Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of it's prequels/sequels, because if I did, the games would have a mess of Yaoi pairings and shirtless men...and Cloud crossdressing several times...what? He looks good in purple.

Rated M for: ZackxCloud, Yaoi, hot man sex, possible spoilers, and other things my perverted mind is still coming up with.

Hello Final Fantasy fans! ^-^ I'm new to writing FFVII fanfiction so my writing my be a little off but I hope you will still enjoy it. I try my hardest to stay in character as much as possible so I hope I caught the characters' personallities correctly. Please be aware that this is Yaoi and if you have no idea what it is, spare your innocence and run. More chapters coming real soon.

But enough of me, enjoy!

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Chapter One: Cloudy Afternoon

It was always at the forefront of Cloud's mind, even when he was out on deliveries or helping one of his close friends on a mission. The day had come and past for a few years but the dread and ache in Cloud's chest felt as fresh as the very moment it had happened. He wished that he had not agreed to help Yuffie when he had looked at the calendar sitting on his desk in his makeshift room at Seventh Heaven. It was only a week away and the pain that enveloped his chest was unbearable.

"Cllloud!" A voice rang in his ears as he stopped in his tracks. He looked up from staring at the ground to see the black haired Materia hunter standing in front of him, her hands on her hips as she tilted her head at him. At the surprised look on his face, she let out an exaggerated sigh of agitation. "Don't tell me you've been spacing out this whole time. It's like I've been talking to a piece of cardboard." Yuffie said, crossing her arms and turning away from him slightly.

"…Sorry." Cloud muttered, making Yuffie turn back to him.

"Hey, I didn't mean for you to take me seriously. You're almost as bad as Vince." She laughed before turning towards a cliff face they had been walking towards. "Anyway, we better get moving. I want to get that Materia before Cid comes to pick us up. He said something about wanting to show you the new features of his ship. I'm starting to think he loves that ship more than his wife."

Cloud merely followed her, unconsciously blocking Yuffie out again as she started rambling about how Cid was obsessed with his ship and how he should have just married it. She was walking a few meters ahead of him, swinging her large Shuriken beside her as if it was a harmless purse. Cloud did not mind it when the nineteen year old started talking to him like this. It was her kind of way to fill in the time it took on her treasure hunts even though most of the conversations were one sided, especially when it was Cloud that accompanied her. He was often quiet and with the anniversary of that day coming up, he did not even give his small mummers of agreement or disagreement to Yuffie's subjects. Cloud just could not tear his thoughts away from that date and the horrible memories it brought up each year. He stared at the grass covered ground as he continued to follow her, feeling like he should have come up with an excuse not to come but at the same time needing something to get his mind off of him.

"Cloud!" Yuffie's voice cut through his thoughts again as he looked up, expecting her to scold him for ignoring her again. Instead, he barely got a glimpse of her drawing her Shuriken back for an attack before landing roughly on the ground, something sharp digging into his left shoulder. Cloud looked up to see a large Guard Hound baring down on him and sinking it's teeth into his shoulder. He had gotten so lost in his thoughts he did not hear the large beast pounce upon him from one of the cliff sides.

Yuffie jumped back from the Guard Hound, unable to get a shot at it with her Shuriken as smaller Guard Hounds jumped towards her from their home in the mountainous area. She dodged a few swipes of their claws before looking over to Cloud, wanting to help him get back up but could not as the smaller hounds attempted to pounce her as well.

Cloud managed to get a foot under the beasts body and flung it off him, wincing as the large Guard Hound refused to let go of the flesh of his shoulder without a fight. The beast flew a few feet back, slamming into the base of the cliff nearby. Cloud stood and drew the broadsword from his back, knowing the hound would not fall from the small blow. The great beast shook off it's rough landing before it rushed towards him, claws and teeth ready to tear him apart. Cloud quickly blocked the Guard Hounds attack, jamming his sword between it's teeth to prevent it from latching onto him again while managing to stay out of it's claws reach. He was about to split the monster in half from it's mouth before he felt two new sets of teeth sink into his skin. Cloud turned his head to see two smaller Guard Hounds tasting his flesh, one hanging onto the junction between his neck and shoulder while the other was ripping at his right leg. He turned back to the larger beast, ignoring the claws scraping through his black clothing and across his back as he pushed his weight onto his broadsword. The Guard Hound's mouth quickly gave as the sharp blade carved through flush like air. The monster could not even give a shriek of pain before it was sliced into two halves horizontally. Cloud felt the Guard Hound on his back loosen it's grip before falling to the ground. He turned to see that a slash to it's head had killed it after quickly cutting through the monster on his leg's back.

"Cloud! You alright?" Yuffie came running towards him, a few scratches on her face but other than that it seemed that the hounds did not get to her. Cloud nodded in response, honestly not feeling like he had got injured even when he knew the beasts had bit him. The Materia hunter looked at him worriedly, crossing her arms across her chest with her now bloody Shuriken in her hand. "You're bleeding pretty badly. Maybe we should head to Cid's ship and get you healed up." She uncrossed her arms and looked at the surrounding environment, making sure she knew where they were. "He can't land it here. Let's head out into the plains and call him."

"I'm fine, Yuffie. If we don't get that Materia, it'll just have been a waste coming out here." Cloud muttered, not wanting to worry the girl and end up having nothing to do for the rest of the day but think. He walked towards the cliff where the Materia was said to be, leaving the black haired warrior behind him. She was yelling at him to come back and something about him needing new clothes. Cloud just ignored her and disappeared into a small cavern in the side of the cliff. He kept his sword in hand, fully aware now that this place was a home for a pack of Guard Hounds. That alone prevented him from sinking back into his thoughts and wandering aimlessly in the series of caves. As he walked deeper into the caves, he started to feel a strange wetness sliding down his back. Cloud reached back with one of his gloved hands, finding that the back of his shirt was almost completely torn off. He drew his glove back to find it covered in a deep red, a feeling that Yuffie was right forming in the pit of his stomach.

As if his body just understood that he was injured, his knees collapsed underneath him. Cloud slammed the tip of his sword into the rocky floor, tightening his grip and leaning onto it so he would not completely collapse. The pain that he was subconsciously ignoring finally hit him, making him shut his eyes and grit his teeth. When he reopened his eyes, darkness was eating at the edges of his vision and everything was a blur of color. Cloud lost his grip on the broadsword and fell to the ground, a strange shadow moving towards him in the dim lighting of the cave. He knew he was hallucinating then as he lost consciousness. How else would he see him.

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"You haven't changed a bit. On second thought, you've changed a lot. What's with the gloomy atmosphere around you?"

"Go away, Yuffie." Cloud muttered, assuming it was the Materia hunter as he put an arm over his closed eyes to block the bright light. Oddly, his wounds no longer hurt and wasn't he in a cave a few minutes ago?

"Heh. Sorry, Chocobo, I'm not her. Though I do have the same hair color, don't I?" Cloud's eyes shot open, knowing that there was only one person that would ever call him by that pet name. He removed his arm, trying to see if his eyes would confirm what he had heard. The first thing he saw was white, the color seeming to make the sky and ground of where he was. Next, he noticed the tall black haired man crouching next to him, playing with a piece of his own hair as he looked it over. Cloud knew for a fact now that he was either dead or he was hallucinating from something in the cave. The man next to him was suppose to be dead! He had seen him die!

"Z-zack?" The once proud SOLDIER stopped playing with his hair to grin at the blond. There was no mistaking that grin. It really was him.

"In the flesh. Er...well, not really." Zack said, standing up and looking around the bleached area. "And from what I can tell, neither are you." Cloud sat up from the ground, noticing that it felt like grass yet he could not see anything. After a few moments, Zack's words finally hit him.

"I'm dead?" He asked, looking up at the taller man. Zack looked down at him for a moment, twin sets of mako eyes meeting. He sat down next to the blond fighter, shaking his head.

"No, I don't think so. Just unconscious. Hope someone finds you soon though." Cloud felt the suppressed surprise from seeing Zack build in his chest, choosing to ignore it or risk having a panic attack from seeing him again. The feeling that he could possibly be dead not helping him keep his composer.

"Sorry for just appearing out of thin air...I wanted to make sure you were alright. I doubt you will be here for long, though. That 'Yuffie' girl seemed pretty worried about you. She'll probably find you soon." Cloud only nodded, still trying to grasp the fact that his long dead friend was sitting next to him. Zack looked over at the blond, noticing that he was spacing out in thought. "And here I thought it was the mako keeping you quiet all those years ago. You sure don't talk much anymore."

"You act like nothing happened..." Cloud muttered as he stared at the floor, or rather, where the floor was suppose to be. Zack sighed mockingly before standing up again and walking a few paces away, folding his arms across his chest.

"Gaia, who replaced my friend with this mopey guy? The Cloud I knew couldn't keep a straight face when I was around." He turned back around, the grin on his face showing that he was just teasing the blond. "Oh, come on, Chocobo! Smile!"

"No! No, No, No, No! Zack stop!" Cloud yelled as Zack pounced on him, trying to tickle him like he used to in the rare times they had time to hang out. It felt so strange to be like this again. So much had happened and something as silly as this almost did not seem possible.

"There you go!" Zack grinned even more as the younger man under him laughed involuntarily. "Man, I missed doing that." He said, stopping as he propped himself up on his elbows over the blond haired man.

"You're the one who hasn't changed." Cloud said, allowing a smile to spread over his lips. "You still act like a puppy." Zack hung his head in defeat, the tips of his hair brushing against the blond's neck.

"Aw, why does everyone call me that? I don't look like a puppy."

"Yes, you do. That's why no one ever tells you no when you ask for something." The man over him laughed before smiling at him. Cloud could not help but smile back, glad to see Zack even if he was hallucinating. "So you came out here just to see if I was alright?" Zack pulled back a bit so the blond could sit up, the position almost awkward and intimate as the taller man straddled Cloud's lap.

"Mostly. I didn't want to see you die from something so stupid. What in the world were you thinking about, Chocobo?" Zack asked, oblivious to the fact that Cloud was blushing at the position they were in. It took the younger man a moment to get over the position before he could reply, a sadness replacing the embarrassment. Zack caught on to the mood change almost instantly. "Hey, you alright?" Cloud shook his head slightly.

"It's coming up again..." He looked up to see the confused and worried puppy face Zack was giving him, almost wanting to laugh at the expression. "You know...that day...outside of Midgar...at the cliffs..." He said, looking away, not knowing if he could look into the dead man's eyes. Zack gave a sound of agreement, realizing what Cloud was talking about. He stood up and walked away from the younger man, rubbing the back of his head as if to ease the suddenly tense atmosphere. He kept his eyes on the white area around them, feeling a lump settle in his chest.

"Cloud...This isn't going to make anything easier, I know that, but...I kind of need to tell you." The lump shot into his throat as a uncharacteristic nervousness struck him. Could he really tell him? It could make things even worse on his friend or maybe make him get over his death quickly, not wanting anything to do with him anymore. Zack almost wished it was the latter, seeing Cloud tear himself apart over his death hurt him just as much. A hand on his shoulder tore him from staring at the white space, realizing that it was he that spaced out this time.

"And you were worrying about me. You barely ever space out unless it's about something serious. Tell me. It's like you said, Yuffie might find me soon so we don't have long." Cloud said, still resting his hand on the taller man's shoulder. It was almost too much for Zack. It was embarrassing enough without Cloud touching him and worrying about him, not to mention how close he was. Sure, just moments ago he was lying over the blond but he was prepared for that, not the sudden closeness.

Zack smiled softly, honestly thinking he would die of embarrassment if he just blurted it out. Die again, he meant. It was hard to remember that he was actually not alive right now. Instead of words, that had decided to stick in his throat at the moment, he leaned forward. Zack rested his forehead against Cloud's, eyes closed as he still debated if he should reveal what kept bubbling in his chest ever since he met the ex-cadet.

"I wanted to tell you before, but every time we met it was usually when we were suppose to be professional to each other. The times we hung out were in public places and it just didn't seem appropriate. While we were on the run, I couldn't tell you because I wouldn't get a response and I didn't want to scare you." Zack sighed, knowing that he could not just brush it off as nothing anymore. He did not bother to open his eyes to see if Cloud knew what he was saying, not wanting to lose his nerve and back out. Leaning in just a bit more, he brushed his lips against the blond's.

Cloud felt confused at his friend's words, not understanding what he meant until the inch between their lips disappeared. His body tensed and his eyes widened but for some reason, he could not pull away. He tightened his grip on Zack's shoulder, never once believing that Zack Fair, formerly SOLDIER first class, would ever kiss him.

Zack broke the light kiss, taking the tight grip on his shoulder as a warning to stop. He rubbed the back of his head as he pulled away, actually fearing to meet the other man's eyes. He had most likely lost the person he cared most about. More than Aerith, than SOLDIER, than his honor, than his dreams.

"Sorry. I...er...lost myself." Zack muttered, not knowing if it was the right words as his mind froze. He was about to step away before he felt the hand on his shoulder yank him back. Opening his eyes, the black haired man looked into Cloud's face to find it emotionless. Man, was it ever hard to understand how the blond felt ever since he died.

"You know," Cloud said, moving closer and making Zack feel even more confused. "if you thought that was the only time you would get to kiss me, you should have made it deeper." The taller man was about to voice his confusion until a pair of soft lips against his stopped him. Zack honestly thought that Cloud would have run away but this was a welcome surprise.

Cloud pressed his mouth tightly against Zack's before licking across the supposedly dead lips. He did not really understand his own actions but something in the back of his mind clicked into place, telling him that this was what he needed. The hand that was holding tightly to the ex-SOLDIER's shoulder moved to the back of his head as he pressed himself closer to him.

Zack could not help but smile into the kiss before parting his lips for the young blond, his tongue moving eagerly to meet it's counterpart. Little did Cloud know but Zack had lost many nights of sleep before because of dreams like this, as well as more explicit situations. No dream was ever as hot as this, though. He could tell Cloud was inexperienced, even at the age of twenty four, but he did not care. The only thing he could focus on was the almost sweet honey and ocean like taste of the man in his arms, the soft grinding of their hips together starting to cloud his mind.

After a few moments of tasting the blond and enjoying the feeling of his hot tongue and body against his, he pulled away from the tempting lips. The sight of the normally sad man panting and blushing made it hard for him to stop, a desire stinging through him that not even a trained SOLDIER could deny. Zack sighed through his own heavy pants, wishing that they had more time together.

"Don't stop, Zack." Cloud's gentle yet demanding plea hit him hard, or to better put it, made him hard. He bit his lip and grudgingly pulled away from the hot and bothered blond.

"We don't have any time, Chocobo. I doubt you want to wake up horny with that girl looking after your wounds. It'd be awkward." Zack said, rubbing the back of his head and trying to ignore the tightness of his black pants. Arms wrapped around his waist as he felt Cloud press his body firmly against his back, informing him that the blond was having the same problem as him.

"You started it..." The younger man said, his voice husky as he nuzzled against Zack's lightly tanned neck. "Yuffie can be a little dense sometimes. I doubt she'll find me right away. Please don't go yet, Zack." Cloud blushed at his own words, barely comprehending that they were coming out of his own mouth. "And I'm not a Chocobo…how many times do I have to tell you?" He added, remembering that he was suppose to be angry at the nickname. Zack chuckled and turned around, hugging the slightly shorter man to him.

"But I like Chocobos. They're cute." He pecked Cloud softly on the lips, loving the way he could be demanding one moment then shy the next. It was really tempting to pounce on the blond, so much so that Zack was thinking twice about taking things slow, but he did not want to scare Cloud off after his feelings were excepted. "How about I come see you again soon? I want to make sure you think over this before we do anything."

"But how do you know we will even met again? I had to lose a lot of blood to become unconscious just to see you now and I don't think you can get to me that easily." Cloud muttered, sighing at how overly kind Zack could be sometimes. He would rather be on the ground naked right now with the ex-SOLDIER on top of him than saying a possible goodbye.

"You would be surprised at how easy it is to visit you." Zack said quietly, removing one of his hands from the small of the blond's back to rub the back of his head. Three, two, one…

"Then why didn't you come see me sooner!" Cloud said, glaring at the black haired man. Sure, he was happy to hear that he could see him as much as he wanted but it pissed him off at the fact Zack had waited so long to see him. A few times Cloud had gotten the feeling he was talking to Zack before, the most recent Sephiroth battle for example, but he thought that those had just been delusions.

"Well, I did, but either you were to busy and we couldn't talk long or you were with someone else. It wouldn't help at all if your friends saw you talking to yourself." The taller man explained, wondering about how much time they had left together. It was starting to worry him about how long Cloud was unconscious. He could only hope he was just unconscious. Zack really did not want the blond to die, even if it meant they could have more time together.

"They can't see you?" Cloud asked. Zack shook his head.

"It's hard for more than one person to see me at once. Trust me, I tried once with my parents. I was exhausted afterwards but I guess it was worth it since they stopped worrying about me so much." Zack hugged Cloud tightly for a moment, getting the urge to do so suddenly. "So when do you think Yuffie will find you? I'm honestly getting worried now." The blond relaxed into the embrace before responding.

"Soon. By the way, Zack, how do you know about Yuffie?"

"Oh, well, er…I kind of…follow you around sometimes. Creepy, I know. But besides visiting my parents, I don't have much else to do. I would talk to Aerith but she's with her mother most of the time. They were separated when she was young and I don't want to bother them by being a third wheel, you know?" Zack said loosening his hold on Cloud a bit. "While I'm on the topic of your friends, be careful of that Vincent guy. He kind of scares me a little. Did you see when he turned into that monster thing?"

"Yeah." Cloud laughed softly, knowing that seeing Vincent for the first time was a little unnerving. "Don't worry. He's on our side. He wouldn't hurt anyone unless one of us pissed him off too much."

"Okay." Zack said but did not sound swayed in his opinion. Cloud moved to rest his head on the black haired man's chest but was surprised when he went through Zack. "Ah, I think she found you, Chocobo. Man, am I glad she did. I thought you might have…well, you know." The ex-SOLDIER removed his hands from around Cloud grinning at him.

"Zack, wait!"

"Say hi to Yuffie for me. Tell her it's from the 'mean ugly SOLDIER guy'. She was only nine but she might remember. I promise I'll see you again soon, Cloud." He leaned down, giving the blond a kiss that he could not feel before walking away from him. Cloud quickly tried to follow but his feet refused to move.

"Zack!"

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