Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, as I'm sure you are all quite aware of by now. Nor do I own this particular AU; I'm just borrowing it from Sorceress Fujin.

Summary: A spin-off of S.F.'s "Property of Valentine," with all pet references and rules and regulations. Will be a smut-fic, once I get the plot out of the way. Which means, no real smut until chapter 2. Real summary: Tifa decides to get a pet to liven up her and Cloud's bedroom activities, and ends up finding the last person she would have expected. She buys him not only for his own protection, but also because of a secret crush she had harbored ever since she watched him fight. Between hot nights of endless sex and hiding him from her lover, will this crush blossom into something greater than she ever dreamed of?

Queen's Quornor: Let's get one thing straight. I do have Sorceress Fujin's permission to use her AU to write this fic. It was originally a plotbunny I had proposed to her in a review, as something I would love to see her write. But she has given me the go-ahead to write it myself, and so, here we are. Given how many other fics I currently have in progress, in both the FFVII and DMC fandoms, I wouldn't expect this one to be updated very often. But fear not; it will be written to its very end. And of course, I will be taking some creative liberties. Not many, just a few. This fic is about Cloud, Tifa, and their new pet, not Vincent, Yuffie, Yazoo, and Seph. So sit back, relax, put water on those flames, and enjoy the fic!

Price Doesn't Matter

Tifa had to wonder what on Gaia had possessed her to come here.

Sure, she had a whole list of reasons. Her and Cloud's sex life could use a boost. She wanted to try something new and totally out of character for her. She was jealous of the happiness Vincent and Yuffie seemed to enjoy with Sephiroth and Yazoo.

But more than anything else, she admitted silently, she wanted the novelty of having someone other than Cloud fuck her. Sure, she loved him. She would never hurt him or leave him. But she had to admit that their sex life was getting...stale. And she knew that asking Vincent to lend them Sephiroth or Yazoo more often was a little out of the question. Not that she minded bartering with the handsome gunman... She just didn't want to have to do it every other night or so.

And she had thoroughly enjoyed those nights with the two silver-haired men. They were very good at their craft. Very good indeed.

It was odd to think that she used to be opposed to the whole 'pet' thing. Then she had snuck upstairs during that party at the mansion while Yuffie and Vincent were fucking up against the stairway railing. She could still vividly recall kissing the young ninja while Yazoo buried himself in her body over and over again, all but sending her sky-high with ecstasy.

Then there had been that amazing night with Cloud and Sephiroth. The morning afterwards, nestled between two lean, muscular bodies, she had seriously rethought her stance on pets.

And now, here she was. At an auction, preparing to purchase one for herself and Cloud.

Cloud was unaware of her intentions. She was planning on surprising him with the newest addition to their household when he got back from his latest delivery job tomorrow. So whoever she bought would have to be satisfactory to both of them.

Good thing Cloud was a bi. Her little adventure with Yuffie aside, she really wasn't interested in buying a female pet.

Standing in a crowd of rowdy men and women, she watched as pet after pet was led onto the stage for visual inspection. The actual bidding wouldn't begin for a while yet; all the auctioneer was doing was displaying the goods.

The crowd actually wasn't that big. This dealer wasn't connected to Shinra or anyone else; he was an independent trainer that took wanted criminals, added them to the pet list, then conditioned and sold them on his own. Tifa had come here because she had been tipped off by Vincent that independent pet dealers were far cheaper than Shinra's dealers, even if their wares weren't as good. What mattered was that they kept the pets clean and in good health, and that their names really were on the list. And the dealer had gotten into Edge, so obviously he had met that criteria, at least.

So far, none of the pets really interested her. Not handsome enough, too small, too bony, bad teeth... She kept finding reasons to not remember their names and numbers.

Maybe I should have gone to one of Shinra's sponsered auctions, she thought gloomily. Their pets are guaranteed to be attractive, at least.

Then one of the handlers led out the last pet.

Oh my god... How is this possible? He's supposed to be dead! She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating.

But he was still standing there when she lowered her fists, a collar and leash around his neck, and a gag in his mouth. Still as gorgeous as he had been the first time she had seen him, fighting in the ruins of Midgar against the man she loved.

And to her immense surprise, she still wanted him now as much as she had then.

He's mine. No matter what the price.