Prompt: Sin#4-Sloth
Summary: Even lazy days have to be earned in some way.
Title: Just For a Moment…
"Zack, are you sure we should be—"
"Shhh! You don't wanna get us caught, do you?"
Instinctively, Cloud bit his tongue and allowed himself to be quietly pulled along by Zack despite his mind nagging at him that this wasn't right. He sighed. Zack was forever getting him into trouble, but he never seemed to be able to express his reluctance, no matter what hare-brained scheme his friend happened to think up.
"C'mon Cloud, don't be like that. I know what you're thinking," Zack whispered, glancing around the empty hall before laying his broad, sword-callused hands on Cloud's shoulders to give them light, soothing squeezes, "but don't I always get you out of trouble if anything goes wrong?"
Cloud flushed, hoping his friend couldn't see it in the near darkness of the hall. It would be a good hour or so until the sun rose, so the only people likely to be up and about any time soon would be the cooking and janitorial staff, and they would be on the other side of the compound. "Yeah, but we're not supposed to be—"
"You worry too much," the SOLDIER interrupted in a way too amused tone. "Just keep quiet and let me get us there and everything'll be fine; you'll see!"
Rather than protest, Cloud simply allowed himself to be dragged along again, his paranoia making his senses hyperaware of their surroundings. He kept expecting to hear a shout, a call, something, but there was nothing but the muted sound of Zack's steady breathing, and the light tread of their footsteps. He could feel the older teen's hand; a warm, steady, reassuring envelope around his own clammy appendage. Every so often, the First would give an encouraging squeeze when they paused around a corner and Cloud could feel himself growing steadily more confident in his friend.
After a long moment of silence in the elevator, Cloud looked over at the black-haired teen in surprise after watching the floor display inform them that they were passing the lobby and continuing downwards to the parking garage few levels below.
Zack merely met the blond's questioning glance with a secretive smile and a shake of his head.
Zack, Cloud mused, could find the worst times to clam up about things. When you wanted him to shut up, you had to practically sew his mouth closed, but when he had something up his sleeve, not even a hint of what he had planned would leak.
"Shhh," Zack soothed, as he tugged the hesitating boy off the elevator. "Don't worry, I promise it's nothing terrible; trust me."
Cloud stifled his weary sigh before focusing on the direction they were heading in. He recognized the port they were heading to as the one Zack's bike was stored in and unknowingly relaxed at the sight of the sleek Daytona when it finally came into view. On the rare days they managed to get together and just go, the SOLDIER had taken Cloud out on the motorcycle and let him experience—at least for a little while—a taste of freedom free of the consequences and worries back at headquarters.
He was more than a bit bewildered when the lieutenant went right past his bike to a sleek, low-slung sports car that looked like one of General's own unused stash. Zack winked and quietly pulled a set of keys with an automated door opener out his pocket. The locks snicked open with a loud click in the silence of the garage, causing the infantryman to involuntarily jump.
Well, at least he knew that Zack hadn't stolen the car…
"Cloud?" Zack called, one leg half bunched into the driver's side as he stared at the dumbfounded blond. "Hey, you alright? It's fine, really. Shinra does actually pay us Firsts, you know," he tried to joke.
"R-right," Cloud agreed, scurrying over to the passenger side and sliding in just as Zack folded the rest of his long frame into the car and slammed his own door closed. This was…odd. He was used to hopping on the bike and molding himself against a firm back until there was nothing but the smell of Zack, the wild rush of air and the twin beating of hearts eager for freedom. Usually, they rode off into the horizon until they eventually had to come back, but while they were riding, it felt like they could keep going forever, especially with the wind whipping into their faces and tugging at their hair from Zack's less-than-regulation driving skills. It was weird to be in a car by himself with the older male, who looked confident and comfortable with his arm slung over the back of the seat, his fingers as good as buried in Cloud's hair.
Cloud sat ramrod straight in the slick leather seat, intensely aware of that warm arm behind his head and the relaxed form beside him confidently shifting gears as Zack expertly eased the car out of the parking garage with a muted purr of the engine.
"You can relax you know," Zack declared in obvious merriment once they'd safely gotten onto the overpass that led to lower Midgar. "No need to be quiet anymore!"
Cloud whooshed out a breath of relief and slouched into the butter soft seat before hastily peeking at his friend from the corner of his eye. "…Where are we going?"
Zack gave a lopsided grin before lightly jerking his head towards the 'backseat' area. "Take a look for yourself."
Safely nestled in the back were two seemingly brand new fishing rods, a bucket, a box of hooks and accessories, and what looked to be life jackets in their size. Cloud stared openmouthed at the items before looking up at the brunet, who winked at him and said cheerfully, "That's right buddy! I'm kidnapping you for a nice relaxing day of fishing!"
"But—!"
"Ah, ah! No buts! I got clearance for both of us in advance so we could go together. I made up my mind when you said you'd never gone fishing before. Angeal told me the same thing once," Zack added affectionately before giving a short laugh. "Imagine! A country boy that's never gone fishin' before!"
The willing mention of his friend's former mentor with such fondness in his tone immediately banished any protests on his part. This was something Zack wanted to do for him, and if it was something he'd done out of nostalgia, well…who was he to crush his friend's hopes?
"I guess…we didn't get the memo," Cloud said softly, his head turning towards the window to hide his gentle smile. Then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Zack…"
"Yeah, kid?"
"If we had clearance, then why'd we have to skulk around the building like a couple of thieves in the night?"
Zack's warm laughter preceded his pleased grin as he reached his free hand forward to ruffle at Cloud's spiky hair. "Gotta keep you on your toes, Strife! Just because we're skipping out on a day of training doesn't mean you can let yourself get lazy!"
The blond choked in amazement, his hand flying to his mouth in order to muffle the sound. "Look who's talking!" he proclaimed before giving into the urge and laughing aloud.
Silly or not, Cloud thought, the times Zack talked him into doing things almost always led to a new adventure.
"Just for a little while," the blond conceded with mock severity, already anticipating a lazy day in clean water and air with Zack.
And really, it wasn't so bad to take a break from the pressures of the military and just...be, was it?
Quiet: Uh-oh! Only one more sin to go! =O
Also, I might be tempted into doing a second part to one or two of these, so the while the next chapter may be the last sin, it's not necessarily the last chapter; I'll just mark it complete because I'll be officially done with the Sins for the IJ comm. We'll see how my schedule looks.
