Work Text:
Tifa stumbles to a bench on stiff wobbly legs, the edge of her sword catching on the concrete. Her head is throbbing, fuzzy, and there's rain and blood dripping into one of her eyes. Blood that she has no idea where it came from. She has a vague memory of ash brown hair and so much red everywhere but, whenever she tries to grasp onto it her head feels like it's splitting open.
Dropping down onto the wet seat she lets her sword clatter out of her hands, cradling her aching forehead.
Tifa has no idea how long she sits there. Rain drumming down steadily on her. Trying to swim out of the fog that has an iron grip on her thoughts. Then someone's speaking to her.
"Hey. You ok?" The voice is male, soft, easy on her ears.
She groans and looks up, meeting familiar deep blue eyes. Tifa's breath catches in her throat. She blinks in disbelief. A lightly freckled pale face is peering at her from beneath an umbrella with worried eyes. Pale blond spikes glowing in the gloom - she knew those spikes, she knew them so well. Had wanted to run her fingers through them for the longest time.
"Can.. can you hear me?" The man - Cloud - asks his brows furrowing, tipping his umbrella so it covered her too.
Tifa wets her dry lips and clears her throat a few times. "Cloud?" She croaks, voice raspy like she hasn't used it in a long time. Maybe she hasn't, she's not sure.
Those brows shoot up and that worried look shifts to one of shocked suprise. His lips parting slightly.
"Tifa?" Cloud whispers, like he's afraid if he talks too loudly she'll disappear. His eyes darting over her face. Taking her in. The action would make her preen - if she wasn't so dizzy.
Cloud's free hand reaches out, like he wants to touch her face but, he hesitates - tucks it against his chest. "What happened to you?" He asks softly, gesturing to the tacky blood on her cheek.
"I-.. I'm not sure." It's the truth. She has no idea whose blood it is. She just has a deep inkling that it's not hers, and she doesn't want to risk another piercing headache trying to remember the details.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We need to get you out of this rain and somewhere warm. C'mon I have an apartment not far from here." Cloud straightens, extending his hand to her. Kind blue eyes glowing with concern. It makes Tifa want to melt into a puddle - become one with the rain pooling on the concrete.
But she can't afford to do that right now, not when Cloud is looking at her so expectantly, so she reaches out and takes his hand. She'll worry about her headaches and memory gaps later, they're not important, not when she's found Cloud. Everything will be alright as long as she can stay by his side.