Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This collection is mine, as are Beverly and Yvonne. Enjoy!
..:-X-:..
007 – Reaction Shot
The old office of Ansem the Wise was a mess of fragile texts, old dust, and short tempers.
"Be careful with those!" Merlin scolded, "Most of those books are older than your parents!"
Awkwardly balancing two boxes of the books in his arms, Cloud glared over at the old sorcerer. "I am being careful."
After weeks of just talking about it, Merlin had finally gotten around to organizing the project of cleaning up the old office affixed to the Postern. He had managed to rope Cloud and Yuffie into helping him, neither entirely willingly. While the office itself could boast its fair share of loaded file cabinets and book shelves, it turned out that there was another entire room annexed to the office that was nothing but shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books. Half of them had pages practically falling out of them, and the other half was so faded that Yuffie hardly saw the sense in salvaging them. But Merlin was fickle about his books, and he had spent nothing less than the past three hours lecturing them about it.
So now here they were, on a picture perfect Saturday afternoon, choking on dust and trying to read the faded titles of the crumbling texts.
"Are any of them older than you?" Yuffie jibed at the wizard.
Merlin huffed at her and Cloud snickered.
"Y'know, because you're really old." Yuffie pressed.
Cloud set the stack of books down. "Yeah, we got it."
"Got what?" Tifa greeted as she walked into the office. She almost immediately recoiled, waving at the air around her face. "Geez, it's stuffy in here."
"Yeah, we got that too." Yuffie said, hands on her hips and looking sideways at Cloud, who was looking at Tifa with a single narrowed eye. "What?" She asked.
"Hm?" Merlin followed Yuffie's gaze to Cloud and then to Tifa.
Tifa narrowed one eye at Cloud. "What?"
"What's with you?" Cloud asked.
"Huh?" Yuffie canted her head.
"Not you. Tifa." Cloud gestured to Tifa, as though to make a point.
"I don't see what you mean." Merlin said. "Are you all right, dear?" He asked Tifa.
Tifa folded one arm, propping her elbow over that arm and touching her cheek. "I'm great." She smiled a coy little smile.
"Why are you being weird?" Yuffie looked at her.
"Am I being weird?" Tifa pressed.
"Hell'a weird." The ninja stressed.
"How is organizing going?" Tifa abruptly changed the subject, crossing over to Merlin's meticulously stacked towers of texts.
"Slow." Merlin rolled up his sleeves. "You young people have no appreciation for the wisdom of your elders."
Tifa appeared to be the only one listening to him. Yuffie and Cloud were still looking at Tifa, trying to figure out why she seemed different. Well, Cloud was trying to figure it out. Yuffie was more wondering how Cloud had picked up on the change before her amazing ninja senses had.
"Care to join us?" Merlin offered.
"Thanks, but I've got a lot of stuff to do." Tifa said, almost teasingly.
Cloud seemed to take up the challenge. "Like what?"
Tifa looked at him playfully and he frowned.
Yuffie looked between them, getting frustrated. Why did it feel like she was being left out of an entire conversation with these two? She shouldn't have been surprised. Since Tifa and Cloud had started mending the bridge between them, their old friendship quirks had started coming back…like the eye-conversations.
"Like…Hey, where's Cid?" Tifa changed again.
Merlin adjusted his spectacles. "Quarterly update mission to Traverse Town."
"Like what?" Yuffie pushed, elbowing her way back into the conversation.
"Like trying to find a way to break some news to you guys." Tifa finally gave a little.
"News about what?"
"Is everything all right?"
"What did Leon do this time?"
For some reason, the last comment made Tifa laugh.
"Did I miss something?" Merlin glanced around the office.
"Okay, okay, okay." Tifa lifted both hands in surrender. "Sorry, I wanted to tell you guys in some cool, creative way…but my brain is pretty fried right now so I'll just tell you straight."
"Please do." Yuffie hmphed, and Cloud just folded his arms.
Tifa drew a breath, looking at them evenly. "I'm pregnant."
A beat passed.
Then Yuffie had pounced on her. "THAT'S AWESOME!"
Merlin crossed over to her too. "Congratulations, my dear. When did you find out?"
"Last week." Tifa beamed like she'd swallowed the sun.
"And you waited THIS LONG to tell us?" Yuffie planted her hands on her hips in a mock-pout.
Tifa snorted and then tilted her head at Cloud, who had sunk to the floor in a dead faint.
..:-X-:..
008 – I Love This Bar
Traverse Town was a hodge-podge of a world. Well, less of a world and more of a glorified asteroid, in Cid's opinion. What had started as a compilation of haphazard buildings and refugee tents had, over the years, morphed into a complex catacomb of additions built onto existing buildings. It was an architect's nightmare, but it was home to roughly 800 people across five districts, since two additional residential districts had been incorporated. The first district was more of a welcome center. The second district consisted of commercial zones and shops, including the hotel where Cid and the others on the Restoration Committee had spent several years before returning to Radiant Garden. The third district was a courtyard-like area.
After docking his Gummi outside the world entrance, Cid ducked out of the port and into the First District. Sure, this assignment that he had taken was just the quarterly patrol that the Alliance had established for keeping tabs on the worlds under the Alliance's umbrella, but that would only take all of four hours, and he had a time budget that covered the whole weekend.
Which meant that he had plenty of time to swing by the tavern.
A few bars had popped up in Traverse Town over the past decade, but the granddaddy of them was the old tavern by the accessory shop in the first district. It was small, crowded, always full of smoke, and usually smelled like spilled beer and peanuts, but it was Cid's favorite place to stop by for a pint. That was in no small part because of Beverly.
Walking into the tavern, Cid immediately came face to face with a cloud of tobacco smoke. He closed his eyes and breathed in that sweet aroma, slightly mixed with the smell of strong whiskey. The sound of pool being shot and gruff voices carrying on conversation reached him, and Cid merrily lit himself a fresh cigarette.
Smoking in a Gummi was too dangerous, and Merlin was such a barmy old codger about smoking, that just the simple act of smoking in public and not giving a shit about it was refreshing. He inhaled and relished the burn of the nicotine as it flooded his veins. He shouldered past a pencil-neck of a man who was drinking an appletini and reached the bar. A goofy-looking guy with greasy hair was lounging against the counter, obviously trying to talk smooth to the twenty-something year old pair of double D's who was working behind the bar. She gave the creep the smile that said 'I'm smiling to be polite but buzz off'.
Cid rolled his eyes and flagged the young woman down with a wave of the hand. She nodded at his signal and made a hasty escape from Mr. Greasy-Hair. A few others at the bar cat-called as she came down the way, and she flashed them the kind of teasing smile that caused nosebleeds. Reaching Cid, she propped her elbows on the counter, leaning forward in greeting, and taking the opportunity to show off her ample cleavage.
"Well, well, well. What can I do you for?" She beamed.
Cid narrowed one eye at her, leaned forward, and whispered. "You can't wear clothes like that and then get pissed when these poor bastards trip over themselves to get a piece, Yvonne."
The young woman tossed her bouncy too-red hair and laughed. "Oh, Cid, why do you keep teasing my poor little heart? When are we gonna run away together, huh?"
"I'm serious, kid. Half of those guys won't be able to stand up for the next twenty minutes thanks to that little show you just put on." He said, gesturing to the beer tap.
Yvonne gave a flirtatious roll of the eyes and obediently poured him a beer. "Fine, whatever. Look…um…what if—" She set the mug of beer on the counter. "Greasy McBig-Ears won't leave me alone. If he sees you grab my boob or something, he might bugger off. He couldn't bench press a broomstick; he won't pick a fight with you." She pleaded.
Cid snorted and took a drink of the beer. "No can do."
"Ah, c'mon, Cid." She nudged his elbow, "You'd be doing me a huge favor."
Cid tapped off the end of his cigarette, "No."
"Just grab my boob!" Yvonne begged.
A second female bartender elbowed up beside Yvonne just then. "Yvonne, you know a dignified pilot like Cid Evelyn Highwind would never mess with a woman's cookies before they're out of the oven."
The newcomer to their strange conversation could have been Yvonne's mother, age-wise. However, whereas Yvonne had bleached, perfectly aligned teeth and flowing red hair, the owner-manager of the tavern, Beverly, had flyaway brown hair peppered with gray, and a noticeable gap between her two front teeth.
Yvonne pouted, rolled her eyes, and begrudgingly went to tend to the other customers. Cid took another drink from his beer before setting it down.
"Not even close to my middle name, woman." He snickered.
"Yeah, whatever." Beverly poured a shot of tequila to a waiting customer to Cid's left. "So what tobacco-laced haze has blown you into my place this time?"
"Believe it or not, Alliance stuff." Cid said, puffing on his cigarette.
"That a fact?" Beverly canted her head, "What kind of Alliance stuff?"
"I'm afraid that's confidential information, citizen." He said pompously, tapping out his cigarette again.
She snorted. "Confidential my ass." She wiped down the bar. "You wind up at my place pretty much the same day every three months. Out with it, pilot; what's the verdict this time?"
Cid smirked around his cigarette. "Nothing to be worried about."
Catching sight of another customer, Beverly straightened, "All right. Well, you know the drill." She told Cid. "I get off work at closing time…If you wanted to stick around."
She winked and sauntered over to take the newcomer's order.
Cid finished his cigarette and put the butt of it out in the closest ash tray. Taking a drink from his beer, he made accidental eye contact with the monkey who'd been flirting with Yvonne. The young bartender looked the epitome of uncomfortable as she continued to reject his advances. She looked down the bar at Cid pleadingly. She was nearly half his age. The paternal protectiveness that crept up on him made him frown.
Maybe he needed to find another bar.
..:-X-:..
009 – Find a Happy Place
There was really no point in having a vehicle in Radiant Garden.
The more Aerith thought about it, the less sense it made. Radiant Garden was a growing world, and the districts were spread pretty far apart, but the streets had been designed for foot traffic, not automobiles. Therefore, it made little sense for Tifa and Leon to have this Jeep. Besides, the one and only time that Aerith had ever seen either of them drive it was when Tifa picked Leon up from the hangar after the Jamestown Campaign. Then, it had come in handy, since Leon's leg had been messed up and he could hardly walk at the time.
Since then, however, the Jeep had been parked in the public parking garage, wasting space. The only time people used the Jeep now was…as a hideout. Like she was at the moment.
Though the vehicle had been renovated and outfitted with new parts, it still retained that definitely-not-new car smell. Like rust and dust, it would probably never go away, but it wasn't overpowering anymore. The lemon-scented air freshener hanging on the rearview mirror was strong, mixing strangely with the pre-existing smell.
Aerith had opened the back hatch and left it open, folding the back seats down and climbing into the Jeep, looking out through the open back. There was a strange comforting atmosphere inside the car. At first only Leon and Tifa would come here when they were stressed out or wanted to be away from people. Then Yuffie, then Cid, then even Cloud had at some point sought solace in the confined car. Aerith herself had come to it a few times, but it was usually to have a quiet moment away from Yuffie's rambling or Cid and Merlin's bickering.
This was different. This time she was hiding.
But there was no hiding from this. She still had the letter in her hand. Well, it was the latest in a series of letters and e-mails that she had received over the past month. First the Alliance had cut funding to her department. Then they had cut her hours and pay. She could understand that—the war was affecting all of the departments, but still…this was so frustrating!
Now she was getting bills and she couldn't pay for them.
She looked at her palm. And, breaking ground in the most mysterious realm of magic or not, pure magic essence didn't print munny.
"Thinking or sulking?" Leon announced his presence, standing outside the Jeep.
Aerith started slightly, having not heard him walk up. "Hm? Sorry," She blushed, making to get out of the car. "I must have lost track of time—"
"It's okay." He shook his head, sliding up into the car beside her.
"You sound like you're in a good mood." Aerith lifted an eyebrow.
He shrugged. "Should I not be?"
"Well…no…but you usually find a reason." She ribbed lightly.
It would do no good to rant about all of this to Leon. Leon was a fixer, a do-er, and an action man. And she just couldn't bring herself to dump her turmoil on him right now, when she still hadn't fully grasped the situation…and when he was clearly in a spirited mood. Seeing Leon happy wasn't as rare as it used to be, but it still wasn't something that she wanted to take for granted. So she held her tongue.
"What are you doing here?" His tone was still light, but quick to the point. "You love sunny days like this, so why are you shut up in this old Jeep?"
A swell of emotion clogged Aerith's throat for a moment and she looked away. She ran a hand through her hair to give her a moment to compose herself.
"I just…needed some peace and quiet." She lied terribly.
"Sorry I can't really give you that right now." He said, both concerned and smirking at the same time. "I need your opinion."
Aerith sat up straighter. Leon only asked for her opinion in two circumstances: how to apologize to Tifa for doing something boneheaded, and whether a certain combination of healing items had adverse health effects.
"Oh?" She prompted.
Leon nonchalantly reached into his jacket pocket and produced a piece of photo paper. In the shadowy light inside the Jeep, Aerith could hardly make out what the subject of the picture was: it looked like a jumbled mess of black and static to her.
"What do you think?" He asked, handing her the picture.
Aerith took it, utterly perplexed, and looked at it. Squinting, she thought it looked like…an ultrasound. The possibilities of that ballooned inside her head and her eyes widened. She looked back to Leon, who grinned back at her.
"Oh my God." She threw her arms around his neck. "Leon, are you serious?"
He just chuckled at her and Aerith detached herself from him, looking at the ultrasound picture again.
"When did…Is Tifa…How long…Oh!" She lifted a hand to her mouth, too much surprise and joy bubbling up in her to contain or articulate. "Why didn't you tell me that you two were trying to have a baby?"
"Because we weren't. We were just as surprised as you." Leon replied.
Aerith wiped at the sudden tears that had sprung to her eyes. "So…?"
"So," Leon repeated, looking at her evenly. "I've been nearly having an aneurism every day for the past week, since Tifa wanted to wait to tell everybody at once." He smiled, "I thought I was going to explode if I didn't tell someone soon. Tifa went to tell the others at Ansem's Office now."
Aerith fought the urge to jump on him again. "I'm so happy for you two! How far along is she?"
"About seven weeks." Leon looked giddy now, taking the picture and pointing. "Dr. Kim said we wouldn't be able to tell the gender yet…but I think if you squint right here, you can see…"
As Leon chattered on like an excitable child, Aerith smiled to herself, financial troubles momentarily forgotten, and instead enjoyed being bombarded with Leon's future-parent energy.
..:-X-:..
A/N 007 and 009: It's always fun to see how someone breaks this kind of news to their friends and family, but sometimes just blurting it out is even more amusing. And I adore Papa!Leon; I always imagined that it would take the smallest of nudges to turn him into a big fatherly mess of a man XD
A/N 008: This is the first time I've given the bartender a name. Beverly has popped up in a few other works, sort of just cameo-style stuff. The title is from the Toby Keith song. No affiliation or ownership.
Preview for next week: "That sounds…dangerous. Are you sure that you should be tampering with something that…unknown?"