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moira-shears · 1 year ago

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Cold Hands

“Ceodore!” Cecil cried as he ran.

The king was guilt-stricken to realise he went too far when he yelled at his four-year-old son for something he realised wasn’t the prince’s fault. After the treatment, the prince ran off, crying like he were cutting his father out of the picture. Cecil almost felt as though the dark knight within him reawakened, and started to wonder if some of it still lingered. Before he could turn around, the king was approached by two guards: Biggs and Wedge.

“Your majesty,” Biggs said, “It’s the queen, she needs you right away!”

“But what about Ceodore?” Cecil asked seriously.

“The Prince is fine,” Wedge replied, “He’s back at the castle. We took him home. He said he wanted his mummy.”

“You have my thanks,” Cecil said. As Biggs and Wedge went back on patrol, Cecil raced back to the castle. There when he made his way inside, he was stopped immediately by Ceodore who came running up to him, crying, as he tugged his leg.

“Daddy!” Ceodore cried, “Daddy, Mummy’s sick, she’s coughing up blood! Please, Daddy, help her.”

At his son’s words, Cecil was left with an array of emotions and was caught in a dilemma. He tried to think of what to do first out of apologising to Ceodore for his misparenting, comforting him, and seeing Rosa, but there was only one option that was acceptable to him.

Having escaped his trance, Cecil kneeled down to pick his son up and made his way to his chambers where he expected Rosa to be. To Cecil, the sight he was greeted by was disheartening. Rosa he found was breathing loudly as she coughed in her handkerchief. Cecil put his son down as he quickly made his way to his wife, though when he saw her handkerchief, he saw that the phlegm was in fact more of a rusty brown than what Ceodore has described. Perhaps he mistook it for blood, he thought, the prince was only four years old after all.

“Rosa,” Cecil knelt to his wife, stroking her cheek as he gently spoke to her “Rosa, darling, what’s the matter?”

“Cecil, I’m sick,” Rosa said, “Yesterday, I thought it was just a cold but I feel worse! I’m sorry I hid this from you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Cecil said, “Let me take a look,”

As soon as his hand made contact with her forehead, Cecil shuddered. She was on fire, and her lips were starting to resemble his own - a shade of bluish-purple. A doctor was sent for, and after an examination, a diagnosis confirmed that Rosa was suffering from pneumonia. Cecil was shocked, whilst Ceodore was confused.

“I’ll stay home for a while,” Cecil said, “My Queen needs me. I’ll look after her and the crown prince. Are there any treatment options available?”

“Make sure she’s well hydrated,” the doctor said, “If her symptoms worsen, bring her to a healer. If she’s struggling to breathe, that’s a sign that she needs immediate medical attention. Other than that, make sure she’s eating alright and gets plenty of rest. Be careful not to catch it yourself, your majesty,”

“I’m a Lunarian,” Cecil said, “the prince and I are immune to many human diseases.”

“I see,” the doctor said, “Well if her majesty gets any worse, remember to take her to a healer.”

“Will do,” Cecil said with a nod. The doctor then left whilst Cecil and Ceodore sat beside Rosa who looked distressed.

“Cecil, you don’t have to stay with me,” Rosa said, “Are you sure you’re immune?”

Cecil nodded, “FuSoYa told me and explained why I never got sick as a child. Ceodore will be fine too.”

Rosa coughed loudly, as Ceodore was carried up to sit next to her and began to cry again. This time, it was Rosa’s turn to comfort him, whilst Cecil sat down beside her. That day, he never left her side, and neither did Ceodore who continued to cry whilst he asked his father if his Mummy would be alright, many times that day.

“Cecil, Ceodore, could one of you bring something up for me?” Rosa eventually asked.

“Of course, darling,” Cecil said, “What would you like?”

“Something warm to drink,” Rosa said, “A cup of tea, perhaps. Oh, and could you please tell my mother not to worry about me?

“Of course,” Cecil said, “I’ll be back up as quickly as I can, Rosa,”

After kissing her lips, Cecil left his wife and son together, whilst he wandered through the corridors of the castle. When he made his way outside the castle, he travelled to Mrs Farrell’s house in the town of Baron. When she heard the news of her daughter, Mrs Farrell was, understandably, very upset and asked that she visit her daughter.

“You may,” Cecil said, “but remember to maintain a safe distance from her. She’s told me not to let you get too close.”

“I understand,” Rosa’s mother said, “After all, Rosa’s always been a very kindhearted young girl, be sure to look after her, Cecil. Oh, and how is Ceodore doing?”

“Ceodore’s with Rosa,” Cecil said, “I don’t know if he’s still upset with me…”

“Why would your son be so upset with you?” Mrs Farrell asked.

“I yelled at him,” Cecil said, “I soon realised it wasn’t his fault and apologised to him. I thought that he had taken some of the documents, but Biggs and Wedge told me that they’d just been put away.”

“Oh, I’m glad you apologised to him,” Mrs Farrell said.

Cecil nodded and asked his mother-in-law to make up some tea for Rosa, which the old woman did willingly. From the smell alone, it was a brew Cecil knew was Rosa’s favourite, a brew that they shared all the time as children. The King’s sight confirmed that it was as he suspected, some red tea with a romantic aroma. The nostalgia for this tea, Cecil knew would bring Rosa solace.

Up in the bedroom, when Rosa drank the tea, she sighed happily. The king and prince were not left out of the party, with Ceodore expressing his delight with the tea, whilst they sat at a small table beside the bed. On the table was the teapot as well as some low-sugar biscuits shared among the family.

“Cecil, I don’t know why but, this makes me feel much happier,” Rosa said, “Do you think you could bring me this every day until I recover?”

“I’ll try, Rosa,” Cecil said. Ceodore looked away and covered his ears as his parents kissed before Cecil carried his wife back onto the bed. There he held her hands, cold as ice, and saw in her eyes that she was holding back tears which shed once Cecil got up.

“I know, Rosa,” Cecil said, “I saw how much pain you were in when you had the desert fever. I’m just taking Ceodore out so you can rest.”

Cecil pulled the blanket over her before he let her rest, kissing her forehead. When he turned around, Ceodore wore a sad face, begging, desperate. He then hugged his father’s leg tight and started to cry himself.

“Daddy, is Mummy going to be alright?” Ceodore asked.

Cecil picked Ceodore up as he left the room, taking him downstairs to where the Prince’s chambers were.

“Ceodore, Mummy needs some rest,” Cecil said, “We hope she’ll be alright. For now, the best we can do is do everything we can to take care of her.”

“How do we do that?” Ceodore asked.

“We’ll give her medicine and rest,” Cecil said.

“Can we bring her gifts?” The prince asked, “I want to give her some flowers.”

“I suppose we can,” Cecil said, “We could do that right now. Let’s go to the garden.”

Cecil offered his hand to his son, and willingly, the prince took it and walked with his father to the gardens of Baron. There, the beauty of the palace shone upon them, and even the aroma of every flower. When they arrived, they found a florist who immediately recognised them and bowed before the two.

“Your Majesty, and Your Highness!” The woman said, bowing, “To what do I own your pleasure of doing today?”

“Madam, the Queen has fallen ill,” Cecil said, “And the crown prince wanted to bring her some flowers to speed her recovery. Do you suppose you could arrange a bouquet for her?”

“But of course!” The woman said, “I would be more than happy to make her majesty a bouquet that will speed up her recovery. I hope she likes them,”

“Yes, I hope so too,” Cecil said, “When can I expect it to be delivered?”

“In about half an hour,” The woman answered, “Is that too long?”

“No, that’s just about the right amount of time,” Cecil said, “Thank you very much.”

“You’re always welcome, your majesty,” The woman said. With this, the King and Crown Prince returned to Rosa’s side where her pale form lay, resting. Cecil sat beside her, holding her cold hands whilst he listened to her shallow breathing.

“Dearest, I’ve ordered something for you,” Cecil said, “It shouldn’t be too long now. Perhaps it would help to speed your recovery.”

Before Rosa could reply, there was a knock on the door for which Cecil gave the person behind it permission to enter. It was the gardener, and in her hands was a beautiful bouquet of pink roses, dandelions, and lavender. Cecil got up to take these before he dismissed the gardener who closed the door behind her, and the king approached his wife.

“Rosa, these are for you,” Cecil told her, “It was Ceodore’s idea. He wanted to give you some flowers.”

“Thank you so much, Cecil,” Rosa said, “I’ll cherish them. How kind our son is for doing this.”

Cecil tilted Rosa’s pillow up ever so slightly, helping Rosa to sit up and take the bouquet into her hands. Rosa smelled these with a smile and closed her eyes, letting the smell take her away from her sickly state. After this, Rosa voiced her approval of these to her husband who caressed her cheek before they both leaned in to kiss one another’s lips.

“I love you, Cecil,” Rosa said.

“I love you too, Rosa,” Cecil replied, “And I promise you’ll never have to be alone when you are ill. No harm will come to you. Remember, if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

“You would forsake your royal duties to save me?” Rosa asked.

“Anything, Rosa,” Cecil said, “I love you more than dear life itself. My beautiful Rosa. Is there anything you want?”

“Stay…” Rosa said, “I wish to feel your arms around me.”

Cecil only nodded before he laid down next to Rosa under the blanket and pulled her into his arms. There, she felt his hard chest that hadn’t been covered by armour but by a simple white tunic from which the queen could feel her husband’s muscles protect her. The bouquet was left to rest on the table before a servant let themselves in and bathed it in a vase before leaving the couple alone again.

Over the next couple of days, Rosa’s condition, although she received supportive care, there were no noticeable changes. Cecil would occasionally put aside his royal duties for her, and beside her bed, he held her hand whilst Ceodore watched from the other room in curiosity, but quickly left after witnessing his parents kissing. He too would spend time with his mother, who delighted in his company, and told him he was ‘the best medicine a parent could have’.

At night, Cecil held onto his wife and rubbed her back as though to soothe her. She slept surprisingly soundly, and therefore so could Cecil, and Ceodore hadn’t come in at all that night, something that came as a surprise to the couple.

Just when Cecil thought he could relax, Rosa’s condition worsened. One early morning, Cecil woke to hear Rosa’s loud breathing and wheezing quickening, indicating to him something awful was happening to her. Her face was pale, her lips blue like his own and her coughing was violent. Cecil felt a wave of panic overcome him as he lifted her weak body and ran swiftly to the doctor.

“Your majesty!” the doctor said, “So she’s gotten worse, has she?”

Cecil nodded.

“Quickly then,” the doctor said, “bring her over to that bed; I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Cecil said. With this, Cecil placed Rosa on the bed where the doctor examined her lungs which had been clogged up with fluid, he told her, and there needed to be a way to clear it. Rosa turned to Cecil who clasped her cold hand, as a tear fell from her eye. Cecil remained silent but warmed Rosa’s hands with his. It could have been the last time he ever got to do this, he thought. Therefore, he cherished every moment it lasted before he was asked to leave. That morning as he told Ceodore of his mother’s condition, the little boy started to cry. It was hard, Cecil knew, but even so, the boy was upset.

“Is Mummy going to be alright?” Ceodore asked through his tears.

“We don’t know,” Cecil said, shaking his head. At his response, Ceodore cried even more tears and Cecil sighed pessimistically. Not even his royal duties could take his mind off of the harsh possibility that soon he could be widowed if Rosa made no sign of recovery and Ceodore constantly muttered words of sadness. ‘I don’t want to be lonely’, ‘Please don’t die, Mummy’, ‘I want to see Mummy’. From hearing these words, Cecil himself started to feel his sadness.

“Like father, like son…” Cecil said in his mind.

In the evening, Cecil returned to where Rosa was being treated. In her ward, she slept, her lungs wheezing with each breath whilst her husband held her cold hands which now felt almost like ice. Even her mother came in once or twice but couldn’t stay, she couldn’t bare to take in the sight of her daughter in such a severe state and told Cecil that she wouldn’t want to see her mother so upset.

“I understand,” Cecil said, patting her shoulder, “I’ll keep her company.”

“Thank you, Cecil,” Mrs Farrell said, “You are such a good man for taking care of my daughter, I’m sure she’ll appreciate such kindness coming from you.”

With this, Mrs Farrell stroked her daughter’s cheek before she left her and her husband alone. Even into the night, Cecil never left her side, hoping she would wake up, but before she could, he fell asleep. Even in this state, Cecil’s hands still warmed his wife’s and he remained ever so still. Soon when morning came, Cecil woke to discover he’d spent the rest of the night by her side. Quietly he watched Rosa’s unawoken form lying, breathing painfully with a hint of both wheezing and cackling.

Minutes passed, and she wouldn’t wake, and when asked, the doctor told Cecil that it was currently unknown whether or not Rosa would awake, all they could do was treat her and wait. When the doctor left, Cecil watched his wife with her blue-lipped mouth open, breathing in and out. Cecil stroked her cheek before he suddenly heard a cough. Cecil stopped and for a moment, he thought he could see her eyes gaping open a little before they closed again.

Cecil leaned into his wife’s ear, “I’m here for you, Rosa,” he said, “No harm will come to you, I promise. I’ll protect you.”

Just then, Cecil could see Rosa’s eyes open just a little wider this time, before letting out a soft moan from her lips.

“There now, I’m not going anywhere,” Cecil said, “I’m staying with you.”

Her eyes were now open halfway before Cecil loosened the clasp on her hands in response to her hand moving and reached for his face. At her struggle, Cecil assisted Rosa’s hand and brought it to his face. Cold was her touch on Cecil’s cheek, but the king saw his wife’s eyes flutter open as she watched him. Cecil held his warm hand over Rosa as he reached his free hand around her back and leaned her up slightly.

“Cecil,” Rosa said with a slight cough, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Rosa,” Cecil said, “Is there anything you’d like?”

Instead of speaking, Rosa puckered her lips. At the implementation, Cecil leaned in to kiss his queen, gently before he got closer to her.

“Cecil, thank you,” Rosa said, “Could you take me over to the fire now?”

Cecil nodded before he picked Rosa up. He stopped for a few brief moments, allowing Rosa to relax in her husband’s arms, where she laced her own around her neck before he carried her towards the fire. There, he carefully sat down where the heat was ideal, and with her, watched the flames dance around the wood.

“Cecil, how long was I asleep for?” Rosa asked.

“A long time,” Cecil said, “I’d say around a day almost.”

“Almost a day!?” Rosa said in surprise, “Oh, I must have been really tired then. How’s Ceodore?”

“I don’t know,” Cecil said, “I haven’t seen him since-”

Cecil was interrupted by a knock on the door. In response, the doctor came out from his study and opened it. It was Ceodore and Mrs Farrell walking in having greeted the doctor over to the royal couple. There, the monarchs smiled at the two as Ceodore went to hug his mother, and Mrs Farrell leaned down. Ceodore cried in his mother’s chest as Rosa comforted him with a kind gesture.

“There, there, Ceodore,” Rosa said, “You’ve nothing to worry about now, I’m here to stay.”

“Mummy, I missed you,” Ceodore said.

“I missed you too, Ceodore,” Rosa said, as she patted the boy’s back.

“Good morning, Rosa,” Mrs Farrell said, “And good morning to you two, Cecil. How have you been since last night?”

“Mother,” Rosa said with a small cough, “I’m still a little sick; I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to recover at this point, but… I feel better than I did before.”

“Oh Rosa, if only you knew,” Mrs Farrell said, “Cecil stayed by your side all night last night, he would never leave. He must love you very much.”

Rosa looked up at her husband.

“It’s true,” he said, “I didn’t want you to wake up alone. I wanted to stay, make sure you were alright.”

“Oh�� Thank you, Cecil,” Rosa replied.

“Mummy, are you going to be alright?” Ceodore asked as he looked up at her.

In response, Rosa pat her son’s head, “Just a few more days, I promise.”

“Cecil, thank you for taking care of my daughter, it means the world to me,” Mrs Farrell said.

“It was the least I could do,” Cecil said.

Mrs Farrell smiled. That day, Rosa was moved to her own bed where she had both rest and medications to drain out the last of the pneumonia that raided her lungs. Though Cecil’s visits were less frequent, Ceodore kept his mother company, though was at times asked to leave when Rosa insisted she needed time to herself. Despite being pouty, the prince accepted and revisited whenever she was up for guests. One time that day, she was visited by him and the king himself who held the queen’s hand gently whilst both he and the prince talked to her about their plans after the queen recovered.

The next morning when Cecil came to visit Rosa, he was met with the most pleasant surprise. She was full of life as she walked over to her husband, and he hugged her when she stopped at his side. Rosa rested on the king’s shoulder as he cuddled her, and kissed her head.

“Rosa, my darling, you’re all better…” Cecil said, “Thank heavens.”

“It was because of you, Cecil,” Rosa said, “Thank you for staying by my side, even at my worst, I love you.”

“I love you too, Rosa,” Cecil said, “I promise to stay with you, always.”

The couple looked long and lovingly into one another’s eyes. Even in her emerald green eyes, Rosa’s life had returned and Cecil smiled. Before long, they kissed one another, with the entirety of the world around them disappearing; only they were left behind. Ceodore had been ordered not to go into their bedroom that day: the king was busy with his wife they told him, though the prince was too young to understand what was really happening.

Cecil panted as he held Rosa in bed. The two kissed once again as they turned to the door, then to each other.

“I haven’t felt like this in a long time, Cecil,” Rosa said, kissing her husband again.

“Neither have I,” Cecil said, “we’d best get some rest and hope that Ceodore doesn’t come in. It would be a shame if he did.”

Rosa chuckled as she nodded in agreement. Sometime later, the couple had fallen asleep from exhaustion of what was a stressful few days, dreaming dreams of one another. They would let everyone else know eventually, they knew, but for now, they only wanted to be alone together.

#fanfic #cecil harvey #rosa joanna farrell #ceodore harvey #sickfic #final fantasy iv

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moira-shears · 1 year ago

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Girls Day Out

The ship landed safely at Costa Del Sol, where all six members of AVALANCHE disembarked and stretched. There it was suggested by Aerith and Yuffie that they all take a break from pursuing Sephiroth for the day. Cloud, though reluctant at first, agreed to this, but only after Tifa agreed as well. That day, they booked a night at the hotel and were assigned two rooms with three beds each, one for the men, and the other for the women.

At the entrance, Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie all awaited Cloud, Barret and Red who were all still inside. To Aerith’s disappointment, when Barret came out from the hotel, he had changed out of his sailor costume, reverting to his normal, combat gear.

“I’m going to miss seeing that sailor suit on you,” Aerith said, “You looked hilarious in it, like a bear wearing a marshmallow.”

After Aerith said this, Barret began to blush shyly and scratched the back of his neck whilst he quietly chuckled to himself. Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie all laughed in agreement. When the gunman left with Red, the women all looked to Cloud, who’d seemed to be following them and stopped him in his tracks, with their hands holding him in place. He too began to blush at this incident.

“C’mon, Cloud,” Aerith said, “It’s decided!”

“What’s decided?” Cloud asked in confusion.

“You’re coming with us!” Yuffie said.

“Where?” Cloud asked, still confused.

“Shopping!” Tifa answered, “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Cloud groaned in annoyance. When he looked into Tifa’s eyes, however, he was possessed. Tifa gave off the classic puppy eyes, a look that normally did nothing but annoy Cloud, but with Tifa, it was a different story.

“Fine…” Cloud said stubbornly.

“Yay!” Yuffie said, jumping. With this, the girls dragged Cloud towards the shopping district of Costa Del Sol where he finally loosened up and followed the trio around. The girls all acted enthusiastically, all whilst Cloud groan in embarrassment.

“Cloud!” Yuffie shouted, “Let’s look over here!”

“Alright,” Cloud said, “We can look, but remember, we still have to look for Sephiroth, and we can’t spend too much gil either.”

“Oh… We won’t,” Aerith said.

The store Yuffie referred to was a clothing shop filled with heaps and heaps of clothes, mainly for women, but there was a section dedicated to men as well. When the four entered, the women scattered off separately, and Cloud was left to wander around himself without looking at any clothing. Yuffie was found rummaging through different dresses whilst giggling to herself like she was plotting something. Aerith was more casual, picking out bathers, which Cloud interpreted as her thinking about what would suit her. For a moment, he stopped in his place before he heard Aerith turning around. Quickly, Cloud tried to walk off before the cetra halted him.

“Did you need something, Cloud?” Aerith asked.

“Nope,” Cloud said, rudely.

“Are you sure?” Aerith cooed.

“Yes!” Cloud said harshly, “Now would you please leave me alone?”

Aerith sighed, “Alright,” she said quietly before Cloud went off again. Looking back, Aerith continued to browse whilst Cloud went to see what Tifa was doing. He found her in the men’s section of the shop where she stood in place and hummed to herself.

“Hey,” Cloud said warmly.

Tifa gasped with a flinch before she turned around to Cloud and let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, Cloud, it’s just you,” Tifa said, “What are you doing here?”

Cloud blushed slightly, “Uh… I was just…”

Tifa laughed, causing Cloud’s heart to race, “Don’t worry, Cloud, I don’t mind,” she said.

“Do you…” Cloud stammered, “Do you need help with anything?”

“Oh no,” Tifa said, “I was just-”

“Hey Tifa, look what I found!” Yuffie interrupted.

“I’ll be there in a second, Yuffie!” Tifa said, before turning back to Cloud, “Could you excuse me for a second, please?”

Cloud gave a shrug as Tifa ran towards Yuffie with Aerith joining in. Cloud looked back towards the men’s section where he found some larger shirts than the women’s as well as some bathers. Some were plain whilst others had designs on them, mostly tropical-themed. When he turned around, the girls were nowhere to be seen and Cloud nearly panicked before he heard them laughing in the changing room in the farthest corner. With this, he gave a sigh of relief.

They all soon came out, with Aerith and Yuffie hanging out together whilst Tifa came back to where Cloud was stationed. Cloud gaped slightly before Tifa stopped in a slight panic.

“I’m sorry, was I intruding?” Tifa asked.

Cloud blushed, struggling to speak before letting out: “Uh, no, you’re fine, it’s just… uh… It’s nothing…”

Cloud moved aside for the moment whilst Tifa moved back to where she was before Cloud’s self-invitations. After browsing a little longer, all three girls arrived at the register where all their items were scanned. Cloud gave a sigh of relief, thinking the worst of his troubles were over. Only to realise… They were far from it.

“Oh Cloud!” They all called simultaneously. Cloud panicked as soon as they all came flocking towards him, and Cloud panicked from the looks on their faces.

“Cloud, would you be a sweetheart and carry our stuff?” Aerith asked.

“It’s so heavy,” Yuffie said with false struggle.

“Do it for us, Cloud,” Tifa said, again with the puppy eyes.

Cloud let out the breath he held in his lungs as he surrendered to their advances. The girls all cheered as Cloud carried all the bags and left the store. As they all strode down the street together, the girls all laughed as they chatted together. Cloud could only walk behind them as he listened in preparation for his forthcoming torture by their hands. Before he could observe the contents of the bags, the girls stopped once again.

“Here, I wanna go here!” Aerith chirped. There, they stopped at a store selling beauty and skin care products. When a unanimous vote amongst the girls was met, Cloud was forced to comply and thus continued the cycle of torture.

Stepping in, Cloud immediately felt embarrassed, knowing he couldn’t leave until the girls were finished. This time, Cloud didn’t investigate what everyone was up to, causing other customers to stop and stare at the ex-SOLDIER who grunted. What caused him to exit his state of laziness was when he saw one of the male employees approach Tifa with a sly expression.

Before he could approach Tifa, however, Cloud grabbed his shoulder with a low, quiet growl.

“Hey, back off…!” Cloud warned.

“Watcha gonna do about it?” the man asked arrogantly, “Wait… Do you know this girl or somethin’?”

“I said: back off!” Cloud retorted, “Go bother that girl with the pink ribbon instead.”

“Dammit!” the man said under his breath, “No thanks, she’s not my type…”

With this, the man walked away in frustration. It was then that Tifa turned around to Cloud, a look of concern painting her face.

“Cloud, what just happened?” Tifa asked.

“That guy just…” Cloud’s throat was knotted, “He was staring at you. Told him to go bother someone else…”

“Cloud, don’t worry,” Tifa said quietly, “I can handle those things myself. Besides, I’m not interested in those types of guys anyway.”

From Cloud’s lips came a sigh of relief. Afterwards, the products the girls had found were purchased, and again, Cloud was forced to carry their bags. Inside, Cloud knew the end was yet to come, and as they strolled the streets again, Cloud kept a keen eye on those who came by.

Cloud's next target was a man honking his car horn, “Hey ladies, you wanna go out tonight?” He called, honking his car again. In response, Cloud gave the man a death glare, bearing his fangs like a protective wolf. The man gave an intimidated whimper as he drove away from the four.

“Hey Cloud!” Tifa called, “Let’s go here!”

Cloud, for once, went with the girls willingly into the store. Here, they were shopping for camping supplies, and Cloud actively browsed. Looking at Tifa, Cloud looked at a bag of herbs in the food section and wondered. Being the only one who hadn’t made any purchases, Cloud took the bag and continued to browse. In one section, he found a high-quality camera at a decent price.

“Hey Cloud, what do you have there?” Aerith asked out of nowhere.

“Um…” Cloud hesitated, “I’ve g…”

“A camera!” Aerith cheered, “What a great idea! Now we can share all of our memories together!”

Before they paid for their supplies, Cloud took one more item in case the need ever arose. Soon after, everyone finished shopping, but Cloud’s spree of torture was far from over. Instead, all three girls talked amongst each other suspiciously.

“Hey Cloud!” Tifa shouted, “Let’s have lunch!”

Cloud had no choice but to accept the invitation, and thus walked a little longer. Not far from the bridge was a bar, named Bar Del Sol which not only had indoor, but also outdoor dining. There, they sat at a spare table for four, all whilst Cloud sat with the shopping behind him.

“Ooh, let’s have a jug of lemonade!” Yuffie shouted enthusiastically.

“That sounds great!” Aerith replied.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Tifa joined, “How ‘bout you, Cloud?”

“Sure…” Cloud said.

With that, the four looked at their menus and observed the food they prepared. Not a moment after they all made their decision, the waiter arrived to take their order, with the lemonade jug placed in, homemade and fizzed, it claimed. Yuffie orders the King prawns with salad and dressing, whilst Aerith ordered some vegetarian spaghetti. Tifa asked for some salt and pepper squid with chips. Lastly, Cloud ordered a lamb rack with small potatoes.

“Thank you very much,” Tifa told the waiter. After surrendering their menus, the girls talked amongst each other whilst Cloud did little aside from listening and gave a smile to Tifa, who looked to be having the time of her life with everyone.

Cloud’s mood was raised even further when their lemonade arrived, signalling the waiter to pour whilst they waited for their food to arrive. Naturally, they savoured the refreshment for when their meals all arrived. Not long later, the waiter came back and served their food which the entirety of the party stopped to admire.

In addition to grilled prawns and salad, Yuffie was served a small bowl to discard the shells. Aerith, being a vegetarian, ate a simple dish anyone could make, only spaghetti and passata. Tifa’s dish looked delicious, with the squid served with chips and salad with a lemon wedge on the side. When Cloud looked down at his own dish, he smiled slightly, with each rib looking as mouthwatering as the last, and the potatoes well seasoned. Cloud was then called by Tifa who’d risen her glass of lemonade.

“Cheers!” Everyone chimed, clinking their glasses. When they took the first sip of the beverage, a feeling of joy overcame them all.

“This is delicious!” Aerith said.

“Wow, the food is good too!” Tifa replied, having already eaten some. Cloud tried one of his potatoes for himself and he too felt a feeling of happiness overcome him before he moved on to his meat covered in medium gravy, and when it was cut, the meat revealed itself to be cooked to medium rare. Again, when Cloud ate this, he was hit with a feeling of bliss.

In fact, the food was so good that some of them, save Aerith, even tried some of each other’s meals. Cloud and Tifa of course were so entranced by each other's meals that Tifa suggested that she herself could make them both when camping.

As soon as Tifa turned back to talk to the other girls, Cloud turned to the seashore. There he found Barret lying under a parasol on the beach whilst he drank a glass of an alcoholic beverage, it seemed, all whilst Red sat next to him.

“Marlene, honey, after my journey, Daddy’s gonna take you down to Costa Del Sol,” Barret said, “You gonna have the time of your life here!”

“How much time do you spend thinking about your daughter?” Red asked.

“All the time, Red,” Barret said, “Say, how do you think Cloud and the girls are doin’?”

As Cloud continued to observe, Red looked back at him and smiled.

“It looks like they’re doing well,” Red said positively, “They’re right over there, eating lunch.”

At this point, Cloud had finished his drink and meal and excused himself from the Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie to join in with Barret and Red.

“Hey, merc, where you been?” Barret asked.

“Shopping with the girls,” Cloud said sternly.

“Well aren’t you a lady's man!” Barret teased, “can’t keep their eyes off you for one second, can’t they!”

“Why haven’t you tried getting any?” Cloud asked, “There’s plenty available.”

“That’s a story for another time,” Barret said, “Why don't you go and keep ‘em company a while longer?”

“They’ve got each other…” Cloud said.

“Go on, the more the merrier!” Barret chimed, “Red and I will join in too if you don’t mind.”

Before Cloud could think to protest, Red and Barret arose from their seating position and followed Cloud towards Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie who’d only just paid the bill and approached Cloud cheekily.

“Hello, Cloud,” Tifa said in a cunning voice, “Having fun with Red and Barret? You do realise you left our stuff right out in the open where someone could have gotten it? Well, you’re lucky it’s still there.”

At this, Cloud began to panic before Tifa tapped him on the back, “Come on, Cloud, be a good pack chocobo and carry our stuff to our room, please.”

Cloud blushed shyly as Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie passed him their shopping bags one by one, then dragged him to their hotel room. Red and Barret laughed as Cloud turned to them for help, teasing him. What started as Cloud thought all his troubles would be over as soon as they were done unloading became a lesson that more disaster was coming his way. As soon as he tried to make his way outside the room, Aerith and Yuffie confronted Cloud, snatching either of his arms.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Yuffie said.

“Tifa’s got something for you,” Aerith said suavely.

Cloud turned around to Tifa, then wore a face of absolute horror when he realised why Tifa was in the men’s section of the clothes and bathers shop. In her hands, Tifa held out the pair of trunks that Cloud had been observing which could only mean one thing, Cloud thought.

“Here you go, Cloud,” Tifa said with a smile, “I bought these for you at that clothing shop we were at. I really want to go swimming, you know. Are they ok…?”

Cloud blushed with his heart beating at a high speed. Looking at Tifa’s face, however, he could do not but once again surrender to the charm in her eyes.

“Yeah…” he said.

“Then get changed!” Aerith said as she pushed him out of the room. Cloud sighed in relief and made his way back to his room where he was greeted by the sight of Barret sitting on his bed, watching Cloud with Red sitting on the floor, his tipped tail hovering in the air. When Cloud closed the door, Barret started to laugh.

“So the girls really do wanna go swimming with ya!” Barret said.

“Shut up,” Cloud said, “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Oh, don’t be a fool,” Red said, “You were the only one remaining after all.”

Cloud ignored the two men, and made his way to the bathroom. There he got changed. Afterwards, he made the fortunate discovery that the hotel provided sunscreen, which Cloud quickly applied to any exposed areas of his body without the help of Red or Barret.

When he arrived at the beach, Cloud discovered that even the girls were in their bathers. Yuffie was dressed in a green top that exposed her midriff and shorts, as seemed to be her signature style. Next to her, Aerith wore a pink one-piece, decorated with faux flowers, and her hair in the same fashion as when she and Cloud infiltrated Don Corneo’s in order to rescue the third woman, the one who had an effect on Cloud. Next to Aerith, Cloud’s childhood friend, Tifa Lockhart was dressed in a two-piece, with the white top half securing her breasts, and the bottom half acting like a skirt with a drape. Cloud gaped with a blush again at the sight of her, his heart begging him to get over to her. When Tifa started to move forward, as did Cloud, and to his surprise, she too was blushing, it seemed.

“H-hey…” Tifa stuttered, “So do you like the bathers I got you?”

“Y-yeah…” Cloud said, “They’re… comfortable.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Tifa said, “You want to go swimming?”

Cloud nodded as Tifa started to take his hand excitedly and ran with him towards the water. At first, Cloud’s feet felt cold on contact, but in due time, Cloud’s skin adjusted to the temperature of the water and thus began the fun.

When turning around for any sign of Yuffie and Aerith joining, Cloud noticed they seemed to be coming back from a small trip. Both girls were holding some cylinder-shaped icy poles in their hands, as it appeared. These icy poles were rainbow coloured, with the top coloured purple, then orange, green midway, then red, then finally, at the bottom.

Aerith yelled but Cloud couldn’t hear, and therefore replied: “What was that?”

“Would you like me to you one?!” Aerith yelled even louder.

“No thanks!” Cloud replied before he looked to Tifa, “How about you?”

“What?” Tifa asked.

“Aerith was asking me if I’d like an icy pole,” Cloud said, “I’m good, so what about you?”

“Well, it’s nice of you to ask,” Tifa said, “But I’m alright. Could you tell the girls for me?”

“Hey, Aerith!” Cloud yelled out, “Tifa says she’s good too!”

“Oh, alright!” Aerith yelled back, “Have fun, you two!”

“Thanks,” Cloud said quietly. Aerith and Yuffie went to sit on a bench together where they appeared to be having a chat together whilst they ate their icy poles. Along with Tifa, Cloud went for a swim across the ocean whilst the waves cascaded over their bodies. When the water came up to their waists, Cloud suddenly stopped Tifa by grabbing her hand with only the tips of his fingers.

“Cloud, what’s wrong?” Tifa asked in confusion.

“Uh…” Cloud stammered, “Tifa, there’s something I’ve been wanting to try…”

“Something you want to try?” Tifa asked, “What’s tha-”

Tifa was cut off when Cloud suddenly ducked down and grabbed Tifa by the waist. What caused Tifa to gasp, however, was when Cloud then managed to lift her up effortlessly in a swift motion. Just when she expected Cloud to spin her around, Cloud proceeded to let Tifa hold onto his shoulder as he moved one hand up to her back and the other under the crook of her knees, causing her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, Tifa blushed, even more so when Cloud let her hold onto his neck. Her heart too started to race and she struggled to find the right words to express her feelings before she felt Cloud do a small turn with her.

“Tifa, is this alright with you?” Cloud asked, “If it isn’t, I can -”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Tifa told Cloud, “Your so strong…”

“It’s the mako,” Cloud said flirtily.

“I know,” Tifa said. The two stayed in this position for quite some time, whilst over on the bench, Cloud sat Yuffie excitedly fishing for Aerith’s attention before the cetra turned to see Tifa laying in Cloud’s arms. This caused the ninja and the florist to let out an ‘aw’ from their mouths and call for Barret and Red.

But they never came…

“Should I put you down now?” Cloud asked.

“Just a little longer…” Tifa told him. Cloud looked at her with a loving smile as Tifa gave out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, relaxing into Cloud’s strong arms that she knew would be there to protect her no matter the challenge.

Before Cloud could make another move, there suddenly came an uproar of cries and squawks beyond the shore, then towards them, Cloud saw some seagulls flying straight for them. Cloud swiftly ducked, causing Tifa to wake up, and Cloud started running to shore.

“Cloud what’s wrong?” Tifa asked.

“Seagulls!” Cloud said, “A hoard of them, flying straight for us!”

Though it sounded ridiculous, when they were at the brink of the shore, Tifa saw that Cloud was indeed correct, and many more gulls came flying their way. At the shoreline, Cloud put Tifa down as he went to grab an unoccupied parasol which he held with both hands. Around the bench, Yuffie and Aerith were trapped by an entire ring of them. Yuffie used a magazine to defend herself, whilst Aerith used her magic to ward them away. Not far from them, Barret fired rounds of ammunition from his gun arm, whilst Red used his beastly instincts and flame-tipped tail.

“Where the hell are all these damn birds comin’ from?” Barret yelled.

Behind Cloud came a laugh all too familiar to him, and when he turned around, his suspicions came true. Next to a beach seat was Professor Hojo dressed in his lab coat as he raised his hands proudly and laughed louder.

“What do you think of my new project!?” Hojo shouted, “Isn’t it magnificent?”

“Hojo!” Cloud barked, “What did you do?”

“Oh, I experimented a little on these seagulls,” Hojo said, “Now they shall call forth all their feathery friends from far and wide to become an unstoppable force.”

In the distance, Hojo’s claim came true. Hoards of seagulls emerged from the horizon, flying and squawking as they made their way to the shores of Costa Del Sol.

Upon arrival, the birds began to terrorise the town, stealing food from tourists and laughing sadistically whenever someone got hurt. Soon, all civilians of Costa Del Sol began to run, flooding the town with their screams of agony, and the streets were filled with manure.

“What do we do?” Yuffie cried.

Before Cloud could come up with an answer, it seemed as though Hojo had run off, causing the mercenary to groan.

“Damn it!” Cloud exclaimed, “Now what?”

At this point, the party resorted to fighting the seagulls off themselves, but no matter how many they downed, they kept returning to their original numbers. After what felt like an hour of fighting, the team was covered in scratches brought upon by the wrath of the seagulls and many accidents in the street had occurred. What gave Cloud hope, however, was just beyond them. The sun was beginning to set as the sky became darker and darker. The number of seagulls reduced dramatically, but they were not of the woods yet.

As a herd flew towards Tifa, Cloud felt himself fly to her side in time to swipe down the whole flock with a single slash.

“You ok?” Cloud asked seriously.

“Yeah!” Tifa shouted. As the two stood back to back, another flock surrounded them.

“Let’s do this!” Cloud said to Tifa.

“You got it!” Tifa said, “Right behind you, Cloud!”

In no time at all, the flock was done for and by the time dusk ended, all the seagulls had disappeared, to AVALANCHE’s delight. When there was no one more left in sight, they all gathered in a circle in celebration and cheered for themselves, despite being battered and bruised.

“This calls for celebration!” Barret roared, “How ‘bouts we go somewhere good for dinner?”

“Fine by me,” Cloud said smoothly. As the people came out from their hiding places, they all cheered as they gathered in front of their heroes. That night, they all had a free dinner and drinks at a luxury restaurant as payment for their service. During this time, there was a fair share of ups and downs, including teasing of Cloud and Tifa regarding the carrying.

“You two would be so cute together!” Yuffie said, causing Cloud and Tifa to blush. That night as they went back to their hotel, Tifa began to have a chat with Cloud on a couch in the foyer, whilst blushing at the same time.

“Hey Cloud,” Tifa said, “Thanks to you, I really had a fun time.”

“No biggy,” Cloud said with a small smile, “you’re pretty light you know…”

“Haven’t I heard you say that before?” Tifa asked.

“Uh…” Cloud stammered, “Tifa, at the camping store, when we were going shopping… I bought you something.”

Tifa was left to wait when Cloud got up and left for his room. He then came back and held in his hand a small bag of herbs that were advertised on the bag as being ‘perfect for cooking anywhere, anytime, anyplace.’ as he held it out to Tifa who gave it a smell that resulted in a positive reaction.

“Cloud, these smell wonderful,” Tifa said delightfully, “Thank you so much!”

Cloud smiled happily as Tifa leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. The two made their way upstairs holding hands, where at the space between their two doors, Tifa gave him a small hug before pulling away with a satisfied glance.

“I really had fun today, Cloud,” Tifa said, “Except the seagull part of course. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Tifa,” Cloud said, kindly. With this, the two parted ways and went into their rooms. They slept wonderfully that night, dreaming of one another before they woke up in pure bliss. That morning, whilst the team had breakfast, there was no sign of rabid seagulls, and Cloud and Tifa wasted no time in sitting next to one another and talked enthusiastically together.

After breakfast, the party gathered their supplies from their rooms and travelled east. Their destination? North Corel in continuation of the pursuit of Sephiroth. Cloud and Tifa, of course, walked together in close proximity with consistent glances with one another.

AO3 version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46169860

#fanfic #cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #aerith gainsborough #yuffie kisaragi #final fantasy vii #barret wallace #red xiii #costa del sol #hopes for rebirth #comedy

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moira-shears · 1 year ago

Text

Wear, Tear and Rust

Life was going as it did any other day for Angeal in the lifestream. There he hung out with all his friends and family, including Zack who had talked about all his endeavours since Angeal died. One day, Angeal started to feel concerned. The concern? He was worried about his sword, the one first entrusted to Zack when he died until his apprentice passed it onto Cloud Strife.

That day, Angeal rose from the lifestream and up to the surface where he ended up in the sector 7 slums under the plate. In the renowned bar, Seventh Heaven, Angeal first noted the sight of Cloud flirting with the barmaid, Tifa Lockhart. Tifa was a very beautiful woman, Angeal thought, it was no wonder Cloud would flirt with her. By her reaction, Angeal guessed that she didn't mind Cloud's behaviour towards her, even going as far as giggling.

What he noticed next was that the bar was a mess, with slime and grime everywhere. There was dirt on the floor, and the dishes and cups were yet to be washed. What gave Angeal a gasp of absolute horror, however, was that the buster sword, the sword Zack entrusted to Cloud, was full of wear, tear, and rust. What a waste, Angeal thought. In that instant, the SOLDIER gave a loud roar of fury.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

In the bar, it felt as though there was an earthquake going on. The mugs were clinking, the ground was shaking, and the plates were rattling. In an instant, Cloud jumped over the counter to grab Tifa, pulling her under the table where he knew they'd be safe. The shaking soon stopped though Tifa was still breathing heavily.

"You ok?" Cloud asked.

"Y-yeah," Tifa said with slight amusement, "That was scary..."

"I've seen worse," Cloud said cooly as the two got out from the counter. What met them when they came out from under the counter was a furious roar, and moments later, the faded figure of a man arose from under the floor. The man was tall with long dark hair reaching down to his shoulders, and a goatee. His eyes were the colour of mako, and he was dressed as a first-class SOLDIER. He must be a member, Cloud thought.

"Grar!" the man raged furiously, "Do you think that just because your friend gave you my sword that you can treat it however you want?!"

"What...?" Cloud asked dumbly, "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Angeal Hewley!" the man said, "Zack's mentor!"

"Who's Zack?" Cloud asked.

"Augh, never mind!" Angeal said, "Use brings about wear, tear, and rust, and that's a real waste!"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

Instead of giving a straight answer, Angeal pointed towards the buster sword, covered in grime and green moss as though it hadn't been cleaned in days. Cloud started to panic, as he looked back to the crimson face of Angeal marching towards him. Angeal then grabbed Cloud by the collar of his turtle neck, placing his forehead at his face.

"In life, that was my sword," Angeal said, "I trusted Zack when he gave it to you. Turns out, he gave it to the wrong man. I'm about to teach you a lesson!"

Tifa tried to push Angeal off of Cloud, only to realise she couldn't touch him. Cloud panicked even more before suddenly the door to the bar opened wide. There, there stood the PowerWash Simulator dude, dressed in his cleaners outfit. In his hand was his pressure cleaner, equipped with a water tank.

"Stand aside!" He said, walking into the bar, "I'm gonna get this place cleaned up."

The PowerWash Simulator dude activated his water gun and around the bar, mud and grime flew in all directions as Cloud and Tifa once again hid under the counter, avoiding the dirty ammunition of the war between water and grime. Angeal, however, was stationary as he watched the bar being cleaned. After the bar itself was clean, the PowerWash Simulator dude went to the buster sword, covered in muck. At first, Angeal panicked, knowing that the gun was high pressure, carrying with it the risk of breaking the sword. However, once the gun was turned on, it did its job of wiping off all wear, tear and rust from the buster sword, and Angeal sighed in relief.

Once the cleaning was done, the hose was turned off, and the PowerWash Simulator dude began to pack up.

"Wait, you forgot the dishes!" Tifa called, "And the cups!"

"I'll leave them to you," The PowerWash Simulator dude said, "If I tried to clean them, they'd break on impact, and I don't think your customers would be very happy about that. Not to mention how much I'd owe you."

"I'm happy to clean up," Tifa said, "Thanks for cleaning up the bar, and Cloud's sword."

"No worries," he said, "See you soon..."

As the PowerWash Simulator dude left, Angeal approached Cloud, still with a cross face.

"That was your first warning," Angeal said to Cloud, "If it happens again, you'll be sorry. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Angeal..." Cloud said with a panic, "I promise to do better next time."

"Good," Angeal said, "Remember, use brings about wear, tear and rust, and that's a real waste."

Angeal turned away from Cloud and Tifa straight for the door. Tifa panicked and tried to stop him from walking into it, but soon, they were over when he walked straight through it and disappeared.

"Want me to help with the dishes?" Cloud asked Tifa.

"Thank you Cloud, that would be great!" Tifa said.

The two turned around to the sink where the two started to wash the dishes, all whilst listening to the ambience of running water. Cloud watched Tifa's hands which still trembled in fear.

"You ok...?" Cloud asked.

"Ghosts aren't really my thing," Tifa said, as she rubbed the soapy water onto the plate.

Suddenly the door opened again. This time, it was Barret who came in, along with Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

"Hey, what the hell's goin' on here...!" Barret yelled before he saw the pristine condition of the bar.

"Oh, hey Barret," Tifa said, "Cloud's just helping me out with cleaning the bar."

"Wow, Cloud, you really outdid yourself!" Biggs said in praise.

"Yeah, it looks amazing!" Wedge joined in.

"You should become Tifa's cleaner boy!" Jessie chirped, "Well, we'll be downstairs talking about the mission if you need us. Have fun washing the dishes."

With this, Barret activated the pinball machine which played its jingle before the four members of AVALANCHE went down into the basement. A moment later, Tifa turned around to see Marle enter the building.

"Well, I'll be," Marle said, "Just look at how hard you two are working. Tifa, dear, you should really take a break after this."

Tifa turned around with a slight surprise to see the elderly woman, "Oh, Marle!" she said, "No, that's alright, Cloud and I are fine just washing the dishes together."

"Are you sure?" Marle asked, "It looks like you've worked your bones off. Come by the hotel once you're both done. You'll need a rest."

"Really, Marle, we're alright!" Tifa said.

"At least that merc's put himself to good use," Marle replied, "Just make sure he stays that way."

With this, Marle left, closing the door behind her. After the dishes were all cleaned, Cloud and Tifa put them, along with the cups away. With some stretches, Tifa looked to Cloud's side with a smile.

"Thanks for the help, Cloud," Tifa said, "Hey, do you want something to drink? Oh, and some lunch as well?"

"Sure," Cloud said, "I'll just make sure my sword's safe."

"Better not get any wear, tear, or rust on it," Tifa said, kissing Cloud's cheek, "Thanks Cloud."

Cloud blushed red, as he scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle before he left the room to put the buster sword back into his apartment. As he left, Tifa went to the kitchen where she got out the ingredients for lunch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

In the lifestream, Zack panicked, biting his nails and shaking his legs. He thought of all the possible scenarios in which Cloud could have found himself with Angeal, of which none were desirable. When he turned around, the SOLDIER reappeared, with a stern look on his face and a calm walk.

"Angeal, please don't tell me you didn't do anything!" Zack cried.

"Don't worry, Zack, I didn't do anything too brash," Angeal said, "I only yelled at him, and it was all over once that power cleaner came in. He's washing dishes with his girlfriend now."

"Angeal, I love you man!" Zack said, hugging his mentor, "Thank you for not killing my friend."

"Zack, relentless as a little puppy," Angeal said, "I won't be so gentle next time."

From then on, Angeal closely monitored everything Cloud did with the buster sword, and as per his warning, Cloud never gave any wear, tear or rust to it again. Until...

AO3 version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45457705

#fanfic #cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #angeal hewley #final fantasy vii #powerwash simulator #parody #crack fic

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moira-shears · 1 year ago

Text

Well this sucks!

I'm not particularly active on Tumblr, since I mostly just post to Twitter, but I think for at least a while you will see more of me on Tumblr because well, Twitter is rate limited for users who don't have Twitter Blue.

Therefore, I've decided that I am temporarily moving to Tumblr, so you'll probably see me post on Tumblr more often for the time being. I think I'll upload the rest of my one-shots that I forgot to upload to here, and of course, I might do more Final Fantasy related posts, so if you want, you can send me an ask and I'll be sure to answer it.

So hi, you may call me Moira! I'm a fanfic writer who writes mainly Cloti, but I'll also write other couples that catch my interest. I'm currently eighteen-years-old and live in Melbourne, Australia, I'm also autistic! Oh, and I also do art sometimes!

Feel free to ask me anything you want, and I'll be sure to answer!

Oh, and if you want to read my fics on AO3, here! https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoiraShears

#twitter is down #introduction #temporary move #feel free to ask me anything #I don't know how long this will last

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

Text

In the Arms of her Hero

On a rare day that neither Cloud nor Tifa was working, and the crack of dawn was upon her, Tifa began to feel tired as she cleaned the bar with a tablecloth. Not only that, but she started to feel a little warm as well, but thought little of it and went back to work immediately. Before putting the cloth down, she felt a pair of large, strong arms gently curl around her abdomen. Looking up, she saw that the one holding her was also the one to whom her heart belonged, the man who loved her more than life itself, her husband, Cloud Strife.

It took Tifa a moment to process what was going on before she surrendered to Cloud’s loving kiss and relaxed in his arms. She did this by leaning back into him whilst his body warmth cascaded around her like a childhood blanket on a cold night. It was then that Cloud’s grip on her slightly tightened before he reached one hand up to her forehead.

“Tifa, you're burning up,” Cloud said, his voice filled with worry, “Why don’t you lie down a little?”

“Cloud, I feel fine,” Tifa said, “Just a little achy, that’s all,”

“Are you sure?” Cloud asked, “You’ve been working way too hard lately, are you sure you aren’t sick from the stress of all of it?”

“Alright, I feel a little tired as well,” Tifa admitted, “I think it’s the kids’ flu.”

“Oh, I’ll take a lie down with you,” Cloud said, stroking her warm cheek softly. Cloud walked Tifa into the living room where they quietly sat on the couch, with some pillows and a blanket. There Cloud quietly held Tifa in his arms and let her rest her head on his chest. As he stroked her back more, she gave a smile and nuzzled further in his arms.

“Would you like me to get you something?” Cloud asked.

“Some Wutaian green tea, please,” Tifa said. Cloud only gave a nod before he kissed Tifa’s forehead and got up into the kitchen where the kettle was boiled and two cups were laid out, with the bags in place. After pouring them, Cloud quickly got himself some cereal which he ate quickly before discarding the bags from the mugs.

Cloud sat on the couch with Tifa after passing her a cup. Together they both drank and watched the morning news on television, on which someone interviewed a physician about the current outbreak of the seasonal flu which, according to the physician, wasn’t anything to be alarmed about. Common symptoms of this flu consisted of mostly the typical symptoms, with some occasional nausea in adults, and lasted up to two weeks in some cases. Recommendations from the physician included that the patient not be involved in an activity too stressful and take time to get plenty of rest, and have medicine and warm drinks and meals.

“Tifa, I think it’s best you take a break for a while,” Cloud said, “At least until you get better…”

“Cloud, I…” Tifa hesitated for a long while before giving in to Cloud’s plea, “Yeah, you’re right. I could pass it on to someone else. What about you, Cloud?”

“I’ll reduce deliveries,” Cloud said, “I’ll only do ones on this continent.”

“Cloud, are you sure?” Tifa asked.

Cloud silently nodded and switched to a different channel. The channel however was changed again immediately due to a program showing an explicit surgery on the abdomen, one which neither appealed to Cloud nor Tifa.

They then switched to the kid's channel which was playing a funny old puppet movie about a moogle knight who embarked on an epic quest on his noble chocobo, Choco to save his princess Luna from the fire-breathing dragon that guarded the tower. Cloud and Tifa both laughed at this whilst feelings of nostalgia flooded their minds. Bravely, Sir Mog raised his sword against the dragon and faced him. With one slash, the dragon screamed dramatically before it fell, and Mog ran up the tower to the chambers of Princess Luna. With a kiss to show his love for the princess, the two were married a frame later and they lived happily ever after. Cloud and Tifa were laughing the entire time.

“I didn’t expect them to be playing something as old as Sir Mog and Choco’s Quest,” Tifa laughed, “It really brings back memories.”

Cloud nodded in agreement, “I believe I had the DVD for it back in the day. I wonder if we still have it… Maybe we could get the kids to watch it themselves.”

“Don’t you think they’re a bit old for it?” Tifa asked.

“Tifa…” Cloud said, “We’re in our twenties, aren’t we? Why were we still watching it?”

Tifa laughed, “Cloud, I was only joking,” she said. Cloud laugh himself before they once again changed the channel to a relaxing nature documentary. In it, the narrator spoke with a soft, kindhearted voice as he spoke about a pair of giant Waitain tortoises to the viewer. Both husband and wife were hooked onto this channel and continued to watch the endeavours of the tortoises unfold. The presenter reminded Tifa of her master Zangan in a way, with a similar personality and way of speaking. Eventually, when the presenter went on to a different animal, Cloud and Tifa both felt a sense of warmth inside themselves. The tortoises had found their way back to their family and thus were reunited.

“That was a lovely ending,” Cloud said, before not getting a response, “Tifa…?”

In his arms, Tifa who had finished her tea lay asleep in Cloud’s arms, breathing softly. After turning the television off, Cloud held Tifa closer before he picked her up in his arms, the same way he had many times before and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. There, he moved aside a sheet before laying Tifa down and tucking her in. Before leaving, Cloud kissed Tifa on the forehead and gave her a word of affirmation.

“Tifa, I’ll love you no matter what,” Cloud said before kissing her head again.

Whilst Tifa rested, Cloud sped down to the shops where he picked up some medicine for Tifa as well as the supplies needed. When he arrived and put them down on the table, Cloud gathered some cold and flu tablets which he brought up with a glass of water.

In their room, Tifa had only just called out Cloud’s name before she’d summoned him in. As her husband sat next to her, he passed the tablets and water. She quickly gulped down with a ‘thank you’ for Cloud, as well as another kiss.

“I was out shopping,” Cloud said, “These should make you feel better,”

“Thank you again, Cloud,” Tifa said. Suddenly, without apparent reason, Tifa started to cry, causing Cloud to hug and soothe her.

“There, Tifa,” Cloud said, “I’m not going anywhere. Do you want to have lunch?”

Tifa shook her head and Cloud briefly got up to grab a book before he sat down again. Holding Tifa he held the book wide open, but, before Cloud could read a word from it, Tifa started to shiver, causing Cloud to kick off his shoes and get under the blanket with her.

“Better?” Cloud asked. Tifa nodded with a small sigh, as she made herself comfortable in Cloud’s strong arms. Before he started to read to her, Cloud gave Tifa a small pat behind her neck and ears. Whilst he read, Cloud’s voice gave off a low, soothing tone which Tifa almost felt as he read the story of a dark knight who had just been fired from his position as captain of his fleet after questioning his king’s orders, recently carried out. This man reminded Cloud of himself, for the knight also had a childhood friend named after a flower. The man, however, could never love her due to his status as a dark knight. It was a tragic beginning, Cloud and Tifa both thought, and it would only become more tragic from there when the knight tried to redeem himself for the king, by burning down a nearby village. Eventually, when the chapter ended, Cloud found Tifa asleep in his arms, breathing quietly. Having woken up early himself, Cloud too began to sleep, the book set aside. His free hand joined around Tifa, causing her to snuggle closer, and Cloud relaxed.

Quietly, they both slept, though Cloud could feel Tifa’s warm body growing hotter, yet she shivered still. They held that position for a long time until eventually, a knock came on the door. Cloud did not get up to answer, instead, the door opened from the other side.

“Good morning, Cloud, good morning, Tifa,” Marlene said, “Why are you both dressed?”

Cloud lazily woke up and saw Marlene looking up at him with her cute gaze.

“Good morning, Marlene,” he said, “We both got up earlier, but went back to bed. Tifa’s not feeling well, she thinks it was the flu you had. How are you doing this morning?”

“I’m all better!” Marlene said, “When are you two going to get up?”

“Whenever Tifa’s up for it,” Cloud said, “Oh, and by the way, we’d watched a film called Sir Mog and Choco’s Quest. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Yes, I love that movie!” Marlene said, enthusiastically, “I watched it at Daddy’s place once.”

“It was on this morning,” Cloud said, “We thought you and Denzel might like it.”

After this encounter, Marlene quietly left the room and Cloud was left with a sleeping Tifa, whose cheek he gently caressed before he slept again.

Waking again, Cloud looked down to see that his wife was still asleep before fluttering her eyes open and bringing her hand up to her husband’s cheek. There, the couple kissed again before this time, they both got themselves out of bed and downstairs where they went about their day and had lunch together.

That night, though Tifa still cooked dinner, it was only a light one. When they went to sleep that night, though Cloud did not read to her, he held her gently in his arms before giving her a kiss goodnight. It was not a good sleep for Tifa, however. She woke up at three in the morning with a cough. This woke Cloud up, and as he saw her cough, he stroked her cheek and cuddled her.

“Tifa, let me get you some medicine,” Cloud said, “I’ll only be a minute.”

Cloud gave his wife a kiss before he got up and went downstairs. He came back up with a pair of tablets and a glass of water and Tifa thanked Cloud. After a gulp of both pills and water, the couple went back to sleep again. Tifa slept only a couple hours more before waking up with a cry and shiver. Once again, Cloud put his arms around her and gave her back a pat, before shushing her off to sleep again.

In her heart, Tifa felt for sure of one thing: Cloud would protect her from anything; their promise made underneath the starry night sky was one that knew no boundaries, not even sickness. Cloud was more than a husband to Tifa, he was her hero, ever since their night under the stars, and his heart that beat for her only reinforced that statement. Eventually, she was calm enough to sleep again, and his body warmth comforted her.

Eventually, she gave up on sleeping after seven and made her way down to the bar where she had some cereal. She ate slowly due to her sickness numbing her hunger, however. A loud cough was what summoned Cloud to her side, and joined her. There, they drank some Wutaian green tea, before Cloud stood up again.

“Tifa, I’ll be going in a few minutes,” Cloud said, “Rember on the news. The physician advised against stressful activities.”

“Alright, Cloud,” Tifa said, “Let me just make you something.”

“Thank you, Tifa,” Cloud said, kissing his wife’s cheek. After having a meal made, Cloud drove away on Fenrir, and Tifa was left by herself for the day, sorting out ingredients for the menu and throwing out food that had expired. Her symptoms began to worsen, with more frequent coughing and sneezing, as well as muscle aches. Her skin was more sensitive too, and when Marlene tried to hug her, she started to ache as soon as her daughter touched her. Together with Denzel, Marlene soon left the bar to go to school, and Tifa could relax. The day was nothing but a bore for the fighter who did nothing but watch television until she received a text message from Yuffie.

‘Hey, Tifa! Cloud’s in Wutai at the moment - told me you were sick, that sucks! But hey, don’t worry, I’m an expert! I was a nurse who treated patients in Wutai with geostigma, did you know? Anyway, Cloud stopped by my place and I made him something to give to you. You may need to heat it up in the microwave when he gets home, but it should do the trick. Oh, and I’m glad you liked that tea I gave you.’

Before Tifa could reply, there was another message: ‘P.S. I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer!’ from it, Tifa cancelled her reply and instead sent her a simple thank you. This acted as a reminder to Tifa to take her medicine with a glass of water. After this, she opted out of lunch, due to her loss of appetite. At around three, not only did Marlene and Denzel come back, but also Cloud who led the children inside and kissed his wife’s lips.

“Cloud, I thought you were only going around Edge!” Tifa said, “What were you doing in Wutai? And what’s that in your hand?”

“Yuffie gave me something that would make you feel better,” Cloud said, “Here!”

Cloud passed Tifa a warm thermos with a spoon, and lead her to the couch. When opening the container, a cloud of steam was emitted and flew up into Tifa’s nostrils, giving off the distinct smell of chicken soup, a welcoming scent to Tifa.

“Smells good,” Tifa said, “Did Yuffie make this all by herself?”

“I helped a little,” Cloud said, “I was surprised to learn that Yuffie could cook. This should help your symptoms a little bit. I’ll just be upstairs for a minute.”

Again, Cloud kissed Tifa on the head, whilst Tifa was left to drink Yuffie’s chicken soup, which hadn’t lost its hot temperature. Tifa again ate slowly, though she’d taken such favour in the taste, that it seemed too good to go to waste. Cloud came back down with the book in hand and pulled Tifa onto his lap.

After finishing her late lunch, Tifa leaned into Cloud who continued to read the book. In chapter two, it turned out that one of the beasts killed by the dark knight in the village was the mother of a little girl, around Marlene’s age. Though initially rebellious, she eventually joined the dark knight’s journey, whilst his friend, a dragoon, left. Eventually, they came to a village in the desert where it was discovered that the woman the dark knight loved had tried to follow him and ended up getting sick with desert fever. With the help of some new friends, the dark knight went off in search of a cure for the dreaded disease, and in a cave, he did. Once administered, the woman was better in minutes. The chapter ended with the woman joining the dark knight’s quest to the next kingdom. After this, Cloud marked the book and put it aside, to turn his focus to holding Tifa in his arms.

“They’re just like us…” Tifa said with some tiredness and coughing in her speech.

“Who…?” Cloud asked.

“Cecil and Rosa,” Tifa said.

“Y-yeah!” Cloud said, “They really are.”

“I love you, Cloud,” Tifa said.

With a returned confession, Cloud gave Tifa a kiss on the lips before she gave out a deep breath, relaxed into Cloud’s arms, and closed her eyes. Cloud cuddled Tifa closer and kissed her head again. A second confession offered no response from Tifa, and Cloud laid down with her, knowing that she'd always feel safe in the arms of her hero.

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

Note

psst, don’t know if you know, but you could include links to your fanfics on ao3 so people could like and bookmark them on there. It would also make scrolling through your posts a little easier. Though an excuse to reread your fics is welcome too, so do whatever you think is best! Just wanted to mention it in case it helps!

Will do! Here I only upload my oneshots which are also on AO3, so there are some multichapter fics on there. I think I’ll eventually do a masterpost on them. You can also look through the archive if that helps.

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moira_Shears

#feedback #ao3

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

Text

Adorable!

Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Midgar, there lived a beautiful princess named Aerith. Aerith was a kind and gentle soul who loved flowers and was beloved by all throughout the land. Some considered her the most beautiful woman in the world, for her light brown hair and emerald eyes. None could agree more than her father, King Gast and her mother, Queen Ifalna who loved their daughter more than anything else in the world and would spoil her, whilst also teaching her proper manners.

Growing up, the Princess and her parents would often have visits to the Kingdom of Gongaga where she would meet up with Prince Zackary the fair or Zack as she and everyone else called him. To their parents’ delight, the children hit it off right away when they first met each other at ten and eleven, and now, with the princess’ eighteenth birthday approaching, the parents felt it was the perfect time for Prince Zack to propose to Princess Aerith, and thus invited him over to Midgar to celebrate her birthday. This was kept a secret from the unsuspecting princess.

The prince was a very handsome man, who was known for his bright personality and charm. He had spikey black hair, and bright blue eyes, a special colour for all those who fought in Gongaga, as Zack often did. Due to his service, however, he’d sustained a cross-cut on his cheek which was evidenced by the scar it left behind. His one weakness, however, was squats, which he would do all the time, however, his parents made an effort to stop him from doing them in public, and eventually, Zack naturally stopped, but would still do them in front of Aerith as though to impress her. Each time he did this, Aerith would giggle, and after each session, she told him he was funny and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Though neither one of them had confessed, the two would often long for one another when they weren’t together, and send letters back and forth. These letters however contained little in the way of confessions, causing them to wonder if their feelings were mutual. What gave Aerith hope however was that Zack would always reply to her and she would read these letters for hours every day repeatedly, (despite them only being a page long) and kept a collection of them.

That Winter’s day on the seventh of February, when the snow poured on the ground, Aerith awoke with much excitement as she hurried downstairs to the main hall of the castle. There, she found her parents sitting at the table with some food awaiting her. It was a plate of gratin, a favourite of Aerith’s, and with it, a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice the way the princess always loved it.

“Happy Birthday, Aerith,” The Queen said, followed by the same sentence from the king.

“Good morning, mother, good morning, father,” Aerith said, “and thank you. Breakfast is lovely this morning.”

“We’re glad you think so,” Ifalna said, “The chefs prepared it exactly the way they know you like it.”

Aerith smiled as she ate her food. After breakfast, the royal family made their way to the drawing room where she was surrounded by some of her highest subjects, including the captain of the guards, who was dressed in his finest that day and had a surprise waiting for her.

“Good morning, your highness,” The captain said, “For you, I have got something special. Now it’s very shaky, but that’s to be expected. It’s… Oh, who cares what it is, just open it!”

The Captain gave the box to Aerith and when she held it, she felt it shaking. She refrained from shaking the box, an action criticised for being very informal but saw that there were some holes in a section of the present. What could it be, she wondered.

Her question was answered upon taking off the ribbon. The lid flew off and inside the box, Aerith could not believe her eyes and almost started to squeal. In the box, she saw the most excitable bundle of joy ever to grace the surface of the world. It was, to Aerith’s excitement, a black-faced puppy with a grey coat, who continuously panted and wagged his tail before he leapt out of the box and grounded Aerith as he sniffed and licked her face excitedly.

“Oh my, he’s adorable!” Aerith said, “thank you, Captain! What’s his name? What breed is he? How old is he?”

“Aerith, this is Cupid,” The Captain said, “He’s a Stabyhoun, one of the rarest breeds in all the land. He’s six weeks old now, and he’s expected to live at least thirteen years.”

“Cupid!” Aerith said, “he’s beautiful! Where did you find him?”

“One of my associates is a dog breeder and one of his bitches recently had puppies,” The Captain said, “He informed me that they all wanted a home, and so I told him that you would very likely love to have a puppy.”

“Thank you, Captain!�� Aerith said, “I will treasure him, always.”

“I also brought some toys for him,” The captain said, passing a bag to her. Aerith thanked him once again and got back to looking at presents with her family.

“What a beautiful young man you are, Cupid,” King Gast said, “Now, Aerith. This is what I have for you.”

Gast passed Aerith a present wrapped in paper and sealed off with a bow. When she opened it, she saw that it was a book about flowers, a catalogue of rare ones, as well as common ones. Aerith thanked her father, as Cupid started to sniff the book and Aerith laughed.

Ifalna patted the puppy as she told Aerith, “Aerith, I have a very special gift for you. It was very expensive and came as a set, made just for you.”

Two servants heaved over a larger box which again, was sniffed by Cupid as Aerith undid the bow around the box. Inside she couldn’t believe her eyes and held Cupid tight so as not to let him ruin the gift. Inside the box was a stunning white, sleeveless gown with the midriff decorated in a pattern of gold. Below the waist, the dress was frilly with a lace of fully bloomed, lifesize blue roses linked with golden diamonds, dropping then rising again to link to the beginning. The top had enough space to expose some of her cleavage and reached to the neck where it was connected to the rest of the neck via a couple of golden laces and a white choker. On the left shoulder, there was a column of blue roses holding a transparent sleeve which at the bottom was decorated with the same golden ornaments that made up the sash on the bottom half of the dress. Along with the dress was a pair of white arm warmers made of the same material as the top of the dress, and decorated with gold, especially at the top where there were two bracelets connecting to the warmers. Along with the arm warmers, there was a golden circlet with a trident-shaped symbol in the middle, as well as a blue hair ribbon. To complete the set, there was a sceptre with a long blue rod supported by golden rings, with the head sporting a blue gem in the middle and several wings, coloured gold from the middle up, and blue below.

“Mother, I love it!” Aerith declared, “It’s beautiful!”

“I’m glad you think so,” the Queen said, “It was made by the finest tailors in all the land. I’d commissioned it just for you, Aerith.”

“Thank you, mother,” Aerith said. It took some effort for the two to hug without the interruption of the ever-so-excited Cupid disrupting them, but eventually found a position where it was comfortable to hug and kiss one another.

After the hug ended, Ifalna spoke again, “Aerith, in honour of your eighteenth birthday, we are to have a ball to celebrate. Prince Zackary will be our guest of honour. He will have a very special for you.”

Aerith’s heart started to race. She wanted to know what the gift was and was joyous to know that Zack had thought of her with a gift in mind. She wanted to give him something in return of course, but she wondered what. Aerith stared long at the dress, thinking about Zack and how he would react to seeing her in such a beautiful gown.

------------------------------------------------------

Over in the Kingdom of Gongaga, Prince Zackary walked down the streets with his dear friend Kunsel, who with pride, gave the prince a pat on the back, though Zack seemed insecure. From the store, he’d bought his beloved Aerith a present, a piece of jewellery just for her, though he’d wondered how she’d react to the gift.

When the prince returned to the palace, he was announced to have a package delivered to him, ‘from the Queen of Midgar’ it read. It was heavy, as Zack discovered the hard way. In fact, he had to have assistance from Kunsel to lift it. Once the prince reached his private chambres, the two put the package down and Kunsel stood by.

“What do you think’s inside it?” Kunsel asked.

“Whatever it is, it’s something heavy,” Zack said, “Let’s open it and find out!”

Zack undid the ribbon around the package. Upon taking the lid off, Zack was stunned. In the package there was a royal blue coat with a pattern of leaves rising to a pair of wings, flying up to the sun. the hems were also laced with gold, from the bottom up to the necklace, and closed up with a zipper that was barely visible. Covering the zipper at the neck was a strap that connected to his left shoulder pad which was gold and in a pair with tassels dangling down on them. Also on the left was a golden sash, containing a pattern of steps, light on the outside, and dark golden brown on the inside. Connecting to the sash was a chain with a flower charm, containing a blue gem, and another charm. On the right shoulder pad were two simples sashes. This glamorous coat came with a set of matching trousers with golden buckles, along with a pair of black leather shoes secured by buckles. What Zack almost hadn’t noticed was that along with a suit, there was some metal plate armour. This included a set of double vambraces, along with rerebraces with a symbol on them: a diamond surrounded by four crescent moons, the gap facing away from the diamond. This was complete with a pair of brown leather gloves. To complete the set, Zack had a long, two-handed sword with a brass guard containing the seal of Gongaga, and a blue handle complimenting his suit, ending with a brass pommel. For now, it was contained in its scabbard. But there was one more item Zack found in the box. A letter.

‘Dear Prince Zack: In honour of my daughter’s eighteenth birthday, I have commissioned this gift for you, made by our finest tailors and blacksmiths. I only hope that it is comfortable for you to wear. Sincerely, Queen Ifalna.’

Zack smiled as he read this letter. Looking down at the costume, Zack continuously squatted, shouting his appreciation for the suit, and thanking Ifalna, though she wasn’t there. Kunsel also expressed admiration for the suit and told the prince that he should wear it to the ball.

“Of course,” Zack said, “I would want to miss an opportunity to put this on!”

“I hope the princess likes it,” Kunsel said, “That reminds me, did you hear about Valvados the evil dragon king? I’ve heard he’s on the loose again! He’s been spotted around Midgar recently. I hope he doesn’t attack anyone.”

“Valvados…” Zack said, “I hope he doesn’t get his hands on Aerith. I’ll protect her from him. You know the legend, I’m sure,” Kunsel nodded in affirm, though Zack quickly changed the subject and told Kunsel they should go out to do some sparing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Aerith sat outside in the garden where the snow had already fallen, along with her new puppy. In her hand, she held a fountain pen and some paper which she’d laid down once she’d arrived at the bench. There, she’d found that Cupid had continuously waged his tail as she began to write a letter to Zack. It was as though he was intrigued by her writing - wanted to know everything about her.

Once she’d finished the letter, Aerith folded the paper and put it in an envelope, ready to be sealed. The spot where Aerith sat was where she’d often spend time with Zack. From there, she had the perfect view of all the flowers, plenty of which were in full bloom, and their aroma filled the air. She’d also gotten a view of the fountain, currently frozen, therefore, Aerith decorated it with pink roses, as well as loose leaves, creating a pretty-looking image.

As he started to shiver and whimper, Aerith picked Cupid up and put him in her winter coat, warming him. After calming down, Cupid gave Aerith’s cheek a sniff before he licked her gently. With this, the princess laughed and let the puppy rest on her shoulder.

Later, the princess went back inside for lunch, during which, Cupid was also fed. After lunch, when Aerith went walking with Cupid, a servant approached her and told her: “Beware, princess! I hear King Valvados has been spotted recently. Oh, beware!”

“I’ll be fine,” Aerith said, “I’m sure if he got to me, Prince Zackary would come to my rescue in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, but he might not be able to,” the servant said, “Beware anyway!”

Aerith laughed as the servant ran off in fear. Aerith made her way up to her bedroom where her new dress and sceptre lay on her bed. Two servants came in to dress her, and when she came out, having done her fitting and make-up, they could not believe their eyes. Never had they seen a woman so stunning, to the point where Aerith even surprised herself. She appeared like an angel in feature and form, as she walked down the stairs to the front door of the palace, sceptre in hand, with Cupid following behind her excitedly.

Servants opened the doors, and arriving at the front entrance was a man whom Aerith absolutely adored. Atop a white chocobo was a handsome man dressed in the most elegant attire, matching Aerith’s dress. When she looked at his face, there was no mistake that this man was the handsome prince she’d always loved.

“Prince Zackary!” Aerith called to him. Zack turned his head with a smile as he dismounted his chocobo, leaving a servant to take it to the stables. As they approached one another, Zack bowed, and Aerith curtsied.

“Princess Aerith,” Zack said, “How do you do in such a fine gown?”

“Wonderful, now that you’re here!” Aerith said.

“Oh, and who’s this?” Zack asked as he saw Cupid wagging his tail. In response, Zack leaned down to pat him, and Cupid barked happily, to which Zack gave a gentle ‘Arf!’ back, and Cupid licked his face. To this Aerith laughed happily.

“Zack, This is Cupid,” Aerith said, “He’s a new friend of mine. The captain gave him to me. Isn’t he adorable?”

“Adorable?” Zack asked, “He’s wonderful! Who’s a good boy? Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah!”

Zack picked Cupid up, and the puppy’s tail wagged even more, as he licked over the scar on Zack’s face. Aerith laughed as she complimented Zack’s outfit, to which he told her that Ifalna had sent it to him, a fact that was surprising but heartwarming to Aerith.

“Aerith, you’re adorable!” Zack said.

Aerith gave a blush, “Oh, thank you, Zack,” she replied, “You’re adorable too!”

“Thank you, Aerith,” Zack said, “Let’s get you inside now, you must be freezing with those short sleeves.”

“Zack, it’s your presence that warms me,” Aerith said.

Zack passed Cupid back to Aerith and went inside with her. After making his place within the castle walls, Zack greeted the king and queen, thanking them for their gift, which they’d told him looked very good on him. Aerith was surprised, but to her, it explained why the costumes looked very similar.

Aerith then gave Zack the letter, though he only hid it in his coat to read for later, to Aerith’s expectation. In the garden, they spoke to one another, though they’d been too embarrassed to talk about romance. Within his mind, however, Zack was thinking that the ball would be the night he would confess. Throughout the day, Zack had started to build up a relationship even with Aerith’s new puppy.

“Aww, he likes you, puppy!” Aerith said. ‘Puppy’ was the nickname Aerith always gave to Zack, due to his most puppy-like nature. Though he’d been embarrassed to admit it, Zack loved the nickname, and each time he called her that, Zack’s heart raced.

“By the way, Aerith,” Zack said seriously, “Have you heard about King Valvados?”

“I heard he’s been spotted around Midgar,” Aerith said, “I was told just before you came. What do you think he’s doing around here?”

“I don’t know,” Zack said, “He’s probably hungry again. Though don’t you worry, Aerith… I’ll protect you with my life!”

“You promise?” Aerith asked.

“Promise!” Zack said. Over the horizon, the sun could be seen starting to set, and Zack let Aerith lean into his arms, and soon she started to rest. Zack smiled at her softly and then looked to Cupid who sniffed and then barked.

“Wait right here, Aerith,” Zack said, “I’ve realised that I left my gift somewhere in the palace. I’ll ask a servant to get it for you. You wait here, Cupid.”

Cupid barked confirmation as he watched Zack run back into the castle. There he asked one of the female servants to get his gift for her from the foyer whilst he’d greeted some of his guests, and with her word, she was off. During this time, Zack arrived in the ballroom which was right next to the gardens. There he had a small glass of punch, flavoured with pineapple juice and ginger ale, and filled with raspberries. This was a combination that Zack recognised, it was the same combination he and Aerith had at parties as children. A touching tribute, he thought.

As soon as the servant gave Zack the gift, Zack could hear barking. When Zack looked down, he saw Cupid run towards him, as he barked and somewhat whimpered, scratching the prince’s leg, with his tail behind his legs.

“What’s wrong, Cupid?” Zack asked.

It was then that Zack heard a quiet, low, roar. Cupid beckoned Zack to follow him, and he ran off with Zack following behind. Zack grabbed his sword behind his back as he ran with Cupid out to the garden.

There he saw Aerith holding up her sceptre in front of a large green dragon. After failing a spell, Aerith panicked, as the dragon prepared to perform an attack of its own. This caused Zack to heroically stepped in front of the dragon, pointing his sword toward him.

“Valvados!” Zack said, “What are you doing here?”

“Why if it isn’t Prince Zackary the fair,” the dragon said, “as you know, I get awfully peckish during winter, and though I’ve managed to sustain myself quite a while, I’ve gotten bored of the selection and decided to try something I haven’t tried in a while. The flesh of a human!”

“Zack!” Aerith said, holding her sceptre up. With it, she performed a spell, causing a light blue barrier to surround Zack’s body and another spell that caused a small sphere to glow around him before fading.

“Thank you, Aerith!” Zack said, “Oh, and here,”

Zack came to Aerith’s side, passing Cupid to her, and she smiled. Zack then proceeded to face Valvados, covering Aerith. With a single spur, Zack charged at Valvados, stabbing him, but the dragon did not fall. Valvados attempted to swipe Zack with his tail but the prince dodged, jumping off of the dragon’s chest, and freeing his blade.

“Foolish human,” Valvados said, “strength alone cannot defeat me. You can never defeat me!”

“Valvados, I know your weakness!” A man’s voice yelled from behind. From the entrance, Zack took sight of the captain of the guards, standing proudly by the doors.

“Prince Zack, the dragon king's weakness!” The captain said, “The dragon king’s weakness is the power of true love. I only just discovered it today!”

Zack turned around to face Aerith, closing his distance from her. He put one hand up to caress her cheek softly, and leaning in, Zack proceeded to kiss her lips. At that moment, Zack felt as though he’d done something right. Aerith kissed him back, and his mind was filled with a sort of happiness before he ended the kiss.

Valvados fell back in response, shouting: “Curses, the power of love! Argh!”

Zack took the opportunity to use his sword, stabbing Valvados in the shoulder, and the dragon let out a deathly scream, as he breathed fire in the air and fell, dying. Valvados materialised into a skull, as all dragons did in this world. Zack panted as he returned his sword to his scabbard, and picked the skull up. Looking behind him, he saw that Ifalna and Gast joined the view, and smiled.

“Zack, I don’t believe it,” Ifalna said, “You defeated King Valvados. And with the power of true love. Shall we leave you a moment?”

Zack gave the monarchs the skull of Valvados, prompting Gast and Ifalna to leave, along with the captain. He then turned back to Aerith who put down an excited Cupid, and Zack held her in an embrace.

“Zack, you were so brave!” Aerith said, “I love you!”

“Aerith, there’s been a gift I’ve been meaning to give you,” Zack said. With this, Zack pulled out something from his pocket and then continued by saying, “Aerith, I’ve loved you ever since I was a child, though up until recently, I didn’t know it. You were always so kind, so loving, and so gentle. When I saw this for the first time, I knew this would be the day I would ask you this.” Zack then knelt down, causing Aerith’s heart to race, “Aerith, without you, my world would never be complete. My princess, will you marry me?”

Zack showed Aerith a silver ring with the gem in the shape of a forget-met-not, coloured in amethysts, and centred with a golden topaz surrounded by small diamonds. Aerith smiled and nearly cried as she shouted in a high-pitched voice, ‘yes!’

In an instant, Zack put his arms around the princess, raising her up into the air and spun her around, as they laughed and laughed, whilst Cupid happily circled them. They then sat on the bench where Zack put the ring on Aerith’s finger, and once again kissed her lips. Zack picked Aerith up effortlessly, with one hand under her knees and the other behind her back, as they walked into the palace, whilst Cupid barked excitedly.

“I love you, Aerith!” Zack said on the way.

“Me too, Zack,” Aerith said, “I can’t wait to get married!”

“Where would you like to live?” Zack asked, “I can take you wherever you want! Just say the word and it’s ours!”

“The meadow!” Aerith said, “Oh, Zack, I wish I could marry you right now!”

“Haha,” Zack said, “you will get the meadow. For now, how about we have ourselves a dance?”

Aerith gave Zack a squeeze and another kiss as he now made his way inside the castle, and then to the threshold of the ballroom. There the audience turned to the couple who in their minds was the perfect image of love. As Zack put Aerith down, he and Aerith began to speak.

“Our good people,” Zack began.

“We are proud to announce,” Aerith continued.

“Our engagement!” they said in unison. With this, the entire crowd went wild, clapping, cheering and whistling. The two were congratulated by everyone, especially their parents who went up to give them hugs and kisses.

After the onslaught of praise, Zack and Aerith began to dance, joined by Cupid. They were the stars of the show, dancing in the middle amidst the entire crowd. Soon, King Gast joined in, dancing with Ifalna, and Zack’s parents also joined. For the next dance, Zack and Aerith split off to dance with their own parents, whilst Ifalna danced with Zack’s father.

“Aerith,” Gast whispered, “Aerith, darling about that dress… Your mother got you and Zack those garments for your wedding. We’d helped pick out those costumes, and the king and queen of Gongaga helped pick out the ring, whilst Zack bought it. He also lectured Zack on how to propose.”

“Father, it was a beautiful proposal,” Aerith said, “How did you know we were in love?”

“Darling, we all knew,” Gast said, “we could tell by the way you behaved towards each other. You blushed a lot around Zack, did you know?”

“Did I?” Aerith asked. Gast only laughed as father and daughter continued to dance. She then found herself dancing with her father-in-law-to-be, whilst Zack danced with her mother. The music felt enchanting enough to dance with anyone, as Aerith conversed with the king about her wedding plans.

“Princess, I’ve always felt you were a good match for my son,” the king said, “We shall help you plan it. Alright, I’ve been hiding something. I’ve been planning this for many months. The time, the place, and the reception. You’re expected to be married next week!”

“Next week?” Aerith said, “That soon? Why that’s perfect timing! After all, you know what time of year that will be!”

“The season of love,” the king said, “I’ll leave you now with your fiancé to discuss this.”

The king surrendered Aerith to Zack who took her in a faster dance and whispered the plans along with sweet nothings into one another's ears. Zack kissed Aerith on the cheek, which stifled a small giggle out of her, so Zack did it to her other cheek, which released the same reaction.

The couple wished this could last forever but as the night came to a close, Zack and Aerith parted ways, but not without a kiss and a promise, a promise to visit one another every day after and for Zack to protect her no matter what, and that the skull of Valvados would be mounted on their wall.

As Aerith went to her room, she lay on her bed where Cupid joined her, as the princess observed her ring. She and Zack would surely be together forever, she thought. That night, she had the most wonderful dream where Zack carried her away in his arms as he approached his chocobo. Aerith was happier than ever before and laughed in Zack’s arms, whilst she reminisced about their past together.

That morning, Aerith awoke content, as she prepared herself to meet with Zack. Every day they did something different together. This day, it was a walk around the most extravagant gardens, another day, it was at the ice rink, and another, it was chocobo riding around the kingdom, all of which she’d happily dreamt of.

The wedding then came, and Aerith wore the same dress she’d worn to her birthday, as did Zack. The couple took their positions at the church after Gast had given her away to Zack, who held his sword in hand, whilst Aerith received her sceptre, a tradition in Midgarian marriage ceremonies. The couple spoke their vows, gave their rings and after a short amount of time, the minister spoke the words Aerith and Zack had been waiting for.

“I now pronounce you, man and wife, you may kiss.”

The entire crowd cheered as Zack and Aerith leaned in to kiss one another lovingly, and as they walked down the aisle hand in hand, they waved to many familiar faces, with flowers and wheat of plenty thrown towards them.

Outside, Zack and Aerith were greeted by a chocobo, who came with a cloak for Aerith. The couple got on together and Zack put the cloak around his new bride, giving her yet another kiss. As the chocobo rode away, Zack and Aerith cherished each other's presence, knowing that they’d one day be king and queen of a United Kingdom, in a castle in the meadow. And they lived happily ever after…

The end.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43740586

#fanfic #Zack Fair #Aerith Gainsborough #Royalty AU #Ever Crisis outfits #Merry Christmas

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

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Present for Daddy

After Cloud and Tifa left from dropping Marlene off at Barret's place in Corel, Marlene became excited as she rushed to the door, giving it the fastest knock she'd ever given. The door opened and from it, came none other than the man whom Marlene loved more than anyone else, her adoptive father, Barret Wallace. As soon as he saw her, the amputee gave a big smile as he picked Marlene up and onto his shoulder.

"Marlene! How are you doing, my beautiful little angel?" Barret asked his daughter.

"Daddy!" Marlene said, "Cloud and Tifa helped me make this flower crown for you. I hope you like it!"

Barret leaned down to let his daughter off his shoulder. From behind the little girl's back, Marlene showed her father a flower crown, made from the most fragrant of daisies. As soon as he saw the crown, Barret's eyes lit up, as he gave her a pat on the head.

"Marlene, for me?" Barret asked.

Marlene nodded, "Happy Birthday, Daddy. Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Barret asked, "Oh no, Marlene, I don't like it... I LOVE IT!"

Marlene laughed happily as she put the flower crown on top of her father's head.

"Why don't you give Daddy a hug?" Barret asked happily, "After all, there ain't no better birthday present than a hug from Daddy's little angel."

Immediately, Marlene jumped into Barret's arms, giving him a tight squeeze which was returned by her father. Though he was a big man, Barret always gave his adoptive daughter the gentlest of hugs. In his arms, Marlene felt warm and safe, as she always did around him.

"I love you, Daddy," Marlene said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too, sweetie," Barret replied and with a kiss of his own. He stood up with her and once again, put her on his shoulder. "Get ready Marlene, 'cause Daddy's gonna take you to the Golden Saucer!"

Marlene let out an excited shout as Barret walked out the door with her on his shoulder, humming the Golden Saucer song.

AO3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/43631709

#barret wallace #marlene wallace #fanfic #Happy Birthday Barret #short and sweet #Marlene loves you #Final Fantasy VII

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

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If Cloud’s Love Interest is Supposed to be Ambiguous, then why...

Does only one of them die?

Is there only one ending?

Does he have confirmed feelings for only one of them?

Can’t you choose who he grew up with?

Does he call Tifa beautiful instead of the drink?

Does he hug her so tight it hurts?

Is he so rude to Aerith?

Is he so loving to Tifa?

Look at Tifa with loving eyes?

Look at Aerith with disinterested eyes?

Does he try to distance himself from Aerith?

Does he feel so comfortable with Tifa touching him?

Does he trust Tifa so much that he let’s her look into his subconcious?

Do they end up sleeping next to each other regardless of which HW scene you get?

Is Tifa embarrased the next morning regardless?

Why do they never tell anyone about their promise?

Why is Tifa Cloud’s “secret sealed up wish”?

Does he end up living with Tifa and not just seeing her?

Is it implied that he and Tifa share a room in ‘On the Way to a Smile’?

Does he Tell Evan and Kyrie that they’re just like them, without bloodties?

Does Aerith end up with Zack in the lifestream?

Does the ending of Advent Children have Zerith symbolism?

Does he smile at Tifa’s sugestive face at the end of Advent Children?

Does he save Aerith from danger but protect Tifa from danger?

Does he distance himself from Aerith when she’s alive?

Did he try to join SOLDIER to impress Tifa?

Do ultimanias comfirm that Cloud and Tifa confessed their feelings?

Do ultimanias describe Tifa as a mother to her and Cloud’s family?

Does Tifa where a ring with Cloud’s family symbol?

Is Tifa considered a mother and a ‘koibito’ (lover/sweetheart)?

Does Cloud only open his heart to Tifa?

Do ultimanias say that Cloud liked Tifa romantically as a kid?

Does he promise to be Tifa’s knight in shining armour?

Is Tifa Cloud’s light and never Aerith?

Is Final Fantasy VII praised for it’s phenomonal storytelling?

Would Cloud lay down his life for Tifa but not Aerith?

Is there literally an interview in which Tetsuya Nomura specifically states that no matter how you play, Tifa is always endgame?

Because the truth is, it was never supposed to be ambiguous. There is plenty of in-game and ultimania evidence to support that Cloud loves Tifa, and that he clearly doesn’t love Aerith. These people (whom I will call ambies) clearly don’t understand that this is a red herring in the game, and if it were supposed to be a chose-your-own-adventure game, it would be the worst of its kind. Another way in which it isn’t a CYOA game is that you can’t make Cloud an evil murder or a theif, this isn’t The Elder Scrolls. Cloud’s love interest is Tifa and there’s no evidence saying that it isn’t.

#cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #aerith gainsborough #ship war #for the fandom #for common sense #Final Fantasy VII isn't a choose-your-own-adventure game #for the plot #for good literature

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

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As Time Goes By

Tifa waited outside the small house in the countryside, waiting patiently, as the afternoon approached. Now seventy-three, Tifa Strife was retired and owned a farm alongside her husband of fifty years, Cloud Strife whom she still loved as much as the night the two made their promise, a promise that first bound them on almost the same day sixty years ago. Though the two had left Edge to retire, Seventh Heaven and Strife Delivery Service were still running under Marlene and Denzel who often came to visit them.

As years passed, Tifa’s hair started to change colour, to a pretty shade of grey. It was tied in a loose braid, and other signs of age started to show. Though she’d not quite been as good, Tifa was still a martial arts expert, even after a pregnancy in her thirties, and as death started to catch up.

The house the couple lived in was built in the area where they first confessed their mutual feelings to one another, the night before the impending battle against Sephiroth in the Northern Crater more than fifty years earlier. Down the path leading up to the house was the farm filled with crops and animals which the couple treated humanely as possible, though for meat, Cloud generally preferred to go out hunting.

Over the planes, Tifa saw a man on a chocobo, carrying something with him. When she saw his face clearly, Tifa smiled as she stood up. The man who came up to her was her beloved husband, Cloud Strife, aged seventy-four and still dashingly handsome, even with his aged face as he dismounted his chocobo and made his way up to Tifa. His hair was tied in a ponytail the same way he had it when he was a child, and he started to grow a full medium-length beard which Cloud claimed made him look more like a farmer, and his eyes still glowed from his exposure to mako, and always would.

“Cloud!” Tifa said as excitedly as she always did.

“Hello, Tifa,” Cloud said, “I brought you something,”

Cloud and Tifa gave one another a hug that was as tight as the ones they always had during their marriage. When the hug ended, Cloud took Tifa’s hand in his and opened it to reveal an old locket in the shape of a heart. Within it was a picture of their wedding day as the couple held each other’s hands and gazed into one another’s eyes. On the other side, there was an inscription reading: I promise, a phrase that had many meanings for Cloud and Tifa over many years.

“Cloud, you found it!” Tifa said happily, "Where was it?"

"I found it in the shed," Cloud said, "It was in the a one of my tool boxes, funnily enough. I knew you'd be thankful when I found it,"

"Oh Cloud, thank you," Tifa said.

Tifa picked the locket up and put it around her neck, afterwards slowly giving Cloud a kiss on the lips. Cloud kissed back and held Tifa in his arms for longer this time. Even after years of marriage, the couple never got tired of these loving gestures with no words needed to express their love for one another, only the comfort of their presence.

Inside the house, Cloud found that some chunky potato soup was waiting for him in the cooking pot, made from vegetables from their own farm. With the ladle, Tifa poured a bowl for Cloud and he looked down at the contents, containing some vegetables and strips of chicken. With this, he sat down at the table with a piece of bread by his side as he waited for Tifa to sit down in front of him.

Tifa’s cooking always brought happiness to Cloud, and after his retirement, she’d started to teach him to cook himself. Though he’d struggled at first, he got better with time, with Tifa’s approval going up each time, making Cloud proud of himself. Tifa’s cooking though would always have a special place in his heart, being from the woman he loved more than life itself, the woman he would lay down his life for.

When Cloud ingested his soup, he felt at peace with its warmth and taste so much like home, with Tifa and the farm. As he dipped his bread, he thought of his and Tifa’s family, both biological and adoptive, some with children of their own. Tifa though was the woman who gave Cloud the most comfort, and they always supported one another, even if none was needed.

After lunch, Cloud and Tifa went to sit on the couch where their cat Bell slept. Bell was a beautiful white cat who loved to sleep, and meowed a lot, especially in Tifa’s presence. Tifa had been given the cat by Cloud accompanied by Barret who was, amazingly enough, still alive and healthy at eighty-eight years of age, and was now living a quiet life in Kalm. He’d told Tifa he found the cat whilst walking with Cloud in Kalm, wandering the streets without an owner, so Cloud told Barret he and Tifa could take care of her.

Tifa picked Bell up, waking her and she meowed. Soon, however, she settled, and as Tifa started stroking her, she was purring. Both her purr and meow were beautiful and reminded Tifa of Maru, her first cat who was of the same shade. Tifa had an attachment to the cat, one which Cloud understood as he too had taken a liking to her and would often feed and pat her himself.

Cloud then picked up a book that had been marked near the end and started to read to Tifa. Though he was not known to be very talkative, Cloud had a soothing reading voice, as he told of a tale of a sailor lost at sea with no way home except the northern star, but no matter how much he sailed, he never reached the shore, until one day he saw the golden coast of the beach, and the sailor was so relieved, he jumped off his boat and swam towards the shore. It was there that he had met once again with his true love, a beautiful woman, a head shorter than the sailor, and she cried and cried until her eyes were dry, and the sailor held her tight, tighter than he ever had before, and told her, he would never let her go again, and they without another word, they kissed. Tifa leaned down on Cloud's shoulder as he read, and when the protagonist reunited with the heroine, she let out a sigh of relief, as the two reminded Tifa of a man and a woman she once knew, but never as a couple, and were long dead. Even the descriptions sounded much like them.

After Cloud finished reading, a knock was heard on the door.

"I wonder who that could be," Tifa said, as she and Cloud got up.

Behind it was Denzel, now aged sixty and dressed in a leather jacket reading 'Strife Delivery Service'. He’d grown a stubble, but his hair was the same wavy hair he had as a child, without a strand of white in it but he had visible wrinkles lining his face.

“Denzel!” Tifa said, “What do you have for us today?”

“Hello, Cloud, Hello, Tifa,” Denzel said, “I’ve got you both something I think you’ll like.” He passed a small box to Cloud and Tifa and when opened, the couple found an old photo of themselves, taken during their honeymoon at Costa Del Sol, in which Cloud held Tifa in his arms, as she sat on his lap, and with her, smiled at the camera.

“Denzel, where did you find this?” Cloud asked.

“In the bar’s storage room,” Denzel said, “It was well buried – no wonder you never found it. In fact, I found it completely by accident and decided to give it to you whilst I was working. I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay, I’ll have to be going right away,”

“Thank you, Denzel,” Tifa said, “and how’s Marlene?”

“Marlene has been slowing down as of late,” Denzel said, “but she’s confident she can hand the business down to Cole once she retires.”

“I see,” Tifa said, “This is the second lost item that was found today. Thank you for visiting, Denzel.”

With this, Denzel hugged his adoptive parents before he left, the sound of the Fenrir roaring into the distance. Later, Cloud and Tifa left the house, walking down the dirt road to the farm. They were followed by their farm’s chocobo, Koko, who helped to carry crops up the way to their house as well as working as an alternative to the Fenrir now owned by Denzel, which Cloud knew would scare the animals with its loud engine, whereas a chocobo only had it's chirps and talons that made sound.

The farm contained a field of wheat as well as some vegetables and fruits some in full bloom with others approching. The two were often visited by their son, Sky who had often come to the farm for assistance. Sky was a handsome man in his forties with Cloud’s spiky hair and Tifa’s shade, and he wore a smile on his face all the time, especially when they came to greet each other, having admired each other in every way possible, and his eyes were blue like the ones that Tifa remembered Cloud having when he was young, hence the name Sky.

“Hi Mum, hi Dad,” Sky said to them as they crossed paths, “You both look to be doing well. Do you suppose I could join you for dinner tonight?”

“You’re always welcome, Sky,” Cloud said.

“Very well then, I’ll see you tonight,” Sky said, “take care!”

With this, Sky went back to working, killing weeds and harvesting plants. Crops that Cloud and Tifa included in their farm were ten different types of greens to feed their chocobos, as well as the same number of nuts when it was tiem to breed them which held the purpose of providing chocobos for the population of Gaia as well as a comfort animal for Cloud who had a natural affinity to the birds, as they become attached to him automatically, as they did for Sky as well.

In the field, Cloud took Tifa’s hand and walked with her, observing crops that weren’t quite ready for harvest, with others seemed to be getting along well. Though Cloud had once been one who never knew the names of vegetables, he’d since learned after being taught by Tifa during his days as a courier, and now in his old age, he’d known more than he could name.

“These radishes look like they could be ready for harvest soon,” Cloud said, “These gysahl greens are looking well too. The chocobos will be happy,”

As Tifa had attempted to crouch down to observe, however, she heard the cry of an animal. When she and Cloud turned around, they saw a baby chocobo with its foot stuck in the fence and being threatened by monsters.

Cloud rushed to the chocobo’s aid, which in turn, scared off the monsters with his speed which was just like that of his twenty-one-year-old self. By the time Cloud reached it, the baby chocobo seemed to have calmed down, and he observed the stuck leg.

“There now,” Cloud said, “let’s take a look at that leg.”

The chocobo did not attempt to struggle when Cloud held it and successfully freed its leg from the fence. When Cloud took a closer look, he could see only a braise and mild breeding on the leg, which was otherwise in very good condition, as it didn’t struggle to stand and curled up to Cloud with a loving sound. Further, inspection confirmed that the chocobo was a girl.

“Aw Cloud, it looks like you made a new friend,” Tifa said, as she went to pat the chocobo.

“I think I have,” Cloud said, “I think she wants me to fix her leg.”

Cloud and Tifa travelled to the shed where they found a bandage and wrapped it around the chocobo’s leg and afterwards housed her in the stable alongside the other chocobos, and one set in particular cuddled her, perhaps her parents, Cloud thought.

After dusk, Cloud and Tifa went back home and had dinner with Sky, who informed the couple that the cattle had been doing just fine with no more indigestion, as had the chickens and sheep. Knowing the couple liked their privacy though, Sky didn’t say long, and left not long after he’d finished Tifa’s soup which he expressed great pleasure in, as he always did with his mother’s cooking, and returned to his wife and seven-year-old son.

When Midnight came, Cloud and Tifa sat outside, sitting on the same rock they sat over fifty years ago. There they gazed up at the stars and reminisced about that day. Unlike in the city of Edge where there was much light pollution, there were many stars visible on the curtain of night where Cloud and Tifa now lived, as much as there were in Nibelheim.

“It’s been sixty years,” Tifa said, “Do you remember, Cloud?”

“That night on the water tower...” Cloud said, “I could never forget. You were thirteen, I was fourteen. I told you I was going to Midgar to become a SOLDIER. I said I wanted to be like Sephiroth... I promised that if you were ever in trouble, I would come to save you,”

“And you always did,” Tifa said, “even if it hadn’t been the way I’d imagined all those years ago, and although I could save myself. You were always there Cloud, thank you,”

“I always will be, Tifa,” Cloud said, “No matter how old you or I get, I will never forget our promise. I love you, Tifa,”

With this, Cloud gave Tifa a kiss, a mild yet loving kiss, as they often were, and Tifa could only kiss back. Cloud’s arms curled around his wife’s back and Tifa did the same. No matter what, Cloud would be Tifa’s hero, even if all was lost and they were the only two people left on Gaia, Cloud would protect Tifa, forever.

Tifa rested on her husband’s shoulder, and Cloud held her closer. Gently, he picked her up as though they’d just gotten married and carried her into their house and up to their bedroom on the second floor of the house where they went to sleep without changing clothes, and Bell jumped up to sleep with them as she did every night. Tifa still felt light in Cloud's arms, and due to the JENOVA cells in his veins, he was still strong even though his age started to show, and so was Tifa.

Cloud lay down next to her, holding her close as if she were going to disappear the next day, knowing their bond was without strings, and even when she or he died, Cloud would continue to love and cherish her in his heart. They hadn’t pulled over the blanket when they were sleeping, but when they woke up, they woke up happy and comfortable, and just like every morning, they gave a kiss when they woke up, and walked down into the golden field of wheat hand and hand. If there was anything Cloud knew for certain, it was that he would love her.

For eternity and beyond...

AO3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/43235650

#cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #fanfic

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

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Rosa’s Nightmare

The night was long, as Queen Rosa lay on her throne, awaiting her husband, King Cecil, who had left on official business to Mysidia that week. He was announced to be coming home soon, and Rosa could hardly wait. However, her nights without him were troubled. Within her first sleep that week, Rosa was visited by an unseen enemy, with no one to protect her. That night she dreamt of a horrible cataclysm befalling the blue planet, as threats in the form of armoured monsters raided the kingdom of Baron, burning houses and slaughtering civilians, including Rosa’s own mother.

The fiends then chased after the unarmed Rosa, who rushed to the castle seeking Cecil’s comfort. Bravely, the king raised his sword of truth and fought off the monsters who invaded his kingdom, whilst Rosa used her white magic to protect him. Cecil could only hold the monsters off for so long, however, as soon the leader came through the door. He was a giant of a man dressed in dark armour, and a cold laugh as he approached Cecil, sword in hand. When Rosa looked up, she had a great shock to see, it was Golbez, reversed to his former corrupt mind, as he faced the king.

With a brief laugh he said to Cecil, “So, Baron has a successor. And who is it but the brave Cecil Harvey, who was once a dark knight? I’m guessing that would mean that…” Golbez paused briefly as he looked over to Rosa who tried to breathe calmly, before continuing, “Yes… So, the beautiful Rosa is your Queen, just as I thought. Now tell me, Cecil, what would you do for your wife? How would it make you feel if I did this to her!”

But as Golbez raised his weapon to threaten Rosa, Cecil cut in. “Don’t you hurt her!” He yelled, “Golbez, just tell me what you want, and stop it!”

Golbez lowered his sword and turned to the king, saying, “Cecil, all I want is the crown of Baron, nothing more… Do this and your wife shall be spared. What say you?”

Cecil looked to Rosa, then to his throne in silence. The last thing Rosa could recall was the shocking sight of her husband dropping his sword in submission, the sound of metal clinking on the ground, and a tear formed in Rosa’s eye. When she awoke, it was already morning, and Cecil of course was nowhere to be seen in their bedroom. Rosa wept from her solitude and quietly pleaded, “Cecil, oh Cecil please come back! I need you…”

She remained in bed for half the morning, as though in waiting for her husband, but no matter how long or how patiently she waited, he didn’t come, so Rosa made the effort to leave herself. She was given the news that Cecil was doing just fine on his business trip, which gave Rosa some relief, though none that would be long-lived. That night again she had the dream, though this time, Golbez threatened Cecil himself. She woke up earlier that morning and wasted no time in getting out of bed, away from the source of her nightmares.

Every night, Rosa had the same dream, and each night it got worse. One night, it was particularly horrible, in which Cecil had refused, and it had been in vain. Golbez snatched the king’s throat and killed him in right in front of Rosa’s eyes. The Queen woke up in horror and saw the sun was still asleep. It was almost as though the nightmare had come true. There was still no Cecil to comfort her, and now Rosa could sleep no more, and the temptation became greater, to send Cecil a letter, begging him to come back. It was either that or to go to Mysidia herself, she thought, how she longed to be back in his arms.

She sat in a chair by the table, and with a quill in her hand, she tried to think of what to write. The words didn’t come easily to her, as she attempted many openings, such as Dear Cecil, I’m in grave danger, or Dear Cecil, I’m being haunted! of which one wasn’t true, and the other was only half true. She tried to think and wrote: Dear Cecil, please save me, I’ve been having an awful dream lately and now I’m afraid to fall asleep. I need you by my side to be certain that you are unharmed. Sincerely, Rosa.

Although it sounded as though she were being overly dependent on him, Rosa knew it was the best she could do and addressed it to her husband in Mysidia. The letter was taken by a carrier pigeon, the most trusted in all of Baron, who never failed to send a letter. Said pigeon flew from the window at high speeds into the horizon, whilst Rosa watched. She didn’t return to bed that morning and made her way down into the main hall of the castle, where she would wait for news of Cecil.

All day she waited for his reply in any way, shape or form, to be back in Cecil’s arms, safe and sound, but Mysidia was nowhere near Baron enough to get a reply straight away. All Rosa did that day was have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all alone, as she sat on her throne, but in vain. Eventually, her fatigue overtook her, placing her into a half-sleeping state, one which Rosa could not fight back but tried. Fatigue had restrained her and brought her into the place she dreaded most at that very time, and soon, her mind too began to sink into the dreaded state of unconsciousness.

The last thing she remembered before she entered her dream was the feeling of a pair of arms curling around and under her body, and being lifted, as though to take her away. Rosa thought nothing of it and submitted to the force of fatigue pulling her away from reality.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Mysidia, King Cecil received word from a carrier pigeon that Rosa was in distress. As he read her words, his lips started to tremble, and the king began to deliberate. He then turned to Cid and told him, “Cid, we need to go, now! Rosa needs me!”

“Needs you? Your majesty, what’s wrong?” Cid asked, “What about your business in Mysidia?”

“They can handle the rest,” Cecil said, “For now, Rosa needs me.”

“Understood!” Cid said. The two made their way to the airship, where Cid quickly started up the engine and flew towards the castle. There, Cecil gave Cid the details and showed the letter as proof of his claim.

“So, a nightmare, is it?” Cid said, “I wonder what it could be about. Why don’t you go ask her when you come home?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Cecil said, “And in due time I shall. Onward!” The ship continued its assault in the direction of Baron throughout the day, even as the moon sunk into the horizon. By the late hours of the evening, Cecil made his way into the throne room where he found Rosa asleep. Slowly he approached her, so as not to scare her, and put one arm around her back and the other under her knees.

Carefully, Cecil lifted her up and walked up to their bedroom. Along the way, Cecil made comforting gestures towards Rosa, such as rubbing her when she shuddered or holding her closer when she whimpered, also prompting a ‘shush’ from Cecil’s lips, as he told her, “We can talk about it in the morning if you’d like.”

At last, when the couple made it to the bedroom, Cecil pulled out the blanket and laid Rosa down. He then leaned down to take off her shoes and lifted the duvet over her body. Cecil then turned to change, but in the middle of this, he heard a violent cry and turned to see Rosa violently tossing and turning in fear.

“Cecil, please, don’t die!” She cried, followed by a shriek. Cecil rushed over to her side immediately and held her in his arms. Soon she woke up and shouted, “No, don’t hurt me!” but when she properly regained consciousness, Rosa saw her husband without his shirt on, and tugged him in her arms.

“Oh, Cecil!” she said in heightened adrenaline, “Cecil, is it really you? Am I still dreaming? Did I wake you up?”

“Rosa, I came as soon as I received your message,” Cecil told her, “Don’t worry, my love, I’m here now, you’ve nothing to fear. What happened? What did you dream about?”

“Oh, Cecil!” Rosa repeated, “It was awful… Baron… Baron was on fire, and soldiers were burning down the village. They killed people, even my mother, and the leader was… It was Golbez. He came into the throne room, seeking the throne from you in exchange for…”

“In exchange for what?” Cecil asked, calmly.

“In exchange for my life; my safety…” Rosa said, “The first night, you only dropped your sword, but over time, it got worse. Tonight, you were murdered, and Golbez’s minions then knocked me unconscious. Cecil, I’m scared, that if I go back to sleep, the nightmare will come back.”

From this, Cecil gave Rosa’s lips a kiss, “There now,” he said, “Rosa, you needn’t worry anymore. I’m still here, and Golbez won’t harm us.” Cecil paused, as he laid down beside her, and took her hands in his, continuing, “I’ll protect you… I promise.”

Cecil kissed Rosa’s lips again, and told her, “I love you, Rosa.”

“I love you too, Cecil,” Rosa said. Cecil held Rosa close to him, as she fell asleep on his shoulder. Soon, he too closed his eyes and told her, “You can come with me on my business trips if you’d like.” Though he didn’t know if she could hear him.

That night, the same dream came back, but with a different outcome. Cecil had detected the invasion and prepared his troops. Not even Golbez could penetrate Cecil’s armour, as he took him down with ease, and the kingdom of Baron was saved, with both the king and the queen remained unharmed.

The morning came and Cecil still held her securely. Rosa leaned into him and kissed his lips, saying, “It worked. Thank you, Cecil.”

When Cecil woke up, Rosa gave him the details, from which he told her that he was glad to be able to help. And Rosa would go with him on every trip of his since.

AO3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/40318713

#finalfantasyiv #fanfic #cerosa #cecil harvey #rosa joanna farrell #Poor Rosa

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