Lovin' You, After the End
Tifa glances down at her PHS, seeing the text message that has come in from Cloud just moments ago. She swipes her thumb across the screen, reading his words carefully before she lets out a sigh and relaxes her shoulders.
Cloud : I finally got us a room at an inn. Barret was even able to get his own.
Cloud: We'll get to be alone.
She wipes the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping the lines of sweat that have accumulated there. She's been working all day - like she has every day since Meteorfall - helping with the recovery efforts in Midgar. Even though that glowing red apparition of death has been beaten back by the planet's last-ditch efforts, Lifestream surging out of the ground in vivid verdant swirls, the damage has been done. Buildings collapsed, leaving civilians trapped beneath the rubble, survivors sometimes waiting for days to be rescued. It's been taxing, but Tifa knows after everything that's happened just three weeks ago that until they begin to glue back together the pieces of this broken world, it's going to be very difficult for them to move on.
She reads Cloud's texts again, then sighs in relief, sliding the PHS into a pouch on her skirt. Tifa and Cloud have been homeless since Meteorfall, every night spent in a different refugee camp or in a tent propped up wherever they can find enough clean space to sleep. They've become drifters, most of the inns that are still open are crowded and full, and sleeping outside and among groups of people means that Tifa has not had an opportunity to be alone with Cloud since the night they shared before that final battle.
Tifa would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about having sex with Cloud again nearly every waking moment. They've only been able to sneak little make-out sessions here or there, and Cloud had given her a quick, quiet orgasm with his fingers under a pile of blankets just the other night. But he hasn't been inside of her yet again, and she aches for him.
She can't wait, and just the thought of it has her nipples hard and the space between her thighs tingling.
She moves through the rest of the afternoon with these thoughts burning through her mind, and Tifa is nearly frantic for him when she finally reunites with him later at the meetup spot near the freeway. Barret isn't with him, which is curious, but Tifa can barely question it she is so happy to see Cloud.
"Hey," he greets her as she walks up to him.
"Hey," she greets back. "Where is this mysterious inn you found us?"
Cloud smirks right away in response. "Eager, aren't you?"
His face is so boyishly handsome that it's difficult for Tifa not to put her hands all over him right there in the middle of the street. She feels her cheeks flush, and she looks away slightly, biting into her lip.
"I'm just really looking forward to a hot shower," she tells him, and he laughs.
"Okay," he says, but Tifa can tell he is unconvinced. He extends a hand to her, and still blushing, Tifa accepts it.
"Come on," he says. "It's not far from here."
Tifa walks with him down the roads, passing cars and other refugees who make camp on the outskirts of the highway. They venture deeper into Sector Two, eventually entering a quiet slum neighborhood where the streets are lined with houses and little shops. He brings them to an inn that is overflowing with residents looking for a place to stay.
Tifa follows silently behind Cloud as he leads her inside, still holding her by the hand. He dangles a room key in front of him, and they bypass the main lobby, heading up the stairs and down several narrow corridors.
Tifa's heart is racing when he stops in front of a room, and he opens it, inviting her inside. The room is small and has little more than a bed, a desk, and some sturdy, useful appliances. But what shocks Tifa are the roses in the center of the bed and the way that the room is dim with candlelight.
"Cloud - what…" she stammers when he quietly closes the door behind her, finding a place at her side.
"It's Valentine's Day," he tells her, and she nearly jumps when his palm finds the small of her back. Tifa blinks, looking up at him to find his expression soft but flirtatious. "You forgot?"
Tifa feels her cheeks burn when she realizes the romantic gesture he's put together. "Completely," she responds, shaking her head in disbelief. "You… you really did all this for me?"
"I got you a gift, too," he tells her, his own cheeks bright with warmth. "But I'll give it to you later. I picked up some fried turnovers for dinner. You wanna shower first?"
"Okay," she agrees, but before she can turn away, Cloud pulls her in by the waist and kisses her sweetly on the lips.
"I miss you so much," he whispers to her softly when he pulls away, and Tifa knows exactly what he means. She takes a moment to first admire and smell her roses, and she positions them by the window where they can catch the sunlight for the next few days, knowing that they will likely be staying here for quite a while until they are able to find a more permanent residence.
As much as she was looking forward to this shower, she moves through it quickly, her clit throbbing with desire as the water runs over her skin. She wrings the water from her thick hair, lotioning her skin before she wraps a towel around herself.
Cloud has stripped out of his shirt, and he's laid their fried food out on the desk. He's midway through a bite when she appears, his eyes roving her body without preamble. She blushes when his gaze falls on her, but she doesn't dare pull away.
Cloud wipes his hands together and gets to his feet. "I'll be right back," he tells her. "Eat something. And don't even bother getting dressed."
He kisses her cheek when he passes her by, and Tifa exhales, feeling the burn of her desire swarm through her as he disappears into the bathroom.
She sits with the towel still covering her body, but she is almost too excited to eat. She scarfs down a couple of beef patties and then waits on the bed, rubbing her thighs together as she listens to the water beat down the tile in the bathroom. When she hears the tap shut off, she inhales deeply, keeping her stare centered on the door until Cloud emerges.
He is glistening, every muscle shining from the dampness of the water on his skin. His waist is wrapped with a towel, but otherwise, he is stark naked and just the sight of him makes her wet.
"Did you eat?" Cloud asks, joining her on the bed. Tifa nods, inhaling his clean scent when he draws in near.
"Yes," she whispers, watching as Cloud drops a palm to her thigh.
"Good," he says. "I'm still hungry."
He pulls at her towel, and the material falls, leaving Tifa naked in front of him. His hand rides up the inside of her thigh, instantly sending sparks to her core as his languid fingers draw near. He leans in and kisses her, and Tifa sighs, not even resisting when he uses his weight to force her onto her back.
He feels so good suddenly on top of her, his tongue twisting with hers, that Tifa can only sigh contently into their kiss, her entire body coming alight as his fingers brush lightly over her swollen clit.
"I've been missing you so much," he tells her again. "I've been wanting to fuck you again so bad for days now. Sometimes it's the only thing I can think about, Tifa."
"Me too," she whines, lifting her hips towards his hand in an effort to increase the friction.
"Yeah?" he huffs, moving his kisses to her throat and forcing her to squirm. "You're gonna be sore in the morning, you know that?"
"Please," Tifa begs, twirling her hips again.
Cloud laughs lightly into her skin and then gives her a little bite, moving lower. He is kissing all across her breasts, his fingers still brushing in light, up and down strokes over her desperate little clit. She moans when he sucks at her nipples, running his teeth over them in gentle scrapes, and the dual sensations of pleasure are so bright that she lets out another moan.
He's toying with her clit but never with enough pressure to bring her close enough to the edge, and she whimpers, surging her fingers into his hair. Vivid blue eyes glance up at her when she does so, and Cloud smirks at her around the peak of her breast.
"What's wrong, baby?" he asks her, his voice devilishly low, teeming over a wicked edge. Tifa nearly comes just at his words. Baby ? she thinks frantically. She could never have imagined him talking to her like this before, but now, she suddenly can't enough of it.
"I need more, Cloud," she whines. "Please…"
"Mmmm," Cloud moans, sucking her tit like a newborn baby. His thumb swipes passes over her clit, back and forth before he sinks his middle and ring fingers into the wet heat of her pussy. He only ventures to his middle knuckles, probing at her opening, and Tifa shakes her head back and forth, lowering her hips as far as she can in an effort to encourage him to give her even more. "Look at you, Tifa. You really missed me too, huh?"
"Yes," Tifa chirps instantly. She wants him so bad and it's been too many days since she's really had him, and now that they are finally alone she is desperate to come for him. She'll do anything for him, she thinks, her brain swimming in swirls of pleasure as his thumb rubs a circle over her aching button and his fingers curl upwards, searching. She gasps, leaning up on her elbows to stare down at him.
"Please," she pleads again.
"Keep begging," he says. "It's the sexiest fucking thing. I love hearing your voice when you're horny as fuck for me like this, baby."
Tifa wants to explode. Cloud's mouth is dirty and she's not expecting it. He was so quiet their first night together, aside from low-hummed words of praise and his constant checks on her to make sure she was alright. But this is altogether different.
"I want you so bad, Cloud," Tifa chants. "Please, give me more."
"What do you want?" he asks. He's moving lower, his lips fluttering across her belly. It tickles as much as it feels good, and she twists beneath his kisses. But he grabs her hip with his free hand, holding her steadily in place.
"I want you inside me," Tifa moans breathlessly as he pets her clit again. "I want to make love."
"Yeah?" Cloud huffs, and Tifa is stunned to feel his breath hot against her inner thighs now. He's positioned himself right between her legs, his hand still carefully but purposefully playing between her folds, and Tifa nearly weeps when she feels his lips brush over the flesh of her thigh. "What else, baby? Tell me what you want from me."
"I want to come!" Tifa shouts, realizing that this teasing is frustrating her badly. "I want you to fuck me, hard, Cloud. Harder than last time, please. I need you so bad that I'm going insane."
Cloud laughs in response and Tifa whimpers another moan, feeling the heat of his breath against her clit. He pushes his fingers up higher, and Tifa feels them scrape against a spot inside of her that sends stars into her vision. It's the same spot he was snug against that night under the airship, slowly stroking her into bliss with every careful twist of his hips. But tonight she is desperate for something a little less controlled, wants to feel him in every way possible, wants him to take her as far as he is willing to go.
"I need you too, Tifa. So bad… You know all I think about is you, right? I'm gonna make you come so many times tonight you won't be able to think straight for the rest of the week."
"Cloud," Tifa whimpers, still disbelieving in what she is hearing. But before she can get another thought out, his tongue on her clit, hot and firm but still soft, its pointed tip pressing into that delicate bundle of nerves in a way that has her arching her back off of the bed and twisting her grip on his hair.
"Fuck, Cloud… that feels so good," she whines, euphoria screeching up and down every nerve, her heart slamming against her ribcage, sweat pooling on her brow as her excitement builds.
Cloud's tongue swirls in circles over her clit, and he pushes his fingers even deeper, kneading at that spot inside of her. She moans and purrs, and Cloud lifts his eyes again, the mako in them flaring.
"Keep talking," he tells her. "Don't stop… it turns me on so much to listen to you. Keep talking like that and I'm gonna make you come so hard you'll be crying."
Tifa is close, and she can barely stand it anymore. But his eyes are level with her face and his tongue is flat on her clit, refusing to move again until she indulges him. She squeezes her fingers in his hair and pulls, and Cloud winces, but she sees the wildness glow in his stare.
"Please…" she begs again. "Please, Cloud, I need you so bad. This feels so good. Please let me come, baby. You take such good care of me and I need it, baby. I can't wait anymore Cloud, pleeasssse - "
Her words drag out because he is sucking on her clit now and winding his fingers against her spot in such a dangerous fashion that it's only moments before she bursts, her orgasm pouring out of her and collapsing her brain in a whirlpool of pleasure. She breaks off into vivid cries and moans of desperation, grinding her hips against his face as he continues to suckle and poke. She can feel him laugh against her skin as she comes in his mouth, and he laps at her, drinking away every thick wet drop of her release.
She is panting and breathless when he finally moves away from her, and he presses his head against her hand that holds his hair, turning up to her with a smirk. His lips are shining and wet, and the smug expression on his face is crippling. Tifa tries to regulate her breathing, but she can't stop the erratic way that her chest rises and falls. Cloud is moving closer to her again, and he settles himself at her side, running that hand that was just buried inside of her along her waist. She can see his cock, hard and strained and leaking at the tip, and even though he's just blown her mind, she feels herself already growing eager for him again.
"Good girl," he praises her, and his soft words do nothing to help the way that she is falling to shreds. "Fuck, Tifa. You're so beautiful when you're like this… I could watch you come for hours and never get tired of the way your pretty face twists or the sexy sounds you make."
Tifa thinks she is dying. "Cloud," she manages, the air, at last, returning to her lungs. "What's gotten into you?"
"You," he responds without missing a beat. "You're the only thing on my mind anymore, Tifa. I love making you feel good."
The gentleness in the way he says that doesn't fit this messy, passionate encounter, and it only furthers serves to melt her. Tifa licks her lips, sanity finally returning to her, and she leans up and runs her fingers over his chest, straight down to the base of his shaft.
"I want you to feel good, too," she whispers, and just the thought of him being inside of her has her growing slick again, her nipples stiff.
As soon as she is touching him, Cloud's eyes grow hooded, and he is leaning in closer to her, dropping his hand to her hip in tandem and giving the curve of her bottom a squeeze. "Then let me fuck you, Tifa," he whispers, his voice a rumble.
"Your mouth," Tifa chastises him. "When did you start talking like this?"
"I can't help it, Tifa," he answers, and he leans in, attacking her throat with kisses and nips. "You make me crazy, you know that, baby? I want you so bad."
"Then take me," Tifa quips back, her pulse spinning and her heart crashing at the feel of his lips on her skin, of his hand groping and seeking. "You can have whatever you want from me."
"Lay on your tummy," Cloud growls his demand.
This is new , Tifa thinks, and if her heart was racing before, it is a full-on chocobo race in her chest now. They've never tried it like this before, and the tenor of Cloud's voice sends her to the moon as she thinks about it, knowing how far gone he is with desire.
Obediently, she rolls away from him, falling across the bed on her belly with her ass in the air.
Cloud moves behind her, and before she knows it, he is between her legs on the bed, both hands taking her in a possessive grip by her hips. He reaches for a pillow, then lifts her up, positioning it under her hips so that her bottom is angled up towards him.
His fingers are stroking her pussy then, running long lines over her clit and dipping just past the tight rim of her entrance. She sighs blissfully when she feels his touch, already feverish for him again, imagining his length finally piercing her deep again the way she has been daydreaming about ever since their first night together a couple of weeks ago, and truthfully, ever since they first reunited.
"I'm gonna take care of you," Cloud promises when he runs the head of his cock over her pussy, swirling his precum in her leaking want, brushing over her clit and teasing her opening. "You're my good girl, baby."
Tifa can't possibly be any hotter for this boy, and she sighs at his words, reaching for another pillow to hold onto as he slides inside of her.
"Oh," she moans as soon as he enters her, and instantly, Tifa realizes that this is unlike their first time together, chest to chest beneath the stars and the Highwind. He reaches that spot inside of her almost immediately, and although Cloud goes slow at first, his strokes press into that place and she coos and sighs, her moans growing louder, throaty, more wanton.
"Feels good, baby?" Cloud asks her, moving a little faster. One hand is holding her thigh and the other rests on her hip, and Tifa feels the way that his hips roll and twist, every effort at making her feel good the way he promised.
"Yes, Cloud," she purrs over another moan. "It feels sooo good, baby. Please, don't stop, Cloud. Please, baby…"
She is whining and desperate, and it feels so good that she feels like crying, another promise he made.
"I won't," Cloud agrees, slapping his hips against hers again in a way that sends bright bubbles of pleasure to every single nerve. "You can take it, baby."
Unlike before, Cloud falls silent after that, no longer able to keep up the dirty talk but instead fully focused on the way he moves inside of her, holding onto his control while he carries her higher and higher, his fingers digging divots into her skin that she knows will leave marks. He groans and moans, but he says nothing, letting his body do the talking.
All Tifa can do is lie there and take it, feeling the pleasure bloom and burst inside of her, her body trembling as he moves faster and faster, his thrusts reaching her deep until that spot inside of her is sending wild signals of ecstasy to her brain. Her moans turn to vivid cries as her climax peaks. She feels the tears drip down her face, but as the sensations assault, Cloud doesn't stop, and she soon realizes she is sobbing her way through multiple orgasms, his length working her ceaselessly into a frenzy.
The more she cries, the harder Cloud fucks her, and Tifa thinks somewhere in the back of her crowded brain that she might actually die. But as a third explosion of elation collides along the highway of nerves inside of her, Cloud finally breaks, and he slides out of her, emptying long ropes of his spend all over her ass. Tifa can hardly breathe, though, and her brain is so ransacked that she barely realizes when Cloud finally backs away from her, first brushing her hair from her eyes before he kisses her forehead and then steps away from to bed to enter the bathroom.
She is still trying to comprehend the mind-numbing pleasure she's experiencing when Cloud returns, and she feels him wipe her down with a warm hand cloth. After a moment, he is climbing back onto the bed beside her, and he takes her into his arms, kissing her again, this time on her nose.
Tifa curls up close to him, basking in the afterglow and the comfort of his cuddles. She feels her senses finally begin to return, and she can't help the way that she nuzzles against him, safe and complete in his arms.
He holds her for a while, his fingers absently floating through her hair. After a bit, he lifts his head from the pillow to glance at her.
"Damn, I love doing that with you so much," he tells her softly, brushing her bangs away from where they have fallen into her eyes again. "You good, Tifa?"
"Perfect," she sighs happily, hooking her own fingers into his hair. "I… I really liked that position, Cloud."
The expression on his face is so smug that Tifa's heart begins its familiar clatter again when they meet eyes. He smirks at her, trailing his hand down her arm.
"Yeah?" he says. "Enough for another round?"
"Maybe," she giggles, wanting nothing more than that.
He leans forward and gives her another kiss, and they lay there for a while, Cloud's eyes falling closed while he continues to hold her. Tifa studies and admires his face, feeling herself falling harder for him with every second that passes.
"Cloud?" Tifa breathes when she feels like her brainwaves have finally cleared. "You… you said you had a gift for me?"
Cloud is laying back with a blissful expression on his face, and he cracks his eyes open at her words. "Oh, shit. Yeah. Sorry."
"It's okay," she giggles, crazy in love with this boy.
Cloud exhales after a moment and Tifa can tell he is reluctant to get out of bed. Finally, though, he pushes up and finds his pants where he's left them on the back of a chair. He fishes through his pocket, then returns to her with a small white box in hand.
"Here you go," he tells her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tifa."
Tifa blinks, looking at the box in hand. It looks like a jewelry box, and she feels her heart begin to race in her chest. She's never bothered much with jewelry, it isn't like she's had much gil to spend on such indulgences, anyway.
"What's this?" she asks him.
"Just open it," he tells her, and Tifa's heart balloons at the way that Cloud's cheeks light up as he looks away.
She sits up and accepts the box, popping it open. Inside, she finds a pair of dangling, teardrop earrings. They are similar to the silver one she wears now in her left ear, but instead of silver, they are fashioned from a bright, iridescent crystal that picks up the candlelight in their small room with a swirl of colors. They hang from tiny pearl studs, and the entire effect is classy and timeless. Tifa's mouth falls open, and she lets her fingers brush carefully over their perfection.
"Cloud!" she exclaims, and she can't help the way that tears line the corners of her eyes. She doesn't think anyone has ever given her something so beautiful, and her heart is shattering. "These - these are so beautiful! I can't believe you - they must have been so expensive!"
Cloud is blushing even harder, but he meets eyes with her again and he shakes his head. "It doesn't matter," he tells her. "I was with Barret today and we found some shops that are still open. I… I thought it was something you'd like. You, know, seemed like your style, Tifa. I - sorry."
Tifa could squeal with delight. "Don't be sorry!" she cries. "I love them. They're so beautiful, and you're so thoughtful, Cloud. This means everything to me. I'm going to wear them every day."
Cloud's face is burning now, but Tifa just responds by wrapping her arms around his neck holding him tight.
"I love you," she blurts.
She immediately regrets it, because it feels like too much for this moment and their relationship has only just begun. But she can't stop herself, and she buries her face against his shoulder, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
"Tifa," Cloud responds after a long pause, wrapping his arms around her. "I… know things are hard right now, but I promise we are going to figure it out together. I have you and that's all that matters. And… I love you too."
She pulls back, disbelieving that he's returned her sentiment. But she sees it in those sparkling eyes that are now more blue than green, that he is sincere.
"Thank you," is all she can get out.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Tifa," he says again.
And then, he smiles.
And no matter what happens… that is all that Tifa will ever need.
