That Joke isn't Funny Anymore
DISCLAIMER: I own bugger all. Not even the title.
This is my first attempt at a Reno x Tifa fanfic. I hope I made it believable.
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She had to laugh. Coming from his lips, the words sounded foreign, alien, even plain ridiculous. She knew that he was a man afraid of commitments, afraid that he'd get people close to him killed. Afraid that if he committed to a relationship then the other person would hurt him. So he hurt others instead. That was why she was laughing.
"I don't see what's so funny. I do. I care Tifa. Honestly"
That set her off again. The very idea that he would care about her and be honest about it was too much. Soon, she was leaning against the bar of the pub she had bought after Meteor, laughing hysterically.
It took a few minuets for her to calm down again.
"Good joke Reno. Very funny. Very good"
"I'm not joking. You should know that by now."
"You're never serious when you're drunk."
"I'm not."
"Bullshit, Reno. You're always drunk when you stay after closing."
"Excuse me? Did you see me drink anything at all this evening? And you make accusations that I'm drunk? That's bullshit Tifa."
"Why else would you come out with crap like that then?"
"Maybe it's because I do actually care Tifa. Have you thought about that yet?"
"Bollocks Reno."
"Bollocks is it? Look me in the eyes, see if I'm lying to you."
"Could you just drop it! That joke isn't funny anymore!"
"Joke is it?" the voice that had been rising in frustration had quieted to almost a whisper,
"Is that all you think I am? A joker? A funny guy? I'm not allowed to have feelings? You know what? Fuck you. I'm leaving." With that, he turned, stormed across the room, wrenched open the door and stormed out into the freezing cold rain, leaving Tifa standing alone.
"Maybe he did careÖ" she muttered aloud, "No, this is Reno. He was just having me on."
She turned back to wiping down the bar.
Anyway, it's not like I care about him, do I?
Do I?
Oh hell. I do. And he cares about me. What did I do? He finally opens up to someone and I kick him in the teeth. What'll he do?
"Don't worry," she told herself, "he'll come in tomorrow, you can apologise, tell him how you feel and see if he forgives you. Don't worry," she repeated, "Don't worry."
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She never saw him again. Those few words had had a greater impact on her than she had anticipated. That night, he had packed his bags and left Kalm for good. She received word of what happened to him, merely rumours, telling her that he had started drinking even more than he ever had before, that he had become a womaniser once again, sleeping with anything with a pulse and breasts. It killed her every time she heard about it, how she could have stopped him from slipping back into the hole he had escaped from, if she had only taken him seriously. But that was the past, and if there was one thing she had learnt in her life, it was to never dwell on the past.
After all, there is no such thing as a happy ending. But she can't help but think: maybe she could have had a good life with that red-haired joker.
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Right people this is the first one. I won't do them in any particular order, so don't be surprised if I start jumping all over the place. It's my inner kangaroo. Was it any good?