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Zack opened his eyes. Sun was gently filtering into the room through a crack in the blinds, casting bright rays of warmth onto the pristine white comforter. He heard a soft sound, and looked over to catch Sephiroth stirring, slightly. He was still asleep, but likely close to waking. A few moments later, his eyes fluttered open, and he smiled over at Zack. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Zack asked, voice husky from sleep.
“No,” Sephiroth shook his head, still smiling, and reached out to softly cradle Zack’s chin, “but even if you had, I wouldn’t have minded.”
Zack smiled back widely. “You had a good day, yesterday?” He asked.
“Yes,” Sephiroth replied, “Unequivocally.”
“Are you gonna do the same thing today?”
“Perhaps,” he said, contemplatively, pulling Zack into an embrace, “and you’ll head back out to the hills?”
“Hm, I don’t know,” Zack replied, leaning into the touch, “I had fun yesterday, but I was thinking of staying back with you. I’m sure Cloud and Tifa will be fine by themselves.”
Sephiroth’s eyes lit up at that. “If it’ll make you happy,” he said.
“It will,” Zack nodded, smiling wide. “This bed is super comfy. I don’t want to get up for a while yet.”
“And you don’t have to,” Sephiroth smiled back, pulling Zack in and pressing a kiss into his temple. “Stay here and keep me warm.”
Zack chuckled as he felt chilly feet brush against his legs. “Oh, I see,” he laughed, “I’m just a heater, am I?”
Sephiroth grinned back at him. “Not just a heater,” he chuckled, “though you do a fantastic job of it.” The words were punctuated by another firm press of cold feet against Zack’s legs. Laughing, Zack squirmed away from the frigid touch, instead crawling on top of Sephiroth to pin him down.
“Why are your feet so damn cold?” He asked, mostly rhetorically.
“Perhaps we’ll have to find a way to warm me up?” Sephiroth replied, emerald eyes alight.
“I know just the thing,” Zack said, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Sephiroth’s lips.
Not too long after, the two found themselves on the patio, draped in fluffy white robes, fiddling with the controls for the hot tub. The winter air was chilly, but not unbearably so, and the heat of the water would soon ease its bite.
“Ah,” Zack let out a long sigh of relief as he lowered himself into the tub, “that’s fucking fantastic.”
Sephiroth released an echoed sigh as he slid in next to Zack. “This is very nice,” he agreed, a note of strong satisfaction clear in his voice. After a short silence, he continued, “are you sure you wouldn’t rather be snowboarding today?”
“Yes,” Zack nodded, “very sure.” He fidgeted slightly, playing with the bubbles on the surface of the water. “I really had a great time yesterday, but the main reason I’ve been looking forward to this was to enjoy the resort experience with you. And that doesn’t just mean snowboarding.”
Sephiroth smiled at that, inching closer and wrapping an arm around Zack’s shoulders. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said, voice low and full of relief. He rested his head against Zack’s, and exhaled long and slow. Zack leaned into his touch, letting his eyes slip closed to enjoy the warmth and serenity of the moment.
Later that evening, they sat in the common room by the fire, basking in the warmth. Cloud emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with cups of eggnog for everyone. “It’s my mom’s recipe,” he said, handing the cups, “I know some people think eggnog is gross, but I swear, this is amazing.”
Taking a sip, Zack nodded. He had to agree. Before now, he’d only tried the store-bought stuff, and it was okay, but this was amazing. “Fuck yeah,” he said, turning to observe Sephiroth’s reaction. It was subtle, but Zack knew his boyfriend well enough to read that Sephiroth was thoroughly impressed. “What do you think, Seph?” He asked.
“Delicious,” he said, with a small nod of approval in Cloud’s direction.
A hint of pride flashed across Cloud’s face. “Thank you,” he replied, failing to suppress a small smile.
The four of them enjoyed their eggnog for a while, until Tifa decided it was time to try one of the board games she’d found on a shelf in her room. While she went to fetch it, Zack looked around in satisfaction. He leaned into Sephiroth’s side, nuzzling into his neck. This was exactly what he had envisioned when he had first suggested the trip, and he couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful way to spend the holidays.