fourstrings | and if you say run, I'll run with you

and if you say run, I'll run with you

Help, they’re making us

[ A message like that from Cloud would send Zack running at the best of times. It’s not technically breaking any rules to use the company data to find out where he is, and it puts him at ease a little to see he’s in one of the training rooms – until Zack gets there and peeks through the glass of the door.
The orderly lines. The fact that everybody is in PT gear, not uniform. And the fact that Genesis – who Zack is pretty sure by now is at least a little bit of a sadist – is at the front of the room.

It’s time for the lessons.

Zack panics. What kind of friend is he? Why didn’t he warn Cloud? But – it’s early! They don’t usually do this until you’re pretty high up in the ranks! It’s only used for showing off at formal events and, on very rare occasions, infiltration! It’s too soon! It’s Genesis enacting some cruel ploy, Zack just knows it. He’s not even required to instruct, he’s just doing it for his own sick glee! So Zack throws open the door, points at Cloud, and musters his very best attempt at a stern voice as he says I need an assistant. Strife, you’re up.

That, as it turns out, was a mistake.

Genesis turns to face him, the motion smooth as silk, a wicked smile curving his lips and a look of malice glittering in his eyes. If you want one of my students, he says, you will first assist with a demonstration. Which is how Zack ends up letting Genesis lead him in a paso doble in front of the gathered infantrymen. It’s… fine. It’s fine! Zack likes dancing! He doesn’t even mind that he’s not leading, except that he’s being led by Genesis, and the dance requires a lot of intense eye contact, tight turns with their bodies close, and a terrifying incident in which Genesis picks him up by the hips and spins him. But the music is loud and fast, and it’s not so bad when he reminds himself that this is for Cloud, who doesn't deserve to be dropped in a situation like this unprepared.

The dance finishes. Zack bows to Genesis, just like his own lessons hammered home. Genesis offers a sweeping bow in return, something that effortlessly communicates messages such as I know what you’re up to and don’t mess with me, you little shit. Zack straightens, and tries not to pout. ]

Can I get on with my work now?

[ The nod Genesis gives him is almost imperceptible, so Zack beckons to Cloud and hurries the both of them back outside before that maniac can change his mind. ]

What an asshole.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ OH SHIT

BUSTED!

Zack grimaces at Cloud, quickly cuts the music (it wasn't that loud, maybe they didn't hear it?) and makes a raised fists gesture at Cloud - hoping he'll get the cue to adopt a sparring stance and forgetting that if they didn't hear the music, they definitely wouldn't hear him if he gave Cloud a quiet instruction. Still, he moves over to the door preparing his best fib, opens it -

and sees a third there. It's his lucky day! He puts a hand on one hip, does his best to look unimpressed. ]

Problem?

[ There's a long, heavy pause while the third's eyes flick over Zack's shoulder to where Cloud is and he clearly weighs up what he's about to say. Finally he settles on no, and walks away. Zack barely waits until he round the corner before he puts a hand on the doorframe, the other still on his hip and he leans forward and exhales in a loud hooooooo of relief. ]

Okay. Phew.

[ He turns back to Cloud with a grin. ]

We probably should get out of here, though. Why don't you come up to my room to... uhh... file those reports I definitely pulled you out of training to do?

[ what... kind of sparring pose is he supposed to do with zack all the way over there?! and it's not like he has a lot of time to actually think about it, because zack is opening up the door and --

... cloud ends up just putting his fists up and squaring off to thin air, because that's totally what normal people do in here, yep.

thankfully, the third barely even gives cloud a passing glance. and oh, wow, it's... kind of hot to watch zack pull rank? he's usually easygoing to a fault, the first to tell any of the junior officers to drop the sir, so... yeah, this is kind of new.

and maybe his brain is still in the gutter even after zack turns back to him, because that...? sounds a lot like an innuendo. ]

Um. [ there's a cherry tomato blush crawling all the way up to the tips of his ears, and he promptly drops eye contact to zack's boots. ] Uh, y-yeah, that's cool.

[ oh jeez. it's not that kissing wasn't great -- it was awesome! and it's not that cloud hasn't thought about... doing more. especially with zack! it's just... oh boy. but this is how people in big cities do it, right? at least, cloud's heard the other cadets in his corps talking about going out on the weekends and hooking up. and he doesn't want to look lame or old-fashioned!

... maybe he can come up with an excuse to lock himself in the bathroom for five minutes and look some stuff up on his phs, at least. ]

[ Zack isn't quite intuitive enough to realize Cloud's mind has gone straight to the gutter, even with the blush. After all, it's not like Cloud hasn't been in his room before! He must just be rattled by their close escape! So Zack bounces in place and grins like an idiot. ]

Cool! I've been meaning to get you to come by anyway, I just got Tonberry Torment Three and the co-op is meant to be awesome. Also, I'm hungry. Wanna get a pizza? Not as a date. I'm gonna do that right.

[ And here, unfortunately, he winks at Cloud and shoots him with a fingergun. ]

Oh. Oh!

[ is he... disappointed? no, not exactly. but also kinda? it's not like he wanted to rush into Doing Stuff with zack, but also... zack is really, really hot, so it's also hard not to be bummed out about the idea of not Doing Stuff with him.

confusing.

still! hanging out with zack is also never a bad thing! which is why he's quick to brighten up. ]

Yeah, that sounds fun. You mind if I meet you there in a few? I'm gonna head back to the barracks and change into civvies.

No prob. See you soon!

[ That's actually a great idea. Zack gives Cloud a brief kiss followed by a probably-aggravating hair ruffle before he heads off to his apartment, where he changes into civvies himself, because if they're gonna goof off they might as well goof off right. That turns into a whole thing though; he starts out in a tshirt and sweats, decides that's way too slobby when he's tryna woo Cloud. Changes into a closer-fitting t-shirt and then, in a fit of perverse inspiration, the same sweats but with nothing underneath. Gotta show off what he's got to offer, right? Except that makes him blush and feel like a creep, so then it's nice jeans (with undies) and a collared shirt, which one look in the mirror tells him looks like he's halfway ready for a job interview. And even if he is kinda interviewing for the job of feeling Cloud up sometime in the future, he looks like a huge dork. Eventually, he settles on keeping the jeans and changing back into the tighter tshirt, figures he looks cute enough but not too formal or too slutty, and with no shame at all, dumps all the rejected items into the bottom of his closet.

By the time he's added just a touch of cologne - the one Angeal gave him after making him use a fira on the one he bought himself - he's definitely out of time to order pizza. Would have been romantic to order for Cloud, but maybe letting him choose is better. Boundaries, and stuff! At least his room is tidy enough. All he has to do now is not freak out about the fact that he unthinkingly invited Cloud back out to his room after making out and slowdancing. Hopefully he won't have too much time to dwell on the dawning realization that it probably made him seem at least a little like a creep! ]

[ and down in the barracks, cloud is going through his own version of... pretty much the same. it kinda helps that he doesn't actually have that many civilian clothes to choose from -- but that mostly means he's pawing through what he does have in an effort to find an outfit that looks the least shabby and worn. process of elimination helps him settle on a t-shirt and jeans; sure, the jeans have a hole in the knee, but that sorta makes them cool, right? and the t-shirt has obviously been through the wash a few hundred times, but that means it's soft and, uh, maybe the faded look will pass for vintage?

whatever. it's the best he's got!

there's no chance he's going to duck into one of the shared bathrooms and run the risk of trying to spruce up there -- sometimes it feels like some of the cadets in his unit just hang around and wait for something to tease him about, and this feels like ammo. so he ends up trying to tame his hair using nothing but the mirrored surface of the elevators, which... isn't great. but zack was willing to kiss him with fresh helmet-hair earlier, and this has gotta be almost an improvement, so.

okay! wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans, swallowing hard, and then... knocking on the door of zack's apartment. (it's not like zack hasn't given him the code and told him a hundred times over to just let himself in, but cloud's mom always said that was rude.) ]

[ Perfect timing!

Zack can't help smiling at the fact that Cloud knocks - he always does, and it's cute. He had this whole thing planned where he was gonna open the door, sweep Cloud in with an arm around his shoulders, and kiss him the second the door closed again. Super smooth, right? Except he opens it and Cloud's standing there in cool jeans and a tshirt worn enough that it sort of drapes over the new muscles that are starting to bud with all his training, and Zack's mouth goes dry and then suddenly pretty wet.

Is he literally drooling over Cloud? Jeez. ]

Hi. Wow. Come in!

[ zack stares just long enough to let cloud start to form the vaguest sense of panic that maybe this outfit... wasn't okay? did he miss some kind of signal that he was supposed to dress up? and he's just opening his mouth to blurt out an apology before he turns on his heel and flees back to the barracks when --

oh. oh. whew. okay!

and with that out of the way, cloud gets the chance to appreciate what zack is wearing as he steps into the apartment. it's not like he hasn't seen zack in jeans and a t-shirt before...! but he's also never been allowed to stare, and. wow. zack sure does have... pecs. and shoulders. and biceps. ]

Hi. [ soft, almost shy. ] You look... nice.

[ smooth. ]

Yeah.

[ NO! ]

I mean - you too. I swear I'm not gonna turn into a huge booger just because we're dating now, please don't change your mind.

[ He grins, and duck to give Cloud a kiss in the hope that'll make up for what was definitely a display of boogeration. Idly, he takes a looser part of Cloud's shirt between his forefinger and thumb, rubs at it gently. It's just as soft as it looks. And then he smiles, a horrible idea dawning. ]

I like this shirt. What kind of fabric is it?

[ it's funny -- cloud almost forgot how nice it is to be able to kiss zack like this, nice and easy. like they've been doing it for ages already, even if his heart still does a little flutter like it's the first time.

but... that?

cloud blinks. once, twice. ... then fixes zack with a deadpan look, voice flat. ]

If you say boyfriend material, I'm going back to the barracks.

[ He was 100% going to say boyfriend material. It's kinda better that he got Cloud to say it, though! ]

You say that, but I have confidence in my charm. And the fact that my apartment smells at least a little less like feet than the barracks do. C'mon, come sit with me.

[ He heads over to the sofa and collapses into it. It's so good like this; hanging out the way they always do, but now with added kissing! Kissing is the best. Kissing Cloud is the best, ever. ]

I didn't order pizza yet. Figured this way you could choose, and also I got so carried away tryna get cute for you that I forgot I was hungry. So we can do that, or we can bust out the game, or we can just... you know. Hang.

[ And kiss? ]

[ the thing is, zack is 100% right to be confident in his charm. cloud would hang out with him even if his apartment did smell like sweaty cadet feet. (but that doesn't mean cloud has to go and confirm it for him!)

but he's more than happy to follow zack over to the couch, and even to flop down beside him! ... and then, in a feat of Bold and Daring, to even lean up against him, because that's boyfriend territory, right? ]

... you got cute for me? [ impossible not to sound delighted about it. ]

[ Wow. Not so long ago Cloud was super shy even about accepting when Zack offered to help him with something. Now here he is, plonking down and leaning against Zack like he thinks he belongs there just as much as Zack does. It's nice! And furthermore, it's hot. Zack slings an arm around Cloud's shoulders, welcoming him in to the space he's claimed for himself, and gives his best puppy pout. ]

You sound surpised. Does that mean it didn't work?

[ Yes, he's fishing. ]

Yeah, you kinda missed the mark.

[ he's trying his best to maintain a Super Serious face, but the effect is ruined by the way he's going pink all over again. ]

I think you got, um, hot instead.

[ Bold. Not so bold that Zack doesn't notice Cloud blushing at saying it, which makes it perfect - it's just right. The Cloud he fell for, just with a little added spice. Zack can feel himself going a little pink at being told, and he screws his face up in mock disgust. ]

Gross. We've only been boyfriends for half an hour and we've already turned into one of those couples who match their outfits.

[ And then, just to be sure it's not the jeans-and-tshirt combo he's referring to: ]

You look hot, too. If me gaping at you when I opened the door didn't tip you off.

[ he spots the pink! which means...! that was a Successful Flirt!! (he's totally going to tell his mom all about it in his weekly letter home.)

but then zack is calling him hot, and it's... kinda hard to believe this is real? it was hard enough to wrap his head around the idea that zack wanted to be friends with him, but! zack thinking he's hot? zack wanting to kiss him? wow.

but, wait. he stiffens suddenly, eyes going wide. ]

... does this mean we have to fill out one of those... forms?

[ That's kind of a crash back to reality. And he gets why Cloud would want to keep it quiet, he does! It's half the reason he didn't make a move sooner; if someone's already getting teased, a relationship with a superior officer is ammo the others don't need. Can't get into Soldier on his own merits, has to dole out favours instead - never mind that it's normal for someone Cloud's age not to have made Soldier yet unless they're freaky lucky like Zack (or just freaky, like Sephiroth).

Still, he'd kinda liked the idea of not having to hide his feelings anymore. Just little stuff, like sitting close at mess. Not that PDA wouldn't get them in trouble even if they were official, but the thought of it was nice. ]

We don't have to. If you wanna keep this just between us, we can do that. 'course, that means if I slip up we get busted for fraternization instead of just pushups and kitchen duty. Angeal might try to cover for me, but it's more likely he'd kick my ass himself. He's big on honor.

I don't wanna get you in trouble! Especially not with Angeal.

[ if it comes down to zack's reputation versus his, the choice is easy! after all, cloud already gets ragged on for plenty of dumb stuff -- if people want to give him crap for dating a SOLDIER, whatever! it's not like some people haven't already thrown around the accusation about trying to sleep his way up through the ranks, and he and zack rarely did anything friendlier in public than a fistbump or a one-armed hug. ]

And I don't... mind people knowing. As long as it's okay with you, I mean. I just... [ squirming just a little. ] ... I heard they make you do an interview about it. What if they ask about... weird stuff?

[ Hearing Cloud say he doesn't mind people knowing goes a long way to making Zack feel better about all this. He's not as dumb as some people like to say he is, but he's not crafty enough to pull off the secret boyfriends routine - and it's just nice to know that Cloud likes him enough to be open about it! No, nice doesn't cut it. Cloud cares what people think about him, and the fact that he's willing to put his relationship with Zack above the inevitable teasing they're both gonna get? That melts Zack.

Of course, the last thing is an easy fix, and he grins. ]

I'll just file directly with Angeal. Dude'd pay money not to hear about my sex life.

[ oh, shi- ]

Wha --?!

[ that... isn't a better option!!! ]

N-No way! He's like... almost your dad! What if he wants to give me the talk?

More like a big brother.

[ Which is still not great, considering the hot minute that scrawny young Zack spent with a huge throbbing crush on the hero who looked at a little backwater nobody and saw potential, but that is not information that needs to enter this conversation. ]

He gave me the talk, once. It went:

[ and he drops his voice considerably, trying to affect Angeal's low tones and doing a shitty job of it ]

"Zack, if anything ever tries anything with you that you don't want, you tell me immediately. And if I ever hear about you trying something with someone that they don't want, I'll rip your arm off and beat you in the head with the soggy end."

It'll be fine!

[ if zack needs a physical indication of how Not Fine this option is, it'd be the way that cloud has gone white as a sheet. ]

Zack. [ this is the voice of someone deadly serious. someone speaking without the slightest hint of hyperbole. ] If Angeal tells me he's gonna rip my arm off and beat me with the soggy end, I'm gonna die on the spot. Right there, right in front of him.

[ Judging by the look on Cloud's face, that's not an exaggeration. Zack can't resist leaning forward and giving him a little peck on the forehead for comfort. ]

I'm pretty sure that was just for me, 'cause he feels responsible for me. He'd probably just ask you if you said yes because I'm technically your superior and you thought you had to.

If he does, please say no. I'm gonna be way worse as a dance partner with only one arm.

[ he's not even sure whether it's the reassurance that gets a smile out of him, or whether it's the kiss on the forehead. maybe a winning combination of both? ]

You want me to tell him that it was totally your cheesy jokes that sealed the deal?

Yeah. Better leave out the promise of stickers. That might seem like bribery.

[ Cloud's seeming less stressed about the whole deal, so that's a win! Zack tightens the arm he has around Cloud into a proper hug, and smiles at him. ]

We're gonna ace the interview. We're just two guys who are really into each other! Even if he wanted to dig up dirt, we haven't got any.

and if you say run, I'll run with you

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