Hey guys! I've got a little announcement to make at the end of the chapter.
Date Night
Tifa stared at her reflection in front of her. Eyelids darkened by carefully applied eye shadow, eyelashes enhanced by just a tiny bit of mascara and her lips painted a ruby red that accentuated her eyes just right.
She looked...good.
Didn't she?
Almost biting her lip, but resisting the urge at the last second lest she smear her lipstick, Tifa took a step back to look at herself.
The backless, dark blue dress that she picked flowed down past her knees, twin straps holding it in place at her shoulders. A slid on the right of the skirt revealed a hint of her thigh and the neckline was low enough to reveal enough cleavage to catch the eye, but not so much as to come off as desperate.
When she had first tried it on, Shera and Yuffie had been amazed at how good it looked on her. Tifa herself liked it too, but would Cloud?
She turned to the side, her hand moving to rest on her belly. Now that she was wearing it, she wasn't so sure anymore.
"What do you two think?" Tifa asked in a low voice, but no response. "Yeah, I kinda figured as much."
The only thing those two probably cared about was the food getting served today.
As if on cue, her stomach released a little growl and Tifa felt her face grow as red as her lipstick.
"Settle down, food is coming soon enough," she mumbled to herself and the babies. After the blush had subsided, Tifa looked at herself one last time, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before nodding to herself.
Tifa left the bedroom and headed downstairs, the heels of her shoes clacking on the floor and announcing her arrival. Cloud was sitting at the bar, already having dressed while she had still been in the shower. She made a little noise in the back of her throat at the sight of him, looking all well put together in a dress shirt and waistcoat. His head turned to face her, a smile forming on his lips, and he rose to his feet to meet her halfway.
Is it getting hot in here? she asked herself, resisting the urge to fan herself when his Mako tinted eyes locked onto hers. He moved his arm a little, never looking away.
When neither of them did anything, he cleared his throat and nodded towards his extended arm. Tifa tilted her head to the side in confusion, looking at him in silent question, when she realized what he wanted her to do.
"Oh! Sorry," she said, a little embarrassed, finally looping her arm through his. They walked together for a few steps, before he offered her a choice.
"Fenrir or on foot?" he asked.
From what he told her, the restaurant wasn't too far away, and she had rested up a good deal earlier.
"Let's enjoy the weather," Tifa replied with a smile.
"Alright."
The two of them left the bar, with Tifa making doubly sure that everything was locked up, and leisurely walked down the street.
"Remind me to thank Barret for keeping the kids a day longer," Tifa said. Cloud springing the date on her had been pretty spontaneous, but given her current condition, they couldn't really wait weeks if she still wanted to fit inside the dress she specifically got for this very reason.
Was it really that spontaneous though? She wondered. The timing was a little too convenient...
But she supposed it didn't really matter.
Leaving their neighborhood, it didn't take them long to arrive at the town plaza. The damage that had been done to it when Bahamut had laid waste to it was largely fixed by now and a new monument was being erected; paid in full by the generous Rufus Shinra, of course.
She didn't doubt that the man had turned over a new leaf, but Tifa could tell that there was very much a lot of self-interest behind his every action. In the end, he was still a Shinra.
And despite their two groups having made a sort of peace with each other, keeping a friendly distance was better for all parties included.
There was just too much blood that had been spilled on both sides.
Sensing that her thoughts were going into a dark direction, Cloud nudged her a little to catch her attention, smiling when she looked at him.
No thinking about the past tonight, Tifa. You're going to have fun, she reminded herself and returned his smile.
From the monument they headed northward, enjoying the fresh evening air in comfortable silence until they arrived at their destination. It was a simple building, made out of salvaged parts from Midgar like pretty much all other buildings in Edge, but once they stepped inside it was like they entered a whole different world.
The Pearl Palace, as the building read on its large sign over the door, rightly carried the name as it looked right out of the famous Wutaian legend of a city deep in the ocean that Dr. Hiragi had once told her about. Gold dragons spiraled on deep blue pillars that decorated the large dining area.
When Tifa squinted, she swore she could see a spot of crimson here and there.
An amused chuckle escaped her as her eyes fell upon a rather gaudy looking pillar.
It kind of looked like someone raided one of Corneo's places after he skipped town.
"Welcome to the Pearl Palace," they were greeted almost instantly by a young man, dressed in nice clothes; a waiter. "A table for two?"
"Yes, please," Cloud replied.
The table they were led to was covered with a fitting deep blue cloth, a white round paper lantern placed in the middle, while the seats were engraved with tiny fish.
After they had sat down, the waiter left for a moment only to return with two menus that he handed them, before lighting a candle inside the lantern.
"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked them, pulling out a small notepad.
"Water, please," Tifa replied, looking over the menu.
"And you, sir?"
"Same," Cloud said.
As the waiter took his leave, Tifa turned her gaze towards Cloud. "You can get something alcoholic, you know. No need to hold back because of me."
He hummed and shook his head. "It's fine. Besides, I don't even know what most of this is aside from the sake."
Their drinks soon arrived and the waiter asked them if they were ready to order.
"Yes. I'd like the shrimp fried rice, please," Cloud said to him. "And some Yakitori."
"Good choice," the other man commented, before turning to Tifa.
"Hmm. I'd like the yakisoba, with extra ginger, some fish tempura on the side - Oh! And gyoza!"
The waiter raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment and instead wrote everything down, then left to hand in their order.
"Hungry?" Cloud asked, a note of teasing in his voice that made her face heat up.
"Y-yeah. I guess it's because of the babies."
"Well, at least it's good food."
"Ugh, I'm going to be so fat when this is over," Tifa said with a pained sigh.
"Don't be like that. You know what they used to say in Nibelheim..."
"...only the fattest Chocobos have the healthiest eggs. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
He placed a reassuring hand on top of hers. "Knowing your training routine, you're going to be back in great shape before you know it."
"Great shape, eh?" Tifa grinned. "Tell me more about that, Mr. Strife."
"Ah-!" Taken by surprise, Cloud looked away in embarrassment, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...you know, you're pretty fit after all and, uh, good looking too and – I'm just digging myself deeper, aren't I?"
"Just a little," Tifa giggled. Pulling her hand out from under his, she moved to interlace her fingers with his. "It's very much appreciated, though."
"Glad to be of service then. And when the time comes, we'll train together. Promise."
"Good, I was just about to ask you to be my barbell," she said, making them both share a laugh. Taking her glass, Tifa took a sip. She was honestly glad the bar had such a huge assortment of juices for younger guests, because while she didn't mind drinking water, she knew it would drive her bonkers to only drink it for the rest of her pregnancy, and tea would only go so far. Releasing a little sigh, she put the glass back down.
"What are you thinking about?" Cloud asked her, but she only shook her head.
"Nothing, really," she replied, running her thumb over his knuckles. "Just silly stuff like if I should add more juice to the menu."
"That's something you gotta hash out with Marlene then," he said with a quirk of his lips. "You two run the menu after all."
"You know I'm always open for suggestions."
"Strawberry milk."
Tifa looked at him for a moment, her lips drawn in a straight line, and tried her best not to laugh again.
"What?" He shrugged. "I know a diner that serves a real mean one."
"Then I think it would be wrong of me to take away that special something you can only get there." Untangling their fingers, Tifa gave his hand a small pat, before taking her glass once again and raising it to her lips to hide her grin at the funny glare Cloud was giving her.
"...Whatever," he said with a little pout and drank his own water.
They continued to have quiet conversation while waiting for their food to arrive, and as the minutes grew longer, Tifa found her patience wane.
"Taking awfully long, aren't they?" She asked, tapping her fingers on the table.
"I...I guess?" Cloud looked at his watch. "Its only been ten minutes."
Tifa chose to not reply to that.
"Well, you're in luck," he replied, pointing at the waiter walking over to their table with the plates of appetizers that they had ordered.
"Here you-" Tifa all but ripped the plate meant for her out of his hands. She wasn't proud of it, but she was hungry. "-Go?"
"Thank you," she replied quickly before biting into her first gyoza wrapper, letting out a little moan as the crispy texture gave way to the flavor inside it.
The waiter looked at her in confusion, before turning his gaze to Cloud, who only shrugged, before putting the Yakitori plate on the table and heading back to work.
"Tastes good?"
Swallowing, she nodded. "Yes," she said and went to eat another one.
It didn't take long for her to finish the entire plate and return to the waiting game, but at least for now she had something inside her belly, which made it much easier.
"You three satisfied?" Cloud asked with amusement in his voice.
"Nope," she replied, patting where she knew their babies residing. "They want more."
Chuckling, Cloud took one of his chicken skewers and held it out towards her. She eyed it for a moment, before taking and biting into it.
It didn't last long, and neither did the one she was offered after, but it tided her over until the main course finally arrived. Not nearly as fast as Tifa would have liked, but that wasn't important once the plates were put in front of her. Not wasting any time, she dug in.
It tasted so good!
While they were eating, Tifa could feel Cloud's amused eyes on her and she had to resist the urge to tell him that this was all his fault. An increasingly difficult task, as the corners of his lips had quirked upward into that infuriating smirk of his. The glare she sent him while biting into a tempura shrimp did little to deter him.
"Want mine too?" he asked her, full-on teasing her now.
"No!...but I do want dessert."
"Any particular wish?"
She thought for a moment, running her tongue across her lips. "...the mochi ice cream."
"Hoo boy."
Laughter echoed through the streets as the two of them headed back home. Tifa had to lean on him a little, her body shaking, and Cloud could do nothing but shake his head.
"That face he made when you all but ripped the ice cream out of his hand will be stuck in my head for a while. I think you scared him," Cloud said.
"It took too long!" Tifa managed to reply amidst laughing. Around them, a few passersby gave them curious looks that went ignored.
"Remind me to never keep you from your ice cream in the future." Hearing those words made her burst into another laughing fit, and this time Cloud needed to stop and hold her to make sure she wouldn't fall to the ground.
"Alright, alright!" Tifa said after her laughter subsided, only the occasional giggle escaping her while she stood back up straight. "I'm fine now."
"Good, here I thought I had to carry you all the way back." The tone in his voice was teasing, but the look in his eyes told her she only needed to ask and he would do so.
Just knowing that made her happy.
"Oh well, no Chocobo ride for me then." Tifa playfully slapped his shoulder, before moving her arm to loop it through his once more and resting her head against his shoulder. "But this is also nice!"
The rest of the way home they spent in silence, just enjoying the company of the other. By the time they had returned to their neighborhood, Tifa started to feel a little fatigued, and the first thing she did once they crossed the threshold was to sit down at the bar and kick off her shoes, wiggling her toes once they were free.
"Much better," she sighed in relief, turning her head to look at Cloud sitting down next to her. The corner of her lips rose into a smile and she bumped her shoulder against him playfully.
Cocking one eyebrow, Cloud bumped right back. A giggle escaped her and she bumped him again. He responded in kind, urging her on to repeat it again and again until it turned into a little game.
"Whoa!" Tifa yelped when he put a little too much force into it, almost knocking her off her stool in the process. Bracing herself against the bar, her smile twisted into a grin. "Good sir, it's war now."
Not even leaving him any chance to respond, Tifa lunged at him. His first immediate reaction was to raise his arms to defend himself, but that would already prove to be his undoing.
While his arms rose, hers moved low, slipping just past his side and stopping at the one spot that she knew was his absolute weakness. By the time Cloud realized what was about to happen, it was already too late.
"Wai—" his words died on his lips when she started to tickle him. Laughter exploded from deep within him, echoing through the entire house, as she mercilessly attacked him.
Nobody but she knew about this, his ultimate weakness, and that fact made a rush of power course through her entire body.
Cloud tried to squirm away from her, but Tifa simply followed him wherever he moved, never once letting up on her torture. She was in fact so engrossed by it, she didn't notice that his arms were moving behind her.
Taking her completely by surprise, his arms circled around her back, and before she knew what was happening she felt herself being pulled against him, her face coming to rest just below his neck. Being forced into this rather awkward position made her unable to properly tickle him further, so after a few failed attempts to break free, Tifa simply slumped against him, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent instead.
It should be a crime to smell this good!
"Gotcha!" Cloud breathed out, his chest rising and falling as he tried to capture his breath again.
"Mmh, that you do," Tifa mumbled into his skin, the arms that were still held behind him moving to hug him around his waist. "Watcha gonna do about it?"
"I think I'll keep you like this."
"That's fine. I like it here." She stifled a yawn.
"Tired?"
"A little. But I'm not ready to go to bed yet."
"In that case..." Tifa felt one of his arms remove itself from her and reach out over the bar, shortly followed by music filling the silence around them. He flipped between the few channels they received here, until he found something seemingly to his liking. "Care for a dance?"
She listened to the slow, soft notes of the country song for a couple of seconds before breathing out a little laugh. "You're impossible."
Rising to their feet, they moved to the middle of the bar. She placed her hand on his shoulder as his came to rest on her hip while their other hands gently grasped one another. His Mako tinted eyes found hers and they slowly started to move to the music.
"So, did you have fun today?" he asked her.
"Mmh." She nodded, smiling at him.
"Enough to do it again?"
"I'll have to see if I can make time in my busy schedule," she replied teasingly.
"Let me give you some incentive then." He dipped his head forward, gently capturing her lips with his own in a sweet kiss that still didn't fail to make her toes curl. The hand that was resting on his shoulder moved to tangle into the hair at the back of his head, keeping him in place as she eagerly kissed him back, eyelids fluttering close.
It was the end of the song that made them reluctantly break away.
Eyes still closed, Tifa let out a pleasant little hum. "Yeah, you convinced me."
Another yawn escaped her, and this time she could clearly hear their bed calling.
"Guess it's time to call it a night," he said.
"Probably for the better," she replied, slowly opening her eyes. "Thanks for the amaz—"
Her words were cut short by the sight in front of her: Cloud looking at her, his lips covered in smudges of deep red.
Clamping her mouth shut, she bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing, but couldn't stop a small snort from escaping her.
"Something the matter?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. She only shook her head, shoulders starting to shake. That only served to get him even more confused.
Breathing through her nose, Tifa reached out and ran her thumb over his lips, brushing some of that residue lipstick off and showing it to him.
"You know..." Tifa managed to press out. "Red really suits you."
Cloud blinked once. Twice.
"Oh." Was all he could say, his hand moving up to touch his lips.
Brilliant and clear, her laughter echoed through all of 7th Heaven.
And that's their date. Unfortunately I'm giving you some bad news now. I'll be taking a little creative hiatus to plan out the rest of this story. There's also another writing project that I really need to get out of my system before I can give this story the proper attention it deserves, since I would hate to halfass this after all. So let's take this chapter as a sort of "mid season" finale, and the rest of the season will continue in the new year. :)
Until then, stay safe and healthy, and I'll be seeing you around! :D