. Cloud wasn't going to pursue that discordant note, not yet, instead he gave himself up to the pleasure Sephiroth offered him, feeling it and sharing it with his mate, whether or not he wanted to share it. This was what their link was for in his opinion, sharing pleasure and communicating when they couldn't vocally. And he could almost taste his mate's pleasure in his task, external of the pleasure Cloud shared with him, as well as his focus on Cloud's pleasure and satisfaction and his insistence on using the pleasure Cloud shared as a guide to pleasing him better.

His seed seemed to taste better to Sephiroth than Sephiroth's had to him, from what he could feel through their link and Cloud wondered if that was a difference in their seed or their taste buds or just their individual preferences. Whatever it was he put it from his mind, closing down their link, and pulled Sephiroth up to kiss him, rolling them so he lay on top of his lover, and letting one hand wander down to his groin, where he found that the link had worked to let his mate share his climax.

"Here, lick my hand clean." Cloud pulled away enough to hold his hand in front of Sephiroth's face, despite his own reluctance to stop kissing him. Sephiroth obeyed with a small smile, eyes half closed contentedly, looking a lot like a cat licking cream, so much that Cloud couldn't resist the temptation to scratch behind his ears to see if he'd purr. He didn't but he seemed to enjoy it enough that Cloud didn't stop after his hand was clean.

"Do you really like that taste?"

"Yes. It's not as good as your seed, but it isn't bad." So it was a difference in their tastes, not in how they tasted.

"Good. I think that's really hot. Do we have time to just lie here for a bit, or do you have to leave soon?"

"I have to leave soon, I'm sorry." Sephiroth looked unhappy at that, and glanced away from Cloud's face, casting his eyes down.

"Don't be." Cloud took hold of Sephiroth's chin and made his mate look at him. "It's not your fault, and at least I had the chance to wake up with you still here and see you before you left."

"That's why I decided to wake you up." Cloud wasn't going to tell Sephiroth that he'd already been waking up when he took him into his mouth, but he kissed Sephiroth again, running his hand down his body.

"And it was a very good idea. Should we shower together before you have to go?"

"Please. That sounds good." Sephiroth nuzzled against Cloud for a moment before pulling back to stand up. "Or if you'd rather you could just stay here for a while and go back to sleep." Cloud laughed at that and got up to stand beside Sephiroth, leading him to the bathroom.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Someone's probably coming to take care of the sheets today and I don't want to be caught in your bed; not until I hit SOLDIER 1st class as a minimum." Since it was pretty common knowledge that Sephiroth was involved with Zack and Angeal and he'd been fairly open about it Cloud thought he'd be able to get away with publicly being involved with 'the General' as a SOLDIER 1st class. "Besides, sharing a shower with you's the perfect excuse to put my hands all over your beautiful body."

"If that is what you wish. Just give me a moment..." Cloud watched as Sephiroth quickly braided his hair and fastened it up with a sort of loopy bun.

"You look good with your hair just braided, good and different enough that you might not be recognised as easily if you wore something other than your uniform." Cloud turned the shower on as he spoke, and stepped into it, inviting Sephiroth to follow with his body language alone.

"I hadn't thought about that, but I don't have much in the way of clothes other than my uniform." Sephiroth stepped in then and waited for Cloud to touch him before he said anything else. "Why did you shut down our link after we'd climaxed?"

"Because I don't like using it for casual conversation when we're in the same room. It should be kept for times and things we can't communicate without it, and sometimes for emphasis and to avoid misunderstanding. But...why were you unhappy that I shared my pleasure with you?"

"I...when I do that I always feel it's one of the things that shows my love most out of all the sexual things I can do, precisely because there's no physical pleasure in it for me, and so..."

"Sephiroth? I know you love me, and I like knowing that you feel the same pleasure I do in what we do. And your pleasure is never 'secondary' to me."

"Yes Cloud." They didn't say anything else until Sephiroth had to leave.

xoXox

Sephiroth hoped his pleasure didn't show as he made his way to the mess hall for breakfast, because that would raise far too many questions, especially since Zack and Angeal weren't walking with him. They didn't join him when he ate either, not that he had any reason to expect them to; he habitually started working half an hour before anyone else did, which let him get through almost half any correspondence he'd received overnight before he had to deal with anyone.

The final results from testing the new SOLDIERs 3rd class wouldn't be delivered until just after lunch, to allow the examiners to take the reports on the last two days into consideration, but Sephiroth had already received the results of the first three tests. And a suggested split of the class had already been made based on those results, since the final test was prone to being affected by personal bias on the part of whoever was reporting, although not as much as the interviews in the SOLDIER Entrance Exams had proven to be. The number of monsters killed on the outing, and how each SOLDIER reported on the mission were also taken into account - Sephiroth wished for a moment that he could contact Cloud and ask about that, but it wasn't an option. He would ask for full details on this set of tests, including copies of the reports written by the SOLDIERs 3rd class taking them and if he needed an excuse the fact that Cloud was Hojo's current 'pet project' would do nicely.

It wasn't exactly surprising that Cloud had scored top for the swordwork testing, or that he came in third when it came to tactics considering how much extra emphasis must have been placed on those two aspects of his training, and that was enough to counter his abysmal scores from the first day. Still, he was recorded as one of the lowest ranked for the upper group, and a bad report on the monster hunting could easily send him down to the lower group, especially if it was combined with exceptionally good reports for members of that group. But there was nothing Sephiroth could do about it, and he didn't think he would even if he could, not unless Cloud had ordered him to, which his lover had too much in the way of ethics to do to him.

He put the papers aside when his secretary arrived and tried to put the issue from his mind as well; even if Cloud did end up in the lower group he could be moved to a higher group when his skills merited it, and he wouldn't put it past his superiors to make sure Cloud got every break he could. So he focused on his more routine paperwork, distracting himself until it was time to go and meet Zack and Angeal for lunch.

"So, will your master be wanting you again tonight?" Sephiroth forced himself to treat Angeal's question as teasing, not as anything else, and smiled at his oldest lover.

"He didn't say, but I'd still like to keep tonight open for him. By the way, did either of you two ever think about ways I could try to avoid the attention I always get whenever I'm seen by civilians?" He wouldn't blame them if they hadn't; Sephiroth had always done his best to conceal how much that annoyed and disturbed him, but they might have something they could add to Cloud's suggestions.

"Yeah, except with how pale your hair is I'm not sure how 'temporary' those wash in wash out dyes I've used to play jokes on people would be. You'd need tinted glasses to hide your eyes, and under the Plate that would mark you as a SOLDIER, but at least people wouldn't know exactly who you were."

"I see you put some thought into the issue Zack." Sephiroth hesitated, then decided it was better to change the subject. "Have you had a chance to talk to any of the men on the lists I gave you, either of you?"

"I've started with the guys Gregori failed on interview, the ones who went on to become SOLDIERs later. I'd say about three quarters of the ones I talked to so far got a full interview, the rest only got to answer two questions before he dismissed them. Actually one of Cloud's room mates, Geran, approached me not the other way around and about half the guys who didn't get a fair interview would be willing to testify. I didn't think there was any point asking people who he'd treated right."

"No, probably not. If we can point to enough people who have legitimate complaints it won't matter how many people he can claim to have treated right."

"No it won't." Sephiroth smiled at Angeal's almost angry response, appreciating his fierce loyalty and the hatred of Gregori they shared.

xoXox

Cloud was one hell of a lot more tired than he'd have liked after running the same type of courses he'd faced during the first day of testing one after another for only the morning of his day off, but there was no point in him trying to do any more training on this when he was so tired. He'd go shopping quickly, replacing his bottle of aspirins, since his last bottle only contained six of the seven pills Sephiroth had given him by now, and perhaps find somewhere to eat lunch, hopefully something a bit better than ShinRa served if he could find it for a reasonable price. Then he'd either look for someone to spar with him or go hunting for some local monsters to earn a bit of extra cash.

Geran and Daniel had told him that it was fairly common for SOLDIERs of all classes to earn extra cash that way, since ShinRa tended to be a bit...cautious in issuing materia to anyone who didn't have some sort of connection. Cloud probably had at least one connection that would help, possibly two if he dared try and use Hojo's interest in him, but he wasn't sure he liked the idea of using his connections like that.

Besides fighting monsters also helped mature their materia, making it more useful in the future, as well as giving Cloud experience he could probably use. And...he could afford an unlevelled elemental materia, Lightning sounded good, and he'd been issued with a bracer equipped with two unlinked slots - he'd used it during the last two days of tests to help mature his Restore.

He should probably contact Sephiroth as well; they hadn't made any arrangements for tonight, and Cloud wanted to be with him again so he should make sure his mate didn't try to make other plans. And he was with Zack and Angeal at the moment, finishing off their lunch.

'Sephiroth? I should have said this earlier, but I'm going to want you tonight.' Cloud liked the pleasure that seemed to give Sephiroth, the hint of satisfaction coming across their bond.

'I thought...hoped you would Cloud. Do you want me to arrange something for us to eat together?'

'No, but thank you for the offer.' If they ate together in Sephiroth's quarters it would have to be something cold, since they didn't dare risk being seen together.

'You're more than welcome. Might I ask you something about the last test?'

'Go ahead.' Cloud wasn't sure what Sephiroth was going to ask that he wouldn't already know, but he'd answer his lover if he could.

'When you wrote your report how did you describe the performance of your men when it came to killing monsters?'

'For each man I reported how many kills he was involved in, splitting them up by what sort of involvement; peripheral, significant or decisive for the kills I saw anyway. I only mentioned that he participated in a kill if I didn't see it. And I reported the total number of monsters killed as well.' Cloud didn't see why the question mattered, but if Sephiroth wanted to know he wasn't going to refuse him.

'If you wrote well it should help in the final decision about which group you work with. At the moment you're in the upper group, but you're in the bottom three.'

'Thank you for the information. I'm trying to work on one of my deficiencies today. I'll see you tonight.' Cloud felt a little guilty about not giving his mate a chance to say anything else, but he really hadn't wanted to know what Sephiroth just told him. He checked how much money he had in cash at the moment, then, since he'd be getting more aspirin anyway, he made a quick inspection of his personal first aid kit, comparing it to the one he'd had issued for his little hunt. There were some things he'd never thought about putting in his first aid kit that he probably should have and he made a list of what he needed, counting his money as well and hoping he'd have enough for everything he wanted.

He ate first, wishing Sephiroth could eat with him instead of with Angeal and Zack, or at least that the four of them could eat together, then he went looking for the medical supplies he needed. He didn't find everything he'd wanted, but what he did find took up most of his available cash, so he'd need to get some more money out for his next leave day and do his hunting then. At least he could check out the prices for materia today, and he went exploring to find the shops that sold them. Once he got back to base he went looking for a sparring partner, and spent most of the afternoon doing something fun.

xoXox

Sephiroth hadn't bothered putting the scarves out tonight; if Cloud wanted them he'd tell him, and Sephiroth probably shouldn't try to anticipate his lover's wishes until he knew his tastes a bit better. But he'd lit candles and left the lights off because he was starting to get a slight headache and candlelight was far easier on the eyes; Cloud's eyesight should be good enough to handle it even as a SOLDIER 3rd class, or at least Sephiroth thought it would be. And according to Zack candlelight was 'romantic', even if Sephiroth wasn't sure why.

"Is there something wrong Sephiroth?" He didn't like the worry in Cloud's voice, and he felt guilty for causing it, so he hurried to reassure him.

"No Cloud, not really. I've got a slight headache, but it won't...interfere with anything. I don't want it to."

"Do you know why you've got a headache?" Cloud stepped closer to Sephiroth, wrapping one arm around his waist and reaching up to lay the other hand on his cheek.

"Not really. I just get them sometimes and this one isn't bad."

"But bad enough you feel the need to have candles instead of the electric lighting? How often does this happen?" Sephiroth could hear Cloud's voice hardening, but he didn't understand why; he'd been trained to function even when he was in pain simply because there were so few drugs that worked normally on him. Still, he tried to work out the answer to the question, and searched his mind for any common factor to the headaches.

"Not often, and never when I'm in the field...perhaps three headaches like this every two months? I...there really isn't any connection between the times I have headaches; it's not as if I can point to times when I have to deal more with the ShinRa execs than usual, or anything like that. I work as much with hard copy as with the computer, so it can't be that." Sephiroth shook his head and pulled away from Cloud reluctantly. "It doesn't matter. Please, I'd rather not talk about it, my headaches aren't bad enough to justify taking one of my painkillers so they don't matter."

"They do matter...but I'm obviously not going to get you to believe that at the moment. So, tell me, what did you want to move on to?" Sephiroth couldn't help but wish that Cloud hadn't let him go when he pulled away, but he didn't say anything, sitting down instead and pulling out the box of chocolates he'd asked Zack to get for him.

"I...apparently the report on that last test would have put you into the upper group even if you'd been in the lower group before it. Did you want me to find out who was assessing you?" He'd already sent the request for more details; it would have looked suspicious to anyone who knew anything about his relationship with Cloud if he hadn't.

"Not really...just tell me if it was Weatherby...I really hope it was. Now, what's that you're holding?"

"I thought...it's always fun when Angeal and Zack feed me, so...we could feed these to each other?"

"Mmmm...sounds good." Cloud took the box of chocolates from him and opened it as he came to sit straddling Sephiroth's lap. "So, which type do you prefer?"

"Whichever you choose to give me." Professor Gast had given him sweets sometimes before he was killed, then Hojo had used chocolates as very rare rewards until he was ten, but Sephiroth hadn't had chocolate often enough to have any real preferences. It didn't seem worth the effort of arranging to get chocolates most of the time, but he'd wanted to have something to celebrate Cloud's success with, or as consolation for his failure, although he hadn't thought the second possibility very likely.

"C'mon, you've got to like some types of chocolate better than others." Cloud wasn't going to let it go, and Sephiroth hoped he was giving the right answer.

"I...darker chocolate, milk and white chocolate tend to be a bit sweet." Zack and Angeal both preferred the sweeter milk chocolate, and Zack liked white chocolate best of all.

"Do you have any problem eating chocolate with nuts in?" There was a faintly hopeful tone to his voice as Cloud opened the box, and Sephiroth was pretty sure he knew what the right answer was.

"No, why, do you?" Cloud put a chocolate covered nut into Sephiroth's mouth as he finished speaking.

"A bit. They're fine by themselves, or in just about anything else, but I don't like nuts in chocolate, don't ask me why." Sephiroth's mouth was too full for him to say anything, but he nuzzled against the wrist of the hand Cloud had left on his shoulder, purring slightly, and reached for the box of chocolates in Cloud's other hand, grabbing a milk chocolate truffle and offering it to Cloud with a hopeful smile. Cloud laughed at that and leaned forward to take the chocolate from his fingers, nibbling carefully at the truffle until he'd broken through the chocolate 'shell', and then sliding his tongue in to lick the truffle out, before finally taking Sephiroth's fingers into his mouth as he ate the last bit of the sweet. Sephiroth couldn't quite believe how sensual Cloud had managed to make his simple actions.

xoXox

Cloud resisted the urge to giggle as he felt Sephiroth growing hard against him because of the way he'd eaten that truffle, instead caressing his mate's face as he pulled his hand back from his shoulder.

"Enjoying this are you?" He wriggled in Sephiroth's lap, a grin on his face.

"You've got a talented tongue and you just showed how talented." Immediately he averted his eyes from Cloud's face, looking almost ashamed of his words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologise. It was a compliment." Cloud liked it that his mate thought he was good with his mouth, but the thing with how he'd licked the truffle part out of the chocolate first hadn't been meant to be seductive, even if he liked the effect it had on Sephiroth, it was just how he liked to eat chocolates sometimes. He glanced through the box of chocolates still in his hand and picked out a dark truffle, popping it into his mouth, and then leaning forward to kiss Sephiroth once it had started to melt in his mouth, pushing the half melted chocolate from his own mouth to his mate's.

Sephiroth made a muffled sound of pleasure at that, and slid one hand to Cloud's hip, with the other hand slipping between their bodies to press against his groin and stroke him gently. Cloud's response was to lean forward and lick carefully at the base of Sephiroth's throat while he reached under that long coat to unfasten his harness after putting the box of chocolates down. Removing Sephiroth's belts was as far as he could go towards undressing him under the circumstances, and it really wasn't enough.

"Let's move this to the bedroom."

"Yes Cloud." Sephiroth let Cloud pull him to his feet as he grabbed the box of chocolates and followed him through to the bedroom.

"Just put that on the bed." Once the chocolates were out of the way Cloud attacked Sephiroth's clothes, pulling them off him just slowly enough not to tear them. "You may undress me if you want." Then he remembered the slow teasing techniques his mate seemed to have been trained to use for that. "But use your hands, and don't tease; we'll be doing enough of that once we're both naked."

"As you wish Cloud." He didn't sound entirely happy about that, but he obeyed, stripping Cloud quickly and efficiently.

"Thank you. I like the way you normally undress me, don't get me wrong, but I just don't have the patience for it today." He didn't entirely like how much reassurance Sephiroth needed at times, but he didn't think he'd be able to change that, not easily, and he didn't have a problem with making his mate feel better, he just didn't think it was healthy for Sephiroth to need so much validation from him.

Sephiroth smiled at him then, and lay down on the bed, waiting for Cloud to do whatever he wanted. Cloud glanced through the box of chocolates, picking out one with chopped almonds in it to pop into Sephiroth's mouth while he played with some other chocolates. There were two that had orange and strawberry flavoured creams inside them, and he broke them open to smear the pink strawberry cream over Sephiroth's left nipple and the orange cream over his right nipple, licking his fingers clean before leaning down to start licking the cream from Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth moaned in pleasure as Cloud teased his nipples with tongue and teeth, a sound he loved hearing, but he pulled back a bit and popped the last chocolate with nuts into his mate's open mouth. There were two chocolates left; a mint fondant he crushed at the base of Sephiroth's throat and smeared upwards and a cappuccino truffle he put into his mouth and held there as it melted. It looked like Sephiroth had finished the chocolate in his mouth, so Cloud leaned down to kiss him again, and shared the cappuccino truffle with him, splitting it between their mouths.

Sephiroth returned the kiss at last, reaching up to hold him in place as Sephiroth's tongue explored Cloud's mouth, sharing the taste of the cappuccino with him. And he made a tiny sound of protest when Cloud pulled back, shifting to a sound of pleasure when Cloud began licking the sweetness from his throat.

"Pl-please." He tilted his head back, exposing his throat even more, and Cloud knew what he was asking for. He laughed and set his teeth at the base of Sephiroth's throat, somewhere that no important veins or arteries would be at risk, and bit down until he tasted blood, then he returned to licking the mint fondant from Sephiroth's skin, enjoying how it tasted mixed with his blood. And now, at last Cloud slid a leg between Sephiroth's, pressing against his groin and giving him something to find the friction he was seeking, while Cloud found his own friction against Sephiroth's hip.

He could tell that Sephiroth was expecting Cloud to stop at any moment and either take his mouth or his ass, but Cloud didn't think he needed that now, this felt good enough, and it was something different. Pleasure was pleasure after all, and he'd almost licked Sephiroth's throat clean, now that the bite had clotted over.

"Come for me now, if you can." He tangled a hand in Sephiroth's hair and pulled at his head to give him a better angle at his throat, and then...he bit Sephiroth again, startling a cry of mixed pleasure and pain out of him as he climaxed. Cloud was nearly ready to come himself and it just took a few more thrusts after hearing that erotic sound for him to reach completion. Then he relaxed, licking gently at the new bite and stroking Sephiroth's hair as his mate wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you alright?" It had taken him a few moments to notice how Sephiroth was shaking, since Cloud had allowed himself to be distracted by the taste of his blood.

"I...that was incredible. Thank you. I've...never felt anything that good." Cloud stifled his anger at the implication that Zack and Angeal hadn't bothered to really find out what Sephiroth enjoyed, and told himself that his mate was probably overstating the case.

"Thank you." He kissed Sephiroth full on the lips, exploring his mouth and letting him taste his own blood in Cloud's mouth, then he rolled them over, putting Sephiroth on top.

xoXox

Sephiroth tried to hide his surprise when Cloud rolled over, pulling Sephiroth with him so that he was on top, but the faint discomfort he felt at being in a superior position made that impossible. And somehow he was certain that Cloud intended their position to give him control, to imply at least temporary superiority for him, when the same position with Angeal wouldn't do that, would still make sure he understood he wasn't in control, and with Zack it would just be a game, or perhaps equality.

"What's wrong?" Cloud's hands stroked over his back, soothing him without words - partly because it felt like a declaration of Cloud's superiority, changing the context of their positions for Sephiroth.

"I...it bothers me for you to do things that make it seem as if I'm in charge, even for a moment. You know I belong to you." So all control should be his, never Sephiroth's.

"That's why I can do things like this, let you have a little bit of control. You're mine, nothing will change that, so why shouldn't I indulge you sometimes?" Sephiroth's mind shied away from the sort of confidence that implied in Cloud's control and possession of him, he didn't want to think that Angeal might be so insistent on making it clear he was dominant in bed because he was insecure, and Cloud seemed to sense his discomfort. He laughed lightly and rolled Sephiroth off him to lie by his side and sat up to look down at him. "We'll leave that for now, but I think we could both use a shower, don't you?"

"Yes Cloud." Sephiroth ran a hand through his hair, and lifted it so he could inspect it where it felt sticky...some of the chocolate and some of his blood had got into his hair. "But I should comb my hair out first, to make it easier to wash."

"Go ahead. And I'll adjust the shower."

Sephiroth watched as Cloud walked away from him, then pulled out his comb to do as he'd said he would, following him once he'd untangled most of his hair, except the parts matted with blood or something else. It was a wet room, not a shower, a luxury he'd been given when he returned from Wutai after their final defeat, so he was careful to open the door just far enough for him to enter. On seeing him Cloud smiled and reached for the shampoo set in a little recessed shelf in the wall beside him.

"Come and kneel in front of me so I can take care of your hair." Something occurred to Sephiroth as he obeyed, and he knew that Cloud liked him to show initiative with him, so...

"Should I make myself useful while I'm down here?" And he nuzzled for a moment against Cloud's groin to make it clear what he meant.

"If you want." There was a hint of surprise in Cloud's voice; that Sephiroth had offered to do this, or that he could feel arousal again so soon? It didn't matter and Sephiroth began licking lightly at Cloud while he ran his fingers through his hair, making sure the water had soaked into it. "Shut your eyes for me." He obeyed as Cloud shut the shower off, but he kept on sucking as he felt Cloud's fingers working the shampoo into his hair, massaging his scalp at the same time. "Oh, and don't make me come until I tell you to, okay?"

He couldn't speak, but he hummed in acknowledgement around Cloud's cock, then brought him back from the brink with a slight scrape of his teeth along it as he pulled back a little. Almost in response Cloud turned the shower back on, rinsing the shampoo from his hair, and playing with it idly for a bit before telling Sephiroth he could open his eyes. Sephiroth obeyed, and hesitantly lifted his hand to rest on Cloud's hip as he used the other hand to play with Cloud's balls, and then Cloud turned the shower off again to rub conditioner into his hair.

"You can make me come any time you want to after I turn the shower back on, okay?" Sephiroth hummed again, and Cloud turned the shower back on, rinsing the conditioner from his hair. It didn't take too long for Sephiroth to bring Cloud to climax, and he swallowed all Cloud's seed eagerly. "Stand up now. I want to wash the rest of you."

Sephiroth obeyed, and shut his eyes, luxuriating in the feeling of Cloud's hands on his body, cleaning him and taking care of him, and enjoying the quiet words of affection and desire he whispered as he worked.

"I...should I return the favour for you?"

"If you want to love." Cloud smiled up at him and he couldn't help return the smile. First he washed and conditioned Cloud's hair, enjoying the feeling of that surprisingly soft hair underneath his hands, and then he began washing his lover, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin under his hands, stealing kisses when he dared.

Then when they came back into his bedroom Cloud insisted on letting his own hair dry naturally while Cloud combed out and used the hairdryer on Sephiroth's hair. The pampering at least was familiar, and it made Sephiroth feel more comfortable that Cloud was taking care of him the way Angeal and Zack did after something went wrong, or if he'd pleased them a lot.

"You know, this is a lot like what Angeal and Zack do after I blank out. Except..."

"They don't ask you to wash them in the shower, or pleasure them, and they keep on talking to you all the time?"

"Yes." Sephiroth's hair was dry now, and he turned to look at Cloud. "Being pampered like this, it's nice, but I like the way you let me return the favour."

"I can take a hint." Cloud laughed and handed the hairdryer over to Sephiroth, laughing as he turned around to make it easier for Sephiroth. "But my hair's going to be mostly dry by now."

It was, but Sephiroth finished drying the few bits that were still wet before getting up to put the hairdryer away.

"Come back here so I can get some sleep knowing you're in my arms." Cloud pushed the bedcovers back and smiled at Sephiroth as he stretched out. Sephiroth didn't need to say anything to that, he just put the hairdryer down and moved to join his lover, enjoying the feel of Cloud's arms around him.

xoXox