Work Text:
In the wet streets of Edge, Cloud rode to his way home, on a chilly winter night. He heard the far loud traffic and saw the bright, dizzying lights surrounding the city.
Fenrir’s tires clashes with the street’s wet ground, making splashing sounds. He expected to find his beloved wife, Tifa, taking care of their recently born daughter, Luna Strife. Denzel was now spending time with Marlene and Barret, since he was on winter break from school.
Cloud had started this week to work again in his delivery service after taking some time off with his family. Taking care of a postpartum Tifa, a newborn baby girl and a hormonal teenager. He has to admit, Denzel helped a lot taking care of Tifa, leaving the baby to Cloud, scared of not knowing how to handle a newborn.
Tifa was now in the comfort and safety of her home. She closed the bar an hour ago, having made short hours of work. She found herself rocking her apparent angry daughter, who was crying loudly.
Tifa tried to calm her by giving a pacifier which a lot of times had worked. She couldn’t be hungry since she drank her usual four ounces of breast milk that now always left her full to fall asleep right away. But today, Luna has been moody, a moment she could be smiling and cooing by Tifa’s side and suddenly start crying. Only calming herself if her mother put her on top of her beating heart.
Her baby finished her short and gentle shower, she spent most of it ugly crying almost screaming. Tifa had no explanation to why Luna has been crying almost all day. That’s why now, she’s trying to comfort her baby without knowing what’s bothering her.
“Don’t worry, your dad will be here any minute,” She said as her daughter kept weeping and whining on her chest. Tifa thought what Luna wanted is to be with Cloud, maybe she missed him since her dad used to be all the time with her until he had to leave for work.
Tifa had tried every possible way to bring comfort to her baby, giving a pacifier, a warm bath, rocking her, putting her down on the bed so she can stretch if she wanted but only ended up making her more mad and Tifa picking her up quickly. She was now trying skin-to-skin contact, lowering the strips of her night dress, leaving her bra on to put Luna on her chest. Putting the baby against the warmth of her naked skin often worked, but this time looked to be another fail as she kept whining and throwing her arms everywhere.
Tifa sighed in frustration, “Luna, what’s happening today?” She asked, tears appearing in the corner of her eyes, walking desperately around her dark room, only illuminated by a lamp.
She walked towards the bed putting her baby down to take a deep breath. Tifa walked towards the window and gave deep breaths to steady and calm herself down. Only for Luna to wail and cry louder, when Tifa heard her, all the pent up tears started to flow down her face, sobbing.
She came back to the bed to pick up her daughter and rock her frustratedly. “Oh, gosh…what am I gonna do…” Tifa grabbed the pacifier to try once more, but Luna still wailed it away from her mouth.
Frustrated tears kept streaming down, her sobs interrupted by the doorknob being twisted, revealing Cloud.
“Cloud…” She sobbed, holding her crying daughter against her chest.
His eyes widened, hearing his daughter wailing and his wife sobbing. He felt pain expand across his chest, walking quickly towards Tifa to grab the baby with one arm and the other to wrap his frustrated woman who kept weeping on his shoulder.
“Tifa, what happened?” Cloud asked worried, his thumb rubbing her shoulder.
She sobbed, “I’m just…stressed. She’s been crying all day.” Her voice broke.
He stared at his daughter, watching how she kept crying on his chest. “Okay, come here,” Cloud directed her to follow him to the bed, to sit down. “I assume you tried doing skin-to-skin.” Noticing that her night dress strips are lowered and her bra showed.
“I did but, it didn’t work. Nothing is working, I tried everything!” Tifa raised her voice putting her hands on her face, hiding the tears that kept spilling from her red eyes.
Cloud gazed apologetically, “Come here,” Passing an arm around her back to crash her against his chest. Tifa sobbed against him, her hands squeezing the fabric of his shirt.
He started to rock Luna on his arm who was now crying more silently, starting to tire out. Cloud noticed this and put the baby at the center of the bed and with his free arm wrapped her tightly. “It’s okay,” He kissed her forehead, “It’s okay.” He put his chin on top of her head as she held to him, starting to calm down only giving small sobs. Tifa picked herself up, sitting beside him again, wiping her tears away. Cloud picked up Luna again, who was kicking her feet on the bed, used both his arms to bring his daughter to the center of his chest, she kept wailing but no more screaming came out from her.
“She’s yawning…” Tifa noticed, wiping the last tear. Her voice hoarse from crying. Cloud looked down, catching the yawn and some small, silent cries from the baby.
The room began to turn from a tense, frustrating place to a calmer, warmer place. Only things that could be heard are the weeping coos of Luna and the uneven breathing from Tifa. Cloud put the baby down, in the center of their bed again, now that she was only kicking her feet, yawning from wearing herself out.
His front turned to Tifa, her eyes and nose red, he picked up the strips of her gown to put them back in their place. “I’m so relieved you’re here.” She breathed, her face projecting tiredness. “I’m sorry, I didn’t come sooner,” Feeling disappointed of himself, thinking how Tifa must’ve felt dealing alone with their moody daughter.
Tifa shook her head lightly, “You were working, I’m just glad you’re here.” She felt her cheeks colliding with warmth, his hands covered her cheeks, thumbs massaging them.
He put his lips on her forehead, leaving a lingering kiss. “How about we go to the living room and spend some time with each other?” He whispered, lips brushing her forehead. She felt her cheeks warm up, her heart starting to beat faster. “I’d like that.” Tifa smiled gently, Cloud pecking her lips in a quick kiss. “But…what about Luna?” She stared at the sleeping baby, “She’s asleep, better go now, hm?” Tifa nodded chuckling lowly.
They made their way to the warm living room, starting to feel at ease now that the house was in a comfortable silence. “Want me to heat something up for you to eat?” Tifa asked in a low voice, “No, I can do it. You go sit down. I’ll be there soon.” He kissed her cheek and walked away.
Tifa sat down in the coziness of their couch, letting the silence fill her head with thoughts. Some minutes after, Cloud entered the living room, finding Tifa staring at the window lost in thoughts. He stepped to the couch and sat down, Tifa blinked repeatedly coming back from her trance. “Something on your mind?” Cloud asked, grabbing his fork to start eating.
“Just thinking about today…how stressful it was with Luna.” She sighed sinking completely in the couch, closing her eyes in tiredness.
“It’s over now, don’t fill your head with more frustration, Tifa.” Knowing how Tifa tends to overthink and keep everything inside pent up.
“…I won’t, Cloud.” She smiled softly, Cloud raised his arm, for her to lay on his chest. She put her head on his warm and strong chest. Exhaling in relaxation.
“Today’s over, you’re with me, now.” He comforted, fingers massaging her scalp. lulling her to sleep on him.
Cloud put his plate down, on the table in their front. Hugging her still massaging her. Tifa whimpered as he laid down on the couch, locating Tifa on top of him, her head on his shoulder and arms circling his waist.
He couldn’t help but stare at her sleeping form, how relaxed she now looked. He felt good, recalling the recent memory of her starting to rely on him when he arrived from his deliveries. “I’m so relieved you’re here.” Her words echoed in his head, he smiled contentedly at her encouraging words resonating on his brain.
He continued to trace her face with his eyes, “I’m still awake, you know.” Tifa said groggily, husky voice. “How’d you know I was staring?” He whispered.
“You always do it when I’m asleep, especially in the morning.” She laughed sleepily. “You know me too well.” He smiled, embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, I sometimes stare at you while sleeping too…so we’re even.”
“So, now we’re confessing things?” He smirked, “Think we always knew.”
“I agree.” Cloud finalized. Kissing her lips, Tifa stared lovingly, but slightly sleepy at him.
“You’re sleepy, wanna go to bed?” Cloud questioned, passing his fingers through her dark hair. “Mm-hmm.” She hummed softly.
Cloud and Tifa went to their bedroom, with her lover carrying her tired form, she smiled and laughed at how silly they must look. Cloud told Tifa that he was going to take a quick shower for the night. She walked to the bed and carefully picked up her daughter to put her in the crib beside their bed.
Luna stretched but kept her eyes closed, she didn’t wake up. Tifa exhaled relieved, and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Good night, Luna.” Tifa walked towards the drawer, unfastening her bra, grimacing at the slight pain she felt in her breasts. She opened the drawer to take the breast pumps, putting each on each breast.
She laid down on the bed, her back on the board of the bed. Waiting for the machine to extract her breast milk. Cloud opened the door and entered the bedroom, moving to the bed and laying beside Tifa. “Did Luna wake up?” Cloud asked, looking at the crib. “Surprisingly, she didn’t.”
“Cloud, can you bring the bottles for the milk?” Tifa asked as she checked if the pumps stopped pumping.
“‘Course.” He said lowly, looking for the bottles.
When he found them, Cloud handed them to Tifa, “Thanks,” She smiled, grabbing one pump to empty it. Tifa did the same with the other, Cloud offered to take the bottles to the fridge and on his way there, clean the pumps.
Tifa was really thankful for how helpful Cloud has been all the time, never complaining to her. She still felt like he was her hero, he saved her when they were chasing Sephiroth and even years after that he continued to do so. Today saving her mentally from probably having a breakdown that would end up making Tifa have what she feared most, postpartum depression. That this depression would make her reject that little baby who was just learning to relate to life. Cloud has saved her in many ways, going beyond the physical, taking it to what Tifa never imagined, emotionally.
Cloud came back, to rest beside Tifa again for the night. “I’m so thankful for you,” She turned, hugging him, resting her head on his chest. “And, I’m thankful for you,” He added, kissing her head, nuzzling to her warmth.
“I love you, good night, Cloud.” She kissed his chest, exhaling in exhaustion. “I love you more, good night, Tifa.” He kissed her forehead, resting his chin on top of her head. Lulling to sleep with the warmth his arms provided.
The day might have been stressful, but it ended in peace, with a sleeping baby, and a couple who always had each other’s back in every form and way, holding their sleeping bodies for the whole night.