Disclaimer: I do not in any way at all claim ownership of the characters, plots, or settings of FF7. They are Square Enix's. I do own any and all creatures/people/places/etc that are here-with created by me. Meaning, in other words, MINE!

Review Replies:

DeeLight868: Well, to your question, I believe this chapter answers them and I'm glad you're reading this.

xXTwilightAuroraXx: Noooo, don't drown in giggles! You need to live to read the rest. :) Now just imagine Cloud in all the bondage stuff. Mmmmmm.

Kirallie: Oh, he would if he had to. lol

Anna Crumbly: Naw, it was fine and no, it does not refer to Eisenhower. It was the name or a reviewer. I'm glad I turned you into an addict of my story. lol

Darkkatana: Yup!

Nat: That's Zack for you. lol. Poor Sephy, his reputation is in tatters.

Amekan: you can count on me using it a lot.

Seiko123: We'll all be happy if they are I think.

Jinma: Thank you!

Alishamagna: Yeah, they're all a little ooc, but its for the story purpose. :) Glad you tried them out as a new pairing and liked it.

Tyfusion Ishtar: Must have been a fun birthday! heh heh. Thank Diablos for me for telling you of this story and yes, Zack does rock!

Chapter 8

"Zack!"

The man in question flinched, sliding away. He could hear the blonde tearing through the apartment, searching for him. Don't look in the closet, don't look in the closet. He begged silently to any higher being that may exist.

"Strife." His heart plummeted as the smooth, cool voice sounded. Shit. "Strife, check the closet."

The door was wrenched open and a hand grabbed the front of his shirt, hauling him out. He yelped, surprised as Cloud actually dragged him across the floor and into the middle of the living room. A small stack of photos were thrown at him, and he grinned sheepishly. "So...uh...you found some photos did you."

Cloud growled. "Oh yeah, I found some photos alright. I want these burned and utterly destroyed. And you are never, EVER allowed to touch another camera again!"

Zack pouted up at the blonde, still flat on his back. "Hey, its your own fault. You never said I couldn't take any photos of you, and you were so cute when you were drunk, I had to take a few. I especially like the one of you sitting on...who was it...oh yeah, on Kyo's back. And look, you look so cute here, in that shirt I bought you, it would have been a sin not to take a few to capture the moment." He held up a photo to the blonde, who snatched it from him.

"You took photos of me without me knowing! I hate having my photo taken!"

"Which is why I had to take them without your knowledge."

"He's got a point, Strife."

Cloud gave Sephiroth a wounded look and sighed. "So long as you promise to never show anyone these, you can keep them. But don't EVER take photos of me again, or I'll follow through with my threat to make you sleep outside. And I mean out in the snow, not out in the hallway."

Zack rolled onto his knees and turned soulful eyes to the General. "See what torments I have to live with? He keeps me in constant fear!"

Sephiroth leaned back in his spot on the sofa, raising one slim eyebrow. "Funny Zack. I always thought you were the dominant in your relationships. I never thought you would turn out to be such a submissive." Both of the other men turned a brilliant red, though Zack, naturally, recovered first. Unfortunately, he glanced at Cloud, who glanced at him at the same time, and they both choked again, unable to speak. The tall man unfolded himself and stood up. "Well, I think I'll head out and allow you two to work out just who's the dominant and who's the submissive in you're un-declared as-of-yet relationship." He paused with one hand on the doorknob and glanced bak at the two. "You know, you two really should just get together. There's a bet that's been started as to when you'll annouce it."

The door clicked behind him, leaving the apartment in an uneasy silenced that stretched for several long, tense minutes. "He always knows how to turn the simplest thing, into something extremely awkward." Zack mumured.

"Mmmmm." Cloud stretched, circling around behind the darker-haired man and shoving him. The Soldier flailed for a moment, then crashed to the side, narrowing his eyes at his roommate. "Hmm, you really are the submissive one, aren't you, Zack." Zack just gaped at him.

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"So, is it true, Strife? Are you that Soldier's new bitch?"

Cloud ground his teeth together, picking up his pace a bit to try and distance himself from Hirro. He was thankful, the officer had assigned them to runnin all day. If there was one thing the blonde could boast about, it was his speed and stamina in running. What the hell does he know? And who the fuck told him? The labored breaths of the bully's two lackeys sounded like thunder next to the blonde's smooth, even tempo.

"Well, are you going to answer me? Or do I need to force it out of you?" The redhead asked.

Cloud sighed heavily. Two more miles and I could have lost him. "I don't see how my life is any concern of yours, so go fuck yourself off." He dodged the punch easily, grateful for the sparring sessions he and Zack shared. Compared to the Soldier, Hirro was slower then an adamantoise.

The redhead laughed softly, casting an angry look at his two comrades as the fell further and further back. "So, I guess that means you are then. Tch, I knew it. The first moment I saw you, I knew you were one who used his pretty looks to get his way. The only reason you're still in here is probably because of your new boyfriend."

The boy never saw it coming, only felt as Cloud's knuckles neatly connected with his nose, shattering it. He gasped, blood pouring from his nose and spilling down the back of his throat. He stumbled to a stop, gasping for breath and fighting through the unexpected pain and shock. "I got here on my own, bastard. If you ever say I didn't again, I'll snap your neck." The blonde spat on the boy who had fallen to his knees, before resuming his running, at a much quicker pace now, using it as an excuse to work out his anger.

The blonde let himself get lost in the feeling of just running, closing his mind to everything else. The miles flew by, Cloud's pace similar to the ground-eating pace of a wolf. He finished the 30 miles assigned hours before the next private came in sight of it. His commanding officer stared at the panting boy. "Do you realize, you just broke the General's record by almost half an hour?"

Cloud shrugged, leaning up against a building. "So?"

"So! Dammit boy! Its impossible is what it is!"

"Can I leave, sir?"

The officer sighed, making a note. "Get out of here. Fuck though! How the hell did you get that fast."

Cloud shrugged, pushing off from the building and heading back to the main buildings. "Dunno, sir. I just am." You should see me on hypers. He grinned at his own thought, rubbing a calf as the muscles started to cramp. Dammit, forgot to walk afterwards. This is going to fucking hurt in the morning. He passed by the Soldier compound, where the elites were trained and sparred. He stopped outside of one of the sparring buildings where a lot of cheering was going on. Curious despite himself, the blonde cautiously entered. A large crowd was inside, but they easily let him through. More then one recognized him from the party and smacked him on the back with a friendly greeting.

"Hey, blondie! Come to watch Zack get his ass kicked?" One asked.

"Huh?" He knew the man before him, but couldn't place his name.

Another tumultous amount of applause and catcalls. "Damn, the General ain't holding back today. Neither is the Lieutenant though. Hey, Sasuke, let him through. You're too damn tall."

The Soldier in question looked over, then down at Cloud, before stepping to the side, giving the blonde a clear view of the fight going on. Zack was on his back, buster sword held cross-wise in front of him, preventing the masamune from advancing any closer to his neck. Both men were straining, but Zack had the added leverage of the floor to him, while Sephiroth was able to use his weight to keep the shorter Soldier pinned. Zack bent one knee up and Cloud winced. He knew exactly what Zack was going to do, remembering when the Soldier had used the move on him.

Sephiroth, however, had the added benefits of mako, his reflexes far surpassing any normal human's. So, when Zack lashed out with one foot, aiming between the man's leg's, the General managed to flip out of the way and out of reach. Zack sprang to his feet, rushing the silver-haired man with a fierce yell. Masamune swept out, its incredible reach bringing the other combatant up short and into a leap. Metal screeched against metal as the swords connected once, twice. A kick was lashed out, striking Zack solidly in the chest.

The blonde didn't join in the cheering that rose up, watching as Zack went into a backwards flip to absorb some of the impact. He jumped back into the wall, and kicked off of it, using his new momentum, to slam into Sephiroth. This time, Cloud did join in the cheers. Money was passing around the crowd at a rapid pace, bets and wagers being made and collected. The two men had dropped their swords, relying now on fists and kicks. Zack launched a round-house off, Sephiroth grabbing his ankle and flipping him to the ground. He placed one boot on the dark-haired Soldier's neck, not pressing down, but adding enough pressure to let him know he could cut off his air easily.

"Give."

Zack struggled, trying to wrench away or force Sephiroth to lose his balance. The General merely added more weight to his one foot. The other Soldier gasped, clawing at his throat. "Fine!" He croaked, sitting up as Sephiroth moved away. "I still won two out of three." He sulked, rubbing his throat.

"No, one was a draw. And you cheated to win the other." He looked around at the gathered crowd, emerald eyes burning with the last hints of adrenaline. "And I believe you all have something better to do than stay here."

Grumblings rose up as the Soldiers all started to file out, after collecting their winnings or paying their sudden debts. Sephiroth reached a hand out to Zack, the other man grabbing his wrist and allowing the General to haul him back up. "Damn it, Seph. I'm going to hurt so badly tomorrow. In fact, so badly that I don't think I'll be able to come in. You can handle my paperwork, I'm sure."

"Take a warm bath and stretch. If you're not in by eight tomorrow, you can kiss the rest of your vacation time goodbye."

"You're so cruel to me!"

Sephiroth shrugged, walking over to where his discarded jacket lay in a rumpled pile, pulling the garment on. "I could be even crueler and demand you come in to the office with me now, thus making you lose out on several hours of quality time with your boy, who has unexpectedly finished his session early today and is currently watching us."

With an ecstatic squeak, Zack whirled around and leaped blindly. "Zack. Sir. You're about ten feet off, sir." Sasuki grumbled, prying the Soldier off him. "Next time, collect AFTER you've left." He grumbled to himself as he left the building.

Blinking, Zack looked around, spotted Cloud, and made another, more accurate, leap. Cloud rolled his eyes and grudgingly allowed the man to hug him, face burning slightly as some of the last Soldiers to leave spotted them and laughed softly. "Hi, Zack."

"The Zack Lure strikes again." Sephiroth commented from his side of the room.

Zack pulled back and held him at arms-length. "What's wrong? I can't hear anything in your voice, and there's always an undercurrent of anger to you. Its gone now, so something happened that made you work it out.

The blonde shrugged and looked to the side. "Its nothing, really. I already took care of it." And I'm going to pay for it tomorrow. Big time.

"You took care of it? That's something new. Usually you stop after, 'It's nothing.' What'd you do?"

"I knocked out a kid."

He gaped at Cloud, unable to believe what he had heard. "You. You knocked him out?" Cloud nodded and shrugged again. "I knew there was a reason why I love you!" He wrapped himself around the blonde again, smirking at Sephiroth as he walked past, shaking his head. "So, wanna go back home and have some...quality time, before everyone comes over?"

"Everyone?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah! For New Year's! Everyone wants to meet you and I always hold the New Year's party!"

The blonde paused, mulling over the Soldier's latest sentence. "Zack. Why does everyone want to meet me? What did you tell them? Because you sure as hell had better not of said anything along the lines of us dating, because I've told you that we're not until you can prove I'm not just another of your flings."

"Does this mean I'm still sleeping outside?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm so abused."

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"Mmm, Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"When is everyone coming over?" He groaned as the older man hit a sensitive part on his neck.

Skillful fingers kneaded the flesh, working the knot there out. Zack shifted slightly, moving back from his spot on the blonde's back so that he could reach more of Cloud's back. It was amazing the smaller man had allowed him to give him a back massage, the smaller body beneath him being a mass of tension and knots. "Not until about nine. Dammit Spike, your back is all messed up. You need to relax more."

As if on queu, the blonde shivered and his muscles went slack. He groaned again, deep in his throat as he felt the pain of muscles wound tight as wire, release. "If you do this more often, maybe I will."

"Anytime you want, Spike." He carefully avoided the region of the blonde's right shoulderblade. He had gone back and read the private's file more carefully. An x-ray had shown a wealth of paper-fine cracks in the bone and the Soldier had observed that contact against the bone caused the blonde pain some times Doctors had said it was the most recent wound and still healing. When he did move to that area, his touch went feather-light.

Cloud shifted slightly, chin resting on his crossed arms, eyes slitted in pleasure. "You're going to have to find another way to make me relax I think, otherwise you're never going to stop this." He was so relaxed and at ease, the blonde didn't even care that he had just given Zack a huge oppurtunity.

"Oh, I can think of something." Zack leaned over, nibbling at the blonde's neck. "And its a lot more fun than this." He rasped his tongue along the sensitive spot on Cloud's neck again, a smile forming as the blonde shuddered beneath him.

Cloud turned over, reaching up to grab two of the Soldier's spikes, dragging him back down to kiss him. The blonde eagerly parted his mouth at Zack's persuasion, tangling his tongue with the older man's. He released his grip on Zack's hair, only to link hands behind the man's neck, carefully tasting his way around the older man's mouth. The Soldier traced a hand down the blonde's arm and side, sliding it back up his chest. He Cloud arched up into that touch, breaking the kiss to breathe.

With a devilish grin, Zack dipped his head down to lick and nibble his way along Cloud's jawline and neck. The taller man breathed in heavily, loving the blonde's scent. He sucked lightly on his collarbone, dragging a moan from the blonde, and continued with his explorations. He moved slightly as he felt his pants growing tighter, Cloud's hips instinctively pushing up. He gasped when he felt the younger man's erection pressing against his and stopped. Cloud, however, didn't.

"Spike...we need to either stop or slow down. Or else I'm going to completely lose my control." He bit his lip, groaning as Cloud's hands settled on his hips and the blonde thrust up again. "Dear gods, don't do that! Or that!" He nearly shrieked as Cloud teasingly ran his hands over the other man's thighs, moving them closer and closer to the bulge that was now rather prominant in the Soldier's pants.

"What's wrong, Zack. Feeling trapped?"

He was rewarded with a glare. "I think you know the answer to that. Damnit Cloud. I've never been this attracted to someone." He kissed Cloud again, slow and easy this time. "I never want to let you go."

"I don't know if that was romantic, or perverted."

"Both."

"I can live with that." He ground himself against the Soldier again, amused with seeing how many noises he could get out of the other man.

The Soldier sat up on his knees, stopping the blonde's fun. "Seriously Cloud. Stop now, or not at all."

Blue eyes stared up into Zack's, seeing something wild and desperate there. "I never knew you had self-control."

"Neither did I, and I'm bloody pissed that I do with you."

The taller man rolled off to the side, Cloud instantly leaning over him, placing a hand on each shoulder. "Does this mean no make-out sessions for us since you're to horny to do anything without needing a break?"

Zack looked up at him. "Give me a break. I've been celibate for over a year and for me, that's hard. Although, for you, I can do anything I think."

Cloud smiled and folded his arms across Zack's chest. "Charmer. How about you put that mouth of yours to better use."

"With pleasure." He pulled the blonde in tight, stopping a breath away from he other's lips. "Does this mean we're together now?"

Cloud chuckled. "Yes, Zack."

"Good." He covered the remaining distance between them, crushing his lips to Cloud's in a hard, possessing kiss.

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A.N.- Meh, a bit shorter then I meant it to be. But I wanted to get it done and up. I kinda slacked on my updating recently. I've been playing Fire Emblem a lot recently as well as the new PS2 Harvest Moon. So my time is severely conflicted. Also, I've had a ton of parties to go to. Still to go to as well. I love the Christmas season. Anywho, yay! They're together finally, in an official way! For those wondering, yes I will write at least one lemon in here. When, dunno. Maybe I'll torture you all and put it in like, chapter 30. lol. I'm not that cruel though. Am I? Anywho, yes its a bit rushed, but I wanted it to be. And somehow, I can totally see Zack as being one horny little Soldier after a year of celibacy. Which I shall explain here. See, after Kenji left him, there will be more on Kenji in later chapters btw, Zack went through this depression trial thingy where he wasn't interested in anyone. Until Cloud came along. Then, he remained celibate for Cloud in the hope that he would get together with the cute little blonde and would have remained faithful to him. So, for someone with a sex-drive like Zack, a year is probably the equivalent of a decade. Well, that's my little info corner, not for the Daily Chapter Question.

What would Cloud's mother think of Zack if he brought him home to meet her?

Well, that's all I got. See you at the end of the next chapter. One last thing:

I'm taking requests for stories, so just write down any story you may want in either a private message of in a review, and I may write it up. Whether I do or not depends on how well I know the series/book/game/etc, how well I know the characters, and if its a pairing I'm willing to write. I really prefer to write up odd pairings, such as Cloud/Zack and Vincent/Aeris. Also, I prefer to write shonen ai or male/female. I'm not biased, I've just never done shojo ai. I'll put up a list of anime/games/books that I know really well on my profile in the next couple of days. If you choose a pairing from those, its more likely to be chosen to be written about, but don't let that deter you from requesting one that isn't on the list. Anywho, love y'all! Take it easy and happy holidays!