ok tbh, since we're all on the topic of fake persona cloud vs. real awkward cloud, i think we should bring up the fact that T is the one with FALSE MEMORIES of him in the first place! A has no memories of him in the OG... which MEANS:

cloud has no precedented way to act around aerith that the jenova cells implanted in him can act on. he acts genuine around her because she wouldn't know the difference, never having met him before. he gets to act like his REAL self around her w/out jenova's influence on him.

meanwhile, T gets the flirty and completely unnatural cloud (that i should mention - completely disappears by the end of the game & in the subsequent story)

so what should we take from this info? T & C's entire "relationship" is entirely built upon their false memories of e/o

whereas cloud and aerith's relationship, built upon real trust & feelings, not deep hidden secrets/memories, is being developed during the game & you get to see how it flourishes in real time.. you're not TOLD it happened (unlike CT) bc we get to see real cloud & aerith interact.

cloud acts completely unnatural around T. you can force him to flirt with her in the og (along w/ several other perverted options he would NEVER go along with if he weren't ACTING as his SOLDIER persona lol) and force him to be mean to aerith... but we all know that's not cloud!

because REAL cloud still spends his time seeking aerith out and spends real time thinking about how, if he had just understood a little bit faster, he could've saved her life. he laments this and yearns for her guidance even after her death. real him wants aerith, not T. sorry!