Back from the dead. Sorry for the delay, but I've come bearing gifts!
Girl's Day Out
The tinging of an electric bell pervaded the air as Tifa stepped over the threshold, but she didn't pay it much mind, her eyes instead wandering over the insides of the large store. Everywhere she looked were racks filled with clothes; like an ocean of fabric of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
A cheerful voice greeted her, making her jump a little in surprise when only a few steps away from her, a young woman around her age bowed her head.
Did she just appear out of thin air?
"Welcome to Lakshmi's Grace, where every lady will find something to her liking," the attendant said, her head still lowered in that tell-tale way that told Tifa she was dealing with someone from Wutai. "What can I do for you?"
"I—um—you see..." Tifa trailed off. Why the hell was she even here?
"Oh come on!" Yuffie exclaimed from behind and pushed past her to address the attendant directly. "My friend here needs some new digs."
Ah yes, Tifa thought dryly. There's the reason.
It had been a few days after Cloud and she had revealed that they were expecting twins, and things had returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be when their friends were around.
One after another they had departed, with Barret having been the only one to stay behind to spend more time with Marlene.
That was until today when, just after she had taken her now almost daily midday nap, a certain someone had barged into the bar.
"Put that glass down and close the store for the day!" Yuffie had practically demanded after the door had slammed shut.
"Why?" she had asked right back with a frown.
"Becauseeeeeeee." She all but hopped onto one of the stools in front of the bar counter. "We're going shopping! I've heard of this amazing place in Junon. Now, come on! Chop chop!"
Tifa liked to think she got along with people. Back when she was a little girl she didn't have a lack of friends and the adults all liked her. Of course, there was a certain boy that had always kept his distance, but that was a whole different issue.
Years later, when she lived in Midgar, she could probably count the people she disliked personally, and vice versa, on one hand, despite occasionally having to get a little rough with some of her rowdier patrons.
It was an ability that served her well over the years, but one she sometimes also found to be a burden. Especially when it came to a certain materia seeking, hyperactive ninja girl.
Their group had gone through a lot. Happy and sad memories alike had forged bonds that were almost impossible to break, and despite Yuffie having been a serious pain in the ass in the past, she was still her friend.
Which was why, despite her better judgment, she said yes.
"Eh?!" the store attendant's head snapped up at Yuffie's words and her eyes widened in surprise. "Yuffie-hime?!"
Yuffie instantly groaned at the honorific added to her name.
"Oh my, do you two know each other?" another voice joined the conversion and Shera stepped next to her.
That Shera had already agreed to this little outing before Yuffie even deigned to notify Tifa might have played a little part in her saying yes to all of this.
Turning her gaze away from the slightly embarrassed Yuffie, the Wutaian woman looked at Shera, the surprised look on her face giving way to that friendly smile once again.
"Not personally, no. But it's hard not to know Yuffie-hime if you're from Wutai. It also just so happened I was visiting my parents two years ago and saw her a few times from a distance."
Tifa had to wonder if that was during their chase of the materia thief or after, but before she could give voice to those thoughts Yuffie spoke up.
"Can we just stop with the 'Hime'? Yeah, my father is Wutai's big boss. So what?!" she ran a hand over her face then pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling and exhaling a few times before continuing. "Could we get to the part where you're going to shows us some outfits?"
"Certainly." The woman gave another bow, causing Yuffie to roll her eyes and making Tifa giggle at the sight. "So what would you like? We've just received some new items following the latest trends."
"Uhm, we're kinda looking for something a little...larger?" Tifa said.
"Larger?"
"What our friend here means," Shera said. "We're looking for maternity clothes. We heard this store also provides in that area?"
"Oh, congratulations! Yes, we have a wide variety of maternity wear. Please follow me."
As the three of them followed past racks of clothes and other customers, Tifa felt a calming hand come to rest on her shoulder.
"You okay?" Shera asked her.
Tifa exhaled through her nose and nodded. "Yeah. Just, you know, not used to all this."
"I understand. This is new for all of us after all. But there's nothing special about this, it's just clothes."
"I know. You're right." Tifa sent her a small smile. "Let's see what they've got."
"That's the spirit." With a smile of her own, Shera removed her hand, just in time for them to arrive at the desired section of the store.
"Here we are. Please have a look around, and if you have any questions feel free to ask," the attendant told them, before leaving the three to peruse to their hearts content.
"This is actually a lot more than I was expecting," Tifa said and picked out a rather pretty looking dress that was way too wide for her right now. "I mean I read that maternity fashion magazine the other day, but it's still pretty overwhelming. I don't even know where to start."
She put the dress back and pulled out another, holding it against her torso and turning towards Shera. "Almost feels a bit like a waste to only wear it when pregnant, doesn't it?"
"Hmm..." the older woman opened her mouth to respond when the youngest of their little crew made her pause.
"Hoooooooooly crap. This thing is huge." Tifa whirled around to see Yuffie holding a bright green muumuu, patterned in flowers of multiple colors that clashed horribly with one another. Just looking at it made all of her senses feel offended. "You could make a tent out of this!"
That would be one ugly tent! Feeling a headache forming just under her forehead from looking, Tifa shook her head and turned her gaze away. "I'm not getting one of those!"
"Luckily we've got a lot of options here," Shera said while Yuffie just laughed in her weird little way and put the ugly thing away. The former rocket scientist let her eyes wander over the racks, adjusting her glasses a little. "How about something more practical?"
"Practical?"
"Yes." Shera grabbed a plain black T-shirt from a stack lying nearby and held it out in front of her. "Simple, comfortable and you can still use them after the fact as a nightgown."
"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," Tifa replied, placing the nice-looking dress back where it hung before taking the shirt from the older woman, holding it against herself. The concept wasn't exactly foreign; sometimes she used one of Cloud's many shirts as sleepwear, especially when he was spending the night away from home.
She gave a little nod. "Looks good."
Shera's lips curled into a smile and she started to grab a few more of them, placing them into one of the shopping baskets spread out through the store. Tifa watched the other woman for a moment as she walked around before her eyes fell back onto the dresses.
A particular one caught her attention and her hand almost moved on its own to pull it off of the rack. It was a greenish-blue color, with white highlights, no sleeves, and ending just past her knees; very reminiscent of one of the dresses she had owned when she was younger.
Had that already been 9 years now? Where did the time go?
And now that adolescent girl who met her secret crush way back when was a woman, foster mother of two and another two growing inside of her. It was a bittersweet feeling.
Tifa held the dress in front of herself and looked around for a mirror nearby. When she found one, she stepped in front of it and gave herself a once over.
She turned a little, imagining in her mind's eye how she might look in it, her belly swollen as their babies grew. She...liked it.
"That's a very pretty dress," Shera commented from the side, stepping next to her. "Do you want it?"
Tifa knew that getting it was a bit of a waste, but the part of her that was still the little girl from Nibelheim urged her to get it. Biting her lip, she nodded.
"Good." Shera smiled again. "And just so you know, it's not a waste to buy dresses like these. You can always have them altered afterwards."
"And who knows, you might get knocked up again sooner than you think," Yuffie chimed in, joining the two of them in front of the mirror. Grinning widely, she leaned down towards Tifa's stomach. "Mommy and Daddy love each other a lot, ya see."
"Yuffie!" Tifa swatted at her, but couldn't suppress the giggle escaping her.
"What? Just telling the truth." The younger woman shrugged and bounced away to a different part of the maternity section.
"She certainly is more energetic than usual," Shera said.
"Is that even possible?" Tifa asked right back and the two women shared a little laugh.
Adding the dress to their collection of articles, the two went and picked out two more dresses that were to Tifa's liking, then went to look for some legwear.
"I think some leggings would do, especially if they're made of a stretchy material like spandex," Shera said as they walked past some nice looking jeans. "We don't know how, well, large you're going to be, so something that'll grow with you seems like a smart choice."
Tifa felt her hand place itself on her stomach. It was still not overly visible, but some of her more tight-fitting pants were already causing some troubles, and with twins she was bound to grow even bigger. Yeah, comfortable and stretchy sounded real nice.
"Speaking of large, check out these over the shoulder boulder holders!" Yuffie all but shouted and jumped in front of them, holding a simple, white bra with seamless cups and wide straps. All in all nothing too weird...
"Yuffie..."
...aside from dwarfing even her, admittedly, very generous breasts.
"What?!" The younger girl frowned, planting both of her hands on her hips, which made the bra flap around like a falling bird. "Yours are already huge. They're probably gonna become ginormous!"
The hand that had been resting on her stomach moving to cover her face, wincing as the mental image that Yuffie's words created formed fully inside her mind; breasts having grown to cartoonish size to rival her swollen belly.
That wouldn't really happen, right? she asked herself, but obviously no answer came.
Right?
Thankfully, Tifa felt herself being saved from that outlandish fantasy by the store attendant's voice joining in.
"You're correct that getting a maternity bra is very important," she said, once more appearing almost out of thin air. "But it's also important to get one that fits properly, so it's better to wait until you're starting to outgrow your regular one."
With a polite smile, she managed to pry the bra from Yuffie's grip and put it back into place, before turning towards Tifa. "We can then take your measurements and pick the right size for you. But you should probably befriend the thought that you're going to outgrow your first one."
"Oh. Great..." Tifa replied dryly, causing Yuffie to snicker. This was like puberty all over again.
"Look at it this way, I'm sure Spike's gonna love it."
She frowned at the mention of Cloud's name. "You know, he actually promised to take me out shopping for this, but here I am with you guys. I can't help but feel guilty."
"Pfft, like he has any idea about women's clothes," Yuffie said, waving her hand dismissively. Tifa had to fight to keep a straight face; if only she knew...
After the attendant left once more, Shera and she picked out a few nice stretchy leggings to add to their growing pile of clothes. After that, they picked a few tops that had caught Tifa's attention, before pausing to take stock.
"Hmm, I think that should suffice for now," the older woman said. "We can always get more later if the need arises."
"Okay." Tifa nodded, the corners of her lips rising into a smile. "Thanks, I don't think I would've known what to do if I was here alone."
Shera shrugged and adjusted her glasses. "I did some research when I heard that you were pregnant. Figured it would be the best way to help since Cid and I don't have any of our own."
"Well..." the smile on her lips turned into a grin. "No time like the present. We can be pregnant together."
Chuckling, Shera shook her head. "I don't think we're ready for that just yet."
"Or is it because Cid's not getting it up from all the smoking?" Yuffie then asked.
"Yuffie!"
"Hm hm hm," Shera hummed. "Are you sure you want to ask questions like this?"
The materia hunter's face blanched and she started to shake her head. "Yuck! I don't even want to imagine that scruffy—oh damn I think I just threw up a little in my mouth!"
Tifa and Shera looked at each other before bursting into laughter, earning themselves a scathing look from their companion. Yuffie couldn't keep up the façade for long though and soon joined in, garnering some curious looks from the other customers nearby.
After their laughter subsided, Yuffie looked at them. "Since we're done here, mind if I look for some digs too?"
"Go ahead. Would be a waste not to while we're here," Tifa replied.
"Great! Come on!" the younger woman took hold of one of her hands and started pulling her away, leaving Shera to follow them with a shake of her head.
As soon as they were out of the maternity section, Yuffie waved the attendant over while still walking, not paying any mind to the other customers and leaving it to Tifa to apologize when they brushed a bit too close to some of them.
"I need a new outfit that'll suit me," she immediately said to her.
"Of course. Anything in particular?"
"Hmm. Something for a date."
"A date?" Tifa asked, eyebrows rising in surprise and a note of amusement entering her voice. "You have a date?"
"Not yet, but I'm working on it."
"And who is the lucky person?"
Yuffie simply grinned at her and tapped the side of her nose. "A secret." She then turned towards the attendant. "I'm usually more of a top and shorts gal, but maybe a dress wouldn't hurt?"
The other woman gave her friend a nod. "This way, Yuffie-hime."
"And can we just quit with the "hime"!?"
After another short walk they reached the dress section and Yuffie immediately started looking. Tifa chuckled at the sight.
Well, this is gonna take a while, Tifa thought to herself and looked around for a place to sit down. Luckily for her, there were a few chairs lined up at the dressing rooms nearby and she released a sigh of relief as soon as she came to rest upon it.
With a smile on her face, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back to watch her friend.
Back when they first had met, Yuffie didn't exactly leave a great impression; an annoying kid that had wanted to rob them blind. But as annoyed as Tifa had been with her from time to time, she couldn't help but grow fond of her. It was most likely because she reminded her of the carefree girl that she had used to be.
Even as their journey had taken a turn for the worse, Yuffie was there to keep the mood bright, despite the hurt that she had felt at the time.
So it made Tifa happy to see her friend enjoy herself as she looked through the huge assortment of dresses, already having some prospective ones hanging over her arm.
"Are you tired?" Shera asked, sitting down next to her.
"Just a little fatigued, but I'm still good. I'll take a nap on the way back to Edge."
"Alright. Just say when you want to get back."
They watched as Yuffie picked out one more dress, before zipping past them into one of the dressing rooms and nearly knocking over the friendly attendant as she did so.
"She really has a lot of energy," the woman noted.
"You get used to it," Tifa told her.
"I definitely have to applaud you for doing so—Oh, excuse me," she said before leaving as a new customer called for her attention.
"She certainly deserves some applause too," Shera commented.
It didn't take Yuffie long to re-emerge from the dressing room, wearing a sleeveless black dress with cute little see-through frills at the hem of the skirt.
With a huge grin, the former materia thief struck a little pose. "So whaddya think?"
"Hmm..." Tifa couldn't deny that the outfit was cute. But— "I dunno."
-It wasn't really Yuffie.
"Yeah, I guess it isn't really my style." Yuffie looked down on herself. "Well, got a few more where this came from!"
For the next thirty minutes Shera and her watched Yuffie try on various other dresses, all very nice looking, but there was always something that felt off about them. Until she emerged wearing a dark green dress, its skirt flowing down to mid-thigh, a small slit in it revealing just enough of her thigh to be teasing, and the upper part exposing a hint of cleavage.
It looked great on her.
"Wow!" Tifa found herself saying.
"Lookin' good?"
"Yeah." She looked towards Shera, who nodded in agreement. "I think that's it."
"YES!" Yuffie pumped her arm, absolutely destroying the image of a pretty girl in a nice dress. "This one's my favorite, too. Alright girls, you're next!"
"Come again?"
"I said: you're next. So come on, chop-chop ." She clapped into her hands. "Pick a dress. My treat."
A pair of slack jaws was their answer as they stared at the younger woman.
"What?" Yuffie asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "My father's the leader of a nation, remember? Don't wanna brag, but I'm actually pretty loaded."
After a few seconds, Shera was the first to recover from the surprise, shaking her head. "No, no. It's a nice offer, but I shouldn't. I don't even have a need for a dress; Cid and I aren't really the going out types."
"Shera, Shera, Shera," their friend said with a disappointed shake of her head, then walked towards the older woman and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. "Just because you're hitched doesn't mean you can't go out and have some fun with Scruffy! Live a little!"
Tifa watched as Shera's eyes widened a little, a conflicted look entering them. She didn't know the details of how Cid and her had gotten together, but she knew that her contracting Geostigma had made her incapable of enjoying a lot of the things normal couples would have done. After a while, she must have gotten used to it.
Conflict was soon replaced with wistfulness as her gaze moved past Yuffie towards one of the many racks. "You really think so?"
"Yeah. Now come on!"
"And it's really okay?"
"Would I offer if it wasn't. Now get to it."
The older woman chewed her bottom lip for a brief moment before the corners of her lips curled upward into a smile. With a little spring in her step, Shera walked towards the dresses to start browsing.
"Not that I want to question your generosity," Tifa said as soon as Yuffie turned her eyes towards her. "But I'm pregnant, remember? I'm not even going to fit into any of them in a couple of weeks."
"Are you plannin' on staying preggers forever?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, growing slightly irritated at Yuffie's choice of words.
The younger girl took the seat that Shera had occupied only a moment ago and put an arm around Tifa. "What I mean is that down the line you're gonna give birth to two bundles of joy, and eventually they'll be fine enough that Spike and you can take a night off."
"Take a night off?" Irritation turned into skepticism.
"Yeah. Go on a date, dammit!"
"Yuffie..." Tifa let out a sigh and rubbed her hand over her face. A date. She would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the idea of a night out with Cloud, but the bar, on top of taking care of Denzel and Marlene, already didn't leave her much time. Now add two babies on top of that. "That's a really nice gesture, but—"
As soon as she had removed her hand, her words came to a screeching halt at the glare that the younger woman was sending her.
"Don't you dare give me that crap about not having any time for it! You know as well as I do that you just need to ask and any of us would come running to help you out. Even Vincent, and the only thing he's good at is being a walking scary bedtime story!" Yuffie slapped the chair to her left to make a point. "Already forgot your pep talk with Red? And yeah, I know about that!"
Her expression softened a little. "Seriously, of all the people I know you two deserve some time out, and I'm not just saying taking a family vacation or having Barret take the kids for the weekend only for you to lounge around your home."
Tifa lowered her gaze to her lap, where her fingers were playing with the hem of her shirt. Perhaps Yuffie was right.
She looked towards the older woman, who was downright brimming with excitement as she pulled out a crimson dress and held it in front of herself while turning towards the nearest mirror.
It was downright infectious.
Admit it. You want to feel pretty too once in a while, a tiny voice in the back of her head said, whittling away that last bit of resistance.
Exhaling through her nose, she nodded. "At worst it'll give me something to work towards once I have to train off those extra pounds."
"That's my girl! Now come on, pick one that'll knock Spike's socks off!"
Rising to her feet, she gave Yuffie one last look, before joining Shera, already wondering what Cloud might think would look good on her.
Maybe something mature.
As the two of them looked for the right dress, neither of them noticed Yuffie getting back onto her feet and slipping back into the dressing room. Back inside, her hand immediately went for the pocket of her shorts, still lying where she left them, and she pulled her phone out.
A smirk forming on her face, she started to type.
"Nyuk nyuk nyuk."
Oh Yuffie...what are you cooking up now?