Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

”Tifa.”

Vermilion eyes looked up at the sound of the voice as he examined her appearance. Aquamarine dress with spaghetti straps, accompanied by his signature white jacket—which he had expected, since it wasn’t there when he looked for it. The dress was skimpy enough as it accentuated her long legs. He decided it wasn’t the appropriate time to focus on her enticing figure.

She was laying down on a picnic blanket under the shade of the big tree, both hands under her head as she silently acknowledged him. He sighed before also laying down beside her, eyes never leaving her even for a second.

She turned her gaze towards him only to avert them a second later after accidentally locking eyes with him. Fiddling with her own fingers, they stayed tranquil for a while.

He took note of their surroundings, waiting for something or someone to break the ice. An outdoor table and chairs on the patio, fairy lights and different types of flowers strewn all across the entirety of the backyard. He wasn’t familiar with it, but he figured it was cozy enough.

The only unsettling thing to him was the stifling silence of it all. Tifa loved her peace and quiet, and so did he with his own, this was too awkward though. He should suck it up and just say it. Keeping the wife sad wasn’t an option. 

“I apol-“

“I’m sorry.” She interrupted him while repositioning to lie on her side, facing him. Her doe eyes filled to the brim with genuineness as expected. Before he can say anything back, she gets closer to him till he can smell her faint perfume. “It isn’t your fault that you have to go to Junon on such short notice. If there’s an emergency, there’s an emergency. I shouldn’t have lashed at you like that.” 

He tucked her under his chin before exhaling. “It’s quite alright. I can assure you, the situation will be handled, after that I’ll be home. You can also hold your own, especially for two weeks, my love.” 

“Of course I can. Nevertheless, I’m gonna miss you.” Tifa said somberly while tracing his Adam's apple with her finger. Soft, plump lips pressed against his neck as he sighed in contentment. She pulled away and looked up at him, waiting for a reply from the seemingly struck man.

There’s just something about her kisses that he can never get over. “I’ll call you everyday,” he breathed. 

“You better. Or I’ll have to fly to Junon myself.” 

Gaia, he would have to throw himself off a cliff if he ever forgot to check up on her. She was far too precious to be forgotten like that. The idea of her suddenly bursting through his suite’s door was an interesting one, to say the least. He laid his left hand on her waist, squeezing it ever so slightly. “You’ve gotten clingy, haven’t you?”

She huffed in offense. “I totally have not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maybe lying isn’t her forte.

“If you truly haven’t, you wouldn’t have grabbed this while you were mad at me, would you?” He said in a smug tone, indicating to the jacket she was wearing.

“Oh, err-“ She tried to hide her face in the nape of the jacket when she felt warmth rise up to her cheeks. Still the cutest person he has pleasure in knowing. He stretched his upper body when he decided to sit up straight. Tifa just stared at him while doing so.

She watched his back tense and slacken while murmuring, “It’s comforting, feels like you’re hugging me.” Shit, he’s going to have a really hard time being without her. He can deal with that thought later though. For now, making the most out of today with her is his number one priority. He turned to her with a shy smile plastered on his face, her right cheek was gently caressed.

“Take care of it for me, for these two weeks.” She relished in his affections, yet the feeling of being too spoiled latches onto her every time. “Are you sure? This is your favorite, though.”

He expected her to reply with a question from a mile away. It was a typical Tifa habit. Leaning down, he kissed her lips to reaffirm his words. She returned the gesture back with fondness, only pulling away when they’re running out of air. He gingerly held her hand before saying.

“Yes, I’m certain. Besides, I have tons of other coats—you out of all people should know that, it’s not like the jacket is my life support. Also, you look good wearing it.”

She took a deep breath. “Right, right…I’ll take good care of it.” Smiling right after when the compliment sinks in.

“That’s my girl.” He nuzzled her cheeks, which resulted in her wriggling and trying to hold in a laugh. “Stop! That tickles!” 

Her laugh cheers him up beyond words can comprehend. So, the only correct thing to do was to make her laugh some more, obviously. Long fingers graze both sides of her waist with a fast enough speed for her to start uncontrollably laughing. She tried to shield her stomach when his hands started to move towards there, only for it to be a fruitless attempt. Her lungs struggled as she was starting to get breathless. “Cut it out! I’ll seriously punch you if you don’t stop!”

Her uncontrollable laughter died down, and so did his motivation to tickle her. Lucky for him, he has never been punched by her, but the tales of people who got unfortunate were gnarly enough—“people” as in Reno. The man still is shaken to this day when he sees his boss’ wife.

“Fine, I surrender! Don’t punch me.” He threw his hands up half jokingly while the other half was pure fear. He watched as her chest rose and fell in a regular pattern, finally getting the air she needed. With a red face, she glared at him. 

“You better watch yourself tonight, Rufus, because I will pinch you.” Her eyes narrowed when he looked up at her at last. She crossed her arms on her chest and pouted. 

He had an impish smile contrasting to her pout. She couldn’t read what he was thinking, even though she knew him inside and out, his mind was still an enigma to her. “Only pinches. How disappointing. I thought you would want to spank me.”

She threw her hands around his neck before kissing him slowly. Well that wasn’t the reaction he thought he would get. He’s not complaining though. He pulled her closer until they were bumping chests, her warmth that was seeping to him and his clothes was a godly feeling. Resting his head on her bare shoulder when she withdrew from the kiss. 

“I think you would enjoy that too much.” 

Rufus closed his eyes momentarily and let out a chortle. “You wouldn’t know until you tried it.” He idly looked at his watch before asking, “Have you eaten yet?” 

She nodded at his question. “Just before you came here.” 

“If that’s the case, do you want to visit someplace? I want to make the rest of our day.”  He set his gaze to her face as the corner of his lips lifted up slightly.

“Well… I haven’t bought groceries yet and stock for the bar is running out. But can we stay here for five more minutes? It's so nice here.”

You prefer your best friend’s backyard more than ours? He thought to himself. Guess it’s time to renovate their own backyard. “Sure, we can stay here for a little bit longer if you want.”

“Yes!” She exclaimed in relief before removing her hold on him and lying back on the blanket one last time. He started to check his phone for emails and not soon after, his hand was tugged by her considerately. He turned his head towards her to see if everything’s alright, and it definitely was. Her signature smile greeted him and he couldn’t help but to smile back.

Unbeknownst to them, Elena was watching them from her kitchen with a happy look on her face. Glad that she didn’t have to verbally beat her boss for making her best friend emotional, despite that Tseng is also going to Junon to accompany Rufus. Apart from obviously missing the dark haired Turk, she knew that he would be just fine. 

Chapter Text

“Don’t give me that look, Tifa.”

Pity.

She shifted on her toes. “Evan…” 

The Investigator slightly looked up from the makeshift shelter he made with his arms — refusing to meet the dark atmosphere of the closed bar all the way. She must’ve thought he was utterly pathetic. Just like how Rufus Shinra did, and probably everyone else. But, judgement never really bothered Evan that much, not until the clouds parted and the birds sung was the day he met both of them. 

To say that he experienced a roller coaster of emotions, was an understatement. 

Pristine and seemingly flawless, he was furious. Furious at the fact that he sees him and Kyrie in them, yet they were the complete opposite. Who was he kidding, his self-esteem is as fragile as a glass pot.

Silence blankets them for a while before soft footsteps tapping against the wooden floor was heard. “Your brother and I don’t always see eye to eye, y’know.”

He grumbles. “And how is this conversation going to help, exactly?”

Soft laughter fills his ears and he wonders how someone could have such an endearing one.

“It’s going to pay off, I swear!”

Mulling it over, he eventually relented and sighed. “Fine.” 

He could already sense a smile forming on her face. She pushes her hands together, making a clapping sound in the process. “Did you know that we were practically rivals a few years ago?”

“You two? No way. I don’t believe it.” His interest was starting to peak and it hasn’t even been a minute.

“Oh, but we were! He used to be so frosty and arrogant—well, even more so in the past. But, the point is, he was an asshole and I was pissed.” 

For them it was ‘asshole’ and ‘pissed’. For Evan and Kyrie, it was ‘dense + insecure’ and ‘impatient’.

“…How did you get together with him then?” He looked up to meet her eyes, abandoning the self made shelter he hid his face in. 

Tifa smiles. Rosy blush appears on her cheeks, probably because of the past recollection she’s about to tell. 

“To most people, it probably wouldn’t be that special, yet it stuck with me. It was the first time I truly saw him.”  

She stops briefly, looking at Evan if he had anything to say, yet he was entrenched in curiosity, so she goes on. “He held my hand when I was freezing.”

He blinks. Well, she wasn’t lying when she said it wouldn’t have been that special to other people. 

“That’s…kind of anticlimactic.”

“I didn’t say it was flashy, mister!” Puffing her cheeks in false agitation, he chuckles. She replied to him with giggles of her own.

When the laughter died down, she said “Rufus and I bicker more often than you thought, Evan. But we realize that we could be in the wrong at times, so we apologize and mend things.”

He averted his gaze to the floor after a moment of mulling it over. That sliver of introspection to Rufus and Tifa’s pristine relationship should’ve already been known to him from the get go, so that was a big mistake on his part. Because of that, he strives to be far better from now on, better to Kyrie and everyone else.

Kyrie needs that big apology. Desperately.

He jumps off the chair and runs over to her, giving her a tight hug causing her to yelp. “You’re a lifesaver, Tifa. I owe you one.” She hugged him back with an ungodly amount of strength, which undoubtedly startled him. 

Letting go, he went straight to the door and turned his head around “Again, thank you so much!” 

She cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting “We believe in you, Evan!” when he has already bolted out of the place. 

She can’t help but feel immensely happy about what just happened. He’s silly and immature, yet she knows he has a good heart. Walking out of the place herself, she got startled by a familiar man leaning against the wall. 

“You scared me!” 

Blue eyes that are squinting as he’s smiling. Blue eyes that she loves. Pushing himself off the wall, he leans down to her ear. 

“My little brother is a hassle, isn’t he?” His words were almost hushed.

She grins, lifting up his warm hand and placing it on her cheek. A mischievous spark ignites. “He’s no hassle unlike you, husband.”

Chapter Text

He would decimate the entire world if she had asked him. 

Overdramatic, and it’s true.

She wouldn’t want that, of course. A soul like her deserves everything fine and nice, but the Planet does not deserve her. 

He treads the fine line between both sentiments.

“Do you want me to get something for you? A hot drink maybe?”

Tifa wiggles in his embrace, trying to get warm off of his body heat. A frown painting her sickly pale countenance. 

“No, don’t leave me.” Her words sound utterly pathetic to her ears, but she desperately wants him to stay. His arms wrap around her waist tighter and she leans her head near his collarbone.

Soft exhales tickle his jaw as he toys with her knitted cardigan. His expression remains unreadable, except that it’s not. Disquieted with a pinch of peeved written all over him. 

“You don’t expect me to do anything when my wife gets sick?” She huffs amusedly before raising a hand to stroke his cheek. When he bent his head down, all he could see was “You’re cute when you get worried. Other people have never seen you like this, since you never get worried anyway.”  

Still not amused, Rufus grabs her hand and bring it to his lips, kissing each fingertips with the same degree of love he use to kiss all of her.

“Staying here is enough for me. Besides, you already gave me the medicine, honey. Just accompany me, okay?” She yawns, her words drifting a bit. The medicine was kicking in.

He grunts. His right hand pushing aside the hair that's on her angelic face. Slowly, her eyelids fall and her breathing evens. He knows the way she’s sleeping is not the most comfortable way to sleep. He needs to carry her to bed.