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Silver Blades & Blood Red Blossoms
Cloud yawns, running his fingers through his hair as he makes his way, heavy-footed, down the stairs and to the bar. Tifa has already opened all of the shades and the grates over the windows and the front door, and the summer sunlight is streaming in with bright beams, causing him groggily shield his eyes as he makes his way towards the kitchen area adjacent to Seventh Heaven’s main dining room.
“There you are,” he hears the soft, angelic hum of her voice greet him as he rounds in the direction of the bar. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed since he’s known and loved her, how much time has passed since they’ve been together. Her voice is always a balm, soothing the deepest parts of him the second he hears it. “You never wake up this late.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep in,” he groans through another tight yawn, settling himself on the stool across from where Tifa stands behind the bar. She’s facing the stove, pushing eggs and bacon back and forth in a pan before she turns to him with a smile.
“You’re welcome,” she tells him. “You deserve a little extra rest on your birthday, don’t you agree?”
Cloud groans softly, watching as Tifa slides a healthy helping of the eggs and bacon onto a ceramic plate that has two warm, buttered biscuits already waiting on it. Cloud doesn’t think much about birthdays, least of all his own. The kids’ birthdays are always fun to celebrate, and then Tifa’s… well, he has his reasons for enjoying Tifa’s birthday. But his own? He almost always forgets when it is coming; in fact, if it weren’t for Tifa and his family, he probably wouldn’t even remember how old he is.
She turns to him and sets his plate in front of him along with a mug of hot coffee, bitter and black, just the way he likes it. She offers him a goading smile, but Cloud waves a hand at her and picks up his fork.
“Eh,” he brushes her sentiment off. “It’s just another day of the month. I appreciate the extra shut-eye, though.”
He spears his eggs, but Tifa only laughs at his dismissal. She leans over the countertop, presenting Cloud with the impossible-to-ignore visage of her perky breasts pressing against the tight cotton of her tank top.
“Don’t be silly,” Tifa chides with a wink. “You’re a quarter of a century old now, Cloud. This is one worth celebrating in a big way.”
Cloud tries not to grimace, but it’s difficult for him to control his facial expressions. Already, he’s hoping that Tifa isn’t planning on some big party or inviting the others over to celebrate with them. As much as he loves their friends, he really wants nothing more than a quiet night at home with his family.
“I don’t do big,” Cloud complains over a mouthful of eggs, quickly swallowing it back with his coffee. He studies Tifa’s face, looking for any sign that his disagreement disappoints her. He hates to let her down, but he really doesn’t want to be bothered. And besides, it is his birthday.
Tifa just grins, rising to her full height behind the bar. The mischievous glint in her eyes is impossible to ignore, and Cloud watches her carefully with an eyebrow raised.
“Well,” Tifa tsks as she picks up a rag and wipes down the counter behind her. “Hopefully you’ll still enjoy what I have planned for you tonight.”
Already dreading the worst, Cloud is about to protest when the hurried sounds of footsteps thundering down the stairs capture his attention. He turns, finding both Denzel and Marlene entering the living room with knapsacks and duffle bags in tow.
“Cloud!” Marlene exclaims, dropping her bag and a large stuffed Moogle on the floor as she races up to him. Cloud swivels on his bar stool just in time to catch her as she attacks him with her arms around his waist. “Happy twenty-fifth birthday!”
Cloud hugs her with ease, warmth bubbling inside his chest at her exuberance. A couple of years ago, he had been struggling with finding the right way to communicate his affection for these kids. But now, with a little soul-healing and some help from Tifa, he’d mostly figured it out without managing to be too awkward about it.
Mostly.
“Thanks,” Cloud responds, releasing Marlene and offering her a sincere smile when she steps back.
“Happy Birthday, Cloud,” Denzel chimes in, still shyly standing a foot or so away. Cloud softens his expression, opening his arms.
“Come here, kid.”
Denzel’s face brightens like a light bulb, and he dumps his backpack on the floor with Marlene’s, quickly running into Cloud’s arms. Cloud nearly coughs from the impact, Marlene squealing and even Tifa giggling with joy behind the counter.
“Thanks,” he says again. He musses Denzel’s hair with one hand, then eyes the pile of backpacks the kids were carrying which are now messily decorating the floor. Cloud scratches the back of his head, nodding in that direction.
“You guys going somewhere?” he asks.
Tifa opens her mouth, but Marlene, who has grown even more loquacious and articulate over the last few years, quickly supplements a response. “Daddy and Uncle Cid are on their way to pick us all up!” she announces in a burst of barely contained enthusiasm. “But Tifa said you had a date, so -”
“Um, Marlene,” Tifa quickly interjects, pushing her way through the little swinging door that leads to the back of the bar. “Why don’t you guys get the gift that you picked out for Cloud and bring it here? But be careful, alright?”
Marlene drops her train of thought, her attention diverted in a new direction. At that, both she and Denzel nod and flee the room, their sneakers squeaking against Tifa’s polished wood floors. Cloud watches them go in bewilderment, then turns to Tifa, who is now standing at his side.
“A date?” he repeats, blowing past the rest of the details Marlene shared for now. He raises an eyebrow at Tifa, wondering what she has planned. Last year for his birthday they stayed home and enjoyed a quiet dinner as a family. The rest of the night, he and Tifa spent in bed.
Needless to say, his curiosity is piqued.
Tifa tilts her head to the side in that adorable way of hers, wrinkling her nose in a fashion that is all too distracting. Cloud tries to ignore it by focusing his attention back on his coffee.
“The kids wanted to do something special with you this year,” She finally explains. She’s moved in closer to him, and he can smell the clean, lingering scent of her soap. “But I also wanted to spend some quality alone time with you. So… we came to a compromise.”
“A compromise?” Cloud repeats, swallowing back the last of his eggs.
Tifa smiles again, exposing a straight line of small white teeth. “A family trip to Wutai,” she explains. “And a date for you and me.”
Cloud is about to ask her to elaborate when Denzel and Marlene return to the bar, Denzel lugging a large, heavy parcel behind him while Marlene skips ahead of him. Tifa laughs lightly and turns away at their reappearance, joining them and quickly relieving Denzel of the package.
“Here, I’ve got it,” she says, effortlessly lifting the box. It is a long and thin parcel of plain white wood, and Tifa carefully places it on top of the bar next to where Cloud is sitting. Marlene and Denzel are quickly at his side, both children pulling at his arms.
“Come on, Cloud!” Denzel urges. “Open it, please?”
Cloud can’t help but be infected by their excitement. He pushes his plate out of the way, then slides the box closer. He eyes the gold latches on its front, and with a final encouraging nod from Tifa, snaps them open and lifts the lid.
Embedded in soft, blood-red velvet are twin katanas, one shorter than the other and both sheathed to their gilded hilts in sturdy, thick leather. They are linked together with a thin leather strap that can easily be threaded to a harness or belt, and Cloud can tell with just one quick glance that they are well-crafted and authentic swords.
“Daishō,” Cloud says after a moment, first glancing at the children before turning his focus to Tifa. “Where did you…”
“Denzel picked them out, Cloud!” Marlene informs him, jumping up and down. “But we both used our allowances to pay for it.”
Cloud catches the way that Denzel blushes at that, but the boy smiles at him and nods his head. “Check them out, Cloud. Have you ever used swords like these?”
Cloud gets to his feet, offering the kids a smug simper. “I can handle anything with a blade,” he chuffs back, Tifa rolling her eyes in jest. He lifts the longer katana and unsheathes it, carefully wielding the sword in front of him. It is lightweight and durable, leaving a sharp whirring sound through the air when he slices down with it.
The kids clap, overjoyed when Cloud proudly shows off a few parries and stabs with the weapon. When he sheathes it and replaces it in the box, he turns to them both and opens his arms. He isn’t sure how much these blades cost, but the gift is so thoughtful that his heart is near to the point of bursting.
“Thanks, guys,” he manages, not sure why his throat feels so dry. But before he can ruminate on it too much, Marlene is hugging him again, Denzel quickly joining in.
Cloud wraps his arms around both their shoulders while they cling to either side of his waist, and he glances over at Tifa as he basks in their affection. She tips her head again and smiles, and Cloud can’t help but smile back.
“Alright, kids. Let’s let Cloud get ready, hm? Why don’t you guys grab your bags and wait for Cid outside? We’ll be packed up and ready to go in no time.”
The kids cheer in agreement and finally release him, grabbing their bags and scurrying out the front door and into the summer sunlight that’s scalding Edge’s streets. When the door slams shut behind them, Tifa saunters over to Cloud and bumps her shoulder against his.
“So?” she purrs quietly at his side, sending a tiny shiver across his spine when she lifts her hand to his bicep. “What do you think?”
Feeling the soft pads of Tifa’s fingers against his skin lights up the lava in Cloud’s blood, but he tamps it down by licking his lips and turning to her. He picks up one of the blades again, pulling it from its sheath and running his fingers over the cool, shimmering steel. He glances back at her.
“Did they really buy this for me?” he asks, unable to keep his eyes from falling to her lips. “This is Mythril reinforced steel.”
Tifa shrugs, running her fingertip along the groove of his bicep. “Well, I did help them out a little bit,” she admits. “But they both put all of their allowances together and paid for most of it with their own gil. And Denzel totally picked it out for you. We went all the way to Midgar to find a weapons dealer who had it.”
Tifa drops her hand, lowering it to her side. Cloud can’t help the way that it feels as if the sun is opening up inside of his chest as he thinks about the effort that his family put into procuring this gift for him. He sheathes the katana again, resting it inside of its case before turning to Tifa fully and pulling her into his arms.
“Thank you,” he tells her sincerely.
Tifa blushes and looks down at his chest, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips. The sunlight is catching highlights in her hair at this angle, and Cloud can’t help the compulsion to lift a hand and run his fingers through it. “It’s nothing, Cloud. You deserve it, no?”
Cloud doesn’t answer that. He doesn’t really want to think about it. Does he deserve any of this? This life, this family, this woman? These endless wells of happiness and love and adoration that seem to open up and spill over every day for him? Even after all this time, he still isn’t sure of the answer. But looking down into the sparkling ruby pools that are Tifa’s eyes, he doesn’t think it really matters and he doesn’t let himself dwell on it.
“What’s this about Wutai?” he asks instead of answering.
Tifa laughs lightly and pulls from his arms, making her way behind the counter to clean up the dirty dishes. “Well, Cid will be here in about an hour to pick us up,” she tells him, dropping the plates to soak in the sink. She turns back to him with another tilt of her head, dark slats of chocolate hair falling across her shoulder. “But don’t worry. I promise, they have a whole itinerary planned for the kids today. Tomorrow is our family day with you. But tonight - tonight is all for you and me . ”
Cloud smirks at her, wondering in the back of his mind what Tifa has planned. He leans over the bartop to kiss her again, but Tifa pulls away before his lips can connect with hers.
“So we’d better hurry,” she insists, making her way towards the stairs. “You need to put on the rest of your gift.”
“The rest of my gift?” Cloud repeats, following Tifa up to their bedroom like a lost puppy.
She laughs as they make their way up the stairs, pushing open their bedroom door. Cloud stands in the doorway and watches as she pulls a garment box from the closet that is wrapped in gold foil gift paper. She turns to Cloud, placing it on the bed before she backs away with her hands folded behind her back.
“To go with your new swords,” Tifa says. “You have to have the complete look, y’know.”
She tilts her head again, her eyes squinted when she grins at him. Cloud nearly bursts into confetti at the sight of how adorable she is. It warms his cheeks, and he feels like a teenager all over again.
How is it that she can still manage to make him feel this way?
He manages to smile back at her before he approaches the bed, hastily tearing the gift paper off of the box. Tifa frowns at his sloppiness, but Cloud’s curiosity has him beaten. He pulls the box open, eyeing the carefully folded piles of black fabric inside that are layered under gleaming pewter armor.
He lifts each piece and arranges them on the bed. A triple-plated pauldron with matching armguards, black compression sleeves, and a sleeveless black sweater are complemented with lightweight trousers and hakama. Cloud fingers the leather shoulder straps, connected to crisscrossing belts that are well-suited to anchor his new swords. The materials are all rich and sturdy, breathable, and clearly designed for both combat and aesthetics.
“Tifa,” he manages after admiring the clothing for a moment. Cloud’s wardrobe is mundanely simple. Black shirts and sweaters, endless hangers full of sleeveless zip-front tops in dark, muted colors. He owns at least five pairs of the exact same pants, all bought from the same tailor on one shopping trip after he realized he liked the fit. He’s not used to such variety when it comes to clothing, so he’s a bit hesitant. “What’s this?”
Tifa walks up to him, picking up the sweater and rolling her fingers through the soft fabric. It’s at that moment that Cloud notices that Tifa’s painted her nails a deep coral-pink color. “If you’re going to spend time in Wutai, then you’d best look the part,” she explains. “They expect that much of tourists. This is a traditional hakama. You know my grandmother’s family was from the Northern coast.”
“I do,” he agrees, intrigued now. Tifa rarely talks about her family, same as him. She’d mentioned her Wutain roots a few times in passing, but he’d always gotten the sense that she didn’t really know too much about that part of her lineage.
“I did some research,” she goes on, holding the sweater up in front of him, matching it against his torso. “I picked it out myself. Hmm, looks like it will be a perfect fit.”
For some plainly stupid reason, Cloud finds himself blushing.
Tifa hands him the sweater and then backs a pace away. “You better start getting ready,” she warns him. “Cid and Barret will be here before you know it.”
“Okay,” Cloud blubbers. He’s a bit overwhelmed by Tifa’s thoughtfulness, the way that she’s planned this all out and how she’s gone through such lengths just for him. Without another thought, he tosses the sweater on the bed with the piles of clothing and then moves closer, pulling Tifa into his arms.
“Thank you, Tifa,” he says softly. “I - you didn’t have to do this. But I really appreciate it.”
Tifa’s cheeks brighten so quickly that she is forced to turn away. Cloud can’t help but hold her even closer at the sight of it, though.
“I mean it,” he presses.
Finally, she looks up at him again. “You deserve the best, Cloud,” she says in a small voice.
Cloud can only stare into her eyes, letting the weight of those words settle over his heart. Tifa has been his rock, his foundation, his reason for living for so long. All this time she’s always supported him, always tried to remind him of his worth. It’s always been hard for him to believe it's true.
But no matter how many times she says words like that to him, he can never get enough of it.
He tries to find the right thing to say to that in gratitude, but nothing sounds good enough in his head. Instead, he lifts his hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.
Tifa covers his hand with hers, squeezes it, then finally pulls away.
“Okay, chocobo-head,” she teases, whirling away from his grip. “We really do need to get ready. I can’t wait for you to see my outfit - it matches yours!”
Cloud watches as Tifa leaves him alone in the bedroom with a toss of her hair over her shoulder, her long legs carrying her into the bathroom.
And by the time he can hear the shower come on, his dick is already hard.
Mercifully, the airship flight from Edge to Wutai is just under three hours, being that the continents are so close to one another and only separated by a narrow body of water. Cloud doesn’t think he can tolerate the constant shouting and swearing and complaining that both Barret and Cid do throughout the entire flight for much longer than that. It’s compounded by Denzel and Marlene’s hyperactivity, who both cannot contain their excitement at the surprise trip overseas.
But none of this is helped by Tifa’s goddamn outfit.
She’d said that her outfit matches his, but in all honesty, he wasn’t really sure what he should expect. He was shocked when Tifa came down the stairs later that morning to meet him and the kids. Cloud has been to Wutai on enough occasions, deliveries and sales visits, to have some sense of the culture there. But at his heart he’s an out-west country boy who has spent his recent memory in the city, so he doesn’t claim to be an expert, even after Tifa explains to him the intricacies of the hakama she’s gifted him.
He does, however, know what a kimono is, and when Tifa emerges wearing one, he stares with his mouth agape, in complete awe of her beauty.
Cloud hasn’t been able to take his eyes off of her since that moment, and every time she catches him staring, he feels his cheeks burn. The kimono is made from soft black silk, hugging every curve and cinching her narrow waist with a broad ribbon of silver satin. The sleeves are wide, hanging down to her sides, and her legs are wrapped to the thigh in sheer, impossibly inviting stockings. She’s wearing lace-up stiletto boots, and the bright pink cherry blossoms and pretty metallic bows in her hair match the ones on the front of her dress.
“Y-you look nice,” Cloud had mumbled like a dork when Tifa came down the stairs.
“You think so?” had been her response as she twirled in front of him, the kimono’s skirt flaring and showing off far too much of her soft and delectable thighs.
They have their kids with them, not to mention Cid and Barret, so Cloud does his best to remain respectful and keep his eyes to himself. But he finds that he can’t help it, his line of sight drifting in her direction every chance that he gets, mapping trails along the lengths of her legs or the curve of her hips, memorizing the way that pretty silk fabric brushes across warm, alabaster skin.
Tifa plays coy with him throughout their entire trip, offering him shy smiles but otherwise focusing her attention on keeping Marlene and Denzel entertained or indulging Barret and Cid in their boisterous conversations. Cloud broods silently on the airship’s deck the entire time, and when they finally dock at the nation’s Eastern transportation hub, Cloud is so eager to disembark that Tifa chastises him and tells him to slow down.
It’s my birthday, he thinks petulantly when she wags her finger at him. I just want to spend time with you.
Thankfully, he avoids saying that out loud and simply pouts at her. Tifa giggles and then focuses her attention on the children again, and Cloud hangs back, following their entire group from behind like the alpha of a wolf pack.
Despite the intense August heat, Wutai is beautiful this time of year. It’s mid-afternoon, just before the supper hour, and the sun is still high in the sky. Soft breezes cool the stifling air, blowing in from the ocean to the West. They make their way through the cobblestone streets, and Cloud rests his hand on his swords and admires the richly painted pagodas and the ancient architecture, listening to the dozens of questions that Marlene and Denzel pepper Tifa and the others with.
“Where are we staying?” Marlene demands for the third time.
They’ve come to a stop in front of a large wooden pagoda with a painted sign hanging out front, settled onto a vast property that is lined with cherry blossom orchids that extend to the base of the Da Chao mountains to the north. Cid is standing in the middle of the street and smoking a cigarette as he waits, having been told by Tifa more than once to keep his distance if he has to do that. Barret comes up behind Marlene, resting his good hand on her shoulder.
“Looks like my little girl is in luck,” he blusters. “You get to sleep like a princess tonight - at none other than the Wutain royal palace.”
Marlene’s eyes grow as wide as healing materia. “Does that mean we’re staying with Yuffie?”
Cloud can’t stop himself from groaning audibly. Tifa shoots him a look, then walks up to Denzel and Marlene, nodding at them both.
“That’s right,” she informs them with a smile, and even Denzel grins at this revelation. “But you guys are gonna go on ahead with Barret and Cid. Cloud and I will catch up with you tomorrow morning.”
“Oooh,” Marlene sing-songs. “You guys have your date, right?”
For whatever reason, Cloud’s neck is on fire again.
“That’s right,” Tifa admits with a giggle. “Now, have fun, and don’t give Lord Godo any trouble!”
“We won’t,” Denzel pledges.
Barret is making a few last-minute arrangements with Tifa before they split up when Cid is suddenly at Cloud’s side, haloed in a pale flurry of smoke. Cloud coughs and waves it out of his face.
“Hot birthday date, huh?” he grouses, slapping Cloud a little too hard on the shoulder. “Just try not to knock her up, will ya? Y’all have enough kids. Take it from me.”
Cloud’s cheeks couldn’t possibly get any brighter. He glances at Tifa, but she is still lecturing instructions to Barret and the kids. “Keep it down, will you?”
Cid only laughs, shoving Cloud with a little more force than is necessary.
After exchanging hugs and goodbyes with the kids, Cloud is left on the sidewalk in front of the property with Tifa, watching them as they make their way through the Capitol in the direction of Godo’s palace. When they disappear from view, Tifa turns to Cloud and tips her chin, crossing one ankle behind the other.
“Well,” she says after a nervous moment passes. “These are our accommodations for the night, Cloud. Ready to check in?”
Cloud turns and looks up at the pagoda. “An inn?” he asks.
Tifa nods, but she’s smiling in that timorous way again. “Not just any inn,” she tells him. “This is a ryokan. It’s kinda like a bed and breakfast. This one is especially for couples, so we’ll have lots of… privacy.”
“Is that right?” Cloud can’t help but quip, his imagination already drifting to unimaginable places, his eyes trailing Tifa’s body in that kimono again.
She notices because she saunters up to him until she is so close that he can smell the light fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle she’s rubbed into her skin. She leans in his direction. “They even have hot springs here,” she adds.
This sends surges of electricity straight to Cloud’s groin. “Then let’s go,” he rebuffs impatiently.
Tifa laughs and backs away, and Cloud holds back the urge to grab her in the middle of the street by dropping his hand to fidget with the hilt of one of his new swords. She flips her hair over her shoulder, then turns to the walkway that is lined by rows of vibrant flowers that match the ones stitched to her dress.
“We will,” she promises. “But right now, I’m hungry.”
Cloud just stands there, watching as she sashays inside the ryokan and leaving him standing on the sidewalk with both of their bags.
Goddamnit, he thinks, discretely trying to adjust the uncomfortable situation at the front of his pants.
Dinner is a public affair in a beautiful and dimly lit dining space, but as much as Cloud would like to appreciate the intricate interior architecture and the rich tapestries and decorum, he’s starved and feral, and not for food.
They sit in a small dining room on tatami-matted floors with low tables and soft cushions to take their meal, Tifa guiding Cloud to a quiet and secluded corner of the room near a bubbling fountain that is embedded into wall. Judging by the language the other guests converse in, they are all native Wutains.
“I’m guessing this isn’t a tourist trap,” Cloud remarks as he settles cross-legged on his cushion, laying his daishō swords at his side on the mat.
“It’s not,” Tifa agrees, folding her legs under her in the most adorable and lady-like fashion Cloud can imagine. Her skirt rides up a bit, exposing a thick line of creamy thigh, and Cloud finds that he is foaming at the mouth again. “Those resorts are on the other side of the Capitol and tend to be very busy and overwhelming. I thought you’d prefer something quiet and… intimate.”
There is a double meaning laced behind those words, Cloud knows, especially with the way that Tifa looks up at him from under her lashes. But he can’t help but focus first on her thoughtfulness, and it reminds him again of how lucky he is to have her and how much he doesn’t deserve her, again wondering what he ever did in this life to get to have a woman like her at his side.
“I guess you know me pretty well,” he manages in response, grateful when a nakai in delicate scarlet robes stops at their table with a bow, leaving them with little cups and a pitcher of hot sake before she takes their orders. When she walks away, Cloud is still blushing at Tifa’s affection and she doesn’t seem intent to let him forget it.
“Of course I do,” she replies in a low thrum, and Cloud watches as she scoots her cushion across the mat so that she is no longer sitting across from him, but right at his side. Her thigh touches his, and Cloud can’t help but look down, resisting every fatal urge inside him to reach down and grab that thick patch of flesh. “How long have I known you, Cloud?”
He laughs at that, reaching over to pour them each a shot of sake. He isn’t even sure how to answer that question. Cloud can’t remember a time in his entire backlog when he hadn’t known Tifa. Even those years when they had been separated or the times when they had lived apart, she had been deep in his thoughts and in his heart.
“Forever,” he blurts without meaning to, and his cheeks are hot as soon as the word leaves his lips.
It enamors Tifa, though, because he catches the flush of her cheeks when she shyly dips her head away and to the side. Her lips, pouty and full and painted the same hot pink as her nails, turn up in a smile.
“That sounds about right,” she agrees, gently bumping her shoulder up against his.
Years can go on like this, but the butterflies Cloud feels at such diffident flirting between him and Tifa never seem to go away. His heart beats a little faster, so loud with every thump that he’s certain Tifa can hear it. But her warmth at his side eclipses all of that, and he clinks his glass against hers as they enjoy their first drink together, the sake heating his blood even more than she already has.
Cloud tries not to think too much about how pretty and sweet Tifa looks sitting right next to them as they dive into their meals, flitting through light conversation. Tifa catches him up on the goings on of the bar and some of her ideas for the upcoming fall season, events she wants to plan and fresh dishes she wants to cook to bring in new customers. Cloud listens, smitten by the sound of her voice as he cuts into a thick steak that is perfectly charred but still manages to bleed. He offers her advice whenever she asks for it, and he always feels a pang of excitement stab through his sense of self-worth when Tifa eagerly nods and agrees.
The sake is strong, and by the time they finish their meals, they are both tipsy, Cloud feeling his head swim with a pleasant, heated fog. Tifa is leaning her body fully against his, and after their nakai clears away their plates, her hand falls between his thighs, resting just under the flap of his hakama.
Cloud feels the heat of her touch impossibly close to his groin and he stiffens, a subtle shockwave splintering his nerves. Tifa emits a soft purring sound, settling so close to him that Cloud opens his arm and wraps it around her so that her breast presses against his ribcage.
“Hey,” he croaks, feeling her fingertips dance higher along his inner thigh. “You ready to get out of here?”
Cloud is not one for pulling punches. His belly is full and he’s been ready to fuck Tifa for the last four hours.
“Hmm,” she hums in response. She reaches for her sake, drains the tiny cup, then sets it back down again. “I think so. Though… I’d kind of like to walk this off before we go to our room. I hear there’s a really nice garden behind the ryokan.”
Cloud doesn’t mean to whine, but the sound escapes his throat anyway, and he tosses his head in frustration. Tifa leans in and kisses his cheek, then gracefully pushes up to her feet, brushing off her kimono.
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” she says. “A little exercise never killed anyone.”
I’ve got plenty of exercise for you, Cloud thinks.
The sun is still out but it is slowly creeping closer to the line of the horizon as the early evening stretches on, its brightest rays fading behind the Da Chao mountains behind them. Cloud holds Tifa’s hand as they walk together through an orchid of cherry blossom trees and beds of lotus flowers and lilies, a babbling stream weaving its way through the gardens that lead east towards the southern peninsula.
They are mostly silent as they walk, and Cloud files his inwardly boiling lust to the side and enjoys the quiet and peaceful company he shares with Tifa. Since they’ve moved to Edge and since Meteorfall, there are very few opportunities for them to enjoy tranquil moments like this. Their lives are constantly harried and fast-paced, consumed by the rat race of their businesses and family life and the constant expectations and demands of both. Cloud has just hit the midway point of his twenties, but he realizes with the exceptions of a few short family retreats like this one, he and Tifa haven’t even taken a real vacation since they’ve been together.
He glances at her out of the corner of his eyes and sees her smiling absently up at the gardens. The sun colors the flush of red in her cheeks and casts shimmers in the dark ash of her hair. For a moment, Cloud is lost in admiring her serene beauty and the placidity that undergirds her features, and his lips are suddenly moving faster than his brain.
“I wouldn’t mind living out here,” he blurts.
Tifa turns to him, glancing up at him just as they round a bend in the path. They are circling back towards the ryokan, toward the rows of living quarters where guests stay. “What?” she says, somewhat taken aback. “In Wutai? Really?”
Cloud cocks his head to one side, offering Tifa a perplexed look at her skepticism. “What?” he parrots back to her. “That bad?”
“Of course not,” Tifa replies with a shake of her head. “It’s just… kind of surprising, I guess.”
“Why?”
Tifa shrugs, looking away again, her heels clicking against the pavement. “I guess I thought you liked living in the city. Once we settled in Edge, you never really said anything about going anywhere else…”
Tifa trails off as if she doesn’t want to finish her thought, as if she is burying a deeper sentiment under hidden layers that even after all this time, he still doesn’t have access to. Cloud frowns, wondering why they still keep these things to themselves. He’s certainly not about to call her out on it, though, because he’s guilty as hell of doing it all of the time himself.
“Tifa,” he interjects when her silence stretches on too long. “Edge was always a matter of survival for us in the beginning. And - Seventh Heaven is there. I’d never want to uproot you and all of your hardwork. But - I’m not really attached to anything.”
Tifa looks at him at that, her eyes inquisitive and wide. For some reason, his heart is racing again, but Cloud can read the confusion in her thoughts.
“Anything but you,” he adds.
Tifa smiles, then turns away again to glance at the flowers they pass. Cloud breathes out, wondering if he’ll ever get better at this kind of shit.
“You’re right,” Tifa says. “It would be kinda hard to just pack up and leave, even if it is to a nicer place. But maybe it’s something to think about for the future, hm? When the kids get older?”
“Sure,” Cloud agrees.
Tifa squeezes his hand. “Look,” she changes the subject, directing his attention to a craggy outcropping at the rear of the ryokan. “The hot springs.”
Cloud raises an eyebrow, following her line of sight. He realizes that they have come full circle to the back of the property and are at the rear of their own quarters, the hot springs embedded into the rock behind the back porch of their room. Steam floats through the air, fogging the windows of the ryokan and leaving a rich, earthy aroma in the air.
Cloud glances around, but the nearest quarters are another hundred or so feet down the orchid path, nearly out of sight. And the springs are shaded by a cherry blossom tree and a maple with a thick truck, some of its longest branches reaching all the way to the ryokan’s roof.
“Wanna get in?” Tifa asks, turning to him and pulling on his chest straps.
Cloud feels the heat of Tifa’s fingertips burn through his sweater, and the sensation crawls down his body, straight to his core. He inhales and swallows, glancing at Tifa and catching the daring expression on her face.
“Right now?” he asks. “But - it’s still daylight. Someone might-”
Tifa reaches up and presses a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. Cloud’s words die in his throat.
“No one is going to see us, silly,” she insists. “This is a couple’s resort, remember? And the Wutains are super respectful of one another’s privacy. Just try to keep your voice down, okay?”
Cloud just laughs at that. The audacity, he thinks. He’s always the one making her scream.
“Yeah,” he sallies back.
Tifa deliberately ignores his sarcasm, dropping her hand to find his. She laces their fingers together, then holds his hand up between their bodies, admiring the way his much larger one envelopes hers.
“I like these gloves,” she comments absently, rubbing her thumb over the metallic silver tip of his.
Cloud smirks, craning his head to one side to look at her more closely. “I guess you have good taste, then,” he tells her. “I like the whole get-up.”
“It’s called a hakama,” she reminds him.
“Whatever,” he agrees.
Tifa laughs again, but Cloud notices that she’s now rubbing and squeezing his thumb between her fingers. For some unfathomable reason, the gesture sends hot sparks straight between his thighs.
“What are you doing?” he can’t help but ask.
Tifa looks up at him, this time grinning and displaying her perfectly straight teeth and the faintest hint of that soft pink tongue. “Just giving you a little preview of later on tonight,” she tells him.
That does it. Cloud has had enough, Tifa’s words disrupting the inferno he’s worked so diligently since that morning to keep at bay. He pulls his hand away from hers and then grabs her by the waist, pulling her in close before he presses his lips to hers in a swift but heated kiss.
Tifa moans as soon as their lips connect, but Cloud’s blood has already begun to activate from all of the lust that is percolating inside of him. Without even realizing it, he finds himself scooping Tifa up into his arms and carrying her towards the ledge above the hot springs. She wraps her legs around his waist, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling lightly on his strands as their mouths fuse together, Cloud tasting the lingering sake on her tongue.
He nearly trips twice, but when he reaches the ledge, he places Tifa atop it and without preamble begins to hastily work her dress off of her, his mouth leaving hers and working its way across her jaw and her throat, leaving kisses and nips and bites. He pulls at the kimono’s bows and sleeves, Tifa moaning tiny protests at the rough way that he’s handling her clothing. There’s the distinct sound of a stitch being ripped, and finally, Tifa shoves him back, the neckline of her kimono now hanging off of her shoulder.
“Cloud!” she scolds him in a flustered tone. “This kimono was expensive. I won’t let you ruin it like you did my purple dress!”
Cloud groans and wipes his mouth, feeling his erection fight against the tight material of his trousers. This hakama might look good but it sucks when it comes to dealing with the sudden surges of male arousal, especially with a woman who looks like Tifa constantly at your side. He huffs and tries to catch his breath, already seeing the bright blooms of color against Tifa’s skin where his mouth had just been, sucking the blood to its surface.
“Sorry,” he manages. “Want you out of it, Teef.”
Tifa smiles, and when he reaches for her again, she angles her body out of his reach, Cloud pouting in protestation. She slides off of the ledge, taking him by the shoulders and turning them so that he’s leaning against it now and she is in front of him.
“It’s your birthday, Cloud,” Tifa says, offering him a wink that only makes it more apparent to him how thick and dark her lashes are. In the name of the Ice Queen, why is everything about Tifa so goddamn perfect?
“Let me take care of you, hm?” she adds.
Cloud just swallows, watching as Tifa slowly steps closer to him again, her breasts almost right against his chest. He goes to lift his hands to her waist, but Tifa quickly stops him, grabbing his wrists with both hands and forcing them back down to his sides. As much as he wants to fight her, he obeys, letting them rest there and gripping the ledge in an effort to control himself.
“You know,” Tifa purrs, her hands coming up to the leather straps that hold his pauldron in place. “This hakama looks really sexy on you. I kinda figured that it would, you know? But the way that it hugs all of your muscles…”
She trails off, her fingers tracing the lines of his pectorals over his sweater as she pulls the pauldron and harness away and drops them to the ground. Cloud groans at her touch, feeling tiny flares of heat that are left on his skin in the wake of her torturous touch. He closes his eyes, trying to concentrate and keep the rage of desire from becoming too consuming, but as soon as he does, his other senses surge into overdrive. He’s suddenly overwhelmed by her scent, a heated blend of her soap and perfume and the sweetness of her arousal, his heightened awareness latching onto every pheromone she releases.
As if she realizes the effect she is having on him, Tifa presses her body right against his again, dropping her hands to his belt. Cloud badly wants to touch her, but every time he tries, she stops her slow disrobing of him to chastise him and force his hands back into place. Cloud is not used to Tifa being so demanding and controlling, and he finds himself growing more and more turned on by the frustrating hotness of it all.
It’s worsened by the slowness with which Tifa works, her nimble fingers taking an eternity to open his belts. Even when she’s unfastened the buckles, she only loosens his pants enough for her to slip his sweater out of them. At an agonizing pace, she pulls the fabric over his head, dragging her nails along the skin of his torso as she goes.
“Tifa,” Cloud growls when she finally drops the sweater to one side.
She doesn’t answer, just leans in and kisses his throat. Her kimono continues to slide lower and lower over that exposed shoulder where he tore the material, and he can see the curve of her breast and the barest hint of a wrinkled, hard pink nipple. The sight of it sends lava through his marrow, and Cloud slumps against the ledge, gripping it even tighter and desperate to get his hands and mouth all over her.
She moves lower, kissing along the front of his body, nipping lightly and sucking on his nipples until his toes curl in his boots. Cloud winces and closes his eyes, and when he tips his head back to look at the sky, he realizes that the sun has almost fully gone down. But he can’t concentrate on that fact for more than a millisecond because Tifa is pulling off both of his gloves, tossing them to the side before she gets to her knees between his legs.
“Tifa, I -”
“Shhhh,” Tifa warns him, pulling his zipper down. Almost instantly, Cloud feels relief from the pressure of having his dick in those tight confines all this time, and when Tifa pulls at the waistbands of both his trousers and his shorts, he is standing at attention right in front of her face.
“Somebody’s eager,” she teases. “I’ll never get over how big you are, Cloud.”
Tifa doesn’t usually talk like this in bed. Maybe if she gets drunk enough, but that’s a rare occasion because Tifa hardly drinks. Cloud blushes severely, but he can’t help but stare right at her, his eyes hooking on to her deep ruby red and stuck when she flicks her tongue out to catch the first bead of precum that drips out of him.
“Teef -”
“So long,” Tifa goes on, taking him by the shaft in her fist and pressing a kiss to his tip. “And thick…”
She takes his entire head into her mouth, and Cloud strains, feeling wires of lightning blister his nerves. He rises up on his toes, the pleasure binding itself to his brain when she takes him deeper into her mouth and begins to suck. He closes his eyes and tries to savor it, but Tifa squeezes him hard to get his attention, and his eyes snap open, refocusing on hers and finding her pupils wide with lust.
She licks and sucks him harder, and Cloud can feel the snake quickly bend and coil deep in his belly. Everything feels too hot and too intense, his entire body shivering with the effort it takes to hold his climax back. Tifa’s mouth is so warm and wet, her lips and tongue moving over his most sensitive flesh in a way that is blinding. He hisses and bites his lip, knees beginning to buckle as he threads his fingers into her hair and pulls.
Tifa draws back, her mouth sliding off of him, soaked in her saliva and his own leaky fluids when she looks up at him. “Just let go, baby,” she whispers. “It’s all about you tonight.”
Cloud takes that to heart because as soon as she returns her lips to him, he opens the floodgates. It’s impossible for him to hold back any longer with the way that she lavishes him with affection, and he’s nearly collapsing when he’s finally spent. He steadies himself by holding onto her shoulder, emptying his first release onto her tongue and across her pouty lips. Tifa licks up and swallows every drop.
Cloud is panting, his brain fogged and every signal crossed when Tifa finally gets to her feet again. He tries to focus, watching her through a haze when she smiles at him and reaches up to brush his hair out of his eyes. He hasn’t realized it, but he’s sweating, and he swallows hard and tries to gather his composure.
“You sure were holding back a lot,” Tifa remarks, wiping at the corner of her mouth. Cloud blows out another breath and looks at her, watching in fascination as she begins to carefully undo the bows and ties that hold her kimono in place. The silky fabric falls open, revealing the black lace bra and panty set she wears beneath. “Are you sure you have enough left in there for my pussy?”
Cloud nearly chokes. Tifa definitely never talks like this. He stares at her, dumbfounded, watching as she slides her kimono to the side and then unlaces her boots, kicking them off before working on her stockings.
“Well?” Tifa says when he just keeps standing there, staring at her. “Aren’t you going to finish getting undressed?”
Cloud balks at her in disbelief, but Tifa keeps disrobing, unclasping her bra and tossing it with the pile of the rest of her clothes. When she pulls her panties to her ankles and steps out of them, Cloud finally feels his brain reassemble itself.
“Tifa,” he says again. He realizes that for the last fifteen minutes, her name is the only syllable he’s managed to get out with any level of coherence.
How is it that she can reduce him to such a blubbering mess like this?
She turns away from him, leaving him with the perfect view of her slender back and her round ass as she moves towards the hot spring. She steps carefully into the water, turning once to look over her shoulder at him.
“You coming?” she asks. “I want you to fuck me in here, Cloud.”
Without hesitation, Cloud finally manages to work his way out of the rest of his clothes. He kicks off the hakama’s trousers, carefully laying his katana to one side. He slides out of his boots, kicking them to the side, and he tears off his socks and tosses them behind him in mild annoyance as he makes his way to the hot spring.
Tifa has already submerged herself to her tits, the steam rising from the springs billowing in thin waves around her. Despite his first orgasm, Cloud is already hard again from the sight of her beautiful naked body and that pretty face and her filthy but somehow sweet words. She floats away from him when he advances, but he quickly reaches her, taking her by the waist and pulling her in close to his body. Tifa doesn’t fight, in fact, she falls pliant to his grip, pressing her softness against him.
“Tifa,” Cloud mumbles again, diving in to kiss her lips and then her throat again, biting until he nearly breaks the skin.
“ Tifa,” she mocks, laughter escaping her throat, all husk and lust. “Is that all you can say? Is that your favorite word, Cloud? My name?”
Cloud ignores her taunting and scrapes his teeth along the column of her throat until he finds her earlobe. “You want me to fuck you?” he asks instead of answering. “How, Tifa?”
She laughs again. “Any way you want,” she replies. “You know I’m all yours, Cloud.”
Cloud rumbles into her skin, his cock pressing into her thigh, fervid. As much as he loves Tifa to take control, he has to admit there will never be anything hotter to him than the way she submits to him like this. Her arms hook around his neck, and desperate to be inside of her, Cloud lifts Tifa with his hands under her bottom, carrying her a foot away to a smooth lip of stone at the spring’s edge and setting her atop it.
Cloud glances at her, her skin glistening and wet, flushed from the heat. Feverish desire is spread all across her features, and when she digs her fingernails into his shoulder blades, Cloud finds he can’t hold back anymore.
“Please,” she quietly begs.
He growls and lifts her legs, spreading them to either side of his waist and holding them open. He peers between them, seeing her spread and damp, her folds slick and swollen. The sight of her so hot and ready for him only pumps the adrenaline even faster through his blood, but as desperate as he is to impale her on his length, he chastens himself and dips his hand between her thighs, stroking lightly her at her clit.
“Ohh,” Tifa moans when his fingers slide over her sensitive button of flesh. “Mm, Cloud…”
She leans closer to him, clutching him even more tightly and nuzzling her face against his clavicle. Cloud licks his lips and drowns in the sounds she makes, rolling his fingers over her clit in slow but purposeful circles. He drenches his fingers in her wetness, listening to her beg, his cock dripping all over her thigh when she begins to rotate and grind her hips.
Her hands are scrabbling at his shoulders when Cloud finally cannot take anymore, and with one swift movement, he moves his hand away and shifts his hips forward, sliding himself inside of her fully. Tifa gasps and moans, arching her back as he hits her farthest wall. Her grip on his back tightens, fingers pulling, nails breaking the skin.
The pain is nothing compared to the blinding pleasure he feels suddenly being buried deep in her enveloping warmth. Cloud has been inside of Tifa maybe hundreds of times by now, but the feeling never ceases to be as earth-shattering and awe-inspiring as it was their very first night together. His entire body melts, his insides floating away into mist, just like the steam that is swirling around both of their tightly joined bodies.
Tifa raises her knees higher, opening herself and deepening the angle that he can plunge his way through. He presses his hips forward, sweat building in a thin line across his temple as she works to find the spot inside of her that he knows makes her violent and wild. Tifa yelps his name and throws her head back, her back arched again, her hips lifting from the stone to meet his.
He’s found it, he knows.
Bliss is screeching through his veins and blurring his vision, even his hearing becoming muffled and muted as she shouts. Any thoughts of neighboring guests on the property becoming aware of their activities are abandoned as Cloud pumps into her, his core tightening as every thrust brings him closer. Tifa’s walls pulse and grip him as if afraid to let him go, and her nails scrape across his back, leaving bright red welts in their wake.
“Please,” Tifa is begging again. “Harder, Cloud. Fuck me harder -”
Cloud really isn’t used to this mouth on Tifa, but he has to admit that he likes it. He likes it a lot. He obeys her request without hesitation, thrusting into her harder and faster, closing his eyes and concentrating on nothing but taking everything this woman has to give him.
He’s so far gone in the blistering euphoria, so close to careening over the edge of another messy climax when he feels Tifa clench violently on him, her walls contracting in waves. She’s skewering his back and sobbing into his shoulder, one hand tearing at his hair so hard that it hurts. But realizing that Tifa is coming hard on his cock, Cloud lets the pain burn away into the ecstasy of his orgasm, finally releasing the tension in his body as he joins her and rides wave after blissful wave with her.
“Fuck, Cloud,” Tifa cries, fisting his hair even tighter.
Cloud just shivers, emptying into her and leaning his body into hers as the seemingly endless streams spill into her until she is overflowing. Her legs are now wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him in place. His arms have come up around her in a tight embrace, and they both hold each other, rocking in the lightly wafting breeze as the aftershocks settle through them.
Cloud isn’t sure how much time has passed when he finally realizes that they have both grown so still that even the water is calm around them. He’s finally come fully down, softened where he still is connected with Tifa. Gently, he pulls away from her, separating them and rinsing away the stickiness between them.
Tifa hiccups and Cloud meets eyes with hers, finding hers wet and half-lidded. He lifts a thumb to wipe the tears away, then carefully helps Tifa climb out of the hot spring.
He hands her a complimentary towel that is stored in a small cubby outside of the spring’s ledge. “You okay?” he asks.
Tifa smiles, carefully drying herself with the towel while Cloud pulls his sweater on and slides back into his hakama. “Perfect,” she answers sleepily, reaching for her kimono and haphazardly wrapping it around her body. “I should be asking you if you’re okay.”
Cloud’s knees still have the consistency of jelly, but he’s not about to let her know that. He smirks at her, gathering the rest of his armor and his swords. “And why is that?”
Tifa makes a lame attempt of tying the bow at the back of her kimono, then picks up her shoes in hand. She grins at him, squinting her eyes at him in that way that he finds endlessly adorable. “You weren’t making a whole lot of sense for a while there. You just kept repeating my name, over and over. Tifa, Tifa, Tifa -”
“I seem to remember you screaming.”
Tifa laughs, sauntering up to him. She leans up and presses a kiss to his nose, ruffling his damp and messy hair with one hand.
“We’ll see who’ll be screaming tonight, birthday boy,” she quips back. “That was just the first part of your gift, you know. It’s still early.”
And with that, she turns away, meandering toward the ryokan, water dripping in a line behind her as she finds the back door of their unit.
And Cloud just stares.
Hoo boy, he thinks. Sounds promising.
“Goddamnit, Cloud!” Cid shouts. “What the hell is the matter with you? Pay attention! You damn near almost killed me!”
Cloud groans, rubbing at his temple and blinking at Cid’s stark bellowing. He turns to the older man, ignoring Marlene’s sharp giggle at their constant bickering.
“What?”
“You didn’t tether my carabiner right, jackass!” Cid swears, gesturing vividly to his harness. “What’s the point of the buddy system if your goddamn buddy is an idiot and a dumbass?”
Barret turns around, laughing at them both before he helps Marlene and Denzel make their way to the next ridge of the mountain they are climbing.
“Tifa,” Yuffie chirps from where she is helping fasten Tifa’s carabiner to her harness. “Your boyfriend looks exhausted. Did you let him get any sleep last night?”
Tifa blushes, meeting eyes with Cloud before she quickly turns away. Cloud feels his own cheeks heat. His memory of the night before quickly returns, and he shakes his head out, not daring to say a word. His entire body is sore, and despite the mako in his blood, he feels like he hasn’t slept in a week.
Cid balks. “Let me guess,” he says. “She kept you up half the night, didn’t she, birthday boy? I sure hope you didn’t knock her up.”
Thinking back on it, Cloud realizes that he really can’t be sure. He scratches the back of his neck, offering Cid a sheepish look but keeping his mouth shut.
“Argh,” Cid complains, turning away in disgust. “Save it. That stupid ass look on your face says it all.”
Cloud watches as Cid moves on to catch up with Yuffie and Barret, who are both helping the kids to navigate the mountain. Only Tifa lingers behind, waiting for him until he’s at her side.
“You sure you up to this?” she asks, eyeing the vivid red marks on his shoulders that peek out from under the sleeves of his sweater. “You had a rough night last night, you know.”
Cloud grimaces. “And you didn’t?” he can’t help but snark.
Tifa laughs brightly. “I’m feeling pretty good, actually,” she tells him.
“I’ll bet you are.”
Tifa snickers, turning away again with a wink. “Don’t worry… you’ll have plenty of time to rest and recover once we reach the top, Cloud. Don’t be the last one to make it!”
She runs off, climbing the next bluff almost effortlessly. Cloud watches her go, wondering how it is even possible after the way they wore each other out the night before.
And then he looks up, staring at the seemingly endless feet of Da Chao left for them to scale.
Goddamnit, he thinks. Happy Birthday to me.