Chapter Text
The Tiny Bronco had not made it far. This was a blessing in disguise. It had taken hours to hike out of the canyon and back to the place where Cid had originally landed by the temple. Dawn had long broken when they reached the ship, so Cid had piled them all in and promised rest.
Zack found it much easier to sleep in a cool, flowering field with the sun beating down than on Cid’s rattly, bumpy plane.
With one arm thrown over his face, the other tucked under Cloud who slept beside him, the pair had gone into the realm of dreams for hours while Cid tried various repairs. Every now and then the loud clunk of metal would stir Zack from slumber, but he’d quickly fall under once again.
When he and Cloud finally woke late in the afternoon, it was to find their friends rested and awake as well. Kunsel, Yuffie, Nanaki, Tifa, and Aerith were down by a close stream, playing and cleaning up in the water. Barret and Cid were still working on the plane. Cait and Vincent were playing some kind of card game.
Finally, the team had a moment of peace. Zack was happy to see everyone taking advantage of it. He sat up and stretched his arms out. Cloud sat up, too, though he leaned into Zack’s space, right hand on Zack’s left hip while the other kept him upright in the grass. Zack’s heart skipped a beat.
He wasn’t sure how long his memories would last, but knowing all the work he and Aerith had put in to be alive with their loved ones struck him. Cloud was really here.
“Zack,” Cloud’s sweet murmur of his name came right next to Zack’s right ear, and Zack tilted his head just so to feel the brush of Cloud’s lips against his cheek, “I love you.”
Warmth from a source other than the sun spread through Zack’s body, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Zack tilted his head just so to capture Cloud’s lips in his. Cloud’s fingers dug into Zack’s hip a little. When they broke apart, Zack saw tiny tears in the corners of Cloud’s eyes. Though, to be fair, he felt some in his own eyes, too.
“What’s wrong?”
“I...I don’t think sorry is ever going to cut it,” Cloud answered with a tiny shake of his head.
Zack cupped Cloud’s face with his left hand, thumb brushing over his lips, “It’s okay, Cloud. No one blames you. How are you feeling?”
“Terrible. My head still hurts a little, but I think it’s just from being controlled for so long,” His eyes searched Zack’s for forgiveness.
Zack made sure he found it, “Assuming we get a break before Sephiroth tries to end the world, we should try to find a way for you to block him when he tries it again.”
“Yeah,” Cloud nodded, relaxing into Zack’s hand, “We should. Thank you. For everything.”
Those words, so similar to Aerith's, made Zack blush, “Ah, it was a team effort. None of us would be here if we weren’t helping each other.”
“Yeah. That’s true. But—,” Cloud started, but then cut himself off and cast his gaze to the grass.
His hand on Zack’s hip picked at one of the belt loops of Zack’s jeans.
“But what?” Zack prodded gently, not about to let Cloud shut him out.
Cloud took a breath, but still wouldn’t meet Zack’s eyes, “Maybe it’s better if I leave, now. Stay out of the way so I don’t make things worse.”
“Cloud,” Zack began to protest, but then he paused.
Maybe Cloud was right. Maybe he did need more than what little break Sephiroth’s regrouping would provide. Forcing him to stay could have consequences Zack couldn’t even dream of. He never once would have guessed that Sephiroth would have the power to take over someone else’s free will. Perhaps that was their starting place—to figure out how Sephiroth was connected to Cloud in the first place.
“Okay. I’ll go where you go, though. If you want to stay, we stay. If you want to go, we go. I have another chance at life and I want to spend it with you. Package deal, promise?”
Cloud opened his mouth to argue. But then, Zack watched him lift his other hand from the grass. The hand with a little red string still tied around the ring finger. Cloud held out his pinkie, and Zack met him with his own.
“It’s a promise.”