Falls asleep with her head on his shoulder
lips purse & posture stiffens upon a subtle weight meeting his shoulder. he needn’t turn his head so as to reveal the culprit, what with aerith having been sat beside him for some time now. even so, cloud finds that he doesn’t particularly mind. gloved fingers twitch, then awkwardly clasp together – ; fumble – momentarily, before settling atop his lap. bright eyes waver – & gaze falls upon scuffed boots, fixating there ; avoidantly.
lips part with every intent to speak up ( – & wake her ) but instead meet silence. in some peculiar way, he feels wrong. unworthy ; as though he may not deserve the entirely foreign sense of comfort brought about by another’s ( soft ) warmth. briefly, cloud considers whether or not to shake her. “ … hey. ” he tries, albeit with rather lacklustre enthusiasm. nervous & tired, he huffs a small sigh from his nostrils. it could be worse.