Change It Around- Chapter 1
Cloud moved gracefully behind the bar, mixing and pouring drinks before sliding them across the smooth bar. It was an art, almost like making potions. It absorbed you and you either loved it or you didn't. You were a bartender or you weren't; there was no faking in this field or at least there was no faking for long.
His manager, Adi, came up hair swaying, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She was a big lady but she took care of them all and no one who stepped out of line knew what hit them when she dealt with them. No, no one had a clue till it was all over and their asses were kicked out.
Adi leaned over the bar, "Get me a Black Russian, a Rusty Nail, and two Cape Cods."
Cloud turned, busying himself pulling out glasses- two old fashioned and two highball.
"Coming right up," he murmured.
He lined the glasses up on the bar, putting ice in all of them, before pulling out the vodka and adding an ounce to one old fashioned glasses and both of the high balls. He quickly added a float of Kahlua to the old fashioned and dropped a cherry in before grabbing the cranberry juice from the bartender's tray and filling both the highballs to the top. Once done he picked up the scotch and added an ounce to the last old fashioned glass before floating the Drambuie on top.
"Done," he said pushing the glasses across the bar to Adi. He nodded to the Rusty Nail, "Someone's going a bit heavy tonight?"
She nodded her head, "I'll keep an eye on him. Man, you just get faster and faster at making these drinks." She shook her head and grabbed a tray, placing the drinks on them and heading off.
***-****(*_*)****-***
Cloud groaned and covered his head with the pillow, burrowing into the comforter on his bed. He sighed in bliss and wiggled against the Egyptian cotton sheets, his skin was easily irritated so while his mattress wasn't the best his sheets were one of the things he splurged on.
The persistent knocking continued so he pulled off the pillow and opened one eye, glaring toward his open bedroom door, a scowl upon his face.
He stepped out of bed, a little shiver passing through him at the cold floor and pulled on a t-shirt, not bothering to put anything over his boxers.
The knocking sounded again and Cloud glowered in the direction of the entrance to his apartment. He stalked to the door and flung it open, "WHAT?"
There was silence for a moment before the man on the other side of the door smiled and held up a bible, "Have you found Jesus?"
Cloud stared blankly at the man before he blinked, "You have got to be kidding me," he stated flatly. He looked at the clock on the wall of his living room before he turned back to the man, rage on his delicate features, "It is 6:30 in the fucking morning. How do you people do it? I just got home a couple of hours ago so I am going to say this once before the threads of my already non-existent patience snap. Do. Not. Come. Back. To. My. House. If you ever try doing this again the question will be have you found Jesus because I will kill you." Cloud tilted his head to the side and stared at the man for a couple more moments, blue eyes dull and bloodshot, "Do you understand me?"
The man stared at Cloud, wide-eyed and clutched the bible to his chest, before nodding and scurrying away. Cloud stared after him for a bit before shaking his head and closing his door, "Seriously," he muttered.
Cloud turned back around and padded to his bedroom, climbing onto the bed and pulling up the covers till spikes of blond hair where the only thing seen of him. Soon his even breathing filled the room.
Another knock sounded at the door and Cloud groaned, "I'm just not destined to get any sleep, am I?" he asked looking up to the ceiling.
He rolled off the bed and answered the door and was met with his best friend's smirking face, "I suppose it'd be too much to ask for you to come back here later when I've actually gotten some sleep and it's not a god forsaken hour? I mean really, 9:30?"
Ashlee smiled and tossed her blond hair over her shoulders, "Yes it would be too much to suppose. Smart boy, you're learning."
"But 9:30?" Cloud replied weakly.
She raised an eyebrow, "So? I'm awake now which is what matters."
Ashlee held up a bag, "I come bearing gifts, I got this from the pastry place up the street. It smelled really good."
She pushed past him, leaving him leaning on the doorway, and made her way into the kitchen, placing the bag of pastries on the table and turning on the kettle.
Cloud glared at the girl making herself at home in his apartment. They really could be mistaken for siblings since they looked so alike. She had ash blond hair, grey eyes set in a pixie-like face, and a petite but curvaceous figure. She might have only been 5'3 but she had more than enough attitude to make up for her lack of height. She was wearing a dove gray halter dress with a black jacket overtop, strappy heels and carrying an oversized bag.
Cloud grimaced at her, moving from the doorway and slumping into a seat at the table, "So you're telling me you woke me up, and this is the second time I've been woken up today mind you, and couldn't even bring a decent caffeinated drink?"
Ashlee looked up at him and raised a perfectly sculpted blond eyebrow, "You should consider yourself lucky I'm even here," she drawled loftily before continuing, "And you saw me put on the kettle didn't you? If someone wasn't so picky about what he considered 'real tea' then you would have had a drink with those. Besides I have something better than a drink with me. Who woke you up before me?"
Cloud shrugged, still managing to make the movement look elegant and as if it had rolled down his body while hunched over the table, "Dunno," he mumbled reaching for the bag she had set on the table and opening it, "Some guy with a bible came by at 6:30 this morning asking me if I had found Jesus."
Ashlee giggled and he scowled, shooting her a dark look. She held out her hands palms up and grinned at him. He reached into the bag and pulled out a croissant, about to pop it in his mouth when his hand got smacked. He glared up at her, "What was that for?"
She looked down at him and sniffed, "How many times have I told you to put it in a plate first?" she huffed, "I swear if you were one of my guys you would be better trained than that."
Cloud looked away and murmured, "It's a good thing I never have or ever will be one of your guys then."
"What was that?" Ashlee asked sweetly.
Cloud gulped, "Nothing- nothing at all."
She looked at him hard for a few seconds before smirking, "I thought so. Moving on to more important things, guess what I have?"
She moved to get a plate, placed it on the table and dumped the bag of pastries on top.
Cloud buried his head in his hands on the table and sighed. There would be no more sleep for a while, "What?" he asked, "What is it that you've got that has made you bother me at 9:30 in the morning? Someone had better be dead or dying…"
Ashlee rolled her eyes. "You're being a dufus," she said flatly as she pulled the newspaper out of he purse, "THIS is what I was talking about."
Cloud looked her blankly, "A newspaper?" He asked.
"It's not the newspaper," Ashlee chirped, "It's what's in it."
"Uh huh, and what would that be? News or maybe even ads?"
"I'm going to forgive your tone and share this with you anyway because you're face is going to be priceless. I'm even going to be kind and not even take a picture."
"Yeah," Cloud replied dragging out the word, "And what is this priceless news that you've woken me up for? Perhaps another yaoi producing company has closed?"
Ashlee's pale cheeks tinted pink, the flush spreading to her ears, as she crossed her arms, "That was only once! And it was important," she pouted.
Cloud smiled at her brightly, "Sure it was. To you."
She slammed the newspaper down on the table, "Well then I'm sure you won't care that Reno-who's been more out of control lately to the point that Rude has to follow and stay with him at work-, Rude, Tseng, Vincent, Zack, and most importantly Sephiroth- since we can't leave the man you touch yourself at night imagining out- are fucking." She finished succinctly.
Cloud jerked out of his chair, eyes wide, and snatched the newspaper off the table, "What?"
"That's right, " Ashlee gloated, "The six men you've fantasized about at one point or another are shacking up. Oh, so is this news important to you now?"
"Shut up," he replied without any heat. He opened the newspaper to the entertainment section and started reading only to start when the kettle screeched.
Ashlee moved the kettle from the hot element to another burner and sat down, "Well Mr. No-One-Here-Makes-Proper-Tea, fix us something. And you call us city folk snobby."
"Well then I must be doing something right if your refined city tastes insists on drinking my tea every time I make it."
He walked over to the counter, reaching into the cabinets above it to take out cups and a tin of tea. Cloud dropped a triangular teabag into each cup before pouring the boiled water on top and leaving space for milk.
"Milk? Sugar?" he asked.
Ashlee stared at him in shock, "What no tealeaves?"
"Nope, too much effort right now. Besides, I didn't even heat the cups."
He placed the cups on the table and walked to the steel refrigerator against the wall taking out some milk and going back to the cupboard to take out the sugar bowl. He brought them to the table, "Help yourself."
Ashlee poured some milk into her cup and added two spoons of sugar, "Aren't you going to fix your tea?"
Cloud looked at her, "I don't think you understand, I'm about to drop over. Tea is not going to help me at this point."
Ashlee shrugged, "Drink some anyway."
Cloud sighed and added a spoon of sugar to his cup before draining it, "There. I've drank the tea. Now I'm going back to bed, you can take your tea to go, you know where the travel mugs are. Leave the paper."
Cloud placed the cup in the sink and exited the kitchen, passing the living room and going down the hallway to his bedroom. He went to sleep with the sound of Ashlee's laughter in his ears.
+-+-(****)-+-+
Cloud woke up again at 4pm and yawned, laying in the bed for a moment. It was warm and comfortable and he didn't feel like getting up. He sighed and got up anyway, there was a bit of cleaning to be done and he had to eat.
He made some chicken alfredo and when he was done decided to make some shortbread cookies. He preheated the oven to 350 degrees and pulled down some flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg from the cupboard before going to the fridge and taking out butter and eggs. He stuck a cup of butter in the microwave to soften it. When it was done he creamed it with half a cup of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, a dash of nutmeg, an egg. He slowly added 2 cups of flour to the mixture. He took out the cookie mixture and kneaded it before cutting them into different shapes and placing them on a baking sheet. He let them stay in the oven until the edges started getting golden and removed them, placing them on a cooling rack.
After he finished Cloud glanced at the clock, it was 8pm, he had to get ready if he was going to get to work on time. He went to his room and pulled one of his sets of work clothing. It consisted of a marlow wine coloured, silk dress shirt and a pair of black dress pants. He frowned as he saw the wrinkles on them and placed them on the bed quickly running an iron over them. Once finished he grabbed the platter of butter cookies he had made for his co-workers and headed out the door.
)+(-===+++===-)+(
As soon as he stepped in side Adi rushed to him, "Cloud, you're not on bar tonight, we have some important guests coming in and since you're our top host you'll be entertaining them."
Cloud nodded, "Alright."
Adi released a rush of air, "They won't be arriving till 10 when we open so you'll help us wherever we need you for the next hour. You're room is set up- you've got the private one upstairs- so start with the bar."
For the next hour Cloud stocked up the bars, organized the glasses, and lugged ice from the basement along with cleaned some of the host rooms. At 10 Adi came to him again, "Ok, your patrons are here, go on up to the room."
Cloud nodded and washed his hands before going up to the top floor of the building and opening the only door.
As he opened the door the three men waiting in the room turned to him, two were fat and one was very thin, all wore suits.
He smiled at them and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Cloud. I'll be your host for the night. May I get you something to drink?" he gestured to the bar.
The men nodded and conferred with each other before one of the fat ones spoke up, "I'm John," he pointed to the other big one, "This is Mark and our other friend is Williams."
Cloud sat down at the remaining chair at the four person table, "Evening gentlemen, I've never seen you before. I would remember if I did. Is there an occasion?"
The men nodded before John spoke up, "We won a big case at our law firm so we're celebrating. Of course we can't discuss what the case was about as it had a sensitive nature."
Cloud nodded in agreement, "Of course not. Would you like some drinks to celebrate?"
The men nodded, "We'll have 3 Godfathers."
Cloud stood up, and moved to the bar. He took out 3 old fashioned glasses, filled them with ice and added an ounce of scotch to each before topping them all with half an ounce of amaretto. He set them in front of the men, "Here you are gentlemen."
Cloud looked at the men he had been serving for the last two hours, keeping the smile pasted on his face. They had gotten steadily drunker as the night progressed, even buying him a few drinks but he was bored-they were as amusing as a funeral service.
He could generally tell what his customers wanted from him, whether it be someone to impress and have simper over them or blunt humour- the vast majority fell in this category and it's what made him such a good host as well as made the establishment so popular- but these men didn't fall into either category. They fell into the few that went to host clubs but still amused themselves. Hosts clubs were wasted on these people as they were paying out the ear for a personal bartender, they may as well have went to a bar- it was far cheaper. These were novelty customers, patrons that came to say that they did. And while that was well and good and still made him money the bottom line was that Cloud was bored.
He resisted a sigh and was about to ask if they wanted anything else to drink, they had went through their godfathers and had moved on to buying a couple of bottles of champagne and wine, when the door banged open.
A fellow host came into the room and bowed, "I'm sorry but I'll need to burrow Cloud, something has come up and he is needed, I'll be his replacement host. My name is Troy and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
Cloud got up and walked to Troy raising his eyebrows. Troy shrugged and whispered, "I only know that Adi was going crazy. She said to tell you to go to room 3."
Cloud nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind him. He skipped the elevator and took the stairs, he didn't like enclosed spaces and avoided them when he could. When he arrived at room 3 he pushed open the door muttering an, "Excuse me."
He looked at the people in the room and froze, one thought running through his mind, 'Oh my fucking God. This can't be real.'
A/N: And this is the first chapter of my new fic, Change It Around. It's not quite harem but Cloud will be engaging in sexual intercourse with six other people. Feel free to make requests and I will consider them. Thank you for reading.