It is day time in the Smash Realm. Cloud is walking out of the Forest of Harmony and is making his way back to the mansion. The blonde swordsman has been taking these walks through the forest a lot. Ever since the battle against the angel Rinkushu and the dark doppelganger Corrin Daku, things have been very complicated for Cloud. He helped save his future child and friend's children's future, but lost a relationship with his now ex-girlfriend Kamui. He put his friendship with Corrin in jeopardy for sleeping his girlfriend Bayonetta, who is also a long time best friend to Cloud.
While things have patched between Corrin and Bayonetta, Kamui has completely stopped speaking to the blonde swordsman. Told him that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Cloud wasn't upset at the decision. He knows what he did was wrong, and this was the consequences for his actions. However, he wished that he could talk things out with Kamui. Whenever he attempted to, Kamui would usually run off and ignore him. He sighs to himself, wondering if there was any hope for some closure.
Cloud makes it back to the Smash Mansion. The Gatekeeper greets the blonde swordsman at the front door. "Greetings Mr. Strife! Nothing to report!" He says.
"Thanks." The blonde swordsman replies. He opens the door and sees Corrin in the living room sitting down on the couch reading a book. "Hey." Cloud waves.
Corrin looks at Cloud. "Hi Cloud." He smiles at his friend. "Are you feeling okay? How was your walk?"
"I'm fine. The walk was okay. What are you reading there?" Cloud questions pointing at the book Corrin is holding.
"Just a book on meditation. Wanted to learn how to relax my body and bring my mind into a peaceful state. Be one with my spiritual self. Really informative stuff."
"Hmph. I could use something like that myself. I'm going to get head into the training room, get some practice in." Cloud starts to walk.
Corrin tenses up. "A-Are you sure you want to do that?"
Cloud stops and turns to Corrin. "Why wouldn't I?" He wondered.
"M-My sister is currently training there right now."
Cloud tenses up at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. He looks away from Corrin. "Shouldn't be a big deal. She's been doing a good job ignoring my existence already. It'll be like I'm not there."
Corrin frowns at Cloud's comment. He knew deep inside he was still sad about Kamui breaking up with him. While Corrin forgave both Cloud and Bayonetta for what they did, he knew well that his sister was not a forgiving person. Did Cloud still feel that he hated him? Corrin closes his book and places it beside him.
"Cloud. You know I've forgiven you right? I don't hate you." The silver haired boy says.
The two stayed in silence for a while. Cloud wondered to himself if Corrin was reading his mind. He turns his head to Corrin. "I know you told me so. I just believe that you shouldn't have. You really have no reason to either."
"I know...If this was years ago, I wouldn't want to see you again. But you know me, I don't hold grudges. I also know that you're not a horrible person. You've always been very close to me. What you did really hurt. It did, but I can forgive you. Kamui thinks I'm foolish and that you don't deserve anything. I can't convince her to give you a chance to speak to her. She's so stubborn." Corrin scratches his head in frustration.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." He looks away from Corrin. "Thank you for giving me a second chance. I'll make it up to you. I promise."
Corrin shakes his head. "It's okay Cloud, you don't have to. You're my best friend. I'll be here if you need anything."
Cloud leaves the living room and makes it to the training room. He peeks into the training room and sees Kamui intensely practicing with her sword. The blonde swordsman figured that he could probably just walk in and train on his own. The silver haired girl was already ignoring him. They could just keep their distance and mind their own business.
Cloud steps inside of the training room. Kamui's ears perk up hearing footsteps behind her. She transforms her arm into a lance and turns around to attack. Cloud quickly grabs the lance that was centimeters from his chest. The two smashers stare at each other intensely for a moment.
Kamui transforms her arm back to normal and turns away from Cloud. "Tch. Lucky save. A second late and you would've been injured." She says.
"I came here to train. I didn't expect to come in and almost get killed just for walking into a room."
Kamui rolls her eyes. "Whatever. If you've come to train, do it by yourself. All you're doing is getting in my way by talking to me." She says coldly. The silver haired princess goes back to practicing her sword swings.
Cloud sighs. "Kamui, we need to talk." He says in a serious tone.
"There's nothing to talk about. I told you I wanted nothing to do with you. What part of that did you not understand? Now leave me alone."
The blonde swordsman was getting frustrated with his ex's stubbornness. "This is ridiculous!"
Kamui stops her sword swings. She slowly turns to Cloud with a baffled look on her face. "Ridiculous? Ridiculous?!" The dragon swordsman walks up to her ex-boyfriend and pokes him in the chest. "You want to know what's ridiculous?! Betraying me by sleeping with that wretched witch! Then trying to come to me and pretend that you're "sorry" to try and fool me again like I'm desperate to take you back! That is ridiculous!"
Cloud shakes his head. "You got it all wrong! I'm not trying to play tricks on you! I want to make things up with you! I wouldn't be trying to talk to you in the first place if I didn't care! I messed up. I admit that, but I don't want to lose you."
Kamui groans in disgust. "You're sick. Corrin is a fool to forgive you. Well, I'm not Corrin. You won't fool me! I don't believe in second chances. I'm not some harlot who will go crawling back to you. I have pride!" She turns away and holds her with a frustrated look on her face. "I can't believe I thought you loved me. You got me at a moment of weakness because of those demons. I will not allow myself to fall into that state again." The silver haired girl tightens her fist.
"You're not listening to me! Quit being stubborn!"
Kamui turns to Cloud. "I don't want to listen. I'm tired of you spouting your lies. Go back to that whore witch you was fucking."
"Hey! Don't talk about Bayonetta that way!" Cloud yells angrily. The blonde swordsman was not happy with the way Kamui was insulting his best friends. "I'm sick of you always treating Bayonetta like she's not human! She's not perfect. She's done some bad things, all of us have. She's a good person and cares about the people she loves. She's shown me that she loved me more than you ever have."
"W-What...How dare-?"
"You still hate her because Corrin fell in love with her and rejected you. How childish can you be over a grudge like th-?"
Kamui had heard enough. She grits her teeth and claws Cloud on the side of his face. Cloud groans in pain, holding the side of his face. The blonde swordsman moves his hand from his face to reveal three claw marks on his face. Blood dripping from his face and onto his glove. Getting clawed in the face was something he was used to from her. The ex-SOLDIER realizes that he struck a nerve.
"Burn in hell." Kamui says with venom in her voice. The silver haired princess storms out of the training room.
Cloud watches his ex-girlfriend storm out of the room. He sighs and scratches his head. "This is what happens when I start talking too much."
Cloud's Room
The ex-SOLDIER comes out of his bathroom with his face washed and a bandage on the side of his face where Kamui clawed. He sits down on his bed and sighs. Instead of trying to patch things up, he's made things worse. The blonde swordsman was now lost on what to do. Maybe he needed someone to talk to, he thought to himself. He knew the one person he could talk to. He takes out his flip phone and begins to make a call. The phone begins to ring.
"Hello?" A female voice answers.
"Hey, Tifa. It's me, Cloud." The blonde swordsman replies.
"Cloud?! Oh my gosh! It's been awhile! I haven't heard from you since that crazy part you guys had over there. By the way, how are things going over there?" Tifa asks.
"Not too well. A lot has happened recently. Remember Kamui, the girl I was dating. Well uh...we broke up recently." Cloud says somberly.
It was silent between the two for a moment. Tifa clears her throat. "I'm...sorry to hear that. What happened, if you don't mind me asking? I don't mean to intrude in your privacy."
"No, it's okay. I uh…" Cloud begins to rub his head in embarrassment. He was a little worried about how Tifa was going to react. "I had an affair with one of my closest friends, Bayonetta."
"You what?! You cheated on the poor girl?! Cloud! Why would you do that?! Explain yourself!" Tifa yells.
The blonde swordsman expected this reaction. "It was in the heat of the moment. We got into an argument about something serious. She confessed that she loved me during our fight. Then...things just progressed from there." Cloud knew he wasn't explaining the entire situation to Tifa, but he didn't want to bother her with a bunch of exposition.
Tifa sighs. "I'm really disappointed in you Cloud. What you did was wrong."
"I know. I've tried to apologize to Kamui and try to talk to her after things calmed down. She left a nasty cut on me when we got into an argument with each other. So things haven't been good."
"That woman you had an affair with, Bayonetta. Did you have feelings for her?"
Cloud sat in silence for a few seconds. He nods his head. "Yeah. I admitted that to her. To be honest, she's shown more affection to me than Kamui ever did. I don't know...Kamui didn't interact with me much. It...didn't feel much of a relationship between us." The blonde swordsman sighs and looks down to the ground. "What's going on with me?"
"You're trying to figure out your feelings. I'm not happy about what you did, but you're not a bad person. I know that. You wouldn't do something like this on purpose to hurt someone. I know you Cloud. Take this time to work on yourself okay? I'm sure things will work out later. It was nice hearing from you again Cloud. I'll tell the others that you called. Don't worry, I won't say why."
"T-Tifa! Wait!" Cloud says. The two were in silence for a few seconds again. The blonde swordsman clears his throat. He felt nervous about what he was about to say next. "I-I…"
"I know. I love you too Cloud. But, we can't get back together until you get your feelings figured out. Until then...I'll wait for you. I hope to hear from you again soon." Tifa hangs up.
Cloud closes his phone and puts it back into his pocket. There's a knock on the door. Cloud stands up from his bed and opens the door. He is greeted by Bayonetta.
"Hey there Cloud." Bayonetta notices the bandage on the ex-SOLDIER's face. "Oh dear, what happened to your face?" The Umbran Witch places her hand on Cloud's face.
"Kamui." The blonde swordsman replied.
Bayonetta groans and rolls her eyes. "Tried to talk to her again? You should've figured by now how stubborn that girl is. She doesn't want to listen to reason."
"I got sick of her talking badly about you. I wasn't going to let her do it anymore."
Bayonetta stares in shock. "You...tried to defend me? Cloud, you know you didn't have to-"
"I know Bayo. I didn't have to, but I wanted to."
Bayonetta boops Cloud in the nose with her index finger. "I thought I told you before Cloud. Start calling me Cereza from now on. You have the privilege to use my real name." She smirks.
Cloud smirks back. "You're right. Sorry Cereza. Anyways, did you need something?"
"I wanted to ask if you wanted to come down to the Gates of Hell for a drink. You, Corrin, and me. How about it?"
"Yeah sure. Why not?"
"We'll meet Corrin on our way there." Bayonetta and Cloud make their way downstairs to meet with Corrin and go to the Gates of Hell.
Gates of Hell
Rodin is behind the counter taking a smoke break with his cigar. He's watching Ren put the finishing touches on a new drink the black haired teen came up with. The drink was in a Texas sized cup, it was a red slushy like drink with red liquor at the bottom. Ren pours a little Patron in the glass and adds a cherry on top of the slushy part.
Ren smiles excitedly. "Nice!" He turns to Rodin. "Hey Rodin, I finished my new drink. I call it the "Wake Up, Get Out There". What do you think? Not bad huh?"
Rodin takes the cigar out of his mouth. "Not a bad first try kid. Look delectable. Now the question is, how strong is it? Will it kill someone so I can take their souls from their body?"
"I wouldn't say that, but this definitely isn't for anyone who can't handle their drinks. I've been working hard on this one. I hope someone can test it out for me."
Bayonetta, Cloud, and Corrin appear in the Gates of Hell. Rodin smirks and waves at the trio. "Well well, if it isn't my favorite love triangle. Welcome."
Bayonetta waves back at Rodin. "Hey Rodin." She turns to Ren. "Hello my baby boy." Bayonetta walks to the counter and kisses her son on the cheek.
Ren blushes in embarrassment. "M-Mom! I'm in the middle of working here. You can't be doing that."
Cloud was confused on why Bayonetta was kissing this random boy and calling him "baby boy". He turns to see Corrin rolling his eyes with a jealous expression.
"I have a few pecking orders to attend to, so I'm leaving the bar in your care Ren. Don't fuck my shit up, keep the customers happy, and make me some money." Rodin jumps into a red portal.
Bayonetta, Corrin, and Cloud take a set with the Umbran Witch sitting between the blonde swordsman and silver haired dragon boy. "How's Rodin been treating you darling?" Bayonetta asks her son.
"He's been treating me well. He trusts me enough to watch over the bar and take care of things while he's gone. He even let this place be the new hideout for the Phantom Thieves. So me and my friends have somewhere to hang together." Ren says.
"Where's the egg shaped man who always smells bad?" Corrin wonders.
"Oh you mean Enzo? Taking a nap in the bathroom. Not a pretty sight. Trust me." Ren shudders. The black haired teen turns to Cloud who was looking down at the table. "I don't think I've met him before."
"Oh right, I haven't introduced you two. Ren, this is Cloud. He's been a long time friend of mine here in the mansion, my very first friend in the Smash Realm. Cloud, this is my newly adopted son Ren." Bayonetta smiles.
"You adopted him?" Cloud raises his eyebrow as he looks up at Ren.
Ren nods. "Yeah. I didn't have much of a family back in my world. So...she took me in as her own. A little weird yeah, but I'm grateful. Oh hey Cloud, you wanna try this new drink I made? I call it "Wake Up, Get Out There"!" The Phantom Thief slides the drink over to Cloud.
The blonde swordsman shrugs. "Sure." Ren puts a straw into the cup. Cloud begins to take a drink of the liquor. After he finishes taking a drink, he nods. "Hey, this isn't half bad. Strong, but sweet. I like it"
Ren smiles. "I'm happy you like it." He turns to Bayonetta and Corrin. "Can I get you two anything?"
"Strawberry Lime and Moscato Punch please darling." Bayonetta answers.
Corrin begins to think. "Uh...Orange juice for me please."
Ren nods. "I got you. Give me a little bit." The black haired teen goes to make their drinks.
Bayonetta turns to see Cloud looking down at the counter with his hand resting on his face. The Umbran Witch places her hand on Cloud's back and rubs it. "Hey, cheer up Cloud. Don't be upset. Break ups are always hard. I know you cared a lot, but that girl is completely unstable." She tries to soothe him.
Cloud turns to Bayonetta. "And you're saying our friendship isn't?" The ex-SOLDIER raises his eyebrow.
"I don't think so. Do you Corrin?" The Umbran Witch turns to her boyfriend.
"W-Well...We may have some problems. I don't think we're unstable though. I don't believe that." Corrin answers. He turns to Cloud. "I'm sorry Cloud. My sister isn't willing to make things up with you. Her pride won't allow it." He frowns.
"Don't worry about it. The best I could do is move on from it all. Back to being the third wheel." Cloud takes a sip of his drink.
A smirk appears on Bayonetta's face. "Well it doesn't have to be that way you know? Corrin and I have been discussing this for a little bit. You may think its a crazy idea and it is." She says.
Corrin clears his throat. "C-Cloud, would you like to do a polyamory with Cereza and me?" The King of Valla blushes.
Cloud turns to his two friends in confusion and shock. "W-What?! Y-You can't be serious! You have to be joking!"
"You know Corrin doesn't lie Cloud. We're being serious. It's crazy I know, but we want you to be a part of our relationship. I mean, people always assumed I was dating the both of you. I hold you both very near and dear to me, and I want us all to be together." Bayonetta says.
"I was very hesitant about the idea, but I've been thinking about it a lot. I love the both of you, a lot. You've been with me for so long. We've always been together ever since. I think a polyamory could work for all three of us. You don't...have to be a part of it. I know it's a lot." Corrin says.
Cloud puts his hand on his head and begins to think. How in the hell was he supposed to respond to something like this? What Corrin said was true, they have been together for a long time. Cloud can say that he both loves Bayonetta and Corrin, but the idea was just so strange for him. Would it even work? Does he really want to do this after his break up with Kamui? The blonde swordsman sighs. He turns to Bayonetta and Corrin.
"Alright. I'll...give it a chance. I'm not sure how this will go, but I guess we'll see." Cloud responds.
Bayonetta smiles. She wraps her arms around Corrin and Cloud's shoulders. She gives them both a quick kiss on the lips. "It's decided then. We'll be the most powerful throuple in the world."
Corrin gives Bayonetta a kiss on the cheek. He shyly leaves over to Cloud and gives him a kiss on the cheek. The blonde swordsman blushes in embarrassment. "I love you Cloud and Cereza…" The silver haired boy says with a smile.
"W-Whatever. Just...neither of you try to kiss me in public like that. It's embarrassing." Cloud says shyly.
Ren comes back with the Strawberry Lime and Moscato Punch and Orange juice. He was confused seeing Bayonetta nuzzling both Cloud and Corrin. "Uh, did I miss something here?" He asks.
"Mummy has herself two boyfriends now honey. Isn't that fabulous?" Bayonetta winks.
"Yeah, I think." Ren gives the drink to Corrin and Bayonetta. The new throuple clank their glasses together and cheer for their new relationship. The Phantom Thief thinks to himself. "My mom sure is a strange one. I'm surprised that she's able to do well. Well, she's happy at least. As long as she's happy. I'm happy."
Author's Note: Hey there everyone. I wanted to give you all this small story just we can follow with these three after the events of Cold Vengeance and tying some things up. This is the route I decided I wanted to go with. I'm just going to say, I have no plans on bringing Kamui and Cloud back together, so this is it for that pairing. So now we have our first OT3 in my universe and I think it'll be better this way. A new beginning for all three of them now.
I hope you all enjoyed this story. If you have any thoughts, criticism, please review. I'm very open to criticism and I'm very interested to hear from you all about the directions I'm taking.
Take care everybody.