Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 12

“Alliance”

Chapter 12

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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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The time inevitably came when they had to drag themselves away from one another, clean up as best they could, get dressed and return to Junon. Zack held Cloud tight as the blonde drove the two of them back into city limits and to headquarters.

 

When he parked Fenrir in the company garage and cut the engine, Cloud turned around in his seat to give Zack a deep, lingering kiss. He slid his fingers into the other man's tangled, ebony hair and put all his feelings into the kiss; grateful beyond words for the experience they'd shared. The unreasonable fear that he'd wake up in the morning only to find it was all just a wishful dream was eating at Cloud.

 

Zack sensed the fear in his companion as Cloud broke the kiss and started to turn around. He put his arms around him to stop him from getting off the bike and he nuzzled his neck.

 

“It isn't like we can't be together,” Zack whispered into his ear. “Why did you just kiss me like it's going to be the last time you do it?”

 

“You picked up on that, huh?” Cloud murmured, lowering his eyes.

 

“I know you, Chocobo,” Zack answered gently. “Just like you know me.”

 

Cloud sighed and rested his hands over Zack's. “I still have nightmares,” he admitted, “about when you died. What if all of this was just a dream and I wake up tomorrow back in Edge, and you're still dead?”

 

Zack smiled but he didn't laugh, understanding that Cloud was genuinely afraid. “I get why you're worried about that, Cloud.” He urged the blonde to turn around and face him again and when he did, he cupped his face and looked into his eyes. “I promise you, when you wake up in the morning I'll still be here. In fact, I can be lying right next to you, if you let me stay with you tonight.”

 

“I'd like that,” Cloud whispered, his blue eyes soft on him. “I think I should tell Reno though, just so there won't be any surprises. He's been great about this and I don't want to give him a reason to feel neglected.”

 

“I think that's the honorable thing to do,” Zack agreed, just as Cloud knew he would.

 

~*******************************~

 

They were going to get cleaned up first but both men caught the smell of food drifting from the cafeteria on the same floor as they entered the building from the parking garage. Cloud's stomach growled loudly and Zack's echoed in sympathy.

 

“Food first,” Zack insisted as he put a hand over his stomach. “I don't care if we smell like a barn, we'll grab a table out of the way if we have to.”

 

Cloud smiled faintly at him, amused as always by the taller man's passion for eating. Zack wasn't an over eater…after his first initial cravings for his favorite fast food were satisfied he'd quickly balanced his diet and he never ate more meals than a guy of his size required. He was just enthusiastic about it when it was time to eat. Tifa said he just had a healthy male appetite but she hadn't seen him nearly choke himself to death on a hamburger, either.

 

They walked to the cafeteria and Cloud wasn't really surprised to see Reno and Rude in there, selecting their evening meal from the buffet. He and Zack approached and the blonde felt unreasonably nervous as his redheaded lover spotted him and smiled.

 

“Hey Blondie. Why don't you and Wolfy sit with us?” His blue-green eyes roved over both of them slyly but his tone remained casual. “Looks like we've all had a rough day.”

 

Cloud glanced down at himself and grimaced. There were a few grass stains on his clothes from when Zack accidentally tackled him but he was surprised Reno was able to spot them on the dark outfit. He nodded in consent to Reno's offer and grabbed a plate, hungrily eying the array of foods set out under the heat lamps. He shared a nod of greeting with Rude before he began selecting food and putting it on his plate.

 

Both he and Rude had some trouble deciding but Reno and Zack made their choices quickly and soon, both of them had full plates and were claiming a table for all of them. Cloud felt a little uneasy about the two of them having a chance to talk alone before he could get there, but he shrugged it off and figured with things already pretty much out in the open, no real harm could be done.

 

Reno studied Zack as the two of them sat down at one of the tables in the corner of the cafeteria. The black haired man opened his bottle of juice and glanced at him, noticing his interest.

 

“Sorry if I stink,” Zack apologized. “We spent most of the day dueling in a field and I had a couple of mishaps while I was getting the hang of flying.”

 

Reno smiled slowly. “What happened to your shirt?” He reached for the salt and pepper to sprinkle some over his food.

 

“My wings happened,” answered the former Soldier ruefully. He looked down at the shirt and sighed. “I liked this one, too.”

 

Reno nodded and started cutting up his steak. “That's gotta suck.” He glanced up at Zack and smirked. “I knew you'd crack sooner or later, yo.”

 

Zack coughed, nearly choking on the bite of spicy chicken he'd just put in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, looking at the Turk with amazed, blue-violet eyes. “Okay, I want to know how the hell you do that,” he said when his mouth was again clear of food.

 

“It's a gift, man,” Reno shrugged and grinned. He speared a piece of meat with his fork and dipped it in the little cup of gravy he'd gotten with his meal. “I can smell sex from twenty yards away and both you and Blondie have that scent all over you. Sweat, cum, pheromones…it's kinda turning me on.” His long eyes were sultry on Zack, hinting that he wasn't joking about the smell's effect on him.

 

Zack was chagrined to feel his face heat up and he cast a quick look toward the buffet to see how Cloud and Rude's progress was going. They were both approaching the cashier to pay for their meals, so he didn't have long to talk before they joined he and Reno at the table.

 

“Okay look,” he said in a low voice, leaning over the table to address Reno. “Cloud wants to talk to you about this.”

 

“About what?” Reno asked with honest curiosity. “I already told ya both, I'm fine with it. I was rooting for you to get lucky, in fact. Why do we have to keep going into it?”

 

“Well, he's not totally convinced,” explained the black-haired fighter. “He's really loyal to you and he just wants to make sure you aren't pretending to be okay with it. Are you pretending, Reno?”

 

The redhead considered the question as he put the bite of meat in his mouth and chewed. He gazed at Zack levelly and shook his head, swallowing before answering. “No. I'm not pretending. Promise. Wanna know why, hotshot? I mean, the bald-faced truth?”

 

Zack nodded.

 

“'Cause telling him he can't be with you would be like him telling me I can't be with Rufus.” Reno smiled a little and there was nothing conniving or crafty about it. “You were his first love. You were there before me and the two of ya got separated before you ever got the chance to be together. I may be a lot of things, Fair…but one thing I'm not is unsympathetic.”

 

Reno looked a little uncomfortable and he cleared his throat and shrugged again. “Besides, I'm pretty selfish. I want to make sure he sticks around, ya know? If I get in the way of you two I'll just push him away from me.”

 

Zack stared at him. “You aren't selfish.”

 

Reno gave him a confused look. “Did ya hear what I just finished saying?”

 

“I heard,” the former Soldier nodded. “You play it like it's all about keeping him close but I can see through that. What you really want is his happiness. Tell me I'm wrong.”

 

Reno averted his eyes uncomfortably. “Well, I don't want him sad,” he admitted softly.

 

“And you're putting your own worries on the back burner to make sure he's happy,” Zack informed him with confidence. “That's the opposite of selfish, Foxy.”

 

The redhead glanced up at the nickname and smiled crookedly, finding it to his liking. “Okay, so I'm a fucking saint,” he murmured. “Just don't go spreading it around, yo. Word gets out that I'm going soft, I'll be dodging more bullets than ever.”

 

“They won't hear it from me,” Zack promised with a chuckle. “Just do me a favor and don't embarrass Chocobo-head when he sits down to eat. You know how low his blush factor is and if you start spouting off that he smells like sex, he might decide to bolt and we'll end up with a Cloud-shaped hole in the wall to pay for.”

 

Reno burst into laughter at the mental image of Cloud charging right through the wall to escape embarrassment. “You watch too many cartoons, Zack,” the redhead snickered.

 

~**********************************~

 

After finishing their meal, Cloud asked Reno to go with him to his room for a little while and Zack went straight to his to get cleaned up. Rude told Reno that he'd meet him at his place—which eased Cloud's concerns that the redhead would feel neglected over Zack spending the night with him.

 

“Okay Blondie,” Reno said as soon as Cloud shut the door behind them, “What do you want to talk about?”

 

“Zack and I slept together today,” Cloud blurted.

 

Reno raised his eyebrows and tried hard not to laugh. “You `slept' together? Two hot guys with a major hard-on for each other, all alone in a barn with nobody around for miles, and all ya did was sleep?”

 

Cloud grimaced. “I didn't mean literally…I meant we had sex.”

 

“So tell me something I don't know,” Reno shrugged.

 

“I just thought I should tell you.”

 

“And I appreciate it.” Reno dropped the mask of indifference and grinned at him, shaking his head. “Come on, Strife. How many times do I have to tell ya I'm not jealous of the guy anymore? What's it gonna take for you to quit worrying about it?”

 

Cloud lowered his eyes and sighed. “I don't know. Maybe I just need to get used to it. You told me once that I was a lot like Rufus when it came to you and outsiders. I'm not jealous of him or Rude or Tseng but I wouldn't like it if you had sex with someone besides them or me. Maybe I'm just projecting my own stupid jealousies on you.”

 

“Hmph…I didn't even think of that,” Reno said. Cloud had a habit of getting random moments of clarity that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Of course, I did act like a possessive shit there for a while when he first showed up. I guess I fired the starter pistol on this one.”

 

Reno closed the distance and put his arms around the blonde, smiling at him. “Do me a favor. Don't worry about it anymore. It's real touching that ya wanted to tell me right away but I'd already said it's okay and it's not my business what you guys do with each other…or too each other. Not that I mind hearing about it but I know you don't like advertising the juicy stuff, baby.”

 

Cloud nodded, his expression relaxing into wary relief. “He's going to stay the night with me,” he murmured.

 

Reno rolled his eyes. “What did I just say? Ya don't have to tell me every little thing you and Fair do!”

 

“I know,” Cloud replied, “I just wasn't sure if you wanted to get together tonight and I wanted you to know he'll be here.”

 

“Oh,” Reno said. “Well, that's cool. I'm staying over at Rude's tonight anyhow. We haven't had much personal time for each other lately so I'm gonna plow him through the wall.”

 

Cloud sputtered with laughter before he could stop himself.

 

Reno grinned at him and shrugged. “Hey, I never said I wasn't going to talk about spicy details…just that you don't have to.”

 

“Yeah,” Cloud said when he regained control of himself, “You talk about that stuff enough for both of us.”

 

Reno drew closer and leaned in for a slow, sensual kiss. Cloud returned it and when they broke apart, both men were breathing unsteadily.

 

“Well now Rude's really in trouble,” Reno murmured with a wink. “I'll see ya tomorrow, Blondie.”

 

As the redhead turned to go, Cloud thought of something else he needed to tell him. “Reno, wait.”

 

Reno stopped and turned around again to give him a questioning look.

 

“Uh, when Zack and I…neither of us had anything with us, so we had to go without.”

 

The Turk frowned. “Gimme a sec to translate that, baby.” He went over Cloud's clumsy words in his head and guessed. “What, like protection?”

 

Cloud nodded, looking a little guilty.

 

Reno almost went into lecture mode, being a staunch believer in safe sex even if he was reckless and irresponsible in other areas. However, he reminded himself that Zack had been in a tank for Gaia knew how long and Cloud was clean. In fact, it made him wonder why anyone in their little circle of lust bothered using condoms with each other.

 

“Don't worry about it,” Reno said thoughtfully, his auburn brows furrowed. “I mean, Zack's been dead for years and unless they tossed a mermaid in that fish tank with him to molest him, I don't think he's had the chance to get anything. You've only been with me and Rufus…right?”

 

Cloud snorted.

 

“Yeah,” Reno answered his own question with a chuckle. “My bashful bombshell…you ain't the type to fuck around with strangers…even if you and I did start out as a one-night stand.”

 

“That was your doing,” reminded the blonde.

 

“Sure was,” Reno agreed. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “So, what was it like?”

 

Cloud shrugged and blushed, his eyes going faintly dreamy before he could lower them.

 

“That good, huh?” Reno smirked. “Maybe there's something to that. Well, don't lose sleep over it, baby. We might have a pretty wild arrangement according to some people but at least we all stick with each other. I'll bet we're safer than most singles out there.”

 

With a last, flirtatious wink, the Turk took his exit and left Cloud wondering if he'd inadvertently started a trend within the circle.

 

~**************************************~

 

Zack came knocking on his door shortly after Cloud showered and changed into his sleep pants. The blonde chastised himself as his heart leapt the minute he opened the door and let his old friend and new lover in. One thing remained consistent that he foolishly thought would change after they had sex: A smile from Zack Fair still made him feel a little giddy.

 

“Tifa said to tell you `hi',” Zack told him as Cloud shut the door behind him. “I ran into her in the hallway when I left my room. She's going to shoot some pool with Elena.”

 

Cloud was a little surprised. “Tifa's hanging out with Elena?”

 

“Why not?” Zack shrugged. “She's got to get out sometimes too and Elena seems like a pretty nice chick.”

 

Cloud smirked. “Maybe I'm still remembering the time she tried to deck me at Icicle because she thought I stabbed Tseng.”

 

“If you thought someone stabbed one of your pals, wouldn't you want to deck them too?” Zack reasoned.

 

“Probably. Actually, I know I would. When Sephiroth hurt you and Tifa…” He broke off with a frown. He hadn't meant to bring up sour memories.

 

“You ran him through,” Zack finished with a nod. “That's why Hojo was so interested in you. The `shrimp' of SOLDIER beat his prized experiment, when nobody else could.” Zack lightened the mood with a bright smile. “Don't hold it against Elena, Cloud. Even when people are on opposite sides of the fence, they're still basically human and most of them have their reasons for what they do.”

 

Cloud studied the taller man with silent admiration. Zack had always had a way of empathizing with people. A yawn surfaced before Cloud could catch it and he covered his mouth and mumbled an apology.

 

Seeing him yawn made Zack do it too and the sable-haired fighter laughed when he finished and shook his head. “Those things are contagious. We wore ourselves out pretty good today, Chocobo. What do you say we lie down and watch some TV? I don't know about you but I think I'm going to be out like a light before too long.”

 

Cloud nodded empathetically and motioned for Zack to come with him into the bedroom. The taller man took his shoes off first and set them by the door before joining him. Cloud reclined on the bed and switched the television on, surfing through the channels for something decent to watch while Zack undressed to his boxers and reclined next to him. The blonde considered his companion sidelong and thought about his hidden wings.

 

“Maybe tomorrow we should see about having a special set of combat gear made for you,” Cloud suggested.

 

Zack raised his eyebrows. “Hey, that's a pretty good idea you've got there. I'm going to need some kind of body armor but I might need to use my wings when we raid that Deepground camp, too.” He ruffled Cloud's hair playfully and grinned. “You come up with the best ideas out of the blue, featherhead.”

 

Cloud's tiny smile betrayed his grumble of annoyance as he pulled away from the affectionate gesture. “People always sound so surprised. Nobody thinks Rufus is an airhead and he's blonde too.”

 

That made Zack chuckle. “Rufus doesn't have that sweet, innocent face and big blue eyes to go with the blonde stereotype,” he reasoned. “People just think you're off in your own world a lot of the time, is all.”

 

Cloud sighed and stopped changing channels when he found a sitcom. “They aren't exactly wrong.”

 

Zack sobered and his shaded blue eyes were sincere on him as he studied his face. “It's been harder for you than I thought. After the things that were done to you…” He pressed his lips together and looked away, afraid that if he said too much he might trigger memories that might still be blessedly buried, deep in Cloud's subconscious. He had no way of knowing how much Cloud could or couldn't feel when they were being experimented on by Hojo. Zack himself had drifted in and out and though it took four years for him to be able to act, he had witnessed things that would haunt him forever.

 

“Zack?” Cloud looked at the black-haired fighter with concern. Zack's expression had gone from light to grim and disturbed. Cloud had never allowed himself to think about what all had been done to him when he was helpless and catatonic, but he began to realize that his friend might have seen some of it.

 

Zack's eyes went to Cloud's naked torso. He could see the faint, thin scar from where Sephiroth's blade had impaled the blonde that day at the reactor. He used to have an almost identical scar himself, from the same weapon. He'd also noticed the two similar scars on each side where Cloud's shoulders met his torso, both also caused by the same blade under different circumstances. Strangely though, there were no scars visible where Hojo had opened him up and had a look inside. Either the sadistic man had done something to close the skin back up so completely that it didn't scar, or Zack couldn't trust those foggy memories.

 

“Zack, you're starting to worry me.” Cloud's voice spoke more urgently now.

 

The former Soldier snapped out of it and blinked at his companion. He tried to smile at him but he faltered and by the look on Cloud's face, he wasn't fooling him.

 

“What did you see while we were in that lab?” Cloud whispered. He'd never asked just what had roused Zack enough for him to break free and fight his way out, protecting Cloud all the while. It had always hurt too much to think about it, once his memories returned from the Mako poisoning.

 

“I'm not sure what I saw and what was just my mind playing tricks on me,” Zack answered honestly. He met Cloud's eyes and held them. “It was enough to motivate me to grab you and get the hell out of dodge, in the end. I couldn't stop him from…you were helpless and…”

 

“Hey,” Cloud murmured as a shiver passed through his body, “don't do that, okay?” He muted the television and scooted closer to the other man, completely understanding his emotions because he'd felt the same horrible guilt when he helplessly watched Zack walk away from him for what he had thought was forever.

 

Zack cleared his throat to ease the lump in it and he threw an arm around Cloud and pulled him close, nuzzling his hair. “Sorry, Cloud. I started thinking about what you must have gone through after all that and it just sort of blindsided me.”

 

Cloud put an arm around Zack's chest and lay his head on his shoulder. “Try not to think about it. It's over now.” He tilted his head back and brushed his lips against the spot on Zack's neck under his ear, making a shiver of delight pass through the other man's body. He put his lips over Zack's earlobe and tugged gently, deciding to change the subject. “Hmm, your ear stud is gone. I almost forgot you used to have one here.”

 

Zack's eyes were unfocused from the effect of Cloud's lips pulling at his left earlobe. “Huh? Oh, that. Yup, I've got hole-free earlobes to go with my smooth new skin and girlishly soft hands. Say, why don't you pierce it for me, cutie-pie?” He dragged himself out of the morose mood he'd been sinking into and gave the blonde a sidelong smile.

 

“You want me to do it?” Cloud looked dubious.

 

“Sure. You did your own, as I remember. It can be like you're branding me.” He waggled his eyebrows at the blonde.

 

Cloud snorted. “You're not a piece of livestock I bought, Zack.”

 

“No, but I'm yours, right? Come on, I don't have any of my old battle scars and it'll make me feel a little more at home in this body if I've at least got a stud in my ear again. I'm not saying we have to do it tonight but maybe when we finish taking care of the Deepground base, you can pick something out for me and poke it in there.”

 

Cloud bit his lip and a blush quickly spread over his face and down his neck. Zack made the simple act of piercing an earlobe sound so…sexy. He even wanted him to choose the stud? The sable-haired fighter's gaze was steady and earnest on him as he considered the suggestion.

 

“We could do that, if you really want to,” Cloud finally made himself answer. He'd hardened in his pants and he shifted, trying to hide it from his companion out of embarrassment that he'd gotten hot over such a thing.

 

Zack glanced down and saw the bulge forming in the blonde's pajama pants. He smirked, endeared and amused by how bashful Cloud was about it. He was starting to pitch a tent himself, but Cloud hadn't looked below his chest yet and noticed it. He slid his free hand under the blonde's chin, tilting his head back gently.

 

“I want to,” he murmured before lowering his mouth to those parted, tempting lips and kissing them. He'd meant to keep it chaste because they had another long day of training and practice ahead of them tomorrow, but the feel of the blonde's mouth against his proved stronger than Zack's will. He slid his fingers into Cloud's soft, feathery hair and deepened the kiss. The smaller man responded with a delightful lack of restraint, accepting Zack's tongue eagerly and brushing his own against it as it caressed inside of his mouth.

 

“Oops…bad time.” A soft, feminine voice suddenly said.

 

Cloud's eyes popped open wide and he broke away from Zack with a gasp. Aerith's slightly transparent form stood at the foot of the bed and as he ogled her, Cloud learned the interesting fact that spirits could still blush. She was backing away and covering her eyes with one hand, while making a warding gesture with the other.

 

“I'm sorry!” She said, “I shouldn't have come here…I should have met you in your dreams!”

 

“Aerith?” Cloud sputtered stupidly.

 

Zack made an exclamation of startled surprise and in an unheard of moment of modesty, he yanked the covers up over both he and Cloud, hiding their partially clothed and aroused state from the ghostly Cetra's eyes.

 

“You see her too?” Cloud asked his companion as Zack stared directly at Aerith. A pale blush was spreading over the black-haired fighter's cheeks and he looked like a teenager caught jerking off to dirty magazines.

 

“Well yeah…I just came from the same place as her,” Zack babbled, his country drawl bleeding into his voice due to his startled condition. To Aerith, he said: “What happened to the `no peeping' rules, little lady?”

 

“I wasn't peeping, I swear!” Aerith was blushing as furiously as Cloud and she still had her eyes covered. “I didn't think you two would be here like…like this! I just sensed you both here and I wanted to see how Zack is adjusting and give you both a warning.”

 

Cloud and Zack looked at each other, then back at her. “I'm adjusting fine, sweetheart,” Zack said. “What kind of warning are we talking about, here?”

 

“The people you're looking for are planning something and Gaia isn't happy about it,” she explained softly, peeking warily through her fingers at them. “Can I look now?”

 

“It's safe,” Cloud muttered, wishing he had a paper bag to put over his head.

 

She pulled her hand away from her eyes and regarded them both with admirable calm, despite the blush in her translucent cheeks. “I'm not certain of the details, but Deepground is doing something un-natural. They're using the research that allowed them to create Zack's clone and infuse it with G-cells to make something dangerous. I can't tell you more than that right now. I only know because I can sense the Planet's distress and this is the most I could interpret from it.”

 

“Something dangerous,” repeated Zack with a grimace. “Wish I could say I was surprised. You don't think this dangerous thing's name starts with the letter `S', do you?”

 

Beside him, Cloud tensed.

 

Aerith shook her head. “No, it's not related to Sephiroth. You can at least relax about that.”

 

“Maybe they're making some kind of biological weapon,” Cloud hypothesized. “Even without Hojo's influence, those people had a grudge against humanity. They wanted the world `cleansed' and they especially hated `normal' people.”

 

Zack thought that Cloud's scenario made a scary kind of sense, though he didn't know as much about Deepground as his blonde friend. He remembered Cissnei telling him that the men who assaulted her said it was a “message”. He'd thought it was just venom aimed at the WRO and ShinRa at first, but now he wondered if it was supposed to be a “message” to all common humans.

 

“I wish I could tell you,” Aerith said. “I only know it's bad. I knew you were going to fight them soon and I didn't want to wait to tell you to be extra careful.”

 

“It's okay,” Cloud assured her. “You just startled us a little. I'll warn Tseng to keep everyone on alert.” He glanced at Zack and squirmed uncomfortably. “Um…are you upset about finding us like this, Aerith?” He knew she'd had a thing for both of them in life and while she'd figured out his preferences a while back, he didn't know if she'd ever talked to Zack about his. It was kind of silly to think of a ghost getting jealous but she was his friend.

 

“Of course not,” Aerith assured him with a smile. “I was just embarrassed for barging in and I thought you'd stay in denial for at least another two weeks before you finally woke up.”

 

“He probably would have, if I hadn't lost patience and made a move on him,” Zack said dryly, smirking at Cloud.

 

Cloud stared between the two of them with his mouth open.

 

~So all this time, Aerith knew he felt like this about me? Is that why she helped Zack come back, or was it because she predicted this Deepground shit coming? She said I'd “need him” but she never explained what I'd need him for.~

 

“I can see every question on your face,” Aerith informed Cloud with a soft giggle.

 

Cloud snapped his mouth shut and averted his eyes. “Okay, since you can see them all, why don't you answer them for me?”

 

“I have to leave soon, but I'll tell you this much: Yes, I knew Zack loved you as more than a friend. He didn't have to tell me.”

 

Zack cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly.

 

“And yes,” Aerith continued, “I wanted you two to have the chance you never got, but that wasn't a good enough reason by itself for me to use the Lifestream to send his spirit into the cloned body they made. He was granted this because Gaia is distressed and agrees that he would do better fighting the corruption on the mortal plane than staying in the Lifestream. Do you both understand?”

 

Cloud felt his heart sink. “Is the planet going to take him back when this is over?”

 

Zack glanced at his lover and frowned, wanting to reassure him but unable to do so, since he didn't know what strings were attached to his reprieve from death either.

 

“Not until he dies again,” Aerith said with a smile. “Zack's free to live out his life like everyone else, to its natural end.” She looked at Zack, her green eyes soothing on him. “Your body isn't a rental, okay? It's yours for as long as it holds up.”

 

“How long do you think that'll be?” Zack inquired mildly. While the researchers had assured him that he wasn't showing any symptoms of deterioration, they couldn't give him a guarantee that it wasn't a risk until their research was complete.

 

Aerith shrugged. “Well, you're a healthy and young, with better than average strength and enhancements. I'd say your body should hold up longer than most, but you're kind of a reckless guy sometimes, Zack.”

 

“What about the G-project deterioration?” Cloud asked, inadvertently voicing the question that was on Zack's mind. “Will he end up like the others?”

 

“The WRO can't tell me for sure yet,” added Zack.

 

“No,” Aerith answered, to both men's relief. “Your body is stable, Zack. I wouldn't have sent you into it if it weren't.”

 

“Well, that's good to know,” Zack sighed. He looked at her sharply. “While we're on the subject of you `sending me back'…couldn't you have warned me or something? I mean, one minute we were standing in the field chatting it up and the next thing I knew this glowing door appeared and you shoved me through! I'd have pissed myself if I could have and I had no idea what was going on when I woke up.”

 

Aerith had the grace to look a little guilty. “I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to say anything because…well, I wasn't sure it would work. Gaia allowed it but I was on my own as far as making it happen and I didn't want to get your hopes up.”

 

Zack was mollified by the explanation. “Okay, I get it,” he said. He smiled at her. “Thanks, Aerith.”

 

Cloud nodded silently with agreement, giving her his own quiet smile of gratitude.

 

“I was happy to do it,” she said with a fond look at both of them. “I have to go now. I don't know when I'll see you again but I won't be doing it this way unless it's an emergency. I'm sorry for sneaking up on you two the way I did.”

 

“No harm done,” Zack assured her with a nostalgic little smile. “I kind of miss talking to you every day anyhow, Aerith.”

 

“Me too, but I don't have any regrets,” she replied. “Take care of each other, okay?”

 

“We will,” promised Cloud.

 

She faded away and both young men sighed, wishing that she could be there in the flesh with them, too. The thing was, Aerith was quite comfortable in the spirit world. Unlike Zack she didn't pine for sensations of the flesh again and she was able to do more good in the Lifestream than she could have done on the mortal plane.

 

“I'll bet she was trying to catch us with our pants down,” Zack commented once she was gone.

 

“Zack!” Cloud blurted, shocked. “How could you say that?”

 

“Oh come on,” the black-haired fighter insisted with a smile. “You know she has a mischievous streak. She plays innocent but I'll bet she wanted to see if we'd gotten together. There wasn't anything in that warning she couldn't have said to us in our dreams, kid.”

 

Cloud quieted and thought of how Aerith had been in life, and how she so often teased him fondly during their visits. She'd been the one to convince him to dress up like a girl to infiltrate Corneo's mansion, after all. She'd dragged him on that little date at the Gold Saucer and even when she'd been running from the Turks, she was lighthearted. It wasn't hard to imagine her match making from beyond the grave.

 

“Okay,” he conceded, “maybe she did want to peep, just a little. I'm sure she just wanted to see for herself how we were doing.”

 

Zack chuckled and put an arm around him again. “I'm sure she did.”

 

Cloud snuggled close to the other man and sighed, his sleepiness returning now that the surprise of Aerith's appearance had faded. He started to ask what Zack would like to watch on TV when sounds began to reach his ears from the suite next to his. Cloud's face heated as the male voice groaned softly and another voice faintly murmured something. Zack had started rubbing his back but he paused, also hearing the sounds.

 

“Uh, sounds like Tifa came back fast and she's got a guy friend with her,” Zack murmured, cocking his head wolfishly as he listened.

 

“That's not coming from Tifa's room,” Cloud corrected softly. “We're next to Reeve's suite.”

 

Zack's eyebrows lifted and he smiled crookedly. “Oooh, knew that guy had to be getting a little action. He's got the whole `sexy gentleman' vibe working for him.”

 

The other voice moaned loud enough for Zack to make it out as a male one and he chuckled. “Wow, so he brought a guy home with him. I didn't know he swung that way.”

 

“Actually, he's with Vincent,” explained Cloud as the blush warming his cheeks deepened. “They've been together for months, now.”

 

“Vincent?” Zack thought for a moment. “Oh yeah, the shapeshifter, right? Hmm, they do kind of fit.” He looked at Cloud and laughed. “You could light up a holiday tree, your face is so red. It's just noise, Chocobo. It's not like we can see what they're doing.”

 

Just after he finished saying that, a muffled exclamation of pain reached their ears. “The teeth! Watch the teeth!” Reeve cried.

 

Zack exchanged a look with Cloud and took the remote out of the blonde's slack hand. “Um…y-eah…let's take this off mute and turn the volume up a little.”

 

Cloud covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile. It was rare to see Zack blush and this was the second time he'd done it in one night. He didn't do it as obviously as Cloud but the light flush of pigment highlighting his cheekbones was hard to miss at close range.

 

Zack turned the volume up enough to drown out the distorted sounds coming from Reeve's room and he held Cloud close and exchanged soft kisses and nuzzles with him. It didn't take long for the exhausted young men to drift off to sleep, even with the TV going and the lights on.

 

Shortly after they fell asleep, a familiar young woman with long, light brown hair and expressive green eyes materialized at their bedside. She smiled down at them and stroked their hair with ghostly fingers before she turned off the lamps. It wasn't impossible to interact with solid objects in the physical world, but it was draining. She left the TV going so that her slumbering friends wouldn't be disturbed by the sounds coming from next door and she tucked them in before dissipating again.

 

~*******************************~

 

-To be continued