A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Again, if you don't like reading sex scenes, don't read further.
Sorry this chapter has had the longest delay. Life happens.
Chapter 25:
Tifa awoke to find herself alone in her own bed. She couldn't say she was surprised that Reno had absconded in the middle of the night after she invited him to stay over, but it didn't mean that she wasn't hurt. She would regret that for the foreseeable future.
She had allowed him into her space and even a little into her heart. He had seen things she had only let Cloud see and slept where only Cloud should have slept. She had convinced herself that maybe she was different than the other girls Reno went to bed with – that maybe she was special. Waking up alone after she had allowed him to defile her like that showed she was mistaken.
She suddenly felt empty inside and used. Reno had agreed to come upstairs with her the previous night and didn't leave when she went to take a shower to wash off… him. She figured that if he was going to high tail it through the window, that would have been the time. But he didn't try impose on her shower (she half thought he would do that, just for kicks) and he was calmly sitting on Cloud's side of the bed when she entered the bedroom. She wore pajama shorts and a camisole just to be safe while still looking cute. Reno had his legs spread, one off the side of the bed while the other hung off the end and wearing just his boxer briefs. He had a smirk on his face.
"Nice jammies," he teased, eyeing her up and down. Tifa bent at the waist and raised her index finger toward him.
"Can't be too careful with a lecherous Turk around," she joked, while Reno gave a rueful smile.
He had been perfectly chaste that night once they were in bed, wrapping an arm around her and keeping it at her midriff. She could tell it was awkward for him and supposed he wasn't much of a cuddler.
"Reno?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Good night."
"G'night, Lockhart."
In the morning she was facing Cloud's empty side of the bed. His essence was now gone, ripped from the sheets by the musk and sweat of a man who didn't deserve to have laid in Cloud's space. Tifa gripped her pillow, near tears, until her phone buzzed on the nightstand behind her. She turned over and noticed not only her phone, but something that hadn't been there before; something standing in the place where the flowers had been.
She was staring back at herself, in bobblehead form. Her eyebrows knitted together as she studied the figure on her nightstand.
"What in the world…?" she said out loud, as if the bobblehead would answer.
She sat up and grabbed the figurine, bringing it closer to her chest to inspect it. It wasn't the worst likeness of herself she had ever seen (that honor belonged to Cloud's napkin drawing of her he created in jest while waiting for dinner one night). It was her alright, even had her name inscribed at the bottom.
"Where did he find you?" she asked it. The figure nodded back gently. Next she took her phone (without letting go of the bobblehead) and checked her message from Reno.
"Duty calls, yo," the message said.
Perhaps he hadn't simply fled her in the middle of the night like one of his one-night stands. Perhaps she was different.
Meanwhile…
"Duty," of course, meant running back home, showering and changing, and then running back to Seventh Heaven to meet Rude and start surveilling the woman with whom he had just spent the night. What a job.
Of course, he arrived late – couldn't look like he was excited to be peeking in her windows or anything – but it didn't matter. She was a bartender who had been kept awake the previous night by some rakish young chap who apparently wore out every muscle of her body. Lucky girl.
He and Rude met a few blocks from the bar to strategize. Rude brought the Official Turk Telescope.
"Ah, Betsy," Reno said affectionately. "It's been a while."
Rude nodded.
"There's a vantage point across the street from the bar," he said. "Once she's out of the house we can use more traditional means."
Reno gave his partner a "thumbs up" before the two headed for the fire escape of the nearby building. It wasn't the most technical of surveillance methods – most of their fun equipment was destroyed with Shinra HQ, but it got the job done.
On the roof, Reno supposed it was best to let Rude do the snooping, as might look a tad too eager if he volunteered. He sat with his back against the parapet facing away from Seventh Heaven, feeling sort of ashamed for what he had done to her last night but more ashamed for how what he had done would hurt Rude if the man knew about it.
That's right, Reno can feel shame.
Rude opened the case that held "Betsy" and carefully removed the pieces of the tripod before clicking and twisting them into place. He adjusted the height so that the scope could just see over the edge of the roof without easily being spotted by someone below, or their target. He then crouched down behind the tool and adjusted the focus.
He could see into her living room and kitchen, and the bar downstairs. Tifa wasn't in any of those rooms that Rude could tell.
"I can't see into the bedroom, we'll need another telescope set up on the far roof," he informed Reno.
Now that Rude had said something, Reno didn't much like the idea of another man peering into her home. He suddenly worried she might be walking around in her underwear or less… Wait, was he being possessive? He didn't like this feeling, whatever it was.
"There she is," Rude said, moving the scope slightly.
He could see Tifa walking through the living room and into the kitchen, wearing her red bathrobe. Rude watched as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen island. Just riveting stuff.
"What's she doing?" Reno asked. He'd wanted to ask what she was wearing – both to know whether Rude was seeing too much and because he couldn't help himself – but again thought it might bother his partner.
"Drinking coffee."
"Fascinating. Job well done."
And it continued on like that for some time. Reno sat impatiently as Rude watched Tifa finish her coffee and breakfast, disappear into the back of the apartment, reappear dressed, and then clean her home. No phone calls that he could see.
It took several hours for her to finally emerge from the bar out into the sunlight. Finally, maybe some action. She put her gloves on and began walking down the main street away from where Reno and Rude were perched.
"Wonder where she's going…" Rude mused.
"Should we get down and follow her?"
"Probably, she was just attacked by some grashtrikes."
Knowing she was fighting alone made Rude uneasy. He knew Tifa was strong, but the number of monsters appearing in the city lately was just too much. She could be overwhelmed.
"She's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Reno said. "Besides, if we appear now, she'll get suspicious. We have to wait until later like we usually do."
He leaned back against the parapet and put his arms behind his head just as his phone started to ring. He groaned and pulled it out of his pocket to check who was calling. Oh shit, Rufus.
"I gotta take this," he said to Rude as he crawled away from the edge of the roof before standing and walking to the opposite corner.
"Sir?"
"Reno, I have a special assignment just for you," Rufus said on the other line.
Reno rolled his eyes. Of course, just as he gets the best assignment of his career Rufus was going to take it away from him. It figures.
"Sir?"
"I hear you've been seeing the barmaid," Rufus continued. "Don't worry, none of your fellow Turks ratted you out."
Well, at least that was a relief, but it made Reno wonder if Rufus was having them followed.
"I want you to get closer to her. Watching from afar is one thing, but I need you to get in there and learn what AVALANCHE is up to."
"Sir," Reno said, lowering his voice and putting a hand around his mouth and the phone to mask the call. "Please don't make this an assignment."
"Why? Would that take the fun out of it for you?" Rufus seemed almost gleeful.
"It's not that, Chief," Reno added, trying not to sound like he was begging. "Rude and I can get the same information just from surveilling her using typical methods.
"I don't want to just follow and listen, I want to know what they're doing so we can get ahead of them," Rufus seemed irritated and as if he were doing this to punish Reno. "Just do whatever it is you've been doing but do it professionally."
Rufus hung up without waiting for a response. Reno stared at his phone a moment, hoping Rufus would call back and tell him to forget what they discussed. He may not be pursuing Tifa for the right reasons, but he didn't want his job to depend on deceiving her. He didn't understand how it wasn't good enough to surveil her like they had done many times with many targets in the past. Reconnaissance was a Turk specialty; they didn't need to cozy up to an enemy to get information – and Tifa wasn't their enemy.
He flipped his phone closed and took a deep breath before returning to Rude. Tifa was still fighting the grashtrikes, so Reno eased himself back to where he was sitting before. He bent his legs to let his hands hang over his knees, still holding his phone limply. Rude didn't stop looking through the telescope.
"Hmm?" he said.
Reno knew that meant Rude wanted to know about the phone call – and that he probably suspected it had been Rufus on the other line. Reno wasn't even sure how to broach the subject. Would Rude even believe him? Was Rufus just toying with him? The man could be ruthless, after all. But would he really force an employee to date a woman to steal information?
Not that Reno had never done something like this, but he had never been ordered to sleep with the woman, he just took the "by any means necessary" quite seriously.
Rude noticed Reno's hesitation and looked back at him with some level of concern.
"What?" he asked.
Reno didn't look at him, instead just staring at a space off in the distance.
"Rufus… wants me to use her," he said.
"Hmm?"
"He told me to date her and find out what AVALANCHE is up to and then beat them to the punch," Reno said, his words falling out of his mouth and onto the roof below him. He moved his foot as if he were putting out a cigarette in an attempt to crush them.
"Oh," Rude said, understanding what was distressing Reno. "Is it because it wouldn't be fun for you anymore?"
"No!" Reno protested. "Well, yeah, that, and…"
Rude raised an eyebrow up over his glasses. Was there something more to Reno?
"What?" he asked.
Reno looked away and scoffed. He didn't want to say. If he said what was on his mind he'd get mocked. It wasn't like he had feelings for Tifa, or anyone, he just didn't want to be used this way by his employer.
"You're actually worried about hurting her," Rude said. Reno shot him an angry look.
"What? No!"
Rude tilted his head and pursed his lips. He hadn't actually thought Reno cared about Tifa until now. Maybe there was a solution.
"Maybe don't look at it as using her," Rude suggested. "Remember when Rufus said we could work with AVALANCHE if we have to? So, let's just work with them."
Reno had not expected to hear those words from Rude's mouth. Rude was actually suggesting undermining – ever so slightly – Rufus Shinra, and he was suggesting Reno do it by flirting with the woman he had a crush on. Maybe this wasn't such a bad assignment after all.
"Hmm, you might be on to something there, yo," Reno said, coming out of his stupor. "Are, would you be okay with this?"
Rude lowered his head a moment and sighed.
"You were worried about an assignment for the first time ever," Rude began. "I don't think you're going to hurt her."
Reno was a bit uneasy, but if he could get over the part about betraying Tifa and focus simply on helping her, he'd be doing his job and proving to her he was a changed man. Could be a win-win if she never found out about Rufus' assignment.
"Guess I'll go get to work then, huh?" Reno said as he stood up and dusted himself off.
Getting paid to hang around Tifa no longer seemed like such a bad job.
Rude nodded and returned to the telescope. He'd keep watch from a distance until told otherwise, even if it meant watching his best friend with the woman he admired. Turk work wasn't always easy.
"We should send you with a wire," Rude suggested before Reno could escape down the ladder. He looked back at his partner with fear in his eyes. It was one thing to be told to woo a woman for information, it would be quite another for his coworkers and superiors to hear what he was saying to her.
"Please, man, don't make this any harder than it has to be," Reno said with a dejected look on his face. "We're going to bug her house tonight, let's just leave it at that."
Based on his recent relationship with Tifa, he knew a wire would likely be discovered pretty darn quickly anyway.
Rude huffed but agreed. He didn't really want to hear what Reno might say to Tifa anyway. This whole assignment gave him a hot sting of jealousy at the base of his neck.
Reno scuttled down the fire escape taking the rungs two at a time, dropping from the ladder a few feet off the ground. He adjusted his jacket and dove his hands into his pockets as he walked toward Tifa, who was just leveling the final grashtrike. He couldn't look too excited strolling over to her, both for her sake and for Rude's.
She was wiping the sweat from her brow when he approached her. She startled, but more due to the fact that he wasn't sneaking up on her in a dark, secluded place. Her confusion quickly turned into a smile and she reached behind her head to secure her long, thick hair into a high ponytail. Even tied back, her hair reached below her buttocks.
"All leather today, huh babe?" he asked, looking her up and down.
She was wearing a black leather vest that zipped up the front with a white tank top underneath and black leather shorts that nearly reached her knees with a leather duster apron in the back. Reno had never seen her wear something that covered so much of her legs. He didn't like it. He had always had much easier access to what was underneath, even if he hadn't gotten to partake. She was also wearing black high-tops instead of her usual boots. Someday, he thought to himself, he would make her wear heels in front of him. Black, strappy heels. Scratch that – red, feathery stripper heels with a clear plastic spike and platform.
She seemed to be answering him about her outfit, but his mind was elsewhere, imagining her in red lingerie swinging around a stripper pole for him in a private room.
"Where were you coming from?" he heard her ask, unfortunately snapping him out of his imagination.
"Uh, just patrolling," he lied, scratching the back of his head.
"Aren't you worried about Rude catching you?" she asked. Reno rubbed his neck to calm his nerves.
"Uh, he knows about us already," he answered.
"WHAT? How?" Tifa suddenly became concerned that Reno was bragging about his encounters with her around the Shinra building.
"He, uh, saw us in Junon."
"What did he see?"
"Hey, he couldn't have been much," Reno tried to alleviate her embarrassment. "At worst he would have seen your leg and the side of your ass."
That didn't help.
"And even if the bottom of your tit was hanging under your shirt, my hand was covering it," Reno grinned, honestly thinking he had just comforted her.
"WHAT?" Tifa's face was bright red.
"Hey, babe, we were in an alley, any number of people could have walked past and seen."
Tifa wasn't stupid. She knew that was the case, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing to hear. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, suddenly feeling very exposed.
"Don't call me that," she again demanded.
From his vantage point, Rude thought he was watching Tifa angry at Reno as his partner tried to defend himself. She was swinging her arms in frustration, and he kept responding with defensive gestures. For Rude, it was pretty comical.
"Besides, Rude isn't even around today, he's feeling under the weather," Reno lied.
Tifa narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. She couldn't imagine Rude getting sick.
"Well, it was nice to see you Reno, but I have errands to run," she said.
She moved to walk down a side street, but Reno trotted to catch up to her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"It's dangerous out these days, I'm going to do my civic duty and protect a great citizen of this city," Reno said with a smile and a salute. Tifa rolled her eyes.
"That's okay, I don't need any help," Tifa said, looking around to see if anyone was watching.
"What's the matter?" Reno asked, confused by how cold she was being toward him after she had invited him to spend the night with her just last evening.
"I'd rather not have any gossip articles written about me or us," Tifa said, continuing to walk to her destination without looking at Reno. The Turk suddenly cut in front of her and stopped, forcing her to stop as well.
"Whoa, you're not worried about gossip magazines, you're worried about your AVALANCHE buddies reading those gossip magazines, aren't ya?" Reno was, frankly, hurt by her words.
He was no stranger to secret hookups but did not like being on the other side of one. She was embarrassed to be seen with him?
She stopped and turned to him, her gaze dropping to the ground.
"It's… not that," she said. Reno crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one hip.
"Uh huh, I see. I'm good enough for some secret fun but not good enough to be seen in public with you."
"No!" Tifa cried. "It's not that!"
Well, it sort of was that. She had been nervous about people seeing her with Reno in Costa del Sol, but didn't really think about it since they were with Barret and Marlene and at that point she thought Cloud had probably left her. Now she was concerned he was injured somewhere or suffering and didn't want him to see one of those magazines trying to claim she was dating a Turk. She suddenly realized the absurdity of that thought.
"I'm sorry," she said, her head lowered. "I didn't mean it like that. Yes, I would like your help today."
Reno intertwined his fingers behind his head and sighed. He had an idea where she had been going with that, but certainly couldn't let her know he was hurt by it.
"Fine, I guess I'll still help you, citizen."
He accompanied her to the theater, which included another fight with some zenenes. Tifa flipped gracefully through the air as she attacked, looking like she had choreographed the whole thing. Reno was always amazed by the way she fought, but not just because of how it turned him on. He stabbed at the creatures with his mag rod until he and Tifa had defeated them all.
"You're making this trip much easier," Tifa said, avoiding an actual "thank you."
"At your service, ma'am," Reno said in a mock serious tone that made Tifa laugh.
They reached the theater shortly after. Reno had never been one for the arts, but found it charming that Tifa would spend her days fighting her way to help build a theater. He looked around at the building in which they now stood, noting how it looked complete except for some finishing touches like paint and carpet. Then again, he wasn't quite sure what a theater was supposed to look like.
"I've always spent my days helping to build Edge," Tifa offered, though Reno hadn't asked. "The people here helped Cloud and me build our home and I want to do my part for them."
Ugh, Cloud again. Reno knew by now he'd just have to ignore mentions of the blonde if he hoped to get closer to Tifa.
"Okay, how can I help?" he asked, rather cheerfully while clapping his hands together and rubbing his palms. He was going to take full advantage of this assignment to "get close to her," as Rufus had demanded. Tifa looked at him, confused.
"You really want to help?" she asked, tilting her head. "What about your patrol?"
Reno shook his head.
"Eh, I think I can take a little break and help out a pretty lady," he responded with a smile, which Tifa returned.
"Never figured you for the helpful type," she said, placing a hand on her hip. Reno tapped his chest.
"Oh yeah, I can be extremely helpful when I want to be."
She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.
"Okay then, today we're helping to build the backstage area," Tifa informed him before leading him up onto the stage and back to an area that did not look as finished as the room they had just been in.
Exposed wooden beams lined some sort of pathway leading in different directions. Reno had no idea what really went on behind a stage, so he had never considered how many rooms might be necessary. Tifa led him to a stack of plywood and lifted a piece, indicating for Reno to do the same. They then walked back along one of the wooden frames to where the wall was being put up. A man with an electric drill was screwing in the walls as others held up the plywood. After he put the first screw in the board Tifa was holding, he noticed Reno and huffed.
"Who's this scrawny sack of bones?" the man asked, jabbing a thumb in Reno's direction.
The redhead narrowed his eyes at the average-sized man with a bit of a beer gut. Reno preferred the term "sinewy" to describe himself.
"He's helping me today," Tifa said without giving Reno's name.
He supposed it had to do with their gossip magazine conversation earlier, but it just as easily could have been for his own protection. His name was more infamous than his face (in certain circles). People knew the name of the man who destroyed Sector 7, but they didn't necessarily know what that man looked like – at least not to the extent that they could recognize him in public.
The other man seemed to accept Tifa's brief explanation and went about his business. They continued in this way until the longest wall of the backstage area was complete. Tifa actually found Reno's presence enjoyable, as he cracked jokes and wasn't a complete idiot when it came to construction. She supposed his mechanical skills translated somewhat into general construction competency.
Since Tifa had slept in that day (thanks to Reno) she had to leave earlier than usual to fight her way back to the bar and get ready for opening.
"Do you mind if we stop at the liquor store so I can pick up a bottle of your favorite scotch?" she asked as they exited the theater, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"Of course you can buy me a drink, yo," Reno said with a grin.
"I don't normally buy alcohol at full price, but I'm out and I figure you and Rude will be in tonight?" she asked – just to see if they would come by the bar. They had become familiar to her, and she enjoyed having them at the bar. She was also interested to see what new ploy Reno might try. She still pulsed whenever she thought back to his finger sliding along the edge of her panties, taunting her.
"Hey, no worries, I'll pay for it," Reno insisted. Tifa laughed.
"You already do."
They entered the liquor store and found the scotch section. Tifa grabbed the bottle off the top shelf while Reno studied the other options. He used his toe to point at a bottle on a shelf so low it was practically on the floor.
"What kind of sad, self-loathing guy would actually drink –" he fake squinted to see the label "–Grunt McGee's Licorice Scotch?"
Tifa laughed and crouched down to pick up the bottle. "Aged in the finest enamel barrels this side of Mideel," she read. "Are they purposefully trying not to sell their product?"
She stood back up, holding the bottle.
"You think any of my customers would order this?" she asked Reno with amusement. It was his turn to laugh.
"I want to see the person who would order this crap," he replied.
"Me too." Tifa kept the bottle as they walked to the cashier.
Behind him was a locked case with the most expensive products in the store. At the top of the case was a bottle of scotch shaped like an upside-down diamond.
"You mean to tell me you haven't been serving me the finest bottle of liquor you can find?" Reno teased, motioning toward the bottle.
"I, I never thought about it," Tifa said. She chose the top-shelf bottle to keep on hand just in case some high spenders came in. The Turks seemed to like it, so she never considered switching to something even more expensive.
"Tch, sir, how much for the Diamond Label?"
The man turned to look at the case and had to walk closer to inspect the shelf, clearly having never sold one of those bottles in this part of town before.
"3,000 gil," he said.
"I'll take it," Reno replied, reaching in his pocket for a wad of cash.
"I can get it," Tifa interjected. Reno held up his hand to stop her.
"No, no, this bottle is for me and Rude. You can display it, but no one else can drink it."
Tifa nodded and purchased the other two bottles of scotch. She exited the store with Reno, in their hands the most expensive liquor bottle from the store and one of the cheapest. No shame.
Reno assisted her on the trip home, fending off a pack of Kalm fangs and some caesars – he and Tifa both making sure the alcohol was safe above all else. When they returned to her bar she leaned her back against the front door, her hands behind her with her palms resting on the wood.
"Thank you for all your help today," she smiled. "And thank you for the bobblehead."
Reno partially closed the gap between them and rested a hand against the door frame above Tifa's head, shifting his weight so that this arm was supporting him.
"Hey, no problem babe," he cooed with a half-smirk appearing on his lips. "Seems a shame to part for such a short amount of time before the bar opens."
He stuck his tongue out at her between his teeth and she tilted her head, lifting her index finger to him.
"Nice try, but you'll have to wait to drink like everyone else," she teased, knowing full well what he actually meant.
"That's not what I meant," he said, but she was already working to open her front door.
"See you soon," she said, closing the door as he continued to stand there expectantly.
What was he supposed to do for an hour?
He turned around and looked toward the roof where he and Rude had been stationed earlier. The evening sun was glaring over the back of the building and Reno had to shield his eyes, but he could see the silhouetted arm of his partner giving a brief wave from the roof. Reno scaled the ladder to meet up with his comrade once again.
"Have a nice day?" Rude asked, though he had seen everything that happened.
"I think she trusts me a little more, yo," Reno replied, looking back toward Seventh Heaven before sitting down on the roof to avoid detection.
Now he was helping her out and talking to her without the immediate goal of sex. He, much to his dismay, could not just grope her in public while building the theater. He had considered it, of course, but figured it would knock him a few steps back in her affections. When he told Rude he thought Tifa was trusting him more, he didn't say it to give an update to his mission, he was saying it to himself because he was genuinely feeling it. She had taken him along on her routine, knowing full well he could now show up at any time in the future. She didn't seem to mind that or the fact that he had been with her today.
And given their interactions last night (which he had not been able to keep out of his head all day), he felt he wasn't too far away from finally bedding the woman of his dreams.
Reno still allowed Rude to use the telescope to surveil Tifa's apartment before the bar opened. The redheaded Turk knew she'd be showering and changing before work, and was thankful that they couldn't see into her bedroom or bathroom from their vantage point. He was now really concerned with the idea of Rude seeing her any way but fully clothed.
Previously, he would have simply snatched the telescope away to gawk before allowing Rude to take a look as well, but now he was desperate to ensure no other man would see her the way he had. He felt even more possessive now than he had earlier in the day. Must be some spell she was casting.
"See anything?" he asked his colleague just to be sure.
"No, she must be in the back," Rude replied.
Reno leaned back against the parapet and placed his hands behind his head for support. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to his earlier imaginations of Tifa stripping for him. This was certainly a place he'd like to visit. He didn't think he had been thinking about that scenario for very long – or that he nodded off – but he was snapped back to reality by Rude's monotone voice.
"The bar's open," he said.
Reno rubbed his eyes and turned to look over the roof at Seventh Heaven. The "open" sign was lit as well as the lights inside the bar. He stretched and yawned before turning to Rude.
"Back to work, I guess," he said, pretending to sound like he wasn't having fun.
Rude acknowledged Reno's words and started to break down the telescope to put it away. When he was finished, he slung it over his shoulder and nodded to Reno, who stood up and walked with him over to the ladder. They both climbed down carefully, making sure no one was around to see them, before crossing the street to enter Seventh Heaven.
An overwhelming sense of warmth filled Reno as he entered the bar. Tifa was already serving the couple customers who had appeared just after the bar opened, carrying a couple opened beer bottles to their tables with a friendly smile. She was cleaned and rejuvenated from her afternoon, wearing that leather outfit with her long hair again pulled back into a high ponytail. It bounced from side to side as she walked, trailing behind her with its own wind. Reno watched her for a few minutes before joining Rude at the bar. What was this he was feeling? It wasn't lust, which made it a foreign emotion to him as far as women were concerned. He of course had the urge to fuck her in the middle of the bar, but watching her move gracefully about the establishment made him unknowingly smile. He found himself just wanting her near him, maybe even holding him and not necessarily in a sexual way.
He had "hugged" her the night before, but he was just doing that to warm her up to him. Now he sincerely wanted to just feel her against him.
She strolled behind the bar to grab glasses for the Turks, that kind smile never leaving her lips. She leaned over the bar and rested her elbows on the counter so she could speak with them directly.
"I have a new bottle of scotch just for you two," she said, peering at one Turk and then the other, unaware that Rude knew of the liquor store stop and that he recognized the expensive bottle. "By the way," she said, looking directly at Rude. "Glad you're feeling better."
The bald man was confused but accepted her kind words.
"I know I'm game," Reno said. Rude nodded.
Tifa reached for the diamond-shaped bottle that was now displayed at the top of her liquor shelf, in the center, under a light. She brought the bottle to the bar in front of the Turks and opened it before pouring them each a glass.
It wasn't actually the most expensive scotch Reno had ever tasted. Years ago, when Rufus' father was still alive, the old president of Shinra had invited the Turks to his home to celebrate a particularly complicated mission. It was long before Reno laid eyes on Tifa, but AVALANCHE was in full swing.
Shinra had a liquor cabinet in his study, which was filled with expensive leather chairs, mahogany bookshelves, and smelled of cigar smoke. It was heaven, to Reno, back then. It had been the fanciest place he had ever been invited to, and though he didn't really like to read, he always dreamed of having a room like this in his home one day.
Shinra unlocked his cabinet and removed a decanter containing amber liquid. The bottle itself was nothing special that Reno could tell, though it was, in fact, a crystal Baccarat decanter with a starburst pattern and an "S" monogrammed on the front.
Shinra provided each of the Turks present with a matching tumbler, also made of crystal ,though Reno didn't know the difference, and poured them a drink. Reno sniffed the glass and his eyes almost immediately began go water. He was embarrassed and looked around to see that the other Turks and Shinra looked no different. The liquor smelled of creme brulee, and he wondered if it was going to taste sweet. When he finally tasted the liquor, it was predictably harsh, but he was able to taste more of the sweet flavors within, like vanilla and coconut.
The scotch he was drinking now was certainly better than the one he usually ordered from Seventh Heaven, but it couldn't compare to the one he tasted in Shinra's study. This one provided him with a new sensation, however. He was trying it for the first time in the company of Tifa Lockhart, in a way, in a place that felt like his second home. Somehow that made the whole experience much more inviting.
A few hours later and the Turks were nursing their second glass of the expensive scotch, simply enjoying the atmosphere and not really talking. That was interrupted when Tifa came over to them at the bar and met Reno's gaze to motion toward the liquor shelf. He followed her eyes and saw that she was now reaching for the cheap licorice scotch he had found for her earlier.
No.
Someone had actually ordered that garbage. She grabbed a tumbler from the rack and poured the drink with her back to the bar so they couldn't see her gag from the smell. She couldn't tell what it smelled like, but it certainly didn't smell like anything that should be consumed by humans. She forced a smile and took the glass to the patron as Reno watched. The man who ordered it looked every bit like Reno expected: Short, fat, bald, alone, and probably hated himself. Actually, he looked kind of like Palmer.
Tifa shot Reno a stifled smile and he returned the expression. She returned to her work and his attention fell back to the better scotch.
When Tifa went outside with the trash, Reno told Rude he was going out for a cigarette and batted the bald man's shoulder with the back of his hand. Rude barely grunted a response, but knew what Reno was indicating. After the redhead was outside for a few minutes, Rude stood up and walked over to the front window as if to look out to see if his drinking buddy were out there. He leaned one arm on the lock for the window and knocked on the glass with his other hand to get Reno's attention. As he turned to walk back to the bar, he moved his arm to unlock the window for later access.
By the time Tifa and Reno came back inside, Rude was sitting on his seat at the bar sipping his drink as if he'd been there the whole time. He patted Reno on the shoulder when the redhead sat back down to let him know the job was done. Reno sighed.
He was not looking forward to having Seventh Heaven bugged. Some of his best memories with Tifa were in this bar, and he did not want his colleagues to hear anything remotely close to those encounters. He knew the apartment upstairs had to be tapped as well, which put a damper on his plans. He was already planning to convince Rude to let him bug the upstairs so he would know where they were – just in case, of course.
The Turks were the last customers to leave when Tifa closed the bar, giving Reno a half smile he interpreted to mean "come back a little later."
He walked with Rude across the street as some policeman battled with an elfadunk. He quietly climbed up the ladder back to the roof of the other building and Rude re-assembled Betsy.
"Hey, Rude," he said softly, nervous about how Rude would take the information. "I think I can get her to let me upstairs tonight if you want to bug the bar."
Rude removed his eye from the telescope and peered over his shoulder at Reno.
"You think?"
"You think a member of AVALANCHE won't notice two people in her home?"
"Fair enough," Rude sighed, knowing what it would mean if Reno was invited into her apartment.
Reno smiled to himself once Rude returned to the telescope. Of course, he couldn't be sure Tifa would let him upstairs tonight, even though she had invited him last night. His hope was that she missed sleeping next to someone enough to want him to be with her again.
Rude watched as Tifa cleaned up the bar and counted her profits before heading upstairs. He moved the telescope up once she was in her living room. She leaned back on the couch and started to read. Rude took a deep breath.
"Okay, want to see if you can get upstairs?" he asked his partner.
Reno grinned. "Will do."
Tifa checked the message on her phone and appeared to smile, though it was a little difficult to tell through the window shades even with the telescope.
"Got any more of that scotch?" the message said.
Rude could see her fingers moving as she sent a response. A moment later, Reno's phone buzzed. The redhead flipped it open and smiled.
"Enough for ONE more glass," the message said.
"I'm in," Reno told Rude.
Rude didn't respond and Reno didn't feel like pushing the issue, he was honestly too excited to see where the night would lead. He scrambled down the ladder and trotted across the street to the bar and knocked on the door, trying to hide his expression from Rude. Tifa let him in a minute later, turning the lights back on in the bar and following him as he returned to his stool and she reached for the bottle.
"You should have some of it, I'll allow it," Reno said.
Tifa did not care for scotch but had never tasted such expensive alcohol. She poured herself a small amount and joined Reno on the other side of the bar. She brought the glass to her lips and sniffed the liquid inside, which made her eyes water. She took a sip and sucked back air.
"Oh my God," she said, definitely not enjoying the drink.
"It's an acquired taste, yo," Reno informed her.
"I guess so."
Reno took a sip of his own drink and turned toward Tifa, even though he was aware Rude could see in through the window. That overwhelming urge to feel her skin against his own hadn't dissipated since he first walked into her bar that night. He took her hands. She seemed confused, as he was not much for gentleness or romance. He stared into her chocolate eyes with his own aquamarine ones.
This certainly was a strange feeling indeed. He had to change things. He couldn't be that guy. He wasn't that guy, and as much as she needed to think he was that guy, he couldn't let it get around.
Without a word he lurched forward with his shoulder down to drive it into her stomach and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Reno!" she objected half-heartedly as he placed his hand on her ass to keep her steady, lifting his scotch glass with his free hand.
"Struggle all you want, I know you've been dying to get at me again," he said as he walked toward the stairs in the back of the bar.
He could have warmed her up more before taking her up here but didn't want Rude to watch. He wasn't opposed to exhibitionism, but something about knowing Rude was watching made him worry about his performance.
Tifa had to admit this caveman attitude was thrilling, but she feared what Reno might do to her upstairs. Their relationship had taken a big step the night before but she wasn't ready for that. Not with him. Maybe she could convince him just to cuddle?
Yeah, that definitely sounded like something Reno would agree to.
He walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, tossing her onto her bed like she was just a pile of clothes. Tifa sat up on her knees and stared at him with genuine fear in her eyes. Reno had made some bold moves with her, but she couldn't imagine a scenario in which this didn't end up with sex. She backed away from him until she hit the headboard, preparing to fight her way out if he was about to do what she thought.
His eyes had that feral look in them as he took of his jacket and laid it gently on the edge of the bed. He then rolled up each of his sleeves as if he were about to get down to business, approaching her on the bed.
He crawled over to her until their noses were touching and she could feel his hot breath on her lips. She had her knees pulled up to her chin and he placed a hand on each, spreading them apart.
He had stood before her, truly exposed, and now she was playing hard to get? Fine, he'd play along.
He spread her knees apart and shoved his tongue into her mouth, causing her to squeal. She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to push him back, but he was on top of her with her legs on either side of his waist. His hands roamed her freely, finding it difficult to really feel her shapely assets underneath all the leather. She was relaxing now, accepting his tongue and his hands as one found its way to her vest and slowly pulled down the zipper.
It was at this point he realized he couldn't be as greedy as he wanted. Her fear let him know she still wasn't ready – that the game was still ongoing. He could wait a little while longer if it meant screwing the great Tifa Lockhart. Honestly, it was consuming nearly his every thought at this point, but that was probably due to the fact that he hadn't had sex with any other woman in a couple weeks now, his longest dry spell ever. Tifa better be worth it in the end. She was inexperienced, but even if she were an average lay it would still be worth the wait just to be able to say he had fucked her.
She let him remove her vest, but he left her tank top in place. He could feel her breasts without taking it off and his goal tonight was elsewhere. His hands moved to release the apron from her waist, and she didn't object. He kissed her again fiercely, keeping his hands low to unbutton her shorts. She shifted her hips but wasn't staying his hands. Damn he wished she would have worn a skirt tonight.
He unzipped her shorts as she kicked off her shoes and socks. Reno's lips left Tifa's and he kissed her down to her chin, down her throat, nipping and sucking her neck and shoulder to her chest and then skipping down to her belly. He sat up and with a rather aggressive motion ripped her shorts down until she lay before him wearing just a tiny white tank top and black lacy panties. She squeezed her knees together to keep some level of modesty and sat up against the headboard once again. Reno started to unbutton his own shirt as he looked down at her writhing beneath him. She was not quite comfortable but also not stopping him as he tossed his shirt off the bed.
She tried to bring her knees back to her chin but he again crawled on top of her as she squirmed.
"Don't worry," he whispered, his face close to hers, "I ain't gonna fuck you tonight. When I do, you're going to be begging for it."
He kissed her before she could respond, and she mewled. He again bit her neck just above her shoulder and sucked on the thin skin to leave yet another perfectly shaped hickey. He then placed his hands on her hips and quickly and adeptly pulled her further down the bed until she was lying fully on her back. She didn't even know how he did that without hitting her head on the headboard.
She was now beneath him, his long, toned arms holding himself up on either side of her chest, the muscles of his shoulders shining in the overhead light. He towered over her and she felt somehow safe, even though the evening could easily take a dark turn.
He bent his elbows to lower himself down to kiss her again and she sucked on his tongue. God, he loved that. He bit her lower lip and worked his way down to her belly again but looked back up at her with a devilish grin on his face. Tifa tensed up wondering what he might do.
Reno kept his eyes glued to hers as he placed his left hand on the inside of her upper thigh. He watched her eyes widen as he moved his hand slowly up her leg. She shivered as his hand went high enough to brush against the outside of her panties, over her folds.
Reno slid his hand to the other side of her panties and rubbed his thumb on her sweet spot as his fingers again threatened to gain entrance underneath the thin lacy fabric. Her breathing intensified as she felt the fabric lift and Reno's long calloused fingers suddenly against her most sensitive area. Her whole body blushed and filled with heat as one of his fingers played with the skin of her folds, just brushing back and forth to torture her.
"Reno…" there came the voice, but she said it the way she did when she was enjoying what he was doing, not wanting him to stop.
He felt the heat in his loins and his heart beating out of his chest as he slipped a finger between her slick folds. Oh, she was wet alright. He imagined he could slip his cock inside her right now with no problem – but that had to wait for another day.
The heel of his hand was resting atop her smooth pubic bone when he curled a finger to enter her. She whelped and struggled against him as he explored further inside her, bending at the knuckle to reach the sensitive nerve cluster beneath her belly. With just one finger he was able to make her twitch, struggle, and whimper. He removed his finger suddenly and she caught her breath for just a moment before he drove two fingers back inside her.
"Oh, Reno…" she moaned as he pumped his hand and tickled the exact right spot.
She imagined Reno would know what to do, but she couldn't have imagined the intense pleasure that knowledge would bring her. With just his fingers he was making her feel like she had when he had pleasured her with the mag rod.
She tried to keep from giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much she was enjoying this, but she couldn't help but cry out. He was now driving his fingers deep inside her vigorously, nearly pushing her back up along the bed. He'd occasionally glance down at what he was doing, but more often was watching her to see her euphoria.
"Come for me, Lockhart," he cooed in a low, raspy voice as she writhed beneath him.
She fought back as her insides tensed around his fingers. He again curled his fingers upward to rub the cluster of nerves and she couldn't keep her dignity any longer. She screamed as her release finally came, his fingers squeezed by her walls as he pulled out of her. His grin grew wider as he watched her twitch – but he wasn't done with her yet.
He realized Rude was probably downstairs installing the bugs around the bar and he hesitated to continue for a moment. He had to admit he always wanted to hear Tifa make sounds like this and more, but right now he thought it might be cruel to subject his partner to them downstairs.
Reno slowly brought his hand up in front of his face, licking the tips of his fingers as she moaned softly. He could see Tifa's ample bosom heaving up off the bed as she tried to calm down, her face as red as the boots she normally wore.
"Had enough?" he asked through that roguish smile.
Tifa couldn't even respond she was breathing so hard. Her brain told her to stop this right now, but her hormones were screaming to let him continue. She thrashed on the bed trying to regain control.
Reno hooked his thumbs on either side of her panties and began to pull them down. Tifa felt another rush of heat pool in her abdomen, physically wanting more but terrified of what she would get.
"Mmm those tan lines," Reno said coolly as he noted the lines of lighter skin on her hips that her bathing suit had covered while they were in Costa del Sol. He had seen her other tan lines on her chest the night before but had been too preoccupied with what else was going on to say anything.
Tifa squeezed her thighs together with one knee over the other in an attempt to keep herself covered. Reno was about to see what only Cloud had seen, and she was panicking. Reno tossed her panties off the bed and sat back on his heels to inspect her. She was still wearing her white tank top but nothing else, the full lines of her curves visible beneath him.
This was truly one gorgeous woman, he thought as his eyes roamed her almost naked body. Her bust, her waist, her hips – he had never seen a more perfect woman. He found himself thinking Cloud must be the biggest idiot on earth, unless the old saying that "no matter how perfect a woman is, some man, somewhere is tired of her shit" was true. He couldn't imagine that could apply to Tifa, however. Who could ever get tired of violating this woman?
"Lookee what I get," he said almost to himself as she attempted to maintain her modesty.
He was still wearing his suit pants to let her know for sure that he would not be fucking her, but he leaned back over her to kiss her while his hands fondled her breasts. As his lips moved down, so did his hands, until they were on her thighs spreading them apart. He kissed her hips along her tan lines before moving down to her pubic bone and then to her sweet spot.
She moaned softly as he swirled his tongue around the sensitive nub before sucking on it. She arched her back off the bed as he sucked harder, the pleasure so intense it was almost painful. When he moved his tongue down to enter her, she felt her fingers start to go numb, so she began gripping the sheets to try to regain feeling.
He expertly moved his tongue inside of her as she wriggled about, her hands now numb as well. Her knees began quaking on either side of his head and she tried to control them so as not to knock him upside the head. By the time he returned to her sweet spot and slipped a finger inside her, she could no longer feel her toes.
She looked down at Reno's eyes peeking above her nether region. She could tell he was grinning as he worked her, watching her face contort into an expression that somehow showed both bliss and pain.
She slammed her head back against the pillow as Reno's free hand reached up to cup her breast. He was about to get her – again. She felt all of the emotions and all of the intensity whirling around inside her made her feel like she was about to explode. She tried to hold back for as long as she could. Suddenly, the feeling was gone as she collapsed back into the bed, still flicking her hands and feet to stop the tingling sensation. Her loins pulsed heavily as Reno pulled his head back to watch over her. She had released so hard a small pool formed beneath her on the sheets. Noticing it turned her bright red, again.
"Don't be embarrassed," Reno told her. "It's hot, knowing I made you come that hard."
Tifa tried to smile but was still trying to regain her composure. She again squeezed her knees together and flipped the sheet over to cover herself. Reno gave her a rueful smile when she did so.
"I don't know why you're embarrassed all the time, Lockhart. You got nothin' to be embarrassed about, yo."
He crawled back on top of her to kiss her, though she resisted his tongue knowing where it had just been. He laughed and rolled over next to her, propping his head up on his hand and drawing a small circle on her stomach with his finger while watching her calm down. Yup, he had done good, and he was admiring his work. Hopefully the bugs downstairs didn't hear too much.