Chapter Text
Cloud nearly knocks Tifa over when he nudges her arm away as she hands money over to the hot dog vendor. “I got this,” he tells her firmly, pulling her upright by the elbow and giving it an apologetic squeeze before hurriedly thrusting his gil into the bemused vendor’s waiting hand.
“But…” Tifa watches as the gil drops into the cash register with an equally bemused look on her face. “Cloud… you don’t…”
She meets his gaze, and he raises his eyebrows at her, a ghost of a smirk on his lips as if daring her to say it outright. She does.
“Have money?” she finishes, clasping her hands behind her back, the gesture endearingly shy coupled with the way she rubs the tip of one of her boots at the back of the other.
“Hey, I have money,” Cloud returns, a hand on his hip, his lips quirking up further when she playfully raises her eyebrows in turn. “I have money now,” he amends. “Thanks to you. And besides…”
Tifa tilts her head to one side when he suddenly stops, as if realizing that he was talking too much. “Besides…?” she prompts.
He looks away, adjusting the sword on his back. “The guy should always pay.”
Her ‘oh’ is soft, something he probably wouldn’t have heard if not for his Mako-enhanced senses. “For meals?”
Cloud shakes his head imperceptibly. “For dates.”
The vendor has to call their attention when their food is finally ready, Cloud taking both hot dogs from the man without even looking at him.
“This is a date,” Tifa states more than asks, blinking, pink dusting her cheeks.
He hands her a hot dog, clearing his throat and not quite meeting her eye. “It is now.”
(Later, she glances at the ice cooler to one side and shyly lets him know that she’s thirsty, too. He buys her a soda and tries not to blush at the way her face lights up, but fails when she offers him the drink, her lip gloss glinting on the end of the straw.
It was the sweetest drink he’d ever had in more ways than one.)