TWENTY-TWO

We landed in the outskirts, the night gloomy and quiet around us. After Jessie and I had unfastened the parachute and its harness, we left them lying on the ground off to one side of the clearing. She pulled out her phone for a moment and tapped on it.

"Checking something?" I asked.

"Just letting Tifa know we're okay," Jessie explained. "Knowing her, I'm betting she's worried sick about us."

I nodded. "Think the others made it back?"

"They should have by now," she answered. "Barret'll probably give us six kinds of hell when we get there, but that's alright. I could tell him you asked about him. Might just make his day."

"No. Keep it between us."

Jessie giggled. "I get it, SOLDIER boy. Gotta stay cool, right?"

I shrugged. "Something like that."

"Can't fool me, though," she said, planting a soft kiss on my mouth. "I know you were worried about them."

"Maybe," I admitted.

With a wink, Jessie laughed and started down the dirt trail toward Sector 7. I followed her, eyes scanning the shadows as I went, but it was quiet tonight, and we got back to town without a problem. Lights kept the gloom at bay here as a few people still bustled about back and forth along the roads, and soon enough, the Seventh Heaven came into view ahead of us, the outside lamps giving it a cheerful, welcoming feel. And it did feel good to be back. To be home.

When we pushed open the doors, the others were all there waiting for us. They were all sitting at one of the tables, drinks close by as they played cards. Poker, by the look of it. I'd seen them do it before, though I'd never joined in myself. Marlene wasn't in the room, so I figured she was already in bed upstairs. It was close to midnight, after all. As Jessie and I went over to the table, I found her earlier hunch about Barret was right on the money. He frowned up at us.

"'Bout time you two showed up," he grumbled. "Had me… uh, had us… worried there. Tifa shot me a message when we was almost home, let me know you was on the way, but… you guys ever pull some heroic bullshit like that again, I'll smack the both of ya upside your goddamn heads! You two got that?"

I folded my arms in front of me. "No promises."

Jessie just laughed and hugged him. "Good to see you too, Barret. I didn't mean to scare ya."

"Ah, forget it, girl," he patted her arm.

Biggs glanced pointedly at her. "You did get that chip, right? Better not've gone through all that hell for nothin'."

She took it out of her pocket and held it up. "Right here!"

"Good. We barely managed to catch the last train. Headed straight for the station right after you guys got shut in. Good thing, too. They're probably gonna step up security after this."

Wedge blinked. "So what's that mean? We can't use the train?"

"Not 'till we get some new ID's," Biggs answered.

"Gotcha covered!" Jessie smirked, hands on her hips. "I'll get right to work on them tomorrow. Oh, and that reminds me…"

I stared as she looked at me. "What is it?"

Jessie grinned. "I've still gotta make you your extra special ID, too, Cloud! It'll be perfect, you'll see! The best ever!"

"Looking forward to it," I said.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed. "In the meantime, have a seat! It's time to play cards. Poker night!"

I grimaced. "Not interested."

"Oh, come on, Cloud," Tifa chuckled. "It'll be fun!"

Biggs groaned. "You sure, Tifa? You do know he's got just about the best poker face anyone's ever seen."

"Oh, he has his tells," Jessie gave me a sly wink as she sat down. "If you know what to look for, that is."

Tifa flashed me a smile. "Yep! So, will you join us, Cloud?"

Jessie batted her eyelashes at me. "Pretty please…"

"You two don't fight fair, do you?" I gave in, pulling up a chair. "As if I could possibly say no to that."

"Yes!" she cheered, pumping her fists.

"We knew you couldn't," Tifa laughed. "And no, we don't!"

Jessie put her hands together, smiled sweetly at me, and spoke in a cheerful, singsong voice. "Thank you so much, honey!"

"Wha…?" I blinked.

"Don't worry, Cloud, I'll go easy on ya," she said, her voice normal again as she gathered her chips. Then she held up her finger, tilted her head sideways, and winked. "Psych!"

Biggs and Wedge exchanged a worried glance. "Uh-oh…"

"Afraid you'll get cleaned out, boys?" Lena snickered. "Haven't had the best luck so far tonight."

"Ouch," Biggs sighed. "No need to rub it in, sis."

As Tifa gave me a set of chips, Jessie took the cards, shuffled them, and started dealing. "Alright, boys and girls. The game's five card stud, nothing wild… and the sky's the limit!"

As each of us tossed in a single white chip for the ante, Jessie dealt us our hole cards. Tifa had explained the rules to me before, so I knew how to play. I might not have ever done it myself before, but I did find it interesting to watch. And I'd noticed that Jessie was a very dangerous player and excelled at bluffing. Given her past as an actress, I supposed it wasn't much of a surprise. I'd have to be careful. She did have tells of her own, though. But not always.

Jessie started dealing the next set of cards, starting with me. "A jack for the devilishly handsome ex-SOLDIER. Nice start! Ah, but an ace to my best friend, Tifa. Our fearless leader gets a ten, not bad. Biggs gets a five, Wedge a four. A nine for our newest girl, and a seven for me. Your bet, Tifa! What's it gonna be?"

She tossed in a red. "We'll start with five."

"Five it is. Cloud?"

"Same," I added one of mine.

Barret threw one in as well. "I'm callin' that."

Biggs put in two reds. "I'll see that five and add five more."

"I'm in," Wedge put in his two.

Lena tossed in two reds. "Same here!"

"Count me in!" Jessie put down two of her reds, then after the rest of us had called the bet, she dealt the second set of cards. "Let's see, my sweetie's got himself a king. Start of a straight, maybe? And a queen for my BFF. Too bad we're not playing blackjack, right?"

"Yeah, I know!" Tifa chuckled.

Jessie went on. "Hmm, a nice king to Barret. And a three for Biggs, no help. Oh, but another four for Wedge, showing a pair now! Hmm, a jack for the new girl, and the stunningly gorgeous dealer gets an eight. Both clubs, too! Bet's to you, Wedge."

He tossed in a blue. "I'll say ten to start with."

Everyone called, but Jessie decided to up the ante. "I'll see your ten and add ten more."

As we all put in our blues, Barret scratched his chin. "Awright, now that tonight's job was a success, we can start gettin' ready for Reactor 5. Four days, people. You got the layouts, right, Jessie?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "And something else, too. Something new that Shinra's cooking up. I don't know what it is yet, though. Gotta crack in there and see what I can find."

"Not sure I like the sound of that," Tifa said.

Jessie grimaced. "Then you'll like the name even less, Tifa. Project Firestorm. Got a bad feeling about it."

Wedge shivered. "You're right. That gives me the willies!"

"We'll figure it out after we take out Reactor 5," Barret said, settling the matter. "No need to worry 'bout it now."

"I wonder what it could be?" Lena frowned.

I glanced at her. "Jessie'll figure it out. Then we'll stop it."

Jessie beamed as she dealt again. "Thanks, Cloud! I sure will! Then we'll make Shinra sorry they ever crossed us!"

"Damn straight!" Barret grinned.

"And speaking of straights, the merc's got a ten. Lookin' good! Oh, but another ace to the Angel of Sector 7. And a six for the boss, no help there. An ace for Biggs, possible straight now. Two to Wedge, Lena's got a seven, and a ten of clubs for me. Your bet, Tifa."

She tossed in two blues. "Twenty."

Wedge added his. "I'm not quittin' just yet."

"I'm in," I put mine down.

Barret sighed. "Well, shit. That's it for me. Biggs?"

He slid in two blues. "Sure, why not?"

"I'm in, too," Lena said, adding her chips to the pile. "So what's our next step, guys?"

"Well, I've gotta put the new bomb together first," Jessie answered. "But I don't think we'll be able to sneak it onto the train like we did last time. We'll need to hide it somewhere near the reactor and then pick it up on the way in. Maybe the underplate."

Barret looked at her. "Yeah, sounds good. Sector 4 oughta do. Best look at them blueprints an' find us another way into the reactor. I think the front door's out this time. If we can sneak in from somewhere else, it'll give us a better chance of pullin' this off."

Jessie smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "You got it! And as for my bet, I'll see that twenty and add twenty more."

"Still in," Tifa added her chips.

"So am I," Wedge put his extra twenty into the pot.

I added mine as well. "Same here."

Biggs thought for a moment, then slid in two more blues. "Ah, hell. Never did know when to quit."

"Runs in the family," Lena smirked. "I'm in."

Jessie dealt the last set of cards. "My boy gets a nine of hearts, still going strong on that straight. A three for Tifa, no help. Biggs has a two, maybe another straight. The Midgar Special's biggest fan gets a queen, a five for his honey, and I get a six of clubs. Could be a flush or straight flush. You've still got the bet, Tifa."

She put two green chips into the pile. "Fifty."

"I'll see that," Wedge added his.

"Fifty," I slid four greens into the pot. "And fifty more."

Biggs grimaced. "Too rich for me."

"Not me!" Lena tossed in her bet. "I'm in."

Jessie put down two black chips. "Same here, plus a hundred more. Ready for the big time, guys?"

Tifa's face was dead serious. "Bring it."

After she added her bet, I threw in mine. "Another hundred on top of that. Think you can keep up?"

"Uh…" Wedge was sweating now. "I-I'll call."

"Fold," Lena sighed.

Jessie's face was unreadable. "And then there were four. I'll see your bet, Cloud, and raise you two hundred."

Tifa added her chips. "Count me in, Jessie."

"Well, uh…" Wedge glanced at his hole card and sighed. "I'm outta here, guys. This is gettin' big."

I added two more blacks. "Bigger. Call plus two hundred."

"Living dangerously?" Jessie taunted.

I stared back at her. "Just place your bet, Jessie."

She smirked. "Alrighty, then. I'll see yours, and here's another four hundred for good measure."

"Hmm…" Tifa thought for minute. "I'll call."

I slid eight more black chips into the pile. "Four hundred, and four hundred more on top of that."

Jessie whistled. "Pretty risky, SOLDIER boy."

"You in or out?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm in," she winked. "Tifa? What about you?"

Tifa shook her head. "This is where I bow out, I'm afraid."

"Then it's down to you and me, Cloud," Jessie said, her eyes locked on mine. "I'll call your bet and raise you another thousand. Think you can handle it, merc?"

I looked right back at her. "A thousand, plus a thousand more."

Jessie's gaze was steady. "Let's dial it up a notch. Your two thousand and another two thousand extra."

"Four thousand plus another thousand," I countered.

She didn't back down. "Here's your five thousand, and I'll raise you two thousand more."

"Hmm…" I looked at my cards and then hers. Jessie had four clubs showing. She could've been bluffing, but then again, there was a pretty good chance that she had a flush. I eyed her warily. She was stonefaced, not giving anything away. Not that I could see, at least.

I sighed. "Take it."

"Whoo-hoo! Yes!" she hollered, scooping up all the chips.

Wedge glanced at her. "So what'd you have?"

Jessie giggled, flipping over her hole card. It was the king of hearts. Biggs' eyes widened. "What!?"

Mine was a second jack. "Should've called."

"Ah, man!" Wedge turned his over. It was a third four.

"You could've won, buddy!" Biggs told him. "If you wouldn't get so scared whenever the stakes go up."

Wedge shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

Lena kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, Wedge. There's always next time. You'll get your chance."

"You really think so?" he wondered.

"I know so," Lena smiled encouragingly, taking his hand.

He kissed her. "Well, uh… whatever happens, I'm already a winner 'cause I've got you, Lena."

"Awww, isn't that sweet!" Jessie teased.

Wedge blushed a deep red while Lena made eyes at him. "Thanks, Wedge. I think I am, too."

Biggs chuckled. "Alright, guys, save it for later."

"It is cute, though," Tifa laughed as she gathered up the cards.

"So what's the game this time?" Barret rumbled.

Tifa shuffled the cards. "Let's see… seven card stud, no limit. Wild cards are twos, jacks, and the king with the axe."

We all played for a while as the night went on. The others did most of the talking, chatting and joking while I listened and watched. It was different, being there with everybody instead of keeping my distance. I found I didn't mind, though. I supposed it was Jessie's and Tifa's doing. With everything that had happened lately, something in me had begun to change. Didn't know what, though.

I won my share of hands, and so did Tifa, Wedge, and Lena. Barret and Biggs didn't do so well, though. Lucky for them, we weren't betting with real money. Jessie came out on top, though. She'd won more chips than anyone else by far, which wasn't unusual for her. I'd seen her do it before, more often than not. Now I knew why.

Once Barret had gone upstairs to check on Marlene and go to bed, Wedge and Lena got ready to leave while Tifa put the chips away. Biggs was already busy sweeping the floor. Jessie and I started to head for the door ourselves, but then she suddenly stopped about halfway there and turned around, a mischievous smirk on her face.

"I just had a thought, Cloud," she whispered in my ear. "How about we stay here tonight?"

I blinked. "What? You serious?"

Jessie giggled, her voice still a soft murmur only I could hear. "Yep! We broke my bed in last night. It's only fair we do the same for yours as well. What do you say, SOLDIER boy?"

"Uh, okay…" I agreed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she purred.

I stared at her. "Now?"

"Why not?" Jessie laughed. "Everyone's heading off to bed anyway. Might as well do it, too."

"You've got a point," I admitted.

As Wedge and Lena left, we said goodnight to them and the others and headed upstairs. Tifa gave me a knowing smile as I followed Jessie to the second floor, and I looked away, my cheeks pink. She knew what it meant, of course. It was kind of embarrassing, but I forgot all about it when Jessie pulled me into my room, closed the door, draped her arms around me, and covered my mouth with hers.

"I don't… know about you…" she murmured as her tongue swirled eagerly around mine. "but all that… bluffing and… betting… between us… really got me all… hot and bothered…"

I pressed her close to me. "Wasn't… just you…"

Jessie held my face in her hands as her kisses grew more passionate and fiery, making my heart spin like a top gone wild. "That's just what I… wanted to hear… SOLDIER boy…"

Getting her out of her armor was a little bit of challenge at first, but she helped me figure it out, and between the two of us, we managed to unbuckle the clasps on her breastplate and pull it off her. After putting it on top of the dresser, I let Jessie unsnap my shoulder guard and drop it to the floor. Then, between more kisses, we tugged off our gloves and boots and tossed them aside.

Her pauldrons went next as she lifted her arms so I could unbuckle the straps holding them on. Then they joined the rest of our gear down on the floor. And while Jessie still had her arms up, I swallowed, took a firm grip on the bottom of her black chain shirt, and looked up at her. She smiled encouragingly at me and nodded, and I lifted it up over her head, past her hands, and dropped it to the floor.

After letting Jessie unfasten my leather harness and pull it off me, I picked her up so I was holding her sideways in my arms as she let out a surprised gasp before giggling and draping her hands around my neck and shoulders. She pressed her lips against my cheek as I carried her to my bed, her eyes dancing with excitement.

"Always knew you'd sweep me off my feet," Jessie teased.

"Guess I took it literally," I said.

She winked. "Hey, I'm not complaining."

After I had gently set Jessie down on the mattress, she took hold of her olive cargo pants, unfastened them, and kicked them off. It left her in only her short-sleeved blue leotard top and her black lycra leggings. They stretched past her knees a little farther than her pants would have if she'd still had them on.

"So, uh… how do you…?" I started, eying her leotard.

Jessie smiled and pointed at the high collar that almost completely covered her neck. "There's a zipper on the left side. Goes all the way to the end of my sleeve."

I saw it now. "Got it."

"Good," she replied, her voice a husky whisper. She fixed me with a pair of brown eyes that were soft, steamy, and waiting. "Now come here and open me up, SOLDIER boy."

Sitting down next to Jessie on the bed, I took hold of her zipper to do as she'd asked. But as I met her gaze, I found my face drifting closer to hers almost on its own. Our lips met just a moment later as I started pulling, and they kept locking and unlocking as her leotard came apart and I slowly slid my hand inside.

I stifled a yawn the next morning as I put a pot of coffee on behind the bar. The others weren't up yet, and daylight was just peeking inside through the front windows. Well, Shinra's approximation of it, anyway. Those huge lamps built into the underside of the plate didn't do justice to the real thing. The sun itself was something most people down here never saw. I hadn't seen it in years.

While the coffee brewed, I went to one of the cabinets and took out my favorite mug, the black one with the chocobos running across it. I'd had it for a long time. A birthday gift last year from Barret. The yellow birds were cute, and black was my favorite color. I put it on the counter along with the cream and sugar and leaned against the wall to wait. As the flavorful smell of the grounds filled the air, I heard a soft knock on the door and went over to see who it was.

Glancing out the window, I saw Biggs waiting outside on the patio. A flutter swept through my stomach when he caught sight of me, and I remembered then that I was still in only the pajama bottoms and shirt I'd worn to bed. It was enough, but he'd never seen me this way before, and I couldn't help blushing a little when he gave me that crooked little grin of his. I unlocked the door and let him in.

"Morning, Biggs," I smiled. "You're up early today."

He walked inside. "You too, Tif."

I closed the door behind him. "So what brings you over here at this hour? The others are still asleep."

"Takin' Lena home to Sector 5 in a bit," he said. "She'll be back this way soon enough, but you know how hard the air here is on her. Those damn mako fumes. They never really go away."

"How's she feeling?" I asked.

Biggs followed me to the bar. "Pretty good, for the most part. She'll be better after she gets back home, though. The fumes aren't usually as bad over there. Probably 'cause of all the flowers."

I blinked. "Flowers?"

"Yeah. Quite a sight. Lena told me that some girl grows 'em. Brings 'em to the orphanage sometimes. Haven't ever seen her myself, though. I don't get over there as much as I used to."

"I didn't think flowers could grow in Midgar," I marveled.

He shrugged. "Me either, Tif, but somehow that girl does it. Guess she's got the magic touch."

I remembered then the flower that Cloud had given to Jessie a few days ago after the Reactor 1 mission. Was this where it had come from? That girl Biggs had mentioned? That would've meant that she had been on the plate that night. Selling her blossoms, maybe?

I could see how it would've been a good market for her, providing something so rare and beautiful. And, I thought with a little smile, she must've been really good at it to have convinced Cloud, of all people, to buy a flower. Aside from when he and I had taken on the Vice gang, I'd never been to Sector 5 before. But I decided I might go there sometime and try to find this mysterious florist, maybe buy some blossoms from her to decorate the Seventh Heaven.

"Any idea what she looks like?" I asked, checking the coffee.

Biggs followed me behind the bar. "Lena met her once or twice but never found out what her name was. Pink dress, brown hair, braid. Oh, and the greenest eyes you ever saw. Why? You gonna go over there and look for aher or something?"

"Maybe, after we're done with the next mission," I said. "This place could use some brightening up, don't you think?"

"Couldn't hurt," he agreed.

I looked over my shoulder at him. "Want some coffee?"

Biggs nodded. "Sure. Black, like always."

"Of course," I laughed.

With my favorite mug in one hand and the coffee pot in the other, I started pouring, my eyes still fixed on Biggs as we chuckled together. But as I did, I accidentally spilled some of the hot liquid onto my hand. I yelped in pain and surprise and instinctively jerked my arm away. My mug slipped out of my fingers and shattered onto the floor with a loud crash that tore at my heart.

"Oh, no!" I gasped.

Biggs took a step closer. "Tifa? You okay?"

Setting the pot back on the counter, I knelt down and tried to pick up the pieces, ignoring the sting in my skin where I'd burnt myself. But I moved too fast, sad as I was over what had happened, and more pain knifed into me as I caught my finger on one of the broken shards of my favorite coffee mug and cut it open.

"Shit!" I swore, jerking my hand back.

Biggs was at my side in an instant, helping me up as I held my arm out in front of me. "Damn! Looks like that piece is still in there. I'll get it out. Come on, Tif."

"First aid kit's under the sink," I told him.

He took it out. "Got it."

After setting the kit on the counter and opening it up, Biggs gently took my bleeding hand and leaned in for a closer look. A small, jagged piece of the broken mug was embedded in my fingertip, and a thin line of blood ran down the underside of my middle finger about halfway to my palm where the shard had cut it open.

I winced. "Hurts a lot…"

"I'll bet," Biggs grimaced. "Gonna get worse in a minute, I'm afraid. Gotta get that thing out. You ready?"

"Do it," I swallowed.

Taking a pair of tweezers from the first aid kit, he held my forearm steady and delicately took hold of the ceramic shard. It wasn't easy with it being so small, like the worst kind of wood splinter you can imagine. But after a minute or two, Biggs managed to snag it with the tweezers. I winced as he slowly pulled it out, and the second it was free, I wrapped my finger in a few folded paper towels I'd torn off the roll while he had been getting things ready. I held it firmly for a few minutes to stop the bleeding and gritted my teeth against the pain.

When he'd thrown the broken piece away, Biggs came back over to the sink with me and took a gauze bandage out of the first aid kit. With his help, I cleaned off my cut finger before letting him dab some iodine on it to keep it from getting infected. Then he carefully bandaged it up for me. My nose curled when he gave me a potion, though. I didn't like those things any more than Jessie did.

"Just had to throw that in, didn't you?" I smirked.

Biggs grinned. "Tastes like shit, but it gets the job done."

I drank it as quick as I could, trying desperately not to make a face and failing spectacularly. "That it does, Biggs. On both counts. I ought to be good as new in a couple hours."

"Lemme see that burn, Tif," he told me.

He took a look at my other hand, the one that I'd spilled the coffee on. The back of it was red, but it didn't look too bad, so I ran some cold water over it. That helped a bit, and between that and the potion, it felt a little better. So did my finger, though it still throbbed and would for a while. But I was as patched up as I could be.

Biggs took a dish towel and started drying my hand. Then he took a container of petroleum jelly out of the first aid kit and began rubbing some into my skin where I'd burnt myself. And as he worked, I became very much aware of the feel of his hands gently touching mine. It felt… really nice. I liked it. I liked it a lot.

Butterflies floated in my stomach as I looked up from what he was doing to gaze at his face. Which, I realized with a start, wasn't far from my own. Biggs looked at me, his fingers and thumb coming to a stop as his eyes met mine. They were dark, almost black. My heart thudding in my chest, I was hardly even aware of it as I leaned closer to him. He did the same, and my mouth drifted toward his.

Right at that moment, we heard footsteps coming from behind and above us, and we backed away from each other in a hurry. While Biggs nervously packed up the first aid kit, I ran a hand through my hair, my cheeks flaming and my stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of what he and I had been about to do.

Embarrassed, I turned to see Cloud coming downstairs, the blond spikes of his hair looking a little ruffled. He'd probably only just woken up, although he was fully dressed, the wooden floor creaking under his boots. He stopped as he walked into the room, his eyes going from me to Biggs and back again, and blinked in confusion.

"I interrupt something?" he asked.

"N-No, not at all," I stammered. "Biggs was just, um… helping out. I, uh… had a little accident."

Cloud noticed my bandaged finger. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Cut myself when I dropped my coffee mug. Sorry if I woke you, Cloud."

"It's fine," he brushed it off.

Biggs went over and got the broom. "I'll get this up."

I sighed. "So much for my favorite mug. I really liked it. I should've been paying more attention, though."

"Not your fault, Tif," he said. "Don't take it hard."

"Thanks," I smiled.

Between the two of us, we cleaned up the mess. Biggs swept up the broken pieces while I wiped away the spilled coffee, then he went back over the patch of floor with some spray cleaner. Then, watching what I was doing this time, I poured the three of us some fresh coffee. I had to use a different mug, of course. It was nice, but not quite the same. Silly, I know, but I get sentimental sometimes.

I glanced over at Cloud. "Jessie still asleep?"

"Yeah," he said, sitting down at the bar. "I left quietly when I heard your mug break. Didn't wanna wake her."

"I'm surprised she slept through it. It was pretty loud."

He shrugged. "Guess she was tired."

I winked at him. "I can imagine. You two had quite a busy night. In more ways than one, I'm sure."

For a moment, Cloud just stared at me, his mouth hanging slightly open. Then he looked away, his face flushing nearly as red as mine had been earlier. I hadn't been able to resist teasing him a little. Served him right for interrupting my moment with Biggs. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of finishing what we'd started.

"She's got ya there, buddy!" Biggs laughed. "Helluva night, huh?"

Cloud swallowed. "Yeah… it was."

"What was?" Jessie yawned.

I turned to see her walking downstairs and stretching her arms out above her head for a moment. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, and she only had her leggings and leotard top on as she came over and joined us at the bar. Cloud blushed even more, and I giggled in spite of myself. Biggs' snickering didn't help, either.

Cloud took a drink of his coffee. "Uh… nothing."

"If you say so, dear," Jessie giggled, wrapping her arms around him from behind and kissing him on the cheek.

"Why do you do that?" he sighed.

She smiled innocently at him. "Do what?"

Cloud grimaced. "Call me those… names. It's a little weird."

"Just having fun, Cloud," Jessie patted his shoulder. "Gotta be sure you don't take yourself too seriously."

"I was in SOLDIER. Means I've got a certain image."

Biggs chuckled. "You're still a badass, man, don't worry. Only now, you're a badass with a honey. Even better!"

As we kept talking, Marlene scampered into the room, Barret right behind her, and I got up to get breakfast started. My finger still hurt, as well as the back of my other hand, but I managed. While I cooked, I let my eyes wander over to Biggs, thinking of what had happened between us earlier and what it might've led to.

And how much I wanted it.