Sparks and Steel

by T.C.Rose

Tifa must choose between the man she's loved since her childhood and a man she once considered her enemy. Cloud/Tifa, Reno/Tifa. Incorporates some elements of OTWTAS and AC but does NOT take place in those worlds. Lime/Lemon Content. Ongoing rewrites to improve the story. Chapter 27 replaced 7/26/2022.

25. Reno's New Assignment

A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Standard disclaimer applies. Again, if you don't like reading sex scenes, don't read the end with Tifa and Reno in her bar.

Updated 2/21/2021: Massive edits throughout to bring in line with past chapters and to improve Reno's character. Also changed how Seventh Heaven was bugged. Expect the chapters to only get longer from here on out.

Chapter 25:

Bright, gray light blinded Tifa upon first opening her eyes, keeping her from seeing anything other than a momentary burn and forcing her to remember the events of the previous night:

Reno's lips glued to her neck as he sucked on her pulse point, his long, slender fingers exploring her body and burning her flesh in a way she hadn't experienced in more than a year.

His mouth on her exposed nipple, teasing and nipping after she opened up to him about her scar; excited gasps escaping her throat as she clawed at his mane.

Her hand wrapped around his huge cock, his skin soft and smooth beneath her fingers as she stroked him to completion.

She had asked Reno if he wanted to spend the night with her after their escapade downstairs, her heart aflutter after the contact and the dopamine, perhaps, filling her with thoughts of a potential future. She had shown him things only Cloud had seen and asked him to sleep where only Cloud (and once, Marlene) had slept; allowed him to touch her as only Cloud had touched her and felt as only Cloud previously had made her feel.

She expected Reno to decline her offer since he was already so close to the door, or to agree, with the assumption that the sexual activity would continue upstairs. He accepted, so she cleaned the floor where he had ejaculated while he pulled up his pants and gathered his jacket to follow her up to her apartment, where she hesitated at the top landing to steel herself, stiffening her shoulders and curling her fists briefly for courage. Perhaps even more so than letting him see her breasts, inviting Reno into her home and offering him Cloud's side of the bed remained the last vestige of her former relationship. Her anger from earlier in the evening regarding the blond swordsman flared up for a moment as she recalled why she was moving on in the first place: He left her, and no matter how the Lifestream did or did not affect him two years ago, he abandoned her and broke her heart. He didn't deserve her loyalty anymore.

Reno had tried not to look so eager as he climbed the stairs behind her, keeping several steps between them and saying nothing as she led him into her home and toward her bedroom. He was familiar with the layout by now, though he inhaled the fresh, feminine scent of the bedroom upon entering, closing his eyes to savor the moment he had finally gained an invitation into her personal space.

She asked him if he would mind if she took a shower and he shook his head, unable to contain the sly grin the statement brought out of him. To be safe, she gathered her pajamas and locked the bathroom door behind her to ensure his libidinous nature wouldn't take hold. She washed away her lingering attachment to her shattered relationship with Cloud and the small amount of Reno that had splattered on her legs when he came downstairs earlier.

When she finished and dressed she opened the door, half-expecting to find an empty bedroom and an open window, her curtain blowing in the night breeze to accentuate his absence.

Instead, she found him calmly sitting on Cloud's side of the bed, wearing just his boxer briefs with one leg hanging off the side and the other folded beneath him, shamelessly flaunting his torso as he leaned back on his hands.

"Nice jammies," he said with the same grin plastered across his face from her earlier shower comment, tilting his head toward her to acknowledge her camisole and curve-hugging pajama shorts. He let his eyes flagrantly travel the length of her body, causing her to blush before bending at the waist and holding a finger up to warn him.

"Can't be too careful with a lecherous Turk around," she teased, prompting a rueful smile from Reno.

She climbed into bed, purposefully keeping a distance between them so as not to give him any scandalous ideas. He scooted closer to her and laid down beside her, slowly reaching his right arm around her waist to hold her to him. It was awkward for him, as he tried to avoid cuddling as much as possible, made more awkward by the fact that his dominant arm was pinned between him and the bed. Tifa smiled to herself, recognizing Reno's one weakness in bed and appreciating that he let his mask slip to show it to her when he was still trying to maintain some semblance of cool.

"Reno?" she asked, causing his muscles to tense with the fear she was about to kick him out or tell him to let her go.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Goodnight."

"G'night, Lockhart," he responded.

Tifa's eyes shot open at the memory, realizing at once that she was actually surprised to find what she should have expected. She sat up immediately, staring at the length of bed beside her that once belonged to Cloud, now completely empty – as it had been for many months. The only evidence that she had, in fact, fallen asleep next to a rogue Turk was a few strands of long, bright red hair on the pillow beside her own and the disheveled sheets from the culprit's abscondence.

She looked to the bathroom door to find it open, the room behind free of steam or the sounds of running water. She scanned the rest of the room, listening for any indication that Reno remained in her home, an audible slur bubbling up from her throat and threatening to escape until her eyes locked upon an anomaly atop her nightstand.

She was staring back at herself, in bobblehead form, a small plastic caricature clearly meant to sell. The real Tifa's eyebrows knitted together as she studied the figure on her nightstand, holding up the trinket to inspect it as its head bobbed and swayed.

"What in the world…?" she said out loud, as if the item would answer.

It wasn't the worst likeness of herself she had ever seen (that honor belonged to Cloud's napkin drawing of her he created in jest while waiting for dinner one night at a nearby restaurant). There could be no doubt that the figure was of her, from its outfit, hair color, and eye color and, of course, her name inscribed at the bottom.

"Where did he find you?" she asked it, the figure nodding back gently.

As she continued to inspect the toy, she was startled by the loud vibration of her phone traveling along the wooden nightstand, already knowing who would be texting her at that moment. He always knew.

"Duty calls, yo," said Reno's text message.

Perhaps he hadn't simply fled her in the middle of the night like one of his one-night stands. Perhaps she was different, or at least still keeping him interested and wanting more. Probably the latter, she thought.

Meanwhile…

"Duty," of course, meant leaving the warm bed of the most gorgeous woman on Gaia, something Reno struggled to do upon waking up in the middle of the night. Sleep did not find him easily without the soak of alcohol, and so he lay awake for far too long studying the gentle rise and fall of Tifa's shoulders as she faced away from him, moonlight caressing her skin with indigos and deep purples.

He must have dozed off at some point, awakening in a stupor of bliss to realize who was next to him. Failing to fall back asleep, he tried not to wake her, sitting up on her bed with the sheets gathered around his waist, leaning his bare back against her headboard. He let his eyes drift to her silky hair, spilled across her pillow and behind her on the bed, soft waves pooling near her lower back. Realizing that he was watching her sleep, Reno snapped his head forward and moved to lean it back against the headboard, slamming it too hard into the wood and freezing in the hopes that Tifa hadn't heard.

She stirred, but didn't wake up, shifting with a tender moan that gave him goosebumps and made his skin simmer. He closed his eyes, wandering back to hours earlier when she was backed against the wall downstairs and fulfilling one of his longest running fantasies. He pictured her large breasts, remembering the soft feel of them in his hands and in his mouth. He felt a twitch between his legs as he thought about how they may have been the most glorious pair of tits he had ever seen, though he couldn't be sure if it was because they were so substantial and spectacularly shaped or because they were the ultimate forbidden fruit by belonging to Tifa Lockhart.

Fuck. He couldn't be this attached to a woman. He had a whole bedpost full of notches from all the women he had bed, and never once had he sat awake at night with thoughts of her ricocheting inside his skull or analyzing her sleep patterns.

He let his gaze fall on her again, his eyes coasting along the line that stretched from her shoulder to the dip in her waist and along the curve of her hip, sheets wrinkled and accentuating her body. He remained in that position for longer than he intended, scratching the top of his head just off center, his skin strained across his ribcage, abs and pectorals tight, while his other hand rested in his lap as he tried to will himself to look away. He had called her "beautiful" the night before and truly meant it, even if he hadn't planned to say it. Her reaction satisfied him, blushed tones and warm cheeks though she said nothing.

He could feel the thrum of his heart and he stifled a groan. He had to get out of here before he became even more of a hopeless cliché. He ran a hand through his loose, flowing red hair and wondered what it was that compelled him to procrastinate leaving her; why his body felt like lead and was unable to move. It wasn't that her bed was incredibly comfortable – he preferred a firm mattress, one that taught him a lesson each time he crashed into it after a night of drinking and debauchery – and yet he didn't find it easy to slip away into the night as he had done with other women for nearly two decades.

Eventually, he realized that allowing her to wake up and find him still next to her would hurt her more in the long run, allowing her to think there was some kind of future with him even though he knew – and suspected she knew – it could never be. With all the skills he had mastered as a Turk and a fugitive lover, Reno slid out of Tifa's bed, pulled his hair into a ponytail, and gathered his clothes in his arms, lightly padding toward the door until he remembered the item he had been carrying around for weeks in the inside pocket of his suit jacket, waiting for the right moment. He may be fleeing, but he couldn't leave her thinking she was no different than the rabble he usually bedded. He shuffled the pile of clothes in his arms to find the added weight and removed it, silently returning to her side of the bed and leaving it on her nightstand. The urge to kiss her one last time surfaced for a fleeting moment, but he thought it was better not to chance waking her.

He dressed once he was downstairs in the bar to avoid detection, straightening the lapels of his suit jacket before leaving the establishment to find an overcast sky just starting to break with the moonlight, welcoming him to the day. He checked the time on his phone: 6:18 a.m. He had plenty of time to return home and possibly get a couple hours of actual sleep before meeting Rude to begin surveillance of the woman he had just left.

The sounds of fiends echoed throughout Edge as he made his way home, taking the rooftop paths to avoid an early morning fight and sucking down cigarettes like his life depended on them. He was sleep deprived and out of sorts, not to mention too lazy to do the police's jobs for them at this hour.

He arrived home to find his condo felt emptier than ever before, cold and sterile and hard, unlike the soft femininity of Tifa's home, which seemed designed to welcome anyone who entered rather than scare them away, like Reno's. His mattress felt like a punch to the gut when he collapsed onto it after removing his suit, firm suddenly taking on a whole new meaning.

He awoke hours later, just minutes before he was supposed to meet Rude back at Seventh Heaven. For once he bolted out of bed and rushed to get ready for work; he would already be late, but he didn't want to leave Rude to snoop through her windows by himself.

He stumbled out of his apartment building holding a cup of coffee in one hand and struggling to push his arm through a suit jacket sleeve as he eyed the ladder he needed to ascend to the rooftops and make it to Seventh Heaven. He slowed his gait several blocks away for Rude's benefit; his bald partner needed to think Reno was looking to this assignment as he did to all the others, with disinterested professionalism. Rude couldn't know the way Reno's heart thumped at the knowledge that he would be paid to watch the woman he so desired, or the way he dreaded the possibility of her finding out.

He hopped down from the rooftop nearest the bar to find Rude waiting with a long canvass bag with a strap slung across his shoulder. Reno nodded to his partner and took one last sip of his coffee before crushing the paper cup in his fist and tossing it into the nearby gutter, eliciting a grimace from Rude.

"Just because the city is a mess doesn't mean you have to contribute," Rude scolded, leering at Reno over the top of his sunglasses.

"No sense in developing a social conscience without a regular conscience to go with it," Reno shrugged.

Rude grunted his disapproval.

"I've looked around the area and determined the best vantage point is the building across the street there," he informed, turning to point at the four-story building that faced Seventh Heaven's main entrance.

"Thanks for doing the reconnaissance, partner," Reno said with a half-hearted salute as the two headed toward a ladder on the side of the opposite building.

The two Turks scaled the structure as the sun began to spread the clouds and greet the day. Reno shielded his eyes from the blinding light as he hopped down from the parapet and crouched to move toward the side facing Tifa's bar. Rude did the same after flinging the bag he was carrying over the ledge and onto the flat roof.

"You good for this?" Rude asked his partner once he arrived at the surveillance point. Reno eyed him suspiciously.

"I could ask you the very same question."

"Alright, then."

With that out of the way and neither man admitting to any hesitation, Rude began to unzip the canvass bag and remove its contents. Reno watched with nostalgic approval as Rude assembled the Official Turk Telescope, clicking and twisting the pieces into place and raising it just high enough to see over the parapet into Tifa's home without getting noticed from below unless someone knew what to look for.

"Ah, Betsy," Reno said affectionately. "It's been a while."

Rude nodded. The telescope wasn't the most technical of surveillance methods – most of their fun equipment was destroyed with Shinra HQ – but it got the job done.

"You want to take the first watch?" Rude asked with guarded sincerity. Reno shook his head.

"Nah, you go ahead, I'll keep watch for any pesky neighbors," the redhead replied, not wanting to seem too eager to snoop.

Rude nodded again and crouched behind the telescope to peer into the upstairs of Seventh Heaven, finding closed curtains and blinds, the same as downstairs.

"Don't think she's up yet, but I can't see into the bedroom from here," Rude informed his partner, who stifled a smirk.

A self-satisfied grin crept across Reno's lips, reaching up to rest his hands behind his head on the parapet facing away from Seventh Heaven and thinking back to the night before once again to make an assumption about why Tifa might not be awake yet. She was a bartender who had been kept awake the previous night by some rakish young chap who apparently wore out every muscle of her body. Lucky girl.

He took out his phone while Rude was still using the telescope and sent Tifa a quick text for when she woke up, just in case the bobblehead didn't accurately portray his message. Upon returning his phone to his pocket, he felt a sudden jolt of shame for what he had done to her last night but more ashamed for how what he had done would hurt Rude if the man knew about it.

That's right, Reno can feel shame.

About 20 minutes passed silently between the two Turks, with Reno trying to suppress the newfound emotions he had been grappling with whenever Tifa was on his mind and Rude with his eye still pressed against the eyepiece of the telescope, which he moved slowly to view and focus on the different windows of Tifa's home.

"Wait, I think I see her in the kitchen," Rude said just as Reno was dozing off in the warm morning sun.

Now that Rude had said something, Reno didn't much like the idea of another man peering into Tifa's home, suddenly worried she might be walking around in her underwear or less… Wait, was he being possessive? He didn't like this feeling, whatever it was.

"There she is," Rude said, moving the scope slightly.

He could see Tifa walking through the living room and into the kitchen, wearing her red satin bathrobe. The bald Turk watched as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen island to check her phone. Just riveting stuff.

"What's she doing?" Reno asked.

He'd wanted to ask what she was wearing – both to know whether Rude was seeing too much and because he couldn't help himself – but thought it might bother his partner. If they had been surveilling any other woman for whatever reason, he wouldn't even hesitate to ask that question, and now realized that not asking it would have its own effect on Rude. He couldn't win.

"Drinking coffee."

"Fascinating," Reno spouted sarcastically. "Job well done."

And it continued on like that for some time. Reno sat impatiently as Rude watched Tifa finish her coffee and breakfast, disappear into the back of the apartment, reappear dressed, and then clean her home and the bar downstairs, wondering why she seemed to aggressively mop one particular spot on the floor near the stairs. At no time did he witness her receive any phone calls.

"When she leaves, we can switch to more traditional surveillance means," Rude said just to fill the silence. Reno gave him a "thumbs up" and returned to his resting pose with the sun warming his pale skin.

It took several hours for her to finally emerge from the bar out into the sunlight, long enough to force Reno to find some shade to avoid another sunburn. He was making progress with her physically, and he was not going to risk that by burning his face. Tifa put her gloves on as she stepped out the door and began walking down the main street away from where Reno and Rude were perched.

"Wonder where she's going…" Rude mused.

"Should we get down and follow her?"

"Probably, she was just attacked by some grashtrikes."

Knowing she was fighting alone made Rude uneasy. He knew Tifa was strong, but the number of monsters appearing in the city lately was just too much. She could be overwhelmed.

"She's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Reno said. "Besides, if we appear now, she'll get suspicious. We have to wait until later like we usually do."

He closed his eyes and continued to rest with his arms behind his head, convinced that Tifa would catch on if they went to help her so early in the day, until his phone started to ring. He groaned and pulled it out of his pocket to check who was calling. Oh shit, Rufus.

"I gotta take this," he said to Rude as he crawled away from the edge of the roof before standing and walking to the opposite corner.

"Sir?" he asked when he was far enough away from Rude that his partner wouldn't be able to hear the conversation.

"Reno, I have a special assignment just for you," Rufus said on the other line.

Reno rolled his eyes. Of course, just as he gets the best assignment of his career, Rufus was going to take it away from him. It figured.

"Sir?"

"I hear you've been seeing the barmaid," Rufus continued. "Don't worry, none of your fellow Turks ratted you out."

Well, at least that was a relief, but it made Reno wonder if Rufus was having them followed – and by who. He had always been so careful, well, at least when it came to checking if he was being followed. He hadn't exactly been discrete by taking Tifa and Barret to Costa del Sol. Rufus could have loyal lap dogs all over the plant, masquerading as normal people. It's not like Shinra didn't have a history of planting actors in towns pretending to be normal people in order to cover for the company's corruption.

Reno made an audible but unintelligible sound that was an attempt to sound unaffected but ended up confirming what Rufus already knew, prompting the Shinra president to continue.

"I want you to get closer to her. Watching from afar is one thing, but I need you to get in there and learn what AVALANCHE is up to."

"But we're already watching her every move and tonight we'll bug her apartment and bar, like you requested," Reno countered, knowing that facts were not going to persuade Rufus. Once the president made up his mind, the order would be followed without question, no matter how asinine.

"I know, but I want you to get in there and get the information out of her, instead of just waiting around for her friends to provide," Rufus said. "Become part of whatever it is that they're doing, if you have to, just find out what they know!"

The irritation in Rufus' voice was clear; he did not like to explain his orders. Reno signed, dropping his shoulders and trying to figure out an argument that would appeal to the president. Finding none, he attempted sympathy, knowing it was doomed to failure but having no other options.

"Sir," Reno said, lowering his voice and putting a hand around his mouth and the phone to mask the call. "Please don't make this an assignment."

"Why? Would that take the fun out of it for you?" Rufus seemed almost gleeful.

"It's not that, Chief," Reno added, trying not to sound like he was begging. "Rude and I can get the same information just from surveilling her using typical means."

"I don't want to just follow and listen, I want to know what they're doing so we can get ahead of them," Rufus raised his voice, sounding as if he were doing this to punish Reno. "Just do whatever it is you've been doing, but do it professionally."

Rufus hung up without waiting for a response. Reno stared at his phone a moment, hoping Rufus would call back and tell him to forget what they discussed. He may not be pursuing Tifa for the right reasons, but he didn't want his job to depend on deceiving her. He didn't understand how it wasn't good enough to surveil her like they had done many times with many targets in the past. Reconnaissance was a Turk specialty; they didn't need to cozy up to an enemy to get information – and Tifa wasn't their enemy.

He flipped his phone closed and took a deep breath before returning to Rude. Tifa was still fighting the grashtrikes, so Reno eased himself back to where he was sitting before, bending his legs to let his hands hang over his knees, still holding his phone limply. Rude didn't stop looking through the telescope.

Reno stared at the area of roof between his legs, just under where his phone was dangling in his left hand, zoning out. Was Rufus just toying with him? The man could be ruthless, after all, and he didn't seem to care much for the redheaded Turk these days. But would he really force an employee to date a woman to steal information, even if he didn't like said employee?

It wasn't like Reno had never done something like this before, but he had never been ordered to sleep with the woman, he just took the "by any means necessary" quite seriously.

"Hmm?" he heard Rude hum next to him, still looking through the telescope as Tifa continued to fight fiends just down the street from their perch.

Reno knew Rude was asking about the phone call – and that he probably suspected it had been Rufus on the other line, but he wasn't even sure how to broach the subject. Would Rude even believe him? Would he find it awfully convenient that Reno would be rewarded for his treachery by being ordered to cozy up to Tifa?

Rude noticed Reno's hesitation and looked back at him with some level of concern, barely discernible behind his sunglasses.

"What?" he asked.

Reno didn't look at him, instead just staring off into the distance.

"Rufus… wants me to use her," he said after a few moments of silence, his voice heavy and anguished.

"Hmm?"

"He told me to date her and find out what AVALANCHE is up to and then beat them to the punch," Reno added, his words falling out of his mouth and onto the roof below him. He moved his foot as if he were putting out a cigarette in an attempt to crush them.

"Oh," Rude said, understanding what was distressing Reno. "Are you upset because it wouldn't be fun for you anymore?"

"No!" Reno protested. "Well, yeah, that, and…"

Rude raised an eyebrow up over his glasses. Was there something more to Reno?

"What?" he asked.

Reno looked away and scoffed. He didn't want to say. If he said what was on his mind he'd get mocked. Maybe not by Rude, but his own brain was prepared to call him a pussy for saying the words out loud.

It wasn't like he had feelings for Tifa, or anyone, he just didn't want to be used this way by his employer, like some kind of prostitute.

"You're actually worried about hurting her," Rude said.

Reno shot him an angry look; lip cocked on one side to show some of his teeth in a snarl.

"What? No!" he insisted, narrowing his eyes at his partner.

Rude tilted his head and pursed his lips. He hadn't actually thought Reno cared about Tifa until now. Maybe there was a solution.

"Maybe don't look at it as using her," Rude suggested. "Remember when Rufus said we could work with AVALANCHE if we have to? So, let's just work with them."

Reno had not expected to hear those words from Rude's mouth. Rude was actually suggesting undermining – ever so slightly – Rufus Shinra, and he was suggesting Reno do it by flirting with the woman he had a crush on. Maybe this wasn't such a bad assignment after all.

"Hmm, you might be on to something there, yo," Reno said, coming out of his stupor. "Are— would you be okay with this?"

Rude lowered his head a moment and sighed.

"You were worried about an assignment not because of what it meant for our souls or for how many lives it would cost, but for what it might mean to one specific target," Rude began. "I don't think you're going to hurt her."

Reno was a bit uneasy, but if he could get over the part about betraying Tifa and focus simply on helping her, he'd be doing his job and proving to her he was a changed man. Could be a win-win if she never found out about Rufus' assignment.

"Guess I'll go get to work then, huh?" Reno said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

Getting paid to hang around Tifa no longer seemed like such a bad gig.

Rude nodded and returned to the telescope. He'd keep watch from a distance until told otherwise, even if it meant watching his best friend with the woman he admired. Turk work wasn't always easy.

"We should send you with a wire," Rude suggested before Reno could escape down the ladder. He paused where he was, his head still above the parapet, and looked back at his partner with wide eyes. It was one thing to be told to woo a woman for information, it would be quite another for his coworkers and superiors to hear what he was saying to her outside of the recorders in her home and business.

"Please, man, don't make this any harder than it has to be," Reno said with a dejected look on his face. "We're going to bug her house tonight, let's just leave it at that."

Based on his recent relationship with Tifa, he knew a wire would likely be discovered pretty darn quickly anyway, though the thought brought him no joy at the moment.

Rude huffed but agreed. He didn't really want to hear what Reno might say to Tifa anyway. This whole assignment was already giving him a hot sting of jealousy at the base of his neck anyway, he didn't need the added stress.

Reno scuttled down the fire escape taking the rungs two at a time, dropping from the ladder a few feet off the ground and landing with bent knees. He straightened up and adjusted his jacket before thrusting his hands into his pockets as he walked toward Tifa, who was just leveling the final queen grashtrike. He couldn't look too excited strolling over to her, both for her sake and for Rude's, so he adopted his usual casual nonchalance, as if he had just been out for a walk in a city filled with fiends.

She was wiping the sweat from her brow when he approached her. She startled, but more due to the fact that he wasn't sneaking up on her in a dark, secluded place. Her confusion quickly turned into a smile and she reached behind her head to secure her long, thick hair into a high ponytail, which, even tied back, still reached her buttocks.

"All leather today, huh babe?" he asked, looking her up and down.

She was wearing a black leather vest that zipped up the front with a white tank top underneath and black leather shorts that nearly reached her knees along with a leather duster apron. Reno had never seen her wear something that covered so much of her legs and he didn't like it. He had always had much easier access to what was underneath, even if he hadn't gotten to partake. She was also wearing black high-tops instead of her usual red boots, another oddity, but one he found somewhat delightful. Someday, he thought to himself, he would make her wear heels in front of him. Black, strappy heels.

Scratch that – not just black heels, but a black cheongsam and thigh highs.

She seemed to be answering him about her outfit, but his mind was elsewhere, imagining her in red lingerie swinging around a stripper pole for him in a private room.

"Where were you coming from?" he heard her ask, unfortunately snapping him out of his dirty thoughts.

"Uh, just patrolling," he lied, scratching the back of his head.

"Aren't you worried about Rude catching you?" she asked. Reno stopped scratching and let his hand fall a few inches to rub his neck in an effort to calm his nerves.

"Uh, he knows about us already," he answered.

"WHAT? How?" Tifa suddenly became concerned that Reno was bragging about his encounters with her around the Shinra building. She had always known it was a possibility, given what she had heard from him in her own bar about his other conquests, but she thought perhaps he would keep their relationship quiet, given Rude's affections.

"He, uh, saw us in Junon," Reno said, moving to scratch behind his ear and contort his face.

"What did he see?"

"Hey, he couldn't have been much," Reno tried to alleviate her embarrassment. "At worst he would have seen your leg and the side of your ass."

That didn't help.

"And maybe my hand on your tit," Reno grinned, honestly thinking he had just comforted her.

"WHAT?" Tifa's face turned bright red, her whole body growing hotter than it had been while fighting the grashtrikes.

"Hey, babe, we were in an alley, any number of people could have walked past and seen."

Tifa wasn't stupid. She knew that was the case, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing to hear. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, suddenly feeling very exposed.

"Don't call me that," she again demanded.

From his vantage point, Rude thought he was watching Tifa angry at Reno as his partner tried to defend himself. She was swinging her arms in frustration, and he kept responding with defensive gestures. For Rude, it was pretty comical.

"Besides, Rude isn't even around today, he's feeling under the weather," Reno again lied.

Tifa narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. She couldn't imagine Rude getting sick; the man was the picture of health and seemed too dedicated to his job to allow something as weak as the common cold to keep him from performing his duties.

"Well, it was nice to see you Reno, but I have errands to run," she said, moving past him to continue down a side street and away from her bar. Reno trotted to catch up to her, already hating how needy this assignment made him look.

"What are you doing?" she asked without breaking her gait.

"It's dangerous out these days, I'm going to do my civic duty and protect a great citizen of this city," Reno said with a smile and a salute. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"That's okay, I don't need any help," she said, looking around to see if anyone was watching, though the only people out were on the skywalks above them, and they rarely looked down to avoid making eye contact with fiends, never thinking any human would be stupid enough to travel by the original roads.

"What's the matter?" Reno asked, confused by how cold she was acting toward him after she had invited him to spend the night with her just last evening.

"I'd rather not have any gossip articles written about me or us," Tifa said, continuing to walk to her destination without looking at Reno. Any reporter spying on her would have to either have a death wish to be down here with the fiends or be watching her from the platforms above, but that didn't make her feel any more secure. Wednesday was still a couple days away, but she'd rather not get caught with a new line of questions from the Daily Buzz reporter.

The Turk suddenly cut in front of her and stopped, forcing her to stop as well.

"Whoa, you're not worried about gossip magazines, you're worried about your AVALANCHE buddies reading those gossip magazines, aren't ya?" Reno was, frankly, singed by her words.

He was no stranger to secret hookups, but he did not like being on the other side of one. She was embarrassed to be seen with him?

She stopped and turned to him, her gaze dropping to the ground.

"It's… not that," she said, tucking a loose lock of fringe behind her ear. Reno crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one hip.

"Uh huh, I see. I'm good enough for some secret fun but not good enough to be seen in public with you."

"No!" Tifa cried. "It's not that!"

Well, it sort of was that. She had been nervous about people seeing her with Reno in Costa del Sol, but when nothing was written after their trip she settled down. Now that she was back from Cosmo Canyon, however, she had the feeling she was being watched, fearing a forthcoming article that would prompt a slew of phone calls from her friends. She suddenly realized the absurdity of that thought.

"I'm sorry," she said, her head lowered. "I didn't mean it like that. I shouldn't be so concerned with what AVALANCHE may or may not think. And yes, I would like your help today."

Reno intertwined his fingers behind his head and sighed. He had an idea where she had been going with that, but certainly couldn't let her know he was bothered by it.

"Fine, I guess I'll still help you, citizen."

A small smile crossed her lips and she looked up at him, nodding but hesitating before continuing in her previous direction. Reno noticed her dithering and folded his arms across his chest again in annoyance.

"What now?" he asked.

Tifa looked forward and then looked to her right, down a different side street, torn between two destinations.

"Well," she started, nerves welling up, "I was on my way to the orphanage to help Marle, but…"

"But…?" Reno's first instinct was that Tifa didn't want Marle to see them together, but the old woman had seen him visit her in the hospital after the martial artist was shot. She even made a quip to him that let him know she had no issue with him seeing Tifa, even though he was pretty sure she had to have known he was a Turk. If Marle wasn't the problem, then… Oh.

"I'm the reason they're orphans, huh?" he asked, feeling like he had just been stabbed in the heart. He knew he had killed people by helping to drop the Sector 7 plate, but those people were gone; he didn't have to see what he caused. Only survivors like Tifa remained, he thought, adults trying to rebuild the world after Shinra brought about its near destruction. He had never considered the possibility that even after Meteor, his actions were still the reason some in Edge were suffering.

Tifa shuffled and frowned, confirming Reno's suspicions. She looked away from him before meeting his gaze and exhaling.

"Not all of them, and most of them are too young to understand why the plate fell or Meteor came…"

"But some of them are old enough."

"I think they hate Shinra, not you in particular," Tifa said, casually grinding the toe of her sneaker into the pavement. "If you don't want to go, we can move on to my next errand," she added, cheeks showing just a ghost of pink.

Reno was touched that she offered to forgo something she clearly enjoyed just to spare his feelings. Did she really think he was so soft? He rolled his shoulders back and stood at full height to prove otherwise, looking down at Tifa with narrowed eyes and a bit of resentment.

"Nah, let's go see your orphans," Reno said lazily. "Can't find redemption without facing those you wronged, yanno?"

Tifa nodded and began walking toward the orphanage again, with Reno in tow, both silent for the duration of the walk as they contemplated what might happen once they were with the children. Tifa imagined a dozen terrible scenarios – crying and frightened children, angry Marle, and Reno reverting to the man she once thought he was – as they approached the large wooden doors to the building she and Cloud had built for the orphans.

She knocked on the door, something she didn't usually do, and briefly considered leaving and taking Reno to the theater instead of risking the children's wellbeing.

"Tifa?" Marle asked when she opened the door before Tifa could bail. The older woman's expression turned from one of confusion to concern when she realized why Tifa knocked instead of entering on her own.

Marle briefly scanned Reno as he stood beside Tifa, acting as though he were looking out for monsters instead of avoiding an awkward situation. She seemed to be looking right through him, reading his intentions, his past guilt, his current fears. He didn't like it. He didn't like the way her eyes narrowed and widened as if she were looking into his very soul and learning what deep, dark secrets he held in his heart.

"The young man from the hospital," she finally said matter-of-factly, without a hint of anger or concern in her voice, which struck Reno as odd. "What brings you by today?"

Reno blinked a few times at her question, trying to figure out why he wasn't being grilled or told to take a hike. Marle had to know who he was, yet she wasn't condemning him like she should. Had Tifa said something?

"He's… helping me today," Tifa said, "with the fiends."

Marle continued to block the entrance to the orphanage as she again analyzed Reno, who began to crumble under the weight of her gaze. He scratched the back of his head and stared at Marle's feet, suddenly feeling as if Rufus himself were judging him.

"Is that right?" Marle asked without taking her eyes off Reno.

"Yup, just your friendly neighborhood fiend herder today," the redhead responded with a lazy salute.

Marle regarded him skeptically.

"Do you think it will be alright if he comes in to help with the children?" Tifa asked, unable to make eye contact with Marle. Reno tried to keep from smiling at how Tifa wilted under the pressure of this woman, like a young teenager afraid of defying their mother. Reno hadn't experienced that himself, but he knew the sentiment and found Tifa to be quite cute at the moment, feeling the urge to kiss her.

"Does he know anything about children?" Marle asked.

"I think I handled that one kid just fine," Reno interjected with a bit of an amused tone. Marle's shoulders softened just a little.

"I'm sure he will be quiet while I run through their exercises for the day," Tifa added, placing a calming hand on Reno's shoulder. He was surprised by how hot his skin felt under her touch, even shielded by a dress shirt and suit jacket.

"You teaching the kids how to fight?" Reno asked. "I can share some of my moves."

Marle winced at his offer.

"I'm sure the children will be fine with what Tifa has to teach, but you're free to watch," she said before adding, "provided it doesn't upset any of them."

Her last words stung as she opened the door for Tifa and Reno to enter the building. Reno could only hope the children didn't know his face as the man who helped drop the plate, but he worried his suit would be a dead giveaway to the kids Tifa said knew about Shinra and hated his employer.

Children, it turned out, where more curious than cautious, telling Tifa about everything she missed while out of town and asking her dozens of questions about where she had been, which she deflected, to Reno's consternation. It seemed most of the kids either didn't notice Reno or were just more interested in Tifa to pay him any mind, but after they had exhausted their questions to Tifa, some turned to him with inquisitive intentions.

"Who is he?"

"You're not Cloud!"

"Your hair is so red!"

Tifa snickered at their inquiries, watching as Reno fumbled to answer as many questions as he could while looking utterly overwhelmed by the experience. The kids began tugging on his hands and sleeves to get him down to their level so he wouldn't tower over them, and he suddenly found himself cross-legged on the floor with about a dozen kids crowding him. He was confused, flashing desperate eyes to Tifa in the hopes that she would help, but she just smiled and waved while sharing conspiratorial glances with Marle.

Tifa watched the redhead nearly disappear in a pile of fascinated children before realizing that three orphans were standing in the corner, huddled together quietly and eyeing the Turk darkly. The three boys were the oldest of the group – each around 10 years old and old enough to blame Shinra for their situations. Tifa left Marle to watch over Reno while she approached the small, secluded group and crouched down to their level.

"Why did you bring him here, Tifa?" the leader of the little group demanded.

"He's trying to make amends for his past," she said. "He's helping me fight fiends today."

"He's Shinra," the little boy insisted.

"I know," she replied, "and I've always hated Shinra, too, but don't people deserve a second chance?"

"Shinra killed my parents!"

"My mom died in Sector 7."

"Mine died because of Meteor."

"I lost three of my best friends when the plate fell," Tifa informed them, gaining confused looks. "I know it's hard, but I've learned that holding onto anger can be a really bad thing."

One of the boys glanced around her shoulders to where Reno was sitting with the younger kids. A couple girls were trying to braid his ponytail, while another kid poked at the tattoos under his eyes and another asked why he had them. The smallest orphan was curled up in his lap and falling asleep.

Reno hated all of it, but he was here to impress Tifa and he found himself beginning to like the attention from the children. They asked such simple questions. He wasn't forced to give detailed answers or intelligent responses, though he did have to watch his language.

To his left he could feel the heat from the sun's rays wafting through the blinds and he hoped Rude couldn't see him in this predicament from wherever he was perched surveilling for Shinra. He'd never hear the end of it, especially after what happened during Meteorfall with the child Reno found outside the hospital. He looked around, noticing for the first time that the child he briefly cared for didn't seem to be here. Perhaps he was adopted. Maybe he found his family.

Outside, a smile streaked across Rude's face as he used the telescope to gaze through the window near Reno. Seeing the redhead swarmed by children tugged at the bald Turk's heartstrings, with the added bonus that Reno looked positively uncomfortable. Rude loved seeing his partner that way, since it was such a rare occurrence. He peeled his gaze away from Reno and checked the next window over to see Tifa talking with some older children. She was resting on her back heels as she spoke to them, seemingly having a more adult conversation than Reno was having with the younger kids. Rude couldn't be sure what she was saying, but he watched her go back and forth with the children, who kept stealing glances at Reno, whose back was to them. After a few minutes, Tifa stood up and walked with the children toward the back of the room. As she disappeared from Rude's view, the other children started running after her, leaving Reno to wonder what had happened so suddenly.

Rude stood up on the roof where he was watching. It wouldn't be long before people started heading onto the rooftops in search of lunch. He'd be conspicuous if he continued to spy, and there wasn't a location nearby where he could watch without being seen by passersby. He looked back toward Seventh Heaven, though it was no longer in view from the orphanage, and took out his PHS.

"Figure you have things under control. Going to handle SH," he texted Reno before making the trek back to the bar.

He could always take a break and wait to bug Tifa's home and business later, like he and Reno agreed upon, but since he had nothing to do and a window of opportunity, he might as well pick the lock and do it now.

Reno was half-heartedly following along with Tifa's instructions to the children when he felt his PHS buzz. He had tried to concentrate to show her a good-faith effort, but his mind kept wandering as she stretched or showed the children a fighting move. Her current outfit covered her more than her usual miniskirts, and he started thinking about the few inches of exposed skin on her thighs that he was missing. Plus, now that he had seen her bare breasts, he could imagine them as she moved – and it made keeping up difficult.

The vibration in his pocket thankfully rescued him before any of the children noticed he had frozen mid-stretch to leer at their instructor. He pulled out the device and brought up Rude's message, a flare widening his eyes at the thought of Rude alone in Tifa's home and what the recording devices meant for potential trysts later.

"Do we have to?" he responded, looking up at Tifa as the hot sting of betrayal crept into his skull.

"You want to disobey Rufus? You must have it bad…" Rude responded.

A different kind of pang stabbed Reno's heart at Rude's typed message. His hesitance to bug AVALANCHE had nothing to do with what was going on between him and the barmaid, he told himself, it's just that he didn't see the point when they could just follow her and listen in during bar hours.

"Fuck off," he replied. "Do your damn job."

He returned the phone to his pocket with a certain level of force, turning his attention back to Tifa as she taught the children how to break out of a common hold. Reno grinned as he thought of how he had gotten out of her hold the night before, when she was straddling him on the bar floor.

When the exercises ended, the children returned inside from the backyard area for their afternoon studies. Reno could tell Tifa usually chatted with Marle this time, as an awkward silence bubbled between them as the martial artist tried to word her exit.

"You better take care of her," Marle warned after the awkwardness passed and he and Tifa were on their way out the door.

Reno stiffened at the remark, catching Marle's double meaning. Tifa cringed beside him, the words pulling at her memories like the loose thread of a sweater. Marle had said those exact words to Cloud back in Sector 7, back in the days when Tifa's only concerns were the next bombing mission and whether Cloud would stay with her in the slums a little longer. Sometimes she still wondered what life would be like if AVALANCHE had never bombed the reactors.

Fleeting thoughts, she knew, but they crept up every once in a while.

"Where to next, citizen?" Reno asked after the door closed behind them, forcing a serious tone, his voice an octave lower.

Tifa giggled at his commitment to the gag, her heart feeling warmer after seeing the children accept Reno and glancing over at him while he was trying to follow her instructions, like he was just another orphan.

"I usually go to the theater next," Tifa responded.

"Gonna take in a show?" Reno teased.

"Maybe, someday," she said wistfully. "But right now we're still building."

"Lead the way."

He accompanied her to the theater, which included a fight with some zenenes. Their emaciated state made Reno question Rufus' theory that some species hadn't handled the Lifestream and would simply die off themselves. The zenenes looked like they were barely alive to begin with, yet he was still encountering them day after day.

Tifa flipped gracefully through the air as she attacked one, looking like she had choreographed the whole thing. Reno was always amazed by the way she fought, not just because of how it turned him on, but because it seemed like she knew every move in advance. She was quick, almost as agile as him, but there was a measured smoothness to her movements, unlike the urgent dizziness of his fighting style. As she danced, he stabbed at the creatures with his mag rod until he and Tifa had defeated them all.

"You're making this trip much easier," Tifa said, avoiding an actual "thank you."

"At your service, ma'am," Reno said in that mock serious tone that made Tifa laugh out loud this time.

Some more grashtrikes attacked them as they traveled, as did some creatures from the Southern Continent. It really was getting to the point where Tifa might not be able to make the trip on her own. She just hoped Nanaki and Vincent found something in the Cosmo Canyon tomes that would solve the problem and prevent them from having to travel to the Forgotten Capital.

She and Reno reached the theater, catching their breath and wiping the sweat from their brows once they were inside. Reno had never been one for the arts, but found it charming that Tifa would spend her days fighting her way to help build a theater. He looked around at the building in which they now stood, noting how it looked complete except for some finishing touches like paint and carpet. Then again, he wasn't quite sure what a theater was supposed to look like.

"I've always spent my days helping to build Edge," Tifa offered, though Reno hadn't asked. "The people here helped Cloud and me build our home and I want to do my part for them."

Ugh, Cloud again. Reno knew by now he'd just have to ignore mentions of the blond if he hoped to get closer to Tifa. He was part of her past, and it couldn't be forgotten. He was sure he wouldn't be able to avoid comments about his decades-long promiscuity, either.

"Okay, how can I help?" he asked rather cheerfully while clapping his hands together and rubbing his palms. He had decided he would take full advantage of this assignment to "get close to her," as Rufus had demanded. Tifa looked at him, confused.

"You really want to help?" she asked, tilting her head. "What about your patrol?"

Reno shook his head.

"Eh, I think I can let it go and keep helping out a pretty lady," he responded with a smile, which Tifa returned.

"I'm still getting used to this 'helpful' Reno," she said, placing a hand on her hip. Reno tapped his chest.

"Oh yeah, I can be extremely helpful when I want to be."

She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.

"Okay then, today we're helping to build the backstage area," Tifa informed him before leading him up onto the stage and back to an area that did not look as finished as the room in which they had just been.

Exposed wooden beams lined some sort of pathway leading in different directions. Reno had no idea what really went on behind a stage, so he had never considered how many rooms might be necessary. Tifa led him to a stack of plywood and lifted a piece, indicating for Reno to do the same. They then walked back along one of the wooden frames to where the wall was being put up. A man with an electric drill was screwing in the walls as others held up the plywood. After he put the first screw in the board Tifa was holding, he noticed Reno and huffed.

"Who's this scrawny sack of bones?" the man asked, jabbing a thumb in Reno's direction.

The redhead narrowed his eyes at the average-sized man with a bit of a beer gut. Reno preferred the term "sinewy" to describe himself.

"He's helping me today," Tifa said without giving Reno's name.

He supposed it had to do with their gossip magazine conversation earlier, but it just as easily could have been for his own protection, since his name was more infamous than his face (in certain circles). People knew the names of the men who destroyed Sector 7, but they didn't necessarily know what those men looked like – at least not to the extent that they could recognize him in public. The suit, however, was a dead giveaway, though the man with the drill didn't seem to care.

He seemed to accept Tifa's brief explanation and went about his business. They continued in this way until the longest wall of the backstage area was complete. Tifa actually found Reno's presence enjoyable, as he cracked jokes and wasn't a complete idiot when it came to construction. She supposed his mechanical skills translated somewhat into general construction competency. He also didn't look too bad in his dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his muscles tensed while he lifted and worked. Tifa found herself blushing each time he caught her looking.

Since she had slept in that day (thanks to Reno) she had to leave earlier than usual to fight her way back to the bar and get ready for opening. Reno's phone buzzed as they were leaving with a new text message from Rude.

"It's done," was all it said.

"Do you mind if we stop at the liquor store so I can pick up a bottle of your favorite scotch?" Tifa asked once they were back on the street, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and keeping him from thinking too long about Rude's message.

"Of course you can buy me a drink, yo," Reno said with a grin, welcoming the new topic.

"I don't normally buy alcohol at full price, but I'm out and I figure you and Rude will be in tonight?" she asked – just to see if they would come by the bar. They had become familiar to her, and she enjoyed having them at the bar. She was also interested to see what new ploy Reno might try. She still pulsed whenever she thought back to his finger sliding along the edge of her panties, taunting her.

"Hey, no worries, I'll pay for it," Reno insisted. Tifa laughed.

"You already do."

They entered the liquor store and found the scotch section. Tifa grabbed the bottle off the top shelf while Reno looked over the other options, studying the labels of some of the more ridiculous brands toward the bottom shelf. He used his toe to point at a bottle on a shelf so low it was practically on the floor.

"What kind of sad, self-loathing guy would actually drink –" he squinted to see the label "–Grunt McGee's Licorice Scotch?"

Tifa laughed and crouched down to pick up the bottle. "Aged in the finest enamel barrels this side of Mideel," she read. "Are they purposefully trying not to sell their product?"

She stood back up, holding the bottle.

"You think any of my customers would order this?" she asked Reno with amusement. It was his turn to laugh.

"I want to see the person who would order this crap," he replied.

"Me too," Tifa replied, still holding onto the bottle as they walked to the cashier.

Behind him was a locked case with the most expensive products in the store. At the top of the case was a bottle of scotch shaped like an upside-down diamond.

"You mean to tell me you haven't been serving me the finest bottle of liquor you can find?" Reno teased, motioning toward the bottle.

"I, I never thought about it," Tifa said. She chose the top-shelf bottle to keep on hand just in case some high spenders came in. The Turks seemed to like it, so she never considered switching to something even more expensive.

"Tch, sir, how much for the Diamond Label?"

The man turned to look at the case and had to walk closer to inspect the shelf, clearly having never sold one of those bottles in this part of town before.

"3,000 gil," he said.

"I'll take it," Reno replied, reaching in his pocket for a wad of cash.

"I can get it," Tifa interjected. Reno held up his hand to stop her.

"No, no, this bottle is for me and Rude. You can display it, but no one else can drink it."

Tifa nodded and purchased the other two bottles of scotch. She exited the store with Reno, in their hands the most expensive liquor bottle from the store and one of the cheapest. No shame.

Reno assisted her on the trip home, fending off a pack of Kalm fangs and some caesars – he and Tifa both making sure the alcohol was safe above all else. When they returned to her bar, she leaned her back against the front door, holding a bottle of scotch in each hand.

"Thank you for all your help today," she smiled. "And thank you for the bobblehead."

Reno partially closed the gap between them and rested a hand against the door frame above Tifa's head, shifting his weight so that this arm was supporting him, the expensive scotch nestled in the crook of his free arm.

"Hey, no problem babe," he cooed with a half-smirk appearing on his lips. "Seems a shame to part for such a short amount of time before the bar opens."

He stuck his tongue out at her between his teeth and she tilted her head, lifting her index finger to him.

"Nice try, but you'll have to wait to drink like everyone else," she teased.

"That's not what I meant," he said, but she was already working to open her front door.

He followed her inside and placed the bottle he was carrying on the bar counter, looking around the room as he imagined where Rude might have hidden the bugs. Their presence definitely complicated the plans he had for Tifa tonight, if she would have him again. A smile crept across his lips at the thought.

"See you soon," she said, dashing his hopes for the moment and ushering him out the door.

What was he supposed to do for an hour?

He turned around and looked toward the roof where he and Rude had been stationed earlier. The evening sun was glaring over the back of the building and Reno had to shield his eyes, but he could see the silhouetted arm of his partner giving a brief wave from the roof. Reno scaled the ladder to meet up with his comrade once again.

"Have a nice day?" Rude asked, though he had seen much of what happened, except for their trip to the theater.

"I think she trusts me a little more, yo," Reno replied, looking back toward Seventh Heaven before sitting down on the roof to avoid detection.

Now he was helping her out and talking to her without the immediate goal of sex. He, much to his dismay, could not just grope her in public while building the theater. He had considered it, of course, but figured it would knock him a few steps back in her affections. When he told Rude he thought Tifa was trusting him more, he didn't say it to give an update to his mission, he was saying it to himself because he was genuinely feeling it. She had taken him along on her routine, knowing full well he could now show up at any time in the future. She didn't seem to mind that or the fact that he had been with her today.

And given their interactions last night (which he had not been able to keep out of his head all day), he felt he wasn't too far away from finally bedding the woman of his dreams.

Reno still allowed Rude to use the telescope to surveil Tifa's apartment before the bar opened, resting after a long day of fighting and flirting and considering what he might be able to do with her after closing. The redheaded Turk knew she'd be showering and changing before work and was thankful that they couldn't see into her bedroom or bathroom from their vantage point. He was now really concerned with the idea of Rude seeing her any way but fully clothed.

Previously, he would have simply snatched the telescope away to gawk before allowing Rude to take a look as well, but now he was desperate to ensure no other man would see her the way he had. He felt even more possessive now than he had earlier in the day. Must be some spell she was casting.

"See anything?" he asked his colleague in a low drawl, just to be sure.

"No, she must be in the back," Rude replied.

Reno leaned back against the parapet and placed his hands behind his head for support, as he had done earlier. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to his earlier imaginations of Tifa stripping for him. This was certainly a place he'd like to visit. He didn't think he had been thinking about that scenario for very long – or that he nodded off – but he was snapped back to reality by Rude's monotone voice.

"The bar's open," he said.

Reno rubbed his eyes and turned to look over the roof at Seventh Heaven. The "open" sign was lit as well as the lights inside the bar. He stretched and yawned before turning to Rude.

"Back to work, I guess," he said, pretending to sound like he wasn't enjoying this.

Rude acknowledged Reno's words and started to break down the telescope to put it away. When he was finished, he slung its case over his shoulder and nodded to Reno, who stood up and walked with him over to the ladder. They both climbed down carefully, making sure no one was around to see them, before crossing the street to enter Seventh Heaven.

An overwhelming sense of warmth filled Reno as he entered the bar. Tifa was already serving the few customers who had appeared just after the bar opened, carrying a couple opened beer bottles to their tables with a friendly smile. She was cleaned and rejuvenated from her afternoon, wearing that leather outfit with her long hair now stretching down her back. It bounced from side to side as she walked, trailing behind her with its own wind. Reno watched her for a few minutes before joining Rude at the bar as he placed the telescope bag on the floor beneath their stools.

What was this he was feeling? It wasn't lust, which made it a foreign emotion to him as far as women were concerned. He of course had the urge to fuck her in the middle of the bar, but watching her move gracefully about the establishment made him unknowingly smile. He found himself just wanting her near him, maybe even holding him and not necessarily in a sexual way.

He had "hugged" her the night before, but he was just doing that to warm her up to him. Now he sincerely wanted to just feel her against him.

She strolled behind the bar to grab glasses for the Turks, that kind smile never leaving her lips. She leaned over the bar and rested her elbows on the counter so she could speak with them directly.

"I have a new bottle of scotch just for you two," she said, peering at one Turk and then the other, unaware that Rude knew of the liquor store stop and that he recognized the expensive bottle. "By the way," she said, looking directly at Rude. "Glad you're feeling better."

The bald man was confused but accepted her kind words, assuming it had been part of Reno's ruse earlier.

"I know I'm game," Reno said. Rude nodded.

Tifa reached for the diamond-shaped bottle that was now displayed at the top of her liquor shelf, in the center, under a light. She brought the bottle to the bar in front of the Turks and opened it before pouring them each a glass.

It wasn't actually the most expensive scotch Reno had ever tasted. Years ago, when Rufus' father was still alive, the old president of Shinra had invited the Turks to his home to celebrate a particularly complicated mission. It was long before Reno laid eyes on Tifa, but AVALANCHE was in full swing and the president didn't hate the Turks yet.

Shinra had a liquor cabinet in his study, which was filled with expensive leather chairs, mahogany bookshelves, and smelled of cigar smoke. It was heaven, to Reno, back then. It had been the fanciest place he had ever been invited to, and though he didn't really like to read, he always dreamed of having a room like this in his home one day – or maybe just living here.

Shinra unlocked his cabinet and removed a decanter containing amber liquid. The bottle itself was nothing special that Reno could tell, though it was, in fact, a crystal Baccarat decanter with a starburst pattern and an "S" monogrammed on the front.

Shinra provided each of the Turks present with a matching tumbler, also made of crystal, though Reno didn't know the difference at the time, and poured them a drink. Reno sniffed the glass and his eyes almost immediately began to water. He was embarrassed and looked around to see that the other Turks and Shinra looked no different. The liquor smelled of creme brulee, and he wondered if it was going to taste sweet. When he finally brought the liquor to his lips, it was predictably harsh, but he was able to taste more of the sweet flavors within, like vanilla and coconut.

The scotch he was drinking now was certainly better than the one he usually ordered from Seventh Heaven, but it couldn't compare to the one he tasted in Shinra's study. This one provided him with a new sensation, however. He was trying it for the first time in the company of Tifa Lockhart, in a place that felt like his second home, in a way. Somehow that made the whole experience much more inviting.

A few hours later and the Turks were nursing their third glass of the expensive scotch, simply enjoying the atmosphere and not really talking. That was interrupted when Tifa came over to them at the bar and met Reno's gaze to motion toward the liquor shelf. He followed her eyes and saw that she was now reaching for the cheap licorice scotch he had found for her earlier.

No.

Someone had actually ordered that garbage. She grabbed a tumbler from the rack and poured the drink with her back to the bar so they couldn't see her gag from the smell. She couldn't tell what it smelled like, but it certainly didn't smell like anything that should be consumed by humans. She forced a smile and placed a hand on her hip as she sauntered toward the patron to give him the glass. The man who ordered it looked every bit like Reno expected: Short, fat, bald, alone, and probably hated himself. Actually, he looked kind of like Palmer.

Tifa shot Reno a stifled smile and he returned the expression. She went back to her work and his attention fell back to the better scotch, his mind wandering to the fact that Shinra could now hear everything that went on between these walls.

He was already hating that Seventh Heaven was bugged. Some of his best memories with Tifa were in this bar, and he did not want his colleagues to hear anything remotely close to those encounters. He knew the apartment upstairs was tapped as well, which put a damper on his plans.

"How many did you place," Reno whispered when Tifa left to take the trash out.

"Four up, five down," Rude informed him without taking his eyes off the scotch.

Reno nodded silently, taking a mental note and counting where they would likely be placed. The back room, under the bar, near the back door, above the front door, and in the farthest corner for the downstairs devices, and probably in the bedroom, kitchen, living room, and guest room upstairs. Knowing Rude – and what he would have done – Reno figured the bathrooms were safe. He might have to keep that in mind.

The Turks were the last customers to leave when Tifa closed the bar, giving Reno a half smile he interpreted to mean "come back a little later."

He walked with Rude across the street as some policeman battled with an elfadunk. He quietly climbed up the ladder back to the roof of the other building and Rude re-assembled Betsy. Reno again let his partner take the lead on spying, simply biding his time until they could call it a night and he could sneak back to Seventh Heaven.

Part of him didn't want anything scandalous to happen between him and Tifa tonight, for the mere fact that he knew everyone at Shinra would be listening, but another, angrier part of him wanted to stick it to them for doing this to her. Of course, that would mean potential embarrassment for her – if she ever found out. He could always take her back to his place, but he was remaining firm in his "no women" back to his apartment rule.

Tifa cleaned the bar and put the chairs on the tables but left the stools down near the counter and stood behind it for a little while, occasionally glancing at the door and checking her phone. Rude got the distinct feeling she was waiting for someone, and only hoped that someone wasn't Reno. His partner had seemed to be hiding a chipper attitude this morning, but Rude assumed that was because he didn't want to appear pumped for the new assignment. Now though… was Reno sleeping at Tifa's?

Rude disengaged from the telescope and rubbed his eye. He was buzzed from that delectable scotch and didn't want to travel down that avenue of thought. There was something between Reno and Tifa, and he needed to let it go before it ate him alive. He was past his crush, but it still irked him that Reno of all people had seemingly won her over.

"If she gets any calls, we'll hear them," Rude said, beginning to dismantle Betsy again. "Wanna call it a night?"

"Might as well," Reno said, his heart skipping a beat. There was still time to lose Rude and get back to Tifa before she gave up on him.

The two traversed the rooftops to where they normally parted, Reno aware of Rude's heightened suspicions. The polite thing to do would be to go home and maybe flirt with Tifa via text, but Reno had never been polite and couldn't help himself. He walked all the way back to his apartment in the off chance Rude followed him. He texted Tifa on the way home and told her he'd be back in 20 minutes. She agreed.

He took an alternate route back to Seventh Heaven to avoid detection, knowing that every step he took was another nail in the coffin of his and Rude's friendship. Whatever happened tonight between him and Tifa would surely be the final blow, but he couldn't stay away. He only hoped Rude would understand. If the roles were reversed, Reno knew he'd let his partner get some, though the situation was far different given Rude's propensity toward monogamy and lasting relationships.

Reno stood outside the front door of the bar and sent Tifa another text. "Got any more of that scotch?" He heard movement upstairs and footsteps getting louder as she approached the door to open it.

"Enough for one more glass," she said as soon as she was in view.

Reno smirked and followed her back inside, returning to his usual stool as she turned the lights on. Tifa walked behind the bar and reached for the expensive bottle, nabbing a tumbler as well.

"You should have some of it. I'll allow it," Reno said.

Tifa did not care for scotch but had never tasted such expensive alcohol, so she poured herself a small amount and joined Reno on the other side of the bar. She brought the glass to her lips and sniffed the liquid inside, which made her eyes water. She took a sip and sucked back air.

"Oh my Gods," she said, definitely not enjoying the drink.

"It's an acquired taste, yo," Reno informed her.

"I guess so."

Reno took a sip of his own drink and turned toward Tifa, that overwhelming urge to feel her skin against his own hadn't dissipated since he first met up with her that morning. This certainly was a strange feeling indeed. He had to change things. He couldn't be that guy. He wasn't that guy, and as much as she needed to think he was that guy, he couldn't let it get around.

He studied her with his upper body facing toward her, still holding his glass in one hand and leaning an arm on the counter. Tifa didn't look at him, instead concentrating on the scotch in front of her. She held the glass in both hands, tilting the liquid away from her without letting it spill onto the bar, her thumbs pressed against the glass as she gathered her thoughts.

Reno opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even make a sound, Tifa uttered the words that made his stomach flip.

"About last night…" she told her beverage, never breaking her staring contest with it.

Reno blinked a few times, surprised to be hearing the words he had used with countless women before and feeling his nerves rattle as he considered the possibility that Tifa was, yet again, trying to shut him out. He felt that weird beating in his chest again, a heat that flared up to his ears and threatened to reveal the words he refused to accept, the words that explained why his heart was in this throat and his testicles were in a locked box somewhere in Tifa's home.

"… Thank you."

Reno's lips parted and his left eye narrowed in confusion, but he quickly recovered.

"Anytime, babe," he said, a sly grin crossing his lips.

He had no clue why she was thanking him, but he assumed it was due to his hand and tongue skills. Tifa smiled and tilted her head, finally turning to face him.

"You don't actually know why I'm thanking you, do you?" she asked.

"I know I'm good, but I never thought you, of all people, would thank me." Reno had been thanked on many occasions for his skills in the bedroom, but he never read Tifa as the type to verbally express gratitude for sexual activity. Usually when a woman thanked him it was because he had blown her mind or she had been frustrated and just needed to get off, but he hadn't done anything to make Tifa come the previous night.

She shook her head and chuckled.

"I'm not thanking you for that," she said. "But wow, you've really got some ego."

"Then what are you thanking me for?"

"For…" she couldn't look him in the eye while she spoke, "for making me feel better about my scar."

"You never should have felt bad about it in the first place, if you want my opinion."

The corners of Tifa's lips curled upward slyly and she leaned toward him, the air between them becoming lighter, warmer.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" she asked, coyly.

Reno moved in a little closer.

"Well, like I said last night, I wouldn't have even noticed it given that rack of yours," he replied, giving a quick glance toward her chest and causing her cheeks to turn a deeper shade of red.

Maybe it was his vulgarity, or the fact that his pectoral muscles had been teasing her all day while he fought fiends and swaggered along with her as she ran her errands. Maybe it was the way he always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear even before she knew she needed to hear it, or how he was always able to lift her mood in any situation, but it was Tifa who leaned forward to capture Reno's lips with her own.

The surprise of her actions quickly faded, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth and tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her close. She melted into him, letting her own tongue swipe over his as they battled for supremacy. She had to admit she had wanted this all day. Watching him work up a sweat while fighting – on her behalf – and at the theater had really turned her on, bolstered by lingering thoughts of the previous night. The children at the orphanage accepting him was simply icing on the cake.

He wound his free hand around her back, flattening his palm on the small slice of bare skin between her tank top and the hem of her shorts. She stumbled off the stool she was sitting on but he caught her, pulling her against him and between his legs as he reclaimed her mouth.

Reno continued to kiss her as he slowly rose from his seated position, beginning to urge Tifa backwards. She assumed he was working her toward the same wall he pinned her against the night before, but in her haste to accommodate him, she didn't realize his intended path until her heel caught the back of the bottom step and she nearly tumbled backward. Reno kept his arm around her waist firm, keeping her from hitting the stairs and breaking their kiss.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathily, dragging her lips from his mouth to his ear. "I'm not ready for this."

"Relax, I ain't gonna fuck ya tonight," he whispered back, taking the opportunity to suck on her throat as he braced her against the wall along the staircase, her back arching around the handrail.

"Then what are you planning?" she replied, pushing herself off the wooden planks and using her strength to press Reno against the opposite wall, lifting her knee to pin him to it while nipping at his exposed neck.

He pushed her away slightly so she would look at him, grinning devilishly as his eyes narrowed into a feral stare. The way he looked at her indicated he would not simply be cuddling with her that night, but he committed to his statement that he would not have sex with her, either. She was getting close to accepting him, but even if she may seem ready tonight, despite her protest, he needed to make her wait. He was the first man to touch her in nearly a year, and he needed to draw the process out; give her the seduction he knew she never received from Strife.

"Plenty," he practically growled before attacking her with a deluge of kisses from her ear to her shoulder, bringing his hands to her shoulders to keep her moving up the stairs with him.

They nearly collapsed through the door to her apartment, slamming into the nearest wall and causing the picture frames to wobble. Knowing one of them would get injured or break a piece of furniture if they continued like this – and possibly ruin the mood – Reno hoisted Tifa up to straddle him, gripping her beneath her thighs. She gave no objection, gripping his face between her palms and continuing to kiss him as he carried her into her bedroom, concerns of moving too fast flying out the window after the way her insides yearned for him.

Deep in the recesses of Reno's mind, the nagging memory that the home and bar were bugged nestled uneasily, yet he could hardly be bothered to consider that at the moment, given the proposition before him. He had Tifa Lockhart's tongue in his mouth and was carrying her willingly to her bed, a reward he was still wondering how he received. He briefly contemplated the recording device behind the headboard and how to conceal it when he tossed Tifa unceremoniously onto her bed, but the thought was blown away when she gripped his shirt and pulled him down with her.

The Turks wouldn't hear that much, right?

Tifa realized this was getting out of hand and knew Reno wouldn't be able to handle just a lengthy make-out session. He was on top of her, a knee on either side of her hips just as he had been the night of the storm when they first kissed. He disengaged from her for a moment to remove his jacket, tossing it carelessly somewhere across the room. He then rolled up each of his sleeves as if he were about to get down to business before leaning back down to cup her face. He hovered above her just enough so that their noses were touching, and she could feel his hot breath on her lips, the smell of alcohol tingling her senses.

He suddenly found himself lost in her eyes, ruby pools emanating a warmth he couldn't fathom, let alone reciprocate. He became transfixed on the swirls of color in her irises, the sparkles reflecting from the lights in the bedroom, and felt as though he was falling into the depths of her pupils, drowning in thoughts of a future he never dared to dream about, but one that was quickly seeming like a possibility.

"What's wrong?" he heard her ask as he noticed her eyebrows knitting in concern on the edge of his vision.

"Just thinking about what I want to do to you first," he recovered quickly.

Reno snapped his teeth at her as if he were about to bite but didn't make contact, drawing a giggle out of her before he again dipped his tongue into her mouth to make her forget whatever she had just seen in his eyes.

He placed a hand beside her shoulders to brace himself, the other still caressing her face and tangling in her hair. He knew what he wanted to do to her at that moment, but held back, instead taking comfort in what he knew to be safe, prepared to move further if she allowed.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice husky and hovering just over her ear.

"You asked me that last night," Tifa replied, reaching up to plant small kisses on his cheek.

"I'm asking you again," he was a little more determined sounding this time, and began trailing kisses along the shell of her ear and down to her neck.

She mewled beneath him as he nipped at her pulse point, one hand sliding down to squeeze her breast. She craned her neck back to give him better access to her throat and he obliged, sucking her skin at the dip where her shoulder began, the makings of another hickey already starting to form.

"I don't know," she breathed.

Reno abruptly sat back, looking down at her from his position above, looking somewhat annoyed but largely conspiratorial. He wiped a thumb over his lower lip and stared down at her a moment, taking care not to put too much of his weight onto her belly.

"Lockhart, you're the most free you've been in your entire life," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tifa's face contorted in confusion and she moved to object, but he continued: "Tell me what you want."

He kept his eyes locked on her as he waited for her to respond, but she just stared back at him with uncertainty. She had been plenty free with Cloud, though she was sure Reno didn't believe that. The truth was she didn't know what she wanted, at least as far as Reno's question was concerned.

She wanted the monster problem to be solved. She wanted the unanswered questions to be resolved. She wanted Nanaki to find the answers in the already found books. She wanted to not have to relive the most painful moments of her life again in the Forgotten Capital. She wanted to not have to see him when they traveled there in a few days.

"I want to feel alive," she said, a sadness exposed for which Reno was unprepared.

"I can do that," he responded, a grin quickly forming as he leaned back down to recapture her mouth.

He shoved his tongue back into her mouth with more aggression than before, causing her to moan and relax into the bed. He let his left hand drift down to her breast, where he briefly teased her nipple before creeping lower. She wanted to feel alive? Well, he would make her feel more alive than Strife ever could, the recording devices be damned. Besides, they'd stop listening once it was clear what was about to happen, right?

He felt her abdominal muscles tense as he reached the waistband of her shorts, dipping a finger behind it to slide along her skin just enough to let her know where this was going. When she didn't object, he lowered his hand between her legs to begin rubbing her most sensitive area outside her shorts.

Tifa's breath hitched at the sensation, a mixture of fear and excitement sweeping over her as one of the last men on Gaia she thought she would ever allow to touch her was currently stroking her heat in the most tantalizing way. He was outside the leather shorts she was wearing that day, yet he was somehow managing to make her feel something she hadn't felt in more than a year. She quickly felt her core heated and wondered if he could tell she was already damp just from his slight petting.

Reno couldn't feel it, but he could tell she was getting worked up by the way she closed her eyes and let a soft moan escape her lips, a clear sign she was trying not to enjoy this as much as she was. The redhead grinned as he continued to kiss her, dragging his hand back up to her waistband and waiting for the telltale sign that she wanted more. She lifted her hips into him ever so slightly and kissed him harder, catching his tongue between her teeth once again and sucking on it.

Reno hissed in delight, moving his hand up to find the zipper on her vest and pull it down. She shrugged it off, but he didn't make a move for the white sports bra underneath, though he did bring one hand down to rub her nipple with his thumb. As he worked to ensure he hardened the dark pink bud that was visible beneath her bra, he moved his face down to nuzzle her other breast before planting a trail of kisses down her abdomen toward her stomach.

Tifa held her breath, having wondered what it would be like to have sex with Reno for some time now. The only reason she stopped him the night before was because she was afraid of moving too fast, the same reason she put up a wall when they were at the bottom of the stairs. But Gods, did she want to feel her insides twisting in burning passion as her body was rocked by a man – the way Cloud used to before he began pulling away. She had been aching all day for Reno's touch, even if she tried not to show it. Every time he stole a glance while they were out fighting and running errands, every time her skin was electrified by an accidental bump or brush while they were at the theater, it all kept her just on the verge of coming apart and taking matters into her own hands.

Reno reached the waistband of her shorts and looked up at her expectantly, assuming she would put an end to this and leave him right back where he was last night. Instead, she nodded her head, causing him to freeze momentarily to make sure he had, indeed, just seen her consent. Without conflicting evidence, he worked to pull her shorts down, aided when Tifa lifted her hips off the bed so that he could remove them completely and fling them somewhere out of sight as she kicked off her shoes and socks.

She held her knees together, but otherwise did nothing to cover herself after he exposed the black lacy fabric that now separated him from his ultimate prize. A tiny, nearly shear triangle now stood between him and the bragging rights he'd wanted for years. Being this close, wondering how he hadn't been swatted or thrown out the door already, and knowing it wasn't quite time weighed heavily on him as he sat back to admire the view.

He could wait a little while longer if it meant screwing the great Tifa Lockhart. Honestly, it was consuming nearly his every thought at this point, but that was probably due to the fact that he hadn't had sex with any other woman in a couple months now, his longest dry spell ever. Tifa better be worth it in the end. She was inexperienced, but even if she were an average lay it would still be worth the wait just to be able to say he had fucked her.

He studied the woman before him for a moment, weighing his options and trying to guess whether she had pubic hair beneath that lace or whether she was smooth. Either option would have been just fine for him, and he decided to see if he could find the answer tonight. He once again kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth to distract her as he placed his left hand on the inside of her upper thigh. She froze when he moved his hand slowly up her leg, shivering as his hand moved high enough to brush against the outside of that lacy fabric, finding that it was already sodden.

Oh, she was wet alright. He imagined he could slip his cock inside her right now with no problem – but that had to wait for another day. He emitted a low growl at the discovery and let a finger slide along her seam before finding her clit and gently rubbing it with the pad of his thumb. Her breathing intensified as she felt the edge of the fabric lift and Reno's long, calloused fingers suddenly against her most sensitive area.

She moaned, worried that his talent and her lack of attention for so long would make her come undone far too quickly, but enjoying the first taste of her sexuality in more than a year.

Reno alternated between circling her clit with his thumb and rubbing it up and down, changing direction as she purred and keened under his touch. When she moaned, her voice was deep and throaty, which drew a grin across his lips as he imagined Strife had never touched her as expertly as he could. She arched her back off the bed as he rubbed her more intensely, allowing his index finger to press against the soaked fabric above her sweet spot.

She nearly sat up at the sensation, trying desperately to control her reactions so that Reno's ego didn't get any bigger than it already was. He started to press harder into her entrance before he removed his lips from hers to nibble on her earlobe, allowing her the freedom to make more noise in reaction to his petting.

He moved his fingers to the edge of her panties, sliding them up and down just enough to raise the fabric millimeters off of her skin and send a jolt of electricity up to her brain, resulting in a loud whine for him to continue. He could feel her already leaking onto the tips of his fingers even from this slight motion, smiling to himself at just how easy it would be to make her explode. He kissed her jaw and her throat, paying special attention to her pulse point as he slipped one finger underneath her panties to drench it in her juices, stroking her from the back to the front of her seam before teasing her entrance with the tip of his digit.

Tifa's body tensed with the contact, anticipating a quick release at this rate and silently begging him to enter her with his finger. Her whole body blushed and filled with heat as one of his fingers played with the smooth, velvety skin of her folds, just brushing back and forth to torture her.

"Reno…" there came the voice, but she said it the way she did when she was enjoying what he was doing, not wanting him to stop.

He felt the heat in his loins and his heart beating out of his chest as he slipped a finger between her slick folds, keeping his thumb on her clit as he plunged his index finger slowly into her depths, already covered in her fluids and ensuring that she would stretch adequately to allow him further entrance. She was tight, even for his long, slender appendage, and he could feel his pants tighten a little further at the struggle.

He curled his finger slightly upward toward her belly to reach the area he knew would cause her to convulse in pleasure. She started to writhe beneath him, so he picked up his pace, nipping at her neck as he did so.

"Oh, Reno…" she moaned as he pumped his hand and tickled the exact right spot.

Reno couldn't believe how his luck had turned. Just a few months ago he still considered himself human garbage, worthy of only the lowest hanging fruit. Yet now, here he was inside the most coveted woman on Gaia, a woman touched only by the most elusive man on the planet. Meanwhile, Reno would take almost whatever he could get, never thinking he deserved anyone who might matter more to him than as a body. He didn't understand what he could have done to turn his life around so drastically, but he certainly wasn't going to look a gift chocobo in the beak.

"Come for me, Lockhart," he cooed in a low, raspy voice as she writhed beneath him.

Tifa was already gripping the sheets beside her as she felt her first orgasm in more than a year threaten to release. She tried to hold back, not wanting to seem so inexperienced in comparison to Reno, fighting back as her insides tensed around his fingers. But once he dove a second finger into her warm depths, she unwound, unable to keep her dignity any longer, her fingers and toes going numb as she fought to maintain control. Reno continued to rub the cluster of nerves below her belly with his fingertips as his thumb maintained pressure on her clit, her insides soaking his hand in response. S

he finally came down, collapsing into the bed after arching off of it as electricity seared through her muscles all at once, her ample bosom heaving up off the bed as she tried to calm down, her face as red as the boots she normally wore.

Reno continued to suck on her shoulder, inhaling her skin that had become saltier the more he pleasured her.

"Reno…" she whimpered, unable to say anything more and still trying to regain feeling in her fingers.

"Good?" he asked, pulling back from her shoulder just enough so that he could see her eyes.

She scrunched her eyelids closed so that he couldn't see the way her eyes were glassy with tears threatening to escape after the first orgasm she'd had in way too long. A single tear bubbled up on the outer corner of her lashes, sliding down her cheek to give away her not-so-hidden secret, the rush of emotions flooding out of her, contained in that single tear as she held her eyes closed.

She finally opened her eyes to look at Reno through wet lashes to see him grinning above her, studying her reaction to feed his own ego, still waiting for her response to his question. Tifa shut her eyes tight again and nodded, resting her cheek on the bed to avoid giving him complete satisfaction.

"Good," he stated. "On to round two."

Tifa's eyes shot open at his words, a look of fear in her carmine irises and wide pupils. Surely he didn't mean to torture her with such bliss again, right?

"Huh?" she asked as she stared up at him, prompting a prideful smirk from the redhead.

"Relax, you'll see," he said, maintaining the devilish grin as he began to unbutton his shirt.

Tifa watched, concerned, as he maneuvered those nimble fingers to undo the few buttons that were secured on his dress shirt, each giving way to reveal those lithe muscles and pale scars. He didn't move to unbuckle his belt or remove his pants, however, instead hovering over her once again. She could already feel a burning heat between her legs once again as he settled above her to entangle his tongue with hers, exploring her mouth with fervor. By now she felt the tightness behind his pants pressing against her pubic bone, concerned that his next move was to free himself within her and take things to a level she deeply desired, but was unprepared for.

He bit her lower lip between his teeth and tugged it upward, eliciting a soft cry indicating pain while revealing a craving for more when he released her. He towered over her, long, toned arms holding himself up on either side of her chest, the muscles of his shoulders shining in the overhead light. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose before moving his lips back to her ear, nipping her ear lobe and grazing his tongue over the soft skin of her jawline, sucking on her neck in an area he had not yet left bruised and sore. Tifa was sure at that point that she would look like a coeurl were she to look in the mirror that night, but the sparks she felt throughout her body overrode any worries about modesty at the moment.

Reno continued to slowly descend her body, nipping and sucking her exposed skin, breathy gasps escaping her throat, a trail of seared flesh left in his wake while goosebumps attempted to cool her body temperature. He never removed her sports bra, keeping that image a reward to himself for when he finally managed to bed her, though he did fondle them and grasp one nipple between his teeth through the thick fabric before continuing on to her belly button. He swirled his tongue inside the dimple, drawing a snicker and flexed abs as he found a ticklish spot on her stomach. Tifa's insides were set aflame, terrified over what he might do to her next while needing whatever he was willing to provide. Her skin sizzled when his lips made contact with the skin just above the narrow strip of fabric at the top of her panties, so sensitive and so deprived.

He started to kiss the lacy fabric, Tifa twitching at each tentative peck. Synapses fired, reminding her that she turned him down last night against her body's siren calls, determined to give in to self-serving pleasure for once in her life, casting off the shadows of what her friends would think. She needed Reno's touch, needed the confidence to face Cloud at the Forgotten Capital and not break apart at the seams when she saw him, as she had done months earlier. His hold over her dissipated each time Reno's hot, wet lips made contact with her skin, her mind seeing red over the usual blond.

Reno was now at the end of the line that stretched from her mouth to between her thighs, coaxing her legs to spread wider while settling between them and pressing one last kiss to her drenched center. He hooked his thumbs on either side of her panties and began to pull them down, taking note that she was completely smooth beneath, a discovery that heated his blood to a near boil. Tifa felt another rush of heat pool in her abdomen as he continued, physically wanting more but terrified of what she would get.

"Mmm those tan lines," Reno said coolly as he noted the lines of lighter skin on her hips that her bathing suit had covered while they were in Costa del Sol.

Smooth, tanned skin on her abdomen and thighs made the contrasting creamy paleness of her bikini area that much starker and more alluring. He imagined her sunbathing in the nude on the roof of Seventh Heaven to even out her skin tone, people passing by beneath unaware that such a beautiful sight was just above them. Reno knew Tifa would never go for something like that, too modest and skittish to leave herself open to such exposure when helicopters – prying Turk eyes – and other airships could easily pass overhead. Still, he let the image wash over him, the idea of the sun on his back, her limbs wrapped around his narrow frame.

Tifa squeezed her thighs together with one knee over the other in an attempt to keep herself covered once Reno had fully removed her panties. He was about to see what only Cloud had seen, and she felt her heart race at the thought. Reno tossed her panties off the bed and sat back on his heels to inspect her. She was still wearing her white tank top but nothing else, the full lines of her curves visible beneath him.

This was truly one gorgeous woman, he thought as his eyes roamed her nearly naked body. Her bust, her waist, her hips – he had never seen a more perfect woman. He found himself thinking Cloud must be the biggest idiot on earth, unless the old saying that "no matter how perfect a woman is, some man, somewhere is tired of her shit" was true. He couldn't imagine that could apply to Tifa, however. Who could ever get tired of violating this woman?

"Lookee what I get," he said almost to himself as she attempted to maintain her modesty.

He was still wearing his suit pants to let her know for sure that he would not be fucking her, but he leaned back over her to kiss her while his hands fondled her breasts. As his lips moved down once again, so did his hands, until they were on her thighs spreading them apart. He kissed her hips along her tan lines before moving down to her pubic bone just above the beginning of her slit, before lowering his face between her thighs.

She felt his hot, torturous breath just millimeters from her most sensitive area, challenging her to buck her hips and force his lips to make contact. She resisted, denying him the satisfaction of knowing just how badly she wanted him, how her pussy begged for his touch, still swollen and pulsing from his digital exploration.

Seconds ticked by, feeling like the whole of eternity and a chasm the size of Cosmo Canyon sat between them, a stand-off testing their will.

He blinked first, but just barely. Tifa felt the slightest brush against her clit, not his tongue, but a simple, sensual bump from the tip of his nose. She looked down, expecting to see just a mess of red hair above her belly, but instead caught his icy blue eyes watching her reaction. There was an intensity behind them overshadowed by questioning, an attempt to seek approval before continuing.

His first taste was a quick dart of the tip of his tongue against her sensitive nub, a tease to prepare her what was to follow. Her body twitched dramatically at the sensation, expecting more, settling down to wait as he smirked.

He again pricked her clit with his tongue, this time making quick, repeated contact all around the pebble before swirling his tongue around it. At the end of the short ritual, he sucked on the tender bud while she arched her back off the bed, goading him to suck harder, the pleasure so intense it was almost painful. When he moved his tongue down to her folds, she felt her fingers already starting to go numb, again gripping the sheets to try to maintain feeling.

The sensation of his tongue between her lips was searing, a jolt of electricity that set fireworks off in her brain and sent currents throughout her veins until they reached her extremities, causing her to twitch almost violently. He rolled his tongue along her seam, just over her opening, her walls seizing before his tongue was even inside her.

She tasted sweeter than he expected, a pleasant departure from the women he was used to; less acrid and overpowering, or maybe it was just his rapidly changing feelings seeing her in a different light. After a few strokes of his tongue along the outside of her entrance, he narrowed the muscle and slowly dove into her warm depths, keeping his nose aligned with her clit to gently brush against it as he worked.

He expertly moved his tongue inside of her as she wriggled about, widening it or reaching deeper depending on her response. It was clear he had done this many times before, a perfected technique that made Tifa aware that Reno simply knew how to read what women wanted and was eager to provide. He wasn't exploring or guessing, he was methodically unwinding her with the knowledge he had gained through years of practice.

"Oh Gods, Reno," she said, realizing that he knew her body better than she did.

It was a strange sort of realization. She and Cloud learned about each other together; what the other liked and what made them unravel, while Reno was in effect teaching her what was possible, things she had never known could be done.

Tifa's toes curled and her nails dug deep into the mattress while her knees began quaking on either side of his head as she tried to control them, worried she might knock him out at the absolute worst moment. When she seemed to be too close, he slowly withdrew his tongue and stroked her up to her clit before slipping a finger inside her and suckling on her dark pink button, the feeling in her toes long gone. Knowing what he was doing to her, listening to her keen and mewl and moan out his name, he felt his own stiffness begging to be drenched inside her, demanding he end his obsession tonight and return to what he was meant to be: A bastard loner who recognized his only future was slowly killing himself through numerous vices.

Tifa looked down at Reno's eyes peeking above her nether region, seeing an unreadable mixture of contemplation and elation. She could tell he was grinning as he worked her, watching her face contort into an expression that somehow showed both bliss and pain as he mentally congratulated himself for blowing her mind.

She slammed her head back against the pillow as Reno's free hand reached up to cup her breast, the combination of his hand, tongue, and fingers all working in tandem to bring her to ecstasy becoming too much.

He was about to get her – again. She felt all of the emotions and all of the intensity whirling around inside her about to explode, trying again to hold back for as long as she could. Reno had barely needed to work to get her off, making her feel easy and unchallenging. Surely, she had bored Reno with her simplicity. Try as she might, she couldn't escape her own release, succumbing to the pleasure of his tongue that she now realized was useful for more than just snarky comments and shit talking. Still flicking her hands and feet to stop the tingling sensation, her loins pulsed heavily as Reno drank her in.

Lapping up her juices, he smiled against the thin, delicate skin of her pussy, the pain in his groin worse than he had ever felt it before. He had already promised that tonight would be about Tifa, but his cock convulsed inside his pants, his thoughts briefly toying with the thought of her full, pouty lips wrapped around his member.

He pulled his head back to watch over her as she slowly calmed down, her limbs relaxing but still curling her fingers into a fist to regain feeling. She had released so hard a small pool formed beneath her on the sheets, which turned her bright red, again, upon notice. He wiped his mouth and chin with his hand before flashing her his trademark grin, his eyes trained on hers with white, hot, desire behind his irises.

"Don't be embarrassed," Reno told her. "It's hot, knowing I made you come that hard."

Tifa tried to smile but was still trying to regain her composure, squirming beneath him to avoid the wet bedsheets and cover her shame. She again squeezed her knees together and flipped the sheet over to cover herself, pulling it up to her neck and gripping the hem tightly.

"I don't know why you're embarrassed all the time, Lockhart," Reno said with a rueful smile. "You got nothin' to be embarrassed about, yo."

He crawled back on top of her to press his lips against hers, though she resisted his tongue knowing where it had just been. He pulled away, laughing and rolling over next to her, propping his head up on his hand and drawing small circles on her stomach with his finger once she eased down beside him. Yup, he had done good, and he was admiring his work, a sense of comfort suddenly crashing over him that made him want to run for the hills or wrap his arms around her and never let her go.

Hopefully the bugs downstairs didn't hear too much.