Hello, fabulous fandom! 8D

This is a challenge written for the LiveJournal community 7rainbowprompts, which gives you a color and ten different prompts to go with said color. I happened to pick 'Orange', so perhaps all of these should be 'Behind Orange Eyes'? xD

But anyway, this will be a series of ten different oneshots, ranging in ratings and situations and whatnot. I may even -gasp- throw some AU in there. Mwhahaha.

This one, however, isn't. xD It's based on one of the Cloud DMW scenes, you know, the way it should have gone, heh heh heh.

Enjoy. :D

Sunset

It was a rare day off for both of them. In fact, it was nothing short of a miracle that Zack had been given time off, considering he was one of two first class SOLDIERS. Cloud's time off had been less unusual, but it had been few and far between lately given that there weren't infantrymen to spare anymore, thanks to all of the rumors of Shinra's problems.

When they'd both ran into each other on the SOLDIER floor by complete accident and found out that miraculously, they were both free, Zack had grabbed Cloud's arm and declared they were spending the day together. Cloud didn't object – not just because he didn't want to, but because he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

He didn't mind. He'd rather have Zack boss him around than anyone else; but then again, Zack never really...bossed him around.

It was complicated.

They ended up in a beautiful, deserted field that was naturally filled with monsters, but Zack eliminated them quickly, not caring one bit when Cloud stumbled and flailed around him. If it was anyone else, they would've demanded that he swing his sword again and again and again, but not Zack.

The man intrigued him, Cloud decided. It wasn't that he was the only one who believed in Cloud, or his sunny disposition despite the fact that he clearly had a few dark secrets of his own – it was something he couldn't see; only feel deep in his chest that pulled at him especially hard whenever the raven-haired SOLDIER was close.

It was certainly tugging now as he watched Zack plop down in the grass in front of a pond, looking perfectly content. Cloud slowly walked up next to him, looking around.

"It's nice out here," he murmured. "Wherever here is..."

Zack gave a small half-smile. "We're near Banora."

"Banora?"

"Yeah. Tiny backwater village, except it's on the wealthy side. Kind of like Gongaga, now that I think about it, except without the wealth. And maybe Nibelheim." He looked up at Cloud and grinned.

Cloud smiled back. "Probably. Also without the wealth." He looked around, like he expected Banora to appear out of thin air now that he knew about it. "What happened?"

"To Banora?"

"Yeah."

Zack's smile faded slightly and he wrapped his arms around his knees loosely, staring back out at the pond. "It's a long story. No one lives there now."

There were so many things the blond wanted to ask – what the story was, why there seemed to be a nagging sadness in the SOLDIER that wasn't there when they met in Modeoheim, what it would take for him to get into SOLDIER, why he believed in him at all despite the fact he was just a lowly country boy – but he held his tongue and just nodded. There would be plenty of time to ask the other these things later.

Zack suddenly sighed happily and lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky. It was a gorgeous day – the sky was a gentle blue, decorated with a few poofy clouds. The sun was juuuust barely hidden behind some, so that it wasn't too unbearably hot in their respective uniforms.

"I wish I could show this sky to…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

Zack laughed and sat up quickly, looking amused for some reason. "Oh, nothing. Just guy stuff."

"And what am I? A girl?"

"No, no, of course not!" Zack waved his hands frantically, completely missing Cloud's snicker. "It's just, you know, uh..."

Cloud finally sat down, just a few inches away from Zack. "Personal?"

"Eh, I guess..." Zack rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "Well, you see, I have this...friend..."

"Uh-huh."

"Really!" The SOLDIER sighed in exasperation, pretending to look annoyed. Cloud smiled. "But she lives below the plate in Midgar, in the slums, so she never sees the sky."

"Never?"

"Nope. She says she's scared of it. I want to show her that there's nothing to be afraid of." Zack lay down again and spread his arms, a gentle smile on his face. Cloud's heart tugged at the sight of it.

"What's so scary about the sky?"

"I dunno. But I really like it. It's just so...deep and endless, like you could find and solve the mysteries of the world, all in the same place. Like if you look at it on a day like today, it's proof that everything will eventually be okay." He paused for a moment, still looking up, but then suddenly began to crack up. "Oh man! Sorry, I went into cornball mode for a sec there."

"That's okay." Cloud was smiling again, whether at Zack's words or his laughter, even he didn't know. "I don't mind your, uh, 'cornball mode'."

"Really?" Zack looked dubious.

"Really." Cloud glanced down at the other. "I thought it was nice, actually. When you're surrounded by people yelling at you and giving you orders all day, it's just..." he trailed off with a shrug.

Zack slowly sat up, secretly pleased at Cloud's words. It was no secret that the blond wasn't very free with what he said, and well, if he had to open up to anyone, it might as well be someone who would truly listen. "It's nice?" he supplied, grinning.

"Yeah, I guess." He gave a sheepish – or as sheepish as Cloud could look – grin and elbowed Zack in the side, looking away. "You have an answer for everything."

"Hmm..."

"Zack?" Cloud turned back to the other man, who was staring at him intently now. He appeared totally lost in thought, staring at something on...Cloud's face? The blond frowned, reaching up to scratch his nose.

Zack suddenly burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Sorry, sorry! It's just that, well..."

"What?"

He pointed up, and Cloud's gaze followed. "Your eyes are the same color as the sky."

"They are?"

"Yeah." Zack was grinning, as always. "So I guess I just need to look at you if I want everything to be okay."

Cloud looked away again, but the tips of his ears were turning red, so Zack knew he was blushing. "There's nothing okay about me," he heard the blond muttered. "Or my eyes."

"I beg to differ." The SOLDIER scooted closer to Cloud, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're more than okay, Cloud. A lot more."

"Maybe to you."

Zack didn't get frustrated all that easily, mostly due to his easygoing nature, but damn if he didn't want to give the blond a good, aggravating shake at that moment. Why was it so hard for him to believe in himself? Why couldn't he ever give himself enough credit? Okay, maybe Cloud did have a reason – perhaps something had happened when he lived in Nibelheim; it wasn't like he ever talked about his childhood – but...Zack cared. Wasn't it enough?

Probably not, he thought. At least...not yet. The way Cloud was always so hard on himself tugged at Zack's heart like nothing else. Maybe it was just because he hated seeing someone close to him so down.

Zack's hand slid off of Cloud's shoulder, which the blond hardly gave notice to. The two sat in a comfortable silence for quite some time, the slight breeze the only hint of noise around them. Even the monsters were leaving them be. Truly a miracle.

The SOLIDER usually didn't like such long stretches of silence – they made him antsy – but it was alright with Cloud. No...more than alright.

A lot more.

The sky began to fade into a pink color, a sign the sun was setting, which meant it was getting close to the time to head back. Zack didn't want to. He would've been perfectly fine to stay there with Cloud forever. In fact, it would've been...

"Hey, Cloud."

"Hmm?"

The blond didn't look at him, so Zack reached over and carefully touched Cloud's chin, easing his face over. Cloud was blushing again – like the pink in the sky – but that wasn't the color sky Zack was interested in. He stared into those eyes, deep and endless, like he could find and solve the mysteries of the world, all in the same place. But he knew that he could always look at them and –

"Everything's okay."

"...Zack?"

He leaned forward and responded with a gentle kiss. His eyes were still open, staring into wide sky-blue eyes. He needed to know that everything was still okay, that this was...

And Cloud's eyes closed, but it was still alright because he was kissing back, just as calmly as Zack had initiated it. Zack lightly traced the blond's face with his fingertips, knowing this was the closest he'd ever get to the sky and still be able to keep his feet on the ground. The sun continued to set around them as both of their hearts fell towards each other, reaching higher than any cloud could ever.

And it was more than alright.

-wibble- I love them. :3

Reviews are really appreciated and will get cookies rained on you, omnomnomn.