Drabble #50: Illness

Summary: Bodyguards don't always have to fight to protect you.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Characters and places belong to SquareEnix

Tifa sighed as she exited the room, gently closing the door behind her. She turned and almost screamed when she collided with Cloud, who had appeared from nowhere, holding a bunch of flowers in his hand. The former barmaid glanced down and then back up, raising an eyebrow at Cloud's sudden blush.

"Uh...how is she?" he asked, his spare hand rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness.

"She'll need lots of rest anyway. I tried cure materia but since they're meant for wounds rather than illness, they haven't done much good," she explained. Cloud nodded.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Cloud, you don't need to ask my permission," the raven-haired woman laughed, punching him lightly on the arm before walking down the corridor to the kitchen area. Cloud watched her for a moment before placing his hand on the door knob, twisting it gently.

Aeris was lying on the bed, underneath a selection of blankets with a glass of water sitting on the bedside table. She glanced up when she heard the door and tried to sit up but he quickly pushed her back down by gently pressing on her shoulders.

It was then that she noticed the flowers in his hand, a little crushed by his action. "For me?" she asked and then winced at the sound of her voice. It was all croaky! She watched him place them in a jar beside her glass of water. He nodded in answer to her question, making sure his hair covered his face so that he could hide his blush.

"Thank you," she whispered, patting his hand gently as it lay by her head. Surprisingly, he didn't flinch or move away, instead, lightly gripped her hand and ran his thumb across the skin. She smiled up at him, her eyes hidden partially under her lids.

"You should get some rest," he said moving his hand to stroke her cheek. "I told the group we weren't moving on until you were better."

Aeris giggled a little but rubbed her head after the action as pain struck her. She gave a soft groan and attempted to bury her head into the soft pillow below her. Cloud watched with a sympathetic look.

"I'll bring you some soup later," he promised as he opened the door. Aeris turned as she heard it creak open.

"Cloud?" she called, coughing a couple of times afterwards. Cloud quickly re-entered the room as she took a drink of water.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern. She smiled.

"Thanks again."

Now it was Cloud's turn to smile as he gave a small shrug.

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard."