Hello everyone,
this is my first time writing for this fandom, and I am super excited and nervous ^^ I have roughly half the story already written down, so I am hoping to post the next parts soon.
For anyone who is wondering, yes, I am training martial arts myself, although not specifically Muay Thai. However I thought it would suit this story and plot the best. I apologise for any errors and I tried to stay as true to actual training experiences as possible.
I hope you enjoy it and I promise that the rating will be raised to E in the next chapter. And yes, you'll get a nice long smut scene as well.
Without further ado, please enjoy.
I don't own Final Fantasy VII nor any of the characters.
Cloud
He swallows dryly, but goodness the storm inside his chest, the tension in his muscles, the roaring of his blood is so loud in his ears, so overwhelming for a second he actually forgets to breathe as he tries to calm down his raging nerves, but it doesn't work. His hands are sticky and wet from cold sweat and his clothes cling to him like a clammy, cold embrace because he's so nervous he wishes he could just disappear in the ground and never see the sunlight again.
Why, just why did he say yes to this, he is so damn stupid, he never should've agreed to this, he's such an idiot and now he's here and he can't just walk away again, people will see and they will laugh at him and Cloud's cheeks are so hot with embarrassment his head starts spinning and he grits his teeth and bites his lower lip so hard he almost tastes blood.
Damn…calm…down…Cloud…
There's nothing to be afraid of.
And with shaking legs and wobbly steps he finally lifts his trembling hand to open the door to the Muay Thai gym called "Wutai Sports – Martial Arts and Self Defence"
No…C'mon, why did Tifa call the gym and signed him up for a trial session, like… no… He never should've said yes to this, he should've called today and told them he's ill or that he has to work or that he has to attend a very important appointment…
Cloud feels his stomach dropping deeper with every step he takes toward the counter where a friendly looking woman with short black hair sits, apparently sorting out some documents.
He swallows dryly and takes a deep breath. Oh dear Shiva…this is going to end in a disaster…
"H-hey," he manages to say and he hopes his voice is not trembling as much as the rest of his body is. His hand around the strap of his bag is clenched so tightly his knuckles are white.
The girl looks up and as soon as her dark eyes focus on him, a bright smile lights up her pretty face.
"Hey there! You must be Cloud! Tifa told me you'd come join the session today! I'm Yuffie, nice to meet you!"
"Hi, ah yes…"
"Alright, you got your equipment? Tifa said you're not new to Martial Arts?"
That is true, although until now he's never been in a real gym. His experience almost solely comes from unwanted street fights deep in the alleys of Midgar, ugly brawls in their old home town Nibelheim and a pretty regular sparring with his best friend Tifa, both back home and now that they live in the big city. And damn, the woman punches like there is no tomorrow.
"Yeah, I got everything. Where is the locker room?"
"Hang on, I'll show you. You're pretty early, training starts in 20 minutes or so. But that's fine, then I can show you the gym and everything!"
"Yeah, thanks."
She grins at him, before she slides the computer mouse around, perhaps to put the computer on stand-by, before she moves around the counter. She's even smaller than he thought and he thinks that she can't be older than sixteen or seventeen tops. He wonders how she got to work here, since she looks so young. But if he's learned one thing in all these years he's been friends with Tifa, it's to never underestimate women.
"Alright, please follow me! Down this corridor, there you have the locker rooms for the girls and here's for the boys – here, you can put your stuff in the lockers or just take everything into the gym, no one really minds. The door over there leads to the toilets and showers," Yuffie says to him and he nods, looking around.
The locker room looks plain but clean, with wooden benches and steel lockers. Nothing out of the ordinary. There're a few posters pinned to the wall, some old ads for tournaments and some newspaper articles that start to yellow, the featured athletes in their reports long since having moved on, as it seems. Cloud blinks, turning back to Yuffie.
"Ok, gotcha," he says.
"Then I'll quickly show you the gym. It's down the hallway through the door on the left. Let's go!"
Yuffie happily hops in front of him like she was spending a peaceful stroll in the park, and the sight actually amuses Cloud and lets him forget about his raging nerves for a while. If someone as friendly as her works here, well then perhaps the entire club isn't made out of just a bunch of idiots and wanna-be bad boys. Maybe the training session won't be as horrible as he expects it to be.
It looks like a big sports gym, although the floor is completely covered with judo mats. Seems reasonable to him, throws, takedowns and pins are just as much part of Muay Thai, as kicks and strikes and punches are. So getting thrown to the ground here will apparently hurt a lot less than when it happened to him outside in the alleys. Good to know.
The walls are painted in a beige colour, and black silhouettes are painted against it, as though one saw the shadow of a vast landscape. The remarkably stunning piece of art stretches from one corner of the gym to the next. It shows mountains, forests, lakes, boats and trees, with little human- or animal-shaped figures wandering the two-dimensional world of black. It looks…so unlike everything Cloud thought it would be. The judo mats are blue, some of them red and form a rectangle – he is sure it's the rectangles where they spar. The ceiling is quite high and large windows let the late afternoon sun bathes the gym in a faint golden-red glow.
"As you can see, we have eight punching bags on the left-hand side of the gym. On the right you can see climbing ropes. On the back part of the gym there're several weight lifting instruments, a few chin-up bars and a butterfly machine. Members of the club are free to use them as they want. Anything else you need to see?" Yuffie asks him friendly.
"Ah, no I think I'm good. I-I'll go and change now. Any other things I should know about training?" Cloud says as they slowly walk back to the locker rooms.
"Hm, the main instructor is Angeal. He's great, but also really strict. He can get a little rough in tone with the students, but he knows where the line is. Warm-up normally takes like half an hour, and it's both cardio as well as muscle building workout. Some people puke after the whole thing, just try to throw up outside, not on the mats," she says with a laugh, however Cloud is not entirely sure whether she is joking.
"Will keep that in mind."
"Other than that, I think I told you everything you need to know. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!"
"Thanks, Yuffie."
She passes him a bright smile and then she hops back to the entrance area. Cloud sighs, feeling his heart speed up again. He is indeed somewhat excited to be here, but he doesn't want to make a fool out of himself.
He glances at the time. He should get ready.
He's tying his gym shoes when the door opens and two guys comes inside, loudly chatting with each other, with heavy duffel bags over their shoulders. They stop talking as they see him and Cloud internally rolls his eyes, and he hopes he doesn't blush again. He's glad he just pulled the jockstrap underneath his shorts. He hates that thing with a passion, but he knows better than to train without it and get a knee strike right into the balls.
"Ah – you're the new one! Yuffie said something," the one with red hair says nearly annoyingly cheerfully and he leaps forward, his hand outstretched. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Reno!"
"Cloud Strife," Cloud mumbles and the guy nearly breaks his fingers while shaking it enthusiastically.
"Name's Rude," the other one says with a voice as smooth as sandpaper. Cloud shakes his hand, too.
"So, your first time doing Muay Thai? Got any other experiences?" Reno starts, perfectly conversational, much to Cloud's disapproval. He's not in the mood for talking, really.
"…A bit. But never really trained professionally," Cloud replies vaguely.
He ties his blue box bandages around his knuckles and wrists, tightly, but not tight enough to cut off the blood circulation. He wonders if he should bother with the shinpads already. A glance at the other guys tells him no, so he leaves them in his bag for the mean time. He overlooks his gear one last time. Boxing gloves, MMA boxing gloves, shinpads, mouth guard…Fuck!
He forgot his mouth guard. He wants to curse. He's such a loser… Well hopefully they won't do any sparring today then. He'll just have to tell them that he doesn't have one. Urgh, how embarrassing.
"So where're you from, Cloud? Around Midgar?" Reno tries to pull him into a conversation again. Cloud closes his bag, standing up. Even wearing his sports clothes…he still feels out of place.
"No. Ah, Nibelheim?" he tries, although he's sure the two men have never heard of it, because no one here cares about the damn mountain regions. "Mountains."
"Er, no, can't say I know that place… anyways, nice seeing a new face around here. I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it," Reno says, with a mocking gleam flickering up in his eyes. Cloud shrugs.
"'I'll go ahead then," he mumbles.
The gym is still as empty as before, and he drops his bag to the ground. He leans against the wall in a seemingly relaxed stance, although internally he starts to panic again.
His heart thunders in his ears and he once again curses himself that he actually went to this silly training session. Damn it, Tifa. She should've at least come with him. He's going to make a complete fool out of himself, anyways. These guys here are professionals; no way in hell will they go easy on him.
His mood drops. Would someone notice if he just sneaks out? No one needs to know, they won't notice him, and more importantly, they'll never see him again –
He's about to grab his bag when the door is opened and he expects to see the two annoying dudes from the locker room again, when instead a different guy comes through, his bag over his shoulder and music blasting from his headphones so loudly Cloud can listen without effort.
His broad back is turned toward Cloud as the man walks over to the left side of the hall, where a few benches are positioned against the wall. He drops his bag and throws his phone and headphones, still hammering motivating rock music, onto the bench. Cloud keeps silent, secretly wondering if he should say something when the man suddenly pulls his hoodie over his head, leaving his upper body naked. Cloud feels heat rising to his cheeks as the stranger unknowingly reveals a broad back and wide shoulders to him; his impressive torso narrows down to a slim waist. His tanned skin is flawless and the hard muscles move gracefully beneath.
Now Cloud feels like a creep, watching the obviously very fit man change into his gym clothes – but he also can't keep his gaze away and with a darker blush colouring his cheeks up to his ears he watches how the man pulls a blue long-sleeved shirt over his head that hugs his frame tightly. The snug fit emphasises the rise of his biceps and triceps, and Cloud finds himself envying his well-defined arms. Then the man pulls another, loose t-shirt over his head.
The guy bends down and when Cloud realises that he's about to change his jeans into gym shorts, he quickly turns around to leave him some privacy, and with a shock he realises how quickly his heart is beating. Internally he chides himself. Since when does he get all worked up over a guy changing his clothes, moreover it's someone he's never seen before –
God, if the guy catches him ogling him like a damn teenager, he can never show his face around here again.
But wait – this is the first and the last time that I come here –
"Woah!" a foreign voice interrupts his mess of a train of thought and he shyly turns his head to see that the man is now facing him, his lower body thankfully clothed. "Hey!"
"S-sorry," Cloud mumbles. "I didn't mean to…"
The man grins playfully, interrupting his apology: "No worries, I'm Zack! Sorry, I didn't notice you at all, my bad!"
The man approaches him with confident steps giving away how at home he feels in this gym, and he stretches his hand out to shake Cloud's. Cloud expects the guy to crush his slimmer hand easily, but instead Zack's long fingers close around his palm firmly, but comfortably. His skin is warmer than Cloud's, somewhat radiating heat and strength.
Cloud catches himself not wanting to let go. Which, too, is very strange.
His face is infuriatingly handsome, all high cheekbones, sharp jaw and straight nose. A lose strand of his raven mane sweeps gently over his sky blue eyes and Cloud loses himself a little in that mesmerising view. Only when the man, Zack, lets go off his hand, he gets back to himself and he wishes he could will his blush away – but alas, as usual it never goes his way.
"Yuffie told me that we have someone new today. I assume it's you, then?"
"Ah, yes, ah – I'm Cloud, nice to meet you," Cloud murmurs and must his fingers start shaking again? However, now for an entirely different reason than they did outside, in front of the gym?
"Pleasure's all mine," Zack smiles brightly and Cloud finds his smile disgustingly beautiful. In fact, so damn beautiful he can't look away. He probably even forgets to blink, he can't tell.
"Is that your first time doing Muay Thai?" Zack asks him. That guy form the locker room, Reno, asked him the same, but in this case Cloud doesn't feel as uncomfortable and annoyed.
"Ah, yeah, I did some training, but nothing professional and never at a proper club," he admits a little shyly.
Well, if Zack finds it weird, he doesn't show it. Instead he just nods and a smile lights up his handsome features again: "Then I hope you'll enjoy today's session. Angeal should be here any minute. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, ok?"
"O-ok."
In fact, it's not as bad as he thought it would be.
It's worse.
The trainer, Angeal, sounds like a military officer (which he probably was), the way he barks instructions through the gym. First running laps, then fifty push-ups, followed by hundred sit-ups and hundred fifty jumping jacks. Then running again, whilst hard rock music blasts from the speakers hanging in every corner of the gym, and which Cloud hadn't even noticed before. Angeal orders them to start shadow boxing while running and after glancing at the others, he tries some combinations. It doesn't take long for him to notice that his techniques suck big time. Well, he's only used to street fighting after all. But he curses himself internally. He should've looked up proper punching techniques before coming here…
The warm-up continues for at least another fifteen minutes more in which Angeal makes the group warm up and stretch every single damn muscle in their bodies. At the end of it, Cloud is sweating and panting and rubbing his aching thighs. He is so not looking forward to the muscle cramps tomorrow.
They all come together in a circle. It's him, Zack, the two annoying guys from the locker rooms and another four guys and Yuffie. Yuffie is the only woman today. She's shorter than all of them, but she doesn't look exhausted in the slightest. She flashes him a smile. He wryly smiles back. Angeal turns the volume of the music down.
He looks around and fixes Cloud with a calm, calculating look. He swallows. He had introduced himself before class started, and he'd briefly mentioned his level of experience to the man. He hopes he didn't say the wrong thing.
"Alright, today we'll do some basic punching training. Get together in pairs of two, grab Thai pads and pull your boxing gloves on. Start with jab-cross-hook-cross. I'll come around and see how you're doing," Angeal announces. Affirmative mumbling follows.
"And, new one – Cloud!"
He flinches and nods. "Yeah?"
"You'll train with Zack."
"A-alright."
"Start with the basics, jab-cross," Angeal says to Zack. "See how his technique is. Use the regular pads, not Thai pads."
"Alright," Zack replies and then nods at Cloud. He smiles at him warmly. Cloud blinks and feels his heart shudder with surprise. Zack's smile truly is something.
They walk to the side of the gym to have a little more space, and they stand in front of each other. Zack fixed the pads to his hands. Cloud's hands already disappeared in his boxing gloves.
"Alright, show me what you've got," Zack says encouragingly. All of a sudden he lifts the pads.
Cloud punches, left first, then right as in jab-cross. He pulls his hands back and Zack drops the pads, his face thoughtful. Then he repeats the motion and Cloud punches again.
His gloves make weak slapping sounds against the surface of the pads. It doesn't sound strong at all. Not like the sound explosions coming from the other people, who are working their Thai pads with punishing strikes. Cloud feels ridiculous.
"Hm, I think I know what you're doing wrong," Zack says and unties the pads. Suddenly he stands next to Cloud, so close that their shoulders are nearly touching. Cloud's heart jumps once more and he curses his easily swayed organ. How stupid.
"You're right-handed? Ok, put the left foot in front of the right and centre your weight between them. They should stand at shoulder distance. Yeah, that's right. Now lift your hands. Remember to always keep your guard up. Even if you punch, your other hand and your shoulder should always cover your face, ok?" Zack explains.
Cloud nods and tries his best to follow Zack's instructions.
"So I can see that you somehow have an idea of how to throw a proper punch, but your technique is rough and uncoordinated. Don't punch out of your shoulder, but try letting the strength and speed come from your hips. Can you do that?"
He tries and fails miserably. It's a movement he's never quite done before in his life, so it feels fairly unnatural. Actually, he feels like an idiot, but Zack doesn't make fun of him in the slightest. Instead, the man lifts his own hands and slowly shows him the right movements. Cloud stares. It looks so easy when Zack does that.
"Don't think too much about it. You'll soon figure it out," Zack says and somehow Cloud believes him, at least he really wants to, because Zack doesn't sound like he is faking his encouragement or kindness. His patient smile and warm voice make Cloud want to continue until he can do it properly.
If only to see more of that smile…
The ninety minutes fly by in the blink of an eye. Cloud has been so absorbed that he didn't even notice how much time passed. He is confused when Angeal turns the music back down again and they gather in the middle of the gym once more.
"Alright, final drill for today is some light sparring. Put your mouth guards in. No kicks or take-downs today, only punches."
"You ok with a bit of sparring? We'll take it easy," Zack says to him as they walk back to their corner.
"Ah sure, but I don't have a mouth guard –"
"No worries, we'll only aim at the torso then. Can't have your pretty face messed up," Zack says with a wink, before he quickly jogs toward his bag to get his gloves.
Heat explodes in Cloud's cheeks. Did – did Zack just tell him that he has a pretty face?
Is he taking the piss…?
Zack returns, already fastening his gloves. He didn't put a mouth guard in, either. Probably so he can still help Cloud with hints and instructions even while sparring.
Or perhaps he thinks Cloud's punches are so poor and he couldn't hurt the man, even if he tried to. That thought makes his stomach burn with shame, but he has no time thinking about it.
"Alright, sparring for two minutes, then one minute resting, repeat. Three sets!" Angeal announces. He has his phone in his hand, probably to set the timer. Then he barks: "Go!"
They move in a circle. Zack has his gloves lifted in a perfect guard position. Cloud's heart flutters nervously inside his chest. This is weird, outside on the streets it is nothing like this, there, in the dark corners of the alleys and parking lots you first get real close, mostly hissing insults at each other, and then it happens so quickly, fists fly, pain explodes in his jaw and cheekbone and then his fists sink into stomachs and noses. That's the way it has always been.
But this?
"C'mon, just try punching me," Zack says encouragingly. "Just the way we did before, jab-cross."
He tentatively tries and hits Zack's gloves. The man doesn't even flinch.
"Yeah, that's right. Go ahead, don't just punch twice. Try putting pressure on me and punch a few more times. Stay calm, no need to stress."
Cloud doesn't even notice how he holds his breath, when suddenly Zack's left glove shots forward and he jumps back to dodge it. Not the most elegant he's ever moved, but Zack's punch doesn't hit him. Zack nods.
"Good. You're quick, but you let your guard fall. Remember to keep your guard up."
He has another few nerve-wrecking moments where he tries and fails to get past Zack's cover. Then a ringing sound from Angeal's phone announces that the first two minutes are over.
Cloud immediately lowers his aching arms. His shoulders are burning and even inside the gloves he knows that his hands are shaking. He hasn't been this exhausted in quite some time, but strangely he enjoys this. He looks and sees Zack smiling at him. His face radiates pure joy and there it is again, Cloud's heart jumping curiously inside his chest. He can't look away. He wonders if Zack noticed him staring like hypnotised at his smile.
But perhaps he's used to that. It's easily the most beautiful smile Cloud has ever seen.
"You ok?" Zack asks and he nods.
"Yeah."
"How about I try some light punches against your guard? No worries, I won't punch hard and I won't hit your face. But just as small reminders to keep your guard up."
Cloud nods. He's alright with that.
Angeal yells for them to get ready and Cloud lifts his protesting fists. How are his arms supposed to survive another two minutes, let alone four? He grits his teeth and fixes Zack's sky blue eyes from behind his gloves. Zack grins. Well, he has the best possible motivation standing before him.
The second round is better than the first. He tries to see when Zack is about to punch and he tries to dodge. He doesn't succeed the majority of the time, but Zack nods encouragingly nevertheless. Maybe he's just coddling Cloud – but alas, his positive responses make Cloud feel like he's not making a complete fool out of himself. He even feels a little more confident and tries to punch more often and quicker than before. He's still nowhere near a level where he could harm Zack's guard – but he's trying, anyways.
Alas, his arms are protesting. The third round feels like a century. His arms and shoulders quiver every time he tries to punch; his gloves seem to weigh a ton. Zack has sped up the whole sparring, they both move quicker than before and Cloud desperately tries to keep his guard up.
And then it happens.
In his exhaustion he trips over his own feet and his arms lower automatically – he stumbles forward and right into Zack's punch. His punishing right fist smashes against his left temple. Pain explodes around his eye and he trips backwards, his head spinning.
"Oh shit – I'm so sorry!"
"Nice one," Cloud hears himself say like the complete idiot he is and he holds his aching head. He tries to focus. His vision is blurry. A dull, hard pain spreads from his temple all the way through his skull.
If this is what it's like when Zack isn't serious, then he never wants to experience what it's like when he is. He feels hands – actual hands, not gloves – carefully touch his shoulder and he lifts his head to see Zack's worried face. Zack's warm hand carefully touches his cheek.
He holds his breath and for a moment the pain is wiped out of his mind. Before it returns with full force.
"Ah, damn…," Zack says through gritted teeth. He says something else, but the sound is drowned out by Angeal's phone.
Cloud shakes his head, but he doesn't step away from Zack's touch. Instead he tries a lame grin and says: "It's fine, don't worry about it."
"You won't repeat that after you've looked into a mirror, man."
Cloud has the most intense black eye he has seen in a while. He looks like a panda.
Angeal wasn't thrilled after he'd learned from a troubled Zack that Cloud had gotten hurt. He'd made a fuss and apologised to him and then he'd offered to drive him home or to the hospital. But after Cloud had assured the instructor that it had been his own fault and there was nothing to worry about, Angeal had only glared at Zack and then commanded him to tend to Cloud and, if necessary, to take him to the hospital nevertheless.
Cloud is positive he won't have to go, but Zack insisted on checking his eye and get him cold packs. Now Cloud sits on the bench, close by Zack's bag, and holds a cold pack against his eye. Zack sits next to him, his body tense with distress.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about that, this is your first time training here and –," Zack starts, but Cloud shakes his head.
He grimaces because that hurts, so instead he tries a wry grin. That hurts, too, but not as much.
"Really, don't worry about that. It was my fault."
"That's nice of you to say, but it doesn't change the fact that it shouldn't have happened."
To be fair, it's not the first time Cloud has had a black eye. But this is the first time he is undoubtedly mesmerised by the man who gave it to him. So he doesn't think of it as an entirely unlucky incident. But no way in hell will he admit that.
They are the last ones left. Zack has the keys, so he's locking all the doors. It's gotten dark; it is half past eight in the evening. Traffic has slowed down, shy stars are blinking down at them. It's a chilly night, but the cool air feels good on Cloud's aching face. Zack locks the entrance doors and then turns around to him.
"Do you live far from here?"
"It's like a thirty minute bus ride."
"Will you be ok?" Zack asks and his worry sounds real. Also the look of concern clouding his handsome face doesn't seem fake.
Cloud nods – bad idea – and says: "I'll be fine, no worries."
Zack nods thoughtfully. He seems less worried now, but his face is pensive. Then he reaches into his pocket and takes his phone out. Cloud's heart leaps as he meets Zack's beautiful blue eyes looking nervously into his own. Even his smile is nervous.
"Listen – I don't usually do this, but I uh – usually I don't give beginners a black eye during their first training sessions, either. So, how about we get coffee some time? You know, as an apology? On me, of course."
Perhaps Zack's punch also knocked his ability to speak out of his mind, because he has no idea what to answer. Good God, yes, he'd so like that – but how does he say that without sounding like a massive idiot with a gigantic crush?
A crush that developed over the span of three hours.
"A-ah, sure," he replies stupidly. He clears his throat and tries again. He's positive his cheeks are melting off right now. "Yeah, sounds good."
Zack's nervous smile becomes blindingly radiant as he hands him his phone and Cloud quickly types in his number. Then they stand before each other. Cloud swallows dryly.
"So…guess I'll get going then," he says and he hopes his voice doesn't shake as much as his legs do. Similar to earlier this evening.
But now for an entirely different reason.
"Yeah-yeah…uh, get home safely," Zack replies.
"Will do. So, uh…bye then," Cloud mumbles and with one last shy smile and a long look at Zack's face, he turns around and quickly makes his way down the street to the next bus stop. His head throbs with every careful step he takes; his arms still shake from the unusual effort and the continued assault on his hands. He feels exhausted beyond belief, in fact he feels too tired to even still feel hungry. But strangely he doesn't feel bad. Actually quite the opposite – he hasn't felt this content in a while.
And he's positive Zack is at least somewhat responsible for it.
Not even his aching black eye can diminish his good mood. Cloud snorts. What the hell will Tifa say?
Zack
"That your new strategy? Give people a black eye and then invite them for coffee? Smooth, man," Zack's older flatmate Genesis says to him the next morning as they sit across each other, talking over two steaming mugs of coffee. Shy October sunlight greets them through the windows.
Genesis is already dressed for his job – he teaches literature at Midgard University. Zack just started his PhD course in Physics this semester. His first class doesn't start until 11am, so he can relax. There is still plenty of time.
"It's not a strategy and I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident," he disagrees.
"Yet you took the chance and got his number. Like you had suggested that if you weren't interested," Genesis smirks.
"That was meant as an apology! Not as a date," Zack protests, but he feel the heat rising to his ears and he quickly takes a sip from his coffee. The bitter taste scorching his tongue is nothing against the biting remorse clenching in his guts.
"Yeeeah, right." Genesis' voice is dripping sarcasm. "Just an apology. Absolutely platonic. Sure."
Honestly it's too early to argue with him, and truth be told, he's right, so Zack doesn't bother answering anymore. Genesis snickers and takes the last gulp from his coffee, before he stands up and carries the dishes to the sink.
"Alright, I'll get going. When do you think you'll take him out?"
"Dude, I haven't even thought about it yet!"
"Sure you have."
He groans and hides his face in his hands. He needs a new flatmate. One that is not as annoyingly perceptive. "Shut up."
"Alright then. See ya."
"See ya," Zack echoes, but Genesis has already pranced outside the door and leaves the distinct sharp scent of his cologne and his annoying nosiness in his wake. Zack sighs, leaning back in his chair. Genesis is too damn observant for his own good. Because yes, the apology-date has been the only thing on Zack's mind since waking up. Actually, since he got home.
Alright, since Cloud had given him his number and then smiled goodbye at him.
Zack's heart flips backwards as he thinks about it. Even with a black eye, Cloud is so stunningly beautiful in such a shy and timid way, it made such a stark contrast to the lightning in his eyes as he punched with wild determination and a fire that, if used the right way, could be just as dangerous as Zack's.
He runs a hand through his hair. Cloud was way too busy to notice, but for Zack it had been obvious that Cloud is a street fighter. His quick movements and sloppy guard gave it away. The constant scanning of the area around them, although they were in a safe zone inside a gym. But he'd acted as though he'd only waited for more opponents to show up.
It worries Zack. It means that Cloud is not only used to getting injured – but he's also used to standing his ground, against a superior number of opponents. Zack slowly shakes his head as he stands up, grabbing his empty mug. Just what kind of life does Cloud lead?
Later, on his way to class, he's absorbed in his thoughts, although not so much that he can't appreciate the beauty around him anymore. Midgar is not necessarily the prettiest city – in fact, it's quite ugly – but in the right angle, with just the right lighting, Midgar knows how to reveal her rather beautiful, mesmerising views. Only to those who know where to look, though. Zack smiles and closes his eyes in the warm sunlight. The sound of the traffic reduces to a buzz and the chirping of birds in a nearby tree fill his ears, he hears the laughter of children and teens, he hears dogs barking and a cat meowing somewhere close. It's a cacophony of tranquillity and peace, and he likes it. He opens his eyes, smiles and nods at the old woman who runs a little fruit and vegetable stand. He also smiles at the police officer directing the traffic at the crossing he just passed. They both smile back.
Looking at it like that, one would never assume that Midgar is such a dangerous city. But it is, and he's experienced it first-hand. Which is one of the reasons he trains Muay Thai.
He passes a shop window and catches a glimpse at the scar marring the side of his face. Clean, long, cut into his skin by a blade nearly the length of his forearm. He sighs. It's been years since it happened. And yet...
And yet...
Cloud
He wakes up feeling like he got run over by a fire truck. His body weighs a ton, he has muscles cramps in parts of his body where he didn't even know he had muscles, his arms and legs feel heavy and weak at the same time. It takes him a lifetime to sit up from the mattress – his abs screaming in agony – and then he slowly ambles across his room, through the short hallway toward the bathroom. God, his whole body hurts.
He washes his face and when he lifts his gaze to look into the mirror, he is shocked despite his knowledge. His left temple is darkish purple and his eye swollen. Yeah, he looks like he ran straight into a brawl. He carefully touches the bruise and flinches. Fuck, it hurts.
As he makes his miserable way to the kitchen, he meets his flatmate Tifa, who nearly drops her bowl of cereal upon his sight. A shocked "whatthefuckhappenedtoyou?" leaves her mouth and a moment later she's all over him, her gentle hands turning his face to get a better view at him, and her worry immediately turns into anger.
"Who was that?" It's so Tifa. Ready to throw hands with whoever dared to hurt her oldest friend. Cloud can't help but smile, despite his aching...everything.
"It happened during the trial lesson yesterday," he replies. "It was my fault. And the guy apologised like a thousand times."
She lets out a sigh and walks to the fridge to fetch a cold pack. She wraps it in a clean kitchen towel and hands it to him. "Well, it happens...but you look horrible."
"Thanks," he grimaces and presses the thing to his head. He sighs with relief as the cold surface immediately starts cooling the throbbing bruise.
"Did you enjoy it, though? Were the people ok? Now I feel bad because I signed you up for that..."
"No, don't, it's alright," he hurries to say and with a jumping heart he remembers Zack and his kind smile and his handsome face and Cloud's number saved in his phone. "The people are ok and the instructor is actually quite good. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would."
She smiles tentatively at him: "So you plan to go there again?"
He shrugs and tries another wry grin: "If my cramps ever go away, maybe."
Later he's alone in their shared flat, hunched over his coffee due to impossible cramps in his back muscles, and scrolling through his phone. He only has afternoon classes today. He is in his final year, and he's already dreading writing his bachelor's thesis. He studies Physics, and as much as he enjoys it, it is a tough subject to study.
He sighs and puts his phone away. He takes a sip from his coffee – as usual it's perfect, because Tifa made it – and he wonders if he should be a good flatmate and clean up a bit, when his phone buzzes with an incoming text.
He glances and nearly chokes on his coffee. He nearly drops his mug as he reaches for his phone once more, his thumb immediately swiping over the surface.
It's from Zack.
-hey this is zack, how're you?
His fingers actually shake as he replies immediately, like an idiot:
-hi, yeah, I'm alright
The answer comes promptly.
-i'm glad to hear that. How's your eye?
-swollen but it's gonna be fine
-then, how about we go for coffee saturday afternoon? If you're free?
Cloud swallows thickly and he physically needs to hold onto the damn table to prevent himself from – from moving too quickly and bloody jump through the kitchen with his worn-out body, because he can't fucking take this level of endorphins flooding his blood. He breathes shakily and then types back:
-sure, saturday sounds good. Where?
A long moment later Zack sends him the address and website of a coffee shop in central Midgar. He's passed by the shop a few times, but he's never actually been there.
-let's meet there at like 4pm? How's that?
-sounds good!
-alright. I look forward to seeing you again
Cloud's heart flutters stupidly inside his chest and he feels his cheeks warm up, even his fingertips are tingling. Warmth spreads from his belly all the way to his toes and he digs his overheated face into his palms. He behaves like an idiot, and he's glad Tifa is not here to witness it. Yet he is happy. Happier than he's been in a long time. Even if it's not a date – he'll get to know Zack more closely, he'll talk with him, enjoy his presence and most of all, he'll see that gorgeous smile again that has enchanted him in ways he didn't think possible. And that prospect is by far enough to get him through the rest of the week.
To be continued.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Thank you for reading. Please leave kudos and/or comments xx