A/N #1: Once again, I would like to thank every single person who has commented on this story. You honestly don't know how much your recognition means to me and I am eternally grateful for it. It gives me joy and motivation to keep truckin'.
Family
Reality called to them the following morning, drawing them into the arms of their separate responsibilities.
The kids were already in school by the time Tifa made it back to Seventh Heaven, Yuffie having successfully delivered them with pre-packed lunches. There was also no escape from interrogation, but Tifa gave a generous recount of the evening with the company of butterflies in her belly. She kept the details limited, but the flush of her cheeks and the sparkle of her eyes were enough to convey the success of the outing. She felt like a teenager again, and Yuffie more than willing to play the role of the gushing and supportive best friend.
Tifa wished everyone could share those sentiments.
Her head disappeared high into the clouds and remained there well after her Yuffie left. Her time with Reno filled her to the brim. It left her even more determined to surpass the blockade the rest of family presented, one which hindered their paths from merging. He showed a version of himself that was self sacrificing and vulnerable. It strengthened a resolve that once stood on shaky ground but now rose tall and firm with conviction. He was doing what he could to prove his value, and she wouldn't take that for granted.
An evening call from Barret offered the opportunity to spread the word much sooner than she was prepared for.
Summoned by Reeve, Barret would travel to WRO Headquarters to discuss certain changes within the structure of each department, including his own. He was in the dark as to any of the specifics, and it took all she had to keep quiet regarding her own knowledge of them.
His official visit to the family would come the day after, and she mentally prepared for his anger. He would likely proclaim betrayal, wave his fists about as he scaled to the peak of his rage, only to come down with a thundering crash of defeat while vowing never to work with any of Shinra's scum.
Despite her resolve to come clean, battling against a Weapon was suddenly more preferable than confessing. Against such a creature, she could use force instead of finesse. This was a whole different monster that required a cautious delivery that didn't see him spitting bullets. Despite her apprehension, she no longer wished to keep it hidden as a shameful secret and wanted to live freely. Things changed whether he liked it or not, and she hoped he could accept that.
It had been two days since that call.
As was commonplace for Tifa, she distracted herself with the kids, the bar, and anything else she could to keep her mind off of what was coming toward her with the speed of a high-powered locomotive. The punching bag in the garage felt the brunt of her stress, leather bound fists striking relentlessly against the heavy target. With no tangible enemy to envision, her hits were aimless and chaotic. While it was successful in relieving the tension she carried, the fear that haunted her refused to grant reprieve.
Overtime required Reno's full attention during that period, and it left her feeling terribly lonesome. She couldn't quite repel the ill feeling that dragged along her skin like a sickness, the impending arrival of her friend twisting her stomach into knots. She texted Reno, notifying him of what was to come. While his responses were genuinely supportive, she feared facing it alone. The path ahead was littered with vines and thorns, impeding the way, but she knew she had to cut through to see the other side.
For now, she didn't want to think about it. She was content with waiting until tomorrow to deal with the second coming of a calamity. Instead, Tifa busied herself with the evening open of the bar, diving headfirst into the part of her life that required the least amount of thought possible, preventing the downward spiral that she would have otherwise succumbed to.
A misty rain swept through the city, just enough to pave the streets and roads slick. Patrons tracked behind unsightly footprints across the floor throughout the night to which Denzel proudly took the task in keeping it spotless and hazard free. The weather didn't stop her regulars from arriving at her watering hole, nor did it stop a certain Turk.
Reno took position at his typical perch. His presence drew Denzel's attention immediately, leading him to abandon his task with a quickness. Marlene sat a stool away with her new art pad and pencil set courtesy of Yuffie, not much more than a scribble on the paper, while watching the man curiously as he flashed her a grin.
Tifa just managed to provide him his beverage before the boy approached. Climbing onto the stool between Reno and Marlene, he chatted the former's' ear off with reports of his household responsibilities and the physical 'training' he undertook with his schoolmates to become stronger. Between the real world dangers he already encountered and the knowledge that things could go belly up at any moment, he wanted to be prepared to protect his family.
If Reno issued a look that called for rescue, Tifa may have felt inclined to intervene. To her surprise, he had exuded a patient energy while Denzel held a one way conversation. There was an unspoken connection the two seemed to share, one she didn't quite understand but had no interest in severing. The closer the bond with the kids, the easier everything else would fall into place.
With a rag in hand, she left them to deliver a drink to a customer and wipe down the vacant tables. Within a far corner of the room, a pair of hushed voices spoke of something brewing within Edge that piqued her interest:
"What do you think that means for us?"
"It means same old shit, different city, that's what it means. Edge'll be Midgar 2.0 in no time."
"Even if what you heard is true though, they've been at least helping grow the city into something livable."
"You call that monument growth?"
"You know what I mean. Maybe it won't be so bad this time."
"Accept it if you want, I ain't stayin' for it. Shinra is a cancer to society; WRO should know better since their head honcho was in the thick of their tyranny."
In contrast to Shinra, WRO was mostly thought of as a positive presence worldwide. Despite the good intentions Shinra had for the Planet and their active efforts toward reconstruction, it wasn't surprising that some would remain skeptical as to their true purpose. Complete trust continued to be elusive.
However, the conversation was oddly specific to Edge.
Something didn't sit right.
Disengaging from the conversation, she casually shoved in an askew chair into place and walked back to her post.
The sound of childish giggles filled the air as she returned behind the bar, Reno providing a gaggle of silly faces at Denzel and Marlene coming into view. With colored pencil in hand, Marlene appeared to be trying her best to sketch the red-headed model, but her little hand shifted erratically against the parchment as laughter rumbled through her.
Tifa felt her heart flutter straight to her throat.
The picture of the three of them burst with colorful vibrancy, and she didn't dismiss the feeling of how deceptively right it felt. Whether Reno's ease in handling them was innate or forced, it made no difference to her one way or the other—she adored every moment she witnessed.
Still, her subconscious needled against her temple, a layer of sorrow washing over her. No matter the connection or time passed, some things would always be true. As she gazed between Reno and Denzel, she knew this to be painfully so.
Blinking back the prickling sting of her eyes, she casually strolled to the trio with a curious smile. "What's going on here?"
Reno pulled his fingers from the corners of his mouth and flashed an impish smirk. "I was hoping to get a specialized portrait from the artist here, but she can't seem to take her job seriously." The playful wink at Marlene did the child no favors, her girlish glee continuing as she struggled to steady her hand.
Denzel seemed to come back to himself, the joviality of his expression lingering. "You're not taking it seriously. She can't draw with your face scrunched up like it was."
"What? I thought she was a professional. Boy, did I get my information twisted," he clicked his tongue in disappointment with a slight shake of his head. "False advertisement."
"It is not. Let me try again," the girl demanded, her large eyes expressive with determination.
"Another day," Tifa interjected. "Time to go upstairs and get ready for bed. School night, you know."
Disappointment colored their expressions as they slipped from their stools and padded toward the steps. They reached the bottom before Marlene abruptly returned to Tifa's side, craning her head over the top of the bar toward Reno.
"Will you come back tomorrow so I can try again?" Marlene asked. "I'll get it right."
Denzel had wandered back and stood beside her to await the answer, his nimble fingers toying with the hem of his shirt in anticipation.
"Not tomorrow. Barret comes home," Tifa said.
While the acknowledgment flickered in their eyes, dread clouded hers. A dark haze draped over her mind and set off the disquiet of it.
Reno grazed the children's faces before his attention settled on Tifa. He could read her well. She didn't hide from him.
"Not tomorrow, but soon," he said, leaning over to grin wryly at the children. "I asked for a portrait, didn't I? You'd better deliver."
Shoving off feelings of unrest, Tifa brushed her fingers against the top of Denzel and Marlene's heads, smiling down at them. "You heard him. Now off with you."
Final good nights followed as they retreated to the steps. Once they were gone, Tifa felt Reno's eyes zero in on her as she mindlessly grabbed a cloth and wiped down the counter. "Something bothering you?"
"A bit, yeah," she admitted quietly. "I'm just not totally sure what to expect with Barret tomorrow. Talking to him about us will be pretty explosive at first, but hopefully he'll come around quickly."
He arched a brow at her skeptically. "You know Wallace to come around quickly to anything other than rage?"
The smile she gave was wistful. "Sometimes."
Sometimes with a side of never was the truth of it, and she'd been gearing herself for the inevitable fallout. He'd be angry, he would sulk, but she hoped he'd eventually accept what was. She would have to be patient.
Reno pulled a cigarette from his pack and lit up, his tongue bathed in cynicism. "And you're actually planning to tell him about us on the cusp of something like this?"
The question slowly unraveled her fortitude. "I was. You think I shouldn't?"
"You know him better than I do, but I'd rather have you in one piece, not several." There was humor somewhere in his manner, but the sudden throb of her head drowned it out.
Tifa dropped her arms to the bar, the weight of her leaning into them with a sigh. "Maybe you could be there with me."
The grin that spread across his mouth did not fill her with any confidence. "A double homicide? How romantic."
"Be serious."
"I seriously think he'll fill me with bullets if I'm there with you, yo." His snicker didn't erase her flare of anxiety, and the silence that smothered them must have tipped him off. He curled his hand over her forearm, the brush of his thumb sending a comforting surge through her. "If you really want me there, I'll be there. But I'm pretty sure seeing me is just gonna piss him off."
She knew he wasn't off the mark. Bringing everything to light could violently disrupt the foundation and send everything crumbling down around her all on its own. Bringing a symbol of his hatred to the table was likely to ruin any hope of civility.
"You're right. I'll figure it out," Tifa said, smiling reassuringly.
He only nodded after that, retracting his hand. He took a pull from his beer and a drag from his smoke as a certain pensiveness swept over his features, lost in his rumination.
Her uneasiness reared its ugly, nasty head. Did he have doubts just like she did? Was this all still worth the effort? Was this a mistake?
Tifa didn't ask what he was thinking—she didn't want to know.
Down the bar signaled a customer, and she quickly took off to tend to them.
Reno watched her leave as he bunkered down into his thoughts and considered their position.
A black foreboding entered his head at their discussion, and it did not serve him well. There were assurances between them, and Tifa's obvious resolution to follow through with her decision gave him a semblance of security that all would eventually fall into place. However, he couldn't shake loose the lead weight shackled his ankles threatening to pull him under.
During his days and nights with Shinra, there was success in establishing a restructure from power a company to government entity. There were conversations regarding how to handle the inevitable backlash from the populace while attempting to maintain a less abrasive image. People like Wallace came to mind, those determined to repel Shinra's influence from ever taking root in power again. Whether or not they knew it, Shinra had been pulling the strings for quite some time, already deeply entrenched within the soil of society.
One positive that came from it all was the reestablished duties that were much more in line with what he'd always done as a Turk, minus some aggressiveness of his position from previous years. Collecting and gathering information was preferable to desk duty and bodyguard work, especially with a new Turk recruitment program in the works. Losing Rude would leave a crater in the ranks, and replacements for his loss were a necessity.
With all things considered, he had no illusions that the admission of his and Tifa's romance wouldn't be a cakewalk for anyone, particularly with what would look to be a Shinra takeover. Wallace was a blowhard, but the seething hatred he held for Reno and his kind shouldn't be underestimated.
A couple hours passed before Tifa sought to close the bar, clientele dwindling to less than a handful in numbers. He noted her tired eyes and stiff movements around the bar. The stress and pressure was affecting her physically, her fear much more pronounced than she seemed to let on. It worried him.
With the door locked and the blinds closed, he was by her side with sleeves rolled to his elbows, patting dry each dish or glass she handed to him. It felt natural to help her, an automated response after months of slow programming. Cleaning was something he'd left to others, often too lazy or tired to bother with himself. Somehow, she had changed all of that without even trying.
"So, what's exactly going on with this merger?"
The question snapped him back to reality. "I thought you knew what was up."
She shook her head, handing off a cleaned glass for him to dry. "I know about Shinra giving funds to WRO, and some Shinra workers transferring to WRO. But I heard something today, something about Edge being Midgar 2.0."
It seemed Yuffie hadn't been as chatty as he originally thought. Suddenly he wasn't so thrilled to be the one to give her the news.
He took the offered glass, gliding a tattered cloth around the surface. "It's less of a merger and more of a quid pro quo." He noted her expression of confusion and commented further, "Rufus is letting whatever staff he's got that wants to get out, to go to WRO. In exchange for that and his money, he wants to govern Edge."
Tifa pulled her hands from the water, turning to look at him fully. There wasn't just confusion, but a hint of disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"I know, it sounds bad," he conceded.
"Bad? Edge has been a free city since its construction. The sudden rise of Shinra's order isn't going to sit well with anyone here. You must have considered that."
"You say it like it was my idea," Reno said, his ministrations on the glass a bit more forceful than required.
She looked sheepish. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm just worried."
He didn't blame her. Looking in from the outside, it appeared dirty. Even from the inside, it had a stench to it. But they'd come this far on the road of redemption. Why fuck it up now? "Don't be. There's gonna be some checks and balances. Kinda like guard rails so Boss doesn't fall out of the bed again and land on his million gil face."
"That's comforting, I suppose. Are you worried at all that he might push against those checks and balances?"
Reno shrugged, his attention still focused on the same glass, pointedly removing all specks and smudges. "I think the boss has lost his appetite for grandiose ambitions."
Controlling a city that was fully aware of Shinra's past atrocities was exhausting enough, and expanding power across the planet a second time was a far less appealing endeavor. WRO planned to keep things in order, but he wondered just how efficiently they could considering the President was their sole investor.
"I see," she mumbled, her gaze distant in contemplation.
Something about her withdrawal unsettled him. He offered more context to bring her back to him. "Power gives Rufus a stiffy, and even as he was giving WRO a cash flow, he still had some control over what it went to and how things were done. He still feels indebted to the Planet, wants his own piece of the pie now I guess, maybe for a more concentrated effort in making effective change. Reeve seems willing to give it to him."
Tifa was quiet within her thoughts for a time. Soon, a small smile tugged at her lips. "A second chance, then."
Reno frowned. "For who?"
"For you, that's who. All of you. I think Reeve wants to give Rufus the opportunity to prove himself and make up for his hand in the mess of everything. Just like he's giving to Rude, in a much different way." She stopped and peered into his face, as if searching for an adverse reaction to her point. When he appeared indifferent, she asked, "What do you think about him leaving? If you don't mind talking about it, that is."
Part of him very much minded talking about it. It really pissed him off, actually; Rude cutting the Shinra cord to move off to some broad, overarching scope of the same shit. His colleagues used to mean everything to Rude, but now? Years of working alongside him, drinking with him, chasing tail with him, all forgotten and cast aside for a woman and supposed redemption. Bastard.
The glass in hand squealed at his relentless buffing. He finally set it into the rack. "If it's a second chance he's after, Can't really blame him for that. I just don't see the point in leaving Shinra for it."
"Why not?"
"Leaving Shinra doesn't change anything. What happened still happened. We ain't the same as we used to be but shedding the name doesn't shed the layer of shit we're covered in."
Perhaps forgiveness was possible, but he nor his victims would ever forget what they'd done. Total salvation was a lie—he'd spend the rest of his life trying to drink his past assignments away.
"Maybe he just wants to start over with a clean slate," Tifa offered, her gaze warming his skin against the icy chill rippling along his flesh. The darkness was crawling in again.
"There is no clean slate. This doesn't wash off."
"But you said you aren't the same as you used to be. That counts for something. Maybe the point is not making the same mistake twice, regardless of how you mean to do it. Staying with Shinra or leaving, as long as you come to the same result." He centered his attention at the sink, and the delicate push of her fingertips against his cheek brought it to her instead. "Starting now, do better and move forward."
A comfortable stillness settled over the room as he watched Tifa return to the sink, submerging her hands beneath the suds. He resumed his task as well, realizing she'd left him speechless.
They finished with the dishes in silence, the hum of the cooler and the breeze of the wind outdoors lending to the ambient noise around them.
"I was thinking," Tifa began, water slowly receding through the gaping drain at the bottom of the sink, "maybe we could do something like dancing for the next time we go out."
Amusement colored his features. "Dancing huh?"
"You can dance, can't you?" She grinned as she passed him, retreating into the wider room.
He didn't miss the opportunity to brush his hand at her passing waist, fingers tingling from the charge sparked from contact. "You tell me; you've seen these hips in action."
A slight blush bloomed on her cheeks as she hefted a chair up and flipped it over. "Let me rephrase. Do you like to dance?"
She positioned the chair on the tabletop seat down and moved to the next. He watched her lift and flip them effortlessly, as if they weighed no more than a paperweight.
Reno followed her, replicating the movements beside her with another chair. "Is this an excuse to twirl and flip me around on the dance floor like a rag-mog?"
A thought seemed to cross her eyes as she smiled, and he suspected he might have been on the money. "We can take turns, how's that?"
He waited until she was through flipping her third chair before he put his hands on her, drawing her in by her hips. "Mm, only if I get to pick the dance."
Tifa's arms snaked around his neck, fingers coiling through his hair while his own kneaded firmly into her waist. The response to him was instinctive, beyond her logical control. While his mouth found her neck, nipping selfishly at the flesh below her ear, that logic only further deteriorated.
"The kids, remember?" she breathed, still trying to wrap her proverbial hands around her fleeting rationale.
"The kids, the kids," he mocked playfully, dragging her closer against the length of him, the heat of him radiating like a furnace, and she was caught in the swelter. "They need to learn about the birds and the bees someday."
A retort came to her tongue, but stalled there in the next second. His mouth took hers in a kiss, gentle yet urgent. Suddenly, she didn't care about anything or anyone. Just this.
Just him.
The jingle of keys and a string of expletives at the door destroyed the magic between them.
Tifa abruptly pulled out of his embrace, both looking toward the door. The timbre of the voice on the other side was utterly recognizable.
They were out of time.
"He's early…" she whispered, her expression dark with fear.
She heard Reno at her side then, a leveled measure of calm, one she wished she could match. "Well… double homicide it is."
The door swung open, and Barret Wallace crossed the threshold. His countenance twisted into a harrowing look of repressed rage, brown eyes glossed over from the poison of it. Moisture from the sporadic rainfall dusted his skin and clothes, droplets captured by his brows and lashes. The sound of howling winds whipping around the venue added to the precarious aura which descended upon it.
"Barret, I thought you were coming tomorrow," Tifa said, keeping her voice steady.
He wiped the back of his fleshed hand against his eyes and forehead, removing the water clinging to his face. "Sorry Tifa, I just couldn't sleep. Got some fucked up news about Shinra…" He trailed off, taking notice of Reno. Nostrils flared as he fully absorbed what lay before him;
The physical representation of his unbridled hatred.
"What the fuck is he doin' here?" He asked without missing a beat. "Shinra got a vice grip on this place too? Private property is private," he pointed a finger at Reno, "you tell your sniveling little boss that, you hear me?"
Tifa remained close to Reno's side, who merely stood there with a smirk, thoroughly unshaken by Barret's menacing finger. A side glance revealed he buried his hands into his pockets, awaiting the inevitable.
"He's not here for any kind of business," she corrected.
Barret stared at her with a heated glower. To her credit, she didn't shrink under the weight of his gaze. His eyes flickered, trying to connect the dots. "You gonna tell me why he's here then? It's well past closin' time."
There was nowhere to run; her back was against the wall, again. The timing was far from ideal, but sometimes life didn't provide a bevy of options.
Sometimes it forces your hand.
"He's... we are…" Tifa stammered. She couldn't find the words, her vocabulary disappearing. She was melting under his stare.
Reno came to her rescue, a slight shift in his weight as he addressed Barret evenly. "We're dating."
The glare intensified, lifting from Tifa to Reno. "Liar. She would never touch a piece of Shinra shit like you."
Reno's signature grin spread wide across his face. "You'd be surprised as to what a charming Shinra shit I can be."
Barret ignored him, looking to Tifa for confirmation instead.
"He's not lying," she stated quietly.
"You're out of your Goddamn mind," Barret hissed. "Did you forget? Did you forget what they did? What he did?"
"I've never forgotten," she countered, a sadness in her tone she couldn't disguise. "But I forgave, and maybe it's time—"
"There will never be a time to forgive, Tifa! What the fuck are you on?!" Barret fumed, the grip on his temper wavering.
Reno knew he should stay quiet, should let the events play out with Tifa at the helm, but he couldn't. There was something about the way Wallace spoke to her that cocked him into action like a loaded pistol. "Maybe you need to take her advice and let go of the past, man. This ain't good for your blood pressure."
Two pairs of eyes fell on him, each for very different reasons.
Barret's voice rose in volume along with the tug of his lip, forming a snarl. "You dropped the Mother fuckin' plate on my people!"
"And your self-righteous bullshit didn't do you or your people any favors either, yo. You declared war when you blew up reactors."
"Guys, pleas—"
No one heard Tifa, the bellow of Barret overshadowing all. "We were savin' the Planet while you and your kind were killin' folk and destroyin' it!"
"You seem to forget Avalanche was loaded with terrorists, like Dr. Fuhito, who were fine wiping out humanity for the sake of the Planet. You know, that thing called genocide," he stated smugly, grinning fiercely. "If we let them have their way, you wouldn't be standing here."
The distance was slowly closing between the men, and Reno didn't know who took micro steps forward first, but eventually they would lock horns. He hated to admit it to himself, but he basked in the adrenaline rush their quarrel delivered.
Barret's gaze turned homicidal. "We weren't the same. We didn't actively kill innocents."
"You sure about that? You left your fair share of bodies behind," Reno countered, "but I guess it's easy to forget the faces of your victims if they're under the Shinra umbrella."
"You mother fuckin' hypocrite!" Barret spat, his fury boiling behind his eyes.
Through his peripheral, Reno could see Tifa open her mouth, only to be drowned out by the throb of his pulse in his ears.
"At least I own my shit and don't pretend my hands are clean. But if you haven't noticed, Wallace, the war is over."
Large hands balled into tight fists, quaking violently against the pressure. "You say another word and I'm knocking your head clean off!"
Reno's smirk was feral, fingers twitching at his sides in anticipation. "I dare you to try it. Be just like old times."
Before either could make a move they would regret, Tifa was between them, her face rueful and agitated. "Stop it, there's no need for this!"
Neither party progressed, but both held their ground, rigid and waiting for one wrong move from the other.
Tifa glanced at Reno with a quick smile before turning to Barret. His fiery stare burned straight through her to his opposition while Reno stood quietly behind her, a solid comfort at her back with what she had to face.
"He's not wrong, Barret. The war is over. I always wondered if we turned ourselves in—"
Barret's fist pounded heavily into the table at his side, violently vibrating beneath his strength. "Don't you dare fall into that trap! We ain't responsible for shit! He murdered our family!"
An assault of memories flooded her then, recalling the battles, the carnage, the loss. So much of it transpired for reasons she spent years attempting to reconcile with, wondering if perhaps it could have all been handled differently. She couldn't allow herself to sink back into the mindset of revenge and anger. Things were different. Shinra was different.
Reno was different.
"He was just an extension of Shinra," Tifa argued. "They were tools. And we killed people too."
"This ain't you, Tifa," Barret seethed, shaking his head.
"Maybe I've moved on. How long are we going to let ourselves suffer?"
A brief lull formulated, and Tifa thought perhaps she may have reached him.
"It's Cloud, ain't it?" There was concern in his tone despite the ire. "His leavin' got you so screwed up you got yourself hypnotized by this serpent."
A flash of anger surged, barely containing its potency through clenched fists. "It has nothing to do with Cloud."
"Nothing else explains your crazy!"
"This is what I want! Can't I be happy for once?!" She felt her temper slip, biting back the venom that seared her tongue.
"Not if it means betraying your family, betraying their memory!" Barret roared.
She averted her eyes from him, hurt and angry. "I'm not betraying anyone."
"You're betraying yourself. You're no better than Reeve… handing Edge over to Rufus on a silver fuckin' platter."
"They've changed. Everything has changed."
Barret leaned forward, sneering. "The fuck they've changed. They're repeatin' history!"
Tifa shook her head, standing rigid within her resolve. "Maybe they want a chance to prove themselves, that they have changed."
"Evil stays evil, why can't you see this?!" Barret pulled back, looking at her incredulously.
"You're wrong," she stated firmly.
They stood there together only to be worlds apart. He continued to live in one filled with animosity, unable to see there was life beyond it, one far more rewarding and peaceful once he released his hatred. She feared perhaps this was a lost cause, that his conviction was unshakable, even in the face of those he loved.
"You said you'd do anything for me," she told him, returning her eyes to him. His visage was irate, tension trapped within the creases around his frowning irises. "I'm asking you to understand."
"There ain't no understanding this," he growled. His teeth glistened in the low light, the inferno of his contempt reflecting in a pair of eyes that drifted to focus behind her. "Ever."
Reno locked sights with Barret and stood his ground, but he didn't engage. The roar of his adrenaline tempered down, the severity of the situation becoming abundantly clear.
"I'm taking Marlene out of here," Barret suddenly declared.
"You can't do that!" Tifa shrieked at him.
Reno stepped up beside her, brows furrowed as he looked at Barret cautiously. "Come on man, don't be unreasonable."
A metallic fist leveled at his face. "Say one more mother fuckin' word and I will blow. You. Away."
The threat hung heavy in the air, and Reno decided not to test its integrity.
"Don't do this, Barret," Tifa pleaded, her face solemn, "don't break up the family."
Lowering his arm, he appeared unmoved by her appeal. "I'm doing what's best for the family, what you've lost sight of! Marlene's my daughter, and she will not be raised by a Shinra sympathizer!"
"She has stability here," she argued. "You can't separate them!"
"That stability don't mean shit if she's associating with murderers! Denzel ain't got no business being around this asshole either, not after what he did to him!"
Irritation swept across Reno's face just then, and he lost the battle against his mouth. "I didn't touch one hair on that kid, Wallace, so you can fuck right off with your bogus accusations."
Barret glared savagely at him. "You ruined his mother fuckin' life when you dropped—"
"Stop, please Barret!" Tifa shouted, her palms flying to her temples.
Silence stretched across the room, thick and palpable. All eyes fell on Tifa, who shrank beneath their stares like a frightened child.
Barret seemed to gain a few fragments of control as he looked down on her, his voice calmer than Reno had ever known it to be. "He doesn't know, does he?"
Tifa didn't speak, the pallor of her skin white as snow.
Reno looked between them before he settled on Tifa. "What the hell is he talking about? What don't I know?"
Barret's voice was even. "Ever wonder why Denzel's an orphan? Among those faceless victims you killed—"
"Barret, don't..." she choked, her voice cracking, tapering off into silence.
Just like that, he understood.
Among those faceless victims lay a child's family beneath the rubble. With every loss to the Lifestream, one could be sure to trace a web string to someone's undeserved suffering. That string led straight to Denzel.
Because of him.
And Tifa kept it from him.
The air became acrid, desolate. He had no quip to offer, his tank filled with wicked banter empty. There was nothing to say on the cusp of such a mind-numbing revelation.
"You're right, Tifa. I shouldn't separate 'em. I'll come back for 'em both tomorrow," Barret stated, pausing as if he expected a counterargument.
None was forthcoming.
He motioned for the door before he turned, imparting a final word to a stone still Tifa. "Get your house in order."
The door slammed in his wake, the space between the pair left behind fracturing with his exit.
A barrage of emotions accosted Reno, ranging from exasperation to frustration. It all melded into a cauldron, boiling into something that tasted of bitterness and regret. He tasted nothing else.
He shouldn't have felt so strongly about it; he knew quite well he would run into people who had suffered by his hand, directly or indirectly. Edge was an entire city filled with such people. Perhaps it was the light in the kids' eyes every time he saw him, the effortless bond that materialized within a short span of time. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Tifa was active in her silence in keeping the truth from him.
That layer of filth only felt thicker now, and he was utterly disgusted with himself.
Crossing the floor, he reached the bar, taking a cigarette and lighter in his trembling hands. Raising the items to his face, he glared at them, channeling his anger. The smoke snapped between his fingers and he hurled the lighter clear across the room. It crashed distantly against a far wall before clattering to the floorboards below.
Tifa didn't move.
"When were you gonna tell me about Denzel?" he asked, his voice tightly strained.
Her arms fell to her sides, hanging stiffly. Still, she offered no reply.
Reno understood her signs of panic; the absolute internal hysteria that was likely raging within. At the moment, however, he didn't care.
The silence only served to further enrage him.
Fingers drummed heavily against the bar-top as he swallowed back some of his more malicious barbs reserved for people he didn't give two shits about. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
She didn't answer.
The flat of his palm slammed against the surface. The sharp crack of skin resounded against the walls. "Answer me!"
Tifa turned to him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry," her voice was frail, breaking. "I wanted to tell you but I couldn't. I didn't want you to hurt anymore, either of you…"
He tried to latch onto his fury, but he felt it slip like sand through the space between his fingers as he watched her face slowly crumble with remorse.
"So the kid doesn't know."
She merely shook her head.
As he stood there, watching her fold into her guilt, he understood her and her motives more deeply than he ever had before.
Tifa was trying to protect them all.
Whether it was hiding the truth from her family or from him, it was always under genuine pretenses. Unfortunately, she just failed to realize that through her silence, through that protection often came a larger, greater wound that was not so easily mended.
"He's going to take the kids," she said with a tremor to her voice, haunted by the proclamation. "He has no right..."
A blowhard Barret may be in most cases, but Reno wasn't certain the man was bluffing. His vicious loathing of Shinra motivated him toward extreme measures, and even if he didn't follow through with the threat, Reno would be the black cloud hanging over everything. The thought of another broken family because of him had his gut wrenching. While it was an unconventional one, it was a family nonetheless—the only one they had. A mere tool he may have been once before, following the abhorrent orders of his employer, the responsibility of loss still lay within his hands. He wouldn't be responsible for destroying another.
He had no place there, not with everything he'd done.
Reno slipped his blazer over his shoulders and shot his arms through the sleeves. Tossing his pack into his pocket, he turned to her. "This just isn't going to work."
Tifa blinked, her eyes wide as if he'd slapped her.
He felt his resolve bend and buckle at the sight of her, but dammit, it was for her own fucking good.
"You don't mean that…"
He hated this. He hated everything about this. Everything in him thrashed and reeled against it.
"Yeah, I do," he stated bluntly, forcing his voice into apathy. "This was a mistake, yo. Shit got too complicated, and I'm not really a complicated kind of guy. It was fun while it lasted, though."
Reno didn't wait for the anger, the pain to fester. He didn't wait to hear her reply, didn't wait for apologies, didn't wait for her to demand an explanation.
He didn't wait for his willpower to collapse.
Charging across the room to the door, he steeled his expression to remain neutral, the pounding of his heart boisterous. His hand was on the knob, turning the cold steel in his grip when her hand crashed against the door. He felt the heat of her body excruciatingly close to him, suffocating in the space they shared. It withered away at his courage, but he stood firm and stayed forward.
"You're lying," Tifa whispered, hints of anger lacing her tone.
"It's over, all right?" He attempted to invoke rage, indignation, but the emotions wouldn't surface and he just sounded tired. "Let it die a peaceful death."
He pulled on the door, but her hand didn't move, slamming it shut.
"You can't do this." She'd lost the anger now, the delicate timbre of her voice shaky and desperate.
Knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the knob, pressing his forehead into the door. He didn't want to look at her. "Goddammit, don't make this any harder than it already is."
A quick, indifferent exit seemed to be the answer, but she either saw straight through the facade, or he simply couldn't summon it under her scrutiny. Perhaps she knew him just as well as he knew her.
Reno pulled a second time. It gave halfway before it fell closed again.
"Come on, Tifa…" he sighed, finding it more and more difficult to sustain the callous bravado.
Her arm weakened, bending at the elbow, her voice tired and filled with anguish. "I'm so sorry."
Finally, he turned to face her as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. She looked back at him, damaged and brittle. There was no more hiding her pain, no more covering it up or locking it away. It was open, raw, and bleeding right in front of him.
It was then he realized they were no longer alone.
Denzel and Marlene stood by the opening at the bar. Their eyes were wide, their understanding of the situation limited, but the sadness in their expressions was unmistakable.
It was time to end everyone's suffering.
Reno placed his hands on Tifa's shoulders, her bare skin against his palms. The ache in his chest throbbed, a pulsating agony beneath his ribcage. He couldn't remember a pain quite like this.
He should have never touched her. He should have never...
It had all been a terrible mistake.
"I won't be responsible for you losing any more of your family," he said. "You're going to keep them. You'll keep your house in order."
"Don't do this to me," she murmured. She made no move to touch him—she made no move at all.
Reno smiled sadly. He wanted nothing more than to stay, to face adversity by her side and take on the Planet with her.
That selfishness could not exist. Not with her.
"I'm doing this for you." Reno paused, glancing toward the children, toward Denzel. "I'm doing this for them."
He watched her deflate and hollow out. He watched the light in her eyes dim. He watched the fight in her die.
Abruptly, he closed the distance and kissed her.
Tifa was a taste to savor, a lover to remember.
Nothing else mattered in that moment, only the finality of their union, the bittersweet end to a liaison that should have never been.
Breaking away, he turned and rushed out into the rain.
The door closed behind him.
A/N #2: I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry. That's really all I have to say here. Sorry. Also, the story isn't over, so please don't be too angry with me .