Chapter Twooo. lol. Thanks for the reviews I have so far. xD lol. Don't you love it when I type things out before I even BEGIN to post them? :D Less of a wait for you! :D

Still a wait though… I'm on a work trip at the moment, back and forward between my house and Inverloch. For those of you who don't know, that's 2 hours + drive. We've been staying there, away from my computer, for 2 weeks or so at a time. :/ That's why Training's still not finished. Eat this instead :D

Warnings: I are lazy. Refer to previous chapter.

Association - Chapter Two

Lieutenant Fair's point of view

Zack was scaring himself a little. This blonde bombshell that had seemingly appeared from nowhere had managed already to worm his way into the Lieutenant's head on far too many occassions. It wasn't just that Cloud was incredibly gorgeous, it was the fact that the boy was incredibly smart, and he just knew that Sephiroth would take an interest in the boy for this very reason.

--

Undeniably, there was a smug grin creeping across my face as I flung open the General's door and fell promptly onto his couch. He didn't even flinch as he read from a manila folder before him

"What ya reeeeeading?" I asked, and I smirked as he flitted me a casual look through his reading glasses, before pulling them off of the bridge of his nose.

"Cloud Strife's file. You knew that, because you left it here..."

"Ohh. Yeah, I totally forgot about that!" I grinned casually, as he replaced the glasses onto his nose and scanned the paper repeatedly. Well, well, well. It looked as if General Fusspot was actually intrigued by a little bundle that I had scoped out. Oh yeah, I had a claim to fame in finding this one. This particular scouting trip was made all too easy. Cloud literally walked straight into me. Such little effort involved on my behalf.

Zack Fair: One. Sephiroth: Zero. Not that I was keeping tabs or anything, but the General had a particular way of boasting oh so subtly that he had a better eye for talent than my very capable self. This time though, Cloud Strife had offered me an opportunity to free myself from the casual statements that Sephiroth just loved to make.

"Zachary, you must be aware by now that your candidate is lacking... flair?"

"Zachary, have you noticed Jameson? I managed to spot him within the training halls down in sector five..."

"Zachary, what dumpster did you pull this one out of?"

Zachary, Zachary, Zachary... If I hadn't become so close to what was widely known as 'the walking wall', I may very well have attempted to kill Sephiroth years ago. Thankfully, as well as being what may be considered his closest friend, I had a sharp enough wit that I could dish it back just as readily.

"Hey Stuffy-pants," I remarked airily, as aforementioned General locked eyes with mine from across the room. It had been as simple as that from the start. A nickname he didn't like would be mentioned ever so casually, and I'd be met with an emerald green death glare.

"...What?"

"Don't give me that" I teased with a cheeky grin, and he offered a flicker of a smirk before turning his gaze away once again.

"No, in all seriousness, I think this kid has potential."

"Strife?" He said flatly, his eyes not moving from the file before him.

"Yeah. He's a good kid..." I said a little too distantly. Cloud was more than just a good kid. He was a sight for sore eyes to say the very least, and had possibly the most stunning eyes that I've ever witnessed in my life, even rivaling Sephiroth's. That wasn't meant to be the important part though, Gaia...

This was my current problem. I was a scout in every sense of the word, and yet the feature of Cloud Strife that had reeled me in immediately was his appearance. As well as that he was everything that you could aspire to lust over; Humour, apparent intelligence in bucketloads, and a naïve kind of innocence at times that lead me to believe he might have a bit of a hidden wild streak. I'd known him for a little over a week now, and Gaia even the mere thought of him simultaneously spread warmth through my heart and a jolt through m-... Ah Shiva, not the right time or place to be thinking about this. The thing was, I'd seen him every day, and each day he'd gotten friendlier and friendlier. I guess it was true that some people needed a little coaxing before you could really get to know them. Cloud was a bit of an opposite of me. I was completely open, and Sephiroth often remarked that I wore my heart on my sleeve too freely. Cloud however, seemingly had some kind of spell over anyone he spoke to, where you had to get to know him. And with people like him, these things took time. Maybe it was my own twisted imagination, but I thought that there was more than a little chemistry between he and I, and I secretly begged that there was on his behalf too.

"Zack..." Sephiroth said softly enough that I turned my gaze back over to his and froze. He was smirking, and from the looks of it he knew exactly what had gone through my head.

"He's good looking, ok?" I huffed, and the General merely shrugged slightly.

"I said nothing..."

"You didn't have to, you asshole."

"He has a lot of potential."

"You said that yesterday!"

"This was before I got the Turks to do a full check-up on him."

I gave him the best horrified look I could muster, and he gave me a look of his own that symbolised nothing but confusion.

"You got the Turks to check him up?" I gaped, and he nodded simply.

"He interested me."

"He interested you?" I repeated back to him, "What the hell is that meant to mean?"

"He has potential."

"You're like a freaking record!" I sighed, absent mindedly burying my head back into the couch cushions. Sephiroth was quiet for such a long time that I wondered if he'd perhaps gotten up and left without me realising. It had happened several times before, and it wouldn't surprise me if today was no different.

"Are you not spending more time with him today?" He asked out of the blue, and I shrugged.

"Well, I intend on bringing him to meet you actually. Just as soon as you relieve me from this hellhole..." I hinted, and he simply lowered Cloud's folder to gaze at me over the top of it with a skeptical gaze.

"Introduce him to me?"

"You said that he seemed interesting. I've never heard you say that before about anyone. I figured it was worth bringing him here so you can give your almighty opinion on my gold mine of talent in person," I smirked, and he raised his eyebrow once again, in something akin to both scrutiny and surprise. I simply held his gaze and pouted as best as I could, before he resigned, as was the norm.

"...Go then..."

"Woo!" I grinned, giving a wave as I leapt from the sofa and headed for the door. I could have sworn he sighed as I left, but with Sephiroth, only Gaia knows.

--

I have to admit, you learn to kind of like the attention this uniform got you. There were a variety of people leaving me a variety of looks as I passed them. A few in particular had been entertaining, as I walked past a pair of secretaries. Both of them had subtly bitten their bottom lips and damn near burnt holes through my uniform with those spicy little gazes. Oh Gaia, were they up the wrong tree.

"Lieutenant Fair, pleased to meet you!" A figure grinned, before stepping in front of me. Shiva, that happened far too often for my liking and just about scared the shit out of me every time. I took a moment to take in the guy's appearance. Scruffy black curls, really bright green eyes... were they mako infused? Anyway, glasses... average build. I suppose he had a certain charm to him, especially with the over-eager smile plastered on his face.

"Uh, hey. How's it going?" I grinned, as I took his outstretched hand and shook it.

"Great thanks. I figure you're looking for a little blonde cadet?"

"I kind of am, yeah."

"I know where he is..." He smiled then, before beckoning for me to follow him.

"I've heard so many stories about you," the stranger smiled widely, "You really are amazing..."

"Well, thanks!" I grinned, trying to brush off the fact that he was not so subtly coming onto me. He chattered on like that for awhile, leading me to the study area, which was seemingly deserted.

"Cloudy cakes! I brought you a present!" The stranger called out to the quiet surroundings as I heard a sigh answer him.

"Elliot, you're a pain in my ass. Why don't you go piss off and do something... or someone?" A familiar voice retorted in annoyance, before blonde spikes popped up from a study cubicle. I smiled widely, as Cloud's eyes widened, apparently in horror.

"Am I interrupting?" I asked, and he shook his head violently.

"N-no! I just... Um... God damn it Elliot!" The blonde snapped, before his friend smirked back at him.

"Come on babydoll, boyzone!" Elliot whined, as the blonde glared. It must have been a personal joke because I certainly didn't get it. Was Elliot... Cloud's boyfriend? Oh Gaia, that would suck ass.

"Elliot, how many times have I told you not to call me that in public? Or, you know, anywhere?" Cloud scowled, as his friend turned to face me.

"He's just a bit touchy when I interrupt him," Elliot smiled, "He's a good kid though."

"I know..." I replied, smiling as the blonde offered a shy smile in return.

"Thanks Elliot. No really... Now, you can leave," Cloud scowled, and the grunt beside me rolled his eyes.

"Fine. It was really nice meeting you Lieutenant."

"You too Elliot. Take care, yeah?" I grinned, and he visibly blushed, before turning and swiftly leaving. Cloud let out a groan and fell back in his chair, even as I approached him.

"You ok?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry. I sometimes think he does it to me on purpose just because I won't go out with him..." the blonde sighed, as he absent mindedly rubbed his temple. Won't go out with him, huh? Back in the game, then.

"Not into guys like him?" I asked curiously, and he shrugged.

"You could say that."

He replied a little uncomfortably, and the thought that he might not be gay after all crushed me almost instantly. Nooo! My gaydar was usually sooo good, and I could have sworn that this one was... a closet gay? Or maybe even just a little shy... But Gaia, if he was actually straight, life was going to become so much hard-

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern, as I realised that even in thought I was working myself up. With a personality like mine, it was incredibly difficult to hold control over anything, really. But, Shiva Zack, he was going to make a good SOLDIER. He wasn't here for my own enjoyment.

"I'm fine kiddo. You ready to go?" I asked, as he nodded, picking up his folders and school books.

"I'll just have to drop this off home..."

"Alrighty then."

"Where are we going?" He grinned, before I turned to head for the door.

"I'm introducing you to Sephiroth..." I said airily, before an audible thump reached my ears. I turned to see Cloud stooping to pick up his books and frowned slightly.

"Are you alright Cloud?"

"Uh, yeah, must have just lost my grip," He grinned sheepishly, "It happens sometimes... Butterfingers."

It was nice to know that other people were at least near my level of clumsiness.

"What's Sephiroth like? In person, I mean?" Cloud asked quietly as we strolled down the hallway.

"He's... Well, he's different," I smiled to myself, "But he's really quite... nice?"

Cloud looked at me like I had just admitted to beating my grandmother on occasion.

"Nice?" He snorted, and I nodded.

"He's actually quite affectionate in his own way. He knows he has sex appeal, and admittedly he's not afraid to use it if he thinks it will charm his way out of something," I smirked, as Cloud's jaw dropped slightly. The reaction from people to some of Seph's behaviour was generally the same. A kind of pleased shock. Well, I knew my shock was certainly a pleasing one. I'd been particularly pissed at him one afternoon, and he managed to change that rather quickly.

"Asshole! You could have at least offered to send me to Wutai with the others! Now they've got all this opportunity that I'm sitting here missing out on!"

"You wanted to go to Wutai?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" I snapped, adding a bit of a foot stamp in an attempt at emphasising the point.

"Are you angry with me?" He asked coyly, his eyes glittering slightly, as a curtain of silver hair swung forward to frame his face quite nicely and highlight those gorgeously green eyes and that oh so smooth sk- Wait, no! Asshole! He might have been good looking and all, but I was not giving this one up.

"Yes, I am angry with you. I am furious, in fact. I can not believe that you of all people have denied me such an opportunity! You know I want this…"

He must be a little guilty now, because he knows that I don't usually put so much effort into wording myself correctly, and he's resting his chin on his hands as he looks at me from his desk.

"Zack, come and sit down," He said softly, before I reluctantly dragged my ass over to sit in the chair across from his. He smiled slowly, deliberately, and I was snared in that Gaia damned gaze.

"I kept you here because I like you here. You keep things interesting. If I sent you to Wutai, despite the amount of training you HAVE had, you would have likely been killed, and it would have been both a tragic loss in a professional sense, and a traumatic one in a personal sense," He said smoothly, and I felt a rather annoying blush creep up my cheeks. He noticed, and the smile widened fractionally.

"Am I out of the doghouse yet?" He asked, an amused cheekiness underlying his tone. He knew, and he was playing me for it! I didn't care though, as he continued to gaze at me with those damn eyes and gorgeous hair and finely shape-

"FINE, but you're an asshole for purposefully doing that..." I mumbled, and he leant back casually, a coy smile licking at his lips.

"It comes in handy," He replied simply, "And now I know that it works on you, I may have to use it more often."

I scowled deeply and stood, heading for the door. As I took the handle and turned it, his voice caught my attention.

"Zack..."

"What?"

"I meant it, by the way," He said simply, and it was a clear tone that expressed that the conversation had ended. His secretary smiled at me on the way out, and I hoped to Gaia she hadn't seen me blushing.

"He's really a bit of a softy, come to think of it. He's just a little... difficult?" I offered, and Cloud seemingly wanted an extended explanation.

"Well, he's really great once you get to know him. It's the getting to know him part that's the issue," I explained, "As you may guess, he keeps a lot of walls up. In doing this, he comes across as pretty cold and a bit of a man-bitch most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

"The other times, he's usually plain rude," I shrugged, and Cloud seemed a little unsettled, "He's one of those people you have to persist at. It's worth it though, trust me."

"Uh... another question, if you don't mind that is," He paused then, seemingly anxious, "And you don't have to answer it or anything."

"Sure. You can ask me anything you want..." I smiled warmly, and he seemed to ease himself a little.

"Are you... you know..." He paused again, seemingly uncomfortable. I took a guess at what might be an uncomfortable question and smirked.

"Are Sephiroth and I more than friends?" I asked, and his cheeks positively flamed.

"I mean, you don't have to answer it or anything, but a few people were suggesting that maybe because you and he spend so much time together and get along so well that it was poss-"

"No," I interrupted, "I guess I'm just not into him like that, you know?"

LIES. Ok, so maybe I was a little infatuated with General Stuffy-pants... But Gaia, just about everyone who worked for Shinra, followed Shinra, or even watched the news on a regular basis was!

"Oh..." Cloud said softly, a faint glimmer of something lurking in his eyes. It was quiet then for awhile, something that I was never particularly good with dealing with, so I whistled a tune. Cloud laughed a little after a few moments, as his gaze turned to meet mine.

"I know that song. My mum used to sing it to me when I was a little kid."

"Must be a backwash thing..." I teased, "I'm from Gongaga and I had that sung to me too."

"Gon-ga-ga?" Cloud snorted, and I rounded a look on him. He barely wavered however, and simply smiled.

"What a name..." He explained, as I felt a little playful riff forming.

"Better than Neeeee-bell-hyyyyyme!" I teased, and he poked his tongue out in a childish manner. Seemingly he hadn't meant to however, as he quickly retracted it and blushed.

"Oh Gaia, you're cute..." I smirked, and he blushed further, muttering a small 'shut up' as we reached his apartment. The blonde quickly discarded his books, but seemed to stall for time when reaching the door. He didn't say much as we made our way to the office, but Gaia he looked gorgeous with that soft blush creeping along his skin. Come to think of it, I might just have to find an easy way to provoke it...

--

I flung open the door, much to Sephiroth's displeasure, as the wall copped the torment of the door handle.

"Is it possible to hold a little restraint?" He sighed, as I felt Cloud subconsciously shuffle to stand behind me.

"Do you ever stop complaining? Anyway, I have someone I want you to meet!" I smiled, as Cloud bravely stepped out from behind me and saluted the General.

"Nice to meet you General Sephiroth Sir," Cloud said a little too rushed, as Sephiroth's lips curled upwards slightly. The General stood then and moved to stand before the blonde, who shrunk backwards slightly.

"Nice to meet you, cadet..." Sephiroth replied, extending his hand for Cloud to take in a handshake. The blonde did so somewhat timidly, before easing his salute and smiling slightly. This was... good. In fact, this was insanely good progress. So far, Cloud hadn't passed out from the nerves, and Sephiroth hadn't done anything to embarrass either of us. It wasn't that Sephiroth was socially incapable of meeting new people, just... awkward. But no, the two seemed to be getting along fine, and Masamune had remained sheathed the entire time. The General wasn't even being an asshole... Sephiroth had returned to sit at his desk and was offering Cloud a seat across from him, and all of it had happened within my self-absorbed musings. Never one to slip away from the group's activities, I sidled over and pulled up a chair beside the blonde.

"I've told Sephiroth a lot about you Cloud," I smiled, as the blonde turned to face me and blushed, "And we think you've got skill."

"I've been looking at your file on and off all day, actually..." Sephiroth mused, holding up the manila report with Cloud's baby faced photo on it. The blonde's blush deepened as his eyes latched onto his photo, and if I hadn't known better I could have sworn that Sephiroth suppressed a smirk at the sight. The two held a pretty decent conversation then, and I presumed it would be best for me to butt out a little and simply listen.

"You come from Nibelheim?" Sephiroth asked, as Cloud nodded.

"Yes sir. Born and raised."

"I've heard it's a... what was the word you use?" Sephiroth paused, turning to ask me with a slight smirk on his face.

"Backwash!" I prompted, as the blonde kicked me under the desk.

"I've heard it's a 'backwash' town," Sephiroth continued, "So how did you amuse yourself if the town was such a dull place?"

"I fought, sir. Well, I trained really. There was no one that I really had to fight with," Cloud explained, "So I tended to practice sword swings and things like that."

"You had a sword?"

"My dad thought it would be a cool thing for a kid to have..." Cloud smiled slightly, seemingly amused by the memory.

"Undoubtedly," Sephiroth mused, "I hope you'll forgive me for saying this Cloud, but your muscular tone does not yet seem the type of a well practiced fighter..."

"I... Well, that's ok sir," Cloud smiled a little shakily, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. God damn it Sephiroth, you have to learn a little more about what to say and when to say it.

"That's ok?" Sephiroth queried, and Cloud nodded defiantly.

"What I lack for in strength, I make up for in here," He smiled, patting his chest and head. I held back a grin as the blonde smiled at me fleetingly. Sephiroth seemed mildly impressed in his amusement and merely nodded.

"That's very true...." Sephiroth agreed, and the blonde's smile re-emerged accompanied by that very faint blush. Seemingly, he was eager to impress his hero, and so was warming up to him nicely. I couldn't be happier if I was pooping rainbows.

"I've seen you a lot on the news and in the papers, sir," Cloud said softly, almost hesitantly, "How do you deal with all the attention?"

Ah Gaia, don't go there Cloud.

"Attention?" Sephiroth queried.

"Yeah. You know, they're saying that you're the most publicized person since Shinra first became a major corporation," Cloud said quietly, "And I just guess that I thought a lot of people would approach you for autographs and things like that..."

Aaand, he just went there.

"I don't have many people approach me at all actually. It surprises me quite frequently, as I've heard that what you say is true..." Sephiroth said, seemingly lost in thought.

"But why not?" Cloud urged, as I silently willed him to shut up.

"Far too often people are... scared..." Sephiroth smiled slightly, albeit bitterly, as he waved the comment away, "That's not overly important however. How do you think you'll fair in your upcoming fitness tests?"

"I think I may do well, sir," Cloud shrugged slightly

Oh thank Gaia. Kudos to Sephiroth for moving off the topic and not slaughtering Cloud where he sat.

"Well enough to make it into SOLDIER?"

"I intend to let someone else have grunt of the year, sir..." Cloud smiled a little sheepishly, and the world may very well have stopped as Sephiroth offered a small laugh in return.

"How compassionate of you," the General said wryly, "You really are a true friend to your peers."

"So!" I teased, eager to draw the attentions of Cloud back to me, "He's not so scary after all, is he Spikey?"

Cloud gave a nervous little laugh at this and flicked his eyes to Sephiroth's momentarily. Unluckily for him, Sephiroth had a way of snatching gazes, so the blonde was now unable to look away.

"Am I intimidating, cadet?" Sephiroth asked, a mild hint of amusement licking at his words.

"Maybe a little, sir."

"I assure you that I don't bite..." Sephiroth teased, and the blonde was damn near radiating heat. Sephiroth apparently had an adverse affect over the blonde, and I couldn't blame Cloud. A lot of the rumors going around involved Sephiroth being some kind of unstable monster, when really he was just a little... misguided...

"Well I suppose that's a good thing, sir," Cloud took a chance by smiling, and I melted at the sight. This was damn near perfect. Cloud, my newly found joy of life, was meeting his hero and the person he damn near idolised. Sephiroth, my long time best friend... was staring at Cloud in a manner I couldn't describe... Maybe the blonde really did have potential. Sephiroth tended to have a way of picking these things up. Still...

"Ok, well I gotta go and do some training. Did you wanna come with Cloud and maybe check out the SOLDIER hall?" I asked, and the blonde nodded, turning a shy gaze from Sephiroth's as he stood.

"It was nice meeting you sir."

"The pleasure is mine, cadet," Sephiroth replied, as he shook the blonde's hand once more. Cloud blushed as I cleared my throat. The blonde smiled apologetically at me, as Sephiroth continued to watch him, before I pulled on Cloud's wrist slightly and dragged him from the room.

"How was that?" I grinned, and the blonde blushed slightly.

"It was ok. He looks just like he does on the TV," Cloud shrugged slightly, "But he seems pretty friendly, actually."

"Yeah, that even surprised me..." I mused, as the blonde and I headed for the training halls.

"Does the General have many friends?" Cloud asked, and I shook my head a little solemnly. It was one of those sad facts of life, really.

"Not really. Like I said before, he's kind of a hard man to get close to. He has this habit of pushing people away..." I shrugged a little, and Cloud seemed to be absorbed in thought.

"I think I'd like to try and be his friend," He said suddenly, and I couldn't help but smile widely, "He seems deserving of it after all."

This kid was gorgeous.

"Sure. Why don't you hang out with him a little more tomorrow? You've both got the day off, and I'll most likely have to be at some meeting or something."

"You won't be there?" He gaped, and I squeezed his shoulder.

"Be yourself. You guys were getting along insanely well from what I saw. Besides, he'll no doubt love you the way you are. You're like a bundle of awesome..." I teased, and Cloud playfully swatted at my arm. If there was ever a pair of souls that could use an extra companion, those two were it.

"You should stop complimenting me so much!" He whined, as I threw him a confused gaze.

"Why's that?"

"People might take it the wrong way," The blonde blushed, as his gaze shifted to the floor, a small smile licking at his lips. Oh Gaia, maybe he wanted people to take it the wrong way. Wait... No, it was the right way wasn't it? I really was flirting with him after all. It was maybe a little more subtle than I was used to throwing out there, but it was definitely flirting.

"Let's get you buffed up, hey?" I said swiftly, effectively changing the subject.

"Sure!" The blonde grinned, as I pushed open the doors and let him in.

--

"Yes."

"You mean it?!"

"Would I have said it if I had not meant it?"

"No need to get huffy."

"I'm not getting huffy..."

"General Huffy-pants. It's got a nice ring yeah?"

Years of training had allowed me barely enough skill to avoid the dictionary that Sephiroth then proceeded to lob at my head. Maybe I was better at dodging then I thought. I ducked down, but came up grinning, as Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Why does the thought enlighten you so much?" Sephiroth asked, and I shrugged slightly.

"I guess because I know you're a big softy at heart, and you two seemed to get along pretty ok in the understatement of the year category," I suggested, as I picked the dictionary off of the floor, "And besides, you could do with a little extra company here and there when I'm not ar- Hey, your name's in here!"

Sephiroth's eyebrow didn't drop as I grinned widely.

"Sephiroth - Legendary warrior of the company Shinra, and commonly used as a slang term for a highly capable individual at any task. E.g. 'He is somewhat of a Sephiroth at water polo,' " I grinned, as Sephiroth shook his head slightly.

"I detest water polo..."

"That's not the point. The point is that you have your own definition now!" I grinned, as he held out his hand for the book, seemingly not believing me. He casually flicked through the pages before, focusing his gaze on mine.

"...you're in here too..." He said flatly, as I snatched at the cover. He kept it out of reach however and held it upwards to read it.

"Zack - a presuming, conceited, or empty-headed young man..." Sephiroth mused, as I glowered.

"Asshole."
"No really, it's here... right under 'puppy'."

"Asshole. Gaia, you're real funny, you know that?"

"I thought it was, actually," Sephiroth smirked slightly, still holding the dictionary out of my reach, before throwing it across the room.

"Fetch?" He suggested, before I flipped him the bird. Despite not wanting to give into his little game, I got up and went to get the dictionary. I did want it, after all.

"ANYWAY, what time do I drop the little one around?" I asked coyly, and he made a point of throwing his stress ball at me when I bent to pick up the book. Sephiroth merely smirked lazily as I glared.

"What ever time is suitable for 'the little one' as you call him," Sephiroth replied casually, "Or anytime you feel the desire to go for walkies..."

"I'm gonna have to kick your ass."

"I invite you to try."

He said it softly, with a devilishly teasing smile flitting across his lips. Ok, I'll openly admit it again, General Sephiroth is undeniably a turn on. He's a turn on when he looks at me like that, when I watch him fight, even when I catch him in tracksuit pants and a sweatshirt eating grilled cheese sandwiches like his life depends on it. He knew it too. I'd told him before. What a delightfully awkward little conversation that had turned out to be.

"Zachary..."

"Call me Zack God damn it!"

"I must admit I enjoy Zachary better."

"Because it annoys me?"

"Yes..." Sephiroth smirked teasingly, and I shook my head as I sighed.

"God damn it, you're gorgeous..."

"Excuse me?"

"I just... well surely people have told you that before?"

"Yes."

"Then what's the big deal?"

"It's strange to hear it from you, to be honest."

"Well, I find you quite the turn on to be honest."

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow, offering a small smile of amusement before returning to his paperwork.

"I'm flattered?" He offered, and I inwardly kicked myself. What on Gaia was I thinking?

Well, regardless of anything he did to my head, and body, I was not going anywhere near that area. Invite me to try eh? I decided against the idea and instead threw the ball square at his eyes. His SOLDIER reflexes kicked mine in the balls once again however, as he caught the ball and threw it back just as swiftly. I sucked at dodging after all apparently, as it hit me hard in the thigh and sent a shooting pain up my leg.

"Son of a bi-"

"Now, now. Don't make me get the spray bottle."

"You're gonna milk this puppy shit for all its worth, hey?"

"Clever boy."

"I'm going!"

"Good day then."

"You know what? I might just not leave!" I huffed, and this only seemed to make his smile widen slightly.

"I'm okay with that Zachary."

"I hate you sometimes."

"What does he like in terms of food?" Sephiroth said seemingly out of the blue as I attempted to wrap my head around the statement.

"Eh?"

Real intelligent there, Zack.

Sephiroth was apparently thinking the same thing as he let out a soft sigh and smirked.

"Cloud. If he's going to be in my company for a few hours, it would be rude of me not to feed him, would it not?"

"Well holy shit Seph, you're learning!" I teased, "Yes, it might just be that."

"Doesn't answer the question."

"Well, we got a special at the Wall Street diner. He seems to like chicken. Don't give him eggs or pickles though, he looked like he hated them..."

"Then why did he eat them?"

"Maybe to not appear rude?"

"Then how will I know if he enjoys it or not?"

"He makes this cute little face where his eyes damn near light up, and he chews with an increased vigor..." I trailed off a little as Sephiroth smirked knowingly.

"You seemed to pay a lot of attention, Lieutenant."

Well shit, I guess I did...

"Uh, I suppose. I guess... I dunno."

"Speechless?"

"A little, yeah," I grinned, and Sephiroth merely shook his head.

"Do you... feel for him at all?" The General asked a little too casually, and I shook my head firmly.

"No, no! Well, I think he's very incredibly attractive, but aside from that, he's just a really cool friend, you know?"

LIES. Lies, lies, lies. God, he was perfect and the little shit had me falling for him hard. Damn. Sephiroth didn't seem to notice my inner ass kicking however and merely nodded.

"Ok."

"I'm tired, I'm gonna go home."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I'll bring the little one. You'll be good, won't you? You won't like, scare him or anything?" I warned, and he smirked.

"Me? Never. But Zack?"

I paused, as those eyes latched on again and my breath caught slightly in my throat. He really was just that gorgeous. You couldn't look at him full on without partially losing your mind.

"Yeah?"

"You look tired. Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, thanks Seph."

"It's a selfish request..." He mused, "It bothers me when you're not smiling so openly."

I left at that, my heart giving tiny little flutters at the words. GAH, he drove me insane...

--

I lounged back on my couch, increasingly a favourite pastime, and casually channel browsed. It was a hopeless cause really. I was too excited to sleep, and it was all at the mere prospect that I'd be seeing a certain blonde tomorrow. It might have been a little crazy and all, but I was starting to think that maybe he and Sephiroth would hang out tomorrow for awhile, and the pair would prove that they really do hit it off. It sent all kinds of possibilities through my head. There would certainly be a boost in regards to entertainment levels, considering that there'd be three of us to spar with now... As well as that, when I got sent out on missions, Cloud would be able to keep Sephiroth company and if Sephiroth went out on mission... Well I had Cloud now, didn't I? I guess that things will be a lot more fun now that there were three of us.

--

A/N: Well what do you know? I found that definition for 'puppy' on . Maybe they've played crisis core. xD

I'm having way too much fun with this story.