Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7
Ribbons and Lace
0 ReviewsTifa was laying awake, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come to her, though her body was exhausted with the efforts of recovering Yuffie and trying not to knock Reno or Rude off the mountain-...
Author's Note: Due to a database screw up, the text of the story disappeared and was unable to restore it, so I had to delete it and repost it. The previous post had about 236 views.
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The noises outside the hotel sounded like ones they'd heard from any other hotel in their travels, with one main exception- sometimes you could hear the voices babbling in some other language, the old Wutan that hadn't quite died out yet, instead of the common Midgarian tongue. It'd been sort of like that at Costa, though the language there had been Solian, which wasn't as bumpy as Wutan was to Tifa's ears.
Tifa was laying awake, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come to her, though her body was exhausted with the efforts of recovering Yuffie and trying not to knock Reno or Rude off the mountain, her mind remained annoyingly active. Tifa loved people, and she loved listening to the sounds, but right then it just wasn't soothing her. It couldn't, not with Aerith in the next futon over.
At least Yuffie had decided to sleep in her own room, after all, this was her hometown. Tifa was both relieved and missing the annoying loud mouth thief; Yuffie snored, loudly. Her thoughts could run uninterrupted until she worked out just what, if anything, was bothering her.
As usual, she suspected it had something to do with Cloud. It was obvious there was something wrong with him, things he said, did... they weren't like the Cloud of old, and she was afraid of telling him that, telling him and then maybe finding out he wasn't really Cloud, but something Shin-Ra had created... and it was a horrible thought, a fear that haunted her ever since she'd found him in Sector Seven's train station, nearly comatose. He said things he shouldn't say, he knew things he shouldn't have known... and it was just getting worse. Tifa clutched a small scrap of something in her hand, a small piece of lace Cloud had given her for her birthday many years ago, with shy eyes and knobbly knees. He said his mother had made it...
Then, there was Aerith. The jealousy that burned in Tifa's chest was restrained, guarded, it was the last thing Cloud, or Aerith for that matter, needed on this journey. It was a vile, selfish feeling, and Tifa hated herself for feeling it. It wasn't as if she'd staked any claim on him, right? He'd never said anything about the two of them... he never mentioned that he liked her. But that was just Cloud, he'd always been like /that/.
But it still hurt...
The good thing was she'd managed to strike up a friendship with the girl, though Tifa thought she was one of those pushy city-girl types, a little too outspoken when things should have been quiet. Tifa wondered how it must feel being out in the country after growing up under something like the plate, the shadow of Shin-Ra and terror and death. She turned her head to look at the sleeping girl, and felt a morsel of pity there too, around the burning jealousy, and briefly hated Cloud.
"Tifa?" Aerith's soft voice drifted into the quiet room, her head turning towards Tifa. "You're awake?"
Tifa briefly debated on whether to answer her or not, her half closed eyes examined Aerith's features highlighted by the dim light coming from the window. Then she sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I can't sleep. It's just... sometimes I need to think, and we're always moving or doing something."
The older girl turned her head to look at the ceiling, smiling a little. "I know how that feels... it just gets too much sometimes, huh? Boy, I never thought Yuffie would take all our materia!" She giggled a little, then shook her head. "Tifa, it's a bit cold on the floor, can I come over there?"
"Sure." It wasn't the first time they'd shared a bed, and not the first time they'd done so for warmth. Camping had its toll on everyone, and the girls decided to make do and not complain. It wasn't like they'd go to any of the guys to cuddle! Tifa flipped open her covers, and Aerith rolled over to Tifa's futon.
"You're always so warm, Yuffie pokes you with her elbows and doesn't share the covers." Aerith mumbled, sealing the blanket around them. "Do you think she's ok?"
Tifa shrugged lightly, keeping her body just out of touching reach of Aerith's. There was enough room in the futon, but just enough. "It's her town, I think she knows how to take care of herself here... besides, if she got in trouble, she'd barge in and hide behind Cloud."
The flower girl giggled, shifting around so she was facing Tifa. "Cloud has that effect on girls. You know, Tifa, sometimes I'm so jealous of you... you got to know Cloud when he was young. You know him better than any of us..."
That made Tifa's stomach curl, and she stopped breathing for a few seconds, closing her eyes. "He's... changed. You're really jealous of me? You shouldn't be, really... I mean, Cloud likes talking to you."
Aerith seemed to sense bitterness in Tifa's voice, and shrunk away a little. "Tifa..."
Tifa opened her eyes to look at Aerith, wearing a sad, guilty expression, and she started to feel bad. "Don't worry about it, ok? Cloud and I... we're more like... brother and sister."
"But that's not how you want to be, is it?" Aerith asked, and Tifa found herself shaking her head.
Tears started forming in her eyes, and sobs were wracking out of her body. No, dammit, no! She didn't want to do that, not in front of /her/... not like this, right now. She was strong, dammit, she was a fighter, good as any man and twice as agile... but she found herself sobbing all the same, Aerith's thin arms wrapping around her, comforting her with soothing murmurs and stroking her hair.
"Tifa... it's all right. OK?" Aerith's concerned voice pierced Tifa's haze of misery, a sunbeam through cloudy skies, and Tifa looked up into her eyes, astonished to find that there were tears in those green eyes as well. The sight was endearing, and before Tifa could stop herself, she was pressing her lips against Aerith's.
The older girl's body frozen briefly in shock, her arms still for a moment, before she blinked at Tifa and thought about what had just happened. "Tifa..." She murmured, just before she kissed her back, pressing her body against Tifa's lean, muscular one. Her arms wrapped around Tifa's body again, but this time it was different...
"Aerith, I j-just... I hate you and I love you at the same time..." Tifa was crying again, burying her face in Aerith's shoulder.
"I know."
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The noises outside the hotel sounded like ones they'd heard from any other hotel in their travels, with one main exception- sometimes you could hear the voices babbling in some other language, the old Wutan that hadn't quite died out yet, instead of the common Midgarian tongue. It'd been sort of like that at Costa, though the language there had been Solian, which wasn't as bumpy as Wutan was to Tifa's ears.
Tifa was laying awake, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come to her, though her body was exhausted with the efforts of recovering Yuffie and trying not to knock Reno or Rude off the mountain, her mind remained annoyingly active. Tifa loved people, and she loved listening to the sounds, but right then it just wasn't soothing her. It couldn't, not with Aerith in the next futon over.
At least Yuffie had decided to sleep in her own room, after all, this was her hometown. Tifa was both relieved and missing the annoying loud mouth thief; Yuffie snored, loudly. Her thoughts could run uninterrupted until she worked out just what, if anything, was bothering her.
As usual, she suspected it had something to do with Cloud. It was obvious there was something wrong with him, things he said, did... they weren't like the Cloud of old, and she was afraid of telling him that, telling him and then maybe finding out he wasn't really Cloud, but something Shin-Ra had created... and it was a horrible thought, a fear that haunted her ever since she'd found him in Sector Seven's train station, nearly comatose. He said things he shouldn't say, he knew things he shouldn't have known... and it was just getting worse. Tifa clutched a small scrap of something in her hand, a small piece of lace Cloud had given her for her birthday many years ago, with shy eyes and knobbly knees. He said his mother had made it...
Then, there was Aerith. The jealousy that burned in Tifa's chest was restrained, guarded, it was the last thing Cloud, or Aerith for that matter, needed on this journey. It was a vile, selfish feeling, and Tifa hated herself for feeling it. It wasn't as if she'd staked any claim on him, right? He'd never said anything about the two of them... he never mentioned that he liked her. But that was just Cloud, he'd always been like /that/.
But it still hurt...
The good thing was she'd managed to strike up a friendship with the girl, though Tifa thought she was one of those pushy city-girl types, a little too outspoken when things should have been quiet. Tifa wondered how it must feel being out in the country after growing up under something like the plate, the shadow of Shin-Ra and terror and death. She turned her head to look at the sleeping girl, and felt a morsel of pity there too, around the burning jealousy, and briefly hated Cloud.
"Tifa?" Aerith's soft voice drifted into the quiet room, her head turning towards Tifa. "You're awake?"
Tifa briefly debated on whether to answer her or not, her half closed eyes examined Aerith's features highlighted by the dim light coming from the window. Then she sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I can't sleep. It's just... sometimes I need to think, and we're always moving or doing something."
The older girl turned her head to look at the ceiling, smiling a little. "I know how that feels... it just gets too much sometimes, huh? Boy, I never thought Yuffie would take all our materia!" She giggled a little, then shook her head. "Tifa, it's a bit cold on the floor, can I come over there?"
"Sure." It wasn't the first time they'd shared a bed, and not the first time they'd done so for warmth. Camping had its toll on everyone, and the girls decided to make do and not complain. It wasn't like they'd go to any of the guys to cuddle! Tifa flipped open her covers, and Aerith rolled over to Tifa's futon.
"You're always so warm, Yuffie pokes you with her elbows and doesn't share the covers." Aerith mumbled, sealing the blanket around them. "Do you think she's ok?"
Tifa shrugged lightly, keeping her body just out of touching reach of Aerith's. There was enough room in the futon, but just enough. "It's her town, I think she knows how to take care of herself here... besides, if she got in trouble, she'd barge in and hide behind Cloud."
The flower girl giggled, shifting around so she was facing Tifa. "Cloud has that effect on girls. You know, Tifa, sometimes I'm so jealous of you... you got to know Cloud when he was young. You know him better than any of us..."
That made Tifa's stomach curl, and she stopped breathing for a few seconds, closing her eyes. "He's... changed. You're really jealous of me? You shouldn't be, really... I mean, Cloud likes talking to you."
Aerith seemed to sense bitterness in Tifa's voice, and shrunk away a little. "Tifa..."
Tifa opened her eyes to look at Aerith, wearing a sad, guilty expression, and she started to feel bad. "Don't worry about it, ok? Cloud and I... we're more like... brother and sister."
"But that's not how you want to be, is it?" Aerith asked, and Tifa found herself shaking her head.
Tears started forming in her eyes, and sobs were wracking out of her body. No, dammit, no! She didn't want to do that, not in front of /her/... not like this, right now. She was strong, dammit, she was a fighter, good as any man and twice as agile... but she found herself sobbing all the same, Aerith's thin arms wrapping around her, comforting her with soothing murmurs and stroking her hair.
"Tifa... it's all right. OK?" Aerith's concerned voice pierced Tifa's haze of misery, a sunbeam through cloudy skies, and Tifa looked up into her eyes, astonished to find that there were tears in those green eyes as well. The sight was endearing, and before Tifa could stop herself, she was pressing her lips against Aerith's.
The older girl's body frozen briefly in shock, her arms still for a moment, before she blinked at Tifa and thought about what had just happened. "Tifa..." She murmured, just before she kissed her back, pressing her body against Tifa's lean, muscular one. Her arms wrapped around Tifa's body again, but this time it was different...
"Aerith, I j-just... I hate you and I love you at the same time..." Tifa was crying again, burying her face in Aerith's shoulder.
"I know."
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