Welcome Home
Chapter Text 章节正文
Cloud slowly woke out of his slumber and rubbed his face. Even without opening his eyes, he could tell the room was still dark. He splayed his hand across the sheets and felt they were still warm, but empty.
云缓缓从睡梦中醒来，揉了揉脸。即使不睁开眼睛，他也能看出房间里仍然一片漆黑。他把手伸到床单上，感觉床单还很温暖，但里面空空如也。
He sighed and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was just before six in the morning. He stretched with a yawn.
他叹了口气，看了看床头柜上的时钟。当时是早上六点前。他打着哈欠伸了个懒腰。
Time to get up.
该起床了。
He figured she was already downstairs waiting for him. Even this early, even without an alarm, she always managed to wake up before him.
他估计她已经在楼下等他了。即使这么早，即使没有闹钟，她总是能比他早起床。
He craned his neck to both sides and scratched his stomach as he walked over to the dresser. Cloud pulled out a pair of grey sweatpants and donned them before leaving the room.
他把脖子伸向两侧，挠了挠肚子，走到梳妆台前。克劳德拿出一条灰色运动裤穿上，然后离开了房间。
He quietly made his way down the hall, careful not to wake the kids. If routine served, they wouldn’t be up for a couple more hours, and he didn’t want to interrupt their peaceful dreams.
他悄悄地穿过大厅，小心翼翼地不吵醒孩子们。如果照常进行，他们几个小时都不会起床，他不想打扰他们平静的美梦。
He crept down the stairs and made his way to the back door, entering the garage. Tifa was there, practicing her forms, breathing deeply. Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail and she was dressed in a white tank top and black shorts. She was also barefoot, like him. Her hands were wrapped, as well as her ankles.
他蹑手蹑脚地走下楼梯，走到后门，进入车库。蒂法在那里练习着她的动作，深呼吸。她的头发扎成高高的马尾辫，穿着白色背心和黑色短裤。她也和他一样赤脚。她的双手和脚踝都被包裹着。
He enjoyed training with her, grateful for such a strong and competent partner. When they first started doing this, she guided him, teaching him new moves and correcting his form. He learned quickly, so they moved on to sparring against each other. Watching her fight was amazing, no matter how many times he saw her in action. She moved gracefully, like a dancer, but punched with the power of a freight train. How the woman was able to operate such a dichotomy was beyond him.
他很享受和她一起训练，感谢有这样一个强大而有能力的伙伴。当他们第一次开始这样做时，她指导他，教他新动作并纠正他的姿势。他学得很快，所以他们开始互相争斗。无论他看过多少次她的战斗，观看她的战斗都是令人惊叹的。她的动作优雅，像一位舞者，但出拳却有着货运列车的力量。他无法理解这个女人是如何能够运用这种二分法的。
He leaned in the doorway and began wrapping his hands as he watched her exercises.
他靠在门口，开始包着手，看着她练习。
Tifa blew out a long breath as she slowly moved her limbs, her muscles loosening. Her eyes were closed, helping her focus on the forms she had practiced a thousand times.
蒂法长长地呼了口气，缓缓活动着四肢，肌肉松弛下来。她闭着眼睛，帮助她专注于她已经练习了一千遍的动作。
She went through another, stopping at every position, inhaling and exhaling as she transitioned to the next one.
她又做了一个动作，在每个姿势上都停下来，在过渡到下一个姿势时吸气和呼气。
The door opened. Tifa lifted her head toward the sound, took another deep breath, and ended the final position.
门开了。蒂法朝着声音的方向抬起头，再次深吸一口气，结束了最后的姿势。
When she opened her eyes, he was standing there in nothing but sweatpants, wrapping his hands and watching her.
当她睁开眼睛时，他只穿着运动裤站在那儿，双手裹着，看着她。
Damn. 该死。
She turned around, cursing her wicked mind, as she lifted her hands over her head and intertwined her fingers to lengthen her spine. Cloud finished wrapping his hands and sat down on the mat to wrap his feet. Once done, they both stretched, counting out loud together.
她转过身来，咒骂着自己的邪恶思想，双手举过头顶，十指交叉，拉长了脊椎。克劳德包好双手，坐到垫子上包住脚。完成后，他们都伸了个懒腰，一起大声数数。
As Tifa shook her hands out, she said, “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you today.”
蒂法甩开双手，说道：“别以为我今天会对你手下留情。”
Cloud huffed, getting into a ready position. “Yeah yeah.”
云儿哼了一声，做好了准备。 “是啊是啊。”
She glanced at the white board on the wall above his head. It had become custom for them to announce the score and the rules before every session, even though they both already knew them. Tifa appreciated the little things about their routines; it added to the sense of normalcy she craved after all the years of tumult and pain.
她看了一眼他头顶墙上的白板。他们习惯于在每次比赛前宣布比分和规则，尽管他们都已经知道了。蒂法很欣赏他们日常生活中的小事。在经历了多年的动荡和痛苦之后，这增加了她渴望的正常感。
“The record as of yesterday morning is 30-24, to me. First to twenty points wins. Throws are worth two points.” She shifted, lowering her center of balance, her arms raised defensively in front of her. “Time to make it 31.”
“对我来说，昨天早上的记录是 30 胜 24 负。最先达到二十分者获胜。投掷得两分。”她移动了身体，降低了平衡中心，双臂防御性地举在身前。 “是时候到31了。”
She kept her hands slightly open, and he did the same. For a moment they just watched each other, eyes flickering to catch any sudden movements.
她的双手微微张开，他也做了同样的事情。他们只是互相注视了一会儿，眼睛闪烁着捕捉任何突然的动作。
Tifa’s feet shuffled. Her leg came up in a swift kick, arcing toward his head.
蒂法的脚步拖着脚步。她的腿迅速抬起，向他的头划去。
Cloud blocked it with his arm before slapping it down.
克劳德用手臂挡住了它，然后把它拍了下来。
He threw a punch. Tifa noticed he overreached. She slapped his hand down, took a step toward him, and chopped him in the neck.
他挥出一拳。蒂法注意到他做得太过分了。她拍下他的手，朝他迈出一步，砍在他的脖子上。
“Point!” she cried, a smile on her face. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet now, warmed up.
“观点！”她哭了，脸上带着微笑。她现在正用脚掌弹跳，已经热身了。
Cloud rolled his neck and settled back into position.
克劳德转动脖子，坐回原来的位置。
She remembered the first time they sparred.
她还记得他们第一次吵架的情景。
He punched her in the side.
他打了她的一侧。
“Point!” he said, panting.
“观点！”他气喘吁吁地说。
She doubled over. 她弯下腰。
His eyes widened. He rushed over to her and touched her arm.
他的眼睛睁大了。他冲到她身边，触碰了她的手臂。
“Tifa? Tifa, I’m sor—”
“蒂法？蒂法，我很抱歉——”
Suddenly she grabbed him and spun, throwing him to the mat. He gasped.
突然，她抓住他并旋转，把他扔到垫子上。他喘着气。
Her grin was wicked. “Two points.”
她的笑容很邪恶。 “两点。”
“That’s dirty,” he growled as she helped him up.
“那太脏了，”当她把他扶起来时，他咆哮道。
Tifa Lockhart was kind and gentle, and often a good sport. But if there was one thing she was highly competitive about, it was this.
蒂法·洛克哈特（Tifa Lockhart）善良而温柔，而且常常是一个很好的运动家。但如果说有一件事情是她极具竞争力的，那就是这个。
She punched. He slapped her hand away, but her other connected with his chest.
她出拳了。他拍开她的手，但她的另一只手抵在了他的胸口。
“Point!” “观点！”
Tifa stepped back to reset their positions, but Cloud grabbed her arm. He pivoted behind her, wrapping his own around her neck. She immediately brought her chin down and gripped his arm with both hands. For a moment, they struggled. Cloud’s breath was hot on her ear.
蒂法后退一步，准备重新站好，但克劳德抓住了她的手臂。他转过身来，环住她的脖子。她立刻低下了下巴，双手握住了他的手臂。一时之间，他们陷入了挣扎。克劳德的呼吸在她耳边滚烫。
Tifa blushed. She bent her knees, getting lower than him, and shifted one foot back. It collided with his, and he lost his balance. She threw him over her and onto the mat.
蒂法脸红了。她弯曲膝盖，变得比他低，然后将一只脚向后移。它与他相撞，他失去了平衡。她把他扔到自己身上，扔到垫子上。
“Two points!” “两分！”
She barely had enough time to count. Using his momentum, Cloud pulled her down, rolling so he was straddling her with her stomach against the ground. He pinned her arm to her back.
她几乎没有足够的时间数数。克劳德利用自己的冲力将她拉倒，翻滚着跨坐在她身上，让她的肚子贴在地上。他将她的手臂按在她的背上。
“Two points.” “两点。”
Tifa threw an elbow backward. He shifted off of her and stood. When he reached down to help her up, she smacked his hand away and hopped up on her own. Her face was red, her eyes narrow.
蒂法向后一肘。他从她身上移开，站了起来。当他伸手扶她起来时，她甩开了他的手，自己跳了起来。她的脸涨得通红，眼睛眯成一条缝。
Cloud smirked. “Maybe I’ll make it 25.”
She inhaled, held it, exhaled. He couldn’t bait her easily, but she knew he liked teasing her.
More than ten minutes later, Cloud had accumulated twelve points.
Tifa was at fifteen.
She threw a low reverse roundhouse kick after he’d kicked high and knocked him down.
“Point.”
He quickly got up and pressed her. She deflected several of his attacks before he landed a kick on her shin. She stumbled backward. He grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall.
“Point,” he panted.
Tifa stared into his cerulean eyes for a moment, breathing heavily, fighting to not lose herself in them. Her eyes started to wander to his chest moving up and down, the muscles of his stomach contracting with every breath. She licked her lips and snapped back up to his gaze, refocusing. Cloud blinked and let her go, stepping back.
Only a few more minutes passed before Cloud had her on the ground again. She tried to knee him, but he shifted down, squeezing her legs together between his. He held one arm above her head. Tifa threw a punch at his face, but he quickly deflected it and grabbed her wrist.
“Two points,” he said, chest heaving.
She was getting winded herself. They spent a minute like that, panting, trying to catch their breath. Tifa’s eyes closed and she threw her head back against the mat.
I just need a second…
Suddenly, his lips were on her neck.
Tifa’s eyes snapped open and she gasped. Her breathing quickened.
“Cl-cloud…?!”
He kept kissing her. His grip on her arms did not slacken.
Her mind tried to digest what was happening.
We’re sparring right now!
But part of her responded,
You miss him, don’t you?
“Tifa.”
His voice was low. If his mouth wasn’t right next to her ear, she might not have even heard him.
She gulped. “Yes?”
“Do you want me to stop?”
Her eyes searched the ceiling for an answer. No! was her first reply. She didn’t want him to stop but… these past couple of months since he came home, they’ve been moving slowly. They were sleeping in the same bed, but they had barely touched each other besides cuddling and kissing. Only a couple of weeks had passed since she’d told him she needed time. She thought she did before she could give herself to him again.
It’s been so long…
“Cloud…”
“If you’re not ready, I’ll stop.”
Tifa swallowed again, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, then another, trying to calm her erratic heart. They were both still for a while.
Before she could answer, the knob on the garage door began to turn. Cloud lifted his head quickly and they watched as Marlene sleepily opened the door, rubbing her eyes.
“Marlene, what’s wrong?” Cloud asked.
She yawned, blinking slowly. “I came to see if you were here. I usually hear you when I get up, but it was so quiet.”
She’s always been an early riser, Tifa mused.
Marlene’s brow furrowed as she recognized the position they were in. “What are you doing?”
Tifa blushed. Cloud let her go and rolled off.
“We’re just finishing up. Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” Tifa turned to her side and rose from the mat in a fluid motion, undoing the wraps on her hands and tossing them onto the work bench. She’d worry about her ankles later.
“Who won?”
“Me, of course. I wasn’t going to let Cloud win just because it’s his birthday,” Tifa giggled as she ushered Marlene back into the den. She glanced at Cloud, who only rolled his eyes as he unwrapped his feet.
I should’ve taken today off.
Cloud rode through the wasteland, dust and rocks kicking up around him. The sun shone directly into his face as it set. His goggles didn’t seem to be much help, which only fueled his irritation.
Most of the time, he let these things roll off his back. Mishaps happened all the time, people were human. But if there was one thing Cloud hated, it was his time being wasted. More time spent out meant less time at home. And as much as he loved his job and what he did, he cherished every moment he could be with his family even more.
It didn’t help that his route today was supposed to be easy, so he expected to be done hours ago. Instead, he’d spent most of his day traversing back and forth between Fort Condor and Junon because of several mistakes made down the line. A customer in Junon asked him to make a stop at the fort on the way back to Edge, and he had no problem obliging. Extra gil never hurt, and it was on the way. Unfortunately, when he got there, part of the package was missing. The mercenaries who have made Fort Condor home since the giant bird left would scare anyone else but were very accommodating for making Cloud take another trip. It helped that they apologized by paying him a hefty sum to make up for the time.
It was still a pain in the ass.
I should’ve just taken the day off.
Cloud wasn’t one to make a big deal out of things, so he didn’t think it was pertinent to cancel deliveries just because it was his birthday. He hadn’t really celebrated it since he left Nibelheim all those years ago. While he was with Shinra, the day would pass in training or out on patrol. When Zack found out when his birthday was, he made sure to do something for him.
For his sixteenth, Zack took him to get his ear pierced. He remembered the older boy barreling into Cloud’s barrack as he was cleaning his station.
“Hey man! I got something for you. Let’s go!”
Zack had yanked him out of the building, telling Cloud’s superiors he was taking him for “official business,” and being a 1st-Class SOLDIER, they weren’t going to ask too many questions. It only took a few minutes for them to arrive at the piercing and tattoo parlor in Sector Three. He’d never been to one before. Cloud remembered staring wide-eyed at all the needles and instruments they used to alter people’s bodies the way they asked.
Then for five years he… couldn’t celebrate his birthday, subject to some modifications he hadn’t exactly asked for. And these days he avoided needles the best he could.
He revved the engine, riding faster. That was in the past now. Today, he needed to make it home in time for dinner. He’d promised he would after all.
About an hour later, he pulled into the garage and shut the engine off. Yanking his gloves from his hands, he threw them down onto the work bench with a sigh. The sun had just set, so he figured he wasn’t too late.
The smell of something delicious wafted into the room. He took a deep breath, savoring the familiar smell that reminded him of his childhood. With a smile, he pushed himself away from the bike and through the door into the den.
Marlene was sitting in front of the sofa, drawing in a coloring book on top of the coffee table. Denzel was watching television. Their heads popped up as he came through, and both kids jumped up to greet him.
“Hi Cloud!” they both shouted.
“Happy birthday!” Denzel said, beaming up at his idol.
Cloud ruffled his hair. “Thanks.”
“How was your day?” Marlene asked.
“A little rough. But I’m home now.”
They hugged him tightly. Cloud started to make his way for the bar, but Marlene grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the couch.
“Come sit with us!” she insisted, plopping down in the middle. “We’re watching a funny cartoon!”
He obliged, and Marlene climbed into his lap. Denzel sat next to them and Cloud put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. He leaned back with a hearty sigh, watching the television but not focusing on it. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt the warmth of his family around him, a feeling that was still taking some getting used to. He felt the tension melt away, and it was in these moments that he felt like it was real – where he knew it was real. There was just one person missing…
“Where’s Tifa?” he asked after a few minutes.
Denzel fidgeted. “Oh, she’s… uh…”
The door leading into the bar opened behind them. Cloud twisted slightly to look over the top of the sofa, but Tifa walked around the side of the couch, giving him a better view of her. Cloud’s eyes widened just slightly as he took her in.
Her eyes creased at the sides with a kind smile at the sight of her family. Her hair was braided and fell over one shoulder, tied off at the end with a navy ribbon. Her silver drop earring glittered in her ear. She wore a dark blue sundress that flowed to her knees with white sandals. Her face flushed as he stared at her, and she played with the end of the braid. Tifa cleared her throat.
“Go wash up! Dinner is ready.”
The kids hopped up. Tifa leaned down and whispered, “Thanks,” to them both before they scampered off.
Cloud slowly rose from his seat and approached her. She smiled up at him as he kissed her forehead.
“What was that about?”
“I just needed a few more minutes to get everything ready.”
He chuckled against her forehead, then held her out to look at her again.
“You look… amazing.”
Her blush deepened as she glanced away, her teeth sinking just a bit into her lower lip. He noticed then that she was wearing a colored lip balm, and it made her lips appear slightly rosier than usual.
“It’s nothing fancy, but I’m glad you like it.” Tifa found his eyes again. “I know you don’t like huge celebrations, but I wanted to do a little something for your birthday.”
He caressed her cheek. “Thank you, Teef.”
She hugged him around his waist. “Glad you’re home.” She pulled away and left a soft peck on his cheek. “You go wash up too, okay?”
He nodded and walked to the door, refusing to let go of her hand until she was out of his reach. She trailed the tips of her fingers away from his as he stepped out of the den and up the stairs.
