[Here he goes again... doing that thing that he does. That thing that she loves and hates, where he alone can hold her up when she trips, and how it brings all of those complicated emotions to life again, even after she's tried to drown them time and time again. No matter how many times, he always finds a way, whether he intends to or not.
Her hand will be cold to the touch, and when he takes it in his, her fingers tense before wrapping around in a loose grip of her own. She says nothing for a while and uses what little light is shining through the windows to take him in—the genuine concern on his face, and the very same guard that she sees so often reflected in him coming down... just so.
And it tears at hers as well, gently knocking at the singular spot where it's already started to crumble.
He doesn't need to do all of this for her, nor does she want to put him through all of it on her behalf or burden him with things that aren't his to bear, but here he is.
Tifa doesn't have an answer for his question. If he could turn back time and bring all of those people back, and bring her home back, then maybe she would, but nothing anyone ever does will bring them back. Not even an endless dream she never woke from would do that—it would never be the same. If he could send her home, back to Gaia, so that she could finish her fight and finally move on from all of that fear crippling her, then maybe she would, but she knows that's impossible too
No words come to her. Wordlessly, she falls forward until she's resting against him once more. If he can do one thing for her right now, it's this. It isn't much, and it won't immediately bring her back to before, but that space between them only reminded her of the cold, dark hole growing in her heart, that only deepens each day she spends here in this place.]
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Her hand will be cold to the touch, and when he takes it in his, her fingers tense before wrapping around in a loose grip of her own. She says nothing for a while and uses what little light is shining through the windows to take him in—the genuine concern on his face, and the very same guard that she sees so often reflected in him coming down... just so.
And it tears at hers as well, gently knocking at the singular spot where it's already started to crumble.
He doesn't need to do all of this for her, nor does she want to put him through all of it on her behalf or burden him with things that aren't his to bear, but here he is.
Tifa doesn't have an answer for his question. If he could turn back time and bring all of those people back, and bring her home back, then maybe she would, but nothing anyone ever does will bring them back. Not even an endless dream she never woke from would do that—it would never be the same. If he could send her home, back to Gaia, so that she could finish her fight and finally move on from all of that fear crippling her, then maybe she would, but she knows that's impossible too
No words come to her. Wordlessly, she falls forward until she's resting against him once more. If he can do one thing for her right now, it's this. It isn't much, and it won't immediately bring her back to before, but that space between them only reminded her of the cold, dark hole growing in her heart, that only deepens each day she spends here in this place.]