Cloud visiting Zack's place once they were done for the day was something they did often; often enough that Cloud could time it down to the second, meeting Zack at the door right when he got home. They'd even made a game of it before. Cloud didn't do that this time, though. It seemed too presumptuous, given the circumstances.
Instead, Cloud had taken the time to swing by his own apartment after work, showering off the grime and grease that had come with working on an actual goddamn tank all day. He swapped his turtleneck back for something more exposed, eventually opting for a tight tank top. The sight of the mark on his throat still made his heart skip a beat every time he caught sight of it in his reflection.
He left it ten minutes after he knew Zack would be home before going and standing at the door. Cloud's stomach twisted, mixed worry and anticipation. He knocked.
Zack threw the door open, so quickly that Cloud had to wonder if he'd been standing on the other side waiting, and immediately pulled Cloud into a hug. A very long, tight hug.
"It's good to have you back," Zack sighed.
Cloud blinked, but smiled as he relaxed into Zack's embrace. "Well, duh. I said I'd come round this evening."
Zack squeezed his arms around Cloud briefly, face burying into Cloud's hair. Cloud realised then – Zack meant after all the time Cloud had been avoiding him, and he felt guilty about it all over again. He'd missed Zack too.
Zack drew Cloud into the apartment and closed the door behind them. Cloud kicked his shoes and socks off as he entered, and they collapsed next to each other on the sofa; their usual seats.
"You wanna game?" Zack offered. That was their thing, after all. Or it used to be. "Or we can just talk."
"We should talk." Cloud still had so many questions. Where did they even start? And in all honesty, Zack shouldn't have expected any other answer. There was still so much up in the air between them now.
This one thing hadn't changed, at least. It felt comfortable to sit together, so close their thighs were touching. A lot of the time when Cloud went round for games and shooting the shit, he ended up halfway in Zack's lap anyway. They slung arms around each other, got into each other's personal space to grab controllers or just mess around.
There was less of that playfulness now. But Zack took Cloud's hand, and Cloud leaned against Zack's shoulder, and at least being so close still felt very right. Cloud didn't exactly have to worry about Zack finding out about his crush anymore either.
"Okay," Zack said. "How was your day?"
Cloud snorted. "Really? After everything, you feeding on me, that kiss this morning… you're gonna go with 'how was your day'?"
"Heck yeah, I am. Because you're special to me and I care about how you're doing."
Okay, he had to give Zack that one. That charming smile was impossible to resist. But then – Cloud was 'special' to him, Zack had said. What did that even mean?
"Zack… about earlier. You never really answered the question. I mean, I—I guess you at least like me back." There was no way Zack would have kissed him that intensely otherwise. "But what does that make us now? Boyfriends? Mutual idiots who are into each other but too terrified to do anything about it? 'Cause I'm pretty familiar with the latter."
Zack laughed, but he sobered again pretty quickly. He went quiet, seeming reluctant to respond. And that was the problem. Every time Cloud tried to hint at that question, Zack avoided giving him a direct answer. If it wasn't immediately a yes… it was probably a no.
Fuck. What was he meant to do? He couldn't be just friends with Zack; he was in too deep for that. He couldn't just be a goddamn feeder for exactly the same reason. He wanted more than just that. He wanted all of Zack. If he couldn't… it would hurt more than he could bear to be around Zack after that, soul aching with thoughts of what might have been but never would be.
"Cloud," Zack said softly. Cloud's thoughts must have clear on his face, expression heartbroken. Zack touched Cloud's face, hurt mirroring in his own eyes when he saw Cloud in pain. "Look, I want you, believe me. I would love to be your boyfriend. But there's… already another relationship I'm in right now."
Cloud felt bitterness rise like bile in his throat. "What?" Zack had never even mentioned—fuck. How could Cloud have been so stupid?!
Zack grabbed Cloud by the shoulders to stop him pulling away. "Hey, listen. It's not serious – more like a friends with benefits arrangement. But 'friends' being the key word. I would never, never just drop you with no notice, no matter what we had going on. And I wouldn't do that to any other friend either."
Loyal to a fault. And Cloud couldn't even hate him for it, because Zack was right.
"I can talk about it with them. Stay friends but drop the benefits, if it bothers you. If you… I mean, if feeding from you became a regular thing, I might not need what I have there so much."
Cloud's eyebrows creased together in confusion. "What does feeding have to do with it?"
"They're vampires too."
"Oh."
Zack ran his hand through his hair. "It's a huge pain to get blood here. I can't ask anyone affiliated with the company or even who might recognise me – it was super against the rules for me to tell you too, but I trusted you and thought you deserved to know."
And Cloud had reacted so terribly. No wonder Zack had been so mad… and so afraid. Cloud could have ruined everything.
"ShinRa is near obsessive about keeping it a secret. They're supposed to be the 'good guys' fighting vampires, they're not willing to lose the public's confidence revealing that they've got vampires working for them." Zack rolled his eyes – he clearly didn't think much of ShinRa's policies there. "We've got guys in the Science Department who'll sometimes give us bags of blood donations, but… remember what I said about the life energy? Blood bags are ridiculously inefficient. Whatever energy they might have had has mostly dissipated by the time it gets to us."
"So, the other vampires…"
"We feed off each other. Well, it's mostly a case of whoever has fed well recently and has the most energy donates some of that, to take the edge off for whoever's not so lucky."
"Is that the 'benefit' part of the relationship?"
Zack shook his head, expression apologetic, as though he wished more than anything he could tell Cloud what he wanted to hear. But it would be a lie. "No, it's not just that. The more traditional benefit of friends with benefits is involved too."
Cloud stayed very quiet. Although he didn't shy away from Zack physically, it was obvious he was withdrawing back into his shell.
Zack gently touched his face, trying to bring him back. "Cloud. Hey."
"Is it good?" Cloud asked.
"Huh?"
"Being with a vampire. Do you feed off each other and fuck at the same time?"
Zack choked back a quiet laugh. "Are you jealous, or are you fantasising about it?"
"I'm not sure myself," Cloud mumbled.
"Well, yeah. It's good. I mean, for us, blood is like food, right? A source of sustenance. And in most circumstances you just eat your food and think nothing of it. But, in the right situation…"
Zack shifted Cloud on the sofa, guiding him so he was halfway towards straddling Cloud's lap. His hands wandered up Cloud's sides. "The right situation, the right person, the right mood…" he continued. There was the start of a purr lacing his voice.
"You can make something quite sensual out of feeding a lover, right?" Zack said. He cupped Cloud's face, his thumb caressing Cloud's cheekbone. He leaned in as though he was going to kiss Cloud, but never quite made contact. Cloud could feel Zack's breath, soft and warm against his lips. He was drawn in despite himself.
"Feeding can be pleasurable for us too, if we want to do it that way."
"Zack," Cloud said, his voice coming out more rough and strained than he'd intended. "Please be aware that you cannot talk about that shit, especially while blatantly flirting with me, and not expect me to start getting turned on."
Zack chuckled like that was exactly what he'd intended all along. He brushed Cloud's bangs aside and rested their foreheads together. "Gotta say, I really liked feeding off you last night… you taste so good, Cloud."
Now he was definitely doing it on fucking purpose. Cloud bit his lip, trying not to give in. But Zack was right there, holding him, their faces so close together; it only took the tiniest tilt of Cloud's head, and then he was kissing Zack again.
Zack tasted damn good too. Cloud kissed him; soft, romantic kisses at first, but quickly growing more needy.
"Cloud," Zack said lowly, warningly. As if he wasn't kissing Cloud back just as much. "We shouldn't go further unless you're okay with this."
"I'm so okay with doing everything with you."
"I mean relationship-wise. Even knowing about the other open relationship…"
Cloud reluctantly stopped his kisses. "Will they mind you having a boyfriend too?"
"I doubt it," Zack said. "I, uh, might have mentioned you to them. A lot. Pretty sure they figured out I was into you way before I did. At one point I was told I either needed to go out and bang you, or just shut the fuck up. Gen's words."
The name didn't mean anything to Cloud. Of more concern; "why would you tell them about me?!"
"Because you're cute as hell and my best friend?" At least Zack actually looked a little sheepish. "Sorry if that's weird. I just have a bad habit of gushing about you sometimes."
It was a bit embarrassing – Cloud dreaded to think what Zack could have been saying about him – but it was kind of flattering as well. That he meant that much to Zack.
"So, I'm pretty sure they'd be okay with us hooking up," Zack concluded. "I'm more worried about you."
"I…" Cloud glanced away. He couldn't think about it while looking at Zack – all it would take was one moment of getting lost in Zack's eyes, one of those handsome, crooked smiles, and Cloud knew he would decide in an instant that nothing else mattered apart from being with him. Then again, that was exactly what he ended up thinking either way.
"Will you tell me?" Cloud asked. "When you go to see them, how things are? I think… I could work with it. Just, as long as you're honest about it with me. And you're happy."
"I would never lie about it or keep anything from you," Zack promised. And Cloud believed him. He'd already taken a huge leap of faith telling Cloud about being a vampire, after all, and Cloud was only just starting to comprehend the magnitude of consequences that action could have had.
He didn't really know how to express his gratitude, so he simply leaned in and kissed Zack again.
He let his weight sink against Zack's chest as they kissed, and Zack's hand between Cloud's shoulder blades pulled him even closer. Cloud still had questions – even more questions than before, now – but he'd had enough of talking for the time being. He just wanted Zack.
Zack chuckled under his breath. Cloud's kisses were so sweet and insistent; it was cute. Although that sweetness was rapidly growing into heat.
Cloud tangled a hand into Zack's hair. His lips parted eagerly, allowing Zack to deepen the kiss. Cloud quickly ended up with his tongue in Zack's mouth too; memorising his addictive taste, mapping out the curve of his fangs. Cloud groaned at that. Gods. Just feeling those fangs there sent a shiver of lust through him.
"Zack…"
"Mm. Wanna go make out on the bed?"
Cloud laughed, a little breathlessly. Fuck yes, he did. Zack bodily lifted Cloud up, and Cloud gasped and wrapped his legs around Zack's waist.
"Ugh. Did I ever mention how hot it is when you pick me up and throw me around?" Cloud said, in between pressing more kisses to Zack's face.
"Oh?" Zack got a wicked glint in his eyes, and when they reached the bedroom he did exactly as Cloud had said. He tossed him down onto the bed, hard enough that Cloud bounced for a moment, until Zack surged over him and pinned him down. "Like this?" Zack purred.
Exactly like that. Cloud's cock bucked, rapidly hardening within the confines of his pants. And there was no way Zack didn't feel it, his weight bearing down on Cloud and hips settling between Cloud's legs. Cloud moaned. Zack was hard as well.
"Can I touch you?" Zack asked.
"Please." Cloud would have been incredibly frustrated if Zack didn't touch him at that point, but thankfully Zack seemed to be every bit as eager. His hands slid down the back of Cloud's pants, squeezing his ass.
Cloud's hands wandered as well. He hooked his fingers beneath Zack's shirt and pulled it off, while Zack undid Cloud's fly and removed his trousers. Cloud was left in just his boxers and tank top pushed up to his chest, spread out beneath Zack.
They kissed again, deep and heated. Zack's fangs grazed Cloud's lower lip.
"Zack," Cloud moaned. "Will you…. mm, please feed off me again?"
Zack let out a shuddering breath, his eyes dark as he gazed down at Cloud. "Believe me, I'd love to. But you haven't recovered fully; we shouldn't."
"Doesn't have to be deep, you don't have to feed a lot; just, please, even if nothing else, just bite me." His words came out too fast, slurred together with want. He felt like he was being dragged under beneath his own building arousal, pressure and heat churning inside him until he was trembling. His mind was full of nothing but Zack.
From the look in Zack's eyes, he shared the sentiment. His grip on Cloud tightened, rough with warning. "You are far too tempting to be saying things like that," he said darkly.
Cloud shot him a glazed smile. "I'll take my chances with the consequences."
Zack growled. The sound of it raised goosebumps on Cloud's skin. Zack grabbed Cloud's ankle and yanked it, hooking Cloud's leg over his shoulder. He kissed the back of Cloud's knee, then lower.
The back of Cloud's hand flew up, covering his mouth. Zack wasn't biting him, not in anything more than stinging little nips, but Cloud would feel those fangs against his sensitive inner thigh, and shit. He bit into his own hand, trying to muffle the embarrassingly helpless little noises he was making.
The amount that Zack turned him on was just unfair.
As if that wasn't enough, Zack's other hand slipped beneath the waistband of Cloud's boxers. Cloud hips jerked up as Zack wrapped his fingers around Cloud's cock. "Zack!" Cloud cried.
Zack had a goal now, it seemed, and he pursued it with reckless determination. He stroked Cloud's erection until Cloud was a writhing mess beneath him. Quick and tight, calloused fingers working Cloud to the edge. Not that he needed much help getting there.
He watched Cloud intently. Cloud looked so fucking gorgeous, face flushed and lost in pleasure…. Zack's hips rolled, trying to get a bit of friction to his own aching cock. He'd take care of that later. For the time being, he watched, waiting for the perfect moment.
Right when Cloud was there; panting, writhing, so close. Zack gave him a heated grin and sank his fangs into the soft, sensitive flesh of his inner thigh.
The noise Cloud made was delicious. It was shock, pleasure, need, all rolled together. It sounded like pure sex.
The taste of his blood flooded Zack's mouth. Even as he curled his tongue against the wound, Zack kept jerking Cloud off, loving the glazed, desperate look in his eyes. The combined stimulation was too much – with a cry and an arch of his back, Cloud came over Zack's hand.
Zack leaned up and kissed him, sharing the taste of Cloud's own blood with him.
Cloud moaned into Zack's mouth. It was so good. The taste, the feel of Zack's fangs, the shivering aftershocks of his orgasm. Running more on autopilot than conscious thought, Cloud's hands slid down over the tight muscle of Zack's abs and down to the waistband of his trousers, clumsily undoing them and drawing out Zack's arousal.
Zack's mouth marked a hot, wet trail down Cloud's throat, burying in the crook of his neck. Gentler this time, he bit down again.
Cloud moaned softly. His head tilted back, allowing Zack access. Zack's cock was hard and heavy in Cloud's hand as he returned the favour of jerking him off, and Zack's mouth so warm where his lips and tongue worked against Cloud's skin. It felt heavenly.
Cloud felt it in the tension of Zack's body when he came, and in the vibrations of Zack's low growl against Cloud's throat.
"Damn," Zack panted.
He gave a few last, lingering licks to the new mark he'd left on Cloud's throat; it wasn't deep, this time, and the mako-laced saliva was already starting to repair the damage enough to slow the bleeding. Cloud sighed deeply.
Zack kissed Cloud on the lips again, tenderly now, as they both came down from their highs.
Cloud grinned against Zack's mouth. As his brain function started to return, he began to realise exactly what had just happened. And he was damn near ecstatic about it. Even if he hadn't got laid, he'd had an orgasm at Zack's hand, bites included. And Zack had said he wanted Cloud as his boyfriend, his other open relationship notwithstanding.
Zack knocked his forehead against Cloud's, and they ended up laughing quietly together for no real reason. Just basking in the closeness, and the intimate quiet. Or what was an intimate quiet, until Zack's stomach interrupted.
Cloud snorted a laugh.
"Hush, you. I haven't eaten yet," Zack said.
"Apart from me, you mean."
Zack attacked Cloud's side with tickles in retribution for such sass, until Cloud was laughing and squirming. "As tasty as you are, I need normal people food too. Wanna do pizza?"
"Pizza sounds fucking awesome," Cloud sighed happily.
