[ 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! ]
♡
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! ]