Cloud gave up and dumped his coin pouch out on the counter. "Sorry," he said as he began his search for the right coins again.

"No problem. Take your time." The girl who worked at the shop near the apartment building waved the people who had lined up behind him over to the other till.

Cloud flushed with embarrassment, but nobody said anything. He had a little badge with a red triangle on it that he pinned to his shirt every time he went out. That way people could see at a glance that he was new and learning. He had the numbers up to the thousands and all the letters down pat now, but counting out the right amount of gil when he went shopping was hard. His teacher said not to be lazy, though. He was supposed to get as close to the exact amount as he could instead of just getting change all the time.

"Okay." He set two hundred gil coins and three ten gil coins into the tray with the three bills he had counted out before. "I think that's right."

"Can I make a suggestion?" the girl asked.

Cloud paused in scooping up the remaining coins. "All right."

"If you give me one more gil, I'll be able to give you back a five as change instead of four ones."

"Oh!" He stopped and thought a moment. That did make sense. He fished out a one and put it in the tray. "Thank you. I'll try to remember that."

"You're welcome." She handed over a five gil coin and his receipt.

Cloud double-checked the groceries against the list Reno had made as he put them into his bag, feeling immensely proud of himself. Ten items matched up with the ten pictures, plus one treat for himself.

"Got everything you needed?"

Cloud turned to look up at an unfamiliar alpha. His hair spiked up even more than Cloud's own, and he had a friendly smile as he tossed things into a bag without looking.

"Yeah, I think so." Cloud flushed when he felt the now familiar flutter of attraction that he always felt around alphas. "First time by myself."

"Oh shit, really? Congrats! I'm Zack."

"Nice to meet you." This had also become fairly routine. Ever since they had been allowed, alphas were constantly introducing themselves to him. It got tiring, especially knowing what they all wanted. He understood that it was good to have options and meet lots of people before deciding, but he wished he could be like Reno sometimes. Since Reno didn't need to mate yet, alphas weren't so forward with him. He had some people that he saw regularly, and if he flirted with someone, they would flirt back if they were interested, but other than that, they left him alone. He just wanted to get used to life here first.

Zack looked at him curiously. "And you are?"

He blinked in surprise. "You don't know?"

"Should I?"

"I just—everyone always knows my name before I meet them."

"Ah, gotcha. Sorry, I just got back to Midgar. I was out in the jungle for six months, so I haven't caught up on all the gossip yet."

"Are you a SOLDIER?"

"Yeah, Second Class. So … you gonna tell me your name or do I get to guess over coffee? I wouldn't mind doing that at all."

He flushed again and shook his head. "Cloud."

"What? You're the guy Sephiroth brought back? But wasn't that only like a week ago?"

Cloud thought for a second. "Nine days."

"Damn, and you're already shopping on your own? I'm impressed."

"You don't need to be condescending about it. I'm not stupid." Cloud picked up his bag and turned away.

"What, no, I didn't mean to—I'm sorry. It's just that some people take a lot longer to adjust."

"Well I don't have time to hide in my room, as everyone keeps reminding me. I have to go out and let dumb alphas hit on me constantly." He stomped off, feeling even more proud of himself as the alpha shouted after him, apologizing. Maybe he couldn't be exactly like Reno, but perhaps some of his confidence was rubbing off.

He stomped the whole way down the block until he bumped into Sephiroth, who was on his way out.

"Are you all right?" Sephiroth asked.

"No! I'm sick of being asked out and hit on all the time. I can't even have a moment to be proud of myself for doing the shopping without some alpha oozing over to see if I want a coffee. How much damn coffee am I supposed to be able to drink? I don't even like coffee! I'm cancelling our date tomorrow."

"Oh, okay …"

"Would you like to go out with me tomorrow? I've heard the Midgar Museum of History is really good."

Sephiroth blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side.

"I want to do the asking out for a change." Yes, it was stupid and probably meaningless, but despite all the freedom he'd been given, things still felt so out of his control.

Sephiroth broke into a smile. "I'd love to go to the museum with you. What time will you pick me up?"

"Ten o'clock."

"I'll be ready. Is there someone I need to speak with?"

Cloud sighed, his anger fading. "No. He didn't do anything wrong. Just every time I turn around, someone's trying to get in my pants and I'm sick of it."

"I'll tell Tseng to change his orders. No more asking you out until you say otherwise. If there's someone you're interested in, you ask him."

He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I am trying, but …"

"You are, and you're doing so well. We've been putting too much pressure on you. You're not out of time yet."

A hand rubbed his shoulder and Cloud leaned into the touch, wishing he could just be done with everything.

"Go relax. Have a break from us and our oozing. And nice work on the shopping, by the way. You deserve to be proud of yourself."

XXX

Sephiroth couldn't hold back his smile when his doorbell rang at precisely ten o'clock. He opened it on Cloud, who held out a bouquet of daisies.

"Are those for me?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"There was someone selling them from a cart when Reno and I went out for a walk this morning. I thought you might like them."

"Well, thank you. They're beautiful. Let me just put them in some water and then I'll be ready to go." Sephiroth took the flowers and rummaged around in his cupboards, searching for something suitable to put them in. He certainly didn't have a vase. Finally, he found a tall thermos near the back and filled it up. "No one's ever given me flowers before, so I'm a little unprepared. There, that'll do until I can get a vase. Thank you again."

"Reno told me how to get there, but it might be better if you just lead the way."

"No way. You lead, and I'll help out only if you want it. If we get lost, we'll call it an adventure." He held out his hand and Cloud gave him a shy smile as he took it.

"Okay."

"Zack asked me to apologize to you," he said as they walked. "He's a genuinely nice guy, and he didn't mean to upset you."

Cloud shook his head. "I was rude. I need to apologize to him."

"You were frustrated. It's not an excuse, but it's understandable. Would you like me to pass on your apology? Or I can give you his contact information."

"Aerith said it would be best to say sorry in person when I talked to her about it yesterday. We practiced. Can I have his information?"

"Sure. I'll get it for you when we get back." Sephiroth had to force himself to agree. Of all the people who had expressed their interest in Cloud so far, Sephiroth felt that he had the best chance, but he knew that Cloud would get along with Zack if he gave him a chance. Why did he have to come back from his mission? He had half a mind to send him back, but the rational side of his brain knew that he'd be rightfully hauled in front of a disciplinary committee in a heartbeat if he tried to interfere with an omega's mating options like that. Never mind the fact that it would be cruel to Cloud to keep him from interacting with someone he might genuinely be interested in.

Cloud pulled out a hand-drawn map and studied it and their surroundings for several moments before turning left. It wasn't quite the wrong direction, and Sephiroth said nothing as he walked beside his date, content to let him learn the streets without interference. There was no need to rush. As far as he was concerned, the longer they spent together, the better.

"Is this it?" Cloud asked when they finally arrived outside a big building with a large garden in front.

Sephiroth smiled and nodded. "Success."

The relief on Cloud's face was palpable. "I thought we'd be lost forever."

"I had faith. Do you feel like you're getting a better idea of how the streets are laid out?"

"Yeah, actually. It's a lot easier to understand when I can actually see it, rather than just following and looking at maps. Thanks for being patient."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Not at all. I enjoyed walking with you. I learn a lot better by doing things as well, so I understand. Want to grab an early lunch before we head in?" He pointed to the food stand that was by some picnic tables in the garden.

"Oh, yes, that would be good." Cloud paused to look at the sign over the stand, and sounded out the letters under his breath. "Hamburgers?"

"That's right. Hamburgers." Cloud's pronunciation was a bit off, but he picked up on the way Sephiroth said it and repeated it several times. He was impressed with Cloud's dedication to learning, and he felt rather badly for not trying to teach him more as they had travelled. He hadn't wanted to overwhelm him, but he could have at least taught him the alphabet and given him some simple things to read while they rode. It would have made his time at the cabin less boring.

"What'll you have?" the man working the stand asked.

"We need a few minutes. Do you have a menu that we can sit down and look at?"

He handed over a laminated sheet of paper, and Sephiroth led Cloud to one of the tables and sat next to him. "Do you want to try reading it?" There weren't many options, so it wouldn't take long.

Cloud gave him a small smile and nodded. "Is this what the hamburgers looks like?" he asked, pointing to the picture on the menu.

"Yes, it's a beef patty with some other toppings on a bun."

"It looks good." Cloud used his finger to trace under the words. "I want to have cheese on it," he declared after a while. "That's what this means, right?"

Sephiroth looked where Cloud was pointing. "Yes, that's exactly right. Should we get two hamburger sets with cheese, then?"

"Yes, I think that's what I'd like." He pulled out a little notebook and pencil from his pocket, and opened it to a page that had the day's date at the top. Sephiroth watched curiously as he painstakingly copied the word 'hamburgers' into the notebook, then wrote the price for one set twice, followed by the upcharge for cheese twice. He noticed that the other entry on the page was 'flowers' for 500 gil.

"Is this your budget book?" he asked.

"Yes. Reno helps me add it all up so I know how much money I spend and how much I have."

Before Sephiroth could say anything else, Cloud had put the notebook away and was hurrying back to the stand with the menu. He followed, unsure of whether or not he should step in. Cloud successfully ordered the two meals, but when he pulled out his wallet to pay, the cook looked back at him.

"Is it okay?"

Sephiroth shrugged helplessly. It felt wrong, but Cloud clearly wanted to pay. It wasn't like he couldn't afford it. The stipend Shinra gave him was generous enough, and budgeting was clearly being covered in the lessons he was taking. He wasn't forcing an omega to go without by not being the one to provide the meal.

"Is something wrong?" Cloud asked, looking nervous.

"No, it's fine," he forced himself to say. "I'll just wait at the table since you've got everything under control."

When Cloud returned bearing a tray, he was beaming, but when he sat down, he asked, "I did something wrong, didn't I?"

Sephiroth shook his head, but thought he should probably try to explain in case he ended up on a date with someone who would get upset about it. "Alphas can get … a bit insecure," he said as he took one of the burgers and showed Cloud how to unwrap it. "We like being the ones to pay for meals. It's not about the money, but more …" He paused and thought for a moment. "Wanting to prove that we can provide the necessities. It's fine, though. It just caught me—and apparently him over there off guard. Thank you very much for lunch."

"Nobody said anything about that," Cloud said shyly. "I like … I like being in charge of my own food."

The instant Cloud said it, Sephiroth understood perfectly, and felt terribly for saying anything. Considering that the people he had relied on for basic sustenance had pretty much starved him, it only made sense that he wanted control over his food now that he was gaining some independence. "Well, I know you're being taught social norms from both Reno and in your classes, so if nobody said anything, then clearly omegas have decided that we're silly and there's nothing wrong with you paying for a meal on a date." He took a big bite of his burger. "It's delicious."

Cloud laughed and copied him. The face he made was brief, but Sephiroth noticed it.

"What is it you don't like?"

"It's fine, it's just, I don't know, it's mostly nice, but there's something on it I don't like. Something crunchy."

Sephiroth lifted the top off of his bun and looked at the toppings. Cloud would have had most of them with his meals already. "Have you had raw onions or pickles before?"

"I've had pickles, and I like onions, but I think they've always been cooked."

"Try a bite of onion by itself." He held out a small piece from his burger, and Cloud wrinkled his nose again when he ate it. He smiled and lifted the top off Cloud's burger, then moved all the onions over to his. "There. I can salvage my alpha ego by rescuing you from onions. Next time you can ask for it with no onion and they'll make it that way from the start."

"O—okay. Thank you." He took another bite and nodded. "I like it without a lot better."

"So, tell me about the classes you've been taking. Are you enjoying them?"

"Yes, I like them a lot! On Monday I'm starting a cooking class. Aerith suggested it, and I'm really excited. I talked to Doctor Gast about it, and he said that he'd ask my teacher to show me how to make some of the things I'd have for my meals anyway, and that way I can cook for myself sometimes. Reading is so hard though, but I think I'll like it once I'm better at it. I'm just slow."

"A cooking class sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I think it's a really good skill to have, and personally, I find it relaxing to make myself a nice meal after a long day. Being able to cook for yourself will be a huge step towards independence. And don't worry about being slow at reading. Everyone is slow when they first start something new. It just takes practice."

Cloud smiled shyly. "Thanks for letting me try with the menu."

"No problem. I absolutely don't mind helping you out when you need it, but I'd rather let you try on your own first."

XXX

Cloud gasped as he stepped into the museum, staring at the massive model in front of him. "Is this Midgar? What it used to look like?"

"In all its short-lived glory."

There were two levels, just like Sephiroth had said. The top level was shiny and pretty, and the one below was grungy and dark. Leaning in for a closer look, he saw a big hole in one of the walls that separated the sections, and there was different coloured writing on a lot of the open surfaces.

"What does that say?" he asked, pointing to something written in bright red letters that were hard to make sense of.

"Fuck Shinra!" Sephiroth said with a laugh. "They recreated exactly how it looked shortly before Meteor Fall. Shinra wasn't very popular in the slums."

"Oh! Sephiroth, look! It's Aerith's office!" He leaned in as close as he could get to see the details of the big building. The roof was partially intact, with just a big hole in the middle, and there were more windows that still had glass. But the same flowers were growing inside, though there wasn't the pool of water.

"The church in sector five is one of the few buildings that remains standing in modern times." Sephiroth pointed to a small sign as he read. "According to records left by residents of the sector five slums, it was the only place in the entirety of Midgar where flowers grew."

As Cloud looked, the lighting on the model changed. It grew darker and darker until it was like night, and the various buildings lit up. Each of the upper sections had a big building that glowed green, and in the dark, he could see the green flowing around the city. "Is that mako?"

"Yes."

He felt like he could spend the entire afternoon just looking at the model as it changed between its day and night cycles. There were so many tiny details that made it feel like it was alive. There was a market down in the slums with glowing neon signs and tiny shops displaying tiny wares, and up top was a big fountain and a building that Sephiroth said was advertising a play called Loveless. He would hardly have been surprised if the little people suddenly started moving.

Eventually he pulled himself away, however, and Sephiroth held his hand as they began to walk through the various exhibits. Lots of them had a button he could press to hear a description or re-enactment of something, and when there wasn't, Sephiroth read out loud from the signs he couldn't read.

There was an actual train car that had been used back then to travel between the plate and the slums, and Cloud felt like he had travelled back in time as he sat on one of the old padded benches and held the handrail. Sephiroth had him get his picture taken at a booth, and a few minutes later, presented him with a card that said he was authorized to ride the train between all sectors on the plate and the slums.

It wasn't all fun, however. The section that taught about the experiments that had created alphas and omegas made his stomach turn, and the museum didn't shy away from the violence and cruelty that Shinra had used to enforce its authority. He learned that using mako power had been slowly killing the planet, and although lots of people protested, Shinra had refused to stop.

He didn't linger long in the area that explained about Meteor Fall and the aftermath. All those people dying was too horrible to contemplate. But when they got to the geostigma crisis, he stopped in his tracks, staring again.

A life-sized bronze statue depicting a group of omegas greeted them. One in the centre was tied up and screaming. The tears on his face seemed almost real. The others were gathered around him, crying as well, but also angry and shouting. They held signs, and Sephiroth read them to him.

"People are people. We have the cure, let us use it. Omegas aren't your property. We die if they die."

"They really were brave, weren't they?"

"They were. They changed the world, Cloud."

As they slowly made their way through the exhibit, Cloud couldn't help but wonder what he would have done if he had been alive then. Would he have been brave enough to stand up against the alphas? To sacrifice his life? He had just taken the abuse in Nibelheim, but he had been alone. If he had had friends who had been willing to stand with him, would he have fought back?

They sat down on a bench in front of a large picture that showed an omega hugging a sick little beta girl as blood went into her arm. Could he save someone's life?

An announcement startled him out of his thoughts. The museum was closing in fifteen minutes.

"Oh, I—oh no, there's still more, isn't there?"

"Let's come back another day to see the rest," Sephiroth suggested.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long."

"Not at all. It's a lot to take in in one day. I'm glad you found it interesting."

It certainly was that. And a lot to think about. "I'd like to come back sometime."