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Quiet, slow days were rare for Seventh Heaven. While Thursdays would see its owner open the bar late to take stock of her inventory and perfect her weekend specials, Tifa Lockhart found herself with an extra few minutes to simply… watch.
The subject of her curiosity was Cloud Strife, her best friend, fellow savior of this shattered world, and boyfriend. He was seated at an empty table, his scribbled maps set out in front of him. At this moment, however, he was gazing away from said maps and out into streets of Edge.
The day had been gray since sunrise, and the rain forecast finally proved true. Dry pavement was promptly made wet with the downpour and made a soothing thrum as it fell.
Tifa wondered what Cloud could be thinking, staring out into the rain quietly. Did it bring up bad memories? Did it make him think back to the church and the Healing Rain that had saved their Denzel? Did his thoughts drift to Zack and Aerith, two dear friends taken too soon from their lives?
She felt a tug in her chest at that thought. The rain often made her mind drift to gloomy thoughts. It had rained the day her mother passed. It had rained the day she found Cloud again after so long, only to find him a shell of himself. Rain very rarely brought anything good to mind.
Pulled from her thoughts, her eyes noticed a mako-soaked stare. His old habit was still well in place. He had made an embarrassed offer to quit doing it, but was met with a lighthearted “don’t you dare”.
Cloud and Tifa stared at one another for what felt like hours compressed into minutes. Yuffie called it weird, how much they simply stared at each other. They didn’t know the pair was having a silent conversation of raw meaning. They spoke in a language only they could know.
She searched Cloud’s eyes, wanting to know what this rainy day had conjured in his head. To her shock, she couldn’t see the shadow of grief in his eyes. Instead, she saw a sharpness that made her breath catch. He was staring at her, fully in the moment, so tender and vulnerable. He always looked at her with such soft, warm eyes and it always turned her to jelly.
He slowly stood up from the table and offered a hand to her. Tifa’s gaze grew confused and she tilted her head at him. A small smirk pulled at the corner of Cloud’s lips, eyes growing a little playful. He nodded towards the door and stretched out his hand a little more.
Tifa didn’t quite get it, but she trusted Cloud so she stepped around the bar and left her paperwork behind. She took his hand, eyes locked on his before he turned to lead her out into the rain.
The droplets of rain pelted her skin as its scent filled her senses. She allowed a moment to soak in the feeling before her eyes met Cloud’s again. His smirk became more shy as he drew her in close. His hand rested on the small of her back and he began to gently sway.
If she wasn’t living this moment, she’d think it was a delusion. Cloud and Tifa began slowly dancing in the rain to the music of it falling on rooftops, pavement, and parked vehicles punctuated by the splash of puddles. The world, it seemed, faded to white with only the two of them as its occupants.
Soon the shock faded, and Tifa melted into him to match his pace. Her doing so encouraged him, and he held her tighter. He turned them in the rain and added a little more of a swing to their sway.
Tifa couldn’t fight the smile forming on her face. How silly they must look, dancing to no music. She let loose a giggle when Cloud playfully dipped her to one side, nearly making her lose balance. She didn’t worry, because as always his hand was there to catch her, hold her tight.
Not to be outdone, Tifa twirled out from him and fully extended her arm. She held his hand in a firm grip before yanking herself back to him forcefully, clumsily. When she returned to being pressed up against him, their faces were inches apart.
Now soaked with the pouring rain, their eyes remained fixated into one another. Laughter soon burst from them both before Tifa draped both arms over Cloud’s shoulders and rested her head in the crook of his neck. They swayed gentler now, just enjoying the feeling of being so close.
When Cloud slowed their dance to a pause, Tifa leaned back to meet his eyes again. She clasped her hands behind his neck, thumbs twining with the soft blonde hairs just above them. The look he was giving her said so many words she’d spend the next few hours deciphering them all.
Here he is, the boy she had seen gazing up into the stars that night. The same gaze that so captivated her, that made Tifa realize that he was within grasp, now looked directly at her. His eyes radiated so much adoration, love, and tenderness that it nearly stole her ability to breathe.
Little did she know that her eyes spoke the same. Those days after she had helped him remember himself, helped his mind piece itself back together, she struggled to keep it from her eyes. It never worked. All of their friends had known the instant her eyes landed on Cloud. She unquestionably, unflinchingly loves him, despite and because of his imperfections.
The world, unfortunately, doesn’t remain faded for long. A wave of whistles and laughter brought the engrossed pair crashing back to reality to discover they’d gained an audience.
Neighbors, fellow shop owners, and a few strangers were watching them from balconies and shop entrances. All wore teasing grins on their faces that only grew at the embarrassed look on Cloud and Tifa’s face.
“Don’t stop on our account, you two.” The item shop owner, an older man in worn slacks and suspenders jovially jeered from his shop door. He let out a grunt when his wife knocked him over the head with a broom handle.
She clicked her tongue at him before gazing wistfully at the young pair in the rain. “You leave them be, oh I miss those younger days.” The woman winked at Tifa which only made her face grow hotter.
“Way to show off Cloud, I’ll be hearing about this for a month!”
“That was so dreamy, babe let’s go down too!”
“I wanna dance, I wanna dance!”
“Get your rain boots on first, and put on a jacket!”
The entire block steadily grew into an uproar as more people spilled onto the street. Kids, parents, residents and shopkeepers all joined Cloud and Tifa in the street.
Pablo, the weapon shop’s gunsmith, stepped out of his shop with an old guitar in tow. His thick fingers tuned the strings expertly before he gave it a testing thrum.
Madeline, a young resident to the block originally from Kalm, rushed up beside him with a violin and offered a playful curtsy to Pablo. The two shared a laugh before playing whatever tune came to mind.
It started rough and uncoordinated, but after a few moments of clumsy play, the two formed a melody that had no name or origin. The block’s residence all danced to it without a care in the world.
Cloud and Tifa gazed around them in bewilderment. Who knew such a simple afternoon could create such a free spirited moment in their quiet slice of Edge. Soon aquamarine met red, their eyes locking on one another once more.
Someone “accidentally” pushed the two together, Tifa falling into Cloud’s chest. They didn’t know who did it, but they honestly didn’t care. They danced once more, more energetic than before. They twirled and leaped and stepped in mirth with their neighbors.
Cloud slowed in his improvised movements, drinking in the sight of a drenched Tifa twirling one of the young girls in their laughter. In this moment, he finally understood what Tifa was always looking for. These people around them, the bond exclusively between him and her, and the family they’d built from the rubble of a shattered world. This beautiful woman who accepted him and his blemishes just wants a place to belong.
“Wow, what’s going on!?” Cloud’s ears perked up when he heard the familiar voice of Denzel. The boy was staring in awe at the makeshift block party. He met Cloud’s gaze in shock before Marlene ran by him to join Tifa’s growing dance group of children.
Cloud offered him a small smile before he waved him to come. The boy laughed and rushed in, grabbing onto the hand of a kid forming a ring that encircled half the dancing adults.
The laughing children skipped in circles, splashing in the puddles on the street. The adults caught in the middle of their mirthful ring drew in closer, resulting in Cloud and Tifa once more being forced close together.
Cloud placed his hand once more on her back and drew her close, faces inches apart. They held themselves there, once more speaking in a way only they could understand.
“Kiss her you dork!” Someone heckled from behind Cloud.
The swordsman didn’t get a chance to shoot that someone a look before Tifa leaped up and closed the distance between them. Their rain soaked lips met in a firm kiss, making the street erupt in cheers and claps.
Tifa leaned back just enough to see Cloud’s stunned face. Even now, he still acted like he’d kissed her for the first time. She had no idea that she was red from her neck to her ears, but she didn’t care. Her smug attitude dissolved with a yelp when Cloud leaned her backwards and crashed his lips with hers.
Another wave of cheers punctuated the moment, followed by more yelling from their surroundings.
“Just marry the girl already!”
“Go get her, Cloud!”
“Get a room, you’re making the rest of us jealous!”
When the two parted, Tifa’s head lazily wobbled in a daze before she blinked back to her senses. She looked at Cloud in bewilderment and admired the shy smile that he aimed back at her. The world around them started to grow blurry and muffled again.
She didn’t really notice the giggles of Marlene and the other young girls at the sight of the pair. She didn’t see Denzel’s satisfied half-smile as the other kids started jumping in puddles and roughhousing.
Their friends and neighbors became unrecognizable noise in the background as Tifa continued to stare at Cloud. With a smooth step forward, she slid her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. There she remained until she heard him softly call her attention.
“Tifa.” He said her name with a softness that made her knees go weak. She looked up at him to see he was looking up at the sky. She turned to the sky and saw the rain was giving way to sunshine.
A gentle laugh escaped her. “I guess the party’s over?” She allowed an echo of disappointment to lace her words. The gentle glow of aquamarine eyes was waiting for her when she looked back at Cloud.
An increasingly less rare smile crept onto his boyishly handsome face. “Thank you, Tifa.”
Those words gently stunned the bartender. “Thanks for what?” Tifa blinked, wide-eyed with confusion. Cloud’s soft chuckle in response set butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Cloud gazed into the steadily brightening sky, his smile only growing as the seconds ticked by. “The rain. It has so many memories.” He dropped his gaze to Tifa, offering his open hand to her. “Thank you for giving me a good one I can remember.”
Tears stung the back of Tifa’s eyes, but she fought them back with an affectionate smile to mirror Cloud’s. For a man who always claimed he wasn’t good with words, he always knew what to clumsily say. His heart, so soft and sweet when he allowed it be, never failed to brighten her life.
Tifa took his open hand and stepped up to his side, allowing their clasped hands to fall casually between them. “Thank you for letting me.” They locked eyes in quiet contentment, saying more between them in ways only the other could understand.
Soon the street began to empty, as their friends and neighbors returned to their day-to-day lives. Tifa herded Marlene and Denzel back into Seventh Heaven, fussing for them to get towels and change out of their drenched clothes. Cloud echoed her words, warning they’d catch a cold if they didn’t listen to Tifa.
Before entering the bar, Cloud paused and looked back up at the sky. Peaking just beyond the retreating rain clouds, fair skies started to fill his sight.
It had rained the day he lost his best friend, but it was also the day he reunited with his most cherished person. The rain held both good and bad memories, something he couldn’t change. He could, however, surround his bad memories with a lifetime of new, good ones.