Fresh, Fruity Cocktail

Final Fantasy VII fanfiction, Barret x Tifa. Safe for work, so there's no sex involved. Just a date fic.

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Lazily walking into the main bar, Tifa stretched her arms out above her head. She sat at closest bench table, now just sitting beside the Pizza counter. The clock struck six o'clock in the morning, which didn't really raise any eyebrows. Tifa was clad in a dressing gown, along with a nightdress underneath the material. This particular nightdress appeared to be the colour of cyan; the skirt reached up to her thighs, and the collar was a simple v-neck. Tifa usually liked wearing short, comfortable outfits.

"Morning, Barret," she exhaled a yawn, covering her mouth in the process. "It's way to early to do anything...but honestly, I couldn't sleep last night," she admitted.

Barret lumbered over to Tifa from the dart board, taking a seat onto the wooden bench table situated beside the table Tifa was sat at. A single forearm rested on the surface behind him, while his weapon arm rested on his knee. Hazel orbs darted from Tifa and over to the empty bar area.

"How are ya, Tifa?" Barret questioned. "Maybe whippin' me up a drink will wake ya up," he suggested, even if it was too early to pick up an alcoholic beverage. But remember, Barret was all kinds of extreme.

"I'm fine, just had a nightmare last night, is all. What about you, Barret? How're you holding up?"

Tifa presented a small smile to Barret, and then sluggishly made her way over to the bar counter. It became an automatic thing, whenever someone wanted a drink; Tifa would be there to offer one in a heartbeat. It was only herself and Barret in the bar at this time, but she still wanted to please the bigger man with her usual service.

"I'm quite alright, Tifa," answered Barret, while his brown hues watched Tifa over by the bar.

"I'm pleased you're okay. Would you still like that drink?"

Crimson hues glanced over towards the bigger man again, as Tifa leaned into the bar, having her forearms resting on the surface. She was still wearing her night robe.

Rubbing the back of his head with his remaining fleshy hand, Barret's rims widened into more than just a smile. He gave a simple nod of the head. "But of course, I'll take one of your drinks, Tifa." The toothy grin still remained, as the lumbering man took a seat on one of the stools in front of the bar counter and Tifa.

"You want something hard and bitter, or easy and sweet?" Tifa questioned Barret, seconds before she rose up from the counter's surface, and then, she turned her back to him to collect a few bottles from the stash she had in the open cabinets. Crimson hues flicked their gaze over to Barret another time, as Tifa patiently waited for an answer. "Or would you like me to be spontaneous with your drink?"

Waving his hand at her, Barret grunted with a nod. "I trust whatever you can whip up for me; be my guest and surprise me," replied Barret. He sat back up straight on the stool and watched the crimson eyed beauty work her magic behind the bar top.

Before she got started, Tifa offered Barret a simple wink.

"Alright then, let's see what I can make for you."

Filling the plain silver shaker up with two quarters of neat tequila, Tifa then added a simple quarter of grapefruit juice to top up the beverage, and then the fourth quarter was filled with club soda. A little after that, Tifa added a squeeze of lime juice to complete the drink, seconds before she poured the peach-coloured liquid into a glass cup. Her smile shrunk into a small smirk, as TIfa placed the glass cup in front of Barret, and this glass shone with orange goodness.

"Here, a Paloma. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do," she giggled.

Reaching for the glass, Barret inspected the peach colour for a split second. The tall, muscular, dark-skinned male usually drank a dark colour of whiskey or beer. But, at the sight of that fruity drink, Barret shrugged his shoulders and just took a long sip of the beverage. He let out a satisfied sigh.

Tifa leaned against the counter again, having her forearms resting on the surface. Crimson orbs watched Barret drink the cocktail, Tifa tilted her head a little while she watched, as her long raven hair swayed gently with the motion. She scoffed, as her cherry-pink lips widened into another grin.

"Mhmm, tasty. The grapefruit's rich in that one," he quipped.

"It's nice to have a change every now and then, isn't it? I know fruity cocktails aren't usually your thing, but I guess this is what spontaneity does to you," she laughed.

Setting the small glass cup down onto the counter top, Barret placed his own arms beside it. Leaning forward to meet her gaze, Barret went on to coo.

"Oh, I got to keep my tough appearance of course. But, between you and me, I don't mind these cocktails from time to time. You make the best drinks in Midgar, girl."

Intoning an audible 'aww', Tifa placed a hand onto her chest, relieved by Barret's answer.

"That's good to hear! Happy to be of service whenever I can," she replied, letting out a brief giggle in the process. "So then, would you like another drink - something darker? I think I'm beginning to wake up a little now, thanks to this chat...and of course, you."

"It's 'aight, Tifa. I'm always 'ere when ya need me. Now, how's Marlene holdin' up? She still sleepin' like an angel up there?" Barret checked, 'up there' referring to the upstairs, in the bedroom Tifa always kept for Marlene. "But don't ya worry about the other drink, that Paloma or whatever it's called was enough for me."

"Yeah, she's still asleep. When she wakes up, I'll be making her breakfast. Won't be an hour yet until she's awake, maybe. It's just gone seven o'clock."

"Seven o'clock in the morning and I'm already drinkin' like a fish," joked Barret, his loud voice echoing throughout the atmosphere. "Got to make sure my star member is ready to go...or does she need some more beauty rest?" Now, that time he was talking about Tifa.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I mean, I've been awake since six in the morning...but I'm wide awake now," she answered, still resting her forearms on the counter. "I had a nightmare last night, so I don't wanna go back there again while it's still on my mind," she confessed.

Nodding some, Barret gently set his remaining hand onto her head, brushing stray strands of her silky raven hair away from her face. "Fair enough...unless you need someone to play lookout?" The towering man straightened himself, as if trying to do some form of a superhero pose with his gun arm resting against his waist and his chest puffed out.

"Play lookout? Now, that would come in handy, Barret. Thanks for keeping watch for me," she mocked, covering her mouth while she laughed. Rising up from the counter's surface, Tifa stretched her arms out above her head, rising onto her tiptoes as she performed a good stretch. "Shall we go outside for a little bit? Or shall we just stay here...chatting until Marlene wakes up?"

"I'm sure my precious lil' angel will be awake any time now," he replied, leaning back on the stool. "We can go out later though, Tifa, but I'm sure Cloud will show up and spoil the moment anyways."

At that remark, Tifa just scoffed, trying her hardest not to laugh so much. "Hey, play along nice!" Tifa warned playfully, jokingly.

"You gotta be kiddin' me, Tifa. But trust me, later on, I will spoil ya rotten when we head out to Wall Market. Just you, me, and Marlene, yeah?" Barret suggested, offering a wink to the barmaid.

"Yeah, I guess so. That would be fun."