This is being posted as part 4/9 of my 'Cloud's Birthday Week 2k15' challenge over on tumblr. :)

"Hey," Tifa called to him over the bustle, "Your regulars are here."

Cloud couldn't fight the smile that spread on his face. He usually tried to glare here, because the occasionally-rough crowd often tried to take advantage of he and Tifa, the sweet-faced duo that tended bar at Seventh Heaven. He pressed his face into his shoulder to hide it, and when he had that sudden surge of happiness under control he started wiping down the inside of some glasses with a rag, stony-faced.

It was a fairly busy night—their bussers were working hard to clean tables and scoop up trash and the remains of hot wings so new patrons could sit. Certainly busy enough to keep him occupied for a few minutes.

Cloud dealt with the people at the bar, grinning at some (because tips were nice), and rolling his eyes at others (because no, he would not pass Tifa their number). What he didn't do was glance even slightly in the direction of one of the back corners of the bar, even as his scalp prickled with the warmth of eyes on him.

"Come on, Cloud," Tifa sighed after the next wave of drinks had been served. "Are you playing hard to get again?"

Cloud mimed spraying her with the soda gun. "They can wait a few minutes. They can't expect me to drop everything and sit with them."

"So you're waiting for your break to go chat with them for a full forty-five minutes instead of darting over for a few minutes now."

Cloud frowned at her, and turned away without responding. He heard her snort behind him.

Working with Tifa was one of his favorite things. They grew up together and even moved from their small hometown to Midgar together. When Cloud was a few years younger he worked with a delivery business while Tifa worked retail downtown, and together, slowly, they saved up to purchase the bar together. They both lived on the upper floor—Tifa, her girlfriend, and their adopted son Denzel sharing most of the living space, and Cloud in one room.

He and Tifa moved around each other with ease in the cramped space behind the bar, signaling when one of them needed more limes or when a dishwasher needed to come from the back and take the old glasses away. It wasn't quite what Cloud imagined he'd be doing for the rest of his life, but he couldn't deny that, for now, it was wonderful.

He got to have fun with his best friend, he got loads of free alcohol, and he got to meet people. Even if sometimes he encountered dicks, the good ones made up for it. And, well, interacting with a few exceptionally fine customers was a plus, too. Cloud resolutely did not look in their direction.

"You can switch with Joan," Tifa soon told him, and Cloud went through a door in the back. He found the young woman chopping celery and told her to move up front to the bar. She only really covered for them during their breaks or if they were overloaded with customers, but enjoyed it when she did.

He got some food from the kitchen staff, famished himself. The others probably already ordered food too… but there were five of them, they could eat it all, no problem. It was half price as an employee anyway. He walked out with a platter of boneless wings and another of fries, grinning when he finally made eye contact with one of the four men waiting for him in the corner.

"Hey Spike," Zack called, his voice happy.

They were at a table with booth seats shaped like a giant U; they squished together to make room for Cloud on the end. "Hi," Cloud greeted, dropping the additional food down where there was space.

"Hello, Cloud. You look nice today."

Cloud glanced at Sephiroth briefly—he was sweaty and in what he always wore, the black t-shirt and black jeans, occasionally with an apron over top. "Thanks," he said, trying not to flush. To keep his cool he said, taking a fry, "Back again? I'm starting to think you guys might like me."

Genesis, sitting beside him, gave his thigh a fond little swat beneath the table. "By now, my dear, that should be obvious."

Cloud grinned, and they grinned right back. You five are just disgusting, Tifa said at the end of every Friday night (at least for the past two months, anyway).

"How's your shift going?"

Exhaling slowly, Cloud considered Angeal's question. "It's alright. Oh yeah, please eat my stuff, too—it's for all of us. But yeah, ah, busy, but not as bad as last weekend. They're really insistent on getting Tifa's number today."

Zack said through a mouthful of chicken, "Anyone ask for your number tonight?"

Cloud eyed him. "…Not yet."

"We should rectify that," Sephiroth added. Some of the lights in the bar were multicolored, making his hair glow blue and green. "It's a shame we haven't obtained your number already."

Chuckling, Cloud gave in. "Okay, okay. Sure. Do you have a pen, or do you want to enter it in one of your phones now?"

Genesis pulled out his cell and Cloud relayed his digits. The redhead looked extremely pleased as he pushed it back into his pocket. Cloud glowed with warm affection for all of them. It was hard to tone it down. He distracted himself with ketchup.

"I had a strange customer today," Angeal was saying, talking about normal, domestic things. Cloud liked that he was at the point where he could quietly listen in but not feel ignored, or bored. He knew all about Angeal's flower shop. "She spent an entire hour poking around the seeds rack but didn't buy anything."

Genesis huffed, "Seeds are not that interesting."

"You know what is that interesting? All the kids running around ShinRa today. Bring your daughter to work day."

"Cute," Cloud chimed in, munching away.

"Definitely." Zack elbowed Sephiroth. "This one guy in our department, Barrett, he has this adorable little girl named Marlene who really likes Seph. She sat on his desk and chatted away for ages."

"You were nice to her, weren't you?" Angeal asked, frowning at him.

"Of course I was." Sephiroth did not seem to appreciate Angeal's suspicion. "I gave her candy."

"That's creepy, Seph."

Genesis swatted at Zack. "No it isn't, be nice. I'm sure she loved it, dear."

"She did. Barrett was unhappy I spoiled her lunch, however."

"Do you know when bring your son to work day is?"

Zack shrugged. "Umm… next month, maybe? I'd have to check."

Cloud frowned in thought. "Denzel's been bugging Aerith to tag along in the mornings lately. He'd like that. We can't exactly let him help serve drinks. He'd be bored anyway, he spends all his time here."

"You would most definitely go to jail for that."

Cloud snickered and grabbed another handful of fries. He may or may not have been leaning against Genesis' side now, and the others may or may not have looked positively thrilled to see it.

When Cloud's time with them was almost up, Angeal caught his eye. "You look tired, Cloud."

"I am. Haven't been getting enough sleep."

All four of his favorite customers made low noises of concern and began to fret over him. "Please take care of yourself," Sephiroth murmured, his pretty mouth drawn into a frown.

"I will, I will. Don't worry, guys."

"We're going to worry anyway," Genesis declared.

Cloud shoved a last fry into his mouth and stood, dusting his hands off on his pants. "Duty calls."

Zack wiggled his eyebrows at him and asked, "Can I give you a goodbye kiss?"

Pausing for just a moment, Cloud considered this. Then he bent, offering his cheek. Zack gave him a small peck. Before he could talk himself out of it, Cloud returned the gesture with a slightly salty one, and then departed back for the bar counter.

"No, Teef," Cloud growled when he got back, "I'm not blushing."

"Tifaaaaaa," Cloud called. "Tifa?"

He walked down the hallway, his cell phone in hand. He peeked into the bathroom and her room—no dice. Not in Denzel's room either.

"Tifa!"

"She ran out for a few minutes, Cloud," Aerith called. Her voice came from downstairs, in the bar. Cloud clomped down the stairs, his boots heavy on the wood. Aerith was at the counter, pouring herself a drink.

"It's not even noon," Cloud said, smiling gently as he came over.

Aerith just shrugged. Cloud wanted to talk to Tifa, but her girlfriend was the next best thing. She wasn't as familiar with Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Zack as Teef but she heard stories from both of them. He debated for a second, then offered her the phone. "They finally asked me out."

The woman's face morphed into glee. "About time! Are you gonna go?"

"I think so." Cloud smiled fondly at the text as he accepted his device back. "I don't know where they live, but I'm sure it'll be a good time."

"You trust them? They're not killers, or anything?"

"Don't think so. I've been talking to them every Friday for almost two months. I know about their jobs, and stuff."

"What are you going to reply with?"

Cloud bit his lip, an unusual display of nervousness. "I… need to think about it."

"Just say you'll be there. And ask if there's anything you should bring to dinner, like a drink, or dessert."

"Okay."

Cloud did not make a move to type anything, and Aerith said, grinning as she reached for his phone, bracelets chiming, "I'll do it if you don't!"

The blond retreated back upstairs and sat on his bed. He felt a lot more like his fifteen year old self than his twenty-six year old one. Since his last breakup he had been on many dates, and while they were always slightly nervewracking he was generally pretty chill about it. He stared at the message, sent from Zack's phone. Dinner at their place. They offered to pick him up too (good, because he was planning to have a shot or two at the bar before he left).

Getting Cloud to the point where he was red-faced on his bed as he poured over a text response had not happened overnight. The first time he met any of them was when Angeal and Sephiroth came for dinner and drinks one night, and Cloud had an hour or two on waiter duty, taking a break from the bar. He only remembered it because Sephiroth's hair was so unique and Angeal kept making him giggle—which he never did. A cute pair of customers on a date, but nothing too special.

But then, the next weekend, they returned, and with Genesis and Zack in tow. Cloud hadn't noticed, as he was serving drinks that whole night, but eventually Angeal worked his way up to the bar counter. "I'm sorry if this is a weird question," he said, "But do you remember me from last weekend?"

"Uhh." Cloud was frazzled from keeping up with the crowd, but squinted at him for a few seconds. "With the silver-haired guy?"

"Yes," Angeal said, sounding relieved. "We came back again."

"Oh," Cloud said, distracted. "That's good. Welcome back. What was that, Sir?"

Angeal waited until Cloud handed someone a drink before he said, "Are you over here the whole night this time?"

"Bartending? Yeah." Cloud blinked and looked at him, really focused. The man looked kind of… shy. "What's your name again?"

"Angeal."

"Good to see you again, Angeal. Sorry, but I'm on drinks all night. If you need anything a guy with brown hair will be walking around." Someone else grabbed his attention. "Sorry, I'm really busy right now."

"Oh. That's okay, sorry for distracting you. Have a great night, Cloud."

Cloud glanced at him again as he walked away, frowning. Huh. During his break he wandered over to their table, just for a minute; they were paying their bill anyway. He raised a somewhat awkward hand in greeting as a man with spiky hair noticed him first, and then loudly said, "Hey!" grabbing the attention of the others.

"Uh, hi. Thought I'd come by and say hey, since it seems like you guys wanted me to wait your table again."

"We just wanted to see you again," the silver-haired man clarified; Cloud had forgotten his name, too.

Cloud blinked for a moment, and then blushed as the meaning of his words sank in. "Oh."

"My name is Genesis," introduced the pretty man sitting between Angeal and the silver-haired guy. He reached out a hand, and Cloud bent awkwardly over the large table to reach it.

"And I'm Zack. You looked like a total pro over there. That flippy thing, where you threw the cup into the air? Seriously cool."

"Oh," Cloud said, his brain still trying to understand what was going on, "Thanks. It looks a lot harder than it is."

"I dunno, maybe you're just great."

Woah.

"…I'm on my break," Cloud said, "So I'm going to go relax, and eat. But, uh, it was nice seeing you two again. And meeting you two as well."

"Do you work every weekend?" Genesis asked. Cloud nodded.

"Okay then. We'll see you next Friday night, then."

"Oh. Okay." Cloud almost tacked on a I'm glad you guys like Seventh Heaven so much, but even he knew that it was unlikely that's what was going on here. He bade them goodbye, and returned, puzzled, to go chill in his room upstairs until he had to return to the bustle.

The next weekend, Cloud learned all their names again, and sat with them for a few minutes. The next, he learned all four were in a relationship. The next, Cloud learned more about them, their hobbies, and their occupations. The one after that, Cloud divulged that he had been in a polyamorous relationship once on his own (but with two women, right out of college), and that he was single.

From there Cloud's Friday nights grew increasingly flirtatious and increasingly fun. In a way he was touched that these people liked him enough to keep coming week after week (Tifa certainly appreciated the patronage, as well as how Cloud got so cute when they came around or when someone brought them up).

And finally, they asked him out on a date.

Cloud had thought, after that second-to-last relationship, that he was done with more than one partner, and he hadn't dated a man since college. Still, the chemistry between him and the four was undeniable… and what a shame it would be to not go on this date? How many people could say that they went on a date with four people who were all into them at once? Talk about an ego boost.

Date night was a Wednesday, because that was the day the bar closed. He let out a grunt as he swallowed a shot of whiskey, his second in five minutes, and glanced at Tifa as he placed the glass back on the counter.

"Your collar's crooked," she said, and adjusted it for him.

"Are you nervous?" Denzel asked, spinning in circles on one of the bar counter stools.

"Don't ask him that," Aerith chided. "Of course he is. But it doesn't matter." She moved some of his spikes around with her fingertips and smiled at him, eyes kind. "He's going to woo them all."

"And get some dick," Tifa added, holding up a fist.

Cloud fist-bumped her. "And get some dick," he repeated, chuckling as Denzel said, "Eww!" and covered his ears with his hands.

He washed the shot glass off in the sink, took a last look at himself in the mirror, tugging at his tank-top and jacket, making sure it all looked right. "You'll look hot with the jacket on," Tifa had said earlier, tossing him clothes from the depths of his closet, "Because leather, duh. But then if you take it off, you'll still look hot. Your arms are one of your best features."

"I thought it was my personality," Cloud said, adjusting his junk inside the tight jeans Tifa had pulled from the depths of his closet.

"No, that's what we're making up for. I'm just kidding."

Cloud flopped onto one of the bar stools, waiting impatiently. "Stop scowling," Aerith said, giggling at him. "You'll scare them away."

"I want them to fear me," Cloud said, making his scowl harsher for Denzel's amusement. Someone knocked on the door of the bar and it was Cloud who felt the flash of fear; he answered the door, waving behind his back to the group inside. He slipped out onto the sidewalk and closed it firmly behind him.

Angeal and Zack did not seem nervous at all. "Hey, Spike," Zack greeted, looking casual with his hands in his pockets.

"Hi."

Angeal offered a warm smile. "You having a good night?"

"So far. It's supposed to get better, from what I hear."

Zack inclined his head for Cloud to follow them and started to walk. "You heard right. We're going to feed you until you pop."

"Sounds messy."

"It will be," Angeal said gravely. "Genesis made the barbecue sauce himself, and way too much of it. It's going to be on everything and everyone."

"That's pretty hot. Can I lick it off you, Ang?" Zack winked, and then his lips pinched together as he fought a wide grin. "Lick it off your, ah, meat?"

"Shut up," Angeal said, covering his face with his hand. Cloud giggled (something he didn't often do, but he was nervous, and had those shots not ten minutes previous). "Just shut up."

"You love it."

They parked a block away from the bar and Cloud climbed into the passenger's seat, which Angeal graciously offered him. It was warm, and Cloud cracked open the window; it also helped with his motion sickness. The car was nice. Cloud could admit to being a bit pretentious about motorcycles, but all things considered, the date was off to a good start. They had a Blizzaga Mint air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

They lived towards the edges of town, in a massive, sprawling apartment with high ceilings and polished wood flooring. Cloud toed off his boots, because that's what they all seemed to do when they got inside, and peered around. Mostly modern furniture. A few antiques that looked really out of place. Flower pots all over the damn place. Must have been Angeal.

"Want me to take your coat?"

The whole point was to wear it but it was pretty warm in the apartment—Cloud let Zack take it, and at Angeal's encouragement, walked into the kitchen. Genesis stood at the stove and Sephiroth at the counter. The taller man was chopping fruit for a salad.

"Cloud's here," Angeal greeted, placing a warm hand on Cloud's shoulder blade.

They turned, Genesis only briefly before going back to the food. "Thanks for coming Cloud," he said, while Sephiroth was able to abandon his task for a second, and come over.

While in the bar Cloud had no trouble talking to these four. It was his territory, after all. He was the cool bartender, the one who served their drinks and knew the people who made their food. The lighting was mysterious and he was mysterious, and they were the ones with the longing crush on him. He felt very out of place in this new location. Cloud fumbled, not sure what to do—he ended up mistaking Sephiroth's arm raising to hug Angeal hello as a hug for him, and went in for it.

"Ah, oops, sorry," he said, flushing as he realized his mistake. He skittered a foot or two away.

"It's fine," Sephiroth said.

"It's cute as hell, but he's nervous!" Genesis shouted over his shoulder, "Zack, get him a drink or something! Give him a tour!"

Normally a date's nerves wasn't something you just talked about. Genesis calling it out so plainly was mortifying for like five seconds, and then it passed, and was easier from there. Zack came in from wherever he had been before, steering Cloud over to the fridge.

"Take your pick," he said, "We got beer, mixers and stuff…"

Cloud felt instantly more comfortable. "Is it okay if I whip something up?"

Zack blinked. "Oh, right! Bartender here. Have at it." He gestured at the fridge.

Maybe it wasn't first date behavior to help yourself to all their stuff and fix your own drink, but fuck it—it didn't feel like it was taboo. Cloud found a lime that seemed decent and pulled out some juices and sodas, snagging a few pieces of fresh fruit from Sephiroth as well. Angeal brought over what liquors they had and Cloud eyed the collection.

"Do you guys want me to fix you something too?"

"Sure," Genesis shrugged, "I trust your judgement."

Cloud could admit to wanting to impress his dates, so he got a little more involved than he would usually. They had a blender, and Cloud ground ice into his, Angeal's and Genesis' drinks—a scoop of sherbet from the freezer went into Sephiroth's along with an extra half-shot to take beforehand, and Genesis got a few maraschino cherries.

"Make mine really cool," Zack said, watching with interest.

"You like beer?"

"Yeah."

"Find me a lighter," Cloud ordered.

Cloud filled a shot glass mostly full with amaretto, found in the back of a cabinet, and then topped it off with their highest proof vodka, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave. He borrowed their candle lighter to light the shot, that top layer of booze burning impressively. Zack clapped his hands.

"Drop the shot into the beer," Cloud said, handing the man the beer which he'd poured out of the can and into a large glass. "And you're set."

"Neat," Zack said, oohing and aahing as he did as instructed. Cloud handed everybody their cocktails, then glanced at the mess he made.

"Oh," he said, belatedly feeling rather embarrassed, "Sorry."

"No, no, I'll clean it up. Zack will show you around. Go on."

Angeal and Sephiroth gently pushed them both out of the kitchen. Cloud took an anxious sip. "Was that too much? Did it look like I was showing off?"

"No, not too much. Yeah, but it was sexy as hell. And delicious. You deserve to show off a little. You're good, Spike."

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck. Zack gestured at him to follow.

The apartment was, at first glance, intimidatingly big, but after moving through it Cloud felt far more comfortable. Four incomes to afford one singular place had to be really nice. It wasn't a surprise that they had a huge TV despite Angeal and Genesis' relatively humble occupations as a florist and librarian. Cloud, just for a moment, thought back to his relationship with Terra and Celes. It had been difficult, but some things, like finances, were certainly helped by having more than two partners.

"How many bedrooms do you guys have?" Cloud asked, curious.

"Four. One's a guest room that we don't use. The other three are pretty much up to use whenever, whatever. Gen's pretty particular about that room there though. We have to go to him, he doesn't come to us."

"That's cute."

"You're cute," Zack flirted.

They even had a balcony that overlooked nighttime Midgar. The streets here were wider and cleaner than what Cloud was used to, and in the distance he could see ShinRa Tower. It looked so small from here.

The two men rested their forearms on the railing. The night air felt good on his skin, Cloud decided. Zack Fair would feel better, though. The blond eyed him, but found Zack was watching him already, smile widening as he caught Cloud's eyes.

He took his hand. "Thanks for coming out Spike. When Ang and Seph first told us about you, this hot bartender from Seventh Heaven, none of us really expected anything, you know? We're just real happy you're interested, and giving this whole mess of a relationship a chance. Thanks."

Cloud did not know what to say. "You're welcome," he settled for.

Sephiroth called them back in. Dinner was ready. Genesis, now that he was free, spared a moment to draw Cloud into a hug, and murmured that he was happy to see him. Everyone sat. There was a candle or two on the table, though the atmosphere wasn't oppressively romantic. Just… kind of nice. And the way the light of the tiny flames played off of Angeal's face reminded him of Seventh Heaven.

"Well, dig in," Genesis said, gesturing.

The problem was that everything was so fucking good. And it was, as Angeal had warned, drenched in homemade barbecue sauce. Cloud tried to eat his chicken with a fork and a knife, frowning—but then Genesis interrupted his conversation to ask him, "Cloud, are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm just. Trying to be attractive, and not get this all over my hands."

Sephiroth had it streaked all over one cheek and smeared on his fingers already. "Just go for it."

Cloud did, and the date went a lot more naturally from there.

In fact, the meal went a lot like it would have back at the bar. Cloud mostly listened, though was happy to chime in when asked. Zack made jokes, and occasionally, at his worse ones, Angeal let out this piteous sigh that made Zack thump his leg under the table. Sephiroth frowned whenever Cloud had been quiet too long, no doubt worrying that he was not enjoying himself; Genesis made a point of keeping him engaged. Cloud refilled drinks at one point, but they weren't nearly as fancy as the first batch.

It was a relief to find that the four behaved at home the same they did at Seventh Heaven; they weren't putting on an act to woo him previously. It was the men who kept coming to visit him at the bar that he had begun to fall for, after all. Seeing them here was just nice—Sephiroth fussing over the fruit salad he made and bugging people to eat it, Zack giving him that kind smile whenever their eyes met, Genesis tapping their feet together under the table whenever Cloud said something funny, Angeal refilling his plate and attending to his needs like a mother hen.

Dessert was an apple pie Angeal baked earlier in the day. Cloud was stuffed, but ate it with them in the living room. Unconsciously they sat in a circle, just like they did at the bar. Cloud liked it because he could see everyone's face. Oops—Zack still had a bit of sauce at the corner of his mouth; Cloud took the liberty of wiping it away for him.

And if there was anything Cloud learned from his last adventure with polyamory it was that you couldn't force these things. The romanticized idea of a functioning multi-partnered romance was wonderful, but in practice, it could be hard. Things often don't work out. These four must know that more than anyone. So, Cloud didn't rush it. The other four knew this too—that it was more important to see how he merged in when everyone was just hanging out than if he could give them all a boner (though Cloud could say he was definitely interested in that, too).

Cloud ate his ice cream and pie, consciously relaxed, and tried to enjoy himself.

And the date was a success. On Friday night, just two days after the date, they showed up in the middle of Cloud's shift, as they usually did. Their arrival made Cloud relax quite a bit.

Tifa winked at him from the other end of the bar, and though Cloud rolled his eyes he could not hide his smile. He couldn't force himself to not look their way this time. He met Angeal's eyes across the bar, and smiled over the head of a customer sitting at a stool as Angeal grunted to the others, and they looked over too. Zack waved. Cloud went back to work.

On his break he went to see them, of course. Sephiroth sat on the end and Cloud stood beside him before he sat down, pushing his hand up into the man's hair from the nape of his neck. Sephiroth's arm wound around his waist.

They hadn't had sex or anything on that date, but he did get some kisses before the night was through. When he sat Sephiroth gave him another, very brief, but just as meaningful. Then he gestured at their food. "Please help us eat this. Genesis ordered too much."

"Because you said you were absolutely starving. So sue me!"

Cloud laughed, loving the easy way he could do so. Not a lot of people could make him feel so freely. There was no rush on this relationship, and there was no telling if Cloud would stick with them long enough to get in. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that this might actually work out.

"That," he said, grinning and reaching for the closest basket, "I can definitely do."