Nibelheim
They made it to Nibelheim in one piece, thanks to Cid’s grumbling but skilled hands on the controls. The flight from Cosmo Canyon had been quiet- too quiet. Tension clung in the air like fog, heavy and unspoken. No one wanted to be the first to acknowledge what lay ahead. The only noise came from Yuffie, who was complaining about being motion sick. Something about that reminded Zack how Cloud used to be on aircrafts or literally anything moving. He looked at the blonde, cocking his head to the side. Huh. Zack hummed thoughtfully to himself as he rested his hands on the hilt of the buster sword, murmuring his mantra to himself. The one Angeal taught him.
“Embrace your dreams… Protect your honour… as a SOLDIER.” It was grounding, saddening because every time he said it, he felt like his mentor was watching him from the Lifestream. Gaia, he missed him. He was honestly like an older brother who was looking out for him. Even after all these years, Angeal’s death was never easy on Zack.
Cloud caught this but said nothing as he slid his hand over into Zack’s when the other placed one of his hands in the space between them, squeezing softly. “He would be proud,” he murmured gently to Zack in a low tone that only the SOLDIER could hear him. The words were simple but there was an unexpected depth to them as though Cloud understood the weight of those words too.
Zack stifled a noise, and for a moment, he didn’t look away from Cloud’s mako blue eyes. They were clear, focused, but underneath the surface was something Zack knew all too well- quiet pain. And yet, there was something else, too, yet he couldn’t figure out what. He nodded a little, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile. He squeezed Cloud’s hand back, a silent promise. “Yeah… I think he would be,” he agreed, sighing softly, still not looking away from Cloud’s eyes until Barret said something.
“Stop eye fucking each other,” he grumbled from the other side of the bench, rolling his eyes slightly at the two oblivious men. Zack blinked, breaking his gaze away from Cloud as Barret’s loud voice cut through the quiet tension between them. The unexpected comment made him chuckle, though it was nervous, almost awkward. They pulled their hands away from each other, going bright red in the faces. Zack tried to decline that they weren’t.
The rest of the flight was silent and smooth as Cid brought the plane down onto the airstrip, meaning that the group would have to continue into town on foot. Least it wasn’t covered in snow as it usually was, considering it was spring which was honestly better than being in the middle of the desert. The cool spring air felt nice as the seven trekked on through the bottom of the mountains that would lead into the village that was only up ahead. Cloud led the way, expression unreadable. Zack beside him. It was ironic. SOLDIER beside SOLDIER. Red and Barret, with Cait Sith were behind them, silently. That left Aerith and Tifa. They were behind the group, walking and talking, mostly about how oblivious the boys were being.
By the time they reached the village, Tifa was the first to notice how new it looked and then got all angry at Shinra about it. They walked further into the village only to get stopped by one of the townsfolk who explained what had happened to the village from the last five years in a nutshell to the present year. Cait Sith paid no mind to it, hurriedly getting to the point that he needed access to a data intel system, the man told him to find it in Central Hall, so he went to do that. While he did that, the others were left to roam around.
Zack felt a weird sense of dejavu, like he had been here before. Had he? Right! The Nibelheim mission with Sephiroth… Yeah, that was when everything went to shit… He followed Cloud, nudging his shoulder lightly as they walked back into the vast openness of the village, near the water tower where Tifa was sitting up on it with Aerith, talking alone with her. Eyes drifting towards the looming mountains and the ever familiar curve of the rooftops. Despite the freshness of the pain and carefully replicated architecture, the place didn’t feel new. Not to him, and definitely not to Cloud or Tifa. The air still carried hollow, like a ghost town trying too hard to wear the skin of something alive. Just the thought of it caused a chill to run down his spine.
“Hey,” Zack said lowly, just for Cloud to hear. “You remember the mission we had here didn’t you?”
Cloud slowed his steps but he didn’t answer. He kept walking, head slightly bowed. Zack could see his jaw tightening, grinding his teeth or something, trying to swallow the memories that crawled up his throat. “Yeah… I do… Why?”
“Dunno,” Zack answered. “Just feels like everything went downhill from here, y’know?” He glanced up at the inn, then towards the mountains in the distance. “Sephiroth reading in that damned manor… snapping at us, then burning it down…”
“Don’t need to remind- where are you going?” Cloud asked, looking over at Zack finally when the man took off without a word, headed towards the inn they had stayed at five years ago. He rolled his eyes but continued to follow him. As Zack took off up the stairs, Cloud stayed down in the lobby, talking briefly with Barret before he followed the puppy.
It looked the same, more or less. He opened the door to the exact room that he and Zack had slept in on their mission. It was weird being back in a place he hadn’t been to in years. He left when he had the chance too, sticking to his promise of becoming SOLDIER, and even if his own mother wasn’t really supportive of his decision, he was sure she would love Zack. Speaking of, he saw the other sitting on the edge of one of the beds.
“Zack?” Cloud’s voice pulled Zack out of his thoughts. Zack looked over his shoulder, biting the inside of his cheek. “Feels weird…” Cloud admitted, crossing his arms over his chest, looking around the room as if nothing had changed, and nothing had changed.
Zack stood up, looking at the blonde haired male that he had a massive crush on since he was eighteen and now he was twenty three. He had been pining over the man for over three years. Gods. How could someone be so precious and adorable, badass too, all at the same time? Gaia, Zack wanted to kiss him. Desperately. Fuck it. He was going to make his move. He may as well. It was either now, or done in the Shinra manor, or Mount. Nibel. Now seemed like a good time.
The blonde didn’t notice him walking around the beds, striding across the room over to him until he saw Zack in the corner of his eye. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, nor did it matter if they were in Nibelheim. Now just seemed like a good chance to catch their breath, not worry about being chased down by Shinra, all of it. He stepped closer to Cloud, reaching out just barely to cup the blonde’s face, tugging him lightly. He tilted the other’s chin up slightly to meet his gaze- he wasn’t hesitating. It was now or never.
“Zack?” Cloud asked again, his hand resting on Zack’s wrist, his voice was softer this time, quieter.
Zack didn’t answer. Instead, he just leaned in, slowly, testing Cloud’s resolve, until their lips were close enough to feel the heat of each other’s breath. It was the kind of kiss that was long overdue, the kind that Zack had wanted for so long- pressing his lips gently against Cloud’s in a slow, deliberate kiss. Cloud froze, his breath catching in his throat. Zack caught this and started to pull back when he noticed Cloud freezing up.
Blue eyes met green ones.
“Shit- I should have asked- Cloud, I- Mhn!?” Zack’s arms flared as he was suddenly pulled into a kiss, being pulled in by the collar of his shirt. His words being swallowed as Cloud tugged him forward, crashing their lips together in a kiss that was nothing like the gentle one Zack had initiated- it was hungry, desperate, like Cloud had been holding it back for just as long. Maybe longer.
Zack stumbled slightly, bending down slightly, caught off guard and one hand grabbed Cloud’s waist while the other tangled in the fabric of his shirt. His heart thundered, threatening to leap from his chest. This was nothing like when he was kissing Aerith when she and him were dating. No. This was different, exhilarating even. Cloud’s hand was still fisted in his collar, ground him in the moment to stay put and not leave. Not like he was going to anyway.
Both men were so lost in each other's arms that neither heard Barret’s familiar footsteps coming down the hallway… Until he barged in.
Barret’s heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway of the inn, and just as he was about to knock on the wooden door, it swung open with a loud creak. His brown eyes widened at the sight before him- Zack and Cloud locked in a kiss, completely oblivious to the world outside them. About damn time! But now wasn’t the time, damn it! For a split second, there was nothing but stunned silence, then his voice rang out, loud and startling. “WHAT THE HELL?!”
The two SOLDIERs jumped apart so fast, Cloud tripping over his own feet in the process. Zack caught him easily and helped him up to his feet. Both going bright red in the face. Zack’s mouth opened and shut as if he was trying to explain, mostly in shock as he fumbled to straighten his shirt. Cloud, just as equally embarrassed, adjusted himself as well, his own face flushed, a shade of red that could rival a tomato.
Barret’s gaze flickered between the two of them, crossing his arm and prosthesis over his chest, chuckling. A mix of confusion, surprise, and something else… Was that amusement? written on his face. “About damned time,” he said, laughing softly. “I ain’t going to be the one to break it to the rest of them, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Cloud and Zack stood frozen for a moment, each trying to process what happened, both still catching their breath. The awkward tension was almost unbearable. Zack scratched the back of his head, trying to muster some words but failing miserably. Cloud, meanwhile, tried to regain his usual composure, but his face was still bright red. He glanced over at Zack, who was still fumbling for the right thing to say.
Barret, now leaning against the doorframe, grinned widely, his arms crossed smugly. “You two are not subtle. Were you trying not to get anyone to notice?”
Zack stammered. “It-it’s not like we were trying to hide it, man. It’s just- uh… it was…”
“Not like I’m surprised,” Barret continued, his grin growing more amused. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. Hell, even Yuffie figured it out. Took you two forever to catch up with what everyone else already knew.”
“Great….” Cloud mumbled.
“Don’t worry,” Barret chuckled, clearly enjoying this. “I ain’t gonna go spreading it around. You two can handle that. But we do have a mission to finish.”
“Yeah yeah. We’ll be down in a sec!” Zack said, trying to shoo the other man out of the room, to which he succeeded in. Barret’s laugh traveled with him as he walked down the steps of the inn and out into town, likely back to the group who were waiting on Zack and Cloud.
“Finish later?” Cloud asked after a moment’s passing. Zack looked at the blonde, nodding with enthusiasm. He did, however, lean forward and peck his cheek, agreeing they would finish this later. They did have a mission to finish, as well as needing to get to Mount. Nibel before sunset. Guess they were finishing this later.