(no subject)
Title: Before Horrible Times
Author: Alchemy_Neko
Rating: PG (for this chapter, it will eventually be R)
Pairing: None this chapter, but eventual ZackxCloud
Notes: Pre-game
Summary: Cloud visits Zack
“Well, that’s finally over with, I thought English would never end… Now for pizza…” Cloud was thinking as he made his way over to Zack’s apartment building.
Zack was sitting outside on a bench that was next to the building. As soon as he saw Cloud, he waved and walked towards him. “So how was class?”
“Fine… I did fine in sword skills, most of it was explanations. English was boring. Probably the only thing that got me through that class without losing my mind was the fact that I was going to have pizza,” Cloud said while barely smiling.
Zack laughed. “You really like pizza that much? Well, let’s get inside and order it!”
Zack put his arm over Cloud’s shoulders in a friendly manner, but Cloud flinched again. Zack had forgotten Cloud’s odd flinch and took his arm off. “I guess he doesn’t like being touched,” Zack thought.
When they got into Zack’s apartment, Cloud’s eyes went wide. The apartment was lovely, much better than the barracks, and had leather couches and a good sized TV. Zack noticed Cloud’s expression and laughed. “I’m guessing you like my apartment? I would too if I had to live in the barracks again,” he said as he walked in.
“Wow, now I really, really want to be in SOLDIER,” Cloud said, following Zack.
Zack picked up the phone and started ordering a pizza. “Hey Cloud, any particular topping you want?”
“Ummm… mushroom.”
“Okay.” Zack finished ordering the pizza, and then sat on the couch. “Don’t just stand there, you can sit.” Zack patted the spot on the couch next to him.
Cloud walked over to the couch and sat on the side opposite of Zack.
Zack smiled. “Feel like talking about ourselves to get to know each other better to pass the time until the pizza arrives?”
“Umm… Alright…” Cloud started to stare at the floor.
“I’ll start first. Well, I used to live in Gongaga before I came to Midgar and I’m now eighteen years old, although I think I already told you the second thing. Hmm… I also have a lovely girl named Aerith who sells flowers on the lower plate. That’s all that I can really think of. Your turn.”
“I lived in Nibelheim, I’m sixteen, and I like this girl Tifa that lives at my hometown. I don’t think she likes me back though…” Cloud said meekly. He noticed for some reason that when Zack mentioned Aerith, he couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. “What’s your problem?” Cloud thought to himself. “You like Tifa, not men like Zack!”
All of a sudden the doorbell rang. “Oh! The pizza’s here!” Zack sprung up and opened the door. Then he walked back in holding two pizza boxes. Zack handed one of them to Cloud. “Here ya go.”
“You expect me to eat a whole pizza?” Cloud said in surprise.
“Yeah, doesn’t everyone?” Zack said taking a bit of his own pizza. It was a mushroom pizza as well.
“No… I usually eat only half a pizza at most.” Cloud said, taking a bite.
“Maybe that’s why you’re so scrawny looking.”
“I’m not scrawny!” Then Cloud took note of Zack’s pizza. “You like mushroom, too?”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite. I was surprised you liked it too… Usually people look at me weird and say ‘I hate mushroom’” Zack took another slice.
“Same here…” Cloud was almost done with his first slice. He didn’t eat the crust, though.
“Hand that crust over, I’ll eat it. I don’t want good food to go to waste.”
Cloud handed over the scrap and started on his next slice. “Do make treatments cause you to have a faster metabolism, or something?”
“Yeah… maybe that’s why I can eat a whole pizza like it’s nothing… never thought about it.” There was a slight pause as Zack reached for a third slice. “Just wondering, why do you flinch when you get touched? When I put my arm over your shoulder, you looked uncomfortable.”
Cloud sighed. “Well, back at home, I was always picked on, so usually when someone other than my mother touched me; it ended with me getting beaten up. It has become a habit to flinch whenever someone touches me. I must appear as such a wimp right now…” Cloud said while staring at his knees.
“Aww… Well I can fix that! I’m your first official friend here, so I can help you out!” Zack smiled and scooted towards Cloud at the same time.
Cloud smiled slightly and said, “Official friend? I know you mentioned it earlier, but do you mean everyone else I met was ‘unofficial’?”
“I guess so… Why, am I not as cool as your other friends? Is a first class SOLDIER not cool enough for you?” Zack said while crossing his arms in fake disappointment.
“No of course not! I just thought I wasn’t cool enough for you. I’m only a cadet… what makes me so special?”
“I don’t know why, but I like you in the least weird way possible. Also, since you are my friend now, you get all sorts of cool privileges! Like meet the Great General Sephiroth! I see him like every other day so it’s not that special for me, but usually people like to meet him…”
“Really? You could take me to meet Sephiroth? That would be awesome and totally frightening at the same time.”
“Frightening? Nah, once you get to know him, he’s not that bad. Although, he doesn’t smile much unless I accidentally hurt myself. It’s not a very big smile, and you won’t see it unless you’re really looking. I could invite him over sometime and you can see him. Sound good?”
Cloud nodded. “Yeah, that would be great!”
By now, Zack had finished eating his pizza and Cloud had his half finished. Zack looked at the clock and said, “It’s not for another three hours until your curfew. Feel like doing anything in particular?”
“Not really…”
“Hey, I thought of something. When is your day of leave?” Zack asked.
“Every Thursday, why?”
“Well, this Thursday, I’m going to take you out for a few drinks. We can ride my motorcycle to get there. Is that alright?”
“Yeah! Although, I’m only sixteen. I can’t drink yet.” Cloud said, looking disappointed.
“Being in Shin-Ra has it’s perks,” Zack said, winking.
For the rest of the time, the two just watched TV and ate snacks. When it was nearing Cloud’s curfew, Zack had himself stretched out on the couch with his head in Cloud’s lap. Cloud for some reason didn’t really realize this until he had to leave. “I have to go now, its ten minutes until curfew. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Zack smiled as he sat up so that Cloud could get up. “Sorry about lying on you. I end up doing that to Seph sometimes, and then he looks at me funny. See you tomorrow!”
Cloud thanked Zack for having him over and then went back to the barracks.
Al was already in the room lounging on the couch watching their own miniscule television. “Where’ve you been?”
“I was over at Zack’s apartment…” Clouds said as he put his bag down by his bed.
“Zack invited you over? Lucky.”
“Yeah, apparently I’m his friend now, that’s what he said. He’s really nice, even though he’s kinda strange. Zack even said that he could let me meet General Sephiroth sometime!”
“I would be terrified out of my mind if I ever met Sephiroth. Have fun with that. Well I’m going to bed now, night.” Al said as he turned off the television and made his way over to the bed.
“Night.”
X-posted to ffvii_yaoi and zack__cloud
Author: Alchemy_Neko
Rating: PG (for this chapter, it will eventually be R)
Pairing: None this chapter, but eventual ZackxCloud
Notes: Pre-game
Summary: Cloud visits Zack
“Well, that’s finally over with, I thought English would never end… Now for pizza…” Cloud was thinking as he made his way over to Zack’s apartment building.
Zack was sitting outside on a bench that was next to the building. As soon as he saw Cloud, he waved and walked towards him. “So how was class?”
“Fine… I did fine in sword skills, most of it was explanations. English was boring. Probably the only thing that got me through that class without losing my mind was the fact that I was going to have pizza,” Cloud said while barely smiling.
Zack laughed. “You really like pizza that much? Well, let’s get inside and order it!”
Zack put his arm over Cloud’s shoulders in a friendly manner, but Cloud flinched again. Zack had forgotten Cloud’s odd flinch and took his arm off. “I guess he doesn’t like being touched,” Zack thought.
When they got into Zack’s apartment, Cloud’s eyes went wide. The apartment was lovely, much better than the barracks, and had leather couches and a good sized TV. Zack noticed Cloud’s expression and laughed. “I’m guessing you like my apartment? I would too if I had to live in the barracks again,” he said as he walked in.
“Wow, now I really, really want to be in SOLDIER,” Cloud said, following Zack.
Zack picked up the phone and started ordering a pizza. “Hey Cloud, any particular topping you want?”
“Ummm… mushroom.”
“Okay.” Zack finished ordering the pizza, and then sat on the couch. “Don’t just stand there, you can sit.” Zack patted the spot on the couch next to him.
Cloud walked over to the couch and sat on the side opposite of Zack.
Zack smiled. “Feel like talking about ourselves to get to know each other better to pass the time until the pizza arrives?”
“Umm… Alright…” Cloud started to stare at the floor.
“I’ll start first. Well, I used to live in Gongaga before I came to Midgar and I’m now eighteen years old, although I think I already told you the second thing. Hmm… I also have a lovely girl named Aerith who sells flowers on the lower plate. That’s all that I can really think of. Your turn.”
“I lived in Nibelheim, I’m sixteen, and I like this girl Tifa that lives at my hometown. I don’t think she likes me back though…” Cloud said meekly. He noticed for some reason that when Zack mentioned Aerith, he couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. “What’s your problem?” Cloud thought to himself. “You like Tifa, not men like Zack!”
All of a sudden the doorbell rang. “Oh! The pizza’s here!” Zack sprung up and opened the door. Then he walked back in holding two pizza boxes. Zack handed one of them to Cloud. “Here ya go.”
“You expect me to eat a whole pizza?” Cloud said in surprise.
“Yeah, doesn’t everyone?” Zack said taking a bit of his own pizza. It was a mushroom pizza as well.
“No… I usually eat only half a pizza at most.” Cloud said, taking a bite.
“Maybe that’s why you’re so scrawny looking.”
“I’m not scrawny!” Then Cloud took note of Zack’s pizza. “You like mushroom, too?”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite. I was surprised you liked it too… Usually people look at me weird and say ‘I hate mushroom’” Zack took another slice.
“Same here…” Cloud was almost done with his first slice. He didn’t eat the crust, though.
“Hand that crust over, I’ll eat it. I don’t want good food to go to waste.”
Cloud handed over the scrap and started on his next slice. “Do make treatments cause you to have a faster metabolism, or something?”
“Yeah… maybe that’s why I can eat a whole pizza like it’s nothing… never thought about it.” There was a slight pause as Zack reached for a third slice. “Just wondering, why do you flinch when you get touched? When I put my arm over your shoulder, you looked uncomfortable.”
Cloud sighed. “Well, back at home, I was always picked on, so usually when someone other than my mother touched me; it ended with me getting beaten up. It has become a habit to flinch whenever someone touches me. I must appear as such a wimp right now…” Cloud said while staring at his knees.
“Aww… Well I can fix that! I’m your first official friend here, so I can help you out!” Zack smiled and scooted towards Cloud at the same time.
Cloud smiled slightly and said, “Official friend? I know you mentioned it earlier, but do you mean everyone else I met was ‘unofficial’?”
“I guess so… Why, am I not as cool as your other friends? Is a first class SOLDIER not cool enough for you?” Zack said while crossing his arms in fake disappointment.
“No of course not! I just thought I wasn’t cool enough for you. I’m only a cadet… what makes me so special?”
“I don’t know why, but I like you in the least weird way possible. Also, since you are my friend now, you get all sorts of cool privileges! Like meet the Great General Sephiroth! I see him like every other day so it’s not that special for me, but usually people like to meet him…”
“Really? You could take me to meet Sephiroth? That would be awesome and totally frightening at the same time.”
“Frightening? Nah, once you get to know him, he’s not that bad. Although, he doesn’t smile much unless I accidentally hurt myself. It’s not a very big smile, and you won’t see it unless you’re really looking. I could invite him over sometime and you can see him. Sound good?”
Cloud nodded. “Yeah, that would be great!”
By now, Zack had finished eating his pizza and Cloud had his half finished. Zack looked at the clock and said, “It’s not for another three hours until your curfew. Feel like doing anything in particular?”
“Not really…”
“Hey, I thought of something. When is your day of leave?” Zack asked.
“Every Thursday, why?”
“Well, this Thursday, I’m going to take you out for a few drinks. We can ride my motorcycle to get there. Is that alright?”
“Yeah! Although, I’m only sixteen. I can’t drink yet.” Cloud said, looking disappointed.
“Being in Shin-Ra has it’s perks,” Zack said, winking.
For the rest of the time, the two just watched TV and ate snacks. When it was nearing Cloud’s curfew, Zack had himself stretched out on the couch with his head in Cloud’s lap. Cloud for some reason didn’t really realize this until he had to leave. “I have to go now, its ten minutes until curfew. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Zack smiled as he sat up so that Cloud could get up. “Sorry about lying on you. I end up doing that to Seph sometimes, and then he looks at me funny. See you tomorrow!”
Cloud thanked Zack for having him over and then went back to the barracks.
Al was already in the room lounging on the couch watching their own miniscule television. “Where’ve you been?”
“I was over at Zack’s apartment…” Clouds said as he put his bag down by his bed.
“Zack invited you over? Lucky.”
“Yeah, apparently I’m his friend now, that’s what he said. He’s really nice, even though he’s kinda strange. Zack even said that he could let me meet General Sephiroth sometime!”
“I would be terrified out of my mind if I ever met Sephiroth. Have fun with that. Well I’m going to bed now, night.” Al said as he turned off the television and made his way over to the bed.
“Night.”
X-posted to ffvii_yaoi and zack__cloud