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Okay, there’s no way this was just a coincidence.
For the past few days, Tifa had noticed with growing concern that the number of patrons who frequented Seventh Heaven was beginning to dwindle.
Particularly those of the male variety.
Looking out on the floor tonight, the empty chairs and tables bothered her.
Not that it was completely empty, a couple regulars scattered here and there chatting amongst themselves. But the presence (or lack thereof) of the usual rowdier ones was definitely felt.
Tapping her fingers lightly against the wood of the bar counter, Tifa pursed her lips in thought.
Regulars like Andy who owned the food truck further down the road (and who also made a habit of asking Tifa every other night if she was looking for a boyfriend or not) and Keith, (although a bit of a smooth talker) who tipped well, were just a few of other such patrons who were sorely missing in action.
It didn’t help that when Tifa ran into them the next day and asked if everything was okay, each donned a rather flustered stance, making some excuse or other that they couldn’t talk; especially after she asked why they hadn’t been coming into the bar.
“Oh! Uh- Sorry Tifa I have to get back to work! So much prep work to do!”
“Sorry Tifa, now's not really a good time to talk, maybe some other time?”
And each with a nervous laugh they both all but fled. Stranger still, they seemed fine and willing to chat until each looked over her shoulder and turned white as if they’d seen a ghost. But when Tifa turned around, she saw nothing, leaving Tifa wondering what the hell had just happened.
Okay then.
So what was it? Something she said? No matter how she looked at it she couldn’t figure it out.
She still used the same kinds of liquor she’d bought since she’d opened the place so she couldn’t imagine that was an issue. Maybe it was the food? After all, Tifa had been trying a new spice that Jessie had procured from her mother’s house. She had claimed that the stuff made “everything it touches mouth-wateringly delicious.” Or maybe-
Oh no.
Could it be that her bartending skills were getting rusty? Were the drinks she made disgusting and they just didn’t have the heart to tell her? With Avalanche and her head a million different places other than here within the bar (Cloud’s sudden return into her life being one of them), it was quite possible she’d gotten sloppy. Her heart rate spiking at the notion.
Or worse.
Maybe Seventh Heaven was just going downhill. Maybe people like Keith and Andy just didn’t want to come in anymore.
That thought only served to make Tifa frown outwardly, her slender fingers that had been up until this point drumming a rather frantic tune into the countertop now falling silent; clenching them lightly instead.
Tifa would never let that happen. Seventh Heaven was basically her baby. Her blood, sweat and tears quite literally went into opening this place.
And of course, all of this just had to happen at the same time she’d finally reunited with Cloud Strife. Her long-lost friend from childhood.While she worried about him, as the state she found him, unconscious and alone, was definitely cause for concern, she couldn’t help but be secretly happy at the rather unexpected re-entry of his presence in her life.
Though he now acted differently then when they were kids (something she made a mental note to ask about at a later time).
And it wasn’t just the way he acted that was different. Tifa would be lying if she said Cloud hadn’t grown up to be quite...handsome.
He had always been a looker, remembering the many times as a child she had been caught staring at him as he walked by or lingered on his own at the steps of his home. Cloud’s face had also slendered, gone was the baby fat that had clung to his cheeks during their youth, a solid softness now taking its place. He had also cut his hair, doing away with the ponytail in favor of a shorter and spikier style (it reminded her of a Chocobo). Sharp, though not lacking that downy soft look that always had her itching to reach up and run her fingers through it every time she saw him.
But it was the changes brought on by his time in SOLDIER that Tifa couldn’t help but pay special attention to. His body was pure lean sinewy muscle, endowed no doubt by years of training. It was all she could do to keep her composure whenever his solid arm came around her back to steady or shield her from an upcoming attack, his grip firm and strong.
And his eyes. Shiva’s mercy his eyes.
She found herself missing on occasion those deep royal blues of his, eyes that stirred warmth and a sense of calm, eyes that had looked into hers one night a lifetime ago when their hearts brimmed with a shared promise and hopeful naivety of the future, with the stars as their witness.
She missed those eyes, but these new eyes of his stirred... different feelings within her.
She blushed, her cheeks stained pink at the thought. These new swirling mako-enhanced eyes blazed with an intensity that Tifa often had a hard time discerning. When she was bearing the brunt of that intensity, they scorched her inside and out, as if they were looking into her, and not simply at her. An untamed maelstrom swirling and churning. Sometimes, a calm deluge when his thoughts were far away elsewhere and then just as quickly bubbling and threatening to erupt at a moment’s notice.
These new eyes... they had Tifa thinking and wishing for things she shouldn’t.
So caught up in her thoughts,Tifa failed to notice the steady and measured footsteps that were making their way towards her from across the bar.
Footsteps belonging to a certain SOLDIER.
It was the scrape of a stool against hardwood and the deep utterance of her name that drew her attention.
“Hey Tifa, you okay?”
There it was. That shiver Tifa had to suppress seemingly every time he spoke to her in that low timber of his. Hesitantly looking up from the table her eyes were most likely drilling holes into, her eyes met with the focused-mako riddled ones of none other than the man she was just thinking about.
Of course he had to come in right now.
“I’m fine, Cloud,” she said, punctuating this statement with a straightening of her back and roll of her shoulders for emphasis. “Just thinking is all, when did you come in?”
Tifa noticed the corner of his lip tug downward at her response and she tried her best not to bite her lip as he regarded her. Though it had been a little over a week, Tifa was sure Cloud had come to the conclusion that it was unusual for her to be so inattentive as to not notice him coming inside the bar, especially considering the stride it took to get from the entrance to the bar.
It also didn’t help that Cloud made a habit of pinning her with that damn look, the one that caused proverbial wildfire to catch and spread on any part of her that his gaze landed on. She began rocking from side to side in an effort to quell the flames.
Furrowing his brow, Cloud continued, “I just came in, when you didn’t look up I had a feeling something was off.”
That was the understatement of the millennia.
Fighting the urge to bite her lip, Tifa shook her head and let out a sigh.
“Nothing’s off, quiet nights just put me on edge, is all.”
Clasping his hands together loosely on the countertop, Cloud swept his eyes across the bar. “Really? I thought it was kind of peaceful.”
Great. Even Cloud noticed there was a notable difference in the number of patrons at the bar, and he had only been here a couple of days.
Tifa shook her head. “Yeah, a lot of the guys who usually stop by haven’t been coming in recently,” she said, her eyes downcast at the thought of Seventh Heaven’s impending doom once more. “It’s got me a bit worried.”
For some reason when she said this, Cloud almost seemed to perk up, his wandering gaze now trained on her with an emotion she hadn’t seen from him yet.
Something akin to...interest?
“Oh yeah? Like who?” he asked, his body inclined towards her.
Tifa’s eyebrows creased in puzzlement. Why did he seem so interested? She almost didn’t know how to respond.
“Well... for one, there’s this guy named Keith. I mean, he could be a handful sometimes but he means well, and it’s unlike him not to come in three nights in a row...” she began, bringing her hands together in thought.
Cloud nodded once, leaning in further but saying nothing.
“Then there’s Andy, Dmitri, Zephis....” with each name uttered, Tifa’s heart sank bit by bit. Actually listing the names outloud made her realize just how many patrons she was missing, and this time she couldn’t stop the frown that she’d been trying to hide. Her eyes falling to her clasped hands.
“None of them have stopped by once?” she heard him hum, though his tone sounded odd.
She shook her head, sadness now trickling and seeping into her voice. “No, and I’m starting to think it has something to do with me.”
Looking up to gauge Cloud’s reaction, Tifa couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Cloud had something close to amusement on his face, the corners of his lips just barely upturned as he regarded her. But as quickly as she’d seen it, that look was gone just the same, making her wonder if she’d just imagined it.\
Cloud clicked his tongue in disapproval. “You haven’t done anything. Tifa.” his tone strangely final.
She wanted to believe him, she really did, but no matter how she looked at it, all signs pointed to her. “But Cloud, it has to! I’ve been so busy with-” Tifa paused, remembering where they were she continued, quieter this time. “I’ve been so busy with Avalanche, it only makes sense that I could’ve been neglecting my job here at the bar without noticing.”
She noticed now that concern marred the usual neutral expression Cloud tended to don, and that look only served to make her more upset. Striking a cord and allowing frustration to take hold, Tifa looked down again at her clenched hands. “I know it may be hard to understand, but this bar and the people that come in mean everything to me. It’s because of them and this place that I..”
Tifa trailed off, not ready just yet to divulge that part of her. Cloud remained silent, which was both a blessing and a curse. Still, it allowed her to gather herself enough to continue.
“Seventh Heaven is popular, but not popular enough to stay afloat without the regulars that come here. People like Andy and Keith not coming in is...” she looked for the right words. What she wanted to say was “devastating” but figuring she’d already let herself be too vulnerable, she settled on the words, “a bit of a blow.”
Taking a deep breath, she unfurled her fingers and brought them down onto the countertop. Determination swelling within her as she looked back up at him.
“But I’ll get them back here somehow, I’m not going to let this place go down without a fight!” she stated, “I’ll confront them again, and ask them what’s wrong myself. I’m sure if we talk I can figure out what’s happening.”
She wasn’t expecting Cloud to react in any particular way after she said this, so when Cloud’s eyes widened in response just so and then averted his gaze from hers, she would be lying if she wasn’t a bit taken aback.
She tilted her head slightly in confusion. Heh. If she didn’t know any better she’d say he almost looked-
Guilty.
But that couldn’t be. After all, what would Cloud have to be guilty for? It’s not like it was his fault that they stopped coming to the–
Wait a minute.
The events from the last few days flashed before her eyes. She’d been wracking her brain all day trying to figure out the connection between all the guys who had stopped coming in. She hadn’t seen a connection before but now, as she continued to stare at a Cloud who increasingly began to look like a chocobo ready to bolt, it all started to make sense.
Just last week, she remembered Andy being particularly forward one night, going so far as to grab for her hand as she made to pour him another drink. But before he could, a gloved one had shot out and wrapped itself tightly around Andy’s wrist, effectively stopping him in his tracks.
Startled, both she and Andy had looked up to see Cloud, his glare focused at the intoxicated man before him. Andy sputtered something along the lines of ‘What’s your problem buddy?’. Tifa herself had wanted to know the answer to that as well out of concern.
Cloud however, had said nothing. Instead, he tossed Andy’s hand aside as if it had burned him before making a steadfast exit; but not before briefly locking his scorching gaze at her. A gaze that caused her breathing to hitch and catch within her throat.
Similar events had happened after that. The men perhaps getting a little too close, making comments that were just a tad too lewd to be joking, and then Cloud stepping in in some form or other. All such things she was used to and had learned to handle on her own fairly well.
Tifa’s lips parted in realization. Proceeding slowly, Tifa leaned in, trying to catch his gaze as she said, “Now that I think about it.... a bunch of other men haven’t been coming in recently after you showed up...”
At this, Cloud’s blush only seemed to deepen, his eyes drilling a hole into the wall opposite her, refusing to meet her gaze.
“Cloud...” his name dripping from her lips with suspicion and amusement. “You wouldn’t happen to know where all my male patrons have gone, would you?”
Tifa almost giggled at the slight start Cloud gave at her accusation. Leaning in further, Tifa smiled.
“Cloud?” her voice a teasing sing-song.
Cloud lowered his eyes and let out an almost imperceptible sigh, that nonchalant SOLDIER persona fighting to regain control but failing miserably, hoping that if he just acted like he didn’t hear her, she’d let it go.
Tifa smiled to herself. This tactic may have made anyone else drop the topic entirely, but it wouldn’t work on her.
And it seemed that Cloud finally came to that exact same conclusion as he (rather reluctantly) turned to face her. Well, his body anyhow. His eyes were another story, choosing instead to settle on some unforeseen point. Tifa didn’t prod any further however, favoring to calmly gaze back at him and wait until he was ready.
Ever since she’d been reunited with Cloud, she learned that words didn’t come easy to him. They never had, even when they were kids. That moment between them at the water tower was probably the most open he’d been in all her years of knowing him. And it seemed, she noted with increased amusement, that that quality hadn’t changed even now; often relying on her (whether consciously or not) to fill in the gaps he failed to disclose to the others when it came to discussion.
So, she waited. Waited for him to take the time necessary to gather his thoughts to speak. She didn’t mind waiting, not when it came to him. She’d already done years of it, so what were a few moments more?
But it looked like Cloud decided to spare her this time as with a now audible sigh and shake of his head, he opened his mouth to speak.
“...They couldn’t take a hint.”
Against her will, a sound of genuine surprise flew past her lips. “Huh?”
Tifa knew immediately that that wasn’t the right response. Flinching at the sound of surprise in her voice, she could already see him begin to shut down and put those steel SOLDIER walls back up again. Realizing her mistake, she frantically cut in, softer this time.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so surprised, it's just, what do you mean ‘they couldn’t take a hint’?”
Cloud took a moment to gather his thoughts. She could almost see the gears turning in his brain by the way his eyes darted back and forth, as if he could see his responses in front of him and was trying his hardest to pick the correct ones. It would almost be cute if she knew he wasn’t trying to be serious.
With a visible swallow, Cloud opened his mouth to speak, his words slow and careful. “I mean... that no matter how much you make it clear that you aren’t interested, they just don’t know when to stop,” he admitted, before he suddenly looked up at her. “...You aren’t, right?”
Tifa would be lying if she wasn’t taken aback by the question and the unexpected vulnerability she saw within his eyes, but Cloud being this open was rare, and she wasn’t about to let the moment slip by.
Swallowing, Tifa shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
Seeming as if satisfied with her answer, the tension in Cloud’s posture dissipated, if only slightly and he continued.
“It’s just... the way they look at you, talk to you... they aren’t interested in you, they’re interested in what they can get from you.”
Hearing this, Tifa couldn’t help feeling a bit hurt, curling into herself slightly. Cloud, ever perceptive, noticed this and made to correct his error.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” letting out a breath of exasperation, Cloud brought a hand to the back of his neck. “I meant that when those guys spoke to you, there was only one thing they wanted. It was so obvious it was pathetic.”
Cloud’s voice had taken a dark edge towards the end of that statement. The hand at the base of his neck now coming around to clench into a tight fist on the counter top.
“As if you were some sort of prize they could win. As if there isn’t so much damn more to you.”
He hadn’t meant for this last statement to slip out, and he could tell Tifa wasn’t prepared for it either by the way her eyes widened. He quite literally bit his tongue until the taste of iron filled his mouth and averted his eyes. He had to reel himself back, the anger welling up far more quickly then he’d anticipated remembering the actions of those men,
What Cloud didn’t tell her, was that he knew this by the way their heart rates picked up whenever she spoke to them. The way their salivary glands went into overdrive and how their eyes followed her wherever she went. They reminded him of a bunch of dogs looking at a bone they wanted to clamp their jaws around.
It made him sick.
Tifa meanwhile was finding it hard to breathe. “I’m used to it, Cloud. I can deal with it,” she reassured him, hoping her voice didn’t betray how what he was saying was making her really feel, a strange warm sensation from head to toe, “I can take care of myself. I’ve been taking care of myself. I can handle it.” she stated, surprised she managed to even make such a declaration.
Cloud’s eyes locked with hers then. There it was, that mako swirling and churning and piercing straight through her.
“You shouldn’t have to.” This he said without breaking eye contact.
Oh wow.
Tifa could feel the way her cheeks warmed up and she was helpless to stop it. What was she supposed to say to that?
“Cloud I-...” she shook her head, struggling to find the right words to say. She wasn’t used to someone wanting to watch out for her in such a way.
Sure, Barrett had his fair share of stepping in when men got too out of line around her, but he was a father. He had other responsibilities to take care of, he had Marlene to take care of. He didn’t have time to watch over her 24/7, and quite frankly, Tifa didn’t want him to (nor would’ve allowed him to.)
It’s true, she could take care of herself. But she’d be lying if the thought of Cloud wanting to watch out for her in that way didn't make her feel... happy.
At her lack of a response, Cloud cleared his throat, realizing he may have let on a tad bit more than intended. “So I roughed ‘em up a little...Told them that if they’d ever stepped foot in the bar again they’d be sorry.” he admitted sheepishly, looking away.
And just like that, the warmth within Tifa was doused. “Cloud! You did what!?” she gasped, incredulous.
“I know, I know...” like a scolded puppy, Cloud hunched his shoulders. “I just wanted them to leave you alone... I wasn’t thinking, I’m-”
He hesitated. Taking a deep breath, Cloud looked to her once more, all traces of guilt erased from his features and replaced with abject sincerity.
“I’m sorry, Tifa.” he uttered, his tenor low and sincere.
At his apology, Tifa visibly softened. Though his actions nearly sent her into a panicked spiral, she knew that he had done it with her best interest at heart. Warmed over at the thought that Cloud would go to such lengths at all, all for the sake of protecting her (in his own way). Tifa let out an exasperated sigh.
“I accept your apology,” placing one hand on her hip, she pointed the other at Cloud, “But still! I can’t have you threatening my customers! I better not catch you doing this again Cloud!” she huffed, leaning in towards him.
Cloud ducked his head, guilt climbing onto his features once more. “ I know. I promise I won’t.”
Satisfied with this, a soft smile made its way onto her lips. “Good. Now if you’re really sorry, you better go to each and every one of those men and apologize.”
Cloud’s eyes widened at this, clearly not on board with that idea. “But Tifa!–”
“But nothing mister! You started this mess, now it’s only fair that you’re the one to clean it up!” she stated, bearing no room for argument.
Momentarily taken aback, Cloud said nothing before letting out a heavy sigh. Placing his chin in his hand, a defeated smile played at his lips as he closed his eyes.
“Yes, ma'am...” he huffed.
Tifa smiled warmly at this. With a nod, Tifa went back to work, her mood lifted as she turned away from him and grabbed for a glass, unable to stop the contented hum against her lips.
Unbeknownst to her, Cloud opened one eye to peek at her, admiring the way her hair cascaded over her shoulders and listening to her gentle humming of a tune familiar only to him.
The smile remained on his face even as he got up to leave and do as he was told.
He couldn’t say no to her if he tried.