"Well, happy birthday, then," Tifa smiled down at him.

He nodded in acknowledgement. Tifa sort of liked that. The kind of men who tended to hit on her said a thousand things, none of which were interesting or even intelligent.

Rude said nothing, unless it was of utmost importance. One-word sentences were a refreshing change, she decided.

Rude's presence was nice to bask in. It was calm and quiet, but something underlying made it feel adventurous to the point of dangerous. But if there were danger, Rude wasn't the type of man to allow harm to come to anyone. Not that he was protective, but he made everything feel safe.

Safe. Safe, but dangerous.

She managed to bask in that delicious juxtaposition for the rest of the night.

-

"Thanks," Rude told her appreciatively. They stood outside the offices that also housed their living space. Tifa had helped Rude literally carry a very drunk Reno home.

"Any time," she laughed quietly, and a strand of hair came loose from behind her ear. Rude's gloved fingers twitched as he thought about tucking the piece of dark silk back into position.

"If there's anything you ever need, don't hesitate to tell me," Rude felt a bit stupid. He was trying to word that he would do anything for her into a more platonic phrasing of returning the favor of carrying a drunken redhead to his apartment.

Tifa smiled. There he was, saying only things that mattered again. "Let me see your eyes," she told him. Rude cocked an eyebrow coolly, though he quietly choked on his own spit. He tried to disguise his nervous cough.

"Come on, I need to see your eyes," she folded her arms playfully across her chest.

"Why?" Rude asked, touching his sunglasses.

"To know that you actually have them!" Tifa laughed, and Rude's stomach twisted a little. He couldn't deny her when she smiled so prettily up at him. He was much too fond of the dark-haired beauty for that.

"…Fine," he said after a moment, dropping his hands so she could access the dark frames. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as she slid his hands awkwardly into his pockets. With an unseen smile, Tifa's fingers found the earpieces of the sunglasses and carefully pulled them off. Rude sighed quietly at the feeling of her warm fingers brushing against his stony temples. He hoped the dark of night would help to disguise his pink face as a rather familiar heat rushed to the pit of his stomach.

"That's cheating," her voice came softly. Rude felt her calloused fingertips ghost over his eyelids. Rude clenched his fists around the fabric of his trousers as the temptation to seize her fingers and bring them to his lips came over him.

Rude finally opened his eyes, giving her a direct stare so she would know what a favor he was doing her. He nearly fell backwards, as Tifa had stepped very closely to him. Her bosom was maybe three inches away from contact his pectorals. Her fingers were resting softly on his rigid cheekbone. It was suddenly very quiet, even to Rude, except for the sound of Reno vomiting in the bushes.

Tifa liked his eyes. They were a cool, good-natured brown, not quite hazel, but not quite as dark as her own. Perhaps the flecks of green made them stand out. A curious little smile came across her face as her fingers floated slowly downward. Rude continued to look at her. Slender fingers grazed the side of his nose, but he continued to hold steady.

Then, she touched the corner of his mouth. She looked about ready to remove her fingers, ready to pull away from him, but then, Rude knew, the spell would be broken.

He couldn't even imagine that.

One hand went to the small of her back, the other went to swoop around behind her head, and before either of them could think about it, there lips met softly.

Rude had honestly thought that Tifa would shove him away and then proceed to beat him senseless. She was not the type of woman to enjoy the apparently spontaneous affections of someone who could only be called a friendly acquaintance. But she seemed to be enjoying his infatuation.

Maybe she loved him.

Rude thought he would float right out of his shoes. Rather, he drew her even more closely, opening his mouth against hers. Once again, she rose to the opportunity and matched the gesture, biting his lip softly.

Somehow, they were under the stoop and her back was against the door. He wasn't pushing her, not even a bit. His weight was centered as his neck arched slightly to gain fuller access to her lips. His hands rested softly on her hips, toying with the fabric of her white shirt under the black leather vest. He pulled away suddenly, and she sighed just a bit.

Rude looked down at Tifa. Her eyes were completely hidden in shadow, though her hands remained on his shoulders, her fingers still tangled around his sunglasses.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked, his voice soft and hoarse.

Tifa stood on tiptoe to kiss him again, her fingers twining with his gloved hand, "I'd like that."

-

She had slept on her back when Rude had brought her to Seventh Heaven in the throes of unconsciousness. Rude had figured that was how she had always slept. And maybe it was when she slumbered alone.

With any luck at all on his part, for Tifa, slumbering alone might be a thing of the past.

Her hair was extremely soft as it spread out across his bare chest as she spooned up against him, her head resting tenderly on her shoulder. The streetlights made an interesting pattern on the sheets through the window. Her pretty silver earrings gleamed next to his sunglasses on his bedside table.

As a Turk, Rude had always been sharp and observant. He was especially thankful for this skill now as he tried his hardest to memorize every detail. The clock read 2:23. They'd only been here for about an hour. It seemed like a lifetime to the muscular, bald man. Rain had begun to anger on the glass panes. The sheets were pulled up to the middle of his stomach, rising and falling softly as he breathed. The door was closed and locked to keep Reno out.

Tifa's dark eyes fluttered softly. She was clearly trying to stay awake for his benefit, but after a night of bartending, among other things, she was clearly very tired. Rude nuzzled her hair lightly, taking a deep breath.

Tifa liked this very much. Rude was a man of few words; he had said only one thing to her since their exchange outside the door.

"I love you."

It was simple. It was wonderful. She could get used to this. She could get used to him.

Her skin trembled slightly as his hand moved gently up and down her side. Her own hand spread lightly over the top of his abdominals. His other hand lay on her shoulder, massaging softly. He rather enjoyed how unimaginably soft the skin of her torso was against his own.

He could vaguely feel her heartbeat through her breasts. That was wonderful.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

-

"I gotta go," the grey dawn broke all too soon for Rude's taste.

"S'only six," Rude pointed out, hoping he could convince her to stay for a while longer. His arm went around her waist as he tried to keep her close.

"Marlene and Denzel will be missing me," she explained. Her fingers trailed on his arm as she gathered her clothing off the floor.

Rude sighed a little disappointedly.

"Can we do lunch?" Tifa asked, slipping her white tank top on as soon as she had secured her undergarments.

"Not today. Shinra stuff," Rude wished he could say something a little more poignant than that.

"Oh…" Tifa was clearly disheartened. "Some other time?" Rude nodded. He heard her clinking around on the table, gather her earrings.

"Love you," she murmured softly, leaning over to kiss him lightly. Rude caught her hair on his fingers slightly. The lock on the door clicked as she finally left.

Rude sighed. He hoped Reno wouldn't say anything too weird to her.

Wait, Reno was probably hung over. Rude could destroy the evidence of his conquest before his partner could wake up and tease him mercilessly. Quickly, Rude leapt out of bed and went to pull on yesterday's trousers.

Wait, they were still in the hallway.

Grabbing a fresh pair from the bureau, he quickly gathered up the sheets and his clothing and put them into the washing machine. He quickly brushed his teeth and got a fresh blazer and shirt. Going to the bedside table, he suddenly realized something.

His sunglasses were missing.

He got on his knees and looked at the surrounding floor but came up empty. Then, the truth became apparent to the bald man.

Tifa had taken them with her. To assure that he would have to see her again and soon.

Grinning, he got to his feet.

She really was wonderful.

-

Yay!! Fanfic that isn't bleach!!! I hope everyone liked it!