Better (Final Fantasy VII, Cloud/Tifa)
Title: Better
Author: findingfaramir
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Cloud/Tifa
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Completely unrepentant FLUFF. Cutesy domestic fluff. Just sayin'.
Prompt: 10. hypothermia: take off those wet clothes and get under the covers with me!
Summary: ...Cloud takes off some wet clothes and gets under the covers!
The rain started suddenly, catching Cloud halfway between Kalm and Edge. He'd been cutting it close, he knew, but there had been a message from Tifa when he stopped over at the chocobo ranch to check on one of their pregnant birds.
"Cloud, are you going to make it home tonight? Let me know, ok? Oh, and Marlene's making cookies, if you need encouragement," she had added with a laugh.
The more often he made it home, the more often there was laughter in Tifa’s calls instead of sighs.
The bike's engines roared as he gave it more gas. His hair was already plastered to the back of his neck and water flew off his sunglasses as he pulled back onto the highway. At that speed it didn’t take long for him to reach Edge, jumping between half-finished freeways and speeding through construction sites emptied by the rain, feeling only a little guilty about disregarding Reeve's precious traffic laws.
Still, it was dark by the time he came to a stop behind the bar, parked his bike in the shed and went through the back door. A puddle quickly formed at his feet, and grimaced as he peeled the leather gloves from his hands. He hated to make a mess, but it was generally the case that Cloud’s homecomings were followed by Tifa scrubbing the floors to free them of whatever mud or chocobo down or grease he had managed to get all over his boots.
He took a look around - all the lights were off out front. A storm like this usually meant the bar could close early, so Tifa was probably upstairs getting the kids to bed. "Tifa?"
There was no answer right away, just the constant tap of the rain on the bar’s metal roof. And then a door closed upstairs and there were footsteps on the landing.
"Cloud? I didn't think you'd make it, with the rain!" The stairs creaked as she jogged down them, looking comfortable and warm in sweats and an old t-shirt. His heart beat a little faster, as he had discovered it did these days when she appeared. She took one look at him and threw her hands up in the air. "Oh! You moron!"
Cloud stared at her, shivering and wet and suddenly, unpleasantly, aware that his hair looked and likely smelled like a dead chocobo. Rain near Midgar had improved miraculously in the last few years - it was no longer dangerously acidic, at least - but it was still far from a clean spring shower. “Um.”
Tifa was moving now, though, using the same brisk efficiency that allowed her to run a business, raise two children and look after the world's most unstable savior. She started undressing him on the spot, her nimble fingers undoing the buckles that held up shoulder armor and the dust skirt. "Just leave these downstairs, they'll dry faster with the heat from the furnace."
"Right." Cloud removed his boots too - even his socks were soaked, he noted with a frown. Tifa wrapped her arms around him. "Tifa! I'm wet."
"Too wet! You're freezing, and you smell like a wet dog, and you are making a huge mess," she told him firmly. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you.” Her lips quirked in a small smile. “Welcome back, Cloud.”
Cloud's face flushed, a little. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Tifa, I..."
"I know." She smiled. "Now, upstairs! You need to get out of those clothes, but we don't want to traumatize the kids."
Cloud snorted but followed her lead, taking her hand in silent apology for the wet trail he was leaving on the carpet. Her bedroom was the closest to the stairs. She pulled him inside and closed the door, then headed for her closet to pull down some extra bath towels.
"Strip!" she ordered, not without a grin. "It would be very silly if you caught a cold from all this exposure. Why did you even keep driving in this rain, Cloud?"
His reply was muffled by his sweater as he pulled it over his head: "You called..."
"Oh, Cloud," she sighed, but her eyes were soft as she bundled a towel around his torso and took his wet clothing as he huddled on the bed - rather adorably, she had to admit - and tossed it into the tub in her bathroom.
Cloud straightened as she returned, warmth slowly returning to his limbs as they dried, and let his feet fall to the floor. Tifa came to stand between his knees and put her arms around him again. Her lips were cool against his cheek; he turned his head to meet them with his.
"Mmm," she said a moment later as he ended the kiss. She leaned against him, one hand stroking his arm. Cloud moved his hands to her waist and slid them under her t-shirt, tugging her closer until she nearly fell into his lap. She caught herself against his chest and then pushed, toppling them both back onto the bed.
“Oof! Tifa, you’re getting heavy…”
“Don’t be rude, Cloud,” she chided him, but her hands were stroking his shoulders again. “And you’re still too cold…”
“…getting warmer.”
Tifa smiled and levering up on her elbows reached out to pull the covers over them, then paused before dropping back down onto his chest. “It’s only fair,” she murmured, and with a twist that went quite a ways towards warming Cloud up, tugged off her t-shirt and dropped it over the side of the bed. “Better?”
“Better,” he agreed. And it was funny, because Cloud had never imagined this kind of idle domesticity had any place in his future, for one reason or another. But it was nice, and Tifa was warm in his arms and he figured right about now, Zack and Aeris would want him to shut up and kiss her. So he did.
Author: findingfaramir
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Cloud/Tifa
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Completely unrepentant FLUFF. Cutesy domestic fluff. Just sayin'.
Prompt: 10. hypothermia: take off those wet clothes and get under the covers with me!
Summary: ...Cloud takes off some wet clothes and gets under the covers!
The rain started suddenly, catching Cloud halfway between Kalm and Edge. He'd been cutting it close, he knew, but there had been a message from Tifa when he stopped over at the chocobo ranch to check on one of their pregnant birds.
"Cloud, are you going to make it home tonight? Let me know, ok? Oh, and Marlene's making cookies, if you need encouragement," she had added with a laugh.
The more often he made it home, the more often there was laughter in Tifa’s calls instead of sighs.
The bike's engines roared as he gave it more gas. His hair was already plastered to the back of his neck and water flew off his sunglasses as he pulled back onto the highway. At that speed it didn’t take long for him to reach Edge, jumping between half-finished freeways and speeding through construction sites emptied by the rain, feeling only a little guilty about disregarding Reeve's precious traffic laws.
Still, it was dark by the time he came to a stop behind the bar, parked his bike in the shed and went through the back door. A puddle quickly formed at his feet, and grimaced as he peeled the leather gloves from his hands. He hated to make a mess, but it was generally the case that Cloud’s homecomings were followed by Tifa scrubbing the floors to free them of whatever mud or chocobo down or grease he had managed to get all over his boots.
He took a look around - all the lights were off out front. A storm like this usually meant the bar could close early, so Tifa was probably upstairs getting the kids to bed. "Tifa?"
There was no answer right away, just the constant tap of the rain on the bar’s metal roof. And then a door closed upstairs and there were footsteps on the landing.
"Cloud? I didn't think you'd make it, with the rain!" The stairs creaked as she jogged down them, looking comfortable and warm in sweats and an old t-shirt. His heart beat a little faster, as he had discovered it did these days when she appeared. She took one look at him and threw her hands up in the air. "Oh! You moron!"
Cloud stared at her, shivering and wet and suddenly, unpleasantly, aware that his hair looked and likely smelled like a dead chocobo. Rain near Midgar had improved miraculously in the last few years - it was no longer dangerously acidic, at least - but it was still far from a clean spring shower. “Um.”
Tifa was moving now, though, using the same brisk efficiency that allowed her to run a business, raise two children and look after the world's most unstable savior. She started undressing him on the spot, her nimble fingers undoing the buckles that held up shoulder armor and the dust skirt. "Just leave these downstairs, they'll dry faster with the heat from the furnace."
"Right." Cloud removed his boots too - even his socks were soaked, he noted with a frown. Tifa wrapped her arms around him. "Tifa! I'm wet."
"Too wet! You're freezing, and you smell like a wet dog, and you are making a huge mess," she told him firmly. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you.” Her lips quirked in a small smile. “Welcome back, Cloud.”
Cloud's face flushed, a little. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Tifa, I..."
"I know." She smiled. "Now, upstairs! You need to get out of those clothes, but we don't want to traumatize the kids."
Cloud snorted but followed her lead, taking her hand in silent apology for the wet trail he was leaving on the carpet. Her bedroom was the closest to the stairs. She pulled him inside and closed the door, then headed for her closet to pull down some extra bath towels.
"Strip!" she ordered, not without a grin. "It would be very silly if you caught a cold from all this exposure. Why did you even keep driving in this rain, Cloud?"
His reply was muffled by his sweater as he pulled it over his head: "You called..."
"Oh, Cloud," she sighed, but her eyes were soft as she bundled a towel around his torso and took his wet clothing as he huddled on the bed - rather adorably, she had to admit - and tossed it into the tub in her bathroom.
Cloud straightened as she returned, warmth slowly returning to his limbs as they dried, and let his feet fall to the floor. Tifa came to stand between his knees and put her arms around him again. Her lips were cool against his cheek; he turned his head to meet them with his.
"Mmm," she said a moment later as he ended the kiss. She leaned against him, one hand stroking his arm. Cloud moved his hands to her waist and slid them under her t-shirt, tugging her closer until she nearly fell into his lap. She caught herself against his chest and then pushed, toppling them both back onto the bed.
“Oof! Tifa, you’re getting heavy…”
“Don’t be rude, Cloud,” she chided him, but her hands were stroking his shoulders again. “And you’re still too cold…”
“…getting warmer.”
Tifa smiled and levering up on her elbows reached out to pull the covers over them, then paused before dropping back down onto his chest. “It’s only fair,” she murmured, and with a twist that went quite a ways towards warming Cloud up, tugged off her t-shirt and dropped it over the side of the bed. “Better?”
“Better,” he agreed. And it was funny, because Cloud had never imagined this kind of idle domesticity had any place in his future, for one reason or another. But it was nice, and Tifa was warm in his arms and he figured right about now, Zack and Aeris would want him to shut up and kiss her. So he did.