A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Standard disclaimer applies.
Updated 10/6/20: Edits throughout. Scene between Tifa and Reno changed to accommodate Reno's less vulgar character. Flashback dialogue from FF7: Remake.
Chapter 19:
It wasn't a knock that woke Tifa up after she had fallen asleep when the Turks brought her home. It was more like a pounding on the door to her bar, loud enough for her to hear upstairs, that did the trick. At first, she thought a monster may have been ramming the front door, but it was too rhythmic for that to be the case.
Tifa realized there was only one possibility: Barret Wallace. He was the only one whose hand could knock on a door and make it sound like he was trying to break it down even though he wasn't. The "knock" did not seem angry or irritated, rather, it sounded like his normal knock. He really didn't know his own strength sometimes.
There was no light coming through Tifa's bedroom windows; she must have slept straight through the night and most of the day. She looked down and realized she was still wearing what she had worn home from the hospital. She clutched her side as the pain reminded her of what had happened.
She let her head roll to the left on her pillow and saw a vase with beautiful white flowers in it on the nightstand. Oh, that's right, there had been flowers waiting for her when she returned home from the hospital, and she strongly suspected Reno was behind them.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Actually, the Turks had been her saviors the previous week, loathe as she was to admit that. They had rushed to her aid when the men were in a standoff and then ensured she was taken to a hospital even after she protested. And yesterday they picked her up and brought her home. How things had changed…
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Alright! Tifa tried to get up but recoiled immediately, the gunshot wound still an ever-present reminder that she had let her guard down for one second too long. There was no way she could hurry to the door to let in Barret and Marlene. She reached for her PHS on the nightstand – careful not to stretch her stitches – which sat beneath the flowers and sent a text to Barret: "Be down in a few."
She eased herself up and slowly swung her legs over the side of her bed. Every movement hurt the wound in her abdomen. At least the Turks removed her shoes for her. Everything else seemed to be in proper position – Reno must have behaved himself around his comrades.
Actually, it was Elena who had surprised Tifa the most. The blonde-haired woman had never seemed that fond of the brunette bartender, so it was shocking at how concerned she seemed when Tifa was shot. Tifa figured she and Elena were more alike than she previously considered. Elena was the only girl in the group of Turks Tifa knew, and must have to play mother quite often, given Reno's antics (the annoying little brother of the group) and Rude's indifference (some kind of stoic uncle). Tifa didn't know Tseng all that well, but he seemed to be more like Rude than the other two (the reluctant and stern father figure). That would leave Elena to be the mother of the group.
Tifa knew the blonde liked Tseng – everyone knew that – and Tifa could now see the similarities between Cloud and the leader of the Turks. Both quiet and contemplative in a way that suggested deep down they could be really quite playful. Tifa found herself hoping Elena would eventually be able to confess her feelings to Tseng and that they would end up together – more for her own dreams of being with Cloud than for any real connection with Elena.
Standing up was incredibly painful. Tifa nearly fell forward from the pain that shot through her abdomen and splintered out to the rest of her torso. She didn't remember it hurting this much last night, but maybe the adrenaline and her steadfast desire to get out of the hospital had helped. Or maybe it was because she suspected Reno was the one who brought her the flowers…
There she goes again, seamlessly switching her thoughts from Cloud to Reno as if they held the same special place in her heart.
She managed to stabilize herself and start walking toward her bedroom door. She placed a hand on the door frame to support herself as she mentally prepared for the trip down the stairs. Now that she was facing it alone, she really missed the Turks. Reno's taunting her like a child or a puppy may have been vexing at the time, but now she missed his attempts to lighten the mood as Rude physically helped her. She put a hand on the rail and took a deep breath.
"Ow…!" she yelped, again clutching her wound. Okay, no more deep breaths for confidence.
She took her first step down the stairs. Pain. She took another. Pain. But she had to keep going. She couldn't ignore Barret and Marlene and it would hurt just as much to turn back now. She sucked it up and continued down the stairs, leaning on the wall at the bottom to catch her breath.
She made her way to the door and unlocked the various bolts before opening it to see her old friend and his daughter standing in front of her. It felt really good to see them again.
"How ya been?" Barret asked excitedly. He had missed his friend, too.
"Tee-faah!" Marlene said in her sing-song voice.
The young girl rushed forward to hug Tifa. She seemed to have been prepared to do that and merely waited to recognize the abstract form of Tifa before lunging forward, because she didn't seem to notice Tifa's bandages. The little girl was now tall enough for her head to rest at Tifa's stomach during a hug, meaning she would be hitting the stitches head on.
It was definitely something Marlene hadn't expected. She had known Tifa for years, and they hugged often. Tonight something was different. When Marlene hugged her "aunt," Tifa moved away from her once her arms were around the older woman's legs. Tifa flinched, moving her hips away from Marlene as the little girl's head hit her wound. The pain caused her to lurch slightly forward, and Marlene could feel the slight brush of Tifa's chest moving her hair in the wrong direction.
Marlene pulled back to see what she had done wrong. That's when she – and Barret – noticed Tifa's bandages.
"What the hell happened?" Barret asked. Marlene just said with fear and concern in her voice: "Tifa!"
The older brunette looked like she could barely stand. She was pale and clearly in pain. Barret now felt guilty for knocking so loud and understood why it had taken Tifa a few minutes to get to the front door.
"Just some rowdy patrons," Tifa explained, trying to make it seem like she just had a scratch. She didn't want Marlene to be scared.
Barret didn't believe her.
"You need to be resting!" he said in a gruff voice.
Before Tifa could protest, Barret scooped her up in his strong arms and was carrying her back to her room. The martial artist suddenly felt so small, like her whole body fit in the palms of Barret's hands – well, if he had two hands. He held Tifa's head in his good hand and held his prosthetic arm under her knees. He tried to move as quickly but gently as possible, especially up the stairs.
Tifa realized he was moving differently to try and accommodate her injury, but being carried up the stairs was only marginally less painful than walking them herself. She bounced in Barret's arms. Only she was able to traverse the stairs fluidly, as if she were gliding down them on a smooth track.
Barret tenderly placed Tifa back on her bed. Tifa thanked the stars at that moment that her side of the bed was nearest the door so she wouldn't have to bring up Cloud and her compulsive desire not to lie on his side of the bed.
Marlene came in immediately after Barret, having grabbed a washcloth and drenching it with cool water to place on Tifa's forehead. The bartender hated having to be taken care of. She much preferred to be the one doing the caring.
"When did this happen?" Barret asked.
"Last wee—" Tifa couldn't even get the second word out before she had to completely stop moving and shut her eyes for fear that she would throw up.
Now that she was in her room with the lights turned on, Barret realized she was downright sickly looking. Her skin was not just pale – it was green.
"When was the last time you ate?" Barret asked, though he already had an idea what the answer would be.
Tifa remained on her back with her head on the pillow and her eyes closed, but made some kind of circle with her hand in an attempt to mime "yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Barret asked in shock, though he was not all that surprised.
Tifa was just happy her gesturing skills were understood.
"Shiiit," Barret said. He then looked at his daughter. "Marlene, you stay here with Tifa, I'mma go make her some food."
Barret left the room to see what ingredients were available in Tifa's kitchen. Breakfast was his specialty, since it was Marlene's favorite. That little girl loved eggs and pancakes so much she wanted them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Barret had to start getting creative to get the little girl to eat more vegetables, so he started baiting her with omelets. It seemed to be working, as he could now get Marlene to eat vegetables with her eggs. Bacon was a must, but Barret also learned how to cook sausage links and patties to give Marlene a little variety.
Tifa's refrigerator was surprisingly empty, Barret thought, for two people – one of whom was a brilliant cook. Tifa had no eggs, but she did have a bag of frozen cokatolis breasts.
He pan-seared one on the stove, adding in olive oil and some herbs he gathered from a special shelf Tifa had near the window. It wasn't a four-star meal, but it was quick and easy and full of protein.
He cut it into small pieces and brought the plate and fork to Tifa.
"Who brought you these flowers?" Marlene asked. "They're beautiful!"
"I don't know, actually," Tifa said. "There was no note."
Tifa wasn't really sure it was Reno who brought the flowers, and she didn't want to speculate too much so she wouldn't get her hopes up about them being from Cloud or Reno. Having high hopes had led to disaster one too many times in her life.
"They're not from Cloud?" Marlene asked as Barret walked into the room with a plate.
Tifa visibly winced. Barret caught the nuance, but Marlene assumed it was due to physical pain.
"I'm not sure, sweetie," Tifa said, trying to keep her voice positive. "I haven't seen Cloud in a while."
This was the conversation she dreaded – and now it was happening as soon as she let them in. And she was injured. Just an all around bad moment.
"What kind are they?" Marlene asked.
Thank god for a child's short attention span.
"They're Nibelweiss flowers," Tifa said. "They bloom on the trails of Mt. Nibel. They're my favorite, because they remind me of Nibelheim."
"They're pretty," Marlene said again, leaning forward to smell the blooms.
Barret offered Tifa the plate. She was in that stage where she knew she needed to eat, but the thought of food made her want to vomit. She knew that meant she had to eat, so she propped herself up against her headboard and picked at the meat on the plate. She took a few bites. Within minutes, she felt much better.
"Marlene, could you go get Tifa a potion?" Barret asked.
Marlene nodded her head eagerly and ran from the room. Such a helpful little girl.
"So, what happened?" Barret asked Tifa.
"I got shot," Tifa responded with a tinge of guilt.
"What!?"
"A couple patrons were fighting and pulled guns, I knocked one of them out but the other freaked out and accidentally pulled the trigger," Tifa said, trying to explain the situation in a way that made it all seem harmless, as if that were possible.
"Where are the bastards?"
"The one who shot me is dead," Tifa looked down at her plate. She hadn't wanted the man to die, as it seemed pretty obvious to her that he hadn't intended to pull the trigger. "The Turks showed up just after the guns were pulled."
"The TURKS?"
"They've actually been helping out a lot around here. The monsters have gotten so bad in the city, and they're usually around to help me fight them."
Barret couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Turks? Helping? There must be some angle to it. The people who dropped the plate on Sector 7 and harassed them continuously as they tried to save the planet couldn't be helping Tifa just to be nice. They were no better than the monsters that terrorized the city, in his mind.
"Barret?"
"What?"
"They really do seem different now. Reno even apologized for Sector 7 and said it's his biggest regret in life."
"Reno? You on a first-name basis with them now?"
"Barret…"
"You're too damn forgiving, Tifa," Barret lectured. "There are some people who don't deserve forgiveness. And anyone associated with Shinra is right at the top of the list in my book."
"Everyone deserves forgiveness, Barret," Tifa said, her voice sullen.
She didn't want to argue with Barret – she knew he had a point. She wasn't really trying to get him to forgive the Turks, she just wanted him to be okay with them – well, okay with her getting close to them, to Reno specifically. She didn't want one of Barret's lectures or his disappointment if something did happen between her and Reno.
Not that she was actually considering that, of course.
"Remember the reactors we blew up? People died, but we deserve forgiveness, right?" Tifa asked, her voice soft and dripping with sadness.
Barret lowered his head and shook it from side to side.
"We were trying to save the planet," he said, more to convince himself than her. "No one but Shinra scum was supposed to get hurt."
"But they did!" Tifa said, more forcefully. Her stitches hurt and she flinched.
"Why you so hung up on this?"
Marlene returned with the potion and a glass of water for the aftertaste. Tifa took the medicine and a gulp of water before placing the glass near the flowers.
"I don't know what you been up to," Barret said, shaking his head again. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Barret…"
"I know, I know, I trust you," he relented. He then picked Marlene up and put her on his lap. "We should probably let Aunt Tifa rest, and we've had a long day, too."
"The guest room is ready for you."
"Can I sleep in here with Auntie Tifa?" Marlene asked, looking up at her father, who then looked at Tifa.
"Of course you can, sweetheart," she said, a warm smile spreading across her lips.
"Just be careful with her stitches," Barret warned.
"I'll be careful!" Marlene promised.
The little girl had grown up in a world where she was forced to mature rather quickly. Back in Sector 7 she had helped Tifa tend to the wounds of the other AVALANCHE members, so she was already quite prepared to help Tifa change the bandages around her waist.
The bartender was grateful for the help, since twisting was too painful for her at the moment, and she was exhausted again just from the little trip downstairs and her interactions with Barret.
She knew that allowing Marlene to share her bed meant the little girl would be sleeping on Cloud's side, but she didn't see the harm. If she slept on Cloud's side it meant he was really gone, but if Marlene slept there then it was like Cloud just gave up his side for the night. At least that's the logic on which Tifa decided.
She turned off the light and settled into bed, knowing she wouldn't be awake for long.
"Cloud grew up in Nibelheim, too, right?" Marlene asked.
"Mmhmm."
"So maybe the flowers really are from him."
"I hope so," Tifa said to humor the child.
Later…
Tifa was in the early stages of sleep when she felt a hand on her arm. She knew she must be dreaming, because the hand was too large to be Marlene's and too small to be Barrett's. In this world, anyone could be behind her; if she thought hard enough, it could be Cloud. If she turned over, the illusion could be shattered and she could learn that it was someone else, like Wymer, or Rufus Shinra, or even some random person she barely knew.
Calloused, cool fingers danced along her forearm to her shoulder before dipping down to slide along the curve of her neck. She feared the icy chill of death. Maybe it was her father, or Biggs, or Wedge. Or maybe the Lifestream was trying to tell her something…
Whoever it was gingerly brushed her hair off her neck and tucked a lock behind her ear. She heard the shuffling of clothing behind her as the person knelt down next to her side of the bed to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I just wanted to come check on you, yo," a voice whispered in her ear.
All at once Tifa realized this was no dream. And that was not Cloud. Without regard for her injury, she flipped over, horrified to discover Reno had snuck into her house and now hovered over her bed. She cried out – in pain and in surprise – waking Marlene, who also screamed.
Tifa had twisted so quickly that Reno was startled backward onto his ass. Thankfully, his head didn't hit the nightstand on the way down, or else he would have found himself sprawled on the floor next to Tifa Lockhart's bed – wet and covered with damaged flowers. Not the worst way he had ever been discovered in someone else's home, but certainly not a way he would like.
"Tifa?" Marlene's tired little voice spoke up when she settled down.
Oh, shit there's a kid in here, Reno thought to himself, suddenly becoming very embarrassed.
Without another thought he shimmied under the bed to wait for an escape. Well, now this situation felt very familiar.
Tifa flipped the light on to make sure she wasn't crazy – Reno really had broken into her house and kissed her forehead as she slept. She didn't see him on the floor, but the flower vase had just finished wobbling. That bastard.
Barret opened the door and came charging into the room.
"You alright? I heard screaming," he said.
"Yeah, I just turned in my sleep and hurt my side," Tifa said.
She pulled the blanket down and lifted her camisole to see if the stitches had ripped. Her side definitely hurt, but she didn't appear to be bleeding. She remembered what the doctor had told her: Potions to ease regular pain, Cure spells for severe pain, and return to the hospital if the stitches rip.
"Marlene?"
"I was just worried about Tifa," the little girl said.
Thank god she didn't notice him, Tifa said a silent prayer of thanks.
Barret nodded to the two girls and left, closing the door behind him. Tifa picked up her water glass and looked at Marlene.
"Marlene, could I trouble you to get me some fresh water?" she asked sweetly.
Marlene agreed and ran out of the room.
Tifa felt the bed shake underneath her and sat up as Reno scooted out from underneath.
"Thanks for gettin' rid of the kid, babe," he said, standing up and dusting himself off.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Tifa hissed. She was whispering, but Reno could tell she would be yelling if she could.
"I came to make sure you were okay," he said, shrugging.
"You couldn't just use a phone?" she tried to ask, but the pain in her side was too great and she doubled over, hugging her arms around her stomach.
"Shit, hold on," Reno said, quickly reaching a hand out to her shoulder.
Tifa flinched, but couldn't retreat as Reno reached for the mag rod clipped to his belt. Within seconds she was surrounded by green light and felt the pain subsiding, replaced by a cooling effect. The hum of the magic dissipated, yet Reno kept his hand on her shoulder, bending at the waist to meet her at her level.
"I did text, but you didn't answer so I..." his voice trailed off. Tifa caught on quickly.
"You were worried about me?" she whispered even quieter than before, slowly standing back up to full height.
"No! It's just…" Reno paused for a second to come up with a better explanation. "I woulda gotten a lot of shit at work if I had let a member of AVALANCHE die…"
Tifa looked like she was about to answer but heard footsteps down the hall and quickly started pushing Reno toward the window. "You have to get out of here, Marlene will be back any second," she insisted.
"Feel better, yo." He said before kissing her forehead and vanishing silently from the room.
Marlene came back in with a fresh glass of water and handed it to Tifa.
"Thank you, sweetie," she said.
She took a large sip and set it down next to the flowers.
"Did you have to cast Cure on yourself?" Marlene inquired as the two settled back into bed. Tifa nodded.
"Mmhmm, I really twisted my stitched."
"Isn't your materia downstairs?"
That smart little girl never missed a thing.
"I brought it up here earlier, just in case," Tifa lied. Marlene didn't buy it, but also didn't press further. She had a feeling Tifa wasn't telling the truth but had no idea why.
After settling back into bed, Tifa checked her PHS. Two missed texts and even a missed call from Reno. They had come in while she was struggling to the door to meet Barret. He really had tried to reach her the normal way before resorting to Turk instinct.
Both girls fell asleep easily, though Tifa was fearful she might have another "dream" again involving Reno.
Meanwhile…
Reno cursed his luck. He was so close to her bed, but of course that kid and her big oaf father would be visiting. And next week he had to fly Rufus to Junon. The last time he avoided her, she got shot, and he wasn't about to let that happen again. But now he couldn't just hang around and flirt with her while Barret and his daughter were around. He'd have to find another way.
He had no idea what he was doing. He could flirt just fine and he knew how to quickly seduce an easy woman, but Tifa was different. Whatever suaveness he usually possessed had flown right out the window with this woman. Now whenever he tried to be not an asshole he ended up using his Turk training and screwing everything up. Is this how normal guys felt?
He thought back to how she reacted after he kissed her forehead. He thought she knew it was him. Who else would it be?
Oh, right… Strife.
At least tomorrow was Saturday. He could spend the day scheming and finding an opportunity to be near her. Maybe he could just walk right up to her. That big man might instigate a fight and cause her to step in to stop it, proving she had warmed up to the Turks. Who knows, maybe he and the human firearm would become pals.
He laughed to himself.
The next day…
Oh, sweet Elena. Sweet, sweet, sympathetic Elena.
Reno suddenly found her overly caring saccharine side endearing – but only in this moment because it was advantageous to him.
He had slept in later than usual due to his twilight excursion into Tifa's bedroom – the third time he had been in there and still he was not having sex with her; something that needed to be rectified at some point – and was awoken by a nagging ring. When Elena wanted someone's attention, she would not stop until she got it.
He considered throwing the phone against the wall to the grave site of his alarm clock, but that would necessitate the purchase of a new phone and a new alarm clock, and he wasn't making two stops today.
He let out an exaggerated, immature groan and picked up the phone.
"Yo," he said before getting an earful from Elena about why it took him so long to answer. "It's Saturday," was his response.
From there the conversation actually became interesting. Elena asked Reno if he wanted to go see how Tifa was doing and to see if she needed any help since she was all alone. Reno wasn't about to tell her that the oaf and the kid were with her – he couldn't let Elena know that he knew that, since the Turks had spent all day Friday together and parted ways from a different bar early in the morning since Seventh Heaven was closed when they finished patrol.
But Reno being Reno, he couldn't let Elena know he was even the least bit interested in visiting their favorite bartender.
"Meh," he said, as coolly as possible. "Got nothin' better to do I guess."
Nailed it.
Elena hung up after Reno agreed to meet her at Seventh Heaven in an hour.
"He thinks he's so smooth," she said out loud to herself in a smug tone.
Reno was trying to play this cool, but Elena saw right through it. He hadn't been himself the past two weeks and his excuses didn't add up. Elena suspected Rude was starting to get wise as well. After they found the flowers in Tifa's room, Rude kept glancing over at Reno as if silently daring him to admit to what he had done.
She didn't know how he got the flowers, but she knew it was him. She actually thought it was really sweet. It was so unlike Reno. Elena had never seen him actually like a girl before and found his efforts charming, if not clumsy. She also hated the fact that she was suddenly jealous of how Reno was treating a woman. Even with those four days of avoiding the bar – which Elena supposed must have been some part of a plan – he was treating Tifa better than Elena had been treated by a guy in a while. She actually wished Tseng was acting more like Reno.
"Tch," she said at the thought.
Elena realized Rude's chances with Tifa were probably over, but Reno might just have a shot if he actually did something more than flirting with her from a distance. That's one of the reasons she made sure to invite him to go with her to see Tifa. She also invited Rude, of course.
Her other reason was that she hated being alone. It's why she was so dedicated to her job. Her coworkers were her own little messed up family and when she was away from them, she felt lonely. She hated her days off and always tried to get her fellow Turks to go out for drinks, even though going to Seventh Heaven meant she would be ignored.
She finished getting ready and walked out the door, planning to stop for some lunch before meeting the others.
The Turks approached Seventh Heaven and knocked. No answer. They looked at each other and shrugged, assuming it would just take Tifa longer to get down the stairs in her condition. But after several minutes, she still hadn't answered.
"Don't think she's here, yo," Reno said, walking back to the sidewalk and lighting another cigarette.
Rude and Elena sighed and turned to meet their colleague. Probably should have called first, but they assumed she would still be bedridden today.
As luck would have it, Tifa was actually walking down the street back toward her bar, ice cream cone in hand. Unluckily, she was with one of her former AVALANCHE companions and a little girl.
Elena felt like they were all suddenly in an old western showdown. Three against three, even if three of the three weren't putting up a threat. Tifa smiled when she saw the Turks and gave a little wave, but the large man next to her – Elena really didn't remember his name – looked pretty menacing.
"We came to check on you, yo," Reno said, his arms folded across his chest as if he didn't want to be there. Tifa knew better, enjoying this little secret they had.
"How are you?" Rude asked, ignoring Barret's presence.
"She's doin fine," Barret answered for Tifa, moving his good hand toward his gun arm.
Tifa chuckled and licked her ice cream cone before looking up at Barret. Reno got a little lightheaded.
"I can answer for myself, Barret," she said without a hint of indignation. She actually seemed to giggle a little as she said it.
"So, you're feeling better then?" Elena asked.
"It still hurts a lot, but much better today than yesterday," Tifa said. "I used a cure spell this morning."
"That's good to hear," Rude said, though as usual his voice hid all emotion.
"Thank you all for everything you did," Tifa said before turning again to look at Barret. "They helped the night I was hurt. They took me to the hospital, visited during the week, and helped me get home when I discharged."
Barret looked genuinely shocked.
"Marle couldn't have helped you? Or Wymer?" he asked. Tifa rolled her eyes like a teenager disagreeing with a parent.
"Marle visited, but you know how she is. I didn't want her to take that much time away from the orphanage. She'd probably still be here if I let her take me home. And Wymer's so busy trying to keep Edge safe," Tifa explained.
"So the Turks did all that for you?" Barret asked, stroking his chin with his good hand.
Tifa nodded her head. "Mmhmm." She licked her ice cream cone a few more times. Reno's left eye twitched a little.
"Did you ever figure out where those flowers came from?" Elena asked.
Reno wanted to shoot her a look or smile at her question, but he settled on remaining exactly as he had before – as if he weren't the sender and didn't give a rat's ass who was.
"Nope," Tifa said, though she didn't seem upset or even interested in the mystery. Then she decided to toy with Reno a little. "I think they must be from Cloud, he's the only one who knows they're my favorite."
She smiled at no one in particular and took another long lick of ice cream. Reno wanted to leave to get away from this torture. Reno wanted to stay and watch her lick every last ounce of that ice cream.
"Would you all like a drink?" Tifa asked after some more small talk.
Barrett took a deep breath. He didn't appear onboard with the idea, but he didn't appear entirely against it either. If these bastards had helped Tifa when she needed it, he might be able to overlook their past murders – at least for the afternoon.
Marlene didn't seem to connect that these were the same people responsible for kidnapping Aerith two years ago. Of course, that was Tseng, so she probably didn't even know.
"Sure," Rude said in typical Rude fashion.
"Always down to get plastered," Reno added.
Elena nodded her head.
There was a heaviness in the air inside the bar, filled still with the tension between the Turks and Barret. Tifa hoped that drinking with the Turks would help Barret see that they could be forgiven. Barret wasn't so sure. That red-headed one had started the process that killed Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and thousands of other people. The bald one pushed the button.
Flashback…
"I ain't done with you yet! You hear me! Think you can come up in here – do what you want – and we're gonna take it?" Barret had been firing at a Shinra helicopter that was flying near the top of the Sector 7 pillar when Cloud and Tifa joined him.
It had been awhile since he had seen either of them – actually, he thought Cloud had died – so he was surprised to see him at all. He didn't have time to be suspicious of their absence, as he was trying to keep Shinra out of his Sector.
"Barret!" Tifa called when she saw him.
As soon as she spoke, the helicopter aimed at her and began firing. Cloud immediately jumped in front of her and drew his sword to protect her from the hail of bullets keeping her from getting to Barret.
"Tifa! Get your ass behind cover! Now! Chopper's gonna chew you up!" Barret yelled.
Cloud ran toward the equipment where Barret was standing to draw the helicopter's fire from Tifa, sliding as he approached to duck beneath the attack.
"Still alive and kicking?" he asked Barret before looking around the other side of the tanks for any stray guards.
"Damn right! Leadin' man sticks around till the credits roll!" Barret yelled over the gunfire.
As he spoke, Cloud reached out an arm to grab Tifa as she ran for cover, pulling her close to ensure she was safe.
"Though we gotta keep moving if we wanna make it that far. You ready?" Barret asked.
"Yup," Cloud responded.
At that moment, the helicopter's fire finally broke through the metal barrier of the tanks hiding AVALANCHE, causing them to explode. The three warriors leapt out of the way to see the helicopter piloted by the Turks approaching the tower. A tall, slender redhead leaned out of the helicopter's open door and stared at Cloud.
"Time for a rematch, huh…" he said before calling to his partner – Rude – to toss him his weapon.
The helicopter swooped in and Cloud turned to notice the man for the first time, instantly recognizing him as the Turk he had fought earlier at Aerith's church.
"You!" he yelled as Reno still hovered above them, tapping his mag rod against his shoulder.
"It's nothing personal… bitch!" Reno called before jumping down toward Cloud with his weapon drawn and poised to strike. He landed on Cloud's sword as the blond tried to avoid the sparks from Reno's EMR. With a great heave, Cloud threw the redhead off of him and back several feet. Cloud lunged for him but Reno was just a hair faster than the mako-enhanced swordsman.
"Missed me!" Reno chided as he ran full speed toward the control panel atop the pillar.
Cloud dashed to catch up but was blocked by a wall of bullets from the helicopter. Barret unloaded his gun arm at the chopper and called to Reno: "You're next, asshole!"
"Sorry, losers!" Reno said when he reached the control panel. "Gotta play for keeps today. No time to dick around."
He snapped his EMR to his belt and began furiously typing on the control panel. The screen above it flashed with red lights as a voice announced: "Plate separation authorized. Awaiting confirmation."
"Yeah, yeah, coming right up," Reno groaned.
Cloud used Barret's distraction to again lunge for Reno, who was, again, too quick for him, blocking the massive sword with his mag rod.
"No you don't!" Reno called out. "Not when I'm working!"
He batted the sword away and pushed Cloud back. The blond scrambled to his feet, once again surprised that someone who hadn't received the same mako and Jenova enhancements as him was able to throw him around so easily. Reno began stalking toward Cloud, twirling his weapon to his side. Cloud realized the redhead was hesitating and called him out.
"Press it," he dared.
"Now, now… You ain't got shit on us."
A battle ensued. Even with Barret and Tifa's help, Reno was a strong fighter, but they eventually wore him down. They were close to finishing him off when a voice from the helicopter said over the speaker: "Prepping for bombing run, how copy?"
"Say what!?" Reno yelped. He ran from AVALANCHE and leapt over a chain-link fence to recover while the punks – and that gorgeous fighter – dealt with Rude in the helicopter.
Tifa could have sworn she saw Reno's breath hitch when the helicopter crashed and he briefly thought his partner had died. For a split second she thought there might be some humanity to the madman who had just attacked her friends and set in motion the plan to destroy Sector 7. That notion was quickly erased when he was rejoined by his partner and the two of them started attacking again.
She couldn't see much of the fight while trapped in the electrified pyramid, but she remembered seeing Reno crouching on the floor, trying to steady his breath, when the pyramid finally broke. She tried to help Cloud and Barret fight Rude, but whenever she approached him he simply pushed her away and cast Sleep on her. For her, it was an infuriating fight – and she didn't notice the boys struggling so much.
When both Turks had fallen, she rushed to the control panel, but had no idea how to stop the plate separation. She wanted to scream out at her inability to help, to stop the pillar from crushing everyone she knew and her home. She felt useless. She had fought so hard to get back through the sewers, through the train graveyard, and up the pillar just to fail.
She didn't see Reno crawling toward his mag rod behind her or the whispers beginning to circle.
Cloud held the tip of his sword to Reno's face while Barret pointed his gun arm at Rude.
"How do we stop it?" Cloud asked.
Reno rolled onto his back and sighed. "Who knows?"
Rude leapt up and ran to the control panel, the whispers encircling everyone atop the pillar. When they cleared, Tifa was lying motionless on the steel grating and Rude had just pressed the button to authorize the plate separation. He turned toward Cloud and Barret and the two could see almost a hint of regret in his stern expression.
"Five minutes to go," he told them before picking up his partner and evacuating the area.
Present day…
Barret just couldn't let it go. He had sat in silence for some time as Tifa fielded questions from the jackasses or whatever their names were. She answered pleasantly, and Barret hated how she could be so accepting of a bunch of murderers in her bar. He tried to contain his anger, for Tifa's sake and for Marlene's, but dammit, he just couldn't let it go.
He slammed his fist on the counter, causing everyone's drinks to jump a little. All three Turks, Tifa, and Marlene (who was sitting at a table with some coloring books while the grown-ups talked) looked at him in surprise.
"GodDAMMIT" Barret yelled, his voice gruff and reverberating off the walls. "I can't just sit here with these murderers Tifa, I'm sorry. I can't."
He stood up to leave, but Tifa spoke to calm him down.
"Barret, please, we don't have to fight them anymore," she said. Her voice could soothe a dragon. "I think you should also remember that they didn't fight us in Wutai and stood back when we were going after Sephiroth."
"She's right, yo," Reno piped up, though he didn't look at Barret or Tifa. He took another sip of his drink before continuing. "We had orders to kill you all, but we kept letting you go."
This didn't alleviate Barret's anger at all.
"Well ain't that jes' dandy," Barret said condescendingly.
Reno shrugged. He actually was attempting to make the situation better. Oh, well. He tried.
"Barret, really, they're good customers and they haven't caused any trouble," she said, omitting the fact that Reno and Rude had stolen her and Vincent's research in Nibelheim. "Besides, Reno apologized for Sector 7."
Had he? Had he actually said he was sorry? Now Reno was thinking back to the first few times he had tried to talk to Tifa. Uh, yep, nope, he had not actually apologized. He said she killed people and they were just following orders – that definitely wasn't an apology or a step into her good graces – and then he said dropping the plate was one of his demons and he regretted it. That was sort of an apology, but he would have argued otherwise.
But he took it as a chance to score a few points with Tifa. It seemed like she was giving him a chance to make amends with one of her friends. He should probably take it.
"It eats me up inside," he said, though his tone was a little sarcastic.
Barret growled. Was he a human or some kind of monster-human-cyborg hybrid?
"Oh, I just bet it does," Barret snapped.
Reno actually started praying that no one would ask him whether he would do it again right now. The truth is he would if he was instructed to do so, and it would kill him inside just as much as it did two years ago. But orders were orders and Shinra kept him employed. He really didn't want to have to say that in front of Tifa though, as it would definitely take him two steps back in her eyes. He supposed if he were asked, he could lie, but that might make him look weak in front of Rude and Elena. He figured the best course of action was to say something else to try and get off the topic.
"It does," he said plainly. "And I think I've done enough around here to make amends for it. I don't need to be judged by the likes of you."
Now Reno stood up and reached in his pockets to produce some gil to pay his tab, even though Tifa had been the one to suggest drinks. Looks like he wouldn't be able to catch her alone or prove his worth today. He'd just have to take the hit to avoid hurting his pride or risk angering her.
"Reno, you don't have to leave," Tifa said, honestly shocking everyone. "Barret, please, we have to move on from this. There's no point in holding grudges."
Barret sat back on his stool and pouted. He didn't like this one bit, but he trusted Tifa's judgment.
"Fine, let's just keep drinking," Barret said. Tifa smiled and poured him another drink.
"Now you're speaking my language," Reno said, taking his seat again.
He took the money back as well. He'd find a way to "tip" her another time.
The rest of the afternoon went along rather pleasantly, Tifa thought. And she was feeling well enough to open the bar, with plans to close early if she needed. She was wearing a sundress with red flowers on it to cover her midriff and hide her bandages. It had been driving Reno insane all day. In one swift motion he could have her naked thanks to a dress like that.
He had taken several cigarette breaks in the hope that she would take the hint and take the trash out for another secret rendezvous, but she didn't. When he saw her leave to take the trash out he thought it would be too obvious if he followed her. Think, man, think. What could he do?
On his way back from the bathroom (he thought maybe he could at least catch her near the back room) he saw his answer: That little girl. Get in good with the child and her little child mind would tell Tifa to like him. The little girl had been coloring by herself at a table in the corner of the bar near the counter, and Tifa was keeping a close eye on her. Barret also spent some time with the girl but was – surprisingly – having some interesting conversation with Rude and Elena.
"You really should have stayed and drank with us," Rude said, a little tipsy, regarding their encounter in Wutai two years ago. Barret had wandered into Turtle's Paradise after Cloud, Vincent, and Aerith had found the Turks, deciding to have a drink while he waited for the others to come back.
"Shiite, I kinda wanted to," Barret said. "But I just as equally wanted to kick yo asses."
"That's what I wanted to do to you all!" Elena stated before all three broke out into laughter.
Alcohol really did solve all of life's problems.
The exchange made him think back to another memory in Wutai, one he had kept locked up all these years due to the guilt it caused.
Flashback…
Reno needed a cigarette after expending so much energy keeping Elena from attacking Cloud and his entourage in the bar, so he pulled a pack out of his inside jacket pocket and placed one between his lips before moving to stand from his chair. He took a look back at Barret, who had just entered and scowled at them as he took a seat at the bar, before sighing and heading out for a smoke.
As he stepped outside a side door and lit up, he noticed the other AVALANCHE chick – the one who kept popping into his dreams – walking toward the bar from the shrine.
She was alone and didn't seem to notice Reno as she walked past, her arms wrapped around herself and her gaze fixed on the ground. A light breeze gently dislodged her hair from her shoulder, exposing her sullen expression. Reno pinched his eyebrows together as he studied her, wondering what could make such a beautiful creature suffer. His eye fell to her skirt once she had passed him.
As he leered, his ears perked up as footsteps approached from where she had emerged. Reno snapped his head toward the sound, assuming it would be one of the other AVALANCHE cockroaches that traveled with Cloud, but he saw someone much more heinous. He immediately dropped his cigarette and re-entered Turtle's Paradise, appearing as though he still had not a care in the world.
"We should probably get moving, yo," he told his comrades, who had just received another round of drinks. "Corneo's here."
Elena and Rude shot a glance at him. Shinra intel had indicated he had been killed after the plate fell. Somehow that sewer rat just kept finding a way to survive.
Reno appeared calm before his colleagues, but inside his gut had dropped. Seeing Corneo stalking Tifa had upset something within him, something he only thought existed for his fellow Turks. He felt the need to stop the lascivious pervert before he could get to her.
"Let's split up to cover more ground, he could be anywhere," Reno ordered.
Had they stayed together, Elena might not have been captured and nearly killed.
Present day…
Reno shook the thought from his head. Too many regrets today.
He strolled past the bar to where Marlene was sitting with her coloring books.
"Can I sit with you?" he asked.
The little girl looked at him and turned red, then nodded and smiled. Reno pulled a chair around the table to sit next to her and look over her drawings.
"I'm Reno, what's your name?"
"…Marlene," she said with a giggle.
"What are you drawing here, Marlene?"
"Cloud. Do you know him?"
Reno rolled his eyes so the girl couldn't see. What was everyone's obsession with that guy?
"Yeah, I know him. He's alright," Reno lied through his teeth. All part of the plan.
"I hope he comes back soon," Marlene said, her voice saddened.
"We all do." Another lie. And this one stung. Reno needed more time with Tifa before that pokey-headed bucket of fail came back into the picture. As it stood now, Tifa probably wouldn't have any concern about running back into Cloud's arms. He needed to change that.
"Hey, Marlene," the little girl looked up at him with wide eyes. "Have you ever been in a helicopter before?"
"No, but I've seen them."
"Well, I'm a helicopter pilot. What would you say if I took you and your dad and your auntie Tifa up in one someday?"
Marlene smiled, showing all her teeth, though at least one baby tooth was missing.
"You'll take auntie Tifa, too?" Marlene asked.
"Sure, if she wants to."
"Did you give Tifa those flowers?"
And suddenly Reno found himself lost for words. Thankfully Tifa came over and put a hand on Marlene's shoulder to interrupt them. She stood between the two, and due to Reno hunching over to slump to Marlene's level, it meant his face was right next to Tifa's hip. He could smell her perfume and feel the heat from her belly.
"Is he being nice?" Tifa asked Marlene.
"Tch," Reno said under his breath, sitting back in his chair. As if he would antagonize a little girl.
Marlene eagerly nodded her head. "He said he would take us all up in a helicopter!"
"Did he?" Tifa looked at Reno. He looked at her through heavy lids and nodded. Tifa crouched down to Marlene's level. "Well, that certainly sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Marlene agreed. Reno mentally high fived himself. Pure genius.
"Okay, let's let Reno get back to his friends, okay Marlene?"
Marlene smiled again and grabbed a new piece of paper. "Byyye Reno…" she said without looking at him.
Reno sat back at the bar next to Rude and resumed drinking.
"Have a nice chat?" Elena asked.
Reno was confused. He hadn't noticed Elena and Rude watching him talk to Marlene. Barret was lost in his drink at the moment, or he probably wouldn't have approved. Elena had noticed it first, and casually smacked Rude in the arm with the back of her hand to get his attention. A slight smirk escaped Rude's lips when he saw Reno talking to the little girl. Rude didn't think Reno cared for children, though he supposed the redhead had quite a bit in common with them, given his immaturity and penchant for pranks. His eyes then narrowed when he realized Reno must be up to something by talking to Barret's kid.
Reno wasn't able to get Tifa alone that night, but he figured getting the kid to warm up to him was just as good – at least as far as Tifa's affections went. He did want to take Tifa up in the helicopter, just not with Barret and Marlene. Still, whatever worked. He walked home that night with his usual swagger, his hands clasped behind his head.
Barret helped Tifa close up the bar early since her injury had started bothering her again. The brunette took Marlene and her drawings upstairs to get ready for bed and the little girl helped Tifa change her bandages again. While changing the bandages, Tifa looked over at the top picture on Marlene's stack of drawings.
"Marlene, what's that?" she asked.
"That's a helicopter," she said matter-of-factly, as if the black blob with a bunch of lines sticking out of the top was just as clear as a photograph.
"Mmhmm," Tifa said.
"And that's daddy, and me, and you, and Reno," Marlene added.
Tifa bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from saying what she wanted to say. He was crafty, she had to give him that. But bribing a child to try and get Tifa into bed? That was low. That was real low.
"Let's go to bed, sweetie," Tifa said, kissing Marlene on the forehead.
Tifa settled into bed herself and had just turned off the lights when her phone buzzed. Despite her annoyance with Reno for clearly targeting Marlene that night, she felt a smile cross her lips knowing that it would be a text from him.
"Helicopter tomorrow?" it said.
Oh, was he really serious?
This was certainly a strange turn of events, she thought. Was Reno trying to be… nice? Had to be an act. But Marlene did seem excited about his suggestion now…
Tifa drifted off to sleep before she could think too much longer about Reno's game. If it made Marlene happy, she would go along with it, provided Barret would trust a Turk enough to let them fly him into the sky.