Q: what if u made a dirge of cerberus fanfic with an oc, hardly see any of those stories, and more shelke and shalua moments (like maybe your oc is paid by shalua to help find her long lost little sister). or a fanfic where vincent or cloud and tifa take shelke in and adopts her.
A: I haven't actually played Dirge of Cerberus since it first came out (in 2006?). So, while this sounds like a cool fanfic, I don't think I would be able to do it justice :(
"Cloud."
As he buries his face in Sephiroth's neck, Cloud thinks that it's probably good that his legs are wrapped around the man's waist. If they had still been on the floor, he would have no doubt crumpled to the ground, betrayed by his knees, at the relieved tone to the General's voice.
With Sephiroth wrapped around him as he is, his entire body feels like it's on fire. As if every hair is standing on edge, every nerve in his body tense. A voice deep inside him yells at him, tells him that this is so wrong. That he shouldn't be here. Pull away! Defend yourself! Don't let your guard down! He's never shut that strange voice up faster than he does now. Sephiroth was just worried about him – he knows that now. The strange feelings are probably just because Sephiroth never hugs anyone, much less some random cadet.
He won't deny that he likes being the one person the General will hug, even if he would never admit it out loud. Even if the events leading up to it were far less than ideal.
"Cloud."
He wraps his arms tighter around Sephiroth's neck, the man's deep voice caressing his ear. Taking a shaky breath, Cloud apologizes for who knows what time that day. "I-I'm sorry." He's half-convinced that Sephiroth's hands will brand his body from where they lay, the warmth of them unmistakable even through the layers of his uniform and the leather of the General's gloves.
"Are you alright, Cloud?"
The warm arms around him tighten slightly as he tenses in their embrace, flashes of the previous day coming back completely unbidden. The terrifying things that had been said run wild through his head while the nauseating way Johnson had looked at him, the way he had played with himself in front of him seem to be seared painfully into Cloud's soul. Honestly, he isn't alright. Wasn't sure if he ever would be. But he can't tell Sephiroth that, can he? He's supposed to be strong, right? A powerful urge to not show any weakness in front of the man surges through him and he hesitates for only a second before answering. "I'll be fine, sir." He's rather proud of how even his voice is. It's technically not a lie. Well, probably. Hopefully.
Sephiroth sighs. "That's not what I asked." The General's voice is gentle, but that doesn't stop Cloud from scrunching his eyes shut, fearing that he had disappointed the man. Sephiroth makes no move to set him down, though. Doesn't appear to even consider it, strong arms still wrapped almost possessively around him. "You went through something extremely traumatic, Cloud. You don't have to be ok right away."
Nearly melting further into the man's hold at his concern, his understanding, Cloud replies, "I'm better now." Unspoken goes the now that you're here. Now that I know you don't hate me.
Cloud's not sure how long he remains encased in those arms, the rhythmic rise and fall of Sephiroth's chest calming him in a way he doesn't fully understand nor feels like he should entirely be ok with. After what seems like simultaneously too long and not nearly long enough, he hears the clearing of a throat from somewhere behind them, followed by the exasperated voice of Commander Rhapsodos. "Pray tell, Sephiroth. Do you plan on letting anybody else see our little bird today?"
He doesn't entirely know what he expected Sephiroth to do (put him down maybe?), but the man curling a hand around his head, holding him in place, and making a near perfect, albeit drier, imitation of Zack – "I found him first, Gen." – most definitely was not it. He also never would have anticipated the General's laughter in response to Rhapsodos's scoff, the rumbling of which vibrates throughout his body, warming him far more than the man's hands had.
"I guess I have to put you down now, Cloud." Sephiroth says, amusement still clear in his voice.
"Ok." Cloud's not disappointed. He swears he isn't. It had to come to an end eventually.
Except Sephiroth doesn't put him down. Arms still around him, Cloud's just wondering whether the man changed his mind when the General chuckles softly and whispers, "I need you to unwrap your legs first."
Letting out an undignified squeak that he will completely deny later, Cloud can feel the heat rising in his face as he carefully unhooks his legs from around Sephiroth's waist. Far too quickly for his liking – ok, maybe he was a little disappointed – he finds himself on his feet again. Before he can move his hands, though, they are encased, the General gently unclasping them from around his neck and bringing their joined hands between them. "I'm glad you're safe."
"T-thank you, sir," Cloud stutters out, half-surprised that he's still standing. The General's actions certainly don't help matters. Certainly don't do anything for the red tint to his cheeks.
Letting go of his hands slowly, the General moves to step back, but freezes suddenly, eyes narrowed. Crowding into his space again, Sephiroth cradles one of his arms, sliding up the sleeve of his uniform top to reveal a nasty-looking bruise. Slitted green meet blue and Cloud can't help the flinch at the dark look on the man's face, the General suddenly surrounded in fire. Why does it look like Nibelheim is burning behind the man?
"Did they touch you, Cloud?"
The man's voice shocks him out of his reverie and when he blinks, they're once more in Aerith's house. No fire, no smoke, no burning water tower. He responds on auto-pilot, his voice sounding distant in his state of disorientation. "No, sir. I fell down the stairs." Shaking away the distressed feeling he had felt at seeing his hometown burning, he mentally slaps himself. This is no time for another episode. He'll only worry everybody more. The visions are probably just another unfortunate side effect of the shitshow that was yesterday.
Coming back to his senses, Cloud's just in time to see the terrible look on the General's face disappear, replaced instead with one that's far softer in appearance. Sighing, Sephiroth says, "Good. If they had, I probably would have returned to the Tower and killed them where they stood."
Cloud hasn't even fully processed Sephiroth's words – he would kill them just for touching him? – when Commander Rhapsodos pulls him into a one-armed hug. "He wouldn't have been the only one."
The Commander releases him just as quickly and Cloud stares, uncomprehending, up at the man. "Wouldn't have been the only one?" Apparently, the 1sts had stopped making sense, too.
The man grimaces, fire flashing in his eyes. "We were not… happy when we heard about what happened." Cloud opens his mouth to apologize – it was his fault for being so weak – but Rhapsodos holds a hand up to stop him. "We're mad at the bullies, not you, little bird."
Not him? Cloud's half-tempted to cry again. He wasn't used to people not blaming him for everything that went wrong. Wasn't used to people being mad at the bullies rather than at him. But Aerith had said something similar earlier, hadn't she? Had mentioned how volatile they had gotten. Rubbing an arm, Cloud asks hesitantly, "Aerith said you… lobbed fireballs at them?"
Rhapsodo's wild smirk is all the answer he needs. "I would have done far worse to those cretins if the President didn't insist on punishing them himself." Sighing wistfully, the Commander stares at nothing for a moment, looking a little bitter at his denied vengeance, before a mischievous glint flashes through his eyes. Throwing a conspiratorial look his way, Rhapsodos leans in, one hand held to the side of his mouth, and stage whispers, "You should have seen Sephiroth, though. He was drawing Masamune before he even realized it. Probably looked like he was about to gut them on the spot, too." The Commander shakes his head disbelievingly, straightening back up and throwing both hands out to the side. "Can you believe it, little bird?! I was the one raining fire upon their feet and they looked far more terrified of Sephiroth!"
The General doesn't deny the claims, only stares calmly back at him when Cloud turns shocked eyes his way. Before he can put more thought in it, Rhapsodos has slung an arm over his shoulder and turns him to face Commander Hewley, who waits calmly just past the threshold, looking at a loss over whether to feel amused or apprehensive at his friend's antics.
Gesturing at the other Commander with a flourish of his hand, Rhapsodos says, "And you know how prim and proper Angeal always is?" The man addresses Cloud, but his eyes never leave those of the other SOLDIER. "He would have no doubt been just as intimidating as the rest of us, but he was rather preoccupied restraining a foaming-at-the-mouth puppy."
"A puppy?"
That draws Rhapsodos's attention back to him, the man winking down at him. "Zack was the… least composed of all of us. He very sincerely wanted to kill the bullies."
There's a huff beside them and Zack's petulant voice reaches his ears – "I still want to kill them." Turning, Cloud's just in time to see Aerith pat the teen's forearm, a twinkle in her eyes.
"Why?" Cloud asks without realizing, voice raw with an emotion he can't quite pinpoint – gratitude, relief, disbelief? Why does everybody think he's worth something? It just doesn't make sense.
Rhapsodos must misinterpret his question – his real question – answering as if it were obvious, "We do not take threats to one of our own kindly."
Cloud choking on his breath is the only distinct noise he makes for several long, uncomprehending seconds, his jaw working itself open and closed, no sound coming out, for what feels like an eternity. Finally pulling himself together enough to ditch the fish out of water routine, he manages to splutter out, "O-one of your own?"
Chuckling softly, Rhapsodos winks at him, a hint of a smirk on the man's face. "Whether you like it or not, little bird, you've been adopted."
What…? He had been adopted by the strongest men in Midgar? That just… wasn't logical in the slightest. Looking between the 1sts, stunned, his voice comes out as a strained whimper, not comprehending this bizarre revelation at all. "W-why?" He doesn't even notice the tears sliding down his face, not that he has it in him to stop. "Why?"
"Cloud." Turning at the soft voice, he stares wide-eyed as Aerith cups his face, fingers brushing away his tears. "Hey there," she says, smiling softly and running her thumb gently under his eye one last time. "You have no idea how important you are to us. You are worth so much to us. Ok?"
Sniffling, Cloud nods his head numbly, definitely not trusting his voice now. How had she understood what he was asking, what he was really asking?
"Good," she says, her eyes crinkling happily.
Commander Hewley takes that moment to make his presence known, moving from the entrance to stand in front of him. "Is that why you ran away, Cloud?" A large hand lands on his shoulder and Cloud's eyes move up, up, up – why did he have to be so short? – to find the man's face. "You didn't think you were worth anything?"
Dropping his gaze to the floor, Cloud rubs an arm self-consciously. "Yes, sir." That wasn't the exact answer – he knew he wasn't worth anything – but he couldn't voice the truth out loud. Couldn't tell them that he didn't think they would actually want him. Couldn't bear to show any more weakness.
Hewley hums thoughtfully, hand still warm on his shoulder. "You didn't think we would want you anymore because of what happened?"
Eyes snapping back up to the Commander's face, Cloud blinks owlishly at the man. How had he known? Had he been that obvious? "I…" He tries, unsuccessfully, throat closing up. Swallowing audibly, his voice is almost a whisper when he does speak. "Y-yes, sir."
"Cloud." The look on the man's face is solemn as he studies him. "We don't blame you for what happened."
"But I couldn't even protect myself!" Cloud nearly yells, hands balled into his uniform top. He couldn't do anything, he was so weak. How could they not blame him? It doesn't make sense.
Commander Hewley sighs, hand squeezing his shoulder. "We don't blame you for that, Cloud. You were ambushed. Six against one isn't fair odds, especially when you have no chance to prepare ahead of time." There's a twinkle in the man's eyes as he nods towards Rhapsodos. "Think about it. One Genesis is a pain all by himself. Even Sephiroth would have trouble dealing with six of him."
"Rude." Rhapsodos sniffs haughtily at his childhood friend. The man's attention is easily diverted, though, when Cloud fails to hold his laugh in, something of a strangled snort making it past his closed lips. The fiery Commander raises an elegant eyebrow his way and all Cloud can do is stand frozen in place like a kid who had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You're not going to defend me, little bird?"
"I-I… Uh…" Cloud all but stumbles over his words as he tries – and fails – to find the best way to pacify the dramatic SOLDIER. Brain forsaking him, all he can manage is a pathetic, "I-I'm sorry…"
Sighing dramatically, Rhapsodos waves his apology away. "Well, as long as it got you to laugh." The man's (feigned?) offense fades and he winks Cloud's way – maybe he wasn't really that upset. "No more crying, ok?"
"I'll try, sir."
"Cloud." It's Sephiroth's turn to interject, the man's face a mix of serious and some other emotion Cloud can't quite make out. "Angeal's right. We don't blame you for anything. On the contrary, President Rufus told us how brave you were throughout the whole ordeal. We're so proud of you."
Cloud's breath catches in his throat. Staring dumbfounded up at the General – they were proud of him, too? – he once more fails to realize that he's crying until it's too late. So much for his promise. Scrubbing his eyes dry, his voice is pathetically weak when he responds. "T-thank you, sir."
"We definitely are proud of you, kid." Crap. How had he not noticed that Commander Hewley was still there, that his hand was still on his shoulder? Was Sephiroth really that distracting? Luckily, the man doesn't notice his surprise, continuing, "We hate that it even happened, but we're very proud of you for keeping your wits about you."
Keeping his wits about him? Had he really done that? It felt more like he had been reduced to a terrified mess. He certainly couldn't keep the shaking at bay. But who was he to question a 1st Class SOLDIER, or the President for that matter? "Thank you, sir."
"However." Cloud cringes, feeling a lecture coming on. "From now on, you need to tell one of us if something is wrong. Even if you feel the need to run, you need to tell somebody where you're going. No more running away without notifying anybody. Alright?"
Cloud gulps. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Hewley nods, satisfied. "And, if you don't feel comfortable talking to one of us, then you need to contact Ms. Gainsborough. No more leaving us in the dark as to your whereabouts. We've been very worried about you."
"Uh… yes, sir," he says, shuffling a foot dejectedly. "Sorry, sir."
The hand on his shoulder moves to his head and Cloud watches, surprised, as the man ruffles his hair. Hewley gives him a fond look and Cloud realizes that he's never noticed how alike the man and his former student are. Well, aside from Zack's never-ending exuberance, of course. He doesn't think anybody could match Zack in that. The teen acted like a puppy whose entire diet consisted of sugar soaked in coffee. "Thank you, Cloud."
Before he can do more than open his mouth in response – not that he knows what to say – another voice cuts through the momentary silence. "Cloud." He feels like he might get whiplash as he snaps his eyes back to Sephiroth. He's not used to so many people competing for his attention. And it feels almost ridiculously unreal that it's four 1st Class SOLDIERs doing so. "I'll excuse you from duty for the rest of today and tomorrow, but I would like to continue your training the day after."
To be honest, there's a part of him that never wants to go back, never wants to set foot in the Shinra Building ever again. But that's the same cowardly part of him that had him running in the first place. That had him hurting so many people he cared about, people who thought he was actually worth something. On the other hand, the logical part of him – thankfully back in the driver's seat – seems to be in cohorts with that little voice from earlier, telling him the General would just find him weak if he didn't return to training straight away. "It's ok, sir. I-I'm fine. I don't need any time off." The events of yesterday would still be painfully fresh – are still painfully fresh – but he would manage… somehow.
Sephiroth sighs at him. "No, Cloud." A hand lands on his shoulder and the entire area lights up, tingling down to the very bone. Well, that was certainly a noticeable difference to when Commander Hewley had touched him. He can't decide whether the feeling is comfortable or not, but it's undoubtedly due to Sephiroth being… well, Sephiroth. His body had always reacted differently to the man – he still couldn't stop the occasional shiver down his spine at the purring lilt to the man's voice. "I appreciate your courage, but I don't want you pushing yourself. I know the events of yesterday still trouble you. I'm hoping a couple days with help dull the pain."
Cloud's afraid that the pure, unadulterated awe is entirely visible on his face, but he just can't help it. The General has always been so nice, so understanding. He still has trouble remembering that this is the same hero whose stoic face is probably still plastered all over the walls of his bedroom back in Nibelheim. Not that it really matters, though – he would never be inviting Sephiroth back to his hometown (the little voice is quite insistent that he never actually does), much less showing him his childhood bedroom. "O-ok, sir."
Sephiroth smiles down at him – which certainly doesn't help his awestruck face – and the hand drops from his shoulder. The tingling fades, but the echoes of it still remain, so much so that he feels that he'll still be able to tell exactly where each finger lay hours from now. "Good. I would like to give you more time off, but that might have the exact opposite effect than desired. You might be more inclined to never return to your life as a cadet."
"Just rip off the bandage?"
Cloud is rewarded with a soft chuckle and he just doesn't understand how one man can be so perfect. "Exactly. Now, I realize returning to the cadet dorms might be too much right now. Would you mind bunking with Zack for the night? I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company."
"Nonsense!"
Cloud's pleased to find that he isn't the only one surprised by the sudden voice, Sephiroth turning to Mrs. Gainsborough with a questioning look on his face. "Ma'am?" Cloud really needs to work on his situational awareness – he had completely forgotten that she was there, that anybody else was there. He really hopes that he wasn't fanboying too hard. Crying in front of everybody was embarrassing enough.
Mrs. Gainsborough levels the General with an unimpressed look, still watching them from her seat at the table, arms crossed comfortably on the tabletop. "No way are you making that boy return to Shinra today." Sephiroth opens his mouth to protest, but she just tuts at him, sending a small fond smile Cloud's way. "He'll spend the night here. Zack is welcome to stay, too."
Aerith makes a soft sound of surprise before sending a beaming smile her mom's way. "Oh! Great plan!" Turning back to Cloud, she pulls his hands into hers, smile still on her face. "We'll have so much fun! We can play games and watch TV. And your already know how good mom's cooking is!"
Sephiroth shakes his head, long silver hair barely swaying with the motion. "I cannot impose on you or Ms. Gainsborough any more than I already have."
"Aerith." At the confusion on Sephiroth's face, she elaborates. "My name is Aerith."
A look that can only be classified as deep regret plasters itself on the General's face. "But, I can't – "
Aerith scoffs at him, rolling her eyes. "Oh, don't you start with that guilty face. That wasn't your fault and you know it. I don't blame you at all." Cloud has absolutely no idea what's going on, no idea what they're referring to, but Aerith seems to be in charge now.
"I…"
Aerith sighs at Sephiroth's continued reluctance. "Repeat after me, Sephiroth. Aer-ith."
"…Aerith."
The radiant smile is back as Sephiroth finally says her name. "See? That wasn't so hard."
Cloud stares stunned at the scene in front of him. He would have never considered it possible to boss around the strongest man in Midgar as if he were some naughty toddler caught misbehaving. And definitely not by some teenage girl. But if there was one thing that Cloud had learned, it was that Aerith was seriously amazing. And a force to reckon with all by herself.
As Sephiroth turns his attention back to Cloud, there's an amazed look on his face, though the hints of regret still remain. "Well, I suppose you heard them, Cloud. Are you comfortable staying her for the night?"
Cloud nods his head in response – he probably feels the safest here, after the church of course. "Yes, sir."
"Good. I will see you in a couple days then." Cloud feels like Sephiroth's gaze lingers on him longer than absolutely necessary – but that might just be the fanboy in him speaking again – before turning back to Aerith and her mother. Offering them a shallow bow, he says, "Thank you for looking out for him."
"I would never leave a child to fend for themselves," Mrs. Gainsborough says, winking at Cloud. "Especially not one as well-mannered as he is."
"I'm glad." The General looks to Cloud again as if about to say something, but shakes his head and offers a small nod instead. "Cloud."
The strangest mix of relief and loss washes through Cloud as Sephiroth crosses over the threshold and out of the house, his body wanting simultaneously to never see the man again and to be encased in those strong, warm arms once more. He really hopes the couple days off are enough to fix these weird sensations – he has a hard enough time acting like SOLDIER material in front of the man already.
"We'll get going, too," Commander Hewley says, giving his former student a stern look. "Zack, make sure you behave for them." Ignoring Zack's protest of "But I always behave!", Hewley turns his attention to Cloud instead. He's just preparing for the man to tell him to behave, too, but the Commander smiles at him, large hand landing on his shoulder again. "I'm glad you're safe, Cloud."
"Thank you, sir."
Nodding, Hewley turns to Aerith. "Thank you again for healing Genesis and myself."
"It was my pleasure!" Aerith is all smiles as she looks up at the man. How was she able to talk to them so easily? Maybe Cloud should ask her for some pointers… As if he could work past the embarrassment to actually ask, though.
"Also…" Hewley looks a little unsure of himself, which is definitely unusual for Cloud to see. At least from the little that he knew of the man. "Zack tells me that you grow everything in that garden of yours." At Aerith's bright nod, he continues, "I was hoping to ask for some tips sometime. Your garden is very impressive."
Aerith's eyes shine as she nods enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'm always happy to help!"
Cloud's stunned look still hasn't left his face as Hewley and Rhapsodos follow after their friend – "No more flying away without telling anybody, little bird." Turning to regard Aerith again, he finally gets the cogs in his head turning enough to ask, "You healed them?" Not as eloquent as far as questions go, but at least it's intelligible.
"About a year ago, the two of them were suffering from a sickness that couldn't be healed by conventional methods." Shrugging as if to downplay her role in it, Aerith continues, "I'm good with magic and was able to heal them that way."
If he wasn't already completely impressed with her before, he certainly is now. She could cure the uncurable and still be entirely modest about it? She really is an angel.
The surprised look on her face and the delighted gasp she makes is enough for Cloud to realize that he had said that last part out loud. Apparently, he isn't done embarrassing himself just yet. Ears burning, all he can do is shrug when Aerith asks excited, "You think I'm an angel?"
"By the Goddess!" Sephiroth tenses at the obvious amusement in the man's tone. Whatever it is that has piqued Genesis's interest, he gets the feeling he's not going to enjoy it. Flashing a devious smirk his way, Genesis says, "I never thought that I would see the day when General 'Emotionally-Stunted' Sephiroth fell victim to a crush."
Sephiroth sighs. Here we go. "What do you mean, Genesis?" He knows Angeal had said something similar, though far more tactfully, but if Genesis wants information, he's going to have to work for it. Probably for the best not to mention that Angeal already figured it out – Genesis was the jealous type.
"That was quite the embrace you and Cloud shared." His friend waggles his eyebrows his way, mischievous glint not once leaving his eyes. "Though, I am curious. If I hadn't said anything, would you have ever let go?"
"Genesis."
His warning not enough, Genesis steamrolls right over him. "He is cute, I'll give you that. But just remember that he is only 14."
Sephiroth groans – not this again. "I'm not attracted to a 14-year-old, Genesis." The man doesn't look like he believes him, raising a single eyebrow his way. Angeal is no help either, snorting at his admission, but neither move to contradict him. "When I see Cloud… I remember how he was as an adult. No matter how I tormented him, no matter how much stronger I was physically, he always found it in himself to defeat me. Even when the odds were stacked against him, even when Jenova was at her strongest and I was practically a god, he never gave up."
Smirk disappearing, Genesis regards him in a new light. "You're attracted to what you remember of him as an adult. Your equal and all that."
"I suppose you could put it that way."
"Well, you don't have anything to worry about." At Sephiroth's questioning look, Genesis elaborates, "I'm pretty sure Cloud is just as fond of you as you are of him."
Sephiroth resists the urge to rub his forehead – was the other man not satisfied yet? "What are you talking about, Genesis?"
Pausing for effect, the fiery Commander looks extremely pleased to have a leg over him. "I've seen the way Cloud reacts to your voice."
"That's probably just him subconsciously remembering how much of a nightmare I was. How much he hated and feared me." He's starting to wish that he had returned to the Tower by himself. That would have been infinitely better than Relationships 101 with the local Loveless expert.
Genesis scoffs, looking entirely unimpressed with his denial, as if he was being a particularly difficult child. "Sephiroth. You practically purr his name."
"What do you mean?"
That smirk is back, the man entirely too amused for Sephiroth's liking. "Oh, darling. You are absolutely adorable." Sephiroth twitches when Genesis then proceeds to imitate his so-called purring – "Cloud." Angeal doesn't make matters better, deciding instead to chuckle at their friend's impersonation.
Before he can do more than groan in protest, Angeal chooses that moment to ask a question of his own, eyes trained straight ahead, not looking at either of them. "So, you're not going to pursue Cloud yourself, Genesis?"
"Don't get me wrong, I'm terribly fond of the boy. But I only really said I would marry him to rile Sephiroth up. He certainly was upset when I insisted on training the boy in magic." Genesis gives Angeal's back a searching look, but doesn't comment on their friend's refusal to turn around.
"I see."
"So, let me get this straight. Cloud was in the church at the same time as you and Biggs, but managed to make it out through the attic without either of you noticing?" Zack sounds far too entertained as his attention flickers back and forth between Cloud, Aerith, and the cards in his hand. Letting out a little snort at Aerith's "yup!", he continues his line of questioning. "And then he led you on a merry chase throughout the entire Sector 5 slums and into the outskirts of Sector 6?"
"And then hid in the playground," Aerith reminds him, sounding rather tickled herself.
Zack throws back his head and laughs. "Hid in the playground! Good one, Spike!" Wiping tears from his eyes, the teen winks at him. "Told you you were amazing, bud."
Cloud huffs, readjusting the too-large shirt he had borrowed from Mrs. Gainsborough. "I didn't do it on purpose." It had been completely instinctual with how frightened he was. Though, he supposes in hindsight, he can see the humor in it. He's just glad to be here now, to know that Aerith and Zack are happy to have him around, that they want him around.
Smiling his way, Zack uses his free hand to ruffle Cloud's hair – Gaia, he hadn't realized how much he had missed that. "I know. I'm just glad that you're safe and here with us," Zack says as he finally decides on a card to discard – a Red 7.
"Same here." Cloud smiles back, both from the teen's words and from the fact that Zack had set him up perfectly. Discarding a Yellow 7, he says, "Uno."
Zack squawks and turns a dumbstruck look his way. "What…? How…?"
Giggling at her boyfriend, Aerith sets down her own Yellow 2. "That's what you get for not paying attention."
Zack gasps, feigning offense. "I always pay attention." Ignoring Aerith's answering "Sure you do", the teen is infinitely faster discarding a card this time around – a Blue 2. "Ha! How d'ya like that, Spike?"
"Well…" Cloud rubs the back of his neck as he hesitantly puts down his last card – a Wild Draw 4.
Zack just sits there, entirely uncomprehending, as Aerith cheers for him. "Wow! You win again, Cloud!" Throwing both hands out in what he feels can only be her bid for a high five, Cloud slowly brings his own up, hoping that he hadn't read things wrong. If at all possible, Aerith's smile widens as she brings their hands together. Ok, why does he have the sudden urge to become a crane operator? What the hell is wrong with him?
"But… Why…?" Zack's face is priceless as he tries to process Cloud's victory. "Why didn't you use that before?" The teen says, gesturing towards the Draw 4.
"Well… I didn't want to make Aerith draw any more cards and you're already terrible at this game."
Zack gasps in pretend outrage. "Oh! I am, am I?" There's a playful glint in the teen's eyes as he bounces out of his seat and prowls towards Cloud.
"Alright, kids! Time for bed!" Mrs. Gainsborough interrupts, stopping Zack dead in his tracks, a stack of clean clothes in her hands. "Here you go, Zack." The teen accepts half the pile with a bright smile and a "Thanks, ma'am!", the clothes he borrowed not moving in the slightest – Cloud swears he's not bitter that they fit him better. Turning to him, the woman hands over his now clean clothes. "Cloud."
Tugging the sagging shirt back over both shoulders – he wasn't that small, was he? – he offers the woman his own smile, though his is probably far more awkward. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Gainsborough." He still couldn't believe that she had done so much for him – feeding him, clothing him, housing him, letting him bathe – how could he ever repay her? He had asked, but she had just scoffed at him and told him to 'stop being ridiculous', whatever that meant.
"I'm glad to help, young man!"
The squeal of delight and rushed "You're actually wearing them?" has Cloud realizing far too late – and with no small amount of embarrassment – that the boxers he had been wearing are fully visible on top of his pile of now clean clothes. The Chocobo-print boxers, that is. Shrugging, he mumbles, "You bought them for me."
Eyes twinkling far brighter than he's ever seen them, Aerith looks like she's about to say something else, but Mrs. Gainsborough comes to his rescue. "Aerith, stop embarrassing the poor boy." Returning her attention to him, she continues, "Now, off to bed, you three. Cloud, you and Zack can share the guest room."
He's about to thank her again – he feels safe around Zack and would honestly prefer not to be alone tonight – when Aerith chimes in. "Actually, mom… I was hoping that we could have a big slumber party down here."
The woman raises an eyebrow at her daughter, obviously not impressed with her request. "Aerith – "
"Please, mom." Aerith clasps her hands in front of her to help with her plea. "I don't want to leave Cloud tonight."
Mrs. Gainsborough stares at her daughter for several long moments before finally coming to a decision. Sighing, she concedes. "Fine. Just this once. But you all better sleep."
A/N:
- I figured the clothes Cloud and Zack borrowed were old things of Elmyra's husband that she just always kept.
- For those who've never played the Remake, there's a part where Cloud has to operate this crane in the shape of a giant arm (Aerith asks if he moonlights as a crane operator). Afterwards, Aerith manages to get him to give her a high-five, so that's where the high-five/crane operator comment come from.
- Fun fact: I've apparently never played Uno the "correct" way before. Apparently, the first person in a round to discard all their cards scores points for the cards in everybody else's hands and the first to 500 points wins. I've always played it as the first person out wins. Then if there were a bunch of people playing, whoever went out next would get second place. So, I tried to leave that section vague enough that Cloud, Aerith, and Zack could be playing the game either way.
