Aerith immediately noticed Cloud's change in demeanor. "Let's get you to the room," she said, guiding him up from the seat and leaving her half-finished drink behind.

The once uplifting music from the bar was now turning into a pounding headache with each passing beat. Aerith put her hand on Cloud's back and gently pushed him out of the bar towards the hotel lobby. The music became more distant with each footstep and soon the darkness of the club was overtaken by the bright lights of the casino. Cloud rubbed his forehead and looked up briefly at the familiar games and tables inviting him to play their games of chance.

"Ugh," Cloud groaned as his stomach turned again. He was definitely not in the mood for anything fun any more. His main priority was getting to the room.

Aerith stayed closed behind him, keeping her hand on his back and making sure he knew the way to the room. Cloud was grateful, because with the room around him spinning so fast, he wasn't so sure he would have known otherwise. She guided him past the games, past the lobby, and into the elevator. She took charge of pushing the corresponding number to their floor while Cloud struggled to stay upright and coherent.

"We're almost there," she reminded him while the elevator slowly moved up the shaft with the occasional stop and a ding. Cloud didn't know much longer he could hold out, and he used all his willpower not to throw up right then and there.

Finally, the elevator stopped on their floor and she helped to guide him out safely. The room came into view, and she briefly let go of him to open the door and give him one less thing to worry about. Cloud gave her the best thankful nod he could muster, and made an immediate turn to the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet, his body heaving as the consequences from the night came spilling out. A sour taste filled his mouth. He felt both relieved and terrible at the same time.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cloud finally picked himself up off the cold bathroom floor and flushed the toilet, trying not to look at the contents. Well, this night had not turned out at all how he had planned. What a fool he had made of himself. Was Aerith even still up? He made his way to the sink to wash his hands and face, now a mess from the moment prior. His eyes were swollen red, making the whole process more difficult than it needed to be. He took a moment to examine his face in the mirror. His disheveled blonde hair pointed in all different directions, and his face was pale and tired. He did not look good. So much for a rousing night of fun with Aerith. He just wanted the whole night to end.

He opened the bathroom door hesitantly, pausing in the doorway, as he remembered Aerith was on the other side. What once started off as a promising night had gone off the rails so fast, and it was all his fault. He took one last deep breath before he stepped out in the hotel bedroom to face her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes searching his face with a concerned look.

"Awful," he muttered.

Aerith reached for the desk behind her and grabbed a small bottle of water from the hotel that bore an ornate B on the front, reminding them they were indeed at the Bellagio. She also reached for a couple of headache pills.

"Here," she said as she pressed the cold bottle of water and pills to his hands. "You need to drink this. It'll help you feel better."

"Thanks," he muttered. The cool water soothed his throat, reminding him how little water he had actually consumed tonight. It was probably part of the reason he was feeling so terrible, in addition to the copious amounts of alcohol. He was hoping the pills would work their magic soon, too.

"You should probably lie down," Aerith suggested once the last of the drops in the bottle fell into Cloud's mouth. He nodded and put the empty bottle down, letting Aerith guide him into his bed, fully clothed. He felt her hands on his feet, and he could feel his shoes wiggling free. His head found his pillow and he looked up at her, her body now at a perpendicular angle.

"One sec," Aerith said, wandering into the bathroom and temporarily disappearing from view. He could barely move his head to see what she was doing, but he heard the sound of running water mixed with other brief clangs that he couldn't quite make out.

Before long, Aerith had returned with a wet washcloth. She sat down on the bed, put the washcloth against Cloud's forehead, and he enjoyed the cooling sensation the damp fabric brought him.

Aerith brushed the washcloth all around his face, her fingertips occasionally brushing his skin. "This should help a little bit."

In between the cooling sensations, Cloud took a moment to pause and realize just how close she was to him now. Her hands were on his face and they were inches apart. Under normal circumstances, he would have been elated and happy to seize this moment. But now, with his uncomfortable body aches taking over, he was sadly too unwell to act. What cruel, cruel irony.

Cloud made eye contact with her briefly and took in her concerned face.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"A little," he said with a moan. He was sure there was something suave to say right now, but whatever it was, the liquid courage had left his body and he was back to his normal stilted phrases.

"Do you want to try and get some sleep?"

Cloud's body did feel tired, but with his headache still pounding, he wasn't too sure how easily sleep would come. "I'm not sure if I can."

Aerith paused for a moment, averting her gaze. After a few moments, her eyes returned to Cloud and a smile formed up on her face. "I have an idea."

She got up from the bed, and temporarily left Cloud's view as she walked over to the other side. He felt her hands on his shoulder and he felt himself slowly roll to one side, now facing the window. He was temporarily confused, until he sensed her get into bed next to him. He felt her arm wrap around his stomach and their bodies pressed very closely together.

"Here," she whispered, her face inches away from his. "The last few times I drank too much, a good long hug helped me eventually fall asleep. Maybe it'll work for you, too."

Cloud couldn't believe this was actually happening. Here she was in his bed, her body wrapped around his, and their warmth colliding. He could feel her face behind his, and he knew if he just turned around slightly, he could put his hands on her cheeks, brush his lips with hers, and the fountains would dance behind him in the window as their lips moved in synchronicity.

While he could do that, he knew he wouldn't. He was feeling too poorly and could barely move; resting was the most important priority right now. Cloud sighed to himself, letting Aerith hug him a little tighter, and before long, he found himself slowly surrendering to sleep.

Aerith wasn't sure if she was a fool, a genius, or both. But somehow, she had found herself at the end of the night, spooning her new crush. Sure, she wished it was under better circumstances, but at least she got to pay the role of caretaker. She didn't like seeing Cloud so sickly, but she was glad she could help out. Who knows what would have happened to Cloud if he had been on his own.

It wasn't that long ago she had gone out and drank with her then boyfriend, Zack. Only this time it was her who had consumed too much and not properly paced herself. By the end of the night, she could barely see straight, and had spent her fair share of time in the bathroom, just as Cloud did. She had thought the room would never stop spinning and the agony of the night would never end. Thankfully, Zack had been there to take care of her, with a warm washcloth on the forehead, a cold bottle of water, and some nighttime snuggles as he had guided her to bed.

Now it was Aerith's turn to pay it forward.

She didn't want to pretend that she wasn't a little disappointed though. The night had started off with such promise, especially once they got to the Mako Bar. She had such fun dancing with Cloud; he was quite entertaining once he finally got out of his shell. She was almost certain once his friends left, the night would finally start to progress romantically, but then …

She tried to tell herself it was okay. If things were going to happen between them, she wanted them to both be sober and coherent. They still had time in Vegas. Their vacation wasn't over and there would be other chances.

Aerith turned in Cloud's direction and heard small soft snores coming from his mouth. She debated spending the whole night there and just falling asleep where she was, her arms still wrapped around him. She certainly could have, easily. But she was worried what he would think when he woke up the next morning. She sighed to herself, and carefully removed her arm away from his body. She slowly rolled off his bed and brought herself upright. To confirm she had not woken him, she took one final peek at him. He hadn't moved an inch and continued to stay fast asleep.

Cloud's eyes fluttered open and with the sun peeking through his eyelashes, he realized it was morning. His head felt better compared to the night before, but he wasn't completely well. As the moments of the previous night came back to him, he immediately noticed Aerith no longer had her arms around him, nor did he feel her presence in his bed. Was it all a dream, or did it really happen? He glanced down at his body, his clothes still fully intact from the night before. Maybe something did happen, after all.

He turned in his bed and shifted his gaze towards the window. A fully dressed Aerith was staring longingly out the window once more. She turned to Cloud and shot him a smile. "You're up. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Cloud said with a groan, still piecing together the events of the night before. He pressed his fingers to his temples and felt the pain shooting through his head. "What happened?"

Aerith got up from her seat by the window and moved closer. "A lot happened, actually. But, I think you just mean from the end of the night."

"Yeah." Cloud was still trying to get the rest of his body to move.

Aerith giggled. "Well, you drank. A lot. But we danced and had lots of fun. Well, I did away. Then at the end of the night you weren't feeling so good, so we made our way back to the hotel room and you..."

Aerith trailed off, not wanting to say the phrase herself. A vision of the night before against the toilet flashed in his mind and he nodded, understanding what she was saying without her having to utter the words.

"Anyway," Aerith continued, "You came out, I gave you some water, and I helped you get to sleep. A good Aerith hug was all it took, and you were out like a light in no time flat."

So, it wasn't a dream after all. She had been in his bed, just like he had remembered. He sighed, recalling just how close she had been to him, and how immobile he had been in his sickness to do anything about it. But as he stared up at her, she didn't seem to mind, as she was more concerned with his wellbeing.

"Thanks," he muttered, his head still continuing to throbbing a bit.

"You're welcome. And I hope you don't feel like you were a burden last night."

He did feel like a burden, but he wasn't going to admit that to her.

"I actually had a peaceful morning," she continued. "I visited the botanical gardens once again—that place is so magical—and I bought a couple flowers for the room. I hope you don't mind."

Cloud's gaze shifted to the nightstand, where a single yellow flower stood in a small cup. He could see another similar flower behind it on the opposite nightstand.

"Oh," Cloud said as he observed the plant.

"It's a lily," Aerith said. Cloud was almost positive that it was the flower she had said earlier was her favorite, but chose to say nothing, for fear he was wrong and would look like a fool.

As if on cue, Aerith continued. "It's my favorite flower. Anyway, when I'm feeling sad, or sick, or lonely, the smell of flowers helps me out. I thought maybe it might make you feel better too. And if anything, they help give some color to the room."

"Thanks again," he said as he continued to study the flowers once more, leaning closer to get their magical scent.

Aerith paced back to the window. "So, I've been texting with Biggs and Wedge this morning. I let them know what happened last night. I hope you didn't mind, but I didn't want them to worry. Anyway, we were figuring out our plans and Wedge found a great breakfast spot I think we were gonna check out. And then, we thought we could spend the day at the hotel pool. I can't believe we haven't even visited it yet. Bellagio's pool is supposed to be one of these best pools in the city."

Aerith paused, searching Cloud's face for an indication of his impressions. "How does that sound? You don't have to come if you don't feel well."

Cloud wasn't feeling that great, but he also wasn't silly enough to give up spending a day in Aerith's presence. He'd watch her sit and read the dictionary if it meant an excuse to be closer to her. He might not be feeling the best right now, but it sure beat staying in bed the whole time.

"I'll go," he blurted out, before she got a chance to change her mind and talk him out of it.

A/N: Just one IRL note here. Yes, the Bellagio water does in fact have a fancy cursive B on it! Great for when you party too late and need to drink some water ;)

Thanks as always for the reviews and love!