#heavensbled

ㅤㅤCloud pauses at the sorry, his face gradually softening as his expression slowly shifts to hint at bashfulness. "I. . . It's okay." He lets out a light breath after pausing a few moments to think. "I just. . ." He's not all together sure how to explain to his close friend that he forgot him. That his memories of him aren't all there & that it still bothers him? ". . .don't remember you being this. . . affectionate." He's not sure what other word to use without it sounding harsh.

ㅤㅤCloud's aqua eyes widen slightly at the mention of Elmyra, his brow quirking at his friend curiously though he stays silent as he gives Zack his full attention.

ㅤㅤSurprise flickers over his face at the mention of Aerith saving him, which shouldn't be that surprising when he considers it. Aerith does still think of him fondly after all that time apart. His aqua eyes shifting down to the bedding as he listens intently, working through his thoughts as Zack gets comfortable.

ㅤㅤHe ends up scowling at the bedding while Zack explains the different Clouds, catching the part about a version of himself being left at Elmyra's. It brings his mind to the time him awoke in Aerith's bedroom. That in itself had been confusing for him but he'd played along for Aerith.

ㅤㅤStill, it makes him wonder if the guy Zack mentions was resting in a wheelchair.

ㅤㅤHe ends up remaining silent long after Zack stops talking, rolling the questions his friend asks through his head, along with everything else. "Sephiroth's using the different realities... I think he was trying to rejoin them somehow. I'm-- I'm not sure how exactly. I do know. . . he considers death a homecoming." So does Cloud at times, mentioning that fact stays on the tip of his tongue for a few moments before letting out a low breath. "The specifics. . . are. . . confusing."

ㅤㅤCloud inches up the bed, leaning back against the bedframe & stretches his legs out in front of him as he debates how to explain everything. He has no idea how to move between worlds even though he's done it himself. It's more of a feeling of being pulled along for the ride. Some parts he's not sure if it actually happened or if he was just dreaming?

ㅤㅤAs Barrett said, it could have been the mako.

ㅤㅤShaking his head he scowls at his lap, his lips pressing together & tries something different. "I think you're right. That Aerith saved you. She saved us. . ." Tilting his head into the bedframe he arches his head back, his aqua eyes peering over to his friend. "After. . . after we fell. I'm not sure if where we fell matters or if the Whispers played into it." He pauses collecting his thoughts. "When I came to we were. . . in her room suddenly sitting in a wheelchair."

Nothing but endless sky above and a glittering sea of stars that can't possibly be real. But it is. It is, and it's theirs. They've inherited, haven't they. Spent all their lives working for it, earning it, fearing it passing them by. Now there's nothing but the muted violinists of bugs making their night time music and the crackling of the fire just beyond his fingertips. The night at his back is cold, and the warmth of the fire is muted by the shape of a tiny little blonde too wound tight to put the sword on his back away for a moment.

'Gotta be ready' he says. And he is. Zack knows the look of a man ready to spring into a fight at any second. His heart aches for it. Not Cloud, he'd prayed. Spare him. The universe decided he was perfect though.

Zack's quiet as he shifts his weight to his hands and knees, closes the distance between them to glance at those long golden lashes hoping maybe he was fast asleep. The eyes are closed, and he doesn't stir, so...maybe?

Blue eyes dart around the encampment and study the unmoving unconscious of the rest of Cloud's gang. Even if they can't see him, Cloud can. He can feel this, his presence, and maybe in his sleep recognize that he's here.

Zack bends down to press his lips to the cold steel of his pauldron, avoiding the eye gouging bolts jutting out like warning spikes. Don't get too close they say. Sorry, just this once.

"Get some real rest, Cloud. I'll watch over you."

ㅤㅤThere's something about the wild open space of nature that makes Cloud feel at home. He's been itching to sleep out amongst the stars. Just to build a fire & take in the night's sky, no matter the appearance it comes in. Clear skies of stars or the fractured one looking ready to rip open. It has it's breath taking beauty even in it's beckoning of bad omens to come.

ㅤㅤEven though he at that itch with the call of the wilderness, he's kept silent. Mainly for his friend's comfort. When one of them suggested it, he was speaking his approval in a matter of moments.

ㅤㅤNow, close to the outskirts of their camp & barely feeling the heat of the fire, he rests.

ㅤㅤSleeping lightly as he takes in the sounds of the night around him. Knowing full well they had their own songs when danger came close. At other times, their own silence.

ㅤㅤWith his head pressed back against his bed for the evening, just a nearby tree to press his back against & rest his sword. He lightly snoozes. Aware of each familiar sound as those around him continues to move within the night.

ㅤㅤHe recognizes one he wasn't expecting to hear even as he sleeps on, he has to, otherwise when it comes to his turn at watch he could end up sluggish. A whispering of a grunt slips out in response to those words, words that Zack obviously spoken.