Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to SquareEnix (or SquareSoft). I also do not own the song "Cowboy Casanova" that belongs to Carrie Underwood and her record label/songwriter.
This is my first fanfiction, I figured that I'd try out something short and do a songfic. I didn't use the whole song, just enough of it to make it fun.
Be nice please, I'm new at this.
4:30pm. It was time for Tifa to open the bar to the world's drunks. Well, Midgar's drunks anyways. She was greeted by the rough and familiar faces of her usual cutomers. Their willingness to shell out tons of cash every day in order to chase away the demons that haunted their minds was what kept her bar afloat. Times had been a little though since AVALANCHE had split up. Fighting Serphiorth and rebuilding Midgar had taken a serious toll on the band of heros. Everyone wanted to be away from the previously plated city for sometime. Tifa, Cloud, and Vincent had been the only three without real homes to return to. Vincent had found a new mission to occupy his time and was off searching for all the information he could get on his past. That left Tifa with Cloud, tip-toeing around his emotions and wandering the globe aimlessly. Cloud had mourned Aeris for a great deal of time but that grief had given way to rage that was directed at the dead Sephiroth and the dismantled old Shin-Ra regime. Tifa had given up on trying to put the broken Cloud back together again and returned to Midgar. She wanted to reopen her old bar, Seventh Heaven, but the name brought back the memories of all the friends she had lost those few short years ago. The name was retired and Tifa chose another name for the bar that she would build on the same ground. Final Heaven rose up to take the place of 7th Heaven. Tifa had liked the new name, even though it had not been too original. It reminded her that the planet was safe and that her friends had not died in vain.
6:30pm. Four dark blue suits wandered around the streets of the new sector 7, looking for something to occupy their time. The Turks were still the Turks, but after Shin-Ra had fallen they found themselves with a large amount of free time. They had taken to helping AVALANCHE rebuild Midgar and help Tseng try to start a new, less power hungry, Shin-Ra corporation. Reno was still the unofficial leader of the troupe of four so it was his job to find something to do. Of course, he would pick what he was best at, drinking and sleeping around with women. In the distance, he spotted the sign for the bar Final Heaven. He knew that it was owned by Tifa Lockheart.
"Hey, let's have some serious fun and check out Lockhearts bar," he said glancing back at his companions.
"You just want to hit on her again, like you've always done," Elena groaned. The blonde Turk rolled her eyes at her 'boss.'
"C'mon Laney, it'll be fun!" Reno pleaded. He had dropped back to lay his flaming red head on Elena's shoulder.
"I hate you," she seethed, but relented when he pouted at her. For years now Elena had had a small crush on Reno, nothing that she had ever wanted to act on, but something for him nonetheless. She had never let herself fall for him because she had watched as he ruined countless women over the years. Heck, she had been an accomplice once or twice. She could never resist his pout.
"I know Rude doesn't care, but what about you Cissa," he asked turning to the newest Turk. Alicissa had been with them since the rebuilding of Midgar, but they still treated her like it was her first month on the job. Teasing, practical jokes, everything that Elena had gone through was now on Alicissa's head. Of course, Reno had been the leader in all of the mischief. He knew that the girl had a crush on him and did his very best to exploit that.
"U- u-umm..." Cissa stammered.
"Cissa, I'll even buy you your first drink. Now you can't deny me that pleasure," he begged, the same pout he had used on Elena back on his face. All Rude could do was shake his bald head at Reno and turn towards Tifa's bar.
7:00pm. The Turks had made it to Tifa's bar and had been greeted with hugs and a free first round. Reno had not complained and tried to pass it off that this was the drink that he was going to buy Alicissa.
"It's not my fault Tifa read my mind," he said rising to go get himself another drink. The other three waited for Reno to return, but he had a drink in his hand and was chatting up Tifa.
"It's great to see all you guys again," Tifa said smiling.
"Not even a 'hey it's great to see you Reno, just you.' You just toss me in a lump greeting like that. And here I thought I was something special," Reno fake pouted again. Tifa just rolled her eyes at the Turk.
"How's the new Shin-Ra going?" she asked ignoring his complaint.
"Cold." was the one word that he replied with, an arrogant smirk playing across his lips. Tifa knew that there was nothing good behind that smirk, especially when it was accompanied with a playful glance down at her chest.
"What's cold," she asked surrendering. Nothing good was going to come from it, but she had to know.
"My bed's been a little cold lately, you should help me warm it up again." There he'd said it. The line was stupid and almost made no sense, but he wanted to have her again. Once, when she first returned to Midgar Reno had found her wandering around the streets. She had very little money and no place to stay. So being the "chivalrous gentleman" that he was he took her back to his place. The two of the drank a great deal of his personal stores of liquor and ended up in bed together. Tifa had not been proud of her actions, but she had not regretted them either. She found herself waking up in the tangle of Reno's sheets a few more times before she set out to get her bar back. That was at least a year in the past but Reno did not miss the chance to bring it back up again.
"Go away Reno," Tifa scolded smiling.
-And the Song finally begins-
You better take it from me, that boy is like a disease
You're running, you're trying, you're trying to hide
And you're wondering why you can't get free
He's like a curse, he's like a drug
You get addicted to his love
You wanna get out but he's holding you down
'Cause you can't live without one more touch
1:30am Tifa had sent most of her drunk patrons on their way and was not finally taking a chance to relax herself. She had joined the Turks at their table. She and Elena chatted while Rude stared off into space and Alicissa stared off at Reno. Reno was flirting with the last two girls left in Tifa's bar. He did not find them particularly attractive, but not everyone could be Tifa or Elena. Cissa sighed over her drink and continued staring. Tifa glanced at the newest member to the team and shook her head.
"Look here Cissa, I know you don't want to hear this but don't waste your time on Reno. Take it from me, that boy is like a disease," Tifa offered. "Don't lie to me," she continued when Cissa tried to deny that she cared about Reno, "You're running and trying to hide, but we all can see it."
"Am I that obvious," the young girl groaned taking a long sip of her drink.
"Yes." Rude spoke his first words of the night.
"Look, we've all been there," Elena offered, "There's something about that red head that sucks you in and you can never figure out what it is. There are better looking guys, more charming guys, just all around better guys for you but you get stuck on him and are left wondering why you can't break free. I swear he's like a curse."
"More like a drug," Tifa added chuckling, "If you aren't careful you'll be like all the others and get addicted to his 'love'," she had said 'love' making quotation marks with her fingers. Reno only had a few real loves and the only one that was a person was himself. He love being a Turk, drinking, money, fast cars, sex. He was basically a rock star without the musical ability.
"You're right he is a drug," Elena agreed with the bartender. "You wanna quit, you wanna get out but it's like he holding you down... … literally and figuratively I guess. Whatever it is, you just want that one more touch." Laney had never slept with Reno but they had gotten damn close a few times. It was she who had always run away from him in those situations.
He's a good time cowboy Casanova
Leaning up against the record machine
Looks like a cool drink of water
But he's candy-coated misery
He's the devil in disguise
A snake with blue eyes
And he only comes out at night
Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight
You better run for your life
"He is a good time though, a real cowboy Casanova," Tifa said staring at him leaning up again an old, fake record machine. Her voice had taken on a dreamy quality as she remembered those few nights that they had together. She did not care if either of the girls knew about her and Reno, she had been sure that he had gone to work and told them all the sordid details. Tifa knew Reno, and her assumption had been correct.
"It's like I'm stuck in a desert and there's the oasis," muttered Cissa, "he just looks like a cool drink of water for my dry throat." That comment earned her a few stares from the other three at the table. Rude did not say a word, he just got up from the table and walked to the bar.
"Yea but that boy's just candy-coated misery," Elena sighed finding her drink. "Just a devil in disguse, a real snake."
"With gorgeous blue eyes," Cissa added fawning over Reno. Tifa and Elena exchanged a glance, they were losing Alicissa. Elena had grown to like the newest addition to their team, but as soon as Reno was done with she'd leave the Turks or ask to be assigned to a new team. Elena had actually destroyed the previous record for a woman working on the same team as Reno, she was going on about six years now. Since the days of hunting her new AVALANCHE til the present day, six long, annoying, heartbreaking years.
"If he only came out at night, we'd all have a chance to stay away from him. Oh, Reno why can't you be a stoic vampire like Vincent," Tifa laughed.
"Now Alicissa," Elena began. She was going to try to save the girl. "One day he's going to stir up some feelings you won't want to fight. At that point take your emotions and run for you life. Take a vacation, get a boyfriend, have a thousand one night stands, just do something to take your mind off him."
I see that look on your face
You ain't hearing what I say
So I'll say it again
'Cause I know where you been
And I know how it ends
You can't get away
Don't even look in his eyes
He'll tell you nothing but lies
And you wanna believe
But you won't be deceived
If you listen to me
And take my advice
"She's gone Elena," Tifa said throwing up her hands. Alicissa had only nodded at Elena's advice, but the two other women knew that the girl had not heard a single word of it. "See the look on her face, she wasn't hearing a word you said." Cissa was just watching Reno laugh and joke with the two women over by that record machine. No doubt the red head would find some way of taking them both home with him. He was not in the habit of trying to locate a girl he let go. Generally, the few that he had tried to call the next day were sore about being his secondary choice.
"I'll say it again," Elena said after finishing more of her drink. Tifa rose to go get all of them another round. "Cissa I knew how this ends and if you can't get away then we're all screwed. Just stop watching him now, don't even look in his eyes for the rest of the night. If he can't manage to win over those two girls he'll tell you nothing but lies to get you back to his apartment. Just listen to me and heed my advice and you won't fall prey to his deception."
Finally, Cissa nodded in agreement with Elena. The new Turk knew that she had to do her best to avoid falling under Reno's spell if she wanted to keep her job. Sleeping with your teammates was not forbidden, but it always led to problems and a transfer of one or both parties. Alicissa loved being a Turk and working beside Elena, Reno, and Rude had proved to be fun. Tifa returned with drinks just as Reno walked back to the table, alone. He had not been able to win over the two loose bar women and they had left.
Reno had an itch that only a woman could scratch. He glanced around him at the three beautiful women with a smirk on his face. As soon as she saw that smirk Tifa conveniently remembered that she had to start cleaning up, Elena yawned a muttered something about going to bed and that she would walk home with Rude. Before the blond Turk left she gave Alicissa a reassuring smile, confident that the girl could think of some lame excuse to get away from Reno. This was her test to see if she had paid attention to Elena and Tifa's advice about Reno.
Within moments of Elena and Rude's departure Reno led Cissa out of the bar. His arm was draped around her shoulder and he was whispering something in her ear. Tifa heard the girl giggle as the two exitied.
"Cowboy Casanova... ….You better run for you life Alicissa," the bartender muttered clearing up empty glasses and shaking her head.