Reno groaned…he hadn't had a hangover this bad in quite a while. His headache was killing him, but he was feeling too bad to get out of bed to go get some painkillers. He closed his eyes to rest more when he heard the door open and someone quietly walk in.
"Go away." Reno said, not wanting anyone around him in this condition.
"Ssshhh…" A familiar female voice softly said.
"Tifa?" Reno asked in surprise, grimacing as the sound of his voice aggravated his headache.
"Just relax." She sat down on the bed and took his head in her lap, putting her hands on his temples.
Reno sighed as she expertly massaged his pain away. Her hands were so gentle… "Where'd you learn how to do that?"
"I work in a bar, silly boy." she replied. "Rest now, I'll be nearby if you need me again."
Reno grabbed hold of her hand as she went to leave. "What if I need you now?"
She smiled at him. "I'm always available for special customers." she said as she leaned over and kissed him.
Reno lay back down in the bed panting, feeling a peculiar mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction. He couldn't remember the last time he had sex this rewarding. "I hope you don't do this for all your special customers." he told her.
"Only if they're as special as you, but I'm not sure that's possible." she said, caressing him. "That was incredible…so I guess we're even."
"Even?" Reno asked.
"I helped you feel better, and you in turn made me feel better, silly boy."
"I'm not a boy!" Reno exclaimed, taking her in his arms again to prove it.
Rude woke up feeling very relaxed, and was unsure why until he felt the female body next him in his bed. "Tifa!" he exclaimed when he looked at her, remembering inviting her over for dinner at his place last night as she was leaving the bar early, pleasantly surprised that she had accepted..
The woman woke up and smiled at him. "Good morning, Teddy Bear."
"Teddy Bear?" Rude was offended. "What the hell do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you're perfect for cuddling with." she demonstrated by snuggling against him. "Very little about last night wasn't perfect. Where did you learn how to cook like that?"
"I try and find hobbies outside of work." Rude replied, mollified by her explanation and her closeness.
"Speaking of, I better get back to bar and make sure everything's ready when we open in a couple hours."
"If you were staying, I could make you a gourmet breakfast as well." Rude said, trying to stall her leaving. He had wanted Tifa for so long…
She sighed. "Don't tempt me…how about next time?" she offered.
Rude brightened. "When will next time be?"
"I'll let you know, Teddy Bear." she said before kissing him, then reluctantly getting out of his bed to get dressed.
Cloud opened the door to the bar for Tifa, then followed her up the stairs to their residence. Dropping their luggage on the floor, he took Tifa in his arms. "Welcome home, Mrs. Strife."
"Welcome home yourself, Mr. Strife." Tifa said, kissing her husband. "Now comes the sad part, we've got to shower and get ready for work."
"What's sad about having to take a shower with my wife?" Cloud said amorously, pulling her into their bathroom.
Tifa braced herself against the tile wall of the shower as Cloud entered her. She had waited so long for him, and their honeymoon had been wonderful. Tifa hoped that the rest of their lives together would be just as wonderful.
Cloud smiled as Tifa cried out. He had been such a fool, mooning over Aerith while it was Tifa who had stood by him for so long, and he never planned to let her go again.
Tifa opened the bar, surprised to see Reno and Rude pushing themselves to the front of the line waiting at the door as she unlocked it.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, giving each man an impartial smile as the customers filed past her towards the bar where Cloud was serving.
"I wanted to see you again." Reno and Rude answered together, then looked at each other in surprise.
"See me again?" Tifa was dumbfounded.
"Yeah, I thought I'd take you up in the helicopter for a sightseeing tour." Reno told her with a leering grin.
"I've got all the ingredients for that breakfast we talked about." Rude said, smiling at her.
"What are you two talking about? I just got back from my honeymoon with Cloud." Tifa flashed them her wedding ring, then paused. "Wait, what do you think I did with the two of you?"
"I cooked dinner for the two of us, and you promised next time you'd let me make you breakfast as well." Rude reminded her.
"You let me stay upstairs overnight when I drank too much, and you cured me of my hangover." Reno smiled.
A dangerous knowing glint appeared in Tifa's eyes, and when Reno tried to touch her, she slapped him and then stormed over to the stairs leading up to her apartment. "Teri! Tara! Get your asses down here NOW!" Tifa yelled.
Everyone in the bar stared as two more Tifas came down the stairs a few moments later. One was dressed in a skimpy outfit suitable for clubbing, and the other was wearing a simply vibrantly colored yet elegant summer dress.
"What the hell is going on here?" Reno and Rude demanded to know simultaneously.
"Meet Teri," Tifa pointed to the first woman. "And Tara." She indicated the second woman. "We're triplets. Now what the hell were you two doing while I was gone? You were only supposed to take care of 7th Heaven!"
"Hey, you are around all these hot guys all the time, can't blame a girl for enjoying herself, can you?" Teri replied.
"As long as you don't get my wife in trouble because of it." Cloud walked over and put his arms around Tifa's waist, and she snuggled against him.
Rude frowned and walked out of the bar, and Tara followed him. "Rude, please wait up!" she called out.
"How come you didn't tell me you weren't Tifa?" he asked her when she caught up to him.
"I wanted to know what it felt like to be her, since all the guys at the bar seemed to be very fond of Tifa. I've only known her around a year."
"How is that possible?"
"Teri and I were kidnapped from the hospital after we were born and sold to different families. Tifa didn't know about us until after our father was killed and she was going through his papers. She looked for us when she had the chance. Last year she finally succeeded."
"So who are you really?"
"My name is Tara Adams. I'm an artist, and Teri is a massage therapist."
"No wonder Reno likes her. They've probably already made up…yep." Rude remarked as he heard a helicopter take off in the distance.
"Can you and I make up too?" Tara asked hopefully, taking his hand.
"Do you promise to be honest with me from now on?" Rude stopped in front of his apartment building.
"I promise I will never lie to my Teddy Bear." Tara kissed him, smiling when he picked her up and carried her in his arms up to his apartment.
Three months later, Tara had a showing at the Midgar Metropolitan Art Gallery, introducing her brand new collection of paintings focusing on teddy bears. And Teri had informed all her massage clients that she was no longer available, due to now having an 'exclusive' contract. Tseng was getting more and more worried over Reno and Rude's recent obvious lovestruck behavior, afraid that they'd give Elena ideas.