Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FFAC or any of its characters.

Rating: M for language, violence, and lemony goodness.

Author's note: Alright so I left you hanging with that last chapter. I know, I'm an evil person but this chapter will make up for it, I promise! Keep the reviews coming guys, I love what I'm hearing so far. =)

"Cloud, I want to tell you something. Er, I need to tell you something."

He had been caught off guard by her sudden withdrawal from his touch, but he wasn't offended. One thing that Cloud knew about Tifa was that if she had something on her mind, she couldn't just let it go without saying something. She had always been like that. That was one of the things that he-

"What is it, Tifa?" He purred, his fingers falling from her cheek to play with the side of her neck.

She shuddered at the sensation it sent up her spine, but she couldn't be distracted. She had to tell him and she had to tell him now.

"Well, I need to tell you something but I want you to do the same thing for me. Do you promise you will?"

Tifa's eyes peered into his, raw emotion filling her beautiful orbs. Cloud nodded, losing himself in her gaze. They were always passionate eyes but he had never had the privilege of seeing them this way before.

"Tifa, you can tell me anything you want to tell me. You always have, and I wouldn't want anything less from you."

The martial artist nodded, feeling a little relief but not really. This was nerve wracking. Since when did the walls move? She blinked furiously, her head spinning with the weight of what she was about to confess. She was quite sure that he knew it, but it was an entirely different thing to say it and have it out in the open than it was to think it.

"Um Teef, you look like you're going to throw up," Cloud mentioned, backing away from her ever so slightly, his arms still gripping her elbows almost as if to support her from falling.

She laughed nervously, swallowing repeatedly. Did everyone feel this way right before they-?

"No I'm fine. Alright, so here goes. Cloud?"

"Yes Tifa?"

"I um…I've wanted to tell you this for a long time but I've been too afraid to tell you. Especially with you always dreaming and tormenting yourself over Aeris."

This brought a quick frown from Cloud. He didn't need reminded of the flower girl. He was finally able to accept her death; he didn't need to relive memories of his pain.

"If what you're going to tell me is going to physically make you sick then I don't want you to tell me," He told her, a small smile on his perfect lips. Tifa's heart melted. Was he actually joking with her?

A smile all her own flashed onto her face upon realizing that he indeed was teasing her. It was such a phenomenon to have Cloud joke at all that she had nearly forgotten that she had wanted to tell him something. She wrapped her arms back around his neck and brought him down to her in a scorching kiss. The blond headed warrior never ceased to amaze her, even after so many years of friendship she still found him unbelievable.

Tifa's head muddied as Cloud kissed her back just as fiercely, pushing her up against the side of the shower. The flustered woman let out mewls of delight at the feeling of her lower region pulsing with need, and the feel of Cloud's arousal didn't help her concentrate any better either.

His hands trailed alongside her naked hips, sending chills of anticipation through her body. She let her head tilt to the side, letting his eager mouth nip at the slick skin. Tifa's hands gripped at his shoulders for balance once her legs began to shake. That was all she needed was to fall to the ground and ruin the moment. It would be typical Tifa Lockhart though. Things rarely ever worked out the way she planned.

"I won't let you fall," Cloud mouthed against her ear. It was almost as if he had read her mind. Her hero was yet again telling her he would save her if she were in trouble. The ex-SOLDIER gave a chuckle into her ear when he heard her gasp with delight at his comment. The whole protector persona Cloud had going on clearly was quite the turn on for Tifa. 'I'll keep that in mind,' he mused, a stray hand rubbing across her flat tummy, the other securely fastened to her hip.

Tifa buried her hands into his wet hair as their tongues danced with one another. It was maddening the way he kissed. The fact that he was so gentle but forceful, eager but reserved, and lingering yet fleeting was simply enough to make her go insane with her need. Every time he pressed his lips to any part of her she felt her heart play the loudest melody against her chest.

Cloud held out his hand so that the water falling out of the shower head could fall over his fingers. His blue eyes cast a dark expression as he looked at her, his hand coming back down to his side. With movements so quick and fluid, Cloud had his sopping wet fingers sneaking through her thighs and her outer wall to find her already swollen clit. The extra lubrication was all that Cloud would need to send her to the point of no return.

Tifa panted as his fingers nimbly rubbed and teased her nub, moans becoming his reward, his fuel to quicken his pace. It wasn't long before he felt her tense, her breath trapping itself in her lungs, waiting to release.

"Already?" He asked her softly, giving her ear a slight bite at the top of its ridge.

"Mmngh," She moaned, her hands clawing at his muscled back, "Don't stop, please," Tifa pleaded, feeling his movements growing maddeningly slow. Again she heard that sardonic chuckle, "I wasn't going to."

The pressure she felt had her teetering on the edge. He knew what she wanted but yet he wasn't giving it to her. He was playing with her need to be sated. It was frustrating but arousing at the same time. Cloud was the dominating one and this only seemed to intensify the experience all the more.

"God, Cloud!" She wailed, biting onto his shoulder in anger. She hated and loved to be teased by him.

"What Tifa, impatient?" Cloud asked her, clearly amused by her almost animalistic need to release. He had a purpose to all of this. If he prolonged her anticipation, her orgasm would be that much more powerful. Tonight was all about Tifa relaxing, and after he was finished with her, that's exactly was she would be; relaxed.

Again his movements quickened, her nub growing with arousal. She could feel it, she was going to explode with her release, but received none. He had slowed his movements back down, almost feeding off of the growls of frustration he was receiving in turn.

'Fine, two can play at that game,' she thought as she dropped one of her hands from his shoulders. She ran her nails down his formed chest and abdomen, smiling at the quick intake of breath he gathered when she let her fingers play at his erection.

"Hrmm," she breathed, parting her lips in satisfaction as she grasped his shaft, earning a slight protest. Tifa's hand moved up and down, listening to the labored breaths that Cloud was beginning to contract.

"Tifa, no," He scolded, letting his head fall backwards. His own actions had long since slowed to barely any movements at all once she had touched him.

"No what?" She toyed, pressing a kiss to his strong neck, licking up so that she could nibble on his ear. Her hand continued its actions, even stopping so that she could run a soaked thumb over his sensitive member's head.

Cloud grabbed her offending hand's wrist and pinned it against the wall and away from him, his eyes serious yet lusty, "No, Tifa."

She swallowed furiously at her throat, feeling a little embarrassed and offended. Tifa had thought that he was enjoying himself.

Again that dark smirk covered his face as he removed his hands and took a step away from her. Tifa stared at him with a confused expression for a mere moment before he grabbed her hips and spun her around, pushing her up against the wall a little more power this time.

It was surprising yet exciting at the same time. Tifa's cheek rested against the cool, wet tiles of the shower, loving the feeling of his strong body pressed up against hers, displaying the dominance that he possessed.

One of his hands snaked around to her front while the other slid to her lower back, pressing down and in, causing her to bend ever so slightly. He groaned in approval, giving her ass the slightest squeeze, "Ready?"

Tifa bit at her lower lip as she felt him spread her legs apart ever so slightly before there was a slight pinch as he entered her.

Her hands clawed at the tiles uselessly as he finally was completely enveloped within her opening, waiting so that she was able to adjust to his presence. And then he began to rock in and out of her, holding on to her hip with one of his hands to keep her solid against him.

It was intoxicating. Each movement she could feel him inside her, rubbing and pleasing her g-spot. Tifa felt his fingers snake in and knot themselves into her hair, tugging her head backwards. He loved the way she held her mouth and closed her eyes while they fucked. It was an unparalleled beauty that he simply couldn't get enough of.

Her nails scratched down the tile as she felt her insides tense yet again, her back arching into his strong chest. One thing she noticed was that Cloud was very aware of his partner's needs and movements, so it didn't surprise her once he began to pick up his pace, digging in deeper, pressing her harder into the tiled wall. He owned her, and she knew it; he knew it. It was an overpowering sensation.

"That's it," Cloud whispered into her hair, "Let go," he told her, holding her strong against his always-moving hips.

She screamed out his name, her body growing limp in his arms as she came, her teeth biting down on her lower lip as hard as they could, a small trickle of blood falling down her mouth. Cloud moved quicker and stronger as she released, loving the primal feeling of her needs being met. Her insides throbbed around his member, sending chills through him as her anatomy claimed him.

The blond warrior knew that after this release she would be spent and he wanted to come with her, so with a few deep thrusts more, he spilled his thick liquid inside of her, her insides continuing to throb and milk him for all of his worth.

They stood there for the longest time just breathing and listening to the monotonous sound of the water hitting the floor of the shower.

After they had recovered enough so that they could move, Cloud pulled himself from inside her, tilting her head so that he could kiss her lips again, licking away the blood that had stained them.

"Cloud?" Tifa muttered as he reached for the shampoo, squeezing some of its contents into his hands, rubbing the bubbles into his golden spikes. He scrubbed for a while before he ducked his head under the shower, letting the soap rinse from his hair, his always lively spikes succumbing to the weight of the water, but only momentarily.

Tifa felt a smile cross her face at this sight. She had never seen Cloud without his spiky hair so when they had fallen to frame his face if only for a brief moment, she had enjoyed the sight. He gathered another squeeze of the shampoo and approached her, entangling his hands with her long locks, rubbing the formula into her scalp, the bubbles soon falling to the floor as he helped her rinse her hair once he had finished.

"Cloud?" She tried again, waiting for a response.

"Shh," he murmured, grabbing a sponge and pouring liquid soap onto it. He washed her entirely before he did the same to himself, rinsing out the sponge and returning it to its place at the side of the tub.

Cloud bent down and turned off the now cool water, giving his head a slight shake bringing back to life the dormant spikes. They both exited the shower, grabbing towels and running it over their hair for a moment before wrapping it around their bodies. Cloud's around his waist, Tifa's around her entire torso and lower region.

"Now, what did you want, Teef?" He asked her, pulling her to him in a light kiss.

She swallowed as he pulled away, loving the glow of his beautiful blue eyes, "I need to tell you something."

"You already told me that earlier. What do you want to tell me?" He asked her, handing her the brush so that she could comb out the tangles in her long hair.

"Cloud…ok so I've wanted to tell you this for a while but I never really thought that it mattered. But I feel like I should tell you now…"

He nodded, clearly waiting for her earth shattering confession.

"Ok, here goes…Cloud Strife, I love you. I've always loved you."

He remained silent and emotionless, not the response she had exactly wanted but the one she had anticipated.

They stood there for the longest time not speaking, only looking at one another as if the answer that she was waiting for was hidden in the air that separated the two. "Cloud?" She asked again, suddenly feeling completely exposed and not in the way she wanted to be exposed around Cloud.

He shook his head, silently asking her to stay silent. She complied, sucking in her lips to help seal her mouth shut.

Tifa felt the redness in her cheeks burning as if she were on fire. 'Why is he just staring at me like that?' The marital artist felt her heart fall through the floor as she came to the conclusion that the reason he was staring was because he was trying to find the right way to tell her that it was nice that she loved him but that it wasn't mutual.

"Tifa-"

She hesitated at first, but eventually she looked up at him, his mako eyes completely soft and unprotected. The way he was looking at her was so new and warm that her heart sang its praises again. Was her seriously going to answer her? It was far more than she had hoped for; she had simply planned for her confession to frighten him and for him to simply walk away without any answer to her statement.

"I don't know what to say."

The hope that was in her system instantly crashed down to the floor, shattering the instant it hit. She stared at him with bewildered eyes, completely devastated, "I see," Tifa mumbled, feeling like a fool.

His long time friend folded her arms across her chest, bowing her head, attempting to duck out the door. He caught her arm, pulling her back to stand in front of him.

"Tifa, look at me."

"NO!" She snapped, her voice cracking with the unfiltered emotion that had managed to surface within only a few seconds. Tifa fought back the salty water that was beginning to hit the floor. Cloud caught sight of the falling liquid, concern swarming through his body.

"Tifa!" He tried again, giving her upper arms a slight shake. She shook her head quickly, refusing to look at him. Cloud froze upon hearing a muffled sob escape from her throat.

"Teefie, don't cry."

"Just let me go, Cloud."

"I can't."

"Then I'll make you!" She snarled, shoving at his chest angrily. He remained steadfast, hands locked around her arms, "Stop it Tifa."

"No, you stop it! Let go of me! I don't want to be here!" She sobbed, finally lifting her face enough for Cloud to see. Immediately he regretted trying to look at her crying eyes. It was heartbreaking.

"Tifa all I said was that I didn't know what to say."

"And you said enough. I was stupid enough to believe that you could actually feel the same way about me. I knew better than to think that, I know who has your heart and it's definitely not me."

She struggled with his arms again, trying in vain to free herself from his strong hands.

"Stop fighting me, Tifa Lockhart."

The whole situation was utterly mortifying. She couldn't believe that she had let her guard down enough to leak the truth about her feelings for him. And what was worse was that she had been foolish enough to believe that he would answer her with a some what human response. Finally realizing that fighting against his strong hold was utterly useless, no matter how strong she was, Cloud was stronger. Cloud was always more than she could ever hope to be. So she ceased her thrashing and stood there, tears falling to the floor, Cloud's eyes holding hers.

"Fine, just reject me and get it over with," she hissed, trying to take her heartbreak out on him with her short tones.

He shook his head, "Stop it. You're being hateful."

Tifa lowered her fisted hands to her sides, her body becoming perfectly straight, "Well then speak."

One of his calloused hands released an arm so that he could lift her chin upwards, "Tifa Lockhart, the one thing about you that I can't stand is that you always put yourself down. You seem to think that you don't deserve love or what you dream of and you do. I don't know what all I have done that's hurt you but I do know that the reason you are the way you are in that way is because of me and it absolutely sickens me. I'm sorry for all that I've ever said or done that's hurt you. It was never my intention; you are my best friend who has been with me through every aspect of my life. I don't know why you would be so afraid to tell me how you feel. I guess my question would be, with everything that we've been through, all the laughs and tears, all the good and bad times, all the journeys of people we've met and lost, you and I have been through them all together. You have been my best friend since we were kids, Teef. I had feelings for you then-"

"Then, not now."

"On to my question: Tifa, how could we have been through everything we've been through together, sharing this make-shift family and memories, our many battles, and our many joys as childhood companions, and me not have feelings for you?"

She stared at him, the water in her eyes preventing a crystal clear picture. "Sure, sissy Teefie, I'm not stupid. I'm just a sister figure to you."

He laughed, genuinely laughed, "Tifa, if I thought of and loved you as a sister, then what we just did would be wrong on many levels."

Tifa froze. He had a point. But she was still unsure.

Cloud's laughter stopped almost as quickly as it had appeared, "Tifa Lockhart, you know I'm horrible with words and emotions. I always have been and I always will be. But one thing I can say for certain is that you are my best and truest friend, but I can't just settle for that. It's not enough anymore. I need you to be more; I want you to be more than just that."

He kissed her palm, placing it on his chest over his heart, his blue eyes hot with the confession of his own feelings. Still he hadn't said them, those three words she longed to hear. Although her tears had long subsided and happiness branched through every one of her nerves, she still longed to hear him say it. She rubbed his chest and smiled slightly at him, "Please?"

He didn't need informed of what she was wanting, he could tell. Cloud had become familiar with the emotion of love in her eyes. It was simply breathtaking. They twinkled and shimmered with what looked like the night sky, their edges soft and warm.

Cloud had never been able to give Tifa what she had wanted before, but he had to change that. He couldn't live the rest of his life continuing to let her down and so-

"Tifa Lockhart, I-"

"Anyone home?"

Both of them froze in their spots, their eyes wide with surprise upon hearing someone else's voice.

'NO!' Her mind screamed as she stared imploringly at Cloud, 'He was just about to tell me. No, no, no!'

Cloud released her arms but not before pressing a kiss to her forehead, ducking out the door. She heard him shuffling through his closet; apparently he was dressing himself now.

Tifa poked her still wet head around the corner of the door and found that he had dressed into his normal attire in a mere matter of seconds.

"I'm going to go see who that is."

She nodded, her heart flopping around inside her like it had been wounded. It was so close and yet it had continued to elude her ears. And Cloud was so unpredictable that she didn't know if she would ever have that chance to have him tell her how he felt again. It was simply too much to take.

Tifa darted out of Cloud's room, hugging the wall and jumping into her own room before anyone had seen her. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a white tank top quickly, running her fingers through her hair one last time before she ran out the door of her room, searching the house quickly for any signs of Cloud or the visitor. Whoever it was that had intruded was going to pay. They had prevented her dreams from being fulfilled after years of dreaming them. She wasn't going to let this go easily.

There it was, chapter 10 filled with lots of lemony goodness! Chapter 11 will be up in a matter of a day or two. Who's the visitor? Hopefully they can take an ass whoopin' from Tifa Lockhart. Lol.

Much love,

~Nikki~