Prompt: 13. "Crash and Burn" - the prompt was inspired by Darren Hayes song title
Warnings: Implied male/male sexual relationships. If you have a problem with this, go read something else.
When the first report came in, Sephiroth felt something cold lance through him, and his stomach twist uncomfortably. A mission to deal with some monsters near the Corel reactor – a mission Zack was leading – had gone wrong, and there were heavy casualties. At least two were dead, and others were seriously injured. When the reports that followed made it clear Zack had suffered only minor injuries, and that it was someone else who'd died, he was immensely relieved. He quickly pushed that feeling away; they were all his men, and he now had to deal with the aftermath. A second team was sent in by chopper to clean up, while another two helicopters held personnel to provide immediate medical support and extract the wounded from original team.
He wasn't surprised to hear Zack stayed to help the second team, who would benefit from having someone on hand who knew the situation. But he didn't entirely relax until Zack was standing before him, a slightly dirty bandage about one arm but mostly unscathed. He looked tired, but reassuringly whole.
But as Sephiroth listened to his verbal report – the local mines had turned out to be a veritable nest of a new breed of monster, some odd cross between a bird and a lizard with six inch claws, and the intelligence that had sent them out there had mentioned only those few who had ventured into the open prior to the mission – he couldn't help but notice Zack's voice was flat, and those brown eyes, even with the Mako sheen, looked dull and lifeless. It bothered him.
It wasn't until Sephiroth was dealing with the last of the paperwork that the day's events had generated it dawned on him – this was the first mission Zack had led that had suffered serious casualties at all.
He placed the last few sheets in their folder and closed it firmly. Zack had spent more than enough time during their acquaintance cheering him through difficult times. There had been a few nights at the end of the war when he'd slept only due to the comfort of a warm body at his back, and the brunet's irreverent sense of humour had helped to combat his own darker moments. He knew the kind of guilt that came from losing men under your command, whether it was justified or not. It was time he repaid the favour.
He made his way to Zack's quarters and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He tried again.
Finally, he called out, "Zack? It's Seph. Can I come in?"
No response.
He debated overriding the lock, but that seemed too much an intrusion. With a sigh, Sephiroth turned and headed for his own rooms. A heavy weight settled in his chest. He wanted to be the one who helped Zack for a change, the one who provided much needed support, and it seemed that he wasn't wanted. He told himself harshly that that wasn't what this was about, but it didn't help. He would be the first person to admit he knew little about friendship, but it seemed to him it was supposed to go both ways, and he felt like he was the one who failed.
His own quarters were dark when he entered, so he flicked on the lights and blinked at the figure he found sitting on the couch.
Zack.
"Hope you don't mind," was all his friend said. "I didn't particularly want to be alone tonight."
Sephiroth relaxed. "Not at all."