Author's Notes: I want to keep writing Clerith while I am on leave from work. Give me plot bunnies/prompts, please? :D
This is a sequel of sorts to 'Ancient Creation'. I suggest reading that first - but it's not really necessary to start with it. My attempt at fluff + humor; and I love me some Turks!
"Now, this is interesting," A red-haired turk stood up as he threw his cigarette onto the floor. It was such an unexpected sight to see the golden-haired hero of the planet on this side of the city – much more in front of one of Shinra's offices. "What business do you have here, SOLDIER?" he asked with sarcastic emphasis on the last word.
Cloud was already annoyed and he just got there; he didn't bother hiding his scowl from Reno.
"None with you," he said as he continued walking towards the door of the new Shinra building, this one was way less extravagant than their main one and was being used as a makeshift office for the Turks among a few other departments.
"But it is though, YOU always mean trouble and I'm always the one being sent after you. How nice of you to come to me for once," Reno said as he put his hands inside his pockets and started walking just a little behind Cloud. "What is it? What slight did ShinRa do to your precious planet now?"
Cloud wanted to just ignore Reno but he realized he was walking in a building without any idea where he was going. "Where's Tseng?"
"Oh now, this is really interesting," Reno stroked his chin before he pointed upwards with 2 fingers. "Up, 3rd floor. You'd need a badge. Well, lucky you, you even have an escort!" Reno started walking towards the elevator, knowing Cloud will follow him.
Thankfully Reno didn't ask any further questions on the way there, but Cloud could feel the redhead looking at him with both curiosity and suspicion.
Reno led him through the Turk office, which was smaller than what Cloud was expecting. Elena was there and she suddenly sat up and followed the two with her eyes the moment they stepped inside. Reno stopped in front of another door and knocked, "golden boy here for you, boss."
The door opened after a few seconds to reveal Tseng in his ever pristine suit. He stepped back to let Cloud through the door. "We'll be alright," he said to Reno.
"I must say, when I received your meeting request, I was quite surprised. Not that you're not welcome here," Tseng started as he sat down on his chair behind his desk. He motioned for Cloud to take a seat as well.
"I'd prefer to stand, if that's alright," the visitor said.
"What can ShinRa Electric Company do for you?" Tseng asked in a cool - almost rehearsed - manner, like those words were something he uttered on a regular.
"You previously made a job offer. I didn't like it then but I am open to it now," Cloud said going straight to the point.
"We don't just hand out jobs here – that was a once-off request and that offer has closed."
"You do have missions that will get done quicker with my help though," Cloud bluffed. He knew that despite everything that happened, ShinRa or what was left of it was still wealthy and armed to the teeth. Aside from fighting Sephiroth and guardian forces, he could not think of anything else wherein they'd need him.
"I don't doubt that," Tseng leaned back on his chair. "We will think about it. There could possibly be some work we could outsource." He looked thoughtful before he looked at Cloud again, "Any particulars on the type of work? I'd hate to offer you something just to be turned down again."
"The highest paying contracts that align with what I do. It doesn't matter how dangerous – I can decide if the pay will be worth it before accepting," said Cloud. "I can only offer services for a couple of months, no long contracts."
"Very well then, I'll take those into consideration." Tseng stood up and made his way to the door. "If we have something we'll let you know." Tseng was always concise; he was a busy man. He had no reason to make this meeting any longer than it should be.
He opened the door for Cloud. Cloud hesitated whether he should thank Tseng or what – this entire thing was so awkward, and not to mention, embarrassing for him. He decided to just nod in acknowledgment. He made his way out of Tseng's office and out the Turks' room. He could feel cold eyes behind him as he made his exit.
"So Marlene bit that boy for talking flack about her dad and Tifa got called in to school. That boy's parents were awful, demanding an apology and disciplinary action. They're kids for god's sake! Poor Marlene cried all the way home thinking she was in trouble," Aerith was telling Cloud about the latest happening in their friends' lives.
They were currently at one of their date spots overlooking the city's night lights. He was sitting on a blanket with her sitting between his legs, both facing the city. They had a couple of hot sweet potatoes they bought from a nearby vendor and a couple of cans of beers on their side.
Aerith wanted to go out on a date and this was the best one he could give her tonight without spending too much. Not that she won't pay for herself if they decided to go to an actual restaurant or watch a movie; they have both, at different times, shouldered the bill for their dates. However, this girl had too many jobs already – selling flowers, moonlighting as a bartender, and doing casual shifts as a waitress for a couple of diners – the reality for most people who grew up in the slums. He didn't want her paying for things if he can help it.
Even for him, though, money was tight. He needed more jobs – high paying ones – in order to save up. He even went through the humiliation of asking Tseng, of all people, for a job. He needed money – lots of it - for a wedding and fast. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear the guilt and fear of one day telling Elmyra that he had knocked her daughter up out of wedlock – the same daughter she entrusted to him. And weddings weren't cheap – they could elope, but he wanted to give Aerith a wedding celebration, even if it's just a simple one.
Then raising a child would be costly. Barett told him whatever he thought it would cost, it would be triple that amount. Not that he confided in Barett – it was just something the Avalanche leader had said in passing in an old conversation.
Not to mention he would need access to a big amount of cash as he might need to take Aerith out of here when the time comes. Imagine having another Cetra in this world - fathered by a mako-infused, military-trained experiment – what evil bastards would come out of the woodworks this time chasing after it?
Planning for a family – a complicated family like his – was expensive. Earning the kind of money he needed didn't come easy for a 24-year old slum resident like him.
"I have some out of town work coming in a couple of days," he said after his chatterbox girlfriend stopped talking. She told him about the conclusion of Marlene's story but he wasn't particularly paying attention to what she was saying, too pre-occupied thinking about his upcoming work and the current sorry state of his financial situation.
"Like will last a few days?" she asked.
"Yeah, and when I say some I meant might be plenty – might be a steady stream for some time."
Her lips turned up, "did you get hired by a big shot?"
"Something like that." He didn't particularly want to mention that he was more or less working for ShinRa. He wasn't keen on anyone he knows knowing about it. To be honest, he was embarrassed to let Aerith know. Tseng had come back to him yesterday with a few offers, Tseng mentioned there were others where that came from.
"Oh, Mr. Salary man!" she teased.
"It's not like that," he corrected. "More like a series of contracts. Pay would be good. But the hours might not be. The location and the days, well, I might be away for a few days at a time."
"Oh," she said, mood suddenly changing. "It's not too dangerous, is it?"
He shook his head, "nah, nothing I couldn't handle."
"From the scale of a pesky gnat to a maniacal alien SOLDIER, which is it?"
"What kind of scale is that? I could handle all of those. I took care of him, didn't I?"
"But you had some help, if I recall," she pointed out, hiding her worries with teasing.
"Don't worry about me," he tried to ease her qualms. "I'll be fine. I won't be stupid and take on work I know I cannot handle."
"But does this mean we won't be seeing each other much?" she asked, angling her body slightly towards him.
"Possibly. But I'd be away only a few days at a time and for only a couple of months," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Now it will be your turn to miss me."
She pouted. "Those days are going to be so miserable, won't they?"
"You'll have more time for the flowers, and with the girls – you can go on that girls' day out you've been mentioning forever. You'd be thankful to be rid of me for a few days," he nuzzled the back of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. One of his hands slowly rubbed her flat stomach, going up and down from just under her ribcage until around her navel.
She hadn't stopped pouting. She was so used to seeing Cloud everyday, she was sure not seeing him for a few days will be tough on her. Although he was right, it was an opportunity for her to do the things she had been putting off, she was sure she'd enjoy even more independence. She also couldnt tell Cloud she was not a big fan of this. Cloud takes his work seriously and she knew it was not her place to meddle with his work affairs.
She noticed then that Cloud had been rubbing her tummy, making her smile knowing what he was most likely thinking of. "What are you doing?" she asked knowingly, already having slightly forgotten the sadness that made its way into the conversation.
"Just checking for my kid," his palm continued rubbing her over her dress.
"There's nothing there yet," she said. "When there is, you'd be the first to know! Well, second to know."
"Nothing yet? We better work on it then," he whispered to her ear as the same hand travelled to the top opening of her dress and dug underneath her bra, squeezing.
Since that night she more or less gave him the green flag that she was open to the idea of having his child, he noticed that Aerith was more receptive to his advances. She was always down to tumble whenever he hinted at it and she, herself, had been visiting his house more frequently. It was like having a luck up materia but for sex.
Aerith's face turned bright red. Not a lot of people knew about this spot but it was still a public place. Lovers occasionally visited this place for dates.
"Cloud! Not here!" she scolded as her hands instinctively went to the offending hand's forearm although she neither did anything to stop him from further squeezing nor did she try to take his hand away.
"It will be ok. There's no one else here," he teased.
"But still," she whined. "Besides, I can't! Not today."
Well, he didn't say the luck up charm worked one hundred percent of the time. Aerith wasn't particularly snappy at him today so he didn't realise it was that time of the month. Damned luck, he can't get any before he goes away for his first job with ShinRa.
Just then, Aerith's eyes glimmered with mischief. She pried his hand off and turned around so fast, Cloud had to put a hand behind him to balance himself.
She started tugging at his belt. "I can do other things though," she said seductively, eyes gleaming. Her hands were so fast she had his belt undone and was unzipping him in no time.
"Aerith – wait, I –" He desperately tried to stop her, holding onto his pants and not letting go.
Aerith's giggles filled the air. She sat up, almost clutching her stomach giggling. She knew Cloud wasn't intending to fuck her here. Despite his earlier teasing, she knew at the back of her mind that he would have taken her to his house if she agreed. This was Cloud after all, he won't even let her walk out of his house in shorts without trying to cover her up. She knew he will never risk anyone else seeing her half-naked or in a compromising position.
"You're evil," Cloud frowned as he zipped himself up.
"Aww, don't be like that. I'm serious though, I can do other things," she put her hands on his shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows. The expression on his face did not change.
"That's it, stand up, I'm taking you home," he gave the side of her bum a couple of quick taps signalling her to stand up so he could too.
She did as she was told but not without whining and complaining, "aww, this can't be the end, it's too early. Don't send me home yet. I'm sorry, ok?"
Cloud took the small blanket they were sitting on and dusted it off before rolling it haphazardly into a ball.
"Are you kidding me? I'm taking you to my house and you're going to show me exactly what these 'other things you can do' are," he took her hand and was leading her to his bike in no time.
"Are we doing this or what?" Reno threw his cigarette onto the ground as he stood up. "Ride's here," he pointed behind him towards the obvious. The strong wind and noise of the propellers of their chopper were obvious indications that their ride had arrived.
Cloud pointed at the phone next to his ear, he looked at Reno with sharp eyes as if telling the Turk to fuck off.
Reno rolled his eyes. "Make it quick, Loverboy. If you get left behind, you get nada for this job."
Cloud turned around, unfazed. He knew those turks will not leave without him. They all knew how easy the missions become with him in it.
"So, yeah, might be a couple more days," he shouted at his phone. "Just called so you won't wait for me tonight."
Their intel wasn't exactly spot on for this job so they'd need to go to another location to continue with their hunt. They've been looking for a guy for almost four days now and it had been a wild goose-chase so far.
It had also been four days of dealing with the Turks, his teammates for this job. Cloud wasn't exactly thrilled to be working side by side with Elena, Rude and Reno, the distaste being strongest for the latter. However, this was what the current job entailed – you get hired by a Turk, you work with the Turks.
He made a mental note to ask Tseng for similar jobs to the first few ones he was given wherein he worked alone.
"Oh ok," Aerith was trying to hide her disappointment on the other line. It was quite difficult for her to hear with all the noise from the other line but she got the message. Cloud was not coming home – she thought that's pretty much what he said. "That's alright, are you ok though?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Mission's just a bit longer than I originally anticipated." He shouted.
"Ok, just stay safe, ok? I love you!" Aerith shouted. She was in an alley just outside Seventh Heaven, as she was on duty today at the bar. She just snuck out to take his call. She also needed to get back there quick. It was already an exhausting day and she was really looking forward to seeing Cloud later tonight – but now, that was not going to happen.
"What? It's so loud here, can't hear you" he feigned not being able to hear her. The sound of the chopper on the background was the perfect excuse.
"I said I love you and stay safe!" she repeated.
"I can't hear you, gotta go. Talk to you soon," he said before ending the call. He felt only a little guilty for not saying he loved her back. He did – love her, that is, and he knew she knew that. He must have told her a thousand times by now. However, he didn't particularly want a certain red-head hearing him go all cheesy and saying those things on the phone.
It was bad enough they knew he was calling her. He just had to do the phonecall right now as he wasn't sure of any other time he could call her – the moment they land on their destination, they're back on the mission. He didn't want her to stay up late waiting for nothing.
He pocketed his phone and started his way towards the chopper. Reno, who managed to smoke another stick in the short time of his phone call, followed him.
He entered to see Rude on the pilot's seat and Elena acting as co-pilot. She eyed him but didn't say a word. Elena always looked like she was angry with him. Even more now after he saved her from falling off a cliff, jumping quite a distance to get to her.
"No I love you, I miss you?" were the first words out of Reno's mouth the moment he closed the door to the chopper.
Cloud fucking knew it. Reno was eavesdropping.
"Fuck off," Cloud crossed his arm.
"Just looking out for you, man," Reno quipped. "You might not know this but women are into romantic shit like that."
He just ignored Reno. Reno liked to talk, and to always get the last word in. Answering him will only add fuel to the fire.
"ETA is thirty minutes," Rude announced before the chopper lifted off.
Cloud felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out to see a text from Aerith.
I said take care and I love you – you know, in case you really didn't hear.
Fuck, he thought to himself. Of course she could tell. He knew that one way or another, she'd make him pay for this slight.
Then another message popped up.
Too bad I can't wear this tonight.
He almost dropped his phone when the next message came. It was a photo of her wearing a red one-piece lace lingerie, the narrowness of her waist and the curve of her hips were further accentuated by the way her body was slightly angled in the photo. She had her mouth shiny and slightly open; the contrast of her innocent-looking face and what she was wearing quickly elicited a strong reaction in his groin.
She was getting back at him and she knew exactly how to. Cloud quickly angled his phone to ensure Reno couldn't see his screen. He had to readjust in his seat, he thanked god it was half an hour to their destination so he had time to calm down.
For such an angelic face that Aerith was blessed with, she could really act like a devil when she wanted to be.
Cloud entered Seventh Heaven to find Tifa preparing for the bar's opening in an hour. She was wiping the counter when he walked in.
"What happened to your face?" were the first words she said to him after not seeing him for a week. He had just gotten back from his mission with the Turks that morning. He slept at home and showered before he made his way to Tifa's bar. He thought a shower might make his face a little bit more presentable than its awful state that morning but looks like he was wrong. He had a busted lip and heavy bruising on his left cheek.
"A Zolom happened," he said.
"Ouch," Tifa sympathised. "Aerith's not here, she has a shift at the diner," Tifa told him.
Cloud sat on one of the chairs by the bar, "I know, just thought I could come here for a few drinks while I wait. If that's ok? Or I can come back when you open."
Tifa smiled, "Don't be silly, of course I'll serve you a drink. What do you want? Do you want to try our new special? It's pretty good."
Tifa was already getting a glass and pouring the ingredients even before Cloud agreed. She was determined Cloud will have it whether he wanted to or not. She handed him his drink before she spoke again.
"So this new job of yours is really keeping you busy, huh?"
Before Cloud could answer, the double doors of Seventh Heaven opened again and in walked Rude, followed by Reno.
"We're not open ye—" Tifa's words died on her lips when she saw who walked in.
Rude, who was hiding a black eye behind his sunglasses, sat on the bar two seats away from Cloud and Reno took the one in between them. Reno had a busted lip and fresh surgical staples above his left eyebrow.
"He walked in so we thought it was," said Reno as he eyed the drink on Cloud's hand. "And looks like you're already serving. I know we've had our differences in the past but we're just here as customers. Is our money good here?"
Of all the fucking bars in Edge, these bozos had to pick this one. Cloud stood straighter in his chair, debating whether he should leave.
The doors opened again and in walked Elena with bandages on her neck and chest. They, including Cloud, all looked like shit.
Elena took the other chair next to Cloud. Cloud gave her the side-eye, quite worried about who's walking in next.
"Don't worry, Tseng is not coming. He's too busy," Elena said to no one in particular so Tifa didn't notice that it was an answer to Cloud's silent question.
Tifa took a deep breath, "So…looks like we're open now," she said. Her group and the Turks tried to kill each other three years ago but like the saying goes, time heals all wounds. She hadn't had any recent trouble coming from ShinRa or the Turks so there was no reason to turn their money away.
"Two pints for me," Reno started. "Whichever beer is your bestseller."
"Same," ordered Rude.
"I'll have a pina colada," Elena's order elicited a chuckle from Reno. "And a pint," she added.
"Coming right up," the bartender said as she took five pint glasses and started filling them from the tap. She looked at the three Turks at her bar, acknowledging the sorry state their faces and bodies were in, "Tough mission?"
"Our hired help didn't do a stellar job like promised. So yeah, it was a fucking tough one," Reno quipped, earning a glare from Cloud.
"He was alright though," Elena chimed in, not mentioning she would have been dead if not for him.
"Hired help? Your professional bad guy work gets outsourced now?" Tifa placed the pints on the bar before her customers.
"Come on, Tifa, had been years since we were the bad guys," Reno said before he started chugging his beer. The Turks drank for a minute in silence before Reno fished a small felt pouch out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the bar right next to Cloud when Tifa turned around and wasn't looking.
Cloud's heart almost sank when he realized what it was - the ring he was planning on giving Aerith. He must have dropped it during the mission and he forgot to check for it when he came back. He quickly grabbed it off the counter before Tifa can see it.
"Don't those things come in a box or something?" was Reno's question. Of course he looked inside. "Why would you carry that thing around?"
Cloud had been carrying it in his pocket, which he thought was the safest place for it as he couldn't leave it at home as Aerith had keys to his apartment and would sometimes clean up there. He didn't want her finding it before he could present it to her and pop the question.
This information was not something he was planning on giving to the Turk though, even though he was quite thankful that Reno returned the ring to him without much of a fuss.
"It's none of your business," said Cloud. "And, uh, thanks."
"What was it?" Tifa enquired.
"Just something I saw Cloud drop outside," Reno lied. Cloud's reaction to Tifa's question didn't escape the eagle-eyed Turk though. A smile formed on his lips. "Say Cloud, how long have you and Aerith been dating? When should I expect a wedding invitation?"
Cloud almost choked on his drink.
"I'd want to be invited too," Rude said as he nursed his beer.
"I don't care, we're not close, you can cross me off the guest list," Elena said, saving Reno from asking her.
"I'm serious, dude. I'd come bearing gifts and all, you don't even have to make me a groomsman," said Reno. He was half-serious about wanting to attend.
"What are you talking about? Why would I want you anywhere near us?"
Reno feigned being hurt, "I'm your motherfucking match-maker, you can't not invite me!"
The way Cloud's eyebrows knit in confusion was hilarious to Reno.
"You fucking owe me your love life, man" Reno pointed out. "I basically delivered her to you in a silver platter!"
"What crack have you been smoking over at ShinRa?" Cloud asked him, truly curious.
Reno continued on to explain to Cloud, "Say, if I wasn't there at the church that time, do you think you'd be doing that bodyguard shit? If Rude and I hadn't been there to scare every other guy away, you think she would have been single when you found her? You think you would have been walking out of there with her?"
"It is still possible. Cloud can be considered a - , " Rude started as he contemplated what word to use. "A looker," he settled with that.
"Pffft," Reno snorted. "No way, she's too pretty for him. He wouldn't have had a chance if the circumstances were different."
Cloud cannot believe his luck. This cannot be happening, in front of Tifa no less. Tifa had outright ceased preparing Elena's cocktail and was just leaning on the bar listening to the conversation, eyes darting from one person talking to the next with a glimmer of curiosity in her wine-colored eyes.
"Nah, it's the mako," Rude was intent on defending Cloud's looks. "The mako in his eyes will get her."
"Don't think so," Reno was not convinced. "Hey, Lainey! Do you think Cloud is a looker?" he asked making air quotation gestures with his fingers as he said the word looker.
Elena almost choked on her beer. She was quite happy just listening in. "Err - What?"
"Ah I forget, our Lainey still only has eyes for Tseng," the red-head teased making Elena's ears turn crimson.
Cloud had his hand on his head at this point, contemplating kicking everyone out of Tifa's bar. "I really think you guys should leave," he said, unable to believe he was still polite enough to ask.
"They can stay," Tifa said, genuinely curious about this banter and wondering how it centered on Cloud. The atmosphere wasn't awkward at all, at least not for the three new guests. Had Cloud been in touch with the Turks? She wondered.
Tifa's words earned her a smirk and a thumbs up from Reno. "And for the record, I think even without Reno's help¸ he would have still gotten the girl. Cloud IS a looker," Tifa placed emphasis on her last sentence.
Cloud's best friend will always defend him – and his looks apparently, though he would have liked it better if she sided with him in kicking the Turks out.
Tifa realized then that Elena's cocktail wasn't served and proceeded on making it while still listening in.
"I still disagree. He needs to be more than a looker to compensate for that abrasive personality of his." Reno just wouldn't let this topic go.
"I'm fucking right here," Cloud stated.
"No, but his skills would more than compensate for it though, so he would have still probably scored," Elena had put forward her two cents on the topic. She decided she was over the humiliation she felt being cradled in Cloud's arms when he saved her from falling off the edge of a cliff during their latest mission. She couldn't believe she had to be saved again – and by Cloud Strife no less so she was quite angry, more at herself, for a few days.
"Hmm, skills…" Rude chuckled, there was another meaning in his tone.
Reno let out a lopsided smile, "yeah, skills."
"I mean skills in the battlefield," Elena clarified. "Get your heads out of the gutter."
"For a second there, I thought Cloud's skillful hug had an effect on you, Lainey." It was Reno, of course it was Reno who always had to cross a line.
Elena didn't help the situation by blushing. Tifa's eyes narrowed a bit, her curiosity off the roof. "Wha—"
"That didn't happen," Cloud wanted that on record. "These guys are drunk. You guys should really get going."
Rude nodded – at Reno, not at Cloud, "that was smooth though."
"Must be how Cloud gets girls. Not a bad trick," the red-head said before he took a sip of his drink. "Lainey, that could work on Tseng but you have to work on your upper body strength."
"It wasn't a hug. He was saving me from falling off a cliff," Elena added details - much to Cloud's horror. Now Tifa will never let this topic go.
"Looked like a hug to me, you both even didn't let go right away," said Reno before he started mock acting a hug.
"You ok?" Reno imitated Cloud with an exaggerated low voice. He turned to look at Rude, "What did you think, Rude?"
"Looked like a hug to me too."
"It wasn't like that," Elena was trying to keep herself from shouting and sounding defensive but it wasn't really working as her ears felt like they were on fire.
"What have you guys been up to?" Tifa asked, eyes going straight to Reno. She knew Reno will fess up.
"He hasn't told you?" Reno's smile only got wider.
Cloud stood up from his seat, he figured it was the second best time to just leave, the first one was when the Turks walked in. "I'm going," he stated. He had just turned around when he felt a strong hand on the back of his shirt collar keeping him in place.
"No, you're not." It was Tifa. Her tone was commanding, "sit back down."
When you hear that voice out of Tifa, you follow. Cloud planted his bum back on that chair.
Rude adjusted his tie, trying not to meet Tifa's gaze. Meanwhile Reno had one of his hands on the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable with the situation. "We shouldn't really meddle and get involved in these things. I've said too much already."
It was the first thing the red-head said that Cloud agreed with.
Reno stood up, looking quite apologetic. "Rude, pay up, we should go." He looked over at Elena, "Lainey? Let's go."
At this, Elena proceeded to skull her drink down. Rude took his wallet out and took out a wad of cash. It was a given he'd tip the bartender generously. Tifa could have ordered him to make his own drink and he would have still tipped her generously. He put the cash on the table.
Reno was already making his way towards the exit before he stopped and bent over laughing. "Fuck, I can't do this. This is just too funny!" He made his way back and put his arm around Cloud. "Cloud works for us now. Going on missions with us and all,"
Tifa's eyes widened and she shot Cloud a surprised look, "you're working for ShinRa?!"
Cloud just wanted the ground to swallow him at this point. He pushed Reno away.
"It's not like that," Cloud was thinking of a way to explain this to Tifa.
However, Reno's big mouth just wouldn't stop. "Well, Tseng hired you, and he works for Rufus ShinRa, so I think it IS actually like that." There were still tears in Reno's eyes from laughing too hard just a few seconds ago.
Tifa was still looking at Cloud waiting for an explanation. Her arms were now crossed in front of her. "Does Aerith know about this?"
"I'm just doing merc jobs – Tseng just so happened to have the jobs with the highest pay," it was weak reasoning. Apparently, he could save the world but he couldn't save himself from this conversation.
"I don't recall it like that," Elena piled on. "Didn't you personally go to our office to ask for a job?"
Goddamn, these Turks are merciless.
"I couldn't figure out why at first, but now I know why," Reno wanted to share this important piece of information with smugness on his face.
"And why?" Tifa looked at the red-head.
"Just fucking shut up, man!" Cloud said to Reno. He was desperate now. He needed to defuse this bomb.
Cloud turned to Tifa, "I can explain all these later. We really should just get rid of them now."
Reno was behind Cloud pointing his right pointer finger towards the base of his left ring finger animatedly.
Tifa's eyes widened even more. No one in the bar thought that was still possible. "You're getting married?!" she didn't have enough time to process it before the words tumbled out of her mouth. Nor did she have the presence of mind at the moment to register that it wasn't the right time to grill her best friend in front of the enemies – or Cloud's colleagues, whichever they were now.
Cloud's head fell on his palm. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was the perfect time for Sephiroth to just appear out of the skies and stab him.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, she could still say no," Reno was not done yet.
"She won't say no," Rude said as he wiped his sunglasses before putting it back on.
"I will if I were her. Fuck, can you imagine the rest of your life stuck with this square?"
Even Elena thought that Reno was going overboard now, "Good thing you're not Aerith then," she interjected.
Of course, like icing on the cake – it was then that the last person that Cloud wanted to be there arrived. Aerith opened the doors of Seventh Heaven and walked in.
"Did somebody say my name?"
Then her eyes sparkled at seeing Cloud. "Oh, you're here!" she beamed as she quickly walked over to him to give him an excited hug.
There was an audible silence the moment she walked in. Cloud hugged her back, turning her around slightly so he could face Tifa. His eyes signalled a desperate plea to the bartender to not say anything. And for the love of god, to kick the Turks out of the bar!
It was then that Aerith noticed the other people in the bar. "Oh, what do we have here? Looks like a company happy hour?"
Tifa started taking the empty glasses off the counter, as no one else was moving or saying anything, she had to save the situation. "They just visited for a drink, they're just about to leave."
"Too bad I missed it," Aerith said.
"I haven't finished my beer yet," Reno said as he motioned towards the counter. He wasn't done with his fun yet. Rude beat him to it and skulled Reno's untouched pint.
"We're going," Rude said, wrapping an arm around Reno's shoulder and started dragging him.
"Fine, fine," Reno pried himself out of Rude's grasp. He walked towards the door but not before turning around to mock salute a goodbye and insert another jest in, "Nice seeing you all again, Tifa, Cloud. " He had a wicked smile on his lips as he waved at Aerith, calling her by his old pet name for her, "and you too, princess!"
He was whistling when he walked through the double doors. The look of irritation on Cloud's face was just fucking priceless.
"Why are you trying to ruin Cloud's life?" Elena was waiting for Reno outside of Seventh Heaven with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Whatcha mean? No one's life is getting ruined," Reno defended.
"He works with us now. And you have to be able to trust the people you work with in the field, do you really want to be on his bad side?"
"Initiation," Rude said as he straightened his tie before walking down the steps of Seventh Heaven.
Reno hooked an arm over Elena's shoulders, "see, Rude gets me. Relax, it's just harmless initiation, Lainey. As you said, he's one of us now."
He walked faster to catch up to Rude, almost dragging Elena forward, much to her dismay. He put his other arm around Rude.
"Hey, you guys up for a bar crawl?"
-END-