AN: Feb 23 Prompt is "Travel."
Summary: The family is on their way to Costa for a nice vacation.
Tags: canon, fluff, family
He's ridden the ferry from Junon to Costa del Sol more times than he can count, but his motion sickness never gets any better.
Gods, how annoying.
He tries to focus on the kids running around the deck playing. It is Marlene's turn to chase Denzel in their game of tag and she is currently trying to run him down near the bow of the ship.
"Be careful!"
Tifa stands next to him near the railing. A sudden gust of wind whips her hair around her, and she yelps in surprise, trying her best to pull it together and get it under control. He chuckles, grateful for such an adorable distraction, but then grabs the rail in support as his head swims.
"Cloud?"
She's standing much closer suddenly, her ruby eyes filled with concern. Cloud nods, straightening up and reaching out to her. Tifa smiles and faces the sea while he wraps his left arm around her waist and holds onto the rail with his right.
"Are you okay?" she asks over her shoulder.
Cloud nuzzles his nose into her hair and plants a chaste kiss on her neck. He inhales her scent – a faintly sweet smell mixing with the salty air – and sighs.
"This is helping."
She giggles and looks toward the bow again, watching the kids.
"They're fine," he whispers.
"I know, I just… want to make sure."
He nods against her shoulder and looks out at the water. The sun's rays are warm on his skin, and he's grateful for the white shirt Tifa suggested he wear with his jeans. She'd donned a green sundress in preparation for the heat, but he can still see prickles of sweat beginning to dot her neck.
"Want me to let you go?"
She shakes her head. "No, no." She lines her arm up with his across her stomach and plays with the ring on his fourth finger. "This is fine. It's nice." Tifa tilts her head back and he kisses her softly.
A shriek of laughter jostles her away and she looks behind them. Marlene is pointing over the railing on the other side.
"It's Costa!"
She and Denzel are nearly bouncing out of their shoes. Cloud knows they can't wait to get off of this boat and play at the beach. His mind starts to wander to Tifa in the new bathing suit she'd bought for their vacation…
"Hey!"
He blinks and looks down at her. Her brow is furrowed, but her eyes show amusement.
"Save your dirty thoughts for tonight, okay?"
He laughs and holds her tighter, giving her a peck on her cheek. She always knows what he was thinking these days. No one knows him better, after all.
Marlene tugs on his sleeve.
"Daddy's meeting us there, right?"
He nods. "Right." He ruffles the girl's hair as she stands next to Tifa. Denzel is on their other side with a wide grin on his face.
Cloud isn't sure how many times he'd ridden this ferry in order to make his deliveries. His nausea makes an appearance every single trip - but at least this time, he has his family to hang on to.
