Note: I haven't written anything fanfiction wise in a VERY long time. But having just finished the main story in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth this past weekend, I'm hooked. I can't get the urge to write to stop, so here we are! Cross-posted to AO3. That gets updated first, then here.

Life With You

Chapter 1

The city of Edge. Cloud didn't mind it. It reminded him of the topside of the plates in Midgar. Streets lined with houses and businesses. Mako energy was no longer in use by the planet. Or most of the planet. Cloud had visited places that still attempted to utilize it, but Edge and most of the other towns and cities had migrated to wind turbines, ocean turbines, or other means of power that the former Shinra scientists had come up with. Things that wouldn't continue to damage their already damaged Gaia.

Former Shinra scientists had been able to work to develop other means of energy and fuel as well. The carbon based liquid that Cloud finished pumping into his truck was their main accomplishment.

The man closed the fuel cap on the side of his truck and put the nozzle back on the handle. As much as he wanted to just rush right home when he got back to town, he had a strict routine. The last thing he wanted was to deal with Tifa's rants because he ran out of fuel on the middle of the roads in the middle of two towns again.

She still had yet to let him live that down.

She ended up being the one to drive nearly three hours out of Edge just to bring him fuel for his truck.

Cloud patted his pockets, ensuring he had his wallet on him as he walked into the little shop to pay. He could feel the man at the counter watching his every move and it didn't surprise him. People watched him everywhere he went. Everybody knew the 'Saviors' as they'd been dubbed.

Instead of going right up to the man, he decided to head towards the back and get himself a fresh water. As he did, he spotted a bottle of tea. Tifa's favorite. He just finished a long delivery and knew that spending a few extra Gil wouldn't hurt. He grabbed that bottle as well and headed to the counter.

Cloud Strife had never been big with words, or showing his emotions. Over the years since Meterofall, he'd gotten better. Tifa and the others helped him with that. But he'd learned that he could show his affections in other ways. Little things he did around the home, bringing home little presents. They were all things that brought a smile to his girlfriend's face.

"That it?" The man at the counter asked when Cloud finally got to him.

"Uh… yeah." Cloud cleared his throat as he dug out his wallet. As he did, he spotted a couple of vases behind the clerk on the back counter. "Those for sale?"

Flowers.

Roses to be exact. Deep red ones.

"10 each, 100 for the dozen." The clerk looked at the man then back at the roses.

Cloud knew how much Tifa loved flowers, especially roses. "Whole dozen." He dug the Gil out of his wallet to pay for the drinks, flowers and fuel he'd just put in his truck. "Thanks."

The man tucked the two bottles under his arm and took the vase from the man. He hoped Tifa wouldn't be upset with him for spending the money on her. Normally she wasn't, but he hadn't talked to her that day to see if she was in a good mood or not.

After he got back into his truck he took a deep breath. Just a few more minutes for him to be home to his girlfriend.

Tifa knew Cloud would be home any minute. She'd spoken with him over the phone almost three hours ago when he was starting his return trip. She hated these longer trips that kept him gone for weeks at a time, but it was good money. It helped supplement everything around the bar and their home. He didn't take the longer trips that often. Most of the time he was just gone for a day, sometimes just overnight.

But he took this one to help since the bar had been slow lately. Not enough money was coming in from Heaven's Edge to keep them afloat. So, he was almost forced into a trip that led him all the way down to Fort Condor and across the ferry to Mideel. She hoped that he was okay with that. They rarely talked about Mideel anymore and Cloud actively tried to avoid it so it wouldn't spark any of his memories or headaches.

Part of her wondered what it looked like now. She remembered it as a small village with a very small population. But she also remembered the entire thing collapsing into the Lifestream, along with her and Cloud.

Tifa shook the thoughts from her head. That was one of the most terrifying things she'd experienced. That fear, Cloud's fear.

She was thankful when she heard a very familiar rumble of an engine outside the window that she had open to allow some fresh air into the bar that day. Cloud was home. She knew the sound of that truck. She was pretty sure that half of Edge could hear that truck. No matter what Cloud did when he worked on it, he could never get it to quiet down.

"Sounds like loverboy's back." One of the regular patrons teased, earning a towel thrown into his face. The action caused him to burst out a loud laugh. One that made Tifa smile as well. "Aren't you going to go say hi?"

As much as she always wanted to rush out to the love of her life, she refrained. She could wait until he came in and was fully settled. "No. He'll be in, in a minute."

Tifa reached out to take the towel back from the customer and picked up a tray of dirty glasses. An excuse to get her into the back to greet him since the tray only had a handful of dishes and drinkware inside of it. She heard the same customer make another comment, but tuned him out. He was a nice guy. Older gentleman that flirted but never pushed anything too far. She deemed him as harmless a long time ago.

It had been nearly a month since she'd seen Cloud and all she could think about now was him. She wanted to kick everybody out of the bar, but she could resist. Hearing the familiar sound of the truck door closing now had her heart racing in her chest. A few moments later, she heard a key enter the lock on the door that was located in the back of the kitchen, behind her.

"I'm home." Cloud's voice carried through the room and he gave his usual small smile when he spotted Tifa in her usual spot, busying herself with some dishes.

Tifa tried her best not to lunge at the man that just came in through the door. As she he came into her view, she noticed he was carrying a few things other than the bag he always took with him.

Flowers.

"Cloud…" She breathed out and didn't bother to hold in the smile that spread across her face.

That was the smile that he loved seeing. Cloud never was the most social of people, but he knew how to read others. He was observant. And he knew that that smile that Tifa was giving him right now, it was one the only he got.

"Where did you get those?" She finally crossed the space between them. She let out a little laugh when he tried his best to wrap his arms around her but both of his hands were full.

Cloud didn't answer immediately. He did his best not to drop anything as he pulled the woman in against his chest and savored the feeling. "When I stopped for fuel." He explained. "He had them there."

Tifa turned her head a bit and looked at the roses that he held. She kept her head pressed against his chest and hummed softly. "They're beautiful, Cloud. But you shouldn't be-"

"Tifa… I just earned nearly 30 thousand." He heard the woman choke on her next words and was unable to spit them out. "I saw them and immediately thought of you." He looked down at her when she finally pulled back. "Besides, they're not as beautiful as you."

Oh how she missed that charm he had. The charm that was only for her. Nobody else got to see this from him. "I love them, thank you." She finally reached up and cupped the man's jaw, drawing him down to her level. "And I love you," her voice just a whisper as she brought him in for a much needed kiss.

Cloud nearly dropped everything that he was carrying as he happily returned his girlfriend's kiss. Feeling the woman's soft lips against him sent him spinning. A feeling that he'd never get used to and never wanted to get used to.

"I love you too," he whispered against her lips when they parted a few moments later. "Can I uh… put everything down?" He asked sheepishly.

"Of course!" Tifa immediately took a step back and in doing so, she caused the man to drop the two bottles that he'd been holding in his arm as well.

Thankfully, neither of the bottles broke open. Plastic, reusable bottles. All Cloud could do was let out a small laugh about it. He was happy to see Tifa just as much as she was happy to see him, but he wanted to actually be able to give her a proper hug. "That's for you too."

"Huh?" Tifa reached down to grab them. She saw one was simply a water bottle, but the other was a tea from Nibelheim. Her favorite. It was hard to find around Edge and she knew that Cloud usually brought her a few back when he traveled to the western continent.

The man was thankful to finally be able to put everything down, he dropped his bag along the wall after putting the vase of roses on the table. "That was the last one in the cooler." He answered the question he knew she was about to ask.

Tifa looked at the tea then back up at him. "You never cease to amaze me." She shook her head and put the bottles to the side. She wanted a real hug from her boyfriend. Cloud apparently wanted the same thing too because she felt him grab her arm and tug her into his strong arms. Tifa's eyes immediately closed as she wrapped her own arms around his waist and clung dearly to him. "I missed you so much."

Cloud hummed in agreement. The phone calls were never enough. He missed the physical contact with her. He rested his head atop hers and breathed in her scent. A light lavender. It was always the same. Her body wash. Then a touch of melon in the shampoo.

"I need to take a shower." He mumbled after what felt like an eternity.

Tifa, with her arms still around Cloud's waist, turned her head to be able to look up at him. "Maybe… I could join you?"

"Isn't the bar open?" He tilted his head a bit. She rarely left the bar when it was open, even when it was him coming home from a long trip.

"Yeah, but Raina's here and it's pretty quiet." She slowly pulled back from his grasp, allowing her hands to move along his sides and rested on the belt of his pants. Simple black cargo pants. It was his clothing of choice when he traveled. Hell, even around home. If it wasn't the cargo pants, it was sweatpants.

"You know we have to go out there to get upstairs, right?" Cloud arched his eyebrow as he stared down at her. The mere thought of her joining him in the shower caused his blood to start to pool around his hips. He'd barely even touched himself while he was away. Only twice, when Tifa led their phone calls in a spicy direction. He wasn't complaining, but Tifa's body was a lot better than his hand.

"Your point?" Tifa didn't care if everybody saw them go upstairs together. It wasn't hidden that they were together. She knew Cloud could be shy about showing any kind of affection in public. He'd always been a shy person so it didn't bother her. A little touch here and there, holding her hand, a soft kiss. Those were usually as far as he went when others were around. But walking through a bar, by Raina, to the other door to head upstairs. People would know. Raina would know. And she knew Raina. Raina would have comments to tease them.

Cloud took a deep breath and smiled. He couldn't deny the woman. "Then… let's go take a shower." He whispered, turning to grab his bag off of the floor to take it upstairs with him.

Tifa watched as he walked out of the kitchen area first. She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the ceiling for a second before she turned to follow after him. The quick steps didn't go unnoticed by Raina, one of her bartenders and friends.

"Get it, girl!" She called out then whistled at them. Raina just burst into laughter when Cloud stopped outside of the other door and turned to narrow his eyes at her. "What?"

"Nothing."

Tifa watched as he disappeared then also glared at her friend. "Be nice."

"Never. See you in an hour. Assuming you can walk str-"

"-don't finish that sentence." Tifa threatened. It was definitely a nice thought though and it caused her mind to wander. She cleared her throat and ignored the feeling of heat rising to her cheeks as she hurried across the bar to go through the door. Cloud had left the second door at the end of the short hall that led to their home ajar for her. As she turned to close and lock it behind her, she heard a slight thud and knew he'd tossed his bag somewhere to be dealt with later.

Cloud stretched his tired muscles on the way to the bathroom. He barely got the water turned on to warm up when he heard footsteps scurrying down the hallway. Tifa really did follow him. "Why does she do that?"

It didn't take any time for Tifa to know what he was talking about. "Because that's Raina and she has no filter."

"I wish she wouldn't though. I like our private life staying private." He turned to face his girlfriend and saw the look on her face. "What?"

Tifa closed the distance between them and rested her hands on the bottom of the short sleeved shirt he had on so she could lift it up and over his head. "Couples tend to have sex, Cloud." She saw a pink hue appear almost instantly on his cheeks. "Especially if they've been apart for weeks." She emphasized the last word so much that it almost sounded like a whine.

"I know that, but she just-" He hummed when Tifa's finger pressed against his lips to silence him.

"She does it to everybody she considers a friend. Now… less talk about her, and more undressing please." Tifa pushed gently on his now bare chest and guided him against the wall in the bathroom. She leaned up a bit and pressed her lips against his. A kiss full of more hunger than the one they'd shared downstairs.

Cloud let out a small hum as his hands rested on her lower back. He wished he could feel more open about a lot of things with people that weren't Tifa, but he didn't like the feeling of being judged. He ran his hands to the bottom of her shirt and easily pulled it up and over her head. Her usual tank top and sports bra under it. A similar outfit to what he'd seen for years.

On a normal day, Tifa wouldn't have minded him taking his time to undress her. But after so long apart, she wasn't in the mood for patience. She took a step back from him and finished stripping off her clothes before she did the same for him and dragged him into the shower with her.

About an hour later, Cloud was on the verge of passing out on their bed. He was normally exhausted from his long trips, and Tifa using him like she had surely didn't help. "Tee?" He mumbled when the bed moved beside him.

"Go back to sleep, baby." She whispered. She needed to check on things in the bar. The bar was the main reason she normally didn't follow him right to their home when he got back. But something about this time, him bringing her roses, the drink. It was the simple gestures that caused her to fall further in love with the man.

Tifa watched as his head barely nodded in response. She climbed back onto the bed for a brief moment and pressed her lips to the side of his head. "I'll be back up when the bar closes." Her voice was soft because she was sure he was already back to sleep at that point.

She adjusted the light blanket over his naked body and carefully and quietly slipped back off of their bed. As she got dressed, she kept her eyes on him. This man meant everything to her. They'd been to literal hell and back together. She pieced him back together and he had helped her more times than she could ever count.

Tifa pulled a fresh tank top over her head after she had her bra on and opted to just grab some pants. She knew Raina would notice that she was wearing different clothes, but she didn't care.

Once she was finally dressed, she moved around to Cloud's side of the bed and leaned down to kiss the side of his head once more. The action drew a soft hum out of the sleeping man. Even in his subconscious, he responded to her actions. It took every ounce of strength she had not to strip back down and crawl back into his arms in bed.

She had to check on the bar. Only a couple of hours. She could handle that. Tifa leaned down to grab her shoes to put them on before she left the room without a sound.

"There she is!" Raina called out loudly when Tifa emerged from the door and joined them in the bar. "Have fun?" She asked, a knowing grin on her face.

Tifa rolled her eyes and just went towards the back to grab the tea that Cloud had brought home for her. When she did, her eyes darted towards the vase of roses. Tifa carefully picked them up to take them out to the bar with her.

"Ignoring me?" Raina tilted her head a bit as she leaned against the counter, watching her friend. "Mr. Man of Many Words brought you those?"

"Yes, he did. Why do you tease him so much?"

"Because it's fun seeing his face or seeing just how shy he gets when I mention anything remotely vulgar." Raina wiggled her eyebrows. "Now, I asked you two questions, neither of which you responded to."

Tifa set the flowers on the back counter where customers could see and they'd be safe. "Fine. Yes, and yes." She definitely had fun with her boyfriend.

"No details? I mean, you never go racing after him when he gets home. You both can normally keep it in your pants until we close."

Tifa groaned softly. "No, no details. Why are you so interested in my romantic life, you have your own." She reminded her. A ding at the door drew Tifa's attention away from her friend for just a brief moment. When she saw it was someone leaving, she looked back at her friend. "I don't hear you giving me details about you and Aerith."

"I totally could if you wanted me to. Just last night we-"

"-nope. I don't want to know. I really don't want to know." Tifa quickly shook her head of the images that threatened. She loved her friends, but she didn't need to know that aspect of anything from them. "Has it been like this the last hour?"

Raina looked around the bar and shrugged. "Yeah, only one person came in. Looks like it's going to storm outside and it's the middle of the week. I don't know why you insist on staying open so late on a Wednesday."

"Because it's not always this bad on Wednesdays." Tifa glanced up again and waved towards the couple that was heading to the door to leave. "I might close up early tonight, do you care?"

"It's your place, you do what you want. I'm sure Aerith won't mind me coming home early. Is Cloud coming down to get something to eat? Or did he already eat enough upstairs?"

"He's sleeping if you must know and no, he hasn't eaten any-" Tifa's face fell when she realized what the woman meant. "Go home!" Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Tifa groaned and buried her head in her hands as her friend's laughter filled the nearly empty bar.

"You love me." Raina sing-songed as she went to get her bag from the back room.

"Sometimes I wonder," she mumbled after her friend. At least Raina wasn't that bad towards Cloud. If she was, Tifa knew she wouldn't see the man for days because he'd be in hiding from embarrassment. "Tell Aerith I said hi!" She called out after her friend when she started to walk towards the door.

Tifa got a wave in response then just looked around to see that Raina had already gotten everything cleaned up for the night. "Hey, I'm gonna be closing up soon." She told the two guys that were sitting at a table near one of the windows. Thankfully, they nodded and got some Gil out of their pockets to throw onto the table.

It took Tifa only a few minutes to lock up and ensure everything was turned off for the night. She was thankful it was slow, because all she wanted was to nestle herself into Cloud's arms.

And that's exactly what she did when she got back to their room.

I appreciate you making it this far! Feel free to drop a review. I'm open to random cutesy ideas to write that happen between them. Even not so cutesy, because not everything is perfect.