[cloud expects it, and it had been his intention when he offered his hand for sephiroth to take it. seeing is believing, though, and part of him was already considering that it wouldn't happen; that sephiroth would not succumb to the kind of olive branch that would merit physical contact. and so cloud does not exactly expect it, sephiroth's hand around his wrist—like a far-gone memory, of when he had done that, looked down at him with knowing eyes and removed cloud's hand from his head.]
[—except, this time, cloud does not step back, the tingling of something just about tickling under his glove, growing exponentially at sephiroth holding at his fingers, purposely.]
[for all the warmth that sephiroth may be feeling on his end, for cloud? for cloud it's like a sudden upturning of himself; his heart races in anticipation, and his pulse feels violent under his skin. it's unexpected in the way his body grows taut, moving despite himself—just like it had happened before, when he had meant to go after hojo and found himself, instead, following a trail of visions, of jenova, of mother.]
Ugh—
[jenova cells may run in both their veins, but sephiroth is the source. cloud is just a recipient, reacting to this 'reunion', premature as it may be in the understanding of the sephiroth before him. the current of this dizzying emotion together with the synchrony between them is enough to upend cloud, have his knees buckle and the only reason he isn't faceplanting being the hold on his hand.]
[the blond's other hand reaches for anything to hold on to; grabs at the belts criss-crossed on the general's chest.]
Je — [his head hurts, and the sword at his back feels incredibly heavier than what it should be,] no— [the syllables a breath on his lips, unbound without thought from him.] —va.
no subject
[—except, this time, cloud does not step back, the tingling of something just about tickling under his glove, growing exponentially at sephiroth holding at his fingers, purposely.]
[for all the warmth that sephiroth may be feeling on his end, for cloud? for cloud it's like a sudden upturning of himself; his heart races in anticipation, and his pulse feels violent under his skin. it's unexpected in the way his body grows taut, moving despite himself—just like it had happened before, when he had meant to go after hojo and found himself, instead, following a trail of visions, of jenova, of mother.]
Ugh—
[jenova cells may run in both their veins, but sephiroth is the source. cloud is just a recipient, reacting to this 'reunion', premature as it may be in the understanding of the sephiroth before him. the current of this dizzying emotion together with the synchrony between them is enough to upend cloud, have his knees buckle and the only reason he isn't faceplanting being the hold on his hand.]
[the blond's other hand reaches for anything to hold on to; grabs at the belts criss-crossed on the general's chest.]
Je — [his head hurts, and the sword at his back feels incredibly heavier than what it should be,] no— [the syllables a breath on his lips, unbound without thought from him.] —va.