Title: Time off
Rating: K+ (nothing happens.)
Genre: General (nothing happens.)
Pairing: Zack+Cloud (nothing happens...unfortunately)
Warnings: tiny smidge of angst and hair pulling and un-beta-ed
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
How did they end up doing things like this? It was the last time Cloud got to pick what they were doing that was for sure. Then again he was probably being sarcastic when he said he wanted to spend the day staring at the ceiling and Zack didn't catch it again. Really the kid was always being droll how was he supposed to differentiate one time from another?
Zack glared lazily up at his ceiling. He shifted his neck slightly shaking some run away spikes off his face. He ended up burying his face deeper in that expanse of shoulder next to his head. Laying on the floor sleeping was not a good way to spend time off. It should be spent carousing and partying and pranking and living. Instead he was laying on his not entirely comfortable carpet next to Cloud who was sprawled out sleeping like a cat in the sun. It was winter and despite the warmth of the apartment they were both decked out in sweaters and jeans. Cloud was, Zack noted, even wearing socks, good socks not the military issued junk but thick blue ones probably from home. He pressed his cheek just a little firmer against the small shoulder.
They weren't even really touching or laying on each other or in some incredibly romantic movie cuddle. Cloud was laying on his back legs and arms spread just enough to be comfortable, breathing evenly, his little mouth tilted open just slightly. Zack lay next to him his neck at an uncomfortable angle so he could press his cheek against a sweatshirt shoulder pillow. Yellow hair from that ridiculous little tail of Cloud's tickled at his forehead and nose. In retaliation he pushed black spikes up into Cloud's face. In response Cloud's nose twitched and his yellow eyelashes fluttered slightly before he turned his head away and resumed peaceful sleep.
Zack sighed quietly shifting trying to regain feeling in his right arm that had gone numb. His arm had been curled slightly underneath himself to give Cloud more space. In his sleepy movements he bumped into Cloud's arm. He shifted his hand and captured Cloud's smaller one almost automatically. Cloud didn't stir so Zack shifted a little bit and brought the hand up to his face to look at it. It was smaller than his own more pale and thin-fingered. Cloud should've been a musician. Carefully he lined up the two hands observing the callouses on Cloud's hands that had always been there, a product of being an only child with a single parent in a town without electricity or many of the basic niceties. The fingernails that always looked a sight cleaner than Zack's though a bit more ragged probably because Cloud had the annoying habit of chewing at them when thinking. Zack remember several times when he'd tried to save the nails from death by plucking the hands away from Cloud and scolding him on the bad habit. Cloud icily informed him that he was not Cloud's mother and to please refrain from acting like such.
The first few times it had really just been one of his numerous excuses to touch the kid. Cloud took personal space very seriously which confused Zack because the kid obviously needed and wanted affectionate gestures. It hadn't taken too long to figure it out completely though, about Cloud's traumatizing home life. Unfortunately for Cloud after that Zack hadn't been able to stop the affectionate gestures, so Cloud had stopped resisting.
Cloud's fingers were about a half-inch shorter than his. It wasn't that much but it seemed like a lot to Zack for some reason just like Cloud always seemed a lot shorter even though he was only shorter by three or four inches. He guessed it was his natural inclination to take care of the kid that made Cloud seem so kid-like to him. Or maybe it was just because he was asleep. When he was awake and making snarky comebacks or trying to keep them both from getting busted he didn't seem young just like he was Cloud.
He folded his fingers closed around Cloud's laying their arms back down shifting a little closer and closing his eyes. He breathed in the smell of detergent from the sweatshirt and rolled onto his side putting his head onto Cloud's shoulder because his neck was really starting to hurt at the angle it had been. He threw an arm across Cloud's stomach and settled in. He was surprised when fingers curled in spikes and pulled. He whined and glared up at sleep-fogged blue eyes.
"Stop moving around," Cloud complained moving trying to get comfortable once more. His fingers squeezing Zack's own that were still trapped together under their bodies.
"Maybe it's okay to spend free time like this once in a while," Zack said sleepily and barely heard Cloud's hum of agreement before they fell asleep melded together on the not entirely comfortable carpet, in the too warm room, days before they were to be shipped out to Nibelheim.
Hah! Suckers! Got you with that end! GOT YOU. But I angst myself. The spiky-haired duo is so cute. Why must they die/angst? God can Cloud angst. If Zack was there we would see less angst we might even be able to find Cloud's personality without the clogging over-angst. I love Cloud I do it's just too easy to take potshots at him. Please review it does make the world go round.