My stomach growled with hunger and the loud noise nearly echoed throughout the room.

"You a little hungry there Spike?" Zack pointed to my stomach with a amuzed look.

"Maybe a little."

"Just a little huh....hm....," Zack went deep into thought. "Well, there is this nice place.... Little Habachi bar, good saki... Who know you might get me drunk enough to take advantage of me," Zack smirked hinting me with a nudge of his elbow and a couple of raised brows.

I scouff at the boys efforts and poke his forehead, "I don't need to get you drunk to have my way with you."

His eyes cross staring at my finger. He than turns and crosses his arms nodding thoughtfully,"This is true...So, you up for Habachi anyway there Cloudy?"

His smile brings my lips to curve into one as well, almost unknowningly, "Sounds Good."

------------------

I sigh in pleasure as the scent of food invades my nose. I destinctly smell Steak and lobster, and it's making my mouth water.

"Careful there Cloudy, looks like you're got your own watering hole there," He points to my mouth, which I realize, is practically drooling. I hadn't eatten much at lunch that day, and I was starving. Even the thought of food made my mouth pool. And all the food being tosses on the giant grills was agonizing. If there is anything I have little self-control with it would be food. And now Zack of course. I almost chuckle. Food and Zack, deadly combination. "Heaven," I didn't realize I even said it til Zack commented.

"Well thank ya Cloudy! My features are quite heavenly aren't they." Just to 'prove' his point Zack tilted his haed off to the side with the back of his hand rested under his chin and he fluttered his eyes.

An elbow to his side was my only response. Followed accordingly but a grunt and chuckle from Zack.

"Good evening, Table for two," The young waitress asked.

I nearly jumped at her voice, I didn't realize she was there. Zack only snickered at me," Yes, Table for Two, Habachi please."

She nodded with a bright smile and led us to our table.

The table we sat at was pretty much empty. Surprisingly it wasn't as busy as Zack had previously predicted. When I inquried about it Zack had only said it was still early, being only six o'clock, and we just happened to beat the rush. Looking over the menu was pointless. I wanted ALL of it. I wanted steak, chicken, salad, soup, sushi, lobster, shrimp, and mochi to top it off. Make that two orders of mochi. Zack chuckled at me. Undoubtably over the fact that my eyes ran 100 miles an hour over the menu at least six times trying to figure out what I wanted. I look to Zack in almost a pout, "What should I get..."

I almost tilt my own head in confusion wondering why I just asked Zack what I wanted. Because that makes perfect sense, I muse.

Zack grinned, "Got the perfect thing! Dinner for Two, served with some volcano rolls, miso soup, and salad!"

"Mochi too," I quickly finish his list eagerly. I had a weakness for the balled ice cream wrapped in a layer rice cake. It was delicious. And next to Zack's lips, nothing really could compare.

Zack laughed softly as he mused to himself that Cloud was acting like a little kid begging his mom for a candy bar at the checkout at the grocery store.

I glared at Zack best I could. My moment was short lived as I saw the waitress near the table with our drinks, salad, and soup. She quickly laid our first portion of the meal in front of us neatly before bowing and turning back to another table. I practically dove into the salad, making sure to pick around the tomatos and onions. Zack, I could see out of the corner of my eye, was watching me eat with a cheesy grin on his face. I blushed slightly thinking about what I must look like through Zack's eyes. He either thought of me as a crazy chocobo pecking madly at a food pellet or one of those hungry hungry hippos chomping madly at the marble balls. I gulped the last few bites of lettuce and smiled sheepishly. I blinked as Zack's hand inched towards my face. He used his fingers to brush off a some salad dressing that lay on the corner of my lip. If I wasn't blushing enough before I certainly was now. It was a simple gesture, but not one generally shared by two male friends. Any other time I would've smiled and melted into the gesture. But this was different. We were in public. There aren't too many people here, and thankfully no one we know.

"Hey look who it is Yo!"

I spoke to soon....

Zack quickly snatched his hand back and threw it into the air in greeting. "Hey whats going on!"

I force a smile even though I really want to grimace. I weakly throw a greeting with my hand. It's not that I don't like Reno. He's not that bad, well, after you get the whole homophobia thing out of the way. He wasn't that bad, rude, obnoxious, not at all pleasant. Funny to a point... Ok so he was an ass and almost intolerable, but it was Reno. So it was almost forgivable because it was him, almost.

"I'll just seat myself," Reno declared choosing to sit inbetween Zack and myself. He threw his arms around our necks and grinned, "So you two on a date huh? How cute! Next time make sure you include me. You know how jealous I get," He laughed.

I fight back another blush. What would he think if he knew we really were on a date. And he just happened to walk into it. He finally released us from his grip. I wanted to complain that he sat between Zack and myself. But I knew that would probably be a bad idea. Before Long the waitress came back to take Reno's order. I rolled my eyes as he casually moved to a seat closer to the end of the table to flirt with the poor girl. I'm sure she barely spoke in Reno's tongue and she nodded with his words blushing the entire time. I'm sure she didn't know how to take the situation. She didn't want to be rude, but unfortunately with Reno, you had to be or he just wouldn't take the hint.

Zack looked over to me and mouthed 'sorry' with a small smile. I allowed a quick tug at the corner of my lips. Soon I saw the Habachi Chef approach the table with his cart and I had to lick my lips. I felt Zack pinch my thigh softly and gave me that 'so you couldn't lick your lips for me' look. Is that really a look, I sigh with a inward chuckle, Only with Zack thats for sure.

Throughout the meal I couldn't help but let a tint of pink pass over my cheeks as Zack, purposefully, either brushed or pinched me under the table or whenever Reno wasn't paying attention. Thank god for that waitress. She was enough of a distraction to keep Reno's attention away from us. I would quietly curse Zack and shoot him warning glares. Last thing we needed was Reno to find out. The moment at the school was bad enough, but at dinner with Reno of all people right next to us. It was uncomfortable to say in the least. I was in near panic the entire time waiting for Reno to pick up on Zack's tiny touches and caresses and punch both of us square in the jaw or throw us on top of the habachi grill. Reno was quite unpredictable and I didn't want to be the one to test what he would do next.

Other than the slight nagging discomfort and paranoia of Reno spotting Zack's straying hands dinner went rather well. I found it odd that Reno saw me as a good friend. Apparently once you have shared a bottle of rum, to Reno at least, you've bonded.

Despite my appetite earlier I look down at the overwelming amount of food still on my plate. Looking to Zack and Reno's I'm not so surprised that they practically licked the plates clean.

My eyes are too big for my stomach I suppose.

"So Cloud," Reno broke his attention away from the waitress, "I heard some interesting things about you Yo!"

I almost choked but held my composure, "Oh...Um What about?"

Even Zack looked a little worried.

"Yeah. Yeah. About little miss Tif' herself man!"

My brow creased,"About....Tifa...."

"Yeah Man! No wonder Tif' was talking so much trash bout' you yo! Didn't know you turned miss perfection down herself! You got some balls man! Two reasons way I see it. 1. I don't know how you could pass on those tits! And 2. That bitch is frightening! Just ask Zack, she almost took his head off once. Damn near punched a locker through the wall! She's like on roid's or something. Total Man Beast Yo!" Reno laughed at the image of Tifa in his mind.

I sighed mostly to myself, low enough so Reno couldn't hear me. I swear I could barely catch Zack's own sigh of relief and than he jerked his head up, "Wait, You mean... Tifa...You turned Tifa down Cloudy boy?"

Zack was honestly shocked, which didn't surprise Cloud in the slightest.

"Tifa had asked me out, I wasn't interested. So I turned her down... She's kinda had it out for me ever since..."

"So How it go down Yo! Details don't leave me hanging! You at least give her a pity fuck?" Reno was beaming with questions. I'm sure there will be plenty more inappropiate questions to follow.

"...Well... Not much to tell really..." I lied.

Zack looked to me intently and Reno, of course, hadn't bought my lie. I sighed heavily.

"Tifa and I were never on good terms. She, like the other kids, made a point into turning me into the blunt of their jokes or for the guys a human punching bag, " I pause," I did fight back so don't give me shit Reno. Their were just to many at once, they always came in groups."

Reno snickered and muttered something about taking down any number of guys.

I rolled my eyes and continued, "Anyway, she one day just came up to me in the hallway. As if we had been friends for a lifetime or more. She told me how she felt, told me she only picked on me because I was 'cute'," I scouffed at the memory. "I couldn't hide the twisting disguist on my face. She just stood there going on and on... Than she leaned into kiss me, so I put my hands on her shoulders to stop her. And said that I wasn't attracted to....her..," I catch myself before I slip,"I was only being honest with her..."

Which was the truth, I had been honest with her, regrettfully... I realize now that that was a huge mistake. But that was in the past and there was nothing I could do to change it.

Reno looked confused, "I don't get it... I could see where Tifa would be bitter but... I mean you weren't that bad... Still say you should have given her a pity fuck." He said this chuckling.

"Well anyway, so I'll see you boys later! Got a girly of my own to pick up," Reno waved off and made his exit.

I relaxed and smiled towards Zack, "Can we head back to your place, I'm kind of tired..."

"Thats fine, but when we get back you can fill me in on the details you were skipping out on before," He said this with a wink and I responded with a swift elbow followed by a grin.

"Lets go..."

----------------End Chapter!!