it was clear that sora had only been roused by the smell of food–––– his eyes were still half––––lidded, hair messy & sleep clothes ruffled. he didn't need sleep as often, but when he did it was clear that he still slept & awoke like any other teenager. marlene had opted to make herself more presentable before coming downstairs, & denzel was still working on getting himself out of bed. with tifa gone for the day, that left just cloud & sora in the bar for the time being.
sora clambered up onto one of the bar stools, watching as cloud slid the plate across to him. even with his tired reflexes, sora managed to stop it without a mess ( though just barely ). his eyes scanned the food, but his familiarity with cloud's cooking had him already reaching for the fork. scrambled eggs, toast, & bacon–––– slightly blackened, but if it wasn't then it wouldn't have been cloud's.
his stomach gave a quiet rumble, but even as he scooped up some of the eggs, he was displaying his gratitude.
his voice got caught on the syllable, holding out the a for far too long as his brain struggled to fix his obvious mistake, to no avail. all signs of exhaustion in his eyes were suddenly gone. his gaze flickered to cloud quickly before turning back to his food as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. all sora could manage to do in attempt to fix his blunder was shove a forkful of eggs into his mouth.
The morning reflects the previous night with its anxious hold of him . he'd hardly slept , nor did tifa , both of them wracked with their own versions of the next day's hypothetical unfolding . The barmaid would be taking leave for the day to secure a business opportunity – better her , the sociable manager of the place , than Cloud , the . . . less sociable , not - manager . So , they agreed it best that Tifa take the lead that they might find themselves a deal , and though nervous for her safety , he trusts in her ability to carry herself and her fists more than he trusts himself most days . His real nervousness blossoms when he thinks about a day spent solo with three children . Denzel , Marlene , and Sora , all different in their own respects , and he loves them each the same , yet . . . there's a sense of spiraling dread that has not left the center of his chest since the agreed - upon plan had been set in stone .
He rises when Tifa wakes , awake with sleeplessness , never entering deep enough sleep to feel groggy as he opens his eyes . He wonders if he even slept at all . Still , he adjusts himself , sitting quietly , adapting to being awake and contemplating the events of the morning while the bathroom is occupied with his favorite monk's morning care routine . The delivery - man sits with his legs pulled close by him , arms draped over his knees , staring at the edge of his mattress as he contemplates rising from his sheets . The clinking of a toothbrush can be heard , and probably some other items he wouldn't be able to put a name to if he tried , and he sighs . A day off from work is appreciated time to time , but most days , he thinks he'd rather be taking to the road and forgetting about ulterior responsibilities , focused on one thing only . It's easier to think that way .
Still , as Tifa exits through the door , he waves her goodbye , evidently still tired from the prior evening , and yawns silently to himself in the wake of the empty bar . As if on auto - pilot , cruise control , perhaps , he begins to assemble some sort of meal that the woman had pressed a firm reminder of into his skull before taking off . The kids need to eat . It ain't about what Cloud wants or feels .
So , he grabs a couple pans and begins to work with what he knows . He's learned a couple things over the past few years , though he can't say he's a master at any sort of meal . He does enough to get by , surviving , providing any type of edible sustenance to make sure no one goes hungry or lacks for nutrients . Gotta have . . . protein . And carbs . And probably vegetables , but that's a concern for a future meal . This one's got eggs that his mother showed him how to scramble when he was a child – a memory that resurfaced in recent years , and bacon that Tifa had showed him how to harden ( they tell him it's a little too hardened , but he's not quite sure how to soften it and maintain its integrity yet ) , and toasted bread with butter . Can't fuck that up , he thinks . But , he'd be surprised .
The sizzling of the bacon begins to sound through the area , and popping grease lands against his forearms . He hisses quietly with a soft , ❛ Shit . ❜ More because he's surprised than hurt , but he hardly hears when Sora enters the room . . . after ? Or perhaps before enough to hear his soft curses to himself . Hopefully the former , if only to spare his ego .
❛ Mornin' . ❜ He calls to the boy , spooning the food onto a porcelain dish before sliding it Sora's direction . He gives a half - smile , a bit sleepy , and a bit awkward , but a smile nonetheless . He's trying .
The kid responds with appreciation , and he's relieved , but it's followed by a certain sounding syllable that causes both of them to freeze for a moment . Mouth stuffed with eggs , he says nothing more , not finishing his sentence , and not acknowledging it either . In that case , Cloud will pretend he didn't hear it . . . for both their sakes . He just turns around and begins dumping breakfast , haphazardly and clumsily onto the next plate for whoever dared enter the room next . His heart stills as he attempts to distract himself , but there's an anxiousness that sits at the base of his throat , uncomfortable enough that he feels he must clear it . So , he does , turned toward the opposite wall , and stills himself .
Never thought he'd make it this far . Never thought anyone would . . . He's not even sure he can finish the sentence . He grew up without a father , and he doesn't know the bulk of Sora's story , and he's not quite sure he can fill the shoes placed before him . He doesn't know how . Though , it's not as if he's had a guidebook for anything he's gone through or survived in this life . He was just forced to make it happen .
Wait till Tifa gets a load of this one .
