Several minutes after Ryan had disappeared into the tent he shared with Nygard, Cloud remained by the fire, shoving down panic. He had no doubt Ryan could make good on his word, and the thought of Zack being court-martialed for a crime he hadn't committed was unbearable. Cloud went to the tent he was sharing with Zack and stepped inside, his heart heavy. He stripped off his many layers of clothing until he was in his boxers and undershirt, shivering as he crawled into his bedroll. The tents were narrow, barely fitting two people, and he jostled Zack's sleeping form slightly by accident while he was getting comfortable.
Zack stirred. "Spiky?" His voice was thick with sleep.
"Yeah, it's me," Cloud said, cursing silently to himself. Now he wakes up easily, of course.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just wasn't tired because of my nap."
Zack propped his head up on one arm, the moonlight from outside falling through the mesh strip in the tent's ceiling and illuminating his face, now fully awake. His hair was more mussed than usual, his eyes still sleepy, and there was a little smile on his face. Cloud felt his heart lurch.
"Sorry I woke you," he whispered.
"Nah, it's all good," Zack told him softly. "You nervous about tomorrow?"
"A little," Cloud admitted. "I'm still worried I'll screw up and give away our position."
Zack gave a little laugh. "Cloud, if our position is given away, it won't be you who does it. You grew up here. I have no doubt that you can run all over these mountains without even shifting a stone out of place if you wanted."
"I don't know about that," Cloud said with a smile. "But did I tell you about the time I fought with a Nibel wolf?"
"No way! Those things are huge!" Zack breathed. "You're pulling my leg, Spiky."
"No, honest. Once when I was thirteen, I was hiking near the mako reactor on Mt. Nibel and I accidentally came upon these wolf pups. They were adorable, and one actually came up to me, so like an idiot, I started to play with it." Cloud chuckled. "I was letting it chase me and nip at my feet when I ran smack into its mother."
"Oh, shit!" Zack exclaimed, grinning. "What'd you do?"
"Pissed my pants, if I'm telling the truth," Cloud said with a laugh. "All I had was my hunting knife, which would work to kill a Nibel wolf if you don't mind also dying." He sat up suddenly, and Zack swallowed hard as Cloud stuck a leg out of his bedroll. His pale skin glowed in the moonlight, and Zack stared at the smooth-looking skin, his mouth slightly open, until he realized Cloud was still talking. "See this scar?" the blond was saying, pointing to a semicircle of scar tissue on the outer part of his upper thigh.
"Yeah," Zack croaked. The sight of Cloud's strong, well-shaped legs making him embarrassingly hard and he was thankful the thick material of his bedroll hid it.
"The wolf grabbed me here. I thought I'd faint, it hurt so bad, but I got my knife free and got a few hits in, making it let go. Of course, now it's mad as hell. I'm thinking it's my last day on Gaia's green earth, I'm praying to every god you can think of, and I'm backing away when I bump into one of those stunted little trees that grows on the mountain." Cloud finally slid his leg back into the bedroll to get warm again. "I've never climbed a tree so fast in my life, even though my leg was killing me."
"So you didn't kill it?"
"No, I was way too little to do that. What I did was sit in the tree for hours, my leg bleeding and my pants full of piss, until my mom got worried enough to send out search parties. The whole time I was up in that tree, the wolf was just sitting there, this look in its eyes, like it knew I'd have to come down sometime." Cloud rolled on his side to smile at Zack.
"They didn't kill it, did they?" Zack asked.
Cloud shook his head. "The men from the village chased it and its pups off, but I was too cold and had lost too much blood to get down from the tree, so one of the men had to climb up and get me down."
"Wow," Zack breathed. "I don't have any stories about Gongaga that even come close to that. You were badass even as a thirteen-year-old, Cloudy."
Cloud snorted with laughter. "If pissing your pants is badass, yeah, I was."
Zack grinned. "Anyone else would have pissed their pants and gotten eaten."
"We should probably sleep," Cloud said regretfully.
"Yeah," Zack sighed. "Have fun waking me up in the morning."
"You're the SOLDIER!" Cloud hissed back. "Wake yourself up!"
"I order you to wake me up tomorrow morning, cadet," Zack said, a grin in his voice.
"I hate you," Cloud muttered, wriggling around to get comfortable.
Zack lay awake a bit longer, listening to Cloud's even breathing and staring up at the darkened roof of the tent. He was trying to ignore the throbbing in his groin that had been there since Cloud had showed him the scar on his thigh. I'm pathetic, he thought to himself, not for the first time. Since when did the sight of a bare leg get me hard? Not since I was fifteen, at least. Gods be damned, Fair, this is what happens when you don't have sex for a really long-ass time!
Belatedly, Zack realized one of his hands was tracing the muscles on his stomach under his shirt, moving lower and lower. Stop it, Zack, he told himself, but his erection gave a sharp throb and he bit back a groan. He glanced over at the back of Cloud's head.
"Cloud?" he whispered. No answer. The cadet was definitely asleep, but Zack continued to wrestle with his thoughts, the fingers of one hand resting under the waistband of his boxers, stroking the skin right above his cock. Think of awful things, Zack. Hojo in a bikini. President Shinra in a bikini. Cloud, completely naked and spread out on your bed. "Fuck!" Zack whispered quietly. He moved the hand lower, curling it around his rock hard length. With his other hand, he pulled his shirt up, stuffing it into his mouth to muffle any sounds. He glanced over quickly to make sure Cloud was still asleep and started to stroke, letting out a muffled breath in a quiet moan. Heat pooled in his lower belly and he struggled to keep quiet as he brushed a thumb over the head of his cock, a little jolt of pleasure rushing through his body.
Zack closed his eyes, panting a little as he increased his pace, alternating squeezing and stroking. He could feel his muscles tensing, and fluid was dribbling from the tip of his cock. Swiping a thumb over the head again, he collected the liquid and slicked it down his shaft. The extra lubrication almost made Zack yelp, but he bit down on his shirt hard, his free hand jumping to one of his nipples. He pinched it a little between thumb and forefinger, twisting slightly, and the twinge of pain amplified the pressure in his groin. With a groan that was loud even through the shirt, Zack came hard, his back arching, his muscles straining, painting his hard stomach with cum. The shirt fell from his unclenched teeth and he lay there panting, limbs leaden from the orgasm. When he had enough strength to turn his head he checked to make sure his groan hadn't woken Cloud, but the blond head was still in the same position, the boy's shoulders rising and falling in a gentle rhythm.
A sick feeling of guilt was growing in Zack's stomach like it always did when he jerked off to thoughts of Cloud. Finding out his young friend was legal hadn't helped alleviate it, and once again, Zack remembered what Sephiroth had said and ground his teeth together hard. He used the underside of his shirt to clean off his stomach and hand, turning on his side to face Cloud's sleeping back. He let out a breath in a sigh, eyelids growing heavy. His mind was filled with thoughts of the young cadet: Cloud laughing, clutching his sides when Zack told a particularly bad joke; Cloud blushing, his pretty cheeks rosy and his eyes clear and blue; Cloud panting after a sparring session, face smudged with dirt and sweat; Cloud's face tight and determined as he drilled sword passes; Cloud. Zack gave a little moan. Ramuh strike me, I think I love you, Chocobo-head.
His sleep, when it finally came, was fitful and unsatisfying.
Cloud woke at dawn like he always did. Military training had done wonders for his internal clock, and he often found it difficult to sleep in even if he was able. Still, he lay in his bedroll for a few moments, stretching his arms above his head to loosen his stiff muscles. As he shifted, an unpleasant feeling nearly made him groan aloud, and he reached a hand down under his covers, making contact with the front of his boxers, which was sticky and damp. He wasn't unfamiliar with wet dreams, of course, but the timing made him swear. As if his damp boxers weren't bad enough, his morning wood was straining against them as well, and Cloud let his head thump back onto the pack he was using as a pillow. There's no way I'm jerking off in the light of day, he thought to himself. Fortunately, Ryan's words from the night before came flooding back to him right then, and his erection softened almost immediately. Thank Gaia.
He wriggled out of his boxers while still inside the bedroll and used them to clean himself off, stuffing them into his pack and pulling on a clean pair. He dressed quickly—the cold forced him to—trying to force the blush from his cheeks and refusing to look at Zack's sleeping form until he had to.
When he was dressed in his warm clothes, Cloud nudged Zack with one foot. "Wake up, Zack."
The SOLDIER rolled over with a groan, and Cloud nudged harder. "Okay, okay, I'm up," Zack said blearily, batting away the cadet's foot. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, which were red and tired.
"You look awful," Cloud commented.
"Thanks ever so much."
"No, seriously. You feel okay?"
Zack blinked a few times. His eyelids felt like sandpaper. "I'm fine; I just didn't sleep well."
"Okay," Cloud said doubtfully. "I'll let you get dressed. Don't you dare go back to sleep."
"Slave driver."
Cloud laughed and ducked out of the tent, squinting in the morning light. He'd also forgotten how bright the Nibel mountains were in the morning. The sun reflected off the snow and made spots dance in front of his eyes. When they cleared, he saw that Sephiroth and the lieutenants were already up and sitting at the fire eating.
Sephiroth looked up as he approached. "Good, you're up."
"Am I…late?"
"No, but Zackary will be if he's not out here in three seconds," the general said, pitching his voice a little.
"I'm up!" came Zack's muffled voice from his tent, and a second later he stumbled out, adjusting his SOLDIER armor and trying to tame his spiky hair.
"It astonishes me how you reached the rank of commander sometimes," Sephiroth said dryly. Zack stuck out his tongue. "I will rip that out," the general continued calmly, and Zack retracted his tongue quickly.
The SOLDIER settled himself at the small fire next to Cloud and accepted some rations from Nygard. "Are we heading out soon?"
Sephiroth nodded, spreading the map out on his knees. "This is where it is suspected that the group has its temporary headquarters," he said, pointing to a red X on the map. "We'll do some recon today and scout out the spot to make sure they're actually there. Zack, you and Cadet Strife will take this path and approach from the east, Nygard and Ryan take this one from the west, and I will head straight in. Stealth is a priority, understand? You are to scout and recover information, and nothing more. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," they all said.
"If I plan to attack, I will send up a red flare. You are to send up a red flare if your location is compromised and for no other reason. Use your judgment. If you are compromised and are able to neutralize the enemy before they can contact their comrades, do not send up the flare. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Pack some emergency kits and get going."
Cloud and Nygard broke camp as Zack packed his and Cloud's emergency kits, and before long the five of them were splitting up into three groups, wishing each other luck with shoulder slaps and words of encouragement. Cloud was relieved that Ryan didn't try to touch him, but the smirk on the other man's face was bad enough. He set off on the path behind Zack with a heavy heart, struggling between worrying about Ryan's threat and knowing that being distracted could get both him and Zack killed. Zack himself was being uncharacteristically quiet, but considering the nature of their mission, that wasn't unusual. He may be kind of lazy and act like a kid half the time, but he actually takes being a SOLDIER seriously when it's important, Cloud thought to himself with a smile.
"Spike, come here," Zack said softly then, beckoning. He was studying the map. "I was always shit at reading these. Are we on the right track?"
Cloud took the map and looked between it and the landscape. "Yeah," he said. "See this river? The camp is supposed to be about a mile from its falls. I think our best shot is to follow the river until we reach the cliff next to the falls. There might be a goat track up the cliff, but we also might have to scale it."
"Scaling a cliff with a Buster sword will be fun," Zack muttered. "But I trust you. If you say this is the best way, it probably is. How long till we reach the river?"
"About half a mile, and then we follow it for two more until we get to the falls." Cloud took the lead while Zack kept watch from the rear, his sharp eyes scanning the crags and cliffs surrounding them for enemies. They reached the river, a wide, rushing body of icy death that wound through the mountains. Cloud glanced into the white, foaming depths and shuddered. It was cold enough outside that a wet plunge would likely result in hypothermia, particularly for someone like Zack, who was unused to the frigid temperatures.
He let Zack lead now since they were just following the river, the rushing of the water muffling any sounds of their footsteps. They passed several caves on the other side of the riverbank, their mouths nearly obscured by the thick drifts of snow.
"There's the falls," Zack said finally, pointing. Cloud nodded.
"I can see a path up the cliff. It'll be steep, but it's better than climbing."
"Oh, good," Zack muttered. He hated heights, but at least they didn't make him vomit like Cloud's motion sickness did. "I should go first," he told Cloud as they approached the foot of the cliff. "We don't know what's at the top."
Cloud nodded. "Just watch for patches of ice."
The goat track was steep enough that it was nearly like climbing anyways, but to Zack's relief the ragged surface of the stone had plenty of handholds, and the going was relatively painless. He made sure to test each spot before placing a foot, not keen on slipping and falling. The cliff was small enough that even Cloud might have survived a tumble, but it wasn't something he wanted to risk.
With a grunt, Zack heaved himself up the last few feet, rolling onto the top of the cliff and springing to his feet. Cloud pulled himself up behind him and they crept forward, feeling exposed.
They hadn't gone more than twenty feet when Cloud heard Zack say, "Oh, shit!" He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong and his friend tackled him roughly to the ground, driving the wind from him. They rolled, Cloud wondering briefly if Zack had been hit with a Confuse spell, but the ground was rumbling, telling him it was something else. He gasped for breath as they rolled over and over, coming to rest at the edge of the cliff by the waterfall. An explosion cracked through the air and the ground shook alarmingly. Zack pressed him down into the snow, shielding him with his body, and peering under his arm, Cloud saw a rippling sheet of flame flare up where they had been standing moments ago. Debris soared through the air, one jagged chunk of rock scoring a bloody line down Zack's cheek.
"Fuck," the SOLDIER was saying. "There's no way they missed that at the camp."
"What was it?" Cloud gasped, finally catching his breath.
"Proximity mine," Zack said. "Probably to safeguard against intruders. Damn it! I should've been watching more closely." He got to his feet, pulling Cloud up by the hand. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. And you were watching closely. If you hadn't we'd be blown to bits."
Zack unslung his emergency pack and handed it to Cloud. "Hold that," he ordered, unsheathing the Buster sword. "Here they come."
Sure enough, figures were emerging from the rocks not far away. Their black hair and dark, slanted eyes told Cloud they were Wutaiian, but he didn't recognize any of them from the pictures in the file.
Gunfire sounded and Zack shoved Cloud behind him, spinning the Buster sword to fend off the bullets. "Send up the flare!" he shouted. "They know we're here by now." Cloud hurried to obey, pulling the flare gun from Zack's bag and loading it.
Zack heard the whistling of the flare as it was fired and braced himself, sword at the ready. Three swordsmen had broken off from the group in front of him and were closing in. He waited until they were within range and then swung the Buster sword in a shining arc, cleaving one of the swordsmen in half with a single blow. He reversed his arm as another struck, blocking the enemy blade and kicking him in the chest hard enough to collapse it if the wet sucking sound was any hint. The remaining man faltered, seeing Zack's unsmiling face and his hard violet eyes, but the SOLDIER knew that his Wutaiian pride wouldn't let him back down. Sure enough the man charged him with a yell, raising his sword for a blow that would have cut open Zack's belly if it had landed. Instead, he spun, kicking the man's sword from his hand and beheading him in a quick movement. He had barely broken a sweat.
There was a whistling sound and Zack looked up, frowning. Cloud had already sent up the flare, so it couldn't be that. Sure enough, his sharp eyes picked out a grenade that had been thrown by one of the terrorists soaring towards them. Zack readied the sword in his hands, taking a step back to brace himself.
The weak rim of the cliff broke under his heavy-soled boot. Zack lost his footing, knocking into Cloud and sending them both tumbling over the edge towards the rushing river below.