Chapter Text
Racing thoughts of death and of pain chased her from the bed. She couldn't lie still without it catching up to her. The silence of the dark house reached for her like a smothering blanket of smoke, she just needed out. She shoved her feet back into her shoes and slipped into the hall, creeping down the stairs on soft steps. She was out the door before it occurred to her that it was pouring rain. She thought that was fitting. The sky had opened up, sending down tears for the lives that had just been ended. It sent shivers down her spine, her legs coming up with gooseflesh.
Tifa Lockhart didn't know where she was going. She surveyed, not caring as the rain slicked her hair down, strands of it clinging to her cheeks. There. On the hill, with the flowers. She started into a run, hoping to find some shred of comfort among the blooms so lovingly cared for. A small part of her gave enough room to consider how similar they looked to the flower Cloud had offered her when they had met again. That seemed like years ago.
She wanted to scream. Wanted to rage at the sky. At anything. But she just stood in stillness, trying desperately to hold the pieces of her together. She heard footfalls behind her, but she just kept staring into the darkness.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
She steadied herself, willing her voice not to tremble as she answered, "No. You too?"
"I heard footsteps."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."
"I'm a light sleeper. It's a SOLDIER thing."
She huffed an attempt at a laugh, failing. "That flower you gave me the other night. That was from Aerith, wasn't it?"
Tifa finally turned to face Cloud as a small noise came out of him. He shifted uncomfortably.
She let out a rueful laugh as she said, "I knew there was something weird going on. You, buying flowers." A pause, "They symbolize reunion, believe it or not. I was curious, so I looked it up."
A half-truth. She'd wondered if the flower meant anything coming from Cloud. She'd been reading into it with hope that she didn't dare to give much space in her heart. At last, she looked at him, saw the raindrops try to take down all those blonde spikes. A chill washed through her bones.
"I tried to keep it alive as long as I could." She had… so little control over what happened to the flower. She mourned that inability to change the chain of events, grappled with the loss. "But now… it's dead and buried. Like the bar, our home…" her throat constricted, the last words coming out a bitter sigh "And everything else."
A single tear escaped in that moment. Tifa swayed slowly as the swirling storm of emotions running through her crescendoed. Torn between staying where she was or moving forward, she hesitated. But her feet betrayed her, sending her forward nonetheless. The distance closed and she crashed into Cloud, her forehead coming to rest against his chest.
A small sob had her saying, "They took everything from us… Again."
She started to cry in earnest then, unable to hold back the flood. Her hands went up to his chest, his shoulders, seeking. She squeezed a bit, nails digging into his taut skin. He just stood there, rooted to the ground like a tree, hands slack at his sides and it nearly made her cry harder.
But then, ever so slowly, his arms went around her. His jaw brushed against her rain-slick hair. She savored his warmth each place they connected, felt the featherlight touch of his chin against her temple. It made her tears stop trailing salty paths down her cheeks. Made her stop feeling the bad things for a moment. And it made her wonder.
Slowly, as if moving through a heavy weight, she put a little distance between their faces and looked up into his mako-flecked blue eyes. There was so much pain in them. For what had happened, for her, she didn't know. She only knew that if this contact he'd given her had lessened her own hurts, she might seek to lighten his as well.
Tension clicked into place between them, buzzing like electricity filling in what little space separated their noses. Cloud looked like he might startle, his eyes searching hers. But then, oh then, they dipped down subtly. He was looking at her lips, she realized.
She rose a little on her toes, steadying herself with one hand still on his shoulder and the other now slipping up the column of his neck. The smallest inch between her lips and his own. She waited, but he didn't move, so she brushed her lips against his. Once, twice. And it was like throwing water on all that electricity that had been between them, the sparks arcing so hot she almost backed up.
But was that… oh gods, his arms tightened against her and this time, he brushed her lips. Side-to-side like he was trying to discern how they fit and felt in contact. It was all the encouragement she needed. Her arms looped around his neck as she pressed into him, closing all the gaps between them and letting the heat of him settle into her.
The rain picked up, sending trickles of water down her back and sides where his hands roamed to collect them, leaving little trails of gooseflesh where they went. She shuddered against him and a little noise slipped from her mouth. Apparently, all the encouragement he needed. His lips crushed against hers then. And that kiss, that first kiss, it wrecked her. Shook her soul and left her feeling parched, in need of more. She'd take all she could get from it, deepening the kiss until she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.
But it was raining. And that could only mean one thing.
Tifa startled awake, sweating and sticking to the sheets, trying to come to grips with what she'd seen in her mind's eye. This dream again. She was growing tired of the feeling when she noticed the little atmospheric differences, the only tell that it was indeed a dream. That feeling that she didn't want to wake up. Grasping at the flimsy strings and trying to pull that heavy sleep back down over herself. It left her mouth dry, her mind racing. And every time it happened, it left her that much closer to thinking she might actually do something about the feelings that plagued her nights.
Tomorrow, she told herself, and she tried to fall back asleep.
Disclaimer: These characters and locations belong to Square Enix. I just meddle with them for fun.
Notes: This is what I haven't been able to get out of my head for weeks now. The reason I ended up back on this site. I'll admit, I was never a fan of Cloud. But the remake changed my mind and so here I am, with my first Tifa/Cloud fic. What has the world come to?! Haha. I have some big ideas for this one and would love your thoughts encouragement. How'd I do?
My vision was to keep the scene as close as possible to the original, but diverge from the last part of it that annoyed me (the whole "you're hurting me" too tight hug). However, I didn't think it would be much fun if it actually happened... but decided instead that it could be fuel for the fire that might drive Tifa to action. Curious what she'll do? I'm hoping to update this one soon, so keep an eye out.