Dear Reader,
This started out as a random plot bunny I was never planning to finish. It was inspired by a piece of Cloud/Aerith fanart I found called 'Until Death Do Us Part' and it was really sweet and cute. The artwork was a picture of Cloud and Aerith's wedding. It was really pretty and I describe it in the fic. I was going through some of my older fics today when I found this and suddenly, before I knew it, I was finishing it.
Writing Drunk!Cloud is hard. Because Cloud's personality is so reserved I didn't want to make him too out of character so I decided that he will be an honest drunk. The kind that can't lie to save their life and also end up spilling things they would otherwise not say. I think it's cute. And because I'm mean I say that Cloud can't hold his liquor in a paper bag. So there.
I love the card game 'Crazy 8's' my mom and I play it every Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock sharp. It's getting to the point where I'm kicking her ass every single time... It's a great game to play when you're board and I had Tifa and Cloud play it because I could just see the gang playing it. I'm not really sure why... I'll probably end up writing a fic about it later on...
I have always been a Cloud/Aerith fan but my two friends Lone-chan and Irvine disagree. They gave a very strong argument as to why. It also doesn't help that they look and act exactly like Cloud and Tifa. It's scary. And then I went to AnimeIowa as Aerith and they went as, surprise surprise, Cloud and Tifa. And my views suddenly changed. And this is what I believe what Aerith would want.
I love the extra clip that comes with Advent Children. 'Remenicenses of Final Fantasy VII'. I love the one-sided conversation Cloud has with Tifa at the end and I wanted to know what the other side of the conversation would sound like. So I finished it.
The ending of this fic might seem a little skewed, but I like it and thought it was cute. Cloud needs to let down his guard a little, especially if he wants to get anywhere with anybody.
I don't own Final Fantasy VII.
Here's to all of my friends, especially those who went to AnimeIowa with me. Here's to the other Aerith I met at AnimeIowa... You are a very sweet person and I'm glad I met you. HERE'S TO THE RAINBOW SLINKY OF AERITHNESS! WHOO HOO! Here's to my friends who COULDN'T go to AnimeIowa... Better luck next year... IT'S GONNA BE IN CORALVILLE! WHEEE!
Here's to my reviewers. I love you.
Stay
safe
Stay
healthy
Sincerely,
Starr
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Cloud had never had a high opinion of alcohol. It stole the senses, made people careless. Made them weak. Made them lose all sense and inhibition. It disgusted him.
It was one of the reasons why, when Tifa brought out two bottles of her finest and offered him one he vehemently refused. She only smiled and set it in front of him anyway.
"Barret took the kids for the night. The bar is closed. It's just us. You know this town is protected." She said. He shook his head again.
"I don't drink." He said simply. Tifa fought an eyeroll.
"You never drink."
"..."
"You never know what something is like until you try it."
"..."
"Okay... How about this..." She pulled a deck of playing cards out of her pocket and Cloud had the sneaking suspicion that she had planned this, "We play a game of '8's'. Winner gets to make the looser do something. Anything at all. Deal?" She held out her hand. Cloud stared for a moment. It was a trap. He knew it. It was staring him right in the face. But...
"Deal." He said, shaking her hand. Tifa grinned triumphantly and began to deal out the cards. It was a game both had learned how to play. Cid had taught all of them one night when nothing was really happening and Yuffie had been swiftly sinking into boredom. Even Vincent had played, which was an odd sight to see. Cloud wasn't bad at the game himself, his smooth facade almost impenetrable.
His only reaction when Tifa beat him in one round was a surprised blink.
"You've gotten better..." He said softly.
"I taught Marlene and we play each other." Was the answer, "Now lesseee... As the winner I want you to take a drink from that bottle sitting in front of you." Cloud glared at Tifa before turning his gaze to the bottle.
Cloud's glare had the uncanny ability of making strong men want to pee their pants. It had even caused Sephiroth himself to blink. But his friends had developed an uncanny immunity to his glares. If the bottle had any sense at all it would have either thrown itself from the table or exploded from fright. But it simply sat there. Waiting for him. Mocking him. Growling softly he pulled out the cork and took a drink. Whatever it was, it tasted sweet. Kind of like peaches with a slight fizz to it. He blinked in surprise before lowering the bottle back to the table.
"Good?" Tifa asked. Cloud blinked at her before nodding.
"What is it?" He asked. She smiled.
"Desert wine. I decided on something not too strong." She said, shuffling the deck and handing it to Cloud who then dealt the next round.
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Much MUCH later the bottles were more than half empty and the duo had decided to sit on the roof and watch the stars. It had been Tifa's idea and Cloud had accepted, feeling somewhat loose and sleepy and far, FAR too relaxed in his opinion. Tifa who had a much MUCH higher tolerance than he did, was content to just lean on him before she remembered the mission that Yuffie had assigned to her. She didn't want to ask, but she had to admit that she was curious.
"Hey Cloud..." She murmured after a few minutes of companionable silence.
"Mmm..?"
"Have you ever thought about where you would be now if Aerith hadn't died?"
"..." The silence was so long that Tifa began to believe she had made a mistake by asking such a painful and personal question. She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could Cloud was answering.
"I was going to ask her to marry me." Tifa blinked. Then she blinked again and took a swig from her bottle before answering.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of wedding?" Cloud drank from his bottle and leaned against her.
"A simple one..."
"I know that... But everyone has some idea or daydream about what they want their wedding to be like... What was yours?"
"It was going to be simple... Nothing big. The ceremony would be held on the Highwind. All of our friends would be there. Some people we know from business. Not very many. It would be in the hold as we circle Midgar. She would be wearing a white sun dress with flowers in her hair. Barefoot and free. The reception would be in the Hanger and there would be flowers everywhere. And while everyone celebrated we would leave and begin our life together. Somewhere far away." It was the most Tifa had ever heard Cloud say in her entire life. And for a moment she could picture it. Aerith in a white strapless dress with black accents. Her hair loose with flowers woven into the comb of her veil. Smiling and so happy that you can't help but be happy with her.
"That's beautiful..." She said. He nodded and took another swig. The silence was slightly strained for a moment before Cloud spoke again.
"She would've said no."
"What?" Tifa blinked at him for a moment in surprise, "No? Why?" Cloud's smile was bittersweet.
"Because she knew that it wasn't me who was in love with her. It was the 'Zack' in me who loved her. And she was still in love with him."
"But Zack was already dead by then." Tifa protested, "Didn't she want to move on?"
"She knew that I was in love with someone else and that if I married her I would always be confused."
"Now I'm confused. Didn't you love her?"
"Yes."
"You wanted to marry her?"
"Yes."
"Then why would you have been confused?" She asked. At this Cloud laughed. It was a small sound and it made his eyes twinkle. That plus the flush on his cheeks from the alcohol made him look vulnerable and adorable. She could feel herself blushing as her breath caught. In the moonlight, starlight and streetlight he looked like an angel fallen from grace. Sweet and bitter and beautiful and scarred and kind and jaded. So jaded.
"Tifa." He said, and the way he said made her blush even more.
Damn bubbly... She thought ruefully, hiding her nervousness with another drink.
"Mmm?" She hummed, swallowing.
"There's only room for one 'Love of my life' in my heart..."
"Then why were you confused?" She had to ask again. Surely the answer was obvious. Cloud turned to look up at the stars once again.
"Because the 'Zack' in me was in love with Aerith... But the 'Cloud' in me had always been in love with you..." He said. If Tifa had been any other person the bottle would probably have slipped from her fingers and either would have broken or spilled all over her shoes. He turned and his smile became impish. Tifa thought she was seriously going to faint and she couldn't decide whether she had made the right decision in forcing Cloud to drink. This was a side of Cloud she had only seen once when they had been young. She had thought it had long since died. She had also thought he had forgotten about her. That made her doubly wrong. The boy she had known was alive and well, only muted and protected by layers of grief and guilt. Slowly Cloud leaned forward until she could almost count the faint freckles on his cheeks.
"Want to know another secret?" He whispered conspiratorially. Tifa slowly nodded, still too shocked for words. Slowly, carefully, cautiously he leaned even closer until she was almost drowning in the blue of his eyes.
"The 'Cloud' in me still is..." And before Tifa could decide if he was going to kiss her or if she was going to kiss him or faint, Cloud slumped against her shoulder and passed out.
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The next day Cloud acted as if nothing had happened. She had left him a glass of water and some aspirin on his desk for a hangerover and, even though he squinted painfully at the light that streamed through the window, he seemed perfectly fine. Tifa didn't know whether or not to hope that he remembered what he had said or what had happened. So she too acted as if nothing had happened either.
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Two days later Cloud was out on his rounds when she got a call for a delivery. Dutifully she called his cellphone and nearly dropped her own when, instead of the voice mail she got him.
"Yeah, it's me..."
"Cloud? Really? But you never-" Quickly clearing her throat she got back to business, minutes weren't cheap, "I have a message for you... Are you out on the rounds?"
"All I got left are the Midgar deliveries... Why? Did a client come it?"
"Yeah."
"Tell them no. I'm taking tomorrow off..."
"What! Why?"
"No reason..."
"But you never take the day off... Wow..."
"...Hey, Tifa. Can you close the bar tomorrow?"
"Sure! No problem! It's fine!"
"Hn. That was easy."
"So, I should clear the schedule?"
"Okay. Tell Denzel and Marlene."
"I will.."
"I'll see you later..."
"See you later..." After she hung up another call came from Yuffie, telling her about the packages and the sign for Cloud. In the years since she had met Cloud, Tifa had never laughed so hard.
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Cloud has a better opinion of alcohol now...
