Chapter 43: Seventh Heaven

A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content.

Chapter 43:

Tifa had just stepped out of the shower and tied her red satin bathrobe around her waist when she heard a loud, booming knock on her front door. She wasn't expecting any deliveries, but she could never ignore someone at her front door, possibly to a fault. She immediately rushed toward the stairs and then down them, her bare feet causing soft thuds along the wood floor and her still wet hair leaving a trail of water behind her as her towel unwrapped from her head.

She stopped herself just before reaching the front door, aware that her robe had come untied, now held together only by the smaller, inner tie. She wasn't completely exposed, but certainly not covered enough for any potentially lewd deliveryman. She re-cinched her robe and held the two sides between her breasts together tightly in her fist, opening the door to find…

Cloud.

His cheeks tinted just a slight color of pink and he let out some kind or soft grunt to show he was uncomfortable with her current attire, possibly because he was turned on or that he thought she opened the door dressed like this regularly. She couldn't tell with him.

"Cloud!" she said, surprised to see him so early in the day.

She knew he planned to help her with the bar, but she figured that meant he'd be by later. She motioned for him to come in, but he shifted his weight instead and she now saw that he was holding several wooden planks up on his shoulder.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I saw the bar had been damaged by the monsters, thought I'd help fix it up," he said, setting the planks down to rest against the outer wall of the establishment.

"That's so nice of you – and unexpected," Tifa replied with a smile and her hands clasped in front of her chest. "Come in, the tools are still in the garage and I just bought some new nails and screws."

This time he took her up on her offer and entered the bar, looking around to see if anything inside had been damaged. He'd been here several times since the monster crisis ended, but he hadn't paid attention to damage back then, his mind focused on other things.

Tifa passed him after she closed the door and headed for the garage door.

"You don't answer the door like that all the time, do you?" Cloud asked. It was Tifa's turn to blush.

"Of course not! It's just that I was upstairs and heard the knock and rushed down so quickly…"

"Oh," Cloud said, sounding disappointed. He thought she might have known it was him.

She opened the door to the garage and turned on the lights, holding the door open and motioning for Cloud to let him know that he could enter. Glancing around at the garage, she now realized she had never repaired her truck from when she and Yuffie took it to Cosmo Canyon. She could see in Cloud's expression he noticed the damage too, and he looked concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, running his hand gently over one of the larger dents.

"Yuffie and I took it to Cosmo Canyon to research the Lifestream during the crisis," Tifa said, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame leading back into the bar. "It may look rough, but it still runs."

Cloud looked back at her while keeping a hand on the truck as if he could sense what she had been through while he was gone. She seemed to have come out of the whole crisis okay, but he couldn't help the guilt he felt for leaving her to fend for herself for two months.

"Anyway," Tifa sighed after a brief silence between them, "all the tools are still where you left them, take what you need. I'm going to go get dressed."

Cloud nodded his head and took one more mental image of her in her robe before she disappeared back into the bar. He had wanted her to stay dressed like that and with him in the garage. As he walked over to the workbench that contained the box of screws and nails she bought the other day, his mind began to wander. He wanted to push her robe up and off her shoulders so that it would fall to a satiny heap on the floor around her ankles. He wanted to take her in his arms and place his hands on her thighs to lift her up and back her toward the workbench. He wanted to lay her down on top of it and take her with all the built-up passion he had from going months without touching her.

But he knew he couldn't. Though his mind often settled on these thoughts, he had to push them down and concentrate on winning her back. Then he could spend the rest of his life holding her.

"Everything alright?" he heard her sweet voice ask from the doorway.

He realized he had been holding a box of nails so tightly that the lid had popped open and some nails had fallen out onto the workbench. He didn't think he had been lost in thought that long, but he looked over his shoulder to see her again standing in the doorway, only this time she was wearing the outfit she wore to their Gold Saucer date – the one with the thigh-highs.

Damn, he had been thinking about her a little too intensely.

"I'm fine," he stammered. "Do you have any coffee?"

"Sure," Tifa said with a nod.

She looked at him skeptically for a moment until he started rummaging for tools. What had he been doing while she was getting dressed? Deciding not to ask, she turned to head back inside and grab him a mug of fresh coffee. She was nearing the garage door with the mug when he walked through with an armful of tools.

"Can you grab the ladder?" he asked her as she pressed herself against the wall to let him through.

"You got it," she said.

She hoisted the ladder over her shoulder while holding the coffee in her other hand and brought them both out the front door of the bar to Cloud.

"Thanks," he said, taking the coffee and sipping on it while she rested the ladder against the front wall next to the planks he had set down.

"Need any help?" Tifa asked.

"You could always keep me company," Cloud said with a smile as he brought the mug to his lips again.

"Just like old times," Tifa added, the corners of her lips curling up.

Tifa spent the day handing Cloud supplies while he worked to repair the outer structure of the bar. In the afternoon, she brought him some lemonade, just as she had done way back when they were first building the bar. Cloud graciously accepted the beverage, hoping it was a sign that things were returning to normal.

Normal? What was that for them? Most of their relationship involved him having flashbacks, nightmares, and headaches caused by Sephiroth and the Jenova cells. But that wasn't what he would consider "normal." He wanted things to be like they were when they first built the bar in Edge, when they were a happy couple.

"Much better at this than I used to be," Cloud said as he was attaching a new plank to the outside of the bar.

Tifa chuckled. "Yeah, I remember you and Barret trying to figure out the plumbing when we first built this place."

The two had spent days trying to find plumbers to help or books on how to install such a system. She remembered the cursing, the banging of pipes in frustration, and the look of pure joy on their faces when they finally got it working. Barret had grabbed Cloud in a rare bear hug as they celebrated, before they each pulled away, cleared their throat, and turned away from each other.

Tifa was no casual observer to the construction of her bar and home. Barret had come to help after they started – to help lift appliances and other heavy things. She was right there with all of them, lifting and hammering and sawing and welding – whatever needed to be done.

"How is the plumbing, by the way?" Cloud asked, stepping down the ladder.

"Still works great," Tifa answered with a smile.

"Well," I've done everything I can for now. I need some more supplies to fix the post, so I'll head out."

"The bar's about to open, you still have your key to the garage?"

"Yeah. Is… that okay?" Cloud said, lowering his head a little.

"Of course," Tifa responded immediately. "Just take what you get to the garage instead of through the bar when the customers are there."

"Sure thing. I'll also pick up some stuff to fix up the truck."

"That would be great!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Okay, I'll be back in a little bit and help with the bar," Cloud said, leaning forward instinctively to give her a quick peck on the lips.

They were both surprised by his action. Cloud hadn't even given it a second thought, but now his heart was beating out of fear he had become too familiar.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Tifa said with a warm smile before Cloud waved to her and headed out for supplies.

A little later…

The bar was in full swing, with Tifa taking orders and slinging drinks for multiple customers at once. As she was returning to the bar with a now-empty tray, she turned to the front door after hearing the familiar chimes to alert her of someone entering or exiting.

All four Edge-based Turks entered her establishment, with Reno the last in line and trying his best not to look too eager. Tifa's heart skipped a beat when she saw him, before plummeting to her stomach when she realized Cloud would be returning soon. She worried about what might happen between the two men tonight, being in such close proximity and with alcohol.

Reno sat at the bar while his comrades found an empty table. He was long past pretenses at this point and wanted to spend his evening flirting with Tifa. He'd go talk to them eventually, but for now he just wanted to be near her.

"Place is packed," he said when Tifa handed him his drink unprompted. He let his fingers brush against hers as he took the glass.

"Yeah, it's a good showing for the reopening," she said sweetly.

Another customer called for her and she left Reno to tend to them. He watched her ass while she walked away. He couldn't help himself. He'd seen and experienced every inch of her, so now he could just picture her doing normal things as if she were naked. Shaking that mixed drink? Naked. Pouring beer from the tap? Naked. Leaning over the bar to flirt with a customer for extra tips? Naked, though he didn't like watching that last one.

Still, after last night he thought he had a leg up on Strife. Now he was just waiting for the necklace to be made and he would, maybe, tell her how he really felt. He'd definitely give her the jewelry. Maybe he'd just let it do the talking.

His daydreaming was interrupted when he saw his chocobo-headed rival enter the bar from the back area. Reno had thought he'd get Tifa to himself – and the other customers – tonight. He snarled at the sight of Strife and turned his attention back to his scotch, cradling it in both hands and letting his leg bounce wildly on the bottom rung of the stool in frustration.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Tifa and Strife having a brief conversation. He couldn't hear what they were discussing, but it didn't seem flirtatious, at least, not in his view.

"So, I took a quick look at the truck," Cloud said once Tifa stepped toward him from behind the bar. "Like you said, it's running just fine, but I'd like to get those dents out of it if possible."

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him and wiping the inside of a glass. "But save it for tomorrow? I could use some help in here."

"Sure, no problem," Cloud said. "Whatcha need?"

"It's a little more crowded than I expected," Tifa informed him, waving her hand across the bar. "Could you bus some tables and bring me a new keg of Rocket Town Ale?"

"Got it, boss," Cloud said before heading into the back to grab a tray.

Reno watched as the blond left the bar area and began picking up empty glasses at tables. Reno chuckled to himself at the thought of the World's Hero becoming an errand boy and dishwasher. He finished his glass and slid it in front of the stool next to him that had just opened up. Within seconds, Cloud was standing next to him, picking up the glass and depositing it onto his tray.

Reno looked straight forward, barely trying to conceal his grin.

"Nice hair," he heard Cloud say, condescendingly. Reno's eyes narrowed and he snapped to look at his rival, who appeared amused and was just about to walk away.

Reno wanted to make some snappy comeback about how Tifa liked his new haircut, but felt antagonizing Cloud over that particular subject might come back to bite him.

"Don't you have more tables to clean, Bus Boy?" Reno sneered.

Cloud just walked away.

"Checkmate," Reno said quietly to himself.

He knew he now couldn't sit alone at the bar hoping to get Tifa's attention, so he dropped some gil on the counter and took a seat with his colleagues as if he had just gotten to the bar entirely.

"Strife's back," Rude said in his usual, emotionless way. Reno groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, cleaning tables like he's her little bitch," Reno responded with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, did you not just learn how to cook for her and spend this morning des—" Elena managed to say before Reno put his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. Why did he tell her about the necklace? She'd never keep it a secret, but she was the only woman he felt comfortable talking to about the jewelry.

"Uhbupbupbupbup," Reno mumbled as he held his hand over Elena's mouth. She made an irritated grunt from behind his hand before he removed it.

"I would just be careful about calling other people her little bitch," Elena said quickly with a laugh.

Reno shot her a glare before turning in his chair to look at Tifa. Rude and Tseng exchanged subtle smirks.

"There are tons of customers, but the tips aren't very good," Tifa told Cloud once he set down the keg.

Cloud considered making a flirtatious comment about what she was wearing but worried it would offend her. When they were together, he had no qualms about flirting with her, but now he kept thinking his flirtations would be unwelcome.

Screw it, he had to try something. Reno would surely make the comment, and right now Cloud needed to be bolder.

"Maybe wear your blue dress tomorrow?" he asked with a wink.

Tifa's face turned bright red and she quickly looked around to see if any customers had overheard.

"Cloud!" she scolded in an unserious way that let him know she was embarrassed but not angry. Her expression quickly lifted to a smile.

For Tifa, it was at first a reminder of her last-ditch effort to keep Cloud from leaving her, which failed. But the fact that he was now bringing up the dress made her wonder if she had gotten through to him back then in some way. Did he think about that dress often?

Cloud mentally high-fived himself for pulling it off. God, what he wouldn't give to go back to that night she wore the blue dress for him now that he wasn't suffering.

He also made a mental note to flirt more openly with her, like he used to. He was sure Reno had no problems joking and flirting with Tifa, and Cloud knew he needed to show her that he could be "fun," too. Ugh, he hated the fact that he was comparing himself to Reno or considering being more like that murderous Turk, at least in some respects, but he couldn't be shy or quiet around Tifa and hope to win her back.

Tifa gave Cloud one last knowing glance before heading out from behind the bar to assist the seated customers. Cloud watched her sashay her hips for a moment before eyeing the Turks' table. Reno seemed to be missing – probably out on a cigarette break – so Cloud decided to help Tifa by taking out the trash. He hadn't wanted to leave her alone with the Turk any more than he had to, so he felt it was a good time to disappear for a minute.

It was dark in the back alley; the light above the bar door had burnt out, so Cloud made a note to replace the bulb tomorrow. As he took a step toward the dumpster, he sensed someone approaching out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't see the person, nor were they making any noise, but Cloud's Mako-heightened senses allowed him to detect the slightest hint of movement. Even without the Jenova cells, he was still scientifically enhanced.

He could just barely make out the silhouette of the person slowly strolling up the alley from the street. Cloud's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. He stepped toward the dumpster to make his presence known and lifted the lid to throw in the trash, mentally preparing for a confrontation.

"Shit," he heard a voice say in the dark.

Cloud quickly moved his hand to the hilt of the sword on his back, recognizing the voice.

"What are you doing back here, Reno?" he asked coldly, though he already knew the answer.

"Back alleys are dangerous, yo," the redhead responded nonchalantly.

"So it seems."

Cloud wasn't looking for a fight, even with Reno, so he lowered his hand and stood up straight to return to the bar. He wanted to fight the Turk for what he had done in Cloud's absence but knew that wouldn't be the best way to get on Tifa's good side.

"You know you don't deserve her," Reno said just as Cloud reached for the door handle.

The blond hesitated and sighed.

"No. I don't," he said before turning toward the Turk. "But neither do you."

"Hey, I've made amends for my sins" – except that whole apartment bugging thing – "and I was here, picking up the pieces while you were wallowing in misery over some dead girl."

Cloud's eyes lit up with anger at the mention of Aeris. "That's… not what it was about."

"Does she know that?" Reno asked.

Cloud's eyes widened for a brief moment and his lips parted. Did Tifa still think Cloud left her because he loved Aeris? Didn't he explain to her that he never loved Aeris, only the part of him that took on Zack's personality?

"She does… I mean, I think," wait, Cloud didn't need to convince Reno of anything. "Hey – that's none of your business," he hissed. "You were a mistake. My fault, but now it's time for you to get out of our lives." Cloud's fingers instinctively wrapped around the handle of the sword attached to his back.

Reno was taken aback for a moment by Cloud's viciousness. He wasn't about to go away quietly. He spent two years fawning over Tifa and two months trying to win her over – and just when he had her, chocobo head decided to show up out of the blue and now he was insisting he had a right to her? Cloud's comment made Reno's blood boil. The part of him that had learned self-control over the past two months broke instantly, and that little voice in his head that kept telling him this would hurt his chances with Tifa was drowned out by indignant rage.

"You had your chance with her," Reno sneered, unholstering his EMR and flicking it to the side to power it up. "Now it's my turn!"

He ran out of the shadows and lunged toward Cloud, faster than the blond had ever seen him move. With a battle cry Reno was in the air, coming down right above Cloud. The swordsman barely had enough time to withdraw his weapon before Reno landed on the wide, flat side of the blade over Cloud's head. The Turk stood crouched above Cloud on the sword, with his mag rod connecting with the blade and electrifying it. Reno's rubber soles protected him from the sparks that had encased the cold steel, but his weight and time were working against Cloud. Within seconds, the sword would lower enough to electrocute Cloud's head. As it was, he could feel his hair reacting to the electricity flowing between the two men's weapons.

Cloud planted his feet and struggled to keep the current away from his skin. He had almost forgotten what it was like to fight a Turk. He didn't remember coming this close to severe injury during any of his other battles with Reno. The man seemed to simply jab with his EMR or encase someone in a pyramid. Now that Cloud thought back to those fights – in the seconds that passed as Reno stood on his sword – the blond did remember needing to break the barrier around Tifa more often than Barret or Nanaki. Had Reno liked Tifa this entire time?

With a great effort, Cloud heaved his sword outward, forcing Reno to backflip off so that he could land on his feet in front of the blond warrior. In an instant he had recovered and leapt toward Cloud again. This time, their weapons clashed in front of their faces, and the sparks provided enough light for Cloud to see a look in Reno's eyes he had never seen before.

Cloud had always thought Reno had a sadistic grin when they were fighting on their first journey, but tonight there was something different. Reno's eyes were focused, almost cat-like. He wasn't just fighting for his employer or because he enjoyed it. This time, he was fighting for something more.

Cloud had never considered the possibility that Reno could have developed such visceral feelings for Tifa. His Tifa.

Meanwhile…

Back in the bar, Tifa and her patrons heard the first sound of metal clashing against metal and what sounded like a sudden lightning storm. She would have ignored the loud sound and assumed critters were in the alley again, but she happened to glance out toward the tables and noticed Reno wasn't sitting with the other Turks. She quickly scanned the room to discover Cloud was nowhere to be found either, and she immediately dropped the glass she was holding and ran out the back door.

Cloud and Reno had their weapons locked, each man pushing against the other with all his might for dominance, their faces just inches apart as sparks crackled between them.

"Cloud! Reno!" Tifa yelled as soon as she saw them.

Was it petty that both men noticed she said Cloud's name first? And each had their own explanation for it?

Reno clicked his EMR off and Cloud lowered his sword as they both turned toward her, guilty.

"Are you two serious?" Tifa asked, her hands clutching the sides of her head in frustration.

"Tifa…" Cloud said, reaching a hand toward her weakly.

Reno clipped his mag rod to his belt and stuffed his hands in his pockets. At least he was still on even ground with Cloud in this situation.

"Both of you: Go home," Tifa ordered. "Separately!"

The two men looked at each other briefly but didn't move. They again focused on Tifa, their eyes almost pleading.

Tifa threw her hands up in frustration and turned back to the door, grabbing the handle while resting her other hand on the door itself.

"I'm not…" she trailed off, her voice heavy.

She didn't think she deserved either of these men. She had developed feelings for another man – and acted on those feelings – while Cloud was doing everything he could to get better and return to her. Sure, she didn't know what he was doing, but she couldn't stop feeling guilty.

And Reno had grown so much in the past two months because he had wanted to be with her, yet as soon as Cloud came back, she considered going back to him.

"…worth it…" she finished, opening the door and quickly returning to the bar.

The two men blinked as they watched her disappear inside.

Cloud had no idea how Tifa could think she wasn't worth fighting for. He had spent damn near his whole life fighting for her, and he wasn't about to stop now. His anger over being blamed for her fall off Mt. Nibel and the frustration he felt for not being able to save her led him to fighting in school. He joined SOLDIER, prepared to fight to impress her. He killed Sephiroth to avenge her injury. He joined AVALANCHE to fight for the planet – at her behest. Everything after that, though he wouldn't admit it at the time, was all for her.

For Reno, he was a changed man thanks to Tifa. All she had to do was exist, and she taught him there was more to life than being a Turk. He couldn't imagine returning to a life where all he did was work, drink, and pick up women without a second thought about the future. Now he was considering a future – with her. No, he hadn't thought it all out, like kids or pets or retirement, but he did know he wanted to see her every morning when he woke up and every day after work. He'd never felt that way about a woman before, and even though it still scared him, it was exhilarating.

Work used to give him that feeling: A fear of the unknown. Now he had that with Tifa – a whole different unknown – and he wasn't about to give that up, especially not to Cloud Strife.

Reno looked at Cloud to see if the blond was prepared to obey Tifa's orders. The Turk wasn't about to give up ground if his rival wasn't either. Reno hoped Cloud would leave the alley first, so that he could slip in the back door and try to talk to Tifa, or at the very least, pay his tab and leave a generous tip as an apology.

Cloud, however, wasn't moving either. He was still looking at the back door of the bar, his arms crossed, as he calculated his next move. He needed to talk to Tifa without Reno nearby, to apologize and to explain himself. He didn't want to leave her while she was mad at him and didn't want to chance Reno hanging back to make a similar move.

Reno's impatience caught up to him, and he moved first. He groaned, placed his hands behind his head, and began walking back down the alley toward the sidewalk. As he rounded the corner to the front of the bar he quickly leaned back against the wall, between two of the windows. He hoped it would be dark enough so that Cloud would walk right past him and off into the night, allowing Reno to enter the front door and carry out the rest of his plan.

He waited for what felt like a few minutes, but Cloud never appeared. Reno twisted around to peer into one of the windows. He immediately sneered when he saw Cloud behind the bar trying to talk to Tifa, who didn't look like she wanted to hear it. She kept turning away from him and flailing her arms in frustration, as Cloud tried to soothe her. They both kept glancing around to see if they were making a scene. Finally, Cloud looked defeated, pleading with Tifa once more before quickly walking toward the front door.

Reno hopped around the side of the building just before Cloud burst out of the bar and rushed down the street in the opposite direction. Before the door could close, Reno slinked inside to leave a large stack of gil on the Turks' table with quick instructions to Elena that it was for Tifa.

Keeping low to the ground, Reno snuck out of the bar, the door jingling as he left and causing Tifa to look in its direction for the new customer. Instead, she saw the door closing but no one entering the bar and returned to mixing a drink. She brought a tray over to the Turks' table and handed Elena her vodka-soda and Rude another scotch.

"What happened?" Elena asked as she took her glass from Tifa.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Tifa replied.

Elena pushed the stack of gil left by Reno toward the barmaid.

"Well, Reno left this for you, with his apologies."

Tifa made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. She picked up the gil and counted it as she walked back to the bar. Reno had never left her such a big tip, even when he was trying to get in her pants. She put the money in her cash box and continued with her work.

Rude had stood up as soon as he heard the clatter in the back alley, knowing immediately what the sound meant. He may have just participated in saving the world with AVALANCHE, but he would back his partner until their last breath. Before he could leave the table, however, Elena and Tseng were on either side of him, each with a hand on one of his shoulders.

"Don't," Elena pleaded as Rude drooped his shoulders. "If you or either of us help him it'll look like an ambush – and that'll make everything worse for him."

Rude knew she was right. Any additional Turk would remind Cloud – and Tifa – of the days when they were enemies. Reno may have made a dumb move, but he would have to continue alone. Rude hated leaving his partner to Cloud's mercy but returned to his seat once he saw Tifa run out the back door.

Elena and Tseng exchanged glances after Tifa returned without either of the men. She looked angry and sad at the same time. The Turks didn't think Reno or Cloud had said something that would offend her, but the look on her face was one of hurt, nonetheless.

They watched as Cloud came in a few minutes later, pleading with Tifa to forgive him and claiming it was self-defense. The Turks didn't doubt him for a second but did find it odd that after all of his progress, Reno had apparently reverted to his hot-headed self – and at such a bad time.

"Tifa," Cloud said quietly after waiting to let her cool down a little.

"I don't want to hear it right now, Cloud," Tifa responded, moving away from him to clean up some glasses from the bar. Her cheeks were flushed from the embarrassment of her patrons hearing the fight.

"Tifa, please!" Cloud begged, a little louder.

Tifa turned to him and flapped her arms in frustration.

"Cloud! I can't deal with this right now, please, just go."

Cloud tapped his fingers on the bar counter and watched her as she moved away again. After she helped another patron – putting on a fake smile to make it seem like nothing had happened – she had to walk back over to the end of the bar where Cloud still stood. She didn't make eye contact with him, but he knew she saw him.

"Tifa, you are worth it," he told her, his head hung low.

"Cloud…"

"You are," he said, locking eyes with the barmaid. "I'm sorry."

Cloud left the bar quickly and returned to his hotel room, kicking a chair once he entered. Things were not going well with Tifa. He was nervous around her like he was when she first found him at the Sector Seven train station, when he was so messed up from Mako he could barely form a sentence. The shock of waking up from whatever fugue state he was in and finding himself in the arms of his childhood crush only added to the stress.

And now he felt like he did back then. When he looked at her, his heart skipped and butterflies swarmed his stomach. His heart raced when she was near and he blushed if she stood too close. It was like he was back at square one and couldn't help the nagging feeling that Reno was not so nervous around her.

Cloud sat on the edge of his bed and rested his elbows on his knees, cradling his head in his hands. He had to get over his nerves if he wanted to win her back – and he certainly couldn't fight Reno again. At least Cid's engagement party was only a couple days away. He could be with Tifa and just AVALANCHE outside of Edge and away from Reno.

He only hoped he hadn't blown it.

Meanwhile…

Reno briefly considered hanging around Seventh Heaven to talk to Tifa after closing. That would have given her enough time to cool down, right? He just had an amazing night with her. She was in his arms and now he had screwed everything up. He thought he'd silenced the part of him that would fight anyone for any reason.

He took his time walking home, puffing on a cigarette and letting the cool night air calm him. Life just wasn't the same now that the monsters were gone and he was no longer required to spend his days with Tifa. He flicked his third cigarette butt to the curb just before entering his apartment building. He leaned back against the wall of the elevator as it traveled to his floor, closing his eyes and lifting his face toward the ceiling, wishing he could ask Freyra to write another apology for him.

Probably not. The fact that she helped him once was a miracle itself, asking again would be pushing his luck.

He walked into his bedroom and pulled aside one of his nightstands. He pulled up the corner of the carpet until he could see the door to a floor safe. After inputting the code, he reached into his suit jacket pocket and removed what was left of his paycheck. Pay day, and a good chunk had just gone to Tifa as an apology. He took about half of what remained of the stack (direct deposit, what's that?) and forced it into the duffle bag contained within the safe. He had enough stuffed in the bag to probably let him live comfortably somewhere the rest of his life, but since Freyra had stolen his other emergency bag, he felt short. He returned the rest of the gil to his jacket pocket.

He didn't think he would actually ever need the bag, but adding some after every other paycheck had become a habit. He had more than enough to live off of by himself and couldn't think of anything else to spend his money on except booze and cigarettes. He supposed he could buy some house somewhere far away, but he liked his job and didn't need a mansion in another city to impress women. And now…

He had been thinking – just before Cloud returned – that maybe he could use all the money he saved up to build a mansion on the western continent. Stay there with Tifa on their days off, maybe even…

Nah, he shook his head, it was a dumb thought. It was never a real possibility, even if Cloud had never come back. Better to just keep saving that money for an emergency.

He closed up the safe and covered it with the night stand before flopping back onto the bed and taking a deep breath. What was the point of dreaming beyond what he already had? Until Tifa, he thought he'd achieved all his dreams, but now life felt so empty.

He reached for his phone and held it over his face.

"Tifa, you're worth it. Good God you're worth it," he texted, instantly hating his choice of words. Could he sound like more of a school boy?