AN: Repost/rewrite of an old story, originally written as a request for Syneiam.

Prompt: Cloud/Tifa, childish games are childish, but that's what heal the soul. First Dates-verse.

Coming Full Circle

A scuffle of shoes sounded on the pavement behind Cloud, followed by a tug on the back of his shirt.

The hand buffing Fenrir to an exaggerated shine paused. Dammit, he knew it. The sky was too sunny, the air too clear, the temperature too "just right" for it to be a perfect day all the way through.

Cloud pivoted on the balls of his feet and came face-to-face with a steely eyed Marlene, hands fisted on hips, doing her best impression of a Shin-Ra middle manager.

"You need to play with me," she announced.

Beyond Marlene, Tifa watched anxiously from the shadow of 7th Heaven's front stoop. A stray breeze drew his attention to the skirt of her sundress and the way it danced around her legs. When their gazes met, Cloud allowed his to linger long enough to make Tifa smile before settling it on the little girl before him.

"Marlene," Cloud said in his best adult voice. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

She stared at him, unfazed. "Hmph! Papa says you always say you're busy, even when you're not."

Cloud's eyebrows shot up. "Barret said that?"

Marlene nodded. "Papa also says if you don't spend more time with real people you're going to become a real numbshit."

While Cloud's mouth hung open, Tifa hurried over to stand behind Marlene. "I don't think your Papa meant that," she said.

"Yes, he did," Marlene insisted.

"Then maybe he meant 'numbskull.' But it doesn't really matter what Papa says," Tifa gently chided, "because Cloud likes people. Right, Cloud?"

He didn't at the moment, no.

"I said, 'Right, Cloud?'"

He still didn't, no.

Tifa cleared her throat. "Marlene, why don't you go find him a rock?"

Marlene looked mutinous. "But—"

"You want him to play with you, don't you?"

"Oh, all right." Marlene stomped off.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Tifa grabbed Cloud by the upper arm and yanked him to his feet. "Just stop it!" she hissed. "It's only a game of hopscotch!"

Cloud scratched the back of his head, torn by whether being manhandled by Tifa offended, impressed or aroused him. Maybe all three? "Yeah, but this is different," he said. "It's a child's game."

"Childish games are childish," Tifa said in a sing-song voice, "but that's what heals the soul."

"Whatever the hell that means," Cloud mumbled.

Tifa's face immediately hardened. "It means that bike could sit there forever if you wanted it to, but the same can't be said for Marlene. Once Barret finally settles in somewhere, who knows how often we'll see her."

Cloud sighed. He knew Tifa had a point—she always had a point—but if he was going to suffer the indignity of playing a child's game on the front sidewalk, where all of Edge could see, he needed a little more incentive.

"You're going to owe me for this," he said.

The look Tifa gave him said not to hold his breath.

"I mean it, Tifa," Cloud persisted. He did a quick scan of the area to confirm that a certain pair of eyes wasn't snooping, then he leaned over to press a brief kiss on Tifa's mouth. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

When he would have pulled away, Tifa looped both arms around his neck and hauled him close. "Mmm, no, that was very nice," she murmured against his cheek. "I should owe you more often, hmm?"

"I think I can arrange for that." He slid a hand to the back of her neck, bared to the sun by a ponytail. "In fact—"

"Papa says you two need to put some gil together and buy a clue."

The sudden chirp of Marlene's voice had Cloud springing away from Tifa as if burned. He busied himself with looking at the sidewalk, the busy pedestrians, the sign above the bar, anything except the woman next to him—who was doing the same thing.

But a part of him wondered why. What did he have to be ashamed of? Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all.

"Good news, Marlene," Tifa announced. "Cloud's agreed to try hopscotch. Aren't we proud of him?"

The smug look on Marlene's face didn't bode well. "Papa says—"

"Hopscotch!" Cloud said. "How do I play this game?"

"Here, I'll show you!" Marlene tugged him over to a set of chalk marks on the ground. "First, you have to stand behind the line…like this."

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud caught Tifa gazing at him with a half-dazed smile, her fingertips hovering where his lips were just seconds ago. He had half a mind to turn around, take her by the hand, hop on Fenrir and make for the open road. They could go to their spot—that little clearing in the woods—and lie on a blanket until the stars came out. And then, when the moment was right, he could…

"Like this, Cloud. Like this. Like this. Cloud. Cloud." Marlene put her hands on her hips. "You're not looking, Cloud."

"I don't have to look to know how to stand behind a line." He stole one more look at Tifa before duly taking his place behind Marlene.

Marlene beamed her approval at him. "Ready, Cloud? Next, you take your rock..."

"But I don't have a rock."

Marlene fixed him with a look. "I haven't given it to you yet."

Cloud turned a pleading look at Tifa, who—damn her!—was laughing behind a hand. She sobered and said, "Marlene, maybe now would be good time to give Cloud his rock."

"But it's not his turn."

"Just give it to him, okay?"

After Marlene grudgingly dropped a marble-sized rock into Cloud's open palm, he mouthed a quick "thank you" in Tifa's direction. Too often, he took it for granted how well she kept them all glued together, but he was determined to make this relationship thing work.

Marlene nudged him, and not gently. "Are you paying attention?"

"Yes, I am," Cloud answered. Especially to how close her elbow had come to a particularly sensitive area.

"Okay, good. Now watch this: you throw your rock on the first square—like this. Then you go over it—like this—" She picked up one foot, wound herself up on the other, and jumped over the twelve-by-twelve-inch square that contained her marker and the number one. "And then you go through the other ones like this."

As she pattered through the numbered squares, Cloud took a moment to examine the hopscotch court. Square One, the one with Marlene's marker, was at his feet. Squares Two and Three were side-by-side on top of One, and hopped into with a foot in each. Four was centered over Two and Three. Five and Six were on top of Four—similar to Two and Three—and on top of Five and Six was a half-circle which had the words TurN arowNd written in it. He thought it looked vaguely like a person with very short arms and a round hat.

"See, Cloud? It's easy," Marlene said as she jumped her way back in reverse order. When her feet landed in Two and Three, she stopped, bent down to retrieve her rock, and hopped a foot in and out of One before stepping over the starting line. "Your turn."

Cloud dropped his rock into the first square. "So, let me get this straight—I put this here and now I have to jump over the whole thing. Right?"

"Yes!"

"All right. I can do that."

And he did.

Tifa was shaking her head. "Oh, Cloud."

"What?" He looked down and under his feet were a half circle and T-N ar-Nd.

Girlish giggles welled out from behind two cupped hands as Marlene bounced up and down in a mad fit of glee. "You jumped too far, Cloud!"

"Yeah, I can see that, Marlene."

"My turn! My turn!"

"Have a little patience, Marlene," Tifa said. "He hasn't been beaten by you before. How about we give him another try?"

"Oh, all right," Marlene huffed. "But just this once."

As Cloud trudged back to the starting line, he asked no one in particular, "Is that what this is all about? Beating me?"

His question was answered by a grin so evil it was missing one of its front baby teeth.

"She's beaten the rest of us," Tifa explained. "You were the only one left."

"Even Denzel?"

Marlene made a sound of disgust. "Easy."

"Your papa?"

"Easy."

"Vincent?"

"Vincent didn't stand a chance," Tifa answered.

Cloud was incredulous. "Nobody?"

Tifa shrugged. "Reno was close, but in the end, Marlene beat both him and Rude."

"Because I'm the champion," Marlene declared, a small sun of hopscotch pride. "And you're going down!"

Like he was going to let that happen. Cloud centered his feet behind the line again, and after several seconds of coaching himself to hop up more than out, he managed to make a solid leap into squares Two and Three.

Tifa let out a cheer. "He did it!"

"And now I go to Four," Cloud confirmed.

"But on one foot," Tifa reminded him. "If you put the other foot down or step on a line, you lose your turn."

"Seriously? Is that really in the rules?"

Tifa shrugged. "'Fraid so. Still think it's a childish game?"

Since there was a laugh in her question, Cloud declined to answer. He instead concentrated on a small hop to square Four, then to Five and Six, then to the half-circle named TurN arowNd, then everything in reverse until he got to square One. There, he retrieved his rock and skipped over the starting line to rejoin Tifa.

"Uh oh," she said. "Looks like Cloud's got the hang of it now, Marlene. You might have a fight on your hands."

Marlene sniffed. "We'll see about that."

As Marlen took her turn, Cloud noted this time that she dropped her rock in square Two before hopping into One. So it was a game of repetition, but with a new number box each turn. Now he understood.

When Cloud turned to tell Tifa this, his eyes hooked on the part of her neck that curved into the little hollow behind her ear. A very sensitive spot. His nose had found its way there once or twice, and he remembered the way it made her shiver. He smiled to himself.

Tifa gave him a playful bump with her hip. "Whatcha thinking about, Mr. Strife?"

"I like your hair today."

"Oh," Tifa said, touching her ponytail. She averted her eyes to where Marlene was finishing up her turn. "Thanks for noticing."

Cloud nodded, pleased with how pleased Tifa seemed to be from a simple remark. He dropped his marker into square Two and tried to think of what else he could say. It shouldn't be so difficult to compliment a beautiful woman—and his girlfriend, at that—but Cloud's old shyness had a habit of resurfacing when it came to expressing his feelings.

However, he was changing that.

On his way back from the half-circle, he announced, "I think I like Sundays."

Tifa tilted her head at him. "Why's that?"

He hopped over the finish line and moved aside for Marlene to start her turn. "You wear dresses on Sundays, don't you? Since it's your day off?"

A pretty flush colored Tifa's cheeks. "I have been, yes. You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed." A strand of hair fell onto her face, and before he could second-guess himself, Cloud pushed it behind her ear. "You should wear them more often, maybe."

"Yeah?" Tifa let out a little laugh. "Maybe I will. Just for you."

Marlene's helpful elbow cut Cloud off before he could say anything else. But at least she had aimed for his ribs this time.

As he lined up and tossed his rock, he tried to remember the last time he and Tifa had a decent moment alone. Probably the month Barret had taken the kids, the one where they had spent the first half arguing and the other half in and out of each other's beds. Since the kids had returned though, they'd gone back to roommates and routines, which Cloud now found to be wasteful and, quite frankly, stupid.

By the time he hopped back over the starting line, a plan had formed. He pulled Tifa aside. "Hey…"

Tifa's eyes were on Marlene preparing to throw her marker. "Hey, what?"

"Have you thought about what we're having for dinner?"

Tifa shook her head. "Not yet." She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, what if—"

"Your rock bounced out of the square, Marlene," Tifa said sternly.

"How do you know?" Marlene's voice sounded petulant and guilty.

"Just because I'm talking to Cloud doesn't mean I'm not watching. It's his turn now."

"But—"

"No, 'buts,' young lady. What would your Papa say if he knew you were trying to win by cheating?"

Marlene rolled her eyes and mumbled something unintelligible about her Papa, but she dragged her feet away from the line. "Your turn, Cloud."

"Hold on a sec," he said. He touched Tifa's hand. "What if just the two of us went out to dinner tonight?"

"Just the two of us?"

"What about me and Denzel?" Marlene glared at Cloud as if he had just proposed they rent out her room.

"She's right," Tifa said with a sigh. "We can't just leave them at home."

Dammit. It wasn't that he resented Marlene and Denzel, but Cloud sometimes wished he and Tifa could be ordinary young adults without the burden of looking after other people's kids. Certainly, this courtship thing would be so much easier if they had the luxury of spontaneity, as well as privacy. He wondered how other families managed it.

Cloud snapped his fingers. Other families! "What about the florist over on High Street?" he asked. "The one with the son Denzel's age? She said she'd watch them any time, didn't she? We haven't taken her up on that yet."

Tifa brightened. "You're absolutely right! Should I call Evelin now?"

"Why not?"

"I'll see if she's home. Be right back!"

A rare buoyancy began to fill Cloud as he watched Tifa practically run to 7th Heaven's front door and disappear inside. Though optimism hadn't been his thing as of late, he had a good feeling about tonight. Maybe it was all that soul-healing hopscotch.

And then his eyes fell on Marlene.

She folded her arms with a huff. "Why can't me and Denzel go?"

Cloud took back his appreciation of Tifa's speed. Why wasn't she out here for this? It was hard enough trying to explain relationships to himself—how was he supposed to make a six-year-old understand?

"Marlene...Listen, the four of us will go out next week, okay?"

"Why not tonight?"

"Because—" He floundered for something to tack onto that "because" because he already knew she wasn't going to accept less than that for an answer. "Marlene, please. I really want to spend a little time with Tifa alone. And there's no big reason, either. I just do, okay?"

Large eyes blinked up at him. "Why?"

Cloud frowned at Marlene, suspecting a trick. She seemed to pick up on everything else easily, whether they wanted her to or not. "What do you mean 'why?'"

"Why alone? Is it like a date?"

Maybe she got it, after all. "Yeah. It's exactly like a date."

"Okay, then let me make you a deal..."

Cloud knew it was too good to be true. "Since when are you in the business of making deals, young lady?"

She gave him a look.

"All right. What's this deal of yours?"

"Let me win at hopscotch."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "I don't suppose your Papa taught you this, did he?"

Marlene folded her arms in a way he often saw Barret do. "Deal or no?"

"Marlene, I don't see how me letting you win at hopscotch is a good idea."

Marlene stuck her chin out. "Rude does it. So does Reno and Vincent."

Whatever lecture Cloud had prepared about sportsmanship went right out the window. "How do you know?"

"Because they like Tifa."

Because they like Tifa. "That didn't exactly answer my question," Cloud said, "but thanks for reminding me."

The front door open and Tifa leaned out, her face flushed and her breathing shallow, as if she just sprinted down a flight of stairs. She grinned. "We can drop the kids off at six. Sound good?"

Sound good? Cloud's thoughts were already on that popular new restaurant in the dining district, the one he thought about taking her to every time he drove by it. Table outside (where anyone might walk by and see that they were obviously on a date), and afterward, maybe a ride out to their spot. He was sure he could rummage up a blanket and some early evening stars...

"Cloud," Tifa prompted. "Evelin's still on the phone and I need to give her an answer."

There was no question about it. "I think that sounds like a very good deal," Cloud said. "Don't you, Marlene?

He was answered by a grin so evil it was missing one of its front baby teeth.

AN: This was originally written as a oneshot, with the door open for more chapters. None of that has changed. I debated about reposting it again, but I figured with everything going on in the world, someone might need a little Cloud/Tifa cheer.

As always, I'd love to hear if you enjoyed it!