A/N: I don't really know what inspired me to write this story, it just came to me. Obviously this story involves yaoi (man/man love) so it shouldn't be read by those against that kind of stuff. I really hope you enjoy this and hope you will review!

Here we go!

Chapter 1:

I First Saw Him On The Bus

For Cloud Strife, it was just like any other morning. He awoke to the irritating and incessant ringing of his alarm clock- failing to escape its call no matter how deep he buried his face into his pillow.

He dragged himself from his bed and into the bathroom, rushing to take a shower before the bus arrived. He emerged from the bathroom 40 minutes later, ruffled his hair a bit, got changed and headed downstairs. Nothing spectacular.

"Don't forget your science book, Cloud honey." Mrs Strife said, preparing her teenage son's lunch for him as she did every morning.

"Thanks, mom." The boy packed his bag carefully, making sure that not one piece of paper was screwed up in the process. Cloud was a tidy boy, very particular- much unlike his older brother, Cid.

But, the two got on rather well nonetheless.

"C'mon Cloudy, we better get going." The taller blond strolled in, doing up the buttons of his shirt (excluding the top two).

"Yeah." Cloud gathered up a few last possessions, such as his phone, keys and some spare change before flinging his bag over his shoulders and giving his big brother a quick nod. The two headed for the door, waving goodbye to their mother as they strolled from the living room.

"Oh, and Cid," Mrs Strife said, walking after them.

"Yup?" The blond turned, leaning on the frame of the front door.

"Your English teacher is expecting you to turn up this morning." The older teen gave a nervous chuckle before turning and slipping out of the front door, pulling Cloud with him as he did.

The brothers began the 10 minute walk to the bus stop together, discussing how they thought the day would go. They weren't as close as some of their friends were with their siblings, but they didn't hate each other either. Cid was just 2 years older than Cloud (who was 14), so they attended the same school. But, Cid had a rule. Cloud wasn't allowed to speak to him in front of his mates, not at school anyway. It wasn't because Cid was embarrassed by his brother or anything, heavens no. It was mainly because his friends didn't like Cloud at all and the older blond was a people pleaser- in other words, he didn't stick up for Cloud.

"You've been bunking English again?" Cloud asked, having managed to build up the courage after quite a way. He watched his brother let out a gruff sigh, kicking the ground as he did.

"Yeah. It's that bloody woman; she has it in for me! If I don't turn up, I can't get into another argument with her."

"Or you could just do the work." The spikey-haired boy suggested.

"Y'know what, Cloudy? You're a complete geek."

"Your exams are coming up, Cid!"

"Don't remind me. Look, like I said to mom, I'll find somethin' to do."

And so, the two clambered onto the bus- flashing their passes as they did. Cid instantly strolled down the vehicle to join his mate Vincent; whilst Cloud went to join Aerith. He was surprised to find that she was further down the bus than usual, in one of the back few rows in fact. It was strange; they usually sat nearer the middle or front. But, he shrugged his shoulders and headed to the seat next to her.

Aerith was a rather pretty girl, the innocent-looking kind. Her uniform was done properly, all of the blouse buttons done up and the skirt hanging at an appropriate length. And, unlike most of the other girls in their school, Aerith's only accessory was an acceptable pink ribbon in her hair- which was always tied back neatly. Quite a few people had suggested Cloud and Aerith go out, even going as far to say that they were a cute couple. However, the blond wasn't too keen on the idea. He said it was because they were good friends- so taking it further would be weird. But, he knew- deep down- there was a different reason. A reason he was not prepared to share with anyone.

"Morning, Cloud!" His friend called, moving her bag so he could sit down. "You all set for history?"

"Not really. I have no idea what I'm doing." He admitted, slumping down in the seat and carefully pushing his own bag underneath the seat in front.

"Hey, maybe Zack can help you! Zack, do you know anything about history?" The brunette turned her head as she asked, a wide smile flashing on her face. And, as Cloud turned as well, he immediately knew why Aerith was sat so far back.

It was him.

Some kid Cloud had never seen before.

The boy turned his own head as he heard his name, leaning forward in his seat to catch the question. He was sat two rows back, on the back row actually, but Cloud could still see him clearly. His arms were resting on the back of the seat in front, his head sat upon them as he looked up at the two teens through the shoulders of the two people separating them.

His hair was spiked, though far more controlled than Cloud's. He had two bangs falling over either side of his face, reaching down almost to his chin but decreasing in length toward the eyes. The rest was gelled back into an array of black spikes. His eyes were a shimmering blue, captivating to be sure; his skin lovely and tanned; his lips twisted in a mischievous smile. He looked…amazing.

"History?" He let out a gentle chuckle, sending shivers throughout the blond's body.

"C'mon, Zack! You gotta know something!" Someone else called.

"Alright, alright. Whatcha studying?" The ravenette asked, glancing at all of the curious eyes pinned on him.

"The Wutian War." Aerith said, her smile wider than Cloud had ever seen it before.

"Oh, that's an easy one! All you gotta do is glorify Shinra in your essays and pin all the blame on Wutai and never say Shinra is wrong- you're bound to get an A!" A sea of laughter sounded all around the teen as he flashed them an innocent smile, not even trying to hide his mocking intent. From the looks of things, this kid had captivated the entire population of the bus. Everyone was watching him, all clustered around his seat as though he were a god.

"Who's this, Aerith?" Cloud asked, staring at the teen.

"Oh, whoops!" She burst into girlish laughter, glancing from Zack to Cloud and back again. "I totally forgot to introduce you!"

"No worries." The ravenette said, snaking one hand between the two boys sat in front of him to reach Cloud. "The name's Zack." He said, offering the hand. Cloud took it and gave it a gentle shake, forcing a smile.

"Cloud."

"Nice to meet ya." The ravenette squeezed the blond's hand tenderly; his palm smooth and warm to the touch, before withdrawing it.

"Zack's amazing, Cloud." Aerith said, giggling again.

"Yeah, he's so cool!" Another kid called.

"He's new but he's funny!"

"And hot!" Zack laughed as he heard all the compliments, thanking everyone with a grateful grin.

"He's in your brother's year." Aerith said. Cloud nodded, noticing some of Cid's friends sat on the back with Zack- all edging unnaturally close. It looked like everyone was fond of this new kid and the blond could tell why. He had an air about him, an aura of charm and confidence which made you fall for him (but not in that way) after just a moment. He always looked at the one talking, making them feel important, he always seemed to smile and laugh and he had a compliment for everyone. The chocobo-haired youth wondered what it was like when Zack got on the bus. He had managed to do all this sometime between now and half an hour ago (the time the bus began its route). How? Anyone who said it was hard to make friends on the first day obviously hadn't met Zack.

"Loving the hair, Spikey!" The teen called, winking cheekily. "It's totally cool!" Cloud could feel his cheeks heat up, knowing that a blush must have found its way onto his face.

"Th-thanks."

Throughout the journey, Cloud watched the ravenette- making a mental note of every single one of his features.

The boy was wearing the school uniform- black trousers and white shirt, though he lacked the tie and blazer (much like Cid). The top two buttons were undone as well; his sleeves rolled halfway up his upper arms, showing off his luscious-looking muscles. Zack was buff- great biceps, strong chest and Cloud bet there was a six pack hiding under there.

He was so confident and upbeat, pulling people next to him into a one armed hug whenever they made him laugh or said something particularly complimentary. The smile never left his face, and his constant winks were just dazzling.

Despite being overwhelmed by the other more confident students on the bus, Cloud did manage to involve himself in Zack's conversations- desperate to impress the teen and to gain some attention. He'd never felt this before- he was usually sickened by popular kids. Zack was different though. He wasn't just one of the 'cool' kids who thought they were better than everyone else and always had a gang hanging around them. No. Zack was the kind that became popular due to his good social skills and nice qualities- he wasn't shallow.

Cloud was almost sad when the bus pulled up at their school and the numerous students began jumping to their feet and making their way down the vehicle to the door.

Aerith and Cloud followed Zack, who had left the bus quickly, through the gates of the school. Even as he made his way to the building, he had a swarm of kids around him. In fact, the numbers began growing as the other students' friends came to see what the fuss was about. The situation was getting a bit ridiculous, especially since new kids hardly ever got noticed on their first day- let alone the first few minutes!

"Well, I better get going everyone! I'm due in the Headmaster's office, like, right now." The students all 'awww'ed and 'boooo'ed, saying quick goodbyes before strolling off to their own classes. "See ya, Aerith." The ravenette said, flicking his wrist to the side in a wave. "Later, Spikey." Reaching over, the teen ruffled Cloud's hair, a wide smile spread across his face. After doing so, he waved again, before strutting off in the direction of the main building.

The blond felt a warmth well up inside him from the moment Zack ran his fingers through his hair. To get affection from someone he'd just met, and someone so amazingly cool- it was incredible! Cloud sighed at his immaturity, before walking with Aerith to his locker.

It was going to be a loooooooonnnnnnnggggggg day.

"What's his secret?"

"Do you think he'd give me some pointers?"

"You kidding? Looks play a big part and yours aren't helping."

"So you think you could do better?"

"Hey, Cloud!" The blond looked up from his book, tapping his pen on the page in a gentle rhythm. He gazed across the table at his friends, who had been whispering about something or other for the last few minutes. Cloud didn't really feel like talking, so he'd faded out of the conversation as soon as he could. "You get on Zack's bus, right?" The boy nodded, his lips forming into a curious pout. Practically any conversation about Zack was bound to be interesting.

"Perhaps you could get him to give us some pointers." Denzel begged.

Denzel had to be Cloud's best friend- only rivalled by Aerith. But, sometimes he could be such an idiot. "You know, on getting girls." The brunette chuckled, punching the other boy on the table as he began to laugh. "Shut up!"

"Why Zack?" Cloud asked, staring at the messy-haired boy with the same pout.

"Why Zack! He's had girls all over him since he got here! I saw him at break with about three girls sat on his lap and, according to Jared, he's been asked out eight times!" Cloud rolled his shimmering eyes, rebuking himself for having not known better.

"Denzel, haven't you just split up with someone? Don't you think you should take some time out of the dating scene?"

"Yeah, right! I need a girl in my life!"

"Ha! I bet if you gave it a few weeks, you're grades would go way up!" The other boy on the table said.

"Hey, I do study." The brunette snapped defensively.

"Not according to your last test score." Came a mocking voice from above. They all glanced up at the aggravated woman- their science teacher. "If I hear one more word about Mr Fair, I will have no choice but to make you all work in silence. It was bad enough having the boy in my lesson, but now no one will stop talking about him."

"Aw, come on, Miss. You sure you didn't like him, not even a little?" Denzel asked, smiling knowingly.

"It doesn't matter how-" She coughed, collecting Denzel's book up. "-charming he may be, uniform is uniform and it must be stuck to. I think that boy has too much cheek."

"You've been looking at his cheeks? Tut tut, Miss, you shouldn't be checking out students' asses." Even Cloud let out a chuckle at the silver-haired youth's joke. The third boy on the table- Kadaj- was known for his witty comments and well-timed jokes.

"I would bother giving you detention, but then I'd just have to put up with you longer." The woman mused, showing a complete lack of discipline and professionalism.

"That's the beauty of it." She scowled at the boy's reply, gathering up the rest of their books, before storming off to the next table- muttering some comment or other about troublesome teens.

"Anyway," Denzel continued, hardly acknowledging that they had been interrupted. "It's so hard to stay in a relationship these days, so of course I'm hopping from one girl to the next."

"Speak for yourself." Kadaj said, plucking a hair from the sleeve of his blazer and dropping it to the floor. "Elena and I have been going out for months and I'm confident that we won't be breaking up anytime soon."

"Don't rub it in." Denzel snapped. "You're so lucky, Kadaj. I dunno how you do it."

"Look up the word 'commitment', it might help." Cloud sniggered at the silver-haired boy's mutter, loving the annoyed expression that crossed the messy-haired boy's face.

"Yeah, well you don't have other girls coming up to you and flirting when you're trying to stay 'committed'." The boy scoffed at Denzel's defence.

"Oh, really? Girls love this hair and I can hardly keep them away. But, Elena and I are serious- I wouldn't choose any of those sluts over her."

"Aw, Kadaj. That's sweet…in a creepy sorta way."

"Shut up…"

And the day continued, one lousy lesson after another, with very little excitement creeping its way in. Kadaj shared most of Cloud's classes, and he was always fun to be around but, Cloud sometimes found it tiresome to constantly smile and laugh, so much so that he just felt like ignoring the witty teen.

Then there was Denzel. He was also fun to spend time with, though he was far less overwhelming. But, Cloud and Denzel only had a handful of lessons together and most of them were on different days, meaning they saw very little of each other that particular day.

Aerith had to be the one Cloud got on with the most due to her kind, friendly, yet mature personality. The two were often in the same class and always sat with one another. But, today Aerith was different. She just couldn't stop talking about Zack, over and over.

Despite it all, Cloud got through the day and still had the energy to smile whilst heading for the bus bay. Luck seemed to be with him, he decided.

"Come on, Cloud." Aerith said, not that the blond had much choice- the girl was already pulling him down the bus, leading him toward the back. Neither Denzel nor Kadaj caught their bus, both living in a different area. So, usually, Cloud only spoke to Aerith on the bus. But, of course, now there was Zack. One thing he had noticed throughout the day was that people who caught his bus- people who usually never spoke to him- smiled at and greeted him as he passed by. The blond had tried to convince himself that the arrival of one kid couldn't possibly do all that, but apparently it had. Now that he thought about it, he had never really tried to talk to the others before that morning, so perhaps it was possible after all.

"Aerith! Spikey!" Oceanic orbs gazed passed the girl, staring at the already seated, tanned teen. "Back here!" Much to Cloud's surprise, two seats had been saved on the back in-between Zack and another guy who was much adored. The sight of the brunette really dissuaded Cloud from going to the back; he wanted to sit somewhere else entirely. But, Aerith still dragged him there, pulling him down with her onto the seats.

Damn! The blond cursed inwardly as the girl plopped down next to Zack, pulling him into the second seat…the one next to…to…Genesis.

Everyone knew Genesis.

Everyone admired Genesis.

And, everyone who he hadn't spoken to, feared Genesis.

He, along with Angeal and Sephiroth, were the most popular kids in school. They were all in Cid's year, all 16-years-old. But, not even Cid was inside their friendship groups- which were very picky and selective. If you wanted to be friends with those three, there had to be something special about you.

Out of the trio, only Genesis caught Cloud's bus. Sephiroth was Kadaj's cousin and lived in the same area, whilst Angeal lived close to the school and, thus, walked home.

The blond gulped, feeling his body tremble as realization hit him. He was actually sitting next to the Genesis Rhapsodos.

Genesis was extremely good-looking, so good-looking that guys were allowed to say it without being seen as gay. His hair was a gorgeous shade of brown, each strand perfectly placed. He wore his uniform well, but always wore a nice red leather jacket over it with matching red leather gloves. He worked harder on his appearance than Angeal and Sephiroth, who didn't fuss too much but were still popular amongst the girls.

Okay, Cloud. Just remember the rules, He reminded himself. Don't speak unless spoken to; don't accidentally touch him or brush against him; don't make too much noise and do not annoy him in any possible way.

"How's your day been?" Zack's cheery voice snapped him from his thoughts. With a nervous glance at the brunette- seated with his arms and legs crossed and his head held high- Cloud turned his attention to Zack.

"Mine was good." Aerith replied, the smile never leaving her lips.

"Same." Cloud said, looking at Genesis once more to make sure he hadn't aggravated the boy. No indication. He was safe.

"How was yours?" Aerith asked as the bus began to move, all of the kids beginning resuming their chatter. Even whilst immersed in their own conversations, Cloud noticed that their true attention was directed to the back….to Zack.

"Awesome! This is, like, the best school ever!" The ravenette said, practically bouncing in his seat.

"Zack's parents moved here so his father could take up a new job." Aerith briefly explained. The blond nodded, having heard something similar earlier on.

"I met some wicked people too. Isn't that right, Genny?"

OH. MY. GOD!

Cloud froze, probably going even paler than normal. Zack had just…had just called…Genesis, the Genesis…Genny! The poor kid was horrified. No one ever showed the famous brunette such disrespect before.

"Your company has been most pleasant, Puppy."

Blue eyes darted to his side, staring at the older teen. His poetic voice was one of legend around school, not that Cloud had ever heard it before. It was surprisingly calming, relaxing. It soothed the little teen, despite how surprised he was at Genesis' acceptance of the new kid. But, one word stuck in his head.

Genesis had called Zack a puppy. Why?

"Genesis here has been showin' me around. He's a pretty cool guy." Pretty cool! Just pretty cool! "I met Angeal and Sephiroth too. They're great fun!"

"It's not often we accept people into our group so…fleetingly. However, we made an exception for our little Puppy here. After seeing his mischievous antics during Period 1, we knew we had to have him." Cloud turned to face the brunette, taking in every word; every careful movement of his lips and every effective pause in his speech. But, that wasn't it. Genesis Rhapsodos was talking to him. He was actually speaking to Cloud! His eyes were lingering on the blond's face, actually gazing into the boy's own! Never had the teen felt so giddy. To actually be spoken to by someone so…so…amazing.

"Aw, I love you man!" Zack said, grinning with such joy and pleasure that you'd think he'd known the poet for years. "Even if you're a snob." Everyone on the back let out a chuckle, even Cloud. He was beginning to relax around the brunette, surprised by his own ability to calm down.

In total, there were six seats on the back row. Zack was sat on the right hand side, just next to Aerith- who was in the middle. Cloud was sat on Aerith's left, just next to Genesis- who was sat directly next to the window. On Zack's right was Reno- a red-haired youth who was a close friend of Cid, also 16. And, next to him in the other window seat, was Weiss- a boy of Cloud's age. In fact, Cloud had a suspicion they had Geography, History, English and Maths together…okay, so it was more than a suspicion.

"You should hang out with us some time, yo. Might be a nice change from the Godly-three." Reno said. A deep scoff came from beside the red-haired boy. All eyes glanced at Weiss as the boy frowned. It was really the first time Cloud had seen him up close. The boy's appearance was quite outrageous, what with his hairstyle and bare torso. He had shed his school shirt, laying it over his bare shoulder. Cloud could feel his cheeks heat up at the sight of the shirtless teen, not sure whether to look at him or not.

Weiss was rather pale, but not unpleasantly so. And, boy was he buff. Pecs, biceps, abs- the whole package. Everyone knew the boy was a fitness-fanatic, always doing some kind of vigorous exercise. He was the captain of several sports teams at the school and had become rather popular as a result- hence why he was seated at the back.

"Our lunchtimes are hardly enjoyable." The teen growled, his voice oddly deep and husky for a 14, possibly 15, year old.

"Only because you're always in the headmaster's office, yo. He just can't keep his shirt on. The big guy said that if he catches Weiss with his shirt off again, then he's gonna put a strait jacket on 'im."

"I find shirts uncomfortably constricting." The teen said.

"If you got the body, then I'm not against flaunting it." Zack said, laughing coolly. "Just as long as you don't send girls running then I don't see the problem."

"You should do the same, Zack." Aerith suggested, giggling wildly. And, oh boy did Cloud agree. Just the thought of seeing the ravenette without a shirt was enough to send a wave of embarrassment over him.

"If he decided to do such a thing, then I would have no choice but to place a collar round our Puppy's neck." Genesis stated. "A leash would also be necessary- to stop him running off, of course." Everyone chuckled again, mostly at the thought of Zack on a leash.

"I don't think it would work." The words just came out, rolling off his tongue before he could stop himself. Cloud had just spoken back to Genesis, practically calling him wrong!

"I suppose you're right." The brunette said, laughing slightly with the words. And, Cloud was at ease once again.

Reno was first to get off the bus, clapping them all on the back- save for Genesis of course. Cloud felt so accepted when he felt the hand slap his shoulder. It was a strange feeling to get, especially in the presence of one of Cid's friends, who usually hated him.

Weiss was next to leave, nodding at them all before giving a gruff 'Later'. He strolled down the bus, clasping hands with a few people here and there.

Then came Genesis' turn. He rose gracefully, telling them to stay out of trouble that evening before slowly making his way down the vehicle- reciting an epic line from his favourite and well-known poem, LOVELESS.

His angelic, flawless and poetic voice murmured the line with great wonder and mystery- making Cloud want to hear him recite the whole play.

"Nothing shall forestall my return."

And, after a few more laughs and jokes and warm feelings- it was finally Cloud's stop. As much as he wanted to stay there, with Aerith and Zack, he rose and said his goodbyes. It was as he reached the bus doors that he truly felt happy, as a loud and cheery voice called down the bus.

"Bye, Spikey! Love you!"

And, with those last heart-warming words, Cloud went home.

A/N:

I really hope this chapter wasn't too overwhelming! I think I may have introduced too many characters in this chapter and that it may have been a bit too over the top as far as characters go. I hope to improve by the next chapter and I hope you like where this goes.

Obviously, this is a Clack story (CloudxZack) and will solely focus on that pairing. But, they're not going to get together straight away.

If you have any comments or suggestions for this story, please review and include them there.

Please review and tell me what you think.

Until the next chapter, see ya!