Day One: Hobbies

Banoran summers were truly a force to reckon with and rivaled the stifling heat of Gongaga. However, Banora lacked the heavy humidity that clung to the air and the buzzing of massive beetles. Something Zack Fair was eternally grateful for as he sat outside the on the open windowsill of their small cottage. In the harsh sunlight he watched the shimmering sweat slide off the bare skin of his lover's back, and became infatuated all over again watching his stern features contort in concentration while he nursed the plants. His murky blue eyes were trained on the delicate petals of the lilacs poking out of the dirt, gingerly working weeds from the soil around its base.

Zack slid over, all loose limbs and confidence as he slid behind Angeal and ran his hands down his sides, laying his head on the back of his scapula. His lover continued working, and Zack could feel the muscles moving beneath his skin against his body. He let out a content hum, kissing the back of Angeal's neck and ignoring the tang of saltiness lingering on his lips. "Need any help?"

The man stilled, turning away from his work to face his lover with a smile. Pulling off a dirt covered gloves he caressed Zack's cheek as he would a flower. Zack blossomed under his gentle touch. Between them they shared gentle kisses with content sighs, pulling away with a chuckle Zack felt Angeal rub circles on his back with his unclothed hand. "No, I'll be done soon." I know you don't like gardening."

Zack kissed him in response, lazily leaning his weight on Angeal and hugging him despite the layer of sweat staining then both of them that made their skin stick together uncomfortably. "I don't mind if it's you." Their hands found each other and their foreheads touched, staring into each other's eyes.

"It's fine." He assured, his deep voice a balm on the steady burn the sun cast on him. His eyes traveled down to the flowery marks on their flesh, both matching and reflecting the other on the backs of their hands. Zack traced it fondly, recalling how the soulmark came to be.

To be a student in the mentor program was a rare honor. Even more so to be officially initiated as one since most SOLDIERS that chose to have a student almost never adopted them under their wing through the program. He was made into a rare case, not because of his own accomplishments of being one of the top students in the cadet training programs. But rather who chose to be his mentor.

Commander Angeal Hewley scared him at first, though the calm air around the first quickly eased him into his normal, young, and bouncy self. In return Angeal reciprocated random hugs and spontaneous bursts of affection with a smile.

Laying on his side on the couch, facing the TV screen he convinced Angeal to buy with a pout, watching the wild display of colors from the animated film dancing across the screen when the flowers weaved themselves across his skin like a tapestry. It burned. He flicked his wrist at the foreign sensation and hissed, drawing the concerned gaze of his mentor instantly. Angeal's normally stoic expression had morphed into a weary solemnity while he traced the hibiscus flowers on his skin.

"I have a soulmate." He felt like an idiot, looking back. While it was rare to get a mark so late it was foolish to just assume he didn't have one. After all it was Angeal who reminded him that it was still possible to develop a mark late.

"It's unlikely," his voice went hoarse mid sentence. "It's unlikely to find them here, in Midgar, where it's so populated." The bubbly music faded in the background, replaced by a gentle melody that rang hollow in his ears. "Even with the rate we travel, it'd be unreadable to ask everyone you meet if you can see their soulmark." He turned back to the movie, a deep crease between his brows and they left it at that.

It didn't come up again until he found himself in the reclusive village of Imami in Wutai watching Angeal switch his gloves to help the chief with his garden. The sliver of orange stood out on Angeal's pale skin, begging Zack's attention immediately. "What's that?" The mark called to him, stirred a curiosity and longing he never felt before.

"Nothing." The mark was quickly covered with a gardening glove and Angeal stomped out of the room.

The hibiscus flowers were a warm reminder that persisted on his dark skin and whispered to him at night. From his shared room he stared out the window at the smog filled sky and rubbed his mark, fantasizing about being any other person who would be someone Angeal could love.

They didn't stop showing affection to each other, and he was fine with that. If his mentor continued to smile at him, albeit with a little more inexplicable guilt that before, he wouldn't test the bond that held them together. Angeal would wrap his arms around Zack. Wordlessly he would sink into Angeal's touch and melt under the ministrations of Angeal's hand through his hair. There was no pressure to do otherwise, and his gut twisted at the idea of forcing something between them. Still, Angeal was careful to keep his gloves on at all times.

In the end, it was Angeal who removed them, just as he had donned them. It had been a brutal winter in Midgar and he dug his fingers into half frozen dirt attempting to safely remove healthy flowers from the hardened soil. Angeal worked next to him quickly, transferring one plant to a pot before moving on to the next with the clinical efficiency of a soldier in battle. His cheeks stiffened and his hands shook harder with the drop in temperature and each gust of wind that lapped up his body heat.

"Enough." Angeal pulled him up by his arm, crinkling the material of his jacket and taking off his own gloves. The 1st cradled his hands and tenderly blew on the sensitive skin. But his eyes were fixed on the matching set of flowers on the back of Angeal's hands. Round petals greeted him a warm hello and he pulled his hands out of Angeal's hold to brush the mark. "Zack…" He whispered.

Looking back into his eyes they reflected much more emotion than normal, flickering with mako and specs of brown and green that shimmered with strong emotion. "It's okay… I'm not the person you want."

He exhaled heavily, a clear fog puffing up from his chapped and wide lips before fading into the air. "That is not the case." Angeal engulfed his smaller hands in their warmth, closing the distance between them.

They walked back carrying pots of flowers in their arm. The scent of pollen tickled his nose, but he kept an eye on Angeal the whole time, basking in the warmth of his smile despite its small size. Angeal's eyes met him over the orange petals of a rose, and his own smile blossom.

Together they nurtured the flowers and watched them sprout again even stronger when summer came, where they found themselves tangled on each other in the small garden of their cottage. "I love you." Zack murmured into his ear.

He felt Angeal smile against his cheek when he kissed him, and whispered back with more heat. "I love you too."