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Aerith envied the birds – envied their adaption and ability to fly. There is so much more to be seen from this vantage point, she muses while looking from the window as the sky ride slowly meandered it's way to the peak of the Golden Saucer. Barret, Cloud and Tifa were crammed inside the small box cabin with her.
“You're fascinated by heights, aren't you?” Tifa stated, tapping her boots to the beat of the pop song playing through the speakers.
Aerith grinned at Tifa's reflection in the window, “Yes! I'm glad to be back here too. Let's try out more of the rides. What do you think, Cloud?”
Cloud looked at Barret, then between Tifa and herself. He hesitated before speaking, “...Was wondering if you minded just splitting off. We're gonna go check out the battle square and I wanna race.”
“He jes' don't wanna risk disappointing both of you ladies.” Barret teased.
She looked at Tifa, who shared her impish smile.
“No worries there. We can take care of each other.” Tifa replied.
Aerith didn't miss a beat, “Fine, I see how it is. I didn't want to share Tifa anyway.”
The men cast glances between them.
“Too much info.” Cloud chortled. When he laughed, his laughter carried the same exhilarated loftiness that Zack's had.
“Your wallet gonna be okay?” Barret asked, nudging Aerith's elbow as they climbed out of the sky ride. Cloud walked to the admissions booth and purchased gold membership cards. Yuffie and the rest of the gang were already making their way into the shuttle, the door sliding closed behind them.
“Huh? Why? I thought we made a killing on the way here.” Aerith hesitated, tapping her finger against her chin.
“You gonna need a loan to feed Miss Hollow Legs.”
Tifa's hair whipped in her wake when she punched Barret's arm. “You're so rude!”
“It's the damn truth woman and you know it.” Barret chuckled, “You always get fed first.”
“I'm the cook!” Tifa rolled her eyes.
“Aerith dun' have to build your plate though!”
Aerith laughed out loud and grabbed one of Tifa's suspenders, reigning her in close. Wait - is that perfume? “Actually, I do. She also gets healed first because she flirts with me. I'm sorry – I don't make the rules.”
Tifa stuck out her tongue and linked their arms together. “So there! If you need us, we'll be in the food court...!”
Cloud yelled over the crowd, “Rendezvous in the Ghost Hotel at the end of the night!”
Aerith jabbed Tifa's waist - causing her to jump, as the shuttle door closed behind them. “Seems to be happening a lot lately.”
Tifa raised her brows, “Oh? What d'you mean?” She squinted at the poster for a play showing in the Event Square.
“The guys, leaving. Together. On their own.”
Tifa shushed her, giggling, “Don't jinx it, let's let them have their bromance. Listening to them argue is tiresome.”
“You're right.” She rocked between her heel and her toes, grabbing the handle on the ceiling as the shuttle took off toward, “You weren't really wanting to head to the food court yet were you?”
Tifa regarded her through the corner of her eye, her smile taunting, “I'll ditch you if you jump on that bandwagon.”
“You wouldn't.” Aerith stated, resting her head on Tifa's shoulder. She is wearing perfume! Rose, peony and... cedarwood? Teef, where did you buy that?!
“I wouldn't. Ever.” Tifa laughed lightly. “We could go to the arcade? Haven't been to one aside from the last time we were here.”
Aerith reached for her hand as the door reopened and they stepped out into Wonder Square. “Sure, and aww. An arcade would fit right next to the Nibelheim mansion. Decor matches perfectly.”
“Totally. Unfortunately, all we had was a pinball machine in the tavern. It never worked even until the day before...” Tifa trailed off, shaking her head.
“Okay, let's just drop that conversation for now.” Aerith spun, basking in the electronic glow coming from each area. She needed to find something quickly to distract Tifa from memories of having returned to her hometown.
Pressing her face into the glass case, Tifa pointed at the bottles of Phoenix Down. “I bet we could win a few prizes at Wonder-catcher.”
“Perfect. It'll be a great warm up for you.” Aerith smiled innocently.
Tifa quipped her brow, her mouth pursing in question, “...for me?”
Aerith jumped excitably, placing her hands at the small of her back. She steered Tifa toward the left catcher machine. “Yes! You have to try arm wrestling this go-around!”
They didn't waste too much money before calling it quits, at 100gil per attempt and only receiving potions after the first six tries each. The luck that they had during their last visit had ran out. Tifa began unwrapping the compression bands from her arms. They walked to a kiosk.
“Boo, what a coin sink! What now?” Aerith asked, while ordering a slushy from the concessions stand nearby. She tossed the coins onto the bar top and turned back to the brawler with the bright blue drink in hand. “Wanna try?”
Tifa leered at the drink then shook her head, “Nah, you can keep your diabetes-to-go. Arm wrestling?”
“You're gonna do it?!” The Cetra's face lit up, as Tifa's fell.
“Wait, you weren't being serious?” Tifa winced, rubbing her neck. She had developed an endearing habit of walking face first into Aerith's levitous spur-of-the-moment suggestions.
Aerith laughed and pointed at the mechanical sumo wrestler. “You can't back out now. I bet you can beat pot-roast over there.”
Tifa's brows knitted as she considered the arcade game - and then dropped the requisite number of coins into the slot. The rubberized, mechanical arm of the robot raised upward and a table for her arm to rest on for the wrestle slid out from a port on the front of the machine. Tifa cracked her neck from side to side. “Dunno if I can handle this.”
Aerith snorted, and draped her free arm across the robot's shoulders.
The raven haired woman positioned herself on the table and curled her fingers around his hand, as an electronic voice counted down from five. Then the arm whirred into life – the metal joints in the game's wrist and elbow pushed down and into her grip. Tifa's eyes saucered as it took a moment for her to respond; Adjusting, her biceps flexed and flesh stretched over the ribbon of muscle. Aerith could have squealed.
In the next breath, they were showered in sparks and smoke began billowing from the shoulder socket. As the plume cleared, she found Tifa laying on the floor. She looked astonished, with the broken robotic arm in her grip. “Oh shit! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to break it!”
Aerith cackled, spilling her drink as she jumped away. She clutched her sides, “Woah easy tiger!”
Arcade attendants dashed out of a closet as an alarm started ringing, with fire extinguishers to boot. “No worries, Miss! You probably didn't break it-”
“Bullshit guys, she destroyed it – are you looking at her? The evidence doesn't lie.”
“Shut up!” Tifa squeaked, “She's trying to get me in trouble I promise!” Her face reddened as she held a finger over her lips while trying to remain straight faced.
“No, no! You are quite alright, now if you would please step aside – we need to cordon this area off!”
Aerith offered her a hand, Tifa taking it and heaving herself from the ground. Electricians arrived in a golf caddy a moment later, with a toolbox and replacement parts in tow. Tifa apprehensively set the broken arm down.
“I want to offer you a prize of your choice, Miss. I also wish to give you our most sincere apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced. Please go to the prize booth and exchange this ticket to claim your reward, and this is a complimentary dining pass.” The young attendant thrust a pair of tickets into her hand, and pointed to the referenced stand.
“Uh...sure. Thanks?” Tifa looked perplexed.
Her earrings brushed against the ringlets of Aerith's hair as she leaned closer, “They're trying to woo you Teef. Probably trying to avoid any potential legal action...ambulance chasers are rife.”
They moved to walk away. Tifa picked up her bands, and took a handful of paper towels from a nearby sanitation station. She flagged Aerith for her attention, and tugged the neck of her shirt – prompting Aerith to look down and do the same. “Hey. Take these. You spilled-”
“-Thanks...” Aerith blotted the liquid from the topmost fabric of her dress.
“You look like a six year old.” Tifa giggled, and chewed on her lip.
Aerith skipped and hopped over to a mirror to look at her reflection. She made a face, admiring the blue hue on her tongue, “...not an advocate for acting my age.”
The prizes ranged from giant chocobo and cactuar plushies, to smaller moogles and action figures that had a worrying likeness to that of the ShinRa military. Oh get out, are those replica training swords too?
“The chocobo's are adorable!” Aerith gushed.
Tifa peered at her over the sunglasses she was trying on, “How are we going to realistically lug that thing around with us?”
“Where's your sense of adventure?”
Tifa held her hands up, gesturing around her – inferring their general predicament in the grand scheme of things.
“Tifa...you were told you could pick a n y t h i n g.” Her green eyes pleaded.
The barmaid exaggerated dragging her feet over to the stand and waved at the young man in the booth, “Hey.”
His face brightened, “Good evening ladies! Fortune smiled on you tonight, huh? What'll it be?”
“I'd like one of those chocobos please,” Tifa smiled shyly. The plushie was lowered from the top shelf, it was easily as big as Yuffie.
Tifa turned to Aerith. She seemed nervous, holding her breath, as she held the fluffy toy out. “-Here you go...”
Aerith's jaw dropped open. She grinned and squealed, “Aww! Tifa, I love him! Thank you!”
“You can explain this to the guys though...” She laughed, and played with the tickets in her hands. Admittedly, seeing Tifa occasionally leave herself vulnerable in her presence is something she has been swooning over for some time. She's a ruin when Tifa starts making corny jokes-
“What's there to explain? Sephiroth will never expect me to throw a giant fluffy toy at him. He'll never see it coming, then you can step in and throat punch him.” Aerith followed Tifa's gaze to the announcement for the initiation of the night's racing events in the Speed Square, and then to back onto her.
“...You're crazy.” Tifa pushed her, causing her to sidestep.
“You love me anyway.”
Tifa's eyes held a glimmer and her smile softened. She hesitated, and Aerith thought she had finished before she spoke up. “Its hard not to...” Tifa said quickly – her cheeks became rosey when her gaze dropped to the floor
Aerith allowed her mouth to fall open a little, as she threw her arms around Tifa's neck and launched herself at the taller girl. Hopefully, Tifa wouldn't feel her heart racing or the sweaty sheen over her palms. What had started out as a girls' evening out was starting to feel like a-
Gurgle.
Tifa seized and pulled away, and her hand immediately covered her abdomen. “Sorry, stomach's empty...”
Aerith held out her hand for Tifa's. “Come on, what are we waiting for? There's a buffet somewhere around here. I smell food!”
The dining area was packed. They sifted toward the back of the seating area to one of the few unoccupied tables – profusely apologizing to the other patrons who happened to find themselves in the way of a furry beak or foot. Aerith sat down with the chocobo. Tifa gathered her hair and tied the tie closer to the base of her neck. With an expression of determination she turned back to Aerith. “I'm going in.”
Her stomach was going to start pitching a fit soon. After a fair twenty minutes of waiting, Aerith spotted Tifa navigating the maze of tables back to their seats and not without two plates, piled high with various different dishes. She set them down, then jogged over to collect condiments and their utensils. Tifa stabbed open the chopsticks.
“Was getting worried that I'd need to call search and rescue for a while.” She teased.
Tifa looked up momentarily from the udon noodles that she was loading onto the sticks. Aerith yelped when her steel toe boot came into contact with her shin under the table. “Behave! These aren't both for me...” She held the noodles in front of Aerith's face, prompting her to eat them.
Was Tifa-? Oh! “Thank you...I'd have gotten my own though.” Aerith said, swallowing the mouthful.
Before Tifa could reply, she had filled her mouth with food. She looked both apologetic and ridiculous, trying to hurry the chewing process and leaving herself exasperated. Aerith pushed a glass of water to her.
“Sssh. I do... I didn't think you'd want to deal with the crowds in the canteen. One of the registers isn't working.” She replied hurriedly.
Aerith grazed her knee over Tifa's, “Sorry-” She muttered, when Tifa's head snapped up from her plate.
The warmth from Tifa's leg pressed against hers again. When she looked up this time, it was Tifa who was smiling. Aerith grinned back.“...What? Have I spilled food again?”
“Nooo! No. This. This is nice... being able to sit down and spend time with – like this.”
Aerith dipped her gaze below Tifa's eyes. She was blushing a little, and her cheeks felt a little warm now too. She shed her jacket, “Yes...I think this is what normal feels like.” Aerith winked.
The cold steel plate brushed tantalizingly across her shin again, for good measure, “You know what I mean! Not in a hurry, not worried about paying for all of this ...not-”
“-Not hassled by Sephiroth or anyone else...” Aerith dipped her eyes as the latter part of her sentence fell from her mouth.
In private thoughts, she has been wishing for an opportunity to spend time, alone, with her best friend for weeks. She looked up from the salmon nigiri that she was pushing around her plate, to find Tifa studying her.
“Yes! That's what I meant. Although I feel a bit bad that Cloud didn't want to go through with that date he promised you.” Tifa said hesitantly.
She was a little disappointed, true. “Don't be. This has been a great night so far. Though, I'm starting to doubt that you'll be starring in any drama production tonight if you keep eating.”
Tifa dropped her chopsticks and hands onto the table, her smile was dazzling. “Great, now you're calling me greedy!”
The diners sitting in the tables around them turned to see what Aerith was laughing at. “No! Now you're putting words in my mouth! I meant that you won't feel like going on rides or jumping down the tower of a castle to save a princess when you're done.”
“You got me there.” Tifa smiled. Her chin was propped in the palm of her hand.
Aerith nudged her beneath the table. “The races start in thirty minutes, that's more our speed for now.”
“After dessert,” Tifa promised, and gathered their empty plates onto a tray and stood. “What do you fancy?”
You. “An appetite like yours.”
Stepping out of the madness of the food court, they waited on the shuttle to arrive to take them to the Chocobo Square. They fought through the queues for the betting stall, stopping only briefly to check if any of their friends had entered into the feature race. Cloud and Barret's names were both absent - as were the others.
Tifa carried Aerith's giant bird up to the grandstands, stumbling over the packed rows of seating. She stopped to hand a toy fire engine back to a little boy before they found a clearing half way up the metal benches.
“Look Tifa! There they are!” Aerith shrieked to her side, grabbing Tifa's hand and pointing toward one of the TV screens to the side of the viewing area. Cloud was shown inside the Colosseum with his blade drawn against a mortally wounded Ark Dragon. Barret shot his gun arm at a Crawler. “Doing what he does best!”
Tifa lowered her voice, “Swinging his sword around?”
“Tifa!” She gasped – a little shocked.
The barmaid let go, and sat down on the other side of the chocobo. She rolled her eyes and offered a wry smile, “Interpret that as you wish...”
A man sitting in front of them turned around and pointed to another television screen. “Interpret that!”
The screen he was pointing at was bordered with pink and red hearts. Aerith looked closer at the image on the screen labeled “Kiss Cam”. Immediately she recognized the women and the fluffy bird sitting on it, in a moment of panic. She'd recognise that length of black hair anywhere.
They were on a kiss cam.
She's on a kiss cam with Tifa.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The crowd chants around them.
Tifa's eyes widen as much as she imagines hers have. Aerith felt a wrap of cold sweat around her as she frantically scrambles to think of something to do. As much as she'd like to, kissing Tifa like this isn't an option. Nothing about this atmosphere is right-
The crowd chanting around them were going impatient and Tifa nervously looked at the stuffed toy.
Bingo! The toy!
Without a second thought, Aerith picked up the toy by it's neck. Dark eyes probed her anxiously and she plead silently for Tifa to trust her, and she reciprocated with a smile.
Aerith lifted the beak of the bird to Tifa, who with closed eyes puckered her lips. She pressed a quick kiss onto Tifa's lips. They both look up at the television – the crowd and camera were still on them.
“Give her a real kiss! Come on!” A nearby fan yelled.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Her heart hammers in her chest, and Tifa looks out of her depth - drowning in the attention on them. “I'm going to kiss your hand-” Aerith quickly whispered in her ear, hoping it would be enough to satiate the people around them.
She dropped onto one knee in front of the brawler, and those surrounding the went wild. Hopefully they wouldn't get the wrong idea from this; nervously reaching for Tifa's hand, she held it in both of hers before pressing a chaste kiss onto the back of it. Her hand was warm and soft against her lips.
In the middle of this circus, Tifa hadn't dropped her gaze once. She feels mystified – in that moment, she can only describe as having noise cancellation on. The raucous buzz from their surroundings siphoned out, and a woman that may or may not have knowingly taken part in the daylight robbery of her heart sitting in front of her.
She snaps out of it, and looks at the TV and the people surrounding their seats. The camera's focus now on another couple, Tifa let out the breath she'd been holding – her shoulders slumped. “I wasn't expecting that...”
She chuckled and rested against the fluffy bird, “That's part of the experience of going to sports events, I think.”
“The next time we come somewhere like this – I'm buying a dumpster sized box of popcorn and hiding behind it.”
She dared to swat Tifa's thigh and giggled softly, “I figured it's just the people looking at you part that you don't like...”
Tifa wasn't looking at her, though her smile said enough, “Yes. Exactly.”
The evening was beginning to show signs of aging when they left the Chocobo Square for the Round Square; the general flow of foot traffic were walking in the vague direction of either the hotel or to the Golden Saucer's exit gates and the weary attendants manning the various face painting and temporary tattoo stands were closing their shutters for the night. Another worker dumped the garbage from a trash can nearby. Conversation had waned with either woman content in their silence as they wandered aimlessly around the attractions, her chest fluttering following every time their fingers brushed against each other; Aerith couldn't quite shake the feeling of the night building to a possible crescendo.
When they found themselves in line for the Gondola ride, there were only two couples ahead of them. Looking closer, they were both male-female pairs. Possibly lovers. Aerith inhaled deeply and quietly; as the operator of the ride opened the door for them, her hand found it's way to rest on her friend's hip – guiding her in as they climbed into the ride.
“Enjoy the sights of the Golden Saucer! Hey, when you get to the top – look out for the fireworks!”
Tifa slid onto the bench to the left. She sat opposite, and the cab began to move. They sat quietly for a moment - soaking in the sights, glitz and glamour of the Mile High City.
As the cab began moving, she couldn't help but think about the black haired woman in front of her.
They'd met entirely by chance, not longer than a few months ago. She considered how thankful she had been for Cloud falling through her Church, and how she wouldn't trade the recent past for a single thing in spite of the harrowing truths they've come to know. There were a few reasons why, but most obviously - no one had made her feel more welcome into their family of friends than Tifa.
In the planet's whispers to her, it tells Aerith that the time is coming. Time for what, she hasn't worked that out. Her gut won't let her back down now, not after the fun they've had tonight. If she doesn't let Tifa know the extent of her feelings now – she may not get a better set up. Everything had fallen into place tonight, and Tifa hadn't exactly rebuked any of the flirtatious comments that she'd dropped casually into conversation.
“You okay?” Aerith asked. She reached for the barmaid's hands and held them in hers – just as she had sixty eight minutes prior.
Her posture stiffened, and her eyes widened. “Yeah... just thinking about tonight.”
Aerith flashed her a small smile, “No bloodshed tonight! Yay!”
Tifa chuckled, “That's one of the things...” She was looking at their hands. Her fingers began to curl as she moved to lift her hands away.
Aerith lightly gripped onto fingers before she slipped out of reach. “Hey-” Her hands were beginning to feel clammy against Tifa's, “-Teef. Thank you.”
Red eyes surveyed her intently, and a shy smile replaced the concerned expression. “Anytime girlfriend.”
Her pulse sped up a notch. She rubbed her thumbs into Tifa's open palms, “Uhm.” She giggled nervously, and offered a hopefully charming smile, “I actually have something to tell you. About that.”
Tifa cocked her head to the side. “...Oh?”
Gods, spit it out.
“I don't know how best to say this but-” She inhaled deeply and gathered her balls, before the words tumbled out – thankfully in the correct order. “I'm perhaps a little enchanted by you, Tifa.”
Stomach: Operation Free Fall. Please be kind if you don't feel the same-
Her lips formed a small 'o', and her hand clasped over her mouth. Her eyes widened, then softened. “Me?” She whispered when her hand fell away.
Aerith nodded. Say something.
Tifa blushed, hard - in the same adorable manner as if she were handed a tip over the bar top with a nice compliment. Shit.
Then her lips trembled in the beginnings of her beautiful smile. “Wha- how? I thought you were just being nice-”
“...Not quite. I mean I guess you're not wrong, I mean I was-” She was babbling. Aerith gingerly reached out to her, and cupped Tifa's cheek, “-I just didn't want to scare you away.”
Tifa's hand clasped over the hand holding her cheek. Her lips twitched, “So every time you-”
“Yup.” Aerith nodded. Thumb stroking her skin, “I meant it. In that way.”
Out of the window, the fireworks that the ride operator had promised showered the sky in golden sparks. The explosion illuminated her fair skin. Tifa's eyes reflected the next one that blew up nearby.
The fighter bit her lip and smiled again. Against her hand, Aerith felt her quivering. She feels like she's about to throw herself, skydiving, from the highwind.
“Can you, uh-” Tifa broke into a sheepish grin, and kept looking at her lips. Aerith's stomach did a back flip when her tongue darted along her lips as she wet her own. “Can we kiss now?”
She traced her fingertip lightly across the velvety skin of an earlobe, before suspending the martial artist's earring between her finger and thumb. No hope in hell of hiding the sheer delight from her face now...
Oh - oh yes, please!