Cloud Strife

The Last Five Years

Zack and Riley’s bedtime routine involved a bunch of hugs, an attack from the kissy monster, at least four variations of the words ‘I love you,’ and a quiet lullaby sung together. Then Zack grabbed a pair of sweats and a tank top to change into and rejoined Cloud in the hallway. A nightlight was turned on in the bedroom, so he closed the door.

He shrugged slightly, giving Cloud a small smile. “He likes dogs,” he replied, shrugging. “Wants one real bad. We don’t really have room, though, and everyone is so busy.” Except Marc, but Zack didn’t trust Marc to remember to take a dog for a walk every day.

“Come on, let’s go out into the living room,” he said, pushing Cloud toward the indicated area. He had already taken off his boots by the door and his sword and harness were safely stored in the closet. Considering he had nothing really to hide and that Cloud had seen him in the nude plenty of times, he decided to change right there instead of trying to do so in the tiny bathroom. The most anyone would see were his boxers anyway.

His body had definitely changed since the last Cloud had seen him, though. His chest was the same, though the old surgical scars had faded some, but his stomach wasn’t quite as flat as it once had been. It was still hard as a rock with muscle, but not everything went back exactly. It was also marred with the remnants of stretch marks, though they had silvered with age and weren’t too noticeable.

Soon enough, he was in his lounging clothes, his work outfit tossed in a heap in the corner of the room to take care of later.

“You want something to eat or drink or anything?” he wondered, yawning a bit.

With the discussion of dogs, Cloud knew right then it would be a terrible idea to get one behind Zack’s back. He wouldn’t have done it anyway, that was a huge responsibility and he could barely take care of himself when it came down to it. He didn’t get the chance to say anything, there wasn’t much to say, and he followed Zack into the living room.

Seeing the other’s body so different had Cloud wondering if he changed somehow along with Zack. Something told him that he hadn’t done much but filled out in the shoulders, he certainly wasn’t as gangly as he had been. At the same time, he was struck by how beautiful Zack still was, it was akin to being in the presence of an angel.

“No, thanks, I’m fine.” He wanted to drink something but Cloud knew exactly what that was and that it was a terrible idea for him to get caught up in that nonsense again. He was trying to be something so that he could be a part of Riley’s and... maybe Zack’s lives, much in the same way that his father simply wasn’t.

Cloud stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away from Zack. There was so much that he wanted to say, to blurt out and beg for, but he kept silent. This place was the only one that could have ever felt like a safe haven but Cloud knew he would ruin that too. “Zack, I--”

Just as he was about to speak, Marc walked back in again, a distinct cloud of smoke hovering over his head as he walked by Cloud. It made the blond cough and turn his head away, the youngest Fair giving little heed to the noises as he walked on. When Marc’s door closed, he frowned and shook his head. “Nevermind. I’ll head to bed.” But he wouldn’t sleep, he rarely ever did and he wasn’t nearly exhausted enough to sleep right then.

#meteorshots #ic #5years

#ooc #if you want my main blog #just send me an ask #just a warning #i won't be handing it out to everyone

There were a lot of things that Elaine had expected from pregnancy. Excited planning, thinking up names, changes in food preferences, sleeplessness, even the morning sickness–she had expected all of that. Another thing she expected was Cloud admiring her body, the way her middle rounded and her breasts grew.

She just hadn’t expected this to happen when he was dying of a disease. His hands fluttered over her swollen belly, making her skin tingle, until they had to be covered by gloves. They shared longing looks but they both knew he didn’t have the strength and that there was still that risk that he could infect her and their unborn child. Their precious, long-awaited baby. Elaine had been tested to determine if she was infected but not showing signs; the doctor confirmed she was safe, but upon being told that it was possible the baby had been conceived after the father had been infected, she told them that there was a possibility it could develop it after birth. They just couldn’t know until that happened.

The geostigma still hadn’t made it to his face, yet, so they could still kiss. Each kiss they shared felt desperate, bittersweet, because they knew that their time was limited unless they had a miracle. Cloud whispered, “I love you,” to her womb often, as if he knew that he may never have the chance to say so in person.

As his strength weakened even further, he began saying, “I’m sorry,” too. It pained Elaine to hear him say it, but she knew him. She knew that he was starting to truly believe he wouldn’t live much longer, and that he was leaving their child fatherless. He could understand that pain more than she could, even though this time it wasn’t by choice.

“I love you, and I’m sorry.”

#;;keepsakes

This blog is taking an indefinite hiatus.

Do you like writing with new people all the time, or do you prefer to find new partners gradually?

Gradually. I want to try and get used to one or two at once and then slightly up the number depending on how well our characters match and mesh.

It’s difficult to find just the right people whose writing style and characters work well enough to continue doing multiple things. I suppose what I’m looking for is incredibly specific. It’s difficult to put into words.

I've noticed you write a lot of angst. What is it about angst that you like writing about?

Have you ever had the urge to break something apart just to see its insides? This is similar. When you break some one but find something primal in them, something that normally wouldn’t be found in day to day activities.

Some can say it’s a darker version of the person, others could even point out it’s a mutilated, twisted version. It’s all the same, it’s the inside of that character that isn’t touched upon somewhere else.

I want to break them to see what’s inside.

Do you like to be the one to write the starter or do you prefer it when other people do it? Or does it depend on the partner?

It really just depends. I prefer to write it if I’m the one asking but I don’t mind writing one for another person as long as they’re okay with me asking how they’d prefer for it to start. Taking little notes helps me to get the starter put together correctly.

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, do you change the music to suit the mood in the thread or do you just listen to whatever?

Whenever I get the chance to, yes. Any other time, I reread the post until the little asshole finally decides to give me something to write. When he does, I usually just need a small snippet to build a reply around so it doesn’t take very long at all.

The mood of the thread really does help too. Something with a story usually gets my attention faster than something that is just winging it or out of nowhere.

the-write-ideas

WRITER WEDNESDAY! Ask the writer questions about their muse(s) and their writing process!

#zack fair #pics #cloud just shivered a little at that look

Ⓦ

#meme

brittsmemes

Send me ♤ for my muses reaction to yours laying in bed with nothing but a rose in their mouth

#meme

10kiaoi

ManOrMonster

Having a SOLDIER come after you… What a terrifying notion. Zack’s nice enough, but a SOLDIER’s a SOLDIER. The fights they’re involved in are always absolutely brutal. Gaia help those who provoke a SOLDIER’s wrath.

Slowly Elaine got to her feet, approaching him carefully. “I’m sorry, it’s just… It wasn’t… what I expected.” She pointed at his thigh, frowning. “Where did this come from? Does the geostigma cause open wounds? Or have you been getting into fights?” Please say no, please say no. She didn’t even know what she wanted him to say no to. All of it? “Yes I still want my family seeing you. They’re not going to see more than maybe your torso. They don’t have to know about anything else.”

Elaine straightened up, shaking her head. “I’ll get you some clothes, you shower.” She took two steps back toward their room when she stopped. “Unless you want me to come in with you?” she suggested, looking over her shoulder. Maybe she shouldn’t have, but she wanted to let him know that she wasn’t shunning him or trying to avoid him.

"I don't think it does, I'm not entirely sure if it's the Geostigma or uh... well, yeah I've gotten in a few fights." Bad ones but he didn't want to let her know that. It was hard enough to let her see this, telling her about his fighting was another issue altogether. He nodded and untensed a bit, feeling a bit more relieved that he wouldn't be naked in front of them.

He frowned at that and looked up at her. "Ah... Are you sure you want that? It might be faster if I did it alone but I wouldn't mind you being there." Cloud knew he would have loved it. Right then, it was difficult to want to do much more than just lay down and pretend he didn't exist for as long as the world would let him.

A brilliant smile came to her face when she heard him confirm he was coming with her. It was a sacrifice on his part, and she knew it, but it made her so happy. Elaine leaned up and kissed his lips, whispering, “Thank you.”

Quickly she led him to the bathroom, nodding along the way. “You look like you need to get clean and then eat something. Geostigma might not be like any other illness, but surely even then, taking care of your body helps.” No one got better from the flu without resting, after all.

She wasn’t sure she ought to stay, thinking maybe he wanted privacy and to keep her from seeing further, but he began undressing anyway. Elaine sat down on the edge of the tub, watching him move. His movements were slower than usual, she noticed. Those thoughts were shoved aside when he revealed more and more of the marks. A gasp escaped her before she could prevent it. “How could you keep this from me?” she asked, horrified. “You said it was bad, but… but…” Was he just being hopeful with his estimate of six months?

“It can’t! I won’t let it!” Her light flared, responding to her emotions. “You’re going to live, Cloud Strife, do you hear me?”

The kiss was one of the sweetest he'd ever had from her lips and Cloud honestly loved them. He just nodded to her, there wasn't much he could say after that.

Eating didn't sound like a good idea for him. Cloud had tried not to eat as much has he had in the past and now, he wasn't even completely sure he could stomach half a plate without feeling like he was wasting it.

Though hearing her again, he looked back and frowned at the horror on her face. Cloud was about to cover it up but he needed a shower, stripping down further. The one on his hip slithered down to his inner thigh where it was much darker and the residue brought blood with it.

"It might. I just hope my estimate was right." He took a moment to wipe the residue from the marks off, trying not to flinch at the open wound on his inner thigh. Cloud hated looking weak in front of her but he was comfortable with her seeing it, only her. "Are you still certain you want your family seeing me like this?"

Worry flickered in her eyes as she watched him drop into his chair. Had it taken effort to pick her up? Cloud had never struggled to pick her up before, except when he was drunk. She was small and light, and while perhaps he wasn’t as tall as her brothers or her father for that matter, he was still taller than her and strong on top of that. The geostigma is sapping his strength, she realized, clamping her mouth shut in order not to bring attention to it.

“I don’t want you to die either,” she told him, still watching him. “We should go now… Does this mean you’re coming with me?” Elaine couldn’t help but let hope slip into her voice. “I can drive us there, we still have our car.” It didn’t get a lot of use, but she did keep it in good shape. There was no way she was getting onto the motorcycle, not like this. “I still need to tell them about the baby anyway… Might as well tell them everything at once.

“But first,” she announced, getting back to her feet and holding out her hands to him, “you need a shower and clean clothes. Or would you prefer a bath?” She wondered if he would let her in to help, like they had on occasion, but thought he wouldn’t want her to see the marks more than she already had. He was so worried about her contracting it, too. Best leave it until he has no choice.

He could hear the emotion in her voice and Cloud couldn't help but nod. "Yeah. I'll go with you. Just be sure to tell them about the baby first, they're more important." And they always would be. Cloud wasn't a fan of being a problem like that.

"Wha-... a shower?" Cloud looked up at her in surprise, the words getting his mind off of the pain just for a second. It was long enough that he didn't notice that the bandages were starting to soak through. "Right. I can't go there looking like this, I look ridiculous right now."

Cloud hesitated but took her hand and headed out to the bathroom with a sigh. He started by removing his sleeveless turtleneck and paused for a moment to start unwrapping the bandages from his arm and neck. Underneath was an angry looking bruise, almost grey-black against his lighter skin.

He paused and stared at it, noticing a small patch trying to start near his left hip. "I thought about cutting the skin off to try and stop the spreading. At this point, it may eat me alive."

“What do you mean?” Elaine forced herself to keep her hands where they were; she was not going to hurt him by jumping away from him. “I haven’t touched your skin except your face. And besides… I’m still glowing.” It made her a little uncomfortable to remind him, as she liked pretending that she was normal, but for once she wanted her skin to be as it should, as it felt more comforting this way. “The magic is a barrier between my skin and yours.” Did this geostigma attack magic the same way it did mako? Cloud implied that the Lifestream wanted the mako back, or something, but magic had always been there and had always interacted with humans; there was nothing to take back.

“As for my father,” she said, deciding to stop this line of thinking before he could seriously believe it, “he will not force me to separate from you. He was ready for you to die as a soldier, remember? How can you being sick from a disease change his mind? And, even if it did,” she continued, putting a finger on his lips to prevent him from interrupting, “I wouldn’t let him. You’re still alive, Cloud–nothing will keep me from being your wife. Even if…” her expression grew sorrowful, the fierce determination sliding off her face like water, “even if you die,” she managed to say, although the mere suggestion made her heart hurt, “I would refuse another marriage. Our baby has three uncles and a grandfather. They would do for a proper male influence. The only father I want for our child is you.”

#daybreakpath #ic #plague #lol is okay

For some reason the glowing hadn't registered for Cloud. He hadn't even thought about it but she was right and there it was. "I hadn't noticed, I guess I just got used to it being there," he whispered.

Cloud picked her up and put her on one of the kitchen chairs, standing and flinching at the sharp pain rocketing up his arm to his jawline. He could feel it but he didn't know what to do against it. He felt himself fall heavily into one of the chairs and he fought not to grab his arm.

He frowned at the thought of her having to remain by herself and took a moment to rest his head on the wood. "I would prefer not to die," he whispered. "...what should we do? Should we go now or wait to tell them later?"

The Last Five Years

Zack followed after Cloud, pointing him out where to go and then pausing in Marcie’s doorway to let her know what was going on. Aerith probably already had, but she was someone living here too, and they all had the right to know the details.

Meanwhile, Riley was still a little shy about Cloud’s presence, particularly while Zack wasn’t in the immediate vicinity, but he did remember the motorcycle outside very well. Cloud could not be that bad, right? He nodded, setting the book on his lap and opening the front cover.

“I like the dog,” he said, pointing at a picture of the dog in the story.

Zack’s bedroom was decorated exactly like you might imagine a bedroom belonging to a guy who barely used it would. A messy bed with a nightstand. A dresser facing the bed that was mostly neat. A television and a game system on top of it, both covered in dust. Curtains that hadn’t been open in a long while, probably. No real personalization, save for a few personal items scattered here and there.

Zack moseyed on in a moment later, leaning against the door frame with a small smile. “Riley, do you want Cloud to read your story tonight?” he asked.

Riley didn’t look like he was sure, but he did nod.

#meteorshots #ic #5years #cloud's having some cringyness here #he's just not sure how to react #because #lolwhatdo #when reading kids books

Marcie didn't bother to fight Zack on it and simply nodded when he'd told her. She sluggishly went back to the bed and laid down to curl up in the blankets silently.

Cloud stayed near the door to try not to scare Riley too much. The last thing he wanted was to unintentionally make too many sudden movements or get too close. His caution certainly wasn't helping him too much in getting to know Riley. He offered a smile at the statement about the dog and, at the nod, tentatively walked over to Riley's bedside.

He sat on his knees and read the story to Riley, pausing at times to let it seem a bit more animated. Even if it were a little awkward, Cloud was doing his best to make it entertaining, using a few different 'voices' as well. The most he did was touch Riley's head after it was over, stepping back so that Zack could have his time with Riley.

Taking Zack's place near the door, Cloud took his gloves off and stuffed them into his pocket. He edged out of the room and into the hall after Zack was done. "So... dogs, huh?"

“Can I trust you to be here when I return?” she asked instead of answering. “You just admitted, to my face, that you would have died without ever telling me. That you would leave me. That being at home is a risk.” Her fingers stroked his hair and suddenly she wished her younger brother was with her. Even now as a teenager Gale’s hair was soft and fluffy. Cloud’s was a different texture, but in a good way. “How can you expect me to leave you alone for a few days after saying as much? What if you leave while I’m gone and don’t come back?”

Elaine tightened her grip on him, being careful not to touch any bare skin or bandages. “Do you know what it’d do to me to come home and find that you left me again? That’s why I want you to come with me, Cloud. That and my family–your family–deserves to know what’s happening. They might have advice if they see you for themselves.”

“I... I have no reason to leave now. You’ve been touching me since I got here and, by now, most people end up infected.” Cloud truly didn’t know what to think about her mentioning his leaving but she had damn good reason for it. He winced at her points and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t look at her, then he couldn’t feel guilt, right? Wrong.

He held on tighter and nestled his head against her shoulder again. It was admitting he was weak, that he wasn’t good enough for her. “W-what if your father wants to find a stronger husband for you? I... I don’t want that to happen because I’ve contracted something like this,” he whispered. “I would prefer not to tell mom.”