asreoninfusion

Whoa. I actually finished my little New Year drabble thing I was attempting to do. Within the New Year. Shock horror!

Of course, it may well be complete rubbish. The only other drabble I ever did within a day was quite embarrassing, and in addition to that, I've had two whole, rather large bottles of some kind of alcoholic beverage to myself. I don't think it was very strong though; I feel disappointingly coherent. And while I did make out with my wallscroll of Sephiroth (because of a lack of anyone to kiss at midnight, you understand), this is something I've previously done on a regular basis without any alcoholic influence anyway. Because I really am that sad.

Anyhow. I shall post the drabble regardless, while it remains within the 'New Year' time frame. I may well delete it tomorrow if I return to find horribly awful in the morning. >>;;

(Alternatively, I may do the second half tomorrow, if what I have so far isn't too diabolical. I was going to carry it on to the Crisis Core timeline and have the same sort of thing happen, only with Cloud having an unrequited crush on Zack instead. 'Nothing had changed...')

Title: Resolution
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: PG13. Nothing worse than a kiss.
Pairing: One-sided kidlet!Cloud/Tifa (What is this I don't even like Cloti ._.)

'Happy New Year.' What was happy about it? Cloud sighed, slumping against the window sill. He'd long since given up trying to sleep; the entire population of Nibelhiem (barring the two living members of the Strife family, of course, because no one wanted them around) seemed to be gathered in the town square, just beyond Cloud's window, determined to ring in the new year as loudly as possible.

The adults were gathered beneath the outdoor heaters some kindly misguided old sod had donated to the cause. They all had champange glasses or pints in their hands (or both), and the loud brashness and exaggerated gestures that accompanied their conversations suggested those glasses had already seen plenty of use.

Cloud was more interested in the kids. The little ones stayed relatively close to their parents, occasionally darting round in explosive, miniature games of tag that only lasted until they inevitably got underfoot and had to scatter, giggling, from the wrath of the elders they'd almost tripped up.

And then there were the older ones. The ones around Cloud's age, in that awkward twilight of growing distant from the label of child but such a long way away from being adult. Tifa and the three numbskulls that followed her around constantly were there, Johnny and his sister, a few others. They had formed a little huddle of their own, tense and expectant, close to the well. That was the best place to see the fireworks from.

Cloud got the feeling that the tension wasn't anything to do with the upcoming light show, though. Looked like they'd all bought into the story. One of the numbskulls had started it, loudly proclaiming how his parents insisted you had to kiss the person you loved at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve to stay together for the rest of the year.

Of course they'd gone and lapped it up. The girls were at an age where they were all giggles and whispers and 'who do you like like?', while the boys rallied their courage and their friends to ask if their girl wanted to go ~out~. It was so stupid. So immature, the huge fuss they made out of everything. Cloud was glad to be left out of it!

That didn't stop him looking wistfully out the window, though. What would happen if he were down there? He wouldn't make a big deal of it or anything... maybe just take Tifa's hand as the first of the fireworks burst into the inky sky, lean over and kiss her lightly on the cheek. Nothing special. Just enough.

Cloud snorted at his own thoughts. Yeah, right. Tifa hated him as much as everyone else did, if not more. She'd almost died, that day all those years ago... you didn't forget something like that. And Cloud was the one that had ended up taking the blame; he was the one who hadn't been strong enough to stop her falling. She must have hated him.

Cloud usually enjoyed the village's annual firework display; it wasn't big or fancy or anything, but it was a pretty distraction on an otherwise cold, lonely night. He couldn't feel excited this year though, even as the call came from just outside town. One minute to midnight, fireworks ready to go. Everyone in the square below turned their heads to the stars.

He should've just watched the display. It was the only decent thing about New Year's, after all, and there was nothing to be gained from keeping his eyes on the crowd. On one specific face in the crowd. But he had to see, he wanted to know if...

Tifa's first kiss came and went. It was Johnny who'd leant over as the first of the fireworks went up, meeting her lips beneath the bloom of golden light. It was chaste. Sweet. Everything Cloud had thought the first kiss between Tifa and himself would have been like, if it had ever had a chance of happening.

Tifa smiled, and Cloud felt his heart freeze a little.

He slammed the shutters closed. He could hear the cheers and whistles from outside clear as anything, but it somehow still felt deathly silent in his room. This was how it always was; had he really expected anything different? Everyone else got to enjoy themselves... they had friends, they experienced the good and the bad and had people to share both with, they had dates and first kisses and a life. And all the while Cloud existed in his own silent little bubble, completely unnoticed. Unless, of course, someone wanted to pick on him, and Cloud didn't know which was worse.

He was sick of it. He wanted to be strong; strong enough that they would have to notice him, strong enough to earn their respect. Strong enough to save Tifa, if she needed him to be there. Staying in this hellhole would never get him anywhere.

There was a poster on his wall, ShinRa recruitment propaganda that no one else had wanted. Cloud had torn it down from the noticeboard in the inn. He ignored the text that made exuberant claims over the benefits of mako power; that didn't matter. It was the tall, imposing figure that took up a good half of the poster that had first drawn his eye, and drew it again now.

Sephiroth. SOLDIER First Class. Powerful, deadly, and impossibly strong. Cloud had been in awe the first time he'd heard what Sephiroth was capable of. That was what he wanted to be. But it always seemed a distant dream; he was young - too young to apply to join even the regular army, never mind SOLDIER - and Midgar was so far away.

What did that matter, though? He could lie on the forms. And Gaia knew how he would get to Midgar, but he could hitchhike, stowaway... he would walk it if he had to. All he knew was he had to get away. Nibelhiem was poison, infecting every inch of his mind and slowly destroying him.

New Year's was supposed to be a time for new beginnings, wasn't it? This would be his. He would tell his mom, of course. And Tifa. He'd tell her. The rest of the village would know soon enough; gossip spread like wildfire here. They'd know he was going to become a SOLDIER.

He was going to come back better and stronger than any of them, and he wouldn't return until he'd acheived his dream.

For once in his life, Cloud Strife was going to be someone. And everything was going to change.