A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content.

Tifa awoke to the sensation of Reno gently kissing the back of her shoulders as he lay next to her in bed. He had actually stayed the night with her and was now… being tender? She could never figure him out. He was usually vicious, but she was noticing him showing a sweet side more and more, yet she never knew when she would see it.

He had been so rough with her the night before, but now his arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing her back against him as he gingerly kissed her delicate skin. Probably all a ploy, she thought. He snuggled his face against the back of her neck and gave her a squeeze, sensing she had woken up.

He had done what he usually did in situations like this, cuddling with Tifa until he could tell she was fully asleep. He then tested to ensure she was completely out – snapping his fingers in front of her face and copping a feel – before slipping out of bed to bug the apartment. He hated doing it. He hated the idea of Shinra and the other Turks listening to her, especially since he believed he would now be in that apartment a lot more. He didn't want his colleagues to hear what they were doing. There was something… unsettling about the idea.

He didn't bug her bathroom or the spare bedroom. He wanted to give her a little privacy and figured she probably didn't go in the spare room much – and he could probably use it to pleasure her without a bug in the room in the future.

"Mmm morning," Tifa said as she turned to face him, pleasantly surprised that he had stayed the whole night.

"Morning, babe," he whispered, hoping the recorders wouldn't pick it up. He didn't need to be teased at work. "Sleep well?"

"Mmhmm," Tifa moaned, her eyes investigating his.

He brought his thumb up to her lips and let it rest. She gave it a soft kiss, still amazed at how sweet he was being.

All at once his careful planning was over at the sound of his ringing phone. He groaned and reached over to grab his PHS, the sheet falling from his exposed chest. Tifa watched him intently, hoping it would be a spam call or something else unimportant so they could keep cuddling. As much as she enjoyed the hotness of the night before, she was now craving the emotional connection she didn't believe Reno could muster. She wanted to maintain it as long as possible, even if it was a temporary delusion.

"Reno! Get your ass in my office, now," Rufus Shinra seethed from the other end of the phone.

"Shit, babe, I gotta go," Reno told her as he jumped out of bed to find his pants, forgetting to whisper to avoid the recording devices.

"Something wrong?" Tifa asked in that sweet voice women had when they woke up the morning after intense sexual activity. She had propped herself up on one arm, allowing Reno to see the top of the satin slip she had worn to bed that could barely contain her breasts.

No, he had to stop thinking about that and looking at her. Rufus was pissed and Reno wasn't exactly in the office. He pulled his pants up quickly and buckled his belt, frantically looking around for his shirt and shoes when all he wanted to do was lie next to Tifa and stare into her pretty eyes.

"Shit, shit, shit," he said as he haphazardly buttoned his shirt and reached for his jacket. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his socks and shoes, then grabbed his phone from the other side of the bed. He was nearly out the bedroom door when he decided he couldn't leave her like this and jumped onto the bed to kiss her one last time.

He then rolled off the bed again and dashed out of the room. Tifa heard the front door slam just seconds later.

At Shinra's new HQ…

"Reno, what did I tell you to do?" Rufus asked once he sensed the Turk was in his office. Rufus was standing at the window with his back toward Reno when the redhead entered.

"Get close to the target to learn information?" Reno questioned. He had been given the assignment only yesterday, Rufus couldn't possibly have determined that was enough time to find out what AVALANCHE was doing.

"And what have you done so far?" Rufus pried, still looking out the window.

Reno thrust his hands into his pockets and relaxed his posture. Obviously, he wasn't going to tell Rufus the whole truth, but he had to give him something.

"Sir, I made inroads with the target by assisting her with her daily errands and distracted her while Rude bugged the bar. Earlier this morning I tapped the upstairs apartment."

"You know what I heard?" Rufus asked, turning to Reno and walking toward his desk. "I heard sounds I never wanted to hear a member of AVALANCHE make."

Reno blushed but felt a small sense of pride.

"You know what I didn't hear?" Rufus continued. "I didn't hear anything about AVALANCHE's plans to save the world or my subordinate even trying to get those plans."

"Sir, I'm working up to that."

"That's not what it sounded like you were working up to," Rufus seethed. "If you can't get me anything soon we'll have to resort to more… aggressive… means to extract the information from her."

"Sir?" Reno knew what Rufus was implying and he didn't want to put Tifa through that again.

He had helped Rufus subdue Tifa and Barret shortly after Sephiroth summoned Meteor in order to make examples of them to soothe the people of the planet. He was on the Highwind when it was nearly destroyed at the Northern Crater and Tifa fell on the upper deck, hitting her head hard enough to put her in a coma for seven days. Rude and several Shinra soldiers had forced Barret into the holding area while Reno carried Tifa and set her down on the table amongst the lab equipment.

Neither he nor Rude spoke up when Rufus decided to kill the two AVALANCHE members just to get the people's attention away from Sephiroth. Of course, they were both more concerned about Tifa, but back then they didn't say anything – in part out of loyalty, but also because they were too afraid to admit that they were afraid of the world ending.

If Rufus decided to bring Tifa in, it meant she would be tortured. And knowing Rufus, he would probably order Reno to carry out that torture.

"Just do your damn job!" Rufus yelled, motioning for Reno to get out of his sight.

Reno pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the room, thankful that Rufus couldn't see the expression on his face. He stomped into the Turks' office to try to calm down, but knew they had all heard the recording once he entered and saw Elena's face turn bright red. She quickly looked away from Reno as he walked past her. Rude, too, avoided eye contact with his partner.

"Great, just great," Reno thought to himself as he collapsed into his chair. He couldn't even enjoy the fact that he had made Tifa scream with pleasure because Rufus was threatening his job. Oh, and his colleagues all knew. Sure, there was that pride he felt, but mainly he was pissed.

"Reno," Tseng said in a tone that commanded Reno to enter his office, but it was neither an outright demand nor a question.

The red-haired Turk sighed and once again rose to walk into his boss' office to get reamed.

"Yes sir?" he asked as he approached the desk.

"Just get Rufus the information he wants and try to remember the building is bugged."

Could this day get more humiliating?

"That all, sir?"

"Yes, get back to your assignment."

Reno left Tseng's office with his shoulders slumped and his tongue pressing against his cheek in irritation. Neither Rude nor Elena would look at him as he passed their desks. Whatever. He held his head high as he left the building to return to Tifa's. It hadn't been that long, maybe she was still in bed.

Her front door was still open when he returned to Seventh Heaven, though she was not in the bar. He walked upstairs to find her sitting in her kitchen wearing her robe. She was seated at the kitchen island, with her foot up on the seat and her knee bent under her chin as she sipped on coffee. Reno made sure to note that her hips were shifted away from the window so Rude, once he got back to the roof, wouldn't be able to see under her robe with that telescope.

For once she wasn't startled to find him standing near her. Instead she smiled and put her coffee mug down before standing up to greet him. She stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms about his neck, reaching up to kiss him. Reno accepted her soft, warm lips but glanced over her head at the window in an absentminded attempt to see if Rude was watching. He knew he wouldn't be able to see Rude but couldn't help taking notice of the fact he knew they were likely being watched.

"Everything okay?" Tifa asked, tilting her head and knitting her eyebrows together with concern. He had been frustrated, but one look into those big brownish red eyes of hers just melted that anger away.

Reno sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island as if it were a perfectly normal thing for him to be in Tifa's kitchen in the morning. She brushed a hand along his shoulders and walked around the counter to grab another coffee mug and pour Reno a cup.

"Eh, just work crap," Reno said, trying to answer her question accurately without pissing off the people listening in on them. He took a sip of his coffee and exhaled through his mouth in delight. "How is your coffee this good?"

Tifa smiled and took another sip from her mug. She shrugged. "That's top secret," she said with a wink.

"I won't tell," Reno said, holding up two fingers and then running them in a cross pattern on his chest.

"It's really nothing special, and I assume you'd be too lazy to steal the recipe anyway…" she trailed off, walking to the edge of the island and setting down her mug to lean on her arms. "I add a vanilla bean to the grounds and a dash of nutmeg once it's poured."

"I guess I should have known you'd be able to mix more than alcohol."

Tifa laughed. "Surprised? I can also cook and put together an outfit and combine materia," she said in a mocking tone.

"Okay, okay you're right – I guess I always just saw you as a hot fighting bartender," Reno joked.

"Oh? You think I'm hot?" Tifa asked, walking around the island back to where Reno was sitting. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

"Damn straight," he said with a little squeeze of her ass. She yelped but started laughing.

"You are…" she looked down at him, suddenly finding herself amazed by his aquamarine eyes and playfulness. "You are something else."

She hadn't expected to be so comfortable around him this morning. She felt like she did when Cloud lived here – before the headaches. He used to act like this around her. But Reno was not Cloud, and the Turk didn't treat women this way. She pulled back, looking confused.

"What did I tell you weeks ago? I'm a pretty unbelievable guy," Reno responded before noticing her changed expression. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Tifa said, the color fading from her face. She motioned around the room with her hands as she continued: "This. Us. All of this. It's all wrong."

She was backing away from him as if she had dreamt their whole relationship and had just woken up. Now it was Reno's turn to be confused. Tifa's eyes darted around the room and she felt a panic attack coming.

How did she get to this point with Reno? How long had Cloud been gone? Why was she in her kitchen, in a robe, with Reno of the Turks, the man who murdered her friends in Sector 7? Had she really forgiven him for that? She thought that she hated him just a few weeks ago, how had that changed?

She clutched her chest and tried to slow her breathing as the questions whirled through her head and made her dizzy. Had he drugged her? She thought back to Nibelheim, Junon, Costa del Sol. All those things happened, right? She had allowed him to become her… friend and more?

"Tifa?" Reno stood up and walked slowly toward her as she backed away from him like she was seeing him clearly for the first time.

"I… I need to be alone," she said as she gasped for air and turned to the hallway leading to her bedroom.

"Tifa!" but she was already stumbling away from him as quickly as she could muster.

Reno caught up to her as she lunged for her bed, telling him to get away from her as she curled up into the fetal position and clutched a pillow to her chest, still trying to breathe.

Oh, Reno knew a panic attack when he saw one. He used to get them occasionally before he joined the Turks but had learned over the years to control them. He knew whatever Tifa was panicking about involved him, but he knew he needed to help her, so he picked her up by her shoulders and got her into a seated position on the bed. She tried to look away from him but he kept his gaze on hers.

"Tifa, listen to me," he said in his most soothing voice. "You're having a panic attack, but I can help you through it. Just keep your eyes on me. Focus on me."

She tried to get away from him a few more times but he held her firm, making sure there was enough distance between him that she wouldn't feel confined. He started taking deep breaths and she naturally tried to match his breathing. Once she had done so she finally focused her eyes on his, even though he was the source of her panic. Well, he wasn't really the source, but the idea of him brought out the attack.

"Just say with me: This shall pass. This shall pass," he said it over and over as she tried to slow down her heart rate.

"This shall pass, this shall pass," she repeated with him.

"Tifa, I'm here for you," Reno cooed. "Nothing's going to hurt you so long as I'm around."

Cloud had said that to her before. As her breathing slowed down, and the violent butterflies began to dissipate from her stomach, she started to cry. Once he was sure she was no longer panicking, Reno wrapped his arms around her tightly. He didn't know what caused her panic attack and now her crying. He pet her head and let her sob into his chest.

"I… can't… I… just…" she seemed to be starting a lot sentences but finishing none of them.

Tifa had never loved another man besides Cloud. She had never let another man into her home as a romantic partner. And because the only other man in her life had been Cloud, she certainly had never moved this quickly with another man. A lifetime, that was her usual pace.

"I'm sorry…" she sobbed.

Reno pushed her back and held her by her upper arms. He looked into her sad eyes and let out a short laugh.

"For what? The panic attack? I used to get them all the time," he said.

Tifa shook her head as more tears fell.

"No, for this. I can't…" she trailed off again, choking on her tears.

Reno's heart started to race. He felt like she was about to tell him something he didn't want to hear. Wait, how did he sense that? He'd never been let down by a woman before, how would he even know what this kind of dread felt like?

"You can't what?" he asked, more afraid than he thought possible.

"I don't know how this happened," Tifa cried, looking away from him.

"How what happened?"

"This! I hated you just a few weeks ago. You killed my friends…"

Reno furrowed his brow and waited for her to continue. Maybe she just needed to get this all out before he could talk his way back into her good graces. She had been so happy last night, and she seemed perfectly fine up until just a few minutes ago.

"But we've moved past that."

"Have we?"

"I thought so… remember Junon and Costa del Sol?" a pit was forming in his stomach.

"It's just…" she fell from his grip back onto the bed and cried into her pillow the word Reno did not want to hear. He placed a hand on her and gently rubbed her back. He could salvage this. He always could.

"Tifa…" he trailed off for a moment. He didn't want to say anything positive or negative about Cloud, but damn he wished Tifa could get over that pathetic loser. He then realized that she must not have cried over him in some time. He again picked her up by the shoulders and brought her into a seated position. He placed a finger under her chin to force her to look up at him. "Are you worried you've moved on too soon?"

Tifa's eyes widened and her irises appeared to quiver. How did he know? Oh, he was a Turk, that's how. They were good at reading people.

"I'm sorry," she said, now fighting back tears. Reno wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I told you, don't sweat it. You had a panic attack because you have feelings for me," he was getting cocky now, "I get it."

His last line at least got her to laugh.

"I don't think that's it…" she said.

"Okay, Lockhart, you don't have to admit it." He waved a hand as if it were unimportant.

The truth was Tifa had suddenly felt like she was in a relationship with a man who was not relationship material, and it scared her. She had always heard about people getting cold feet in relationships when they were too close to a commitment, but she always thought it was just an excuse. Cloud was always in the back of her mind – where was he, was he okay, was he coming back, if he did come back what would she do about Reno? It all hit her at once when Reno seemed to be acting toward her just like Cloud.

It had been some dream-like game when Reno was being Reno and acting like he was just in it for the sex, but she suddenly thought there might be something more to his recent actions. Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

It was at that moment they both realized the satin robe Tifa had been wearing was… not really covering her much. It was still tied but had loosened so that the lapel was spread open at her chest, covering one breast fully but exposing the other up to the nipple. It was also open at the bottom revealing red lacy panties.

"Ahem," Reno said with a fake cough into his fist, thinking it was probably not a good time to paw at her. Tifa quickly gathered the robe in the middle to cover herself.

"I should… probably finish getting ready," she said before leaning over to kiss his forehead. "Thank you."

She scooted off the bed and turned away from him to tie the bathrobe again. She grabbed some clothes out of her dresser and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Reno watched as she skittered about in embarrassment. Once she closed the door, he leaned back on the bed with a satisfied grin on his face. That was a close one.

He almost lost her. She was heading down the path toward pushing him out of her life, but now he thought he still had a chance. A weird thing happened when he was trying to calm her down from her panic attack: He found himself wanting to help her and protect her. He had worried about her wellbeing and wanting to fight away the demons that were haunting her. He felt an odd connection when he held her, like he wasn't just holding her, he was absorbing some of her anguish.

In the bathroom, Tifa splashed some water on her face and dried off. "What the hell was that?" she asked herself. She would definitely have to call Yuffie once Reno was gone to find out.

She never had a panic attack before, and she never wanted to break down in front of anyone, least of all Reno. Yet he had been kind and gentle and understanding. Maybe she hadn't scared him off.

She returned to the bedroom to find him lying back on the bed. He jolted up at her presence and smiled.

"Feel better?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and grinning. Tifa nodded.

"I'm sorry about that, I've never had a panic attack before," she said, looking at her feet sheepishly. "Thank you for helping me."

"Hey, I caused it with my irresistibility, didn't I?" he said in such a way that made it not sound like a question. Tifa rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"You going to the theater today?" Reno asked. Tifa sighed.

"No, I think I'll take it easy today before I open the bar."

Reno's lips slowly curled into a thin, wild grin. Tifa shook a finger at him.

"And none of that," she said, forcing Reno's grin to turn into an exaggerated frown.

"Okay, okay, no fun," he said, putting his hands up defensively. Tifa had a moment of déjà vu. Reno had said almost that exact thing with that exact gesture back before he stitched up her leg. It felt like so long ago.

"So, what do you want to do if we're not going to build walls and fight monsters?" Reno asked. Tifa gave him a strange look.

"Well, I'm going to relax, don't you have to patrol?"

"I probably should, but I'll let the police handle it today."

"Aren't you leaving Rude all alone out there?"

Reno had forgot he couldn't use the "Rude is sick" excuse again today since the bald man proved he was healthy the night before.

"Uh, he's actually on a special assignment right now," Reno said, scratching the back of his head. Tifa clearly didn't buy it but didn't feel like arguing. "You know a great way to relax?"

Tifa's eyes narrowed at him. "I told you, I'm not doing any of that." Reno laughed.

"You gotta trust me more, babe, there's more to me than sex."

"There is?"

"Come here," he said, patting the bed beside him.

So far, Tifa thought, this was not helping his claim. But she obliged and joined him on the bed.

"Now, do as I do," Reno said. Tifa tepidly agreed.

First, he brought his palms together in front of him like he was meditating. Tifa followed along. Then, he took a deep breath. Finally, he put his hands – which were still together – to the side of his face and laid down on the pillow.

Once Tifa had done the same, Reno put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"See? Relaxing," he said. Tifa giggled.

She hadn't thought she was tired, but shortly after she brought her head down onto the pillow she was napping.

Reno could practically hear Rufus breathing down his neck and telling him to get information from Tifa. He worried Shinra wouldn't give him much more time before it just came and took her away. He didn't see how kidnapping a torturing a member of AVALANCHE wouldn't leak to the press and damage the company further, but Rufus had been rather obsessed with saving the world lately.

Reno wasn't exactly tired when he suggested Tifa take a nap, that was more for her benefit. He, instead, laid awake studying her pretty features and thinking of a way to get Shinra the information without violating her trust. There really was no way, but maybe if he got her to give a little information it might get Rufus off his back. He rubbed her back gently so as not to wake her, realizing he had never watched a woman sleep like this before. He suddenly felt like a creep. This is supposed to be romantic?

He bet everyone back at HQ had a good laugh over her panic attack. He didn't know for sure that they had been listening, but he was pissed off anyway. They had been listening as soon as the bugs were installed early in the morning, of course they were listening all day. Rufus probably had it playing through headphones while he was at the gym.

If they said anything to him about her panic attack he'd… well, he'd definitely think of something mean that wouldn't get him fired.

As he was quietly making his blood boil over perceived insults, Tifa's eyes fluttered open. Reno pretended he was just waking up as well. Couldn't have her knowing he had watched her sleep.

"Evening, princess," he told her while faking a yawn.

Tifa yawned for real and smiled back at him.

"You stayed," she said, almost as if she had been surprised.

"Of course."

The sky was getting dark outside. It was probably close to opening time. Reno flopped over on his back and rested his hands behind his head.

"Wanna go away this weekend?" he asked. Tifa looked at him and blinked a few times. Had he really just asked that?

"I, um, I don't think I'm, um, ready," she stammered. "Even if I was, I'm, um, already going away this weekend."

Reno marveled at how cute she was while turning him down. Her AVALANCHE buddies must be planning something. He faked a wound.

"You are? With who?" he said with mock jealousy. Tifa sat up, suddenly getting defensive.

"Just my old friends," she insisted as if she were actually concerned he thought she was seeing someone else.

"Oh yeah? You guys need a lift?" he asked with a wink. Tifa smiled.

"I'm hoping Cid's airship will be fixed by then," she said.

So, they were going far enough away to need the airship, and Cid was definitely going with. Interesting. Maybe Rufus could work with that for now.

"Well, if not, you know who to call," he said, poking himself in the chest with his thumb.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "I should probably get the bar ready for opening."

Reno helped Tifa prepare for opening – well, he sat at the bar and started drinking while watching her work – and remained in his usual seat when Rude entered. The bald Turk didn't look like any emotions were running through him when he discovered his partner already in the bar. Tifa would have thought he'd look suspicious, surprised, or even mad, but he didn't look like he cared at all.

She served Rude his drink and continued with her evening. It was Tuesday, so the bar was pretty slow, but she still tried to avoid looking over at the Turks so as not to cause a rift. It was a little embarrassing for her, still, to know what Rude might have seen back in Junon and now what Reno had seen today. He had stayed while she napped, but she kept thinking that he would disappear soon and never look back after watching her cry over another man. He seemed to be acting completely normal around her, but that didn't mean much to her. He could just be acting.

The Turks paid their tab and were starting to head out after she closed down the bar that night. Her cheeks flushed as she prepared to speak.

"Reno?" she asked from behind the bar when he and Rude were just opening the door to leave. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He spun around at the sound of her voice. He held up a finger for Rude to wait for him for a moment before the bald man went outside and Reno walked up to Tifa. She bit her lower lip and shifted her weight onto one foot so she could tap the floor with her other one.

"I, um," she was stammering again, and not looking at him. She took a deep breath. "Would you stay with me again? After what happened earlier… I'd just feel safer if you were here."

Reno's eyes lit up as she spoke. Hell yeah he would share a bed with Tifa Lockhart! He walked over to her and rubbed her upper arms.

"Sure, let me just say goodbye to Rude and I'll be right back," he said.

She nodded and he was out the door.

Rude was standing on the sidewalk about a hundred feet from Seventh Heaven. Reno strolled over to him and lit a cigarette. He had needed to talk business with Rude all night but couldn't with the bar being bugged.

"She ask you to stay?" Rude asked. Reno nodded and puffed on his cigarette.

"Yeah, and man, I gotta ask you a favor."

Rude crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?" he asked. Reno rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and smirked.

"I need you to try and convince Tseng and Rufus that we should work with AVALANCHE on this one instead of trying to steal the glory," Reno said, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"I mean, I agree with you…" Rude said, "but Rufus… I don't know."

"You all listen in today?"

Rude averted his gaze.

"Don't know, after you left, I was told to come back here and watch you two."

"They're still making you do that even though they can hear inside?"

"Just today. I'm on listening duty tomorrow."

"This sounds like a real hassle for everyone."

Rude mumbled something under his breath.

"Hey! Today I found out that wherever they're going and whatever they're doing, it's happening this weekend!" Reno insisted.

He had been doing his job. He may have been close to Tifa already, but it wasn't like she was telling her friends about him or inviting him along on their adventures. He still had to warm her up, and he was doing a damn fine job of it.

"Just, try to say something to Tseng, please?" Reno pleaded.

Rude sighed heavily. "Fine," he said, before turning and walking toward his apartment.

Reno watched him for a minute and discarded his cigarette butt. Things with Rude weren't okay, and this "special assignment" of Reno's wasn't helping. He didn't want his best friend to be mad at him. Maybe he really should have waited until Rude was okay with it all before he went back to Tifa. He turned to look over his shoulder at Seventh Heaven. The warm yellow lights from inside seemed to be begging him to come back. He couldn't resist.

He entered the bar to Tifa's relief.

"I'm back, baby, but I gotta ask a favor," he said before she could even welcome him back. "Can I take a shower here? Haven't been back to my place in a while."

"Oh!" Tifa exclaimed. She hadn't even thought about that. "Of course, go ahead."

Reno resisted the urge to ask Tifa to join him. Not tonight. Tonight he had to be the guy who was there for her, not the guy who pawed her, even if the latter was more fun.

As soon as Tifa heard Reno enter the bathroom upstairs she grabbed her PHS to call Yuffie. The young ninja answered on the second ring.

"Yuffie? I need some advice."

"Whatcha need, kid," Yuffie asked as if she were Tifa's elder.

"I had a panic attack today… I think it was because of Reno."

"What? What did he do?" Yuffie practically screamed through the phone.

"Nothing!" Tifa insisted. "He was being really sweet. He actually reminded me of Cloud and then I started thinking about Cloud and I couldn't breathe and I had to get away but he helped me."

"Who helped you? Cloud?"

"No! Reno! He calmed me down and stayed with me even when I started crying."

"Over who? Reno?"

"No! Cloud!" Jeez, Yuffie was her best friend, but try to keep up.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't keep up with all these names," the ninja retorted. "So, what's wrong?"

"I just can't get over the fact that I've been spending so much time with Reno, considering who he is and what he's done and the fact I still miss Cloud…"

"Well, look," Yuffie said. She was clearly eating something. "We don't know where Cloud is or if he's coming back. I told you to move on, so what's the big deal?"

"I've…I've only ever known Cloud," Tifa said sadly.

"Oh," Yuffie said. "Yeah, you were pretty much head over heels for him all this time, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"But he's not here anymore, is he?" Yuffie asked. "So, I wouldn't worry about anything else. If things work out with Reno then there's no problem."

"That's just it. Things do seem to be working out with Reno."

"And that scares you?"

"A little bit, yeah," Tifa said quietly. "What if I get hurt again?"

"What if you don't?"

Tifa realized she no longer heard the water upstairs. She then listened as footfalls stepped along the wood floors upstairs above her head and then over to the top of the stairs, before Reno walked down them wearing nothing but a towel.

"I gotta go," Tifa said quickly into her phone before flipping it shut without waiting for Yuffie's response.

"Did I interrupt something?" Reno asked.

"Nope, just Yuffie," Tifa said before walking over to him and ruffling his wet hair.

"You're dripping all over my floor," Tifa pretended to be mad.

"Well, it was either a towel around my waist or a towel around my hair," Reno responded. "I guess I could have grabbed your robe…"

Oh God, they would certainly get a kick out of that over at HQ.

Tifa laughed.

"I'll get you another towel," she said as she passed him to go upstairs.

Reno eagerly followed her up. He may be playing "the good guy" tonight, but that didn't mean he couldn't flirt and show off – so long as he tried to keep things quiet.

Tifa tossed a second towel over his head, obstructing his vision. He brought his hands up to his head to dry his hair as Tifa closed the bathroom door behind her. Reno could hear her going through her nightly routine of washing her face, brushing her teeth, and rinsing her mouth out. He pulled on his boxer briefs and wrapped the other towel around his head as best he could. How did women do this?

Tifa emerged from the bathroom wearing a light pink slip dress with lace edging. Reno forgot for a minute that he had his hair wrapped in a towel until Tifa started laughing so hard she brought an arm around her stomach. Well, at least she wasn't laughing at him in underwear.

"What, you don't find me sexy?" Reno asked, doing an awkward dance.

Tifa nearly fell to her knees laughing at him as he danced closer to her, still wearing that towel on his head. When he reached out to put his arms around her she tried to escape. She was laughing too hard to do anything else.

"Come on, you know you want to dance with me, Lockahart!" he teased as he chased her around the room. She hopped up onto the bed and crossed it to get to the other side of the room from him, still trying to catch her breath from laughing.

"Stop, stop!" she pleaded, falling back onto the bed and clutching her stomach.

He jumped onto the bed next to her and shimmied up to her until the towel fell off his head and covered her.

"There, happy?" he asked as she looked up at him from underneath the towel, coughing.

"You're insane, you know that?" Tifa asked when she'd regained her composure.

"You love it," Reno said immediately before he wished he hadn't said that.

There was an awkward silence before he "booped" her on the nose to change the mood.

"I take it back," she said. "You're not insane, you're just weird."

"I can live with that," Reno said, swooping her up in his arms and laying her down on her side of the bed. She turned to him and caught his gaze.

"Are, are you okay just sleeping next to me without anything else tonight?" she asked, frightened. Reno took a deep, exaggerated breath.

"I think so," he finally said. "Besides, it's not like I can't touch you at all, right?"

Tifa smiled and turned out the lights.

"Good night, Reno," she said as she settled in to face him.

"G'night, Lockhart," he said before running his hand along her cheek and kissing her on the lips.

He put his arm around her again and pulled her close to his chest. Sure, it would have been nice if she returned the favor he had given her last night, but if this was getting her to warm up to him more then he was all for it. When she turned away from him, he kept his arm around her, but let his hand move to her breast. She didn't scold him.

End notes: Okay, maybe that chapter was too "cute" for this story, but I felt Tifa needed to come to terms with everything going on in her life. She's been comparing Reno to Cloud this whole time and I think it just sort of hit her that Cloud was really gone… For now.