These Days Are Golden...

[loveandstrife]

Characters: Cloud and Tifa
Progress: Complete
Summary: Cloud takes Tifa out for the night and has something to say
Location: Lindblum
Date: February 14th, 1804
Warnings: Wibbles galore!

Comments

[heartofheaven]

It felt like another ordinary evening to Tifa. Well, as ordinary as it could be living in a castle. She felt sure that any day now they would be kicked out. Neither of them were making enough money to be able to afford these rooms, especially with three children to take care of, and she felt guilty about continuing to take advantage of Regent Cid's good will.

There were far bigger things to worry about, of course, but this particular issue was the one occupying Tifa as she walked into their room with a distracted air. She didn't notice the box on the bed. Instead, she turned to rummage through a drawer, looking for her purse.

"Cloud, where do you keep your spare gil? Maybe it's time we put our heads together and tried to work out a proper budget..."

[loveandstrife]

He stood and took her hands, trying to draw her attention back to him and away from her money worries. "Tifa, we're going out tonight. I know, it's bad timing and we haven't got the cash... but I want to take you out." He looked a little sheepish as he let go of her, picking up the box and holding it out to her, averting his gaze awkwardly.

"I didn't know what to get you... so I got this." Okay, so it was obvious he was really trying now. He wanted this to be a good day for them, especially considering how bad things had been in the past. This was probably the first time spending an evening alone in a long while and Tifa deserved the very best.

[heartofheaven]

Tifa's eyes widened as Cloud took her hands. She hadn't expected this, much less to receive a gift.

She opened the box and her eyes widened even more as silvery material slipped out. He'd bought her a dress. Tifa held it up, admiring how beautiful it was - it must have been so expensive.

She resisted asking the obvious, and instead breathed, "Thank you." Shaking her head, Tifa smiled. "I guess I'd better see if it fits."

She kissed him briefly on the cheek before going into the bathroom to wash and change.

[loveandstrife]

Cloud smiled slightly as she kissed his cheek then soon found himself distracted by toying with his sky phone. Of course, it took only a minute longer for him to draw that small box from his pocket and examine the contents with a slightly nervous sigh.

Tidus said he'd just said it and waiting meant he'd never do it. Cloud didn't see it that way. He and Tifa had known each other a lot longer than Tidus had known Yuna. He'd loved Tifa a lot longer than Tidus had loved Yuna. This was twenty years in the making, or at least Cloud thought so. Even if they hadn't exactly been close as kids.

Snapping the box shut, he pocketed it, flopping back across the bed, half wishing he'd spoken to Zack about this before deciding to go ahead and do it.