The Only Exception-Clack

                                                              The Only Exception



Cloud Strife was many things, but a lover was not one of them. When he had been just a little boy, his parents had split up in a messy affair. His father had spent years after the divorce wishing there was something he could do to put his broken heart back together. Eventually he drank himself into a stupor every night just to cope. Cloud was pretty sure beer was not a very good adhesive after that.

Cloud's mother took a different approach entirely. She swore love didn't exist, it was just a silly fairytale that Cloud should never fall for. She reminded him of this every day.

By the time he was sixteen he throughly believed that what they had been telling him was true. If love hurt so bad, why would someone want any part of it? If all it did was tear you down, why would you want to put yourself into a situation that would only lead to crying yourself to sleep each night?

It was something he just couldn't seem to understand, even after Tifa tried to teach him. She was never able to show him the meaning though.

Eventually he gave up trying to make things work out on their own. He decided to go to Midgar and join SOLDIER.


The flowers of Nebielheim were lost in the dark, gray, smog covered City of Midgar. It was dank and dirty. Even on the upper plate, it was colorless and strange, something Cloud would never get use too. The buildings arching up like giant, cold arms, cutting the sky away a little at a time. It smothered him at times.

On days when he was feeling particularly buried and unhappy about city life he would walk through the Sector 7 Slums in street clothes, just watching the daily habits of normal people. It would bring him back to his home and help him relax.

It was on one of those days that he saw a couple standing on their porch. They were arguing , yelling and cursing each other to viscously that Cloud was almost appalled. Something in his chest tried to strangle him. He could only think of his mother, leaning over the kitchen sink as she sobbed into a flower embroidered dish towel, her pale blond hair falling limply over her shaking shoulders.

Then something very odd happened. The girl started crying, and instead of just walking off, the man stopped being angry and a strange look overcame his features. He reached out and brushed a finger against her cheek. She looked at him, and then hugged him fiercely.

Cloud didn't understand. He just couldn't see how something like that could happen. It was exactly like what Tifa had tried to explain to him. The hated each other one minute, and then love each other the next. How was that love?

It continued on like this as Cloud worked through his training as a cadet. He did not grow close to anyone in particular, not even his own teammates. He was friendly, sure, and enjoyed their company, but he always felt this peculiar distance he couldn't breach as he sat there in the Mess eating with everyone. What he didn't grasp was that he was the one creating this distance he couldn't cross.


It was a day in mid September, and Cloud was on a mission to Modeoheim when something very strange happened to him. He was walking along just like usual. A little bit ahead for once since he was on familiar terrain in the snowy mountains that lead to the abandoned Mako reactor and ghost town. As he walked, one of the leaders of their group came up to him. He was talking animately, a giant smiled plastered on his face as he teased the other recruits. Then he turned to Cloud.

"You are pretty good at this! Are you a country boy too?" He asked in a friendly way that made something in Cloud's chest jerk.

"Y-yes!" he felt his breath catch as he tried to reply, taking the casualty he had been going for right out of the single word. He felt hot embarrassment creep into his face. He was glad he had his helmet on to hide the color in his cheeks.

The SOLDIER laughed and kept talking. His name was Zack Fair, and he was from Gongaga. Something about this made Cloud feel strange. They had something in common, and Cloud couldn't help but wonder if there was more they shared. Some sort of other common ground, more familiar than the rocky, snowy mountain terrain they had both grown up on.

Cloud was unaware of it, but Zack Fair was going to change his life in many ways.


"...Sir?" Cloud stepped onto the landing of the room. It's floor was hardly stable, and the unfinished ceiling was falling apart, the sky's cold blue glint giving the place an unearthly feeling.

Zack sat on the rough flooring, in the middle of the dust and broken lumber holding a large sword. He was bent over it, and his air of carefree happiness was gone completely.

Cloud had only known him for a few days, but for some reason he felt an urge to reach out to the older teen.

Zack lifted his head, but didn't turn to look at Cloud.

"Sir, what happened in here?" Cloud remembered there had been another man running around the complex that Zack had known, or had seemed to have known. Zack still did not respond.

Cloud took a few ginger steps on the creaky flooring, then quickly crossed the room to Zack.

"Sir...are you hurt?" Cloud knelt next to him, "We should go somewhere safer,"

Zack was staring at the sky over head blankly.

"I...can't believe he's gone...," he whispered distantly, "I wonder..." He trailed off as something caught his words and locked them away,"

"Who's gone?" Cloud felt worry tighten his chest. Zack turned to look at Cloud as if he only was just realizing the younger boy's presence.

"Angeal," He whispered,"

Cloud recognized the name of the famous first class SOLDIER turned renegade instantly. What did Zack have to do with a rouge like Angeal?

Cloud saw something break inside Zack at that moment and he realized that Angeal must have been special to Zack, and in the time he had been chasing the mad doctor and trying to find Tseng, something very critical must have happened.

Cloud reached out and put a hand on Zack's before he even thought about whether or not that appropriate for him to do. Something about it just felt right.  Something in his heart told him it was okay. He looked Zack in the eyes and gave his hand a soft squeeze.

Zack groaned as tears suddenly filled his eyes and he crumbled right in front of Cloud. It was a very strange sight to behold, watching a SOLDIER emotionally collapse. Cloud held onto that hand and sat with Zack as he sobbed. He held that hand like it was all that was holding them down.


After the Modeoheim incident, Cloud did not see Zack again for a long time. Almost three months. But he thought about him. Almost everyday he wondered how Zack was doing. How was he coping? Had he become hard and mean at the loss of his mentor? It was always there in the back of his mind. A heavy concern for someone who was basically a stranger to him.

It was one day, on some of Cloud's free time that he saw Zack again.


Cloud was sitting in the Cadet lounge, reading a book on the newest study scores for the SOLDIER exam and trying to ignore the uncomfortableness of his chair when someone walked in front of him. At first he thought it was just someone getting something from one of the many vending machines, but when a pair of bright blue eyes peeked over the top if his book, he knew right away who it was.

"Well hello there Spiky," Zack said cheerily.

"Sir?" Cloud felt his face heat up at the nickname. Zack was back to his bouncy self? Had he recovered?

Zack offered a lighthearted smile.

"Do you have a minute?" Zack raised and eyebrow.

"Yes, I am off this afternoon," Cloud nodded quickly.

Zack's eyes sparkled at hearing this and he spoke with an almost nervous excitement.  Cloud felt his pulse quicken and stood abruptly, shutting his book.  They almost bumped into each other as Zack was almost in Cloud's face when he had been sitting.

"Oh!" Zack stepped back quickly and Cloud tried his hardest not to fell right back into his seat.

"Sorry!" Cloud spluttered awkwardly.

"Don't be, I was WAY to close, ummm anyway," Zack started nervously, scratching the back of his head,
"You wanna...get some coffee? Or something? My treat!" Zack offered another giddy smile.

"I...I would love too," Cloud replied almost shyly. What had gotten into him?


Zack and Cloud walked down to Loveless Avenue to get coffee. It was getting late, but it was hard to tell because of all of the artificial lighting that bathed the streets, Neon, lamp light, billboards.

"You know, Angeal and I use to come down here all the time," Zack said wistfully, "He always complained about the people. He hated crowds,"

Cloud watched Zack talk as he sipped his Chai expresso. The way his face lit up as he remembered the coffee, and talking with his mentor, it was amazing to see. Then Zack turned to look at him.

"Nnn?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. He felt strange enough walking around with a SOLDIER 1st class on a regular social visit without Zack giving him odd looks.

"Thank you."

Now had not been expecting THAT.

"For what?" He sputtered out, feeling his ears turn pink.

"For being there. You were there when I needed someone. I appreciate it. Plus on top of that, you didn't tell a soul...well except for Tseng..but he kinda figured it out when I was all Zombie like and stuff, that I had broken down like that. Thank you." Zack's words were sincere, and his expression was that was comfortable appreciation.

"You're...welcome." Cloud said slowly, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.

"I always wondered...," Zack said looking towards the sky, "what it would feel like to fly. Angeal always said having wings made you a monster...but to me...It would feel like freedom,"

Cloud had no idea what Zack was talking about. Nothing he was saying made any since. Zack seemed oblivious to that however. He was lost iin some moment beyond Cloud's comprehension. Sharing something personal.

Cloud felt something inside him melt. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew something. He knew something with such certainty that he was startled. He liked being around Zack. A lot.

Zack turned his head to look at Cloud again and smiled. Cloud smiled back.


Zack and Cloud started going to coffee twice a week, then three times a week, and pretty soon they were going out whenever they had free time. They would talk about being boys in the country, or enjoying the taste of the hot drinks as it got cold and their breath would freeze in the air as the laughed and talked.

One day, it was so could that snow had covered the gray streets in a dirty white blanket of  and Zack sighed.

"I think we need to go somewhere else today," He said to Cloud. Cloud felt his mind reel at the thought. Where would they go?

"How about my apartment?" Zack said.

Cloud blinked.

"Ummm...okay," He nodded. Zack laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. Cloud felt static run through his body and electrocute his nerve endings at Zack's touch.

"Maybe a movie will be on!" the older boy chattered at they headed towards the SOLDIER housing.


That was how Cloud wound up sitting on the sofa next to Zack, watching some holiday special mindlessly. He was far to caught up in the fact that if Zack moved his knee just a little bit more to the right, their legs would bump. Instead Cloud focused on the hot green and peppermint tea he held in a steaming mug, the heat warming fingers nicely.

About three seconds later Cloud realized Zack was looking at him. Not just off to the side, or indiscreetly. He was staring right at him and it was a little unnerving, but he also kind of liked it, but was really starting to wonder if maybe he had something on his face.

Zack smiled softly. It was a strange, slow, almost shy smile. He cheeks flushing a little bit.

Cloud stared right back as something in his heart began to smother him. He was desperately trying to keep up with what exactly was happening at the moment.

"You have very pretty eyes," Zack said finally, he reached over and took Cloud's mug, which was now slipping, and placed it neatly on the polished, wooden coffee table.

"Thank you," Cloud whispered. He couldn't seem to get his mind to make anything else come out of his mouth.

When Zack moved forward and stroked the blond wisps from Cloud's sky blue eyes, Cloud couldn't pull away. He was transfixed, and stunned into stillness.

"Thy are the color of the sky. It makes me feel  free when I look at you," he said softly.

Cloud reached a hand out and touched Zack's face lightly, almost curiously.

Zack ran a finger over Cloud's lips his eyes searching Cloud's.

"You make me feel...like I belong." Cloud whispered in a breathless way that would have embarrassed him if he wasn't so caught up in the moment.

When their lips met it was like everything Cloud had ever though about being close to another person became a lie. He felt his whole being lit up in a way that he had never felt before. The way Zack cupped his cheek ever so softly. The way Cloud was able to press himself perfectly up against Zack as their finger's intertwined and their lips parted. It was all so perfect. It was something that he thought was impossible. A foolish fairytale, a lie. It was none of these things. And when Zack's fingers slid under his shirt, he didn't protest. When Cloud's lose kisses went down Zack's neck, the both melted together. It was perfect, and something they both needed. A person they could count on to always be there.

And they were absolutely inseparable until the end. Cloud and Zack. They counted on once and other. They laughed together, they fought. They made up. They loved each other in a way that only two very broken people could.



"So...What was Zack Fair to you Cloud?" Yuffie asked one day as the walked towards 7th Heaven bar one late January afternoon months after the Deepground invasion had come to and end.

Cloud smiled as he looked up at the icy blue sky, then turned his matching eyes on Yuffie, who gave him curious look.

"Zack... was the only exception."