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[nibelheims]

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action.

[nibelheims]

[ i'm proud of you.

the warmth those few words bloom in his chest, under his skin, in his heart, are unbeaten by any other. cloud flushes a hint, mouth opening to brush zack off yet the words won't come, can't come, after that. for so many nights, he's wished to hear zack tell him of his pride in cloud, a fever dream when he had believed himself unworthy of the life he often thinks he had taken from zack.

but for him to be pride--

it's too much.

and the new space between them is a void cloud wants to close with just as much eagerness as before, but instead his hands curl into fists to stop himself. ]

You didn't exactly have a choice. And I-- [ now his voice cracks despite all the strength he attempts to find in himself. ]

I wanted to honor your... your last wish. For a long time I didn't go a good job with it.

[ he had stolen zack, forgotten him, pretended to be him. there was no pride in that. ]

action.

[yetahero]

[ Zack finds that he says a lot that should never actually be spoken, but he stands behind something like this without a shadow of doubt, watching Cloud with that same seriousness that keeps trying to rule his features. It's hard to fight it when all he wants to do is smile, ruffle his hair and drag him in for a hug. The past is the past, and there's not much he can do about it now. Wishing to change it wouldn't do any good for either of them, so this is where they are. ]

Hey. [ The word is soft, meant to get his attention and distract him from whatever thought he's caught in. ] You probably had your reasons, same as me. I did what I thought I had to, and I... I guess you don't think right near the end.

[ Zack swallows thinking about it, how much he'd tried to be the hero he'd always wanted to be, and there's still so much he has left to prove, so much he has to do. Even if this isn't home, maybe he can make a difference here somehow. One step at a time, and it won't be so bad with both Cloud and Aerith at his side either. That's the one thing he can actually count on, and he throws away whatever caution he might have had coming here, reaching out to grip the blond's wrist, drag his hand down to ease the tension out of one of those fists so he can hook their fingers together. ]

But we've got time now, right?