Chapter 5: Old Friends and New Choices

Yuffie sighed, feeling distinctly annoyed.

Four days.

Four days.

In which Vincent hadn’t so much as looked at her, or registered a word she said, or – or sniffed her, even. In which Vincent had pretended she didn’t even exist.

She sighed, dropping her head with a loud thud onto the bar.

“Will you stop sighing so much? It’s irritating.”

Yuffie raised her head up to scowl at Tifa.

“He’s giving me the silent treatment, Teefs!” she exclaimed, waving a hand wildly. “I mean, what kind of guy even does the silent treatment, it’s such a woman thing to do. It’s not my fault he’s getting sued!”

Wiping out a glass, Tifa raised an eyebrow in her direction.

“Actually, it’s completely your fault.”

“I didn’t make him destroy that oven, or that chimney, or start shooting at things.”

“What did you expect would happen? Vincent and screaming, hormonal lunatics do not mix, Yuffie.”

Yuffie fidgeted. “Well it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Tifa stared at her in disbelief. “Are you sure you weren’t dropped on your head as a child?”

“Oh, all the time,” Yuffie responded absently, too busy trying to remember when Vincent had been this mad at her before, hoping for some solution. Coming up blank, she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Stop. Sighing.”

“What should I do, Boobs? This really blows!” she whined.

“Have you tried actually apologizing?”

“Yes,” Yuffie replied shortly, trying desperately not to think about that...that thing that had happened in the alley. Despite her best attempts, she could practically hear Vincent saying I will have my revenge and feel his warm breath against her ear.

It had lead to some very interesting dreams the last few nights. Gawd, she hadn’t even known she was into bondage –

“I think Cloud is hiding something from me,” Tifa muttered, leaning against the counter thoughtfully.

“Uh huh,” Yuffie agreed absentmindedly. “I – wait, what? Why?”

“Something Marlene said a few days ago...Cloud got her a toy, and she said ‘thanks, I won’t tell Tifa’,” Tifa explained, looking vaguely worried. “What do you think she was referring to?”

Yuffie felt a twinge of guilt for moping so much that Tifa was only sharing this with her now. “He’s probably just planning on taking you out on a date or something, and needed Marlene’s advice,” she reassured. “Knowing Cloud, that’s a good thing for you.”

“You think so?” Tifa asked doubtfully. “I honestly can’t imagine Cloud asking me out to go anywhere.”

Yuffie scoffed. “Bull. I’ve bet you imagined it lots of times.”

Tifa frowned at her. “You know what I mean.”

“Well I can imagine it just fine,” Yuffie replied, leaping up from her stool. This would require a full demonstration of her super awesome acting skills.

“His hair will be gelled into spikes so perfectly pointy they’d count as weapons of mass destruction,” she started, pulling her own hair outwards. “He’ll be wearing a tux and a tie – the knot on which will be all wrong, by the way – and a polished pair of combat boots. He’ll come up to you and he’ll strike that stupid little pose...“ She walked around the bar to approach Tifa, whom Yuffie was happy to see looked amused now, rather than worried. Stopping before her, she placed her right foot behind her and put her left hand on her hip, in her best hi I’m Cloud and I’m full of myself pose, wiggling her eyebrows dramatically.

“And he’ll say...” she continued, dropping her voice down an octave. “Tifa, baby...

“Uhh, I was wondering, if, uhh...w-would you like to, um, would you like to m-mosey off with me for some dinner and, um, and a movie?”

Tifa laughed, shaking her head ruefully. “You know I can actually picture him doing that. Even the stuttering, sadly enough.”

“Just make sure to capture it on film,” Yuffie replied, heading back to her stool and plunking herself down on it. “I could use a good laugh,” she added grouchily, her thoughts returning to Vincent once more now that she had succeeded in cheering up Tifa.

“Oh, stop looking so depressed. He’ll get over it, he always does.”

“I dunno, Teefs, I haven’t seen him this pissed since...since – “

“Since you stole all our materia?” Tifa supplied dryly, smirking at Yuffie’s pained glare. That was not an incident she cared to be reminded of. “Though if I recall he wasn’t trying to kiss you afterwards – “

“He didn’t try to kiss me!”

“You told me he almost kissed you,” Tifa reminded.

“Yeah, he almost did, but not intentionally!” Yuffie explained, hating how pathetic she sounded. “I mean, this is Vincent, he doesn’t – he doesn’t do kissing – or physical contact at all without a hazmat suit – “

“Yuffie,” Tifa interrupted, “You don’t accidentally almost kiss someone. I’d bet the bar that he would have done it if you guys hadn’t been interrupted.”

Yuffie stared morosely at the countertop. She couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs –

WHAP.

“OW! What the hell, Boobs?” she whined, clutching her head and glaring at the barmaid and the wet, twisted dishcloth she was holding.

“Stop looking so damn depressed! At this rate I’ll be buying you a coffin of your own,” Tifa scolded. “What’s been with you these last four days? One little incident in a dark secluded alleyway and you’re acting like somebody’s died! What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t know!” Yuffie yelled, frustrated. “At first it was all fun and games, ya know? I mean, of course I was attracted to him, but I thought it was just a crush or something, and I mean he’s practically smoking he’s so hot, I swear you should have seen him in that shower with the steam and – “

“Focus, Yuffie.”

“Sorry, it’s just hot damn – “

“Yuffie.”

“I just...I can’t stop thinking about him, Teef, it’s like no matter what I’m doing it somehow reminds me of him, and it’s driving me nuts!” she exclaimed, feeling incredibly desperate. “And every little thing he does seems absolutely fascinating - even when I had him standing in front of me shirtless in a hot, steamy shower, what do I do? I stare at his left hand because he’s not wearing his gauntlet. Did you know he has this nervous tic, whenever he’s stressed, where he flexes his gun hand? And that stupid little cape flick he does – “ She broke off with a strangled laugh, dropping her head into her hands. “And then in the alley, he’s right there, and I couldn’t even think or breathe – “ he’s so close and his eyes are burning with “ – and frankly it scared the shit outta me how much I wanted it,” she whispered. “How much I wanted him. And to make things worse I’ve hardly slept at all these last few days ‘cause of these stupid dreams and now I’m a goddamn wreck.”

As her outburst was met with silence, Yuffie felt a strange mix of relief, embarrassment, and exhaustion. Looking up, she met Tifa’s gaze, who was giving her a searching look that was far too serious for her liking.

“...Well?” Yuffie prompted.

“You’re...” Tifa started, before apparently changing her mind. “Sounds like things are getting serious for you.”

“They’re not supposed to get serious. It’s supposed to be just a stupid little crush due to his amazing hotness,” Yuffie growled. “This was supposed to be for fun, but now, I...”

A little voice in the back of her head was yelling about a certain L-word. Yuffie strangled it into silence, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it was right.

“Look, Yuffie,” Tifa started earnestly, leaning forward. “You know Vincent better than anyone. If you’re gonna continue this, you better be sure that you know what you’re getting into, because if you back out – “

“His angst will create a black hole and destroy the universe,” Yuffie interrupted sharply. “I know, Teef.”

“I’m serious, Yuffie. You know what he was like when we found him.”

“I know, Tifa,” she repeated loudly. She took a deep breath, looking away from her friend. “Not like it matters anyways. He isn’t even in to me.” Or so part of her hoped, because then she could avoid any responsibility.

“You so sure about that?” Tifa asked quietly.

Yuffie remained sulkily silent. She wasn’t sure, not at all, but if he was...

She swallowed, trying to ignore the fear that had settled in her stomach. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to keep calm and not freak out because she could break him so easily –

Yes, much calmer now.

She dropped her head on the counter once more.

“I hate my life.”

Tifa snorted. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is. What the hell am I gonna do now?”

“Buy birth control?”

Yuffie lifted her head up to glare at an openly smirking Tifa.

“Oh, you are enjoying this far too much. What happened to being serious?”

“Hey, I deserve it after putting up with your constant comments about Cloud for the last, oh, three years.”

“That’s different,” Yuffie sniffed. “All those remarks were made for your own good.”

“Well you can consider everything I say for your own good, then,” Tifa replied. “I call maid of honour, by the way – “

Yuffie threw a bowl of pistachios at her. “Not amused!”

Tifa was grinning, despite having to fish several of the nuts out of her shirt. “So, dreams, huh? What kind?”

“You don’t wanna know,” Yuffie muttered grumpily.

“Oh, come on – “

“Let’s just leave it at the fact that headbands work very well for tying more than just hair,” she stated shortly.

“On second thought, you’re right, I really don’t want to know,” Tifa said, looking vaguely disturbed.

Yuffie sighed, kneading her forehead.

“Do you think angst is contagious?”

/\/\/\

Vincent sipped slowly at his glass of water, brooding as he waited for Reeve to get his cappuccino. They were meeting to discuss Vincent’s newly acquired lawsuit – or so Reeve claimed. Vincent had a vague suspicion that Reeve actually wanted to discuss the stupid, ridiculous bet and that stupid, ridiculous woman that went with it. Before he could start raging internally for the seventeenth time that day, the man in question plunked down across from him, a steaming cup at his side. He slurped at it happily; giving what Vincent thought was a much exaggerated sigh of contentment, he leaned forward to look at Vincent intently.

"Are you sure you don't want one? They really are very good."

Vincent just stared blankly at him. The first – and last – time he had tried coffee after he became the new boarding house for demons, Galian had, for lack of a better term, gone completely batshit insane. Vincent had only managed to regain control over the wayward demon after several hours of running in circles chasing his own tail and breaking things, and had ended up with a migraine that lasted a full week. He had no wish to repeat the experience, and now avoided caffeine like it was the plague.

Reeve shrugged at his lack of response, looking supremely unconcerned and surprisingly well rested for someone who ran the WRO. Vincent’s eyes flickered to the cappuccino, wondering if there was more than just caffeine inside.

"So how're things?" Reeve asked, smiling slightly.

Vincent levelled him a look. "Take a guess," he deadpanned.

Reeve laughed quietly. "Rainbows and sunshine as always, Vincent. Things could be a lot worse, you know."

Vincent raised one eyebrow in speculation. "I rather doubt that."

"You could be in jail," Reeve pointed out.

"Which would be wonderfully fangirl free," Vincent countered. And Yuffie free, he thought, scowling.

Reeve seemed to pick up what he hadn't spoken aloud, and grinned wryly. "So how's Yuffie – "

"Lawsuit, Reeve," he snapped, the very mention of Yuffie setting him on edge.

"Alright, alright," Reeve said, holding up his hands in a placating fashion. "The lawsuit. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Good," Vincent answered shortly. Normally he was not one for procrastination, but after the last few days of brooding he could really use a break.

"Er," Reeve hesitated. Vincent gave him a questioning look. "I was expecting you to ask for the bad news first."

Vincent gave a small sigh, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "There is no good news," he stated, feeling sadly unsurprised.

"No. Well, the owner is only suing you, and not the WRO, so..." he trailed off under Vincent’s stare. "Right. Well, the bad news then. The owner is a real opportunist, and he's suing you for every possible thing that he can. The total comes to...well, it comes to a lot."

"Just tell me, Reeve," Vincent sighed. He had done the math in his head – 15000 gil if he was unlucky –

"23109 gil."

"...What?" Vincent hissed, his demons howling the same question in indignation.

"I know. I talked to our lawyers, tried to see if they could lessen the amount, but there's nothing we can do about it. Apparently the owner can claim just about anything he wants."

Breathing deeply through his nose, Vincent closed his eyes, trying to keep himself, and his four friends, calm. He could handle this – it’s not like he didn’t have the cash to spare after the Jenova War and the Remnants. He just needed to stay cool and detached and this would be over before –

A grinning image of Yuffie popped up in his mind’s eye, and he snapped his eyes open, only sheer determination keeping him from breaking things.

"I'll kill her," he snarled, struggling to keep his voice down. "That idiotic, stupid brat, I'll kill her – "

"Vincent, calm down – "

"I will not calm down, damn it. This is her fault, and I'll be damned if I'm paying that lawsuit."

Reeve had a slightly wide-eyed, panicked look on his face. Vincent couldn't blame him - he was hardly ever this emotional.

Yuffie had a way of doing that to him.

"Vincent, if you don't pay it, you actually will be in jail." Vincent opened his mouth to argue - or to just yell, he wasn't really sure - but Reeve interrupted him. "Listen, I know it’s Yuffie’s fault, but the owner saw you tear open his oven and shoot out his chimney grate. You should go down to the café tomorrow and talk to the guy yourself."

Vincent slumped back, his gun hand flexing. "What good will that do?"

"Talk to him, explain what happened, and apologize with every second sentence. It’s unlikely it’ll accomplish anything, but you never know."

He glared at Reeve. "I will not apologize for acting in self-defence."

"Vincent..."

"Reeve."

Reeve frowned at him. "You either flex your people skills and talk to the guy or you pay the 23K." When Vincent didn't respond, he added, "Sulking won't help you."

"I am not sulking," Vincent snapped.

"Yes, you are. Maybe you should talk to Yuffie, too, she usually cheers you up – "

Vincent’s eyebrow twitched at her name. “This whole thing is her fault. And I strongly suggest you don’t mention her at all from now on," Vincent growled, putting as much warning into his voice as possible. Reeve just grinned again, either oblivious or uncaring.

"Oh, c'mon, Vincent. Time's ticking on that bet, and if you won’t even talk to her you’ll never win."

"Remind me to shoot Cid in the kneecap the next time I see him," Vincent muttered. "And that bet and its participants are none of your concern."

“Sure it is," Reeve replied. Vincent’s eyes narrowed, a thousand warning bells going off in his head. Noticing Vincent’s sharp look, Reeve’s paled slightly, his smile suddenly strained. "I mean, just because we're concerned about the parties involved, that's all," he added hastily.

Vincent kept his eyes locked on his. "Reeve..."

“Yes, Vincent?" Reeve's face was the definition of innocence.

Vincent glared.

For several seconds Reeve squirmed, before finally giving in.

"Alright, look, there's another bet going on," he started.

"Oh?" Vincent prompted.

"It's based on, you know...the outcome of you and Cloud," Reeve finished, grinning nervously. "There's quite the pot, actually."

Vincent just stared at him for a long moment, and felt a faint sense of satisfaction as Reeve tugged at his collar nervously. "Who exactly is participating in this bet?" he asked quietly, his tone laced with promises of death, pain, and destruction.

"I can't say," Reeve managed, despite looking terrified.

"..."

"I'm serious, Vincent, I don't know. It was Cid's idea; he's the one collecting all the bets."

"Cid."

"Yes, Cid. Now will you please stop glaring at me like that? I'm afraid I'll burst into flames."

Vincent kept glaring for a few more seconds, before finally relenting and looking away, standing as he did so. He’d had enough of this ridiculous situation, and he was going to put a stop to it. Without another glance at Reeve, he strode away.

"Vincent, go talk to the owner tomorrow," Reeve called after him. "I'm serious."

Vincent didn't bother responding, walking out the door and heading back to Seventh Heaven. He would be visiting Cid and putting an end to this –

‘Will you, now?’ Chaos asked in mocking tone. ‘Have you so quickly forgotten our talk?’

‘Do not try to threaten me again,’ Vincent warned. ‘I’m finished with this. I never should have agreed to it in the first place.’

‘But you did agree,’ Hellmasker chimed in. ‘And don’t tell us that you couldn’t have gotten out of it if you really wanted to.’

‘If I hadn’t Cid would have told her,’ Vincent reminded.

‘Oh, please,’ Chaos drawled, sounding amused. ‘There were plenty of ways you could’ve stopped that from happening. And even if he had, you were – whether she believed you or not – doing it to save her life, and have nothing to be ashamed of.’

Vincent fumed silently, unable to refute the truth of the demon’s words.

‘So if it was so easy to say no...why’d you agree to it?’ Chaos finished.

Vincent was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He knew where the demon was going with this, and he was uncomfortable with it.

‘She’s immature. She refuses to accept responsibility for anything.’

‘Perhaps,’ Chaos mused. ‘But who was it that accepted you so easily when you first joined AVALANCHE? Who is it that so easily gets under your skin, and gets emotion out of a man who has for his entire life been so adept at hiding them? Who – ’

‘Enough,’ Vincent snarled, and for once the demons respected his wishes and ebbed out of his conscious mind. They had already made their point. And, Vincent grudgingly admitted, they were right.

But damn it all, attracted to her or not, he was still pissed. And one way or another, Yuffie was going to know about it.

Tifa couldn’t help but drag her feet as she ascended the stairs. The day had been long, with a heavier than usual dinner crowd, and she had ended up closing far later than usual. It hadn’t helped matters that Yuffie had taken off in the early afternoon, muttering something about ‘apologizing properly to Vin-Vin’ before all but running out the door.

Heading for her room, she paused by the kids' room, quietly opening the door and poking her head in. Denzel was snoring softly, lying on the rug, his homework scattered and forgotten around him. Smiling softly, she padded into the room, picking him up gently and tucking him into his bed. He muttered something unintelligible before turning over, his snoring starting anew. Grinning, she turned to Marlene, who was sleeping quietly in the next bed, her arms wrapped around her newest Choco Buddy.

Looking at the toy, Tifa's thoughts returned - for the umpteenth time - to Marlene's words to Cloud four days ago. What secret was she keeping for him? Was it serious?

Was he leaving again?

She shook her head, trying to clear it of her ridiculous worries. Yuffie could be right – it could be something as innocent as a date. But the fear that he would take off again wouldn't leave her alone. As she left the kids' room, the door closing with a muted click behind her, her thoughts drifted to those months of waiting by the phone for a call that never came.

She sighed softly, tiredly dragging herself back to her room. She had seen the new determination in him, the acceptance in him after finding him in Aerith's church, and she knew that he had changed. He wouldn't run anymore.

At least, that's what she hoped.

Entering her room, she flicked on the lamp, bathing the walls in a soft yellow glow. She pulled off her sneakers, tossing them aside carelessly before falling back onto the soft comforter. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to collect her thoughts.

Cloud would be back soon from his delivery run, if everything went well. Maybe she should talk to him...about what, exactly? About his secret? About how paranoid she was? About how in love she was with him and would he please stop and reassure her that she was not wasting her time? She absentmindedly twirled the wolf ring on her finger, the steel warm under her touch. He’d be home in just a few days, unless he was attacked by monsters, or bandits – they’d become a major problem recently –

Forcefully clamping down on her thoughts, she rubbed at her eyes, laughing at herself. She was doing it again - always worrying about him. About them. If she was honest with herself, she was tired of this weird dance of a relationship they had - always together but never quite close enough. She'd been in love with him for too long now - she was worried it would drive her insane before much longer. But if she pushed him, and he ran...

And now she was back to worrying about him leaving.

"Arrrrggghhhh," she grumbled, grabbing a pillow and clutching it to her face, as if it could magically smother her circular thoughts. Maybe she needed a vacation, away from everything - but the kids needed her here. Their midyear exams were coming up and she had promised that she would help them review.

After that, maybe she'd take some time off, just for herself.

She laughed softly. Yeah, right.

Maybe she just needed to talk to someone, face to face over a cup of something hot and steaming. Normally she'd talk to Yuffie, but she had enough relationship problems of her own now. She could talk to Shera again, but that would mean heading all the way to Rocket Town.

She blinked. Elmyra. She hadn't talked to Aerith's adoptive mother in some time now, and it would be nice to see her again anyway. And she had always had that wise, experienced air about her. Maybe she could help her sort out her thoughts...

Armed with a tentative plan, her mind finally calmed, and she crawled into bed.

/\/\/\

It was late morning by the time Tifa finally headed out. The kids were in school, and Tifa figured that her regular lunch crowd could find somewhere else to eat for once. Catching a taxi to the edge of Edge, she walked briskly through the increasing amounts of rubble and scrap that marked the location that had once been Sector 6 and its infamous Wall Market, heading for Sector 5.

Passing by the church, she paused. Despite the holes in its roof, it still had a graceful air to it, the sunlight playing charmingly against the worn stone surface. Fresh flowers, wreathes, and homemade crafts lay outside the doors - grateful Geostigma survivors from all over the world paying their respects to a miracle that only a very few truly understood. Before she realized it, she found herself deviating from her path and wandering through the doors. The inside of the church, despite being strewn with broken pews and pillars - some of those thanks to her - held the same mystical grace that was apparent outside. Tifa slowly meandered down the middle aisle, the aged wood creaking beneath her weight. Stopping at the pond, she admired the way the sunlight played on the water, sparkling and bathing what remained of the ceiling above with a twisting, restless glow.

"I never thanked you properly." The words sprang from her lips, unbidden, but felt right, so she continued. "For bringing him back to us, I mean. For bringing him back to me."

A familiar ache of sadness started under her ribcage, rising up into her throat. God, she missed her. "Wish you could've done the same for yourself," she murmured, fighting a sudden onslaught of tears. "Could use your advice right about now."

A gentle breeze rustled through the church, disturbing the tranquil water and tugging at her hair. Tifa closed her eyes, smiling. "You really can hear me, can't you?" she asked into the air. And she knew it - she could sense her here, and out of the corner of her eye she swore she could see a swirl of pink and a feminine giggle. And there was someone else - black spikes and a wry grin.

“Hey, Zack," she greeted into the air, and the ripples in the water seem to grin and wave at her. "Aerith isn't whipping you too hard, I hope."

You know me. I like it rough, came a voice that was both in her head and nothing more than the wind. She laughed, wiping away a tear that had escaped.

"Knowing you two, I can only imagine the crazy stuff you guys are getting up to."

The world seemed to still into an awkward silence. Tifa raised her eyebrows.

“I don’t even want to know, do I?” she grinned. “Anyways, I was just on the way to see Elmyra, and thought I’d drop by...Marlene says hi, by the way. And I’m not sure if he ever came by and said it himself, but Cid wants you to know that he’s ‘really goddamn grateful’ for you saving Shera. Denzel’s doing great too. He wants to be just like Cloud when he’s older,” she smiled. “And Cloud...Cloud’s doing a lot better too. He smiles a lot more, and he’s spending way more time with the kids. It’s...“ She cast around for an appropriate word that could describe how wonderful it was to have him around again and how aggravating it was not to be sleeping with him already, but came up empty. “It’s nice,” she finally managed. For a few moments she stayed silent, soaking in the serene atmosphere and the presence of her friends, letting it ease the worries of the last few days. Feeling lighter than she had in some time, she gave a small half-wave to the air.

“So I’ll be heading off now. It was good to talk to you guys again. Try not to get up to too much mischief, alright?”

She turned, walking back to the doors as a small tornado of wind blew past, stirring up the dried and wrinkled lily pedals that rested on the floor into a maelstrom of off-white and faded-yellow. Humming softly, she continued on through the ruins of Sector 5.

Elmyra was one of very few people who had returned and stayed in their homes after the Meteorfall evacuation, mako radiation warnings be damned. Her house had not survived the collapse of Midgar with the same fortune that the church had - the entire left side of the house had been crushed by a falling support beam, tearing the building in half. Elmyra, upon discovering the destruction of her home, had simply shrugged and set about rebuilding, saying the old house was too big for her anyways.

Tifa couldn’t help but breathe deeply as she approached the new, smaller house of Aerith’s stepmother. Elmyra had diligently maintained the gardens in her deceased daughter’s honour, and the lilies were blooming spectacularly, despite the poor growing conditions. Tifa had no doubt that Aerith was helping them along from her place in the Lifestream.

She spotted Elmyra kneeling amidst the white and yellow blooms, digging in aged compost. Hearing Tifa’s approach, the woman looked up, her wrinkled face crinkling into a kind smile.

“Tifa, dear, what a surprise,” she said, standing elegantly and brushing off her skirt.

“Hello, Elmyra,” Tifa greeted. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Of course not, darling. Just let me clean up and I’ll make us some tea. It’s such a lovely day out, we can enjoy it outside.”

Tifa smiled. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

Elmyra gestured towards the door, a faint twinkle in her eyes. “I’m sure we have lots to catch up on.”

/\/\/\

The Cosmo Canyon bar was warmly lit, the flickering torches lighting up the red sandstone walls. Cloud sipped at his drink, relaxing in the easy-going atmosphere of light conversation, tinkling glasses and smoke. He had just arrived after finishing his deliveries in the area, and thought he would drop by and see Red. The watchman had informed him that Red was out patrolling the area, and would be back shortly, so Cloud had decided to grab a drink while he waited.

Gaia knew he needed it.

“Rough day, friend?”

Cloud raised his head to see the bartender give him a knowing look.

“Definitely a strange one,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Try me. I promise you I’ve heard worse.”

Cloud shrugged half-heartedly. “Well, why not...”

Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“This is a COD package, sir. You need to pay for it,” he explained for the eighth time.

“Well I don’t want to!” the old man exclaimed, waving his walker with more vigour than Cloud expected out of such a frail frame. “That old hag said she’d pay for the delivery!”

“Your wife explained to me quite clearly that you would be paying for it,” Cloud ground out, his patience quickly wearing thin.

“Well I don’t have any money!” he yelled. “So just give the package here and get the money from that bitch!”

“I can’t do that, sir. Either pay, or the package stays with me.”

The old man let forth what Cloud assumed were a variety of insults and swears – thankfully he had lapsed into the native tongue of the Cosmo area, of which Cloud couldn’t understand a word. Tapping his foot, Cloud waited as the verbal diarrhoea trickled off.

“I don’t have any money!” the man finally repeated in Common, looking murderous. Cloud was tired of the whole exchange.

“Then I’ll be keeping the package with me, sir, have a good day,” he said, turning to leave.

“Alright, alright, just hold on a minute! Goddamn kids are always in such a rush,” he muttered. “I’ll get you payment!”

The man disappeared back into the depths of his ramshackle house, returning a few moments later with – Cloud’s eyes widened – a hunched, middle aged woman behind him.

“Here, here!” The man thrust the woman towards him. Cloud instinctively backpedalled.

“Wha – “ Cloud started.

“Payment. Payment!” the man shouted, pushing the woman further.

The woman grinned at Cloud, revealing yellow and missing teeth.

“Sweet Gaia – “ Cloud swore, taking a step back.

“Whas’a matter, you don’t like my woman? Huh?” The old man was waving his walker again, spittle flying everywhere as he yelled.

“I – no, it’s not that, I just – “

“She not good enough for you and your fancy motorbike, huh? Is that it?”

“No, I’m, uh, I’m already taken, that’s all,” he improvised. “And it’s company policy to only take gil as payment.”

“She’s very good, I promise!”

“You know what, no, it’s fine, here, just take it,” Cloud rushed, throwing the package at them before turning and, with as much dignity as he could muster, running back down the rough mountain path to where Fenrir waited patiently. Reaching the bike, he hopped on, gunning the throttle and speeding away from the house at a breakneck speed.

The barman was grinning, but it was a deep, rumbling laugh that caught Cloud’s attention.

“I see you’ve met old Bartholomew, Cloud.”

Cloud turned around to see Red padding through the crowd towards him, a twinkle of amusement in his one golden eye.

“I really wish I hadn’t,” Cloud replied, grinning despite himself. “How’ve you been, Red?”

The lion nimbly hopped up onto the stool next to Cloud, nodding at the bartender. “Good. I have been making my way through Grandfather’s books – I never realized he had so many. And I’ve been writing my own, thanks to Reeve’s speech recognition software.”

“Writing about what?” Cloud asked, curious.

“The Jenova War. The Remnants.” He shot Cloud a significant look. “Geostigma.”

Cloud unconsciously rubbed at his arm, remembering the pain, the black pus. The despair. “Oh.”

His discomfort must have shown on his face, as Red neatly changed the subject. “So in that little vignette you just shared with us, did you say you were ‘already taken’?”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed. Red just grinned, baring his teeth.

“I did, and it’s none of your business,” he said shortly, turning away.

“Of course, of course,” Red replied easily.

After several moments of silence, Cloud dropped his head into his hands.

“How much have you heard?” he groaned, resigned to his fate of endless humiliation.

“Just that you and Tifa got extremely close in a small town called Frelt and that you are currently in the midst of a bet to ask her out before February eighteenth, otherwise Cid will inform her that you...forgive me, what’s the word?”

“Spooned,” Cloud grunted.

“Spooned her without her knowledge.”

“Gaia, is there anyone who doesn’t know about Frelt and the stupid bet?” Cloud asked, frustrated. “Do you know Marlene blackmailed me with that knowledge? Marlene. Blackmailed. It’s ridiculous!”

“You do realize that by simply telling one more person you could be beyond all that,” Red pointed out.

“What? Who?”

Red gave him a look generally reserved for inferior life forms. “Tifa, Cloud. Is it really so difficult for you to communicate with her?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Cloud opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to come up with a decent response.

“...That’s a good question,” he finally replied, pondering. “I guess because I’m scared she’ll say no if I ask her out.”

Red let out a fur ball-hawking sound that Cloud assumed was a scoff.

“Tifa has been in love with you for years now, Cloud. She won’t say no.”

“What if I mess it up? What if I do something stupid and she hates me and doesn’t want to talk to me ever again?”

“You’re being irrational, Cloud.”

“I know, but, there’s just so many risks – “

“Be grateful that there is any risk at all,” Red interrupted, tone sharp. Cloud blinked at him, surprised, until it dawned on him just who he was talking to.

“Shit,” he muttered, feeling like a total dickhead. “I’m sorry, Red.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” the lion replied, looking away. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, it was out of line.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Cloud stated. “You’re right, I should be grateful I even have this opportunity.” He felt like such an idiot, wasting all this time, when Red would’ve given anything just to have the smallest chance at love. What the hell had he been thinking? When had he turned into such a coward?

“That’s it,” he snarled, slamming a hand down on the bar and rising to his feet. “I’m going to ask that wonderful woman out, and I’m going to do it properly the way she deserves.”

Red did his feline equivalent of raised eyebrows.

“You’re asking her out on a date, not marrying her,” he reminded.

“I’ll be doing both before long,” Cloud proclaimed, full of confidence. Then marrying sank in, and he sat back down heavily.

“On second thought, let’s just leave it at the dating for now,” he revised faintly. Forcefully dragging his mind back to a safer track that was not coated in white dresses and cakes, he turned to Red.

“So, what do I do?”

Red pulled back, looking alarmed.

“You’re asking me? I don’t know, don’t you just ask her to a movie or a play or some such thing?”

“I really do want to make it special, though,” Cloud mused. “After all the crap she’s put up with from me over the years, she really deserves something spectacular.”

“I got an idea.”

Cloud turned to the barman, who had apparently been eavesdropping the entire time. If the guy could help, Cloud didn’t give a damn.

“I’m open to anything right now, so go ahead.”

“Well, you could do this...”

Cloud listened, nodding. He definitely liked it; it was just what Tifa deserved. There was just one part he didn’t care for.

“Do I really have to wait that long?” he grouched. “That’s a lot of time for Marlene – or, with the way this is spreading, anyone else on the planet – to blackmail me some more.”

The barman shrugged. “Up to you, but if I were you I would wait.”

Cloud pursed his lips, considering. It would take a lot of work, but if he pulled it off...

“I do believe I’ll take your advice to heart, good sir,” he nodded at the barman.

The man gave him a pained look. “Please don’t talk like that.”

“Erm, sorry.” Cloud turned back to face Red, who was watching with a vaguely amused expression.

“Good luck, Cloud. I wish you all the best.”

“Thanks a bunch, Red,” he replied with feeling. “I owe you one.”

Red just shrugged.

“You can thank me after. Now don’t you have work to do?”

Cloud grinned, and without another word left the bar.

A/N: All I can say is that I am a total douchebag.

I really am sorry for not updating for so long. No excuses – I just kept deciding to work on other things rather than this, until all of a sudden it’s 6 months without an update. I hope the 6200 word chapter helps make up for it a tiny bit.

So, about the chapter. Carrying on the style of Spoons, this is the midway chapter that has a bit of everyone’s perspective, and I did enjoy writing Yuffie and Tifa again. A larger amount of srsns in this one than usual, especially Tifa, but I wanted to really show the effects of the past on current decisions. The plot will be picking up a lot next chapter – Cloud’s a man on a mission and Vincent’s out for blood.

...I really wanted to huggle Red as I was writing that last bit. It makes me to happy to think that somewhere along the line he gets some lovin’.