Work Text:
It occurs to her that this love she carries around with her is like a shadow. An echo of everything that she does, each move that she makes. It’s always with her. Sometimes, it’s the kind of shadow that is a burden. A scary shape lingering at the end of a dark alley. Sometimes, it’s the kind of shadow that feels like carrying nothing at all. The one that follows you as you meander along the coast listening to saltwater waves lap at the sand. But how would it feel if she chased that shadow into the light?
Tifa is wondering this as she watches him absentmindedly, chin propped on a fist, elbow digging against the smooth surface of the bar counter. He’s just come back from a delivery, it’s been a few weeks now since Geostigma started to vanish. Since they fought to keep away the darkness once again. And while there’s still work to do, she thinks that finally it might be the right time.
She’s spent enough of her life being a little bit lonely, that could practically define the last two years. Listening to her own tears when she thinks the kids can’t hear, growing tired of waiting. Always waiting. Not tonight, she decides. She sets into motion and snags a beer from the fridge. The top is easily popped from the bottle as she moves past the end of the bar, rounding the corner.
“Here, let me help you with that,” she tells him as she walks his way.
Cloud looks a little confused when she swaps his heavy bag with the ice-cold brew, but she pushes it into his palm anyway.
“Come, sit with me. Let’s have a drink,” she says.
He stands in the doorway a moment longer, mouth slightly agape. But he has the good sense to follow when she gives him a backward glance and a nod of the head.
She plops the bag on the ground behind the bar and swipes a beer of her own. She claims a stool like she’s any other customer, long legs draping and an elbow on the counter. As if it’s just another night and she’s casually sitting there waiting for forever to start. Cloud’s steps are unhurried, maybe a little hesitant, but he takes the stool next to hers after she pats the top with her free hand.
She’s facing him, their legs mingling with familiarity. He takes a swift drink before setting the beer aside. A swig of her own for good measure ends up draining a quarter of the bottle, so he’s really giving her a look now. His brows are furrowed ever so softly, but she knows his tells. Silence stretches, but she doesn’t look away.
“Tifa… what—”
“Shh,” she interrupts, pushing a single digit against his mouth. It’s the first time she’s really ever been this forward. There was a clumsy night long ago beneath the Highwind that she chalked up to nerves and desperation, she isn’t even sure if he remembers it. Since then? Pretty much a barren desert.
His lips are warm beneath her touch, but if she’s being honest she sees a little fear in his eyes. And that’s okay, because she’s fairly terrified herself. It’s like living in a powder keg and she’s just lit the first spark.
She lets her hand drift, brushing his jaw as his eyelids grow heavy in a way that knots her stomach. It’s encouragement enough. She perches both hands against the edge of the stool and leans forward, bringing her nose within an inch of his. He’s not moving away, she wonders if his heart is beating as wildly as hers is. It feels like it might punch its way right out of her chest any second, but she can’t bring herself to rush this. She’s waited in the darkness of this love, beneath the weight of its power for so long. She’s afraid to shine, worried she might get burned.
Breathing the same air, staying this close, she feels every crackle of tension in the intoxicating pull on her senses. She glances up for a second to find his bright eyes bouncing between her own eyes and the curve of her top lip. She knows then, so she takes the plunge.
Tifa pushes forward and closes that gap with a brush of her mouth against his. The sparks are like fireworks behind her eyes, popping in a way that indeed feels every bit like a barrel of powder catching fire. She rests her forehead against his briefly, taking a deep and trembling breath. This time, his lips crash into hers. She’s positively blazing when he snakes a hand up the side of her neck, fingers tangling in her hair. She has the vague sense that this moment eclipses everything. She can’t tell if the shadows are searing away, if light or dark is winning, her focus is so narrowed in on the way his lips move against hers. How she’s cracking wide open to him.
She’s not sure how many minutes tick by in which they are tangled like something wild, but she does know that voice trying to break into her sphere of consciousness.
“Tifa…? C-Cloud?”
And just like that, she’s a guilty teenager busted by a parent. She shifts away, but doesn’t have the heart to fully break contact so she gives a sidelong glance to the source of the interruption.
Denzel and Marlene are standing at the base of the stairs looking like they’ve just stumbled into something that they can’t quite navigate. The two exchange this confused glance, then the giggles start. She feels her cheeks flood with warmth as she looks to Cloud for his reaction. He starts to lose it too and that little sign of acceptance is all she needs. She dissolves into a fit of laughter right alongside him.
“Does this mean we get our own room now? If you two are gonna share?” Marlene asks.
The way Denzel elbows her brings another round of laughter and Tifa realizes that this love that has been so like a shadow feels a whole lot like a beaming ray of sunshine on a summer day.
A few more notes: Just a fun little ficlet inspired by an old song :) so fun making these for prompts!! You can see that prompt here.
I also just added a new chapter to my longer CloTi, if you're looking for more to read you can find that here. Thanks for stopping by!