Not If You Ignore Me for a Week- Prologue Sunday Afternoon
Disclaimer: Me broke. Me no own wonderful Final Fantasy VII, all belong to Square Enix and their wonderful creators.
Title: Not If You Ignore Me for a Week
Pairing: Zack/Cloud
Genre: Humor/Romance
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Slight mentions of almost rape, yaoi
Author's Note: This came to me while I was in the shower. –nods-. Yes, I was showering when I thought, hmm, what about that one song you heard once, 'Not if you ignore me for a week'? So I started brainstorming and came up with this! HAVE FUN!
ENJOY
Dedicated to my wonderful beta, OmniStrife, author of Zack/Cloud story, Collide.
Sunday afternoon, the time when all SOLDIERS, cadets and recruits took the day off to just relax outside, basking in the sunlight or curl up on their hard-as-concrete beds (if you're a recruit or cadet) and read some sappy romance novel so your buddies can't see.
Two boys were relaxing on a semi-undisturbed hill outside of Shinra's giant training facility. One, a first class SOLDIER, Zack and another recruit, Cloud Strife who had been recently studying for his SOLDIER exams that were coming up within the next week.
A pile of spiky blonde hair moved with the wind as Cloud yawned, stretching his arms above his head in contentment before settling back against the grass, lacing his fingers beneath his head. Zack was in a similar state, except he was lightly dozing, mind playing rather vivid fantasies all involving a spiky-haired blonde with drowning blue eyes.
"Zack…" Cloud started but trailed off when he saw that the other was sound asleep, little murmurs of annoyance slipping through his lips. A smile spread across his lips and he leaned over his friend, grabbing a piece of grass and tickling the SOLDIER's nose.
He twitched, nostrils flaring and then violet Mako eyes opened and Zack jumped on Cloud, straddling the younger one and tickling him mercilessly. Cloud laughed, soft sounds that always sent Zack on edge as Zack found a particularly ticklish spot behind his right knee.
"Stop!" He wheezed, trying to grab at Zack's elegenat and rough hands. "I give up! Mercy!" He laughed and Zack grinned, watching as a familiar glow—not Mako glow—settled in those beautiful crystalline blue eyes. Cloud calmed down and a soft smile settled on pale, kissable lips.
Surprise was evident in Zack's mind. Had he just thought that Cloud's lips were… kissable? Cloud was only a friend, right? A very cute, adorable, something sexy friend that he wouldn't mind bedding… or having very naughty dreams about.
"Hey, you were zoning out," Cloud said, bringing him back to reality, that husky voice of his almost too much for the SOLDIER. The fifteen year old was almost too much already, not including that sexual seductive voice of his.
"Hey, Zack!" Four voices called out and he lifted his head, spotting his four older SOLDIER friends walking down the hill towards the two. Zack rolled off Cloud and stood up, helping the blonde up.
Four SOLDIERS walked down the hill. One was a gruff-looking redhead who belonged to SOLDIER, fourth class, another was a blonde with a seriously scarred face, he belonged to SOLDIER, third class, and the other two, twin raven haired boys with dark skin and white eyes belonged to SOLDIER, second class.
See, the SOLDIER program was split up into four classes. Each class had its own Mako treatments and each class specialized in something different. Fourth class SOLDIERS specialized in undercover ops and their Mako treatments only gave them boosts in speed and agility. It seemed their strength depleted but that was not required when all you were doing was sneaking in to steal information. Three hundred men were allowed to become Fourth Class SOLDIER.
Third class SOLDIERS were your special regiment in Shinra's army. Here the Mako treatments boosted physical and mental strength, allowing them to plan out the strategies used to overtake towns that wished to go against Shinra's rule. One hundred and fifty men were placed in Third Class SOLDIER.
Second Class SOLDIERS worked behind enemy lines and were some of your best fighters. Their strength was boosted incredibly and their mental status was expanded to become some of Shinra's Turks. Seventy-five men ever made it here. Most died in the Mako experiments before they even became SOLDIER.
And the First Class SOLDIERS… Only two people are ever known to survive the Mako experiments that hardly bothered with their physical strength. The treatments instead fused their minds to think quickly, make definite decisions and add the mental strength that was required… along with a good dose of long-lasting stamina. Zack and Sephiroth were the only two to ever survive the treatments.
"Hey, Spike! Don't zone out on me there," Zack said, waving his hand in front of Cloud's eyes. The blonde blushed and refocused his attention on whatever Zack and his friends were talking about.
Soon, it became apparent to him and Zack wasn't even going to bother speaking with the blonde again and Cloud stood up, brushing his legs off. He leaned foreword and tapped Zack's shoulder. "Hey, I'm going back. I'll see you at eight right? In the gym?"
Zack gave a distracted nod and threw him a smile before going back to talking about whatever it was that SOLDIER's talked about. Probably women… or in the case of most Shinra soldiers, recruits and cadets—men. It's not like there were women to have flings with in the army. It was just men. You adapted and that's why most women were against their men going into the army. They would come out with a history of male lovers.
Strange, ne?
Cloud dusted his cotton pants off that Zack had given him and walked back through the doors, ignoring the whistles and catcalls from the other residents. Ever since the first day he had stepped into the facility, his blonde hair, almost girlish appearance and lithe body got him far more attention that he would have liked. But, that's what brought Zack to him.
A small, almost unnoticeable smile was on his lips before he could stop it as he remembered the first time he had met the raven-haired SOLDIER…
- - - - - - -
"Let… let go of me!" A young spiky blond-haired teenager squeaked as he was shoved forcefully into the wall, a much larger and brute body pressing into his. His young and innocent blue eyes were wide with fright and his hands were clasped by the brute, swelling already appearing over one eye where he had been hit.
"I don't think so, pretty one," the brute purred, running a large chunky hand down the side of the blonde's face. "You're far too pretty to have wandering the halls. I think I'll just have to keep you for my own. Don't want anyone else to touch you…" He leaned foreword so his booze-tinged breath went across the blondes.
"Get off me!" He cried, bucking his hips and throwing his legs any which way to hurt the man. Nothing seemed to faze him, not even with the plastic toe of his boot connected with the man's groin. He whimpered under the hungry and lustful gaze of the other and whimpered out pathetically, "What are you going to do with me?"
The brute smirked a nasty smirk that held all sorts of promises of what he was going to do with the young one. "Well, well… it seems blonde's do have a brain. What am I going to do with you? Well… you'll just have to find out," he leaned foreword and sloppily placed his lips over the younger's.
Down the hallway, a raven-haired SOLDIER was walking down the hall with General Sephiroth. He reached Sephiroth's shoulder and was dressed in black fatigues with a dark blue turtleneck that was sleevless. A brown sword harness was wrapped over his chest and silver armor was on each shoulder. He was laughing at some sarcastic line just said by the General when he saw the blonde kid struggling against another man whose intentions were entirely too clear.
"Hey, Seph, any idea on who that kid is?" The raven haired SOLDIER asked, gesturing to the blonde. Sephiroth shrugged and crossed his arms over his leather-clad chest.
"I don't have a clue. Probably some new cadet who disobeyed and is being punished," he said nonchalantly. "Why? Feel some urge to help him, Zachary?"
Zack shrugged and started to walk down the opposite hallway when the blonde freed his face from the others and shot a desperate look at Zack, his full face being shown for the first time. Zack's breath caught in his throat and the cute and young cadet who was pleading for help with those expressional eyes.
"Hey, Seph, hold on will you?" Zack called and jogged down the corridor towards the blonde. The blonde's eyes immediately lit up in gratitude even though tears were streaming down his pale and just barely freckled cheeks. The boy couldn't have been older than fifteen, at least!
"Hey, excuse me," Zack tapped the brute on the shoulder and the large man turned around with anger in his eyes.
"What do you want?" He asked angrily, hands tightening on the blonde's shoulder, nails cutting into the bare skin shown there from the sleeveless top he was wearing. The blonde gave a cry of pain and struggled even more. "Shut up, kid!" He shouted and sent his fist flying, punching the blonde in the face. A crack echoed, meaning a nose had been broken and a scream escaped the blonde.
Just as he was getting ready to throw another punch, Zack grabbed his hand and stared his down, upping the glow of his Mako eyes, making them seem like lights. "Don't lay another hand on him," he growled and threw the man backwards, watching as the recruit fell onto the floor with a crack. When he was satisfied the brute was unconscious he went back to the blonde who had taken off his shirt and was pressing it carefully to his broken nose, blood rolling down his neck and onto that beautiful, pale and muscled chest.
Zack felt his mouth go dry. But, he shook his head, the boy was still a cadet! And he wasn't even sixteen. Not legal for anything! He kneeled down and cupped his chin, turning him up to face his eyes. "You okay?"
"Varely," he said, voice muffled from his shirt. He looked up with wide eyes as a shadow fell over him and Zack looked behind to see Sephiroth standing there, looking at the brute with disgust.
"Wake up," he kicked the guy in the ribs with a steel-toed boot and all the brute did was moan. Sephiroth turned to the blonde who was looking up at the two first class SOLDIERS with something akin to fear in his eyes. "Don't worry about him. He won't bother you."
Zack helped the blonde up and pulled the shirt away from his nose for a moment. He studied the broken nose for a moment before looking at the blonde. "Where's your room?"
"I haven't gotten it yet," he said slowly as to not disturb the blood. Zack began to lead the blond down the hallway that he and Sephiroth were planning on heading into. As he went around the corner, he saw a vaguely sinister smirk cross Sephiroth's lips before he walked down the plush hallway.
"Well then, no need to. I'm your self-proclaimed mentor! And you know what, you're going to room with me. There's no way that I can let a pretty and exotic thing like you stay in the barracks with all the other sickos that want you!" Zack smiled at the look. "Oh, by the way, I'm Zack."
"Cloud Strife," the blonde said shyly and Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders.
"You know, Cloud. Now that I'm your mentor, anyone that picks on you. Just tell me. I'm your self-proclaimed protector," he didn't miss the light blush that went across Cloud's cheeks and a triumphant grin went over his face.
"Thank you… I guess…"
"You're welcome, Spike."
- - - - - - -
Cloud smiled in reminiscence and walked down the hallway to Zack's room, hoping the older SOLDIER would remember "EIGHT 'O'CLOCK" for their private training. Zack was full assured that Cloud would make it into SOLDIER the first try he got on the exam. Maybe not first class, but second class was definitely in the picture.
This made Cloud happier and somewhat more confident that he could do it. Zack's praise and approval meant more to him than probably anything else that he could think of at the moment.
He pulled out the keycard in his back pocket and slid it through the door, opening it and stepping into the luxurious quarter of a first class SOLDIER, second in command to General Sephiroth. The apartment was three rooms, a living room, a kitchen and the bedroom that had a bathroom attached to it. Zack didn't know there was even a kitchen there until Cloud moved in and started to cook dinner and meals in there.
Cloud sighed at the memory again and kicked his shoes off at the door, closing it behind him and stretching his arms above his head, looking towards the clock posted up on the wall. It was just after six, time to find something in the kitchen to eat.
- - - - - - -
Eight o'clock rang throughout the facility as a blonde-haired teen ran through the halls, a large sword strapped to his back. To normal men and even fourth and third class SOLDIERS, the sword would be far too heavy for them to fight any longer than five or ten minutes. Even second class would have trouble with it. But for Cloud Strife, the sword fit his hand like a glove and he was able to wield the weight as easy as a butter knife. Zack had custom-made his own Buster Sword, a large flat sword that was as heavy as Cloud's and when he saw how easy Cloud managed it, he created a second Buster Sword for the blond.
Cloud ran his keycard back through the door to the gym and walked in, surprised to see the lights off. Normally Zack was already here, shirt hanging off a chair and his Buster Sword out before him, warming up with quick and sharp movements.
The cadet frowned as he turned on the lights, seeing nothing that could even hint that SOLDIER had already been here. He walked over to the familiar corner they practiced in and slipped off his armored shoulder plates, setting them on the bleachers where drill sergeants sometime pulled their classes in to watch the SOLDIERS practice.
He removed his Buster Sword from the sheath on his back and slid his feet out to the proper position and begun to warm-up, hoping Zack would show up soon.
- - - - - - -
Ten o'clock came and went and there was still no sign of Zack to even show up for the normal practice. Cloud was a little ticked that he hadn't even bothered to contact him to tell him if he was staying late with Sephiroth or the guys and to not even bother showing up. He hoped it wasn't something like Zack was hurt became then Cloud would feel guilty for even thinking that Zack didn't care about him.
Cloud sighed and grabbed his shoulder pads, sliding the Buster Sword back through his harness and closing up the gym for the night. He walked slowly back to their room—it was funny even now for him to say that—yawning tiredly all the way. His suspicion spike when the door opened without his card. He walked in warily and kicked off his shoes.
"Zack?" He called, leaning his sword against the wall and closing the door. He walked down the hall to his and Zack's room and looked in, spotting the SOLDIER asleep. His anger spiked and he walked in, intending to wake him up and ask him where the hell he was. When he leaned over the bed to wake up Zack, a strong whiff of alcohol caught his nose and he stumbled back with disgust on his face.
Zack went and got drunk with his buddies instead of practicing with Cloud. The blonde hid his anger and walked out of the room and into the bathroom, shedding his sweat-soaked clothes quickly and wrapping a towel around his waist, walking back into the living room and collapsing upon the dark blue couch in front of the large T.V.
He fell asleep, quiet as a mouse, and that's how Zack found him the next morning in the kitchen making himself toast.
So, how'd you like it? I'm not that all positive on the total events of what went on in SOLDIER and Shinra's army so most of this is just making it off the top of my head and getting ideas from other Fanfiction writers. If anything is wrong, just tell me!
Review please! It feeds my ego!