Knuckling Down
Who: Zack and Cloud
What: Pep-talk
Where & When: Their room, mid-day. After the Network incident
Warnings: None, except for the occasional swear.
Zack strolls down the hallway, flipping a quarter he's planning on using at the soda machine down the hall a bit. But first, he needs to stop of at his room for a second. "Man, Cloud needs to pop some Midol or somethin'... that PMS has been ridiculous lately, and apparently everything's MY fault now... even if I didn't do anything. I wonder if he's in the room..." Shrugging, he gets to his room and opens the door.
As Zack enters the room, he realizes that it is completely dark, save the light from Cloud's computer monitor. He was simply staring blankly at the Live Journal screen, particularly the message left by Tifa who read his entry before he could delete it. Admittedly, Cloud did consider how it couldn't possibly be Zack's fault. He had to know for sure. The silence stayed in place for a while, mostly because Cloud wanted to calm himself a little to keep from sounding hostile toward his long time friend. The tension was already getting to him because of the frustration of not knowing whether or not Tifa returned his feelings. It didn't really help that she found out like this. He spins around in his chair to face Zack. Taking the direct approach, Cloud speaks in a mellow monotone, "Zack, I need you to tell me. Did you tell Tifa to look at my journal?" He patiently awaits an answer with a serious, yet calm expression.
"Dude, no." Zack replied calmly, noticing Cloud's seriousness, then he lightens up a little as he walks past Cloud and over to the beds, where he takes a seat. "I told you, man, they're public networks. Plus the fact that she just got here... she was gonna check out the thing anyway." He lays back on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, as he chuckles slightly. "Besides... you don't need *my* help getting yourself into a heap of shit, hehe..."
Cloud looks at Zack for a second. He blinks twice and then his expression softens. He cracks a smile and sighs while turning back to his monitor. "Man, this is screwed. Listen, about before, sorry. You know how I get when it comes to things like this. I get all frustrated and confused. Here I thought joining SOLDIER would have cure me off all that by now." Cloud then leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling while resting his hands behind his head. "I guess this is what I get for procrastinating and acting like a little kid. I shoulda just told her to begin with. Now with that post, she's probably gonna see me as one of those crazy geeks who used to follow her home when we were in high school." He then looks at Zack. "If you were in her place, would you think I was a total spaz?"
Zack props himself up from the bed so he can look at Cloud in the eyes. "Cloud, I'm your best friend, so I'm not gonna lie to you..." He pauses for a moment, to let the tension build, then finally breaks the silence. "...Of course I would." He then bust out laughing, going back to his original reclined position on the bed. "Dude, listen... Tifa's a great girl, and she's very smart. I'm sure from all the bumbling and blabbering you've done over the years whenever you're around here, she must've had some sort of inkling about how you felt, but just shrugged it off. If she didn't have a clue, then maybe I was wrong about the smart part. But the point IS... all isn't completely lost, man. Hell, this might've even helped your cause. This'll give Tifa a chance to formulate an opinion on how she would feel on the matter, and that's your chance to confront her and tell her how you feel." He smirks. "Trust me, C, you'll be fine."
Cloud shakes his head and smiles. "Ya know, I never thought about it that way. I was always spending so much time worrying about how she views me, it really didn't take notice. It's cool, though. I replied to her on the Network and told her that I needed to talk to her about it. I made a promise to myself that I would just come out and ask. Truthfully, it'll be a real kick in the nuts if she turns me down, but I've been through worse. Hell, we ALL have. It's kinda tough when you're dealing with your dream girl." Cloud smirks. "Thanks, Zack. I feel better now. In fact, maybe I should go see if she's in her room. Win or lose, I'm not holding back anymore." Cloud nods to himself and plasters a stupid grin while flashing the peace sign.
Chuckling, Zack gives Cloud a thumbs up. "Go for it, dude. The worst she could do is say no and cast you into the 'Friend Zone' (dreaded by all men). It's not like she'd curb stomp your junk." A puzzled look came across Zack's face. "...Or *would* she? Hm." He smirks slightly, as all he's trying to do is scare Cloud shitless.
Cloud smirks. "Nice try , Zack. I know she wouldn't do that to me. If anything, she'd bust my arm up....again." Cloud then shrugs. "But anyways, if this does work out, I'll probably get crazy and throw a video game party n the living room. Mad pizza, drinks and DDR. Hey. maybe me and Tifa could become a very physically passionate couple, too." Cloud chuckles lecherously at the thought as he made his way to the door. He takes a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothin'."
"Hah! Yeah, good luck with that last one, chief." Zack laughs, as he sits up Indian style on the bed. "Good luck, dude. If she kills ya, can I have your videogame collection?"
Cloud turns back and smirks. "You know DAMN well I'm takin' them with me! I'll be the only angel in heaven with a PS2. Well, later dude. Gotta date with destiny. If Lady Luck is feeling generous, the next one will be with Tifa." With that said, the blonde exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"INITIAL C!" Cloud cried from the hallway.
What: Pep-talk
Where & When: Their room, mid-day. After the Network incident
Warnings: None, except for the occasional swear.
Zack strolls down the hallway, flipping a quarter he's planning on using at the soda machine down the hall a bit. But first, he needs to stop of at his room for a second. "Man, Cloud needs to pop some Midol or somethin'... that PMS has been ridiculous lately, and apparently everything's MY fault now... even if I didn't do anything. I wonder if he's in the room..." Shrugging, he gets to his room and opens the door.
As Zack enters the room, he realizes that it is completely dark, save the light from Cloud's computer monitor. He was simply staring blankly at the Live Journal screen, particularly the message left by Tifa who read his entry before he could delete it. Admittedly, Cloud did consider how it couldn't possibly be Zack's fault. He had to know for sure. The silence stayed in place for a while, mostly because Cloud wanted to calm himself a little to keep from sounding hostile toward his long time friend. The tension was already getting to him because of the frustration of not knowing whether or not Tifa returned his feelings. It didn't really help that she found out like this. He spins around in his chair to face Zack. Taking the direct approach, Cloud speaks in a mellow monotone, "Zack, I need you to tell me. Did you tell Tifa to look at my journal?" He patiently awaits an answer with a serious, yet calm expression.
"Dude, no." Zack replied calmly, noticing Cloud's seriousness, then he lightens up a little as he walks past Cloud and over to the beds, where he takes a seat. "I told you, man, they're public networks. Plus the fact that she just got here... she was gonna check out the thing anyway." He lays back on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, as he chuckles slightly. "Besides... you don't need *my* help getting yourself into a heap of shit, hehe..."
Cloud looks at Zack for a second. He blinks twice and then his expression softens. He cracks a smile and sighs while turning back to his monitor. "Man, this is screwed. Listen, about before, sorry. You know how I get when it comes to things like this. I get all frustrated and confused. Here I thought joining SOLDIER would have cure me off all that by now." Cloud then leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling while resting his hands behind his head. "I guess this is what I get for procrastinating and acting like a little kid. I shoulda just told her to begin with. Now with that post, she's probably gonna see me as one of those crazy geeks who used to follow her home when we were in high school." He then looks at Zack. "If you were in her place, would you think I was a total spaz?"
Zack props himself up from the bed so he can look at Cloud in the eyes. "Cloud, I'm your best friend, so I'm not gonna lie to you..." He pauses for a moment, to let the tension build, then finally breaks the silence. "...Of course I would." He then bust out laughing, going back to his original reclined position on the bed. "Dude, listen... Tifa's a great girl, and she's very smart. I'm sure from all the bumbling and blabbering you've done over the years whenever you're around here, she must've had some sort of inkling about how you felt, but just shrugged it off. If she didn't have a clue, then maybe I was wrong about the smart part. But the point IS... all isn't completely lost, man. Hell, this might've even helped your cause. This'll give Tifa a chance to formulate an opinion on how she would feel on the matter, and that's your chance to confront her and tell her how you feel." He smirks. "Trust me, C, you'll be fine."
Cloud shakes his head and smiles. "Ya know, I never thought about it that way. I was always spending so much time worrying about how she views me, it really didn't take notice. It's cool, though. I replied to her on the Network and told her that I needed to talk to her about it. I made a promise to myself that I would just come out and ask. Truthfully, it'll be a real kick in the nuts if she turns me down, but I've been through worse. Hell, we ALL have. It's kinda tough when you're dealing with your dream girl." Cloud smirks. "Thanks, Zack. I feel better now. In fact, maybe I should go see if she's in her room. Win or lose, I'm not holding back anymore." Cloud nods to himself and plasters a stupid grin while flashing the peace sign.
Chuckling, Zack gives Cloud a thumbs up. "Go for it, dude. The worst she could do is say no and cast you into the 'Friend Zone' (dreaded by all men). It's not like she'd curb stomp your junk." A puzzled look came across Zack's face. "...Or *would* she? Hm." He smirks slightly, as all he's trying to do is scare Cloud shitless.
Cloud smirks. "Nice try , Zack. I know she wouldn't do that to me. If anything, she'd bust my arm up....again." Cloud then shrugs. "But anyways, if this does work out, I'll probably get crazy and throw a video game party n the living room. Mad pizza, drinks and DDR. Hey. maybe me and Tifa could become a very physically passionate couple, too." Cloud chuckles lecherously at the thought as he made his way to the door. He takes a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothin'."
"Hah! Yeah, good luck with that last one, chief." Zack laughs, as he sits up Indian style on the bed. "Good luck, dude. If she kills ya, can I have your videogame collection?"
Cloud turns back and smirks. "You know DAMN well I'm takin' them with me! I'll be the only angel in heaven with a PS2. Well, later dude. Gotta date with destiny. If Lady Luck is feeling generous, the next one will be with Tifa." With that said, the blonde exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"INITIAL C!" Cloud cried from the hallway.