"Sephiroth! Sephiroth! Sephiroth! Sephy! Sephy! Sephy! Seph! Seph! Seph!" Zack poked him repeatedly, not caring if the other was trying to do his work, and certainly not caring if he accidently made him screw up his name while trying to sign papers. "Sephirooooth!" He whined as he shook the General by his shoulders. Sephiroth's eye twitched as his signature was ruined by Zack's pestering. He turned glaring at the other SOLDIER. "What is it Zack?" Sephiroth snapped after having his name called so many damn times.
Zack blinked, and a grin slowly grew on his face. "Hi." He rocked back and fourth on the balls of his feet, still grinning and backed away to dart back over to his own desk. He looked at the other expectantly. Wanting a 'hi' back.
Sephiroth glared at Zack. "Really?! All of that and all I get is a 'hi'?" He stood from his desk, and started walking towards the other man.
When all he got was a glare, Zack simply shrugged and grabbed a stick of pocky from the little box on his desk and got ready to do his own paperwork. "Mm?" He looked up as Sephiroth approached him, pocky hanging between his lips. Oh, Shiva. He knew that look. 'Now would be a good time to run.' Zack thought as he stood up. He backed away slowly and bolted for the door, fumbling with the knob before throwing it open and ran for the stairs instead of the elevator.
"Why are you running Zack?!" Sephiroth yelled after him, smirking at his fear. Zack was adorable thinking that he could out run the first class soldier. Sephiroth got to the stairs just as Zack was making the first turn to a lower set of stairs.
Five sets of stairs later, and Zack was panting and heaving. Heart hammering in his chest so hard he was sure it would jump out of him at any moment. Gaia knows what Sephiroth would do to him if he didn't keep running. He couldn't help but grin though. He liked playing these cat and mouse games with him. With the adrenaline rushing through his veins, Zack pushed open a door that lead him out into a hallway.
The raven then ran for the janitor's closet, slipping inside and shutting the door behind him. Zack clamped his hands over his mouth hoping that the General wouldn't hear his heavy breathing.
Sephiroth let him get a small distance ahead. It was very unsportsman like if he caught him immediately. He had to give Zack some chance at escaping Sephiroth's vengeance. Sephiroth even let him get a whole flight of steps ahead. When Sephiroth walked out into the hallway, he didn't see where Zack had gone. Smiling to himself, he called into the deserted hallway,"Zack where are you? I'm not gonna hurt. I only want to…Talk."
Zack slowly opened the closet door just enough to peek out at the General. "Talk.. To hell you do." His blue eyes widened, as he realized he spoke louder than he thought. Craaaaap! He was in trouble now. There was nowhere to hide in here. He could try bolting past him, but he knew that plan would fail. Zack glanced around quickly.
He'd just have to try. In one smooth motion the SOLDIER burst through the door and tried to run past Sephiroth.
There he was.
Sephiroth laughed at Zack's attempt to escape. He grabbed Zack by the back of the shirt. "You wanted my attention so badly, Now you've got it. I'm pretty sure you had to have something much more important than 'Hi' to say to me right, Zack?" Sephiroth grinned showing his teeth.
Imagine a dog used to running free and wild, then you put it on a leash and it tries to run but ends up getting jerked back. That's exactly how Zack reacted. He glanced at the silver haired SOLDIER and pretended to look confused. "I did? Huh. Well, I certainly don't remember." Zack tapped his chin thoughtfully "Oh!" He grinned and leaned forward to whisper.
"Your ass looks especially fine today."
Sephiroth was caught off guard by Zack's comment. "You checked out…my ass?" Sephiroth tilted his head and gave him a confused look. Zack was one of the last people that he thought would be looking at his ass. "That I did, fearless leader. You mad?" He was smirking.
"I check you out every day. You check out mine? I'm not gonna be pissed if you answer with a no, though I gotta tell you, it's pretty darn cute."
Sephiroth forgot that he was angry at the younger SOLDIER. "Are you serious? Everyday?" A light blush crossed Sephiroth's face. This was so…unexpected. He tilted his head the other way. "I've never checked out yours Zack….Do you want me to?"
"Oh, very serious." Zack just kept smirking and waggled his eyebrows. "Yes. I'd appreciate that very much." He turned around and bent over. "Well, what do you think? Feel free to smack it to test out it's firmness."
'That's why I was angry at him.' Sephiroth let out a small growl, and lunged for the top of Zack's pants. Zack looked over his shoulder when he heard the General growl behind him. 'Uh oh.. He looks pissed.' He let out a surprised squeak when Sephiroth lunged for him. "I'm sorry! Please don't kill me."
"Who said I was going to kill you?" Sephiroth wrapped his arm around the younger soldiers neck and smirked. Zack chuckled nervously, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against the other's. "Well, no one. I just thought you might have remembered how much I screwed up your signature."
'Damn it, you just had to remind him.'
"Oh, yes, That."
Sephiroth put on the most evil face he could muster. "You really did fuck up." Over exaggerating his arm motion into a hitting motion, he brought his fist to Zack's side and….Began to tickle him.
Zack put a finger to his lips as he pouted cutely. "I did? Oh master Sephiroth, I'm very sorry. How can I make it— Aggh!" He burst into laughter and squirmed about, wiggling. "Oh Gaia! Hahahaha! Seph, no!" More laughter rung out into the hall.
"What, you think you can escape your punishment by calling for help?" Sephiroth antagonized him. He paused momentarily in his efforts to tickle the second class SOLDIER. Sephiroth figured he'd give him a chance to make up for it…And breathe. Breathing was important.
He panted, trying to capture his breath from laughing so hard. "It was worth a try." Zack grinned. "Okay, now that I've caught my breath.. What can I do to make it up to you? I can finish your paperwork and mine if you want.. Give you the day off.."
Sephiroth looked into the eyes of the other man. "You think you can handle the amount of paper work I have as well as your own?"
"Well, we won't know until I try." Zack chuckled. "But if you have another idea in mind of a way I could possibly make it up to you, please. Shoot." Sephiroth tickled him again. "I think I'm enjoying this more than a day off. Besides what do I have to do besides work?" Sephiroth laughed.
"Aggh!" Zack made a high-pitched squeal, and squirmed trying to get away from Sephiroth's tickling hands and his face went red from the extremely girly sound he made. "You're kidding me, right? There's plenty of things you could do— SEPH! Stop, I can't... Breathe!" He managed to say in between his laughing.
Sephiroth stopped tickling the SOLDIER, but left his hand on the younger's side. "What do you suggest I do then?" Sephiroth rarely took time off for any reason. It's just not something he did.
Zack caught his breath and wiped a tear from his eye that formed from laughing so hard. "Hmm.. Well, you could play ping pong. You could sit somewhere cozy and meditate? Uhm, read a good book? Go for a round of paint ball with me? You and I could pull a prank on one of the Turks..? Or we could both go on vacation to Costa Del Sol and go swimming."
"I've already mastered ping pong, meditation is boring, I'm out of books, you'd be annihilated at paint ball, the Turks are annoying enough without them complaining about pranks, and a trip to Costa del Sol with you is out of the question because you're the one doing my paperwork. You really think you're getting time off any time soon?" Sephiroth curled his fingers, preparing to tickle him again.
"Damn. Okay." Zack eyed those fingers, and grabbed Sephiroth's hand before he could tickle him again.
"I'll do our paperwork, while you go back to your quarters and take a long hot shower to help you relax. Then, after that, you can look up some art online, or whatever. Or you can mess with my piano mat. I think it's still in your room somewhere."
What is your piano mat doing in my room?" Sephiroth couldn't remember letting him in there.
"Oh. Hehe.. It was awhile back ago. Remember that one night when the heater broke in my apartment? And I called you because I was freezing my butt off? You let me stay the night. Though you might have been half asleep when I called, or slightly tipsy. I don't know." Zack grinned.
Sephiroth vaguely remembered the night. He had written it off as a weird dream. "That still doesn't explain why the piano mat is there."
"I brought it over because I was feeling musical that night too. That of which you weren't too keen on as I recall because after ten minutes of playing the Charles In Charge theme song over and over, you told me to knock it off."
"No wonder that fucking song has been stuck in my head. Remind me to never let you spend the night again. I'm not sure if this makes you in deeper trouble or not."
"Charles in charge, of our days and our nights. Charles in charge of our wrongs and our rights." Zack chuckled and grinned. "Any punishment I get I can just whoo away with my smiles, smirks, pouts, and puppy eyes."
"Angeal's the only one affected by your puppy eyes and pouts. You aren't trying too hard to get yourself out of any punishments are you?"
"Me? Well, that depends." Zack chuckled. "With you, I know I can't get out of it. But Angeal.. Let's just say that I've got the guy wrapped around my finger. Sorry I annoyed you with it. But I'm not sorry for bothering you earlier." He grinned.
"Are you sure you want to stand by those words?" Sephiroth glared at the younger SOLDIER.
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." Zack just chuckled, and ducked under the General's arm to casually walk away whistling.
"Are you so sure that you're not replaceable?" Sephiroth questioned, putting on the evilest face he could muster as he grabbed the back of the 2nd classes shirt.
Zack yelped when he was tugged back, and stared at the General blinking before a grin spread across his face. "Me? Replaceable? Nah. This, and this, and this.." He gestured to his face, body, and flexed the muscles in his arms. "Are irreplaceable. Nobody else can look this good and get away with it. I am bullet proof. You know I've got my own fanclub? Anyway, I'm hungry. Can we go out and get pizza? I'm kind of tired of the Wutainese food."
Sephiroth laughed.
"Angeal looks enough like you that you are basically already replaced. Your looks aren't going to save you. And having a fanclub isn't a big deal. I have one too if you don't recall." Sephiroth made a mental note to himself to remember to ensure that the only food the younger soldier was allowed to consume were the various Wutainese dishes that had been prepared recently at the base. "No pizza. That's horrible for a young SOLDIER's body. The Wutainese food is packed with all the nutrients that you need," Sephiroth said in a mock caring tone.
Zack's mouth fell open and a hand flew to his chest, clutching at it in mock hurt. "You're kidding!"
"There's no way Angeal and I look alike. Nuh- uh. Though… That would explain the odd rumors. A-Anyway; I already know about your fan club. In fact I'm a part of it. I help provide the information." Zack chuckled. "And why not!? What are you, my mom? Pizza is just as nutritious! You've got your bread, veggies from the sauce, dairy 'cause of the cheese, and meat from the pepperoni. Hell, fruit too if decide to throw pineapple on it!"
"That doesn't mean it's fit to properly nourish the growing SOLDIER's body. I may not be your mom, but I am a higher rank than you. What I say, goes. Nothing besides Wutainese food for the next week you got it? Anything else consumed besides water shall result in immediate reprimands. And don't think you can sneak anything either. I'll have the best of the best watching you." Of course, Sephiroth was bluffing about the people watching the younger SOLDIER, but the second class had no way of knowing.
"Seriously? You're pulling rank on me? I've been eating wutainese food for three weeks and half. Tell me you wouldn't get tired of eating the same thing every day for lunch."
Zack paused for a minute, thinking. "Do I still get to drink my pepsi? Because if I can't at least have my daily caffeine," The younger SOLDIER stepped closer to Sephiroth, standing on his toes in an attempt to loom over and be more intimidating towards the General. "I'll have withdrawals, which will make me very irritable, and before you know it I'll snap. I'll go crazy. Just ask Kunsel and Cloud. I'll do some pretty messed up things just to get a caffeine fix."
"Yes. I'm pulling rank on you." Sephiroth smirked. "And maybe you'll think of that next time you decide to mess with my paperwork. As for your Pepsi…That's a no. If you want some caffeine, you are allowed to take a quarter cup of black coffee in the morning. That is all you will be allowed." Sephiroth laughed at the others attempt to intimidate him.
"That's so not fair! Friends don't pull rank on each other, buddy boy!" Zack practically yelled. "A quarter cup of black coffee… Pfft! Can I at least have a little sugar and cream then? I've tried drinking coffee black, it's awful." The teen tried pouting along with his puppy eyes, hoping that the two together would somehow work against Sephiroth and he'd get his way.
"Friends also don't mess up other friend's paperwork." Sephiroth chuckled to himself, finally eliciting the reaction he had been looking for.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we can spare any cream or sugar for coffee. I have other uses for it."
"Gaia Sephiroth, if this is what I get for wanting your attention so I can lure you away from work for awhile…" Zack put a hand to his forehead and sighed. Sephiroth was always burying himself in the large amounts of paperwork and it seemed that he never left his desk. "Friends can also tell when other friends need a break." Sephiroth was struck silent.
Zack did all that just to help Sephiroth relax and take a break from the paper work that he had been piled in. And here Sephiroth was punishing the young SOLDIER. Not just any young SOLDIER. His friend.
"I…Wait Zack. That's all you wanted? Was to give me a break?" Sephiroth let his expression soften as he looked at his friend.
Said SOLDIER scratched the back of his head and offered a warm smile.
"well, yeah. I mean, you work your ass off all the time and I don't see you ever not doing paperwork and checking reports. You've been looking really tired lately, so I thought you deserved a break to have a little fun."
Sephiroth blinked in astonishment. Here he was, all he could think about was trying to punish Zack, when all the other wanted was to make him happy. "I…I'm sorry Zack. Never mind the punishments I just listed. I shouldn't have over reacted."
Sephiroth tried his best to smile back at the other SOLDIER, but he was too ashamed of himself to even make it look believable.
Zack blinked, looking confused. Sephiroth apologizing? Was he really feeling that regretful about the things he said? "Hey, Hey! Don't apologize. It's okay, really." He grinned and did a little jig. "Turn that frown upside down! If it makes you feel better, I actually kind of enjoyed arguing with you. It was fun. But anyway, I know you didn't mean any of that so we're cool. Still friends."
Sephiroth laughed at Zack's attempts to cheer him up. "That's good then. Definitely still friends." Sephiroth smiled, happy to have a friend that was willing to put up with the misunderstandings he tended to have due to growing up in the labs.
"So, what do you say you and I go have some fun? We could play paintball. Or play poker?"
Zack bounced on his heels and grinned brightly. If he could keep Sephiroth from his work just a little longer to give him a proper break he'd be happy.
"Let me finish one last set of paper work, then we can take the rest of the day off." Sephiroth was still chuckling to himself, energized from the younger soldier's enthusiasm.
Zack pondered on it for a minute, tapping his chin in thought and finally answered. "…Alright, deal." With that, the two headed back to the office where they finished their work, and then took the rest of the day off as planned.