"Love is a game that two can play, and both can win"
[♥]
By the time you reach a certain door towards the end of the hallway, your heart is all but pounding out of your chest. There were so many potential opportunities waiting on the other side of that door, it was too much to handle. As a SOLDIER First Class, Zack doesn't exactly lead a normal life. Relationships aren't forbidden, but they aren't necessarily encouraged either. If you were to put yourself out there... what would happen? Would he reject you for his career?
As quietly as possible you turn the door handle and open the wooden door. You're greeted by nothing but darkness as you slip inside of the room, but soft snores tell you he's inside. With an amused smile you close the door behind you and stand still for a few moments, allowing your eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Finally, you can make out the outline of a body tightly wrapped in a sea of plush blankets, tufts of dark hair sticking out from the covers. Zack must be a deep sleeper because he continues to snore as you tip-toe to his side.
In the blink of an eye, your shoes are kicked off, his covers are pulled back, and you've slid down beside him. Your hand brushes against his bare chest as you pull the covers up over your body, and your eyes widen at the unexpected (but welcomed) sensation. Zack releases a soft groan before shifting positions, one of his arms falling over you. Subconsciously, he pulls your back against his chest, nuzzling the back of your head before light snores can once again be heard. Unable to bring yourself to pull away, you instead press your face against the spare pillow and close your eyes to grab some sleep.
You can talk later.
[♥]
You fell asleep insanely fast, feeling truly safe for the first time in a week. There was something about the rhythmic breathing in your ear that was almost hypnotic, lulling you into slumber's embrace. What felt like years later you can feel the cloud lifting as your eyes flutter open. The first thing you notice is the soft light filtering into the room; it must be afternoon now. The second thing you notice is the strong arm wrapped around your waist, and the steady, heaving chest against your back. Another snore reaches your ear, and you're unable to hold back a small snort of amusement as you glance over your shoulder. Just how long can this guy sleep, anyway?!
Your movements must have awoken him, because the grip on your waist suddenly tightens as his snoring stops. You can see his eyes start to slowly open, and you quickly turn back around so you're facing away from him, praying he didn't catch you staring. He must not have, because he doesn't say anything. You can feel his body shift before his lips hover over your neck, the arm around your waist managing to tighten its grip even more.
"[Name]," Zack murmurs sleepily, his lips brushing against your exposed skin. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."
You laugh lightly, still not looking back at him as he places a light kiss on your neck, fighting back a shudder as his warm breath hits your skin.
"Why would you ask that?"
"This isn't the first time I've dreamt you're in my bed, y'know," he teases, and you can already tell he's smirking
Your hand rests on the arm around your waist, two of your fingers joining together to pinch his skin. He flinches a bit, though you can hear him chuckle as you shift in his arms so that you're facing him. He has a huge smile on his face as he stares down at you, and his dark hair is messier than Sora's and Roxas' combined.
"Geez, how long have you been sleeping?" you ask, reaching a hand out in an attempt to tame his hair.
"Awhile. This shoulder injury's been kind of limiting," he points out, and your eyes dart down to his shoulder. The stab wound from Xigbar is covered with thick, white gauze. "Though that didn't keep me from stopping by at least 20 times a day to try and see you. Ven makes quite the bodyguard."
The bitterness in his voice causes you to giggle lightly as you reach a hand out, trailing a finger down his cheek.
"I'm sorry," you mutter, your eyes slowly meeting his. "I just couldn't face you..."
Silence falls over the two of you, though his hand is slowly starting to move up and down your side. His deep blue eyes are practically boring into yours, doing his best to pry any sort of emotional response from you.
"Then why are you here now?" he finally asks, his voice filled with genuine curiosity. There's nothing accusatory about him at all.
"To apologize. I've missed you."
If the statement shocks him, he doesn't show it. His face immediately lights up before he pulls you close to him, his face nuzzling into your neck as you release a content sigh. Your hands start to run through his hair, playing with the locks as he holds you like he's scared you're going to disappear. His body is covering yours, a surprisingly comfortable feeling since he's quite a bit bigger than you.
"I missed you, too."
As he speaks, his lips brush against your skin again. This time you can't stop a small shiver from running up your spine, and Zack pulls back with a smug smirk.
"... I'm cold," you lie, and he rolls his eyes.
"Uh huh, sure," he mumbles sarcastically, one of his hands resting on the pillow beside your head to support his weight without crushing you. The look on his face tells you he wants to continue teasing you, but instead he releases a heavy sigh. "Why'd you cut me out this past week, [Name]?"
You start to frown, glancing towards the side and away from the male.
"I already told you. I couldn't face you."
"But why?" he presses, leaning down and brushing his nose against your cheek to gain your attention again.
You give in, glancing up at him once more. He looks so upset, it makes you feel like the absolute worst person on the planet.
"Because I thought you'd hate me," you admit with a shrug.
"What?!" Zack exclaims, eyes widening. "I could never hate you. You're perfect."
You start to laugh until you notice the thoughtful expression on his face. He's serious.
"Well, where do I start... I've kissed more than one other guy within the past few months, including one that tried to kill me multiple times. And-"
"That doesn't mean anything to me," Zack interrupts, brushing a hand through your bangs. "You're here with me right now, and that's all that matters. Right?"
He raises his eyebrows for emphasis, an encouraging smile on his face. You continue to frown, but nod slowly in agreement.
"I guess. I just feel bad for ignoring you this past week. I didn't even think about your shoulder..."
You reach a hand out, resting it over the gauze covering his shoulder. The tips of your fingers brush against his skin, and you swear his eyes darken at the feeling.
"Now you know how I felt worrying about you and your hip," he tells you with a wry smile, leaning down so that his forehead rests over yours. "How's it feeling, anyway?"
The hand on your waist trails down to your hip, his fingers lightly touching your skin under your shirt. Thank goodness for the gauze blocking his hand, or else you'd be spluttering and babbling like an idiot.
"Better. At least I can walk now..."
Your throat feels like it's closing up as you catch the glint in his eyes and the look on his face as he stares down at you. It's nothing you've ever seen before, and it's the most alive you've ever felt. His fingers dig into your hip, his body pressed so tightly against yours that you can feel the light pattern of his heartbeat through his chest. Normally he'd laugh at your lame attempt at a joke, but right now it looks like his mind is clouded with jumbled thoughts.
"Move in with me," Zack finally mutters, his voice sounding softer than usual.
Your eyes widen.
"... Excuse me?"
He leans back slightly so that he's able to see your entire face. He's smiling slightly, though a nervous expression plagues his typically beautiful features.
"Now that this is over, I'm moving back to Midgar. Sephiroth offered me my old job... and I want you to come with me."
"You want me to live with you?" you repeat in a low, disbelieving whisper, and he enthusiastically nods.
"I'm not letting you go, [Name]. You're kind of stuck with me, whether you like it or not."
You suddenly explode with laughter, your heart racing as your hands rest on either side of his face. Zack still looks hopeful as he continues to prop himself up, watching you carefully.
"What do you think, Zack?" you ask through quiet giggles.
"I'm praying you're gonna say yes," he laughs.
"Then your prayers have been answered."
You barely have time to register the look of happiness that flashes on his face before he leans down, capturing your lips with his. The hand resting on your hip shifts so that it slides under your back, his arm fully wrapping around your body as he holds you impossibly close. Your hands find their way into his hair as the kiss deepens with a tilt of his head, passion coursing through you from your head to your toes.
Though in the back of your head you're wondering just where the hell Midgar is.
[♥]
Three days later, and you and Zack finally leave Headquarters. Only Roxas, Xion, Reno, Yuffie, and Axel were there to say goodbye, and Zack had even been spared what would have been a very long lecture from Roxas. Apparently the blond trusted Zack to take care of you, a fact that caused your heart to soar with relief. Riku, Sora, Noctis, Leon, Genesis, and Cloud had already left Headquarters, making your and Zack's departure a little less awkward than it might have been, though the strange and unhappy looks from Sephiroth all but made up for it. He wasn't thrilled that you were coming along with Zack due to the potential distraction you served, but something about the kid's annoyingly pleading puppy eyes caused him to cave like a house of cards.
... Although there was a small caveat to you moving with them. Since there were no female SOLDIERs (something you found horribly sexist), you weren't permitted to join the ranks in Midgar. But, not wanting to just sit around an apartment all day, Sephiroth was more than happy to take you on as an assistant. You were basically a glorified secretary for the man, but it was surprisingly fun. He still scared the crap out of you, however.
Zack was really in his element, back in Midgar. He was almost like a completely different person when he was at Shinra. When he wasn't with you or out on missions, he was training young and hopeful men into becoming SOLDIERs. It was a bit weird to see him so serious, but you were slowly getting used to the fact that the man had two distinct personalities. Though with you he was always sweet and playful, and you hoped that would never change.
"Hey," a voice distracts you from your thoughts, and a small peck is placed on your cheek. You glance back as two hands are placed on your shoulders, spotting a beaming Zack. "Ready to get outta here?"
"Yeah," you agree, quickly turning off your computer and standing up as Zack's hands fall to his sides.
You step away from your desk, taking a quick peek at the male. He's dressed in his typical, black SOLDIER outfit. It always brings back memories, of your life before. The two of you start to walk out of Sephiroth's impeccably tidy office and into the stark-white hallway. Calloused and rough fingers suddenly slip between yours as Zack gently reaches out and grabs your hand, tugging slightly on your arm so that you're walking close to him.
"How was work?" he asks, still grinning as he glances down at you.
"Boring. How about you?"
"Same old. I accidentally made some kid cry today."
You release a loud laugh, shaking your head as Zack chuckles sheepishly.
"So mean," you scold as the two of you step inside of the elevator.
He rolls his eyes as he reaches his free hand out, lazily pressing the button for the first floor. The doors slowly close, and with a ding the elevator starts to lower. Zack's closeness to your body causes your face to flush slightly; no matter how much time has passed, he still sets you on fire with each touch and look. And right now, as he's blatantly staring at you, you're definitely starting to feel a little overwhelmed.
"Is there something on my face?" you speak up, giving in and glancing up at the male.
He merely shake his head, raising your intertwined hands as he presses a light kiss against your knuckles.
"Nope. Just admiring your beauty, darling~"
Oh, he's good. The words send you into a fit of the giggles as you lean against him, sighing happily as he releases your hand to instead wrap an arm around your waist. He pulls you closer, his nose nuzzling the side of your face.
"Stooooop. You're making me blush," you complain, hiding your face into his chest.
"Then my work here is complete."
You pull back slightly to stare up at him, automatically wrapping your arms around his neck as his free hand starts to slowly run through your hair. Your eyes are locked with his, drowning in a sea of blue.
"I love you," you murmur, your fingers gently trailing up his neck.
You swear his cheeks turn light pink as he starts to smile, his eyes softening as he continues to meet your gaze. The hand running through your ear rests behind your ear, his fingers gently embedding in your hair.
"Not as much as I love you, [Name]," he replies before pulling you even closer.
The second his lips brush against yours, that same electricity runs through your body. Nothing in the world compares to it. You're led backwards, his hand grabbing your hip as he presses your back against the wall of the elevator. Your mouth drops open in a silent, shocked gasp, something he takes full advantage of. Your hand roughly tugs at his hair, causing a soft groan to escape his lips as he reluctantly breaks the kiss. Just then, the bell dings and the elevator doors slowly open.
"I think we need to get home, now," Zack muses, his voice a bit deeper than usual.
His hand rests on the small of your waist as he leads you out of the elevator and out of the building, out onto the dark streets.
"Oh? And why's that~?" you tease with an innocent smile as you run a finger down his chest.
You release a light laugh as Zack tackles you in a bear hug, kissing your lips mercilessly as his arms wrap around your shoulders. Your back is bent slightly as he leans over you, your hands grabbing at his shoulders as he softly deepens the kiss in the middle of the street. You can hear hoots and hollers from other SOLDIERs and passerbys, but none of it matters, you realize as you pull back with a smile. Zack chuckles sheepishly, not lessening his grip on you at all as he nuzzles his cheek against yours in a sweet display of affection.
The absolute best thing about Zack was that you never doubted of his love for you, because he was sure to show it from sunrise to sunset.
THE END [OF ZACK'S JOURNEY]
Next: Cloud Strife