Vanilla Cake Mix

Pairing: CloudxTifa
Disclaimer: For the FF7-RP "November" Contest.
Rated: PG-13
Theme: Hunger

~ "So? I'm hungry for something else right now…" he muttered, his gaze fixed on her, as he licked his lips slowly. ~
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Tifa took another deep breath, the small smile evident on her flawless face, because the air in the always clean and cozy kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of almost baked cake. It was mouth-watering, really. She could almost taste it on her tongue by smelling it alone (which was why she was very tempted to just open the oven and eat the sweet treat half-baked).

For some inexplicable reason, the raven-haired woman had suddenly longed for homemade cake. It felt like ages ago since she'd baked one herself, what with all the drama and sadness that life had given all of them. Her conclusion had been: what harm could it possibly be to give in to her undisclosed desires? She knew for a fact that Denzel and Marlene, her adoptive children, would be so pleased with it. Tifa would surely get a hug or two out of that if she played her cards right. If that wasn't a good reason to indulge herself in doing this, then she didn't know what was (except for the fact that there was one other person in this household who loved her famous cakes even more).

And so, she had found herself in the kitchen, taking all the ingredients she needed from the cabinets and refrigerator. The house was quiet, save for the soft, constant buzzing of the refrigerator. The kids were doing their homework in the adjacent room and Cloud was probably either helping them with it or tinkering with Fenrir.

She made good use of this moment that she had for herself and followed the secret recipe of her mother, which she knew by heart (though she guessed that it wouldn't take long for someone to head for the kitchen, just to see where this divine smell was coming from).

Soon enough, when she was done with the cake itself, Tifa carefully put it in the oven and decided to take a short break and wash the plates and cutlery she had used, before continuing.

After a while, when the bartender decided that she had rested enough, she checked on the cake. The top of it was already fire-kissed and had a nice auburn tint. The rest of it, however, was still a light yellow. With a satisfied smile on her face, the pretty bartender closed the oven door again.

Next, Tifa moved on to the vanilla glaze. "Let's see..." she muttered to no one in particular, while counting on her fingers. "One teaspoon butter... confectioner's sugar, milk, a pinch of salt and... vanilla extract."

The raven-haired beauty unconsciously licked her lips after mentioning the last ingredient. Why she always chose vanilla wasn't quite a secret anymore; even the children knew that it was by far Cloud's favorite kind of glaze, especially if it was made by his lover. No matter how much he'd eaten, the blond would never say no to another slice of her vanilla cake. And then that look on his handsome face when he licked the glaze off his lips...

Suddenly, her daydreaming was interrupted as she felt a light pressure against her back. Although Tifa didn't turn to look who it was, she knew that a certain ex-SOLDIER was watching over her shoulder at how she was mixing the glaze for the cake to a smooth and creamy substance. Before she had even acknowledged him, her nostrils filled with the dangerously intoxicating scent of his aftershave that always made her head spin. God, the cake's smell was absolutely nothing compared to the kind of torture she was going through thanks to him. And he didn't even know...

"Smells good," he noted approvingly, in a low voice.

His breath tickled on her ear and Tifa could feel how the small hairs on the back of her neck stood upright from the close, not necessarily unwelcome, contact. Says who, the woman thought, before shaking her head to clear it from these thoughts.

It had only been a matter of time before Cloud would show up. After all, he always did when she would bake something. Usually, he would only linger near the entrance of the kitchen with a hopeful look on his face, so their proximity was a little breathtaking... quite literally.

"I'm not surprised to hear that from you. Even the kids know about your insatiable hunger for cake... and vanilla."

Cloud hummed, but didn't resist remarking teasingly, "Who said I was talking about any of those?"

If he had hoped to see her blush, then his wish was granted almost instantly; even though she'd let her long, midnight-colored hair fall around her face like a curtain, there was still enough of her creamy (though now a crimson red) skin showing. Still, even if the man had seen it, he stayed quiet about it and the dark-haired beauty appreciated that more than anything.

Despite everything, Tifa felt the need to ask him, "Aren't you going to help? I would appreciate it if you could pass me the sugar, you know."

"No... I like to watch."

Her breath hitched; it didn't escape her what that simple sentence could mean when put in a different context. Honestly, though, what was it with Cloud and suddenly acting all flirtatious? It was nothing like him and if she didn't know better, she would think that he was stoned, or something.

Whatever the case, it was probably more contagious than it seemed, because the next moment, the ebony-haired beauty turned around in one swift move and she heard herself say, "Really? Watch this."

Tifa felt herself lifting up her hand, bringing it closer to Cloud's face, the latter watching her moves quietly. Then, to his great surprise and with a quick flick of the wrist, she managed to smear some of the vanilla glaze on his cheek with her forefinger, marring Cloud's otherwise flawless skin.

A quiet beat passed between them. Cloud blinked, almost unsure of what had happened. He looked as surprised as Tifa felt at the moment. Still, she wasn't planning on letting him know. Mildly surprised (and was it just her, or did he look adorably clueless?), he swiped his own forefinger across his cheek and brought it to his mouth, tasting the vanilla.

"That color really looks nice on you," she commented with a victorious grin, ready to turn around again and continue working on the glaze.

However, before she was able to do so, the blond man seemed to wake up from the daze he'd been in and pressed her against the table with his body. He placed both his hands on either side of her, so she had no way to escape. Suddenly, his face was merely an inch away from hers and his electric blue eyes seemed to glow faintly. Tifa gulped, feeling her heartbeat increase. She leaned backwards, as much as she could without losing her balance and falling. Cloud only followed her, his gaze intensifying tenfold. At that moment, the oven started beeping, indicating that the delicious cake was ready to be taken out.

"Cloud… the oven," Tifa whispered, not daring to look away from him (because who knew what he would do then... though deep in her heart the woman had to admit that she wouldn't mind finding out).

"So? I'm hungry for something else right now…" he muttered, his gaze fixed on her, as he licked his lips slowly.

Funny how a normal, innocent attempt at baking vanilla cake could suddenly turn into a situation in which Tifa was pressed between the table and a spiky-haired ex-SOLDIER who obviously couldn't take no for an answer. Things were about to get really interesting...

With that, he finally closed the distance between them and captured her rosy lips with his own. It didn't take Tifa too long to reciprocate the kiss. Her hands automatically went to his soft spikes and she allowed herself to forget about everything else, as her heart tap-danced across her chest. Even the annoying beeping of the oven became a dull buzzing in the background. Cloud vaguely tasted like the vanilla glaze and something akin to white chocolate. At least that explained why she hadn't been able to find those chocolate bars earlier today...

In the middle of their abrupt make-out session, an oblivious Marlene entered the kitchen, quietly wondering why nobody was turning off the oven.

After all, it would be such a shame if Tifa's mouth-watering cake, or cookies would all burn to ashes, the girl mused quietly.

Sensing that she wasn't alone, the brunette girl slowly turned her head to the table, away from the oven. At the sight of her adoptive parents, she gasped and stopped walking altogether. This caused both Cloud and Tifa to stop with what they were doing and they looked up. Marlene's eyes, as big as saucers by now, were all it took for them to blush and awkwardly step away from each other. Both adults tried to look at anything that couldn't stare back at them until they would get their breathing under control. At this point, Tifa almost started to wish it was Reno who had walked in on them. The redhead seemed to have a knack for showing up randomly, usually when she and Cloud got a little… busy.

On the other hand, maybe it was better that it was only Marlene who saw them like this, since the last time the red-haired male had found them, he'd exclaimed, "Geez! Is making out the only thing everyone thinks about around here?"

Yeah, talk about awkward. Both adults had avoided Reno for the rest of the week.

Tifa bit her lip, wondering what she should do next. It wasn't like Cloud was actually cooperating here (then again, did he ever?). She desperately tried to think of a way to ease the tension in the room, but failed miserably at finding a solution. The flustered woman was about to give up when Cloud's mobile phone started vibrating, making a dull, buzzing sound.

His hand automatically disappeared into his pocket. Almost immediately, he fished the device out of it, flipped it open and said in one breath, "Hello. Strife Delivery Service. You name it, we deliver it."

A light frown appeared on his handsome face, while listening to the person on the other side of the line.

Oh, so now you actually do pick up. How typical, Cloud, Tifa thought sarcastically, but she stayed silent about it. No need to beat a dead horse, after all.

Soon enough, Cloud hung up and pocketed the brand new device. "I need to do a quick delivery," he announced, breaking the silence.

If Tifa was surprised that she sounded so calm (as though nothing had happened) when she said the following, she sure knew how to hide it. "Will you be back before diner?"

Cloud paused for a moment, before nodding. Something in his striking blue eyes flickered when he replied, "Yeah. Wouldn't want to miss that."

Something about the way he said it made her unbelievably weak in the knees and she had to lean against the table again to keep herself on her feet. It was almost like a secret promise…

The blond ex-SOLDIER patted Marlene's shoulder with a heavily gloved hand, before making his way to the front door. Only silence remained.

"Uhm, I made us some cake. Want to secretly taste it before the others find out?" Tifa said, as soon as Cloud left the kitchen.

Marlene's face brightened and she seemed to have forgotten completely about the show that the two adults had performed. "That would be great! I'm kinda hungry, too."

"Good. I only need to add the vanilla glaze."

Tifa turned around to get a knife from one of the drawers, more than relieved that Marlene didn't mention anything about... you know.

Meanwhile, the little girl seemed to hesitate slightly, before adding, "When I grow up, I hope I'll be able to find someone hungry enough to bake him vanilla cake, too."

The raven-haired beauty had to laugh at that and she ruffled the girl's hair affectionately. "I'm sure you will, sweetie."

With that, the woman firmly told herself to stop thinking about a certain spiky-haired blond who always made her so weak in the knees (as cliché as that sounded)... Until he got back to satisfy his "hunger," that is.