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As a child, Cloud had been just as, if not more, curious as any other child, usually tumbling in and touching anything he could get to. It drove his Ma insane at the amount of washing she had to do, but the cause for his necessity to touch had developed from his poor eyesight -mako had corrected that when he'd been in Hojo's lab- and she understood his need to understand the world around him. The irony wasn't lost on her though. Her Cloud had a pair of the most amazing sky blue eyes that practically glowed when she stared at them long enough. Pity he could barely see anything with them. He'd scrunch up his face in this cute little expression, and when he'd still be unable to clearly see whatever had caught his attention, he'd reach out a little had and try to identify it by touch. This penchant toward feeling things with his hands never left, even in adulthood when he'd touch something to make sure it was actually there rather than just a figment of his imagination. A sort of grounding source.
):(
The first time they'd kissed, Sephiroth had been the one to initiate it, and this continued down to the very last kiss they shared. The general had thought this strange at first, but he soon came to the conclusion that the other warrior was just shy about showing his affections. Cloud would gather his courage sooner or later.
):(
Sooner or later never happened, but Sephiroth had noticed Cloud display an increased clinginess and a further necessity to touch his lips. It wasn't a noticable clinginess, just a lingering hand on his shoulder when leaving the room, or an extra pat to his hair when he'd finished brushing it. Sephiroth thought it was just another one of Cloud's quirks, like his compulsion to clean whenever he was worried, but during recent weeks he'd found that Cloud seemed to want to touch his lips on the rather high end of frequent.
):(
"Cloud, why is it that you touch my lips with your fingers so often?"
The blonde only blinked and gave the general a blank stare.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
The other warrior glanced at his meal and gave a contemplative looks at the utensils, "I'm sorry if it bothers you, I'll try to catch myself when I do it. If you want?"
So it was subconscious.
"No, it's fine."
):(
It was only when Sephiroth truly reflected over the moments Cloud would reach over and run his fingers lightly over his lips, rather than the amount of times the blonde tended to do it, that Sephiroth realized it was Cloud's way of showing his love. It was his special was of kissing the silver-haired general. A way of overcoming his discomfort of initiating physical contact.
It was at times like those that Sephiroth truly felt loved.
):(
"Cloud."
"Hmm?"
"Come here for a moment please."
The shuffle of plates being put down on the counter top was enough of a response.
Cloud walked into the corridor, drying his hands on a dishtowel.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No."
The blonde gave the general a funny look.
Sephiroth swooped in for a kiss, laying a gentle peck on the fair haired warrior's cheek. Leaning back a few inches, his chest rumbled happily at the dusting of pink along Cloud's cheeks.Then he picked up Cloud's hand and kissed each callous fingertip with a tenderness he never knew he had.
He could feel Cloud shudder at his actions. Looking up, Cloud's cheeks had more than a light coat of pink, the red having spread to cover his face in a pleasantly bright blush.
Continuing to kiss each and every finger, Sephiroth gave Cloud a questioning look as said fingers moved to tilt his head towards their owner, the blonde warrior moving to rest his forehead against the general's.
The soft press of lips against his own was not what Sephiroth was expecting as his brain struggled to realize that Cloud- his sweet, wonderful, beautiful, painfully shy little Chocobo Cloud- had just initiated his first kiss.