Chapter Text
"On route to the rendezvous," Biggs panted into his earpiece, one hand pushing the button to allow him to speak as the other clutched his handgun, which felt cold and slick in his sweaty grip. He adjusted his hold on the weapon, trying to stop his mind from running through all the various scenarios this escape could go bad, and instead take comfort in the fact that Cloud Strife was right beside him, that ridiculously large sword of his slung over his back, blue eyes staring forward, face stoic as a brick wall. He had seen the younger man in action to know he was a one-man damn army.
Cloud himself was silent, mouth pressed into a thin line as he and Biggs raced through the underground tunnel, footsteps echoing on the stone and concrete all around them. To their right, nearest to Biggs, was a solid wall, and to their left was a channel of water running underneath the city; they were in the sewers, of course, but at least the water here was the semi-clean, already-processed stuff that was on its way to be chemically treated one more time before being reused in every bathroom in the sector. It still reeked of mildew and sulfur, but it could have been a lot worse, all things considered.
The ragtag Avalanche cell that called Seventh Heaven its home had just hit a Shinra warehouse to nab some things needed for upcoming missions, and maybe a few extra little things for the watch and Cloud's mercenary work. Regardless, they had split up, with Cloud and Biggs handling the hard part of getting the others in safely, and keeping the attention of the Shinra watchdogs long enough for Barrett and Jessie to get what they needed and get out. Now, the two groups were on their way to meet up with Wedge in the getaway vehicle, a clunky old van Biggs himself had managed to fix up just for this job. They would ditch it later, when they put some distance between themselves and the warehouse, but it was functioning well enough to handle one hasty getaway before kicking the bucket. That was all they needed it for.
"Copy." Jessie's voice crackled over the boys' earpieces, sounding out of breath but cheerful. "Wedge, you got the engine warmed up for us?"
"I've gotcha covered!" Wedge playfully replied, and they could all imagine him giving a thumbs up to the air. "Ready and waiting at rendezvous."
"Right," Barrett's already deep voice sounded even more gravelly over the comms. "Jessie and I are almost there. Where are you, SOLDIER Boy?"
"On our way. We ran into a small delay," Cloud replied calmly, mako-infused eyes still fixed ahead, seeming to shine slightly in the darkness.
Biggs snorted. "Yeah, right, small delay. What he means is he chopped up a few more of Shinra's toys with that sword of his."
A few chuckles came over the comms, and Cloud made a face that Biggs couldn't clearly define as embarrassed, annoyed, or amused. He lowered his eyebrows just slightly, chin twitching as his lips pressed tighter together, a faint snort from his nose. The guy was the farthest thing from an open book he had ever met.
"Well, hurry it up. We ain't got time for playin' around," Barrett warned after the chuckles subsided.
Responding curtly, Cloud nodded his head. "Copy--" He broke off before that last syllable was quite finished, eyes flicking to the side, and he moved so fast that Biggs barely saw him reach back for his sword and spin on his toes so he was suddenly facing the opposite direction, halting his run but skidding a few more feet from the momentum without losing his balance.
Biggs clumsily stumbled to a halt as well, looking back into the dark tunnel and trying to see what put his companion on edge. "What's-- oh shit."
A Shinra machine he had never seen before was crawling towards them on multiple long, spider-like legs-- on the ceiling. It was pretty small as far as Shinra weapons went, no larger than one of the sweepers, but it had at least six limbs clambering through the darkness, a rounded, bell-shaped body, and several small guns installed in little nooks in its armor. A glowing lens, like a robotic eye, was immediately fixed on the two men, the faint shape of a crosshair visible, lining up for the first shot.
"Get down!" Cloud barked, his sword suddenly in front of him, glinting in the low light. Biggs obeyed, ducking down and moving to stand behind him just as he turned the blade sideways to act as a shield, the first storm of bullets raining down on them from above. They pinged off the thick metal of the Buster Sword with sprays of bright orange sparks, and Cloud grunted as a few grazed his legs, which weren't well shielded.
When the wave of bullets paused, Biggs leaned out from behind Cloud and fired off a few rounds, trying to take out the robot's weapons. He managed to hit one of the smaller turrets, and Cloud freed one hand from the hilt of his blade so he could summon a round of magic, a ball of fire swirling in his palm before he launched it with a low sneer, "Burn!"
"Hey, guys, what's going on?!" Jessie's voice was almost drowned out by the next wave of bullets as Cloud and Biggs turned to shield themselves behind the Buster Sword again, having no other choices for cover.
"We ran into another 'delay!'" Biggs shouted into his earpiece over the deafening ricochet. "Never seen one like this before!"
Cloud ignored the worried voices of their friends, focusing on the threat before them to find a way to defeat it. Quickly. As the wave of bullets stopped, he commanded, "Aim for its legs! If we can knock it into the water, I can fry it with lightning magic."
Naturally, Biggs' mind chewed on that idea, and he was able to convince himself it was a good plan without overthinking it too much. Even if the thing was resistant towards magic, water conducted electricity, so the blow would hurt a lot more if it was submerged. Plus, having it not be perching on the ceiling like a giant spider with guns would be a plus.
He quickly moved to obey the order, firing a flurry of rounds at the robot's spindly legs, each tipped in claws that dug into the concrete, clinging to the crevices to hold its body in the air. Cloud maintained his defensive stance in front of him, though he once again freed one hand to fire off a round of magic, trying to help dislodge the machine from its vantage point. They had to retreat behind the Buster Sword again after just a few seconds, then tried again when the third wave halted, empty shell casings plopping onto the chemical-scented water below.
Finally, three of the robot's legs were too badly damaged to hold it up, and its remaining limbs didn't seem to have the strength to keep it stable, its heavy body swinging back and forth for a moment before it dropped. It clanged loudly against the edge of the canal, then tipped into the water, claws scraping at the stone as it tried to right itself.
Cloud didn't give it the chance, electricity crackling over his hand as he stretched his arm out. "Fry." A blast of Thunder left his palm, striking the rippling water where the robot had fallen.
Sparks flew across Biggs' vision, a harsh odor like smoke and chlorine filling the air, and he coughed, recoiling just a step and blinking a few times before glancing towards the canal. The water had stilled, a few little sparks still flitting across its surface as the magic dissipated, and there was no sign of the mech. He stepped out from behind Cloud as the blonde relaxed, moving closer to the edge of the water to peer down into its dark depths.
Chuckling, he looked back at Cloud, who rolled his shoulders and slung his sword onto his back once more. "Nicely done, Cloud. Guess water and circuits don't mix."
Cloud gave a tiny grunt that was not quite a laugh, a ghost of a smile flitting across his face as he averted his gaze almost shyly. Maybe he wasn't an open book, but he wasn't a locked one, either. It was nice to catch those little glimpses of what made Avalanche's "SOLDIER boy" human.
The expression was short-lived, though, because one moment Cloud was acting human, and the next he was acting superhuman. His head snapped up, and he moved forward so quickly he was just a blur of color, and then a hand roughly shoved Biggs in the ribs, flinging him away from the water's edge and sending him sprawling on the concrete. "Look ou-- AGGH!" His warning was cut off in a cry of pain, the hand that had been reaching for his sword flinching towards his stomach, where Biggs could just make out the glint of metal claws before Cloud was ripped off his feet and pulled into the water by a spindly, creepy-ass robot spider leg.
It wasn't dead. The robot wasn't dead. But Cloud MIGHT be.
"Shit!" Biggs cursed, scrambling to his feet and aiming his gun at the water, only to realize that he might hit Cloud if he couldn't see what the hell he was shooting at. Panic seized him as he watched the water swirl and thrash, waves kicked up as man and machine grappled with one another, and he was absolutely helpless to do anything about it, standing there like an idiot with his finger on the trigger but unable to shoot.
"Biggs! What's goin' on?!" Barrett shouted in his ear.
"Dammit, it has Cloud!" He shouted, frantically trying to come up with a plan. Something. Anything.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light from underwater, which exploded outward, waves crashing against the stone and splashing Biggs' boots. Lightning danced through the channel, filling it with light for a few fleeting moments before darkness and stillness took over once more. Cold, ominous silence.
"Cloud!" Biggs wailed in panic, his voice echoing off the walls. He dropped his gun, running up to the edge of the water and peering in, trying to catch a glimpse of the crazy blonde who seriously just fired off a Thunder while in the water. When his eyes failed him, he pulled off his earpiece, tossed it by his gun, muttered another curse, and dove into the canal. The water surged around him, surrounding him in cold and absolute darkness, his only sense of direction being the way his heel nudged one side of the canal, which he pushed off of to swim further into the center, hands blindly feeling for any sign of Cloud. His fingers brushed metal, one of the motionless limbs of the now-truly-dead robot, and he shoved it away, diving deeper, reaching further.
He grew increasingly panicked as his own lungs screamed for air, his hands sweeping through open water, but then he finally felt something; as he moved his legs to right himself so he could go up for a breath, his knee bumped something far too soft to be metal. He quickly reached down and grabbed it, fingers curling around a fistful of what had to be Cloud's shirt, and then he swam for the surface, dragging the dead weight up with him.
As Biggs' head broke the water, he gasped in a breath of air, his own lightheadedness thankfully fading. He hauled Cloud's limp form up to pull his head above the surface as well, flopping the limp blonde against his chest before hooking his arm more firmly around his waist, hugging him tightly to keep him from slipping as he paddled towards the edge. Cloud's head rested limply against his shoulder, hair slicked down, eyes closed.
"Shit. Cloud? Cloud?! Come on, buddy..." Biggs grunted, grabbing onto the edge of the canal with his free hand. He summoned all of his strength to climb out of the water with his friend in tow, crawling up onto the concrete and dragging them both a few feet away from the canal. He let Cloud slip out of his grasp, giving himself a moment to regain his bearings, and reach out to grab the earpiece that was quietly shrieking with frantic voices. Their silence had definitely panicked their friends.
He used one hand to stick the comm back in his ear, the other reaching out to check Cloud's pulse -- sluggish -- and his breathing. "Hey, hey, guys?! Cloud took care of the mech, but not before it dragged him into the canal. He's unconscious. I..." He moved his hand closer to Cloud's mouth and nose, not feeling any air brushing against his palm. "I don't think he's breathing. Shit. Shit."
Biggs was quick to pull the Buster Sword off of Cloud, discarding it so he could roll the blonde onto his back without any hindrance. As he glanced him over, he could see where the dark blue fabric was torn at the lower left area of his abdomen, deep slashes cut into his stomach and side from the robot's claws when it grabbed him. He was bleeding, but not too badly, and that could wait. Breathing was more urgent. Biggs tried to calm himself by remembering the sound of Tifa's soothing voice as she ran him and the others through a CPR lesson, shakily acting out the instructions as he muttered them to himself.
"Tilt the head back to open up the airway..." He gently grasped the back of Cloud's neck with one hand, shifting his head so his chin was tilted upwards, then shifted his grasp to hold his jaw as his other hand closed off his nose. "Pinch the nose... breathe twice." The hand on Cloud's jaw opened his mouth so he could lean down and press their lips together, exhaling two breaths into him, enough to make his chest rise. He then straightened up, lining his hands up where he remembered Tifa showing him, and started the compressions, at first being a bit hesitant, but then pushing down with more force, recalling Tifa telling them not to be afraid to put their weight into it. "One... two... three..."
Cloud was unresponsive aside from the way his body jolted with each compression, making Biggs inwardly afraid of cracking his ribs; he was built so lean, and only seemed even smaller and younger as he lay there, unconscious.
"Cloud! 'Ey, Cloud! SOLDIER BOY!" Barrett was shouting, as if that would do anything.
Trying to keep count of the compressions, Biggs replied breathlessly, "He's out cold! Doing... CPR... Fourteen... fifteen..." He looked away from Cloud's pale face long enough to get and idea of his surroundings. "Get over here. We're... twenty-one... twenty-two... around the first bend!"
As he leaned down to administer two more rescue breaths, he heard Barrett reassure him, "We're on our way! Hang tight!"
"Just... hurry," Biggs pleaded, straightening up to resume compressions. He wanted to stop, check Cloud's pulse again, but he didn't dare cease pushing down on his chest, terrified that if he did, he would cost the former SOLDIER his life. Death by drowning... electrocution? A mix of both? Damn. Shit. No, he wouldn't let that happen. Especially not when Cloud had pushed his sorry ass out of the way and most certainly saved his life.
"Come on... come on..." He adjusted Cloud's head again. Two more breaths. His lips felt cold and clammy. Lifeless. "Do not do this to me, Cloud... six... seven... Do not do this to Wedge, Jessie, Tifa... eleven... twelve..."
Despite being a grown man who put himself in dangerous, tragic situations on the daily, he felt the need to cry at the thought of carrying this on his conscience for the rest of his life. Being the reason Cloud Strife, fucking Cloud Strife, was dead. Having to go home and tell Tifa that he was gone, all of them living with the fact that maybe if they hadn't roped him into their fight, he would still be alive, out there being a hero to the common man as a mysterious mercenary wandering Midgar.
Biggs pressed his mouth firmly against Cloud's, exhaling two more harsh breaths into his lungs. How long could he keep this up? He was exhausted already, nothing but sheer adrenaline keeping his hands thrusting down on Cloud's chest like he was trying to snap the man in half, when in fact that was all that was keeping him alive.
He finally heard footsteps thundering towards them from around the corner; it had likely only been a minute or two, but it felt like it had taken the others an eternity to arrive. He glanced up at the reassuringly familiar faces of Barrett and Jessie, then bent to breathe for Cloud once more before forcing his tired arms to continue compressions.
"Oh god--" Jessie gasped, perhaps not expecting to stumble in on such a desperate scene, despite his warning.
Barrett slowed for a heartbeat, but then pushed forward, dropping onto one knee beside Biggs. "How long has he been down?"
"Since... since I first said I didn't... think he was breathing. A bit before that, even... he was... underwater... pushed me out of the way, got grabbed... used... Thunder, or something, to... to take it out... shocked himself, or drowned, or... or both... Dammit... Dammit, Cloud!" Biggs raised his voice to shout at his unconscious friend, losing his grip on the torrent of emotions trying to slowly tear his heart and mind to pieces.
"Let me take over," Barrett grunted, holding his flesh-and-blood hand out over Cloud's chest. "I can at least do this part for you, before you wear yourself out. Ey, Jessie! Keep watch!"
"R-right..." Jessie stammered, turning her back to them as she rigidly stood on alert, though she kept glancing back at them and biting her lip.
Biggs waited until he finished that round of compressions and moved to give Cloud another two breaths, then let Barrett pick back up again, reminding him wearily, "Thirty... thirty compressions between breaths..."
Barrett simply grunted, eyes narrowed as he focused on what he was doing. Though he was only using one hand, he could still apply more force than Biggs, making him wonder if he hadn't been pushing down hard enough this whole time. What if he killed him?
With his hands now free, Biggs scrambled to grab one of Cloud's hands, pushing his glove down so he could press his thumb against his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was a little hard to discern it as Cloud's whole body jolted with the force of the compressions, but he could feel it; that slow, stubborn heartbeat still hammering away in his veins.
"Come on, Stamp, wake up," Barrett growled, pausing, and Biggs swooped in to give the next two breaths. He was pretty sure he could hear Jessie softly crying from where she stood. "Wake up!"
Just as Biggs drew a breath and pressed his mouth to Cloud's, he felt the blonde twitch, jerking his jaw away and convulsing as he started to weakly cough, the sound wet and gurgling deep in his chest. Biggs quickly shot upright, and Barrett grabbed Cloud's arm to roll him onto his side, making it easier for the water to escape his lungs as he coughed and choked. His breaths sounded horribly rough and raspy, but at least he was actually breathing one his own again.
"Cloud!" Jessie sobbed with relief, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm.
Cloud didn't respond, still too far out of it, but his violent coughing fit tapered off for the most part, aside from the occasion wheeze, and his eyes opened just a sliver. Biggs had never been so grateful to see the soft turquoise glow of his blue mako eyes, even if they were unfocused, staring blankly ahead in a state of oxygen-deprived delirium. He was alive. Dear gods, he was alive.
Biggs tiredly patted the blonde's head, chuckling as his eyes burned with tears. "Good job, Cloud... stay with us now, okay? I'm already not looking forward to telling Tifa what happened without you deciding to die on us."
"Let's get outta here." Barrett hauled Cloud upright by one arm, and Biggs quickly moved to help him sling the half-conscious youth over one shoulder. The big man's hand clapped down on Cloud's back, holding him steady, and he nodded to the Buster Sword laying abandoned on the ground. "Don't forget his Buster."
"Got it..." Biggs felt shaky as he rose to his feet, and the Buster Sword weighed a ton, but he managed to find the strength to heft it into his arms and carry it with him as they jogged towards the rendezvous. He wanted to get out of those tunnels and never see them again.
...
.....
...
The trip back to Seventh Heaven was difficult, with all of the gear to carry back, plus Cloud. They had to ditch the van at the station and hop a train, hiding away in a freight car, then hurry off again once they got to the stop just outside the slums. Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge were in charge of carrying their goodies, while Barrett brought Cloud, who was still slung limply over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes; breathing a bit better, but still very much unconscious.
At least it was well after dark, so most people were sleeping safely in their homes and didn't bear witness to the tired crew carrying a bunch of ammunition, explosives, and a limp body through the streets. The lights were on at the bar, though, of course, and Tifa sat outside on the steps, wrapped up in an oversized sweater to fight off the night chill. Marlene wasn't with her, likely having been tucked into bed hours ago. At least she wouldn't bear witness to the bedraggled group's return.
Tifa rose to her feet as she saw them approaching, raising one hand in greeting, but she froze as she seemed to realize that Barrett didn't have a bag of gear slung over his shoulder. Her hand slowly lowered, mahogany-colored eyes going round, face stark white. She launched herself off the steps, hitting the ground running as she raced to meet them. "Cloud!"
"He's okay!" Wedge was quick to reassure her, struggling a bit to carry everything in his arms. "Er, well-- he was zapped and drowned, but he's alive!"
"Wedge," Jessie hissed softly, nudging him with her elbow.
Tifa reached up to gently touch Cloud's hair, which was still plenty damp, then spun around to lead the way back to the bar. "Hurry, let's get inside."
There was no argument from the others, who were all too happy to trudge up the steps and through the front doors of Seventh Heaven, remaining on their feet long enough to take the secret pinball-machine elevator down into the basement so they could drop off their gear, and Barrett could drop off Cloud. The basement was done up like a somewhat proper secret base, with a room that functioned as an armory, an open space with a table for going over plans or crafting Jessie's explosives, all manner of emergency supplies for missions and the bar alike, and a huge, old leather sofa pushed against one wall. Barrett laid Cloud down on the couch, as carefully as he could, and stepped back to let Tifa reach his side.
"So what happened to him?" Tifa asked fretfully, gently touching Cloud's face, feeling how cold his skin was. His breathing was still too loud and shallow for anyone's liking, and his wound hadn't been properly tended, either. She started to strip off his gloves, pauldron, and the leather straps that held the Buster Sword.
Naturally, everyone looked to Biggs, who tiredly sank into a chair by the meeting table. He was bone-tired and cold, being just as damp as Cloud was after diving into the water to save him. With a sigh, he ran his fingers through his mop of black hair, explaining, "We ran into trouble on the way out... some kind of Shinra robot. We thought we beat it, but then it grabbed for me, and he pushed me out of the way... it dragged him into the water. I panicked..." Oh, yes, he had panicked, and he was going to own up to it. He held his face in his hands, angry with himself. "I didn't do anything, and he used a Thunder in the water to stop the damn thing. Shocked himself, drowned... either way, he was out cold when I managed to drag him out."
"It's not your fault..." Jessie murmured, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "Cloud couldn't just stand by and watch you get hurt. That's not the kind of person he is."
Barrett grunted in agreement, but was too proud or embarrassed to say anything.
Sighing, Biggs raised his head to smile up at the others, then added, "Your CPR lessons came in handy, Tifa. Saved Cloud's life."
Tifa gave a small smile over her shoulder as well, setting Cloud's things on the floor, then started to try to strip him out of his shirt. When the others started giving her odd looks, she explained, "He's freezing, and these wet clothes aren't helping. You need to get into something dry, too, Biggs. Wedge, why don't you walk him home? I can handle things from here."
Wedge opened his mouth as if to argue that he wanted to stay with his newfound hero, but then he sighed and nodded, turning to Biggs. "Okay. The cats will be worried about me, anyway. I should get home, too."
Biggs reluctantly got to his feet, but then paused, staring down at Cloud. He didn't want to leave him, not until he saw him wake up and be okay. "Actually, I... think I'll stay here tonight. We've got some clothes down here somewhere, right?"
The others gave him knowing looks, and Jessie turned to flip open the flaps of a cardboard box. "Uh-huh! We've got a little of everything down here. Let's see..." She rifled through the articles that were set aside for Biggs, pulling out two outfits; if anyone's things might fit Cloud, it would be his. "They'll be a bit big on our hero over there, but it's better than freezing."
The girls worked to strip Cloud out of his wet things and wrangle him into the oversized, dry clothes, while the guys all awkwardly shuffled off to give them some space, and allow Biggs to change himself. Emergency clothes were a thing when your job often involved getting dirty, hurt, sometimes burned... clothes were easily destroyed beyond repair in any manner of ways. So, there was nothing like a pair of ratty old sweatpants and a t-shirt at the end of such a day, though at least Biggs' outfit would be salvageable, since they were just wet, not ruined.
Cloud needed a bit more help than just a change of clothes, though. After he was in the dry pants, Tifa fetched one of the many medical kits stowed in the basement and started to set to work on his wound. She washed it out with antiseptic, then applied a potion to speed up the healing process, preventing the need of stitches, before pressing a few large squares of gauze onto his stomach and fixing them in place with cloth bandages and medical tape. Only then did she and Jessie sit him up to slip the fresh shirt onto him before carefully laying him back down.
Biggs wandered over to sit on the couch, just by Cloud's feet, tiredly sinking into the old leather and glancing over his prone friend. Before he could start stressing or despairing, however, a wad of fabric suddenly thumped into his face, and he gave a startled yelp, grabbing the object and pulling it into his lap to see it was a folded-up blanket. Looking up, he saw Barrett standing there, several blankets draped over his gun arm as he handed them out with his good hand.
"Can't have you two gettin' sick on us," the big man grumbled, handing the girls some blankets to start unfolding and draping over Cloud. "Should be enough spare blankets for the both of you."
"Thanks," Biggs replied, shaking the blanket out and draping it over himself. He felt much better once he started to warm up, and even Cloud seemed to gain a bit more color to his face when a few blankets were heaped over him. "I'll stay with him down here, and call one of you if anything happens."
"Right. Just try not to wake Marlene if ya need something, alright?" Barrett grunted, tiredly rubbing at his stubble-covered jaw.
Tifa smiled, lingering by Cloud's head, gently stroking his cheek. "I'll stay, too. I'll be upstairs with Marlene, okay?"
He nodded, then glanced over to Jessie and Wedge, who were lingering behind, but probably eager to get home and get some rest. "We'll be alright. See you guys in the morning."
"Right..." Jessie nodded, then took Wedge by the arm, the two walking to the lift together.
Barrett followed after them, and, finally, Tifa. She glanced over at Biggs, giving him one of her warm, sincere smiles as she murmured, "Thank you. For saving him, I mean."
Biggs snorted, cracking a smile. "Yeah, well, he saved me first."
She chuckled, nodding, then headed for the lift. "Goodnight, Biggs."
"Goodnight, Tifa."
As the lift vanished upstairs for the last time, he was left alone in the silence with Cloud. Unlike before, though, this was a safe sort of silence... the peaceful kind. The kind that let him lean his head back against the couch and just listen to the blonde's raspy breathing until he fell asleep.
...
.....
...
It was too hot. Cloud was pretty sure he was in bed back at his apartment, but he couldn't remember the last time he had slept with so much weight on top of him; he normally didn't even use a blanket, not wanting to get tangled up in it if he had to be on his feet in an instant. But right now, he was wrapped up in a whole pile of them, the weight of them oddly comforting, but also stiflingly hot, making him squirm as he slowly began to wake.
As he drew in a breath through his nose, he suddenly became aware of how much his chest and throat ached, like he had inhaled a gallon of water and then gotten punched in the chest by Ifrit himself. Ten times. There was also a less aggressive pain pricking at the soft part of his stomach and his side, the muscle aching as if it had been recently hurt and knitted back together, but the skin and soft flesh still fragile.
So... he was injured.
That was enough to kick his brain into gear, and he forced his heavy eyes to open, being met with a wall of worn brown leather. Definitely not his bed. Blinking to clear his blurry vision, he tried to gather one arm beneath him to push himself upright, his whole body moving sluggishly, muscles aching with the mere effort of sitting up against his elbow. His head swam, and he had to bite back a pained groan as he turned his head to look around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
He was laying on a huge old couch, at least four blankets piled up on top of him, and he was surrounded by all manner of crates, cardboard boxes, and other junk piled up. Straight across from the couch, behind him, was a wooden table under a lamp hung from the ceiling, and around said table sat the people he had come to see as his friends. They were all speaking in low voices, but didn't seem to be in the middle of any important discussion; rather, they had plates of food in front of them, and Marlene was whispering some story about playing with some stray cats as she jabbed at a pancake with her fork, Jessie and Wedge humoring her as the others muttered about some other topic that he didn't quite catch.
He was safe, then, if they were all there. It still did not explain what happened to him, or how he got there.
Gathering his strength, Cloud slowly pushed himself further upright, turning so he was facing towards the others, instead of laying with his back to them. The faint grunts of pain he let out alerted the others, and their heads all suddenly turned to stare at him as he stared back, silence falling over the room for a brief moment. Then, it was smiles all around, and Tifa was quick to get to her feet and come towards him. "Cloud! You're awake." He could hear the relief in her voice.
"Yeah... what happened?" Cloud let Tifa help him shift to sit leaning against the back of the couch, though he did push the blankets away when she tried to tuck them around him, unable to bear the stifling heat anymore.
"You drowned!" Jessie chirped, grinning at him from her spot at the table with Marlene.
His eyes narrowed at that, head aching as he tried to reach back into his memory. "Wha-?" It clicked, after a moment. Running through the sewers with Biggs, the fight with the Shinra mech, pushing Biggs out of the way just as it reached for him... hitting the water, metal claws tearing through his stomach as the air rushed from his lungs, and his desperate ploy of using lightning magic underwater to fry the thing for good. Frying himself in the process, apparently, because everything after that was gone.
"You scared us pretty good, merc." Barrett remained seated on Marlene's other side, soothingly petting her soft hair as she glanced at the adults. "Jessie and I ran back to find Biggs breathin' for ya."
Cloud's blue eyes flicked over to Biggs, who was also on his feet, though he lingered a bit behind Tifa, averting his eyes. The older man scratched at his jaw, murmuring, "You saved my life, almost at the cost of your own."
"Mm." Cloud nodded. "And I'd do it again."
Biggs looked up to meet his gaze, then cracked a smile. "Yeah. Same here, Cloud." He finally moved closer, reaching down to clap a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright."
Tifa shifted to sit on the edge of the couch, her hands gravitating towards his whether she realized it or not, holding his calloused fingers in a gentle grasp. "Are you hungry? Do you want to try eating something?"
He didn't really feel hungry, but he nodded, not knowing how to deal with fussing like that aside from agreeing with her. "Sure."
She smiled, standing again so she could scurry over to the table and gather up his portion of the breakfast everyone was sharing, Wedge helping her to make his plate, insisting he needed some of everything. Barrett and Marlene went back to talking, while Jessie just gazed at him across the table as she slowly ate her food, a strange look in her eyes that made him squirm a bit in his seat... what was that all about?
Biggs plopped down to sit beside him, though, helping to rid him of a few of the blankets -- insisting he kept one, at least -- before Tifa was back with his food. She set the plate in his lap and handed him a cup of something hot -- tea, maybe?
"Thanks." Cloud picked up his fork with his free hand, taking a bite of the food while Tifa was still watching so she maybe wouldn't look at him like he was made of glass. It seemed to satisfy her, as she ventured back to her seat at the table, leaving him and Biggs to sit in companionable silence as he slowly worked his way through the breakfast he didn't really want. They were beside one another, close but not touching, not even really looking at each other, just... existing, together. Watching and listening to the others while appreciating the fact that the other was still there.
If he took the occasional deep, exaggerated breath to remind Biggs that he could still breathe, nobody said anything about it, and he never admitted to it, either.