Snippets of Dysfunctionalities - Flight
By Crystal Snowflakes
Yuffie's gaze flittered to the stranger's impeccably tailored suit, to the silk tie, to the expensive watch on his wrist. It would have been so easy to just accidentally pour a drink across the counter, pretend to help clean up the mess, and swipe that watch off of him. If she sold it at the right price, it would probably be enough to pay two months' worth of rent; but she forced herself to still her hands because she couldn't afford to lose this job.
Instead, she threw the man a practiced smile as she tucked her long dark curls behind her ear while introducing herself cheerfully, "Good evening! I'm Mia, your bartender today, so let me know when you know what you'd like."
She liked these types of customers since they tended to tip well, but there were the occasional stingy customers who didn't tip at all, despite their obvious wealth. Keeping an eye out on all the patrons at the bar, she continued to tidy up and wipe the glasses clean, her eyes occasionally scanning the club for a familiar sight. Yuffie found that she enjoyed being a bartender; she loved the way her mind could wander as she did the job, and she couldn't stop but mentally thank Tifa for taking her under her wing all those years ago. Having said that, if there was one thing she could change, it would be the loud music constantly drumming in her ears. But it wasn't enough for her to want to switch jobs; she was well-paid, the customers weren't usually rowdy, and…
Her gaze finally caught the familiar sight of the bouncer's aquamarine eyes and dark hair, and she couldn't stop the corners of her lips from curling up. Before she could be caught staring—he'd make fun of her relentlessly otherwise, she was sure of it—she looked away and took an order from the customer sitting two seats down.
The rest of her shift passed by uneventfully, and by the time midnight arrived, she was clocking out, a couple hundred gil heavier from her tips. Saying a quick bye to some of her coworkers—the club wouldn't be closed for hours—she made her way out of the loud, bright, touristy club scene. As soon as she stepped out of the building, the streets of Edge were completely different—practically silent. Only the occasional pedestrian's footsteps disturbed the tranquility, and she took a deep breath as she began her walk, the stench of rusty iron invaded her nose.
No matter how long she'd been living here, she'd never get used to the smell. She longed for the smell of crisp air, for green grass between her toes, for a drink of fresh spring water, and for the scent of wildflowers to surround her.
And yet, here she was, because more than anything, she longed for freedom.
A sudden noise came from the narrow alley she had just passed, and instead of facing it head-on as she would have done once upon a time, her steps moved faster as her hand reached inside her pouch that she kept on her at all times, a small arsenal of weapons at the ready. It was times like these that she missed her weapon—the one that was collecting dust back at home because there was no reason to draw attention to herself nowadays.
By the time she finally returned home to an apartment on the first floor because it was important to have more than one escape route—though honestly, she could jump off a twenty story building; it was him that couldn't—half an hour had passed since she left the club.
With a small smile, she noticed the rumpled bag of fast food on the dining table. No restaurants—not even the fast food kind—were open on the nights she got off at midnight, and she couldn't stop her heart from skipping slightly at his thoughtfulness. But she wasn't hungry. Even so, she snagged a few fries from the bag before throwing it into the fridge and hopping into the shower.
She stood under the dribbling and lukewarm shower—gawd, what she would have done for a shower with enough water pressure that had warmer water—until it soaked through her hair and body before washing the grime off her herself. As soon as she was clean, she threw the threadbare towel around herself to dry up as much water as possible.
Barefoot and naked and shivering from the lack of heat, she sprang towards the bedroom that was only dimly lit by a single flickering light bulb. She couldn't stop herself from pausing in her steps as she caught the familiar sight of tufts of dark brown hair peeking out from under the covers—there were days she wished he still had the obnoxiously red hair because it reminded her of the good times. Snagging the old ratty t-shirt that was three sizes too big and that definitely didn't belong to her from the foot of the bed, she threw it on herself. As she studied their crappy apartment—the lack of windows in the bedroom, the paint peeling off the walls, and the chips and cracks anywhere and everywhere—she couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right decision. Maybe she should have never asked him, never dragged him along, never given him the chance to say 'yes'.
Because now he was stuck with her in this shitty never-ending cycle.
He shouldn't have had to give up anything and everything up for her. And yet, he did.
With a sigh and a soft smile, she snuggled under the blankets to press herself against him, seeking his warmth, and his arm automatically wrapped around her.
"Work go well?" Reno asked, his voice groggy with sleep.
"Fine," she responded, yawning into his bare skin as she nestled herself deeper into his side.
Maybe there was something in her voice that gave away her thoughts, but his arm tightened around her, and she felt his lips graze the top of her head. "You okay, brat?"
Her heart warmed at the hint of worry in his voice. Maybe life was harder this way, and maybe this wasn't what either of them had in mind when they ran, but at least they had each other. She couldn't imagine what could have happened and how much she would have hated her life if she had gone along with the wedding and what Godo had wanted for her.
She leaned upward, catching his mouth with hers just briefly, before nuzzling her face into his neck with a subdued grin. "Just peachy."
Author's Notes: This idea stemmed from the idea of 'what if Yuffie asked Reno to help her run away right before her wedding in 'Entanglement'?".
Also, anyone else replaying FF7R & the DLC constantly? I need more Reno and Yuffie in my life XD
On another note, I'm on chapter 4/24 of my upcoming longfic. I may start posting if I get halfway through the fic once I give myself enough of a head start XD And I'm very excited to share :D
Completed: July 7, 2021
