Bodyguard AU, but it's Tifa for Cloud
Cloud is a quiet, grumpy, lanky organist with great talent and a deep obsession/love for his instrument.
Sephiroth is a former prodigy at the same instrument who went coocoo for Coco puffs due to his father/coach, the hooj, and has started to send Cloud creepy letters and flowers. He claims he was born from an organ (pun fully intended) named Jenova. Guy is cracked.
Cloud's good friend (and crush) Zack begs him to hire a bodyguard, and he digs his heels until Zack brings Tifa to meet him. She's a professional bodyguard with her girlfriend Aerith, and he reluctantly agrees because he knows her and she knows him and pushes all the right buttons to get him to agree.
Cloud: I'm just an organist, I don't need a bodyguard.
Tifa: the police have been helpful with your stalker?
Cloud: ...no, but-
Tifa: And the stalker would never escalate, I'm sure.
Cloud: ...
Zack: He started sending chocolates recently.
Tifa: So you and the people you love are gonna be totally fine, right?
Cloud: *squirm*
Tifa: And the walk from the church to your home is all on busy streets at the time you go?
Cloud: *SQUIRM*
Tifa: Maybe I can come over like just a sleepover. Catch up and be bros for a while, yeah? Or you can stay with me and Aerith for a bit, until this cools down. I'm sure Claudia would like that.
Cloud: ....Kay. But Zack needs protection too.
Tifa: Can do.
BEE-FA, BEE-FA, BEE-FA!
Buff Tifa.
Cloud is still stubborn and dumb, and finds himself rejecting her help one night and saying he's fine, then storming off to his apartment down some back alleys. Then he hears footsteps.
Cloud: *dials*
Tifa: Hello? Cloud?
Cloud, strained: Hey, uh, I, um, might have been wrong earlier. Sorry.
Tifa: Something's wrong. Can you talk?
Cloud: A little.
Tifa: I'm coming, are you about at Main and 5th?
Cloud: Close, yeah.
Tifa guides him over the phone to a well-lit area with cameras while she catches up, making a lot of noise to scare off Sephiroth. It works and she gets to Cloud.
Cloud, high-pitched: Hey!
Tifa: He's gone, I scared him off. It was him, he dropped a paper swan without a note on it. You ok? *Checks him over*
Cloud: Not hurt. Sorry. Sorry for yelling. I was wrong. Sorry.
Tifa: Shh, Cloud, you're in a bit of shock, you're shaking. Come on, let's get home. I texted the group, he'll be there, ok? Here, you left your jacket, put it on. You're ok, I'm ok, deep breaths.
Cloud shakily obeys and lets her take his arm, leaning on her a little and shaking while she makes it look like they're just walking normally.
The police (Turks?) finally take it seriously when one of the paper swan notes burns Cloud's hand before a big recital. Cloud performs anyway, but in agony, and Zack is so worried and is waiting in the wings to catch him when he stumbles, which he does.
Tifa's not amused by Cloud, but she respects his choices and hauls his butt to medical with Zack.
Eventually, they run into Angeal and Genesis, who are looking for their friend who they lost touch with when Genesis got cancer while Sephiroth was going through some shit. This escalates Seph again, and he breaks into Cloud's apartment while he's not there, leaving scary messages.
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