Cloud And Tifa- Cloud's Light
Synopsis: Cloud has been much busier since the Geostigma cure. I made the events of Advent Children take place after Cloud fought Sephiroth in KH2. He then ended up back in Midgar with Tifa, Denzel and Marlene and that's where the events of Advent Children start. He works a lot harder, making him come home later and this chapter reveals why. I also made Tifa a little bit more emotional about him being gone all the time.
Rated: Anyone can read this chapter, nothing horrible or mature yet.
Song Playing: Closing Time by Semisonic.
Chapter One: Cloud's Question
The defeat of Sephiroth, the curing of Geostigma all over Edge, everything seemed to be going great for once. Cloud Strife could now finally live his life in peace with his "family". His long distance delivery service was the only thing keeping him away from Tifa and the kids who always waited for him to come home, no matter how late they had to stay awake. This was especially true for Tifa. Throughout all the events that transpired since Kadaj appeared, Tifa came more and more to a realization that she was truly in love with Cloud. He may not be the most sociable person and he tends to be rather cold at times but she didn't care, he was her Cloud, her light and her lifelong friend. One night, Cloud came home much earlier than usual to see Tifa drying up cups and dishes. He quietly moved behind her and watched her. She turned around to see his mako blue eyes pasted on her every move.
"You're home early today," she said.
He closed his eyes and nodded. He may not speak much but this made her learn all of his gestures and what they meant.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
He slowly nodded and she smiled at him.
"Go upstairs and take a shower, I can smell the dirt on you from here," she said with one hand on her hip.
He nodded and walked upstairs but not after putting down his sword by the stairs. She sighed loudly. She really didn't like that he didn't talk very much; it really prevented him from opening up to her and there was nothing else that she could desire more. She wanted to help him with all of his problems, even if it was a stupid one. He returned a half hour later wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and a pair of long white cotton pants. She never usually saw Cloud in his sleepwear; usually whenever he got home she would say hi and he would go upstairs and she never saw him until the next night. She handed him a plate of food and poured out some orange juice for him.
"Thank you Tifa," he said quietly.
She couldn't believe it; it was the first time he spoke to her in nearly three days. She didn't know how she managed to put up with his mysterious attitude but it brought joy to her heart to hear his voice. He slowly began to eat the food and she leaned on the counter with one hand holding up her head. She smiled at him. He stopped eating when he sensed her gaze.
"Cloud? What's been going on?" she asked.
"Deliveries have been very hectic, thankfully I don't have any to do tomorrow so I was thinking we could spend the day together, you, me and the kids," he said.
Another joy-filled smile appeared on her face and she could've sworn she saw a slight smile on his face.
"You finished them all already?" she asked.
"I did all of the ones for the rest of the week today, that's why I left so early this morning," he explained.
She nodded and he took his plate up to wash it. She stopped him and took the plate but he was adamant.
"You've been working all day Tifa, I can do this," he said.
She knew she wouldn't win the argument so she let him go. He quickly washed it and sat on the couch with her.
"How have you been? Judging from the amount of cups and dishes you wash, you've been busy as well," he said folding his arms.
"Yeah, since the Geostigma cure, everyone's been coming in to celebrate but I've made quite a bit of gil from all of this," she explained.
He raised an eyebrow and she pointed at the safe in which she kept all the bar's earnings. It was bursting out a little. A smirk crossed his face.
"I see," he responded.
She nodded with a smile on her face before he took out his wallet. His wallet could barely fit all of the gil he had and judging from the thickness, it was easily over 100,000.
"You've been THAT busy?!" she asked.
He nodded before he threw his wallet onto the coffee table in front of him. She moved a strand of hair behind her ear. There was an awkward silence in the room for a few moments until Cloud spoke again.
"Tifa...there's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said.
She scooted close to him on the couch before looking in his eyes intently.
"What is it Cloud?" she asked.
"Well…I was going to suggest an idea for tomorrow," he began.
She listened to him; it was unlike him to make plans for anything but his work.
"I was thinking that we take the kids to the theme park in Edge and at about 3, we could leave them with Barrett…" he began.
"Why?" she interjected.
She could've sworn she saw a blush on his face though the expression remained blank. He almost silently cleared his throat.
"I was thinking that I could…take you on a date," he said.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the word date come out of his mouth. What had gotten into him to make him say this? She blushed brightly and turned her face away. He looked at her for a second before he looked at the door ahead of him.
"If you don't want to go, I'm not forcing you," he said.
"N-No…I…w-would…really l-like that Cloud…" she stuttered as she struggled to keep the sheer excitement from escaping her body as an outburst.
She saw him flinch and he turned his face away. She was sure he was blushing.
"Ok…then it's settled," he said.
He rose to his feet but before he could walk away, Tifa held his hand. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her. She got up and looked into his mako eyes. Those eyes were unpredictable but it always brought warmth to her heart to see them. She felt an urge and there was no amount of effort that she could exert to stop herself. She walked up close to him and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, barely being able to keep down the other action she was going to take. He didn't seem very phased but his eyes turned from mysterious to loving as he looked back at her. Tears began to form in her eyes.
"Why are you crying Tifa…" he asked in a velvet voice.
"I've…just been so lonely here…and now I get to spend a day with you…" she replied.
He didn't know what to do now.
"Cloud…will you sleep with me tonight?" she asked.
"Ok…sure,' he responded.
They walked upstairs and Tifa changed into her nightgown in the privacy of her bathroom. He sat in a chair and patiently waited for her to come out. It was only when she climbed into her bed that he hesitated. Her eyes slowly coaxed him into coming onto the bed. He lay as far away from her as the bed would allow. The night was rather cold and it clearly had no effect on him but he could feel the vibrations of her body. He turned to see her shivering rapidly. He scooted closer and encircled her waist with his strong arms.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I am now…" she responded.
She snuggled into his body and was amazed at the amount of heat he had on his body. She was also surprised that he didn't seem to feel a way with her so near to him; he was perfectly calm.
"Good night Cloud…" she whispered.
"Good night Tifa," he replied solemnly.
