Chapter Forty: Eager

It had been so long – a little over three months since Graves deserted. Kunsel had tried his best to cover for him, and to cover up his tracks, but it only could last for so long before something or someone had to give. People started to ask questions, and lies and evasion ceased to work.

Ratcliff had left with Pawn, Haskin and 2nd Class Luxiere. Kunsel tried to swap himself with Luxiere, but the orders were already finalized and no amount of talking or bribing would have worked to get them amended in his favor. Kunsel was upset, as if he were letting Cloud down, and after Ratcliff had read the orders aloud, he apologized to both of them a few times in earnest. It was out of his hands, and their only hope was that Graves was lying low this whole time, and would continue to lie low. The only consolation he could give Ratcliff was to offer his phone number to him in case he needed any bit of information.

Tension was high, but only for Ratcliff. The rest of the team seemed relaxed, perhaps even eager. The shortage of SOLDIERs left the ones that were still around in disarray, and leading the army units deemed difficult. Such little manpower led to the army division to finally implement the new chain of command, and Haskin had been one of the men promoted to a commander. Aside from the green muffler being changed to a red one on his uniform, he was still the same Haskin – firm, serious, dutiful.

Luxiere was nice, perhaps even a bit timid. But he spoke of having worked with 1st Class Zack Fair on a few occasions, and that seemed to be enough to get his blood pumping and a motivation to perform well going in him. He had an eager-to-please attitude, and any other time Ratcliff would have enjoyed that sort of demeanor, but now it was worrisome.

Pawn seemed to be the only one he could trust, and it wasn't that the boy had proved that he was trustworthy, it was just that he was very quiet and shy. Maybe even persuadable, if need be. They had spent time together a few times and Ratcliff knew him well enough to call him a friend over calling him a comrade, so that gave him a shred of confidence, if not blind hope.

They had now been gone for nine days together. They were first mobilized to patrol through Midgar. The upper plate was combed through with the help of other infantrymen, and the slums were combed through, as well. A few men had been ordered to search the bar that Elici's wife and family managed in Sector 7, and Ratcliff insisted to do it himself. At first, Haskin was reluctant to allow this, but Ratcliff was able to convince him that Graves would come out of hiding if it were to be himself that spoke with him. So Ratcliff was allowed to enter the bar. He went with worry, even if he knew Graves wouldn't be there.

Elici's wife was happy to see him, and it made Ratcliff realize that he hadn't even contacted her to see how she had been doing all this time. She looked tired, but smiled whenever Elici was mentioned, even if a pained look did cross her eyes. Even Elici's son had recognized Ratcliff and ran up to him to give him a hug around his knees.

Ratcliff couldn't even look at any of them from both pity and his own shame.

She did reveal that Graves had stopped by, looking as if he were on some sort of leave. The seabag that he was carrying had given it all away. But Ratcliff didn't bother asking her for any more details, and instead, asked for a drink. Elici's wife didn't bother asking him what kind; she knew what he liked after knowing him for a few years.

He left the bar knowing the same amount of information as he did before he went in; yet he left with all the more guilt.

The search for Graves in Midgar was abandoned after two days when information was brought in from the Investigative Department. The Turks had discovered that there were sightings in both Junon and Costa del Sol of a man matching Graves' description two months prior. So they were flown into Junon and spent a day searching with the infantrymen stationed at the base for the man. It turned up fruitless. The base was set on an alert, and then they were shipped off to Costa del Sol on the western continent.

The town was in the remains of shambles. Construction was going on throughout and tourists were sparse. Ratcliff had heard of the clone attack on the town, but hadn't realized how intense it had been until remnants of bullet holes and bloodstains were apparent in some places still. He had always heard that the people were friendly and open, but now there were too few people to actually live up to that notion. The ones that the team did manage to interview were withdrawn and wary of them.

The infirmary was where the information on Graves, or at least, someone matching Graves' description had came from. So the team was directed there in their orders for further investigating. The infirmary staff had already been interviewed by the Turks during the initial incident, but at that time the Turks hadn't realized that it was potentially a member of Shin-Ra that destroyed the room, and hadn't made the connection yet.

But the descriptions were uncanny. And the excited reactions from Luxiere and Haskin were unnerving, at least for Ratcliff. They had interviewed a few more people – especially in the bar – and they too confirmed what Ratcliff was hoping against. Luxiere was anxious to continue on.

Much to Ratcliff's dismay, the decision to fly into Corel was made when nothing more surfaced in Costa del Sol. They would spend a few nights there in Graves' hometown to investigate and interview his family. Graves seldom spoke of them, but from what Ratcliff heard, they were ornery and short-tempered, just like he was. He couldn't imagine that they would give away his whereabouts, even if they did know where he was.

And, of course, his family didn't. In fact, the whole town was tight-lipped. They had spent the first day there going about and asking around, especially in the Mine Pub, but each person was reluctant to speak. The only ones that did were members of Shin-Ra that were stationed there for the new reactor. Most of them didn't have a very good memory, and some had been just recently sent there on assignment, so they were not much help.

Now, Luxiere was getting a bit desperate for information. After about five days on the mission, they were no more closer to finding their target than they had been at the start. So they returned to Graves' home again with a bit more aggression.

Graves' uncle was an impressively-sized man with a matching voice and scowl. At first he was neutral towards them, perhaps even unfazed that they were there looking for Graves, but as they pressed on, he became more defensive and even managed to intimidate the two in charge a bit. It was an understandable reaction from the uncle, but it left both Luxiere and Haskin questioning the man's honesty in the end.

Ratcliff tried to convince them both that Graves had little to nothing to do with his family anymore, and that he would never return to them if on the run. They only looked to Ratcliff with the same questioning gaze as they had for the uncle. But, they considered this for a moment and then continued on in the town.

During the night, they were each put on a fire watch. One would take turns guarding Graves' home for any signs of him, and one would guard the exit of the town. They would switch after a few hours to get some sleep at the inn. Nothing but the desert wind and sand blew past.

The fire watch proved pointless. And very, very cold.

The heat of the desert came back strong again in the morning, as did the resolve to pick through the town for clues. A new approach on the mission came about when Haskin proposed the idea of no longer asking the townspeople about Graves, but about Mejia. The idea was brought about after an hour or so of brainstorming. Why had Graves run? What would his motives be for leaving? They pieced together a theory – a correct theory – and decided that it was for revenge. The townspeople wouldn't rat out on one of their own, but ratting out a stranger was another story.

Ratcliff stayed silent through all this.

The change of tactic worked, and their first break came from someone working in a shop who confirmed a man that had matched Mejia's description to pass through, asking directions to Nibelheim. It was their only break, but was enough for that eager aura to swell up in the two in charge again, and for dread to fall over Ratcliff again.

A helicopter was radioed in from Costa del Sol, and by early evening, they took to the skies and over the mountains to head there.

Mejia was dead.

He was dead.

Mejia was … dead?

Why had it just now hit him?

Zack had told him this over a week ago, and now, in this innocent moment with the man, Cloud was struck with the realization. He didn't know what triggered the thought, and he didn't know what suddenly triggered the lump that was growing in his throat.

His drink was slowly lowered down onto the coffee table. He wasn't aware that he had stopped talking mid-sentence as they watched television together and conversed. Zack sat beside him with a concerned look on his face when the conversation went cold.

"Cloud?"

Cloud flinched at Zack's voice, his hand knocking the glass over with a loud clatter. It hit the surface of the table and caused him to jump again. He only muttered a few half-hearted apologies as he went to get a towel to clean the mess.

Zack held a hand out and stopped him, his eyes narrowing as he stood, and he disappeared into the bathroom to grab a hand towel for Cloud. He came back out into the living room, only to leave again to grab Cloud a tissue when he began to cry.

He came back out and slipped onto the couch, ignoring the juice that fell onto his carpet for the tears that fell on Cloud's face instead. He didn't have to ask what was wrong. The expression on Cloud's face – haunted, shocked – said what he needed to know. Zack was expecting this sooner or later.

Zack wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders and brought him close. Even when his crying eventually died down and his thick breathing was all that was left, Zack still held him. Even when he tried to pull away, Zack still held him.

Cloud managed to lift his head through Zack's tight grip. A small and shy smile appeared on his face, and perhaps it was a bit forced, but Zack found himself smiling back. Cloud went to say something, most likely an apology or an excuse for crying, but Zack stopped him with a hush and a kiss on the lips.

"It's okay," he whispered.

Cloud nodded slowly.

Zack leaned back on the couch, pulling the boy onto his chest. He smoothed away some strands of his hair, fighting with a few that were plastered against his skin from his tears. "It's … really okay," he whispered again, and maybe he was saying it for himself, too.

"I know." Cloud reached up, and he brushed the long strand of hair away from Zack's face, mimicking the man's tender action. "He's … gone."

"He is," Zack whispered once more.

"I just … don't know how to feel about it."

Zack turned his head, giving Cloud's palm a few kisses as it was stroking his cheek. "However you're feeling right now, and however you will feel in the future will be what you're supposed to be feeling."

Cloud chuckled breathlessly, shaking his head as the last bit of tears in his eyes disappeared. "Now I'm feeling confused over what you just said."

Zack grinned a little. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is, is that anything you feel from this will be okay. Happy, sad, angry …" Zack trailed off a moment as he kissed Cloud's hand a few more times. "It's all to be expected. I kind of went through a few of those emotions already, some of which I couldn't tell you why I was feeling that way."

"Like feeling sad?" Cloud said, his voice almost knowing.

"Yeah."

Cloud pulled his hand away and lowered his head down onto Zack's chest. "I don't know why I feel sad. I shouldn't be crying over that. He's gone, and I should be happy. Maybe I'm feeling sorry for myself."

"Well, if that's true, you have every right after what he put you through."

"No … I shouldn't be sad and I shouldn't be sorry. At least … not anymore."

"Then maybe it's time to make a change," Zack said warmly. He wasn't sure what else he could say.

Cloud nodded, staring into the television that flashed before them that went ignored. "But, why are you sad over it? Because you weren't the one to kill him?"

Zack frowned, growing quiet. He looked away from Cloud, even though the boy wasn't looking at him. It was more regret and maybe even jealousy that he felt than anything else. Zack wasn't feeling sorry for himself, he was feeling sorry for Cloud. For Cloud having to go through all this, for Cloud having to think that he was alone in all this and that he had to deal with it alone. He never wanted Cloud to think that way from the start, but there had been no stopping him, and he never could blame him. He often wondered if he would feel the same way if the same thing happened to him.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I guess it's a silly reason to feel sorry for myself, but I don't know why else I would."

Cloud was quiet now, and Zack became worried that he had offended him. But when he sucked in a breath to speak, Zack relaxed, if only a little. "No … not silly. I guess it could make sense when you think about it. I can see why you would have wanted to be the one …"

"I guess sometimes you can't really explain why you feel a certain way … you just do. There can't always be an explanation why we feel things. Know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean," Cloud muttered. "Don't worry."

"I hope that all didn't sound selfish," Zack said, frowning again.

Cloud shook his head, then nuzzled against Zack's chest, his hand coming to rest over his heart. "No, it's okay. Maybe soon we'll start to feel glad that he's gone." Cloud couldn't help but to frown at his own words.

"Maybe." Zack stroked his head, staring up at the ceiling. A long time passed between them, and neither really knew what to say anymore. It was only interrupted when Cloud sat up and mumbled something about cleaning up the carpet. Zack had forgotten that the juice had spilled, and now it would be pointless to clean it up. The stain was already set in the fibers.

But Cloud was already dabbing at the stain with the towel, so Zack slid off the couch to help him. They still didn't say much between each other, and Zack was fearing that he might have really offended him and Cloud was just trying to play it off. His face was rather bland, almost emotionless and what Zack had said did seem selfish.

Now, it had gotten too quiet for Zack, so he started up a rather silly conversation about how he had spilled juice on his mother's imported Wutaian rug when he was younger. He had tried to cover it up by rearranging the furniture in their small house over the stain, but his mother was always able to tell when he was guilty or lying because his nose twitched like the nose on a rabbit. He even tried to cover that up by wiping at his nose with his hand as if he were sick, but his mother caught on after a while. He admitted that he wasn't sure what he grew out of first – the tell-all nose twitching or the boyish lying. Regardless, he was forced to clean the rug and was always forced to have his hands down at his sides when he was being interrogated by his parents over anything.

The story served its purpose and lightened the mood. More importantly, it sent Cloud's laughter through the silence. It made him sheepishly admit that he, too, had a tell-all when it came to lying, and that was that he was just a terrible liar, and his mother always knew – plain and simple. Now their laughter mingled.

The stain was cleaned as best as it could for it being cranberry juice and for the carpet being of a lighter cream color. Cloud's apologies were once again stopped from being spoken with a few kisses and a slap on the butt with the wet towel when they stood. Cloud growled at Zack, as his pants were now splattered with juice, as were spots on the floor where they stood.

"That wasn't very smart!" Cloud scoffed, twisting around to see the damage on his jeans. "Laundry day isn't for another few days, and now my ass is sticky."

A lot of will power went into Zack's tongue to not say the horribly tacky innuendo that came to mind then. He decided to play it safe from the narrowed blue eyes that stared at him, demanding some sort of answer to the sticky dilemma. "I do own a shower."

"That doesn't solve my laundry problem."

"Sure it does. Just don't wear anything when you get out."

Cloud rubbed his face with a defeated sigh. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"What? This?" Zack snapped the towel against him again, grinning as juice not only soaked even more into his pants, but splattered onto the walls now.

"Knock it off! How irresponsible can you possibly be?" Cloud was grimacing, his fingers already fumbling at the fly of his pants to tug them down. "Now we have to clean the walls, too."

"You just worry about cleaning up your ass, and I'll worry about the walls." Zack shooed him off towards the bathroom. "Go."

Cloud grumbled something about childish behavior and creating unnecessary work for the sake of fun and disappeared into the bathroom.

The shower began to run after a moment, and Zack had no intention to tend to the mess he just created in the living room. He slipped into the bathroom after Cloud situated himself in there. They had only taken a shower once together, and it was more nerve-racking and awkward than anything else.

His intentions then were clean – for lack of a better phrase – as they were now. But if something were to come of this, he wouldn't stop it.

He heard Cloud gasp a little as he pulled back the curtain just enough for him to slip in. The metal screech of the rings on the rod was what Zack thought had frightened him at first, but as he entered, he could see that Cloud's eyes were red.

"Baby," he murmured, watching as Cloud quickly turned away from him, holding a washcloth close to his chest. Whether it was out of embarrassment that they were showering together, or shame that he was crying once again, Zack wasn't sure. Why he would be crying again, he still wasn't sure.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning?" Cloud said, his voice surprisingly steady.

Zack grabbed his body wash and offered up a stupid grin as a response.

"I meant the walls."

He ignored him. "Were you crying again?"

"What?" Cloud turned around, frowning. "No."

Zack frowned as well, motioning to his face. "Your eyes are kinda red."

Cloud turned around again, but only to try and see his reflection in the shower knobs. He didn't realize that he gave Zack quite a view as he bent slightly to do this. "Oh, that's strange. I've had a headache, that might be it." Cloud glanced over his shoulder at Zack, his eyes catching Zack's aimed down at his backside.

Zack blinked once he realized that Cloud was looking at him, and he quickly stammered and flicked his eyes back up to his face. "Headache? How bad?" He couldn't help but grin a little after being caught staring.

"What were you staring at?"

"Nothing."

Cloud peered at his face closely. "Your nose does twitch when you lie."

A hand was quickly slapped to his nose, and Zack heard a rather sheepish chuckle come from behind it. "I just was admiring the red mark the towel left." Still a slight lie.

Now Cloud's face was what was red and he looked down at the washcloth to take his attention out on it. "Just take a shower," he said coldly.

Zack chuckled once more, his hands running across Cloud's wet shoulders. He could already smell the spicy scent of his body wash on Cloud's skin, and he wanted to get closer to him. Cloud tensed a little as he stepped to him, but relaxed when Zack only set his chin down on one of his shoulders from behind. "Sure you weren't crying again?" Zack whispered softly, wrapping his arms around the blond.

"Yeah, honest. I wasn't crying. I realized how stupid it was to cry over that."

Zack began to rock him as they stood beneath the stream of the shower. "I was just making sure." He turned his head, kissing Cloud's cheek. He continued to hold him, despite Cloud trying to shrug himself away to finish washing himself. Zack wasn't about to let him go.

Cloud realized this and stood relatively still, only his hands kneaded the washcloth together to lather the soap more.

"Want me?"

"W-what? Want you what?" Cloud turned his head quickly, his eyes wide.

Zack was nodding to the washcloth, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh, s-sure." Cloud turned away, looking very embarrassed. He held the washcloth over his shoulder as Zack took it and stepped back.

He began to wash his back for him, gently running the cloth over his shoulder blades and down to his hips. Cloud murmured something about having already washed himself, but Zack ignored him and continued.

His hand went lower, passing over his cheeks and down to the back of his thighs. He smiled as Cloud turned his head away from him even further than it already was, trying to hide both the nervousness and the anticipation in his face. Zack brought his hand back up, finding that it was trembling just a bit, increasing with the pace of his heartbeat. His hand lingered.

Cloud's breathing started to quicken and he tried to step away, but Zack only followed him. Zack's hand circled one of his cheeks and up to his back again, sliding around to his abdomen. Cloud squirmed a bit.

Now, the cloth was circling down his stomach, coming to rest above his groin. Zack's eyes glanced over his shoulder, and he heard himself groan a little at the sight below his hand. Cloud was hard, his erection twitching when Zack's hand would lower dangerously close. He almost seemed frustrated when Zack didn't venture any further.

Instead, he lowered his head down, warm water dripping from his lips onto Cloud's shoulder as he kissed him. He moved to his neck, tasting clean skin as he left hints of his tongue between kisses. He smiled as he heard what sounded like a whimper from Cloud as his hand slid away from his stomach and back behind him again.

Another whimper escaped Cloud as he suddenly turned his head, catching Zack's lips with his own. It was needy, yet still restrained with the light pressure of it. It was enough to urge Zack to want to taste more and to break down more of that restraint. His tongue lapped at Cloud's mouth and he was surprised when it didn't take long before he was tasting Cloud's.

The washcloth was dropped with a plop, Zack's hand now gripping Cloud's behind. Cloud craned his neck, wanting to twist his body around into Zack's chest, but Zack kept him where he was, reaffirming this by giving his cheek a tight squeeze. They both moaned into each other's mouth.

Water poured over them as they continued to kiss, the heat of their bodies, from being meshed together, making everything seem stifling. Zack heard his name being muttered between the swirling of their tongues; Cloud felt Zack's heartbeat thump against his back.

Zack moaned again, his erection brushing up against Cloud's behind as he held tight. He couldn't stop himself from thrusting his hips against him, fueled by the aggressive tongue in his mouth. He placed his hand on Cloud's shoulder, pushing him forward as he broke the kiss. Cloud went along, but his head turned quickly, and widened eyes looked at Zack.

Zack's bottom lip was clenched between his teeth, his hands smoothing over Cloud's back and with his gaze nowhere near Cloud's face. A hazy look was in his eyes as they trailed along with the movements of his stroking. It was a longing look … hungry and needy. He groaned quietly.

Cloud could feel Zack's fingertips scraping lightly down his spine, calloused palms passing over his bottom again. He tensed when Zack's fingers began to press between his cheeks. "Z-Zack!" Cloud said, gasping. "Y-you're not gonna …"

Cloud's pleading tone seemed to snap Zack out of whatever haze he was in and he removed his hand quickly. "No, g-gods, Cloud." He took a step back, pulling Cloud up to a standing position once more. "Don't worry. I won't … u-unless you want me to."

Cloud shook his head nervously as he turned in Zack's arms. "Not … now, please."

"Of course," Zack mumbled, kissing his lips a few times. "Sorry if I crossed a line."

"No, it's okay. Just … not here."

Zack nodded, bringing Cloud close. He felt the boy suddenly flinch against him and he glanced down at him worriedly, hearing Cloud release a soft moan. "Baby?" He was still for a moment, and Zack's heart began to race.

But Cloud moaned again, his hips starting to thrust against Zack's. It was then he realized Cloud was moaning in pleasure. Their erections were sliding against each other.

Zack's restraint was slipping now as he watched Cloud moving against him slightly. It was getting hard to stop himself, but he still allowed his hands to continue roaming.

He wanted Cloud. Bad. His thoughts had been increasing lately about making love to him and it was more than a little frustrating. He was ashamed with himself for losing control for even just a moment, and for even considering doing that in the shower for the first time. Cloud deserved better than that … they both did.

But the hard heat sliding against his own was making not thinking about bending the blond over and screwing him senseless very difficult. The water was adding to the sensation and was made worse when Zack found himself wrapping his arm around Cloud's back and pressing them together. Cloud buried his face into his neck and moaned – loudly.

"Shit, Cloud," Zack muttered between clenched teeth. Both of their hips moved together now. "A-are you done in here?"

"Y-yeah, done."

Zack pulled away, twisting the knobs quickly to shut the water off. His shaking hand tugged back the curtains, and both were too focused on each other to cringe at the metallic screech. Zack stepped out of the shower, pulling Cloud with him, having to help support him when he nearly tripped over the side of the tub in their haste.

They ignored their towels, bodies moving towards Zack's bedroom, leaving trails of water behind them as they kissed. A wet hand reached out behind, feeling around for the doorway, guiding the other into the room safely. They made it to the bed, and Zack lowered down on top of Cloud, his tongue leaving his mouth to trail down his neck.

Cloud turned his head, his fingers lacing through Zack's wet hair. His panting was interrupted by a moan when Zack's body started to move against his, and their erections began to rub against each other once again. He heard himself swear softly, and again more loudly when Zack nipped at his neck. It was a rough bite, perhaps too rough, as he heard Zack murmur an apology afterwards.

Zack passed his tongue over the mark, soothing it. He licked down to his collar bone, collecting the water droplets littering Cloud's skin. He saw them glimmering in the fading sunlight from his window as their bodies moved together.

But the slickness between them was beginning to dry, and Cloud's moaning became quieter. Zack lifted his head, frowning when Cloud made a noise of disapproval, so his thrusting stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Not … wet anymore." Cloud looked away, embarrassed.

"Hang on." Zack slid off him and flopped over the side of the bed to his nightstand. He rummaged around a bit and soon pulled out a bottle of lubrication. He hadn't used it in a while. He glanced down to the expiration date.

Cloud peered at the bottle for a bit, but then his eyes widened when he realized what it was, and his face turned red a few seconds later. "W-wait, you're not gonna …"

Zack crawled back over to him, kissing his forehead softly. "It's a little old, but it's not expired yet. We'll need a new bottle eventually."

"But … what are you g-gonna do with it? Are we gonna …?" Cloud swallowed hard.

"Just relax. We can use it to play." He flicked open the cap, glancing at Cloud's worried face. "Just trust me."

"I trust you."

Zack chuckled. "Then why do you look so nervous?"

He was quiet for a minute, his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to force out his next sentence. "Why is it half-used?" he eventually whispered.

"Well," Zack said, clearing his throat quickly, "I've had it for a while …"

Cloud looked away, towards the door.

It was then Zack realized he never really spoke with Cloud about his past lovers. He frowned, wondering if now was the time and place and if it would bother him. "Two and a half."

"What?"

"You're wondering how many people I've been with, right?"

Cloud said nothing.

"Two and a half."

"Half?"

"The half … we just … messed around."

"So you've … done it before?"

Zack cleared his throat again, closing the bottle. "Yeah."

"Women or –"

"Women, yes."

"Oh." Cloud nodded a few times, rather numbly.

"But most of it I used myself …"

Cloud snorted, but didn't laugh afterwards. "Yourself …?"

Zack smirked a little.

A brief moment passed between them, and Cloud finally spoke. "Does it … feel really good?" Cloud turned his head towards his direction, but still didn't look at him. His face was terribly red.

"Very good."

Cloud's eyes flickered up to Zack's, then down to the bottle.

Zack flicked open the cap again, kissing Cloud deeply. "It'll be cold at first, okay?"

Cloud nodded, watching as Zack pulled away and drizzled some down on himself first. He hissed a little, the muscles in his stomach jumping as the cold liquid rolled down his member. Cloud's stomach did the same when Zack finally poured some onto him. He hissed as well.

"Sorry, it'll get warm soon," Zack whispered as he rubbed his hand along himself, coating his length entirely. "You too, baby."

Cloud just shook his head silently, looking away.

Zack chuckled and lowered down, kissing his neck. "Don't want to touch yourself in front of me?"

Cloud, again, said nothing.

And he didn't utter a sound until Zack pressed himself against him and started to thrust again. A moan slipped out then, his eyelids fluttering as their slick members began to rub together once more.

Zack moaned as well. He watched as Cloud still had his head turned, looking very embarrassed, yet the arching of his eyebrows told him that the boy was starting to feel lost in the new sensation. The liquid began to warm up, as promised, and more and more sounds began to flood the room.

It felt good. But what was making it feel amazing was the simple thought of what they were doing, what it looked like they were doing … what they could be doing if Zack were only a little bit lower. Their heart beats were as fast as they would have been had they been making love, and their minds churned just as erratically.

Cloud was now whimpering, his legs rising up around Zack's waist in lust, but then lowering in hesitation. He seemed conflicted, wanting to get closer to him, to make the pleasure even more intense, but his own insecurities battled against that yearning. He continued this, even when Zack slowed down to watch him more closely.

Zack couldn't help but chuckle at Cloud's actions. There was an apparent need to make something feel better for himself, but the boy refused to just give in. "Here," Zack whispered, sliding Cloud's legs up to his waist, "it's okay. Do what you feel like doing, Cloud."

Nervous eyes opened with a shake of his head, and Cloud lowered his legs back down to the mattress. "I-It's okay."

"I don't mind, and neither should you," he whispered again, nuzzling his nose against Cloud's cheek before placing several pecks against his jawline.

Cloud moaned a response as Zack began to pick up his pace, their bodies now rocking together. His legs lifted again, but then they sank back down, still unsure of himself. Everything was now becoming unbearably hot between them, even the water that dripped from their wet hair seemed to hold an intense heat. There was no time to try to lift his legs again.

The slickness quickly brought Cloud to cry out, his voice strengthening as Zack moved faster. His own moans were muffled against Cloud's ear as he clutched onto his shoulders. He heard Cloud mutter a frantic warning, but Zack could feel his member becoming hard and throbbing.

Zack cried out, "Cloud, just do it!"

Cloud stiffened against him, his body ceasing his own thrusting as he came. His head turned to the side, trying to bury his face in the pillow beneath him, but Zack was still able to watch the beautiful expression on his face.

And he felt even more hot liquid spread between them, and the feeling alone pushed Zack over. He released with a low whine, trying to quiet himself so he could continue to hear Cloud's frantic moans through it all. But the feeling of their seed against their bodies, mixing, made him lose it, and his restrained sounds broke free.

Zack lowered himself on top of Cloud, his head nodding down against Cloud's neck. He heard himself swear a few times, and even Cloud murmur something incoherently against him. Neither could really speak.

They eventually relaxed, both shivering as their body temperature began to cool off. Zack started to paw around for the blanket, but Cloud made a grunt of disapproval.

"Zack, no. We need to clean off," Cloud muttered, sounding as if he were already beginning to drift off.

Zack groaned, lifting his head reluctantly. He was fighting to keep his eyes open as he glanced around the bed and floor for something they could use. "Fuck. We didn't bring a towel with us." Zack peered over the bed, only lifting himself off Cloud's body enough to run his hand beneath the bed. "Maybe there's a sock or something we can use."

Cloud made a face, looking quite disgusted. "A sock? That's gross."

Zack smirked at Cloud sarcastically. "Like you've never used a sock before when you've touched yourself."

Cloud just looked away, muttering that he didn't touch himself. He sounded anything but convincing.

"I find that hard to believe." He was quiet for a moment, that smirk turning into a grin. "But we'll see about that."

There was no sock nearby that Zack was able to find, so they opted to use their tongues instead.

… To be continued in Chapter Forty-One: Resolve.

Ending Author's short-for-once Note: Hello. :3 Just a quick note: A fire watch is a term for when members of armed forces take turns guarding a person, place or thing, just in case you were wondering.

Hurrhurr, naughty boys are naughty. Zack's getting a wee bit frustrated, and Cloud seems to be opening up just a bit more … lol just a bit.

WELL. This chapter was posted just a bit sooner than usual. It's nearly midnight here, and guess where I'm going? Work. At midnight. *is shot* So I had to post it before I left. Hurray for graveyard...*sobs*

Methinks I'm going to hold off for three weeks this time. Just until my body can get used to a) going back to work after an entire year off recovering from surgery, and b) going back to work and working GRAVEYARD after an entire year off recovering from surgery. Until my body can become accustomed to sleeping during the day and being awake at night, my concentration for writing will go to shit.

So Tuesday, October 12th, my friends. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I'll eventually get to responding. I didn't the last time because crazy busy has been crazy.

Oh! Moar fan-art! By lady-yuna7! From chapter thirty-six. Lol Graves...Barret...

http: / lady-yuna7. deviantart. com/ art/ Malady-Chapter-36-178501645

Graves' face makes me gigglesnort. XD

Time for work...OTZ