herobydefault | [Voice]

[....Right.]

You'll have to take over her cooking duties. You can manage that, right? I mean, Aerith and me already do our share- oh, and there's extra chores now, too. You can do the dishes since we're better at laundry. Oh, and grocery shopping. Man, I hate grocery shopping...

[Ramble, ramble, ramble...]

[Mumble.]

I'll do all that stuff besides the cooking.

[Small victories.]

Y'know, it can't be impossible for you to learn how to cook. There must be some way to do it. I mean, you're pretty clueless about a lot of things, but this is just following basic instructions, right?

Some people can't garden. Some people can't swing a sword.

[Cloud reaches down, starts to untie his bootlaces. He's not going anywhere after all.] I can't cook.

[Sigh. Well if you wanna be a defeatist about it.]

You wanna do something? Spar, fish, cartwheel around the village? Aerith said something about building a doghouse for that friend of yours.

[Cloud snorts and finally looks at him, raising a brow.] ...I'm pretty sure Red would bite me if I suggested he live in a doghouse.

[Hello, there you are. Have a smile.] Then you'd have to smack him with a newspaper. Bad dog, bad dog!

[Back to the boots.] Yeah, I really don't think I should do that either. Maybe to you.

...But I've been such a good puppy.

[Cloud snorts, then just...quiets down again, elbows on his knees and head hung.]

[And Zack isn't sure where to go from there - he's never been very good at this - so he shifts a bit awkwardly and puts his hand on Cloud's back, close to his shoulders. Hopefully a platonic enough gesture that won't make him start fussing about relationships.]

[Fussing about Zack putting a hand on his back is probably the furthest thing from Cloud's mind.

In fact...maybe he just. Leans a little bit closer.

A little bit.]

[Which is a relief, because he didn't want to start a fight. There's nothing romantic about comforting a friend. C'mere, you dummy, stop being so antsy.]

[Sigh. Cloud runs a hand through his hair.]

...just seems kind of...I don't know. Ironic? Deserved?

[Sidelong glance. Buh?]

What do you mean?

I'm always the one running off on her.

It's not like she chose to leave, Spike.

That's not what I'm trying to say. [Cloud waves a hand, then...lets it drop.]

...never mind.

Sorry. [Sigh.]

...You don't deserve this, though. I know that much.

I'll see her when we all go back. I feel worse for the friends she has here from other worlds.

It's weird... I kinda wonder if they'll even remember her when they go back. Or if she'll remember them.

[Cloud wants to say "probably not," but...doesn't.] ...I don't know either.

...It's kinda scary. [Zack tries to laugh. Why'd he have to go and say that?]

[Cloud glances at Zack.

Then he...touches his forehead to Zack's cheek.]

[Blink. That was unexpected- enough to derail whatever worrisome thoughts were trying to wriggle into his thoughts. He closes his eyes, the laugh fading. There's no reason to fake it now.]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]