Gesture of Love
It was past midday when Cloud turned around the corner and came to a halt inside the garage of the 7th Heaven. Turning off the engine, he took off his riding shades, got off the bike and headed towards the bar. The lunch rush had already come and gone so the bar was empty aside from Tifa and a set of crates that weren't there this morning, filled with all sorts of bottles. Business definitely had picked up again, which was good because they could always use more money in a household with two kids. But he would be lying if he said that he didn't have some choice words he wanted to share with the patrons that decided to stay away, just because the owner was kind enough to take care of a sick young boy.
"Cloud," Tifa greeted him, a smile on her lips. She was currently drying her hands with a towel as he walked over to the bar door, turned the sign on the outside so that it read 'Closed' and shut the door. "Thanks, I was kinda busy here."
"Already done with your deliveries?" she asked after he had crossed the distance between them, walking behind the bar to join her. He spotted the stacks of freshly cleaned dishes sorted in an orderly manner next to her and a few more still in the sink.
"No, I've got a few more to make but I figured eating lunch here for once would be nice and...you know." he cleared his throat as he saw her smile widen. "Anyway I should be back by dinner."
"Good, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that."
"Mhm."
Silence set in between them, but it was a pleasant one and Cloud found himself staring at Tifa, feeling not unlike the boy with a crush that he had been in Nibelheim.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, he thought. He noticed that some of her hair had come loose during her work and, feeling especially brave today, Cloud reached out and brushed it behind her ear.
He saw her eyes widen and he was about to pull his hand back when Tifa gently placed hers on top of it, moving it from behind her ear to her cheek and gently nuzzling it.
"Of course, I'm also happy to hear that," she said in a much quieter voice. Cloud's heart thumped in his chest like he had just come back from a marathon and he was sure he was blushing like a fool from the way his face was heating up. He wanted to say so much right now. That he was an idiot for having shut her out in the first place, that he loved her. But not riding on the high of the whole deal with Kadaj and his 'siblings' anymore, words seemed to elude him again. So he went with what he was more confident with: physical affection.
Thankfully Tifa didn't seem to mind and he was about to pull her closer into a hug when he heard a pair of feet rushing down from the living area. Now it was Tifa's turn to flush a bright red as she released his hand and put a little space between them, turning towards the sink to finish the last few dishes. Cloud felt his face split into a small grin. At least he wasn't the only one.
He turned around just in time to see Marlene round the corner and found himself unconsciously kneeling down to be on eye level with her.
"Cloud!" she hugged him, clearly excited to see him this early. "Are you done working?"
"Sorry, only here to grab a quick bite, but as I was just telling Tifa, I'll be home on time tonight." he took a quick look around. "Is Denzel out?"
"He's playing with one of his new friends. I think you've seen her around, that girl with the moogle doll?" Tifa chimed in from the sink. Cloud nodded. Yeah he knew her, from the church. He sometimes passed by her since she lived in the nearby orphanage that Reeve had opened a couple of weeks ago on Tifa's suggestion.
Marlene leaned towards him, a conspiratorial smile on her face. "I think he likes her, but don't tell him I said that!"
Cloud chuckled. "I see. Your secret's safe with us, right?"
"What secret?" Tifa asked and he knew that she was grinning just by the tone of her voice.
"See?" that earned him a giggle from Marlene, making his heart swell with affection. He was glad that that these moments were back.
"Marlene, why don't you take Cloud and keep him company while he's eating, I've still got some work to do?" Tifa asked the little girl, drying her hands again and stepping closer to them.
"Sure! Come on, Cloud." Marlene grabbed his hand and started to pull him in the direction of their living area.
"You sure don't need some help?" he asked, pointing towards the crates.
"Absolutely. Now off you go. The food should still be warm," she said and affectionately brushed her shoulder against his as she passed the two of them. As Cloud was led away by Marlene he watched as Tifa piled a few of the crates on one another and shook his head as she lifted them up like it was nothing.
It amazed him how strong Tifa was. Sure he was plenty strong himself, but most of his enhanced strength came from the experiments done to him while Tifa's was entirely trained and even after their adventure was over she hadn't stopped her training, even if it hadn't been as intensive as it used to be. At least until the Remnants. Ever since then, Tifa had intensified her training again, all the more to protect their little family. Hopefully she didn't break the training dummy, it had taken quite some time to find one that survived a single one of her training sessions.
"Dainty as a flower, but built like a brick shithouse," Cid had once said to describe her and aside from the foul language Cloud agreed with the older man's assessment. She was also the reason the bar never had been in any need of a bouncer. Don't start any shit in 7th Heaven was a much an unwritten rule here as it had been years ago in the slums of Sector 7.
Letting himself be led by Marlene, he sat down at their small dining table and he watched the girl all but bounce around while serving him his food.
"Thanks," he said with a grateful smile before taking a bite. Most of the time Cloud would eat on the road, either in some roadside diner or some breakfast leftovers he had taken with him, so eating Tifa's homemade cooking while it was still warm was sort of a rare treat to him and as he savored the taste, he was seriously considering taking more breaks if his deliveries so permitted. It definitely would be good for their little family.
Marlene sat down on the opposite side of the table, watching him while he was eating and resting her face on her left hand as she dangled her legs underneath the table in an even rhythm.
"So are you and Tifa back together again?" she asked after a few more moments of silence, making Cloud stop his fork halfway away from his mouth.
Looking at her for a moment he put the fork into his mouth, before nodding. "Mhm."
"So why do you still sleep in your office?" she asked in that blunt way only a kid could do.
That was a good question. It just felt wrong to simply join her like nothing had happened. He needed to feel that he had earned the right to sleep by her side again.
After the 'talk' Barret had with him, he had resolved to put even more effort into mending their relationship, and they had taken great strides, but there were still some things he hadn't dared to do.
"It's not that easy. I don't want to complicate things," he told her. A frown formed on the girl's face, tilting her head to the side.
"Just tell her you love her, isn't that what this is all about?" she shook her head, making the pink bow holding her braid in place bounce a little.
He placed his fork onto the plate and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Was it really that simple?
As he was wondering about that, his mind went back to a conversation he had with Tifa, way back when he had first started to grow distant from her.
"Do you love Marlene?" Tifa's question rang through his mind. He had been half asleep at the time, but there was something about it that bothered him, like he was missing a vital piece. She had asked him another question before that. He was sure of that, it had woken him in the first place.
But was it?
The realization hit him like a stampeding herd of Chocobo as the fog over his memory started to clear.
"Do you love me?"
He exhaled sharply through his nose. He was an idiot wasn't he?
If only he had let her in, maybe they could have avoided a lot of pain and heartache. But he wasn't too late, he would make up for it, just like he promised her to. He just had to do even better now.
"Cloud?" Marlene's voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
He shook his head and, with a smile, placed his hand on her head. As always, Marlene was wise beyond her years and he was once more grateful that this amazing girl had entered his life in such an unexpected way 2 years ago. "I'm fine. I just realized that you're right."
And he already had an idea what he would do.
It was evening when he returned. The bar had closed early today, which didn't surprise him much since, aside from some very crazy days, they mostly had only a few regulars that would come by during work days to get a drink or two to relax, before heading home themselves. It certainly helped Cloud and Tifa make time for the kids.
Making sure the door was locked, he walked up into the living area. "I'm home."
"Welcome home," Tifa greeted him as the kids rushed towards him.
"Wow, watch it! I'm all dusty," he said to Marlene and Denzel before they could hug him. "Just let me wash up first, and then you two can help me work out my routes for tomorrow."
"Alright!" Denzel and Marlene said in unison, then went back to what they were doing before he arrived.
He walked up to Tifa, absentmindedly brushing his hand over his pocket to make sure the gift he had gotten her was still there.
"There's a fresh set of clothes in your office, so don't let me stop you from a hot shower," she said with a wink, before gently pushing him towards the hallway. Entering his office, he pushed his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a single yellow flower. After having finished his last delivery, Cloud had taken a bit of a detour to pick this one up from the church. Tifa had always loved Aerith's flowers and a smile crept onto his face as he remembered when he had first given her one back in the original 7th Heaven, acting like it had been nothing. But to her it had been special, he could tell now.
After a quick shower, Cloud changed into his new clothes and pocketed the flower again for later, glad that they really were as robust as Aerith had described them as. They survived his ass dropping on them after all. As promised, the next hour was spent with the kids helping him work on his delivery routes. They weren't necessarily the most effective routes, and he would undoubtedly fix some of them on the fly later, but as long as the kids were having fun that was the most important thing.
With the routes complete he spent the rest of the evening listening to Marlene and Denzel recount events from their day while exchanging smiles with Tifa as they ate dinner. Soon it was time for the kids to go to bed. Cloud lingered at the door as Tifa tucked them in, planting a kiss on each of their foreheads before joining him at the door.
"Good night," the kids said to them.
"Sleep well," he said and shut the light off, then closed the door as Tifa and him left the room. Tifa was making her way to their bedroom, but Cloud placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before she could get even halfway there.
"Hm?" Tifa turned around to look at him with questioning eyes. As she opened her mouth to ask if something was the matter he stopped her by placing a finger on her lips, then slowly pulled out the flower that was hidden away inside his pocket, holding it out to her. Her eyes widened as they flickered from the flower towards his eyes and back again. Gingerly she reached out and took it from him, her fingers brushing against his in a ghost of a touch.
"Cloud, I—" she licked her lips, pink staining her face, holding the flower close to her. "Thank you. But this wasn't really necessary, you know?"
He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like the little boy from Nibelheim that never managed to talk with his crush. But the couldn't be that boy anymore. He had to be the man she deserved, the man that would make her and their family happy. "It was. And I've realized something, that I should've said a long time ago. Maybe it could've prevented us from drifting apart, maybe not, but I still should've done so."
He looked into her eyes, placing his left hand on the small of her back to pull her closer. When she didn't resist he lowered his head so that their foreheads were touching. He felt a rush of excitement when Tifa's free hand brushed against his chest. For all his nervousness his next words came surprisingly easy. "I know you've always said that words aren't the only way to tell someone what you're thinking, but I need to say it. I love you. Always have since we were kids and that never changed, even on my worst days."
"Cloud..." Tifa closed her eyes, a stray tear running down her cheek as the most beautiful smile he had ever seen formed on her lips. "I love you too."
Their faces inched closer, lips only a hair's breadth away, when a giggle from behind made them stop. Untangling from one another, Cloud whirled around to see the door to the kid's bedroom ajar with Marlene and Denzel watching them through the gap.
"Don't pay us any mind. Go on," Marlene said through her giggles while Denzel just stood there with curiosity in his eyes since he had never seen the both of them this affectionate before. Cloud had to hand it to them, the kids were getting sly.
But Tifa wouldn't have any of that. Placing a hand on her hip, she narrowed her eyes and walked towards the kids, Mom Mode activated. "You better return to your bed right this instant or we're going to have a serious talk!"
Feeling that he owed Marlene for earlier, and partially because he really wanted to kiss Tifa, he reached out towards her, spun her around—
"What are y—"
—and captured her lips with his own, gently cupping her cheek. She only struggled for a second at most before she sighed into the kiss and her eyes fluttered closed. Pressing herself closer to him, she didn't pay any attention to Denzel and Marlene anymore, the latter clapping in delight at the display.
Looking over to the kids, Cloud gave them a look that told them it was now their chance to scram, before turning his full attention back to Tifa. It wasn't a particularly passionate or deep kiss, but it was enough to make his entire body tingle and from the way she held onto him it must be having the same effect on her.
He didn't know how long they had remained like this, but when they slowly and reluctantly separated, sure enough, the door to Denzel and Marlene's room was closed.
"They're gonna get an earful tomorrow," Tifa promised as she hugged Cloud, burying her face into the crook of his neck, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine as her breath tickled his skin.
"Mhm, go a bit easy on them, they didn't mean any harm by it."
"I'll think about it."
Silence had once again set in between them, but Cloud felt that right here, right now, everything had fallen into place. Slowly Tifa pulled away from him, taking hold of one of his hands, while the other still clasped the flower.
"Come on," she said, lacing their fingers as she pulled him along with her towards her – no – their bedroom. "Let's go to bed."
*POMF* "What are we going to do on the bed, Tifa?"
OK, Real talk: While there's a battle going on in the entire fandom who is Best Girl people seem to forget that Marlene is the true Best Girl. She's a precious cinnamon roll and a smart cookie at the same time.
Also Cloud's a dweeb and shit with words and while Tifa is always quoted her schtick with no words being needed I think sometimes she'd still like to hear those words, so I made Cloud man the fuck up and just say it. Did I mention I gave myself a pat on the back for this?