Save Your Tears


"Way too damn hot out here," Barret is saying. The sun is burning the back of Cloud's neck and he is inclined to agree, feeling a thin line of sweat breaking out across his forehead at the tropical heat. He shields his eyes from the brightness, looking around the beach that borders the ocean outside of Costa Del Sol. Crowds gather and move along the streets into town, and Cloud watches, his eyes following the throng that leads towards the beaches and the attractions.

He rubs the back of his neck and then folds his arms over his bare chest, feeling a bit self-conscious over his lack of clothing. After considerable begging from most of his party, he promised them one day to enjoy the resort town and the sunny beach weather, and so after a stop at the inn to drop off their gear and regroup, Cloud found himself reluctantly slipping into a pair of swim trunks he picked up at a local shop.

Now, he stands at the berm of the beach, reaching up to shield his eyes as he surveys his surroundings. The beach is a long strip that stretches on for miles in either direction, and Cloud's keen eyesight can make out the way that it is dotted with tourists and locals alike. In the distance beyond, the ocean is an endless blanket of turquoise glitter, shining under the sun. Its sparkle is almost blinding, and Cloud blinks against it when a bright voice is at his side.

"Then get in the water!" Yuffie is screaming, appearing next to them with a small surfboard in hand. "Standing there yapping away is only going to make it hotter, Marshmellow Bear. Now, I don't know about the rest of you old fogies, but I'm going for a swim!"

Yuffie, dressed in a one-piece olympic swimsuit, doesn't wait for a response but makes her way in a sprint towards the water. Barret, who is also wearing swim trunks and his shades shielding his eyes, grumbles in her direction before he follows.

"I'll be finding some shade," Red XIII is then saying at Cloud's heel. "This sort of heat doesn't agree with my nose at all."

Cloud watches as he pads off, making his way back towards town, and soon Cloud is standing there alone. Awkwardly, he wonders what to do with himself. He feels naked, and it's not because he's shirtless - it's because Tifa and Aerith convinced him to leave his sword at the inn, and without it, he feels severely debilitated. But much more than that, he has no idea how to handle a situation like a beach full of happy and relaxed people. As far as he can remember, he's never been to a beach before, and he frowns inwardly. He's a bit anxious and would much rather be moving on in their pursuit of Sephiroth, but he realizes that their group deserves a break and so he stands there, trying to figure out what to do next that won't make him look and feel like a total idiot.

He hears a familiar giggle and turns, finding Aerith and Tifa are making their way in his direction from the boardwalk, towels and beach bags slung over their arms, Aerith anchoring herself to Tifa at the elbow. Aerith is dressed in a pink and white two-piece with a sarong around her waist, but Cloud's eyes skim right past her bright splash of color and land on Tifa.

Tifa is wearing a black one-piece, but Cloud isn't sure it could really be called that. It is a monokini style, the keyhole halter neckline revealing the full and healthy curve of her tits, and the sides are cut out, leaving a thin black strip of fabric connecting the top and bottom halves of the swimsuit over her abdomen. Straps criss-cross with a grommet detail over the curve of her exposed waist on either side, and the bands above her pelvis are connected with slinky little ties that would be all too easy to just tug on and undo.

Cloud is trying his best not to stare, but he doesn't even realize that his mouth is hanging open. He's been trying his best to get his feelings for Tifa under control the last couple of weeks, but it's become increasingly harder, especially ever since he remembered his promise to her. Before that night, he could admit that he had been feeling a natural but undefined attraction to Tifa. But since the night when that cherished memory returned to him and she stood across from him in his room and he recommitted it to her, he's realized that it's more than just a simple attraction - his feelings run far, far deeper than that, stretch back far longer than a couple of days or even a couple of years.

It's only gotten worse since the Sector Seven plate dropped and since they've left Midgar. He's been really confused over what is happening between them - he's hugged her twice since then, once in Aerith's garden and once in front of the inn in Kalm, and both times, he felt like he was crossing a line that he shouldn't be.

But damn, if he didn't want to.

So it does not help to see Tifa nearly half-naked, the perfect curves and valleys of her body on display, her dark hair shimmering under the Costan sun. She is red-cheeked and looking down at her bare feet, avoiding his eyes.

"Why are you just standing there?" Aerith asks him as they approach, leaning forward to glance at him. "You don't want to go swimming?"

Cloud finds that all he can do is shrug. He's still staring at Tifa and he can't tear his eyes from her, seeing the way that so much of her skin is exposed, the way that she looks everywhere but at him. It makes him feel even hotter than the heat out here is, and he isn't sure why.

"Uh," he stammers in response to Aerith.

Aerith just laughs again and pushes her way past him, dragging Tifa along, and Cloud thinks there is something too knowing in the way she tosses her head back. "Well, you can help us set up our spot on the beach, then," she says as they make their way. "Can you grab one of those parasols for us so we don't burn?"

Cloud looks behind him to the rows of beach umbrellas that are available to rent for the day, and he scowls, but already Aerith and Tifa are hunting out a spot on the beach to park for the afternoon. His eyes follow Tifa's backside, and he realizes it is the first time he is seeing her without her skirt, so much of her body now on display. The bottom of her swimsuit hugs every curve and leaves very little to the imagination, and her ass is so perky and round and full that all he can think about is what it would feel like if he could just reach out and grab a handful of it at that very moment.

He shakes that thought loose when the girls disappear, and he makes his way toward the rental stand, shelling out a couple hundred gil to procure a parasol. The entire time, he tries to wipe the image of Tifa in that swimsuit from his mind, but as soon as he turns around and finds the girls unfurling their towels on the beach - Tifa bent over at the waist and her ass in full, perfect glory in front of him - Cloud realizes the effort is futile and he tries desperately not to let himself get caught staring.

He breathes as calmly as he possibly can and follows in their direction, this time avoiding letting his eyes fall on her when he stabs the parasol into the sand. He busies himself with digging away the sand and anchoring the parasol into the ground, and while he works with the sun burning away at his skin, Aerith drops her bag and waves to them both.

"I've never been to a beach before," she announces, and Cloud stops what he is doing to squint up at her in the sunlight. "I think I'm going to test the ocean, too. You coming, Tifa?"

Cloud can't stop himself from turning to face Tifa immediately. She is bent over her beach towel, and Cloud gets too good of a look at her cleavage, his cheeks growing hot at the sight of her soft curves. She glances back at the water and then nods at Aerith, who is already making her way in that direction.

"In a bit," she tells her. "I just want to put some sunscreen on first."

Aerith nods and then runs like a child toward the shoreline, catching up with Yuffie who is already soaked from diving right into the sea. Cloud finishes fumbling with the parasol and looks over at Tifa, watching as she settles on her towel across from him, stretching her legs out in front of her. She digs through her bag, and Cloud crouches down and sits on his own towel, keeping a respectful distance from her.

It's killing him, the effort it takes to keep from staring, and he doesn't even realize he's doing it again when she looks up and catches his eyes.

"Are you going to swim too, Cloud?" she asks, and Cloud can't tear away from the smolder of her stare. She is pouring sunscreen into her palms, and everything about the way that she moves is distracting the hell out of him. He blinks at her, then leans back on his hands, doing his best to appear nonchalant and unbothered.

"Maybe later," he tells her with a shrug.

Tifa nods and says nothing else, but she is rubbing that smooth, thick white cream into her skin and all he can do is stare, his heart beating faster and faster the longer that she swaths herself. She starts first by running her hands over her arms, up from her wrists to her shoulders and back down again, her skin beginning to glisten under the sunlight. But Cloud really feels his insides begin to melt down when she leans forward and lathers the lotion over her legs, massaging it into her delightfully thick thighs and down the smooth curves of her calves.

He realizes that he is staring again, but he can't look away. Tifa seems completely oblivious to his attention, focused on her own body as she works. She is even humming lightly to herself and Cloud strains, trying to hear, thinking he recognizes the tune.

Some moments pass while he admires her almost drunkenly where he sits, and he gets so caught up in the way he appreciates her body and her pretty face and the way that she moves that he almost misses when she stops and looks up at him. Her eyes - dark red and shining like rubies under the sun - are suddenly hooked on his, and Cloud swallows in the back of his throat and hopes to Odin that she doesn't think he's a pervert for staring at her.

"Cloud?" she asks.

Fuck, he thinks. Here it comes.

"What's up, Tifa?"

"Would you mind getting my back?"

Part of Cloud's brain melts, turning to sludge in the back of his skull. Tifa is holding out that bottle to him, and her lips are pulled into a downward pout as she waits for him to respond. Is she seriously asking him to put his hands on her body when she is dressed like that?

"S-sure," he stammers, his voice breaking midway through.

Cloud takes the bottle of sunscreen from her, acutely aware of the way that his hand shakes. But Tifa doesn't seem to notice, simply turns so her back is facing him, pulling her long curtain of hair out of the way and leaving a canvas of perfect flesh in front of him.

Cloud can't help the way that he licks his lips, crawling behind Tifa on her towel. Her back is almost completely bare, save for the criss-crossing black straps that loop under her shoulder blades. Trying to calm the menacing voices of lust and attraction that scream in his head, Cloud squeezes some of the lotion into his palm and carefully plants both of his hands to her upper back.

Tifa tips her head forward, making sure he has plenty of access, but Cloud is on fire and it's not because of the sun or the dry tropical heat. Tifa's skin feels like lava under his touch, and she's softer and more pliant than even his wildest daydreams have ever suggested. He's touched Tifa plenty of times but never, ever like this, skin to skin moving so purposefully. He exhales lightly in an effort to calm himself, but he sees Tifa's back stiffen and she shivers, and he realizes his breath has hit the back of her neck.

Fuck.

Cloud shakes his head at his own stupidity but tries to concentrate. She asked him to do her a favor and no matter how it is unraveling him, he is going to do his best to please her. He rubs the lotion into her skin, moving methodically to be sure to not miss a spot, but also doing his best to not linger for too long in one area in a way that might be construed as disrespectful.

He seems to be managing until he reaches her lower back, hitting the inward slope of her waist. This part of her body is so damn sexy, and Cloud has been staring at it shamelessly for days now. But now he has his hands on it and he panics, and nothing is helped by the way that Tifa leans forward to make sure he can reach, only serving to fan out the curve of her hips.

It's more than he can take. Cloud wipes his hands over the small of her back and then slides away, wiping the residue from his hands. He stares at the back of Tifa's body again and simply shakes his head at himself, disgusted with the way his erection is pushing with a vengeance against the front of his trunks.

"Uh, I think you're all set now," Cloud manages. Tifa leans back again, then turns to face him. She pushes up to her knees, kneeling in front of him on her towel in a way that makes his breath hitch in his throat.

"Thanks," she replies with a smile, and he can see the way that her cheeks are bright. He knows that his own are betraying him too, and it only makes the moment even more awkward. "You're the best, Cloud. Can you watch my stuff?"

"Sure," Cloud exhales, grateful she is leaving him alone.

She gets to her feet and Cloud stares up at her, watching her body as she makes her way to the water. He doesn't tear his eyes from her the entire way, and between his proximity where he sits on the beach and his enhanced senses, he can hear everything that is said when she joins Aerith by the lip of the ocean against the dunes.

"Do you know how to swim?" Tifa asks.

"No," Aerith responds. "Do you?"

Cloud can see the way that Tifa nods, and he quirks an eyebrow. "A little bit. I've never seen the ocean before, though."

Cloud lifts one knee and leans over it, listening more intently to their conversation and trying to tune out Yuffie's screams and Barret's complaints about a bed of seaweed. He's intrigued, wondering again how Tifa came to learn so many things in the years since they've been apart. He doesn't surmise that he should be surprised - plenty about him has changed, too - but he can't help but be impressed by everything he learns about her.

"I've never seen the ocean either," Aerith agrees, kicking at the water with her foot. Cloud watches as she turns and looks over her shoulder before she leans in towards Tifa. "But I did see Cloud with his hands all over you just now, Tifa. What was that about?"

"What?" Tifa balks.

The back of Cloud's throat feels like drywall. He leans forward, desperate to hear more. He knows that Tifa and Aerith have grown close, and if they have been talking about him, he needs to know about it.

"Don't give me that look!" Aerith chirps, playfully kicking a splash of water in Tifa's direction. "I saw him rubbing sunscreen all over your body! I bet he was losing his mind!"

"It's not like that," Tifa insists far too quickly.

Cloud heart is palpitating. Maybe he shouldn't be eavesdropping on their conversation. He doesn't think he wants to hear Aerith gushing over him touching Tifa, and he definitely doesn't want to hear how Tifa doesn't think it means anything.

He really wishes he knew what was happening between him and Tifa, but now it seems like he'll never figure it out and maybe he's been reading the situation wrong all along.

"Sure," Aerith laughs skeptically. "Well, Tifa, there is plenty of eye candy on this beach. Let's just enjoy ourselves!"

Cloud raises an eyebrow at that, and he watches as Aerith pulls Tifa through the water. They move farther away along the shore, and Cloud soon is no longer able to hear the words that they share. They wade deeper into the water together, nearly to their waists, and Cloud finds himself watching Tifa the entire time, pouring over his relationship with her over and over again.

This friendship shit has got to stop, he thinks, watching as the two girls splash each other, Tifa's inky hair soaking up the salt water. He knows it's only been a couple of weeks since they found each other again after all these years, but their history has to mean as much to her as it does to him. Surely, she felt it in the spark in his touch on her back just moments ago, or in all the ways that he's held on to her or pulled her close these past few days.

He can't be the only one who feels this way, can he?

He's stewing over that thought when he sees a group of young guys, not much older than himself, crowd around Tifa and Aerith on the beach. They are all shirtless and tanned, all look like they have spent endless hours on the beach. Cloud feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up when Aerith directs her attention to one of them and leaves Tifa alone standing in the center of the others. Her cheeks have grown red again and she is shaking her head back and forth, her arms wrapping around the front of her body and holding herself.

Cloud watches and feels a heat rise inside of him that is colored by rage and is a little bit violent. These men are practically drooling over Tifa, and Aerith seems completely oblivious to their lecherous gazes. But the bashful, insecure look on Tifa's face is what sets him off, and without thinking about it, Cloud is getting to his feet and making his way across the beach.

Cloud may not know what is happening between him and Tifa but he'll be damned if a bunch of jackasses in speedos try to harass her right there in front of him.

"Tifa," he hears himself barking as soon as he approaches.

Tifa glances up at him and her eyes grow wide, and Cloud wonders why she looks as if she has been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She takes a step back, but her eyes never leave his face.

"Cloud," she trills.

"I need to see you," Cloud says, and he doesn't even recognize the wildness in his tone. He pushes through the two guys who are standing right in front of her, and they both grumble and swear, backing out of his way.

"Hey, man!"

"Is this your chick? She's bad, dude."

Cloud really wishes he had his sword.

Aerith is snickering, but Cloud pays her no mind and drags Tifa up the shoreline, away from that group of idiots. She has ducked her chin and her face is bright with embarrassment, and as soon as they are out of earshot, she peers up at Cloud through her lashes.

"Cloud!" she exclaims, tugging on her wrist that he is still holding like a man possessed. "What's wrong?"

Cloud tries to be calm but there is a blend of fury and desperation cycling through his head. It's bad enough that Tifa is on this beach with so much of her beautiful body on display, but he can't stand the idea of any other men looking at her.

No, he thinks wildly. Only he should be able to look at her that way.

"I didn't like the way those guys were looking at you," Cloud admits. He hates himself for the way the words spill out, but he can't lie to her, not when his feelings are careening through him like military airships. "Besides, it's starting to get late. Aren't you hungry? Maybe we should head back to the -"

"Cloud," Tifa interrupts him, cocking her head to the side as she narrows her eyes slightly. He is very familiar with this look, and it only makes his heart pound faster. "I told you, I can take care of myself. I wasn't going to let those guys bother me."

Cloud feels his heart crash, but before he figures out how to respond, Tifa squeezes his bicep, sending sparks straight to his groin.

"But you're right," she tells him. "I am getting pretty hungry. I'll go get Aerith and the others so we can head back into town."

She turns away, and Cloud watches her as she catches up with Aerith, a lump in his throat. He sees that the men have all moved on already, but for some reason, this doesn't exactly make him feel better. He's known all his life how Tifa attracts attention, and he's wondering what he can even do to compete.

Watching all of the eyes that follow her as she makes her way back in his direction with the waning sunlight haloing her, he determines that he is going to figure it out, and fast.


It is a couple of hours later when their party makes their way through the center of Costa Del Sol's busy boardwalk, the nightlife beginning to awaken all around them as the stars glitter in the late evening sky. Music blares from the local eateries and clubs and tiki bars that sit at the edge of the beach, and the streets are now even more packed with locals and tourists than when they'd first arrived.

They've just eaten a hearty authentic Costan meal at a local restaurant, and now, they are exploring the city together. They've stopped at a few shops, mostly for Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie's benefit, though Barret even picked up a gift for Marlene along the way. But now they move as a group through the city streets, Cloud at the rear, watching the rest of the team as they walk in front of him.

He can't take his eyes off of Tifa.

It's been like this since they left the beach - his brain completely consumed by her. He can't stop thinking about her, not after overhearing her conversation with Aerith and not after watching those guys eyeball and hit on her the way that they did. But it has only gotten worse since they left the inn that evening. The girls had taken advantage of their shopping trip, and they are all wearing new outfits - Aerith in a frilly sundress, Yuffie in a pair of denim overalls with ripped shorts, and Tifa - well, Cloud just can't stop staring at Tifa.

She's wearing a white knit dress that coats her body like paint, a halter neckline offering an appreciated but dangerous view of her cleavage. The material is almost sheer and Cloud can see the outline of her underwear beneath, and he hasn't been able to stop thinking about it since she stepped out of her room that evening. She's tied her hair back against the back of her neck, her bangs falling into her face, and all it does is highlight the perfect heart-shape of her face and the slender slope of her throat.

Why is she dressed like that? Cloud keeps asking himself in his head. She looks too good, and she is turning heads with every block that they round, men staring at her openly from the moment they leave the inn. Cloud knows that Tifa would look good in a paper bag, but this dress is ridiculous. The more attention she gets the more that he wants to run to her side, but he stops himself, keeping a few paces behind her while the three girls enjoy themselves.

"The Silver Chocobo," Aerith is saying, stopping in the middle of the boardwalk. "A nightclub. Who wants to go dancing?"

"I do!" Yuffie immediately exclaims. "I'm a better dancer than all of you, I bet. I've been training since I was five."

"You ain't old 'nuff to go in there," Barret huffs.

"I'll pass," Red XIII informs them. "Not exactly my sort of proclivity. I'm sure you all will have a great time."

Cloud watches as their fire-tailed companion claws away, heading back in the direction of the center of town. But Aerith is recapturing his attention, her arm looped with Tifa's now.

"It'll be fun!" she insists, and Cloud watches the little smile that pulls at Tifa's lips and he knows instantly that she is entertaining the idea. "Besides, Cloud loves to dance, don't you, Cloud?"

Cloud turns to Aerith and he scowls. He absolutely does not.

"No," he answers her shortly.

Yet Tifa gives him a hopeful look as Aerith and Yuffie both laugh, and he knows that he would do anything for her. Barret scoffs and makes his way towards the nightclub, booming about having a good strong drink.

Tifa smiles at him a final time, and Cloud lets out a sigh when the girls pull away, following them inside.

Maybe he's just a sucker.

The music inside of The Silver Chocobo thunders, but it is a much smaller place than Cloud is anticipating. The lights are dim, orange and yellow and green fluorescents lining the walls. A small bar sits in one corner, and there are tables and chairs arranged around a circular dance floor where people groove under strobed candlelight. Cloud has never seen anything quite like it, but as loud and packed as it is inside here, it is not as uncomfortable as he is initially expecting.

Barret makes his way to the bar, which is surprisingly empty, most of the patrons filling the tables or the dance floor. Yuffie heads in that direction immediately, showing off her moves among the throngs of guests without a moment's hesitation. Tifa and Aerith are both enamored by this, and after ordering drinks for themselves, Cloud watches as they join her, the three young women dancing in a circle together as the music shifts to a new merengue beat.

Cloud settles at the bar on a stool by Barret, who is drinking silently over a mug of beer. He leans back on his elbows on the bar with a whiskey in hand, facing the dance floor and watching Tifa openly. She is smiling again, and Cloud realizes that he has never seen her dance. Her body moves with a perfect rhythm, her hips swinging from side to side, her breasts pressing against the tight fabric of her stretchy knit dress that he would love to pull right off of her.

"You really couldn't be any more obvious, you know that?"

Cloud sips at his drink and turns to Barret, frowning as he sets it down on the counter.

"What?"

"Don't be an idiot," Barret complains. "I've 'bout had it watching your lovesick drooling over Tifa these last two weeks. Don't you know when to take a hint?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cloud argues defiantly. "I'm not lovesick."

Barret pulls down a heavy gulp of his beer and shakes his head. "I've known Tifa for a long time and I've watched how these guys act around her," he says. "Didn't we talk about this once already? I swear, you got to be the thickest-headed jackass I've met in a long time."

Cloud can't stop the way that he glowers. "Tifa and I are friends," he insists.

Barret drains his mug. "And I'm the King of Round Island," he says. "Look, I'm getting too old for this kinda scene. I'm heading back to the inn. Make sure these girls stay out of trouble."

Cloud just shrugs, watching as Barret leaves a few bills of gil on the counter before he makes his way out.

Cloud sits there by himself, and he directs his attention to Tifa again. Aerith and Yuffie are facing each other, laughing under the spotlights, while Tifa dances alone. She sways and she rocks, and Cloud discards all of Barret's words and instead focuses on the back and forth of her hips. He wonders what it would feel like to hold onto them as she moves, wonders what it would be like to have them squirming under him or for them to ride over his own with abandon.

He's picturing it in his head when a man approaches Tifa on the dance floor. It is one of the guys from the beach, Cloud recognizes immediately - deeply tanned with over-gelled dark brown hair that sits in waves on the top of his head. He's nearly a foot taller than Tifa and he towers over her as he comes up to her, and Cloud can see his grin and the flash of steel-gray eyes when he looks down at her.

Cloud's heart is in that familiar rise again and he is dropping all of his previous thoughts. The music in here is too loud for him to hear the words that are exchanged no matter how hard he strains, but he sees Tifa's lips move, sees the laugh that opens the asshole's mouth wide in response. Aerith and Yuffie have taken notice, no longer dancing but both staring, and Aerith's bright green eyes dart across the room and immediately find Cloud's.

Cloud can feel his blood beginning to boil, turning to lava in his veins. His hands curl into fits at his sides, and the heat that he's been feeling all day since entering this tourist trap is nothing compared to the inferno of fury that is eating him alive at the moment. He chews the inside of his lip and tries to calm himself, trying to reason with the way that anger clouds his thoughts.

Tifa doesn't belong to him, he tells himself. He's been too much of a punk to make a move on her, and here they are, teetering over a silent boundary in this friendship that means so much but is nowhere near fulfilling enough for him. Yet despite that, he has no right to try to police her behavior or monitor who she talks to and when.

That reasonable thought flies out the window when Cloud sees the man's hand circle Tifa's wrist, pulling her in towards his body.

Cloud is at his feet and crossing the room before the synapses in his brain can connect over the decision he's already made. This time, he is wearing his sword, and he is more than happy to put it to good use, right here in the middle of this club. Tifa may not be his officially, but as far as he is concerned, she still belongs to him in some way he still doesn't understand. He's not about to let some fuckboy with a bad haircut get in the way of that.

He is upon them almost instantly, pushing through the crowd of clubgoers like a bulldozer. He doesn't even notice the way that Aerith's eyes widen in surprise or that Yuffie covers her mouth.

"Tifa," Cloud interrupts immediately.

The guy with the gray eyes glances at him, but he drops Tifa's wrist right away. She turns to him, her lips parting when she meets his eyes.

"Cloud?" she repeats, somewhat confused by his brash interruption.

Cloud doesn't want to be that guy but he's not going to sit here and lie and say that he's not fiercely possessive over Tifa. Maybe he's been going about this all wrong since they reconnected in Midgar, but he can't help himself and he can't let it go.

"I want to dance with you," he blurts, unsure of what else to say that won't make him seem completely unstable.

Tifa's eyes widen, and Cloud can see their cinnamon shade brighten under the overhead flames. Her cheeks heat, and she turns fully away from the guy who is standing there, offering Cloud her arm.

"Okay," she concedes, and Cloud's heart nearly bursts from the happiness in her reply.

"Goddamnit," the man mutters as they turn away together.

Cloud tries to swallow his heart back into place, listening to Aerith giggle and squeal. But he feels eyes all around the club burn on him and he realizes yet again the display he's caused. He doesn't care, though. Tifa is his and she is not going to get through this night forgetting that fact.

He is determined to fix this little problem of theirs.

He takes her hand and pulls her deeper into the club, away from the center of the dance floor and away from their friends' prying eyes. He drags her near the back wall, behind a throng of club goers and rows of soft couches.

There is a little more privacy here and Aerith and Yuffie no longer have eyes on them. No one seems to be paying them any mind, and Cloud backs Tifa against the wall, shielding her body with his.

"Cloud?" Tifa whispers.

She looks so pretty under the dim lights, and Cloud can smell the rosewater in her skin, blended with the slightest hint of summer sweat, his enhanced senses picking up all of the pheromones that leak from her pores. It makes him feral inside, lighting up the adrenaline in his glans. His heart is pounding and his dick is rock hard, and seeing the way that Tifa looks up at him with a fusion of confusion and desire and maybe even the slightest hint of fear has him pressing his body right against hers, his hands finding her waist.

"Why were you with that guy?" he asks instead of answering.

He promised her a dance and so he moves his body against hers in time with the music. Tifa understands, and she reaches her arms up and hooks them around his neck, letting her body rock with his and falling into his rhythm.

"No reason," she tells him, and Cloud can hear the way that her voice trembles.

"You sure?" he presses, moving his lips by her ear. She smells so good, and now that he is this close to her, he thinks it is going to be impossible for him to back away. "I saw you talking to him."

Tifa's carmine eyes are picking up the sizzle of the flames and fluorescents that dance across the room, and Cloud finds himself stuck in them, wading in their endless depths. "He wanted to dance with me."

Cloud licks his lips, feeling his heart rate climb at her words. The mako inside of him is heating up, turning his organs into pressure cookers. He pictures that man with his hands on Tifa's waist, as close to her as Cloud is to her now, and red colors his vision.

"Were you going to?" he can't stop from growling.

His eyes are fixated on her mouth now, their pouty shape making him throb. He can't imagine what she is going to say, but Cloud feels himself losing control and he realizes now that there is nothing he wouldn't do to let this girl know how much she means to him and how unwilling he is to share her with anyone else.

"Maybe," Tifa answers in a coy whisper. "He wasn't really my type, but nobody else had asked me to dance, so…"

It is then that something dawns on Cloud, and the desperate sense of vexation that's been living inside of him is suddenly as clear as a Costan sunrise.

Tifa has been fucking with him this entire time.

His eyes connect with hers and he sees the teasing spark in them, sees the way that her lips curl in one corner. Without even realizing what he is doing, he tightens his hold on Tifa by her waist, grinding his hips against hers and pressing the stiffness of his erection right between her thighs.

"What makes you think I didn't want to dance with you?" he asks, his voice low and throaty, both their bodies working in time with the music.

"You didn't say anything," Tifa responds, looking away from his face, letting her eyes trail his body. Unlike the girls in their group, he didn't splurge on new clothing, and he's dressed again in his fatigues. He notices the way that Tifa's eyes linger over his torso and his arms, and it only lights him up like a reactor inside.

"You barely spoke to me at all today," Tifa adds, throwing her hips up at him again.

Cloud can't stop the rumbly sound that hums from the back of his throat. He desperately wants to kiss her, wants to show her how badly he has wanted her for as many years as he can remember. He's not good at talking about his feelings and he realizes now that this has been to the detriment of their relationship. But when Tifa bites her lip and blinks at him, Cloud slides his hands up her waist, possessively squeezing her ribcage and letting his thumbs toy with the underside of her breasts.

"I'm not much of a talker," he leans in closer. "But of course I wanted to dance with you, Tifa. And spend time with you…"

He grinds against her again, and Tifa lets out a tiny little moan. The sound is so encouraging that Cloud can't stop the way that he leans in, letting his lips brush across the corner of her mouth.

"You want me to show you how much I want you?" he goes on.

Tifa exhales breathily and tries to let her lips connect with his, feeling how close he is. But he pulls back, watching the fires in her eyes glow when he takes the heat of his body away from hers. She drags her hands down over his chest, her nails catching in the threads of his sweater.

"Well?" he prompts her when she just continues to stare at him.

"Yes," she finally sighs, leaning up to try and kiss him again.

Cloud backs fully away and takes her hand, pulling her from the wall. He drags her back through the club, making his way to the front door.

He spots Aerith and Yuffie, and this time they are both sitting at the bar together, laughing over drinks that Cloud is certain Yuffie is not of age to be drinking. But he doesn't give a fuck about that.

"We're going back to the inn," he shouts to them over the music before pulling on Tifa's arm again. Yuffie makes a face, but Aerith blinks before her eyes grow as wide as compact discs.

"Wow," she breathes, fanning herself dramatically.

Cloud ignores them both, pulling Tifa out into Costa's misty summer night air.


Cloud and Tifa don't say a word as they walk back through the resort town, aside from Tifa complaining occasionally that Cloud needs to slow down because she is walking in heels. But he can't help himself. He wants to get her back to his room and he is going to explode if he doesn't get his mouth all over her.

They return to the inn and Cloud can barely contain himself as he walks her down the corridor to his room. Their team has booked this hallway and his room sits at the end, tucked in the corner. Tifa glances at her room as they pass it, but Cloud doesn't even let her think about stopping.

He opens the door with his key and walks them inside, locking it behind him and dispatching his sword against the wall. Tifa steps in front of him, and she's shyly holding the front of her body with both arms in that gesture he's become all too familiar with. Even though he's crazy for her, he can tell that she is suddenly nervous now that they've made their way here, and he tries to slow down and control himself.

"Tifa," he says, turning her to face him. He's trying to focus on her feelings, but he's distracted again by that goddamn dress, and he forces himself to keep his eyes on her face.

"Cloud," Tifa responds, and he notices the way that she doesn't meet his eyes. "What… what's happening with us?"

This is a question that Cloud has been asking himself for about two goddamn weeks now, and he's really glad that he isn't the only one who is thinking this. But hearing her say it out loud has his nerves collapsing, and he diffidently rubs the back of his neck, trying to come up with a workable response.

It's stupid how bad he is at this.

"I don't know," he blubbers, and already, he hates himself, sensing the way he is about to blow what could potentially be the best night of his life. "I just… I want you, Tifa. And seeing all those guys around you today just really pissed me off. I'm sorry."

Tifa just shakes her head, and even though she still isn't looking up at him, Cloud can see the way she starts to share that coy little smile again. She bites into her lip, and for some reason, the sight of this makes Cloud stiffen like iron and steel in his pants again.

"I want you too," Tifa finally responds, looking up at him with those beautiful crimson orbs again.

He's not even thinking about it, but he's licking his lips and moving in close to her. He takes her by the waist, and this time, he doesn't hesitate to let his lips find hers, sweetly pressing his against them in the first-ever kiss that they've shared.

"Is that why you wore this dress?" Cloud asks, his hands unable to keep from the way they travel up and down the length of her body. Now that he has her alone in his room, he can't stop the way the possession bleeds from his fingertips. Tifa is his and he wants to touch and kiss her all over, doesn't want her leaving this room until she is shaking and sore and knows forever who she belongs to.

"Maybe," Tifa answers, sliding her tongue through her lips.

"You were trying to make me jealous." It's not a question.

Tifa twists her hips under his grip, and Cloud can't stop the way that his hands slide behind her, gripping her ass.

"I just wanted you to pay attention to me," Tifa responds in a quiet, tiny voice.

Cloud feels something shatter inside of him. The way that she says that absolutely wrecks him. She wants him to pay attention to her? All he's been trying to do for half his life is get her to notice him, and then she drops a line like that on him?

If attention is what she wants, so be it.

"You want attention, huh?" Cloud whispers, and he tilts his head, leaning in to give her another long kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth and finding hers. He's singed immediately by the spark of it, finding his hands on her body growing more demanding in the way that they squeeze and pull at her soft flesh. "I didn't know you were such a brat, Tifa."

"I'm not," she pouts up at him, throwing her arms around his neck again as she rises up on her toes and attacks his mouth with hers.

Cloud smiles into her kiss, his heart racing at the way that Tifa is responding to him now, all that shy bullshit on the beach and in the club dissipating. Her reactions to him have his blood inflamed, and he can't help the wicked impulses that begin to seize him.

He slaps her ass a few times with both hands, forcing Tifa to yelp against his lips. He presses the weight of his body against her, pushing her towards the bed in the center of the room. As soon as her knees hit the back of it, she falls back, holding onto him with her arms still around him.

Cloud crushes his body against hers and runs his hands all over her, over her waist and hips and the soft, full curves of her tits, disrupting her dress. He's wanted her so, so bad for so long and now that he has her, he can't get enough. Her scent and her arousal is assaulting him, and the taste of her kisses has his heart twisting into knots. All he wants is to be inside of her, to taste every part of her, to hear her scream his name forever so she'll never have to worry about needing his attention again.

"Tifa," he breathes, moving his kisses to her throat, biting into the tight stretch of flesh there. "Do you trust me?"

"Mmm, Cloud," Tifa whines, rotating her hips under him, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Of course I do. Only you."

Cloud growls at that, feeling himself leak in his pants. This has been going on all day and quite honestly for weeks now, and he is desperate for relief. But Tifa wants attention and he is going to give her as much of it as she can take before he gets his dick wet.

He backs off of her, standing up between her legs. He looks down at her and finds her staring up at him, her pupils wide, dark discs, her chest heaving as she pants. She's spread her thighs and her dress has ridden up, and Cloud can see the damp spot on the center of her lacy pink panties.

Cloud swallows and drops his hands to her thighs, spreading them further apart. He glances up at her, finding her with her bottom lip between her teeth. Unable to contain himself, he runs his hand up the inside of her thigh, finding the damp heat of her core and letting his fingers brush against the fabric there.

"Oh," Tifa moans, rolling her hips up towards his hand.

Cloud can barely contain his excitement at her reaction. "How long have you been wet like this, Tifa? Since we were in the club? Since the beach?"

"Since last week," Tifa puffs desperately.

Cloud groans and leans back over her, finding her mouth again and kissing her roughly. His hand slides over her panties, rubbing her back and forth while her hips begin to buck and twirl, and Tifa lets out bright moans. He can feel how stiff her nipples are beneath his sweater, and realizing that she isn't wearing a bra, Cloud can't help the sudden compulsion to reach up to the neckline of the flimsy fabric of her dress and tear it into two halves, right down the center of her body.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaims breathlessly, caught in a typhoon of pleasure, her face flushed. "I just bought this dress!"

"I don't care," Cloud mutters, leaning back in to attack her throat with his kisses. This time, he slides his hand right into her panties, his fingers finding her slick heat. Her pussy is soaked and Cloud doesn't think he's ever imagined anything could feel so tight and slick and hot.

He wants to fuck her so, so bad.

"Cloud," Tifa hums his name when he circles over her clit. "Right there, please."

He smirks down at her, pressing into her button before he draws another swift line over it, back down to her opening where he gathers more of her swirling wetness. "You like that?"

"Please," she begs, her head thrown back, her mouth open in pleasure.

Cloud bites into her shoulder, falling face-first into the taste of her skin. He brings two fingers back up to her clit, finding it swollen. He rubs it again and again, watching with bloodlust building in his bones as Tifa moans louder and louder and twists under him on the bed.

"Oh, gods, please," she cries. "That feels so good, Cloud, please -"

Cloud pulls his hand from her underwear and backs away from her completely, sitting beside her on the bed. Tifa gasps in disbelief and looks at him with wide, bright scarlet eyes, her lashes wet and fluttering. She looks so beautiful at that moment that Cloud is certain his heart is about to stop.

"Cloud?" she demands.

Cloud can't stop the way that he finds himself laughing at the sheer desperation in her voice. He reaches up, brushing her bangs from her face.

"Shhh," he hushes her, tossing his head to one side. "I'm still mad at you."

"Don't be," she is practically pleading.

"Turn over," Cloud demands.

Tifa pouts at him and Cloud thinks he can never get enough of her making that face at him. It is so sexy and feverish and wanton, and when she rolls away from him obediently, leaving her ass facing him, he can't help but lean in and kiss her cheek sweetly before he pulls and tosses the destroyed fabric of her dress away and starts to smack her ass with his palm, over and over again.

"Cloud!" Tifa cries, "What are you doing?"

"You're in trouble," he tells her, and he grabs her panties by the waistband, ripping them down over her hips. He uses so much accidental force that they tear, and Tifa cries out another complaint. But Cloud could hardly care; he's got her bare bottom facing right up at him and it's already turning rosy from his first few blows.

"Cloud, what am I going to wear to get back to my room?" she whines over her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," Cloud answers, tearing his sweater off, his whole body overheating at the sight of Tifa's naked, writhing body laying on the bed under him. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon."

He grabs Tifa's ponytail, forcing her to look back at him, and Cloud isn't sure where this savagery is coming from. But he sees the fiery pools of desire in Tifa's eyes as she blinks up at him, and he knows that she is loving every second of this.

He spanks her again, holding her eyes, wrapping the rope of her ponytail around his fist three times. It pulls her back into an arch, her tits lifting off the bed, her nipples stiff. She cries out every time he slaps her bottom, her eyes bright and wet. She drops open her mouth, and when he slaps her bottom again and leaves a bright red handprint, she pinches her eyes closed and cries his name, streams running down her face.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouts.

"Save your tears," Cloud threatens.

"I'm so sorry," Tifa sobs. "I didn't mean to make you jealous… I just want you so bad…"

Her voice trails off into a needy little whimper, but her words have the strain in Cloud's pants so painful that he winces. He stills the movement of his hand over her rear, instead rubbing soft circles over the curve of her warmed flesh. She moans in response, and Cloud lets go of her hair, bending down to press a kiss to her eyelids and then her lips again.

"You're so sweet, Tifa," he tells her, and he means it. He doesn't know why she brings out this side of him, this need to protect and control, to keep her all to himself and to use his body in such powerful ways against hers. But it is practically instinct and there is nothing that he can do to stop it. "I want you too, baby."

"Cloud…" Tifa whines his name again, kicking her feet in frustration behind her. Cloud doesn't think he will ever get tired of hearing her cry his name this way.

"Give me that pillow," Cloud demands, pointing at the head of the bed.

Tifa lifts her head and obeys, reaching for one and handing it to him. He takes it and lifts her hips, placing the pillow under her so that her red, sore bottom is pointing up at him. Cloud pushes her thighs apart, his chest constricting when he peers between her thighs and sees how wet her pretty pink pussy is.

"Fuck, Tifa," he grouses, unable to tear his eyes away.

Tifa reaches for another pillow and buries her face in it, clearly embarrassed, but Cloud notices that she doesn't dare pull away, either. He smirks to himself, and feeling the strain between his legs soar to unbearable heights, he stops for a moment to get himself out of his pants before he positions himself on the bed behind her and buries his face against her slit.

"Oh, Cloud," Tifa sighs when he brushes his lips over her clit, the bridge of his nose caught in her wetness.

Cloud isn't expecting Tifa to taste so good. He's fantasized about getting his mouth down here more than he cares to admit, but he really wasn't sure what he should even anticipate. But she tastes divine, her scent blowing up every cell in his body. Cloud is so happy to have his face between her thighs that all he can do at first is kiss all over her pillowy seam, pecking lightly at her clit and leaving her clawing at the bedsheets above her head.

"Oooh, Cloud, oh, ahh, Cloud pleasseee," Tifa moans and purrs, her voice deep and dark, full of lust and passion. Hearing her crying his name in such a cadence only makes him even further crazed, and Cloud can't stop the way that he begins to roll his tongue through her folds, lapping over and over again at her clit, tongue fucking her and using his mouth on her in ways that would make him blush just thinking about it at any other time.

Tifa is twisting all over the bed and trying desperately to get away from him as he drives her closer, and realizing what he is about to do to her makes something brutal and untamed pool in the center of Cloud's gut. He cannot take this any longer, he needs to be inside of her now or he might do something he regrets.

Tifa is close but he pulls his lips away from her, backing up and getting on his knees. Realizing that he's stopped, Tifa whines a pathetic, frustrated sound, slamming her fist against the mattress, a sob escaping her throat.

If anyone would have told him a week ago that he would be edging Tifa Lockhart to the point of tears like this, Cloud would not have fucking believed them.

Cloud gets behind her and lifts her hips again, getting her to a good leverage on her knees. She is whimpering in anticipation, wringing her own fingers into her hair. Cloud takes his cock in hand and pumps it slowly, trying to relieve some of the pressure he's feeling so that he doesn't lose it too quickly once he's inside of her. He would never forgive himself if he fucked this up.

He rubs the head of his cock between her folds, and Tifa turns back to look at him. Her eyes are wet and her lips are swollen, betraying the way that she has been biting into them. She's pouting again and Cloud melts, and gently, he squeezes her hip and rubs her ass with one hand.

"You okay?" he asks her.

Tifa nods, but Cloud can see the uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm okay, I just… It's my first time, Cloud."

She looks like she wants to say more, but stops there and drops her gaze again. Cloud's heart rocks louder against his ribs, setting off flares in his mind. He hasn't given much thought to this - he really doesn't remember having much experience with women, which is strange - but of course Tifa is a virgin.

And here he is, about to ravage her.

He softens his expression and then lays over her, covering the back of her body with the front of his. Gently, he pulls her hands out of her hair and lays them on the bed above her head, holding her wrists together. He presses a kiss to her temple, and then one to her lips.

"I know… me too, Tifa. I'm gonna be gentle, okay? I'm sorry if I've been playing too rough tonight. I just… really like being with you. I promise I won't ever hurt you, okay?"

"Okay," Tifa agrees, but the sound she makes as the word slips out sounds like another little sob.

Cloud kisses her one more time, keeping the warmth of his body glued to hers as he slowly slides his length inside of her, a thin layer of sweat between them. Tifa moans and cries louder and louder with every inch that he gives her, hissing and wincing, fisting the sheets with both hands. He leans forward and praises her softly in her ear, trying his best to go slowly but finding his brain melting at the feel of being inside of Tifa's soft, tight pussy.

He sinks fully inside of her, leaving her to gasp. Cloud just lays there for a moment, gathering his bearings and letting them both adjust to this new feeling.

"I'm gonna start moving," Cloud warns, desperate to pound into her until he is empty.

Tifa arches her back, turning back to find his mouth to kiss him, and Cloud cannot stop the way that his hips begin to jerk when their tongues brush together again.

It is all downhill from there. Once he gets started, Cloud cannot control the movement of his hips, cannot stop the way that he fucks her the way he has been secretly thinking about doing for days and days now. The more he thinks about it, the wilder he gets, and the more that Tifa begins to shout and cry, the harder he slams into her. He can feel the tightropes of pleasure pulling through his nerves, snapping into place deep in his belly, and he is desperate to bring her to her release before he finds it himself.

"Cloud," Tifa is crying, "Cloud, please fuck me, please baby, oh, please…please -"

Cloud releases Tifa's wrists and leans back, mounting her with his legs on either side of her thighs. He wraps his hand around her throat with one hand and holds her hips in place with the other, snapping his hips against her bottom. Every thrust pierces her deep and Tifa is soon screaming, tears streaming down her face.

Cloud vaguely remembers that the rest of their party are all sleeping in this same hallway, but he simply doesn't give a fuck anymore. He hopes that everyone on the fucking Western Continent knows that Tifa Lockhart is his girl now.

"Tell me when you're close," Cloud demands, squeezing her throat gently, sweat dripping from his forehead and onto her shoulders.

Tifa cries and carries on, his name turning into incoherent syllables. But Cloud is relentless, and he has to concentrate to keep from bursting inside of her.

"Cloud, baby," Tifa suddenly cries, throwing her head back with a sudden surge of strength in her body. "I'm gonna come."

Cloud exhales heavily and lets himself go at that point, unable to continue this way any longer. He fucks her with a few final thrusts, and she is coming all over his cock when he finally empties, his orgasm twisting up his nerves and scrambling his brain. He remembers himself a few seconds too late and pulls out of her, leaving a mess all over the bed with half of his spend leaking out of her.

"Fuuccckkk!" Tifa is crying.

Cloud doesn't know what to say. He's never heard Tifa swear before, he's sure of it. But she is still stumbling through her climax and he just watches her, shivering and weeping. She is covered in sweat and so is he, and his vision begins to blur as it seeps into his eyes.

He wipes it away and then rolls off of Tifa, finding a place at her side. He has never felt so much blistering euphoria and affection colliding at once, and suddenly he doesn't give a shit about chasing after Sephiroth, at least not for now. All he wants to do is make love to Tifa any fucking opportunity he can get.

She is laying back with her eyes closed, her ponytail plastered to the sweat in her skin, a blissful expression coating her face. Her lips are slightly parted, and all it is to Cloud is an invitation to kiss her.

Her eyes open when he does so, and she smiles gratefully at him. He snuggles up closer to her, wrapping an arm around her hip, lightly stroking her side.

"Everything okay?" he asks her, hoping that he didn't take things too far.

Again.

Tifa blinks, her smile growing wider. She reaches up to gently stroke his cheek, her fingers drifting until they find his soft yellow hair.

"Everything's perfect," Tifa answers, showing him a line of straight white teeth. "You're so amazing, Cloud."

He can't help the way that he blushes at that, dipping his chin. He scoots in even closer, laying his head on Tifa's pillow too so that they can share.

"You're even more amazing," he tells her. "Was that enough attention for you?"

Tifa giggles, leaning forward and burying her face against his shoulder. "Maybe… but only for tonight. You've got your work cut out for you after this."

Cloud's cheeks scald again but he can't help the way that makes him smirk, and he leans in to kiss Tifa hotly on the lips, one hand coming up to her cheek to wipe away the residue of her tears.

"You sure about that?" he murmurs into her kiss.

This, he thinks as their lips meld and he pulls her in close to him, is a challenge he is ready to accept.