Author's Comments: Hello! Thank you for your patience. Be warned - this chapter turned out a little long. Please enjoy!
Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the italicized lyrics to Meghan Trainor's Dear Future Husband. I own Imani.
"Dear future husband, here's a few things you need to know—"
The silence that filled the car after she cut the engine was deafening, caving in on her with each passing second. The two of them sat in their seats, neither undoing their seatbelt nor gathering their things. Their call time was in mere minutes, but they didn't budge.
Eventually, Tifa slid her eyes to the passenger seat. "Are you okay?" she asked.
The brooding blond said nothing, his eyes trained on the car parked across them.
Tifa stifled her sigh. To think she'd lost sleep the night before stressing over how to act around Cloud with the memory of their ki…moment still so fresh in her mind. She'd paced her kitchen and pep-talked her jitters away before tiptoeing to the parking lot to meet him…and then when she got to him, he'd barely grunted a "good morning" before getting into her car. Never mind that he didn't say anything about Halloween night—he didn't say anything period.
And she couldn't help feeling exasperated—both at him for his moodiness and at herself for her foolishness. He obviously wasn't obsessing over it as much as she was.
And she also couldn't help feeling disappointed because maybe it didn't mean as much to him as it did to her…and that bothered her.
Something was clearly bothering him, too, but it didn't seem to be the…their moment.
Shoving her tormented thoughts to a back corner of her mind, she turned to him in her seat and asked, "What's going on? Are you unhappy that I'm doing a modeling commission again?"
He shifted ever so slightly in his seat, which she took as a sign that she might have been partially correct.
"The last commission we did together wasn't so bad, right? And we get to work together for this commission, too."
He remained silent.
Hesitantly, she reached out to touch his arm. "Cloud, please talk to me."
She felt him tense under her touch. His electric blue eyes flicked to hers for a split-second before he undid his seatbelt and opened his door. "Let's go," he muttered.
A stab went through her heart as she watched him turn away from her and slam the car door. She exhaled, withdrawing her hand slowly and doing her best to resist the hurt and frustration clouding her mind. Let it go, Teef. Don't let it get to you. Ignore the sting.
The door opened behind her. She turned and found Cloud standing next to her, holding her door open.
"Come on," he murmured, his gaze less sharp and his voice gentler.
Just like that, her frustration melted into nervousness. Her hands shook as she undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the car, being careful to not stand too close to him. "Thanks," she said as he shut the door.
Jitters, jitters, go away.
The two of them walked into Redwood and lingered at the entrance. Crewmembers bustled around carrying equipment and clothes. Laughter and bantering echoed in the room. Tables and chairs were strewn everywhere except for what looked like a living room area towards the back of the building.
Her eyes widened. Oh boy. There was a lot more going on here than the last shoot.
Tifa glanced at Cloud, who simply watched the scene with a mildly bored look. "Where should we…?"
"Tifa!"
She turned to the voice just as a tiny blond girl collided into her with a hug. "Tink!" she exclaimed.
"Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in forever!" Tink gushed, stepping away with a bright smile. "I'm so glad we're working together again!"
"Me too," Tifa said with a smile. Thank goodness Tink was here—hopefully today's shoot wouldn't be as intimidating with a friendly face around.
Tink giggled and turned to the blond standing next to Tifa. "Cloud! Good to see you."
Cloud gave a stiff nod before stomping off and being swallowed into the crowd.
Tifa cringed as Tink scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "What's his deal?" the petite girl wanted to know. "He wasn't this sour the last time I saw him."
"Well…"
"You two aren't fighting, are you?"
"N-No, no." Tifa shook her head and waved her hands. "He's just…tired."
Tink eyed her suspiciously for a long moment. "If you say so," she said, clearly unconvinced. "Well, go get ready and we can catch up more later."
"O-Okay…Where should I go?"
"Here, I'll show you."
She followed Tink, doing her best to dodge the rushing crewmembers as they buzzed around. The tiny blond wove through the crowd easily and dropped her off in front of tables with scattered makeup items and fluttery women beckoning her to sit down.
The other blond—the brooding one—was already sitting motionless as someone smeared skin-colored liquid across his cheek.
Tifa settled into a chair and tried to erase her frown from her face (which one woman had immediately begun to wipe down roughly with something wet and cold). She had a feeling it was going to be a long, eventful day.
The crisp morning air slammed Riku the moment they stepped out of the dormitory. He let loose a jaw-cracking yawn, shifting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder and trudging through the courtyard. Next to him, Sora was stuffing his face with a Pop-Tart and humming some random song.
Riku stared at him incredulously. How the hell could he be so cheery this early in the morning—and on the way to class, no less?
Sora blinked. "Whuh?" he mumbled with mouth full of Pop-Tart.
Riku could only shake his head and turn away. "Nothing."
He ignored Sora's suspicious leer and the crinkling of the pastry package in his hand. Thank God he only had one class today. He just had to stay awake for the next few hours and then he could wander back to the dorm and crash into bed.
"So did you find a wedding present for Aerith and Zack yet?"
Sora's question slapped him in the face. Riku froze mid-step, eyes wide and sleepiness long gone. Oh shit. He'd totally forgotten to get something for them.
"I'm guessing that's a no," Sora deduced with an arched eyebrow.
Shit, shit, shit. Riku was horrible at buying gifts, especially on a poor college student budget. "Maybe I'll just give them munny," he mumbled in defeat.
Sora frowned. "Don't do that! They'll feel bad for taking munny from a student."
"I already know I can't afford anything on their wedding registry."
"Who said you had to get them something from the registry? Just get them something small—something with personality."
Riku narrowed his eyes at Sora again. The last time he tried getting a gift with personality, he'd nearly sent someone to the hospital.
Sora brushed off his look with a dismissive wave. "It looked smaller in the picture and it was the guy's fault for not mentioning how heavy it'd be before you bought that," he said. "And Kairi still says it's the best giant tea-drinking octopus statue she owns."
It was the only giant tea-drinking octopus statue she owned.
"Why not go look for something with Xion?"
His glare vanished. With Xion?
"How were things with her yesterday, by the way?"
He felt his lungs clench immediately at the memory of their short, stiff walk around the city. "Awkward," he muttered with a grimace.
Sora balled the plastic packaging in his fist and swallowed the last of his Pop-Tart. "But you two are on good terms again, right?"
He wasn't sure if "good terms" was the right way to describe it. They'd met at the library, they'd talked about random things (school, movies, books, food), they'd stopped for coffee somewhere, and then she had to go home. Sure, it could've been worse, but…she felt so distant. Her smile seemed pasted on. The happy light in her eyes was dimmed by wariness.
And he didn't have the heart to call her out on it. He'd swallowed down his frustration and did his best to ignore the guilt drenching his gut. He'd let her leave without telling her how much he'd been thinking about her since he last saw her.
He kinda screwed up. Again.
Riku shrugged with a frown. "We're talking, but she's got her guard up around me."
Sora clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Hey, that's progress. One step at a time, right? You think she'll be down to go shopping with us after class today?"
"Us?" he repeated, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah. Me, you, Kairi, and Xion."
"You two are coming?"
"Yeah. For moral support."
Moral support for finding a decent wedding present without looking like an idiot in front of Xion? Or moral support for Xion so she wouldn't run away from Riku again? Or moral support for Xion and Riku to tough out the suffocating awkwardness between them?
Sora returned Riku's skeptical look with a smile. "C'mon. The wedding's next week already and Xion's your date. You should take care of this before then."
Riku sighed. He was right. "I'll text Xion," he muttered.
"Good." With a final pat on the shoulder, Sora dashed off to his class. "Text me when she says yes."
He scoffed, dragging his feet in the opposite direction. When she said yes? Confident, wasn't he?
It was becoming one of those days in which Cloud found his weary, frustrated mind constantly haunted by one simple question: What the hell was he doing here?
Here, he was surrounded by gossiping makeup artists and swooning fashion designers, both of whom were trying too hard to impress him and get him to cough up his number. All they'd succeeded in doing was amplifying his headache tenfold.
Here, he was forced to roll on a sweater tight enough to pass as second skin and thick enough to turn his body into a boiling oven. As if his temper wasn't already on the verge of erupting.
Here, he could do nothing but keep a watchful eye on Tifa from a distance as she was dragged through her transformations, stuffed into three different outfits in the span of half an hour, and blinded by flashing lights. He'd never felt such a strong urge to whisk her away, lock her in his bedroom, and guard the door with his Buster Sword until now.
And here, he had no choice but to breathe the same air as the man who had nearly ruined his life with his condescending leers, his contemptuous verbal abuse, and his sadistic mind games.
What the hell was Cloud doing here?
"Good work, Sephiroth. Go change outfits and get ready to shoot with Tifa."
Well, there it was.
He glared at the silver-haired model rising from the sofa and sauntering through the crowd of crewmembers (who, by the way, were parting like the fricking Red Sea for his ass). As much as he hated being in the same building as Sephiroth, there was no way Cloud was going to stand idle knowing Tifa could be lured into the man's web of lies and spiral downward into self-damnation, just as Cloud had. Cloud would never forgive himself for the way he'd slipped so easily into Sephiroth's control, but he would have no right to live if he didn't fight to protect Tifa from him.
This he vowed: Sephiroth would not destroy the woman he loved.
The chatter around them seemed to fade as Sephiroth stepped closer, his eyes glittering. "Cloud Strife," he crooned softly. "A pleasure to be working with you again after so long."
Fists clenched and shoulders squared, Cloud stared back without a word.
"Hostile as ever, I see." Sephiroth smirked. "I noticed that you arrived with the female model. Is she a friend of yours?" His eyes slid to where Tifa stood and a low hum rumbled in his throat. "She's quite beautiful. I'm looking forward to working with her."
His blood started to simmer upon hearing the hint of animalistic hunger in Sephiroth's words. Without hesitation, he strode forward, shoving Sephiroth's shoulder roughly and forcing him a step back.
Momentarily surprised, Sephiroth returned his gaze to Cloud and snickered. "Oh? I'm sensing a bit of possessiveness from you, Cloud."
Cloud narrowed his eyes and nearly growled.
He raised his hands in mock defense. "Come now, we're all professionals. This is just business."
His light tone and laughter only served to grate the little patience Cloud had to fine dust.
"Cloud, we're ready for you."
Damn this commission.
Without breaking eye contact, Cloud moved around Sephiroth to the shooting area, making sure to pass the blond girl who had nearly knocked over Tifa when they arrived. Pausing for a split-second, he muttered in her ear, "Do me a favor: stick close to Tifa for me."
Before she could sputter a reply, he left her side and stepped in front of the camera.
Ven fiddled with the zipper of his jacket, his knee bouncing rapidly beneath the table and his hot cocoa long forgotten. His skin tingled under the attention of two pairs of concerned eyes watching him as he practically vomited the thoughts that had been steadily smothering him ever since he'd arrived in Hollow Bastion. He barely survived forty-eight hours before he realized that he'd explode if he didn't talk to someone about this.
He had come to the realization that his two best friends were in love with each other. Great. Seriously, he was thrilled for them.
But get this: They knew that they were in love with each other.
And here was the kicker: They refused to do anything about it.
And it was freaking killing him.
For the past forty-eight hours, Ven had his sanity shredded by the longing gazes that Terra sent Aqua's way when she wasn't looking. His patience withered with each sad smile that graced Aqua's face whenever Terra turned away. He wanted to scream every time he caught them clenching their fists in a vain effort to keep themselves from reaching out to grasp the other's hand.
Even a rock could see that they were in love. A freaking rock.
At first, he didn't get it. He didn't know exactly how long they'd been in love, but he knew Terra and Aqua talked to each other about everything. Everything. Food, movies, fitness, families, fights, apologies, dreams, aspirations…but not this. It was like they had some unspoken rule with each other to talk about anything except this.
Whyyyyyyyy? This was the one thing they had to talk about.
After agonizing over it while staring at the ceiling of Terra's living room all night, it finally occurred to him: It was because they loved each other that they couldn't talk about this.
Take Aqua, for instance. Aqua supported Terra as he ran on fumes for weeks straight just so he could qualify for residency at the most prestigious medical center in the worlds. She sifted through flash cards with terminology she could barely pronounce and endured gruesome images of weird health conditions to help him study.
And Terra? Terra engaged in debate after debate on complex ethics cases and challenged her to hold fast to her keen sense of right and wrong, even if it meant standing alone against a sea of opposition. He carved out a week of his busy schedule to fly with Aqua and Ven for her interview with the law firm that fought for the justice issues that she was most passionate about. He knew this job would take her away, but he still encouraged her to go.
It was simple: They put each other first. It was unheard of to expect the other to give up anything for their sake. They loved each other too much to shove their own selfish desires in each other's space.
And now it made sense: the slow downward spiral he'd watched them slip into over the past year…the one they played off as exhaustion from work or studying, the one that made them grow tired and weary and hopeless. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became that this was more than being apart from a best friend. This was burying feelings beneath busyness and praying that the other would be happy, even if it meant living with a broken heart.
And it was killing them. And they knew that it was killing them. But hey, it was worth it to them because it was love.
And Ven understood the mechanics behind it, but still…it felt wrong. He hated it. He hated seeing his two most treasured friends martyr themselves for each other. He couldn't stand seeing them wither away like this. He had to do something. He had to sit down and have a serious talk…
"Jeez, as if Cloud and Teef weren't hopeless enough."
"At least Aqua and Terra aren't in denial. That's a good first step."
"Yeah, but knowing them, that's the only step they're willing to take."
…with the two friends he had who seemed to have figured out complicated crap like this: Aerith and Zack.
"So…that's why I wanted to talk to you two," he sighed, slightly out of breath from his rant. He threw his hands up in defeat. "I know this might be awkward, but…I don't know what else to do."
He held his breath as he watched them share a long solemn look. They had to have some mind-blowing insight for him. They were older, wiser, and engaged, for crying out loud. They would know how to solve this.
Finally, Aerith turned and smiled gently at him. "Do what you've been doing all along," she said. "Be there for them."
Ven's shoulders drooped and his heart sank. That…that was it? That wasn't what he was hoping she'd say. "But…"
"Kid," Zack leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, "at the end of the day, Aqua and Terra have to be the ones who'll decide to act on their feelings for each other, but that doesn't mean you can't guide them in the right direction."
He tilted his head, unsure of how to fit Zack's words into his dilemma. "How do I do that?"
"You could tell them what you told us just now."
"But they'll just brush it off. Terra will, anyway."
Aerith scooted a little closer to Ven, her eyes filled with warmth. "You said that they put each other first because they love each other and they don't want to be a burden," she said. "We know that they love you, too, and that they wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt you. They would want you to tell them if that ever happens."
Ven felt something settle into place as she spoke. That made sense…Aqua and Terra were practically his sister and brother. They'd done so much for him—they sparred with him, listened to him rant about school, quizzed him for his college entrance exams…
"They'd want to know that their martyrdom is making you suffer, too." Aerith reached out to rub his shoulder. "You're the fresh pair of eyes they need to see that they need to make a change."
His jaw fell open. He stared at Aerith in utter shock, his mind blown to smithereens. He hadn't thought of that at all. He'd become so focused on their suffering that it didn't occur to him to bring up his own feelings. He'd put them first, just as they had put him first in all their years as friends and just as they were putting each other first right now.
A corner of his mouth twitched. Huh. The three of them loved each other the exact same way, martyrdom and all.
"Does that make sense?" Aerith asked.
He began to nod…but something still felt off. He'd been open about his frustration to Aqua and Terra before, but they had never been the reason for his rants. He'd never called them out about something so personal and deep-rooted. He wasn't sure he knew how.
"So you're saying I should guilt-trip them into doing something about their feelings?" he tried to clarify.
Aerith chuckled, shaking her head. "Just talk to them and be honest about how you're feeling."
"That's it?" His skepticism etched his frown deeper into his face. "I don't need any special weapon to get through to them?"
Zack grinned. "You are the special weapon, kid. You got this."
Ven's chest suddenly felt warm. He did, didn't he? He got this. He'd wake them up. He'd save them from themselves. If he didn't, nobody would.
Ven nodded with more confidence. "Yeah. I got this."
"There's that determination in you," Zack laughed. "Now drink your cocoa before it gets cold."
Tifa was having a hard time remembering how to breathe.
"He's a natural, isn't he?"
She barely registered Tink's comment. Her eyes were glued to Cloud as he leaned against a bookshelf and pretended to read a thick tome with his sweater showing off his lean torso, his jeans hugging his hips, and his dark frames highlighting his beautiful eyes. Every slight adjustment to his pose only strengthened the spell of silent awe that he'd cast over the room.
He was so handsome.
"I can't believe you two aren't together yet," Tink sighed next to her.
"We're not like that," Tifa managed to mumble. "We're like family."
Cloud turned to as if to replace the tome on the bookshelf, freezing with his fingertips mid-glide along the spines of the books.
Those fingertips had whispered across her skin…
Heat surged through her limbs and splotched her face at the memory. Tifa finally tore her eyes away, suddenly thankful for how thick her makeup was.
Her blush deepened when she caught Tink's smirk. "Right. Keep telling yourself that."
"Good work, Cloud. Let's have Tifa and Sephiroth come over here."
The photographer's instructions broke the spell, sending the room abuzz once more. With a last pat-down of Tifa's sweater, Tink ushered her away from the sidelines toward the shooting area. "Break a leg, girl."
The deep breath that Tifa took before beginning to approach the photographer did nothing to calm her pounding heart. She cringed inwardly at the robotic stiffness in her step, praying that no one would notice, especially not Cloud.
…who was moving toward her.
She nearly stumbled under his gaze, her legs suddenly as wobbly as jell-o. Oh gosh, what was wrong with her? All he was going to do was pass her to walk off-set. Maybe they'd exchange a word or two on their way past each other, but that was no reason for her to go weak in the knees.
He came to a stop in front of her, looming so close that she swore she could feel his body heat emanating off of him. "Hey."
But good Lord, did he realize how he was affecting her?
"H-Hey," she stammered, forcing a grin. "Good jo—"
His hand taking hold of her wrist cut her off. He leaned in, a strange glint in his electric blue eyes. "If he does anything to make you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to say something," he murmured.
Tifa blinked. He? Did he mean…Sephiroth? Did Cloud have a problem with him?
Cloud's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Okay?"
Was he worried about her and Sephiroth?
"O-Okay…" she said.
Instead of dimming with relief, the glint in his eyes seemed to sharpen, darting from her to the photographer with what looked like wariness. He lingered near her, his grasp tightening slightly.
What was he worried about?
"Come on, Tifa."
The photographer's beckon brought a scowl to Cloud's face. Reluctantly, he let go of her and slinked off.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lockheart."
She turned to the deep voice and found herself peering up at a tall man with long silver hair and piercing aquamarine eyes. She'd assumed this was Sephiroth from the posing he'd done earlier. "Same here," she responded. "And you can call me Tifa."
His thin lips curled into a grin. "Tifa."
For some reason, the way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. Her smile grew tight and she swallowed. Was this what Cloud was alluding to?
Sephiroth leaned toward her. "Let's both have fun today," he purred.
Whatever this was, she'd have to be careful. Something about the look in Sephiroth's eyes didn't sit well with her. "R-Right." She backed up enough to move around him and meet with the photographer.
"Let's look in here," Sora suggested, pointing to the nearest store with his free hand. "Aerith and Zack like outdoor parties, right?"
Kairi followed his finger to a sign that said "Sleeping Lion" and nodded. "Good idea. This place has cute patio furniture. Maybe you'll find something in here." She glanced over her shoulder to look at Xion and Riku. "What do you think?"
Two tight smiles. Two stiff nods. "Sure," two too-strained-to-be-truly-completely-okay voices replied.
She faced forward just as they entered the store, biting her lip and tightening her hand around Sora's. This wasn't good.
"Let's see what we can find," Sora said next to her. "There has to be something around here…"
Kairi glanced at Sora for a brief moment before letting her hand slip from his. She gazed at the displays with fake interest, occasionally patting a cushion and running her fingers along the edges of umbrellas. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riku meander along the far wall and Xion wander to the back corner of the room.
When she was sure they weren't looking, she darted behind a shelf of garden statues—she had to text Sora and tell him to meet with her to regroup and strategize how the heck to fix this—and slammed headfirst into Sora's back. "Oof…"
Sora whirled around with wide panicked eyes…but then sighed with short-lived relief upon seeing her. "I think we underestimated how awkward they are," he whispered.
She could only nod, wincing and rubbing her sore nose.
"What should we do?"
"I…I'm not sure…but we can't let them go home before they've really made up. We have to get them comfortable with each other again…"
"Obviously."
They both jumped at the new voice and nearly knocked down a bronze frog from the shelf. Riku was standing behind Kairi, arms crossed and a deep frown on his face.
She immediately matched his frown. Here stood a significant portion of the reason for the heavy awkwardness. Sure, he was trying to talk to Xion (and Xion had been making an effort, too), but all of his talk so far completely avoided the one topic that would dispel their discomfort. They were so close to being together—and Kairi wasn't sure how to help bridge those last millimeters without downright nagging them.
Well, maybe it was time to get a little more upfront. Simple pep talks and suggestions weren't quite doing the trick, especially not with Riku.
"You," she hissed, jabbing a finger into his arm, "man up and tell her how you feel already."
Riku swatted her finger away. "Hell no."
"This awkwardness is your fault, you know."
"I know that. What I don't know is what I did to make things awkward in the first place." He shot a sharp glare towards Sora. "No one will tell me."
Sora chuckled nervously, raising his hands in defense. "Honestly, what you did doesn't make a difference at this point. Your confession is what will make things right."
"No it won't. It'll just make things more awkward."
It'd be the best thing you'd ever done, Kairi almost exclaimed.
"Just trust us on this."
"Supposing you're right, what am I supposed to say?" Riku demanded, throwing his hands in the air. "'Hey, Xion, I don't remember what I did wrong, but I'm sorry and I really like you'?"
She could feel her frustration threatening to overtake her senses like a thick cloud. Kairi looked heavenward—God help them—and increased her finger-jabbing tenfold. "Yes. That's exactly what you say!"
"Owowowowowow—stop that!" Riku growled, backing out of her reach and moving to hover behind Sora. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Sora shrugged. "Love is stupid sometimes," he said simply over his shoulder.
"This isn't love."
"You sure?"
"Positive." Riku's gaze dropped to the floor, the indignant blaze in his jade eyes snuffed out. "It won't get to that with her."
The hot haze of her frustration dissipated. Kairi's heart sank as he watched him shift on his feet. He looked so…defeated.
But he couldn't give up! How would he know that things wouldn't turn out the way he hoped unless he took a chance with Xion? His feelings were totally mutual and he wouldn't get to experience that without taking a risk for her. Didn't he want to be with Xion badly enough to let go of his pride and offer his heart to her?
"Did you guys find something?"
All three of them jumped and almost toppled an entire row of fake chickens over like dominoes. Kairi's neck cracked as she whipped around to the voice. Xion had joined them, blinking curiously at their group huddle.
Darn. So much for regrouping.
"U-Uh, what do you think of this?" Kairi snatched the closest statue from the shelf and shoved it into Xion's view…and cringed at what she'd grabbed. "It's…cute, right?"
Xion hesitated, tilting her head with a slight frown. "Um…sure."
"It's a crow made of rusted steel," Riku deadpanned. "I don't think it's meant to be cute."
Sometimes she really hated that Riku was a critic.
With a huff, Kairi snaked around Sora and shoved the crow into Riku's chest. "Hey, you're the one who needs to find a present. Sora and I were sensitive enough to plan ahead."
"Touché," Riku grunted.
"Uh, why don't we take a break?" Sora said, shuffling into position as a human barrier between Riku and Kairi again. "Let's get something to eat. I'm hungry."
Xion nodded and Riku set the statue back on the shelf. "You're always hungry," he muttered.
Kairi sighed, glaring at the back of Riku's head as they filed out of the store. She knew he had more fire in him than he was letting on right now. She knew he wanted this more than anything. She knew he cared so much for Xion that he would die for her.
He could not let Xion slip out of reach like this.
Quickening her pace, she reached out to yank on Riku's arm and hold him back behind Sora and Xion. "Hey."
He rolled his eyes. "Now what?"
"Don't give up."
"Wha—"
"Don't. Give. Up."
The protest seemed to die on his tongue as he stared at her. She loosened her grip of his wrist and slid her hand to grasp his, willing every ounce of strength and encouragement to pass from her to him. Steadily, the exasperation in his eyes faded to uncertainty…and an ever-so-subtle flicker of hope.
Kairi smiled. Success.
"Hurry up, you two!"
Giving a final squeeze, Kairi let his hand go and turned to catch up with Sora and Xion.
Zack couldn't help chuckling at the spring in Ven's step as the two of them watched him hop on the elevator before turning back to walk down the hall. Discussing Aqua and Terra's romantic issues wasn't something he had planned for when he got up this morning, but at least Ven had that spark in his eyes again. He knew things would work out for the three of them in the end.
Still, he couldn't help sighing. "So…no Imani and Terra, huh?"
He felt Aerith's amused eyes land on him. "You're still thinking about that?" she half-laughed.
"Hey, they would've been a good fit." He started counting off with his fingers, "They get along well, they're both focused on medical stuff, he's got a good head on his shoulders, he knows how to take care of others…"
"You could say the same for Axel."
Aerith's interjection made him drop his hands to his sides. "I was going to say Terra doesn't get on my nerves."
She chuckled and shook her head. "Surely you saw this coming, though. Terra and Aqua."
A smile grew on his face. Terra and Aqua. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. Were you?"
"No. Terra actually asked about transferring out of HBMC."
"Really? To where?"
Her beautiful green eyes sparkled. "Where do you think?"
Zack's smile faded as he pondered the information. Terra had worked his ass off to get into HBMC. Wherever he was planning to transfer to had to have been a damn worthwhile place to be…and nothing was more worthwhile to Terra than the people he cared for…which meant…
His smile returned, albeit slightly confused. "Why didn't you tell Ven?"
"Because I know Terra would want to see the look on Ven's face when he tells them," she giggled.
"So…Ven didn't have anything to worry about, then. Terra's actually doing something." Zack nodded with approval. "Good. I raised him well."
"Too bad the rest of our gang didn't quite take after your emotional courage."
"I'll have to perfect my teaching style before we have kids."
He felt her hand reach for him, her slim fingers snuggling into place between his. "I think you'll be fine. You did great with Ven just now."
"You think?"
"Mmhm. 'You are the secret weapon, kid.' That was powerful for him."
A laugh escaped him at her impression of his earlier words. He squeezed her hand and smiled down at her. "You were great with him, too. You've always been good at saying exactly what others need to hear."
She looked up at him with those beautiful green eyes again and smiled. "We make a pretty good team."
"That we do," he agreed, leaning down to meet her lips.
He was too. damn. close. And he knew it.
"Sephiroth, put your arm around her shoulders."
A growl itched at the back of his throat as the bastard brought his arm to rest across Tifa's shoulders, pulling her into his chest and nuzzling her hair. Cloud seriously wanted to strangle the photographer. Didn't he catch the flicker of unease in Tifa's eyes?
"Um, Cloud?"
With much effort, he tore his eyes from the infuriating sight and glanced at the owner of the bell-like voice. The girl from earlier was looking up at him uncertainly.
"Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Like, a drink? Or a punching bag?"
He inhaled slowly, forcing his glare to soften, and returned his gaze to the models. As tempting as both suggestions sounded, he knew they wouldn't be solid replacements for pinning Sephiroth's body to a bed of nails and carving curses into his skin—
"I'm guessing that's a no?"
Cloud shook his head once for her sake…and then shot her a brief sidelong glance. "Thanks. For earlier."
"Earlier…? Oh, right. Anytime." She sighed in exasperation. "Just between us, Sephiroth creeps me out. I don't see why everyone else wants to get banged by him."
Banging Sephiroth's head into a cement wall didn't sound like a bad idea.
"You and Teef look much better together."
Damn right they did.
The clicking ceased momentarily. "Okay, now Tifa, I want you to sit between Sephiroth's legs—"
Whatever other instructions the photographer called out fell on deaf ears. Fuming, Cloud clenched his jaw and cursed under his breath, his feet on the verge of marching over and kicking the photographer in the face—
"H-Hey, try to relax," the girl next to him squeaked. "They should be done really soon."
He watched Tifa flit her eyes to him before shifting to follow the photographer's instructions. Even though her discomfort was obvious to Cloud in the tightness of her shoulders and the way she cautiously eased further into Sephiroth's embrace, she didn't utter a word. She glanced at him one last time, her gaze steadier. I'm fine, she seemed to assure him.
He was far from convinced, but fine, then. The photographer would live.
With one final muttered curse, Cloud did his best to silence his rage and breathe. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in breathe out…
They'd only been at the mall for a few hours, but Xion was just about ready to go home and collapse onto her bed. Her mind was fogged over with exhaustion. Every step felt like treading through a thick swamp. All they had done was walk around leisurely in search for a wedding gift and yet she felt as breathless as if she were running a marathon.
Why? Because Riku took her breath away.
She scowled at the disgustingly cheesy thought. Why was being around him so hard to handle? They used to hang out all the time without this pressure squeezing her from all angles, inside and out. Now she could hardly stand next to him without her heart fighting to explode from her chest. She seriously didn't know how to handle liking someone this much. How did Kairi and Namine do it?
"Hey, let's stop for coffee."
Riku's voice cut through her thoughts. "Okay. Need a pick-me-up, huh?" Kairi said off to their right.
He glanced down at her with a knowing smile. "Yeah."
Xion's eyes widened. Was her exhaustion that obvious to him? Was…was he picking up on anything else from her?
Oh no. Could he tell she had feelings for him?
"There's a coffee shop up there."
She followed the three of them silently, her beating heart sinking deeper into her churning stomach. He was pretty perceptive, and she wasn't exactly good at hiding her discomfort around him to begin with. It was totally possible, wasn't it?
But then why was he still willing to hang out with her like this? Why wasn't he as fazed by her feelings as she was? Was he just better at hiding it? Was he hiding anything else from her?
They managed to squeeze into the coffee shop behind a line of customers waiting to order. She heard Kairi hum thoughtfully before saying, "Sora and I can go find a table. You two go order first."
Uh-oh.
Without waiting for a response, the two of them wandered further into the café. Xion could only watch in horror, her back facing Riku. What're you doing, Kairi? Don't leave her alone with him!
"Know what you want?"
Erasing her panic, she turned to Riku and nodded with a tiny smile. "I think so."
"White mocha?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
He smirked. "Lucky guess."
The words hot and irresistible suddenly sprang into her mind.
Chuckling nervously, she looked away lest his glittering jade eyes sucked her in. Who knew their inside joke would end up stabbing her in the gut like this? She couldn't deny it anymore: he really was beautiful. What was he doing, hanging out with an ordinary girl like her?
"Look."
His voice had been quiet and gentle, but she still couldn't suppress the jolt of surprise racing down her back. "Y-Yeah?" she squeaked.
Clearing his throat, Riku darted his less-confident gaze around the room. "I want to thank you."
"Huh?" She blinked. "For what?"
"For giving me a second chance."
Second chance? "What do you mean?"
They inched forward in line. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted from one foot to the other. "I know I did something that made you really uncomfortable around me," he murmured. "I'm sorry for whatever it was…and I'm sorry that I can't remember it at all. It really bothers me that I scared or hurt you so much that you didn't want to be around me."
Xion didn't dare breathe. He…thought that he'd scared her? That he'd hurt her?
"I meant to tell you this yesterday, but I didn't know how to bring it up." His eyes finally landed on her through silver bangs as he bowed his head. "You don't have to talk about it with me if you don't want to, but…just know that I'm sorry."
She could only stare at him, her feet dragging her along subconsciously. Was it just her or did the coffee shop turn its heater up by a few degrees? She suddenly felt like she was melting under his stare.
"Thanks," she managed to say above the loud heartbeat in her ears.
A hesitant smile tugged at his lips. "If there's any way I can make it up to you, let me know."
With his smile, the pressure that had been squeezing her began to fade away. Her lungs expanded pleasantly. She tasted relief in the air. "You don't have to worry about that," she told him.
"I mean it," he insisted, his eyes glowing with eagerness. "I want to make things right. You…You're really important to me. I'd hate to lose you."
Her eyes widened again and her breath caught in her throat. What was he saying? Did he mean that as a friend? Or maybe…
No, it couldn't be. That was a really big thing to hope for.
She shook her dangerous thoughts away as Riku turned to order with the cashier, slipping him his card before she could even pull her wallet out. As the cashier rang them up, Riku shot another glance at her. Don't even think about it, he seemed to chide. I got you.
She sighed. Yeah, he got her alright.
A sigh of relief escaped Tifa as she shrugged on her coat and bid the crew goodbye. Thank goodness the commission was over. Today had been interesting, to say the least, but she was slowly learning how exhausting modeling could be. All she wanted to do now was retreat behind the bar at Seventh Heaven and have a few laughs with the gang.
Now where was Cloud…?
As she scanned the crowd for the familiar head of blond spikes, she nearly bumped into Sephiroth, who was already in his trench coat. "I thoroughly enjoyed working with you today, Tifa," he said. "I hope this isn't the last time I get to see you."
She nearly shuddered at the disturbing vibe she felt from him. It'd taken every fiber of her willpower to not shrink away from him as they were posing earlier. Being so close to Sephiroth make her stomach flutter in a much less pleasant way than being close to Cloud did.
Tugging the corners of her mouth into a plastic grin, she hummed uncertainly. "Maybe we'll get to work together again in the future."
He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with an almost playful light. "Perhaps…but I would like to see you sooner than that."
Her stomach dropped. "Huh?"
"May I take you out to dinner sometime?" he asked, stepping closer.
She took a step back. "I-I uh…"
"You aren't seeing anyone, are you?"
"N-No…"
His smile widened and he reached up to touch her face. "I'm very glad to hear that."
The strange instructions Cloud gave her suddenly echoed in her head: If he does anything to make you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to say something. Was this what he meant?
Before she could wonder further or bat Sephiroth's hand away from her cheek, the silver-haired man was thrown back by an arm wrapped in a leather sleeve. Her eyes widened as Cloud moved to stand between them. "Back off," Cloud snarled.
She heard Sephiroth scoff on the other side. "Surely you know that it's rude to interrupt other people's conversations."
The growl that rumbled in Cloud's chest made Tifa's eyebrows shoot up. She was relieved that he had interrupted, but for him to be this angry…
Instead of responding, Cloud grabbed her hand and began towing her out of the building. "Let's go."
The force in his pull sent her tumbling after him without a chance to look at Sephiroth. He stomped across the parking lot to her car. His hand tightened around hers, sending a rush of heat onto her face and down her neck.
"S-Seriously, what's with you today?" she huffed. "You've been acting weird since this morning."
When they got to her car, he halted next to the passenger door and rounded on her, his blazing eyes inches from hers. "Promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't sign for another commission unless I'm the one you're shooting with."
If possible, her eyes widened even more. What kind of request was that? Was this why he was in a bad mood this morning? Was it because he knew she would be shooting with someone other than him?
But…But why would that bother him this much?
His forehead almost rested on hers as he leaned in closer. "Tifa," he whispered, his eyes softening with what looked a lot like worry. "Please."
Her heart melted. Whatever was bothering him really shook him up to the point of almost seeming helpless. If this was something that she could do to put him at ease, she'd do it. "A-Alright," she murmured, her fingers twitching hesitantly around his. "I promise."
Cloud exhaled silently, stepping away just enough to open the passenger door. As she climbed in, Tifa only vaguely noticed that Cloud had somehow taken her keys, her mind occupied by the chilly emptiness around her hand.
Author's Afterthought: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!