Disclaimer: Square Enix owns mostly all. xD "Oh Christmas Tree" does not belong to meeee!
Here We Come A-Wassailing
Chapter Two ll Oh Christmas Tree
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There was nothing nicer than cruising down the chilly streets, still full of merry children playing in the snow, and knowing that a warm home was awaiting him not too faraway. A surge of happiness rushed to his chest as Cloud remembered the snowball fight he and Tifa had against Marlene and Denzel. It was the same day he'd been steadying Tifa on a ladder as she amateurly hammered in nails for the Christmas lights, and his face was suddenly met with a ball of flying snow. Shocked and clumsy, he tripped over backwards and sent Tifa screaming and sprawling on top of him, both of them landing unceremoniously into the snow to the giggles of Marlene and Denzel.
That, of course, had sparked a full fledged snow war.
He smiled subconsciously as he thought back to that moment, when Tifa had fallen abruptly on him. He remembered her eyes, dancing merrily as she looked at him, her lips curved into a smile. She had been so close...
Cloud suddenly shook his head, the heat creeping to his cheeks. He'd been dwelling on that particular moment a little too much for the last couple of days now, during all the decorating and the singing and the heart-warming moments in front of the fireplace, with an absolutely exhausted Denzel and Marlene snuggled up on either side of him, recounting their adventures in the snow.
It's good to come home, he thought with a wonderful sense of tranquil comfort, pushing open the bar door with a little smile of anticipation. He'd had work today, much to his disgruntlement, but he was grateful for a little stop at the jewellery store that had boggled his mind with glittering diamonds and sparkling gold chains since.
He took a step in and was met with a yodel.
"HEY, SPIKY-HEAD!"
Cloud almost jumped into the air in shock.
"...Yuffie?" Gaping at the grinning ninja, his astonished eyes darted to the other unexpected person, "...Shera? What...?"
"What, aren't you happy to see us?" Yuffie asked indignantly, busy decorating the Christmas tree in front of her.
Cloud blinked, feeling rather wrong-footed. His initial hope of returning to a quiet little home with Tifa greeting him with her usual hug promptly vanished.
Meanwhile, Shera waved warmly at him and Marlene poked her head around the garlanded Christmas tree to beam at him, "Cloud! Isn't our tree beautiful?"
"Um... yeah," Cloud spluttered dimly, still staring from one to the other, "Um... what are you all... Yuffie, are those materia orbs you're putting up?" he asked with sudden incredulity, staring at the glowing orbs.
"Yep," Yuffie replied airily, "What? We ran out of baubles."
He just gawked at the luminous tree of which Marlene was noisily approving of, "...Oh. Okay," he finally spluttered.
Shera caught his dumbfounded look and said helpfully, "Cloud, Denzel's upstairs, if you're wondering."
"Oh... yeah, thanks," Cloud mumbled, scratching the back of his head. What is going on here? Shaking his head, he quickly toed his way across the busy living room in the hopes of finding some answers, and accidentally trod on a soft toy.
Which he thought it was.
Until it spoke.
"Um... would you mind getting off me?"
"AHHH!" Cloud yelped in alarm, this time really leaping into the air as the thing underneath him moved by itself, "Cait Sith? What the - are you all here?" he exclaimed indignantly.
"Oh, hi Cloud," the little toy cat greeted robustly, "Good to see you. Everyone else is upstairs. I'm heading up there myself, actually."
Cloud stayed rooted to the spot for a little while as the girls decorated the tree happily and Cait Sith wandered off. Sooner or later he'd need some answers, but right at this moment he had to let the situation sink in. Bit by bit... they were all here?
"Thanks, Cait," he finally replied to the retreating cat, wheeling back around so that he was facing the girls again. ...Where's Tifa? She'll know what's going on. I gotta find her. Just as this thought occurred, there was a crash upstairs that shook the house. Cloud immediately looked up to the ceiling fearfully, "What are they doing up there?"
"Oh, they're playing Go Fish," Shera explained unfazedly, handing Marlene some more ornaments.
Wondering when that card game started inducing what sounded suspiciously like 'stacks-on', Cloud nodded incomprehensibly and asked, "Do either of you know where Tifa is?"
"She went out," Yuffie answered pertly.
"Shopping?"
"No, Tifa would say if she was shopping," Marlene piped up seriously, standing on tip-toe to hang a little angel, "But she just said she was going for a walk."
For a walk? Cloud's head buzzed. It wasn't like Tifa to just up and go off on her own accord, and he felt a tiny bit afraid. I wonder if she... He glanced around the messy living room, listening to the muffled animated voices from upstairs.
Coming to a decision, Cloud picked up his keys and turned to the girls, "Hey, Yuffie?" he hesitated, thought better of the decision and promptly turned to the more sensible choice, "Shera, could you look after the children for a little while?"
"Of course," Shera smiled warmly at him, and he managed a feeble one back, just as there was another ruckus upstairs. Cloud could distinctly hear the whooping of Cid and hastened to the door.
"Hey Cloud, when you find Tifa, tell her we're missing a big star for the top of the tree!" Yuffie hailed after him.
"Yeah... right."
Anxious mothers were ushering their shivering but elated children indoors as the sky darkened quickly. Cloud circled the vicinity for awhile until he finally rode on, the cold wind whipping at his skin. The tiny bud of worry in his stomach had branched out now and he was beginning to feel panicked. After ten minutes or so, Cloud drew to a stop where Sector 5 used to be and let out a breath when he looked at the familiar building.
Cloud carefully pushed open the double doors and took a step inside the long-aisled church, the sweet scent of flowers wafting to his nose. The blonde peered in closer and, to his immense relief, saw the figure of Tifa sitting by the edge of the shining pool. So she was here... Curious mingling his relief, Cloud walked a little slower towards her, glancing sideways at one of the broken pews that had a Christmas wreath lying on it.
"Tifa?" he called tentatively.
Tifa immediately sprung to her feet, spinning around on the spot.
"Cloud! You scared me," she said in relief, a little blush stained on her cheeks. She looks so sweet like that, he thought bemusedly. "What are you doing here?"
He suddenly felt foolish, "...Do you know Yuffie's in our house hanging materia orbs up on the tree?"
She looked a little baffled but said musingly, "Really? Must've run out of baubles."
"Yeah, that's what she - what, no!" Cloud shook his head vigorously, much to her amusement, "What is Yuffie doing in our house at all? And all the others? I thought only Barret was coming."
Tifa let out a tinkling laugh, "Me too. But they all turned up on the doorstep this morning, so it's just a slight change of plan." A puzzled expression caught her face, "How did you know I was here?"
"...I had a hunch," Cloud said sheepishly, walking to her side, "I couldn't find you anywhere else. What are you doing here?"
"I think seeing all of them again," Tifa said reflectively, "It struck me how - how much a part of AVALANCHE she was, and continues to still be. I visited her mother," she added softly with a quick glance at him, "I asked her over for Christmas. She was very touched, but she said she already had company."
Cloud nodded wordlessly, gazing at the shining water.
Tifa exhaled a small sigh, also looking at the pool, "...I really miss her."
He glanced at her again before nodding slightly; Cloud was far from forgetting about the flower maiden and the uplifting hope she had transpired, but he wasn't used to others lamenting about her and, to be honest, he could not think of any words of sympathy. Fortunately, Tifa wasn't expecting a reply as she leaned in wistfully, studying the water's surface.
"But you know what's funny?" she continued, sounding quizzical, "I swear I heard her speaking to me before you came in..."
Cloud felt a small smile toy around his lips at this piece of information. "Yeah, they do that." His reminiscent look transformed to one of amusement as Tifa continued leaning in even closer, "Umm - Tifa - hey!"
With a gasp Tifa abruptly crashed into Cloud, who had grabbed her hand to haul her away before she toppled in the water headfirst. She looked up at him instinctively, startled, and their eyes locked in an intense moment. Cloud's mind went into overdrive as the memory of her falling on top of him pushed itself forcefully to the foremost of his thoughts, feeling her small hand in his own. Not that now, he cringed, still staring into her burgundy-coloured eyes as though under a spell. Indeed her closeness and her scent were doing things to his mind... She was so close to him... he had her in his arms, it would be all too easy to just bend down and kiss her -
This sudden deliberation promptly jerked him back to his senses; snapping out of his daze, Cloud tore his eyes away reluctantly.
"I miss her too, Teef," he murmured, betraying no sign of his embarrassment, "We all do."
Feeling a little surprised that was accompanied with a slight twinge of disappointment, Tifa also nodded. With Cloud's hand still wrapped around her own, she bent down to lay a single white lily on the pool, following it with her eyes as it rippled away.
"Merry Christmas, Aerith," she whispered with a little smile, feeling the presence of the Cetra soul lingering around her like a soothing spirit. Cloud glanced around the church gratefully, saying his own little prayer for their guardian angel.
They closed the wooden doors after them and Tifa hung up the Christmas wreath, saying defensively, "Well, it is the season!" to Cloud's perplexity.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he steadied Fenrir, "Yuffie says they're still missing a big star for the tree."
Tifa's eyes widened, "That's right! Let's go to the mall and get it."
"Now?"
"Of course!" Tifa ushered him onto the bike, climbing onto the back after him, "Can you believe Marlene's never seen a complete Christmas tree before? And it's been a long time for Denzel, too."
The new shopping mall was basked in bright, glorious light and had been built from a very modern design; Cloud walked in and looked around, awestruck, while Tifa stepped in blithely. She looked back at him and smiled exultantly.
"I almost forgot; it's your first time here, isn't it? Isn't it great?"
"It's... really modernised," Cloud blinked, trying to get used to the dazzling shop fronts, "There's so much - everywhere." To be entirely honest, this was not his first time in the new mall. He had popped in earlier that day and almost got lost.
She giggled, "It almost never ends! Come on, I bet you it's going to take us awhile to find the perfect star. It's gotta be gold, remember!"
"Gold?" he repeated sceptically, following her, "Why not silver?"
And so Cloud's real first shopping experience was not a breezy one; he and Tifa ducked into various stores to explore the Christmas decorations only to come back out, disappointed. They jauntily bickered over what type of star to buy; which colour, what size, what design, should it have sequins, should the imprint of an angel be on it, will it suit the tree? An hour slipped by sneakily as the pair browsed through a variety of shops. Cloud had never known it was so hard to purchase something. Usually he just plucked down his gil and picked up whatever materia or weapon he had chose. But over all that, he was enjoying himself. He was having fun with Tifa, just exploring the enormous shopping mall and simply being in her company.
"Alright, let's split," Tifa said wearily as they faced a whole new level of tantalising shops, "If you see a good star, just buy it. We'll meet at the end, alright?"
"What if we both buy one?" he asked dubiously.
She shrugged, "We'll put the other star up next Christmas. I'll take the left side."
Cloud obediently took charge of the right and braced himself for the procedure. He darted into the store, browsing through the aisles with blurred eyes as to not become absorbed in anything else. At last, he found his prize in the fourth store. Feeling a deep sense of pride and accomplishment, Cloud took the large, sparkly golden star from the shelf and paid for it with flourish. It even had a picture of an angel engraved in it.
He was wearing a triumphant look as he left the store and spotted Tifa up ahead, having already finished her search. Cloud walked over to her with something of a swagger.
Yes. He was rather proud of himself.
"Got it," he said smugly, holding up the bag. Tifa's face broke into a beam as she took it from him, "See? It wasn't too difficult."
Cloud was about to reply when he realised which store Tifa had just been gazing at. Glittering, glistening and sparkling in the window display were several necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings, all perched jauntily on a posh silk cushion. It was the same jewellery shop Cloud had visited right after his delivery; he had stumbled across it and his immediate thoughts had flown to Tifa, and the flushed, delighted look on her face if he bought her a new pair of diamond earrings...
It was about then that Cloud made up his mind to get her a Christmas present from the jewellery store, but nothing in the window display seemed right, and he couldn't bring himself to walk inside. Besides, the multiple-digit prices standing meekly beside the goodies were rather sinister.
But this is Tifa... she deserves the whole world. He sighed ruefully on the inside, still thinking of her rapturous smile and the lovely sparkle in her eyes.
"Hello, anyone home?"
He blinked; Tifa was waving her hand in front of his face and a wave of embarrassment engulfed him.
"Um - I agree?"
Tifa raised her eyebrows and a smile hovered over her lips, "I was saying we should head back. It's already past dinner time... I hope they've fed the kids."
"I'm sure they have; it's not the first time Barret's taken care of them," Cloud consoled as they began to walk.
"Yeah, you're right... but still, there was only enough dinner left in the fridge for the four of us," Tifa looked dubious, "I hope no one's gone hungry."
"Win tickets to the Gold Saucer!" Cloud blinked in surprise as a man jumped out at them, waving two tickets whimsically in the air, "You look like an adventurous chap, are you up for two free tickets to the fabulous Gold Saucer?"
"I've already got a lifetime pass," he responded a bit bluntly.
Cloud glanced at the arcade they had stopped in front of; apparently it was a branch of the Gold Saucer, with all the Wonder Square games and the GP system. Even now several teenagers were still playing inside.
"Free rides on the Gondola and Shooter Coaster, then," the young man persisted further, "Come on, you can take your girlfriend there."
Tifa blushed furiously and Cloud opened and closed his mouth uselessly.
"All you have to do is get over ninety points on this snowboarding game," the brown-haired man took advantage of their silence to drag them inside the noisy arcade, "And you'll win the free rides. It's an ace offer, you should really go for it!"
Cloud hesitated, already envisioning the looks of glee on Marlene and Denzel's faces as they beheld the spectacular fireworks. They hadn't been to the Gold Saucer before. He glanced over at the still flushed Tifa.
Her eyes twinkled with mirth, "Cloud, you almost killed all of us when you went down the slope from the Icicle Inn."
"Hey, that was my first time."
"Exactly, don't be so discouraging, miss," the man input, his eyes flicking over Tifa, "There's always room for improvement."
Cloud stood on the board and wobbled a bit, "Alright, count me in." He felt a surge of exhilaration course through him as the game started. He teetered on the board while his "mini-me" appeared on the screen. Tifa and the young man watched interestedly.
"Cloud, look out for the - ...jump-off," Tifa broke into giggling as Cloud was thrown off his board, his character having landed face-first in the snow.
The short-lived game was a cause of hilarity for Tifa, who laughed uncontrollably throughout the entire session. Cloud grit his teeth as he missed the tenth balloon and almost crashed into the wall. He quickly avoided it by swerving expertly.
"Right, now keep going left," the man, evidently aghast at Cloud's performance, was irritably advising him. Cloud wished he wouldn't; it was getting on his nerves, and the way the stupid man snickered every time he fell over also gave him more reason to hit him.
Still gritting his teeth, Cloud crouched a little on the board so that his character leant over. A little grin flit across his face as his figure sped down a steep slope without crashing, until suddenly - "What the heck is that?" Yelping, he performed quite an amazing flip on the snowboard to avoid colliding with the arrow-pointing Mog, and tumbled off the board to land on the hard ground, groaning. Meanwhile, his character had collapsed on the screen.
Tifa bit back her laughter as she helped him up, "Cloud, are you alright?"
"I hate this game."
A minute later, the young man was surveying the disgruntled Cloud with a "I can't believe this" sort of expression.
"Your score was... forty-nine," he drawled, "So I guess that means you don't win the tickets. Well, better luck next time. Oh, and miss," he turned toward Tifa with a much more amiable countenance, "Feel free to stop by anytime and ask for help."
Cloud's Mako-blue eyes flicked over to him in a deadly way, but Tifa smiled benevolently, "Thank you."
They left the arcade together, Cloud clamping his mouth together in fury.
"I don't like him," he said stiffly.
Tifa frowned, "Why not?"
"He - he was laughing at me!"
"So was I; it was the funniest thing I've ever seen."
Cloud continued to sulk and Tifa, noticing his expression, laughed and touched his arm lightly, "Cheer up Cloud, I was only kidding. I'm just glad that wasn't the real thing. I think you really would have killed us."
"Well, sure, if there are random wooden Mogs in the middle of the slope," Cloud grumbled.
"But I'm still a little disappointed, I would have loved to go on the Shooter Coaster again," Tifa said woefully, exhaling a deep sigh. Cloud glanced down at her and she chuckled merrily, "Just kidding! Let's go get something to eat; I'm starving."
She looped her arm through his and Cloud started at her sudden warmth, keeping his eyes fixedly ahead. Something warm and fuzzy rose inside his chest and a tiny smile fought its away across his face.
Cloud lifted the star distastefully, his bento box sitting in his lap, "All this time wasted just for a star."
Tifa tilted her head up from her miso soup with a scandalised look, "The most important decoration of all, a waste of time? Don't let the children hear you saying that."
"What's so important about it?" a baffled Cloud wanted to know.
"It's the crowning glory of the tree!" Tifa affirmed, "Not only that, the bright star in the sky was what led the three wise men to present their gifts to Jesus. Don't tell me you've forgotten." She looked at him piercingly.
"It's coming back to me," Cloud squinted underneath her gaze, "But it's been over ten years since I heard the story." He paused and looked meaningfully at her, "Enlighten me."
With a gracious smile, Tifa recounted the story to an attentive Cloud. As the facts were unravelled, their bento boxes emptied and soon the number of people around dwindled. After she had finished they both sat in a peaceful silence, Cloud having a few moments of profound reflection.
"You don't really mind that I couldn't get the free rides, do you?" he asked quietly.
It took Tifa a few seconds to realise what he was talking about. She put both feet on the ground and craned her head at him, "Of course I don't... you're not gonna let it get to you, are you?"
Cloud didn't answer; his eyes were burned on the ground.
"Cloud," Tifa said impatiently, poking his shoulder.
He came out of his reverie, "Oh - no - it's just - " he took a deep breath and looked at her straight in the eye, "...I'm sorry, Tifa. There are so many things I can't do for you... even though I promised."
Tifa was puzzled, "You promised to come when I was in trouble, not to score me free rides on the Gondola."
"I - " Cloud hesitated, unsure of what he wanted to say; he didn't even know where all this was coming from. He guessed seeing that jewellery store, failing at the snowboarding game and hearing of everything Jesus had done for everyone - it brought to light how useless he, Cloud, actually was.
Tifa looked at him concernedly and he looked back; by the way her brown pools glistened he knew she understood. That was one of the amazing things about Tifa Lockhart.
She took his hand and squeezed it, thinking how innocently naive Cloud could be sometimes.
"You have kept your promise, and you've done countless things for all of us," Tifa said gently, "I know you still don't believe it, Cloud, but you've helped save the Planet." He didn't say anything and she smiled, nudging him slightly, "Let's go home."
Cloud glanced into her eyes and nodded; even now his past demons came back to haunt him, but Tifa was his hope and comfort. When he looked at her he saw a brand new day and a fresh start. She was what kept him going.
The ride back to Seventh Heaven was quiet with the night air rushing in their ears. A sleepy Tifa had wrapped her arms around Cloud's waist and laid her head against his back. Cloud said nothing, but a sweet tenderness had blossomed inside of him and he drove back in a moment of content and peacefulness.
"Tifa, we're home," he murmured softly, wondering if she had fallen asleep. Some of her body warmth left his back for a moment and he heard her drowsy, "Mmm..." Cloud smiled to himself.
They walked inside the quiet pub together and entered the house. It was completely still and silent; everyone had gone to bed.
Tifa took a step into the living room and stared at her empty cookie bowl, crumbs still scattered over the coffee table. Her eyes widened at once, "Don't tell me they ate all of them for dinner!" she exclaimed fervently, hands on hips.
Chuckling quietly, Cloud looked around the living room, which was a bit tidier now. His eyes landed on the Christmas tree, Yuffie's materia orbs dangling off the plastic branches.
"Where's everyone sleeping?"
"Umm... Barret in the kids' room, Cid, Shera and Yuffie in the guest room, Red XIII and Cait Sith on the bean bags, Vincent on the sofa in the playroom," Tifa murmured off the list, "It's a tight squeeze; I made the kids share Marlene's bed."
"Ah, well, the more the merrier, right?" Cloud said weakly.
Tifa chuckled, "Right." She stood on tiptoe to reach the top of the tree but she wasn't tall enough. Tifa huffed and glared at it, "Do you think I can throw this star up there?"
Cloud let out a laugh, "That's more of Yuffie's area. Want me to put it up?"
"Alright," Tifa sounded enthusiastic, "You can crown the tree with its glory."
He smiled wryly at her childishness as he reached up easily and placed the golden star at the top of the Christmas tree. He stood back to see the effect and was met with an odd jolt of happiness; the Christmas tree looked truly complete with its 'crowning glory'.
"That felt good, didn't it?" her sweet voice floated to his ears.
"Yeah... it looks nice."
Tifa glanced at him musingly, "Nice? It's beautiful! Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I saw my own Christmas tree." She looked up wistfully and then turned back to Cloud, who had been staring at her tentatively. Remembering the evening they'd just spent together, a faint blush rose to her cheeks. Unfortunately, her yawn chose to moment to engulf her delicate expression.
Cloud immediately narrowed his eyes and she hastened to stifle it - but to no avail.
"Bed."
Tifa sighed, "I can never hide it, can I?"
"Nope."
"Fine then, I'm going..." the brunette smiled and shyly whispered, "Good night, Cloud." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek before whipping around and up the stairs. Cloud's jaw froze as his cheek tingled intensely. He blinked, recovering his powers of movement very slowly.
Tifa just... kissed me? It hadn't been the first time she'd done it, but it always made him lose feeling everywhere else in his body except for his cheek. Following his slow recovery would be an eruption of emotions that left him dazed and dreamy... exactly like a lovesick fool.
A wide, lopsided smile split Cloud's face and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Cloud switched off all the downstair lights and got ready for bed after a quick check on everybody else. He finally tucked himself underneath his thick covers, his foolish little smile never fading even as he slept.
"Merry Christmas, Cloud, Tifa... everyone."
"Hehe, look at him, Aer - 'tis his season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la - ouch! Okay, I'll stop."
"...I love you, Zack."
"Hmph... yeah, whatever."
"Hehe..."
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A/N: What a strange chapter! xD Thank you everyone for reviewing, I was so happy and excited as I always am when I start a new story. Hehehe, did you have a good time reading? -everyone nods gleefully- x) Okay, okay, now SHOUT your favourite FF7 couples! CLOUD/TIFA - AERITH/ZACK - YUFFIE/VINCENT - CID/SHERA - RENO/ELENA! ...Glad to get that outta my system. (x HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Oh, and shout your fave Christmas carol, toooo! Hmm ... I can't decide. Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la laaaa. - msq.