embrace your dreams

[Zack Fair RP Blog]

[gongagapuppy]

CLOUD STRIFE SIDEBLOG ; @chocobospikes

GUIDELINES && MAIN VERSES ; ( carrd ) || BIO && TAGGING GUIDE ; ( 1 ) || PROMO ; ( 2 )

OPEN STARTER PROMPTS ; ( ⚔︎ ) || ASK GAMES ; ( ⚔︎ ) // ( ⚔︎ )

OPEN STORY STARTERS ( WRITTEN BY ME ) ; ( !! ) || ZACK'S POSTS ; ( × ) // ( × ) // ( × ) // ( × ) || WRITTEN HEADCANONS ; ( ⚔︎ )

! SLOW BLOG ! Time can vary a lot, really. If you want to ask for my Discord, you can, since I tend to be on there often. I try my best to respond in the order I receive things.

Quick Rules :

Mun is 18. I'm fine writing romantic and/or sexual ships with anyone also 18+. If our characters are not being shipped in either those senses, 16+ is fine. If I'm uncomfortable for any reason, I'll let you know. I don't mind most ships ( just run it by me first ) but my favs are zakkura and zerith.

Blog Content Warning :

Canon-typical dark themes of death, grief, and war + Graphic descriptions of violence, gore, and mental illness. If the way I write something exceeds canon-typical handling ( rated T ) and I don't tag appropriately, please let me know and I will fix it. If the way I write something with you in particular makes you uncomfortable at any point -- or if you just want to shift gears on something -- let me know and I'll adjust. It's supposed to be fun!

INBOX: 4 || DRAFTS: 1 / 4 || FINISHED: 0 / 4

[icicleteeth]

They're going to be mercenaries 😌

[spikeyyyyyy]

"Thanks." Cloud decides he might eat a cracker, or something. Human food doesn't sit well with his stomach anymore, but anything to keep his actual hunger at bay. Or keep himself busy.

He tries not to even breathe as they walk to Zack's place. The scent of Zack's blood is hard to ignore, though, as it lingers next to him.

The walk feels like it lasts an eternity and only a few seconds, both at the same time. When they finally arrive, Cloud waits at the door as Zack goes inside.

"Can I come in?" He asks. He hasn't been here since...turning. And he doesn't want to test what'll happen if he walks in without an invite. Last time, he almost burned. He'd really rather not have that happen again.

[gongagapuppy]

“‘Course you can.” Zack looks back once he’s a couple feet inside the house, noticing Cloud hasn’t stepped in, and tilts his head questioningly. “Uhh.”

Before Cloud can say anything, though, Zack facepalms, chuckling to himself. “Right. Uh. You’re welcome on in.” Vampire rules and all that. Cloud must be real committed, which Zack can respect.

It’s been a while since they hung out at his place, and Zack’s kinda stupidly happy about it even if he’s exhausted. He kicks off his shoes and nudges them in the corner with his foot, then nods toward the general living space. “Help yourself to whatever, man. Whole house is yours.”

[rocketbirdie]

i'm so tired.

[opheliasgirl]

& oh , he's still much the same as she remembers him , it makes aerith's poor heart flutter in her chest. how was a girl supposed to stand a chance , how was she supposed to be upset with him when it's as though he stepped right out of her head & back into her world ?? her lips curve up into a gentle smile , slight huff of laughter escaping , a single beat as emerald eyes meet blue.

❛ i thought someone would've told you it's rude to keep a girl waiting. ❜

it's not as though she really expects anything from him , young love was so terribly fleeting , after all. & it wouldn't be fair to expect his feelings to have stayed the same when her own hadn't. but she laughs again , steps forward carefully where she'd once been careless with him , with her own heart. one step , then another , curious eyes noting how his frame had filled out , the new scar on his face , the light that doesn't quite meet his eyes.

❛ zack. ❜

his name is almost a prayer to her , something she'd wished for for so long but never expected to receive. the planet must truly favor her to bring them together again , & gaia's daughter makes a mental note to thank her another time. for now , gentle hands come to cradle zack's face , thumbing the scar that sits at his jaw.

❛ it's okay. you came back. that's all i ever wanted , was to know you're alive. ❜

all her letters had gone unanswered , & the faded ribbon holding back her hair is testament to her patience , all the the ancient had spent waiting. feeling how solid he is under her hands is the only dam holding back the tears that flood her eyes , but she keeps them from falling , if only to preserve her own pride.

[gongagapuppy]

The touch stills him entirely. His fidgeting, his doubts – for a moment, he stops breathing.

Her hands. Shiva, her hands, they’re so soft. Warm, familiar. Somewhat dirty, maybe from tending to the flowers, but Zack’s sure he would never be able to fall into how cathartic the gesture is had they been clean, not when his own will never be.

Zack lets out a soft huff. “I’m… here, yeah.” His throat burns more with each word he speaks. How long has it been since he’s been touched ? And so gently, like whatever he is now is still something worthy of care?

There’s no pride left in him. Maybe it melted away just now, or maybe that happened somewhere else along the line. He can’t care. Not when he’s with someone who can look at him, and it’s Aerith, the person he’s always been able to just be with, exist like he's normal, when around. 

It’s been so long . It’s been so long, he forgot he didn’t always have to look over his shoulder. He lost the contours of her face, the memories blurred no matter how tight he tried to keep his grip on them.

The shapes blur again now, but he won’t shut his eyes. The sight of her is nothing short of a blessing, with tears blurring his sight right now that’s never been more clear.

Before his knees can buckle, Zack pulls his hand up to hold the back of one of Aerith’s against his cheek.

“Sorry I’m late.”

To his credit, it doesn’t come out as choked up as he thought it would. Even if it’s breathy, and he’s not sure if it came out intelligible with how he’s pressing his face into her palm now. Nuzzling into the comfort offered as something blinding tries to consume him whole.

“Never… been great at bein’ on time."

[gongagapuppy]

Nothing beats being anonymously nice to people. Like yeah get loved on idiot you're so cool. Who said that. You don't know it was me. That could've been anyone. You'll never find out, and I'll be doing the mischievous villain thing with my hands when you're not looking

[cheseely]

💗.

[strifiisms-deactivated20260728]

‧₊˚ ┊ ༒︎ ༝༝༝ ◞ ♡'d .

@gongagapuppy --- ❝ so , gongaga , huh ? tell me , tell me . what is it like ? ❞

[gongagapuppy]

He smiles at the effort, how Cloud seems genuinely curious instead of asking the question as small talk. At least, that’s how it comes across.

Zack tips his head back as he hums in thought.

“Well… It’s hot, for one. But it rains all the time, so that makes up for it."

"I’d-” Zack chuckles and looks back at Cloud. “When it got too hot, when I was little, I was too stubborn to go inside and stop playing to get water, so I’d roll in the mud instead. Not ‘cause I thought it was fun – which, it kinda was, but – just to cool down. My parents never made a fuss about coming home dirty, but I did have to help wash my clothes.”

“Not too many people there – backwater town and all – but everyone’s pretty close. We all helped each out with… basically everything? We'd grow and hunt food ourselves, make and repair each other’s clothes – stuff like that. Like your whole extended family lives across a 20 yard bridge. Half of us technically were related, but I’d still call adults who weren’t family ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle’ all the time.”

He bumps his arm against Cloud’s. “And what’s Nibelheim like? It possible to keep any secrets there? Or did people talk too much? I know nobody back home knew how to keep their mouths shut.”

[gongagapuppy]

holy shit

[gongagapuppy]

i sit on a throne of lies

[solanami]

Zack (always fair, always a hero)

[gongagapuppy]

one week.... one week and finals are over and im unleashed for a month

[gongagapuppy]

❛ Hey, soldier boy, ya' dropped something! ❜ The scarlet haired Turk pretended to pick up an item off the ground, then waved what appeared to be an extra-large flea collar at Zack's face.

“Huh? Oh, thanks-”

When Zack turns his head and is met with… that, the easy smile on his face drops. He stares for a second or two, a quiet, disgruntled sound sitting low in Zack’s throat. “Ha, ha,” Zack says dryly, stepping back and crossing his arms. “You’re hilarious.”

Part of Zack wonders if the punchline is just to do with the whole ‘puppy’ shtick, or if Reno’s also calling him an unhygienic flea host. 

“You really spent your money on that?”

[spikeyyyyyy]

"Your place?" Cloud suggests, as he meets Zack's eyes. "Or maybe mine. Whichever is cool with you. The party's wearing me out, too." And he didn't want either of them to be here when someone inevitably realized there was a body in the backyard.

He keeps himself from actually breathing- rather just moving his shoulders- because he isn't sure if he'd be able to hold himself back. What is it about Zack? Especially now?

Should he try to...seduce him? Glamor him? Cloud doubts Zack would need to be glamored anyway...but as much as he wants to be alone with him (finally), there's still that rush of danger, of ferocity that he feels. Like a wild animal trying to escape a cage.

He just wants a little snack, that's all.

He takes a half-step closer, now in front of Zack with a hand still on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here. Too many people around, right?" He smiles a little, and begins on the way out of the woods. He glances back at Zack, makes sure he's following.

Then his stomach rumbles and a quiet groan escapes him. He holds his stomach. Sighs.

"Uh, guess I forgot to eat again," he says quickly. Nice, Cloud, very smooth.

[gongagapuppy]

“My place works,” Zack says with a shrug, casting Cloud an easy smile. “It’s closer.”

He tries not to let his mind linger too much on the earlier situation. It shouldn’t be any of his business, anyway.

Instead, he follows behind Cloud, eyes lingering on his smile for a couple seconds. Those little fangs are really doing something to him.

“You can eat there,” he offers. “I don’t mind.” Zack trots up to catch up with Cloud, and gives him a light knock on the shoulder. “What’s mine is yours, Spikes.”

[sacredflorist]

Aerith is so damn happy to see Zack again. Maybe it's silly because he hasn't even been gone for that long, but she misses him when he's not around. For way too long, her only friends were the Turks, and they're not entirely her friends either. But with Zack, she can fully be herself, she doesn't have to think much. She can be herself without being judged. For too long, people around her age only made fun of her because she's weird. It's still the case, but now that she knows Zack... she feels quite different about it.

She lets go of him, but remains close. It's mostly because she wants to look at him. She decides to keep one of his hands within hers, though. "It's going quite well. Soon we'll be ready surround Midgar with flowers!" she exclaims happily, a bright smile shining on her lips. "And how was your mission ?"

[gongagapuppy]

Zack smiles. Aerith’s so bright, it’s hard not bounce on his toes over being the reason her eyes are sparkling right now.

Instead, he gives her hand a squeeze. 

“Sweet! Spreadin’ smiles and flowers while filling your wallet, right?” 

Zack wipes his upper lip with the back of his wrist. Maybe he should’ve checked himself one more time before stepping into the church, just to make sure he wasn’t too disheveled or sweaty after that run. “Mission was great. Got to show off a bit, think I might’ve even impressed Lazard.” He pauses for a second. “Uh, my boss, that is. Kinda? He’s the SOLDIER director. Did I mention that before? Maybe. Well, just in case I didn’t.”

“But!” Zack swings their arms a little in a playful manner. “Enough about that. Whaddaya wanna do together while I’m here? Maaaaybe something on that list of yours?”

[opheliasgirl]

❛ it ... still doesn't feel real. seeing you alive , i mean. ❜

gaia's daughter still can't wrap her head around it , around the fact that he's here. she'd been so sure that she felt @gongagapuppy return to the planet , that he was gone ; aerith hadn't been able to consider the possibility that he was still here. it makes her chest ache slightly , hand placed over her heart. aerith didn't allow herself to hope like this , didn't allow herself the luxury of faith very often.

this , however , was nothing short of a true miracle.

❛ ... i thought you died , that i'd never see you again. when did you get back to midgar ?? ❜

[gongagapuppy]

Zack chuckles. It sounds dead. Like he’s supposed to be.

“It doesn’t feel real to me, either.” He rubs the back of his neck, just trying to find some way to fidget in a way that’s not too distracting. Is there a right way to act? After years of your girl not hearing from you because you might as well have been dead?

After escaping with Cloud, who lays asleep on one of the pews, the first place he wanted to go was to find Aerith. Now that he’s finally here, his fingers itch to reach out, to pull her close and bury his face into her hair and murmur all the apologies his lungs could give.

But… he’s not sure how selfish that is. Not sure what the right thing to do is, here.

89 letters. He doesn’t even know what the first 88 say. She’s still wearing the ribbon he gave her. 

It’s faded.

Zack can’t be the only one hurt here, there’s no way. How cruel would it be to make everything about him? Especially with that look in the green of her eyes.

He keeps his hands to himself and smiles. This one’s real. Because she’s still here, right in front of him.

“Not exactly sure,” he answers, eyes lingering on her familiar features, and how her cheeks have filled in. “A lot of it kinda blurs together. But… I came to find you as soon as I could. I really did.”

Then, softer, “...I’m sorry.”

[spikeyyyyyy]

Cloud pauses. Panic runs through his veins, but Zack seems utterly oblivious...to what, the fact that Cloud has just murdered someone? Has Zack been drinking?

He hears his victim let out the softest wheeze. Cloud kicks him, the force more than necessary- ensuring breathing would be even harder now, though he'd already crushed the man's ribs. It was his go-to when it came to dirty business like this.

When Cloud looks back up, he realizes Zack is almost halfway down the path they both took here. With a gust of wind, Cloud is right behind him, and he places a hand on Zack's shoulder. He hopes, through all the layers of fabric separating them, that Zack can't tell how cold his hands are.

He's easily distracted by that, though, because Zack smells really good and it's hard for Cloud to focus now.

"Don't go just yet," Cloud says, voice strained. "You didn't interrupt anything important."

Cloud takes a breath. Immediately, he regrets it. The sweet scent of Zack's blood sings to him, like a siren, impossible to resist, especially now that he's starving.

He glances back at the man, unmoving in the grass a few feet away. "I guess I just...got caught up in the excitement of things."

He's coming up with a story as he goes, hoping it doesn't sound too out of character, hoping it makes sense, hoping Zack will just listen if it comes to telling him-

"Were you headed back inside? I'll come with you. Not like I was missing anything worthwhile."

Another glance back at his victim, and he licks the blood off his lips.

[gongagapuppy]

A chill runs up his back. The breeze came unexpectedly, and Zack finds himself fighting a shiver as Cloud’s hand grips his shoulder.

Zack’s brows furrow as he glances back at the other guy on the ground. Some people are really weird about their embarrassment. Maybe the guy’s not out. Who knows.

Though it is odd that Cloud’s just gonna leave him there like that. Zack almost feels bad for the stranger.

“You sure? You seemed, uh… busy.”

Oh, well. Zack’s not gonna complain if he gets to spend more time with his favorite spikeyhead.

He flashes a grin, trying not to dwell on the sight he’d walked into. “But, if you’re sure, then… yeah, sure. We can go chill somewhere else.”

Zack watches Cloud glance back at the guy by the tree, his eyes flicking down to the way the pink tip of his tongue darts out to lick his lips. Probably from…

Quit being weird about it, Zack.

“Where do ya wanna go?” he asks, looking back up at Cloud’s eyes. “I’m kinda all partied out right now.”