A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! I really have no clue what I'm doing with this whole AU thing so I'm glad to see you guys like it ^^ I'm having a lot of fun making references to the original game, especially with the creation of actual puppy Zack! I always imagined that if Zack really were a puppy, he'd be a black Shiba Inu =D

Also, for future reference, Sector 5 of Midgar in this story is their equivalent to Hollywood. I figured I'd try to make as many parallels as I can to the OG, hence I'm also trying to make Cloud undergo that same false-persona thing he had going on. Poor Cloud, he still can't escape it in this AU...but we still love him anyway, no?

3.10.16 - edit


Chapter 2 ~ Wearing Masks


The things I do for my friends, Cloud thought as he watched the black puppy release a minuscule sneeze.

He tried to remember how he got roped into pet-sitting Zack for the afternoon. Ifrit, he still couldn't get over the fact that the dog's name is Zack. Because Zack bought it for his girlfriend, and of course she named it after the gift giver. Cloud had no idea why Aerith thought that naming the dog after Zack would be cute in any respect. If anything, it was extremely bizarre when someone called either one of them, because then both dog and man-child would perk up in response.

That's right, Aerith said something about man-child Zack reminding her of a puppy. Whatever logic floats her boat.

So somehow, Cloud found himself taking care of the actual puppy Zack. He had to admit though that the dog was pretty darn cute. It was still only a couple of months old, since man-child Zack bought it for Aerith's birthday about a week ago. It's still small enough that Cloud could fit the puppy snugly in his cupped hands. Either it's tiny, or he has really big hands.

Getting puppy Zack onto a leash was a feat all on its own, but now Cloud was trying to coax it to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk rather than bouncing around and sniffing every sign post and fire hydrant.

Cloud pulled his headphones down onto his shoulders when he saw that he was getting a call. It was man-child Zack. That's funny, he should be filming at the moment, Cloud thought.

"What's up!" He winced as he held the phone away from his ear. Zack was being extremely loud, meaning that he had something up his sleeve.

"Shouldn't you be working right now?" Cloud asked as lowered the volume.

"Relax, I'm on lunch break! You know I'm not a slacker."

Cloud snorted. "Okay, so what's got you so worked up?"

"You're not even ready for this!" Cloud held the phone a fair distance away to protect his eardrums. "So you know how you're cast for the new Genesis Rhapsodos movie, right?"

"Yeah."

"And how he hasn't cast anyone else yet, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you know how my friend Angeal is buddies with him?"

"Zack, does this have a point?"

"I'm getting to it, dude!" Cloud rolled his eyes. "Anyway, so a while ago I got Angeal to pull some strings and I got a meeting with Genesis – he's kinda melodramatic, I gotta say – and I convinced him to offer a role to someone I thought would suit it!"

Cloud groaned. He immediately understood that by role, Zack meant lead costar, as in the role that Cloud would be playing opposite of. "Zack, you can't just mess with casting like that. What are you trying to do here?"

"Hey, nothing wrong with giving my expert input! But guess who's gonna be your kickass heroine?"

Appropriate guesses would include any of Zack's many lady friends or possibly a talentless supermodel. "Who?"

"Tifa Lockhart! Can you believe it?!"

Cloud nearly dropped his phone. He wasn't hearing Zack anymore. Tifa Lockhart?

His thoughts flickered to the little girl with bright ruby eyes from Nibelheim. That was always the first image that came to his mind when he heard her name, even after seeing her everywhere thanks to Starry Promises. Shiva, he thought she was pretty back then, but Cloud was completely enchanted when he first saw her hauntingly beautiful image on the movie poster. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't been looking up all of her interviews and TV appearances ever since. Part of him wondered if Zack had noticed, and if that was what gave him the idea to…

" – finalized just yesterday!" Whatever Zack had been babbling about apparently left him breathless. "So? Am I awesome, or am I awesome?"

"How long ago did you do this?" Cloud hoped that Zack couldn't hear the anxiety he was certain was leaking into his voice.

"Around the time you got your offer? But man, when I heard that Tifa was signed I was too excited to hide it any longer. I've been dying to tell you!"

Cloud was certain that his eye was twitching. So Zack had planned this for a while. "Why did you do this?" he said through gritted teeth.

Zack laughed. "Don't think that I didn't see how much you've been ogling her in the news lately! I know you wanna see her again even if you don't say so. So, aren't you at least going to thank me for giving you an excuse to finally talk to your old crush? Admit it, the only reason you haven't tried talking to her until now is because you couldn't find the balls to. You're welcome, man!"

Cloud was speechless. He couldn't come up with a retort, because Zack wasn't wrong. Not to mention the foreign fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach when he realized that he was finally going to see Tifa Lockhart. They would be costarring, meaning countless interviews and promotions for months after filming, red carpet appearances at premieres, possibly attending award shows…

Zack had given him an opening. An opening, or a shove? An uneasy feeling took over the fluttering as he remembered the last time he saw her, all those years ago...

"Just get back to work," Cloud muttered into the phone. He distantly heard some protest about a lunch break before ending the call.

Only then did he become aware of an insistent yipping from below, prompting him to look down. Happy puppy Zack managed to tangle himself in the leash, seeming to pay no mind to his constant tripping. Cloud sighed, but couldn't help the small, slightly exasperated chuckle that escaped him as he stooped down.

"You know, I think I'm beginning to understand why Aerith named you after Zack," he said as the puppy lapped at his palm. "You're both impossible, for starters."


On the one hand, Cloud was relieved to finally have the hyper fur ball removed from his care. On the other, it meant having to deal with the man-child that had been enlisted to pick it up.

"Aw c'mon, Cloud, I did it 'cause I thought you'd be thrilled!" Zack protested.

Cloud sighed as he just walked away from the front door and further into his apartment. His friend might be a little rash, but he always had good intentions. "No, you didn't do a bad thing," he said. "Really, you didn't. It's just, well, a little warning would've been nice."

He walked into the kitchen and pulled a water bottle out of the fridge. As he was drinking, Cloud could see Zack frowning out of the corner of his eye. "Sounds to me that this is actually bothering you more than it should," he said thoughtfully.

"Look, I'm sorry that I was being ungrateful earlier," Cloud said tiredly. "But I guess it is what it is, now."

He was more than ready to drop the topic, but unfortunately, Zack Fair wasn't one to give up. Slowly, Zack dipped into his line of vision as he inspected his face with a look of exaggerated concentration. Suddenly, he straightened up and snapped his fingers, a devilish on his face.

"Is the illustrious Cloud Strife shy about his old crush?" Zack said in a teasing voice. "Or should I say that she's still your crush?"

Cloud frowned as he felt heat rise in his face, and quickly lowered his head.

"Aha, so it is!"

"Can you leave?"

"You're dodging the question, which means I'm right."

Cloud didn't dare lift his head, fearing that his face would give him away. Acting was a detached art form, where fantasy departed from reality and the characters he portrayed were just that. Characters. The joy or the pain that came with the story didn't connect to him personally, which usually posed a challenge for other people and was what made acting a skill. He was good at acting. But when it came to reality, Cloud knew he was an open book, and he hated it.

It wasn't just his own cowardice. Yes, Cloud admitted to himself that part of him was just plain shy about seeing Tifa again. But there were still other reasons, other reasons that had him fearing the chances of running into Tifa sooner or later. He wanted to see her more than he was willing to admit, but he wasn't sure if she'd want to see him as much as he did.

Zack gave him no option though. And Ifrit, he couldn't quit just because of Tifa! This was a job, so he was going to treat it like one. If Tifa ends up being unsettled by the prospect of working together, Cloud would just have to man up and be professional about it. You had to be, to get anywhere in the industry.

Feeling somewhat resolved, Cloud finally lifted his head. "Get out of my house," he said, relieved that his voice sounded controlled.

"Aw, c'mon Cloud! I'm just trying to help here!"

A helpful thought occurred to him. "Don't you have a dog waiting in your car?"

Zack's eyes widened. "Oh crap. He'd better not have peed or something...!" And with a rushed goodbye, he was gone.

Cloud sighed as he downed the rest of his water bottle. Professional. That's what he'd be. He had no idea how Tifa would act towards him, and he realized that he was actually terrified about that. So he had to be prepared.

Part of the reason that Cloud enjoyed being an actor was because he had the chance to be anybody but himself. In these fantasy worlds, he wasn't the quiet, stubborn man that he lived as. He had been a mercenary, a surgeon, a spy, a schoolteacher, and a multitude of other things that allowed him to escape his reality if only for a short while. He sucked at being Cloud Strife, but he was good at wearing masks for the camera. They gave him a certain feeling of power, as if being a different person would make him invincible. He felt invincible when he was playing a part. The characters he embodied were powerful and intense, ranging from strong to elegant to suave to fearless. They could wield a sword, shoot a gun, drive a high speed chase, and save people's lives. They were everything that Cloud Strife was not. If anything, the only skill he truly had was wearing masks.

Perhaps a mask was just what he needed now. Cloud thought about the first movie he ever filmed, where he had portrayed a confident but arrogant fighter. That was exactly the kind of role he could use.

I might suck at being Cloud Strife, but I can play the part of a SOLDIER.