Birthday Boy

"I still can't believe my little boy is 10 years old." The woman who was speaking had a warm smile on her face as she planted a kiss on her son's cheek. "Feels like it was only yesterday I gave birth to you." Claudia Strife was a young and single mother of one. Raising a boy without a father was tough, especially in the town they lived in but she enjoyed motherhood, especially with her particular son. He wasn't very talkative with others and he had no friends to call his own, something that always saddened her greatly. That was all going to change though.

"It's not really important, mom…" Cloud mumbled as he wiped away the lipstick his mother had left on his cheek.

"Of course it is!" she contested. "You only turn 10 once, you know!"

"You turn every age only once, mom." Cloud grumbled.

That's her boy, witty. "OK, smart-butt. Go and get ready for the party, it's almost time."

"Party?" Cloud murmured back, his brow raised in confusion.

"Surprise!" She mused loudly. "I've invited some of the other children over for your birthday party! Isn't that great? It'll give you a chance to get to know the other kids, Cloud."

Cloud felt his heart drop. This wasn't happening. This was just some crappy dream. Why would she invite the other kids? She knew none of them liked him.

"Why would you do that!" his usually respectful voice was now loud and angry.

She was shocked by the red of her son's face, the anger in his voice—it wasn't like him to shout at her. "Cloud Strife!" She tried to reach out for her son but the blonde boy pushed her away and ran up to his room, slamming his door shut behind him.

He looked so mad, she thought. She knew he had no friends but this was a good thing. It'd give him a chance to show the other children that he wasn't what they thought he was. He was just a normal kid, just like them. She knows they were always harder on him but surely that was just because they didn't know him. None of them ever played together or even spoke, how could they dislike him when they didn't even know him? It was just normal for kids to treat each other this way… right?

Cloud had a habit of getting into fights, but it was just part of the cycle. The others would ignore him and he would react by starting fights. It was a cycle that could easily be ended… she just had to help fix it. And a birthday party definitely would fix it. There would be cake, music, fun games, and even gifts… putting the kids in a happy environment would help the situation, she was sure of it.

After a moment, Mrs. Strife walked up their narrow stairs and knocked gently on his door before entering. "Cloud…?"

He was lying on his bed, a book in hand. Without taking his eyes off of its pages he answered her; "What?"

Slowly, she came to sit on his bed, her motherly eyes watching him. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you first."

Again, without averting his gaze he answered her; "Forget about it." his voice almost too quiet to hear.

Claudia gently pulled the book down, unveiling his face; "If you want to cancel the party just tell me and I will. It's your birthday and I want it to be a good one, alright?"

"It's no use… they'll know why." Cloud mumbled back almost ashamed.

"I'll tell them you got sick then." She answered.

"Too obvious…" He sighed.

"Alright then, I'll tell them I got sick then… how's that sound?"

"You'd do that?"

"Of course I would, Cloud." She smiled wide and gave a wink to him. "I'll get some old milk and even act like I threw up, that will surely get them running."

Cloud smiled weakly for a moment but that smile soon faded as his eyes fell to his lap. "You won't have to lie about anything…"

"And why's that?" she questioned.

"They'll never show... They all hate me." His voice was quiet and full of shame, almost breaking her heart. She hated seeing him like that.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." She smiled back, trying her best to keep any doubts down. Claudia hoped, no-prayed that this party would be a success... for the sake of her son.

Just as she finished her sentence there was a knock at their front door. A look of surprise took over her son's face and it filled her with joy. "Think that's them?" she smiled.

"No… it's probably the milk man or something. I told you… they'll never show."

"Oh, so we probably shouldn't check then, huh? We'll just let whoever that is leave, how about that?" she bluffed, hoping to get a bigger and happier reaction from him.

Cloud's eyes widened with shock. "No!—I mean… I don't care." His mouth pouted and he crossed his arms, hoping his mother couldn't see through his façade. "Do what you want, mom." With that, he picked up his book and began reading again, his eyes scanning the lines of text but not absorbing its context.

"Alright..." she sighed "I'll just tell them to leave then..." Of course she wasn't really going to tell them to leave, but she needed to get him out of that shell of his. She quickly made her way out of his room, leaving him to himself.

As soon as he was sure she was down the stairs Cloud quickly ran to his window and peeked out of the curtain, taking precaution to make sure no one could see him. What he saw shocked him. There were about a dozen kids all huddled around their door, waiting to be invited into his house. A big smile crept on his face, his eyes wide with happiness. I can't believe it, he thought. They really came!

He waited patiently for his mother to come knocking and asking for him to come downstairs and after only a few moments, came a knock. "Cloud… the other kids are here!" she smiled widely at him.

"A-are they staying? I mean… were they forced to come here?"

"Of course they're staying, silly! And no they were not forced! Now get your butt down here, birthday boy!"

I can't believe it… they really showed up. Although Cloud didn't quite understand why, he didn't really care. A part of him felt like this was too good to be true… Putting aside any feelings of doubt, he quickly readied himself, trying to fix his messy hair as best he could and failing. After giving up on his unwilling hair, he threw on his best shirt and pants. They weren't expensive clothes, but they were nice nonetheless. He rushed down the stairs and saw all the town kids there in his house.

It was all the popular kids, boys and girls from across the small town… Daniel, Wel, and Meiday were there, Tifa included. It made sense that the four came together, they were close friends and always have been. Although he had seen them all around the town almost daily, Cloud had never really spoken to any of them before, but he knew she was the popular one. All the boys liked her, including the three boys that made up her posse and of course, himself. Cloud felt a little nervous seeing them all at once. A few of them he had gotten in fights with… actually… a lot of them he had fought before. He once gave Daniel a black eye, Wel a busted lip, and Meiday got both a black eye and a busted lip. All fights they started and he finished.

"Thank you all for coming!" Claudia announced happily. "Cloud & I are very happy to have you all hear. There's candy and treats over there and a few board games over here. Oh, and the music player is right there so feel free to pick a tune!" She gave one last glance to her son as if searching for a sign to tell her it was alright for her to leave them be. She could tell he wasn't comfortable enough yet so she stayed.

A few of the boys and girls walked up to Cloud; "Happy birthday." One of them said quietly, it was a boy his age—another boy Cloud had been in a fight with before.

"T-thanks…" Cloud replied, his voice timid as he scratched his head. Should I apologize for before…? Suddenly Meiday spoke; "Is your mommy gonna be here the whole time?"

Cloud looked at his mother, hinting for her to leave. "No. She was just staying for a minute." Cloud defended, trying his best to look cool and independent. With that, she left her son to his own, happy to see him in this situation.

A half an hour had passed by and the kids had all mingled together, lumped up in their own circle of friends leaving Cloud in his own section of the room. Again, he was on the outside, left only to gaze at the other kids as they all had fun.

He saw they were all whispering amongst each other, their voices quiet and their glances quick. All he could make out were a few words here and there. He thought he heard one of them say they were going to do something but he wasn't sure what.

Then, suddenly, one of the boys walked over to where Cloud was sitting, it was Daniel. "Hey, Cloud... Tifa wanted me to tell you something..." Cloud's face began to flush. She wants to speak… to me? He thought confused and shocked. "W-what is it?" Cloud asked nervously.

"Come closer, it's a secret." Danny said. Cloud leaned in close enough to where the boy could whisper, making sure to keep his guard up.

"She said she wants to give you a birthday kiss."

That was impossible! There was no way the most popular girl in their town wanted to do that, at least with someone like himself. "A kiss?!" Cloud stammered.

"It's her gift, idiot. So don't mess it up. Guys, bring the blindfold!"

"Blindfold?" Cloud repeated half unsure of what was about to happen. "I'm not sure about this."

"Relax, Cloud! It'll be the best birthday gift ever."

Cloud glanced at Tifa, she was looking his way. What do I do?! Cloud's ears began to ring, his heart started to pound, his stomach was in knots, and his skin was clammy. He never kissed a girl before. He didn't know the first thing about kissing... he couldn't do this without making a fool of himself for sure. Before he knew what was even happening, there was a blindfold covering his eyes. Cloud swallowed nervously, unsure if it was the anticipation or doubt that was making his stomach churn.

Cloud waited and waited. Unsure of what to expect. Would the kiss be bad? good? What if I have bad breath? What if I drool? The more he dwelt on it, the more his better mind was instructing him to back out. The whispering in the room stopped, the sound of the floorboard creaking under movement was the only thing he could use to make out that he wasn't alone. He heard a pair of foot steps in front of him and felt two hands on his shoulders. Unsure of what to do, Cloud did the one thing he knew was the first step to kissing.

Pucker.

That was one thing he could remember from the romance movies his mother would watch. So, he puckered his lips, it was an awkward position to be in but he tried his best to deal. He heard someone begin a slow countdown.

"...1..."

"Is he puckering?" said one of the girls. A few giggles were beginning to fill the room now.

"...2..."

Cloud swallowed again, hoping to choke back the fear and doubt. The laughter was a little stronger now. Oh, God... what did I do?

"...3!"

"Pants him now, Meiday!" Shouted Wel.

Cloud had no time to react.

Cloud felt his pants tugged down below his knees and the entire room erupted with laughter. The laughter was so loud Cloud could barely gather his thoughts. His stomach felt hot and his head was ringing.

He saw red.

Nothing but rage filled him now and he acted on impulse. Only a few seconds had passed by before Cloud quickly tore off the blindfold and picked up his pants. He looked across the room, seeing the few girls that had been there covering their faces as they laughed. His face was as red as the blood that was about to come spewing from Daniel, Wel, and Meiday's faces. Instantly, Cloud turned and punched Meiday in the face, knocking the boy to the floor. He jumped on him immediately and began to punch him over and over again. Dark blood gushed from the boys mouth and nose as Cloud felt bone crush beneath his knuckles. He was only able to get a few hits on him before Daniel and Wel pulled him off of Meiday. Both boys held Cloud's arms back as Meiday came to a stand and threw a few punches at Cloud's stomach, bringing Cloud to his knees. The whole time the other kids gasped and cheered on the fight.

Somehow, Cloud was able to come to a stand. After collecting himself he charged at Meiday, driving him into the table behind him, the snack bowls and cake crashing to the floor in a thunderous rattle and crash. The fight, although amateur in style, was messy. Almost everything in the room was being trashed as the four boys fought. Small shelves were knocked into, their small fragile items crashing to the floor.

After a moment Claudia rushed in, "What's going on in here-" she gasped as she saw the boys all fighting each other. "Boys!" She shouted, but none seemed to hear her. "BOYS!" Immediately all the children stopped what they were doing and stared at the woman. All of the boys were bruised and bloodied, all of their clothes were stretched and stained with blood. The room which held this so called party was just as trashed. The cake was on the floor, the bowl of punch was spilled everywhere, and almost all of the decorations were destroyed. The room looked more like a garbage dump than it did a house, let alone a party.

"What in the hell are you all doing?! This is a birthday party! Not a wrestling match!" Claudia stomped over to the four boys, her hands on her hips. "You tell me what happened this instant!"

"It was Cloud's fault!" Daniel shouted.

"Yeah, Mrs. Strife. Cloud punched Meiday for no reason." defended Wel.

"We were just playing a game and he freaked out!" added Meiday.

"Is that true, Cloud?" as if she even had to ask, she knew it wasn't true.

"They brought it on themselves." Cloud scoffed, crossing his arms. He'd rather let his mother think that he started a fight then tell her what really happened.

Claudia straightened, her eyes glossy from sadness. How could she have allowed something so bad to happen? "Cloud... go to your room. Everyone one else who was not apart of this go home... As for you three you stay right where you are."

"This is why I told you not to invite them!" Cloud spat as he made his way up the stairs, leaving his mother to handle the boys. As soon as she was sure he was up stairs, she turned to the boys. "You tell me the truth and I won't go to your mothers. I mean it! And don't you dare lie to me."

"We didn't know he'd freak out so bad, honest m'am!" Defended Meiday.

"So what did you do then, hmm?"

"We pants'd him." admitted Daniel.

"What the hell, Danny! Don't tell!" shouted Wel.

"You did what?!"

"We pants'd him after we said Tifa was gonna kiss him. It was just a prank though! We've all done it to each other at least once!" Meiday added quickly.

"It was really funny" laughed Daniel, Wel joining him.

"What's the matter with you three?!" Claudia tried her best to remain calm but the situation was getting worse.

"It's not our fault your son's a psycho that can't take a joke! Maybe if he had a dad around he wouldn't be such a girl!" Meiday screamed.

Her face reddened a deep shade; "That's it!" She quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door; "Get out of my house... ALL OF YOU!" The boys quickly made it out and started to run down the street in fear; "And I lied! I WILL tell your mothers about this!" under her breath she muttered; "...assholes..." They were lucky she didn't take out a wooden switch and teach them a lessen for what they did to her poor boy. But, she was already an outcast in the town for being an unwed mother and she couldn't discipline children that weren't her own. If she lacked her better sense, she probably would have done it, though.

As soon as the initial anger somewhat subsided, her eyes came to gaze at the roof and she thought of her son that she had sent away on punishment.

Cloud heard a knock at his door and turned to face the wall. He was lying on his bed, his back to her. He looked miserable and it broke her heart to pieces. "Cloud, honey...?" There was no reply.

"I'm sorry I sent you up here, sweetie but I had to get the truth from them."

"I told you the truth. I started the fight."

"You and I both know you didn't, Cloud Strife." Claudia said in a matter of fact tone as she sat on the edge of his bed. "What those boys did was wrong and they'll be dealt with, their mothers wi-"

"They told you?" Cloud sighed, his voice heavy with failure and shame.

"I had to force it out of them."

Her son fell silent again.

"Cloud... look at me."

Reluctantly, he did.

"I'm so sorry for allowing this to happen. I had no idea how mean those children were to you."

"I've told you, mom... they hate me... all of them. That's why I told you not to invite them, none of us get along." Cloud sat up, his arms leaning on his knees. "I'm sorry I broke everything... I didn't mean to."

"You shush! None of that was your fault, you hear me? Those boys deserved what they got. You defended yourself." she sighed and spoke again; "Besides, I'm the one that should feel bad. I ruined your birthday."

"I still feel bad for ruining the house, mom..."

"Well, if you feel that bad about it how about you do me a favor, hmm?" she smiled.

"Anything." Cloud nodded back.

"I want you to clean yourself up, and meet me down stairs in fifteen minutes, OK Cloud?"

Cloud nodded. He wasn't sure what she had planned, but he was going to do it.

Fifteen minutes later, Cloud freshened up and came down stairs. The living room was cleaner and there was the old T.V. set up, a radio, some snacks, even soda.

"What are you doing, mom?"

"I'm throwing you a birthday party!"

"Uh..." Cloud scratched his head in confusion.

"I mean just for us! Like it should have been. We don't need those little punks to throw a great bash. I rented your favorite movies and ordered some pizza and we can stay up all night watching films, how's that sound?"

Cloud smiled faintly. "That sounds... good."

"Oh, one more thing! Your gift." Claudia walked up to her son and handed him a small wrapped gift. Cloud took it and ripped off the paper. No doubt it would be a pair of socks or something lame... the usual typical mom gifts. Just like any other year. But, that wasn't the case this time. He unwrapped it to find a small wooden box, in it was a silver belt buckle of a wolf. It looked to be many years old but it only made it look more cool.

"It was your father's." Claudia spoke with a faint smile.

Cloud felt his throat thicken, "My... father's?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Did he want me to have it?"

"That's right, sweetie."

Cloud picked up the belt buckle, a look of awe in his blue eyes. He never really heard of his father, for all he knew, he thought his father hated him. But this, this proved he loved him, Cloud thought joyfully.

Cloud looked up at his mother, a boyish grin on his face, a tight embrace. The smile on his face made her heart soar, she was so thankful to finally see him happy, especially after what the children always put him through.

"Happy birthday, Cloud."

"Thanks mom."

A/N: CHACHA! I know, I know! Cali wrote a fic that didn't deal with romance?! I've been wanting to write drabbles of Cloud's childhood and I thought I might as well start here. Some facts about the story; the names I gave to Tifa's friends are all canon names thanks to the FFVIIUO. I don't really like them but whatever. And YES his mom's name is Claudia. The ending is a little rushed... for that I am sorry T_T Anyway, YAY! Happy birthday to Cloud Strife! He's 27 and has a really shitty life... *cries* I'm sorry for any typos but I pretty much wrote this in a day and a half so excuse me. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave reviews!