Warning: Rated M for violence, swearing and graphic M/M relationships in later chapters

Disclaimer: I do not own all of these lovely characters; I just borrow them once in a while.

Cloud's hand shook slightly with the force at which he was grasping his car keys. He had been on edge ever since that… that hit man (if you could even call him one) had shown up. Cloud had been tempted to go and talk to their boss and tell him how utterly idiotic everything had been carried out, but then that would just end up getting him killed. At least his would be killer had offered him a cool blood splatter effect on the wall.

But the more Cloud thought about it, the more he wished he had the balls to go and just die. It was probably a lot better then living his current life in a constant state of paranoia. He had sworn that he had seen guns in multiple places throughout the day, glinting in the light just ready to be picked up and fired, right into his head. Of course, he figured that a gun wouldn't be lying in the paper work Yuffie handed to him. But it didn't stop him from throwing them to the ground and kicking them away from Yuffie just in case she was sent to kill him as well. He later passed it off as the wrong papers to get Yuffie off his case.

He walked through the large office tower and made it to the door that lead down to the parkade. It was late in the evening (Cloud had decided to stay and work later, which wasn't unusual in the slightest). Rude had offered to drive him home, noticing the intense gaze Cloud had on anything that was black and shiny, as well as his constant vigilance. Cloud could tell Rude was worried, but refused to tell him what was getting him on edge. Like he could tell someone; 'Hey, I fucked up big time and now I am going to die! Surprise!' It just didn't work that way.

Running his hand through his hair, Cloud almost dropped his keys and swore. He walked down the mostly empty parking lot that was located below the office building. It was always so cold and echoes were very common, making Cloud feel exposed and uncomfortable. He walked quickly down the middle of the parkade towards his car, the small heel on his dress shoes clacked against the smooth concrete, causing Cloud to grit his teeth. He hated the sound but at the same time it was comforting to only hear his footsteps and not someone else's… until now.

Cloud froze a few meters away from his car, thumb poised over the unlock button on his key's while his eyes widened. The footsteps were coming from behind and Cloud felt every muscle in his body stiffen. He tried to decide on whether he should unlock the car, sprint towards the vehicle and jump inside, or turn around and confront the stupid bastard. He took a deep breath and turned around quickly only to lock eyes with a pair of… blue eyes.

"Fuck, what do you want, Rufus?" Cloud asked quickly, his heart rate going down considerably.

Rufus chuckled softly and brushed away a piece of hair from his field of view. "Just leaving the office, same as you… but I was glad to run into you."

Cloud rolled his eyes and turned around to continue heading towards his car. "I'm really not in the mood to talk right now,"

Rufus moved quickly and grabbed Cloud's arm. "Since when are you ever in the mood to talk?" He asked before twirling Cloud around to face him. "But no, talking isn't what I want and you know it…"

Cloud felt Rufus caress his cheek and he moved away quickly. "It was a one time thing Rufus, so fuck off and go home. Or is the misses not happy with you fucking office workers when you're not at home?"

Rufus growled slightly but didn't back off. "I know it was a one time thing… but I enjoyed it and I know you did too," He grinned and winked at Cloud. "You ripped the sheets on my bed when you came… that was hard to explain to Scarlette."

Cloud glared and shoved Rufus away again. "Don't fucking flatter yourself, I ripped them because you almost pushed me off the bed. I could have gotten the same kind of fuck from a cheap hooker."

He then turned around and stormed the rest of the way to his car, ignoring the angry shout coming from Rufus. He needed a drink.

--XX--

Soft music played in the background, and the clinking of glasses on counters could be heard. The lights were dim and it was relatively quiet except for the soft murmur of clients talking or men taking their women out for a drink.

Cloud's head rested on the polished surface of the dark bar bench, his gaze directed at the amber liquid in his glass. It was hard to tell if he was actually looking at the alcohol, or was just starring through it, watching the distorted images of people walking by affect the buzz that had overcome him.

"You okay?" A soft voice asked, and Cloud slowly lifted his head. He rested his bloodshot gaze on a curious barmaid, and scowled slightly.

"I'm almost out of my drink, Tifa…" He mumbled, looking down at his glass. Tifa rolled her eyes and filled it again.

"That's your last glass and then I am cutting you off. You look horrible, also, give me your keys, you're not driving."

Cloud rolled his eyes and reached in his wrinkled pocket and handed over the keys before taking a sip of his drink. He watched Tifa clean a glass and talk to a woman sitting a little ways away about her job, before Cloud felt someone sit down beside him on one of the stools.

He slowly turned his head and locked eyes with a familiar and all too terrifying pair of violet orbs. He sucked in a deep rush of air and starred for a while, waiting for Zack to speak.

"This place is kinda nice," Was the first thing out of the raven haired male's mouth as he went to look around the bar. "It's got this nice relaxed feeling."

Cloud glared and took a large swig of his drink. "Yeah, it's fucking peachy keen. Especially when you showed up. It just makes it all that more relaxing."

Zack chuckled softly, and to Cloud it sounded like he was laughing at him, and not laughing at the joke.

"Yeah, I can understand that… do you come here often?" To tell the truth, Zack was actually here by fluke. Sephiroth, deciding he wanted him to do something productive while he waited for the right moment, had sent Zack to go speak with another potential client. It just happened to be at the bar Cloud was wallowing in.

Cloud snorted and nodded. "Only place that keeps me sort of sane… although I've never really been sane. Can't be sane in a situation like this…" He waved his hand around flippantly while starring down at his drink.

Zack could see the blond was incredibly drunk, but decided not to say anything about it. He was actually surprised the younger male was talking to him, but Zack thought it was best to listen to him before taking him out in the back to shoot him.

He had to finish this job. This was just a good opportunity.

"What kind of situation? You mean my uh… job and my link to you?" He asked, eying the people around him who could easily hear the conversation.

"That and life… I mean who the hell sane would move to a city like this, huh? And… and who would try and get into a situation that promises to make you powerful and rich, and yet leaves you gasping and struggling for air… like you're drowning. I'm just a small fish in a big pond right now… like everything is so big and I try and eat smaller fish in the hopes of me getting bigger… but I just end up getting swallowed by large ones with purply coloured eyes and spiky hair." Cloud explained, his eyes still boring holes into the bar tabletop.

Even though the end part of what Cloud had said made Zack smile slightly, it was more of a smile that was trying to hide the shock of what Cloud had said. How come… how come he could connect so easily?

"I don't… I don't know what you're talking about, sorry, mate." Zack explained, looking away quickly. He wouldn't admit how close to home what Cloud had said had hit him. He wasn't supposed to be thinking like that. He was supposed to be sitting at a table, meeting a new client after shooting Cloud. Zack then stiffened. He put a name to him in his head. Cloud wasn't just some target… he hadn't said 'Shoot the Target'. He had said the name. It was a million times worse if you acknowledged the targets name in your head. It was okay to say it out loud, but if you actually started to think about them being a human being… you were in some deep shit.

Silence cocooned them despite the chatting going on around them. Zack tugged at his tie gently and then let his hand slide down and feel the gun resting at his side. He breathed deeply, willing the conflicting thoughts to go away.

"You wanna fuck?"

Zack turned his head quickly to Cloud, eyebrows raised. This guy kept surprising him. "What… what did you just ask?"

Cloud slowly directed his gaze to Zack, and gave the older male a blank stare. "I said; do you want to fuck? I could use one and you look like you would be good in bed… might as well get laid before I die, right?" He slurred out. He then drank the rest of his drink and looked around for Tifa, wanting more.

Zack snapped out of his daze and shook his head. His hand slowly slid away from his gun and rested on his own thigh for a moment. "Nah… I won't be killing you tonight," He mumbled and stood up, clasping the blonds shoulder before leaving. Cloud looked up quickly and followed the male out of the bar with his eyes.

"You okay, Cloud?" Tifa asked, coming back to him. Cloud looked up quickly and nodded slowly.

"Yeah… yeah, still alive."

--XX—

"I'm so stupid… so fucking stupid. Fuck, what the fuck was I thinking?" Zack mumbled as he walked down the street, his long gait taking him far away from the bar, far from the potential client and far from Cloud.

"Fuck, I mean the target, not Cloud," He practically snarled out. A woman and her boyfriend walking by jumped slightly, and the boyfriend hurried her along.

Zack should have taken the hit. Should have agreed to the fuck, taken him to the back and shot him there. But… but something hit him. What Cloud had said had hit home closer then Zack had liked. Also, Zack couldn't kill the blond in that state, not while he was drunk and disheveled.

Running a frustrated hand through messy hair, Zack tugged at a few strands absentmindedly as he moved briskly down the street and around a corner where he ran to the Pachinko parlor his 'family' owned.

Slowing down his pace, Zack walked into the still busy parlor, trying to block out the sound of the machines twirling and the clicking sounds from the silver balls dropping into baskets. Walking to the back, Zack stepped into the back room and spotted Yazoo at a desk, counting through sheets of paper with his hair tied up in a messy ponytail. He didn't even spare Zack a glance and simply spoke.

"You're back. That's good. Sephiroth wishes to speak with you about the new client." He said, and went back to his counting.

Zack froze and then thought for a moment, realization dawning on him. He had been so absorbed in getting away from Cloud that he had forgotten the real reason why he had visited the bar.

Yazoo glanced up finally and eyed Zack. "You can leave now…" He stated, and Zack could feel the males gaze on him as he left for the stairs that lead upstairs. He walked to Sephiroth's office and knocked three times before entering.

He caught Sephiroth rubbing his eyes, and almost paused at the human behavior he was displaying. Sephiroth immediately dropped his hands when he saw Zack and raised an eyebrow.

"Back so soon, Zackary?" He asked, quickly blocking any questions Zack would have when it came to Sephiroth's physical and mental status.

"Yeah… ran into a snag," Zack stated, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Sephiroth made no indication he should sit, so he was left standing by the door, trying to be calm about the situation.

"A… snag?" Sephiroth asked as his entire form became stiff.

"Yeah, he didn't show… or if he did I didn't see him." Zack said, lying through his teeth. "I wait for a bit, but didn't see him."

Sephiroth nodded slowly. "Well if he was serious, he will call back… you never were very good with keeping appointments anyways."

Zack cringed inside, knowing that had a few different meanings. Zack turned to leave when Sephiroth's controlled voice stopped him.

"Zackary... I would be careful in how you act and what you say. You may be one of us, but don't forget where you came from and who made you what you are today… it can be just as easily taken away, as it was as easily given."

Zack nodded and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him with a dull thud. He rested his back against a wall in the hallway and slowly slid down, falling down to rest his head between his knees.

' -Who would try and get into a situation that promises to make you powerful and rich, and yet leaves you gasping and struggling for air… like you're drowning?'

Authors Note: GAH! I am so sorry for this being late, but I had a lot of stuff happen. My dad had a heart attack a little while ago so for a week in there things were pretty hectic (he's home and doing well now though, so no worried!) and then I kept getting all these creative writing assignments in English which took up a lot of my writing time… and I have just been lazy! Please forgive me! I made this chapter a little longer just because it took a long time to write. But I wanna thank all of you who reviews, watched and favorited this! You guys mean so much, and I am so happy to see the reviews! I have been getting a lot each chapter and it makes me SO happy! I love all of you guys! –hugs-