Infidelity

Chapter 5 - Home

By Crystal Snowflakes

Two months and a positive pregnancy stick later, Yuffie began to plan her own vanishing act thanks to his suggestion because she would have never thought about it otherwise. Afterall, she was the Head of Espionage and Intelligence at the WRO and she knew exactly what type of evidence needed to be left behind and how to stage a crime scene. Yuffie made herself a fake ID and siphoned money out into a separate bank account discreetly, just enough to get her through the first year.

When an assassination attempt happened the following time, it was the perfect opportunity to set up her own disappearance and she made sure to lead them straight to her apartment before killing them. She left enough of her own fresh blood at the crime scene to make it believable, drenching the window ledge as if she had been taken away. She said goodbye to her beloved weapon that she had carried with her for years, knowing that she would never again be able to carry a similar weapon because it was too easily recognizable and she left all her materia in a trunk in the closet, hoping that her friends would find it.

Healing herself with a potion and feeling weak from the blood loss, she changed into clothes that looked nothing like what Yuffie Kisaragi would wear and set fire to her apartment, making sure it burned before vaulting off the side of the five story building, bringing only her new ID, her new bank card and a small arsenal of her weapons. She would call anonymously to report the fire in a few minutes.

Had she known she was going to give up Wutai anyways, she would have agreed to his demands that night two months ago and dragged the Turk down with her… But the last time she had talked with Tifa, she had seemed genuinely happy and she wondered briefly if she had been right.

Maybe it really was just cold feet.

The next time she saw him was almost six years later.

She wondered briefly where time had gone and how he had been the one to find him when no one else had—it wasn't like they were looking. Yuffie Kisaragi was dead—she made sure of it. She had seen the news report, had read the news articles.

Nobody she knew ever came all the way up North except for Cloud, but it was easy enough to hide from him because he was usually trapped within the confines of his own mind. So when he showed up on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon and saw her—a small hint of surprise and a flash of recognition on his face before sitting directly in front of her—she was intrigued. But she pretended not to know him anyways because she wasn't sure if he knew or because despite her long, wavy ponytail, jeans and cardigan, she still looked vaguely like the late Princess of Wutai.

"How can I help you?" she chirped brightly as she wiped a glass dry, the corner of her eyes studying his deliberately messy red hair, wrinkled navy suit and bright green eyes and she felt the familiar tug at her heartstrings.

His eyes studied her figure and it brought back all the memories she had tried to push away. "I know it's you."

The bar was nearly empty and there was barely anyone around to eavesdrop. "Hm," she tittered slightly. "You don't seem surprised that I'm not…" she trailed off thoughtfully, the corners of her eyes crinkling in mirth before she continued, "Dead?"

"I'm a Turk," he scoffed. "Not an idiot. Evidence was too well planted and too clean. What I could never figure out was why."

With a small smile on her face, she asked, "Were you looking for me?"

"Maybe," he responded disinterestedly.

"You're pretty far from home," Yuffie commented wryly.

"Came for a job."

"Of course you did." She suddenly remembered the way they had left each other over six years ago and couldn't stop the small rueful smile from forming on her lips. "Nobody ever comes to Icicle Village for no reason," she admitted, "I've been here the last six years."

"Why?" he asked, his voice harsh and slightly raspier than normal.

"Why what?" she responded, tilting her head with a smile on her face.

"Why'd you lie to me? You told me you wouldn't give up on Wutai and two months later, I get called up by Tuesti to your apartment at two in the fuckin' mornin' because it's practically burnt to the fuckin' ground and there's blood and dead bodies everywhere." He had kept his voice low and detached, but she heard the underlying tone of anger and bitterness and she noticed with mild amusement that he still ran his hands through his hair when he was frustrated.

She poured a cup of whiskey and slid it across the bar to him as she leaned her elbows on the counter, her fists supporting the weight of her head. Staring into his eyes, she hoped that they conveyed the truth to him. "I never lied to you, Reno," she paused slightly, the corners of her eyes scrunching up as she thought of the best way to respond. "I didn't have the right reason to leave at the time. How did everyone…" A deep breath. "Take it?" That had been the one thing that she had worried about, but had no way of knowing unless she had an ally and at the time, it had been too risky to have one.

"Nobody takes it well when a young woman who's about to get married gets murdered by assassins, let alone a princess," he snorted into his cup of whiskey and took a sip before placing it down, his eyes boring into hers. "Also, could you stop bein' so fuckin' cryptic and tell me what the fuck is goin' on? I've waited six years to hear this."

"Tifa?" she asked, glancing at his ringless finger, because whether they were together depended on the amount of information she was willing to share.

"Divorced," he grunted coolly.

"I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"I'm not," he gritted out, "It was a mistake and we both fuckin' knew it."

She swallowed, her eyes watering slightly because she really had been her best friend at one point in life and she had allowed a man to come between them. "H-How is she?"

"She never found out 'bout us, if that's what you were wonderin'," he said with a bitter sneer on his face. "She's with Rude now. They're happy."

"Gawd," she gasped, trying to hold down her peals of giggles. "That's so...complicated."

He scowled at her, "You're tellin' me. It's so fuckin' awkward."

She glanced at the clock briefly before looking back at him thoughtfully, a little doubtful. "Look, Reno. I've gotta finish up my shift. But if you still want to talk after…" she trailed off, sighing slightly as her eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, what she wanted to say. Deciding to take the dive because things were different now, she grabbed a pen and a notepad before scribbling her address and handing it to him wordlessly.

He grabbed her wrist gently before threading his fingers through hers. "I haven't stopped thinkin' 'bout you for six years, Yuff. I need to know if there's someone else." His voice and his stare still brought her knees shaking all these years later and she couldn't help but remember the wine-red dress, wrinkled tuxedo jacket and black laced underwear.

"There isn't anyone else," she said truthfully because she was tired of running from him and from memories of them. "But it's complicated," she added before pulling her hands away from him and took out her wallet from her back pocket. Her hands trembled slightly before she took a deep breath and opened it up and slid the picture out of her wallet, placing it on the counter in front of him. "He'll always be my priority, Reno, so I won't take it personally if you don't show up."

His curious eyes studied the picture of Yuffie and a dark haired child, his eyes wandering to the child's grinning thin lips, long dark hair tied in a low ponytail and finally his hazel-green eyes and his breath caught, a lump forming in his throat as he stared down in sudden disbelief.

Yuffie's thumb caressed the back of his hand briefly, "His name is Axel," she murmured quietly, "If you're still interested, you can come for dinner at six. Keep the picture."

She walked away to serve other customers and when she looked back five minutes later, his cup of whiskey had been drained, a small wad of gil left on the counter and the photo of her son missing. She felt her heart breaking all over again, but she threw on a happy smile regardless, glad to close that particular chapter of her life.

At least it hurt a lot less this time.

So when the doorbell rang exactly at six that evening and both her and Axel had ground beef and tomato sauce in their hair, they had gone to check the door, curious. She hadn't told Axel about their possible guest as she wasn't sure he was going to show up anyways, but she felt a small flash of hope at the sound of the bell.

When she opened the door and a large bouquet of white roses greeted her, she could only blink in confusion and stutter out a thanks. "Axel, this is Reno. You've gotta say hi," she introduced after a few moments of surprise and took the bouquet in her arms. "Reno, this is Axel."

What was more astonishing was that Reno lowered himself into a crouch and looked at Axel straight in the face and handed him a wrapped toy. "Hey bud."

"Hi." Axel took the toy in his hands, a little gingerly as he studied the stranger, glancing towards the red hair and finally setting his gaze on his eyes. "Mom says I got your eyes."

Reno's eyes widened slightly in surprise before a warm grin took over and he ruffled the child's hair fondly. "You sure do, kid."

When the food had been eaten and the dishes cleared, they had sat down on the couch to watch a movie and it warmed her heart to see how similar the two of them were, and she knew that even if all Reno wanted to do was to be part of Axel's life, she would be happy with that. She wouldn't possibly be able to separate the two of them now.

Reno had surprisingly joined them for their nightly routine of teeth brushing, book reading, song singing. When she kissed Axel good night in bed and Reno was leaning against the doorframe, watching, Axel spoke up, "Will you visit again, Reno?"

The Turk almost stumbled over in shock before composing himself. "If your mom says it's okay."

"Mommy?" Axel asked, a yawn escaping his lips.

Yuffie kissed his forehead tenderly. "Night. Reno and I will talk about it, 'kay?"

The door to his room had barely clicked shut when he pushed her against the wall, firmly, quietly, an angry glint in his eyes. "I should kill you for not telling me."

She couldn't stop herself from trembling, not from fear, but her body was reacting from the way he pressed against her firmly and the gleam in his eyes told her he was enjoying what little reaction her body was giving. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she looked pointedly at Axel's bedroom door.

He took a step back and allowed her space to maneuver around him, following her figure into the kitchen. He watched her as she busied herself by grabbing a bottle of whiskey and two cups, settling down on a stool far away from him. Her fingers were shaking barely noticeably when she poured the whiskey and instead of sitting down, he stood right next to her, forcing her to tilt her chin up to look into his gaze.

She looked at him and she watched as his eyes trail the faint lines on her face that hadn't been there years ago. The last few years had been hard on her as a single mother, especially in a small traditional town like Icicle Village.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked, his voice low. "I would've dropped everythin' for you."

"You didn't want a kid, Reno," she said honestly, "You felt trapped because Teef wanted one."

"You shoulda given me the choice," he said gruffly, a small hint of anger still in his tone.

She turned her chin away and looked at her whiskey glass before taking a gulp. "Reno… We've been together three times. We weren't even...in a relationship." Her mouth twisted in a grimace as her hands covered her face—a breath escaped her unevenly—her chest ached. "I was the sidepiece, Reno." A small bitter, broken snicker escaped her lips. "And everything is so fucked up."

"Yuffie," he said, and at the sound of his voice calling her name, she looked back up at him, a broken expression on her face. "I want you," he admitted, almost resentfully. "Thought I wanted you cause you weren't Teef. But I slept with a shitload of women as soon as the divorce was finalized only to prove myself wrong."

She giggled a bit, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Of course you did."

And then he dipped his head and kissed her lips for the first time in six years and she breathed raggedly against his lips before her hands threaded itself into his familiar hair. Easily, he lifted her entire body up as she wrapped her long legs tightly around him.

"Bedroom," he muttered huskily as he clutched at her rear, and she pointed him towards a closed door. When they entered the room, he closed the door shut behind them, locking it just in case and threw her onto the bed, taking the time to admire her lithe figure in her small boyshorts and snug t-shirt.

She laughed quietly, studying his lanky form in his navy suit before bouncing off the bed and feeling for the first time that they had all the time in the world. Pulling his head down towards hers, she trailed small pecks against his neck, reaching up to take off his goggles before her nimble fingers began to slowly unbutton his dress shirt.

He shrugged off his dress shirt and jacket together, before he pulled down her shorts and panties and yanked off her shirt and unhooked her bra, gazing at her naked form, his mouth a little dry.

Her arms covered herself shyly and Reno raised his eyebrow in question because the Yuffie he knew had always been outrageously confident about her own body. Her smile was a little lopsided when she explained herself, "Childbearing isn't exactly glorious."

He moved her arms away, for the first time noticing the stretch marks on her stomach and sides and he crouched down to kiss them, looking up into her eyes. "You're so fuckin' beautiful, Yuff."

She blushed before pulling him up to his full height, her fingers unbuckling his belt buckle. "And you're not naked yet." He eased himself out of his pants and boxers and kicked off his socks before lifting up her petite frame and throwing her on top of the bed for a second time, earning her girlish giggles again.

He climbed onto the bed, a predatory look in his eyes as he grabbed her wrists and held them above her head with one hand. She looked at him breathlessly, her heart thudding loudly in her ears as she looked at the way his eyes trailed down her body. And then he drew his head down to nip at her ear, earning a low moan, before trailing hard kisses down her neck, his free hand caressing her thighs and pushing them apart.

She whispered his name repeatedly as he slipped his fingers inside of her, twisting, stroking, curling while his mouth was biting, suckling and tugging until her vision faded to black and she was both cursing and moaning his name at the same time.

Reno laughed as he released her hands, crushing his lips firmly against hers until they were swollen and red. She looked up at him, eyes bleary and half-lidded as he pulled on a condom and moved between her legs, pulling her legs above his shoulders before he buried himself into her, gritting his teeth at the tightness as she whimpered.

"It's been a while," she confessed breathily, her hands tangled up in his hair as his head rested against her neck.

He moved against her leisurely, drawing out almost completely before pushing back into her. "How long?" he grunted, curious, as he kissed her neck and his teeth pulled at her earlobes.

Using the strength she rarely had to use anymore, she gave him an impish grin before flipping him on the bed and his eyes widened imperceptibly, a little startled. She sank into him deeply, her eyes closing momentarily in pleasure before she leaned forward and paused, lips barely touching, their breaths intermingled. And then she brushed her lips against his, her lips moving down to his chiseled jaw before going back up to his ear.

"Six years ago in the bridal room of a five-star hotel."

In the afterglow as they laid in bed, their limbs intertwined, their fingers threaded together, Yuffie couldn't help but giggle slightly, her breath still uneven, her body aching. "Well, this is new," she grinned up at him.

He kissed the top of her head as he tightened his hold on her hand as he spoke, his voice gentle but firm. "I wanna be part of Axel's life."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she confessed before adding, "He likes you."

"How'd it happen? I thought…"

She closed her eyes, snuggling up to his side. "When Takahiro proposed, I went off the pill so that I could do my wifely duties once we got married. It just so happened that you showed up unexpectedly."

"Shit. I'm—"

"Don't be," she murmured, cutting him off. "You gave me a reason to leave. I mean, I really hated being pregnant and the first two years as a single mom really fricken sucked…"

"The offer still stands," Reno said, his voice gentle as he sat up, dragging her up with him, his arms curled around her protectively.

"Hmm?" she asked sleepily as she peered up at him. "What offer?"

He kissed the side of her head gently. "I'll make us disappear. You won't even have to hide all the way up north. We can go to Junon, Costa Del Sol—hell, even Kalm or Edge. There's enough people that we can fly under the radar. I'll even cut my fuckin' hair, stop dyein' it and get rid of the damned suit."

Her head snapped back at him as she met his gaze and drank in the unflinching honesty in his eyes—her jaw dropping open in surprise. "You'll quit?"

Reno laughed gruffly and she found that she could really get used to the sound of his laughter. "How else am I gonna disappear? I didn't plan to visit you every other weekend like some dirty secret." He cupped her face and she found that she couldn't get enough of his kisses. "Just say the word, Yuff," he murmured against her lips.

She couldn't help the small smile that spread on her lips—her heart thundering in her chest, a comforting warmth welling up inside her. "'Kay. But only if you promise to keep your hair," she said as she reached her hands up to touch his messy red strands. "I was totally getting tired of the damn snow anyways."

"Deal."

Author's Notes: This was a lot harder to write, as it was my first time writing a little more lemony stuff? Eeeh… I had a really hard time and I kept giggling, but I've been told it gets easier, so we'll see when I decide to venture into the world of lemons again.

There is a short sequel to follow up. :) Doesn't quite feel right, leaving them separated and away from everyone they know, especially cause they're such a tightly-knit group.

Update on sequel: "Forgiveness" is now up :)

As usual, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!

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