Just a tiny thing that ghosted around in my head ever since the Cloud trailer from TGA.

A Night to Remember

Cloud released a sigh as he entered the room. It was bare bones, not offering much in the way of comfort, a single large flat screen TV attached to the wall that looked like it had seen better days. Good enough. It wasn't like he wanted to make a home here anyway.

Removing his sword, he placed the heavy weapon against the wall then proceeded to remove his shoulder guard and toss it carelessly to the side. After stretching his shoulders a few times he started to do a few squats.

The job today...it hadn't been difficult, but it left him with a sense of unease that made it hard for him to relax.

Sephiroth, he thought, feeling hatred welling up inside his chest.

"Hold onto that hatred," he heard his voice once more echo inside his mind just like it did when he vanished in that alley. Cloud shook his head. It couldn't be real.

It just couldn't!

Releasing a growl, he stopped his exercise and ran a hand through his hair. Downstairs, the bar had gone quiet, a sign that the party was over. A frown formed on the ex-SOLDIER's face.

He hadn't been in the mood to celebrate even after his new contract had been made, but somehow the others had managed to cajole him into joining them.

Cloud scoffed and shook his head. Avalanche. Did they really think anything they did mattered?

"...Whatever," he mumbled and sat down on the bed. His bed for the foreseeable future. Tifa had graciously provided him this room for the remainder of his stay, however long that might be now. His initial plan was to make some cash, and then leave Midgar. No idea as to where. Perhaps northward. There was supposed to be some dig site there that might be in need of some security.

Hot searing pain shot through his head, like a burning needle inside his brain, and Cloud could do nothing but grab his head, his fingers digging into his temples.

He needed to get out of Midgar. Couldn't stay here. Out! Out! Out!

Ŗ̰̥͈͋̊̿̇̌̊́̂͢ͅe͈͇̙̤͖̠̯̍̔̾̍̋̂̈́͟͞ų̨̥͉͇̭̣̟̋͐̋̇̋͂͘̚͞ͅn̸̛̗̯̯̰̱̤͔̰̈̉̀͑̍͒̎̓͢͡i͙̱̫͈̼̞̻͉͑̑͛͘͟͟͝͞͞õ̸̗̙̳̟̞̝̖͙̯͛̊̽̇́̄͡͡͠n̛̤̺̞͓̏̒̒̄͋͜ͅ

A knock sounded on the door.

"Cloud?" he heard Tifa call from the other side. Cloud grit his teeth as her words from earlier echoed through his mind.

"I feel trapped." He heard her say, followed by the image of an old water tower and the endless starry sky above.

Their promise! He couldn't leave. He had a promise to fulfill. Wasn't that why he struck another deal with Barret in the first place?

A gasp escaped him as the pain subsided in a matter of seconds.

"Ye—" he swallowed hard. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Can...can we talk?"

What could she want now? he wondered. He took a few more breaths to compose himself before inviting her inside.

Slowly, Tifa opened the door and entered the room, giving him a small smile as she closed the door behind her.

"What did you wanna talk about?" he asked her.

"I wanted to thank you. For accepting another job," she said and slowly walked over to the wall opposite of him.

"Mhm. The pay is decent," he said casually, resting his elbows on his knees. "And I admit it's fun seeing Barret get riled up."

Tifa gave him a look of disapproval, but still chuckled anyway. He gave her a little smirk.

The two of them fell silent, simply staring at one another for a few moments until Tifa dropped her gaze. It gave him the chance to take a better look at her. Tifa had changed from the last time he had seen her in Nibelheim. Gone was the country girl from the sticks that aspired to become the best mountain guide in the entire Nibel region, replaced with a woman that survived years in the slums of the biggest metropolis on the planet. But where other people would have become bitter and broken by the experience, Tifa managed to still keep the cheer from so long ago.

It was good to see her again.

"Hey...Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"When this is over, what are you gonna do?" Tifa asked before she folded her hands in front of her chest.

"What do you mean?" Cloud cocked an eyebrow.

She stared at her hands for a few seconds before fixing her gaze back onto him, a note of concern in her voice. "You...weren't thinking of leaving Midgar anytime soon, were you?"

Why was she wondering about that?

He already agreed to the next job, didn't he?

Cloud was about to shrug off her concern when he noticed the look in her eyes. There was something inside those carmine irises that made him pause, something akin to worry that caused an unknown feeling to well up inside his chest. What is was, he couldn't say, only that he wanted to alleviate her concerns.

"Well, seems like this friend of mine is in a tight spot." The corner of his lip curled upward. "A long time ago I made a promise, so…"

Leaving the sentence unfinished he leaned forward and saw a small frown appear on her face as she leaned against the wall. "Can't say this is what I had in mind when I asked you to help me way back when we were younger."

"Doesn't matter. I promised and I intend to keep it in any way I can," he told her resolutely. Opening his mouth to add something cocky, Cloud was left slack jawed when Tifa presented him with the most brilliant of smiles he had ever seen in his life, her eyes sparkling all doe like, making his heartbeat quicken like never before.

She was...striking.

When did she become so beautiful? She always was!

Cloud knew she certainly was attractive. Over the last couple of days, before the mission, he had noticed how some of the patrons were looking at her, with that Johnny guy leading the way. It was obvious they were attracted to her.

So how come he only noticed now? You noticed a long time ago

"Thank you, Cloud. It means a lot," Tifa said, her fingers playing with the hem of her skirt. The ex-SOLDIER couldn't help but follow the motion with his eyes. He felt his mouth run dry when his gaze landed on the partially exposed skin of her thighs. It remained there until his friend started to move her hands to brush something away from her backside.

His mind wandered back to earlier tonight, during Avalanche's little celebration. He had been sitting a bit away from the rest, minding his own business while having a drink at the bar as his eyes landed on Tifa's backside by accident while she was handing Biggs another drink. He had instantly turned his gaze away, but now he couldn't shake the image of how the fabric of her skirt framed her shapely behind.

Tifa started to move her arms upward, past that toned stomach that was a testament to years of diligent training. He was so captivated by the sight he nearly didn't register her words.

"I...I'm really glad to have you back, Cloud," she said, stretching out her arms a little, before moving them behind her neck. "Really glad..."

He inhaled sharply when the motion made her unconsciously push out her chest towards him, and he found that he couldn't turn away from the sight. One thing was for sure, his childhood friend had grown up. A lot.

Was it getting hot in here?

It was her voice once again that made him wake up from this pseudo trance. "Cloud?"

Tearing his eyes away from her chest, he quickly focused on her face. That pretty, pretty face that looked at him in confusion. "Everything okay?" she asked.

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

She raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to respond when the door connecting the bar to the private area was audibly opened and a voice called from downstairs.

"Hey, Tiiiiifaaaaa, where are ya?" It was Jessie. And from the sound of it, she's had a few more drinks after he had left. "You with Mr. Chocobo cheeks?"

Cloud frowned at the nickname. He didn't look anything like a Chocobo.

"Will you knock it off!?" Biggs' voice answered the woman in an annoyed tone.

"Shut it, there's something I wanna ask her!" Her footsteps echoed up the stairs."Tiiiiiiii-mmmmph!"

"Will you cut it out? Marlene is sleeping!" Biggs hissed. Sounds of struggle could be heard for a few seconds as the man dragged the techwiz downstairs again, followed by the door closing.

Opposite of him, Tifa let out a giggle, a little grin on her face while Cloud could only shake his head.

"This happen often?" he asked.

"Sometimes. When Jessie has a few drinks too many. Usually she's much more careful," Tifa replied, her eyes twinkling with obvious affection that for some reason bothered him.

All of a sudden his mind went back to the party once more. He had just finished talking with Jessie about something he had already forgotten when Tifa passed by them. Almost instantly, Jessie's attention was drawn away from him towards his friend, her hazel eyes filled with something as she got up from her seat and walked after Tifa.

As soon as she had stepped up behind her, the brunette circled her arms around Tifa's shoulders, pulling her close and whispering something into her ears that made his friend giggle and squirm while playfully swatting at one of Jessie's arms.

After a moment, Tifa stopped resisting, instead nodding and whispering back with a smile on her face. One of Jessie's hands moved to brush a lock of hair out of the barmaid's face. A gesture that made it obvious that they were close, but also spoke of an intimacy that, in the here and now, caused something vile and ugly with green eyes to well up inside of him.

Was he...jealous? A familiar feeling

"I should probably see if everything is alright downstairs," Tifa said, stretching one final time before pushing herself away from the wall to walk towards the door. "Good—"

Before his friend could even finish that sentence, Cloud all but jumped to his feet and made a grab for her hand.

"—night?" Tifa stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, her eyes darting down to their hands, then moving up to focus on his own. "Cloud?"

He could do nothing else but avert his gaze, a feeling of embarrassment washing over him. Gently he ran his thumb across her knuckles, wondering what her hand would feel like without gloves separating their skin.

Say something, you idiot!

"I, uh, wanted to thank you. For the room and all," he said to her. Why was he so embarrassed all of a sudden? She was just his childhood friend, after all.

His very beautiful childhood friend.

"You didn't really have any reason to do that, yet you did." Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly let go of her hand, already missing the feeling of it.

Tifa pulled back her hand and held it close to her chest while her face was stained a deep red. "I-it's nothing. You're welcome," she stammered. Yet despite the blush, a small smile formed on her lips, and she did not move away from him.

Maybe it was the light that shone in through the window illuminating her face in just the right way, or the heat of her body so close to his, but Cloud found himself stepping closer to her, the hand that had been holding hers just a moment ago placing itself on her shoulder. His eyes locked onto hers, and he saw something reflected in those carmine irises that made his entire body heat up. Ever so slowly, his hand traveled towards her neck, giving her abundant chances to tell him to stop, or push him away, but she did neither even as he gently cupped her cheek, leaned down—

"Cloud..." she breathed out.

—and captured her lips with his own. Tifa hesitated for just a moment, before responding in kind, taking a step closer as she circled her arms around his neck. He groaned into her mouth as Tifa pressed herself closer against him, her hand snaking up his neck to bury her fingers into the hair at the back of his head. He jumped a little when he felt the tip of her tongue slide shyly over his bottom lip. Pressing his face forward, Cloud deepened the kiss, parting his lips to let her inside.

A spark shot up his spine as little by little Tifa pushed past his lips, brushing her tongue against his. A moan escaped her, as she pressed her entire weight against him, taking him completely by surprise as she all but jumped him, his arm wrapping around her waist while stumbling backwards into the direction of his bed. His legs collided with it, causing them both to tumble on top of the mattress, making the bed creak underneath their combined weight.

Tifa clawed at his top, and he could feel her nails digging into his skin even through the fabric as they explored each other's mouths to their fullest. The lingering taste of alcohol spurred him on more and more, his hand going lower to lift the back of her skirt and make a grab at her ass.

Another moan escaped Tifa when he gave her a good squeeze, and he broke the kiss to look deep into her eyes, clouded by desire for him. Him.

He felt elated at the sight.

"Tifa..." he murmured, kissing her once more while slowly starting to sit up. Tifa moved her legs to rest on either side of him. Cloud groaned as she started to grind herself against his pelvis and used his hand to push her tighter against his erection, enjoying the little whimper she released into his mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Cloud immediately moved to attack her beautiful neck, kissing and nibbling the soft skin there, eliciting the most sweetest of sounds from Tifa. An indescribable feeling spread throughout his chest as he touched her skin, almost like this was where he was supposed to be, right here, right now and he did not know why his eyes were watering. But he...liked the feeling. He wanted more.

Needed more. And so did Tifa.

"Cloud...I..."

"I know..." he murmured against her skin, kissing his way upward to claim her lips again.

His right hand made a grab for her chest, pushing his thumb underneath her top and sports bra and pulling them up to her collarbone in one swift motion, her breasts spilling out of their confines and looking absolutely stunning. Her nipples, beige in color, were hardened with need, silently screaming for him to claim them. Their tongues danced for a few moments before Tifa gently pushed him away and giving him a shy little smile as she shrugged off her suspenders and removed her gloves.

Cloud followed suit, pulling off his gloves and placing them on the floor, before starting to undo his belt to remove the attached suspenders. Once he managed to rid himself of it he turned back to face Tifa, whose torso was now completely bare for him to see. The blush from earlier had returned and she moved an arm to cover herself.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not as pretty as the other girls," Tifa said, averting her eyes.

Cloud looked at her for a moment. Like her stomach, the rest of her body was just as toned, telling everyone that indeed, Tifa Lockhart was someone you didn't trifle with or she would kick your ass to the western continent. But unlike what she was saying, there was still a softness to her that made her unique. She wasn't just a pretty girl you could meet everywhere. She was Tifa.

Releasing a chuckle, Cloud moved closer to her and gently put his hand under her chin to make her face him.

"You're beautiful," he assured her and leaned in for another short but no less passionate kiss, placing his other hand on her arm to move it to the side. She didn't resist and once he pulled back from the kiss he could tell how happy his words made her. Tifa leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. She remained like that for a moment before placing a hand on his top and running it over the fabric.

"This is in the way," she told him, making him chuckle a second time. He gently pushed her away and proceeded to remove it, tossing it to the ground and revealing his own body to her. As she looked at him, he could see a spark of sadness in her eyes over some of the scars on his body, her hand gingerly reaching out to trace them. The feeling of her fingers on his body was like pure, cleansing fire, driving away the small aches and anxious feelings he'd been having since the end of the mission.

Gently, he reached out to grasp her hand in his own, looking at it like it was the most fascinating thing in the universe right now before raising it to his lips to kiss it. Still holding her hand, he pulled her forward into a tight hug, wanting nothing more than to hold her close.

Their lips met in a soft kiss that soon turned more and more heated as their bodies rubbed against one another, and soon their tongues were meeting in a passionate dance. Eventually the need for air, and more, made them separate. Cloud didn't waste any time to get rid of the rest of his clothes. Tifa had just removed her underwear and was about to pull off her stockings when she stopped what she was doing at the sight of his hard cock, her face flushed a deep crimson once more as she stared.

"Tifa?" he asked, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the intensity of how she was looking at him. Hearing his voice, Tifa tore her eyes away from his nether regions and towards his eyes. As soon as their eyes made contact, she jumped him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck. She murmured something that Cloud could barely make out. "Come again?"

"I've never...you know," she admitted after a moment, sounding almost like a timid girl. "I just never had the time and I—what I mean is—"

"Shh." Cloud hushed her gently. "It's alright. I'm not much better."

He probably should be embarrassed, but it was a fact. Joining SOLDIER and working to become a 1st had taken so much of his time there wasn't really any chance to become intimate with someone. Releasing a breath he added: "I'm just running on instinct here."

"I'm glad it's you," Tifa told him and pulled back, smiling at him.

Cloud returned her smile, before leaning in to plant a kiss on her forehead. He brushed his fingers over her stomach, slowly guiding it upward to cup one of her breasts. She released a sweet mewl as his thumb brushed over her nipple. He repeated the motion a few more times before dipping down to suck it into his mouth. The moans she produced for him were pure music to his ears; a melody just for him as he rolled the sensitive nub between his teeth.

"Oh Cloud," she moaned, burying her fingers into his hair to pull him away from her tits and look at him, her eyes darkened by lust. "I'm ready."

Licking his lips, he placed both of her hands on her hips to gently lay her down on the mattress. Once she was lying completely on her back, Cloud moved to rest between her legs, his cock twitching as he felt the heat radiating from her core, inviting him inside, but stopped himself.

"Wait...shouldn't we be, uh-?"

"Bedside cabinet," Tifa told him, biting her lip in a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Whu-?"

"Jessie used this room a couple of times when she brought a date with her."

"Ah, uh, gotcha." Getting up from the bed, he opened the drawer to find a strip of condoms inside. Taking it, he ripped one off and threw the rest back in before turning around and tearing the wrapper with his teeth. The primal part inside his brain delighted in the sight of her rubbing her legs together as she watched him slide the condom over his dick.

All but jumping back onto the bed, he took hold of his cock and guided it to her folds where he rested it against her entrance. He looked at her, silently asking if this was really what she wanted.

Tifa closed her eyes for a moment before nodding.

Taking a deep breath, Cloud pushed himself slowly inside, gritting his teeth as he entered her inch by inch. Underneath him, Tifa bit her lip, her hand grabbing his bed sheet tightly while she gasped.

"You okay?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "It's not as bad as I thought. Go ahead, I can take it."

"Alright..." Trusting her words, Cloud pushed further until he was buried firmly inside her. He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers, waiting patiently for her to adjust to him. After a couple of moments, Tifa relaxed and breathed deeply. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Tifa said, opening her eyes and smiling at him.

Cloud gave her a quick kiss, then pulled himself slowly out of her. After making sure that she was really alright, he thrust back in. He repeated this a few more times before setting on a slow but steady rhythm. Their moans echoed through the room, neither of them caring that someone might hear them as they made love. Right here, right now, only they and this indescribable feeling between them existed.

Burying his face into her neck, he let out a strangled groan as her insides gripped his cock tightly, making every thrust a sweet mixture of agony and pleasure.

The bed groaned in unison with their passionate movements as they picked up the pace, adding another melody to the song their voices were creating.

"Tifa," he moaned between gritted teeth, knowing that he wouldn't last much longer anymore. "I'm—"

"Me too!" Tifa replied, her fingers digging into the skin of his back while her hips answered his every movement. His thrusts grew erratic with every passing second, inching ever closer to that sweet release both were seeking, until finally, with one last thrust, both plunged over the edge.

"Tifa!" Cloud moaned out, as he blew his load inside the condom, Tifa wrapping her legs around him to keep him there as she too moaned out his name in pure ecstasy.

They clung to one another, their bodies spasming from the intensity of their orgasm, their bodies trying to savior this intimate feeling for as long as possible before being forced down from their soaring high as Cloud collapsed on top of him.

They remained like this for some time, Tifa gently running her hands over his back as they enjoyed the afterglow. Eventually, she uncrossed her legs.

Reluctantly, Cloud pulled himself out of her, taking off the condom and throwing it into the small trashcan nearby, before lying down on his back next to her. Tifa didn't waste any time to snuggle up to him, resting her head on his shoulder while placing a hand on his chest, right above his heart, a happy smile on her face.

They remained like this, neither saying a word, for they were not needed, until both of them fell into a blissful sleep.

The next morning, before Cloud even opened his eyes, he knew that Tifa was gone. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed and a deep, very immature part of him wanted to turn around and sulk, but when he actually opened his eyes and checked the time on the clock resting on the wall opposite of him, he realized that she must've gone down to the bar.

Probably should get up as well.

Making a sound in the back of his throat, Cloud got out of bed and gathered his clothes. After putting them on, he walked over to the door and stepped outside. As he ventured down the set of stairs, the delicious smell of freshly made breakfast entered his nostrils and he felt his mouth water just a little at the prospect of eating one of Tifa's breakfast menus.

Opening the door, he stepped into the bar where he could see the rest of Avalanche sitting at one of the tables, each busy with their breakfast.

"Good morning!" he heard Tifa call him as she was heading towards Wedge to give him seconds. "Did you sleep well?"

He opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly that cocky little part of his brain took over and he gave her a little smirk before replying: "Next to you? Who wouldn't."

Tifa yelped, as she nearly dropped the frying pan onto Wedge's lap, a blush creeping onto her face as Jessie and Biggs shared a look at what Cloud had just said.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Tifa said hastily, serving the plump Avalanche member his food, before all but running back into the kitchen.

Cloud couldn't help but chuckle.

Took also the liberty to play around with the two of them being turbo virgins.

See ya!