AN: Thank you again for the wonderful support! I hope you enjoy the last chapter, I'm really nervous about the reception. I first got into FF7 last month after playing the original game and fell in love with Tifa's strength. I hope this story does her and Cloud justice and I hope to see you all in my next fic tomorrow :)

Stellar Eyes

Part 3 – Seeing Her

Grounded

Before:

(On the Asteroid)

Space is endless darkness and empty lights with meaningless existences. Cloud can't stand looking up anymore, all he sees is dark and rock stretching out as far as he can see. He can't even look down at his hands, those gloves hiding nothing but metal limbs. Sometimes he wonders if he'll recognize his human body when he returns.

If he returns.

He's still not worthy of her yet, and there's nothing to go back to. No family. No friends. Only Zack as his daily support, a friendly scientist who surely has better things to do than care about Cloud. Cloud always declines Zack's invitations to speak for longer on speaker phone, insisting that Zack go back to work. Someone as important as Zack has more pressing work to do for Shinra.

Cloud is fine. He's surviving.

Days and nights have no meaning to Cloud anymore. He can work nonstop, with no need for sleep. So when he sees his inbox flashing with yet another email about the Stellar EYEs program, he ignores it.

Then Zack emails him again, this time with the subject line: Open it Or I'll Pull the Plug.

Cloud scowls. He aggressively opens the email, finding it pointless when he'll just reject the volunteer anyways until he sees her name.

Tifa. Tifa Lockhart.

If he could breathe, he would stop all functions right now. His metal hands trace her name on the screen.

Annoyed, he sends Zack a text.

Strife: Does she know? Did you tell her?

Fair: So she IS that girl you're waiting on. I knew it! And no, she doesn't know. I was just as surprised to get her application. A little flower told me about her.

Strife: Send it back.

Fair: Are you sure? I think you should at least read what she wrote. You'll regret it if you don't.

"I'll show you regret," Cloud grumbles, scrolling down on the email to read through the application. He already knows her age and birthday, where she was born… He keeps scrolling until he reaches the section that asks her why she applied. He imagines her speaking softly into the microphone of her computer, the way she spoke to him.

I knew someone, a long time ago, her answer reads and if Cloud had his human heart again it would twist and scream, who I wanted to promise me to tell me about the stars.

She remembers me, his mind screams, she wants to see me.

It has to be him, he can't imagine anyone else sharing these dreams with her.

(But what if they did? What if someone stood in Cloud's place beside her, what then? No, he can't imagine that, he just can't—)

He keeps reading the answer, reaching the end, reaching her final words.

I want to be closer.

Cloud's hand reaches out to the little blue dot in the void, the little blue dot of Gaia where Tifa is.

Without thinking, he emails Zack back with his yes.

:

Now:

(1 Year and 4 Months Later)

Some days, Cloud can't believe that he's in his body again, the human one, on Gaia. He'll get hungry or thirsty and feel surprised at the sensations. He'll feel the softness of his bed and get overwhelmed by the sensation of touch. Loud noises make him flinch and strong spicy smells has him wanting to throw up.

Some nights, he wakes up and fears he'll see metal limbs again, that he'll be back on that asteroid staring at nothing but empty space and rock for miles and miles… Some nights, he dreams that he's still in limbo, forever screaming, reliving his mother's death, Tifa's accident, Mr. Lockhart screaming at Cloud that he's a monster… Some nights, he refuses to open the window, scared to see that open sky and the memories that come with it.

(Why, oh why, did he decide to go to space?)

(No one told him how alone it would make him feel.)

(And then there's a voice, gentle and kind, calling him back to Gaia, reminding him of all the beauty in the void.)

(Promise me.)

(Does she know how that promise kept him going?)

Without fail, Tifa always knows when he's not sleeping, and she'll open his door, tiptoeing inside. She used to knock before, but with the nightmares occurring so frequently, Cloud began leaving the door slightly open so she can come in.

She settles by his side every time, stroking his hair until he can sleep again. She used to hesitate before, until he began pulling her into his arms, and now she doesn't hesitate to stroke his arm or curl up against his chest. Cloud never does anything more during these moments, afraid that once he does, she'll disappear, like all those dreams, afraid that if he does, he'll never let go of her…

Tifa always leaves when he wakes up, the bed empty. And Cloud hates himself a little more again.

He should stop bothering her, stop intruding on her living space, but he needs her…

"Pathetic," he calls himself.

:

Before:

(After Limbo)

Cloud can't believe that she's real, all grown up in front of him. She looks as beautiful as the day he first saw her, sitting alone in an empty classroom when they were twelve years old. He remembers trying to find a place to hide, somewhere the bullies wouldn't find him, and being entranced by this girl not-quite-staring out the window. The sunlight had made her dark hair shine, and she wore a blue sundress. She looked angelic.

Then she had turned her head towards him and Cloud realized she couldn't see.

…Like a coward, he just stood there, like a deer caught in headlights, until Aerith came to pick her up and left.

He kept seeing flashes of her from the corner of his eye at lunchtime and in between classes. He was always too shy to talk to her. How could a bastard like himself talk to someone as beautiful as her? He comforted himself with listening to her play the piano, sitting in the room next door. Her playing was like a balm to all the pain he suffered in school. As long as he got to hear her play at the end of the day, he had a reason to smile for his mother. He thought that he would always be content with that distance.

But when she first talked to him, first touched his arm, Cloud knew he couldn't go back.

Now she's here, her hair longer than before, eyes puffy and cheeks blotchy with tears, but still so beautiful.

He doesn't let go of her hand, afraid that once he does, he'll be back in Limbo… back on that asteroid…

"Cloud, come on, lift your hand, I need to check your blood pressure," Zack kneels by them both.

"Check on the other arm then," Aerith snips, looking as intimidating as ever, despite her height.

"Yes, babe, I'll do that. But I need to make sure all of his limbs are responding well to having his consciousness back in his body!"

"Well his other hand is moving fine, otherwise he wouldn't be hanging on to Tifa!"

"Fine, fine…"

Cloud's head buzzes with confusion. Aerith and Zack's voices are too loud, too overwhelming… He doesn't remember Aerith's clothes being so pink, so neon to his eyes.

"…Hey, Cloud, come here," Tifa whispers. Her voice, out of every sound, feels clear. Cloud blinks at her in confusion. Her gaze, always somewhere else, doesn't quite face him, but her hands guide his to the underside of her wrist. "Just listen. Count with me…"

He'd do anything that voice says, so he concentrates on her pulse, and counts to the beat of her heart… one, two, three… one, two, three…

By the time, Zack finishes with his check-up, Cloud realizes that he's zoned out, completed concentrated on Tifa's voice and her thumb stroking the back of his hand. He didn't hear a thing Zack said.

"Physically, you've lost weight, which is to be expected from your time in the pod. With a few weeks of physical therapy, you'll be back on your feet in no time. As for your mental health, I recommend that you be switched over to the engineering department after a few weeks off… unless you want to go back to the excavation team, I can't truly stop you…"

"No," Cloud says quickly, noticing how Tifa's shoulders relax. "I'll go to engineering." If he was in that metal robot again, he'd try to stay on that asteroid, but he didn't know any better back then. Now that he's back in his human body, with Tifa by his side, he doesn't want to let her out of his sight in case she isn't real. In case, he's still in Limbo.

He's not less of a man just because he couldn't meet the requirements, physically, mentally, and intellectually, to become an astronaut. Tifa said so, she… felt so, back when they were in Limbo together… She loves him, she loves him. That has to be real. He can't believe it's real.

"Good, good, I'll kept your apartment open and clean for you. We can move over there and I'll monitor your health—"

Cloud tenses. His apartment. That he has. He forgot that he had one.

"What about Tifa?"

Zack's gaze flickers to Aerith. "Well, I'm sure she'll visit you…"

"That's right," Tifa squeezes his hand, her smile making Cloud forget to breathe. "I will. If… if you want."

He nods. He wants very much.

"Then let's go. Tifa and Cloud both need some rest after what they went through and good food. You better take care of him, Zack Fair," Aerith glares, somehow looking fierce despite her ribbons and pink-ness. "I'm taking Tifa home before she falls over."

Panic falls onto Cloud as soon as Tifa lets go of him. What if she doesn't come back? What if she falls into Limbo? What if he can't find her again?

"Cloud?! Cloud!"

As his world swirls into nothing, he sees Tifa's whited-out eyes screaming for him like they did ten years ago before she nearly died…

:

"This is a lot to ask of us, Zack Fair," Aerith's voice sounds ready to throw down. Cloud would love to see her throw Zack down in a stranglehold, just to laugh at him later.

"What choice do I have? Tifa makes him feel safer… better. He should be living in a comfortable environment to heal. I know it's not professional, but it's only until he feels comfortable to go out on his own again. I'll compensate you both and I can even move in as well, to monitor him."

"Is this your way of asking to move in because I'm going to need a little more romance than that."

"Sweetheart, I can only ask this ridiculous request because it's you… and I trust you and Tifa. Please."

"And what about Tifa's feelings?! What if she gets hurt—"

"Aerith, I won't get—"

Hurt? Cloud thinks. Tifa's not allowed to get hurt anymore. He made a promise. It's why he aimed to become an astronaut, to make a decent living and fulfill that promise he never took, so he can take care of her. It's why he didn't want to meet her again until he became worthy.

"It's not your job to heal him, Tifa. You don't need to do this. You already did what you could."

"If it was Zack," Tifa starts.

"Who I'm very mad at," Aerith points out.

"But if it was Zack, wouldn't you do the same?"

Cloud blearily opens his eyes just in time to see Aerith's jaw clench and unclench several times.

"Fine, yes, I would. I'm very mad at him right now but I would, happy? You win."

Zack brightens like a puppy allowed back in the house. "Does that mean I can move in as well?"

"Don't push your luck, hun. You can have the couch."

:

Cloud doesn't remember the first initial months of his return to Gaia. They're blurred together in screams and nightmares, in Tifa leaving her shared room with Aerith to hold him through the night. Zack sleeps on the couch as promised, always there to ask Cloud questions about his health and try to coax Cloud to venture outside of Aerith and Tifa's apartment.

The first month, Cloud can't make it past the hallway, then soon, the lobby. Eventually, he can venture down the block but still, he always gets overwhelmed by the noise and colours. He always flees back to that apartment, decorated in Aerith's flowers and pastels, to the bedroom that used to be Tifa's, to the touch that grounds him.

"…He can't go on like this," Cloud catches Zack saying in the kitchen.

"Just be patient," Tifa replies. "He was out there for four years. It will take time."

"Besides," Aerith huffs, "where else would he go?"

Where else would he go?

Cloud flinches.

He stares down at his shaking hands and closes his eyes.

He can't be a burden anymore.

:

Now:

Cloud sneaks out to work, not confident that he won't crumble if he sees Tifa smiling at the kitchen, if he smells her cooking. He has to be more independent… he has to show her that he's ready to take the next step in their relationship…

Shinra's West Building makes Cloud tense every time he steps in. He nods stiffly at the receptionist and takes the elevator to engineering… up, not down anymore…

His coworkers, Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse, greet him enthusiastically when he arrives, showing him the latest blueprints for their rocket designs. Cloud forces away all his bad thoughts and slips easily into the rhythm of making machines works. Machines are easier to figure out than people, after all.

When he focuses on the sounds of drilling and hammers, on crisp lines and zeros, he feels almost normal. He feels almost… functional.

:

Before:

Everything's too loud. Today, Cloud made it as far as three blocks outside of the apartment before he ran back home. Now, everything's louder than usual. His own breathing, his own heart, the furious whispering next door from Zack and Aerith. He's pretty sure that they've started sleeping together in the same room, now that Tifa keeps migrating to his.

But… where is she?

Don't panic. Just breathe, he tells himself, counting up to ten like Zack taught him. He focuses on five things he can feel, five things he can hear, five things he can see. Then four things he can feel, four things he can hear, four things he can see. Three things. Two… One.

His hands are still shake. A little less than before, but still. Not good enough.

A door opens in the hallway. Cloud tenses. He hears some footsteps and pretends to go to sleep. No need to make Tifa lose more sleep than necessary again…

The footsteps pause. Cloud keeps the door slightly open now and he knows Tifa must be checking in on him. Forcing his breathing to be calm and quiet, Cloud waits.

Then Tifa passes by, probably back to the makeshift bed on the couch (he's going to kill Zack for putting Tifa out of a bed again), when her footsteps go… elsewhere.

He's up instantly. Tifa doesn't usually leave the apartment nowadays unless Cloud goes with her. He doesn't do well in crowds, so Tifa doesn't do errands anymore, only commutes to work where Cloud listens to her practise with an orchestra for an upcoming concert. Most of the concerts are renditions of classical pieces, nothing original quite yet ("I'm still working on some new pieces," Tifa had told him) and her orchestra practises are some of the only times Cloud lets himself sleep.

An ugly part of him panics. What if she's leaving and never comes back? What if she hates him? What if she trips and falls down the stairs but he shuts those thoughts down. Tifa loves him, he whispers that mantra over and over again, Tifa loves him and she won't leave him. He trusts that. Tifa is capable and doesn't need him to hover.

But he still follows her out into the hall, towards the room that's always closed.

Oh, Cloud realizes as he creeps into the room, sees the piano, the music sheets, the guitar in the corner. If the apartment screams of Aerith's touch, this room is purely Tifa. A bowl of potpourri fills the air with vanilla and mint while a wind chime hangs from the window. He spots a pile of blanket-scarves on a chair, likely for cool autumn and winter days. Several fluffy slippers sit at the door in varying colours. It's cozy, soft… and so very Tifa.

Tifa's already started playing, eyes shut, the notes flowing into the room like a waterfall. The song tugs at Cloud's soul in its familiarity and intensity… the song Tifa played when she asked to meet him again, when he ran away, overwhelmed by his fears that she'd reject him as soon as she knew his real job description. This song caresses him, makes him remember better times before his mother got sick, before Tifa nearly died saving him from a car.

But just like before, the song rushes into hope and longing, until suddenly the ending feels… content. Waiting, but content and sweet. The sound feels Cloud with an urge he can't quite understand, the need to say something that would be equivalent to all the feeling in the song, to express how he feels in its purest form.

Instead, all he can whisper is, "Beautiful."

Tifa almost falls off her bench, startled by the sound.

He's over by her side in two strides. "Are you okay?"

"Cloud!" she stutters, "I didn't hear you there!"

"Sorry, I should have said something, but I… wanted to hear you play."

Her face goes adorably red, not as striking as her eyes, but still as lovely.

"It's alright," Tifa smiles at his elbow. "Just say something next time. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

That's not allowed to happen. Tifa needs to stay healthy and happy. He steps closer. Tifa frowns, staring in his direction.

"Cloud? Is everything alright? Did you have another nightmare?"

He hesitates, unsure of what he even wants to say. It occurs to him that Tifa is like him, in a sense. He had to see the same scenery for four years, all by himself. But she has to see the same darkness every day of her life…

"I don't understand," he whispers.

Tifa frowns.

Before she can ask, he continues, "You see the same dark… every day. How do you not go insane?"

That question, he's sure, would get any other person the cold shoulder or a slap. But Tifa has always been so patient. It's one of the things he loves about her.

"Cloud," her lips quirk back up in that smile he adores. She reaches out for his hand and he takes it. "You can't compare my situation to yours. They're very different. Out there, you were physically and emotionally alone. Me? I might be in the dark, but I have so much colour in my life. There's you, my Blue, and Aerith, my Pink, and Marlene and Barret—my smiling Yellows. Even Zack. Though I'm not sure what colour he feels like yet. I have all of you. I don't need to see colour to feel it."

The determined glint in her eyes, the way she smiles, Gods, he wishes he could experience the world the way she does, he wishes he could feel that certainty. But he's not as brave as her, or as good. He can barely leave the apartment without getting overwhelmed…

"Now, don't get me wrong… I'm not saying that a few people can cure you or magically make things better. But they make life bearable. You make life bearable. I know things are hard right now, Cloud, but I'm here for you. And I believe in you."

Her love, the trust, is so much that Cloud can't face it yet. "How?" he blurts out. "How can you believe in me when I…" Can't even believe in me, he doesn't say.

She pauses and for a moment Cloud fears that he was too snappy, that he showed her too much of his ugly side, that she'll slip away and then—

"Here," she guides his hands to the piano, guides his fingers through a few notes.

Cloud blinks at her helplessly, then remembering that she can't see that, asks, "What are you doing?"

"When I feel overwhelmed, when I can't believe in myself, when words aren't enough… I play. I focus on the piano and things… don't get better, but they're… bearable. Try it."

He stares down at her pale hand against his, at how the world feels like just Cloud and Tifa again, Blue and Ruby.

He plays.

:

Now:

She's practising again when he gets home. Aerith and Zack are out, likely on a date after work. Lately those two have been attached at the hip. Tifa jokes that she and Cloud are becoming more like freeloaders to a honeymooning couple.

Cloud makes sure to make his steps loud so she'll know he's home. The playing, unfortunately, stops, as she calls out, "Welcome back! Dinner's in the oven if you need it! Come join me when you're done!" Her piano resumes.

He huffs, a smile tugging on his lips. Whenever Tifa gets the chance, she gets him to sit with her and play old duets. Sometimes, she just plays, and he listens. Sometimes, he'll bring back parts of what he's working on for her to touch and share.

Cloud wanders to the kitchen, marvelling again at how Tifa outcooks them all. There's a note in braille by the counter. Cloud's been learning since high school, wanting to be able to write to her but never having the courage to mail that letter.

His fingers brush against the raised dots and his heart clenches.

Don't work too hard, Cloud, Tifa wrote, You're already good enough.

Today's a good enough day that he actually believes it.

:

Green

He kisses her on the cheek shortly after, and she turns bright red.

"What's that for?" she asks, hushed.

"Just a thank you," he whispers. And more.

:

"Tifa seems happier lately," Zack remarks, on their weekly 'boy's night.' Zack insisted on them after Cloud started doing daily piano sessions with Tifa. Cloud doesn't think Zack should feel guilty over what happened with the MIND Expansion project but once again, Zack always defies expectations and says he should.

Cloud smiles a little. "Yeah."

"You seem happier too. I'm glad, buddy. Work's been good for you. Tifa's been good for you. I'm glad you've been cool with her new beau and all."

Cloud spits out his drink.

"Uh… okay. Never mind. You didn't know. Wow, look at the time, I need to go… home…"

"You live here, Zack."

"Oh right."

"Beau?!" He thought… well, he thought he and Tifa were in a relationship! When? Why? How? Why?

"Oh my god, you really didn't know. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to know either. Aerith hasn't said anything to me. Neither has Tifa!"

Cloud glares at him.

"Information. Now."

"Well, he might not be her boyfriend! I just assumed! I mean, he's some guy named Rude. He works security at Shinra and he gave her his number. Rude seems like… really happy lately so I thought he finally scored a date with her."

"So you don't know if they're dating." Damn Zack and his twisting words.

"Yeah, sorry man, I was just teasing. Rude just seemed really happy and I thought that was the only explanation. Maybe it had something to do with his buddy Reno..."

"Next time. Don't."

"Right, right, sorry. So then… are you and Tifa a thing then? Because if you are, I had no idea. I'm sorry."

Cloud opens his mouth to reply yes when he pauses. Now that he thinks about it… are they together? They've never gone on dates because Cloud was recovering from being in Limbo, and he's always felt their piano sessions were something sacred… something beyond dates. He knows Tifa loves him but he's never formally asked her out… what if she doesn't think they're in a relationship? What if she does go out with this Rude on a date?

"I… don't know."

Zack stares at him. "How do you not know?!"

"Well, I know how she feels about me… but I've never… asked her out… or said anything back…"

"You never said it back?!"

"I didn't think I needed to! She knows how I feel! I think! I know how she feels." In Limbo, he felt her love broadcasting and surrounding him, guiding him back to his body. How could he not know after that?

"You can't just assume that! You gotta confirm it with words!"

"I know she loves me!"

"But does she know you love her?"

He… wants to say yes. But he can't remember what he broadcasted to her in Limbo. All the memories are jumbled up. The only clear thing was her love for him. He's sure she saw his memories of the car crash, his mother's date, his insecurities… but did she see his love too?

Seeing the look on Cloud's face, Zack sits back down. "Okay, deep breaths buddy. Look, she obviously cares about you. Her actions speak for herself. But some things you just have to say, just to make sure. Tifa relies a lot on sound and touch, that's how she feels settled."

Cloud glares at him.

"Hey, I didn't hear it from her. Aerith told me so I'd be more considerate of Tifa! And, hello, I have a degree in psychology. I can figure these things out. Either way, you should really talk to Tifa so you two can sort out where you are in your relationship."

"…I guess I always assumed she'd be waiting for me."

Zack stares at him.

"Dude. That's why you have to ask this stuff. She's a person. You can't just assume something as important as that. How do you think she feels?"

:

That question haunts Cloud for the rest of the day. Has he been hurting Tifa this whole time without knowing it? He's been trying not to be a burden, but lately he feels more comfortable around himself, like he and Tifa are slipping back to how they used to be.

But there's so much he hasn't told her. Tifa lives in a world where sound and touch anchors her and gives her 'colours.' By keeping quiet about his past, his insecurities, has he been hurting her?

"Cloud?" Tifa pauses from her reading, her hand in mid-sentence on a page. "Are you alright?"

He doesn't answer, busy studying her face, the dark circles around her eyes. He's catalogued as many of her smiles as he can, turning them over in his memory, trying to discern the meaning of each one. She's tired, just as overworked as he is, and yet she always smiles.

"…Are you?"

Tifa parts her lips in surprise before her smile blossoms. "I'm fine, Cloud. Just taking a break, reading a bit about binary stars."

But is she fine? There's so much unspoken between them, so many important things they never say. He wants her to be able to talk to him about her pains, her stress. Not just the stars or their hopes or the highs of the day. He wants her lows too, he wants her to be able to trust him with her secrets, like she does Aerith. He wants her to be able to cry in front of him, so he can be her anchor too. He wants to be in a relationship with her, the good and the bad and the ugly and the beautiful.

"…Sometimes you need words too…" he whispers to himself.

"What was that?" Tifa asks.

"Nothing. Just something Zack just opened my eyes too."

Cloud has a plan.

Tifa's eyebrows raise up. "As long as it's not more unethical science that can put you in danger, leave me out of it."

Cloud settles by her side, brushing her hands by his as he reads along too. "Nothing like that."

:

Colours

Tifa speaks in music. Cloud's always known that. But he's never really listened until now. Listening to Tifa's recorded concerts, the ones about a Reminiscence in Blue, he finally understands.

She loves him. She's always loved him. He knew it from Limbo but hearing it in music changes everything.

Cloud isn't an astronaut; he can't save the girl he loves from her father or the dark. She saved herself. He's not a pianist like she is, or as patient or as kind. He's not as strong emotionally and he's weak and insecure.

But he can build better machines to protect future excavators, he makes Zack smile. He's a source of amusement for Aerith and he looks out for Aerith's cousin Denzel. He knows when Tifa needs a gentle touch and how to paint the stars with words for her. He's just… Cloud. And somehow, that's enough.

He sits down in front of the piano and begins to play.

:

When Tifa comes home, Cloud is ready. Her favourite dessert is on the table, as well as his attempt at dinner (a charred salmon and rice). He has a bouquet of lilies waiting, courtesy of Aerith. Zack took Aerith out for the night, with a wink, and Cloud dressed in his most comfortable clothes.

He hears her before she unlocks the door and opens it for her.

"Cloud! You're home early!" Her smile widens when he takes her bag and coat.

"Took the day off."

"Oh? Is it a special occasion? A birthday I forgot about?"

"You never forget a birthday, Tifa."

"Right. That's more Zack's department."

He huffs in agreement.

"So… what's up? Is that caramel I smell? And lilies? Are Zack and Aerith going to have a date again in the apartment? I told them to give us some warning so we can find somewhere else to be beforehand—"

"Not Zack and Aerith."

Tifa's brow furrows. "Then…"

Cloud steps closer.

"Not Zack and Aerith," he whispers.

The realization dawns on her face, her jaw drops and she looks… frightened. Unsure. "Cloud… is this…?"

"Wait," he says quickly, before he can lose his nerve. "Just… wait. I need you to listen first. And then… you can speak. And I promise, this time, I'll listen."

Their roles are reversed, Cloud tugging Tifa along by the hand while Tifa seems lost. They walk to the music room, sitting down by the piano bench. Tifa sucks in a breath, but Cloud puts a finger against her lips.

"Please… listen."

Then he plays.

His piano isn't as eloquent or as skilled as Tifa's. It's clumsy, just as unsure, the mark of an amateur, but even Cloud can churn out a simple melody, an answer to her song. His melody clunks along, quiet and unsteady until it's joined by his left hand, a calm and lovely accompaniment. There's hope there, so much hope, but all through the song, he thinks of her smile.

He thinks of the first time he saw her. He thinks of the day he read her Stellar EYEs application, the tug at her heart that she wanted to see him again. He thinks of how happy he felt just from hearing her voice. He thinks of how much he wants to be more to her, to treasure her.

His ending isn't the best, he doesn't know how to end the song quite yet. But clumsily, he does, and then, before Tifa can say anything about his playing, he blurts out, "I love you." The words tumble out, lest they be stopped by his unsteadiness. "I'm sorry I didn't answer you earlier. But I was afraid that you'd reject me. I thought I wasn't good enough. That excuse isn't enough for what I've put you through, but I want to try to be better. With you. I want everything with you Tifa, your hurts, your worries, all of your pet peeves and pain. I want to take care of you, like you do me. I've loved you since the first day I heard you play the piano, and I don't want you to wait forever to hear me say it."

Tifa's eyes fill up with tears and Cloud panics, thinking he read her all wrong, that his memories of Limbo were fake and contrived dreams when—

"You love me?" her lips tremble. "You really love me?"

Ah… Zack was right. Cloud was truly blind.

"I do," he whispers.

"And you never thought I was a bother."

"No, never!" If anything, he always thought he was the bother. He'll spend every day of his life showing her how much of a light she is to him, if she'll stay.

Tifa begins to laugh, leaning her head against his chest. "Oh my god… we're so stupid."

"Stupidly in love," he points out. Then pauses. "You… do love me… right?"

Her laughter makes her tears fall on his lap. "I do. I do love you, Cloud Strife."

Cloud and Tifa learn another way to speak, through kisses on the piano, feeling all the colours of touch. And as Cloud kisses Tifa Lockhart, he understand what falling means, he understands why stars falls to the earth, if it means they get to touch heaven.

:

"So…" Cloud says as Tifa lies against his chest in bed. "Does that mean we're in a relationship now?"

"…"

"What?"

"Cloud, I thought we were already in a relationship. I mean, we already felt each other's feelings in Limbo. I was just waiting for you to be ready."

He can feel Zack laughing at him. He really can.

But… he thinks, some things really do need to be said to truly hear them.