Set Against the Grain
Drabbles following the exploits of Zack and Cloud, via Final Fantasy VII/Crisis Core.
--9--
The anxiety running through Cloud's veins caused his stomach to lurch just at the truck they were in hit a rut in the road, and his body slammed hard against the side. If he'd eaten anything at all before they'd left, it would have been all over. But as it was, his empty stomach protested harshly against the maltreatment, and his mind raced a mile a minute. He tried to calm his restless nerves but he couldn't stop—his mind wouldn't stop bringing up anything and everything he knew about his home town.
"Hey, Cloud."
At the sound of Zack's deep voice, he turned his head and gave the other man a look.
"Woah, kid. What's—"
"He's carsick."
The other cadet's voice sounded sure and a bit pretentious. Cloud wanted to take out his frustration on the other guy's face, but he couldn't get himself to move. He opened his mouth to protest, but Zack beat him to it.
"No, he's not. Cloud what's wrong?"
Instead of answering, he lowered his head and tried to quell the tears beginning to form behind his closed eyelids. He didn't understand why the hell he was fucking crying at a time like this. He was going home. He would see his mom. He should be happy. Instead, though, he felt an intense, unchecked fear that was threatening to overwhelm him. He needed something to ground him before he broke down completely.
The last time he'd felt emotion this intense was back when he lived with his mother, back before Shinra. His mom always said he had some sort of innate sense not unlike the intuition she was born with.
When he felt the weight of an arm pull him close, he unclenched his eyes, and looked up at his friend's worried face.
"I can't do this," he whispered.
Cloud hated to admit he was afraid. He hated to show how vulnerable he was at this moment, but he hated more to hide anything from Zack. The other man had been nothing but honest to him during their short-lived friendship, and he didn't want to be anything less.
Zack's expression went from confusion to mild understanding, and Cloud wondered what he was thinking.
"I won't leave you alone."
He didn't promise they'd be okay. He didn't assure them that nothing would happen. And though Cloud felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding, his mind cleared enough to realize that Zack was right. He wasn't alone in this. He didn't have to face whatever this was alone. Whatever happened, Zack was right here alongside him.
