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Cloud didn’t know who exactly was to blame for the events of the night, but if he ever did work it out there would be hell to pay.
When they had arrived at the nondescript town as the sun started to dip below the horizon, Cloud had envisioned everyone going to bed early and resting ahead of an early start.
Silly him.
What had actually happened had been nothing short of a mutiny.
Being the end of the working week, it turned out that the town got quite lively. The inn opened the wide doors on the front wall, tables were moved outside, and a bonfire was lit in the square just beyond. A band turned up to play a range of music, and what seemed like the whole town descended on the inn to enjoy the music and a liberal amount of drinks.
Cloud had been in his room, staring at the ceiling, and willing his ears to ignore the sheer noise outside, when a knock sounded at his bedroom door. Frowning, Cloud swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, moving to answer the knock. Cid stood the other side of the door, scratching the side of his nose absent-mindedly.
“Evenin’,” he offered Cloud a wry smile. “I drew the short straw so I’m here to cordially invite you to join us downstairs for an evening of drinking and… well honestly, it’s mainly an evening of getting piss drunk.”
Cloud’s eyebrows raised. “‘Us’?”
“Yep.” Cid shrugged. “Everyone is downstairs. We thought a night to just unwind would do us all some good.”
Cloud considered it for a moment, and could not find a reply that would not make him sound like a complete jerk. He shrugged. “Sure, sounds fine.”
It was not fine.
By the time Cloud arrived at the table the group had claimed as their own, a certain flower girl was already drunk.
“Hey Cloud!” She gushed when she spotted him. “Here, sit next to me.”
Cloud lowered himself in to the seat next to her, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at her. Aerith was practically vibrating with energy.
“Ah this is nice.” Aerith grinned at Cloud, eyes darting around the inn and the bonfire outside, just a short way from where they were sitting. Her usual cheeriness seemed to be amplified, her voice edging on just a little too loud as she spoke.
Cloud looked at the rest of the group but they were chatting happily, apparently not noticing that Aerith was three sheets to the wind. He cleared his throat slightly. “How much have you had to drink?”
Aerith’s gaze darted around a little more before she realised that Cloud was talking to her. “Drink? Like alcoholic drinks?” Cloud nodded and Aerith giggled. “None.”
“None?” His tone was dubious.
Aerith nodded earnestly. “Yup.” She said, her lips popping on the last syllable. “I don’t drink.”
Cloud’s eyes narrowed and he looked around the table again, noticing he had gained the attention of the others by this point. He also noticed that Barret and Cid were pointedly avoiding his eyes. Fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Cloud sent a glare at the table in general before turning his attention back to Aerith who had twisted in her seat to observe the small group of people dancing near the fire.
“So what have you been drinking then? Aerith.” He finished a little more sharply when she ignored his question.
The girl jumped slightly, eyes focusing back on Cloud before shrugging, bright smile still in place. “I just asked for something fruity.” She gestured to the tall, almost empty glass in front of her. “Whatever it is, it’s really good.”
Cloud pulled the glass towards him and lifted it to his nose. The smell of alcohol assaulted his senses and he let out a long suffering puff of air. “How many of these have you had?”
“Huh?” Aerith’s attention had drifted to the bonfire again. “I dunno. Four, maybe five?”
Cloud’s eyes swung towards Barret and Cid again only to find them staring intently at a menu, though he noticed that their eyes were not moving. Sighing he turned back to Aerith, blinking when he found that her seat was empty. Casting his gaze around he quickly spotted her moving towards the dancefloor near the bonfire. He stared after her in confusion for a moment before Tifa leaned over and patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry Cloud, she’s a big girl.”
Cloud rolled his eyes, crossing his arms almost petulantly. His unimpressed stare found its way back to Barret and Cid, the former shoving the latter out of the booth so the pair could escape to the bar and away from the disgruntled merc. Tifa and Yuffie broke away shortly after that, leaving Cloud sat next to Vincent who was just observing matters silently. Cloud spotted Red reclining near the bonfire, though he may have been asleep, with an apparently powered down Cait Sith leaning against him.
With everyone accounted for, Cloud turned his eyes back to the dance floor, quickly spotting Aerith in the growing mass of people.
The music the band played was deep and earthy, loud drums and a fast beat. It seemed to call to Aerith’s high spirits and Cloud watched as she lifted her hands above her head and twirled happily. He kept a watchful eye on her but as her energy seemed to match those around her, he let her be. He relaxed enough to turn his eyes away from her and reach for his own drink. He sipped on it, eyes scoping out the rest of the gathering.
He spotted Barret still at the bar, happily talking to Cid. Tifa was nearby, engaging in a lighthearted arm-wrestling match with another patron of the inn while Yuffie cheered her on.
“Cloud.” Vincent’s voice was quiet but commanded attention, and Cloud raised an eyebrow in question. The raven haired man simply pointed towards the dancefloor and Cloud’s head snapped around.
He hadn’t even noticed that the song had changed, the bass from the drums now reverberating through his chest. Aerith seemed to appreciate the new tune, and her dance moves had switched from light-footed twirling to what could only be described as hips.
Cloud’s jaw dropped as he watched as Aerith dragged her hands through her hair, her hips swaying to the beat. Her form had loosened to match the soulful tone of the music, her shoulders dipping and rolling as she threw her head back, eyes closed and evidently enjoying the song.
“Holy hell, Aerith can dance.” Yuffie’s voice interrupted Cloud’s stupor as she and Tifa slipped in to the booth.
“Yeah,” Tifa giggled, watching her friend move. “Who knew?”
Cloud could feel the back of his neck burning as his eyes moved to watch her again. “Tifa you should go and get her.” His intended tone of uninterested breeziness somehow came out as a low grumble.
Tifa reached over and flicked him on the arm. “Oh leave her alone, she’s having fun.”
“Yeah.” Cloud muttered. Seemed like she was.
Barret and Cid returned from the bar, balancing enough drinks for the entire group between them.
“Shift up will ya.” Cid barked, cheeks slightly flushed. “Tell ya what, they don’t skimp on the measures here.”
Barret chuckled lowly. Cloud eyed him dubiously: he was a happy drunk, apparently. The older man shuffled the various drinks across the table, distributing them to their intended recipients. He gazed down at the tall glass that remained, the red and orange layers of the drink reflecting the firelight invitingly. “Say, where’s the little lady got to?”
Yuffie pointed towards to fire, grinning. “She’s loving life.”
Everyone’s eyes followed Yuffie’s finger towards where Aerith was still dancing up a storm.
“Ah yeah, Aerith. You show ‘em girl!” Barret hollered.
His voice carried enough that it caught Aerith’s attention and she turned, eyes seeking out the voice. When she spotted the group her face broke in to a wide smile, cheeks flushed from the exertion of dancing, and also what Cloud imagined was just pure happiness. She beckoned to them all with a hand, the universal sign for ‘Get over here and join me, you losers’. The men of the group were split between chuckling (Barret and Cid) and pointedly ignoring the invitation (Cloud and Vincent). Tifa and Yuffie leapt up however, no further cajoling needed, and headed out on to the dancefloor to join the tipsy Cetra.
Cloud felt himself relax slightly. Tifa and Yuffie would keep an eye on Aerith. He went back to listening to Barret and Cid argue good naturedly about about something or another - okay, so maybe a large part of him was still focused on the woman on the dancefloor. He decided to focus on his drink instead, purposely keeping his eyes from wandering. Several minutes passed before Cloud’s reverie was interrupted by Cid’s low chuckle.
“Can’t help but smile looking at that girl - makes you forget all the shit ahead of us sometimes.”
Cloud chanced a look at the dance floor again and was more than a little relieved to see that Aerith’s hip swaying had ceased. Instead, her arms were thrown up as she sang along to the song currently - apparently this was a popular one as Tifa and Yuffie yelled the words back to her as they all bounced around to the music. He watched the three girls laugh and dance with one another and silently agreed with Cid. It was nice to see the group so carefree, even if for just a while. He watched the girls for a while longer, acutely aware that his eyes were more often than not fixed on the green eyed woman.
Eventually the music changed again, and Cloud almost groaned out loud when her realised the band had returned to their backlog of tracks designed to make Aerith dance like no-one’s watching. He shook his head and dragged a hand down his face, turning away.
At least Tifa and Yuffie were still with her.
“Hey, budge up.” Cloud’s eyes shot to the voice next to him as Yuffie and Tifa returned to the table.
“I need a drink!” Tifa panted, fanning her face.
“Where’s Aerith?” Cloud’s words were out before he could stop them.
Yuffie jerked her head back at the dancefloor. “Don’t worry, she made a friend.”
Cloud practically felt his neck crack as he whipped around. Aerith was still dancing away, blissful in her own little world. Unfortunately there now seemed to be a strange man dancing in tandem with her. Cloud’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man slip a hand around Aerith’s waist, finger splayed on her lower back as he guided their hips close together. Cloud was so fixated on the sight of the man’s wandering hands that he missed the knowingly amused look that passed between Barret, Cid and Vincent.
When the unnamed man’s hand began to slip lower on Aerith’s back, Cloud found himself on his feet, unaware just how he got there. Yuffie yelped out a protest as Cloud climbed over her and out of the booth, eyes fixed on Aerith’s form. When he reached them, his hand grasped the wrist of the interloper tightly, yanking it away from Aerith.
“Hey!” The man protested, whirling round to glare at Cloud. If the sight of mako-infused eyes surprised him, he didn’t show it. “What the hell man?”
Aerith had stopped dancing, eyes darting between Cloud and the anonymous man before her, eyes still misted with alcohol. “Cloud?”
“Keep your hands to yourself.” Cloud ground out, glaring at the handsy man before him.
The man bristled. “She didn’t seem to mind.”
“She,” Cloud bit out. “Is drunk. I suggest you get out of here before I make you.”
The man seemed to consider arguing a moment longer, before his eyes finally took stock of the SOLDIER uniform and materia-laden bracer on Cloud’s wrist. “Whatever.” He huffed. “Keep a closer watch on your girl in future.”
Cloud watched the man depart, eyes burning a hole in to the back of his head. Once he disappeared in the crowd, Cloud turned back to Aerith, surprised to see her eyes downcast, a hand rubbing the opposite arm bashfully.
“Aerith?”
She looked up, cheeks still flushed, but eyes a little clearer. “Sorry Cloud. I hadn’t realised what that guy was doing.”
Cloud felt a stab of guilt at having spoiled her high. He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes. “It’s not your fault. You were having fun.”
“I was,” Aerith agreed. “I think there might have been alcohol in my drink.”
Cloud huffed out a laugh and looked back at the woman. “Maybe a little.”
Aerith grinned up at him. “Worth it. I’m enjoying myself.”
Cloud nodded and looked back at the table where five heads snapped around, pretending they hadn’t been watching. “You know, there might be another ‘fruity’ drink waiting for you at the table.”
Aerith bit her lower lip and Cloud found his gaze fixed on the sight. “Might need a bodyguard on the dancefloor if I have any more to drink.”
Cloud’s eyes moved to meet hers, the teasing in the green depths evident. He shrugged in what he hoped was a casual motion. “I know just the guy.”’
Aerith’s delighted giggle did funny things to Cloud’s stomach, and he swallowed when she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I’ll pay extra if my bodyguard would agree to dance with me too.”
Cloud’s mind drifted back to images of swaying hips and wandering hands and he cleared his throat, hands coming to rest on the dip of Aerith’s blessedly stationary waist.
“I’m open to negotiations."