Chapter Text
He wasn't sure why he was following this random, unexplainable desire to head in the direction he was going, (away from those he'd been traveling with beforehand.) Cloud only knew that he was. It was a familiar feeling, something that- in previous cycles- he'd briefly forgotten, from that life once upon a time before he'd come here. No one else remembered anything from their own worlds either, except for important bits and pieces. He himself remembered only flashes of a girl with dusty brunette hair and a large bow in the top of her braid, clad in form-fitting pink with delicate features and a gentle voice. He tried not to remember much more about her, because he'd always inexplicably wind up with his eyes stinging and his heart sore, though no tear ever fell. That almost made the sorrow worse in a way. There were other flashes. A man with messy raven hair and a friendly disposition (the feelings associated with him were similar to the brown haired girl, if less tender and devoted. Feelings of “I failed you, I’m sorry” and of a closeness, a bond.) There was also a man he remembered with white to silver hair and poisonous green cat like eyes. Sephiroth. Memories of him created that same tugging sensation he felt now, as though he was being led somewhere. That was a presence he couldn’t forget. Though, all he could remember at the moment were feelings of resentment, anger, longing, and an admiration beyond what he could comprehend in light of all the negative feelings it accompanied. Was it possible to admire and resent the same person? For some reason, asking himself that question granted him memory of a time when he'd split his own personality so badly he'd lost his identity. That seemed a reasonable explanation for such conflictingly strong feelings. He almost wanted to hope that the full answer lay at the end of this path. The presence that drew him felt near, so near that he could sprint there in a matter of seconds. He held back from that urge, sensing a figure mere feet away. Naturally, he still recalled the events of the last few cycles- or had regained them at this point in the cycle. Problematically, that only made his feelings toward the presence he felt, mere feet away, even more conflicted than they already were.
"Cloud..." The man... Monster... Whatever he was, began.
"I don't care what you're going to say at this point. Let's just get this over with." The blonde replied curtly. The other being emerged, facing him, poison colored eyes in full view- their usual gleam only slightly dulled. A long fingered hand came up to cup the blonde's face.
"You haven't even drawn your sword." The man with the poison eyes chastised, his demeanor almost that of a caring, mature friend who thought his younger companion to be in a bad shape. Yet it was twisted. Mocking somehow, but no less sincere for the fact.
"I didn't come here to fight. There's no point anymore." From what he could remember of last cycle, regaining his memories to the full extent had made his self loathing worse, and there was a sorrow attached to the death of a friend that he'd thought he'd prevented. In his head he knew that with her death, both of the woman he'd loved were gone and he didn't know what purpose there was to leave anymore.
"Very well. I know you won’t foolishly attempt to convince me to align with Cosmos- and, after last cycle, I doubt Chaos will allow you back on this side... So, just why did you come here?" The silver haired villain chuckled. "Or do you not even know yourself?"
"Shut up." The blonde muttered, looking down at his shoes. "I just... Needed something familiar I guess."
"Understandable." Came the gentle reply. The hand cradling the blonde's face lifted it, alerting the blonde that the taller man wanted to see his face. As he saw no reason not to, the blonde looked up, the other's hand stroking his cheek lightly as he shifted his face. "You're new to that side, and even the two that swapped sides when you did weren't exactly people you talked to much before either."
"You never allowed anyone else near me." The blonde accused, but he was distracted by the other man wrapping an arm around him to pull him closer.
"You've never been one to socialize anyway." The taller one pointed out, lowering his own face so it was level with Cloud's ear. "I find that to be a good thing, personally."
"Would you not be like that?" The blonde was irritated.
"Like what, Cloud?" The man goaded, aware that his emphasis on the blonde's name tended to bother him.
"............a territorial, possessive asshole." The blonde replied with narrowed eyes.
"Would you rather me be too bossy and too excitable to be healthy?" The taller man asked, a hint of a smirk carrying over in his voice, even as his lips twisted up ever so slightly, his angular features accenting the extent of his cruel mockery as well as the possessive gleam in his eyes, which merely brightened each second. "Besides, I prefer keeping it obvious that I won't tolerate any attempts to... Even so much as look at you. Prevents unnecessary murders, doesn't it?" The man's smirk only widened as he retracted from the blonde's ear, to plant that same smirk on the blonde's scowl. The blonde shoved him away forcibly.“What’s mine is mine. I want it to stay that way.”
“In your dreams. You’re delusional.” The blonde sounded as if he couldn’t possibly care any less about the insane man’s tirade.
“No more so than you, Cloud.” Came the ‘matter-of-fact’ reply. Both men glared at each other intensely, blue and green mako glows mingling to form an aquamarine sea of color splashed along each delicately defined feature on their two very different faces. Their lips were still brushing, the barest feather weight of a caress, faces so close their eyelashes were mere millimeters apart. Cloud looked down, his neck sore from craning up to maintain the contact.
“It’s annoying enough that you’re…. always trying to aggravate me into fighting you, but it’s worse that you’re so much taller than me. Makes standoffs painfully awkward.”
“My apologies, that is one detail I can’t help.” He said, straightening his body again, head tilted down to see the blonde, and sideways in questioning. “You came here for familiarity… yet you push away any of my typical advances so casually. Why?”
“None of your business.”
“It is my business. No one else is here that can put up with your moods, let alone give you the answers you seek to move on from them.”
“How would answers help in any way? She’s gone… they’re both gone. And I was powerless each time.” Cloud hung his head shamefully, the self depreciation obvious in the dullness of his languid gaze.
“An answer in a reason. A reason to live, to continue, to end this war and go home,” the taller one said, cupping the blonde’s face once more, “for this seemingly pointless encounter with me.” He leaned forward, brushing lips with the blonde again. “We can be a neutral party, just the two of us. Kill Chaos and Cosmos, return the peace and leave. Then I’ll show you what is worth living and moving on for.”
“It wouldn’t work. I don’t trust you enough, and we have no clue of their strength beyond summoning armies of powerful beings from various worlds. Even that’s more powerful than I’ve ever seen you be.” The blonde began. “On top of which, I’m not interested anymore. What’s the point of returning now?”
“You have other friends still alive there, memories buried under the weight of this world that will unlock when we return. Both of their spirits reside there rather than here. Any other reasons you need, or does that motivate you enough?”
“...I…..”
“Don’t overthink it, you weren’t made for that- it always deters you more.” And with that, their lips clashed together at the taller one’s prompting. Lithe fingers tangled through strategic blond spikes, stubby calloused hands tangling in the man’s coat as they melded closer, attacking one another with kisses born of neither hate or love, but some far more complexly convoluted jumbled tangled mess of feelings that were entirely requited by both of them. They pulled apart, lips lingering far enough to breathe, but close enough still to touch.
“...still don’t have a real plan.” the blonde mumbled.
“Since when do you plan beyond whacking away with sharpened steel that weighs twice as much as you?”
“I could ask you the same.”
“I didn’t become famous in our old world for brute strength alone, Cloud.”
“Says you. I don’t remember much beyond you trying to make me play along with your fantasies, and for all I know this could be one of those.”
“Yes, this is all just another scheme. You wouldn’t expect less, would you?”
“Of course not.” Cloud leveled with a half hearted glare. “You’re you. Everything is a convoluted scheme.”