[Can't help noticing that harsh little intake, or the tight squeeze of his hand, so Zack shifts sideways to rest his head against Cloud's. Sorry, he's sorry.]

I don't like it. Being reminded of how angry I was, or... how angry I should be, I guess. Makes me think about what made me mad in the first place. If I let myself think about those days all the time...

[He'd drown. He would absolutely drown. He came out of the lab with his sanity in check and managed to stay kind, stay himself, but hell if some days afterwards he hadn't been hanging on by a single thread.]

...I dunno, man. The other Firsts let Shinra push them into gettin' so pissed off they turned into monsters, hurt people. Kinda scared it'll make me a monster someday, too.