Blood & Sympathy (FFVII: Vincent x OC)

Ch66 - One Step at a Time

Night had fallen when Jocasta gave herself the liberty of exploring whatever alcohol Tifa had on the shelves of the bar. They had found Cloud and Tifa passed out by Aerith's church and took them all the way back to Seventh Heaven. Tifa was the wounded one but she had no more than a few scratches and bruises on her body. Stuff that Jocasta dealt with pretty easily.

Cloud had a serious Geostigma case, spread by his left hand. It wasn't as serious as the cases that she had encountered in the Hospitals and the University. Sure, what the President had was far worse. Nevertheless, Jocasta changed the bandages and once Cloud woke up, she advised him to rest. Reno and Rude were out looking for the children. Marlene and Denzel were nowhere to be found and that worried her. It worried Cloud too, so he joined her to the bar for a drink

Jocasta knew a depressed person when she saw one. She knew that case more than anything. Maybe that was because she was depressed too. But she knew what Cloud had in his mind. He was always so capable of protecting the people that he loved. Heck, the very reason he joined SOLDIER was being able to protect people that he cared about. But now that he had Geostigma, he must've been feeling so helpless. So useless. He wouldn't be able to protect Denzel and Marlene and maybe that's why Jocasta thought it was best to send Reno and Rude to find the kids. She had to stay and make sure Cloud and Tifa would wake up.

Aerith's and Zack's deaths weren't helping his condition at all. Of course, he'd blame himself for Aerith's death. He had promised he'd keep her safe. Jocasta knew the feeling because she had promised she'd keep her safe too. She had made it her life's purpose to protect the Cetras but she let them die and Jocasta felt it was her fault as well.

But how many people was she supposed to protect? She was nothing but a scientist back then. Her only defense were words and papers. She couldn't fight, she didn't know how to defend herself not to mention anybody else. She was helpless back then, but she was also helpless now. Even after all these years, mastering the arts of combat, she still didn't get to save Aerith. And maybe that's why the pink ribbon on her shoulder always felt so heavy that Jocasta tried to convince herself that it wasn't even there. That she wasn't even wearing it.

Jocasta looked at Cloud as he chugged down a glass of the same whiskey that she had poured herself. He didn't care about what he'd drink so long as it burned down his throat, and had a bitter taste to it. She could fix his Geostigma, but she'd have to go back to a lab and work for hours. Hours that she knew they didn't have. The kids were in danger, and she had to make sure they were safe before she'd try anything else.

"Does Tifa know?" Jocasta asked and at that, he spared her a look.

He looked at his left arm before he focused his attention back on the drink "Probably,"

Jocasta let out a sigh. She knew Tifa cared about him more than she'd ever admit. Tifa and Cloud had always been together ever since the moment she'd known them. Tifa had told her that Cloud had left the house, just like that. Jocasta had guessed that he'd have Geostigma. She knew that Cloud had JENOVA cells inside of him and it only made sense that he'd suffer from it too. He was just waiting for death and he was too tired to fight it. It didn't matter anymore. He must've felt like he'd lost everything by losing Aerith. She knew the feeling more than she'd ever admit. She'd felt this way when Tedric died. He was her whole world and then he died and it felt like she'd lost everything. She felt like that now too. Now that Vincent was gone, but this time, it felt so much worse, and maybe that's what made her want to fill her glass and chug it down empty again.

But Cloud hadn't lost everything. Tifa was there for him. Marlene and -most of all- Denzel looked up to him as a hero. Cloud should stop disappointing the kids who admired him just like every kid would admire their father. Cloud wasn't in any way related to them, but they did look up to him.