How Much?

by sniperdragon64

"I'll do anything for the right price." Cloud had only meant the line to mean no job was too dirty for him, no monster too tough, no distance too far for this merc. So long as he was properly compensated of course. But never once did he think people would mistake him for a prostitute. Cloud/Harem

18. Cloud's Evening

"Alright, ladies and degenerates!" Jessie said loudly, practically buzzing with energy as she gave a sharp clap of her hands the moment Cloud entered the basement. "Yes, yes! Please take a seat, grab a drink, and clean the wax out of you ears because operation "Fuck With Shinra!" has officially begun!"

Everyone winced a little at the over exuberant yelling.

"You know… this is a very small room." Biggs began casually, who was finishing some last minute notes on the whiteboard next to the television. Nayo was walking around, giving everyone a piece of paper that seemed to have the meeting's itinerary on it… with potential minutes logged even. Wow, she was prepared. "So you don't… need to shout to get everyone's attention. Especially since most of us are right next to you. But then again, what do I know? I still a little dazed and confused because of my perforated right eardrum–"

"Oh haha, real funny, funny guy! You're so funny it made me want to punch a goat!"

Biggs stopped his writing to fully face the redhead.

"...what kind of comeback was that? Seriously, do you need to lie down and go back to sleep? Cause me and Nayo are more than capable of leading this thing on our own–"

"Don't even say it! I didn't just chug six cups to get sidelined now–"

"Would you two just start already!" Barret cut in, rubbing his temple at the incessant chattering. Although… some of that irritation might have come from the fact that Al –who had been threatened with being branded a traitor by Command into staying– was sitting squished shoulder to shoulder with the gunman on a couch. And it really didn't help that on the spy's other side sat Wedge, idly stroking a stray cat that he had somehow managed to sneak in. The three big men were practically spilling off the cushions. "I'm half an ass cheek from falling off this thing!"

"Then sit on the floor! You don't see Red complaining."

That started a heated discussion between the pseudo "father/daughter."

Cloud didn't see what the big deal was, at least the man had a seat.

The single chairs around the room and table had been taken by the rest of Nayo's team or the ninjas. Red was casually sitting on a cushion between some crates and the far sofa, one that had doubled as his bed during his impromptu stay. On his left the rest of the girls had commandeered the second couch… with Tifa waving for him to come closer to her level.

Huh.

"Hey Cloud." The barmaid whispered with a smile when he leaned down, her hand slightly covering her mouth as she spoke in his ear. "You can take my seat, if you want. But only if… um, if you're also fine with me sitting on your lap…"

At her sudden blush from the bold offer, Cloud took a moment to blink stupidly before answering. "Absolutely."

A quick switch later, and he was seated on the couch with Tifa on his lap, Aerith on his left, and the rest of the girls squished in at the end. He was… probably a lot more comfortable then he should've been during an eco-terrorist meeting.

So comfortable in fact, Cloud did the unspeakable, and reached over to scratch Red behind one ear. The sudden affection the Infantryman held for the talking animal was almost overwhelming, now that he had time to process that his feline friend had killed Hojo, the specter of many of his nightmares.

(Make sure to pet this part near his head… this is how I domesticated the Red Lions the first time around.)

The "Soldier's" hand went up to rub affectionately up along the warrior's scalp, which the guardian subconsciously leaned into, his flame tail flicking in contentment… before jerking back in surprise.

For a long moment, man and cat stared at each other in stunned silence. Both tense, and bodies ready to spring into action … at least till Red blinked slowly –seeming to make an internal decision in a second– before cautiously lowering his head back under Cloud's hand, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

"He wouldn't let me do that." Aerith mumbled indignantly, taking a peek over the merc's shoulder and eyeing the action.

Cloud could't stop the sudden smirk on his face… at least till he read further down at his.

Cloud Strife: Infiltration

Overview: Secret Experiment of Professor Hojo

Wow, irony be thy name…

It made him… question if he should tell everyone what he knew. What he remembered. If he should–

The merc felt Tifa shift on his lap, almost instantly stopping his downward spiral.

No, he thought as shook his head to get the guilt out, he knew he shouldn't. The timing wasn't right. Cloud wasn't sure if he was quite… emotionally ready to speak about his experiences out loud. Not yet. Especially not to a room half full of strangers. No, what he needed right now was… advice.

Letting his arms tighten a little around Tifa, he glanced over at Aerith who was chatting with Kyrie, the "Soldier" knew he needed to talk to a few people first before he felt ready to drop such a bomb on anyone.

These two needed to hear it from him privately first. To give them a chance to properly digest his story in private, for him to hear their thoughts… and maybe even decide as a group on what to do about it going forward.

He'd tell the rest of his friends the truth eventually. It's just… now really wasn't the time or place for it.

But hopefully soon… and before he exploded from keeping so many secrets, ideally.

Back at the front, the argument was winding down.

"Alright, alright quit your bellyaching old man." Jessie said irritably to the gunman, before addressing the whole room. "Alright… quick recap! Everyone, as you know, we're gonna infiltrate Shinra high command to stir up trouble. Whisper some poison in those maniacs' ears and watch them tear each other apart! But to do that, we need to install some of our people in key positions within the company. As well as the support teams for back up."

She waved for the man next to her to continue.

"Alright, so–"

"Hey, my and Aerith's paper doesn't say anything for us!" Kyrie interrupted, waving her sheet in the air. "Everyone's got jobs but us! Actually, it doesn't look like Nellie and Tifa got anything either… what gives?"

The trio up front looked at each other, a silent conversation happening in second before the strategist sighed.

"Look, we… don't really know what you girls are capable of." He began, raising his hands to forestall Kyrie and Aerith both sat up straight and opened their mouths to argue the point. "We know you girls have some talents –Aerith's a mage, and you've got some theivery experience– but not to what extent. And, through no fault of your own, nobody has had the time to test you girls through the usual assessments. So until I know by what degree your skilled and in what way, you two are unknown variables and, for now, will be on standby until we can test you or we need you."

"Whu– hmmm, then what about Nellie and Tifa!" The mage piped up.

"Huh, I keep forgetting you girls are new." Jessie said, almost wonderingly, before addressing the concern properly. "Those two are typically never used for missions, and only as reserves in the most… extenuating circumstances."

Kyrie and Aerith still didn't look convinced.

"Nellie… is not a field operative, doesn't really have the right temperament for it." Nayo further explained. "And even if she did, she's more useful helping us plan for the logistics and to run supplies as needed. In a large operation like this, that's important. Trust me when I say, that alone is going to keep her very busy. Enough so, that we honestly cannot afford to have her anything else but."

The little blonde gave her friends a short shrug, no doubt hearing all the stuff she already knew.

"Tifa on the other hand, is our cover." Jessie picked up the explanation, waving to the barmaid and the whole room. "We need her to run Seventh Heaven and keep it looking legitimate. To give Shinra, and any other nosy outsiders, a reasonable excuse for why over a dozen people are gathering under one roof. And to give all of us alibis for missing hours we can't easily explain away. A simple "I was working/hanging out at Tifa's bar" tends to wave most of those suspicions away for us."

The barmaid nodded in confirmation at that.

"Okay… I'm satisfied." Aerith said, once she saw that it really was business as usual, and her and Kyrie being left out wasn't malicious.

"Yeah, it's good to know it's not discrimination against Fivers." The junior merc added, settling in her seat and giving a "as you were" gesture with her hand.

Smiling a little fondly at the two, Jessie waving her own hand to her left for the man next to her to continue.

"Alright all together, we made four squads with four objectives." Biggs began again, holding up the same number of digits for emphasis. "A command to run logistics and coordinate personnel." He indicated himself and Nayo. "Support network, to provide real time information and to run interference if needed." He swept his gaze over Wedge and the HQ team. "A sabotage strike team, to attack crucial junctures and act as our patsy. Just to add a little sprinkle of truth to the bullshit we're gonna feed Shinra's Directors." The lanky man pointed at Barret, Red, and the Ninjas "And finally the crux of this mission… infiltration." Finishing with a wave towards Cloud… and Jessie?

His internal shock must have been mirrored on everyone else's face, because the redhead broke out into a wide smile.

"Yes, yes! I –Jessie Rasberry– will be joining Cloud in going guts deep into Shinra territory!" The mechanic said with a flourish of her hands above her head, as if in presentation of an award. "While our boy wonder is off schmoozing with Midgar's elite, I'll be doing recon on the upper levels and causing my own mayhem. But what's her cover, you may ask?" Reaching into a pocket she produced a plastic badge on a layered… with a picture of her looking very professional. The merc had to blink his eyes clear for a second, because she was almost unrecognizable in makeup and a woman's power suit. "You're looking at Shinra's newest senior engineer!" She pointed her index finger in the air and gave a wink. "Just level 1 though, so don't get too excited. And no, I don't get employee discounts on anything… I already asked."

Needless to say, the revelation stunned the group. Or at least those who weren't already in the know –since outside of Biggs and Nayo– Barret, Wedge, and Tifa seemed rather nonplussed by the unexpected news.

"...how?" Finn asked first, a dark haired teen from HQ that Cloud had only met recently. He had a slightly bewildered face as he looked the redhead up and down incredulously. Seeing her face go a little sour, he quickly explained himself. "N-Not that I don't think you're capable Jessie, i-it just… it takes the Company six months to a year just to process an application. And that's usually just to tell you no! How'd you manage to get a job in three days?"

"Tsk, tsk Finn my boy." Jessie responded teasingly, clicking her tongue and wagging a finger in mock reproach. "You don't just ask a girl to reveal all of her secrets… that requires getting on one knee and offering a ring! Unless… you got something you want to ask me?" She grinned at the teen's sudden red face, taking a moment to enjoy her light bullying, before adding consolingly. "Let's just say… I know a guy, who knows a guy… who knows three guys! And with a little palm greasing here and there, it allowed me to cut through most of that red tape."

"That can't just be it." Billy-Bob said, crossing his arms as he looked the redhead over in disbelief. "If it was that easy to get a high ranking position, just by throwing some bribes around, then the rest of us would be sweating through our underwear working those hot-ass maintenance tunnels!"

"First off, gross. And second, I got a special in with some of the people on the engineering teams. So it wasn't just money I was tossing around." She argued, seemingly uncaring how that sounded out loud, before fluffing her hair a little bit as she stuffed the badge back into her pocket, casually tossing out. "Plus… if you must know, I tacked on a few forged degrees to the application, and fibbed about where I've been up the last couple of years during the interview. Just a little embellishment of my recent work history. Told them I was an actress by day, an engineer by night!" She looked up, and gave everyone a bright smile. "Aaaaaand it doesn't hurt that I can basically take apart a mako reactor blindfolded."

Finn and Billy-Bob gave a slight nod in acquiescence to that explanation, it didn't quite answer their questions, but the spies –as well as the rest of the room– could tell the redhead wasn't going to elaborate further.

Which sort of made sense, in a depressing way, if Cloud thought about it a little.

The potential, and political, undertones of their cabal.

While this little group huddle was united in their efforts to stop Shinra's rampage… it was technically three different factions smushed together because of a common cause –Nayo's HQ, Barret's splinter cell, and Yuffie's ninja scouts– but everyone was trying to think long term. Of what happened after the current crisis was averted.

Who got what, which intel was kept for a rainy day, where their current resources got divided later… maybe even a shift in personnel?

For those reasons above, itt could be why Yuffie and Sonon made such a big show of offering him that Wutai commission.

A genuine offer, with a subtle jab towards Avalanche?

A statement of intent, thus drawing a firm line in the sand?

An advertisement of recruitment, meant to entice other members of the terrorist organization?

It could be anything, it could be nothing. But one thing he knew for sure, the many different potential layers of subtle power play and its implied motives, was a migrain waiting to happen if Cloud thought too hard about it.

(Or… Yuffie might genuinely not care what other people think, and used the opportunity to just be a gremlin. I certainly would. Sometimes it's just fun messing with people!)

But looking at Jessie –casual posture, bright smile, but with a little tightness around her eyes as she fielded the questions– he was suddenly struck with an epiphany.

'Oh.' Cloud realized. 'She probably meant her dad's old work friends or something. I think she mentioned something about her dad being kind of a big deal before his coma.' And if that was true, no wonder she was being so cagey about the details, since it would involve explaining more about her familial life then she was likely comfortable with.

So… okay, maybe not some weird political power play among the Avalanche team then.

He really had to stop reading too much into these things.

"...fair enough, I suppose." The tall blonde reluctantly acquiesced, looking the redhead over consideringly. "Still doesn't explain why you're a part of the infiltration on the higher levels like Cloud."

"Yeah. I already wake up in cold sweat at the merc doing it… but you?" Al said, speaking up… though decidedly less interested in an actual answer, as part of his focus was on side eyeing Tifa on his lap. "Being an effective spy has never exactly been a skill in your playbook Rasberry… and this is the last mission for you to try your hand at it after all these years." The man gave a subtle sigh at the couple, looking away from them to fully face the redhead. "You're liable to blow up the whole op before we can say "uncle"."

"True enough." Jessie confirmed with a smile, pointing a finger up for emphasis. "But a needed risk nonetheless."

"Risk? More than the thousand Shinra rifles already pointed at our back?" The spy asked sarcastically. "Oh please, do tell."

The two sized each other up for a moment before Jessie smiled.

"Because, as you know… once Soldier boy makes his grand entrance, they're gonna have him followed." The redhead said simply with a shrug of her shoulders, as the older man reluctantly nodded. "You know that, I know that. So we'll need to run interference if we don't want the noose to tighten around his neck. And that… is where I'll come in." She popped a hip out, placing a one hand on it and stretching out the other, as she addressed everyone. "On the field, I'll act as a secondary agent if Biggs or Nayo can't reach him directly. Or be his occasional cover story for whenever he needs to disappear for a minute. And best of all? No ones gonna question it. Why? Because me and Cloud are going to pretend to have a torrid office romance. Doing absolutely unspeakable things to each other in hidden corners of the building! All make believe of course."

She added that last bit casually enough, but looked at the merc as she said this last part, giving him a mock bite in the air. It let Cloud know that if they ever did get to a point of having sex in the Shinra building… there wasn't going to be anything pretend about it.

It caused a round of blushes at the… vivid image Jessie was painting for them.

"And… you're fine with that?" Al asked slowly, the question directed at Tifa, who had been fiddling a little with one of Cloud's fingers.

The barmaid looked up, seemingly a little surprised that anyone would ask her to argue against the spy portion of the plan. "Oh… well, it seems like a solid cover for them. I'm all for it and anything they might need to do, especially if it helps keep both of them safe."

The man seemed stunned silent by that response.

"Plus, it's all just one part of a… more complex alibi we cooked up for Cloud." The redhead continued with a grin, but with a clear hidden meaning behind her words. "Shinra's gonna follow my "boyfriend" home too, that's just unavoidable, but all they're gonna see is him visiting all my friends behind my back. Sometimes forcing them into group activities." Jessie and Nayo shared a quick smirk at that part. "And as far as Shinra's eyes and ears are concerned, I'm just some poor cuckquean who got her head turned around by some bad boy Soldier! In fact, I'll be so whipped for this man, I'll even… "reluctantly" end up sharing my bed with my new sisters just to keep him happy. Oh, woe is me! Forced to participate in such debauchery!" She promptly pretended to faint in the bookworm's arms, who struggled to hold the taller girl up.

"...why?" Red asked, genuinely confused by the somewhat complicated charade.

"Because, as Al says, Cloud isn't a spy." Biggs answered, taking a second to give the merc an apologetic smile. "But even if he was, we'd still want to cover all our bases. Which… includes Cloud acting suspicious around the Directors and triggering their alarm bells. Or them just being paranoid fucks doing the most. All completely justified, of course... not that they'd know it." Looking up at the rest of the room, he continued. "They're going to be looking into his secrets and motives the moment he meets them. And since Cloud's already semi-famous under the plate for his mercenary work… there's no option for deep cover work. And no use in pretending he's anybody other than Cloud Strife. There's already been too many eyes on him to sell that lie. So… we have to hide him in plain sight, and provide a reasonable excuse for why he's hanging out in the slums, picking up odd jobs. This way, we throw the Director's spies a juicy bone to bite on, and make them think he's just some sexual deviant patrolling the slums trying to impress the women –which, combined with all those old rumors about Cloud– will hopefully sate any curious eyes, keeping Shinra from looking further than skin deep."

"It protects him, and by extension, it protects us." Jessie concluded with a cheeky grin, before giving her childhood friend a not-so-secretive wink.

Which the man responded with and eye roll, glaze flickering towards the merc for a split second.

Then, like a puzzle piece finally clicking into place, Cloud realized that Biggs knew about the harem… and was using it as the perfect half truth cover story.

Which also meant, Wedge probably knew too.

'Well… shit…'

But maybe he should be too surprised that both men might know? Outside of Tifa, Biggs and Wedge were Jessie's best friends… and it wasn't like it was only his secret…

"Like I said before Cloud." Nayo began, catching his attention and giving the blonde a sweet smile. "We'll try our best to keep you safe, even when you're jumping head first into the lion's den." Swaying her head back and forth a little playfully, she threw a joke his way. "So... hopefully you won't get shot in the lobby."

Despite the jab at his early concerns, Cloud couldn't help but feel warm at the extensive –if somewhat complex– plan his friends had devised for him.

"Aaaaaand, if none of that works and our plan goes tits up?" Jessie asked rhetorically, one hand waving over the white board and the plan written on it. "Then hopefully this whole convoluted mess of an operation will give me just enough time to map where the President and his Director's apartments are… at which point we'll go stab them in their sleep, putting this whole nightmare behind us."

The redhead's frankness dazed them a bit, even Barret who was a hundred percent behind the idea of just cutting the head of the snake, seemed a little uncomfortable by the open talk of murder, no matter how deserving the victim.

"You got my vote." Yuffie chimed him, sharing a sharp smile with Jessie. "Just tell me when and where."

"I like your spunk, sister!"

A sudden cough to gather everyone's attention.

"Yes, well… that's actually more of our back up plan." Nayo elaborated, picking up a ruler and pointing it towards the whiteboard, where the steps for the infiltration mission were laid out. "If there are no more questions… let's get back to it. Now Plan A, as we know, will be to get Cloud to stir up trouble among the upper echelon, hopefully forcing some infighting. So overall, in order to achieve that, we need to get them into their heads. Feed them just enough half truths and lies to get them questioning everything and everyone. And hopefully get each Director so paranoid over a hypothetical attack from another Board member, it'll force them to react… making Avalanche and the slums the last thing on their minds."

They all nodded along, more or less hearing what they already knew.

"They already don't like each other. Borderline hate each other if I'm reading those reports right." Nayo let that sink in for a moment and she drank some water to clear her throat. "Now I'm the last person to advocate for killing as a solution, or even large-scale violence in general. But! Considering they already have a hate-on for each other, and the fact that we need to wittle down the vast resources each Board member has… starting an internal civil war is just the thing we need!" She took a marker with her other hand and circled each Director's name on the whiteboard. "It's an ideal sweeping solution to all our problems… killing six birds with one stone! So, hopefully this will be our end goal if we play this right."

"If they haven't fought each other yet…" Red spoke up, body still flat on the cushion, yet head held high and alert. "Then they are… at the very least, cautious of any rash moves that might put them on the back foot. And a bit of rumor mongering –no matter how frightening– isn't going to force their hands."

"Absolutely correct! And that's when the sabotage team comes in, giving those rumors substance and making sure all those fears are well founded." The head spy answered, dropping the ruler and marker, before turning to face the whole room, hands on her hips. "Well start off small –just enough to let the Directors know that Cloud's info is solid– but not too much at the beginning, or else they'll get suspicious. We don't want them wondering why all these bad things suddenly started happening to them the moment Cloud showed up. Or why their own trusted spy networks haven't heard anything."

A was raised, swaying slightly in the air, before an amused Nayo nodded to it.

"If the Board members are already getting info from somewhere else… then why would they trust Cloud?" Aerith asked, looking slightly perplexed. And Cloud couldn't blame her. He was at the center of this plan… and based on what he heard so far, still wasn't a hundred percent sure it was going to work. "I get him telling them stuff about Hojo will gain him some trust. And heck, as a Soldier, they'll definitely try to recruit him as some extra muscle… but your whole plan so far basically requires them to rely on his information alone to work."

Cloud found himself, and a few others, nodding along to that assessment.

Nayo only smiled widely, as if she had been waiting for someone to speak up.

"Very astute Aerith." The bookworm said happily, shooting the mage a wink and causing her to blush at the praise. "And also, absolutely correct! Which is why we're going to start small in the beginning and not escalate things until Cloud gets his foot in the door. It'll give Shinra time to verify everything he says with their own sources. But once they know our man is reliable…" She half turned to pick the marker backup and circle the support teams names, one by one. "Support will employ the beautiful art of counter intelligence. Our spies will spoon feed their spies some of the same "information" Cloud's gonna give them. But! For every five truths… we'll tell them a lie. Nothing big, and nothing obvious. But incorrect nonetheless!"

Cloud was… surprised, especially by the fire behind her words.

He never realized how enthusiastic his girlfriend was about spycraft. Truthfully, he had always figured it was just a job that she was particularly skilled at. And simply did because it was something Avalanche had assigned her. But no, it seemed like she had a real passion for it.

Although, maybe she shouldn't be? Practically every girl Cloud was in a "relationship" with seemed to have –in his eyes– somewhat odd hobbies.

Jessie with her occasional burst of reciting theater lines (did she memorize a whole book or something?), Kyrie's habit of swiping stuff off of counters before remembering herself and putting it back (old habits died hard, apparently), Nellie's obsession with taking apart and reassembling guns (she says it soothes her), Aerith talking to her flowers (she claims there was some real scientific benefits behind that, and no, she wasn't just being weird), or genuine enjoyment Tifa got from being a bartender (which he could not relate to, because the idea of having a job that was more than 10% customer service made him want to shudder.)

Maybe Cloud should start reading some spy novels? Just so they had something to talk about? After all, they couldn't purely base their relationship off nothing but sex… could they?

Up front, Nayo continued going over the plan.

"And once the Directors realize that our boy happens to be just a bit more reliable then their own people, they're gonna lean on him more for information. Because credit where credit's due, the Heads of Shinra are sadistic… but not stupid. At least not when it comes to their own safety and power base. Between a reliable but "desperate" Cloud, and their own "unreliable" spy ring… they're gonna do the mental calculus and go for the option that increases their chances of survival. Doubly so, if we provide them opportunities to strike at another Director without getting caught. It's like that proverb from that old general way back then, "Going into battle with no information is hazardous, going into battle with the wrong information is a death sentence!", so–"

"That sounds great and all." Kyrie interrupted, crossing her arms as her eyes scan the whiteboard intently. "But this sounds like a very long operation, not exactly the kind of thing we can get going by the end of the week, let alone accomplish by the time the troopers start flooding the slums."

Silence cut through the air as every considered the tomboy's words, mulled it over, before staring at the trio up front for answers.

"And once again, you'd be right." Biggs confirmed, sighing slightly as he crossed the short distance to the table and sat on its edge, taking a moment to look at every incredulous face in the room. "Trust me when I say… we tried our best to work this plan from a thousand different angles. But the time crunch is too severe to get around. Even if we mess with their supply chains, that'll earn us… maybe a week or two? But anything more than that, any other plan… it's either too risky or too implausible with our current resources." He rubbed at his stubble for a bit as he considered his next words. "Worse, the President gave the order himself. That's not a bell we can unring. He expects action. And the Directors -through loyalty or fear- are gonna follow through with his command… by the letter, if not exactly the spirit."

"So… no choice then?" Polk asked, looking a little hollow.

"Well… there is always the option of confronting Shinra and committing suicide by glorious gunfire." Jessie piped in teasingly, no doubt sensing the solemn mood and trying to lighten things up with her morbid humor. "Dying an ignoble death for minimal gain!"

"Hear, hear." Al cheered sarcastically, raising a cup in mock salute.

A loud cough to Cloud's right drew the rooms' attention.

"I… apologize for my actions." Red began, head lowered as he struggled with his words. "Had I not let my emotions cloud my mind, I could've considered the long term repercussions–"

A marker flew across the room and hit him on an ear.

"Stop that." Jessie said firmly, hands on her hips as she looked the Red Lion over, before pointing to herself. "Had I been locked in a room with Hojo and two monsters, with only five bullets in my gun… I'd shoot him five time, fuck the consequences." She gave the warrior a commiserating smile. "We're not happy about our current circumstances, but none of us blame you. And gods! None of us would have wanted you to spare the old bastard! Especially not after what he did to you!"

That got a round of agreeing nods.

"I… thank you." The warrior said, seemingly choked up for words.

The room stayed silent as they let the feline collect himself

"We can't stop them." Biggs reiterated after a minute, intersecting his fingers and tapping his thumbs together as he considered his next words. "But we can pick a target for them, if we're clever about it. Sacrifice one infrastructure to satisfy the higher ups at Shinra for a moment… and buy us some breathing room." The whole room looked at the man like he had grown a second head. "You gotta remember, the whole point of them coming to the slums is to draw out Avalanche, who they pretend to believe is Hojo's killer. So they're not gonna wholesale slaughter us, not in the beginning, so there's that. At minimum, they're gonna draw it out and see what shakes loose first. Still not great, but it gives us options at least."

"Especially since Shinra likes to make up justifications before doing terrible things." Nayo supplied, crossing her arms as she tapped her fingers along the skin. "Paper thin excuses to make themselves look good and propagate to the masses… although, I'm still not sure why they even bother at this point."

"I think it has more to do with the morale of their troops. The Board members aren't not lose any sleep at ordering genocides, but the average Infantryman might balk at–"

"So… what are we "sacrificing" to feed the war machine?" Barret interrupted, speaking up for the first time in a while. Yet… Cloud could tell the words weren't as sincere as they could've been, that a bit of play acting was involved with that question in order to help push the meeting along in the right direction. "Because it better not be any friendlies, I won't stand for that. It better at least be someone we hate if we're throwing them under the bus."

"I'm glad you asked, and that's exactly what I'm hoping to do." The strategist replied, before promptly turning back to face the whiteboard, marker in hand. "Did everyone know… that just a few days ago, when Cloud and Nayo were in Wall Market, they happened to run into some of Don Corneo's men? And apparently, one of them let slip that our least favorite crime lord had struck a deal with someone in Shinra? A powerful criminal who is working in collusion with some mysterious benefactor in the Company? It might just be the anger clouding my mind here, but nothing about the Don sounds very benefical to Avalanche, or the slums in general. Actively hurting us, if I'm being uncharitable." Biggs finished writing "Corneo" and "sacrifice" in bold letters on the board, connecting a line between the two, before turning around to face them with a grin. "Now I don't know about the rest of you guys, but it seems to me, this tidbit is something Cloud should maybe pass along to a few curious Directors–

000

Cloud took a moment to glare at his surroundings, hoping the heat in his eyes would force some of the voyeurs to look away… unfortunately, only a couple of them got the message. A few of them even had the audacity to crane their neck a bit further in order to catch a glimpse of Tifa in his arms. One idiot was staring so hard at the couple, you'd think the barmaid had a million gil lotto ticket stamped on her ass! It took every ounce of willpower the merc had to not just turn around and punch him in the face.

The only consolation was that Tifa seemed unaware, or at least unbothered, by the looks as she watched the speeding landscape through the window.

But the principle of it still stood… you don't leer at another man's girl like that!

And it didn't matter how… beautiful she was looking this evening. How skin tight the dress was on her body… or how perfectly the fabric seemed to mold to her every curve, practically giving you an outline of the treasure beneath… or even how the dress gave you an eyeful of bare legs that seemed to go on forever…

It… wasn't right…

Maybe he should have told Tifa to wear a sweater?

But honestly… she was looking too stunning for Cloud to even work up the nerve to suggest something like that.

The two of them were wearing sort of matching outfits, a set of sporty clothes for their night out topside, cut in the style of Old Wutain culture. With her hair tied up into two buns, the barmaid wore a long dress with short sleeves, two very long slits on the sides, mid-thigh stockings that he knew was going to haunt his dreams, and a cleavage window he could stop staring down. A "cheongsam" he thinks the dress was called… although, what little Wutain he remembered taking in Nibelheim during his school days, was painfully rusty.

And thus, did not feel nowhere near brave enough to even make an attempt at trying to pronounce it out loud.

Cloud wore the male equivalent of the dress, called a "Changshan" apparently… or "qipao"? He wasn't actually sure which one it was, Nayo used the words so interchangeably, and with such confidence, he was honestly a little scared to ask for clarification. Not that he had much time to ask questions… because once Jessie took one look at the tie and button down he was planning on wearing for the date, she promptly tossed his suit to the ground, and forced him topside to go look for something more thematically appropriate.

It was a whirlwind of trying to find something last minute, a dozen stores tried and discarded, before they settled on a nice blue coat and black silken pants.(He refused to budge on the color of the trousers, despite the redhead's insistence that white was more traditional.)

Now that he had time to get used to the outfit, Cloud actually enjoyed the breezy feeling the clothes provided, although… the dual silk material between his crotch and Tifa's backside, was starting to play havoc with his libido.

The stitching was so thin, it was almost like there was nothing between them!

'Do not pop a boner on the train, you piece of shit!'

Altogether, he liked to think they made a beautiful couple, with the two of them together painting an idyllic picture… not that the obvious relationship seemed to stop all the ogling stares being sent Tifa's way.

But… he couldn't spend the whole date being a jealous prick, glaring daggers at everyone. It was a disservice to his childhood friend to not commit his attention to just her for the evening. He was on a date with his dream girl, a on-in-a-million teenage fantasy he never thought was possible, and wasn't about to ruin it before it even really began by being his usual moody self.

So… giving the not-so-subtle crowd one last scowl, Cloud pointedly turned away from the onlookers and tightened his arms around his girlfriend's waist, pushing himself a little further into her back protectively, damn near squishing them both up in a corner between the train wall and a bench. It allowed him to cover most of her up with his own body, till only her feet and the top of her head were visible to prying eyes. While he wasn't going to let the jealousy get to him, it didn't mean he wasn't going to do nothing about it.

And the disgruntled muttering he heard behind him, let Cloud know it worked like a charm

Plus… if he happened to get a full feel of the fighter's soft but firm body, his front pressing deep into her backside… well, that was just a happy "coincidence."

"Easy Cloud, easy!" Tifa giggled over her shoulder, slightly leaning back into his chest in a bid to gain some space in front of her, the motion in contrast to her hands which pulled his arms tighter around her, before joking. "You push any harder into me, you'll get us kicked off for public indecency!"

"Sorry…" He murmured into her hair, lowering his chin to rest on her shoulder and impulsively letting himself nuzzle into her neck despite the audience. When she didn't fight it, he let one of his hands loose for its grip to rub slowly along her flat stomach. "But seeing you dolled up like this… it's making me feel a little possessive…"

"Oh? So you finally decided to stop trying to kill everyone with your eyes?" She teased, shooting him a knowing look from the window's reflection. As he hummed in response, she arched her neck a little to the side to give him full access, before sighing in a rather… purring like manner, with one of her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck and pulling him in closer. "And… mmmh… your solution to not punching everyone on the train is to paw me up?"

"I have to do something with my hands."

"Well… if I have to sacrifice my body for the greater good… then so be it."

"Is that so?" Cloud murmured cockily, even though he was honestly a little surprised that she was actually letting him get away with his groping, despite her earlier refusal to fool around at the bar.

"I'm selfless like that."

"Hah! ...why is it that every other word out of your mouth thes days is a quip? You've been hanging out too much with Jessie."

"Aerith was actually the one to teach me that comeback."

Maybe he wore her down? Maybe now that they were finally on their date, she considered all bets off on where the evening took them? Maybe… she was feeling just as needy as he was right now? They had, after all, hadn't had sex since the early morning before she left for work. He couldn't help but smirk into her shoulder at the potential reasons, pressing his mouth into her skin and making sure she felt the curve of his lips. And judging by the light scoff she gave, and halfhearted tug on his hair, she knew exactly how he was feeling.

It made him wonder how far he could push it.

Maybe a little teasing game was in order? A bit of… "smooth" Cloud trying to get into "not-so-innocent" Tifa's pants type of play-pretend?

Some fantasy acting was always fun.

"So you're telling me, all I had to do to get into your pants was threaten some people with violence?" He asked in mocked surprise, as if it was a missed opportunity he was about to beat himself over. "You're lucky 14 year old me didn't know that, or I would have done terrible things with that knowledge."

"Oh please, you were as harmless as a kitten back then." Tifa shot back with a grin, a certain spark in her ruby eyes letting him know she was aware what was about to happen.

"Not true… I remember getting into fights with the other boys in the village all the time, your little gang especially." Cloud let both of his hands wander freely, his palms and fingers slowly tracing patterns along her arms, abs, waist… hips.

Gods she was so firm… yup, he definitely had a boner on the train.

"...I guess that might have happened occasionally. I guess."

"Occasionally." Cloud mockingly echoed, enjoying the sight of his girlfriend getting a little riled up because of his pretend tone. "But hypothetically, let's say teen us knew what we know now. That you could have potentially stopped me being an angry little shit who punched everyone at the drop of a hat… just by giving me a better outlet for my aggression. Something a little more constructive… a little more physical… would you have done it? And how far would you have gone?"

As he finished his questions, he felt a sharp pinch on his forearm and hands stopping his wandering fingers for a moment. With a swift motion, Tifa turned to look at him… and she had a very unimpressed look on her face.

"If you're asking if I would have had sex with you at that age… get your head out of the gutter, Strife, because that's a no." The fighter said firmly, bopping him on the nose with her forehead, before turning back to face forward with a huff. "It's not sexy. So, think of better questions, or I'm not playing this game with you anymore."

"Okay, okay… so 14 year old me wasn't going to lose his virginity." Cloud acknowledged consoling, if jestingly, before gently rubbing circles along her body till he felt Tifa relax. And kept going until he felt her leaning back into him. "But I still gotta wonder… would you have done something? Took pity on me? Tried to steer me towards a better path?" He squeezed her hips firmly. "I was a pretty touch starved kid, you know?"

"No you weren't. Claudia gave you a hug almost everyday! Only time she didn't was because you ran out the house before she could grab you."

"...not at all what I meant, and you know that." The merc said accusingly, but from the teasing smile she shot his way… she did indeed know that. "Oh, c'mon… I have a hard enough time being charming even at the best of times. If you're not going to humor me… I'm just gonna shut my mouth, and we can both just stand here, akward and silent."

A giggle was her response to the odd threat.

"Okay, fi~ine." Tifa said in a light heartily begrudging tone, before tilting her head back on his shoulder, smiling slightly with her eyes closed as if in deep consideration. "I might've… done something for my hopeless neighbor, but it depends on what was being asked."

Cloud took a moment to consider that, wondering if he should slowly ease things back into being sexy.

"Alright, how about just a high five, you prude?" He asked jokingly, hoping to start with a disarming question.

"Maybe." She answered noncommittally, her tone neutral… yet her eyes twinkled a little at his attempt at humor.

"Yeah? Could we have held hands?"

"Perhaps."

"A hug?"

"Never say never."

Cloud slowly snaked one of his hands up her front and just under her chin. Cupping along her jaw, he tilted Tifa's face toward him again, and took a moment to look into each other's eyes. Both their bodies seemed to thrum in anticipation of his next question.

"How about a kiss?

"I think… little me could be convinced."

Their lips met in the middle, just as warm, soft and electrifying as it had been the first time around. But this time there was no hesitation or fumbling, because the time the couple knew exactly what they wanted from each other. Within a second of their mouths meeting, tongues came into play, fighting for dominance… practically trying to swallow each other whole as they enjoyed this slice of heaven.

Moments, seconds… hours. It honestly didn't matter how much time passed, Cloud could have kept at this till infinity and beyond.

Unfortunately, that pesky thing called oxygen finally forced them apart.

"You know… I don't know whether to blush or hit you for fantasizing about 13 year old me." Tifa teased a little breathlessly, her red face and wide grin telling him she very much considered it a compliment. She looked geared up to say something else, but before she could, took a sharp inhale when Cloud let his hands move up to give her chest a squeeze. "You're really hung up on this… should I be concerned that teen Tifa seemed to be living in your head rent free?"

He gave a nipple a slight squeeze in mock reprimand, enjoying how she jumped at the sudden action.

"It's high praise, you know? It means you were a knock out even as a teen." Cloud said casually, his focus mainly on the wonderfully soft globes in his hands. Not for the first time, the merc wondered who the hell did she inherit these things from… cause it certainly wasn't from her mother! Deciding to tease her a little he gave her nipples another tweak, enjoying her gasp before her hand shot up to cover her mouth, he added. "At least to a teenage boy, you were. I have it one good authority that for a certain neighbor of yours, one who never touched a boob before, you were the prettiest girl in the world."

"Oh yeah? Is this you…ngh… stupid way of telling you had a crush on me as kids?" She joked as she arched her back a little, grinding her bottom into his erection in retaliation for his wandering hands. Although… he was more mesmerized by the deep read her ear tips had changed to when she asked her question.

"Of course I did…" Cloud confimed, giving the red skin a s kiss, although he couldn't help but chuckle as little at the idea of him not having pined for her since they were kids. "Is that even a real question?"

Suddenly, like she had been hit in the face with a full powered Freeze spell, Tifa movements grinded to a halt. With her body as stiff as a board, she asked quietly, almost whispering. "You… did?"

"Did, do… and if it wasn't obvious, still am. But to be fair, I'm pretty sure every boy in Nibelheim held a torch for you."

"Sure, sure… but… you definitely did? Even before we started having sex?"

Cloud could only blink confused at his girlfriend's… hyperfixation on the topic. Did it really matter the exact time he realized he was in love with his neighbor? They were in a relationship already, and it seemed a little pointless to worry about when he started crushing on her as a kid, especially when they didn't get together till both were adults.

But he could sense the anticipation from her, the expectation of a real answer… a sincere answer.

Clearing his throat a little, he tried to think of a good starting point. "You… uh, remember how on the water tower I told you I wanted to become a Soldier because it meant I'd be considered a hero?"

"...I do."

"What I didn't say at the time was… I didn't just want to be a hero, I wanted to be your hero. To be strong for you."

A sharp intake of breath… then a beat, a silent minute that seemed to drag on for forever.

"So… you've liked me since you were 14?"

"Well… if we're splitting hairs and need to put a number on it, then... I think I might have been in love with you since I was six. The whole Soldier thing was... me trying to stand out from the other boys. So, I kind of did all of that… hoping you'd notice me when I finally came back to the village."

For a long moment there was nothing but silence, before Tifa said one word. "Huh."

"...you okay?"

"Yeah… just… give me a minute to think."

And once again it was silent as the two of them just stood there awkwardly, not a peep from either one as the atmosphere grew… more uncomfortable, tense. The barmaid looking to the ground, lost in deep thought, her expression unreadable.

Cloud on the other hand, was having a crisis.

'Fuck! Why did I say all that!'

Was she embarrassed by him saying he loved her for the first time in a dingy train? Was she angry that in his fantasies, he had more or less treated her like some trophy to be won if he had become a Soldier? Was she disgusted at his decade long damn near obsession with her?

Maybe. Possibility. Likely.

Truthfully, now that he had time to think about, and mentally kick himself for just blurting it out like that, clarity at the huge bomb he just dropped finally hit him. That one of the biggest decisions of his life was made purely to get her to notice him... and their subsequent interactions, both past and present, could now potentially be perceived a hundred different ways. Most of which wouldn't paint him in a very favorable light.

It made him seem… borderline deranged and stalkerish.

'Shit!'

For a long second, he considered just stopping and waiting till they got to the restaurant. A dirty train surrounded by stangers, with him rock hard to boot, was not the place to have a emotionally charged conversation. If she needed time to think and process, then they should do it somewhere they could face each other… and it at least give him a chance to beg for forgiveness, an try to explain himself. And... if worse came to worse, it'd give her an out to end the date and go home for the evening.

He was already moving his hands off of her to do just that.

At least he was, until suddenly Tifa grabbed his forearm, stopping him. And in his moment of confusion, used her backside to press especially hard on his shaft. Her ass was -almost imperceptibly– slowly working up and down the length, shattering any sane thought in his head. It… could have been a fluke… an accidental movement as she adjusted herself? Her… repositioning her stance in order to throw him over her shoulder? Preparing her body in just the right way... so she could headbutt him in the nose for perving on her since he was six?

But no, she did it again… and again… and again. Each time harder, more insistant. She moved with conviction and purpose, like she owned his body and knew she could do whatever she wanted with it. (Which, to be fair, she technically did… and could.). And, like before when he looked at her reflection in the window, he saw her face… and his girlfriend had a very bright smile. And despite her blush, a damn near condescending look burned in her eyes as the rubies flitted towards his hands, as if asking why he stopped moving.

"So you love me, huh?" Tifa asked teasingly, the cheeknest of her tone oh so evident. "We~ell, that's good to know now. But would it have killed you to just say it…" A pause as if she was considering her words. "...back when we were kids?"

Cloud didn't say anything at first, letting a quick second pass as he just stared at her reflection. But eventually he moved, his hand sliding down in response to her challenging eyes –the sudden relief in his chest letting him breath agan– letting his fingers drift south towards her dress slit, rubbing the soft flesh of her bare thigh.

"I've never been great with words, as you know." He said back, his cheek pressed against hers as he let his hand slip under her dress slit, palm flat against her sex as he stroked her panties and the mound underneath, enjoying the heat radiating from it. "Best I could do was write you a love letter and sign it as your secret admirer. Never sent it though." He chuckled a little at the thought of little Cloud working up the courage to do even that. "But hey, I'm here now, and we're both adults… so, I can just show you." His fingers rubbed along the edges of her lips, scrubbing gently along the outside as she arched hard into him. "I love the lace by the way."

He didn't give her time to respond, because at that movement he made the most wonderful discovery… her underwear had an opening in the front. She was certinly prepared for an evenful evening

And when life gave you lemons…

Cloud pushed his finger past the fabric… and into Tifa.

"H-Hey… ngh… remember what I said about public indecency!" She whispered weakly in a half hearted warning, her body shaking a little as he hooked his finger and began stroking along the inner lining of her sex. "Someone's gonna report us a-and… hah… get us kicked off…."

"We only got one more stop." Cloud murmured into her ear, biting gently on the lobe and tugging at it. "Let them kick us off. I don't mind walking a block… do you?"

"T-Two blocks… and I-I'm not walking that distance in high heels." She whispered firmly back, if somewhat raggedly. But before he could more than blink in surprise, she bit coyly down on her bottom lip, leaning heavier into his chest as both her hands reached down to grab his wrist, saying. "So, then… you better go faster if you don't want us getting caught."

000

Cloud couldn't help but blink at the rather… numerous amounts of food dishes, and its unexpectedly large portions, spread out before him. Five different styles of noodles, each seasoned in half a dozen sauces of tangy and sweet flavors. Beautiful cut and braised meat, the gourmet sliced choice of chicken, beef, and pork splayed out before them… also dipped in their own unique sauces. At least three different types of soup –sweet, sour, hot, and… eggy?– steaming and ready for both taste and digestion.

And of course, the ever present white rice, that for some reason even smelled better than usual.

The Golden Shuriken restaurant certainly earned its stellar reputation.

"And the owner told you this was all... for free" Cloud asked incredulously, one hand sweeping to indicate the table. "Because that's weirdly generous of them."

"The owner's wife actually." Tifa corrected, unfolding her napkin to lay across her lap before mixing some of the side sauces together for them to dip with. A little uncouthly, she used her chopstick to indicate his outfit and hers. "When me and Aerith came here last time, she told us that if we came wearing something "traditional" she'd comp some of our meal. And she said since I manage to get a "pretty boy" to dress up too... well, here we are."

"You know, we don't have to come here just to budget for the date. I was serious about you enjoying yourself… and that includes eating where you want to eat, no matter the price."

"I do want to eat here, because everything they serve is delicious." The barmaid said firmly, indicating the food in front of them as evidence… which, to be fair, she wasn't wrong. "And I resent the implication that just because something is more expensive, it's better." She reached over to grab his empty bowl and set it next to her's, before grabbing a rice scooper. "Just because we could spend a lot, doesn't mean we should. I know I joked about eating you under the table but I like saving money and figuring out how to budget. It feels productive. And honestly? You'll stress me out if I see you tossing your gil around without any thought."

She pointed the rice scooper at him like a sword until he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Still, you should force yourself to dress up if you didn't want to. We could have found–"

Tifa suddenly laughed out loud, cutting him off. "Cloud! I've had this dress for gods knows how long! Trust me, I was waiting for an excuse to get dressed up."

"And a date with me wasn't a good enough reason by itself?" He asked, lightly teasing her and deciding to ease off the topic.

"It was… but you know, two birds with one stone, and all that." She said with mock poshness, as if she just revealed one of the great truths of the world. "I'm very practical like that." Looking side to side to make sure the coast was clear, she handed him his bowl back and said in a whisper. "Besides, it was kind of a half favor to the owners. They've had the "dress up and we'll comp the bill for you" deal for a while but no one's really taken them up on that offer. I won't say beg, but they strongly hinted that if me and Aerith should spread the word and bring friends."

Cloud took his time looking over what he wanted to eat first before answering.

"I'm not surprised, I don't think any Wutains living in Midgar really cared about national pride." He said, piling on the sides into his own bowl as they spoke. "Kyrie certainly doesn't seem to identify with that side of her family… anytime I try to ask her about it, she just shrugs her shoulders and says "How am I supposed to know? I'm Midgardian." And as far as I can tell, that's just the norm for everyone here, no matter the percentage of your ancestry."

She nodded a bit as she took a bite of meat and rice, chewing slowly as she thought over her own answer.

"That makes sense." She replied idly, utensils reaching out to pick up a few pieces of seasoned broccoli, and placing it firmly in his bowl. The barmaid didn't even acknowledge the grimace on his face as she continued. She could have at least given him the mushrooms. "I think most of the hardcore nationalists left the city sometime during or after the war. Most who stayed either didn't identify culturally as Wutains anymore, didn't really care much about the war in general, or believed Shinra was in the right. I think our little troublemaker is a bit of the second and third variety."

"Okay, that sorta answers the Kyrie question… but about the outfits?"

"Mmhhh… I believe it was something about encouraging "cultural exchange" in the city." She said slowly, her left hand covering her mouth as she tried to finish chewing and speaking at the same time. "And anyone who helps to push that along, I.E. us dressing in traditional clothes, and winning ourselves a free meal at their restaurant." She giggled a little at his incredulous look. "I know, it's not very practical of them but they love doing it anyway. Would drop whatever they're doing and spend a whole afternoon talking to you about it if the rumors are true. Well, as long as you steered clear of politics, of course." Probably sensing his unasked questions, the fighter gave him a smile before elaborating. "The owners are first generation immigrants who came to the continent decades before the war even happened. So, it's a weird mix of… they love their home country's customs and want to spread it to others… but they really didn't like the then Wutai government of their youth, or the policies it was trying to force on everyone. Kind of a… "I identify with the country but not the people running it" sorta situation."

"Huh. So… they're not anti-Shinra then?"

"Not in the way you'd expect most people who were affected by the war are." Tifa said simply, as if she didn't just give one of the most cryptic answers he had ever heard. And his bewilderment must have been evident on his face, because she reached over to squeeze his hand consolingly. "They didn't support the war… but that being said, they didn't see either side as having a clear moral victor. To them it was Shinra's growing imperialism into other countries versus Wutai's staunch conservatism, keeping its people in the "dark ages". So, more or less made it seem like two sides of the same evil coin to them."

"Wow… you've, uh… put a lot of thought into this…" Cloud said neutrally, not realizing how… into social economics his girlfriend seems to be. "And you got all that from one conversation with them?"

Tifa's face immediately stained red.

"O-oh… w-well back during the early days of our…"club", we used to do a lot of outreach for potential new members. We would have these planetology meetings around the slums to help inform people of the dangers of mako and its effects on Gaia. And… once the film was over, they obviously had a lot of questions about what they just saw –was it real, where's the proof, what's the solution, etc– unfortunately I wasn't very… skilled at giving good answers in the beginning. I got better eventually but only really had detailed stock answers for them."

"Well, you seem to be doing great now." He said, genuinely impressed with her analysis, before adding teasingly. "So don't give that false humility Lockhart, how'd you get so good?"

"You're sweet… and with a lot of practice." Tifa said with a dreaded tone. Yet, despite how dramatic she made it sound, she was unable to hide the bright smile on her face as she ran a hand through her hair, carefully avoiding the buns, and tucking the strands behind her left ear, before saying. "Once we got some people that were interested, they started to ask more "personal invested" questions. Like… even if we stopped Shinra, what would we do for energy… what does it mean for the economy if they couldn't rely on the gil anymore… and other things of that nature. Important personal questions. And because I looked the most Wutain out of my group, I usually got a lot of questions about the country and the war. Which… if you get asked something enough times, you'll eventually learn to cobble together good answers."

"So, the reason why you became so good at understanding the complex societal dynamics of Wutai…" Cloud began, not really sure how he was going to phase his words. "Was because a bunch of people, who were being kind of racist, kept asking you questions?"

"To be fair to them, it kind of became a hobby to follow politics in general, so I didn't mind after a while." She defended, before giving him a faux look of reproach. "And nobody was being racist, thank you very much."

"Oh, yeah?" Cloud teased, seeing if he could rile her up again like he did on the train ride up. And then hit her with a compliment to get her blushing again. "And what else do you call it when they ask you about the inner workings of a country, you've never been to by the way, because you kind of look like the people who live there?"

"Not everything has a double meaning like that. I'm sure… it was just a simple case of them having questions and them assuming that I had answers, because I was a part of the team running those meetings."

"Fair enough, if you say it's not, then it's not." He reluctantly conceded, pretending to act stubborn as he furrowed his brows. Alright, this was it! Just a little more,and he'd so her his romantic side. "I still think it was because of the way you look."

Tifa raised one eyebrow at him, and rested her chin over her steepled fingers as if asking where this conversation was going. "Oh? Do tell."

"I think… it was because you're beautiful." Cloud said before he lost his nerve… but couldn't help but cringe the moment the words were out of his mouth. It did not come out as smooth as it sounded in his head. Fuck.

"Thank you…" Tifa acknowledge slowly, a little surprised by the sudden compliment during their serious adult conversation. But she must have eventually noticed his embarrassment, because she suddenly gave him such a shit eating grin, even as her foot found him under the table and gave it a consoling rub. "A plus for the compliment… C minus for the set up. That was a lot of work for something you could have just said to me anytime you wanted."

"...to be fair, I wasn't planning on saying it like that. I only decided to say something at the last second."

"...I could tell."

Immediatly, Cloud was busily stuffing his face with some food, trying to do anything put look Tifa directly in the eyes after his bad attempt at being suave. She, in contrast, just sat there with a smile, just staring at him for a long moment. It was as if she was trying to memorize his eating habits, making him even more self conscious. It didn't help that he could practically feel the bright grin she had on her face as he tried to stuff a dumpling into his already full mouth.

After an excruciating half minute, she began eating herself, tossing light small talk questions his way that he only grunt in response to… keenly aware of the borderline smirk that never left her lips.

"You know… you don't really have to go through all that effort just to say something sweet." Tifa began casually, her foot still sliding along his calves. "Sometimes you can just complomement someone without all the prep-work."

"I-I know, it just… in my head it doesn't feel earned if I don't build up toward it… that it won't feel sincere or charming…"

"Well… that just means we need to practice saying nice things to each other more. To shake off the awkwardness." Tifa said idly as she swirled some noodles in her bowl, but boldly noentheless as straightened her back and looked him in the eyes. "Here, I'll even start. Cloud…" She began, putting down her bowl and chopsticks –which he mirrored– and reaching over to hold both of his hands. "I… love you. Now… you try…"

Her breath was slightly ragged, as if she had just run a dozen miles. The snake from her neck to her ear tips as red as a furnace fire.

"I… love you too." He said automatically, swallowing a little as his hands squeezing back with just as much force. Affection welling up in him despite how struck stupid his mind was by that simple phrase. He already knew that they were in love, he was going to marry her for goodness sake… well, as soon as he worked up the nerve to ask and get that goddamn right. But to hear it out loud from her, for the first time… it did strange yet wonderful things to his heart.

If this was how she felt ealier on the train, a his implication of love since they were kids... then he definitley understood why she needed a minute to compose her.

He felt like he minute need an hour staring at the stars just to wrap his head around the moment before him.

"S-See? It's awkward now, but if we keep saying it to each other, it'll be… um, easy as pie!"

"Yeah, yeah… we should... definitely keep saying stuff like this to each other. Maybe a couple times a day to really… just to get in the groove of things."

"Right!" Tifa agreed enthusiastically, one finger pointed in the air for emphasis before putting her hand back in his, and adding jokingly. "And who knows? Maybe you finally follow up on that promise of yours… so far, I've only heard you calling me "beautiful" twice today."

"Oh yeah… I guess I did say I was gonna do that, didn't I?" Cloud smirked, unable to stop the wide smile on his face as he interlocked their fingers. "Guess I gotta make up for that then." Sitting up straight, he took a deep breath, as he said. "You're beautiful… and I love you."

For a long minute, Tifa didn't say anything. She just stared at him in wonder, like she could believe what she was saying or hearing, and any moment now he was going to tell her it was all a prank. But before he could start panicking again, trying to figure out what went wrong, she broke out into another smile and said. "I love you too."

And in this moment in time, all was right was the world. No… not just right, everything was perfect. That no matter what hang ups or past trauma shadowed him like a vengeful ghost, he was going to enjoy himself… at least for now.

Especially since he knew the night was going to end on a sad note.

That once they got back to their apartment… the fantasy was going to have to end when they talked about what he remembered.

His failures… his captivity… his escape…

And Cloud knew that during his terrible story, that despite all reason… Tifa was going to blame herself for it. That she was going to internalize what he told her… and feel guilt for what had happened to him and Zack. Berate herself for somehow not knowing what had happened and coming to his rescue. Even though she had only been 15, injured, scared, and stuck a million miles away on another continent.

But at the same time, he couldn't say nothing!

Cause every hour, every second he held it in… his thoughts warred between overwhelming sadness that took all his willpower to not break down and cry, hot anger that made him want to grab the Buster Sword and attack the first patrol he could find, and debilitating guilt that almost had him looking for the highest building in Midgar to jump off of.

Those thoughts scared Cloud… enough so that he knew he needed to talk to someone before he did something he was going to regret. And not just thsa stupid alien in his head! Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Tifa was the person he loved the most, who could help him sort these thoughts. And despite knowing it was going to hurt her, he needed to tell his girlfriend everything tonight, even if it left their date on a sour note.

And it wasn't just one person's night he'd ruin, because Aerith needed to hear his story too… to know what had happened to Zack. But that was a can of worms to think, and fell guilty about, for later.

For now, he'd enjoy the moment.

Cloud brought both of Tifa's hands up to his mouth, kissing the backside of her knuckles, silently taking in her scent before saying. "I love you."

000

"No I'm not." Cloud repeated stubbornly to the girl on his left, wondering why Tifa was taking the joke so far.

The two of them were sitting in an open amphitheater in sector 5, which was located in one of the city's manufactured topside parks. Rows after rows of stone benches lined one side of the building, a stage and a hanging ceiling filled the other side. It was to help with the acoustics apparently, so that even people in the far back seats could listen to the bands with clarity.

The sector 5 Airshow.

And its main performance? Classical music.

But not the… traditional type one might associate with Nibelheim. The music from his small mountain village was considered more country. And that wasn't just the people in Midgar being elitist, thumbing their nose at other city states' culture, and labeling all their songs as "rustic." Because even Zack, the king of the country and mushrooms himself, had said Cloud's songs were borderline folklory the few times they compared their towns to each other.

But here on Midgar, it meant violins, cellos, symbols… pianos. All played by self taught artists who came out to perform in the park simply for the love it.

And best of all, it was free.

So of course, Tifa would love this place.

It was kind of funny, Cloud thought as he watched the bands get set up, for some reason he had always believed the Airshow was some type of underground rock band competition.

"You are! Claudia showed me your family tree herself." She said hotly, pushing his arm away in order to sit up. The barmaid gave him a light smack on the chest for his obstinacy, before leaning back to look at him. "Your grandfather, her father, was Wutain. So… ipso facto, you part Wutain. One eighth to be in fact, if we're just going by her side of the family."

"Then why didn't my ma ever tell me before about this? And why is my name Strife then if my grandfather's Wutain?"

"Because it wasn't a secret?" Tifa asked rhetorically, before giving him a sardonic smile. "And the men sometimes took their wives name. Odd but truthfully, not that big of a deal. Mt. Nibel is practically Wutai's closest neighbor, so almost everyone in the village had a little bit of foreign blood in them, and our cultures got mixed and mashed. I mean... you never thought it was strange that we celebrated two new years, when the merchants that came to village didn't? That Claudia's famous stew, and your favorite meal, had dumplings in them?" A his rather dazed head shake, she scoffed humorously. "Okay, how about the fact that they made us learn old Wutai, practically a dead language, in school? You can't tell me that didn't give it away."

"Well… like you said, it's always been that way. How was I supposed to know that anything was out of the ordinary?" He said with a helpless shrug, before asking. "You still remember how to speak any of it?"

She gave the most adorable blush, which only deepened as Cloud's grin widened. Looking cagey, Tifa tried to defend herself. "I-I mean… nobody does these days. A-And I've been busy! I just don't have time to crack open a text book and practice conjugations for a language I'll never use." Seeing his smile morph into a smirk, she promptly turned around and leaned back into his shoulder, all so she wouldn;t have to look him in the face. "But don't change the subject! I can't believe you didn't notice a single thing in your fourteen years growing up there!"

"To be fair, I didn't exactly spend a whole lot of my free time with civilization. I was a moody little prick who liked to do lonely people's activities like camping, hiking the trails, or catching frogs."

"And cats." She added casually, placing her left hand over his hanging one, and interlocking their fingers. "I seem remember looking out my window at a certain chocobo headed neighbor of mine trudging out of the forest with my runaway Fluffy. And of course, the very loud arguments after, when he practically begged his mom to return the cat for him."

But before he could respond to that, or be embarrassed by it, Tifa shushed him with a mischievous smile as the bands finally started playing.

However, one thought struck I'm as they listened to the opening act. 'What was she doing looking at my family tree?'

000

"I can't believe we waited thirty minutes in line for ice cream."

"For a city-wide famous ice cream sandwich." Tifa corrected him, unwrapping her own treat and gently folding the corners so she didn't get sticky fingers. "Go on, try it! Otherwise, if you're going to be a big baby, then hand it over and I'll eat both for us." She stretched her hand out to him, palm up as if waiting for him to hand over the goods. Seeing him hesitate, she raised an eyebrow with a… decidedly smug look on her face. "Well?"

Giving her and her hand a flat look, Cloud ripped the wrapper of his treat and took a deliberately large bit into it.

The flavors hit him like a tidal wave.

"Good huh?" Tifa's mocking voice reached him, shaking him from his sugar induced high. "Was it worth the wait?"

Cloud scoffed lightly, trying to play it cool as he went for another bite. "...I guess it's alright."

"If that was the face of "alright", I'd hate to see what something "good" would do to you."

Before he could grumble a response, she grabbed his hand, leading them down one of the park paths to walk around and enjoy the beauty of the evening landscape. It was an artfully manicured landscape –evenly cut grass one inch high, thick trees that dotted the trails, lamp lights to brighten the park in the dark evening, water fountains with statues of semi historical figures on it– the perfect blend of nature and civilization.

Absolutely stunning.

All fake of course, since plant life didn't grow in Midgar, Aerith flowers being the one notable exception.

The grasses, trees, and bushes were either made of plastic or steel that was painted over. Painstakingly replicated to look like the real thing. Yet, the ruse was also painfully obvious, especially when Cloud accidentally kicked a rock and it made a gonging sound. But even knowing that, it didn't take away from the cosmetic aesthetic of it all. That despite how sterile it may have felt, it at least still looked pretty.

"So… what was that you were saying earlier?" Cloud asked, looking a little forlornly at his already half eaten desert. He could already tell…two, three more bites and all he'd have left of it was a sweet but distant memory it. Why did he take such a big fucking bit earlier, like a jackass? "That when you first came to Midgar… you fought in exhibition matches for money?"

Tifa almost snorted out her ice cream from the sheer force of her giggle.

"No, no, no… we were talking about you, so don't go trying to pull the wool over my eyes." She teased, looking up at him with a bright smile. "You don't get to change the subject, especially since I talk your ear off about all the things I've been up to." She lightly bumped shoulders with him in reprimand, giving him a faux stern look. "You can't just toss out that you used to be in the Infantry and not elaborate!"

He waved his sandwich a little in the air, a white flag of truce.

"Not something I usually bring up... but yeah I was, for two years." Cloud said casually, but was internally kicking himself for that slip up. However… maybe this could also a blessing in disguise? Maybe he could use this as a bit of a test run for the conversation they were going to have tonight? And while him being in the army wasn't that important, it did tie in to his missing five years. Yeah… this might actually work in his favor. "I actually failed a couple of times to get into Soldier, but needed money to stay in the city so I could try again… so this was a good middle ground for me at the time. I figured… the Company would pay me to work out and train, I'd get free room and board, and… who knows? If I proved myself as a trooper, Shinra would realize their terrible mistake… and send me an invite to join the program."

He gave an awkward shrug as he revealed that bit of teenage delusion.

"Well… I'm glad your hard work paid off." Tifa began, licking at the edges of her ice cream so it wouldn't drip, unaware of the guilt stabbing Cloud in the heart. "But wow, two years! Things… make a little more sense now." She seemed to say that last part more to herself, rather than to him. "What was it like? What did you do? Did you get to travel anywhere? Your ice cream is dripping by the way."

She giggled as he cursed and tried to stop melting the treat with a few licks before just shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

"The first year I just guarded the Shinra building and maybe patrolled on the plate when they needed extra bodies." Cloud said once he swallowed, trying to suck the stickiness of his fingers before dry rubbing it on his pants, much to Tifa' disapproval, if her stern look was any indication. "I even once wrote someone a speeding ticket. So… really boring stuff in general. But in my second year, they did start having me go on missions all over the world for the Company. I think by now I've been to every major continent at least once."

"Wow, look at you mister bigshot." The barmaid teased, finishing off her treat before swiftly plucking the paper out of his hand to toss both their trash in a nearby bin. When she came back she wrapped both her arms around his left as they kept walking. "Did they give you a promotion of something then? And what kind of missions were you doing?"

"They did! I'll have you know, you're looking at First-Class Specialist Strife." The merc said with faux pride, thumping his chest in mock salute. Arms still wrapped around him, Tifa gave Cloud the most insincere applause she could manage, matching him grin for grin. "Although to be fair, that was the second lowest rank you could have on those specialist squads." He took a moment to think over her next question. "And… that's kind of a hard question. I don't really know what kind of missions they had us doing. It was a lot of… "protect this scientist", "deliver that hard drive", "clear out those monsters". A lot of order to do stuff, but not the why. Mission breifings tended to be pretty sparse. Just location and objectives."

"So they just sent you around the world, but didn't explain anything?"

"Sorta… I mean, the Soldier or Turk who was in command at the time probably knew all the details, but the rest of us grunts were kept on a " reveal as needed" kind of basis. So... sometime we might get to know more, sometimes not. And with the troops getting shuffled around so much, there wasn't really any time to even gossip or speculate about the stuff they had us do. But hey… at least I got to see a lot of places."

"That's nice." Tifa said consolingly, gently rubbing his bicep as if to sooth his pride about being kept in the dark about the mission details. Which… 16 year old Cloud probably would have needed it, especially after another failed attempt at getting into Soldier and now being treated as another cog in the machine that was Shinra. 21 year old Cloud genuinely didn't care… chiefly since those infantry days felt like such an out of body experience compared to everything else that had happened to him since. "What was your favorite place to visit?"

"Costa Del Sol." Cloud said simply, fighting his grin and trying to look casual, already knowing how she would react to that information.

And Tifa didn't disappoint, her eyes widening as she stopped their walk, turning them both so they could face each other.

"You saw the ocean!?" At his nod, the floodgate of questions were open. "How was it? What did you do? Did you…" She blushed a little as she asked quietly, almost as if she was revealing a guilty pleasure for the public to hear. "...did you see any dolphins out there?"

"The waters were beautiful." He started, wrapping her in a hug to soften the blow of him messing with her. "As for the rest of it… well, I was only there for ten minutes. It was just a pit stop on our way to Bone Village."

She gave him a stunned look… before punching him in the chest and doubling him over, damn near stopping his heart from the unexpectedness and sheer force alone.

"I'm sorry…" cough, cough "...I shouldn't..." huff "... have teased you like that..."

"No you shouldn't, you clown." Tifa said sternly, yet despite that, still gently patting his back to help with his hacking. Eventually she helped him straighten back up, lightly slapping the now bruise on his chest before lightly rubbing it soothingly. "I didn't tell you about my dream to see the ocean as kids… just for you to turn it back on me, you jerk!"

"I…" ahem " sorry." Cloud repeated sincerely, but was unable to keep the smile off his face, even as he tried to work out the last of his hacking. Eventually when it subsided, he pulled her into another hug, with her gingerlyFor a long moment, Tifa didn't say anything, the only indication she hadn;t fallen asleep was the idle patterns she was drawing on his changshan with a finger.

"Is that an excuse… or a promise?" She asked, not looking at him as her focus was still on the figure eight she was tracing on his coat.

"A promise."

She pulled back from his chest, letting both her hands wrap around his waist, and leaned back a little to look up at him. "Okay then… it's a promise." Tifa tiptoed up to give in a peck on the lips before whispering in his ear. "Now that we're done with dessert… wanna go home and have dessert?"

000

It took all of Cloud's willpower to not just slam Tifa's back into their apartment door.

And he was not successful… despite how gentle he had been trying to be in order not to wake anyone up during the late hour. It didn't help that he was… A: struggling a little to hold her up by her bottom with one hand, due to the akward positioning, despite having her legs wrapped around him, B: trying to search for their room key in his pocket with the other, and fumbling every attempt, and C: with his girlfriend trying to shove her tongue down his throat, distracting him.

Thankfully, all his problems were solved when the entrance to room 202 opened up for them, causing the couple to tumble through and onto the floor.

"Wow, really good date huh?" Aerith said cheekily, closing the door shut before looking over the childhood friends with a grin on her face and hands on her hips. "I'd tell you two to get a room, but I'm pretty sure that's what you were already trying to do." She said, twirling a finger to indicate the apartment.

"A-Aerith, what are you doing here!?" Tifa asked breathlessly as she scrambled back to her feet, her hands trying to smooth out the front of her dress which had bunched up. "D-Did you forget something in the room? Or need to tell us something? C-Could it wait till tomorrow?"

At the questions, the smirk that had been on the mage's face slowly slipped off and morphed, till she was scowling at the "Soldier".

"No… Cloud "invited" me to join you guys at night, saying you wanted me here too." Aerith said bitterly, glaring daggers at the blonde who as he finished straightening out his clothes and turned to face the two women. "But I guess that wasn't true."

For a moment the barmaid just looked at her friend with an unreadable expression, before turning to look at him with a… very downtrodden look in her eyes.

"Oh, Cloud… you have told me if you wanted something like this." Tifa said awkwardly, even a little sadly as she looked at him. "I was... hoping for just the two of us to spend the night together, but I wouldn't have been against it. You didn't need to… "trick" Aerith into coming, I would have gone with you to ask her."

"Huh?" Cloud asked stupidly, his mind still trying to catch up from the erupt end of his make out session with Tifa... and maybe even a little dumbstruck by the negative emotions form the girls in front of him.

Then he remembered what he had been suppose to do.

The plan had originally been to let the date happen, to have a beautiful night with his girlfriend before letting her know that he had invited Aerith in their room. He wanted to tell Tifa about everything he remembered… but he needed to tell Aerith too. As much as he wanted to tell someone about all that had happened… he absolutely dreaded the idea of having to tell his story twice. And like a coward, he decided it would be best… for him, if just ripped of the bandaid and told both girls his story at once.

Unfortunately, the very basics of that plan -telling Tifa Aerith was waiting for them in the apartment, and that they needed to talk-went out the window in a handbasket the moment Tifa sat in his lap and started kissing him.

And at the dual sad and stern look he was getting, Cloud knew he had to explain himself… and fast.

"L-Look I didn't call Aerith here for sex."

The mage and fighter gave each other an incredulous look, before the confused flower girl asked him in a disbelieving tone. "You didn't?"

"I didn't." He confirmed with a nod, before looking back at his childhood friend. "Listen… I need to talk to you."

"O-Oh?" Tifa asked with wide eyes, her voice a little shaky. "Is it… about us? Um... about this?" She waved a hand between them.

"What? No, no… not about our relationship. That's perfect." Cloud scrambled to reaffirm to her, not for the first time in his life hating how terrible he was with words. The merc just needed to be direct, and to stop beating around the bush. "Look… I need to speak to both of you, so… everyone just take a seat, please." He motioned for them to sit on the bed, the two of them shuffling over as he paced a little in the room. A thousand times he thought over how to tell his story without sounding deranged. And a thousand times he scrapped it until he was back to square one. But now that he was here, face to face with the girls, he knew he needed to tell them everything… so he'd start from the very beginning. Pulling the coffee table near the bed so he could sit in front of them, Cloud said. "Okay… so about six years ago when I was in the infantry, I met this guy named Zack Fair…"

000

Jenova was suddenly jolted awakened by a spike of emotions coming from her Chosen.

Something was happening to throw him in a tizzy, and whatever it was ruined a very good dream she was having. She felt a little irritated by the interruption… before her mind was hit with adrenaline, because she remembered today was the Cloti date!

She had been raring for this to happen for the last couple of days, practically salivating at all the fun, and naughty things her boy and their "high prietest" might get up to tonight. Only she hadn't been able to stay awake long enough to wait for the date to actually happen… her frequent astral projections sapped more of her energy reserves that she could have anticipated.

She hadn't been lying to Cloud earlier about his mother's face, she really didn't have the juice to change it after the initial transformation.

Even the re-up she got from her Chosen fucking Jessie and Nayo wasn't enough to get her through the day… eventually she was forced to jump back into Cloud's head and rest. And if she was already up here, then she might as well take a nap. So, she decided to take a quick 15… just to rest her eyes, making sure to get the blonde to agree to wake her up before the date started so she could enjoy the fun too.

And… Cloud only grumbled at her request, not really saying yes, but Jenova was confident that he would. After all, he wouldn't betray her, keeping her from the first date she's been on in over a millenia… would he?

Nah, he wouldn't, she had thoght confidently at the time.

Only… as she stepped out of his body to stare dumbly at the two girls sitting on their bed –Tifa dressed to the goddamn nines!– the dim plate light outside, and how deep Cloud was into his story… she came to a horrifying realization.

He totally fucking lied to her!

Well... maybe not "lied-lie" since he never actually agreed to her request verbally, and even told her to jump off a bridge when she first asked… but still, they were goddess and Vessel! They shared a symbiotic relationship!

It must have been hours since she went to sleep!

(I can't believe this! Being rude to me was one thing, but this is beyond the pale!) Jenova thought, fuming as she placed her fists on her hips and glared at the blonde, wishing she had the physical ability to smack one if his spikes loose in punishment. That'd teach him to mess with her! She leaned in close to him, hands on her knees in order to whisper in his ear. (We share the same body, you chocobo looking piece of shit! And you do this!? You're about to learn what it's like to have a very angry roommate. You were uncomfortable before with me looking like your mother before? Getting a stiffy everytime I shook my hips a little? Well, you haven't even begun to see the terrible things I can do with this body.)

Jenova let the threat hang, taking satisfaction in the single cold sweat that was going down his neck. Unfortunately, that was all she really got, his dedication to not acknowledging her, especially around company, helped him to keep his cool and act like hadn't just been threatened by the ghost of his "mother." She could admit to being begrudgingly impressed by his impassiveness, not stopping his story for a moment despite the obvious tension in his shoulders and flicker of burning eyes towards her.

Well, maybe it was for the best that they couldn't argue it out right now, especially since she didn't really have a plan on how to make good on her threats.

Maybe she could lay next to him when he's having sex with one of their girls?

Or pretend to give him a blowjob when he's eating?

Send naked images of herself to him when he was trying to focus during work?

Meh, she'll figure it out.

Anger sated for now, Jenova leaned back and turned to the girls, figuring she might as well salvage what was left of her evening and ogle some cute girls. And who knows? Maybe if that traitor Cloud Strife played his cards right, this alien might get to enjoy a fun Clerifa threesome. She might actually forgive him if he manages to fulfill that one request of her's tonight.

Only… as Jenova fully faced the girls, she was met with a pair of big green eyes staring right at her!

Even as Aerith seemed to be listening intently to Cloud's story, taking in every word, especially the parts that mentioned Zack fair… those emeralds kept flickering to apparition, head slightly tilted as if she wasn't sure what she was looking at, her peepers following even as Jenova tried sneakily stepping away from Cloud!

Standing in the corner near the bathroom, Aerith looked right at her.

Hiding behind the nightstand, the mage craned her neck a little to keep her in sight.

Even curled up into a ball under the coffee table, the flower girl just leaned back a little to stare at her in confusion.

Eventually, Jenova gave up their game of impromptu hide-and-seek, because the pseudo-goddess came to a both horrifying and wonderful realization. (Holy mother of me! She's a Cetra!)

00000

I know, I can't believe I cut it off before the actual conversation too! Lol. But to be fair, if I wrote it out it'd be just be one long recap of suff we already know. So next chapter I plan of getting to the juicy parts... like the girls' reaction to the story!

Hopefully, this long ass chapter explains why I had to split up "Cloud's day" into three part. Otherwise, you guys would have gotten a 30,000 plus chapter that would have taken me a month to get out.

Also, I don't know if Cloud is actually part Wutain. It's just an inside joke among my friends for why Cloud looks so... "fantasy" asian in Advent Children lol.

Fun Fact: It's actually cannon that Aerith had the ability to sense Jenova presence, even occationally hear the alien, due to how intertwined with the Lifestream they both were. Aerith because of her Cetra heritage, and Jenova due to infection the planet with her cells.