Work Text:
‘Zack, get your ass out of bed.’
A loud, drawn-out snore left the sleeping man’s mouth.
Cloud kicked the side of his roommate’s bed hard. ‘Zack.’
There was movement beneath the blanket, and Cloud hoped that his roommate was finally waking up. Still, his faith was shattered into a million pieces when Zack lazily rolled away from Cloud, mumbling a bunch of gibberish in his slumber.
Cloud frustratingly ran a hand through his prickly, blonde hair.
‘How does he sleep through his alarm?’ Cloud queried to himself as he looked upon the ringing alarm from Zack’s phone by his bedside table.
His question was answered with another loud snore from Zack.
Cloud huffed in impatience as he re-adjusted the strap of his gym bag over his pale-skinned shoulder.
Suddenly, a thought came into Cloud’s head.
And a mischievous smirk formed on his lips.
Cloud whipped out his phone and loaded up the most obnoxious and loudest song from his “Heavy Metal” Playlist.
He then positioned the speaker side of his phone right up to Zack’s ear.
Dialled up the volume to full blast.
Then hit PLAY.
The reaction was instant. Zack shot up from his bed and slapped his hands over his ears, screaming at the top of his lungs and spazzing out like a fish out of water, before falling out of his bed and crashing down onto the floor in a heap.
Zack uttered a childlike “ooww” as he massaged his ears. Moments later he popped his head out from the side of the bed and scanned the room for the perpetrator.
Zack’s mouth dropped open in shock when he found the culprit. “Cloud???”
“Hi.” Cloud deadpanned.
Zack slowly rose to his feet, wincing at the sound of his joint muscles cracking as he stood up. “Why’d you do that for, man???”
Cloud swiped his roommate’s phone from his bedside table and held it up in front of him. “Your alarm.”
Zack moved the fringe of his spiky, bed-ridden black hair away from his eyes, and leaned forward from the other side of the bed, squinting his eyes at his phone’s display.
“…Saturday Jiu-Jitsu kids’ class…10am…”
Once the realisation hit him, Zack’s eyes widened like saucers.
“What’s the time now?” he asked desperately.
Cloud showed the time on his phone.
9:50am
“AH CRAP!!!”
“There it is,” Cloud said nonchalantly as Zack spun around and rushed towards the bathroom.
Cloud considered the possibility that he had just witnessed the quickest shower known to man, because in a matter of seconds, Zack was already sprinting out from the bathroom, damp from head to toe, with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“I shouldn’t have gone to that party last night!” He exclaimed as he rummaged through his drawers for clothes.
Cloud quirked an eyebrow. “You think you could’ve skipped out on a party that offered free tequila shots?”
Zack stopped what he was doing as he pondered on the question.
“You got me there.” Zack sighed with defeat, earning an amused grunt from Cloud.
The dark-haired man smiled in victory when he found his rash guard, compression pants and clean underwear. He unwrapped his towel and slipped on his clothes at a hurried pace.
Cloud groaned in disgust as he brought up a hand to shield his eyes. “You couldn’t give me a warning first?”
“No time for warnings!” Zack bellowed out as he pulled his rash guard over his torso. Once he was done, Zack frantically searched through his wardrobe for the rest of his gear.
“Man, this is bad. This is really bad.” Zack muttered to himself once he finally them. “I’m never late to a class. Never! What will Professor Zangan think of me?!”
“Zack…”
“He’s a stern dude,” Zack went on, ignoring Cloud as he shoved his Jiu-Jitsu Gi, pants and black belt into his gym bag, “He’s definitely gonna think I’m not committed to being a coach. And Tifa! This is gonna look so bad on her. She recommended me to him!”
“Zack…”
“And what about the kids? I’ve let them down! Oh man, this is gonna be so-”
Zack was suddenly cut off in mid-sentence as Cloud grabbed the taller man by his fair-skinned shoulders – their heights were separated by a good eight inches – and spun him around sharply.
“Zack!” Cloud exclaimed as he stared right into his roommate’s teal eyes, a stark contrast to his own sky-blues. “Shut up and take a second to breathe!”
Zack stood still, blinking rapidly at Cloud. It took him a few moments to let his roommate’s advice sink in, and once it did Zack took in a couple of good, deep breaths, and in doing so he slowly felt his anxiety lull down.
“Better?” Cloud asked.
Zack nodded. “Better.”
A little smile curled up in the corner of Cloud’s lips. “Good.”
He let go of his friend’s shoulders. “You’re overreacting, Zack. Professor Zangan, Tifa, the kids. Not a single one of them will get mad at you. It’s not like you’re turning your back on them. You’re just gonna be late.”
Zack sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just…I’m not setting a good example as a coach by showing up late. I feel like I’m letting them down, and I hate that.”
Cloud wasn’t surprised by how his roommate felt. He and Zack met in high school, and Cloud learned very quickly that his taller friend was an honourable guy who always wanted to help people, both in martial arts and in life. He would go above and beyond in both regards because he truly believed it was the right thing to do, and if there were even a chance that he could screw up, Zack would feel like a disappointment.
Cloud remembered that Zack immediately supported him when his mother passed away. Zack was his emotional anchor throughout the ordeal, and Cloud would always be grateful for that.
In fact, Cloud was grateful that he and Zack hit it off the moment they met. They were, and still to this day, such polar opposites.
Zack was energetic, jovial and extremely friendly.
And Cloud was cold, distant, and socially awkward.
Cloud figured nobody would want to talk to him because of his standoffish nature. Ever.
But not Zack.
Despite their differences, he found a kindred spirit in Cloud upon their first interaction, and Cloud found one in Zack, and from that day, they became best friends, and as the years went by, their friendship grew into a strong brother-like bond.
Cloud firmly believed that he would’ve been worse off without Zack. He figured that the least he could do for his friend would be to return his kindness and provide comfort when he felt vulnerable.
“You won’t be letting them down, Zack. You’ll be doing the complete opposite.”
Zack gave his friend a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“This is what’s gonna happen,” Cloud started, “You’re gonna show up to class, and the kids will jump for joy, and Zangan and Tifa will be happy to see you. Why? Because they know that you’re a good man, and a great coach. They’re not gonna care if you’re late. They’ll be happy that you are there for them.”
Zack’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” Cloud said assuredly. “Then, you’re gonna teach the kids a badass class, like you always do, and they’ll have so much fun that they will want to come back for the next class, and then the class after that, and then the class after that. And every time they do, they will be excited and ready to learn from you.”
“Yeah?”
“Hell yeah. The kids love you Zack, and Zangan and Tifa will always appreciate you for teaching them. They will never be disappointed in you. No matter what.”
“You think so?” Zack questioned.
Cloud gave his friend a confident smile. “I know so.”
A big, jovial grin broke out on Zack’s face.
“Yeah, I believe you, man!” Zack exclaimed jovially. “Today’s gonna be a good day!”
The taller man patted his roommate’s shoulder. “Thanks for the pep talk, bud’. You’re the best!”
It wasn’t uncommon for Zack to praise Cloud. He usually does it on a daily basis, given in his jubilant nature. But still, it never stopped that wondrous feeling of elation from swelling up in the pit of Cloud’s stomach whenever he did. Cloud proposed that it was his deep admiration for Zack that such compliments from him would draw that kind of reaction.
“Heh, right back at you,” Cloud said bashfully as he scratched the back of his neck, averting his eyes from his roommate’s.
Zack’s grin grew impossibly wider as he gave Cloud another playful slap on the shoulder.
“Now c’mon. Let’s get going!” Zack proclaimed cheerfully as he slung his own gym bag over his shoulder. “Can’t teach a kickass Jiu-Jitsu class without my favourite assistance!”
Cloud scoffed as he followed Zack out of their apartment. “I’m your only assistant.”
“Details, details.” Zack shot back as he held the door open for Cloud, ready to take on the day with his best friend at his side.