tampered | A long overdue Reunion. {Complete}

When; Backdated to the first week of Zack's arrival.
Rating; G
Characters; Zack Fair (

pinionless ) & Cloud Strife (

mirroredecho)
Summary; Two old friends meet up again; to share heart-to-hearts and overall sappy revelations.
Log;

The sunlight was what had roused the drowsing ex-SOLDIER that morning. Sharp and vibrant with the clarity of cloudless skies, the weak yellow light stippled over the shallow creases of his bedspread. Slowly but surely, that demanding light crept up the length of the sleeping form of Zack, the progress slow, like chilled honey being poured from a jar. Eventually however, it settled over his face, the shadows of his eyelashes forming long shadows on his cheeks.

He stirred, frowning a little as the brightness hovered over his eyelids, making the comfortable dark inside of them just a little less, well--dark. There was a nonsense noise, some irritable grunt of protest, before he lost the battle and finally cracked open an eye. The bright blue eye blinked once, bleary with sleep and confusion. His field of vision was murky, blurred by the thin, semi-transparent veil of moisture that coated the eyes of the freshly woken. He tensed, forgetting for a second where he was--half expecting to see the undecorated, sterile steel wall of the dorms facing across from him.

It happened on and off lately--the young ex-SOLDIER was having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was in fact dead, sometimes. But once clarity clicked into place, he suddenly sat bolt upright, the tangled and spikey mess of his hair in even worse disarray than before--pointing to the four directions. The overlong bang hung comically over his forehead, bobbing gently with his rushed movements.

"Oh, man. I'm gonna be late." His eyes drifted to the clock. "I am late!" With that, he quickly jumped out of bed entirely, stopping only long enough to haul on his shoes and lace them before throwing open the door to his bedroom and bolting down the hallway with no consideration to his still sleeping roommates. Once he reached the front door, he paused, slowing at last and glancing over his shoulder uncertainly. He briefly considered writing a note and leaving it on the table--but thought better of it. And so, with a quick shake of his head, he deftly twisted the knob and made his way out of the apartment and towards the square

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His eyes rolled at the remark. It was such a petty thing for him to say, but he did have a point. "Then ask the nice lady to heat them up for you again. Don't just let it go to waste."

"Because I don't want it." It was true. Even if he did ask the waitress to warm it up for him, he still wouldn't end up eating the small stack of golden cakes.

He attempts to stare him down for the space of about eight heartbeats before glancing away with a heavy sigh. He can sympathize, although his reasons were separate from Cloud's own. So he lets it go.

"Fine. I'll pay and we can go, then."

The attempt to stare him down would have ended badly either way, considering somewhere along the way, Cloud had gotten good at the art of doing do. "Didn't I say I'd pay?"

Zack would soon learn this. Although it would probably shock him to realize how alike his stare was--only harder and much colder than his own. But he snorted in dismissal of the remark.

"I said I'd buy breakfast, actually. So don't argue."

The words brought on a sigh, and for a moment he considered arguing further. But if the other wanted to spend his money needlessly, then he was going to let him.

"Fine. Go ahead. I'll meet you outside."

That is exactly the view he should take. There's not much he can really say to stop him at this point, and if he did he'd probably snarl in frustration. Or else say something overly dramatic.

"Okay. See you in a few minutes."

He let out a small, heavy sigh as way of answer, before letting the other wonder off, glad that he would have enough time to wind his scarf back around his neck in the same careful manner in which it had been before, along with the replacement of his gloves. Once he was suited up, he slide out of the booth carefully, pushing the hardly touched plate of food away from the edge before moving away from it altogether.

The trip through the door took longer than the trip from it, or so it seemed, and all to soon he was standing outside in the cold once more, leaning up against the wall of the cafe, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the other.

Zack gets up a second after Cloud has passed through the door. His glance lingers longingly on the half-finished meal and the refreshed coffees, before shaking his head. His steps to the counter are measured and carefree as he steps up to the register, waiting patiently as she calculates the amount before fishing out his wallet and paying the charge.

Slipping both his hands and his wallet into his pockets once more, he headed for the door, only removing his hand from his pocket once it became clear that he needed it to open the door itself. The cold air that greets him is abrupt and knifing--but he adjusts quickly, turning his head and locating Cloud slouched along the wall.

"You ready?"

The sound of the other's voice was slightly jolting, causing him to push away from the cold stone. His arms fell away from his chest as his attention turned to the other, bright blue eyes finding his face easily.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Don't make it sound like you're heading to your own execution or anything," Zack commented dryly, rolling his eyes only slightly. But now that he'd gotten the affirmative from Cloud, there was a slight detail that presented itself. One that they'd both overlooked, it seemed. His thumbs hooked into the corners of his pockets, and he rocked slowly on his heels.

"So...where are we going, again?"

The question stopped him in his tracks, so to speak. It wasn't something he had thought of. In fact, when he had agreed to meet the other, he hadn't known what they were going to do at all. He didn't exactly have a game plan ready for what he would do if he ever just so happened to run into his dead best friend.

"I... have no idea."

Zack wasn't exactly surprised. Cloud wasn't well-known for actually having a plan before he rushed into things, often blindly. Although, if anyone ever asked where he thought he got it from, he'd promptly deny any responsibility.

"Well, it's kinda cold to just be wandering outside for hours." He shrugged lightly. "We could always part ways."

The words caught him off guard, and for a moment he wanted to say that it was a terrible idea. Why would he want to leave Zack's presence once he was in it? But the truth was he didn't know where else for them to go. It wasn't as if either of them had their own place where they could go and talk. But beneath it all, he was afraid that if he left the other now, he may never see him again.

"You'll still be here tomorrow, right?"

It was his turn to be unprepared, and for a moment he didn't respond, only studied him. The silence wasn't the most reassuring thing, of course, and a second later he jolted back to himself, giving Cloud his infamous bright smile and a firm, curt nod.

"Of course! I'm not going anywhere."

The reassuring words seemed to be enough, at least for the moment. It was enough to at least bring a small smile to his face as he nodded at the other, hands deeply buried in his coat pockets.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Good. Well. In that case, I guess I'll see you around." He pauses just long enough to take his hand from his pocket, fitting together index and middle finger and bringing them to his forehead in a slight salute. It's better than just standing around awkwardly staring at the other man, and so he decides on a quick, but positive, departure.

"Tomorrow, then." It's a promise as much as a confirmation before he turns on his heel and strides off.

"Tomorrow." Cloud says, just loud enough so the departing man would be able to hear him. He stands there, simply watching the other's figure fading into the back round as he makes his way down the street. Somehow, he thinks that if he can just keep his eyes on Zack, he'll keep his promise.

A long overdue Reunion. {Complete}

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