oh for shame, for shame. Not a single shout out in the reviews from fans of any of the things I dropped into this pop culture story of geekdom? Not even anyone counting the references? siiiiigh, you guys are breaking my heart, really you are…
Chapter 4: Sharing
"So what was all the freaking out about?" Tifa asked as they sat on a planter outside. Aerith, jacket off and head tipped back so her face was to the sun looked suddenly embarrassed.
"Well – you were late. And you're never late. You're 'Tifa, the Walking Time Piece'."
Tifa snorted, both at the description and the over dramatic emphasis her friend put on the words. Absent she swung her feet so the heels of her shoes tapped silently on the planter behind her legs.
"And then I found you – except you were in some guy's arms and you looked…" Aerith's voice trailed off and Tifa turned her head to look at her friend, eyebrows starting to rise just a little.
"You looked… fuzzy" Aerith finished helplessly. "And all I could think about were all those horror stories about girls that go to parties and get something slipped in their drinks."
It was silent for a minute and then Tifa started to cough her laughter. Aerith turned accusing eyes on her and tried to glare.
"Don't laugh! I'm serious. Your face looked – funny. All – " Aerith's hands moved pointlessly. "Fuzzy. And you weren't posing or anything, just – standing there in his arms and he had this really - this look on his face and – and you were late!" she finished the last bit as if it explained all the other panic.
Tifa covered her face with her hands and let herself laugh it all out. Which was better than letting herself get all uncomfortable and embarrassed. Aerith was an all out romantic to Tifa's closet one and she knew her friend liked to imagine more to situations than there normally was. But Aerith also knew her better than just about anybody. Had she really looked… 'fuzzy'?
And what the heck was 'fuzzy' supposed to look like anyway?
"Give me my camera" she straightened up with a smile and a shake of her head for her friend. "You're hopeless, you know. We were just posing for those girls while his sister was hitting up 'Edward'."
Aerith didn't look convinced. She did dig Tifa's camera out of her 'Middlebag' however and hand it over. Then she scooted closer and peered over Tifa's shoulder while her friend paged through the photos in her camera's memory. Tifa's thumb slowed down and then stopped when she hit the pictures of her and Cloud.
"oh…"
Aerith, looking over her shoulder, nodded softly.
"Yeah" her voice was quiet. "oh."
Tifa didn't know who'd had her camera by that point but whoever they were they were really good. The pictures of her in Cloud's arms were crystal clear and centered. Cloud had chosen a romantic pose. It was sweet and protective and possessive and cherishing and it made Tifa think it was exactly the way Clash should hold Rita. It also really made her envy every girl Cloud had ever held that way seriously before. But it was her face in the pictures that had her stomach taking a startled dip. The photographer had even been kind enough to go for a close up in one shot, and there was her face with Cloud's cheek resting against it and –
Tifa groaned and handed the camera back to her friend. Who took it and flipped slowly through the last of the pictures. Tifa let her head fall back to rest on the back of Aerith's shoulder.
"Wow" Aerith whispered. Paused a long time while Tifa rolled her eyes to look over at her. Waiting.
"You looked really happy."
"Happy?" Tifa asked. Because she'd been thinking of a different word. A word that rhymed with 'happy' but started with an 's'. Aerith looked thoughtfully at the camera in her hands and frowned.
"Yeah. Happy. I mean, you're always smiling and cheerful and stuff, Teef but – " she shrugged. "I don't know – you look – quiet happy in these. Like, deep down happy that you don't need to laugh or smile to be."
"Oh, that made a lot of sense" Tifa mocked her friend, straightening up. Aerith laughed and gave her a gentle shove before turning off the camera and putting it back in her bag.
"So are we still on for a little shopping before the next event?" Aerith asked and Tifa grinned as she hopped to her feet.
"Absolutely. I told Denzel I'd get him a banner like the one you brought back last year if the dealer was here again this year."
That was one of the things that made Tifa so close to Aerith. That let her trust the other girl with so much of herself. It was that Aerith knew when to tease – and when not to tease. With a wicked look in her eye at the thought of spending money, Aerith caught Tifa's wrist in her hand and cheerfully dragged her off toward where the booths were set up, happily starting a running story about a guy she'd met who was publishing his Order of the Stick web comic in book form. Strange blond men and weird forms of 'happy' tossed out the window in favor of more pressing – and comfortable – matters. Tifa was more than happy to stay that way.
The shopping went longer than they'd planned but Tifa was having too much fun with her friend to break away to catch the lecture by S.M. Stirling though she did make it a point not to miss The Crossed Swords combat demonstration. The two girls caught lunch together and sat outside while they ate it, snapping pictures of various costumed characters and comparing notes on what they'd done so far. Tifa had them done early however and in line for one of the main events. A new Terminator movie was coming out next year and they'd been promised a fairly lengthy trailer/teaser/goodie show. The line behind them started to snake as it grew and when the doors were finally opened the auditorium filled up quickly. Tifa and Aerith ended up near the end of a row toward the middle of the stadium, somewhere between what looked like a group of Borg and an anime version of the Wizard of Oz. At least Tifa thought that was what they were. As the place got more packed she glanced around the room, wondering how full they were going to let it get. Her eyes passed and went back to look again before they'd even focused and showed her what had caught their attention.
Spiky blond hair.
Crap.
Curling her fingers around the back of her chair, Tifa tipped to the side a little and – sure enough. The spiky blond hair belonged to a really good version of Clash, standing at the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded loosely over his chest. Even the Sailor Moon trio on one side of him wasn't distracting enough for Tifa to miss him. She paused and then her eyebrows came down a little and she frowned. This was ridiculous, she wasn't going to avoid him the entire convention or let herself get all tangled up in feeling awkward over something that had just been a weird fluke on her part anyway she was sure. Shifting onto her knees on the chair, she turned around to face the back and waved. Quite a few people waved back. Cloud however hadn't seen her. So she gestured to one of the guys that had waved at her and then pointed beyond him. Quite a bit of hand gesturing, silly silent flirting and three more people being involved finally got Cloud's attention and by the time he reached the aisle Tifa was in, he was actually chuckling. Tifa threw silent mime kisses to the people that had helped and then turned around in her seat in time to greet him with a smile.
"You looked lonely back there," she explained as he sank down on to his heels next to her chair, laughter pooled like light in the blue of his eyes.
"You need to either work on a landing pad or at a daycare the way you managed that." The edges of his lips were curved as he said it, stopping to give a nod of greeting to Aerith who was peering around Tifa from the other side.
"Speaking of which, where's Yuffie?"
His face softened at her question and he shook his head.
"She kicked me out. She's gaming her 'no longer Forgotten Realms revamp elf ranger' in one of the RPG tourneys and said me making noises in the back of my throat every time she did something was getting on her nerves." After a pause, he added calmly: "I have no idea what she's talking about."
Both Aerith and Tifa stifled their own choked laughs behind their hands. Then Tifa looked over at the doors and scooted sideways in her chair.
"Sit next to me."
Those cerulean blue eyes moved to hers, quiet and watching again and she shrugged.
"Aerith and I can kind of squish together. They're starting to clear the room of everyone that's not sitting in a chair but its not like they're going to count heads. Sit in my seat and you can stay and watch the show with us."
"We're used to squishing" Aerith agreed helpfully. "And this way when its time to leave you can walk in front of us and clear the way." Her smile was sunshine bright and pure as rain as she added: "Please?"
A sound came in the back of his throat and his blue eyes were smiling as he straightened up just enough to slid onto the seat Tifa had vacated for him. He slipped the giant sword off and onto the ground to lie against the outside of the chair. Aerith gave the girl sitting next to her a cheerful smile and earned a little bit of chair there and so, between the three of them they managed to take up probably about two and a quarter seats and the spaces in-between. Tifa, used to fitting both of her siblings into all kinds of tight places with her, wasn't uncomfortable. The snuggler in her actually enjoyed being able to be this close to people she liked without having to feel awkward about not having a viable excuse. True to her guess, everyone standing was ushered out but no one stopped to count heads and so as the lights dimmed and the announcer took the podium at the front, she relaxed and snuggled in.
It didn't take long for them to start rolling the movie clips and they were everything Tifa could have hoped for. Drama and action and, of course, the trade mark slightly hammy humor. She forgot everything but the screen and, at the end, when the lights came back up a bit, just enough for the speaker to take the podium again, she clapped happily with everyone else.
"We've got to see that when it comes out" she told Aerith and felt her friend nod next to her. And it was only then that Tifa realized there was an arm on the chair behind her and it was far too thick and warm to be Aerith's.
Her very first thought was an indignant 'he didn't even fake a yawn', followed swiftly by heat in her cheeks as she realized that he probably had to put his arm there for balance considering he was trying to take up as little of the seat as possible to try to give her and Aerith as much room as he could. And Tifa actually had to pause and debate which reason she'd rather have for his arm behind her.
It was a very warm arm. In fact, he was nicely warm, Tifa thought distractedly as she realized how closely pressed against him she was sitting. Particularly since his arm was behind her and that tucked her in against his side in a kind of way. Not exactly but it still put her in the shelter of him.
A laugh ran through the crowd and Tifa realized the director was telling a funny story about – something or other that had happened on the set at some point. She loved inside stories like that and so she mentally pushed away her distracted thoughts and focused.
It was easier to focus when she was comfortably warm. 'Rita' didn't exactly dress with indoor air conditioning in mind.
The hour passed quicker than Tifa had thought it would and in no time everyone was applauding and then getting up to file out. Tifa and Aerith, from old habit, didn't get up right away, both of them content to wait for the crowds to thin a little before they left and Cloud apparently had no problem taking his cue from them. The seat next to Aerith did empty though and so Tifa had a seat all to herself. Cloud had forgotten his arm across the back of the chair however and so she didn't lose her warmth even if she did lose the comforting feel of being pressed up between him and her best friend. Aerith gave Cloud a speculative look.
"So, Tifa's adopted you too, huh?" she asked and blue eyes moved from the door to her and then to Tifa. The very edge of those lips twitched.
"Have you?" he asked and Tifa shifted a little in her seat. Giving her a chance to glare at Aerith before turning an innocent face on the man next to her.
"Do you need to be adopted?" she asked and for a moment he dipped his head and the edges of his mouth curved a bit more. The hand that wasn't lax against the back of her chair rose to find the back of his neck. But the blue eyes came back up to meet hers and they were wicked as he mildly answered:
"I don't know. I've heard you're a slave driver."
It had Tifa smiling and she shifted her eyes upward.
"I am," she agreed cheerfully. "I'll make you do your homework before letting you play and I'm a dragon when it comes to chores."
"She even makes me do them," Aerith piped up happily. Cloud's eyes were smiling as he stated:
"Maybe I should sell Yuffie to you. I'm not sure she remembers what homework is most days."
"I think selling slaves is illegal in Midgar" Aerith laughed and Cloud shook his head, a single negative motion.
"We're from Wutai" his voice made the word sound foreign. More foreign. "So its all right. I'm fairly sure the current Kisaragi would happily agree to selling Yuffie."
Not that Wutai sold slaves either but Tifa understood he was making a joke about the fact people joked about the backwater personality of his country. She also understood suddenly that there was a great deal she'd assumed about Cloud that was obviously wrong. She'd thought – when his sister had said he was on 'leave' she'd thought – but obviously Yuffie had meant from the Wutai personal army. Also – Cloud didn't look like someone from Wutai but Yuffie, now that he mentioned it, obviously did.
"Wutai?" Aerith was enthusiastic. "I've always wanted to visit. I hear it's beautiful."
"It is" Cloud answered but his eyes, all that intense, compacted blue, were watching Tifa. Waiting. She raised her own eyes to his. The way his eyes looked, the way he moved, the way he handled the oversized sword…
"You're not a Wutai soldier." It came out of her softly before she could stop herself. He was an absolute stranger and she wasn't supposed to be paying attention to his personal life. But – bartender for so long… she picked up on things. And his eyes…
"No."
Aerith went still on the other side of her but Tifa's face softened and she lightly reached out to rest a hand on his bare forearm.
"I bet all the people walking around here with fake weapons as part of their costume are driving you nuts."
It made him cough a laugh and his face relaxed. He shrugged, almost more a slight movement of his chin than his shoulders.
"Yuffie scares me more with her conformer."
"I think she'd scare anyone with that thing," Tifa agreed, easing them back on to lighter footing. "And she says you made it for her so it's only your own fault."
His lips softened into that quiet smile and again his hand rose to rub the back of his neck.
"She really wanted it," he offered helplessly and Tifa laughed at him, standing up to give his arm a tug.
"Come on. Things have cleared out a bit. Let's get out of here." She turned and grinned at Aerith as the other girl stood up as well and stretched. "Remind me to find an older brother like this one."
Aerith laughed and shook her head.
"You say that now but I bet he's a terror to anyone that wants to date his little sister."
Cloud's lowering brows and automatic glower at even the thought had both of the girls laughing at him as they left the auditorium.
