Dangerously In Love
This was dangerous, Tifa knew.
He was dangerous.
Cloud Strife.
It was silly for her to think that way, Tifa knew. Cloud was an old friend, a boy from her childhood who Tifa had been holding onto hope for years now that she might run into again. Not that she was carrying a torch or waiting around idly for him, she tried to tell herself. There were more important things in life than boys, even ones who made simple promises to you and who you'd fallen in love with, boys who might be as beautiful as the stars. She ignored the men in Midgar who catcalled and pleaded and gave her gifts simply because they weren't her type or they were too forceful or she was too busy to be distracted.
So she tried to tell herself.
But now he was back, and as Tifa walked with their small group towards the village of Kalm, the sun setting ahead of them and leaving a gold rim of color along the line of the horizon, she realized that all those years of pretending she'd moved past her girlhood feelings had been a self-inflicted rouse. She'd been lying to herself the entire time, trying to ignore the way he'd infiltrated her dreams, the way her hazy memories of him brought her comfort on lonely and painful city nights. The truth was he had never left her thoughts, that he'd stayed with her so feverishly that she'd slyly searched the newspapers for his name and hoped beyond hope that she might somehow run into him here in this all-consuming City of Mako.
Now that they were reunited, though, she could no longer ignore all of those deeply buried feelings. Just being in the same room as Cloud Strife made her viscerally aware of how far her desires and longing for him went, and none of this was helped by the way that Cloud looked at her, the way he flirted with her, the way he used his body in tandem with hers to show her just what he might be feeling, too.
It had started almost as soon she'd found him at the train station, bright blue-green eyes that were so unfamiliar but yet still somehow reminded her of the boy she had lost. His memories seemed backlogged and missing, but there was an immediate affection in his stare when he recognized her under the slats of rain that fell through the rifts in the plate. Tifa felt the scald of that stare reach her bones, and it hadn't left her since.
It only got worse as they began to spend time together. Two nights later, after he'd rested back to full health and taken the first job she'd offered with AVALANCHE, he'd come back to Seventh Heaven with a gift. It was a flower, proudly presented to her with a smug simper on his face, the kind of look a man gives a woman when his intentions are not exactly pure, a gesture that felt anything but platonic. While it had been surprising, it had also burned Tifa to her core, and she cherished that flower and everything she hoped that it might represent between them until it was crushed along with the rest of her hopes and dreams.
Things began to escalate from there. She'd spent the entire next day with Cloud in Sector Seven, and there was no missing the easy way that they got on together, the way they fought side by side in perfect harmony, and the way that their light conversations as they made their way from one stop to the next bordered on full-out flirting. And Tifa couldn't miss the way that Cloud seemed so in tune with her even though it had only been a matter of days, their movements on the battlefield synchronized, him finishing her sentences and anticipating the thoughts that lived in her head. It was so unexpectedly accurate at times that she had begun to wonder if he could actually read minds.
It was silly, Tifa knew. But things didn't get any less stifling the less she tried to think about it. Any moment that they had alone together - in her bedroom, in his, in the bar - the tension continued to build, hidden behind the sharp look in his eyes or buried beneath his teasing or gentle words. And as the days wore on and their battles grew bigger and more complicated than mere reactor bombings, Cloud's attachment to her grew into something that was not only emotional and tense, but dangerous.
Tifa couldn't exactly figure it out, and it had been troubling her ever since he looked into her eyes after they jumped from that train, bodies coiled together in a way that felt…
No. She couldn't think about that . She couldn't think about Cloud that way. He was her friend, and friends don't think about each other in such ways. Besides, he was just trying to protect her.
Tifa blushed as she recalled that moment, the rush that had passed over her body when he'd been so close to her. They'd spent two full days together up until that point, but he'd never once before tried to touch her. And then, the first time that he did, he'd been so close to her that she could feel every part of him.
Every part , she recalled, her cheeks heating even further.
After that, Cloud was constantly touching her, and Tifa had no complaints about it, aside from the agonizing sting his hands created between her thighs. He never hesitated to put his hands on her to get her out of harm's way or to console her when her world was fracturing, the moment he'd comforted her in Aerith's garden forever cemented in a treasured part of her heart. He'd done so much more than offer her a simple hug at that moment; he had held her in his arms, the way boyfriends hold their girlfriends, Tifa knew. Neither of them had spoken of it, but Tifa had felt every feeling and every nerve ending scream to her that for those thirty seconds, she belonged to him the way a woman belongs to a man.
She tried her best these last twenty-four hours to not think about it, but it was an impossible task.
Cloud was dangerous.
Even now, she could feel his eyes burning holes into her back where he walked behind them. He'd maintained that position since they'd left the city, and Tifa knew that it was because Cloud wanted to have his eyes on their whole group and their surroundings as they navigated their way across the dangerous and mostly uninhabited Wastelands. He was protective like that, guarding them all like the alpha of a wolfpack.
But his eyes stayed on her the entire time, Tifa knew. She could feel them.
So entering the village of Kalm just as the sun finally retired was a welcome respite from the tension that she could feel building in that distance between them as they followed the barren roadways from Midgar, their attentions now focused on lodging for the night. Tifa stayed mostly quiet as the others deliberated, caught up in her own thoughts as her eyes drank in the storybook setting around them. Kalm was a pretty town, with shining cobblestone streets and Western architecture that reminded Tifa of the homes in Nibelheim. It was a more modern village than Nibelheim was, she observed, even the water tower in the town center was an industrial reservoir model. The one thing Kalm lacked, Tifa could note by the fresh, earthy scent in the air, was a mako reactor.
"Tifa?"
His voice was soft, but with that stern edge to it that she'd grown used to. He used it when he gave her commands on the battlefield or when he announced a strategy he wanted her to follow, and like everything else about him, it left her body blooming with heat.
She turned to find him standing at her side, staring down at her in the slowly falling darkness, his blue-green eyes as bright as light beams. Behind him, Tifa could see the others making their way down the road in the direction of a large tavern that was lit up by flaming torches.
"Hm?"
"We've decided to stay at that inn up the road, get a bite to eat," he explained. "I think we should rest tonight and set out in the morning. Besides, there are some things I want to talk about with the group… and with you."
Tifa blinked at that, looking up at him again and focusing on his stare. His eyes still glowed, but they were gentle, almost pleading with her. She wondered what lay behind them, what the words were that he wanted to say.
"Oh, what is it?" she asked.
Cloud blinked, then shook his head. "Don't worry about it right now, Tifa," he replied smoothly. "I haven't seen you eat since we left Sector Seven. Let's just get checked in and settle down, okay?"
His eyes had that fire behind them again, and it surged heat to Tifa's core. He blinked, and Tifa couldn't turn away, the first drips of moonlight spilling like molten glass across his hair. But before she could say anything further, his hand was outstretched, the leather of his glove shining under the curtain of night.
She took it, warmth rushing through her entire body when his hand closed around hers.
It was a few hours later when Tifa sat in the quiet of the room she'd been given at the inn. It was tiny but nicely decorated, betraying how the proprietors had gone to great lengths to provide a warm and rustic environment for their guests.
But Tifa was too anxiety-riddled to worry much about the scenery. She was reliving Cloud's story over dinner in her head, comparing every memory that he'd shared with her own. Everything was fuzzy, and Tifa winced as she realized that her recollection of that final, fated night in Nibelheim was more broken and blank than she'd realized. She had done everything she could to avoid thinking about it for the last five years.
But she doesn't remember Cloud being there. She couldn't have forgotten a detail like that, could she?
Maybe she'd hit her head worse than she thought when Sephiroth attacked her, she wondered. Cloud's recollections of the events that week were crystal clear and spoken with such confidence that he'd had to have witnessed every moment. He insisted that he was there and that he'd even carried her broken body to safety after Sephiroth cut her down. Surely she wouldn't forget something like that?
Tifa flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The drywall above her was distracting, so she closed her eyes, trying to clear the confusion from her mind.
It didn't help. The moment her eyes were shut, an image of Cloud was in front of her again, soft yellow hair and bright cerulean eyes, muscles that were firm but smooth as stones. His memories might be confusing to her, but everything about Cloud was safe and comforting, and Tifa resolved right at that very moment that no matter what, she would stay by his side and make sure that he was okay - the same way that he always looked out for her.
Her daydreaming helped to push her fears aside, and she was reliving the moment that Cloud had held her in his arms under the plate's imitation stars when there was a knock at the door.
She blinked, sitting up on her bed again as she glanced in the door's direction. It was late now, and Tifa had already changed into her nightclothes - nothing more than an oversized t-shirt she'd picked up when they first stopped at the local shops in town - and she wondered idly who might be coming to her door at this hour. She wondered if it were Aerith; the girl had a penchant for chitchat, and she'd attached herself rather dutifully to Tifa the last couple of days.
"Tifa?"
She was rising to her feet when she heard the voice on the other side, and she stopped, her heart beginning to race. There was no mistaking the low and gentle tenor, the way her name rolled off his tongue like honey.
Cloud .
Standing at the foot of the bed, Tifa glanced down at herself. The t-shirt was big enough that it reached the midpoint of her thighs, but even so, she had nothing else underneath it but her panties. She glanced behind her to where her fatigues were neatly laid over the back of a chair, and she briefly entertained the idea of quickly pulling her shorts on. But Cloud was calling her name again, his fist connecting with the heavy wood of her door. She sighed and abandoned the idea, crossing the room and pulling the door open just enough to peek out at him.
"Cloud?"
Unlike Tifa, Cloud was still dressed in all of his fatigues, armor, and gloves, the heavy leather SOLDIER harness still anchored to his torso. In fact, Tifa realized, the only thing he didn't have was his sword. It was strange, she thought, especially considering the late hour, and she wondered why he insisted on remaining so battle ready all the time.
"Hey, Tifa," Cloud greeted her, sapphire eyes locked with hers. "I - I wanted to stop by and check on you before I took it down for the night. I - you got a minute?"
There was something undeniably hungry in Cloud's stare, even as he fumbled slightly around his words. Tifa could feel the searing energy of it emanate off of him in waves, all of it landing right on her. Even though she was tucked behind the wedge of the door, Cloud's eyes were searching, roving in an up-and-down trail as he tried to get a closer look at her. Abruptly, his eyes drifted back to her face, locking with her pools of ruby red, wide and pleading with her.
It was almost as if he were pouting .
She found herself backing away from the doorframe, pulling it open to let him in. Cloud took a step forward without hesitation, crossing into her room and turning to face her. Tifa quietly closed and locked her door, standing in front of it with her hands folded behind her back in an effort to calm her nerves and deaden some of the tension in her muscles.
He was standing right across from her, less than a foot of space keeping them separated. His eyes began to roam now that he had an unobstructed view of her body, lingering on her bare legs for just a moment too long. Tifa tugged on the hem of her shirt, suddenly wishing she'd taken the time to put on her shorts, her cheeks glowing bright red.
Cloud noticed and his cheeks began to light up as well, and he diverted his eyes from hers, tearing away from the way he looked at her body. He rubbed at the back of his neck, his voice low and somewhat strained when he finally spoke.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean -"
"It's okay!" Tifa reassured him. Cloud wasn't any ordinary guy, after all. He was her best friend, the closest person alive she had to family. She felt safe around him; knew that she could trust him.
Cloud looked up at her again, but his eyes dragged over her body in a way that was entirely noticeable. His eyes locked with hers, but the damage was done. Tifa could feel the burn across her face intensify, and she was grateful for the dim lighting in the room.
"No," Cloud retorted, giving a slight toss of his head. "It's not okay, Tifa. I…"
He trailed off, and Tifa could see the strain erupt in the lines of his forehead, his eyebrows sharply curving inward. It wasn't the first time that she'd see him wear such conflict on his face or turn away from her in a way that told her that he was pained or upset or didn't want her to see his emotions. It made her already racing heart thunder louder, and she swallowed, chancing a step closer to him so that she could drop a hand to his forearm.
"Cloud?" she tried in a small voice, afraid of her own breath as it escaped her lungs. As much as her feelings for him were a distraction, she knew she would table them to put his wellbeing first, every time. "What's wrong?"
Feeling her bare hand on the heated flesh above his bracer, Cloud turned back to her again, this time angling his body to face hers fully. The blended glow of mako and heat was even brighter in his irises than when he'd first walked in the door, and when their gazes met, Tifa was so stunned that she felt frozen in place.
Cloud took another step forward, and it almost seemed… threatening. Yet at the same time, his approach sent sparks all throughout Tifa's body, heating her between her thighs in that way that she hated to admit he made her feel all too often. It was embarrassing, but she couldn't move away, and the longer that he held her stare and the closer he came, the deeper the ache pulsed.
"I can't do this anymore, Tifa," Cloud finally growled in a soft voice, and Tifa realized that in those short few seconds he had come so close she could feel his breath skirt across her cheek as he leaned towards her. In reaction to his sudden closeness, Tifa felt her back press lightly against the door behind her, and when Cloud's heavily armored wrist came to rest by the side of her head, she realized that he had her cornered.
Tifa's heart was beating its way out of her chest, running a mad race that had her feeling both dizzy and enthralled. She could pick up Cloud's scent, masculine and clean but tainted by leather and steel and the faintest hint of sweat. His eyes were still fixed on hers and she couldn't look away, not even when his grew low-lidded and his lips parted slightly, those hazy aquamarine irises dropping to her mouth.
"Cloud, can't do-"
She was interrupted by the feel of his lips against hers, pillowy soft and gentle, his head tilted just slightly to lend an angle so that they fit together just right. His body was still inches from hers, but if she arched her back just right, her breasts could press against his chest and she would be completely folded in his body heat, heat she could feel burning off of him like the jumping embers of a blaze.
Tifa knew that she was being naive about her relationship with Cloud. There were just too many complications surrounding it - their years of separation, the strange way they'd reunited, the gaps in his memory - for her to prioritize romantic inclinations. But she realized now she had been foolish to ignore the signs. They'd been blaring at her like sirens for days now, lighting her body up with desire and need every time he was close to her, and now it was all boiling to a head.
Her hands were still behind her back, and they clenched at one another, anxious and unsure. But her body twisted under him, eager to get closer. Her brain was cross-wired with a hundred different thoughts, trying to navigate the many complex layers that lay between her and Cloud, but her body was clear in the way that it signaled.
Thankfully, Tifa was granted some reprieve when Cloud pulled away, ending the abrupt but too-hot and too-soft kiss. But he didn't back away, still hovering over her with his arm caging her by her head. Their eyes met again and Cloud's were scorching and impatient, hooded and expectant.
"I'm so sorry, Tifa," Cloud whispered, his voice strained and almost guttural. His free hand came up to her cheek, and gently, the leather of his glove brushed a line across her skin and tangled in the longer wisps of her bangs. "I can't be around you like this anymore. I want you so bad… I've wanted you for so long, just being near you drives me crazy. Ever since the other night, at Aerith's, I…"
He trailed off, inhaling a sharp breath as if he realized he'd said too much or his words were about to go too far. Where her heart was racing out of control before, Tifa was certain that it had now stopped. She wasn't sure what was more jarring - the kiss or the fact that such a heated and messy confession was tumbling out of Cloud's mouth, inches from her face.
She swallowed to clear her throat, her mind racing through her confused but fevered thoughts as she tried to sort out a response to him. But before she could, Cloud's fingers were skimming her cheek again.
"Tifa… tell me to stop." Cloud went on. "Tell me to leave, and I'll go right now. I promise."
He leaned in closer, and Tifa's breath hitched when she felt his thigh press between her legs, his knee flush against the door behind her. His chest was pressed to hers but he was holding his body weight away from her, and the lack of fulfillment his hard chest could offer her was making her crazy with want. But it was his words that sent her over the edge.
"Tell me you don't want me, too."
Tifa couldn't tell him that. It would be a lie, and even if she could get the words out, there was no way that either of them would believe it. She knew from the last few days they'd spent together that Cloud could read her probably better than anyone who'd known her since her own parents. It was almost alarming how attuned he was to her moods and her feelings, and just the thought of trying to lie to him about something like this when her body was so obviously announcing her innermost feelings had her shivering.
Cloud Strife was dangerous, she reminded herself. Cloud was dangerous, but he was a danger that Tifa couldn't stay away from. A danger she wanted.
A danger she was in love with.
"I want you," she admitted in a tiny voice, breathless and afraid but more assure than anything she'd confessed in recent memory.
Cloud closed his eyes and let out a breath that was rumbly, and he tipped his forehead against hers. The heat there singed, and a ripple of needy pleasure passed over her entire body. Across the tight space that separated them, Tifa stared at Cloud's face, seeing the concentration and the desperate need for control pull at his boyish features. She blinked, wondering what he was thinking when Cloud's eyes opened again, bright blue and raging with desire and longing as they bored straight into hers.
His expression softened, and for just a moment, he didn't so much look like the taciturn SOLDIER she'd come to accept over the last few days but rather the quietly confident but aloof boy who'd grown up next door to her. The same boy who'd played house with her when they were little and who'd ignore her and her friends every time she invited him to play. The same boy who was as unafraid of starting a fight as he was of finishing one, yet could barely look her in the eye when he invited her for a date on the water tower.
That was the boy she had fallen in love with, Tifa thought, staring up into that glow of ocean blue. That was the boy who she'd looked up to for years and wished she had the strength to be as unbothered about the world's comings and goings as he was. That was the boy who now hovered above her as a man, all muscle and strength and heat, all beauty and brawn. A man whose words slipped past his lips with the kind of weight that caused others to stop and listen. A man who could figure out and solve any problem. A man whose kindness was unannounced and unapparent but always there in every action.
A man who was tough and serious and scathing at times, but was so soft, only for her. It was that same softness he'd shown her in his bedroom when he remembered their promise, leaving her weak-kneed and anxious and desperate for him.
Just like right now.
Dangerous .
Before she could think any further on it, Cloud's lips were on hers, and this time the kiss was heated and wild, no longer tentative and cautious but demanding and possessive. He kissed her the same way that he handled her when they were face to face with danger on the battlefield, dragging her with him without asking, knowing that he already had her consent.
And he did.
Sparks filled her core and Tifa couldn't resist the urge to raise up on her toes when Cloud's tongue lightly grazed hers. She felt the pool of lava swirl inside of her, opening her up in a way she'd never been opened before. She'd wanted Cloud so badly these last few days that she'd found herself sometimes running from him to avoid the achy desire that ran hot through her blood. But even running never did anything to stop the way that she felt sore between her thighs, the tiny button that Tifa tried so hard to ignore throbbing with the need for him to touch.
Just as it was throbbing now, Cloud's thigh riding higher and higher between her legs, inches away from it.
Cloud broke their kiss messily, but he didn't take his mouth away. Instead, he traced it along her jaw, his hands falling to the swell of her hip. He'd touched her there plenty of times before, but it was always to pull her away from danger, and Tifa had tried hard not to think about the way that his hands always lingered after those moments. But now there was no mistaking the way that he touched. His hands curled around her flesh and squeezed, one riding up the sharp groove of her waist and dragging her shirt up with it until leather was cupping the underside of her left breast.
"Fuck," he swore into her cheek. It sent a shiver of anticipation straight to the marrow in her bones. Tifa loved when Cloud swore. Something about his mouth being so straightforwardly filthy was hot. She tipped her head back and bit her lip, her hips twisting and pressing her closer against the length of steel at the front of his body. "You're beautiful, Tifa."
He squeezed her waist, almost too hard, right under her ribcage. The roughness startled her, but she couldn't deny that she positively loved it. Cloud's hands on her body would always be welcome but this rawness was so vivid that she moaned, her feet sliding apart slightly, a small rush of wetness sliding out of her and staining those panties she'd been so nervous about him seeing just moments ago.
If only he knew…
"You told me that once before," she managed in a weak attempt to sass him, desperately trying to keep from whining when his hand squeezed her breast and his lips dropped to her throat.
He appreciated her flirtation because he laughed throatily into her skin, following with a bite. "You've always been the most beautiful girl in the world, Tifa," he went on, singing her praises while his lips dipped lower and lower. Both hands were under her shirt now, but the other was squeezing the fullness of her ass, the leather of his gloves cool against her hot skin. The sensation was tantalizing, but for many reasons, she wished he'd take those goddamn things off.
Along with everything else that he was wearing.
"No other girl I've ever laid eyes on could ever compare to you," he added. There was an unspoken assurance there, one that Tifa knew he was hinting at without saying and sparing them both the awkwardness of even thinking about it.
She purred an appreciative sound both for his loyalty and his praise, but the fact was that Cloud's compliments always left her flustered and this was no exception. In fact, it was worsened by the way that he pawed at her, lips ghosting her throat and teeth nipping her skin, hands seeking every bump and curve and thumbs teasing her nipples. She hadn't realized it, but Cloud's hands refused to remain stationary, and the way that he rubbed and pinched and squeezed her up and down had her rolling her entire body under his.
"I want you so bad, Tifa," Cloud hummed, his mouth moving lower. He was kissing her collarbone now, and she was holding him by the back of his neck, her fingers surging into his hair. "I can't stop thinking about you, your body, your sweet smile…your voice… your scent…"
Tifa had fantasized about Cloud more times than she could count since he'd come back to her, but she'd never imagined that he would be such a… talker . Cloud usually kept his words relegated to what was absolutely necessary to tackle any given situation, but right now he was practically rambling.
Tifa wanted to respond but his words and the way that he touched her were so overwhelming that she found all she could do was choke out a wordless agreement. Cloud's hands were now pushing her top up over her breasts, and she found her arms raising above her head in assistance, allowing him to pull the fabric over her head and toss it to the side when he wrangled it free.
The air in the room was cool, misty from the dreary early December weather outside. But that wasn't why her nipples were so stiff, and Cloud's body was so hot when he leaned his chest against hers again. His sweater was soft, leaving goosebumps along her skin as his body lowered kissing a long trail down her sternum. Her skin tightened in response, and the space between her thighs ached, hot and wet and empty.
"You taste so good," Cloud murmured, and Tifa could only pull at his soft yellow strands when he carefully wrapped those soft lips around her sensitive nipple, laving it with a swift lap of his tongue. His eyes drifted up to her face when she arched her back sharply, the sensation tensing every muscle she could feel. She moaned, and it only encouraged him, his hands squeezing her bottom and her hips again as he pulled her closer.
Tifa was flushed with both need and desire, and looking down at Cloud, she felt her heart spin. He was spoiling her tits with affection, kissing and nibbling, dragging his lips across her hot flesh. But under all of the surging excitement she felt, latent worries of inadequacies remained. Just below the line of his teeth were the faint but ever-present remains of the scar from Sephiroth's sword, a tiny reminder of that day that Tifa still felt so confused and broken over. It was a stain on her already damaged self, and she loathed the idea of Cloud seeing it.
Once again, it was like Cloud could read her thoughts. He rose to his full height again, cupping her face in his hands as he leaned in close once more. His thigh was pressed right on her sex again, and when his knee slid forward, Tifa felt the pulse race up her clit and hit her brain like wildfire.
"Tifa, you're perfect," he reassured her again. "I can't believe you're mine. I promise… I'm going to take care of you."
Tifa was feeling dizzy. She was locked into a heady stare with Cloud's seafoam eyes again, but her throat was dry and tears were pinpricking the corners of her eyes. Pleasure had stagnated all across her senses, leaving her desperate for relief. She was wondering when exactly she had become his , while all the while knowing somehow, she had always been.
Her lip trembled when he kissed her again, hot and passionate and full of the possession he'd just mentioned. She wanted to cry when he pulled away from her, leather-bound hands sliding away from the heat in her cheeks. But she was speechless when Cloud dropped to his knees in front of her, pushing her legs slightly apart as he kissed down her tummy and then over the fullness of her womanhood.
Tifa stared at him through low-lidded eyes as his lips found her inner thighs, kissing up and down trails that left her shivering. Her back arched and her head tipped back into the door, her hair spilling over her shoulders in onyx slats. And then she was moaning, her entire body fully awakened when Cloud reached one hand under her ass and began to lightly pet her over her panties with three fingers.
The sharp bursts of pleasure were so bright that Tifa couldn't help the loud whines that escaped her throat, fingers finding his hair again and tightening. It was the first time Cloud had ever touched her there, the part of her body she hated to acknowledge but that she wanted so desperately for him to. And now he was lightly circling her aching clit, his mouth pressing airy, alternating kisses to both her thighs.
"Look at you," he rumbled at her, his eyes glowing faintly in the dimness of her room, filled to the brim with lust. Hearing the teasing edge behind his words only drove her wilder, and Tifa rolled her hips, the movement sending the hot contact of his fingers in a line over her seam. He smirked and pressed down on her clit, somehow knowing exactly where it was, and she keened.
"Cloud -"
"Shh," he scolded her, nipping lightly at her thigh. He kissed that spot and then his fingers deftly pulled her panties to the side, leaving the slick heat of her pink folds bared for his viewing.
"Fuck," he swore again, sending lightning bolts throughout her veins. "You're drenched, Tifa."
Tifa couldn't say anything, just huffed out the breath she'd been holding. One hand stayed in his hair, but the other came up to her mouth where she bit down on her knuckles hard in an effort to control herself. She had never let anyone see her like this before, not even close - no boy had ever so much as kissed her or even held her hand. In fact, Tifa had been shy about even exploring her own curiosity when it came to these things. She supposed growing up in a conservative village might do that to a young, motherless girl. She knew she was different from her friend Jessie, who often made Tifa blush with the nature of her conversations about sex.
But here she was, everything on display for Cloud, the boy she'd had a crush on when she was a kid and fell in love with when she was a teenager, the boy she hadn't been able to stop thinking lustful and sinful things about ever since she'd reunited with him again as a man.
And the look in his eyes was hungry. Dangerous .
He offered her a hint of a smile at her silence, and despite the wildness in his eyes, it was gentle. His fingers, still coated in leather, stroked slowly through her folds, pulling the long streams of wetness there with them. He circled her clit again, and Tifa hissed sharply and threw her head back so hard that she winced at the way her skull hit the door.
"You like that, don't you?" Cloud asked, his voice a roll of thunder.
Tifa didn't know what it was. Maybe it was that she wanted him so bad or maybe it was that he was touching her most sensitive spot for the first time, a spot that she needed to be touched to bring her some relief. Maybe it was that he was so gentle with her while also being demanding, a dichotomy that made her feverish with want. Maybe it was that he was still fully dressed while she was nearly naked, that he was stroking her in such a forbidden way, still wearing his gloves, leaving her to feel like such a naughty little slut.
His naughty little slut, Tifa thought when she felt his finger slide inside of her, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
She'd never been penetrated before, but the feeling of Cloud's finger pressing gently and then sliding back out, rubbing over her tender opening was almost too much. It was difficult to concentrate, but she tried to think of what she'd heard or read about the act of lovemaking. Was it supposed to feel this good? Was it supposed to be this fun? Was she supposed to feel like her entire body was burning away to cinder and ash, the heat suffocating but in a way that she would gladly put herself through over and over again?
She let that thought roll away when a new, blinding pleasure burst through her, Cloud's soft but firm tongue hot on her clit. Tifa gasped and cried out, not expecting him to do such a thing and completely stunned by the sensation. He smirked below the fullness of her pussy and then pressed his lips against her nub, kissing her tenderly and making her knees grow so weak that he had to steady her with one hand on her hip.
"Cloud, what are you-"
He silenced her by dragging the hot, wet, flat of his tongue over her clit in long, up-and-down swipes, and Tifa bit into her knuckles again, moaning vividly, her cheeks bright as she heard the sounds coming out of her own throat. But despite the way that she shivered and whimpered, Cloud was merciless. He lapped at her, his tongue rolling circles while his long and slender finger slowly slid back and forth inside of her. And then he began to suck gently on her clit, Tifa feeling fresh tears burn as she moaned and begged, so close to the edge of release.
When she was close to finding it, Cloud stopped, pulling away and getting back to his feet in front of her. Tifa gasped again, finding herself plateauing in a way that felt almost cruel. Cloud was quickly hovering above her, and before she could protest, he was leaning in and kissing her hotly again.
"See?" he breathed when he broke the kiss. "You taste so good."
Tifa could only blink, tasting herself on her tongue, blended with the heat of his saliva. He smiled at her, but it wasn't devilish or even goading. It was playful and sweet, and the sight of it had her smiling too.
Any anxieties or doubts she may have held over what was happening here evaporated. Cloud may be dangerous, but he was hers, and she could trust him.
"Cloud," she panted, shaking her head back and forth. "I need-"
"I know, baby," he interrupted her, his hands sliding all over her body again, rubbing and squeezing every hill and valley and curve. "I need you you too. I want to make love to you so bad, Tifa. I need to be inside of you. Can I?"
"Yes," she answered breathlessly, not even thinking about it. What was there to think about? She was desperate to come for Cloud Strife, had wanted to fuck him for the last week and now she had her chance. It would take an act of the goddess to stop her.
Cloud smirked again before he kissed her, then backed away a few steps, making a show of finally pulling off his excess armor. He got rid of the pauldron first, followed by the harness and finally those iron bracers that Tifa always found so jagged and painful. She smiled when he discarded his gloves, finally revealing hands that were graceful and smooth and beautiful, her first time seeing them since they'd separated as teenagers. He worked haphazardly, dumping everything to the floor and out of his way. He stripped out of his sweater, pulling it over his head with one hand and leaving her with a very appreciated view of his well-defined torso.
Tifa was licking her lips and salivating over the sight of his sculpted body when he kicked out of his boots and pants, finally matching her state of undress. He quickly crossed the space between them, pulling her in close, away from the door. His arm around her waist, he backed up to the edge of the bed, bringing her with him as he sat down and positioned her between his knees.
"You ever done this before?" he asked her softly, looking up at her, his hand rubbing up and down her waist, his thumb pressing gently into her tummy. The sensation of his warm palm on her skin was devastating.
"No," she admitted quietly, not sure if he would appreciate this fact or if he would think her inexperienced and useless. "I've… never even kissed anyone."
Cloud was smiling again, but there was something very satisfied in the look on his face. It was almost like pride. Tifa considered the implications of that, but they were almost too good to be true.
His cheeks were quickly red though, and he was suddenly avoiding eye contact with her again, the way he did whenever she managed to ask him a question that made him uncomfortable. But she hadn't even said anything.
"Me either," he finally confessed, his voice small.
Tifa was strangely relieved by this. She found it odd, considering how confidently Cloud handled her body. He hadn't hesitated in jumping out off that train with her or catching her in his arms when she'd fallen from that skyscraper climbing up to Sector Zero. And he certainly wasn't struggling tonight. SOLDIERS, she knew, were hot commodities among women. But it didn't matter, she knew. The only thing that mattered to Tifa was that he belonged to her and her alone. She knew Cloud would never lie to her about something like that.
Gently, she reached down and stroked his cheek, brushing the long spikes of golden bangs that fell from his forehead away from his eyes.
"Good," she cooed.
This had Cloud's cheeks glowing even more, but his eyes returned to hers and he was wearing that simper again. Without missing a beat, his hands slid down her waist and pulled on her panties, lowering them to her ankles until she was stepping out of them.
"There's a lot I want to do to you tonight, Tifa," Cloud groaned, leaning forward to press kisses up and down her tummy. He backed away, looking back up at her. "I'll fuck you until you're too tired to speak, if you'll let me."
"Please," Tifa begged.
Why did she answer that so quickly?
Cloud nodded with that dorky smile again, then pushed her legs apart, bringing her to sit in his lap. "I don't want to hurt you, so just let's start like this, okay? Just follow my lead."
Gladly , Tifa thought, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Cloud reached into his boxers, pulling his cock out and holding it between their bodies. It was thick and long, leaking with pale white precum at the tip. Tifa had never seen a man's dick before in the flesh, and she had never imagined anything to look so simultaneously beautiful and imposing.
Her mouth dropped open.
Cloud was blushing again at her reaction, but he tried to hide it by nuzzling her breasts. She gasped when she felt the tip of him sliding between her folds, brushing over her swollen clit and swirling in her wetness.
"Don't worry about anything but getting used to me being inside of you," Cloud whispered into the line of her cleavage, her nipples tingling as they brushed against his warm, muscular skin. "I'm doing all the work tonight."
Tifa wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but she liked the sound of it. She closed her eyes and threw herself into the haze of Cloud Strife touching and kissing her, his cock slowly sliding into her soaked and waiting heat.
Cloud slid between her seam and passed her entrance, his tip filling her first. She winced at the initial stretch, and he pulled down on her hip, encouraging her to sink onto him. Cloud was big, and the closer that they pressed together, the more that he filled her. Tifa braced herself for pain, but it was more like the stretch her muscles felt after an intense workout - satisfying and rewarding but punishing at first.
The tiny beams of pleasure that flooded her body after every sharp surge of pain or discomfort was worth it. Cloud was inside of her, his body connected with hers in a way that Tifa had only dreamt of. He pulled down sharply on her hips and thrust upwards, burying himself to the hilt and centering her firmly over him, and Tifa couldn't stop the urge to clench her walls on him, earning a sharp gasp from his throat.
Cloud was harder than anything Tifa could have imagined, but he was also silky and smooth inside of her, and her pussy fluttered wantonly over him. She felt those wild, dirty urges return to her, leaving her feeling open and submissive to him, as if she would do any filthy thing that he asked.
Maybe she would, she thought, hissing lightly at the slight pain she felt when her desperate hips round a circle over his lap, dragging the tip of his heavy cock across a spot inside of her that brought searing pleasure and that Tifa had no idea even existed.
"You okay?" Cloud asked her softly.
Hadn't she heard him say that to her before? It seemed like he had, maybe a thousand times. These circumstances were different. Oh, so very different, and she would kill to hear him say those words over and over again.
"Y-yeah," she managed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She was too embarrassed by her body's reactions to even look at him.
Cloud was trembling with the desire to thrust wickedly up into her or to bounce her nastily on his cock, but he resisted, guiding her hips in a slow, circular grind. It helped open her up to him, the lingering, smarting pain of their first coupling fading away into a hazy bliss. Tifa's thighs widened as she tried to take more and more of him, the need for all of his fullness overwhelming her better senses. Cloud cradled her to him and kept moving her hips in the same rhythm, sliding his hand between their bodies.
"I want you to come on my cock, Tifa," Cloud whispered, kissing back up to her throat, his fingers finding her clit. This time, without his gloves, the sensation was different but so so good that Tifa bit her lip until she tasted blood. The pads of his fingers were warm, and there was so much quiet strength in the power of his hand that she dug her nails into the skin of his back.
"Cloud… Cloud, ohh…"
He brushed against the stiff nub, drawing circles, still working her hips through a lazy rotation. She was soaking wet by now, and the torrent seemed ceaseless. She was so wet that every twirl of Cloud's fingers over her clit produced the slick sounds of sex, Tifa blushing as she threw herself into an endless sea of pleasure.
Cloud controlled himself as best he could, but Tifa could feel the way that he strained and twitched inside of her, just as desperate for relief as she was. But he held back and let her have it, her hips twirling and her pussy clenching desperately as he rubbed her clit with increasing pressure until she finally burst.
She came hard with a shudder, vicing her thighs against his. She could feel the leak of fluids slide out of her, and Cloud pushed his hips upward, making sure he slid his cock against that spot inside of her again. It blinded her with a final surge of pleasure, and Tifa cried out as her orgasm rocked her, biting into Cloud's shoulder.
She'd never experienced anything like that before, bright colors clouding her vision as she tumbled through what seemed like endless bliss. She was slack against him, but Cloud's body was still tense, his muscles twitching as he got to his feet and lifted her with him.
"Nah, Tifa," he growled, his chest vibrating with his words. "We're not done yet, baby."
Tifa's brain was just beginning to clear when she found herself on her back in the center of the bed, Cloud hovering above her, his arm around her waist and holding her carefully and tightly as he lowered her. He was still inside of her, still as hard as a beam of mythril, the blended scents of their sweat and her musk hazing the air.
" Now I think you're ready for me to fuck you," Cloud bragged with the unrestrained excitement of a teenage boy.
Tifa might have laughed at his enthusiasm, but he left her no time. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips, their tongues tangling together before he nipped hard at her bottom lip, already sore from her own teeth. He pushed her left thigh back, her ankle resting on his shoulder while he wrapped her other leg around his waist.
Tifa parted her lips when Cloud broke their kiss, and a cry escaped when he began to move his length inside of her again. He was thrusting deep in this new position, and holding her waist with both hands for leverage, Tifa could do nothing but throw her head back into the pillow and take it. Her moans were throaty and deep, sounds escaping that she didn't even know she was capable of making.
Her hands could only reach his thighs, and so that is where her nails left their marks this time as Cloud bottomed out inside of her with every long, agonizing stroke. He took his time at first, building a slow but steady rhythm, staring down at her with intense cobalt eyes and making sure the thickness of his cock stroked her walls as he went. Tifa was incredibly grateful that he'd broken her in on his lap the way that he had, because she was certain there'd be no way she could handle this type of fucking in the beginning.
But now she was getting used to him and it felt so, so good that she was doing everything in her power to spread her legs as far open as they would go. Sensing her struggle, Cloud lifted one hand to push her thigh back even further, and Tifa yelped and whined when she felt Cloud brush against that spot inside of her again.
Fuck, why did that feel so good?
Her moans grew insatiable, and sweat was dripping down Cloud's forehead as he picked up the speed of his thrusts. He was deep in concentration, his hips snapping back and forth, the sounds of their bodies joining absolutely sinful as he drove into her.
"Cloud, ohh… Cloud, please I -"
She was close to coming again, and just when she thought she was going to fall over the cliff, Cloud paused just long enough to grab her arms with both hands. He pulled her upright and kissed her hard, his fingers tangling into her hair when he grabbed the back of her throat.
"Turn around," he commanded.
Tifa was lightheaded and dazed, the wisps of her orgasm just out of reach. She would do anything he said, even if she wasn't exactly sure where this was headed. That was how much she needed him.
That was how much she trusted him.
She did as he asked, glancing back at him for approval when she got to her knees. Cloud's eyes were low-lidded and feral, his lips parted as he nodded but then leaned forward and gently raised each of her hands to the headboard.
"Hold this," he told her. "And don't move, okay?"
Tifa didn't understand how he could be so demanding and yet so soft at the same time, but the combination melted her. She nodded obediently, gripping the wood in hand and carefully parting her thighs as she waited.
Cloud centered himself behind her, hands on her hips and rubbing up and down her spine. He leaned in, kissing her shoulders and her upper back, brushing her thick curtain of hair away and igniting fresh waves of gooseflesh over her skin. He reached down again and squeezed her ass, giving it a few playful pats and spanks that had her looking over her shoulder at him with surprise.
"It's okay," he reassured her. "If it's too much, baby, just tell me, okay? I'd never hurt you."
Tifa nodded, then turned away, her heart racing in her chest. She closed her eyes in anticipation, just as she felt the hot pads of Cloud's fingers rubbing and tapping at her clit again. Flames riding her nerves, Tifa began to moan, her back arching as she did everything in her power to give him better access to her swollen pussy.
Cloud played in her wetness for a few moments longer, her clit swollen and her insides desperate to be filled when she felt his length at her opening again. She couldn't stop the needy whines that raked their way out of her throat when he slid inside of her, and Cloud grunted and groaned, slowly filling her all the way up from behind.
He sat still inside of her for a moment, pressing down on the center of her back, arching it. Once again, Tifa was floored by the way that Cloud effortlessly steered her body under his touch. It was only their first time sharing such intimacies, but it was as if he'd been making love to her for a lifetime.
Cloud gripped her hips under his hands, then started to rock inside of her. In this position and at this angle, he was right on that spot inside of her, and Tifa finally discovered why it was so dangerous. The broken orgasm he'd left her hanging over earlier began to build again as he pumped inside of her, pulling all the way out before plunging right back in as far as he could go. He moved swiftly and punishingly, holding her hips still and not allowing her any room to move around as he tore against that spot that had tears finally spilling out of her eyes.
"Cloud," Tifa sobbed. "Cloud, Cloud, Cloud Clouuddd …"
She came with a shout, her body falling slack as she buried her face into the pillow in an effort to stifle her sounds. It was a futile effort. Cloud was still fucking her even though her pussy was pulsing and clenching with her orgasm, her bones turning to jelly.
The pleasure was so desperately blinding that Tifa lost sense of time and place, and could only feel the connection of his body to hers. This was what she had wanted so badly for so long, she knew. To be his completely, to belong to him, to give herself to him in any way that he would take her.
Maybe Cloud wasn't the dangerous one.
Maybe she was.
Her climax faded into hazy white, leaving her in an oasis of ecstasy. But Cloud was still hard and still pumping, and Tifa looked over her shoulder at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was too incoherent to speak, so she pleaded with him with her eyes.
Cloud understood immediately, his hips slowing and his expression softening. Right away, he leaned over her, his muscular arms wrapping around her as he shifted her to her side, laying behind her. Their bodies were still connected, Cloud buried deep inside of her, a sticky wet mess holding them together and staining the sheets. Tifa could only imagine what the proprietor of this inn would think the next day.
Spooning her, Cloud held her tight. Tifa was reminded of the way he held her in the garden, only this was different - it was sensual, not about comfort and connection, but about passion. About need.
Desire. Belonging.
Belonging to each other.
He peppered her face and the back of her neck with soft kisses, gently lifting her leg with one hand so that he could slowly stroke back and forth inside of her. This position was softer, far more romantic and loving than the wild way that he'd just taken her against the headboard. Tifa wasn't sure she could handle the easy way that Cloud could transition in his approaches to fucking her senseless, but she was happy to take all of it for the rest of her life.
Her nipples hard and her walls fluttering around his cock, Tifa reached behind her for the back of Cloud's head, gripping his hair and pulling him in for a hot kiss. Their lips remained sealed together as he rocked inside of her, quietly sending her another blissful releases as they moaned into one another's mouths. Cloud finally came messily inside of her, his hot spend leaking in a thick white trail down her thigh as he held her leg up and stared.
By now, Tifa could hardly keep her eyes open. Cloud lowered her leg finally, then reached for the covers, askew from all of their lovemaking. He pulled it over them, then wrapped his arm around her, holding her tummy and threading his leg between hers as he squeezed her tight.
Tifa wanted to say something, but she was drifting off, bright but welcoming soreness blooming all over her body. Her muscles hurt and now that her pussy was empty, she realized how much he'd worked it out. She smiled as she drifted off, loving every second of it.
"Tifa?"
The soft call of her name pulled her away from the threads of sleep. She opened her eyes again, her heart picking up speed at the sound of his voice. She turned slightly, looking up to find him hovering over her.
"Hm?"
"I… I'm really glad to have you by my side," he told her. "I could never do this without you. The others… they all have their battles to fight, but you - you're here with me. I need you here with me."
So much said without anything being said at all.
"Cloud -"
He raised a finger to her lips, silencing her with a toss of his head. "It's okay, Tifa. I just want you to know that I'm here with you, too. I promise ."
That rim of mako in his eyes was so faint that Tifa almost couldn't see it. All she could see were the eyes of Cloud Strife, the boy she'd fallen in love with on a forgotten water tower, the boy who she would give anything and every to.
No matter how strange things were or how broken or confusing or mismatched their memories were, having him was the only thing that mattered.
So maybe Cloud was dangerous. Maybe she was dangerous, too. Maybe they both were.
Dangerously in love.