recolle | ( closed )

( closed )

WHO: cloud + prompto
WHERE: the crow's nest, elsewhere later
WHEN: 9/01
WHAT: two bros with a lot to catch up on
WARNINGS: this is how both jen and i die

[it doesn't take a genius to know that prompto is nervous. it doesn't take knowing prompto to realize that the obnoxious jog of his knees, the impatient scrunching of the straw wrapper between his fingers, and the self-conscious glance over the glass window to fix his hair are all signs that he's fighting down an intense feeling of anxiety.]

[for what it's worth, he's meeting his half-brother for the first time proper (barring their first meeting), in which they're meant to sit and eat like old friends, while in reality they have pretty much a lifetime to catch up on--a whole barrel of issues and worries and fears and questions to work through.]

[prompto has no idea how the night is going to go, but his lemonade has been down for over three-quarters, and despite feeling a bit better because of his medicine, he feels a queasiness in his stomach that has nothing to do with his lactose intolerance.]

[his phone is facing up beside his glass of lemonade, on the table, it lighting up with messages and notifications, but prompto simply scans through it without much interest, expecting only one name to come up: cloud strife.]

...deep breaths. Don't mention dogs, be cool, be collected... you got this, buddy.

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[Their meeting place was not a location that Cloud was familiar with, but to be fair, apparently this "Crow's Nest" was a new addition to the city. He hadn't remembered such a place existing before, and while he was new to Recolle, he's sure that he would've recognized a diner with such a creepy mascot beforehand. Regardless, he finds the establishment easily enough, and his arrival is heralded by the sound of a motorcycle pulling up just outside. He removes his helmet (having made it a point to wear it, after remembering having fallen off of his bike not that long ago), tucking it under his arm, and enters the diner.

Looking around, it's not difficult to spot Prompto. The young man fidgets in a booth not that far away, and Cloud walks up to him, appearing calm, with only tinges of something resembling uncertainty settling within him. He wasn't sure exactly how this was going to go, and honestly, he hadn't tried to dwell on it for very long on the way over here; and while he wasn't exactly the fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants sort of individual, this was one situation that he wanted to at least see through to the end. This meeting, however it ended up being, would define just exactly where this new relationship in his life was going to stand.

Right now, it was the proverbial giant question mark. Intending to make sure this changes one way or another, he slides into the seat across from Prompto.]

Hey. [One seems nervous, while the other remains stoic.] Sorry, hit some traffic on the way over.

[prompto saw him arrive, of course, and tried slamming the breaks on his nervousness showing. he only but halfway succeeded, glancing up at cloud as he settled before him.]

[he nods, back pressed hard against the back of his booth]

It's okay. Uhm...

[turning his attention to the menu standing near the window, he takes it and passes it over to cloud]

Their milkshakes are really nice here, but they got other drinks. If you drink, I guess. Uh, their burgers and fries are really nice. Their salmon is pretty expensive but I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about it.

[He settles into his seat, and puts his helmet down next to the empty space next to him. Cloud's hair is a little mussed as a result, but he doesn't seem to notice or particularly care. He even idly runs a hand through it, taking the offered menu with his free hand.]

A milkshake might be nice.

[But he's not really hungry, or at least he feels as if he can't focus on food right now. His eyes scan over the menu, cursory at best, before he places it down and looks at Prompto directly again.]

So...

[He's cognizant of the fact that he just isn't good at this sort of thing. But though that's the case, and not inclined to change any time soon, it doesn't discourage him from trying all the same.]

We have a lot to catch up on, and I'm really not sure where to start. I was going to suggest just trying to get to know each other first, but then I realized that maybe all of this makes you uncomfortable just being here. [He's considerate, more so than what first impressions might garner.]

Basically, I don't want any of this to feel like an obligation. You don't think that, do you?

[He assumes not. Sparkle text and everything. But he hates assuming.]

[cloud likes milkshakes too...]

[prompto finds himself stuttering at how serious he sounds, suddenly. very diplomatic. prompto bites down on his bottom lip and fastidiously uses a crumpled up napkin to clean up remnants of condensation on the table.]

...it's not.

[it's like a heavy, hot ball of air right out of his chest.]

[prompto kind of came here with an action plan.]

I just wanted to say... that I had time to think about this whole thing. Who you are, who I am, who we are in relation to each other. I'm mostly afraid you'll hate me. [at least he's being sincere. he pauses] That being said, I think that even if you end up hating me, you should give me a chance to prove myself. I'm... I'm, I really suck at opening up with family, and I don't even really know what that's about, but...

[he turns to look up at cloud, meet his eyes]

I don't want to screw up my chances at having something like a family with someone who is actually related to me.

[eyes back down at the table, then at his phone that's currently quiet at his lack of replies; his hands are back down on his lap]

If that makes sense.

[He watches the other's expression, honestly having no idea what his response was going to be. And when he's met with the knowledge that the expectation might have been hate from Cloud, he blinks in a little in confusion. Immediately his mind rewinds back to their first meeting, and questions filter through his head -- does he really think he might hate him? Was that reasonable? Maybe, given the odd circumstances of their relation, but did he give that impression? Maybe he didn't smile enough at the time? He had been tired from shifting rubble around and having to deal with monsters in the city, and if he came across as someone who might've frowned at him too much he didn't mean to-

A hand that was resting idly moves to the menu, a finger playing idly at its corner while he listens to the rest.]

I... yeah. [He nods, though his brow is now knitted in consternation. He understands, and he's trying to parse out his reply in the best manner possible.] Look, don't worry about that. I know we have reason to feel awkward about each other, but I don't even really know you. And I'm not petty enough to hate you.

[He wishes he could have a second chance at first impressions. He inhales, holds onto it for a second, then exhales with words at the tail end of it all.]

I'm here because I thought I'd give this a chance. I'm not that great at... opening up either, but if you're family, shouldn't I try? We live in the same city now, we can't just avoid each other forever.

[Which is not at all true. If either party really wanted to, they could. But him thinking this way is just proof that Cloud believes that shouldn't be an option they settle on, unless Prompto really wants it.]

[luckily for cloud, his words seem to have a positive effect on prompto, who but seems to relax (shoulders slumping slightly). there's even a small smile that intrudes over his otherwise tight-expression.]

[standing on the same page, realizing that cloud wants to give this a shot (reassurance after reassurance, how much was enough?) makes him feel infinitely better.]

Okay.

[finally, he nods, perking up]

I've always wanted a brother, so the fact that I actually have one is crazy.

[he brushes his hair back, nervously]

How... old are you? Yo-your dad, what is he like?

[straight...into it]

[The tone seems to shift, and Cloud feels tension leave his own shoulders, unaware that it was there to begin with. He rests an elbow on the countertop, and though Prompto launches straight into the questions, he doesn't seem to mind at all.

There's actually the smallest spark of amusement, seen only in the twitch of the corner of his lips, after he asks.]

I just turned twenty-four, at the beginning of August. And my dad, he's...

[He leans back in his chair, trying to decide where to start. He loves his dad and there's a lot to say, but he wants for Prompto to get a proper image of his character before anything else.] My dad's a great guy, actually. Raised me as a single parent, which is something you never really appreciate and think about until you're older. He's smart and a lot more charming than me. Always knows just what to say and when to say it.

[Helpful when raising Cloud, who needed the support in more ways than one.]

What about you? You're... twenty? Twenty-one?

[It's a half-farce of a question. He can do the math, of course.]

Oh. ...happy birthday.

[he says quietly]

[and it remains a quiet wish, because cloud starts talking about his dad, and there's just something so fond and wonderful about it. cloud really likes his dad, and although the description is kind of generic...]

[how cool to have someone be at your side like that]

[makes prompto wonder how come he got such a shitty luck at the draw for parental custody]

I'll turn twenty-one soon. Three years between us, I guess.

[maths isn't a guessing game!!]

[(did his parent's marriage already have a problem, three years into cloud being born? gods, that must have been the worst.)]

I'm... majoring in Photography. I got a scholarship earlier last year... uh, what are your hobbies? Are they similar to your dad's?

...Thanks. [Even if it is a somewhat belated birthday wish.] How soon is soon? When's your birthday?

[That is a legitimate question. A detail lost in his memories, swimming around in the discontent that was his parent's marriage at that point, he's sure. He doesn't try too hard to remember, when Prompto could just tell him.]

Someone on the Retrospec post mentioned you did some photography for them. You're also in a physics class, though? [He's been talking to people! On the post! Someone out there should be proud of him.] But, uh-- I'm a mechanic. By default, I guess, my hobbies are motorcycles and cars. Taking things apart and putting them back together; I studied mechanical engineering in school. My dad is a mechanical designer, which is less hands-on than what I do, but the idea is the same. A lot of math, a lot of engineering. [An awkward pause. What else? Was that enough?] I also like wolves.

[ok cloud??? thanks.]

October 25th.

... [uhm, some questions...] Yeah, uh, quantum physics for the semester.

[since it never was a big deal that he was good at maths back when he was a kid, and in physics and calculus and trigonometry later as a teen, he doesn't expect to get praise out of it. instead, he finishes up his lemonade, wondering vaguely if cloud really doesn't want anything with a glance towards the server...]

[except he forgets about that soon enough]

That's... [his heart does a stupid strange flip (it's not dokis; it's excitement, bursting into a bigger smile). there is something that he and cloud hold similar between each other] I like doing that too, but with electronic devices. My cameras-- my phone, once, and just about anything... Wolves are really cool.

Lone warriors.

[hee--he glances outside at the parked motorcycle]

I guess that's the bike, then.

[October 25th. Ten-twenty-five. Committed to memory with ease, one and done. He doesn't remark further on it, but Cloud won't forget.]

Quantum physics isn't something to scoff at. You're just taking it for fun...?

[He's pretty sure photography majors don't have to take quantum physics of all things. But the question dies on the vine, because while he listens intently to Prompto's interest in electronic devices (that's cool, he thinks, that they share similar interests, just residing on different sides of the coin), the mention of wolves being lone warriors seems to spark something in him.]

Wolves usually aren't lone warriors. Lone wolves are actually looking for another pack to join, because they've been excluded from theirs; a young adult looking to make its mark on new territory, but more often older females. Wolves are actually social animals, and they're better off when they're not by themselves. There's a whole hierarchy in a wolf pack. It's that same social nature that made dogs so compatible with humans.

[A. Pause. Wait, was there another question?]

Uh, sorry, what?

[prompto turns his attention back to cloud, bike forgotten, smiling more and more as his half-brother goes on about wolves and the truth of their lone warrior myth, debunked, and all that.]

[where did this kind of interest spark from?? prompto wonders]

Nothing.

I didn't know that about wolves. I thought you'd have started talkin' about your motorcycle instead, actually.

I can talk about that, too.

[The server comes over (had they been standing there the whole time during Cloud's wolf tirade? That's embarrassing), and Cloud looks up at them just long enough to place an order. It's a milkshake. Vanilla.

Then back to Prompto:]

But then we'd be here all night. And I don't wanna scare you away just yet.

[A little wryness there, snuck in for levity's sake.]

[prompto takes that as an opportunity to ask for a refill of his lemonade, also asking for an order of kenny fries to share. it's cheap food; who says no to fries? prompto's got the money for it in any case.]

[he feels very small and very silly when cloud says he doesn't want to scare him away just yet. even if it's meant to be a joke of sorts, it's that kind of underlying assurance that really helps prompto float above water without fearing he'll drown. he nods, taking his phone, and tapping through it.]

I got a dog.

[if cloud talked about wolves...]

He's a brown labrador. I initially took him in 'cause his owner, being a friend of mine, left the city on a family emergency. [ah, here's one. he turns his phone over to show cloud; you're on the "ruffles" folder so you won't find anything but dog pictures.] Ruffles is the best; big and dopey, loves runnin' and rollin' under blanket sheets.

You could come walk with us some time?

Edited 2017-09-03 14:53 (UTC)

[He leans in to look more closely at the picture on Prompto's phone. Ruffles looks like any dog should be -- happy and healthy and Cloud actually does chuckle at the sight, smiling a little. He likes dogs, of course. It's only natural, because he sees them as tiny wolf descendants, evolved to be more human-friendly and brimming with companionship. Who doesn't like dogs?]

He's cute.

[Cloud is also not beyond calling things cute out of the blue. He leans back in his seat.]

I don't mind going for a walk with you guys. I'll live vicariously through you. My apartment doesn't allow pets.

Seriously? That sucks.

[he locks his phone again, a little dazed by cloud strife actually managing to smile and chuckle. oh boy. ohhh boy.]

[prompto's doing good]

[conversation-wise? it dies down for him because he wants to ask something, ultimately barred from doing so by the server putting down their drinks and fries. prompto immediately goes in for the grease, munching.]

...I'm, kind of curious about some stuff. [taking a sip of his drink..] You just happened to move here, right? Just a choice without any motivation behind it?

[He shake is sat down before him, and Cloud decides to take a sip of it before answering.]

No, I wish I was that impulsive, but I'm not. [He's not the type of person to just get up and move because it's a novel idea. Cloud had always skewed closer to complacency when his life around him harbored no real reason for change.]

Recolle's always been a place full of opportunity. And it was time for me to... "expand my horizons", meet new people, find a job suited to my area of study, things like that.

[Cloud Strife, the anti-social one, talking about meeting new people? Sounds fake. In actuality, this is what his dad had told him, who probably not-so-subtly nudged him out of the nest. And here he is.

He goes for one fry.]

We can talk about yourself, though, if you want. I'm not trying to steal the spotlight from you.

Yeah, I know...

[he hunches closer onto himself]

[cloud sounds... so adult (if only prompto knew he's just repeating what his dad said), and in many ways its stripping at his ability to try and keep a smile and light attitude about this.]

[he fidgets with his fingers under the table, grease and salt spreading, picking at his nails nervously.]

Mom lives here. She... got herself a boyfriend some years ago. She has kids--well, they're his. She'd talk about them a lot... [his eyes are fixed on his lap] I thought maybe you came here to look for her. I guess not...? [unsure] I haven't talked to her in a while.

...I didn't know that I'm basically the product of her cheatin' on your dad. I feel stupid 'cause I thought, for a really long time, that m'dad was a good guy.

I don't think he's a good guy anymore. [a glance to the side, again, nervously seeking a visual distraction on his phone] Mom didn't even come to my graduation. I just... don't know what I did wrong.

[And here they are.

This is a subject that Cloud had been tip-toeing around, having been very sensitive to what very little Prompto had told him before about his family situation. Half-brother or not, it was awkward... and a little too brazen, he thought, to have brought it up on his own. But now that Prompto's done it for him, he can slowly introduce his own questions into the conversation.

He had meant to do it calmly, of course. But something about what his half-brother says makes him almost immediately frown. He hadn't known that his mother lived in this city, but it's barely enough to incite more than just a second or two of pause.]

No, I don't... care where she is now, or what she's doing. Not really. [Does that sound too cruel? But Cloud wants to make this part exceedingly clear, and so it comes out as blunt. The rest of his words, however, lighten somewhat, but the frown still remains.]

What makes you think you did anything wrong? She's the one who didn't show up. It seems to me there's a trend of her not wanting to have anything to do with any of her kids, and-

[This is weird, trying to pick and choose his words. There's that's wavering line of trying not to be too disrespectful, but at the same time, it's his mom, too. And he's sure Prompto wants to hear his real feelings on the matter. Cloud bites at his lower lip, then tries again.]

...The problem's with her, not with you.

[cloud's bluntness is not unwelcome; it's actually refreshing. it's one thing to hear a lot of people say he shouldn't mind her anymore, that he should just forget about his mother, that she's no good. but there's no quality of realness to it as when someone who shares that very same mother says those things. cloud knows their mother, too, no matter how fleeting that acquaintance may have been, and that knowledge alone makes prompto breathe out shakily.]

[the fact that cloud is not here to try and amend familial bonds that prompto doesn't think he'd ever be capable of amending himself is a relief. (there was that nagging fear, that maybe their mother would prefer cloud over him, impressed and proud as she was about her step-children.)]

[having someone stand by him... means so much.]

You... [his voice is quiet, but cloud could still hear it easily] said we should get to know each other, for starters. You probably think I'm really popular and I got a ton of friends, so why am I hung up over something like this? Others have it worse.

It took me a long time to be the person I am now. Before, no one really knew me, I didn't make friends at all, I was always alone.

Sometimes I still... I still feel scared and get upset easily thinkin' others won't want me. [a pause] --do you mind, if I tell you? Just how fucked up I am on the inside before you agree to wantin' to keep in touch?

[this sounds dramatic, and prompto laughs a bit at himself]

Haha... pretty dramatic, huh?

[He hadn't for a moment questioned why Prompto felt so "hung up" over it. That would've been presumptuous of him, and there are ways in which Cloud simply cannot relate. He knew his father, at least. He had that one pillar of support, where it sounds as if his brother did not. Who was he to say one way or another what the other should or should not be upset about?

There's the feeling of something starting to unravel before him, though. A string to tug at, that Prompto is warning him that he might not like what he sees if he does. And yet there's hardly a hint of hesitation. He made up his mind about this long before he stepped into this diner.]

You're not being dramatic. I can understand what it's like to have trouble making friends.

[He's still like that, after all. Cloud never grew out of it, unlike Prompto.]

You can tell me anything you want.

[it's nice]

[it's nice that cloud is nothing like what he had conjured in a moment of paranoia and, ultimately, fear. he's probably lucky, too, that despite all the odds this is the one person who turned out to be his brother, even with all the complications in between.]

[prompto keeps quiet, lets the silence pervade through despite the uncomplicated music playing across the diner, despite the shuffle of plates and cutlery, despite the soft chatter in other booths. he leans forward, one of his hands finally making an appearance as he rubs just under his eyes.]

[it's looking sideways, with his elbow on the table and palm against his cheek, when he continues talking.]

I never met my father. I think he left when I was just a few months old. Never really fact-checked, and mom's story changed a lot. [his story begins quietly, like words pressed and muffled by a pillow. he's never really shared this much with... anyone. ever.] I didn't go to school until I was six, since she would homeschool me before then. Mostly TV and crappy food and coloring books. I think that's when she liked me best, like she went out of her way to teach me how to read. My handwriting is still terrible though. I hate writing.

Her homeschooling included telling me how awful I was.

[his hand turns into a fist against his temple, but his eyes are calm, no sign of the otherwise telling dampness.]

"Dad left because of you," "what good are you?," "can't you feed yourself?"

She seemed proud the first day I went to actual school, though. She took a picture. I hated that picture. I was... six, right, and I had the worst day at school. No one wanted to play with me--I didn't even know I was allowed. It's like everyone spoke a different language. So I... just kept to myself. I got home in tears and mom wasn't even there. She worked late, so I had to wait downstairs in the lobby for her to get home.

I...

[this is as far as he goes, keeping his head down and hiding his eyes with his hands. the wrinkle of his lips shows that he is, in fact, trying to hold back on the ugly crying.]

[hands are strained, fingers tight against each other.]

It was such a shitty day.

[his words are a whistle, throat tight and dry despite the ocean threatening to spill]

But it kept happening. Every day.

I kept thinking I was getting punished for not trying hard enough at school. My grades were so bad, I couldn't even-- finish my work in the allotted time. I had no one to turn to.

I didn't wanna bother anyone.

I wished... I had... [his lips trembling, prompto chokes out a sob and pulls into himself, arms over his head as he feels the warmth of his tears against his arms and face. what the fuck was he even doing?]

--s-sorry...

[He listens, watching all of this unravel before him. Watching Prompto spill this part of his life, vulnerable and uncertain, for Cloud to see. Followed by an apology, as if he expects this is something to apologize for.

He’ll be the first to admit that he’s no good at this. He can empathize, but he can’t rely relate. His thoughts flicker to his own father — someone who had always been by his side, even though his mother wasn’t. Someone supportive and smiling, even if it had been difficult for him too, because it must have been difficult. Raising a child all by yourself, trying got be a pillar for yourself and for them. He can’t even imagine.

Nor can he imagine what it might’ve been for him if he wasn’t there. That sturdy foundation that he could always anchor himself to, gone, swept away, replaced by someone who didn’t care and was barely there to provide.

When the tears fall, he doesn’t know how to immediately react. Though Cloud does wish he knew what to say, and how to immediately make everything better.]

Hey… it’s fine. You don’t have to keep saying you’re sorry.

[And while words do not come to him quickly enough, he tries to place himself in Prompto’s shoes. When he’s feeling down, all Cloud wants to do is ride around the city, to try to forget whatever is bothering him. Movement, to push the thoughts outward, to allow a sense of calm to eke in instead.]

Listen, do you wanna go for a walk around the block or something? We can talk in the fresh air.

[Never mind the barely-touched food.]

O-okay, yeah...

[taking a deep breath, be rubs at his face, uncertain and embarrassed. there's some napkins on the dispenser on the table, and he makes sure to grab a couple, getting the gross snotty feeling above his upper lip and then rubbing red around his eyes.]

[he's then picking out his wallet, putting down twenty, enough to cover his share of lemonades and the fries.]

--what 'bout your milkshake? I can wait.

[he says meekly, scooting over and off the seat]

Bathroom.

[is what he offers, both an excuse but also a reason to have cloud wait a while, hopefully just have some of the fries and milkshake. he feels rude, and like he's imposing. he'll splash his face with water, kick some toughness onto himself.]

[Cloud isn't concerned that much about his milkshake. While Prompto is gone, actually, the server comes by, seeing that they're ready to pay. Cloud doesn't let him take the twenty, only digging in his own wallet to pay for the both of them, telling them to keep the change.

Whenever Prompto returns, Cloud passes the bill to his brother, pinched between his thumb and forefinger, and motions towards the door.]

Ready to take a stroll?

[He's patient, though. There's no edge of hurry or anything even reminiscent to pressure in his tone.]

[...prompto takes the bill, feeling his heart squeeze. what is this feeling? he grabs his phone, pockets it, along with the twenty, and nods, biting his bottom lip as he hesitates, waits to see if cloud's going to move, before following along. don't forget your helmet, bro.]

[outside, kenny sits on the bench like it's the best place to be, but prompto's approaching the bike instead.]

Is it a Harley?

[he asks quietly, appreciating it as he looks it over]

[He does indeed have his helmet tucked under his arm as they leave the diner for now. He notes Kenny, creepy mascot that he is, with one "wing" slung over the back of the bench and his legs crossed. Cloud eyes him... suspiciously. He still doesn't understand how anyone can feel comfortable around him.

He happily approaches his bike instead.]

It is. A Sportser. You know much about motorcycles?

I know about them, but I don't know enough of 'em.

[after a lingering glance at the bike, he turns to look at cloud, although his eyes don't quite reach the other's.]

Looks like you put a lot of work into her.

... [an awkward shift on his feet, eyes now glued on the helmet] You're kind of a really cool guy.

A lot of work, yeah. But not as much money as I'd like to. If I was rolling in it, though, I could really do some crazy things with her.

[But he shrugs. Some wishes were meant to be wishes and little else. But at the comment of being a "cool guy", he actually looks at Prompto in vague surprise.]

Why? Because I ride a bike?

[prompto understands that feeling]

Yeah, if I had the money to buy better specs for my camera...

[photography is an expensive hobby as it were. face flushed from crying turns a darker shade at cloud's question, and prompto can't read whether cloud finds it funny that he thinks coolness factor depends on owning a bike.]

[he scratches the back of his head, looks away a moment]

Hm... mmm. Everyone wants a cool big brother, right?

[lousy save]

[prompto sighs and sticks his hands into his pocket, along with his phone. shoulders hunched, he kicks at the dirt a bit.]

...have you been to the beach boardwalk yet? It's close by.

I don't know if I qualify as cool, really.

[Lousy save or not, it's dismissed with ease. He blinks at Prompto, still trying to parse his body language, which still appears uncertain.

Questions later, when he's recovered a bit more emotionally. For now, he hands him the helmet.]

I haven't. Wanna go for a ride there?

[surprised, he hurriedly takes his hands out of his pockets to grab at the helmet. he looks down at it, then up at cloud. there's a lot he wishes to say; so much more than what he already has said. it's awkward, isn't it?, you don't have to be nice to me if you don't feel like it, even if i'm like this... it's fine, right?]

[cloud has made some things clear: he wants to get to know prompto as much as prompto wants to get to know him in return. and yet the doubts keep filtering in. perhaps prompto is unaware that being alone, subject to feeling like he had a reason to feel upset at his circumstances and vulnerable about his sensibilities towards this aspect of his life, has actually become a thing of comfort. he can feel sorry for himself an entire evening, just lie in bed and browse youtube without feeling an obligation to respond to anyone (because he belongs to no one, because he isn't anything particularly meaningful to others, not like family is), and that much was okay to feel.]

[realizing that now that's about to change, if all goes well, and he and cloud manage to take on the ever-desired bond of brothers that prompto only ever dreamt about having, it's quite scary.]

[...he wants this, but won't he fuck it up? how long until cloud gets tired of him? until he decides that he is, in fact, better off without an annoying half-brother pestering him? reminding him of the foul his family suffered, from which he is a result of? it's hardly his fault, the more reasonable part of him knows and reminds him, but it's there. that nagging doubt, that feeling of guilt, that it was all somehow his fault. all of it.]

[(residual blame from years and years of hearing the same accusation, relentlessly.)]

...hn.

[although delayed, his response is an affirmative, coupled with how he puts on the helmet, lifting the visor. he smiles at cloud, despite how he feels, and forces sunshine through the gloom.]

I think you're pretty cool.

[There’s something touching about that, the I think you’re cool. A wayward compliment, one that Cloud would usually shrug off and think little of — and honestly, if one were to step back and really consider the situation, it was still coming from a stranger who just happened to share his blood. But he pauses only slightly when he hears it, a small falter in his step, and thinks to himself that he’s glad that the first impression he made was a positive one. If nothing else, this.

He smiles a little, though it might be obscured because he’s turning to get settled onto his motorcycle. A half-turn of his head to look at Prompto.]

Thanks. [A pause.] Hop on, and make sure you hold on tight, okay?

[prompto does hop on, cheeks burning at his compliment being accepted and heard. holy shit, that sure was embarrassing. there's a moment of hesitation as he gets comfortable on the seat, then putting his arms around cloud. hold on tight, right? he's never been on a motorcycle proper before.]

When you exit here, take a left and onto the main road, then turn right on Medina Street. There's a hot dog stand on the corner of it, can't miss it.

A hot dog stand, huh? All right.

[The motorcycle roars to life seconds later.]

Stick that helmet on and we'll be off. Safety first.

[Wry, but he means it.]

It's on, it's on!

[he says quickly, patting at the top of it to prove his point]

And, if I fall off, it's an easy excuse to get rid of me.

[he's just playing]

Yeah, that's not happening.

[He knows he's playing, but like hell if he's going to let Prompto fall off of his bike, helmet or not.]

Here we go.

[An the engine roars to life, vibrations easily felt as they eventually ride off in the direction that Prompto guides them towards. Cloud is not a reckless driver, and this is even more obvious when he as precious cargo in tow.

Regardless, they do eventually arrive, though Prompto's going to have to tell him to stop because he's still uncertain where the exact location really is.]

[riding a bike is so different from riding a moped, holy crap. prompto holds on tight, for as much of a responsible driver as cloud is, there is still a sense of unknown danger at maybe falling off--which is why he hugs cloud tight around the middle.]

[when they're soon to arrive at the location by the beach, he points with a hand]

Over there! Park by the ice cream booth.

[He doesn't often share a ride with others, but if Prompto wasn't holding on tight, he would've said something. Thus he's not bothered by the iron grip, and when Prompto points out their destination he nods and pulls into a nearby parking lot.]

This it?

[Motorcycle parked, he lets Prompto get off first before he follows suit.]

Yeah!

[when cloud parks, prompto takes the cue to get off first--only thing being that while he didn't fall as the motorcycle was moving, he does fall over this time, but he's quick to get back on his feet. when he removes the helmet, his face is red as a tomato]

So, the beach's here!

[he hands the helmet back...]

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