A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Seriously, if you don't like reading sexual scenes, do NOT read further.

Chapter 24:

It was good to be back in her own bed again. As much as it was nice to be with half the remaining members of AVALANCHE, nothing ever quite felt like sleeping in a bed that was all her own. Tifa hadn't had her own bed since the plate fell on Sector 7, spending the next few months living in hotel rooms and tents – and that one stranger's house in Lower Junon. She became accustomed to falling asleep in a variety of places and under a variety of conditions.

Sometimes the hotels were noisy, like in The Gold Saucer. Sometimes they were freezing, like in Icicle Inn. The rooms in Mideel were too muggy, and she could never get a good night's sleep in Nibelheim due to the nightmares and eeriness of the whole town.

And now that she had gotten used to her own bed – queen size, plush mattress, warm blankets – she found it more difficult to sleep fully elsewhere. Sure, she slept in Cosmo Canyon, but the air was dry and the furniture creaked like she was in a log cabin in the woods. It was a fitful sleep.

She almost immediately crashed when her and Yuffie returned the night before. Her beautiful truck had gotten pretty banged up on the trip and she would have to find someone to get the dents out. Tomorrow. She usually unpacked when she got home – had to keep her home constantly clean – but this time she just came upstairs, changed into pajamas, brushed her teeth, and collapsed on her bed. She didn't even know whether Yuffie stayed the night or decided to leave immediately.

She slept clear into Sunday, so it wasn't like she had to open the bar that night. She kind of wanted to open the bar since she'd been gone so long (and a certain redhead might appear) but she decided it was better to stick to the schedule and use this day to unpack and relax after an exhausting trip. It was already the afternoon when she first fluttered her eyes open to find herself in a well-lit room, gripping her pillow as if she were hugging another person. Cloud.

In the old days she would have gladly left Cosmo Canyon and gone immediately to the Forgotten Capital, but back then she didn't have a business to run (thanks to Reno). She had nowhere to go and AVANLANCHE was her family. Now, however, she was alone and had responsibilities to, well, to her patrons, at least.

She had to be back in Cosmo Canyon in a week. She wasn't looking forward to making the trip again and really hoped the Highwind would be fixed by then so she wouldn't have to drive through the mountains to Junon, take the cargo ship to Costa del Sol, and then drive to the Canyon. Would she then have to drive everyone to the Forgotten Capital? Two people would have to sit in the bed of the truck, which would be almost as unpleasant as walking.

She knew Cloud could ride his bike all the way to the lost city of the Ancients, but that was much faster than her truck and Cloud never seemed to get tired of his vehicle. He could probably make the trip in a single day since he didn't like stopping to rest.

Which concerned her deeply. He should have gotten to the Forgotten Capital and back by now. He was looking for "forgiveness," but he should have found that by now, right? A month and a half? So many things could have gone wrong. He could have thrown away his phone to start a new life away from AVALANCHE and… her. He could be injured or worse. Or maybe the Jenova cells in him were influencing his behavior again like they did two years ago.

She hugged the pillow to her chest a little tighter and scrunched her eyes to stop the tears. None of those possibilities were good for Cloud or for her.

Time to get up, Tifa.

Tifa shot up and looked around frantically. She could have sworn she just heard Aeris' voice reassuring her. Nah, that was crazy, right?

Well, she was awake now, might as well look decent. She stretched her arms and yawned as if to greet the day – or afternoon – and walked into the bathroom. By now she was overanalyzing the last text she sent to Reno. It was so… clinical. He was clearly trying to flirt (or something) and she responded with "Nice photo" and an itinerary. The more she thought about it on the trip home, the more she wished she had said something more flirtatious, like "Oh, natural redhead?" or even sent a photo of her own. She'd never done something like that and wasn't anxious to start with Reno since he'd probably share it at work or do something mortifying like posting it on a billboard somewhere.

She'd never had to do something like that before. She lived with Cloud. He was never away from her for too long, so if they were feeling romantic, they could just act it out in person. And they certainly did, at first. Somehow putting Cloud's conscious back together reset his hormones back to when he was a teenager. He would paw her back then. She couldn't walk past him without him pulling her in for a kiss or grabbing her ass or trying to tickle her. He'd join her in the shower, in the back room of the bar, even in her truck (while it was in the garage, of course). Years of pent up… aggression… seemed to pour out of him. Tifa found herself sore for days on end, but her love for him made her want him just as much.

She just hoped that Nanaki was wrong about the Jenova cells. Cloud had fought the influence before and lost several times. Tifa couldn't imagine what he was going through right now, all alone, possibly injured.

She stepped into the shower and felt the heat soothe her aching muscles. Sleep had helped, but days of fighting had taken its toll. Maybe she was getting old… at 22. No, that wasn't it. She wasn't just dealing with physical pain, but emotional turmoil as well. And it wasn't the jealousy and guilt she felt while chasing Sephiroth now, either. It was fear, concern, confusion, anger, and a number of other emotions she couldn't explain relating to Cloud and Reno.

The text she sent him probably made him think she wasn't interested. But she at least answered, right? She hadn't done that at first… and he probably still remembered their encounter in Junon, though she figured he'd probably been with a handful of women in the time since.

She turned off the water and dried off, wrapping a towel around her long, wet hair. She wrapped herself in her red satin bathrobe and strolled into the kitchen for coffee.

"Now who's the late sleeper?" Yuffie asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

Tifa nearly jumped out of her skin. She should have known Yuffie was still in the house, but she was surprised nonetheless.

"It was a long week," Tifa replied, picking up the coffee pot and pouring herself a cup.

"Gonna see Reno soon?"

"Heading back to Wutai soon?" Tifa retorted, taking a sip from her mug.

Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I can tell you want the place to yourself," she said with a wink.

Tifa groaned.

"How did you even get here, anyway?"

"Ninja powers," Yuffie said, demonstrating with a few quick air punches.

Tifa just shook her head. Yuffie seemed to traverse the world rather quickly for someone who didn't have a car or airship and who was prone to motion sickness. Tifa decided against pressing further. Let Yuffie have her secret.

"I was planning on heading home in a little bit, just gotta get packed," Yuffie offered after a few moments of silence.

"Take your time, I didn't mean to make it seem like I was kicking you out."

"I know, don't worry."

At least the ninja could take a joke.

True to her word, Yuffie left not too long after she finished her coffee, showered and dressed, and packed. Tifa waved goodbye from her front door as the young woman trotted off down the street with a backpack and her satchel of materia, which she didn't even use in Cosmo Canyon.

Tifa closed the door to her bar and leaned back against it, resting the back of her head against the wood. She had the rest of the day to herself and was actually looking forward to being alone this time. She unpacked and cleaned her apartment and the bar and checked the inventory. She would need to put in an order for some supplies but could manage a few days.

She was out of the Turks' favorite scotch, but she didn't feel like fighting today. She'd grab it tomorrow on her way back from the theater.

She flopped back on her couch after everything was put in order, still tired from the trip home. As soon as she hit the fabric, she felt the familiar buzz of her phone.

"1 text message from Reno"

It's like he always knew when she was lying down.

"Home yet, babe?" it said.

Tifa considered answering. Then she considered not answering because she hated when he called her "babe."

In the end, she figured she would nap on it.

Meanwhile…

Reno was sitting in a bar (no surprise) with Elena and Rude, trying to figure out how he could broach the subject of surveilling Tifa without making Rude uncomfortable. The red-haired Turk was holding his tumbler up off the table and staring into the amber liquid inside, swirling it gently as if it was telling him the answer.

If it were up to him, they'd start working today, even though it was technically their day off. Did Turks really have a day off? He couldn't just suggest that to Rude, as it would look too obvious that he wanted to be around her. It might even look like he liked Tifa, and he couldn't have that. But he did really want to see her. It had been a pretty agonizing week in Junon and then back in Edge while she was still away.

By Friday he couldn't take it anymore and went to a bar near his apartment. He picked up a woman easily, but for the first time in his life he couldn't follow through (not like that). He had taken the woman by the wrist after whispering in her ear, and she followed willingly. But when he led her outside into an alley (now this was a woman he could take in an alley), he lost his nerve. Her mouth tasted like alcohol, cigarettes, and mint gum. Now, Reno was aware that he usually tasted that way, and most of the women he usually picked up tasted that way, but for some reason on this night it made him sick. He pulled back from the woman and without apologizing or explaining or saying anything, he just left her in the alley and walked home to take a cold shower.

He considered faking an illness and starting the job himself, but he knew Rude would get suspicious. He might be able to get away with that once everyone parted, but for now he'd have to wait. He hated waiting.

He wasn't even sure if Tifa was back in town, to be honest. He sent that text a few hours ago but she hadn't responded yet. He also couldn't tell Rude and Elena that he knew when she would be back in town because, well, they didn't know he had her number.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and send a little thrill up his leg. He slowly moved his other hand off the table to remove his phone from his pants without Rude or Elena noticing. He then pushed off ever so slightly from the table and hunched his back further to create a larger gap between his torso and the table. Holding his phone between his legs, he took a sip from his scotch and opened his PHS.

"1 text message from Tifa"

He tried to stifle a smile and took another sip as he pressed a button to open the message. He and Rude had gone to Seventh Heaven each night since Rufus gave them the assignment, but each time it had been closed.

"Missing my tan lines?"

Clever girl.

No matter what she said, it got him flustered. His mild sunburn had disappeared (at least Tifa didn't get to see much of that), but he now worried the other Turks would see him turn red after reading her text.

Rude seemed lost in thought. Elena seemed distracted by her phone. Who could she be texting? Reno considered snatching her phone, but worried she'd return the favor. He was faster than her, but she had nails and didn't hesitate to use them.

He checked his watch: 7:30. Too early to suggest calling it a night. They were Turks, they should be working surveillance right now.

"Think we should swing by Seventh Heaven to see if she's back?" Rude asked.

Oh thank God.

Reno took another swig from his drink. Had to look like he was disinterested or too lazy. He yawned and stretched his arms up over his head before bringing his hands to rest on the back of his neck.

"Eh, might as well," he said nonchalantly.

Rude eyed him carefully, knowing Reno was putting on a show for his sake. He thought he'd gotten over the whole Reno-Tifa thing in the past week, but he realized it was just because she wasn't around. Now he felt that white-hot jealousy welling up inside him as they paid their tabs. Elena… didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Who ya textin'?" Reno baited, leaning over to try and look at her phone.

"N, no one!" Elena said, a bit too defensively.

Reno had his suspicions but decided to leave it alone so he and Rude could get away. He tossed down some extra gil to cover Elena's tab so she could continue with whatever she was doing.

Reno and Rude stopped when they were nearing Seventh Heaven.

"You take the front and the side, I'll take the back," Reno told Rude.

The bald Turk nodded his head in agreement and kept to the shadows as he approached the front of the bar. The lights were off downstairs, but Rude could see a soft glow emanating from the upstairs windows. He tried to appear casual as he rounded the corner, knowing she couldn't see him and not wanting to appear suspicious to anyone brave enough to be out on the streets.

He approached one of the windows of the bar and peered in, able to see inside somewhat thanks to a nearby streetlight. Nothing. Everything appeared in place for closing – the chairs were upside down on the tables, the liquor bottles were all facing forward, the glasses were all racked. Rude continued on down the street to meet up with Reno in the back alley.

Reno made it to the back alley and looked up at a lighted window upstairs. He had been able to climb up to the second floor a couple weeks ago to get into her bedroom, but that window was now dark – and closed. He was now looking up at the window that was next to her bedroom, calculating his moves. He could climb up to the bedroom window no problem and it looked like he might be able to climb across to the window he now stood under. It was worth a shot.

He navigated his way up to the bedroom window and hung there for a moment with his toes pressed against the wood siding. It was rough enough that he wouldn't slip, and he started to sidle over to the next window.

When he got ahold of the windowsill, he let his legs drop so that he was hanging. Couldn't chance her seeing him outside. He listened a moment for any sounds coming from inside but heard none. He slowly began to pull himself up to see inside the window. He was able to see into her living room, and noticed immediately that it was a good thing he hadn't let Rude take the back alley.

Tifa was lying on her couch looking away from the window. She was wearing her standard tank top and mini skirt and had one knee bent upwards. She held her phone in her hands slightly above her head and Reno could see that she had his picture up on her screen. He grinned. Her text about it being a "nice photo" was clearly an attempt to be coy.

Reno continued to stare at her, hopefully he'd get to see her do something with the photo (he was already imagining it in his head), but she just looked at it for a while. He dropped back to the alley below and swiped his hands together to clear the dirt he had collected. He still had that grin on his face when he met up with Rude.

"She home?" the bald man asked.

"Yep," Reno responded. "She's just chilling upstairs, yo, playin' on her phone."

He bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling so wide his teeth showed. Surely Rude would see them in the moonlight.

"So?"

"So?"

"Let's get to it," Rude said.

Reno smiled and nodded. He loved this part. He buried his hands in his pockets and walked around to the side of the bar, helping Rude check the windows as they went. All were locked. Reno's ego told him it was because of him, and he was proud. No problem for the Turks. Rude turned to Reno and sighed.

"Can you get in?"

Reno could tell it pained Rude to ask that question, but he was a consummate professional. So, Rude hadn't completely forgiven him, but at least Reno had an opening.

"I can try," Reno said, trying to make it seem like he didn't think it was possible.

He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

"And now we wait," he said, lacing his fingers behind his head.

Rude folded his arms across his chest and lowered his head. He wanted to know how long Reno and Tifa had been texting, but he was trying to forgive his friend and move on. Still, it stung.

He heard Reno's phone vibrate. The slender redhead opened the device and checked eagerly.

"She said the bar opens tomorrow," Reno said glumly.

Rude snorted in amusement. Perhaps there wasn't as much between them as he thought.

"Works for me," Rude said.

He had actually hoped Reno wouldn't be invited in. He wasn't sure he could handle that just yet. Tomorrow would be better anyway; they could unlock a window while in the bar and come back later to easily get inside and bug the place. He really didn't want to break a window, it'd be too obvious.

"Call it a night?" Reno asked as he shoved his hands back into his pockets and hunched over.

Rude checked his watch. Still pretty early, but an early night never killed anyone.

"I suppose," he said as the pair started walking away from Seventh Heaven.

Reno pulled out a cigarette and lit it up as they came to place where they typically separated.

"When do you want to meet up tomorrow?" he asked.

"Nine," Rude said stiffly. "Bartenders are not on a normal schedule."

"Sounds good, buddy, see you then," Reno said, giving Rude a pat on the back.

The two parted ways and Reno started walking toward his home. Once he turned a corner and was sure Rude would be too far away, he turned around and trotted back toward Seventh Heaven, skillfully avoiding some dying guard dogs looking for a fight.

He arrived back at Tifa's bar within minutes, making sure he wasn't being followed, and knocked on the front door. He pulled out his phone and sent her a text: "Downstairs, yo."

He hated lying to Rude, but he needed to see her. Spending a full week away from her was just too hard at this point. He supposed it was because other women just couldn't satisfy him anymore.

Tifa had been fine on her own that day. She didn't spend it wallowing in loneliness. But when a text from Reno came while she was looking at his picture, she was excited just enough to make what she knew she would come to see as a bad decision.

She opened the door to find Reno leaning against the outside frame, one arm resting on the wood above his head, his right ankle crossed over his left; his whole demeanor easy and detached.

"Hey babe," he said coolly, casually tossing the butt of his cigarette out of view.

"Hello," Tifa responded in a warm tone to deflect his relaxed attitude.

Standing there, he could have been modeling for some expensive suit company – the perfectly tailored fit of the jacket and pants, his shirt unbuttoned down to his chest, and the wild, untamed red hair moving gently in the night breeze. His facial expression, however, was unexpected, as he looked disinterested; like it had been a burden for him to come over.

Tifa brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, nervous that his behavior toward her had changed. Reno took a few steps toward her, glancing around the bar like he expected to find someone else inside. Tifa was forced to step back out of his path as he ignored her. His gaze then met hers and suddenly he lifted his hands up to her face to bring her lips to his in an aggressive kiss.

"Dammit, yo, I can't go a week without touching, er, seeing you," he said.

Nice save.

She smiled her trademark simple, sweet smile as her nerves calmed. He couldn't keep up a façade around her for too long.

Reno spun on his heel, aided by the smooth floor, and walked to the bar to sit on his usual stool. Tifa instinctually strolled – nearly skipping – to her place behind the bar as if he were just a customer and she were just his bartender. She absentmindedly reached for his favorite bottle of scotch before realizing she was out. She whipped around, leaning against the liquor cabinet with her hands gripping its counter.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of your scotch," she said.

Reno's scotch. He and Rude were the only ones willing to shell out the money to drink it, but suddenly she was calling it Reno's. The money the Turks spent on it did more than pay for a new bottle, so in a way she could argue it belonged to them.

Reno huffed and started to stand up from his stool.

"Guess I'll be leavin' then," Reno said.

Tifa almost looked as if she accepted his statement.

"I'm kidding, yo," he said, sitting back down. "Just give me whatever. Booze is booze. I'm here for the company."

Tifa smiled again and turned around to find her second-most expensive bottle of scotch, which was rarely touched. Her regular customers were not, as you'd say, picky. She mechanically grabbed a glass from the shelf and spun it in her hand to set it down upright before opening the bottle and pouring a drink with a flourish. She turned to Reno and gently set the glass down in front of him. He picked it up and "cheers'd" her with the glass silently before taking a sip.

"Pour yourself one, I'll pay for both," Reno suggested.

Despite her profession, Tifa was not a big drinker, and she certainly didn't want to lower her inhibitions when she was alone with a man like Reno. Still, she supposed one glass of Corel wine wouldn't hurt.

She wasn't even used to sitting on the chairs at her own bar, so she continued to stand behind the counter as if she were working.

"Take a seat, yo," Reno said, patting the stool next to him. Rude's usual seat.

Tifa obliged and walked around the bar and approached the stool, but Reno reached out to grab her by the waist and pull her against him before she could sit. She stumbled and nearly dropped her glass, suddenly finding herself with the side of Reno's head against her breasts. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be anything sexual about his actions. It appeared as though he just wanted to hold her and feel her warmth against his own.

She reflexively began to stroke the spikes of his hair, as she had done with Cloud so many times over the years. Reno relaxed into her, his body settling against her almost as if he needed her to hold him up.

"Rough day?" Tifa asked, peering down at the top of his head, his goggles pressed into her sternum.

He tightened his grip around her and gently nuzzled his head between her breasts, though again, it didn't feel sexual.

"Rough week," he admitted.

Tifa couldn't believe that he had opened up to her at all. The Turks were a closely guarded bunch, and though Reno was more emotional than the others (mostly anger, however) he still never expressed what he thought of his job.

"What happened?" Tifa asked, though she didn't think she'd get a real answer.

"Nothing," he responded. "Literally nothing."

"That sounds like a safe week in your line of work."

"Exactly. I hate 'safe.'"

A smile formed on Tifa's lips and quickly disappeared. She couldn't imagine anyone else being upset that they didn't have a near-death experience for a week. She wouldn't tell him about her own week, how she was nearly impaled by a giant stinger in a cave beneath Cosmo Canyon. She couldn't risk him finding out why she was there and potentially notifying Rufus.

"You Turks must be the only people who feel that way," she said.

He tried to lift his head to look into her eyes, but the position he had chosen initially did not allow him to see anything but part of her breast. He wasn't complaining.

"I thought you AVALANCHE types lived for danger," he said.

Tifa chuckled like a mother whose child had just asked a silly question.

"Maybe some of them were like that, but I never was," she said. "I mean, not truly."

Reno loosened his grip on her waist and pulled away, leaving his hand to rest on the small of her back, his fingers outstretched and his pinky slipping beneath the waistband of her skirt.

"Huh," he said. "I guess I got a different impression during our fights."

He grinned and looked up at her. She laughed.

"I'm sure it certainly looked like I lived for danger when I was kicking your ass," she responded.

"Kicking my ass? Honey, I let you win."

"Oh, you did, did you?" she was flirting now, with a wicked half-smile and a cocked eyebrow.

Reno stood up, never moving his hand off her back, and pulled her close to him once more. He brought his free hand down to grip her rear end and squeezed. She yelped.

"I just didn't want to hurt that pretty little ass of yours," he cooed, looking down into her disbelieving eyes. "But if you wanna take me on, I'm all for it."

He was now grinning from ear to ear, but he couldn't trick her. She pulled back out of his grip and raised her index finger as if warning him.

"Nice try, but I know why you like to fight me," she taunted.

"Oh, come on, I'll even turn the mag rod setting down," he said, that devilish grin returning to his face.

"You really think you could beat me?" Tifa asked.

"I don't think, I know," he baited.

Tifa narrowed her eyes at him. She knew what he was doing, but some part of her felt her pride had been attacked. The Turks always gave up when fighting her and AVALANCHE. There was no way he could defeat her one-on-one.

"Fine," she sighed. "But no using pyramid, no using the mag rod there, no materia, and we stop before someone gets seriously injured, alright?"

Reno was all for it.

"Whatever you want, my dear." He took off his jacket and draped it neatly over his barstool before rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. Tifa would never admit it, but she loved the look of a man in a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves.

She pulled out her Premium Heart and stretched the gloves over her hands, making sure Reno could hear the crackling of the leather. Reno unhooked his mag rod and snapped his wrist, powering up the weapon but lowering the setting to what he affectionately referred to as "pleasure." Tifa winced just at the sight and sound of the electricity flowing through the weapon.

They each got into their fighting stances in the middle of the bar, sizing each other up and remembering what attacks had worked well in the past. For the latter, Reno was at a significant disadvantage, since his first fight with Tifa involved him repeatedly trapping her in a pyramid and during his second battle he was too turned on to really take stock of her weaknesses.

Reno gestured with his fingers to invite Tifa to take the first shot and it was on.

Tifa lunged at him, jumping into the air and slamming into him foot-first, knocking him back and reminding him of all the pain Rude had inflicted on his face after he found out about Reno and Tifa. Before Reno could get up, Tifa had him pinned to the ground, straddling him at the waist and lifting him up by the collar of his shirt, her hand balled into a fist and pulled back into the air, ready to punch.

Reno glanced down quickly to see her panties before reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her down against him. She struggled, still in fight mode, so he grabbed her wrists in his hands and held her arms behind her back.

"I think I win," he whispered.

Tifa jolted at his words and broke out of his hold, jumping back to her feet and raising her hands in front of her face defensively.

"I don't think so," she growled.

She again reached for him, this time delivering a series of blows to his chest. He had to take a few steps back but reached up his mag rod and drove it into her side. It wasn't the pain she was used to from the device, but it was enough to cause her to cry out, perhaps because she anticipated a much greater shock.

She batted the EMR away and crouched on the floor, sweeping her leg toward him and dropping him to the ground. Instead of pinning him and giving him an opening, she reached down to pull him up by the collar and then slammed him to the ground again.

Reno sputtered a moment before grinning at Tifa and rushing toward her. He lowered his shoulder into her stomach and carried her back into the wall before again brining his mag rod to her side. She struggled and kicked against him as he pinned her to the wall, trying to at least avoid the electricity.

She lifted a knee and pressed her foot into his chest, kicking him backward as she landed gracefully back on the ground. He again lunged for her, pressing her up against the wall and grabbing her face in his hands to kiss her. At first she struggled against him, as she was still ready to fight, but she soon removed her hands from his arms and reached up to cup his face with one hand and rest the other on the back of his neck.

They were both breathing rapidly as the fight turned into a passionate make-out session, each seemingly still fighting the other with their tongue. Reno reached behind her neck to grab her hair and pull it down so that he had access to her neck. He started kissing, then nipping, then sucking, and occasionally even straight up biting her skin from her neck to her shoulder, giving special attention to her pulse point. She moaned and brought one leg up to wrap around his waist. He gladly lowered one hand to hold up her upper thigh while snaking his fingers toward the edge of her panties.

This was it, Tifa thought, the moment she was making the worst decision of her life. Going any further with Reno would necessarily revoke her AVALANCHE membership – not to mention spitting on the graves of Jessie, Bigg's, and Wedge.

In addition, she was now convinced Cloud was somewhere in the world needing her help, if Nanaki's theory about Jenova cells and the Lifestream was correct. What had she become in the month and a half since Cloud had left? He'd been her whole world for most of her life, yet less than two months away from him and she was about to do the unthinkable with one of his enemies?

She clawed at the back of Reno's head as she felt his thumb glide over the front of her panties to feel her sweet spot, while his index finger slid along the edge, teasing her with entrance.

"Tell me what you want, yo," he breathed into her ear, his voice heady.

And Tifa honestly didn't know. Physically her body wanted more, but her mind just couldn't get past the fact that this was Reno. What was happening was torturous, but she didn't know how much further she could go without completely hating herself. She definitely couldn't allow him to go from seeing her breasts to fucking her – that was out of the question. Maybe allow him just a little more access? Maybe turn the tables and make him uncomfortable for a change? Was that even possible?

"I want…" she whispered back into his ear, finding it difficult to speak as his fingers threatened to defile her. "I want… to see what's in the picture…"

It was the safest thing she could ask for, honestly. It would keep him from knowing her but give him a little hope to keep going. He pulled away from her and grinned as she slowly lowered her foot back to the floor and adjusted her skirt, holding her knees together in embarrassment.

Reno unbuttoned his shirt, which was already untucked, and pressed his hips into hers back against the wall. Tifa could see his lean physique, every muscle of his torso and almost every bone as well. She ran her finger down his chest to his belly button, and then slowly, with just the tip of her fingers skimming his body, traced the line of hair from his belly to his belt.

He was almost as narrow as she was, his hip bones sticking out from his thin frame and those "V" muscles pointing her in the direction he wanted her to go.

He waited patiently as she weighed her options, the anticipation exciting him and causing him to torture himself by not simply throwing her to the ground and taking her as he wanted. Her eyes fixated on his belt buckle and the hair that disappeared underneath.

Was she crazy? She suddenly found herself breathing far more rapidly than she had been. She was panicking but fighting through it. She wanted this, and she had to stop worrying about Cloud. Reno had been right, if Cloud loved her, he would have found a way to contact her. He could just as easily be fine somewhere and ignoring her.

She hesitantly brought her hands to his belt buckle, rubbing her thumb over the face of it as she stalled – partially to gather her own resolve, but also to torture him as he had done to her. His loins tensed up when she unbuckled his belt; she could see his erection move underneath his pants. She lifted her head to look him in the eye as she lazily felt around for the button on his pants. His eyes were dilated and intense, staring back at her with a feral gaze that begged her to keep going.

Unbuttoning his pants allowed her to see more of his happy trail, and she felt her own insides tense with desire. She kept her eyes trained on the trail as she slowly unzipped his fly. He let out a moan and moved his hips to allow his pants to fall to the ground, revealing his navy-blue boxer briefs underneath. Tifa could see the outline of his package now, angled up and to the side, the tip poking out above the waistband of his boxers near his hip.

She admittedly didn't have much experience with men, but she hadn't expected Reno to be so… big. Yuffie had been right, his long, lean frame translated into a long member. Not that Cloud was small, by any means, but Reno did have him beat in that department. This must be why Reno was a womanizer without leaving too many angry women in his wake.

Reno was finding it difficult to let her keep going without pawing at her. He wanted her to explore him, but he was really hoping she would be a bit quicker. By this point during their encounter on the floor of the bar weeks earlier he had already seen her breasts. Speaking of, she was still annoyingly clothed. He decided he could forgo – for a moment – her lowering his boxers in exchange for getting to see those beautiful breasts of hers. She shoved her back into the wall and kissed her again, pressing his erection against her sweet spot. As their tongues danced, he reached for the hem of her tank top and pulled it up, releasing his lips from hers for a brief moment to pull her shirt over her head and toss it to the floor.

She instinctively moved to cover her breasts and he let her – for a second. His hands reached around her back and unclasped her bra instantly as she clutched it to her chest. He reached up to drop the straps from her shoulders and coax her into letting him see. She eventually gave in, sheepishly, still always embarrassed that a man was seeing her half naked. It never really got easier even with Cloud, and she never knew why.

Probably because she had been teased about her breast size as a young teenager (she developed early), and even though she knew the men seeing them now would not insult her, she still had that childhood fear she couldn't let go.

Reno's hands were greedy, roaming over her breasts as if he had just discovered them. He squeezed one while bringing his tongue to the nipple of the other, sliding his muscle around the areola before nipping gently on the aroused bud. Tifa's legs shook beneath her. This was definitely too far. Reno was certainly at that man's "point of no return" and she wasn't sure if she were brave enough to continue on. It seemed he was determined, however.

He continued to suck on her nipple before aggressively kissing and nipping his way to her other breast, bringing his hands down to his boxer briefs and tugging them downward. He stood back up fully to watch Tifa's eyes widen as she looked upon his erect member. All women had that look of shock and desire. He was quite proud of it.

Tifa, unfortunately for him, was still overdressed, so he decided his next move was to remedy that. He pressed his chest against hers and rubbed his tip on the outside of her panties, just over her entrance. She suddenly felt the same sensation she had in the dream and knew Reno could tell how wet she was. He again sucked on her neck, bringing his hands down to the hem of her skirt, lifting it up to her hips and sliding his hands along her cheeks.

He wanted her and she knew it, but she wasn't ready to go any further, already embarrassed that he was so close to being inside her. He brushed his hands up to her hips and looped his thumbs under the sides of her panties and began to pull them down. She met his hands with her own and held them in place.

"Reno…"

He knew what that tone meant. He had gone too far. He could salvage this. He could walk away with something and still make her feel like he was a gentleman respecting her boundaries. He raised her panties back into place and gave the sides of her thong a little pat when they were in place. He then lowered her skirt but stayed pressed against her, burying his face in her chest. He gently kissed his way back up to her lips and parted with her, searching her eyes for an indication that she was okay with at least a little more play. She smiled, and he knew he could get away with a little more.

He wasn't going to humiliate himself by getting off from dry humping her; that wasn't his style. He continued to kiss her but caught her wrist and lowered her hand to his erection. She at first jumped at the feel of his skin, but he held her wrist. She timidly ran her fingers up and down the shaft from the hilt to the tip and back, before swirling her thumb around the tip. Nervously, she gripped his member in her hand and began to slowly, but surely, work the shaft.

He moaned at her touch and threw his head back to concentrate on her movements. She was surprisingly good at this, despite her inexperience. Strife had been a lucky man – how could he have given up this woman? Reno returned his gaze to Tifa and looked at her hungrily, his eyes focused like a wild animal. He again lurched for her and thrust his tongue into her mouth, treating her with little regard as he pumped his hips to help her down south. This wasn't his first – or second – preferred method for getting off, but he figured this was a big enough step for her that he would not pass it up. He felt awkward, but knew that one day – soon – he would releasing into her instead of onto her.

As he approached his own gratification, he grabbed her waist and quickly laid her on the ground. Her eyes widened with fears as she briefly thought he was going to kneel down and enter her. Instead, he showed her the side of him that didn't respect women, finishing on her chest.

"Oh…. Fuuuuuuck…." He said as he came onto her breasts.

She wasn't terribly happy about it, but knew it was better than his other options. She had cut him off, the least she could do is let him finish without embarrassing himself.

After he had unloaded, he collapsed onto the floor next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close (being careful not to get any of his own juices on himself, of course).

"Damn, girl," he cooed into her ear as he brought his free hand to rest behind his head.

Tifa was nervous, excited, and embarrassed by the whole situation. It had been hot, but she was now in so deep she wasn't sure she'd be able to get back out. She had seen him at his most vulnerable, gotten a brief glimpse into what sex with him might be like – and she was curious.

This was so out of her character, she thought, that maybe the Lifestream really had an affect on her. Maybe she had only been so lustful with Cloud because of what the Lifestream had done. She would certainly buy that as an argument for why she was at this moment lying topless on the floor of her bar, covered in the secretions of a man she had once considered her enemy, who was lying nearly naked on the floor next to her.

And then she said the words she never thought she would ever say to him: "You can stay, if you want."

End notes: Woo boy! Finally, some action. Knowing Tifa, she'll overthink this to death, so look forward to that as well as Reno scheming to get further with her. We still have a week until the Forgotten Capital, you know.