buInterrupted by Fireworks/b/u by KyuuketsukiShounen
Disclaimer: I don't own SquareSoft. *weeps bitter tears of anguish*
bChapter Three:/b uThe Fuse Gets Shorter/u
A/N: This chapter, I decided to add some humor into my story. It was starting to sound the script to a typical shoujo manga, huh? Also, I show that Tifa doesn't worship anything and everything he does. She can get vexed by him as much as the next person. On with the story!
Two chocobos approached the comparably large community of Rocket Town. It had grown from a tiny village, to large town status. It really wasn't a large place, but it had at least doubled since the last time Tifa and Cloud had seen it.
Just like Kalm, Rocket Town had benefited from the destruction of Midgar. Midgar refugees had merged into the town and without the ease of Mako, employment rates soared. Although it meant more work, the loss of Mako had trained people to learn diligent working skills. That caused formerly lazy people to become hard-working laborers.
In turn, marriage rates rose and it caused a world-wide baby boom. 'So, AVALANCHE really could change the world,' the thought wandered into Tifa's mind, who then embarrassedly reprimanded herself for having little faith in herself and her friends.
"You still with us, Lockhart?" Cloud joked, waving a hand on front of the spaced-out brunette.
"Yes, thank you very much," Tifa retorted, giggling as she playfully pushed Cloud. Cloud laughed along with her and lost balance, falling off his bird.
"Ohmigod, Cloud! Are you okay?" Tifa asked frantically. She dismounted off her own chocobo and knelt with his spiky head on her lap. She shook him fervently but he didn't wake up. Tifa widened her eyes in shock, when she saw no sign of him regaining consciousness.
Cloud slowly opened one eye and cracked a mischievous smile. Tifa immediately shot to her feet, knowing she had been bamboozled. His head fell back onto the ground with a clunk in the absence of her lap. Se got to his feet.
"Geez, Tifa. It was only a joke," he explained, rubbing the back of his head. She had remounted her chocobo and was apparently displeased. He mounted his own chocobo and caught up beside her.
"Great joke," she countered, feeling irritated and hurt. "I thought you were really hurt."
"Okay, I'm sorry," he apologized, still rubbing the back of his head.
"Aww, let me see," Tifa fussed. He gratefully leaned his head toward her so she could examine it.
SMACK!
"And let that be a lesson to you!" Tifa huffed. She had cuffed him on the backside of his head. This time, he was able to keep his balance and stayed on the chocobo.
"I said I was sorry," he whined. He glanced toward her with puppy dog eyes.
"Alright, alright," Tifa yielded to his complaints. He once again leaned over for her to examine his 'war wounds'. And once again-
SMACK!
"Do you really think I'll forgive you?" Tifa questioned him, amusement sparkling in her voice.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. This time I really mean it," he whimpered.
"Well you should be," she answered, more seriously. Cloud ceased his whining and turned to face her. She looked pissed. There was no doubt about that. But what was that other little thing he caught in her eyes? Hurt? Was she really that pained by his joke?
"Tifa?" He timidly spoke.
"Hm?" Tifa grunted in response.
"I... I'm sorry," Cloud apologized genuinely.
"I'm sorry for overreacting," she glanced over at him and received one of his smiles. The kind that made her head spin. 'Your lucky. I only let you off the hook because you're so cute,' Tifa thought, smiling to herself.
"Oh? You think I'm cute?" Cloud asked, an eyebrow arched. He was quite intrigued by this revelation.
"Crap! I said that out loud?!" Tifa shouted, horrified. She hadn't meant to let it slip out, but she couldn't help smiling at the fact that he was taking it well.
"That's right," Cloud answered her question smugly, smiling back at her. Predictably, Tifa melted inside, though she was outwardly tranquil.
"Oh look! We're here!" Tifa quickly thanked Rrocket Town for being a diversion. Before Cloud could continue their conversation, she raced ahead into town. Cloud merely shook his head and headed to the house of 'the captain'.
Once he got there, he ordered his chocobo to stay by the tree. He was glad to have a trained chocobo. He also noticed Tifa's chocobo pecking around the yard for any hint of food.
Cloud entered the house to find Tifa and Shera lounging at the kitchen table drinking tea.
"Oh, Cloud!" Shera beamed, getting up to pour him some tea. "I was wondering when you would arrive." Cloud plopped into a chair and Shera poured the drink into the cup that had been laid out in front of him. "Tifa told me you had some business to take care of," the young scientist added.
"Is that so?" Cloud answered, bringing the steaming cup of tea to his mouth. He took a sip and arched an eyebrow curiously at Tifa. She avoided his gaze and looked down into her lap. Shera wnet back to the stove and began to patter with pots and pans. She looked behind her back to talk to Cloud, who was taking another sip of the tea.
"I was just going to tell Tifa about how Cid and I hooked up," Shera said starry-eyed. Cloud spewed tea across the room.
"WHAT?!"
"I know. I didn't really believe it either," Shera responded, with her back to Tifa and Cloud. She was at the stove stirring something in a pot. "When he came back to me, he started treating me so nicely. It came gradually of course. Then he started taking me out to places. At first I thought he was just trying to even out how mean he had been to me," she turned away from the stove every now and then, holding up the spoon to punctuate points of her story. "But then.."
"Then?" Tifa asked, bouncing in her seat like a little girl being read a fairy tale. She was quite the hopeless romantic after all.
"One night, he took me out to an expensive new restaurant by the ocean. I told him that he didn't need to do this. That I forgave him."
"What did he say?" The busty brunette anticipated.
"He was shocked. He said that he was glad to be forgiven but it seemed like he was leaving something out. He got so embarrassed," she let out a long sigh, most likely reliving the scene in her mind. "He turned really red and started walking for the seashore, hanging his head. I followed him and found him sitting on the shore, watching the moon. I caught up to him and asked what the matter was. He told me that he was ashamed."
"Ashamed of what?" Cloud asked, albeit slightly embarrassed he was interested in Cid's love life.
"I asked him the same question," Shera replied. "He told me he was ashamed for expecting more from me. He wouldn't tell me any more than that for while. But I sat with him and bugged him until he'd tell me. He finally told me that he didn't want us just to be partners. I told his that we were friends, but then he seemed like he was about to say something, but he didn't say anything. I would have pried it out of him, but I felt bad for him."
"Seems completely different," Cloud observed.
"Oh, he's not really that different," Shera countered. "I just left out some of the more gritty details."
"I see," Cloud nodded.
"Well, we went to the restaurant and it was a disaster. He was a nervous wreck. He kept dropping his fork. He spilled the wine," She continued listing the event on her fingers. "Finally he somehow accidentally flung a crab at me."
"A crab?" Cloud laughed.
"It was the main course. It got all over me. Anyway, he finally stopped doing anything and just sat there."
"Awww..." Tifa sympathized.
"You should've seen him! He looked so lost... I moved my chair from across the table and sat right next to him. We just sat there quietly for a few minutes. Finally he turned to me and asked if I remembered what we were talking about just an hour ago on the beach. I nodded my head. Then he took my hand and told me, 'What I was about to say on the beach... I wanted to say that I wish we were more than friends."
"Ohhh!" Tifa squealed, resting her head on her hands, entranced by the story.
"And then... we kissed," she sighed longingly. "The perfect kiss and I was covered in crab meat."
Cloud could see that it hadn't made much of a difference. She still seemed so star-struck by the memory. As Cloud sat in his chair, somewhat nauseated, Cid burst into the house.
"Shera! Whose chocobos are in my- Cloud! Tifa!" He shouted, giving both a slap on the back. "Nice to see you guys!"
"Nice to- Nice to-" Tifa couldn't finish the greeting, overcome with laughter. Cid eyed her curiously.
"You okay there?" he asked. She wiped the tears from her eyes and could only strain out one word before once again reverting to laughing fits:
"Crab?"
Cid was confused for a second, but soon deduced what was so funny. He turned ten shades of red and turned toward Shera.
"You didn't!" He pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Guilty as charged," Shera shrugged sheepishly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, you didn't tell them what we did that night, did you?" He spat out frantically.
Tifa's eyes widened as she let out a gasp of surprise. She was quite amused. Cloud promptly turned green and headed for the bathroom.
"Oops," Cid turned even redder and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, since it's out in the fuckin' open, I might as well." He grabbed Shera and pulled her into a passionate kiss. This further fueled Tifa's guffaws. Cloud also happened to weakly hobble out at that moment. He shot back towards the toilet.
Cid pulled away, still feeling a bit awkward, went out the back door mumbling something about fixing the Tiny Bronco. Tifa and Shera excitedly chattered on for ten minutes about Cid. Cloud crawled out of the bathroom on hands and knees. He found his way to the sofa, and threw himself upon it.
"Um.. Cloud?" Shera addressed him, "I haven't gotten that sofa cleaned from the time Cid and I, uh... yeah. Cloud? Are you alright?"
By this time, Cloud hadn't the capacity to throw up. He passed out cold. Tifa was now rolling on the floor clutching her stomach, unable to stop laughing.
A/N: As I said before, this chapter is much different from the other chapters in the fact that it is much lighter. Once I got started, I was able to keep going. Perhaps I need to write more humor. Unless, of course, it wasn't funny and I should refrain writing humor again.
Disclaimer: I don't own SquareSoft. *weeps bitter tears of anguish*
bChapter Three:/b uThe Fuse Gets Shorter/u
A/N: This chapter, I decided to add some humor into my story. It was starting to sound the script to a typical shoujo manga, huh? Also, I show that Tifa doesn't worship anything and everything he does. She can get vexed by him as much as the next person. On with the story!
Two chocobos approached the comparably large community of Rocket Town. It had grown from a tiny village, to large town status. It really wasn't a large place, but it had at least doubled since the last time Tifa and Cloud had seen it.
Just like Kalm, Rocket Town had benefited from the destruction of Midgar. Midgar refugees had merged into the town and without the ease of Mako, employment rates soared. Although it meant more work, the loss of Mako had trained people to learn diligent working skills. That caused formerly lazy people to become hard-working laborers.
In turn, marriage rates rose and it caused a world-wide baby boom. 'So, AVALANCHE really could change the world,' the thought wandered into Tifa's mind, who then embarrassedly reprimanded herself for having little faith in herself and her friends.
"You still with us, Lockhart?" Cloud joked, waving a hand on front of the spaced-out brunette.
"Yes, thank you very much," Tifa retorted, giggling as she playfully pushed Cloud. Cloud laughed along with her and lost balance, falling off his bird.
"Ohmigod, Cloud! Are you okay?" Tifa asked frantically. She dismounted off her own chocobo and knelt with his spiky head on her lap. She shook him fervently but he didn't wake up. Tifa widened her eyes in shock, when she saw no sign of him regaining consciousness.
Cloud slowly opened one eye and cracked a mischievous smile. Tifa immediately shot to her feet, knowing she had been bamboozled. His head fell back onto the ground with a clunk in the absence of her lap. Se got to his feet.
"Geez, Tifa. It was only a joke," he explained, rubbing the back of his head. She had remounted her chocobo and was apparently displeased. He mounted his own chocobo and caught up beside her.
"Great joke," she countered, feeling irritated and hurt. "I thought you were really hurt."
"Okay, I'm sorry," he apologized, still rubbing the back of his head.
"Aww, let me see," Tifa fussed. He gratefully leaned his head toward her so she could examine it.
SMACK!
"And let that be a lesson to you!" Tifa huffed. She had cuffed him on the backside of his head. This time, he was able to keep his balance and stayed on the chocobo.
"I said I was sorry," he whined. He glanced toward her with puppy dog eyes.
"Alright, alright," Tifa yielded to his complaints. He once again leaned over for her to examine his 'war wounds'. And once again-
SMACK!
"Do you really think I'll forgive you?" Tifa questioned him, amusement sparkling in her voice.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. This time I really mean it," he whimpered.
"Well you should be," she answered, more seriously. Cloud ceased his whining and turned to face her. She looked pissed. There was no doubt about that. But what was that other little thing he caught in her eyes? Hurt? Was she really that pained by his joke?
"Tifa?" He timidly spoke.
"Hm?" Tifa grunted in response.
"I... I'm sorry," Cloud apologized genuinely.
"I'm sorry for overreacting," she glanced over at him and received one of his smiles. The kind that made her head spin. 'Your lucky. I only let you off the hook because you're so cute,' Tifa thought, smiling to herself.
"Oh? You think I'm cute?" Cloud asked, an eyebrow arched. He was quite intrigued by this revelation.
"Crap! I said that out loud?!" Tifa shouted, horrified. She hadn't meant to let it slip out, but she couldn't help smiling at the fact that he was taking it well.
"That's right," Cloud answered her question smugly, smiling back at her. Predictably, Tifa melted inside, though she was outwardly tranquil.
"Oh look! We're here!" Tifa quickly thanked Rrocket Town for being a diversion. Before Cloud could continue their conversation, she raced ahead into town. Cloud merely shook his head and headed to the house of 'the captain'.
Once he got there, he ordered his chocobo to stay by the tree. He was glad to have a trained chocobo. He also noticed Tifa's chocobo pecking around the yard for any hint of food.
Cloud entered the house to find Tifa and Shera lounging at the kitchen table drinking tea.
"Oh, Cloud!" Shera beamed, getting up to pour him some tea. "I was wondering when you would arrive." Cloud plopped into a chair and Shera poured the drink into the cup that had been laid out in front of him. "Tifa told me you had some business to take care of," the young scientist added.
"Is that so?" Cloud answered, bringing the steaming cup of tea to his mouth. He took a sip and arched an eyebrow curiously at Tifa. She avoided his gaze and looked down into her lap. Shera wnet back to the stove and began to patter with pots and pans. She looked behind her back to talk to Cloud, who was taking another sip of the tea.
"I was just going to tell Tifa about how Cid and I hooked up," Shera said starry-eyed. Cloud spewed tea across the room.
"WHAT?!"
"I know. I didn't really believe it either," Shera responded, with her back to Tifa and Cloud. She was at the stove stirring something in a pot. "When he came back to me, he started treating me so nicely. It came gradually of course. Then he started taking me out to places. At first I thought he was just trying to even out how mean he had been to me," she turned away from the stove every now and then, holding up the spoon to punctuate points of her story. "But then.."
"Then?" Tifa asked, bouncing in her seat like a little girl being read a fairy tale. She was quite the hopeless romantic after all.
"One night, he took me out to an expensive new restaurant by the ocean. I told him that he didn't need to do this. That I forgave him."
"What did he say?" The busty brunette anticipated.
"He was shocked. He said that he was glad to be forgiven but it seemed like he was leaving something out. He got so embarrassed," she let out a long sigh, most likely reliving the scene in her mind. "He turned really red and started walking for the seashore, hanging his head. I followed him and found him sitting on the shore, watching the moon. I caught up to him and asked what the matter was. He told me that he was ashamed."
"Ashamed of what?" Cloud asked, albeit slightly embarrassed he was interested in Cid's love life.
"I asked him the same question," Shera replied. "He told me he was ashamed for expecting more from me. He wouldn't tell me any more than that for while. But I sat with him and bugged him until he'd tell me. He finally told me that he didn't want us just to be partners. I told his that we were friends, but then he seemed like he was about to say something, but he didn't say anything. I would have pried it out of him, but I felt bad for him."
"Seems completely different," Cloud observed.
"Oh, he's not really that different," Shera countered. "I just left out some of the more gritty details."
"I see," Cloud nodded.
"Well, we went to the restaurant and it was a disaster. He was a nervous wreck. He kept dropping his fork. He spilled the wine," She continued listing the event on her fingers. "Finally he somehow accidentally flung a crab at me."
"A crab?" Cloud laughed.
"It was the main course. It got all over me. Anyway, he finally stopped doing anything and just sat there."
"Awww..." Tifa sympathized.
"You should've seen him! He looked so lost... I moved my chair from across the table and sat right next to him. We just sat there quietly for a few minutes. Finally he turned to me and asked if I remembered what we were talking about just an hour ago on the beach. I nodded my head. Then he took my hand and told me, 'What I was about to say on the beach... I wanted to say that I wish we were more than friends."
"Ohhh!" Tifa squealed, resting her head on her hands, entranced by the story.
"And then... we kissed," she sighed longingly. "The perfect kiss and I was covered in crab meat."
Cloud could see that it hadn't made much of a difference. She still seemed so star-struck by the memory. As Cloud sat in his chair, somewhat nauseated, Cid burst into the house.
"Shera! Whose chocobos are in my- Cloud! Tifa!" He shouted, giving both a slap on the back. "Nice to see you guys!"
"Nice to- Nice to-" Tifa couldn't finish the greeting, overcome with laughter. Cid eyed her curiously.
"You okay there?" he asked. She wiped the tears from her eyes and could only strain out one word before once again reverting to laughing fits:
"Crab?"
Cid was confused for a second, but soon deduced what was so funny. He turned ten shades of red and turned toward Shera.
"You didn't!" He pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Guilty as charged," Shera shrugged sheepishly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, you didn't tell them what we did that night, did you?" He spat out frantically.
Tifa's eyes widened as she let out a gasp of surprise. She was quite amused. Cloud promptly turned green and headed for the bathroom.
"Oops," Cid turned even redder and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, since it's out in the fuckin' open, I might as well." He grabbed Shera and pulled her into a passionate kiss. This further fueled Tifa's guffaws. Cloud also happened to weakly hobble out at that moment. He shot back towards the toilet.
Cid pulled away, still feeling a bit awkward, went out the back door mumbling something about fixing the Tiny Bronco. Tifa and Shera excitedly chattered on for ten minutes about Cid. Cloud crawled out of the bathroom on hands and knees. He found his way to the sofa, and threw himself upon it.
"Um.. Cloud?" Shera addressed him, "I haven't gotten that sofa cleaned from the time Cid and I, uh... yeah. Cloud? Are you alright?"
By this time, Cloud hadn't the capacity to throw up. He passed out cold. Tifa was now rolling on the floor clutching her stomach, unable to stop laughing.
A/N: As I said before, this chapter is much different from the other chapters in the fact that it is much lighter. Once I got started, I was able to keep going. Perhaps I need to write more humor. Unless, of course, it wasn't funny and I should refrain writing humor again.