Mm. [And when Zack turns back around to begin sandwich assembly, Cloud takes a quick unsure look at himself. Pale; not so much the arms, but his chest barely ever sees the light of day and it shows in how the veins are visible from close up. He's...toned, he guesses, but in a scrawny guy kind of way. He'll never have layers of muscle like Zack or other guys. He almost asks Zack "Are you sure," again, but that hurt expression on Zack's face from the bonfire flashes through his mind and he holds his tongue.
Maybe he leans into the Bond's effects a little harder than he usually would. Let himself calm down, quieting the near constant buzz of anxiety under his skin.]
Any other requests you need fulfilled, Mister Fair? [That's right, mask any negative emotions with cockiness. Be cheeky. Fake it until you make it, but in a far less damaging way than before.]
[Their connection buzzes pleasantly through him, and Zack closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the increasingly familiar sense of calm he gets around Cloud these days. Usually they have no problem riling each other up - SOLDIER impulse, or whatever else drives them (since Cloud's got the chemicals but not the specific SOLDIER training and all) - but coming back down from that high is much, much easier. They know each other better, sure, but also, there's this.
He folds the sandwiches together, layer by later, considering Cloud's question. Anything else, huh...]
Think I got some juice on my face. [He lifts a hand to point at the corner of his mouth.] Right here. Help a guy out?
Zack's probably expecting a kiss, but Cloud just eyes Zack long enough to make it obvious that he's picked up on the hint. He lifts a hand, presses a thumb to the smudge at Zack's bottom lip, then wipes it off and lifts his thumb to his mouth to suck it clean.
Then takes the plate with his sandwich from Zack and heads over to the table.]
[Grinning to himself over here; maybe that was a little mean, but...Aerith is right. There's something thrilling about messing with him a little. Like a raven pulling a wolf's tail.
Cloud at least leans over the side of the table after Zack sits down to give him a nice, long kiss.] Sorry. [He can't forget Zack's wide, eager eyes when he'd practically begged, I wanna kiss you. Or you kiss me.
Cloud kisses him again, hand lifting to pet the hair at the back of Zack's neck sweetly.] You're just fun.
[Zack's responding expression looks torn between a pout and a pleased smile, the two wrestling with each other for a moment. The smile wins, though. It almost always wins.]
You're such a brat. [Without venom, of course. He leans in like a magnet, happy for what he's gotten, longing for more always.] I'll get you both back one day.
[This is a lie: he's too much of a puppy to withhold anything even for a tease. But he can pretend!]
[He really needs to eat, but.......Zack is being so cute and pretty right now......
Drags plate over so he can stand next to Zack and still reach his sandwich, taking a bite while he keeps petting Zack's hair, watching the way the guy just melts into his touch. Geez. He hasn't been doing this enough at all, has he? Cloud need to start paying better attention.]
[Truly criminal not to be touchin' this handsome man at all times, right!? Ha ha, just kidding, unless...
For real, though, Zack basically turns to mush. True puppy behaviour. That thing dogs do, tilting their head into the scritches? Yeah. If he was a familiar and had a dog's tail it would be wagging like mad. He's loving this.]
[Cloud hums an affirmative, still drawing his fingers through Zack's hair slowly, rhythmically. Hopefully Zack's not neglecting his own sandwich, because they really are damn good, but even Cloud's only taking a bite every so often. Something else has caught his attention.]
...you're so pretty, [Cloud murmurs, looking down at how Zack's lashes are so dark and so long, especially looking at them from above. Zack's handsome, of course he's handsome; he's got big shoulders, sharp eyes, a jawline that looks like it was chiseled from marble...but here in the softness of the quiet between them, in a kitchen where Zack had cheekily said, yes sir and I wanna see you shirtless!, Cloud can't help but think that he's lovely, too. As careful as he is fierce, as malleable as he is solid.
Cloud waits for a moment to make sure he's not distracting Zack from his food before he lets his hand travel down, gently take Zack's chin and jaw in his hand (and it takes his whole hand, Zack's not even that much taller but he's so much bigger) to tilt his face up towards Cloud. Really...
[Ohhh no. Oh no. Cloud got him so good, there. At the comment - the compliment - Zack's eyes widen, showing off more than ever that beautiful mako blue. It's not the sort of compliment he gets often, but it does remind him pleasantly of the first he'd gotten from Aerith. She'd said his eyes were pretty. Cloud, though, he can tell that gaze is roving elsewhere, drinking in his features, not simply the one. He's pretty, huh...
As Cloud kisses him again, Zack winds an arm around him, drawing him closer, allowing their bodies to brush against each other. With Cloud still shirtless, he can feel the smooth curve of the other man's back, the tension of his muscles, the bend of his spine. He's warm to the touch, and the whole thing feels so... cozy. He likes this, turns out. He likes this a lot. Cloud doesn't get affectionate all the time, but he's been noticing a shift, bit by bit, little touches growing in volume and intensity, as they grow more comfortable with what's been happening here. They're figuring things out. And Zack, who thrives on all things physical, who doesn't typically hesitate to say what's on his mind, well... it's just perfect, for him.
When the kiss ends, he tilts his head and presses it against Cloud's neck instead, his voice soft, full of affection.]
'm extra pretty 'cause I love you.
[That was definitely from a romance movie. He thinks. (Definitely.) It's the only part he remembers, but damn it was a good line, wasn't it? Full sap. He means every word.]
[Zack's arm goes around his waist so easily, his skin so warm against Cloud's back; a few fingers press, briefly, into the dip of Cloud's spine and he shudders with it.
The line is definitely from a movie; Cloud doesn't remember which one, but remembers it being an inside joke in his squad for a while, so it must've been one of the musty VHS tapes they kept in the barracks for entertainment when the poorly-paid troopers couldn't afford to do anything fun with a day of leave. It's cheesy but the way Zack says that kind of stuff with the full force of his sincerity, Cloud believes it this time. Zack wouldn't lie to him, and certainly not about that. He really does love him, and...Cloud can't argue that it makes him want to see and know more of Zack because of it. Makes him more alluring, makes him more beautiful.
Zack's breath is hot against his neck, and Cloud can't keep himself from getting a little...anticipatory about it. What would Zack be like with more than this? Would he cling, would he whine? Would he try to hide his face, or would he let Cloud see it? What would he look like? That surprising, searing heat from the time he spends with Aerith flash-boils the doubt in his blood, reminding Cloud again that this is how it feels, how it's supposed to feel. When he wants someone.]
...let's stay inside, [Cloud says lowly, voice hoarse and deeper for it, his fingers combing through Zack's hair, curling locks between them.]
[At the suggestion, Zack makes a noise that can really only be described as aggressively agreeable, the grip of his arm tightening just so. Much as he loves sparring, wrestling, tussling through the grass, he does so love the quiet moments, too. The push and pull, the tease and the touches. Stay inside. Yeah, he likes that. He likes being held, to hear sweet whispers in his ear and callused fingers in his hair. He likes how his hand feels hot on Cloud's lithe muscles.]
I'd like that, [he manages, his breath exhaling in a huff of quiet laughter, mere moments before his lips make contact with the bared skin of Cloud's neck. It's a soft kiss at first, testing the waters, gauging the reaction, and it's as much an offer as an ask. Stay inside and do what? Ball's in Cloud's court, now. (He's got some ideas, some inklings. No pressure. Only thirst.)]
[SHIVERS. Zack and Aerith both, right to the throat...does he have a nice neck? Maybe he has a nice neck.
Cloud drags his fingers through Zack's hair one last time before, very reluctantly, pulling away.] Finish the sandwich. We'll take this to my room when you're done. [Cloud's shoving the last (technically two) bites into his own mouth, running his hand down Zack's neck to his shoulder before turning to head back to his bedroom to make sure his bedsheets don't reek. Maybe they'll just make out, maybe they'll do some heaving petting...maybe somebody...will get a penis touched. Or more.]
[Zack shudders as Cloud withdraws, silent and holding his breath subconsciously as he watches Cloud's back until it vanishes out of the kitchen. How wild is it that something so simple can leave him aching? A hand in his hair, the press of one body against another, the taste of sweat on his lips. Bodies are truly such needy things. It feels different from fighting, but there are similarities he can't deny. The way his heart pounds, his blood rushes through his veins. He feels the hunger, the anticipation, the rush.
Different from fighting, but the same as what he feels with Aerith.
He swallows. (The lump of anticipation, caught just beneath his tongue.) Then he shoves the whole rest of the sandwich in his mouth and swallows that, very unsexily, good thing Cloud already left. He dumps the dishes in the sink and hurries after, his steps thundering towards the bedroom.]
Cloud is only just managing to kick some clothes into the closet and yank his socks off before he hears Zack clomping hurriedly down the hallway, a military jog by the sound of it, Cloud's bedroom door flinging fully open from its half-closed state.
He knew Zack was a much more tactile person than he was (not just with sparring, not just with cuddles), but it really becomes more obvious with how flushed Zack's face is, how bright his eyes are. It's- really addicting. Getting Zack to look like that, look at him like that, knowing he's got something Zack really wants and being more than ready and willing to give it to him.
What would the other guys in the squad think if they could see this? Cloud can't help a snort at the thought, reaching for Zack's wrist and pulling him over to the bed, grinning.] Remember that guy in my squad I told you about, the one I thought had a crush on you? He crashed our Junon lunch date?
[The nice thing about them all being collective couples together is that if the door's open it just means a nice show for Aerith. Or she could join, whatever. Zack's down for anything at this point.
He'd already been dragging his shirt up over his head on the way, so by the time he walks through the door it's off entirely and he's all too happy to toss it in the pile Cloud's making. He loves where this is going. He doesn't know the destination but he's all in for the ride. He leans in as Cloud pulls, following gleefully, turning his hand around so he can clasp Cloud's, even if it's just for a moment (until they get themselves settled), and laughs at that comment.]
Was he blind, or just stupid? You looked super cute back then, you coulda gotten laid with a lot of people. Joke's on him, I guess.
[Was this before, or after the box of condoms? The guys sure spent a lot of time thinking about Cloud's sex life. Gotta love the military. Also: bed? He's gonna flop right on it, whichever way he's directed. Cloud seems to have an idea of where he wants Zack, and he enjoyed being the big bossman in the kitchen. He'd like to see how far Cloud'll take this. (Fun places, he suspects.)]
Jealous, maybe. [Something tells him that's the correct answer, though Cloud couldn't put his finger on exactly why. Did Zack point him out often in the hallways, maybe? He's pretty sure they texted, maybe Zack just texted him a lot and the guy- what's his face or name, he probably was just pissed as hell that Cloud was getting all that attention, undeservedly.
Zack's right, joke is on him! Cloud's scrawny ass is about to fuck the hottest and most desirable SOLDIER (to him) right in his own bed! Eat your heart out, nameless squadmate.
All it takes is a little pull and push and Zack is crawling back onto the bed, gazing up at Cloud with those bright and eager eyes. Cloud's literally never done anything with a guy, but a good part of getting sexy is just mouths and skin and touching, right?
Usually Cloud would be grumpily hesitant about leaping into a situation he felt wholly unprepared for unless life-or-death called for it, but here he feels...evenly keeled. There's that simmering heat still beneath his skin, especially as Zack just straight up spreads his legs when Cloud kneels on the mattress so he can get between them, but the nervousness and the self-consciousness just falls off of him like shedding a coat. Why wouldn't this be easy, after all? Getting physical with Zack has never been difficult, and Zack so clearly wanting it helps chase off any lingering apprehension. Of course, Cloud has to give him whatever he needs.
He starts by holding onto Zack's hips, picking him up a bit and moving him around to test his leverage (and maybe strength, maybe showing off a little bit, maybe banking on the thought that Zack hasn't been like this with someone as strong as he is and wanting to show him something new). Maybe he even pulls him up a little onto Cloud's knees, into his lap.] Good like this?
[Jealous. It's funny to imagine. He used to go on and on about Aerith - not by name, typically, because he'd gotten enough hints from the Turks to keep his mouth shut about her identity and location, but in general - to the point where he was getting regularly teased about it. Everybody knew he had a girlfriend he was crazy about. After meeting Cloud, they'd talked here and there, paths crossing about as sporadically as two military careers allowed, but there was no denying the immediate connection they'd shared each time. He was always happy to see a familiar face, and he made friends so easily. Cloud felt different. He felt special. Certain people in his life, he just clicked with better, and that was a pretty short list, all things considered.
It's not like he felt especially... special, so to speak. Some friendships were built to be kind of surface level. And some felt like destiny. Maybe that's the jealousy Cloud means, what the other troopers were feeling. They saw something different in his expression when he looked at Cloud.
The way he looks at Cloud now is similar but very different, distinct, heat and affection and yes, desire in those gleaming mako eyes. He's not done this before either, admittedly, and with Aerith he'd been the one on the giving side (obviously) but he'd let her lead for a good chunk of it, too. If that's the route Cloud's rolling with, Zack can happily follow. He shifts as he's guided and straddles Cloud's waist, finding it a mixture of bony and comfortable, lithe limbs and firm muscles. It's good. Not too soft, something he's less used to after years of mostly roughing it. The question makes him chuckle, shifting his weight to playfully grind against Cloud in response. Cloud's got the right instincts, it's really attractive that the other can just heft him around and manhandle him as he pleases. He doesn't need a reminder that Cloud is strong, he sees it every day. Still nice to experience it firsthand.]
Gonna upgrade that to great, soon as you get over here and let me kiss you.
Could you cool it for a second? [Cloud asks, the echo of a shocked laugh in his tone. That- okay, like, that grind had been really good, easy and rough in a way he was too afraid to be with Aerith because he wasn't sure if he was ever going to be careful enough to soothe his own nerves with that. Maybe he should have a talk with her about it, later. (Or right now, maybe she wants to sit in, maybe- STOP. Later. God. That's so much. Later.)
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting a little hard, Zack that very him mix of impatient and confident as he lays with his shoulders on the bed and his hips up in Cloud's kneeling lap. What would it be like if Zack's ankles crossed behind Cloud's back, while Cloud was moving against him? In him?
Hoo boy.]
Lemme take my time, alright? [Cloud asks lowly, though he does bend forward to give him a sweet, closed-mouth kiss before pulling away and letting himself look.]
[Zack sets free a muffled, groaning whine into the kiss, his cheeks a robust shade of pink as Cloud withdraws, but he manages to restrain himself after, licking his lips and halting his shifting hips while Cloud figures himself out.]
Okay, okay, okay... [Does Cloud know what he's asking for, here!? Like, he'll do it, but god. That feeling is spreading, the sweaty, heated urgency, and he's having to fend it off like a feral wolf.
He's going to try, though. Because Cloud's looking at him like that, kissing him like that. He wants to see what Cloud does when he can take his time, actually.] Take it slow, then.
[God. Damn. What is he so pretty for??? SERIOUSLY?]
Thatta boy, [Cloud replies before he even has a second to think twice about it, voice still that calm murmur, his own eyes probably weirdly intense as he takes his time looking over Zack's legitimately great torso. He's broad, wide shoulders and chest with a thicker waist than Cloud's, even though he's not huge like some of the other SOLDIERs had been. Cloud takes his time squeezing down his sides to test how solid they are.
There's the scars, of course. They all have their few scars; white or pink lines here and there, cuts and scrapes and burns acquired over the short course of their hard lives that hadn't healed properly, or had been too severe to completely fade. Aerith has that eerie white line on her stomach and back, matching. Cloud has the same, about a hand's length down from his right nipple; clean in and out, front and back.
Zack's got little ragged round marks all up and down his chest, his stomach, his collarbones, down to the top of his hips. They're not super obvious from far away but here, underneath Cloud's fingers as he traces them like braille, they couldn't possibly be ignored. It reminds him, briefly, of hugging Zack's head to his chest for a handful of panicked seconds in the Otherworld, the cacophonous clinking of shotgun shells cascading down the street outside as Zack had trembled in terror against him, clutching hard enough to hurt.
...not right now. This isn't about the past, or what they've lived through. This isn't about anything but the two of them, alone in Cloud's room, on Cloud's bed, indulging in bodies and touch in defiance of all the pain they've both been subjected to. Fuck everyone else and everything else that's ever hurt.
Cloud smooths his hands up Zack's chest again, his palms dragging up and down his skin and watching the way Zack sucks in breath after heavier breath, mako-bright eyes burning darker each time he does with playful frustration. He wants to see the way Zack's throat looks when he tips his head back.] Mm. Can I fuck you? [The question isn't what he'd originally intended to ask, but once it's out Cloud knows that's what he'd really wanted. Maybe Zack's right. Maybe slow isn't going to cut it.]
[Zack had held his breath for a handful of moments without realizing it, in those first exploratory touches on the bullet scars marking up his chest. He was never really one for scar shyness, back in the day. The cross on his cheek was unavoidable, he'd learned to live with it, and despite the tragic circumstances of how he'd originally gotten it, he even embraced the badassery. The rest of his scars were proof that he fought and lived, and each one is a story. Fought that monster, completed that mission, cleared that trial. These are different, though. They're ugly, and they killed him. And maybe they're too ugly, too much. Aerith didn't mind, but Cloud was there, it could kill the mood, and... and.
He exhales, then, because something about the way Cloud's looking at him blows all of those absurd thoughts right out of his mind. No one with eyes like that gives a shit about scars. Those roving hands explore marks and muscles freely, abs and abnormalities, but there's no disgust or disinterest in Cloud's expression. Zack's hands curl in the sheet beneath him (he wants to grab and kiss and touch and stroke and goddammit why did he agree to let Cloud take his time with this-)
"Can I fuck you?"
Oh. Oh, hell. What the hell. That's doing something to him, and Cloud will feel it beneath his palms, the shiver that travels up Zack's body, the suffusion of fresh heat across his skin, the way his breath hitches just so. Can he? Oh, can he.]
You can, and you'd better, [he manages, a bit of huffing laughter in his voice, giving it a huskier tone than normal. Cloud's words caught him off guard, but besides the surprise, there's no hesitation to be found here.] Fuck the hell out of me.
[His permission severs the last remaining tie that holds back his patience (short lived as ever), and his hands lift, grasping at Cloud's face, long fingers curled to the back of his neck to drag him down into another kiss, less tender, less closed-mouth. More fuck me energy. He'd like that very much, turns out, his whole body open and responding to the idea.]
[Zack wraps around him as Cloud goes down; legs up around Cloud's waist, hands around his shoulder and neck, fingertips scratching up into his hair as he pulls, desperate. So impatient, but- shit, Cloud gets it, wow does he get it. Zack wants Cloud to fuck him, Zack wants Cloud to really fuck him. How hard does he want it? Will he-
Cloud shudders, kissing back so firmly that he thinks he might bruise Zack's lips; again, and a third time before he finally pulls back and kisses Zack's cheek, jaw, his neck. Grips Zack's hips and pulls them against him, feeling the hardening line of his cock against Zack's ass through his pants and grinding there, wondering, hoping. He doesn't entirely know how to have sex with another dude, but Cloud at least knows enough that you cannot just stick it in dry like you usually can with girls. They need some stuff.] Mhn- [Cloud swallows one of the little moans that have started seeping out between his teeth as he's been kissing and biting at Zack's throat, pulling back and gazing down at him, breathless,] Oil works, right? Cooking oil, or like- I dunno, that coconut shit we have in the kitchen?
[Cloud sure took him on a journey for a minute there. He's kissing back whenever he can catch those lips, but they're wandering too quickly, exploring the bare inches of him with such ferocity, and he loves every second. He doesn't need soft right now, he's hungry, and Cloud got the memo loud and clear.
The question jars Zack out of the makeout bliss, and he blinks a few times, trying to think and stay focused on the words, which is really goddamn hard when Cloud's scraping teeth and lips on the most sensitive parts of his neck.
...Not the only thing that's goddamn hard right n-]
Lube, [he manages, one hand sneaking away from Cloud to flail at the nightstand. Water?? Is there water? Who doesn't have water on their nightstand these days. ...if not, sure, coconut oil or whatever. He's heard enough locker talk, he may not have done this before but he's gotten stories, he's gotten the gist more or less. The other hand is going for his pocket, dragging said spoon free.] You got water? With the... uh. Spoon. We can get lube.
[Dear Thirteen, we don't like you but your convenience magic can get us laid, please-]
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[Openly, at least. ...Oh, right, the bread. Hastily he goes back to the stove, flipping the slices just before they get uncomfortably burned. Phew.]
Uhhh, looks about done! Sandwich time?
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Maybe he leans into the Bond's effects a little harder than he usually would. Let himself calm down, quieting the near constant buzz of anxiety under his skin.]
Any other requests you need fulfilled, Mister Fair? [That's right, mask any negative emotions with cockiness. Be cheeky. Fake it until you make it, but in a far less damaging way than before.]
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He folds the sandwiches together, layer by later, considering Cloud's question. Anything else, huh...]
Think I got some juice on my face. [He lifts a hand to point at the corner of his mouth.] Right here. Help a guy out?
[Can you recognize his flirting now, Strife?]
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Zack's probably expecting a kiss, but Cloud just eyes Zack long enough to make it obvious that he's picked up on the hint. He lifts a hand, presses a thumb to the smudge at Zack's bottom lip, then wipes it off and lifts his thumb to his mouth to suck it clean.
Then takes the plate with his sandwich from Zack and heads over to the table.]
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LIKE AN ABSOLUTE LOSER]
Wh- dude! Dude! You can't- [chases him to the table!!!
....goes back for his sandwich, because he's still hungry. And cranky now. Hunky.]
Brutal...
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Cloud at least leans over the side of the table after Zack sits down to give him a nice, long kiss.] Sorry. [He can't forget Zack's wide, eager eyes when he'd practically begged, I wanna kiss you. Or you kiss me.
Cloud kisses him again, hand lifting to pet the hair at the back of Zack's neck sweetly.] You're just fun.
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You're such a brat. [Without venom, of course. He leans in like a magnet, happy for what he's gotten, longing for more always.] I'll get you both back one day.
[This is a lie: he's too much of a puppy to withhold anything even for a tease. But he can pretend!]
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Drags plate over so he can stand next to Zack and still reach his sandwich, taking a bite while he keeps petting Zack's hair, watching the way the guy just melts into his touch. Geez. He hasn't been doing this enough at all, has he? Cloud need to start paying better attention.]
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For real, though, Zack basically turns to mush. True puppy behaviour. That thing dogs do, tilting their head into the scritches? Yeah. If he was a familiar and had a dog's tail it would be wagging like mad. He's loving this.]
This fun, too?
[He hopes so. Sure feels nice.]
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...you're so pretty, [Cloud murmurs, looking down at how Zack's lashes are so dark and so long, especially looking at them from above. Zack's handsome, of course he's handsome; he's got big shoulders, sharp eyes, a jawline that looks like it was chiseled from marble...but here in the softness of the quiet between them, in a kitchen where Zack had cheekily said, yes sir and I wanna see you shirtless!, Cloud can't help but think that he's lovely, too. As careful as he is fierce, as malleable as he is solid.
Cloud waits for a moment to make sure he's not distracting Zack from his food before he lets his hand travel down, gently take Zack's chin and jaw in his hand (and it takes his whole hand, Zack's not even that much taller but he's so much bigger) to tilt his face up towards Cloud. Really...
Really, really beautiful.
Cloud leans down to kiss him again.]
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As Cloud kisses him again, Zack winds an arm around him, drawing him closer, allowing their bodies to brush against each other. With Cloud still shirtless, he can feel the smooth curve of the other man's back, the tension of his muscles, the bend of his spine. He's warm to the touch, and the whole thing feels so... cozy. He likes this, turns out. He likes this a lot. Cloud doesn't get affectionate all the time, but he's been noticing a shift, bit by bit, little touches growing in volume and intensity, as they grow more comfortable with what's been happening here. They're figuring things out. And Zack, who thrives on all things physical, who doesn't typically hesitate to say what's on his mind, well... it's just perfect, for him.
When the kiss ends, he tilts his head and presses it against Cloud's neck instead, his voice soft, full of affection.]
'm extra pretty 'cause I love you.
[That was definitely from a romance movie. He thinks. (Definitely.) It's the only part he remembers, but damn it was a good line, wasn't it? Full sap. He means every word.]
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The line is definitely from a movie; Cloud doesn't remember which one, but remembers it being an inside joke in his squad for a while, so it must've been one of the musty VHS tapes they kept in the barracks for entertainment when the poorly-paid troopers couldn't afford to do anything fun with a day of leave. It's cheesy but the way Zack says that kind of stuff with the full force of his sincerity, Cloud believes it this time. Zack wouldn't lie to him, and certainly not about that. He really does love him, and...Cloud can't argue that it makes him want to see and know more of Zack because of it. Makes him more alluring, makes him more beautiful.
Zack's breath is hot against his neck, and Cloud can't keep himself from getting a little...anticipatory about it. What would Zack be like with more than this? Would he cling, would he whine? Would he try to hide his face, or would he let Cloud see it? What would he look like? That surprising, searing heat from the time he spends with Aerith flash-boils the doubt in his blood, reminding Cloud again that this is how it feels, how it's supposed to feel. When he wants someone.]
...let's stay inside, [Cloud says lowly, voice hoarse and deeper for it, his fingers combing through Zack's hair, curling locks between them.]
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I'd like that, [he manages, his breath exhaling in a huff of quiet laughter, mere moments before his lips make contact with the bared skin of Cloud's neck. It's a soft kiss at first, testing the waters, gauging the reaction, and it's as much an offer as an ask. Stay inside and do what? Ball's in Cloud's court, now. (He's got some ideas, some inklings. No pressure. Only thirst.)]
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Cloud drags his fingers through Zack's hair one last time before, very reluctantly, pulling away.] Finish the sandwich. We'll take this to my room when you're done. [Cloud's shoving the last (technically two) bites into his own mouth, running his hand down Zack's neck to his shoulder before turning to head back to his bedroom to make sure his bedsheets don't reek. Maybe they'll just make out, maybe they'll do some heaving petting...maybe somebody...will get a penis touched. Or more.]
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Different from fighting, but the same as what he feels with Aerith.
He swallows. (The lump of anticipation, caught just beneath his tongue.) Then he shoves the whole rest of the sandwich in his mouth and swallows that, very unsexily, good thing Cloud already left. He dumps the dishes in the sink and hurries after, his steps thundering towards the bedroom.]
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Cloud is only just managing to kick some clothes into the closet and yank his socks off before he hears Zack clomping hurriedly down the hallway, a military jog by the sound of it, Cloud's bedroom door flinging fully open from its half-closed state.
He knew Zack was a much more tactile person than he was (not just with sparring, not just with cuddles), but it really becomes more obvious with how flushed Zack's face is, how bright his eyes are. It's- really addicting. Getting Zack to look like that, look at him like that, knowing he's got something Zack really wants and being more than ready and willing to give it to him.
What would the other guys in the squad think if they could see this? Cloud can't help a snort at the thought, reaching for Zack's wrist and pulling him over to the bed, grinning.] Remember that guy in my squad I told you about, the one I thought had a crush on you? He crashed our Junon lunch date?
He used to joke I'd never get laid.
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He'd already been dragging his shirt up over his head on the way, so by the time he walks through the door it's off entirely and he's all too happy to toss it in the pile Cloud's making. He loves where this is going. He doesn't know the destination but he's all in for the ride. He leans in as Cloud pulls, following gleefully, turning his hand around so he can clasp Cloud's, even if it's just for a moment (until they get themselves settled), and laughs at that comment.]
Was he blind, or just stupid? You looked super cute back then, you coulda gotten laid with a lot of people. Joke's on him, I guess.
[Was this before, or after the box of condoms? The guys sure spent a lot of time thinking about Cloud's sex life. Gotta love the military. Also: bed? He's gonna flop right on it, whichever way he's directed. Cloud seems to have an idea of where he wants Zack, and he enjoyed being the big bossman in the kitchen. He'd like to see how far Cloud'll take this. (Fun places, he suspects.)]
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Zack's right, joke is on him! Cloud's scrawny ass is about to fuck the hottest and most desirable SOLDIER (to him) right in his own bed! Eat your heart out, nameless squadmate.
All it takes is a little pull and push and Zack is crawling back onto the bed, gazing up at Cloud with those bright and eager eyes. Cloud's literally never done anything with a guy, but a good part of getting sexy is just mouths and skin and touching, right?
Usually Cloud would be grumpily hesitant about leaping into a situation he felt wholly unprepared for unless life-or-death called for it, but here he feels...evenly keeled. There's that simmering heat still beneath his skin, especially as Zack just straight up spreads his legs when Cloud kneels on the mattress so he can get between them, but the nervousness and the self-consciousness just falls off of him like shedding a coat. Why wouldn't this be easy, after all? Getting physical with Zack has never been difficult, and Zack so clearly wanting it helps chase off any lingering apprehension. Of course, Cloud has to give him whatever he needs.
He starts by holding onto Zack's hips, picking him up a bit and moving him around to test his leverage (and maybe strength, maybe showing off a little bit, maybe banking on the thought that Zack hasn't been like this with someone as strong as he is and wanting to show him something new). Maybe he even pulls him up a little onto Cloud's knees, into his lap.] Good like this?
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It's not like he felt especially... special, so to speak. Some friendships were built to be kind of surface level. And some felt like destiny. Maybe that's the jealousy Cloud means, what the other troopers were feeling. They saw something different in his expression when he looked at Cloud.
The way he looks at Cloud now is similar but very different, distinct, heat and affection and yes, desire in those gleaming mako eyes. He's not done this before either, admittedly, and with Aerith he'd been the one on the giving side (obviously) but he'd let her lead for a good chunk of it, too. If that's the route Cloud's rolling with, Zack can happily follow. He shifts as he's guided and straddles Cloud's waist, finding it a mixture of bony and comfortable, lithe limbs and firm muscles. It's good. Not too soft, something he's less used to after years of mostly roughing it. The question makes him chuckle, shifting his weight to playfully grind against Cloud in response. Cloud's got the right instincts, it's really attractive that the other can just heft him around and manhandle him as he pleases. He doesn't need a reminder that Cloud is strong, he sees it every day. Still nice to experience it firsthand.]
Gonna upgrade that to great, soon as you get over here and let me kiss you.
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He'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting a little hard, Zack that very him mix of impatient and confident as he lays with his shoulders on the bed and his hips up in Cloud's kneeling lap. What would it be like if Zack's ankles crossed behind Cloud's back, while Cloud was moving against him? In him?
Hoo boy.]
Lemme take my time, alright? [Cloud asks lowly, though he does bend forward to give him a sweet, closed-mouth kiss before pulling away and letting himself look.]
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Okay, okay, okay... [Does Cloud know what he's asking for, here!? Like, he'll do it, but god. That feeling is spreading, the sweaty, heated urgency, and he's having to fend it off like a feral wolf.
He's going to try, though. Because Cloud's looking at him like that, kissing him like that. He wants to see what Cloud does when he can take his time, actually.] Take it slow, then.
[But hurry up-]
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Thatta boy, [Cloud replies before he even has a second to think twice about it, voice still that calm murmur, his own eyes probably weirdly intense as he takes his time looking over Zack's legitimately great torso. He's broad, wide shoulders and chest with a thicker waist than Cloud's, even though he's not huge like some of the other SOLDIERs had been. Cloud takes his time squeezing down his sides to test how solid they are.
There's the scars, of course. They all have their few scars; white or pink lines here and there, cuts and scrapes and burns acquired over the short course of their hard lives that hadn't healed properly, or had been too severe to completely fade. Aerith has that eerie white line on her stomach and back, matching. Cloud has the same, about a hand's length down from his right nipple; clean in and out, front and back.
Zack's got little ragged round marks all up and down his chest, his stomach, his collarbones, down to the top of his hips. They're not super obvious from far away but here, underneath Cloud's fingers as he traces them like braille, they couldn't possibly be ignored. It reminds him, briefly, of hugging Zack's head to his chest for a handful of panicked seconds in the Otherworld, the cacophonous clinking of shotgun shells cascading down the street outside as Zack had trembled in terror against him, clutching hard enough to hurt.
...not right now. This isn't about the past, or what they've lived through. This isn't about anything but the two of them, alone in Cloud's room, on Cloud's bed, indulging in bodies and touch in defiance of all the pain they've both been subjected to. Fuck everyone else and everything else that's ever hurt.
Cloud smooths his hands up Zack's chest again, his palms dragging up and down his skin and watching the way Zack sucks in breath after heavier breath, mako-bright eyes burning darker each time he does with playful frustration. He wants to see the way Zack's throat looks when he tips his head back.] Mm. Can I fuck you? [The question isn't what he'd originally intended to ask, but once it's out Cloud knows that's what he'd really wanted. Maybe Zack's right. Maybe slow isn't going to cut it.]
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He exhales, then, because something about the way Cloud's looking at him blows all of those absurd thoughts right out of his mind. No one with eyes like that gives a shit about scars. Those roving hands explore marks and muscles freely, abs and abnormalities, but there's no disgust or disinterest in Cloud's expression. Zack's hands curl in the sheet beneath him (he wants to grab and kiss and touch and stroke and goddammit why did he agree to let Cloud take his time with this-)
"Can I fuck you?"
Oh. Oh, hell. What the hell. That's doing something to him, and Cloud will feel it beneath his palms, the shiver that travels up Zack's body, the suffusion of fresh heat across his skin, the way his breath hitches just so. Can he? Oh, can he.]
You can, and you'd better, [he manages, a bit of huffing laughter in his voice, giving it a huskier tone than normal. Cloud's words caught him off guard, but besides the surprise, there's no hesitation to be found here.] Fuck the hell out of me.
[His permission severs the last remaining tie that holds back his patience (short lived as ever), and his hands lift, grasping at Cloud's face, long fingers curled to the back of his neck to drag him down into another kiss, less tender, less closed-mouth. More fuck me energy. He'd like that very much, turns out, his whole body open and responding to the idea.]
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Cloud shudders, kissing back so firmly that he thinks he might bruise Zack's lips; again, and a third time before he finally pulls back and kisses Zack's cheek, jaw, his neck. Grips Zack's hips and pulls them against him, feeling the hardening line of his cock against Zack's ass through his pants and grinding there, wondering, hoping. He doesn't entirely know how to have sex with another dude, but Cloud at least knows enough that you cannot just stick it in dry like you usually can with girls. They need some stuff.] Mhn- [Cloud swallows one of the little moans that have started seeping out between his teeth as he's been kissing and biting at Zack's throat, pulling back and gazing down at him, breathless,] Oil works, right? Cooking oil, or like- I dunno, that coconut shit we have in the kitchen?
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The question jars Zack out of the makeout bliss, and he blinks a few times, trying to think and stay focused on the words, which is really goddamn hard when Cloud's scraping teeth and lips on the most sensitive parts of his neck.
...Not the only thing that's goddamn hard right n-]
Lube, [he manages, one hand sneaking away from Cloud to flail at the nightstand. Water?? Is there water? Who doesn't have water on their nightstand these days. ...if not, sure, coconut oil or whatever. He's heard enough locker talk, he may not have done this before but he's gotten stories, he's gotten the gist more or less. The other hand is going for his pocket, dragging said spoon free.] You got water? With the... uh. Spoon. We can get lube.
[Dear Thirteen, we don't like you but your convenience magic can get us laid, please-]
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