Cloud's first thoughts were that he felt warm and safe, which didn't happen often anymore. He sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His hand clipped the faded black eye and he hissed, the previous day flooding back to him. He looked around, reddening when he saw Zack's sleeping form on the couch beside him. The older man's arm was still slung over Cloud's waist loosely, and his black hair was mussed, falling around his face in soft spikes. Cloud pressed his hands gently to his face, trying to get rid of the heat in his cheeks. His heart was hammering unpleasantly.

Zack murmured something in his sleep and tightened his arm around his companion, pulling the small body against his. There was a cry of what sounded like pain and his eyes popped open and he flailed, slipping off the couch and onto the ground where he sat blearily, staring up at Cloud's shocked face.

"What? What?" he blurted, voice still thick with sleep.

"Oh my god," Cloud cried. "I didn't mean to—you just squeezed me and it still hurt from yesterday. I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He knelt stiffly next to Zack, who shook his head sharply to clear it.

"It's fine, I'm fine," he assured the boy, standing up and rubbing his ass discreetly to relieve the ache that had started when he hit the ground. "I'm sorry I hurt you—I didn't mean to—" Cloud was amazed to see a dull blush rise in Zack's cheeks. "I mean, last night, I just…I was tired and…I'm sorry I slept with you?" The last part came out in a rush. Smooth, Zackary.

Cloud grinned. "It's fine. We were both pretty zonked."

They both stood, Zack still feeling awkward. "Are you…hungry or anything?" he asked the blonde.

"I could eat," Cloud said with a smile, but his face drained of color when he caught sight of the clock. "Oh my god, I'm so late," he moaned, pulling his boots on as fast as his aching body would allow. "Shit, the sergeant is gonna ream me!" He cast a reproachful look at Zack, who was laughing at him. "What? It's not funny!"

Zack fought down his giggles. "I put you on the sick list yesterday, Chocobo-head. There's no way you can train if you feel as stiff as you look. Even with a Cure it takes a while for a non-augmented guy to bounce back."

Cloud stopped trying to pull on his boots. "Oh. Well, don't you have work?"

Zack winced. "Technically, yes?" He walked towards the small kitchenette and started rummaging through the fridge. "Do you like eggs?"

"Eggs?" Cloud nearly shrieked. "You're late for work! How can you think about eggs?" Zack looked back at him, smirking, and Cloud realized how high-pitched his voice had sounded. He buried his face in his hands. "Never mind."

"I'll call in," Zack told him, cracking eggs into a bowl. "Seph totally owes me after I saved his ass a couple months ago by filling in for a mission. Scrambled okay?"

"Fine," Cloud said faintly, in awe of anyone who could call up the general for gods' sakes and tell him they were taking the day off. Zack had his phone cradled between ear and shoulder as he stirred egg and milk together.

"Seph? Hey, I'm taking a day off. Why? Because you owe me, you ass! Remember when I filled in for you that one time? Uh huh. Oh, come on." Zack poured the eggs into a pan on the stove. "Favors do not expire! Yeah, yeah, give me double paperwork tomorrow, whatever. Toodles, Sepphy." The older man glanced over to see Cloud staring at him with the biggest eyes he'd ever seen. "What?"

Cloud shook his head. "I'm just…not used to hearing anyone speak to a general like that," he said, unable to hide the awe in his voice.

Zack laughed. "I'll pay for calling him Sepphy later. I can get away with Seph, but he gets really cranky when I use what he calls 'cutesy names' for him. Order up, Cloudy. Can you grab the plates? They're in the cabinet."

Cloud obeyed, and they sat at the small table to eat.

"How are you feeling?" Zack asked kindly, after they'd eaten a few bites.

"Not too bad," Cloud hedged. "I could have gone to training, you know."

Zack pointed his fork at the boy. "One of the best qualities a SOLDIER can have is knowing when to quit, Chocobo-head."

"You know," Cloud said grumpily, "I don't think I agreed to this whole 'Chocobo-head' thing."

"Aww, but it's cute," Zack told him with a wink. "And it suits you."

"I can't help it, you know," Cloud said crossly. "Plus, look at your own hair!"

"This," Zack said, running a hand through his dark locks, "is what a beautiful flowing SOLDIER mane looks like, kiddo. Don't knock it."

Cloud rolled his eyes and finished eating.

They spent a lazy day together playing video games and talking, and Cloud was surprised at how comfortable he was spending time in a SOLDIER's quarters. Zack didn't have a superior air like most SOLDIERs did—in fact, he acted like Cloud's own age, tickling him to distract him from the racing game they were playing, making Cloud giggle and drop his controller. When Cloud accused him of cheating while Zack was taking a victory lap around his small living room, the older man merely paused to ruffle his hair.

"So," Zack began after several hours had passed, setting his controller aside. His violet eyes were serious for once. "Tell me about the bullies."

"W—what?" Cloud stammered.

"Come on, Cloud. I was checking for broken ribs yesterday and I saw what you're hiding under your shirt. We went over this, remember?" Zack's gentle voice had a hard edge.

Cloud looked down at his hands, which were twisting in his lap. "I'm small," he offered. "I don't look like I can hold my own, and yet I'm one of the best in my class. People don't like that."

Zack studied him, sensing he was holding something back. "It's me, isn't it," he said softly. Cloud continued to avoid meeting his eyes. "They don't like that I'm friends with you, right?" Zack put his head in his hands. "Gods, I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not," Cloud retorted. "It's not that—they just…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say. Zack was right, after all.

The brunet dragged his hands over his face. "All those times I came and visited you in front of all your classmates…it just made it worse, didn't it?" He was cursing himself for being so self-absorbed that he had forgotten how brutal it was being a cadet.

"It's not your fault," Cloud said quietly. "They did it before I met you too. The only thing that's changed is…what they say." This was a white lie, but Cloud wasn't about to tell Zack that he had been attacked at least three times a week since Zack had started hanging around him. None of the beatings had been as bad as the one the day before.

"It is," Zack insisted. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I'll try to be less…effusive."

Cloud looked up at him. "No more visits?"

"No more visits," Zack assured him, but was a little unsettled to see what looked like dismay in Cloud's face. "We'll still hang out," he told the boy. "Just not in front of your classmates." He ruffled Cloud's hair with a grin. Cloud ducked away from him, batting at his hand.

"I should get back," the boy said regretfully. "I want to get more sleep before I have to train again tomorrow." He stood and stretched with a groan, feeling his ribs and back pull uncomfortably, the bruises that littered his skin aching.

"Sure," Zack said easily, walking him to the door. Cloud tugged on his combat boots and turned to look up at his friend.

"I…thank you, you know, for…everything," he said, shifting uncomfortably. Zack smiled at him.

"What are friends for, Chocobo-head?" He moved to clap Cloud on the shoulder and remembered his injuries. "Oops. Sorry. You think you'll be up for training on Monday?"

Cloud nodded. "Wouldn't miss it." He turned to leave with a little wave.

Zack watched him go, feeling the familiar warmth that usually had something to do with his young friend seep through him. It wasn't until Cloud turned the corner that Zack realized he had been staring at the younger boy's ass. He groaned, the back of his head thumping against the wall, and thanked every deity he knew that no one else was in the hallway. Shinra military wasn't overtly homophobic, meaning he couldn't get kicked out for crushing on a guy, but being attracted to the same sex was not something you advertised if you knew what was good for you. Zack stepped back into his quarters again and leaned against the closed door. "Gods, I'm pathetic," he murmured.

Monday rolled around, and Cloud was pleased to find all of his aches gone, and all the bruises faded thanks to Zack's Cure spell. By the end of the day, his body was aching again, but it was the pleasant ache of exercised muscles, not the dull pain of bruised bones.

Zack met him that evening in their usual practice room and unslung his broadsword from his back, leaning it against the wall. His usual cheeriness was somehow muted as he stripped down to his fatigues and black undershirt. He was quiet as they warmed up, and Cloud kept stealing glances at his older friend, noticing the crinkle of consternation between his eyes.

"Let's start with hand-to-hand," Zack offered finally, the first words he'd spoken since arriving. They fell into their stances, and Cloud tensed his muscles, waiting for the attack. Zack jabbed at him with his swift right hook, which Cloud blocked, countering with a punch of his own. The blows flew back and forth, but he could tell Zack was thinking about something else. His lack of attention became even more apparent when Cloud, using one of the throws Zack had taught him the week before, sent his older friend flying, forcing him to take a hasty breakfall on the hard wood of the training room. Even so, the wind was knocked out of him, and Zack lay there for a few seconds, catching his breath.

Cloud stood over him, folding his arms. "When even a cadet can take down a 1st class SOLDIER, then you know there's gotta be something wrong," he said dryly, offering Zack a hand. "What the hell's wrong with you today?"

Zack let the blonde pull him to his feet. "Sorry, I'm a little spacey today," he apologized.

Cloud snorted. "No shit."

Zack leaned against the wall. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." He raked a hand through his sweaty hair. Cloud leaned against the wall next to him, waiting patiently. "I've been telling Sephiroth about you," Zack started.

"What? Why?" Cloud asked, shooting up straight.

"I have to," Zack told him. "Any time SOLDIERs have their eyes on someone as a potential recruit we have to give regular reports to the general."

Cloud was silent. He had guessed that Zack was scouting him for SOLDIER, but hadn't wanted to say anything unless he'd been wrong. "And?" he prompted, almost afraid to hear what Zack had to say next.

"I'm being deployed soon," Zack blurted. "For a few weeks, maybe. And there's a chance you'll be coming with me."

Again, Cloud was shell shocked. "Excuse me?" he said weakly.

"It'll give you a chance to see how SOLDIER operates. To see if you're cut out for it, how you handle situations, you know. You'd be under my supervision the whole time of course, but…well, it's a maybe. Seph said he wants to see how good you are before he signs off on the order."

Cloud's mind was working hard, trying to process everything Zack was telling him. He'd heard of cadets going on missions with their mentors before, but had no idea it would ever happen to him. "I…you think I'm good enough?" he asked, still awestruck.

Zack rubbed a hand over his face. "That's the thing," he admitted. "I'm not sure you're good enough—not yet, I mean. Any other mission I'd be fine with you coming along, but this one is supposed to be fairly dangerous. I don't want—I mean, I just worry. Sephiroth has the final word, though, and if he thinks you're ready, then there's not much I can do." His violet eyes raked over Cloud's form, taking in how his shoulders had started filling out, how his arms were becoming knotted with muscle from the rigorous extra training. "You really are good, you know," he said with a grin, and Cloud blushed with pleasure. "Seriously, you're really coming along. Of course, I'd expect no less form someone as badass as myself." Zack's chest swelled with pride as he laughed.

"I guess modesty isn't a quality that SOLDIER wants," Cloud muttered sulkily. Zack grabbed him in a headlock.

"Fuck modesty, man. I'm just being truthful," he chuckled, giving Cloud such a sharp noogie that the blonde's eyes watered. "Anyways, I've just had a lot on my mind…sorry I was so distracted."

Cloud broke the headlock and gasped for air. "It's fine," he croaked, rubbing his neck. "Watch it," he added accusingly. "Remember I don't have mako enhancements."

Zack winced. "I forget my own strength sometimes. You okay?"

"Fine," Cloud rasped. "Can we get back to training now? If the general is really going to be looking at my skills, I want to improve as much as possible."

Zack pulled down two dulled practice swords from the rack on the wall. "Have at it, kiddo."