A/N: So...you know how I said I was going to try to limit myself to 500 words? Yeah. Total fail. There was no way to shorten this and then I thought of splitting it apart or something, but I really just couldn't do it. Hence, why I'm posting something that's nearly 3x longer than what I said I'd do. Oops.

Anyhow, this is a bit of a departure from what I'm comfortable with writing. I don't usually write much on physical anythings because of several reasons. One, I don't have personal experience in that area. Two, I tend to focus more on the non-physical aspect of a relationship. Three, I'm just not all that comfortable writing it. Lol...now it sounds like I've written something very 'mature' (I use that term with great sarcasm because I personally don't think sex is something that should be exploited as it is in media, even if you're of legal age. I shudder to think how many enemies I've now made...lol), but it's not even close. Just a more intense make-out session than I would usually do, but I wanted to go where my writing led me, so this is it.

Also, I think I've been reading way too many possessive!Kenshin/Kaoru fics lately, so if Cloud seems a little (a lot) out of character, that's why.

Anyway, enjoy this piece of fluffy fluff and don't forget to leave a review! Thanks!

ANOTHER LIFETIME

#17: Library
Summary: There are, at times, extra incentives to studying.
Word Count: 1,425
Originally Posted: October 6, 2009

"A library is no place to find love."

Or at least that was what Tifa's overly romantic best-friend-but-soon-to-be-not-if-she-didn't-stop-meddling-in-her-(lack of) love-life often told her in reference to her spending more time in the library than anywhere else. Most of the time, Tifa would just laugh it off, saying that she was here to study, not to ogle guys.

She very conveniently failed to mention the presence of one sinfully attractive spiky-haired blonde with what had to be the absolute most intense blue eyes that's ever graced the world. She also found it utterly unfair that he had such envy-inducing long lashes to complement said eyes.

Aerith would probably lynch her if she knew just how much ogling she'd really done in the past months since he started showing up every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon and sometimes even Friday. Part of her wondered whether she should be disturbed that she knew his schedule so well, but she justified it by thinking that anyone would notice the person who'd come sit down a table away from you almost every other day.

Besides, it wasn't as if she was in the library only to watch him. She was genuinely here to study and if he happened to be in the area at the same time as she, well then that was just a pleasant bonus.

A very,verypleasant bonus, added the hormone-induced part of her mind. She wasn't dishonest enough with herself to deny it.

And so her after-class routine was fairly fixed; go to the university library to study (and ogle) and endure Aerith's teasing when necessary. She never approached him to ask for a name and he didn't seem to notice her so she was satisfied to watch him from a distance.

That is, until the day she came back from a two week absence during which she'd had to forego her daily library trips to pick up her little brother from school and watch over him, a task that up until now had been taken care of by a family friend who had a daughter around the same age as Denzel and who worked at a home office thus allowing him to watch the kids. Two weeks ago, Barret left for a business trip and that left Tifa with childcare duties, something she enjoyed immensely, though she couldn't help her thoughts from wandering back to that delectable-looking piece of man who oh so loved sitting across from her.

However, as much as she thought she'd missed seeing him, apparently it was nothing compared to how much he'd missed her, which she was finding out first-hand by the way his body was now pressed up hard against hers and his face hovering dangerously close. The cold metal of the bookshelves dug into her back but she didn't dare move away from it for fear of getting any closer to him than she already was. She could do little but stare at him with wide eyes. Maybe she was dreaming?

He dropped his forehead to rest on hers and from this vantage, she could make out every speck of green and gray that speckled his blue eyes.

Eep! No way she could be dreaming this. It was almost too unreal to be unreal.

"I didn't see you for two weeks. I was worried."

She swallowed the dry feeling in her throat and leaned back into the bookshelf even more to get as much distance between them as possible. It was getting increasingly difficult to think straight with him crowding around her so closely. Yet, it wasn't that she was uncomfortable; maybe the problem was that she felt a little too comfortable with his warmth gathered around like this. Her protest was made with a feeble voice. "You don't even know me!"

He shook his head and stepped even closer, causing her to whimper both at the intensity of his proximity and…well, no. It was just his proximity. "I know that you're here every single day from two to six without fail. I know that you're business/economics major, probably also minoring in sociology from the books you read. I know that you have a little brother you call every day at 3:30 to make sure he's home from school safely. I know that I was absolutely terrified when you didn't show up in here three days in a row and by the time a week had passed, I was kicking myself for not asking you out earlier!"

Seeing the agony etched so clearly in his features, Tifa somehow knew that he was ripping his heart open for her to see. Her heart wrenched painfully in her chest to see him so distressed while another part of her jumped for joy, now that she knew that he'd noticed as much about her (maybe more) than she had about him. She reached up a shaking hand to cradle his cheek lightly and she marveled at how soft the skin there was. Her touch seemed to calm him, and he leaned into her caress, his too blue eyes losing that aching hurt and replaced with something so tender, her heart nearly broke at the overwhelming emotions displayed so openly for her to see there.

Not really thinking about what she was doing, only that she couldn't stand there watching him watch her with that expression in his eyes and not do anything, she tilted her head up the few inches between them and the choir in her head rejoiced when lips pressed on lips.

He was stunned out of a reaction for the briefest time, but she could feel the moment her action registered because suddenly he was smiling against her lips and his hands, which had previously been gripping the shelves on either side of her hard enough to bend metal, were suddenly wrapped around her waist and fisting in the hair at the nape of her neck. He swallowed the gasp she made when his tongue gently probed her lips for entrance and suddenly he was in and she could taste him like she was using her taste buds for the first time. She reveled in the sensation of the burning trail of his mouth when it left hers long enough to travel across her jawline to the sensitive skin area behind her ear. Biting her lower lip, she held back the moan he elicited when one of his hands ventured just beneath the hem of her shirt to touch the soft skin of her stomach.

It was difficult to remember that they were in a public library open for anyone to see their…affectionate display, but the (quickly malfunctioning) rational part of Tifa's brain reminded her that they were in the resource section on the influence of ancient myths on Wutaian arts and architecture and so no one would be likely to disturb them (or be disturbed) anyhow.

It was unclear to either of them how long they remained locked in their own little world of newfound passion and affection—both were aware that it was too early to say love—but the soreness in Tifa's back finally forced her to place her hands on his (very well-defined) chest and gently push him back.

His eyes were still seductively dark and the intensity that he watched her with sent pleasant tingles down her spine. When he spoke again, his voice was low and husky and maddeningly alluring. "You know, there's still one thing I don't know about you."

Breathing heavily and not trusting her voice not to break completely, she managed to gasp out, "What's that?"

"Your name."

Eyes flashing wildly, hair in complete disarray, and breath coming in short spurts, Tifa couldn't hold back the exuberant laugh that bubbled from her throat.

"A library is no place to find love."

Tifa smiled. No, but it was an excellent place for love—or at least in this case, very very strong attraction—to find her.

Thanks be to: Fairheartstrife, kitsune13, mom calling, vLuna, Vanilla Raindrops, JingYee, Synchypn0tic17

You guys are awesomeness embodied. I will most likely heed your call for a continuation of the first one; as for when, however, that I cannot say.