( PROMPTS FOR ORDINARY THINGS THAT FEEL INTIMATE | @reember )
[ carry ] after receiver falls asleep in an inconvenient place, sender carries them to a bed and tucks them in
exhaustion had begun to set in long before they had come across the inn, & yet tifa found herself lingering in the common room. though it was far from the largest of the places that had offered them accommodations, the atmosphere was more relaxed and & cozy then the last few they had come across. a fireplace was lit & roaring, & the couches & chaises were comfortable enough to linger for a long while.
that, tifa suspected, was why the party had settled there instead of their rooms, despite gaining their keys quickly after entry. her thoughts of heading to bed early had quickly ended when she'd caught sight of yuffie's mischievous smile, & she'd made a silent promise to keep an eye on her–––– for her own peace of mind.
quickly though, it became evident that she wasn't fit to keep watch. she leaned comfortably against the couch, eyes slow to blink & her head resting against her knuckles. she hardly participated in the conversation of the next day's travel. though no one mentioned her exhaustion, she caught a few teasing glances & drowsily deflected the playful taunts. she intended to stay awake until the group was ready to turn in, but she was no match in the battle against her exhaustion.
one moment, she was listening to one of yuffie's exaggerated tales, & the next, she was being shifted & pulled from slumber. ❛ mm? ❜ her eyes opened, half––––lidded, to see that the room had emptied. the fire had burned out, leaving everything dim & quiet. how long she had been asleep, tifa had no idea, but it was clear everyone else had gone off to bed.
she didn't need to look to know who had lifted her from the couch. battle synergy had made her comfortable with his presence–––– everything from the flex of his muscle to the sound of his breath had become familiar to her. she knew before her eyes even rose to look at his face that she was in cloud's arms.
if he noticed she had awoken, he didn't show it. he didn't put her down, & his eyes remained forward, giving her enough of a semblance of secrecy that tifa felt comfortable studying his face in the soft light of the inn's halls. ( for a moment, in her blurry vision, he looked a bit more boyish, his expression anguished as his head turned to her, but she blinked, & the vision faded )
her eyes shut again as they approached the door, her head settling to rest against cloud's shoulder. she didn't look up as they entered, but from the lack of teasing voices, she was willing to bet that aerith & yuffie had already already fallen asleep.
& she certainly wasn't very far behind.
she kept awake as he lowered her onto the bed. guard lowered and uninhibited by her usual timidity, her hands lingered as though they didn't want to leave him, trailing down his arms until she finally settled on the bed with an exhausted sigh. the covers he brought to her shoulders enveloped her like a warm embrace, and her head turned towards him as he stepped away, eyes opening to catch him as he headed for the door.
though her voice was soft & her tone laced with fatigue, it was enough to catch his attention. she saw him turn just as her eyes began to shut, & his soft, questioning voice narrowly reached her ears.
if he responded, she was asleep before she could hear it.
