#clotiweek2024

He smelled too. Not his usual wonderful scent, but of urine and sweat and sickness all mingling and clashing with the sterile scents of the clinic—bleach, hand sanitizer, latex, formaldehyde. It was probably time for another cloth bath. She knew he would be utterly humiliated if he was aware of his state and how much care he required. Maybe it was a mercy he didn't.

Tifa called for the nurse, and together the two of them helped Cloud out of his hospital gown and gently cleaned him with special damp scented cloths. Keeping him clean was a way to preserve his dignity, his humanity. She hoped his heart could sense her gentle touch even if his mind no longer did. This was how she had always wanted to take care of him. She just hoped it would help him heal. There were stories about how people in comas responded to the touch and voices of their loved ones and how that helped them wake up, so she could only hope that somewhere, deep down, he knew she was here.

As the nurse carefully wiped his legs and feet, she painstakingly washed his hair with specialty shampoo and cups from the sink. He did make a few noises when she gently scrubbed his scalp. That just made her eyes water. He was a shell of his former self, his real self, unable to speak, unable to even look at her and know it was her, and she didn't know where to find him.

He might as well be dead. He was physically here, but his real self was gone, and it broke Tifa's heart to see him suffering like this. Were they just being cruel by keeping him alive? Or was there still hope he might be cured? She felt so useless. Completely and utterly useless. No matter what she did, he wouldn't wake up.

Tifa helped the nurse carefully remove his mask and nozzle for cleaning, then she tenderly wiped his face as quickly as she could before they replaced his old mask and nozzle with clean ones. He preferred being cleanshaven, but it was risky keeping the mask off long enough to whisk away the mustache and beard that had grown during his time here.

“Thank you, Tifa,” the nurse said as they put a fresh hospital gown on Cloud. “He's lucky to have someone like you, and we really appreciate the help.”

“He would do the same for me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her scar aching dully. If only he had been there for her after her injuries. She still didn't know why he hadn't come, but when she’d brought it up, the pain in his eyes made it clear it was one of his greatest regrets. If he could've been there, he would have, she was sure of it.

But now he couldn't be here for her.

She swallowed, a lump in her throat. She'd taken him for granted. What she wouldn't give to talk to him one more time. To hear him say her name. The only person left in the world she had grown up with, who she had shared so many childhood memories with, who she had reconnected with and made so many new memories with…now he was as good as gone, just like all the others, and a part of her had died along with him. The part only he knew, the part only he remembered, the part only he could bring out of her. Losing someone you love always feels like losing a part of yourself.

“Call me if you need anything, okay?” the nurse said softly, giving Tifa’s hand a quick squeeze before leaving the room. She had a sixth sense for when Tifa needed to be alone with Cloud.

Tifa knelt at his wheelchair and gently grasped his hands. “I'm here, Cloud,” she said, her voice anguished. “I'll always be here.”

His unnaturally controlled breathing and the beep of machines were her only response. It wasn't his fault. He was desperately sick, and no one knew how to heal him. But his lack of response broke her heart all the same.

“Please, don't leave me,” she choked out. Tears blurred her vision and streamed down her face. “I can't lose you too.”

She sobbed quietly, knowing the real Cloud would rush to comfort her in his endearingly awkward way. She missed him so, so so much. If only he would look at her, just once, and recognize her. But it was like he didn't even know her anymore. What she wouldn't give for a flicker of recognition in his expression.

She couldn't help herself. She looked up into his dull, lifeless, half-lidded eyes, knowing she was only going to be disappointed. But to her surprise, he groaned loudly enough to be heard over all the machines.

“Cloud?” she breathed, stunned. It could be a fluke. It was probably nothing. But in her heart of hearts, she wanted it to be his way of telling her the only way he could that he saw her pain and cared. That her grief broke his heart. That he wanted to comfort and reassure her. That he was here for her and always would be.

He groaned again, a little more softly this time. Some emotions ran too deeply for words. Maybe that was how he was feeling right now. He had always been more of an actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of guy. She smiled to herself. Yes, that was it. He just didn't know what to say, so he was doing his best to show her he cared.

She wiped her eyes, then tenderly cupped his cheek for a few moments before kissing his hands. “Thank you, Cloud. And when you're ready to talk again, I'll listen.”

She stood, a renewed sense of purpose flowing through her. A part of Cloud was still in there. It just had to be. She wouldn't accept any other explanation. And she would take care of him until he came back to her, no matter how long it might take.

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A/N: This story is dedicated to everyone who has ever had to care for a critically ill loved one. It takes such an emotional and physical toll on a person, and I wanted to write a story acknowledging what it feels like to be in this situation. So thank you to everyone who has shown such love, care, and compassion to their loved ones. What you've done won't ever be forgotten.

Something I've always loved about Cloud and Tifa’s relationship is how devoted they are to each other and how they show that in so many different ways. The part of the game where Tifa cares for Cloud in Mideel is so moving, and I've wanted to write something for it for a long time. She had no guarantee he would ever be himself again, and yet she refused to leave his side and continued to care for him. That level of devotion is just so moving and leads into the lifestream sequence perfectly.

The ex-Soldier gulps. He tries to catch a glimpse of her outfit once more, only to be caught red-handed as all three girls were looking back at him. With haste, he sips on his drink and nearly chokes when it goes down the wrong pipe. 

“Hey, don’t go gettin’ distracted and dying on us.” A large hand smacks his back while he coughs. Barret lets out a scoff beside him. “Tsk, last time we only had to worry ‘bout those two blending in, but now there’s a third one.” 

Regaining his composure, Cloud couldn’t help but agree while also chuckling a little bit because if there was one person who wasn’t blending in, it would be the large guy in the sailor suit sipping on a tiny piña colada. 

He looks up again to check on Tifa, only to frown when she’s nowhere to be found. 

“Looking for someone, loverboy?” Cloud looks over to see Yuffie sitting on one of the boxes close to them, swinging her legs. He can already tell that she is up to no good. 

“I, uh.” He looks in the direction they just came from and sighs when he can’t find Tifa anywhere. 

“You are too obvious.” Aerith says in a singsong voice. She bends down to pet Nanaki and grins up at him. 

“She went back to get some sunscreen. She was concerned that you’re looking too…” The young ninja looks him up and down. “Red.”

“Odd, it doesn’t seem as hot as it was last time we were here.” Aerith chimes in. 

Cloud tries to seem uninterested in the conversation but can’t help but want to find Tifa. 

“She went up the steps again.” This time, Cloud’s eyes widen when Vincent joins in. The blond narrows his eyes at him. 

“You seemed concerned about Ms. Lockhart’s whereabouts.” The sentence was so straight to the point that Cloud doesn’t even feel like denying it. So what if it was obvious that the monk held his favor. 

She’s had it since they were young. Surely, there was no reason to hide how he actually feels. 

“Right.” Without hesitation, he heads down the direction the gang said she was going. And almost trips on the sand when he hears Cid’s last comment. 

“Don’t yer forget to use protection!”

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He wonders how long he’s chased after Tifa Lockhart. Wonders why he felt the need to do so now when she’s merely going back to get something. 

He wonders if he’ll always be chasing after her. 

Probably.

If he had to, he'd go to the ends of Gaia to…

There, he spots her among the crowd and instantly frowns. Since he’s always been good at reading her body language, Cloud knows that she’s on edge right now. Tifa is surrounded by at least four men. The way they’re a little too close to her personal space tells him that they weren’t as considerate as the others on the beach who tried to speak with her, but at least maintained some bit of distance. 

“If you don’t mind, my friends are waiting for me.” The bartender turns to her right and attempts to walk past them. 

“Wait a minute, Miss.” A tall man with his hair up in a ponytail blocks her way and grabs her wrist. 

Cloud starts making his way towards them, he can see her forming her hands into a fist. But she is holding back, probably because she did not want to scare the people around her. 

“See that hotel over there?” He points to the biggest one on the island. “I saw you play the piano earlier today. My suite is actually the largest they have, and has a piano, too. If you like, you can play for me and my buddies over here.”

She pulls away from him, but his grip becomes stronger. 

“Listen, I don’t want to cause trouble. If you could just let me go.” She pulls harder and loosens his grip. Caught by surprise at her strength, the other man stumbles.

“What the fuck?!” 

Before anything else could happen, Cloud wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her to him. 

“There you are, sweetheart. Sorry I’m late. I was looking everywhere for you.”

“Cloud.”

He shields her from the men gaping at them who were too afraid to do anything, not with the giant sword he had. Cloud knows Tifa could have handled this on her own but also understands how she did not want to cause trouble for everyone else around them. 

The mercenary pulls her closer and directs her to Johnny’s Inn, acting like a protective lover to ward off the assholes. 

“Cloud.”

“Keep walking.” 

He looks back at those sleazy bastards and glares at them. They grumble and turn the other way.

“Are they still looking?” Tifa is biting her lip while she leans into him, as if she’s using him as an anchor to keep from teaching her assailants a lesson. 

“They’re gone.” He could feel her shoulders relax. 

And just like that, suddenly, he is aware of the warmth of her body by his side. The palm of the hand touching her skin feels like it’s burning, but in a good way, like the softness of her was a welcomed connection that he did not want to sever. He wants to pull her even closer but stops himself especially when for some reason…

Tifa does not pull away.

She does not pull away.

It takes a second for that to sink into his Mako-infused mind. 

He’s walking with Tifa Lockhart with his arm around her shoulder. 

He’s touched her before, several times in fact. 

His body shielding her from the train tracks. He could still smell the fragrance of her hair. 

His arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. His eyebrows had furrowed at how tiny she felt despite her physical prowess. 

His hand in hers as they waited in line for the Skywheel. He did not want to let go, never. 

The couple walk as if in a daze. He lets go of her for a minute as they maneuver between the crates leading to the inn they were staying at. As they approach closer to their rooms, he lets out a sigh of relief when he notices that Johnny is nowhere to be seen. 

Tifa stops outside the girl’s bedroom and kindly smiles at him. 

“Thank you, Cloud. For earlier.” she averts her eyes from him and turns around to open the door. He  almost wants to step in with her but stops himself. Now was not the time. And even though he’s felt like he’s been waiting forever to be alone with this girl, Cloud knows that they’ll have more time to talk later. 

She comes out with the sunscreen and falls into stride with him. He doesn’t hesitate in what he does next.

Cloud takes her hand in his and doesn’t let go. 

.

.

.

Later on that night, with the calming sound of the waves and the wind brushing against the palm trees lulling him to sleep, Cloud could not help but catch the whispers of the ladies staying on the opposite side of the wall to his room.

“What do you mean nothing happened? We did not just send blondie after you just for nothing!”

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Author’s Note: Day 3 of ClotiWeek2024!

“Hey Tifa, when my friends come over, can I call you, Mama, and Cloud, can I call you, Papa?"

The blond had managed to cover his surprise at the six year old’s request. His eyes meet Tifa’s in less than a second. There was deep meaning there, a hint of shyness and something she could not quite pinpoint. 

“‘Course.” He clears his throat and goes back to mapping out the route for the day. “If Tifa doesn’t mind.”

The barmaid bends down to meet Marlene’s gaze. 

“I don’t mind.” 

This was met by a big toothy grin and a hug, and the next thing they knew, Marlene was running up the steps yelling. “I told you they’d say yes, Yuffie!”

Tifa almost spit out the coffee she was sipping on and Cloud, well, he accidentally traced a different path than he intended. Carmine eyes met blue, and both adults chuckled nervously. They had no idea that the young Kisaragi had arrived.

Yuffie being involved in all this isn’t a good sign. 

.

.

.

Pictures of both of them

Pink bed covers

Fluffy pillows with the word “YES” printed.

Tifa looks at one frame. It was a stolen photo of both her and Cloud during the Loveless play, holding hands. She glances at the rest and quickly realizes that all of them were candid shots of her and Cloud side by side. 

“Yuffie!”

“Yes?” The ninja pops out from the side of the door frame, her hands full of plates for the party tonight. She has a mischievous grin on while also acting like she has no idea what Tifa is calling her attention for.

“I get that Marlene wanted pink to be the theme for her birthday, but I don’t see why our room needed to be decorated, too?” 

“Oho, so just to be clear, this is both yours and Cloud’s room?” 

The sentence renders the monk flustered and bothered. She had completely forgotten that Yuffie had no idea about their sleeping arrangements. It wasn’t that they were hiding it, but the young brunette had a nasty habit of teasing the both of them, especially Cloud. 

“I… uh, what is all this?”

Yuffie shrugs. “Marlene wanted pink. I gave her pink.”

“But our room…” she stops when the Wutaian grins again.

“This room isn’t part of the party.” 

“It’s not?” The fake surprise is evident. 

Tifa was right to be suspicious of Yuffie’s involvement in Marlene’s earlier request. Something is definitely up. To make matters worse, in less than five minutes, their home is going to be full of young children, ready to fill their bellies up with junk food and cake. Cloud is running a little late. He had sent her a text message earlier about a delay in the store that was his last stop.

As if on cue, someone rings the doorbell. 

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Tifa shuts the door to the bathroom and lets out a tired sigh. She takes off her party dress and sinks into the warm bath Cloud had kindly prepared ahead for her. The young brunette then proceeds to rest her head at the edge of the tub and relaxes, the smell of lavender calming her senses.

The kids are finally asleep, and by kids, she means Yuffie as well. It was a long night but seeing Marlene happy and full of joy made it all worth it. She recounts the events of the evening. 

The now-seven year old had leapt with joy at Cloud and Barret’s surprise for her. They had dressed up as characters from her favorite tv series. Tifa chuckles to herself. It wasn’t anything new to her, but seeing her comrades act was always a good treat. They did have history in acting on-stage. She had no idea they were planning this and it filled her with joy as she watched Cloud play the character of Bondman so perfectly. Denzel was in on it too. He had dressed up as the villain, although “villain” wouldn’t really describe him well as he looked far too nice in glasses and a cape, with an afro wig that was way too big for him. 

The three males had put on a show, treating Marlene as the princess while Barret gave Cloud his mission to save her. Cloud jumped through pretend obstacle courses as the famous spy. In the end, the hero had prevailed. The ex-Soldier placed Marlene on his shoulders and brought her up so she could take the prize for being a great spontaneous actress. She hugged the giant Moogle plushie tight and didn’t let it go for the rest of the night. 

“Thank you, papa!” 

The action hastened the beating of Tifa’s heart and stirred the butterflies in her stomach. Seeing her childhood friend happy like that always brought her a sense of mirth. But, there was something different about it this time. His eyes held warmth and wonderment at being called someone’s father. They were both young, and had plenty of years ahead of them to think about such things, but they had been acting like parents for a while now.

She didn’t think that being called “mama” would make her feel any different than she always does as Marlene and Denzel’s guardian. Perhaps it was the fact that it was both her and Cloud who were addressed as such. 

Or perhaps it was the fact that Cloud had been looking at her discreetly ever since Marlene brought up the subject. She wants to deny it at the risk of misinterpreting his intention but they've always been good at reading each other. It wasn’t hard to infer that the idea wasn’t entirely impossible, the idea that they will eventually have a child together. 

Her whole body feels numb at the thought, it isn’t the bad kind of numb, it is more of the kind that made her pause because the thought of making a baby with Cloud sent a million diverse feelings into her nervous system. 

It’s the same kind of feeling she had when Cloud had told her that he would stay, for her, back in Midgar. 

The same kind of feeling when he held her hand as they walked towards the Sky Wheel. 

And the same kind of feeling when he told her that she wasn’t getting carried away. 

Only that this was ten times stronger.

She wonders if Cloud would be okay with being called “papa” or would he prefer “dad”? Personally, she prefers “papa”.

Tifa ponders on their future as she lets the day’s aches wash away as she drains the tub. ______________________________________________________________

She’s met with his bare back when she enters their room. The sight is not unwelcomed, in fact, she finds herself mesmerized by it. It isn’t anything she hasn’t seen before, but it leaves her mouth dry nevertheless. Well-defined muscle, a straight line tracing the outline of his spine, strong arms built by years of carrying a heavy sword, and blond tresses falling to the nape of his neck that seemed to look thicker than she remembered.

Tifa steps forward and wraps her hands around him from behind, leaning her forehead against him. 

“Tifa.”

In answer, she murmurs into him, lips meeting his skin as she relaxes and lets out a deep breath. It seemed like he had showered in the other bathroom. Cloud chuckles, sending vibrations to her front. His hand takes hers that are settled on his abdomen, and he turns around to meet her eyes.

“I couldn't catch that.”

She smiles up at him. 

“You were very dashing tonight, a hero.”

His thumb lightly brushes against the back of her hand, mouth tilting upwards. 

“I’m just a simple father trying not to stumble around too much as I protect my happy little family.” He gets into character again, trying to impersonate a spy in another series Marlene likes. 

She laughs lightly and hums in reply, these gentle strokes of his hypnotizing her. 

“Marlene’s request earlier, I’m guessing she wants it for more than one night.” she muses.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Tifa tilts her head to the side, signaling her partner to continue.

“I don’t mind it, you know, being called papa.” He bows his head to shield his expression from her. “As long as you're…mama."

Instantly, her body warms up again, as if she’s plunged back into the bathtub earlier. She doesn’t think she can endure this anymore. Her heart is beating too fast. 

Babies.

Scarlet eyes direct their attention to the pillows on their bed.

Making babies with Cloud.

YES. YES.

“Cloud.” she starts to stutter. But, he holds onto her firmly. 

He returns her gaze.

Face to face.

Soul on soul. 

She instinctively leans in, and he follows, still holding her hand, eyes shifting to look at her lips…

“Kiss! Kiss!”

Hushed whispers from behind the door interrupt their moment. This feels like deja vu. Tifa steps away to catch the intruders but is gently pulled back.

“No, not this time.”

Cloud presses his lips to hers and leads her deeper into their room. 

.

.

.

 Yuffie winks at her over breakfast the next day.

“So, Tifa. Did my lovey-dovey emergency kit work last night?”

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Author’s note: It’s been 84 years. How’s everyone been? Enjoyed FF7 Rebirth? They freakin’ kissed! I’m late! But I’ve finally found the time to participate in Cloti Week! I had so many thoughts on how to do the prompts. The part of me that wants a challenge aimed to incorporate everything like last time. I had thought about doing a multiverse type of theme but figured that instead, I’m going to sprinkle quotes and moments from the AU couples. Hope you enjoy it!