A/N: Here's something I posted on LJ. There was a prompt and I couldn't resist!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Thoughts on Convenience

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Pairing: Cloud/Tifa (kind of…)

Rating: K

Prompt: There was a request on the ffvii_het_meme.
"PreAC why Tifa decided to cut her hair and Clouds thoughts to the haircut"

Note: Enjoy, it's my first fanfic of any kind. Scary…

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII... Duh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first reason she cut her hair was for convenience. She worked in a crowded bar, she needed to be able to slip in between tables and people without worrying about her hair getting in the way.

The second reason she cut her hair was out of frustration. Over the past two years it had grown to an unmanageable length, rivaled only by Cloud's gradual silence for the spot of "Greatest Annoyance" in her life.

The third reason she cut her hair was because she was heavy. Heavy with the sins that AVALANCHE had committed in their fight against Shin-Ra, heavy with the death of her comrades (as she showed by the ribbon she wore around her left forearm), and heavy because of the inability to reach through to Cloud, one of the most important people in her life. She figured if she cut her hair she would be lighter… at least by a little.

The day she cut her hair was the day she vowed to stop the guilt, or to at least live with it, to atone for it, to stop letting the past weigh her down. She had a family to care for, people that counted on her that she couldn't-that she wouldn't- disappoint.

That night, when Cloud got back from a long delivery to Icicle Inn, he stepped through the door to 7th Heaven and froze at the site before him. Tifa stood behind the bar, cleaning out the glasses that had been dirtied throughout the day, though it wasn't the Tifa that he had left the few day before. His head tilted, his eyes narrowed, and even his mouth gave a twitch downward. Tifa's hair was still long, falling to just below her shoulder blades, but it was so much shorter, so… different.

"Tifa…"

The name slipping out of his mouth of its own accord, a whisper magnified in the silence of the bar. Her head snapped up and smile filled her face, the corner of her lips turned upward and her eyes sparkled.

"Cloud, you're back." She said setting aside the glass she had just finished drying. "How was Icicle Inn?"

Cloud didn't take his eyes off of the woman that stood behind the bar, didn't take his eyes off the locks of ebony that swayed with the movements of her head and body. He ignored her question as feet carried him to the edge of the bar, then around, and finally to stand in front of the woman.

"Cloud…?" Tifa asked her eyebrows knitting together as she stared up into the unfathomable expression he wore on his face.

"You cut your hair," he murmured, catching a stay lock that had fallen over her shoulder with his gloved hand. He didn't know why this fact bothered him so much, this length suited her. It made her look more graceful, more feminine, a small but prominent counter balance to the leather that sheathed her body.

Tifa blinked up at him in confusion. Why would he notice her hair so quickly? Over the recent months he seemed to hardly notice her at all, not what she what she wore, not what she said, not the way she acted, and certainly not how she styled her hair.

"It looks different," he said, the lock of hair still twined around his finger.

"Of course," she said a small smile fluttering across her lips. "I got a haircut."

Maybe it was that she had changed so much lately, her smiles becoming more infrequent and her words of encouragement more sparse. Even the way she dressed had changed, gone from a just a tank top and short skirt to a more responsible vest and shorts. She had matured since their battle with Sephiroth, everything about her reflected this. He was glad to see her smile, glad to see that the shadows that had filled her eyes over the pass few months had cleared and certain lightness had surrounded her again.

"It looks nice," he said, releasing her hair. He turned, his face once again forming its neutral expression. He made his way to the stairs that led up to the rooms above, his mako eyes clouded with thought. His boot hit the first step and he glanced back to the bar. Tifa had turned back to the glasses that rested on the counter, her long hair hiding the slightly pink shadow that dusted her cheeks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Extra note: I hope it's not too out of character… its 2:32 AM and I've had WAY too much caffeine… Also, is the ending okay? I wanted to end off with something related to her hair… is it good enough?