The day had been good, the regulars seemed to be in an overall good mood and had been free with their greetings and conversation. The amount of strangers had been quite large as well, but you didn't mind as they had been pretty free with their tips. Only two of them had tried to hit on you. Not because you were pretty, you knew better than that, but because they had been very drunk. Tifa returned about halfway through the shift and the two of you had finished out the night. It had been a fairly ordinary evening, save for the vague feeling that someone had been studying you as you worked, but you were too busy with customers to investigate.
When the bar finally closed, the exhaustion you had fought for the last hour crushed you and turned your thoughts towards the warm bed at home. You wiped off the last counter and shouted to Tifa in the back that you were about to leave. She came out, wiping her hands off with a towel, the murmurs of the television screen following her through the door.
"You sure you want to walk home by yourself? It's pretty late, and you never know what could happen. Just last week I heard one of the regulars saying…"
"Tifa. I'll be fine." You said, cutting her off. She began to protest, but you simply held up your hand. "I've been out far later in far more dangerous areas before, Tifa, I'll be okay. You know I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm almost twenty!" She still seemed to be concerned, so you were surprised when she suddenly turned to walk out of the room without another word. Shrugging, you continued with your task until the last table had been cleared. When she returned, Cloud was standing beside her.
"I know you're a big girl, but just humor me, alright? Cloud is going to walk with you halfway, just until he can see your house, and you can walk the rest of the way by yourself."
Eyes shifting to the figure clothed in black next to her, something, everything, inside you jumped for joy. He stood, calm and solemn, looking powerful even at rest, and you knew you'd be safe. "Why would I be any safer with Cloud? He's only two years older than me, and I know how to fight too!"
She looked at you and put on that face. You know, that face. The one that made you want to punch her just before you did as she asked. Yeah, that face. "Please, for me?"
"Whatever." You mumbled under your breath, throwing the dirty rag into the bucket behind the counter before disappearing into the back room for a moment to grab your black jacket. It was a great jacket. You'd had it for years, and woven in with each fiber were so many memories, you just couldn't bear to lose it. It was like a portable safety blanket. It was also a great excuse to leave the room so they wouldn't see how excited you were to walk with Cloud. You tugged it on, then pushed through the door to the main room and nodded in the man's direction, letting him know you were ready.
Most of the walk home was quiet and uneventful, until Cloud wrapped his arm around your waist as you walked, pulling you closer into his side.
"W…What are you doing?" You whisper-yelled at him, not wanting to draw attention to yourself.
"Just trust me." He replied, still looking straight ahead, calm and collected as ever.
"What the heck kind of answer is that? Just trust me? Really?" You weren't actually mad that he was holding your waist, in fact you were elated. What you were hiding was the ever darkening blush that was spreading across your face.
"At the next shop window, look in the reflection. You should see two men in brown shirts. They're following us. And rather poorly I must admit." He replied, his voice still at a casual whisper. You did as he said and immediately spotted the barely concealed tails. You nodded to let Cloud know you had seen them before walking on. Because you knew the area near your house, you took a couple of shortcuts to confuse the trackers. As soon as your house came into view, a sigh of relief escaped your lips as Cloud let go of your side. Sure, you felt just a little bit colder, but that was a sacrifice you were willing to make to escape from one of the most awkward situations of your life.
You mumbled a thanks, still trying to conceal your blush, then turned and walked towards the house. About three-fourths of the way there you heard Cloud yelling your name, and something else you couldn't quite make out. You turned to look at him, confused. He was sprinting in your direction, stretching out his hand, which is when you felt a heavy thud on your head, and the jolt of an arm against your stomach pulling you onto some sort of motorcycle, before sinking into the familiar comforts of unconsciousness.