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tampered2007-05-06 09:06 pm
inmy-memory.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-05-06 09:06 pm
Log; Complete
When; May 6th
Rating; PG-13 for boys kissing and sexual innuendo
Characters; Cloud Strife [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
inmy_memory] and Zack Fair [spiked_stud]
Summary; Cloud and Zack have a talk, ice cream is involved.
Log;
Cloud sat on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. He was tapping away at the laptop he had sitting on his lap, rather bored. There really wasn’t all that much to do in the city since he got here, he didn’t really know anyone, other than Sora and- Zack. Not that it bothered him much, he had never been really into the whole socializing thing, not one to go out of his way to make friends. That was more Zack’s territory. The man was uncannily able to make everyone like him.
The blonde’s brow creased into a slight frown at the thought of his dark-haired companion. It still felt like a dream, that Zack was really here with him. It had been eight years since that day the soldier’s shot him down on the mountain road. The death of Zack nearly killed Cloud as well. He didn’t remember much from those days, the Mako clouding his mind so much. After that was when he had ‘impersonated’ Zack, though Cloud would never tell him that, the fact that Cloud had idolized him that much would go straight to his head.
With a mental shake of his head, Cloud forced his thoughts make to the computer, looking on the network for anything worth doing.
It had been a horribly boring day. After the run in with the cereal (note to self: buy milk), Zack had wandered off through the City to explore again. Cloud had been acting funny around him; it was starting to bug him a little. He just needed a little walk and some fresh air and he'd be right as rain again. However, what started as a simple walk turned into a hardcore exercise session.
The black-haired man didn't return until the late afternoon -or perhaps even early evening- and he was tired. He slipped in the apartment and immediately pulled off his shirt, tossing it onto the floor. He'd pick it up later. "Spikey?" he called, wandered into the kitchen, boots discarded as he walked. Time to challenge that fridge again. Come on, let's get something good this time.
...and, no. Alas, all Zack found was some suspicious looking leftovers -was that macaroni?- and some of that dreadful orange juice. Wrinkling his nose, he left the kitchen, padding over to couch. "We need food," he informed Cloud, as though he was waiting for the blond to provide the solution.
Cloud never really liked it when Zack went out exploring, afraid that he wouldn’t come back. He knew it was irrational, but he still couldn’t help feeling that way. He couldn’t bear to lose him again, just couldn’t. It was too much pain, and after everything Cloud had gone through over the past eight years, it would probably push him over the edge.
Looking up as he heard the door open and subsequent calling of the dreaded nick-name, a sense of relief went through Cloud’s body, the muscles relaxing, knowing that Zack was safe now. Though really, the guy could take care of himself and Cloud knew this very well.
“We can go shopping tomorrow.” His voice held the stoic tone that he had developed over the years. The mask he had also developed helped as Zack made his way over to him. Shirtless. Didn’t the man ever wear a shirt when he was inside? He was the same way back in the barracks during their Soldier Training. Though back then a blush would cross Cloud’s cheeks every time Zack walked into the same room as him, now not so much as a twitch was evident in Cloud’s expression.
Zack grumbled as Cloud gave a simple solution. "But what about tonight?" He was hungry now, damnit! "And I don't want to have to go food shopping." Food shopping was so...dull. He scowled a little before flopping over the side of the couch, half-falling on top of his roommate. He wriggled around a little, getting comfortable on the part of Cloud's lap not stolen by the laptop as his legs dangled over the top of the furniture. There we go. Nice and comfy. "I'm hungry noooow," he whined, flashing Cloud a cheerful smile. No one could resist him when he got pouty. It was a gift, really.
"Can't we go get takeout, or something?" An idea struck him. "Or even better, we can order in!" Of course, he'd have to find a phone book -did they have a phone book?- and look up a number; finding a good restaurant was a whole other gamble, but if he could never leave, he had plenty of time to find a good one. He wriggled against Cloud's lap happily, moving to push the laptop out of the way. "So what are you in the mood for?"
A quick glance and a slight clearing of the throat was the only reaction Cloud gave to Zack practically laying in his lap. He shifted slightly, moving the laptop over a bit. Cloud continued to tap away on the laptop, paying only have a mind to what Zack was saying. The man usually rambled on for a while about nothing in particular. Back when they were with Shin-RA, Cloud had gotten rather adept of doing his work and making the proper noises and sounds when Zack paused, making Zack think that he was, in fact, listening.
Cloud blinked and looked at Zack when he realised that he was waiting for Cloud’s answer. “…What?” He really had not been listening at all and had no idea what Zack had asked him, or even what it was remotely about.
Zack frowned. Was he even listening? No? He wrinkled his nose, pushing himself off Cloud's lap and into a twisted sitting position. "...I asked what you wanted for dinner." He sighed, shifting to face his blond friend. "...what the hell is your problem?" he asked after a long pause. Blue eyes narrowed as the ex-Soldier gave the man a once over. "Why're you so cold with me, huh? 'Cos I died?" Yeah, that's right Cloud. I'm on to your little game.
Cloud was about to answer Zack’s first question when his friend’s demeanour did a complete one-eighty. He stared at Zack, shocked at his words. “Wh- What do you mean?” It didn’t occur to him that he was acting cold, he acting this way with practically everyone, it was no different than the way he acting with Tifa, or Vincent, or Barret.
Zack sighed, pushing a strand of hair from his face. This could take a while. He pulled his legs up underneath him, sitting Indian style as he pondered explaining the situation to his friend. "You won't let me go anywhere. You get all sulky when I get back. You won't let me touch you." He snorted. "I know I was dead, but jeeze! You're treating me like I was five." He paused, taking a deep breath. It'd do him no good to get all mad at Cloud now. "...what I mean is...well, I guess I'm just confused. What about what we had, man? Did my death negate that?" he finally asked, unaware the computer started blinking again.
Closing the laptop, Cloud set it aside and sighed softly. He knew Zack would bring this up eventually, the guy just couldn’t leave things alone. He turned on the couch, mirroring Zack’s position, facing him. Shaking his head, Cloud spoke, his voice soft.
“No. I just-” It was hard to tell him this. “You were the last person I opened up to. After you- After you died-” Cloud stopped there, unable to find the right words to tell Zack how he had felt after everything that had happened.
It was his death. Maybe this whole coming back to life thing was a bad idea. Well, it hadn't been his idea to being with, but who's ever it was, they must really enjoy messing with Cloud. Zack sighed. "...I can go live somewhere else, or something. That might make this easier for you, or whatever." Seriously. If being near him was going to make the blond depressed without fail, it definitely wasn't a healthy situation and Zack didn't want any part of it.
“No!” Cloud’s voice rang out loud at that suggestion, a hand shooting over to grab onto Zack’s arm, in case he decided to leave right then. There was no way that he would let Zack leave him, go live somewhere that was not with him.
“It’s not that I don’t want you around, I do. It’s just-” He paused again, “After you died- I couldn’t go through that again. So I closed myself off.” He looked away from Zack, though didn’t remove his hand, still gripping tightly.
Zack blinked, surprised Cloud was actually talking. From what he had gathered the past few days, Cloud and emotions didn't mingle. He leaned forward, moving a little bit closer. "Cloud. Cloud, listen to me." He put his hands on Cloud's cheeks. "Cloud, I am not going to leave you again. Okay?" His hands dropped to his sides. "Okay?" Second time's the charm, right?
Cloud leaned into Zack’s touch, just as he always has in the past. This was so weird, his talking about his feelings, it never happened, but with Zack- With Zack things were always different, he felt he could really relax around him. He nodded. “Okay.” He still gripped Zack’s arm, not willing to let go.
A smile worked itself onto Zack's lips for the first time during that conversation. There we go. This was more like the Spike he knew and loved. He certainly had a long way to go to get Cloud back to the way he was eight years ago, but he didn't back down from challenges! He was Zack Fair, after all. Of course, he wasn't really sure Cloud should go back to the way he was one-hundred-percent. He wasn't a kid anymore. Sephiroth really- Well, yeah. Scars could only heal so much.
He shook himself and glanced back over at his friend, reaching over to brush blond bangs away from blue eyes with his free hand. The air felt heavy, dry, static. Was this…? The smile widened. "I think we still have that cartoon of ice cream I picked up last night. You wanna share it?"
Once again Cloud leaned into the touch, wishing but not vocalising, that Zack wouldn’t stop. His eyes fell closed for the brief contact but opened quickly after at the mention of the ice cream. One thing about Cloud that never changed and most likely never would was his sweet tooth. Not a lot of people knew, but Cloud always had room for something sweet. “Ice Cream?”
Bingo. Zack could always get Cloud out of his shell. "Yeah. Ice cream." He grinned, blue eyes sparkling as he bounced to his feet. "Stay here, I'll go get it." He bounded off into the kitchen, humming horribly off-tune as he went. He whipped the freezer door open far harder than was intended, wincing as the poor piece of plastic slammed into the wall. Oops. At least no one really cared if they messed up the apartment. He snatched the carton up before pulling open a drawer and plucked up two spoons. He only considered bowls for a second. Nah.
He started padding back into the other room when he spun around to shut the freezer door. He darted back, trotting across the carpet before throwing himself onto the couch. The springs more or less flung him onto Cloud, limbs flailing ungracefully as Zack just gave his friend a foolish grin. He offered him a spoon and pried open the top, not bothering to remove himself from his friend's body. "Dig in," he purred before stabbing his own spoon in.
A small smile crossed Cloud’s face as Zack went into the kitchen to get the ice cream. At all the noise though, his expression changed to one more of slight concern. He was about to call out to Zack to see if he needed any help when Zack came bounding back into the room. The smile returned.
When Zack all but landed on him, his instincts told him to move, to get away, but he forced them down and into the back of his mind, moving into the touch rather than away. This was Zack, after all. He plucked one of the spoons from Zack’s hand and dug into the ice cream, savouring the taste as the sweet confectionary hit his tongue.
Man. Zack hadn't had ice cream forever. He grinned, watching Cloud eat as he slowly licked the chocolate off his spoon. "We need strawberries," he muttered to himself, digging up another large spoonful of ice cream. He struggled to sit, finding himself leaning onto his friend's chest to keep upright. "Here," he said gleefully, offering the large, melty spoonful to his friend.
Cloud leaned back from the sudden spoon in his face, looking at it, then Zack, and back and forth again for a moment. With a mental shrug, Cloud opened his mouth and closed it around the spoon, letting the ice cream melt in his mouth. He all but liked the spoon clean, all the while keeping eye contact with Zack.
Zack watched Cloud anxiously. It was just a much a tell-all as the conversations. And you know what? He passed. Cloud took the peace offering, and Zack had passed. If the man had been any sort of romantic, he might have heard angels singing. And then Cloud licked the spoon clean. He fucking licked the spoon clean. The ex-Soldier suppressed a shudder. "You been up to shit while I wasn't around to baby-sit you there, Blondie?" he teased, taking another bit of ice cream. Blue eyes sparkled dangerously. "You gonna show me anything you learned?"
Cloud took another bite of ice cream and quirked his eyebrows at Zack, feeling the tension relax between the two of them. He shifted, moving his legs to either side of Zack so that he was now in the V of Cloud’s legs, knees brought up.
“I learned a few things.” Which rather was an understatement. Cloud had defeated the strongest man on the planet. Three times. Cloud’s strength and abilities were marginally different now than they were eight years prior.
Cloud didn't get it. Zack snorted, horribly amused. Eight years had gone by, and he still wasn't catching on to that sort of thing? He wasn't complaining. It meant he didn't have to undo someone else's damage. Hell, maybe he would get to pick up where they left off, and there wasn't any of that nasty SOLDIER business to bother him this time. A twinge of regret started to nag Zack from somewhere in the depths of his brain.
SOLDIER. Sephiroth. God damnit, Seph, you just had to go any fuck everything up now, didn't you? And now you aren't even around anymore. But this City thing...well, we'll see. He'd have to have some kind of talk with his commander when the man finally showed up. Zack had no doubt he would; it was a question of when. This whole beating on Cloud thing didn't sit well with him. It would just be a little talk. Right.
A splatter of cold chocolate brought Zack crashing back into the real world. He blinked, bringing his hand up to lick the ice cream off before it had the chance to get sticky. Huh. Cloud had something on his chin. "C'mere, you."
Cloud continued to take bites of the ice cream, waiting for Zack to sift through his thoughts. Sometimes Zack needed to do that, so did Cloud at times, so he didn’t mind, just waited and continued eating the ice cream. This way he would get more than Zack, which was a plus.
The ice cream taking up most of his attention, Cloud didn’t notice when Zack came back to the ‘real world’, until Zack spoke. He didn’t even notice the ice cream on his chin. Cloud blinked at Zack and made a questioning noise.
It never occurred to Zack that this might be a bad idea. "I said c'mere!" he teased, grabbing at Cloud's shirt to pull him closer. If he wasn't going to come over willing, then he'd make him. Hah. He was still the older, stronger one of the pair -well, he would be if time wasn't fucking with everything- so he deserved to have his way anyway. "You gotta little somethin' somethin'," he mumbled, swooping down to lick the ice cream off Cloud's chin. "There!" he chirped, freeing his friend.
Cloud started at that, head jerking back in surprise. Finally, some emotion broke through his mask and a blush graced his cheeks, turning his pale skin into a nice shade of red. He cleared his throat and looked to the side, avoiding Zack’s gaze, though not in a bad way. It was everyday one got ice cream licked from their chin, and Cloud was definitely not used to anything of the sort.
It took Zack a moment to realize he was embarrassing Cloud. Actually, it took Zack quite a few moments to realize it. He tilted his head to one side, admiring the blush blooming on the man's cheeks. "You like that, Spikey?" he snickered. He took a small spoonful of ice cream, watching Cloud with an amused smile. The spoon shifted in his mouth, lips curling into a dangerous smile. He stuck his finger into the half-empty cartoon, scooping up some chocolate dessert and sticking it in Cloud's face. "Here!"
Cloud stared at the finger for a moment, the blush on his cheeks being persistent and not. Going. Away. So very annoying. He was beginning to have flashbacks to when he first met Zack, things were pretty much the same between them back then to. Zack being an outrageous flirt and Cloud with a perpetual blush tattooed on his face. Well, Cloud was older and knew better now, and two could play at that game. Cloud sucked the finger into his mouth, making sure to let his tongue swirl around the appendage to get every last drop of chocolate, his eyes moving to meet Zack’s.
Hello? What's this? Zack's jaw dropped for a few seconds before he realized what he was doing, snapping his mouth shut with a loud click. He sat completely motionless, entranced by Cloud. The way his tongue swirled around his finger, the way his blushed diffused across the cheeks, even something as simple as the way his friend raised his eyes to lock gazes impressed the black-haired man. "...Cloud?" he wondered aloud, slowly reclaiming his finger. "Who taught you that?"
Cloud let the finger slide out of his mouth with a final lick. He looked sheepish now. “Uhm- no one.”
Zack snorted. "Cloud, giving head is not innate knowledge." He raised an eyebrow. "It takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. Why else would the good whores cost more...aside from, you know, never mind that." He shook his head, his eyes never leaving Cloud. "Don't lie to me. You've been sleeping with someone, haven't you?" Apparently, Zack never learned curiosity killed the cat.
Cloud’s blush returned full force at the mention of giving head. Zack clearly never learned any tact what-so-ever. He averted his eyes again, though not so much out of embarrassment this time.
Zack wasn't sure if he could be impressed, or hurt. So. His little Cloud really did learn a lot while he was gone. He drew back, running a hand through his hair. The question was looming in the back of his mind, but he dare not ask it, not yet. "Cloud. Look at me." He leaned forward, taking Cloud by the chin. He pulled them man closer, pressing their lips together for a brief moment. "Show me what else you've learned, babe," he murmured, voice dropping an octave lower.
Cloud’s eyelids fell at the brief contact of Zack’s lips, looking at his friend through eyelashes. As Zack pulled back from the kiss, Cloud pressed forward, their lips meeting again. Cloud’s eyes fell fully closed this time, a hand coming up to Zack’s neck, fingertips curling around the back into the dark spiked strands found there. God, but Cloud had missed this, the feel of Zack. Eight years, and his feelings were just as strong as ever.
Zack smiled slowly, letting go off Cloud's face and wrapping his arms around his waist. Thank you, gods, who ever you are. He tugged the blond into him, nuzzling his neck before pressing a gentle kiss to soft skin. "Well?" he prompted, still waiting for a response. Hell, he waited before. Was it really right to keep him waiting now, after eight long years? Cloud should have had plenty of time to think it over. "Cloud?"
Cloud let his head fall forward onto Zack’s shoulder at the nuzzle and press of lips to skin. He nuzzled back, almost purring, content to be in Zack’s arms. It was so easy to become affectionate again with Zack, the other man’s presence alone helping Cloud to relax and open up. “Mn?” Cloud had forgotten what the question was at this point, to wrapped up in feeling that Zack really was here with him.
Zack sighed and shook his head, smiling wearily. "Nevermind," he said. If Cloud wanted it, it would have been given to him by now. He nuzzled Cloud again. "Cloud? Who taught you all that?" he asked gently, curiousity kicking in again. He wanted to know, needed to know. "Tell me," he purred, nuzzling Cloud's shoulder again. The possibility of his blond actually being taken by someone else hadn't really seemed to sink in yet.
The hand on Zack’s neck and in his hair tightened it’s grip for a moment before releasing but remaining there, Zack’s pulse beating against Cloud’s wrist. Cloud stilled, not wanting to tell Zack, but he knew he had to. He couldn’t keep anything from the man, he would end up breaking sooner or later and telling him, better to be the former rather than the latter. His voice was soft when he finally spoke, “Leon.”
Zack nodded. He'd have a chat with this Leon sometime soon...soon as he could find him, really. But that was not something Cloud needed to know. He was finally getting Cloud to talk to him to again. "Cloud...Cloud, do you like this Leon fellow?" he asked again. It was an important question
Cloud pressed his lips to the side of Zack’s neck before responding. “Mn. He’s nice, kinda moody though.”
Zack paused. Just nice? Was that all? Suddenly, lips were on his neck and all though processes were short-circuited. "O-oh," he sighed, eyes sliding shut. "That's nice." Yep. Definitely going to deal with that jerk later. He pulled Cloud close again, shirt tickling his bare chest. "Let's go to bed now, Cloud."
Nuzzling at Zack’s neck again, Cloud half-nodded. Bed was starting to sound like a really good idea to the blonde. “Okay.”
Zack smiled. "Yeah. Yeah," he pressed his face to Cloud's neck before slowly working his way off the blond. He didn't even bother offering him a hand, he just grabbed his arm and hauled Cloud to his feet. If he recalled correctly, sweet stuff usually had this sort of pacifying effect on his best friend. He worked an arm around Cloud's waist, tugging him close as he lugged the man down the hall.
Rating; PG-13 for boys kissing and sexual innuendo
Characters; Cloud Strife [
inmy_memory] and Zack Fair [spiked_stud]Summary; Cloud and Zack have a talk, ice cream is involved.
Log;
Cloud sat on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. He was tapping away at the laptop he had sitting on his lap, rather bored. There really wasn’t all that much to do in the city since he got here, he didn’t really know anyone, other than Sora and- Zack. Not that it bothered him much, he had never been really into the whole socializing thing, not one to go out of his way to make friends. That was more Zack’s territory. The man was uncannily able to make everyone like him.
The blonde’s brow creased into a slight frown at the thought of his dark-haired companion. It still felt like a dream, that Zack was really here with him. It had been eight years since that day the soldier’s shot him down on the mountain road. The death of Zack nearly killed Cloud as well. He didn’t remember much from those days, the Mako clouding his mind so much. After that was when he had ‘impersonated’ Zack, though Cloud would never tell him that, the fact that Cloud had idolized him that much would go straight to his head.
With a mental shake of his head, Cloud forced his thoughts make to the computer, looking on the network for anything worth doing.
It had been a horribly boring day. After the run in with the cereal (note to self: buy milk), Zack had wandered off through the City to explore again. Cloud had been acting funny around him; it was starting to bug him a little. He just needed a little walk and some fresh air and he'd be right as rain again. However, what started as a simple walk turned into a hardcore exercise session.
The black-haired man didn't return until the late afternoon -or perhaps even early evening- and he was tired. He slipped in the apartment and immediately pulled off his shirt, tossing it onto the floor. He'd pick it up later. "Spikey?" he called, wandered into the kitchen, boots discarded as he walked. Time to challenge that fridge again. Come on, let's get something good this time.
...and, no. Alas, all Zack found was some suspicious looking leftovers -was that macaroni?- and some of that dreadful orange juice. Wrinkling his nose, he left the kitchen, padding over to couch. "We need food," he informed Cloud, as though he was waiting for the blond to provide the solution.
Cloud never really liked it when Zack went out exploring, afraid that he wouldn’t come back. He knew it was irrational, but he still couldn’t help feeling that way. He couldn’t bear to lose him again, just couldn’t. It was too much pain, and after everything Cloud had gone through over the past eight years, it would probably push him over the edge.
Looking up as he heard the door open and subsequent calling of the dreaded nick-name, a sense of relief went through Cloud’s body, the muscles relaxing, knowing that Zack was safe now. Though really, the guy could take care of himself and Cloud knew this very well.
“We can go shopping tomorrow.” His voice held the stoic tone that he had developed over the years. The mask he had also developed helped as Zack made his way over to him. Shirtless. Didn’t the man ever wear a shirt when he was inside? He was the same way back in the barracks during their Soldier Training. Though back then a blush would cross Cloud’s cheeks every time Zack walked into the same room as him, now not so much as a twitch was evident in Cloud’s expression.
Zack grumbled as Cloud gave a simple solution. "But what about tonight?" He was hungry now, damnit! "And I don't want to have to go food shopping." Food shopping was so...dull. He scowled a little before flopping over the side of the couch, half-falling on top of his roommate. He wriggled around a little, getting comfortable on the part of Cloud's lap not stolen by the laptop as his legs dangled over the top of the furniture. There we go. Nice and comfy. "I'm hungry noooow," he whined, flashing Cloud a cheerful smile. No one could resist him when he got pouty. It was a gift, really.
"Can't we go get takeout, or something?" An idea struck him. "Or even better, we can order in!" Of course, he'd have to find a phone book -did they have a phone book?- and look up a number; finding a good restaurant was a whole other gamble, but if he could never leave, he had plenty of time to find a good one. He wriggled against Cloud's lap happily, moving to push the laptop out of the way. "So what are you in the mood for?"
A quick glance and a slight clearing of the throat was the only reaction Cloud gave to Zack practically laying in his lap. He shifted slightly, moving the laptop over a bit. Cloud continued to tap away on the laptop, paying only have a mind to what Zack was saying. The man usually rambled on for a while about nothing in particular. Back when they were with Shin-RA, Cloud had gotten rather adept of doing his work and making the proper noises and sounds when Zack paused, making Zack think that he was, in fact, listening.
Cloud blinked and looked at Zack when he realised that he was waiting for Cloud’s answer. “…What?” He really had not been listening at all and had no idea what Zack had asked him, or even what it was remotely about.
Zack frowned. Was he even listening? No? He wrinkled his nose, pushing himself off Cloud's lap and into a twisted sitting position. "...I asked what you wanted for dinner." He sighed, shifting to face his blond friend. "...what the hell is your problem?" he asked after a long pause. Blue eyes narrowed as the ex-Soldier gave the man a once over. "Why're you so cold with me, huh? 'Cos I died?" Yeah, that's right Cloud. I'm on to your little game.
Cloud was about to answer Zack’s first question when his friend’s demeanour did a complete one-eighty. He stared at Zack, shocked at his words. “Wh- What do you mean?” It didn’t occur to him that he was acting cold, he acting this way with practically everyone, it was no different than the way he acting with Tifa, or Vincent, or Barret.
Zack sighed, pushing a strand of hair from his face. This could take a while. He pulled his legs up underneath him, sitting Indian style as he pondered explaining the situation to his friend. "You won't let me go anywhere. You get all sulky when I get back. You won't let me touch you." He snorted. "I know I was dead, but jeeze! You're treating me like I was five." He paused, taking a deep breath. It'd do him no good to get all mad at Cloud now. "...what I mean is...well, I guess I'm just confused. What about what we had, man? Did my death negate that?" he finally asked, unaware the computer started blinking again.
Closing the laptop, Cloud set it aside and sighed softly. He knew Zack would bring this up eventually, the guy just couldn’t leave things alone. He turned on the couch, mirroring Zack’s position, facing him. Shaking his head, Cloud spoke, his voice soft.
“No. I just-” It was hard to tell him this. “You were the last person I opened up to. After you- After you died-” Cloud stopped there, unable to find the right words to tell Zack how he had felt after everything that had happened.
It was his death. Maybe this whole coming back to life thing was a bad idea. Well, it hadn't been his idea to being with, but who's ever it was, they must really enjoy messing with Cloud. Zack sighed. "...I can go live somewhere else, or something. That might make this easier for you, or whatever." Seriously. If being near him was going to make the blond depressed without fail, it definitely wasn't a healthy situation and Zack didn't want any part of it.
“No!” Cloud’s voice rang out loud at that suggestion, a hand shooting over to grab onto Zack’s arm, in case he decided to leave right then. There was no way that he would let Zack leave him, go live somewhere that was not with him.
“It’s not that I don’t want you around, I do. It’s just-” He paused again, “After you died- I couldn’t go through that again. So I closed myself off.” He looked away from Zack, though didn’t remove his hand, still gripping tightly.
Zack blinked, surprised Cloud was actually talking. From what he had gathered the past few days, Cloud and emotions didn't mingle. He leaned forward, moving a little bit closer. "Cloud. Cloud, listen to me." He put his hands on Cloud's cheeks. "Cloud, I am not going to leave you again. Okay?" His hands dropped to his sides. "Okay?" Second time's the charm, right?
Cloud leaned into Zack’s touch, just as he always has in the past. This was so weird, his talking about his feelings, it never happened, but with Zack- With Zack things were always different, he felt he could really relax around him. He nodded. “Okay.” He still gripped Zack’s arm, not willing to let go.
A smile worked itself onto Zack's lips for the first time during that conversation. There we go. This was more like the Spike he knew and loved. He certainly had a long way to go to get Cloud back to the way he was eight years ago, but he didn't back down from challenges! He was Zack Fair, after all. Of course, he wasn't really sure Cloud should go back to the way he was one-hundred-percent. He wasn't a kid anymore. Sephiroth really- Well, yeah. Scars could only heal so much.
He shook himself and glanced back over at his friend, reaching over to brush blond bangs away from blue eyes with his free hand. The air felt heavy, dry, static. Was this…? The smile widened. "I think we still have that cartoon of ice cream I picked up last night. You wanna share it?"
Once again Cloud leaned into the touch, wishing but not vocalising, that Zack wouldn’t stop. His eyes fell closed for the brief contact but opened quickly after at the mention of the ice cream. One thing about Cloud that never changed and most likely never would was his sweet tooth. Not a lot of people knew, but Cloud always had room for something sweet. “Ice Cream?”
Bingo. Zack could always get Cloud out of his shell. "Yeah. Ice cream." He grinned, blue eyes sparkling as he bounced to his feet. "Stay here, I'll go get it." He bounded off into the kitchen, humming horribly off-tune as he went. He whipped the freezer door open far harder than was intended, wincing as the poor piece of plastic slammed into the wall. Oops. At least no one really cared if they messed up the apartment. He snatched the carton up before pulling open a drawer and plucked up two spoons. He only considered bowls for a second. Nah.
He started padding back into the other room when he spun around to shut the freezer door. He darted back, trotting across the carpet before throwing himself onto the couch. The springs more or less flung him onto Cloud, limbs flailing ungracefully as Zack just gave his friend a foolish grin. He offered him a spoon and pried open the top, not bothering to remove himself from his friend's body. "Dig in," he purred before stabbing his own spoon in.
A small smile crossed Cloud’s face as Zack went into the kitchen to get the ice cream. At all the noise though, his expression changed to one more of slight concern. He was about to call out to Zack to see if he needed any help when Zack came bounding back into the room. The smile returned.
When Zack all but landed on him, his instincts told him to move, to get away, but he forced them down and into the back of his mind, moving into the touch rather than away. This was Zack, after all. He plucked one of the spoons from Zack’s hand and dug into the ice cream, savouring the taste as the sweet confectionary hit his tongue.
Man. Zack hadn't had ice cream forever. He grinned, watching Cloud eat as he slowly licked the chocolate off his spoon. "We need strawberries," he muttered to himself, digging up another large spoonful of ice cream. He struggled to sit, finding himself leaning onto his friend's chest to keep upright. "Here," he said gleefully, offering the large, melty spoonful to his friend.
Cloud leaned back from the sudden spoon in his face, looking at it, then Zack, and back and forth again for a moment. With a mental shrug, Cloud opened his mouth and closed it around the spoon, letting the ice cream melt in his mouth. He all but liked the spoon clean, all the while keeping eye contact with Zack.
Zack watched Cloud anxiously. It was just a much a tell-all as the conversations. And you know what? He passed. Cloud took the peace offering, and Zack had passed. If the man had been any sort of romantic, he might have heard angels singing. And then Cloud licked the spoon clean. He fucking licked the spoon clean. The ex-Soldier suppressed a shudder. "You been up to shit while I wasn't around to baby-sit you there, Blondie?" he teased, taking another bit of ice cream. Blue eyes sparkled dangerously. "You gonna show me anything you learned?"
Cloud took another bite of ice cream and quirked his eyebrows at Zack, feeling the tension relax between the two of them. He shifted, moving his legs to either side of Zack so that he was now in the V of Cloud’s legs, knees brought up.
“I learned a few things.” Which rather was an understatement. Cloud had defeated the strongest man on the planet. Three times. Cloud’s strength and abilities were marginally different now than they were eight years prior.
Cloud didn't get it. Zack snorted, horribly amused. Eight years had gone by, and he still wasn't catching on to that sort of thing? He wasn't complaining. It meant he didn't have to undo someone else's damage. Hell, maybe he would get to pick up where they left off, and there wasn't any of that nasty SOLDIER business to bother him this time. A twinge of regret started to nag Zack from somewhere in the depths of his brain.
SOLDIER. Sephiroth. God damnit, Seph, you just had to go any fuck everything up now, didn't you? And now you aren't even around anymore. But this City thing...well, we'll see. He'd have to have some kind of talk with his commander when the man finally showed up. Zack had no doubt he would; it was a question of when. This whole beating on Cloud thing didn't sit well with him. It would just be a little talk. Right.
A splatter of cold chocolate brought Zack crashing back into the real world. He blinked, bringing his hand up to lick the ice cream off before it had the chance to get sticky. Huh. Cloud had something on his chin. "C'mere, you."
Cloud continued to take bites of the ice cream, waiting for Zack to sift through his thoughts. Sometimes Zack needed to do that, so did Cloud at times, so he didn’t mind, just waited and continued eating the ice cream. This way he would get more than Zack, which was a plus.
The ice cream taking up most of his attention, Cloud didn’t notice when Zack came back to the ‘real world’, until Zack spoke. He didn’t even notice the ice cream on his chin. Cloud blinked at Zack and made a questioning noise.
It never occurred to Zack that this might be a bad idea. "I said c'mere!" he teased, grabbing at Cloud's shirt to pull him closer. If he wasn't going to come over willing, then he'd make him. Hah. He was still the older, stronger one of the pair -well, he would be if time wasn't fucking with everything- so he deserved to have his way anyway. "You gotta little somethin' somethin'," he mumbled, swooping down to lick the ice cream off Cloud's chin. "There!" he chirped, freeing his friend.
Cloud started at that, head jerking back in surprise. Finally, some emotion broke through his mask and a blush graced his cheeks, turning his pale skin into a nice shade of red. He cleared his throat and looked to the side, avoiding Zack’s gaze, though not in a bad way. It was everyday one got ice cream licked from their chin, and Cloud was definitely not used to anything of the sort.
It took Zack a moment to realize he was embarrassing Cloud. Actually, it took Zack quite a few moments to realize it. He tilted his head to one side, admiring the blush blooming on the man's cheeks. "You like that, Spikey?" he snickered. He took a small spoonful of ice cream, watching Cloud with an amused smile. The spoon shifted in his mouth, lips curling into a dangerous smile. He stuck his finger into the half-empty cartoon, scooping up some chocolate dessert and sticking it in Cloud's face. "Here!"
Cloud stared at the finger for a moment, the blush on his cheeks being persistent and not. Going. Away. So very annoying. He was beginning to have flashbacks to when he first met Zack, things were pretty much the same between them back then to. Zack being an outrageous flirt and Cloud with a perpetual blush tattooed on his face. Well, Cloud was older and knew better now, and two could play at that game. Cloud sucked the finger into his mouth, making sure to let his tongue swirl around the appendage to get every last drop of chocolate, his eyes moving to meet Zack’s.
Hello? What's this? Zack's jaw dropped for a few seconds before he realized what he was doing, snapping his mouth shut with a loud click. He sat completely motionless, entranced by Cloud. The way his tongue swirled around his finger, the way his blushed diffused across the cheeks, even something as simple as the way his friend raised his eyes to lock gazes impressed the black-haired man. "...Cloud?" he wondered aloud, slowly reclaiming his finger. "Who taught you that?"
Cloud let the finger slide out of his mouth with a final lick. He looked sheepish now. “Uhm- no one.”
Zack snorted. "Cloud, giving head is not innate knowledge." He raised an eyebrow. "It takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. Why else would the good whores cost more...aside from, you know, never mind that." He shook his head, his eyes never leaving Cloud. "Don't lie to me. You've been sleeping with someone, haven't you?" Apparently, Zack never learned curiosity killed the cat.
Cloud’s blush returned full force at the mention of giving head. Zack clearly never learned any tact what-so-ever. He averted his eyes again, though not so much out of embarrassment this time.
Zack wasn't sure if he could be impressed, or hurt. So. His little Cloud really did learn a lot while he was gone. He drew back, running a hand through his hair. The question was looming in the back of his mind, but he dare not ask it, not yet. "Cloud. Look at me." He leaned forward, taking Cloud by the chin. He pulled them man closer, pressing their lips together for a brief moment. "Show me what else you've learned, babe," he murmured, voice dropping an octave lower.
Cloud’s eyelids fell at the brief contact of Zack’s lips, looking at his friend through eyelashes. As Zack pulled back from the kiss, Cloud pressed forward, their lips meeting again. Cloud’s eyes fell fully closed this time, a hand coming up to Zack’s neck, fingertips curling around the back into the dark spiked strands found there. God, but Cloud had missed this, the feel of Zack. Eight years, and his feelings were just as strong as ever.
Zack smiled slowly, letting go off Cloud's face and wrapping his arms around his waist. Thank you, gods, who ever you are. He tugged the blond into him, nuzzling his neck before pressing a gentle kiss to soft skin. "Well?" he prompted, still waiting for a response. Hell, he waited before. Was it really right to keep him waiting now, after eight long years? Cloud should have had plenty of time to think it over. "Cloud?"
Cloud let his head fall forward onto Zack’s shoulder at the nuzzle and press of lips to skin. He nuzzled back, almost purring, content to be in Zack’s arms. It was so easy to become affectionate again with Zack, the other man’s presence alone helping Cloud to relax and open up. “Mn?” Cloud had forgotten what the question was at this point, to wrapped up in feeling that Zack really was here with him.
Zack sighed and shook his head, smiling wearily. "Nevermind," he said. If Cloud wanted it, it would have been given to him by now. He nuzzled Cloud again. "Cloud? Who taught you all that?" he asked gently, curiousity kicking in again. He wanted to know, needed to know. "Tell me," he purred, nuzzling Cloud's shoulder again. The possibility of his blond actually being taken by someone else hadn't really seemed to sink in yet.
The hand on Zack’s neck and in his hair tightened it’s grip for a moment before releasing but remaining there, Zack’s pulse beating against Cloud’s wrist. Cloud stilled, not wanting to tell Zack, but he knew he had to. He couldn’t keep anything from the man, he would end up breaking sooner or later and telling him, better to be the former rather than the latter. His voice was soft when he finally spoke, “Leon.”
Zack nodded. He'd have a chat with this Leon sometime soon...soon as he could find him, really. But that was not something Cloud needed to know. He was finally getting Cloud to talk to him to again. "Cloud...Cloud, do you like this Leon fellow?" he asked again. It was an important question
Cloud pressed his lips to the side of Zack’s neck before responding. “Mn. He’s nice, kinda moody though.”
Zack paused. Just nice? Was that all? Suddenly, lips were on his neck and all though processes were short-circuited. "O-oh," he sighed, eyes sliding shut. "That's nice." Yep. Definitely going to deal with that jerk later. He pulled Cloud close again, shirt tickling his bare chest. "Let's go to bed now, Cloud."
Nuzzling at Zack’s neck again, Cloud half-nodded. Bed was starting to sound like a really good idea to the blonde. “Okay.”
Zack smiled. "Yeah. Yeah," he pressed his face to Cloud's neck before slowly working his way off the blond. He didn't even bother offering him a hand, he just grabbed his arm and hauled Cloud to his feet. If he recalled correctly, sweet stuff usually had this sort of pacifying effect on his best friend. He worked an arm around Cloud's waist, tugging him close as he lugged the man down the hall.
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