Title: Bake Sale Blues
Fandom: FFVII
Characters: Cloud, Tifa, and Denzel
Notes: From the cloti forum, for the prompt "fork". Utensils seem to make me think of baking.

Tifa was in her element, managing to make cookies and lecture Cloud at the same time. His eyes followed the fork in her hand as she shook it at him for emphasis.

"I said no cookies, Cloud, and I meant it. These are for the bake sale at the elementary school."

"It was only one, and it was broken!"

"I don't care!" One hand still on her hip, she turned back to the perfectly round balls on the cookie sheet, and began making equally perfect and precise hatch marks on top with her fork. "You need to set a better example for Marlene and Denzel."

Cloud subsided at that, simply leaning on the counter and watching her work. A moment later Denzel came in at a run. "Tifa! I'm sorry, I forgot! Ms. Goodman said not to bring anything with peanuts in it. The Sanderson twins are allergic." Pausing only to give Cloud a quick hug -- the man hadn't been home earlier -- the little boy barreled back out of the kitchen, footsteps loud on the hardwood floor as he crossed the bar.

When Denzel's noise had faded, Cloud straightened and walked to the refrigerator. Tifa was still frozen in place from a mixture of shock and disappointment, when a fresh-baked, picture-perfect peanut butter cookie, decorated with a liberal dollop of chocolate sundae sauce, appeared in front of her mouth. Cloud nudged it against her lips and she obediently opened, biting into the soft confection as she slumped against him. They really were good -- especially with Cloud's addition of chocolate -- and she'd been almost finished baking, too. His arms wrapped around her while she chewed, and once she'd swallowed he spoke.

"Do we like the Sanderson twins?"

"Cloud!" She wanted to be appalled, but at that particular moment, frustrated and annoyed, she felt her lips twitch. Poor things. It wasn't the twins' fault Denzel had forgotten to tell her, or that they were allergic.

"I know, I'm kidding." Truthfully, he felt sorry for the little tow-headed boys. Tifa's peanut butter cookies were his favorite. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he fished his keys out of his pocket. "Tell me what you need and I'll get it from the store. Just save some of these for me."

When he returned with chocolate chips and oatmeal, he was rewarded with an overflowing plate, and a kiss still sweet from the sundae sauce.