A/N: Hello-ello. Yeah, I'm back again. Annoying, I know. XD Well, I got bunnied severely some time ago and didn't get around to writing it until now. That's okay, it's done now, and I even managed to do the whole thing in less than a day. Been a while since I've done that.

So this is dedicated to two people, the first is R.S. Xavior, because every Zack needs a Sephiroth. The second is PhoenixNoir, because he just needs a lot of love right now, and I have a lot of Phoenix!love to give. I heart you both more than you can imagine.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, not intended for profit or financial gain. I do not own the characters/places mentioned. I just own the words. No stealing or I'll sick my Tonberry on you.

Warning: This story contains YAOI, aka, boys lovin' other boys. You don't like it, it's not my problem. I have no control over what you choose to read on this site. It also contains certain sexual themes not suitable for minors. If you're under 18 hit the back button NOW.

Now, on with the storytelling.

P.S. This story now has a sequel! Check my profile for the fic called "Work Day". :)

Morning always came too soon.

It was the most unpleasant time of the day. It always gave Zack a stomachache. He couldn't really explain it. It was like he was allergic to waking up before noon. When he was in SOLDIER training, he went to see the resident nurse about it, but she freaked out, eyes bulging, and asked if he could be pregnant. Zack just gave her a look, checked his pants to make sure that he was still indeed male, and walked away.

Five in the morning was painful. Zack wasn't sure if he was just used to the sick feeling by now, or if it had actually gotten better once he gained a constant companion in bed. Either way, waking up at 5 a.m. was okay when the first thing he saw was the sleeping face of the great General Sephiroth, usually nestled halfway into the long body pillow they shared.

Something that always surprised Zack was how much of a NON-morning person Sephiroth really was. The man had spent his entire life in a military facility. He was literally built for combat. So one would think that he was accustomed to seeing the wee hours of the morning and greeting them with at least more than a groan, a curse, and a shift to bury his face into the pillow a little more.

It was a morning like any other. The alarm blared annoyingly until an unidentified flying arm slammed down on it and made it stop. Then came the usual groan, and the usual shifting, and the usual, "Fucking hell, it's far too early to be awake…"

Zack listened to Sephiroth's movements quietly, pretending he was still asleep. It was Monday; NOT his favorite day of the week. The sick feeling was gurgling in his stomach. Really all he needed was to get up and start moving around, but the bed was so warm and cozy…

"Zackary, come on. I know you're not sleeping."

"Am too," Zack mumbled, pulling the blanket tighter. What he wouldn't give to just stay home today. But he could hear Sephiroth putting on his boots, which meant he had approximately 9.3 minutes to be up and dressed if he wanted to leave with his lover.

"We have a meeting with the department heads today. You need to be up in the next ten minutes." With that, Sephiroth left the room.

Zack grumbled to himself and closed his eyes. "Mondays suck…" The last thing he wanted to be stuck doing first thing on a Monday was sitting around with a bunch of suits for three hours while they discussed the same things they'd been discussing every other time they met. There had to be some way out of this.

For five minutes, he lay there and contemplated. Suddenly his stomach lurched, and, after the inevitable groan of pain, an idea popped into his head. He opened his eyes and grinned slyly.

"Seeeeeeeeph…"

The casual reply came from the other room. "Yes, Zack?"

Zack put on his most pathetic sounding voice. "C'mere…" It only took a few seconds for the soft sound of footfalls to drift to his ears.

"What's the matter?" The bed dipped and Zack slowly rolled over to look Sephiroth in the face, putting on his sad puppy eyes.

"I don't feel good."

For a brief moment, worry crossed the General's face. "How so?"

Zack frowned pathetically. "My stomach hurts… I dunno if I can make it to work today…"

Sephiroth frowned as well. "You're sure?"

It was working. Zack mentally grinned. "I think so… Can you check to see if I have a fever?" Even if he didn't have a fever—which he didn't—just mentioning the fact that he thought he might have one would set Sephiroth's worry-meter on overdrive. Gently, the General felt Zack's forehead.

"I don't know… you feel a little warm…" Sephiroth looked unsure. Zack knew he couldn't feel a fever in another person no matter how much he tried. "Perhaps you should stay in bed."

Jackpot. "You think so?"

Sephiroth frowned a little more. "Yes, I think so. I'll make you some soup before I leave."

Zack suddenly sat up, jaw dropped. "You're not staying to take care of me?" Damnit! Plan backfire!

Sephiroth gently pushed him back down. "I'm afraid I have to go to that meeting, especially if you're not going to be there. You know I'd much rather stay."

Zack put on the puppy eyes again. "Then why don't you?" he whined.

It obviously was killing Sephiroth to pass up staying to take care of his beloved. "I cannot miss the meeting."

A pout pushed its way onto Zack's face. Sephiroth gave him an apologetic look and stood up. "I'll be right back with soup."

Zack 'hmph'ed and crossed his arms over his chest. What was the point of staying in bed if he was going to be alone? There had to be some way to turn this around. Sephiroth came in a few minutes later with a microwaved bowl of soup. Another thing unexpected from the Silver Soldier… he couldn't cook to save his life.

He set the bowl down on Zack's bedside table and looked at him with worried eyes. "I'll come home at lunch time to check on you."

Zack just grumbled a little. "Okay."

Sephiroth leaned over to kiss Zack's forehead. "Aishiteru…"

Zack sighed. Sephiroth straightened and left quietly, closing the door behind him.

Well this was grand. Now he was stuck at home all day by himself. The apartment was eerily quiet. He contemplated getting up, but again, the warmth of the bed kept him rooted. The white comforter over him was fluffy and soft; it was one of his favorite parts of their room. He wanted to curl back up and go back to sleep as per his original plan, but now he was both awake and disappointed that he wasn't going to have a warm body to snuggle.

Leaning against the headboard, he glanced around the room. There was always TV. But what could possibly be on at 5:30 in the morning? Scratch that. No TV. He sighed and looked around some more, spotting his cell phone on the table, next to his soup. He picked up the phone and pressed speed dial number 2 (which was technically the first spot on the list since 1 was his voicemail), waiting to hear that deep voice he loved so much.

"Zack? Is everything okay?" Sephiroth said as soon as he picked up.

Zack employed his pathetic voice again. "Are you sure you can't stay home with me?"

A sigh sounded over the receiver. "I'm sorry, Zack. I can't. I'm already half way to the office anyway."

"But I miss you…" He was going to win. He was.

"I'll be back at lunch time. Get some rest, koishii."

Zack smiled at the nickname, but quickly put up his mask again. "Okay, fine," he drawled. "You better be here at lunch time."

"I give you my word."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you. Goodbye."

"Bye, Seph." Zack closed his phone and lightly tossed it back onto the table. He nibbled on the soup a bit, simply for the fact that Seph made it for him, so it was special. And, of course, because he was his mother's son, and he couldn't say no to anything edible that was within ten feet of his mouth. When he had eaten all the soup without realizing it, he sought something else to keep him occupied.

Three hours passed like this. All the while Zack's mind was churning, trying to think of a way to get Sephiroth to come back. He walked around the apartment in his pajama pants, picking things up and playing with them for a few minutes before setting them down again. He searched the fridge, found nothing desirable, searched the cupboards, found some crackers and ate them, then went back to the fridge, half expecting something either edible or entertaining to just have appeared there in the 30 seconds in which he had left it alone. By the time 8:45 rolled around, he had resorted to cleaning.

Yes, Zackary Fair wascleaning. He did dishes, picked up their room, did laundry (at which point he tried on numerous pairs of Sephiroth's pants and danced around in them before putting them away), mopped the floors, vacuumed all the rugs and curtains, and washed down the cooking surfaces in the kitchen.

In his adventures, he came across a few things he hadn't seen in a while. He found his first SOLDIER trainee uniform in a box in the closet. Curious, he had rummaged through the rest of the box, coming across some awards both he and Seph had won at different points, some text books, an old pack of gum that he tested before deciding it was gross and needed to be thrown out, and at the very bottom of the box… the album he'd received at his sort of pseudo-bachelor party.

He still wasn't sure who, but someone who must have been very persuasive managed to talk Sephiroth into making a photo album of… himself. Mostly naked. Mostly touching some part of himself. Mostly amazingly sexy. Zack grinned when he found it and, after putting everything else back in the box and the box back in the closet, moved to their bed to get comfy to look over the album.

All the pages were exquisitely laid out, aesthetically pleasing in both layout and subject matter. The photos were laid out in a series, a storyline meant to be followed with the eye. Seph started off fully clothed, and gradually became less clothed as the pictures went on. By the end, he was touching himself to the point where just looking at his expression made Zack feel like he could explode.

He shut the book and set it aside, glancing at the clock as he did so and trying to ignore the discomfort in his lower regions. It was 9:50; about ten minutes until the meeting at which he was supposed to be present. He dangled his legs back and forth over the side of the bed before deciding that he should probably take a cold shower. He stood and grabbed his towel, making his way into the bathroom with it draped over his arm. He was just about to turn on the shower, but an idea suddenly bashed him in the head like a herd of chocobos stampeding right into a brick wall. A slow grin spread over his face. He knew exactly how to get Seph to come home.

He rushed out to the bedroom again, noting the time as 10:05. Good, that gave him some time to plan out exactly what he would say, how he would say it, as well as giving the meeting a little time to get going. For about ten minutes he waited on pins and needles, trembling with excitement and bottled up laughter at the thought of Sephiroth's reaction to his plan, if all went well.

At 10:12, he couldn't wait any longer. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm himself and put up his mask. Just to be more comfortable he sat back on the bed, reaching for the landline phone instead of the cell so he would be heard a little clearer. After a brief thought, he decided that in order to give himself a more genuine needy tone of voice, he may as well let it be real.

He dialed Seph's office number, slowly letting his free hand slide down his body until he could gently knead himself through his pants. He held nothing back, letting his breathing get a little harder as the line rang. When the slightly nasally voice of Sephiroth's secretary, Cindy, came over the other end, he almost grinned.

"General Sephiroth's office, how can I help you?"

"Cindy," Zack panted, sounding weak. "It's Zack."

"Oh Zack, honey! I heard you weren't feeling so hot. Is everything okay?"

Zack almost moaned as his hand worked harder, slipping into his pants, but he disguised it as a soft groan, hoping it sounded painful. "I need to talk to Seph…"

The secretary sounded unsure. "Oh honey, he's in a meeting right now… is it an emergency?"

Zack looked down at his near throbbing erection and nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Yeah, kinda," he panted. If she only knew how "sick" he really was.

She sounded worried. "You know he doesn't like to be disturbed when he's working… but I guess for you he'd make an exception, huh?"

"Hurry," Zack breathed, adding in another groan for effect.

"All right, just hang in there, sugar pie." Cindy pressed the hold button on the phone and switched lines to the intercom, dialing the extension for the meeting room where Sephiroth was.

The General was in the middle of giving a short speech about the declining quality of SOLDIER candidates when the shrill ring of the phone interrupted him. He grumbled and pushed the speakerphone button so he would have free hands to organize his notes. "Yes, what is it?"

The rest of the people in the room exchanged glances, some amused, some as annoyed as Sephiroth. Among them were President Shinra, Heidegger, Palmer, Scarlet, Reeve, and Tseng.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, General, but… you have a very important call."

"I told you to hold all calls. I'm very busy."

"It's… uh… the lieutenant, sir. He sounds… upset."

Sephiroth's demeanor immediately changed as he dropped his notes, forgetting about the very important people in the room. "Is he okay? Put him through."

"Sephiroth," Shinra interrupted. "Is this necessary?"

The General ignored him, not even acknowledging that he was being spoken to, and waited until the lines clicked and Zack was connected. "Zack? What's wrong?"

Zack's eyebrows furrowed a little, even as his hand moved a little faster. Sephiroth sounded louder than normal… that meant… "Speakerphone," he whispered to himself as he grinned maniacally.

"Zack? Are you there?"

Zack snapped back, twitching his hand a few times to get a few real sounds. "Seph…" he said in the most strained and weak voice he could muster.

Seph leaned over the phone, sounding like he was about to have a heart attack. "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

"I need you…" Zack pushed out, closing his eyes as he moved his hand a little faster. "I need you here, Seph…"

Sephiroth was clearly upset, gripping the table for dear life. "Should I bring anything? What do you need?"

"I need…" Zack started, feeling laughter bubble inside him along with the feeling of approaching release. "I need you to…"

"What? What, Zack?"

"I need you to…" Here it was… the big finish… "I need you… Come fuck me!"

The General's eyes widened to the point where he thought they might pop out of his head. He quickly picked up the receiver, shutting the speakerphone off (and stifling Zack's groans of pleasure) and immediately turning his back on the loudly snickering group of people in the room to hide the sudden crimson blush burning his entire face. "Zackary!" he whispered harshly.

Zack was nearly dying of laughter as he sloppily cleaned himself up. He only wished he could see Seph's face. "Oh MAN did I get you good, Seph!"

Sephiroth felt like his eye was twitching. "You just said that over the speakerphone, you idiot!"

Zack continued laughing. "I know! Wasn't it great?"

"Not quite the word I would have chosen," Sephiroth said, annunciating every syllable, something he did when he was extremely angry.

Zack calmed a little, recognizing Seph's tone. "Oh come on… you know you think it's hilarious."

"We'll see how hilarious it is when I get home." He hung up the phone, composing himself a little before turning back to the group. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must cut this meeting short. Please excuse me while I go kill my subordinate."

Palmer chose that moment to burst into a fit of laughter. Sephiroth just pinched the bridge of his nose, and quickly left the room, ignoring Scarlet's call of, "Give 'im what he asked for, General! Kya ha ha ha!"

Sephiroth grumbled to himself all the way out of the building and into his car. Zack thought he was funny, did he? Well he had another thing coming.

By the time he reached their apartment complex, he had cooled off a little, but that didn't stop him from wanting to be intimidating, so he stormed up the stairs and right through the flat into the bedroom. "Zackary Fair!"

Zack grinned at him from his sprawled out position on the bed, looking obviously satisfied in more ways than one. "Yes, my love?"

Sephiroth was annoyingly distracted by his lover's half-naked state. "You… you…" he stuttered, an unusual behavior coming from him.

It only amused Zack more as he rested his hand on his bare stomach. "I what?"

The General shook his head a little to clear it and stalked over to the bed, glaring down at Zack. "You're…" he started, staring, transfixed, as Zack's fingers idly played across the skin just under his navel. "You're… in so much trouble," he breathed, not sounding as scary as he had intended.

Zack gave him a sexy grin. "What kind of trouble?"

Oh, fine. He may as well just give in. Sephiroth smirked as he started slowly crawling over Zack's legs. "Big trouble…"

Zack waited until Seph's mouth was hovering right over his. "Good… that'sexactly what I was hoping for…"

Sephiroth slowly lowered himself until their lips touched, hungrily searching Zack's mouth with his tongue. Only when they were both on the verge of suffocation did they part. Zack chuckled breathlessly, and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at him.

"I knew I'd get you to stay home with me," he said, a smug grin forming on his face. "I win every time."

"Brat," Sephiroth quipped, before once more devouring Zack's mouth.

Hours later, they were lying side by side, happily tangled up with one another. After a long, comfortable silence, Zack sighed. "Every sick day should be exactly like this."

Sephiroth smiled a little as he idly twirled a piece of Zack's hair between his fingers. "Next time, I think we should skip the mortally embarrassing prank phone call."

"Aw, come on. That was half the fun."

The General's tiny smile didn't disappear. "And what was the other half?"

Zack chuckled as he rolled a little more on top of Seph, laying down a few open-mouthed kisses over the closest of Sephiroth's shoulders. "I think you were there for that part."

"Brat," Sephiroth said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

Zack grinned up at him. "So you've said before."

"It's not any less of a true statement now."

Zack settled comfortably against Sephiroth's shoulder. "So if I was actually really sick, would you have come home any faster?"

Sephiroth thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know."

Zack lifted himself a little, feigning insult. "Sephiroth! You'd rather get here faster to screw me than to take care of me? I'm shocked and appalled." Except the tone of his voice suggested otherwise, as did the smile on his face.

"Yes, well…" Sephiroth said, pulling Zack closer to give him a gentle kiss before smirking. "We all have our priorities."

Zack grinned again. "I win every time."

Sephiroth settled back against their pillow, allowing a very quiet laugh to escape him right before he yawned in a very un-Sephiroth-like manner. "So… you've said… before…"

Zack's grin softened to a gentle smile as he watched Sephiroth fall asleep. He lay down again, resting his head comfortably on Seph's chest. Very quietly, as his eyes fell closed, he whispered to himself, "Every sick day… should be just like this…"