A Fantasy if Everyday Romance-(Final Fantasy Seven) Cloud x Tifa for S.B. (Patreon)

A Fantasy in Everyday Romance

Final Fantasy Seven Remake

By Azure/For SB

Chapter One-  Heart Locked and Won

***

Somewhere outside the simplistic yet slowly modernizing town of Nibelheim...

"Cloud, hurry up! You're gonna miss it~" A small ten-year-old girl's voice called out to him from afar. She was a petite yet fast-maturing beauty with long raven-black hair tied into a low-hanging ponytail flowing down her waist.

The girl wore a demure teal dress over her small body, with a skirt high enough not to trip her when she ran nor low enough to show off anything other than her kneecaps and a bit of thigh. She made her way over the rubble of a scrapped engine reactor outside of a downed ship. Both she and her friend ventured into a certain junkyard area just outside of town to play with each other, occasionally they'd get dirty whenever they'd play fight or look for animals that were neither afraid of them nor rabid. The girl was looking behind her shoulder to see the small boy with spiky blonde hair in dark shorts and a blue t-shirt struggle to keep up with her. Although he wasn't physically at his peak yet, he still had the sharpest pair of bluish-green eyes she had ever seen and a serious personality that said he wanted to prove himself to her above all.

Tifa Lockhart loved that part about her childhood friend Cloud Strife, it was why they were the best of friends barring the fact that they grew up together as babies.

"H-hold on! *Huff..huff..huff*...I'm on my way." He called out to her and eventually made his way over to the edge of the rocky cliff to stand next to her, seeing the scrapped Engine reactor factory just a few yards away in the distance. It was a science project meant to power their humble little town and create jobs for some of the folk there, unfortunately, things didn't exactly play out that way, leading to the abandoned junkyard that it is now.

"Wow...*Huff....huff*...it's bigger than I thought it'd be. You think that the electric company made a mistake when they built it here, in this location?" He asked, looking at her profile from the side and admiring her blossoming beauty secretly to himself.

"Dunno, but I think it's worth a look inside, wouldn't you agree, Cloud? C'mon, let's go see what cool stuff is in there that we can take. Maybe we'll even find a pet robot or something, huh?~" She giggled excitedly and started to climb down the rocky slope leading down from the cliff and leading into the area of the abandoned factory waiting inside.

"I'm coming, I do think you have an overactive imagination, Tifa. There's no such thing as robots, at least not in this time period. Everything is just....normal and plain, no? The only high-tech thing I saw was that sweet-looking motorcycle back in the town museum." Cloud said back to her, watching her giggle with a smile as he started climbing down the rocky slope with her at the same time.

The pair made their way down the slope together, that is, until Tifa was losing her grip little by little due to her hands being a tad softer than Cloud's slightly rougher ones. Rocky pebbles started peeling down from off the surface as they eventually made their way to the basin of the hilltop they were on, to where the factory lay. But at the last moment, Tifa was starting to really feel her grip slip....!

"Aaaaghh....! Cloud...!" She shrieked out in panic and at the last minute, she saw her blonde friend shoot out his arm in order to grab her one of her hands before she fell down.

"Ahh! I got you, Tifa. I'm not letting you go!" He grunted while struggling to pull the tall girl up to his level and safely scale the rocky walls together before they fell. Tifa was looking up into Cloud's eyes while he grits his teeth and struggled to muster up as much strength as he could in order to bring them down safely.

A certain flicker of light ran across her eyes as she saw her 'Soldier-boy' hero coming to her rescue, struggling to make sure she was safe. Cloud managed a miracle and successfully pulled her up to where she could safely grab onto a few sturdier rocks leading out from the edge. Tifa let out a sigh of relief and thanked him, tossing him a playful wink in his direction.

"Hehehe, my hero.~" She said with a smile and cheeks tinted red, making Cloud feel hot under the collar. They both said nothing while continuing the climb down the slope.

Tifa followed Cloud's direction and soon the two of them found themselves on solid ground, standing side-by-side in front of the abandoned factory with Tifa subtly reaching for Cloud's hand.

"Okay...! Whew, that was close. Next time we'll pack some climbing tools or at least a rope ladder whenever we come here. Don't you think so, Tifa.....?" The boy trailed off until he realized he was feeling the girl's soft right set of fingers curling around his left hand, making him blush with the intensity of a red sun. 'S-she's touching my hand and squeezing it between her fingers. D-does this mean that she.....likes me?'

"Agreed!~ *Tifa blushes intensely* Now, let's go check out the inside of this place and see if there's anything worth looting, hehehe. I'm dying to see how it looks inside.~" Tifa giggled and tugged Cloud in her direction, making him run along with her as they went into the open space of the factory's lobby.

"If there happen to be rabid animals in there, you might really end up regretting it, you know. You're way too excited for adventure today, Tifa. I know it's a boring town, but--!" Cloud was cut off when she turned around and wrapped both of her hands around each of his, curling her fingers over his own small ones.

He was taken back at first, then fell into a trance when seeing Tifa smile sweetly at him while still tugging him in her direction. She was making Cloud's heart stammer like it was about to have a heart attack, one he wouldn't mind having when a pretty girl like her showed interest in him. He had secretly admired her all this time, imagining how beautiful she looks under the right kind of light during sunset. Cloud often pictured those beautiful dark red eyes of hers staring into his own with the same kind of loving smile she was giving him right now.

"It'll be fine because I have you. I....have a hero here with me after all. C'mon, let's go inside already, Cloud. That'll be one of the many adventures we'll be sharing together from now on, besides, Nibelheim is a really boring town. I can't wait to go to the city of Midgar someday. Being out here in the sticks of nature can get a little old sometimes, but at least I have you with me.~" She revealed, blushing bashfully as she brushed a lock of her dark hair to the side while Cloud simply felt lost in those eyes of hers even more.

*Gulp*

"O-kay! I promise if it comes down to it, I'll protect you, Tifa. I'll be like a chosen knight or an awesome soldier that rides a sweet motorcycle into battle with a really large sword." He declared proudly, making Tifa giggle flirtatiously as they ventured into the factory, ready to enjoy their weekend with each other.

Secretly, neither of the two ever wanted to be without the other no matter what. Both Cloud and Tifa secretly had crushes on each other, all they had to do was simply say the right words and get it all out into the air, but they would wait until the right moment to make it happen. Just not today, not yet.

Years later...

****

Within the capital City of Midgar...

Standing over the bar and polishing the glossy surface with a smile on her forever beautiful face was Tifa Lockhart; age 20.  She had already been an early bloomer in terms of feminine maturity, but it was only until adulthood that she had filled out very wonderfully in a very voluptuous figure. The girl had grown into quite a beauty with her smile remaining radiant and upbeat, her hips filled out nicely into a nice round supple shape, with breasts as big as the fullest of E-cups can offer. She barely hid it all in an outfit consisting of a short white tank-top with a high-riding mini-skirt that showed off plenty of her legs. Tifa was the eyeful catch of many onlookers that frequented the bar just to be able to see her in person and flirt openly with her, but Tifa would only make the time of day committed to her job in running the Seventh Heaven Bar. She'd often wrap things up before closing hours just in time to see Cloud here, fresh from his Soldier training.

Here in the city, there was a special task force for protectors of the streets called 'Soldier' that Cloud happened to join in order to strengthen his confidence as a man and a wannabe hero. He was still the same hopeful and inspired person he was back in childhood, albeit now in a more mature manner than before. Tifa would keep waiting until midnight to see him get off from training. It was the highlight of her evening to see her childhood every day, wondering if she'll ever have the courage to confess to him how she really felt all this time. The two of them were still shy children at heart, but on the inside when it came to romance, they were very afraid of the other saying 'no' in regards to their feelings.

"Mhmm mhmm mhmm...mhmm mhmm..mhmm.~" She hummed musically to herself while wiping the surface of the bar counter in circles, but then she heard the doors swing open. "Welcome to Seventh Heaven Tavern, how may I take your-oh! Why, hello there..."

She paused in her greeting when seeing a large gruff-looking dark-skinned man carry a small adorable child one of his shoulders into the boy. She was a cute light-skinned little girl wearing a violet dress over her little body, she had chestnut brown hair in a bob cut hairstyle and looked adorably nervous as she was carried into the bar by the older man. Tifa wondered what their relationship was, assuming they were family at all. She wanted to tell him that no minors were allowed, but she saw that the girl looked rather meek and afraid of her surroundings. Alternatively, she didn't know what to say to either of them until he sat her down on a barstool before taking one for himself.

The man was of dark-skinned African American descent with a crew cut and a prosthetic arm on his right side in place of a normal one. He wore a tight-fitting brown vest over his bulky muscular body and looked as though he had been through the worst of war come to past. There had been the on and off conflict going on between Wutai and this nation as of late, but Tifa paid little mind to current events since it disrupts the business.

"So....what can I get you? I have some milk and apple juice I can offer this little angel over here." Tifa offered, keeping a cheerful face and looking into the small girl's eyes, seeing her relaxing a little more in response.

"I'll have a whiskey sour, light, and a little on the warm side if that's alright." He said, flashing the girl a soft smile and making her warm up to Tifa. she got up on the barstool and made her order as well.

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake, please." She requested adorably, making Tifa giggle quietly as she got to work on it.

"We don't normally offer milk since this is a Tavern, but I do happen to have the right ingredients to whip up a nice big milkshake for you. Coming right up." She turned back and attended to the bar. She was grabbing this and that, then mixing the proper ingredients together to make the child's milkshake. Just then she heard the man speak up from beyond the counter.

"I know it's a Tavern and children are not allowed, but I just...needed someplace to take her and some time to think about what I am going to do about my situation. I've got a lot of problems and one of them happens to be about who I can entrust my daughter's care to. I'm Barrett, by the way, and this little angel here is Marlene." He introduced her in a soft, kind manner before picking up the girl again.

'Oh, I wonder what could be the problem. Maybe he's a soldier for the army perhaps?' Tifa wondered as she finished mixing up the man's sour whiskey and poured it into a large glass before handing it over to him.

"Thanks." He took it and watched the girl hand the milkshake over to Marlene, seeing her smile happily as she had already warmed up to the kindly young bar maiden. 'Hmm, she seems to really like this girl, and she doesn't seem like the shady untrustworthy type. I'd know if she was. Hmmm, yeah....that's an idea that could work and it's still kinda risky since I don't know her, but this girl is probably the only option I got. Damn Shinra Corporation, drafting me in after all this time, drafting me into this goddamn fight even after I was supposedly discharged a lifetime ago.'

Tifa giggled playfully and handed Marlene a little coloring book she got just in case she'd had children come over here with their parents. It did happen once in a blue moon and she likes to be prepared. Marlene took the crayons happily and started coloring immediately with excitement, putting a warm smile on Barret's face until he turned his head in the direction of the woman with a desperate proposal in mind.

"Say, I...hate to ask this of you, but do you think you could maybe watch after Marlene for a while?" He started, and Tifa looked over at him with a confused smile on her face.

"What?"

"I know how it sounds, but I just got drafted into this dogfight between Wutai and our 'Great' city. It's going to take me far away from here where I can't look after her, and I don't even know how long it'll be on top of that. Neither of us has any family members that I know of, nor do I know anyone trustworthy enough to take care of her on short notice. Hell, now that I think about it, we don't really have anyone at all, but Marlene's taken a real liking to you and you do seem pretty good with kids yourself. I'll pay you for the trouble, of course, and provide everything you need to enroll her in school. That includes everything from her birth certificate, her legal papers, and any other information you might need so that trouble doesn't find it's way to you. Will you do this for me? I...I don't have anybody else." He explained and Tifa suddenly felt sorry for the man. She was honestly very overwhelmed by all this responsibility being proposed to her. The fact that this complete stranger trusted her enough to offer guardian responsibility for his only child was completely new and she didn't know how she should react.

"I...uh...I don't know, I guess...? I mean, you have been drafted into wartime after all. There's no way of getting out of that, even for this kind of emergency, huh? *Barret nods* Well, I do live upstairs in a two-bedroom apartment, she can certainly have a room to herself while she's living here. It's just that..I run this bar alone and I don't think I'll be able to take care of her by myself unless--*Gasps!*" Tifa suddenly paused in mid-thought when a revelation came to mind, one that might have everybody win. She would be able to help Barret take care of Marlene, but with Cloud's help. She certainly wasn't ready for this kind of responsibility despite how motherly she was with children, but she couldn't just turn her back on someone in need like this well-meaning man and his daughter.

Although, in her mind, she could theoretically do it if she had Cloud's help, that way it'll be as though they'd be preparing to start up a family with each other like one of her longtime fantasies so long ago. Tifa blushed at the mere thought of it.

'C-Cloud! He's coming here today from training, and on leave too. Maybe he can help me manage to raise a kid and run the bar, I certainly can't do both at the same time without burning myself out.  But maybe, this would be like me asking him to get on his knee and marry me? This does seem like the kind of situation where I'm asking him to take up responsibility with me in taking care of a kid. Uueagghh! We're not even a couple yet! I've never told him how I felt! How will I manage to course-correct this entire catastrophe without making things terribly awkward between us?' Tifa grabbed her head and trembled as she wracked her brain on the 'how' to her problem.

Barret and Marlene noticed this, she was blushing heavily while racking her head in mulling her decision.

"Does the nice lady have a boyfriend that she's worried about?" Marlene guessed and Barret nodded in agreement with her.

"If it's too much trouble, I could seek out an adoption agency and--"

"N-no! I mean; no....it won't be any trouble at all. I mean, sure, it's a huge responsibility given that we just met, but I can see that you're in a bit of a crisis here. I'll be happy to help, I was just thinking about maybe having a close friend of mine, who's stopping by today, might be able to help me manage this. My name's Tifa Lockhart, by the way." Tifa introduced and saw a look of great relief appear on Barret's face, it was as though a mountain-sized weight was just lifted off of his shoulders.

"Oh thank God, thank you for doing this for me, Miss Lockhart. I promise I'll compensate you for everything and then some, whatever you need. They pay me big-time in the army, even though I was supposed to be discharged and unfit for combat a long fucking time ago. Damn Shinra, but at least they pay well for decent veterans like myself. You have no idea what this means to me." Barret said before taking one hard swig of his drink while Tifa simply rubbed the back of her neck nervously in light of her impulsive decision.

'Still, I hope Cloud won't mind helping me out with this. I know he still has Soldier training and all, but....he is genuinely a very helpful guy and a sweetheart all around. Maybe he won't see this as a couple raising a kid together? Uugh! What is he gonna say when he sees me taking care of a kid? Will he think I finally look feminine enough to maybe consider me girlfriend material instead of childhood friend material?' She wondered yet couldn't' stop blushing fiercely at the thought of Cloud and herself doing family-like things with Marlene.

Tifa wound up scratching the side of her face, feeling her heart beating a mile a minute until she heard the little girl call out to her.

"Um, Miss Tifa. Who is this friend of yours? Is he nice?" Marlene asked a little nervously and saw a wholesome comforting smile on Tifa's face.

"He is, he totally is. You have nothing to worry about, we've known each other since we were kids after all." Tifa answered, making Marlene look a little more relaxed when she asked her next question.

"If he is, then maybe he is your boyfriend?" She asked so innocently enough and Tifa's face simply lit up in bright red as soon as she heard her say it. Tifa trailed off silently while Barret continued drinking down his beer in celebration.

"Ummm.....! Can I get back to you on that, sweetie?" She squeaked quietly with a red face, making Marlene giggle playfully while Barret finished gulping down his drink.

"Alright then, what time is your friend supposed to be coming over? I gotta go head to the docks in about an hour, so I need to prepare everything like Marlene's paperwork, clothes, toys, and everything else has before bringing it here." He voiced with concern and Tifa, thankful to avoid the topic of her relationship with Cloud, focused her attention on him again.

"In about two hours, give or take. Don't worry though, I can take care of Marlene by myself in the meantime while you go get everything set up. It'll give us a chance to do a little bonding so that she can get settled here more comfortably." Tifa explained, making Barret feel relieved once again that he found someone he could certainly trust. It was ironic that she was a complete stranger who ran a tavern by herself, but he literally had no other options and could tell she was a good person at heart.

Barret liked to think of himself as a good judge of character since nowadays there was always someone waiting to take advantage of him and trick him into working for free. He didn't like that one bit, but with Tifa, there was a motherly nature to her that Marlene absolutely loved and needed. He just hoped he could trust whoever this friend of hers was.

"Alright, sounds good, I'll go and pack up everything from Marlene's room and come back. It won't take me too long before I return to say goodbye before shipping off, but lemme ask you, Miss Tifa. Is your friend someone we can trust?" He asked carefully and she instantly nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"Of course, I trust him with my life. He saved me from getting hurt plenty of times when we were kids, you know." She answered and Barret nodded solemnly in understanding. "Trust me, there's not a bad bone inside of Cloud Strife, Barrett."

'If only he was just as honest I wish he could be in just saying that he liked me, but then again, I'm not one to judge since I'm still too afraid to do the same. Maybe this experience will help us out more in the long run by getting those feelings out there. At least, I hope.' She thought to herself with a smile, ignoring the beating of her heart a second time whenever thinking about Cloud coming in from a hard day's work.

*****

Rolling on into the small parking lot just outside the bar, Cloud Strife turned off the engine to his Shinra-Brand motorcycle and looked at the Seventh Heaven bar with a soft smile. He was a tall fully grown man sporting an impressive build with an average lean-muscled adult-sized body, measuring at nearly six feet in height. He was just a head taller than Tifa basically. He was wearing his usual trademark blue pants, a matching navy blue undershirt, and a dark blue leather jacket being worn over his chest with an aeronaut's scarf around his neck. His hair was just as brilliantly bright in sunny blonde color and comically spikey to boot without the aid of hair gel. Cloud still had his usual pair of fierce bluish-green eyes and a stoic mostly impassive face that fooled people into assuming he was from the outset, but Tifa certainly knew better. He got up off of his motorcycle, kicked out the stand, and made his way over inside. He was ready to enjoy Tifa's words of wisdom and have a beer after a hard day's work in combat training.

'I wonder how business is doing today on Tifa's side of things. Maybe she finally got that jukebox fixed, I hate that it's always breaking whenever someone gets into a fistfight inside the tavern.' He wondered to himself and pushed open the doors, seeing an unfamiliar little girl in a violet-colored dress coloring in a book at the tavern.

This made him perk an eyebrow in confusion since he thought children were not' allowed in the bar. Looking around he saw Tifa doing maintenance on the Pinball machine in the far right corner of the place. Cloud saw the girl had bent herself over while doing this, making him see how ample and well-toned ass was as it pushed out into that high-riding dark skirt she had on.

"Nghh!" Cloud grunted quietly to himself as he tried averting his eyes, he hated seeing some of Tifa's curvier aspects in public. It always put him at risk of popping an erection right then and there.

Just then, he heard the little girl speak up.

"H-hey, miss Tifa...you have a guest. Is he the guy you talked  about?" Marlene called out to her, catching Tifa's attention and making her look back from over her shoulder at Cloud simply standing there a few feet away averting his eyes bashfully.

"Cloud! Hey you....~" She beamed happily and got out from underneath the Pinball machine. Going over to her favorite blonde, she wrapped him inside of the usual friendly hug, putting her arms over his shoulders, and holding her breasts made him feel uncomfortable enough to blush like a tomato. It had been Tifa's favorite pastime ever since she developed post-puberty during youth.

Marlene watched from afar while sipping on a glass of chocolate milkshake in one hand, seeing how happy Tifa was to see him and knew that she wanted him to be her boyfriend.

The little girl saw the blonde man also blush hotly when being smothered into her chest. In spite of this, Cloud reached back around with his arms and hugged her back, accidentally dipping her and making the supposedly 'Friendly' embrace appear more romantic than initially intended. Tifa could only feel the warmth coming up from inside of her face the longer she stared into Cloud's eyes, feeling awkward as well as having her heart racing a mile a minute before being pulled up.

'Still so full and plump uptop, I know she doesn't wear a sports bra over those large things, but does she really have to smother me in them all the time? It does things to my body and leaves me too distracted with everything else.' Cloud mentally complained, although not feeling as bitter with Tifa's usual teases since he simply loved holding onto her hands.

The two of them stared off into each other's eyes for a brief long-lasting moment, holding each other's hands until eventually letting go with faces flush in the color of red.

'Not yet...now's not quite the time yet. I-I need to tell him about Marlene first before I even try making a move on him.' She reasoned and cleared her throat awkwardly before giving him a smile. "Glad you finally made it, Cloud. I was beginning to think you got called into war right out of training."

"You said it, I almost didn't even get to go on my leave thanks to their ongoing panic with the Wutai situation earlier today, but I'm officially free now for a few weeks to a month. So I'll be helping you  here in the bar until then if you don't mind putting me up that is." Cloud said and Tifa nodded brightly at him with a radiant smile of her own. She couldn't possibly contain her giddiness at having Cloud room with her but was anxious to mention that he'd probably be sleeping on the living room couch thanks to giving the second room to Marline. He turned his head in her direction, noticing the girl was eying them with innocently sparkling eyes. "Speaking of which....what's her story? I didn't even know you allowed kids in here, Tifa."

At his mention of Marlene, Tifa now looked positively more Squamish and decided to speak up.

"Well, see....about that. Cloud, I've got quite a bit of news to give to you today. Let's go over and sit by the bar first, because oh boy is it a whopper." She began and hooked her arms around the side of his right elbow, tugging at him with a smile and making the disciplined blonde Soldier blush quite nervously as they went.

****

Tifa explained everything to Cloud, starting from the desperation of a War-time vet named Barrett to wanting his help in both managing the bar as well as taking care of the kid that now lives with her. To say that Cloud was shocked was an understatement, but he took it fairly well in stride and offered up Marlene a lovely yellow flower he was given by a kindly flower girl down the road.

She immediately warmed up to him and behaved like an innocent little girl just like any other child would, making Tifa positively glow with motherly delight as they got to work taking care of the bar together with Cloud's help. After hanging up his leather jacket and lugging his stuff up the stairs to the built-in apartment, Cloud settled his things inside of the living room while Tifa taught Marlene downstairs in the bar how to mix a chocolate Milkshake drink.

He stood in the living room, wondering what he had just gotten himself to, but he couldn't help notice a certain motherly familiarity coming off of Tifa whenever she was with that girl.

'Did Tifa...always look like that? I can't imagine her raising a kid so early in life, but she certainly has the flair for it judging by how happy she looks teaching the little girl how to make milkshakes.' Cloud pondered as he finished setting up the couch-bed in the living room before making his way downstairs quietly.

He stopped at the upstairs entrance and saw that the large dark-skinned man, who he assumed was Barett, stopped by with a large stack of boxes being carried in his hands. All of it was marked 'Marlene's Stuff', he was about to go help take it off his hands when he heard him speak to Tifa directly.

"Here you go, everything my little girl owns and needs right here in all these boxes. I hope..*Ngh...my back*...that your boyfriend sets a good example for her, Marlene is very innocent and impressionable at this young age." Barret groaned as he set the things down onto the ground, leaving Cloud frozen at the stairwell when he heard the word 'Boyfriend' mentioned to Tifa.

'B-B-boyfriend? I'm n-not her...!' He freaked out and looked out the side of the wall, noticing Tifa had a fiercely scarlet flush of red on her face after mentioning the same word.

"C-C-Cloud is not my.....! I mean he...! Anyway, are there any other things I should know like food allergies or medication, Barret?" Tifa changed the subject all too quickly, looking positively flustered while doing so. This did not go unnoticed by both Barret, who simply shook his head to her question while Cloud felt the same way about her reaction.

"Uh huh, sure thing, Miss Lockhart. Lemme give my little girl a great big 'Daddy-stye' hug before I go make my way to the docks. As much as I hated having to be drafted into Shinra's bullshit, I do appreciate that Marlene is in your hands. You seem like a good, kind-hearted, young woman with a motherly side she's never seen before. Keep that up for her sake, will you?" Barret said softly, making Tifa nod her head sincerely with a sweet smile.

Cloud kept on peeking out from the edge of the wall as he watched Marlene run up into Barrett's big arms, hugging the life out of him like she was never going to see him again. It was almost tearful to watch and making Cloud feel troubled as he remained there looking at the sight of Tifa standing there with a sweet smile. Something 'Clicked' inside of the up-and-coming Soldier in training, he saw Tifa as less of the adventurous tomboy she was in her youth and more like a glowing motherly angel given full form.

He also tried not looking at her breasts again and waited until Marlene finished her hug with her father before coming out from the stairway to greet him.

"Hey there, I'm Cloud Strife." Cloud introduced as Barret put Marlene down and looked at him apprehensively with an appraisal on his rugged face. It was as if Barrett was judging Cloud already to see if he was fit to undertake this endeavor of child-raising with Tifa. 'Is he...judging me or something? I get that he's a formerly retired veteran, but I can handle myself just fine out on the battlefield.'

"Hm hmm! alright, I think you have what it takes to keep my daughter from getting harmed by criminals around these parts, punk. There's always somebody out there looking to take advantage of you and sneak a knife into your back when you ain't looking, believe me, I know."

"Duly noted, I swear to you I will not let any harm come Marlene's way. You have my word on that as a soldier." Cloud countered and Barret grunted with a nod and a toothy smile before turning back to Tifa and handing her an envelope stuffed with Gil. It looked like enough to cover rent for the apartment for the next three months judging by how thick it looked.

"Alright, I'm trusting you two with her life, don't let me down. Also, there is about a few month's worths of advance payment. You have everything in there you need to feed her proper meals, tend to her basic needs, and so on." He explained and Tifa nodded with a serious look of determination.

"I understand, we'll take good care of her, Barret. You don't need to worry."

"Heh, as a father, that's all I can do sometimes, ya know. Anyway, I'm off. Be a good girl, Marlene. Listen to whatever Miss Lockhart tells you, okay?"

"Yes, daddy." The little girl squeaked adorably as she held the flower Cloud gave her in her hands, treasuring it and offering her father a tearful smile as he began walking back out the door. He stopped at the entrance and turned to look over one of his bulky shoulders at Tifa as though ready to say one last thing to her.

"Oh, and by the way. Word to the wise; don't spend more years of your life waiting to say something. Sometimes fortune favors the bold, Miss Tifa. I'm serious when I say that, take those words to heart. Farewell, for now, anyway." Barret waved them goodbye as he lugged his own duffle bag full of personal belongings as well as all his clothing.

Marlene waved her father farewell, feeling saddened until Tifa picked her up into her arms and gave her a very motherly hug. Seeing the girl sniffle into her chest was making Cloud feel something 'Grow' inside of his own. Tifa behaving so motherly was causing him to be more confused than he's ever been in his life regarding his feelings towards her.

'Dammit, does she have to look so....good doing this?' He bitterly thought to himself as night set into midnight and it became closing time for the bar.

******

After helping Marlene get all her stuff adjusted, Tifa went over all the paperwork with Cloud at the dinner table upstairs in the little kitchen of their apartment. They were going over all the details of Marlene's history, finding out that she was indeed adopted by Barret after something happened to her birth father Dyne from the town of Corel. There were other important documents to look over such as Marlene's preferred meals of meat and veggies, her shoe sizes and waist measurements for clothing, as well as all her favorite past-times which included picking flowers and other normal childhood things

Tifa was honestly feeling nostalgic over how Marlene longed for adventure in more rustic, natural-setting type landscapes beyond the muggy streets of Midgar. Seeing her laugh was honestly a welcome sight to Cloud as he sat across the table from her, wearing simply a T-shirt and shorts.

****

"Heheheheh, this little girl. She really does have more excitement in her body than one would think. From the looks of this journal written by Barrett, she's not really afraid of anything like a barking dog or a bug crawling on the ceiling. I like her." Tifa said as she glossed over the details wearing an overly long white shirt over what Cloud assumed to be a partially-naked body.

His eyes occasionally kept drifting over to the side of the table at her long naked legs, they were smoothly-conditioned and elegant in size and proportion. Tifa had trained in martial arts combat for years into her teens at her father's suggestion, at first, Cloud worried she'd lose her feminine charm and beauty when becoming 'Tough', but his jaw dropped when he saw the first time Tifa did a somersault kick into the air without so much as messing up her hair.

He liked to think that some time at the point he started falling for, even more, those deep-seated feelings of admiration that he thought were simply his childhood crush, grew stronger since that day.

"Sounds just like you alright, it's a shame she doesn't have a 'Cloud' of her own to tag along with her on adventures while the 'Parents' are too busy to keep an eye on her." Cloud jokes, making Tifa perk an eyebrow in amusement as she crept her right along the surface of his own, feeling him with a playful smile on her face.

"Oh, I'm sure this little angel will meet her own partner someday, they might have something to brag about like discovering an abandoned town reactor or something, don't you think?" She giggled and looked at the flustered look on his face, seeing that made her smile for she knew how to get underneath his skin. 'Still, maybe she'll have the guts to confess before she becomes my age when running this place. I know I'm still young, but....it would've been nice to have my teenage years filled with romance.....with you, Cloud.'

'She's giving me that look again, isn't she? Why can't she avoid giving me that look? It drives me crazy and makes me want to blurt everything at the risk of making things forever awkward between us if she doesn't feel the same way. Tch, all these years and I'm still bad at talking to girls outside of Tifa. Maybe Mom was right and I should've just asked her out from the moment I first met her.'

"Maybe she will....I don't suppose you know any bedtime stories, do you, Cloud?" Tifa asked, in a soft heavenly whisper as she continued looking across from the table at her partner.

"I know a few, is she still brushing her teeth? *Tifa nods* Good, then I'll tell her the story of the boy with the Kingdom Key that went on many adventures. It's probably the only one I know actually." Cloud answered and left a silence hanging in the air with two of them looking into each other's eyes. The tension was thick and Tifa was growing increasingly tempted into simply rubbing the soft sole of her right foot into his crotch to get his attention.

She had enough of the 'Will they, won't they' routine they've been doing for years. After tonight, she'll see if she has what it takes to both raise a kid and confess her longtime feelings for Cloud once and for all.

"So......are we sure we can handle this? I mean, raising a kid by ourselves?" Could asked, with a bit of uncertainty until Tifa reached over to grasp his hands into her own and offer him a soothing smile.

"I'm more or less positive we can, it'll be a new experience for sure, Cloud. Let's just think of it as another adventure we'll take with each other. Besides, if I'm in trouble, I'm certain you'll be there to rescue me like before.~" She said, making an indirectly affectionate gesture by gently squeezing his hands with her soft fingers.

Cloud felt his heart hammering into his chest even more now, for some reason he was seeing Tifa as his wife rather than his childhood friend thanks to this situation. Of all the many nights they spent doing things together like a trouble-making duo of children, this night was the first he ever thought about Tifa being more than his friend. He wanted her to replicate his feelings should he let them out.

'Soldiers don't feel fear, I'm going to just let it out right now and see where it takes me. I just hope....that it's in the direction I want. Seeing Tifa behave like a mother is making me have regrets about not getting all that out sooner.' Cloud reasoned and decided this would be it.

He squeezed Tifa's hands back, surprising her pleasantly as he leaned in closer to her from across the table.

"Tifa, I--"

"Can someone read me a bedtime story?" Marlen's sweet and innocent little voice spoke out, catching them by surprise and cutting the romantic tension of the moment with a hard-edged knife.

Cloud hung his head in defeat at having his big moment ruined, making Tifa laugh at his deflated reaction before she got up and went over to a sleepy-looking Marlene.

"Come on, I'll start you off on the story Cloud was going to tell you, honey. Let's go get ready to tuck you into bed.~" Tifa offered soothingly as she scooped up the four-year-old into her arms and carried her on the way over to her bedroom just past Cloud.

'Dammit, that just sorta soiled the moment, didn't it? Why did I welch so badly?' Cloud wondered until he saw Tifa passing him by, but not before leaning down to deliver a swift kiss onto the right side of his cheek before continuing onward to carry Marlene into her bedroom.

"Good night, 'Daddy', hehehe.~" She said, winking at him and making him blush like a tomato. Suddenly he felt like he was his ten-year-old self again as he watched her thick ample booty sway left to right after she left.

Cloud was watching her every step of the way, feeling his shorts becoming constricting to whatever was erecting down underneath them. He tried to look away from Tifa's ass, but kept them glued until she went into Marlene's bedroom and closed the door. After she had left, he turned off the light dangling above the table and went over to his couch-bed futon ready to go to sleep for the night.

After a while had passed and the lights in the apartment turned off, he heard the faint sounds of doors opening from Marlene's bedroom and Tifa's own personal one. At first, he paid it no mind and was about to lean back and close his eyes allowing himself to drift into slumber when he heard something catch his attention.

"Cloud.....oh Cloud.~" A voice sang out to him in the darkness, calling his attention to the edge of Tifa's bedroom door. He saw her arm sticking out of it, beckoning to him with a crook of her finger.

'Huh, I wonder what she wants, maybe it's to brag that she's the better storyteller or something.' He reasoned and got up, groggily making his way off of the couch bed and over to the edge of Tifa's bedroom door to see what she wanted.

As soon as he arrived, Tifa's arm came out and dragged him inside in a gust of speed before Cloud could yelp out in peril!*

***

Being thrown onto her bed and noticing that the area was dimly lit with a few candles set in the background, Cloud looked up and saw the alluring form of Tifa's nearly naked body in the darkness, approaching him with a bashful smile on her face.

"No...way....T-Tifa? What's this...?" He asked, feeling stupid for doing so, especially when seeing the lovely buxom angel appear in the dim candlelight wearing a very sex black-lace lingerie outfit over her highly voluptuous body.

Cloud felt his jaw drop when he got a good look at it all, he swa that Tifa's long luscious legs were clad in matching dark stockings with small garter straps attached to a black-lace garter belt. Up top she had on a dark-lace brassiere, showing him the fullness of her plump voluminous breasts barely being held back by the thin straps around her back. Over her neck, she wore a small frilled choker matching everything else, and to top it all off she had done herself up with a bit of make-up, namely some eyeshadow and a fair coating of lipstick on her lips.

It looked like Tifa was made-up for a night on the town, but had reserved herself only for him, and forever only Cloud Strife.

"Cloud.....I've had enough of this tip-toeing we've been doing for years. Now I don't know for sure if you feel the same thing, I'd like to think so, but in case I wind up waiting too long.....lemme get it all out into the air first." She began and looked directly at him with a lovely pair of garnet-colored eyes zeroed in on him exclusively as he looked at her from the bed.

"I love you. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember since we were kids. I know I haven't always been the most feminine thing in Nibelheim since taking Martial arts, but I'd always keep myself in shape and looking pretty enough to make you smile when meeting up with me. That's how crazy I am about you, after tonight...I kinda felt like maybe my clock was running after taking care of Marlene. There was just something about caring for a child that stirred something up within me and before I knew it, I wanted to be with you more than anything in the world."

"Tifa....." Cloud was astounded and watched her crawl over onto the bed, prowling like a sexy she-beast ready to devour him.

"I hope you feel the same way, even if you don't I'll work at making you fall for me by being the kind of girl you've always longed for. So....what do you say, Cloud Strife? Would this 'Motherly' Bartender be enough for you?" Tifa asked, desperately trying to hide her anxiety by tugging down one of her cups to show Cloud more cleavage.

To her surprise, he wasn't looking down into her chest like he sometimes does, but rather, he looked into her eyes and caressed her soft face into each of his hands.

"Tifa....you've always been enough for me, sometimes I wondered if I was good enough for you." He began, surprising Tifa completely as she gently grabbed onto his wrists in an affectionate manner. "I've always tried to come out with these feelings I've had on you since we were kids. We always played together, did things together, took on so many things while being inseparable like twins. I.....I fell hard for you the moment you took on Martial Arts training from that crazy coach Zangan. Since seeing you become so amazing in fighting, I thought that I should try making it big too by joining Soldier. I'm just glad we came to Midgar together, otherwise, I'd never get to tell you otherwise."

"Cloud...!" She choked up and brought herself closer to his face, straddling his hips as she got on top of him, feeling his erection poking out through his shorts. 'Hmmm! He's decently big too.~'

"I think, taking Barret's deal in helping raise that little girl for however long we're doing it....made me see you in a different light, or just made me sack up and come out with a confession, which was then ruined by that sleepy little girl asking for bedtime stories?" Cloud recounted, making Tifa laugh as she held his face closely within her hands, bringing their noses up-close.

"Hheheeh, you looked so defeated at being blocked like that. So does that mean that you.....?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy about you too, Tifa. I...love you." Cloud finally confessed, making Tifa's heart light on fire and shoot sparks into the metaphorical air. She was positively happy beyond belief and over the moon with excitement as she brought down her pair of lips onto Cloud for a deep and profound kiss!

"Hmmm!~" She mewled into his face, tasting him as he gradually started kissing back, putting a hand around her waist while doing so. 'I can't believe it! This is it! This is really it! Oh Cloud!~'

The girl poured out all her energy into the lip-lock, tasting her longtime friend and now boyfriend as they let their lips mingle with each other in the most passionate way. granted it was still a chaste lip-lock, leaving only Tifa to suckle and squeeze his face into her hands and mouth. She enjoyed the feeling of Cloud embracing her from below, running his hands along her smooth highly-seductive body until she felt his erection peaking up even more from underneath her stomach.

They made out together in a steady gingerly-paced fashion with Tifa finally letting out years worth of pent-up need for the blonde boy.

'This is really happening. I can hardly believe it, but it feels....so right, so....perfect. It was like an everyday fantasy in mundane boring life back then, but now it's a fantasy made reality and I want to enjoy every single moment with her right now.' Cloud thought as he started kissing back just as fiercely, leading to Tifa mewling in response as they continued feeling each other up there on the surface of her bed.

"Mmhmm! Hhmmhmmm...! *Cloud...!*" She whimpered from inside of his throat, tasting him with her tongue until she slowly pulled back from his face and sat upon his waist with a coy smile on her face.

Tifa reached up with her hands to pull down the straps of her brasserie, letting it fall down and exposing her luxurious pair of DD- cup sized breasts with nipples fully shown.

"Mnhh!" He grunted yet again and watched as Tifa grabbed hold of his hands, directing them onto her tits without a moment of hesitation. Cloud's eyes went wide in surprise as he felt the softness of her mounds underneath his fingers, getting the impulse to squeeze them sensually and arouse Tifa very much.

"Hmmmm.....! Your hands are so strong, so firm, yet soft to the touch anyway, Cloud. Hehehe. Go ahead, play with them all you like, they're all yours and will forever be, just like I’ll be.~" Tifa cooed, exciting the more primal part of Cloud's brain into fondling her melons leisurely after he sat up.

He held an arm around Tifa's waist, holding her steady and pushing her melons up close to his chest while still squeezing each of her breasts in tandem. The girl moaned hotly and felt her body trembling with ever-growing excitement, causing her to start grinding herself on his hips where his erection prodded the center of her mound.

"Nnnghh! Aaahh.....! Mmhnhh....! Cloud...that feels soooo good!~" She moaned, feeling him squeeze even harder and tug her right breast into his hand, furthering her excitement to the point she let out a blissful cry of ecstasy into the air.

She had tossed her head backward and allowed her chest to push into his face, smothering his face in between each large boob and furthering Cloud's sex drive even more. He wanted to motorboat both of these tits like any body-obsessed horndog would, but this was an intimate moment for both of them and he wanted to take things more romantically with Tifa. She was his special girl after all.

After minutes more of groping her, Cloud eventually pulled back his hands and looked straight into Tifa's face with a determined yet passionate look on his face.

"Are you ready to take the next step? I....I want to treat you in the way you deserve, Tifa. Not simply mindlessly rut into you like an animal." He said, making her cheeks glow as she nodded in approval an agreement, stepping back from his waist and standing up so that she could pull down the thin lace thing she had worn over her sex.

Down it came and Cloud felt his hard-on getting even harder when he saw her drooling sex up close. Tifa was barely shaved, leaving a faint fuzz of dark hair coating the outer area of her moist vaginal lips. Before he could think any further, he lunged his face up into the girl's mounds, taking her by surprise until he started eating her out with gusto like so.

"Haaaaghnnhh!~ C-Cloud...!? Aaahh......! D-don't stop....! Mmhmm!~" Tifa let out, positively reeling from pleasure as she felt his mouth and tongue gorge themselves on her slot.

"Hhmhmm! *Sllupp..schlupp..schlupp..schlupp..sllpp!*" Cloud's tongue magically worked the sodden pink insides of Tifa's pussy, tasting her insides like he had always wanted and making sure his tongue touched every soft surface inside of her sex.

He was driving the woman crazy with his naturally-talented cunnilingus skill, something he didn't even know he had. Cloud rolled his face around in-between Tifa's inner thighs, causing her to lose her balance and crumble onto the surface of the bed with his face still hungrily devouring her sex!

A gentle slew of slurping noises kept coming out, again and again, with Cloud running his tongue sensually throughout the inside of Tifa's folds. She was positively orgasmic by how well he was doing with her, she felt every groove of his tongue inside of her body, making her stick her legs out into the air and leaving them dangling above his shoulders until she succumbed to climax! Throwing her head back and pushing out her chest, Tifa shivered intensely in orgasm and spritzed Cloud's face in all her vaginal juices, wailing deliriously while doing so.

"Hyaaaaaagghhh!~ Oooooohhh.....Cloud!" She cried out, shaking and twitching with each undulation her body made when cumming all over his face. Her pelvis ground into his jawline, forcing Cloud to hold up her buttocks with his hands as she rode everything out to completion.

When she was done, Tifa was laid flat onto the bed, breathing heavily with a blushing smile on her face as she recovered from her sexual high. Cloud arose onto his kneecaps and pulled down his boxers anxiously, exposing his thick ten and a half-inch member before Tifa's starstruck eyes. She covered her mouth in shock and blushed even more when seeing how thick he was and how full his balls looked.

'Cloud must've really held himself back when he's in training. *Gulp* Just look at the size of those things and the sheer thickness of the big thing. Oooohh.....I hope I'm ready for this. Martial Arts flexibility training may get rid of your hymen, to an extent, but there's no feeling like losing your virginity to something like real meat-and-flesh manhood like that. Not that I've ever had it before, I've been saving myself for him all this time.' She thought to herself and saw Cloud get on top of her waist, holding her right leg up into the air while his left hand grabbed hold of his cock and readied it to be sinking down into her sex.

Before he did that though, he looked at Tifa with a blushing look of uncertainty on his face.

"Tifa....if we do this, we can never go back to the way things used to be, you know. Are you ready to....receive me?" He asked and saw the girl instantly nod while curling her other leg around his backside suggestive.

"Cloud, I've been ready for years now. Please, make me your woman. Make me into your woman." She cooed, making the blonde push himself down onto her sex, gently inserting himself into her slippery squishy folds with a grunt!

*Squelch!*

Tifa winced a little and clutched the bed sheets underneath her hands, feeling her womanhood pry open to welcome the thickness of Cloud's meat into her pussy! It was a sensation unlike anything she has ever experienced before in her life and it made her legs dangle helplessly into the air as he pushed himself all the way to the brim in a sensual manner.

"Hnhh! Aaahh.....! Tifa...!" He cried out, feeling her slick tightness squeezed around every inch of his length as he bottomed out of her cunt completely with a sigh. Cloud watched as Tifa shuddered blissfully with her legs coming back, wrapping gently around the back of his waist as she felt him pushing into her very cervix.

She was out of breath at this point, the woman was positively overwhelmed by how much Cloud filled her out. She was mesmerized by pleasure and wanted nothing more than to feel his seed coursing through her insides very soon. A more maternal part of her wanted Cloud to impregnate her, but that was still too early to consider since they just started their relationship.

Shuddering blissfully to herself, Tifa reached up and gently caressed the sides of his face as he settled himself on top of her, with eyes gazing into hers as though it were a dream come true for each of them.

"Hehe, finally here....after all this time. I really should've done this sooner, but I wasn't sure you felt the same way until now, Cloud.~" She cooed blissfully while crossing her ankles behind his back.

"I'm sorry that I took so long, I guess we have your friend Barrett to thank for making us into guardians of that little girl, huh? Let's hope she doesn't walk in on the moment like modern cliches in family sitcoms tend to have happened." He said, earning a giggle from Tifa as he began bottoming out of her sex slowly in a rhythmic passion.

Tifa had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from squeaking out too loudly, the bed started creaking to the music of Cloud's form humping into her from above with powerful thrusts of his waist. She felt each thick inch of cock burrowing throughout her insides, stimulating her more erogenous areas and making her feel the ever-growing need to cum once again. To her, it was just that pleasurable and Cloud knew it.

He started slamming into her body even faster, gently keeping it at a moderate pace in which one could consider it more romantic than erotic. Tifa let out hot gasps of air each time she felt him sink into her depths, filling out her pussy in a swift flurry of pelvic thrusts being delivered unto her hips.

"Mmhmm! Aaahhh...aahh.....ahh....ahh..aahh...ahh! Cloud....!~" She cried out in a euphoric whisper, feeling the man pushing into her body at a steadily faster rate.

Cloud was breathing loudly as well and feeling the girl's sex coiling gently around him as he goes. He leaned down a bit further to be able to embrace Tifa's waist with a hand, using the other one to fondle one of her boobs while he gently nibbled at the collar of her neck. Tifa's cheeks were flaring up as soon as he did that, leaving her mouth gaping as she let silent whispering moans escape her lips.

"Mhm...mhm..hm..mhm..mhm..mhm.....! Tifa...it feels so good. I love you so much!~" He breathed out, making her eyes water in happiness as she embraced him with her arms the next second.

"Oh! Cloud! I love you so much! This is the happiest night of my life!~" Tifa cried out, embracing him completely with her mouth swallowing his lips in the most intense lip-lock they've had yet.

Together their bodies collided into each other salaciously atop the bed, making a series of loud rhythmic skin-slapping noises echo throughout the bedroom. Tifa's moans were thankfully covered up by Cloud's mouth inhaling her tongue, they swapped spit and shared in each other's flavor for the duration of their romantic moment being shared with each other.

Minutes bled into half an hour and Tifa was beginning to succumb to climax, Cloud was going to follow suit since he felt her insides squeezing his length desperately as it tunneled inside. The two of them rolled each other back and forth onto the bed until at the last second, Cloud sat up, pulling Tifa onto his body and fucking her in an upright cowgirl position with her body slamming voraciously on top.

"Aahh..aahh..aahh..aahh..aahh..aahhh! Cloooouuuuud! I'm...I'm cumming!~" She cried out in ecstasy, threw back her head, shuddering in climax as her pussy wring every last ounce of strength from this pulsating dick.

"Hnhh! Me too, Tifa! I'm letting everything out inside!" Cloud announced back to her and thrust himself upward into her sex, making the woman shudder blissfully again as she feels his seed pumping voraciously into cervix like so.

*Spplllt..sppllt...spllt..sppllt..spllt...splltt..splltt!*

Tifa felt rope upon rope of sperm flooding into her womb, filling her up with highly viscous semen that'd otherwise get her pregnant had it not been a safe day to let out inside. At least, she was sure it was a safe day for her anyway. She kept her ankles crossed tightly behind the man's back, embracing him all four limbs as they rode out their climax in each other's arms together for the duration of a minute-long climax.

Once they came down from their orgasmic high, Cloud rolled back onto his side taking Tifa with him. She laid back together with him, allowing herself to be spooned by Cloud's naked body as a trail of semen oozed out from inside of her depths in a continuous manner.

The two of them never looked so happy in all their lives, suddenly their dreary day-to-day routine had gotten much brighter thanks to the circumstances of Marlene's stay with them. Tifa partially considered it preparation for when they eventually do become parents but had still wanted to have this moment with Cloud after waiting for so very long. Having taken Barret's advice on being bold and not waiting certainly paid off because Cloud felt the very same way right from the step.

If only they had gotten it out of their systems even sooner then maybe they both wouldn't have been so pent-up saving themselves for each other.

"*Huff...huff...huf...huff*....so, think we'll make it as 'Parents', Cloud?" Tifa whispered after she rolled onto his chest with a loving smile on her face.

"I think we'll do fine, it's still a learning process for me though since I didn't have a father figure growing up, but Marlene is a sweet girl and she does look up to you a lot. Maybe it won't be so challenging." He pointed out and she nodded in agreement with him before collapsing onto his pecs and falling asleep.

'Dream come true, at long last.' She thought to herself, feeling happy as she could ever be

*******

Together, the two of them worked in tandem between taking care of Marlene like a growing pair of amateur parents and tending to the bar, serving customers during the afternoon and nighttime. Cloud and Tifa's demeanor changed considerably in Marelen's eyes after the first night sleeping in her new place. She noticed they were a lot more relaxed with each other and more lovey-dovey to boot. She thought that maybe the handsome blonde stranger finally made a move on Tifa and was now happy with her as a loving boyfriend instead of a childhood friend. Marlene mentioned as such in the letters she'd give her father while he was on his military trip away from everything. He'd send some back to her as a way of keeping up-to-date on seeing how well she was doing. Before long, Marlene would refer to Cloud and Tifa as her big sister and big brother parents, mentioning how much she liked them acting as her guardian parents.

The two of them would always be playful with each other, sneaking a kiss whenever they thought Marlene wasn't looking in their direction. They would have arguments sometimes, but always made up with each other in the end and stood there embracing right in the middle of the Tavern without a care in the world. Marlene was still worried about her 'Daddy' and prayed that he was safe fighting wherever he was. Weeks turned to months, and before she knew it three years had passed by when she saw him again. The conflict with Wutai had finally resolved itself before Shinra could continue the fight, thankfully sending Barrett back home with a surprise to give to the loving couple taking care of his daughter.

****

"Heh, you two have certainly been doing some growing up. It feels like it's been more than three years from where I'm sitting." Barrett gruffly said as he held Marlene happily in his broad bulging arms, looking at Tifa and Cloud managing the Tavern from a barstool chair.

He looked no different than when he left for Wutai,and as much as he would like to take Marlene back and live with her again, Barrett felt he couldn't leave the army just yet. He had seen many things that convinced him to help train the newer generation of rookie soldiers that come into his ranks. Maybe then, the conflict wouldn't be so drawn out and force him into serving out of retirement again. He was sure of one thing when he made a very important decision; he can trust the happy new couple to take care of Marlene permanently until he is done for good.

"It certainly does, huh? You look like you've just about done with the army though, Barret. Are you sure you can't leave or retire again?" Tifa asked out of concern for the man, hearing how he had to fight so many battles on the front lines and come out strategizing against a very formidable enemy.

"Wish I could, but I can't leave my troops behind. They're all so young and some of them had washed out of the Soldier Program when I first got drafted back into this. I need to train them, teach them until they can be able to handle themselves, otherwise, I'll be able to get out of the service, nor would I feel comfortable leaving a bunch of half-wit newbies to get killed." He explained and Cloud nodded solemnly in understanding as he rinsed a pair of beer mugs nearby from the sink.

He knew all too well that getting into Soldier was a make-or-break kind of arrangement that'll ruin you if you're not too careful. He saw Barrett push out a formal-looking envelope from across the tavern surface, making Tifa eye it with surprise as she held it up between her hands.

"That's for the two of you, after hearing so much from Marlene on how well you've been taking care of her, I decided to make it official and have you both listed as her adoptive parents." He revealed, shocking Cloud and Tifa to their cores and making them look at each other with glowing looks of surprise on their faces.

"Barrett, you sure about this? I mean, don't get me wrong, we love Marlene and we're super flattered, but this is a huge deal. Are you saying....?" Tifa trailed off fearfully until she saw the boisterous man stand up from his barstool, keeping Marlen atop his right shoulder with a smile

"Oh hell no! I ain't dying anytime soon, Tifa. This is just for safety measurements in case I take even longer to get back, and I plan to come back and raise Marlene myself one day, but for now.....my daughter is yours to take care of officially. You've proven there are good people in the world after all and I trust you both with my life and my sweet little angel here." He tickled Marleen's belly, making her giggle playfully as she tried tickling him back, but to no avail.

"Besides, consider it practice for when you do have kids of your own one day." He winked, making both Cloud and Tifa become flustered as the latter held her hands in front of her face to cover up how red she was appearing to be.

"We're.....honored, Barrett. Thank you, we won't let you down." Cloud said as he got behind Tifa, running his hands along her shoulders as he saw Barrett walk out of the bar slowly with Marlene hanging off of him like a happy little monkey.

"Heh, don't mention it, Soldier Boy. Just take real good care of that girl you got there, I'm glad she took my advice. As for me, I'm heading out to spend the rest of the day with my girl here while I get the time. You two have fun being alone now, don't wait up for the two of us.~" Barret chuckled as he walked out the bar, leaving both Cloud and Tifa by themselves with the former caressing the latter from behind with a peaceful smile.

"Well, he really does have faith in us, huh? He even sees us as good parents too...." Tifa squeezed Cloud's hands into her own, smiling bashfully as she rested her head on his chest with a loving smile.

"We....have some time to ourselves, Marlene won't' be coming back for a while if she's out with her father. How about......we start working on creating a kid of our own?" Cloud suggested, making Tifa's eyes sparkle with delight and excitement as she smiled lovingly into his face.

She could feel her heart racing a mile a minute as she grabbed hold of both Cloud's hands, taking him up the stairs as fast as she could, but not before flipping the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' for a little while.

"Come on, Cloud! I want to make this one very special adventure alright, you better be sure not to leave the bed until you're completely drained.~" Tifa cooed, making Cloud sweat nervously as he was pulled up the stairs and hauled into their shared bedroom, ready to fight the most important battle of his life; baby-making with his now baby-crazy girlfriend Tifa Lockhart.

*Cue Final Fantasy Seven Victory Music*

End of Chapter

To Be continued....?

This has been for S.B. Thanks for reading.

*