Final Fantasy VII (Zack/Cloud)
It was quiet, afterwards.
Cloud shifted languidly, the sheets blessedly cool against oversensitive skin. Hot, wide hands rubbed soothing circles across his hipbones, stirring the dull fire blanketing his limbs into a slow, unhurried burn. A wordless murmur rumbled through the dark as his lover shifted closer, pressing against his back in a hot, solid tangle of carefully reigned-in strength and sweat-slicked skin. Cloud’s damp hair shivered across his shoulders as he tilted his head up and back, gazing at his lover.
Zack’s eyes were closed in the dark, his face awash with shadows amidst the wild drape of his disheveled hair. The stroke of his hands along Cloud’s sides was sure and familiar, calloused fingers mapping every inch of his skin and sending sparks skittering along vulnerable nerves. Rather than pulling away, Cloud melted into that caressing heat, humming softly at the strangely possessive drape of Zack’s arms across his chest.
It was rare that he let himself indulge like this. Rare that he gave in to the urge to let go when it was safer to hold back, to keep himself in check. There weren’t a lot of breaks for Regulars after all - even if they were sleeping with the top SOLDIER in First Class - and it was easier to go weeks alone while Zack was on assignment or duck out before the sheets were cold to make curfew when he didn’t let himself need it too much.
But sometimes, when it was dark and quiet and there was a day pass in the pocket of his fatigues that said he didn’t have to be back in barracks until tomorrow, Cloud thought it was maybe okay for him to let go just a little. It was almost like the air changed after midnight, making it easier to believe that Zack wasn’t insane for wanting him here and that it wasn’t wrong to want this for himself. In these moments he could be more than himself - more than just a no-name Private who followed in Zack’s shadow and tried not to dream of greater things. And he cherished that feeling, loving these languid, restful moments when he didn’t have to live down to being Cloud Strife.
A long, wet tongue swirled teasingly around the soft shell of his ear and Cloud choked on a moan, arching into the sensation. Because it went without saying that Zack knew the difference - had sensed the change in him even when he was sure no one else ever could - and was taking shameless advantage of a shameless Cloud as only he could. Zack’s sex was thick and heavy against Cloud's hip as Zack petted him but it was an idle pressure, without the heat and urgency of before. Zack thrived on contact, always had, and it was almost a relief when Cloud could give this to him, could lie here in silence and have nowhere to be, have no defenses to hide his feelings behind.
Cloud shifted in Zack’s embrace and the arms around him tightened, trying without words to keep him from running. It was his own chuckle that shimmered through the air this time, slipping low and husky into the darkness as he turned to face his lover, the fire in his veins matching the appreciative heat in mako bright eyes.
It wouldn’t last forever, this feeling. Cloud slid up Zack’s body for a kiss, sinking again into that steady warmth as Zack’s arms pulled him possessively close. When morning came he’d be Cloud Strife again, fortified by his own insecurities until the next time he let them slip. One of Zack’s legs nudged between his thighs and Cloud spread his legs without shame, settling over Zack’s waist like it was the only place he’d ever wanted to be. It was his midnight secret, this better Cloud, and he could only hope that there’d come a day when he could take a little bit of that midnight air with him when he went out to face the world in the morning.
~owari
Cloud shifted languidly, the sheets blessedly cool against oversensitive skin. Hot, wide hands rubbed soothing circles across his hipbones, stirring the dull fire blanketing his limbs into a slow, unhurried burn. A wordless murmur rumbled through the dark as his lover shifted closer, pressing against his back in a hot, solid tangle of carefully reigned-in strength and sweat-slicked skin. Cloud’s damp hair shivered across his shoulders as he tilted his head up and back, gazing at his lover.
Zack’s eyes were closed in the dark, his face awash with shadows amidst the wild drape of his disheveled hair. The stroke of his hands along Cloud’s sides was sure and familiar, calloused fingers mapping every inch of his skin and sending sparks skittering along vulnerable nerves. Rather than pulling away, Cloud melted into that caressing heat, humming softly at the strangely possessive drape of Zack’s arms across his chest.
It was rare that he let himself indulge like this. Rare that he gave in to the urge to let go when it was safer to hold back, to keep himself in check. There weren’t a lot of breaks for Regulars after all - even if they were sleeping with the top SOLDIER in First Class - and it was easier to go weeks alone while Zack was on assignment or duck out before the sheets were cold to make curfew when he didn’t let himself need it too much.
But sometimes, when it was dark and quiet and there was a day pass in the pocket of his fatigues that said he didn’t have to be back in barracks until tomorrow, Cloud thought it was maybe okay for him to let go just a little. It was almost like the air changed after midnight, making it easier to believe that Zack wasn’t insane for wanting him here and that it wasn’t wrong to want this for himself. In these moments he could be more than himself - more than just a no-name Private who followed in Zack’s shadow and tried not to dream of greater things. And he cherished that feeling, loving these languid, restful moments when he didn’t have to live down to being Cloud Strife.
A long, wet tongue swirled teasingly around the soft shell of his ear and Cloud choked on a moan, arching into the sensation. Because it went without saying that Zack knew the difference - had sensed the change in him even when he was sure no one else ever could - and was taking shameless advantage of a shameless Cloud as only he could. Zack’s sex was thick and heavy against Cloud's hip as Zack petted him but it was an idle pressure, without the heat and urgency of before. Zack thrived on contact, always had, and it was almost a relief when Cloud could give this to him, could lie here in silence and have nowhere to be, have no defenses to hide his feelings behind.
Cloud shifted in Zack’s embrace and the arms around him tightened, trying without words to keep him from running. It was his own chuckle that shimmered through the air this time, slipping low and husky into the darkness as he turned to face his lover, the fire in his veins matching the appreciative heat in mako bright eyes.
It wouldn’t last forever, this feeling. Cloud slid up Zack’s body for a kiss, sinking again into that steady warmth as Zack’s arms pulled him possessively close. When morning came he’d be Cloud Strife again, fortified by his own insecurities until the next time he let them slip. One of Zack’s legs nudged between his thighs and Cloud spread his legs without shame, settling over Zack’s waist like it was the only place he’d ever wanted to be. It was his midnight secret, this better Cloud, and he could only hope that there’d come a day when he could take a little bit of that midnight air with him when he went out to face the world in the morning.
~owari