Somewhere in the Night
Zack glanced over at his taciturn companion, who was still staring out of the window. How long could a person stare out of the window without getting bored? Cloud appeared to be going for the record. It was all the same scenery anyway: lots of blue lakes and pine trees. Very pretty, but it got boring after a while.
He shrugged mentally. Cloud would either tell Zack what was bothering him or he wouldn't. And if he wouldn't…Well, there were ways to worm it out of him.
At the Blackbird Inn later that evening, Zack was having the time of his life. He'd talked with several girls, who all seemed quite taken with him, and now it was time for sleeping (and to attempt to weasel some information out of Cloud as to why he was so grumpy).
His mako-enhanced eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness, Zack could quite clearly make out his friend's still form in the bed across from him (they'd decided that rooming together was more practical). He decided to be blunt:
"Hey, Cloud, what's bothering you?" he asked, debating whether he would get a response.
"Nothing," came the weary reply. "Go to sleep."
Well, at least he had said something, and not just pretended to be asleep. For the entire day, the most Zack had been able to get out of him was grunts and monosyllables.
"Is it a girl?"
"…I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."
Zack sighed. It was a stupid question- since when had Cloud shown any interest in the fairer sex?
Although speaking of interest…
"Is it…Sephiroth?" The stiffening of Cloud's shoulders confirmed it. "You're afraid you'll let him down?" He chose not to directly reference the fact that he thought that Cloud's feelings ran a little deeper than admiration- he had no idea how the blond would react.
"…Yes." The word was said grudgingly, but it had been said, and that was what was important.
Zack considered his friend's position, and came to a decision. He stood up, went over to the other bed, and crawled in.
"…What the hell are you doing?" hissed Cloud, tensing. Zack just chuckled.
"Relax, I'm providing you with company." He told the blonde, wrapping his arms around him.
Cloud stayed stiff for a few moments, then gave up and relaxed, muttering something probably highly offensive under his breath.
They both slept well that night.
END