Title: Dilly Dally, Shilly Shally

Author: desiringpirates

Rating: K

Summary: He would wait for her. She is worth it.

A/N: I just opened up my wordpad and started typing... so here goes!

CONTINUE TO WAIT

Cloud was pensive.

Tifa sat at the bar, studying the young man. In just a few short years, he had made incredible progress. He was home almost every night. He helped the kids with their homework. Cloud even sat down and colored in a book with Marlene. The man even helped out around the house- doing laundry, picking up garbage, cooking dinner. There was a sense of peace around him.

Tifa, on the other hand, felt like her skin was crawling. Despite all she did, she still felt like she was not enough. She was helping two kids have a stable and happy home- in replacement of the many homes that she helped destroy. She was feeding the hungry, but charging them so she could eat as well. Tifa rarely had the time to do volunteer work. She did not have the money to donate to the local school that she sent her kids to.

So it was confusing to her when he came down to sit at the bar on a slow Wednesday night and just sat, staring at nothing. Cloud's mind was obviously preoccupied. She had slipped a whiskey in front of him, but he had barely touched it. He just sat there, occasionally watching her work.

After a few hours, the last customer had left. Tifa flipped the lights off, locked the door and turned her 'open' sign to 'close'. Cloud slid off his stool and helped place the chairs up on the tables.

"So…" Tifa began, a twisting feeling in her gut. "What is going on?"

Cloud stopped picking up chairs and stared at the floor. He took a deep breath, seemingly collecting courage, and looked up at her. The intensity in his stare startled her. His bright mako eyes glowed.

"I love you."

Tifa felt her heart drop into her stomach. Her mouth went dry; her head burst into sudden pain. But she surprised herself by staying upright.

"Oh."

Cloud suddenly looked like he was thirteen years old again. He shook his head, clearing his doubt, and caught her gaze again.

"Tifa, I… I know I am not good with words. I told you once that there were so many things that I wanted to tell you… some I already have, some I still want to share… but I only want to share them with you." Cloud took a step towards her, and when she didn't run, he bravely took a couple more. "And I want to do so much more… but only with you. I want to raise the kids. I want to fight over bills. I want to grow old… but only with you."

Tifa gulped, feeling the pressure force its way down her dry throat. Tifa wanted to cry; she wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and kiss him. But the feeling of dread that she always carried spread up from her core, and she felt tears slide down her cheeks.

"I can't."

Cloud took a step back, looking crestfallen.

"I want to. I really do. But… I can't. I don't deserve this. I'm not strong like you… at least not yet." Tifa cried.

Cloud reached out and pulled her into him. Tifa did not resist, allowing herself to feel defeated and broken.

"Cloud… there are so many things I have to do. So many things that I have to atone for. I… I… I can't be happy right now."

Cloud nodded. Not that long ago, he had felt the same way.

"I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family. Not my friends."

"Dilly dally, shilly shally."

"Okay then. I'll wait."

Tifa pulled away some and stared up at him. "What?"

"I'll wait. For you." Cloud gave her a soft smile. "For you to lose some of that weight."

Despite her tears, despite the hard feeling inside of her, Tifa responded with a small smile of her own.

"That makes me feel a little better." She moved back into his arms, letting his love and friendship reach her. "Dilly dally, shilly shally, I know."

"Sometimes the wait is worth it." He said into her hair, holding her close.

He was not going to go anywhere. He would wait for her. She is worth it.