Summary: I was so inspired by the feedback from Zack's bubble bath that being the Cloud fan that I am, I couldn't leave Strife out of the water. Lucky for Cloud, he has company beyond a squeaky bath toy. Ok, so this entire story took me roughly three hours to write but I've had the idea buzzing around in my head the entire day at work. Hope you like it! Please don't hate me as you continue reading…you'll understand my apology before hand when you get reading. By the way, the rating is only for those of you who want to mentally take things further than I did. (Do I really need to state the obvious and say that Square-Enix owns all Final Fantasy things and that they are envied beyond belief? I didn't think so.)

"More Bath time Fun"

By MakoRain

The peaceful sounds of Enya filled the small room with its calming melodies, effectively soothing the tension that seemed to linger still. Candles lined every available surface and caused a display of dancing shadows with each flicker of flame, merging with the steamy atmosphere to cover the room in a soft blanket of warmth. Cloud tried to hum along softly, but he just couldn't follow the tune; he never had been one for musical talent. How was supposed to be fully enjoying the warm bathwater's effect on his aching muscles, but something was missing. The tub was full of bubbles and Cloud slid farther into the depths, laying his head on a pillow while trying and failing to get comfortable against the porcelain's hard surface.

"Tifa!"

Cloud was growing tired of this soaking and since Tifa made him do it, she was going to damn hear about it.

"Tifa, get in here!"

The sound of footsteps on the stairs stopped him from yelling for her yet again. His mood was sour already without Tifa taking her dear sweet time. Tifa strolled in without knocking, pinning Cloud with eyes that had a bit of annoyance in them.

"What is it, Cloud?"

"You could have knocked first, you know. I could have been indecent."

"You called me, so I figured it would be safe. Plus, it's not like it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Cloud blushed slightly at her implications and gained his composure quickly to tell her off like he intended to earlier.

"This whole bubble bath thing isn't working."

"Why is that, Cloud?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one who said it worked wonders at relieving stress and tension, and guess what? I still have both."

"According to Zack, the scents of vanilla and chamomile combined with candlelight and Enya do the trick every time, at least for him."

"Wait, you got Zack in on this? Great, I'll never hear the end of it."

"On the contrary, Zack is the one who recommended it to me for you, since you need to lighten up every now and then."

Cloud glared at Tifa as she stood there smugly, fully clothed and dry that it made him envious. Thinking over the fact that Zack did this for him, maybe it was time to give it another try, since Zack had never let him down before.

"What I think is that you just have a negative mind set, Mr. Strife, so just sit back and relax!"

Tifa pushed him back a little into the water, giving him a stern look as if he dare try to disobey her. She was so damn cute when she was bossing him around that he couldn't help testing her a little.

"But I'm lonely." Cloud said coyly, looking straight into Tifa's eyes for any sign that he could get his way for once.

"I'll send Denzel up with a bath toy." She tried to say seriously but was smiling none the less.

"I had something else in mind."

Tifa walked towards Cloud and leaned next to him, resting her hands on the tub.

"Really? Well, you'll just have to wait because I have to finish closing the bar." She got up to turn around but Cloud caught her hand before she could leave.

"Promise you'll come back?"

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see."

Not letting go, he said, "But I made a promise to you that I have kept for all of these years, don't I get a little one in return?"

Her smile grew as she mentally recalled the promise he had made her at the well, and he was right; he had kept his word most of the time. He was there more than ever now to help her whenever needed.

Cloud kept hold of her hand, stroking the back of it gently with his wet fingers and felt the pleasurable chill resonate through her near form. He knew she was about to cave and so he added, "Please?" for good measure.

She looked back down into his mako blue eyes and never being able to resist them, she agreed. "Okay, I'll come back soon."

"Promise me."

"I promise, Cloud."

"Pinky swear."

He knew he was being childish but it had been so long since he had Tifa alone that he wanted to make the moment last as long as possible. Sure, they lived together but there was also Marlene and Denzel. He loved the two children like his own but sometimes things got out of hand with their mischievous games, and he was never one for discipline which left Tifa to handle the kids while he was out on deliveries all day or even days.

With Tifa, Cloud felt he could just shed his mask and be himself, not the hero or soldier everyone expected him to be. He also knew she loved it when he did this because he was so loveable, or so she once told him before. They hooked pinkies and kissed their thumbs, sealing the deal in the childhood vow of the sacred pinky swear.

"Now you may go, if you must."

"I must," Tifa replied ruefully before turning and walking out the door, closing it tightly behind her to keep the warm air from escaping.

To be continued…