levity
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
He wasn't supposed to be scolding the little brunette as she tromped all over their office with her huge, new, ugly-as-sin boots and smiling despite himself. Nor should he be rolling his eyes at her antics and evading the playful punches she sent back… heroes didn't retire like this.
He tried to hate himself for the levity he felt; she was dead and his life was a lie… and he'd almost convinced himself, until Yuffie had chucked him under the chin none too gently one day and told him that even if his past was a lie, his future wasn't.
They had ended up in Kalm after he couldn't forget what she'd said; not really together, but not separately either. He bred chocobos and she taught weapons-lessons while living in a farmhouse on the outskirts. It hadn't always been that way; she'd converted the barn into a dojang when he was out of town, once, and he had returned that day to see her smiling with guilty glee.
Upon seeing the changes, he'd raged and she had yelled back, her hair littered with blue and golden chocobo feathers. Apparently, the birds disliked the changes too; small wonder they'd been so petulant when he had returned.
Afterwards, he had smirked and pulled away the feathers she couldn't reach. Yuffie'd tugged at his earlobe in return, saying that she would make him an earring with the feathers to match his hair. He went for her ribs, tickling mercilessly. There was only so much a man could take, after all.
Maybe it wasn't supposed to end like this. But Cloud chuckled, pulling himself out of his thoughts and grabbing a pillow from the couch in time to dodge its twin.
Crazy as it was, he was glad it did.
...finis...
. o .
Disclaimer: Not mine yet, anyways...
Sabe's Scribbles: Written as a request-drabble for Firefly99; she hasn't pulled me from my Reffie roots, but this was a lot of fun to write; Cloud needs some sunshine in his life, and Yuffie seemed more than happy to provide it, here. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed...