Disclaimer: I don't own anything; FFVII belongs to SquareEnix :)
Author's note: Thank you so much for the reviews and for continuing to read my story!
Here's chapter 10. I didn't think this story would be this long… I've actually written the ending long ago :)
Chapter 10: The Hero
She didn't wear the ring. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not the day after. Not the day after that. Eventually, Cloud lost count of the days. Then one afternoon, he found himself setting off for the Winter Holiday deliveries. Gone from home for at least two weeks. He sighed bitterly.
"Don't worry, we'll help her around the bar," Yuffie winked.
"Yeah! We'll help!" Marlene smiled.
"We'll be fine!" Denzel grinned.
Cloud grunted. Never in his entire life spent at Edge did he dreaded leaving home so much. The fact that this was the first Winter Holiday Tifa had after the accident. The fact that the bar's business would be crazy as hell during the holiday season. The fact that Tifa would have to take care of the bar and the kids on her own. The fact that Barret wouldn't be here to help out because of some last minute errands at the Corel oil mine. And the fact that Yuffie was the only one here to help didn't soothe his mind at all.
"Just try to be back on time," the ninja continued, "you know, for our Winter Holiday party."
Cloud sneered, narrowing his eyes at the packages on Fenrir. He'd be all over the world with these deliveries. Good thing Cid promised to help him deliver some of the things on the Western Continent. Perhaps the blonde should take some flying lessons from the pilot. But no, the spiky-headed blonde would never survive a day's delivery without vomiting and getting airsick every other hour. Sure, his condition improved slightly compared to the Wutain Princess, but still, he didn't prefer flying. So, riding Fenrir it is.
Swinging the last of the packages onto the bike's sidecar, Cloud took one last glimpse at Seventh Heaven. It'd be two weeks later when he could see the wooden door, the clean windows, and the blinking neon signboard again. Two weeks later he'd be greeted with rainbow fairy lights dangling all over the building and glittery snowflakes on the walls. He sighed.
At that moment, the wooden door swung open, revealing Tifa, a blue wooly scarf wrapped around her neck. She ascended the steps hastily, as if out of breath, her ruby eyes never leaving the Mako-blue ones. Cheeks slightly pinked, she gave a soft smile.
"Cloud," she breathed, "be careful."
Every inch of him ignited like fire, all the way to his toes and blonde spikes. The man smiled.
"I will."
White clean snow sat neatly along the sidewalk, greeting the gray Winter Holiday morning. The kids were restless. They woke up at barely seven, running up and down the stairs, shouting and playing with their new toys. Stifling a yawn, Tifa smiled as she prepared a batter of pancakes. By the counter, Yuffie sat slumped over, face squished against the cold surface of the bar top, eyelids shut tight. She spent the previous night crazy partying since Vincent was away at Junon for WRO.
"Auntie Yuffieeeee~" Marlene squealed, running toward the ninja, "thank you soooo much for the painting kit!"
"Mmmm no prob..." the Wutain Princess mumbled sleepily, waving a frail hand.
"Guess what Uncle Reeve got me?" Denzel asked excitedly.
"Wha...?"
"A WRO t-shirt!" the boy grinned, pointing to the navy-colored tee he wore over his striped sweater.
"Mmmm tha's great...pweety cheap gift if ya arsk me..." But the boy did not hear her as he was already indulging in a particularly large box wrapped in blue and silver paper.
Tifa giggled as she poured maple syrup over layers of hot steaming pancakes. "Yuffie, breakfast's ready -"
Suddenly, a noise as loud as thunder erupted in the cold winter air. At once, Marlene, Denzel, and Yuffie snapped up, eyes glittering with eagerness, bright smiles flashed on their faces. The three of them shared a look, then together, they shouted, loud and clear, "IT'S CLOUD!"
For a brief second, Tifa's hands hovered in the air above the plate, barely breathing, her heart beating uncontrollably fast. She was honestly glad the man was back. The past two weeks had been more than torturous, what with the holiday season and the kids running wild in the bar. At least the bar was closed today. Finally. Ruby eyes glanced shyly toward the door, anticipation emitting silently off her body. She bit her lip as her heart hammered noisily inside her chest. Relax. So maybe I might have sort of kind of missed him a teeny tiny bit...
Like the kids they were ("Always a kid at heart!" Yuffie always proclaimed), Marlene, Denzel, and the ninja jumped up and ran toward the wooden door, which, at that precise moment, swung open, revealing the spiky-headed delivery boy. And a teenager with a brown bun propped messily on top of her head.
Tifa blinked, barely seeing. Who's that girl with Cloud? She managed not to frown, forcing a smile on her face instead as she joined the others by the door.
"Cloud!" Marlene jumped and wrapped her arms around the man's waist. "Welcome home! And Happy Winter Holiday!"
The blonde chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair. "Thanks, Marlene. Happy Winter Holiday to you too."
"Thanks for the remote control car!" Denzel grinned, giving the man a hug.
"Me too! Thanks for the chocobo book! I'm gonna breed chocobos when I grow up -"
"Hey, hang on," Yuffie spoke up, narrowing her eyes at the person behind Cloud. "Aren't you...Priscilla?!"
The teenaged girl stepped aside, a wide grin on her tanned freckled face, hands curling around Cloud's arm.
"Hey Yuffie," Priscilla winked. She smiled down at the children. "You two must be Marlene and Denzel." The young girl smiled shyly as the older boy blushed bright pink.
Finally, the brown eyes settled on Tifa, who stood behind the kids. "Hi Tifa."
The barmaid smiled weakly, not quite registering the girl. The girl with the ridiculously tangled mess of a bun sitting on top of her head and with hands snaked tightly around Cloud like he was hers. Tifa's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
"Whatcha doing here?" Yuffie grinned, hugging the girl. "And dang, you've grown!"
"I'm seventeen for Gaia's sake!" Priscilla giggled. "Anyway, I'm meeting some friends for a party, and Cloud here," she rewrapped her hands around the man (who looked utterly embarrassed), "gave me a ride on Fenrir!"
She beamed up at the blonde, batting long mascaraed eyelashes, brown eyes sparkling with admiration and...Is that lust?! Inwardly, Tifa squirmed. Just a girl...She's just a girl...
"W-well, come on in." The barmaid just realized she was shaking in the cold. A gust of crisp icy wind blew through the door and into the fire-warming bar.
Together, the group settled down around a table. Tifa rushed to get some hot tea as Yuffie and Priscilla gibbered animatedly with each other. As the barmaid stared dully at the steam drifting from the water boiler, she sensed the man approaching her.
"Tifa," he spoke, "Happy Winter Holiday."
"Happy Winter Holiday to you too," the barmaid replied without turning around. She placed a teabag in the pot of boiling water.
An awkward silence followed before Cloud continued.
"Do you...remember Priscilla?"
He felt the woman tensed up before she shook her head. "No," she answered quietly.
Scratching his head uncomfortably, Cloud stared at his worn-out boots. "She...we met her in Junon back then. She helped us get to Upper Junon."
"And?"
"And...well, we - I...I saved her because she drowned..." the spiky head muttered, mind trying drastically to rid the image of freckled skin and pink lips.
"That's all?" Tifa turned to face Cloud, a brow quirked up with interest.
"Umm..." The man scratched his head again. "I...I...I-gave-her-CPR," he blurted in a rush. There. He'd said it. He felt several beads of sweat along his hairline, face flushed to the tips of his ears.
At once, Tifa burst into giggles.
Cloud blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
"That's...all?" the barmaid squeaked, hands holding her stomach as she continued her giggling fit.
"Umm...yeah," Cloud murmured lamely, a corner of his lips curling.
Taking a deep breath, Tifa straightened herself and gazed at the man, ruby eyes sparkling with joy. "Oh Cloud..." Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've had a rough trip. Here," she handed him a mug of hot chrysanthemum tea. "Drink this. It's from Wutai."
The spiky blonde took a great grateful sip. Heat filled him up, all the way to his pounding heart.
"Tifa! Tea!" Yuffie hollered from the bar.
"Coming!" The barmaid rolled her eyes.
"You must have had a rough week too," Cloud smiled.
"It's been hell." Tifa shook her head exasperatedly.
The six spent the entire afternoon preparing a Winter Holiday vanilla cake and frosted sugar cookies. Though to be more exact, Tifa spent the entire day baking the cake and cookies on her own since Cloud never learnt how to work around the kitchen properly (though his Mako-enhanced strength did helped with whisking the egg whites...); Marlene and Denzel couldn't keep their hands to themselves and insisted on tasting every little bit of frosting and cookie dough; Yuffie managed to mix up sugar with salt; Priscilla simply crossed her arms and waited for lunch like a mistress ready to be served to. Thankfully, Cloud decided to run out in the snow and grab pizza so the irritated barmaid could continue baking without the hassle of making something ridiculous called lunch.
Throughout the day, Priscilla had kept batting her heavily mascaraed eyelashes at Cloud, whom had desperately avoided her advances. Thankfully (or disapprovingly?), Denzel had taken the pleasure of sitting himself next to the teenager and trying horribly with his lame jokes and magic tricks; which in turn had won the disapproval of Marlene. If it wasn't for the invitation to lick the cake mix bowl, the boy might had died from the threatening glares and kicks of the shin from the young girl.
By the time the gray sky stopped dumping snow pellets onto Edge, the clock chimed half past four.
"Oh no!" Yuffie exclaimed, brown eyes snapping away from her phone. "We gotta hurry. We booked the table for 5!"
Marlene gasped from her umpteenth cookie. "Yikes! We're late!"
"Come on, we gotta go!" Denzel scrambled to the door.
"But what about Priscilla?" the blonde asked, looking at the teenager by the counter.
"Oh, no problem. Party doesn't start 'til 6. I'll just stay cozy here."
"But you can't stay here alone..." Cloud started.
"I could stay with Priscilla!" Denzel piped up, blue eyes shining.
"No you couldn't!" Marlene frowned, hands on her hips. "You're coming with us!"
"Tifa could stay with me. That all right, Tifa?" Priscilla glanced inquiringly at the woman.
"But -"
"Sure," the barmaid nodded. "No problem."
"Well, c'mon Cloud! Let's mosey!" Yuffie grinned, giving the blonde a teasing wink while shoving the children out the bar.
The blonde blushed at the remark, muttering under his breath.
"Go on, Cloud," Priscilla smiled. "Tifa's here with me."
"Umm..." The man gave Tifa an anxious look, who returned a soft smile.
"Go look after the kids." She motioned toward the door. "I'll join you guys later."
As Cloud racked his brain for a better solution, a loud yell from outside interrupted his thoughts.
"If you don't hurry up, Barret's gonna roast your chocobo-head!" the ninja shouted. "And I need my VINNIE!"
Giving the remaining two a feeble smile, Cloud grabbed the box containing the baked goods and left the bar, shutting the wooden doors behind him.
Immediately, an awkward silence hung in the air as the two women drank from their mugs by the bar counter. Tifa wrapped her fingers around the blue mug of steaming black coffee. She always liked her coffee black. Never with milk. Never with sugar. Just plain black. Maybe it was the simplicity of the plainness. Or the fact that drinking it plain made her feel tough. Or the way the hot black liquid made her cringe as it flowed down her throat, leaving a trail of stinginess. Or the taste of the bitterness as it lingered in her mouth, on her tongue...She just liked it. For a moment, she let herself enjoy the comfort of her plain black coffee, nearly forgetting the girl sitting beside her.
"You really don't remember Cloud?" the teenaged girl popped the question, brown eyes wide with wonder.
Tifa blinked and shook her head slowly, not liking where the conversation would lead to.
After a moment, the girl spoke again. "You're really, really lucky, Tifa," Priscilla murmured, chin propped up in her hand.
The barmaid glanced up from her coffee mug, face full of surprise. "Why's that?"
Tilting her head, the girl sighed as she tapped her fingers on the counter distractedly. "I had a really, really big crush on Cloud back then. I still do," she added, brown eyes catching the ruby ones. "I promised myself that I'm gonna be his bride. Eighteen, I said. When I'm eighteen, we're gonna get married. We're gonna throw a huge wedding party down at the beach in Junon. Mr. Dolphin would be there too." She smiled dreamily at the thought, but it quickly faded. "Except...Mr. Dolphin is gone."
Tifa gazed intently at the girl as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Mr. Dolphin's body washed ashore one day," Priscilla breathed, choking on a sob. She stared at the red cup in front of her, fingers clutching the ear tightly. "I called Cloud, crying. I don't even know why I called him. I just..." she took a deep breath, "I just wanted to hear his voice. Comforting you know."
A long silence echoed in the air. The only sound came from the low humming of the refrigerator. The auto-timer for the holiday lights flicked on on the pine tree. Unsure of what to say, Tifa took a gulp of the long cold coffee from her mug. Her heart tightened uncomfortably. She never realized, never knew, there was a girl out there seeking comfort from the man. There was still so much to know.
Priscilla continued. "He came to find me."
The barmaid shivered, not from the freezing temperature.
"He didn't say much of course. He never talked much." She paused, a small smile curling. "But when he saw the black ooze from Mr. Dolphin's mouth, he paled like a sheet of paper..."
...
"Cloud?"
He stood there, staring, unseeing Mr. Dolphin. I panicked, heart jumping out of my throat.
"C-Cloud," I croaked, tears welling up my eyes, "what is it? He's...he's gone...right? What's...what's that b-black gooey mess?"
He remained silent, standing there motionless. I've never seen him so...scared? His face was so pale - no, white. White as snow. Slowly, his right hand reached up to his left arm, which, I never noticed until now, was covered with a black fabric. The moment his fingers gripped his arm, I saw a streak of pain flash through his face. Pain? Black? Wildly, my eyes returned to Mr. Dolphin's mouth. Black...
"You...you got the same...the same disease..." I whispered, tears streaming down my cheeks.
He turned to face me, eyes glowing that strange ocean blue that I love so much. I felt my face flush.
"It's geostigma," he uttered.
"No!" I cried, throwing my arms around his waist. I sobbed into his chest, tears and emotions overflowing. I don't want to be alone! "No! You can't die!"
"I will die."
"You can't!" I shouted, glaring up at him. "What about your family?"
He gazed down at me, expression unreadable. He put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me away. He turned around toward the sea.
"There's no cure for it. I've left home."
I stared at him, bewildered. And mad. Not quite believing what he had just said, I marched up to him. "What'd you mean you left home?"
He fixed his eyes on me, probably wondering whether to tell me or not. He shrugged. "I left home. I don't...want to burden them."
I gaped. Never in my two years of knowing this man would I have imagined him giving up like this. And so simply!
"How could you just give up?" I stomped my feet in the sand. "You've just saved the world and now you're gonna let yourself...die from this?"
He stood there, motionless again. I felt sick. Here is this man, this man so wonderfully cute and good looking in those blonde spikes and sea-blue eyes and broad shoulders and muscular arms that would carry me bridal style on our wedding day - this man, my future-husband, my hero, is ready to accept death?! I'm not going to let that happen!
"What about me?" I squeaked. "You're just gonna leave me here? After Mr. Dolphin died?"
"It's not my problem," he said quietly.
"Cloud!" I exclaimed, fists clenched. I'm about to smack him.
"You still have your grandpa," he replied, looking at me quizzically.
Damn.
"W-well," I stammered, "w-what about...what about Tifa?"
His jaw tensed up the instant I spoke the name. Oh man. He's head over heels for her. I cringed jealously.
"You love her?" I asked bitterly, feet shuffling sand.
His blue eyes bored into me, piercing through my mind. He didn't need to answer. I knew the answer already.
"Then you shouldn't give up," I muttered, glaring down at the sand that got into my toes. "Live. Live for her. Go home."
Several weeks after Mr. Dolphin's burial at the beach, I received a text from Yuffie. She told me there was a cure for geostigma. And Cloud was finally home.
...
"Who would forget a hunk like him?" Priscilla sighed, finger twirling a strand of brown hair absentmindedly.
Tifa shrugged, ruby eyes staring at the empty mug in her hands. It's not like I don't remember him...it's just, I need time to piece everything together...
"If you don't remember him on time, I'm gonna snatch him away from you." The girl glanced at the barmaid mischievously, brown eyes twinkling.
At once, the atmosphere in the bar lightened as the two giggled like little girls. Rainbow colors of the pine tree danced merrily in the early evening. Golden twinkling lights from the streets illuminated the curtained windows. A distant singsong melody from a choir floated in the air. Something heavy lifted from Tifa's heart.
Wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, Priscilla leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "You know, he'll always be my hero."
A warm smile spread on Tifa's face. He'll always be my hero too.
"Tifa: I have something important to tell you. Please meet me at the well 7 tonight. -Cloud."
I blinked and reread the note three more times. Surely I read it correctly. I stared at the name. Cloud? C-L-O-U-D? Something to tell me? Me? Is this...a date? My face heats up. At once, I ran to the window and stared down toward the Strife's. I couldn't see him anywhere. When did he leave this in the mailbox?
I gazed at the wrinkly paper in my hands. It looked as if it'd previously been crumbled and thrown away, and then flattened out again. I frowned, not understanding. Why did he want to talk to me now, after so many years of not talking? I racked my brain, trying to remember the last time we talked. I can't recall any. Sure, we had eye contact, but whenever I tried to greet him, all I got in return was the back of his spiky blonde ponytail...which greatly resembled that of a chocobo. I giggled.
Looking up, I noticed I still have two hours to go before our "meeting." And so, I spent the next 120 minutes fidgeting and wondering what's he got to tell me that's so very important.
Night was falling fast. The clock chimed seven. I jumped up from the table, telling Papa I'm going out for a while.
"Where are you going?" he called. "Don't be out too late!"
"I won't!"
"Wear a jacket -"
I shut the door, at once feeling the night breeze. I glanced toward the Strife's. The lights were on, but I could only see Mrs. Strife by the kitchen, doing dishes. He must have gone to the well already. Quickly, I ran to the center of the village, where the great wooden well stood.
Ah! There he is. Spiky blonde hair like a chocobo's. Skinny legs dangling. He's not very tall. I think I'm taller than him even. He wore a gray-green striped shirt and dark green pants. The green matched his eyes. In the dark, I could see those pretty blue eyes shining, glowing. My heart skipped a beat. Oh Tifa, stop staring and hurry up! I ran as fast as I could, my favorite turquoise dress flowing.
I climbed the rickety ladders leading to the wooden landing, huffing and puffing.
"Sorry I'm late," I wheezed, catching my breath. I straightened up, smoothing my dress, and walked toward him slowly, retaining my posture. I sat down, dangling my legs over the air, just like him. For some reason, I was afraid to sit too close to him, so I left a space between us. Just a little space. I felt my face blushing. Geez, what's wrong with you, Tifa?!
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" I asked quietly. This was awkward. We've never had a proper conversation before...!
He glanced up, blue eyes bright. Oh, those eyes are really, really beautiful. "Come this spring...I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
My heart tightened. Huh? Wait. What's this? Am I disappointed? Sad?
"...All boys are leaving our town," I said softly, staring at my favorite turquoise sandals. Does he like them?
"But I'm different from all of them," he replied, his voice confident. I noticed he had a very nice voice. There's so much of him that I don't know...
He stood up and turned to me. I blushed. "I'm not just going to find a job," he explained, determination apparent on his face. "I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!" Thump thump thump. He marched to the back and climbed to the top of the well.
"Sephiroth...The Great Sephiroth," I murmured, eyes staring up into the navy sky. Sephiroth was all the boys ever talked about these days.
I glanced at Cloud from the corner of my eyes, too nervous to look at him directly. Oh Tifa, you were brave enough to greet him from your home, but now you're scared to just look at him?!
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" I wondered aloud, swinging my legs a bit. I hold them up to my chest for warmth. It was starting to get chilly.
He gave a little nod. "...I probably won't be able to come back to the town for a while."
Oh. I see. I...feel sad hearing this. Why is everyone leaving? Why are you leaving? There's still so much I want to know about you...We could have been good friends. With everyone leaving, all my friends leaving...am I going to be all alone again? I felt a tear roll down my cheek. What's wrong with you, Tifa?! Sniffing softly, I wiped it away.
"...Huh?" There was concern in his voice.
I hesitated, my eyes on my toes. "Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" I asked softly.
"I'll try," he answered. Was he embarrassed?
Suddenly, something popped in my mind. I brightened up, a wide smile on my face. "Hey, why don't we make a promise?" I glanced up at him. His blue eyes met mine. I blushed and turned away quickly. "Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind...You come save me, all right?"
"What?" he stammered bewilderedly, staring down at me.
Heart beating madly, I continued. "Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me." I swung my legs, trying not to sound nervous. "I want to at least experience that once." Secretly, I crossed my fingers.
"What?" He sounded almost horrified.
Trying not to giggle, I hugged my knees close and gazed up at him, meeting his oh-so-blue eyes. "Come on~!" I whined, rocking my body in the chilly night breeze. "Promise me~!"
He sighed softly. Very, very slowly, he nodded his head. "All right...I promise," he agreed, defeated.
Was that a shooting star? Something like relief soothed my heart. I didn't expect the night to end like this, I thought as I wiped a stray tear under the bright shining stars. But...at least now I have a hero to look forward to.
It was past midnight by the time Marlene climbed into bed and fell fast asleep. The children had outworn themselves at the dinner party, indulging in all the fried food and sweets. Barret, thoroughly buzzed, was sleeping down in the bar, snoring on the couch. Vincent and Shera ended up half-carrying, half-dragging a drunken Yuffie and Cid out the restaurant before they could suffocate poor Nanaki with wine and cocktails.
Tifa yawned sleepily as the night replayed in her mind. She needed sleep terribly. The past two weeks had been hell. Not just with the bar, but with...She glanced longingly at her bed. Not yet. There was still something left to be done.
Quietly, she opened the drawer from the nightstand, taking out an oddly wrapped package. Her heart hammered noisily in the silence, pumping blood to her cheeks.
Taking a deep breath, she crept out of the room, closing the door behind her softly. She crossed the darkened hall in two strides and faced the door to the boys' room. As ruby eyes stared at the wooden surface, she could hear her heart in her ears. Biting her bottom lip nervously, the woman stood there for a long while, holding the gift in her cold hands, heart thumping loud and clear.
She closed her eyes firmly, and opened them again. Come on, Tifa. She gave a small nod, lips in a firm line. As she reached out to knock the door, it suddenly opened. Dimmed lights, blonde spikes, and bright blue eyes greeted her. She jumped.
"Clou -"
"Shh..." The man closed the door gently, index finger on his lips.
What little light disappeared from the hallway. Blackness engulfed them. Suddenly, in the dark, the barmaid became consciously aware of how close the two of them were. She felt one of his blonde spikes poke her forehead. She felt his warm minty breath on her nose, sending tingling feelings down her spine. She shivered.
"Are you cold?" Cloud asked. It was soft and quiet, yet Tifa could hear it ringing in her ears.
"Um, no," she shook her head. She wanted to take a step back, but her legs wouldn't budge.
By now, the blonde had sensed their proximity. If he wanted to, he could throw his arms around the woman he loved so dearly, squeezing her tight until she ran out of breath, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent from her long silky hair. His Mako-blue eyes glowed in the dark, examining her curiously since she appeared to be extremely fidgety. Which was unlike the Tifa he knew.
"So..." Cloud cocked his head, eyes still scanning, "aren't you going to sleep?"
Tifa sucked her breath and nodded. "Yeah. I-I am. I'll just..." she motioned to her bedroom, shuffling the package in her hands, "umm, good night -"
Finally, the man noticed the pack.
"What's that?" He squinted his eyes at the wrapped object.
The barmaid opened her mouth and closed it, face burning to the rim. The chilly hallway no longer felt cold under her toes. As her heart pounded in her ears, she felt her lips move.
"It's a Winter Holiday present. For you..."
Like a robot, Tifa handed the gift to the man, who accepted it delightfully. Disbelievingly almost. It was rectangular-shaped, though the shape didn't hold in his hands. It was soft and malleable, like cloth. He squeezed the object, feeling, guessing what it might be.
"Thank you, Tifa," he whispered, fingers still testing the present. "What is it?"
Relief flooded the barmaid as she felt herself breathing again. "Open it," she encouraged.
Cloud grinned widely as he tore the wrapping paper like a little boy. At once, he felt the softest texture fall into his fingers.
"This -"
"-It's a scarf," Tifa finished for him. She stared down at her own fingers even though she couldn't really see in the dark. "I...I made it myself." Her mind traced back to the two weeks' worth of hardcore midnight knitting in her bed. "It's not very nice, but I -"
"Thank you."
The barmaid felt strong arms embrace her, pulling her close against hard muscular chest. Warm breath ran down her neck as Cloud spoke.
"I love it very, very much."
Soft furry wool tickled her face as the man tightened his arms around her. Tifa felt minuscule in his hold.
"I know I'll have a very, very warm winter. With you."
Author's note: I wanted to skip the whole celebrating-Winter-Holiday-thing, since I've written a Christmas-y story a month ago (it's called Under the Mistletoe in case anyone wants to read it :)).
As for the under-the-stars-promise-scene, I've always wondered how Cloud managed to ask Tifa to meet him at the well. He was a shy troubled outcast who avoided her, didn't he? And I've always thought the part when Tifa walked up to Cloud at the well looked so…weird haha. But that's probably because of the animation, nothing to do with the character herself…
Anyway, I wished I knew how to knit. Guys love heartwarming knitted things, no? :) Stay warm everyone!