Archive of Our Own

As a general rule, Tifa considered herself a woman with a good amount of common sense. She tried to be the friend who always had some good advice. Someone had to. Her friends, she hoped, knew they could come to her if they needed anything. And even if they didn't explicitly ask, more than once had Tifa had to step in and shut down some reckless idea.

For example. In her opinion, if someone had a date, it was good sense to tell someone. Best case scenario, it wouldn't be needed. However, you never knew if that cute stranger was as nice as they appeared.

That being said, she could admit that it wasn't always necessary. Going out with someone you already knew was different than meeting with a stranger. Safer, at least in theory.

She could also admit that she could be lax when it came to her own rules. Maybe that made her a hypocrite. Then again, who wasn't at times? Rules were meant to be broken and all of that.

At first, she had no reason to mention her neighbor to her friends to begin with. Aerith didn't immediately stand out to her. A nice, pretty girl about Tifa's age, who lived two apartments down from her. Not one of those rude neighbors looking for reasons to argue, or who made a hobby of banging on the walls when she tried to sleep.

To be honest, the most notable thing about Tifa's neighbors was that there weren't many of them. The building was half empty at any given time. It was why the rent was low, the landlord was desperate to keep tenants.

Tifa did notice strange things from time to time. Bats would somehow fly into the building and get caught in the hallways. There was a mirror down in the entrance of the building that kept getting smashed to pieces, and security cameras never caught it happening. One time Tifa got home with a strange scent in the air, like something had died in the walls.

Nothing too out there, however. Going back to the more important things, Aerith didn't seem to care about it either. At least, she never said anything to Tifa.

What was notable about her was that she had a dazzling smile, and eyes of an endless green, and a waist that looked perfect for Tifa to hold. The prettiest neighbor Tifa had ever had. There was something almost magnetic about her. Every time they ran across each other in the hallways, Tifa couldn't help but focus on her.

If Tifa had to point at something weird, was the hours she ran across Aerith. Never in the middle of the day. But when Tifa came back after her night shifts at the bar, there Aerith was, walking in from a walk at two in the morning.

It should make Tifa ask questions. She never did. Looking into Aerith's eyes wiped them from Tifa's mind.

After all, who cared? Aerith was an adult, she could make her own decisions. Tifa wasn't going to complain about seeing her when she dragged herself home from work.

Things changed when one time Jessie bailed on Tifa at the last moment, and she ended up with two tickets for a concert and no one to go with. She and Aerith passed each other in the hallway, and on impulse Tifa asked her to come. Aerith looked surprise, but not upset. All she asked was the hour. Tifa told her it started at nine, and Aerith agreed.

They had fun. The venue wasn't too big, and the crowd not too suffocating. Aerith was smiling when they left, looking enthusiastic. Seeing her made Tifa's stomach drop in a peculiar way.

That hadn't been a date, exactly. Tifa would have gone to the concert anyways, she had only needed some company. It could be a date or it could not.

When Aerith asked to go watch a movie a couple weeks after, that was probably a date. Tifa thought briefly about telling someone, and then decided not to. She liked her friends, but they could be a nosy bunch, and she didn't want to be interrogated on who was she going with.

Besides, she and Aerith had gone out together. As friends, but they had. It had been fine. Tifa could say she wouldn't be at risk of being murdered, so no need to tell people where she was in case she went missing.

The movie was fun enough, but not Tifa's priority. She kept one arm on the armrest between their chairs, and through all of it Aerith kept brushing a finger against Tifa's hand. There was no way the touch was accidental. The shivers Tifa got were only partially due to how cold Aerith's hands were.

Aerith gave her a kiss on the cheek when they got back home, followed by a wink. Her lips were cold, too. That was fine. Good for Tifa's burning face.

She realized later she hadn't gone to the movies as a first date since high school. Drinks or dinner were more her style. First dates were to get to know each other, after all, and being in a cinema didn't allow for much conversation.

So, she then tried to ask Aerith out to eat, but Aerith declined.

"I have to follow a very specific diet," she said. "Medical issues."

Tifa didn't dig any further. Not her business, not when she and Aerith were still getting to know each other. She could find something else to do.

A couple days later, before Tifa had managed to come up with something, Aerith knocked on her door. She wanted to know if they could talk. It was ten evening on Tifa's day off, so she had time.

"First of all," Aerith said, sitting in Tifa's kitchen, "I want to make clear I will not judge you or be mad by any reaction, up to and including deciding to move out."

"Alright," Tifa replied, wondering what could be so bad. Aerith saying she wasn't interested after all? That would hardly be enough for Tifa to change house, she could handle a rejection.

"Second," Aerith continued, "you can go and tell people about this if you want, just know no one will ever believe you."

"Alright?" Tifa said again, now with more confusion.

"I'm a vampire."

Tifa's first reaction was to laugh. Of course no one would believe Aerith if she said that, it was ridiculous.

Then Aerith burst into something like a hundred bats, all flying around Tifa's kitchen, pulling her hair and knocking the magnets off the fridge.

"I'm a vampire," Aerith repeated, re-forming on the chair.

"What the fuck," Tifa said, trying to decide whether the terrified scream in her throat was going to come out after all.

Aerith smiled at her. Tifa was sure her canines hadn't always been like that. Long, sharp, inhuman. Perfect for biting into someone's veins.

"That's impossible," Tifa said. "Vampires are... They don't exist."

Except they did, apparently. Those bats had been real, there was no way to deny it. It explained why Aerith's skin was so cold, and why she was always out at night.

Oh. And the diet thing.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drink you dry," Aerith said, amiably, as if it was a normal thing to say. "Most of the time I stick with animals. Catching a few rats in the sewers is more practical, you know? I hate dealing with security alarms and all of that. You're not, like, vegetarian?"

"No."

"Well, in that case me drinking blood from a rat isn't too different from you eating a steak. Plus, it's not like I need that much blood. Not to go off on a rant, but movies are pretty inaccurate. I wouldn't be able to drain all your blood in one go any more than you could eat a whole cow in one sitting. I'm not calling you a cow, just to be clear."

Tifa nodded at that, not offended but also not sure what she was feeling to begin with. "None taken."

Aerith tilted her head. "But I do drink human blood, too. Just a few mouthfuls at a time. Not enough to cause harm, usually at least, and even then nothing a little bedrest can't fix. I admit I can be a bit spiteful with people who annoy me, tough. The tenants who were here before you called me a slut once because I had to run to take the trash out before sunrise and I was in my underwear, so I gave them anemia."

In theory, Tifa should judge. In practice, she had graffited way too many buildings out of spite when she was a teen neo-activist to have any moral high ground. Although a dick drawn on a house was a different magnitude than hospitalizing someone.

"Do you still want to go out with me?" Aerith finished.

If anyone had told Tifa they were considering dating some kind of blood drinking monster of legend, she would kick them. There was no way that would end well. Bad decision any way you looked at it, this wasn't some fantasy YA novel. They should run and maybe ask Jesus for help.

The man-eating undead abomination had such green eyes.

"Are you going to drink my blood?" Tifa asked.

"Only when you feel ready for it," Aerith said. "I'm not the kind of girl who pressures for blood drinking on the first date. Although I do strongly prefer if you let me do it. I can totally make it sexy, just so you know."

It did look a little sexy in a bizarre way in movies. Some movies, at least.

Maybe Tifa was just too shocked to feel the fear she should. It didn't matter that Aerith was teeth like knives, even those didn't manage to make her look dangerous. Looks could be deceiving, yes. However, Tifa's brain was refusing the notion Aerith was anything but a nice girl.

She was insane. But if this was going to kill her, it might be a nice way to go.

"You know what," Tifa said. "We can work out a schedule."

***

Tifa was used to going to sleep soon after getting home from her shift, and waking up around noon. Maybe one, if she felt lazy. Those hours before work she used to clean, or take care of chores that had to be done during the day. After her shift, she didn't have the energy for much. Dinner, shower, maybe watch a video or two on her phone, bed.

It had been hard to adjust her sleeping patterns when she had started to work the night shift. Nowadays, she managed, but it could be inconvenient. She could get her groceries at 24/7 stores, and many things could be bought online. Doctors appointments? Daytime only.

Her social life had also required some sacrifices. On her days off, she could hang out with her colleagues from the bar, but meeting up with more diurnal friends required more planning. Dating too was a pain. Not everyone dealt well with a partner who was never available during the day.

Dating the vampire next door, however, solved that problem. Aerith was forced to be nocturnal. She claimed sunlight didn't kill vampire instantly, but the burns would be fatal in twenty to thirty minutes. It was a little horrifying to think about.

And, yes, they were going to date. Tifa wasn't completely reckless, and had asked for some time to wrap her head around everything. Aerith had been happy to agree. She was willing to answer any question Tifa had.

Now, Aerith didn't need a lot of sleep. Less than a human. However, the hours when she was the most tired were also the ones noon. That meant she woke up later than Tifa, and before Tifa left to work they didn't have a lot of time to meet.

So Tifa made the effort to go and say hi after she was done with work. Aerith told her there was no need, but Tifa felt it was important to make time for potential partners.

It wasn't even just a matter of dating. Tifa had so many things to ask. Every time she sat in Aerith's living room she learned something.

"You said you work online, right?" Tifa asked one night.

"I'm an artist, yes."

"But that means you need to be paid online," Tifa said, "and you need a bank account, or some way to prove your identity. How do you get your documents if you can't leave during the day?"

Not to mention, she hadn't dared breach the age conversation yet, but she imagined Aerith wasn't as young as she looked. That had to cause some issues. What if her birth certificate said she should be an old woman? What if she should be long dead?

Aerith stretched her legs out on the couch she was laying on. "Well, for starters, if it's the middle of winter I can leave the house before everything has closed."

That could work for some shops, but not for most banks. Even in the middle of winter, the sun in this city didn't fully set before five, and by the time Aerith got anywhere most places would have closed.

"Besides," Aerith said, "I'm not the only vampire out there. We like to help each other. I don't know a lot about computers aside from what I need to work, but some of us got really into hacking. They can take care of a lot of things."

"If I asked nicely, could they help me out too?" Tifa asked. Not having to waste her daylight hours for stupid bureaucratic shit would be the dream.

Aerith giggled. "Looking to evade some taxes?"

"No, I– Do you evade taxes?"

"I am a very honest woman," Aerith said, raising one finger. "I always pay my rent on time and my bills as well."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Aerith never did gave a clear answer to that. However, Tifa didn't press. The fact of whether or not the vampire was paying taxes was not the most important thing to worry about. Plus, Aerith didn't have any need for most government paid services.

She found it bizarre that Aerith would work. There was rent, yes, but her hacker friends could also artificially fatten up her bank account. Aerith said she liked having something to do. Her living expenses were low, so it wasn't as if she had to burn herself out.

That night, they talked another twenty minutes before Tifa went home. Aerith was great to talk with, no matter what the conversation was about, enough for Tifa to forget her own exhaustion. Her growing crush energized her. Some nights they spoke for ten minutes, and some they stayed together for an hour.

However, that was a problem. Tifa couldn't afford to wake up later than usual and miss precious daylight time. In total, she missed an hour or so of sleep every night. She hadn't thought it would be a problem, but she had underestimated her needs.

Also, she was trying to get over her coffee addiction. Caffeine wasn't good. The lack of stimulants and sleep was hitting her hard.

"Are you doing alright?" Jessie asked her one evening, as they got ready for their shift.

"Yes," Tifa said. "Why?"

Jessie shrugged. "You look a little tired lately."

"Oh. It's nothing, I've just had some trouble sleeping."

There was a chance Tifa wasn't good a lying. There was a bigger chance Jessie's brain had some ingrained thought patterns she couldn't shake.

"Trouble sleeping?" Jessie repeated, in a little sing-song voice. "Are there thoughts you can't shake? Or is someone keeping you awake?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "I didn't say anything like that."

"Well, you haven't talked about anyone special for four months now."

"Why are you keeping track of my dating life?" Tifa asked. "And she wasn't special. We went on two dates, and you only know because I complained about it after."

Jessie wasn't going to let Tifa imply she should mind her own business. "Come on. Is it a girl this time too? Do I know them? Is staying up for them worth it–"

"Stop doing that with your eyebrows," Tifa said, turning away from Jessie. "And stop it. If I was dating someone, I would tell you."

"Would you?"

With a sigh, Tifa put on her best poker face. "I would. I would never deny you the opportunity of judging my tastes."

It wasn't an entire lie. When Tifa was sure she and Aerith were on the right track, she would tell Jessie. If Aerith was anyone else, she might have already done it. However, this situation was unusual and complicated and it required more thought on Tifa's part.

Jessie didn't look too convinced by the answer.

"Now come on," Tifa said. "We're here to work, not to talk about my love life."

While Jessie was the only one to comment on it, the lack of sleep had to be more obvious than Tifa thought. A few days later, she got home, and Aerith was waiting for her. She had a bag with the logo of the Chinese place two blocks down that stayed open all night.

"Why the food?" Tifa asked, looking at it.

Aerith handed it to her. "You said you liked noodles. I got you noodles. That way we can talk while you have dinner, and you don't have to go to bed super late."

Most days, Tifa had dinner either before or after meeting up with Aerith, depending on how hungry she was. Eating and talking together wouldn't save her a lot of time. But fifteen minutes could make a difference when it came to sleeping.

It was the thought that mattered. And being handed still warm takeout after a shift was enough to make Tifa fall a little bit in love.

"You shouldn't have," Tifa said.

"I can't have you go hungry. Also I haven't spent money on food in ages, it's so fun to look at menus and stuff."

***

Among the various things they had agreed to take slow was getting intimate. That was fine by Tifa. She had tried sex with stranger or near so, and it wasn't her thing. Her preference was to get to know the other person first, and wait at least three or four dates before considering it.

There was also a secondary problem. Feeding from a human could have some borderline aphrodisiac effects on vampires. It meant sex and blood drinking became very entangled for them. Aerith said she could do without the blood, but that it was like something was missing.

Tifa had some hangups about that. She thought anyone in her position would be hesitant to allow it. Unless they had some very specific kinks. Which she didn't think she had, and the prospect of Aerith's teeth in her made her nervous.

Aerith assured her she wouldn't need to drink blood every time they had sex. However, it would get frustrating to not be allowed to have a taste at all. They both decided to put it off until Tifa had wrapped her head more around it.

Also, Aerith was strong. Very strong. It was a vampire trait. Her self control was good, but a small slip would be enough to hurt Tifa on accident. She preferred to gauge how much Tifa could take before doing anything too physical.

So they went slow and tested the waters. The first chaste kisses moved on to making out on the couch and some over the clothes groping like teenagers trying to figure out what to do.

In a sense, it was frustrating. Tifa wasn't used to making out for the sake of making out anymore. Her body expected something more. The first few sessions weren't a problem, but as time progressed she began to feel a little unsatisfied. She took care of things on her own at home, but it wasn't enough.

But she was also grateful for the time they were taking. Aerith's body was strange, always cold. It wasn't something Tifa was used to, and on some instinctual level it freaked her out. Her subconscious didn't like being pressed against someone who was, well, cold as a corpse. Plus Aerith's skin didn't smell either. There was nothing beneath the scent of her soap, and it was jarring.

Her mouth always held a faint tasted of iron. She washed her teeth before kissing Tifa, Tifa had seen the mouthwash and toothpaste in the bathroom. No amount of mint could erase that distant metallic aftertaste.

There was this dissonance between Tifa's attraction to Aerith – because she was beautiful and sexy – and Tifa's instincts screaming that something was wrong here. If Aerith noticed, she didn't say. It might be a normal response for a human.

It took some time for Tifa to shush that unnerved part of her. She had to focus on how Aerith's cold body still moved and shifted like anyone else's. The softness of her skin. The tongue twisting in Tifa's mouth in just the right way. The way Tifa's finger could dig into Aerith's waist. The teeth tugging at Tifa's lower lip ever to slightly as they kissed, teasing but never drawing blood.

Aerith kept the fangs retracted during it. Better this way, better not to draw blood unless it was on purpose. She had let Tifa feel the points of her teeth with a finger. They were sharp.

Although, much like with other things, Tifa was getting over their initial off putting look and getting quite into them.

It was good, she was learning, to lay on the couch straddling Aerith, their mouths pressed together. Aerith was quite vocal, moaning often into their kisses. It was a pity Tifa needed boring human things like breathing from time to time.

Aerith had her hands on Tifa's biceps, fingers digging almost enough to hurt. One leg between Tifa's. As she shifted, that thigh moved very close to an area of Tifa's body that grew interested in the proceedings faster and faster every time they did this. When Tifa went back to her flat, she may have to take out toys again.

She would take her time, taking care of herself. Tomorrow it was her day off, and she could afford to sleep in. What a pain that the two of them were still not to the point of having sex together yet. Tifa should at least ask for nudes.

Aerith's grip on her arms became even tighter. It was hurting now. Tifa ignored it at first, because what was some good old couch making out without a little discomfort? Besides, she liked knowing Aerith was getting just as worked up. If Tifa was to be sexually frustrated, at least she wanted to drag Aerith down with her.

But after a moment it really started to hurt.

Tifa had to break the kiss, taking a deep breath.

"Aerith, ease off."

Aerith blinked at her for moment, before her eyes widened and her fingers snapped open as if moved by a spring mechanism.

"Sorry! I didn't hurt you, right?"

"Nothing bad," Tifa reassured her.

"When you say nothing bad, is it as in, it was just getting annoying, or as in, you didn't break my arm but it's definitely gonna bruise?"

Tifa thought about it for a moment. The ache was lingering. "It might bruise a little, but that's fine."

"You sure?" Aerith asked.

"Don't worry, I don't mind a bruise every once in a while."

That made Aerith's eyes glint. "Careful, or you'll give me some ideas."

Someone here was into rough sex, it seemed. Tifa could work with that. "Sit on those until we are sure the bruises will only happen on purpose."

"You have no idea how many plans I will have by then," Aerith purred.

Tifa wouldn't put pain as first on the list that got her going, but she quickly decided she wouldn't mind a good spanking if it made Aerith speak with that tone. She dove back down for another kiss, and quickly forgot about the bruises.

She also forgot that Cloud had said he would come over the next day to give her back some stuff she had lent him. When he texted her to say he was on the way, she was still having breakfast. Most days, she would have been up for a couple hours. Last night she had definitely stayed up too long.

After considering the text for a moment, Tifa decided there was no need to rush. She and Cloud had known each other since childhood. It wouldn't scandalize him if she opened the door with messy hair and her house clothes on.

Which was a miscalculation on her part.

When he got there, he greeted her, and then frowned deeply, eyes trailing down.

Tifa looked down as well, confused. "Is something the..."

She was in a sports bra. Not in itself strange, he had seen her like this many times before. However, this meant her arms were bare. Including the now very prominent finger shaped bruises on her biceps.

"What happened to you?" Cloud asked. His tone suggested he was ready and willing to fight off whoever had hurt her, no matter how many times his size they were.

"Nothing," she replied, crossing her arms. "It's just a bruise."

"A bruise that looks like someone grabbed you."

She took a deep breath. "Cloud. I said it's nothing."

"It's not nothing. Did you have problems at work?"

"If," Tifa snapped, "if there was a problem, and I needed help with it, I would ask for it. This isn't a problem. Nothing happened that I wasn't okay with."

Cloud stared at her, his expression a mix of confusion and irritation. He opened his mouth as if to argue. Then closed it. His frown deepened, before his eyes widened.

"You mean, you," he stammered. "Well, ah. Hope it was fun then."

Her face warmed. In hindsight, she regretted giving him the hint. She had been trying to shut him down, but she hadn't been prepared for discussing the situation.

"You used protection and all, right?" he asked.

"Cloud!"

"Hey, if it was me, you would be all up my ass asking if I had condoms–"

Cheeks flaming red, Tifa grabbed his shoulder. "We are in the middle of the hallway," she hissed, dragging him inside. "And I certainly wouldn't be the one up your ass."

"How do you know I wouldn't be the one up someone else's ass?"

"Cloud Strife." She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "There is nothing shameful about sexual preferences, and no position that makes you more or less of a man, I don't judge. That being said, I know you aren't a top."

Cloud pouted at her.

"And just so the conversation is over," she continued, "I assure you I am very careful with precautions, consent, and everything else you can think of."

After all, if she and Aerith weren't both being careful, Tifa would have likely ended up in the ER.

"Fine," he huffed.

Mellowing out, she offered him a smile. "I appreciate you worrying, but there's no need. Nothing to be concerned about."

"By that you also mean no one I should know about?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod.

Cloud nodded as well in response. "Alright. Just, can't blame me worrying."

"Now you know some things about me you didn't until five minutes ago."

Namely, that Tifa was... not getting laid, but going close to it. It wasn't as if she had a particular kink for being bruised up. She didn't mind it. With some things, it couldn't be avoided. Like, she didn't mind getting tied up from time to time, and didn't mind it if it left marks, but it wasn't about the marks.

Although... Maybe she should think about it. She couldn't deny it was a turn on to see how strong Aerith was. It brought potential for a lot of athletic positions. Another person with different kinks might instead be more attracted to the idea of being at full mercy of a partner who could overpower them.

Not Tifa. But it kind of had crossed her mind once or twice while getting off lately. But it wasn't like a passing thought while you were already aroused had to mean anything. There was no need to focus on that too much.

Right? Right.

***

"Hey," Aerith said, "how about we get some boba tea? I know a place that stays open until midnight."

It was a different day off for Tifa, and she and Aerith had decided to go for a night walk. Aerith had her hand on Tifa's arm, and it made Tifa's stomach flutter. The gesture wasn't necessarily romantic. Two good friends could decided to walk that way as well.

But Tifa thought things were starting to move on to the serious side. It was getting close to two months since they had started dating. Given they were seeing each other every day, it should be time to think about whether they wanted to start calling themselves a couple.

"Boba tea?" Tifa repeated.

"I know it's a little on the expensive side, but I can pay."

"Can you drink it?" Tifa asked.

Aerith had explained that eating and drinking as a vampire was more complicated than just drinking blood. Her stomach couldn't handle solid food. Some vampires could with time and dedication get used to it, but it was hard.

Liquids, on the other hand, they could handle. The nutrition they gained from them was minimal compared to blood, but they could do it for the taste. Aerith in particular said she liked coffee, tea, and alcohol. Anything carbonated however gave her nausea. Also, the thicker the liquid, the heavier it was on her stomach.

"It's tea," Aerith said. "Why shouldn't I be able to drink it."

"I don't know. The bubbles don't bother you?"

Aerith shrugged. "I can't drink it all the time, but it can be a treat every once in a while. Plus, there's so many flavors to try."

Her menus obsession again. Tifa was learning that Aerith had an utter fascination with choosing items from lists. Might be a vampire trait. Given how she was also compelled to count things, it checked out. Tifa wasn't sure why becoming a vampire should rewrite your brain with the need to know how many individual candies were in a bag, but she was accepting Aerith's compulsion to examining her treats.

Aerith steered Tifa, leading her in the direction of a store. "You know, the other night I was chatting with some of my friends. There's this guy who has been testing his limits with food, he was saying he has managed to eat boiled eggs without problems. I think it's bullshit, only a few months ago he was saying he could barely deal with yogurt. I'm not going to call bullshit myself, but we all know he just wants bragging rights."

Their vampire group chat. Aerith mentioned it from time to time. It apparently had exactly sixty-seven members from nine different countries. There were also many other group chats, but Aerith only used one. She said all her friends were in that one, and that she had lost any interest in the other ones after interacting with some of the people in them.

She had tried to explain some of the vampire intracommunity drama to Tifa. The summary alone gave Tifa headaches. Those people were insane. She had seen some of the texts and wondered how could Aerith put up with them. Without even considering that some of those people, well. They had far looser morals than Aerith.

It made Tifa wonder. Were the most unhinged personalities around somehow more likely to become vampires, or was it immortality and blood drinking that turned them that way? Aerith was definitely one of the most well adjusted ones. And for all that Tifa liked her, she had to admit Aerith could also be pretty out there at times.

Like, she enjoyed attacking people she disliked while in the form of bats to give them rabies scares. Or stuff dead and drained rats in the vents to make tenants leave. She was firmly convinced that dueling to death to settle a dispute should be allowed, but only with knives, because guns sucked out all the fun. Her words, not Tifa's. And she thought being allergic to tomato was a personal flaw. Not allergies in general, she agreed those were a medical issue. Except the tomatoes one.

Aerith led Tifa to a small boba place, tucked between a convenience store and a laundromat. It wasn't far from their building. However, Tifa had never noticed it before.

She wasn't a big fan of fancy fruity teas. A somewhat plain one was fine. Aerith instead took her time going over the menu, deciding what combination of flavors to get. Eventually, she settled on passion fruit with strawberries boba.

By the time they had paid, a question had come to Tifa's mind. Not one she hadn't thought before. So far, she hadn't asked, but she thought at this point she might try. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Isn't that the point of dating someone?"

Technically, but you didn't immediately go off the deep end.

"Do you ever miss being able to eat?"

Aerith shrugged, cheeks hollowed around her straw.

"Not much," she answered. "It was hard at first, but I got used to it. Nowadays, there's plenty of tasty options when it comes to drinks. Imagine living in the eleventh century or something and you can only drink tea made with leaves you find in your garden."

It put things into perspective.

"And is there anything else you miss from being human?" Tifa asked.

"Some people miss the sun. I don't. Being unable to go out during the day is inconvenient, but that's it. If I want to see the sun, I can put on a movie. Anyways, the night sky is prettier."

There weren't many stars to see with all the city lights, but as Tifa looked up the moon was bright and beautiful up above. "I can agree."

"I do miss flowers sometimes," Aerith murmured, after a moment. "I used to grow them. Plastic plants just aren't the same thing."

Something sad settled on Aerith's face as she spoke. Tifa eyes turned to the ground. That was something she hadn't thought about, but there were many things about being a vampire didn't occur to Tifa. Keeping plants was bound to be complicated.

Should she buy Aerith flowers? Or would it be rubbing salt into the wound?

Aerith shook her head. "But anyways, we have to move on. I can look at other people's flowers, when I walk by a store or a park. There's no point in focusing on the past. Better to learn how to appreciate the subtle differences in the taste of blood and all."

"Do different bloods, like, taste different?" Tifa asked. Part of her didn't actually want to know the answer to that, but she couldn't deny a certain morbid curiosity.

"Of course." Aerith took a sip of her tea. "Blood from different animals can be very different. Birds have bland blood compared to mammals. I would say they taste like chicken, but I don't remember what chicken meat tastes like anymore. Diseases also influence it. Not just blood diseases, other kinds as well. Anemia makes it watery. I know a guy who keeps saying he misses the nineteenth century because he liked what tuberculosis did to blood."

Tifa was starting to regret asking.

"Blood groups also taste a little different," Aerith continued, "but it's not really that big of a deal, in my opinion. More like an aftertaste, the main flavor doesn't depend on that. And it's definitely a bigger difference in humans than in other animals. What's your blood type, by the way?"

"B," Tifa said. She looked around. Not many people on the streets at this hour, but she wanted to make sure no one was overhearing.

"B is a little tangy. You know, there's this theory floating around that says your favorite blood type is the blood type you had when you were human. There's not any proof of it, because not enough of us knew our blood type before turning. I like them all, so."

"Glad I can be tasty, then."

Aerith grinned at her. A hint of fangs was visible behind her lips. "Oh, I'm sure you are very tasty. Anyone would feel their mouth watering around you."

Tifa swallowed. "How often do you think about it when we are close?"

"Always. I expect praise for my self control."

"Oh."

Aerith stopped, her free hand on her waist, one eyebrow raised. "Tifa. You're the one who decide you were okay with dating the vampire. I've told you my preference. Are you getting cold feet now?"

"I'm not! It's just... It's weird, alright?"

"Should I talk about blood things more often so you'll get over it?"

That might help, or it might not. Tifa didn't know what it would take to desensitize her.

"I don't know," Tifa said.

"Listen. I told you, I want you to be alright with it. If I didn't, I would have just hypnotized you and had my way whether you liked it or not, but I'm not that kind of girl. I'm a romantic like that."

Tifa frowned. "You can hypnotize people?"

Aerith waved her tea. "Not the point. What I'm saying is, I'm not interested in having a little blood slave. I like you for your personality. We've been hanging out enough for me to know I enjoy it, and I want it to continue."

Regardless of the context, hearing that made Tifa's heart skip a bit. She was getting it bad for this girl.

"I also obviously don't want you dead," Aerith continued. "Or seriously injured. I will give you time to recover, and avoid taking too much during your period. I won't take a lot. Blood fills me immediately, not like watery stuff like this." She waved her tea.

Tifa nodded. "You've told me this already."

She wasn't sure why she was repeating it now. Tifa had just asked.

"I know I have. And I will not push. But the thing is, it's been a while now. I've given you time and... I mean, you haven't even gave me feedback."

"I'm thinking about it," Tifa said.

"Yes, but you haven't said anything in a while. I can give you time to adjust but I can't pretend I don't want to sink my teeth into you."

It was fair. Tifa had been thinking about it, but she could agree that she hadn't been sharing those thoughts a lot. In her opinion, she hadn't been closed off either. However, she guessed Aerith had been expecting a little more from her.

Looking down at her drink, Tifa took a moment before saying, "you can't blame me for being concerned."

"Of course not. But I know what I'm doing. You are a healthy young adult, and I'm not that big. I can't put you in danger, physically I can't drink that much, unless I do it every time I'm thirsty and kill in the space of a few weeks. And... I did tell you I have venom, right? It promotes blood regeneration, among other things."

It was reassuring but it also really, really wasn't.

"You mentioned something," Tifa said. "It's also supposed to not make it hurt when you bite me, right?"

Despite the somewhat tense situation, Aerith giggled.

"It does a whole lot more than that. The endorphin rush work like a nice little drug for humans. It'll leave you feeling all fuzzy and good."

She had also said that before. Tifa didn't have a reason not to believe it, but she also struggled. It sounded like something out of a corny vampire romance.

Plus, Tifa wasn't super into drugs. A couple drags from a blunt were as far as she got. The prospect of losing some of the control she had while being mauled wasn't great.

Aerith took a step closer. The corner of her lips had turned up. "I know the neck feels vulnerable. It's lucky there's many other places to bite. Shoulders, arms, legs. There's plenty of veins in easy reach."

"And does that change anything on my end?" Tifa asked.

"You see, the numbing of the area is pretty much immediate, but it takes time for the venom to reach the brain. From the neck, it's very close. The venom hits the brain immediately, there's this big and powerful rush. From the limbs it takes a little longer, and the effects are more of a gradual build up. Now, of course with time you build a resistance. However, it never stops having an effect. Would be a very shitty substance if the prey could become immune to it."

"Tifa?"

Tifa jumped. She had been entranced by Aerith's words, and not noticed the person who had walked up behind her.

"Biggs?" she said. "What are you doing around here at this time?"

He didn't live too far from Tifa, but they usually didn't run across each other. Especially not at night. His job started early in the morning. It was rare for him to stay up late.

"Wedge isn't feeling well and we were out of nausea meds, so I did a run to the pharmacy," Biggs explained, showing her a small plastic bag. He was glancing between Tifa and Aerith, as if trying to interpret something.

Tifa cleared her throat. "This is Aerith, she lives in my building. Aerith, this is Biggs, he's a friend of mine."

"Nice meeting you," Biggs said, still with the same somewhat uneasy expression.

Before Tifa could ask if something was wrong, Aerith piped up. "Have you ever been bitten by a snake?"

"Uh, no?" he replied, blinking.

"I was, when I was a kid," Aerith said. "It's not rare where I come from, but I guess it's not something that happens in the city."

She turned to Tifa. There was something in her eyes that pressed Tifa on, almost as if suggesting what to say.

"Yeah, it never happened to me either," Tifa said, gaze moving back to Biggs. "She was telling me about the effects."

Something in Biggs's concerned face eased, and Tifa realized he must have overheard the last part of their conversation. She wanted to smack herself. At some point she had stopped making sure no one was close. Of course overhearing your friend talking about substances spreading through your body would be concerning.

They were lucky he had caught that part of their talk. There wouldn't have been a way to write it off if he had heard about the blood drinking. Good thing Aerith could improvise well.

Biggs shifted on his feet. "It does sound like a story to tell. Was it bad?"

"Well it wasn't nice," Aerith said. "My ankle swelled up like you have no idea. But the venom was pretty light, I spent a couple days at the hospital and the doctors didn't even need to give me the antidote."

"Sounds like you got lucky," Biggs said, and nodded. "Well, I'll better go. You know how Wedge gets when he gets a tummy ache."

"Like it's the end of the world," Tifa replied.

"Yep. See ya."

"Bye!" Aerith greeted, with maybe more enthusiasm than was strictly needed.

After Biggs was out of earshot, Tifa let out a long sigh. "We have to keep these conversations behind closed door."

"Might be for the best," Aerith agreed. "Blood talk suspended until we get back home. How about you tell me about your friends while we walk?"

Much, much safer topic while they were in public.

***

In the end, there wasn't much Tifa could do except face her fears. Aerith gave her more time. She sent Tifa a diagram of what places worked best. Even asked a friend of hers who was good with maths to calculate how much blood Aerith could drink.

Aerith was getting impatient. She didn't say that word, but it was implied.

Also, so long as they didn't solve the blood issue they were stuck on the sex as well. Which was a problem for Tifa. While not a necessity, it was annoying. Aerith insisted she would feel more in control if she had drank from Tifa before getting to it.

A bite on the arm was out of the question. Tifa's work uniform had short sleeves and the wound would raise questions. Legs made her nervous. Aerith said she liked to bite the inner thigh, and that gave Tifa a feeling of vulnerability.

They settled on the juncture between neck and shoulder. It would be hidden by the collar of Tifa's work shirt, and it wasn't too delicate a spot. The ache, Aerith assured her, could be ignored.

And also Tifa asked for no sex the first time. At least, Aerith could do whatever she wanted with herself, but Tifa would prefer be fully in control for their first time.

No other way out but forward.

"Comfortable?" Aerith asked.

Tifa nodded sharply. "I'm good."

She sat on Aerith's bed, back against the wall, pillows propping her up. Shirtless, hair moved to bare one side of her neck. Her heart was racing.

"Relax," Aerith said, hands on Tifa's shoulders, thumbs drawing circles on her skin.

"I'm trying."

"You know if your heart is too quick I might accidentally take more than I need."

Tifa breathed out slowly. "I can't control it."

Aerith's fingers tapped her shoulders. "You won't believe me when I say it won't hurt until I bite you, won't you?"

"Sorry," Tifa said.

"Guess I have no choice but to show you, then."

Aerith leaned in, lips brushing Tifa's for a brief second, before straightening up. Her gaze moved to Tifa's neck. She wore a face that meant business.

Tifa closed her eyes. Breathe in, breathe out, slow and steady. Aerith's hair brushed her shoulders, telling her she was moving closer. No way to tell how close. There was no rush of breath that could alert Tifa when Aerith was right next to her skin.

Two freezing pinpricks rested against her shoulder. Tifa swallowed hard. She should speak up and tell Aerith that going slow wouldn't help. Quite the opposite. It was making Tifa hyperaware of it.

The fangs sank in. Tifa gasped, and...

It was hot. There was a sharp pain when the fangs broke skin, but she noticed it for a fraction of a second. Heat began to spread before Aerith's lips even touched her neck. It made no sense. All of Aerith was cold, her bite should be too.

Tifa didn't know if she could say the venom was numbing the pain. It was kind of there, but kind of. Dulled, yes. Mainly it faded into the background compared to that heat, which was so intense it almost burnt.

Her fingers closed into a fist, holding on to the sheets. Every muscle in her back had tensed. Was it an early symptom of the venom? Just nerves? The sensation, it wasn't good, yet she didn't want to run from it either.

Aerith made a sound like a growl against Tifa's skin, and sucked. Blood being drawn should be repulsive. It wasn't. It was like that blistering heat was replacing what was lost. No longer confined to the bite alone, it was spreading. Liquid fire dripped down to Tifa's chest, crawled up to her neck.

Her breathing grew faster. Not out of fear anymore. She grew warm, the same way she did after a work out.

When Aerith pulled back, that scorching heat had reached Tifa's face. It was blurring her thoughts. Even her emotions were confused. Her senses were becoming both unfocused and hyperfocused. The shapes of the room didn't feel real to her eyes... She had opened her eyes?

"Tifa," Aerith groaned, face level with hers.

There was blood on her mouth. Her lips were parted and her fangs were so, so red. Light danced behind her eyes. Or was it just Tifa's sight not working right?

She was so beautiful. Had Tifa ever told her how much? Not even the blood took it away, no, it made her look even better. It was hot. Tifa wanted to touch her mouth. She wanted to know if her lips were as wet as they looked.

Her stomach rolled. Eagerness and anticipation were growing in her. She didn't know what for. Was anything supposed to happen now? Tifa could keep looking at Aerith.

"You are delicious," Aerith said, after staring at Tifa for what might have been a second or an hour.

She bent, and licked the wound. Her tongue sent a freezing chill down Tifa's spine. A small relief from the heat. The rest of Aerith's body would work too, and now Tifa wanted it all pressed against her.

It was hard to reach out. She tried, but her hand was so heavy. How was it that she made arms work?

Aerith kissed the side of Tifa's neck, up towards her jaw, before straightening up.

"Look at you," she cooed, cupping Tifa's face. "You're high as a kite, aren't you?"

"Aerith," Tifa whispered, eyes fluttering shut. That caress was so intense, like all of Tifa's nerves were sending twice as many signals as they should.

"Do you like it, then?"

"It's so hot."

Aerith giggled. "Didn't think you'd get this overwhelmed. First times, huh?"

She was. Overwhelmed, that is. Tifa didn't know what to do with all this fire running through her. There had to be a way to release it.

Aerith's hand moved down, and pressed on the bite mark. Tifa gasped. Sparks exploded behind her vision. It wasn't quite pain and it wasn't quite pleasure, it just made the heat tighter around her.

"The thoughts you're giving me," Aerith purred, her face closer and closer to Tifa's until their noses were almost touching. "If I put my face between your legs right now, how long would it take for you to come?"

Tifa's thighs squeezed together. She was wet, and she only now realized, but it didn't come as a surprise. Arousal was a hot thing.

"What a pity I'm not going to do that," Aerith said.

Tifa licked her lips. "Why not?"

She would like that. She needed that. Now that Aerith had made her aware of her own arousal, that was all Tifa could think about. It would make the heat pass. She could put her hand down her panties, if Aerith didn't want to. Too bad it was so hard to move.

"Aw, but Tifa, you said not to. You'd be so mad later if I had sex with you now, after I said I wouldn't." Aerith pressed on the bite again. "Let's not make sober you angry."

Honestly, screw sober Tifa. Sober Tifa didn't get it. High Tifa needed Aerith to make her come. It would be so good. Sober Tifa wouldn't be mad if she saw how good it would feel.

"Aerith, please," Tifa said.

"Why did you wait so long to let me know you are so cute when you beg?" Aerith sighed, rubbing Tifa's shoulders.

"Please," Tifa tried again. In another occasion, she might string more words after that. When she remembered how sentences work.

"Adorable," Aerith said. "But you see, here's the thing. I promised you I was going to take a sip from you, and no more, and I did that. I had a taste, and now I have to sit here knowing how good your blood is until next time you let me do this, because I have this bad habit of following my word. If I have to suffer, so do you."

Tifa tried tilting her head to the side, exposing more of her neck. "Take more?"

Aerith laughed. "I can't believe you. Nope, you're gonna sit there and let it run out of your system."

With that, Aerith took her hand away from Tifa's neck. There were red drops staining her fingers, and staring at Tifa right in the eyes Aerith licked them clean. Pleasure crossed her face. She made a noise close to a whimper.

Tifa whined. She wanted Aerith's tongue on her.

A sly grin was on Aerith's face as she moved away. Crawled back along the bed. Tifa's eyes needed a moment to focus now that she was further away. She would like to follow. But her body was all heavy. Hot and heavy.

"But you said nothing about what I would do now," Aerith said. "What if I did this?"

Aerith's pretty pink skirt was being pulled higher. The fabric slid up along her thighs, all the way to her waist. Tifa struggled to breathe. Aerith wasn't wearing panties under the dress.

Her hand crawled down. Fingers parted the brown hair, letting Tifa see better. Was she wet? Tifa couldn't tell.

"I meant it when I said you taste so good," Aerith said. "Such a gorgeous girl in my bed, with such a great blood. It's bliss."

A loud whine came from Tifa as she watched Aerith sink a finger inside herself. What blood she had was boiling. She had to touch. It was a physical need, to feel. How wet Aerith was, how tight she was, how–

Aerith arched her back. Her finger slipped out, glistening. The hand rose, so that she was touching her clit instead.

"I wanted to tease you a bit," she breathed, beginning to circle the small nub. "But I can't draw it out. I either get off or go back to biting you."

Tifa shifted, trying to get her body under control. "Please."

"But it's teasing you already, isn't it?" Aerith laughed.

Wild. She looked wild. Blood on her mouth, skirt raised up. Like she could eat Tifa alive, and in a sense she could. If only Tifa could crawl there. She could... She would find a way to make her body work. Eat her out, yes, moving her tongue should be easier than her hands.

But she could only watch, enthralled, as Aerith got herself off. Her fingers rubbed her clit, stopping from time to time to dip between her lips, gathering her wetness as lube. Moans spilled from her lips. She was generous with those. Her tongue licked her fangs, as if chasing the taste.

Tifa's control slowly started to come back. Not much. Enough for her fingers to twitch, her legs to move. It didn't return fast enough. Before she managed enough to do anything, Aerith cried out. Her hips rocked forward, fingers rubbing faster.

It almost made Tifa come as well. Almost. The heat of the venom wasn't as overpowering anymore. However, it had concentrated, all flowing to the low of her belly. If she couldn't get her hands on Aerith, at least she might be able to get rid of her own arousal.

After her orgasm, Aerith remain still on the bed for a few seconds. Then, she drew in a sudden breath.

"Well," she said. "I should get you some water."

"Aerith..."

"Hush. You won't die."

Tifa didn't, but she didn't enjoy it either. When her head cleared, she appreciated Aerith holding on to her word. However, she was a horrible terrible menace. She had to know what kind of torture her show had to be for Tifa.

She did make it up to her. The next night, she asked Tifa if she would like to get in bed again, but with a more active role. Tifa didn't hesitate for a second. It shocked herself as well, how fast she had decided she was alright with the blood drinking. Even Aerith was surprised. One bite was rarely enough to make a nervous person relax.

Tifa would chalk it up to how long they had spent skirting the line of intimacy, and how Aerith's face as she came had been flashing into Tifa's mind all day. Aerith made the most amazing sounds as Tifa fingered her. And her tongue, well. She gave the best oral of Tifa's life.

She also looked at Tifa with something different in her eyes. Tifa wasn't sure what to call it, but it warmed her chest in a way that made her wonder if the venom was still in her system. It wasn't an expression that came just from satisfaction. Tifa saw it again and again, often when Aerith thought she wasn't looking.

Like Tifa had done something very, very important for Aerith. In a sense, she had. But she felt like she was missing something.

And aside from Aerith, Tifa had to sit with herself and come to some conclusions about herself too. First of which, that she might be developing some brand new kinks. Drugged sex had never interested her. However, she had to find out how it felt to do it while under the influence of Aerith's venom.

She also may have some growing vampire kink. She found herself brushing her fingers against the wound in the following days, lost in thought. It had felt good. There was no denying that Tifa wanted to do it again.

Also, Aerith was the worst tease. After Tifa came to her senses she finally, finally got Aerith between her legs. It was amazing. But also maddening, because Aerith loved teasing, and edging, and everything of the sorts.

And Tifa let herself be bitten again. It was just as intense, it would take dozens of bite to make her more resistant. She was realizing she would let Aerith do that. Her concerns were mostly gone, being bitten felt good, so why not? Why not let Aerith ease off the rats as much as possible?

Tifa did make sure Aerith had washed her fangs well before getting bit. Who knew what she had stuck them into.

It should be worrying how quickly Tifa was growing alright with the idea of being a food source for her partner. Most people wouldn't be into that. For good reason. Tifa did ask Aerith if Aerith had done some of that hypnotizing on her. Aerith said no. This had to be Tifa's own kinks, then.

But so long as they were careful, it would be fine. Aerith could judge how much and how often to drink, and be alert in case something was wrong while Tifa was out of it. Tifa had to mind her own body. Recognize its signal, hide suspicious marks, make sure this didn't interfere with her regular life.

Which she sort of screwed up from the start. In her defense, her period came a few days earlier than it was supposed. Why her body would decide to lose even more blood after she got bled twice was beyond her. It happened, and she hadn't accounted for it.

"You look wiped," Jessie commented when Tifa came to work.

"Bit tired," Tifa said. She looked pale, she knew that. Aerith had given her some recommendations, but her techniques to recover blood faster didn't do much when more was coming out.

"Something wrong?"

Tifa gave her a dry smile. "Just my period."

"Ouch. Hold strong, my friend. I have some painkillers if you need."

"I'm good, thanks," Tifa said.

Pain was the last of the problems, after all. Tifa hoped she wouldn't have to start taking iron supplements.

Would it count as some kind of seasoning, for Aerith? Were supplements basically a way for Tifa to season her own blood for her? Better not think about it too much.

***

"So, you wanted to talk about something?" Cloud asked.

They sat together in his flat, with lunch for him and breakfast for Tifa. His couch was as uncomfortable as ever, and as always he didn't seem concerned about potential food stains. One day he should consider investing in more than one kitchen chair.

Tifa looked down at the plate of eggs carefully balanced on her knees. "Yeah."

"Shoot, then," Cloud said, popping some fast food fries in his mouth.

"I've got a girlfriend."

A pause. "Come again."

"I have been going out with a girl, and we have decided to make it official."

There was no point in stalling anymore. They had dealt with the vampire issues, and Tifa had decided she wasn't scared of them. Both of them wanted to keep this thing going. Tifa's feelings for Aerith were getting more intense by the day, steadily moving from crush to something deeper. By now, they were a couple.

It made her giddy like teenager on her first date to think about it. Aerith had already been telling her vampire friends about Tifa, and from what Tifa got most of them approved of her finding a human lover. Tifa too had to tell her friends. Saying the word girlfriend outloud was thrilling.

Kind of anxiety inducing, too. She should have already mentioned Aerith to someone. It had never felt like the right time.

Cloud leaned towards her, eyebrows raised. "You made it official? How long have the two of you been seeing each other?"

"About three months," Tifa said. "But she's my neighbor, so we see each other a lot. More often than you usually see someone you're dating."

She said the last part as a justification. However, once she spoke the words, she realized it wasn't.

"Your neighbor? Which neighbor are we talking about?"

"Aerith. I don't know if you've seen her. She's our age, pale..."

"I never see any of your neighbors when I come to your place," Cloud replied. "I was half convinced you didn't have any."

Fair enough. There were six flats on Tifa's floor, and four of them were empty. The tenants directly in front of Tifa had moved out at the start of the month, for mundane reasons unrelated to Aerith's wrath. No one new had showed up so far.

The landlord was getting desperate. Tifa had seen him the other day, replacing the entrance mirror yet another time, complaining no one would want to rent with that mess. The mirror had been smashed again come next morning. Aerith really, really hated unnecessary mirrors.

"So let me see if I got this right," Cloud said. "You have been seeing this girl for three months, and you didn't tell me anything?"

"I didn't tell anyone."

He took a deep breath. "Tifa, if I were to date someone for one month and didn't tell anyone, you would start pouting and–"

"I don't pout," Tifa said.

"You do."

"I don't."

"Whatever. You get what I'm saying."

She turned away, fingers tapping the underside of her plate. "I do. I'm sorry for not telling you until now. I wanted to see if things were working out first."

"And you couldn't tell until now?"

"I guess it felt a little special to be the only one to know," she said.

Cloud huffed. It was obvious how much it annoyed him to have been kept in the dark. Hurt him even, maybe. But he wasn't one to talk about his feelings. She would have to make it up to him somehow, but he wouldn't linger on this.

"Guess girls make you stupid," he said.

Tifa shrugged. "Guess so."

"So, how is she?"

"She's... She's one of a kind."

He made a face. "You've got it that bad already?"

She shook her head. "I don't mean it like that. I mean she's literally a very unusual kind of girl."

That wasn't even scratching the surface.

"How so?"

"Well, she lives on the same timezone as I do, for starters."

"Night shifts as well?" Cloud asked. He had gone back to his fries, but he wasn't eating with same gusto as before.

"No, she works online. She's just a night owl."

He hummed. "That's weird, yes. What else?"

"She's a very happy girl. Bubbly, even. She always has something to chat about, and once she gets going there's no stopping her."

"That sounds exhausting."

She gave him a mock slap on the shoulder. "Not all of us are allergic to optimism."

Between all of them, Cloud should have been the vampire. He was sullen enough to come out of a movie. He hated people taking pictures him so much she wouldn't be shocked if he was trying to hide that he didn't show up in them. He had the complexion of someone who hadn't seen the sun in years, too.

"Aside from being an optimism machine?" he asked.

He had entered his worried mode, it seemed. Not that he would admit he was worried. Tifa knew he was compiling all of the information to decide whether he should try to scare Aerith off or something. "She's smart. Not book smart I mean, she's just very good at thinking on her feet. Always has a joke or a pun ready. She loves joking around, she can be a bit of a tease too, but she never pushes it too far. She's caring. Although she can be a bit bossy about it."

A smile was beginning to pull at Tifa's lips as she spoke. She really had scored.

"What did you say her name is?"

"Aerith."

Cloud mulled over it. "That's a strange name."

"Yes, Cloud, very unusual."

"Noun names are in fashion lately," he replied with a dramatic sniff. "Aerith sounds... I don't know, I've never heard it. Is it foreign?"

"Sorry, I haven't asked her the history of her name."

And she didn't think Aerith was originally a foreigner, either. She talked about her past every once in a while, and none of it had struck Tifa as something that couldn't happen in their country. Although, Aerith had never said what town she was from.

"Alright." Cloud thought about it. "She's our age, you said?"

"Yep."

Physically, at least, so it technically wasn't a lie. Tifa still hadn't asked. But from piecing together a few things Aerith had mentioned seeing, Tifa would say she was at the youngest fifty and at the oldest three hundred.

"And she works online?"

"She's an artist," Tifa said. "Mainly she draws people and portraits."

Cloud nodded.

After a moment of silence, Tifa spoke up. "Anything else you want to know?"

"I'm thinking. You're happy with this girl, then?"

"So far yes."

He sighed. "I want to meet her."

"Only if you promise to behave."

He stared at her with a flat expression. "It is my right as your oldest friend–"

"You don't have the right to do shit," Tifa interrupted, raising a finger in warning.

"It is my right," he repeated, "to make your girlfriend feel like she will never in a thousand years be good enough for you."

"No, your duty is to support me."

Cloud blinked. "I have never been supportive in my life and you know it."

She took a fry. Breakfast fries might suck as a concept, but they were delicious actually. Especially when flavored by stealing.

"Hey!"

"Either you support me or I take your food."

He rolled his eyes so hard she worried they may fall off. "Fine. I'll be nice."

"Good."

"When do I come by, then?"

So eager to get into a fight for her honor. She suspected he would like Aerith's opinions on stabbing people for minor offenses. "Next time you can't sleep at night."

"Can't I come by for breakfast instead?" Cloud asked.

"Aerith is still sleeping when I wake up. She wakes up when the sun goes down."

He made an unimpressed face. "So I can come in the evening and have dinner while you have lunch and she has breakfast?"

That would be a funny arrangement. It had a problem, however. If Cloud had a meal with them, he would notice something was off immediately.

"She, ah." Tifa cleared her throat. "She doesn't much like eating with strangers."

"Why not?"

"She has some medical issues. They kind of affect how she eats. It makes her uncomfortable to have people she doesn't know watch her."

"What kind of issues?" Cloud asked, frowning.

Shit, Tifa had no idea. She didn't know anything about illnesses, and people who weren't Cloud would know it was unpolite to ask.

"I'd rather not say," she said. "It's her business, you know, and I know you wouldn't go around gossiping but she's got a right to privacy."

Luckily, he bought that. He nodded once, and said, "well, we'll figure something else out. You just had to find the one person in the world with a more complicated schedule than yours?"

"It's a talent," she said, smiling.

"Sure is." Cloud remained silent for a moment. "I'm glad, tough. If you found someone that makes you happy. I'm just surprised."

Her smile turned kinder. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I kept it all this time."

"It's fine. It just means I'll hide it next time I date someone, and you won't have a right to complain about it."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Like you ever tell me anything to begin with."

For all she knew, he could be dating four different people already. Or not, he was too introverted to be around four entire people at the same time.

"Question," Cloud said.

"Go ahead."

He turned, and tapped his neck, low near the shoulder. "Did your girlfriend do that?"

Tifa raised a hand. She was confused, not sure what he was pointing at. Until she realized her t-shirt's neck was not as high as she had expected, and a hint of the latest bite might be peeking through.

"That's nothing," she said, which was not suspicious at all.

He snorted. "Come on, we've all gotten a hickey before."

Good thing he had only caught a hint of it. If he had seen it clearly, he would have never mistaken the puncture wounds for a regular love bite.

***

Telling the rest of her friends about Aerith went smoothly enough. Biggs, the only one who had met her before, gave his stamp of approval. Guess the snake bite lie had left an impression. Wedge was right behind Biggs, as always. Barret had a moment of protective papa bear mode, but otherwise was happy for her. Jessie decided she had to online stalk Aerith, and was very disappointed to realize Aerith's social media presence amounted to the art she posted and nothing else.

It was after the news that problems began to pop up. People wanted to meet Aerith. Tifa had to juggle an ever increasing number of excuses as to why Aerith could only come out at night, why there shouldn't be meetings with food involved, or why she had no pictures of her girlfriend.

Aerith found Tifa's frustrations entertaining. She made up some lies Tifa could use, some more believable than others.

Tifa envied her. Aerith could tell her friends she was dating a human, and that was it. If Tifa said her girlfriend was an actual vampire, everyone else would think she was losing her mind or maybe falling for some kind of cult.

In a sense, she was lucky things at work became frantic around the time she told her friends about Aerith. A couple people quit around the same time, leaving them short staffed. Tifa tried to avoid overtime if she could, but in the end agreed to taking on a couple more shifts until management found replacements.

Because the timing of these things is always perfect, the bar also got a spike in customers. Mainly bachelor and bachelorette parties. One girl had hers there, and it turned out she was a minor influencer. After she posted pictures online, a bunch of people decided they had to come as well.

With all of this, Tifa had a good excuse for not having introduced Aerith to people. She was tired, and with little time to hang out. Her friends understood.

That didn't mean Tifa was actually happy about the current situation. Her stress levels were rising. Aerith offered to take over some cleaning in Tifa's flat so that she could have more time to rest. Tifa was extremely grateful. About that, and about Aerith's company that kept her from exploding.

That didn't mean she wasn't wishing for a vacation. Management said they were looking for a new hire, but not fast enough. Tifa hoped she wouldn't end up stuck training the newbie.

Through all of this, she had taken to using her breaks to the fullest. As soon as things were as calm as they could get and she had someone else at the counter, she made her escape. Not for long, but enough to catch her breath.

The back of the bar opened on a side alley. It wasn't the greatest place to be, what with the trash cans right next to her. At least there was fresh air. That was good, especially on nights that people lost control of their stomachs.

Tifa leaned her head against the wall. She hated that part of the job. Far be it from her to deny someone the chance to get drunk, but at least try to get to the bathroom. They weren't a luxury establishment, but it was a nice enough place. Couldn't people develop some self control with their drinks?

Something small and dark moved in front of her. Tifa blinked. A bat was drawing circles between the buildings, flying back and forth along the alley. She followed it with her eyes. It appeared and disappeared as it moved in and out of the lamplight.

There was more than one bat. She counted two, three, four. So many small animals racing around. Weird. It was cold for bats, they should be starting to hibernate. Besides, there were barely any near the bar most nights, let alone a whole flock. Were groups of bats called flocks?

Tifa let out a shocked yelp when one flew straight at her. The tiny body hit her stomach. Instead of bouncing away, the bat held on to her clothes with its tiny fingers.

Her first instinct was to try and get it off her. Hands raised, she froze. Bats shouldn't slam into people, and that one had acted very deliberately. Also, she wasn't a bat expert, but it looked familiar.

"Aerith?" Tifa asked.

The bat opened its mouth, and Tifa could barely make out a high pitched chirp. The animal then pressed its head against her body, rubbing it as if it was a cat. Around her, those in the air flew faster, as if excited.

It was Aerith, then. Tifa looked around, checking for other people who may hear her talk to bats. "What are you doing here?"

The bat attached to her didn't answer. Not surprising, it was a bat. It did rub its head on her again.

"Well, I'm glad to see you too," Tifa said.

She brushed the bat's small body. The fur was so soft. Bat body language was a mystery to her, but it looked happy enough to her.

Tifa didn't know if every one of these individual bats was an Aerith with a mind of its own, or if they were all a single entity. Either option sounded chaotic. Aerith had mentioned before it could be a confusing experience.

The bat's large ears twitched as Tifa caressed the tiny head with a single finger. It wasn't a situation she had expected, but she had to admit it was perfect to help her with the stress. Her girlfriend and a small animal. All wrapped in the same package.

Suddenly, the bar's back door opened. Tifa flinched, and the bats flying did as well.

"Night, Tifa. Hey, what's that?"

The bat let go of Tifa's clothes, wings beating against her chest as it took off.

"Hey, Barret," Tifa greeted, trying to play it cool. "Taking a break?"

Dumb question, what else would one of the bouncers do back here.

"What that a bat on you?" Barret asked, hand pointing at where it had just been.

"Uh, yeah. It landed on me. Guess you scared it off."

He didn't look impressed by her attempt to act nonchalant. "Tifa, those things carry rabies, you know that?"

"It didn't bite me," she said, showing him her hands.

"Well they might carry it on the fur. Maybe one with rabies drooled on it or something."

That was dramatic. Although Tifa could admit that in his position she also would be worried. It wasn't as if she could explain to him what was happening.

"I'll go wash my hands," she said. "And I can go get an anti-rabies shot if it comes down to it."

He waved his finger at her. "You do that. It's nasty shit, and you shouldn't go around touching strange animals. Not just rabies too, they can carry all sort of sickness."

"I'm not a kid, Barret," she told him.

Barret did look a little sheepish at that. "Course not. It's just hard turning off the dad brain, alright?"

"I know," she said. "Well, I've been out here for a bit. I'll go clean my hands and take some work off Jessie."

She went back into the building, hiding a smile. Her colleagues wished they had a magic girlfriend who came to say hi on their breaks.

Even if it had been just Aerith, Tifa still went to wash her hands before going back to work. It would be unprofessional not to.

When she got back home after closing, Aerith was waiting for her by her door.

"I don't have rabies," she said, pouting.

"Barret couldn't know that," Tifa replied.

Aerith shrugged, looking extremely insulted. "You should have told him."

"Told him what? Sorry man, the hundred bats flying around are all actually my vampire girlfriend coming to see me? Also, didn't you say you bite people on purpose to make them think they got infected with rabies?"

Aerith sniffed as Tifa opened her door, and ignored the accusation. "Well, there was no need to shout like that. Bats have very sensitive ears."

"Eh, that's just Barret. He's not good at volume control."

"I noticed."

Tifa took a step into her flat, and smiled at Aerith. "I appreciated you coming by. I did."

That made some of the mock offense leave Aerith's face. "I was out and thought I could come check on you."

"I was glad to see you," Tifa said. "Do you want to come in? You can wait while I take a shower, or join me too."

"Make way, I need to wash off all my terrible bat germs," Aerith replied, already pushing Tifa towards the bathroom.

***

After the situation at work resolved, Tifa no longer had excuses not to organize anything with Aerith and her friends. Tifa gave it some careful thought, and decided to try with the cinema. They could go to a late night show, starting well after the sun had gone down. No one was forced to eat. Low risk of things getting too awkward, what with most of the time being spent staring at a screen.

Jessie agreed to come before Tifa even finished the question. Nothing could stop her from meeting the elusive Aerith. Tifa should give Aerith a heads up, she knew Jessie was going to be on her most subtly invasive self.

Most of the others were busy, but Cloud said he was game. Two friends out of a whole group of adults with jobs was what Tifa would consider a success. She just hoped Cloud would behave.

Not that Aerith could be scared off. If there was someone who could resist the combined force of Jessie and Cloud, it was her. However, Tifa would like for her friends not to embarrass her. They were all grown ups. They could act like it.

When it came to deciding what to watch, Jessie decided to propose a horror movie. It wasn't Tifa's thing, but Jessie insisted. According to her, everyone wanted the excuse of being terrified to wrap themselves around their significant others and get some comfort snuggles.

Tifa thought Jessie's perception of everyone was not the most accurate. If she and Aerith wanted to cuddle, they could it at home, and without the need for excuses. Jessie was probably on to something stupid. High school level hazing, see if Aerith screamed, something like that.

Aerith, for her part, was down for the horror movie. When asked, Cloud too said he didn't mind, even acted as if horrors didn't affect him at all. Which was a lie. Unless he had changed a lot since the last time he and Tifa had watched on together.

In the end, Tifa caved. She really wasn't big on horror, but she figured they may have a fun night either way. Jessie found a ten p.m. show of some movie about a group of friends renting a cabin in the woods and getting brutally murdered.

Why was it always cabins in the woods, Tifa wondered. That, or anonymous suburban houses where a family of six had been torn to shreds. Did people make movies on haunted flats? Tifa couldn't remember any, but she had to admit she didn't know all that many horror movies.

But it was good the haunted flat genre was more niche. Tifa wasn't above admitting that some of those movies got to her enough to make her jump at shadows. She didn't want to wonder if there was a ghost in her house.

Although there was a vampire in her building. And often in her house. But that didn't count, Aerith would never drag Tifa down the hallway by her hair.

The evening of the meeting, Aerith put on a cute dress she rarely wore and a couple more bracelets than usual. It was nice, but still in the realm of casual clothing. She was excited to meet Jessie and Cloud, and if she was nervous at all she didn't show.

Tifa was a little nervous for her. While she liked to call her friends dramatic, they were in the end good people. She didn't think they would actually drive Aerith away. Probably. But she hoped that they would like her. Aerith was likable, there shouldn't be any problem, but there was the chance of them finding something they didn't like.

Cloud and Jessie were already there when Tifa and Aerith arrived. Jessie caught sight of them first. She didn't wait for them to get closer, rather skipped towards them, with the smile of someone who won the lottery.

"Tifa!" she greeted, not actually looking at her. "And you must be Aerith!"

"That's me," Aerith said. "Jessie, right?"

Jessie did a little curtsy. "The one and only. I've been looking forward to meeting you, I swear I've never seen Tifa so taken by a girl in all the time I've known her."

"Is that so?" Aerith asked, turning to Tifa.

"Maybe," Tifa replied, shifting on her feet. She didn't think she was being some kind of ridiculous, obsessed girlfriend.

Well, Jessie had made some comments after finding out about Aerith that Tifa had had a dreamy look in the last months. But Jessie liked to exaggerate. Tifa was being reasonable about her relationship, she thought.

"Hey," Cloud greeted, walking up to them. "I'm Cloud. Nice meeting you."

"I'm Aerith, pleasure's all mine."

Cloud looked pale, Tifa noticed. Paler than usual. Tired, too. She knew he had the day off from work tomorrow, that was why he had agreed to come, but she had to wondered if she shouldn't have left him home to sleep. His face bordered on green.

Jessie, if she had noticed, didn't seem to care. At least, it wasn't her current priority. "So, you and Tifa are neighbors, right? How did you decide to start getting closer than that, like did she ask you out or did you?"

Straight for the jugular. Tifa thought it would be more polite to have some small talk before ask about a stranger's relationship.

"Oh, nothing special," Aerith said, unfazed. "Tifa invited me to a concert once, and things progressed from there. I think it's you I should be thanking, for bailing on her that one time."

"That..." Jessie thought about it, and her eyes lit up. "Seriously? I had forgotten all about it, Tifa told me she found someone else but I didn't realize."

Aerith grinned. "Well, when your gorgeous neighbor asks you out, the least you can do is to keep going out with her."

Tifa cleared her throat, face warming. "Should we get tickets?"

"Smooth as sandpaper," Jessie replied. "And I was already on it."

She took four tickets out of her purse, waving them in front of Tifa. Damn.

However, Jessie was feeling merciful tonight. "But I was thinking about some popcorn. You guys want any?"

Aerith shook her head. "No, thank you."

Jessie nodded at her, already aware of the medical issues lie. "And the two of you?"

"I'm fine," Tifa said.

"Sorry, too broke for cinema food prices," Cloud said.

They began walking towards the counter, and Jessie gasped. "Your hair is so long, how do you manage to keep it?"

"Lots of effort," Aerith replied, waving her head to make her braid swing behind her.

"Tell me Tifa helps you braid it, because I refuse to believe you can do it on your own."

Tifa and Cloud walked a couple steps behind them, and Tifa took the opportunity of Jessie monopolizing Aerith to look him over. He really was white as a sheet. With massive bags under his eyes, too.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"Hm? Fine, why?"

"Nothing. Just asking."

Cloud shrugged, not quite looking at Tifa. "Work's been a pain lately. I'm a bit stressed, I guess."

"Will a horror movie help with that?"

He looked at her as if she had insulted him. "It's a movie, and I'm past the age of believing in ghosts or whatever."

Tifa wondered how he'd react to learning there was a vampire in the room with them.

Lucky for Tifa, there wasn't too long before the movie started. She only had to endure Jessie's not so subtle teasing for twenty minutes or so. Why she had been worried, she had no idea. Aerith and Jessie were becoming instant best friends, and if anything that was trouble for anyone else around them.

Cloud was more subdued, but Tifa hadn't expected him to be all that social to begin with. He wasn't talking much to Aerith, but he stole glances form time to time. No disapproval as far as Tifa saw. Just vague curiosity.

The movie started like many horrors did. Group of friends in their early twenties going on holiday, for some reason all these city kids agreeing that an isolated cabin in the woods was the best place to go, no major issues for the first ten minutes or so. Then one of them found strange carvings in the trees. The token nerd for reasons no one explained knew they were symbols used by some ancient Celtic cult. A recent bonfire showing someone had been there lately.

It wasn't original. Tifa imagined a horror movie fan might point out all the cliches. Despite that, Tifa had seen overall positive reviews online when she had searched up the movie. Boring plot, it had to be execution then. Concerning.

She flinched at the first unexplained shadow in the woods. For a girl dating a movie monster, she really was a scaredy cat.

As things became more creepy, Tifa started getting tense. Suspense was getting to her. She glanced around, wanting to know if she was the only one unnerved.

To her right, Aerith looked unconcerned. Her eyes were fixed intently on the screen, and her face wasn't more scared than it would be while watching one of those old black and white movies they sometimes found late at night. She was sprawled in her seat, posture relaxed.

Easy for her. What did a vampire have to fear? Not serial killers, not ghosts, not demonic possession or whatever. Certainly not other vampires, at least no more than a human would have to fear another human. They just had to be wary of vampire hunters. And none of the characters in the movie was one.

The first spilled blood was one of the boys getting his leg caught in a bear trap left around by the cultists. Tifa winced. Her leg twitched in sympathy. Then those idiots of the other characters came to help, and forced the trap open. Horrible idea. Without the obstruction, blood began to spurt from the wound.

It didn't get better from there. While that guy was busy trying not to die of bloodloss, the token blonde girl got kidnapped. She was the first actual casualty. Tifa had to close her eyes, because with blood she could deal, but she drew a line at intestines.

By the time the interval came around, two of the five characters were dead, the bear trap guy was still dying, and the murder cultist had dipped his feet into cannibalism as well. Tifa very much appreciated the break. She couldn't relate less to the horror aficionados two rows behind them, complaining that intervals broke immersion.

"Well, it's intense," Jessie said. Her voice came off a little too casual to be genuine.

"It's a horror, what did you expect?" Cloud asked. Carefully curated neutral voice from him as well.

Aerith nudged Tifa. "Come with me to the bathroom for a moment?"

Tifa frowned. Aerith didn't need to use bathrooms. She was staring at Tifa with a strange expression. Something glinted in her eyes. It told Tifa it would be best to have a conversation just the two of them.

"We'll be right back," Tifa told the others.

There was nobody but them in the women's bathroom. Before Tifa could ask what the matter was, Aerith spun her around and pressed their mouths together. Tifa made a muffled sound of surprise. Aerith's hungry, insistent lips against hers were the last thing she had expected.

"What was that for?" she gasped, when Aerith allowed her to breathe.

"I needed to do that."

Tifa blinked. That was Aerith's bedroom voice. The one she used when she was so horny she could pounce on Tifa at any moment. An edge of danger peeked through. Kind of like how she got when for some reason she hadn't been able to get any blood in a few days.

"Why are you in the mood?" Tifa asked.

"The special effects are pretty good," Aerith said. Her pupils were blown wide. "There were many people covered in a lot of blood."

"And that turns you on?"

Aerith smiled, fangs on full display. "It's just a movie. I'm entitled to having fantasies."

Tifa swallowed. "What kind of fantasies?"

Her hands tight on Tifa's shirt, Aerith leaned in, fangs brushing against Tifa's chin. "Like finding a beautiful, helpless girl, covered in blood and dripping everywhere, and we are all alone and she is at my mercy and I get to lick all that blood right off her."

This was giving Tifa contradicting feelings. On one hand, she couldn't find it in her to understand why someone would watch a horror and think of sex. On the other, it wasn't as if she didn't get the helpless and at Aerith's mercy thing. Being bitten very much put her in that mindset. Even sober, it wasn't hard for her to slip into it.

She may be more of a sub than originally thought. It was the least weird of Tifa's recent discoveries concerning her sexuality.

"I didn't know you were into that kind of thing," Tifa said. Then again, they hadn't been dating that long. It shouldn't surprise her that she and Aerith were still scratching the kink surface.

Aerith let out a small, amused huff. "You see, when you're a vampire, the line between a horror and a porno can become very blurred."

"It's a common thing, I take it?" Tifa asked.

"Yes."

The bathroom's door opened, making them jump apart.

"Damn," Jessie said, because of course it was her walking in on them. "Didn't mean to disturb. Although I gotta say, you girls pick strange moments to do this."

Aerith turned to her. She had retracted her fangs the second Jessie had walked in, and reigned away the hunger in her expression. However, she didn't manage to get rid of all the tension in her muscles.

"My philosophy is," she said, and Tifa had to marvel at how collected her voice was, "when something bad happens, the best thing to do is to find something good to distract yourself."

"Can't argue with that," Jessie replied, amused.

Tifa and Aerith left the bathroom, not without Jessie winking at Tifa. Aerith reached out, but rather than grabbing Tifa's hand, she wrapped her fingers around her wrist. They pressed right on top of Tifa's veins.

"We'll talk about this at home," Tifa whispered.

Aerith hummed, leading her back to the room. She acted as if nothing had happened as they slid back into their seats. Cloud barely looked at them. He was busy doing something on his phone, while stealing the popcorn Jessie hadn't eaten yet.

For the rest of the movie, Tifa struggled to focus. She still got pulled into the more gruesome scenes, but her thoughts drifted off. Every once in a while she'd look over at Aerith. Her eyes were blown wide, and at one point Tifa caught her pressing her teeth against her own thumb.

Tifa would file this under things she would be very concerned about if they came from anyone else, but not from Aerith. In the end, it made perfect sense. Blood drinking and sex were tied together for vampires. An artery shooting sprays of blood everywhere had to be the equivalent of a sexy person in lingerie.

Aerith had said she didn't particularly enjoy killing, and had in the past complained about some other vampires who had more sadistic tastes. Granted, she could treat death in a way that was too flippant, in Tifa's opinion. That being said, Tifa would be an idiot to think dating a vampire wouldn't involve some uncomfortable moments. There was no sign of Aerith wanting to gore someone in real life.

Was there any harm in having fantasies? It was a movie. No one was dying for real, it was all actors and special effects. Tifa had had plenty of fantasies that sounded great in her mind, and then made her wonder what the fuck was wrong with her after she had come. Not at the murdering people level, for sure.

But Aerith had said it wasn't the killing, it was just the amount of blood that did it for her. They couldn't cover Tifa in it, for obvious reason. However, a bit of roleplay could be arranged. Not Tifa's first kink, but she wouldn't mind playing Aerith's victim.

With the thoughts occupying her mind, the second half of the movie went much smoother. Murder, murder, death, cannibalism, murder, protagonist striking back. Plus some absolutely disgusting things involving a hammer and nails. Tifa was at horror movie capacity for the year.

"If I ever say I want to go live in the country, hit me," Jessie said as the credits rolled.

"If you ever say that, I will wonder if I'm hallucinating," Tifa replied.

Cloud stretched his arms up. "Come on, it wasn't that bad."

Still playing it cool. Tifa would wish him a good nightmare tonight, if she wasn't so worried about how exhausted he looked.

"Of course you'd say that," Jessie huffed. "What about you, Aerith? Scared?"

"It was creepy," Aerith said. Her voice was cool, unaffected. "But I have to say, it takes a lot to scare me."

And a lot less to turn her on.

They didn't stick around long after the movie was over. Cloud's need for sleep called. He and Jessie would be going the same way back home, so they said their goodnights and left.

Jessie of course insisted they had to meet again. Aerith was in agreement, but also said she wanted Cloud there too. Cloud was mostly confused. He hadn't yet realized Aerith had realized how much potential to be teased he had. Tifa would have to tell her to go gently with him.

The cinema was close enough for Aerith and Tifa to walk back home. They spent a good part of the way in silence, the unsettled discussion hanging over them. A couple streets from their buildings, Tifa decided to poke Aerith.

"I have an idea," she said.

"What is it?"

Tifa licked her lips, turning the idea in her mind. "How about I start running the rest of the way home, and you see if you can catch me?"

The distant light that had been in Aerith's eyes since the movie ended became brighter. "And what if I do?"

"I don't know. What do vampires do when they catch their prey?"

"Are you sure you are prepared for that?" Aerith asked.

"You haven't caught me yet."

Aerith laughed. "You think you can run faster than me?"

"Maybe." Tifa raised her eyebrows in a way she hoped was suggestive. "And if I win, I can look for something at home to... spear the vampire with."

"Oh, that's horrible," Aerith said, giving Tifa a light shove. "Your puns privileges are officially revoked."

It was horrible indeed, but it also lightened the mood. The glimpse of that casual, more silly Aerith helped Tifa straighten her priorities. It was just Aerith. Weird, funny, caring Aerith. Who had fantasies Tifa couldn't see the appeal of, but it didn't have to mean much. They could work something out.

"Give me thirty seconds of advantage," Tifa said, bending down to make sure her shoes wouldn't get untied.

"Alright. Those legs of yours will better be as fast as you think they are."

Tifa straightened up. With a grin, she turned and began to run.

***

There was an idea going around Tifa's head. It had popped up many weeks before, and the longer it stayed the more she wondered if she could pull it off. She had enough space at home. In theory, the setup shouldn't be too hard.

After doing some preliminary research, Tifa decided to ask Barret for help. He was passionate about sustainability. That included growing his own food, or at least buy from small producers when possible. Living in a flat in the middle of a city made being self-sufficient food wise hard, but he had told Tifa he had a set up to grow some vegetables indoors.

"Flowers?" he asked, when Tifa explained her plan. "If you're asking if it's possible, it's possible, but they're not lettuce. They'll need a lot more light than that."

"But in theory it can work," she said.

He scratched his chin, considering. "Yeah, it should. Pretty sure you can keep all plants indoors once you've figured out what you're doing. But are you sure you can't try natural light? Pop them in the living room and keep the blinds up while you sleep."

"Yes, but it's just, Aerith is a little paranoid when it comes to break ins. She prefers to keep everything closed when she's asleep."

Barret snorted. "You're on the fifth floor, and it's not that bad a neighborhood. If someone really wants to break into yours house they'll figure out a way to do it blinds or not."

"Thank you, very reassuring."

"Alright, alright," he said. "I'll see what I can do. Know a couple places you can get things for cheap."

He gave her a couple pointers, and some addresses for both online and physical stores. Tifa found a good cabinet she could use. Not too big, enough to fit in the corner of the living room she liked. The glass doors were slightly opaque. She thought it could be a good precaution, in case the lights were too intense.

Finding the lamps wasn't too hard. Putting the whole thing together, well, it stumped her at first. She had little experience rigging together anything involving electricity, and didn't want to set her house on fire. Barret had to come over to help that afternoon. Between the two of them, they managed to make something acceptable.

"What have you been doing?" Aerith asked later that night, when Tifa went to her flat for some quality time. "I heard your friend earlier, the loud one."

"Barret's helping me with some DIY," Tifa replied.

"What kind?"

"What if we make that a surprise?"

Aerith raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why?"

"So your girlfriend can show off how good she is at building things and you don't have to see all the failed attempts it will take me to get there."

It was clear that didn't kill Aerith's curiosity. If anything, it made it worse. But Aerith behaved, and accepted not to go into Tifa's flat until Tifa was done. Waiting wasn't her strong suit. However, the promise of a surprise was enough to keep her in control.

Tifa tried to take care of everything as fast as possible. Once the greenhouse was built and the lights were in place, she had to get the most important part. Plants. At first, she thought about growing some from scratch. However, it would take weeks to see any results, and there was a chance of seeds not germinating.

Adult plants were more beginner friendly. She went through a few stores, looking for something that was already in bloom. Finding plants with similar requirements would be for the best, and Tifa hoped she had done her research right on it.

After a week in her care, they weren't dead. She counted it as a success. At that point, it was time to show Aerith.

"You are finally letting me see your mysterious project?" Aerith said, when Tifa asked her to come to her flat.

"Yup."

"Lead the way, I need to see this masterpiece."

Tifa had to refrain from wringing her hands together as she led the way. In theory, Aerith should like it. But they hadn't talked about it except for that one time ages before, so Tifa couldn't be sure. What if Aerith didn't appreciate it? What if she didn't like the plants Tifa had gotten?

Too late for that now. Tifa had done it, and she could only hope it was appreciated. If not, she'd survive.

She hoped the lights wouldn't be a problem. While they were made to simulate sunlight, they weren't as intense. To be safe, Tifa had made sure to turn them off first.

Aerith followed her, and immediately noticed the greenhouse. Seeing it, she froze.

"Do you like it?" Tifa asked, trying to keep her voice even.

After a long, nerve-wracking pause, Aerith asked, "You made all of this for flowers?"

"I thought you would like it," Tifa said. Then, as if to defend herself, "and I like flowers too, they're just hard to keep when I spend most of the day asleep. I killed a bunch of houseplants in the past. With the lights, they should do fine."

Aerith turned around. Her eyes were wide. "You got flowers for me?"

"Yes? I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked, so I got what I found in stores. That's a lily, and–"

Before Tifa could finish the sentence, Aerith had walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her neck. Relief washed over Tifa. She hugged Aerith back, squeezing ever so slightly.

Aerith felt smaller than usual. Like something unseen in her had just deflated.

"Thank you," Aerith said into Tifa's neck. "I thought about something like it before, but I didn't feel safe with the lights. They can't kill me, but they are strong and they could still hurt."

"We can keep them in here, and you can see them with the lights off. And I've gotten some gardening gloves too. They're pretty thick, so I think if you put your hands in while the lights are on they would be enough of a protection."

Aerith took a step back. Her face looked so close to crying it made Tifa feel like she was free falling. She got on her tiptoes, and kissed Tifa.

"I am so in love with you right now I can't even explain it," she whispered.

Tifa had the sudden urge to pull Aerith back into her and maybe scream into her hair a little. "Love you too."

"What can I do to repay you?" Aerith asked.

"There's no need." Tifa paused. "But if you wanted to help with the electricity bill I wouldn't say no."

Aerith laughed. "I'll pay it all on my own."

She turned, and reached towards the pot. The lily was in full bloom. Aerith's fingers brushed the yellow petals, and down along the green stem, almost reverent. There was so much quiet awe in her eyes. She pressed down on the dirt at the base of the flower, as if to check that it was real.

Tifa wondered if she could turn her whole living room in a greenhouse.

***

Nothing in the world was rarer than an entire adult friend group all getting a day off at the same time. By some miracle, it happened. The bar had to close for a few days to an issue that had come up with the plumbing, leaving Tifa, Jessie and Barret home until the works were done. Biggs, Wedge, and Cloud all happened to be free on the same evening.

It was an opportunity not to be wasted. Biggs and Wedge decided they were going to have a potluck dinner (or lunch, depending on people's hours) at their place.

Aerith was also invited. She accepted. The official version would be that she had eaten before coming. The opportunity to socialize was good enough for her.

"I haven't been to a dinner party in ages," she said. "Not a human one, at least."

"What does a vampire dinner party look like?"

Aerith hummed. "Well, let's just say there's a lot to drink."

Tifa decided that was enough of an answer.

It was winter, meaning they could leave after sunset and not be late. Not that being on time mattered much, everyone there was understanding. The only important thing was that Tifa brought the promised potato salad.

Aerith had fun helping her make it. She liked cutting things. She also liked mixing them. Tifa wished she could approach her daily life with the same childlike joy Aerith had while peeling potatoes.

They got there just on time, and Wedge's smiling face greeted them when he opened the door.

"Good evening, girls," he said, letting them in.

"Hello," Tifa greeted. "Is anyone else here already?"

Just as she said that, Jessie's raised voice came from the other room.

"Jessie and Barret" Wedge replied, ignoring the shout. "Cloud is late."

"Is everything alright?" Aerith asked, as Barret raised his voice as well.

Biggs came out of the kitchen, closing the door behind himself. "Everything's fine, we just have too many cooks in there."

"What are they doing?" Tifa asked.

"Jessie is making pizza, and Barret offered to help, there's a debate going on about the proper shape to cut the toppings."

Sounded about right. Jessie's mother's pizza recipe was to die for, and Jessie was very particular about how to make it. Barret meant well, but he was also opinionated in the kitchen. These debates were not new.

Tifa held up the potato salad. "Do you think I can risk going in the kitchen without getting murdered?"

"Best of luck," Biggs replied. "Aerith, hi. Are you sure you're not going to eat at all?"

"I'm fine."

"How can you do that," Wedge moaned. "I would die if everyone in front of me was eating and I couldn't."

Aerith giggled. "Practice."

Bracing herself, Tifa decided to brave the kitchen. It looked like a bag of flour had exploded at some point. Jessie was putting cheese on the pizza with the focused expression of someone defusing a bomb.

"Hi, can I drop something off?" Tifa asked.

"Yes," Jessie said. "Just don't stick around."

Barret was standing off to the side, struggling to open a bag of sliced pepperoni.

"Do you need any help?" Tifa asked.

"No," Barret grunted.

Very well. Tifa was going to find a free counter and get out of here.

"The vegetables are cut too small," Jessie snapped, waving a bowl.

"They won't cook if I cut them bigger!"

"My mom always vegetables has them bigger for pizza."

Barret waved his arms. "I'm not doubting your mom, I'm–"

He accidentally hit a bag of rice left on the table. Why was there even rice there? They didn't need it, no one had said they were making rice dishes when they had coordinated things. The bag fell, and grains spread everywhere.

"Fuck," Barret shouted.

Biggs's voice came from the other room. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Barret replied, kneeling down to fix the problem.

Tifa was running from here. Why were there so many dirty bowls in that sink? She didn't know how to make pizza, but she was sure that was excessive. And why was– Actually, better not to wonder about the three empty milk cartons.

As she went to leave the kitchen, the door almost hit her nose.

"Sorry," Aerith said, on the other side. "Biggs asked if anyone wanted to see what was happening in here."

Tifa felt her face pale. "Nope. You don't."

"I don't?"

"Nothing happened," Tifa said, physically pushing Aerith back. "We have rice all over the floor."

As soon as the words left Tifa's mouth, Aerith turned on her heels and strode away.

Crisis averted. On the list of inconvenient vampire things, the counting was very up there. If Aerith had seen that rice, she would have been compelled to count every single last grain, and no one wanted that. Tifa wasn't even sure what excuse they could come up with for it. Something like OCD? She didn't know if it would work.

They moved to the living room, where Biggs and Wedge were sitting on the couch.

"Is all of that normal?" Aerith asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Wedge told her. "They just both hate being contradicted. If they haven't killed each other yet, they won't tonight."

"Probably," Biggs added.

"Probably," Wedge agreed.

They both survived, in the end. The kitchen door opened and both Barret and Jessie walked out. Barret had stains on his shirt Tifa was sure hadn't been there before, and Jessie had a pained expression and a hand pressed to her mouth.

"Everything alright?" Biggs asked.

Jessie waved her hand at him. "I cut myself!"

In the couple seconds away from her lips, blood began to well up on the cut again, turning it into a bright red line along her palm. Tifa winced. That looked like it hurt. She would guess Jessie had tried to wrestle the knife from Barret.

Unable to help it, she turned to Aerith. Aerith was looking at Jessie's hand with a neutral expression, not betraying any effect. As if knowing she was being watched, she turned to Tifa. One eyebrow raised slightly.

"We have band-aids in the bathroom," Biggs said. "Normal one or dinosaurs?"

"Dinosaurs, duh."

The doorbell rang.

"That must be Cloud," Wedge said, going to get the door.

Tifa's phone buzzed in her pocket.

From Aerith:

don't tell me you're jealous ;)

Tifa glanced at her. Aerith winked.

She wasn't jealous of a friend waving blood in front of Aerith. If Aerith thinking of someone else's blood would make Tifa's jealous, she should be jealous of every rat and pigeon in this city. It was concern, rather. Aerith wouldn't jump anyone over a small cut, but it had to be a temptation.

With a groan, Barret sat down. "And that damn pizza's in the oven."

"You should let Jessie do whatever she wants," Tifa said, putting her phone away.

"She's the one who asked for help!"

"What's so special about this pizza?" Aerith asked.

Barret laughed. "It is pretty damn good, Jessie's mom worked magic in that recipe. But she needs to chill out."

"Unlike you," Tifa said.

"I'm as cool and reasonable as a damn robot!"

That was when Cloud walked in, looking winded.

"Hey," he said, holding up a bag. "I brought muffins."

Store bought, of course. Cloud's cooking skills didn't go far enough to bake.

There were no more food related accidents or arguments. Once Jessie declared the pizza to be ready, they all grabbed something to eat and went to sit in the living room. The kitchen was too small, and also a mess. Biggs loudly complained about all the cleaning up he would have to do.

The couch was far from enough for all of them, seating three people at most. Chairs got dragged over from around the house. People insisted for Aerith to have a spot on the couch, a privilege granted by being the newest of the group and the only significant other present. Tifa, of course, had to sit next to her. Everyone aww'ed at them, sitting next to each other. One would think they'd never seen a couple before.

"So are the rest of you single?" Aerith asked.

Jessie put a hand on her chest. "Do you have to attack us like that?"

"Yeah, we're single," Biggs said. "Except for Barret. How's the polycule?"

"They're good," Barret replied. "Dyne was busy, so Myrna, Eleanor and Marlene are having a girls night."

"You could have brought Marlene," Jessie said, with her mouth full. "Aerith's never met her, right?"

Aerith shook her head. "Nope."

That opened the floodgates. Barret fished out his phone, and began to give Aerith the tour of his family pictures.

"If it keeps on like this Marlene will get old enough to marry before I find someone," Jessie commented.

Wedge leaned towards her, patting her shoulder. "It's okay, Jessie. If you get really desperate, we can always set you up with Cloud."

"Hey," Cloud said. Tifa presumed it was what he said, at least. Hard to tell when he had stuffed his mouth like a starving hamster.

Tifa relaxed against the back of the couch. Not only had she gotten a girlfriend, but she was also funny and charming and beautiful. Everyone else could envy her.

The evening continued smoothly enough. Talks about food, about relatives and other friends, some general catching up. At some point, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie got to reminiscing about the good old days of school. Which was when trouble came.

"Jess," Biggs said with a grin, "remember when we were in like the second year of high school, when you tried to convince our lit teacher to teach us Twilight?"

Jessie groaned, head falling back. "At least it was more interesting than anything she wanted us to read."

"And it had sexy sparkly vampires," Wedge added.

"Yes, it had sexy sparkly vampires," Jessie said, raising her hands in the air. "How horrible of me! What teenage girl doesn't want cheesy vampire romance? Tifa, Aerith, back me up on this one."

"I, ah..."

"I'm sorry, Twilight wasn't my thing," Aerith said, while Tifa tried to find a way to overcome how uncomfortable she suddenly was.

"Oh, come on." Jessie leaned forward on her chair, elbows on her knees. "Why not?"

"Maybe she just thought the sparkles were stupid," Biggs said.

"I'm sorry," Aerith said, "vampire books don't... do it for me."

Wedge nodded. "Right? Who would want to be with a blood drinking monster?"

The comment made Tifa a little offended on Aerith's part. However, it wasn't as if she could blame Wedge for it. He had no way of knowing vampires existed, let alone that one was in the room with them. Aerith didn't look offended. Still, it couldn't be nice to hear it.

"Look, it's about trust," Jessie said. "Don't you get it, the appeal of something that could kill you but loves you too much for it?"

"Until the pretty boy slips and accidentally drinks you dry while giving you a hickey," Biggs laughed.

"It wouldn't work like that," Tifa said.

Everyone turned to her. Shit.

She cleared her throat, trying to think fast. "I mean, how much blood does a human being have? A few liters? That's a lot to drink for a single vampire, how could he accidentally drain you?"

She glanced at Aerith. She looked a lot like she wanted to start laughing.

"You've thought about this," Barret said. "Sure you weren't into the sparkles too?"

"I'm with Tifa," Cloud popped in, after having been silent for a while. "It doesn't make sense to be able to drink a whole person's worth of blood, it can't fit into a normal sized stomach."

Silently, Tifa thanked Cloud for this show of logical thinking.

Barret shrugged. "Depends on who's being drank. Like, you can't have that much blood in you. No space for it."

Cloud flipped him off.

"Was Cloud into Twilight too?" Wedge asked.

"No," Cloud replied.

Wedge turned to Tifa. "You knew him in school. What's his embarrassing deal?"

"No, wait," Jessie said, just as Cloud's eyes widened in panic. "We have a bigger question here, and one that needs to be addressed if we are to establish new members of this group. Aerith, what was your embarrassing deal?"

Everyone turned to her. Tifa wondered how would Aerith get out of this situation. No embarrassing trend of the time Aerith had been high school aged would mean anything here. Then again, she wasn't forced to answer. She could avoid the question and no one would be able to pry.

Aerith looked perfectly at ease with everyone looking at her. After a moment, and without any kind of shame, she said, "I watch hentai sometimes."

The whole room erupted in screams.

***

It was important in relationships for things to be mutual, as much as possible. Aerith had met Tifa's friends. With some of them, she was forming her own friendship, and even told Tifa she was considering disclosing her vampire status with them. It would be risky, but Tifa would support her.

After more than half a year together, Tifa hadn't met any of Aerith's friends. There were many reasons for it. One was that many of them lived far from them, if not in a different country straight up. Aerith also admitted many of them could be difficult for strangers. Things like a woman who interacted with other people exclusively by roleplaying as a fifteenth century lady in waiting for a French princess – which Aerith had clarified the woman in question had never been – and things like that.

Tifa was also uneasy. Aerith admitted not all vampires were as nice as she was. Some also had interest in friendships and relationships with humans based on mutual respect. Some saw humans as beneath them. Some went a little too close to the serial killer line for Tifa's comfort.

Aerith was understanding of Tifa's concerns. She assured Tifa she wouldn't force her to interact with other vampires, although it would make her happy to parade her around. If Tifa was interested, Aerith assured her she would keep her safe.

It turned out that another vampire, some Sephiroth guy, had been in their city for a while now, and hadn't told Aerith about it. Apparently, he had also found a human lover. Aerith said it was very shocking, because Sephiroth wasn't often interested in humans. Some other vampires said they would be nearby for reasons. They all decided it would be good to meet up.

After giving it some thought, Tifa agreed to come. With Aerith by her side, she would be safe. Despite her worries, she was curious about all the other vampires. Plus, if she didn't come, that Sephiroth's new friend would risk being the only human there. She couldn't in good conscience let it happen.

Vampire social rules were, to put it simply, a hot mess. Aerith instructed Tifa to dress elegantly. Not wanting to risk offending anyone, she dug out her nicest dress, a pair of heels she hadn't worn in a year, and her fanciest earrings. She didn't remember the last time she had dressed up so much.

Aerith also advised her not to eat too much. People would bring blood. Probably not live animals, because the venue of the meeting was on the nicer side, but it may still upset Tifa's stomach. She appreciated the heads up.

They took a taxi to get there. The meeting would be on the other side of the city, where Sephiroth had rented a suite in a five star hotel. Aerith carefully timed when they would leave. They were supposed to get there at midnight, and according to her it would be tacky of them to be too early or too late.

It was all so dramatic. There was absolutely no need for any of this. Tifa thanked whatever god may exist that she had found the one vampire who behaved like an almost normal person. All those people sounded insufferable.

Or maybe it wasn't their genuine personality either, but something they did while in company. Aerith too was a bit off before the meeting. She spent even more time than Tifa debating what to wear, and how to do her hair.

Tifa had never in her life been somewhere as fancy as that hotel. She felt poor just looking at it. Going up the entrance stairs, she was very aware of how thin her heels were. What if they snapped? What if she fell on the floor and made an absolute fool of herself in front of everyone?

She looked around as they entered, holding her shawl tight to her shoulders. Without it, the thin straps of her dress would leave her shoulder almost entirely bare. Other people may think she was cold. In truth, she was hiding the bite marks. Aerith had said it would be best if Tifa showed her off a little once they got there. Presumably so Aerith would establish dominance or something.

The vampires weren't in the hall. Aerith walked up to the desk, looking at home in this luxury place, and gave her name. The receptionist told them what floor to go.

Even the elevators were fancy. Tifa's heartbeat sped up as they stepped in one.

"We are a couple minutes early," Aerith said, pressing a button. "That should be fine."

"How do you keep up with so many rules?" Tifa asked.

"Well, it's not that hard when we only meet once or twice a year."

The elevator went up. Tifa struggled not to jump when it dinged.

Aerith held out her arm as the doors opened. Tifa placed a hand on it. There were few doors on this hallway. Seeing how far apart they were made Tifa wonder if every suite was as big as her whole flat.

"Calm down," Aerith said, as they stopped in front of the right door. She knocked, knuckles hitting the wood with a peculiar rhythm.

The door opened, and Tifa's knees went weak. Aerith hadn't told her her friends were giants. The man standing in front of them was one of the tallest Tifa had ever seen, taller than Barret even. Skin as white as snow, long silver hair, and cold green eyes. He looked like a proper movie monster.

"Aerith," he said. "And your new flame, I take it."

"This is Tifa," Aerith said. "Tifa, this is Sephiroth."

"A pleasure to meet you," Tifa said. She thought she managed to hide the shaking in her voice well.

"Likewise," Sephiroth said. His face and voice were perfectly emotionless. "Come in."

"You said you also have a human flame," Aerith said.

"Hm. He's here as well. Cloud, some of our guests are here."

...Cloud?

"Hello. I'm..."

Holy shit. That was Cloud. Tifa blinked, but the image in front of her didn't change. That was her oldest friend, standing in the middle of the room, eyes widening to a comical level. Should she pinch herself?

He was wearing a button up shirt. Tifa hadn't seen him with one in years. The first few buttons were undone, showing a glimpse of a pale chest. A red, fresh wound could be seen at the base of his neck.

"No way," Aerith whispered next to Tifa.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked. His voice was somewhere between shock and terror.

Tifa didn't know what to say. Her voice had vanished.

"Do you know each other?" Sephiroth asked.

Tifa watched him walk up to Cloud. Sephiroth towered over him, Cloud's eyes level with Sephiroth's chest. One pale hand came to rest on Cloud's shoulder.

"Oh, Sephiroth," Aerith said, delight in her voice. "I do know Cloud. He and Tifa are best friends."

Sephiroth looked from Cloud to Tifa. "Is that so?"

"We are," Cloud said. "I didn't... Wait, Aerith? You?" He seemed to only realize she was there in that moment.

Aerith laughed. "This is brilliant."

"You didn't know?" Tifa asked, finding her voice.

"Sephiroth never said what his new boyfriend was called. I think I mentioned your name, but I guess Cloud either didn't tell him about you or Sephiroth didn't make the connection. And he also never mentioned me to Cloud, either."

"How curious," Sephiroth said. Tifa couldn't tell if this made him pleased or displeased, it was impossible to read him. "A word?"

Sephiroth and Aerith moved aside, whispering between them. That gave Tifa the opportunity to walk towards Cloud. He kept looking real. She was not hallucinating.

"Aerith's a vampire?" Cloud asked, not quite looking at her in the eyes.

"Obviously. How long have you and Sephiroth been dating?"

Cloud licked his lips. "It's complicated. A while."

And he hadn't told her! She couldn't believe him. There wouldn't have been need for him to say Sephiroth was a vampire, but it would have been nice to know he existed.

Wait. Aerith had said Sephiroth acted like he was superior to humans most of the time. Cloud must have been aware of it. He was dating an asshole, and he knew it, and that was why he had never said anything.

As she tried to find words, Tifa's eyes fell on Cloud's half exposed bite. "That's why you've been tired."

Cloud's hand covered the wound. "Don't tell me you and Aerith didn't."

Right. Tifa had said she would take off the shawl. Not meeting his eyes, she uncovered her shoulders.

"Holy shit," Cloud whispered.

"Because you're any better under that shirt?"

He didn't reply. They stood there in front of each other, as Sephiroth and Aerith cleared things between them. Tifa had so many things to say she had no idea where to start. She was going to jot this down as being destiny, because there was nothing else it could be.

At least she wasn't alone in this vampire world. Although she wanted to hit Cloud, for... doing exactly the same thing Tifa had done and dated a vampire. But at least Aerith was a regular girl. That Sephiroth was shady.

"I don't know what to say," Cloud said.

"Me neither."

Suddenly, Aerith's arm wrapped around Tifa's shoulders. "I think we are all at a loss for words here."

Cloud frowned at Aerith, as if she had offended him. "You could say."

"What a coincidence, isn't it love?" Aerith asked. With that, she leaned in, and kissed Tifa's cheek for a second longer than was appropriate.

"Indeed," Sephiroth replied. His hand ran through Cloud's hair.

Was this a PDA contest? Something to show the superiority of their respective relationship? Tifa didn't want to see Cloud be affectionate with this Sephiroth. He was a stranger, and one she had few reason to like. Actually, she had decided right this moment she didn't like him, on grounds of him having been chewing on her best friend for... months, apparently.

It didn't matter if Aerith had also been doing that to her. Aerith was Aerith. Tifa had all the rights to be mad if Cloud decided to be stupid, because she was the only one here who should be stupid.

She leaned into Aerith, and wrapped one arm around her waist. If this was a competition, she was on. Her vampire was the far superior one here.