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"Uh, so… what happens now?"
"Whatever you’d like, Cloud… You are the birthday boy, after all." Andrea laughed low and melodious, watching the unimpressed grimace spread across Cloud’s lovely face.
A most unexpected appointment, Andrea mused. He’d raised an intrigued eyebrow when the Honeybee Inn’s receptionist had sought him out, to seriously propose he consider making an exception to fit another appointment into his already three-year booked schedule.
The receptionist explained with a twinkle in his eye, "The two young women at the desk asked that I mention the name of who this request is for, sir. Cloud Strife."
"Well, well…"
Not the name Andrea expected to hear. But one he was most certainly pleased to.
"Why don’t you send the two lovely ladies up so we can have a chat?"
"Certainly, sir."
Andrea recognized the two immediately. Tifa, the slender and toned beauty who’d bested him during their fiery competition at Jules’ gym, and Aerith but of course, Madame M’s bedecked Corneo candidate and her victorious fighter in the Colosseum, alongside the spectacularly nimble Cloud Strife back on that oh so fateful night.
"Welcome, and please," Andrea said, "Take your seats. Now, then… What is it I can do for you two?"
Instead of sitting, Aerith strutted dramatically behind Tifa’s chair with hands folded at her back, until she came behind her own vacant one and settled her hands wide on its high-winged posts. "We have a most serious proposition for you, Mr. Rhodea."
Andrea leaned on the armrest of his own plush velvet seat, at his desk across from the two. His amusement curved his lips.
He extended a hand magnanimously. "I’m all ears, ladies."
"Uh… right!" Tifa said, valiantly trying to keep up with Aerith’s seemingly unplanned showmanship. "We know you’re booked for… well, forever. But we were hoping you’d be able to fit in just one more appointment. Because, you see, tomorrow’s the 11th, and that’s-"
"It’s Cloud’s birthday!" Aerith excitedly cut in, breaking character as quickly as she'd donned it. She skipped around her chair to sit, and grin. Tifa uttered, Uh. Right. Andrea, entertained, chuckled.
Ah, he thought, So that was it. A surprise for the birthday boy. One very lucky birthday boy, as it turned out.
Because Andrea couldn’t possibly miss a chance to be involved in such a special of an occasion as that.
"Well," he began, pausing for suspense, to tease his fervently awaiting audience. "Certainly I will have to make an allowance for our Inn’s most illustrious guest of honor."
Yes! the two said together. Then they high-fived. Delightful, thought Andrea.
"Let’s see, now… bring him tomorrow, around…"
On the appointed day, at the appointed hour, Cloud Strife returned to the Honeybee Inn behaving as enthused as his first visit: "What the hell are we doing back in this place?"
Andrea heard his wary voice rise from the waiting area at the bottom of the stairwell. Then he caught the giggles of his many soon to be busy Bees.
"Hey! Quit grabbing me-"
"We’ll see ya later!" called Aerith.
"Try to actually have some fun, Cloud!" called Tifa.
Whisked away, Cloud had the streets washed from his hair and skin, was re-dressed in an immaculate black silk robe, and was shown to the most luxurious of the Inn’s suites upstairs to wait. But he'd already risen from the bed, and was pulling his pants back on under his robe, when Andrea entered the room.
Inside was decorated with wall drapes and floor rugs of gold, red, and black hues, and furnished by such things as a vanity (covered in wine bottles, flowers, and burning candles, filled to the brim also with any necessary supplies), as well as a vintage music player quietly emitting dulcet sounds, and one massively circular bed placed center stage. That was where Cloud stood looking as stunning as ever, even foolishly mismatched and half-dressed, with that blond hair, that incredibly lithe frame, and those two-toned eyes. He looked up at the opening door.
Cloud's sharply angled brows smoothed in surprise, and his mouth ready with an immediate rebuttal to supposedly anyone pulled shut.
"A-Andrea?"
Andrea smirked in kind, and strutted toward Cloud near the edge of the bed. "Leaving so soon?"
"I - whoa!"
With his fingertips, Andrea pushed on Cloud’s chest to tumble him back onto the bed.
Mm-hmm… he intoned, holding his wrist delicately under his chin while taking in the sight of Cloud below, grateful for the rare opportunity of catching him off guard enough to be able to knock him back. He sprawled on the bed, robe fallen open across his exquisitely chiseled chest.
"Happy birthday, Cloud."
Cloud sighed, his brow furrowing again and his lashes sweeping down. "You’ve gotta be kidding me… That’s what this is about?"
Andrea leaned across the bed to tap his finger on Cloud’s lips, drawing back to him those magnificent eyes he’d gotten such an appreciative close-up look at before, during the finale of their show-stopping performance. He chuckled when Cloud glowered and batted his hand away.
"So, tell me… what does this birthday boy wish for?"
"I wish no one knew it was my damn birthday."
"But I’m afraid it’s too late for that, my dear." Andrea perched on the curved edge of the bed, giving Cloud a chance to sit back up.
Cloud braced himself on flat palms and straight angled arms, not even realizing how alluringly it pushed his shoulders, or how enticingly it rounded the bulge of his muscled arms, even noticeably so under the silk sleeves of the robe. He sent a partially guilty glance at Andrea from the narrowest corner of his eye.
"No offense, but I don’t do… whatever this is. Not my idea, to come here."
Andrea couldn’t help teasing the man just a little. Just to witness his discreet blush. "And just what do you think 'this' is?"
There it was. "…You know, asshole."
When Andrea regained himself after his laughter, voice sauntering down into a deep hum, he also smoothed a palm over the wrinkles of the silk sheets. "A shame, truly… but I won’t try and coerce you. If we were to have some fun, I’d rather it be had on all sides."
"…That right?" At Andrea’s inquisitive, Hm? Cloud finished plainly: "Corneo."
A name Andrea would rather not hear in this setting, or any setting at all to be perfectly honest, but there it was. That it came up told him he’d made a rare misstep. The accusation was bare in Cloud’s tone.
The information had come to Andrea that Cloud had been the bride Corneo chose. So he’d experienced firsthand the Don’s treatment. Obviously he’d been able to handle himself, there was never any doubt, but Andrea disliked being part of whatever bad taste that ordeal had to still leave in Cloud’s mouth.
"The majority of nights," Andrea started to tell Cloud, "There were only one or two candidates, hand-picked by Madame M, or Chocobo Sam. My selection process was different than theirs, as you know… And you can attest to the difficulty of my own auditions."
With a slow tuck of his chin, Cloud nodded. "Intentionally so. That’s because I only sent those in my hive who already knew the 'dance', as it were… my spies."
Cloud’s chin lifted again from understanding. "Oh…"
"A distasteful arrangement, nonetheless," Andrea admitted. He smiled then, coy, though the sentiment was genuine, "I have you to thank for putting an end at last to all that. You proved to be my greatest agent, by far."
Cloud at last shrugged, and with the gesture shook off what tension had been brought up along with the topic. Andrea made his best attempt as well to salvage the evening, and not let it be spoiled entirely by dwelling on such things.
"But come, Cloud! It would be a waste of those lovely ladies' gift to you if you didn't partake in something of the Honeybee Inn’s many entertainments tonight. For you to leave entirely unsatisfied would dishearten me greatly. One should be pampered as well on their special day… Are you sure there’s nothing we can do while you’re here?"
The eyeroll was expected, if not a tad disappointing.
"I’m-"
I’m sure, was what Cloud was most certainly going to say. But suddenly his mouth clamped closed.
Andrea watched Cloud’s face rearrange itself into a familiar little resolute expression, much like that night when he’d stepped boldly into the spotlight.
"Y’know… you told me, during that audition," Cloud began. Readjusting, causing the ends of his robe to drag behind him, Cloud slid so he could sit on the edge of the bed beside Andrea with his bare feet touching the floor.
Intrigued, Andrea prompted, "Yes?"
Cloud turned his face and aimed his stunningly serious gaze at Andrea. "'Don’t ever be afraid'," he repeated, quietly.
It seemed Cloud had remembered something of that evening in a positive light.
"Indeed," replied Andrea. As caught up as he was again in those stunning eyes, he didn’t notice when Cloud raised his hand.
Gaining Andrea’s attention, the hand Cloud had lifted hesitated in the air. But Andrea remained perfectly still in anticipation. Cloud’s long fingers curled, as if physically gathering his courage, before stretching out again. His fingertips touched Andrea’s lips, to reciprocate the brush on his own earlier.
"Think... I do know what I want."
Andrea’s lips smiled under that delicate touch.
"Wonderful, Cloud. You have no idea how much that pleases me."
Cloud then dropped his hand. He asked, "Uh, so… what happens now?"
Voice dripping excessively so with flirtation, Andrea said, "Whatever you’d like, Cloud… You are the birthday boy, after all."
Cloud’s grimace cleared, and Andrea quieted from chuckling. He glided a finger under Cloud’s chin to its point, watching those lovely lips of his part, and those iridescent eyes of his meander across Andrea’s own features in silent assessment. Cloud had said he didn’t do 'this'. No, judging by his reluctance to all things the first time he’d arrived on the doorstep of the Inn, Andrea imagined Cloud had not frequented houses quite like it before.
"Then," Andrea offered, "Care to follow my lead, honey?"
That stare of his dropped and found a source of focus on Andrea’s mouth. His already husky voice huskier, Cloud agreed.
"Sure."
Absolutely magnificent, the way Cloud swayed forward the same distance Andrea leaned back, like a bee drifting along with the swaying head of a flower, like a perfectly in sync dance partner. He'd expected Cloud would follow well, even in this regard.
"First thing’s first," Andrea breathed across those lips. "Let us get you out of these."
In a flash Andrea pivoted and bent over Cloud’s lap, and stripped him of the offending pants before he even had the sense to realize. Quick costume changes were part of being on the stage though, after all. Cloud would know all about that.
"Much better…"
Andrea crowded between Cloud’s knees until Cloud brought his heels back up to the bed, to leverage himself back and let Andrea climb on. And at last, Andrea found a place for his hovering aimless daydreams to land, when he captured those lips to taste.
A kiss told so much. This one, that Cloud had not been kissed often enough. Cloud sipped from Andrea’s lips like he’d hardly drank anything as sweet. And when Andrea lifted back into the air, Cloud grabbed the back of his head to pull him back to place. His other hand, meanwhile, snapped a strand of the honeycomb laces that decorated the opening of Andrea’s top.
"Oh. Shit. Sorry," Cloud muttered. But Andrea shook his head without a care while circling Cloud’s wrists and bringing them back to Cloud. He removed the garment himself while sitting on Cloud’s firm thighs, unclasping the fur collar first, and letting it go with a flutter to drape over Cloud’s eyes. Frowning below it, Cloud grabbed it in his fist and whipped it aside to the sound of Andrea’s laughter. Cut short, by Cloud’s hands feeling up Andrea’s toned abdomen.
The tips of his fingers, followed by his flat palms, pushed the thin skin over the mounds of muscle. Andrea sat back to curve deliciously under that touch, smirking pleased under the appraisal. "Like what you see, Cloud?"
Cloud’s heavy stare flicked up to Andrea’s before weighing back down. He smirked, himself. "Yeah… sure do."
Oh. So that was Cloud’s brand of charm. When he wasn’t flustered silent by frills and stage lights and all eyes on him, the boy was actually a smooth talker. Andrea would admit it suited him, and that it had a very nice effect.
Andrea lifted the silk tie still closing Cloud’s robe, to let it flow across his palm until he could grasp the tail end. When he pulled, Cloud raised his lower half and Andrea on top of him so it could whisper free. Parting the robe entirely, he equally admired Cloud’s tight core.
"Even better," he purred, "Except…"
He tucked his fingers under the waistband of Cloud’s simple black boxer briefs, tugging them slowly down past the swell of Cloud’s thighs and then slipping them free of his ankles.
"Oh…" Andrea graced the tip of Cloud’s shaded pink shaft with the backs of his fingers. Cloud choked. "Aren’t you just the prettiest boy…"
"Andrea… Can you not?"
Andrea chuckled. He curled his fingers around Cloud instead, to languidly stroke him.
"Is this more what you wanted, Cloud?"
"I-" Cloud breathed in sharply. One hand clawed the sheets. The other was raised so the back of Cloud’s wrist covered his mouth in a quiet, endearing show of sudden overwhelmed embarrassment, before Cloud pressed it instead to Andrea’s shoulder. "I - don’t know. Guess I thought we’d do something… something more."
Andrea cocked an eyebrow, approving. "Oh…?" Andrea had an idea for how he wanted to proceed across this stage. But first he glided his hand to a stop. "Do you have a safe word, Cloud?"
Cloud, panting slightly from his uneven breaths, blinked and managed, "Huh?"
"A distinct word that means we stop. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, or for any reason whatsoever."
"Wh…at’s there to be overwhelmed about?"
"One never knows. Would you indulge me?"
Cloud considered Andrea, then parsed the request. "So a code word."
Oh, little SOLDIER. "Yes. Just so."
Scanning the room for an idea, Cloud said, "Uh. Does 'gold' work okay?"
"Mm," Andrea approved. "And mine will be… 'storm'."
Obviously Cloud hadn’t expected Andrea to pick one as well. "Oh." He repeated, hushed and more to himself, "'Storm'… Right."
"Beautiful." And that was the truth. The small moment to memorize the word was another cherished glimpse past gray attitudes into Cloud’s radiant soul.
"Then…"
Andrea rose, leaving Cloud naked on the bed while he crossed the room to the vanity where the room’s supplies were held. "Color preference?" he asked, sliding open a wide drawer and looking over the rainbow assortment.
He peeked over his shoulder to see Cloud's narrowing eyes. Andrea laughed low with mirth, "Color condom, dear Cloud."
Cloud’s eyes were still narrowed warily. He said, "Like it matters."
"Hmm…" Was that right? "Then, let us go with…" Andrea turned with choice in hand.
"No," came Cloud's objection, immediately.
"Oh? Does it matter, after all, then?" Andrea redeposited the pink package with a smirk and stopped his teasing. Reminding Andrea of a certain dress, he held up a deep blue one for approval, which he got with a huffy, Better than the last one…
Andrea crossed back to the bed, tossing the bottle of lube ahead of him that Cloud, as expected, deftly caught with one quickly raised hand. Andrea perched to unlace his dress shoes and slide out of his own pants at last. Cloud was reading the label of the bottle curiously, then snorting lightly, until Andrea rejoined him on the bed and plucked it out of his grasp.
"Hold this for me," he said, bringing the condom packet up to Cloud’s mouth.
After an adorable blink, Cloud lightly closed his teeth on a corner. Andrea dipped down to bite the opposite side, staring into Cloud’s eyes as he tore the edge apart. "Why, thank you," he murmured.
Cloud rolled his eyes and after blowing the empty foil away from his mouth, answered, "Yeah. No problem."
Settling again on Cloud’s thighs, Andrea began to roll down the condom. Cloud’s breath held, until he slowly exhaled, once fully covered.
When Andrea reached to remove his sheer drawers, Cloud huffed, "Was wondering if those were ever coming off."
"Eager, were you?"
Andrea didn’t keep either of them waiting, then. Off they came, exposing Andrea entirely. He didn’t miss the slow drop of Cloud’s gaze, or how his bottom lip disappeared into his bite.
Andrea straightened his spine, pointing for Cloud to hand him the bottle of lube. Shaking himself out of his trance to do so, Cloud fell into another one watching Andrea coat his fingers, and then, slick up his own entrance.
Cloud’s hands hovered momentarily uncertain, one finding eventual purchase on the muscle of Andrea’s thigh, the other covering the lower half of his own face before drifting to his cock. Except that he pulled back as soon as he alighted there.
"By all means," Andrea encouraged deeply. So Cloud grasped himself firmly. He pulled in smooth, even strokes, while watching Andrea continue to finger himself.
"Ready if you are…" Andrea said, smirking when Cloud immediately nodded. "Oh, good."
Cloud gripped himself steady, and Andrea dropped, smoothly, all the way to sitting on Cloud’s hips. A pretty gasp entered Cloud’s throat. Andrea himself groaned at this man at last filling him. He gathered his wits enough to tap Cloud's forehead and make his screwed shut eyes open.
"Remember your word?"
Knocking Andrea’s hand away, and looking adorably annoyed alongside completely aroused, Cloud said, "Got it, thanks." He squeezed his eyes shut just for another moment, before reopening them to check with Andrea, "You - are you good?"
Oh, sweet as honey, this one, Andrea thought. "More than," he affirmed aloud. And rolled his hips to reaffirm.
Cloud’s eyelids dropped shut again, while his mouth dropped open. Andrea bit the edge of his own bottom lip before letting it free. And he kept moving.
He felt Cloud roll underneath him, in tandem with him. He was, again, not surprised at all Cloud was able to so easily match him. "You move so well, Cloud…" Andrea told him, satisfied.
The compliment caused the return of Cloud’s ephemeral blush. Then when it passed, Andrea felt Cloud determinedly increase the pace for Andrea to match. Which he did, accordingly and with ease. And of course, with pleasure.
"Oh, yes, Cloud, that is… wonderful… Oh…"
Even as wonderful as it was, Cloud swung up suddenly to sitting, scooting and catching Andrea’s back as he dropped even further into Cloud’s lap with the motion. An inspired move, Andrea thought. Then he could fist Cloud’s hair, and imbibe in many, many languorous kisses, and stare into those splendid eyes for as long as he wanted. And Cloud could reach for Andrea’s member swaying stiffly between their bodies, to rub inside his fist. The strong, firm hands of a fighter, had been one description given of them. That wasn’t at all wrong.
"That’s very good… Just like that, Cloud."
"Andrea…" Cloud stared up at him, an intense glint of some certain desire visible in the depths of his eyes.
Andrea gathered his hands on either side of Cloud’s face, curving for another slide of lips before speaking against them.
"You want something else. I can see that. Don’t be afraid to ask for it, whatever it is. Allow me the pleasure of giving it to you, because I would love nothing more. Tell me, Cloud… tell me what it is you want. After all, today is your-"
Cloud grabbed the underside of one of Andrea’s thighs and braced his other hand on Andrea's hip, to lift and drop him back-to the bed.
"This is what I want," Cloud growled, and began fucking Andrea in earnest. Harder, too. Just how Andrea liked it.
Andrea did so love men who were unafraid.
"Oh, yes - yes!" Andrea twisted at the deep press and press again he felt to his prostate, laughing grandly at the sudden, sharp buzzes of pleasure.
He heard Cloud grunt somewhere above him, "You remember your damned word?"
"Oh, honey," he answered, shivering again, "I will not be needing it right now, I assure you. Right there, yes, ah! You are simply phenomenal-"
"Shit, Andrea…" Cloud thrust and thrust, without needing to slow, in possession of seemingly bottomless stamina. Absolutely wondrous. "Do you hear yourself?"
"When I’m being fucked this good," Andrea rumbled, "All of Wall Market is going to hear me."
Cloud was the one to groan, and Andrea laughed darkly again until Cloud’s palm clamped over his mouth. He licked across that rough swordsman’s skin, and Cloud finally relinquished to press his hand on the sheets next to Andrea. He hung his head below his shoulders, focusing on thrusting and chasing their mutual pleasure.
"Cloud… are you close?" Cloud’s head slightly bobbed. "Me too, lovely… Maybe we can get there together. What do you say? Would you like for me to touch myself?"
Cloud moaned, and bobbed his head harder than before. "Yeah. Do it," he rasped.
"Gladly."
Andrea caressed himself in perfect time with Cloud, feeling the buzz of his arousal building into a swarm already overtaking him. He groaned, long and loud, spilling sweetly up his stomach and chest.
Oof, uttered Cloud. Apparently he felt Andrea squeeze tight around him. He tucked his chin down and to the side, and when he came, just like that, Andrea was surprised by the soft whimper it was done with. As pretty as the man himself.
Cloud panted, and brought his already low forehead down to press all the way to Andrea’s chest. Andrea carded his hands through Cloud’s blond strands and rolled his head gently, side to side.
Cloud’s eyes fluttered open, and after a heavy-lidded look, he pulled out of Andrea with a quiet grunt.
Andrea rose with Cloud, legs still draped loosely around his hips. "Let me," he murmured, and pulled off the condom while he mouthed at Cloud's neck. After tossing it aside Andrea caught Cloud's lips, tugging the bottom one between his teeth and pulling forth along with it a soft moan. Cloud grounded himself with a hand holding Andrea's bicep.
When Andrea freed his lip, it allowed Cloud’s mouth to quirk into the tiniest of grins. "Shit," he said, meeting Andrea’s eyes with his own.
Andrea chuckled, too. "Marvelous," he said, brushing hair away from Cloud’s raised eyebrow to press his lips there. "Glad you changed your mind, Cloud?"
At Cloud’s short and simple honest intonation, Mm, Andrea smirked. "Me too. I’m not so certain this wasn’t truly a present meant for me." Seriously? Cloud muttered.
Andrea sucked a mark in the center of Cloud’s clavicle still dusted pink from his arousal. Cloud’s hand rubbed up Andrea's arm to cover his shoulder. Raising his head, Andrea unabashedly stared to savor one more close-up view of Cloud’s lovely visage, before he made his second departure from the Inn out into the night.
"Happy birthday, my dear." Yeah, yeah… "May one of your wishes have been granted at the Honeybee Inn, tonight."
Cloud chuffed quietly. He sent Andrea a considering glance. "Got one more," he said.
"Oh? Well, do tell."
"When’d you say the next opening in your schedule was?"