A short, AU story wherein Nibelheim never burned, Aeris lives somewhere near it, and the girls are five years younger. Tifa is an awkward teen.
Come on, just do it.
Tifa tried to force herself to go through the simple plan she had come up with earlier that day, but the resolve she had managed to scrape together over the past several hours was rapidly waning. Nerves were not something she had dealt with often in her life, and the unfamiliar emotion was quite effectively destroying her confidence.
Come on, you wuss! Just walk over and give it to her! This is exactly the kind of hesitation Master Zangan warned you about!
It really wasn't, but she tried to convince herself of it anyway. Her hands reflexively tried to squeeze shut against her nerves, but she forced them to remain open. After hiking up Mount Nibel for hours, the last thing she wanted to do was crush the gift she had gone through all that effort to collect. Though, that would become a moot point if she couldn't work up the courage to deliver said gift to its intended recipient.
With a frustrated sigh, she peered around the corner of the building she had found herself hiding behind as soon as she returned from the mountain path. Her gaze quickly came to rest on her pink-clad friend, the travelling flower seller sitting happily beside the water tower in the center of the small town.
Aeris Gainsborough was humming cheerfully as she tended to a few small, wild flowers that had sprung up near the leaky old structure, and the scene caused Tifa's heart to pound strongly against her ribs. Overwhelmed once again by the confusing feeling, she spun away, pressing her back to the wall and trying to catch her breath. She just couldn't understand why looking at the other girl caused her pulse to race the way it did. I mean, obviously she's pretty, but so what? I'm pretty too, but I don't get like this when I look in the mirror. The dark-haired girl quickly got lost in her self-analysis, idly cradling the gift in her hands.
So lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the light steps coming up the path behind her until an equally light voice accompanied them.
"Tifa?"
The girl in question panicked, spinning quickly to face the speaker and shoving her hands behind her back in the worst attempt at acting casual she had ever made.
"H-hey, Aeris!" the embarrassed fifteen-year-old stammered, cringing at the unnecessary volume of her voice, "I d-didn't know you were still in town! What's up?"
The slightly shorter girl gave her a quizzical look, cocking her head slightly to one side. A cute, lopsided little smile spread on her lips.
"Well," she started with amusement, "I was checking on the flowers when I noticed someone peeking at me from the shadows like a stalker." She giggled at Tifa's guilty expression. "But really, Tif, what are you doing back here? And what," she tried to peer over her friend's shoulder, "have you got behind your back?"
This is it, Tifa. Here's you chance; she's already done most of the work for you!
Feeling the heat rise in her face, Tifa thrust her hands in front of her, revealing her gift to her friend, who started slightly at the sudden movement. In the young fighter's hands, there was a small pile of dirt. What caught Aeris' attention, however, was the medium-sized flower growing from the dirt.
It was a sturdy-looking flower, with petals that darkened from a pale blue at the center to nearly purple at the edges. Before she could ask about it, Tifa began speaking rapidly, staring intently at the small plant.
"I got this for you," she explained breathlessly, "since I know you like flowers. I mean, obviously you like them, since you sell them. It's called the Nibel Rose, even though it isn't really a rose. It grows in shady spots on the mountain. I made sure to get the soil too, so it wouldn't die and you could maybe sell it when you get home?"
By this point, the poor girl's face was so red that Aeris was almost concerned for her. The flower girl felt her own face growing warm as well, her smile growing wider despite Tifa's refusal to make eye contact. Her smile grew mischievous as she decided how to respond to her friend.
"Hmm… Nope."
Tifa's head snapped up, her amber eyes focusing on the emerald pair across from her. "W-what?"
"I said no," Aeris responded flippantly, "I refuse to sell this flower."
The martial artist felt her jaw loosen for a moment before clenching shut, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach. "Oh," she said, dropping her gaze to her shoes. Tears pricked her eyes as her arms began to go slack, preparing to drop the flower on the ground. This was a stupid idea.
Somehow, though, she never made it that far. Looking to her hands, she found another, smaller pair cupped around them, holding them and the flower up. Confused, she looked back up to her friend, finding the prettiest smile she'd ever seen on her face.
"You didn't let me finish, Ms. Gloomy Pants!" Aeris chided gently, taking a step toward the younger girl, "I refuse to sell it, because how could I possibly sell such a wonderful gift from such a precious person? I fully intend to keep this for myself."
The half-formed tears in Tifa's eyes fell as she blinked in shock, her mouth dropping open as her heart went from sinking to soaring. Aeris giggled at the expression, finding it unbearably cute. So cute, in fact, that she decided to close the remaining distance between them and press her lips to the taller girl's cheek. As she pulled back, she couldn't help but laugh, finding that Tifa's fading blush had returned full-force, lighting up the fighter's face like a summon materia. Deciding that the poor girl had dealt with enough for now, she tugged gently on her dirt-stained hands.
"Come on, Tif," she urged softly, "Let's go find a pot to put this in."
Snapping back to her senses, Tifa quickly agreed, a wide grin adorning her face. The two headed back to Tifa's house, hands still clasped together, joking and laughing the whole way. The fighter decided that she no longer cared what this feeling was; she simply wanted to enjoy it.
This was the best idea I've ever had.