Work Text:
Competition
"Aw, Teefs! You can do it right? Please?" The Ninja tried to look as pitiful as possible, hoping to appeal to the better half of her friend.
The bartender reached for another cup to rinse, simultaneously releasing a sigh. "I don't know… I mean… I know it's for the bar and all but…" She paused for a while, her hand still busy with the cup while she tried to phrase her sentence. "I don't think Cloud will agree."
"So that means you're fine with it?" The excitement radiating from Yuffie who sat at one of the stools of the bar counter was apparent. A person walking outside the bar could almost feel it.
Tifa shrugged. "I guess."
The younger woman punched her fist in the air in victory and exclaimed a loud "Yeah!" Tifa just smiled in amusement at her friend's excitement. Looks like years of fighting for the planet didn't hinder her personality from brightening up people's day.
"But that's only if Cloud agrees to." Tifa reminded her friend. She took a cloth and wiped the counter. It was her last chore for the day and she was glad for it. Yuffie pouted and rested her chin on the palm of her hands.
"Chocobo Head better agree. I'll steal his materia if he doesn't."
Tifa rolled her eyes, not out of annoyance but as a playful gesture. "As if you haven't already."
Yuffie smiled cunningly. "Now that I think back… I haven't stolen all of his materia, just some."
"Don't even think about it." A low male voice sounded from the back door of the bar. At the voice, Tifa turned to see… nobody. But she knew to whom that voice belongs to. Like an automatic reaction, she found herself unlocking the back door and opening it. Her face lit up at the sight of the figure in front of her who was still unpacking things from the motorcycle. Her eyes smiled.
"Cloud." She said sweetly and landed a kiss on his cheek as he made his way into the bar. His face immediately turned red. He still wasn't used to the small kiss or touches the he and Tifa shared. Especially when there was company.
"Argh, damn you and your Mako hearing!" A frustrated Yuffie said. "Is there any secret about us that you don't know?"
Cloud recovered from his previous embarrassment, glad that Yuffie did not notice it. Then he smirked. "Maybe, maybe not." He placed some packages on the floor against the inside of the bar counter, the sound of the door closing meeting his ears.
"Cloud, what happened to Fenrir?"
"It broke down. I had to cancel some of the deliveries." He gestured to the packages on the floor. "And push it all the way from Kalm." Well, at least that explained why the girls didn't hear the usual roar of Fenrir when he arrived home.
"Oh, that's terrible." Tifa said as she took Cloud's dinner to reheat. "Make sure you rest well. I'll cancel the packages for tomorrow, so you go and fix Fenrir up and finish the deliveries for today."
Cloud smiled and nodded. One thing about Tifa that he loved: her thinking was almost exactly like his.
The almost forgotten Yuffie took this as a chance to present her case. "Yeah, Cloud. You rest well now cause on Saturday, you'll need plenty of energy for this!" She took out a folded paper from her pocket and almost slammed it on the counter out of excitement. Cloud raised his eyebrows. After assuring himself that it didn't contain any harmful substances, he took it and read it. He looked at Yuffie, amused.
"You're passing this to me because…?"
"Cloud, can't you see? This is the perfect opportunity for you to get some Gil for the bar and the children!"
Tifa took a seat beside Cloud and placed his heated food in front of him. "Not to mention that the winner get's a bunch of mastered materia. But I doubt we'll be able to keep it if it gets to our hands."
"Of course! As the one who introduced you to this, I act as your 'manager'! I'll get the materia, you'll get the Gil! It's a win-win situation!" The smile on Yuffie's face was so wide she could become the ultimate model for a toothpaste company.
"Hmm…" Cloud stared hard at the piece of paper while Tifa looked on, smiling at his handsome face and internally sighing. She couldn't control the girlish-crush that she had for him although they had gone way pas-
"Okay! I'll put it this way. If you enter this, I won't steal your materia. Plus, you'll get to show some of your moves that would make others go blushing, just like how you blushed just now!"
Oops, she did notice that.
"Why don't you enter?"
Yuffie gave a playful scoff. "You kidding me? My old man will chase me out of Wutai forever!"
Cloud took a look at the form beside him, both reaching an unspoken agreement, with a tad bit of surprised reaction from Tifa. Cloud turned to Yuffie and nodded.
"We'll enter it, but make sure the kids won't be there to see."
XXX
When 'the day' arrived, Cloud wondered what made him so crazy to agree to do what he was going to do today. Although it was a chance for him to 'stake his claim', he still preferred privacy. Unfortunately, a promise was a promise. After years of failed promises and hazy guilt, he finally learnt to fulfill what he could and not regret what was to come. So he got ready for the day and headed out with Tifa to the town centre where Bahamut SIN once attacked. The kids were gone with Barret for the whole day after Yuffie's strong persistence. Her desperation to get hold of the materia showed.
After a while of riding on the now-repaired Fenrir, they reached their destination. They were just on time for registration and so were many others. After registering and getting their numbers, they made their way to the main area where the competition would take place.
"Ohayou!"
That voice… So familiar yet so annoying. It once almost caused Cloud to not save the world.
"Reno, it's so nice to see you here," Cloud said, trying to hide his sarcasm. Tifa giggled at his reaction and noticed that the red-head wasn't alone.
Reno, oblivious to the sarcasm grinned. "Of course! Who doesn't smile when they see me?"
Elena rolled her eyes and faced the pair. "So you're joining this too? It's gonna be weird seeing you two… you know." She blushed. She was supposed to be a Turk, but that didn't stop her from liking the swordsman during Meteor and she knew that it was nothing but a crush.
"Hell, yeah it's gonna be!" Reno laid his arm on Elena's shoulder.
Cloud tried to push the attention away. "It's going to be weird to see you two too."
Reno shrugged. "Yeah, it's gonna be weird, but for you two, maybe some people will try to pry you guys away." He winked and left with a Reno-styled "See you!"
Cloud sighed, wondering what he got himself into. But that all went out of the window when he saw Tifa's encouraging smile and felt her hand holding his. He couldn't help but smiled back stupidly and squeezed her hand. Before he could say or do anything, an amplified voice was made known in the area.
"Good moooooooorrrning, ladies and gentlemen of Midgar! For today's competition, we have surprise appearances from Mr and Mrs Cloud Strife!" Cloud almost made a hole right there and then to plant his head in the ground like an ostrich. Female spectators swooned and shrieked at Cloud all the while glaring at Tifa. Male spectators did the same, only on different people.
"We also have the Turks with us, Reno and Elena!" The cheers were less than Cloud and Tifa's, but its existence showed how much the Turks were more accepted than before. Cloud and Tifa did a last minute check by stretching their mouth muscles, the only thing that they could accomplish for the moment. The list that was checked: going to the bathroom and drinking water in the hopes of not needing to go to the bathroom outside bathroom breaks.
The emcee continued to introduce a few special people amongst the participants, then handed the mike for another to go through the rules and regulations. After that, participants were asked to get ready.
This is it. Cloud thought.
"And let the battle begin!" A gong was sounded, and the next thing he knew, his lips were on hers and hers on his.
Yes, it was a kissing competition.
If you were to ask Cloud Strife how many times he had kissed a girl, he wouldn't be able to answer you although he only did kiss one girl. Same goes with Tifa, but change the girl to boy.
So, it was 9am in the morning, a bright and sunny day at the centre of Midgar, the eve of Valentine's Day, and full of smooches. The kids nearby were barred from going out there by their parents while those who were old enough looked on with interest. The participants were kissing, and so were Gaia's two heroes.
Their kiss was slow and seemed like they were made to just… kiss each other the whole day. Cloud was, once again, lost in the familiar warmth of Tifa Lockhart. She was just so addictive. The more they kissed, the more he wanted her. The fact that they had restrained from kissing two whole days just to prepare for the competition made him so much more passionate.
Cloud took his time kissing her. After all, the point of a kissing competition was to see how long you could last. At the back of his mind, he registered the sound of camera clicking, shrieks and sighs along with some cursing. Those meant a few things. One, the picture would definitely make its way into the internet, spreading like a pandemic. Two, he didn't manage to get rid of the fangirls that accumulated when he was single. Three, guys in Edge hated him more than ever.
At least his mission was accomplished.
But there was something strange about the way Tifa's lips felt on his. It was as if she was uncomfortable, a great contrast to what she normally felt. Cloud opened his eyes, registering his surroundings. Some people must've fainted- too much love- he thought. There were also some who were making their way out of the competition area. He registered the time- 06:58:20- and was surprised that it already had been that long. At least he had something to look forward to- break time.
When the 5 minutes break came, he quickly broke away from Tifa and asked her what's wrong.
Tifa's breath was coming in heavy pants. "I don't know. I feel a bit giddy. Maybe a bit nauseated."
Cloud frowned. "Do you want to opt out?"
Tifa shook her head. "No, I can go on."
And so they did. By the time when Yuffie showed up, only a few couples were left, Reno and Elena included. The first time Cloud saw them, he willed himself to get rid of the mental image of the Turks kissing.
Then after a while, Cid showed up with Shera by his side, and Vincent and Reeve and… Let's just say the whole crew of the AVALANCHE excluding Barret who was tending the kids, and the whole crew of Highwind were there to 'cheer them on'. Cloud thought it served to embarrass him further.
Alas, it was down to two couples. Cloud and Tifa, Reno and Elena. It was getting very dark and since the competition was meant to be held for only one day and not to break a record, they called a draw. When the person who sponsored was revealed, Cloud was mortified. Rufus. Great. His nemesis just saw him kiss his wife for one whole day. But it couldn't be helped. If he wanted to show Midgar that Tifa was his, he couldn't control who could or couldn't see them.
Then the next day, Tifa woke up feeling nauseated. The toilet bowl was her friend for the day. In a way, Cloud was glad it didn't happen the day before. It would've been messy and people would've thought that he had bad breath.
They made an appointment with the doctor the next day and they got the best news of their lives.
When the prize arrived at Seventh Heaven, Cloud and Tifa took the Gil, as promised. While Yuffie was happily holding her free mastered materia, she realized what it was and turned red.
"Uhh… Guys, I think I don't want this materia."
The members of AVALANCHE along with Marlene and Denzel who were 'back' looked at her as if she had a second head. The small celebration for the soon-to-be-coming addition to the Strife family went silent.
"Why, girl? All those stealin' affectin' ya head?" Barret looked at her, puzzled. Cid fidgeted in his seat, saying nothing due to the absence of cigarette in his mouth. To him, it was as if Shera was expecting all over again.
"No!" Yuffie protested. "If I take this I won't be able to use it anyway."
"Then give it to me." Vincent said, the cloak almost muffling his voice.
Yuffie looked hesitant but gave in. "If you say so. It's yours!"
The moment the materia came in contact with his hand, Vincent's eyes widened.
"Cloud. You can have it."
Now something was really weird. Why wouldn't any of them want the materia? As if sensing Cloud's question, Vincent added. "I have no use for it."
"Would I?"
Vincent looked at Cloud and then at Tifa. "Maybe not you, but both of you." He threw the shiny orb at the swordsman's direction. Cloud's reflexes had sharpened over the years and he caught it swiftly. The way his eyes widened was almost comical.
"Cloud?" Tifa asked gently. "What is it?"
His face turned bright red as he handed her the materia. Understanding dawned on her face as she registered the use of the materia and she passed it back to Cloud who took it hesitantly.
Marlene and Denzel couldn't take the tension anymore. Plus, they were still too young to analyze a materia so they did what they could: ask.
"Tifa, what is it for?" Marlene's cute voice was full of question.
"Yeah, tell us." Denzel joined in.
Yuffie, being the ever great aunt to two children decided to be the one to break the news.
"Well, it's for your Mummy and Daddy to roll in-"
"YUFFIE!" Cloud, Tifa and Vincent who knew what the materia did shouted in unison. Barret caught on and almost broke his jaw laughing.
"What? I'm just telling the truth!" The young ninja defended. "Fine. It actually helps your Mummy and Daddy to… create more brother and sisters for you!"
Nobody could forget the way Tifa ran up the stairs with her bright red face while Cloud dumbly held the materia in his hands.
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** Old work from FFnet