Disclaimer: Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft and various other interested parties, not me. I'm not making any money from this, and no infringement of copyright is intended. This is a work of fandom, intended as appreciation of the original work.

Chapter 10

It was a considerably diminished company of troops that gathered in the centre of the camp as the sun began to set once more. The vast majority of those still alive had been wounded; not everyone had been lucky enough to find a shelter with crates of supplies available. Far, far too many numbered among the dead, and the living had spent most of the day sorting friend from foe and either burying or burning the bodies.

Even so, the general air among the group was one of muted triumph. The relief of having survived the attack, combined with exhaustion and stress, left them all a little giddy. Cloud stood at Zack's side, looking around and feeling a bit like reality hadn't set in yet. He'd helped bury people he knew today, people he'd worked and trained beside for weeks. It was strange to look around and not see those faces around him now. It made him stick to Zack like a burr, for fear that he would turn around and discover the older boy gone as well.

At least Zack seemed to feel the same way, frequently glancing at Cloud throughout the day as if to reassure himself that his blonde shadow was still there. He was looking now, in fact, and he offered a weary smile when he saw Cloud looking back.

Before Cloud could say anything the flap of the hastily re-erected command tent was pushed open, and Sephiroth emerged. He strode to the front of the assembled troops, his second in command trailing along a step behind him.

Enviously Cloud noted that although pretty much everyone else in the camp looked like they'd gone through hell, the general looked like he'd just stepped off a recruiting poster. There was no blood or gore, ashes or dirt, on his skin or hair or clothes. "Bet nothing got close enough to dirty him before he killed it," Zack whispered.

"Stop thinking I'm stupid enough to take bets like that," Cloud retorted just as softly, flashing his friend a brief grin. Zack snickered, and then Sephiroth raised a hand for silence and they both returned their attention to the front.

"As most of you are aware," Sephiroth started, his voice low and calm but still somehow carrying to every trooper present, "I and most of the remaining SOLDIERs went out today after the fleeing terrorists while the rest of you set things in order here." Cloud was close enough to the front that he could see Sephiroth's face tighten as if in anger, though he wasn't sure why. Anger at the deaths and destruction among his command, perhaps?

"Once Shinra receives my report about the results of our foray," the general continued in a level tone, "I have no doubt the information will be highly classified and compartmentalized. However, I feel you have the right to know what it was you were all fighting - and dying - for here." Again that brief flash of anger, and Cloud wondered.

"I'm sure I don't need to warn any of you of the consequences for spreading such information," Sephiroth added. "If any of this becomes common knowledge, I will be personally meting out discipline for those involved."

He paused, and every man in the crowd was so rapt on his words that there wasn't so much as a cough to break the silence. They all wanted to know what was behind the sudden influx of monsters in the area, and not one of them was stupid enough to wish to incur the general's wrath. Satisfied, Sephiroth nodded once.

"The leader of the terrorists is in fact a former Shinra employee, one of Professor Hojo's assistants. As some of you may know, the good professor," there was a certain amount of sarcasm to the general's words there that surprised Cloud, "has been investigating the monsters that have begun appearing around Midgar and in some other areas of the world. This man, Dr. Lins, has apparently taken it upon himself to begin breeding the monsters and studying their potential use in battle."

Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, Sephiroth looked grim. "We have captured most of the terrorists and destroyed the monsters and breeding pens, but Dr. Lins himself fled the area some days ago. He is still at large, but with the destruction of the monsters your mission here is over. The ship will arrive to transport you back to Midgar tomorrow."

There was a ragged cheer at that, as the relieved and exhausted troopers absorbed the welcome knowledge that they would be going home at last. Stepping aside, Sephiroth gestured to a wall of casks that had been piled to one side of the clearing. "In the meantime," the general said, "the mayor of Mideel has been kind enough to send over a sample of the rum the town is known for, as a token of their appreciation for ridding the area of the monster threat."

Another cheer came, more heartfelt this time, and Sephiroth nodded. "I want the camp struck and everyone at the docks ready to go by oh-eight-thirty tomorrow. Dismissed!"

He turned and headed back towards the command tent, though his 2IC stayed behind to organize the distribution of the rum. "Sweet!" Zack exclaimed. "C'mon Cloud, let's go get our share before these greedy bastards drink all of it."

"But..." Cloud protested, frowning and digging his heels in when Zack grabbed his arm to drag him along. Glancing back at him, Zack raised an eyebrow, and Cloud shook his head. "It doesn't seem right," he said dubiously, looking around at the milling and laughing crowd of troops. "People died today, Zack! Anton, Jeffery, Seren... we must have buried half a dozen men we knew. How can they get drunk and celebrate? Shouldn't we be, I don't know, mourning them?"

"The best way we can remember the fallen is to celebrate the lives they died to help protect," Zack said, for once being serious in response to Cloud's very real distress. "We lived, Cloud. We all made it through this alive, and that is something to celebrate." He shrugged, and grinned. "Besides, we all need to blow off some steam before it blows up in our faces. Drunken revelry is the traditional and accepted method for victorious troops to keep from self-destructing. Better than raping and pillaging, anyway."

Glancing around, Cloud noticed an edge to the laughter, a sense of desperation behind everyone's movements. "Stress relief," he realized, nodding. He could understand that. He certainly felt wound tighter than a clockwork watch.

"And a reaffirmation that we are still alive, by embracing the best parts of life," Zack agreed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now come on, we've more than earned our share."

This time Cloud didn't resist, though he still felt a bit like he was being disrespectful to the people who had died. On the other hand, Zack was right about the need for stress relief, and Ramuh knew Cloud would appreciate focusing on something other than last night's disaster for a while.

There was more than enough rum to get all the remaining troops well and truly hammered, and by the time a few hours had gone by Cloud wasn't worrying about the fallen any more. He was too busy scowling at his cards and trying to figure out why he had managed to end up with a useless hand again.

"You guys cheat," he finally said as he tossed his last card down in disgust and watched the winner rake in the pot. "Especially you," he added, pointing a slightly wobbly finger at Zack, who had the biggest pile of gil in front of him.

"Nah, you just have the world's worst luck at cards, kid," Zack snickered, downing half a mug of rum before picking up his deck to shuffle it. "Not to mention the fact that you're at least two sheets to the wind. You realize you totally could have won that last round if you'd played your cards differently, right?"

"I could have?" Surveying the layout of the cards, Cloud swore as he realized Zack was right. He'd made a couple of stupidly basic mistakes that had cost him the round and lost him one of his best remaining cards. "Aw, Hades take it. All right, deal me out. I can't afford to keep playing like this."

A chorus of protests sounded, but someone else stepped up to take Cloud's place willingly enough when he moved aside. Taking stock of himself and the way he was swaying on his feet, Cloud decided he'd probably had enough for the night. He finished the mug he was holding, feeling the burn of the rum as it went down his throat, but didn't go back for another.

"I'm done for," he declared, stifling a yawn. "The rest of you may be planning to stay up all night, but I'm hitting the sack."

"Past your bedtime, kid?" one of the other men jeered, and Cloud snorted.

"No, I'm just smart enough not to want to have a hang-over while I'm stuck on the ship tomorrow morning," he retorted. He wasn't looking forward to the return voyage any more than he had to the journey to Mideel, and being nauseous thanks to drinking too much was the last thing he needed. "I'll see you in the morning, Zack."

"Hey wait," the older boy protested, looking up at him from his seat on the ground. "Give me two minutes to finish this round, and I'll come with you."

"Aw, you gonna tuck him in, Zack?" the same man laughed and smirked at them, and Zack chucked his empty mug at him.

"Keep your dirty mind to yourself, Trevor," Zack snapped, though there was a hint of a flush on his cheeks that might not have been entirely from the alcohol. Telling himself he was imagining things, Cloud shook his head and leaned back against a tree to wait out the round.

Zack won, of course. The man had the devil's own luck, in cards as in everything else. Gathering up his winnings, he stood and made his way a bit unsteadily to Cloud's side. "All right, let's go," he said, grinning as he stuffed his cards and gil into his pockets.

"I still think you cheat," Cloud said mildly as they wandered through the trees towards the area where the tents had been set up again. There were considerably fewer tents now than there had been before, since many had been destroyed or badly damaged by the monsters, but there were also fewer people to need them. "You didn't have to come with me, you know," he added, just a touch sourly. "I don't need to be tucked in."

It was hard to tell in the flickering of the fires dotted around the camp, but he thought Zack's flush increased slightly. "Of course you don't," the older boy said, shaking his head and slinging an arm over Cloud's shoulders. Cloud wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, or if his friend just needed the support to help him walk. He'd drunk a fair bit more than Cloud had.

For a moment he said nothing more, and Cloud thought that was all he had to say on the subject. Then he spoke again, startling Cloud. "I just keep thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't convinced you to move into my tent," Zack said, his voice more sober than Cloud would have expected. "We'd probably never have found each other in the chaos if we hadn't already been together. I know the general said there weren't any more monsters, but I guess I'm a little paranoid right now."

What he didn't need to say was that if they'd each been on their own instead of fighting back to back, chances were good one or both of them might be dead now. Swallowing, Cloud nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, his voice a little husky. "Well, better to stick together and not have needed to, than to split up and regret it later, right?"

"Yeah, exactly," Zack agreed, with a smile so brilliant it made Cloud's chest ache a little. "Besides, this is where we're supposed to be, remember? Side by side. Where you go, I go. Always."

The ache became a warmth that had nothing to do with the fires or the alcohol, and Cloud ducked his head so his blush wouldn't be so painfully obvious. They'd reached their new tent, and undoing the ties at the flap gave him a good excuse to concentrate on his hands rather than on Zack.

"Looks like we've still got it to ourselves for now," he noted as he opened the flap and found nobody inside. They still had two tentmates, a couple of men from the sword company that neither of them knew well. Cloud thought he remembered seeing them at another fire, deeply engrossed in a game of dice, but he wasn't sure.

"They probably won't be back any time soon," Zack agreed, following him inside and fastening the flap again. "Most people will be up until dawn, and then spend all day tomorrow bitching about it. We're the smart ones."

"We're also going to get teased for days about our 'bedtimes'," Cloud pointed out wryly, stripping out of his uniform. He wished they could leave the flaps open to let in the night breeze, but the bugs would eat them alive if they did. He settled for stripping down to his boxers and flopping down on top of his sleeping bag, rather than crawling into it. "Ugh, it's as hot as Ifrit's flame in here."

He'd expected some kind of smart remark from Zack, like about how at least Zack's bedtime wouldn't be as early as Cloud's, but there was nothing. Surprised, he glanced over to see Zack sitting on his sleeping bag in his boxers, holding his shirt in his hands and staring at Cloud with a dazed look on his face. "Zack?" Cloud prompted him curiously.

Zack blinked and shook his head like a man coming out of a dream, and laughed. "Sorry, I guess I'm spacing out. I dunno, I like the heat here. I could do without all the humidity, though. Gongaga's tropical, but it's not a rainforest like this."

"It's too wet and too hot for me," Cloud replied, wriggling on the bedroll to get comfortable. The outer nylon shell was cooler than the fabric inside, but it was also uncomfortably slippery. Sighing, he gave up and crawled inside the bag, keeping it open to his waist.

"Aw, you mountain-bred types are just wimps, that's all," Zack said, reaching out and flicking the sweat off Cloud's forehead. He wasn't sweating at all, and seemed perfectly comfortable in the heat.

"Oh yeah?" Cloud eyed him. "I'd like to hear you say that after you spend a winter in the mountains. We'll see who's whining about the temperature then." The heavy air in the tent suddenly seemed harder to breathe than before; Zack hadn't moved his hand away, resting his fingertips on Cloud's cheek and tracing idle patterns. Was it his imagination, or had Zack shifted closer?

"I bet you'd be real cute, all bundled up in your snow gear," Zack teased him, his eyes bright with the alcohol and something else. "I like you better like this, though." His hand trailed down Cloud's cheek to his throat and chest, and Cloud's breath caught in his lungs. He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak or move, couldn't do anything but stare helplessly into Zack's eyes and wonder if this was really happening.

"Shit," Zack suddenly exclaimed, and snatched his hand away as though it had been burned. Rolling over onto his back, he threw one arm over his eyes and groaned. "Damn it, I shouldn't be allowed near you when I'm drunk. Maybe I should have let you come to bed by yourself after all."

"Why?" Cloud's voice was deeper than usual, and he was grateful it didn't crack despite how husky it was. "Are you going to kiss me again?"

"What?" Zack lowered his arm, and his expression was dismayed. "Aw, fuck, I thought you didn't remember that. I'm sorry."

Blinking, Cloud stared at him for a moment, and finally realized Zack didn't remember the conversation they'd had in the infirmary. Well, of course he didn't; he'd been delirious and dying at the time. He probably didn't remember anything between collapsing and Sephiroth reviving him.

Which meant the older boy also didn't remember Cloud telling him he hadn't minded the kiss. That gave Cloud a perfect out if he wanted to take it and not risk Zack realizing his friend might not be as straight as he'd like to be... but then again, Zack wasn't exactly acting like he would be disgusted by that sort of revelation.

"So are you going to kiss me again?" Cloud repeated, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No," Zack shook his head quickly. "No, you don't have to worry about that. I never should have done it the first time, but I... hell, I'm too drunk to have this conversation right now," he groaned, and shoved himself up to a sitting position. "I, uh... I'm gonna go take a walk, see if the fresh air..."

"Oh," Cloud said. Maybe he should have been disappointed - well, no, he shouldn't have been disappointed, because he shouldn't have wanted the kiss in the first place. But it didn't seem like Zack didn't want to do it, rather that the older boy was afraid he would disgust Cloud.

Come to think of it, hadn't Zack said something about avoiding him because he thought Cloud was disgusted with him?

Throwing caution to the wind and grateful for the alcohol that was quieting the little voice of worry that often seemed to nag in the back of his head, Cloud sat up as well and stopped Zack with a hand on his chest. "Zack?"

"Uh..." Zack looked a little stunned, like having Cloud touch his bare skin was something shocking. "Yeah?"

"You think too much," Cloud informed him, and leaned in to fasten his lips to Zack's.

It was just as awkward and clumsy as their first kiss, and Zack seemed startled into immobility now just as Cloud had been then. After a few moments Cloud started to seriously worry that he'd misread Zack, and fear clenched at his heart. When he pulled back to apologize, though, Zack suddenly came to life and followed him to recapture his lips with a moan.

This time they were both participating, and for all their uncertainty and sloppiness it was worlds better than anything Cloud had ever imagined. Having Zack's mouth moving hot and wet over his made things coil tight low in his body, and he shivered when Zack's tongue flicked over his lips.

Opening his mouth Cloud allowed the older boy's tongue entrance, and then they both moaned as their tongues rubbed together. Pulling back, Zack stared down into his eyes, and Cloud realized at some point the older boy had taken him by the shoulders.

"Cloud, you... are you sure about this?" Zack asked, his voice rough in a way that made Cloud's cock twitch. "You don't have to..."

"Zack!" Exasperated, Cloud cut him off with a half-serious glare. "Will you shut up and kiss me already?" He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to lose himself in the incredible feel and taste of Zack against him. It felt oddly right, like he'd found a piece of himself he hadn't known was missing. And damn it, he was embarrassed just for thinking something like that, he sure as Shiva wasn't going to say it out loud.

Lips twitching with a barely-contained smile, his eyes full of wonder and happiness, Zack lifted one hand to salute. "Yes, sir." He moved to cover Cloud's mouth with his again, and stopped trying to fight against what they both wanted.

Apparently having decided that yes, Cloud really was okay with this, Zack seemed to be giving it his all. He was also, Cloud was discovering, rather a good kisser when he put his mind to it. He licked and nibbled at Cloud's mouth and lips, finding places to stroke his tongue against or sink his teeth into that set Cloud's body on fire. Cloud did his best to imitate the actions, seeking out the same kind of sensitive spots for Zack, and he thought he succeeded to some degree.

Certainly Zack didn't seem to be complaining. He pushed gently on Cloud's shoulders and eased them both backwards, until Cloud was lying on his bedroll with Zack half over him. Clutching at Zack's broad shoulders to help anchor himself, Cloud abandoned himself to the kiss.

Whatever other experience Zack might have, his hand was hesitant as he trailed it over Cloud's chest, exploring the muscles that had started developing there with all the hard training they'd been doing. Cloud gasped as Zack's finger flicked over his nipple, and the older boy groaned.

"You make the most amazing noises," he whispered, drawing back to lick at the shell of Cloud's ear. The unexpected sensation sent a shocking wave of heat through Cloud, and he arched up into the touch. "You have no fucking idea how hard it was to lie there and listen to you jerking off at night, and not do anything to give myself away. Hell, I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did before I lost it. I was hoping you wouldn't hear me over the noises you made."

"I stopped for a minute because I didn't want to come too fast," Cloud confessed, panting as Zack's hand got a little bolder. Not wanting to take everything and give nothing back, he ran both his hands over Zack's smooth, toned chest. "I was... I was thinking of you that day, you know. I got so hard during that damn wrestling match, and then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was freaking out that I was thinking about a guy, but I couldn't help myself."

"Fuck, Cloud," Zack shuddered over him and caught his mouth again in a quick, fierce kiss. "You still freaking out?"

"N-no," Cloud stammered, dazed from the force of the kiss. "Well, a little. Everyone always said this kind of thing was wrong, but it feels..." Right, so right, so very right that he couldn't hope to put it into words. Certainly not without sounding like some kind of weepy sap. "Good. It can't be bad if it's this good, can it?"

Laughing, Zack pinched his nipple and made him squirm. "I think that might be circular logic, but whatever. I'm not arguing. Not when you're giving me everything I've been wanting for the last month and then some."

With a firmer touch, Zack stroked his hand from Cloud's shoulder right down to his hip, his strong hand lingering over the waistband of his shorts. "So you were thinking about me, huh?" he murmured, nibbling at Cloud's ear again. "I wondered why you were hesitating to tap out that day. I thought you were just being stubborn about admitting defeat." There was a smug sort of amusement in his voice. "Enjoying having me pin you down, were you?"

"Zack," Cloud groaned, blushing horribly. It was true, that was the worst part. He couldn't hope to deny it. Even so, he wasn't expecting it when Zack shifted over him, catching his arms and shoulders and putting him into one of the grappling pins they'd learned that day. "Unh! Zack!"

If he'd thought this position was hot when Zack was only half dressed, that was nothing compared to the way it made Cloud burn when they were both the next thing to naked. Zack's strong body slid against his, muscle to muscle, firm and unyielding. When Zack rocked his hips against him, Cloud realized he wasn't the only one achingly hard.

"You do like this, don't you?" Zack all but purred, nuzzling at Cloud's throat. "You realize I'm never going to be able to partner you in hand-to-hand drills again? I'd spend the whole session imagining this and fighting the temptation to kiss you every time I had you pinned."

"You're shameless," Cloud accused him breathlessly, and Zack laughed. "You realize our tentmates could come in here any moment, right?" he asked as Zack rocked against him again.

"Yeah, so?" Zack's eyes glittered in the dim light of the tent, his hands shifting so his fingers could caress Cloud's skin while still keeping him pinned. "That's half the thrill, isn't it?"

"Totally shameless," Cloud repeated, arching up against him. He couldn't get his hands free, but nothing was stopping him from running his mouth over whatever parts of Zack he could reach. He did exactly that, tentatively flicking his tongue against the place where Zack's neck met his shoulder, and was rewarded by a shudder from the older boy.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Zack murmured. "But I notice you're not telling me to stop."

"Don't stop," Cloud pleaded, half afraid he would just to prove a point or something. He was so hard and his body was on fire with want and need. Jerking his hips up again, he revelled in the feel of his cock rubbing against Zack's even through two layers of cloth. "Please, Zack."

"Jailbait, that's what you are," Zack said with a groan as Cloud bucked his hips again. "How could anyone resist this kind of temptation?" Partially releasing Cloud, he ran his free hand down over the younger boy's stomach and slipped his fingers under the waistband of his shorts. "This okay?"

"Yes, yes, please," Cloud babbled, shuddering beneath him. "Oh Hades, please, Zack."

"You know, I think I kind of like it when you beg me like that," Zack chuckled, that deep husky chuckle that made shivers run over Cloud's spine. His hand slipped further down, and his fingers curled around Cloud's hard cock in a way that made the younger boy moan helplessly.

And with the exquisitely horrible timing that was the curse of horny teenage boys everywhere, that was the moment their tentmates chose to return. "Fuck, who tied these things?" a slurred voice demanded from just outside the flap, making Cloud and Zack both freeze. "They're knotted!"

"They weren't knotted before you started," another too-loud voice proclaimed, laughing. "You're just drunk, man. And be quiet, those two kids are probably sleeping. Here, let me do that."

Once the initial shock wore off, Zack and Cloud scrambled as quietly as they could to wrap themselves up in their separate sleeping bags again. The flap of the tent was thrown open just as Cloud yanked the cover over him to hide the embarrassing state of his body, and Zack had barely managed to burrow into his bag in time. The two men stumbled in, shushing each other in loud voices as Cloud and Zack did their best to feign sleep.

If the men had been even a little less drunk it probably would have been obvious just what the two boys had been up to, but luck was on their side in this at least. As Cloud watched through his lashes, his body so tense with frustrated desire he thought he might explode, their tentmates stripped down haphazardly and collapsed into their own bedrolls.

They were snoring in minutes, the loud sound produced only by a man who is wasted and sound asleep. "Zack," Cloud whispered, agonized.

"We don't dare, they could wake up," Zack replied, and he sounded just as frustrated. Sighing, he shifted in his sleeping bag so he was facing Cloud, and gave the younger boy a somewhat disgruntled smile. "We'll just have to wait. It won't kill us." The smile softened slightly as he added, "At least now I know I can kiss you without you punching me, given the opportunity."

Groaning, Cloud buried his face in his pillow. There was no way they would be able to get even a semblance of privacy on board the ship, and they already knew how difficult it was to get a moment to yourself in the barracks. "You're going to be the death of me, one of these days," he muttered sourly, shifting to try to find a position that was comfortable. Considering how hard he was, that wasn't an easy prospect.

"You think this is any easier for me?" Zack countered. "Go to sleep. Lying here staring at each other isn't going to help."

"Yeah, right, like I can sleep like this," Cloud retorted, but he settled in grudgingly. It was an unbelievable ending to a surreal day, and he was half afraid that if he did manage to sleep, it would all turn out to have been a dream.

Then again, he didn't really mind just looking at Zack as the other boy composed himself to try to sleep. Smiling to himself, Cloud watched Zack and didn't even realize it when his own eyes started to drift closed.

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