bakerstreet | ( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

You would have worn it better. [And probably gotten way too into it, let's be honest. Because it's Zack. Cloud had made for a horrible undercover agent.

The jarring movements don't feel the greatest but having the cushion that is Zack's body helps, the blonde just closing his eyes for a moment until he feels himself getting lowered. Once he's on the seat he leans back and just sort of slumps where he is, allowing his body a moment to just stop screaming at him.

His eyes crack open into a rather unimpressed look when Zack calls out, Cloud momentarily confused--

And then the bottles are held up paired with that grin and he can't help but roll his eyes.]

....Mountain breeze.

[Because if he has to pick one, he's going to pick the less obnoxious one.]

Tropical Passionfruit, it is! [ Judging from the way he overly states the bottle with a shake of it... and then places it on the counter back where it came from? Yeah, he's just messin' with you, Cloud. He takes a moment to shuck off his shirt, so it won't get soaked before he's grabbing two towels and a washcloth from the linen closet. One towel he leaves sitting on the toilet nearby, but the other one he carries back inside with him along with the winning bottle.

Only after shutting the shower door and putting everything aside but the other towel does he speak up again belatedly, voice low like he's trying not to be heard even though he's right by Cloud's ear: ] I dunno. You worked it pretty good.

[ He leaves it at that though if not with a cheeky smile to himself as he unties the gown and peels it mostly down. Usually, he wouldn't really care about modesty- back when you know. Cloud was unconscious and sick from mako poisoning. As it stands though, he takes the other towel he brought in and lays it over his lap before he slips the rest of the gown off to hang on the side for the moment. Then, standing straight again, he takes a moment to stretch out the kinks in his back before carefully rolling his shoulders and giving a nod. ] Okay, I'm good! You ready for this?

[ Quietly, he's hoping this doesn't go fifty million shades of wrong in less than five seconds. But they should be alright... Just gotta be careful with the water temperature and all that. ]

[The comment causes embarrassment to wash over Cloud's expression and he makes a muffled annoyed sound as he glances away. Jerk. You are such a jerk, Zack.

The embarrassment only grows, momentarily at least because this is all necessary for the getting clean part, when the rest of his gown is removed, unable to help the slight shudder that goes through him. Hospitals always seemed cold and that was definitely part of it right now but..

Right. Getting clean.]

Yeah.

[It's about all he can muster right now, glancing at Zack in an almost shy manner. There's an edge of frustration there too, though, because feeling helpless; being unable to clean himself? It bothers Cloud. A lot. But he does appreciate that Zack is willing to do this.]

..Do you have clothes to change into? You're going to get soaked..

[ He may be a jerk, but he's your jerk, Cloud. Better get used to it!

All the same, Zack just shrugs vaguely at that. ] Back at the room. It shouldn't be too bad. [ And there's a wonderful fashion statement to be made otherwise. He's pretty sure there's a few spare gowns underneath the sink. Should be a towel or two, too. He'll see how the shower-ish shower goes first. Still doesn't stop that familiar smile from escaping him despite the situation they're in. ]

Always worrying about everyone but yourself. [ Says the hypocrite. The one who's also noticed the minute shiver and now that awkward touch to things. Zack takes that as his cue to reach out- first to pull the detachable showerhead off to the side, so Cloud doesn't get a full spray in the face. And then to start the water running at a low pressure. He keeps a hand in the water a while, closing his eyes as he feels the temperature. Part of him feels bad for keeping it lukewarm at best, but all he can think of is how bad it's going to feel if Cloud ends up with hot water running down his legs.

After a moment more, he decidedly takes the spray carefully to his companion's hair, holding it close so that most of the water runs through it. What lingers down him, he gently wipes away with the washcloth he collected from before. Then, he's setting the shower head down on the floor away from them, snagging the shampoo to squirt in his hands and then gingerly massage it into Cloud's scalp. ]

How's that feel? Bet a lot better than before already, huh?

[ His smile's yet to fade if even in just his voice although it returns somewhat. He knows not being able to do anything has been bothering the crap out of you, buddy, but let him take care of this. At least for now. ]

[..Yeah, yeah. You're his jerk.]

I can't help it. [And it's true. It was his default state, as much as he acted distant and uncaring at times. The truth of it was that Cloud's heart was too damn big for his own good and he tended to neglect himself because of it.

Even at a lukewarm temperature the water feels amazing and Cloud's eyes immediately close as soon as the water starts to fall over his head. A content sound escapes him though it's partially lost in the sound of the water itself and as much as he hates feeling helpless...this does feel amazing.]

It's perfect. [Zack's hand in his hair, the warmth of the water--it was absolutely perfect. He felt less disgusting and more human now than he had moments before.

He just wished he could take a proper shower but with the way his legs are already stinging--lightly that is--from the stray drops of water splashing on them? It's probably best he doesn't push his luck.]

[ Excuses, excuses, Cloud. Can't help it his butt.

..Okay, seriously, he gets it. Maybe a bit too well even. But that's also why he likes being your jerk.

The same jerk whose smile's growing at how much Cloud's finally starting to relax into this idea. It feels a little old school in a way. Like they're back on the run- which they... still are in that situation again, but. But it's better at least because Cloud's actually awake to enjoy this and while he's hurt, he's at least aware and they can appreciate this moment. Even if it's a little awkward for the other man. ]

Good... [ He voices that one word softly but no less genuinely as he kneads fingers through those drenched spikes one last time. Then, he's back to taking the shower head and the washcloth for round two. Admittedly, it's a little trickier with suds involved now to catch everything, especially when it's dampening so fast, but he manages to catch the majority of it as he rinses.

Partway through, he can't help the way he leans in to give Cloud a peck on the nose, but he otherwise behaves himself in that department. If not without a little bit of a stupid grin slowly growing on his face... and maybe the sound of a faint snort as he tries to hold back laughter. ]

[His puppy, right?

As awkward as the entire situation is in a way, it's a lot less awkward than it would have been if Cloud was with anyone else. Can you imagine if it was Tifa that was doing this? Cloud would probably have died of embarrassment okay.

He doesn't bother saying anything though a small smile appears on his lips at the soft word Zack's speak and more of the tension seeps out of the blonde. His legs hurt, gods do they ache and sting, but this is worth it.

Awkwardness and all.

Cloud's snapped out of his thoughts by the peck on his nose, surprise flickering across his face momentarily before he smiles, an expression that grows as Zack seems to try to muffle laughter. It spurs a huff of laughter from Cloud himself as he glances down, shaking his head.]</small ..This is ridiculous.

GOOD THING HE'S THERE THEN AND NOT OUT SOMEWHERE DEAD ON A CLIFF AMIRITE

/FACE IN HANDS

[ Porcupine's much preferred, chocobo.

But, oh, believe him. He's already had that thought. Which is hilarious but not as much as the whole situation in general and apparently he's not the only one thinking that as he rinsew away the rest of the shampoo. But.

That's another snicker as he puts the showerhead down again though this time? Not before running it over the washcloth in hand. It's as he's scrubbing soap into it that he belatedly adds: ]

You seriously look like a drowned chocobo.

[ He barely gets those words out before he's outright laughing. Sorry, Cloud. Well. Kinda sorry. ]

[Fair enough. ;D

Cloud is quick to shoot the other a playfully dry look, his lips twitching as he fights the grin that's threatening to appear.]

I hate you sometimes.

[Which is a lie. A huge lie. He could never hate Zack. But dammit he can pretend.]

I'm not a chocobo.

[ And it's that very lack of hate that sometimes completely instigates this teasing. At least as soon as he gets his laughter under control enough to fake a serious glance his way. ]

I dunno, man. First, the color. Now, this look. Next, you'll be sprouting feathers, you know?

[ Somehow, teasing like this makes it so much easier to start running that soapy washcloth along that bare skin, scrubbing in careful but firm circles as he keeps smiling. It's different from the hair. More intimate. Which might be why he adds shortly after in a whisper near his ear:] Chocobo.

[ Then leans away again just as quickly like the shit he is, expecting a swat for that one. ]

Har har.

[Can you hear how unimpressed he is, Zack? Actually, it might be hard to tell because he's trying hard not to laugh.

The entire situation is a lot more intimate now and Gods does that whisper against his ear make everything more frustrating. In more ways than one.

He does immediately try to playfully swat the other, though, cheeks stained with a blush--because he's definitely not flushed from the shower.]

Ass.

No, this is an ass. [ And he's just going to wiggle that butt of his in emphasis. 'cause yep, he's in that kind of mood. He's not sorry.

But he can take a hint that this isn't an easy thing for them to deal with. Cloud and him both for that matter. So, he's at least trying to be quick about this, avoiding the more hot button spots per say. That had always been awkward, even with him unconscious. He doubts Cloud's going to be okay with that awake. But he does manage to clean up the rest of him and leaves him a bit in private to take care of some of the rest. There's not much he can do about his legs in the shower, but that's just to be expected.

Only once he gets the a-okay to come back does he walk back in- turning off the water and then coming over to drop the fluffy towel he fetched from before onto his head and rubbing his hair pretty vigorously to rub away the rest of the awkward that he's sure he's not the only one between them who felt that. As he slides the towel down onto his shoulders, he pauses to inspect it. ] Nope, still no feathers yet.

[ He stick out his tongue. ]

...I guess that's a good enough example.

[He's lying. It's a great example but he can't bring himself to actually say that. It would ruin the game.

The moment of privacy is appreciated, especially after having Zack assist him with cleaning because he needs the moment to pull himself back together. His whole body feels overly sensitive and even those light touches have him feeling electric.

His legs are aching even more when he finally gets done and he leans back with a heavy sigh, letting Zack know he can come back in. The blonde's eyes are closed when the other comes in so he doesn't see the towel coming and let's out a muffled noise of surprise.

And then exasperation.

Zack, you are such a jerk.]

Guess I can't fly away.

[ Zack just chuckles, loud and overly obnoxious, as he looks at Cloud with those playful eyes. Then, he's finishing that towel off, making sure to give gentle sweeps to anything that seems extra achy before ending it on a soft kiss to his forehead. Zack leans his own against Cloud's after that- just briefly with a soft exhale. Another inhale and then he chuckles again. ] Well, you don't smell like a barn anymore, so that's good.

[ Another grin. Another lean away as he reaches up and finally grabs at the new hospital gown for Cloud. At least this one's faintly less ugly and it even has the bonus of better coverage. But that's expected considering they're going to be going outside. As he gently helps to slip it on Cloud, he nudges out calmly: ] They said we could borrow a wheelchair to get you up there if you want.

[ He knows Cloud hates feeling weak like this. Knows he hates depending on things like this... but it might be a quiet hint of a preference here. He would... really prefer you to take it easy, Spike. Not that he couldn't take him up there... but it's still a little tricky with his ear sometimes. Still... Still getting used to narrowing in on placing where sounds are coming from and sometimes that's really... frustrating and distracting. ]

[Insert a soft groan here.]

I didn't smell like a barn.

[He smelled worse, if he was going to be honest. He smelled stale and sterile all at the same time and it was just the worst thing in the world. Even if the soap scents weren't particularly nice it was better than what he'd been before.

Shifting forward slightly to make it easier to get the gown on, Cloud can't help the irritation that flickers across his expression at the mention of a wheelchair.]

...Fine.

[A large part of him wants to argue it and wants to start walking so he can strengthen his legs back up but he knows better. He knows that it won't end well and the last thing he wants to do is be even more of a burden for Zack.]

[ There's a breath released that he wasn't aware he was holding when Cloud actually agrees to the whole wheelchair thing and it's enough to garner a swift smile out of him, grateful that he's willing to work with him. Only once he's satisfied that the gown's sitting right without accidentally mooning someone though does Zack finally withdraw, taking the now soaked towel with him. He throws it over in the sink before offering out a hand. ]

Thanks.

[ For working with him. For not being stubborn about this. There's a bunch of different reasons for gratitude, but it doesn't come close to just how glad he is to have Cloud there and alive. Sure, things could be better, but he'll take this over all the much worse scenarios he can think of... and there are a lot of those. ]

[Cloud takes the other's hand, giving it a squeeze before he starts the process of getting up.]

...I should be thanking you.

[For being here. For helping him. For just being Zack. He doesn't like feeling invalid and it's clear that Zack gets it which is probably a lot of why the other is being such a champ about things. Cloud also knows that right now they can't afford for him to do anything stupid like push himself too far too fast and risk doing even more damage.

He needs to heal; not get worse.]

But you're welcome, I suppose.

[ Zack tilts his head at that with a soft sort of smile. Thanking him, huh. He supposes there are reasons to thank him, but he's not too worried about them. Especially not when he's a little more focused on helping Cloud up- at least enough so that he can catch him under knees and back to collect him in his arms once more. Lifting him had been a hella lot easier when he'd been sick with mako poisoning. But well... he much prefers a lot more meat on his bones.

He gently evens out that weight back in his arms, kissing his damp hair before starting them out of the bathroom and into the hallway. At least from there, it's not far until he locates a wheelchair. It's probably a good thing, too, considering his own aches. But he takes everything in stride as he carefully sets him into it after making sure the brakes are secured.

There's... just one thing as he goes to get it moving. Something he... glimpses around to figure out before trying to force the wheels and, well. That's not gonna work. ]

...Uh. How do you undo the brakes?

Edited (oh my god how did I miswrite brakes are breaks....) 2016-10-05 04:18 (UTC)

[At this point, he's given up fighting it when Zack picks him up, allowing the other to do as he pleases and resting his head against the other man's shoulder once they start moving. It definitely helps take the edge off his body and hey, the kiss to his hair doesn't hurt either.

Someone secretly likes being doted on.

Once he settles in the chair, resting back against the back rest, the blonde can't help the huff of laughter when Zack seems to be a little miffed by the wheelchair.]

There should be a small lever right-- [Glancing to his left then to the right, Cloud spots it and reaches down to pull it, releasing the brakes.] --there.

...Oh.

[ Well, now, he feels a little dumb. But no big deal in the end, right? Which means he's just going to be smiling that sheepish kind of smile before leaning forward. ...Leaning forward and raspberrying his neck, that is. ] That's what you get for laughing.

[ And now his smile is more shit-eating, even as he starts them down the hallway. ] By the way, she said she was gonna take care of our things, so all we gotta do is head over that way.

Edited 2016-10-05 13:57 (UTC)

[Cloud kept help but shudder when the raspberry is blown against his neck, the blonde immediately reaching up to swat at Zack.]

Gee thanks!

[His hand drops to rub at the wet spot on his neck as he rests back in the chair.]

That's nice of her...is she...

[The blonde trails off, glancing up at Zack. Is she trustworthy?]

[ Zack ducks back from the swat and can't help sticking his tongue out at that. But in the end, he's back at moving Cloud in no time. He... doesn't miss that unsaid question though and to that? He gives a slow but certain nod as his eyes briefly make contact with his. ]

Yeah... Yeah, we should be good for a while. At least long enough until you're healed up. I figure we'll head out after that.

[ No need to overstay their welcome, after all.

At least when they finally make it outside, too, the weather's bright and relatively nice. It still feels... almost strange to be out in the open like that. And a bit on the vulnerable side, but Zack pushes those feelings aside as he takes in a deep breath. ] Already a lot better, huh?

[Cloud just nods in response, trusting that Zack knew what was best right now. If he said the woman was trustworthy, than she was and the blonde wouldn't fight the arrangements that had been made. He would just..keep a close eye on things. While healing, of course.

As they step outside Cloud can't help but close his eyes for the moment at the feel of fresh air and the sun beaming down on him. His body relaxes a bit more as he basks in the moment, lips quirking in the faintest of smiles.]

Yeah, definitely.

[He had been indoors enough to last a lifetime because of these injuries. Sure he was going to have to still be indoors while he healed up but he was pretty sure he could weasel his way into getting outside more now that he was at least awake constantly and functioning better.]

Feels like it's been years since I was outside.

Thought I tagged this. GETTING TO IT NOW.

heroproceeding - 2016-11-17 21:48 (UTC) - Expand

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notachocobo - 2016-12-26 14:04 (UTC) - Expand

( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

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GNAW ON ME IF ANYTHING IS OUT OF LINE.

NAH YOU'RE GOOD

OKAY. WE GOT DIS.

AWYEAH

These two idiots...

I love them so much

Re: I love them so much

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They're really wonderful ;;

Stupid dorks in love

The biggest dumbest dorks in love

That's what makes them so perfect =D

You know. When they aren't being dumb and self-sacrificing fff

TRUTH.

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ffffff if it helps at all I didn't even notice it when I first read the tag xD

THAT DOES HELP, YES...

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Thought I tagged this. GETTING TO IT NOW.

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