Aeris Kills Cloud (Maybe)

Cloud looked back as Sora got into the car and he genuinely smiled. Guess the kids excitement was contagious.
"Decided to pay you guys a visit."

Sora buckled up, looking up at him. He was convinced Cloud was his father. He had asked his mom several times, but she had changed the subject. That was one thing Sora admired about his mother, she never outright lied. But he could just tell, he looked exactly like the man.
"I learned new tricks." He told Cloud, taking out his cards.

Aeris smiled slightly, driving to the apartment. She had bought Sora a rabbitfor his birthday. He had already mastered pulling it from his magician's hat. Once they arrived she helped Sora out of the car and walked to their door, opening it up.
"You'll have to introduce Cloud to Rabberto." She told the boy, and he nodded, disappearing.
"We were talking about learning Spanish when he got him." She explained to Cloud.

Cloud smirked and he nodded.
"You'll have to show me." he said as they drove off. He followed the both of them up to the apartment and he raised his eyebrows at the name Rabberto.

"Is that a rabbit pun or something?" he asked.

Aeris smirked for a moment, biting her lip.
"Nah, we just decided we'd name him something stupid as hell. Yes, it's a rabbit pun." She laughed, shaking her head.

Sora turned the corner with his top hat on his head, but no rabbit. He took off the hat and tilted it toward Cloud, it was clearly empty. He put it back on his head and then removed the hat, and sitting atop his head was the rabbit.

Aeris clapped, and Sora smiled up at Cloud.

Cloud playfully nudged Aeris, chuckling softly as Sora came out of the room with his top hat. He peeked inside the hat when Sora showed it to him, and he clapped when the rabbit appeared out of nowhere on top of his head.
"Wow, kid." he said. "What other tricks do you have up your sleeves?"

Aeris smiled softly, leaving them alone for a while. She went into the kitchen and worked on dinner, while Sora spent time with Cloud. She kept thinking about the make-out session in the park. Why had she let that happen? But then...she didn't really regret it. Should she regret it?

Sora looked up at Cloud after Aeris left, and he let out a slight sigh.
"I think you and Mom have more tricks than I do." He admitted. "You're my dad, aren't you?"

Cloud raised his eyebrows at Sora and he stumbled over his words at first.
"I...uhm..." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before glancing over at the kitchen. Was it his place to have this discussion? "Y-yeah...I am..."

Sora took a moment, putting Rabberto down on the floor and petting him.
"I thought so. I look like you." He said softly. "My friends' dads all live with their moms. Why don't you live with us?"

Cloud watched Sora carefully.
"Well...sometimes things don't always work out between moms and dads." he said. "Doesn't mean I don't care about you or your mother."

The words just came to him. He cared about them both, which was probably why he kept seeking them out after the mission, why he wanted to reach out to Julia and Emma. As much as he hated to admit it. He cared a lot about his kids.

Sora thought about this. He knew Cloud must have cared about him, because he was here now. He only had one friend whose parents had gotten a divorce, and he knew Benjamin traveled between their houses depending on what day it was.
"I care about you too." He smiled up at Cloud, a small dimple he inherited from Aeris showing. "I wish you lived with us though. Maybe I can visit you sometime."

Cloud fumbled slightly with the string on his t-shirt and he nodded.
"Yeah...I'll talk to your mom about it. I do live pretty far. So it might not be often." he said thinking. He technically didn't have a home, drifting from one place to the next.

"Mom's cool. I think she'd be okay with it." He said after a moment, moving to play with the rabbit on a sort of obstacle course he had built for it. "Thanks for being honest. Mom says being honest is important."

Aeris peeked around the corner, seeing them. She hadn't heard the conversation, but they seemed to be getting along well.
"Do you guys want burgers for dinner?" She asked them.
"Can I light the grill?" Sora asked excitedly.
Aeris sighed. Sora had been obsessed with fire lately. Fireworks, open flame, lighters, you name it he was fascinated with it.
"I'll help you, come on." She told him and when he got close she lunged out and tickled him under the arms, heaving a giggling toddler up and swinging him gently around and out the back door.

Cloud smirked slightly, and he nearly had a heart attack when he heard Aeris speak. He nodded slightly, watching the two of them interact. He smiled softly, never picturing himself in this position. A child, a woman who...didn't seem to outright hate him, at least not anymore. He followed them outside.

Aeris helped Sora light the grill, which actually went well and resulted in zero burns. When it got hot she grilled the burgers, and a hotdog just for Sora, before starting on the potato salad. Sora loved being outside and went to play with a toy airplane in courtyard below the patio outside of the apartment. Aeris could still see him, so she didn't mind.
"Did you want a beer, or something to drink?" She asked Cloud.

Cloud looked up at Aeris and he nodded.
"Yeah, I'll take a beer." he said moving to sit down on the patio chair. "Sora figured it out you know. That I'm his father. He asked me about it when you left us alone."

Aeris brought the beer out and was handing him the bottle when she almost dropped it as he spoke. She looked so surprised, but she wasn't that surprised. Sora was very intelligent.
"He asked me about it a few times, I didn't..." She bit her lip, shaking her head. "What'd you tell him?"

Cloud took the beer and he fumbled with it slightly.
"I told him the truth." he said. "Not the whole truth of course, just confirmed that I was his father. I'm sorry if you didn't want me to do that..."

For a moment Aeris looked physically ill, until he finished his sentence. She sat down on the chair across from Cloud, and for once she looked her age, just a young woman, a little scared and lost.
"That's okay." She said after a moment. "I'm glad you didn't lie to him, I just...I don't want him to know about...how we got here." She said after a moment, her eyes on a happy Sora. "My mother was traditional Korean. She was pestering me for grandchildren as soon as I turned eighteen." She smiled slightly, remembering. "When he asked I just told him I knew I wanted him."

Cloud nodded, sipping at his beer. He glanced over at her and bit his lower lip before he reached forward and took her hand in his. He didn't want to speak, just squeezed her hand slightly before he let go. How many times could he apologize to her?

Aeris was surprised, she hadn't meant to guilt him. She simply didn't want Sora to know that he was conceived by rape. She squeezed his fingers before he pulled away, taking a sip of her water. After a moment she looked up at him.
"Did you try to contact your daughter?" She asked quietly, curious. "Tifa said she was a few years older than Sora."

Cloud nodded.
"Yeah...I spoke to Juls...but...she won't let me near Emma." he said. "No matter what I say or do. Even offered to pay child support. Didn't want it. I don't blame her."

Aeris frowned, in a way he was right. If he did go to the authorities over it, he would have to admit how Emma occurred, and she assumed Emma happened the same way Sora did. He would get some rights, and probably supervised visitation, from a jail cell.
"I'm sorry." She said after a moment, and she really meant it. She didn't know why she sympathized with Cloud. She didn't know why she forgave him so easily. Maybe it helped that in the end she got her revenge on Bruce. She also knew it helped that she loved Sora so much, didn't resent or dislike him because of what had happened. In a way without Cloud, she wouldn't have the person she loved the most around. "I don't want anything like that. Child support, I mean. That's why I did that assignment for Tifa, well...partially. I also wanted her to stop fucking calling me." She smirked slightly. "But we're all set now."

Cloud smirked as well, nodding in agreement. Tifa was something else. He was glad he didn't have to deal with her anymore.
"Yeah...but...know if you need anything...I'll get it, or do whatever for you." he said, his eyes meeting hers.

Aeris's eyes softened after a second, her fingers tracing his thumb before she pulled her hand away.
"Just be good to him." She said softly, smiling. "He got the best parts of us. He deserves good parents so he doesn't get our bad parts too."

Cloud nodded in agreement.
"Yeah...no bad parts for him." he whispered softly. His eyes moved over her face, examining her features. "Now...about the park..."