[ There's no need for Cloud to apologize about what Zack may or may not be feeling due to the bond, but there's no need for Cloud to apologize for most things. It seems to have become a compulsion for him at this point, always assuming he's done something wrong or is in the way.
Zack doesn't hesitate to join him, settling down so that his side is pressed up against Cloud's back. When Cloud shifts and tilts his head in, their foreheads press, a brief yet important gesture. They're in this together, dammit.
As soon as Cloud mentions that he's been thinking about something, Zack gets the sense that it's not going to lead anywhere good. His fists clench in the sheets, covered in fur though they might be, as he lets Cloud say his piece (despite the very strong urge to cut him off).
When it comes right down to it, this is about Cloud running away again. He doesn't believe that he has it in him to stop Meteor, to undo that mistake and save Gaia, and so he thinks that he should put it on Zack instead. And it's not that Zack wouldn't do everything in his power to save their world if he was in that position, but it doesn't matter, because he can't. It's an impossibility.
Cloud should know that, and the fact that he doesn't digs under Zack's skin. He kept getting this niggling feeling at the back of his mind that something wasn't right when they talked about the aftermath of their escape from Shinra, but he'd always figured Cloud had to know what happened. On the cliffs outside Midgar...
More importantly, Cloud can't put this on Zack. Not because Zack wouldn't love to bear that weight if he could, but because Cloud needs to believe in himself for once. Aerith had even told him that he saved the world, that he stopped Meteor and Sephiroth, but he won't believe it. ]
... It doesn't work that way, Cloud. [ Zack's voice is uncharacteristically quiet as he finally speaks up, shaking his head slowly. He reaches up to set his hand at the back of Cloud's neck, urging him to look up into his eyes -- now shining with gold. ]
You may not care about this world, but for me? It's all I have. I can't go back, I can't stop Meteor. You get it, right? This... this is the end of the line for me.
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Zack doesn't hesitate to join him, settling down so that his side is pressed up against Cloud's back. When Cloud shifts and tilts his head in, their foreheads press, a brief yet important gesture. They're in this together, dammit.
As soon as Cloud mentions that he's been thinking about something, Zack gets the sense that it's not going to lead anywhere good. His fists clench in the sheets, covered in fur though they might be, as he lets Cloud say his piece (despite the very strong urge to cut him off).
When it comes right down to it, this is about Cloud running away again. He doesn't believe that he has it in him to stop Meteor, to undo that mistake and save Gaia, and so he thinks that he should put it on Zack instead. And it's not that Zack wouldn't do everything in his power to save their world if he was in that position, but it doesn't matter, because he can't. It's an impossibility.
Cloud should know that, and the fact that he doesn't digs under Zack's skin. He kept getting this niggling feeling at the back of his mind that something wasn't right when they talked about the aftermath of their escape from Shinra, but he'd always figured Cloud had to know what happened. On the cliffs outside Midgar...
More importantly, Cloud can't put this on Zack. Not because Zack wouldn't love to bear that weight if he could, but because Cloud needs to believe in himself for once. Aerith had even told him that he saved the world, that he stopped Meteor and Sephiroth, but he won't believe it. ]
... It doesn't work that way, Cloud. [ Zack's voice is uncharacteristically quiet as he finally speaks up, shaking his head slowly. He reaches up to set his hand at the back of Cloud's neck, urging him to look up into his eyes -- now shining with gold. ]
You may not care about this world, but for me? It's all I have. I can't go back, I can't stop Meteor. You get it, right? This... this is the end of the line for me.