Author's Notes: This was inspired by several Tumblr posts, in which the post creators expressed an interest in a Final Fantasy XV/Final Fantasy VII crossover, as Prompto shares similarities with Sephiroth. It was also inspired by me wanting someone to be fiercely protective of the baby chocobo, and my long-time appreciation for the brave beauty known as Tifa Lockhart. This started off as a Cloud/Prompto adventure, but then Tifa became really affectionate towards the wee chocobo and I love her anyway, so Tifa/Prompto it became.
I write boy/girl pairings about two percent of the time. That's how awesome Tifa is.
The title stemmed from the title of my Promptis piece 'Clove and Snowflake'. I loved the idea of creating fanfiction with titles inspired by essential oils.
I envision Tifa in her Advent Children style, but you're more than welcome to envision her in any way you see fit. Have fun!
Thank you for being here. :)
Lavender. The calmness that washed over him, whenever she held him. The peace and security that draped over him whenever she was near. It was the scent that found him whenever she held him close, drawing him away from a universe of fear and into a world like no other. One in which he felt himself pulsating, breathing, brought to vibrant, joyous life by warm sensations. A world in which he felt only calm, the gentle transcendence of time erupting in ethereal color. It was when she left he found himself falling, the clouds beneath his feet gone, the stars above falling silent.
Lavender. Its sweet, earthy fragrance soothed him whenever they reunited. Whenever she threw her arms about him with the biggest smiles he had ever seen. She smiled at him, called out his name as if it were more precious than air, casting fragrant calm over him. Whenever they reunited, her eyes became fireflies, radiant and welcoming. And it was that calm, lavender-kissed world he found himself slipping into. He clung to it, knowing that letting it go, even for a second, would kill him.
His world collided with hers a while back. Their journey began with a simple road trip-well, not so simple, as it was the final road trip before Noctis' wedding. He, Gladiolus and Ignis thought it would be an incredible idea for Noctis to explore different realms before resigning himself to the throne. Capturing the most precious moments of that trip in photographs became Prompto's life purpose, knowing every day took his oldest friend deeper farther away. Knowing that, at the end of their trip, he would be gone. The one he once saw as his only sanctuary would disappear, never again to see someone that never deserved him in the first place. But then she came, the one from another world, with eyes of patience that rebuilt him.
Restlessness cast him out of his room on the Highwind. Recent events, plus the storm swelling inside of him, compelled him to find peace outside of meaningless slumber. Focusing on the path taken would bring peace, so off it was, wandering through the world coated in night's silence. The journey through Gaia started off with a casual drive and ended up in new beginnings, new bonds. Noctis and company collided with a young woman named Yuffie in Wutai Village, and before any of them could blink, they embarked on a mission against the Shinra Corporation. Joining hands with the members of AVALANCHE, they vowed to bring an end to Sephiroth and Shinra's onslaught against creation.
Perfect way to end life as a free spirit.
Prompto stopped in the hallway, hand on the wall, head bowed, reflecting on the bonds that had grown. Whenever the ground was taken from underneath him, drawing strength from new and old bonds worked. While Noctis was a brewing mess of precious light and poisonous insecurities, the others offered a wealth of healthy light. Through their voices, their smiles, their mere presence, life was expressed in the most musical colors. Cid pretended to be the scourge of Gaia but was sweeter than a Chocobo. Not surprisingly, Ignis was drawn to him the way bees were drawn to honey. Highwind's captain attempted to shake him off, but only for a second, as 'you're the only one with brains in this madhouse'. With that affectionate reference to the rest of Highwind's passengers, Cid begged Noctis' caretaker to stay near him, in case he needed an escape route.
Barrett was also drawn to Ignis, even begging him to 'let me go with you, Specs' on one occasion, borrowing Gladiolus' nickname for him, wanting Ignis to take him along on intel. 'I like you,' Tifa's old friend grinned at him on another occasion, slapping him on the back.
'I mean I really like you. Can I go back home with you? Would really mean th' world t' me'.
A third person was drawn to Noctis' teacher like flowers to sunlight after an overwhelming winter. Being on opposite sides of the tracks, they painted a bewitching story that could've been torn out of a fairy tale. Reno made no secret of his infatuation towards Ignis, even when it earned him the dirtiest looks and lectures from his home team. As always, the greatest chef in Lucis was a puzzle no one could put together, as he did absolutely nothing to deter Reno from building shrines to him in his office. Prompto and of course Noctis teased their 'Princess Scientia' over the TURK's crush, but Ignis said very little to them to silence the teasing. It was easy to assume he quietly accepted the playful remarks, expecting nothing to really come out of Reno worshipping him, but there was much more to Ignis that met the eyes.
Then there was Cloud. The ever-famous Strife, legendary for his ability to add magic into any conversation with just a word. Not only that, but he was also someone that presented a lot of magnificent photo opportunities, looking ridiculously amazing in battle. Prompto sensed the deep, compassionate respect Cloud's friends had for him and connected with it, supported it, knowing the fearless swordsman had a galaxy of burdens on his shoulders. And Yuffie pointed out how they looked very much alike; 'hey, baby Chocobo, it's your big brother'.
There must've been a special connection between them. The world was calm, silent, whenever Prompto was near him. It was as if Cloud commanded the heavens to fall silent, so he could find solitude in a mind in dire need of rest. Cloud sometimes shared that solitude with Vincent, neither of them choosing to communicate through words whenever they were together. They were in a world all their own, one Prompto believed he could never comprehend but knew, felt, saw as a state of being filled with heartache.
Then came the eternally energetic Yuffie, who once fought with Tifa over the rights to adopt a certain baby Chocobo. A spirited young woman that lit up every room with magic, even when she was in a duel of wits against Cid. Barrett, the powerhouse that saw Ignis as his lifeline whenever things grew too chaotic. Ignis in cat form, otherwise known as Red XIII. Caith Sith, just as energetic as Yuffie. Traveling with them, despite the threats looming over Gaia, was a magical, uplifting experience. One Prompto swore to never forget-thus, the constant picture taking.
He sometimes snapped rounds of Cid sitting at the wheel, just to see the old man's reactions because Cid was what Tifa believed Prompto to be: fiendishly adorable. But the one Prompto took captured secretly was Cloud's childhood friend, the young woman that erased his cacophony of insecurities and replaced it with life, beautiful, gentle, loud life. The photos were kept close in a secret album he'd allow not even Sephiroth to see, under threat of immediate death. They were kind, welcoming, reminders of lavender-scented embraces.
Tifa. He knew he shouldn't want to see her so badly, but every thread of his being ached with the longing to find her. With the longing to even see her from afar. It felt lonely without her, reminding him very much of home, even though everyone was just asleep. Resting before their trip to Edge. While he should've been tucked away in dreams himself, Prompto found it impossible to close his eyes without being assaulted by visions. Visions that ground his insides to ash, even when they appeared for only a second. The day's earlier battle in the Mythril Mines slapped him in the face with a strikingly cold bucket of water, reconstructing insecurities and fears.
Prompto really was somewhere he didn't belong.
"Prompto? What are you doing out here, sweetie?"
That familiar, loving voice violently shot a round of relief into his veins. The sharpshooter whirled around to find her, eyes alive with worry, so full of fondness they pierced him like a punch to the stomach. She tilted her head and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Can't sleep?"
"No, not really," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, burning with the urge to rip himself open with bare hands, wanting her to know everything. Needing her to know everything. "Just thought I'd take a walk through the good ship."
Tifa eyed him with elevating concern, always gravely worried whenever he was anything less than cheerful. "I couldn't sleep either," she confessed. "Too excited about going home and seeing old friends. But is there something wrong? Did someone say something to you?"
'If they did, they'll meet a swift and painful end', she'd say, if anyone had even plucked a hair off his head. But there was no need for carnage on his behalf. With a gentle, nervous 'nah uh', Prompto shook his head. "It's no big deal, I'm fine," he said, hoping he was at least a little reassuring. Instant failure. Whenever it came to him, Tifa's senses were in overdrive. But he pressed on, the only way he knew how.
"Just had a few nightmares, that's all. And no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about what happened back there, in the mines."
What he left unsaid: I wanted to see you. I'm really glad you ran into me, because I need you, more than I need to breathe.
Tifa settled her other hand on his shoulder, eyes holding a galaxy of comfort, warmth, beauty. "It got really scary back there, didn't it? That's what we're up against, Hojo and his experiments, and that's what we're out to stop. Him corrupting innocent lives. Shinra corrupting the planet. And can't forget about our buddy Sephiroth. But it's going to be just fine."
She cupped his face, smiling, a lavender-scented rose that left him breathless. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
He knew. He knew what she was capable of, when it came to him. It was seen with his own two eyes, how her strength rose beyond human limits in battle, just to protect him. She fought with her bare hands and feet but was deadlier than he, Gladiolus, Noctis and Cloud combined whenever he was in danger. Already formidable under normal combat, she grew into a force the gods would tremble against, if they even thought of looking at him the wrong way. He knew and his eyes burned, chest throbbed, world blurred. "Just scared, that's all," he told her, voice becoming hoarse, cheeks burning. She was close, so close, close enough to-
"Whenever I try to catch a few winks, I…I see myself as one of them. I'm…I'm not myself, but at the same time, I'm my true self. Sure, I try really hard to make it go away. I even count Chocobos, like Cid said to do, but…it won't stop. It just freaks me out, y'know? And it feels so real. I don't want to become one of them. I don't want to hurt anyone."
I don't want to hurt YOU.
She stared at him. Stared at him with a face as blank as paper, leaving him completely in the dark. Whenever there was even a tiny dart thrown at him, she didn't like it and let the world know it in no small terms. That dart silenced her, grew a chasm of anger so great and wide, it left her without the power of thought for what was an eternity to Prompto. She then shut her eyes. A moment later, she clasped his hands in hers, smiling through the still-growing avalanche welling up inside of her. "What's this?" she asked him, resting his hands on her heart.
"Listen and tell me what it is."
He didn't really want to, as his hands were a little too close to her-
"Y-y-your heart. Your heartbeat."
"Right," Tifa chuckled, eyes twinkling. She then laid her hands on his heart. "What's this?"
"My heart."
"Right again. It makes such a sweet sound, too. And you know what that means? You love. You're warm and beautiful and amazing. You take pictures, and really good ones too. Can't say the same things about monsters. They aren't like you."
Prompto instinctively pulled away from her, not wanting to infect her, hurt her in any way.
"I really think there's something wrong with me, though. What if it happens? What if my dream comes true and I turn into one of them?"
She shook her head, sad, grave, gentle. "There's nothing wrong with you, sweetie," she shot back, and would die to defend those words. The light in her eyes told him so.
"There's something wrong with what's trying to hurt you. And I won't let it. But if something does happen to you, I'll just bring you back. Easy as that."
She drew him into her arms and kissed the top of his head, then his cheeks. She was close, so close, ever courageous, kind, patient, so achingly, fiercely beautiful-
"Tifa?"
She tilted her head again with a smile. "What's up, buttercup?"
He was about to say it. Just had to say it. If he didn't, he'd explode.
"Um…I…well...I…I-"
"HEY! How many times have I told you guys to stay outta there!"
Cloud's lifelong friend averted her attention away from Prompto and onto the rapidly approaching tempest known as Cid. While the photographer wrestled with the excruciating urge to cry ('Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT, so close!'), the Highwind's captain stormed up to the two of them to voice a few complaints. "Miss Lockhart," he snarled, always so cute and cuddly, after throwing a 'hi, kid' to Prompto.
"Can ya kindly tell those dumbasses to stay outta the control room?! They only listen to you!"
"Fine, whatever," the young woman groaned playfully, rolling her eyes. At it again they were, the terrible team known as Yuffie and Caith Sith. "Just give me a minute, gramps."
Before leaving behind Yuffie's forlorn Chocobo baby, Tifa kissed his cheek.
"Sorry, sweetie, hold that thought."
She was gone in the blink of an eye. With a loud, long sigh, Prompto sank to his knees, earning a look of confusion from Cid in the process.
"Sheesh. What's gotten into you, kid?"
"Are you going to stop playing that any time soon, Highness? I'd like you to get some rest before we embark on our venture into Edge."
Noctis threw his caretaker a glance before returning his attention to what was really important-the handheld game Yuffie let him borrow.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, in a bit, just gimme a minute."
"I'm afraid I was just told that, a minute ago."
"Leave me alone or I'll tell your boyfriend you had a dream about him, last night."
…
"A perfectly innocent dream, thank you very much. It simply came from our daily interactions with each other."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, sport. Real cute."