Author's Note: I have no idea where I'm going with this fic, but I just had to return to this universe. I promise this is the final time, though.

Like Water

An "And So It Goes" accessory.

Cloud does not ramble. He does not even speak, not when he can tell Squall does not want him to.

That is why he is perfect. He can tell the difference. He knows when speaking is welcome, and when it is forbidden.

And he knows what to say. He knows to never say the word 'blue', because blue hurts.

Even if there really was no reason to ever let it hurt.

Not his blue, though, his blue is like water in Squall's cotton mouth. His blue is healing and calm.

He can tell the difference between Squall's too-similar moods, and he can tell when speaking is welcome, when it is forbidden. But Cloud can never, will never be able to, see the thoughts behind Squall's eyes.

He knows when Squall wants him to be silent, when Squall wants him to speak, when Squall wants him to curl his arms about his waist and press kisses to the brunette's lips.

But he does not know when Squall will welcome those words that he longs to say.

When silence creeps amongst them, and he can tell Squall is waiting for something to be said, awkwardly fumbling amongst thoughts for something to say, he wants to tell him.

But he does not know if Squall will return the favor.

Maybe Squall really was beyond helping. Maybe the brunette was too walled up, broken down and frozen to ever be fixed.

He didn't like to think so, but sometimes he could not help it.

Sometimes Squall is silent and does not want words, and he wonders if this is because Squall really did not want Sora to come back, if Riku was the one who had both fixed and re-broken Squall.

Sometimes he thinks this, and then Squall will speak.

And when Squall speaks, Cloud wonders if the brunette will ever say the words he himself longs to say.

He wonders; if Squall does say them, will they have meaning?

The brunette never thought that they did, not even with Riku.

But Squall suspects that, maybe, this time they will.

Because Cloud's blue is like water in his cotton mouth.