A/N – I'm loving it that people seem to be enjoying my fic! Thank you to everyone who is reading this and an extra hug for those who are leaving reviews. You guys are awesome! Now, on with the story –

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Zack and Cloud beat Sephiroth to the bar. This didn't surprise Cloud because Zack drove like a maniac. At first he was a little nervous, but he allowed himself to trust Zack and his body relaxed in response.

Zack led Cloud to a booth and waited for Cloud to sit first. Cloud took the first seat and Zack slid in beside him. This arrangement was fine by Cloud. Sitting beside the General would be too intimidating and having Zack by his side made him feel a little more comfortable.

"Didn't want to let them go?" Zack laughed, looking down at the two stuffed animals Cloud was still clutching on to.

Damn! Cloud had forgotten about the toys he was still holding and rolled his eyes. "I guess I forgot I was holding them. I was too busy praying we didn't get killed on the way here."

"Aww, Chocobo-head…" Zack tickled the top of the stuffed chocobo's head. "I wouldn't have gotten you killed. I like you too much…" He paused and looked confused for a second. "Oh, wrong one!" He looked up at Cloud and stroked his blonde hair gently. "Aww, Chocobo-head…" he began again.

Cloud swatted Zack's hand away from his head and tried to look angry. He shoved Zack's stuffed dog into his arms and crossed his arms over his own chocobo. "You think you're funny…" he mumbled. At that moment his eyes were redirected to the General's entrance. Zack waived Sephiroth over.

"Cloud, good to see you're still alive after the ride of possible death." Sephiroth tilted his head towards Zack.

Zack sent him a glare as the waitress came over. "Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?" She was a petite woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. Her face was painted with make-up and she radiated a mock friendliness.

"What do you drink, Cloud?" Zack asked the blonde trying to get a good look at what was on tap over at the bar.

"What do you have on tap?" Cloud asked the waitress.

"We have Mount Ice Draft, Pier Four Brew, Gongagian Dark, Gongagian Pale, Kalm Finest, and of course Midgar Brew."

The three looked at one another. Sephiroth said he was indifferent and Zack looked over to Cloud. "Your choice, Chocobo-head." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Gongagian Dark, then." Cloud said.

"Okay, one rule." Zack instructed. "No Gongagian beer."

"Why not?" Cloud asked. "I happen to like Gongagian beer."

"Why not? Because it tastes like piss." Zack answered back and smiled. "Choose anything else."

"Actually, sir." the waitress began. "The people of Gongaga are proud of their unique brew and it's very popular all around the world."

"Actually, lady," Zack said back in a totally friendly and joking around manor. "I'm from Gongaga and realize that my people are proud of their brew, but it doesn't change the fact that it tastes like piss." He gave her one of his best smiles.

She blushed and giggled. "I didn't realize, err… sir?"

"Zack." he corrected.

"Wait! What?" Cloud interrupted. "Ha! You let it slip! You're from Gongaga?" He smiled widely, Sephiroth noticing how this boy's eyes lit up the entire room. "That was far easier than beating it out of you!" he laughed. "And you said Nibelheim sounded like a backwater town?"

Zack watched Cloud in awe of how perfect he looked right now and narrowed his eyes to hide his adoration. "Pick a beer, Spiky."

"Fine, Midgar Brew then."

The waitress smiled and winked at Zack before turning towards the bar. She made sure to swing her hips for Zack to watch. He barely noticed as his was watching the blonde's face.

"So, Gongaga huh?" Cloud smiled, looking over at Zack.

"Shuddup…" Zack grinned at Cloud's smile. "So General," Zack tore his eyes away from the blonde. "What have you been up to these days aside from work? Every time I come to visit you're chained to your desk drowning in paperwork."

Instead of answering, Sephiroth eyed the toys both boys were holding on to. A thought crossed his mind and he couldn't help but let a small smile show. Zack noticed Sephiroth looking down at his dog and Cloud's chocobo and waited for an explanation of what was going through his head. Cloud noticed too, and immediately began regretting bringing them into the bar with him.

"I find it rather funny," the General began. "Zack, you call Cloud Chocobo-head, right?"

Zack nodded and grinned over to Cloud who glared back. "And, Cloud, did you know Zack's nickname is Puppy?" He pointed to Zack's stuffed dog.

Zack's jaw practically dropped to the table and Cloud burst out laughing. Zack tried to regain composure. "Sephiroth, did you really need to tell him that?" Cloud was still laughing. "Oh, shuddup, Spiky. It's not like I got to choose my nickname."

Cloud tried to stop smiling but couldn't. "Not like I got to choose mine either, Puppy."

Zack punched Cloud in the arm as the waitress brought them a pitcher of Midgar Brew. She put a glass in front of all three boys and 'dropped' a napkin in front of Zack. Confused, Zack picked it up after she left and rolled his eyes at her number.

"Zack tends to attract a lot of attention from the ladies." Sephiroth explained, looking over to Cloud who looked curious as to why she left only one napkin.

Zack sighed and put the napkin under his glass as Sephiroth began pouring from the pitcher, filling the three glasses. "So, Cloud," the General began "What are you doing with Shinra?"

Cloud looked up at the General then over to Zack, who was watching him. "I, uhh…" he found it much easier to talk to Sephiroth when joking around with Zack. Talking directly to him was, well, intimidating. "I guess I wanted to become a somebody." Sephiroth, finished pouring the beer, put the pitcher down and looked over at the blonde, waiting for a further explanation. "I'm from Nibelheim. There's not a whole lot going on there. I guess I'm looking for a little adventure and wanted to do something that will be able to help people." It was getting difficult to continue talking as the realization of talking to his hero sunk in.

"When you say you wanted to become a somebody, what do you mean by that?" Sephiroth asked. Zack watched the blonde's eyes.

Cloud took a sip of his beer and licked his lips. "I want to make a name for myself." He looked over to Zack. Zack smiled at him reassuringly. He began to feel more confident. "I want to become a hero, I guess, like you."

Sephiroth nodded as he took a sip from his glass but seemed almost emotionless. "You sound like your mentor." He tilted his head towards Zack. Cloud looked over to Zack again, who was still smiling his way. Zack nodded. "Did you find it easy to leave Nibelheim, your family, and friends?" Sephiroth continued.

Cloud looked back to Sephiroth. "Yeah, umm…" He began drawing circles on the table with the condensation from the glass. "It wasn't hard. The hardest part was leaving my mother, but I really didn't have any friends back home and my mother, after getting the idea that I was definitely leaving, was more supportive."

"Why did you not have friends back home?" Sephiroth pried.

Cloud didn't remove his gaze from the water circles. "I was the town runt, I guess. Nobody liked me, peers or adults."

Zack sensed Cloud's uneasiness. "If they could only see you know, huh? Look how far you've come." Cloud looked over at Zack seeming almost ashamed of what he had let slip. "Cloud, you've made it to Alpha. Not a whole lot of people can do that." Cloud nodded.

Sephiroth looked at Cloud, then to Zack and back to Cloud. Zack was Cloud's pillar, it seemed. He saw a lot of similarity between these boys and the way Zack and Angeal were at first. Cloud seemed to draw a lot of strength from Zack and Zack was more than willing to provide it. "What is the next step for you, then?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud looked back at the General then over to the bar. "I want to become a SOLDIER." Sephiroth waited again for a further explanation. Cloud looked over at Zack again. "Zack's been teaching me a bunch of things to help me get ahead of my company. We've been training after day's end." He smiled softly to Zack, who reciprocated. "And, I hope before too long I'll get the opportunity to apply for the SOLDIER program."

Sephiroth nodded. "Why do you want to become a SOLDIER?"

Cloud's eyes met Sephiroth's for the first time and he noticed how the green orbs glowed intensely even though his face stayed calm. It reminded him of Zack's violet ones. "Why?" Cloud almost seemed at a loss for words. "I, umm… I guess it's an accomplishment I've always had set out for myself since I was young." He was starting to get uncomfortable again and looked over at Zack, who was still smiling at him. He felt his body relax. "I read about you in magazines and they always spoke of the missions the Great General went on, everything you've accomplished and the people you've helped. It all seemed so glamorous and, well, I guess I wanted them to write about me like that someday."

"Of course they're going to make it seem glamorous," Sephiroth said "but being in SOLDIER is a lot of hard work and you see things sometimes you really wish you hadn't."

Cloud looked over to Sephiroth and nodded. "I understand that, but the satisfaction of a job well done, to know I've helped someone - that would be my compensation."

Sephiroth finished his beer and sent a silent smile Zack's way.

"We'll get you there, Chocobo-head." Zack grinned.

Cloud felt a surge of excitement fill his chest and he looked over to Zack again smiling. "Thanks, Zack." A strong feeling of fondness filled his heart towards the raven-haired boy.

After a couple more beers and more SOLDIER talk, the General's phone began to vibrate. He answered it. Without saying a word, he listened intently, nodded and hung up. "Sorry to cut our night short, but I'm needed at Professor Hojo's lab."

Zack and Cloud stood up as the General got up from the booth. "Zack, I'm sure you'll bother me with a visit tomorrow."

Zack chuckled. "Like clockwork."

Sephiroth's expression softened then he looked over to Cloud, holding out his hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Cloud." Cloud took the General's hand and shook it. "I'm sure we'll be running into one another more often."

Cloud smiled and nodded. "I look forward to it."

The General gave a short, small smile and made his leave.

Cloud watched the General leave then felt Zack's eyes on him. He looked over at the raven-haired boy with the biggest grin on his face, his eyes lit up like a full moon in a black sky. "I can not believe that actually happened!"

Zack grinned back and filled both of their glasses again, emptying the pitcher. "So, what do you think of him?" He watched Cloud's eyes very closely. "Is he everything you could have ever dreamed?"

Cloud looked confused momentarily before draining his glass with one gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "He's a lot more…" He searched for the right words, none coming to him. "I don't know, like… I guess he's more human than I had in mind." He shook his head at his last sentence. "I mean, I've always… ugh…"

"You made him out to be a God and you realize that he's no more than you or I with a helluva lot more training?" Zack tried to smile, but this time it didn't come out so easily. He saw a fascination in Cloud's eyes when he looked at the General. Maybe Cloud had glorified him too much in his head. Did he sense an attraction? A pang of jealousy ached in his chest. Get a grip, Zack. It's not like you'd have the balls to ask him if he'd be interested in a relati…

"He's nothing like you or I." Cloud shook his head. "He's the General Sephiroth!" Cloud felt his head swim with alcohol. "Where's that waitress lady? We need more beer."

Zack laughed and looked over his shoulder towards the bar. The waitress noticed him immediately and smiled his way. "Another pitcher, gorgeous?" Zack called across the bar. She nodded and grabbed another pitcher. Zack turned back towards Cloud and shifted so he was completely facing the blonde.

"How do you do that?" Cloud asked, still looking towards the waitress.

"Generally people in service industries are quite generous about serving you if you ask them nicely." Zack grinned.

Cloud punched Zack's shoulder as the waitress set the pitcher between them and looked down at Zack. "Anything else, Zack?"

Zack turned around nonchalantly and shook his head. "Nope, not yet, thanks."

As she left, Cloud narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to Zack. "That – there. How do you get girls swooning over you?"

Zack looked back at the waitress then over to Cloud. "I guess I'm a natural flirt." He shrugged his shoulders. "Girls respond to flirting." Cloud nodded and sat back, still facing towards Zack. "You can't honestly tell me you've never had a girl all over you before. I wouldn't believe it for a second."

Cloud shrugged his shoulders and his eyes darkened. "Not random waitresses."

Zack smiled. "So, is there a special someone in your life?"

Cloud's eyes darkened further and his mouth went into full frown mode. "Yeah, I guess so."

Zack tilted his head and attempted to catch the other's eyes. "What does all of this mean?" he asked, waving his hand towards Cloud's face.

Cloud poured himself another glass and took a long swig from it. He was already opening himself up to others, why stop now? "Her name is Rhea." The pang of jealousy in Zack's chest tightened. "Her and I started hooking up about a year ago and since then she's conned me into giving her a key to my place." Zack nodded, watching different emotions cloud across Cloud's face. "She told me that she loved me, but I don't feel the same way. It's like…" Cloud sighed heavily and took another long sip from his glass. "It's like, I liked the way things were before, you know?" His eyes looked a little angry as he began to play with the feathers on top of the stuffed chocobo's head. "I liked things when they were casual, and now I feel stuck in this… this… ugh." He ran his hand through his hair. "this fucking relationship."

Zack's jealousy eased up. "Why don't you talk to her about how you feel?"

Cloud nodded. He was beginning to feel drunk. "She's tried talking about things, but I just don't have the energy for her anymore, let alone the patience."

"Just make it painfully clear to her, then." Zack smirked. Oh yes, he had answers and years of experience. "You want sex and that's it. Ask her for the apartment key back. She'll get the message."

Cloud's head continued to swim. "I… I don't want to…" he sighed. Nothing he wanted to say made sense. He didn't want to hurt her but he did whenever things got too weird for him. He didn't want to leave her but he never wanted her around.

"Cloud," Zack noticed his mental anguish. "You need to make you happy before you can make anyone else happy." He tilted his head and caught the blonde's eyes with his own. "You okay?"

Cloud sighed again and frowned. "Everything's changed since I joined Shinra. I guess that's what I wanted, but… not like this."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, eyes softening. A need to protect Cloud and be the one that made him happy grew in his chest, replacing the jealousy.

Cloud continued to play with the feathers on the chocobo's head. His looked into Zack's eyes. "It doesn't matter." He tried to fake a smile. "What about you? Do you have a girl?"

Sensing Cloud's reluctance to go on about himself, Zack decided to let it go for now. "Several." he grinned. "One in particular, though, yeah." Cloud's fake smile turned into a smirk as he waited for Zack to continue. "Her name is Aeris. She's down in sector five slums. She's sweet and all…" He paused.

"I feel a 'but' coming on." Cloud coaxed.

"I guess you and I are more alike than we know." He sighed, still looking into Cloud's eyes. "It's just physical. I don't know what she thinks, but I couldn't ever settle down with her." He shook his head.

Cloud picked up his beer and held it up. "To uninformed fuck buddies."

Zack laughed and clinked his glass against Cloud's.

A few hours later talking about everything that came to their now drunk minds, Cloud and Zack decided to call it a night. Zack laughed as the blonde struggled to stand up straight and held Cloud by the elbow. "You okay to walk, there?"

Cloud giggled and held his chocobo close to his chest. Zack smiled and hugged his puppy close too. "I'm f-find…" Cloud mumbled.

"Find?" Zack chuckled. "Well good. As long as you're find, then."

Cloud laughed and grabbed onto Zack's arm when the air hit him outside. "Guess this means I'm driving?"

Cloud's eyes went wide. "No, no, no, nooo…" He shook his head dramatically. "You can't drive and drink… mmm…" Cloud's moan sent a shiver down Zack's spine. "I mean drink and drive."

Zack laughed again. "My gods, Cloud. You're too cute when you're drunk."

"I'm not cute. I'm rugged." Cloud pouted.

Zack had to stop walking towards his bike because he was laughing so hard. "Okay, Chocobo-head. Hold my puppy." He gave Cloud his dog and pulled the boy to where he had parked his bike. After taking his seat, his tugged on Cloud's arm. Cloud got on the bike and put on his helmet. "Hold tight." Zack instructed.

Cloud wrapped his arms around Zack with the stuffed animals pinned again his arm and Zack's sides. He shuffled closer as Zack turned on the bike and leaned his head against the older boy's back. He smelled so good. Zack smiled. He was definitely growing fonder of the blonde by the second.

On the way home, Cloud tried his hardest not to fall asleep. Crazy driving aside, he felt relaxed. He trusted Zack. He thought about the day and smiled to himself. Zack was such a cool guy and a good friend. He hadn't remembered having such a good day in his life. The thought of that made him feel closer to Zack and his smile widened. He had a best friend now.

Zack pulled up to Cloud's building and turned his bike off. "You awake, sleepy-head?"

Cloud pulled off his helmet and stepped off the bike. "You think I'd fall asleep when you're driving like a wild man?"

Zack laughed. "I'm not that bad."

Cloud smiled and looked down at the stuffed animals he was still clutching. "Zack…" Zack smiled and tilted his head. "You think that maybe we could trade? Like, you keep my chocobo so you'll think about me and the fun we had today, and I keep your puppy so I can think about you?" He felt himself blush and realized just how much of a girl he sounded like right now.

Zack's eyes softened. His heart throbbed for the boy stronger than he ever remembered feeling towards anyone else. He swallowed hard. Why am so emotional right now? He wanted to shed a tear, but scolded himself not to. "I think that's an amazing idea, Cloud." His voice was soft.

Cloud looked up at Zack and handed Zack his chocobo with care like a child. He took a step back and buried his nose in the top of the puppy's head. It smelled like Zack since he'd been holding it all day. Zack smiled softly and cradled Cloud's chocobo in his arm. He didn't want to leave Cloud right now.

Cloud smiled up at Zack and nodded. "Right, then." He took another step back and held Zack's eyes with his own. "Before I make a complete fool of myself, I'll see you on Monday." He didn't turn to take his leave, though.

"Monday?" Zack thought aloud. Did he really have to go a complete day without seeing Cloud.

"Yes, training. Remember?" Cloud said.

"Yeah, it just seems so far a-" he stopped himself. Get a grip, Zack… "Okay, well." He tried to hide his disappointment. "If you need to get away from the ball and chain tomorrow, give me a shout."

Cloud smiled and buried his nose in the dog's head again. "Thanks, Zack. You're my best friend." No! Cloud, what are you - 12? He mentally kicked himself.

Zack's smile widened and he hugged Cloud's chocobo. "You're my best friend, too, Cloud."

Cloud didn't remove his nose from the dog. "Good night, then."

"Sweet dreams, Blondie." Zack said, softer still.

Cloud smiled and turned towards his building, walking up the steps. Zack watched him. Just until I know he's safely inside. he convinced himself. Cloud entered the building and disappeared. Zack sighed and looked down at Cloud's stuffed chocobo. His heart throbbed again. As he drove home, he prayed that Cloud would call him the next morning.

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