Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > Come Undone
/Part One:/
He walked through Midgar for the first time in months, amazed at how much had changed. The last time he'd seen the meteor memorial, it was being ripped up by Bahamut-but there it was again in gleaming silver-atop a bronze Bahamut's wings. Crowds of people moved around him to get from place to place, but Rude was too transfixed to take notice.
His name was listed below the heroes of AVALANCHE on the base of the statue. Right beside Reno's.
Rude slowly adjusted his sunglasses and turned 180° on his heel. He followed his feet and ended up in front of a familiar bar. Seventh Heaven...
A warmth suffused through him at the thought of the proprietor of the bar. He thought that after all these years the mere thought of Tifa Lockheart would lose its pull. Rude stuffed his hands in his pant pockets and tilted his head up to stare at the sign overhanging the doorway.
To his surprise, Tifa's warm smile filled his vision. She had a towel slung over one shoulder and was poking him in the middle of his chest. "Hey, you!" she greeted. "You gonna come inside or just stare at the door?"
Rude gave his version of a smile-small and almost imperceptible. "I'm gonna stare at the door."
Tifa snorted. "That's cute. Get inside, you big lug."
She hadn't expected it-Rude opened the door for her and waved his free hand to the interior of the bar. "Ladies first," he dictated.
"Thanks, hon! I'm not too busy today, as you can see."
Indeed, Tifa's only had one customer at the far end of the bar with a nearly empty mug of beer. "What'll you have, Rude?" Tifa asked once she was back behind the bar.
"Beer," Rude responded. "A lager if you've got it."
Tifa pulled out a clean mug and filled it from the cold tap. "Of course I've got lager. You ordered it the last time you were in here."
"Guess I forgot."
Rude shrugged and pulled out a few gil to pay for his drink and leave a generous tip for Tifa. She took his money and rang up the sale in her cash register-then watched him quietly sip at his beer.
"How've you been, Rude?"
She'd somehow gotten close enough in the last few seconds that he could feel the warmth of her breath as she spoke. Cautiously, Rude took off his sunglasses and met her eyes. Her hand was on top of the one he'd left palm-down on the bar. The last time he'd been that close to Tifa Lockheart, he'd been carrying her from the Church in Sector 7 back to the apartment above her bar. He didn't like seeing her that vulnerable. No, Tifa was a rock that could not be moved-not that fragile, broken person he and Reno had stumbled upon. She had been in so much pain that Rude had been forced to cast Sleep on her while Reno scoured her apartment for a first aid kit. In both their minds, Cloud was the least of their concerns.
"I've been okay," he answered.
She removed her hand slowly-her eyes speaking of realization that she was touching him. "Where's Reno? It's kinda weird seeing you in here without him."
Rude looked down into his beer and brought it up to his face. "He's out with Elena."
"What, like on a date?" Tifa asked.
Rude nodded and took a long drink of the lager.
"What, no one's got you on her arm?"
He snorted right into his beer and gave a self-depreciating little laugh. "Nah."
He wasn't looking at her, but Tifa just could not tear her gaze away from his eyes. She didn't think she'd ever seen him without his sunglasses before and had no idea what to expect. He had hazel brown eyes with flecks of mako blue near his pupils.
His eyelashes are long...
She was suddenly distracted by the sound of her other customer saying goodbye to her and paying for his drinks.
"Rude," she said as she counted out the gil in her hands and tapped the bills lightly on the counter, "don't sell yourself short. You just need to open up a little more, that's all."
He looked up from his beer and stared at her face. The sudden thought popped into his head, /you know, Tifa, back when we were trying to kill each other, I had the biggest crush on you. I still do. /He just couldn't shake it.
She continued to avoid his eyes and started cleaning the dirty mug that the bar patron had left behind. "I mean, what makes you who you are? What's your favorite color? Or your favorite kind of movie? When was the last time you laughed hard enough to get a stomach cramp? You know?"
Rude wasn't drinking his beer anymore.
"Green," he said.
Tifa finally looked up from her idle work and met those mako tinged eyes-that odd glowing blue-green gaze.
"Or..." he sipped at the beer, hoping for a little Dutch courage, "brown."
He wasn't looking away. Tifa felt her fingertips sliding around the glassware and forced herself to set it down before she broke it.
"Yeah, green and brown are my favorite colors."
"Come on," Tifa whispered, "no one seriously likes brown over all the other colors out there..."
Rude smiled just barely. "They do if they're looking in the right places."
Internally, Rude was having a cow. Holy shit, who do you think you are?! Are you /flirting /with her? Do you /want /to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter with the bruises included?
Tifa actually blushed. "Oh."
Rude was blushing too. In fact, he'd been listening to what his mind had been screaming at him and realized how stupid he must sound. "Damn, I'm sorry, Tifa. That was way out of line and-"
"Rude."
He stopped talking-talking more than he had in a long time. The last time he started to babble he'd been talking with Elena about the very same thing he was struggling over right now. And he'd been completely hammered at the time.
Tifa was still a little pink, but that was a little smile on her face. "It's okay. It's fine," she waved a hand in the air as if this would ease any discomfort he felt. "Out of curiosity, what brought you here tonight?" she asked.
He seriously considered taking a page out of Reno's book and making a sarcastic joke, but his rattled mind refused to come up with anything witty. "I was wondering how you were," he finally answered.
Tifa saw his fingers twitch-as if to grab those sunglasses and hide his eyes again. "I'm fine," she answered. "Bored out of my gourd, but business is doing good. Cloud got his own office building for the delivery service and Denzel is spending the week up in Corel with Marlene and Barrett. It's kinda quiet in the apartment without those two..."
She caught the sympathetic look in Rude's eye. "But, it's not so bad. Sometimes an old friend drops by and just... Surprises me."
This time, he did shove those sunglasses back on his face. "Sorry about that, look-I..."
"Rude."
Tifa could just barely see the edge of his eyes over the rim of his shades. He was unbelievably embarrassed.
"It's fine."
He rubbed his thumb against the sharp edge of one of his earrings and let out a shaky sigh. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
Tifa smiled. Beamed, actually. "I'm starving."
Rude jerked that same thumb at the front window. "There's this new restaurant Kalm..."
"Got a car?"
His hand twitched. "I came on my bike."
Tifa laughed and hopped over the bar. "Even better."
Rude jerked in surprise when she looped her arm through his and winked up at him.
"Lead the way, handsome," said Tifa.
And he lead.
He walked through Midgar for the first time in months, amazed at how much had changed. The last time he'd seen the meteor memorial, it was being ripped up by Bahamut-but there it was again in gleaming silver-atop a bronze Bahamut's wings. Crowds of people moved around him to get from place to place, but Rude was too transfixed to take notice.
His name was listed below the heroes of AVALANCHE on the base of the statue. Right beside Reno's.
Rude slowly adjusted his sunglasses and turned 180° on his heel. He followed his feet and ended up in front of a familiar bar. Seventh Heaven...
A warmth suffused through him at the thought of the proprietor of the bar. He thought that after all these years the mere thought of Tifa Lockheart would lose its pull. Rude stuffed his hands in his pant pockets and tilted his head up to stare at the sign overhanging the doorway.
To his surprise, Tifa's warm smile filled his vision. She had a towel slung over one shoulder and was poking him in the middle of his chest. "Hey, you!" she greeted. "You gonna come inside or just stare at the door?"
Rude gave his version of a smile-small and almost imperceptible. "I'm gonna stare at the door."
Tifa snorted. "That's cute. Get inside, you big lug."
She hadn't expected it-Rude opened the door for her and waved his free hand to the interior of the bar. "Ladies first," he dictated.
"Thanks, hon! I'm not too busy today, as you can see."
Indeed, Tifa's only had one customer at the far end of the bar with a nearly empty mug of beer. "What'll you have, Rude?" Tifa asked once she was back behind the bar.
"Beer," Rude responded. "A lager if you've got it."
Tifa pulled out a clean mug and filled it from the cold tap. "Of course I've got lager. You ordered it the last time you were in here."
"Guess I forgot."
Rude shrugged and pulled out a few gil to pay for his drink and leave a generous tip for Tifa. She took his money and rang up the sale in her cash register-then watched him quietly sip at his beer.
"How've you been, Rude?"
She'd somehow gotten close enough in the last few seconds that he could feel the warmth of her breath as she spoke. Cautiously, Rude took off his sunglasses and met her eyes. Her hand was on top of the one he'd left palm-down on the bar. The last time he'd been that close to Tifa Lockheart, he'd been carrying her from the Church in Sector 7 back to the apartment above her bar. He didn't like seeing her that vulnerable. No, Tifa was a rock that could not be moved-not that fragile, broken person he and Reno had stumbled upon. She had been in so much pain that Rude had been forced to cast Sleep on her while Reno scoured her apartment for a first aid kit. In both their minds, Cloud was the least of their concerns.
"I've been okay," he answered.
She removed her hand slowly-her eyes speaking of realization that she was touching him. "Where's Reno? It's kinda weird seeing you in here without him."
Rude looked down into his beer and brought it up to his face. "He's out with Elena."
"What, like on a date?" Tifa asked.
Rude nodded and took a long drink of the lager.
"What, no one's got you on her arm?"
He snorted right into his beer and gave a self-depreciating little laugh. "Nah."
He wasn't looking at her, but Tifa just could not tear her gaze away from his eyes. She didn't think she'd ever seen him without his sunglasses before and had no idea what to expect. He had hazel brown eyes with flecks of mako blue near his pupils.
His eyelashes are long...
She was suddenly distracted by the sound of her other customer saying goodbye to her and paying for his drinks.
"Rude," she said as she counted out the gil in her hands and tapped the bills lightly on the counter, "don't sell yourself short. You just need to open up a little more, that's all."
He looked up from his beer and stared at her face. The sudden thought popped into his head, /you know, Tifa, back when we were trying to kill each other, I had the biggest crush on you. I still do. /He just couldn't shake it.
She continued to avoid his eyes and started cleaning the dirty mug that the bar patron had left behind. "I mean, what makes you who you are? What's your favorite color? Or your favorite kind of movie? When was the last time you laughed hard enough to get a stomach cramp? You know?"
Rude wasn't drinking his beer anymore.
"Green," he said.
Tifa finally looked up from her idle work and met those mako tinged eyes-that odd glowing blue-green gaze.
"Or..." he sipped at the beer, hoping for a little Dutch courage, "brown."
He wasn't looking away. Tifa felt her fingertips sliding around the glassware and forced herself to set it down before she broke it.
"Yeah, green and brown are my favorite colors."
"Come on," Tifa whispered, "no one seriously likes brown over all the other colors out there..."
Rude smiled just barely. "They do if they're looking in the right places."
Internally, Rude was having a cow. Holy shit, who do you think you are?! Are you /flirting /with her? Do you /want /to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter with the bruises included?
Tifa actually blushed. "Oh."
Rude was blushing too. In fact, he'd been listening to what his mind had been screaming at him and realized how stupid he must sound. "Damn, I'm sorry, Tifa. That was way out of line and-"
"Rude."
He stopped talking-talking more than he had in a long time. The last time he started to babble he'd been talking with Elena about the very same thing he was struggling over right now. And he'd been completely hammered at the time.
Tifa was still a little pink, but that was a little smile on her face. "It's okay. It's fine," she waved a hand in the air as if this would ease any discomfort he felt. "Out of curiosity, what brought you here tonight?" she asked.
He seriously considered taking a page out of Reno's book and making a sarcastic joke, but his rattled mind refused to come up with anything witty. "I was wondering how you were," he finally answered.
Tifa saw his fingers twitch-as if to grab those sunglasses and hide his eyes again. "I'm fine," she answered. "Bored out of my gourd, but business is doing good. Cloud got his own office building for the delivery service and Denzel is spending the week up in Corel with Marlene and Barrett. It's kinda quiet in the apartment without those two..."
She caught the sympathetic look in Rude's eye. "But, it's not so bad. Sometimes an old friend drops by and just... Surprises me."
This time, he did shove those sunglasses back on his face. "Sorry about that, look-I..."
"Rude."
Tifa could just barely see the edge of his eyes over the rim of his shades. He was unbelievably embarrassed.
"It's fine."
He rubbed his thumb against the sharp edge of one of his earrings and let out a shaky sigh. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
Tifa smiled. Beamed, actually. "I'm starving."
Rude jerked that same thumb at the front window. "There's this new restaurant Kalm..."
"Got a car?"
His hand twitched. "I came on my bike."
Tifa laughed and hopped over the bar. "Even better."
Rude jerked in surprise when she looped her arm through his and winked up at him.
"Lead the way, handsome," said Tifa.
And he lead.
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