igrab
in
grabi_hands
❄ december fifth | first snow
title. first snow
pairing. leon/cloud, zack/cloud
written for. stellareclipses
wordcount. 760
summary. the snow falling brings back memories.
"Hey," Leon said, in the tone of someone observing something mildly interesting but not riveting, "it's snowing."
Cloud's head jerked up from the pillows. He blinked blearily at the window - yes, it was barely perceptible, but flakes fell from the sky. It hadn't snowed in Hollow Bastion since - well, since it had become Hollow Bastion. You would think that a place called Radiant Garden wouldn't be prone to snow, but Leon had smirked softly out of one side of his mouth and said, It's complicated. Cloud didn't see how, but he let it lie.
He rolled out of bed and grabbed a fleece throw blanket, to wrap around his shoulders as he went to stand by the window. (The fleece, from Yuffie, was lavender and had little chocobos on it. It was not cute.) It was coming down harder, now. Gusts of wind blew the little white crystals in swirls and they seemed to dance, playful and uncaring.
A memory returned, unbidden.
The town they were visiting was a small one. The air was frigid cold, and Cloud huddled in his uniform and wrapped his scarf around and around his neck, trying to think about anything but The Cold and failing miserably. What were they here for? He couldn't really remember; it wasn't important. Zack would know, he'd figure it out.
Cloud's face was already rosy red from the chill; it's the only blush he'd admit to.
The soldier in question seemed impervious to anything: embarrassment, weather, probably bullets. In Cloud's eyes he was nothing sort of godlike. His hands were on his hips, back arched, and he was looking up into the sky with a fierce intensity. For what? Was their mission up there? Cloud's thoughts quickly derailed. Cold cold oh my god it is fucking cold.
Suddenly, Zack let out a massive whoop, and Cloud jumped a foot in the air, startled. "What! What is it!"
"YESSS!" He pumped a fist in the air.
Cloud relaxed. All right. At least they weren't being attacked. "What are you..."
He trailed off, though, because he could see it too, now. White flakes of snow were spiraling down from the sky, drifting on little puffs of wind. It was barely anything, really. It probably wouldn't even stick. But Zack was bouncing around like a hyperactive puppy and Cloud had to laugh, because he just looked so happy.
"Snow!" Zack crowed, and threw his hands up in the air.
"Yes, it's snowing," Cloud said, grinning. "Congratulations. You know what snow is."
"Heck yeah I do!" Then the words caught up to him. "Wait - hey," he said, but he was laughing too, and he grabbed Cloud's hands and bounced up on the balls of his feet. "You're making fun of me."
"Yeah," Cloud said, and he should have come back with stating the obvious again, but Zack was leaning kind of - close, and all the words he'd been about to say promptly fled his brain. Another few inches, and all the words in existence up and followed it, leaving Cloud with no adequate form of expression, and -
Cloud didn't know if the next part happened or not. If it did, maybe some other memories that he had didn't make sense. But then, maybe some wouldn't've existed at all. He didn't know. He couldn't trust it.
But he'd wanted it to happen, that was certain. In that moment, and from that moment on, he had wanted more than anything for Zack Fair to kiss him.
"Cloud?"
He turned, and Leon was only barely awake, one eye open and one eyebrow cocked. "....Come back to bed. It's going to snow all day."
"Yeah." He gave the window one last, fleeting look, then deserted the blanket in favor of cuddling back into the warm spot under Leon's arms.
Does it matter what really happened? It matters that he was there, and I loved him, and he changed me. And, I guess, that's how things went. I wouldn't have it any other way.
His heart wrenched to think that, but then he thought of everything that happened after - all the people he'd met, places he'd been, memories he'd made - new ones, on his own time, and he could be certain they were real. This was real. The past, they said, was history, and future a mystery, but the present - it was a gift.
pairing. leon/cloud, zack/cloud
written for. stellareclipses
wordcount. 760
summary. the snow falling brings back memories.
"Hey," Leon said, in the tone of someone observing something mildly interesting but not riveting, "it's snowing."
Cloud's head jerked up from the pillows. He blinked blearily at the window - yes, it was barely perceptible, but flakes fell from the sky. It hadn't snowed in Hollow Bastion since - well, since it had become Hollow Bastion. You would think that a place called Radiant Garden wouldn't be prone to snow, but Leon had smirked softly out of one side of his mouth and said, It's complicated. Cloud didn't see how, but he let it lie.
He rolled out of bed and grabbed a fleece throw blanket, to wrap around his shoulders as he went to stand by the window. (The fleece, from Yuffie, was lavender and had little chocobos on it. It was not cute.) It was coming down harder, now. Gusts of wind blew the little white crystals in swirls and they seemed to dance, playful and uncaring.
A memory returned, unbidden.
The town they were visiting was a small one. The air was frigid cold, and Cloud huddled in his uniform and wrapped his scarf around and around his neck, trying to think about anything but The Cold and failing miserably. What were they here for? He couldn't really remember; it wasn't important. Zack would know, he'd figure it out.
Cloud's face was already rosy red from the chill; it's the only blush he'd admit to.
The soldier in question seemed impervious to anything: embarrassment, weather, probably bullets. In Cloud's eyes he was nothing sort of godlike. His hands were on his hips, back arched, and he was looking up into the sky with a fierce intensity. For what? Was their mission up there? Cloud's thoughts quickly derailed. Cold cold oh my god it is fucking cold.
Suddenly, Zack let out a massive whoop, and Cloud jumped a foot in the air, startled. "What! What is it!"
"YESSS!" He pumped a fist in the air.
Cloud relaxed. All right. At least they weren't being attacked. "What are you..."
He trailed off, though, because he could see it too, now. White flakes of snow were spiraling down from the sky, drifting on little puffs of wind. It was barely anything, really. It probably wouldn't even stick. But Zack was bouncing around like a hyperactive puppy and Cloud had to laugh, because he just looked so happy.
"Snow!" Zack crowed, and threw his hands up in the air.
"Yes, it's snowing," Cloud said, grinning. "Congratulations. You know what snow is."
"Heck yeah I do!" Then the words caught up to him. "Wait - hey," he said, but he was laughing too, and he grabbed Cloud's hands and bounced up on the balls of his feet. "You're making fun of me."
"Yeah," Cloud said, and he should have come back with stating the obvious again, but Zack was leaning kind of - close, and all the words he'd been about to say promptly fled his brain. Another few inches, and all the words in existence up and followed it, leaving Cloud with no adequate form of expression, and -
Cloud didn't know if the next part happened or not. If it did, maybe some other memories that he had didn't make sense. But then, maybe some wouldn't've existed at all. He didn't know. He couldn't trust it.
But he'd wanted it to happen, that was certain. In that moment, and from that moment on, he had wanted more than anything for Zack Fair to kiss him.
"Cloud?"
He turned, and Leon was only barely awake, one eye open and one eyebrow cocked. "....Come back to bed. It's going to snow all day."
"Yeah." He gave the window one last, fleeting look, then deserted the blanket in favor of cuddling back into the warm spot under Leon's arms.
Does it matter what really happened? It matters that he was there, and I loved him, and he changed me. And, I guess, that's how things went. I wouldn't have it any other way.
His heart wrenched to think that, but then he thought of everything that happened after - all the people he'd met, places he'd been, memories he'd made - new ones, on his own time, and he could be certain they were real. This was real. The past, they said, was history, and future a mystery, but the present - it was a gift.