Cloud Strife was not very good at paying attention in class.

There were many factors that contributed to this, including but not being limited to the uncomfortable seating, the inhumane heat, and the sun glistening through the grimy windows of the Shinra building. The torture of feeling the full brunt of the Midgar heat but not being able to enjoy the sun on his back was almost insulting in its blatant taunting, and as he shifted quietly to allow blood to flow to his toes properly, he frowned, cranky.

His main distraction, however, was the lecturer himself: Zackary Fair, SOLDIER second class.

Zack was attractive enough in his own right, having been blessed with a genetically pretty face and masculine features. He had broad shoulders and a slender waist, tied together nicely by a flat stomach and cut thighs. Had he not been a SOLDIER, he could have easily been a model.

Or an escort.

What Cloud found most distracting about Zackary Fair, however, was the light gleam of sweat that covered what flesh was visible, adding an ethereal sheen to the tanned skin. It was stupid, he thought, that it would catch his attention so often, but there was something about the way the light played across the man's face as he moved about animatedly, describing various strategies and combat moves that brought a certain element to the package.

Not, Cloud had noticed early on in training, that Zack was lacking in that department, either.

Their class was split into two sections. There was lecture, which was three hours of straight verbal instruction, and also unbearably boring for both parties involved. Zack had taken quickly to spicing up his instruction with humorous anecdotes of when he, himself had been a recruit, and while they were certainly something Cloud looked forward to, it was the other section that kept him up at night: sparring.

Oh, the sparring sessions... On good days, Zack would rotate between them all, spending equal increments of time on offense and defense with each recruit. He'd pulverize them and then encourage them, offering personalized advice as he helped them off of the floor. On good days, Cloud got to experience the man that was Zackary Fair up close and personal, bare chest to bare chest, and it was easily the highest point of his week.

It would be a great understatement to say that the blond had developed a crush on his instructor.

Sparring sessions were nice for many reasons, however, outside of the actual combat. For instance, unlike most of the higher-ranking Shinra SOLDIERS, Zack had taken a personal mission to treat his recruits like his equals. He'd insisted right off the bat that there was no sense in belittling those who looked to you for inspiration, and besides, you had to start somewhere, right? As a result, the man both ate and showered with his troops after training.

Cloud fiddled with his pencil, fighting the urge to doodle Zack's body in the margin of his paper, as he thought of the fighter soaped up and framed with steam.

Discreetly admiring somebody was a skill most men developed early on in their lives; luckily, Cloud didn't escape the lesson. As his classmates played tag with wet towels and ran somewhat freely through the locker room playing pranks and making challenges, Cloud kept to himself underneath the hot stream of water. He had noted that Zack tended to take long showers after training and so he did as well, if only to sneak admiring glances toward the body of his instructor.

He knew it was crude and that it would be downright humiliating if he were called on it, but it was almost worth it. He desperately wanted the man, wanted to run his hands through the iridescent bubbles gliding down the scarred flesh, wanted Zack's fingers in his hair rough and strong, wanted to be forced to his knees in front of those beautiful, hairless thighs.

Cloud Strife wanted what he couldn't have.

As he roughly scribbled, "Story of my life," into his margin, he noted that he was being stared at by several pairs of eyes.

"Um," he muttered, startled and blushing, "Sir?"

For a moment, Zack's smirk was electric. "Well, seems someone hasn't been paying attention."

Smiles caught on around the room, as it was well known what the punishment was for letting one's mind wander in class: push-ups, and a lot of them. Problem was, Cloud's mind was still murky with thoughts of pleasuring the man in front of him, and were his desk not hiding the evidence, he'd have been very embarrassed, indeed.

Something must have made it into his eyes, because Instructor Fair cocked his head. "Tell you what, I'm feeling generous today. I'll give ya a pop quiz, and if you answer it right, you don't have to do the push-ups. Get it wrong and you do twice as many. Deal?"

If there existed anything Cloud wanted more than to be punished by the dark-haired SOLDIER, he couldn't think of it. "Deal, sir." Given the current situation, however, he prayed dearly that he knew the answer to whatever he was about to be asked.

"Right." The instructor made a show of thinking very deeply, undoubtedly conjuring an impossible prompt for his spaced recruit. It was comical in its own right, since frowns were very out of character for the man. Cloud fought hard not to allow his mind to wander, however, as the serious expression highlighted the masculine features of Zack's face. "How about this: Say two men are locked in battle, and they're using swords with equipped offensive materia. They've come to a stalemate with their weapons crossed at chest level. Still with me?"

"Sir."

"The impact of the metal clashing caused one man's sword to break. If his sword was facing left and he was casting thundaga while the break occurred, what would happen differently because of the materia usage?"

Cloud blinked in shock, briefly, partly because of the complexity of the prompt and mostly because he actually knew the answer. Thankful that he wouldn't have to reveal the throbbing between his legs to the rest of the class, he cleared his throat. "Theoretically, sir, the man whose sword broke would die."

Snickers rang through the classroom, but Zack was intrigued. There weren't many recruits who devoted time to actually studying, instead focusing the majority of their waking hours sparring against each other. It made for good grunts, but poor SOLDIERs. Shinra depended on the ill-minded for simple meat shields. The question he had asked was difficult, but not impossible to answer, and he was surprised that Cloud had begun the correct response, even if he were only grasping. "Why?"

"Simple physics, sir. Magnetic force created by the electricity spell would drive the broken section of the sword straight into his heart. He should have used a fire or ice spell to avoid creating a current through his body during casting."

There was a stunned silence for a moment before Zack tilted his head to the other side. "Very impressive. Not many recruits would be able to say so on the spot like that." A quick glance at his watch revealed that class was nearly over. "You're all dismissed," he called as he swept the classroom with his eyes before landing on the blond, "except for you, Cloud. I'd like to have a talk."

Positively willing his manhood to behave and blushing furiously, the blond nodded. "Yes, sir."

The classroom cleared quickly, leaving a squirming recruit in an uncomfortable chair and an instructor leaning casually against his rarely-used desk.

When the room was sufficiently empty, Zack spoke. "I can see why you rarely pay attention in class now," despite his stern words, the brunette was smiling at him. He had a beautiful smile. "You're obviously well beyond your peers in book knowledge. I bet lecture must bore you to tears."

Cloud let a nervous smile curve his lips. In truth, he was proud of his intelligence, but it was complimented so rarely that he wasn't quite sure how to respond. Besides, Zack's position pulled his pants rather tightly against his groin, and Cloud was fighting with all his might to keep his eyes on the ones locked onto him.

"However, I can't just let this slide." There was something strange about the way that Instructor Fair shrugged; perhaps it was arrogance, or perhaps it was confidence, but the gleam in his eyes both terrified and hopelessly aroused the blond target. "After all, if you let one recruit daydream all day, the rest are going to follow suit unfortunately soon."

"Sir, I understand, sir."

"I don't think you do, Cloud." Zack had allowed his head to fall forward a bit, and Cloud's pants tightened painfully when the raven hair framed his eyes so perfectly. Zack's eyes were an impossible oceanic blue, and with the way he was looking at the blond, full of predatory depth. "You see, before I punish you properly, I'm going to have to find out what's distracting you in the first place. Nip it in the bud, you know."

The room had become stiflingly hot and Cloud tugged at his collar uncomfortably, wishing he could remove his uniform. Hundreds of excuses slid like oil through his mind, but he failed so completely to grasp any of them that the first response that came out of his mouth was, "It's a secret."

The second was, "God damn it," directed toward himself.

Silky black eyebrows rose in amusement as Zack crossed his arms. "A secret?" A laugh bubbled from the instructor. "Well, now, I wasn't expecting that. Suppose that means I get to guess what it is."

Cloud Strife sunk further into his seat and vowed that if he survived the interrogation, he'd start going to church immediately.

"Tell you what, since our little game turned out so well earlier, we'll switch things around. If I guess what it is, you have to let me know I got it, and we'll deal with it accordingly. If I can't, then you get to leave without consequence."

"How will you know I'm telling the truth?"

When Zack smiled, then, Cloud could see the row of pearly white teeth peeking out from between the plump lips. "I'll know."

Blue eyes watched blue eyes as instructor circled recruit, making a great show of considering his questions, as if he had only the most limited supply. "Is it...a girl you're thinking of?"

The blond nearly barked out his laughter. "No, sir."

"A boy, then."

"...sir."

Heavy leather boots made little noise against the linoleum as Zack continued to circle Cloud, each step carrying him closer to the blond. "He's in SOLDIER?"

"Yes, sir." Alarmed at how quickly Zack was closing in on both the answer and his seat, he brought one foot up to rest on the opposite knee, hoping against hope that it would conceal his precious secret.

"Is he in the classroom during your session?"

"...yes, sir."

Instructor Fair was closing in on Cloud now, still circling deliberately, still dramatically considering his prompts. When he came upon the recruit's desk, dangerously close, he sat on the hard surface gracefully and leaned in close enough that he could pick up on the scent of Cloud's arousal. "He's not a classmate."

He wasn't bothering with questions now, and Cloud was no longer able to answer.

"And he's someone you think you can't have."

They were impossibly close, mere inches separating their faces, and Cloud was caught in the SOLDIER's mako gaze. He wanted so badly to close the distance, to sink his hands into the black shower of spikes crowning his instructor's head, but he was frozen. It was not his place to make this move.

"Am I your distraction, Cloud?" Zack was smirking at him, completely confident that he had won, and as he spoke he kept his voice deceptively light. "Am I who you think about when you squirm in your seat? The reason you blush so often during class?"

The blond let his eyes fall shut, unable to bear the pinning, predatory gaze any longer. He felt cornered and scared, but at the same time it was exhilarating. He'd fantasized this situation hundreds of times in his bunk at night, and yet now that he was living it, he almost felt as though he wanted to run away. It wasn't right, and it was certainly against the rules, but he wasn't the one in control, here. Not anymore. "...sir."

They were silent for a moment, then, with only the hum of the fluorescent lighting as a backdrop. Cloud sat, humiliated and hard as a rock with his instructor's scent in his nostrils and burning blue eyes seared into his mind. Zack sat, amused and flattered, wondering what he would do with this new development.

Or, rather, what he wouldn't do.

Truth be known, he'd had his eye on the young blond for a long time. It was a delicate matter, really, as while Cloud couldn't have been that much younger than he, they differed drastically in rank. To be caught fooling around with a simple recruit, not to mention one of his students, would set Shinra ablaze with an inferno of gossip and criticism, and it wasn't something to be taken lightly. He'd been fairly certain that the blond had developed an eye for him as well (though, who hadn't, he chuckled to himself in light exasperation), as he had noticed the glances and blushes that Cloud had so desperately tried to keep hidden. He did a very good job of it, but Zack was no ordinary man, and mako senses were nearly impossible to evade.

Letting his grin fade a bit, he gently grasped the blonde's chin and tilted it upward, prompting Cloud to open his eyes. Leaning closer yet and pausing just against the recruit's lips, he decided to push his luck. "You know, it's a crazy coincidence," as he spoke, his breath moistened Cloud's parted lips, and it created delicious resistance against his own while they brushed together, "but you've been pretty distracting, too."

Their eyes were once again focused on each other's, clouded by lust and heat. "It's not everyday you get a recruit who's strong and smart," tired of waiting, he allowed his tongue to dart along the blonde's top lip, "and fucking beautiful, to boot. I've been watching you, Cloud, and I gotta say, it's been pretty hard to teach with you sitting hard and pretty in your seat."

Stunned, now, from all angles, Cloud could do little but pant lightly. If it weren't enough that his instructor was revealing a hidden side of himself during an impossible confession, one that he had wished so desperately to hear, the added effect of his straining erection and stiff muscles brought the tension in the room to an astronomical level. Zack's fingers were toying with his hair, folding the blond spikes between his knuckles as his eyes combed over the recruit, and he nearly shivered at the incredibility of it all.

"I suppose it leaves us with quite a situation, then, doesn't it?" The question startled the blond enough to urge his eyes open in time to see Zack lean backwards, unashamed of the erection encased within his uniform pants.

"A...a situation, sir?"

"See," the brunette murmured casually, "as much as I'd like to take this somewhere a bit more appropriate, if the higher-ups see me with you I could easily lose my job."

Trying and failing to keep the disappointment out of his eyes, Cloud slouched in his seat. "I understand, sir."

"Call me Zack." As awkward as the situation was, the SOLDIER's easy grin comforted them both. "Until further notice, anyway." His sly wink caused the blond to cock his head, but a sound knock on the classroom door interrupted their conversation.

Two pairs of blue eyes darted to the door to see a fierce gaze focused on them. The glare turned quickly disapproving as the man noticed their taboo position, and Cloud felt his heart plummet. The SOLDIER cleared his throat before focusing on Zack. "Zack, my office. We need to talk."

"Sir." It was strange hearing Zackary Fair answer with a title.

When the man left them, the brunette swore under his breath. A graceful slide deposited him onto the floor while Cloud sat in shock. "Suppose that means duty calls, then," Zack murmured.

"Is he... am I...?"

With a hearty laugh, the instructor started for the door. "You're fine, it's my ass he's going to chew out. Certainly not the first time." As Cloud began to sigh in relief, his chin was suddenly seized between two calloused fingers. He turned his eyes to those above him, and Zack was unusually serious. "This isn't over, Cloud." With that said, the SOLDIER second class turned and left the room without another word.

Cloud Strife could only stare after him.

The recruit barracks at Shinra headquarters were cramped, humid, and smelled like unshowered men.

Cloud rolled in his bunk, completely unable to fall asleep. His head was packed full of racing thoughts, centering purely on his instructor. He'd sat for a long while in the classroom after Zack had left, trying desperately to digest what exactly had happened. Their conversation replayed over and over for him but still he was confused, wondering what was going to happen. He couldn't help but feel a great deal of regret over failing to at least kiss the man, to remove some of the mystery, but as he continued to think about how he would have done it, he realized that a kiss wouldn't really have fit.

Turning over for the hundredth time and punching his pillow lightly, he fell onto his stomach and sighed.

"Cloud?"

The blond jumped a bit, turning a blue eye to find his bunkmate leaning over the side, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You alright, man?"

He sighed. He'd tried to remember his bunkmate's name on several occasions, but the boy was terribly...average. He was blocky and a little overweight, with ginger hair and pale skin. His heart was nearly as big as his belly, however, and twice as warm. He'd really grown on Cloud over the time they'd been there, even if the blond couldn't remember his name yet. It was nothing personal. "Not really."

"What's up?"

Cloud sighed. It wasn't within habit for him to divulge much about himself to others; back home it had only gotten him hazed. Rolling onto his back, he formed a steeple with his fingers and pressed his palms together in a prayer position, staring blankly at the underside of the bunk above his. "Did you ever want something you couldn't have?"

The question seemed to startle the other recruit, as his eyes narrowed minutely and he cocked his head like a confused canine. "Sure, man. Plenty of things. It's a part of life, y'know?" The boy leaned back into his own bed, then, but continued to talk. "Drugs, alcohol, women... Take your pick. Guy like me can't have a lot of things."

With the absence of his bunkmate's gaze, Cloud felt much more comfortable speaking, as if he could pretend that nobody would hear him. "What if it was a man?"

"You're gay?" The question was a little incredulous.

"I'm..." he paused, considering his words carefully, but he found that nothing showed up in the blank space his mind held. Was he? Or was Zack a special case? He had certainly felt attracted to Tifa for years, and though there were extremely few women who joined the ranks of the SOLDIER program, he'd never felt particularly repulsed by the ones he'd encountered. "...I don't know what I am," he finally said, feeling defeated and confused. "But the man I've got in mind, it's like he's so far above that stuff. He's...he's perfect."

His bunkmate leaned over to peer at him through the dark once more, and though his gaze held no malice, there was nothing resembling empathy, either. "General Sephiroth?"

"Lieutenant General Zack."

"Whoa!" The pudgy surfaces of the other boy's face split uncomfortably as he grinned, porky cheeks moving awkwardly to the sides of his head. "You've got balls, man. Going after Zack?"

"I haven't gone after anything. We...talked after class today. I don't know what to do."

The gaze left a final time as his bunkmate resumed his position in bed. There were a few minutes of shuffling noises, and then the silence reigned. Just as the blond decided that the other boy had simply gone to sleep, his voice cut through the night air.

"Follow your heart, man. Be careful, but if it's worth it, it's worth it."

Before he fell asleep, Cloud smiled.

The rest of that night had passed without incident, as well as the next week. Zack hadn't been bluffing when he'd said that Cloud was beyond his peers in intelligence, and as a result of his mentioning the situation to the Shinra higher-ups, the blond had been transferred to an upper-level instruction course the next day. It was bittersweet; he genuinely appreciated the actual challenge of his new class, and he felt as though he was actually learning things now instead of simply regurgitating the appropriate information. However, Zackary Fair was no longer a part of his daily schedule, and as if to rub salt into the wound, the new instructor was, well...

Cloud made a sour face. The man was a cunt.

Instructor Shadow Moon was an older, grizzled man who had fought many battles and seen many travesties in his time. He kept his head shaved, disguising his receding hairline with a severe military cut. The crags and scars in his face made the man look far older than Cloud speculated he actually was. Although he was extremely knowledgeable and fairly competent at his job, his personality was as amiable as a wet, rabid dog.

As was the usual for Cloud's luck, the blond generally got stuck with the full brunt of Instructor Moon's temper.

He was inferior because he was small, because he was inexperienced on the field and because he was blond. Sometimes he was inferior because he simply existed, taking up precious air that could be devoted to the men around him. Regardless of the reason, Cloud usually found himself wounded, winded, and bleeding, from seemingly nothing at all.

Being in a course with third class SOLDIERs was a very dangerous process.

That day in particular had been somewhat difficult, as they had been out for "survival training". This meant, of course, that Cloud's pack was heavier than the rest, his rations fewer than the others', and his tasks more grueling than any man should have to complete. Theoretically, he'd have been perfectly fine handling the assignment the rest of his classmates had received, but because he was lower in rank and smaller in stature, his instructor deemed it perfectly fine to "test" the young blond.

Sighing as he bowed his head beneath the steaming water of his shower, Cloud Strife allowed his aching body to relax and forget the events that had passed.

His muscles positively agonized within his flesh, having been tested against the elements day after day. He was sure that he was bleeding in several locations because his skin stung violently under the stream of hot water, but it was a somewhat masochistic relief to him. He savored the feeling. Tilting his head back and gasping as the water hit his strained chest, he reveled in the tranquility of being by himself.

At least, so he thought.

With his cerulean eyes shut tightly against the onslaught of moisture and his hands slowly beginning to lather the filth from his body, Cloud Strife did not notice the figure moving within the clouded shadows of the group showers. The person was positively silent, naked form disturbing little around it as it slinked through the darkness toward its target. It was after curfew, but the man had none; his rank allowed him to roam as he pleased throughout the building. Technically, he could have gotten the blond in a lot of trouble for violating the rules, but that was not the objective of his mission.

Not by a long shot.

Sneaking precariously upon the smaller recruit, he leaned casually against the moistened walls of the shower and smirked. "How's the water?"

"Shit!" Cloud scrambled backwards out of the spray and brought his hands up, shock snapping his mind and body instantly into combat mode. His chest heaved and his limbs quivered a bit once he saw who was standing there grinning at him. "Z—Zack?" Having been caught off guard, his mind spewed forth his former instructor's name instead of title, but it seemed to matter very little, as the situation quickly saturated his brain.

Of all of the people in the world, Zackary Fair was simultaneously the last and only person Cloud wanted to be standing in front of while he was breaking curfew completely in the nude.

The brunette stood before him unabashedly, half aroused and still smirking at him. The man's body was a godsend after the past week, and even though Cloud was beginning to feel unbearably bashful, he couldn't help but let his eyes feast upon the tanned flesh before him. Hadn't he earned it? Hadn't he worked his ass off for this?

Hadn't it been Zack's fault in the first place?

"You look beat." The gentle phrase matched the blond's thoughts exactly, and the recruit could only close his eyes and chuckle tiredly, having no adequate words to express his exhaustion. "Want me to wash your back?"

It wasn't subtle, and Cloud didn't really care. Yet again providing little response, he simply braced his palms against the wall in front of him and titled his head forward, bearing his back to the other man in quiet submission.

Zack smiled, then, soft and calm. He knew very well what he had gotten his new squeeze into, as he had been in the very same class back in his own day. It was obvious to him that Cloud would survive it and thank him for it one day when he, too, was a first class SOLDIER. In the meantime, his calloused hands took the soap and rolled it from palm to palm, gathering luscious white lather between them.

He hadn't been intending to look for the blond when he'd set out to shower, and thus he was simply attributing it to luck that he'd happened upon Cloud breaking curfew. Placing his hands on the tensed muscles of the recruit's back, he began to massage firmly, allowing the soap to lubricate his hands while they slid against a gently curved spine.

With as quiet as the blond had always been, Zack did not expect the moan of pleasure that slid from Cloud Strife's lips.

"That bad, huh?" His erection swelled strong from the feel of the flesh beneath his hands, and Zack restrained himself from taking the recruit up against the wall, instead moving to slender shoulders to continue his ministrations. His thumbs found delicious divots and hard knots of muscle, working and sliding against the smaller body until Cloud was nearly boneless beneath his hands.

Placing his fingers around the blond's waist, he gently coaxed their bodies together, inevitably pressing his manhood against the smaller recruit. Cloud fit wonderfully against him, and besides which it had been an awfully long time since he'd been able to feel someone else beneath his hands. As he allowed his eyes to roam the pale landscape before him, he noted that Cloud had responded wonderfully to his ministrations. "You know, I could help you feel even better."

"Zack?" The voice was lucid and curious, only slightly matching the drawn brows curving Cloud's face.

The instructor leaned in to nip at the recruit's ear playfully. "I wasn't bluffing when I told you this wasn't over, Cloud. I hope you'll still accept...?"

His lips found the soft space behind the blond's jaw, then, and he began to kiss at the tender skin freely, finally exploring what he'd only been admiring for so long. Cloud was putty beneath him, helpless against the onslaught of exhaustion and arousal, and as he moaned lightly when Zack hit the right spots, the brunette grew more and more impatient. "Cloud?"

The blond turned in his arms and smiled at him. It was brilliant, like the sun moving from behind the clouds on a rainy day, and it hit Zack like a punch to the face. His shock melted immediately, however, when the blond pressed their bodies together. Their hardened flesh slid delectably against each other, slicked with soap and heat. He shut his eyes tightly against the onslaught and gasped, causing Cloud to laugh.

"Your nose wrinkles when you do that."

The brunette grinned, but kept his eyes closed. "Does it?"

"Mm," the recruit purred as he slowly turned them, losing no contact between them, and positioned Zack between himself and the wall. "Is this okay?"

The instructor let out a hearty laugh. "I think this is way more than okay."

With a small noise of approval, Cloud began to work his way along his former instructor's body, nibbling and licking where he had so many times simply imagined himself doing so. His world was spinning and he was caught up in it dizzily, drowning in the musky scent of two aroused men. It was hard to believe that he had Zack Fair underneath his touch, had the man gasping and sighing as his teeth worked around a copper nipple; he made sure to keep moving his hands so that the experience didn't simply fade into a dream.

In a daze, Zack watched as blond spikes bobbed languidly across his body, leaving molten pleasure in their wake. He wouldn't have bet 5 gil that Cloud had had any experience under his belt, but if that were the case, then the recruit had some serious beginner's luck. When teeth closed around the thinner skin across his hipbone he cried out: it tickled, and it felt so good.

The brunette threaded his fingers through the blond's hair roughly as his manhood slid delicately between a pair of lips. Cloud was on his knees before him, now, back curved deliciously and ass glistening in the steam of the shower. The recruit's hands were working dutifully alongside his mouth, alternating between stroking the hardened flesh in time with his tongue and gently tugging at his balls. The golden hair was soft and warm beneath his hand as he fisted it, gasping the blond's name and forcing him to quicken the pace.

As Cloud worked, he moaned around Zack's erection, and it gave both of them goosebumps.

It didn't take long before the brunette instructor hit his limit and swore quietly, unknowingly forcing himself deeper into the recruit's mouth while he shot his seed. His limbs quivered violently with release and he was thankful that his back was against the wall.

Cloud was pleased that he only choked once while his mentor finished.

As he stood, his knees cracked quietly under the strain of his body and his legs tingled a bit, but the sensation was short-lived as he was suddenly swung into a surprisingly strong embrace. His back slid against Zack's chest as he attempted to look at the man, but instead he ended up tossing his head back onto the brunette's shoulder when his own manhood was tucked tightly into a calloused palm.

Zack's pace was much faster than Cloud expected, and as he came, groaning out his former instructor's name into the humid air, his knees gave out on him.

They slid to the floor entangled.

As the two fighters caught their breath, Zack wrapped his arms around his petite prize and smiled, feeling protective. He wasn't...quite sure how he was going to manage this relationship around his bosses, but he was certain that it was worth fighting for, regardless. His nose nuzzled its way behind Cloud's ear and he kissed him gently, nervous that the blond would bolt.

On the contrary, Cloud had already fallen asleep, for once safe and unafraid.