digger | [Voice]

[...AWKWARD. Cloud has no idea what to say. It'd been two days, so he kind of wants to cling and just...cart Simon back home.

Wait. ...would...Simon...even want to live with him now...?]

[Seriously. Even Simon doesn't know where he belongs yet. Hasn't had a chance to even see Kamina yet either. Even though the Kamina he knew and the Kamina of Luceti and his memories were... sort of different. But he couldn't quite place it.]

Someone said all my stuff is gone...

Yeah. They all disappeared. ...I- [Shut up Cloud.

Instead, he manages a half-smile and ruffles Simon's hair, unable to stop himself from doing so.] Are you coming?

[...That's all he needs to hear.] Y... yeah, I'm coming.

[No scooping up the boy and carrying him Cloud, even if he's still small. You'd have decked someone if they'd tried it when you were fourteen.]

[Even Simon would be weirded out by that, though Kamina dragged him around all the time. Months of his big brother going "BE A MAN" had left a lasting impression.]

Hey, um... what's happening to the sky, anyway?

Hm? [Oh.]

A meteor shower.

Meteors? [He's learned about plenty of cool stuff, but this is one thing he's never seen.]

...rocks that burn up as they fall through the atmosphere. People call them falling stars, or shooting stars.

F-falling stars? Are we really safe!?

None of them have fallen inside the barrier yet. And usually most of the rock burns up before they hit the ground, I don't think you have to worry, Simon.

Oh, right, the barrier... that's why they keep exploding so high up. [He has way too much to remember, dad.]

[Cloud's not well versed in the physics of meteorites, so he's just gonna...go with that.]

...c'mon. You're tired, right? Let's get home.

[Home?]

....Yeah... yeah, I want to go home.

[Going home then.]

...has Kamina talked to you, yet?

...No, not yet. He's probably on an adventure or something. [That's something he'd do, right? With or without him. ...Probably...]

He might not have his journal with him. He doesn't strike me as the type to carry a book around.

[Pause. ...Cloud is so going to regret this offer later, but it would make Simon happy, right?] Tomorrow we'll go look for him, you and me. The village isn't too large, and someone's got to have seen him.

Really? [He's excited at first, and then he notices Cloud's expression and falters, unsure.] ... I mean... Papa... are you really okay with that...?

[Suddenly, he's torn. Kamina's his brother, his partner... but he has family here, too.]

Simon, I don't have a right to keep you to myself. You have family other than me. ...not to say that if he tries to keep you all for himself, I might get upset. But you're free to choose who you want to spend time with. [Even if I just want it to be me.]

[Simon's kind of blown away. He's not used to being fought over. That's what people do for Kamina, not him.]

Well... I'm with you now, right? So... whatever happens later, we can handle it.

Edited 2009-06-11 08:45 (UTC)

Sounds good. [AHHHH you're still too cute. Hair ruffle again.]

[BLUUUUUSH.] H-heh... I'm glad I came back.

[Cloud falters a bit.] ...Jiha probably wasn't any kinder to you when you got back, was it.

[Simon can't think of a response that wouldn't make Cloud upset, so he just keeps his mouth shut.]

...I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have made promises to you that I wasn't sure I could keep.

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