Zack sits quietly as he listens to Cloud's story, taking in every single word, making sure not to miss a single detail.

Whenever Cloud would get into a part of the story that would elicit a strong emotional reaction, Zack would brush his hand along Cloud's thigh as comfort, always giving him an assuring smile.

Zack couldn't believe how much Cloud had gone through. The intensity of it all was much more than what he had initially expected. Then, the fact that he could've lost Cloud that day begins to sink in.

Tears well up in Zack's eyes, blinking a few times to stop them from falling, "Cloud I—I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. I can't believe he did that to you. That heartless—" Zack takes a deep breath, calming himself, "You didn't deserve any of that. Nor is any of it your fault, you got that?"

Cloud huffs out a chuckle. Seriously, Zack is too good to him, "I know that now…"

Zack embraces Cloud, giving him a comforting squeeze, "Thank you for telling me. I know that couldn't have been easy, but thank you"

"I should be thanking you" Cloud quietly mumbles into Zack's shoulder.

Zack pulls back, checking the blonde, "Why you say that? I didn't really do anything"

Cloud shakes his head, "You've done so much; you've been patient with me, showered me with affection, never cornered me for information…you don't know how much that's all meant to me; and—and sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you—"

Zack opens his mouth as if he were about to say something, but Cloud motioned him to stop.

"But…although I may feel that way sometimes, I really—" his eyes start to well up, the tears causing a shimmer within his blue eyes, "I really love you, Zack…I—I can't thank you enough for everything"

Zack ruffles Cloud's hair. Cloud may view himself as cowardly or undeserving sometimes, but truly, none of that was true. Zack believed Cloud was fearless and determined; the way the blonde pushed out his feelings to him was evidence of that.

"You're really something you know" Zack grins.

Cloud looks up at him, Zack giving him one of the warmest, brightest smiles he's ever seen on him.

"Zack…"

Zack presses a firm kiss on Cloud's forehead, "I love you too Cloudy. You mean so much to me…I wouldn't mind showing you time and time again the extent of my love"

Cloud blushes, "How can you say something so embarrassing"

Zack laughs, "You love it though, don't lie"

A faint smile creeps on Cloud's face, "You got me there"

Zack rubs gently on his skin, "One more thing though. What do you wanna do?"

Cloud looks at him, tilting his head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mea—an, what do you wanna do about Sephiroth? Don't tell me you just wanna forget about it. I mean, I get it, but he's done and taken way too much from you. You can't just let him freely walk around while the only reason he gained popularity was from a song you wrote."

Cloud looks at the ground, pondering over Zack's words, "…I don't disagree with you, but—but what am I supposed to do? Not like anyone is gonna take my word for it"

Zack hums thinking about his options, "You've got to have some sort of evidence. Something that proves the song was yours"

Cloud furrows his brows, "I told you, he burned my music sheets that day"

"Yeah…but you have to have something else. I know you do. Like a recording, or a digital copy of some sort. Like a backup maybe?"

Cloud pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to recall if he did in fact have any backups. His thoughts were so muddled, he had trouble thinking about it, however, he remembers Tifa confiscating anything that may have had any sort of trace of his time with Sephiroth"

"Tifa, she took a USB drive from me around the time it all happened. I don't remember what exactly was on it, but I used to keep a lot of data on there, but it could also be just photos"

Zack hums, "Well that's a place to start. We'll pay her a visit tomorrow" Zack lets out a breath, easing the atmosphere, "You wanna stay over? It's getting late don't you think?"

Cloud glances over the clock. Hours had passed, and it was well into the evening now. Cloud nods his head, "I think that would be good and—" Cloud carefully brushes his nose against Zack's, "I wanna spend more time with you anyway"

Zack's heart flutters from the soft gesture and heat rises to the top of his cheeks. He nods in agreement.

Cloud pulls at his own shirt, "You think I could take a shower though? I feel kinda gross…"

Zack lifts himself up from the couch, "Yeah, let me grab you a towel" He heads over to the linen closet and removes a sky-blue towel and hands it over to Cloud. "Soap and everything will be in the cabinet under the sink" Zack explains.

Cloud reaches for the towel, his hand grazing against Zack's. Cloud keeps his hand over Zack's longer than necessary. It's as though he wants to say something, but can't find the words. Cloud's face blushes a faint pink and he purses his lips.

"Cloud?" Zack asks, leaning into his space, "Something on your mind?"

Cloud doesn't say anything, just looks right into Zack's violet-blue eyes. He's searching for something or trying to convey something. Zack isn't sure what exactly.

Cloud pulls his hand away from Zack's, along with the towel, "I'll…go in now"

Cloud walks towards the bathroom. He looks over his shoulder one last time; something presumptuous gleaming in his eyes, before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Zack places a hand over his face, trying to hide the red that crept up on his cheeks. Was that an invitation?

Cloud turns on the faucet of the bathtub, running his fingertips along the streaming water, waiting for it to warm up a little. Once he deems it warm enough, he closes the drain and allows the tub to fill. He had found a bath bomb in the cabinet and it smelled nice, like honey and lavender. He chuckles to himself, finding it fitting that Zack has a stash of bath bombs hidden in his bathroom.

Cloud places the bomb in the tub, allowing it to dissolve and fizz out, creating a swirl of purple and yellow in the water.

Cloud uses the detachable shower head to wash his hair, using Zack's shampoo and conditioner. His olfactory senses then filled with Zack, causing him to blush in response.

After washing his hair, he rests himself into the warm bathwater. He exhales as his body relaxes in the water. He hasn't realized how tense he's been all night from everything. He closes his eyes as his pale face warms because of the steam emanating from the water.

He hears the door open and close gently, then the shuffling of another person

Oh good, he understood. Cloud couldn't bring himself to ask so he had tried to make it obvious through his actions.

Cloud kept his eyes closed, waiting for Zack to step into the tub.

The water level rises as Zack dips in and Cloud opens his eyes to see Zack's toned body delving into the water. Zack's hair is damp, must've washed it before he got in.

"Hey…hope I understood that correctly back there," Zack says as he tries to act cool about this whole event. Despite the fact that his heart was racing, and his face was flush, but he'll just say that it's from the steam.

Cloud slides down into the water, the tip of his chin submerging underneath the water's surface.

He nods his head. He didn't bother to imagine how nervous he'd be. When he thought about it, they've never spent their time together like this.

Their heartbeats sound the quiet area, Zack tries to break the awkward silence, "You wanna sit a bit closer?"

Cloud nods his head and scoots into Zack's lap, the water sloshing around as he shifts in the water.

Zack exhales and grazes his hand against Cloud's arms underneath the water, "Much better yeah?". He rests his head on Cloud's shoulder, his hair dripping over Cloud.

Cloud hums in agreement while he relaxes into Zack.

"I see you found the bath bombs" Zack mentions.

Cloud chuckles, "You have so many"

"Is that weird?"

"No, I think it's fitting" he teases.

"Can't help it. I like things that smell nice…and you smell really nice right now" Zack flirts.

A brief silence falls between them. Cloud ponders over his thoughts in silence before quietly voicing them, "You really don't think of me differently?" Cloud asks unsure.

Zack nuzzles into his neck, "Of course not. Like I said before, you made it through all that, and that alone is huge. You're amazing Cloud. I swear I fall for you more and more each day"

"Me too" Cloud mumbles and turns his head to the side placing a kiss on Zack's head of hair.

Zack lifts his eyes to gaze at Cloud. He lifts his hand out of the water and gently turns Cloud's head towards him and places an eager kiss on Cloud's softened lips.

Cloud parts his lips slightly, inviting Zack in.

Zack takes the invitation and deepens their kiss, as one hand explores Cloud's body underneath the water.

Cloud squirms as he feels something hard rub against his backside, "Zack…" he moans into Zack's mouth.

"Hmm, you like that?" Zack groans as he grips Cloud, rubbing his thumb against the head.

"W—Wait, Zack…" Cloud pulls away for a moment before turning himself around, so that he's facing Zack, straddling him.

Zack gazes at his boyfriend, taking in the sight in front of him. His hands move to grip Cloud's hips.

Cloud leans down and nibbles at Zack's jaw before moving down to his neck.

Zack tilts his head back, allowing Cloud to explore as much as he wants.

Cloud runs his hand over Zack's chest, his fingers brushing against every dip and curve, admiring each and every detail.

Zack smirks, "Like what you see?"

Cloud hums and moves back up to kiss Zack. He gently pulls at Zack's bottom lip.

Zack pulls him in close and can feel Cloud's hard member rub against his stomach.

Zack growls thinking about how aroused both him and his boyfriend are becoming. Zack moves a hand back lower down Cloud's spine, his fingers grazing against the blonde's tight entrance.

Cloud shivers from the sudden contact. His cock twitches in anticipation. "Zack, c—can we please…do more today…"

Zack huffs out a chuckle, "Whatever you want". He deepens their kiss and slides his tongue into it, intertwining with Cloud's. Zack reaches for the basket placed on the side of the tub, pulling out a bottle of lube and pops the cap off.

Cloud glances over at the bottle, "You keep that in here?"

"Well, you never know" Zack chuckles.

Zack applies some onto his hands then moves his slick fingers to Cloud's backside, lightly brushing against the surface before slowly pushing a finger into him.

Cloud shifts a bit from the sudden invasion, causing a wave to ripple through the bathwater.

"Relax a bit, it's okay. I'll go slow, I won't hurt you", Zack pulls Cloud closer to him, keeping his other hand on the blonde's back as a means of comfort.

Cloud takes deep breaths as he focuses on the sensation.

Zack continues to slowly thrust his fingers into Cloud, seamlessly adding in a second finger when it seemed like Cloud had completely relaxed into him.

Cloud starts to rock his hips back and forth against Zack as he gets lost in the arousal; his cock beginning to seep precum.

Cloud shudders as he feels a third finger slide into him. Zack quickens his pace, causing Cloud's breaths to become more ragged.

He wanted more. Wants Zack to fill him up, push into him relentlessly until he's shaking and can't take anymore.

"Za—ahck" Cloud moans, "I—I think that's—good enough, I—I want you inside me" Cloud pulls back to gaze into Zack's lust-filled eyes.

Zack flips Cloud over and lifts him out of the water, positioning him against the shower wall. Zack hovers over Cloud, positioning his cock right outside the blonde's entrance.

"Like this?" Zack teases. He loved seeing Cloud like this, arousal taking over his senses.

"Y—yes, fuck…please, Zack, just put it in" Cloud begs as he arches his back for a better angle.

Zack groans as he grips onto Cloud's hips and slowly slides himself in.

Cloud shudders as he's filled beyond his limits. He knew Zack was thick, but fuck, this was beyond his imagination.

Cloud whines and stills once Zack pushes every inch into him.

"You okay?" Zack gently whispers into Cloud's back.

"Mhm," Cloud hums.

Zack rubs Cloud's back, "I'm gonna start moving okay?"

He starts at a slow pace; however, he quickly realizes how difficult for him it is to keep this pace, the feeling of Cloud's tight wet hole rushes through Zack's body. Zack groans and suddenly slams his cock into Cloud.

"Ah!" Cloud gasps, his body jolting from the sudden roughness.

"C—Cloud, sorry, but I don't think I can control myself any longer"

Cloud tries to catch his breath, "I—it's fine. Be as rough as you want…I only wanna think about you right now"

Zack shivers and tightens his grip on Cloud's hips and begins to pound into him, pulling all the way out then quickly thrusting himself back in. Zack leans down and nibbles at Cloud's back, leaving marks along his spine.

"Zack, harder" Cloud moans.

Zack effortlessly flips Cloud over and gently elevates him, placing him against the wall. He continues to pound into Cloud, however this time, he's able to get a good look of the pleasure on his boyfriend's face.

Cloud's breathing hard, his face flush from the heat. His head rolls to the side and he catches Zack's gaze. He lifts his arm and curls it around Zack's neck, pulling him into a messy kiss.

"Just like that, that feels…really good" Cloud whispers into Zack's ear, the sound of wet smacking echoing off the bathroom walls.

Zack groans, "Fuck Cloud…I think I'm gonna—"

Cloud hushes him, "Me too…you can—" he turns a bright red and clenches around Zack's cock, "you can come inside…it's okay". He kisses Zack on the cheek, "I trust you"

Zack's pace becomes frantic, "C—Cloud, fuck, I—I love you so much", he holds Cloud close as he releases inside him.

Cloud arches back, letting out a long moan. His legs shake as he releases, feeling Zack filling him on the inside. Cloud goes limp and nearly slides from Zack's grip, however, Zack's quick to catch him.

"Woah there, wouldn't want that now" He cradles Cloud and gently puts him down back into the water. He looks around then back at Cloud, who is currently still trying to catch his breath. "I think we're gonna need another shower" Zack jokes.

Cloud huffs out a chuckle, a smile appearing on his face, "Yeah, think you're right.

"Thanks for meeting us so early in the morning"

"Oh, it's no problem. Besides, seemed like something important" Tifa says, "What can I do for you boys?"

"Well, Cloud was telling me that you had an old USB—"

"You took it around the time that happened" Cloud finishes.

Tifa sifts through her memories, "Ah, I think I know what you're talking about. It's probably in one of the boxes upstairs. I'll go check it out, but…why are you asking for it now?"

"There might be something on it…I think—" Cloud starts.

"Something we might be able to use against Sephiroth" Zack finishes Cloud's sentence. They seem to be in sync today after last night.

Tifa nods, "Alright, I'll go look for it. You boys sit tight. No funny business alright?" she glares at them.

Zack lifts his hands up innocently, "Got it"

Tifa disappears up the stairs, and Cloud looks over to Zack, "Do you really think there might be something on there?"

"You're asking me? I think you should know better than me" Zack jokes, "But personally, I think the odds are good. You said this USB had some moments you and Sephiroth shared, right?"

"Yeah, some pictures for sure…there may be other stuff on there too"

Zack hums, "Wait! Wait, wait!" he startles Cloud.

"W—what?"

"Ah, man I'm such an idiot for not thinking about this earlier" Zack rubs his forehead in shame.

"Zack, what?"

"The song sheets you have at your place. Remember the one you snatched from me the first time I looked through them. I knew the song sounded familiar, that was the song the Sephiroth supposedly wrote. You get what I mean? And it dates years ago"

"Oh yeah…" Cloud's eyes widen, "I forgot about that…but, it's not like their just gonna take my word for it, and my name isn't even printed on it. Also knowing Sephiroth, he probably has a copy of it anyway."

Zack slumps in his chair, "Yeah, but it's a place to start at least"

Suddenly Tifa's coming down the stairs with a laptop positioned between her arms, "Alright, I think this is the one" She sets her laptop on the table and flips it over so that the screen is positioned towards the boys. She inserts the USB and allows Cloud to sort through it. Zack's leaning in, also looking for anything.

So far, just seems like a bunch of pictures, just as Cloud said. However, something catches Zack's eye, "Wait, scroll back up. I think I saw something….there" he points at an mp4 file that was wedged in between the endless photo files.

Cloud clicks the file and it begins to play. He enlarges the screen so that it's easier to see for everyone.

"Is this recording right?" a younger-looking Cloud appeared on the screen. Seems to be like he's positioning the camera.

He took a step back and nodded his head when he thought everything was alright. He took a seat at the grand piano that was rested behind him. He then seemed to look over at someone before he proceeded to start playing.

Cloud started playing through the song, the song that was unfinished at the time, the song that he was practicing for the show at the end of the year.

He finished what he had and turns back to talk to the unseen man, "Sephiroth! What'd you think?"

The man appeared in the camera's frame, his trademark silver hair draping down his back. He brushed against Cloud's shoulder, "It's very good. How long until you're finished with it?"

"I think I can have it done in a few weeks. I'm pretty satisfied with the chord progression, just need to sort out the lyrics"

Sephiroth hummed, "Alright, you can send it to me when you're finished. I'll look it over, so you'll have some other eyes to critique it"

Cloud nodded, "Okay!" He falls silent for a brief moment, his expression becoming unsure, "Hey, Sephiroth…do you think we can grab something to eat after this?"

Sephiroth sighed, "Haven't I told you already? I've been busy, I don't have the time to 'grab something to eat' with you"

Cloud visibly flinched, then gave a forced smile, "Oh yeah, sorry…forgot, you should be graduating soon. Maybe when everything dies down, I guess"

He didn't get an immediate response, "I'll see you again when you're ready for another practice session"

"…Alright…see you later…"

The door shut and Cloud was left alone in the room. He let out a shaky breath. He turned his head over to see that the camera was still recording. He stood up from the seat and walked towards the camera, turning it off.

Zack abruptly stands up, "This is it! Cloud send that over to me asap!"

"Wait Zack, what are we gonna do with it? Send it over to the media? I doubt many people in Midgar care about the drama down here in the slums"

Zack huffs confidently, "Trust me, I have an idea. I know someone who can help"

Cloud took note of the confidence in Zack's eyes, "Alright, I'll send it over now"

"Cool! Alright—" Zack gathers his things, "I'll see you as soon as I finish this up" he places a kiss on Cloud's cheek, "Don't worry, this'll all be over before you know it. Just wait for me 'kay?"

Cloud nods, and with that, Zack runs out of the bar.

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing" Tifa adds, seeing the visible uneasiness on Cloud's face.

Cloud nods, "I trust him. It's just that…I never imagined this day would come. Just kinda thought I'd have to live with it, you know?"

Tifa hums, "Yeah, I get what you mean. But you know that's not fair to you. You dropped everything for that incident. I know how bad you wanted to write music…even now"

Cloud huffs, "I really can't hide anything from you…"

Tifa chuckles, "I know you front and back"

A comfortable silence falls between them.

"Tifa…"

She cocks her head, "Yeah?"

"You know…I've had an idea for a song, just—just haven't gotten to writing it just yet…"

She jumps up, "Cloud! That's great! I'm so proud of you! Do you think you'll have it written anytime soon?"

"It's hard to say. Guess I'll see when all this is over"

"Do you think, you'll want to perform it?" she says cautiously.

Cloud doesn't say anything for a moment, "I think…I think I want to perform this one…it's…special"

Tifa smiles, "Let me know whenever you're ready, I'll reserve the stage for you, okay?"

Cloud smiles, "Yeah, thank you Tifa. Thank you for everything"