A late tribute to Cloud's birthday (19th August)
Even heroes are human
Cloud woke up with a grin, it didn't matter that the sun had yet to rise and he wasn't a morning person. It was his first real birthday since he had joined SOLDIER all those years ago. He was having a party that evening.
Everyone he'd ever met, since AVALANCHE had first hired him, was invited… even the Turks. Before SOLDIER, the day hadn't really been much of a special occasion with his working mother out nearly all day every day toiling in the fields and having no friends to celebrate with, and his father… 'STOP! Don't think of that, I don't have a father anymore'. This year was going to be different he was sure! He had great friends who would never let him down, presents, music, and a cake even.
/Happy Birthday to you…/
Cloud quickly had a shower and threw on his clothes, for once he didn't put on any weapons or materia. The sword master headed towards the small living room of the flat he had been renting in Kalm since Sephiroth had been defeated a few months back.
It was strange that no one even realised it was that little rebel group from Midgar, which had indirectly killed all those people under the Sector 7 plate (no matter what Barrett said, when push came to shove, it was their fault), had saved the world, not the Shin-ra as the news reported. But that was okay with Cloud, not to be known for the hero the gang said he was (bar Cid who said he was a "Damn fluke").
When he was a kid all he wanted was to be like Sephiroth, and now that he had the chance to be greater than the General, he realised that that wasn't what he wanted after all. 'Sometimes,' Cloud thought deeply for once, 'what we think we want we don't actually want at all'
Cloud impatiently wanted for 6 PM to roll round as he finished getting his flat ready, that was when the party was starting. A chair for each of his friends had been dragged out from various rooms around the flat and placed carefully into the living room; even Cait Sith and Red had one, even though they didn't use them, it never hurt to be polite sometimes.
/Happy Birthday to you…/
"Finally, Cloud sighed as his hit the play button on his new CD player (Yuffie had 'lost' his first one shortly after 'borrowing' it) once his watch beeped six times. Cloud waited while slowing sipping a Vodka and Cola for a few hours to give everyone enough time to arrive and chat before the party really started.
Three hours later (and a fair few glasses of vodka), Cloud ran a hand through his hair and plastered on a cocky smile with a forced laugh. He made his way to a cleared space for dancing and started moving in a way that even most obsessed clubbers would be jealous of. SOLDIER wasn't all war training after all, and that mako certainly gave people an edge.
It was obvious if anyone had bothered to pay attention, that he was merely letting his guard down and blocking out everything around him in a way that was rarely shown when others were around. AVALANCHE was used to the high strung and constant vigilance needed for the places they travelled to avoid being killed. Sometimes Cloud could be as self-disciplined and reclusive as Vincent.
The blonde was one of those people who danced, not to have a good time, but to forget their problems so just for an evening, a night, an hour, he would forget about his past, the fighting, the danger, the anger, the hurt, the roaring pain of loss, and the constant threat of abandonment that hung over him. The fact that not even Hojo had wanted him…
By 10 PM Cloud was relaxed and ready enough to open his presents and eat some of that huge chocolate fudge cake that he loved yet only bought on special occasions to keep it special.
/Happy Birthday dear Cloud…/
Cloud walked slowly to the table where brightly coloured boxes where set out in an ordered placement only he knew of. He sat down with a thud and took another gulp of his drink. How may had he had by now? No one had said anything, so it didn't matter.
Ripping off the wrapping paper from the first present (a deep blue with silver 'Happy Birthday' written on it) he discovered a solid silver keychain, to dangle from his sword, with an engraving of the Highwind (Cid loved that ship). The second present, (wrapped in the same paper) turned out to be a tub of hair gel (Yuffie had always wondered how his hair stayed so upright and shiny). The other gifts were a pair of new boots ("You can never have too many." Tifa once said), a stuffed Mog (Cait had one just like it, only bigger), a set of throwing knives ("Swords are not good enough for long distance or fast paced fights." Vincent had commented in a fight with a Malboro after an incident involving its Bad Breath), a new belt ("Your belt cannot work if you require suspenders as well" Red had declared shortly before entering Crater), a gold hoop earring ("Have you noticed that more of the guys in this team have their ears pierced than the girls?" Barrett once whispered to him) and last, but not least, a single white flower growing in a small pot of soil…
Cloud smiled at the gifts, although he had known what each one was going to be it was still fun to open them and pretend to be surprised. Next to him was a fairly large pile of blue and silver wrapping paper, each shred cut from the same sheet, not like Cloud cared or anything, nope not at all.
/Happy birthday to…me/
Cloud looked around the empty table in front of him through his spiky blond hair. Unused plates and still full glasses sat on the tablecloth, music blared in the background.
No one had even bothered to ring and say they weren't coming. Just left him, alone, again.
It was a knife to his chest.
"Happy Birthday Cloud, make a wish," he whispered to the vacant room as he blew out the candles on his cake. No wish was made, what was the point? Wishes were only dreams, pointless. He'd learned that long ago.
The saviour of the world, protector of the Lifestream, friend to the last of the Ancients and defeater of the mighty Sephiroth, stood up, carrying the presents he had bought himself, and went into his bedroom.