Twenty
Cloud was in shock, he didn't know how to react to what he just heard. Did she meant those words for him? Or she was too sick to even know who she was talking to? One thing he was embarrassed to admit was, he didn't know anything about love, even with his relationship with Aerith, nothing like that was going on between them.
Did she really say those... For me...? He asked himself. He will get to the bottom of it when she wakes up, but he knew that it will after a while.
Tifa slowly opened her eyes with a groan, then out of habit, she unconsciously grabbed her glasses on the bedside table before she put on, then she yelped when she saw Cloud staring so closely at her face, he jumped at her reaction.
"Goddammit woman." He said as he slowly sat up. Tifa gave him a sheepish smile with a small laugh.
"Sorry..." She said weakly. She actually felt a little bit better, and her fever was already down.
"Are you hungry? I bet you are because you have an intestine like a bottomless pit." Cloud asked. Tifa thought for a while before she spoke.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to a woman." She said.
"I actually ordered some Wutaian food a while ago, I'll just heat it up for you, you want noodles or dimsum? He asked, ignoring Tifa's comment.
"Both." Tifa answered then she blew raspberries on her lips.
"Alright, I'll be back weirdo." He said. He suddenly stopped on his tracks which earned him a confused look from Tifa. "By the way... Sorry... For everything." He said then he suddenly started walking away in lightning speed like an idiot. Tifa chuckled with an amused look before she shook her head slightly.
That Cloud. Must be very hard to apologize. He looked pathetic when he walked fast like that.
They both ate in peace when Cloud finally brought the food, neither of them were talking and they were just enjoying their meal. After they were done eating and drinking, both of them fell back on the bed with Cloud pulling the covers over their bodies. They faced each other while Cloud was patting Tifa's arm to sooth her.
"Cloud... You never told me the story of your life." Tifa said which made him stop what he was doing on her arm. Then he resumed after a while, then he sighed before he spoke.
"I guess... I can tell you... But it's not a nice one, it's actually tear jerker movie material and it could win the hearts of the masses and thousand of recognition. I could play myself and I will win the bestest actor award." He said. Tifa rolled her eyes.
"Bestest?" She laughed. "What the... and you're so full of yourself." She said. "You do realize how ugly it will sound though? 'A Cloud story' starring Cloud Strife as Cloud Strife."
"You're right that sounds disgusting." He said flatly.
"Well, are you going to tell me?" Tifa asked she made herself more comfortable. Cloud smirked before he started talking.
"My father was a realtor, he was actually pretty good with his job. He earned lots of money for us everytime he would sell a house. We had a pretty good life, I was really young back then, though I didn't remember much, but I had a lot of toys then, we have a big house, we have lots of stuff." He said then he sighed. "Until something happened in the company that my dad works, my father was a very attractive man, apparently, he was having an affair with the company owner's wife." He swallowed. Tifa furrowed her eyebrows. "His boss found out and he actually burned the office down, like literally, a lot of people lost their jobs because of it and they greatly blamed my father." He chuckled bitterly. "He lost his job, slowly, he started selling our stuff, the car, the furniture, and later on we found out that he had been using the money to support his gambling addiction, a habit he started when the office incident happened." Cloud sighed again, Tifa grabbed his hand to hold it under the covers. "He changed, he became drunk, how my mother managed to accept him back to our home was beyond me, I guess she really loved my father too much." He chuckled bitterly again. "My mother had to work as a seamstress to support us because my father wouldn't find a job, all he did was drink and gamble."
"Oh Cloud..." TIfa said sympathetically.
"My father, he started being verbally abusive, he would call my mom a whore and slut when he didn't like how she cleaned the house or how his food tastes, and me..." He paused then swallowed. "He would always tell me that I'm weak, a wimp, a loser. All those things and the sad part was, I believed them." He said. Tifa tightened her grip on his hand. "I was a small boy, smaller than the rest of the boys in school, so I was always picked on, it got worse and worse but I didn't tell my mom about it, it went on for years, during fourth grade, my father disappeared and we haven't heard from him since." He said.
"I'm sorry about that Cloud.
"When I was in seventh grade. The biggest bully in school dragged me in the back building and him and his group of friend started beating me up, it was so bad that..." He paused, Tifa waited patiently for him to continue. "I got... into a coma for two months..." He said, Tifa gasped with horror etched on her face.
"Oh Cloud..."
"My mom struggled, she had to work a lot to support my hospital bills as well as other stuff, she ended up in a lot of debt because of it, when I woke up, I was furious. I was so angry with the world, the bullies, my father, everything. That's when I decided to change." He said. "I started to better my appearance, I learned martial arts and when I entered high school, I found a lot of girls being attracted to me, and one by one." He chuckled. "I started seducing the girlfriends of the ones who bullied me to piss them off, the girls were too stupid to believe my smooth talks and sweet gestures, then the bullies, they would confront me about it, then they would try to beat me up but the would always fail because I would fight back. I got into lots of fights, now that I thought about it, I felt sorry for my mom."
"Cloud..."
"Eventually, I feel embarrassed to admit this, but the bullied became the bully, and because of my father's verbal abuse, I think... I got the habit as well." He said then he looked up at Tifa. "And I'm sorry about that." He said while he cupped her cheek, she shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, please continue."
"Eventually, when I was hanging out on the mall with a few 'girlfriends'" He said with a smirk, Tifa rolled her eyes. "I was discovered by Tseng. I was in my fourth year in high school, and that's when it all started." He said. "I guess... The fame got into my head, and meeting you..." He stared into her ruby orbs. "Made me realize that. I've become a person I didn't want to be, I've become like the people I hated the most, but because of you... I..." He trailed off. Tifa's face softened as she watched him struggle with his words. "I guess when you kept calling out on all my crap, I realized everything... So... Thank you..." He said with a small smile.
"Oh Cloud... You know I'll always be here..."
"I know..."
"But, it'll cost you though." She said with a smirk.
"What kind of... Wait..." He held out her left hand to stare at it. "Where's your engagement ring?!" He suddenly yelled while he sat up making her jump.
"It's in my bag!" She too sat up.
"Why aren't you wearing it?!"
"Because we broke up!"
"We didn't break up! You got fired! Beside we aren't even in a real relationship!"
"Then how should I handle that?! Do you know how miserable I was when you fired me?!"
"I was miserable as well you know!" He yelled with a rub on his face. Tifa clamped her mouth shut at his words and she stared at him like he has four heads.
"You... You were...?"
"Yes!"
"Why...?"
"Because... Because...!" He whined. Tifa raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Because what Cloud?" She asked. Cloud stared at her for a long while, then after that, he groaned in frustration.
"Ah, dammit Tifa!" He suddenly placed his hand behind her nape, pulled her towards him then took her lips into his.
Tifa's eyes widened at an alarming rate but after a while, she smiled on his lips then she started to wrap her arms around his neck. He pulled away to remove her glasses.
"Damn these glasses." He said with a smirk. Tifa chuckled before Cloud crashed his lips into hers again, their kiss was passionate hot and hungry. Cloud used all his will power to pull away again.
"By the way." He started with a smirk. "I love you, too." Tifa's eyes widened again.
"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHEN DID I SAY TH-"
"When you were sick you wacko, you told me you love me." He said while wiggling his brows.
"You're just making that up!" Tifa exclaimed which instantly but slowly, melted Cloud's happy face, Tifa bit her lip in realization then she let out a nervous laugh.
Fighting will commence in five... four... three... two...
A/N: I wanna smack these two in the head!