Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, characters and everything associated with the Final Fantasy world belong to Square Enix.
A/N: Inspired by yet another headacanon from CloTi discord server. I get all my inspiration there, so thanks to everyone there!
Summary: In which Cloud keeps a photo of her in his wallet.
Warnings: Please note that some of the stories will contain spoilers or reference to the original game, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core and Remake.
~Memory~
There are times when Cloud would take a quick peek to remind himself the entire reason why he was here.
The semi-blurry polaroid photo that he had tucked away in his wallet kept him sane during the darkest days.
He would find himself stroking and tracing her cheery smile. She was looking over her shoulder, tucking a few locks of her hair blowing in the wind behind her ear.
To Cloud's recollection, it was a warm breezy summer when he took the candid picture of a young Tifa Lockhart. The dress she wore that day was the color of aqua blue. She had matching blue sandals as well.
He tried to be slick, and took as many as he could before she or anyone else would notice, but only ended up mostly at the back of her head. Every other photo was blurry or had someone else's body part in the way.
It would have been easier to just ask her for a photo, but it would just make him seem creepy.
She would have asked for an explanation.
So he pretended that he was taking pictures of the scenery while the group walked around town.
In truth, it was partially because he wanted a memory of her when he went away to join the Shinra Military Academy.
He was going to become a SOLDIER. The best of the best. Even better than Sephiroth.
The other stupid boys in her circle of friends were with them at the time, so he didn't feel obligated to let everyone else know his intentions.
He only wanted to tell Tifa alone and not feel belittled by the others, because he knew damn well they were going to belittle him, 'Hah! Scrawny lil' Strife boy wants to join SOLDIER?"
Cloud recalled the day he finally had the courage to tell her to meet by the water tower. He shared his heart and dreams to her, and they made a promise under the starry night skies.
He'd come save her for sure, when that time came.
The days ahead at the Shinra Military Academy were excruciating. At least it was seven years ago.
23-year old Cloud still held onto the photo in his wallet.
During his late night deliveries, when he stopped for a break, he would pull it out and gaze upon it. The photo was now old with worn torn yellowed edges. One would think to throw it out, but he cherished it too much.
It was a reminder that she was the entire reason he was here today. She was always the one by his side during their rocky journey to save the world from Meteor, the second rise of Sephiroth and the Deepground Conflict.
Most of all, she was the entire reason why he joined SOLDIER. Without that drive, he wouldn't have met Zack, Aerith, or any of their comrades.
As tragic as his journey was, he knew if things were different then, she would still be there, cheering him on.
The memory of her cheery smile as she turned to him that summer day and whispering his name made his heart swell with joy.
"Cloud, you slowpoke. Stop taking pictures already and hurry up!"
One day, when Tifa was grabbing clothes to do the laundry, Cloud had forgotten his wallet in one of his pant pockets.
When she pulled his wallet, the photo slipped out.
Tifa was shocked to find such a photo in Cloud's belongings. Without hesitation, she approached Cloud about it, dropping his wallet on his desk and waving the photo around his face, "Why do you have a photo of me in your wallet?"
Cloud snatched the photo out of Tifa's fingers and tried to hide the blush on his face.
This was the discussion he had avoided to answer all these years. He had hoped she would never find out.
"I forgot I had it. I had it since I left for the Shinra Military Academy and took a photo of you when we were still living in Nibelheim."
Forgetting he had it was a lie, as he took the photo out almost every single night to gaze upon it. But everything else was the truth.
Tifa didn't push any further and gave him that same cheery smile that he adored.
~owari