A/N: Okay, I'm so sorry this has taken so long to update, but I've been busy with my new job that I've had since the end of last September, job hunting before that after my previous job fired me (won't get into that), and I've also (admittedly) had a MAJOR lack of inspiration… But I had this finished before now, just was waiting until FFVII Remake release date to post it. After all, I'm not sure when I'll have Chapter 3 ready, so I figured I'd wait. Please enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Howling Abomination

Chapter 2

When Cloud woke the next morning, it wasn't exactly pleasant. He felt sore and achy, more than likely from fighting that deranged behemoth from the day prior. Groaning, the blonde cracked open one blue eye, before quickly shutting it again and rolling over so as to avoid being blinded by the sun's light through the window. Seriously, who thought this furniture placement was a wise idea?

"Fucking hell…" he grumbled, before he heard familiar voices from downstairs. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded like Tifa and Zack. That's when he heard Zack's voice getting closer, and he quickly jumped out of bed, ignoring the slight dizziness from the sudden movement, and locked the bedroom door before the raven could get to him.

"—gonna get him up, Tifa, don't be so mad!" Zack's voice laughed, but when he found the door was locked, he sighed.

'That's what I thought,' Cloud thought smugly…until he jolted, startled by a sudden banging on the door. 'What the fu—'

"Come on, Cloud! Time to get up and start the day!" the raven's grinning voice shouted through the wood, making the hunter glare at the door. "And don't try to burn me through the door with a glare. It doesn't work."

The blonde snorted at the remark, but before he could get back into bed…

"Cloud! Get your ass down here so you can have some breakfast, or it's gonna go cold and be thrown out!" Tifa yelled from downstairs. Cloud's stomach growled at the mention of breakfast, since he hadn't eaten the night prior, and he sighed heavily before getting dressed in a simple pair of black jeans and a dark red t-shirt. Fortunately, the shirt kept his bite mark hidden from view still.

Once fully dressed, including his black combat boots, the hunter braced himself for Zack's seemingly boundless energy before he unlocked the door and opened it. However, what he didn't expect was for the raven to have been leaning on the door. This resulted in him falling into the guest room with a loud yelp at Cloud's feet.

"…Really?" the blonde questioned, quirking a brow at him.

"Good morning, Cloud!" Zack grinned instead of answering, before sitting up. "You're quick! Totally didn't expect you to open the door that soon."

"…" Cloud snorted softly in response, before stepping around the raven and beginning to head downstairs. That is, until Zack suddenly lunged after him, grabbing his pant leg, and nearly causing the hunter to fall down the stairs. As it was, he stumbled a bit, but quickly caught himself on the railing. "The hell's wrong with you?" Cloud growled, but Zack merely laughed before bolting to his feet and dashing down the stairs first. The blonde blinked with wide eyes, definitely confused by the playful behavior, before he huffed and resumed going downstairs. Once down at the bar area, he saw Zack practically begging like a puppy for some of the breakfast that Tifa had made.

"Pleeeaaase, Tifa?" he pleaded, bouncing in place eagerly. "You always make the best food!"

"Ugh, fine! But you really need to start cooking for yourself, Zack, or at least learn," the brunette groaned. Cloud chuckled softly at the comment, making Tifa look at him. "Don't you start. You know how to cook, that much I remember. Maybe you should make your own breakfast," she hummed in thought, but then shrugged. "Then again, I'd rather not have the bar burnt to the ground."

"Hey!" the hunter protested. "I'm not that bad as long as I know what I'm making!"

"Oooh, Cloud's set fires in the kitchen before?" Zack laughed.

"…Only when I was just beginning to learn…" Cloud grumbled.

"At least he knows what he's doing for the most part, unlike you, Zack," Tifa pointed out, making a pout form on the raven's face.

"Man, you're vicious today!" he whined.

"You haven't even seen me at my worst," was the reply.

"And I don't think I want to."

"Wise move."

The bickering made Cloud chuckle softly with a small smirk, and Zack perked up at the sound.

"Damn, we got him to laugh!" he grinned.

"I only chuckled, shut it."

"Still counts!"

"All right, enough, you two. Sit down before I throw out your food," Tifa said suddenly in a stern voice, and Cloud complied, taking a seat at one of the booths, while Zack sat across from him. She then set their plates in front of them, which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns.

"Thanks, Tifa!" Zack told her, while Cloud mumbled his own thanks before starting to eat.

"So, are you going to finish your tour of Midgar today, Cloud?" Tifa asked as she busied herself with cleaning the bar and the tables.

"Might as well," the hunter shrugged.

"Then I'll resume showing you around!" Zack grinned eagerly. Cloud rolled his eyes a little, but he couldn't help but smirk in slight amusement at the taller man's eagerness. Even though Zack was annoying at first, Tifa had a point: he acted like a puppy a lot. And puppies are usually irresistible. Not saying that Zack is, but Cloud already found himself relaxing a bit more around the raven than he would have with any other new person in his life.

"I see that smirk," Tifa giggled then, making Cloud glare at her. "Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. We'll talk later."

"…Not interested…" he muttered before taking another bite.

"I don't care. We're talking later," she smirked. Cloud rolled his eyes at her insistence, but knew there was no point in arguing with her. Tifa was very persistent at times, and would corner him if needed…which he'd rather avoid.

"Huh?" Zack uttered then, obviously having missed what happened.

"Don't worry about it, Zack," Tifa assured him. "Now eat before it gets cold."

"Right!" the raven nodded, before resuming eating his breakfast. When both men had finished eating their meals, Zack got to his feet with a grin. "Ready for me to show you around the rest of town?" he asked.

"Sure…whatever," Cloud shrugged, feigning disinterest. In all honesty, he was glad to be shown around Midgar, since he'd never been there before yesterday. He hated not knowing things, so he'd rather be in the know.

"I'll see you boys later," Tifa smiled, before seeing them off from the door as they left. Cloud merely nodded to her in acknowledgment, while Zack gave her a grin and wave.

As they walked around Midgar, Zack telling him about this place and that, the blonde couldn't help but feel a small sense of familiarity with the raven. Of course, they had never met until recently, so it was definitely strange for Cloud. Later on, while Zack was wrapping up the tour, though, the hunter suddenly felt a sharp pain from his bite mark shoot through his whole body, drawing a gasp from him.

"Cloud?! Are you okay?" Zack asked worriedly.

"I'm…fine…" the blonde nearly growled out, his hand instinctively moving to massage the mark. When he looked up, though, he saw what almost appeared to be a faint, satisfied gleam flash in Zack's eyes very briefly, before it was gone. Because it was so brief, Cloud dismissed it as nothing.

"You sure…? You look like you're gonna be sick…" the raven said, concern heavy in his voice. "Come on, you can rest at my place since it's closer than Tifa's."

"I said…I'm fi—" Cloud started to snap, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head as they closed, the hunter collapsing against Zack as he passed out.

"Dammit…!" Zack hissed, moving so he could properly support the blonde, before beginning to head off to his house, Cloud resting against his back as the raven carried him. 'Never done this before, so I only have the stories to go off of…' he thought to himself worriedly. 'Hopefully I didn't screw up…'

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When Cloud's consciousness finally returned, he groaned almost pitifully, quickly gaining Zack's attention. The blonde found himself sniffing the air a bit as Zack's by-now familiar presence approached, confusing the hunter. Why would he sniff the air? He wasn't an animal. Regardless, he caught Zack's scent, which consisted of vanilla and sandalwood, and he found it pleasant.

"Hey, you feeling any better?" Zack asked as he sat on the end of the couch Cloud was resting on.

"…the hell happened…?" Cloud mumbled, confused as to what happened.

"You passed out after I showed you around Midgar. You were grabbing at that bite mark of yours, and then you collapsed," the raven murmured. "Scared the shit out of me…"

"…" Cloud was quiet, trying to remember, before he sighed, as he couldn't recall anything. "…Sorry…"

"'s okay," Zack assured him. "I brought you back to my place since it was closer than Tifa's bar, though. Hope you don't mind resting here for a while."

"…That's fine," the hunter replied softly. As he rested there, he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on Zack, as the raven rested against the back of the couch, his eyes closed. The man was definitely interesting, to say the least. And the blonde had found himself looking at men more than women during his travels, so he couldn't help but admit, albeit hesitantly, that Zack was attractive. The hunter didn't like to get too close to many people, so for Cloud to even consider a potential relationship with Zack was odd for him.

Zack, despite his eyes being closed, could feel Cloud's gaze on him, and smirked inwardly. He'd quickly fallen for Cloud when he first saw him, and wanted to be with him no matter what. Whatever it took to get in the blonde's good graces and break him out of that hard shell of his, he would do it. Besides, he had a good feeling Cloud would feel the same for him within the month. When the raven opened his eyes, however, Cloud's blue gaze wasn't on him, and was instead looking around the room. He knew the cute hunter had looked away right before he opened his own eyes to avoid being caught, and he mentally chuckled to himself.

"Want something to eat? I'm no Tifa, but I can at least cook something up for us," Zack offered.

"…Sure," Cloud nodded softly, a very faint dusting of pink forming on his cheeks at the thought of Zack cooking for them both. For the blonde, it was almost as if they were a couple already, with the taller male making sure Cloud was taken care of.

"All right. I'll be back," the raven smiled, lightly ruffling the blonde spikes once he was standing before heading to the kitchen. Now any other time, Cloud would have punched anyone who touched his head, let alone ruffled his hair. This time, however, he felt almost…disappointed, oddly enough, when Zack's touch was gone.

When the taller male eventually returned, carrying two bowls with him, the warm, delicious aroma of steaming-hot stew wafting from them, Cloud's mouth began to water, but he hid it well by discreetly brushing his hand across his mouth as he sat up properly on the couch.

"Hungry, eh?" the raven teased. Or not.

"Shut it…" the blonde huffed, on the verge of a pout.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud. Figured you'd like some behemoth stew," Zack chuckled.

"…Thanks…" the hunter mumbled, accepting the offered bowl. He gently blew on it to cool it a bit before beginning to eat, pleasantly surprised by the taste. Despite Zack not seeming like much of a cook, he actually made really good stew.

"Good, huh?" the raven smirked.

"…Yeah, despite you not seeming like someone who cooks at all," Cloud snorted, smirking back when Zack's expression turned into a pout.

"I can fend for myself, ya know…" he grumbled.

"I know," the blonde chuckled softly. The sound made the taller male look at the hunter curiously, before he smiled.

"Haven't heard you laugh or anything until now," he smiled, making Cloud blush faintly.

"Shut it…"

"Aww, come on, Cloud! Live a little!" Zack laughed.

"Not interested…" Cloud muttered.

"There's nothing wrong with having fun every now and then," the raven murmured with a small smile, returning to his food. The remark made the blonde roll his eyes a little, but he didn't respond, resuming eating as well. As they ate, though, Cloud felt a strange twinge of the faintest pain (which was more annoying than anything else) from the top of his head.

'The hell…?' the blonde thought, confused, but ignored it in favor of finishing his stew, as did Zack, and the pair ate in companionable silence.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When they returned to Tifa's bar, the brunette looked up from polishing the glasses to greet them.

"Hey guys! How'd it go? You were out for a while," she said.

"Eh, it was nice. Looked like a storm was rolling in on our way to the outskirts of town, so we headed back so as not to get soaked," Zack shrugged, leaving out the part where Cloud passed out, for which Cloud was thankful. "But I need to head home to my place now, or else I'll definitely get soaked. See you guys in the morning!" And with a two-fingered salute, the raven headed out. Once he was gone, Tifa flipped the bar's sign from "Open" to "Closed", and then turned to Cloud with a smirk.

"You like him, don't you?" she guessed, making the blonde splutter.

"What?!" he snapped, growling quietly in frustration when he felt a faint blush form on his cheeks.

"Cloud, Zack clearly likes you, and it's obvious that it's more than just simple friendship to him," she giggled.

"…Whatever…" the hunter mumbled.

"Just give him a chance, okay? I know you rarely ever let anyone in to know you, but Zack is a really good guy," Tifa said with a smile.

"…Are you sure you're not trying to play matchmaker here?" Cloud snorted after a couple of seconds.

"No, you dummy! I'm trying to make sure you're happy!" his friend protested, before looking at him seriously. "After all, I know we're best friends from the same village, but I don't want to see you unhappy in life."

"…" The blonde was quiet at that, knowing his friend was being honest, and he knew he had to at least give it a shot, for Tifa's sake. "…Fine, I'll try…"

"Thank you, Cloud," the brunette smiled sincerely. "You two will be good for each other, I just know it."

'I certainly hope she's right…' the hunter thought to himself, before closing his eyes with a small sigh.

"Hungry? I have some dinner just about ready," Tifa offered. "It's a behemoth roast in the slow cooker."

"Sure. Thank you, Tifa," Cloud nodded, nearly flopping into a booth when Tifa left to get his dinner. He really didn't quite feel comfortable with trying to get close to anyone, but he already told Tifa he would, so he had to give Zack a chance, for her. Once his friend returned with his dinner, he gave her a quiet thanks before beginning to eat.

"…How'd you manage to get behemoth meat, anyway?" he asked after a few bites.

"Paid a hunter to get some weeks before you arrived in town," she shrugged. "It keeps when frozen, and thaws out well, too. Not only that, but I got quite a lot, of course."

"Ah," the blonde hummed, thankful she hadn't tried going after it herself. Everyone knew behemoths were deadly, but without a weapon and using just close combat like Tifa does…is impossible. Even with her immense strength.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on hunting those big bastards anytime soon," the brunette assured him, making him nod in relief. "Well, I gotta finish cleaning up then get to bed, but make sure to clean up after you finish eating, then get some shuteye yourself, mister. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Tifa," Cloud told her, and she smiled before heading to the back to finish her nightly cleanup and get to bed. The hunter soon finished his meal in silence, and then went into the kitchen to wash and dry his dishes before putting them away. He then trudged up the stairs to get ready for bed. He felt strangely exhausted, but chalked it up to his mind feeling on overload from Tifa and his earlier conversation, and from passing out earlier in the day.

'Well, hopefully I don't regret this…' Cloud thought as he pulled the covers over himself, closing his eyes and soon falling asleep.