Chapter Text
Cloud woke up with an exasperated groan, and cursed under his breath once he heard his phone ringing on the bedside table.
Mustering all his willpower, Cloud reached out and grabbed his phone. Blinking a few times to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, Cloud got a clearer view of the caller, then pressed the ‘accept’ icon on the screen.
‘Zack’. Cloud said, his voice still drenched with sleep.
‘Hey buddy!’ Zack said exuberantly. ‘How ya’ doin’?’
Cloud responded with a grunt. ‘What time is it?’
‘5am.’ Zack responded.
Silence filled the air.
‘…hello?’ Zack said.
Cloud hung up the phone a second later. Slamming his phone onto his bedside table, the young man grumbling angrily as he threw his quilt over his head.
His annoyance rose in an instant as he heard his phone ringing again, and the young man swore loudly, knowing that it was Zack calling him a second time.
Cloud was tempted to let the phone ring. It was too early in the morning for him, and judging from his voice, Zack wasn’t in the middle of an emergency. Under these circumstances, the blond-haired man felt he had no obligation to answer the phone.
But it was Zack, and Cloud very well knew that he would not relent.
Realising that he lost the battle before it ever began, Cloud accepted the call and pressed the phone into his ear.
‘What the HELL do you want?’ Cloud said with an infuriated tone.
‘Hey! That’s not how you should talk to or treat your bestest-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world!’ Zack said dramatically. ‘Why’d you hang up on me??’
Cloud rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Zack would have his free hand placed over his heart right now to emphasis his ‘pain’.
‘It’s 5am.’ Cloud said annoyingly.
‘I know that, but what if was an emergency?’ Zack said, ‘You’re just gonna leave your no.1 friendo hangin’ like that?’
‘If it was an emergency, you would’ve said so right off the bat.’ Cloud said.
‘…. oh yeah that’s true.’ Zack said in realisation.
Cloud groaned again. ‘Now, what the HELL do you want?’
‘Oh, right!’ Zack said. ‘Sorry for waking you buddy, but I got some important info that I definitely believe you wanna hear.’
Cloud rubbed his face with his free hand, warding off the vestiges of sleep from pulling him back in. ‘It’d better be important.’
‘Ahem!’ Zack exclaimed, pulling a disgruntled noise from Cloud. ‘Remember when you said you wanted to find a new place to live? Preferably a big apartment with a roommate that can help out with the rent?’
The last sentence caught the blond-haired man’s attention. ‘Yeah.’
‘Well, my compadre’ Zack said, letting the ’r’ roll off his tongue a few notches, ‘Have I got good news for you.’
Cloud sat up on his bed, now wide awake. ‘Alright. Shoot.’
-
Tifa stopped in mid-punch once she heard her phone going off. Grabbing her punching bag to stop it from moving, the young woman wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand before she grabbed her phone. Tifa answered the call quickly once she saw the name on the screen.
‘Hey Aerith.’ Tifa said with a pleasant tone.
‘Hi Tifa!’ Aerith exclaimed jovially. ‘How you doin’?’
Tifa couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Her friend’s jubilant personality was infectious. ‘I’m doing well. How about you?’
‘I’m doing great!’ Aerith said. ‘You getting your early workout in?’
‘Yep.’ Tifa responded. ‘Just the usual hour-long cardio session, followed by some drills on the punching bag. I’m up to the drills now.’
Aerith whistled. ‘Damn Tifa. You must be some sort of superwoman, going all out like that so early in the morning!’
Tifa laughed bashfully. ‘Well, I’m sure I’m not the only one doing this sort of stuff. I mean, you do it too.’
‘Well, I mean my workout isn’t as strenuous as yours.’ Aerith said. ‘Plus, when you have a super-attractive-hunk-of-a-boyfriend like mine who loves working out all day every day, and in visually pleasing clothing, you’ll likely get motivated to work out too!’
Tifa chuckled. ‘I guess so. So, can I help you with something?’
‘…what do you mean?’ Aerith asked.
Tifa furrowed her brow in confusion. ‘Uh…you did call me for something, right?’
‘…Oh yeah I did!’ Aerith exclaimed. ‘Sorry, I was thinking about my dreamboat, y’know what I mean?’
‘Yes, I know Aerith.’ Tifa said, chuckling lightly. ‘So, what’s up?’
‘Remember when you said that you’re still looking for a roommate that can help you pay rent?’
‘I do.’
‘Well, I believe that I have a good candidate for you.’
Tifa’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s great! Please tell me about him, or her, or they.’
‘Oh, it’s a him.’ Aerith said, smiling to herself.
-
Tifa sat on the couch with her legs tucked underneath, skimming through the shows on her TV streaming app while she waited for her new roommate to arrive.
From what Aerith has told her, Tifa thought that her new roommate didn’t sound bad. He was quiet, nice, and was more than willing to meet Tifa halfway with the rent, which was what the young woman desired the most.
Although, Tifa was a bit put off by Aerith’s…apt description of his looks.
He’s GORGEOUS, Teef’. Like, DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS. Like, if I wasn’t dating Zack, I’d hooked this man into my clutches right now.
Tifa chuckled at her friend’s choice of words, but it did concern her a little. There have been many good-looking guys that Tifa met in her life who turned out to be real jerks. It may not be the case with her new roommate, but based on her past experience, she didn’t have much hope.
Other than that, Tifa was pretty excited to have a roommate. Aerith had left the apartment to move in with her boyfriend Zack a while ago, so she thought it would be nice to finally have some company, and the prospect of making a new friend was appealing to her.
Tifa was suddenly pulled from her thoughts once she heard the chime of her doorbell. Realising who it could be, Tifa rose up from the couch and made her way to the door.
Before she opened the door, Tifa looked down at what she was wearing, and made quick adjustments to her tucked-in white tank-top and black jeans. She wanted to make a good first-impression.
Smoothing down her ebony hair, Tifa unlocked her door and swung it open.
-
Cloud made his way down the hallway, dragging his medium-sized wheelie luggage case behind him.
From what Zack has told him, Cloud thought that his new roommate seemed like a nice woman. She was kind, friendly, and a mean cook. Her apartment was easily twice as big as, according to Zack, Cloud’s ‘tiny-ass cubby hole’, and that was excluding the extra room. Moreover, she only required half of the rent every month, which Cloud was perfectly fine with.
However, Cloud was a bit thrown off with how Zack described the woman’s appearance.
‘She’s HOT bro. Like, SUPER SUPER HOT. I’m telling ya’, if I wasn’t with Aerith, I would swim across the planet for this woman, if I wasn’t taken by my beautiful Angel.
Cloud cringed at Zack’s words, particularly the last few. His friend had a way of exaggerating things, especially ‘the lovely ladies’ as Zack liked to refer to women.
Whether or not his friend is telling the true, Cloud wasn’t as excited as Zack in regards to her looks, despite being attracted to women. A pretty looking girl didn’t really motivate Cloud at this point. Right now, all he wanted was a decent place to live in that was affordable, and based on Zack’s info, it looks like he hit the jackpot.
Eventually, Cloud found the correct apartment and rang the doorbell.
He heard footsteps coming closing to the door, and barely two seconds after that the door flew open.
-
Woah.
That was the first word that came to Cloud’s mind when he laid eyes on his new roommate for the first time.
Her white tank top and black jeans accentuated how physically stunning she looked, from top to bottom. She had a very athletic but very feminine build. Her hair, long and black, cascade down her back, tied up at the end with a red hairband.
And her eyes…a pair of deep red that were just…
Woah.
Cloud eventually noticed that the young woman was smiling at him, and he thought it was the sweetest smile that he has ever seen.
The young man’s notion of not being excited about attractive women was being severely challenged right now.
-
Oh wow.
Those were the first words that came to Tifa’s mind when she laid eyes on her new roommate for the first time.
He looked to be two inches taller than Tifa, and he was noticeably smaller than Aerith’s boyfriend. Despite that, she could tell that he looked supremely fit from head to toe, from what his dark-blue form-fitting tank top and slim fitting black jeans showed.
His hair, blond and unruly, reminded her of a Chocobo, yet it somehow complimented the rest of his appearance.
And his eyes. A pair of deep blues that reminded her of a summer sky.
Tifa didn’t know long how she was staring, but eventually her sense of logic pulled her back into reality. Judging from the luggage bag the young man was carrying, Tifa realised that he must be the new roommate. She gave him a smile before introducing herself.
-
‘Hi!’ Tifa exclaimed. ‘You must be the new roommate. My name’s Tifa!’
The young woman stuck her hand out for a handshake.
Cloud didn’t respond for a moment, distracted by how the lovely tone of her voice. Eventually, the young man’s senses came to and he shook Tifa’s hand.
‘Uh, yeah. Name’s Cloud. Nice to meet you.’
‘Nice to meet you too!’ Tifa replied back, feeling a light flutter in her stomach upon hearing the deep tone in Cloud’s voice. ‘Please come in.’
As Tifa stepped aside, Cloud grabbed his luggage and entered the apartment.
Zack wasn’t kidding when he mentioned how big the apartment was. It was easily twice as big as Cloud. It had a grey and white interior colour with a quite spacious living room and dining table. It had a kitchen with a partition separating it from the living room. Cloud noticed two separate bedrooms, one of which had nothing but a single bed inside.
Looking out from the living room, Cloud saw a sliding door that led to a small balcony outside, providing a clear view of the city of Midgar.
‘That’s quite the view.’ Cloud noted, approaching the sliding door.
Tifa followed her new roommate. ‘Yeah, it’s great. It was one of the main reasons why my former roommate and I picked this apartment.
Cloud looked on to the city, amazed at how he could see the big metropolis, the world beyond it, and the sky and sunset that illuminated them both.
‘Looks nice.’ Cloud said, as a little smile formed on his lips.
For a moment, Tifa was transfixed by it.
‘Uh...’, Tifa said, pulling her gaze away before she got completely sucked in. ‘…Hey! Let me show you your room!
-
‘How’s the pasta?’ Tifa asked.
Cloud nodded with approval after swallowing down a bite.
‘It’s good. Thanks for making it.’
‘Not a problem.’ Tifa said with a smile.
Cloud felt his cheeks heat up a bit from Tifa’s smile, and ducked his head to hide them from his new roommate.
The two ate in comfortable silence, and Tifa couldn’t help but observe her new roommate.
The young woman clearly saw that Aerith’s remark on Cloud’s quiet nature wasn’t false. Just from his body language, she could tell that her new roommate was one of those silent types. Tifa didn’t mind that, though. She met a lot of folks in her life that were pretty loud and outgoing, so meeting someone who seems to be the complete antithesis of that was quite refreshing.
Still, Tifa wanted know Cloud a bit more, so she figured that a gentle and friendly push in the social direction wouldn’t hurt.
‘So,’ Tifa began, ‘Aerith told me that you’re an automobile wizard.’
Cloud looked up at Tifa with confusion. ‘I’m a what?’
‘That’s what she told me.’ Tifa responded, ‘Well, I believe what she actually said was: I bring in my faulty piece of junk transportation device to Cloud, and the next day it’s working at 100%! I couldn’t believe it! He must be some automobile wizard of the highest order!”
Cloud’s eyes widened at Tifa, causing the young woman to freeze in place. An awkward silence filled the room.
Until Cloud broke into a small chuckle, to which Tifa let out a breath of relief.
‘That’s a pretty good impression.’ Cloud said.
Tifa bowed her head dramatically in approval, earning another chuckle from Cloud. The deep tone of his laughter made Tifa blush, a blush that the young woman decided to blame it on their “hot” pasta dinner.
‘I think grease-monkey is a better fit.’ Cloud said dryly, ‘I’m pretty messy with that stuff.’
Tifa giggled at Cloud’s remark, causing a pool of heat to build up in the young man’s stomach. Cloud chastised himself internally for reacting like a young boy.
‘Well, I do know that Aerith’s car isn’t reliable most of the time, so if you can fix it back to working order, you must be really talented.’ Tifa said.
The young man looked away and scratched the back of his neck, a small but noticeable smile breaking out from his lips.
Tifa softened at the sight, finding her new roommate’s actions endearing.
‘So, whereabouts do you work?’ She asked.
‘In Sector 7,’ Cloud responded, ‘at the local mechanical repairs. I work as a technician under my boss Cid.’
‘Cid.’ Tifa repeated, ‘As in Cid Highwind?’
‘Yeah.’ Cloud replied. ‘You know him?’
‘I do.’ Tifa said. ‘He’s a regular at Seventh Heaven. He can be… a bit rowdy.’
Cloud huffed. ‘That’s an understatement. It’s fun watching him yell at jerk customers though.
Tifa chuckled. ‘I’ll bet it is.’
After finishing another bite of pasta, Cloud remembered something.
‘You mentioned Seventh Heaven. Isn’t that a bar in Sector 8?’
‘Sure is!’ Tifa exclaimed happily. ‘I work there as an assistant bar manager to my boss, Andrea Rhodea.’
Cloud hummed. ‘Impressive.’
Tifa smiled. ‘Have you ever been to Seventh Heaven?’
‘No.’ Cloud responded. ‘Bars…. aren’t really my thing.’
‘That’s okay.’ Tifa assured. ‘Just wanted to ask. Your friend Zack comes in every once in a while. I figured that you would’ve tried out the bar as well since you and him are close.’
Cloud shook his head with amused huff. ‘Zack does try to drag me to bars and other places. He keeps telling me that ‘conversing with the ladies’ will lighten my mood.
Tifa chuckled. ‘I can see him doing that.’
‘I’m guessing that Zack…uh…socialises with people in Seventh Heaven?’. Cloud asked.
‘Oh, he does.’ Tifa said with amusement. ‘And he’s quite the charmer, particularly with our women patrons. He doesn’t take it too far, though. I am convinced that Zack is completely infatuated with Aerith.’
‘Agreed.’ Cloud said. ‘I’m pretty sure Aerith is the same.’
‘Oh, she always brings up Zack whenever we talk.’ Tifa said. ‘Even says things about him that…that I’d rather not about.’
‘I get it.’ Cloud said. ‘Zack does the same thing, usually with his hand over his heart.’
Tifa chuckled. ‘I can imagine that.’
The young woman went to rest her chin on her hands before she spoke again. ‘He does talk about you, though.’
Cloud looked at Tifa with surprise. ‘Really?’
‘Yep.’ Tifa said. ‘He’d bring you up sometimes whenever he, Aerith and myself would hang out together. I believe he described you as ‘the bestest friend in the whole world!’.
Cloud groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. ‘Course he’d say that.’
‘I think it’s cute.’ Tifa said, laughing as Cloud let out another embarrassed groan. ‘He tells everybody that you’re a good guy, despite your prickly exterior, and how you and him were ‘the dynamic duo of the Shinra Military!’.
Cloud perked up. ‘He mentioned the military?’
‘Yep.’ Tifa replied. ‘He said that you and him were brothers in arms, you watched each other’s backs, and helped bring the fight to-’
Then Tifa stopped herself once she noticed Cloud seemingly close up in front of her. All of a sudden, the young man’s focus was far away from their conversation. It looked as though he was ignoring everything around him. Including herself.
Tifa tilted her head to the side in confusion. ‘Cloud?’
Cloud didn’t respond, visibly concentrating on his food.
Tifa leaned across the table, growing worried for her new roommate. ‘Cloud?’
The concern in her voice must’ve done the trick, as Cloud finally looked up at Tifa, acknowledging her existence.
‘Are you okay?’ Tifa asked.
Cloud blinked a few times before responding. ‘Uh…yeah. I’m fine. It’s just…’
The young man clenched his fists, steeling himself as the voices of logic and self-loathing emotions in his head began to clash over his time in the military.
The internal war muddled his mind in such a bad way that he would blatantly shut out the rest of the world to endure through the battle, uncaring of the fact that, in the eyes of onlookers, he would look just completely detached from reality.
That notion was holding true as the young woman sitting in front of him looked on with concern.
-
Tifa’s worry for her new roommate rose as she watched him silently eat with a hard expression.
Then all of a sudden, it clicked in her mind: Cloud is still dealing with his time in the military.
Tifa scolded herself inwardly for not picking it up straight away. The young woman was not unfamiliar with people suffering from PTSD or the like due to military life or some other traumatic event.
There were often times where those unfortunate people would come to Seventh Heaven, and they would either find a secluded spot and ponder in solitude, or drink their sorrows away right at the front of the bar, and in those scenarios, there were times where a patron would get rowdy and cause a huge ruckus, leading to Tifa having to kick the poor person out of the bar.
Tifa’s heart would ache whenever she saw people going through those kinds of battles. She would always get this desire to console them, and tell them that everything will be okay.
But she would always refrain herself from acting on it, afraid that she would say the something wrong and make things worse.
And that’s what she did here. The young woman focused on her dinner, letting the man across from her eat in peace.
The two of them ignored the awkward tension in the air as the night went on.
-
Cloud let out a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the bathroom in his pyjamas. The young man never felt so refreshed in a while.
Cloud headed towards his room, but not before bumping into Tifa.
‘Oh, hey!’ Tifa said. ‘Did you have a good shower?’
Cloud stood there awkwardly for a moment before responding. ‘Uh…yeah. It was nice. You weren’t kidding about the shower.’
‘It’s great, isn’t it?’ Tifa said. ‘One of the other reasons why Aerith and I chose this place in the beginning.’
‘Oh.’ Cloud said. ‘Well, I uh, feel refreshed now.’
‘That’s good then!’
‘Yep.’
‘Mh-hm!’
…
Neither of them spoke for a moment. Tifa rocked back and forth on her heels, fidgeting with her fingers. Cloud stood there slumped, sideways glancing at the wall beside them.
The uncomfortable tension at dinner was beginning to rears its head again.
‘Well,’ Tifa said finally, catching Cloud’s attention, ‘I guess it’s my turn now.’
‘Huh?’ Cloud said, looking confused for a moment. ‘Oh, right. The shower.’
Cloud stepped aside, giving space for Tifa. The young woman walked by him as she gave a polite ‘thank you’.
Cloud berated himself internally for acting like an imbecile before heading to his room.
‘Hey, Cloud.’
He turned around and saw Tifa standing beside the door leading to the bathroom.
The young woman stood there, clasping her hands together nervously before she spoke.
‘Um…back at dinner, I didn’t mean to make you-’
Cloud pulled his hand up. ‘It’s fine. You didn’t do anything.’
The young man paused for a moment before continuing. ‘I’m just…’
He cursed inwardly.
‘I’m just not good at…uh…talking.’
The young man’s inner thoughts scolded him for finding it so hard to speak properly.
Tifa softened as Cloud stood there, scratching the back of his neck as he looked bashful and lost.
‘Hey it’s okay!’ Tifa said assuringly, walking towards Cloud until she was an arm’s distance from him. ‘You were doing just fine! Even made me laugh too!’
Cloud eyes widen slightly at Tifa, taken aback by her kindness.
The young man opens his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His gaze went back to the wall, a low but audible and frustrated sigh escaped his lips before he closed them.
‘Cloud.’
The soft voice of the young woman pulled Cloud’s gaze back towards her.
‘If…’ Tifa began.
Tifa averted her gaze. The fear of saying the wrong thing began to fester in her mind again, warning the young woman from going any further.
But as she turned back to Cloud, she caught his cerulean eyes again. And slowly, that fear began to dissipate.
‘…if there’s anything on your mind, I’m happy to listen.’
Cloud stood agaped, once again astounded by Tifa’s kind-heartedness.
‘I…uh, thank you, Tifa.’ Cloud said.
A hint of a smile grew on the corner of Cloud’s lips, and the young woman could’ve sworn that his sky blues eyes shined brighter at that moment.
Whether the whole thing was real or a figment of her imagination, Tifa couldn’t help but return a smile back.
Cloud felt his breath being damn near taken away from him as Tifa’s crimson eyes brightened with a pleasant smile.
‘Well, I better go clean myself up. Have a good night, Cloud.’ Tifa said.
The ebony-haired woman gave Cloud another enchanting smile before heading to the shower. The blonded-hair man stood in the small hallway agape, before he shook himself out of his stupor. He headed for his room, looking out to where Tifa was before entering.
‘You too.’ Cloud said softly to the open air.
-
Cloud answered his phone. ‘Zack.’
‘Hey, buddy!’ Zack exclaimed, his jovial voice filling the blond-haired man’s room. ‘How’s at the new place with little miss hottie?’
Cloud groaned. ‘Isn’t it too early to ask that question? It hasn’t even been a day yet.’
‘You can experience a lot in that timeframe, my dude!’ Zack said, earning a sigh from his close friend.
‘So,’ Zack said, his voice carrying a sly tone, ‘how’s the pretty woman?’
‘…didn’t you want to know about the apartment as well?’ Cloud said deadpanned.
‘Yeah, but that’s not important.’ Zack said. ‘What is important, is Tifa.’
Cloud ran a hand over his face in annoyance, but that feeling quickly dissipated at the thought of Tifa.
His mind flashed back to the little moment in the hallway, and her kind eyes and soft smile.
A smile broke out in the corner of the young man’s lips. ‘She’s…really nice.’
‘…Ooohhh. Somebody’s got a cruu-uush.’ Zack said in a melodic tone.’
‘Shut up.’ Cloud grunted irritably.
‘Alright, alright.’ Zack conceded. ‘But ya see! I told ya that she would be awesome!’
‘Yeah…she is.’ Cloud said, forgetting for a moment that his smart alec friend was on the phone.
‘Ooo-la-laaa-’
‘Enough!’
‘Okay okay.’ Zack guffawed.
Cloud sighed in relief, and soon after a thought struck his head.
‘Tifa mentioned that you would speak about our military days.’
‘On occasion, yeah.’ Zack said. ‘Sometimes I get the itch bring up the awesome twosome of the Shinra Military!’ His voice rising dramatically at the last words.
‘Right.’ Cloud said.
Cloud cringed at the hint of bitterness in his tone. He hoped that Zack didn’t pick up on it.
‘Uh, you okay buddy?’
The blond-haired man swore inwardly.
‘What do you mean?’ Cloud said, trying his best to erase any note of resentment in his tone.
‘It’s just that your voice got weird all of a sudden. Was it because I brought up the military in the first place?’
The blond-haired man’s emotional thoughts begged for him to lash out, but Cloud gritted his teeth and shoved them away.
‘No, it’s fine. I told you that I’m over that stuff.’ Cloud said firmly after a moment. ‘I’m just surprised that you bring our military life with other people.
‘Well thanks to you, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable in talking about it now.’ Zack said confidently.
‘Cissnei helped you, not me.’ Cloud stated.
‘Yeah, but you were the one who got me to pluck up the courage to seek her help in the first place.’ Zack responded.
Cloud stayed silent, not wanting to get into the subject any further.
‘But now that you mentioned her, I wonder how that beautiful counsellor is doing?’ Zack wondered out loud.
‘You have a girlfriend, Zack.’ Cloud said plainly.
‘I am aware of that man!’ Zack said. ‘I’m just pointing out an objective feature of that red-headed beauty.’
‘Uh-huh.’ Cloud said, unconvinced.
‘Get that accusatory tone out of your voice, sir!’ Zack exclaimed.
‘Whatever.’ Cloud responded. As much as he liked to screw around with Zack when the opportunity arose, it was getting late and the young man really wanted to hit the hay. ‘Can I go to bed now?’
‘Aw, you don’t wanna talk to your best pal anymore?’ Zack said playfully.
‘Zack…’
‘Okay okay I’ll let you go, jeez.’ Zack said. ‘Goodnight. Sleep tight. You better let the pretty girl bite.’
Cloud’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘What?’
‘Oh, you know what I mean. There’s a chance that your new roomie could be a real feisty-’
Cloud ended the call.
The young man threw his phone onto the bedside table, grumbling about his friend’s insatiable lust for women as he tucked himself to bed.
"You do know that Zack was kidding about you helping him with Cissnei, right? He could have easily found help all by himself. He didn’t need you at all, and every other soldier in Shinra didn’t need you either."
Cloud clenched his fist, fighting mentally to block out those dark thoughts.
But they continued to persist.
Letting out a groan, the young man laid on his back, resting his head underneath his hands as he prepared for what will likely be a bad night of sleep.
But then his mind wandered to the woman in the next room. A mental image of her began to morph in his brain. Her dark-red eyes, her breathtaking smile, and her earnest kindness.
It was enough to push his dark thoughts down into the murky recesses of his mind. With them out of the way, Cloud closed his eyes, and his breath slowed to a steady rhythm as he gradually fell to sleep.
-
Tifa answered her phone. ‘Hey Aerith!’
‘Heya, Teef’! Aerith exclaimed. ‘How was the first day with Mr. Hot Stuff.’
Tifa chuckled. ‘It was good! Just showed him around the apartment and had some pasta for dinner.’
‘…Really, Tifa?’ Aerith asked.
‘Huh?’ Tifa responded, feeling lost.
‘Oh don’t play coy with me!’ Aerith exclaimed. ‘How. Was. MR. Hot. Stuff.’
‘Oh, right!’ Tifa said. ‘But, do you really have to call him that?’
‘Just calling it how it is, Teef’.’ Aerith said.
Tifa shook her head with a small laugh. ‘Well, he’s…’
The young woman’s mind transported back to their small banter over dinner, and the little moment in the hallway. She remembered his aloof nature at first, along with the awkward tension at the end of their dinner.
But that was quickly brushed to the side as she recalled his dry humour, his bashfulness, his little smile, and his alluring cerulean eyes.
‘…he’s really nice. You weren’t wrong about how stoic he can be, but once you get past that, he’s kind, sweet, and funny too. He gets shy sometimes, but I think it’s kind of cute.’
Silence filled the air for a moment.
‘Whoa, are you in love with him already?’ Aerith asked, breaking the silence.
‘What?! No!’ Tifa exclaimed.
The young woman winced at the high volume of her voice, hoping that it didn’t attract her new roommate’s attention.
‘Why would you say that?’ Tifa asked, lowering her voice.
‘Well, you listed off a lot of…interesting qualities about a guy that you’ve just met on your first day.’ Aerith stated.
‘But that doesn’t mean I’m in love with him!’ Tifa countered.
‘The tone in your voice says otherwise, Teef’.’ Aerith countered back.
Tifa frowned as she felt her cheeks growing hot in embarrassment. ‘Aerith…’
‘Okay okay I’m only teasing.’ Aerith said, chuckling.
Tifa sighed out in relief as her discomfort fading away.
‘Anyway, I’m glad you got along with Cloud, and I’m also happy that you got someone else to hang out with!’ Aerith said. ‘To be honest, I was getting worried about you Teef’.’
‘Really?’ Tifa asked in confusion.
‘…Well,’ Aerith started, her voice now carrying a serious tone, ‘It’s just that you’ve been alone in that apartment for a while, I was afraid that you would start thinking about-’
‘Don’t.’ Tifa interrupted, once she figured out where her friend was going.
‘Tifa, I-’
‘Don’t, Aerith,’ Tifa repeated firmly. ‘Please.’
Another air of silence filled the room. An uncomfortable one this time.
‘Okay.’ Aerith finally said. ‘Just remember that you can talk to-’
‘I know, Aerith, and thank you.’ Tifa interrupted again. ‘But I’m fine. I can take care of myself.’
Tifa heard Aerith sigh heavily over the phone.
‘I know you can, but…I’m here. Okay?’
Tifa smiled. ‘I know.’
‘Good.’ Aerith said, the tone of her voice now reverted back to its usual jovial form.
Tifa smiled as Aerith seemingly dropped the subject, then let out a tired yawn.
‘I think it’s time for bed.’ Tifa said. ‘Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Aerith?’
‘Nah, that’s it.’ Aerith said. ‘I’ll let you go. You’ve had a long day. Sweet dreams, sleepyhead.’
‘Sweet dreams, Aerith.’ Tifa replied. ‘Cya.’
‘Bye!’ Aerith exclaimed, before hanging up.
Tifa brought the phone back down to her lap, studying it before gently placing it on her bedside table with a sigh.
The young woman loved Aerith, and she knew that her friend meant well, but sometimes she thought that the auburn-haired woman can be a bit invasive with her private memories.
That was a subject that Tifa allowed no else to broach, and a subject she chose to deal with by herself.
Tifa tucked herself into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She tried to lock her past memories away in the depths of her mind before sleep took over.
But then her thoughts went back to the man in the bedroom next to hers, and all she could see in her mind were his aquamarine eyes, his messy blond hair, his bashfulness, and the small but warm smile poking out at the corner of his lips.
It was enough to make Tifa forget about her distant life for tonight. Smiling at the mental image, the young woman fell into a peaceful sleep.
-
Tifa woke up to the delicious smell of cooked bacon.
A sleepy yawn emanated from the ebony-haired woman as she stretched out, sighing in relief as the sound of cracking joints.
Tifa got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen, the source of the alluring scent that woke her up.
As she turned the corner, Tifa was greeted by a sight that froze her in place.
In her kitchen, was her new roommate, Cloud Strife, making breakfast while humming a light tune.
His blond, spiky hair looked completely bedridden, and his shorts and tank top gave the girl a clearer idea of how well-defined his muscles were.
Tifa felt a wave of heat crash over her, and suddenly her mind got dumped with a pile of heady thoughts and words that would have made a pastor blush.
‘Shit!’
The expletive knocked Tifa back to her senses. Blinking her eyes, she saw Cloud staring down at the frying pan with a deadly glare.
The sight made Tifa giggle under her breath as she walked over to Cloud.
‘Morning!’ Tifa said.
Cloud turned his head sharply, and his eyes widen once they caught his new roommate.
‘Tifa?’
The young woman replied with a smile, and a pool of warmth began to stir in Cloud’s stomach.
Cloud backed away from the kitchen stove. ‘Sorry I uh…I should’ve asked for permission to use the kitchen.’ Cloud said, his body posture slumping timidly.
From Tifa’s perspective, Cloud looked like someone who just got caught with their hand in a cookie jar. The young woman honestly found it cute, and felt the sudden urge to tease him.
But Tifa pushed that impulse from the side, thinking that the poor man would likely implode with embarrassment, based on the noticeable blush heating up his cheeks.
‘It’s okay Cloud.’ Tifa said. ‘Your part-owner of this apartment, so technically you don’t need to ask anymore.’
Cloud blinked a few times. ‘Uh, right.’
Tifa took a few steps towards Cloud. ‘It smells good.’
Cloud looked back at the frying pan. ‘Uh, yeah I…I made it as a thank you for last night’s dinner, and uh…’
The blond-haired man turned his gaze to the kitchen floor, scratching the back of his neck before he continued, ‘…as an apology for making things awkward last night.’
Tifa felt her heart skip a beat at Cloud’s words.
‘Oh, you don’t have to apologise!’ Tifa said assuringly as he stepped closer to Cloud. ‘You did nothing wrong last night. Everything was fine.’
Cloud turned his head back up to Tifa, but his eyes quickly averted away from hers.
The young woman could tell that Cloud didn’t really believe her. A sudden urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder to console him more struck her mind, but Tifa restrained herself, thinking that it would make things a bit weird.
Tifa eyed the sizzling bacon and eggs on the frying pan before turning back to her Cloud. ‘But, thank you for making breakfast anyway, Cloud. I really appreciate it.’
Cloud’s eyes, slightly covered by his unruly hair darted back to her own, then slowly the young man responded with his usual corner smile.
Tifa felt like her knees would give out under her if she kept staring at Cloud. She quickly turned and headed towards the dining table, not wanting to prove her theory.
Cloud separated the cooked bacon and sunny side up eggs onto two plates. Making his way to the dining table, he grimaced at the food once he took another look at them.
‘Uh…I burnt the bacon. Sorry.’ Cloud said as he placed one of the plates in front of Tifa.
Tifa gave Cloud an assuring smile, then picked up a piece of bacon and took a big bite.
The young woman caught the slight taste of the burn, but it was quickly overshadowed by the rest of the delightful palate.
‘It’s delicious, Cloud.’ Tifa said with another smile.
Cloud responded in kind, once again bewildered by Tifa’s kindness. ‘Good.’ He said lowly.
The two of them dug into their breakfast before breaking into light conversation.
As they were chatting away, a prevailing thought circled through Cloud’s mind: this new living arrangement could possibly turn out better than he had ever hoped.
Unbeknownst to Cloud, Tifa was thinking the exact same thing.