Cloud steered his motorcycle through Midgar's heavy traffic, thankful that he wasn't waiting in the hot summer sun; it was around nine o'clock in the evening. He had only been able to be home for two short days after his last return. Luckily, the job in Junon took only three, and finally he was on his way home again. His mind wandered as the sun casted an orangey glow...he found his mind wandering a lot lately. It's driving me crazy...he thought, willing the traffic to go faster. I always thought about Tifa a lot but now...I can barely go two seconds without remembering...He closed his eyes briefly, reliving those few moments in his mind, when Tifa's eyelashes brushed his cheek and he knew if he leaned forward two centimeters...his lips would brush hers.
He jumped as traffic began moving again. Maybe I should just tell her...he thought as he headed home. Tell her that I can't stop thinking about what almost happened and how much I wish it actually did happen...He shook his head. Cloud couldn't even believe he was admiting these things to himself. Barely a year ago...I was too afraid to even touch her...and now it's all I think about...
Seventh Heaven appeared around the corner, and Cloud had to remind himself to stop his motorcycle before jumping off it. He swung open the door, took long strides through the bar area and into the livingroom. He was greeted with the sight of Tifa and Marlene curled up on the couch together, apparently reading some book. Cloud felt suddenly shy when he saw Tifa, her long, thick hair hanging down her back. He longed to reach out and touch it like he did when there were white streaks of flour in it, but he suddenly felt frozen. He cleared his throat and said the only thing he could think to say.
"Hello." he mumbled.
Both Tifa and Marlene looked up from the book.
"Cloud!" Marlene said happily, jumping off Tifa's lap.
He hugged Marlene gently but his eyes were locked with Tifa's. She seemed to be experiencing the same shyness as him.
"Welcome home, Cloud." Tifa said softly, standing on her tip-toes to gently brush her lips across his cheek. "Come sit with us."
They all sank into the couch, Tifa and Cloud on either end, Marlene in the middle. Cloud looked around the livingroom for a minute, feeling slightly puzzled.
"Where's Denzel?" he asked.
A pained expression came across both Tifa and Marlene's faces. Marlene climbed back into Tifa's lap, burrying her face into Tifa's shoulder. Tifa stroked her hair gently.
"He had an...episode...a couple nights ago." she said quietly. "He's feeling better now, but he's still resting."
Cloud felt a stab of pain in his chest.
"How bad?" he asked quietly.
Tifa shook her head grimly.
"It was pretty bad..." she whispered.
Marlene sniffled. Tifa rubbed her back comfortingly.
"He's still asleep but why don't you go up and see him?" she suggested to Cloud softly. "I'm going to go tuck Marlene in..."
Cloud nodded numbly and followed the girls up the stairs. He watched them enter Marlene's room before pushing open the doors to the room Denzel slept in. The little boy looked unusually tiny under the blankets and bandages. Cloud hesitantly sat down on the bed next to him. He didn't stir. Cloud sighed as he gently touched the blackened bandages.
"Cloud?" the little boy asked groggily.
"Hey Denzel." Cloud said quietly. "How do you feel?"
"Ugh...alright..." Denzel mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.
Cloud was quiet for a moment. What am I supposed to say? he wondered. I have no idea what he's going through...
"I'm home, okay?" he told Denzel, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here now..."
The little boy nodded and dozed off again. Cloud watched him sleep for a long time after, not knowing that soon he would be able to relate to Denzel much more than he already could.
It was nearly two hours later when Cloud crept out of Denzel's room. I wonder if Tifa's still awake? he thought, walking down to her room.
"Tifa?" he whispered, knocking softly.
There was no answer. Slowly, Cloud opened the door a crack.
"Tifa?" he asked again, this time a bit louder.
Her room was empty. Guess she's awake then...Cloud thought, heading downstairs. Worry creased his forehead when he found the downstairs empty too. Maybe she's in Marlene's room? he thought doubtfully. He walked back up the steps and quietly opened Marlene's door. Just as he suspected, Marlene was the only one inside. Cloud felt his mouth grow dry. Where would Tifa go? he thought anxiously, slipping on a pair of shoes. He grabbed his keys and stepped out the front door.
Cloud felt himself relax when he saw Tifa sitting on the front steps, knees curled up to her chest. She turned around when the door clicked shut and looked back at Cloud, eyes stopping at the keys in his hand.
"Going somewhere?" she asked him, perplexed.
He shook his head.
"I was looking for you." he told her, pocketing his keys.
"Oh..." Tifa said softly, placing her chin back on top of her knees. "I like to sit out here sometimes...I should have told you first."
"It's alright." Cloud assured her.
He leaned against the door of the house, looking at her from behind.
"How's Denzel?" she asked, breifly looking back to meet his eyes.
"Sleeping." Cloud answered quietly. "He woke up for a minute though.
She nodded, and they fell back into silence. The streets of Midgar were silent and empty, softly illuminated by streetlights. It was a pleasant summer night; Cloud and Tifa both closed their eyes as a warm breeze brushed through the street, gently ruffling thier hair.
"It's a nice night..." Cloud said, voice hushed.
"Mmhmm." Tifa murmured, still enjoying the gentle breeze.
Cloud stood up straight, pulling away from the door.
"Do you wanna go on a walk?" he asked Tifa, shuffling his feet slightly.
Tifa lifted her head up. Her brown eyes relefected the light of the streetlamp. Cloud gave her a hopeful half-smile. Relief swarmed him when a warm smile lit up Tifa's face. She stood, brushing off herself as she did so. Cloud locked the door and they stepped off the porch, arms brushing as they did so. Cloud felt his heart give a little jump as Tifa slipped her slender fingers into his left hand.
They walked leisurely down the street in a comfortable silence. Aside from the occasional car, the streets were deserted. Tifa tilted her head back slightly, looking up at the dark sky, hair catching the breeze.
"You can't see the stars here..." she said quietly.
Cloud stopped for a minute to look up at the dark sky.
"Too many lights..." he agreed. "But at least you can see the sky in Midgar now."
They lowered their eyes and continued walking. Their footsteps echoed softly against the homes and buildings lining the streets.
"Why did you come back to Midgar?" Cloud asked Tifa, looking down at her.
A thoughtful look came over her face as she considered his question.
"I suppose it's because...Nibelheim could never be my home anymore." she said slowly. "Not after what happened."
Cloud silently agreed; being in Nibelheim brought back more painful memories than happy ones. Even the memory of the night at the well didn't bring Cloud comfort when he was in Nibelheim. After all, the original well had burnt down over six years ago.
"So...I guess Midgar is more of a home to me than anywhere else." she finished softly.
Tifa looked up, turning her eyes to him.
"What about you Cloud?" she asked. "Why Midgar?"
Cloud met her gaze somewhat nervous.
"Because..." he began quietly.
Because it's where you are Tifa...he finished in his mind.
"Because?" Tifa prompted gently.
He broke eye contact with a sigh.
"Same reason as you, I guess." he mumbled.
He hated himself for that answer. Just tell her, he urged himself. Tifa knows you better than anyone else in the world...the least you can do it tell her the truth about how you feel. Just as Cloud was building up the courage- trying to calm his racing heart- he noticed something odd.
He couldn't feel Tifa's hand in his anymore.
Cloud looked down, and was surprised to see Tifa's fingers still entwined with his. What's going on? he wondered, moving his fingers slightly, trying to regain feeling again. He gently prodded his arm with his right hand. He felt nothing. Cloud could feel a new anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach. He looked over to Tifa. She was looking at her feet.
It's probably nothing...he thought, looking ahead again. Not worth worrying Tifa over anyways...
The thought had barely crossed his mind when his entire left arm exploded in pain. He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. What's wrong with me? he wondered, white spots bursting in front of his eyes. The pain shot up and down his arm, from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. Cloud let his breath out in a hiss.
"Cloud?" Tifa asked, voice alarmed. "What's wrong?"
He tried to tell her it was nothing, but he kept his jaw clenched, afraid he would shout out if he unclenched it.
"Cloud!" Tifa said, louder.
Cloud's head turned towards her quickly, surprised to hear pain in her voice.
"Tifa what-" he asked, panting slightly.
He looked down at his hand, jumping when he realized that he was crushing Tifa's hand with his. Feeling dizzy from the pain, he quickly let go. Tifa cradled her hand to her chest. A new pain in his heart added to the relentless pain in his arm.
"Tifa?" he asked, breathing heavily, and touching her wrist lightly with his right hand. "Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head quickly, looking up at Cloud with fear and worry in her eyes.
"What's wrong Cloud?" she asked anxiously. "Are you feeling okay?"
Tifa gently touched his cheek. Cloud leaned into her touch, wanting her comfort more than anything, but not wanting to worry her over something that could very well be nothing at all. He forced himself to shake his head.
"I'm fine Tifa." he managed through the pain. "But let's go back...okay?"
The walk back to the Seventh Heaven was a blur in his memory. Through the pain, he could barely remember exchanging goodnights with Tifa and running up to his room. When his door was shut and locked, Cloud slid to the floor, gripping his arm.
"Urgh..." he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut. "What's wrong with me?"
Another burst of pain caused him to fall sideways onto the ground. He bit down hard, stopping himself from yelling out, tasting blood in his mouth. When the burst of pain ended, he stayed on the ground, breathing heavily. Slowly the pain crept out of him, leaving a dull ache in his arm. What was that? he wondered, pulling himself slowly into a sitting position.
Cloud grabbed his bed with his right arm to hoist himself to his feet. His legs shook under him. Dread blossoming in his stomach, he reached over to turn on the light.
"It's probably nothing." Cloud told his racing heart.
He took a stabilizing breath, and forced his eyes to his arm.
The room swayed around him, and he sat down on the bed quickly, looking away from his arm and gripping the covers under him tightly. A buzz of panic in his mind was keeping him from thinking straight. He looked at his arm again.
Faint bluish black marks tinged his skin.
Cloud stood up quickly, stumbling over his own feet. His breaths were coming in short, panicky gasps. Calm down...he told himself. Got to think rationally... He spotted his travel bag on the floor at his feet. Quickly he snatched it up. He walked over to his desk and scrawled a quick note on a pad of paper.
Tifa,
Had to leave on a job. Be back soon. Don't worry about me.
Cloud
He creaked his door open and tip-toed down the hall, sliding his note under the crack of Tifa's bedroom door. He made sure that the lower floor was empty, and swung open the front door, closing it quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone up. Gotta do something about this...he thought desperately, unable to accept it yet.
Cloud left on his motorcycle, fear settling uncomfortably in his stomach, but not quite grasping that Geostigma would cause him much more than justphysical pain.