Working Vacation

Word had gotten out quickly. Too quickly.

All Tifa had done to advertise 7th Heaven's late opening was set a small sign in front of the front door saying they'd been open an hour past their usual time. Nothing about a post-pandemic celebration or Cloud's presence had been implied, but when she'd opened her doors for business there'd been a line that went back to the next city block at least. The former mercenary had dealt with his share of busy shifts in the 7th Heaven before, but this felt like a completely different battlefield.

Not like he'd been able to work at first anyways.

So many people had come here with their children not to drink (though Tifa always made sure her bar felt family friendly), but to offer Cloud their thanks for finding the cure to Geostigma. He'd tried to tell them that he'd only found it by complete accident and he'd been cured himself, but they weren't hearing any of that. Now he wasn't just some delivery boy, but a hero that had managed to beat the all-powerful Sephiroth twice.

…Cloud fought the urge to tell them it was actually thrice.

While hearing the grateful words from the healed children brought him a sense of pride and accomplishment, something about hearing it from some of the parents felt… off. While didn't know how to put it into words, he at least knew that there was something wrong. Almost like there was something they couldn't say or… something they hoped their children wouldn't say for them. The parents being thankful for having their children cured was obviously genuine, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something deeper and darker to it.

After finally speaking with the last of the parents (thankfully this one didn't seem to have anything to hide), Cloud could finally step away and get to work helping Tifa run the bar. She'd already taken the first round of orders and with all of the time Cloud had spent with the parents, several patrons had already left their money on the tables along with their dirty dishes. Outfitting himself was a black server's apron and grabbing a dish tub, Cloud began collecting their fares (mixed with some hefty tips for the night) along with their dirty dishes began clearing tables for new customers. It wasn't just the cleared tables he needed to worry about, he got plenty or orders while he was waiting tables and had to quickly jot down on his paper pad for what needed preparing and for what table.

"Is it usually this busy?" he had to ask as he brought back his fifth filled tub of the night, dumped them in the sink, and began washing.

"Nope, this is the busiest day that I've had with the bar. Even our grand opening wasn't this busy," she told him. "It's going to be a while before we should even think about doing last call, you better pace yourself."

'Tell that to them,' Cloud thoughts as another large group came in the front. He didn't complain though; he'd volunteered to help and it was good for the family business.

"You know, I could have Marlene help out. She's been a waitress before on some busy nights," Tifa offered.

"…Not tonight; I'll do it myself," he decided as he glanced over to where the young girl was.

She was seated at her own corner table with a group of kids from around the city, most of whom had been brought in by their parents. She was introducing them to Denzel who was still a little on the shy side after being shut in so long from his Geostigma, but Cloud could tell he was still trying to make friends with them.

Barret was seated with some of the other parents, keeping an eye on the kids while also enjoying his own drink and laughing along with the banter. Cloud knew that while Tifa did her best to be lax with her customers (but only to a certain point), Barret wouldn't be tolerant of any rowdiness or rude behavior. This effectively made him the Seventh Heaven's bouncer for the night… a role Cloud had yet to take.

'Hopefully the need for it never comes up,' Cloud said as he glanced towards a group that had been here a while and already had more than enough glasses on the table. Looking to Tifa for her final say, she nodded to his obvious implications, so he dried his hands and headed over. "You guys have had enough."

"But we ain't done drinkin' yet," one of them complained before noticing Cloud's sharp scowl. "…Round of waters and an order of wings to help us sober up?"

"That's better," Cloud answered as he began jotting the orders down before heading over to another new group. "Anything I can get you started with?"

"What? Tifa's not our server tonight?" Man seemed genuinely disappointed, but instead of getting territorial Cloud settled on keeping things brief but firm.

"She's working the bar; busy night," he explained. "You could wait for a front seat at the bar, but that'll be a while."

"Fine, just don't expect a big tip." Rude as these guys were being, Cloud was still one to pick his battles wisely and for all he knew the tips that they gave Tifa could be along their more generous. "Start us all off with a round of Cosmos Canyons, but make sure Tifa makes 'em, she knows how we like 'em special made."

Cloud silently nodded before taking the orders back to Tifa. Seeing her turn away from the customers to both prepare the drinks and not-so-subtly roll her eyes gave him reason enough to smirk.

"Their story?" he asked casually, keeping himself busy with the dishes for just a moment.

"Workers in town that banded together and like to throw their weight around. They're big tippers, so I humor them." Just as Cloud had thought. "Mostly."

"What does that mean?"

"I have to wonder if it's a running bet between all of them, but they've been trying to ask me out for months now. It's been getting annoying, but they're so dense that it just doesn't get through to them."

"Really." Her annoyance was his annoyance, but if Tifa was able to keep calm about it then so could he. "What do you tell them?"

"Oh, that…" Now Tifa was facing away from a different reason as her cheeks seemed to redden slightly. "That I'm… already taken."

"Ah." Great, now he was probably getting red too. "If they ever become too much to handle-"

"Then Barret will throw them out before either of us have the chance to," she said to him with a smile. He chuckled as he took their drinks over, none of them saying a word of thanks to the blond hero.

"YO SPIKY! OVER HERE A SEC!" Cloud had to stop himself from giving the man with a gun-arm a witty retort as he headed over. "Gotta say, working as a server suits you pretty good."

"Ex-Military; already used someone over the top barking orders and breaking any nearby decibel meters."

Despite the insult (if anything Barret was owning up to it), the large man let out a barrel of laughter. "Real dog of the military, aintcha?"

As time had gone on, he'd regained some of his truer memories working as a lowly Shin-Ra grunt… needless to say, he was starting to understand why he'd repressed them so harshly. His still sometimes had nightmares of bootcamp and basic training… at least they beat his more traumatic dreams.

"Don't know if you've noticed, but I'm on the clock," Cloud said, trying to get Barret to give his order so he could get back to work.

"Two Cosmos, but I want you an' Tifa to each make one." His smile was unmistakable and Cloud knew it.

"You're trying to embarrass me," he accused with a scowl.

"Not much I need to try, but if I've got ya as my server than I might as well live it up," he laughed along with the other table patrons.

Rolling his eyes, Cloud handed the order to Tifa who only looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He didn't say anything, she'd shown him how to make the bar's signature drink more times than any other, but since it was the bar's iconic blend she was more than familiar with it herself. The difference in ability was going to be only too apparent, but Cloud just focused on his own work as he added the final pinch of salt from Cosmo Canyon before taking both prepared drinks over to Barret who was still looking smug as ever.

"Think I'll take Tifa's second," Barret decided before taking Cloud's and downing it. "Not bad, but ya didn't use nearly enough salt and the flavor's all outta wack. Going to have to learn a lot more from the master before you serve a proper drink."

'At this point is he testing me or pushing me closer with Tifa? …Probably some strange mix of both,' Cloud thought. To be fair, he shouldn't have had to stay around for Barret's review but he wasn't moving either as they went for Tifa's drink and the clearly superior offering.

…Only to spurt it out almost instantly. If Cloud had been even a second slower in stepping back, he'd have been sprayed pretty thoroughly.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"Thought I'd try a little experiment in my drink; try a bit of Molboro pepper instead," Tifa called from the bar counter. "What do you think?"

"Never again!"

'Maybe if a customer's ever being an ass,' Cloud considered as he grabbed Barret's now empty glasses. "Anything else?"

"Ice water to get the taste out," Barret settled, still trying to get through the intense spices. That brand of pepper was known for being extreme, even if it wasn't harvested from the actual creatures. "Guess she's still pretty protective of you." Cloud tried to keep his scowl subtle enough. "Hey, these guys were just tellin' me 'bout what happened when you were out on your own."

"…What happened?" Cloud demanded from the others sitting at Barret's table.

"Well, uh…" His pretty boy looks aside, Cloud could actually be pretty intimidating when he wanted. "Sometimes… someone drinking in the bar… or some of the gossiping housewives… well, they were kind of bad talking you."

Cloud wasn't phased.

"You know, saying stuff like you'd abandoned her with two kids. Setting off on your own and leaving her behind like a heartless bastard," a second clarified before growing defensive. "N-Not like I ever said anything like that, I'm just sayin' what I heard."

"Huh." …The problem was that those comments weren't entirely wrong.

"She never let it stand though; always said that there was a good reason why you were gone," a third said. "Once saw her throw a guy out after what he'd said about you… literally. Landed right on his ass on the pavement."

'She did?' "I-"

"Hey! Can we get some food over here! We're starving!"

"Coming over," Cloud called, pushing the thought to the back of his head, or at least trying. Somehow, this whole turn of events brought him back to his childhood. Back when he never could muster the courage to approach Tifa, but followed at a distance like a lovestruck little… 'And people called Zack a puppy.'

Later

Cloud had less than twenty minutes before the bar would officially close. Tifa had already declared last call and now there were only a few groups sitting down with their drinks. The louder group from before had already departed, and while their tip wasn't impressive Cloud had to wonder how much they'd give when Tifa was the one waiting tables. Barret had also headed up stairs a few hours ago, both to tuck Marlene and Denzel in and read them both a story… Cloud had actually excused himself, just to poke his head in their room and check on them. Calm as ever, it seemed that the night was finally winding down.

"We're all cleaned up," he told Tifa. "Aside from the occupied tables and the floors."

"And we'll save that for when everyone's gone," Tifa assured him as she began mixing yet another Cosmo canyon.

"Thought that you already made last call," Cloud noted as she poured it out into two drinks before offering him a glass. "Do you usually close the night with a drink?"

"Usually it's only if I'm trying to experiment and build the bar's menu, but tonight felt like a special occasion," she said before she clinked her glass against his own and drank. Cloud just gave a mild shrug before enjoying a drink himself, the true Cosmo Canyon made by the master herself. "This is busier than it normally ever is, but you seemed to take it pretty well."

"Felt like I had more energy today than I've had in a while," he explained. "…Without any of the life or death adrenaline that I had yesterday." Cloud shook his head. "Still can't believe he was actually there."

"Right." While Cloud and Sephiroth's mutual hatred was more pronounced, Tifa would never let go the fact that the legendary SOLDIER had killed her father in cold blood. "I hope he's gone for good this time."

"He didn't seem think so," Cloud admitted as he watched one of the later groups pack up and leave, their payment was on the table and there at least seemed to be a hefty tip there. "But if he shows up again, I'll be ready."

"Sounds like you have a plan yourself," Tifa noted.

"Monster extermination; Barret told me that there are still plenty of nests around. This way I'll be able to keep the roads safe for everyone else while I still get my deliveries done."

"Not a bad idea, but… it's still dangerous work." Cloud could hear the worry in Tifa's words. "I know who you were just able to beat, but all it takes is one bad slip up and…. That's it."

"Right, but when I'm out monster hunting, I'll have plenty of materia to use," Cloud promised.

"So you were able to get it repaired?" Tifa asked, remembering that he'd gone out earlier that day to recover the shards.

"I recovered just about everything, but I'll need to make a trip to Kalm sometime this week to drop off the remains. There's an expert there who'll be able to repair them all to full," Cloud explained before he got an idea. "What if… we let Barret take Denzel and Marlene that day and… just took some time to ourselves there? It's not a long drive. Might even make it back in time to open the bar the same day if we did prep work the night before."

"You know what? I think I'd like that," Tifa accepted with a smile. "I've heard that they've had to put their community theater on hold since Geostigma started spreading, but if they're up and running again, maybe we can try to catch a show?"

"Maybe." Cloud was hardly one for the acting scene, but if Tifa wanted to, he'd at least put the effort in to enjoy a show. "They have a lot of nice stores there too."

"I've been meaning to find a new springtime outfit," she recalled. "But if someone that hates shopping as much as you brought it up, you're clearly trying to earn points, Strife."

"…Is it working?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted, giggling as Cloud shot her a smile and the last table began to pile out. "Thanks! We hope to see you again soon!" A few (mostly) sober well wishes to Tifa later and the bar was finally emptied. "Mind getting started on our mopping while I clear the tables?"

"Works for me; I'm ready for the night to end," he agreed as he headed over the supply closet. Gathering the mop though, he heard the door open.

"Sorry, we just closed for the… Ms. Folia?" The name sounded familiar to Cloud, so he took the cleaning equipment he wanted and brought it out to the bar, recognizing the woman as one of the main Leaf House caretakers back in Sector 5. She was dressed in her usual caretaker outfit with a Stamp detailed apron as always. "What a surprise, we weren't expecting a visit this late."

"Sorry I couldn't come by earlier; just finished my work back at the orphanage," she apologized. "I'll try to make this quick for both of you."

"It's not a problem, anything we can do to help," Tifa assured and Cloud didn't hesitate in his own nod. He didn't know that Edge had set up and orphanage (like how he hadn't heard they'd set up a school), but he knew Folia was fully dedicated to helping the children there… along with another particular secret of hers. "Can I offer you a drink? On the house."

"No, but thanks for the offer," she said. "I'm honestly here to ask for a big favor."

"Is something wrong with the kids?" Cloud practically blurted out. All of the old Leaf house children had been fond of Aerith, so looking out for them where he could was probably the best way he could honor her memory now.

"No, in fact you've helped to cure many of the ones we've had in our care. That Geostigma crisis was so horrible… and we came so close to losing so many of them." Only now did Cloud take notice of the dark circles under the woman's eyes. No doubt a result of the countless sleepless nights clinging to the hope that she could keep the children alive. "But… I was wondering if you could help to brighten their day a bit."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked patiently.

"Nothing specific comes to mind, but I was just hoping you could stop by at some point before you left town again, maybe even join us for dinner?" she offered. "Just the chance at seeing their hero would get them excited, and I don't need you to stay for long. They've just been talking my ear off all day about you."

'I'm already trying to fix things with Denzel, Marlene, and Tifa but… it'd be heartless to say no.' Despite his still recovering self-confidence, Cloud Strife knew he was not a heartless man. "Any days that work for you?"

"Just sometime this week, that way it can be a surprise for all of us." She was flexible at least, meaning she was prepared to make it easy for the man of the hour. "Thanks, you have no idea how much this is going to mean for some of them. Geostigma was so hard for everyone, I can't even put it to words."

"Actually, you mind if I ask you something about that?" Cloud questioned.

"Yes?" an unsure Ms. Folia responded.

"I was talking to some of the parents tonight; many of them thanking me for healing their children, but…" he paused at how this was about to sound. "I'm not the best at reading people, but I could still tell that something was still wrong. Just something in the way they were talking." Silence. "I'm worried that I wasn't just overthinking it."

"Not at all, merc," she answered. Tifa was staying quiet, but listening intently. "You see… some of the families with kids that had contracted Geostigma, they… didn't want to risk exposure by keeping them indoors"

"You're saying they kicked them out?" Cloud could feel his blood going cold. Tifa, who'd been holding her emptied Cosmo Canyon glass, lost control and felt the glass crack in her hands. She took a deep breath to calm herself, but she was clearly still shaken over the news.

"It's not as surefire as that; some of the kids might've left out of a sense of guilt. A few of ours tried to, but we managed to talk them out of it." Right, Denzel had done as much when he'd left with Kadaj who'd lured other children with the temptation of a cure. "But… some of the children that had joined our orphanage recently who already had the stigma… their parents only came to pick them up afterwards."

"I… see." Cloud couldn't claim to know the full story of every (or any) parent he'd spoken too that night, but the idea that any of them would have abandoned their own child for their own sake… And Denzel said he'd met a girl who'd been living on the streets with her younger brother who… hadn't made it. "Thanks for answering."

"We'll do our part to make sure the kids of the city are happy, healthy, and well taken care of," the caretaker assured. "I can't promise that we'll fix everything, but we'll do whatever we can for their sake. And just coming to visit will help us all plenty."

"And if there's anything else I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask," Cloud insisted.

"Same goes for me; let me know if the money I'm sending isn't enough," Tifa also promised. …Cloud detested that this was news to him. Of course she was setting profits aside to help those in need.

"You're both doing plenty, but I'll keep that offer in mind," Ms. Folia said with rising appreciation before she was unable to contain a yawn. "Thank you for making time for me so late at night. I should be heading back so I can get some sleep; there's still a lot of work left to do and tomorrow's bound to be another busy day." She smiled at the thought of it. "Of course, I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Best of luck," Tifa wished. Cloud stayed silent, so she figured he'd already said his part and turned to head out of Seventh Heaven.

"One more thing," he did eventually voice.

"Yes?" she asked, turning to face the apparent hero.

"…Buzz buzz."

Immediately, Ms. Folia's features had reddened and the look of embarrassment on her face was unmistakable.

"M-Merc!"

Tifa hadn't the slightest understanding of what Cloud had said, just his target's reaction as she fidgeted and sputtered out an incoherent torrent. Cloud on the other hand remained stone-faced as ever and showed no hint of whimsy or joy at the sight. Realizing that Tifa wasn't in the know and trying to save herself some dignity, Ms. Folia composed herself before saying a brief 'excuse me' and walking out before forcefully closing the door to the bar.

"…Care to explain?" Tifa asked with the slightest of glares.

"Inside joke." 'Wonder if she still wants to be a dancer.'

"She wasn't laughing much."

"Wasn't for her," Cloud answered with a shrug. "Back to cleaning?"

"Right, we've got to make sure this place is spotless and-" Tifa was about to finish before she glanced at the glass she'd just broken. "Shoot, that was one of my favorites too."

"Add it to the Kalm shopping list then; we can buy you an even better one there," he reminded as he started wetting the mop. "I'm just surprised it didn't end up shattering completely in your hands."

"Zangan was good about teaching me control," Tifa boasted. First time in a while Cloud had heard the name of her old teacher. Her confident complexion faded as she placed the glass in the garbage before she started cleaning her others. "So…"

"Hadn't even considered it, but there's a lot that I need to get caught up on," Cloud admitted. He decided it'd be best to change the topic. "The money I was sending back, did you send any to the Orphanage?"

"Just a bit of it, but I made sure they knew where your portion was coming from," Tifa assured him. "Despite what was going on… I had a feeling that was what you wanted." She gave him a soft smile. "Partly because I knew you still aren't great at using your words."

"I'll give you that, both parts," he conceded. "Might start sending my cut a bit more directly, and this shouldn't be the only time I'll make a trip to the Orphanage. I think…" He hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"…The first thing on my list is to make things right with you and the kids, but I need to do my part for Edge as whole. Takes a village and all that."

"It's a good idea," Tifa agreed before giggling. "It takes a village to raise a child. I remember when our mayor made that speech during the town festival. I think it was when we were nine or so? He was pretty boisterous during the whole thing, but the way he delivered that as his closing line, you'd think he'd come up with the speech of a century."

"He definitely thought it; in fact, I remember listening to him brag to you and your friends about coming up with the line… when he didn't actually know what it even meant. My mom told me the real story before we went to bed that night."

"Look at you, Mister Memory," she teased. "Didn't your mom help with the speech? I wonder if she was the one that insisted on the line."

"Maybe she did," Cloud answered thoughtfully, but he didn't break in his mopping. "I think I know the answer, but did you ever want to go back to Nibelheim?"

"Not even just to pass through it. We have too many painful memories of that town, even if it's not the one we grew up in," she denied, though thankfully this time she didn't break any glasses. "If we ever did head back; all I'd want to do is burn that mansion to the ground after what it did to you."

"…Not just me." Tifa noticed an odd smile on his face in spite of their heavy conversation. "I'll invite Vincent and have him bring the fire starter."

Now Tifa was laughing properly. "Would he ever accept an invitation?"

"Normally no, but he'd make an exception for this," Cloud guessed. "But you know, I don't think I'd ever actually do it. The past happened, but it's on us to live through it and make a future that matters."

"For both us and the kids," she readily agreed as she finished the last of her glasses while Cloud still had plenty of mopping to finish up. "I'm gonna head up stairs and change first. Remember-"

"Three knocks."
"Three knocks."

Satisfied with his answer, Tifa gave him one last smile before heading up to the second floor. Leaving Cloud with only his thoughts as he finished his work. With still so much to do in the days that followed, he decided to try and focus on what he'd already accomplished.

Made plenty of plans, but could he really consider that as work done? Recovered his bike, weapons, and Materia, but that seemed rather small looking back and the Materia still needed to be repaired. Denzel was slowly starting to grow socially, but that was much more Marlen's handiwork than his own. He'd helped with the bar to provide stable money for him and Tifa, so there was certainly that. If anything…

"There's… less of a wall between Tifa and I."

Saying that aloud actually felt good. And he meant it. Slow progress, but… still progress.

When he was done with the mopping, he didn't head up to turn in for the night. Instead, curiosity got the better of him as he headed over to the bar. Taking a glass out, he prepared one final Cosmo Canyon for himself. It wasn't the need for another drink, but he wanted to see how his drink compared to Tifa's. After tasting it, he had his answer; there was no comparing the two.

"Not even close."

…Now he was feeling a little too curious as he added the smallest drop possible of Malboro pepper… and gagged on the new taste.

"Stupid idea… very stupid idea."

Author's Note

Yeah, guess I'll be focusing on this story here and there after all. Nothing too large of course, but this'll be good if I ever want a break and the chance to write some brief fluff. Not going to be in the usual rotation, but if the demands ever there.

Big thanks to my first $1 Patron: Greasy Gorilla. No pressure to join, but I'll give you a shout out in my next chapter.

With the presence of Ms. Folia here I do want to make something clear. This is going to be following the timeline set in the original game, but as long as there's not something specifically redoing the events from later versions, I'll include some details and elements from those games.

And Cloud's whole 'Buzz Buzz' comment for Ms. Folia… inside joke with my little brother. If you've played remake, you'll know.

Until next time! Ciao!

ZCWriter-344: Hell yeah indeed.

Mi123: Here's the follow up chapter, thanks for the pleasant review.

Serpent1234: Hope I've lived up to expectations.

Skylargillilan: Chapter 2!