AN: Prompt number 14 - "Married." Not a pairing I've ever written before, but I thought I'd give it a try. I seem to be doing that with this challenge.

"My congratulations to the bride."

Of all the people I'd expected to see at the engagement party, he wasn't one of them. We'd had a brief, torrid affair before I'd found Cloud again, but you couldn't call us friends. We were barely even acquaintances any longer. Still, he was being perfectly civil, so the least I could do was be polite and let him in.

"Thank you, Axel."

He handed me a large bouquet of lilies, saying he hadn't known what to get as a present, but hoped that flowers would suffice. I couldn't fathom why he'd turned up, unless it was to cause trouble – he always had been a hell-raiser – but I was happy with Cloud and wasn't going to allow the appearance of an old flame (appropriate word choice, I know) to mess things up for us. It was, after all, in the past. Over, though not forgotten.

I opened the door wider, pointed him in the direction of the party, and went to put the flowers in water. I hadn't even thought of Axel for months, and he turns up, walks casually back into my life, today of all days?

…………………

It had started simply because neither of us had anything better to do. We were both hiding out in Hollow Bastion, before Sora defeated Maleficent, and it was a great deal safer to share the same cave. One cold night had us huddling together under the blankets, by a fire he'd lit. Not that it was doing much to heat the place, but it was better than nothing.

I'm not sure who initiated it, but we ended up kissing. I suspect it was Axel's idea, but I didn't exactly stop him, as I should have done. Kissing turned into touching, as our hands moved from innocent places like the hair and the waist to explore more intimate areas. As his hands slipped under my top, I gasped, pulling him closer. Make no mistake, I wanted this. I needed something to prove that I was still alive, still capable of feeling, rather than merely existing. I didn't protest when he started removing my clothes – I even helped him. The temperature in the cave felt like it had soared as we fucked each other, hard and fast. There was no tenderness that first time; it was exactly what we both wanted. The rest was to come later.

…………………

The second time, I searched him out. He'd made me feel alive again, if only for a short time. Like a drug, I wanted more.

"Tifa…"

"Please, Axel. You don't know how much I need this."

That time, we actually had a bedroom. The old hotel in Twilight Town, abandoned since the appearance of the Heartless. I took my time undressing him, removing that ridiculous coat, going so slowly that he growled and told me to stop being such a tease. I should have guessed he'd be the impatient sort. Not that I was complaining, you understand.

…………………

This carried on for another month or so, during which time we actually spent the majority of the nights together. Then he disappeared, I never found out where, and I came across Cloud, who was still searching for Sephiroth. We've been together ever since, and recently he asked me to marry him.

I wish Axel hadn't turned up. Cloud was everything I ever wanted, or so I thought, but now… Now I'm not so sure. What am I going to do?

AN: If you've read the story, you now need to click the review button at the bottom of the page and tell me what you thought of it. Otherwise I'll think no-one liked it... Maybe you didn't.