Infidelity

Chapter 3 - Apartment

By Crystal Snowflakes

As soon as Tifa had turned the corner, Reno sighed and took off his tie, stuffing it into his pocket before he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his dress shirt and all the buttons on his suit jacket.

Yuffie looked away, her face blushing begrudgingly, but she couldn't help the small peal of laughter that escaped her lips. "I can't believe you wore a tie and buttoned up your shirt." She looked at the streets and deciding that it was still early and really, it was nowhere near unsafe—not that that ever stopped her—she gave him a way out as she scowled lightly. "You should go. I don't need an escort."

"I didn't hear 'bout the attack last month," he said as he studied her intently and ignored her offer, an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Yuffie shrugged idly. "I'd be surprised if you did. I make sure Cat-boy keeps it all hush hush because Godo would flip his shit if he found out. Plus, I'm the next Empress of fricken Wutai. There are political assassination attempts on my life on a monthly basis and if I'm lucky, I get a few a month." A wicked grin crossed her face. "It keeps me on my toes and makes life a little more interesting."

"You think 'bout hiring security?" he asked as he motioned her to start walking and she noticed with interest that he seemed to know where she lived.

Stalker.

She looked backwards at him with a small glare. "Turkey, my whole life has been a string of mostly bad decisions based on how to not lose my freedom. I'm already forced to marry some pain in the ass, so the last thing I'm gonna be doing is hiring a bodyguard so I can say bye bye to my freedom even earlier." She rolled her eyes and strode forward, wondering how many people she had to explain that particular point to. "I wasn't kidding," she added, a little more solemnly than she was used to, "I hope they finish the job." She shot him a weak grin, feeling the same pit in her stomach. "Gawd, just thinking about marriage and kids is depressing."

Something in his eyes made her pause in her steps.

"Heh," he finally uttered, the usual smirk on his face, but it didn't carry the same arrogance it usually did. "I feel you."

She stopped, turning around. "Look. You should really go. This really isn't a good idea." She looked away from him, her eyes focused on a building far away. "I wasn't planning on heading home anyways."

"Where're you gonna go?" he asked, his fists planted in his pockets, clenched tightly. It pleased her to know that he was at least affected by her as much as she was affected by him because it would be unfair otherwise.

She debated on lying, but she didn't think he'd leave her be if he had an inkling that she was being untruthful. Plus, if anything, he'd be the last person to judge her. He had done the exact same thing for years. "Clubbing. Drinking. Maybe bar hopping," she answered truthfully, "Then hopefully jumping into someone's bed."

He grimaced at her answer. "Teef's been worried 'bout you." As soon as those words came out, he winced, as if knowing it was the wrong thing to say.

"She naturally worries about everyone," she murmured, turning around before walking towards her own destination.

He grabbed her wrist again. "You're spirallin'."

"Is that you talking or her talking?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow. "Don't give me this lecture. This used to be you."

"This is why I know how you feel. I know how it ends," Reno muttered.

"In a marriage with someone you don't love?" she asked spitefully and she wasn't sure if she was talking about herself or him. "I'm heading down that path anyways, so it doesn't matter much to me."

"You're being childish."

She glowered at him and approached him, grabbing at the lapels of his suit angrily. "I am barely an adult. I shouldn't have to think about marriage or kids or running my own country, but here I am. Nobody gives a fuck about what I want, and if I'm gonna be stuck with that life anyways, I'm gonna do whatever I want until I'm shackled to the throne." And then, even with the fury running through her veins, all she wanted to do was pull him down forcefully and kiss him and make the world disappear.

She forced herself to let go of him, taking a step back, her breathing uneven from either her temper or being too close to him. "So just leave me alone, 'kay Turkey? I'm gonna drown anyways and there's nothing you can do to save me."

"Yuff…"

She had to look away, "Nothing can happen between us again. You can't seriously tell me you want me instead of Teef." Taking a deep breath, she said, "You've just got cold feet. It'll go away." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

"It's not cold feet," he muttered, but started walking towards her apartment again. "I'll walk you home."

She sighed, following behind. "You realize I'm gonna jump out the window as soon as I close the door on you, right?" The thought of escaping crossed her might briefly, but she was half sloshed and out of everyone she knew, Reno would be one of the few people she knew who would probably be able to keep up with her.

He didn't respond and she didn't think it really merited a response. She knew as soon as that front door closed and locked, she would crack open her window and escape, drowning herself in alcohol and whoever she would manage to entice. It had been a regular routine since she had been told she would be married soon and it felt like the only way she could have an ounce of control on her own life. She knew she was spiralling and she knew it wasn't healthy, but she had months of freedom left and if it killed her, then so be it.

The next twenty minutes passed in an uncomfortable silence. He kept his hands firmly in his pockets and she kept her arms crossed in front of her, her fingers digging painfully into her own arms. There were times she wanted to lash out at him, but she knew he was only walking her home because Tifa had asked him to and while she wanted to fault him for it, she couldn't.

She only wished they could walk faster so she would never have to see him again.

Her hands shook slightly as she placed her key into the lock and twisted, the loud click echoing through the empty hallway. She didn't dare to look at him as she thanked him quickly, even though he was being a pain in the ass, and opened the door hurriedly before slipping in and closing the door.

Except Reno's arm blocked it from closing as he held it wide open.

"You need to go," she whispered ruefully, a little angry, as she tried again to close it and only when he refused to budge did she finally look up. He was staring at her, his eyes intense and fierce and his mouth set in a grim line as she tried desperately not to be bothered by the flutters from her heart and the blooming warmth in her core.

His heated gaze travelled down her lithe frame and she couldn't suppress the shiver of anticipation, of want from forming in her chest. Advancing towards her, he eyed her almost predatorily and she couldn't help but take a step back, her heart jumping to her throat. And then he closed the door behind him and locked it in one seamless movement and she took a few more steps back until her back almost touched the wall, desperate to create space between them.

"Reno, you need to go. We can't…" she trailed off, her voice sounding weak even to herself.

She wondered briefly where the brash and self-confident Yuffie Kisaragi had gone.

"Tell me you don't want this and I'll go." His voice was husky and barely audible and Yuffie could hear the apparent yearning and desire in his voice. His hands were back in the safety of his pant pockets and she wondered how he could make her crave his caresses without even touching her this whole time. She couldn't even blame her unsolicited wants on the alcohol this time because that walk had cleared her mind.

Her heart was pounding so fast she could barely breathe, her eyes taking in his scrawny figure taut with tension before closing her eyes, almost as if in pain. She knew he would see right through her lies. "I want you," she admitted unwaveringly, her eyes still closed. "But we can't. Teef—"

Her eyes widened at the sudden clap of noise and she realized he had slammed both his hands flat against the wall next to her head, trapping her in. His lips nipped her neck just briefly and she whimpered from the touch until his mouth hovered just against her ear, his warm breath causing her to tremble. "It's kinda too late now, Yuff. Everytime I'm with her, all I can think of is you." When he spoke next, there was a hint of anger and it was then that she realized that he felt just as powerless as her.

"What the fuck did you do to me?"

And when he drew back, his gaze on her was harsh, furious and vulnerable all at once and she couldn't help the tears that formed because she wanted to fling that same question back to his face. Why couldn't he forget what happened that night because Tifa was a million times better than she could ever be and it didn't matter what happened anyways because he shouldn't be here.

Instead, all she managed to do was let out a broken and hysterical half sob and laugh before she answered truthfully. "And all I can think of is you. Gawd knows I've tried drowning myself in men, but all I can picture every time I'm fucking someone else is you and your eyes and your lips and your fingers and I hate it and I hate you."

But she knew deep down she didn't mean it because he had done to her what no other man had ever done.

And she knew he knew it just as well.

He crushed his lips to hers persistently and she closed her eyes, sighing against his lips, surrendering herself to him. He knew exactly which spot to kiss and touch to evoke a sharp gasp, a breathless whimper or a hoarse moan and she gave in to him completely, the feeling of his touches overwhelming and she abandoned her sense of reason.

She told herself selfishly that she would allow this one more time.

His mouth moved down to her throat, teasing her sensitive skin with biting nips and rough kisses and her head fell back against the wall, her eyes dazed, her breathing erratic. And then, with his breath ragged, he looked smugly at her dark swollen mouth and her eyes half-lidded with unmistakable lust and desire.

She could feel her knees shake and she felt his hard body press flushed against hers, his thigh pushing her legs apart. He dipped his head to her neck again and trailed kisses down to her collarbone, sliding down the thin strap off her shoulder before he changed his mind and lifted her dress up, raising one of her long legs and hitching it around his hip instead. And then his fingers went past the thin cotton fabric of her underwear before burrowing itself into her and curling, earning a sharp moan and she couldn't help but whimper his name faintly over and over as he brought her higher and higher until she reached the peak and plummeted. She cried out his name again before she gritted her teeth and stifled her own voice against his shoulder, her fingers digging into his back as she clung onto him.

Before she could collect her thoughts, he dropped his own pants, ripped off her holster and underwear and hoisted her up. Then he lifted the dress and pressed his body against hers, her back firmly against the wall, forcing both her legs to wrap around him. He buried himself inside her intensely and he pushed into her repeatedly, his grunts intermingling with her gasps and moans as she clawed at his shoulder and his hair until they came together once again.

They stayed together in that position for a few moments as he breathed into her neck, gulping hungrily for air and she could only close her eyes and press her cheeks against his, the urge to cry and scream overwhelming. She didn't dare move and it was only when he pulled out that she untangled her legs from him and stood down shakily as she leaned against the wall.

"I…" she started but stopped, not really knowing what she could say, what she wanted to say It had been everything she had dreamed about the last six months but even so, she couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of guilt in her chest, drowning her. She had known he wasn't hers to keep, and even though her heart lurched painfully in her chest at the thought, she knew she had to let him go. Her eyes filling slightly with involuntary tears, she attempted a thin, crooked smile. "You should probably go."

He tilted her chin up to his and she didn't resist as he caught her lips in a soft kiss. He stared deeply into her eyes, his gaze a little less certain, his smirk a little emptier than normal.

"Let me stay tonight."

And she knew it was inappropriate and so, so wrong but she also wasn't strong enough to refuse.

She told herself her inevitable heartbreak would be the consequence of tonight, but even so, she couldn't stop herself from pulling him down for a kiss.

"Okay."

Author's Notes: Ugh. It's been hard writing this. On one hand, I love them together and then on the other, I'm screaming at myself for even writing this because it's so wrong. But the drama is so juicy…! Enjoy!

As usual, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!

Completed: July 18, 2020
Revised: September 6, 2020