Indulgence

The heavy wooden doors to the Prince's bed chambers closed, leaving the dark-haired princess standing just a couple of feet away from him, still by the threshold. Her hands were bound behind her back with a thin strip of leather, and the way that her arms were pulled taut had her breasts pushed up tight against the thin fabric of her nightgown.

She stared him directly in the eyes as she stepped deeper into his room, burning defiance hidden in the glimmering embers that lived there. Cloud had never seen a woman with eyes that color before. They were the color of the blood that he wiped from the blade of his sword all the countless times he cut an enemy down on the battlefield, a rich, bright red hue, but unlike the liquid that poured from the wounds of those he defeated, her eyes were lit up by hidden flames.

The sky was dark and filled with streamers of red and gold beyond his wide-open bay window as the sun went down. With the candelabras that lined the walls of his chambers, the combination cast the princess's entire body in a hazy, warm glow that highlighted the richness of her skin and revealed how sun-kissed she'd been, a woman who lived high in the mountains. But it also made the shape of her body even more apparent to him than it had been when he first laid eyes on her outside of her village, every curve and bend of her figure illuminated by flame and bordered by the black silk of her hair that inched past full, round hips.

The anger in her eyes continued to blaze at him long after his manservant disappeared, leaving the young woman standing in front of him with her wrists bound and her lips sealed with a tight slip of satin. He imagined how angry she must be after the events of the last few hours - her village raided and she herself captured as one of its spoils, the rest doled out to sit in his treasury and among his closest noblemen. Even though she was silent, Cloud could feel the rage simmer beneath the fineness of her bones and the softness of her skin, below that bright crimson of her eyes.

It was of little consequence to him. She had been captured and her land conquered, and in his eyes, she was no longer a princess but now his plaything for the rest of the night and for however long he intended to keep her after that. Tilting his head to one side as he appraised her, Cloud figured he might keep a rare beauty like her around for a while.

Shoving a hand into the pocket of his trousers, Cloud approached the princess, making a mental note of the way she shifted uncomfortably on her feet as he stepped closer to her. She was dressed in a simple, loose-fitting nightgown made of a dark violet silk material, a far cry from the torn, corseted gown of intricate taffeta and moire petticoats she'd been wearing when she was pulled from her home. Her hair was no longer the wild, tangled mess it had been after the skirmish in her village, but had been brushed into shiny black rivers that lined her back and her shoulders. And Cloud could see, letting his eyes pass over her body once again, that she was clean, despite the way that she was covered in dirt and blood when he dragged her onto his airship earlier that day. It appeared that his keep's handmaidens had attended to her well.

As he had insisted, of course.

Cloud circled her, and the princess's eyes followed him as far as she could without turning her head. When their gazes met once again, Cloud found himself falling into rich amber-red pools that were still full of seething anger. Yet she turned away from him, almost demurely, looking back across the room and letting her stare fall to the window, drinking in the descent of the sun and the advent of the stars.

Something about the way she looked away so quickly set his blood alight. Standing behind her, he let his eyes pass over the back of her body, finding the way that her nightgown clung to her backside, round and full, and the way that a pale shoulder was exposed beneath the darks slats of her hair. Impulsively, he reached up one hand and brushed her hair to the side, eager to see a little more of her skin.

She recoiled slightly, a shiver passing through her at his touch. Cloud realized that he was still wearing his gloves, and the cool leather must have startled her. He smirked slightly at the thought, noting the way that she twisted her bound hands against one another behind her, just below the small of her back, a futile attempt to work against their bindings. He rounded his way in front of her, not missing the opportunity to scan the length of her legs with his gaze, imagining them wrapped around his hips.

Standing in front of her once again and satisfied now that he'd been able to fully survey his conquest, Cloud met eyes with her again. She once more seemed to burn with fury, almost so much that her body was trembling slightly where she stood. Cloud considered this before cocking his head to one side.

He took a moment to back away from her just a step, using the opportunity to divest himself of his gloves to toss away to the chaise that sat adjacent to his four-poster, king-sized bed. They were stained with blood and dirt, and he didn't want to sully this perfect angel with them when he touched her, not when he had already imagined in his mind how he planned to soil her completely in other ways.

"Does this former princess have a name?"

His query detonated another bomb of rage, because the princess blinked as if stunned, then narrowed her eyes. It forced her face into a pinched expression, and with her carefully arched brows and heart-shaped jaw, Cloud saw her beauty transform into a charming adorability that had him absently chewing into his bottom lip. He'd never seen a woman so gorgeous, he recalled, but he also didn't think he'd ever seen one quite so cute, either.

He saw her jaw shift in annoyance, followed by a muffled sound that was buried beneath the strip of fabric gagging her. Cloud's smirked deepened as he realized the source of her vexation, and he took a step closer to her, reaching behind her neck and beneath her hair to find the knot that held it together.

"Let's get rid of this so you can address your Prince properly, shall we?"

This only served to furrow the princess' brow even further, but Cloud enjoyed the look on her face as his bare fingers nimbly worked free the knot. His knuckles brushed lightly against the back of her neck, finding the skin there warm and soft, contrasted by the cool smoothness of her hair that draped over the tops of his hands. He tried not to let it distract him from his task at hand, but already his imagination was taking off with the speed of a herd of chocobos.

He worked the knot open and pulled the satin from her face, tossing it away to the floor without a second thought. His focus was fixed on her face, now seeing it fully revealed, his eyes zeroing in on her lips.

They had been one of the first things he'd noticed when she had first been brought to him after the raid by his soldiers. They were pouty and naturally red, matching the rosy hue of her cheeks and the fire that scalded her irises. And they looked so, so very soft, tempting him to reach out and touch with a brush of his thumb.

Utterly and compellingly kissable.

He filed that thought away for a moment, eyes raising to meet hers again. His lips curled up into a smirk, while hers turned down into a scowl.

"I'll ask again," he began, "Does the former prin-"

"Lockhart," she interrupted at once. "Princess Tifa Lockhart of the Mountain Kingdom of Nibel."

Cloud couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising slightly at her response. He realized that this was the first time he had heard her voice - during and after the raid, she had defiantly remained silent, refusing to answer any of his questions when she was pulled from her palace. He wasn't quite prepared for the rich husk behind it or the strength in the way she declared her title and her family name, and for some strange reason, it had a sear of heat soaring between his thighs.

"Former Princess," he insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let me remind you, Tifa, that the Mountain Kingdom is now a part of the Kingdom of Midgar."

Cloud watched her bottom lip jut out as she readied a retort, but she bit it back, her teeth digging into that supple pink flesh before retreating. She inhaled deeply as if demonstrably frustrated, and she tore her eyes away from his again, refocusing them back on the window.

Cloud watched her in mild amusement. As a warrior prince, he, like many of his knights and soldiers, had been bathed in the mako that his kingdom's wizards pulled from beneath the earth. The Planet's magic-laden lifeblood had gifted him with not only superior strength but with keener senses, and at the present moment, Cloud could hear how her heart rate had already risen, could smell the blend of fear and anticipation that crawled through her adrenal system. Despite the coolness in the facade she tried to wear as she turned away from him, there was no doubt that she was responding to him. It was simply a matter of him steering that responsiveness in the right direction.

"Nothing to say?" he prodded, edging a footstep closer to her.

Tifa rolled her eyes back to him, blinking once, slowly, so that he could capture the dark fullness of her lashes. His mind was greeted with a flashing vision of her laying back with her head on his pillows, her eyes closed as he kissed those lashes gently, an image of tenderness he rarely entertained.

"And who might you be?" she finally snapped at him. "The spoiled half-blood prince of Midgar?"

Cloud blinked, his nails digging into his biceps as he tried not to visibly wince at the sting of her words. It was true; he was a bastard who had only assumed his title because his mother, the former Queen, had died without any male heir who had been born in wedlock. His father had fled the Kingdom before being bestowed any official title in the monarchy.

"That's Prince Cloud to you," he responded nastily.

She must have realized that she had struck a nerve, because her lips twisted up in the first hint of a smile he'd seen yet. She pulled her shoulders back slightly, her posture straightening and her chin rising as she stared back at him now with open defiance.

He had to admit that her surge of confidence seared him with both anger and desire. Cloud tried to push down the hot bubble of emotions that her presence and her demeanor were dragging out of them, and he grimaced slightly, dropping his arms to his sides.

"No matter," he went on. "I am your prince now, and you are a princess without a kingdom. You can obey me or you rot in the dungeons beneath the keep. It's your choice, pretty one."

Tifa stared back at him, her eyes narrowing once again in that way that made his heart beat faster. He tried to ignore it, focusing again on the sound of hers, hearing the way that it grew louder, pumping blood along the lines of her veins. She drew in a slow breath, an attempt to assuage the rising panic that Cloud could sense building inside her. He smirked at the realization, finding himself admiring the way that Tifa held her external resolve, unbeknownst to the fact that he could detect everything that was going on inside of her.

"I have no intentions of obeying you, Prince," she finally spat back, her voice no longer husky but now a rod of steel. "So throw me into your dungeons if you must."

Cloud clenched his fingers at his side, feeling the front of his pants grow even tighter at the challenge in her words. He had no intention whatsoever to throw this covetous young woman in his dungeons, of course. But if this was too easy, he figured, it might not be worth it.

To see her resisting was promising, Cloud thought. It would make the chase and the climb ever more worth it.

That thought lit up an idea in his skull, and he couldn't stop the way that the corner of his mouth curved up in a smirk at it. Instead of indulging her with another response, he let his eyes openly survey her body, this time passing over the toned definition of her biceps, taut and firm with the way she was restrained with her wrists behind her back.

There had been rumors that the Mountain King had his daughter trained by a legendary and enigmatic warrior who had become a fugitive outlaw of the East, and that despite her svelte and womanly figure, she possessed equal the strength of any man who could wield a blade. Noting the lines of her muscles below skin that appeared impossibly soft, Cloud decided to test the truth of that rumor.

"Perhaps that won't be necessary," was all he said, dropping both hands into his pockets and turning away from her.

Cloud faced the window and advanced a few paces towards it, his eyes falling to the sky beyond. It was now full dark, and the sky beyond Midgar had begun to shine with the glitter of electric blue stars that reflected the waters of the ocean beyond the Kingdom's farthest shores. He stared at the horizon in silence, his mind combing over his proposal while his every sense concentrated on Princess Tifa, the sound of her breathing and the ever-escalating pace of her heart, the scent of her perfume and sweat and hesitation.

He made her wait for long moments, the anticipation building into a palpable tension that began to clog the air in the room even though he had not turned to face her. She cleared her throat once, clearly trying to capture his attention, and realizing that she was growing impatient with the way that he made her stand there only succeeded in increasing his lust for her. There was quite possibly nothing more thrilling than the feeling of controlling a woman to the point that she was becoming desirous in return, especially if it were against her earlier intentions.

But Cloud was patient, and he admired the stars for long moments until he heard a huff of frustration from across the room. At the sound, he turned to her.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" he asked her, his voice low but filled with an edge of teasing superiority. "You seem… tense."

"Might we be done with this?" she snapped, her voice even more rigid than it had been before.

Cloud laughed deep and low in his throat, moving in close to her with his hands still in the pockets of his trousers. As he approached, he noticed that Tifa's eyes lowered, centering themselves on his waist, right where his hands had shoved his waistcoat away to the sides of his hips. They hovered there, and Cloud smirked at the realization that she was admiring him silently.

"Be done with what, Princess?" he asked her.

Her eyes leaped back up to his, once again filled with fire. He loved the anger that rose even higher in them at his casually feigned taunt.

"Whatever you will do with me, do it, already," Tifa spoke through a perfect row of small, white teeth.

"I intend to," Cloud responded, taking another step forward so that he was only inches away from her. "But… perhaps I was being a bit unfair."

He waited, and when Tifa only stared at him, he raised one hand to take her chin between his fingers. She gave him another deeply displeased look at that, but she didn't say anything, even when he tilted her face from side to side, openly admiring her beauty.

"Is it true what they say about you, Princess?" he finally asked her, dropping the octave of his voice another note. He was now standing so close that he could hear each slow, measured breath she took in, clearly an attempt to keep hold of her bearings while he crowded her. She wasn't fooling him, though. He could read her like an open book right where he stood without even trying.

"I'm sure the barbarians in your kingdom have had plenty to say about me," came her clipped response.

Cloud sniffed out a laugh, his eyes meeting hers once more. She was already restrained, and it would be so easy for him to simply take her by the shoulders and pin her to his bed to have his way with her, as was intended. She was his conquest, after all.

But he had a far better idea, and his blood was churning with every passing thought of it.

Instead of responding right away, Cloud reached behind Tifa's back to find her wrists where they were bound behind her back. In doing so, it brought the fronts of their bodies nearly flush together, less than an inch separating them and keeping them from touching one another. He heard Tifa inhale another small breath, this time one that nearly eclipsed into a gasp, and Cloud knew that in spite of the brave front she wore that she was falling heavily, unable to resist what she saw in front of her.

He undid her bindings so that her hands were free, then took each of her wrists in hand, pulling them to her sides. He dropped them there, then stepped back, placing one hand on his hip.

"You're a better fighter than most soldiers," he said matter of factly, leveling his gaze with hers. "Is it true?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Her retort was enough to pull the corner of his lips back into a smirk again, and he nodded at her. "Perhaps I would," he responded. "Why do you think I untied you?"

Tifa stared back at him, and now that her arms were free, she crossed them over her chest, pushing her breasts up and together against the flimsy fabric of her nightgown. Not only did the sight of it practically make him salivate, but it accentuated the cinched curve of her waist even further, and Cloud was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his hands off of her.

Tifa parted her lips slightly to respond, but Cloud turned away from her, crossing the room to the other side by the armoire against the wall. Once there, he opened its wide wooden doors and took his time sliding out of his waistcoat and then undoing the cuffs and buttons of his tunic. As he undressed, he watched Tifa through the mirror that was mounted inside of the armoire's door, catching her reflection and seeing the way that her eyes traced and followed his body as he pulled each piece of clothing away.

It thrilled him to know that despite her rage over her present circumstance as a prisoner of war, she was not immune to the burning attraction that was currently simmering between them, threatening with each passing glance and subtle touch to boil over into a fiery eruption of passion.

Cloud left his trousers on but kicked out of his boots. He closed the armoire and turned back to Tifa, who remained still with her eyes trained on him as he faced her. He paused where he stood for just a moment, allowing himself to drink in the way that she absorbed the sculpted definition of his torso and arms, dark maroon eyes hovering at his waist again before they returned to his face.

Cloud returned to stand in front of her, this time leaving a reasonable amount of space between them.

"I have a proposal, Princess Tifa," Cloud said to her. "I'll give you one opportunity to show me your true strength. To the victor, goes the spoils. You can walk right out of here and take your kingdom back, if you like. Lose, and you are mine, in any way that I want you, for as long as I want."

Cloud extended a hand to Tifa, watching as her eyes narrowed in consideration of his offer. She clenched the fingers of one hand at her side, then slowly lifted it, accepting his in a firm grip.

"…Deal, Prince."

Her skin was soft under the roughness of his palm, but Cloud could detect the hidden power beneath it. He held on to her for a moment longer than was necessary, then released her hand, letting it fall back to her side.

"Very well, Princess," he responded, backing away a few steps. "Show me what you've got."

Cloud raised his fists in front of him, waiting for Tifa's first attack. He watched as her body fell into a defensive stance, first stretching her arms high above her head and elongating her entire body before she raised her fists and then advanced on him.

Cloud had to admit that he wasn't prepared for how swiftly she moved, finding himself stunned by how quickly her fist was in his face. His reflexes quickly snapped into place, and he ducked out of the way, raising one arm just in time to block her first punch. He attempted to roll out of the way, but Tifa caught his legs in a sidelong sweep, cutting them right from under him and forcing him to the floor.

He tossed aside all thoughts and focused on allowing his body to take over in response to hers, realizing quickly that Tifa was an aggressively defensive fighter and that he, one who was trained to fight with a sword and not with his fists, was woefully outmatched by the combination of acrobatics and vicious, missile-like assaults of her fighting style. It was only the mako in his blood that gave him any advantage at all and kept him on an even tier with her, and it wasn't long before Cloud understood that the rumors about Princess Tifa Lockhart of the Mountain Kingdom were altogether true.

They parried and danced around his room until they were both lined with sweat, the tight confines of his chambers requiring them both to maneuver around furniture and his personal effects that lined the space. Cloud was careful not to attack Tifa's face, rather trying to wrestle her to the ground in an attempt to pin her to put an end to this fight. But more than once, her bare foot or her fist connected with his jaw or his ribcage, and it wasn't long before he was on his knees at the foot of the bed, holding his stomach in pain while his blood raged in his ears.

"Had enough, half-blood prince?" she asked, her breathing heavy and her voice throaty.

Cloud blinked and looked up at her, finding her standing above him with both fists on her hips. She had one foot on his back, and when their eyes met, she smiled wickedly at him before pushing down with all of the force in that long, powerful, shapely leg.

Cloud groaned, relenting and letting her stomp him into the soft, dark vermillion carpeting. He still possessed enough strength to flip over and pull her down to the floor beside him, especially with the way she stood over him with smug satisfaction that suggested she'd already let her guard down. But Cloud wasn't about to ignore the fact that the position she had him in had him as stiff as a steel sword in his pants.

"Fair is fair, Princess," he conceded, his voice barely above a whisper.

Tifa took her foot off of his back, then stepped away, standing in front of him. Cloud pushed up to his knees, and when he looked up, to his amazement, Tifa was extending a hand to him.

He accepted it with only a sliver of hesitation, letting her help him to his feet. He stood in front of her, rolling out his shoulders before brushing himself off. She was watching him intently, her eyes roving and roaming, once again alerting him to the fact that she was admiring.

He couldn't help but do the same in return. Like himself, she was still panting slightly from the exertion, and her skin was coated with a layer of sweat that shimmered under the flames of the candelabras around the room. Her hair had grown a bit wild during their sparring, sticking to the wetness on her body and fanning out around her in thick, ebony strands.

"Well," he said after a moment, the air thick as they stared at one another for moments that stretched on for far too long. "I am not one to go back on my word, Princess. You are free to go."

As much as it pained him - both his groin and, oddly enough, somewhere deeper inside - Cloud stepped aside, sweeping his arm out to gesture to the door. Tifa regarded him for a moment, her crimson stare flashing intermittently between the door and his face as her brow furrowed, trying to work something out in her head.

"I will have one of my men escort you -"

Cloud cut himself off when Tifa suddenly began to advance toward him, moving with slow, purposeful steps. Something in her countenance had shifted completely, her hips swaying from side to side with her gait in a manner that he had not seen before. She'd relaxed most of the tension from her body, her shoulders now at ease, her hands calm at her sides, her head tilted to one side. That full, pouty lower lip of hers was now trapped between her teeth, and Cloud felt a new, swift jolt of pain race along with all of the blood in his body straight south.

Soon, she was right in front of him again, but this time, she was lifting those pretty hands that had moments ago been soaring towards every vulnerable part of his body. She let them fall atop his shoulders, Cloud noticing for the first time that her fingernails were painted a shade of red so dark they were nearly black. She squeezed him lightly in her grip, then leaned in even closer, her breath skirting along the base of his throat.

"I believe I may have changed my mind, Prince."

This had Cloud's eyebrows raising, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with the closeness of her body to his and with the way her demeanor had shifted from antagonistic to placable. He inhaled as he tried to formulate a response, but all it did was flood him with the blend of rosewater and sweat in her skin, an instant hit of narcotic to his enhanced senses. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself, noting how, with Tifa this close, he could see how perfectly her body fit against his.

"How so?"

"I have no intention to leave," she whispered, leaning in so close that her lips were barely touching the flesh of his neck. He was suddenly desperate for her to kiss him there, feeling her breath that was so hot and wanting to feel the softness of those sweet, thick lips all over his flesh. "But I do intend to collect what I am owed. To the victor goes the spoils, hm? Your words, my dear Prince?"

Cloud swallowed carefully, the nerve endings in the tips of his fingers beginning to tingle with the desire to touch, to do anything. He resisted it. "And what it is that you do want, Princess? If not your freedom?"

A long pause, Tifa's gentle breathing still too close and working him into a complete frenzy. The heat in his body was becoming unbearable, and Cloud fought internally to suppress the wild urges that were overcoming him, balling his hands into fists at his sides and digging his nails into the flesh of his palms in an effort to keep from doing something rash.

"You," she finally whispered, her voice a confusing mixture of sweet and low, forcing him to wince as his imagination soared to consider how he could hear that cadence in other ways.

He didn't have time to process that one simple word, though, because suddenly, Tifa had grabbed both of his wrists, pinning them to his sides. She perched herself up on her toes, rising just enough so that her lips could find his, and then, she was kissing him.

Cloud felt like he had been plunged into a valley of electrified lava, every sensation suddenly too hot and too urgent, his brain mystified and blurred as he tried to reconcile what was happening. This beautiful, otherworldly princess from a land far away on the other side of the ocean, dark-haired and pale-skinned, crimson eyed and curvy, was using all of the strength in her body to hold him still while her lips dominated his in a kiss that was hot and raw and open-mouthed. This woman who only a short time ago had stared back at him with open hatred, who had been unabashed about her desire to kill him, who had managed to defeat a mako-powered warrior like himself with only the swiftness of her fists, was now using her body against his in a way that he had fantasized about since the moment he had first laid eyes on her.

The wetness at the seam of her mouth and on the tip of her tongue as it slid alongside his was enough to collapse any remaining semblance of good sense inside of him. Cloud closed his eyes, trying in vain to lift his arms to bring them around her and crush her to him. It was a futile effort - she was far too strong, her grip on his firm and keeping him from moving, even though she strained against his own strength. He groaned into her mouth with frenzied displeasure, and Tifa laughed hotly against his lips before she began to push him towards the bed.

Cloud did his best to resist, but he found that his thinking was crosshaired by the stinging pleasure that erupted between them where their lips and tongues were connected, his every sense assailed by Tifa's passionate insistence. He absently considered breaking the kiss in an effort to reclaim some of his control of the situation, but he realized with a deep, dark clarity that he wanted to do no such thing.

He wanted this to go on for as long as it could.

Tifa pushed him down on the bed, falling atop him and releasing his wrists. Still kissing him messily, she brought her hands to his face, holding him by his cheeks as she tilted her head to one side to shift the angle of their kiss. She ran her tongue along the smoothness of his teeth, then dipped it back inside of his mouth, finding the tip of his tongue with hers and prodding at it with a fevered gentleness that had his cock leaking against his inner thigh. Instantly wanting to touch every part of her body, Cloud brought his hands to her hips, sliding their way up the bend of her waist and feeling the heat of her skin beneath the cool silk of the slip she wore before she stopped him by grabbing his wrists again with both hands, their mouths still sealed together.

"Tifa," he growled against her lips. "What are you - "

"Shh," she scolded, pulling the sear of her kiss away from him. She pressed a finger against his lips with a little more force than was necessary. "And it's Princess to you."

Cloud wanted to open his mouth to say something, but Tifa was climbing off of him. He leaned up on his elbows and watched her as she crossed the room and bent down to pick something up, his eyes glued to her round bottom and the way that the dark silk of her nightgown slid across it with her every movement. His heart pounding faster with every breath he took, Cloud followed her with his eyes as she returned to him, noting that she held her former leather bindings in one hand, crawling on the bed to him on her hands and knees.

"You're mine now, right, Prince?" she asked him coyly, the strip of leather dangling from between two slender fingers. "Wasn't that the deal?"

Cloud eyed the leather, subconsciously licking his lips before he returned his gaze to Tifa. She was wearing a hinted smile that he had never seen before, and her eyes were a smoldering shade of garnet, dark but lit up as if the stars were shining behind every carat. Suddenly plunged into their depths, Cloud found himself nodding slowly, unable to respond otherwise.

"Speak your assent," she demanded.

Tifa, he noticed, didn't raise her voice, but she did know how to throw command into it. The husk behind it deepened and the honey that lined it only grew sweeter, confusing Cloud again with the contradictory combination. He blew out a slow breath, the ache in his cock growing further and further despairing the more he heard her voice and the more that she hovered over him like this.

"Y-yeah," he slowly whispered in agreement.

"Yes what?" she asked, her expression pinched and chastising again.

"Yes, Princess," he breathed, unable to tear his eyes from hers.

"Good boy," Tifa responded, bending over him to reward him with a kiss to the center of his abdomen, right along the lines of muscles there. The sensation caused a ripple to blow over Cloud's skin, and he reached for the sheets, fisting them gently. "Now lay back."

Cloud did as she asked without qualm, anticipation blistering into a pool of fire inside of him. He scooted back to the top of the bed, then laid down with his head on the pillow, his heart so loud in his own ears that he wondered if Tifa could hear it.

As soon as he settled, Tifa wordlessly took each of his hands and lifted them above his head. Cloud's first instinct was to resist and pull back, already well aware of what she was about to do. He couldn't imagine a situation where he wanted to be tied up or restrained in any capacity. But staring up at Tifa as a long spill of her dark, glossy hair fell across her shoulders as she moved, her nightgown shifting with every movement of her illustrious body, Cloud realized that there was nothing more he wanted at the moment than this.

Tifa climbed over him and straddled him, hiking the wispy garment up above her hips and giving him a generous view of her thick, buttercream thighs. Feeling the damp heat of her center on his belly, Cloud was somewhat stunned to realize that she wasn't wearing underwear.

He studied her face as she pressed his wrists together, looping the cord of leather between and around them before securing them to a gap in the carved wood of the headboard above his head. Cloud twisted his wrists against one another, the feeling of being constrained and powerless altogether new and quite a bit frightening.

Tifa slid off of him just long enough to hook her prettily painted nails into the waistbands of his trousers and underwear, giving them a tug and lowering them just enough to let his achy cock fall free, its tip wet from all of the precum that had been leaking out of him ever since she'd first walked up on him after their fight with that new look in her eyes. She glanced down and stared at it, hard and strained from desperate need, red at the tip where it laid across the bottom of his stomach. Cloud groaned as soon as it was exposed, and Tifa glanced up at him, that coquettish smile playing at her lips again.

"Look at you," she teased in a light tone, running the smooth edge of her fingertip along the entire length of his cock from base to tip, causing him to fidget his wrists as a hot burst of pleasure shot far too quickly up along his nerves. "Making a mess already, my sweet Prince. Now, are you going to be quiet, or do I have to gag you?"

Cloud blinked, seeing the determination behind her eyes, even as they glittered playfully back at him. Cloud carefully swallowed back the painful lump in the back of his throat and nodded his head.

"I'll be quiet, Princess," he told her, his voice a low, breathy whisper, undergirded by the lightning he could feel tearing through his limbs.

Tifa offered him a sugary smile, tossing her hair behind her shoulders before she settled on her knees between his thighs. Cloud watched her, his blue eyes misted over and dark with lust as she reached up for the straps of her negligee and slowly lowered them both over her shoulders. She slipped her arms out, and the fabric slid away and pooled around her waist, leaving her soft and generous tits exposed for him to admire.

Cloud bit hard into his bottom lip as soon as his eyes feasted on them, finding them more beautiful than he could have possibly imagined. They were pendulous and fully, perky and peaked by pale pink nipples that were hardening right before his very eyes. His cock twitched against his belly and leaked again, and noticing the way that his eyes stared and his body responded, Tifa smiled at him again in a way that made his blood turn to liquid fire.

Tifa placed both hands on the insides of his thighs, running them along his skin with a feather-light touch all the way down to his calves before smoothing them back up again, nearly to the base of his shaft. Cloud squirmed, his teeth digging into the flesh of his lip as he groaned low in his throat. The sensation was somehow both overwhelming and unfulfilling, sending all of the desperation into the needy tip of his cock which was eager for those beautiful, slender fingers to touch. Tifa continued this slow, sensual manipulation, at times pressing her fingertips into the undersides of his thighs, Cloud wincing and shutting his eyes, his breathing growing labored.

He heard her click her tongue, and he opened his eyes to see her staring down at him with a mischievous expression on her face. She winked at him and pursed her lips as if blowing him a kiss, setting loose a new brushfire inside of his belly before she tore her eyes away to glance down at his cock again.

She slid her hands away from his thighs and brought them both to the base of his shaft, locking them around him and sliding them up and up in a slow, smooth movement. Cloud stared down and watched her hands, so small and dainty and pretty but so strong, her grip firm and sending jolts of pleasure throughout his entire system. But it wasn't enough, not by a long shot. And she was moving so slow that all it was doing was making him weak, his legs buckling and beginning to tremble as he raised his hips in an effort to get her to move faster.

"Be patient," she scolded him, wrapping one fist around his length and giving it a tight squeeze. "You really are a spoiled little prince, aren't you?"

A thick, clear bead of precum seeped out of the split of flesh at his tip and Cloud whined quietly in the back of his throat, barely loud enough for Tifa to hear. She raised an eyebrow, then brought the tip of her index finger to the head of his cock and tapped it against the liquid there, stretching it out in a long tether with her eyes transfixed on it before she smeared it over his entire crown, rubbing him up and down with a tight grip.

"Mmm," she moaned delightfully at the sight.

Cloud could only squeeze his eyes shut again, trying not to make a sound as she began to work his length in her hand again. His teeth were slicing into his lip again, the pain there a sharp contrast to the coil of scorching euphoria that was building low in his belly. Every muscle in his body grew sharp and taut as he aimed for release, especially when Tifa cupped both her hands around his tip, rubbing them back and forth together until Cloud could feel tears burning at the corners of his eyes.

He could feel himself growing close, arching his back as the searing sensation flew higher and higher, muddling his every thought. But abruptly, Tifa stopped, releasing his dick from both of her hands and letting it fall painfully abandoned back on his stomach.

Cloud expelled a rush of air when her soft hands were no longer on him, opening his eyes in frustration and finding her smirking and wiping her hands off on his sheets. He blinked, his brain feeling like it was flooded with confusion, and he strained against his bindings so hard that the leather chafed into the skin of his wrists.

"Tifa -" he started to beg.

"Shh," she silenced him. "What's wrong, Prince Cloud? Are you not enjoying being your princess's plaything?"

Cloud licked his lips, desperate to respond and to get out of these bindings, but holding himself back in an effort to please this raven-haired goddess who was perched between his knees. Tifa had her palms on his thighs again, trailing up and down and rubbing his skin so softly that his cock was jumping against his abs with every movement, the feeling burning away whatever was left of his nerves.

She stopped, this time reaching for the band of her silk nightgown where it was pooled around her waist. Bunching it up between her fingers, she pulled the entire garment up and over her head, tossing it to the floor and leaving her fully naked in front of him. Cloud immediately glanced between her thighs, finding her soft mound and the slick pinkness of her center where she sat straddled over his waist.

She caught him staring and offered him another kittenish smile. "Like what you see, my fair Prince? How about a closer look?"

Cloud could only watch in amazement, his brain still caught in a haze of stunted pleasure as she scooted up closer to his face, settling herself on the center of his chest. She sat up and planted both of her feet on either side of him, leaning back on one hand so that she could offer him a fully unabashed view of her wet pussy.

Cloud licked his lips for what had to be the thousandth time that night, only this time, his hunger for her was transcending anything he could remember feeling in recent memory. He'd never seen anything quite so inviting and shamelessly gorgeous, soft pink petals of her folds surrounding a leaking opening that he wanted so badly to plunge himself into. Her clit was already hard, and Cloud pulled his wrists against the leather bindings again, despairing at the fact that he could not reach out and touch it and hear the sweet sounds she would make as he stroked it.

As if reading his thoughts, Tifa brought her index finger to her mouth, sticking her tongue out and wetting the pad of her finger slowly. She stretched a slim drip of saliva with its tip, warm cinnamon eyes connected with his and refusing to look away, even as he strained his arms so hard in their restraints that his biceps flexed and pulled. Smiling at him again, she dropped that single finger to her clit, slowly dragging it over her most sensitive spot in slow, downward strokes.

Fiery Ifrit, there was nothing hotter on the planet than watching his conquered princess sit atop him like this and rub herself, slowly filling herself with pleasure. Cloud could feel his cock leak again, and a fresh surge of blood rushed straight to his groin. It was not helped by the way that she closed her eyes in ecstasy and tipped her head back, her lips gapped open with a moan as her hair brushed across his belly and over his dick. The sensation was silky and cool, and it sent new sparks to his brain, his abs growing tight and his knees buckling as he raised his hips in an attempt to get more.

"Goddamnit," he couldn't stop himself from swearing, a slow drip of sweat lining his temple.

Tifa looked back up at him, opening her eyes, her cheeks highlighted with blush as she gave him another small smile. She pulled her hand away from where she had been touching herself and leaned forward, still perched on her feet. She planted her hands on the center of his chest just below his clavicle, her hair sweeping over his shoulders as she looked into his eyes again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, almost demurely. "Do you want to touch too, Prince Cloud?"

"Please, Princess," he nearly whined.

She smiled a bit more widely but was shaking her head. "I'm afraid not," she told him. "But maybe a kiss?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at her, watching her with his breath caught in his throat as she began to inch her body closer to his face. He panted out a few slow breaths, feeling the leather cut into his skin as he struggled against it, but soon, Tifa was crouched over his face, her thighs on either side of his head.

Okay, this, he could work with.

He was quickly enveloped in her aura, and it was enough to almost push him over the edge - almost. But with her sweet pussy so close to his face, Cloud felt determined to lick at that candied center of her body until they both found release. Obliging her command, he lifted his head slightly and pressed a soft kiss right against her swollen clit.

"Oh," she moaned softly. "So good."

Cloud was encouraged by that little bit of praise, and he darted his tongue out, circling its stiff tip over her nub over and over again. She tasted so sweet, and she was so wet that his tongue was almost instantly coated by her arousal. Somehow, it made his dick impossibly harder, and he felt himself drip even further over his stomach.

He was just about to dip his tongue a little lower to venture its way inside of her when Tifa was backing away again, pulling that delicious honey pot from him in a way that made him want to throw a tantrum. He glared at her, and when Tifa caught the frustrated look on his face, she began to giggle lightly, thoroughly enjoying the struggle he was immersed in.

"Tifa," he started to warn, pulling so tightly at his bindings this time that every vein in his forearms bubbled against his skin, the wood behind him giving a slight creak.

"So impatient," Tifa chastised again. She backed up until her center was hovering above his, and Cloud almost howled when she reached behind him, taking his cock in her hand again. He was so desperate for touch that as soon as he felt her warm palm wrap around him, he bucked his hips up into her hand. "Don't worry, my love."

Cloud winced at those words. She hadn't called him any such thing prior to that moment, but hearing that term of endearment only succeeded in raising the bloodlust that was puddling below the surface to an impossible level. He needed to get out of these bindings before he exploded or worse; he was done playing games with Tifa Lockhart for the evening.

He tried to respond, but he was so stagnated in delirious bliss that his voice had dried out in his throat. Instead, he could only blink, watching as Tifa settled herself over his cock, placing its tip at her entrance before she slowly slid down.

She leaned forward and anchored herself to him with her hands on his chest, her hips still perched above him with her feet on either side of him on the bed. But much to his dismay, Tifa did not sink his length deep inside of her where he wanted so badly to be. Instead, she used all of the strength and flexibility in her thighs to hover over him, the tight ring of her opening sliding just past the head of his cock, clenching over and over again on him until he was moaning and his dick was so hard and full he was beginning to forget his own name.

"Tifa, please - " he started to whimper again, Tifa slowly twirling her hips over him and still refusing to take any more of him inside of her.

"You like this?" she asked him, tilting her head to one side, all of her hair falling over her left shoulder and leaving her right one exposed. Her breasts swung back and forth over him, too far out of reach of his mouth or his hands which were pulling with increasing vexation against their restraints. Her nipples had hardened even further, and all Cloud wanted at that very moment was to be buried to the hilt inside of her, his mouth sucking and nibbling them until she mewled while he fucked her into oblivion.

She laughed when he could only groan in response, and for some reason, the casual sound, combined with the way that her tight pussy mercilessly teased him only set off a time bomb of anger somewhere inside of him. When she pushed down slightly and then rolled her hips again, Cloud let out a feral groan and then strained with all of the strength he possessed in his upper body as he lifted it away from the mattress.

"Fuck!" he growled, snapping his wrists away from their restraints in one swift motion.

There was a loud crack, followed by a shift and buckling of the entire bed. Tifa let out a yelp as they both tilted slightly backward, but Cloud could only see the color red, and he moved quickly, shoving Tifa out of his lap. He sat up, kicking his pants and underwear away and trying to clear his vision, the leather bindings torn and flying across the room, forgotten.

Tifa tried to shuffle away from him, but the tables had been turned and this was no longer her game to control. Cloud had had enough of his princess's teasing and now he was going to take his conquest the way he had intended when this night had first begun.

Cloud grabbed Tifa by the waist and flipped her over onto her belly, facing her away from him, no longer caring about how much of his enhanced strength he used against her. He pulled her close to him by her hips, settling her in his lap with her legs on either side of him, her ass facing him and her core leaking right over his cock.

Suddenly terrified by this new arrangement, Tifa glanced over her shoulder, her bright claret eyes as wide as saucers. "Cloud?!" she balked in confusion.

"Shut up," he rumbled in response, his brain flooded by a thousand conflicting emotions, some urging him to be gentle and care for her and the others demanding he throw caution and restraint to the wind. When her mouth dropped open in surprise, Cloud responded by slapping his open palm right across the fleshiest part of her bottom.

Tifa let out another cry in response, dropping her head between his legs and covering her face with her hands. Her hair was a wild spill of ink across her shoulders and her slender back, and the sight of it combined with the way that a bright red handprint highlighted the spot where he spanked her only sent his sudden savagery into hyperdrive.

Cloud sent his hand down on her bottom in another blow, soon alternating his spanks back and forth between both cheeks of her perfect, plump ass. He heard Tifa cry out and whimper with each strike, the sound muffled into his sheets. Wanting to hear her fully, Cloud reached for her hair with his free hand, bunching the tail of it together and wrapping it around his fist, pulling back until she was forced to lift her face from the bed.

"I guarantee," he began, spanking her over and over again, "you won't tease me like that again."

Tifa sputtered something incoherent in response, her words trapped between a moan and a cry. Cloud gave her a few final smacks before he let go of her hair, tossing all of that beautiful dark satin to one side so that he could rub her sore, red bottom with both of his palms.

Tifa seemed to be producing a sound that was not unlike sobbing, but Cloud could hardly care. At this point, the pain between his thighs was inconceivable. She had strung him along to the point that he thought he might burst, and now, with her spread-eagled in his lap like this, her bottom warm from his mercilessness and his large hands spread over her soft, heated flesh, he was seconds from losing it.

Doing his best not to get any more unnecessarily rough with her, Cloud pushed Tifa forward as gently as he could, letting her lay completely on her belly in front of him. He got on his knees behind her, swearing over and over again in his mind as his hands began to shake from the need for release.

He took Tifa by the hips, digging sharp divots into her flesh as he pulled her back so that she was propped up in front of him on her knees, bared with her ass in the air. She'd already buried her face into the sheets again, muffling her soft cries of anticipation while Cloud watched her pussy tremble and leak in front of him. She was wetter than she had been when he'd pressed his tongue to her clit, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his princess liked it a little rough.

That thought faded to somewhere in the back of his mind for safekeeping while Cloud's thumb made a few quick passes over her clit, eliciting a heavy dark moan from Tifa's throat. But he quickly abandoned that task and sunk his cock inside of her, finally feeling her warmth and her tightness fully embrace him.

Holding her hips steady and still, Cloud began to rock his hips forward, closing his eyes and ignoring the steadily escalating tenor of Tifa's voice as he thrust inside of her. He tilted his head back and concentrated on the craven sensation that careened through his entire body from the point where they were connected, her walls clenching him and drawing him in even deeper every time his hips slammed against her ass and the back of her thighs. All he could hear was the back and forth slaps of their bodies meeting and squelching wetness of her pussy every time he bottomed out inside of her again, and judging from the way that she wailed into his sheets, he was hitting her spot just right.

Cloud didn't think much of it. In fact, he didn't think much of anything, his vision turning white as the snake of pleasure constricted his insides until he could feel nothing but his entire being melt away by the urgent and hot feeling of being joined with her. He held her firm and moved faster, not giving any thought to his rhythm as he pounded into her swiftly until she squeezed down on him so hard with a cry that he could no longer hold it back and he emptied inside of her with a silent scream.

Tifa was kicking her feet back and forth behind her as she came, her fingers tangled in the sheets, her tears soaking the silk. Cloud just closed his eyes and tried to relax, feeling the sweat drip into his eyes as he leaned his head back and let his dick spurt and empty fully inside of her. It felt like it went on forever, a result of how much she had dragged him along until he'd reached his breaking point. When his orgasm had completely washed over him, Cloud let his body slump slightly, and he carefully slid out of Tifa, loosening his grip on her hips.

Tifa let out another soft moan and then relaxed her body on his bed, not bothering to move from her position. Still on his knees, Cloud just stared at her for long moments, dazed by the sight of his excess spend leaking out of her pink seam, the redness of her flesh, the wet stains on her cheeks, and the tangles in her hair.

A perfect princess, and all his to keep.

Forever.

Leaning forward, Cloud finally collected himself, the strength in his body returning with a slow drip. He reached for Tifa's shoulders, brushing her hair out of the way as he pulled her up and then back, flush against his body. She whimpered in response, and Cloud could feel the sweat of both their bodies stick them together when he pressed her back against his chest. She relented to him, falling pliant and soft in his arms, her head lolling back against his shoulder as she closed her warm, wine-colored eyes. Sensing the way she craved his embrace, Cloud wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back so that they could lay together at the head of the bed, spooning her protectively to him and tangling their legs together.

Tifa let out a contented moan as they settled, and Cloud found himself pressing a series of kisses to her cheek and the back of her neck. The candlelight clashed with the starlight beyond the window, leaving her skin and hair awash in a fiery blend of pale blue and shimmery gold. Hearing the sound she made, Cloud gave her a reassuring squeeze before dropping his head to the pillow.

"Goodnight, Princess," he whispered into her ear, earning another soft sigh from her lips. "Your Prince is here."

And I'm not leaving.

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Tifa woke sometime later, shifting slightly in Cloud's hold around her body. She could hear his light breathing as he snoozed behind her, his breath warm and light on the back of her shoulder. The sky was a dark navy blue, the sky blurred by light pollution in the ruins of Midgar in the distance, but still leaving her with a hazy view of a few of the heavens' brightest stars.

She glanced at the bedside clock, seeing that it was well past two AM. It appeared that they had passed out for a little over two hours. As soon as awareness flooded her, Tifa could feel all of the soreness and exertion in her body from their earlier activities. She stretched lightly, feeling every muscle burn and ache, and it painted a smile on her lips as she thought back to how she had earned this state of being.

Cloud stirred behind her, emitted a soft groan as he felt her move, and he lifted his head from the pillow, glancing down at her. Realizing that he was awake, Tifa shifted in his arms and turned to face him, Cloud blinking his way through sleep before their eyes met.

"Tifa," he said softly.

"Hey," she greeted him, their first time looking at one another face to face and speaking since they had passed out earlier after their intense lovemaking. "Happy Birthday, Cloud."

Cloud was instantly blushing, tearing his eyes from hers, looking down at the sheets. Seeing the bashfulness erupt across his beautiful features enamored Tifa greatly, and wanting to encourage him, she reached up and carded her fingers through his soft, golden blond hair, admiring how it shined the color of platinum under the pale moonlight that filtered into their bedroom from beyond.

"Th-thanks, Teef."

His cheeks only seemed to grow brighter, even in the darkness. Tifa grazed her fingers across his scalp in long strokes, knowing how much it calmed him and how much he loved the feeling.

"Did you enjoy your gift?" she asked him after a moment.

Cloud looked back up at her at last, and Tifa silently admired the way the starlight drew out the deepest blues in his eyes. At this very moment, she almost could not see that wild rim of green, a green that had been pulsing at her wickedly just a couple of hours ago.

He curved the corner of his mouth up into a barely hinted smile. "Yeah," he answered her. "Thanks for, um, doing that, Tifa. You didn't have to."

"But it was fun," she insisted at once. "I - I liked it. Maybe we can try it again sometime?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at her, but she could see the way that his eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect. "Really?"

She giggled lightly, offering him a nod. "Of course," she agreed happily. "But next time, can it be my fantasy?"

Cloud's smile expanded. "Anything you want," he told her, leaning in for a kiss.

"Y'know you broke the bed, Cloud," Tifa pointed out, gesturing to the way that their mattress was now tilted and leaning lopsided in one direction where the boxspring had cracked. "I told you to be careful."

"I'll fix it," he promised, ending her scolding by kissing her again.

It wasn't long before the fusion of their lips escalated into something frenzied and hot, and Cloud's mouth was moving southward, abandoning hers in favor of her throat, her breasts, her tummy. Tifa sighed happily and relaxed her entire body when he settled himself between her knees beneath their sheets, his arms wrapping around her thighs as he held her open and lapped at her clit over and over again, soothing her sore aches and building a sweet hum of pleasure inside of her that whited out soon after he began to suck gently on her throbbing little button.

Shivering from that first balmy orgasm, Tifa wrapped her arms tight around Cloud's shoulders and her legs about his waist when he crawled back up to her and laid atop her body. He was soon inside of her again, only this time, he moved slowly, his arms caging either side of her head as he kissed her softly and wound his hips against hers, grinding into a soft, tender spot inside of her that had her moaning with abandon into his ear.

"I love you, Cloud," she whispered somewhat frantically when she felt him carrying her close. "Happy birthday, love."

"I love you too, baby," Cloud breathed against the side of her neck, giving her another slow, deep thrust. "So, so much…"

It wasn't much later that they both unspooled together, Tifa muffling her cries of elation as quietly as she could into his shoulder while Cloud simply moaned out her name in one long drag. When they were both spent, Cloud shifted to his side, pulling Tifa close to him before kissing her forehead, both their breathing ragged.

Moments passed, and Tifa's eyes had begun to grow heavy. Cloud's hand was traveling her body, though this time, it was on her rear, once again rubbing away at the soreness left behind by his earlier ravishment.

"Thank you," he told her again.

"I love you," was all Tifa said in response, curling up into his embrace and savoring the feel on his hand, rough and firm but gentle on her skin. She thought about all of the time that they had spent together in the years since their first night under an airship, and she smiled, remembering how far Cloud always went to take care of her.

Surging her fingers into his hair again, Tifa knew that she would always indulge him.

Whatever her man wanted.