Title: Spring Cleaning
Fandom: Final Fantasy: Advent Children
Characters: Tifa, Cloud, Yuffie, Vincent, Barret, Marlene, Denzel, Cid, Shera
Prompt: 062 - Spring
Word Count: 784
Date finished: 06/09/2006
Rating: G
Summary: Time for a change - sort of.
Author's Notes: It just seemed to work out this way. Just... don't ask.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Square Enix and Sony Pictures as far as I know.

Tifa nodded. "Yes. Please? This place needs a good cleaning, and I hoped you'd help me out."

Cloud considered for a moment, then looked at her with a small smile. "I have never been able to turn down damsels in distress," he teased.

Tifa's jaw dropped, completely surprised. "Did you just call me a damsel in distress?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

He didn't back down, which surprised her. "Yes. You need help. If you aren't one, I won't schedule the week off."

She scowled. "You're serious."

The smile was still in place. "A woman in need, then," he teased, then grew a little more serious. "What week do you want me to take off?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "As soon as possible," she said. "If we start on Monday?"

He folded his arms and looked up - not at the ceiling, but it was how he remembered things; he'd done it as long as she could remember. "That should work," he said slowly, and looked at her with a grin. "Anyone else you want to invite?"

"Yes. But I don't think anyone else would come."

He nodded, but his thoughts were far away; she could see it in his eyes.

Monday came sooner than she'd expected. Tifa rose as early as she could - which wasn't very; her customers had stayed longer than usual the night before. "So we have something to hold us for the next week," one of them had said, giving her a broad wink.

When she'd eaten something, she headed down to the bar, ready to start.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring in disbelief. Yuffie was in one corner, working at a stain Tifa hadn't known was there. Next to her, cape conspicuously absent, Vincent worked on filling in a hole that had been punched in her wall by a customer who was no longer welcome. She laughed at something he said.

Along another wall, Barrett and Marlene were scrubbing down the tables; just beyond, Cloud and Denzel dried them, setting them in the sunlight coming in the window. She could see the polish sitting just out of reach on the shelf near that window, clean cloths hanging next to it.

Cid was behind the bar, industriously counting glasses, setting them aside, marking the numbers down. He saw her and beckoned her over. "Look. Your inventory is vanishing. I've marked the ones you need to replace."

She joined him, looking over the papers he gave her. "I've lost that much?" she asked, then looked at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Spikey called," Barett said, looking up from the table he was working on. "Said you needed a little help. We decided to pitch in."

Tifa smiled. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate it."

That wasn't the end of the surprises, though. As evening approached, Shera appeared with dinner, setting it up buffet style on the bar. Tifa was one of the last to eat, "because," she said flatly, "I was the last to get here to start helping." And it gave her a chance to look over the others.

Vincent was relaxed enough to smile at something Cloud said that sent Denzel into fits of laughter; Yuffie was arguing with Shera about ways to clean things. Tifa hadn't known Yuffie knew how to clean! Marlene was nearly asleep, leaning against Barett, who looked like he'd landed in heaven. His arm was protectively around her, and he tried to tempt her to eat something. Cid sat back and watched, rubbing vacantly at his nose, not realizing that he was simply messing his face worse.

After a moment, she sat down next to Cloud and captured everyone's attention. "Hey, guys," she said. "Thanks."

The week flew. She got more done in three days than she thought she'd get done all week, and so by the fourth at noon, she declared them finished.

It looked good. The tables were smooth, polished, and pieces had been replaced from the broken ones. She had a good stock of glasses, and dust-free cupboards to keep them in - cupboards with new hinges, polished doors, and labels. The bar fairly sparkled. The walls had been painted a light tan that brightened the room a little; the fans were dust free and some had been replaced. The floor had been sanded, swept, and refinished - that had been yesterday's task - and gleamed in the light.

"Now what?" Cloud asked as they stood looking around the room.

"Now we celebrate," Barret boomed. "Anywhere but here."

Tifa laughed, and enjoyed the laughter around them. She couldn't ask for better friends.

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