Roommates

Setting is Crisis Core-ish,

I don't own Final Fantasy, it belongs to Square Enix

The clock read 8:30 but his head screamed hangover. Aerith was sound asleep and the only thing in the world Zack wanted right now was a glass of water. He wearily opened his eyes but felt too sick to get out of bed and stumble to the bathroom or the kitchen or wherever to get water. Zack felt sick. Last night had been one of the best but now he was paying for it. Zack couldn't even sit up in bed right now and the unwelcome sun was trying to peek in between the blinds. Zack had the most miserable of headaches but it looked like Aerith was pretty peaceful. He looked over at the nightstand beside his bed hoping a glass of water would appear there. It didn't. Zack laid back down closer to Aerith. Maybe if he could just fall back asleep he would forget about how much he needed water.

The apartment was so quiet this morning. Zack could hear Aerith breathing but as he lay there feeling like he may throw up he couldn't help but hear the silence around him. The TV couldn't be heard in the living room and there was no light from the kitchen trickling in underneath Zack's bedroom door. He buried his head in his pillow as his stomach churned. Why the hell had he drank so much the night before? At this rate, Zack knew he would be recovering from this wretched feeling for half of the day to come.

In the living room of this two bedroom apartment Cloud had just opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep on the couch last night. He was in much better shape than Zack but as he awoke he noticed that Zack hadn't bothered cleaning up any of the bottles from the table in front of the couch. Cloud hated it when Zack didn't clean up from these kinds of weekend nights. Cloud laid there holding on to the pillow tightly staring blankly at two empty liquor bottles and one partially empty one. Cloud yawned, reached out for his phone and rolled over on his back. He had two new text messages; both from Tifa. One was sent at 3:00 AM. Cloud read it: 'Just got in. Don't worry my door is locked.' Last night when Tifa had left Zack and Cloud's apartment Cloud had made Tifa promise to text him when she got back to her apartment across town. He read the other text from her. It was sent at 3:45 AM: 'Still thinking about what we did. Can't get it out of my mind. You're probably asleep but just wanted to tell you that.' Cloud smiled slightly to himself. What they did was the first thing he had thought about this morning as he opened his eyes. Cloud sent her a message: 'Just got your message. Still thinking about you. What time do you get off work today? Stop by later.' He was fluttery this morning. It was a strange feeling.

As Cloud got up from the couch he realized his clothes smelled of a combination of liquor, sweat and Tifa. He didn't care that he smelled like Tifa but he felt messy otherwise. Cloud decided to make a pot of coffee and take a shower before proceeding any further with this morning. Cloud wished Zack would get up soon. He needed to talk like….now. Since that wasn't happening any time soon, Cloud left the coffee to brew and headed for the shower. In Zack's room, he knew he had to get out of bed simply because he needed headache medicine and he was now beyond thirsty. He looked at Aerith beside him before pushing himself reluctantly out of bed. Now he knew he was going to throw up and he had to prepare for this and fast. Cloud would scold him for sure if he threw up on the carpet and left a stain in here. There would go their security deposit for sure. Zack was really disappointed in himself right now for not pacing better the night before.

Now Zack was half-laying in the bathroom floor but he already felt somewhat better. His head felt hot and he desperately needed to get some medicine in him. Zack sat there on the cold tile for a bit longer until his head stopped spinning around. He sighed and slowly rose to his feet. Oh god, this felt horrible! He wasn't even dressed and had no idea where the hell he had thrown his clothes the night before. Zack leaned against the bathroom door before taking another step. He wanted to blame Tifa for this even though he knew this was his own doing.

Tifa was one hell of a bartender and it was evident every time she came over and made something. So, what had exactly happened in this apartment last night? It had been a typical Friday night. Aerith didn't work on Fridays so she usually cleaned up after Zack half of the day while Cloud and Zack were away. She didn't technically live here with them…but it certainly seemed like she did. Zack had gotten home first that Friday and had been bitching to Aerith about what a horrible day it had been and of course she had a solution. Zack had called Cloud and told him to bring some liquor home when he got off work. Two hours later Cloud was home with the liquor Zack had requested and of course Zack also had to bitch to Cloud about the day. Well, Cloud listened and Zack started drinking. Eventually all three of them were drinking because why let Zack have all the fun, right? By 8:30 that night Cloud got a phone call from Tifa. She had just finished up at the bar and naturally Cloud told her to come by. Zack and Cloud's apartment was closer to the bar than Tifa's apartment was. In fact, her apartment was in a much quieter part of town nestled in the hillside. It was a good eight blocks from the bar.

Once Tifa had arrived and gotten a hold of those liquor bottles she began making a little bit of everything and both Zack and Aerith drank anything she put in their hands. It had been incredibly amusing. Aerith was always such an adorable drunk. She'd do anything anyone told her to do and she was always painfully honest. Zack would always come up with these crazy ideas that he wanted to act on and then Cloud would have to remind him that he was drunk. By 12:45 that night Zack and Aerith had gone to bed but they sure as hell hadn't gone to sleep.

That's how Zack ended up in his current state: feeling awful and making his way slowly to the living room. But, what about Cloud and Tifa? What was going on there? That…was an entirely different story that unfolded after 12:45.

"Morning. You don't look so great." Cloud said as Zack showed his weary face. Zack didn't say anything. He closed his bedroom door so he and Cloud wouldn't wake Aerith. "Come on, sit down. It's obvious to me that you need some aspirin and some toast that is if you can handle toast." Cloud said getting up to get Zack some aspirin.

"Between you and me man…I've already thrown up this morning. I desperately need aspirin and I desperately need toast." Zack said letting his head hit the back of the couch. "Why do you let Tifa do that to me?"

"I hardly think this was Tifa's doing." Cloud said laughing at Zack. He closed the kitchen cabinet and walked over to Zack offering him four much needed aspirin and a glass of water. Zack was the only guy in the world that Cloud would tolerate being this sloppy. He'd do anything for Zack, whether that be getting him aspirin and toast or walking to the ends of the Earth for him. Zack was also the only guy that Cloud would tolerate being this close to naked on their couch. It was okay though, Zack had the body to be this nearly undressed. Cloud went back into the kitchen to wait on Zack's toast.

"Would you believe me if I told you Aerith was still sound asleep? I mean, I look over at her and there she is just sleeping away being all…not sick." Zack said laying down and turning the TV on. Cloud's phone made a sound. Zack reached out for it. Cloud froze where he was and watched Zack nervously.

"Don't read it, don't read it, don't read it." Cloud repeated to himself over and over. He normally didn't care that Zack went through his phone and Zack did it all the time. But this time…he didn't know what that message would say.

"You got a message from Tifa. It says 'I get off at 5:00. Got to get stamps. Be by at 6:00.' What do you want me to tell her?" Zack said having completely taken over Cloud's phone. They did this frequently; one would text for the other but right now Cloud didn't really want Zack to answer Tifa for him.

"Um…I'll…I'll answer her in a minute." Cloud said slapping butter on Zack's toast before taking it to him. He had to get that phone out of Zack's hands before he read any of their messages from last night. Zack put Cloud's phone back on the table. He sat up again and took the toast from Cloud. Cloud quickly swooped up his phone before Zack had a chance to grab it again. He messaged Tifa back: 'Going out later. Will get you stamps. Can't wait until you're here.' He shoved his phone into his pocket. He couldn't risk Zack asking too many questions…that was until he told Zack about what happened.

"So what are you doing today? I swear I think I'm going back to bed after I eat this toast and something else. Shit, I have to recover." Zack said. Cloud let his head rest on the back of the couch.

"I have to tell you something but if you're in no mood to hear it right now I understand." Cloud said.

"Go get me one of those cream filled chocolate cake things and I will eat that and listen all you want." Zack said. Cloud did as Zack asked and returned to the couch beside him. He brought Zack two of those cakes just in case.

"Thank you, god this is already making me feel a little better. Okay, I'm listening. What's up?" Zack asked.

"Um…well…me and Tifa…kind of did something last night." Zack put the cake down on the table. He was intrigued.

"Oh thank god! It's about freakin' time! My god you two have only made out like a hundred times!" Zack said. Cloud shook his head.

"No, we didn't have sex…well maybe a little…no…what we did wasn't really supposed to happen it just kind of...did." Cloud admitted. Zack studied Cloud's face.

"Oh my god, you're smitten. Start talking, I have to know what the hell happened. I'll even get another cake myself if I have to!" Zack said. Cloud was about to tell Zack everything that happened after he and Aerith had gone to bed last night.

"Okay, you know that me and Tifa had a lot less to drink than you and Aerith, right?" Cloud began.

"Yeah, that's definitely true." Zack said.

"Well, even though we didn't have nearly as much as you two we were still drunk. It's not like that was a big deal because the four of us have been drunk together before. Last night was different though; I flirted with her a lot and she flirted back with me…a lot." Cloud stopped and thought a moment. "You know how you're always saying that I never call any of the girls whose numbers you give me because I'm secretly hung up on Tifa?"

"Yeah, I say that because I'm right." Zack said.

"You're right. I am. I kind of think we might be more than friends now. Our relationship is definitely different. After you two went to bed she and I were sitting here just talking and we had stopped drinking at that point. I don't know why I did it but I reached out and took her hand. She has very soft hands. It forced her to move closer to me; which she didn't mind. She ended up putting her arms around me and she looked so relaxed so I told her to lay down and I would lay behind her." Cloud closed his eyes for a minute. "I started kissing her neck and between you and me the fact that she was wearing a tank top last night was pure torture."

"What do you mean? Man, she would have let you take her top off. You should have done it because this story would be different right now." Zack said.

"Anyway I didn't…but I did touch her. I just wasn't even thinking Zack; I just touched her and I never have before…not like that at least. It was around this time that you and Aerith were going at it pretty hard because you know how I can hear everything. That wasn't uncomfortable at all!" Cloud said teasingly. Zack laughed. So after we talked about you two, she pulled me on top of her. I think she was sending me a message when she did that but I didn't get. She had her hands all over me and she grabbed the sides of my pants and rubbed her hips hard in to me..." Zack cut him off.

"There was your second message that you didn't get. Shit Cloud, she wanted to fuck your brains out. And let me tell you something! Tifa's hot…I mean she's like…holy shit hot. If you don't do something soon someone else is going to steal her right out from underneath you…literally! I swear if this story ends with 'and we're going to continue to be awkward around each other and not admit how we really feel' I am going to so pissed at you." Zack stood up to get another cake from the kitchen. He was still moving pretty slowly and Zack was right, Tifa was beautiful and any man would have loved to have called her their girlfriend.

"I know, I know and I promise this story ends well. Well, she's grinding her hips in to me and I'm grinding my hips into her and yes we're pretty much going through the motions at this point. I'm not sure but I think I actually felt her fingertips in my pants. Everything was fine but then she kinda moaned which was really…hot…and then it got worse because she said 'don't stop I'm gonna come.' Naturally I'm thinking…oh my god…this is so not happening." Cloud said.

"You have got to be kidding me. My god this story just keeps getting better. You two are so not just friends anymore. You made a mess didn't you? Thank god you were wearing pants otherwise we would have to burn this super comfortable couch which would be a shame since we still own 1000 gil on it" Zack said. Even though Zack felt awful he still managed to be hilarious. Cloud buried his face in the pillow beside him to keep from laughing at what Zack had just said. "You laugh because I'm right aren't I?" Cloud sat up again.

"See that's kind of what I'm getting to. Things just got a little too heated between us yeah we both ended up climaxing right here without ever taking any clothes off." Cloud said.

"Let me tell you why that happened; it's three years of built up sexual tension between the two of you. I'm so glad this moment is finally here!" Zack said laying over on the couch.

"There's one more thing. She left at around 2:30 last night. I didn't really want her to go. I just kept holding on to her at the door. I can't tell you how many times I kissed her before I finally let her leave. When she was outside on the front step I told her that next time is for real. She came back up the step and kissed me and she said 'maybe next time will be sooner than later.' She smiled and it was so beautiful; then she left. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her." Cloud had finally confessed everything that happened last night.

"I like where this is going. Listen, I'm headed back to bed but I'm glad you told me about this. I think its long overdo and I am so glad you two are not going to walk on broken glass around each other. Is it okay if I tell Aerith whenever she wakes up?" Zack asked standing up and preparing to return to his dark room.

"Yeah you can tell her. I'm going to leave in a while and get some groceries in and run some errands. You'll probably be asleep later." Cloud said.

"Alright, g'night, man." Zack said disappearing and closing his bedroom door. Cloud's phone made another sound. He pulled it out of his pocket. It was another text message from Tifa. 'Thanks for stamps, can't wait to be with you.' It made Cloud's heart flutter even more. He had never felt this way before.