WARNING: Major Fluff!!! Plus, a lot of OOC-ness

This was supposed to be a short, very light, fluffy oneshot about Cloud and Tifa's wedding, but it evolved and took on a life of its own, and now I don't know where it's going...

Happy Reading!!! And please tell me what you think, your reviews will mean a lot to me. Thank you! and Enjoy!!!

CHAPTER 1: CLOUD HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

Tifa hummed to herself as she worked loam through her fingers. She had to admit, gardening was nice. Sure, it wasn't as socially stimulating as bartending, or as exhilarating as beating up bad guys who wanted to take over the world, but it had its own rewards.

Smiling, she looked at the flowerbed she and the others had been working on for the past six months. It looked wonderful. With the pool of Lifestream-infused water rippling just beyond the mounds of flowers, it looked like an oasis in the middle of barren Midgar.

Of course, it didn't look as beautiful as it once had, back when Aerith had been its caretaker. But then, Aerith wasthe flower girl in their motley crew, and she had worked on her garden for years. You couldn't expect a bartender, an ex-SOLDIER, a gun-armed miner, an ex-Turk, a ninja princess, an airship mechanic, a flame-tailed feline, a stuffed robot, and two children - none of whom had any real experience in gardening – to produce a perfect garden in the span of six months.

It had been Tifa's idea to make a new flowerbed when the healing pond had replaced Aerith's. She had wanted to make something for her friend who had helped them so much. Cloud had smiled at her and agreed. He had told her about how Aerith had come to him and relieved him of his guilt at her death. Tifa had been grateful to Aerith, knowing how much Cloud had suffered then. Tifa could remember her own pain as well as the helplessness she had felt not being able to help him. Now all of that was gone, thanks to Aerith.

The others had been appropriately enthusiastic. A delighted Yuffie had "hunted" for cuttings and whatnot, which, Tifa was sure, had been obtained the same way Yuffie obtained most of her Materia. Cid had flown in equipped with facts about flower-growing that an eight-month pregnant Shera had gotten from some gardening book she had found. Even Barret helped out when he was in town, though his help was limited because of his gun-arm.

Cloud, Denzel, Cait Sith, Red XIII, and Vincent (forced by Yuffie under threats of Materia thievery and bodily harm) had dismantled some of the loose floorboards around the healing pool at Aerith's church and prepared a small plot of land for planting, while Tifa and Marlene figured what kinds of flowers (and their colors) to plant. In the end, they decided on white and yellow flowers (like the ones that had been planted by Aerith), and pink ones around the edges of the little pool. And here, finally, was the result of six months of hard work: a garden Aerith would have been proud of.

Tifa heard footsteps outside the church. She wiped her dirty hands on a rag she had brought with her and turned to face the double doors with her fists raised, ready for anything.

Hmmm…there were voices, lots of them. All familiar. Tifa smiled and lowered her hands.

"How was that?" An uncertain voice asked. Cloud.

"Quite good." A wry voice approved. Vincent.

"If you can actually say it." A loud voice scoffed. Yuffie. "You've chickened out before!"

"Aw, come on…Leave 'im alone. This is a big thing y'know?" A deep voice rumbled. Barrett.

"Dammit! Are we gonna stand here yammerin' all day? Stop bein' a f!&# sissy! Just say what you gotta say and be done with it!" A voice muffled by what was undoubtedly tobacco snapped. Cid.

There was some shuffling and a small thump, then an "oof!" from Cid. No doubt, Barrett had cuffed him for cussing in front of Marlene.

"Come on, Cloud! She's in there!" A child's high-pitched voice piped. Marlene.

"Okay…" A deep breath, "Who's got it?" Cloud again.

"Here." A young male voice muttered. Denzel.

...More shuffling...

Finally, the doors opened and her friends filed in. Tifa smiled at all of them: Marlene, Denzel, Yuffie, Barrett, Red XIII with Cait Sith perched on his back, Cid, Vincent…and Cloud.

"TIFA!" Marlene ran across the wooden aisle and threw herself at Tifa, who caught the little girl in her arms. "Cloud has something to say to you!"

"Ten gil says he won't be able to say it." Yuffie muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Cid, who was chewing on a piece of tobacco.

"I'll take that bet." Cid muttered back with a lopsided grin.

"What is it, Cloud?" Tifa brushed a shiny, dark lock of hair behind her ear, wondering what Cloud had to say, and why the others had to be present for him to say it.

Cloud shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearing his throat, but no sound came out. Tifa hid a smile. He looked so uncertain and adorable, like a little kid being forced to confess a misdeed.

Same old Cloud, shy and quiet. Though Tifa had to admit, he had changed quite a lot over the past half-year. He spoke more now, and to Tifa's surprise and delight, he smiled more often now than he had in all the years she had known him. He even laughed now, every now and then.

And, as if that weren't enough, he had begun to slowly lose his reticence and discomfort around her. It had started when Tifa had reached for the pitcher of water across the table at dinner. Cloud had reached for it at exactly the same time, and their hands had met. Blushing furiously, Tifa had lowered her hand. Cloud, however, had given her a small, odd smile and poured water into her glass as if nothing had happened.

But, the moment, it seemed, had opened something unspoken between them. Since then, Cloud, who had always been the first to withdraw from any kind of physical contact, had been more at ease with her physical presence.

They were innocent touches. He would brush her hair back from her face whenever it got in the way, or lay his hand lightly over hers while they were having a conversation, or touch her shoulder before he left the room.

At first, Tifa had been uncomfortable with these little gestures. Her heart would pound and she would blush, stopping whatever she was doing. But after a while, it seemed to become the most natural thing in the world.

When he kissed her lightly, almost experimentally (as if checking if she would react in a violent way), on the cheek before he left for a delivery one day, she had smiled warmly at him, gave him her usual instructions and sent him on his way as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But when he had left, Tifa had stared out of the window with a slightly unfocused smile on her face, waiting for him to come back. Marlene had been ecstatic, and Denzel had smirked knowingly.

The sound of Cloud clearing his throat again brought Tifa back to the present.

"Tifa, I…" He looked at a loss for words. Tifa looked curiously at him: poor guy, he seemed really nervous. She wondered what on earth he had to be nervous about.

"I-I'm not really good at this sort of thing…" he stammered. "I don't know how to say this…The thing is…well, uh…I, uh…" He shrugged helplessly.

"Yes!" Yuffie muttered. "Ten gil!" She held her hand out to Cid who grumbled under his breath as he handed over the money.

"Um…uh.." Cloud was still stuttering.

Barret snorted. Cait Sith clapped a gloved hand to his crowned forehead. Red XIII shook his leonine head. Marlene looked worried, while Denzel looked torn between laughter and exasperation. Tifa couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Vincent roll his eyes.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!!" Yuffie cried out impatiently. "I'll say it, then!" She turned to Tifa and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Cloud clapped a hand over her mouth.

Taking a deep breath, Cloud reached into the pocket of his trousers with his free hand and pulled out a tiny red box. He handed it to Tifa with a very serious look on his face.

Tifa took the box, more than a little confused. She opened it to find a small, unadorned gold ring. For a moment, she looked at the thing, uncomprehending. Then, it slowly sank in. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Will you marry me, Tifa?"

Tifa could practically feel the oxygen being sucked out of the air as every single one of her friends held his or her breath, waiting for her response. But she couldn't speak. Instead, she simply stared at the gold band lying on her palm.

"I'm sorry, but I can't afford a diamond yet." Cloud spoke quickly, interrupting Tifa's thoughts. "Maybe after a few deliveries, I can save up enough, then we could exchange it for something else, something prettier, if you like –"

He stopped babbling as Tifa slipped the ring onto her finger. "Oh, Cloud…it's perfect!"

Cloud's grip on Yuffie's mouth grew tighter and Yuffie nearly turned purple. "Is…Is that a yes?"

Tifa laughed at his earnest expression. "I think it's been a yes since I agreed to meet you at the water tower all those years back."

Cloud sighed with relief and their little group erupted in cheers and whoops. Marlene was dancing happily around them. Denzel, smirking, nudged Tifa closer to Cloud. Vincent could be heard muttering "Took him long enough..." under his breath. Barrett pounded on Cid's back so enthusiastically Cid's tobacco fell from his mouth.

Their happiness was momentarily interrupted when Cloud yelled "OW!!" just as he was about to kiss his new fiancee. Yuffie, temporarily forgotten, had bitten his hand to get it off her mouth. After taking in big gulps of air, she squealed and jumped up and down, joining in the celebration until Cid demanded his ten gil back.

Cloud smiled at Tifa and held his arms out, a bit uncertainly. Tifa slipped into them, winding her arms around his neck. He kissed her lips tentatively, but when she responded enthusiastically, their kiss deepened, extracting catcalls and more cheers from the others.

...Even the garden seemed to be celebrating. White and yellow flowers sprang up from the soil, as if by magic. Or as if someone had called them from the ground to tell the couple just how happy she was about the turn of events.

A/N: Okay, so there it is...the first chapter of my first multi-chaptered fanfic, the next few chapters are ready for uploading...I know it kinda sucks, and it's cheesy, but I really had fun writing it...hope you liked it!

Please review...thanks!