Squats for Luck

Word Count: 1499

Angeal was never sure if he should worry about being late to these things. He and Genesis rotated on meet and greet duty (Sephiroth caused too much of a riot among the cadets when he attended – Director Deusericus had banned him after the fourth fainting) but mostly the event was for the cadets, and as such it was more important that the 3rds be in attendance. No matter how far a cadet was planning to climb through the ranks of SOLDIER, 3rd was the first stop for everyone.

Still, it was a good opportunity for Angeal to check in with his own SOLDIERs, and he could get something of a sneak peek at the latest crop of cadets. He had heard mixed reviews of this lot, so it would be important background to see them out of the context of the SOLDIER program tonight.

Speaking of, unless he was mistaken that was a cadet now. Angeal peered through the gloom to make the boy out a bit better. He was certain the cadet hadn't seen him yet – in fact, the boy appeared quite focused on his… squats? Yes, the kid was doing squats. In formal attire.

It wasn't exactly unheard of for a cadet to lose his shit this early in the training program (come on, it totally was) but in Angeal's memory the only trouble that ever occurred at the meet and greets was either Sephiroth- or alcohol-related, and the latter only applied to the established SOLDIERs. The President may have been piss-poor at reining in his own son, but the regulations on drug and alcohol use were pretty strict elsewhere in the company – especially among the cadets, who had to begin mako-compatibility screening that was strongly affected by the presence of such impurities.

Sighing, Angeal approached with caution. There was no one else out here, after all, so either the kid was going through a break down and needed to be contained (even a cadet could make a PR nightmare, and Angeal had seen the stacks of paperwork on Sephiroth's desk this morning – the man had no time to spare) or he was just freaking out and could use a shoulder (and if that was the case, Angeal would escort him to one of ShinRa's trained professionals).

"Hey there," he called out. He was not expecting what happened next.

Zack chugged the last of his fruit cider and left the used flute on one of the waiter's trays. His grin and quick word of thanks went completely ignored, and he tried to remind himself that was just the way things were here. He had expected to encounter more rigid distinctions of superiority when he joined ShinRa's private army, but he wasn't sure how he felt about those distinctions applying outside of work, as well. (It was still polite to say thank you here, right?)

Admittedly, this was not exactly "outside" of work. Zack was at what was apparently a pretty standard fancy event called a "meet and greet" which appeared to basically be a banquet provided by ShinRa. Zack had been worried when he showed up and realized he hadn't thought to bring a dish to an obviously food-related event, but apparently it wasn't expected.

Zack was getting stressed just thinking about it. Adjusting to the customs of Midgar was hard work. Everything he had heard from the construction workers on the reactor at home was true, but it didn't even begin to cover the differences between Midgar and Gongaga.

The air was ok above plate, but down in the slums it was thick and foul. Even above the plate, though, the weather was horrible. It was cold all the time, and Zack was in constant search of more blankets for his cot. (They were allowed two, but their drill sergeant had caught Zack awake after lights out, shivering too hard to sleep, too many times to begrudge him any extra, as long as they weren't woven with what he called "obscene colors and patterns.") The people were cold, too. It wasn't so much that they were mean, exactly, but they just didn't care. No one took any interest in anyone else, and that was really scary.

Determined to enjoy his evening and stop the progression of dark thoughts running through his head, Zack decided to pop outside. He could do squats to stay warm, and the exercise-induced endorphins might improve his mood enough to brave the table full of Midgar-flavored delicacies. (Zack was not going to think about how different everything tasted here or how nice it would be to settle his nerves over a hot bowl of canh.)

The event wasn't being held in the main tower, but it wasn't too far away. Pushing down the though of ditching early, Zack found a spot out of the way of the entrance and settled into his favorite squat routine.

He had just begun working up a sweat when a low voice called a polite "Hey there" out of the darkness and nearly startled the pants off of him. Zack stumbled in his surprise and tripped on something behind him, ending up sprawled over one of the low shrubs that decorated the outside of the building. Sputtering to get errant leaves out of his mouth, he tried to focus through the gloom on what turned out to be a giant of a man with eyes that glowed mako-bright.

Shoot, Zack thought, a SOLDIER. No matter where he ranked on the totem pole of ShinRa importance, Zack was certain any SOLDIER was absolutely the last person he wanted to be caught by, even on what was probably a very graceful sprawl through the bushes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the guy said, holding his hands up non-threateningly. "Can I give you a hand up?"

He seemed a little hesitant (well, duh, Zack scolded himself, I wouldn't want to get too close to a spaz who goes bush-diving for no reason either) but when Zack stuttered out a modest "uh, yeah," the man extended his arm as if nothing had happened.

The man pulled him up as if he was light as a feather, and Zack was impressed again by the strength of SOLDIER. Not that he was a particularly hefty kid, and he was younger than most of the other cadets trying out with him, but Zack was sure a normal person would have had to extend at least a little effort.

"I thought the party was inside?" the SOLDIER asked, and Zack wasn't sure if he sounded kind, nervous, or accusatory. People in Midgar showed him anything other than indifference so rarely, his people skills were really taking a nosedive.

"Uh, yeah," Zack said, trying desperately not to sound awkward and keenly aware that he failed miserably. He could hear his mother's voice demanding "do you know any other words besides 'uh' and 'yeah'?" in his head, and shifted uncomfortably. He was making a bad impression, and he knew it.

"Come out to get some air?" That time Zack was sure it was kindness in the tall SOLDIER's voice.

Do not answer 'uh, yeah'! Zack's mental voice shouted. He laughed nervously instead. "Ah ha… yes. I mean no. I mean… I thought I would do some, uh, some squats. They… help me stay calm?" he finished lamely. Keenly aware of his conversational deficiencies, Zack did another squat as if to demonstrate, and then unconsciously fell into his usual rhythm.

The SOLDIER raised a dark eyebrow at him, and Zack focused on his form. He was good at squats. If he focused hard enough, maybe this horrible encounter would end.

Angeal watched curiously as the cadet picked up speed. His form suffered for it, but not enormously, which was a fairly impressive feat. Squats were a good exercise when done correctly, but as with any repetitive motion, the risk of injury was always present.

"Make sure you keep your core engaged when you do that." Angeal wasn't sure what possessed him to say anything; he should have just given up and left for the party, for which he was now unfashionably late. But… he couldn't just stand by and let the kid accidentally hurt himself in the first week.

"Oh, uh, ye—I mean, um, yes sir, thank you!"

Ah… clearly the poor cadet was overwhelmed in the presence of a First, Angeal suddenly realized. He'd clear out, then. But first… "Carry on, then, Cadet…?"

"Oh, I'm Zack!"

Angeal tried not to let his eye twitch. Although a formal sir was not required in an off-duty interaction like this one, it was standard to provide a first AND last name. To his knowledge, only Sephiroth could get away without one.

"Zack…?"

"Yup! Oh – sorry, yes, sir! Zack Fair, sir!"

Angeal tried to keep his inevitable sigh inaudible. This cadet was a washout for sure – and the sooner ShinRa and the SOLDIER program could be rid of him, the better.

"Well, enjoy the party, Cadet Fair. And… good luck with those squats."