A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Again, if you don't like sex scenes, don't read further.
Chapter 28:
Flashback…
He hadn't planned to say it that morning, it just kind of happened. The words just dropped from his mouth and hovered on the wind for far too long, in his opinion, before they seemed to reach her.
At first, she just stared at him, expressionless, as though he had said nothing at all. Had she not heard him? He considered saying it again, but he saw her eyebrows furrow slightly in confusion before a smile drifted across her lips. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she suddenly reached forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Had he made her upset? Why was she crying?
Cloud had been living with Tifa for nearly a year. The house and bar were built in Edge, and business was starting to pick up. Though they were a couple, those three little relationship words had never been said, only felt. Cloud had known how he felt about her since he was a kid, even if he did lose a few years due to Shinra's experiments on him. For Tifa, the realization came much later, after he had returned to her in Sector 7. She had thought she loved him while he away trying to become a SOLDIER, but realized years after the Nibelheim incident that she had just developed a crush because he was gone and might become famous. She had been embarrassed about it – thinking love was about a hero who would come rescue you when you needed it.
When she found him at that train station on that day, three years ago, she wasn't even sure it was him, but he knew things about her that he shouldn't have but also didn't know things he should have. As she was caring for him, she saw glimpses of the boy she once sort of knew in Nibelheim and a man who might just fight for her cause and protect her as he did so. Throughout their journey to defeat Sephiroth, she had a crush on him, spurned, of course, by jealousy over the attention he paid to Aeris, but she didn't feel comfortable admitting to herself that she truly loved Cloud until she found him half-dead in Mideel. When she realized that the fate of the planet no longer mattered to her if Cloud wouldn't be there with her, she knew it was real love. Everything else just crumbled away, and all that remained was Cloud.
She had been too afraid to tell him, of course. She was always too afraid to tell him how she felt. The closest she came was that night under the Highwind. Even then, she chickened out and muttered something about words not being the only way to show people how one feels. It worked, of course, but she kicked herself afterward. She needed the words more than the actions, and though Cloud remained in her life long after, the absence of the words always hung in the back of her mind, suggesting he might leave one day.
She had a nightmare the night before. Cloud always knew when she had nightmares and would hold her until she woke up so she wouldn't feel alone. She only had them about one of two things: Sephiroth in Nibelheim or Aeris' death.
"Nibelheim?" he asked her. He somehow always knew, yet in all honesty he was guessing each time.
She nodded her head and he held her close, running his fingers through her hair and feeling her clammy hands against his bare chest. He wouldn't complain about how she felt when she woke up from a nightmare, Lord knew he woke up covered in sweat from them often enough. They had both been through trauma and they accepted it in each other.
"Sephiroth is dead," he reminded her in a soft tone as she pressed her head against his chest.
It was sometime in the middle of the night. The only light in the room came from a streetlight outside, but it was enough for each of them to know where the other was.
"I know," she said softly, pressing her palm against one of his pectoral muscles. "But he's still there sometimes, at night."
"I know what you mean," Cloud responded.
He held Tifa until they both fell asleep again.
In the morning, he was watching her get ready in front of the mirror, wearing her robe that fell just below her buttocks. He was leaning against the door frame but she hadn't noticed. He thought about her beauty, for sure, but mostly about how he always wanted to keep her happy and safe so that the nightmares would stop. She had been doing that for him for two years, always trying to keep him together – literally putting him back together – and watching out for him as they fought their way around the planet.
He looked at her and couldn't imagine his life without her. She wasn't doing anything particularly interesting at that very moment, but in that moment he never felt closer to her, as if he had been distant in the recent past, even though he had been by her side throughout.
"Tifa," he said almost inaudibly. Still, she heard him and made a sound indicating as such.
He pushed off the door frame and walked toward her, but she didn't stop what she was doing. He reached out to place a hand on each of her shoulders and turn her to face him. She looked up at him with wide eyes, a little confused.
"What's wrong?" she asked as he rubbed her arms and stared at her for a touch too long.
"What would I do without you?" he asked in return, causing her to let out a soft laugh.
"I think we already found out the answer to that a couple times," she teased, holding up two fingers for emphasis. He laughed.
"Yeah," he responded. "I don't want to ever go through that again."
He pulled her in for a short kiss and released her again.
"Tifa…" he trailed off.
He had never said something like this. He had never really felt something like this. He had thought he loved Aeris but came to realize that as lovely as she was, she was simply the person who helped teach him how to live again. She saw him as Zack, and his love for her was something he couldn't explain. It wasn't like a sibling love or a romantic love, but something else entirely. He respected her for forcing him to leave his past behind so that he could move on – with Tifa.
"I… love you," he told the woman standing in his embrace.
Tifa froze. She wasn't looking her best, she thought. Her hair was still a wet mess after her shower, and she hadn't brushed her teeth yet. Cloud was barely even awake. Maybe he was sleep walking? She didn't want to react if he hadn't meant to say the words, even though she longed to hear them.
She had always imagined being told "I love you" as part of some big display, like one would do with an engagement. She hadn't experienced it for real before, so she always thought it might come with flowers or a fancy dinner or something else. Now that he had said it, however, she realized it was best said in quieter circumstances, when one felt like saying it. Because love wasn't planned, it was felt. Of course, she probably would have thought differently if Cloud had told her some other way. She had been waiting to hear those words from him. She had thought about saying them to him but feared she would scare him by doing so.
So, she waited. And now that he had said them, she didn't know how to react.
Finally, she threw her arms around him and started to cry happy tears.
"I love you, too," she whispered into his ear.
Present Day…
Tifa startled awake in the middle of the night. Another nightmare. She hadn't had one in a while.
In the dream, she was her current age, with all her experiences, but for some reason living back in Nibelheim and working as a tour guide. It all seemed weird to her, even in the dream, but she wasn't conscious that it was a dream. She felt an uneasiness as she led Sephiroth and Zack to the reactor at Mt. Nibel. Then – she couldn't remember how – but Sephiroth went crazy and killed her father, who had been alive again. Even though she felt she knew what would happen, she picked up Sephiroth's sword and ran after him. He grabbed the sword from her hands and slashed her across the chest. She could feel the pain as if it were that day in Nibelheim, and she woke up when she always did – as she was falling down the stairs, before Cloud could get to her.
She couldn't remember the last time she had this particular nightmare, but knew that the last time she woke up from it, Cloud had been there to comfort her. Now she was alone in her bed, covered in sweat, with tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and took a deep breath. She had to take care of herself now.
She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to splash some warm water onto her face. She was doing just fine on her own. She didn't need Cloud to make her feel better after a nightmare like she was some little girl. And she didn't need a man in her bed to make her feel whole.
She knew better than to check what time it was and instead laid back down under the covers. Two more days and she would be on another adventure with her friends, even if she wasn't really looking forward to looking through more books. The ones they'd find in the Forgotten Capital would probably all be written in some ancient Cetra language they wouldn't be able to read. Bugenhagen had been able to read it a little bit, but Tifa wasn't sure if Nanaki would be able to – or have any means to translate.
She also wasn't looking forward to going back to the place where she watched Aeris die. It was one thing to visit her resting place in the lake, but it was quite another to go near the altar where Sephiroth had murdered her.
Later…
At noon she was awoken again by a knock on the door. Too tired to even think about who it might be, she shuffled down the stairs to the front door and opened it. She was yawning when she opened the door, so it took her a moment to realize that Reno was standing on the other side.
"Still sleeping?" he asked with genuine surprise. "Geez, you out-lazied me today!"
"Huh?" she asked, rubbing one of her eyes.
The lanky redhead made his way into her bar without any declinations from Tifa and swirled around to face her as she continued to stare groggily at him. He strolled over to her and cupped her face in his hands.
"Wow, you really are tired," he noted before turning around again and making a grand gesture with his arms. "C'mon, Lockhart, there's a whole world out there waiting for you."
Why the hell was he so chipper?
She started to walk past him toward the stairs, in no mood to start the day yet. Reno grabbed her arm as she was halfway up the stairs.
"Hey, seriously, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I didn't sleep well," she responded. "Had a nightmare."
"Uh huh, well, that's tough business, yo," Reno said coolly.
It wasn't just that he had never cared about other people's dreams, but because he didn't want her to tell him while her home was still bugged. Shinra didn't need to know what scared her. Who knows what Rufus might do with that information in the future?
Tifa disregarded him and continued up the stairs to her bedroom. Reno shrugged and followed her. His job was to cozy up to her, so that's what he would do. He hadn't slept much the night before either, and was in that state of alertness after one hadn't slept for a long period of time – where they were somehow more awake than they should be.
"Alright, princess, you just go back to sleep. I'll keep the nightmares away," he said as she got back into bed.
Reno tucked her in and watched her fall almost immediately back to sleep. He considered getting into bed with her but decided to make himself comfortable in the living room instead. He had told himself last night that he would start to pull away from her, but Rufus was still making him follow her for information.
So, he settled on trying to remember that this was his job. She wasn't making it easy though, answering the door in pajama shorts and a crop top. He leaned back on the couch and spread his legs, placing his arm behind him along the back of the sofa. He tapped his fingers for a little while and decided he was too wired to sit still. Time to do a little snooping – for work, of course.
He stood up and inspected her bookcase. There were some girlie romance novels and some true-crime books, as well as some informational books about materia and how to fix motorcycles. That last one had to be Cloud's. The top shelf had a book with a leather spine but no markings. Reno pulled it out to discover it was a photo album. Pay dirt.
He sat back on the couch and opened the album on his lap. The first picture was similar to the one he saw on her dresser with some of the old members of AVALANCHE – except Cloud wasn't there. A half-smirk appeared on Reno's face but quickly dissipated when he turned the page and Cloud was in the photo. He kept flipping. Tifa with Marlene, Tifa with Marlene and Barret, Tifa with Cloud, Tifa with those people Reno murdered, Tifa with Aeris, Marlene sleeping on that red dog thing, Yuffie passed out on Cait Sith, the whole group. Apparently their time chasing Sephiroth was an absolute blast. Toward the end of the book there were some rather beautiful shots of Meteor, Holy, and the Lifestream. Beyond those, pictures of Tifa with Barret and Cloud and then about a dozen photos of Tifa and Cloud, both smiling and looking like they were in love.
Reno closed the book with an audible snap and tossed to the other side of the couch.
"The dirty pictures are in another album," he heard Tifa say from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame casually, still in her pajamas, with her arms crossed.
"Hey! I wasn't… I was just… really?" Reno stammered.
"No, idiot," she responded with an eye roll.
Reno wasn't convinced. You couldn't just bring up the existence of such an album and not expect him to go searching for it.
"Find anything interesting while I slept?" Tifa asked, still standing in the doorway but looking more alert than she had when she answered the door.
"Just this album – you guys seemed to have a good time chasing a homicidal maniac."
"Heh, that part wasn't fun, but it was my first time seeing the world," her voice softened. "Before that I had only been to Nibelheim and the slums of Midgar. I didn't think I'd ever get to see those other places again."
"Yeah, I grew up in the slums so I didn't start seeing the world until I joined the Turks," Reno replied, leaning back on the couch and relaxing.
"What's your favorite place that you've been?" Tifa asked, walking around the other side of the coffee table and plopping down on the couch beside him. She lifted one foot onto the couch and rested her chin on her knee.
"Hmm, never thought about it," Reno said with a finger tapping his chin. "Probably Wutai since the Turks get discounts on drinks."
Tifa chuckled.
"What about you?"
"The Gold Saucer," Tifa responded, her voice nostalgic.
"Really? Thought you would have said Costa del Sol or maybe even Icicle Inn," Reno turned his head to look at her. He could imagine she'd be pretty good on a snowboard. "Why an amusement park?"
"I'd always wanted to go there as a kid, and the second time I went there I watched the fireworks," Tifa explained, leaving out the part that it had been her first date with Cloud. "It was the prettiest thing I'd seen since the stars in Nibelheim."
"Interesting," Reno stroked his chin. "How did you survive under the plate all those years? You really seem to love the sky."
"It was… hard," she didn't want to tell him that it wasn't just the lack of sky that made things difficult. She hadn't told anyone about what happened to her after Zangan left her in Midgar when she was 15. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge knew some of it since they were there for parts, but no one knew the whole story. "I'd better get ready. Don't go snooping."
Reno gave her a rueful smile, but she ignored him and disappeared into the bathroom.
As soon as he heard the water turn on he set about to snooping once again. The photos on her dresser were obviously the ones that meant the most to her. Other than the one Reno had already seen, there was another one to the front left of her riding on Cloud's back, both with beaming smiles from ear-to-ear. Another was a copy of the photo from the album with everyone who fought Sephiroth, and another photo was of her and Aeris hugging each other tightly in that way straight girls did. Reno never understood why girls did that. He didn't have any photos of him and Rude hugging. He shuddered before laughing to himself at the idea of even asking Rude for such a photo.
His next stop was the panty drawer, of course. There were definitely some items in there he hadn't seen her wear yet but now wanted to. In the back of the drawer he found a metal box with a lock on it. He could break the lock easily, but didn't think that would go over too well with Tifa, so he put it back in the drawer gently and closed up.
He searched through her other drawers but found nothing of interest except the fact that she seemed to own nothing but crop tops. She had to have some too-tight sweaters somewhere for winter, right? He was looking through her closet, admiring her display of weapons on the top shelf when she exited the bathroom. He spun around with his hands still stretched and reaching for a pair of gloves, a guilty look on his face showing her he knew he had just been caught.
"Seriously?" she asked, her arms folded across her chest.
"At least I'm not looking through your drawers, right?" he said with a timid grin.
"Probably because that was the first place you checked," she scolded, walking out of the room and into the kitchen for her coffee. Reno followed. He needed that bean juice even if he was already wide awake.
"I am but a man," he said casually as he approached her at the coffee pot. She rolled her eyes at him and poured him a mug.
She poured herself a cup and sat down in her usual spot at the kitchen island, holding her mug with both hands and bringing it to her lips for a sip.
"Why are you here?" she asked suddenly, a little too coldly. Reno bristled.
"Uh, yikes, yeah, guess I'll go then," he said getting up.
Oh boy, he was looking too eager to be around her. He couldn't have that.
"I didn't mean it like that," she insisted, reaching out a hand to grab his arm and stop him from leaving. "I just meant… what about your job?"
"Have you gone outside lately? I'm not gonna patrol by myself, that's suicide," he informed her, sitting back down.
"Can't you take Elena if Rude is still working his special assignment?" Tifa still had her hand on his arm.
"I could, but she'd rather do paperwork so she can be in the office with Tseng."
"That's cute," Tifa said, tilting her head.
"Ugh, it's annoying, but it also means I have no supervision so I can patrol as I please."
"And so you've decided to patrol… me?"
"You look like you need a lot of help."
"Thanks," Tifa muttered before taking another sip of coffee.
"Hey, most people only go outside when they absolutely have to, but you go out every day just for the hell of it," he encouraged.
It was true, people left their home for work and to drink, but they stayed indoors as much as they could. Tifa kept choosing to go to the theater. Once the people started dying from monster attacks inside Edge, they stopped going outside unless it was vital.
"Well, I have more training than them," she smiled. "But now it's getting difficult even when you're with me."
"I know, hope someone finds a solution soon."
Tifa let out a noise of agreement similar to what Rude would have grunted. Wow, Reno thought, those AVALANCHE types really were arrogant. He had been in Rufus' office in Junon; he had heard what Rufus learned about the monster situation. What made Tifa so sure AVALANCHE would figure it out? He had half a mind to actually find out where she was going and get the jump on her little friend group.
"I hope so too," she said after a pause. "I want to be able to walk the streets again without being attacked."
"Well, like I told you, Shinra's on the case."
"Yeah," Tifa finished her coffee and stood up to place her mug in the sink. "But now you're working with us, right?"
"Yep, Rufus figures that with our scientists and your fighters, we can figure this out."
"Is that so…" Tifa said, not really asking a question.
"Any errands to run today, babe?" Reno asked.
He wasn't looking forward to going outside – he had fought plenty just getting here from his apartment earlier – but he also didn't want Rude listening in to their conversations.
"Just the bank and the theater if it's not too awful out."
"Judging by the number of creatures I had to kill just to get here, it's pretty awful."
"Well, I need to try. I can't stay cooped up in here all day," Tifa said, gesturing around the room.
"We could always spend the day in bed!" Reno called to her as she returned to the bedroom to get dressed. No answer.
"Hope you're enjoying this, Rufus," Reno said loud enough for the recorders to pick up, but not loud enough for Tifa to hear.
She exited the room a few minutes later wearing that outfit Reno loved but hadn't gotten to enjoy yet, the one with black stockings. Sure, it reminded him of the night she was shot, but it also shoved out the thoughts of pushing her away – at least for now. He couldn't resist that outfit.
He jokingly offered her his arm as they were leaving the bar. She giggled but pushed him away without any malice.
Reno waited patiently for her while she deposited her earnings from the night before into her business account. He had a bank account, sure, but he preferred to keep his gil under the mattress. And, like all good Turks, he had a duffle bag full of cash, alternate I.D. cards, and a change of clothes – just in case. Shit could hit the fan at any moment.
It was strange, he'd never had a problem with the idea of disappearing into the night and starting a new life. Shave his head, change his tattoos, become a different person; it was all a potential consequence of his job. Until now he'd never thought about what he'd be leaving behind if that happened. In the back of his mind he always knew it'd mean never seeing Rude or Elena again, but somehow that never registered. He thought Rude at least would always be on his side and know how to find him.
Now, though, could he disappear and never see Tifa's pretty face again? Or listen as she chastised him for being a jerk? Would he get a place in her photo album?
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked sweetly as she rejoined him in the bank lobby.
"Oh, you know, assassin stuff."
She shook her head. "You're incorrigible."
Reno stuck his tongue out at her in response.
Getting to the theater proved difficult. The bank wasn't too far from Tifa's house, so they only fought a few elfadunks on the way, but by the time they reached the theater they'd encountered an array of hedgehog pies, a few stray levrikons, a large pack of diseased guard dogs, and a hell house – which Tifa, to Reno's surprise, didn't seem weirded out by.
When they came upon the front entrance to the theater, Tifa slowed and reached out her arm to indicate Reno should stop walking. She shushed him – he had been complaining about the freaky sentient house – and listened for a moment.
"I don't hear anything," she told him after straining to hear.
"Isn't that a good sign?" Reno asked, referring to the streets.
"I don't think anyone's here," she said, more to herself than to him.
She started trotting toward the building and entered the front doors without waiting for Reno, who followed her just in case the place had become overrun with beasts. It was completely empty inside. No monsters, but no people either. He heard no drills or saws or any other power tools. No people murmuring or barking orders. No footsteps. Nothing.
Tifa was already hopping up to the stage to go backstage, but he knew she wouldn't find anyone. She came back a minute later shaking her head.
"No one's here," she stated the obvious just to make sure it was true. "They must not be able to get here."
She jumped off the stage and approached him with her head held low. She loved building the theater more than any other place she had worked on in Edge, except for her own home, of course. She was never able to see plays or concerts growing up in the slums, but had always wanted to, especially Loveless. She'd read the play as a child and always wanted to see a production.
Her eyes were sullen when she looked up at him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't really care about the theater or helping to build it. Frankly, it was his least favorite thing he had done with Tifa. He joined the Turks to avoid manual labor.
"Once we take care of the monsters, they'll come back," Reno assured her.
"I hope it's soon," she said as she made her way to the door.
She took one last look around and headed outside. Reno jogged to catch up and timidly put an arm around her shoulder for comfort. She leaned her head on his shoulder until a group of sahagins jumped out of the sewers and started attacking. Tifa channeled her distress toward the creatures, grabbing one's spear and straight up stabbing him with it.
"Oh shit," Reno said before running at another with his mag rod. Since it was covered in sewer water, it took the electrocution from his EMR pretty hard, twitching about until it lay down dead at Reno's feet.
They were usually immune to physical attacks, but they appeared to be showing the beginning signs of the disease the guard hounds had been suffering from. Tifa was able to kick a couple of them in the head to take them out, while Reno's pistol shattered the shell of another.
They fought through them and were nearly back to the bar when something suddenly hit Tifa in the back of the head. It wasn't a large item, but it was big enough to smart. She rubbed her skull and turned around to see a mu had popped out of the ground. It threw another nut at Reno but he was able to bat it away.
"Hey!" he yelled, stomping his foot. "Just because you're cute doesn't mean I won't kick your ass for hitting a lady!"
He stomped over to it and gave it a hard kick, sending the furry little creature high into the air and far down the street. He turned back to Tifa, who was covering her mouth with her hands.
"Oh my God," she said in horror as she looked down the street in the direction the creature had flown.
"Too much?" he asked, putting his hands in his pocket and walking back over to her.
"A little," she said, though she didn't seem mad. "C'mon inside, I'll pour you a drink."
Reno's eyes widened and his mouth opened.
"Really? This early?"
Tifa nodded and led him inside Seventh Heaven. "Just pace yourself, okay?"
"Yes ma'am," he lied.
Later…
Reno was on his third expensive scotch by the time Rude and Elena arrived. That 3,000 gil bottle was just about empty already, and surely would be once Rude started drinking.
Rude tapped Reno on the shoulder when they entered and indicated they were getting a table. Tseng must be joining them that night. Reno gave Tifa a mischievous smirk and left the counter to sit with his friends. Tifa brought Rude a glass of the scotch and took Elena's drink order.
"Vodka-soda," she said, kind of annoyed Tifa didn't seem to know it already.
Tifa knew most of her regular's orders, but she always got a sense from Elena that she could change her order at any time. She felt comfortable at this point that she could at least ask if Elena wanted that particular drink before just bringing it to her.
Before long, Reno had Elena in stitches, recalling or embellishing some story from his past, she assumed. It couldn't have been something that happened that day, she didn't remember anything being that funny. Rude remained stoic as always, but Tifa figured he had some way of letting other people know he was enjoying himself.
Tseng joined them when Reno was on his fourth scotch. Rude was on his second, and the bottle was empty.
"Would either of you like to keep the bottle?" Tifa asked when she informed them it was empty. The two male Turks looked at each other.
"Rude, if you want it, take it," Reno offered. Normally he'd try to claim it, but figured he'd done so much damage to his comrade in the past two weeks the absolute least he could do is let him have an empty bottle of expensive alcohol.
"I will," Rude informed Tifa.
"Sure, don't forget it when you leave," Tifa said before returning to the bar.
"You two get to take bottles home now?" Tseng asked, a little surprised at just how close his subordinates had gotten to their target.
Reno scratched the back of his head. Rude crossed his arms but said nothing.
"Yeah, well, we were the only ones willing to pay for that stuff," he said.
Reno fought the urge to keep turning around to look at Tifa. He tried to look for other women to focus on in the room, but it was mostly men tonight – or really trashy middle-aged women he wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole even before he started chasing Tifa. Even Reno had his limits.
"You guys hear anything good today?" Reno asked his colleagues, snidely.
"This is not the place to discuss," Tseng informed him. Rude stared straight forward, and Elena blushed a little. Reno's eyes narrowed at her. She knew something – but it wasn't work related.
"Okay, okay, well, what else is new with you all? Some of us have been working twenty-four-seven and haven't gotten a chance to catch up."
Rude muttered "working" sarcastically under his breath while Elena scoffed.
"Rufus is less irritated with your work," Tseng said.
Reno drank in the compliment like he had to store it for winter. To celebrate, he called Tifa over rather derisively. She gave him a sour look and approached with her hands on her hips.
"Excuse me?" she admonished. Reno kept his chin up.
"Another round, we're celebrating," he said confidently.
"Sure," Tifa said, hiding a sly smile from Reno as she returned to the bar.
Elena was facing the counter and watched as Tifa poured drinks for the table. When she poured the second scotch, she stopped halfway before filling the glass with water and mixing the beverage. The liquid was obviously lighter than the other glass. Now, Elena was no alcohol fool, she knew a few drops of water would bring out the flavor in scotch, but half a glass probably wouldn't go over too well with Reno.
Tifa brought the tray of drinks to the table cheerfully and asked if they needed anything else in order to dawdle and give Reno a chance to take a sip, which he promptly spit out. Elena and Tifa laughed heartily as Reno inspected his drink to make sure he hadn't just drank it wrong, then looked over at Rude's glass and noticed the difference. He turned and shot Tifa a nasty look. Don't mess with a man's scotch.
He turned to shoot Elena an equally dirty look and she stopped laughing immediately. Tifa might be able to get away with that, but Elena had to work with Reno, and he was a notorious prankster. She was still afraid of the stapler.
Tifa sauntered back to the bar when Reno glared at her, chuckling to herself as she went. She hadn't ruined the scotch, per se, she just knew how Reno liked it: Neat.
Before long the Turks were laughing again – well, Reno and Elena were laughing, Rude and Tseng seemed to be enjoying themselves quietly. The bar was busier tonight since this was Thursday, which kept Tifa away from their table most of the night. Cloud had always told her to hire help for the weekends, but she refused. She rarely got flustered and never left customers linger too long. She liked the fast pace because it made the time go by quickly. That meant something when Cloud lived with her, but now that he was gone, quicker nights meant she would be alone sooner.
Reno at least helped with that somewhat, though Tifa could never be sure when he would decide to stick around with her. Last night he had left abruptly with Rude, as if he hadn't just spent the last two nights with her. She had been a little confused but chalked it up to Reno being Reno.
Tonight, however, Reno didn't even pretend to leave with the other Turks like he had in the past while giving her a look that said he'd be back. As the other three walked out, he patted Rude on the shoulder and sat down at the counter in front of Tifa as she started closing up.
He leaned forward on his elbows and swirled his nearly empty glass in front of his lips.
"You don't mess with a man's scotch," he sneered as she polished the bar. There was a bitterness in her voice that made her think he might actually be pissed. He said nothing further, so she continued to clean up, assuming he was just pouting and taking his time finishing his last drink, which had been poured the way he liked it.
When she had finished putting the chairs up on the tables and counter her gil, he finally made a noise to let her know he was still there. He got up from his stool and stood for a moment without moving. Tifa thought he might actually be drunk, but she had seen him drink more.
Without a word he turned and walked around the bar toward her as he had back in Nibelheim, with a wild look in his eye that was almost menacing. She barely had time to put the gil on the counter before he was pushing her back into the counter and shoving his tongue into her mouth.
"You need to be punished," he whispered when he finally pulled his lips off her.
She looked at him with wide, nervous eyes. He hadn't really touched her in days, since the night before her panic attack. She had missed it, even if she were confused about her feelings for him. She nodded her head meekly, as if she thought she deserved whatever punishment he would dole out.
"Oh?" she asked innocently.
His hands found their way under her skirt and around to her ass. He lifted her up onto the counter and continued to ravish her with enough force to make the glasses on the shelves rattle. She kept her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he pressed against her, one hand on her lower back the other squeezing her breast, his hips between her legs to keep them spread.
"Wanna get out of here?" he breathed; the scent of alcohol heavy on his breath. He was going to make her pay for embarrassing him in front of his friends, but he couldn't do it here while the recording devices were still in place.
"And go where?" she asked timidly. The streets were dangerous, and they were already just steps away from her home.
"My place," he said before bringing his teeth to her neck.
"Really?" she asked, a little more excited than she meant.
She had always wondered what Reno's apartment must look like. She always assumed he must live in a rat hole, spending all his money on alcohol and suits. She imagined dishes piled in the sink and pizza boxes stacked in the living room and empty glasses on every surface.
Reno continued to kiss her viciously without answering or allowing her to actually get up so they could, you know, go to his place.
She could already feel his erection against her panties as he pushed her as far back into the wall as she could go. Even as his hips pushed her back, his hand arched her back toward him, and he moved his other hand under her shirt and bra. She kissed back with equal force, not letting him completely take control. She grabbed his tongue with her teeth and sucked on it hard, nearly making him gag. He pulled back abruptly and spun around to leave the bar area, grabbing Tifa by the hand and swiftly leading her outside without a word.
He walked with sinister intention, and Tifa had to jog to keep up at times. He kept close to the buildings to avoid any monsters roaming the streets or policeman who may be patrolling. Every block or so, he'd push Tifa up against the wall of a building and kiss her passionately, exploring some part of her body with his hands. When he allowed her to walk, he put his arm around her waist to keep her close and she wrapped her fingers around his arm.
Tifa was surprised to find out he lived in one of the nicest apartment buildings in town. The lobby was mostly empty, and Reno said nothing as he led her into the elevator and nearly threw her against the wall before the doors even closed. He placed one hand on her ass and the other on her opposite thigh to lift her into the corner of the elevator, keeping his tongue intertwined with hers.
She followed him out of the elevator down to his apartment, and he again pushed her against the door, groping her as he dug for his keys in his pocket and attempted to unlock his door while kissing her. They both heard the next door open and Tifa attempted to stop the public display of affection.
"Mind your own business, Mrs. Krakowski," Reno seethed without taking his eyes off Tifa.
They soon heard the other door slam shut.
Reno picked Tifa up and pushed her back against his door to open it, kicking it shut behind him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto his shoulders for support as he continued to carry her to his couch. She hit the arm of it and fell backwards over it, with him landing on top of her. She started to laugh and he stood up.
"Stay there," he told her as he disappeared down a hallway.
Of course, she didn't listen, and immediately got up, adjusting her skirt back into place. She looked around his apartment, taking note of the lack of photos and personal effects. She clasped her hands innocently behind her back and strolled into the bedroom. It was nearly as empty as the living room, so Tifa decided to snoop in his closet. Reno exited the bathroom attached to the room and clutched his chest.
"My God, woman, I told you to stay out there!" he said in distress.
Tifa ignored him and pulled something out of his closet. She turned to him and held it up with a grin on her face.
"So, you do own a tie!" she said excitedly.
Reno walked toward her and snatched it from her. It was a navy-blue silk tie that was already knotted.
"Well, it is part of the uniform," he said as he tossed it on the floor. Tifa watched it fall with a dejected look on her face.
"Aww, I'd love to see you in a tie!"
"Not in your life, babe," he said coolly before pushing her back onto his bed.
He crawled toward her with a grin on his face, his eyelids heavy and his aquamarine eyes looking practically feline.
"Now, how am I going to punish you?" he asked as he loomed over her.
"You could let me go with a warning," Tifa said in a pleading tone with a nervous smile.
Reno sat back on his heels and stroked his chin.
"I could, but where's the fun in that?" He snapped his fingers. "I got it! Stay here this time," he said as he stood up and left the room.
Tifa leaned against the headboard, nervous, and kept her knees together tightly. She heard Reno fumbling around out in the living room but couldn't see him. He returned a minute later, and her eyes widened in horror. Reno stood at the foot of the bed, his jacket gone and his sleeves rolled up. If Tifa weren't so afraid, she'd be able to note how attractive he looked with slim, fitted dress pants and his shirt barely buttoned, his muscles heaving beneath. But what he held in his hand, sparking and crackling to his side as his left eye twitched in delight, made her rethink her decision to join him at his apartment. She had known as soon as she followed him out of her bar that it was a bad idea, that it would likely lead to sex, which she wasn't prepared to give up yet. But she knew herself and how to handle him – to an extent.
Now that she saw him standing before her with his fingers grasped tightly around his mag rod, she wondered whether sex was the better option. His hands and tongue had been skilled – more than skilled, actually – but that mag rod did things to her body she hadn't thought possible.
"No…" she said softly, not loud enough for him to hear.
He advanced toward her slowly and she looked at him with pleading eyes. She knew if she kept up with him that he would one day use it on her again, and frankly, she wasn't sure why she was resisting it now that they were alone and she could fully enjoy it. Maybe because she knew he liked the chase. Maybe because she liked pretending to maintain her dignity in front of him.
He put one of his knees up on the bed and held the EMR near his face, keeping his eyes locked on hers.
"Are you sorry?"
"It was just a little water! Water brings out the flavor!" she insisted.
"It was more than that and you know it," he sneered before bringing the mag rod to her abdomen in that spot. Just for a moment.
She let out a moan she didn't intend to make and held her hands over her mouth to stifle it. Reno moved onto the bed fully, moving toward her while still up on his knees. He moved back into a position where he was looming over her and leaned down to kiss her, with his free hand cupping her cheek. He again brought his mag rod to her belly, and held it to her a little longer this time.
"Like that?" he breathed into her mouth as she yelped again and nodded her head.
He clicked the EMR off and gave it a second to cool before tossing it to the other side of the bed. Tifa looked at him through questioning eyes and he grabbed her hips, pulling her down the bed onto her back. Reno lowered his hands to her thighs and then slid them along her skin underneath her skirt to hook her panties. He had to pry her knees apart when he got them down, but soon they were on the floor somewhere.
He picked up the mag rod again and powered it up, watching Tifa squirm beneath him. Her eyes widened as he brought the weapon onto her lower abdomen again and didn't let up. Tifa twitched and writhed as the electricity seemed to send her senses into overdrive. She remembered the intense pleasure from Nibelheim, but now that she was able to enjoy it without fighting, she found it difficult to contain her rapture. She screamed loud enough that Reno was certain Mrs. Krakowski must have heard – good. The old bag needed to remember what joy sounded like.
Tifa's hands and feet started to go numb with an almost painful tingling due to the electricity running through her body. Her muscles tensed up and she started kicking out in an attempt to regain feeling.
"Come for me, babe," Reno seemed to hiss as Tifa's back arched off the ground. "Don't fight it."
Tifa cried out as tears streamed from the outer corners of her eyes. She gripped the pillows on the bed and all at once, she was freed. Her belly felt hot, just shy of burning, and she started clapping her fingers against her palms in a futile attempt to get the feeling back in her hands. She pulsed violently and felt liquid on her thighs. Reno whistled.
"Woo!" he howled. "Never seen a girl come so hard. Damn girl."
Tifa looked down at him and her face turned red. She lifted herself off the bed and moved to one side and snapped her legs together. Reno laughed and stood up to put the mag rod in its proper place atop his dresser.
Tifa looked around for her panties as Reno unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Once she snatched them up she ran into the bathroom, with Reno still chuckling. Tifa locked the door behind her – just in case – and leaned against the sink. She was covered in sweat and was red all over. She was still catching her breath when she noticed the shower behind her from the mirror. She walked over to the door and opened it slightly to peer out.
"Can I take a shower?" she asked innocently, just in case he might be preparing to kick her out.
Reno snickered. "It's okay, Lockhart, you can loosen up. I mean, not like you didn't a minute ago," he threw his head back and laughed as he walked to the closet and grabbed a towel from the shelf. He tossed it to her and she closed the door.
He shook his head as he walked into the kitchen to pour a glass of scotch for himself. He sat back on the couch and took a sip, trying to calm his own hormones. Sure, he wanted to get off while he had Tifa in his apartment, but he'd been itching to use that mag rod on her again since Nibelheim.
He had nearly finished his drink when he heard the shower stop. He smiled to himself. Yeah, he dirtied her up. Strife could never satisfy her like he could.
"Umm, I couldn't find anything to wear so I…" he turned around at the sound of Tifa's voice.
She had her hair wrapped in the towel and was wearing his discarded white dress shirt with black panties underneath. It was buttoned a little higher than he usually wore it, and the sleeves were too long for her. The front and back hems fell close to her knees, but the sides of the hem were higher. Reno couldn't explain why she suddenly looked so much hotter wearing his shirt. Had to keep his cool.
"Babe, would you stop acting like you're imposing? Relax," he said, patting the couch next to him. "Here, finish this."
He handed her the last sip of his scotch when she joined him on the sofa. She obliged, even though she didn't like it. Reno leaned back and draped his arms along the back of the couch as she brought her legs up and scooted close to him.
"I honestly did not expect your place to be this nice," she said.
He shot her a side eye.
"Did you think I lived in a dumpster?"
"No! I just, didn't think you'd have it decorated like this."
"What'd you expect? Dirt and bullet holes?"
Tifa giggled. "No! I just didn't know what to expect, I guess."
"Well, I happen to have great taste in furniture and shit," Reno snapped.
"I'm sure you do," Tifa said slyly.
"So, you gonna sleep in that?" Reno asked with a half-smirk.
"I didn't think you owned anything but suits…"
Reno sighed.
"So you think I live in a dump but only own suits?"
"No! I've just never seen you in anything but a suit."
"Oh, you've seen me not in a suit."
"Not like that!"
Reno hopped up off the couch and extended Tifa a hand.
"C'mon, I'll grab you a not-suit to wear," he said, strolling into his bedroom with Tifa in tow.
He reached into the second drawer of the dresser and pulled out a white t-shirt. He handed it to Tifa and she went back into the bathroom to change.
"You know, I've seen you naked before!" Reno called to her.
"Not all at once!" she responded.
She came out a minute later. Reno was so thin even a shirt that narrow hung off him, but Tifa's breasts really stretched out the top part of it. She looked at him sheepishly, tugging at the hem as it was a bit shorter than his dress shirt.
"Better?" he asked wryly.
"I guess," she said.
Reno left to turn the light out in the living room while Tifa instinctively got into his bed on the side where she usually slept in her own bed. The Turk didn't object. He removed his pants and joined her in bed.
"You can't have it," he said.
"What?"
"The mag rod. It's mine."
Tifa just laughed.