Prompt: Has Zack ever seen Cloud in the middle of one of his nightmare? Surely Cloud has stayed over in Zack's place once or twice and Zack was woken up by Cloud or heard him on the way to the toilet. I can only imagine how helpless he would feel to see Cloud convulsing or thrashing in his sleep, clearly distressed, or catching a glimpse of eerily familiar glowing green eyes rolling in Clouds head.
Nightmares
Cloud doesn't just have nightmares. He has experiences. And for Zack, who isn't unused to nightmares after spending a night here and there with Sephiroth and his own trials with PTSD, knows that Cloud's are on a whole other level.
Rule number one: Shaking them out of it can be dangerous.
Cloud thrashes. He moans and rolls and sometimes even froths at the mouth. Zack never tells him any of this so he doesn't worry, but Zack worries enough for the both of them. These are violent dreams, characterized by seizure-like fits and full body twitches. Zack is afraid to touch him and make them worse.
Rule number two: Talking about nightmares helps.
Except Cloud never wants to talk about them. Zack has tried—oh Planet has he tried—but Cloud clams up tighter than the screws holding Zack's motorcycle together. Each morning after Zack sees Cloud stagger from bed and collapse at the kitchen table, and even the breath of a question about some horrific scream or vivid tremor sends Cloud right back to bed.
Rule number three (Cloud exclusive): Trying to help Cloud avoid the nightmares makes them worse.
Zack tried once when Cloud stayed over to belay the nightmares by tricking Cloud into meditating before bed. Meditation had helped Zack with PTSD trials before, and he hoped it might help Cloud. Cloud had been able to do it quite well, but Zack had woken up to more than just thrashing—Cloud was fighting, he was struggling, he was being tortured in his dreams. "No, please!" he cried, holding his arms flat like he was being forced to, torso wiggling the whole time like he was trying to escape. It made Zack sick; sick enough that he actually dumped cold water over Cloud to wake him up.
It had worked. Sort of. Cloud had said, "Zack? They're letting us out?" before he realized where he was. He didn't explain that comment or the nightmare. He'd just lain in bed silently staring at the ceiling while Zack pleaded with him to tell him how to help. He never tried meditation or white noise or massages again to help Cloud sleep. At least he didn't recall the nightmares after a normal night, not like Zack did when he woke to choked cries and begging whenever Cloud spent the night.
