[ when u have zero expectations of ur bullshit actually working, the multi-part sequel.
at tseng's invitation, zack rolls off his cramped bunk so fast that he somehow misses the floor with his feet and lands on both knees instead, elbow propped on the mattress edge to support his phone. he rolls into a stand within the next second β a bizarre amount of grace packed into a 6-foot-something frame that only occasionally decides to benefit him β and struggles to shove his feet into his boots without bending over. ]
[ Tseng would be impressed with the acrobatics if he was there to witness them. Presently, though, he's pouring two drinks on his desk and taking a cursory sip from the bottle once they're full. Gotta get caught up early when your drinking buddy's very likely a lightweight. ]
[ most definitely a lightweight, though he will vehemently deny it later. ]
ok smartass
[ one final quip before he tucks his phone into his back pocket and exits his room, the hydraulic door hissing quietly as it slides shuts behind him. he skids across the corridor, around one corner and down a second corridor to the elevator, and punches a loosely curled fist into the button. there are seventeen floors between his floor and the floor of tseng's office and it takes less than ninety seconds to traverse all of them, even with zack bouncing distractedly on the balls of his feet as if he's been waiting for hours.
he has to squeeze through the small collection of bodies that have gathered in the elevator on the journey up ( with multiple variations of "oop, excuse me, gonna slip right by you there", all country boy politeness that he never unlearned ), and then he's finally free, resolutely ignoring every curious stare he receives from wandering passersby. this is important business, obviously. strictly.
when he reaches tseng's door, he pauses for exactly .5 seconds and briefly considers the merits of knocking. tseng might hear the barest hint of knuckles grazing the door right before it flies open to reveal one mussy-headed zack fresh from a restful one hour nap, shoulder tucked into the frame, legs crossed, hip cocked and arms folded across his chest ]
So. I broke you, huh?
Edited (fist not first wtf) 2020-05-03 01:05 (UTC)
[ Tseng's phone lights up on his desk a mere second after Zack's colorful explosion through the door. His secretary's voice crackles through the speaker:
"Cute Butt is here to see you." ]
I gathered, Gloria, thank you.
[ He really deserves an Academy Award for not sounding as exasperated as he feels. Tseng punches a button on the pad, swiftly cutting the connection. Gloria misses her chance to follow up, and the speaker dies on her mid-cackle. ]
Lock the door behind you.
[ Tseng will be taking up residence against his desk in the meantime, hip leaned against the edge as he waves two crystal tumblers in the air. This is the good stuff, deep malted brown and fancy ice and all. Not bad for a mid-afternoon reprieve. ]
[ for once, zack will do as tseng says with very little protest, though not before he spares a full-body tilted glance at gloria's desk for a half-grin and two-fingered salute. he closes the door behind him as noisily as he opened it and flips the lock, then drags a nearby chair from one corner of the office to plant it firmly in front of tseng's desk on the opposite end of the room.
he straddles the chair backwards, one arm hanging off the back and the other extended toward tseng, bare palm open and waiting, fingers subtly wiggling. ]
[ Tseng sighs through his nose. Still all neat lines and proper Turk composure though. It makes a stark contrast against Zack's flagrant misuse of his office chair and Thundaga-loud energy.
At least there's only one of him right now. Gaia forbid he and Reno ever start to get along. Tseng never wants to feel the sort of migraine he'd get in that event.
He holds the drink out for Zackβrevokes it at the last second. ]
Go slow. And then whatever you think is slow, go even slower than that.
[ go slow. perfectly sound advice that zack considers very seriously right until tseng forks over the glass, and then he's eyeing his drink like he's on the training mat, suddenly presented with a challenge. he glances at tseng with a breezy smile and tilts the glass toward him in a silent cheers. ]
Relax. I got this.
[ three words that tseng is undoubtedly used to hearing from zack fair's mouth, a foreboding prelude to their meeting.
he brings the glass to his nose, sniffs, and catches tseng's eye right before he throws the entire drink back all at once, swallowing through the hot-cold burn as the whiskey hits his throat. it's maybe a mistake β definitely a mistake β but he blinks away tears and inhales through his teeth, rigid in his chair to keep from cringing. ]
[ Laughter explodes through Tseng's lips in a soft, too-quiet-to-be true huff of breath. He presses his hand to his mouth to mute it. What an unbecoming display.
Still, that glint of mirth in his eyes is impossible to squelch. Why Zack has this effect on absolutely everyone, himself begrudgingly included, Tseng has no idea. It is the same universal constant that strikes fear into the heart of anyone who has ever suffered the feline chill of Sephiroth's gaze. There are some things in this world beyond even Tseng's power to control.
He clears his throat. Pages a strand of wisping black hair behind his ear. ]
This is sipping whisky.
[ Still, he tips the bottle over Zack's glass again. There's not as much in there this time, but he's kind enough to exhibit for Zack how to do it, fingers poised and fanned delicately across the tumbler as he savors a small taste of his drink. ]
[ a slight pause as a renegade hiccup causes him to hit submit too soon. ]
don't you wanna bond with me? think of it as a team-building exercise. with alcohol. lots of alcohol. or maybe just a little alcohol since that's all i have left.
[ though that is an extremely likely scenario given the copious amount of liquor he's already consumed. ]
so it's a no? you don't wanna? not even a little? it's fine, i can finish this by myself. don't worry about me. just drinking alone. all alone. so very very alone.
[ he could ask for further deets on what "doing kind of weird stuff" exactly means, but zack learned a long time ago that ignorance is often bliss in this gig, so don't mind him as he glides right by that ambiguous statement without comment. ]
[Don't ask, don't tell. That's his policy. ...That, and he kind of needs this job. It's... significantly less than what he expected, but he can't go back to Nibelheim. So. Weird stuff or no weird stuff, no boats are being rocked here.]
Got paid yesterday. Should be enough to spare for it before I send it back home.
[And.]
And I owe you for that other time.
[Maybe paying off that debt would mean the memory of Zack stumbling on him sick, and getting roped into feeding his squadmates would be less embarrassing.]
[Shit. That's right, he probably owes him ...about a week's worth of food by now. U g h. Yes, this might be him putting down his phone, and dragging his hands down his face. But after a small pause:]
We could split it. We eat together a lot anyway. Maybe it'd be like paying you back in instalments.
[Except that's not the way things work. Augh.]
I still feel kind of bad. Even if company food is really bad [For infantry, anyway.] I don't want you to think I'm using you as a meal ticket.
but if he's being honest with himself... would he really hate hearing some of those stories? he purses his lips. yeah, probably. or so he reinforces internally.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elena.
that was oddly specific.
do you need to talk about it?
no subject
no.......anyway what are we drinkingno subject
idk, lady's choice?
i'm drinking whiskey but i can swing something else for you if you're looking for a heavy hitter.
no subject
i think we have wine coolers in here which is the most random drink you'd discover on our floor.but it serves its sad, sad purpose...
no subject
are you sure you don't wanna talk? i've heard rumors that i'm an excellent listener.
[ 99% of the time. ]
no subject
of a quick fix when you're put back on desk duty....no no it's fine
tseng.
really?
[ when u have zero expectations of ur bullshit actually working, the multi-part sequel.
at tseng's invitation, zack rolls off his cramped bunk so fast that he somehow misses the floor with his feet and lands on both knees instead, elbow propped on the mattress edge to support his phone. he rolls into a stand within the next second β a bizarre amount of grace packed into a 6-foot-something frame that only occasionally decides to benefit him β and struggles to shove his feet into his boots without bending over. ]
you in your office?
no subject
No. I'm on stage at the Honeybee.
no subject
ok smartass
[ one final quip before he tucks his phone into his back pocket and exits his room, the hydraulic door hissing quietly as it slides shuts behind him. he skids across the corridor, around one corner and down a second corridor to the elevator, and punches a loosely curled fist into the button. there are seventeen floors between his floor and the floor of tseng's office and it takes less than ninety seconds to traverse all of them, even with zack bouncing distractedly on the balls of his feet as if he's been waiting for hours.
he has to squeeze through the small collection of bodies that have gathered in the elevator on the journey up ( with multiple variations of "oop, excuse me, gonna slip right by you there", all country boy politeness that he never unlearned ), and then he's finally free, resolutely ignoring every curious stare he receives from wandering passersby. this is important business, obviously. strictly.
when he reaches tseng's door, he pauses for exactly .5 seconds and briefly considers the merits of knocking. tseng might hear the barest hint of knuckles grazing the door right before it flies open to reveal one mussy-headed zack fresh from a restful one hour nap, shoulder tucked into the frame, legs crossed, hip cocked and arms folded across his chest ]
So. I broke you, huh?
no subject
[ Tseng's phone lights up on his desk a mere second after Zack's colorful explosion through the door. His secretary's voice crackles through the speaker:
"Cute Butt is here to see you." ]
I gathered, Gloria, thank you.
[ He really deserves an Academy Award for not sounding as exasperated as he feels. Tseng punches a button on the pad, swiftly cutting the connection. Gloria misses her chance to follow up, and the speaker dies on her mid-cackle. ]
Lock the door behind you.
[ Tseng will be taking up residence against his desk in the meantime, hip leaned against the edge as he waves two crystal tumblers in the air. This is the good stuff, deep malted brown and fancy ice and all. Not bad for a mid-afternoon reprieve. ]
no subject
he straddles the chair backwards, one arm hanging off the back and the other extended toward tseng, bare palm open and waiting, fingers subtly wiggling. ]
Pony up, boss.
no subject
[ Tseng sighs through his nose. Still all neat lines and proper Turk composure though. It makes a stark contrast against Zack's flagrant misuse of his office chair and Thundaga-loud energy.
At least there's only one of him right now. Gaia forbid he and Reno ever start to get along. Tseng never wants to feel the sort of migraine he'd get in that event.
He holds the drink out for Zackβrevokes it at the last second. ]
Go slow. And then whatever you think is slow, go even slower than that.
[ And then he'll pass it over in earnest. ]
no subject
Relax. I got this.
[ three words that tseng is undoubtedly used to hearing from zack fair's mouth, a foreboding prelude to their meeting.
he brings the glass to his nose, sniffs, and catches tseng's eye right before he throws the entire drink back all at once, swallowing through the hot-cold burn as the whiskey hits his throat. it's maybe a mistake β definitely a mistake β but he blinks away tears and inhales through his teeth, rigid in his chair to keep from cringing. ]
Shit β sorry, pardon me.
no subject
Still, that glint of mirth in his eyes is impossible to squelch. Why Zack has this effect on absolutely everyone, himself begrudgingly included, Tseng has no idea. It is the same universal constant that strikes fear into the heart of anyone who has ever suffered the feline chill of Sephiroth's gaze. There are some things in this world beyond even Tseng's power to control.
He clears his throat. Pages a strand of wisping black hair behind his ear. ]
This is sipping whisky.
[ Still, he tips the bottle over Zack's glass again. There's not as much in there this time, but he's kind enough to exhibit for Zack how to do it, fingers poised and fanned delicately across the tumbler as he savors a small taste of his drink. ]
sephiroth.
i'm certain that you're certain that i have.
your suspicion is reasonable but also wrong.
[ mostly wrong. ]
i saved the rest for you.
lmao oh my god zack
[Though Reno stealing it to begin with is not all that surprising.]
zack: (ββΈ ββΏ) (ββββΏ) β‘(βαββΏ) / meanwhile, sephiroth: ΰ² _ΰ²
i just
[ a slight pause as a renegade hiccup causes him to hit submit too soon. ]
don't you wanna bond with me? think of it as a team-building exercise. with alcohol. lots of alcohol.
or maybe just a little alcohol since that's all i have left.
so very very true
There cannot be any sort of "team-building exercise" when you'll be passed out on the floor in what I assume will be a few moments.
[Though he might be trying to figure out where exactly Zack is while pretending he's not concerned at all.
Because he's not.
At all.
That's Angeal's job.]
no subject
[ though that is an extremely likely scenario given the copious amount of liquor he's already consumed. ]
so it's a no? you don't wanna? not even a little?
it's fine, i can finish this by myself. don't worry about me. just drinking alone. all alone. so very very alone.
no subject
Zack where are you?
[So that he can drag Zack's drunken body to Angeal's room and lock him in there.]
cloud.
[ he could ask for further deets on what "doing kind of weird stuff" exactly means, but zack learned a long time ago that ignorance is often bliss in this gig, so don't mind him as he glides right by that ambiguous statement without comment. ]
this mean you're actually paying?
no subject
...That, and he kind of needs this job. It's... significantly less than what he expected, but he can't go back to Nibelheim. So. Weird stuff or no weird stuff, no boats are being rocked here.]
Got paid yesterday. Should be enough to spare for it before I send it back home.
[And.]
And I owe you for that other time.
[Maybe paying off that debt would mean the memory of Zack stumbling on him sick, and getting roped into feeding his squadmates would be less embarrassing.]
no subject
[ teasing because cloud makes it Too Easy. ]
don't worry about it, kiddo.
my salary's way heftier than your stipend. i got you.
no subject
[Shit. That's right, he probably owes him ...about a week's worth of food by now.
U g h.
Yes, this might be him putting down his phone, and dragging his hands down his face. But after a small pause:]
We could split it. We eat together a lot anyway. Maybe it'd be like paying you back in instalments.
[Except that's not the way things work. Augh.]
I still feel kind of bad. Even if company food is really bad [For infantry, anyway.] I don't want you to think I'm using you as a meal ticket.
no subject
[ until later comes and zack refuses to let him pay then, too. ]
hey, don't worry about it, yeah? keeping me company is a chore in and of itself. consider it my thanks.
i'll see you sometime after seven?
no subject
But:]
It's not a chore. I like spending time with you. A lot, actually.
[And.]
Sounds good. See you later.
cloud.
you're gonna make me cry. i taught you well.
a significant one?
like, if we were on the field, i've got about three klicks on you. that kind of head start.
[ he's only moderately tipsy. ]
no subject
[there's a compliment there......... somewhere]
fine, i'll get started
just promise me this isn't going to turn into a sentimental trip down memory lane
no subject
[ make it make sense, cloud. ]
no reminiscing, then? might be for the best. my sense of judgment decreases dramatically whenever alcohol is involved.
[ in fact, that's when he regales with some of his most embarrassing stories, a few of which definitely involve cloud. ]
want me to meet you somewhere?
no subject
[oof.
but if he's being honest with himself... would he really hate hearing some of those stories? he purses his lips. yeah, probably. or so he reinforces internally.]
hill outside of town?