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 3

Thanks to the general's Cure spell Zack and Cloud had emerged from the exam in much better shape than just about anyone else, but nobody felt truly human until they'd finally been allowed to shower and eat. Shinra medics applied Cures to anyone who'd been seriously injured in the test, but anything more minor than broken bones was left to heal naturally.

Of course the story of their encounter with Sephiroth started making the rounds the moment their squad exited the building. It seemed like everyone in the entire camp made the time to wander by and oh-so-casually mention the subject to them. Cloud was a little flustered by all the sudden attention, but he was more annoyed that people seemed to be assuming he'd just cringed against a wall while Zack did all the hard work.

It helped that Zack swiftly corrected anyone who said as much to him, and it helped more that the older boy was visibly becoming as impatient as Cloud at the way everyone would glance doubtfully at the blonde, then look back at Zack with an 'if you say so' expression.

"Just give up, they're never going to believe you," Cloud advised wearily as yet another curious person wandered away again. For a wonder there was nobody behind them, and that meant Cloud and Zack might actually have a chance to finish their dinner. Cloud had gotten about halfway through his, but Zack had hardly had a chance to touch his because he'd been talking so much.

"It's just stupid," Zack complained, frowning as he toyed with his food. "What's so difficult to believe? Why would I lie about it? I mean, you made it this far, I don't see why everyone persists in acting like you couldn't possibly have been any help to me."

"Zack, look at me," Cloud said dryly, gesturing down at the way his cadet uniform hung off his scrawny shoulders. He was tall enough that his uniform was only a size or two smaller than Zack's, but he didn't have nearly the muscle mass needed to fill it out properly. "Of course they don't think I could have been useful. Haven't the drill sergeants been making it painfully clear all damn week how pathetic I am? Forget about it, it's not important."

"It is important," Zack insisted, his scowl deepening. "We're probably the only two people crazy enough to have ever charged general Sephiroth with a couple of paint guns. That took serious guts, and you were right there with me. Yet people are treating you like you did worse on the test than the rest of our squad, who all hung back like a bunch of... ow!"

Blinking and giving Cloud a hurt look, Zack actually pouted slightly at him. "What was that for?" he asked ruefully, leaning down to rub at his abused shin.

"Because you were getting loud enough for the whole mess to hear you, and you were about to call our squadmates cowards," Cloud replied in a low voice. "I don't think they'd likely appreciate it, and one or both of us might end up with some of them in our regiment once we're sworn in. Neither of us needs to start making enemies."

"True," Zack agreed sheepishly, lowering his voice as well to bring it back to a normal conversational tone. "See? I told you I needed you around to watch my back. You really think they'll split us up?" He looked faintly worried.

Cloud shrugged. "What reason would they have not to? They probably spread the new recruits out through all the platoons, so no one group has too many green people. It's not like they care that we're... friends." The last word came out more hesitantly than he'd meant it to, but he was still a little unsure of the whole thing. He kept expecting Zack to come to his senses. And if they were assigned to different regiments they'd hardly ever see each other, so he shouldn't let the older boy mean too much to him.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Zack looked thoughtful for a moment. "They don't have any reason not to put us together," he finally said. "And you and I both know I'm going to graduate this camp as the top-ranked cadet. That's gotta count for something if I make a request." He grinned. "Hell, if I need to, I'll write General Sephiroth and ask him if he can fix it. I think we impressed him, he might just help."

"You wouldn't dare!" Cloud gasped, though he had a fairly good feeling Zack would dare if he decided it was necessary. "You're completely insane, you know that?"

"So you keep saying," Zack said unrepentantly. "Good thing I've got you around to keep me humble. C'mon, it looks like they're gathering everyone up for the exit ceremony."

Glancing at what was left on his plate, Cloud sighed and decided it wasn't worth shovelling it into his mouth just for the sake of eating it. He'd probably choke on it. Zack scooped up one last large mouthful, but considering how little the older boy had gotten to eat Cloud couldn't blame him.

"You'd think they'd at least give us decent food for our send-off meal," Zack complained good-naturedly as they made their way out of the mess towards the parade ground. "Well, once we get our papers they can't take it back, right? So what will they do to me if I go raid the kitchens later?"

"I'm sure you'll find out," Cloud said dryly. "And I suppose you'll want me there to watch your back, so I'll probably find out, too."

"Now you're getting the idea," Zack agreed with a grin.

As squad captain Zack of course was the right marker for their section. Usually Cloud ended up somewhere in the middle of the back rank, out of sight. Tonight there weren't enough of them left to form more than one rank, but he was still surprised when the others blatantly left the first two spots in the rank open.

He nearly missed a step in his surprise, but he recovered quickly and took the place that had been left for him. Zack nudged him gently with his elbow, and he thought he caught a fleeting grin from Watt on his other side.

It finally occurred to him that the rest of their squad did know that Cloud had been just as much a part of the attack on Sephiroth as Zack, and this was their way of showing him honour for it.

Flushed with pleasure, he fixed his eyes front and centre and fought down a stupid grin. For all his determination, this was the first time it had really felt like he was going to get where he wanted to go. The first step to SOLDIER, indeed.

The ceremony was boring, of course. It hadn't taken long for Cloud to figure out that formal military inspections or reviews or ceremonies were all pretty much the same... he stood around in his uniform fighting the urge to fidget or look around, while various officials made boring long-winded speeches. The length of the speeches depended on the importance of the event, and that was pretty much the only difference.

He was just grateful that the general's Cure spell had left him energized as well as healed. He heard more than one desperately stifled yawn around them; everyone was exhausted after a ridiculously hard day of tests, but they hadn't been handed their papers yet. For all they knew, successfully getting through the graduation ceremony without falling asleep or otherwise drawing attention to themselves was just one final test.

At last the captain started calling names, and each cadet moved up to receive their graduation certificate and the transfer papers that listed what unit they were being assigned to. The captain nodded and shook each man's hand, and then they moved back into their rank to wait until everyone was finished.

They were calling names by squad, so it wasn't long before they got to squad three. Cloud was the first one called, and there was a certain amount of giddy joy to walking up in front of everyone and proving that yes, he could do it. As he marched back to his place in the ranks he saw Zack flash him a quick wink, and let his lips twitch in a brief grin in response.

Zack was last to go up in their squad, and he got a special commendation for having the best marks in the camp. The captain offered him a personal welcome to the ranks of Shinra as well as just shaking his hand, and Zack's salute in return was textbook perfect.

Then they had to wait while all the other squads were called. Cloud found he was grateful that relatively few people had passed the last day of boot camp; it meant the ceremony only dragged on for a month, rather than a year.

Once all the names had been called, the captain stepped up to address them again. Cloud started to tune the man out just as he had with all the other speeches, when Zack's elbow dug into his arm again and prodded him to attention.

"...have your kits packed and ready to go at oh-six-hundred tomorrow morning," the captain was saying. "Your gear will be transferred to your new unit's barrack, and you will be expected to report to your new commander by no later than oh-eight-hundred. As of that moment, your lives will officially belong to Shinra Corp, until such time as you are discharged for whatever reason." He gave them all a thin smile. "Enjoy your last night as free civilians. Dismissed!"

Nobody moved until the officers had left, of course, but the moment they were all free to move a roar of voices broke out. "Cloud! Did you hear that?" Zack grabbed him around the shoulders and tried to pull him into a headlock, and Cloud had to punch him hard in the ribs to get his grip to loosen enough for him to pull free. Zack just laughed at him, reaching out to ruffle his mussed hair instead. "We've got leave! Screw raiding the kitchens, we're going to town!"

"Who's 'we'?" Cloud wanted to know, narrowing his eyes at the older boy. "I don't know anyone out there, I'm just gonna stay here and pack."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Zack replied, and his cheerful tone promised that he intended to have a great deal to say about it. "We've got to celebrate, man! Anyway you know me, and I know people out there. I'll take you down to sector 7, there's a bar down there I washed dishes in for a while, they've got the best drinks and atmosphere anywhere under the plate."

"You want to go down to the slums?" Cloud asked, dismayed. He'd come in through Midgar's main gates and headed straight for the recruiting office, then gone from there to here. He hadn't seen the area of Midgar under the 'plate', but he'd heard the horror stories. Desperately he tried to think of a reason not to go that wouldn't make him sound like a chicken. "I... I don't have any money, Zack. I spent everything I had just getting here."

"Dumbass," Zack chuckled and snatched the envelope containing Cloud's transfer papers out of his hand, smacking him over the head with it. "Your first paycheque is in here." At Cloud's astonished look, the chuckle became an outright laugh. "Didn't anybody tell you? If you make it, the week of boot camp is considered paid time at the base rate for a private."

"Yep, and it's tradition to take it all and blow it on your last night of freedom," Ryan put in as he walked past them and overheard their discussion. "That's why they give it to you directly. After this we get paid by automatic deposit into an account with Shinra Corp, and you have to go through all kinds of paperwork to withdraw it. Enjoy yourselves, boys! I'm off to visit a couple of lady friends who are going to miss me sorely between leaves." He laughed and continued on his way, leaving them alone in the crowd again.

Flushing, Cloud shot Zack a suspicious look. "If that's what you've got in mind, I'm not interested," he said vehemently. The idea of paying a woman to have sex with him, a woman probably dozens of guys had been with before him, was totally unappealing.

Almost immediately he realized he probably should have chosen his words a little more carefully as Zack's grin turned innocently surprised. "Why, Cloud," he said, his tone just short of truly angelic. "I had no idea you weren't interested in women. Well, they do say the military is more progressive these days..."

"You... that's not what I meant and you know it!" Cloud punched at him, and Zack blocked it with his palm; Cloud had been expecting that, and Zack hadn't been expecting the kick that connected with his already abused shin while Zack was distracted by the punch.

"Ow! Damn it, kid, I need that bone," Zack exclaimed, hopping back out of reach with a grimace. "All right, I won't tease you. About that, anyway. You gotta admit that was a perfect straight line, though. You saving yourself for your true love or something?"

"No," Cloud flushed and rolled his eyes, trying not to think of a promise he'd made in the moonlight. That was... that didn't have anything to do with this conversation at all. "I just don't want to catch something nasty right before I report for my first day of duty."

"Well, it so happens I agree with you," Zack relented, grinning again. "And since most of these bastards are probably planning to follow Ryan's itinerary for the evening, it'd be crowded anyway. If I need some that badly, I'll go visit my girl in sector 5." He coughed and looked rueful. "Not that I'm likely to get much action there. Her mom hasn't left us alone together since that time she caught us kissing out in the garden."

"You have a girlfriend?" Cloud didn't know why he was surprised. Of course Zack had a girlfriend. He was smart, and strong, and sweet, and obviously going places in life. He probably had girls throwing themselves all over him, and his girlfriend would be the prettiest, smartest, nicest one of them all.

To his surprise, Zack flushed and ran a hand through his hair. "Nah. Nothing that formal. She's been a good friend to me since I got here, helped me find work and shelter and made sure I was always fed. We've messed around, but it's not serious." His grin this time was a little quirky. "I'll introduce you one of these days. She'll love you, and everyone loves her. Not tonight, though. Tonight is for celebrating with the guys."

"In other words, going out to get drunk," Cloud concluded with a sigh.

"Now you're getting the idea!" Zack agreed cheerfully. "You trust me, don't you?"

"I trust you to drag me into trouble right along with you," Cloud replied, but his mouth quirked in a small smile. Hades, he'd followed the man into battle against Sephiroth, how could he balk at doing anything less?

"Exactly," Zack snickered. "Trouble shared is trouble halved. Or something. Come on, if we don't hurry the shuttles back to the train platform will be full and we won't get to go!"

Cloud still wasn't entirely convinced that would be a bad thing, but he let Zack hustle him back to their bunks to change into civilian clothing. After a week of wearing nothing but the scratchy fabric of the standard issue cadet uniforms, jeans and a t-shirt felt almost sinfully good against his skin. "I hope our new uniforms aren't as uncomfortable as these ones were," he said as he tugged the shirt over his head and debated whether or not to grab his sweater as well. He didn't have much in the way of clothing, having worn out most of what he'd left home with on the journey here.

"Gotta be," was Zack's considered opinion as the older boy ran a brush through his hair. "Damn, I wish they hadn't made me cut my hair. Think they'll let me grow it out again when I get into SOLDIER?"

"You too, huh?" Cloud ran a hand over his own spikes, thinking wistfully of the ponytail he'd been forced to chop off. "Probably. The general's was long."

"Yeah, but he's Sephiroth," Zack said, shaking his head. "We'll see, I guess. Hey, did you check your transfer orders yet?"

"Not yet," Cloud replied, grabbing the envelope and slipping it open. Inside was a cheque on official Shinra paper, as Zack had promised. The thick packet of papers was too complicated for him to be able to skim through it effectively, but he found the name of his new unit easily enough. "3rd rifle battalion, alpha company, B platoon," he read. "You?"

"Hah!" Zack's exclamation was triumphant. "I won't even have to ask for any favours, after all. That's my assignment too. I claim top bunk!"

"You're welcome to it, and I won't have any pity for you when you fall off in your sleep," Cloud retorted, but he couldn't keep his genuine relief out of his voice. Something had relaxed inside him at Zack's declaration that they'd been assigned to the same unit, and he was a little reluctant to admit to himself just how happy he was about it.

At least it meant he could let himself safely enjoy the friendship Zack seemed determined to extend to him, without fear of turning around and losing it tomorrow.

Which led him right back to the fact that Zack was dragging him out to the slums, of course. He sighed again. "Why is it I can already tell I'm going to feel put-upon a lot of the time when I'm with you?" he asked as Zack grabbed a jacket and they both headed for the door.

"Clearly, because we are soul mates," Zack said mock-seriously. "How else could you understand me that well this quickly? Brace yourself, this is the part where realization strikes and we have to do the 'run through the flowers and fling ourselves into each other's arms with sappy declarations of love' scene."

"Well, we're a little short on flowers, but if you want to do the sappy declarations, just hang on a second while I find a recorder," Cloud replied, shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. "I'm not going to pass up blackmail material like that. I can tell I'm going to need it."

"Heh. Blackmail only works if you're ashamed of what's on the tape," Zack said. "You'll have a damn tough time blackmailing me, kid. C'mon, let's go! The night is wasting!"

Maybe it was because they were both relatively fresh and almost everyone else was suffering from the day's efforts, but even with their arguing and Cloud's attempts to stall they made it to the shuttle well before it was full. Cloud let Zack take the window seat because it wasn't worth the argument, and plopped down beside him.

Someone from another squad leaned over the seat in front of them and started asking about Sephiroth. More than happy to let Zack field the latest round of repetitive questions, Cloud tuned them out and sank into thought.

Everything since the fight with Sephiroth seemed a little surreal. Cloud kept wondering if maybe the general had cast Confuse on him, and he was just imagining everything since then. When Zack turned his full attention on you, it was so hard not to respond. The older boy had done it last night over KP as well, drawing him out into talking and laughing in a way he couldn't ever remember doing before.

Was this what having a close friend was like? Someone who could tease you and you knew it wasn't malicious, someone you could tease back and who would laugh with you when you actually managed to get a point of your own? If it was, Cloud thought he could get used to it. He already liked it, though it made him a little nervous to open himself to someone this way.

"Gil for your thoughts?" Zack startled him by asking, and Cloud blinked his eyes open to find the older boy looking at him with a curious expression. "Then again, they seemed like they were pretty serious, so maybe they're worth more than that?"

"Nah," Cloud shook his head, feeling oddly embarrassed. "They're not even worth that much. I was just thinking about what a bad influence you've been on me already."

"Corrupting influence," Zack corrected him, laughing. " 'Bad' is subjective, but nobody could argue that I haven't been a properly corrupting influence."

"How exactly are you planning to get me into a bar, anyway?" Cloud wanted to know, changing the subject before they could wander into uncomfortable territory. "You're underage too, but at least you look old enough. As you so thoughtfully pointed out, I don't."

"There is no such thing as 'underage' under the plate," Zack shrugged. "That's a concept for a civilized society. If you're old enough to be able to see over the bar to ask for the drink, you're old enough to drink it. Besides, you're a trooper now." He snorted. "Drunk and disorderly is an expected condition for us when we're on leave. You have to live up to the image."

They transferred to the train that ran in a spiral down through Midgar to the lower sections without any problems, but as soon as they got beneath the plate it was like entering an entirely different world. Even though it was still only sunset above, they were plunged into a world of eternal night that was more than a little disturbing. Cloud blinked at the sudden transition, trying to accustom his eyes.

"It's always a little startling," Zack said, leaning against a pole beside him. The train was packed with cadets and other troops on leave, and there hadn't been room to sit. "You never quite get used to it. Creepy, huh?"

"It's... not right," was Cloud's uneasy response, as he shivered. He was glad the Shinra military compound was above the plate, where the sun could shine down on them properly. He didn't think he could live in this permanent gloom without going a little crazy. "You lived down here for a year and a half?"

"It's not so bad," Zack shrugged. "There are good points to it. Though I have to admit, except for a couple of friends I'll be leaving behind, I won't be sad to move back into the sun. And I can always visit."

"Or have them visit you," Cloud suggested, leaning closer to the grimy window so he could look up at the plate above. "Who on earth decided it was a good idea to build a city on top of a bunch of other towns? Wouldn't it have been easier to just find a new place to build on?"

Zack laughed. "You know, I have no idea. Personally, I suspect Shinra built it just to prove they could. Hey look, we're coming into sector 6. You ever see anything so gaudy in your life?"

Looking out at the sea of garish lights and signs in the business district, Cloud listened as Zack pointed out sites of interest and explained what all the different buildings housed. The majority of the troops and cadets got off at the sector 6 platform. "Heading for the Honeybee," Zack said with a wink that told Cloud all he needed to know about that particular establishment. At least it gave them some breathing room on the train.

The bar Zack had wanted to take him to wasn't far from the station 7 platform, which Cloud was grateful for as it meant he didn't have to walk too far under the unnatural gloom of the plate. Once inside the warm, noisy, well-lighted atmosphere of the bar it was easier to relax, to pretend he was in any one of a hundred similar establishments that probably existed above the plate.

Enthusiastic greetings followed Zack's progress through the crowd, and he greeted most people by name in return. "Your usual, Zack?" the bartender asked, and Zack made a scornful noise.

"Nah. Beer's for an ordinary night, however much Gongagan beer is a cut above the rest," he declared, to much cheerful booing from those around them. Cloud stayed mostly in Zack's shadow, more than happy to let the older boy take all the attention. "Tonight is a night to celebrate! Cloud and I are officially troops of Shinra, and well on our way to SOLDIER!"

There was a round of cheering and applause at that, and Cloud was a little surprised. He'd have expected the people beneath the plate to be resentful of Shinra and everything it stood for. Maybe they were, and it was just that Zack was popular enough that they were applauding his accomplishment more than anything else. But they also seemed to be genuinely applauding Cloud as well. He flushed under the attention, but wasn't displeased.

"So! To start the night off right..." Zack flashed that incorrigible grin at the bartender, and the man chuckled in response. "A shot each of Fire 3 for me and Cloud, please." Another cheer, at their bravery this time, which made Cloud a little apprehensive about what Zack was about to try to pour down his throat.

Watching the bartender concoct the shots was fascinating, though. He poured a bit of this and a bit of that, somehow keeping the liquids in their distinct layers, so that the whole thing was striped in shades of red and gold. Then he thrust a clear rod into the middle and stirred once, and suddenly bits of red and gold were swirling around each other in separate but slowly blending waves that did indeed sort of resemble dancing flames. With a flourish the man set fire to the two shots, and shoved them towards Zack and Cloud.

"Quick, before it's too hot to drink," Zack urged him with a laugh, reaching for his own drink. He deftly blew the fire out and downed the shot all in one go, tipping his head back and shivering. "Hoo boy! That is some damn fine shit, right there."

Not wanting to seem like a coward, Cloud steeled himself and reached for his own shot. The fire was hot against his face as he blew it out, and the liquid scorched his tongue and mouth on the way down. He'd expected it to be harsh enough to make him choke, but it went down smoothly, tasting of cinnamon and spices and even, somehow, of heat.

Then the effect of it actually hit him, a sharp fire that blossomed in his throat and spread rapidly down to his stomach. He gasped, for a moment afraid he'd waited too long and the liquid had burned him badly, but the fire wasn't actually painful. Warmth spread through his whole body, and he felt a little light-headed. "Whoa," was all he could think to say, dazed. No wonder the drink was named after a powerful fire spell.

"See? I told you that you could trust me," Zack said cheerfully. "I'll have you know I have very good taste." He reached for his wallet; they'd both taken a moment to cash their paycheques before boarding the train, and while a week as a cadet wasn't exactly enough to let them live comfortably for any length of time, they weren't going to have to worry about how much the drinks cost tonight.

"Nope, this one's on the house," the bartender said good-naturedly, shaking his head at Zack. "Congratulations, boys."

Laughing, Zack pressed the money on him again. "A round for the house, then," the dark-haired boy insisted. This pronouncement was greeted by more cheering from the crowd. "Share the joy, and all that. What do you want to try next, Cloud? Something sweet, or sour, or spicy again?"

Later, when Cloud tried to remember the events of the night, it was mostly lost in the haze of alcoholic fog. There must have been another cadet there, or else Zack had told the story at some point when Cloud wasn't listening, because it seemed like everyone already knew about their attack on Sephiroth. Unlike the other cadets these people seemed perfectly willing to believe that Cloud might have been just as much a part of it as Zack had been, which left him bombarded with all kinds of questions. His shoulder started to ache with how often people had slapped him there in congratulations.

He never got quite drunk enough to start getting sick; he wasn't sure if Zack had been watching out for him or if the bartender had just been careful not to serve him more if it seemed like he was at his limit, but Cloud was fairly certain it wasn't his own doing. At the same time, he was never allowed to sober up too much either. Eventually he found himself laughing and joking with the rest of the crowd, chattering as cheerfully as if he were Zack. Apparently he was a happy drunk, and it felt good enough that he didn't even try to fight it.

Zack, on the other hand, seemed to be a touchy drunk. He spent what seemed like half the night with an arm slung over Cloud's shoulder, dragging him this way and that to introduce him to various people, or try a new drink, or challenge him at the arcade games, or whatever else struck his fancy. It wasn't just Cloud, either; he was always ruffling people's hair or punching them in the arm in a friendly manner or just generally making a nuisance of himself. Cloud found he didn't mind as much as he might have, as it was hard to object to the warm camaraderie Zack insisted on dragging him into.

It seemed like it couldn't have been more than a few hours before the bartender was announcing last call, and Cloud stared around him in confusion. "What time is it? Why are they closing so early?" he asked, his voice a bit slurred.

Laughing in that careless way that only someone who is drunk can manage, Zack leaned on his shoulder and grinned at him. "It's stupidly late, kid," he replied, shaking his head. "Or stupidly early, depends on how you look at it. We've probably only got a few hours before we have to report. Just enough time to sleep off the last of the drunk, and it's a good thing they'll probably be expecting everyone to show up with hangovers."

"What? No way," Cloud protested, trying to make his fuzzy mind work properly. "We haven't been here that long!"

"Sure we have," Zack shrugged, and nudged him back towards the bar. "C'mon, one last drink for the road. What should we have?" He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded, his eyes gleaming. "I know. Liquid mako!"

Waving acknowledgement, the bartender set to work mixing the last drinks for them. Cloud couldn't see what he was doing this time through the crowd of people around the bar, but the glasses that were handed to them were half-filled with a glowing green liquid that did indeed look very much like mako.

"It's not really, is it?" Cloud asked, eyes wide as he gingerly accepted the glass and held it away from him. Mako this concentrated would not only be worth this whole bar and then some, but probably toxic as well. Everyone knew that mako overexposure could do strange things to you; that was what the modifications made to SOLDIERS were based on, in fact.

"Nah, not really," Zack snickered. "It'll keep us awake and aware enough to make it back to the camp, though! Drink up!" He clinked his glass against Cloud's, and they both knocked back the drinks at the same time.

It wasn't unlike the effect of the Fire 3 he'd started with, Cloud thought in a daze as the effects of the drink poured over him, but at the same time it was completely different. It felt like pure energy; not fire or lightning, but just energy. He'd been a little drowsy with the warmth and the alcohol before, but now he was wide-awake. "What...?"

"The base is a Potion," Zack explained, grabbing him around the shoulders again. "And it's got some Speed Drink in it, not enough to Haste you, but enough for you to feel it. Best thing to end the night with, it helps mitigate the hangover. But we definitely want to be back in our bunks before it wears off, because we'll probably crash hard."

Cloud had never experienced Haste so he couldn't make any comparisons, but he did feel as if everything around him was just a bit sharper, a little slower, easier to process and react to. "Wow," he said, shaking his head. He immediately regretted it, as the room spun around him a bit. He was still drunk then, however clear-headed he felt at the moment. It was only an illusion, and he'd have to be careful to remember that.

"Let's go, then," he said, with a crooked grin of his own. "I don't want it to wear off before we get back; being found passed out in a gutter somewhere probably won't look very good on our records when we're applying for SOLDIER."

"Truer words were never spoken," Zack chuckled. "Off we go!"

The effects of the drink seemed to make Zack even more exuberant than usual, and he babbled endlessly the entire way back through sector 7 to the train. Cloud was content to just listen, finding himself grateful for Zack's warm arm around him. The night air was chilly after the heat of the crowd in the bar.

By the time they made it back to the camp, the effects were starting to wear off. Both Cloud and Zack were dragging their feet, and Cloud could see why Zack had described it as 'crashing'. "Think we'll actually get any sleep?" he wondered wistfully as they staggered towards the building where their squad shared sleeping quarters with three other squads. "Drunk guys coming in at all hours..."

"Nah, most of them will spend the night in the city," Zack asserted, shrugging. "Wouldn't surprise me if we're the only ones in the barrack."

They weren't, as it turned out, but the three people inside were sleeping the oblivious sleep of the drunk, and they hardly even needed to worry about waking anyone. They did their best to stay quiet anyway, though they weren't entirely successful.

Cloud had the bunk by the door, the least desirable spot, but he had it all to himself. His bunkmate had been one of the first to drop out. Zack glanced at the empty upper bunk, then down the long narrow room to where his own bunk was. "Too far," he declared wearily. "I'm just gonna bunk in with you tonight, if you don't mind."

"I don't care," Cloud shook his head, stifling a yawn. His eyes were drooping, and he couldn't blame Zack for not wanting to go the extra twenty feet. "Can you even get up there?"

"I'll manage," Zack chuckled, wrinkling his nose. "Last thing we need is the rumour mill going about us being found curled up in bed together."

Cloud felt the flush start at the base of his neck and sweep upwards until it felt like his ears were on fire. "No, definitely not," he agreed immediately, wincing at the very thought. He'd heard that such things were more accepted in big cities like Midgar, but 'more accepted' didn't mean 'acceptable'.

"Heh. You're cute when you blush like that," Zack murmured, and his grin had an odd quality to it that Cloud hadn't seen before. Swallowing, Cloud looked back at him, wondering if it was only his imagination that put that look in Zack's eyes. Considering what they'd just been talking about, and how drunk he was...

Then warm lips closed over his, clumsy with the effects of all the alcohol they'd drunk, and Cloud made a startled noise. Zack had his hand on Cloud's shoulder, preventing him from jerking away reflexively, and Cloud was drunk enough that he couldn't seem to figure out what he was supposed to do in response to this.

It was over almost as quickly as it had started, and he blinked at Zack, dazed. "Way too cute," Zack declared again, grinning and ruffling Cloud's hair. "Sweet dreams, kid."

With that he kicked off his boots and hauled himself up into the upper bunk with a motion that looked effortless, but that Cloud probably couldn't have managed in a million years. Cloud stood there just staring up at him long after quiet snores told him Zack had joined the others in drunken oblivion, wondering if he'd just imagined the whole thing.

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