Presents
by Ky

Summary: Sometimes it's not really the gift you give that counts. Zack, Cloud. For Chibi Envy Chan and Wolfy.
Genre: General
Rating: G
Word Count: 1257
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its prequels and sequels, Sinckers, or Three Musketeers. The Tree of Lights is from Before Crisis, but I'm not entirely sure what sector of Midgar it's in, so for now, it's… here.

Notes: Written for Chibi Envy Chan, Wolfy, and anyone else I might have missed who wanted this pairing for the Fandom Holiday Drabble Exchange. I am blissfully unaware of the Crisis Core canon, since I am not-so-patiently awaiting March 25 for the English release. So, although this was inspired by Crisis Core, there may be some inconsistencies with canon or slight OOC-ness. I also apologize for the lame title and the fact that you people wanted a pairing and I gave you cute gen with slash leanings instead.

A pair of brown gloves was part of the uniform for Shinra's Military Police. Unfortunately, the standards seemed to be rather low as far as what could actually be issued to a new recruit, so Cloud had received a rather bad pair. Whenever he happened to run into the blonde MP from Nibelheim, Zack couldn't help but notice the way Cloud's fingertips were starting to poke through the frayed ends of his gloves.

One day, while ogling a shiny new model of sword at the local weapons shop during some time off, Zack happened to catch sight of a pair of leather gloves for sale at the counter. They were built for the wear-and-tear of handling a sword, and their sturdiness would probably be wasted on an MP. But to Zack, they somehow felt right.

Cloud… He's got an interesting future ahead of him, he thought, though he was not entirely sure why he felt this way. He shrugged it off, paying the vendor and leaving the store, Cloud's new gloves in hand.

&&&

The Shinra Company seemed determined to remind its employees that it was the holiday season, and they weren't getting a break any time soon. Ornamented fir trees of various sizes kept cropping up in corners, garlands wound around railings, and if one looked out the window, one could see the enormous, cone-shaped, light-bulb-studded silhouette of the Tree of Lights downtown.

Cloud never thought he'd be homesick for Nibelheim, after all the time he'd spent plotting his escape from the godforsaken little town. He wasn't homesick, not really. Just nostalgic. Christmas was coming up, and it would have been nice to hear his mother sing a carol, or—though he was loathe to admit it—eat a sugar cookie that wasn't from a slice-and-bake tube. He was such a horrible cook that he always burned them anyway.

"Hey, Cloud!"

The blonde whirled around. He hadn't expected anyone to sneak up behind him. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. It was Zack Fair, the one truly nice person he'd met through any of his work as an MP. Zack was always smiling or laughing. He was a SOLDIER, so he must be strong, and Cloud found something pleasing about his physical appearance, as well. As much as he enjoyed his conversations with Zack, however, Cloud had to keep reminding himself that Zack was friendly with everyone. A smile and a joke thrown his way whenever they happened to meet didn't mean anything special.

So Cloud couldn't have been more surprised when Zack held up a package wrapped in paper and shoved it into his hands. "Merry Christmas!" he said brightly. Misinterpreting Cloud's confused expression, he added, "I know it's a little early, but people are hard to find on holidays… Go on, open it!"

Dumbfounded, Cloud started to tear at the paper. Unable to get a good grip on it with his gloves on, he smiled sheepishly while he juggled the package from hand to hand, trying to get his gloves off.

Zack waited patiently as Cloud opened the present. "You like 'em?"

Cloud looked at the brand-new pair of leather gloves in his hand. He hadn't really noticed how damaged his old ones had become until he compared them to these. The leather was so new that they even smelled nice! He smiled broadly, and Zack grinned back. "Thanks…um… I don't have anything to give you."

Zack knowingly held up one finger, inflating visibly and affecting a tone of mock seriousness. "To give without expecting to receive: that's the true meaning of Christmas." It was obvious he was reciting something he'd heard before. When he suddenly snorted with laugher, Cloud didn't mind being caught up in the giggles that followed; although he wasn't sure he got the joke. That was just the way Zack was. He wouldn't let you take anything too seriously.

Once they had calmed down, the black-haired SOLDIER commented, "When I walked up, you looked concerned about something. What's on your mind, Cloud?"

The blonde shrugged. He had put on his new gloves, shoving the old ones in his pocket. They kept his fingers pleasantly warm. "I was just thinking." He glanced at the window again. "It's not like Nibelheim."

Zack shrugged too. "It's not like Gongaga, either." He thought for a bit. Then, "The only thing Midgar's really like is your sweet ol' granny with the nasty-smelling feet. Not that fun to be around, gross as hell, but you can't hate her, not really."

Cloud stared. Then he burst out laughing again.

"Hey!Hey!" Zack protested. "I was being serious!"

Cloud turned away, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter, but he wasn't sure he wanted to stop. He'd never laughed like this back home, not twice in the same conversation.

He didn't know much about the cheerful SOLDIER. What had he left behind to come here?

But he did know one thing: he owed this guy a Christmas present.

&&&

Cloud realized quickly that getting Zack a present had not been one of his brightest ideas. He had little free time around missions and training, no expertise in shopping, and his MP salary did not allow him to buy much because of Midgar's high inflation. Besides, he didn't know Zack well enough to have any clue what he would want. Cloud was instinctively fugal, and giving things away did not come naturally to him. He thought it would be best to give a practical gift, but what could Zack, of all people, possibly need?

And come to think of it, wasn't it weird to give a gift to someone of a higher rank, anyway?

I'll just make it look like no big deal, Cloud decided. But he was running out of time before Christmas. If he couldn't get the gift to Zack by Christmas, then this would be even more awkward. It would really seem like he was trying too hard. And that wasn't manly. Not at all.

Frugality and an attempt at nonchalance won the day in the end. Cloud found himself hovering by a particular block of snack machines that he knew Zack tended to frequent before lunch, staring at the candy bars.Everyone likes Snickers, right? No, Three Musketeers…?

He heard footsteps approaching behind him and quickly dumped several gil into the vending machine. "Hey Zack! The machine gave me one too many candy bars. You want one?"

Zack stopped midway through shoving gil into the machine next to Cloud's. He turned to look at the blonde only to find him brandishing two Snickers bars in one hand and fixing him with a rather cheesy grin.

"Sorry Cloud, but I… I can't accept this."

Cloud blinked. There was an awkward silence.

"Kidding, kidding. Really though, I'm allergic to chocolate. Wheezing, hives, the whole nine yards."

Cloud wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He'd tried to give him a Christmas present, but he could have killed Zack instead! He lowered the arm brandishing the chocolate bars. "S-sorry."

"Eh, it's no big deal." The black-haired SOLDIER retrieved his bag of potato chips from the bottom of the vending machine, giving a jaunty wave and starting to walk off.

"Hey Zack, wait!" Cloud shouted suddenly.

Zack halted, spinning around in his tracks. "Huh?"

"Merry Christmas!" he called, forcing a smile onto his face.

Zack grinned. "Same to you!" He turned and walked away.

Cloud watched him go. Even though he had completely failed at giving a Christmas present, Zack's smile left a warm, bubbly feeling in his chest.

End Notes: Puppies are allergic to chocolate. Hee.