A/N: Yes, yes, I know I'm an awful child. I haven't updated any of my multi-chapter stories in quite a while and here I am with another one-shot. And while I know you probably would much rather me update my other stories, consider this a sort of apology for not getting anything out there and for not responding to reviewers like I should. Thus, I will take this time to thank all my reviewers for being patient with me and for all the kind words!!!
Anyway, for those of you who've never played Sardines (you poor, deprived child), it's basically like hide-and-seek but reversed and in the dark. After turning off the lights, the person who is 'it' goes and finds a place to hide while all the other people count to whatever number. Then they go and try to find the person who's 'it.' When they find him/her, instead of exposing the hiding spot, they go and hide with the person who is 'it' until you're all basically packed in there like a can of sardines. The last person to find the hiding spot loses. Fun game. Highly recommended, although when I play, I usually play in pairs cuz I'm scared of the dark. Hehe...
One thing before going on. This is probably as steamy (which I know, is not very risque at all) as I'll ever write anything. Ever. So don't bother asking because I flat-out will NOT write anything further than this. Thank you, and please review!!!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and Advent Children belong to Square Enix. Go find somebody else to sue. Like a doctor.
Sardines
She tried valiantly to keep her breathing even and her heart from breaking out of the confines of her ribcage, but it was growing increasingly difficult as her burgundy eyes met with sharp blue ones that seemed to glow slightly in the dark. Nor did it help that her back was pressed firmly against the wall, his knees planted so that he was straddling her body and his palms resting on the wall on either side of her head as he tried to keep his weight from crushing her beneath him.
His eyes had a wild look to them, almost as if he was trying to decide between creating as much distance between them as possible or…well, she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to consider what might come after that 'or.'
A thin layer of sheen covered his arms and face, and she could feel sweat forming at her temples before sliding down her cheeks and onto her neck. She tried to tell herself it was because of the lack of oxygen available in the limited space and not because of a certain blonde's tantalizing proximity.
Her breathing hitched when he shifted positions which only served to bring his head closer to hers, his searing breath beating down oppressively on against her parted lips.
How exactly did we end up like this again? she thought as she tried to occupy her mind with anything and everything except the excruciatingly enticing man on top of her. Oh yes. We're playing Sardines. Mental note to kill Marlene for bringing up this game and putting me in this oh so compromising position.
The game had started quite innocently. The first couple of rounds they played resulted in no embarrassing or even remotely tense circumstances such as the one in which she currently found herself. Even Cloud had begun to loosen up and had a large grin plastered on his face when he and the two children decided that she ought to be 'it' next.
She knew of a small niche nestled to the side of the laundry machine—she being the only one in the family who did the laundry and thus quite familiar with the tiny room—that appeared to be a flat wall at first glance. She'd made a soft racket—not loud enough for them to think it was on purpose, but not so quiet that they wouldn't hear it—around other areas of the house before slipping into the little area with her fighter's grace.
She figured it would take them long enough to find her that the two children would be tired for bed, making this the last round. Imagine her surprise when Cloud showed up not five minutes into the game with a twinkle in his eye.
It all quickly went downhill from there. Or uphill, depending upon how one wished to view the situation.
Ooh no. We are not even gonna go there. She was going to shake her head of the strangely pleasant thoughts when she realized that doing so would only bring the distance between them ever closer.
A part of her wanted the kids to find them and to do so quickly. However, there was that other, more roguish part of her that countered with the fact that this wasn't an unwelcome position.
Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!
All thoughts—bad or good—were suddenly cut short when Cloud suddenly jerked closer so that their bodies were pressed together tightly and the moisture on their foreheads mingled. Her eyes shot open and it took several attempts to speak before she managed to whisper shakily, "C-Cloud? What are you doing?"
"Sorry. Denzel just crashed into me and I lost my balance." His voice was raspy, and she chose to believe that it was so because they were trying to stay quiet and not because of other reasons.
"O-oh." Was that disappoint she heard laced through her own voice? She sorely hoped it did not sound the same in Cloud's ears as it did in her own.
Unfortunately, it would seem that Fortune was not with her this day. "Tif? Something wrong?"
Was he really that much of an idiot that he completely did not notice what his closeness was doing to her, or was he doing this on purpose? Neither alternative was very appealing to her.
"N-nothing's wrong."
His eyes narrowed in suspicion—she thought she detected a hint of pain, but that could easily be a trick of the mind—and was about to question her further when she was spared an interrogation by a muffled hushing sound that came from somewhere behind Cloud. Apparently Denzel wasn't too happy with all the noise that could give them away.
However, their little conversation alerted Cloud to the fact that he and Tifa were trapped in quite an intimate position. The thought suddenly had his heart rate beating with far too many intervals that occurred far too closely to be healthy and he could feel his cheeks heat up furiously.
Tifa was just one of those people who could look great regardless of whatever she happened to be doing at the time, be it cooking, cleaning, or kicking major ass. If Cloud had been a woman, he would have been insanely jealous of her all-around perfection. Even her flaws only added to her overall appeal. (Ah…love is blind indeed!)
Of course, Cloud was no woman, nor even close to looking like one—save for that one incident those many years ago—and thus, instead of being jealous of Tifa herself, he settled on being jealous of the many appreciative—and oftentimes more than that—looks that she elicited from the new—only the new patrons were foolish enough to cast a lustful eye on the woman that Cloud had resolved to protect with his very life, even if that meant from the horny men around the city, never mind the fact that Tifa could very easily take care of herself and then some—customers.
Oh yes, he would readily admit—at least to himself—that the green eyes of envy often plagued him in regards to a certain bar hostess, but he prided himself on respecting her well enough not to do anything foolish that would cause all around embarrassment for both him and said woman—say, for instance, slivering into nice, thin sashimi slices whatever lecher who dared to visually take advantage of her wondrously formed body.
Well, perhaps that wouldn't be so much embarrassing as it would be difficult to explain to two very impressionable children why their father figure was being dragged off to jail for homicide.
However, whatever self-control Cloud prided himself in possessing was currently being put to a rather strenuous test. And what was worse—or better—was that he knew he was losing and quickly at that.
"Cloud," she whispered, a faint note of apprehension lining her voice. Cloud hoped to all that was good in the world that she could not detect the inner turmoil wreaking havoc on his mind.
He forced himself to respond in something more courteous than a ravishing kiss, though he was having more than a fair share of trouble keeping his mind from enacting that particular scenario. "Yes?" Oh goodness that came out far more huskily than he had intended. Well, then again, he had intended his voice to not come off husky at all.
She didn't reply, but he could feel her breath quickening against his cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered close and he knew that she was expecting him to make the first move.
And oh how he would have loved to make that first move!
…If Marlene hadn't found the hiding spot first…
"There you guys are!"
Cloud had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep from yelling at the unknowing girl for the interruption. They had been so close!
It was with unbidden regret that Cloud watched helplessly as Tifa's eyes shot open to stare at him in an expression of sheer embarrassment. Truly, she could feel an unnatural amount of blood flow to her face. She gulped once before managing to squeak out in a hushed voice, "Maybe we should get out now."
Cloud tried to hide his frown, but only succeeded marginally. He grunted his agreement—however reluctantly it may be—and made to stand up.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—he had forgotten how long he had been on his knees, and he quickly came tumbling back on top of Tifa when his legs refused to function. Fortunately—or unfortunately—he had sense enough not to land with his lips on top of hers—although, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted his damn reflexes for keeping him from a far more intriguing prize than balance—and he managed to hold himself hovering above her as he waited for the needles of pain to fade from his numb legs.
Throughout all this, Tifa had managed only a small yelp before falling silent. Inside, she was holding the same regrets Cloud had about his damned reflexes. "Are you okay?" How she managed to speak in that situation amazed herself.
Cloud did not respond and made no indication that he had heard her at all. He kept his eyes fixed on hers and refused to let the contact drop.
"Cloud?"
To hell with self-control! he thought viciously as he brought his lips crashing—admittedly, rather awkwardly—atop hers with such a force that he could have sworn he chipped a tooth.
Shock prevented her response for only a fraction of a second and oh, what a glorious response it was!
Her arms slid up from their slack position at her side to circle his neck and one hand moved north to tangle in his hair as she pulled him ever closer. Oh, how long had she waited for and dreamed of this moment!
A muffled laugh escaped her lips when Cloud lost his balance and the couple fell sideways, oral appendages still tightly entwined, so that he wouldn't land atop her legs, thus crushing them. He rolled them over as well as he could in the small space so that he was once again hovering above her. His forearms lay flat on the ground to hold his weight as his hands curled around the soft skin of her shoulders beneath the strap of her tank top.
Though reveling in this new-found pleasure, Tifa still had enough sense—of which Cloud silently resolved to deprive her quickly—to remember that this was not child-appropriate. "Cloud…kids," was all she managed between kisses.
Somehow Cloud was apparently well-aware of his surroundings and replied with a mumbled, "Kids…not here."
Cloud mentally willed Tifa to let him have his way with her, but she had other worries on her mind. As enjoyable and sensational as that had been, there were certain concerns that she wanted resolved before they went any further.
Thus, it was with great reluctance and discipline that she managed to push Cloud away long enough to catch her breath as well as some semblance of sanity. "Cloud, wait. As amazing as that was, we really should talk about this first."
A flash of annoyance flitted across his countenance before it was quickly replaced with guilt for being so inconsiderate. With a nod, he helped her into a sitting position before settling down across from her, their intertwined hands resting in his lap.
With a deep breath, Tifa began to expel her worries. "Cloud, I love you. I know that, you know that, everybody knows that. I'm ready to and I want to spend the rest of my life with you as more than just friends, but I don't want to force you into anything. I'm willing to wait. I know you're attracted to me at least physically, but I don't want this to become a lust-orientated relationship. I know this sounds really stupid, especially in today's society, but I really want to wait until we're married before…before we go any further."
She fixed her claret eyes on his pools of Mako as she tried to relate the gravity of the matter. She wasn't sure what to expect, but now that they had gone to this point, there was no turning back.
Thus, she was greatly relieved when a small but genuine smile of understanding overtook his features. "All my life I've been afraid. When I was young, I was afraid of being ignored. That's why I joined SOLDIER. Then I was afraid of shame. That's why I didn't let you know who I was in Nibelheim. When I met you again in Midgar, I was afraid of my past. That's why I tried to be so strong. When Aerith died, I was afraid of my weakness and inability to save those I care about. That's why I used the Delivery Service as my means of escaping reality. Yet, ever since Sephiroth came back via Kadaj, I've only been afraid of one thing. I'm afraid of losing this family that we have, but most of all, I'm afraid of losing you."
Tears welled about her eyelids and she leaned forward to press her forehead against his. "I'll never leave you."
His smile grew. "I know."
He brought his lips to hers again, this time gently and without the recklessness of their first kiss. It was purposeful and spoke more about his feelings for her than words could ever do justice.
When they finally broke apart, it was with a smirk that he said, "In case you haven't figured it out already, I love you."
He was rewarded with another kiss.
…
Marlene's eyes sparkled with mischief and pride. "See, I told you it would work. Operation: Get Cloud and Tifa Together complete!"
Denzel merely grimaced in response. "Yeah, well, next time you get stuck in the same room as them."
The girl laughed in response, and shook her head. "I don't think we'll need a next time. Alright, next goal. Operation: Wedding!"
A/N: Hehe...kids. We don't give them enough credit. Anyway, hoped you liked the major Cloti fluff. Review please!!