A/N: This was written in about 2~ish hours, and was from a prompt by Potato Caramel on a Cloti Discord. Hope you enjoy the fluff! I'm going to bed.
"Okay, say 'cheese'."
"Cheese!"
Flash. Cloud lowered his camera as Marlene and Denzel thought of another pose to do for another picture as they stood in the living room. He had gotten pretty good at taking pictures, Cloud thought to himself. He took his camera with him on his deliveries so he could bring home scenic pictures of the places he traveled; places full of memories for Tifa and him, places the children tell them they would like to see some day.
"How about one with Tifa, guys?" Cloud pointed at Tifa as she sat serenely on the dark brown couch, watching the three with that look in her warm dark eyes, the one he knew meant she was content at the moment. Happy. Ever since he came back home, the gap between those moments where she looked genuinely happy had shortened.
He had worked hard to bring those smiles back to her face.
The children bounced onto the couch on either side of the bartender, jolting her out of her reverie. Tifa put the fingers of one hand to her lips and giggled as Denzel and Marlene gripped her upper arms and grinned upwards in Cloud's direction. There was a pink tinge to Tifa's cheeks as she realized there was a camera pointed at her suddenly.
"Say cheese," came his deep and quiet voice, hinting his smile as it hid behind his hands and the camera.
"Cheese!" The children said it in unison and with enthusiasm, and Tifa followed quickly with a small amused huff.
Cloud again lowered the camera from his face, but motioned with it in his hand. "Just about out of film, guys."
"Aww! We got a lot of pictures, though." Denzel lifted himself from Tifa's side and bounced a little on the couch.
"I'll have to look for some nice picture frames for them," Tifa said.
Marlene leaned forward and looked at Denzel. "Hey, d'you wanna finish that game we were playing earlier?"
"Yeah!" Denzel and Marlene hopped off of the couch. "Thanks, Cloud, for all the pictures!"
"Yep."
The children dashed out the door and up the stairs, leaving the two young adults all alone. Cloud fiddled with his camera as he sat on the couch next to Tifa, giving her just enough space between them. The gap had closed after the last two months. He looked up from the camera and noticed her looking at him, and he wondered what she was thinking.
Cloud loved those eyes of hers, so different from his own. They were like pools of cherry cola, warm from various red hues that intertwined with the brown. Rounder, larger, friendlier. Uncorrupted by mako. Her dark chocolate brown hair were like strands of silk in his fingers, and her skin was just that slight hint of olive tan that he remembered from her short stint as a mountain guide for a few Shinra mooks and two Soldiers.
"Cloud?"
"Hm?"
She smiled warmly at him, and he felt his cheeks warm up. He loved it when she smiled. "The kids really liked that camera of yours."
"Oh, yeah." Cloud could tell she was being guarded, still. "I'm really good at taking scenic pics, but I still need some practice getting the shot just right when people are in it."
"I guess you got to practice today, then."
"Mm. Yeah, in fact..." He raised up the camera, moving it this way and that in his hands. He krinkled his brows in focus. "If I get just the right angle..."
Tifa leaned in a little towards him, her eyes on the camera. "You can what?"
He pressed the button on the top of the camera, and a little flash momentarily blinded them. Cloud chuckled and Tifa shoved his shoulder as he brought the camera down and onto his lap. "Not funny!"
Still, there was a smile on her face. He couldn't help but cup her cheek, and suddenly she was blushing harder. Her eyes held a conflict between letting him, or keeping him out. He brought his face closer to hers, then very softly bumped his forehead to hers. "If I get just the right angle," he repeated in a deep murmur, "I can capture all the warmth of your eyes."
He heard her let in a sharp inhale of breath through her nose, and he decided to continue on. He could be a little bolder, he knew he could be. "And the shade of your skin. And the correct shade of your hair."
"Cloud..." She closed her eyes.
"I wanna take more pictures of you, Tifa." His thumb carressed her cheek, then he leaned his lips closer and brushed against hers, letting her take them if she wanted.
He felt her take his lips, felt her guard come down more than it ever had been in a long while. Not since before he had his delivery service had she felt so open through such a gesture. As much as Cloud Strife knew he could screw up, he knew at this moment that at least for a while, he had been doing things right.
Cloud let her lean into him until his back was on the couch and his head rested on a throw pillow. His hands found their way on the small of her back while the camera lay forgotten on the rug covering the wood floor. Tifa lifted her head to study his face, and he quirked a blond brow at her.
"You always had such beautiful eyes," she admitted quietly. Tifa shifted around on his chest and brought her hand to his spikes. "And it was a bit of a surprise, you know, when it turned out your hair was so soft."
He chuckled, making her shake a little. Cloud grasped her forearm, brought her wrist to his lips, and kissed the creamy skin on the underside. "Teef..."
"We should take more pictures together," she suggested.
"Yeah. I think you're right," he said as he scooped up the camera with his free hand. Cloud leveled it as Tifa laid her head on his chest, partially covering her face but very clearly smiling. A dorky, lazy smile crossed his face as the flash hit his eyes again.
They were moving forward. It felt even better than he had hoped.