Chapter 12
If there was ever a moment that she wished for someone to awkwardly destroy the moment, it was now. Tifa flicked her eyes towards Yuffie who still hadn't moved, didn't even turn around when Vincent passed her, silently pleading for the girl to break something. She strained her ears, trying to hear Fenrir's roar, or the sound of a customer coming in. She unintentionally took a step backwards as Vincent drew near, doing her best to keep her eyes above his neck. She could smell her shampoo on him and feel the wet, heat that radiated from his skin as he stopped in front of her. She heard her heart beating furiously in her ears as he raised a hand towards her face, cupping her cheek with a warm hand, feeling his thumb brush over the tip of her nose, her brow, and then the back of his knuckles over her cheek.
"Flour on you."
Tifa blinked and brought her hand up to her face, her feelings of panic retreating and subsiding like the tide. She looked away as she used her towel to wipe her face and looked back to see him nod with approval. He held her eyes longer than he needed to before walking back up the stairs, like a moving pillar of masculinity. She couldn't look away from the lean muscles that visibly worked and rippled beneath his alabaster skin. Once her eyes caught sight of his scars, however, she was transfixed.
She let out her breath with a small puff, pressing her hand over her speeding heart. Despite the gropes and lascivious leers she endured day-in and day-out from her male customers, she had never come so close to such… potent… maleness. She had never even seen Cloud without a shirt, despite living with him for years. Tifa shook her head, trying to dispel the affect he had on her, and when she looked over at Yuffie, it seemed that the small-time thief was still in a daze.
"I saw that." A large, brown, stern face suddenly appeared next to her.
Tifa jumped again, wondering what the hell was happening to her – continuously being caught off guard. She hadn't even heard Barret come in! I really ought to put a bell on that door…
She composed herself and glared at him a little, while she moved to remove the now ruined pancakes from the pan. "Saw what?"
"You know what, missy. I saw you going all ga-ga over some half-naked pretty boy. What the fuck Teef, what the hell ya doin' with some strange guy, HUH?! WHERE'S SPIKE?! I OUGHTA…" His voice grew louder and angrier as his control slipped, his arms now thrown above his head as he shook.
"Vincent… that was… Vincent…" Yuffie's meek voice managed to squeak out before Barret completed his thought, turning her head slowly, towards them as if she had seen a ghost. Her face had finally reached a cherry-like hue and her wide eyes were glossy.
Barret snuffed, slowly lowering his heavy arms to cross them over his barrel like chest. "Vincent, huh? He had better be severely hurting right now, on the brink of death, or covered with goddamn Geostigma, if he's parading around here naked!" He growled sullenly.
Tifa sighed and refused to answer him, instead grabbing plates and serving them a rather late breakfast. "What are you doing here, Barret?"
He looked at her with a stricken face, "I can't come over and check up on ya or nothin'? I was jus' worried, Teef. You haven't called in a while and Spikey said you were sick."
She stilled, "Cloud?" She couldn't help the warmth that burned her face, remembering that he had seen her.
"Yeah, called las' night and that no-good, sonnuva… picked up… said something 'bout you passin' out and workin' too hard…" He pounded his artificial fist on her bar, before grabbing his fork and pointing it at her, "Don't go thinking that you need to work so much, ya hear? I've got that oil field now and you don't need to go working yourself to death just cuz you got free time. I should just let those two move back here, if ya ain't got nothin' better ta do. Probably keep those damn emo boys away from ya too. Do nothin' but think with their dicks, that's what they do."
"I resent that." Vincent's cold voice called from the stairwell, now wearing a gray shirt he had more than likely found in the laundry room. Tifa earnestly hoped that Cloud wouldn't walk in and see him wearing his clothing. Yuffie froze again with a small squeak.
"YOU! What the HELL were ya doin', traipsin' about in front of my girl wearing nothing but what Gaia gave you, HUH?!"
Barret's shouting had eventually caused the nearly healed Lace to timidly poke her head out from behind the wall. Tifa caught sight of her when she dropped her head into a hand and shook her head. "Oh, you're up."
Lace backed away slightly until only her eye and hair peeked out from behind the wall.
Tifa wondered what sort of sight they all made to her: a ninja, a vampire, a large, angry man, and a burly barmaid. She mused that she'd be just as timid in her place. "Don't worry; he's really as gentle as a moogle… just not as cute." Tifa smiled encouragingly at the other woman.
With hesitancy, she eventually stepped out into the room and immediately went to the emerging-from-catatonia-Yuffie's side. "Barret, this is Lace. She helped find the cure for Geostigma."
Barret's enraged, snarling face suddenly composed itself, "Say what?"
While the situation was explained, surviving bursts of exclamation from Barret, they all ate around the bar, sharing their morning with an increasing feeling of ease. Yuffie couldn't look at Vincent anymore, however, without blooming like a rose and Tifa did her best to physically stay away from him, taking care of his clothing until it was clean enough to wear again. She noted the tears at the bottom of his cloak with a wrinkled nose, wondering if he actually liked it that way. While she folded it, she decided that she knew what to get him for Prior Day. It was a holiday that she knew that even he would appreciate.
'Perhaps I'll have everyone over again. That'll be really nice. I'm sure Cloud would enjoy that…' Tifa bit her lip and recalled the way he had whispered against her skin, not to leave him – and blushed furiously again, knowing that he had seen her nude. She wondered what he meant though... After all, he was the one who kept leaving her. She wondered if he had caught onto her resolution to let go of her love for him.
But why… why was he acting this way? He clearly wasn't looking for any type of relationship… at least not with her, so why was he so concerned about her leaving? Cloud was perfectly capable of living on his own; after all, he was living at the church for a while by himself. He didn't need her or her home. Was he just lonely? She let herself be buried with these thoughts as she handed Vincent his clean clothes and joined the others out front.
"You're not her… Don't leave me…" It was enough to keep her occupied, even as they said good-bye to Yuffie, then Vincent, and when the bar began to get crowded. Tifa moved automatically, weaving in between tables, mixing and serving drinks to her patrons, with a distant smile. Lace was a welcome addition in the kitchen, cooking actual meals instead of the usual light foods that Tifa managed by herself.
It had been decided that Barret would take Lace back to Kalm in the morning due to her own insistence, even though it was out of his way, before he went back to Corel where Denzel and Marlene were staying with friends. Tifa offered to let her stay as long as she needed to, but Lace was adamant in returning home.
"Thank you, Miss Tifa. I'll never forget what you've done for me… but… I need to go home," Lace clutched the hem of her jacket anxiously. "Everyone, probably thinks that I've died," she smiled humorlessly.
Barret had his own misgivings, but when it was apparent that the girl was going to go no matter what they said, he insisted on giving her a ride. "No use lettin' ya walk all the way. Prolly catch that same shit all over again… or worse."
What was worse than Geostigma, they didn't know, but they left that question go unanswered as business picked up within the bar. It was a horrible thought, though, and Tifa couldn't help herself but wonder an answer; and as the night grew shorter, Tifa had mentally accrued a small list.
Barret kept a close eye on Tifa for the night, nursing his beer with a dark glare and an indiscreet cock of his gun arm to whomever looked at her in a way he didn't approve of. It was almost hard to watch her though… especially when he kept comparing this scene to what it had been five years ago when she was just a girl. Then, she had a fire – an angry fire, burning in her eyes that showed in her every movement. She had been fueled by the hate and anger that had boiled from what ShinRa had done. Now, however, there was a calm acceptance that unnerved him even more than the hate. Her merlot eyes were lackluster and pained; which to him was infinitely worse than before. Five years ago, hell, two years ago, she was alive.
The large, brown man actually enforced the former closing hours and wouldn't hear Tifa's objections. She still felt healthy and energetic enough to keep working, but Barret had none of it. She may not have been aware of it, but he saw how haggard and thin she looked from her illness. When Tifa wasn't looking, Barret's eyes softened as he looked her, a sad light entering his eyes as his hard set mouth relaxed into a frown. It nearly hurt to watch her.
After locking the front door, she sat next to Barret with a yawn, and bumped him gently with her shoulder. "Thanks for the help tonight."
He grunted and kept his eyes forward.
"I miss you and Marlene and Denzel." She admitted, very quietly, after a long moment of peaceful silence.
Heavy black brows raised in surprise as he looked down at her from the corner of his eye. "Well, then ya should'a just said so! Come live out in Corel, Teef. There'll be plenty business if ya wanna keep bartendin', and ya can be near the children all year."
Tifa didn't answer.
"Ya hear me?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
"How 'bout it?"
She paused, before she looked down at her hands and shook her head.
Barret heaved a great big sigh and fixed her with a tired expression. Tifa met his gaze and for the first time, she noticed the wrinkles on his aging face, and the few white hairs in his stubble. He was getting older, and it wasn't something that she enjoyed seeing. Barret had become a strong father figure in her life after she had been taken to Midgar, and she had the tendency to think of him as he had been when she was 16 and not as how he appeared to her now. He was ageless and for some reason, it was comforting to think of him as such.
"Teef, I want you to know, that I jus' want the best for ya. I don' like seeing you like this."
She looked at him with a frown, "Like what?"
"Like that, so damn sad. Like you've lost your best friend or somethin'. I worry about you, Teef, and I don' know if I like it that those two dickheads keep hovering around ya."
She resisted the urge to snort, wondering if he knew just how close he was. "Don't worry about them Barret. I'm fine on my own."
"But you're not s'pposed to be. I know you, Tifa. Once ya get all alone, ya lock yourself away in that heart of yours where ya've locked everything else in…. That spike head is supposed to be keeping you company, not chasing around memories."
There was a long pause, before Tifa pushed herself off of the stool and began turning off the bar lights. "Prior Day is coming soon, Barret. I think I'm going to have another get-together here, how 'bout it?"
Big brown eyes looked at her with a great, big sadness in them. Tifa was perhaps the most stubborn person he knew, and it frustrated him to no end that she wouldn't allow anyone to protect and take care of her. At least, most everyone. There was still one person who she let protect her. Barret thought of that person with a growl, wishing that he was there right now so he could tell him just how much he was fucking up.
AN: This was a bit short... for good reason... I'm not proud of this chapter and it seemed like a better decision to cut off the chapter here rather than lumping it with the next chapter... which will be added very shortly... in 5....4....3....2....