AN: Decided to update this again as it is nearly finished. I hope to get it finished this weekend.
Pairing: Cloud and Reno
Warnings: Utterly shameless fluff.

Cloud lay in his bed, relaxed now. The police had been in earlier to take his statement about Sephiroth, and Tifa had held his hand as he had explained what happened. He had felt awkward, putting it into words with his best friend there, but he had been strong and said what had to be told. It was over now. The monster that had kept him imprisoned was a prisoner himself, with no chance of escape. He was safe. He could start trying to rebuild his life, and try to see his friends. Rufus ShinRa had appeared earlier to welcome him back and offer to pay for his healthcare. Cloud had accepted, because though he didn't want the man's charity, Tifa couldn't really afford it. He wouldn't let his pride disadvantage his family.

Rufus had shaken his hand, sealing the deal and then and taken Cloud's head in one hand, getting him to look into his eyes.
"I want you to take care of Reno, he's done a lot to get you back. If you let him down or deliberately hurt him…" Rufus's eyes hardened with a threat. "even prisons aren't foolproof." With that the President had turned and walked away from him, leaving Cloud quaking in fear. He didn't want to go back to Sephiroth, and he was upset the other thought he would aim to hurt Reno.

Eventually, he had calmed down, and he'd slept. As he woke, he found himself where he was now, laying in bed and promising himself it was over. He forced himself to sit up, fighting with the wires attached to monitor his pulse and other things so that he could get comfortable. He turned to stare at the room's other occupant, seeing the red flame hair spread like a halo over that pillow. Rufus's threat had scared him, but he knew Reno wouldn't get him into trouble. He trusted the young man. He settled back on his pillow, letting his gaze rest on the other.

As he stared at Reno, he couldn't help smiling at his savior. Rufus was right, Reno had done a lot for him, and he was very grateful. He wanted to pay him back. As he watched, Reno's eyes flickered slightly, opening enough for a flash of blue to be seen. Cloud carefully removed the sensors, getting to his feet and walking towards him. He wanted to be there when Reno woke up, so that he knew he'd done well, knew they'd both survived. He was reaching out when he heard a knock on the door. Glancing up, he saw Tifa there. He sat back down on his own bed, and waved.

Tifa opened the door, walking in with Marlene and Denzel hanging onto her hands. Their eyes lit up when they saw Cloud, and they dashed forwards, embracing him with such force that he was knocked flat on his back on the bed. Cloud smiled, cuddling them and trying to slide back into a sitting position. He ruffled their hair, listening absently to their idle babble about what they had been doing without him and how much they had missed him. It was healing him, just being with his family. He glanced up and saw Tifa nestled in Rude's arms. She looked contented there, and he knew that she was able to defend herself.

Cloud was grinning widely now, wearing the same stupid smile Zack used to have. He was with his family, and they were safe. He looked over at Reno, noticing his eyes opening. He waved nervously, and Reno's fingers twitched, waving return. Marlene beamed to see Reno awake, waving and getting up off Cloud's bed to curl up against the Turk's side. Denzel lay against his legs, smiling up at him. They were more gentle with him than Cloud, as Reno's injuries were more obvious.
"Thanks for bringing Cloud back."
"Yeh, thank you! We really missed him when he was gone."

"'s nothing." Reno shrugged, too tired and throat too sore to talk properly, and unable to get a word in edgeways even if he had wanted to. He watched as Cloud got out of his bed and walked over, lifting his hands and running them through the children's hair. He smiled at that, petting them gently to comfort them. For a few minutes, the four of them just remained like that, cuddling up together.

The thought that he had survived slowly made it into Reno's brain.
"Wha…what happened?"
"Help arrived." Cloud answered, smiling and stroking Marlene's hair, his hand over Reno's. "You held him off for long enough for help to get there. You saved me. Thank you."

Reno shrugged, trademark lazy smile spreading over his face.
"'s all part of the service." He stared at Cloud, realizing this was his chance. The other had turned him down before, but this was different, a lot had changed. He'd done a lot to help him, and he had to try.
"Yer know Cloudy, if you wanna pay me back, we could go on a date sometimes. It don' have to be a date date, I get if you aren' ready for that. Coul' just be for fun you know. Nothing serious if you ain' wanting that."

Cloud smiled shyly, leaning in and kissing his cheek.
"I think that's a good idea."

Reno looked up at him nervously, feeling less sure of himself than he usually did. He actually cared of the outcome of this.
"You do?"

Cloud nodded. He was frightened, but he had to try and prove to himself that he could go on. He had to get over Sephiroth ruling his life, and he trusted Reno to be the one he got over with it. Reno grinned and kissed his cheek in return.
"Awesome."