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Tifa's hands shake as she rings excess water out of the washcloth into the bowl of water on the nightstand. Turning in her seat she wipes at Cloud's sweat soaked face with all the gentleness she could possibly muster.
Those unearthly eyes flutter open weakly and cracked lips part in a soft appreciative puff of air - leaning into the cool cloth.
Tifa gives him a wane smile, bloodshot ruby eyes flicking to check his bandages. Black pus is starting to soak through them from the spreading sore on his bicep. Her heart cracks just that little bit more. It's not fair.
After everything they've been through, losing their home twice, Aerith's death, Sephiroth yanking Cloud around like a puppet then discarding him like trash, Cloud's second bout of Mako poisoning. They've suffered so much and, just when things start to look up, Cloud gets sick.
The unfairness of it all rips at her. She's going to lose him. She's going to lose him and poor sweet innocent Denzel who's just a little boy. And there's nothing Tifa can do about it except change bandages and tend to fevers when the geostigma flares up. Nothing she can do but slowly watch them die and try and make them comfortable.
She feels utterly helpless. Her eyes start to burn with barely restrained tears.
Tifa jolts when an overly warm hand cups her cheek, thumb brushing softly over her skin. She looks down at Cloud, washcloth falling out of her hand onto his pillow, meets the blue-green swirl of his eyes and breaks to pieces.
She cradles his hand against her face, a shuddering ugly sob gusting out of her, he looks so weak. Like a fragile porcelain doll that would shatter if grabbed with a slightly rough hand. Cloud shouldn't look like that. Cloud was stronger than all of them combined.
"It's gonna be OK, Tifa." He says softly, voice raspy and unwell.
Tifa almost wants to laugh. He's dying and he's trying to comfort her but, she doesn't have it in her to tell him it was not going to be ok. That nothing about this was ok. She just nods and holds onto him tighter - praying they have just a little more time together.