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Opening his eyes, he noticed slushy snow dance with the cloud-choked morninglight, melting as soon as it hit the windowsill. It couldn’t have been later than six thirty. They had been living together since the summer, but waking up in Cloud’s blushy, giggly embrace hadn’t lost its charm. After being away in the southern hemisphere for a week, Sephiroth was loath to leave their homely bed.
But, he wanted to prepare his surprise for Cloud. While it wouldn’t be as intimate or balmy as their bedroom, he could still revel in the budding sunshine in the kitchen.
Rifling through his duffel bag proved more challenging than usual, to his displeasure. Cloud had nearly tackled him upon his return last night, and he’d simply tossed his bag aside to return the hug. It was unlike Sephiroth to be so careless, but their reunion was worth a few minutes of fumbling around.
Finding his prize, he pulled the paper bag of fruit onto their countertop. He considered each one, turning them over in his palm and noting blemishes. Next, he squeezed each one gently, gauging their ripeness. After the first assessment, he repeated the process. It didn’t feel right the first time, and he was unwilling to settle for anything substandard. He selected the best two and placed the rest of the bag into the fridge.
Sephiroth worked slowly, careful to slice to a nicety. First removing the top and bottom, and then cutting vertically. He slid his fingers underneath, pushing the thick skin off of the grainy interior. Wiping his knife of any fibers, he began to cut the interior into uniform pieces.
“G’morning, Sephiroth,” Cloud’s morning drawl from across the counter suddenly broke his concentration, “Whoa! Don’t let the knife slip. What is that?”
“They call it a prickly pear;” Sephiroth answered, shaking his head a little to try and push distractions from his mind, “I tasted it in the South. I thought you might take pleasure in trying it.”
“You softie.”
Sephiroth ducked his head a little, hiding behind his hair.
“Oh, don’t give me that! I appreciate it. I’d love to try it.” Cloud pushed Sephiroth’s hair behind his ear and caressed his cheek.
Satisfied that the pieces were cubed alike, or alike as they could be with a rather egg-shaped fruit, Sephiroth passed the bowl and a small fork to Cloud.
Cloud poked at the prickly pear and stared. It was such a deep red, littered with black seeds. With Sephiroth’s expectant gaze heavy on him, he ate the first piece, biting through the watery crunch.
“Am I ‘upposed to ‘wallow th’ ‘eeds?” Cloud mouthed around the fruit.
“You can. They are edible, but some people dislike their texture. Once I was accustomed to them, they were not bothersome.”
Cloud did. Eating another piece, he grinned, “I like it. The flavor is subtle. It's a little earthy and it isn’t too sweet either. Thank you for thinking of me, Sephiroth.”
“Of course,” Sephiroth smiled, his usual blunted affect cracked by Cloud’s sincerity.
“I kinda want to brush my teeth now though. Feels like there’s a bunch of little fibers between them, plus I forgot to when I woke up. Come with me, Seph?” Cloud’s eyes widened a little in invitation as he walked towards the bathroom. Sephiroth followed, as he was wont to do whenever Cloud used any kind of pet name. He wondered when he started splintering at the edges under Cloud’s earnest affections.
Sephiroth closed and clenched his eyes as he picked up his toothbrush.
“Sephiroth? What happened?” Cloud asked, ever-doting. For Sephiroth, such a reaction was proportional to a full-body wince.
“Nothing. Don’t worry yourself.”
“You are such an asshole. Can’t you drop the tough guy act for a few minutes?” Cloud wasn’t planning to let up.
“I apologize,” Sephiroth murmured.
“Seph, I don’t need you to apologize. Let me help you.”
“The prickly pear is a cactus fruit. It appears I handled them too much, or maybe not carefully enough. Some spines must have gotten into my hand.” He griped, eyes anywhere but the mirror they both faced.
“Well, we’ll have to get them out. Sit on the bed, I'll grab some tweezers from my bag.”
“You are unrelenting;” Sephiroth grumbled, moving to their bedroom, “Completely incorrigible.”
Cloud stared at him, tilting his head.
“... Thank you, Cloud.”
With a tinkling laugh, Cloud kissed his forehead.