Unf. This story is sitting on my hard drive titled "reno drabble". What it should be named is "the little drabble that could". It snowballed from a small writing exercise about Reno being injured into this wild beast that has nothing to do with Reno. Thanks go out to my dear cousin Babybluesbabygirl for putting up with my whining about how "Rude and Tifa won't cooperate with me!" and "I want to smoosh their goddamn faces together!" and "I don't know what to call it anymore!" and "I fucked up when I posted it the first time!"

Eventually with some encouragement and many facepalms, I did smoosh their goddamn faces together. Enjoy! (Critique strongly encouraged)

Momentum

Tifa wiped out glasses with a slightly grubby rag, humming lightly to herself. Once the bar was closed, Cloud always took the kids upstairs to force them to take baths and get in bed. Sometimes the way they'd become so...domestic shocked her. Other times, she just hummed to fill the void.

"But Cloud!" Tifa heard Marlene argue. "You and Tifa aren't going to bed yet! Why can't we help close the bar, too?"

"Barret doesn't care if we bathe and get in bed, Marlene," Cloud said gently. "Besides- you all help too much anyway." Tifa pictured Cloud standing at the edge of her bed, watching the kids wiggle around to get comfortable before he tucked them in. She found herself smiling at the dirty glass in her hand.

Their voices turned into soft murmurs above her. Denzel had probably asked Cloud to sit with them and talk about the day like he usually did. He never asked Tifa to sit with them- though occasionally Marlene would ask her to tell them a story. Denzel would roll his eyes at that because he was way too old for stories, but Tifa would always catch him listening intently after Marlene fell asleep.

Cloud descended the stairs and grabbed a broom. "Thought they were never gonna go to sleep," he said, shaking his head. Tifa laughed and looked up at him as he started sweeping in the corner by the door. Cloud met her eyes for a brief moment and gave her a tiny little half-smile that forced her to beam back at him.

A loud bang at the door ruined the moment. Tifa stood still as Cloud cautiously approached the door. "What do you want?" He called.

"It's Rude. I need help," came the muffled reply. Cloud turned to Tifa, who gave him a quizzical look and motioned for him to open the door. He did, and Tifa dropped the glass she was holding.

Rude stumbled in supporting a shaky, blood-soaked Reno. Cloud thrust an arm out to steady the two Turks as Tifa rushed over and shoved a chair behind Reno before he toppled over. "We got jumped on a mission," Rude said, his voice betraying his stoic demeanor. "We held 'em off, but one of 'em snuck up on him while he was gloating."

Tifa unbuttoned Reno's blood-soaked shirt to look at the wound in his chest.

"Bad...lookin'...?" Reno panted in time with his breath, his usual smirk still in place. "Had...worse. No...big."

Tifa frowned. "Reno, for once in your life quit talking."

Rude shook his head. "I cast Cure, but it only does so much you know? Especially when Reno-"

Somewhere behind them there was a crash.

"Denzel!" Cloud barked, striding over to the boy. "Get back upstairs, and tell Marlene to do the same." His face and voice were hard, making Denzel shrink away.

"Sorry, Cloud. I heard a banging and I thought...I thought..."

Cloud grabbed Denzel under the arms and pulled him up. "It's okay, just go to bed, alright?" Denzel just nodded and ran back to his room. Cloud shut and locked the door to the stairs to make sure he stayed put.

"You alright?" Cloud asked Rude, coming to stand behind him as they watched Tifa attempt to clean and bandage Reno.

Rude turned to look at Cloud. "Had worse."

Tifa picked up a vial of a blood red potion and a clean wad of gauze. "Bite this, Reno. This is gonna hurt and I don't want you scaring the kids."

Reno gave her a look that clearly said "the fuck are you talkin' about, yo?" but did as she told him. Tifa mentally counted to three and poured the potion directly onto his chest. She jumped a little when he let out a muffled yell and arched his back off the chair in agony.

"Told you," she murmured. "One more time." Reno closed his eyes and gripped the arms of the chair, bracing for the second go. Once again, there was a muffled scream and Reno practically rolled around in agony as his body mended itself in high speed.

After that, Reno had gone limp- out cold. Tifa used that to her advantage, shucking off his coat and shirt the rest of the way and maneuvering him to tightly bandage his chest. Rude looked on, seemingly unconcerned. "He gonna be okay, Tifa?"

"Oh yeah," she replied, taking one glance at his bloody shirt and walking it over to the sink. "May not be ready to move around much for a few days, but I think he'll be back to his normal self when he wakes up. You wanna drink?"

Rude looked to Reno and then back at Tifa, considering. "Alright."

Cloud growled, but Tifa fixed him with her best glare as she sat a beer in front of the Turk. "Cloud, why don't you go check on Marlene and Denzel?" He nodded lightly at her and went up the stairs, closing the door behind him. Tifa frowned but turned back to washing Reno's shirt.

"Why are you doing that?" Rude asked as he popped the cap off his beer with the edge of the bar and his hand.

Tifa turned to look at him searchingly. That was a good question. "I'm not sure. Because I can, I guess." She turned back to the sink and scrubbed harder at the stained shirt.

Rude smiled at her (well, for him it was a smile) and took a long pull off the bottle. "You're too nice, Tifa. You know that?"

At that, she threw the shirt back in the water and crossed her arms. "What are you saying, Turk?"

Rude chuckled. "Nothing you haven't heard before, Tifa. Relax."

Tifa heard Cloud close the door to the kids' room, and then another distinctive slam as he closed the door to the stairs. She broke her gaze at Rude to turn to Cloud. "All good upstairs?" she asked lightly.

"Yeah. For the most part," Cloud murmured idly, going back to his sweeping. Tifa rolled her eyes and placed Reno's torn shirt over the heater to dry.

"So why'd you bring him here?" Tifa asked, her voice holding nothing but honest curiosity. Rude stiffened and set his beer on the bar with a measured movement and only a small, dull thud.

"Because I knew you would help," he said finally. "We're Turks, Tifa. Not a lot of people take pity on us, and most that do can't be trusted." Rude took another sip.

Tifa stared at him long and hard. Cloud tensed up in the background, but Tifa ignored him like she had more often than not lately. Rude's face was the most vulnerable Tifa had ever seen it. There were no hard eyes boring back into hers, there wasn't a determined set to his lips, and his shoulders were slumped from their usual stiff posture. It broke her heart a little, as much as she'd never admit it.

"So you're saying-" she began.

Rude looked her straight in the eyes then. "Thank you, is all. Just 'thank you'."

Tifa just nodded and turned away, grabbing a mop and a rag. "You're welcome to stay down here until he's up and moving." Cloud looked at her in disbelief and confusion, but Tifa shook her head at him. "For now, finish your beer and help wipe down tables." Tifa threw the rag at Rude, who caught it with practiced ease and a nod.

Tifa forced Cloud to set out two cots down in the bar for the Turks. When she came down the stairs the next morning, she was greeted by a bleary-eyed, sluggish Reno puffing on a cigarette. As soon as his eyes landed on Tifa, a tired version of his usual sleazy smile crossed his features. "Mornin', yo."

"Morning," Tifa greeted quietly, so as not to wake Rude. "Feeling alright?"

Reno paused and thought for a second. Tifa never realized how small and sickly he looked. "Hurts like a motherfucker, yo. The fuck did you use on me?"

Tifa shrugged and made her way behind the bar, filling two glasses with water. "Something from Nibelheim. Never caught what it was called, just knew it worked." She offered one of the glasses to Reno, who stared at it with disgust. Tifa just thrust it further into his face until he grabbed it and took a sip, which turned into him chugging half the glass.

"Was Nibelheim filled with morons?" Reno asked, ashing his cigarette on the floor.

Before she or Reno could register what happened, Tifa's fist connected with Reno's cheek with enough force to knock him onto the floor. He looked up at her with wide, shocked eyes and rubbed his cheek absently. Tifa towered over him, mouth set in a tight line and shaking slightly. She didn't understand why the comment made her so angry, all she knew is that she wanted to grab Reno by that ridiculous mullet of his and slam him through the front window.

Deep breaths, she thought.

"You need to drink more water," she said calmly. "Help yourself."

Tifa walked back up the stairs and slammed her door shut with a little more force than necessary. She didn't come back down until Marlene knocked on her door and asked her to cook.

"I'll be down in a second, Marlene. Why don't you go on down and find something you want, okay?" Tifa bent down to be eye-level with the young girl, who giggled and nodded. Tifa watched her run down the stairs and smiled to herself. She wished she were that energetic. She changed out of her nightgown before heading downstairs herself.

"What do you like to eat, Mister Rude?" Marlene inquired, staring intently at the Turk. He was sitting at a table across from Reno, a half-empty (full?) glass between them. "I like to eat eggs, but Cloud hates them and Denzel hates them because Cloud hates them."

Rude considered Marlene for a moment. "I like them, too."

Marlene grinned and weaseled herself into his lap. To Rude's credit, he took it in stride despite his obvious confusion and hesitance. Tifa decided to watch for a little while longer. Marlene continued to jabber at Rude, who nodded and hummed in the right places. Reno interjected a few comments here and there, but Marlene ignored him for the most part- Tifa found it hilarious.

"Marlene," Tifa finally called as she walked down the stairs. "Did you decide on what you wanted?"

Marlene jumped off of Rude's lap and ran over to Tifa. "Yeah! I couldn't decide, so I asked Mister Rude what he liked, and he said he liked eggs!" Tifa looked over at Rude, who looked to be extremely interested in whatever Reno was saying. She smiled down at Marlene and bent down to her again.

"Why didn't you ask Reno?" she asked.

"I don't like him," Marlene replied simply. "He's got funny hair and a funny accent. Can we cook now? I'm hungry!"

Tifa helped Marlene make enough breakfast for everyone. To her surprise and delight, she only had to fish out three pieces of egg shell this time. Marlene was starting to learn how to cook slowly but surely. It made her heart swell.

"Eggs?" Cloud asked, walking over to them. "Why eggs, of all things?"

Marlene shook the wooden spoon at him in her best impression of Tifa. "Because everyone likes them but you, Cloud!"

At that exact moment, Denzel bounded down the stairs. "Do I have to eat that?" He asked, eyeing the eggs warily. Cloud nodded and gestured to Denzel while Marlene and Tifa rolled their eyes. "Did I...say something?"

Marlene laughed. "No, you and Cloud are just being a pain in the-"

"Marlene," Tifa snapped sharply, giving Marlene a look.

Marlene scowled and grumbled, "Yuffie says it all the time."

Tifa gave a long-suffering sigh and helped Marlene move the eggs from the pan to the plates (minus Cloud and Denzel's, of course). She made to help Marlene distribute the food, but Marlene shooed her away. "You go sit, Tifa! I want to serve this time!"

Not one to disobey orders, Tifa took a seat at the table with the Turks and Cloud. As she sat down the plates, Tifa thanked her; Reno grinned and loudly proclaimed his love of her hospitality; Cloud nodded and gave her what he considered a smile; Denzel copied Cloud.

...And Rude reached over and ruffled her hair. For some reason, the gesture took Tifa by surprise. It was so gentle. Even more, Marlene didn't get mad- she laughed at him and he smiled at her. Tifa pretended it was Marlene's giggle and not Rude's rare, small quirk of the lips that made her heart clench.

Reno and Rude left shortly after breakfast- Reno was still a little shaky on his feet, but he still swatted angrily at Rude when he tried to help him around. "I'm fine, yo! Fantastic even!" Tifa made Rude promise to slow him down as best as he could.

"No promises," he said as he shut the door behind him.

Cloud, Marlene, and Denzel appeared from upstairs as Tifa was finishing the dishes. "We're leaving," Cloud said to her. He liked to take Marlene and Denzel to school on Fenrir whenever his schedule permitted. Tifa wiped her hands on a dishtowel and grabbed the kids' lunches and held them out to their respective owners.

"Be good today," she chirped, patting both of their heads. "And you be careful, Cloud. I'm not going to be as nice to you as I was to Reno, got it?" She was smiling, but she meant it just the same.

Cloud just nodded his assent and nudged the kids out the door.

Tifa turned on the lights, flipped the open sign, and tried her best to prepare for the day.

It was a week before Reno and Rude show up again.

"What's up, Tif?" Reno said, sidling up to the bar. He leaned over on his elbows and Rude stood behind him with crossed arms. "Miss me yet?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "I couldn't miss you if I tried, Reno." Still, she filled a glass full of Reno's favorite liquor and placed it in front of him. "It's getting time you pay your tab, though."

Reno laughed and downed his drink in three long gulps. "Man, let Rude take care of that! He's got the money, yo!" Rude arched an eyebrow at his partner and shook his head. Reno flapped his hand flippantly at Rude and gestured for Tifa to refill his glass.

"So how are you, Rude?" Tifa asked, pointedly ignoring Reno. Reno just scoffed and drummed his fingers against the smooth countertop. "Beer?"

Rude shook his head. "I figure one of us should be sober at all times, and it definitely won't be Reno." Reno shrugged and flipped his hand in Rude's direction as if to say 'he's right, yo.'

Tifa just smiled and refilled Reno's glass. A patron waved to get her attention, and she waved in acknowledgement. "Duty calls," was all she said as she walked out from behind the bar. Rude followed her with his eyes until she was out of his range of vision.

"Like a lost puppy," Reno murmured at Rude. Rude just arched his eyebrow again. "Don't think I didn't notice, yo. You got it bad, man."

"Mind your own fucking business and drink, Reno."

As the night wore on, Reno got increasingly more intoxicated (as was usual) and Tifa's patience grew more and more thin. Usually she was good about keeping calm around the patrons, but tonight all she wanted to do was flip the sign to 'closed' and curl up in her bed forever.

The worst part was Reno calling her over to his table every five minutes. Literally.

"Just lookin' to chat, yo. Don't get so titchy, man," he said defensively when she finally yelled at him to let her be. Rude buried his face in his palms and ignored her as she ranted and raved at his red-haired partner. Reno took it in stride.

"You're glad I don't break your fucking jaw right now-"

"Reno, let's go." Rude spoke suddenly, cutting Tifa off in mid-sentence (and gesture, leaving her with her fist raised in the air). Reno looked at his partner in fuzzy disbelief. Rude threw enough gil on the table to cover Reno's tab and then some. Tifa cocked her head at him, considering. He just quirked his lips at her and shoved the money in her direction.

Reno recovered from his stupor and began laughing. "You got a bad case of Tifa, yo!"

Tifa gathered the gil and pretended she didn't hear that. "Good night, Rude." Rude nodded to her, jaw tight and cheeks almost imperceptibly flushed. "Reno," she added as an afterthought. Rude circled around the table and pulled Reno up by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey, watch it, man!" Reno crowed, lanky limbs wobbling to balance and keep up with the other Turk. "I ain't got no coordination when I'm drunk, yo!"

Reno and Rude came in the next night. And the next night. And even the next night after that. It was always the same routine- Reno would waltz in like he owned the place and harass Tifa until she got sick of him and banished him to his corner table. Rude wouldn't look her in the eye, simply nodding or shaking his head at her more often than not. For that, she was glad. She was used to men being attracted to her, as vain as it sounded, but something about knowing Rude was attracted to her made her feel completely self-conscious in his presence.

"Tii-faaaa!" Marlene practically shouted at Tifa, jerking her out of her reverie. "Jeez, I thought you'd never turn around! Mister Reno wants to talk to you!"

Tifa looked over at his table, and sure enough he was alone. His usual smirk was in place as he gave her a lazy wave of the hand. Tifa gestured that she'd come over as soon as she could. "Thank you, Marlene," she said, ruffling the girls hair. "Why don't you go upstairs and do your homework with Denzel now, okay? It's almost closing time."

Marlene turned and ran up the stairs with no argument, much to Tifa's relief. With a quick glance around the bar, Tifa made her way to Reno and sat down across from him. "What happened to Rude?" she asked without preamble. Reno took a long drink before he answered.

"Gone, yo. Said he had business to attend to or somethin'." Reno rolled his eyes and practically beamed at Tifa. "You weren't concerned about him, were ya?"

Tifa stiffened. "Just never seen you in here without him, is all. Doesn't seem like he'd leave you drunk and alone." Reno snorted. "Okay, so I've noticed he's been acting weird lately. What's up with that?"

Reno stared hard at her. "You really are a testament to that Nibelheim comment I made the other day, aren't ya? Hey- chill! I'm just sayin', he's all embarrassed because he's into you and I spilled it." Tifa cocked her head. "Don't look at me like that. I've been trying to get him to make a move but he's on some trip about 'I respect her, yo' and 'Reno mind your own goddamn business' and shit." He shook his head and downed the rest of his whiskey.

"And?" Tifa said finally. She had no idea where Reno was going with this, and it was starting to frustrate her.

Reno gave her a blank look. "Here I was, thinking you were the brains to Cloud's brawn, yo. I'm saying, you two making sad eyes at each other when you think the other isn't looking is disgusting, yo." He stuck his tongue out for emphasis. "So really, if you're waiting for Rude you may as well keep holdin' out for Cloud." With that, Reno stood up and dug in his pockets for a few gil and threw it on the table. "Think about it," he said cryptically as he slithered out the door.

Tifa collected her money and returned to her place behind the bar, thinking about how sick she was of Reno's company. He should really keep his mouth shut sometimes- what was that about 'sick puppy eyes'? The last time Tifa checked, she didn't look at Rude any differently than she did anyone else.

Or did she?

As if she wasn't self-conscious enough around him since Reno's last push.

Later that night, as she and Cloud were closing the bar, Tifa stopped and turned to the blonde. "Hey, Cloud?"

Cloud turned to her, his expressive eyes wide and questioning. He tossed the rag in his hands onto the table he was cleaning and strode over to the bar. "Is something wrong?"

Tifa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There's...there's nothing between us, is there?" She couldn't look him in the eye, and directed the question at her shoes. Still she sensed him cross his arms and give her that look he so often did.

"Tifa, we've talked about this and-"

"Just checking," she said, cutting him off quickly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders in that moment. Cloud just shook his head and went back to cleaning tables.

Tifa locked the front door when she was finished cleaning and walked over to a rather intoxicated Rude. "It's not like Reno to stay sober," she mused, taking Rude's empty beer bottle and replacing it with a new one. "And it's really not like Reno to leave you to drink alone."

Rude looked up at her then, his expression as neutral as ever. "You must not know Reno, then." Tifa frowned and cocked her head. "His lady's got him pretty well trained. Comes whenever she calls," Rude laughed. Tifa smiled and joined in with a small chuckle. Somehow she'd never pictured Reno actually being in a relationship. "Closin' time isn't it? Guess I gotta get going."

"No!" Tifa said as he stood up, almost yelling at him by accident. Rude turned to her and frowned. "Stay. I hate closing when nobody's here, it's lonely."

"Where's Cloud?"

"Out on a delivery with Denzel until tomorrow evening," she answered, gesturing for him to sit back down as she began to clean glasses.

"And Marlene?"

"Is with Barret."

Rude nodded and took a sip of his beer. "Guess I wouldn't mind keepin' you company for a while." Tifa smiled at him and felt herself blush, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She turned her attention back to the glasses, though she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her skull. "So why do you do this? Run the bar, I mean."

Tifa dried her hands and turned to Rude. "It's a long story," she answered, purposely dodging the subject. No need to mention AVALANCHE and have things get awkward, she thought. "Basically me, Cloud, and Barret got drunk one night and had a few laughs- then we realized that's what people needed in Edge- an escape, you know? After that, it just felt like I had to."

"I don't see how that's a long story," Rude mused with a smile. Tifa rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too. "Still, that's a very...Tifa reason to run a bar."

"What do you mean?"

Rude stared off for a second, and Tifa could almost see the gears turning inside his head. It unnerved her to no end. "You've got these ridiculous nurturing instincts," he blurts with slight hesitation. Tifa cocked her head. "It just fits that you'd do it to help people, is all. Now, don't look at me like that- it's not a bad thing. I like it."

Tifa bit her lip before answering with "Rude, if I didn't know any better I'd start to think you were coming on to me." She meant for it to come out joking and almost mocking, but instead it came out hesitant and shy- almost like she was afraid to say so.

They looked at each other for a long while. Tifa felt her face flush blood red in embarrassment, and she could see the way Rude's jaw and grip on his glass tightened once she'd said it. Eventually Tifa couldn't stand it and poured herself a glass of wine, just to have something to do with her hands.

"Good thing you know better then, right?" Rude's gravelly voice broke the silence so suddenly that Tifa jumped and almost dropped the bottle. She didn't answer, instead choosing to finish the wine in three steady gulps. Rude looked impressed, and Tifa just laughed and shook her head lightly.

"What if I didn't know better, Rude?"

"Huh?"

Tifa could tell his eyes were wide behind those shades of his. Before she gave herself the chance to play it off, she stated "I'm about to do something stupid."

"Wha-?"

Tifa walked around the bar and stood eye-level with the top of Rude's head. He turned his body toward her and looked up at her stone-faced once more- actually meeting her eyes and not her chest, she noticed. "Tell me to stop," she whispers, cradling his head in her hands. Rude shook his head 'no' and grabbed one of her wrists. "Okay, I warned you."

Without further ado Tifa leaned down and gingerly pressed her lips against his. They didn't move for a long moment, and Tifa took the time to consider what the hell she was doing. It was too late for her to pull back, laugh, and pretend she hadn't- and she hadn't drank enough wine to pretend she was anything more than pleasantly buzzed. Her heart raced faster with nerves the longer Rude didn't respond.

She was so preoccupied that she hadn't noticed Rude's gentle hands on her hips, or the way he tilted his head and began to kiss her in earnest. Tifa found herself rather enjoying the slow, careful way he kissed her- like she might run away or break if he didn't. It was definitely different from Cloud's desperate, clumsy style.

Tifa almost felt bad for thinking she liked it a lot more.

Almost. Rude pulled her closer so she stood between his knees and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Tifa felt one of Rude's hands slide just far enough under her to feel skin-on-skin, exploring the different textures. Somehow he made it seem like it was the most natural, innocent thing in the world.

Tifa felt his teeth graze her lower lip and gasped. She felt Rude hesitate briefly, and relax into the kiss once more as she ran her hands over the smoothness of his scalp. Tifa didn't know what she expected from the kiss- not fireworks or any sentimental something like that- but she definitely didn't expect it to be so comfortable.

Before she even registered what was going on, Rude cupped the sides of Tifa's face and pushed himself away from her. Tifa fought the urge to cringe as he examined her face intently. "Rude?" Her voice sounded like a gunshot ringing through the bar.

"Just wanted to look," he almost murmured. "Your face is nice."

Tifa felt her face flush. "It's been a while since anyone's said that about my face," she said breathlessly. On impulse, she reached up and easily slid Rude's sunglasses off and placed them at the bar. Tifa looked straight into his wide, hazel eyes then and smiled. "Hi, Rude."

Rude brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Hey, Tifa."