Disclaimer: meh.

Pairing: Zack x Cloud

Orbiting Gravity

By: yukuro

"Stop always trying to protect me."

Looking up as he bandaged the light cut on his arm, Zack grinned sheepishly up at his blond friend who currently stared pointedly down at him. Once again he had tried to protect his friend from injury, and once again Zack received a light injury instead. Laughing slightly, the dark haired SOLDIER replied, "This little injury is nothing, Cloud! Don't worry."

"If it's nothing," Cloud began in a stormy tone, "then you should have just let me take it. I'm not a child. I don't always need to be protected."

"But I want to protect you," Zack replied cheerfully, finishing the knot before rolling his sleeve down again. He turned to face Cloud's serious expression. "Let me be selfish a little, won't you?"

Frown deepening, Cloud clenched his fists silently, his angry expression wavering slightly as Zack's sincere smile was directed at it. Squeezing his eyes shut, the blond stiffly turned to storm out of the medical room. He hated being treated as if he could not take care of himself, but he simply could not stay mad when his friend smiled at him so gently.

Retreating into his room, Cloud sighed slightly before falling onto his bed. Training had finished for the day, and the other recruits were out enjoying their free time on camp. It was rare that training had finished before the sun had completely set, and all recruits had run out in almost childish glee to bask in whatever daylight hours they had left. The next day was their day off, and all of the men more than willingly went out into the city. All, that is, but Cloud who simply lay limply on his bed, burying his face in his almost-soft pillow.

There were too many things stocked in his mind, making him feel dizzy and almost sick. More than all, however, he was frustrated. Zack always treated him more tenderly than everyone else, with more care and gentleness. Although he would not be the first to complain, Cloud was still bothered by this.

If Zack was constantly looking out for Cloud and making sure the blond boy was safe and unhurt, who would look after Zack? Of course, Shin-ra had roughly taught the basics of an army sticking together and staying uniform, but once they were on the battlefield, everyone was more or less on their own. Even if their comrade fell, the most important thing was to finish whatever duty they had been given. All soldiers knew this. Yet why did Zack have to be so stubborn?

Wounds would heal in time, but the guilt would never die. Cloud was growing tired of seeing Zack in the medical wing over and over again for some other careless would he had attained from his recent attempt to protect Cloud. He was used to being alone and used to being shunned, and those feelings no longer fazed him. What he could not bear was Zack's insufferable kindness.

"Idiot," Cloud scowled into his pillow. Just as he closed his eyes, the door slid open. Cloud felt a frown tug at his lips lightly. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Still mad?" Zack asked from the doorway, a grin plastered on his face. Slowly, he slid the door shut again and made his way towards Cloud. "You know, you say you don't want to be treated like a kid, but you're stubborn like one anyway. Not to mention you pout like one."

Turning to glare over his shoulder at his friend, Cloud scowled as Zack comfortably took a seat on the edge of his bed. Silently, he turned his head again and returned his nose to his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut again with a soft humph of disdain.

Zack smirked at his friend's motions. Cloud was simply proving him right, the stubborn little brat. Most knew Cloud Strife as a silent loner, but Zack now knew better. Cloud had a fiery temper at times, the dark haired soldier knew better than anyone. After all, the brunt of the younger soldier's anger had been settled on him after all. Even as annoyingly brat-like he was at times, Zack could not help but find him endearing.

"Cloud…" Zack began slowly. He blinked when the blond suddenly sat up and grudgingly turned to face him. With more surprise, he repeated in a different tone, "…Cloud?"

Frown still set on his face, Cloud, with slight embarrassment, tugged on the dark haired soldier's arm before slowly unraveling the previously wrapped bandages. Grudgingly, he muttered, "You're a useless idiot. You still can't bandage tightly enough."

Grinning slightly as the blond slowly began to unravel the bandages, Zack lifted his other arm to bring his hand to ruffle his friend's blond spikes affectionately. "Of course," he teased, "I haven't had as much practice as you did back in your earlier recruit days. Plus, it's not so easy to do it with one hand, you know. Ow!"

Frown deepening, Cloud tied the final knot with a bit extra force than necessary. Shining blue eyes slowly lowered to the white cloth just as his fingers came up to meet the tightly bandaged arm. Solemnly, he said, "One day it won't be just a little scratch. You'll be hurt. You might even die… Stop doing stupid things for me."

"Don't be so serious all the time," Zack replied cheerfully, reaching out to lift his friend's chin a bit so that their gazes met. "Honestly, I would feel better that it's me rather than you. You with your—" he gingerly picked up one of Cloud's slightly feminine hands, "—delicate little body. How can I let you hurt yourself?"

"You can't do this forever!" Cloud snapped, pulling his hand away. "I don't care if we're friends or not! This is serious! You're a first-class SOLDIER. If you were gone…"

"Would you be sad?" Zack provoked, leaning forward a bit, making Cloud turn away, flustered. Not waiting for an answer, he laughed. "Don't think too much about it. I'm not about to die any time soon. If I'm gone, who'll be left to protect you? Especially with Sephiroth as your hero."

Cloud shot the other soldier a pointed glare.

The dark haired soldier simply shrugged in amusement. He was actually quite guilty of finding Cloud's angry face the cutest of all, but he wasn't going to admit that. He may as well tell Cloud he wanted to be killed right there and then. The blond never did take teasing very well, Zack thought with a grin.

Neither had noticed Cloud still had his hand resting gently over Zack's bandaged arm. Only when Cloud's roommate returned and coughed rather loudly at the awkward situation, did the two separate themselves to a more friend-appropriate distance.

As Cloud's roommate walked to his own bed, a suspicious look still on his face, Zack rose to his feet and made his way towards the door. "Well, Cloud," he said loudly, an easy-going smile returning to his lips. "Since tomorrow is an off day, I'll come kidnap you later. Can't have you moping around your room all day now. Until then, take care of yourself!"

Closing his eyes irritably, Cloud folded his arms behind his head and fell back on his pillow again. He hated the way Zack could switch from mood to mood so easily. There was little doubt that he was the exact opposite of Cloud.

As Zack disappeared out the door and around the corner, Cloud's roommate commented stiffly and rather suspiciously, "You two are quite good friends, aren't you?"

Merely frowning in response, Cloud rolled over and did his best to suppress his irritation. Zack really was infuriating, even when he was not physically present.

"That idiot."

---

Cloud had barely pulled on a sweater when a soft knocked sounded at his door. He somewhat bitterly wondered when he had gotten used to waking up in the dead of the night and sneaking out for a drink with Zack. The older soldier was such a bad influence on him.

"Couldn't you have waited until morning?" Cloud asked with a frown as he stepped out of his room and into the dark hall where Zack stood waiting. "We have the day off."

"I'd say you got dressed pretty fast yourself, Spikey," Zack retorted with a smirk. Cloud's flustered glare and randomly sputtered insults simply fed the older soldier's amusement. "We may as well go out early. That way we'll have more time! Or are you still worried about drinking at your young, tender age?"

"Oh, shut up. Like your two or three extra years make you superior to me," Cloud snapped with a scowl, stomping down the hall, quietly as he could without waking the other soldiers up but loud enough so that he made his point.

Shrugging good-naturedly, Zack simply grinned and followed the blond down the hall. He had to admit that he thoroughly enjoyed picking on Cloud every now and then, but it was only because he cared about the younger boy. Ever since the beginning, Zack had thought of Cloud as some fragile child, admittedly, but he never denied Cloud's strength either. He simply wanted to protect the blond. It was an unexplainable feeling, and lately, the feeling had been growing stronger.

"Pick up the speed," Cloud commented with a frown as he glanced over his shoulder. "Or next time just wait until the morning."

Zack grinned in response, jogging to catch up. His emotions had grown intense, probably an unfitting quality for a soldier. Silently, he wondered when he had begun to feel as if he never wanted to leave Cloud's side. Grinning wider at the back of the blond's head, he muttered to himself, "I guess it's the power of your gravity."

"What?" Cloud asked suddenly, hearing a soft whisper directed at the back of his neck. He blinked when Zack ruffled his hair affectionately. Once the dark haired man's hand moved from his head, Cloud glanced up at him with glowing, Mako-infused eyes before asking, "What was that for?"

Simply chuckling in response, Zack strode ahead, leading the way off SOLDIER headquarters. It was better to hide his stronger emotions away from Cloud. After all, Cloud knew better than anyone Zack's rather scandalous past with countless women. It may have been awkward or even frightening if he began to show any distinct affinity for the blond. Zack signed inwardly. Of course, the task would not be easy either.

After walking in silence through the streets of Midgar, the two finally stopped at a familiar bar that they had always gone to. As they walked in through the door, the bartender greeted them cheerfully, recognizing the pair at once before going about to fill their usual orders. Zack always did seem to like to drink a bit more than was necessary, Cloud mused to himself as he took a seat next to his friend on a stool at the counter.

Stretching out his arms as their drinks were placed before them, Zack let out a sigh of contentment as Cloud rolled his eyes slightly. Turning slightly to smirk at the blond, Zack commented, "I saw that."

Not responding, Cloud simply picked up his glass and examined it as if it had something extremely interesting written on it.

"You know," Zack began, taking a sip of his own drink, "you were probably cuter when you were a quiet little loner. Although, I'm not complaining that you have some spunk now."

"I didn't know it was possible to be drunk before even drinking anything," Cloud commented rather darkly before finally taking a sip. Closing his eyes as the cool liquid slid down his throat, the blond felt his eyebrows knit slightly. No matter how often he drank, the first sip of every drink always tasted terrible. He rather bitterly supposed that he was a child in that way.

The two drank in silence for a short while, but before long, Zack's outgoing personality stepped in and they soon engaged in conversation. From the latest interesting occurrences during training to the details of some mission here or there, the two spoke freely about as much as they could, the alcohol dismissing more of Cloud's reserved nature. After draining a few glasses, Cloud was beginning to feel tipsy while Zack was merely flushing slightly. The sun had still yet to rise, but when Cloud began to tip over in his chair slightly despite the Mako energy that fueled him, Zack had declared loudly it was time to head back.

Sighing as he draped one of Cloud's arms around his neck, Zack slipped his free arm around the blond's waist to support him as they left the bar. "Well," he began, eyes wandering to the younger soldier's flushed face, "it's unlike you to drink past your limit. Mad about something?"

Frowning, Cloud shifted his weight and pushed away from Zack as far as he could without tripping over his own feet. Closing his glowing blue eyes for a moment, he retorted, "I'm not mad about anything. And I'm not drunk."

Snorting when Cloud just barely missed running smack into a streetlight, Zack folded his arms. Wryly, he commented, "I beg to differ, little boy. We're not going to make it back to grounds. We may as well stay in the city until the morning comes."

Too tired to complain too much, Cloud simply sighed and brought a hand to his temple as he continued down the sidewalk. He did, however, complain whenever Zack made an attempt to take hold of his arm or make some other move to help him along. He was quite sure he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

"Looks like we'll have to cross the construction area to get to the nearest hotel," Zack muttered, observing his darkened surroundings as his blond companion rubbed his temples. Turning to face said companion, Zack warned seriously, "There'll probably be several loose building parts and construction tools around the ground so be careful when you're walking."

"I'll be fine," Cloud mumbled in response, bringing his arm down to his side again. He sighed slightly when his friend took a firm hold on his wrist to guide him. Wrenching his thin wrist from the older man's grip, Cloud repeated, "I'll be fine, I said."

Doubtfully with a frown, Zack shot his friend a look, but gave up when determined blue eyes glowed seriously back at him. Sighing in defeat, Zack gave in and continued along the path with Cloud trudging behind him. He was beginning to worry about the way Cloud made him feel so terribly weak. It was hard not to give in to the blond's every whim. Although, that was probably only Zack's problem considering the fact that the other soldiers and commanders had no problem with putting Cloud down whenever possible. The thought made a deeper frown settle on Zack's face as he trekked quietly in the dark.

As predicted, remnants of blocks and scrap metal lay scattered upon the ground, not to mention the foundation of the building in construction was still rather weak and probably ready to collapse at any given moment. Definitely not a safe place for a tipsy soldier to be walking through, Zack concluded grimly. Cloud was stubborn though. If he said he didn't want help going through, he did not want help, and Zack knew better than to invoke the blond's fury. Cloud's grudges were never really pleasant to deal with.

Stepping gingerly into the open spaces on the ground, Zack tiptoed through the construction area, wary of keeping an eye on Cloud as he did so. Much to the dark haired soldier's relief, the blond was doing fine getting through without stumbling too much or crashing into anything. Keeping his eyes on the path before him while occasionally glancing back at Cloud, Zack let out a slight sigh of relief as he continued, slightly more relaxed.

Despite the extra boost his Mako-glowing blue eyes gave, Cloud was still having a bit of trouble making it through the area. Objects looked a bit fuzzy here and there, but nothing was glaringly blurry. Of course, he would never even think of admitting to Zack that he was even having the slightest bit of trouble seeing. That would only make the older man want to help him along as if he were completely helpless to begin with. Instead, he reached out for a pole to steady himself.

Cloud sighed slightly relief as he stabled himself. Closing his eyes, he could not help but swoon slightly, his head feeling light and dizzy. There was a loud crash-like sound, and he could faintly hear Zack shouting his name. But his body felt too tired and heavy to move…

"Damn," Zack cursed under his breath as he held Cloud tightly in his arms, doing his best to ignore the pain from the falling construction materials that had fallen onto his back. Smiling wryly at Cloud's dazed face, he muttered, "Not drunk, huh? If I waited just another second, your head would have a power tool through it right now."

Brows furrowing in annoyance, Cloud pulled slightly on Zack's shirt to help steady himself. He shot a sharp glance at his friend when Zack winced visibly. Suddenly, Cloud became aware of what had just happened.

Regaining a clear mind father than another blink of the eye, Cloud balled his fists together and glared helplessly at the ever-smiling Zack, who must have been in a certain amount of pain after all the various sharp objects from the previous level crashed onto his back. Biting his lip, Cloud attempted to lessen his frown even when he spotted the dabs of blood leaking from the other man's shirt. Even if Zack was a SOLDIER First Class, sharp nails and screws along with various tools still did pierce his skin.

"You're an idiot," Cloud stated in a choked voice as he glared at his friend. Zack simply smiled back at him while gingerly pulling his shirt off. Growing slightly more desperate and angry, Cloud shouted through gritted teeth, "I told you not to protect me!"

"A few cuts on my back is nothing compared to what could have happened if that nail had gone through your head," Zack replied rather cheerfully, dabbing at the assorted cuts on his back. "Besides, you're just—"

"I'm not a kid!" Cloud shouted shakily, glaring back at his friend, blue eyes stormy. He hated it. He hated to see Zack hurt, and for his sake. It was all stupid Zack's fault for always trying to protect him. "You don't have to protect me! I can take care of myself!"

"Cloud, you are a kid!" Zack finally snapped back, his gaze growing serious and almost dangerous. His sharp eyes made Cloud's expression soften in surprise. Folding his eyes away behind his eyelids, Zack turned his face away. "Cloud… I do this because I care about you."

"I'm not a child," the blond repeated softly and seriously, almost as if he had not heard anything else Zack had said. Blue eyes turning slowly to gaze at his dark haired friend, Cloud muttered, "I'll prove it to you."

Zack blinked in confusion. Even though Cloud had just spoken so seriously, he suddenly turned to walk in the opposite direction. Frowning, Zack rose tentatively to his feet and limped lightly after the younger boy although still unaware of his intentions. They continued to walk in silence until the reached the hotel that had sought earlier.

Breathing out a sigh of relief once they were checked in, Zack wearily turned to close the door behind him. Cloud had not yet spoken a single word to him since they left the construction site, strange as his words had been at that time. Setting an affectionate smile on his face, Zack could not help but think Cloud was just cute and innocent that way.

…that was, until he felt a warm tongue licking away the blood from the wounds on his back.

Breath caught in his throat and heart pausing mid-beat, Zack murmured questioningly in a strained voice, "…Cloud?"

Cloud remained silent, eyes closed as he carefully licked the wounds on his friend's back.

"Don't do that," Zack muttered, lifting his head to gaze at the ceiling that was slowly blurring before him. Letting out a slightly awkwardly forced carefree laugh, he continued, "Don't you know it'll get infected that way?"

The older soldier was instantly hushed when he felt cool, smooth hands brushing across his stomach to encircle his waist. Zack bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as Cloud rested the side of his face softly against his back. Last time Zack had checked, he was still wide awake and far away from those frequent, impossible dreams of his in which Cloud let him do anything and everything he wanted. Why then, he wondered dizzily, was he stuck in a dream now?

Sighing reluctantly, Zack took a step forward to put some space between himself and the blond before turning around to face Cloud's hazy blue eyes. Questioningly, he gazed into the twin puddles of blue, searching for an answer. Softly, he muttered, "What're you doing, Cloud?"

Lowering his head slightly to hide his eyes behind his bangs, Cloud inched forward again until he had Zack backed into the door. Slowly, he lifted his head again and hided his grief-filled blue eyes, nearly making the dark haired solder's heart stop beating. Silently, Cloud rose on his toes until his lips brushed across Zack's tense ones. Only when he felt Zack's shaky hand gently cupping the side of his face did Cloud open his eyes again.

"Don't do this to me, Cloud," Zack moaned slightly desperately, staring down helplessly into Cloud's innocent blue eyes. Seriously, he mumbled, "Any more of this and I won't be able to take it. Quit torturing me."

"I'm not a child," Cloud whispered in response, rising on his toes again to let his lips lightly brush across Zack's again. He barely acknowledged the frustrated sigh Zack let escape through their chaste kiss.

"Is that what this is about?" demanded Zack irritably, directing his gaze towards the corner of the room, anywhere but Cloud's eyes. Sighing in frustration, he ran a hand sloppily through his dark hair before letting a curse escape his lips under his breath. "Not a funny joke, Cloud. If you keep this up, I might really take advantage of you while you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Cloud replied seriously, eyes glowing defiantly to prove it. His gaze remained fixed on Zack's face until the dark haired soldier finally turned to meet it. Their gazes battled silently for a moment before Zack finally turned away, giving up reluctantly.

Closing what little distance they still had between them, Zack approached Cloud smoothly, gently pulling the blond into his embrace. He let out another soft sigh of conflicted emotions when he felt Cloud rest his head easily on his bare chest. Reaching down to tilt the blond's head slightly up so that their gazes met again, Zack fingered Cloud's lips softly. Dryly, he commented, "You and whatever god up there that exists had better forgive me for this one."

For the third time, their lips met. However, the previous chastity of the childish kisses initiated by Cloud had disappeared. Zack kissed the blond intensely, making Cloud's knees wobble slightly. Just when the blond parted his lips to allow more air in to breathe, Zack drove his tongue in tentatively, battling with Cloud's momentarily for dominance before Cloud submitted and slumped into his arms.

Neither was sure when or how, but they soon found themselves lying in a heap on one of the beds in the room, arms encircled about each other. Cloud closed his eyes as he felt Zack's lips trail his body. His mouth opened slightly to let out a gasp on occasions when the dark haired soldier's lips or tongue met a particularly sensitive area. When he felt lips on his own again, all his insignificant worries in the back of his mind suddenly melted away.

In a sense, this was what Cloud had always wanted. He wanted Zack to treat him as an equal in every aspect, but somehow it had turned out that he was submitting to Zack and his gentle smile again. Once again, Cloud gave Zack control, and once again Zack treated him far more delicately than he would have anyone else.

Pain and pleasure came and went as both lost themselves in their rhythmic motion. And when both hit their limits, they gasped simultaneously before falling against the soft sheets together, panting and blinking away the stars that twinkled in their vision. Cloud bit his lip when he felt Zack lick smoothly at the tears that had formed in pain. In the end, his emotions were lost, having erupted somewhere along the path.

"If gravity draws the stars and planets together," Zack muttered faintly as Cloud closed his eyes and cuddled against his side, "what is it that draws people together?"

"The same gravity," Cloud replied in a mutter, blue eyes half open. Gazing hazily at a blank spot on the graying hotel room wall, he continued quietly, "People are always drawn hopelessly together because there's really is no one that can live completely alone. People need each other to survive, so they were given gravity to capture the presence of others."

"Then, Cloud," Zack said quietly with a soft smile, as he turned to pull the blond into a tighter embrace, "your gravity is irresistible, even if you don't realize it. People are pulled towards you because your gravity orbits so. This is why I and others to come can't help but want to protect you."

"I hate that," Cloud responded, brows furrowing in sorrowful frustration as he buried his face in Zack's chest. "I don't want others to protect me. I don't want to see them hurt. I…want to protect them instead. If you're hurt, it gets harder for me to breathe."

"It's just a selfish choice of mine you won't be able to change," the dark haired soldier chuckled lightly. "Cloud, if you were the sun, I would be the planet desperately orbiting you in attempt to get closer. It's impossible to fight gravity though. Didn't you know? The sun is vital to life."

Cloud squeezed his eyes tighter shut as his brows knitted upward in grief. In response, Zack simply smiled as he always did.

"I'll protect you forever."

Blue eyes still hidden as blackness entered his consciousness, Cloud whispered in a chocked tone, "Liar."

---

"Liar."

As usual, Zack smiled faintly up at Cloud, ignoring the splats of blood hindering his vision. Cheerfully, he let out a soft laugh before lifting his hand to finger the side of Cloud's face. "Sorry," he apologized sincerely, his eyes harboring just as much sorrow as Cloud's did, "I'm really sorry my promise can only extend to now."

"This is why," Cloud muttered angrily as a few angry tears escaped the corners of his eyes and his arms tightened around Zack's slow growing colder body, head drooped low, "I told you not to protect me."

Apologetically, Zack could only offer a smile as the image of Cloud's face blurred into darkness before him.

"Didn't I already say it before?" he laughed quietly as his eyelids steadily grew heavier and his body growing limp.

"It's impossible to fight gravity."

Owari.

---

A/N: Yay, FFVII! I've invaded another section! XD Ah, I just love Cloud. This fic, I think, heavily contrasts tone from the beginning to the end. I felt like I didn't properly portray their emotions, but this is a first attempt after all. Weirdness, but still, I like it mostly...In fact, I've still yet to finish the game… Heh. Well, I would if I could… The second disk got scratched by my baby cousin and I've simply yet to buy a new set of the game. n.n;

Ok, I'm done ranting!

Thanks very much for reading! I really appreciate it. Please leave a review because I really do love them. :D Thanks!