(no subject)
ARE WE POSTIN SHAMEFUL FIC :|a Cause I wroted some a while ago.
He woke up beneath a warm heartbeat, a steady press of weight, and haphazard spikes of blond hair sticking up in the corner of his vision, and it all in all made certain Zack Fair woke up with a great big smile.
He stretched his legs and arms out as wide as he could, popping toes and fingers with a satisfied little groan. Cloud stirred a little but stayed put in his sleep, draped loose and naked over him, and the black-haired SOLDIER felt like puffing up his chest and strutting around camp. Instead, he wrapped big hands around the narrow of Cloud's waist, running his palms over the tight planes of muscles he'd done a nice thorough personal investigation of last night, and thought about waking him up with a continuation. But enjoying this coziness a little more couldn't hurt, right?
His fingers lingered mid-back, running over the thick line of white scar there, the mark of a legendary blade. Zack's smile slid to something softer, distant, but he traced it fondly as he remembered the boy in the infantry uniform from not so long ago. You really showed 'em, huh? he thought.
He slid a hand into Cloud's hair, wrapped his other arm around him protectively. He wasn't that much bigger from then, wasn't that much older really - four years of their lives and five of Cloud's very nearly didn't count, the events of that time a frozen point. But all of that was over now, he thought with a sigh. They'd both became heroes, and Cloud had grown quiet for it. It was tougher to earn a smile, but Zack was up for a little challenge, and he knew it really counted when he did it.
He chuckled a little when Cloud tilted his head into his hand, sighing, and Zack scratched his fingernails against his scalp a bit. All things considered, after he worked a little to get Cloud out of his shell, or his clothes - and then maybe made it extra clear how excellent that second part was - Cloud was still the affectionate type under all that weight in piles of telling little ways. The way he responded to Zack, the little possessive squeezes of his body that pulled them closer. It was unfairly cute. If everyone else knew the truth of the cool, stoic Cloud Strife, Zack would have a hell of a lot more competition.
Or maybe this was because of him, Zack thought, a little hopeful. Or was that being too cocky?
"Mmm. . .?"
Zack blinked and looked down, and Cloud turned his cheek against his chest to look up at him sleepily. And Zack always knew SOLDIER would look good on Cloud, but he really wore mako well - had the kind of eyes that made Zack think of all sorts of lines about an unpolluted sky, or needing a map, or shining like the Junon skyline at night. Zack had looked enough SOLDIERs in the face to be used to it, looked at himself in the mirror more than that, but Cloud - well, he was bias as hell no doubt about it, but there was no denying Cloud's eyes were nothing like the prideful eyes of the average SOLDIER. They were softer, always compensating for his silence by giving him away. They brought out all the subdued strength in him, the bottled-up hero in there, the excited kid, the heartfelt regret.
Right now Cloud looked a little baffled. Zack flashed his most winning grin.
"Hey there," he said.
". . .Hey." Cloud's cheeks reddened just a little, and he didn't say anything else, but to Zack he may as well have shouted Don't say something so damn charming after such an amaaaaaaaazingly wild night, or I'll need to duck my adorable face against your broad manly chest again.
Cloud's mouth narrowed a little and Zack laughed like he'd been scolded out loud and brushed his hand against his cheek. Cloud clearly didn't have any objections to his train of thought then because those eyes of his fell shut, his whole posture draining at such a simple gesture, tilting his face into Zack's touch without any sign of shame or awareness of what such open trust could do to a guy when it was freely given to him. Zack pressed his palm against his cheek in earnest, and Cloud lifted one hand to cover it, hold it there.
"Zack," he murmured, and it really did make Zack feel like this was all for him. And that unchanged part of Cloud just blew Zack away, that part that reacted to every little thing so honestly, so loudly. When he stood before Zack filled with aching apologies that Zack just couldn't talk him out of (he was trying, damn it); when he ducked his head and laughed at Zack's jokes, and Zack loved making Cloud laugh, especially now that it was three times as hard; when he shuddered and shifted eagerly with the guidance of Zack's hands, slid over Zack's body, dug his fingers reverently into Zack's scars. How he felt was all over his face.
Cloud was looking a little curious by now - a cock of his head, raising his eyebrow, What are you daydreaming about now when I'm right here and naked? - So he grinned and pulled Cloud close for an enthusiastic kiss. Cloud made a surprised noise, and Zack could feel the remnants of a hesitation tensing through him before Cloud wrapped his arms around Zack's shoulders, holding close and kissing deeply. Zack slid his hands back up his back and Cloud gave him a little groan, and if he wasn't already planning on throwing away the rest of the morning, he sure as hell was now.
Cloud pulled back, his hands on Zack's chest, apparently totally unaware of how sexy he was straddling him like that. Anyone who looked close enough was competition, Zack was sure of it. And good thing he and Aeris weren't fighting for him, because if they weren't sharing, he'd probably lose.
". . .You're thinking you don't wanna get up," Cloud muttered.
"You caught me," Zack admitted, looping his hands around Cloud's back and giving him his best pleading look. "Sleep in a little? Nobody will miss us, promise."
Cloud's eyes spoke volumes all right, and Zack braced for him to retreat. But Cloud shifted a little closer instead, slid his arms back around his shoulders in a familiar gesture. His eyes switched to something heavier, wanting, and the color on his face deepened slowly. Nothing in his posture was flirting on purpose, so how in Bahamut's name was he doing that?
"We're not gonna sleep though," he said. "Right?"
Zack gawked at him.
"Cloud," Zack replied, deadpan, "I am totally in love with you."
Cloud lit up as red as a raid siren and instantly spluttered, and Zack pounced him.
"Zack!! Za-- mmmm. . . aah--"
Cloud's faces had a few thousand words each, but it was always nice to earn some noise too.
He woke up beneath a warm heartbeat, a steady press of weight, and haphazard spikes of blond hair sticking up in the corner of his vision, and it all in all made certain Zack Fair woke up with a great big smile.
He stretched his legs and arms out as wide as he could, popping toes and fingers with a satisfied little groan. Cloud stirred a little but stayed put in his sleep, draped loose and naked over him, and the black-haired SOLDIER felt like puffing up his chest and strutting around camp. Instead, he wrapped big hands around the narrow of Cloud's waist, running his palms over the tight planes of muscles he'd done a nice thorough personal investigation of last night, and thought about waking him up with a continuation. But enjoying this coziness a little more couldn't hurt, right?
His fingers lingered mid-back, running over the thick line of white scar there, the mark of a legendary blade. Zack's smile slid to something softer, distant, but he traced it fondly as he remembered the boy in the infantry uniform from not so long ago. You really showed 'em, huh? he thought.
He slid a hand into Cloud's hair, wrapped his other arm around him protectively. He wasn't that much bigger from then, wasn't that much older really - four years of their lives and five of Cloud's very nearly didn't count, the events of that time a frozen point. But all of that was over now, he thought with a sigh. They'd both became heroes, and Cloud had grown quiet for it. It was tougher to earn a smile, but Zack was up for a little challenge, and he knew it really counted when he did it.
He chuckled a little when Cloud tilted his head into his hand, sighing, and Zack scratched his fingernails against his scalp a bit. All things considered, after he worked a little to get Cloud out of his shell, or his clothes - and then maybe made it extra clear how excellent that second part was - Cloud was still the affectionate type under all that weight in piles of telling little ways. The way he responded to Zack, the little possessive squeezes of his body that pulled them closer. It was unfairly cute. If everyone else knew the truth of the cool, stoic Cloud Strife, Zack would have a hell of a lot more competition.
Or maybe this was because of him, Zack thought, a little hopeful. Or was that being too cocky?
"Mmm. . .?"
Zack blinked and looked down, and Cloud turned his cheek against his chest to look up at him sleepily. And Zack always knew SOLDIER would look good on Cloud, but he really wore mako well - had the kind of eyes that made Zack think of all sorts of lines about an unpolluted sky, or needing a map, or shining like the Junon skyline at night. Zack had looked enough SOLDIERs in the face to be used to it, looked at himself in the mirror more than that, but Cloud - well, he was bias as hell no doubt about it, but there was no denying Cloud's eyes were nothing like the prideful eyes of the average SOLDIER. They were softer, always compensating for his silence by giving him away. They brought out all the subdued strength in him, the bottled-up hero in there, the excited kid, the heartfelt regret.
Right now Cloud looked a little baffled. Zack flashed his most winning grin.
"Hey there," he said.
". . .Hey." Cloud's cheeks reddened just a little, and he didn't say anything else, but to Zack he may as well have shouted Don't say something so damn charming after such an amaaaaaaaazingly wild night, or I'll need to duck my adorable face against your broad manly chest again.
Cloud's mouth narrowed a little and Zack laughed like he'd been scolded out loud and brushed his hand against his cheek. Cloud clearly didn't have any objections to his train of thought then because those eyes of his fell shut, his whole posture draining at such a simple gesture, tilting his face into Zack's touch without any sign of shame or awareness of what such open trust could do to a guy when it was freely given to him. Zack pressed his palm against his cheek in earnest, and Cloud lifted one hand to cover it, hold it there.
"Zack," he murmured, and it really did make Zack feel like this was all for him. And that unchanged part of Cloud just blew Zack away, that part that reacted to every little thing so honestly, so loudly. When he stood before Zack filled with aching apologies that Zack just couldn't talk him out of (he was trying, damn it); when he ducked his head and laughed at Zack's jokes, and Zack loved making Cloud laugh, especially now that it was three times as hard; when he shuddered and shifted eagerly with the guidance of Zack's hands, slid over Zack's body, dug his fingers reverently into Zack's scars. How he felt was all over his face.
Cloud was looking a little curious by now - a cock of his head, raising his eyebrow, What are you daydreaming about now when I'm right here and naked? - So he grinned and pulled Cloud close for an enthusiastic kiss. Cloud made a surprised noise, and Zack could feel the remnants of a hesitation tensing through him before Cloud wrapped his arms around Zack's shoulders, holding close and kissing deeply. Zack slid his hands back up his back and Cloud gave him a little groan, and if he wasn't already planning on throwing away the rest of the morning, he sure as hell was now.
Cloud pulled back, his hands on Zack's chest, apparently totally unaware of how sexy he was straddling him like that. Anyone who looked close enough was competition, Zack was sure of it. And good thing he and Aeris weren't fighting for him, because if they weren't sharing, he'd probably lose.
". . .You're thinking you don't wanna get up," Cloud muttered.
"You caught me," Zack admitted, looping his hands around Cloud's back and giving him his best pleading look. "Sleep in a little? Nobody will miss us, promise."
Cloud's eyes spoke volumes all right, and Zack braced for him to retreat. But Cloud shifted a little closer instead, slid his arms back around his shoulders in a familiar gesture. His eyes switched to something heavier, wanting, and the color on his face deepened slowly. Nothing in his posture was flirting on purpose, so how in Bahamut's name was he doing that?
"We're not gonna sleep though," he said. "Right?"
Zack gawked at him.
"Cloud," Zack replied, deadpan, "I am totally in love with you."
Cloud lit up as red as a raid siren and instantly spluttered, and Zack pounced him.
"Zack!! Za-- mmmm. . . aah--"
Cloud's faces had a few thousand words each, but it was always nice to earn some noise too.