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Sometimes, too often, Tifa couldn't remember the last time she had a restful night's sleep.
Around her everything burned and black-robed figures writhed in pain. Fiends circled them like vultures, twisted experiments much like what Hojo had unleashed on the beach of Costa del Sol. People screamed and Tifa stood rooted in spot, fear having claimed her in an icy grip. She had failed. She failed to save any of the black-robed figures, failed to save any of her friends and family back home in Nibelheim. Only she and Cloud remembered that tragedy, she survived that massacre, and Cloud—
Weakly one of the black-robed figures tried to reach for her, skin charred to the bone, and she could do nothing but run. Cries followed her, pleading and begging, but she kept running, as far as her legs could take her.
Steel echoed beneath her feet, and she found herself again in the ruined hull of the Shinra-8. She slowed, her breath ragged, and no longer did she smell burning flesh. Instead, a copper scent filled her nose, and when she looked down at herself, the front of her white shirt had become stained with blood.
Sharp pain shot through her abdomen, and she screamed as she fell to her knees. She had a scar on her chest. It was proof that she had survived. Skin grafts had erased most of it, but not all, a stark reminder. She had survived, and blood rolled down her front.
Behind her a monster roared, and she whipped her head around, seeing that creature known as Jenova, the same that had attacked the Shinra-8. Again, it was a large, pulsing mass, its tentacles thrashing wildly. It screamed, an inhuman wail, and Tifa clapped her hands over her ears.
She had to run, she told herself. Alone and bleeding as she was, she had no hope of winning against such a monster. But she was so very tired.
One of the tentacles lashed out, striking Tifa in the side and sending her into a hard steel wall. Her vision went blank for a moment as pain shot through her entire body, and she slumped to the floor. Trembling, she tried to get back to her feet, but a tentacle seized her around the neck and jerked her forward.
Immediately her hands went to the tentacle crushing her throat, but it only squeezed tighter, cutting off her air completely. Choking, she scratched at the tentacle, drawing dark blood, and Jenova lifted her off her feet. Her legs dangled helplessly and her chest burned, lungs aching for air.
Her vision blurred and darkened, and she couldn't breathe at all. Jenova simply watched her, its tentacle constricting even more around her throat. She gagged, saliva trailing from the corner of her lips, but no matter how hard she thrashed and kicked, that tentacle strangling her remained tight.
Blood pounding in her ears, her hands soon fell weakly to her sides. Jenova drew her closer, as if curious, the tentacle around her throat tightening just a little more, and her vision went entirely black as she heard something crack.
"Tifa?"
She forced her eyes open, a soft hand caressing her cheek, and saw Aerith at her bedside. She remembered now. They were at Johnny's inn in Costa del Sol, resting after battling Hojo's monstrous experiments. "Aerith?" she said groggily.
"I heard you moaning and thrashing, so I wanted to check on you." Aerith smiled sheepishly. "The walls are really thin. Johnny has his work cut out for him if he wants to turn this place around."
Carefully Tifa touched her throat, and her fingers trailed to her chest, and still her heart raced. "I didn't mean to disturb you," she said in a soft voice.
Aerith shook her head. "Oh, no, not at all! I couldn't sleep either." She paused a moment, and Tifa saw her jaw tremble just slightly. "It's… been a lot lately, you know?"
Tifa chewed her lip. In the morning, they would continue their journey to find Sephiroth, a man who was supposed to be dead. No promises of peace or security awaited them on this journey. She knew that. Even so, she still wanted this all-too-brief moment of peace. "Could you stay with me tonight?" she asked before she lost her nerve.
Aerith's green eyes went wide for a moment, and her smile grew more sincere. "Of course!" she exclaimed, and both she and Tifa lay together on the bed. She reached out a gentle hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Tifa's ear. "Was it a nightmare?"
"Yes," Tifa replied, and Aerith's fingers were so very soft and gentle. "It was… of Nibelheim, and then what happened on the Shinra-8…"
"I see." Aerith drew her fingers down the side of Tifa's neck, and Tifa shivered beneath that tender touch. "Well, I'm here for you now, so I'll do what I can to keep those nightmares away."
"Thank you, Aerith." Tifa let out a faint chuckle. "You know, thinking about it, I've never shared a bed with anyone like this since I was a child with my parents."
"Huh, neither have I." Aerith's hand settled on Tifa's arm. "It's different when you're not a child anymore, isn't it?"
Wordlessly Tifa pulled Aerith into her arms, embracing tightly. Aerith was warm and soft in Tifa's arms, but within that slender body was the strength she admired so much. On their journey together, she'd seen both the hell Aerith had suffered and how strong she was. On the Shinra-8, Aerith had told Tifa about the isolation she and her birth mother had endured, and that Aerith could still smile after all that and see beauty in this dying world - she truly was strong, Tifa could not help but think.
Aerith let out a faint chuckle as she slipped her fingers beneath Tifa's chin to lift her gaze. "You're strong, Tifa," she said, and before Tifa could say anything more, pressed her lips to Tifa's.
They had only known each other less than a month, and already Tifa could say that Aerith was the bravest woman she knew.
Their hands tugged at each other's clothing, and as Aerith helped pull off Tifa's shirt and bra, her eyes went wide upon seeing Tifa's bared breasts. Blushing, Tifa tried to cross her arms over her chest, but Aerith gently touched the remnants of her scar and she froze. Because of the skin grafts, she could still wear swimsuits and low-cut dresses, but such a scar couldn't be erased entirely. Aerith bent to brush her lips against the scar, a soft, comforting kiss.
"Aerith…" was all Tifa could say.
"You're strong," Aerith said again, a heated smile on her lips. She cupped Tifa's breasts, her hands eager and confident, and closed the distance between them with another kiss.
Whatever fears and worries Tifa had were temporarily forgotten the more Aerith kissed her and fondled her breasts. They kept their voices quiet, knowing how thin these walls were, but that was made difficult when Aerith squeezed her breasts both gently and firmly, rolling tightening nipples between her fingers, and Tifa's body squirmed beneath hers. She left kisses all over Tifa's skin, and Tifa put her arms around Aerith's back, drawing her closer. She'd never held another person like this before, and Aerith's body felt so right against hers.
In these moments, as Aerith's hands trailed lower, finding their way between Tifa's thighs, the pleasure Aerith gave her was more than she could've asked for.
Eventually they calmed and simply held each other on the bed, their bodies still nude. Aerith threaded her fingers through Tifa's hair, and that touch truly was warm and gentle. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.
"Mm, a little bit," Tifa replied with a weak laugh. "I don't think I'll have another nightmare, at least."
"That's good." Again Aerith laid a hand on one of Tifa's breasts and gave the tender flesh a gentle squeeze. "They really are big, aren't they…?"
Were it anyone other than Aerith, Tifa might've been affronted at such a comment, but instead she simply laughed. She cupped Aerith's face and kissed her again, a kiss that Aerith eagerly welcomed. For tonight at least, they could share this small bit of comfort.