to walk a fine line and work against you

[exsurgo]

Hey, I wanna talk to you about something.

[ Maybe it’s not the time? It feels so nice right now. They’re just sitting together on the couch, the line of Cloud’s (clothed!) thigh warm against Zack’s. Closer than they need to be for the game they’re playing, but they’re always like that now. Whenever they’re alone together they end up tangling close, even if they’re not doing anything. It makes sense; Zack can’t really touch Cloud when they’re out around HQ or on missions beyond ruffling his hair, slapping him a high-five or occasionally slinging an arm around him in a side-hug kind of squeeze, so it’s normal to want to get of much of it as possible when he can! But that’s why he’s thinking about it, really.

It's the first time he’s ever felt part of his SOLDIER training took something away from him rather than giving. They all go through pretty extensive training once they get into the upper ranks – SOLDIER, the Turks, probably management too because you can’t have somebody giving away business secrets because they’re horny. They’re all on suppressants anyway, but there have been ways around that for as long as there have been suppressants, so part of his SOLDIER experience has been rigorous training to make him basically immune to being forced into rut by the presence of omega pheromones. He’s never regretted it – being forced there isn’t a very nice feeling, when you get down to it – but now he kinda wonders. He’s so crazy for Cloud anyway that it might be nice to just be taken over by it. It’s supposed to be incredible when it’s right – finding the right mate, bonding, all that stuff. He’d feel a lot worse about it if Cloud wasn’t with Shinra too, ‘cause once he makes SOLDIER he’s gonna have to go through all the same stuff and at least it’s not like he’ll be missing out just because of Zack, but it’s still a little sad to think of this one thing they won’t have.

There’s also the part where they haven’t really… talked about it. Cloud’s an omega for sure – he’s never been in heat around Zack (he’s probably on those Shinra suppressants, a rare occasion where they dole out the best stuff to the infantry too because a poorly-timed heat sneaking through or the side effects of cheaper stuff would mean more time when they couldn’t work) but Zack can tell. It’s something that’s just kind of there about him, like the fact that he’s got blue eyes or blond hair. Or maybe it’s closer to say it’s like how he’s on the short side, or has a little scatter of freckles – things about himself that Cloud probably isn’t too pumped about but that Zack thinks are just right. It’s in the way his lashes shade his eyes, the way he moves, the way the cheapo soap and shampoo and laundry detergent they dole out somehow smells good on him. But it’s never come up, and that’s why Zack feels like he needs to say something now, before it comes up by itself. If they never talk about it and then Cloud goes into heat and Zack's reaction is that's rough, buddy, let me get you a cold drink, it's way too easy to imagine all the hormones making him take it personally. So yeah, it sucks, and maybe it'll ruin the nice cosy time they're having, but better now than when Cloud needs what Zack can't give him. ]

You know I’m an Alpha, right?

Comments

[exsurgo]

Cake, got it. What's your favourite kind?

[ Pulling out his phs mostly as a joke - but if Cloud answers, he's toally getting a cake. That just makes the joke funnier. ]

[meteorics]

The kind you're already packing, obviously.

[ bumping his hip into zack's and attempting the Sexy Eyebrow Thing before he collapses into giggling. ]

[exsurgo]

[ NO! That's the worst! And the knowledge of that doesn't stop Zack from dissolving into laughter, collasping against Cloud as he does. ]

Can do. I'm sure I've got a sharpie somewhere!