Drabble #81: Grateful

Summary:

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

He could feel their eyes staring at him intently across the table. Marlene held a curious but friendly gaze towards him but he could tell that Tifa and Denzel were secretly wondering if he was going to leave again. After a moment, their stares hadn't lessened at all. He let his spoon drop from his hand with a clatter.

"Stop staring," he muttered in annoyance. They immediately looked at their own cereal bowls innocently. "I'm not going to run away again." Denzel peered up at him from around Tifa with a slightly doubtful expression. Tifa was silent and didn't glance at him. Marlene, however, smiled and nodded.

"I know you won't Cloud," she said happily. "I just want to know why you've changed your mind. Did Sister say something to you?"

Cloud was silent but he gave the tiniest of nods as a reply. The girl grinned triumphantly before returning to her breakfast. Denzel looked slightly confused but soon lost interest in the conversation. Tifa stood up and left the table with her bowl. Cloud watched her carefully before standing and following.

"I'm not going to run away again," he repeated as he set his dishes down. Tifa was silent for a moment.

"Okay," she said softly.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Teef. I didn't mean to. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me."

"But I'm not Aerith Cloud," she sighed but she smiled none-the-less. "I understand."

Cloud looked down guiltily but she caught the apology that was muttered. She shook her head gently, resisting the urge to laugh at him. "You're here now," she said gently.

He nodded slowly before he left the room, walking up to his bedroom. When he opened the door, he was stunned into silence upon seeing the pink-clad flower girl sitting happily on his bed. She beamed at him and gave a cheerful wave.

"Morning Cloud," she greeted. He closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them again. She was still there, an amused expression on her face. "Surprised?"

"A little," he choked out after a moment. He slowly closed the door but made no moves towards her. She tilted her head to the side playfully.

"I just wanted to make sure everything's alright now," she explained. "I know you said it was but I had to make sure."

He nodded and finally made his way over to her. "I'm fine," he said. "Thanks to you."

"Hey, you did the work. I just pushed you along a bit," she replied, waving her hand a little for emphasis. She reached over and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently. "And I'll always be there when you need me. Death can't stop me."

"I know," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "Thank you." He used their entwined hands to pull her up before he wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace. She let her head rest on her shoulder for a minute, letting out a soft sigh.

"You don't need to say thank you Cloud," she whispered. "Just don't treat Tifa this way, please."

"I know I treated her badly," he agreed. "But things are going to change now."

She smiled up at him before snuggling back into the hug. Cloud let his fingers brush up through her hair lovingly, a soft sigh escaping his lips. He knew she would have to leave soon and he wasn't sure when they would next meet. But for now, in this moment, he was grateful just to have her in his arms.