@makogaze asked: five times kissed 😔
ONE. she’s thirteen && tifa supposes that she shouldn’t be surprised that cloud is leaving. she does her best to support him, making him promise in order to never lose sight of his dream. she can’t understand why he would want to be a SOLDIER, cloud never seemed to be someone who wanted fame && fortune. nevertheless, she knows that most likely… this was goodbye. though they aren’t particularly close, there is a soft deflation in her chest. there will be no more thoughts of ONE DAY, they could be closer. she always thought that maybe when she got older and seemed more mature, cloud would want to hang out – now it was only a dream.
he’s helping her down from the watermill, though looking in the total opposite direction from her and she wonders when he’s gotten so sweet. she thinks better to ask for more of his time before leaving for midgar, he’ll be busy preparing.
they’re at the bottom and he lets go of her hand. she only has a few moments and speaks before thinking“ – hey, cloud ? ” finally, peering at her with slight uncertainty– tifa smiles and feels her face start to scarlet as she leans over, planting a soft peck of her lips to his cheek. it lasts only a half a second and she can’t help but be quite bouncy when she pulls away, never having been quite so bold before. “ for good luck. not that you’ll need it but you never know. ” and her feet are dashing to take her home, arm waving goodbye as the cool air fans her warm cheeks.
TWO. she’s twenty && just lost…. everything. her blood runs cold and the thought that… this isn’t the first time. she feels cursed. everything she touches seems to turn to ash and sleep seems out of the question. in contrast, aerith’s gardens… so full of life makes her tremble as waves of silent grief wash over her. for a moment she’s managed to simply breathe, take in the scent of the flowers and counting down in her head. then certain footfalls surprise her a bit, as she thought she had been discreet.
tifa doesn’t want cloud to see her cry, she knows there must be so many things he’s thinking about but she feels the sharp pricking starting to build behind her eyes. so she reaches for him, eyes hot and growing bleary by the second and she lays her head on his shoulder and holds onto him, shuddering and gasping for breath when a sob slips past her lips, one after another… till cloud holds her. arms pulling her in, keeping her steady and solid, reminding her that she has yet lost him. and he’s refusing on letting her go.
she feels a warm press on the top of her head, so fleeting she’s unsure if she felt anything at all. they don’t speak of it, but sometimes the memory of a soft kiss to her hair fills her dreams.
THREE. they’re under the high wind and tifa can say with the utmost certainty that she loves cloud strife with her entire being. she loves the cloud strife that had always saw her for who she is, inside & out. and she can finally say that he’s shown her himself too, there’s no more guessing– no more what ifs. it’s just the two of them, here and now for the better. she’s standing in front of him, feeling bare as if he could read her heart the moment she was to face him. the tinge of nervousness & shyness not to be mistaken with fear.
she can work up the courage for cloud, she’s done so before. so she turns, eyes locked onto his mako filled gaze and smiles. they meet each other halfway. one gloved hand caresses the side of her face as her arms snake around his neck. their kiss is slow && soft, but building. another hand is sliding up her waist, pulling tifa firmly against himself and within seconds she’s rendered breathless.
FOUR. it’s late and thankfully denzel & marlene have gone to bed with little fuss. though, maybe the quiet was a ruse since cloud hadn’t made it back downstairs. either way, she’s standing behind the bar, a quiet hummed tune on her lips as she begins washing dirtied plates with cake crumbs. they’ve come a long way and nothing is perfect, quite far from it– but she’s happy. together, they’ll figure things out && that’s all tifa ever wanted. the soft smile is easy on her face, as she bobs her head a little to her own little tune.
she loses herself in the task, not noticing that cloud had made his way back to the bar till warm hands gently grasp hers from behind. “i said i’d clean them,”
her smile is sheepish, “sorry… i kinda went on automode–”
“don’t worry about it,” he really was always so quick to cave to her. “we can do it together. i’ll dry.”
she smiles so wide, she swears it feels like her face is splitting. “okay.”
they’re mostly quiet, save for tifa’s humming. but diligently they get the job done quite fast with two sets of hands. as she wipes her own hands clean & dry she wraps her arms around clouds waist still humming as he seriously goes about making sure every dish is completely dry. always so careful with their things, she’s so so happy.
“–tifa,” she smiles, warm lips pressed against his neck and she just hums and carries on, lower this time. a slight graze of her teeth to tease for good measure.
FIVE. everyone is back home. the kids are in bed, safe & sound– all free of geostigma and the monsters that threatened them. she’s sitting by the windowsill, leaning against the walls finally letting her body slowly unwind tense muscles. the night sky was always so comforting to her, when she can gaze in silence and whisper all her worries into the wind without another soul being any wiser.
the bathroom door opens & shuts and she’s drifted back from her thoughts. cloud steps in, a little awkward, but there. that’s what mattered. so she opens her arms and releases the breath she didn’t realize she was holding when he drifts towards her and falling into her awaiting arms. his head lays on her chest and she quietly runs her fingers through soft golden locks. she doesn’t know how long they stay entangled, their worn-out limbs finding comfort in the warmth of one another. her mind is drifting, exhausting threatening to take over as adrenaline runs on fumes when she feels the soft peppering of kisses on her collarbones and a small, lazy smile pulls on the side of her face.
maybe she can fight off sleep just a while longer.
