Chapter Text
The air was crisp with the incalescent aroma of fallen leaves, their brittle edges crunching under a veritable horde of little feet. Children spilled onto the streets in droves, a tapestry of vibrant costumes illuminated by the effulgent glow of porch lights and jack-o’-lanterns that lined the sidewalks like guardians of an ephemeral autumn kingdom. The cacophony of excited laughter, melodic greetings of “Trick or treat!” and the harmonious jingling of candy buckets formed a euphonious soundtrack to the night’s adventure.
Navigating the streets in the same paths he’d taken with Nathan for a few years in a row helped the young one find a few children from his own school to group with, the shared pleasure one Cloud thrilled in as he thought of his own childhood. Assembling together as they all cheerfully called out to one another, hugged in greetings so merrily, and admired their costumes, the other parents also followed suit and exchanged amicable waves and nods, just as happy to be around kids in the middle of merriment.
A petite mermaid, her gossamer fins shimmering under fluorescent streetlights, giggled as she waddled alongside a towering vampire clad in a resplendent black and violet cloak. His incisive fangs gleamed, a juxtaposition to the playful devil skipping beside him, her tiny red horns slightly askew atop her curly hair. Behind them, a werewolf with faux fur and glowing amber eyes growled playfully at a witch, who spun in her billowing black robe, casting superfluous “spells” with a wand tipped with fluorescent green light.
The mermaid started chasing Nathan the most, ushering him up and down the right side of the brightly lit street. It at least served some purpose, their trips fruitful when happy denizens opened their doors and handed out candy. Nathan however seemed a bit uncomfortable when the playful mermaid held onto him until he was breathless, so he zipped back to hide between Cloud and Sephiroth, head hung as he glared at his feet.
Snorting at the shadow enveloping his bent head due to the chocobo eggshell atop his crown, Sephiroth then glanced at the mermaid waiting up along the path. “Did I just see a little mermaid scaring you, Nate?”
Knowing precisely who the girl was, Cloud gently asked, “Is Bella trying to plant kisses on you again, Nathan?”
“Woooooah!” Whistling and snickering, Sephiroth then winked when Nathan looked up at him and teasingly rasped, “Casanova’s already got a girlfriend!” Patting Nathan’s cheek, he soon became a bit serious as he dispensed a bit of advice mingled with a facetious comment. “It’s fine to want to get away from her. You never know! Gals may have cooties!”
Rolling his eyes and pushing the hood of the chocobo hatchling costume up, with a bemused glare, Nathan groused, “No. I just like my own personal space, and she annoys me because she doesn’t stop chasing me, even when I ask nicely.”
Stunned at how mature that came off, Sephiroth raised his mask off his face to cough, blinking as he remained taken aback while Cloud hid his visage and chuckle behind a clenched fist poised at his mouth.
Somewhat flushed to his ears, Sephiroth tucked a stray lock of hair behind an ear, frowning as the disobedient, contrary hair moved back again. “Gosh. Way to make me feel old, Nate. In my time, we were scared of cooties, but you’re ahead of the game.”
“Nah, cooties were definitely scary when I was in school too!” Cloud chimed in while Nathan kept far from the girl named Bella. Ushering him a bit ahead, Cloud asked, “Want me to stick by you for a bit?”
“I’ll be fine, mom,” Nathan called back, readjusting his chocobo hoodie as he climbed up a few steps onto the porch of the next house with his bag held high.
Deciding to try and be helpful as well, Sephiroth lowered the fluffy mask again and took a step closer. “I’ll stand next to you if you want, Nathan!”
Spinning around and cringing at the sound of that when more of his peers gathered in tight clusters, Nathan cupped a hand around his mouth and bemoaned, “Sephiroth! None of the other kids have their parents around all the time! It’s embarrassing!”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Sephiroth took a moment to voice his own complaints, feet scraping across the pavement by necessity to hammer his anguish. “Kids! The other parents are doin’ it!”
Indeed, he was right in that assessment.
The other observant parents, some mired in their own whimsical costumes, followed their vivacious brood with bemused smiles. A mother dressed as a puissant Red Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland held the hand of a ghost draped in a sheet with eye holes askew. Nearby, a father disguised as a jovial pirate adjusted his tricorne hat as he wrangled a small knight determined to joust the air with a foam sword.
Houses stood resplendent with decorations—skeletons posed in macabre yet comedic tableaus, cobwebs that gleamed in the moonlight like a delicate morass of silver threads, and jack-o’-lanterns with expressions ranging from mischievous to maniacal. At one particularly festive house, a vivacious neighbor dressed as a bulbous pumpkin handed out king-sized candy bars, drawing a euphoric cheer from the approaching children. Another neighbor, a friendly man with a booming laugh, offered a plethora of treats from a cauldron brimming with chocolates, lollipops, and sugar-dusted gummies.
The streets were a harmonious blend of autumn’s finest elements—the scent of warm cider wafted from a nearby tool shed, mingling with the faint acridity of a fire pit crackling in someone’s yard. Trees, their bare branches silhouetted against the night sky, shivered as a sweeping breeze swept through, carrying with it the euphonious rustle of distant laughter.
Candy buckets filled quickly with an assortment of delights: miniature chocolate bars wrapped in vibrant foils, sour candies in crinkly wrappers, and peanut butter cups nestled snugly among their sugary counterparts. The children’s exuberance was contagious, spilling over into the jovial chatter of their parents and the delighted smiles of neighbors who waved from their doorsteps.
As the night wore on, the incandescent lights flickered on in one final crescendo of warmth before the streets began to quiet down. The little werewolf howled melodramatically at the rising moon, drawing another wave of laughter before things became torrid. It was a night woven with the gossamer threads of community, joy, and the fleeting magic of childhood—a resplendent tapestry of shared delight under an expansive autumn sky.
Nathan’s bag was close to bursting when they reached their second-to-last street, but he continued running around wherever his friends guided and suggested, and as always, an attentive Sephiroth and Cloud followed while keeping an eye on him.
Gasping when he couldn’t tolerate the heat, Sephiroth tugged off his Moogle mask, letting it hang out of a pocket as he then fanned himself. “I swear, that thing is horrible for air circulation.”
Smiling as he dug his hands into his pockets for extra warmth, Cloud didn’t rush to agree since he didn’t have personal experience. “If you say so.” More intrigued by how Sephiroth and Nathan always seemed to get along like congruent pieces, he dug into that instead. “Have you worked around kids before?”
Spine straightening and shoulders rolling back, Sephiroth moved his long hair aside and shook his head. Like a perfectly smooth lake of ice, his smile glistened under the moonlight, and his voice was even more sonorous. “Not really. I just like being around them and making them happy.”
To think that something so basic, yet so sincere could be the ultimate factor and impetus for someone as uncouth and rough around the edges as Sephiroth somehow was…endearing.
Touched more than he could say, Cloud squirmed, caught in the tranquil moment until he heard shouting from his right. Glancing up ahead, he found his son and another child dressed in a Noir outfit bickering under a tree. Back and forth, as their voices rang out and grew in heated volume, the slightly taller child shoved Nathan quite hard.
“Hey! Stop it right now!”
Tearing through the air and racing at them, Cloud soon recognized the bully in the vintage Noir costume. Ready to unload all sorts of harsh words at him since he was one of the few bullies constantly hounding Nathan, before he could get a word in, the child taller than his son wound around him.
Just before his outstretched hands could once more push Nathan back and swipe at his candy bag, the wind rustled, a large presence suddenly planting itself right in front of the aggressive child. Staggering him immediately, with his overpowering intimidation levels due to his massive bulk and height, the long ends of Sephiroth’s silver hair dangled down to touch the bully’s hat and shoulders. Like liquid silver, as the tendrils blew due to the light breeze, Sephiroth stood there like a silent guard. Not needing to do anything aside from stare at the pest without even blinking in almost a minute, Sephiroth’s aura exuded only a clear warning.
Flummoxed by the enormous alpha in his way, the child gaped and took a small step back. “Woah…” Head tilting back to look at Sephiroth better, with a tiny gulp, the bewildered kid wondered, “Who are you?”
Ignoring the question, Sephiroth remained stiff, upper lip eventually curling back to reveal his gleaming teeth. The effect did well to afflict the young one with mild fear, but Sephiroth was far from through with his ominous presence to engender a sense of discipline.
Setting out to correct the unruly behavior, he gruffly intoned while holding the child’s fixated gaze, “How about you push me if you like doing that?” Clarifying what he really was driving at, he emphasized succinctly, “Push me, since you’re such a tough guy.”
“Sephiroth,” Cloud began while holding onto Nathan and pulling him away from a scene of conflict. “It’s fine—”
“No, it isn’t, because he should know better right now while he’s still young.” Tilting his head at the child and then cocking his eyebrow, Sephiroth gave him a snide sneer which sent him shivering. “What’s your name?”
Quick to be honest due to his fear, the bully mewled, “J-Jer…Jericho…”
On the soles of his feet and squatting so they were closer to eye and height level, Sephiroth clasped his hands by his front and nodded. “Okay, Jer.” Perfectly serious and with another perfunctory nod, he stated, “I’ve made it easier for you now. I’m at your level, so go on. Push me.”
Waiting on bated breaths, Cloud and his son watched, nostrils flaring, chests heaving, limbs warm and sweaty as they clung together. Eyes wide and forcing themselves not to blink away from what was happening, while the seconds sped away, the tension which had been brewing quite horrendously began slipping as control and confidence left Jericho.
Whimpering as he backed away from Sephiroth when he realized the adult wasn’t intimidated and refusing to move even an inch, he eventually broke down, sniffling as he finally complained, “I didn’t wanna hurt him, but I don’t wanna be his friend!”
“I’m not asking you to,” Sephiroth growled back, still squatting before Jericho. “You don’t have to be friends with anyone if you don’t want to, but you’re not allowed to treat someone like that. You keep your hands to yourself from now on, you hear me?”
Like magic, the once so aggressive, aggravating bully now nodded frantically, melting out of his frosty attitude. Gingerly lifting his eyes towards Nathan as he cried with much sincerity, “I’m sorry!”
Moving up and out of their way, Sephiroth brushed his hands on his pants and sighed. “Shake on it now. Man to man, promise that you won’t bully anyone.”
Obediently, Jericho jutted out his right arm, and Nathan peered at it quickly before smiling. Always such an agreeable child aiming to be polite, he showed how forgiving he was, smiling brighter than a dozen rays of the effulgent sun. Taking Jericho’s hand in his own, as they firmly shook their limbs in a gesture of a civil oath hammering in time, charging footsteps thudded over to the group.
An exasperated man easily recognizable by Sephiroth now approached, murder written in his eyes. Breaths ragged in his harried state, he was one of the two alphas Sephiroth and Cloud had seen days ago when dropping Nathan off at school.
Posture bent until he determined a larger, more intimidating alpha in the picture, the inimical man hissed thinly, “What the hell’s going on here?”
Showing very little in the way of patience for him, Sephiroth pointed as he asked, “Are you Jericho’s father?”
Raincoat fluttering in the wind, the tanned man with honey-brown hair sneered immediately as he glared back and forth at Sephiroth and Cloud. “Yeah, I am. What the hell are you doing to my son?”
Wittily, Sephiroth shot out a stinging comment with careful deliberation. “I’m doing what you should have done years ago as his father; teaching him right from wrong.”
Fast to take issue with that, the other alpha snarled, “You—”
“Sephiroth, we should go now!” Knowing without a trace of doubt now that there would be the chance of a physical altercation, Cloud fastened onto Sephiroth’s elbow, succeeding in dragging him away until Jericho’s father leered at him.
Jealous as he pieced whatever he could in his vulgar, filthy mind, as his visage contorted into a feral one, he hissed sibilantly at Cloud, “Ahh. I get it now! Years all alone, playin’ hard-to-get like some shirking violet!” Vulgarity increasing, he spread his concupiscent meanings with consistency to match his perverted grins. “Teasin’ us by dangling yourself all over the place like a special treat, when all this time, you were puttin’ out for this guy, huh?”
Now completely enraged, Cloud stepped forward to place himself a few inches away from the smug alpha. Having his own ax to grind, after years of subtle harassment from the man, he was filled with far too much resentment as he snapped mordantly, “Even if that were the case, he certainly is worthy of it more than you’ll ever be, you disgusting pig.”
Tapping on his temple with his knuckles almost grinding skin, the shorter alpha produced a most insidious chuckle, eyes glinting with pure cruelty as his teeth and knuckles cracked. “Do you think I’m dumb enough to confuse the cowards for the real men?”
Pushed to the edge, impulsive as always and lost in a world where he didn’t belong, the vicious feelings that’d stirred in Cloud’s chest finally found their way to fruition.
Ferociously glaring at the other man he truly loathed, he coldly bit back, “Yeah. I’d say you’re confused about many things in your life, but we can start small for the sake of your puny brain to catch up on.”
Without considering his actions and their ramifications, as soon as Cloud turned to leave after having made his point, the incensed alpha attacked. At full speed and force, he lunged with his right hand ahead, aiming to bash Cloud right in the upper, left cheek. Biting through a growl, his eyes took on a red tinge, round and wide as he snarled. Balling the fist of his own dominant hand, he screamed as he cut through the air with his long arm heading right for Cloud, bearing a ring with a pointy, sharp jewel on top of it.
Knuckles firmly clenched to smash into bone, rousing his sense of ego and pride, the dangerous alpha suddenly was now totally alert as he stumbled back when a shadow engulfed him.
Contact was never made, nor did Cloud have to duck and evade, for the blow never arrived. Without anyone even having the chance to see how it was done and process the inhuman reflexes and speed, in a flash of black and white, like a bolt of thunder striking the earth, Sephiroth had appeared in the scant distance between Cloud and the other alpha. Lifting his left hand, he shielded his visage well, the assailaint’s fist unstoppable as the ring’s jutting jewel akin to a tiny blade finally slashed forth through Sephiroth’s gloved hand from left to right in a deep slant.
With the crude dragging of the pointed diamond slicing the thick layer of the glove and flesh, a few droplets of blood zipped through the air, splattering on the grass and leaving the entire group in a heady daze.
Coughing in terror at what he’d done when he broke free from Sephiroth and dropped his arm, as the other alpha tried piecing together how Sephiroth had even appeared directly in front of himself, even Cloud had to pause and gape at Sephiroth in total confusion.
Sephiroth…this man…Sephiroth had stopped someone else from hurting him? Why? What reason did he have? Why did he care?
Dropping his bleeding hand listlessly and leaving the father of Jericho to offer a dozen seconds of baffled gaping, Sephiroth didn’t appear to want to hear the regretful man out at all. Pivoting on his foot, as he turned about and faced Cloud for the first time, there came his detached, soulless glance, his green eyes spearing right into Cloud’s head, practically causing every organ he possessed to melt away in rage.
Directing his frosty, callous tone at Cloud, without even blinking, Sephiroth spoke for the first time that night in such a callous, crude manner to imply his shortness of tolerance. “So dumb.”
Exploding and without a cause for caring now about what was suitable and appropriate in front of his own son, Jericho’s father gave the chance of a skirmish to settle matters one last shot. Emitting a deep growl to announce battle, he swished his fist from the upper right to the lower left, but Sephiroth had been much faster to make the dodged move look like a piece of cake. The air whistled twice in quick succession, once as the clenched hand cut through, and the second sound created by Sephiroth ducking half an inch to the right. With his barely traceable move, he gave enough space for the other alpha to go stumbling and digging his wrist firmly into the tree trunk instead.
Fist and jagged diamond maiming the coarse, thick wood, his clenched hand audibly cracked, and he screamed as he clutched it while falling to his knees. Rocking steadily while hissing and groaning in total misery, the humiliation wore deeper into him, but he pushed his eyes away from Nathan, Jericho, and Cloud as he glared at Sephiroth.
“Apologize right now! Arrgh! Apologize to my son!”
“Fine.”
Shocked as Cloud was to hear Sephiroth easily acquiesce to that rude and unbecoming demand, before he could shout to disparage Sephiroth from doing so, the silver-haired alpha showed him yet again how saucy and clever he could be, never running out of reasonably wise advice to dispense.
Heading over to where Jericho nervously studied his idiotic father trying to nurse his clenched, bruised hand, Sephiroth stopped abruptly when Jericho traded odd glances at him and then Cloud, head hung apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Jer,” Sephiroth exhaled, shoulders not moving to suggest even a trace of dejection. Holding himself up tall, with all the countenance of a regal Lord testing his disloyal subjects, he concluded with a callous sneer at Jericho’s father, “I’m really sorry you have such a poor excuse for a father, but I hope you won’t rely on him as a role model.”
His voice wasn’t too different from the mocking, derisive tones Cloud often heard at times, though the pitch seemed to provide more youth and sustenance, no doubt. Still, he knew fully well that something between himself and Sephiroth had changed the moment Sephiroth proved his oath of loyalty by rushing to his aid without being requested and summoned.
As it were, Sephiroth perhaps did care about him, for he’d willingly dared to stand in the line of fire, take damage for the sake of protecting him, and bravely influenced Nathan’s bully into compliance and obedience.
Cloud had been able to breach through an ocean of variables, but one constant remained; Sephiroth had to be out of his mind to do something like this for people he wasn’t even related to…no, he’d perhaps wanted it, and Cloud yearned to from that point on to show eternal gratitude to Sephiroth for every little new and remarkable thing he’d introduced to his world.
£~π~£
Inspecting Nathan’s collected candy was only an excuse to distract himself. For the first time in a single Halloween, Cloud was compelled by shock and elation, needing to do something to prevent many silly words and uplifting praises from spilling out before he embarrassed himself.
Sephiroth had done well to embark on the venture of a savior, but not one to pathetic levels that would spout off much vainglory. Without resorting to competition, not needing to boast and impress anyone by engaging in gaudy violence, although he certainly held more skill and prowess, the fact that he held back was the most important fact to hang onto.
Coping mechanisms and agreeable strategies forgotten since a fire had been lit in his heart, Cloud held his head down, seated on the sofa with the entire collection of Nathan’s candy spread on the coffee table. Checking through the wrappers, delicately opening the tiny paper boxes, he searched to ensure they were safe, scenting many and sampling them while Sephiroth wrapped his bleeding hand.
Changing out of his costume and hanging it neatly in his closet, quite zombified in his steps, Nathan entered the living room, wringing his hands and pulling a conflicted, worried expression. He watched Sephiroth plop down on the single seat sofa adjacent to where Cloud sat, cheeks puffing and flushing out.
Frowning and then emitting a soft groan, Sephiroth wiggled in his seat, dipping his right arm back and massaging his spine. “Getting old is something I don’t recommend.”
Fingers crossing around the plastic wrappers holding bubblegum together, Cloud shyly replied, “Stop it. You’re not old.”
“Pfft.” Waving him off, though not to be cruel and demeaning, Sephiroth faked a strange, Southern accent as he began playfully conducting himself as though to ward off the bit of pain he perhaps felt. “If ya say so, ya cute little country bumpkin! I tell ya, young’in, I feel it daily in my bones!”
Lips pressing together tightly to minimize the dash of humor and sly laughter he wanted to break out in, Cloud instead gazed out the window and balcony. The autumn leaves rustling gently around paired nicely with the inky hue darkness cast over everything, bathing the world in a serene, warm glow that only he felt as he replayed the events earlier. He watched as the trees swayed slightly in the breeze, lost in his thoughts, alight with passion he always had to hide. Struggling to banish the unusually complex feelings he was lately facing, he figured it had to be Sephiroth’s doing, bewitching him into turning against himself.
Since Sephiroth had courageously stood up to the father and son duo, the bullies who’d been tormenting Nathan especially for weeks had agreed not to ever repeat their ignoble deeds from that night on. Despite the minor fit of violence, they were after all the ones in the wrong. A few other parents had recorded the entire ordeal, plenty of witnesses and evidence on display to prove that Sephiroth hadn’t been the aggravator to seal their case.
The confrontation had been swift and decisive, with Sephiroth’s calm but firm words cutting through the other alpha’s bluster like a hot knife through butter. In that moment, as a spectator, Cloud had felt a rush of emotions—relief, gratitude, and a deep, abiding sense of pride in his strange companion. Although still nowhere near approving of Sephiroth, he had to give him credit for his lauded actions.
Seated there in the aftermath, as the audience of his own imagination to a degree, Cloud replayed the scene in his mind, savoring the subtle yet profound joy that promptly filled himself with unending glee. He could still hear Sephiroth’s voice, steady and unyielding, standing up for him and his son with an unwavering confidence. The memory brought a soft smile to Cloud’s lips, and his heart swelled with fond warmth he couldn’t hide for long.
Swaying a bit out of discomfort brought on by worry, Nathan’s lips twisted, the child unable to settle on an expression for too long. Knees bent as he moved out of the open entryway to the living room, his blond hair covered his freckles when it slid across his forehead and cheeks. In no rush to push it aside, he sniffled, approaching Sephiroth step by step, rather silent for quite some time.
Alarmed by his change in behavior, Sephiroth flicked an eyebrow up, cocking his head to the right in Nathan’s direction. “Hey Nate. Why so glum, dude?”
Refusing to say a word, Nathan stopped right before the sofa Sephiroth lounged in. Clinging to his silence, he clutched one of the armrests before he loosened his hold. Almost dragging a few fingers over, up and down the length in a motion as one would when handling a cat, he continued staring at his feet until Sephiroth smiled.
Turning to Cloud, he suggested for the sake of cheering Nathan up, “Chocolate may get him feeling okay soon.”
Only a bit sarcastic, Cloud sang out, “Yes, dear. I’m on it.”
Fastidiously working on going through another pile of candy, while Cloud focused and spent his punctilious attention on the treats, Sephiroth sat up. Going through his back pocket, he tugged out a carton of cigarettes, fishing one out and holding it between his teeth. Hand patting himself down as he searched for a lighter, when he found one, he missed the scathing glare Nathan set upon the cigarette.
Not even looking up when he heard the lighter clicking, Cloud pointed toward the balcony and ordered softly, “If you’re gonna be doing that, do it outside, please.”
“Mhm.”
Capitulation reached for the maximization of his worries, before Sephiroth had a chance to step away from the living room, a scowling Nathan boldly leapt up and snatched the cigarette. Yanking it clear out of his elder’s mouth, he rushed ahead toward the balcony with a direct mission in mind. Throwing open the doors and chucking the lit joint high in the air, he watched the wind put it out as it floated to the ground before stomping in anger.
Both highly alert and strung with emotional reactions for their own concerns, Cloud and Sephiroth shouted, “Hey! Nathan!”
Scooping him away into his arms far from the balcony, Cloud cupped his cheeks and lightly shook him once as the stoic child pouted. “Nathan! I told you many times that you aren’t allowed to go on the balcony! You have to be careful!”
Hissing, Nathan wrenched himself out of Cloud’s arms, and as he did, thinking he was just throwing a tantrum, Cloud fumed as he sensed he was losing his energy for the night. Too much had happened so suddenly, and he swayed over to the same spot he’d occupied before, throwing himself on the sofa seat with a tiny squeak of exhaustion.
Head moving back and forth from the balcony to Nathan, Sephiroth squatted before Nathan, wearing the suit of an educator once more. As soon as the panic broke off into confusion instead, not that much more relieved, he seemed less tense as he gaped endlessly.
“Nathan, those are expensive, buddy. They’re not toys either, so please try to—”
Raising his head and glowering directly into Sephiroth’s eyes, the way he was so fired up sent shock waves of awe into Sephiroth to silence him. Once things had quieted down to permit Nathan the opportunity to speak, he did so, quite loudly and poignantly, proving how easily he could behave as a more mature person.
“You have to quit smoking, okay? It can give you lung cancer! Please, please stop!” Tugging on Sephiroth’s shirt at a few places, when that didn’t satiate and nullify his abject woes, with tears almost brimming in his blue eyes, he again urged, “Please quit, Sephiroth! Please? Please?”
Jaw dropping like Cloud’s did, Sephiroth very slowly held out both arms, placing them on Nathan’s shoulders. Once his grip was firm, drawing close until their heads almost brushed, he drew one arm back, hand held in the air as though taking a powerful, reverent oath.
Face as smooth as ice, though filled with convictions he abided by, he affirmed in one solid breath, “If you really want me to, I swear to you, Nathan, from now on, I will stop smoking. I promise.”
Not yet entirely convinced, though he longed to be, Nathan checked Sephiroth’s overall demeanor carefully. Eyes shifting around and not landing on anything in particular, Nathan lowered his voice a bit, somewhat calmer at least. “Promise?”
Once again, Sephiroth extended his hand towards Nathan, turning it with his palm now drawn up. As Nathan peered at it, chin quivering, Sephiroth deeply intoned, “Shake on it, man to man. I promise you, and I’m a man of my word.”
Locking his gaze on the elongated, proffered limb, Nathan slowly flitted his eyeballs to Sephiroth. Inhaling sharply, he held that breath, chin quivering a few times before he shut his eyes and leapt past Sephiroth’s hand and wrapped his own arms around the alpha’s broad shoulders. Practically squeezing Sephiroth’s body to himself, Nathan hugged Sephiroth tightly, hanging on there even long after Sephiroth stayed silent in nothing but shock.
Blue eyes sliding over to verdant ones, jaws open wide for a fraction until he decided to bite down on the end of a ballpoint pen, Cloud couldn’t hide the impressed grin on his visage this time. He had no reason to anyway, far too ensorcelled by the marvelous fact that for the first time since he could remember, on his own accord, Nathan had fully opened up to someone else and was going so far as to embrace them. The way he was holding onto Sephiroth was far different than how he even hugged Zack. There was a novel kind of raw desperation in his hold, his shivers consumed by Sephiroth’s large body.
Amazed by what Nathan had done, while still processing what was going on, Sephiroth’s lips quirked into a smile. A bit on the gushy side, as he grinned over at Cloud, he whispered, “A hug! Look!” Pointing at Nathan as if it was too good to be true, he reiterated in a sing-song tone, “I get a big hug! Someone likes meeee!”
Finding good, healthy humor in the adorable moment, Cloud borrowed the vicarious felicity as he nodded. “Well, I guess you earned it somehow.”
Lifting Nathan off the floor, with one hand cradling his lower back, Sephiroth extended the other, leaning over towards Cloud. “Since we’re all in happy mood, can I have a hug from you too so—”
Emitting a sharp hiss, Cloud warned him against that, pouting as he swatted at Sephiroth through the air with the pen. “No. Go away. No hugs from me to you.”
Dejected at once, Sephiroth sank as he pulled a sad face in a rather exaggerated way however to show how defeated he was. “Oh, okay.” Backing off quickly, he stroked Nathan’s head, trying to place him down, when he hung on even stronger. “You gotta get down some time, buddy, but hugs are always welcome.”
“He has to go to bed.” Standing up and tenderly unfastening Nathan’s hands from Sephiroth’s neck, Cloud gently lowered him to the floor as he nudged and then massaged his son’s shoulders. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face, sweetie. I’ll tuck you in.”
Rubbing his nose and then scratching his head, Nathan’s eyes shut, but he smiled consistently throughout the motions. Yawning, he then glanced at Sephiroth and finally his mother, exuding gratitude and obedience as he nodded and padded off down the hall and across his own room to the bathroom.
As soon as the door clicked shut and the faucets were turned on, Cloud pivoted on a heel and swiped an Oreo cookie package off the table. “Here,” he whispered as he handed it to Sephiroth, sitting back down then in his formerly occupied spot.
“Thanks.”
Sephiroth had hardly grazed the single seat sofa, when Cloud perked up and tapped a vacant spot on the three seat couch he was sitting on. “No, sit here.”
Glad to oblige, Sephiroth kept eyes and ears on the bathroom door, mannerisms always attentive and respectively divided between Nathan and Cloud. Deciding to give most of his time now to Cloud, he sat down with a leg tucked in his weight, slanting to the side, somewhat raddled given the complete 180 shift in behavior from Cloud.
Back meshing with the sofa as he leaned into it, he draped one arm across his lap, the other clutching the armrest. Oreo cookie package half-open, he snuck a few fingers onto the treat, snapping off the top of one cookie and chewing it.
Snickering at his odd behavior, Cloud frowned and then softly asked, “You eat the outer parts first?”
Pausing, Sephiroth wiped a few crumbs off his lower lip and shrugged. “Well, the juicy stuff’s always in the center, so I take my time before I lick it…” On the verge of biting into the rest of the dry cookie, he dropped his arm, stopping as awareness hit at once. A bit shamefully, he swallowed as he corrected with a wince, “I didn’t mean that in a sexual sense.”
Somewhere else mentally, though his heart and soul soared, Cloud glanced around, making sure no one was watching, and allowed himself a small, private celebration. His fingers traced patterns on the coffee table’s slightly worn edge, and he leaned back, closing his eyes to fully immerse himself in the moment. The feeling of being defended, of having someone stand up for him, was a balm to his soul, so much that he errantly caved under his airy emotions.
“It’s okay if you meant it that way.”
Abruptly, Sephiroth snapped up, and although Cloud’s posture was relaxed, his body language serene, he eventually heard what he’d uttered, the reality of the aftermath dawning on himself. There was no outward sign of the whirlwind of emotions within—just a subtle, tranquil happiness that radiated from him like gentle waves, but now that it was fading away, it left the once wry smile a tad frightened, the corners of Cloud’s mouth slipping to form a crestfallen decline.
As proud of Sephiroth as he was, and immensely so, new thoughts filled himself with an undefeated warmth and borderline confusion that seemed to spread from his heart to his very fingertips.
Chewing on his thumb, he opened his eyes and looked over at Sephiroth, cursing himself for his lack of control. Sephiroth no doubt felt a profound sense of peace, but as bright and more hopeful as things were between them, Sephiroth seemed uptight and at a loss for words.
The shadows of doubt and fear that had plagued Cloud were dispelled by the light of Sephiroth’s unwavering support, not necessarily as swiftly as he thought, but the hurdles were appropriately moved past. He took a deep breath, letting the cool, crisp air fill his lungs, and exhaled slowly, feeling the tension melt away.
In that quiet, ponderous moment, despite being a bit mortified by what he’d unwisely blurted, the optimistic side of Cloud held onto his happiness and pride, keeping it close to his heart. It was a private joy, a secret wellspring of strength and warmth that he would carry with himself for as long as he could.
No doubt, once morning arrived and the sun continued to shine and the leaves danced around due to the lull of the wind, in the equanimity, Cloud would feel an unshakeable sense of contentment, knowing that he had someone like Sephiroth by his side.
There was still the matter of what he’d blurted. He tried orchestrating it as if it’d been a facetious notion at first, blushing and shrugging before knowing it was going to end in disaster. He couldn’t even manage a smile as he wanted and pictured to show that he meant nothing odd by it. Only awkwardness fit as the suit Cloud had to don upon himself, his meekness not quixotic when escape from his foolish bumble was improbable.
Reserved, though modest to an appropriate application, Sephiroth wasn’t one to harp on what had slipped. Whether he longed to seek any explanation was immaterial, forgotten when Nathan’s electric toothbrush was heard humming and buzzing to life. His shadow was seen cast under the doorway and hall from where they sat, water running a few seconds later while he adjusted the speed of the device.
While he rinsed and continued adhering to his night time hygiene practices, Cloud broke through the silence when he felt he could. Reaching over and helping himself to one of the many tiny Oreo cookies in the bag Sephiroth held, he bit into the top of the one he picked, chewing it slowly.
After a few more nibbles, he praised Sephiroth with his own unique twist to the delivery of feedback. “Well, either way, what you did back there for Nathan was absolutely brave, Sephiroth. Absurd, stupid, too, but deeply appreciated.”
Wry grin anointing his remarkable features, Sephiroth only grinned by means of a reply, and it was all Cloud needed in that moment to forget what he’d stated. It wasn’t as though he really meant it anyway. Yes, he was extremely tired, and like some people who perhaps shared the trait, over exhaustion made his tongue loose and brain scramble. It wasn’t a crime, but he really made an effort now to at least rephrase and rehearse mentally whatever came to mind before it left his mouth.
Water shut off in the bathroom, the lights following suit. Nathan’s feet softly tapped about as he crossed out of the hallway slightly as he then paused before Sephiroth and Cloud. Rushing over to Cloud first, he leapt on the couch between Sephiroth and his mother, shocking them as he drew Cloud in for a hug.
Peeking over at Sephiroth from the top of Nathan’s head and finding him to be just as pleased as before, Cloud smiled down when Nathan released him and purred fondly, “Thanks for that hug, sweetie. I really needed one right now.”
Dressed in clean, bird and duck off-white pajamas, Nathan turned to Sephiroth next, and since he was in close proximity and quite accessible, in under a few seconds, he threw himself onto Sephiroth and stole another deep, long hug.
Finding decent cause to celebrate his victorious moment, Sephiroth’s rich laughter was colored by deep, tenor tones even in the tight embrace. “Second hug of the night! Let’s go!”
Patting Nathan tenderly on the back while Sephiroth ruffled his hair, Cloud softly encouraged as a means of helping his son to his room, “Time to tuck you in.”
Kneeling between the adults, Nathan played with an earlobe, gently winding and twisting it before he dropped his arm away from it and shook his head. “I can do it myself, mom. Goodnight now.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
Playfully poking the tip of his pink nose, Cloud watched Nathan back away from the sofa, but just as he predicted, Nathan stopped shortly down the hall. Mired by the darkness as he shut off the pot lights, his frame barely visible, there was still that distinct glimmer of his eyes as he peered over one shoulder and offered a pleasant smile at Sephiroth. Constantly keeping him at the forefront of awareness and attention, his voice didn’t falter as he opened his bedroom door while speaking out one last time for the night.
“Goodnight, Sephiroth!”
Gifting him a charming smile, Sephiroth waved and sang back, “Night, Nate.”
The lights all finally shut off from Nathan’s bedroom, the door kept slightly open as he normally preferred it. Sheets and clothes rustled, his bed springs creaking as he settled himself in deep under the covers. The peacefully set sounds wove around the hall and reached Sephiroth and Cloud’s ears, soon replaced by a deep chuckle from the alpha while he gazed on down the hall.
“Very cute kid.”
Rubbing his hands over his upper arms and then stretching them between his thighs, Cloud concurred, “He is.” Warmth broke out of his eyes, trailing Sephiroth’s face when he turned to look at the omega. “He sure likes you a lot. It’s interesting because Nathan’s pretty friendly, but never this close to anyone, not without getting to really know them first.”
A sigh of relief blended in the cozy ambiance of the living room, Sephiroth rotating a wrist and then leaning back again to find more comfort on the sofa. “Well, I’m glad he’s a fan…” Jade eyes capturing Cloud almost with a bit of a hungry pursuit, his smile diminished a fraction as he sought approval. “...Are you one as well?”
No opening was given if Sephiroth was compliment fishing and seeking a way to initiate something other than civil acquaintanceship. Cloud knew better than to walk right into that sort of notion, clear-headed and in charge of his own faculties.
Statements pithy, but never callous, he still managed to smile out of politeness and respect for Sephiroth. “I’m more of a fan of your hand being taken care of.”
Reaching out for the one wrapped in gauze, as he snuck a finger under one of the bindings and loosened it, he wasn’t surprised to find that Sephiroth’s flesh wasn’t cut anymore. The bleeding had completely ceased, the traces of blood caking his skin and the gauze. Wound erased and entirely healed over in less than an hour, the regeneration was always something spectacular to marvel and admire about.
The apartment suddenly hummed with the soft crackle of a candle on the mantle and the faint creak of settling floorboards. The inviting glow of string lights wrapped around the windows cast shadows that danced on the walls, adding to the intimacy of the ambiance initiated by physical contact.
More than usual, Cloud suddenly felt smaller in the warm light of the evening, every corner cloaked in amber shadows. The quiet moment shared between himself and Sephiroth was heavy, a kind of pressure neither man had acknowledged but both felt, like static in the air before a storm. The faint crackle of the odd branch and twig outside and the distant hum of a neighbor’s muffled laughter were the only sounds beyond the soft rustle of candy wrappers.
Yet, to Cloud, it was as if the entire world had narrowed to the coffee table in front of himself and the presence of Sephiroth next to his body.
Somehow, envy wedged itself into his expressions and inflection as he inspected the hand without a mark now. “Guess I don’t need to worry about this now.” Making himself clear, he stopped touching Sephiroth’s hand and faced the mountain of candy on the coffee table instead. “I should clean all this up.”
Leaning forward and posture changing, though his arms were still folded, Sephiroth ceased merely watching. His long locks were slightly disheveled, his sweater loose around his shoulders. “You’re really taking this cleanup thing seriously,” he teased, the corners of his mouth quirking up to prove that he wasn’t complaining.
Cloud huffed and then glanced back with a mock scowl. “Well, someone has to, and it’s clearly not gonna be you.”
Challenge met, Sephiroth pushed off the sofa, strolling over closer. “Maybe I just need some direction.” Nudging Cloud’s side with an extension of his elbow, he slathered his sonorous tone with a cavalier laugh. “Let’s help you.”
A man of action, in a jiffy, Sephiroth knelt in front of the coffee table, sweeping mini chocolate bars and lollipop wrappers into a plastic bowl Cloud had laid out for them. He muttered something about how kids were either getting too generous or too picky, but his voice was warm, tinged with amusement. Working together, they scraped the candy off the ledge, the ones a bit heavier and rounder picked off one by one. The items plopped, clacked, tapped, and rolled into the larger bowl, the pile growing as their diligence amounted to efficient productivity.
The number whittled down, and eventually, Cloud targeted the final ones. As he swept the last of the miniature chocolate bars into the plastic bowl, his fingers worked methodically, but his mind was anything but steady. He was hyper-aware of body temperatures roaring due to Sephiroth’s dangerously close proximity—the subtle shuffle of his socked feet, the faint scent of his cologne that lingered between them, every shuffle and exhale felt like a private dance before seduction.
Cloud vehemently tried to focus on the task at hand, but his thoughts betrayed himself, slipping back to every unintentional brush of shoulders, every laugh that lingered too long, every loaded silence they hadn’t dared to address.
Hands a bit clumsy and failing to coordinate to gather and dump the candy into the bowl, with a growing ache in his chest, he felt Sephiroth watching him in morbid fascination. He wasn’t sure when he’d started noticing these small things about him—how Sephiroth always tilted his head so casually when he was thinking, or the way his hands moved with a quiet confidence, even in something as mundane as cleaning up candy.
Emotions running amok, Cloud had stayed back at first, afraid to intrude on the moment, but now, the pull to close the distance was undeniable, irresistible, and he needed to fill the silence with some kind of sustenance and conversation.
“I think you’ve got enough for your sugar hoard there,” the omega teased lightly, his voice just a bit softer than usual, though even he didn’t know why. Tapping on the bowl, he emphatically lengthened and deepened his meaning. “You’re pretty fast. Maybe I’ll let you keep the ones you’ve put away.”
With a small turn to the side, a smile tugged at his lips, but it faltered slightly when Sephiroth saw that Cloud had moved closer, crouching beside him. “That’s awfully generous of you, gorgeous,” Sephiroth murmured, though his voice came out a little rougher than he intended.
“I have my moments,” Cloud purred, his tone rather colored by sexuality he hadn’t exuded and felt himself expressing for anyone in nearly a decade.
An eyebrow rose, and Sephiroth took the seduction quite seriously, playing into it as he deeply growled for a second. After letting that note release and settle, he cooed back, “Oh yeah? You could always show me more of these moments.”
“Hmm?” Too flirtatious without understanding why and adhering to limits, Cloud smirked as he lowered his voice to a husky whisper. “Why? Do you like what you see, Sephiroth?”
“More than you know, even if we’re both clothed.”
Suddenly, the space between them felt too small, too charged. Oxygen became limited, stifling to everything around Cloud as the inanimate objects seemed to be distant, large, and constantly redefining themselves as they shimmered and turned blurry. Addicted to the electricity sizzling from his core right to his fingertips, Cloud shifted, eyes on Sephiroth, but then breaking away by necessity before he lost all manners of transparency. Unable to tolerate the changes within himself, he began distracting himself, reaching for a stray wrapper just as Sephiroth did the same.
Their hands then collided—just a light, fleeting touch, but it might as well have been a lightning strike. The gentle, unintentional touch sent an electric jolt up Cloud’s arm, as if something otherworldly had reached out and initiated contact. Leaping an inch up, he urged himself to settle down, his fingers barely grazing Sephiroth’s, but the caress was as real as ever.
Both individuals froze, as if the air had turned too thick to breathe, uncertain of how to react despite Cloud jolting. He hadn’t moved, his fingertips tingling where Sephiroth’s had brushed them, and he swore he could feel the heat radiating from Sephiroth’s skin burning hotter.
Immediately, the alpha and omega melted out of the frosty, invisible cage of suppression, their hands prying apart with a mild sway and gradual incline to suggest that they didn’t want to cease the contact. The world seemed to contract around them, muting the faint hum of the radiator and the ticking clock on the wall, their beating hearts blasting louder than gigantic drums.
On its own path, Cloud’s mind raced endlessly in loops. Trapped in a whirlwind of total shock, he recognized that he should have pulled back, laughed it off, offered a snippy comment, something—anything—but he didn’t. No, he couldn’t. Instead, his gaze dropped to their hands, still hesitantly brushing back and forth, and his chest tightened when their knuckles crossed over each other.
He could feel Sephiroth’s pulse through his fingertips, or maybe it was his own pulse, thundering so loudly he thought the room must echo with it, but he liked it…he liked being this close to another person.
In the heat of the thrill, Cloud’s breath hitched as he glanced up, finding Sephiroth’s eyes already on him. His heart pounded hard enough to shake loose the fragile threads of denial he had clung to for what felt like weeks. Layers unfurled, he saw the hesitation in Sephiroth’s expression, the tentative hope and barely veiled fear that mirrored his own. Then, something deeper—a kind of yearning so intense it made Cloud’s stomach flip when he deduced that he was feeling the same way.
Never had he felt this in tune and harmoniously in sync with another…it was impossible to even concede that as a part of his wandering imagination.
The tentative touch turned deliberate right then in unison since they desired to elevate the experience—fingers curling, then lacing, as if they both feared breaking the moment, their digits shifted and finally looped to fold together. Neither man moved, as though even the slightest shift might shatter the spell. Now the initiator, Sephiroth’s fingers, seeking and trembling, curled just slightly, pressing into Cloud’s palm before spreading to thread with his digits.
The touch was deliberate now, an unspoken question hanging between them. Cloud confidently answered without words, his own fingers curling back, lacing together with Sephiroth’s while their eyes traveled deeply throughout each other’s souls, seeking a connection neither could hide from.
Serenely, the potent, pure warmth of Sephiroth’s hand seeped into Cloud’s skin, and his pulse thrummed with something that felt impossibly loud in the stillness. Their breaths quickened, their gazes darting between their hands and each other’s faces, though their palms hadn’t touched entirely.
The minor hair’s breadth of space wasn’t unwanted given the undulating heat welling between their limbs, leaving Cloud to know for a fact that it would only increase tenfold if they did indeed make contact more directly.
The world seemed to dim around them. The sounds of the apartment, the hum of the radiator, the faint creaks of the building—it all faded to a distant thrum. All that mattered was this—the warmth of Sephiroth’s hand, the way their fingers fit together, the silent electricity panging between them as their hearts aligned in tempo. Cloud began to feel both weak and thoroughly uplifted, his chest tightening, his throat dry, and yet he leaned in, his movements slow, almost cautious to take a much closer look at how magnificent Sephiroth’s eyes were.
Bravely passionate, Sephiroth mirrored him, his virid eyes flickering between Cloud’s lips and his firm gaze. The air grew thick, heavy with unspoken words and unacknowledged feelings as they both tilted forward slightly. A seeker to seal himself with the aura of tranquility and serenity Sephiroth channeled, Cloud’s head began angling as his face drew closer to Sephiroth’s mouth. Sephiroth’s breath hitched, but he leaned in too, the small gap between them narrowing as their bodies responded like magnetic pulls.
Vision slightly blurry now with all the emotions compounding and breath he’d held, Cloud’s heart raced, caught somewhere between disbelief and longing. After spending many years alone, he’d thought about this kind of moment quite often, dreamed of it, but the reality was sharper, more visceral. Inches apart now, Cloud could vividly feel Sephiroth’s breath tickling against his skin, sensual and shallow, and every nerve in his body screamed for him to close the gap and never let it grow ever again.
Just as their lips were about to meet, a sharp clatter from the kitchen abruptly shattered the moment. Both men jerked apart, their hands pulling back, the sudden noise like a splash of cold water. All they could process was a loud, jarring clang, followed by a hollow roll as it spun to a stop. The noise resonated all over, echoing about from the room adjacent to the one they were in, sending them both snapping upwards and highly alert.
On his feet as he stretched his neck and gazed into the kitchen, Cloud sighed when he found that the culprit was a tin can of tuna falling to the floor, rolling under the table. Flinching and blinking at the sound responsible for ripping them from the cocoon of their shared moment, when Sephiroth’s hand had slipped from Cloud’s, it brought nothing but a horrible, disjointed feeling for the omega.
Stomach clenching as he held up his hand, he knew the break in contact had left his palm cold and empty. Truly disappointed with the horrible sense of timing from inanimate objects getting in his way, despite the tense, pseudo-romantic moment blossoming quite naturally, Cloud recognized that he should’ve been more grateful for the interruption.
He’d been seconds away from making a rather lethal error…all his life, he’d been so careful, sedulous with who he spoke and got close to, and within a few short days of being with Sephiroth by force, he’d nearly made the worst mistake of his life.
“Uh, the wind?” Sephiroth’s voice cracked slightly as he glanced toward the kitchen, his face burning.
Cloud’s chest still heaved from the tension, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm in his ears, but he nodded, trying not to behave erratically to cause suspicion to rise. “Wind or not, something must’ve knocked that can over,” he mumbled, voice strained.
Biting the insides of his cheeks, Sephiroth awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, his own cheeks tinged with color. “Yeah...yeah, probably.” He glanced at Cloud then, a sheepish smile breaking through the awkward tension right on time for him to joke. “Or maybe your ghost candy bowl didn’t approve of the cleanup.”
Spinning to avoid looking directly at Sephiroth, Cloud chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair even though it wouldn’t help since he was a true mess internally. “Maybe a ghost didn’t like us messing with their candy stash,” he offered, his tone light but croaky, a mask for the sudden, sharp ache of loss.
Sephiroth at least laughed, though it was thin, shaky. Even hearing those deep, velvety notes sent Cloud’s guts sizzling, his torso twitching as he discerned that the tension between them hadn’t dissipated—it lingered, crackling like static in the air, livelier than ever. Their gazes met again, and for a brief second, the weight of what almost happened hovered unspoken, but as they exchanged another glance, a flicker of that earlier moment still hung in their eyes, unspoken yet undeniably present.
“Umm, I should…” Scooting back and then pointing his thumb over into the hallway leading to his bedroom, Cloud inferred where he wanted to go, turning away before he caught Sephiroth’s reaction.
“Hmm.” Agreeable and reasonably well-mannered, Sephiroth fastened his charm in a polite farewell to end the night on a more positive note. “Goodnight, gorgeous.”
Neither moved to close the distance again, but neither could quite let it go, the phantom warmth of each other’s touch still burning on their skin, the beauty of the near-kiss. That was the only thing Cloud thought of repeatedly as he prepared for bed in the bathroom, leaving Sephiroth to use the facilities in the apartment afterward while he sequestered himself in his private room.
Before Cloud’s head hit his pillow, untrusting his mental fluctuation and emotional gymnastics, given how things on a personal nature began sliding out of his control, he decided to err on the side of caution. Popping open the cap of his bottle of oral heat suppressants, he downed another two with a swig of water before hurriedly scampering far under the protective darkness of his blankets.