#● verse 07 [ war-torn soldier; dissidia ].

[atlaslain]

' ▼' .

y’all should sit on zack’s lap    /    @revolverized

          new relationships can be complicated from opposite sides of a cosmic war.        much as zack’d rather not face it, the world demands battle — and sometimes, through whatever misfortune enjoys following him, he’s paired off against squall. they’ve talked that aspect of their new lives through, agreed that if they’re going to do this, then they’ll do it right and go all-out against each other.         and zack has been. it’s just — well. fighting’s always gotten his blood pumping. fighting squall? the excuse to drag him close mid-battle and watch the way his eyes go dark, feel the heat of him and the violence of him? it’s a little too much. makes him forget where he is, which side he’s on. makes him flirtatious, blowing kisses with each swipe of his sword and employing rather unfair battle tactics such as biting.           it’s post-battle now; the other combatants have gone to lick their wounds and squall’s cornered zack somewhere private to drop down onto his lap and give him a good telling-off in the only way he’ll listen. zack doesn’t look particularly repentant. 

          “dunno what you mean,” he insists, low and teasing, hands finding squall’s hips. “wasn’t flirting to distract you. honest.” 

[atlaslain]

dissidia verse update ( before canon comes along and defies it ): zack’s a warrior of spiritus but, like jecht, he doesn’t consider materia’s warriors his enemies at all. he was chosen for spiritus due to his love of battle --- he fit among the more warrior-hardened god’s mindset. but he often assists materia’s warriors & befriends them, only ever fighting them for the cause of creating necessary energy to restore the world. this shouldn’t affect any relationships already built in dissidia verse, since he still acts as a friend to those he’s met. + verse tag dump. 

[atlaslain]

“I'm sorry! I’m gonna go. Right now.” ( me throwing this in with ZERO REGRETS. )

morning after.     /     @foudrai

          “wait, what?” there goes the afterglow — smashed to smithereens and buried for good measure. disorientated, zack’s slow to lever himself into a sitting position. he’s yet to reach for his clothes, yet to consider it. was kinda hoping to be favoured with a few moments more of her presence before she judged her moment of intimacy a mistake. though zack furrows his brow, clearly displeased, he makes no physical attempt to stop her; if she wants to leave, that’s on her.           realistically, this was never a wise entanglement. it’s just that impulse tends to override logic when one’s faced with a beautiful, formidable woman and the opportunity to learn what she tastes like. somewhere in the back of his mind, like a lurking shadow, is the awareness that they are enemies. materia and spiritus intended their warriors to bleed for their divine conflict, not succumb to attraction and post-battle highs. ( and yet — zack doesn’t regret it. )      ‘why’ hangs on his lips, writes itself into his expression, and yet remains unspoken. why do you have to leave? ( but he won’t ask. he swallows the words and reaches for his shirt instead. )          “yeah, alright.” he rakes a hand through the mess of his hair. as if to prove a point — that this was not a mistake, that he is not an enemy — he finds himself offering a flicker of a smile. “see you, lightning.” 

[atlaslain]

⚔ will this end well???? probably not.

challenge zack to fisticuffs.         /          @foudrai

          the power rolling off this one could give the goddess materia a run for her money. poised and deadly as the blade she grips, she’s a vision to behold — and for an instant, in the haze of pre-battle, zack’s certain he sees the flurry of feathers dance dreamlike in her wake. he shakes the illusion away and offers a smile, all ease and nonchalance in spite of their destined roles. spiritus will expect zack to battle — this world will expect to devour the energy of their clash. he’ll be certain to give it something good.          “hey, what’s your name?” the inviting lilt of his tone suggests friendliness, entirely out of place here. zack sees no reason to be impolite; the rules don’t forbid him from playing nice with materia’s warriors. he hefts his sword in case she chooses to attack immediately, relishing the heavy weight of it in his hand. anticipation sizzles through him like an electric current. this is gonna be so good. “i’m zack.” 

[atlaslain]

@revolverized      /      from here.

          “alright,” zack mumbles, voice thick. squall can be mad at him all he wants, so long as he doesn’t let go. there are no words for the devastating relief of having this man in his arms. zack can feel himself shaking, hands trembling as they ease through squall’s hair. he wants to re-commit every part of this to memory. “i’m sorry. i’m --- i’m sorry.” his voice breaks. “i tried. tried to make it back to you, i...”            never before has he felt the years they lost so keenly. all that time, slipped away like sand between fingers, and all because zack made all the wrong choices. shackling his body and soul to shinra, when he could’ve and should’ve recognised the sense of impending doom it gave him. if he’d chosen differently --- if he’d given it all up, all those falsified dreams of heroics, and taken squall in his arms like this ... he’d have been happy. he knows that now. his arms tighten. tears wet his cheeks. but they’re here now. on opposite sides in some cosmic war, but here.           “there was so much i never got to tell you.” 

[atlaslain]

⚔ fite me

challenge zack to fisticuffs    /    @kyouminaine

          “hey… you have to promise you’ll go all-out, okay?” the world demands it, after all. whatever feelings zack may have about finding himself on the opposite side from cloud — they’re repressed, for now. they’ll have to be. his heart aches and a lump’s lodged in his throat but he can do this. ( for the first time, something akin to wistfulness twists zack’s stomach at the reminder of the wedge between himself and the materia warriors. they are the heroes, the champions. zack, claimed by spiritus and fallen into place among the vicious and the bloodthirsty, must not be such a hero after all. )       seeing cloud again, in whatever sense, feels worth it anyway.           “you look — so different,” he finds himself saying, rather than lifting his sword. what a disorienting feeling, to hail from different times in the same world. ( ah, that’s right. time rushed on after zack died, huh? everything’s probably different now. ) a faint smile tugs at his lips. “still the same cloud in there, though.” finally, with a mingled sense of reluctance and anticipation, he lifts his blade and drops into a fighting stance.        “ready?”