Work Text:
It’s a little bit after one in the morning when Cloud finally gets home for the day.
Rubbing the back of his neck in exhaustion, Cloud locks the doors to his apartment behind him. The light in the living room is left on, as usual when he works a long shift with Barret. He yawns quietly and makes his way to his room.
He’s not surprised to find Tifa and Aerith in bed, cuddling like they were the perfect puzzle piece for one another. Cloud’s hit with a pang, not being able to join them soon enough.
He loops his fingers through his belt, removing the notch and letting his pants fall.
“Hey you,” Aerith groggily murmurs, turning towards Cloud.
Cloud looks up at her, barely awake and beautiful and gives her a small smile. “Hey. Sorry for waking you up.”
Aerith laughs softly, “I’m glad you did. We didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Tifa murmurs something and turns around too.
“Welcome back,” she says, staring up at Cloud with a warm look. “How was work?”
“You know Barret.” Aerith laughs. “Any stories?”
Cloud shrugs his jacket off and throws it on the chair. He removes his work shirt, very aware of the tired pairs of eyes lingering on his body as he gets a new shirt.
“Same old, same old. I’ll tell you in the morning.”
“That tired, huh?” Aerith says and opens one of her arms. She practically sings her next words. “Come here.”
“Scoot this way, Aerith.” Tifa yawns, throwing the covers off her and getting out of bed. She walks around and approaches her boyfriend.
“What are you doing?” Cloud says, pants-less and confused. Tifa just pushes him towards the bed.
Its not long before Aerith grabs his arms and pulls him into bed. She manhandles him to turn around. His girlfriend wraps her arms around Cloud’s waist. She places a series of soft, gentle kisses on the back of his neck. He involuntarily shivers.
Aerith always enjoyed being the big spoon.
“Let’s get some sleep.” Tifa says, crawling in to face Cloud. She leans in close, in that way that always made Cloud feel like his heart could burst. She kisses him, soft and gentle. Aerith kisses his neck again.
Cloud takes a deep breath and lets himself relax, melting into their touch and relaxing in a way that would have been impossible just two years ago.
He was the third piece to their puzzle, after all.