Final chapter, and it's a short one! :-) Please note this one is entirely from Zack's perspective. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed this fic in some way!

Part Three, Continued

After being friends for so long, and spending almost a full year in a relationship, Zack liked to think he knew Cloud pretty well. Better than anyone. From his quirks, to his habits, to his mannerisms…he'd catalogued it all, remembering each detail just as fondly as the next.

So when Cloud started tapping his foot during their dinner date, he knew what it meant right away. Something was up. He also knew how to handle it. The key was not to push the subject immediately, instead just carrying on with their normal conversation—having a nice time recapping their days, and making each other laugh the way they always did.

And when things fell silent, he knew to keep waiting, offering only an encouraging nod when the hesitation became too apparent on his boyfriend's face.

"I saw Luxiere today," Cloud revealed, his voice quiet.

That Zack didn't know how to handle. He found himself blinking, unaffected, but unsure what to say—unsure where this was going. "For work?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "Yeah, he kinda swung by my office. Something about celebrating my last fulltime day at the Post."

Zack made no secret of the way he rolled his eyes. Of course Luxiere would be happy Cloud was moving on from the Midgar Post—he still worked for ShinRa, presumably. Lifestream hadn't even launched yet, so it was unknown how successful Cloud's new venture would be.

"You know," Zack started, hand on the back of his neck. "I get why you'd wanna tell me you saw him, but it's cool, Spike. I'm not—"

"Here," the blond interjected, pulling a folded paper from his pocket and sliding it to Zack over the table. Zack just eyed it skeptically before looking back to his boyfriend, brows raised. "He said he hasn't heard from you in a while—that you stopped returning his messages."

"Yeah, been kinda busy," Zack responded with a wink. It didn't get the reaction he'd been hoping for this time. The foot tapping fidget had resumed, and Cloud's gaze was fixated elsewhere. "Did he say something else to you?"

"I didn't ask you to stop talking to him."

"No, you didn't," he agreed easily.

"Do you remember before you broke up with him, you told me—"

Zack groaned because now he understood where this was going. "Cloud. Things are different now."

"You told me even if you two did end up breaking up, you'd stay in touch. You said you'd been through too much together," Cloud finished, looking more than a little torn.

"We didn't exactly end on the best note."

"You told me by the time it was over, you were both done. That you had a good, long talk, and that was that. That's not a bad note."

"Maybe, but it's not like we hadn't grown apart by then. What did we even have in common anymore? What is it I'm supposed to talk to him about now?" Zack asked, shrugging because he really didn't know. "I don't see why it matters. I mean, you didn't even like him. What's the big deal?"

"He…he kind of insinuated that I was keeping you from him."

"You're not. All the time we spend together? That's my choice. I'm with you because I want to be. Because I love you. You know that."

"Yeah, but if—"

"We don't owe him an explanation, Cloud," Zack insisted firmly.

"Can you at least read that? It's been driving me nuts all day."

"You didn't look at it?"

He shook his head, sighing. "No. I wanted to, but I didn't."

"You know I'm over him, right? I dunno what this says, but it doesn't affect you and me. At all."

"No, I know that. I trust you. It's just the things he was saying, they kinda hit me from nowhere."

"What else did he say?"

"I don't even know. He started going on about how when he was with you, he didn't stop you from seeing me—how it wasn't right for me to stand in the way of your friendship. Then he told me how I'd understand how it felt a few years down the line when…"

Zack watched as his boyfriend visibly deflated, shoulders sinking forward as he let out another built up sigh. The sight alone was heartbreaking. "Spike…" He reached out, tapping the table so Cloud would take a hint and take his hand. Then he squeezed it, a gentle smile on his face. "Is that what you're really worried about? You and me breaking up a few years down the road?"

"I can't lose you. If things don't work out it's one thing, but if you stop talking to me?"

"That's not gonna happen. I can't say how the future's gonna go, but I can tell you for sure you're not getting rid of me that easily. I love you."

"You loved him."

"A different version of me loved the idea of him. You get the real me. You get the person I wanted to be when I was with him—the person I couldn't be for all those years. It doesn't even compare."

"Things can change. Things do change, all the time."

This was it, he realized. The moment of truth. Genesis had warned him about it on more than one occasion—that the day would come when Cloud have this exact freak out. That what he said could make or break their relationship. From everything he knew, what he had with Cloud was much stronger and much deeper, but that didn't mean he shrugged off the free advice.

Instead he considered it with his own thoughts, his own experiences, and his own feelings. He was ready for this. Maybe he couldn't promise Cloud forever like he wanted to. Like his heart was telling him he absolutely should. But that was only because he knew Cloud wouldn't want to hear it. What Cloud needed was for things to be put into perspective—not weighty promises with no real guarantees.

"We've been through a lot together, Spike," he started, piecing it all together as he went. "I knew you when you were jobless. When you worked for Tifa. I was there when you got your job at the Post, and when you started landing on TV. You're right, things do change all the time. Right now things are changing—you're about to start another new chapter of your life."

"It's kinda scary."

"It's exciting," Zack corrected, grinning at the scoff he got for that. "We get to grow and change together, Spike. I'm here, and I'm gonna be here no matter how this new job works out for you. And, you know, if I up and decide to leave AVALANCHE in five years, I'm sure you'll be there for me."

"But what if—"

"Maybe we get new jobs, maybe we get new hobbies—maybe I'll decide I like cabbage in a few years. Who knows? I'm sure we'll learn new shit, and see some things differently. That doesn't mean who we are as people's gonna change. I'm still gonna be the big dork who somehow caught your eye, and you're still gonna be the quiet nerd I can't get enough of."

Cloud seemed to be processing, his expression neutral as he sat there quietly for several minutes. Then he nodded, Zack spotting the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "This is stupid, isn't it? Thinking about it so much."

"It's not stupid. Lux knows, Spike. You told him you didn't believe in happy endings, remember? He's not the kinda guy to forget, and he's not the kinda guy to say shit without a reason. He was trying to get under your skin, and it worked."

"Why though? Why now after all this time?"

"I don't know," was the best answer he could offer.

It was a good question. Something told him the letter on the table wouldn't hold that answer—that he wouldn't really know unless he spoke to Luxiere to find out. Maybe that was the goal all along. Zack had started ignoring the man's texts and calls, so approaching Cloud was the best way to get his attention. Why he wanted it though, that made no sense. They'd been over for a very long time. The last exchange they'd had was a simple happy birthday text, and Zack sent those out to virtually everyone.

"I thought we had an understanding," Cloud admitted after a minute, slumping further. "The last time I saw him before today, he was almost…nice? I don't know how to describe it."

"Wasn't that the day he and I broke up?"

"Yeah. He looked like shit—like it'd all been weighing on him a lot."

"Doesn't mean it was a life altering experience for him. You just caught him in a weak moment. Don't forget how he treated you before that. He only ever tried to be nice to you when it was convenient for him."

"So the only reason you don't talk to him anymore is because you don't want to? Not because of me?"

"We grew up, we grew apart, and that's okay. I've got nothin' to say to him."

Cloud looked a little lost in his own head again, but by the end of it, he was smiling a bit. "I don't think I could ever run out of things to say to you."

"Good, 'cause I've got plenty to say to you, too."

xxxxx

He only read the stupid letter because Cloud asked him to do it and he'd yet to really figure out how to say no to anything Cloud wanted. The stipulation had been that they'd read it together, and only after a few days had gone by. Cloud had enough on his plate starting his new job—there was no need to pile on any added stressors.

So they'd enjoyed those days, Cloud focused on learning his new job, and Zack supporting him every step of the way. By the weekend they'd settled onto the couch together and pulled the letter back out. It ended up being very…vague. Vague and apologetic, with a plea to meet up as friends.

"You should go," Cloud had urged him, looking so earnest. He'd tried to protest, but it was a pointless effort when he looked into those big, blue eyes. There was no worry or jealousy—no paranoia about the whole ordeal. Cloud genuinely wanted him to go because, "Maybe it'll give you some closure."

And, yeah. Zack didn't really need any closure, but it occurred to him that Luxiere might keep trying if he ignored the note entirely. That just wouldn't do, and that was why he found himself in a coffee shop a few days later, sipping his tea with disinterest as he waited for his ex-boyfriend to walk through the doors.

When Luxiere finally showed up, Zack's eyes went wide. "I didn't even know you owned jeans," he joked right away, floored by what he was seeing.

Luxiere's idea of relaxed clothing had always been business casual. Now he was not only in jeans, but a t-shirt—both of which looked suspiciously new. Otherwise he looked about the same as Zack remembered. Or the same as he had before the last couple months of their relationship, when things had fallen apart. Hair neatly slicked back, face clean shaved. It almost made him look a little displaced in his current clothing, but Zack kept that thought to himself.

"It's good to see you, Zack," Luxiere began, taking a seat without even bothering to go order whatever fancy latte he normally got. "You look nice. Happy."

"I am happy," Zack shrugged, waiting a beat for something else to be said. When it wasn't, he got right to the point. "What're we doing here, Lux?"

"Catching up. We've been friends for a long time."

"We haven't been friends for a long time."

"We spent years together. This time apart is nothing in comparison."

Zack quirked a brow. "This isn't time apart. Our lives went in two separate directions."

"I don't want to go in separate directions. I know it's a little late, but I'm trying my best to catch up to you here."

"Uh. Okay? I don't really know what you mean."

"I got in over my head," Luxiere admitted, eyes falling to the table. "At work. I, uh. Well, I ended up quitting."

"That's…wow," Zack murmured, blinking a few times. "I'd say that's great, but you don't look happy about it."

"I've been with the company since we graduated. I thought I'd stay there until I retired—keep working my way up," he said, shaking his head. "I never imagined being forced to resign so early on."

"Whoa, wait a sec. Forced to resign? That's a lot different than quitting."

"I would've left either way. One of my projects didn't go so well."

"One of your cover up projects."

"…Yeah. AVALANCHE derailed it, and then we got slaughtered in the media," he explained dismally. "The real issue wasn't even something my department caused. We just didn't spin it effectively, and I became the scapegoat for the whole thing. That's the way they're spinning it now. It was my mistake, not the company's."

"You know there's a good chance I was involved in whatever AVALANCHE did, right?"

"I know. I figured you still work with them."

"And you know there's a good chance my boyfriend was one of those media people?"

"He was," Luxiere grumbled, raking a hand through his hair. "Of course he wouldn't leave the Post before screwing me over again."

"I'm sorry you're going through a hard time, but I'm not sorry for my involvement or for Cloud's. You and me both know ShinRa's bad news, and they're the ones who're really at fault here. This isn't anything new."

"I get it now. You were right…all that time, you were right about ShinRa. After all I did for them, they just threw me out like that! I'm done trying to defend them," he insisted, reaching across the table and grasping at Zack's hand.

He pulled it back right away, the contact no longer easy or comfortable like it once was. "What're you doing?"

"I'm growing up, Zack. I'm changing. I'm getting a new job, and starting a new life. Everything you said you wanted from me, you can have."

His head was immediately filled with countless thoughts. Thoughts of change, and his conversation with Cloud about how it constantly happened. No doubt that was true for Luxiere as well. He just wasn't a person Zack saw himself growing and changing with, as a friend or otherwise. Even with the ShinRa issue removed, they were too different at their cores—they saw the world in a different light.

"I don't want anything from you," he said simply.

"Is it because I didn't up and quit on my own? Because I would've, Zack. I just needed more time. You've always been the impulsive one between us. I wish I could be more like that."

"You hated that about me. How many times did you tell me I needed to think before I acted?" Zack wondered, laughing at the memories. He wasn't even bitter—he just didn't care anymore.

"I love you."

Zack snorted, ready to all out laugh until he saw the hurt spreading across Luxiere's face. "You don't love me. You're just going through a hard time, and reaching out for something familiar. Let me guess, all your old ShinRa buddies don't wanna talk anymore?"

"They don't really…It's complicated."

"I know. I remember when that happened to me."

"But you still had me. I don't have anyone."

"Did I have you? Because I seem to remember you telling me leaving was a huge mistake every day after I quit. Asking me to go back—telling me about the promotion you'd get for convincing someone from AVALANCHE to come back to ShinRa."

He paused there, the sad look in Luxiere's eyes impossible to ignore. It wasn't like it used to be when he'd want to pull the man into his arms and comfort him, but that didn't mean he was a cruel person. They had history, and he couldn't feel right about kicking the guy while he was already down.

So Zack continued in a lighter tone, "This could be really good for you. You'll get a fresh start—you can do anything you want now! You don't need me for that. I know you have friends from outside ShinRa. Contacts you've made. You're not alone."

"I do need you," Luxiere insisted. "I know your boyfriend doesn't like me, but that's not fair. I put up with him when we were together!"

"You complained about me spending time with him every chance you got."

"He was in love with you!"

"I'm in love with him," Zack responded, smiling the same dopey smile he always did when he thought about Cloud. "You know, he's the only reason I'm here right now. I didn't wanna come, but he told me I should. So your logic's messed up."

"But why? You used to respond to my messages. You used to—"

"We're not friends, Lux. We're not anything. You're a thing from the past—someone I used to know, but lost contact with. It's normal to stop staying in touch when you grow apart from someone."

"I'm sitting here telling you I changed. I'm still changing. I can be a better person. A better friend."

Zack nodded his head slowly. "You can be. I know that."

"So…?"

"Friends have common interests. They care about each other, and not just when they need something. You and me have nothing but memories. There's no moving forward here."

"You say it like the memories are all bad. We had good times together."

"Yeah, we did," he agreed honestly. "I'll always appreciate those years—they taught me a lot. I wouldn't be who I am today if I'd never met you."

"I tried to move on, you know. I had a boyfriend for a while," Luxiere admitted, frowning a little. "He worked for ShinRa."

"He broke up with you when you quit?" Zack assumed, getting a nod in response. "I'm sorry."

"It made me realize a lot of things. You were always there, and it was never contingent on anything. And your smile…I think that's what I miss the most. No one smiles like you do. No one else can light up an entire room without a word."

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Zack wondered, giving him a pointed look. "I know what you're doing. You're clinging to little things—grabbing onto one or two good memories and blocking out the rest. I mean, my smile? You used to tell me I smiled too much. That it wasn't good for business."

"That was at work. I—"

"You hated how I never took things seriously enough. I drove you crazy, Lux! Yeah, we had our moments, but we're so much better off now. You and me breaking up was the best thing that coulda happened to either of us."

"How can you say that? We wouldn't have spent so many years together if there was nothing between us."

"I love Cloud. Like, a ridiculous amount. I never even knew it was possible to feel the way I do about him," Zack said, holding Luxiere's gaze evenly to make sure he was hearing this clearly. "I think you knew it before I did, and you know…I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I let our relationship drag out even when I was already sure it was over. You didn't deserve that shit."

"Zack—"

He shook his head, not done yet. "I've moved on though, and I'm not interested in looking back. Cloud's it for me."

"But—"

"You're so lucky, Lux. I know you prob'ly don't see it right now, but you are. ShinRa's going downhill fast, and you got out before it happened. You can find a new job, start a new life—things are only gonna get better for you. Don't waste time on me. I know it's not easy, but you need to take a leap here. Just go with it."

"It's not that easy. I'm not like you."

"It is that easy, and you don't hafta be like me for it to happen. Things will work out for you."

"How can you be so sure?" Luxiere pressed.

"Because I know you. You're gonna go kick ass wherever you work, and you're gonna catch someone's eye. Someone good for you, who doesn't drive you nuts on a daily basis. And who knows? Maybe in a few years you'll be married and happy, and we'll run into each other in some coffee shop. Then we can catch up," Zack said, smiling a bit at the thought. "You can tell me all about your new job, and your perfect husband, and how good things are. I can tell you all about what's going on with me, and whatever crazy shit me and Cloud are getting up to. Then we can really be happy for each other before going our separate ways again."

Luxiere shook his head, but his smile was nothing but fond. "You always did live in a dream world."

"Yeah, and you know what? My dreams came true. Take some chances and yours can too." Zack hopped to his feet then, staring down at his ex-boyfriend with nothing but sincerity. "I hope things work out for you, Lux. I really do."

"You're leaving already?"

"I've got plans. Sparring night with Cloud."

"Right…"

Zack didn't miss the way he rolled his eyes. "If you ever try messing with his head again, we're gonna have a serious problem. There won't be a friendly chat with well wishes."

"I didn't do anything to him."

"No, you didn't. Our relationship is solid." He stared at his ex for another minute before he was confident the message had gotten across. No amount of meddling would change anything. "Good luck with things."

Luxiere didn't respond at all, but it didn't matter. Zack still walked out feeling lighter than he had before he walked in. Maybe he did need some closure after all. It felt right, apologizing for how their relationship ended. It wasn't something he thought about often, but when it came up, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

Sure, they were both at fault, but he could've ended it well before things got so bad. Before his friendship with Cloud became the most important relationship in his life. Now he could really put it all behind him. He'd said his piece, wished the man well, and was eager to keep moving forward.

He pulled out his phone with a smile as he moved, dialing Cloud without hesitation. "Hey, babe," he said before his boyfriend could get a word in. "I'm on my way."

xxxxx

Generally speaking, Zack didn't have much to sulk about. Things were going great at work, he was in line for another promotion, things with Cloud were amazing, their one year anniversary was right around the corner—he'd even come up with the perfect plan to celebrate.

What he hadn't expected was for Cloud to up and decide he wanted to move. It didn't actually alter any of his plans, or change how good things were going, but…His boyfriend wanted to move, and not down the hall. He wanted out of the building entirely—to get a house maybe, since he was in a good financial place to do that.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," the blond explained, frowning a little when Zack didn't respond to his original statement.

"How long's a while?"

Cloud shifted where he stood, clearly uncomfortable. "Um. It might've crossed my mind when you first moved out."

"That was…wow. That was a long time ago," Zack said, arching a brow. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I was thinking about what you said back then—needing your own space and all that. And then I thought about how the apartment and almost everything in it was Angeal's."

"Okay?"

"So I thought maybe I could get my own place. Something that was mine instead of given to me. But then we got together, and I didn't want to up and leave." Cloud paused there, and Zack could feel the way he was being studied closely. "Are you mad?"

"Nah, just kinda bummed, to be honest. If I'd known you felt that way, I woulda helped you find a place ages ago," he admitted, because no matter how much he enjoyed having Cloud right across the hall, he could see this was important.

"Well, I got new furniture and stuff. It kinda tided me over."

"Why now then?"

"No real reason. We've just been together a while, and things feel really good, so I thought…why not? We can handle it. My job's not in walking distance anymore, so I'm riding in either way."

Zack swallowed hard, but nodded along. "Yeah," he agreed. No doubt they could handle it. That didn't stop him from pouting a little. "I'm gonna miss having you right there."

"You can have a key," Cloud promised easily. "Or we can do this together if you want."

"Move in together?"

"If you want. I don't really…I don't know what the normal time frame is on this stuff. We took everything so slow in the beginning, but it feels like we're all in again now," Cloud said, looking down at the floor intently.

Zack reached out, a gentle hand on the blond's chin to tilt his head back up. "We definitely are."

"Yeah. Good," he mumbled, returning the small smile Zack shot him. "Does that mean…?"

"Uh. It depends," Zack shrugged, mulling it over instead of giving an impulsive yes like he wanted. "I mean, you just said you wanted to do this so you'd have your own place. If that's something you need to do—"

"That was what I was thinking like a year ago. Not now."

"What're you thinking now?

"That you basically live at my place again, and we've outgrown it. And our landlord doesn't allow pets."

"You wanna get a pet with me?" Zack asked, beaming at him when he nodded indulgently. The truth was, Zack wanted a pet, and he'd made no secret of that fact in recent months. "I think you just sold me on this plan. Let's do this!"

Cloud shot Zack a quizzical look, like he wasn't so sure anymore. "Um…"

"Yeah?"

"You're not just doing this so we can get a dog, right? Because I can get the place alone still, and you can just come over whenever you want if you think it's too soon."

"Nah, I think you're right. We've got our priorities straight. I know how to be with you and still take time for myself—still do all the things I wanna do," Zack told him firmly. "As long as you agree, I don't care if we're going too fast or slow with this. It's always been what works for us, right?"

"Right," Cloud nodded. "Seph already kinda helped me set up some showings with a realtor for tomorrow, but I can reschedule if you're busy."

Zack thought over his schedule, nothing special coming to mind. "What time?"

"Between nine and eleven."

"Nine, huh? Guess I'll hafta stay over tonight to make sure you're up and ready in time," Zack teased, winking when he caught Cloud's eye.

"I've been waking up early for ages now!"

"And you hate it. You'd hit snooze six times before rolling outta bed if you didn't have me."

Cloud huffed. "Don't act like you weren't already planning to stay tonight anyway."

"Don't act like you weren't gonna ask me to."

Neither denied either statement, instead just smirking at each other knowingly. Soon no one would have to plan to stay, or ask to stay. They were going to do this. They were going to get a place together, and it was going to be awesome. It probably helped that they'd already lived together once, and spent plenty of nights together now. No doubt it'd be another seamless transition in their relationship. A particularly exciting one this time, and not just because of the potential pet they'd be getting.

"We can't move next weekend," Zack realized, crossing his arms. "We've got plans."

"It's not an instantaneous thing. We don't even know if we'll see a place we like." Cloud opened his mouth like he wanted to elaborate, but closed it with a frown a moment later. "What plans?"

"Uh, I already told you!"

"No, you told me you wanted to hang out all weekend," he corrected, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What're we doing?"

"You know what next weekend is, right?"

Suspicion gave way to amusement as Cloud eyed him. "I know what next Friday is. Last I checked, an anniversary was a one day thing."

"Yeah, well, we're making a weekend of ours! I've got the whole thing figured out already."

"What if I wanted to surprise you?" Cloud asked pointedly.

"Oh," Zack breathed, hand on the back of his neck as a wave of guilt hit him. "Did you? I shouldn't have assumed like that. We can—"

"I'm just kidding," he cut in, laughing at bit at the exasperated look Zack sent him. "I mean, I got you something, but I knew something was up when you said we were hanging out."

"Well, what I have planned is for both of us anyway—not just you. You're gonna love it," Zack guaranteed.

He could tell by the twinkle in Cloud's eyes that the blond already had a good guess as to what they were doing, but that didn't bother Zack. They'd still manage to have fun, and maybe they'd have a new home to think about moving into when they got back. How could it get any better than that?

xxxxx

Aside from the rain, Zack was right—Cloud loved it.

A camping outing was exactly what they needed. Time away from the city doing something they both enjoyed for the first time in far too long. It was a breath of fresh air, literally.

He'd never get sick of listening to Cloud explain the Nibel way of knowing which plants were safe to eat, or showing Cloud the Gongagan method for putting together a fire. The accompanying stories and memories were always priceless, too. They were making do a bit differently this time since the weather sucked, but it only changed so much. Rainstorms in Gongaga were a lot worse, and Cloud could successfully rough it during a blizzard.

So, yeah. No big deal—they just had different, weather related stories to share. And they were stuck in a tent this time instead of directly under the sun and the stars. The important thing was, it was dry and cozy—they'd managed to get it up before the downpour, and already had their first meal spread out between them. One Zack had brought with them when they left the city.

"I still can't believe you didn't check the weather," Cloud complained, looking far more pleased than his words indicated.

"Who says I didn't?"

"You knew the weather was bad, and you still thought this was a good idea?"

Zack smirked knowingly. "Was I wrong?" The look Cloud gave him was answer enough. "Exactly. We're backwater experts—a little rain can't stop us."

"Now I can't tell you about Odin though," Cloud said, tsking. He found himself pouting a bit because that really was a bummer. Every time they did this, he got to hear one or two Nibel tales about the constellations. Odin was supposed to be the next one, and apparently it was Cloud's favorite. "Maybe next time."

"It might clear up tomorrow," Zack responded, doubting it but hoping all the same. "At least my picnic plans weren't completely ruined."

Cloud smiled at that, then really looked at the meal Zack had brought along for their first day here. "Is this…"

"Yeah," he answered, lighting up when he saw how damn touched Cloud looked. "Same as our first date. It was s'posed to be under a tree with a lantern and all that, but…y'know."

"It's perfect," Cloud said, his brows furrowed like he was still thinking.

A good sign. That meant he was getting it—getting what this trip was really about. As much as they both liked camping, it was special to them for a reason. Special enough that he didn't really give a damn if they got rained into a tent for all or most of the weekend.

"The first time we did this was on our first friendship anniversary."

Zack grinned. "Yep. Anything else?"

"And you were wearing that outfit the first night we met. I noticed that before we left."

Very observant. He was figuring it all out much faster than Zack had anticipated, so he reached for his bag and rummaged through until he pulled out a single bottle of beer, opened it, and handed it to Cloud.

"That's what you were drinking that night," Zack explained, answering the unspoken question in Cloud's eyes. "Your sleeping bag's the first real gift I got you—the first thing we slept together in. And there's plenty more where that came from! I've got loads of little surprises in my bag."

"Zack…" Cloud blinked, looking more and more perturbed by the second. Not exactly the reaction Zack had been going for. "Now I feel bad all I got you was a stupid sword."

"Hey! You got me the sword. Buster's perfect."

It really was. Just the size and weight he'd been looking for. Apparently Angeal of all people had a family connection—Cloud had been working with him for weeks to get the sword to the city in time. He'd really wanted to test it out right away, but it wasn't like he could sling it on his back and bring it with him. Instead they'd made plans to spar the day after they returned, and he was definitely looking forward to that.

"Seriously, I love it," Zack reassured his boyfriend. "And it goes with the theme here. Sword fighting was the first thing we really did together."

"That's true, but…"

"But what?" Zack asked, nodding encouragingly when Cloud hesitated.

"A lot of those things were before we were really together," he responded, looking adorably confused. "Don't get me wrong, this is great. I've just never done the whole anniversary thing before."

"Uh, we've had multiple friendship anniversaries."

Cloud fixed him with a look. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Zack said, sure that he did. He smiled a bit until his boyfriend's face softened. "If it makes you feel better, I've never had an anniversary like this either. You and me, I dunno what it is. I wanna celebrate everything, not just this last year. I was gonna wait and give you this after everything else, but…"

He reached into his bag again, pulling out a neatly wrapped gift and offering it to Cloud. It only took a moment for Cloud to set his drink down and open it, studying what was inside. A scrapbook. His heart was pounding anxiously as Cloud opened it, unsure exactly what his reaction would be.

Somewhere in his head he knew Cloud was going to love it, but there was a small part of him that wondered if he should've gone a more traditional route. With Luxiere, he normally got things like watches or gil clips, but that felt all wrong for Cloud. His friends had agreed wholeheartedly, but their ideas hadn't been much better. Custom earrings, Genesis insisted. Something for his bike, Sephiroth suggested. Angeal told him to keep it simple—a nice meal, and maybe have a tree planted in his name.

And, okay. None of those clicked, so maybe he'd gone a little overboard with his own idea. It was exciting though, and unlike anything he'd ever done for anyone. It went right along with all the stuff in his bag—all his plans to look back on all their firsts and their fondest moments.

"This…" Cloud was still flipping through the pages, a flurry of emotions on his face. "How did you…?"

Pictures they'd exchanged during Cloud's trip overseas. Candid photos their friends had taken of the two over the years. Brochures from the seminars and rallies they'd attended together. Official pictures from when they moved up a rank at Masamune. Anything and everything Zack could get ahold of from the time they'd known each other—even things that they weren't both involved in. Important memories, like a clipping of Cloud's first published article and a few of his major pieces. There was even a photo of that epic billboard which was sadly no longer plastered all around Midgar.

"It took a lot of work," Zack admitted, feeling almost unnaturally sheepish when Cloud looked back up at him. "I had to hound everyone—Tifa, the guys. Jess. I think I owe them all at least a dozen favors now."

"I had no idea you were so…"

"Mushy? Me neither. It just happened."

Cloud snorted. "I mean, I knew you could be mushy sometimes, but this? It's really…wow," he tried to explain. Zack was endeared as usual, loving the way Cloud got so flustered when he couldn't seem to get his words out. "Just, wow."

"So you like it?"

"Yeah, I do," he answered, much more easily this time. He was still flipping through the pages, laughing at some of the images, rolling his eyes at others. They definitely had a broad variety of experiences together. "We're such dorks!"

That was a massive understatement, but Zack didn't say a word. He just kept watching, his happiness rising exponentially every time Cloud smiled or laughed or commented on any of their memories. There were so many. They were so good for each other, it was almost crazy to think about.

And the scrapbook was only half full.

He waited as patiently as he could for Cloud to reach the end, knowing exactly what was pinned to that last filled page. Zack's real gift to Cloud, and one he really hoped wasn't too much on top of all the overly sentimental stuff.

The thing was, when it came to how he felt about Cloud, he couldn't always find the right words either. I love you didn't really cover it, and he'd always been more of a show than a tell kind of guy. Normally he stuck to small gestures, but this was a big occasion—their first real anniversary as a couple, Cloud's first anniversary with anyone. It was important to get it right.

Cloud finally got to that page, eyes flickering up to meet Zack's. "What is this?"

"You tell me," Zack responded, already grinning.

He looked so confused for a moment, and then so awed. "Is this real?"

"Duh. Wouldn't be much fun if it wasn't."

"This is travel information. You got us boat tickets?"

"Yep! We're takin' a trip! I figured we won't have six months like you did, but we should be able to have some fun for a week or two, right?" Zack ventured, more than a little hopeful as Cloud met his startled gaze. "I was thinking maybe we could go every year—knock one or two places off the list. I wanna redo your whole trip, but together! See everything you saw, maybe even a few places you didn't."

"It'll take years if we only hit one or two places a trip."

Zack nodded his head confidently. That was the point. "Yeah, it will. And that's just one continent."

"You really are something else." Cloud paused, still very clearly overwhelmed. "When are we…?"

"I mighta already asked your big boss when you'd be able to get some time off."

"Seph?" he clarified, Zack nodding in return. "He's not really my boss. He just puts his money behind the network."

"Same thing, isn't it? Just 'cause he's got other things going on doesn't mean your actual boss can ignore him when he suggests something."

"Yeah. I just…"

Zack scooted in closer, hand falling to Cloud's thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You just what?" There was no answer. "Do you not wanna go yet? 'Cause it's cool if you're busy with work stuff. They're open tickets, so we can put it off as long as you want."

"No, I wanna go!" Cloud insisted, almost fiercely.

"Then what is it?"

They stared at each other in silence, the fleeting nerves Zack felt fading away when Cloud surged forward and pressed their lips together. Zack laughed right into it, getting the message loud and clear as he practically pulled the blond into his lap.

Cloud pulled back a moment later, a soft gleam in his eyes. "I just can't decide where we should go first."

xxxxx

A month later, they were on a boat headed for Costa Del Sol.