[ 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. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
♡
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. ]