Okay, so I got a day off and sent back to Melbourne. Trust me; I'm more surprised than you guys. Anyway, that means I got to quickly throw up this chapter.
In other news, I've been getting several personal messages lately that are honestly making me reconsider fanfiction.
I can't help it if I'm not home. I would LOVE to be able to stay here and write non stop every day, but I can't. Yes, it was a bit stupid of me to keep posting new stories without finishing old ones, but it doesn't mean I've given up on them. It just means I barely have TIME for them. I barely have time for anything. My family, my friends, my social life in general. It makes me wonder if it's worthwhile continuing writing, if people are just going to attack me about things that are out of my control. Don't get me wrong, I love you all, but I'm a human being. Please don't treat me like a big disappointment in your lives simply because I have no time in mine. It's not helping. I am trying my best, honestly. Anyway, sorry about that, on with the story…
Association- Chapter Four
'Grunt' Strife's point of View.
Cloud's just a cadet, a grunt, a nobody. Always has been. So, naturally, it would be impossible that the implications the almighty General Sephiroth just made really meant what he thought they did. He must be stuck in one of those dreams again. Not that he was complaining…
--
I was losing it. Somewhere in my deluded fanboy fantasies, a part of my brain had just accepted that Sephiroth had implied possibly maybe taking me on a date of some sort of possible description. Maybe. I found myself laughing like a little schoolgirl, and almost passing out as those big beautiful eyes narrowed in on me and glittered a little with what appeared to be amusement. Ah Gaia, I was going to kill Zack. I mean, it wasn't like I was pissed about spending time with the General and all, but it was… Gaia, it was all a little overwhelming. I felt ridiculous. I was grunt of the year one day, going to the movie theatres with General Sephiroth, the living, breathing wet dream, the day after.
"Would you like something to eat or drink, Cloud?" He asked quietly, as I mindlessly followed after him into the lobby.
"Uhm, no, thank you. Not that I'm being ungrateful or anything, because I'm not. It's just that when you come to a movie theatre, the food and the drinks, and the various other little bits and pieces are bound to cost an arm and a leg, and possibly even a foot…" I laughed nervously, and he gave me one of those slow, sensual little smiles. Okay, so maybe he wasn't trying to be sensual, but Gaia, he was very much a sensual being.
"You're rambling again, Cloud," He teased, "Do I intimidate you?"
Yes. Yes, just a little. In fact, you're so undeniably beautifully attractively gorgeous that I think I could collapse into a sobbing, drooling puddle of admiration at your feet.
"No. I guess I'm still, you know, a little daunted."
"Don't be. I'd rather you were comfortable with me. It would be good for not only the both of us, but for Zack's sake also," Sephiroth then nodded, and my mind trailed off to thoughts of the Lieutenant.
Gaia, teenage hormones, what were they doing to me? I had two gorgeous men waltz into my life out of nowhere, and my body had barely had a state of ease since. Elliot would be spewing from the jealousy if he were to see me now. Either that or dry humping the General's leg. I snorted out loud at the mental image, and the General raised an eyebrow. Shit.
"Uh, sorry. Just thought of something funny," I explained awkwardly, scratching the back of my head for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. He nodded, seemingly in acceptance of the explanation, before heading to the candy bar and buying two mega cokes and a jumbo popcorn.
"You don't mind sharing do you?" He asked flatly, and it took several moments for my body to recover from the seizure.
"Uh… no sir, it's fine," I chanced a smile, and he offered a glimmer of one back. Who was I kidding? I shouldn't be feeling intimidated by him, he was just like a normal guy, just… abnormally attractive… and abnormally strong… and a little abnormally socially awkward… But still just a normal guy. I'd told him so myself.
"If it's cheaper, we can share a drink if you want," I shrugged as casually as I could muster, "I don't spit-back, I swear."
He smirked at this, and shook his head.
"Firstly, money is not ever an issue when I choose to invite you out somewhere. Secondly, I believe you don't… 'spit-back'…" he quirked his brow just a little at this, "And thirdly, I doubt it would bother me regardless."
He speaks like a real gentleman. Seriously. He words everything as eloquently as he does in press conferences. It was kinda hot, but a little different to say the least. I was letting my mind wander too much. I decided to simply shut up and grab at the drink he offered to me, tailing along behind him as he headed into the theatre.
Back at Nibelheim, we had one theatre. It was basically twenty seats in front of Susan Milford's feature wall, with a projector behind us. She was the richest girl in town; had a DVD player and everything. Mum always used to say I should marry her some day and I'd never have to work again. She'd then laugh hysterically at the thought before puttering off to do her self-taught knitting or pottery classes. Anyway, when I hit the big city, it was a major culture shock. For one thing, they played more than old western movies and The Godfather. They actually had movies that had just been released. They weren't even on DVD. It was unthinkable back home. The guys in my class had just about wet themselves when they'd overheard me telling Elliot all about it, and I'd gradually come to realise that the town really was, as Zack had put it, a 'backwash' town. I got to think whether Zack's town was the same. Maybe he'd had the same kind of experiences when he'd first come to Midgar. Maybe he'd been a bit of a laughing stock at his expense. I pushed the idea away though. That guy had enough charm to turn any joke on him into something classy and enjoyable for everyone involved. He was more than a pretty face, I'd come to find out, and he was certainly something to be appreciated from many angle- Good Gaia, I'm out of control. I inwardly groaned and plopped myself on a seat beside Sephiroth, right up the back.
"I wouldn't know… Is this a preferred location for viewing purposes?" He asked curiously, looking around the theatre at all the other empty spaces, as if determining which one would suit his purposes best.
"Yeah, it's pretty good actually," I nodded, smiling; "Besides, if the movie gets boring, it's the best vantage point to throw popcorn from."
He furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly in confusion, and I bit back a snort. He was almost… cute…
"It was like a joke," I explained, "You know, throwing popcorn at other people?"
I demonstrated by taking a few pieces and throwing them to an empty space in the theatre.
"Oh I knew that," He smirked, "I just didn't realise you were such a delinquent."
My cheeks flared for the hundredth time that day. I scoffed, turning my nose up at him, as a low laugh rumbled through his chest. Ah lord. Hormones, again, were flooding that noise through my body and directly to my… uh… more sensitive areas… I had a good act so far. Zack and Sephiroth had both seemed to have found me to be a little on the naïve side, and I'd yet to let the teenage hornbag within me rear its ugly head. Don't get me wrong, the country boy within me led me to be naturally shy, and I was. I was very shy. But once I got comfortable around people as attractive as Sephiroth and Zack were, well… I had very little control over my words and actions.
The speakers began to burst out noise, as the previews began, and Sephiroth leaned down a little closer, his breath tickling the hair on the back of my neck and standing it on end.
"They let you watch sneak peeks of movies that aren't even screening yet?" He asked, and I nodded, trembling slightly as my body went haywire.
"Yes sir, it's kind of a way to get you to come to the movies when they are available," I nodded, and blushed slightly, when his gaze lingered, his smirk widening slightly.
"Will I ever get you to stop calling me 'sir' when we're off duty?" He asked curiously, and I nervously held his gaze.
"Possibly," I shrugged slightly, "The thing is, is that whether we're on or off duty, I have a tendency to still see you as my superior… Sir…"
He smirked a little, before taking a drink from his cup and trying to focus on the previews. I did the same, well aware that his eyes had quickly trailed back to me.
"I have to admit, you have interesting quirks to you, Cadet," He remarked lightly, as I pointedly averted my gaze.
"Me?"
"Naturally. Were you aware that your nose twitches a little whilst you drink?" He asked, and I stared down the end of my nose in curious amusement.
"No," I replied, "But were you aware that you bite your lower lip a little when you're doing paper work that's really boring?"
He looked mildly surprised at this.
"No. How did you become aware of that?" He asked, and I stared down my straw into my soda.
"Lieutenant Fair, naturally," I nodded, "He also says that you fold your tissues three times before you blow your nose every single time."
He sat in silence for a little, seemingly a little amused by the findings, before meeting my gaze once again.
"It appears Zack pays a fair amount of attention to my actions," he remarked thoughtfully.
Well duh. Everyone does.
"How could he not? It's pretty hard to just be around you and not absorb every little tick and twitch," I snorted, before realising once again, that my mouth had just had verbal diarrhea. Ah Gaia, save me, I'm burning up so bad I think I'm going to explode. It was never a particularly good trait. Ever since I was a five year old, my ma had constantly been feeding me the same line.
"Think before you speak Cloud, or one day you'll get a boot so far up your tooshie that it will be able to do your thinking for you."
So far, the clearly inspirational words of wisdom from my mother had done little to stop me from spewing up whatever my mind had been chewing on like some sick dog.
"You're blushing, Cloud," He murmured, taking a handful of popcorn and idly chewing on it, amused eyes still focused on me.
"I'm aware of that, General…" I muttered under my breath, and he let out a single cough of laughter, seemingly dislodging a popcorn kernel from his throat. Through years of watching Sephiroth on the television, seeing him in the newspapers, spending long night time 'sessions' with him firmly in my head, never had I envisioned him laughing, or even smiling. Yet, here he was, the man in all of that glorious flesh, a human being. Undoubtedly, he was still a God. Yet, he was a God among men.
He said very little, as the movie finally came to a start, and the credits began to roll. I'd been in such a state of mind when we'd come here, that I'd not even paid attention to what it was we were seeing. As the title came up, I paled a little. In the name of a SOLDIER. I knew all about this particular movie. It was a movie revolving around true events, supposedly from the Wutaian War. The main character was an exceptionally good portrayal of none other than Sephiroth himself.
"Uh, General?" I began, and he nodded to show he was listening, "Do you have any idea what this film is about?"
"No. I'd much rather surprise myself."
He'd be surprised alright…
"Are you sure you don't want to see another film? The tickets are refundable up until fifteen minutes through the feature presentation," I pushed a little, and he finally moved his eyes to give me a sidelong glance.
"I'm intrigued now, of course," he remarked, "As to why you would be unwilling for me to watch this."
One review from an online blog now stood out in my mind.
"In the name of a SOLDIER is a brilliantly choreographed and directed film, as is to be expected from Salvador Munchi. As is per usual, Bryan Konietzko's acting skills are put to the test, this time portraying General Sephiroth of Shinra's SOLDIER forces. As a female, excuse my biased opinion in declaring that Bryan is by far the most accurate portrayal of the General in war movies so far, and if anything, head to your local theatre for a little over two hours of some of the most amazing eye candy you'll be likely to see this year, just short of the General himself. Ladies, keep your eyes out for a raunchy scene where Munchi has brazenly dared to allow full frontal nudity of Konietzko's form."
I'd been hanging to see that movie since the instant I'd read that review. It had been out in theatres for about a fortnight now, and I'd not had the courage to venture into the movie theatre on my own, too cautious of how my body might react to such a display. Elliot had seen it on the day it had first come out. He got home late and retired to the bathroom for a good hour with a bottle of lotion and a box of tissues. Any time I'd asked him how the movie was, he'd flushed and fanned himself, giggling like a giddy schoolgirl. Now, here I was, with Sephiroth himself, effectively going to see Sephiroth naked in what was rumored to be the most daring sex scene since the creation of film.
"No particular reason," I murmured finally, and he turned his attention to the screen as shots rang out. The movie was opening with a fierce battle scene. SOLDIERs were scattered across a battlefield, gunfire from every direction, as a figure suspiciously reminiscent of Zack dive rolled from an exploding grenade and smiled charmingly at a wounded second class.
"It's okay SOLDIER," 'Zack' reassured, "Help is on its way."
Then, with an epic backdrop of music, a fleeting glimpse of leather and steel sails above 'Zack' and the camera spins to see the back of a figure in a field helmet, as Wutaian soldiers fall around him. Then, the figure turns and removes the helmet, silver locks spilling down his back, emerald green eyes staring a little right of the camera. It was at this point that Sephiroth chose to spray his soda halfway across the theatre. Several others in the theatre turned their attentions to the back, scowling, apparently not paying too much attention to who the individual actually was, before hissing a 'Shh!' in the General's direction.
After several moments, Sephiroth had calmed, a barely suppressed smirk toying along his lips. That was certainly not the reaction I had expected. Anger, annoyance, confusion even? A definite yes. Borderline hysterical laughter? No.
"Are you alright General?" I whispered cautiously, and he nodded slightly, watching with amusement as the fight continued on the screen. His eyes were focusing intently, watching every delicate maneuver of his portrayal, and seemingly critically analyzing each one.
"This is ridiculous," He murmured, "Are you aware of all the faults in this portrayal's techniques? He might as well be holding her by the tip of the blade."
'Her' must be Masamune. I was yet to see her in battle, but was far convinced that no special effect would ever compare to the real thing.
"You're not meant to critically analyze it," I whispered, "Just sit back and enjoy the movie."
He nodded, diving his hand into the popcorn box and shoveling a large amount into his mouth, followed quickly by some soda. He was almost transfixed for the next hour, his eyes watching intently in most parts, except for the more elaborate battles. At these, he allowed his gaze to wander around the theatre and observe the other participant's reactions, clearly too irked by the imperfections to pay terribly too much attention.
Now, on-screen Sephiroth was seated at a make-shift desk, raising his eyes from his paperwork as on-screen Zack knocked on the door and entered. I heard a soft squeal from a pair of girls a few rows down of 'Here we go!' and felt the colour drain from my face. It couldn't be. The graphic sex scene was… Sephiroth and… Zack? I cautiously turned my eyes to Sephiroth, whose attention was straying from the screen as he idly picked corn kernels from his teeth. Seemingly, he found the theatre's darkness comfortable enough to let his guard down a little. Hopefully, he'd stay distracted enough to miss a majority of the scene. His eyes remained straying across the theatre, as the on-screen scene continued.
"I was wondering if it was possible for you to inspect the wound, General," 'Zack' said in all seriousness.
"Protocol would demand I send you to the infirmary, but as your friend," 'Sephiroth' frowned slightly, "I'll assist you this once."
Come to think of it, this movie was awful. The plot line was horrible, and the acting skills were below par, yet I felt my breath catch as 'Sephiroth' muttered a single line.
"You'll have to remove your clothes, Lieutenant."
At this, in-cinema Sephiroth's attention immediately snapped to the screen, transfixed as 'Zack' removed his top layers of clothing. The actor portraying Zack, Andy Berman, had clearly spent a lot of time working on a physique to rival Zack's in appearance. It would never be as toned, or well defined, but it was enough to start playing tricks on my mind. I was looking at the screen, and I was not seeing Andy Berman and Bryan Konietzko; I was seeing Zack and Sephiroth.
As each body had a little more skin revealed, I felt my blood rushing to my ears, my throat going dry as Sephiroth uncomfortably shifted in the seat beside me. He then abruptly stood, a slight glow in his eyes, and cleared his throat slightly.
"We have to go…" He murmured, and my own embarrassment betrayed me in a floundering mess.
"I… but… what?"
"We have to go," He repeated, taking me by the elbow and steering me out of the theatre. The fan girls from earlier threw popcorn at us as we left, scowling with apparent dislike.
"Boo! Homophobes!" They leered, as we practically flew past, Sephiroth steering me firmly out of the theatre and into the cold outside air. He let go of my arm and began walking at a brisk pace, leaving me to trot along after him, still stunned and flustered. Oh Gaia, we hadn't even stayed for the whole scene and my skin was burning to the touch. I was practically steaming the thin coating of frost on the ground beneath my feet as I struggled to find words to apologise for the movie. Sure, it wasn't my fault, but Sephiroth was walking at such a firm and brusque pace I assumed he was even more pissed than I first assumed. Oh that could not have gone any worse. Surely, there was no other way to be humiliated as badly as I just was.
"General…" I muttered, as he continued his fiery pace. He barely offered me so much as a second glance, as we passed many uncomfortable and frightened faces, apparently catching the glow in Sephiroth's eyes and sensing trouble.
"I… I tried to tell you, but you were curious, and I… I didn't mean for… I didn't think that you would…" I struggled, before he disappeared abruptly. Before I realised what had happened, he'd pulled me into the alleyway he'd slipped into, and had me pinned with my back against the wall, his hands pushing back on my shoulders as his burning gaze held mine. He leant in close to my ears, and his warm breath tickled enough at my skin to make me almost buckle at the knees. I thought that was enough of a tortured bliss, until his following words proved me wrong.
"If I didn't appreciate you as much as I do, I would take you against this wall right here and now," He murmured huskily, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. In spite of myself, a shaky little moan left my lips as he very briefly took my earlobe into his mouth and allowed his teeth to graze slightly. Gaia. Holy mother of fuck. That did not just happen.
As quickly as we'd disappeared off the street, we were just as quickly thrust back onto it, as he continued his brisk pace and left me stunned and aroused to the point that I was dizzied, stuck momentarily to the spot he'd left me. After a few moments, I regained a small shred of my sanity and trotted after him, my breath unsteady and shallow, even as he continued to burn a path with his eyes for us. We were at his office in no time, and his secretary stammered out a welcome as he approached.
"G-General Sephiroth Sir! Welcome back!" He choked, as Sephiroth nodded.
"Cancel all my meetings for the day and make sure I'm not disturbed," He said firmly, disappearing abruptly into his office. The secretary offered me a sympathetic smile, seemingly meant to be encouraging. I needed no encouragement, as I stepped into the General's office, and closed the door behind me, before being gradually backed against it. Sephiroth had lost his fiery forcefulness, and instead smirked down at me teasingly, his eyes still glowing with a mako tinge. I'm in a daydream… I fell asleep at the movie theatre, and any moment now, Sephiroth is going to wake me up and politely ask me to stop snoring or something.
"Cloud," he rumbled, the noise reverberating through his chest in a growl. I swallowed hard as my back finally hit the door, his hands resting either side of my head.
"I…"
"You captivate me," He murmured, his eyes tracing my face as my cheeks flared, my self control quickly slipping from my hands.
"Thank you…?" I breathed, as his body slowly pressed against mine, his face only inches from my own.
"I had never taken an interest in a cadet, Cloud," He said lowly, "Until you came along…"
I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. This has to be a dream. It was far too unbelievable, far-fetched, whatever it needed to be. It was another one of those dreams, and I'd wake up any minute now in the theatre with an embarrassingly noticeable hard-on and no way to get rid of it.
"I want you, Cloud," he murmured huskily, and I choked back a moan.
"Ohh Gaia…" I squeaked, and he smirked deviously.
"And… I believe you want me," He practically purred, holding my gaze with a fiery intent.
Fuck it. This was my dream; I'd play it how I wanted it to be played. I dove in, closing the distance between our lips, and hungrily devouring the General's lips before probing them with my tongue. If there was one thing country people knew how to do, it was kiss. His lips slid open and accepted my probing, matching it and then dominating it with his own. Wait… That's not usually how the dreams went. I got to play the dominating role right until it came up to the… Anyway, the point was, I would have been in charge. Instead, he was grabbing my thighs to rest around his waist as he threw me against the door and ground a little against my hips. I let out a surprised gasp, before he latched onto my neck and bit down just enough to toy on the border of pleasure and pain. Hormones raged again and I moaned against his cheek, his eyes flying open to meet mine, before closing as he let out a soft groan of his own, our crotches meeting directly for a brief moment. He was as turned on as I was.
His tore off his gloves with his teeth, still holding me against the door, before latching his lips onto my own and sliding his fingers underneath my shirt to trail along my burning skin. It was then that a loud knock resounded on the door, and Sephiroth's eyes snapped open with a genuine deadly intensity, his lips slowly pulling from mine.
"I am not to be disturbed, Andrew," the General said coldly, ice whipping at his words.
"Give the guy a break man, he slaves his ass off for you," Came an all too familiar voice, instantly sobering the both of us, "And so do I, so move your fat ass and let me in."
"Zachary…" The General murmured, abruptly straightening himself and hurriedly adjusting my uniform. His eyes held mine with a lust filled longing for a few more moments, before he forced it away and opened the door as soon as I'd scurried across the room and flung myself on to the couch. Zack. How could I have forgotten about Zack? Gaia, there was something about Sephiroth that had made me lose control. In all truthfulness, which sane person, man or woman, would have been able to resist such a God? It was all perfectly good reasoning, but why did it feel like I'd still done something wrong? I mean, it wasn't like Zack and I were even dating…
"Evening gentleman," Zack tipped an imaginary hat to us both as he stepped inside, cheerful grin plastered across his face. He then latched eyes onto me, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Are you okay Cloud? You're a little red in the cheeks. You look kinda flustered?" Zack suggested, and I bit onto the first lie that flew through my head.
"I'm feeling a little unwell. I guess it's the sudden weather changes all the time," I smiled a little shakily, watching a slow smirk creep across Sephiroth's lips from over Zack's shoulder.
Zack seemed to buy it as he plopped himself down on the couch and flung an arm around my neck. His hands were warm against my skin, but they were nothing to that dazzling smile. Gaia, what was wrong with me?
"You want some of my ma's world famous chicken soup? She gave me the recipe and I can make a pretty good batch," he winked, "I'm not just a pretty face, ya know?"
Oh yes, I know. I know that all too well.
"Uh, sure. Why not?" I smiled, and Zack pulled me to my feet, before spinning me around to face Sephiroth.
"I'm glad you two played nice at least. It's good to see you both come out of it alive," He smiled teasingly at Sephiroth, "And it's nice to see you not eat the kid alive."
Ah Gaia Zack, he nearly did, I swear it. He's evil in a delightfully sexy, charming, entirely irresistible way. If that devilish little glint in his eyes was any indication, it was something he knew all about.
"Cloud is wonderful company," Sephiroth said politely, "I enjoyed today."
"Good. Maybe you guys should hang out more often," Zack laughed, before ruffling my hair, "Providing it wasn't entirely too traumatic for you?"
"I'm uh… No, it was fine. I enjoyed it too," I shrugged, and had I not been so cautious of Zack's emotions, I may have missed the fleeting suspicion through his eyes before his smile broke into a grin.
"Let's get you home. Catch you later Stuffy-pants," He waved, as he steered me for the door.
"Goodbye Lieutenant, goodbye Cloud…" He smirked a little, as I looked back at him, and my skin flared up again. As the door closed behind us, Zack's grip on my shoulder tightened a little.
"He didn't… bother you, did he?" He asked quietly, all sincere concern across his face.
"No, no, he didn't do anything wrong," I smiled reassuringly, "It's just a little daunting to be around him I guess. He certainly gets a lot of attention."
"That's probably more because of his looks than his fame," Zack smiled a little distantly, and a part of me seized up. Maybe Zack and Sephiroth had a little more to them then friendship after all. Shit. Was I coming between that or what? Come to think of it… The instant Sephiroth had flared up with mako was when he and Zack had been together in the movie. Maybe it flared up a memory he'd already had with a bare chested Lieutenant. Gaia though, I wasn't even one of the characters in the movie, and it had certainly sent my pulse racing. Not to mention the fan girls up the front. They weren't even male or gay and they were totally digging it… That didn't really make sense though, why would two girls find some sort of pleasure in watching two guys on the screen starting to get butt naked with each-
"So what did you two do today, whilst I slaved my ass off for this glorious organisation?" Zack interrupted my musings, and I stared blankly at him for a moment. He shook me a little by the shoulder to snap me out of it, and it was only then that I realised he was still walking with his arm around me. It was as if he paid little attention to the people that we walked by.
"We had lunch and went to see a movie," I shrugged, and he faltered.
"A… movie? He actually went… to a movie?" he spluttered, and I smiled uncomfortably, nodding as he let out a hysterical bout of laughter.
"One thing you'll come to learn about Stuffy-Pants," Zack explained, "Is that you will never ever be able to figure out what's going on in that head of his. I've never met anyone in my entire life that even comes close to being as unpredictable as he is."
Understatement of the frickin year, Lieutenant.
"It's not always a bad thing though. He really keeps you on your toes, and his quick thinking both takes and saves lives," Zack nodded, his smile noticeably softer and less mocking. Unlike Sephiroth, Zack wore his heart on his sleeve, and you could tell Sephiroth was a big part of it. Ah Gaia, the complications of a teenager. Except, you know, most teenage boys didn't make out with Sephiroth today in a raunchy little kiss against the General's door. I swiped at my nose, sure that any moment now, torrential flows of blood would burst from my nostrils. At least that's what happened in all the cartoons I watched, but I was yet to see it occur any where in real life…
"…Cloud?" Zack waved a hand in front of my face and I turned vacant eyes in his direction. Ah Gaia, I've gotta stop zoning out.
"Hmm?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah. What did you say?"
"Where'd you guys go for lunch?" He grinned, "Somewhere flash and fancy? Seph's got high taste, so yeah, wouldn't surprise me."
"Oh, no… We went to that little place in sector six that you took me," I replied, and he seemed well beyond surprise.
"Ricardo's? You're kidding me…"
"Nah, he really liked it there too. Felt a little uncomfortable with the stares and stuff, but he enjoyed the food," I explained, and Zack's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly of their own will, before he plastered on another wide grin.
"Well… Glad you guys had fun then!" He laughed, clapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me to him. He placed a kiss on top of my head, and my cheeks flared.
"I'm always here if you need to talk about anything, ok? I'm intending on looking after you to the best of my abilities," He smiled gently, running a hand through my hair and placing another kiss on my temple this time. I smiled shyly, and he laughed.
"Sorry kid, you're just so damn cute…" He teased, squeezing my shoulder.
"Damn SOLDIERs…" I murmured in embarrassment, before freezing. I looked down the hallway and met eye to eye with none other than Elliot, who was gaping like a stuffed cod. Shiva, I'd never hear the end of it…
Elliot quickly wiped the stunned look off his face and practically skipped down the hall towards us, as I felt Zack's grip get noticeably tighter around my shoulders.
"Cloudy pants!" He chimed, stopping a few feet in front of me, before turning his gaze immediately to Zack.
"Hello Lieutenant," He nodded, offering a brief salute, "Always a pleasure."
"Elliot," Zack nodded, as Elliot's cheeks gained a noticeable tinge and his eyes glossed slightly.
"I'm flattered you remembered my name, sir," he smiled flirtatiously, and I felt my eyes roll with little conscious effort from me.
"Your past actions have made it a little hard to forget, cadet," Zack smiled, far from his usual charming blaze of a grin. Instead, you could probably compare it to a thinly pressed line that just barely flicked at the edges. Kind of looked like he was mildly constipated… Not that Elliot cared. To him, a smile was a smile, even if it lacked no joy behind it in the slightest. Naïve son of a bitch…
"It's always good to hear I'm getting attention off the first class SOLDIERs, Sir," Elliot breathed, before returning his gaze to me and cocking a brow, "And where have you been?"
"Uh…"
"He's been out with the General," Zack jumped in, as Elliot's eyes damn near fell out of their sockets.
"…Excuse me?" Elliot breathed.
"He went out for lunch and a movie with the General," Zack repeated.
Gaia Zack shut up… please… urgh… Even now, as Elliot turned positively blazing eyes in my direction, I knew that there would be the mother of an interrogation heading my way as soon as Zack left.
"Now if you don't mind, I was having a conversation with Cloud," Zack smiled, once again seemingly forced, "So maybe you two can catch up when I bring him home, hey?"
Elliot nodded, offering a shaky salute and a scandalous grin, before basically running down the hall. Everyone would know about this before the end of the day. Everyone.
"He's kinda a pain in the ass…" Zack frowned slightly, before smiling and scratching the back of his head, "Uh, no offence or anything."
"He is," I agreed, "But you get used to him."
"I don't think I ever will, just personally," Zack frowned, before giving me a quick hug and shrugging apologetically.
"With that said, sorry Cloud, but I've got some stuff that needs to be addressed as soon as possible," He smiled softly, "But I'll see you around, yeah?"
I nodded, and he gave a wink, before turning on his heel and heading back to where we came from.
Elliot and Zack. They'd both be the death of me.
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A/N: I don't know when I'll be able to post next. I'm sorry.
Love for you all. *hug hug hug*
