((Nyah. I hope you guys don't hate me TOO much for continuing this fic before Alpha. Then again, I'm not sure my fans carry over since this is CloZack and the other CloTi. For whatever reason, I'm on a huge yaoi phase and am really in no mood to do the CloTi fic at all. Maybe I'll just change the pairings over there a bit. Anyway, thank everyone across all the sites I posted this on. Your suggestions have helped mucho. Anyways, here comes chapter two! (I'll try to keep Cloud more in character!) PS: I more or less stole the scene between Cloud and Zack from Xiaa's amazing comic, "Lost". :P Let's hope she doesn't notice, yes?))

Cloud's head throbbed painfully as lay scrunched on one of the small couches in Edge Hospital's ICU waiting room. How long had he been awake now? Sleep had come slowly over the past few days...that is when it was kind enough to visit him at all. With his recent insomnia and Reeve's discovery what must have been half a day before by now, he wondered what made him think he'd get a wink tonight.

Reeve was kind enough not to ask questions when he found Cloud hunched in a hall, knees pulled to his chest, head pressed against them. He wasn't so uncaring, though, as not to force the man to accompany him when the ambulance arrived for the man he knew to be Cloud's old friend and perhaps hero. His work, however, kept him busy enough that Cloud was now left alone with his thoughts in the tiny room.

Little news had come on Zack's condition since he was admitted. Little, however, can be described as absolutely nothing in this case. The lack of information came as a little surprise to Cloud but edged on his worry all the same. For all he knew, his friend was dead...or worse. When you spent time with the Shinra Company, you knew without a doubt that there were at least a hundred thousand things worse than death.

In addition to the pounding headache, Cloud's eyes stung from unshed tears. If there was one thing he would not allow, it was for Zack's first sight of him in all these years to be of his weakness. This line of thought led, however, to a far more pleasant one. He wondered if his friend would even recognize him after the physical changes he'd undergone. Not only had he grown into man, but one with all the sense and strength of a First Class Soldier and then some.

This thought continued in a way he had not expected...one that actually caused blood to rise to his cheeks. In his condition now, he wondered, would Zack find him to have become more desirable? Memories of his time in Soldier flooded back, consuming him. Zack had become a mentor, a friend, and something of an older brother to him. Additionally, he had become the object of the young recruit's affection.

Zack toyed with him from time to time, as he recalled. Maybe it was just part of his personality, but a great deal of their time together involved Zack making comments that could be described conservatively as flirtatious. The memories attacked relentlessly. Visions of himself by the older man's side filled his mind. He could recall vividly every detail: the scent of his cologne, the mako glint in his grey-blue eyes, the grace of his movement, the melody of his voice. Contrary to his expectations, these thoughts escorted him into a welcome sleep.

"Do you plan on sleeping the entire day?" Cloud stirred slightly, refusing still to open his eyes. Sunlight poured into the room and the warmth was welcome on his face.

"Sounds good to me." he grumbled, finally opening an eye. Who was he talking to anyway? He opened another eye and blinked both to bring the room into focus. He knew this place...but what was it? A small apartment, it seemed, with the most comfortable bed he'd laid in since he left home.

"Sounds like the perfect way to waste a perfect opportunity if you ask me." The voice was certainly familiar. The owner came into full view as Cloud turned on his side. He couldn't help but smile at the man lying opposite him. His shoulder length black hair was a tangled mess, matted in spots to his face. Cloud reached forward tenderly to push the hair back, pausing when the man recoiled.

"Hey, watch it!" he warned, gesturing to a cut on his cheek, fresh and pink, shaped as an x.

"What happened?" Cloud questioned, though a smile was on his face. Zack laughed a little in return, drawing the younger man closer.

"You never get tired of this story, do you?" he joked softly, earning a shake of the head from his companion. "Alright, I'll tell you then, but..." he wagged a finger in the boy's face, "You hafta earn it fiiirst." he teased gently.

"How many?" The young warrior forced a grumble but couldn't stop the smile.

"Two'll do it. Don't hurt me this time, though!" he laughed, leaning in closer yet. The blond scooted up pressing his lips firmly to his friend's forehead, then trailing softly down and meeting his lips. The older man moved to deepen the kiss, draping his arm over Cloud's waist, only to have the boy jerk back.

"Nope. You gotta tell me now." he smiled, winking mischievously. Zack rolled his eyes in response, propping his head up on his hand.

"Fiiiine." He grumbled, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "It was Angeal and I out with a group of recruits on a training mission. Some fool of an MP goes out and finds himself a fucking Tonberry. Tonberry, would ya believe it, and has it in his head he can take the thing!" Cloud's cheeks reddened slightly.

"They don't look that tough." he offered. Zack just shook his head and went on now with his story.

"So this thing's comin' at him with the knife, right? I happen to look over in the direction right in time to see it."

"Then what happened?" Cloud urged him on.

"Then I pushed the kid the hell out of the way. Those things are dangerous as hell...coulda killed the kid..." He rolled his eyes again. Cloud pulled him closer this time.

"But there are tons of MPs...why'd you go out of your way to save this one?" he urged, smiling widely. Zack groaned but let out a laugh, his eyes narrowing into a seductive gaze.

"Because I knew the rewards would be great if I did." he said, pushing some stray locks behind Cloud's ear and kissing him fully on the lips. Cloud's cheeks reddened as they were prone to do when he was around the older Soldier.

"You really know me too well."

"Cloud...Cloud, get up!" Cloud woke to a far less pleasant scene than that of his dream. His back ached instantly as he pulled himself up from the tiny sofa he'd fallen asleep on. He rubbed his eyes furiously, both to clear his vision and his mind. Despite the initial anger at being torn from the dream, he could see a blessing in the fact that Reeve woke him before things got too good.

"What?" He asked gruffly, rubbing the back of his head before meeting Reeve's gaze, which was unreadable as always. Cloud felt a spike of jealousy for the man's ability to hide his emotions. At the same time, he cursed the skill. What exactly should he be preparing himself for if he didn't have any hints? All jealousy aside, a new sense of worry was edging at him rather unwelcomely.

"What do you mean, 'what'?" Reeve growled in return. Three hectic days and nights of discoveries of varying degrees coupled with this almost absurd new development did not bode well for his attitude. The last thing he needed was Cloud's typical dumbfounded attitude to top it all off. "Your friend." He said just enough to peak his comrade's interest.

"What about him?" Cloud demanded loudly before even realizing he'd opened his mouth. Such a lapse was unusual for the soldier in most cases...Zack was an entirely different league, however, and had the innate ability to bring out a side of him even Cloud didn't know. Reeve's lips curled into a small smile that he didn't bother to hide. Just what was the extent of these boys' relationship? He wondered silently.

"He's awake." Reeve started haltingly, purposely giving Cloud the chance to contain anything he may be feeling, "He's been through a preliminary round of tests and screening." he continued slowly, crossing his arms, "...and as far as we can tell...he's completely fine." he finally finished, "Muscles are weak from non-use and mako levels are off the chart..." he added before Cloud became too rejoiced, "...but...the levels in his blood haven't had any of the typical adverse effects up to this point."

Cloud stared up at him, fighting the smile from his face. His heart thudded hard in a sort of joyous rhythm and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself enough to speak. Why was he so shocked? This was Zack Fair. Soldier, First Class...Sephiroth's companion...Shinra's fastest rising star. Why was it any surprise, then, that he would be okay?

"Does he...remember me?" Cloud asked suddenly. He was standing before he realized it and the question was another of those pesky statements that forced themselves out before he gave them mental permission to do so. Reeve actually laughed aloud at this question.

"What, you think I quizzed him on you?" Cloud wouldn't have put it past the former spy and he made this obvious with the warning glare he sent. "I haven't even spoken to him. What happens to him at this point is none of my concern. The nurses tell me it's obvious he's been unconscious the majority of his time within the building, so he's of no use to myself or the WRO." Cloud could feel a fit of rage building. He should have known that was all Reeve would be concerned with.

"Where is he?" Cloud said now, trying to force his voice to remain even. How badly had he already let his usually well-kept emotions get the best of him? "I want to see him." he swallowed hard, shifting from foot to foot.

"Follow." Reeve instructed shortly, leading the blond down through a pair of double doors on the opposite side of the room. The ICU was hardly the center of activity one might have imagined from the outside. A small nurses' station took up the middle of the large room, curtains dividing the walls on any side into smaller 'rooms' where beds were present. Upon walking in, Cloud felt a chill run down his spine and an uneasy feeling he just couldn't shake clung to him. He hadn't realized until he was there just how much he hated being in a hospital. A memory clung to the edge of his mind, one of a place far too similar to the current, however he couldn't bring it forward enough to know if it was really anything more than a dream. The thick odor of antiseptic attacked Cloud's senses in a way that caused his eyes to water. Again, the trace of a memory urged itself to Cloud's mind, little more than a ghost haunting him.

"...This place..." Cloud muttered to himself, trying to keep his eyes on Reeve as he guided across the room. As he passed each partition, the occupants of the linen cells came into view. Tubes and wires, machines and monitors all humming and hissing and buzzing and beeping appeared to him like specters of the room's occupants' imminent deaths. Had he always been this cynical?

Reeve had ignored the man's mumbling to himself, stopping in front of one of the makeshift partitions. He stood in such a way that Cloud's view was blocked well enough as not to see anything more than an IV pole and a few monitors pressed against the wall on either side of the hidden bed.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Reeve asked, an edge still on his voice. He noticed something in Cloud's eyes that he had never recognized on the man before. Fear? He asked himself, eyes widening as the thought occurred. Why was it such an absurd thought for the younger man to experience such an emotion? He couldn't answer the question but the thought remained all the same.

"I'm fine." Cloud grunted, shouldering past Reeve into the 'room'. Once he made his way behind the curtains it did, in fact, seem not only like an entirely different room, but a different world. The mechanical sounds were loud, swarming in his ears. He felt as though he actually had to search for his friend beyond all the tubes and wires protruding from his body. His heart raced and he noticed just how moist his palms were with sweat. He didn't sit, rather stood halfway through the entranceway, staring at the man on the bed.

His friend looked far more frail than he recalled him being while in the tank and when he was first removed. The muscle definition he was sure he recognized the night before was missing, as was the deep bronze tone his skin used to shine. Cloud was sure he wouldn't have recognized him at all if it weren't for the pale blue-gray eyes that glowed eerily as they locked directly onto his own.

Both remained silent for what seemed like a small eternity. Cloud was aware that he should probably explain himself, probably be the first to speak as he was the one who entered. Then again, he reasoned to himself, Zack was always the one that took charge out of the two even in simple conversation. His eyes were alive, though Cloud couldn't identify the least bit of vitality throughout the rest of his body. He remembered the unmatched charisma of his friend and a smile finally tugged at his lips. It was hard to hold it back, and the only way he was finally able to do so was to remind himself that he still had no idea if Zack even knew who he was.

"...I can't believe it." Zack was the one who broke the silence, staring at Cloud as if he had a second head. Doctors and nurses and members of something he recalled to be named "WRO" had been in and out of his 'room' since he'd first woken, but not a single one could he recall. No one from Midgar's old hospital staff was working here, at least not that he'd seen, nor had anyone from Shinra paid a visit. Cloud was the first person from his former life that he'd seen in several years. He couldn't ask for a better start.

"...uh..." what was Cloud supposed to say? He was still in the same uncomfortable shock that he assumed Zack was. If the man did know who he was, and his reaction was raising Cloud's hope in this category, then he knew well enough that Cloud had trouble enough finding words even in the most relaxed situations.

"You look surprised." Zack's voice was a more gruff than Cloud had recalled. He couldn't say if it was from the fact that this may have been the first time in years he'd used it or simply from the fact that he too had aged since they parted, "You didn't think I wouldn't recognize you, did ya?" he asked with his characteristic infectious grin.

The reddening in Cloud's cheeks answered his question well enough. It'd been long enough since Zack had seen him, and even if it hadn't been, Cloud was the first to admit that he'd changed physically quite a bit over the past few years. When Zack had known him before, he was just a scrawny little MP. Weak as hell and with zero potential, at least in his own mind. Now, he was strong enough to take on Sephiroth and beat him. Twice. Not to mention the other enemies he'd faced before the General. Or Kadaj and his 'brothers' after.

"You mighta grown up, Spike..." he said playfully, recalling the old nickname he had for his younger friend, "but you're still Spike all the same.. I can see it all over you." In all honestly, he was in much the same boat as Cloud. If it weren't for those eyes of his, he doubted he would've ever been able to say who it was standing so awkwardly at the foot of his bed. Just by looking at him he could see he was undoubtedly stronger. Maybe stronger than he was even in his prime. He was taller than he remembered too. He smiled at the sight, remembering the complaints Cloud used to have at being so small. He certainly had grown into his body. As soon as Zack thought this, though, his mind drifted elsewhere, so to speak. The thoughts that entered his mind now caused the former Soldier to blush.

"...Ah...Are you okay?" Cloud asked as he saw the color rise in his friend's cheeks. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. He was thankful for something to say, though worry forced its way into his mind again.

"Just fine." Zack assured with a smile and a wink. Despite his obvious physical weakness, he was alive and well, and Cloud was more than relieved to see it. "Hey...you know, you can come a little closer." Zack urged now, struggling to sit up in the bed, "It's not as if I can beat you up in this state." he joked. He gave Cloud a look, though, that had the same effect as if he had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over physically. Cloud couldn't recall ever seeing the older man look so...helpless...so alone.

"I'm glad...you're okay..." Cloud admitted now, feeling his face redden. Why was this happening to him? It wasn't until now that he realized it- this was his body's usual reaction to being close to Zack. Even more so to see him well over half naked. Beyond the wires snaking from tiny pads stuck to his pecs and an oxygen mask with a long snaking tube that covered the majority of his face, Zack appeared to be completely nude. Of course, there was a blanket draped over his legs up to his waist. Cloud's imagination was well at work filling in those blanks, causing his face to turn a new shade of red.

Zack nodded in return, smiling at his young friend. As selfish as it may have been, Zack thoroughly enjoyed the shy blush that would come to Cloud's cheeks when he draped an arm around him or touched his arm or even found themselves in the same room when he was not fully clothed. He chuckled to himself at the memories of the young boy shuffling around nervously, forcing himself to stare at the ground and sometimes even needing to excuse himself from Zack's presence to fix a problem Zack couldn't help but imagine.

"Something tells me a hell of a lot has changed since I've been 'dead'." Zack said thoughtfully when he saw Cloud to have at least partially regained his composure. Cloud nodded in agreement, grateful for the chance to strike up some sort of conversation.

"You've got that for sure." he said quickly, fixing his gaze on Zack's eyes. Were he to look at his face in general, he would have only reminded himself that Zack wasn't exactly in the clear yet, apparently having trouble breathing. If he were to look at the rest of his body...well, he wasn't about to go borrowing trouble.

"So tell me." Zack said quickly before he could lose Cloud to his thoughts again. He was thrilled to have Cloud around, though he prayed the boy, no, man he had to remind himself, wouldn't notice. He was able to control at least his expression better than Cloud, but his body was another matter. He was still thanking the gods Cloud didn't know enough to look over at the monitors keeping track of his vital signs, as that would have shown that his friend's mere present sent his heart racing. "Tell me everything. Start at my end." he said slowly, flashing a smile when he saw a look of sadness crossing Cloud's face, "and don't stop until you've told me every last detail."

Cloud let himself smile slightly this time. Just a few minutes ago he'd been afraid he would be standing, staring wordlessly at his friend until he was shooed away. Now he had more to say than he ever cared to. That was the way things worked with Zack, though. It always seemed to be one extreme or the other.

And yet, Cloud couldn't think of another person in the world he'd rather be with.