@healimals said: Hyun joon vc : im here with gil now read me a bedtime story
the full thing as narrated by s///amuel l. j///ackson
“ ... okay, take a seat. ” he had been half - kidding when he’d said it, but if he was going to make money just for telling a dumb story, then he was gonna tell the damn story and settle up.
it’s a well - worn book that he pulled from absolutely nowhere --- an acquired dad skill, perhaps ? --- as he settled into a chair and propped his feet up on the table. immediately thereafter, at tifa’s shout that this “ wasn’t his office and people eat at these tables ”, he returned his boots to the ground and just gestured for this stranger to pull their chair over with a roll of his eyes. fine, tifa, he’ll behave. might not keep him from running away again, though.
the man cleared his throat, quite like a father would, and carefully opened it. he didn’t really know why he’d chosen the bar of all places for a bedtime story --- but it was his money.
“ the cats nestle close to their kittens, the lambs have laid down with the sheep. you are cozy and warm in your bed, my dear. please go the fuck to sleep. ”
he paused there, mako blue - green hues checking the listener’s attentiveness, and finding that, of course, they were still wide awake. it wasn’t like the first few lines were ever enough.
“ the windows are dark in the town, child. the whales huddle down in the deep. i'll read you one very last book if you swear you'll go the fuck to sleep. ”
and, yes, i could be a responsible mun and ensure that you all witness with excruciating detail the way in which cloud drones through this tale with all the enthusiasm of, you guessed it, a tired as fucking shit father, but i will not. because i will only go so far for a meme. and if y’all expected seriousness from me ... then i am sorry.
so, naturally, dear cloud carried on through the five stages of grief as the tale did nothing to put the other to sleep and only reinforced every insecurity that had wormed its way under his skin over the years. it wasn’t as if the other was actually his child and, yet, cloud found himself dreading each line he ground out like it was den’s and marls’ judgement he was facing.
was this amusing ? was this a joke ? had this all been a ploy to experience the pain of a father, lain bare for the entire world to see ? it must’ve been. he should’ve known that a tale wouldn’t put someone fully grown to sleep under these circumstances. but, then again, the job was to just tell the tale. not put him to sleep.
he wanted the story to be over.
and once he reached that final line, it was such a cathartic release.
“ we're finally watching our movie. popcorn's in the microwave: "beep!" oh shit, goddamn it, you've got to be kidding. go the fuck back to sleep ! ”
this wave of emotion, this passion --- from where it came, cloud did not know. all he could presume was that it came from something sad and lonely and insecure and exhausted within him. he’d practically shouted ! just as the book had said ! oh, what a joy it was to follow basic punctuation guidelines ! if he’d not felt so humiliated, maybe he would’ve felt ... whelmed.
cloud stood, took the acquired gil from his customer, and gave him one hard look before going to see if his little, lovable shits were tucked in.
“ seriously, though, go the fuck to sleep. ”
