It was like a blink of an eye. One moment, he had been back home, chasing after Sephiroth across multiple continents in hopes of stopping his plans. The world of dreams, together with the memories he'd gained and relationships formed, was long forgotten. And just like, Cloud had returned here, tossed in the middle of the sleepy village of Reverein, only a stone's throw away from the hamlet's fountain. He had been here before, memories quickly surging back, saddled together with his new experiences from Gaia, and a new sense of guilt that gnawed at the back of his mind.
Zack.
How long had it even been here since then? Back in Gaia, it had been at least a few weeks. There was no telling how long time had passed here, at least not immediately. Now that he was back, he remembered how he and Zack knew each other prior. That they had both been in SOLDIER together, and how Zack had been lost to the rapids on Mount Nibel five years ago.
He winces as he got on his feet, another one of those headaches radiating from his temples. But he shakes it off, trying to get his bearings once more.
The last thing he remembers was their conversation about a hike, which turned sour as Zack made a bold move and confessed his feelings for him. Unfortunately, Cloud didn't take that well, lashing out, confused by the gesture, which led to a fight between them. It was hard enough to look at him back then, but now, he isn't sure if he could even face him.
He may no longer even be here.
At least that thought came to him right as he finds himself standing in front of the door that lead to the apartment he shared with said friend. How did he even get here? With a soft exhale, he reaches for the knob, pushing the door open with a light creak. The tippy-taps of clawed feet soon followed as a fire-orange furred corgi races up to him, eager to greet him on his arrival.
Cloud somehow manages a small smile, reaching down to pet the dog, trying to ignore the growing pit in his stomach.]
Hey Fira.
[If Fira was still here, he can only assume that Zack was still around as well.]
Edited (my tenses were all over the place) 2025-04-06 09:21 (UTC)
[ There he went, opening his big fat mouth again. Angeal had always warned him about it— that he should be careful with his words. That thinking first was always better than acting. He had taken most of his words to heart, but that even after all the difficulty Zack had been through, he still managed to retain even a little bit of that puppy-like behavior. Yet, as of right now, it didn't do him any good. He had opened that mouth of his and stunned Cloud into a full-fledged argument. Hell, he couldn't even remember a time he even had argued with Cloud outside of the few times here in Reverein. With his clouded memories and tip-toeing around every subject... finding a sweet spot for conversation made the tension only grow more.
Which was why, after they had both stormed off from their fight, Zack wasn't surprised to see Cloud the very next day. He had screwed up, that's for sure, and likely the blonde needed space. 'Course he would with the bombshell of a confession the SOLIDER decided to drop all of a sudden. A confession which Zack had all too quickly beaten himself up about. Why had he even done that!? The conversation had eaten away at him so much that he didn't even realize it had been more than two days since Cloud had come back. And then three?
By the end of the third day Zack was making calls. He had notified Tifa and taken to Aerith, gathered with Eustace and even asked the network about where his spikey haired friend had gone. But unfortunately, and much to his dismay, no one had seen him. It was almost as if he had—
—vanished.
He had woken up where this dream world had been left behind to continue where they had left off in the waking world. It wasn't an uncommon experience— they had said that Aerith had left before and come back— but something about the quick and sudden disappearance wracked Zack's stomach inside out.
Not only wasn't going to see Cloud again, but he had left right after their argument. There was a string of guilt that struck through his body. Had telling Cloud the truth really been that painful? Or was the gods of this make-believe world crueler than he thought?
For days after Zack had trouble sleeping, much less eating, and Fira had to coax him just to get the man out of bed every morning. It was on that particular morning that Fira's barks had stirred than man from his dazed consciousness. She was the only thing really getting him out of the house, as she still needed to be walked and fed, but as the man reached to open his door his eyes locked first to a familiar head of hair at the entrance.
Stunned into silence, Zack could only stare as the image of Cloud connected through his blurred vision. His face whitened, as if he had seen a ghost, and disheveled hair was pushed out of his face in order to get a better look.
Wait, no... it couldn't be— ]
—... Cloud?
[ Zack's voice was hoard and rough from lack of talking, but another one of Fira's bark confirmed his question for him, and boy did she look happy! ]
[Fira continues to bark at Cloud, elated to see him after having gone missing for who knows how long. She leans into his touch, lapping at his fingers as he tries to pet him. It was almost enough for him to forget the dread that began welling up inside him before he hears the all-too-familiar, yet oddly hoarse, voice of Zack calling out his name.
The pit in his stomach grew, and he finds himself swallowing a lump in his throat.
Slowly, after one last pet of Fira's head, Cloud got back up onto his feet, exhaling deeply, and taking as much time as possible to face Zack and look him in the eye.]
Hey—
[There's a moment of surprise when he sees Zack, his eyes growing wide when he notices how deathly pale the other man looked. His clothes were unkempt and his hair disheveled, and though it was still early enough to be considered morning, he seemed rather out of character to see Zack this way.
Taking a cautious step forward, Cloud extends his hand, only to stop and bring it back down to his side. While he had never been someone with a way with words, he finds it even harder to find something to say. He quickly tries a few in his head (You look like shit, Long time no see?, Are you okay?), but none of them feels right. And, honestly, he isn't even sure he wanted to know the answer to some of those.
Eventually, he settles on:] Looks like you've had a rough start.
[ It was a image Zack had seen a hundred times over; Cloud walking into the room, and Fira greeting the man so excitedly. For a split second it was almost as if the man had never left at all— that this was just some bizarre scenario the former SOLIDER had concocted in the back of his head. Yet the more he observed, the more he honed in on those little facial expressions Cloud made, all reality come down on his shoulders like a waterfall. Cloud had left, and suddenly he was back again. Just like that.
The "hey" rattled him slightly, causing Zack's eyes to whip up from Fira's face to Cloud's. He pauses at first, mouth agape and for once in his life the raven haired man found he couldn't mingle together a single sentence. What was he suppose to say? Welcome back? Where the hell were you?
I'm sorry?
Zack watched as that hand was raised and retreated, opting finally to force his body to move forward, stepping into the full interior of their living room. Fira glanced between them as her head tilted to one side, she was still smiling, and even barked at Zack to dethatched him from his dazed disposition. Almost as if she was urging him to say something. She always was such an attentive girl.
Eventually Zack will let out a tight chuckle, bringing a hand to the back of his head and giving it a shake, likely messing it up more. ]
Not much sleep these past couple nights. [ He forces himself to admit before drifting his gaze up to lock onto Cloud's. He was trying to study those facial expressions again— to get some kind of idea of what the man was thinking. Tough shell to crack, that one. ]
You, uh. You back now? [ Damn. That was awkward. ]
[The tension in the air was palpable. Still, Cloud wasn't sure what to think about everything that was happening. His arrival back in the dream world had been sudden and his memories of Songerien clashed with his own memories of home. While it wasn't enough to trigger one of his headaches, a looming sense of overwhelm continued to hover over him, making him second guess his next move.]
How long was I gone?
[Straight to the point, hoping that it would give him some sense of ease. And, perhaps, a better understanding on the situation. If it had been at least a few months, or even weeks, he might not even have to address how the two had left things. But if it were for a shorter amount of time? Cloud would deal with it then.
He doesn't close the distance between them any further, but he at least keeps his eyes trained on Zack's.]
[ Zack wants to walk forward, he really does, but his legs are currently losing battle with the war going on inside of his head. So instead he'll cross his arms over his chest, leaning his weight against the door in order to hold himself up. Because it makes it look super casual, right? That he wasn't completely freaking the fuck out the entire time Cloud was gone.
He's being cool. So cool. ]
A week. [ He answers flatly, a little more rushed from his throat than he intended it to be. So he'll quickly clear it as if to recover, but there's little mistaking the absolute drip of desperation that hides behind the one word sentence. ]
[That's a lot shorter than he originally expected. As if he took a short trip and not disappeared completely from the world. Mirroring Zack, he crosses his arms over his chest, shifting his weight from one foot to another, just to do something. Anything.]
Didn't even think I would be back.
[Cloud mulls his thoughts over in his head. This time, he can't even look at Zack, knowing what he knows now from his time back in Gaia. And of the tragedy of his friend's fate.]
Couldn't even remember this place while I was gone.
[ His face visibly scrunches up at that, but there's a guttural chuckle in the depths of his throat. Couldn't even remember this place? He knew Cloud's memories were always a little hazy, but he'd never expect a complete wipe from being gone. Maybe it was because of this world? Maybe because of what this place even was.
It just got weirder and weirder.
Fira's whine surfaces from the tension as she begins to roll over Cloud's foot, seeking more attention. It does give Zack the distraction he needed to finally pull himself away from the door, steading his feet. ]
I know this place ain't really real, but people still missed ya.
[It wasn't like he meant to forget it. One moment, he had gone back home, leaving Midgar to follow Sephiroth's trail with no recollection of the months prior in Songerein. The next, he somehow found himself here, in the dream world once more remembering the time he spent here and all his experiences over the last few weeks.
But before a single word of protest could leave his mouth, Zack's next comment catches him off-guard.]
I—
[The mention of people missing him was enough of a surprise, but as Zack went on, naming Tifa then finally himself, Cloud could feel the blush creep on his cheeks, slowly spreading across his face. He tears his gaze away from Zack unable to meet his eyes, not knowing what to do with himself.
Especially after they had left things the night of Zack's confession. Especially knowing what he know now from their world.
He tries to cover his cheeks with one hand, eyes flitting over to Zack for the briefest of moments before looking away again.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
—theheroics;
Zack.
How long had it even been here since then? Back in Gaia, it had been at least a few weeks. There was no telling how long time had passed here, at least not immediately. Now that he was back, he remembered how he and Zack knew each other prior. That they had both been in SOLDIER together, and how Zack had been lost to the rapids on Mount Nibel five years ago.
He winces as he got on his feet, another one of those headaches radiating from his temples. But he shakes it off, trying to get his bearings once more.
The last thing he remembers was their conversation about a hike, which turned sour as Zack made a bold move and confessed his feelings for him. Unfortunately, Cloud didn't take that well, lashing out, confused by the gesture, which led to a fight between them. It was hard enough to look at him back then, but now, he isn't sure if he could even face him.
He may no longer even be here.
At least that thought came to him right as he finds himself standing in front of the door that lead to the apartment he shared with said friend. How did he even get here? With a soft exhale, he reaches for the knob, pushing the door open with a light creak. The tippy-taps of clawed feet soon followed as a fire-orange furred corgi races up to him, eager to greet him on his arrival.
Cloud somehow manages a small smile, reaching down to pet the dog, trying to ignore the growing pit in his stomach.]
Hey Fira.
[If Fira was still here, he can only assume that Zack was still around as well.]
♡
Which was why, after they had both stormed off from their fight, Zack wasn't surprised to see Cloud the very next day. He had screwed up, that's for sure, and likely the blonde needed space. 'Course he would with the bombshell of a confession the SOLIDER decided to drop all of a sudden. A confession which Zack had all too quickly beaten himself up about. Why had he even done that!? The conversation had eaten away at him so much that he didn't even realize it had been more than two days since Cloud had come back. And then three?
By the end of the third day Zack was making calls. He had notified Tifa and taken to Aerith, gathered with Eustace and even asked the network about where his spikey haired friend had gone. But unfortunately, and much to his dismay, no one had seen him. It was almost as if he had—
—vanished.
He had woken up where this dream world had been left behind to continue where they had left off in the waking world. It wasn't an uncommon experience— they had said that Aerith had left before and come back— but something about the quick and sudden disappearance wracked Zack's stomach inside out.
Not only wasn't going to see Cloud again, but he had left right after their argument. There was a string of guilt that struck through his body. Had telling Cloud the truth really been that painful? Or was the gods of this make-believe world crueler than he thought?
For days after Zack had trouble sleeping, much less eating, and Fira had to coax him just to get the man out of bed every morning. It was on that particular morning that Fira's barks had stirred than man from his dazed consciousness. She was the only thing really getting him out of the house, as she still needed to be walked and fed, but as the man reached to open his door his eyes locked first to a familiar head of hair at the entrance.
Stunned into silence, Zack could only stare as the image of Cloud connected through his blurred vision. His face whitened, as if he had seen a ghost, and disheveled hair was pushed out of his face in order to get a better look.
Wait, no... it couldn't be— ]
—... Cloud?
[ Zack's voice was hoard and rough from lack of talking, but another one of Fira's bark confirmed his question for him, and boy did she look happy! ]
no subject
The pit in his stomach grew, and he finds himself swallowing a lump in his throat.
Slowly, after one last pet of Fira's head, Cloud got back up onto his feet, exhaling deeply, and taking as much time as possible to face Zack and look him in the eye.]
Hey—
[There's a moment of surprise when he sees Zack, his eyes growing wide when he notices how deathly pale the other man looked. His clothes were unkempt and his hair disheveled, and though it was still early enough to be considered morning, he seemed rather out of character to see Zack this way.
Taking a cautious step forward, Cloud extends his hand, only to stop and bring it back down to his side. While he had never been someone with a way with words, he finds it even harder to find something to say. He quickly tries a few in his head (You look like shit, Long time no see?, Are you okay?), but none of them feels right. And, honestly, he isn't even sure he wanted to know the answer to some of those.
Eventually, he settles on:] Looks like you've had a rough start.
no subject
The "hey" rattled him slightly, causing Zack's eyes to whip up from Fira's face to Cloud's. He pauses at first, mouth agape and for once in his life the raven haired man found he couldn't mingle together a single sentence. What was he suppose to say? Welcome back? Where the hell were you?
I'm sorry?
Zack watched as that hand was raised and retreated, opting finally to force his body to move forward, stepping into the full interior of their living room. Fira glanced between them as her head tilted to one side, she was still smiling, and even barked at Zack to dethatched him from his dazed disposition. Almost as if she was urging him to say something. She always was such an attentive girl.
Eventually Zack will let out a tight chuckle, bringing a hand to the back of his head and giving it a shake, likely messing it up more. ]
Not much sleep these past couple nights. [ He forces himself to admit before drifting his gaze up to lock onto Cloud's. He was trying to study those facial expressions again— to get some kind of idea of what the man was thinking. Tough shell to crack, that one. ]
You, uh. You back now? [ Damn. That was awkward. ]
no subject
[The tension in the air was palpable. Still, Cloud wasn't sure what to think about everything that was happening. His arrival back in the dream world had been sudden and his memories of Songerien clashed with his own memories of home. While it wasn't enough to trigger one of his headaches, a looming sense of overwhelm continued to hover over him, making him second guess his next move.]
How long was I gone?
[Straight to the point, hoping that it would give him some sense of ease. And, perhaps, a better understanding on the situation. If it had been at least a few months, or even weeks, he might not even have to address how the two had left things. But if it were for a shorter amount of time? Cloud would deal with it then.
He doesn't close the distance between them any further, but he at least keeps his eyes trained on Zack's.]
no subject
He's being cool. So cool. ]
A week. [ He answers flatly, a little more rushed from his throat than he intended it to be. So he'll quickly clear it as if to recover, but there's little mistaking the absolute drip of desperation that hides behind the one word sentence. ]
Thought you'd gone and poofed forever.
no subject
Didn't even think I would be back.
[Cloud mulls his thoughts over in his head. This time, he can't even look at Zack, knowing what he knows now from his time back in Gaia. And of the tragedy of his friend's fate.]
Couldn't even remember this place while I was gone.
no subject
[ His face visibly scrunches up at that, but there's a guttural chuckle in the depths of his throat. Couldn't even remember this place? He knew Cloud's memories were always a little hazy, but he'd never expect a complete wipe from being gone. Maybe it was because of this world? Maybe because of what this place even was.
It just got weirder and weirder.
Fira's whine surfaces from the tension as she begins to roll over Cloud's foot, seeking more attention. It does give Zack the distraction he needed to finally pull himself away from the door, steading his feet. ]
I know this place ain't really real, but people still missed ya.
[ He'll admit, casting a glance to Cloud. ]
Tifa missed ya.
[ Annnnd then he'll drop it again. ]
... I missed ya.
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But before a single word of protest could leave his mouth, Zack's next comment catches him off-guard.]
I—
[The mention of people missing him was enough of a surprise, but as Zack went on, naming Tifa then finally himself, Cloud could feel the blush creep on his cheeks, slowly spreading across his face. He tears his gaze away from Zack unable to meet his eyes, not knowing what to do with himself.
Especially after they had left things the night of Zack's confession. Especially knowing what he know now from their world.
He tries to cover his cheeks with one hand, eyes flitting over to Zack for the briefest of moments before looking away again.]
After just a week?