Cloud didn't like the cold. He didn't like crowds. He wasn't much for parties, either. So why he found himself out in the cold in a huge crowd at a New Years party was completely beyond him.

They were gathered in front of the ShinRa building, where a time ball poised on a flag pole would soon drop and mark the beginning of a new year. Earlier, the official cast of Loveless had done a live performance outside on a stage in front of the ball, but now there was a DJ there playing songs that were halfway drowned out by the roar of the crowd. There were an awful lot of people there, many drunk or on their way to being so.

He wouldn't have to suffer through this for too much longer. It was maybe twenty minutes until midnight.

And of course, Zack was nowhere to be found. He had left the crowd an hour before, to go in search of an open store to buy champagne. "Yeah, way to go, Zack." Cloud muttered. " Wait until right before the new year to buy something everyone else has already bought."

Cloud was sure he would end up spending the first minutes of the new year alone in the crowd. It was doubtful Zack had found any open stores, and even more doubtful that he had found any with champagne still in stock.

"I'll be right back", Cloud said in a mocking tone. "It'll only take a few minutes."

Cloud felt a tap on his shoulder, and took a deep breath in preparation to turn down another girl hoping to dance with him. Or maybe it would be another man who was drunk enough to mistake him for a girl. That was awkward enough the first time.

"Not interested," he said as he turned around to face some drunken stranger, only to be greeted by a familiar pair of mako blues and a mane of spiky black hair instead.

"Not interested in me, Cloud?" Zack said, with that puppy grin of his. He laughed.

"Zack!" Cloud blushed and averted his eyes. "It's just... I thought..."

"All right everyone, it's ten minutes until the new year!" The DJ called out as the crowd cheered.

"Wow, that late already?" Zack said. "Well, I guess we better get going then." He grabbed Cloud by the hand and began leading him out of the crowd.

"Zack, where the hell are we going?" Cloud was aggravated that he had been made to wait in that crowd if Zack wasn't even planning on watching the damn ball drop.

"Somewhere we can get a better view." Zack said, as they ducked into the doorway of a building. It was Zack's apartment building, in fact. He slipped his keycard into the door and the two young men entered.

Cloud was blushing furiously as he followed Zack to the elevator. He couldn't believe Zack had made him wait in that crowd just so he could bring him to his room at midnight. Why hadn't they been there all along? Being alone and surrounded by the scent of strangers' sweat and alcohol certainly hadn't been romantic.

Ahead of him, he saw Zack holding in his hand what was probably the last bottle of champagne left in Midgar. "Where'd you find that?"

"Oh, this?" Zack asked, feigning innocence. "I had to go all the way down to the slums to find an open store." He pressed the elevator call button. He sighed. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

The slums? Was champagne really that important? "It's okay, Zack. Really. I'm just... I'm just glad you came back."

A minute or so passed as they stood in the dim lobby, the only sound coming from the party outside. "Dammit," Zack said, ruffling his hair. "The elevator must be broken."

He took Cloud by the hand once again and began leading him up the stairs. "We're going to have to walk if we want to get there by midnight".

Luckily Cloud was in shape from being in the military, but even he was not a fan of traversing so many stairs. Zack was practically running, trying to beat the clock in the race to the new year.

They passed the seventh floor, where Zack's room was. "Zack, we missed your floor!" Cloud called out from behind him, ready to be done with the stairwell.

"I know!" Zack called out from a floor above. "We're not going there right now!"

Cloud gave an exasperated sigh and doubled his efforts to catch up with Zack. When he found him, he was stopped in front of the door on the tenth floor, at the very top of the stairwell. Cloud approached him, panting and holding onto the railing.

Zack smiled brightly as he pushed open the door and bowed. "After you."

Cloud walked through the door and out into the blustery cold. He was met with a wonderful view of the glowing time ball, which was level with the top of Zack's apartment building, and so bright it was lighting up the roof.

He heard the door creak closed as Zack joined him out of the roof.

"Not bad, huh?" The blue-eyed SOLDIER grinned.

"It's beautiful." Cloud said, walking to the edge of the building and leaning on the railing.

The wind was so strong up there that it nearly drowned out the noise below, making it feel as if they were completely alone.

"One more minute, make some noise!" The sound of the DJ just barely carried up to the roof.

"Just in time!" Zack said as he produced two small champagne glasses from his coat pocket.

Cloud laughed. "Wow, you sure are being a gentleman tonight."

Zack ruffled his hair. "You think so?... Well, I'd hate to ruin your mental image of me, look away while I try to figure out how to uncork this thing."

A call from below signaled that there were only thirty seconds left in the year. Cloud watched the scintillating globe, finding that somewhat to his dismay he was actually really excited about witnessing the famous Midgar Ball Drop.

He was pulled from his musings as the cork from the champagne zipped past his head and over the crowd, sailing halfway to Sector 8 before disappearing from sight. He looked back at a sheepish Zack, who was holding the fizzy bottle in one hand. "Sorry!" He said, laughing.

Lacking the poise he had been attempting to feign earlier, Zack poured the drink in the two glasses with such little grace that both completely bubbled over. He picked up one glass, and handed Cloud the other, splashing him in the process.

Cloud laughed. "So much for you being a gentleman."

Zack embraced him with his free hand. "You love me, though."

Behind them, the ball began to drop. The crowd began the countdown. "Ten...Nine... Eight..." carried up to the rooftop on the wind.

Cloud ruffled Zack's hair. "Oh, Zack. I really, really do."

"Five... four... three... two..."

"ONE!"

As a clamorous cheering began below, Zack pulled Cloud in for a kiss at the stroke of midnight. Fireworks launched into the night sky as sparks flew between the two men. Weak-kneed from the sudden contact, Cloud fell into Zack's arms and nearly spilled both of their drinks.

Zack pulled away from the kiss and looked down at his best friend, his lover. He held up his glass and grinned. "A toast," he said, "To... well, I can't think of anything that doesn't sound corny..."

Below, the crowd began to sing "Auld Lang Syne" in chorus, and Cloud chuckled. "It's not going to get any cornier, Zack."

Zack laughed. "I guess not! Hmm... well then, a toast to us."

They clinked their glasses together and drank. Cloud never understood the appeal of champagne, so he chugged the drink to get it over with. He coughed as he finished off the glass. "Remind me why you ran off to the slums to get this junk?"

"It's a tradition," Zack said as he finished his glass. "But maybe not a very good one, admittedly." He smiled and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his coat. "But that's okay, we have lots of time to make new ones. I'll add that to our list of resolutions."

"Our list?" Cloud blushed. "Who told you you could make resolutions for me?"

"Number one, to become a hero," he grinned, "that one's for me."

Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Number two, get you into SOLDIER."

Cloud's blush deepened and he buried his face into Zack's neck. "I'm cold." He lied.

Zack laughed. "Number three, spend more time together."

"I think I have a resolution, for myself." Cloud said as he pulled away from Zack and leaned against the railing. "I want to... I want to tell you more, about me. Up until I met you, I didn't really have friends. I was too shy... but you made me talk to you, and I'm glad. I really am, Zack. And I love you. I want to share everything with you, but I don't know where to start. So... so maybe it's my turn to be corny. I love how you try so damn hard to make me smile when I'm sad, and how you help me out when I screw up. And I know I'm always screwing up, and that I must worry you even though you tell me you don't mind. Sometimes I hate myself for how shy I am, even around you. But I'm not going to be anymore... I'm going to try harder. I'm going to be stronger. And I'm going to get into SOLDIER this year. And it's going to be all thanks to you...So, thank you, Zack."

Zack sat in stunned silence for a few moments before one of his famous smiles lit up his mako blue eyes. He pulled Cloud into an tight embrace and held him there. "No... Thank you, Cloud. It was... it was a tough year. But even though I lost a lot... I found you. And boy am I glad I did."

Cloud sat wide-eyed for a moment before he returned Zack's embrace. He couldn't see Zack's face as he buried himself in his warmth, but he didn't need to to understand what he was feeling. Below, the chorus ended and the silence on the rooftop became profound. The sky opened up and it began to snow just as it had on the day they met.

"Oh, I can't believe I haven't said it yet!" Zack said. "Happy New Year, Cloud!"

Cloud smiled. "Happy New Year, Zack."