Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’ll do anything for the right price.”

Cloud had only meant the line to mean that for this merc no job was too dirty, no monster too tough, no distance too far. So long as he was properly compensated of course. Hell, he even went looking for cats with Tifa one lazy afternoon for a local girl in sector 7. But never once did he think people would mistake him for a prostitute.

The Soldier couldn't believe that such an innocent statement...could so terribly be misconstrued. When he had first arrived in Midgar and had woken up from his coma, he had hoped to set himself up as a mercenary. Potentially even make enough gil to get out of the city if he got bored and decided to travel somewhere. But he soon found out that people in the slums were distrustful of outsiders, especially to someone who was an Ex-Soldier. People would even start whispering as he walked by as if he couldn’t see them. They weren’t saying anything good, he was sure, deciding then and there he would ignore all gossip about himself. It wasn’t exactly the "hit the ground running" start he had envisioned for his budding career.

Thankfully, he was able to find work helping the terrorist group Avalanche, having made a connection through Tifa’s association with them. He didn’t really know what to expect at first...but he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that they wanted to do terrorist-like things. But really blowing up a reactor! Take about high risk, and low rewards. And he still hadn’t been paid in full for that job yet.

Thinking about it now, he fixed Tifa’s leaky kitchen pipe yesterday and hasn’t gotten paid for that yet either!

'Damn Avalanche.'

Fortunately, he started to gain some traction based on the power of Tifa’s endorsement when she was giving him the grand tour. It seemed to open doors for him that he didn’t realize were closed. Everyone seemed to need his skills, or at least his time and effort.

'It’s not about what you know but who you know.'  She’d remind him, trying to give him lessons for life on the ground floor, along with other rules. 'Be sure to get a full night's sleep.'  and 'Be nice!.'  He was sure there were others but that last one in particular stuck considering how often she said it to him.

With lessons in mind, he took on all the types of odd jobs when they were offered, managing to build a good reputation and establish trust with the locals. The change in attitude towards him was almost instantaneous. People greeted him with a happy wave or nod as he walked by now. All of them, praising his selflessness for taking all the long-standing jobs or thanking him for another day of hard work that kept him late into the night. Heck, even the item shop douchebag sometimes gave him free samples when he dropped by.

Life was good under the plate.

Though...Cloud's current conversation was making him question all that. It had him genuinely questioning what kind of impression he had been giving off to end up here. Maybe it was the way he dressed? He didn't think he was showing that much skin.

Maybe he should start paying more attention to the rumors about him?

With that last thought, the merc could only shake his head in disbelief at the redhead in front of him, as she finished her spiel. It had him wondering if he had misheard her request. Perhaps she was using some new city lingo that he didn't know? Are his small village boy roots coming back to bite him in the ass once again? 

Cloud could already tell that this was going to be one of the longest conversations of his life.

000

“Excuse me?” Cloud ventured, thinking it might just be one horrible mistake.

“I asked how much?” The pretty redhead asked unabashed as if it was a totally normal conversation they were having in public.

“Yeah...no, I heard that part. But let's dial it back a bit. What was that about getting a bundle for your friend's birthday party?”

“Oh, I see! I just meant if you had any bulk pricing for services. And if not...maybe we can have some wiggle room to negotiate?” She asked boldly, unaware of his increasing distress. “I know you have pretty reasonable prices, like a 100 gil right? I figured...this party is gonna give you at least a dozen customers, so~o it’d be totally worth your time. Bu~ut, that almost 20,000 gil...and I was hoping we could come to a compromise...”

“And what exactly is it you want me to do again?” Cloud interjected, really hoping that he was just developing an ear infection and didn’t actually hear what he thought he heard. “Something...about a cake?”

“Well, we’re not hard set on that yet. Still need to find a baker capable of making it that big.” The stranger mused to herself miming the cake size with her hands, as if that was Cloud’s biggest concern. “For now...some stripping and dancing to set the mood. I’ll leave the outfit and any other party tricks to the dealer's choice.”

He had wondered if he was in a fever dream, that maybe his mako poisoning was acting up again.

“Definitely some sex at the end of the night.” The woman continued. Katie, as he remembered her introducing herself, as he continued to stare at her morbid fascination. “But please be gentle with her, she’s only ever had two boyfriends from like forever ago. Sarah’s really been trying to break through her shell! A pretty thing like you would be just the thing she needs to get out of her rut. I know at least a few of us would definitely like a taste when we get a chance.” She added, giving him a shy smile. “The others want to play it by ear and see where the night takes them.”

Katie finished her deranged rant with a grin, looking at him expectantly as she waited for the next round of questions.

'Or maybe for me to tell her my going rate is.'

His...first reaction was to tell the dumb slut to take a hike. That even if he was selling ass, she and her friends would be the last people he’d whore himself out to. Instead, he took a deep breath.

' Be nice!'

Cloud could practically hear his childhood friend begging him in his head. She’d tell him not to ruin all his hard-won connections by having a knee-jerk reaction to this unfortunate situation. That, this could all be one big misunderstanding. A simple case of miscommunication gone wry...and to try, gently prodding for answers. She’d caution that even if it was what it seemed like...to please consider the other woman’s feelings and try not to make her feel bad when he told her no.

But considering the redhead had been staring at his crotch the entire time he was having his mini-crisis; Cloud couldn’t imagine there was a whole lot of misunderstanding on her part.

Still, he’ll try Tifa's way first. And exhale.

“Katie...” He started and stopped, not sure how to continue. Truthfully, Cloud was having mixed emotions at this unexpected encounter. A weird sense of pride, a not-so-insignificant amount of anger, and an almost crippling feeling of embarrassment. “You do know I’m a mercenary, right?”

Raising her eyes she blinked owlishly at him as if he was intentionally trying to confuse her. As if this was a trick question that she had to answer correctly in order to get into his pants.

“I know that silly! Hard not to, since you’ve pretty much become our go-to guy for monster hunting and handyman work.” She said, giving him a look that asked where this twenty-question game was going but humored him anyway. “I know you do other stuff too if there's a need. "Anything for the right price" right? Although...a little on the nose, don't you think?" She added a giggle at that last part.

“True...” Cloud nodded slowly, cringing a little at his tagline, perhaps he was giving people the wrong impression. “But there are also many things that I don’t do. That I won’t do.” He made sure to emphasize the word to her. ”You get me?”

Another blink and a beat before realization dawned on Katie’s face.

“Oh! For sure, yeah!” She exclaimed, shaking her curls vigorously. “I totally get you! I would never think to have you do something you're uncomfortable with. Like...duh Katie! You shouldn’t just assume things about people, it just ends up being awkward for everyone.”

She chuckled as she gave herself a quick dope slap on the forehead, deeply regretful over her social misstep.

‘Okay...’ Cloud thought, breathing a little easier at the idea that it truly was just one big misunderstanding. ‘Point to Tifa. I guess I really should listen to her more.’

So lost in his thoughts about maybe buying his friend a "thank you" card for indirectly helping him out of probably one of the most stressful conversations of his life, Cloud almost missed that Katie was still talking to him.

“Sorry, I spaced for a moment.” He apologized, refocusing his attention back on her.  “What were you saying?”

“I was just wondering if you had a list or if this was more of a negotiation kind of thing.” She responded, not really helping Cloud’s comprehension. ”Like, me and my partners usually go the safe word route, but you being a professional...I figured, you probably got a list of every sex act imaginable! So your clients can, you know like, mark all their dos and don’ts.” She finished with a grin, as if already in awe of his perceived "professionalism".

Feeling his brain starting to drip out of his ears at the woman’s words, he stared back at Katie's serene smile. And he laughed! Laughed in sheer disbelief at the situation in front of him. Laughed at whatever events and actions had led people to believe he, Cloud Strife was a prostitute!

It was then, standing in this dank alleyway only two hundred feet away from Tifa’s bar, Cloud came to a not-so-humorous realization.

Now he was about to have the longest and most stressful conversation of his life.

000

Hearing the sound of the front door opening, Tifa tried to suppress the frown that had started to form on her lips. She had been hoping to close up a little early tonight, even having gotten a head start on most of the closing time chores in anticipation. She had wanted to go searching around sector 7 for Cloud when she noticed he wasn’t at his usual stool by the counter. The barmaid hadn’t seen her friend all day, which...wasn’t too unusual as he had begun to stay out later and later to handle jobs across the slums. But what kind of jobs left her with more worry than she’d care to admit.

Tifa had reassured herself that her neighbor would tell her if he was strapped for cash. That he knew he could come to her if he needed help with anything. But...the questions that had been plaguing her all week had started to become harder to contain. Today had been especially strange and she was anxious to see him. Truthfully, the last few days had been something out of a fever dream and she needed to speak with him, if only to get answers.

She could only hope he wasn’t out late, doing something unsavory for money.

‘Come on girl, ten out of ten service, you can do this.'  She thought, trying to psych herself up for the upcoming conversation. Taking a quick breath, she forced a smile on her face as she turned to greet her newest customer. Only to break out into a real smile at seeing it was Cloud, stumbling across the interior towards his seat. After he grunted a greeting her way, the smiling lips quickly dropped back into another frown when she saw how out of it the blonde seemed to be.

‘What happened? He looks like he’s been through the wringer.’  Tifa fretted, trying not to gnaw her bottom lip bloody in worry. But it didn’t look like the usual episodes, more like he was just deep in thought. Leaning closer she looked over the rest of him. Hair in its usual state of spikiness, no injuries anywhere, clothes worn but not rumpled. No evidence indicating that he had just rolled out of bed either.

That helped to relax her...just a little.

Realizing that now was going to be as good as any, Tifa took a quick look around the building to make sure there weren’t any stragglers. Confirming that they were alone, she gave him a quick brush across his back, as she briskly strolled across the building to change the closed sign and lock the doors. Batting down the final latch she took a moment to close her eyes and lean her head on the entrance, trying to collect her thoughts. How does one even begin to start a dialogue on such a sensitive topic?

‘Start with a question, any question.’ The brunette concluded, already feeling her face starting to turn red. ’You have questions and he’s got answers. Hopefully.’

Stealing her nerves, she stalked back to him ready to take that plunge.

“Are you hungry?”

The words were already out of her mouth before she could stop them. Only the belated snapping of her jaw shut could be heard, her brain willing her stupid mouth to take back the words. Feeling frantic, she was already writing the whole attempt tonight as a bust. Tomorrow was just as good as today she found herself already reasoning.

'Dammit Tifa that wasn’t the plan!'

Unaware of the internal struggle playing out near him, Cloud turned towards her with a nod and a smile.

“Yeah, I could eat. What were you serving today?” He looked around the room as if he could catch a hidden clue scattered somewhere. She couldn’t help but smile fondly at the gesture. It reminded her of the time their schoolteacher had asked him where his homework was and for him to look around helplessly as if was going to magically appear.

“Beef roast with carrots and cranberry puree on the side.” She supplied, already moving towards the kitchen behind the bar to get it ready. "And make sure you eat the vegetables, they really add flavor to the whole thing!”

Tifa didn’t need to turn around to imagine the disgusted face he was no doubt already making. Laughing to herself, she began pulling out plates to make dinner for two.

‘Perfectly cooked.’ She thought, humming to herself as checked for any meat discolorations on the slices. Satisfied, she neatly arranged it in a pattern along the rim of Cloud’s plate. Three thick slices... it’ll keep a grown man full without causing indigestion, especially if he’ll be in bed soon. Only half a ladle of puree to add flavor but not too much sugar, you're never too young to watch out for the silent killers. Especially if you didn't want complications in your old age. And a reasonable six carrot cuts to balance the meal, making it hearty and healthy.

Nodding to herself she set to work arranging her own smaller meal, only stopping once to add a couple more carrots to Cloud’s plate.

‘Just in case.’

In hindsight this might have been the best scenario for the two of them to have their conversation and if needed intervention. Her mama always said that a man was at his happiest when he had a full stomach and a pretty girl at his side. Tifa quickly squashed that train of thought, tonight needed to be a serious night, no time for fantasies. There might be a lot of crying, there might be a lot of yelling, but she needed to be there for him as a friend and help guide him through his troubles.

Finally ready she pushed through the kitchen door to begin their late dinner. Seeing that her friend had already migrated over to one of the dining tables she beelined over to him. The fighter was surprised to see he was opening a bottle of wine and pouring out a glass for two.

“I hope you paid for that.”

Cloud looked up towards where he was measuring the cups and gave her a smirk.

“What, I don’t get the childhood friend discount?” He teased before settling the cups down and helping her set the table. In contrast, Tifa could only move stiffly as they set the silverware down. Once again thrown into a state of internal turmoil on how to respond.

‘Discount? Was that a cry for help?’ Tifa wondered, trying to puzzle over the word the moment he said them, not even hearing his playful tone. Maybe this was a sign that she was waiting for? Cloud had never been the most open with his feelings even as kids, always keeping his thoughts to himself. It had led to many one-sided conversations in their young lives. To compensate, she had to be able to look deeper into the words he would be willing to say, trying to discern meaning in every syllable and long silence.

Once they finally settled into their seats to begin dinner, the joking had lapsed into quiet small talk. Only the gentle buzzing of the overhead light and ambient noise of the distant streets for company. Eventually, the conversation petered out. She had a lot on her mind and so much she wanted to say, but not how to start. And Cloud looked like he was just as lost in his own head at the moment. The barmaid wondered if he had a particularly bad day out in the slums.

Maybe someone had been rude to him?

‘Alright Lockhart, enough stalling.' She thought, mentally hyping herself up once they both had scooped the last of their meals into their mouths and began the short trip home. ‘Talk to him and get to the bottom of these rumors. See if there is any truth to them. If it’s false, then the two of you are going to kick the ass of whoever started spreading them. And if they're true…I’ll deal with it. Somehow.’

Taking a deep breath, Tifa turned slightly to her companion as they walked in the artificial night light.

“Hey Cloud, I had some really strange customers come in today asking about you.” There, she’d ease into it so he didn’t think she was accusing him of anything. Had to make sure he knew she was on his side. "They were asking about some special services that you provided, asking me what your best moves were. They also wanted to know how much it would cost. What kind of service do you think they might have wanted?”

That made him stumble, barely catching himself before her to look back at her in surprise. His face tensed for a brief moment before relaxing, from what she could only assume was embarrassment. The sight made her heart sink further into her body than she thought was possible. She stiffened her spine, preparing for the worst to be said.

Then he smiled.

“Haven’t you heard? It’s common knowledge that I’m a hooker.” Cloud chuckled, looking like he was struggling with every word that got past his grin. "One of the best the continent's ever seen! I'd sex up anyone in Midgar, from sector zero to eight, all for the reasonable price of a 100 gil. Heck, Madam M from Wall Market has me on speed dial! Calls me in on slow nights. Sometimes people hire me out to parties for crazy nights of orgies! That's probably what those people at your bar wanted.”

Tifa could only stare in horror at how casually he admitted to all of this!

He was laughing as if this was the biggest joke in the world! She had thought it might have been a secret that somehow had gotten around. Had even wanted to be delicate if it was all true. But the words flowed out of him as if he was as if it was no more inappropriate than talking about the weather. Where had her sweet boy from Nibelheim gone?!

No, he was still there, Tifa decided as she watched him chuckle.

Her resolve hardened as the second passed. She knew he was just in a bad situation, that he had been out of the village for too long, and let his morals decay. But that wasn't his fault! He was only human like the rest of them, despite his Soldier enhancements. Tifa needed to do everything in her power to help him out of this vicious cycle of debauchery. Over the years she had seen too many young folks succumb to the pressure of poverty and desperation. Thinking that joining gangs or selling their bodies were the only options left for them, these people of little skill and no education. Some just did it for fun.

But Tifa couldn’t judge.

Life on the ground floor was hard enough for even the most privileged and prepared. And the temptations were too many. From a certain point of view, it may even seem glamorous to some. What with all the money, fancy clothes, and attention. Had she not been raised on the values of her village; she might have succumbed as well. But a good Nibelheim girl waited till she was married.

‘To a good Nibelheim boy.’ She finished sadly.

Tifa still remembered how even Johnny had almost resorted to selling five gil blowjobs, a result of too many failed business ventures that had left him rock bottom. The image of him kneeling in front of some Shinra middle manager behind her bar was forever burned into her synapse. Whenever she took out the trash, the fighter couldn't help but throw a rock into the alley to make sure the coast was clear. Thankfully, seeing her had snapped him out of his depression. It made him realize what he was about to do and finally seek help. She did what she could for him, even helping the redhead move back in with his parents the next day and letting him work odd hours at the bar when she could afford it. He had made tremendous strides since then.

Although...she was suspicious that he still refused to button up his shirt.

Eyeing Cloud laughing himself silly as they made their way up to the apartments, she knew she had to do something. If she could do that much for Johnny, who had been basically a stranger at the time, then she could do more for her best friend! But what could she do? And why was he doing it? She got him an apartment, so he had a home. She gave him food from the bar, so he wasn’t starving.

‘Money, it had to be a money problem or he’s addicted to sex.' The fighter concluded, neither of them realizing that she had followed Cloud into his apartment. She, lost in her thoughts... him, still chuckling in mirth as he removed his armor and gauntlets. It was only when Tifa realized where she was standing, she knew what she had to do. Whether it was one or the other, it didn't matter because she was going to be his salvation. Mind made up, she locked the front door and kicked off her boots near where he had left his own. Back straight and head held high, she approached him in the middle of the room.

“Oh Tifa, are you ok? Did you still want to talk?” Cloud asked, looking a little uncertain as she didn’t say anything and kept approaching, taking her gloves off. She ended up backing him to the edge of his bed, mentally going over how she was going to get him to accept her help... what she would even say. But truthfully, there was no way she could have discussed it with him, she was just too embarrassed and he was Mr. Grunt-As-A-Greeting.

But she’d give him everything, Tifa decided. Things she never let anybody else have. Mind, body, and soul if only he’d let her help him. Allow her to keep him safe and happy, and more importantly by her side. Clicking off the bedside lamp and plugging the room in semi-darkness she decided she’d instead let her actions speak for her.

Tifa leaned forward and kissed him.

000

Cloud couldn’t believe this was happening right now!

It was too much. It was not enough.

Cloud wrapped his arms around her, trying to deepen the kiss. A hard press of lips, as if he was trying to cover as much of the soft skin as he could. Should he move his lips? How does one move their lips in a kiss? Was he overthinking this? Absolutely he was...but he couldn’t stop his thoughts from running rampant. Where are they together now? Does he say something to her? Maybe call her baby or sweetheart?

It was Tifa!

“Please be gentle with me.” She whispered to him, eyes pleading for understanding and comfort. But how much comfort could a virgin like him give to a city girl like her? Tifa probably had all types of encounters over the years that he could only dream of. He just hoped he didn’t embarrass himself and disappoint her.

She was kissing him so fiercely like she was trying to convey something to him through her lips. His mind started to overheat as he felt her wrapping her arms around him like he was a lifeline, and she was drowning in the ocean. And he had no intention of letting go and drifting away. She was pushing her body closer and closer into his, rubbing together so hard... till he thought one of them might end up cracking a rib. Not a very sexy description, he thought.

But he had no time to contemplate his terrible way with words because she was now shoving her tongue down his throat!

His knees gave out from shock, dragging her down with him. Silently, he thanked the gods that his bed was right behind him. Cloud was pretty sure that his getting a concussion from hitting the ground would kill the mood. The mood! How is the mood going? What should he do with his hands? Hands dammit! Don’t just lay there like a dead fish!

“Tell me what you want, baby?” He whispered, a little afraid she might get angry with his inexperience when he saw her turn red, but he needed some directions dammit!

They didn’t exactly encourage this sort of behavior in Nibelheim.

“Touch me.” She practically begged, already pulling her tank and bra off. Cloud frantically tried to get his own sweater off when he saw her doing this. Her body looked like the second coming of Shiva in the dim glow of his room. “Touch me everywhere. Give me the full service.”

No need to be told twice.

Of course, he ended up going straight for her boobs like fucking teenager. Almost wanted to kick himself for being too eager.

But that made her moan through their kiss, almost breaking their tonsil wrestling from how far she arched and twisted on his lap. Encouraged, he started exploring more of the wonderful body in front of him. Kneading, twisting, and palming her breasts. They were magnificent, the subject of a thousand fantasies, now coming true for him. He wanted to touch more of her, letting his hands drift south. Rubbing her flat stomach and tracing fingers over the ridges of her hard abs, practically fantasized about her doing crunches in his mind. Maybe even grating some cheese on them.

'Awesome.'

“You're so beautiful Tifa, better than any girl I know,” Cloud said earnestly, hoping to let her know how much this means to him. To let her know that appreciated this happening between the two of them. That all of this was truly a dream come true. He’d tell her how great she was every day.

Did she just frown?

Must be a trick of the light.

He knew he was doing something right because she was rubbing his chest, grinding down between their pelvis with wonderful friction. Egging him on, letting him know he could go further. And further, he did. Clutching hard at her wide hips, he let his hands drift past them. Grubby mitts finally on her perky ass, fingers sliding under all her clothing to get to the skin and squeeze. He could practically feel the recoil as he loosened his grip. Damn, she was firm!

He was loving this!

He could tell, she was loving it too.

‘Alright, not bad Strife, but now what?’ Cloud thought as he pinched a nipple hearing her squeal louder. ’Think man, how do these things usually progress? How do we have sex?’

It wasn’t like any of the other people in his life would have taught him after all. Good Nibelheim kids waited till they were married. The village burnt to the ground before he was anywhere near the age to approach the men for advice. What the older boys told him as a child sounded fanciful at best and like lies at worst. Never mind trying to ask his mom about it, he’d die of embarrassment before he could even get the words out.

Thankfully the decision had been made for him as Tifa shoved him onto his back and stood, finally breaking contact between the two. She gave him a mischievous smile, twirling slightly in front of him, shaking her hips through the whole show. She slowly peeled away her skirt, tossing the useless thing into a corner of his bedroom. He dry swallowed a little as she was shimmying out of those tight shorts one inch at a time.

He didn’t even realize it was medically possible to get even harder.

Ending her dance with her back to him, Tifa shot him a shy smile over her shoulder. She leaned forward as she tugged the straps of her panties down, leaving a connection of dew a mile long. Body finally bare, she turned back to face him, standing naked in her full glory. Every inch is perfect, soft, smooth, and firm. So flawless. Her eyes were smoldering. If those rubies burn any hotter, he might just combust. And she left her stockings on.

Now Cloud knew he was in love.

Throughout the entire show, Cloud had been trying to work his belt off to no success. He was distracted, and his fingers were numb. Still fumbling the lock on his belt, he was getting desperate! He was considering if it was worth it to just rip the whole thing off and deal with the consequences in the morning. He looked back up to see naked Tifa standing there, making eye contact with him.

“Take this off,” Cloud growled out loud to himself, glaring at his buckle and not noticing her startled look. Tugging at his pants, he decided that yeah, it was worth it. He noticed that she suddenly seemed nervous, getting red in the face. She was biting her lip and trying to look anywhere but at him. If she was having second thoughts, then he had to hurry up! But before he could start tearing at the seams of his pants a small hand landed on his belt. He looked up in surprise to see that Tifa was kneeling in front of him, eyes intent and working on his belt. Pulling both his pants and boxers off in one go.

‘Look at this sexy minx.' He thought, blood running hotter at the sight of her in between his legs. 'Experienced girls are on a whole other level!'

But then he noticed her looking at him, mouth agape as a hand slowly traced him. What was wrong? Did it look weird from what she was used to? Was the arch unattractive? Was it because it was leaning left? It was, wasn't it...

Dammit, little Cloud why'd you masturbate so much!?

He noticed Tifa was mumbling something as she held him in her palm, tightening her grip. So much pleasure shot to his brain from that, he almost didn’t notice her holding her forearm against his length with a look of disbelief in her eyes. Was that supposed to be a signal? In his haze, he just didn’t understand! Not for the first time in his life, he cursed Nibelheim’s backwater ways. How is a man supposed to read the signs? Where were the books on this stuff?

Thank gods, Zack at least told him you can’t get a girl pregnant your first time.

Wait, who’s Zack?

Not important, because the girl of his dreams was climbing on top of the bed again. A little maneuvering and he was on top of her, staring down at the love of his life. They looked at each other in silent anticipation. The quiet stretched on as the two struggled to say something before the plunge. A joining of two bodies and one soul. He wanted to say something to her, any of the thousands of things that were on his mind.

I'm happy. You're beautiful. I love you. Where do I aim?

Thankfully she was already showing her experience again by taking him in her hand and placing it by her entrance. They held their stare for what felt like an eternity, breath held in their chest and blood pumping in their eardrums. And then he pushed forward.

If there was a heaven, then he was in it.

Warm, tight, smooth. Nothing like he had ever felt before. Yet strangely comfortable like this was meant for him, almost as if he was returning home. A true melding of body and mind on a level he couldn’t have anticipated. Cloud wasn’t a godly man, believing most summons to just be really powerful monsters. But if you asked him now, he’d tell you he found his religion.

After a few dozen pumps, he was about to blow his load.

'Dammit!' Cloud thought, chest to chest with Tifa, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. It was happening too fast, he had to figure out a way to last longer! Just a minute, just a second even. He couldn’t stop his hip, didn’t think he would even if he could. But he had to do something! He had to change position.

Managing to untangle their limbs, he turned Tifa on her side, propping her left leg on his shoulder. He was hoping the awkward angel would buy him some extra time. And for the first few seconds, he thought it would, then he felt his balls tightening again. It didn’t matter how loud she moaned, he knew he wasn't going to last longer than her. He was fucking doomed.

But he had to keep trying!

Every position he could think of, every filthy fantasy he ever had as a teenager with his pretty neighbor as the star. Front, back, sideways, upside down! A gambit of different moves until he was back to where he started on top of her. All in an effort to enjoy as much as he could. A last-ditch effort to gain a few more seconds of ecstasy. Just one more second.

Shit he was coming. It was coming, he was coming!

“I’m coming!”

That didn’t sound like him.

Legs, with the power to choke a baby cow to death, clamped down on his lower back. Damn near breaking his spine. And he was undone. Every liquid in his body felt like it was being pulled out of him into a vortex. Cloud was certain that there wasn’t going to be anything left but skin and bones after this. He might very well collapse into dust.

He also might’ve blacked out.

Because the next time he opened his eyes it was light out. The sky, shinning in between the cracks of his curtains. It felt like any other morning he’d experienced. The voices of people ready to get to work. A hum of machinery warming up their engine. Noisey of children playing in the alleys. The sounds of bums fighting in the street.

What a beautiful morning.

Made even better by this wonderful goddess sleeping in his arms.

Surprisingly, after staring at her face for about five minutes in silence, Cloud didn’t feel the least bit creepy. They were together, after all, he was allowed to do these things now. Kissing, touching, and whatever they wanted to do. Sure they may have put the cart before the horse but they’ll get married now. It was only natural after such a night. He had to make sure he added getting a ring on his list of things to do.

He’ll make an honest woman out of her!

Tifa began shifting in his grip, slowly blinking open her crimson eyes in the ravaged room. Slowly she turned to him, giving him a warm smile that melted his heart. He must be the luckiest guy in the world.

“Last night was so great, you really took charge,” Tifa said, blushing a pretty hue. Gently they moved their bodies just a little closer together. Trying to feel as much of each other's skin as possible. Maybe do a little discrete dry humping as they stared into each other's eyes. “I never experienced anything like that before...I am so glad it was you.”

‘Yeah, fuck those other guys.’ Cloud thought smugly, feeling pride in his chest swell. As if infused with liquid courage, he boldly told her. “You can have me anytime you want, baby. I'm at your service 24/7. I’ll give you the whole package. You only have to ask.”

Real smooth stuff.

“Well, maybe when I can afford it.” She murmured softly, face a bonfire. He wanted to slap himself on the head. Of course, he couldn’t expect to have sex all the time like horny Tonberries. They were both working adults, they couldn’t afford to spend all their time in bed. Wilting a little, he tried to apologize to her for being too eager but she had already moved out of the bed with a stiff roll.

Standing up unsteadily and stretching her beautiful form for the world, Tifa gave him a bright smile with her teeth.

“I’m going to shower at my apartment and get ready for work. I need to start preparing the menu for tonight. But want to walk with me later?” She asked as she stumbled a little, walking stiffly as she rummaged around for her clothes, sliding them back on for the short walk home. His heart soared at her words. They were still good. Get their adult responsibilities done and out of the way and maybe tonight...

Cloud gave her an enthusiastic nod.

Laughing she gave him a short peck on the lips, placing something in his hands. He watched her walk until the door was shut firmly behind her. And kept staring for a few minutes more. What a night, he mused. Remembering she gave him something, Cloud glanced down at his hand.

It was a 100 gil.

000

Off in Sector 5, there was a large gathering of slum dwellers, listening excitedly to the latest gossip. Up on a podium, for everyone to see stood a young woman. Teenager? A nice News hat on her head, stripes on her stockings, and a sleeveless buttoned crop top. She was addressing the people passionately. With great depth and detail in every word. She walked the length of the stage with confident strides, hands moving in tandem with her enthusiasm.

Her words held a magnetic pull rarely seen even among the most accomplished orators.

And the crowd was lapping up every word.

“He’s a sex god I tell you! No kink too dirty for our blonde merc, he’ll bend you into a pretzel if you ask him. Give you the old helicopter maneuver if you're lucky! My sources confirmed that he once spent a whole week on a sex-filled binge of depravity. With who you might ask? Now that'd be telling...but I will confirm that they were some slutty sorority girls in the mix. That many of them paid the merc an outrageous sum of gil to take them on the sunny beaches of Costa Del Sol! From dawn till dusk, the sands were filled with the moans of these lucky ladies! And afterward, he took on a job to go hunt down a red dragon that had been terrorizing the countryside! Talk about stamina ladies and gentlemen!”

That caused quite a stir in the crowd and more than a few scandalized giggles.

“This has been brought to you by Kyrie Canaan! Your source of trusted news in the slums, now pay up!” She said, sticking her hands out to the crowd expectantly. “It wasn’t easy getting this quality information. Had to risk life and limb.”

Surprisingly, some people actually began to fork over some of their hard-earned money into her waiting arms. Many in appreciation for the fun news. Kyrie couldn’t believe it worked! A greedy smile appeared on her face as she tidied up her loot from her seedy venture. It was more money than she had ever seen in one spot...at least through legal means.

‘Forget Shinra and Avalanche!’ Kyrie thought to herself, as she started shoving her new wealth into the hidden pockets of her coat for safekeeping. ’This is where the real money's at!’

It was true.

Information about the mega-corporation tended to make people angry. Any news about the terrorist group, made people scared. In trying to hone her scam, the young woman had stumbled upon a tried-and-true method of keeping people’s attention.

Speculation and gossiping about celebrities and their sex life! Oh, and it kept people salivating for more! And who better than Cloud Strife, the current hot topic of the slums?

The new arrival had soon proved himself willing and capable of attacking any jobs thrown his way, no matter how menial or dangerous, finishing all of them in record time. A true professional was something sorely needed in the slums. Coupled with his good looks and friendship with Tifa Lockhart, another minor celebrity, he was the talk of the town! It was because of this that the slum girl saw her opportunity to strike.

Making up rumors about the pretty blonde was easy enough. Kyrie started small, nothing too outrageous. She gave it enough time to circulate through the usual social cliques till it had spread far enough to become fact. From there it snowballed, and her, upping the ante on each new salacious rumor that came down the pipeline. And of course, making sure everyone knew that she was the first to "hear" the news. That if people wanted the latest and greatest, she was their best source! For a good price of course.

Cause Kyrie Kanaan doesn’t work for free or cheap!

Humming a little to herself, she hopped off the stage, with a spring in her step.

And already, in her devious mind, she was already strategizing on the next great sexual exploit of Cloud Strife!

Chapter Text

As Cloud sat down at one of the tables near the bar, Tifa made her way to the kitchen to cook them some breakfast.

Her mind was still a typhoon of thoughts and emotions!

Constantly playing the lusty night on a loop in her mind for the hundredth time this morning, she still couldn’t believe she had been so bold! Approaching him with a kiss, undressing him when he demanded it, and even pawing at him without any prompting. What would Claudia think and say, if she knew Tifa had done those things to her son?! A lot of teasing for her, no doubt... and a slap on the back of Cloud's head, right after. But she couldn't find it in herself to regret a single moment of it!

Last night was amazing!

Well, it was before she passed out, at least.

And wasn’t that embarrassing!

Worse, Tifa had probably left Cloud unsatisfied with her performance, barely able to hold onto her childhood friend as he did all the work. But despite this, he had been so kind to her on their walk over to the bar. Even held her hand! She wondered if this was how he usually treated his conquests or if she was just special. Still what night! Tifa had heard all the stories from the older woman in Nibelheim about how the marriage bed wasn't about pleasure but a necessity. That you did your duty, and raised a beautiful family. Even Jessie’s bawdier recollections made it plain that cumming even once was quite an achievement and spoke highly of the experience of her partners

She orgasmed three times! Something she was sure was physically impossible.

Truly getting her money’s worth and getting a bargain deal if she ever saw one. Almost made her a little guilty for not paying her friend more. Thankfully, Cloud was addicted to sex, so he wasn’t charging his actual worth. Tifa didn’t think she could afford it if he was. But it also let her know that her original plan to handle all his sexual frustration herself wasn’t going to be feasible. Her very noticeable limp since they left the apartment all but confirmed that.

Tifa brought out some simple eggs and bacon to the table for them to munch on. A quick glance around told her Barret was already out. Probably dropping Marlene off for preschool up on the other side of the sector. They all had a little more free time since the bombing had to be postponed indefinitely. Apparently, the Turks were watching their suppliers in order to catch them. She winced a little remembering she forgot to make the little girl a lunch bag to take with her. Hopefully, Barret got her something on the way.

Tifa took a few moments to watch Cloud much studiously on a strip of meat.

No, she was going to have to come up with a new strategy, Tifa decided. If only so she wouldn’t be strapped to her bed, legs spread eagle getting fucked stupid all day. At least...not on the peak business days when she was working. She had bills to pay after all.

“These tastes really great, babe. It’s hit just the right spot.” Cloud praised, shooting her his most winning smile, ravenous hunger apparent. As he should, after that acrobatic show! It made her feel all gooey inside when he looked at her like that. And goodness the pet names! From anybody else, it would have sounded awkward. But from him... “You know, you don’t have to pay me for fixing your pipes. You're always trying to look out for me, but our relationship has changed. After last night, everything is on the house. Just ask and I’ll do anything for you.”

That caused her to blink stupidly for a second.

To say Tifa was shocked would be an understatement of the century. She had desperately hoped her feelings were properly conveyed to the blonde even through all their debauchery. However... around the second orgasm hitting, even she wasn’t sure if it was coming through properly between her moans. But now she knew he caught on to what she was dropping. That she only wanted the best for him, to keep him by her side through thick and thin.

That's why they're best friends, sometimes you don’t need to spell it out!

And Cloud was even considering her financial situation!

That, after a night with the merc, most women would want a repeat performance as many times as they could afford. Tifa could only guess at how many women had put themselves in economic ruin for a taste. And she’d be no exception. While Tifa wasn’t exactly rolling in cash, she was pretty well off, especially compared to your average slum dweller. But even at a 100 gil a pop, the barmaid would be in the poor house before long. She could barely calculate the potential zeros in her head, using every time she wanted to give in to her urges since reuniting with him as a benchmark.

It was a dizzying amount to be sure.

But now that he was offering, It would be rude of her not to take him up on his generosity. Still...

“Are you sure? I know you won’t accept my money but what about all the others?” Tifa asked, trying to figure out the status of his future late-night activities. Maybe he’d take a clean break from it all? It’d be a hit to his wallet, sure...but she’d feel better if he wasn’t just floating through life, going from one stranger-infested orgy to the next. “I can’t imagine you're going to start doing it out of the goodness of your heart. No matter how much you like the job.”

“Believe it or not, I think I’m starting to enjoy the praises and happy smiles more than the money. It feels good to do good, you know? The cash is just a nice bonus.” Cloud admitted. “Although I might start saying no to some of the filthier ones, a man can only take a shower so many times in a single day.”

Tifa didn’t know whether to be irritated or relieved at this admission. The idea of him being with other women drove her up the wall, even if he wasn't going to accept payment anymore. A man being with anyone other than his wife would have gotten him stoned back in Nibelheim and branded a scoundrel. But as she felt her pelvis creak, this might be the more practical solution...and he probably knew it. She was just glad he didn't outright say how pitful her performance was. Maybe she should try adding more thrusts in her hips? 

It almost made her feel sympathy for whoever ended up becoming the future Mrs. Strife. Though....that sure didn't stop the sudden flare of jealousy in her chest, like molten lava pouring out of her heart. But she had to mush that feeling down again, deep deep down. Because this wasn't the time or place to be confronting tangled and confusing feelings.

Tifa had to be his friend!

One who was trying to help and support him. If she couldn’t stop his philandering, then she could at least limit it somehow. If money wasn’t an issue because of how successful he’s been, then she could work with that. Instead of letting him just swing it around and letting any Jane with a fistful of coins catch it, Tifa could recruit only the good ones. The ones she knows will treat her friend right and slowly wean him off of other women.

“That’s good, maybe I’ll find something for you then.” Tifa hedged, trying to gauge his reaction to her interfering with his sex life. While they had a special relationship, she didn’t want to be presumptuous. “Probably no money but it’ll definitely satisfy you. I can already think of a few people who’d jump at the opportunity to spend time with you.”

“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t mind.” The merc said, thankfully not at all offended by her meddling. ”Do you have anyone already in mind who needs my skills?”

The name Jessie was blaring very loudly in her mind. But such things should be discussed face to face first. Even if she was a thousand percent sure that the redhead would be halfway out of her pants the moment the offer was floated her way.

Still better safe than sorry.

“Yeah, but I should talk to them first, don’t want to just drop it on them.”

000

‘Did they fuck?’

Jessie couldn't help but wonder as she observed her two friends. It was the only explanation that made sense but...it was so out of character for the childhood friends. Cloud had returned from whatever he was doing for a quick meal, and it was like fireworks between the two of them.

Tifa was cleaning up after the last patrons from the lunch rush. Wiping down the tables as Cloud sweetly helped to buss the silverware and take it over to the sink. The rest of Team Avalanche had made their escape during all the hubbub before they could get roped into helping out. She’d help too but one too many broken dishes had Avalanche declare her a walking disaster and banned from cleaning up. 'Just take the regular’s order and give them their food Jessie', she mocks their voices in her head. Which was fine with her cause she had better things to do with her time.

Like making bombs.

Well not that either since Shinra patrol were up their asses in the slum. 'Too hot, everyone had to lay low', their fearless leader had begrudgingly ordered.

Despite Tifa’s killer looks and rocking body, the girl was as shy as a dormouse when it came to anything intimate. The barmaid would blush at every single one of her stories like it was the height of debauchery. Even looked at her in disbelief when she said she had a boyfriend at eighteen! There was a revolving door of guys who came through the bar hoping to shoot their shot only to come crashing hilariously down. This told Jessie that the younger girl wasn’t opening the gates of heaven for the opposite sex anytime soon. For a time, she thought the bartender’s preference might swing the other way, only for her own not-so-hilarious attempts to end in failure as well.

And trust her, she tried every move in the book. Even that stupid flower trick that Al taught her. And not a single panty was dropped.

Their blonde merc was making his way out of the bar to get back to work. Hunting monsters or looking for more cats, she figured. Only for him to give Tifa’s hand a squeeze as he left.

Very bold for him.

Cloud came into the bar one day on a beautiful morning looking like her future baby daddy. The face of an angel, paired with a muscular body she wanted to lick. Jessie knew she had to see what he looked like without his clothes on. The baby blues had her smitten at first sight. Only...for the blonde to shoot down every single one of her advances. Some much for the rumors about him being a sex addict! It was like the flirtier she got...the more he doubled down. Not that she was giving up of course but Jessie knew that he was going to be one tough nut to crack.

Maybe it was a country thing?

And of course, with some many pretty people around all the time, she daydreamed a bit. Jessie was in a weird place of wanting to see her friends bump uglies while waiting for her chance to slide in between. Having one or both was the goal, no matter how unlikely that scenario was. However, every day of no progress told her it was becoming an unattainable fantasy. The kind that was only going to happen late at night in her room, with only her hand for company. It was like they didn’t have a sex drive! But that wasn’t true. They just had a very single targeted attraction.

Not too unexpected since they seemed to only notice the other even in a crowded room. Glance at each other in turns, always gravitating together like some supercharged magnets. It’d be sickening if they weren’t so oblivious to it. Those two had been toeing the line between friendship and something more. But it was taking so long. The redhead was half convinced that they’d have their first kiss at age forty.

So, Jessie knew something had happened with her friends, even if it wasn’t sex.

They were just so happy and being so flirty with each other. Not the traditional ways with pick-up lines and bold propositions. But like shy teenagers with jumpy brushes of the fingers and bright smiles as they made cow eyes at each other. It spoke volumes. It’d be cute too, if they were twelve. But she supposed for two repressed people like these country bumpkins, it was the equivalent of eye fucking each other from across the room. And her curiosity was getting the better of her.

She had to ask!

“Hey Tifa, what's going on between you and Mr. Pouty-lips? Something naughty I hope.” Jessie teased a bit to throw the girl off her game. “Did you two get up to something that you shouldn’t have? Cause if so, I want all the details!”

She thought the younger girl would do what she always does. Deflect or deny. Maybe blush prettily and try to look anywhere but at her. Maybe add a splutter to mix things up a bit. And certainly, she turned red...but the eye contact was new. A little bold even.

“As a matter of fact, we had a beautiful night together.” The barmaid began, before launching into a detailed retelling of the previous night. Turns out Cloud was turning tricks for money! What a revelation. No wonder she hadn’t gotten anywhere with him, since she was dirt poor. But Tifa was trying to help him turn a new leaf, letting him taste every inch of that deliciously fit body as a motivator. Unfortunately, it was only partially successful. His sex god reputation was more than earned it seemed. He was too much for her friend to handle alone. Three orgasms before she passed out! Honestly, it didn't seem like a problem to her. A plus really.

So, no more selling ass for money but his libido needed to be addressed. The solution was simple, more girls to handle the load. And the fighter already had the first helper already in mind. Truly the redhead was honored beyond mortal words. The offer given to her was a dream come true.

“So will you...do it?” Tifa asked uncertainly as if there was a world where Jessie would say no.

000

To say Cloud was getting very annoyed...was an understatement of the year. The reason why? Jessie Raspberry was still here. Walking with them to Stargazer Heights, up the stairs to their rooms, and... not leaving.

From the moment he returned to the bar, she was there.

Cloud had returned to have a late dinner with Tifa, and she was there eating right at the table with them! As he tried to engage Tifa in some light small talk about her day, the redhead was there with her own stupid stories and what she had been up to. Trying to get some flirting in? The mechanic would watch them the whole time, snickering whenever he opened his mouth. Washing the dishes? Jessie was already squeezing herself in between them, hip to hip.

He liked to consider them friends, even good friends. They have, after all, gone through acts of terrorism together. If that didn’t forge a bond between them then he didn’t know what could. He even helped her on her impromptu topside mission, of hers... the one to get the explosion chemicals for her modified bomb. Fought other Soldiers and giant mechanical killing machines for the girl. Even took being left out of the pizza party with a stiff upper lip, out of consideration for her family.

And now she was cock blocking him.

Fucking Jessie.

Was it too much for a man, after a long day of running around the slums, to want some alone time with his girlfriend? Was he offending some unknown malevolent god by wanting to get his dick wet? He didn’t think so. Such a god would have been burned at the stake years ago. Yet here she was, chatting up a storm with Tifa like she didn't have a care in the world. The redhead was even pushing her way into his room! And believe him, Cloud tried pointedly slamming the door in her face.

How much clearer can he get!?

Now she was making herself at home on his bed, having already kicked off her boot and taken off her armor. Seriously, who just lets themselves get so comfortable in someone else’s room, especially without an invitation? Not only was it rude, but it was worrying. Did she always do that when she was in a stranger’s room? Sure, they were friends, but he was still a man. What if he was a less considerate person and tried to take advantage? Where was her self-preservation?

Then she started taking off her pants.

“Alright Rasberry, I had a very long day. And I got something important I need to discuss with Tifa before I head off to bed.” If she wasn’t going to take a hint then he’d drop it on her head like a sack of bricks if needed. Some people just couldn’t read the clues. He had spent the entire day half-hard, and seeing Tifa prancing around in her short skirt had him at full mast now. It was a goddam emergency! “If you don’t need anything, can you just go home? I swear we’ll talk to you tomorrow. So please.”

Let it never be said that Cloud Strife was above begging.

“Oh, and what are you two gonna discuss, huh? Maybe I can give you my two cents? After all, the more the merrier.” The redhead purred, shoving her pants down her long legs and kicking them off her ankles. Was she flirting? In front of Tifa? True, they haven’t told anyone their new relationship status but he couldn’t help feeling offended in place of his friend.

'Was she not wearing any underwear?'

“Jessie, stop teasing, you're going to get yourself kicked out at this rate.” Tifa scolded her. But that is exactly what he wants! If he had to wait any longer, he was going to tear a hole through his pants. Unfortunately, before he could let the whole room know it, she continued. “I asked her to be here, Cloud, to join us in bed if you're alright with that.”

'Huh!?'

Tifa was sporting a sexy blush as she said this, but he didn’t have time to appreciate it before Jessie came over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips were on his before Cloud could stop it! He ended up getting a very detailed taste of Jessie’s tongue. And Tifa was just watching them and not doing anything about it!

No that wasn’t true...because she was undressing as she watched the display!

Breaking the kiss, Jessie whispered in his ear. “It's what she wants, so let's give her a show.”

At this, she got on her knees in front of him and began working on his belt. She made surprisingly quick work with his pants before reaching a dainty hand between the open zipper to fish him out.  But he felt the beginning stages of self-consciousness when she did that thing that Tifa had done yesterday. Putting her forearm against his length with a look of disbelief in her eye, but a grin on her face.

Seriously, what is that? What does it mean?

But before he could work up the courage to ask, she had already turned her attention from him to look back at the third person in the room. Jessie motioned for his girlfriend to come over, and Cloud finally noticed that Tifa was completely naked. Exciting but a little disappointing that he wasn’t going to get another strip show. He didn’t have time to consider his unfortunate situation though, as when Jessie's next words rang in his ears.

“Want me to show you how to give a blowjob?”

The words rang in his ears and he hoped she said yes. He really, really hoped she said yes.

Although, it did seem a little strange that Tifa had never gotten a guy off that way before...but maybe she just had standards? It did seem kinda degrading. Or maybe every other guy was just so happy to have her, that they decided to just skip straight to the main course. It’s what happened to them yesterday, after all.

But no begging was needed because she gave her a nod of confirmation before kneeling down too. Jessie's hands gave him a few strokes before she began swallowing him! Cloud almost choked from the suddenness of it. He could feel the tight compress of her throat as it squeezed down on his length. The wet warmth of her tongue as it lathered the underside of his shaft. Even some not-so-gentle sucking as she went up and down and tried to breathe through her nose. And once again he was in heaven.

Only for her to pull right back up coughing. Yikes! He must have tasted bad or something.

“Woof, sorry about that! Let the excitement get to me. ” Jessie said, fanning her face. "Might have gotten ahead of myself there. Gonna need a lot more lube for this monster."

Well now, Cloud was just offended.

'Really? Monster?'

That's no way to talk about his little friend. Sure, it may not be what a city girl like Jessie was used to but there was no cause for insults. It worked perfectly well for Tifa. But before he could defend himself, she already had her tongue back on him and one of her hands on his balls. 

“Most guys can make do with a little suction and tongue action.” The mechanic began to explain to the barmaid, like a class in session. Taking a quick second, Jessie finally pulled off her tight blue top before resettling on her knees, her chest proudly displaying their perkiness. But apparently, the bandanna was staying on. “However you get those exceptional few who need a little more care. See how I’m licking around the rim of his head? And make sure to focus a little on that bit of skin between the bulb and foreskin, it’s sensitive. Then up and down the shaft. And when you're ready, gently try to swallow. The key is to relax your throat and breathe through your nose.”

She gave a very in-depth demonstration for the younger girl, spit running down the side of her jaw in rivers. Eventually, Jessie pulled back with a wet pop, and gave the head a kiss, before aiming the wet thing Tifa's way.

“Now you try.”

A moment of hesitation, then Tifa put him on her tongue. Her pink muscle worshiped him from tip to base as if her life depended on it. Her hands joined the redhead on his balls and they began rolling the two orbs between them like they were playing catch. Jessie seemed satisfied that her instructions were being followed well because she put her own tongue back in the mix, working in tandem with the barmaid. Cloud felt his gut clench and slit leak at the sensation and exotic sight. If he didn’t think it would offend everyone, he would have taken a picture to immortalize the moment.

Cloud was certain he was going to have a heart attack as he watched Tifa go deeper, slowly trying to push every inch of him down at Jessie's enthusiastic cheerleading. Once she hit capacity about halfway, she began bobbing her head on what she could manage. Jessie’s own hands joined in, stroking what was left out of the warm vacuum, before putting her own tongue back to work. The two friends kept at it for what felt like a blissful eternity, until he felt his balls tightening. Almost like a six sense, Jessie could tell he was about ready to finish because she pulled Tifa back just as he was tipping over, and began stroking him faster.

“Open your mouth, Tifa! He’s about to blow.”

And blow he did, hitting both pretty girls across their faces, in what felt like a month’s worth of cum. On their tongues, on their hair, every inch of their skin his ropes could reach. And he kept cumming, to the startled squeals of his girls. By the time he stopped, he felt like he might need a minute to sit and breathe. Maybe go on a quick coffee run for everyone to recharge.

Only then, for Jessie turn to Tifa and kiss her, swirling their froth cover tongues for him to see. Now he didn’t need a minute.

‘Having a girlfriend is the best!’

000

Tifa never understood the attraction of porn, watching or reading.

It was just too embarrassing, seeing two or more people go at it like that. The moans were so loud from the videos, she was afraid of getting caught. Some of the places they had sex, like in a school or back alley, just looked unsanitary. And...Tifa had a bad habit of overthinking when she saw the people, wondering about the feelings of all the actors involved. She kept pondering all the hypothetical life choices they may have had to make to get to that moment. Were they happy with themselves? Did they do this for enjoyment or was this just a way to get some quick cash? What would their friends and family think if they caught wind of this?

It went from titillating to remorseful real fast.

But as she watched Cloud line himself up with Jessie’s upraised ass, the sight of the redhead's hands on the headboard and one of his clenching hard at her hip, Tifa thought that maybe she finally understood what was so fun about it. And the sensation of the older girl’s body pressing down on top of her’s own, nipples rubbing against each other at every breath, certainly added context to how those porn actors might have felt. But before she could consider these new revelations her childhood friend rammed forward.

“Holy fuck!”

Tifa didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for the willowy woman on top of her, even as she felt the other woman's body get rocked. Jessie had practically egged Cloud to be rough with her when they got into position! Even lightly mocking him for a bit, before saying he didn't need to be gentle, she could take anything he could throw her way.  And then...the mechanic said she was no shy virgin who was going to break from a hard pounding, making sure to send a sly glance in Tifa’s direction when she said this. The nerve of this woman!

Inexperienced or not, the barmaid knew what an animal Cloud was in bed. Had tried to warn her friend, not get it thrown back in her face!

Even when Cloud went harder and Jessie’s arms struggled to hold on before giving out, Tifa had no sympathy. The sight of the mechanic dropping her head onto Tifa’s breasts, like a puppet with its strings cut, still wasn’t going to make her budge. Not even as the Tifa reached her hand down to gently scrub the edge of her own lower lips as she watched the show, curbing her irritation.  Nope, no sympathy from her. If anything, it was kind of sexy to see Jessie's face go through a thousand different expressions.  but keeping a stupid cross-eyed look the whole time.

Not that Tifa would admit that out loud.

No need to be cruel.

“Shit I’m about to……!"

Ah, there it was. The beginning of the end. This was why Tifa needed help! If every girl keeps cumming after a few dozen thrusts from Cloud, then they were gonna be in for a very rough night. She almost felt vilified for correctly knowing her limits and enlisting the redhead's help to handle this lust monster. Even Jessie, for all her escapades, was just giving her a glassy-eye look as she sprayed herself silly.

But...they were in this together...and teamwork makes the dreamwork's.

“Cloud, pull out and put it in me next, I can’t wait!” She said encouragingly, hoping to buy some time for her friend.

Tifa practically choked out her air as she felt her stud switch between holes. If she didn’t know it was physically impossible, she’d swear that she could feel the tip of his penis touching her heart. Over her shoulder, she saw Cloud pushed down on Jessie’s limp back with his chest, leaning his full weight down on the girls to get a better angle. She felt his hands moving, switching between both girls' breasts, pawing their mounds and tweaking the nipples at his leisure. All while he was relentless with his thrusts, like the fighter had a million gils hidden behind her clenching walls and his penis was the only way to get at it. She didn’t think she was going to last much longer at this pace.

Tifa knew she wasn’t when she felt a finger rubbing on her clit and saw Jessie’s shit-eating grin staring up at her. So much for teamwork.

And her mind blanked from the release.

Thankfully, or maybe not thankfully, Cloud was coming at the same time and filling her to the brim with his spunk. It honestly felt like he was shoving a second penis in there from how much Tifa was being stretched. Her stomach muscles ached, desperately trying to fight the unrelenting flood. She didn’t know if micro-orgasms were even a thing but if they were, then she was having it. Those two quick releases from her had her rolling her eyes into the back of her skull, barely registering him pulling out. Her heart was still beating a thousand miles a minute, even after she took a few deep breaths to recover.

In Tifa’s daze, she felt the other girl kissing her lips.

“Let's go clean your slut up, then I want to ride him,'' Jessie whispered eagerly into her ear, giving the lobe a nip, before she helped haul both of them up.

And their Cloud was, on his back breathing hard, with a dazed expression. Long penis only slightly less hard than when they started and very filthy with their mixed juices. While they had gotten his pants and other clothes off during their impromptu team blowjob lesson, he still had his sweater on. The hem was rolled up just under his pecs but with his abs on full display. Each ridge was wet and shiny for all the lovemaking.

He looked so obscene.

Was Tifa weird for thinking he looked pretty?

Both girls slid closer to him on their bellies, coming face to face with their prize. Embarrassingly, Tifa took a moment to admire the sigh of it, before remembering herself and quickly leaning forward. Their tongues, worked together again as they licked and swallowed every part of the soft veiny skin, working him clean. They were getting a little too into it as Jessie even took a few playful swipes at his anus when she worked on the sac, and Tifa began deepthroating him again. The feeling of Cloud shivering slightly in her throat was intoxicating. But it couldn’t be all fun and game though, as she felt herself being gently but firmly pushed to the side so the pretty redhead could climb on top of her best friend.

Tifa made to scoot up a bit and rolled into Cloud’s side so she could watch the action.

She rubbed her right hand up and down his muscles, resting her cheek on his shoulder as Jessie lined herself up and let her hips drop. A harsh hiss escaped from the redhead, but before she voiced her concern, the older girl was moving. And what pace she was going! The harsh slap of skin on skin, deafening in the tiny room. Even Cloud could barely keep his one hand on her hip as he tried thrusting back up just as fiercely.

But Jessie's fun ride was almost over before it began because thrust by thrust, Cloud was reassuring dominance on her body.

For a bizarre moment, Tifa thought she could almost see Cloud’s outline.

And judging from how hard she closed her eyes and was biting her lips, Jessie wasn’t going to last much longer. Tifa had to act fast! But even with her kissing Cloud and rubbing at every part of his body she could reach to distract him, none of it seem slow down the relentless collision of hips. If anything, it looked like it motivated him to go harder! And then it was too late. The redhead came and even got her own belly full of semen as a prize, stomach bulging a little. Once again Jessie collapsed down, this time onto Cloud, and looked about ready to pass out. Not that Tifa could blame her, she also was about ready for a nice long nap herself.

Unfortunately, Cloud was looking down at her, almost with a crazed look in his eye. He slid Jessie's exhausted form off to the other side of the bed and rolled back on her before she could think. Tifa got flipped overhandedly by the waist and had her hips pulled back towards him. It happened so fast, that she barely had time to scramble her hands beneath her before he was ramming right back in. But Tifa shouldn’t have bothered, because she felt her arms give out almost instantaneously the moment he found his rhythm. Head down and ass up, there was only one coherent thought in her head as she took the pounding.

‘We might need more girls.’

000

There were common misconceptions about Jenova.

Most people tend to think she's evil, some monster from space hell-bent on eradicating a planet's natives and stealing Gaia's life force. What would she even do with that big bitch’s energy? The alien couldn’t begin to guess. Become a god? She was already immortal and stronger than most things Gaia could throw at her, so what would be the point? It was like adding an extra scoop of ice cream on an ice cream cake! Nice but not strictly needed. Though the destruction of the Cetra sometime after her arrival certainly didn’t help her case, she supposed. No, the truth was much simpler and sympathetic.

She was horny.

And she needed sex to fuel her powers. It was a quirk of her people that the more orgasms achieved the stronger they became. The side effect was it had a multiplying consequence of needing more sex once you started. That you ended up in a vicious loop of seeking the next release, almost an addiction. A terrible curse that saw most of her homeworld swearing celibacy so they wouldn’t accidentally fuck the universe into submission.

She personally didn’t see what the big deal was.

As the last of her kind because of said vows, she didn’t have a whole lot of options. If Jenova wanted satisfaction, then the only recourse was to find other planets whose populations had developed far enough to have evolved all the fun bits and pieces. Eventually, she found that on the planet Gaia. And, the first to discover Jenova in her crash site were the Cetra, one of the many races populating Gaia at the time. They thought she was some fallen goddess who came to guide them out of their Age of Darkness and Ignorance. Not at all her intent but she could think quickly on her feet.

So, she gave them whatever bits of knowledge she could scrap together from her memories.

Considering her people had about a millennium of civilization to draw upon, and the natives were still making fire by hitting rocks together, it was quite a treasure trove for these monkey people. Even taught them some fun parlor tricks with these funny marbles she found around the Mako Springs. Hilariously, they started calling it magic, but you don’t need marbles to use magic.

'Truly, the ignorant were the happiest people.' She thought fondly at the time.

Occasionally, she’d even give one of the prettier ones some of her DNA, to make them just a bit more special. Make them into her little demigod children, her Chosen. Her elite fuckbuddies. It was mainly for the women but once in a blue moon she’d find a particular exceptional cutie among the men.

And her hard work paid off because they worshipped the very ground she walked on!

Took even her stupidest words as gospel, as if Jenova was revealing the truths of the universe to them. Who the heck thought she was serious when she said those giant birds would make wonderful pets? The Cetra provided her decadent foods to eat, luxurious creature comforts... and one time, even tried to offer her human sacrifices before she put a stop to that.

But best of all...were the orgies, endless orgies with all the women she could want.

Jenova was truly living her best life.

But of course, her stupid Chosen people had to ruin it by starting a religious war of conquest with everyone else on the planet! To spread the word of Jenova they said. Why? She didn’t ask for that. But she didn’t question it, didn’t try to get involved in any way. Had been really wanting to work on her control freak tendencies. She decided to compromise and let the Cetraians have a little more free will.

She shouldn’t have.

Because after a few decades, it resulted in her people damn near wiping themselves out to extinction. Hell, Jenova herself was tossed into the nearest mako pool, to cleanse the world of her debauched and evil ways apparently. Fuck that Odin guy. She picked a terrible time to start self-improvement.

But as an immortal, it was more of an annoyance than anything life-threatening, so she resolved to just wait it out for a couple of centuries before making her triumphant return. Things didn’t go as planned. She was stuck in that cesspit for almost a thousand years before some primitive scientists fished her out. And Jenova was not looking her best if the screams of said scientists were anything to go by.

It was cool though, even if it hurt her feelings, she’d just regain some of her power and find another host body or something. Maybe even create a whole new one from scratch if no one was willing. The scientist might have been cutting and poking parts of her decrepit body for research, but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t like she was going to use it for much longer anyway. From what little she overheard they were mixing her cells with a bunch of randos to create superhuman soldiers. Why they picked her when she was a lover and not a fighter was a mystery. The idea of violence always made her ill. But not her problem. She went into a bit of hibernation to heal her mind and prepare for the transition.

Jenova thinks she might’ve gotten her head cut off at one point.

Only to regain consciousness at the most delightful surprise, one of hers was getting it on with two very gorgeous girls. A perky redhead and a busty brunette. And he was really giving it to them! Covered in cum from head to toe and begging for more. But the exhaustion in their eyes was apparent. They weren’t going to last much longer, a common problem Jenova had herself during the height of her power.

She didn’t have the power to create a new body just yet, and there wasn’t a line of volunteers ready for her to take them as a host. But she had more than enough strength to hitch a ride with one of her Chosen. After all, taking her DNA was pretty much consent for her to do these kinds of things. There were other Children running around but none of them were in such a fun situation. This one was following her teachings down to the letter.

How did he know? Did he learn from some dusty scripture of the Cetra or was this all instinct?

But none of it mattered... because she was going to have a whole lot of fun with this one.

Chapter Text

The bright morning... saw a very exhausted Tifa Lockhart dragging her worn body through the topside streets of sector 8 for some shopping.

She had barely managed to make her escape before Cloud had woken up to begin another round of lovemaking. The brunette felt a little guilty for leaving Jessie all alone to handle it herself – but honestly, she needed a break from getting drilled into the threadbare mattress! Besides, they really did need to stock up on more groceries for the apartment if he wasn’t going to let up. She was getting a little sick of eating whatever easy food they could scrounge together in between.

So here she was shopping for all the essentials, in her element at last. Much to her surprise, Cloud had given her access to all his money and insisted she use it to buy what she needed when she needed it. He was firm in the idea that his money was her money too, for some reason. It warmed her heart to know that he trusted her so much he’d just give her the key to all his finances. That was the homegrown Nibelheim boy she knew – where trust in their little village was freely given. Not like the city, where even around your closest friends, you needed to keep one hand on your wallet.

It did shock her to see how much money the Ex-Soldier had squirreled away. Was this all just from his mercenary work? Or was some of it from his nighttime exploits? Maybe this had helped his decision to not accept payment for sex anymore?

A week since Jessie’s initiation to their little club had Tifa still in despair at her two-woman plan being less than effective. Seven days and Cloud was still tossing them around like it was the first. She almost missed her scheduled work shifts and had to apologize profusely to her regulars for the late start. The redhead had basically quit her job at the local theater in sector 8 after too many absent days. Well not too big of a loss since Avalanche's mechanic made most of their money through inventions like their water filters.

Shit the water filters!

When was the last time one of them did a collection run and re-upped their customers? Cloud and she had done it just eight days ago, she remembered feeling relief flood through her. She had been shirking too many of her commitments lately and the days were starting to blur together as she spent most of it on her back.

So, Tifa needed to rethink her strategies, even if they had managed so far at keeping her childhood friend out of the beds of other women.

Walking into the supermarket she had to consider her options. Tifa couldn’t just ask random women to join them, it’d set them back to square one when the merc was whoring himself out. And she didn’t trust other women to not stir up trouble, all too aware of the jealousy that could happen when multiple women shared the same man. She had been on the receiving end of such behavior from angry wives and girlfriends, whose partner would flirt with the barmaid as she was serving them drinks. That was her not even reciprocating! No, it had to be women she knew whose character she could vouch for and would mix well with their unusual situation.

Tossing the produce and proteins into her basket, Tifa decided the easiest would be to tap into her network of female friends. Only embarrassingly, she didn’t really have a whole lot of gal pals. For some reason, most other females just didn’t seem to like her even when there were no men involved. Though Tifa tried to be her friendliest with them, she only got sullen silences and hard glares for her efforts. This was a problem that had followed her even as a young girl in Nibelheim like she personally offended them somehow.

There were only three women who would associate with Tifa Lockhart on a social level – Jessie and Nellie her Avalanche comrades and Marle her landlady.

Queuing up in line to finish her shopping; she considered that, as funny as the thought was to have her neighbor join them, there was a very real risk that her life might be in danger from Cloud's aggression. The man might pound the poor elderly woman’s pelvis into fine powder. The barmaid didn’t think she could take any more deaths on her conscience. Jessie was already in the bag, being a very enthusiastic participant. The redhead was practically living in his apartment now, with how many nights she was staying. Nellie, while quite the cutie herself, was a painfully shy one – this despite being part of a terrorist organization. And coming from Tifa, that was really saying something. She’d have to work on the girl and gauge what her reaction might be before an offer was made.

In the meantime, it meant Tifa needed to get out of her social bubble and go make friends.

Paying the cashier, she made her way out the door. Since she was here maybe she should get a quick bite to eat at a local spot? Bring a little something back for the others so they can all share later? She had some time to spare before she had to jump back into that sex dungeon since the bar was closed today.

It was one of the few days where it was more cost-effective to keep the doors closed.

Even the most degenerate alcoholic was going to have a hard time coming in on a Monday night just to drink. People in the slums just didn’t have the gil to justify the expense. The few that might come weren’t really worth the overhead cost of letting them in for a few hours. Besides, Tifa was still working on building up Seventh Heaven’s reputation as a family bar and restaurant – not just a place for people to get drunk and a little handsy with the barmaid.

She was already at capacity with weird things touching her body, thank you very much.

Tifa was in the mood for some Wutai. Maybe some drunken noodles with some beef protein to get her and the other's energy back up? No seafood, the last thing the blonde needed was an aphrodisiac. What was the name of that restaurant again? The Golden Shuriken? A little racist but it got the message across. And it certainly was memorable. Besides, did it really count if the people who named it were Wutain themselves?

So lost in her thought about the ethics of leaning into stereotypes she didn’t notice the girl speaking to her until a flower was shoved into her face.

And what a pretty thing she was. A little shorter than her with big green eyes that made Tifa want to stare into them. Soft-looking light brown hair that was done in a long braid on the back, paired with loose short bangs up front. A bit of a pink eyesore of a dress but she made it work with a tiny reck jacket that seemed more for style than utility. A slim figure that told her that muscle and fat were just not an option on this body. Big boots, wrist bangles, and a cute bow on her head to finish off the package. Also, pink of course.

“Flower for a gil?”

“Huh?”

“A flower,” the pink cutie repeated, lifting her basket full of yellow flowers up to eye level. They looked just like the flower Cloud had given her after the bombing mission. Did he buy it from her? Her eyes narrowed a bit, was this girl a client? But before Tifa could let her mouth get her in trouble, the seller continued. “For only one gil. I grow them myself under the plate, so they're a hundred percent authentic. They even have a beautiful message, "a celebration of lovers reunited". Maybe you can buy one for your boyfriend?”

Her first thought was of Cloud, her pretty friend who had given her the yellow flower. They weren’t in that kind of relationship, despite her letting him rearrange her guts. Maybe once the beast was tamed, they could have a serious conversation about it, and put down firm labels? It’d be a while, but a girl could dream.

“No boyfriend, unfortunately,” Tifa said, trying to keep a nonchalant tone. Was it just her or did the flower girl’s smile seem to get just a bit wider? “But I do own a bar in sector 7. I was trying to go for a bit of a Western theme. Wooden plaster on the walls and everything. Some flowers might really sell it.”

“Oh, in that case, were you looking for a supplier? I could be your girl.” Pinkie said. For such an innocent line, it was weirdly suggestive. She might have even purred a little at the end. But one of the rules for life on the ground floor was you make connections, no matter who it was. It didn’t matter if the girl was one of Cloud’s bedroom buddies, Tifa prided herself in being practical. If she cold-shoulders everyone who might have gotten tumbled by her childhood friend, then she might as well mark off half the city. “Maybe we can have a lunch date if you're not too busy? Discuss our future ‘relationship’?”

“Sure, I was actually about to head over to the Golden Shuriken for a meal and pick up. Wanna join?” Tifa asked politely, getting a nod in confirmation. A little company was always nice, and she didn’t have to sit alone like a weirdo. Plus, too many guys would approach her, trying to flirt with obvious intentions or straight out asking if she was "working". What happened to all the decent guys? A nice friendly meal was just what she needed. “I'm Tifa by the way.”

She stuck her hand out to shake the shorter girl’s. The other woman clasped her hand and gave her an impish smile.

“Aerith.”

000

Jessie was having a great week!

Not only was she getting well fucked, but it was also by the hottest guy and girl in all of Midgard! It felt like she was floating on air from how many times one of her pretty companions took her to ecstasy and beyond. Cloud she expected but Tifa, the little tease, was such an active lover it was hard to believe it had been her first time going down on a girl. It was always the shy one that was the wildest in bed, she mused. It made the redhead want to make another run at their friend Nellie. If shyness was proportional to how kinky one was in bed, then the skinny blonde would probably bust out the whips and hot candle wax.

‘But don’t get ahead of yourself.’ she had to remind herself for the thousandth time, ‘This is Tifa’s boy, you gotta run things by her first.’

Jessie could read the room; she knew her place in their sexy little hierarchy. Could see it from how gently the Ex-Soldier rammed his hips into Tifa, never more than the country girl could take. Which wasn’t that gentle but very noticeable when you compared it to her own rutting. Pretty obvious, with how Cloud made sure his friend’s eyes were closed before he sprayed her face, but the redhead had to be quick on her feet with closing her own. The brunette even got caressing strokes of her raven locks when she was tuckered out, while her own crimson fringe was used to wipe his dick clean. Not that she minded but it certainly said a lot.

She was at the bottom of the totem pole, with holes to be used when needed. Her mouth was for sucking, not talking.

But as much as she loved the wifey and mistress dynamic they had going on... since being part of a growing harem, you had to be circumspect if you wanted to keep your spot.

And grow it would, because even working together they were at their limits. No matter what they did the blonde merc always had energy to spare. If she didn’t know any better, Jessie would say he was getting stronger – what used to exhaust him on the first day seemed to only make him more demanding on the next. It was like he was possessed by a horny space alien. Her overstuffed holes were a testament to that. What should have been a two-woman job, was no longer gonna cut it. They needed to expand.

And fast.

Thankfully Tifa was in agreement. They needed more to lighten the load.

They had thought to tap into their female acquaintances first. Not that they had a whole lot of those between the two of them. A few girls they would love to fastrack but nobody on-hand at the moment. So, they needed to go meet new people. How Tifa was going to do that when most women look at that fit body and beautiful face with either hatred or lust was beyond her. Not that she was going to be any better.

Jessie may have burned too many bridges with most of her fairer sex companions. It wasn’t her fault! Who knew these girls would be so clingy after a couple of nights of innocent fun? The redhead wasn’t looking for anything serious, just a few casual orgasms between friends. Nothing complicated about it. Why did they always expect more? Not like her current situation, where a romantic relationship was certainly not on the table.

The others… well, maybe she had gotten a little too flirty with their men. But how was she supposed to know that they’d prefer her over them? And really the ones who let her into their beds for a threesome should’ve prepared for the worst. You don’t make an offer like that and not be a hundred percent secure in your relationship. But then again not everyone loves each as deeply as Cloud and Tifa do.

So here Jessie Raspberry was, on the prowl for a cutie in sector 5. It had to be here. She was a little too notorious in sector 7 and all the women had their guards up. Like she wouldn’t give them the best night of their lives! Sector 6 pleasure district was a big no-no, that was just asking for trouble. Liable to get you picked up and sent to some brothel. Or worse, into Don Corneo’s bed.

Give her a bullet to the head any day over that.

And her week just got better because Jessie spied a potential up on a stage, waving her hand and talking about something to a crowd. Practically advertising herself for the redhead. She was a pretty one that was for sure, kind of even looked a little like Tifa from an angle. Long black hair like the fighter, quite a bit of porcelain skin on display that spoke of her Wutain descent, and some kissably pouty lips. A little on the young side Jessie thought, seeing her rounded cheeks but hey, an adult was an adult.

She pushed her way through the human traffic to hear what her new best friend was talking about.

Only for the crowd to start booing her.

“Wait, wait! I got more!” The hat girl shouted over the noise, “He just doesn’t let up! Seven days of just nonstop pounding for the lucky girls! Our merc had them do every filthy thing you can think of to the male anatomy. Even held both up at one point against the door of his room and let the whole street hear!”

Jessie blinked in confusion. Why did that sound so familiar?

“You already told us that story, Kyrie!” someone shouted to Jessie’s left. And there were murmurs of assent to that. The mood of the people was turning sour by the second.

“They were more cum than women, I tell ya!” Kyrie frantically said but that got the whole assembly groaning in disbelief at the audacity. “And you’d think eventually he’d let them rest. But no! The redhead and brunette had to clean themselves up for his pleasure. Tongue every nook and cranny on each other spotless or he wouldn’t let them anywhere near his penis! And they did it with a smile. Don't even get me started on what he made the lovely ladies do to each other for his entertainment after! Sitting over his debased subjects like a king on his throne.”

“Yeah right, Kyrie” a pretty redhead near the front interjected. “I tried asking him about those stories to see if they were true. Even tried paying him to go to my friend’s birthday party but he said no. Told me he only does mercenary work; he doesn’t spread his legs no matter how much gil is offered!”

That made the assembly even more heated. A discourse was starting to form in the onlookers as people began piping up their own accounts. Each one, apparently debunking whatever Kyrie was trying to say. Seeing that the story might all be lies, some people near the edges started to leave. Interest was fading fast now that the reliability of the storyteller was in doubt. And it just kept piling on.

“It’s just your usual bullshit Kanaan!”

“Yeah, why don’t you try telling the truth for once in your life!”

“Heh, I bet that story about him, and the Costa Del Sol girls was fake too!”

“Wait! So, he’s not a prostitute!? Aw, man.”

“No no, it’s because he fell in love, you know?!” Kyrie tried to recover at the sight of the crowd dispersing. It didn’t seem like anyone had much attention to spare in hearing her now that the girl’s credibility was in tatters. Still, she tried. “He still spreads them, you just got to go through his girlfriend first. But it’s not that hard! She’s a real freak too! Even goes out and invites other girls herself. Please, you gotta believe me!”

But no one did. Jessie felt kind of bad for the girl, even if she didn’t completely understand why she was talking about someone’s sex life to the public. But say what you will about the redhead, the mechanic had a soft spot for people in distress. It was why she left her cushy topside home on the plate and a promising acting career at the Golden Saucer. How she first made Tifa’s acquaintance all those years ago at that clinic, when the new arrival was being taken advantage of by the doctor. It’s what made her want to take a stand against Shinra’s evils and join Avalanche.

She was on a mission but couldn’t ignore someone in need.

Seeing the girl, Kyrie, sitting down dejected on the stage as the crowd around them dispersed, Jessie came to a decision. Her moral compass demanded she help the distressed girl from.... whatever this was. Mind set, the redhead approached the sad brunette and sat next to her, getting her attention.

“Hey Kyrie, right?” she said, offering the girl a reassuring smile. For now, she’d put slutty Jessie in a box and let big sister Jessie emerge. “My name’s Jessie, I couldn’t help but notice what just happened. Are you ok? Do you need help? Or maybe just someone to talk to?”

Kyrie’s eyes seemed to widen in surprise at the offer being made. Of this stranger coming out of nowhere basically giving her a shoulder to cry on if need be. Not surprisingly, you don’t get far in the slums without having a healthy amount of skepticism. Still gotta give a little, to get a little.

“I’m happy to lend an ear if you want.”

000

Kyrie didn’t have the best of imaginations; it was a harsh self-assessment, but it was true. She didn’t see fanciful patterns in the mud like the kids when she was a child. Didn’t daydream of knights slaying dragons, of castles floating in the clouds, or of Golden Chocobos, granting wishes. She only had money on her mind and only the grind needed to achieve her dream of being rich. Which is why she was running into one hell of a problem making up any new stories about Cloud Strife and his sexual adventures.

She couldn’t think of anything else.

And people were getting tired and suspicious of hearing the same stories.

All her research into some of the most scandalous books she could find was barely any help. Even the ones that were banned by Shinra parental censorship! The problem she realized lay in the characters being used. You see, there were only so many times a person could describe the main character plowing the fields of a bunch of pretty but faceless strangers before it became tedious. Description of new positions, figuring out new words for hip thrusts, and giving explicit reenactment of moans barely helped the problem. And she couldn’t get too kinky with her stories in public or Shinra patrol would have her in handcuffs before she could blink.

Seriously, didn’t they have anything better to do than harass an honest businesswoman?

But if it was people that were known? If she was able to provide a description of the actors? Give them names and features the horny crowd can imagine? Every detail of these sexy women’s bodies? Well, it started to paint a picture and that picture was worth a thousand words.

So, she started to follow Cloud from a distance, trying to see which lovely ladies were in his life, and who would play the heroine of her lies. Only for her not to have to make up any lies at all. Because he really was a sex god!

On just her maiden outing alone, she saw the Ex-soldier chatting up the owner of the Seventh Heaven bar. Honestly, at first, it didn’t seem like he had much game from how often there were awkward silences. Kyrie was seriously scared that Cloud Strife was more of a dork than even she could have anticipated. Still, she was determined and followed them for a distance, watching as the barmaid made the merc laugh about something. And then her efforts bore fruit.

Kyrie spent the first night watching him seduce Tifa Lockhart into his room.

The young entrepreneur had to see what was going on! For documentation purposes of course. She made sure no one could catch her sneaking onto the roof of the apartment complex and got into position. Thankfully it was a balcony and rooftop ensemble so she didn't need to risk her life clinging onto roof tiles – Kyrie could get nice and comfortable. A little unauthorized drilling on the concrete slabs and she had her front-row seat to the show.

There was some kissing, the usual foreplay, a strip show. The younger brunette excitedly wrote down the part where he made the busty girl undress him. That was gold! And what a length on the man! Then Cloud was giving it to the slutty barmaid like it was their last night on Gaia! They were so loud, that Kyrie thought they were going to wake up the whole street block with their attempt at making the beast with two backs. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice the depravity going on under their noses and the brunette was able to finish off her notes in record time. Maybe rub a quick one out while she was at it.

The next night was even better because he brought two girls home with him!

This time Kyrie came even more prepared to get all the juicy details of this little tryst. A fitted spyglass to shove through the hole she made and a doctor’s stethoscope to listen in. A nice warm blanket for the night and a thermos full of soup. And an extra pair of panties because walking home soaked was uncomfortable.

She couldn’t hear everything being said, the words a little garbled but she was able to get the gist. From what she was able to piece together Cloud was demanding the second girl Jessie get naked, which she did by taking off her pants. Tifa was telling him how she invited the redhead into their bed and as a reward he was going to let them both blow him. And from there the night spiraled into a teenager's wet dream.

And Kyrie kept an eye on them for the rest of the week just to make sure she got everything recorded for posterity. Nothing weird about that. She wasn’t being a voyeur or anything, she was just doing research. Just to make sure she had more than enough material for her next couple of news assemblies. She could already feel the weight of the gil in her hands!

‘I’m pretty good at this investigation business,’ Kyrie thought to herself with a laugh, getting ready to address her adoring public and take their money, ‘maybe I should open a detective agency once the scam runs dry.’

But the worst thing imaginable happened, people were fact-checking her! What horny sluts were actually going to the blond merc and propositioning him for sex?! What a waste of money! And right before she gave them first-hand accounts of his actual sexual adventures! Talk about back timing.

It was disastrous, people were leaving, and she didn’t have a leg to stand on. Another scheme already went down the drain before she could milk it for all it was worth.

Now what?

Then to her surprise, one of the slutty girls she had been watching over the past week sat next to her. Kyrie’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest, thinking the taller girl was about to beat her ass for putting her private life on display for money. It wouldn’t be the first time this happened, she did live in the slums after all where such things were expected. But it didn’t make the bruises hurt any less!

Instead of swinging a fist, however, Jessie was trying to comfort her.

She blinked her eyes in confusion as the redhead kept talking, not at all angry with her. The redhead was even trying to offer her help for some reason. Did this mean she didn’t know what was going on? Or did she not mind the ludicrous details of her sex life being on display? Maybe she was just a pervert? But no, she seemed to actually be sincere.

And Kyrie saw an opportunity.

“Actually, that would be pretty nice,” the scammer simpered, making sure to put on her most helpless ‘slum girl’ look. Maybe this venture wasn’t dead yet? It’d give her time to rework it from a different angle if there was anything to salvage. Or failing that, at the very least let her get close enough to Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart steal from them! The Ex-Soldier was famous for taking on half the jobs in the sectors, he had to have a nice pile of gil hidden somewhere. And slutty girl number one owned a business, which meant there was also a nest egg to be taken from her. Kyrie could play the troubled teen in need of help, with the best of them! “I'm just really down on my luck and was living from job to job. Now that my News business blew-up in my face, I don’t know what to do. Where do I even sleep tonight?”

None of it was strictly true but Jessie didn’t need to know that.

“Well then, you're in luck! I have a friend who’s not really using her apartment at the moment. She’s been spending most of her nights with the new boyfriend.” Jessie said cheerfully, getting up to her feet and motioning for Kyrie to follow her. Kyrie made sure to give the older girl her best hopeful smile, trying not to let her smugness bleed through. A free room! It sure beats going home to her grandma tonight and having to hear another lecture about taking advantage of the poor slum people. “I’ll have to clear it with my friend Tifa first but I’m sure she won't mind. We lower plate girls gotta stick together.”

So, it was Tifa’s room, eh?

This just keeps getting better and better! These people were just asking to get themselves robbed blind!

000

Cloud was hating his life right now.

Barret had roped him into helping with an Avalanche mission at the infamous Wall Market of sector 6. The man was firm in that just because the bombing was off for now didn’t mean they could get lazy. They just couldn’t be so loud about it; the gunman had grudgingly admitted. That there were plenty of missions and supply runs that could be done to help the movement and screw Shinra over.

Usually, Cloud would refuse, considering their illustrious leader had barely paid him for the last mission.

Weeks after it was accomplished! But circumstances changed, the Ex-Soldier now had a pair of beautiful women at home to take care of. Sure, it’d been mainly just sex and they actually have not been on any dates yet…. But he's known Tifa since they were kids, and he probably knew a little too many details about Jessie's personal life at this point. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure how he would classify what Jessie was to him and Tifa. Maybe another girlfriend for the couple? A throuple if you will? Whatever it was, he did things only a husband should do to the woman, now he had a responsibility as a man to provide. And Barett was offering the most amount of money for work, so here he was.

The mission currently?

Following and reporting on the Turks, Shinra’s Administrative Research or General Affairs Department, movements.

The terrorist cell needed to know exactly how much intel the organization had on them and how they in turn would respond. Jessie and Bigg’s hacking skills were pretty good, but the Turks recently had a system overhaul because of the bombing – it would take time to crack. Plus, who knew what nasty firewalls they might have implemented since? So, until the tech geniuses figured out a way through it without triggering any alarms, that left groundwork.

(We could be at home, tucked into a nice human sandwich.)

Even if you discount Barret’s size, the man still had a machine gun for an arm. Very memorable even if they weren’t trying to be sneaky. Wedge also had a size problem, which was exacerbated by the man’s lack of self and spatial awareness. A terrible combination when trying to follow people whose bread and butter was investigating. Cloud has lost count of the number of jobs he had taken from the chipper giant to go looking for his cats, all because he forgot to close his front door.

The Department knew the terrorist cell was under the plate, that much was clear, but not which part of the slum they were residing in. Cloud had watched some blond baby Turk going from one location to the next in the entertainment district. And subtle, she was not. The Turk was busting into one shop after the next, demanding the owner answer any and all questions, otherwise they would face the consequences of defying Shinra. It had been surprisingly effective for some, even getting some of them to admit to crimes that had nothing to do with Avalanche.

(I know I'm just seeing the back of her head... but she's kinda cute, we should file that for later.)

Unsurprisingly for the majority it was less effective. The energy conglomerate wasn’t well-liked down here; the slum people dodged answering completely, obfuscated their words, or straight-up lied.

Currently, the merc was watching blondie harassing the owner of a pharmacy. The pharmacist was actually one of Avalanche’s suppliers of medical aid such as painkillers and antibiotics. He couldn’t provide much, he had a livelihood to think about after all, but anything was appreciated. The fact that the girl was here was a bit disturbing. Of the five other shops Cloud had followed the Turk to this morning, at least two of them had a connection to their cell, this being three. Only harsh questioning though, no one had been brought in as far as he knew.

It meant that the Shinra investigation squad was on a trail but hadn't quite connected all the dots yet. Nothing concrete enough for them to bring in public security, at least. Concerning to be sure but nothing they needed to get their knickers in a twist about yet. Besides, it might actually be one big coincidence.

The recon was basically wrapped up but one more location to make sure before he headed home.

As he continued to follow the baby Turk from a distance, Cloud thought a little of the things he’d use his extra gil for. At first, he had wanted to buy Tifa a ring, to celebrate their future marriage and to let all those sleazebag customers of hers know she was taken. However, with Jessie’s inclusion, he was going to have to put a hold on that for now. Maybe two rings now. But a more appropriate living space was an immediate issue. All of them were struggling to sleep in his tiny bed and he could really do without Marle’s knowing look every time he left the apartment. The old woman hadn’t said anything so far, but she definitely knew what was up.

(You might be misreading the situation on this one.)

But where could they live? In the slums? Topside?

Cloud liked the people under the plate, they were kind after a fashion and certainly fostered a strong community. But it was also dirty and falling apart. Crime was somewhat rampant and drug use common, not exactly a good place to raise a family. Possible... sure, as he thought about the various families that lived there but was it worth it? The people up top were outwardly friendly but held a certain amount of disdain for everyone outside of their cliques. Everything was new and clean but insanely expensive.

Maybe he was thinking too hard about it.

(Definitely.)

Tifa owned a business in sector 7, a Plateside home would make the commute pretty inconvenient. Plus, she had stronger ties to the community than Cloud did, seeming to know every slum dweller by name. Jessie actually had a home up here with her parents but didn’t seem to have any inclination to move back in any time soon. And had just as strong ties to the community as the fighter, although some of the women seem to have issues with the redhead. They both had forged lives there.

‘So, slum house it is,’ he thought with a sigh. That being said he was going to find them the best piece of real estate that he could find! So long as it was affordable of course.

“Someone please help me!”

Cloud's head snapped up from his musings to see a dark-haired-glasses girl running away from a group of thugs. She was younger than him, with a short haircut and an even shorter skirt with stockings. An obvious limp from an injury but no visible wounds. Glasses was looking around frantically for any help from the milling people, desperate for someone to intervene and rescue her. Nobody would of course, because those were Don Corneo’s men, and one didn’t cross the Don in his own territory if they wanted to live a long life.

(Wait a minute, she’s a cutie! Help her!)

The merc would have stepped in but he was supposed to be on a stealth mission!

And seeing how many guys were chasing her, Cloud would have a hard time not killing at least some of them in a fight. The last thing Avalanche needed was that much heat on them right now, they were kind of his friends after all. And his girls were members! But Tifa would tear him a new one if she thought he was purposely abandoning someone in need. Jessie would too at that. The flirty girl had a surprisingly strong sense of justice in her, almost rivaling her hatred for Shinra.

During his internal battle to come to a decision, he accidentally made eye contact with short hair. Her eyes widened as if in recognition and ran at him full tilt, both hands grabbing at his suspenders. Bringing her face close to him, she frantically whispered to him.

“Your Cloud, right? I’m Nayo! I’m a part of Avalanche Headquarters. You gotta help me!”

The Ex-Soldier could only blink stupidly at that before his brain caught up to her words. This was certainly unexpected, but more importantly, it forced him to make a decision. Cloud knew about HQ and how Barett’s outfit was a rogue splinter cell, but he didn’t remember any Nayo being mentioned. If she was telling the truth, then she was technically a comrade and he needed to help her escape. If she was lying, well she was still aware of his association with the terrorist cell and her getting caught might force her to spill the beans to save herself. But he couldn’t do anything here, too many were around watching the spectacle.

They’d identify him in a heartbeat once threats were thrown around.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

(Plus, she’d be so grateful, she might give you a “hero’s reward.”)

Mind made up, Cloud picked up the girl and ran. The gangsters were hot on their trail. The Ex-Soldier ran as far as he could from the crowd and down a series of confusing twists and turns. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as well versed on all the paths of Sector 6 as he was with Sector 7. It forced him to backtrack when he hit dead-ends, frustratingly that allowed the thugs to keep them in sight. Time passed in a blur until they hit a dead end at the large fence dividing the sectors. But at least there weren't any public security patrols around.

No witnesses at least.

Setting Nayo down, he pushed her behind him and stepped forward to face the henchmen.

“Hey blondie, think twice before trying to be a hero. That there is the future Mrs. Corneo, don’t get in the way of true love,” their leader huffed out, some yellow mohawk-wearing asshole. His little quip got the whole six of them hooting and hollering in between the gasping for air. But points to them for not being completely stupid, even when they were chuckling and wiping sweat off their brows, they were already moving into a semicircle around him.

“Look, I think there’s been a mistake. This is my little sister; she got a little lost but I’m going to take her home now. No harm, no foul. Just let us walk.” Cloud said, trying to be diplomatic. He’s never been great at diplomacy, but he had to give it one last shot before things got ugly. Tifa would want him to try after all. Still, as he saw them slowly creeping towards them with weapons out, it might have been an effort in vain.

“Nice try buddy, but the Don gets what the Don wants. And he wants that pretty thing hiding behind you. Don’t worry if you really are her brother, you’ll be compensated. Scout’s honor.” A black mohawk said this time, raising his right arm as if he were giving a solemn oath. Even if Cloud didn’t know it was total bullshit, the little giggle the man gave was pretty damning.

(I don’t know who this Corneo guy is but fuck him.)

Oh, well.

”Head down.” Cloud called over his shoulder. He disconnected the Buster Sword from its magnetic holster and held it at his side. That seemed to give the opposition some pause, now taking in the size of his weapon, some noticing his eyes. Still, they approached. His senses narrowed to the immediate vicinity, time slowing to a near standstill as adrenaline pumped into his veins. He counted off the opponents and their positions. Equal pairs up front, on his left and right respectfully. Good formation all things considered, but one of them was breaking ranks a bit by stepping too close.

“What?” Nayo asked in surprise, almost like she wasn’t expecting the situation to escalate.

But he was already swinging his sword downwards towards Baldy on the left, who barely managed to get his wooden bat with nails up in time. Not that it did him much good as the Ex-Soldier’s strength and the weight of his blade split man and weapon in two.

(Oh Gods, I’m gonna be sick.)

Idiot number two scrambled back at the carnage before him, also trying to get his hatchet up. Cloud’s side swing cut him clean from the elbow, sending the appendage flying into his friends. A quick backswing and a head follow suit. There was some screaming from Nayo but the merc was already rushing towards the remaining four thugs. They had a bit more time to prepare, although it didn’t take a genius to see that they were obviously not used to such resistance.

Yellow Mohawk had fired every shot he could out of his revolver in an attempt to hit Cloud, but if these bullets were coming any slower, he might be forced to take a nap in the middle of battle. Instead, he smacked the first three to the ground and the next three were deflected back at the would-be kidnappers. One took a slug right between the eyes, another center mass. Not as accurate as the merc would have liked, but dead was dead.

The black mohawked thug, Cloud ran clean through before the other bodies hit the floor.

Another scream, this time coming from Yellow Mohawk, who had fallen on the floor and trying to scramble away from the bodies. Cloud could only shake his head at the sight. If you couldn’t take the sight of violence, then why work a job where it happened so commonly? It was like being a ranger, but you were scared of touching Chocobos. Pretty pointless. Or maybe he just wasn’t used to it happening to people on his side? Well, it doesn’t really matter, Cloud supposed as he raised the Buster Sword higher to finish the bloody work.

“Wait!” he heard Nayo cry out, as she hugged his arm from behind, as if to stop him. “You don’t need to do this! He’s finished, just let him go, please!”

Oh, she was trying to stop him.

“Wait, man! We didn’t know you were a Soldier!” Yellow Mohawk was desperately pleading for his life. Seriously? Did he not see the eyes? The big sword? The freakin uniform? This guy might genuinely be too stupid for the good of society. ”Trust me, the cartel wouldn’t have messed with you if we did! The Don’s got no beef with Shinra. Remember our deal! You guys still need us! Please don’t do this!”

Deal? Was this Corneo guy working with Shinra somehow? Is that why some of Avalanche's suppliers were being singled out for the Turks to investigate? A mole in the slums, as it were? It clearly wasn’t an equal partnership, from how the gangster thought Shinra might lay the hammer on his little organization. Or it might be all the dead bodies around them.

‘I need to let Barett know’ Cloud thought, as he continued to watch the cowering man silently, ‘but what about him?’

(You can use this.)

Maybe he can use this.

Lowering the sword back to his side, he felt Nayo loosening her grip as well. Still, keeping one of her hands on his bicep as if to stop him if he made any sudden movements. Rolling his eyes, Cloud approached the blubbering thug, dragging her along, and kicked him quiet.

“Listen up! What Shinra does or doesn’t do in your dirty slum kingdom isn’t any of your concern.” Cloud put every ounce of authority he could into his voice. Trying to recall all the times he gave the army soldiers command during battle. He couldn’t really remember any specific moments but maybe if he raised his voice a bit higher? Give them the Barrett treatment? “But the company expects Corneo’s people to at least use their heads, or we’ll find someone else to replace your Don. You don’t want me dropping by later to rediscuss the terms of our deal. As for this incident, you're going to explain to him your mistake and then you're going to forget all about it. And the next time you see the girl, you keep walking. Understood?”

Mohawk gave a frantic nod of confirmation.

“Good, now clean up the bodies and scam.” Turning back to Nayo, he picked her up and gave her a moment to wrap her arms around his neck before striding away. Heart pounding at the lie, Cloud walked a distance as confidently as he could along the fence, hoping the gate was nearby. Once he did find the entry to sector 7, thankfully not blocked by any patrol, he whispered to the girl in his arms. “You, okay? Why were you in Wall Market?”

She blinked a little as if in a daze.

“My team was trying to pick up a few fake IDs for some new arrivals that were coming for Avalanche business,” she said, still blinking at him owlishly. Did she hit her head or something? Was she injured somewhere other than her leg? “But before we could get them, we were accosted by those goons. My crew aren’t really fighters, just intelligence gathering, so we scammed out of there. We got split up and you know the rest.”

Cloud gave her a grunt in assent. They walked past the gate and through the sector aimlessly. He wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t have any healing materia on him to help her. Go to Seventh Heaven and let her heal and rest up there? What if she was seriously injured? Then an infirmary was needed but they didn’t really have anything like that down here. Maybe HQ? But he didn’t know where that was.

“I’m taking you to Tifa’s bar to get your leg checked out.” the merc said, coming to a decision. “I know HQ and Barett’s cell don’t really get along, but you need help with that leg. Maybe give you time to get in contact with your friends so they can pick you up. That sounds good?”

That stare again, like she was trying to look through his eyes and into his soul.

“Sounds good.”

(Fingers crossed, for that reward!)

Chapter Text

In the famous Golden Shuriken restaurant, two pretty ladies were laughing up a storm.

“And then he brought my cat home, asking if I even bothered to feed her!” Tifa finished, chuckling as she recollected the silly moments in her youth. This particular story starred a young Cloud Strife bringing her cat home after Fluffy ran away for the sixth time. “Sure, it was an accident at first, but I don’t think he ever realized that I kept letting her out.”

“Oh, my gods! You're terrible!” Aerith laughed, incredulous at a young Tifa’s plan to force a meeting with her neighbor. “You made the poor boy run all over the mountain for you!”

“It wasn’t all my fault.” Tifa defended herself, through her giggles. She couldn’t remember having so much fun talking about Nibelheim, in so long. ”He just stopped talking to me one day. Kept avoiding me, no matter how many times I tried to corner him. It really was the only way he’d even look my direction!”

With Jessie, before their bedroom activities, conversation about her hometown usually devolved into a bit of a pity party for herself. It wasn’t the older girl's fault. When they first met, the destruction of her village was still too raw and painful. She couldn’t help but break down as the emotions overwhelmed her. Eventually, by unspoken agreement, it was just never brought up again. With Cloud another problem presented itself, in that most of her fond childhood memories that readily came to mind tend to revolve around him. Best friends or not, they weren’t the kind of stories you brought up to a friend you haven't seen in seven years.

It made her sound like some crazy stalker. Really not the impression a girl wanted to give her childhood friend.

“Oh, come on Tifa, the answer is obvious.” Her new friend whined in good humor. “He had a crush on you! Your friend’s hormones woke up one day and he realized his neighbor happened to be a very pretty girl. Probably spent all his free time writing you poetry, and staring out his window towards the moon, imagining your face!”

“N-no, we were just friends who happened to live near each other.” Tifa couldn’t stop her blush at that assessment. The idea that Cloud would have a crush on her since they were kids, was just too wishful thinking. "Best friends to be sure, just like our moms, but we just don’t have that kind of relationship. Even now, he probably thinks of me as more of a sister.”

Although she certainly hoped her own future children didn’t indulge in such activities with each other.

“Oh, so he’s still in the picture, eh?” Aerith said, somewhat mischievously, catching the ‘now’ part. She had stapled her fingers together below her chin and was looking at the brunette with a glint in her eyes. ”So, Mr. Shy followed you all the way to Midgard from your little village, from home and comfort, and you don’t think he has a crush on you? I bet he works near your bar. Sees and talks to you every day. Maybe even bring you gifts, like a flower or knickknack. But of course, there is nothing romantic about it. Next, you're going to tell me you guys share a house together and sleep in the same bed. Purely platonically of course.” She finished sarcastically.

The flower girl must have seen something on Tifa’s face because she was starting up again.

“Seriously!? Like, seriously seriously?!” She asked incredulously. Well, what was so shocking about that? People have roommates, although it was more of an unspoken living arrangement. Can’t really go home when your body is in that state. Friends share beds sometimes too. She and Jessie did, although... Tifa could admit that wasn’t a great example. “Please tell me guys just sleep. Seriously?!”

At this, Tifa could only bury her burning face in her hands.

“You Tifa Lockhart are in absolute denial.” The increasingly flabbergasted woman said. She was running her own palm through her brown locks. “Either you're in a committed relationship or he’s trying to pull a fast one on you! Regardless, you need to confront him and define what's going on between you two.”

“Our situation is unique, Aerith. There are reasons why our relationship is the way it is.” Tifa tried to reason with her new friend. She was certain that Cloud and Aerith had not been intimate before. Which had been relieving but also disappointing. It would have done a lot to explain her situation in a better context. How would you go about telling a friend you made only an hour ago that the boy you liked was on a dark path of debauchery and that the only solution was to try to match him step for step?

“And why, pray tell, is that?” She asked skeptically. “Look Tifa, I really like you. And I hate the idea that some guy might be using your kindness against you! You shouldn’t let big eyes and a pretty smile keep you from thinking objectively. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

It actually hurt her more to think there was someone who could question Cloud’s integrity. The words to defend him were already at the tip of her tongue. But Aerith didn’t know the full situation, it wouldn’t be fair for the fighter to lash out at her like that. No, it’d be better to explain than to argue. At least at first.

“Look I…. okay. You win, I’ll explain but you have to promise to listen till the end.” Tifa said, trying to rectify the flower girl's misconceptions. But she really wasn’t emotionally ready to have this conversation with Aerith. Sure, she had flirted with the idea of making her an offer sometime down the road during their conversation, nothing serious of course, but this was way too soon! She had wanted maybe a few more months of friendship before working up the nerve to drop that bomb. It was like fate was trying to force her hand.

So, Tifa lied.

The barmaid told a half-true story about how Cloud and Tifa were in a secret relationship, and that only some of their friends knew. But they couldn’t be public about it, due to his sordid past. Not yet at least. He felt ashamed and wanted a fresh start with her. Didn't want his reputation to negatively affect her social life. They were trying to fight his sex addiction as well but didn’t go into details about how they were doing it. Only that it was getting handled. It was a long story and Tifa could see Aerith struggling to keep her mouth shut through the entire time – Jaw practically trembling from the sheer force of her trying to keep her words from spilling out and interrupting the fighter. She appreciated the effort nonetheless. And truthfully it felt nice to talk to someone else about what was going on, even if it wasn’t the complete truth. Jessie was a great listener but much too close to the situation.

The redhead didn’t really comprehend what the problem was, only the solution Tifa cobbled together and what part the two of them played in it. That as much as they may enjoy the physical aspects of it, it was ultimately a placeholder for Cloud’s addiction. At least until he learned to fight the urges on his own. The added fact that Jessie was a very enthusiastic participant also colored her opinion on what needed to be done.

But with Aerith, the sheer number of facial expressions the other woman was making told her that this was how a normal person was supposed to react. As the story reached its end and sun started to dip lower in the horizon, Tifa couldn’t help but feel apprehension at what would come next. Was her new friend going to call her crazy? Naive for thinking such a relationship would work?

“Oh, your boyfriend is Cloud Strife!” Aerith declared excitedly, surprising Tifa out of her downward spiral. “He’s got quite the reputation in sector 5, your boy. Can’t go anywhere without people gossiping about him and his sexual prowess! Although word down the grapevine is that you can’t pay him for sex anymore. I guess now I know why.” She said this last part with a knowing look towards Tifa.

Tifa couldn’t stop her face from exploding in heat for the hundredth time today, nor the smile that threatened to split her face in two. She had to duck her head a little to hide the latter. Cloud was out there, letting all those women know he was no longer on the market! The plan was working! Aerith here was proof of that, if she heard of her childhood friend's new status quo, as far as a couple of sectors over.

Tifa couldn’t stop a little giddy giggle from bubbling up.

“I want to meet him,” The flower girl continued, reminding Tifa that she was still there. The other girl was staring at her speculatively. How long had she been lost in her thoughts? Second? Minutes? Before Tifa could voice her protest, the girl continued. “I’m sure he’s great but I just want to make sure that he’s not taking advantage of you. It’s usually the people closest to us that we have the biggest blind spots towards. Had an old boyfriend some years ago who I thought loved me but ended up ghosting me one day.”

Aerith said this last part forlornly.

“Are you ok?” Tifa hesitated to ask, seeing Aerith shake her head, but the fighter still reached across the table to squeeze her hand. There was more to the story there, for sure. “Do you want to talk about it? I didn’t mean to make this all about me.”

“No, no. Old wounds and all that. I’m over it.” she said, waving the concern away but returning the squeeze anyway. Leaning forward, she turned another mischievous smile Tifa’s way and whispered. “And don’t try to distract me, Lockhart! I still want to meet this Cloud Strife!”

Shit! How was she going to get out of this one?

000

Barret was having one hell of a headache.

What was supposed to be a routine recon mission for the merc, to spy on what the Turks were up to, ended up becoming more mountain than molehill. He always knew Corneo was a piece of shit but to think the bastard was rubbing shoulders with Shinra made the gunman want to go guns blazing on the would-be kingpin. But half their members were out, gods-know-were. And the ones at the bar, he couldn't clue into his plans because of their unexpected guest.

“Nayo, I appreciate your assistance but you can leave now,” Barret gritted out as calmly as he could. Her ankle was healed with Cure but she insisted on it getting wrapped up for good measure. The walk to her base was only a couple of miles away! More than manageable even on a bum leg. Why wouldn’t the girl leave?! The last thing he needed was Headquarters sticking their noses into his business and stopping him from doing what needed to be done! “I need to discuss a plan of action with my team!”

“Don’t mind me, I’m just waiting for Cloud to finish up and take me home,” Nayo said simply like she wasn’t hanging around with an Avalanche splinter cell. As if she hadn’t spent the last six months spying on their little group since he told Command to shove it up where the sun doesn't shine. Pushing herself closer to Cloud who was sitting next to her and putting the final touches on her bandage leg. she waved for Barret to not mind her and continue. “My ankle still feels weird, I don't want to mess it up more than I need to. Just act like I’m not here.”

The nerve of this girl!

If he grinded his teeth any harder he was sure they’d end up cracking.

Biggs and Wedge were standing by the bar looking at each other like they weren’t sure what to do. As if it wasn’t obvious that they should be backing him up! They had some serious planning to do in light of this new information and the sooner the better. Cloud wasn’t going to be any help. The Soldier had his gaze fixed on the front door like a lost puppy waiting for their master, barely looking at his fingers as they worked on Nayo’s ankle. Probably waiting for Tifa to arrive, pat him on the head, and feed him some snacks under the table, he thought disgusted. Although, maybe for Jessie too? The merc seemed to have developed a lot more tolerance for their mechanic’s shenanigans this week.

“Hey boss, we don’t have to do this now,” Biggs piped in, probably feeling the tension in the room. And probably hearing Barret’s molars breaking. “This was a whole lot dropped on us at once. Even if the whole team was here, let's just digest it for now and think of a plan tomorrow. No point in doing anything rash.” He made sure to send a glance Nayo’s way when she wasn’t looking, indicating what he was really thinking.

Good old Biggs, trying to be the voice of reason.

“Yeah! Plus, it’s dinner time,” Wedge dropped in his two cents. Getting to his feet, he announced “I don’t know about you guys but I’m famished. If Tifa skips out on the cooking tonight, then I’m going to head back there and rustle us up something. Are you guys in the mood for some stew? I think the bar still has some leftovers to make it and maybe old bread to go with it.”

Food... sounded great right now. Get some energy in them and get the brain juices flowing. And who knows? Maybe Nayo would get the message and take a hike? Barrett felt himself relax a little now that some action was being taken, even if it wasn’t storming the Cornea mansion like he wanted.

“You know how to make stew?” Cloud asked, bemused by the sudden change in mood, “Does Tifa even let any of you guys back there?”

“I’ll have you know I’m her backup chef on busy days!” Wedge proclaimed proudly, puffing his chest out. “My cooking isn’t as famous as hers, but I’ve fed many hungry souls in my time. Trust me, bro, one taste of my dish and you’ll be wondering ‘Tifa who?’”

“Not to knock your skills Wedge but if memory serves, our barmaid was sick not too long ago,” Biggs was grinning as he got ready to pop his friend’s bubble, “And the only thing the regulars were wondering was "When’s Tifa coming back?" and "Why is there only dessert on the menu?" They certainly seemed to remember her alright then.”

“Like your drinks were any better.” Wedge protested good-naturedly, walking over and roughhousing a bit with his friend. “You couldn’t even make a Cosmo Canyon. I think Wymer said you forgot to put the alcohol in his!”

Barrett couldn’t help but chuckle at his companions' antics. Well, he was pretty hungry, a man his size needed to fuel up constantly. Passing out flying around the slums was busy work after all. It would give him time to think of a plan of action other than ripping Corneo’s head off. Tomorrow was good, he’d call a full team meeting before everyone ran off to do their errands for the day.

“Daddy, I’m hungry.” his little girl called out from behind the counter. Shit! He thought Marlene was still taking a nap. They must have woken her up with all their loud talking. Barret glared at everyone in accusation and to mind their volume. Some people just didn’t know how to keep their voices down! “When is Tifa and Jessie coming home? I haven’t seen them all day.”

“Uncle Wedge is about to fix us up something right now baby girl,” Barret said soothingly to his angle, motioning for the man to get in the kitchen and get started. The big man quickly scrambled into the back to get the ingredients, Biggs following after. As a man with a gun for one arm, Barrett wasn’t exactly the most capable of the more delicate food items. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it was to make a sandwich with one hand. And his daughter was hungry now! “And I’m sure the ladies will be back home soon. I think Tifa went to go do some grocery shopping and Jessie…. Well, you know how Jessie is, She's like a cat, she’ll turn up.”

That caused his daughter to giggle a little.

“I’m sure they're fine, toughest girls I know,” said Nayo, leaning a bit over Cloud to reassure Marlene with a smile. Barrett had to try his darndest to hide his smirk, as his baby could only give the older girl a confused look and a bit of a weak smile before ducking behind him. They’d met before but Marlene clearly didn’t remember her, which made sense. Half a year of no contact... to a four-year-old, it might as well be a lifetime. It was petty of him, but he couldn't stop a chuckle.

There was a pregnant pause between the two as Nayo seemed to realize what was happening, ducking her head a bit back into Cloud’s shoulder. The merch grumbled a bit at all the movement disputing his work. Didn’t help that Marlene had poked her head up again and was looking back and forth between the two adults–glaring a little at the lack of space between their hips. Watching as the Ex-Soldier’s hands fumbled across glasses’ ankles. Getting a hard stare from a toddler tended to make people nervous.

Trying to break the silence, Barret spoke up. “Would you like to stay for dinner Nayo?

He didn’t actually want her to stay but let it never be said that Barret Wallace lacked manners!

“No thank you, Barret,” she said smoothly, testing the bandages around her feet. “I promised Cloud I’d treat him to some food for the rescue. Maybe discuss some mercenary work for HQ he might be interested in when he takes me home. Anyway, we should probably get out of your hair. Right Cloud?”

“Uh, yeah. I think you mentioned something like that.” The Soldier said, looking as confused by basic human interaction as ever. He stood up, shoving all the scattered medical supplies and Materia back into his pockets. Maybe Barret should start wearing baggy pants too? Those things seemed to be a gateway to a pocket dimension, from the way they seemed to hold all his stuff. Strapping his sword back onto its magnetic holster, he turned back to look at the father and daughter duo.

“I’ll keep an eye out for the two girls when I’m gone,” Cloud promised a moment later, helping Nayo stand up. About time he was done! How long does it take to wrap a leg up, seriously?! The interloper took a few tentative steps before wobbling and leaning hard into the merc’s side. She whispered something to him, causing him to sigh and roll his eyes before he picked her up in his arms and marched out the front entrance. “If I don’t see you guys later, goodnight.”

Nayo gave them a little wave from behind his shoulder before wrapping them fully around his neck, as they disappeared further down the street.

She certainly looked very comfortable.

‘Oh, so that's what's going on,’ Barrett thought to himself with a grin, guffawing a little as the doors closed behind them. The little bookworm was trying to shoot her shot with the blonde! Just like every other girl with a pulse seemed to be trying to do these days. Even Jessie had been eyeing him up in full view of Tifa. He didn't want to be that guy but kids these days! It seemed like practically every girl was trying to get into the Cloud’s pants or something. And none of them were being very subtle about it. Whatever happened to just going on dates? Getting to know people? The romance?!

But that wasn’t fair, it was probably because of all those unsavory rumors about the man... that was setting all these girls off. Apparently, someone was spreading misinformation about Cloud being some type of prostitute, with each story more ridiculous than the last. The reputation as a sex god was something any man would want, but the sheer depravity of some of the tales would ruin the blonde’s chances of settling down and getting married someday. Barrett had tried to track down the source of these slanders but they seemed to be coming from everywhere! Thankfully they seemed to be dying down a bit or he would have had to bring the full force of Avalanche on the ones spreading this bullshit!

Marlene seemed to have caught on to the byplay of the departing figures as well because she had a frown that marred her brow.

“Tifa is not going to like this,” His sweet little girl said, eyes narrowing a bit at the door. “She likes Cloud. And Cloud likes her. They belong together! Other girls shouldn’t be getting so close to him.”

“Maybe princess, but it takes two to load a cannon,” Barret told her, dropping some hard-earned wisdom on the girl. “If Tifa had any problems, then she should make her interest known to Cloud and claim him. Same with him, he should speak up if wants there to be more. Until then, they’re both free game for anyone that wants to make a move. And we don’t interfere, they're adults, they’ll figure it out.” He made sure to emphasize this last point as he tapped Marlene’s nose.

Before his daughter could respond, Biggs burst through the kitchen door and clapped his hands.

“Alright people, let’s wash up and set the table.”

They’ll work on a plan of attack tomorrow, Barrett thought, feeling his own stomach rumble.

000

“Hey, was there a party I wasn't invited to?” Jessie hollered out down the street, as she sauntered over to him, eyeing Nayo in his arms with interest. She was followed by some dark-haired girl in a big hat and bare midriff that Cloud thought he might have seen somewhere before but couldn't quite put his finger on where. He was honestly relieved to see that redhead was alright, all this Don Corneo business had him thinking the worst for his girls. They could take care of themselves of course but the idea of roving bands of kidnappers patrolling the slums made him anxious. “Hey Nayo! Fancy seeing you here, kinda wish I was in your spot right now.” she teased.

(Ah, good old Jessie! A sight for sore eyes after all those dead bodies.)

“Jessie! It’s good to see you. Are you ok? Where’ve you been all day? Have you seen Tifa?” Cloud rapidly fired at her as he rushed to close the distance, not able to stop the word vomit from coming out. Embarrassingly, he started to get a little “excited” at seeing his second girlfriend make her appearance. He wanted to head back to the apartment immediately and have her take care of his problem. A little needy on his part but sue him! It’s been at least twelve hours since he last had sex and he had been holding a very pretty girl against his chest all day. He had been spoiled this week and was feeling a little selfish at the moment.

But before she could answer any of his questions, maybe even lead him back to their place from the smirk and knowing look she was giving him, Nayo spoke up.

“Jessie! Long time no see.” Nayo responded enthusiastically enough, though her grip around his neck tightened, her body stiffening, pushing her softness closer into him. The girl was almost as busty as Tifa! Bad thoughts, Strife. However, the way she was tensing reminded Cloud of how some of the other women around sector 7 would react when face-to-face with Jessie Raspberry. “How’ve you been? Are you on a date right now?” She said this last part with a pointed look towards the hat girl, who was looking at them a little weirdly.

But more towards the merc. Was it something on his face? Or did he do something to her? Was he rude to her by accident or something in the past? Possibly. He had been kind of a colossal dick to everyone during his first couple of weeks in Midgard.

“Oh, I wish, but sadly nothing so fun,” Jessie said with faux sadness, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye. “This is my friend Kyrie.” She continued, indicating the girl next to her who had approached them with avid interest, then pointing each of them out in turn. “Kyrie, this is Nayo, a friend of mine from my old workplace. And this is Cloud, also a friend and sometimes lover when the mood strikes. And the mood strikes a lot.”

Cloud and Nayo nearly coughed up a lung each by the redhead’s casualness of their relationship, though for different reasons.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, sure. Howdy, I guess.” Kyrie greeted, as she waved from her spot. She at least seemed outwardly nonplussed by the sudden bomb Jessie dropped in polite company. Did Kyrie know the details of his sex life already? Just how good of friends was she to Jessie that she took that in stride? “Your Cloud? I’ve heard a lot about you. All good stuff of course.” She finished with a winning smile.

Cloud didn’t like the way that grin looked like she was hiding something behind her pearly whites. Kyrie was a pretty thing, almost angelic in the face, but with an aura, he didn’t trust. Something in his instincts told him to be wary of this girl as if prolonged exposure to the teenager was going to shorten his lifespan by a few years. It was a survival reflex that had served him well before and the young brunette was setting off all his alarms.

And it wasn’t just because visually she was kind of Cloud’s type; with her long black hair, porcelain skin, and almond-shaped eyes. Although the striped stockings that she was wearing were honestly driving him a little nuts. He had been trying so hard not to stare at Nayo’s thighs the whole day but now he was surrounded from all sides! It was an effort to keep eye contact with anyone. He blamed Tifa for awakening this fetish of his. But before he could recover enough to respond to her, Jessie cut back in.

She pushed onward with the introductions, not even acknowledging the choking sounds coming from the people in front of her. Did she have to be so open about their relationship like that? They were in public for Shiva’s sake! “Just got back from sector 5 and was about to head to the bar for some food with my new friend. Was actually hoping to run into Tifa, needed to ask her if we could borrow her room for Kyrie tonight. What are you two lovebirds up to, looking so cozy?”

“I’m treating Cloud to a meal as a ‘thank you’ for helping me out of a tight spot earlier,” Nayo said boldly, a little red in the face still from her earlier hacking, keeping her words vague for their non-Avalanche member. She straightened slightly to look challengingly into Jessie’s eyes despite laying horizontally in his arms. She untangled one of her arms around his neck in order to place it on his chest. Cloud could have sworn he felt her squeeze a little at a pec, almost possessively. “Then he’s taking me home afterward to rest up my leg. I hurt myself earlier.” She wiggled the bandaged ankle as proof.

(No way! Were those two….?!)

“Ooh, taking a girl home, huh?” Jessie got closer to them with a grin, practically squishing Nayo in between the two of them. The girl’s protest fell on deaf ears as Jessie leaned up on her toes and whispered, her breath grazing his temple. “My, my. Me and Tifa leave you alone for a day and you're already out on the prowl. What’s wifey gonna say when she hears about this?”

“It’s not like that,” Cloud argued quietly back, not liking the direction the conversation was going in. Why did Jessie always have to stir up shit? “She’s just showing me her appreciation and she said she might have some mercenary work for me too. So, you know? Business stuff.”

“Yeah? And how much ‘appreciation’ are we talking about?” Jessie said, settling back on her feet and directing the last question to the girl in his arms. “Because I have firsthand experience with how ‘thankful’ Nayo can be, when she wants to.” At the glasses girl’s sputtering, she swung her gaze back at him, her grin growing wider than he thought possible. “And I approve.”

“You do?!” Nayo exclaimed in surprise, jerking up so suddenly, he almost lost his grip on her. Hands almost touching inappropriately in order to stop her from falling. But the shock did not stop the little smile that was forming on her lips. Blinking her eyes a little rapidly she recovered. “That's great! I mean, not ideal because I was hoping for some exclusivity but still great!”

The smile shared between the two women was a lot warmer and genuine than it was just a minute ago.

“Whoa! Are you two seriously talking about this right here? Right now!?” Kyrie exclaimed incredulously, from her spot behind Jessie. She was gazing around them as if looking for an imaginary crowd. Thankfully, no one seemed to be anywhere near their dirt patch of road. Cloud had forgotten that the younger girl was even still here, so engrossed he was by the odd conversation between the Avalanche girls. And by the looks on their faces, they had forgotten too.

“Sorry about the weird turn in conversation,” Jessie said apologetically, turning to look at Kyrie. “It wasn’t my plan to get you mixed up in my personal stuff. Honest! This really was supposed to be just about you. It’s just that you have to strike when an opportunity presents itself, you know? Really did just want to treat you to a meal and get you that room for the night. I’d understand if you’d want to meet up later instead, once I’ve taken care of, uh, ‘business.’”

“I-it’s fine, just kinda shocked, is all,” the little brunette replied, eyes still a little wide by the frank conversation happening around her. “You're a lot freer about your personal life than I’m used to from people. Usually, I’m the one with all the sordid details. You sure I should be listening in on this? You don’t feel embarrassed or anything?”

“Nah, we're all girls here. What’s there to hide?” Jessie replied casually, seeming to forget that Cloud was very much a guy. You’d think after a whole week of sex with him, she’d have a harder time forgetting such a fact. Still, his main focus was on the odd exchange before him, mind still trying to make sense of the words. “And let me know if you don’t feel comfortable and I’ll see if I can find you another spot to sleep tonight.”

“I’m good, I’d rather sleep in an actual bed than that bar you mentioned,” Kyrie replied promptly. “I’m a slum girl, I've heard worse. Like way worse. Like, I think I might've lived near a brothel once, worse.”

‘What the hell are they talking about?’ Cloud thought, so confused at the back and forth. It was like they were speaking in normal words but talking in a completely different language. It reminded him of the first time he came to the eastern continent, where everyone's accents were so different, the lingo too unique. At first, he thought Jessie was accusing him of cheating on her and Tifa. Which he would never do! But before he could set the record straight, she and Nayo were already going at it, and the next thing he knew it was over and settled – like a business transaction agreed on and hands shaken. Now the redhead and Kyrie were talking about brothels?

(Well, beauty and brawns are pretty good attributes for a Chosen. It would have been greedy of me to ask for brains as well.)

“But just so you know, only the first taste is for free. Any repeat performance and you're gonna need to ask for permission.” Jessie continued, looking back at Nayo seriously, not even noticing Cloud’s lack of understanding of what was going on. Who’s permission? Tifa’s? Was she the kind of girlfriend with whom he needed to get permission to hang out with people? A little strict but he supposed that was her right. “It’s not all fun and games, there’s a hierarchy you gotta follow. You meet wifey's requirements but nothing’s a sure thing. I’d say let's turn your little dinner date twosome, into a foursome and I’ll help you ask her later if you're interested. Where were you planning to go anyway?”

“We were headed to the Miner’s Delight over by the train station,” Nayo said, waving towards the direction of the tracks and giving her agreement. The four of them began their journey toward the Northern Coral restaurant, to go have their meal. The most authentic tasting Corelian spot in all of sector 7, or so she claims. Cloud’s heard of it before, wanting to go there with Tifa to try it some time ago but Barrett was firm that it wasn’t that authentic. Although the gunman wouldn’t elaborate on why he thought that. “And hierarchy? Requirements? This isn’t like a sharing thing? Who's this top girl, anyway? Anybody I know?”

“Yup! Our very own Tifa Lockhart!” Jessie confirmed happily as they rounded the bend and saw the little restaurant only a few blocks away. “Our busty brunette has really blossomed over the last couple of months. And you're in luck! She’s got a unique situation that is really gonna work in your favor. Well, if you pass 'audition', of course.” She joked, shooting a sultry smile Cloud’s way.

“No way, our Tifa!? And she’s fine with this?” Nayo asked, waving a hand between herself and him as he walked down the street. “The same girl who punched Al in the face, when he tried to hold her hand? What changed?”

She punched a guy just for holding her hand?

He didn’t like the idea of it happening at all but it seemed an overly violent reaction on the barmaid’s part. Tifa always seemed to have a higher tolerance for those drunks at her bar, even when they got a little frisky. Sure, she was stern with them when a line was crossed but she never hit them. At least not as far as he’s seen. Was the hand holding the full story? If so, then this Al must have been a real slimeball of the worst type. Kind of made Cloud want to punch him too now, for his perceived crimes against his childhood friend. He’ll ask someone about it later, so he can track this asshole down.

“Well, we still have to ask her if it gets that far, so let's not get too presumptuous,” Jessie rebuked the girl gently but firmly. “This is Tifa’s boy, so don’t go dropping your skirt and falling in love yet. As for what happened? Let's just say she had a bit of an "awakening" this year. Not too surprising, with muscles over her hitting all the right buttons for her.” She said, giving Cloud a slight slap on the shoulder.

Realization dawned on him at what was happening.

‘Oh, that’s what she’s talking about,’ Cloud thought, embarrassed now that comprehension was hitting him like a lightning bolt. Finally catching on to what was going on and being talked about. It was about Tifa’s naughty little kink and how she was getting her fix.

It'd been one hell of a revelation when he realized that Tifa actually liked watching him have sex with other women. That... after the first night, Jessie wasn’t there for him as some sort of early birthday present but for her as well. While his girlfriend enjoyed being intimate with the redhead, to the point that he started to feel a little jealous of it, she couldn’t stop touching herself at the sight of him pounding into the willowy woman. He knew city folks had developed all sorts of kinks and preferences when it came to sex, even for country people who moved there. His ma had tried to warn him of such behavior when he first left Nibelheim after all. But it was Tifa asking, so how could he say no? Not that he would want to, of course. And honestly, not the worst fetish for a man’s future wife to have. So, Cloud was more than happy to indulge her.

(I love that girl. Would’ve been a high priestess back in my day.)

It had been... amazing!

He would sometimes think to himself privately... probably better than even his first night alone with Tifa. Not that he’d ever say it to her unless he wanted his nose broken in half. Cloud was practically spoiled for choices with the two of them now. Almost didn’t know where to look or touch to begin their sessions sometimes. Despite the odds, he somehow managed to keep up! Even the merc was impressed by how much stamina he seemed to pull out of nowhere in order to keep going. And his stamina didn’t just go up, his strength and speed seemed to be better too. The Ex-Soldier was accomplishing the more difficult jobs all over the slums in record time because of this. To the point he was beginning to become a little concerned that only the standard monster hunting jobs would be left over at the rate he was going. Even started to flirt with the idea that maybe it was time to go looking for work topside if nothing high-paying came soon.

He didn’t know what was happening to his body but he was glad for it. It was making his life easier overall. The blonde even stopped getting those sharp headaches that would occasionally pop up at random. He definitely didn’t miss those. Maybe it was a sign that his mako poisoning was finally running its course in his body? Cloud just hoped it wasn't some latent mutation from his exposure and he wasn’t going to grow a third leg. He didn’t think anything would kill his new sex life faster than that.

If Cloud didn’t realize how idiotic it sounded out loud, he could almost theorize that he was getting stronger the longer he had sex. It was the only thing different about his routine he could think of. Of course, the Soldier knew better to verbalize such thoughts, especially around Jessie. Together or not, she could be kind of cruel with her laughter when the mood struck her. It was kind of like sleeping with your childhood bully, sex was great but sometimes she’d take her teasing too far and make him self-conscious. Getting picked on because he said something stupid, even while he was inside the redhead, was a novel experience to be sure.

“As pretty as Cloud is, I’m a little surprised you're interested,” Jessie musings cut through the edge of his thoughts, as she hopped over a dirty puddle. The man himself was on autopilot, the girls’ words barely registering to him as he ambled along, lost in his head. “You don’t play for the same team anymore?”

“Been there, done that. And the last girl kind of broke my heart,” Nayo replied, sending the redhead a heavy look full of meaning. It got a cheeky smile in return. “Cloud caught my eye earlier and he looked like a good first attempt at getting back in the saddle. Wanted to date a little first but I’m not against doing things out of order.”

“Careful for what you wish for, baby blues over here might ruin other guys for you,” Jessie teased jollying, as they got closer to the train station. “I’m not kidding, Tifa’s only cool with this because we need help in bed. Mr. Soldier is hazardous to the health of any gal who tries to go at him solo. Not that it stops anybody from wanting a repeat. Speaking from very personal experience.”

Nayo could only glance up at him shyly, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

“Whoa, she is really not shy about this,” He heard Kyrie mutter behind them, only his enhanced hearing catching onto her words. “I knew they were freaks, but hot damn!"

At some point during their sex-fueled week, the two girls would joke that he was an animal and that maybe they’d have to add more women. That this two-woman job might need a third or fourth. At first, Cloud had thought they were just messing with him, just some dirty talk during the resting periods in between. Sure, the joke ran longer than he thought it should, with them even name-dropping some people as “candidates” throughout the week. One time bringing up their landlady Marle as a potential, in-between giggles. That made him shiver a bit but it was just in good fun for the most part, so he ignored it. Indeed, he had better things to do with his time in bed with two beautiful women, than listening in on who they wanted to “audition.”

Now standing in front of the road to their dining area, with the woman in his arms and his second girlfriend unabashedly talking about it in the open, he realized they were serious. Just how deep did Tifa’s fetish run that they were out looking for “recruits”? Did Jessie also like seeing him with other women? Did his girlfriend expect him to go looking for sex with strangers? Was he really going to end up sleeping with multiple girls?

(Yay us!)

Looking down at Nayo, he still couldn’t believe the last ten minutes was her negotiating a way to get in his pants! Has this always been her plan? Since when? When he saved her from Corneo’s men? Cloud had thought she hated him for killing some many people, for her sake of course, but she had been adamant in trying to stop him from taking out the last one. Now Jessie was walking close by them and giving her tips on how to sweet talk Tifa into accepting! And from the sound of it, it might not be a one-off thing.

The reality of the situation nearly caused him to hyperventilate.

He almost wanted to protest the glasses girl’s inclusion into their relationship. Jessie was one thing since she was a friend to both of them, but Nayo was practically a stranger! Avalanche comrade or not! While having three women sounded like a dream come true to most men, Cloud was more concerned about the logistical issues of such an arrangement. And the financial burden to boot! He didn’t want to be a jerk about it but the merc didn’t think he had the money to take care of all of them in his budget. Especially if he wanted to get that new home anytime soon.

Then there were the personal issues.

A small part of him secretly wished he could go up to his childhood friend and tell her no to this request. Cloud dreaded a little at the idea of having to perform well for all of them. It’d transform sex into a fun activity, to borderline work, constantly worried if each woman was satisfied. Never in his young life did he think he would be begging not to have sex with the fairer gender but here he was. Not that she wasn’t attractive, Nayo really was, but he was afraid of being too worn out. He didn’t say anything though. If this was what Tifa, and by extension Jessie wanted, then he’d roll with the punches and hope to the gods he had the energy to keep all three of them well fucked. 

(Don’t worry stud, I got your back.)

‘Well,’ he thought, feeling confidence well up in him. Maybe he was selling himself short? Cloud didn’t think he could keep up in a threesome at first as well, but he overcame that hurdle. What's one more? Or two? ‘Try to be optimistic and we'll see where it takes us.’

"Sorry again, really not trying to recruit you for a sex cult or anything. Just some personal fun that needed addressing, is all. ” The redhead said to their youngest member once they reached the restaurant. “We're just going to eat food right now and talk shop, but once we get back to the apartment, only family-friendly activities. Or Sleep. Just need to give Nayo a rundown of what to expect for the night. Our boy toy here is an engine that’s hooked up to a reactor. She might not get a whole lot of rest.”

“I’m good, I would've been running for the hills if I thought so,” Kyrie said casually, waving her hands a bit in the air in front of her. Although she seemed to be vibrating a bit from energy. The poor girl was probably nervous about all this sex talk happening around her. Cloud could sympathize, he didn’t think he’d ever get over how forthcoming city people could be about their nighttime extracurriculars. Although looking Kyrie over and realizing she was probably a native Midgardian herself, maybe it wasn't a city thing? Or because she was a teenager? It could be that it was just Tifa and Jessie who were really nonchalant about these things.

“Jessie, don’t you think she’s a little young to be exposed to this?” Cloud asked the mechanic, feeling a little self-conscious at how young Kyrie seemed to be, now that they were under the better lighting of the Miner’s Delight. To be fair, in Nibelheim a girl her presumed age would have already been married, with at least one or two kids. But mountain folk were different from their city counterparts. The wilderness forced one to grow up faster and mature quicker. Things like getting married younger were just a natural consequence of such a life.

“Hey! I’m nineteen! I’m not that young,” Kyrie huffed in exasperation at him trying to gate-keep her, as they sat at their table. But Odin! She was nineteen? Was she really only two years younger than him? “How old are you, since there seems to be an age requirement? Fifty?” She shot back snidely, opening her menu.

“Twenty-one,” he said slowly, still reeling a bit by this new information. She was only a year younger than Tifa! Sweet Jenova! Why did he feel so old? Wait, who's Jenova? That name sounded familiar. “I just don’t want you to think you need to stick around for whatever help Jessie promised you. I could rent you a room somewhere that, you know, won't get you so mixed up in our personal lives. I’m sure I got some spare gil to keep you going for the week if you need it.”

See? Cloud could be nice.

“Oh yeah, moneybags?” Kyrie said, putting her menu down and leaning her cheek on a fist. Her whole demeanor seemed to have shifted from mild annoyance to rapt interest now. Once again, those alarm bells were ringing in his head, telling him that he might have stepped on a landmine. Her eyes, a little brighter than before, were looking borderline hungry now. Uncharitably he thought, even a little greedy. “Maybe I want to stay and get involved?”

(Ooooh, here comes a new challenger.)

Chapter Text

Tifa was exhausted. 

And it had nothing to do with the bags of groceries and takeout in her hands. Although, they were starting to become a pain in her backside and fingers, having lugged them all the way from the plate. Gods, why did she get so much? Anybody looking at her would think she was trying to feed a small family or something. Kind of a shitty move, when you live in the slums and most people struggle day to day for basic needs. 

All she wanted to do was get into bed, crawl into Cloud’s arms, and maybe have Jessie do that twisty thing with her tongue that she liked so much.

But that wasn’t in the cards, because the source of the fighter’s problems was the flower girl casually strolling next to her. Pink and bubbly, practically skipping through the slums. Basket clutch in one arm and a few grocery bags in the other. She had the look of a woman without a care in the world. What a contrast between the two!

Aerith was a stubborn one to be sure. Despite all of Tifa’s protests, the brown-haired girl remained steady that she wanted to meet Cloud. That even if he wasn’t some playboy taking advantage of her, his ‘threat level’ needed to be assessed. What does that even mean? The girl had a silver tongue on her because every argument that the barmaid could think of got countered and turned back on her. Her mind was still trying to come to terms with what happened on their train ride down.

Telling her it’s getting dark and she should go home for the night? It was getting late, and dangerous too! They’d best stick together for safety.

Wouldn’t her family be worried for her? Nah, her mom keeps telling her she should get out and spend more time with her friends. They’re friends, aren’t they?

They shouldn’t spring this up on Cloud so last minute! That's the best time to do it! Keep him off balance, and the answers truthful.

“That’s me,” Tifa said, indicating the two-story building. “I’m on the second floor.”

As the front of Stargazer Heights came into view, Tifa’s mind started to buzz with energy. How was she going to let Cloud know what was going on? Could she pull him to the side to explain? Would he be able to infer what was going on if she gestured hard enough? She wasn’t too worried about what Jessie might do. The redhead for some reason, was already under the impression that they were together. She even referred to them as boyfriend and girlfriend. What gave the mechanic that idea, was still a mystery to the brunette.

The bigger question though; Would Cloud be fine with pretending to be her boyfriend?

‘He better be.’ Tifa thought bitterly. She didn’t just spend the last eight days getting drilled into a mattress, just to be told no! 

Tifa instantly felt bad for thinking he owed her anything. The barmaid was helping him, not for gratitude, but because it was the right thing to do. It was Cloud. She’d do anything for him! Still, maybe she could convince him to play along? But of course, she didn’t want to force him into anything if he gave a negative. She’d be a terrible best friend if she ignored his feelings on the matter and made him do something he didn’t want to do. Plus, it wasn’t like all the sex was a torturous experience. It was quite possibly the biggest highlight of her life, in the last five years. Almost couldn’t get enough, despite how tired she was after it.

It was like every repressed sexual desire Tifa’s ever had in the last half-decade was spilling out all at once! It might explain why she didn’t feel weird anymore with Jessie getting handsy with her body.

Maybe that wasn’t too surprising, at her age. 

In Nibelheim Tifa would have been considered something of an old maid, for not having settled down and starting a family yet. Had the village never burned, Cloud and she would have been married as teens, with at least a few kids running around by now. A full house, for sure. At least two little girls and boys each, she figured. A nice even number, so none of them would feel lonely. Something to compensate for their own childhood as only children. A cozy cottage next to Claudia, so the two women could talk every day, and a big garden to feed the family throughout the year. No point in wasting money at the store when you could grow your own. Perhaps a dog or a cat to finish the pretty picture. Maybe both?

It would have been a beautiful marriage.

Not to each other of course! Or that any of her hypothetical children would’ve had his blue eyes or blonde hair! Besides, the chances of Cloud returning to marry her would have been slim to none. It was the stuff of childhood fantasy to imagine that the blonde Soldier would have returned from the city, just to sweep a country girl off her feet. With the exception of that night up on the water tower, they hardly spoke to each other before he left. They hardly had any contact even after he left. She was a hopeless hometown girl who couldn’t even work up the courage to write him a letter. For two years! Plenty of time to forget all about the neighbor girl with the cat, he used to be friends with.

And he didn’t exactly make an effort to reach out and contact her. 

Irrationally, she almost wanted to hit imaginary Cloud for forgetting about imaginary Tifa.

“Which one’s yours?” Aerith asked, starting the barmaid out of her thoughts of what she’d do to fake Cloud, once she got her hands on him. Tifa was surprised to see that they were at the foot of her apartment building. One footstep away from the stairs that led up to her home. As for which one was her’s? That was a hard question. The fighter hadn’t actually slept in room 201 for a while, only going back to grab clothes and other miscellaneous items. Jessie even moved in some of her furniture from her place at Theater’s Point. Still, it felt weird to think the two of them were basically living with her childhood friend. 

But Aerith was looking at her expectantly.

“I’m on the second floor. Room 202. It’s in the middle.” Tifa supplied, coming to a decision. Well, they were here to meet Cloud, might as well bite the bullet. Besides, the flower girl already knew they had some type of domestic living situation. Why hide anything at this point?

They made the trek up the flight of stairs, turning on the banister to get to the middle room. Only to stop as they saw that the lights were on in the room! And there were multiple muffled voices coming through that Tifa could hear. Were Cloud and Jessie already home? Hopefully, they weren’t doing anything that would require a sock on the door handle. It would not be a great first impression for Aerith to see her ‘boyfriend’ in a compromising position with another girl. 

Should she stall for time, just in case?

They had been standing outside for too long, Aerith looking at her curiously. Fumbling for her keys, Tifa made sure to make as much noise as she could get away with. Even ‘accidentally’ kicking the door as she dropped her bags on the ground to free her hands. She slowly aimed for the keyhole to buy a few more seconds. Only for the door to suddenly open before her! Standing in the archway was Jessie, thankfully fully clothed sans armor. And behind her, sitting on one of the cushions by the coffee table, was some Wutian girl in a big hat.

“Hey, beautiful! Was wondering when you’d make it home. Was worried we’d have to send in the calvary.” Jessie said happily, wrapping Tifa in a hug. Was it weird that she got a little ‘excited’ from the feel of the redhead’s body pressed up against hers? By the flowery smell? But sue her! The barmaid went from borderline orgies to no sex today! Her body was used to being pampered by one of her friends, and after her day, she wanted to be a little needy. “That’s a lot of stuff you got! Let's carry in the bags and you can introduce me to your cute friend,” she said, eyes flickering to Aerith with a wide smile. “And I’ll introduce mine.”

She pointed a thumb behind her shoulder at the other guest, who waved to Tifa as the flower girl said hello. 

“Much appreciated,” Tifa said in gratitude, handing some bags over as she and Aerith walked in. Taking a quick survey at the tiny apartment, she didn’t see any signs of her blonde friend in the room. “Where’s Cloud?”

“He’s with Nayo tonight.”

“Nayo? Why would he be….?” Tifa trailed off, confused. What could the two of them possibly be doing together? Maybe something to do with Avalanche? Was her former compatriot trying to poach the mercenary from their splinter cell? Was HQ finally making a move and dropping the proverbial hammer on them, as Barrett had always warned? The barmaid was concerned. At least she was until she noticed the meaningful look Jessie was giving her. And a very explicit hand motion that only the barmaid could see. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” The redhead said, with a wicked smile.

How did that happen? Tifa didn’t even know Nayo liked guys.

000

Cloud couldn’t believe this was happening.

Here he was; in Nayo’s apartment, sitting on her bed in just a towel, and waiting for her to finish her shower. How much did his girls want to hear when he saw them in the morning? The merc had never been great at storytelling, always forgetting details here and there. His memory was so shit sometimes. Cloud wondered if he should take notes, or write down a brief summary of events to present to ladies later.  He wasn’t sure how much detail he needed to give his girlfriends about tonight’s activities. Maybe he should get Nayo to grade him on his performance?

“Eyes on the prize, Strife,” Cloud said to himself, trying to calm his nerves and hype himself up. “Just do what you always do, and bang her brains out. Once you're in her, you're home free. Worry about your presentation later, and don’t ask Nayo stupid questions in bed.” He finished, nodding to himself. 

Hearing the shower turn off, he straightened from where he was perched on the bed’s edge.

And out walked Nayo as bare as the day she was born, drying her hair off with the towel she should have been wearing. It felt like someone had shoved a rock down his throat. Cloud could barely make a sound, didn't think the air was getting to his lungs properly. She wasn’t as fit as Tifa, he didn’t think there was any girl in the world as well-shaped, but damn was she a package! He was right earlier, she was almost as busty as Tifa. But he only knew that comparison because he had been holding her against him all day. Because visually, the slimness of her body made her bust look even bigger. Like an optical illusion that drew the eyes. And the blonde could not stop staring. 

Fuck he was hard.

“As flattering as it is, you can do more than look,” Nayo said with a big smile and a blush, looking at the bulge as she approached him. She paused for a moment to let her own eyes wonder about his body, then back at the cock whose head was peeking a little. Practically acting as a coat hanger for his towel, now that he was a full mast.  She dropped her towel off to the side and straddled him where he sat. Automatically his hand reached up to clutch her waist, as she settled on his lap and brought her own hands to his shoulders. Well not fully, since his dick seemed intent to not even let the brunette’s weight push it down completely. His bulb grinding into her core, as his breath got shallower. That thin piece of cloth on his lap was the only thing separating their lower halves' body heat.

“A-plus for presentation, now let's see what’s all the fuss about,” Nayo whispered hotly into his ears. If Cloud’s mind wasn’t in such a haze, he would almost wonder if she was a mind reader. It could be just coincidental dirty talk. Whatever it was, the Soldier was determined to pass it with flying colors. 

“Hope you survive the experience,” Cloud said seriously, thinking how often his girlfriends needed a break after a few orgasms. She seemed to think he was boasting because she laughed prettily at his not-joke. But before he could correct her, she was already moving.

“Puh-leeze,  It takes more than a big dick to scare me.” Nayo brought her hands down to reposition his length between them, slowly dragging the towel off it to the side. "I've had toys that would make you...WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?

Her eyes bulged at what she saw, which honestly made him a little embarrassed. Cloud couldn’t quite get over that teenager's shyness of popping a boner in front of a girl. Thankfully, he managed to stop his hands from covering himself up, as she shook her stupor off. Turning slightly to the side, so she could keep him in view, as if any sudden move and it would bite her. She opened her nightstand and brought out a bottle of lube. Whoa, she was prepared. Her attention never wavered from his lap as she squeezed a few drops onto her palms. Eyes were still glued to his cock, she slowly stroked him up and down, both hands working. From the tip to the base, till his skin was shining from the light of the window. 

“How do you walk with this thing?” Nayo panted from the effort, trying to find her rhythm.

“Well, it’s not always like this.” He defended himself, mesmerized by the bouncing of her breasts. He reached under her moving arms to get a handful and give them a squeeze, loving the softness. He would never tell Jessie, still appreciative of her chest size and its perkiness, but Cloud did like them big. Although from how often she would play with Tifa’s, she’d probably agree. Unable to help himself, he leaned his head over her elbows to catch a nipple in his mouth to suck. It was an awkward positioning, but he could have them staring at him and not do something about it! 

“You like that?” Nayo whispered happily, somehow confident in her uneven rubbing. It certainly felt good, hard not to with her soft hand working him over. But by now, Cloud has gotten better. She was in the top three at best. Unaware of his inner dialogue, she continued her dirty talk. “You used this thing to bludgeon my friends into your little sex pets, and now you think you're gonna do the same to me?”

It was a weirdly clumsy handjob. She kept alternating speed and grip strength at random intervals, almost like she was changing her mind mid-stroke. If he didn’t know any better, he’d hazard that she was inexperienced. But she was a city girl, so that couldn’t be possible. Then again, Nayo did say she hadn’t dated in a while, and her last relationship was with a girl. So maybe she was just out of practice with guys? 

Still the visual of her jerking him off was heavenly. 

Cloud grunted a little in annoyance when she only focused on the top half for a minute, pointedly ignoring the bulb. Nayo shot him a teasing smile, before going back to normal. They went on like this for a few more moments. Eventually, she let go and sandwiched him back between their bodies, placing her hands back on his shoulders.

“Time to put in some work, mister.” She breathed, as she adjusted her hips on his.

Slowly, their hips began moving against each other, steadily gyrating to get more pressure. They stared into each other's eyes, letting their heavy and warm breath mingle in the space between them for a moment. Then Nayo took her hands off her shoulder and fully wrapped her arms around his neck. She tilted her head down and she closed the distance, kissing him. Her body flushed against him, nipples rubbing into his chest, and the lip-locking turning heated... fast. 

As tongues wrestled for dominance up top, his hands repositioned to her backside. Hands rubbing and squeezing the muscle. He was impressed by what he felt. Despite not being a fighter, she must work out. Though, what she was doing up top, got his attention. Somewhere in the back of Cloud’s mind, he thought the way she and Jessie kissed was remarkably similar. Maybe Nayo was one of the redhead’s ‘special friends’ from before? It had been weirdly emasculating, yet incredibly sexy to know that his girlfriend had been with more women than him.

However, having more than two bodies to your name wasn’t exactly a high hurdle to surpass.

But this gave him an idea. Still, cognizant of his handful, he gave the round globes another firm squeeze as he treated her to one of the redhead’s kissing tricks. It got an immediate reaction from the bookworm. A brief gasp escaped from her, brown eyes giving him an incredulous look, almost in shock before she recovered. He gave her a cocky grin, the one Tifa said made her want to hit him before she kissed him. Something about agitating his girls in bed always made them want to fuck harder. 

He was curious if it’d have the same effect on this brunette too.

And from the look in Nayo’s eyes, it worked like a charm. She shot him a sharp, hungry smile in turn before shoving her tongue back down his throat, teeth clashing. Almost bruising him with her ferocity. Her body, bounced even harder on his lap, repositioning her feet to get better leverage. His length, traveled the full distance from her lower lips to her navel, leaving a slick trail in its wake. Each drop threatened to finally break past that last barrier. The towel was forgotten, having fallen by the wayside, long ago.

And it wasn’t enough.

Growling a little, he placed his arms around her waist. With a quick twist, Cloud half-rolled half-tossed Nayo further onto her bed. For a split second during his throw, he thought he might have gone too far. Until he heard her delighted squeal as she landed on the comforter, followed by a giggle. He shouldn’t have been worried. Honestly, the merc should have expected it. His girlfriends always did like him showing off his strength in bed. Whether it was picking them up suddenly, pushing them against a wall, or pressing his body deeper onto them and holding their ankles high. They tended to moan louder and thrust back harder when he did.

“I guess Jessie was right, boys can be fun too.” She huffed out, in between giggles.

From the wide smile on Nayo’s face, and the way she was spreading her legs, she was ready to give as good as she got. 

Playing with her breasts and giving the nubs a twist, Cloud was ready to give it to her too. But not yet. If there was one lesson the blonde took away from his recent sexual exploits, it was that a little more foreplay did a lot to ease a girl into sex. At least, at the start. Always need a bit more lube to keep things fun. Then he’d be free to get to the good stuff, without any concern. Once things got going, there was a little too much body fluid flying around. They had already run buck-wild through Tifa’s spare linen, till it got unmanageable and they were forced to wash them. He didn’t even want to think about how much money he had already spent on dry cleaning them. 

“Well, don’t keep me waiting,” Nayo said, arching her hips to get him to hurry up.

“We go when I want to. At my pace.” Cloud shot back, confident that he could keep her wanting and waiting just a little longer.

“Is that the legendary male ego I've always heard about?” She playfully, but eyes curious at what he was trying to accomplish.

He was proud to realize that all that forearm to dick measuring, was an indication that they were impressed by his size. That he was definitely on the far end of the spectrum from what they’ve experienced. It made more sense why Jessie usually had them start with a blowjob for him, or one of them getting eaten out. The redhead said it was for practicality, to ease themselves into the best parts. A little prep work, so everyone could fuck harder. Cloud had felt a little guilty for not doing the same for Tifa on their first night, remembering how she was limping the next morning.

And he was determined not to make the same mistake with the girl in front of him.

With that in mind, Cloud gave Nayo a smirk as he slid his body lower. Grabbing her thighs in his hands, he spread them as far as he thought she could take it, then a bit further. Face to face with his prize, looked up one last time to gauge her reaction. Her face was flushed, eyes begging, and mouth, slightly open in hunger. Her fingers were twitching by her side, hips spasming a little as if telling him to hurry up or she’d take matters into her own hands. 

“Don’t be a tease,” Nayo said harshly, in her frustration. She lost the battle of wills with her hands... because she was threading her fingers through his hair, tugging at the locks. Trying to force his face further between her legs. 

Giving her another grin, he stuck out his tongue and gave her a slow tortuous lick.

000

“Wait, you two know each other?” Jessie asked in surprise.

“Sorta,” Aerith said, eyeing Kyrie, as the ladies got comfortable in the room. “We technically grew up near each other, being from Sector 5.”

Eight goddamn sectors under the plate, and she had to meet someone she knew! Even worse, someone who knew her and her reputation! What were the chances? And of course, it had to be the weird girl who talked to the voices in her head. Tonight was going so well too! Kyrie had a multilayered plan in the works and was positioned in the perfect spot to achieve every single goal. She had to think fast or the whole thing was going to blow up in her face! And judging by the scars on Tifa’s knuckles, it might not just end with her getting thrown out on her rear.

“Yeah! Used to play at that church when we were kids.” Kyrie supplied, trying to hide her panic. Keeping a smile on her face, but screaming in her mind. She had to play for time! What could she use to fix this? She and Aerith hadn’t actually talked in a while, and she hadn’t done anything outwardly criminal in just as long. Little scams here and there don’t count. Maybe Gainsborough could get suckered in by the Reformed Juvenile Act too? “It’s been so long, Aerith! How’ve you been?”

There, a little bit of human kindness for the loser. Hopefully, it’ll throw her off balance for a bit.

“I’ve been good,” Aerith said slowly, blinking at her with a guarded look. “Just selling flowers on the plate when I can. How’s your news company? I’ve heard you’ve been getting quite a crowd.”

“Not so great,” Kyrie said sadly, angling for some sympathy. The thief had to hit home how helpless her situation was, so the flower girl wouldn’t ask too many questions. Nobody wanted to pry into emotional baggage, after all. And hopefully, take everything she said at face value. The two of them weren’t close, but Aerith knew a little too much personal information about her. She might unintentionally start poking holes in Kyrie’s cover story. Gods forbid the girl goes home and somehow gets the tomboy’s grandma involved. “It was great for a few weeks, but it kind of crashed and burned this morning. Back to the drawing board for me, I guess.” 

Kyrie was actually working on said plan right now. Although looking at how pretty the other girls were, it might be harder than she thought. Not impossible, since she was still the prettiest, but harder than she wanted. Seducing Cloud was going to be difficult with these sluts around. Lucky, for some reason they let him sleep around. Encourage it even!

“Oh! Was that what that was earlier?” Jessie asked surprised, seemingly having connected the dots. She handled everyone a cup of… alcohol? Where did the redhead get that from? On a cursory glance around the tiny room, she didn’t see any potential hiding spots. “I know you said your news business went bust but didn’t know I was there to witness it.”

“Yeah, I may have been trying to be a little too sensational with my facts.” Kyrie embellished, making up a fake reason to explain what happened. Let them think she was just bad at telling the news, it’d stop them from digging too deep for the truth. “And well, I mighta fibbed a little here and there. Just to spice things up.”

“Kind of sounds like you deserved it.” Tifa said from the tiny kitchen, separating a small late-night snack for everyone. She came back to the group and handed each girl a share. She sent an apologetic smile Kyrie’s way. “Not to throw stones, but you had to know someone was going to fact-check you.”

Kyrie just shrugged her shoulders. Though secretly she was glad that the topic of her and Aerith's acquaintance was forgotten.

“What are you going to do for work now?” Aerith asked, taking a bite in to her leftovers. “I’d offer you a job selling flowers, but well, it’s not really a two-person kind of job.”

Yeah, no.

The tomboy heard about Aerith’s flower-selling gig before. One gil, for one flower.  It was a terrible business practice, the mage should at least sell them for five gil a piece! The thief would be as old as her grandma Mireille, by the time any profit was made. As much as she loved her grandmother, Kyrie did not want to be hanging around the slums scrounging for chump change, when she was old and gray. 

It was worse than her guardian’s gig, being a vigilante to help the slum people. And she wanted the delinquent to follow in her footsteps! Talk about terrible life choices. Especially since Kyrie didn’t get to have a say in it. The thought of having money, and then just giving it away, made her shiver. The word charity was not in this girl’s vocabulary. 

“How about your bar Tifa?” Jessie asked, polishing off her first cup of liquor and going for a second. “You're the only one with a steady job in our group. I’d offer something, but I kind of burned bridges with my theater. And you don’t exactly need a lot of help to brainstorm inventions.”

Inventions? Was the redhead secretly rich? She would need to investigate that.

“Usually I would, but I already got too many on-calls.” The busty brunette said regretfully. Kyrie couldn't help but let her gaze linger on the older girl’s chest when she spoke. Those things were huge! They couldn’t have been real. And if they were, then life wasn’t fair. “I already got Johnny and the others hanging outside the bar. All ready to pick up hours during the lunch rush and happy hour. Any more bodies and I’ll be losing money.” Turning to the former delinquent, she said. “But if you don’t mind hoofing it around the slums, I might have something for you.”

“What did you have in mind?” Kyrie asked cautiously, already not liking the sound of this job.

The tomboy wanted a lot of money, but not necessarily to work hard for it. Already she was thinking up a plausible excuse to say no to the offer without offending anyone. She didn’t want to ruin this connection after all. The scammer still had plan A to rob them or the new plan B, seduce Cloud and make him into her sugar daddy. Judging by the size of the apartment, he wasn’t keeping his money here. And considering the merc was in another girl’s bed right now, she wasn’t going to accomplish the seduction part tonight.

“My….boyfriend, Cloud has been getting pretty famous for his mercenary work.” Tifa began, instantly catching Kyrie’s interest. “And while he’s been out working, I’ve been fielding all the requests for him to do jobs. But it's starting to become overwhelming keeping up with demand! Maybe you can be our assistant?”

Oh ho! Something to get her close to daddy-deep pockets? She’d have that boy eating out of her hands by the end of the week. And spending his money the next.

“I’d love to,” Kyrie said politely, trying not to let her eagerness show.

000

Nayo was a mess.

Legs spread-eagle, arms limp by her side, chest heaving, and a thousand-yard stare aimed at the ceiling. The bed was practically soaked through with her sweat. Cloud felt bad for teasing her like this. He had gotten a little too into eating her out and didn’t take her seriously when she said she needed a break. Tifa would sometimes say that only to drag his head back down between her legs if he even thought about trying to move away.

Not that he minded. For some reason, the girl just kept tasting better the longer he went at it. What went from a tangy flavor in the beginning, that honestly, he could’ve done without, to it now tasting like his favorite soup as a kid. It was like his brain had gotten rewired to like it. Could’ve kept at it all day. 

Well, if not for the cracking in his jaw.

But he should’ve known better, you can’t treat all girls the same way. Even Tifa and Jessie had subtle differences in how they liked to be handled in bed. And not so subtle, think about the first time the redhead asked him to choke her. She liked passing out sometimes, apparently.

Cloud was already turning from the debauched sight in front thinking about heading towards the kitchen and bathroom. A dry towel to wipe her down so she wouldn’t get cold and a glass of water for the both of them to rehydrate. They had all night, no need to rush things. But before he could slide off the bed, he felt a strong grip holding his wrist. He looked back in surprise, to see a very lucid Nayo glaring at him.

“Where are you going?” She said, tugging at his arm ineffectually. Trying to drag him back to bed. “No running away after that!”

“Wasn’t running. Was just gonna get us some water.” Cloud explained, not mentioning that he wanted to clean her up a bit. He twisted back to look at her fully, getting another eye full of her body. But the merc didn’t think that pointing out her disheveled state was going to do him any favors. She already seemed a little frustrated with him. Really should’ve stopped when she said to.

“As funny as it is to watch you walk around with this thing,” Nayo said, moving her hand to his length. Giving it a slight tug in her direction. It was still standing proud and angry. “And try to not knock over my stuff over with it, I’m ready to fuck. Get over here.”

Cloud had to blink for a moment, she really didn’t mince her words. 

“Yes, ma'am.”

Climbing back on the mattress, Cloud settled himself back between her arms, Quickly shoving a messy pillow under her backside he aligned their hips, cock head pushing on the petals of her core. He felt hands wrap around the back of his neck. Looking up, the merc saw her biting her bottom lip in anticipation. The excitement. It was adorable to look at, on her pretty face. It kind of made him want to bully her a bit more. But maybe next time. If he waited any longer she might just knock him out, and take him when he was unconscious.

Taking a breath, Cloud pushed.

“Fuck!” She gasped.

‘Fuck!’ he thought, as her nails dragged down his back. Why did women have to have such sharp nails? They were like goddamn razor blades on his poor skin. Cloud was superhuman, not bulletproof! Still, he pushed through the pain. Coaxing inch after inch into her vice, till he had bottomed out in Nayo. And it felt amazing. Warm, wet, and borderline painful from how tight she felt around him. Her inner muscles, fighting his intrusion. Almost as if these body parts weren’t meant to fit together. 

It was like a magic trick, Jessie liked to joke.

Nayo felt different, just like how Tifa and Jessie felt unique from each other. By and large, they were all wet, warm, and so fucking tight. But there were subtle differences; the ridges, the curves, even how deep they could take him before the passage narrowed. More importantly, the location of their sweet spots.  And surprisingly Cloud thinks he might have found one of them on his first couple of thrusts... because the girl beneath him was already spasming. 

Her nails were definitely going to leave a mark.

Watching as Nayo rolled her head from side to side panting, trying to recover herself. He gave her a minute. Cloud resumed moving his hips at a frantic pace. Her body stiffened at the sudden attack before she tightened her arms, and snapped her legs around him, pulling him down fully on top. Her eyes were closed, teeth clenching as their body rocked. The sound of their collision was almost deafening in the room. And there it was again, that instinct to mess with her. Maybe it was because she wore glasses? Something primordial that made him want to pick on the nerd? Which didn’t make any sense, since he was the nerd and loser back in Nibelheim.

 As a kid.

And during basic training.

 And when Cloud was an infantryman for Shinra. 

The merc almost stopped his movements at that thought. Oh yeah. He had spent time in the regular army before getting promoted. The merc had been in the infantry before he became a Soldier. But when did he become a Soldier? Sometime before he went home to Nibelheim, at least. Right? Still, not the time to chase that line of thought. He leaned his full weight on the bookworm. Changing his thrusts into something slower, but deeper. Making sure he rubbed all the sensitive spots he could find. Dragging every inch of himself along her walls.

Cloud was enjoying all the different expressions that Nayo could make. As he gave her pecks all over her sweaty face, her frustration at getting so easily handled was bleeding through. The blonde thought he thought he could get used to the sight of this.

At least till she bit his shoulder. And then Cloud saw red.

000

“I can't believe you beat up a doctor,” Aerith said in awe, taking another gulp out of her cup.

“Our girl had to, she was scamming Tifa!” Jessie defended, slurring her words a bit. She looked at her cup in surprise. Just how many of these did she have? It was her mistake for trying to keep up with Tifa. Well, it’s not like she’s anywhere dangerous. The worst that could happen if she passed out in this room, was waking up to Cloud or Tifa between her legs. And the redhead would have wanted that, even when she wasn’t drunk. “You should’ve seen the bill! Almost a hundred smackeroos for one stinkin surgery. That doctor’s lucky I wasn’t there, or I would’ve left some permanent damage!”

“It’s true, Aerith.” Tifa jumped in, knocking back her own drink and refilling it. Jessie could only stare in envy. Sure the dark-haired brunette was a bartender, alcohol tolerance came with the job, but it was like she had a peg leg! “We found out later that her son was in major debt due to gambling. So, she began overcharging all her patients to cover for him. If our friend Barrett hadn’t warned me about the son stealing my payments, I would have been paying hospital bills for years.”

Aerith nodded along, face serious as she took another gulp.

“Wait, this isn’t Dr. Oranye is it?” Kyrie asked curiously, from her slumped spot on the floor. Eyes staring up at them unsteadily. It almost caused all the girls to giggle at her predicament. Seeing Tifa nod in confirmation, the tomboy continued. “Your luck you got out when you did, her son Rakesh is a real piece of work. He gave honest thieves a bad name! Uh….not that I know any real thieves.”

Jessie watched as Aerith gave the younger girl a look. There was definitely a story there. Maybe it was related to all the sex stories Kyrie was telling her audience earlier? Or the other not-so-secret stuff the teenager thought she was hiding from the redhead?

“That guy got into so much debt with the crime bosses in Sector 8, his mom, basically to sell her practice to them. All so they wouldn’t drag her son through the street!” Kyrie finished with a hand flourish in the air. It didn’t quite have the effect she’d probably imagined it did, looking more like she was trying to swat an annoying butterfly mid-flight. “Last I heard, the two of them hightailed it out of Midgar, one step ahead of the gangsters' knives! Rumors say they set up shop in Mideel under assumed names.”

“I feel bad for the doctor,” Tifa added quietly, both hands clasping her drink. “She was just trying to be a good mom to her son and got her livelihood ruined as a result.”

“I don’t feel bad,” Jessie said stubbornly. It was true, Oranye should have knocked some sense into her kid’s head before it got that far. “She was helping her son at the cost of destroying other people’s lives! Imagine how many people barely scraped by because of her actions. As Marle would say, the first rule for life under the plate is, "You take care of each other." Once you break rule one, you shouldn’t be surprised when shit arrives at your doorstep.”

“It can’t all be an eye for an eye Jessie!” Tifa argued, not backing down. “Someone has to be the bigger man. Willing to make that first step.”

“Yeah?! And you gonna forgive Shinra?”

“Lower your voice! And you know that’s different.”

Before they could get into it even further, a loud clap cut through the building tension. It startled both girls, causing them to look away in embarrassment. It was an old argument, one that never really got resolved in all the years they knew each other. She wouldn’t say it but the redhead knew Tifa never quite forgave her for suggesting to the group that they blow up the reactors. Still, Jessie didn’t mean to pick at old scabs, especially around guests. 

The mechanic tentatively reached out to apologetically squeeze Tifa’s hand, who thankfully reciprocated. 

“Alright you two, people are drunk and things are getting heavy.” Aerith scolded the girls, giving each of them a stern look. “Let's not say anything we're going to regret in the morning. We’re all friends, we don’t need all this negativity tonight.”

“I agree.” Kyrie piped in, raising one finger in support of the flower girl, even as she lay on the floor looking half-alive.

“So let’s talk about fun things!” Aerith said with a bright smile, taking the bottle and refilling everyone’s cup. Even the tomboy, who was slowly rubbing her stomach, and looking nauseous. What a lightweight, Jessie thought with a grin. “Like when did everyone have their first kiss!” she giggled.

Oooh, this was going to be interesting.

000

Cloud was relentless in his thrusting. If Nayo wanted to play rough, he’d give her rough!

He was behind her pounding away into her raised ass, giving her a few hard smacks with his right hand. But made sure to keep clutching hard at her hips. So she wouldn’t be thrown off the bed from the force being sent into her body. Her face was buried in the pillow, a death grip on it. She was giving a silent scream into its depths as she held on for dear life. The noise, eaten by the fabric. The blonde thought she may have cummed already, but it didn’t matter! He wasn’t going to let her rest till he had his fill, balls drained of everything it had to offer. Setting a pace he’d usually only reserved for Jessie when she was being a brat, Cloud should’ve figured this was how it was going to go. These city girls were all peas in a pod! 

Cloud gave her another smack on the other cheek.

Stopping for a brief moment to lift one of her legs up on his shoulder, he resumed his ramming. This new angle was good, it was getting him closer. And it was doing wonders for her too, the noise in the pillow growing. As Nayo sprayed herself again, Cloud was close to hitting his peak.

He dropped her leg in order to press his full body weight down on her back, forcing Nayo flat as he continued slamming into her prone form. Trying to push more of his cock deeper into her plundered depth. The tension in him building higher and higher, till he peaked and flooded her. The dam burst with a torrent into the twitching girl below him. Letting every ounce of cum he could muster paint her insides in his color. 

Cloud would mark this troublemaker and reshape her very being if it was the last thing he ever did!

After a few moments of grinding himself as deep as he could go, lightly pumping the whole way to drain every drop, he finally pulled back with a pop. His seed instantly rushed back out, staining the bed. Cloud blinked a few seconds at the scene before him. At Nayo’s ransacked behind, splayed legs stretched out wide, limp upper body slick with sweat. Her ass was a terrible mix of their juices, the apex of her thighs dripping still. His cock twitched at the sight, wanting to take her for another ride. 

And why not? Cloud wasn’t anywhere near done. Moving his body into position to make good on that thought, the blonde stopped when he heard a sob. The bookworm’s face was still buried into her pillow, heaving her ragged breath into the cotton. 

Was she crying?

The sounds hit him like a cold shower.

Cloud felt uncertain now that his lust haze had died down a bit. He was still hard but more clear-headed since she bit him. Remorse starting to clench in his gut. The merch had been too rough, too uncaring. Of course, she wouldn’t like it that hard. He couldn’t imagine that most girls would. Jessie asked for it, even sometimes deserved it. Nayo didn’t. Even Tifa only occasionally liked it when he let loose, other times preferring something more gentle and sweet. Cautiously he leaned over to her left, hand hovering where her face was buried at the top of the bed. Swallowing hard, he dropped his hand a little and gently nudged her shoulder, trying to figure out how he could make this right.

“Are you ok?”

Gradually her sobs petered out, her breath evening, and slowly she turned her face in his direction. Her cheeks, blotchy from her distress, skin shining with wetness, hair a tangled wreckage. She was a poor girl who had just been ravaged by a beast. Taken with no care for her wants. Cloud would’ve thought she was ready to call public security on him, if not for that look she sent him. She stared at him long and hard, unwavering. Nayo’s eyes were still wet from the tears, but the look behind them was fierce. Predatory. Her trembling lips morphed, splitting into another sharp smile, teeth on display. Just like the one from earlier.

“Is that the best you got?”

(Oh, she’s a keeper.)

Chapter Text

“Cloud was your first kiss?!” 

“The one last week? You were a lip virgin for twenty years?”

“It happened when we were kids.” Tifa defended herself even as she shyly looked at her hands in order to avoid everyone’s incredulous looks. What a contrast to see such a bombshell act so nervous. It was too cute! “We were neighbors, and our moms were friends, so the two of us hung out a lot. And you know, one day we were playing house, pretending to be husband and wife… and we did things married couples do. I doubt he even remembers any of it.” She finished quickly, rubbing one of her cheeks in embarrassment.

How adorable!

“So you had that boy wrapped around your finger even as kids!” Jessie cackled, waving her cup in glee, sloshing a bit of alcohol to the floor. “Those kisses probably got Cloud through puberty. No wonder he always follows you around like a lost puppy. I bet he was hoping you’d lay one on him if he was patient enough. Maybe let him resume his… husbandly duties.” She purred and gave Tifa a saucy look. “Well, mission accomplished, I’d say. And then some.” 

Tifa gave a nervous chuckle at that, shooting a look Aerith’s way.

“And so much better than the story about my first kiss!” Jessie bemoaned, leaning back with eyes closed as if she couldn’t handle the shame. “My own childhood romance, a mystery. The lips of the man who did the deed, forever lost to the ages!” 

“You only say that cause you still don’t know if you kissed Biggs or Wedge first.” Tifa teased at the redhead’s display, happy to be off the topic of her and Cloud. “That's what happens when teenagers drink too much alcohol and get frisky. Didn’t help when you drunkenly forced both of them to wear your lipstick! What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking they’d look pretty in baby red. Didn’t know we’d all be covered in the stuff by morning.” Jessie grumbled good-naturedly. “My only consolation from that debacle is that they don’t know who their first kiss is either. Sometimes, when I’m feeling down, I like to cheer myself up with the thought of those two making out over my passed-out form. It always does the trick!”

“You’re terrible.” Tifa playfully scolded as laughter filled the room. “But I guess by your standard, I did have a fairytale first. Blessed to have my princess romance at four years old.”

“It is romantic!” Aerith gushed, giggling along at their antics. This was to fun! She had never had a girls' night before, and it was living up to all her fantasies. The flower girl liked having friends. Jessie was such a firecracker. Tifa was so loving and sweet. Even Kyrie was showing a surprisingly agreeable side to her that she had never seen before. Almost made her feel bad that the tomboy was in the restroom emptying her stomach. Almost. “Destined lovers, who will always be reunited. Just like the main characters in the Loveless play. Connected since childhood. And you didn’t tell me you guys haven’t seen each other in seven years! What the heck was he doing this whole time? Bumming around your village?”

“He left the village before I did, to become a Soldier,” Tifa explained easily enough, although there was a note of bitterness hidden behind the word. Yikes! There was some unresolved baggage there. The mage watched as the barmaid shook her head, recovering herself. “But he’s here now, and that’s what matters.” She said brightly. “But enough about me, your turn. Who was your first kiss?”

“It was that old boyfriend I told you about,” Aerith said, feeling a little weird about her own past relations. Especially since it didn’t end on a high note. But as usual, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t his fault. Like the planet was telling her he had good reason to ditch her. “His name was Zack, and funny enough, he was a Soldier too. First-Class, he claimed.”

“Huh, small world. Didn’t Cloud say he was a First-Class, too?” Jessie asked, directing the last question to Tifa, who nodded. “Maybe they know each other.”

“Maybe.” The barmaid said, looking thoughtful. 

“If he does, I don’t want to hear it,” Aerith said stubbornly, squashing the voice of the planet in her head. She didn’t need Gaia meddling with her thoughts, telling her things she couldn’t prove or knowledge she couldn’t explain. Bugging her that she was misunderstanding the situation with Zack. The healer was finally being a normal girl for once; no need to freak out her new friends on the first outing. “He had a bit of a reputation as a ladies' man back in the day, so I don’t need three guesses to know what he’s been up to. Really don’t need to know about the girl whom he might have left me for. Or the girl he might have left her for.”

“Loud and clear. He’s an emotional landmine to be avoided.” Jessie said, nodding sagely. She spread her arms as if to an assembly. “It’s how it is with these players. They’ll promise you the world one day and break your heart the next. Absolutely despicable.”

"Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?” Tifa laughed, nudging the redhead playfully. “About half of my clientele are the people you pumped and dumped. All of them drowning their sorrows and trying to forget the notorious Jessie Rasberry. I remember that one girl who tried to kidnap you because you broke up with her through a letter!”

“And you came to my rescue, fists a-blazing!” Jessie said dramatically, swooning into Tifa’s open arms. “Even broke one of her friend’s noses for me. You could have dragged me up to your room that very night, and I would’ve rocked your world!”

“Like I can’t already do that.” Tifa snorted, giving the redhead a mock suggestive squeeze on a knee, causing them both to giggle. It got them play-fighting, grabbing at each other's body parts. Some places bordering on inappropriate. At least, till Jessie went straight for the brunette's breasts, giving them a honk. The fighter didn’t at all seem to mind, even laughing a little, looking like she was going to retaliate the same way. 

Before she noted Aerith watching them with wide eyes.  

The barmaid quickly untangled them, her face flustered and embarrassed, busying herself by pouring another drink. Jessie just looked amused by the sudden scrambling, shooting Aerith a wink behind Tifa’s back.

Whoa, they were really close.

“What did I miss?” Kyrie’s weak voice called out as she slowly crawled back towards them from the bathroom. “I heard about maybe two-thirds of all that over the vomit. Something about a kidnapping?”

She unsteadily settled back into her spot next to Aerith and reached over for a plate of leftovers.  She stared blankly at the meal as if deciding if it was worth it to even eat. That stuff had to be below room temperature by now, but considering she had been getting acquainted with the toilet for the last ten minutes, a little nutrient was needed. Still, no need to make the younger girl suffer and munch on cold noodles. The mage sent a small spark of fire magic to warm up the dish. 

Blinking her tired eyes at the suddenly hot food, Kyrie looked up at Aerith for a moment before clumsily leaning in and giving her a wet kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“We were still talking about first kisses and were on Aerith’s old boyfriend.” Jessie supplied, eyeing them with interest.  Aerith was frozen, still shocked by the sudden display of affection from the other girl. Sure, she was drunk, they all were a little, but that was unexpected. In the background, the mage barely registered Tifa saying she was going to grab another few bottles from her apartment. “I know he’s a knotted ball of unresolved emotions, but how did you meet the jerkface, anyway?”

“I… met him at the church where I grow my flowers,” Aerith said, her words stumbling a little. Mind trying to catch up to her mouth as she stared at her fellow Sector Fiver.  She had been kissed by Kyrie Canaan! On the cheek, but still. While the two weren’t enemies, they weren’t exactly friends. And definitely not in the ballpark of casual physical affection, not like Tifa and Jessie. As kids, they barely even said a dozen words to each other. Tonight was the most they’d spoken in fifteen years. She forced her eyes to look away from the girl eating. “Believe it or not, he crashed through the roof when I was gardening. Said he fell from the top plate during a fight. Not sure how much of that I believe, though.”

“I could believe it. The falling part, at least.” Jessie mused thoughtfully, tapping her lips with a finger. “I’ve seen Cloud do crazy, superhuman stuff on the regular. On one job, he took a shot to the shoulder. The bullet fell out a minute later. Two minutes later, the wound was gone, and you couldn’t even tell he took a slug.” She recounted, shaking her head. “Even if Tifa’s boy fell from the upper sectors, I’d give him pretty good odds of surviving the landing.”

“Man, Soldiers are crazy,” Kyrie mumbled around her mouthful. Looking over at Aerith as she chewed, she asked. “Your Ex was the one with spiky black hair, right?”

“Yeah.” She said, blinking at the sudden question. “How’d you know?”

“Met him once when he was in the Fives.” Kyrie continued, unaware of the uneasy feeling forming in Aerith’s stomach. A sharp cough from Jessie, which must have alerted the tomboy to her distress because she started shaking her head frantically at the mage. “N-not like that! He was just looking for directions. Asked me where all the monsters were cause he was going to clear them out. Something about living up to the ideals of a Hero or something stupid. And where “Aerith’s church” was, cause he was lost. Honestly, a colossal dork, totally not my type at all!”

It warmed Aerith's heart that she was trying so hard to reassure her. It even tickled her a little at the thought of their interaction because that was exactly something Zack would say. 

“It’s okay, Kyrie. I believe you,” Aerith said with a smile, only hesitating a little before reaching under the table to give the younger girl’s hand a squeeze in appreciation. She was afraid the other girl would pull away, but after a beat and a swallow, the former delinquent returned the affection. “And that does sound just like him! Always talking about being a great Hero and helping the people. Especially the getting lost part.” She giggled again before whispering to herself. “An absolute dork.”

A companionable silence fell over them, only broken at Tifa’s return, a few bottles in hand. “I’m back! What did I miss?”

“Just some stuff about Aerith's boyfriend. We’re in agreement that he’s a dork.” Jessie said casually, taking the drinks as the fighter retook her spot. “But you're just in time for the burning question that I’m sure has been on everyone’s mind!” Pointing a finger at the youngest of their group, the mechanic raised her voice like an announcer, using a bottle in her other hand to mimic a microphone. “Kyrie Canaan! Who! Was! Your! First! Kiss!?”

All of them looked expectantly at the tomboy, anticipation thrumming in the apartment.

“I’ve…. actually haven’t kissed anyone before.” Kyrie finished, eyes shifting nervously. Her body, hunched over her food, looking a bit like a caught wild animal. “It just never really happened, you know?”

“Oh,” Jessie said a little lamely, her finger dropping back down to her side. She put the microphone bottle back down on the coffee table and straightened in her seat on the floor. For the first time since Aerith met her today, at a loss for words. It didn’t last. “Uh, that’s cool. Say, you didn’t hear me call Tifa a lip virgin earlier, did you? Cause that wasn’t me dissing on people who never kissed! It is a perfectly reasonable life choice, and I respect it. It takes a lot of willpower.”

Kyrie was practically red from head to toe.

“Jessie, stop.” Tifa admonished her, trying to end the foot-in-mouth demonstration before more damage could be done. Turning back to Kyrie, the barmaid tried to reassure her. “Don’t let her get in your head. There’s nothing wrong with saving your first kiss. Especially if it’s for someone special. In my village, most people waited a while to kiss for the first time. Usually until after they get married.”

“Didn’t people in Nibelheim, like on average, get married at fifteen?” The inventor interjected.

“Jessie!”

As the two women across from her argued, Aerith turned to look at Kyrie.

“It is fine if you haven’t done it,” Aerith assured her, giving her hand another squeeze in comfort. Had they been holding hands the whole time? “But out of curiosity, what about all those boys you used to hang out with when we were kids? You were never tempted?”

“Not with them,” Kyrie explained, seemingly relieved that she got a chance to defend herself. “Fabio, Thropp, and the others were like brothers to me. Sure, when we hit puberty, they definitely tried making attempts at wooing me. Not that I blame them; I mean, look at me! It’s like dangling candy. But it’s hard for me to separate the man from the booger-eating boy there used to be. Which is why I don’t really get the whole 'childhood romance' thing Tifa’s got going on.” She said, gesturing towards the barmaid. The other girls had quieted, listening in on the words as well. “Others have made passes, but none that caught my interest. I guess in general, slum boys don’t really do it for me.”

“How about slum girls?” Jessie asked intently, a glint in her eye as her chin rested on a fist. “Cause if you play for the home team, or just curious, I can introduce you to a beautiful community of like-minded individuals. I know all the good spots to hook up.” 

“Of which, people or place, will not let you get within a hundred feet of.” Tifa dropped, shaking her head at her friend. “You are the pariah of almost every woman in Sector 7. And the last person to help guide a young girl through her sexuality.” She ignored Jessie’s mock offended look, addressing Kyrie. “Sorry for the interruption. What is your type?”

Kyrie pondered for a moment at the question.

“Handsome is a no-brainer.” The delinquent pondered. “And definitely someone who takes a shower more than once a week. Unfortunately, most boys in Midgar seem allergic to clean water.” She griped, phantoming waving an odor away from her face.

“Oh, I agree.” Aerith put in wholeheartedly. It was an epidemic in Sector 5. Sure, how clean water could be was a risk in the slums, but you only needed a handful to scrub yourself down. “Remember Mr. Johnson from the red container units? He worked as a stablehand for Chocobo Sam, cleaning up after the birds. And he stunk to high heaven! Never seemed to think shoveling manure was enough of a reason to take a bath.”

“Oh, I remember Old Man Stinky.” Kyrie grinned deviously, laughing in delight at the figure of their childhood. “He would tell everyone to mind their own business and what he did with his body was his concern. Even told my grandma to mind her own beeswax, but you can’t argue that when you live in a complex with a hundred other people. The whole building was toxic because of him!”

“I still can't believe that the older teenagers would throw water balloons full of soap at the guy. I thought they were going to get into so much trouble for messing with him!”

“Then we found out that it was the adults who put them up to it because they couldn't stand the smell either!” 

“Or that the other adults would join in when he doubled down!”

The two of them went into a fit of laughter at the crazy man, who to this day still refused to shower. Aerith's stomach had almost cramping from laughing so much. It took a few minutes for the hysteria to die down.

Taking a moment to think, the tomboy continued.

“And I know it’s not cool to wish for, but a guy with money would be nice,” Kyrie said, grinning nervously. Almost like she was expecting them to blow up at her for her blunt admission. “You know, like living in a big clean house. New clothes when you want them. Not having to count every cent before you buy something to eat. Comfort and security, I guess.”

“Hey, no need to explain. I can’t imagine there's anyone who doesn’t want a few extra gil in their pockets.” Jessie said, waving the concern away. “Pretty sure my mom only gave my dad the time of the day once he got a job on the plate. I don’t doubt she loves him now, of course. But it certainly went a long way in catching her eye. It’s not the end-all, be-all, but personally, I wouldn’t say no to a partner that brought in the bacon.” 

Aerith would, too. Selling flowers didn’t exactly give her a heavy wallet.

“Money’s nice, but I’d rather have personality,” Tifa stated promptly. “If you want to build a life with this guy, compatibility is key, in my opinion.”

“Is this your way of telling us you're gonna break up with Cloud?” Jessie jested, giving Tifa a poke in the abs. “Cause as much as I love our merc, a conversationalist he is not.”

“I consider that a plus.” The barmaid said stubbornly. “He doesn’t waste time with useless chatter. Unlike some people I know.” No mystery who she was referring to here. “It just means that everything he does say has more meaning. And if that isn’t enough, he’ll speak louder with his actions than his words. You don’t need him to tell you he’ll be there for you because he’ll show it.”

“Ooph, be still my heart.”The mechanic said, holding a hand over her left breast, as if to hold back said organ, before turning a saucy grin Tifa’s way. “I guess I’ll give you that,  he is very physical. Now that I think about it, it might just be my favorite way of communicating, too.”

“So you want someone clean, handsome, and maybe not rich but at least well off.” Aerith summarized. Cutting through the innuendos and getting the conversation back on track. “I could think of a few guys that might match that description. But none of them are appropriate for you, though. Unless you don’t mind breaking up a few marriages or dating someone in their eighties. Do you have anybody in mind? Someone you know that might hit all three?”

“No one off the top of my head,” Kyrie said with a shrug on one shoulder, looking casually to the side. 

“I’m not surprised,” Jessie said, stretching her arms about her head and letting her back crack. They had been sitting on the floor for a while. Aerith's own tailbone was starting to feel a little numb. “Trying to find Mr. Right is like meeting a monster that doesn’t want to eat you. There out there, but that’s a one-in-a-million encounter. You just have to be lucky. Even then, you gotta lock them down somehow.” She looked over at Tifa. “Or give them a kiss at four years old.”

A light, hearty chuckle ran through the room. 

But in the corner of Aerith’s eye, she caught Kyrie looking contemplative. A mix of emotions seemed to be playing over the younger girl’s features. Determined, sad, and... weirdly, even a little guilty.

000

Up on the plate of Sector 0, deep in the labs of Professor Hojo, was a scene not for the faint of heart. A grisly murder was taking place, blood and gore flying everywhere. It was the stuff of nightmares, horrors used to scare small children on the path of the straight and narrow. Had there been anyone present, they would have long fled the room, leaving only the attacker and the victim.

The Director of Research and Development was getting his throat torn out.

It had taken but a single moment of vulnerability on the scientist's part. A simple fumble as he maneuvered the unique animal in its restraints into the right spot to begin the testing. As Hojo had done a thousand times before with his other sick experiments. 

A finger clicking on the wrong clasp. A beam of light from the ceiling, the beam hitting his glasses at a perfect angle. The slightest loosening of the red lion’s bindings, for it to all go wrong for the man. And everything to go right for the beast. A single perfect opening for a lunge. 

And the warrior took it.

Taking one final hard bite and a sickening crunch, Nanaki lifted his head up from the bloody job. He wanted to gag; even the horrible human’s blood tasted vile. Like the man had been more of a mutated monster than a native creature of the planet. Swinging his one eye around, the guardian saw that he was alone in the room with the corpse. No one had accidentally stumbled upon the necessary deed. He felt his insides relax, letting out one long, relieved sigh.

 Nanaki was free. Or close to it.

The red lion didn’t need to kill any more people. Not that he would’ve felt bad about it; these crazy people had kidnapped him from his home and were experimenting on his person!  It’s just… he wasn’t one to just kill with abandon. It never made him feel good. The red lion rarely brought his might to bear on non-monsters. Only those who deserved it or attacked him first.

Looking down at Hojo’s cooling body, this madman certainly deserved it.

Grabbing the scientist access card with his teeth off the lapel of the white lab coat, Nanaki made his way over to the machine that was going to be used to torture him this session. Slashing it to pieces with his claws, the cat ransacked it for its materia, equipping it on himself.

Nanaki slunk his way to the doors, taking one last look around the room for anything useful for his escape. He didn’t want to stay in this godforsaken building or city a moment longer! Eyeing Hojo’s remains, the red lion shot a Firaga at it, watching as it caught and crumbled into ashes. 

Very petty and disrespectful of the cat in hindsight, but he was working through a lot of stress right now! His grandpa would understand. Hopefully.

With one last flicker of his flamed tail, Nanaki snuck away.

000

The White Rose of Wutai rubbed her dry eyes. 

‘I can’t believe I’m watching this!’ Yuffie thought, shock still making her mind fuzzy. 

When she had first arrived in the city, she instantly regretted not researching further into the recent events of the Avalanche cells. Nayo revealed to them, during a tour of the slums, that there was a recent splitting of personnel due to a dispute on how they wanted to handle Shinra. The fact that the spy and Central Command were apparently taking a more pacifistic stance made Yuffie want to tear her hair out. Why the heck were they terrorists then!? And it was the other faction who blew up the reactor! They were the ones that the interim Wutai government had heard about and would have been the perfect people for the ninja to align herself with. Together, they could cause some real damage to the heartless company. 

She and Sonon were going to break the news to Nayo and her people, letting them know that they decided on a different way. At least they would after they got their fake IDs from the Zhijie. No point in burning bridges before they got the goods, after all. But before they could meet the seller, a group of “talent scouts” accosted them, forcing a fight. The ninjas handled the low-level thugs easily enough, but half of the gangsters chased the non-combatants. That spy group split up into two, hoping to up their chances of escape. 

Sonon went after the boys, and Yuffie went after Nayo. They were still comrades, at least for now. A mistake in hindsight, as all the thugs went after the glasses girl.

The White Rose caught up to the chase at Wall Market, ready to jump into the fray and end these losers. At least she was, until a Soldier stepped in and whisked the spy away. And not just any Soldier, but Barrett Wallace’s pet Soldier. Cloud Strife. A truly mysterious person. Not a single record of him during the war or after. It’s like the man suddenly popped out of thin air three months ago. Yuffie’s curiosity got the better of her, and she followed the chase from the rooftops, making sure to stay out of sight and keep her distance. By the time the former Avalanche comrades got cornered, the princess was about ready to write the whole eco-terrorist organization off. Seriously, why didn’t he just beat up these idiots? She would’ve. 

Then... Cloud started killing them.

Now, he was speaking her language. 

It was an impressive sight, the blonde seemed stronger and faster than any Soldier she’d ever encountered. He was dodging bullets point-blank and deflecting the rest! And considering Yuffie spent her childhood during the Shinra occupational war, she’s seen a lot of the elite warriors in action. Up close and personal. Although there were accounts that the First-Class ones were capable of similar feats. Each story, more ridiculous and scarier than the last. Whispers of Sephiroth and the fear he inspired on the battlefield, with his inhuman feats, still scared the warriors of old Wutai. And if this carnage was what haunted their nightmares, then she could see why they were concerned.

That being said, Yuffie could take him. She was the best ninja in the world, after all. A few extra materia in her pockets, and she’d have the blonde begging for mercy.

And the battle was over the moment she finished that thought. Cloud left one of them alive. Said something to the quivering thug before kicking him and carrying Nayo to the gate. The ninja watched them as they made it all the way to sector 7 and the famous Seventh Heaven bar. The splinter cell’s base of operations. Now Yuffie had a dilemma.

Did she go in and introduce herself? Demand that they work together to kick Shinra’s shit in? Maybe sweet-talk them with all the support that Wutai’s interim government could provide them? She definitely wanted to, but the princess had already been burned once for not doing her research properly. She’d observe them for a little while longer and discuss any actions with Sonon first. She was the boss of the duo, but a good leader listened to her subordinate’s opinions.

Even if they might be stupid.

Plus, on the off chance they told Yuffie no, she’d need a new strategy. Backing from her country was as good of a bribe as they could hope for. But if that didn’t sway them, then perhaps blackmail? She knew almost nothing about them besides a few scant details. This meant that if she wanted to uncover anything embarrassing or incriminating about them, she might have to follow them for a few days, if not a week. That would suck. But she wanted something in her back pocket just in case. The ninja needed something good to force their hand if they were stubborn. Or if their agenda didn’t work with her own. She just hoped she wasn’t wasting her time and they turned out to be a bunch of pansies like their HQ.

But they’re sure we’re a lot of them. At least five she counted the bar alone, when the door swung open.

Maybe she should just focus on Cloud? Dig up dirt about just him? Trying to get something on every one of the members in the cells could take weeks. Yuffie liked that he was ready to take extreme actions if needed. The corpses in sector 6 were proof of that. He was someone she wanted on her side. The man was probably their main muscle anyway; if she had him on a leash, the rest would respect his support.

So, plan in mind, Yuffie settled back to observe, but only from afar. She wasn’t expecting to do any espionage on her first day in the city, so she wasn’t equipped to do more than look at a distance. Not if she didn't want to get caught, at least. Didn’t want to risk that Soldier clocking her because he heard her heartbeat or something else ridiculous. She only had a few tools on her that would have been useful. A whole lot of nothing happened before the pair emerged from the bar. Cloud carrying Nayo in his arms. Huh, she must have been more injured than the ninja had originally assumed.

The sun was setting, so Yuffie sent a quick message to Sonon on her PHS to let him know where she was. That she was going to try and dig up some blackmail on the splitter cell, as a... just in case. To keep Billy-Bob, Polk, and Headquarters distracted while she accomplished the impromptu mission. Getting a confirmation and a good luck in response, she refocused her attention on the unsuspecting pair.

She kept at them until they met up with another pair of girls. A redhead whose name she thinks was maybe Jessie, another Avalanche comrade. And another Wutain girl. Wait a minute! That was the same girl who made fun of Yuffie’s Moogle disguise earlier today! What the hell was she doing here? Was she a terrorist, too?

The odd quartet talked for a bit before walking toward the train tracks. They entered a restaurant that had the most delicious smell coming from it. Oh great, they were having dinner. And she, forced to inhale that aroma with only a belly full of only Cacao beans. Maybe she had time to run to a food cart and grab a bite to eat. It was a risk, but her grumbling stomach told her it was one worth taking.

Settling back on her rooftop, Yuffie snacked on her meat buns as she waited for them to reemerge. A couple of hours passed before the four of them reappeared. They split off into their original pairs. She slunk after her original targets, wondering at what an odd pair they were. The rescue earlier was a good reason for them to be together, but why was he still carrying her around? Was it the leg? Wouldn’t it be better to call one of her friends to help? You would think the girl would have called Polk or Billy Bob to come pick her up instead. 

But then she saw the two of them entering an apartment complex. Thankfully, the building had plenty of windows and window ledges for her to get closer. One of them even looked into Nayo’s bedroom! Which was fortuitous because that was where she saw the odd pair enter. Were they having a secret meeting or something? Maybe she was a spy for the Splinter Cell or Cloud for HQ? Yuffie grinned a little. Maybe they were a couple? And now they were about to get down and dirty?

She had to get closer. It’d increase her chances of getting caught, but she couldn’t help herself! This was the most exciting mission the ninja had had in a while. So she silently jumped onto the ledge and peeked through the window. 

That earlier joke of her’s turned out to be a lot more accurate than she thought.

They got undressed.

Took turns showering.

Then started fucking.

Her mind short-circuited. 

Yuffie couldn’t tear her gaze away from the obscene actions in front of her! And Cloud was not very nice to Nayo. She saw every kiss, every thrust, every spank. Heard every moan and scream that pierced her poor innocent ears. The bigger man was tossing the poor woman all over her bed in reckless disregard for her safety. Other times pushing his whole body on the agents like he was trying to crush her! The ninja almost stepped in when she saw him slam her against a wall. Hard. At least she was, until the princess saw the ridiculously huge smile on the operative’s face. That was the look of a woman in absolute ecstasy.

Yuffie watched the whole thing play out. It took hours. And they were still going!

A whole night of watching her Avalanche contact getting her back blown out was not how the princess thought she would be spending her first day in Midgar. And she didn’t learn anything from watching this tryst. Yuffie didn’t gain any new information about Cloud other than that he was an unforgiving monster in bed. But no blackmail from that knowledge. That meant she was still at square one. The White Rose might need to follow him for a few more days, or until she gets some real dirt on him, at least. 

As Yuffie watched the blonde’s ass tensing for another round. At the sight of Cloud’s long cock disappearing into Nayo, the ninja thought she might need to extend this recon to a week. Just to make sure she didn’t miss anything.

000

Cloud finished putting on the last of his armor and strapped his sword onto his holster. He searched around the chair he had left his stuff on for any other miscellaneous items of his. Patting himself down to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, he turned back to the other occupant inside the room.

“You sure you don’t want some breakfast or something?” Cloud asked Nayo, trying to keep eye contact and not let his gaze roam. The girl was splayed out on her bed, not a stitch of clothing from head to foot.  After last night. It’d make sense if she was still naked. Well, it would, if not for the fact that they had changed the linen and had taken a shower. Together, of course, for a little morning sex. But she was clean now. The spy should really put something on, or she’d catch a cold.

(Boy, do I want you to jump back in there.)

“I’m sure,” Nayo confirmed with a lazy smile on her face as she stretched out a bit to settle on her mattress. “Us humans need some real sleep after a night like that.” She added with a grin. “Might just take a lazy day and get back to work tomorrow. I’ll swing by the bar in the afternoon and ask Tifa for membership into the Cloud Club.” 

“You like it that much, huh?” The merc asked rhetorically, enjoying the praises. Growing up, Cloud never really had much in the way of positive reinforcement. Well, except for his ma. But does it really count if it came from your mother? He discovered this part of himself not too long ago when Tifa said some words of affirmation to him. The blonde doesn’t even remember what he was doing to earn it, just that she told him he did a good job. It had made his heart soar.

Unfortunately, he sometimes found himself fishing for compliments.

“S-tier. I’d give you a golden star if I had any stickers on me.” Nayo joked, but he took the words at face value. Although he didn’t know what S-tier meant. Did they develop a new letter grade in school that he wasn’t aware of? It sounded good, so he’ll take it. “Now give me a kiss and scram. I plan to sleep for the next twelve hours, at least.”

Cloud obliged her.

He stepped out of her apartment a few moments later, listening to the auto-locking of her door as he took a deep breath of morning air. He kept replaying the last 18 hours in his mind as he walked down the stairs. What a fun night. The Soldier couldn’t wait to tell Tifa all about it! He wondered how much detail she might want to hear. Storytelling was not a strong suit for him. Recounting his sexual encounters would be hard even if he was. He never had to do it before. Usually, he’d be fucking Jessie right in front of his childhood friend.

Oh, well. He’ll figure it out. Stopping at the bottom flight, he stretched a little.

Enjoying the lights from the plate above, Cloud thought about his next problem. Does he go to the bar or to his apartment? 

He wanted to go home and see his girls, but it was awfully early in the morning. Just enough for people who commute but too early for most decent people to be awake and about. Plus, he remembered Jessie saying something about having a drinking party to welcome Kyrie. Welcome for what, he hadn’t the slightest idea. But if Tifa joined in, those two would be competing to see who could drink the most, her pride as a bartender on the line. Which meant those two were probably dead to the world. And would not appreciate him stomping into the room and waking them from their hibernation.

Maybe the bar?

It should be open right now for the morning rush. It was a Tuesday morning, so one of Tifa’s part-timers would be holding it down. But without Tifa there to cook, he questioned if it was worth it. While Cloud was hungry, he didn’t want to roll the dice on who was manning the kitchen. Last time Katie was there, she nearly served him an omelet full of eggshells. And no yolk. 

(And she burnt it.)

Not redhead Katie, who tried pimping him out to her friends. Neighborhood Watch Katie, who kept tallies of the monsters killed in sector 7. The superior Katie in Cloud’s opinion. Although, whatever happened to the bold redhead? Did she ever find a replacement entertainer for her friend’s birthday party? Hopefully, she wasn’t too embarrassed at his rejection. He didn’t think he was too harsh when he told her no.

“Morning Cloud.” 

The merc’s body reacted on instinct, ducking and rolling to the side. He finished the movement at a half crouch, sword raised and at the ready. His heart had nearly punched its way out of his chest. And it was still beating a thousand miles a minute. His eyes frantically searched around for the person who got the drop on him.

Everything was clear, the streets were empty. No danger in sight. No one came to assault him. The coast was clear. Except for the blonde girl with big blue eyes, sitting on the bench with a startled expression, her book and mug forgotten next to her. She wore big cargo pants stuffed into even bigger steel boots. There were some tan shadows on her bare hands that told Cloud she typically wore gloves. A dark red undershirt with a metal chest plate over it. Very similar to Jessie's. Well, without the added emphasis on her womanly attributes. Very practical. And where the redhead wore a headband, this girl had goggles. Those actually looked kind of cool.

The Soldier had to blink a few times because he’d seen her somewhere before.

“Nellie?” Cloud ventured, vaguely remembering her as Avalanches’ quartermaster. He got a stiff nod in confirmation. His mind quickly tried to supply him with what few scrapes of knowledge he knew about the quiet terrorist.

She was technically a loyalist to Headquarters but was also assisting Barrett’s faction from behind the scenes. Any and all supplies, such as weapons and gil, went through her hands first before being disseminated to the other members. More importantly, she was the decider of who got what in terms of equipment for the Sector 7 branch. A surprisingly difficult job for someone so shy, but she managed. Even harder, since she was helping both sides of the rift. This was the person who had been supplying most of the materials their cell used for missions. The one exception was those modified blasting caps Jessie needed her father’s access card to get. 

Seeing the nervous look in her eyes, Cloud belatedly realized he was still crouched with his sword poised for violence. He quickly stood up and placed the blade back on its magnet. Brushing some dirt off his pants, the merc cautiously approached the other blonde. Slowly, with hands raised.

“Sorry, you caught me off guard.” He said apologetically, hoping not to make things worse. Personality-wise, she was like Tifa, if the fighter had the confidence of a baby turtle. Quiet, unassuming, and so painfully shy. It reminded Cloud too much of himself when he was young. Ironic since the two blondes were the same age. Judging from how she sat on the edge of her seat, her legs half-crouched as if ready to bolt, his attempt at gentleness was a failure.

For some reason, his big brother instinct kicked in around the smaller blonde. Her presence was so tiny that he kept getting these knee-jerk reactions to be protective. Maybe it was because of how similar they looked? Jessie joked that sometimes people would assume she and Nellie were sisters, but Cloud only saw the resemblance in body type. Going by the face, the merc always thought the two blondes looked like twins separated at birth. And not just because they had fair hair and blue eyes. Even the angulature of the face and bone structure was alike. Honestly, he thought she was kind of the spitting image of Claudia Strife as a young woman. 

(Holy shit, your mom was a babe.)

The thought creeped him out a bit. 

It also made his heart ache something fierce.

And, ironically, their shared introvertness made him want to talk to her.

“It’s okay,” Nellie said, making a visible effort to calm herself down. As if fighting an internal battle with herself, she gave a slight nod and settled back on her bench. She stretched out a hesitant hand to pat the spot next to her. He took the unspoken cue and sat down. “It’s pretty early. Most don’t really expect to meet anyone up and about at this hour. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re even awake.”

“Well, I’m made of stronger stuff,” Cloud said with a bit of mock arrogance bleeding through. “All those monsters won’t kill themselves if I'm snoozing the day away.”

She hummed in response, marking her place in the book before setting it down.

Yikes! That was usually a conversation starter. Usually, they could complain about the endless monsters in the slums. Cloud could ask the other person what they did for work, or they’d ask him what it's like to be a mercenary. But they more or less already knew all that stuff about each other. They were basically strangers but not quite. A lot of polite small talk kind of went out the window for them. 

“What are you doing so early?” He asked, trying to keep it going.

“I couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d get an early start to my day.” The quartermaster said, taking another sip of her coffee.

He sat there, not sure how to continue with that. Does he ask her what she has planned for the day? What has she already done? He didn’t want to be prying. It was kind of a personal question, and they honestly didn’t know each other that well.  Hell, it might even be Avalanche-related, and he didn't want her thinking he was trying to spy. They were still technically on opposite sides. Although Cloud wasn't officially a member of Avalanche. But damned by association and all that.

There was silence.

And it stretched on far longer than should have been polite. He should say something. Anything. But Cloud has never actually exchanged more than a few words with their supplier before. Outside of a few grunts and nods of greetings, their overall contact had been minimal. This impromptu meeting was the longest one-on-one they'd ever had. Was this what it was like to speak to him? It was like a mirror match in awkwardness. Two antisocial people feeding into each other’s anxiety. The weirdo energy they were both supplying was off the charts. If there was a machine to quantify such a thing, no doubt it would have shattered its theoretical limiter minutes ago.  

Tifa was a saint for putting up with him for as long as she had.

“Do you live here?” Cloud ventured.

“Yep, right there,” Nellie said, pointing at a bottom-flight apartment. The one right beneath Nayo’s. Huh, what a coincidence. Then he realized she may have seen him leaving the spy’s apartment. In the early morning. With a goddamn skip in his step and a smile on his face.

The merc glanced over at the blonde to gauge her reaction, but she didn’t seem to be teasing him or calling him a scoundrel. If she didn’t actually see anything, then perfect. If she did but didn’t want to draw attention to it... also perfect. He was more than happy to play dumb and ignore it. 

“You live at Stargazer, right? Next to Tifa?” She asked, looking him in the face. And by face, he meant nose. The Avalanche girl couldn’t seem to keep eye contact with him for longer than a second.

“Actually, we moved in together last week.” He said proudly, still unbelieving at his incredible luck. Cloud was glad that Tifa made the first move that night. As much as he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he knew if left up to him, it'd have taken months, if not years, to work up the courage to ask her out. Might have needed the end of the world to make him take that plunge. “But eventually, I want to find us a house. That apartment’s a little too cramped for multiple bodies, you know?”

“Oh,” Nellie replied. Cloud saw her shoot a glance up at Nayo’s apartment. Okay, so she did see. Shit, he had to explain himself. But he couldn’t just reveal Tifa’s kinks! Jessie did it with Kyrie last night, and he was honestly a little upset with her big mouth. But the Avalanche girls were best friends, the redhead could get away with that stuff. Even as her boyfriend, he didn’t think forgiveness would come so easily to him. He had to say something, though, otherwise, the other blonde would think he was cheating. 

“Me and Tifa have an understanding,” Cloud said, settling for a half-truth. “But I don’t want to get into details, it's kind of private. Trust me, though, she knows where I was last night.” Or at least he thinks so.

She gave a slight nod, her face a little red, before shyly hanging her head.

Another pregnant pause.

Should he ask her about her book? But he doesn’t recognize the title. And honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he read something for fun. It felt like years. He could already tell how that conversation would turn out.

Maybe where she got her mug from? It was a fancy thing, in the shape of a cactuar. But he also didn’t know anything about cups! Or the fiend! He drank out of one and killed the other. What if it turned out she was a collector of rare and expensive drinking implements? Or that the green monster was her favorite creature? 

She nervously began drumming her fingers along the side of her cup.

He looked around the street for something else to talk about.

She kept opening and closing her mouth, but no sounds came out.

There was a long silence. 

“Wanna get breakfast?” Cloud blurted, scrambling for a lifeline.

Blinking a little owlishly at him, a slow smile stretched her lips. And what a pretty thing it was. Like the first peak of the morning sun, its rays finally burn through the early fog and mist.

“I’d love to.”

Chapter Text

A full meeting had been called within Shinra.

Every department Director had been roused out of their beds and told there was an emergency. A red alert, if you will. Normally these powerful individuals would have told the messenger to jump off a bridge and that unless their life was endangered they were going back to sleep. At least they would’ve if the message wasn’t carried to their door by a Turk. And more importantly, under the direct order of President Shinra himself. Needless to say, the current assembly had gathered in record time and had been discussing the recent upsetting events for the last hour.

“It’s obviously the work of Avalanche! Only those terrorist scum would be so bold!” Heidegger unnecessarily screamed in the room. He then turned to the president, noticeably lowering his voice. “Sir, just give me the order and I’ll have the infantry scouring the slums for those responsible. We’ll go in with full arms and armament, scare the truth out of these rats. I could–”

“We can’t just indiscriminately attack the citizens of Midgar!” Reeves argued, cutting into the General’s spiel. He could already tell the direction his fellow director wanted to take their response. It’d be a bloodbath if the big man had his way. “We only know that Avalanche is in the lower sectors, but not where. You’d be putting millions at risk just to catch a few. Who we also don’t know is responsible!”

“Who else could it be?!”

“That’s what we're here to find out! We need to investigate this thoroughly and get the facts. All we know is Hojo is dead, but not the how and why.”

“The how was with fire and the why was because he was a Shinra executive! More than enough of a reason for those terrorists to make a play against us! ”

“That doesn’t explain anything! What about the blood splatter or the broken machinery? There’s too much we don’t know and harassing the innocent people under the plate does nothing to help us solve this!”

“Listen here Tuesti!” The General stood up with a roar, hands slamming down on the table as he faced the Head of Urban Development. “Those miscreants have been a thorn in our side for the entire year! And have been escalating with every new attack. Protest one day, checkpoint bombings the next! They even blew up a goddam reactor for fuck’s sake!” At that part, the former soldier’s eye flicked over to the president for a fraction of a second. It happened every time Avalanche was brought up. But what for? Another secret that Reeves wasn’t in the know. “Killing a director fits their pattern to a “t”. And every second we waste lets them think they can get away with such a travesty. The murder of one of our own needs to be answered with equal or greater force!” 

“And I support that idea.” Scarlett interrupted before Reeves could respond, her fingers drumming on the table as her eyes quickly rescanned the incident report. “But Reeves is right, nothing here indicates that it was them. Nothing obvious at least. I don’t mind you busting the heads of some peasants Heidegger, but let's make sure we actually catch the killer. It could be an inside job, for all we know. Someone who knew that lab was one of the professor’s creepy blackout rooms. That creeper Hollander has always been jealous of Hojo’s position. Could be the work of an envious man and a few co-conspirators. Maybe we should execute the science department, just in case? I’d rather not be the next victim of Hojo’s friend, all because we didn’t give this due diligence.”

“I hardly think they were friends.” Palmer piped up, wringing his hand nervously. It stopped the heated debate cold in its tracks. “Friends don’t burn each other to ashes!”

“That’s not what I meant Palmer.” The beautiful woman gritted out behind clenched teeth.

“Well, why would you say such a thing if you didn't mean it?” The rotund man said in obvious confusion. “This is a serious matter, Scarlet. You are an adult, you should know better than to spout out whatever comes to your mind.”

“Listen you–!” 

“I believe our Head of Weapons was trying to be sarcastic.” Rufus Shinra cut in helpfully, his drawl stopping the incoming tirade. The young vice president had entered without anyone noticing and had taken his seat at the foot of the table. Though, judging from the lazy smile on the young man’s face, he was enjoying the circus before him. “It was her attempt at a joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t a very good one.” The Head of Space replied, an aghast look on his face. “Please show some tact Scarlett, one of ours is dead and we need to find out who did this! This is no time for tomfoolery.”

The blonde woman had to close her eyes and take a deep breath as the rest of the board stared at the man in confusion. The tension in the room seemed to have deflated significantly due to the odd non sequitur. The two arguing men retook their seats in embarrassment from getting so heated. Still, Reeves couldn’t help but shoot a glare at the Heidegger who returned it in kind. They didn’t continue right away, no doubt the General’s mind still reeling after Palmer’s odd, and pointless, interruption. The Head of Urban Development was also trying to rebalance his own thoughts from the sudden shift in mood and conversation. 

It was hard to think straight after such an odd interruption.

Not for the first time, Reeves wondered how Palmer became a director of anything. Sure he was the president’s cousin, so the man wasn’t going to be working in the mail room and getting people's coffee orders, but running a whole division was another story! The amount of failed projects and lack of department structure was maddening. The other Heads at least knew what they were doing–they could be cruel, violent psychopaths and spendthrifts who held human lives to no value but at least they were competent. Still, this wasn’t the time to bring up old gripes, there was a killer on the loose who needed to be caught and coworkers who were taking advantage of the crisis to indulge in bloodsport.

“Hmmm, yes well…” Heidegger coughed out lamely, smoothing out the front of his uniform as he straightened in his seat. “We can’t just sit on our hands waiting for the next attack! We need a response.”

“And thus we shall.”

The voice of the president cut through the noise in the conference room like a knife through butter. The most powerful man in the world took his time cutting his cigar and lighting it up, leaving everyone with bated breath as they waited for him to continue. And wait they would, because no rushed the ruler of Midgar until he was good and ready. Taking a few slow puffs and blowing smoke down the long table Rigel Shinra finally addressed his subordinates.

“As much as I would personally like to just drop the plate on these nuances, all sides make excellent points.” The blonde man acknowledged, reclining in his chair and flicking some ash off his cigar. “The news of Hojo’s death will stay private with the exception of a select few outside of this room. Hollander will take over the Science department for now but will be watched for foul play.  An internal investigation of all your departments will be done for any irregularities in the last six months and going forward. Anyone suddenly quitting, requests for long leave of absence, sudden transfers of funds, etc. If there is truly a snake in our midst, the Turks will catch it.”

Taking another long puff, the man considered his next words.

“We’ll send the infantry through the sectors to stir up trouble and provoke a reaction from Avalanche. Nothing overt, in case we alert the true culprit and it isn’t them. Just have the men hit notable infrastructure and see who fights back. The ones who don’t know their place tend to move in packs. If they aren’t part of the group, they should at least know someone that is. We’ll round up all the rabble we can find and make an example of them for the city to witness. Those terrorists will be forced to act. If we can’t find them, then we make them come to us.” 

The members of the room were grinning in glee at finally having targets. Even if it meant that the people of the slums were going to be collateral damage. Reeves could only fret at how many people were going to get hurt, or killed before the bloody job was over. But what could he say to the president’s plan? Especially since it was a better alternative to everything else suggested?

After a moment of consideration, the president continued.

“A review of our dear departed doctor’s recent activities and current projects in the works. The man held many secrets but kept meticulous notes. If they are missing, then it may be corporate espionage and we know where to shift our focus.” Taking a deep sigh, he reluctantly added, “Hojo wasn’t a very well-liked man, so we'll consider the possibility that there may be a personal motivation for his death.”

They all nodded to that. The departed professor was as qualified as they came, but no one could deny he creeped them all out.

“For all of Hojo’s faults, the man was a genius and a great asset to the company.” The Head of Shinra stated, giving voice to their thoughts, a hard look forming in his eyes. “An attack on him was an attack on me and my legacy. When we find this perpetrator, we will make them regret ever having been born!”

“Hear! Hear!” Heidegger shouted, meaty fist pounding on the table once again. The others in the room soon followed his enthusiastic cheering. Even as Reeves gave his own polite clapping, his mind was already working out ways he could minimize the inevitable massacre that was soon to follow.

A loud smack on the table drew everyone’s attention to the foot of the room.

“And if it was an accident?” The vice president asked his sardonic smile still in place. The young man boldly looked his father in the eyes. Probably the only person in the world brave enough to do such a thing, and get away with it. “On the initial investigation, we only found DNA samples from Hojo and some animals. No doubt from one of his experiments. While it doesn’t rule out assassination….it is possible that the broken machinery simply malfunctioned and killed him. A faulty fire materia that blew up? Maybe one of Scarlett’s experimental samples that he pushed too far and it went critical?”

“It couldn’t have been one of mine!” Scarlett protested, eyes frantically shifting between the father and son duo. Reeves could almost feel pity for her...if she hadn’t shoulder-checked him on their way to the meeting. He knew the woman already lacked morals, but the pettiness always surprised him. “I’ll have you know Mr. President, that nothing leaves my labs without thorough testing and retesting! On the small chance something of mine there, Hojo probably took it without my permission.”

“Yes, yes Scarlet.” The older man said with a dismissive wave of his hand in the air, his expression already bored by the excuses. “We are all aware of the good doctor’s sticky fingers. Any circumstantial evidence found will not be held against members of this board.” Ignoring the relieved look on the woman’s face, he addressed his son. “On the off chance, this is an accident…then we will use this golden opportunity.”

“And how do you propose we do that father?” Rufus asked skeptically, eyes flickering to Tseng who stood in the back corner for a moment. If Reeves saw the slip-up, no doubt the president did as well. The hint of a smile at the older man’s lips all but confirmed it.

“Because my child, just because no one might actually be at fault doesn’t mean we can’t assign blame,” Rigel said as he stood up and walked to the back window. Looking out at the city below, he spoke in a murmur that could clearly be heard across the conference room. “I never did like those sector 7 slummers.”

000

Hidden high up in the ventilation system, Al let out a slow breath when he saw the meeting conclude. It took him a minute to let the hard ball of anxiety in his stomach unclench enough for his mind to start working again. The Avalanche spy made a quick shuffle crawl out of the enclosed space and towards the open air. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried not to make any noise. 

It wouldn’t do to get caught by this group of sociopaths!

He risked crawling a little faster out of the dusty metal cage. The entire way Al only thought of one thing.

‘I need to get the hell out of Midgar!’

As he jumped out of a vent door and into one of the maintenance chutes, the former terrorist belatedly realized he should give someone from Avalanche a heads-up before he booked it out of the city. Pulling out his phone and looking through the contacts of his PHS, he wondered who he should call first. 

000

BANG BANG BANG!

Tifa cracked her eyes open a little to the sound of her door being pounded. 

All around her, there were groans of discontentment and misery at the sudden noise. Even an angry curse or two from somewhere on her left. The barmaid felt like throwing a few out herself at the incessant knocking. Her head throbbed, her throat felt like a desert, and her skin was gross with night sweat. She felt like shit. 

And the door pounding just would not stop!

“Yo merc, where’ve you been!? None of the group came to the bar. The boys aren’t answering their phones. Tifa’s not in her room, and Jessie’s roommates said she moved out!” The very loud voice of Barrett rang through the metal barrier. That door was made out of three inches of thick steel! Yet, it felt like the gunman was screaming right into her ear. “Hey Soldier Boy, answer me! I know you're in there. I hear you moving around! We gotta go find our people! They might be in trouble!”

“I think that's for you.” One of her bed companions murmured groggily in her ear. “You might want to hurry or Marle’s gonna kill him.”

“Why can’t you do it?” Tifa whispered back groggily.

“Wifey privileges. Being number one has its pros and cons.” Jessie muttered sleepily as she snuggled deeper into the barmaid’s shoulder. “It can’t be all fun and sex.”

She almost wanted to huff in disdain at that argument. Instead, the fighter rubbed open her crusty eyelids, staring soullessly at the plastered ceiling. She wondered if she could wait it out. Maybe Barrett would get tired and leave? Perhaps one of the other girls would get off their lazy bums and answer the door for her? 

Taking a quick peek to the side, the dark-haired brunette knew that was a pipe dream. Aerith was buried under her comforter, lost to the world. Kyrie hadn’t moved an inch from the spot they deposited her on when she passed out. It had been a team effort to get her changed into Jessie’s spare pajamas, and she was as dead to the world now as she was last night.

BANG BANG BANG!

“Yo, Spiky!!!”

Exhaling a sigh of resignation, Tifa gently moved Jessie’s arm off of her and shimmied to the foot of the bed. Her thoughts were still a muddled mess, the room wobbling slightly. What happened to the extra sheets? The barmaid could have sworn they had taken out at least five. She didn’t have the energy to fight with any blanket hoggers last night, so they busted out the spares. Well, that was a mystery for later. She tried not to disturb anyone as she moved but was less than successful. But could they blame her? She was sporting a monster hangover!  Aerith might have taken an elbow to the thigh during the journey if the pitiful yelp from the bundle was any indication. Thankfully, she managed to slide off the end of the mattress without further incident. Settling on wobbly legs, she crossed the short distance until her hand met the cool steel of the handle. Mentally preparing herself to not kill Barrett for all his yelling, she wrenched the door open.

“Bout damn – Tifa!?” Barrett verbally backpedaled, surprised to see her. Even physically took a step back with a bit of revulsion in his expression. The hell?  The gunman quickly put his sunglasses back on, as if he needed a barrier for the monster that appeared before him. In the dim reflection of his shades, Tifa could see the analogy wasn’t far from the truth. Gods she looked like an absolute wreck!

And this bozo was exposing her to the world!

Stiffly clearing his throat, he started up again. “You’ve been here this whole time girl! Are you okay? Have you seen Jessie or the boys?”

“I’m fine Barrett and Jessie’s in the room too,” Tifa answered hoarsely, even as the bright lights of the artificial morning nearly cracked her skull in half. And it wasn’t just her head, her body felt like it’s been through the wringer as well. Why did everything hurt so much? It was like the other girls had decided to stuff her in a bag and beat her with a stick. At least it distracted her from the fact that she looked, and felt, like a banshee. “We were having a girls' night with some friends and were drinking for a while. We’re just trying to sleep it off right now.”

“Pfft, how come I didn’t get an invite?”

“The key word was girl’s night,” Tifa replied patiently as she closed her eyes, reaching both hands to her temple to rub at them. The sharp pain had settled down to a dull ache. It still sucked but at least she didn’t want to kill the man in front of her anymore. “Now why are you screaming about missing people? What happened to Biggs and Wedge?”

“They never showed up to the bar after they left last night.” Barrett supplied, relief palpable in his voice now that he had a distraction from Tifa’s disheveled form. She almost wanted to roll her eyes at his childishness. The gunman didn’t exactly paint a pretty picture himself after a night of drinking! “We were supposed to have a team meeting bright and early but no one showed up!”

“This is the first time I’ve heard about it.”

“Well…. It was a last-minute decision.” He admitted a little abashedly. “But word should have spread to all relevant people to get their butts to the bar before breakfast! We need to plan our next move! Unfortunately, all your little workers set up shop before I could say anything. Now we gotta wait till the sheep clear out of our base on top of our missing people.”

“Don’t call our customers sheep,” Tifa mumbled reflexively through a yawn, stitching her arms to crack her back. Only after the first pop did the rest of Barrett’s words register in her mind. “Wait. Is breakfast still going on?”

“Yeah.” He answered, tone a little confused at her question.

The fighter took a peek back into her room, squinting at the alarm clock on her nightstand. “Barrett! It’s eight a.m.! On a Tuesday. Everyone’s probably still asleep.”

“I know exactly how early it is.” The big man said, shaking his head snootily. “And no, not everyone should be asleep. Unlike you underachievers, I’ve been up for four hours. One of which was spent waiting and worrying about you lot. Biggs and Wedge should’ve finished their neighborhood watch patrols and come straight to the bar. I asked Wymer and he said they showed up but had to leave early because of an emergency. Didn’t say what it was though. Another hour of my morning was spent hauling ass across the sector, doing house calls, and looking for them before coming here. ”

‘Well.’ Tifa begrudgingly admitted to herself. ‘That does sound like a reasonable cause for concern.”

“Okay, okay. Let me just…. “ Tifa trailed off, gesturing to her wrinkled nightwear, body already half-turning to get back into the apartment. “Freshen up a bit. I’ll even drag Jessie out of bed to help out with the search. We’ll meet you at the bar and brainstorm where we should look.”

“Cloud too?” Barrett asked, crossing his arms with an unexpectedly heavy air about him. A rather fatherly air that unusually only came about when the big man saw Marlene about to make a mistake, but wasn’t sure if he should intervene. The barmaid could only blink at the sudden shift in demeanor, wondering what misstep she might be making. “Aren’t you, uh, gonna wake him up to help out also?”

“Oh! Well, Cloud’s not here. He had stuff to do last night.” She almost wanted to wince at the lame excuse for why the blonde wasn’t in his apartment. Her brain wasn’t exactly firing all pistons this morning, so making an actual alibi for her childhood friends was a bit beyond her abilities at the moment. At Barrett’s frown, she quickly scrambled for more to say. “But don’t worry! I know exactly where he is right now, so we don’t need to add him to our missing person list or anything..”

Tifa didn’t think the merc would forgive her if she accidentally let him get caught in bed with Nayo. By Barrett of all people! Having a 6’6 man burst into your bedroom while you’re trying to be intimate with someone was a recipe for disaster. Talk about traumatizing. She honestly wouldn’t blame him if he decided to high-tail it out of Midgar the very next day. 

Well, she wouldn’t blame him as long as he took her with him, she corrected herself.

“Uh, huh,” Barrett said with a very unimpressed look on his face. Signing deeply, he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Look I’m not gonna stick my nose into your business, especially not the mushy gooey stuff, since you're an adult. But if I don’t at least say my piece and make sure you're alright, else I’m gonna explode! But now is not the time and place. So let's go find the wonder twins, and after I’ve yelled at them for a sufficient amount of time for making me worry… you, me, and the blonde puppy are gonna have a long talk about this new group dynamic.”

Oh, sweet Odin! He was trying to engage in father mode with her!

Most of the time Tifa appreciated the pseudo-parental figure he tried to be with the younger members of Avalanche, especially since she lost her parents so young, this was not one of those moments. Discussing the details of her unique relationship with her, ehem, boyfriend….  was definitely not on her list of things the barmaid wanted to do. Ever. 

Probably sensing her trepidation, Barrett gave a hearty laugh. “Relax! I’m not gonna geld the merc, I just want to make sure everyone is on the level with each other. And maybe offer some…. Fatherly advice.” 

Well, that was a lie if Tifa ever heard one. But he only answered with a chuckle at her disbelieving look.

“Now get moving.” The gunman said, letting go of her shoulder after giving it one final pat, then turning around and making his merry way back down the stairs. Stopping near the first step he threw a look at something above Tifa’s head at the apartment. Did she have something stuck in her hair? Giving an amused eye roll and a shake of his head, the gunman resumed his descent, shooting one final call over his shoulder. “Now go tell Jessie to get her butt in gear. And once this mess is behind us, she’s joining our little pow wow too.”

She could only blink in confused silence at the incredible six senses from the big man. How the hell did he know the hacker was a member of the relationship? Could it be just a guess? Was this the power of being a father? Claudia did once tell her that being a parent was like having a radar in your head for your kids.

“Shit.”

Tifa jerked a little in surprise at the redhead’s voice behind her, almost slamming the door closed on her own foot. Turning around she saw her friend was wrapped in one of the discovered blankets, face haggard, and nose runny. It’d be funny if the barmaid hadn't just seen her own terrible reflection in Barrett’s sunglasses. The redhead gave an apologetic shrug at the reaction before stepping a little closer.

“You think he knows about my ‘involvement’ with you and Cloud?” Jessie asks quietly, trying to stifle a yawn. 

“I don’t know, but he definitely knows something’s up.”

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise?” The redhead mused, rubbing her nose a little. “I never did understand why you wanted to keep everything a secret. I mean it’s just sex. Everybody does it. Well, most people do at least.” She amended, glancing over her shoulder at Kyrie’s sleeping form with a grin.

The barmaid could only roll her eyes at the subtle jab aimed toward their new friend. Really! The mechanic acted like being a virgin was a sin against humanity or something.

“Because I’m trying to–you know what? It’s complicated.” Tifa said, already heading towards her shower. “My head feels like it’s stuffed full of cotton. I don’t have the brain power right now to explain my reasoning. Again .” Turning the showerhead on, she stuck her head out the bathroom door. “How much of our conversation did you hear anyway?”

“Most of it. So I know the important bits.” Jessie answered, already pulling out fresh clothes from the drawers. Just the usual styles for both of them. While everyone had their own fashion, it tended to be the same ensemble. Life in the slum taught people to buy their clothing in bulk. Gotta save your coin where you can after all. “I doubt my boys are in any real trouble. If they were, they would’ve found me first or put up one of our signals. We should check the usual haunts or safe houses before we freak out too much.”

“Don’t you think Barrett might have already checked those?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” The redhead said, stretching her back a little. “We were on a bit of a shuffle since that split last year. Some of those spots were under ‘refurbishment’ or have squatters in them now. Others got taken over by the…. Well, the main group.” She censored, shooting a pointed look at the two still sleeping people in the room. They were knocked out but it was always good to be cautious. “And you know our fearless leader, not exactly allowed near certain places after all that stuff he said to our other half when we left. But Biggs and Wedge are, like, the most lovable people in the sector. They can squirrel themselves wherever they want and no one would bat an eye.” 

Tifa nodded in agreement at that assessment. Wedge was, bar none, the most helpful person on this side of the slum. He was basically like Cloud, except he didn’t accept payment or take monster-hunting jobs outside of his usual patrols. Biggs was a rather well-respected pillar of the community, both as the owner of the Leaf House orphanage in sector 5 and as a school teacher. Being an educator didn’t exactly pay the bills in the slums, but it did win you a lot of favor with the parents.

“Now what do we do about our sleeping beauties?” Jessie asked, pointing a thumb behind her, towards the bed. 

“Let them rest for now.” The fighter decided, sticking her hand into the water and checking the temperature. “If we feel terrible, then those two are probably fighting the nine hells right now. We’ll get ready first and tell them where we’re going before we leave. If they want to stay we’ll leave them a key and let Marle know there are guests. And if they want to leave… We’ll give them a bottle of water and hope they make it back home okay. But hopefully, they’ll decide to snooze the morning away in the apartment.”

“Already giving them a key to the house?” The mechanic teased, as she stepped into the bathroom herself. “I don’t know whether I should be jealous or ecstatic. After all, it took me five years to get into your bed. And I only got a key two days ago. But they get all that in one!? Is it because I like to wear a bandana and they got a ribbon and hat? I can change, I swear!” She finished dramatically, hands clasped before her, fake tears in her eyes. “I’ll burn them all this afternoon if I have to! You won't see a single stitch after today!”

Tifa could only roll her eyes at the theatrics, before saying sarcastically. “Yes, pink bows and funny hats are my weakness. And you better have one or both the next time I see you, Rasberry, or you're out of the apartment.”

“I knew it!” Jessie said triumphantly, snapping her fingers for extra effect. “Unjust discrimination of headwear! Ooohhh, just wait till I tell Biggs and Wedge about unfair treatment. They’ll never look at you the same again Lockhart! And how come Cloud doesn’t have to put anything on that mess he calls hair? He walks around shamelessly with his bare head for the whole world to see! Absolutely disgusting if you ask me.”

“Okay, okay! Enough joking, you.” Tifa admonished, even as she chuckled a little. “We got stuff to do, so let's get clean and meet with Barrett.” Looking over at the other girl still in the cramped bathroom with her, she asked curiously. “Are you joining me?”

“Wouldn’t be in here if I wasn’t,” Jessie answered with a hopeful grin, already peeling off her pajamas.

000

A pair of blondes were making the trek through Scrap Boulevard after their quiet breakfast.

Nellie had business with Barrett about something or other and Cloud wanted to go see Tifa, so the two of them had decided to make a detour through the junkyard. While an incredibly stupid idea for most people considering how infested with monsters the landfill was, especially just to shave a few minutes off their journey, the merc was pretty confident that he could take care of anything that came their way. Thankfully, it had been a peaceful and murder-free morning so far. The Soldier only had to glare at a few curious wererats before they retreated. 

It seemed that even fiends had off days.

“Let’s go this way, it’ll get us to the bar faster,” Nellie said, indicating a narrow passageway between a stack of broken cars.

Another shortcut for a shortcut? Cloud had never ventured that way before, noting what a tight fit it’d be even for his smaller stature. But he was willing to give anything a try once. Who knows, maybe it’ll become his new way home from the monster-hunting jobs? It might have some nasty critters lurking in its depths but nothing he couldn’t handle he was sure. Trusting the smaller blonde’s recommendation he gestured for her to remain close as he walked through first. Best not to get caught unaware because of negligence.

“Don’t wander too far from me,” Cloud said, fighting the urge to just grab her hand and guide her. Gods, what was it about short people that brought out his protective instincts? It was like an instant trigger that made him want to wrap them up in a blanket and hide them from the world. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t taller? “If we run into anything, follow my lead and instruction.”

At the last second, he noticed that she was in the process of an eye roll before catching herself.

Well, well. There was some hidden sassiness under all that shyness. Admittedly he was being a little overbearing at the moment, especially since she was the one who knew the way. Still, it was a funny thing to see the introverted blonde show such bite. Usually, Cloud would have shot a smirk at someone acting so out of character. A little teasing between companions. But considering they had exchanged maybe five or six words of pleasantries of bacon and eggs, that might be the wrong move. As much as they might look like siblings, they weren’t. And the two of them weren’t quite at that stage of friendship either. 

When was it acceptable for friends to start poking fun at each other? Half his current social circle never took it too far. Tifa, Biggs, and Wedge at worst teased or made light-hearted comments. Honestly, the barmaid’s jokes about him tended to be borderline compliments sometimes. Only Barrett and Jessie had a habit of trying to dig the knife in deeper. But those two did that to everyone, so the merc tried not to take it too much to heart. 

Zack was somewhere in the middle of that range. He’d push the envelope with people sometimes. Many times actually. But even those moments when he might accidentally step on someone’s toes, they’d forgive him the very next moment. Somehow, always giving an aura of playfulness that made even the grouchiest and thin-skinned person like him. It had fascinated the blonde to watch in action at times.

Whatever happened to the brunette Soldier?

It’s been a while since they spoke, a few years at least. They were good friends for a while before…. Something happened. Was he still working for Shinra? Maybe he defected like Cloud did? The bigger man had gripes about the company way before the blonde ever did, so it was possible. The merc resolved to look into his old friend’s whereabouts when he had some free time. It shouldn’t be too hard. Soldiers weren’t exactly easy to hide.

“Are you ok?!” 

“What?” Cloud opened his eyes and asked in surprise at the sudden question. He had to blink a bit to get rid of the spots forming around his vision. Why had he closed his eyes? And for how long? “I’m good. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you–you were squeezing your head.” Nellie stuttered as she watched him cautiously, gesturing frantically with her hands. “A-and you had this really painful expression on your face.”

(Say it’s mako poisoning.)

“Sorry, it’s my mako poisoning,” Cloud said, the words flowing from his mouth without thought. “Before I came to Midgar I had an incident where I got overexposed to the stuff. I’m mostly healed but sometimes an episode might creep up on me. Trust me, it’s pretty rare for it to happen these days.”

He didn’t realize he had been holding his breath till he saw her nod slowly in understanding.

“Yeah…I think I remember. Tifa did mention something about that when she first found you.” Nellie confirmed though it seemed mostly to herself. Searching his face, she began nervously playing with her hands. “Said you were a walking ghoul and barely recognized anyone before she got you back to her apartment. And even then you were in a coma for a few days.”

For a few days? That was news to him. Cloud had been under the impression that it had only been one night before he woke up on Tifa’s bed. He would have to ask his girlfriend about it later.

Noticing the other blonde still looking at him oddly, he scrambled to reassure her.

“Trust me, I would be running around Midgar doing mercenary work if it was a big concern,” Cloud said, trying his hand at a reassuring smile. But it must have come off a lot weaker than he hoped because it had Nellie side-eyeing him suspiciously. “Come on. Let’s keep going. Once we get to the bar you can play doctor all you want.”

She chewed her bottom lip in indecision before nodding in agreement.

(Phew! That was a close one. Almost scared this cutie away.)

Although, he could feel her staring a hole into the back of his head.

They kept walking in a single file, taking in the tall walls around them. Well, he was at least. She seemed pretty nonplussed about the endless refuse. Cloud couldn’t blame her. To a slum girl, who lived her whole life here, it must be more of the same. Hell, he didn’t exactly enjoy the sight around him either but at least there was something new to see. Even if it was just more garbage. Credit where credit was due, it wasn’t boring. Due to the scrap yard being the dumping ground for everything above the plate, the scenery had a tendency to change constantly. He much preferred this then looking at the same old crusty mountains day in and day out.

Unfortunately, it meant any enterprising slum dweller who wanted to try their hand at mapmaking was doomed to failure. 

The merc learned that lesson the hard way after he took a commission to do that very job. The pay wasn’t great but he figured he could stash a copy for his own future use. Only for it to be a waste of time and paper the very next day. Most of the lanes were still usable but almost every single one of his landmarks was useless. However, it didn’t stop people from trying to hire him to make another go at it. And like an idiot, he did a few before wiseing up. Although It went from infuriating to kind of funny when the constant request wouldn’t stop. It was like they were trying to out stubborn reality!

“What's got you so happy?” The quartermaster asked, unconsciously pouting a little at being left out of the joke. At some point they had entered a clearing, giving more space to walk side by side. Cloud realized that he had been unknowingly chuckling a little at the memory of his map-making endeavor.

“I just thought of something funny.”

“Yeah? I like funny things. What was it?”

A little surprised by her interest, he decided to humor her. “Okay, so back when I first started taking jobs–.”

A split-second of motion. A thump of feet. An image reflected in her irises.  The thrumming of heartbeats, as the blood rushed in his ears. Three heartbeats. 

Cloud’s body moved as he launched himself towards Nellie, throwing them both to the ground and into a roll. A sharp rush of wind sailed over them as the massive figure that had lounged at them missed by inches. It was huge, easily equaling the size of one of Shinra's mutated dogs. And unbelievably, the red beast flipped in midair before settling lightly on the ground a dozen feet away. As it settled on its four paws, the merc got a good look a the thing. It was big, it was red, and it had some very sharp fangs. But there was no time to admire it or its feat of acrobatics because the four-legged creature was coming back for seconds.

"Stay down!" Cloud shouted to Nellie.

Twisting back onto his own feet, his sword was already unsheathed, the materia in its slots pulsing with life. Cloud rushed forward, ready to meet the creature head-on, swinging the Buster Sword with all his might. One hard downward slash to finish the kill. He'd have this fucking monster’s head on a goddamn platter.

(Hey is that my cat?!)

Chapter Text

“You two sure you want to come with?”

No, Kyrie was 100% sure she did Not want to come with. It was too early, everything was too bright, and she still had a belly full of alcohol. The teenager could still feel it sloshing around her stomach with every step, the liquid trying to burn a hole through her guts. It sucked. But of course, Aerith volunteered their services without any consideration of her needs! Insisted that of course the two of them would help find their hosts’ missing friends. Unfortunately, the hangover had a death grip on her brain and the scammer couldn’t do anything more than dumbly nod along in agreement. It had been hard to form words due to her sleep-stupid state. And now here they were, out of bed and making the impossibly long journey towards the Seventh Heaven bar. 

It was like two miles away!

“Absolutely!” Aerith reaffirmed with a cheery smile, only the bags under her eyes betraying the flower girl’s struggle.

Holding a half empty water bottle to her throbbing temple, Kyrie herself could only muster up a weak thumbs up as she trailed the group. Tifa gave an uncertain nod of acknowledgment before facing the front to lead their little pack. Once the spotlight was off her, the troublemaker could feel her shoulders slumping and feet dragging as they walked the dirt road of sector 7. She halfheartedly considered trying to slink away into one of the dark alleys they passed and book it back to the apartment. Not a serious thought, of course. She was already up and about, so... the swindler might as well lean into it and get some brownie points. 

Plus the promise of free food at the bar. It went a long way in earning her loyalty and services.

“So who are we supposed to look for again?” She asked, wondering how much of her day she was going to waste on this endeavor. “And why are we concerned? Unless their kids, someone wanting a few hours to themselves isn’t exactly a red alert.”

“A couple of friends of ours are MIA and not a word of where they went,” Jessie called over her shoulder to answer the question. “And I agree. I doubt it’s anything serious, but better safe than sorry. They left work early, with no word where they were headed. On top of that, they had a uh…“team meeting” that they flaked on. Super unusual for these two. So no, definitely not a red alert, but maybe a soft yellow? Something worth looking into, at least. Another friend, Barret, already did some leg work so we’re gonna mark off the places he’s already checked and go from there.”

Well, that was good. It at least meant she wasn’t going to be stumbling all over the sector looking for these idiots. But honestly, why the concern? The two of them were probably just getting high off some mako in an abandoned building. Kyrie kept the thought to herself though, she didn’t think her new “friends” would appreciate her assessment.

“Their names are Biggs and Wedge.” The redhead continued, adjusting the holster of her mini-machine gun. Where the hell did she get that?! Every girl in the slum had something on their person for protection... hell, Kyrie liked to carry a pocket knife herself for that very reason but that was some serious hardware the redhead was packing! “About 5’10 and 6’3 respectively. Black hair both. Although Biggs has gray eyes and a lanky build. Wedge got blue and is on the bigger side. They kind of dress like me: cargo pants, overalls, and a red bandana.“

The description startled her. Kyrie glanced over at Aerith to see if the mage caught on to the details as well. Brown met green. Recognition passing between sector 5 girls.

“This Biggs guy…” Aerith ventured, looking unsure how to start. “Scruffy beard? One earring? A big gun that he wears on his right hip?”

Jessie stumbled a little at the influx of questions, Tifa barely catching her before she face-planted into the ground. Both sector 7 girls turned to look at the mage in surprise and no small amount of wariness. Why were they so suspicious? Eventually, the mechanic nodded in confirmation.

“That’s him. You know the legendary Biggs?” Jessie teased, although the confusion in her eyes at the odd turn of events was apparent. 

“We do!” Kyrie jumped in, nodding enthusiastically as they resumed walking. “In the Fives, you have to be living under a rock to not have heard about X! The owner of the Leaf House orphanage. The Bully Hunter. The Scrapyard Kid. Everyone still talks about how he kicked the asses of those human traffickers back in the day! Gods, he and Jean were so cool. The local heroes!”

“You two didn’t say anything last night.” Tifa chimed in.

“Yeah well, we were drunk,” Kyrie said, as if that answered everything. ”And it’s not like you guys gave us a full description of him last night! Biggs is a stupidly common name under the plate. Trust me, if you did I definitely would have said something.  X is like our childhood hero, kind of hard to forget.”

Aerith was bobbing her own head in agreement. “I still remember meeting him as a kid. My mom took me to the orphanage to play with some of the younger children while she gave reading lessons to the older ones. But one day, this big teenager came out of nowhere and started pushing everyone around! And then like magic, X appeared and beat the snot out of him. Honestly, it sort of traumatized me for a while. It wasn’t till later I found out that that guy was a part of some local street gang that was trying to expand their territory and get protection money. After learning that, I kind of wish X hit him harder. Who does that to an orphanage?!”

“And that idiot still didn’t learn his lesson. I hear he’s running with Corneo’s people these days. Just some low-level grunt though.”

“Well... some people are too stubborn to turn a new leaf. Even after a good beating.”

“That’s all… a surprise,” Tifa said, blinking rapidly at the girl’s accounts. “I knew Biggs was originally from sector 5 but I didn’t realize he was so famous. And X? Was that a nickname for him?”

“Something like that.” The teenager answered, a little giddy at the unexpected acquaintance. “Nobody really knows where it came from, just that it’s what you called him. Some say it was more of a mantel than a real name! A calling card if you will. But one thing was for certain, it was a name all the local troublemakers learned to fear! The playground was never safer.” 

She skipped a little in excitement, instantly regretting it when the undigested alcohol punched her in the stomach. Clutching her middle, she gritted out, “Although, he started calling himself Biggs for some reason. Such a common name too! Wouldn’t even answer when people called him X anymore. Local legends theorize that it was the beginning of the end. When our hero went from vigilante to schoolteacher. Not that there’s anything wrong with that." She amended. "It's just... such a far cry from the guy who went around kicking the shit in all the local gangs who were making life in the slum unbearable.”

“Well, more unbearable.” Aerith piped in, grinning.

“Exactly.”  Kyrie agreed, pointing a finger at the flower girl. “But even historic figures deserve their peace and quiet at some point, I suppose. To fade into legend, just another name in the margins of dusty history books. Although, everyone was pretty bummed out when he moved away. Biggs still visits the orphanage now and again and says hi to the other Fivers too, but it’s just not the same you know?”

“Wow. I’ve…wow.”  Tifa said, seemingly at a loss for sophisticated words. She turned to Jessie, who had been walking silently in front. “Not that I don’t believe them or think Biggs isn’t capable of all that… but how much of that is true?”

Kyrie had to shake her head in confusion at that. It was a lot to take in for a non-Fiver to be sure but why would she ask Jessie? 

“Eh, about 70-75% I’d wager. Some of it’s a little overblown though.” The redhead answered with a thoughtful expression, giving a so-and-so motion with her hand. A second later a wide grin split her face. “Honestly, I kind of forgot that he used to call himself X! He was so embarrassed when my mom told him that a letter is not a proper name for a young gentleman. She said he looked like a Biggs, just like her father, and he ran with it ever since. That sure brings back memories! Prime teasing material once we find Old Scruffy Beard.”

At Kyrie’s and Aerith's bewilderment, Jessie could only laugh as dropped back towards them. Wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, she explained herself. “I wasn’t kidding last night when I said Biggs’ my childhood friend! I’ve known the stinker since I was ten. Met him and Jean when they were scavenging for usable parts at Scrap Yard Boulevard. They were a bunch of cranky preteens back then, but yours truly asserted her dominance. And before long I was the big sister of that group. And ever since Jean booked it out of Midgar, you're looking at the only person who can confirm fact from fiction. As such, I am the authority figure on all things Biggs. If you two have questions, feel free to ask away and I’ll be more than happy to crush your childhood fantasies!” 

“Uh… thanks.“ Aerith hesitated, the uncertainty on her pretty face mirroring Kyrie’s own skepticism. “Not that I don’t trust you Jessie but X was kind of a big deal back in the day. And the people he hung out with were pretty well-known themselves. It’s just… I’ve never heard mention of a redhead in any of the stories about him.”

“Yeah, maybe it's just a fluke,” Kyrie suggested, also doubting the mechanic’s story. “There were a lot of imitators throughout the years, people who looked up to him or were just hoping to coast off his fame. Not to say your Biggs is one of them! But maybe he just copped his style and… it’s all one big coincidence?” She shrugged.

“Right!” 

Jessie looked very unimpressed by their reasoning, shaking both of their shoulders a little in irritation. “You shameless doubters! The both of you were gushing up a storm just a second ago, based on nothing but a description. But the moment I throw my two cents in, suddenly it’s, “hmm, maybe it’s not the right guy?” You girls are gonna eat your words when I present the genuine article in front of you! I guarantee you two will be on your knees begging for my forgiveness, and autograph, once everything is said and done. And I don’t know if I’ll be in the mood for either.” She turned her nose up at this last part.

Kyrie and Aerith shared an eye roll at the dramatics. They weren’t even calling her a liar! It was just… they had reservations about the accuracy of Jessie’s story, is all. 

Still, seeing the redhead getting all huffy, Kyrie decided to indulge in some gremlin-like behavior.

“Pfft, if it’s the real X, then I’ll eat my hat.” Kyrie wagered, fully confident in her odds. 

“I second that.” Aerith chimed in with a grin. The heck? Was the mage going to sacrifice her ribbon too? The pink girl was surprisingly more daring than the teenager gave her credit for. “If he’s the real deal, Kyrie will eat her hat!”

Ah.

“What about Wedge?” Asked Tifa, who had been watching the whole circus with a smile. “Any secret stories about him?”

“No way,” Jessie said with a shake of her head before the other girls could answer. Pointing a thumb back at herself, which incidentally almost choked the life out of Kyrie, she elaborated. “Me and the big guy have been attached at the hips since he was born. My mom even said I was in the waiting room when he was getting delivered, apparently. Unless he’s been sneaking out at night, I doubt Wedge has been off adventuring without my knowledge.”

“Let me guess, this Wedge is tight with X too?” Kyrie asked with some cheekiness.

“I’ll have you know, they’re like brothers. They’ve known each other for years.” Jessie answered, with a disgruntled look at her. Scrunching her face a little in thought, she added, “Actually, I think the scrap yard run-in was the first time Wedge met him too. I might have been babysitting the little punk at the time.”

That line caused the barmaid to stop mid-stride.

“You can't be serious. He was what? Seven years old?” Tifa asked incredulously, rounding on the redhead, a disapproving look settling on her face. “You dragged poor Wedge to the most monster-infested part of the slums? A little kid?! Jessie, that is not what a babysitter should be doing.”

“Pish posh, both our parents knew what they were getting into,” Jessie said nonchalantly as she began rocking side to side with the girls in her arms. The motion got Aerith giggling, who added her own swaying to the mix, but Kyrie did not like being manhandled like this! And if their trip to the bar was slow before, now it was going at a snail’s pace. More importantly, she was also getting kind of hungry. “You can’t reasonably expect a ten-year-old to take care of a seven-year-old. At that age, I was still trying to figure out if cooties were real and if I had them.” Leaning towards the flower girl, the mechanic fake whispered. “Turns out they are and I do! And they’re very contagious.”

She began rubbing her coppery locks all over Aerith’s brown, causing the mage to squeal in surprise... then burst into laughter. They roughhoused and giggled, but almost instantly the focus was shifted.

Almost like watching a natural disaster in action, Jessie slowly turned her undivided attention to the teenager, a sharp smile on her lips.

“Wait, wait!” Kyrie stalled, a little afraid at the honestly creepy grin on the redhead’s face. She tried tugging her hat lower on her head as if it could be a barrier for the impending noogie. The taller girl was trying to angle her own head over the teenager’s. The scammer’s eyes rolled wildly left and right, trying to find something to help her escape! “Look, look! It’s the bar, we’re here! We shouldn’t keep Barret waiting, it’d be rude!”

“Oh, yeah. Would you look at that?” Jessie mused as she looked up and saw the people around them. A slightly amazed expression on her face as if stunned that they made it to their destination. 

Indeed it was Seventh Heaven. The bar was standing tall over the minor crowds around it, people coming in and out for breakfast. It was getting to that time of day when a responsible adult should be up and about. Some waved and called out to Tifa, others to Jessie. The foursome had been so wrapped in their chatter that none had noticed the thickening traffic of human bodies around though. At least not till they were already in the mix. Admittedly it was a rather sparse gathering and it wasn’t a very far distance to cross from the apartment, despite Kyrie’s earlier grumblings. Still, what a shock.

And it was an opening.

Seeing the mechanic momentarily distracted, Kyrie took her chance and twisted! 

“Hey!” The redhead laughed. “No running!”

The thief managed to slide her head out from Jessie’s hold and made a mad dash for Tifa, hoping to hide behind her bigger frame. All that muscle on the older girl would be prime material for a meatshield! And not a second too soon, because she could hear the footsteps of someone giving chase. Multiple feet! Standing there with her hands on her hips, the bartender only looked amused as Kyrie used her as a barrier from the redhead’s half-hearted swipes, irritation forgotten. 

Only for Aerith, the traitor, to lunge at her from the other side!

“What are you doing!? You're supposed to be on my side!” Kyrie yelled in panic as the flower girl’s arms wrapped around her.

“I don’t remember making a deal like that.” Aerith lightly mocked, giggling as Kyrie tried to squirm out of her hold. 

“It was implied! C’mon, Fives versus Sevens!” She begged.

“Nope!”

It was getting dangerous! Jessie was slowly approaching the both of them, fingers wiggling in an unnatural way, smirk wide and predatory. Oh no. The redhead was going to tickle her instead! Kyrie looked over pleadingly to the busty brunette to intervene but all she got in return was a barely hidden smile behind a dainty hand and a fond look. Even the few people who were milling about in the morning just watched amused. Typical bystanders! Just standing there, watching a crime in action, and not doing anything about it!

000

“I’m going to be in the back office, nobody disturbed me,” Barret grumbled to the nearest group of employees as he made his way through the kitchen. The gunman would have preferred to go into the basement headquarters, but as the bar was full of people, the backroom was the next best thing. Walking into the tiny unused room, and seeing it was as secure as he was going to get, the Cornelian took a deep breath and pressed the bar’s private phone closer to his ear. “Sorry about that. Run that by me again? You guys are where?”

{We’re at my mother’s house,} Biggs said over his emergency PHS. The only one allowed till Jessie finished making the rest of the teams’ phones untraceable. Which took an age and a half! But considering Shinra owns the whole goddamn network, it was a much-needed precaution. {Me and my brother came over to build her a new nightstand but the instructions are a mess. If you have some time, I’d appreciate some help with it. I can’t make heads or tails out of this damn thing.}

We’re in safehouse number 4. Me and Wedge picked someone up who had info but I can’t make a decision. I need you to come here, then we need to figure out how we're going to proceed. 

Well, at least that’s what he thinks Biggs meant.

Dammit! Barrett was having a hard time keeping up with the code words while trying to write them down. Never mind trying to not to sound like some fucked up robot as he tried to respond in real time. The life of a one-hand person was such a pain in these moments! Having a gun arm was cool, and necessary for his profession – but man did it come back to back him in the ass at the most inconvenient times. Made him wonder if he should just get a prosthetic like Marlene wanted. 

Shit... now wasn’t the time to get distracted! Ok, think Wallace! Details! Get as much detail as you can before the clock runs out.

“I’ll try my best,” Barrett said idly, acting as if a hard ball of anxiety wasn’t forming in his chest. But considering he has spent all morning worrying about his team, that was a hard ask. Why the hell was he chosen as the leader again? “Might be a minute though. My kids are running buck-wild at the house right now. Don’t even know where half of them are.” He joked, actually wondering what was taking Tifa and Jessie so long. “You got a time frame you want me to swing by? Maybe I could bring some treats for your mom. You in the mood for some pastries?”

Not everyone is here at the moment. Are we on a time limit? And if so, how much do we have?  Do we need to come in force? Should I bring the merc?

{Nah, it’s not that serious,} Biggs answered back just as casually, easing Barrett’s tension just a little. {We’re here all day, so no rush. And you know my mom, she’d rather feed other people than have you bring anything for her. A waste of money, she’d say.} He joked. {That being said, I wouldn’t mind something spicy if you're buying.} 

It’s urgent but not dangerous yet. No timeframe as far as I know. Nothing is needed but bring Jessie if you can.

“How about some beer to go with it? I might have some lying around.” How about Tifa?

{A little early in the day to be drinking, don't you think?} I don’t think so, it’s not that kind of emergency.

“If it’s for the right occasion… then I’d say it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Better safe than sorry?

{Ha! Nice, but I think we can pass on it this time. But keep it on ice, maybe I’ll change my mind later. Along with that pastry.} I’m sure, but let her and Cloud know where we are in case things go south.

“Mmmh.” Barret hummed in response, not sure what else to say. 

At least it seemed he didn’t need to go in guns blazing trying to save anyone. Unfortunately, as the former miner glanced at the clock on the far wall, time on the PHS was coming to a close. This conversation needed to wrap up or they’d be playing with fire. It was a safety precaution they adopted from HQ in order to hide Avalanche’s activities from curious eyes and ears. Only one minute was the absolute maximum allowed to be on any recorded or signaled devices. Jessie stressed that any longer... and all the wrong people could track their little terrorist cell using triangulation algorithms. Whatever the hell that was. 

But he didn’t need to personally bother with the minute details, that’s why you had experts who did know their shit.

He was speaking to one right now.

{Hey, I hear my mom calling for me from downstairs,} Biggs said exasperated, sounding like the typical adult son whose parents were still babying him. {But yeah, if you have time today, swing by and we can hang out.}

Time’s up, I’ll see you later. Be ready for a long one.

“Yup, see you soon.” On my way.

Clicking off the bar’s PHS and placing it on the table to his right, Barret rubbed his face in weariness as he glanced back at the written words in front of him. His mind was a buzz of activity and indecision on how to proceed. Should he head straight to Biggs and Wedge? But they said no one was in immediate danger and to bring Jessie if possible. Which meant there was something they needed the redhead for that the three of them might not be able to accomplish themselves. But for how long should he wait? An emergency was still an emergency! Just because it wasn’t life-threatening now didn’t mean it would be in an hour! He shouldn’t just kick back and cool his jets in that case.

What a conundrum.

Thankfully, one part of the problem was solved by the mechanic’s very jovial voice announcing her presence in the other room. It was the only warning he got before a few quick knocks on the door, and the redhead came bustling into the small space without waiting got an answer. 

“Hey, boss! Whatcha doing cooped up back her?” Jessie asked... all bright smiles despite the haggard look in her eyes from drinking. 

She crossed the small space between them, holding two cups of coffee and handing him one. No doubt as an apology for his high blood pressure that she was responsible for. But Barret wasn’t feeling a whole lot of sympathy for the girl. The redhead had nearly given him a heart attack when her former roommates told him she had moved out! A week ago. It was nearly as bad as when Wedge started seeing that girl of his in sector 8, and didn’t think it was necessary to tell them that he was going to her parents for the weekend!  All with the excuse that he meant to leave a note but forgot. Barret had nearly burned their house down thinking his friend had been kidnapped! 

They were terrorists for fuck sake! A warning was all he asked for.

These slum kids had no self-preservation. What’s a father to think, other than the absolute worst when nobody calls or writes to let him know they’re ok? Even Tifa had a bad habit of running off on her own, trusting her fists to get her out of any trouble. You know how much ass I can kick, he mocked her usual excuse in his mind. Sure they were adults but a little self-awareness would be appreciated! How hard was it to just leave a message? Just a head up in passing? Barret would never say this out loud considering how messed up it sounded, but… this was why Biggs was his favorite. Now, there was a young man with his head screwed on straight. Someone who didn’t go out of his way to give the gunman ulcers and a one-way express ticket into an early grave.

Well, with the exception of today, of course. 

But judging by the guilty look on the redhead’s face, Jessie knew she made a mistake. But Barret didn’t have the time, nor patience, to rake her over the coals for the misstep. They had bigger fish to fry today and they needed to stay focused. So he’d put a pin in it. 

For now.

“This is from Biggs.”

Reaching for the proffered cup, he shoved the coded paper into her hands. After a moment of confusion, the redhead quickly scanned the page over, eyes widening at the comprehension. Barret found himself a rickety chair to sit on before he tilted the cup back to take a big gulp. The ex-miner grunted in satisfaction. The shot of caffeine to the brain was just the pick-me-up that he needed for this already terrible morning.

“He called? Just now?”

“Yup. Luckily, your being late worked in our favor.” Barret grunted out, as he closed his eyes for a moment to savor the spike of wakefulness coursing in his body. Goddamn that was the stuff! Definitely at Tifa brew, if he wasn’t mistaken. “That’s everything I could get before we disconnected. And where’s our barmaid anyway?”

“Tifa’s in the front playing host to some friends of ours,” Jessie said distractedly, eyes flitting over the page again to catch any lost meaning. Her tone was light though, not at all concerned by what was written. Maybe even a little cheery that he took her olive branch and wasn’t yelling. Barret almost wanted to huff at how relaxed she looked now. He did not raise his voice that much! “She’ll be here after she gets them some food. One of them sounded like her stomach was going to start eating itself if something wasn’t shoved down her gullet soon!”

The redhead laughed at her joke as she carefully folded the paper and looked up, but Barret was less than impressed at the explanation.

“And why are they here? I told Tifa this was an emergency.”

“They volunteered to help us look for Biggs and Wedge when we told them we had to go. And we said yes! I’d figured we’d let them check out the residential and public access areas around the sector, while the rest of us cross enemy lines and check out the safehouses that you're not allowed near. All moot now, I suppose. ”

“Yeah? And who are these stragglers that you’d just accept their help? Do you trust them?” Barret asked, suspicious at the rather convenient appearance of these no-face strangers.

“Easy boss, they're not Avalanche from the other side if that’s what you're asking,” Jessie said, pocketing the folded note and waving a hand in dismissal as she took a sip from her cup. “And no association with any opposing groups as far as I can tell. Haven’t done any background checks on them though, before you ask. Only met them like yesterday. But they seem like good people to me.” She looked completive, before adding, “Although I think one of them, Kyrie, might be a low-level criminal. At least, no stranger to thumbing her nose at the law.”

“And you see no problem with bringing some crook into our midst?” He asked incredulously at the casual bomb drop. “We’re no law-abiding citizens but every action we take is to help the planet, not for shits and giggles. Someone who commits crimes for the hell of it should not be anywhere near us!”

“Low level,” Jessie emphasized, trying to appease him with that reminder. As if! “If I had to hazard a guess… petty larceny at best. And if you think about it, every single member of our cell has done way worse at some point. If we ever got caught, our wrap sheet would at least be a mile long!”

“Our ends justify the means,” Barret grumbled. “Once again, we’re trying to save Gaia from Shinra’s bullshit! Your little outlaw probably just did it to line her pockets.”

 “Well, I want to give her a chance,” Jessie said stubbornly, draining the last of her mug and settling the ceramic on the table with a plop. "I’m not just going to kick Kyrie to the curb just because she might have a bit of a checkered past. Tifa even got her a job, so you might as well make nice 'cause you'll see her around.” Seeing his unchanged expression, the redhead added, “And if she burns us, I’ll handle it.” 

He was still unimpressed with that declaration.

And she knew it because Jessie relented a bit more. “ And...  I’ll make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near our little clubhouse or team meetings, you big baby.” 

Barret could only roll his eyes and grunt in response, recognizing this was the best he was going to get at the moment. The redhead had that hard set to her jaw that told him it’d be pulling teeth with her if he kept harping about this Kyrie. Who'd she learn that from anyway? He wasn’t anywhere near satisfied leaving the conversation where it was at, but one crisis at a time.

“So what do you think about the message?” The gunman asked, changing the topic to the more pressing issue. “Is it saying exactly what I think it's saying?”

“For the most part… yeah,” Jessie said, all professionalism now. Though, judging from the glint in her eyes, she was a little too happy to have gotten her way this time. “Just a few missing details. If Biggs said a parent’s house then it’d be Safehouse 4, absolutely. But he also said it was his mom’s house so… Nayo’s there.”

The big man blinked in surprise, almost asking how she knew that. Was Nayo supposed to be “mom”? Did that mean it was a trap? Well, a trap might be too strong of a word to levy against their former comrade. But a set up at least? Then was it a warning for Barret? So many questions he was burning to ask. But now wasn’t the time for another crash course on the very confusing code word verbiage Wedge had created for them. Instead, he nodded for her to continue with her assessment. 

“And if Nayo’s there, but the informant also contacted us… it at least means our whispering bird might be Al. He’s pretty much the only spy both our cells share that could get his hands on the type of info that might be considered a real emergency. Anyone else, and they would have just told Wedge. Anything less, and the big boy would have filtered it through his usual contacts first to see what’s real and what’s not.”

Mmmh, that was all true enough he supposed. And all he needed to know, realistically. The moment for planning was over time for some action. Draining the last dregs in his cup the gunman got up and headed for the door.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

As the flat side of the gigantic sword once again smacked Nanaki across the head, the red lion came to a chilling realization.

He might have bit off more than he could chew. 

The young warrior should have been able to beat the Soldier! Not easily, but at least decisively. Then he should have been on his merry way to find a new hiding spot, to regroup himself before any backup from Shinra could be alerted.

But as the minutes ticked by, that was becoming less and less likely.

In the last couple of moments since his failed ambush, Nanki had been engaged in a life-and-death struggle against one of Shinra’s elite! Only… the blonde did not seem to reciprocate his urgency. If anything, the bastard seemed like he was distracted the whole fight! Hesitating at odd moments, turning his blade so that the sharp edge never struck his fur. Playing nothing but defense after their initial clash. Only taking the initiative when the lion got too close. Occasionally glancing off to the side and mumbling nonsensical words to himself! As if someone was speaking to him and the young warrior was just a nuisance to be swatted away. 

A feint to the left had the blonde Soldier kicking him in the ribs. 

Maybe it was a listening device? Calling for backup and using some Shinra lingo? But no, if it was then he should have been able to pick up static from any receiver the Soldier had on him. Speaking to the empty air like some crazy person, more like.

Which meant only one thing… this madman was playing with him! No doubt enjoying his pain, as he took another hard swipe to the left shoulder.

Or maybe he was under strict order to only capture and not kill? Perhaps another person in the company who shared Hojo’s sick obsession and wanted Nanaki back under lock and key? Truthfully, the warrior wasn’t too surprised to see that Shinra had already cast their net wide in order to look for him, especially after killing the professor. However, he thought they would try to kill him on sight rather than trying to recapture the guardian. Well, whatever the reason, the young warrior was in the thick of it and had no other recourse but to fight!

But as he mistimed his lounge and took another glancing blow to the foreleg, whimpering at the pain, Nanaki was beginning to regret not just staying in hiding. 

But he didn’t have a choice!

When the Soldier and his companion had first stumbled across his oasis, he had initially been content to let the little search party pass. It did surprise him that they managed to get the drop on him though, barely giving him time to scramble behind a crevice. But considering his smelling ability had been on the fritz since Hojo’s experiments, and the junkyard was infested with monsters overwhelming the rest of his senses… maybe he was lucky it didn't happen sooner. He should have kept his one eye peeled instead of bemoaning his temporary living situation, no matter how terrible and gross it was. He was trying to escape notice, after all. But the red lion had made accidental eye contact with that blonde female. A one-in-a-million chance that her gaze happened to look towards the spot he was observing them from. 

She seemed to not have understood what she was looking at, the lack of recognition apparent in her blue eyes. But eventually, she would realize he was the thing she was looking for and alert her Soldier. The confrontation would bring about an inevitable fight, which in turn could draw even more of Shinra’s drones on the red lion’s head. He had to act! Nananki would not let himself be captured again! 

Resolve hardened, the red lion struck, hoping to end the encounter in one decisive blow… only to go sailing over the blondes when they ducked.

Killing strike missed. Opportunity wasted. And now Nanaki was getting his ass beat in a fight! 

What a terrible morning he’s been having.

Trying to gain himself a moment to breathe, the young warrior shot a quick burst of fire magic, followed by two more in opposite directions to distract his opponent… only for the man to immediately blast the first with ice magic. A reasonable countermeasure, all things considered. Ice versus fire. Opposite types did cancel each other out, after all.

And then, against reason, he swung at the other fireballs. Sweeping the flames out of the air with a horizontal slash of his blade. 

This man might not be human, the red lion thought a little hypocritically.

In any other situation, Nanaki would have admired the sheer audacity of the Soldier to try and combat magic with brute strength. It was stupid, it was reckless, but damn did that look cool. And it would have been cooler if the Soldier didn’t immediately follow up the motion with an upward strike. The blow caught the guardian in the chest even as he attempted to jump away, sending him flying head over tail a dozen feet away and into a pile of wet garbage. The force of the launch knocked some of the towering stacks of refuge to the ground, bits of it even landing on his person. 

Gods, he hated this city!

The silver lining was that the blonde still seemed to be still hesitating, as if unsure if he should follow up on his attack. Commit to the finishing blow. The man was still looking at Nanaki with a confused gaze, lips still silently moving as if having a one-person conversation. By the Ancient Gods of Cosmo Canyon, he really was fighting an insane person! And what a blow to the lion’s ego that he was, to be losing to a lunatic. 

But before Nanaki could regain his bearing and gather himself for another round, a gunshot rang through the clearing.

“Cloud!”

Soldier and Warrior both turned their attention to the source… it was the blonde girl, the man’s companion who had stayed out of the fight. Only now she was frantically waving her left hand, which was holding a smoking handgun, and pointing off into the distance with her right. From his position, he tried following her line of sight. But Nanaki only saw endless piles of broken machinery as far as the eye could see. The Soldier, Cloud, seemed to come to a realization before the red lion did. The blonde’s enhanced sight and taller stature gave him an advantage at spotting whatever was heading their way.

“Nellie, get behind me!”

The blonde girl quickly scrambled to obey, running as if death was dogging her steps.

Confusion and then recognition as he heard it… the harsh and damn near deafening buzz of an approaching swarm of bug fiends. And barely a second later they made their grand appearance, a veritable black wall of swarming creatures approaching over the clearing. And Nanaki realized it was not just any monsters, but Kimara Bugs.

All the fighting had attracted a hive.

Four feet tall on average, sharp mandibles, and scythes for hands– they were troublesome individually to the unsuspecting, dangerous in small groups even but still manageable.

These were worse.

Bigger at nearly six feet in length, multiple arms that ended in scythes instead of the usual two, black carapaces that looked as hard as stone, and freaking wings. Nanaki recognized them on sight as one of Hojo’s experiments into monster DNA. An attempt by the madman to push the creature’s genome into the next stage of evolution. Sometimes even splicing them with others just to see what stuck. And, unfortunately, one of the many opponents that the doctor forced the young warrior to fight during his captivation. But at the time he only had to fight a few per bout… what was in front of him was a small army.

“Fucking Hojo,” Nanaki whispered harshly under his breath, his usual aversion to foul language breaking under the stress.

Spirits! It made him want to kill the man again.

From the corner of his eye, he said the Soldier gave him a startled look. Damn, he forgot that Soldiers had enhanced hearing as well as sight. Nanaki had inadvertently given them another reason to hunt him down! Grandpa was not going to like this. But now was not the time to cry over spilled milk, he needed a plan! 

Run or fight?  

As much as he might want to stand his ground, Nanaki could not fight Cloud and the Kimara swarm at the same time. It would essentially be suicide by stupidity if he did. Sure, the blonde might see common sense and team up with the red lion to confront this new threat... but considering the man had been talking to himself during the whole fight… this warrior wasn’t going to gamble his coins on the man thinking straight.

But running away not only left a bad taste in his mouth, it also flew in the face his sacred duty as a guardian and protector! Of course, he only swore that oath to the people of Cosmo Canyon… but the principle of it still applied to all innocents. Which included the vulnerable people of the lower sectors, no matter how much Nanaki may hate Midgar. The lives of those who walked the path of light were sacred in the eyes of Cosmos. And from what little he knew during his imprisonment with the electric company… he was not going to leave it in the hands of Shinra and hope they stepped up.

He needed to make a decision fast! Every second he wasted narrowed the window of opportunity. One by one the Kimara Bugs were crawling over the scrapyard en masse, headed straight at their little group.

Survival or responsibility?

Thankfully, the decision was made for him.

“Hey, cat!” Cloud yelled over at him, eyes shining with mako even under the bright artificial light of the plate. “I know you can understand me! So listen up!” Wave his blade towards the fiends, then with his off hand at the two of them in turn. “Them first, us later?”

Not the most eloquent way of asking for an alliance against a common enemy... but the offer was made. But could Nanaki trust him? Truly, what was to stop the blonde man from attacking him the moment he let his guard down? While the warrior hadn’t exactly been winning their encounter earlier, there was a rather extreme difference between facing a weaker opponent head-on versus striking at their unsuspecting back. 

The answer lay in the smaller blonde behind him. Even as she held her pistol in a death grip, eye grimly determined, Nanaki didn’t fancy her chances of survival should he and the Soldier fall. And from the way the man angled his body in front of her as if to physically shield her from the imminent danger, the swordsman at least believed he had more to lose should things go south.

Was the girl his sister maybe? They did smell the same.

But it didn’t matter much “the why”, because the instinct and motivation to protect someone was something Nanaki could trust in. The young warrior looked the Soldier in the eyes and nodded, growling his response.

“Them first.”

000

“I’m fi~ine mom.” Aerith drawled out over her PHS, stepping out onto the patio of the bar to hear her mother better. “I was just drinking with some new friends of mine and was too out of it to go home last night. That’s all. I even texted you where I was ma’am!” She giggled a little at the huff over the phone. “We're just eating right now, but might do something later.”

“... And these new “friends” didn’t pressure you into anything, did they?” Elmyra asked, obviously trying not to let her concern bleed too much into her tone. “They didn’t force you to stay at the apartment when you wanted to leave? Make you drink more than you could handle? No inappropriate touching of any kind?”

“Well, there might have been some kissing,” Aerith answered sarcastically, enjoying stirring the pot with her mother a little. “But in their defense, I was the aggressor and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” 

“Aerith Gainsborough!”

“I’m kidding!” The mage laughed but tried to keep it down when she saw a few curious looks sent her way. Even Kyrie was shooting a few not-so-subtle once over from their table. The hat girl actually seemed a little put out to be sitting by herself. After Tifa served them, she had followed Jessie into the back of the kitchen to talk to Barret. The loneliness didn’t stop the tomboy from wolfing down her breakfast with enthusiasm, though. “Everyone was a perfect gentleman to me, I’ll have you know.” After a moment of consideration, she added, “If it helps any, it was all girls I was hanging out with.” 

“It doesn’t.” Her mom said, quick with an answer. “Women can be predators too, young lady. A hunter in plain view, just like any man, only less obvious. And your new friends are still strangers, no matter how much fun you had. With all types of wants and urges that they might be more than happy to indulge in with an innocent girl. No telling what their intentions are, till it’s too late. You have to keep your guard up! ”

The flower girl could only roll her eyes at the lecture. Not because of what was being said. It was good advice, especially since their little family lived so close to Wall Market in sector 6, and all the mischief that entailed. No, it was because this was perhaps the sixth time Aerith had heard the warning this month alone! A new record for her worry-wart of a mother.

But more importantly, Tifa and Kyrie weren’t like that! The barmaid had a boyfriend and the former troublemaker hadn’t even had her first kiss. Not exactly the kind of girls that go out prowling for the naive and gullible to get their jollies off of. 

Not that she would have been opposed to some romantic interest.

As happy as Aerith was for the busty brunette… she could admit to being a little disappointed that Tifa was already hitched. That was one path she wouldn’t have minded taking if it was possible. Not to sound shallow, but that was one very attractive body and face. Bu~ut it made sense that such a gorgeous woman was already in a relationship, no matter how… unusual that romance was. And it seemed to be going strong too, if how much she gushed about him was any indication. Not that she would ever want them to break up just so she could fulfill her own selfish desires!

It’s just… Aerith doubts she’ll ever get a chance to kiss those pouty lips now. 

Oh, well.

As for Jessie… well, the pretty redhead did have a bit of a wandering gaze at times. It wasn’t completely unreciprocated if she was being honest with herself. But if Aerith interpreted the redhead’s stories about her past activities last night correctly, then the mechanic was definitely someone you needed to keep their defenses primed around. Although the mage was sure the other girl would do anything unwanted toward her, so… it was more flattering than anything really. Still, it was for this reason, and to make her mom happy, that she begrudgingly listened and agreed.

“I’ll make sure my legs are crossed at all times.”

“Hmph!” Elmyra responded, not sounding very impressed by Aerith's crass reassurance. “See that you do.” After a beat, her tone softened. “I don’t mean to harp on you, sweetie. Especially since it sounded like you had a fun time. And I’m sure that they’re wonderful girls… I just worry. Even now that you're an adult, I can’t help but be concerned that my little girl is being treated right.”

“I know Mom,” Aerith whispered gently, fuzzy warmth spreading in her chest from her mom’s love, even as it warred with a tinge of embarrassment at being babied. “They’re good people, trust me. Even Kyrie was being pretty cool toward me last night, although 90% of that might have been because she was drunk. Heh.”

“Kyrie Kanaan?! Mirelle’s granddaughter?” 

Oh, did she not already tell her mother that tidbit? Oops.

“Oh, Minerva! My daughter got herself mixed up with some gang!” Elymry bemoaned. “Of all the girls you could have been making friends with–”

“Hey, my food’s getting kind of cold.” Aerith cut in with a rush, fobbing an excuse before her mother could get going and demand that she get her butt home this instance. “Don’t worry I’ll stay out of trouble and call you later! Okay, I love you, bye!” 

“Love you!” Her mother managed to bite out at the last second, just before the Cetran snapped her phone shut. A woman intimately aware and used to Aerith’s usual tricks. Still, can’t do anything about it but bite your tongue when you're in a whole other sector. Grinning a little at the device, she popped it back into her jacket, making her way back into the bar and the occupied table.

As she sat down, she was a bit mesmerized by how much food Tifa had managed to whip up on one trip to the kitchen.

“How was the phone call with your mom?” Kyrie asked around a mouthful of toast when Aerith scooted a little forward in her seat. “Do you need to go home soon or something?”

“About as well as I expected. And no, I’m here all day.” Aerith said with a grin, laying a napkin over her lap and she dug into some eggs. Slicing into a bit of her sunnyside and chewing for a moment, she asked, “You sure you don’t want to call your grandma too? I really don’t mind you borrowing my phone.”

“I’m good. Appreciate it though.” Kyrie said, waving the offer away as she downed her water. Smacking her lips a little in satisfaction, she looked ready to dig right back into their meal. But seeing Aerith’s concerned look, she elaborated. “You know my grandma… she’s got eyes and ears all over the place! I have no doubt someone already ratted out my location to her and said I’m alive and kicking. What’s more to tell?” 

“Sure, but wouldn’t she want to hear how you are too? You know… something a little more concrete than the fact that you're breathing and not in a ditch somewhere?”

“Aerith, Aerith,” Kyrie said a little condescendingly, waving a piece of bacon to emphasize her words. “We’re adults! We don’t always need to be checking in with our family for every little thing. It’s sweet that you do with Ms. Gainsborough, but you gotta be careful.” She chomped a bit on the pig meat, her next words a little muffled.  “You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. That’s how guardians are! And next thing you know you’ll be spending your Saturday nights at home, playing puzzles and being in bed by ten! Your freedom, gone forever!”

The mage honestly didn’t know whether to laugh at the dramatics or be offended by the scenario the other girl just painted. Aerith happened to like puzzle nights with her mom. And if it was sometimes on a Saturday… so what! 

Besides, sleeping at an early hour was just good common sense. 

Unaware of the thoughts going through her head, Kyrie finished off her strip of meat and licked her fingers a little as she added in a conspiratorial whisper. “Plus you know how old people are… allergic to technology, the whole lot of them. Especially if it comes from Shinra. And grandma Mirelle is not an exception to that rule. Doubly so, really.” Grabbing another strip for herself, she shrugged a shoulder, adding, “There… just wouldn’t be anybody to call, even if I wanted to.”

 “Oh,” Aerith said, not really sure how else to respond. 

While she was sure Mirielle.Dudley loved her granddaughter, the number of times the woman came to Kyrie’s rescue being the stuff of legends in sector 5…  the younger girl’s explanation painted a rather uncomfortable picture. While it wasn’t too unusual of a relationship down in the slums, where even among family members you had to look after your own interests first… it did make Aerith feel a little guilty about how close she was with her own mother. The mage had been blessed to get adopted by such a loving woman, even if it did sometimes teeter towards overbearing.

But as much as Aerith wanted to say something, maybe offer words of comfort at the very least, it probably wasn’t her place to interfere. 

No, she wouldn’t stick her nose into the former delinquent’s personal affairs, especially since their new friendship was still so fragile. 

Admittedly, the Cetra had more or less crossed that line with Tifa, after only an hour of meeting each other. But the two of them had gotten on like a bush on fire. That particular bond already felt as strong as Mithril from the get-go, like they had been friends for years! Would have even boldly declared them best friends any other time... if Jessie wasn’t there. Not that she didn’t absolutely love the redhead too, because she certainly did! It was just… there was such a weirdly profound connection between the two brunettes, even beyond attraction. Like she could trust Tifa with her life.  Honestly, it felt like the planet had engineered her run-in with the barmaid as if to say sorry for making her social life so difficult growing up.

 Maybe Aerith was just getting lost in her own head and overthinking things.

She felt a poke in her ribs.

“You okay?” Kyrie asked, looking uncomfortable, as if she was about to step on a landmine. “You were…ah, kind of muttering to yourself for a bit there and staring off into space.” Swallowing a little as she glanced around, the teenager added quietly, “Were you… talking to the voices in your head again?”

“Oh no, nothing like that! I was just, uh…” Aerith trailed off, not sure how to explain herself. But she needed to say something! Her sort-of friend was giving her that painfully familiar look that had haunted the flower girl’s childhood. Before she learned not to spout every little thing that popped into her head from Gaia. The one that said, “This girl is weird and it might be contagious”. Frantically looking around, her eyes landed on a yellow lily in a vase behind the bar. She blinked in confusion. Was that one of her flowers? When did the fighter have time to pot it? “Just checking out the bar and seeing how many flowers Tifa might order. I gotta start figuring out how many I should harvest and how I’m gonna bring over, you know?”

Nice save Aerith.

“Yeah… yeah! That makes sense, I guess.” Kyrie said in relief, her shoulders relaxing as she picked a little at her plate. “If you're going back to the Fives later, then maybe I can help you carry some back? I need to pick up some of my stuff from my old place and get it to Stargazer.” Grinning a little, she added, “For a fee of course.”

“But of course,” Aerith said exasperatedly, smiling a little as she rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Fidgeting a little, Kyrie, of course, had to ruin the good mood.

“Sorry for freaking out.” The tomboy apologized, rubbing her neck in embarrassment, as she promptly inserted her foot into her mouth. “Kind of thought you were having another episode… like that time with my parents.”

At those words, Aerith took a sharp intake of breath. Kyrie’s jaw snapped with a click, realizing that was a bit of childhood trauma neither one of them was ready to confront.

Shit, now that was a torpedo of bad memories.

They grinned weakly at each other, a blanket of discomfort around them now before they looked down at the table. Kyrie idly played with the crumbs of her food, making patterns. Aerith fiddling with her napkin and glancing around for a lifeline. Gods, it had gone from 0 to 100, real -ast with them. It was a cold reminder that despite their drunken camaraderie, the two of them never actually hung out as adults.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before the hat girl perked up. 

“Soooo~, do you think you might say yes if they ask you to join?” Kyrie asked with a grin, shooting a glance at the bar’s backroom door. Aerith could only tilt her head in confusion as the younger girl continued on, not waiting for an answer. “I think I’m gonna! I mean, it is a little weird to be giving my first time to a stranger… or joining a pseudo-harem. But if half the things I’ve see–uh, heard is true, then I’m going to be in for one hell of an experience!”

“First time for what? Join who?” Aerith asked in bewilderment. Did Tifa and Jessie have some type of members-only club or something?

“Well, you know… don’t make me spell it out!” Kyrie said in mock indignation, uncharacteristically giggling a little. The mirth died real quick when saw the healer's blank expression. The tomboy looked at her in surprise, before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Are you serious? You're… not trying to pull my leg, are you? Getting back at me for that one time I threw a water balloon at your head when we were kids? Well, get over it, because I was trying to have a real conversation here you jerk.”

“I… have no idea what you're talking about,” Aerith said honestly, shaking her head a little in emphasis. Although that water balloon tidbit needed to be filed for later, she had forgotten that incident. “Believe me, I don’t mean to be dense or anything. I just genuinely don’t know what you mean. Maybe just tell me?” 

Kyrie searched the mage’s eyes as if to catch her in a lie. And seeing that there was none, the half-Wutain girl seemed conflicted. Unsure, now that it looked like they weren’t on the same page. Taking a beat to consider her words, Aerith’s childhood acquaintance answered her in a hushed voice.

“I’m talking about us … having sex with Cloud.”

“WHAT!?”

000

Nellie lobbed another homemade grenade at a batch of friends, taking a quick breath to enjoy the sight of the bugs flying from the concussive force. It didn’t kill them like she wanted, but it did seem to at least daze them as one of her companions went in for a kill.  At the sight of one dead monster after the other, she felt a bit of hope rising in her chest.

Maybe, just maybe… today wasn’t the day she was going to die.

What a great thought.

Also a pretty unusual thought, considering she was at the heart of a monster horde that was defying conventional fiend behavior. While creatures that gathered together in groups weren't unheard of in the slums, they were far, and few. And typically they tended to be stationary, usually marking territories to control. Better for hunting and protection. Almost like real animals to a point. Only forced out of those homes or dens if they encountered a bigger threat. But the danger to them was usually other pack-minded fiends, apex monsters that had the power to do whatever the fuck they wanted, or Shinra personnel who came down from the plate to do who knows what.

But considering the size and numbers of the overgrown creatures? All of the above threats didn’t seem very likely.

So, just rotten luck on her part.

And even worse, they were not just any friends… although any creature of that size would have been terrible. No… it had to be Kimara bugs of all Gaia’s cursed creations. Vicious man-eaters, who loved to swarm their victims and gradually pick away at the flesh. Practically a slow death sentence for anyone stupid enough to get caught during one of their feeding frenzies, which unfortunately her small group was. Even worse, these particular ones looked especially big and ugly. Like they were nursed on steroids and decided to live in the gym, to maximize their gains. Which meant they, or possibly their parents, were failed experiments from the electric company who got dumped into the slums.

A bunch of goddamn, genetically engineered super monsters! What was the point in making these things? 

Fucking Shinra!

And double fuck them for making the bugs bigger than her too! Like Nellie didn't already have a complex about her height!

Close to a hundred mutated Kimara bugs, their black shells flashing as they tried to flank her and make her squishy self into their next dinner. It was a nightmarish sight, enough to give a normal person a heart attack. Only the combined efforts of Cloud and the red cat kept them at bay. A desperate battle where life and death hung in the balance! Where one wrong move, one misstep would send your ass back to the Lifestream!

Only… Tifa’s Soldier and his new monster friend weren’t just playing defense, because holy fuckin Odin! Those bugs were running headlong into a meat grinder!

Cloud and the talking cat were fighting like a well-oiled killing machine. Practically turning the whole clearing into a graveyard of bugs! As if they've been working together for years. Sword and claw, ice and fire magic. A bit of lighting to strafe anyone monster stupid enough to try and fly over them. Frozen and burnt bodies, mixing in with the sliced ones. At one point the merc launched the feline upwards to tear into a cluster. The two unlikely companions were a maelstrom of death and violence, the butchered remains of the Kimara bugs piling high around them.

One by one, a monster horde that should have been considered a walking calamity by anyone’s reckoning… had a scant few dozen remaining. less than half. What remained all buzzed in almost human-like fury, seemingly resolved to at least kill Cloud or the red cat in vengeance, even if it meant losing whatever few they had left.

Nellie almost wanted to snort in disdain, feeling a little braver at the sight of the Soldier and big cat practically frothing with battle rage, most of the monsters dead by one of them. 

Though...she kind of hated how useless she had been during the fight. The sight of the two fighters being so effective honestly made her feel a little inept since her bullets barely cracked the carapaces of the bugs. 

In the last ten minutes, she had killed maybe two of them? Even then, it was just the blonde finishing of the injured fiends who hadn’t been cut deep enough. And each of them took at least a full magazine before they stopped moving completely. Why on Gaia did she leave her machine gun at home? Her training knives? Or her specialized bullets?! What was the point of spending all her time making these things, if she never used it when it counted the most?

‘That was so stupid of you Nellie! You let a pretty smile and hormones scramble your brain! Years of hard-earned knowledge and instincts from living in the slums, out the fucking window because you got distracted by some bare arms? All the guy did was ask if you wanted to get some breakfast you horndog. What did you expect him to do? Bend you over a goddamn table!?’

But could anyone blame her for being interested in sex?!

The racket from Nayo’s room last night that kept her up, all those dirty rumors about Cloud, and the fact that despite being with Tifa… he was allowed to sleep around. With her blessing to boot! Hell, she was ninety percent sure Jessie skipping their weekly hang-out was somehow connected too. All of it… had given the blonde hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe … she hadn’t missed her shot with the Soldier. And it had left her… well distracted when he talked to her.

Was it petty of her to be attracted to a cute face and hard body? Absolutely.

Was it shallow of her to want him in bed despite never having a real conversation with him till today? Probably.

Was it weird and egotistical that she thought he kind of looked like her? That wasn’t a question she was quite ready to answer.

But if all her friends were having sex with him… well why not her?

And the freshly fucked look he had been sporting today had done nothing to curve her craving.

Thankfully… the knowledge that she was going to survive this monster death fest helped to kick her out of her pity party. She didn’t need to lambast herself about her libido getting her in trouble. Truly, it was crazy how much this second chance of life gave her a boost in morale, hardening her resolve to not let her shyness get in the way of living her life. She doubted she’d ever be as free-spirited as Jessie, but she’d be damned if she kept spending all her time in her room or at work. When this shit was over, the world was going to experience a whole new Nellie who took what she wanted!  

With Tifa’s permission of course.

And the sight of Cloud’s muscles pulling taunt, veins popping under the skin from stress as he cut the head off another bug, only strengthened her conviction. This terrorist had goals and aspirations that she was going to accomplish, no matter what. Like a mantra, only one thought burned through her mind as she aimed her pistol at another Kimara. 

She was NOT gonna die a goddamn virgin.

Chapter Text

“WHAT!?”

Kyrie's hands immediately shot up to cover Aerith’s mouth before she could yell anymore. The small-time criminal nervously looked around the bar to see if that outburst had attracted any attention. Thankfully, most people had already cleared out, getting ready for their work day or school. Even the majority of Tifa’s part-time workers were gone, now that the morning rush had died out. Only a handful of hangers-on or late shifters were still about. And sure enough, the two girls were getting a few curious and amused glances sent their way. But seeing that no one was in danger, everyone went back to minding their own business. 

Signing a little in relief, Kyrie let go of Aerith’s mouth.

“What are you doing!?” The tomboy harshly whispered to her… friend? Yeah, they were sort of friends now. Or something similar. They had even been getting along surprisingly well, despite their odd history. Present outburst excluded, of course. “Are you trying to bring the whole sector down on us?”

“S-sorry.” The mage said abashedly, glancing around the room self-consciously as she lowered her own voice. “But what the hell Kyrie! You shouldn’t make jokes like that. What if Tifa overheard you?”

“Whose joking?”

“You, you punk!”

“I’m not–!” Kyrie cut herself off, trying to rein her temper in and not say anything she couldn't take back. “I wasn’t joking, Aerith. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I get it… it’s embarrassing. But don’t blow your top and bite my head off!”

The two girls glared at each other for a full minute, before the healer caved.

“Are you being serious? Like, actually serious?” Aerith said in disbelieving wonder... as if the teen just said Mako wasn’t green anymore and the sky wasn’t metal. “What makes you think that we’re going to have sex with Cloud? Or that Tifa is going to… encourage that?”

“I mean… because of the clues?” Kyrie said, now faltering a little at the other girl's blank look and nugget of doubt making her wonder if she had misread the situation. No, she hadn’t, she was certain of that much. Not to toot her own horn, but the tomboy was pretty great at spotting patterns. But maybe …it was just that her fellow Fiver didn’t have as much context to work with as she? Should she try to walk the flower girl through her thought process? Perhaps. “Okay, hear me out. What do we know about Cloud?”

“He’s an Ex-Soldier, he’s dating Tifa... and works as a mercenary,” Aerith said slowly, thankfully humoring her. “There were also some rumors about him being… well, a prostitute or something. But he’s no longer offering services, for obvious reasons.” She emphasized that last part.

“All true. And surprisingly, all relevant evidence.” Kyrie said as she nodded along in agreement. 

Although, she had to cringe a bit inside when her friend mentioned the… uh, gossipy parts. She was honestly starting to feel a little guilty about spreading those stories about the blonde. It was one thing to do it to strangers, and a whole other to people you actually shared a drink with. It kind of made her feel icky. But in her defense, it turned out he was a sex fiend anyway! She did, after all, witness it with her own two eyes. So it wasn’t like she was actually lying … just embellishing certain exploits. Putting the cart before the Chocobo, as the saying goes. No need to feel remorse or anything. Probably. Unfortunately with Aerith, she couldn’t go too in-depth on how she knew certain details. All the stuff she learned during her… ehem, “investigation”. It may be considered somewhat socially unacceptable in polite company. So, a little more fibbing to back up her claims may be needed. Just to bridge certain gaps in knowledge without exposing herself. That wasn’t going to cause any harm, right? 

“But the last part especially.” The troublemaker continued without missing a beat, all while organizing her thoughts. “You see, our hero wasn’t just turning tricks for money. By all accounts he was addicted to sex… and the extra gil was just a nice bonus. The cherry on top if you will. But … how do you think he managed to go cold turkey, after years of debauchery?”

“Through sheer willpower? And… Tifa taking care of it when that’s not enough?”

“And you’d be half right, my pink friend.” The tomboy said sagely, steepling her fingers and letting the words marinate for dramatic effect. She couldn’t help herself. Kyrie was just naturally charismatic like that. 50% of convincing someone you were telling the truth was body language. She read that in a book somewhere. “But even someone as fit as Tifa is going to have a hard time handling a sex-addled superhuman all by herself. So… what do you think is the obvious solution to such a dilemma? Other than kicking him to the curb, of course.”

“Well… they could…you know, maybe…” Aerith petered off, as the answer started to formulate in her head. “No… you’re not implying that…” She leaned forward to whisper this next part. “She’s letting him sleep around, are you? Like… with Jessie?”

“Not just imply, I can confirm. And not just Jessie, because here comes the juicy bit.” Kyrie said, grinning wider as she saw how hooked on the story the gardener was. “Tifa’s not just allowing him to sleep around. No… she’s actively recruiting new girls to join them in bed. With Jessie acting as her second in command, to boot! How might I know all this, you may wonder? Because I witnessed it with my own two peepers last night!”

“No way! Who? How!?”

“Some girl named Nayo.” Kyrie casually said, shrugging nonchalantly as if she wasn’t dropping bomb after bomb. “Another friend of theirs apparently. I’m not going to give you a play-by-play right now, otherwise we’d be here all afternoon. But! Jessie was there to bless the tryst. Even gave her tips on how to schmooze Tifa for a permanent invite into their little club. Made it clear to everyone there that the barmaid approved of what was happening. Hell, the man himself barely changed expression at the idea of getting passed around like a bargain sale hat! And that... is why Cloud wasn’t in his apartment last night.”

The tomboy took a gulp of water for her parched throat, giving Aerith a moment to take it in and finally connect the dots. 

“Whoa…” The mage said in awe, a stunned look about her. “B-but… what does that have to do with us? I like to think we’re all friends but… we just met them! Jessie and Tifa have been attached at the hip for years, and this Nayo sounds like she’s probably known them just as long. Why would they invite a bunch of strangers into their bed?”

“Simple really. All those rumors about him…” Kyrie said, stalling a little to think of how she was going to say what she knew without sounding like a voyeur. “...underplayed his sexual prowess. By a lot. He’s too much for them.”  

“Too much for three women?” Aerith asked, skeptically.

“Three… that we know about.” The tomboy said, enjoying the sight of her friend’s eyes widening. “As far as we’re concerned, the Soldier’s got a dozen women out there that he tosses the bedsheets with. So if we were to speculate a little… us getting recruited is par for course. Like generals trying to enlist soldiers for battle.” 

“Don’t be gross.” Aerith scolded, but couldn’t hold back her giggle. “You’re making it seem like it's one diabolical plot to get in our panties!”

“I’m not saying Jessie and Tifa aren’t genuine friends,” Kyrie said, not wanting to make it sound like she was accusing the girls of anything. “I’m sure they are. But looking the way we do, probably went a long way in attracting their attention. No ego but you and me? We’re hot stuff. At least physically, we two are the most eligible bachelorettes in all of Sector 5! I mean, there are hundreds of slum girls down on their luck… but the redhead picked me? Kind of suspicious.”

“Yeah… but… I’m the one who approached Tifa.” The mage said reluctantly, looking a little sad as she admitted this. “Even if what you're saying is true… and I’m still not sure about that, I don’t think I’m one of these “recruits”. I sort of pressured her into letting me tag along.”

“Oh, poor little flower girl.” The schemer mocked, tickled pink by the sour look she got for it. “C’mon Aerith, you got to read between the lines! Not everyone is just going to boldly proposition you like your old boyfriend. Think about it, she invited you to lunch where the two of you got to know each other. Probably making sure you weren’t a psychopath or something. And then BAM! She starts talking about Cloud, playing him up in all her stories, and making sure you have a positive opinion of him.” 

“Maybe…”

“And then she just “happens” to let slip that she’s sleeping with him? Even straight up telling you he’s a sex addict? Kind of a daring topic for someone you just met.”

“That’s true…”

“And you pressuring her? No offense, but you're not the most intimidating girl on this side of the planet Aerith. And have you seen Tifa’s muscles? The scars on her fists? That is not a girl who gets pushed into doing something she doesn’t want.”

“I can be scary…” The mage muttered to herself, before looking up an uncertain expression. “You don't think they… planned for this do you? Engineered a run-in with us?”

Kyrie pretended to think about it seriously, letting her friend sweat it a bit. But unable to fake it any longer, she cracked up in laughter. “Nah, it’s not that deep. They probably just saw an opportunity and wanted to capitalize on it. And maybe not even that much. If anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just testing the water with us first. Might not even invite us for months, if ever. Jessie told me last night it’s not a sex cult and… I believe her. It kind of just seems like a sexy friend group, if anything”

“I… guess that makes sense,” Aerith said, her eyes reflecting how dazed she was by all this information. “But wow, that’s a lot to wrap my head around. It feels so weird knowing I might be scouted for a harem.” She blinked up astonished at Kyrie. “And you're gonna say yes if they do ask? What about all that stuff last night about finding Mr.Right?”

“I never said I was looking for love.” The hat girl said, digging back into her cold meal. No point in wasting good food. “Even if I was, that could take years! I don't exactly get a lot of eligible guys falling through my roof, unlike a certain someone. And...it’s not like I’m really saving myself for anybody. I just want someone handsome, clean, and whose money I can spend. Cloud… pretty much hits the first two. Maybe I could negotiate the third? I did tease the thought of maybe trying to take him for myself for a hot moment.” Seeing Aerith’s unimpressed look, she quickly ripped her toast and popped a piece into her mouth, mumbling. “I’m not gonna anymore! It was just a passing thought. And… I realized it wouldn’t be worth the bad blood if I tried to pull something like that. Truthfully, I was kind of iffy about the whole thing last night but the more I thought about it on the walk over… the more the idea kind of jelled with me.”

“Joining a harem started to make sense to you?” Aerith asked in disbelief. “But you want to discuss terms first?”

“Well… yeah. I’m not asking for a lot, just… if you're going to open this treasure box… take care of me too, you know?” 

“Was that what changed your mind?”

“It wasn’t just one thing really.” Counting off her fingers, she started listing off her reasons. “I get along with Jessie and Tifa, which is a plus. And since they’ve been doing it for a while and haven’t killed each other in a jealous rage yet, then they probably figured out some balance. So hopefully, drama free. Also, if I can get Cloud to take care of me financially as well as physically… I don’t know.“ She shrugged a shoulder. “The idea of being their mistress or something didn’t sound so bad.”

“That’s… a very logical way of thinking,” Aerith said lamely, looking too stunned. “But what about–”

CRACK!!

The sudden noise caused the two startled girls’ heads to shoot up in surprise… only to see that the bar had emptied out of patrons some time ago. Unfortunately, that left three people still in the building. So absorbed in their conversation, they had forgotten to keep an eye out for eavesdroppers. And in that moment of inattention, the owner of Seventh Heaven had approached their table without them noticing. And, holding two pieces of a broken plate, the fresh pancakes now dirty on the floor, they looked up to see a horrified expression on Tifa Lockhart’s face, 

000

Yuffie thought she might be having a fever dream, an unfortunate side effect of her late-night “scouting mission”. 

By the time she had gotten back to her safehouse for some much-needed rest, she was worn out to the bone. So much so that she… well, accidentally overslept. By the time she woke up and rushed back to Nayo’s apartment everyone was already gone! And not a single clue where they went. Not even a stinking message from HQ, beyond a vague excuse from Billy-Bob that they had some errands to run and not to worry.

Well, she was worried! Because every cell in her body was screaming at her that something was going on, that everyone suddenly being “busy” was NOT a coincidence. 

And she was right! 

Because except for that big-boobed Wutain girl at Seventh Heaven, every known Avalanche member was MIA. Something major was going down and this beautiful ninja wasn’t going to be left out. If there was trouble and mischief afoot, the White Rose wanted to be in the thick of it! 

Unfortunately, after about a solid half-hour of watching her, the bartender didn’t seem to be doing anything interesting. This Tifa … was just puttering around her kitchen cooking food and cleaning up. She was acting like some goddang housewife, while her friends were missing! This girl did not have her priorities straight. 

Or maybe she did?

Was she assigned to hold the fort or something? Maybe left behind while all the important members were out actually doing the real work? Perhaps she was just eye candy? The woman certainly looked the part, despite the muscles. From her hiding spot, she saw the barmaid murmuring the merc’s name, before giggling a little. Wow, that girl had it bad! Were those two together? Maybe a girlfriend, considering how obviously smitten she was? Yuffie could have sworn she heard the blonde saying her name a few times last night, even though he was guts-deep in Nayo. So~o...there had to be some romantic connection.

But did… she know where her boy was last night? 

Possibly, since Tifa did not at all look stressed, despite the man being gone all night. A regular girl would have been blowing up her boyfriend's phone demanding answers.

Could he or she… uh, be into that kind of kink? And not just cheating like she had initially assumed? The fact that the Soldier didn’t get slapped silly for accidentally saying Tifa’s name kind of gave credence to that. 

It could be how the splinter cell got the Soldier to turn his back on Shinra. Get him this super sexy but lenient and kinky girlfriend that allowed him to act like a tomcat for anything with a pulse. If so, that was a very underhanded but effective tactic. Especially since the man seemed to be an endless well of lust.

Not her cup of tea but Yuffie approved. 

Sometimes a good leader needs to manipulate those under them a little to get the best results.

But now wasn’t the time to be speculating on people’s sex lives, cause she still didn’t know where the rest of Avalanche was!

The Wutains decide to change gear and put in some leg work to find their missing terrorists. As luck would have it, near the far side of the sector, a few of these Midgardians happen to catch sight of Cloud. His uniform, giant ass sword, and golden chocobo head, acting as a calling card. After doing some investigation and asking more locals for info, she and Sonon manage to track the Soldier's general direction down. He had gone into the scrap yard with a friend, some girl named Nellie. 

Another girl so soon? This man was insatiable! 

It didn’t take long for the two ninjas to find a trail leading to a hidden side passage, tracking the two footpaths to a side passage. 

Only to find the Soldier fighting a horde of monsters! Giant bug fiends that Yuffie had never seen before. But that didn’t mean much, there were a lot of odd creatures in the Eastern continent she hadn’t thought to encounter. And he wasn’t alone, because by his side were the weirdest assortment of allies.

Behind him, shooting a gun, was a short blonde girl who looked eerily like him. His sister? Possibly. But the idea of Shinra’s elite having any family had Yuffie blinking a little stupidly to reconcile that fact. It was a strange reminder for the princess that Soldiers weren’t artificially created. Made in a lab, sure… but they were still just regular humans before they sold their souls to the Company. Just dolls assembled on a conveyor belt and designed to do their master’s bidding. 

By Cloud’s side was a red dog, viciously tearing into its enemies with teeth and claws. Even stranger, the mutt seemed to be on fire, but nobody seemed concerned. However, being burned to death didn’t seem to slow the canine monster down one bit! It was matching the merc step for step in kills. 

Maybe an animal version of the Soldiers?

“What do you want to do?” Sonon asked, the look on his face making it obvious that he wanted to jump in and help, but was waiting for her cue. She was the boss of the two after all. But he didn’t need to worry, it was an especially cruel person to see a stranger in a crisis and not do something about it. And technically Yuffie knew one of them, even if he didn’t know her… yet. Besides that blonde wasn’t just some nobody, that was her future subordinate! She’d be derilecting her duty as his future commander if she left him to the wolves. Or bug monsters in this case.

“We go in and make a good impression of course.” Yuffie grinned, already unhooking her shuriken and running headlong into the danger. 

A second later she heard Sonon's footsteps chasing after her, his laughter trailing behind them.

Rearing her arms back, she threw her weapon at a monster bug hovering slightly above the rest. The spinning blade struck true, slicing cleanly into a wing and one of its right arms, before returning to her hand. She may not know what kind of fiends these were, but if you cut something deep enough, add a few dozen slices… well, dead was dead. Can’t be a threat if you’re in a million pieces. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other freedom fighter smash his collapsible Bo staff into the skull of another, caving its head in. 

‘Dead was dead. ’ Yuffie laughed as she repeated the phrase in her mind. Leviathan! It felt so good to do something! And fighting just happened to be her favorite something!

The two of them worked in tandem, striking hard at the flank of the unsuspecting creatures. Their teamwork was damn near flawless, the similar martial training making up for their lack of experience working together. Through serrated edge or blunt trauma, the bugs fell and made way for their approach. Eventually, they left a broken trail of bodies behind them, managing to reach the center of the encirclement where the Soldier was.

The small group was surprised to see the ninjas appear but recovered quickly enough from the shock when they realized the newcomers were there to help. The girl and the dog jumped back into the fray almost immediately. But the Soldier hesitated, uncertainty on his face as he regarded the new arrivals, mako eyes flickering between the Wutains 

Holding Cloud’s gaze for a moment, Yuffie tried to give him her best winning smile, hoping to put him at ease… which only caused him to narrow his eyes in suspicion. 

Thankfully he relented, finally giving her and Sonon a nod in acknowledgement. Shooting a quick glance at his sister, the Soldier rushed back into battle, sword swinging high overhead. Yuffie couldn’t help but frown a little at that, disgruntled at him taking the lead. The senior officer should be the one to lead the charge, anything else would be impolite. But she had to remember that Cloud was not a ninja and  … not quite her minion yet. Once the dust settled, she’d have to give him a crash course on Wutian military etiquette.

Still, plenty of time to worry about that later. Bugs first.

Disappointingly, the battle didn’t last long. The whole thing only took minutes. Between the five of them, the strange insect monster didn’t stand a chance, those few dozen still fighting when she arrived, now a broken mess.

“Hell yeah!” Yuffie yelled as she yanked her shuriken out of a fiend’s body, green blood flying out from the force. Hot damn! This… this was what she was built for. Stealth and assassination missions were good and all, vital even, but open combat was where she lived! Turning to the rest of the group with her arms spread wide to take in the battlefield. “Now that’s how you start your day! You're welcome by the way.” She addressed that last bit to Cloud.

“Thanks.” He said, not sounding very grateful. Position himself before the other blonde and keeping his sword unholstered, he asked. “And not to sound unappreciative… but who are you guys? Your timing was… well, a little too convenient. And sane people don’t just jump into a monster swarm like that.”

Yuffie was a little offended that he was basically calling them weird, especially when she found him in the middle of the horde, but before she could say anything Sonon spoke up.

“We’re friends of the cause.” The bigger ninja said, trying not to spill the beans with the girl and the dog watching them. But seeing Cloud’s confused look, he had to elaborate a bit more. “You know… your special club? The one started with a capital “A”. He moved his hands to form the letter as if that would help things along.

“Oh! You're those Wutains that Nayo was going to meet with.” Nellie said in surprise. “Uh, Sonon and Yuffie right?

Okay, so much for beating around the bush. If everyone was on the same page then no need to play word games, they could get into the meat of it. But better to exercise a little extra caution just in case.

“And you are?” Yuffie asked the pretty blonde, feigning ignorance. This ninja wasn't going to confirm anything till she had a bit more information.

“I’m Nellie, Avalanche’s quartermaster.” She said as she leaned around her brother’s shoulders to look at them, waving a little. Clapping the arm of the taller blonde, she said. “This, obviously, is  Cloud as you already know and this here is…” She hesitated a little as she indicated the red dog. “Sorry, we never had a chance to, uh… before… you know…”

What on Leviathan's slimy scales did she talk to the mutt like it was going to respond to her?

“...You all may call me Red XIII,” The possessed dog monster said, in a deep growl. “Or just Red for short, if you prefer.”

It took every ounce of willpower in Yuffie’s body to not throw her Shuriken at the evil thing. And nobody was reacting, except Sonon, who tensed behind her but didn't move. What the fuck was that thing!? But no time to consider how she was going to exorcise the demon that inhabited the poor animal...because everyone was looking at her expectedly.

'Introductions now, save the animal later.'

“The world’s greatest ninja…” She said slowly but gradually picking up steam as she introduced herself. She made eye contact with each of them in turn before settling on Cloud, her grin growing wide as she got ready to impress.“Number one materia hunter! Unstoppable assassin! The beautiful White Rose of Wutai~ IIIIIIIIIIIII’mmmmmmmm Yuffie!”

She puffed her chest out a little, in pride of her many titles and accomplishments. Although, admittedly some of them were self-appointed.

“Cool.” The Soldier said, looking nonplussed. 

“I’m Sonon, the Red Hammer of Wutai.” Her friend said, words cutting through her irritation. Seeing everyone’s confused looks, he elaborated. “They’re just codenames, not meant to be literal. Trust me, I would have run to the hills if they had tried to stick me with a name like “The Geen Stick of Wutai.” He joked, motioning to his weapon.

“So, like what? You guys are terrorists too?”

“Freedom fighters,” Yuffie emphasized, keen on making the distinction. She was trying to liberate her beloved country from Shinra’s occupation, not just blow stuff up for the heck of it. “But one with a common cause with Avalanche, and are working together with. So to answer your earlier question… no we're not strangers, just people you haven't met yet.”

“Uh, huh,” Cloud said, looking unimpressed by her logic, but accepting it anyway when he holstered his sword. Glancing around the clearing and at the dead bodies, he said seriously. “Look - friends, allies, future acquaintances, whatever you guys are – here isn’t the place to be talking. More monsters could come for our heads or Shinra might investigate the commotion. Let’s get the hell out of the scrapyard to somewhere safer and we’ll talk. Deal?” The ninjas nodded. “Nellie? Red?” 

“Right! Follow me, everyone.” The little blonde said, waving for everyone to tail her as the group moved to a safer location. The canine seemed to hesitate, before shaking its head and trotting quickly to catch up.

They made it about a solid hundred feet before Yuffie could hold back her questions anymore. Maneuvering over to Cloud, she lowered her voice in order to not be overheard.

 “So~o, how’s that dog talking?”

000

Jessie watched as everyone tiredly rubbed their eyes and slouched in their seats… a mixture of the long morning and Al’s unexpected news made people feel like they’d aged a few years. The knowledge that Shinra was going to attack the slums, all in search of a killer that had nothing to do with them, was weighing on their minds. And the worst part? Avalanche was going to get the blame for this tragedy, through the Mega-corps propaganda. 

“I say we kill them first.” The redhead said, tapping her finger on the table counter with barely restrained energy. At everyone’s surprised looks, she almost yelled in frustration. “We should! They’re about to come down to the sectors, guns blazing. We can’t play this cat-and-mouse game anymore. You all know as well as I–”

“We can’t.” Nayo interrupted her, letting out a tired breath.

“And why not?!” Jessie shot back, getting really tired of this pacifistic stance HQ was trying to maintain. This was a crisis! Now wasn’t the time for HQ to be sitting on their moral high horse. They needed to act decisively. “I’m not saying let's go to war with them, fighting them in the trenches like command does at Fort Condor.” Taking a calming breath, she tried to explain the plan. “Just the president and his Directors as soon as we can manage. We gather every member we can and go for a few hard strikes at their tower. We keep it simple and clean. One night, and we cut the head off the snake.”

“If we come at them with a few hundred people, Shinra would see us coming from a mile away.” The spy said stubbornly. “They’ll cut us down before we could even set foot in the lobby.”

“Not if we go in smart,” Jessie said earnestly, hoping she could reason with the other girl. “Sewers, vents, freakin disguises if we need it. Not a single trigger would get pulled until we're already inside the building. We already have moles in their ranks and intel on the layout. If both our groups pull together our resources, we could make a plan and put it into action by the end of the week.”

Nayo stared at her long and hard, before sighing in resignation.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t consider it… but we just don’t have the people.” 

“Bullshit.” The redhead countered, now starting to feel angry at the blatant lie the glasses girl was trying to peddle. “I know for a fact that you guys got at least a platoon on the plate. I ran into them a few months ago when I went to see my parents!”

“The key word is months ago,” Nayo said calmly, as she crossed her arms and glanced over at her companions. Seeing that Polk and Billy-Bob weren’t going to interrupt her, she rubbed her face a little before continuing. “The situation at the Fort took a turn for the worse and they needed all hands on deck. Because of that… most of our combatants and personnel got recalled to the frontlines. Only the specialty teams got left behind to man the branches. And even that got gutted to a skeleton crew.” Waving a hand at herself and her two blond teammates, she said morosely. “You're looking at at least half of the Midgar team. I’m basically captaining this ship now.”

“What the fuck?” Barret whispered in a daze, his voice carrying in the stunned silent room. “How bad is it that Command’s got a handful of people trying to cover a whole city?!”

“Worse than you think, the other city branches have even less to work with than we do.” The spy said morosely. “And the countryside’s been picked clean for able bodies. The standing order is to observe and report only.”

“Well, call them up! We have an emergency here!”

“We’ve tried,” Polk said, giving Nayo an apologetic look as he said this. But seeing her nod to continue, he explained. “Already radioed them about the situation before you and Jessie got here. And, well… Midgar’s low on their priority right now. Everything but the conflict at Fort Condor is on the back burner.”

“Well, thanks for telling us now,” Biggs said stiffly, probably the angriest Jessie had seen him in years. “We’ve been sitting here since the ass crack of dawn and you didn’t think to mention any of that to us?”

The blonde could only shrug helplessly in remorse. "W-well... they said maybe a few people might get spared to-"

“Not that it’d matter.” Nayo cut back in, coming to her teammate’s rescue. “Even if Command sent troops this very hour, it’d take them weeks to cross the continent. And by then, well…”

‘The slums might be running red with blood.’ Jessie finished in her head. Fuck!

“Look, it’s not all doom and gloom guys!” Wedge jumped in, grabbing Biggs and Barret by the shoulders and shaking them a little. Addressing the whole room, he gave them all a reassuring smile. “So we’re working with less than we thought… let's not worry about what we can’t do, and focus on what we can.” Clapping his hands, he addressed Nayo. “First things first, let's do a headcount and see how many boots on the ground we got.”

“Us three here,” Nayo said, nodding to her fellow spies. “Plus Nellie, Finn, and Al. And maybe–”

“Count me out!” Al interrupted, having been silent in the corner this entire time. “I’m leaving the city the first chance I can get. I’m a spy, not a soldier! There’s no way–”

His voice trailed off as Barret glared at him.

“Okay, so that's five on your end,” Wedge stated without missing a beat, rolling right past the interruption. “Including Cloud and Tifa, we got six on our side, for eleven in total.” Looking thoughtful, he added. “That’s not so bad. We’ve done more with less.”

“Except half of them aren’t fighters,” Jessie said seriously, ignoring the disgruntled mutterings to her right. “That’s a guaranteed suicide run if I ever saw one. Blowing up another reactor would be easier than getting past the 59th floor with that kind of team. We’d honestly be better off just sticking to our own people at that point.”

“We got some fighters!” Billy-Bob defended his team. “We’ve been in contact with Wutai and got two badass ninjas on our side now!”

Surprised, the rogue Avalanche member’s stares found Nayo for confirmation.

“Sort of.” She said, looking a little embarrassed and giving them a so-and-so motion with her hand. “They’re certainly in the city and can definitely scrap. It’s just that… they’re not really ours, per se. We haven’t really made a formal alliance between our groups, it’s… a work in progress.” With a defeated sigh, she said, “But they might be willing to help us if… uh, you ask them.”

She looked at Barret as she said this.

“And why would they take my word over yours?” The gunman asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at the admission. “If you’ve already been rubbing shoulders with these Wutains and can’t get them to commit, can’t see how me saying anything would get them to change their minds.”

“Well… it’s because they think we .” She indicated herself and the two blondes. “Are you.” Rubbing her hands a little in nervousness, she looked at the big man apologetically. “I might have told them we were the ones to blow up the reactor.”

“What!?”

“It’s– look, they were already on the way to the city.” The bookworm said, turning in her seat a bit to address Barret fully. “Your bombing caught their interest. And the intercepted messages made it clear that the ninjas, Sonon and Yuffie, were going to try and join up with your cell. But Command wanted my team to make contact first, to try and convince them to join HQ’s side. And failing that, roadblock that meet up for as long as possible, since the bosses were trying to get an alliance going with the New Wutian interim gov–” 

“What the hell!” Barret exclaimed in bewilderment. “You were trying to snipe allies from us? Take credit for our work? You and Command are a bunch of hypocrites!”

“I know, I know!” Nayo interjected, trying to get ahead of Barret’s rant before he got really going. “The guilt got to me… and I told them the truth almost instantly. Even pointed you guys out to them, as an apology. And… they said it was fine to my face, but… well, I could tell they were pulling away. That our relationship was on the rocks. So if we're going to ask them to join our crusade… it’d be better if I wasn’t the one asking.”

The former miner took a deep breath and held it. Jessie could practically see him counting numbers in his head in order to calm down. Exhaling, he leaned forward in his chair to look Nayo in the eyes.

“You're lucky we got bigger things to worry about.” He managed to grit out. “When we’re done here, set a meeting with them and I’ll see what I can do. But this…” He waved a finger to himself, then at her. “It ain’t over. Me and Command are going to settle our differences once and for all.”

The spy nodded along unhappily.

“Great! So we got maybe an extra two,” Jessie said, trying to break the tension. She wasn’t happy about the underhandedness Nayo and her bosses tried to pull on them. But… was she surprised? Absolutely not. Command having their head up their asses was one of the many reasons why she split from the main group in the first place. If anything, she felt sorry for her friend being put in that unwinnable position. “A little better, especially if these ninjas' are worth their salt. But thirteen against the whole Shinra building is still going to be an uphill battle for us.”

“It’s not like we're going to find any more people on short notice,” Polk said, looking a little queasy at their odds. “Maybe we should just focus on the Directors, like you said? Get at them when they’re going home?”

“Try to catch them outside? Not a bad idea in general but… as far as I know, all of them live in the building, somewhere past the 60th floor. We don’t even have a clue about the exact rooms they’re staying in. Then the numbers issue again. Eight fighters, for the seven remaining Heads of Shinra. Sounds good on paper, but we’d be threading the needle just to get at all of them without alerting the rest.  The coordination and logistics of that operation would be insane! We miss one and the whole place goes on lockdown, putting us in a worse position than when we started.” 

“Well… maybe we don’t need to assassinate anyone,” Biggs said slowly, looking like he was contemplating their options, the gears starting to kick into motion. Jessie almost wanted to grin at the sight. If the strategist of their team was already thinking through the pros and cons of a plan, then they might have a chance! “And I’m not a big fan of a full-on assault, even if we had ten times our numbers, so let's just put both in our back pocket for now.” Tapping his chin a little, he regarded each of them. “I’m thinking… maybe sabotage could work in our favor?”

“Sabotage how? Blowing up reactors and checkpoints wouldn't stop them from attacking the slums. If anything, it’d give them more reason to double down and follow through with their plans.”

“True enough, but maybe something not so loud?” Her friend nodded in contemplation, no doubt answering that question in his mind. Looking over at Al, he asked. “Just to make sure… the Directors, you're 100 percent sure they don’t get along?”

“Yeah…” the man said, a little more relaxed now that Barret wasn’t pinning him to the wall with a scowl. The familiar feeling of giving a mission report probably added comfort. “If there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that those people absolutely hate each other’s guts. They’re better at hiding it depending on who’s against who... might even pretend to be friendly on occasion. But wouldn’t hesitate to drop a dime on another Director if they thought they could get away with it. But considering the Turks are usually sniffing around… they stick to mainly small power plays or keeping secrets from each other. Petty stuff for the most part.”

“And the president?”

“All loyal, unfortunately.” Al groused, sitting up a little straighter in his seat as he thought it over. “The same can’t be said the other way though. At the very least, the man up top couldn’t give two shits what his Directors got up to, so long as they do their jobs properly. And… they don’t actually kill each other, of course.” In afterthought, he added. “Although Palmer might get a pass, being his cousin and all.”

“What can you tell me about Hojo?”

“Brilliant. Scary. A sick fuck of the highest proportion.” The spy listed, as he counted off his fingers. “You might think I’m being facetious but that literally was the best way to describe the man. He was a genius, enough of one that the president more or less gave him leeway to do whatever the hell he wanted. Also extremely unlikable, to the point preliminary investigation into his death had the Turks seriously consider if it might be an inside job. And let's just say… he had a tendency to commit more crimes against humanity in an hour… than the rest of the Board could in a month. Combined.”

“So the rest of the Directors, and President Shinra, could they believe that Hojo was hiding something from them? That he had a… special project on the side, that he kept under wraps?”

“…possibly?” Al said slowly, looking like he wasn’t sure if he should commit an answer to that question. 

Nodding his head solemnly, Biggs opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jessie said, waving her hands in front of her. Her thoughts raced as she tried to put a break in the conversation. “I think I might be having a stroke here Biggs… and tell me if I’m wrong, but are you actually suggesting we pit the Heads of Shinra against each other? Feed them some type of lie? Make a false flag operation and use the dead professor as our patsy?” 

Seeing his embarrassed shrug, she couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Well don’t keep us waiting you dork!” The redhead scolded him in amusement. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs as everyone watched in anticipation. “What's the lead? How are we going to kick the hornet's nest that is Shinra?”

“So… do you know what Professor Hojo is most famous for?” Biggs asked her, but it was directed at everybody. “Publicly, at least? The reason that most boys would have heard his name at least once, because of?”

“His designs for mako weaponry during the Wutai war?” She hedged.

“His research into genetic engineering for animals and fiends.” Nayo supplied promptly.

Shaking his head, Biggs said. “Sort of, it’s–”

“Soldiers,” Polk answered nervously as if he wasn’t sure he should speak up. “He’s famous for making the second generation of Soldiers. The ones responsible for ending the Wutai war. The professor is credited with combining humans with mako and figuring out how to safely mutate them into super beings. Creating… well, Sephiroth.”

“Bingo.” 

“And that’s relevant because…” Barret trailed, taking a moment to consider the information. “Because of the mec?”

“Yes, and it gets better.” Biggs looked over at Jessie and Wedge in turn, giving them an awkward smile. “You two don’t know this, but when Cloud first came to Midgar, Barret had me dig into Shinra’s personnel files to see if he was on the up-and-up.”

“And you found something?” Jessie asked, a little skeptically. 

“The opposite actually. No records of him ever being a Soldier. The only thing I could find was him joining up with the infantry for a bit before… nothing. The last five years in general didn’t flag anything for him. It was like he fell off the face of Gaia.”

“And what does that tell us?”

“Truthfully? Not much.”

“You're not, like… accusing him of anything, are you? Because you might find yourself on the wrong end of Tifa’s knuckles, if so.”

“No way, I trust the guy with my life.” Her childhood friend reassured them, shaking his head in emphasis. “Even if I was a bit suspicious at first - especially with how convenient it was that he showed up right before our mission - helping us to blow up a reactor, put all that to bed. That’s way too much just to maintain a cover. He’s solid as far as I’m concerned. Besides, his blank files might just be revenge by his bosses for defecting… or it might have even just been Cloud destroying his own records before he left. Who knows? There could honestly be a million different reasons. But none of it is important, because unless Shinra kept a black box on him somewhere off the server… it gives us an opportunity.”

“Holy crap,” Nayo said in surprise. “You want Cloud to infiltrate Shinra. And pretend to be some…secret project of the professor.”

Biggs tapped the side of his nose in confirmation. “Five missing years for a Soldier is suspicious, it just reeks of conspiracy. A hidden weapon for a man who nobody trusted and everyone hated. Ridiculous, but believable for the person who created them. And now that Hojo’s dead… Cloud could pretend to seek asylum with one of the Directors. Maybe more than one? And, as a show of good faith… he would provide critical “information” about the other members of the board. Secret plots, blackmail, assassination attempts, etc. All shit “Hojo” was stockpiling for a rainy day. And through our inside man, we’ll stir up trouble and cause paranoia. Enough that the upper brass is going to have bigger things to worry about than the slums or Avalanche. Like each other.”

Everyone was stunned silent, as they took in the sheer audacity of the plan before them.

“Biggs, you beautiful and manipulative little shit!” Jessie shouted happily, jumping out of her seat to give her friend a sock in the shoulder, before pulling him out of his chair. Giving him a tight squeeze and a bright smile, she pumped a fist in the air and addressed the room. “Operation “Fuck with Shinra’s head” is a go!”

Chapter Text

As Cloud’s group pushed their way into the Seventh Heaven bar, shutting the door with a kick, he was greeted by an… odd sight.

(What’s wrong with Tifa?)

The barmaid was just standing in the middle of the room, as stiff as a board with two halves of a broken plate in her hands and a thousand-yard stare. There was some brown-haired girl with a pink bow trying to coax the pieces of broken ceramic out of her hands and murmuring soothing words to his girlfriend. Kyrie was on her knees, trying to scoop up what looked like pancakes into a dustbin, and glancing nervously at Tifa. 

Not that he was judging or anything. 

The Soldier did, after all, enter the building with two ninjas and a terrorist at his back… all while carrying a giant cat hidden under a blanket in his arms.

They had drawn enough stares on their walk over, for him to know they looked like a walking circus.

But there was also a… weird tension in the room from all three girls. Nothing hostile, otherwise Cloud might have to start busting heads, but more…awkward? It had the same feeling you’d get at a middle school dance where all the boys and girls stood on opposite sides of the gym, obviously wanting to mingle but no one brave enough to start. 

But as Cloud shifted his grip on Red’s covered form, he had to wonder–

“Hey, it’s you!” Three voices said at once.

Two of them were Kyrie and Yuffie, who were glaring at each other, looking very much like they were about to tussle and start pulling hair. 

‘Do they know each other?’

But it was the bow girl who spoke the loudest, addressed him specifically as she pointed a finger at the merc in surprise. “Wow, small city…are you Cloud?”

Tearing his eyes off the two Wutain girls, who at least looked like they weren’t about to start swinging their fists just yet, he focused on Bowtop.

“Uh…yeah? Do I know you?” Cloud asked, even as he felt a niggling feeling in the back of his head that said they had met before. At her offended look, he was already mentally kicking himself for the misstep. He was so shit with names and faces, his memory being spotty even at the best of times. And Tifa introducing him to about half a hundred in his first week in Midgar certainly didn’t help any. 

Was she some shop owner? Or someone who gave him a job? Maybe a resident of sector 7 he waved to once?

But none of that sounded correct…

“Really? Am I that forgettable?”

“Um…”

(Well, isn’t she just the prettiest little thing? I like her vibe... she's kind of my type, to be honest. Shame on you for forgetting that face.)

But as Cloud watched the girl’s brow narrow, head tipped to the side as if in confusion, a memory of where he met her finally clicked in his head.

“Oh, yeah! You're that, uh…flower merchant on the plate, right? From sector 8?” 

“My name’s Aerith…but better late than never, I suppose,” Pinkie said, muttering that last part as she ran a critical eye over his form, from head to toe. “But you're definitely that Cloud Strife right? Tifa’s boyfriend?”

Before he could say yes, a choking sound drew everyone’s attention back to Tifa.

The flower girl’s words seemed to have snapped the barmaid out of whatever daze she had been under because she finally put down her broken plate to face him fully. She had a big smile on her face but a frantic look in her eyes, as she approached him.

“Cloud! I-I didn’t see you there! Well, I saw you but…I …didn’t recognize you? No that's not what I meant…umm.., Welcome home! I-I mean…welcome back to the bar! What’s that in your arms…no, not important. Are you hungry? Did you get enough to eat this morning? Did Nayo feed you? How was your night? No no no, don’t tell me right now, um…maybe later… Oh, I know! Let me introduce you to my new friends! But it…sounds like you already know them…so…they can introduce themselves to your friends! Girls?” She turned her ruby eyes to the people behind them, waving at them to approach but never taking her eyes off of Cloud. “Hi everyone, I’m Tifa, nice to meet you all! Please come in and take a seat anywhere, and I’ll– ...wait, Nellie? ”

The barmaid blinked her eyes a dozen times as if she couldn’t believe the sight in front of her.

“Hey, Tifa.” The little blonde said, stepping around Cloud to give the bigger girl an awkward hug, even as her eyes shifted nervously to the staring match on their right. “Um…do you know where the rest of our “team” is? Because we have one bizarre story to tell everyone. One related to our… extracurricular activities. And, uh…are those two about to fight? Should we step in?” She whispered the last bit, inclining her head towards Kyrie and Yuffie, who had begun throwing insults at each other.

‘What the hell is going on with these two?’

“Girls? Is everything alri–?” Tifa began slowly, trying to play peacemaker.

“I see you finally ditched that dirty moogle cape,” Kyrie said with a smirk, not even hearing the barmaid as she crossed her arms and looked down her nose at the ninja. “I’m glad you took my advice to heart and came to your senses. It always bleeds my heart to see someone who doesn’t know how to dress themselves.”

“Pssh, like I’d ever take your words seriously,” Yuffie said, hands on her hips as she strained her back to gain an extra inch of height. “The best a slum girl like you can recommend to me is how to get a bargain sale on used hats. And judging by the food stains on your cap…maybe not even that.”

“Why you–!”

“Bring it on–!”

“Both of you, shut up.” Cloud gritted out, barely able to stop himself from shouting instead. He was already at his wits end with the long morning. He didn’t need the bad atmosphere and pointless conflict the two teens were making on top of it. Well…maybe it wasn’t pointless, since he didn’t know the full story of why they were beefing. Still, now was not the time or place! “I don’t know what’s going on with you two but not here. I’m grateful for your help Yuffie, but this is a peaceful establishment! Kyrie…I’ve only known you for like three hours, but you're already on thin ice with me. So either…guys put a cap on it or both of you leave.”

“She started it–!”

“She made fun of my–!”

But before he could sigh in frustration and tell everyone to knock it off, the planet decided to make a decision for him. A very bad decision. Because at that very moment, of all moments… Red decided to sneeze, the movement throwing the blanket off his furred head.

And everyone got an eyeful of the stupid animal.

The Scrapyard crew froze in surprise at the unintended reveal, and the bar girls stared confused at the big animal trying to pretend to be a statue. 

“Cloud…why are you carrying a giant dog?” Tifa asked bewildered, one hand placed over her heart in uncertainty, but the other clenched in a fist in case Red started attacking. “Where on Gaia did you get that thing?”

“I think that’s supposed to be a cat…” The flower girl piped in, leaning forward with avid interest. “Wolf maybe?”

“I don't care what it is! It’s a cutie!” Kyrie gushed, eyes shining as she approached with her hands stretched out. Cloud stared at the teen, feeling a little whiplashed by her sudden change in demeanor. Was this really the same girl who looked like she was ready to strangle Yuffie just a second ago? “Come here sweetie, come to momma!”

“Grrrrrrr!” Red growled, jumping out of the merc’s arms to face Kyrie, causing the girl to yelp at the aggression and back away terrified.

A beat of silence as most of the room watched the spectacle before an audible “click” resounded in the room. At the front entrance stood the White Rose, latching the final lock, before turning to face the room, or more specifically Kyrie.

“Well, well…it looks like it’s just your unlucky day.” Yuffie smiled grimly at the other teen, already reaching to unclasp her shuriken. “You just saw something you weren’t supposed to see. I’d say it’s been a pleasure knowing you…but let’s not send you off with a lie…Better luck with the next reincarnation. Sonon you got the other one?”

The other ninja had his bo staff at the ready, although he looked queasy at what his leader wanted to do, and was shifting his hands indecisively along his weapon. “Uh, you sure this is the right call, boss?”

“Relax! We’re not gonna kill them…but they're not Avalanche…and we were trying to keep Red a secret…it seems pretty clear cut to me that they can’t leave the bar. Now how we achieve that, depends on them.”

“Whoa, whoa! What do you think you're doing!?” Kyrie said, backing away with her hands up. “Look, look! I’m sorry I tried to touch your dog without permission, but that’s not something that calls for violence! C’mon, put down the big star!”

“I agree…let's not do anything rash,” Aerith said firmly, stepping in front of Kyrie with her own staff in hand, a slight glow coming from the tip. Where was she hiding that? And was that Materia? Could she be a mage? “We don’t even know what we did wrong or who that cat is supposed to be…”

“Cloud…you have to step in,” Nellie whispered frantically, tugging at his sweater. “Things are getting tense. And if we don’t do something a fight might break out!”

But before he could respond, Tifa was already stepping into the middle of the conflict, adjusting her gloves as she glanced at the opposing sides.

“Please…everyone put your weapons down.” The barmaid said, getting bodily in between the two groups, but with her front facing the ninjas. “Let’s all just sit and talk this out. You…mentioned Avalanche? Are you part of the cause? Because I am too…and I can vouch for Aerith and Kyrie. So…let’s just all take a deep breath and work something out.”

“Sorry boobs, but no dice…” Yuffie began, weapon leveled as she addressed the barmaid. At least, before Cloud slammed his hands down on a table, startling everyone out of their stand-off. 

(Mother of Cosmos, about damn time! Girls like these need a firm hand! Screw trying to be polite.)

“First off, get that goddamn shuriken out of Tifa’s face.” Cloud ordered the ninja, holding a staring match with the “freedom fighter” till she lowered it begrudgingly. “And second…I barely know half of you people in this room…” He looked over at Aerith and Kyrie. “But if Tifa’s got your back…then I do too. Which means…” He stared back at Yuffie and Sonon. “If you two want to fight, then you go through me first .”

He leaned forward on his knuckles to reinforce the point, but really hoping he didn’t have to take out the buster sword and make good on his promise. The merc really didn’t want to make a mess of Tifa’s bar over something so stupid. 

‘What a terrible fucking morning I’m having.’

Yuffie gained a mullish look on her face, but thankfully reupholstered her weapon, with Sonon doing the same. However, he looked relieved to not have escalated things... even if he had been ready to follow the teenager's orders At the very least, the bigger ninja definitely seemed the more level-headed of the two.

“And that goes for everyone…put them away,” Cloud said, looking around to make sure everyone did as they were told. “Now we're all going to do what Tifa suggested and sit, then we'll talk.” Looking down at the red cat, who had been watching the whole spectacle nervously, he said. “And Red? You wanna say something or should I just explain? Because as far as I’m concerned, trying to keep you a secret is pointless now that everyone’s seen you.”

The Soldier held eye contact with the animal till he got a stiff nod. Turning his one eye towards the bar girls, he said reluctantly. “Forgive me for the trouble…I am Red XIII. It was on my request that Cloud and the others keep the secret of my true nature to themselves. At least…till things could be discussed properly.” He dipped his head apologetically at Tifa. “I did mean to cause such conflict in your establishment. But I needed to be cautious, this city has not treated me well.”

“T-that’s okay…” Tifa said faintly, as she stared at the intelligent feline in wonder.

“Holy smokes, it speaks!” Kyrie whispered to Aerith in glee. “I want one!”

It was too low for most people to hear, but Cloud heard every ridiculous word. And judging from the way Red narrowed his one eye at the teen, he did as well.

“Everyone… sit. ” He said, herding the group deeper into the bar. 

Everyone slowly took a seat at the circular center table by unspoken agreement, which…surprisingly had quite a bit of breakfast dishes scattered on it, albeit cold now. 

Cloud sat down with Tifa hovering on his right and Nellie settling to the left. Kyrie and Aerith went to the barmaid’s side, facing the ninjas who went to Nellie’s. Although, the blonde seemed uneasy with being so close to Wutains after the almost-fight. Red hopped on his own seat across from Cloud.

There was a bit of an awkward air as everyone got comfortable.

“Okay…would everyone like some coffee?” Tifa said, looking a lot more at ease now that a fight wasn’t going to break out. Though…if Cloud was a betting man, he’d give his girlfriend good odds of coming out of that conflict in better condition than the ninjas, even if he didn’t interfere. Seeing a few nodded, that beautiful smile was back on her face. “Great! I’ll make sure to lock up the rear door and bring back some cups for us. And…the last bit of the food from the morning rush if anybody’s hungry?” That received a general shake of heads. “Just a pot then. I’ll be back in a sec–.”

Reaching out before he realized it, Cloud caught Tifa’s wrist and pulled her back slightly to face him.

“Cloud?”

He wasn’t quite sure what overcame him in that moment…maybe it was the heightened emotions everyone was still running off of? Or leftover adrenaline from the scrapyard fight? Perhaps it was that warm feeling of seeing Tifa after what felt like an eternity? 

Whatever it was…Cloud couldn't help but tug Tifa closer to his level... and kiss her, long and deep. Maybe longer than was appropriate, but he couldn’t seem to help himself when he was around her. It was just something about doing these things with his childhood crush, that was…such a balm for his soul. Like there was some unknown wound on his spirit that only her touch could heal. He was getting a little sentimental, but it was the truth! And even as he pulled back with a smile, hand still on her arm, he kept her close so no one else could hear the next words he whispered. 

“I missed you.”

The wide smile and beautiful blush were more than worth the stares they got from the rest of the table at the public display.

“I…missed you too,” Tifa said breathlessly, putting her other hand over his and giving it a squeeze, as they just stared at each other for a moment…then another…and another. 

At least, till a cough interrupted them. Cloud had been too focused to tell who did it, so he couldn’t glare at anyone in particular. Instead, settling for an irritated eye roll at the lost intimacy. Tifa by contrast, looked as red as a tomato but very pleased, even giggling a little. 

“Hurry back, we got a lot to talk about.” He said, letting her go, their hands slowly trailing away from each other. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes on her for just a bit longer as she walked away.

(Should've patted that ass before she left.)

He really should’ve, but too much public affection wasn’t really his style…but maybe next time?

Cloud turned to look back at the rest of the group, noticing everyone quickly turning their heads and avoiding eye contact. Well, everyone but Aerith, who looked both impressed…yet also confused, as if she couldn’t believe what she just saw.

‘What’s her problem?’

But he didn’t have time to ponder the mage’s strange reaction, because Tifa made good on her word and came back just a moment later. In one hand a tray full of mugs in one hand and a coffee jug in the other. After making sure everyone had a cup, she left the add-ons in the middle of the table and retook her seat.

“First things first, I’m not gonna sit here all day talking about my feelings.” Cloud said plainly, not having much of a patience for secrecy after the failed attempt earlier. “So, let’s just get into the meat of it. But I’ll keep it short and simple.” Looking at his girlfriend, he pointed to the two ninjas. “Tifa, this is Yuffie and Sonon. They’re ninjas from Wutai who are trying to join up with your cell and do…I don’t know, terrorist things. But they’ll probably want to speak to Barret.” Facing the shinobis again, he added. “This is Tifa, and you know Nellie. These two are the actual members of Avalanche and the people you would want to speak with to get an “alliance” going. I just help out on occasions.”

Cloud let the four of them stare at each other awkwardly, giving them only a bit of time to absorb his blunt reintroduction as he looked at the feline across from him

“Everyone, once again, that’s Red. Cat monster on the run from Shinra.” He said, talking of his gauntlets and placing them on the table tiredly. He made sure Tifa got a good glance at his motion, and now bare hands. “Why do they want him? Besides the fact that he can talk? Haven’t the foggiest idea and didn’t really ask, but we fought with each other earlier, so…I guess we're kind of friends now and I owe him one. We’re also going to have to figure out how to hide him in the meantime. You got anything to add to that Red?”

The scarred animal shook his head, looking a little stunned at being put on the spot. “Nothing I would like to share right now.”

“And do you mind if I tell the rest of Avalanche so another  misunderstanding doesn’t happen?”

“I suppose not…”

“Good. Now you two…” Cloud looked at Aerith and Kyrie, who had been watching the impromptu meeting in silence. “We’re not going to hurt you…” A scoff to his left, that he ignored. “But I think it'll go a long way if you two give us a brief summary of who you are so everyone can be on the same level. Especially now that you're in the thick of it and there’s no turning back.” 

The two girls hesitated, taking a quick glance at each other and Tifa, before speaking up.

“Um…I’m Aerith if nobody heard me say it before…” The mage began, grinning awkwardly. “I live in sector 5, I sell flowers, and my favorite color is pink. I met Tifa and Jessie yesterday…I also might start selling bouquets to the bar.” She finished, settling back into her seat.

Well... he did say to keep it brief.

“Kyrie…” The troublemaker started, glancing around nervously at the assembly. “Also met Tifa and Jessie yesterday. My favorite color is blue…and technically I also live in Sector 5 right now but I’m going to move to Stargazer Heights.” She looked directly at Cloud, before adding, “As for work? I…guess I work for you and Tifa. She said she wanted someone to help manage your mercenary jobs, and…here I am. Your new assistant, I guess.”

His eyes flickered over to Tifa, who gave a confirming nod at his questioning gaze.

“Cool,” Cloud said, wanting to hurry things along when he saw that Tifa understood his unspoken question for her. The sight of her taking off her own gloves was making him very impatient to get things going. “It’s unfortunate timing, but you two now know we're all basically terrorists and we hate Shinra. The question is…what are you girls gonna do about it?”

“Hey! You won’t get any problems from me!” Kyrie said, shaking her head and hands enthusiastically. “I’m a slum girl, you know? As a general rule of thumb, people from the underplates don’t like Shinra or what they represent. I don’t have a whole “blow up a reactor” level of hate for them, but you won’t catch me ratting anybody out.”

“Same…” Aerith said slowly as if she wasn’t certain if she should reveal her reasons. “I’m not the company’s biggest fan either. And if I’m honest with myself, I’d even go as far as to say I kind of hate them. So if…you guys are against Shinra, you wouldn’t hear any complaints from me.”

“Well, there you have it. No need for violence.” Cloud said plainly, before turning black to Yuffie. “That good enough for you? No more fighting for now?” Seeing her reluctant nod, the merc stood up to address everyone at the table. “Okay then. Nellie, you got a phone on you? Can you call Barret?”

(See? A lot easier to just tell people what to do... then let them make their own choices. The biggest mistake of my life was letting other people make decisions.)

000

While Tifa was able to get the word out that the Seventh Heaven was closed for the day due to a family emergency, that evening would see the bar still full to the brim.

“So…you guys are part of the Wutain resistance huh?” Barett said, looking over Sonon and Yuffie with a critical eye, from where they sat in a booth. “How old are you two anyway? Because you guys seem a little young to be in the thick of all this.”

“Well… actually we are on the younger side. But trust us. –” Sonon began before he was cut off by his companion.

“I’ll have you know, I’m a decorated officer of the Interim government!” Yuffie said in annoyance, puffing up her chest a bit. “I have 53 officially complete missions to my name and 12 unofficial as well. I’m not your average teen, baldy. I’m the cream of the crop, the elite of the elite. If Shinra ever found out about half of the stuff I’ve done, I’d be haunting their nightmares.”

“Okay…I don’t think–”

“So what? I’ve done some crazy shit too.”  Barret grumbled, looking as if he wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or not. Idly, the gunman ran his hand over his hair, like he was checking someone didn’t actually run a razor over his head in a prank. “And baldy? This is called a fade missy, and it is very in sty–”

Tifa turned her attention to the rest of the room, looking over at the girls seated around the long benches.

“--not how I would’ve wanted you to join,” Jessie said, looking amused as Aerith finished explaining what happened, one of her arms hanging over Nellie’s shoulder. “But hey! Welcome to the family you two! We have meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a small cookout on top of the bar every other weekend!”

 “You can’t be serious?” Aerith said, looking bewildered.

“She is,” Nellie said, looking amused and embarrassed. “It’s kind of a tradition that came out of nowhere. Although it did start off as a joke…”

“Joke for you maybe, but I never kid about barbeque Saturday,” Jessie confirmed with a smile, one finger in the air for emphasis. “Once you newbies see it in action, you’ll know what I mean. It’s an epic battle in the kitchen between Tifa and Wedge–”

“Um…” Kyrie cut in, nervously wringing her hat in her hands. “Not that all of it doesn't sound great, but…does this mean me and Aerith are Avalanche now? Like…we’re eco-terrorists now? Because I don’t think I have it in me to blow stuff up.”

“I agree.” Aerith chimed back in, looking a little nauseous at the idea herself. “Do you guys have other positions? Maybe I can knit us some team sweaters? I’m not the best at stitching but…”

“You don’t have to go that far,” Nellie said, trying to reassure the Sector 5 girls. “Cloud didn’t “unofficially” induct you to actually make anybody do anything! I was basically so Yuffie and Sonon wouldn’t get so hostile. You guys were just in the wrong place, wrong time, so don’t feel obligated or anything.” 

“Yup! And hey, no worries! We only blow things up on occasion.” Jessie joked, mining an explosion with her hands. But upon seeing the uneasy expression on the Fivers’ face, she backtracked. “But in all seriousness, we’re not really focused on that type of stuff right now. We’re cooking up a different plan right at the moment that’s less…”explody.”  And even if we weren’t, you two wouldn’t get within a mile of the dangerous stuff. At best, you ladies would be considered “junior terrorist” or like “associate terrorist”. That stuff wouldn't be your responsibility.”

“So…what do you want us to do?” Kyrie asked, looking much more relaxed.

“Truthfully? Nothing.” The redhead said, putting her hand on Kyrie’s shoulder to reassure her. “From what I understand, it was kind of an unavoidable circumstance. You're kind of locked into this life because you know about us, but that doesn’t mean–.”

Tifa looked towards the far side of the room, where the boys stood in the corner, listening to Red XIII.

“So your organization fights for the planet?” Red asked, ignoring the awed looks of the men around him. 

“Y-yeah, destroying mako reactors was kind of our big thing for a while,” Biggs said shakily, half bent over as if he wasn’t sure if she should kneel to the dog’s level to speak. “We used to just protest and do awareness campaigns but…we weren’t making a whole lot of headway. Especially once Shinra started cracking down on us. From there it kind of escalated.”

“Mmmhhh, no shame in that,” Red said, nodding his head sagely. “You tried the peaceful route but were met with violence. It only makes sense that you should respond in kind. Sometimes with must bleed the infection dry before any semblance of healing can begin.”

“That’s…a very eloquent way of putting it,” Biggs responded genially, even if he still looked blindsided to be speaking with an animal. “But I’m glad you think so. At a certain point, it just started making sense that the bombing was needed. And we figured if we kept destroying the reactors, it’d hit Shinra in their wallet. Killing two birds with one stone. But if that–”

“How did you learn how to talk!?” Billy-Bob asked before Polk could cover his mouth, the tall blonde no longer able to hold back his curiosity, to the horror of the other Avalanche men. 

“Bro! You can’t just ask Red that! What if it’s offensive?” Wedge jumped in, before turning to the warrior with an apologetic smile and clasped hands. ‘I’m really sorry for my friend! It’s…this is just such a novel experience, is all.”

The Guardian sighed, before inclining his head. “Go on, then. Ask your questions so we can move on.”

“What happened to your eye–?”

“Can other animals speak–?”

“Why is your tail on fire–?”

Eventually, Tifa turned her attention back to the girl in front of her, at the bar.

“-It was pretty great,” Nayo said, finishing her spiel. “So…what do you think? D-do I..uh, have your permission to keep seeing him?”

Tifa took a long moment to look at the other girl, taking in every detail from head to toe. The short black hair, ample bust, slim waist, and long legs. Hips popped to the side and a subtle shifting on her feet, as if it was almost painful for her to stand for long periods of time. And after a night with the Soldier, that was a definite possibility. Just then the fighter imagined what Nayo might look like naked…but more importantly, what she looked like naked with Cloud between her legs. It made the barmaid wonder if the spy made the same stupid but sexy expressions Jessie did when her best friend put his cock in her. 

Probably…

It also made the barmaid curious at what kind of faces she made when the Soldier rode her. In the middle of all the sex, she never really stopped to consider that kind of question. Never mind working up the nerve to Cloud or Jessie…

Maybe she should try taking a picture one of these days? Or a video? She remembered Jessie saying the newest PHS models record long videos…

Rubbing her neck a little as she looked back at the Avalanche girl, Tifa had to wonder over the specifics of the tryst.

Did Nayo wear her glasses during the lovemaking last night? No…that’d be ridiculous. The accessory would have fallen off the very moment Cloud started picking up momentum. When he found his rhythm and began truly smashing his pelvis into the poor sexy bookworm, Tifa doubted they could even keep still on the bed. But maybe they could figure a way around all that? Something to help keep the eyewear in place? Jessie could figure something out if she asks, surely…

The possibilities made her feel a little warmer…

“Tifa?” Nayo asked nervously. “If you're uncertain…is there anything I can sweeten the deal? Um…Jessie said this was like a hierarchy, so if that’s what you're concerned about, just know I’m all for it! I’m okay with being third or..uh..however far down the totem pole you need me to be.” Looking more anxious, as the barmaid’s silence, she began playing with her fingers. “A-and I understand you're top girl! Your word is law in this group, so... And Cloud definitely said your name enough times last night to understand our dynamic.”

Tifa just stared at her lips, barely hearing the spy’s words. Only the movement at the back of the bar shook her attention. Because it was Cloud, returning from his preparation in the storeroom, to stare at her with intense eyes. And the sight of him turned that warm feeling in her stomach white hot. 

But just to be sure…

She glanced down at his hands to see his gauntlets were still off. Which was perfect…because Tifa hadn’t bothered putting her glove back on since she saw his signal earlier. And if that wasn’t enough, the slight incline of his head towards the door and the very knowing smirk on his face, all but confirmed what he wanted. This was happening - right here, right now - with all of their friends none-the-wiser. 

Or as soon as she could follow him behind the bar.

And Tifa wasn’t going to keep him waiting.

“-maybe I can do something for the group?” Nayo continued with her ramblings, looking increasingly more desperate, as she began throwing out suggestions and seeing what stuck. “Cloud mentioned something about trying to find a house for you…so maybe I can help with that? We can try to renovate one of HQ’s defunct warehouses–”

She cut off as Tifa gave her a hug.

“Welcome to the group Nayo.” The barmaid whispered, eyes never leaving Cloud as she watched him sneak away. Pulling back but keeping her arms on the smaller girl's shoulders, she said. “And all of that isn’t necessary. Just listen to me and Jessie when we need you to, treat Cloud nicely, and we’re all good.”

“Oh…yeah! I'm 100% behind that! And I don’t think you have to worry about me mistreating him or something. Don’t know if I could, even if I wanted to. Because that man is definitely into rough–”

“Great!” Tifa said, now getting a little needy and wanting the conversation to end. Somewhat rude of her to do to a friend, but she had things to do and places to be. She and Nayo could catch up when the barmaid didn’t have an itch to scratch. “Look, I gotta get going but do me a favor…if anyone asks where I am, just say I went to the restroom or something.”

“Oh, okay…sure? But where–?”

Tifa couldn’t stick around for another second on chit-chat. She released Nayo’s shoulder after one final squeeze and walked, not run, as quickly as she could behind the bar without attracting attention.

Pushing through the kitchen doors, she barely had enough time to close it before she got pulled into the side pantry and up against a wall.

Even as Tifa felt Cloud’s mouth on hers, fingers pulling down her suspenders, she couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of his “preparations”. All he did was throw a blanket over a barrel and another one on the floor near it. Seeing that, it wasn’t hard to guess at one of the positions he wanted her in tonight.

“That’s what you spent all your time doing?” Tifa teased, before gasping out as she felt Cloud’s tongue on her neck, his hands tugging her skirt higher up her waist. Her own fingers curled under his sweater to pull it over his head as he did the same with her tank top, before pushing him back a bit so she could take off her shorts and underwear in one go. “How very “romantic” of you to go through all the trouble. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet!”

“Yeah, yeah laugh it, Lockhart.” Cloud retorted, finally pushing his pants past his waist, and letting her real best friend out to play. “Next time, you can try finding us a spot to have sex in a bar full of people.”

“ I’d at least sweep up the dust first.”

Grinning, Cloud closed the distance between them again. His hands already reaching up to fondle her breasts, letting his cock rest hot against her stomach. As they tried to swallow each other's tongues, Tifa almost wanted to laugh again as she felt him tweaking the nipples. He was so obsessed! But as she reached her hands down between their bodies to grab at his length to start jerking him, she could admit…she was too.

“You ready to put your mouth to work?.” Cloud murmured against her lips, before angling his head down to kiss the peaks of her chest and teasing the tips with his teeth. Resting his chin on her cleavage, he looked up at her with the most infuriating smirk, like he knew she was already putty in his hand. The fact that her hands were still frantically working him over, didn’t help her case. “Or do you want me to use mine? If you can afford the orgasm, that is…”

At that last statement, he was already bending his knees, ready to eat her out.

At least he was…till pulled him back on his feet. 

“No?” Cloud asked in surprise, with an eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Shut up, we just don’t have time.” Which was true for the most part. They still had a building full of friends and guests on the other side of the wall. Although Tifa could admit to herself, she was already on the low end of sexual endurance compared to Cloud…so her cumming first, only for him to mount her afterward, would have left her in an embarrassing state. Stuff like that was for the bedroom, not a dusty pantry. 

Still that look on his face, made Tifa want to bite the grin of his face. Instead, she gently shoved him away again, as she straightened up along the shelves. “Besides…Jessie’s way better with her tongue.”

Blowing a raspberry at his mock-offended look, she brushed past him to get into position. Tifa reached the cloth-covered barrel and leaned over it. One hand on the rim, the other braced against the wall. The fighter spread her legs just a little wider when she felt Cloud moving up behind her, in order to line up their hips. She felt his hands running over her thighs and backside, squeezing

“Good muscles.” Tifa heard Cloud murmured, as she felt him rub one of her cheeks affectionately. Embarrassingly, the barmaid couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. Even worse, she felt herself clenching hard, at the sudden praise. It didn’t help that he began lazily rubbing his tip across her entrance. “I’ll admit, Jessie is a wiz with her tongue. But I got things I’m pretty great at too.”

Feeling needy and a little distracted, Tifa decided to just let the dork have his fun, and pretend to fall for his setup. “Yeah? Like what–?”

She almost choked on her words, as she felt Cloud spear into her, spreading her walls with all the grace of a caveman. And Tifa…loved it. Especially when he pushed another inch deeper, and then another… and then another. Till she was practically standing on her tiptoes. Face smushed into the dark plaster in front of her, as her best friend bottomed out.

Then slowly, barely at the speed of a glacier, Cloud pulled himself back…practically dragging Tifa back with him, as she held him in a vice. 

Grabbing her hips, he forced himself back in, and back out. In and out. Gradually picking up steam and momentum as he established a rhythm. Tifa’s focus narrowed to the sensations between her legs, completely lost to the waking word.

If she had to put words to her current feelings, it’d be bliss and every variation thereafter.

Then she felt Cloud speeding up.

Gods, now she was in heaven.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe it! You're really X!” Kyrie exclaimed, holding her head as if it was about to explode from excitement. “I thought Jessie was just full of shit…but wow! And you in Avalanche!? No wonder you left sector 5…you were sticking it to the man! Probably didn’t want any of us Fivers getting involved by accident, am I right?”

Biggs could only give the teen an awkward smile at the verbal onslaught, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Yup!” Wedge confirmed happily, jumping into the convo and jostling his friend playfully. “Stole him right from you guys with promises of adventure and heroics!”

“Well…that wasn’t actually the main reason why I moved.” Biggs started and stopped, as if uncertain how much he should be revealing. “But it did help–”

“Ehem!”

A not-so-subtle cough to the right drew everyone’s attention to the mechanic.

“You Fivers can gossip later. Because this, young lady…” Jessie piped up with an evil grin, pointing a finger at Biggs as she stared Kyrie down. “Means I win the bet. And now you… gotta eat your hat.” Ignoring the sputtering sounds in front of her, the redhead continued. “But don’t worry, I’m not heartless. I’ll let you decide if you want to eat it wholesale or if you want to cut it into little bits first. You can even cook it... if the taste of burnt cotton makes it go down any easier. But make sure you eat every stitching newbie!” She finished mockingly.

“Well...I mean, I was just joking…” Kyrie began weakly, rubbing the back of her neck even as her eyes darted around the room a million miles a minute.

Aerith giggled at the desperate expression on her friend’s face, the teen looked like she was ready to bite off her foot and make a break for freedom. It made the mage want to twist the knife a bit deeper, especially since the other girl didn’t seem to register the teasing look on Jessie’s face. “You have to honor that, Kyrie. No takebacks! I put my support behind that bet, you know! You don’t want our first day as Avalanche members to start with people thinking we’re liars, do you?”

“B-but I…”

The look of utter betrayal on the troublemaker’s face had Aerith instinctually wrap the younger girl in a hug, even as she fought the bubbling mirth in her chest.

‘She’s acting like we’re about to sacrifice her firstborn child!’

“Relax, you don’t have to do anything,” X said tiredly at the shenanigans, but jumping to the rescue anyway. He gave Jessie a look that said he didn’t know what was going on…but he knew it was the mechanic’s fault somehow. “I null and void any bet made with me at its center.”

“Hey! You can’t do that!” Jessie said with furrowed eyebrows, poking a finger into the man’s chest, even as her lips threatened to pull up into a smile at her own bullshit. “That was a binding verbal contract between me and Kyrie, with Tifa and Aerith as witnesses! I demand satisfaction!”

“Yeah? And did you bet anything too?” Biggs asked, raising one of his own eyebrows in challenge, a knowing look on his face.

“Well, no…”

“Null and void.” The strategist said with a mock finality, even waving a dismissive hand. “I told you a million times Jessie, Avalanche no longer accepts those one-sided deals of yours, no matter how punchy you get.”

“Yeah, we’re not scared of your violence!” Wedge chimed in from Biggs’ other side, ducking a little behind the older man when Jessie took a swipe at him. Turing to Kyrie with a grin, he explained. “Back when we were kids, Jessie was always trying to pull a “no-win” scenario on us. Her favorite one was the coin flip trick. “Heads I win, Tails you lose.” Many of my desserts got taken by her because of it!”

“Not my fault you didn’t catch the word-play,” Jessie said idly, even as her eyes shined fondly at the memory of tormenting a young Wedge. “You should’ve figured it out after the fifth time I did it to you. Anything after that was a case of “natural selection”, the strong asserting dominance over the weak. ” She finished with a vicious smile, punching a fist into a palm.

“Hey, I was 7! How was I supposed to know that I should keep my guard up around my own babysitter?”

“You always gotta be alert, big guy. Just think of it as me training you to deal with the hard facts of life. It’s usually the ones closest–”

Everyone watched in amazement as Jessie tried to spin her adolescent bullying into hidden gems of wisdom. Each trauma, a carefully crafted chisel to shape her friend into the man he grew up to be. And judging by the uncertain look on Wedge’s face, he was falling for it hook-line-and-sinker.

Somebody really should step in…but nobody moved an inch, too mesmerized by the redhead’s gaslighting.

“So…you and Jessie are actually childhood friends?” Aerith asked, tearing her gaze away from the Avalanche seniors and turning her attention back to Biggs, who had been observing the whole thing with an amused smile. “And that checks out, sure. But she also said she’s been with you through most of your adventures. Which…doesn’t check out. I…don’t want to sound like an obsessed fan, but how come we…” She indicated herself and Kyrie. “Never heard of a redhead being part of your crew back in the day?”

“Right!” The teen said enthusiastically, looking much more relaxed now that she wasn’t in the crossfire. “She said she was there during the big stuff…and off the top of my head, I can think of maybe three girls that were with you and Jean when you guys fought those human traffickers…but none of them match Jessie’s description. And I consider myself something of an X lore master. So…what gives?”

For a moment X just looked at them in confusion before comprehension dawned on his face, only for it to be replaced with a sly smirk. 

“O~oh, I understand the confusion. It’s actually kind of funny...” Biggs said, chuckling a little to himself as he motioned for the two girls to get closer. Looking over to his still-arguing friends, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. “So Jessie was there, but you wouldn't think so if you're just basing it off of looks. Cause you see, our favorite redhead… wasn’t always a redhead.” He took a moment to watch their surprised expression, before continuing with a grin. “She used to have brown hair before it “lightened over the years”.” At their shocked expression, he continued. ”She also used to be about 50 pounds heavier, used to wear these dorky bottled glasses, had the worst acne–”

“Hey! What the fuck are you telling them!?” Jessie nearly shouted towards X, bodily jumping into the middle of their group, apparently having finally caught wind of her dirty laundry being aired out for everyone to hear. “Why are you spreading other people’s secrets, you jerkface?”

“What? It’s not like it’s classified information. Well…okay, the last couple might’ve been pushing it but I’m pretty sure all the dye bottles in your bathroom were gonna speak for themselves–”

“You wanna go eye-for-eye, buster!?” Jessie challenged hotly, fire in her eyes as she once again poked a finger into Biggs' chest. “Because you're about to end up one blind bitch!” The mechanic whirled around to face Aerith and Kyrie, an almost manic look on her face. “You two ever wonder why Biggs decided to become a teacher in the first place?” They shook their heads in unison. “Well it certainly wasn’t for anything altruistic–”

“Hey, hey!” The strategist tried to cut in, looking uncharacteristically anxious. “Things I said as a teenager should not be counted against me–”

“Then you shouldn’t shouldn’t be airing other people’s dirty laundry–”

“What are you embarrassed about? You should be proud! Your hard work paid off…you grew up from an ugly duckling into a very beauti–”

“Do not use my mother’s argument against me–”

“Do you two still doubt they grew up together?” Wedge said from behind them Aerith and Kyrie, who had been watching the verbal onslaught in morbid fascination. Chuckling a little, with his hands on his stomach, he shook his head fondly as he tilted his head at the arguing pair. “If this doesn’t persuade you, girls… I don’t know what would.”

As Aerith watched the argument get physical, with Jessie putting Biggs in a headlock, she knew her answer.

“I’m convinced.” Looking over at her friend, she asked. “How about you?”

Kyrie nodded weakly along in agreement, as she watched her childhood hero getting wrestled to the ground.

000

From her position on the floor, resting on her knees and elbows, Tifa felt the skirt around her waist being pulled vertically upward. The fabric lifted her middle up in an arc, almost like a bow. She realized that Cloud was using the scrunch-up leather as a makeshift stirrup, leaving the barmaid’s head and hips pointed downwards, giving him a new angle to work with as he kept thrusting relentlessly. Her body nearly went limp from the new sensations. The position drew a sharp hiss from her as she tried to get some feeling back trembling hands, but the friction of his cock head rubbing hard at her walls sapped most coherent thoughts out of her head.  

Well…all but the most ridiculous ones.

‘I’m like a Chocobo…’ Tifa's mind managed to piece together through the pounding.

Thankfully, the thought of Cloud using her skirt to ride her like a rancher wrangling the giant bird didn’t at all offend her. If anything, the imagined visual made her a little giddy, at how absurd they no doubt looked. Then again, that feeling of happiness could just be the bubbling orgasm she felt building in her core.

“I’m cumming in ten seconds…and I’m not waiting for you!” Tifa was able to blurt out over her numb tongue. “If you don’t match up with me this time, you only get a pity handjob!”

She heard a distant laugh from somewhere behind her as she felt Cloud gently slapping her ass in rebuke.

“When did you get so selfish in bed?” Cloud teased, even as he began picking up his pace to find his own release. “You're starting to sound like some mayor’s daughter! Nothing like the sweet and demure Tifa Lockhart I know and love.”

The sudden jolt in her spine was…unexpected. The tingling sensation in the rest of her anatomy…even more so. It was a weird mixture of pleasure and pain that had almost cut off all the oxygen to her brain. 

And Cloud had done it with just a single four-letter word.

‘That’s not fair. He shouldn’t be saying that…not even as a joke.’

Tifa never realized it was possible for the heart to orgasm, and realistically…it probably wasn’t. But she had no better way to describe what her chest did when she heard the last word come out of her best friend’s mouth. It was like the world had stopped to a standstill the moment that the last syllable passed his lips. And oxymoronic time dilation where her environment seemed frozen, but that little organ in her chest seemed to only speed up. Its erratic beat only getting faster, till she was sure it was just a red blur.

And just when it hit its crescendo…it clenched hard. The muscle compressed till she was sure it was going to either pop or implode, leaving her spirit to ascend into the Lifestream. 

In that moment, in that second, Tifa was sure it was one of the greatest things she had ever experienced.

Would ever experience.

Only for her to cum a split second later.

“I’m cumming!”

So overwhelmed by the sensations of her body, both inside and out, Tifa could only vaguely register herself going limp. Her torso dropped like a sack of potatoes as the fighter slacked in Cloud’s grip, only his hands at her hips keeping her bottom half upright.

“Wait, wait! I’m not there yet!”

If she had been in the right mind to objectively think about it, Tifa would have laughed at the feeling of Cloud trying to frantically pick up his pace.

000

“Some ground rules for living with me.”

Red could only eye the Avalanche leader speculative, the big man who was to be his roommate for the foreseeable future. It was decided that the young warrior would stay with the man and his daughter till a more permanent solution could be devised. Either an isolated safe house he could call his own or whenever his new friends were able to sneak him out of the city.

That last one left him a little uncertain, though.

“I’m in bed by 9 and up by 4. I gotta get up early and get things ready for Marlene’s school days. That’s how it’s been…and that’s how it’s gonna stay. As far as you're concerned, everything we do in this home revolves around her. You get me?”

The red lion nodded along absentmindedly.

As much as Nanaki would like to return to Cosmo Canyon and her people…the fight for Gaia was happening here, in Midgar. A seemingly endless struggle between Shinra and those brave few willing to stand up to them. What right did he have to do any less? To simply go home and whittle his days away patrolling the land as people fought and died in the capital?

“We use the basement for meetings…so either join in or cover your ears. If you start learning our secrets, then I expect you to pull your weight!”

Well…maybe he was being a little dramatic. It wasn’t like there was a giant meteor on its way to destroy the planet, after all. Just a powerful elite, trying to suck up all of the planet‘s lifeblood... and potentially damning them all to an uncertain afterlife. 

No, the problems were more subtle but just as important. And the principles of the matter still stood as far as Nanaki was concerned. 

“-and another thing! Um... actually, just to make sure…are you potty trained? If not, let me know now so I can find you a spare bucket, cause–” 

It didn’t help that he was kind of at fault for the current crisis. Who would have thought that killing Hojo would get such a response from Shinra? The madman was a brilliant scientist, no one could deny that…but was he worth so many innocent lives in the slum? All so the power Company could get some retribution?

Well…someone up top certainly thought so.

And to leave now would cause the red lion’s morals to be at odds with each other. How can he claim to be a righteous warrior, if his own thoughts and feelings were in conflict? A guardian weighed down by self-doubt and self-recrimination made for a poor protector.

But what was the solution?

Home and comfort or duty and hardship?

The answer should be simple…yet, endlessly complicated.

Even in his heart, it unfortunately wasn’t so clean cut. 

But as Grandpa would say, sometimes there are no easy answers. If the mind struggled, then you must look deeper into your being. If the heart falters, then you must look beyond and assess the consequences of your actions. And if the future remains unknowing or bleak and you can’t trust yourself…then look around you and believe in those by your side.

As Nanaki moved his singular eye to scan the room of Avalanche members–people who have dedicated their lives to stopping Shinra’s tyranny and saving Gaia– the young warrior knew his answer.

And it was a surprisingly uncomplicated one.

“-and I don’t really cook…so if you get the midnight cravings you're either gonna have to prepare beforehand or go scavenge the kitchens for something. You can take some stuff from my stash but no touching anything with an “M” post-it! Those are off-limits! Trust me…you do not want a 4-year-old crying in the middle of the–”

“So…” Nanaki cut in, his mind and heart surprising light now that he had found his resolve. “How are you going to explain my presence to Marlene?”

“Oh… um… hmmm...”

000

As Tifa heard Cloud chuckling above her, she half-heartedly considered biting down. Not enough to break the skin, of course - she wasn’t cruel - but… perhaps just a bit, to let him know she didn’t share his humor.

‘It’d certainly teach him a lesson!’

But then again, she shouldn’t have so… instinctually …begin sucking him off.

She couldn’t help it!

What was Cloud thinking, dangling his cock near her face after another round of lovemaking had finished? It was practically a “signal” that he wanted her to clean him up! So…as a dear friend, of course she'd reached out with her tongue! Furthermore, Tifa had done it hundreds of times before…so it only made sense that her body moved on its own. So the fault wasn’t with her…

Besides, it was only polite to lick up the mess! 

As she pulled back her head and tongued him around the ballsack, Tifa knew it would also mean less body fluid to clean up later. Very efficient. Or…tomorrow, if she was too exhausted and Cloud had to carry her home. So, it was a practical solution…and the barmaid was nothing if not sensible!

And really…what if Tifa didn’t!?

What if…Cloud ended up getting a rash or something? All because she wasn’t being diligent? And…that kept him from having sex for a few hours? For a few days even!? 

Talk about the worst possible outcome…

Although, deepthroating him for a full minute was…a little indulgent.

Sucking gently on the tip to make sure there was nothing in the vein still, Tifa had to wonder what would she and the rest of the girls even do with their spare time in that scenario?

The thought of trying to get back into her old hobbies just seemed so…dull.

“And here I thought we didn’t have time?” Cloud lightly mocked, a contrast to how gently he was running his hands through her hair. Licking the underside, Tifa chanced a glance up to his face …and, yup…he was smirking again. Now she was seriously considering giving him that bite…or maybe just a nip on the side? “Weren’t you scared of us getting caught? Giving me a “loving” blowjob isn’t exactly fast Teef.”

“Oh, please…you practically shoved this thing in my face.” The barmaid countered, taking a moment to give her jaw a rest but using her hand to keep stroking him. No point in wasting her hard work and letting him go soft. It hadn’t happened before, with either her or Jessie, but why take the risk? “If I didn’t…you’d start brooding in the corner and glare at your dick, wondering what went wrong.”

“I-I don’t do that…or would do that–”

“Yeah? You sure about that?” Tifa cut in, not willing to let up on her teasing. Straightening up on her knees, she placed that absurd length of his between her breasts. Not giving him a second to think or organize his thoughts, the barmaid began pumping him through her cleavage.  “I still remember that one morning I had to go to the bar early and Jessie had to go run an errand. You couldn’t get your morning “wake-up call”, so you spent the whole day on your stool pouting and giving me puppy dog eyes!”

“Huh? Wha– no…I-I, uh…had…um.”

Cloud’s nearly inarticulate response was not quick, his full attention absorbed by her motions and its sensations. The half-lidded eyes let her know he was mesmerized and his focus dulled to the world.

Tifa couldn’t hold back her giggle.

That seemed to snap him out of his daze, because the next second Cloud put his hands over hers, stopping the boob job. The touch was light, with hardly enough power behind it to force her into holding still. No…it was the look in his eyes that got her to pause. The sheer challenge in his blues that had her hot under the collar, an anticipation of what he was about to do…what he was about to do to her.

“Well, if we’re bringing up old memories…” Cloud began, slowly moving his hips, starting a new pace as he pumped in and out. “I remember a certain someone getting all huffy when I–”

Tifa barely registered the rest of his words, she was too entranced by the bright smile on his face, the openness of his expression. Cloud was just so… relaxed. A far cry from the usual guarded look he carried after they reunited, or even the stoic one he wore when they were children. It was like all the worries and burdens of the world were no longer weighing him down, if only for these brief moments of intimacy.

And goodness, the cheeky words coming from this man!

She absolutely loved it!

Their little moments of banter always made her so happy. It was reminiscent of their childhood, a time when it seemed like there was no barrier to what they could say or do with each other. A time when she could run into the Strife cottage, at the crack of dawn, and jump on Cloud to wake him up. 

It was…startling to realize that Cloud’s sexual addiction seemed to be good for his soul, a physical outlet and release to help soothe whatever it was that troubled him. That revelation caused a small ball of guilt to form in Tifa's gut, that her attempt to curb his appetite was causing more harm than good. The depressing fact that she... basically let her small-town hang-ups blind her to the benefits her best friend got from having so much sex. Cloud grew up in Nibelheim with her, he knew just as well as her the social trappings of having that kind of unusual reputation, how typically unacceptable it was.

She should have given him more credit.

Because of course, Cloud wasn’t just sleeping around due to having loose morals…he was coping. Trying to fight whatever physical or mental ailments he was suffering from, the source of whatever was causing his headaches and memory loss. And no doubt trying to deal with all the horrors he may have seen or done during his time as a Soldier under the Company’s umbrella.

If there was a better solution…what made her think he wouldn’t have already done it?

The fact that Cloud actually seemed to get better, after sleeping with her and her friends, was "proof in the pudding" as Claudia would say. No more headaches at random, memory seemed to be improving by the day, and most importantly...he stopped acting like such a jerk to everyone and more like the sweet boy she knew.

As for him enjoying it so much…well, that kind of just came with the territory of having so much sex, didn’t it? Tifa herself was proof of that concept, that over the course of just a week, she had become…rather slutty. Because how else would you describe frequently kissing another woman or getting into the routine of waking Cloud up by sucking him off? Plus…he was just so rock-hard all the time, that it was just an overall practical solution for him to have as much sex as he could. If he didn’t, the sheer sexual frustration would drive even the calmest and level-headed person crazy.

If someone had told the barmaid she couldn’t have as much sex as she wanted…she’d probably end up punching a wall.

As Tifa opened her mouth to let Cloud push his head past her lips, the rest of his length still snug between her breasts, she was very glad that she had two girls already lined up to join.

The fact that Kyrie and Aerith seemed so willing, to the point of even discussing it in the open, was…a pleasant surprise. The barmaid thought she might've had to wait months before such an offer could be floated their way. It certainly took a lot of the pressure and awkwardness of having to start such a conversation with them.

While Tifa still didn’t like the idea of him sleeping around with strangers…sleeping with her friends? Well…that was a different story altogether. One where Cloud wouldn’t be taken advantage of due to his unusual coping mechanism, or cause unnecessary problems with her and the current girls. She’s stepped into enough situations of multiple people fighting over Jessie’s attention, to know that was not a path she wanted to tread.

But she would need to have a proper conversation with those two girls before anything could–

“Hey, I’m almost there…where do you want it?” Cloud asked panting, his hips a blur of motion even as his face strained from the effort of holding back his orgasm. 

Feeling a little evil, Tifa kept on sucking the tip as she took her sweet time to consider…even when she already knew the answer. Watching him squirm a bit, would never not be fun to watch. And she could admit to herself, but never say out loud, that she enjoyed the weird rush of power she got when Cloud strained under her hands. Almost made her want to keep bullying him just a bit more, but as he looked down at her with those puppy eyes of his…her heart melted.

So…instead of answering him, Tifa pulled her lips back. She closed her eyes and tilted her head down, mouth wide open. 

000

“How come I can’t stay?” Nellie asked stubbornly, not liking the secretive looks between Jessie and Nayo. “I got…something I want to ask Tifa and I don’t want to wait...”

She hated how small her voice got at the end, but the thought that she was...well, indirectly asking permission to lose her virginity was kind of... well, embarrassing. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she ever thought she needed to get past another girl in order to accomplish…but life was strange like that. Although, the emotion Nellie was starting to feel more angry than anything, given that her “friends” were trying to kick her out of the bar. Oh, they didn’t say it in so many words…but the fact that they were trying to get her to follow Aerith and Kyrie back to sector 5 and give the newbies a crash course in Avalanche “etiquette” made the implication clear.

Even more damning was that Jessie, with Nayo’s help, had subtly cleared out the building…only reinforced that hypothesis. Just some small suggestions here, a couple of reminders there, and suddenly it was just the girls standing in the dining room…minus Yuffie of course.

The twosome indicated that they should all try to act as normal as possible until the infiltration mission was kicked into full gear.

A reminder to Biggs and Wedge to go do their early evening patrols with the Neighborhood Watch…and maybe a little extra for flaking on Wymer? An admonishment for Barret to pick up Marlene from her playdate at one of her friends' houses…but maybe take her out for some ice cream for being such a good girl? Even Nayo gave a pointed look at the clock, telling Billy-Bob and Polk they had to start their late shift maintenance jobs in the tunnels, and while they’re down there hopefully catch Finn up on all the latest events? Jessie, face full of concern, suggested to Red to try to get some much-needed sleep in the basement after his ordeal with Shinra. And shouldn’t Yuffie and Sonon touch base with their government, maybe see what kind of support they could offer for the upcoming operation?

Jessie even straight up pushed a room key into Kyrie’s hand and told the Fivers to go pick up any stuff they might need…and meet back tonight at Stargazer for a “girl meeting”. Whatever the hell that was supposed to be…and NO, Nellie was not jealous that she was apparently not included. She had better things to do…like thinking over what exactly she was going to say to Tifa when the barmaid finally made her appearance. 

So by and large, all innocent…if not for the sly looks they kept shooting to the backroom door. Even worse when they noticed her still sitting on the bar stool…and strongly suggested she go join Aerith and Kyrie.

She was 90% certain it had something to do with the fact that Cloud and Tifa had disappeared hours ago, no doubt fucking each other into oblivion. The blonde had wanted to ask the barmaid for permission to “borrow” the Soldier the moment they first arrived, maybe get the same arrangement that Jessie and Nayo seemed to have. But the sudden flux of events and new people arriving forced her to bite her tongue, not wanting to put her personal business out into the open.

Nellie knew she was too short, depressingly plain looking with bright hair that was a bit of an eyesore, skinny to the point of being considered underfed, and a personality that bordered on boring if not prickly. All that in mind, she needs a sales pitch to convince the fighter why she deserves a spot among all the other bombshells currently having sex with Cloud. More importantly…she needed to ask now, or all her courage would escape her, and she’d end up burying her head in the sand again, letting life pass her by.

“Um…what is it?” Nayo asked, looking genuinely curious. “Maybe me and Jessie can ask Tifa for you when we see her?”

“No, no…it’s personal.” Nellie deflected lamely, not wanting to say what she wanted. Any other time she might be willing, especially around these ladies who were her friends…maybe even get their advice on how they managed to convince the barmaid to share her boyfriend with them. But considering Aerith and Kyrie were waiting patiently by the entrance for her and might hear something…better safe than sorry. “Besides, depending on how the conversation goes, there might not even be anything to say.”

“Oh Nellie…” Jessie said sympathetically before a wide teasing smile bloomed on her face, and the redhead gave her a knowing look. “I think I know exactly what it is you want to ask Tifa…” The mechanic enveloped her in a hug, whispering her next words. “And I can tell you here and now, you’ll get a very enthusiastic yes.”

“W-wha– I d-don’t…h-how did you…?”

“Cause one, you’re not very subtle with hard you’ve been ogling at Cloud’s ass, sweetie. If you stared any harder, you'd burn a hole through his pants. And two…you're too smart to not have figured out the jist of what was going on, although I don’t think any of us were very subtle about it.” Jessie pulled back from the embrace to hold Nellie at arm's length, running a critical eye over her. “But more importantly…you were probably the first person we wanted to ask to join us. You didn’t really think me and Tifa weren’t gonna include you at some point, did you?”

“N-no…but this is just…” Nellie trailed off lamely, mind stalling and not sure how to respond to the revelations. But in contrast, her heart felt warm at the idea that her friends were gonna include her at some point. How did they know she’d be cool with it? Did they…know about her scrapbook? Or stumble across her diary at some point? No…they wouldn’t have invaded her privacy like that, the blonde probably just wasn’t as sneaky as she thought…or they probably just knew her too well and could guess. It was possible…

Sometimes the redhead’s people skills were a little too spot on.

“Trust me, you would’ve been next if Nayo here didn’t jump the line,” Jessie said, pointing a thumb back at the glasses girl, who looked torn on whether she should be offended or not. “As for what we're trying to do right now? Well…let's just say what I’m planning is gonna be a little too overwhelming for a girl’s first time.” Nellie could only blush at the insulation. If the mechanic said it was too much…then it was probably too much. “So for now…go help Aerith and Kyrie, then the three of you can drag your cute butts back to Stargazer. And then we’ll have our “girl meeting” and set some ground rules.”

“Wait…you mean them too?” Nellie asked in shock, just barely stopping herself from turning around to stare at the new recruits.

“Yup! Practically spilled their guts to Tifa, when they thought she wasn’t listening!” 

“Just how many–”

“Nuh uh, the time for talking is over missy,” Jessie said with fake sternness, wagging a finger in the blonde’s face even as she grinned wide. “All will be discussed tonight…and ground rules set. And maybe we'll have a celebration to commemorate this new beautiful sisterhood of ours? Who knows…we’ll play it by ear. But for now…” The redhead turned Nellie around and gave her a gentle kick in the butt. “Now go give our junior terrorist a crash on all things Avalanche. But try to be back at the apartment by at least 7 tonight!”

“Okay…” Nellie said a little dazedly, walking on wobbly legs towards the entrance where the other girls were. She had been hit with a proverbial tidal wave of information, and her mind was still trying to process it. It was a lot to take in, but one thing was clear…she was going to have sex with Cloud!

‘No.’ She thought, a little lightheaded as she reached Aerith and Kyrie, giving each girl a once over as they stared back curiously. ‘We’re gonna have sex with Cloud.’

000

“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or am I gonna drag it out of you?” Tifa asked, panting a little but never stopping her hips.

Even with most of her focus on riding Cloud – swiveling as she went up and down, hands splayed on his chest and his own gripping her waist – she couldn’t help but notice the intense look he was sending her way. It wasn’t the usually lust-filled one, the kind that got her blood boiling and her core clenching, but a tender one…dare she say, even a loving one. Like she was the only girl in the world - that even if the mysterious and bewitching princess of Wutai made her appearance - he wouldn’t look away.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Cloud asked, sliding his hands up to cup her breast and lightly squeeze. 

“Maybe once or twice…” Tifa managed to gasp out, as she felt him starting to thrust back up into her, matching her pace for pace. And it was true…during their moments of passion he would say it, when they were resting in an afterglow he would whisper it. But…looking calmly into her eyes as he told her was…new. And, probably for the hundredth time since they managed to sneak away, it got her heart beating embarrassingly fast. Her praise kink was going to get her in trouble one day. “But I wouldn’t say no to you telling me more often. Every girl likes to hear it…if it’s the right person who does it.”

Tifa blushed the moment the words were out of her mouth, the embarrassment almost made her want to smack herself on the forehead for sounding so needy. He must think she had some crazy ego to be demanding that he flatter her more. To insinuate that it meant more if he did it. But instead of backtracking, she squeezed her inner muscles harder, putting more force behind her humping…all in hopes of fucking her words out of his mind.

It didn’t quit work…if the cocky look on his face was any indication.

Cloud pulled her torso down till they were chest to chest, arms circling her back, and gave Tifa a long kiss. The feeling of his lips and tongue, in conjunction with the sensations of his shallow but quick thrusts, fried any conscious thought or worry out of her head. Once again, like he had many times before, the Soldier had her at his mercy…his silly plaything as she tried to hold on for dear life and not blackout.

And Tifa could honestly admit to herself…she wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Then I’ll tell you every day,” Cloud said once he pulled away from their lip-locking, hands moving once again, but this time resting on her bottom. “Just twice a day though, wouldn’t want you getting a big head. If you want any more then you’re gonna have to earn it Lockhart.”

“O-oh…?” Tifa managed to get out, kind of surprised that she was able to form a word when she felt her friend hitting her at just the right angle. Biting her bottom lip a little to regain a bit of control, especially since the rest of her body was numb with overwhelmed nerves, she managed to get a few full sentences out. “A-and what’s your price mister?” She teased, proud of how steady she sounded. “A foot massage? Gross. An extra helping of dessert maybe? You’ll have to fight Marlene for that privilege. A three o’clock blowjob? Now that I think I can pencil you in–”

“A date,” Cloud said suddenly, cutting through her lame jokes, causing her brain to stutter. “Never did get our outing because of all that’s been happening…a night out on the town, a chance to dress up in our fancy clothes. Mine’s still gathering dust in our closet.”

His words managed to reboot her system, giving her the strength to push off his chest and sit up unsteadily, but mindful that they were still connected. The barmaid didn’t want to cause any “accidents”, after all. She didn’t want to quite wake up from this dream just yet.

“A date?” Tifa echoed his words, peering down into his blues to see how sincere he was being. While they had developed a “friends with benefits”, plus some, scenario between them…she didn’t want him asking her out out of obligation or some misguided form of chivalry. While they had an unusual situation, she was a big girl, and more or less knew what she was doing. But no, all she saw in his irises…was affection and happiness. The sight of it on his face made her feel strangely light... like she had found an obvious answer to some unknown question. “I-if that what you want–”

“It is,” Cloud said firmly, giving her thigh a reassuring squeeze, before smirking a little. “Fair warning though…I expect more than just one. You can’t one and done me, Lockhart. I’m like a payment plan. So, a date at least once a week if we can manage…and I expect to be guided to all the best spots and places to eat. If It doesn’t have a Tifa’s seal of approval I don’t want to get within a hundred feet of it.”

“But of course. And why am I not surprised that I’ll be planning the date?” Tifa asked teasingly, rolling her eyes even as she giggled a little. The sight of the boyish smile he gave her had warmth blooming in her chest at full force, giving her overflowing energy. She had to do something, anything! And feeling his length twitching inside her, she knew just what. Trailing her hands down Cloud’s arms till they interlocked fingers, she began slowly gyrating her hips again. “Just so you know…I'm gonna take you to all the expensive places and make you pay for it!”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Cloud grunted out, now matching her as she sped up.

“I’m gonna order three servings of every meal, and eat you under the table!” Tifa laughed a little, as he let her force his hands down near his head.

“I love a girl with an appetite. It just means…she’s got energy for later.” Her best friend whispered huskly with a dirty grin, his implication loud and clear.

“What? You expect me to put out on the first date?” She mocked with a smile, hovering her body over his as she went harder, feeling her orgasm building.

“I have to get my money’s worth, don’t I?”

“Well…I think I’m worth a few pretty dresses.” Tifa jokingly threatened, her breath mingling with Cloud’s, as she leaned lower. Even moving her hips frantically, she managed to nip at his lips. “So let’s add cloth shopping to the list. I don’t want you thinking I’m some easy target.”

“Oh…just kill me now…”

“Well, with that attitude Strife–”

“Knock, knock lovebirds!”

At the sudden third voice, Tifa immediately dropped her body on Cloud’s to cover herself…not that it would stop whoever intruded from getting an eyeful of what was going on below.

“Jessie? Nayo!? What the fuck?” Cloud growled out angrily as he reached over to the edge of the blanket to cover the both of them. Which…unfortunately didn’t do much besides hide her left arm and leg. “And saying “knock, knock” is not the same as actually knocking!”

“I did! Practically slammed my hand across the wood trying to get your attention. But no response.” Jessie said in mock offense, putting one hand on her hip as she eyed their naked figures. “You and wifey have been fucking for the last couple of hours and missed the party–”

“Three to be precise,” Nayo said, adjusting her glasses primly as she let her gaze wander, tilting her head a little to see the goods.

“Right!” The redhead confirmed, with one digit pointed upwards. “The two of us had to run interference when people started asking where you guys were. And despite it going against my morals…I lied, for you. You're welcome by the way!”

“Right…I’m sure you did it out of the goodness of your heart.” Cloud said sarcastically, sitting up a little before his face softening a little. "But thank you, I'll make it up to you girls...later."

"Promises, promises..."

In any other situation, Tifa would be scrambling for her clothes, but…it wasn’t like Jessie hadn’t already seen all there was to see. As for Nayo…well, she was gonna see it all eventually too at some point. So instead, she sat up and turned slightly to look at her friends, glaring a little at each of them.

“Well…get in or get out, but close the door,” Tifa said in irritation, turning her attention back to Cloud and firmly pushing him back down so they could continue. “You're letting all the cold air in–”

“Nope! As much as I would like to jump in there…you two are going to have to move this party somewhere else.” Jessie cheerfully cut in, idly plucking a jar of pickles off the shelf to read the label. “I wasn’t kidding that you horny kids have been going at it for hours. Everyone has either gotten on with their day or–in Barret’s case–is due to be back soon. Me and Nayo tried to play for time, but Marlene might walk through those doors in the next twenty minutes. I would think you two wouldn’t want to traumatize a four-year-old.”

That caused her and Cloud to freeze up. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the barmaid turned around again to regard the other girls

“Five minutes?” Tifa asked uncertainly.

Nayo only stifled a laugh as Jessie quirked an amused eyebrow.

Chapter Text

“-and that’s pretty much it.” Nellie said from Kyrie’s right, finishing her “brief” introduction to them about the life of the common terrorist, one that spanned their entire trip through sector 6. Even when they took the backroads to avoid Wall Market! “I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting, but that’s all the important bits I think.”

“Cool.” The teen said numbly, head reeling a little at all the new info and still trying to absorb it. Minerva Almighty, it was like being back in school! Hopefully, there wasn’t, like a test or something on all this stuff later…cause she could honestly say, she would not pass.

“Any questions or concerns?”

“Nothing off the top of my head,” Aerith replied, looking just as frazzled as Kyrie felt. “But maybe later?”

The little blonde nodded understandingly, and a companionable silence fell over the girls as they kept walking.

Their travel through the Sector 5 slums was thankfully, uneventful. Oh, a few people stared when they walked past - well, more like gawked - no doubt enamored by their beauty. Kyrie couldn’t blame them, by herself she was already a head turner, a diamond in the rough as it were…but walking with the infamously weird but pretty, Aerith Gainsborough and a never-before-seen mysterious yet cute blonde, was gonna cause a lot of double-takes. 

Maybe it might even start some rumors? 

That could be fun! 

Being in the spotlight but having everyone question what was fact or fiction about you…it’d do wonders for her reputation! She could already imagine the speculation…notorious troublemaker Kyrie Kanaan changes her ways and leaves sector 5…what she does and where she goes, people could only guess. When she occasionally made the odd appearance, it was in the company of beautiful but dangerous, individuals... it would drive all her fellow Fivers nuts!

Kyrie could already imagine all the envious looks she’d get if she strolled down Container Row with Cloud on one arm and Tifa on the other.

Grinning to herself, she waved nonchalantly to people who tried calling out to her but kept on strolling by with her little group, no time for the little people.

After a few minutes of travel, Kyrie led them to the hiding spot where she kept her personal belongings, the quartermaster started to fidget a little. The weaponsmith looked like she was bursting to say something–maybe ask a question?– but didn’t know how to start.

Or…she could just be spazzing out.

The surprisingly older, woman seemed prone to nervous ticks.

“So…you're not obligated to say or do anything…” Nellie finally started, seemingly having gathered her courage as they crossed the gate to enter sector 5. But something told the teen, that wasn’t exactly what the blonde had wanted to say. Whatever bravely the blonde had seemed to leave her, as she shrugged a shoulder nervously, still struggling to maintain eye contact with them, visible changing of her mind mid-sentence. “But...a little help for Avalanche here and there does go a long way…anything to push the cause forward is always appreciated.”

“And…what would you consider helpful?” Aerith asked curiously from Kyrie’s left side.

“Mmmhhhh…information mainly,” Nellie replied, looking relieved, if crestfallen.

“...that doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Yeah, but still vitally important nonetheless. ” The blonde began casually, glancing absentmindedly around the neighborhood as Kyrie led them through the back roads in sector 5. Still trying to look anywhere but at them. Really…what was her problem? She acted like one of them was going to bite her! “With a few exceptions, there’s not a whole lot a dozen people can realistically do. So…we have to be very “judicious” with our actions. Really pick and choose where we commit our resources. But to do that, we need a solid plan of action, backed by good information. Which means…intel is as good as gold in our group.”

“And…what do you consider good information?” Kyrie asked, her thoughts already racing a little over the things she already knew, trying to parcel through the harmless stuff.

Well…harmless for her. 

As they talked, the new merc hopped over some rails, in the general direction to the back alley exit where her temporary home was near, before climbing up a ladder to get to the rooftops. It was one of her grandma’s safehouses, a place that she mainly used to store her ill-gotten goods…but considering grandma Mirelle hadn’t actually used it in a while, Kyrie retrofitted it to be a tiny apartment.

The other girls copied her movements without missing a beat, even Aerith in her dress, casually jumping the barrier and following her up the ladder.

“Hmmm, anything Shinra as a rule of thumb is good.” Nellie continued once they were walking across the rooftops, rubbing her chin a little as she considered. “Anything disruptive or unusual, like money or weapons, you know? I’m not really good at this…it’s not my specialty if I’m being honest. We’ll talk to Nayo or Wedge when we have time and they’ll run you two through a list of usual questions.”

That might be for the best, the teen didn’t want to blab about anything unnecessary, especially if it wasn’t important.

While Kyrie was technically a part of Avalanche now, a lifetime of criminal activity had instilled in her an instinct to hold her tongue and not squeal on anybody. Not that she was opposed to talking in general, it was just…except for her grandma, there wasn’t anyone she’d ride or die for like that. Plus, one never knew if that stuff might blow back in your face, specifically if the wrong person knew you had a habit of flapping your gums unnecessarily. 

She was already on more than one gang’s shitlist for selling information she shouldn’t have.

So in general, it was just common sense under the plate to be circumspect about these things, even if Kyrie herself sometimes toed the line.

Bu~ut…she was already rolling neck deep with these terrorists, so she might as well give a little…especially since they’ve treated her nicer than any non-family has in a long time. Free apartment, steady job (although she hadn’t exactly started working yet), all-you-can-eat at the bar apparently. Hell, Kyrie was friends with half the people in that group already…and depending on how her “girl talk” later turned out, might even double dip and end up being in a harem with some of those ladies.

What a strange turn of events in her life.

But more importantly, X was there…and if there’s one thing a sector 5 native knew, it was that if the Scrapyard Kid approved of something –whether it be people or actions– then it was worth investing your time into.

“So~o…for this info…we’ll get compensated right?” Kyrie asked, trying to kill two birds with one stone. If the whole, “Cloud becoming her sugar daddy” negotiation didn’t pan out, then she needed to keep her options open. While the sex would be good, there was no doubt about that, she needed to think about her future too. Surely her new group had a few Gils to throw her way…a little thank you for her theoretical hard work? “And while we’re on the topic of money, as members of Avalanche, do me and Aerith get paid for our time and effort?”

“Kyrie!” The mage scolded, scandalized by the question.

“What? It’s a legitimate question.” She defended, even as she shrugged a little uncomfortably under her friend’s accusing stare. “I’m still gonna help…but let's be real! If we’re not getting paid, then there’s only so much time and effort we can realistically put into our “extracurricular” activities. I got a new job that Tifa said might have me running all over the slums, doing who knows what. You grow and sell your flowers, from two sectors away …we’re busy! And I don’t know about you Aerith, but I only got like 300 Gil saved up. We gotta get compensated if we take a day off to go play terrorist.”

“I…haaa…I suppose…”

“I’m right, you see?” Kyrie asked happily, glad she won this argument, but took care to slide an arm across the friend’s waist to give her a hug when she still looked glum. When she felt Aerith squeeze back to let her know everything was fine, the teen turned back to Nellie. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had to wonder…when did she become so touchy-feely with the mage? “So, what do you say? Are we seeing any green in our future?”

Giving them a strange, yet bemused look, the weaponsmith took a moment to consider.

“That’s…a surprisingly complicated question,” Nellie said half to herself, staring at the ground lost in thought as if she never considered it before. Looking back up at them, and seeing their confused expressions, she thankfully elaborated. “Technically…yes, you would get paid a stipend as a general member of Avalanche…most don’t go into this line of work just out of the goodness of their hearts.” Well…didn’t that just cause a jolt of guilt to squirm in Kyrie’s heart. “And considering the Midgar team mostly recruits from the slums…it’s a necessity. Now the amount varies depending on what kind of position you take up in the cell…but only some of those positions are enough to live off of, and others…actually require you to get a second job.”

“Which ones pay the most?”

“Field operatives, head spies…quartermasters like me,” Nellie admitted, scratching her ear a little in embarrassment. “Any position that is either “important” due to how dangerous they are…and/or just requires a lot of your time and effort to do. For my job, it’s the latter. I receive and distribute equipment and weapons across the city... with slum and topside included. That’s for individuals, small combat teams when we had them, or just squireling extra hardware in little hidey-hole for emergencies. And that’s on top of trying to clean and maintain whatever I might have in stock, at least once a week. Nobody wants their gun to jam on them in a firefight, after all.”

“That…seems all straightforward so far,” Aerith said, tilting her head a little as she considered the blonde’s words. They rounded a bend, jumping to clear a dip between two buildings, before walking down an uneven hill to get back to ground level. “The more specialized or “important” a role, the more you're paid, right?” The mage recapped.

“Right!”

“So~...when does the complicated part come in?” The tomboy asked, a little puzzled. 

Everything seemed pretty simple, so the new merc was genuinely confused by the blonde’s uncertain look as if she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Seeing her building, Kyrie waved them forward till they were at the front of a metal wall. Glancing around to make sure they weren’t followed, never can be too careful in the slums, she moved a loose panel slightly to get them past and led the group up a flight of steps.

“Well…everything I just said is true…if you're a part of HQ,” Nellie said, rubbing a nervous hand along one of her thighs, once again avoiding direct eye contact with them. Kyrie was starting to get mildly offended by that…maybe the tomboy had something in her teeth? “But Barret’s outfit was a rogue splinter cell…and, well…didn’t get any support beyond what they could cobble together through personal contacts. And considering it was Cloud who technically recruited you…”

She let the implication hang.

“Ugh, politics and grandstanding,” Kyrie grunted in disgust as she tried shouldering her way through the trick door that had a faulty latch. After a moment of struggling, Aerith and Nellie threw their body weight into the mix, trying to help her get past the stubborn entrance.

“Well…” Nellie gritted out, pushing her shoulder into the cold steel. “It’s just a hiccup for now…I’m sure if we ask Nayo, she’ll find some loophole or workaround to…grrr…get you guys something …ooph…”

“That’d…be nice…” Aerith managed to pant out, a little red in the face as her skinny arms strained from trying to push open the door. 

Kyrie backed up a bit, and took a four-step full-body run into metal, mentally bracing herself for the pain. 

Bursting through the entrance, the teen took a moment to work the agony out of her left shoulder, before dust herself off. Kyrie gestured for her friends to come in and make themselves at home. Not that there was much in the way of comfort–a single cot in the corner, a dresser at the foot, her clothing scattered all over the floor. There was a mirror, sink, hotplate, and a toilet in what used to be a closet. All the very basic amenities for solo living.

Ah, home sweet home!

“...you live like this?” Aerith asked uncertainty, one dainty foot toeing a box of leftovers near the door Kyrie forgot to throw away.

“Well, not anymore! I’m a Stargazer girl now!” Kyrie joked happily as she pulled a couple of duffle bags from under her bed and started stuffing her clothes into them. Seeing Aerith and Nellie’s unimpressed looks, she stopped packing for a moment to address it. “I guess I could’ve lived with my grandma if I wanted a bit more creature comfort, but I’m an adult! I needed my independence! It’s like that saying, “I rather live in squalor, than under someone else’s thumb”…you know what I mean, right Nellie?”

“...I suppose.” The weaponsmith agreed reluctantly, looking a little queasy as she stared at moldy stains on the walls. “I mean…yeah. I can agree. I used to room with Jessie back in the day, and I love her…but living on my own is pretty great.”

“See? So don’t be prissy Aerith.”

“I’m not prissy, I just have standards.” The mage said stubbornly as she gingerly stepped over a lump on the ground that might’ve wiggled. Hands, on her hips, as she watched Kyrie finish packing her bags and shoulder the straps, she asked. “Who are you quoting anyway? I’ve never heard that before?”

“I don’t know…read it somewhere once. But it sounds good.” Kyrie answered absentmindedly as she stuffed her toothbrush and favorite fork in the bag, trying to do a mental recount of anything else she needed. 

“Is that all you're taking? Don’t you want to bring any keepsakes? Or…at least your appliances?” She swept one hand around the apartment’s electronics as she said this.

“I’m good, anything sentimental is at my grandma’s place,” Kyrie said as she adjusted the strap of her two duffle bags a little, trying to even out the weight. “And anything I have here was on its last leg of life for the past couple of months, so…I’ll just let them die a quiet and peaceful death.”

“If you say so…”

“I do! Let’s head out.”

The three ladies made their way out of the “apartment”, only stopping to force the door closed again, before making the trek out of the building and metal divider.

“Alright, back to sector 7?” Nellie asked the group, once they shoved the panel back into place.

“Already? Don’t we need to swing by Aerith’s place first?” Kyrie was confused, looking over at her friend.

Shouldn’t they be getting the other girl’s stuff too since she was staying the night? While it wasn’t uncommon for someone under the plate to wear the same clothes for a few days if the need arose, the flower seller’s house was only a couple of miles away…that seemed kind of unnecessarily cruel. Especially since Ms.Gainsborough usually made it a point for her daughter to always be clean and freshly washed, even when they were kids running around the playground.

“Why would we need to go to my place now?” Aerith asked, quiring an eyebrow at the teen.

“Well…don’t you want to pack a night bag? I mean…I don’t mind you borrowing some of my stuff if you want, and I’m sure Tifa and Jessie would lend you something again, but your house is just over there… and if we’re already in the area, we might as well get you something comfortable–”

“Kyrie…” Aerith cut in, stopping the troublemaker’s ramblings. “I”m not staying the night. I’ll go to Jessie's “girl meeting” but afterwards…I’m going home.”

“Wha- why!?”

“Why? So I can sleep in my own bed, of course.”

“Well…j-just stay at my place! We can have a sleepover or something! We can even buy takeout and everything.”

“You really want me to stay? When you and Cloud might–” Aerith stopped, taking a moment to mentally backtrack as she glanced over at Nellie, who was watching them with wide eyes. Looking like she found her resolve, or maybe that, there was no point in beating around the bush, she continued. “When you two might need the room…for activities…”

“But–”

“Are you talking about having sex with Cloud?” Nellie blurted out, her hand crossed over her chest as if it was beating a hundred miles a minute. Not even waiting for their replies, the blonde started pacing as she continued. “Thank gods, I thought I was gonna burst from not speaking up! Are you two waiting to ask permission from Tifa? I think I am too…technically. Jessie said I was a sure thing, but I don’t know…he’s just so pretty, like why would they let me near him!? Especially when he already has so many girls! But-I-guess-for-someone as-experienced-as-him, one-girl-is-as-good-as-the-next! Ishouldbe thankfulthough, that justmeans thisdoesn’t havetobe a competitionand we canalljust enjoy ourselves–”

“Nellie! Slow down or you're gonna bite your tongue off!” Aerith exclaimed, hands reaching out to shake some sense into the girl. Seeing that the arms dealer was finally calming down, the mage let her go but kept a watchful eye in case she relapsed. “And…are you saying…you're trying to join this harem too? That…you're actually fine with sharing him with other women?”

A vigorous, if jerky nod of blonde hair was the response, even as Nellie’s face turned red as a tomato.

“This man just has women throwing themselves at him,” Aerith muttered to herself, a look of disbelief on her face, but not so low that the rest of the group couldn’t hear. “Well... I guess there’s no point in being shy about it. Kyrie is going to join you, but I’m…undecided.”

“Wait a minute, I thought you agreed with me that joining a harem made sense?” Kyrie asked, feeling a little betrayed. She had thought she and Aerith were in this together! Had even felt…well, a bit relieved at the idea that the two of them were going to jump into this weird sex fantasy as a team! “Are you worried about getting lost in the shuffle? Well, don’t! That guy probably has more than enough energy for all of us. Cloud spent the whole night with Nayo, but still practically dragged Tifa off to the backroom–”

“I listened to why you thought it’d make sense…but I never agreed to anything.” Aerith said exasperatedly, waving for the two of them to follow her as she started walking. “Let’s just go to my house. And look, I’m not trying to be a prude but not every girl wants a no-strings-attached “physical” relationship. I’m not knocking you, ladies... I support free love and all that, but I personally want a little romance before I get into bed with someone.”

“Bleugh, that sounds overrated,” Nellie said with a bit of a sour look on her face, surprising everyone. “If I want to sleep with someone, why overcomplicate it? Although, trying to be a part of a harem isn’t exactly simple...”

“Yeah…yeah! It’s just sex, who cares about romance?” Kyrie added, though her head was still feeling a little twisted at Aerith’s stubbornness and…the blonde’s surprising boldness. 

“So says the virgin.” Aerith scoffed, before looking as though she instantly regretted having said that.

“Low-blow…” 

“...I’m sorry Kyrie, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. And there's nothing wrong with that…I’m just so frazzled! I mean, just when did it become socially acceptable for people to be in a multi-partner relationship? Or for several women to share the same man? I get Cloud has a pretty face–”

“And a hard body.” Nellie chimed in, no longer as seemingly shy as she was in the beginning, especially now that they were on a topic that she was enthusiastic about. 

“-and a hard body. Thank you, Nellie.” Aerith continued, acknowledging the interruption, even as she rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying never or that I’m not curious…just no for now, at least till I have a bit more time to wrap my head around all of this. Call me indecisive…but I can’t make a decision like this after only one day of knowing the guy!”

“Didn’t you say you met him before?” Kyrie asked, sensing her friend was on the cusp of something, and tried to push a little more. “Gave Cloud a free flower and flirted with him a bit? You can't tell me you weren’t interested then.”

“Yeah, but that was before I knew he was planting seeds all over Midgar.”

“Hey no slut shaming, that’s not cool.” Nellie scolded, brows furrowed and looking unamused by the mage. “If Cloud and Tifa are happy with their relationship, we shouldn’t diss them for how they express it.” But a little lower, just under her breath, she added. "Especially, if we get to join."

The other girls pretend not to her that last bit.

“No, no… when you're right, you're right,” Aerith admitted apologetically, rubbing her forehead a little tiredly as they crossed through a hidden tunnel to the Gainsborough Garden. “Like I said, I’m working through a lot of mixed feelings right now…and I’m not gonna solve it today, so let’s just put a pin in it.” Looking over to the teen, she added. “And yes Kyrie, I’ll be happy to stay with you for the night, but only if things stay family-friendly. Fair warning, if people start taking off their clothes for non-innocent reasons, I’m going home!”

The warning went right over the junior merc’s head.

“Awesome!” Kyrie said happily, feeling relieved that she wouldn’t have to spend her first night in her new apartment by herself. Sure Jessie and Tifa were just in the next room, but it was different from having someone right next to you that you could reach. Just not as comforting. But before she could get too lost in planning the sleepover, she remembered herself and glanced over at their third companion. “Wanna stay too? The more the merrier.”

“Yeah... okay,” Nellie answered shyly, looking both pleased and embarrassed. “I got a bug-out bag with extra clothes near the Sector 7 gate if you two don’t mind taking a detour–”

“Well, well, well…look who’s home at last.”

All three girls jump at the sudden fourth voice ahead of them. 

And there, blocking the entrance into Aerith's home…was Mrs.Gainsborough. An older woman pushing into her mid-forties, a solid head of blonde hair that had yet to see any streak of gray. Age line crossed her face just above the high cheekbones, diminishing the youthful beauty she once was, but doing little to hide the handsome woman she had become. Very regal, in Kyrie’s opinion. And despite her advanced years, had managed to maintain a slim figure that almost rivaled her daughter’s. 

All things considered, quite the looker…if the stern expression she kept on her face didn’t cause every bystander to look away nervously. 

“Mom!” Aerith said happily, rushing forward to give her mother a hug. The older woman returned the embrace, patting down her daughter’s hair fondly, but keeping her eyes trained on the newcomers, inspecting them critically.

Breaking apart, but holding on to each other arms, mother and daughter chatted softly, too low for anyone to hear. Eventually, Elmyra Gainsborough looked up, making eye contact with the teen.

“Kyrie.” She greeted with a dip of her head.

“Um…hi, Mrs.Gainsborough.” The ex-criminal greeted, shuffling her feet a little nervously under the woman’s stare. Thankfully she turned her attention to Nellie, who looked just as anxious, body tense as if she was about ready to bolt out of the tunnel and to freedom. Only the sliver of social grace holding back the little blonde from following her instincts. But if she did break…Kyrie was pretty sure she’d only be a step behind!

“I don’t think we met…” Elmyra began.

“Oh…I-I’m Nellie, Mrs.Gainsborough.” The quartermaster volunteered, her voice surprisingly steady even as she began playing with her fingers shyly.

After a long beat, Elmyra nodded and turned around, gesturing for them to all follow. “Well…come along girls, I’ll make us some tea and you can tell me all about your night…”

“Just one cup ma’am, we only came to grab some of my stuff and then we’re headed out again,” Aerith said jovially, holding her mother’s hand and swinging it lazily between them, as the small group entered the Gainsborough residence.

“Wow…” Nellie said in awe from Kyrie’s side, not the teen could blame her for the reaction. Even after all these years, the Garden was a sight to behold–garden beds, flowers, fruits, a freaking waterfall, and a river! If everyone wasn’t too scared of what Old Man Gainsborough would do to them, this place would have been crawling with all the wrong sorts trying to claim this piece of prime real estate.

Kyrie and Nellie trailed the mother-daughter duo, in order to give them privacy, as the group walked up the dirt path to the beautiful wooden house up ahead.

“-going out again?” Kyrie heard Elmyra ask in surprise but was only able to see the back of the older woman’s head.

“Yup! Gonna stay with Kyrie in her new apartment,” Aerith confirmed, stopping a moment to pluck a flower near the path and stick it in her mother’s hair. 

“Really now…”

There was a companionable silence as the group made their way through the garden before Mrs.Gainsborough leaned toward her daughter to ask a question.

“Why does the little blonde one have a gun on her?”

000

“About time you three got back…what was the hold-up?” Jessie asked, looking over at the three girls in front of her as she settled next to Tifa in apartment 201. Aerith was busy fussing over something in her backpack, one hand rummaging through its contents...Nellie and Kyrie looked a little green around the gills as if they’d been through a horrific experience. “I said by 7 at the latest as a joke…not for you ladies to take a trip to Junon and back! Any longer and I was about to get comfy with Cloud.”

Not her best joke and it only got a few pity chuckles…but she was distracted! The redhead was still trying to figure out how this meeting of “sisterhood” was going to go down.

Bigger question–should she take charge or let Tifa lead?

“Sorry about that, we got caught up talking to my mom.” Aerith apologized absentmindedly, finally tossing her backpack in the corner as she walked over and settled into their group circle. “She had about a million questions for Nellie and Kyrie, grilling them about what I’ve been up to and where I’ve been. As if she couldn’t have just asked me herself!” Pinkie scoffed.

“And…would you have told her the truth?” Nayo asked casually with pursed lips, but her eyes were sharp.

A fair question, all things considered.

While it was a rule of thumb for Avalanche to not involve people unnecessarily if they could help it…Jessie understood more than most that a bond between mother and daughter was special. That things, like secrets…tended to be a non-factor. Though Jessica Rasberry didn’t know about her own child’s involvement with the terrorists – in another place, another world where her father wasn’t in a coma – she would have been the first person to know about Jessie’s affiliations. 

The redhead honestly wouldn’t have blamed Aerith if she had clued Elmyra in.

“Nah, wouldn't even know how to start that kind of conversation with my mom.” The mage admitted, squirming a little on her cushion as she got comfortable between Kyrie and Nellie. Flipping her left hand out as if speaking to her mother, she said with faux-seriousness. “Hey Mom, I know you told me to keep out of trouble, but I joined a terrorist cell to fight against Shinra.” Turning her right hand out and staring it down, she continued. “Also, all my friends are sleeping with the same guy…and they might want me to join. What’s your thoughts on that?”

“Okay…fair enough.” Nayo chuckled, leaning back on her arms to look at the flower seller bemusedly. “Can’t imagine having that kind of talk with my own parents. Still…had to ask, you know?”

“My lips are sealed.” Aerith grinned, miming a zipping motion across her lips.

There was a comfortable silence as Tifa poured everyone a drink, handing all the girls a mug. Non-alcohol this time, just freshly squeezed juice. A bit of an extravagance, especially since they lived under the plate where vegetation of any kind just didn’t grow. Yet it felt appropriate for this little enclave of theirs, an unusual drink for an extraordinary situation. It helped set the atmosphere, where there was a sense of anticipation in the air. There was idle casualness in all the girls, yet their stiff movements did nothing to hide the subtle tension beneath their skin. Like a spring coil ready to burst as the friends waited for someone to make the first move.

Unfortunately, nobody did.

‘Alright Rasberry, time to take this bull by the horns–’

A fake cough drew everyone’s attention to Tifa Lockhart.

“Alright ladies, I know everyone is feeling a little off balance…and I’m not gonna lie, I am too.” The fighter began, rubbing her hands nervously as she took a deep breath, yet holding her head up high. “I just wanted to say…I appreciate all of your interest and–cards on the table–I…approve of everyone here joining in. I honestly cannot think of a more wonderful collection of beautiful and kind women to help me with m-my boyfriend. And I’m truly thankful from the bottom of my heart–”

Jessie was impressed!

She always knew Tifa had the potential to be the kind of girl who took what she wanted when she wanted it, especially once she found her resolve…but this was exceeding expectations! Jessie was a little embarrassed for even thinking Tifa couldn’t handle it, and as she watched her friend taking the lead, now knew she shouldn’t have been worried. 

“-but I also don’t think it’s a good idea for you all to join in like this...”

‘Wait…what!?’

“What!?” Jessie asked in surprise, neck creaking from how fast her head whiplashed to the fighter. Everyone was also looking at Tifa in shock, confusion, and even a little hurt. “W-why are you changing your mind? I thought we had a good thing going... did I do something wrong–?”

“Was it something I did?” Nayo interjected, leaning toward the barmaid with a look of barely contained panic on her face. “Cause I don’t know what he told you about last night but I didn’t think–”

“Is it because I want to join?” Nellie asked sadly, looking downtrodden as she stared down at the table. “I’m sorry for trying to force my way in, I didn’t mean to cause trouble. Please don’t punish the other girls because I–”

“W-was it because I told Aerith I wanted to “negotiate” with you?’ Kyrie ventured anxiously, hat in hand and wringing the cap nervously. “Cause I was just joking! I didn’t really expect you to pay me to have sex with Cloud or anything. I understand asking for money…that’s some hooker-like behavior–”

On and on the girls talk over each other trying to figure out what went wrong. Tifa with her hands up, trying to address everyone but being drowned out by the litany of voices from all sides. Through it all, Jessie had to wonder what this meant for her own position in the “harem”, or if there was going to even be one after today.

This was not how she expected this meeting to go…

What the hell happened in that pantry to bring this sudden change!?

A sharp whistle brought everyone's frazzled attention to the only person who hadn’t piled on the barmaid because of the unexpected news.

“Ladies! Let her breathe, and I’m sure she’ll explain.” Aerith admonished the girls, gesturing with her hands for everyone to sit back down. Once people reluctantly settled into their seats once again, she looked across the table, an expression of avid interest on her face. “So what brought this change of mind, if you don’t mind us knowing? Did…someone do something you didn’t like?”

That last bit got the girls to sit up straighter as they waited with bated breath, their unofficial “leader” taking a moment to collect herself.

“No, of course not…nobody did anything wrong,” Tifa reassured them, and despite the apprehensive look in her ruby eyes, still looked set on her decision. Seeing their incredulous stares, she took a deep breath and continued. “As I’m sure you girls know…Cloud and sex, are pretty synonymous in the slums. What some of you might not know, is that when I first started sleeping with him…it was to help a friend manage his addiction, or at least curb the worst of it. It was my admittedly ridiculous solution to his problem, a way for him to get his fix without jumping from one stranger’s bed to the next…"

They all more or less nodded along, despite the multitude of questions on some people’s minds, but kept their silence, wanting Tifa to say her piece.

“Unfortunately…I was hilariously unprepared for actually having sex with him–pretty obvious in hindsight with his kind of reputation–but more importantly…it made me realize my “solution” wasn’t a one-woman job. I needed more girls to help me...“tame the beast” for lack of better words.” She paused for a moment, looking at each girl before seemingly coming to a decision. 

What “decision” Jessie could only guess at…thankfully she didn’t have to wait long.

“And…this might have been selfish on my part, but I only wanted women I could trust…and in turn, would listen to me. Wouldn’t try to take Cloud from me, if I’m being honest.” Tifa blushed in embarrassment as she said this, giving a weak chuckle as she wrapped her hands around her cup for comfort. “Overall, friends willing to jump into bed with us…and hopefully not expect too much in return. I don’t think I need to go over the exact details from there, especially considering we’re all sitting here for a reason. And if I’m being optimistic, I like to think it was working to a point…” 

At that last part, she smiled fondly at Jessie, who could only muster a weak grin in response, dread pooling in her stomach.

“...and what changed?” Aerith asked, voicing the burning question in everyone’s mind.

“I…realized I was just assuming things, instead of asking Cloud his thoughts,” Tifa admitted, looking a little ashamed as she stared at the table, head down. “Making decisions for him because I thought I knew better and not getting his opinion...his feelings. This is going to sound corny, but when me and Cloud went to the back of the bar, when we were intimate…I guess I had an “epiphany”...about myself and him. Many in fact.”

A moment of silence as the girls waited for her to continue, the fighter looking lost in thought.

“Which was…?” Jessie ventured, impatient for the rest, yet almost afraid of the answer… at least till Tifa smiled.

“I…think I’ll keep that to myself…just for now.” The barmaid said unabashedly, cheeks rosy but with her back straight and posture strong. “It’s not that I don’t want to say…I’m just still trying to sort out my own feelings and don’t want to make the mistake of just assuming again.” Looking back at the rest of the girls who had been listening along patiently, she said. “But to make a long story short…I realized I needed to take care of his heart as well as his body. Which means…I need to let him make his own decisions and support them, whatever he decides. And…I don’t think me forcing women on him is the right call…”

“What does that mean for the rest of us?” Nayo asked, crossing her arms and looking at Tifa's uncertainty. “Is this just your way of telling us it's over? Or…?”

“No, I’m happy for you and Jessie to stay if you two are willing,” Tifa said firmly with a smile, reaching out to give both Avalanche girls’ hands and giving them a squeeze. “Just because my methods might have changed, doesn’t mean my goals for Cloud, has. 

The redhead felt herself relax a bit– an action mirrored by the spy on the barmaid’s other side–now that she realized this wasn’t just one long break-up speech, a painfully overdrawn “it’s not you, it’s me” type of scenario. That her friend wasn't declaring that she and Merc were now exclusive and that everyone had to find their fix somewhere else. The (admittedly stupid) thought that Tifa and Cloud might have considered kicking her to the curb…was a painful one to be sure. 

While sex and feelings didn’t exactly mean the same thing to Jessie, especially with the way she was raised…the off chance of being left high and dry by her own friends… may have caused a tightening in her chest.

Thankfully, it was just her thinking worst-case outcome…well, that was a bit of insecurity she was going to lock away firmly in the back of her subconscious. Now she knew it wasn't something she needed to worry about. The redhead almost wanted to slap herself for thinking Tifa and Cloud would send her packing 

Unfortunately, over the sound of Jessie’s own relief, she only just barely registered that Tifa was not done talking.

“-but I think it’d still be a good idea if you girls try dating him a little, in order for everyone to get to know each other.”

Those words cause her synapses to stutter and swerve, like a car trying not to crash headlong into a wall.

“I’m sorry, you want us to… date him ?” Jessie asked incredulously, half tempted to clean her ears with a finger, not sure if she heard the words right. Of all the things she thought Tifa might have said, that was not it. Once again, she had to wonder…what the hell happened in that pantry!?

“Yeah, what about all that stuff about you taking care of his heart?” Nayo chimed in, looking just as confused as the redhead felt.

“...you're not pulling our leg are you?” Aerith asked, looking very surprised and reminding Jessie that there were in fact three other women in the room with them 

There was the same shocked expression that was reflected on Kyrie and Nellie's faces, the younger girls having watched the whole conversation in morbid fascination, although…their gazes were oddly directed more towards the mage as if they couldn’t believe the girl in front of them was real.

‘That’s weird.’

Tifa looked perplexed by the questions as if she was wondering why nobody had paid attention to her explanation.

“This will…” She began slowly, as if enunciating her words might help. “Like I said, no more just throwing women at him…while the sex is good for Cloud, and certainly seems to help him in the short term…the long term is what I’m most concerned about. That despite his “unique” reputation…he’s still the same boy from Nibelheim I grew up with. With all the same morals and values. And…that just like me, sex and love are not two things he can just separate. Now that I had time to reflect, it makes sense why he asked for money before and why he set it so low…it wasn’t about getting paid, it was his way of trying to set boundaries and not develop feelings.”

Jessie could only stare at her friend, wondering what the hell was going on in that head of hers.

“And just in case, dating will give you girls a chance to back out without having to commit to anything. I know my plan is unconventional…and I know better than most that Cloud cuts quite a figure, and for most girls that’s all they need…but I’m hoping you can see past his face and get to know the real him. Hopefully, feelings don’t get tangled and heartbreak is avoided. If anyone is just looking for a few nights of fun…please let me know now and maybe we can figure something else out.”

Jessie couldn’t stay silent…she had to say something! Anything!

“And…what makes you think he can’t detach love from sex?” The redhead asked, the words out of her mouth before she could think.

“Well…” Tifa started shyly, as if she had been waiting for someone to ask but didn’t have the courage to bring up the topic herself. “Before you and Nayo showed up earlier…Cloud asked me out on a date!” Her face was bright red, as luminescent as the underplate lights themselves…but with a happy smile that outshone both. It was almost painful to look at straight on at. “I mean…if he was willing to ask me out, someone he probably considers a sister, I can only imagine how he might end up feeling about the rest of you girls! But knowing Cloud, he’ll probably start getting into his own head about it…uncertain how he’s supposed to approach all of you with his feelings. So…I think it’d just be much simpler if everyone tries dating him a bit, maybe even become his girlfriend if you like him enough, just so he doesn’t have to fret over the ambiguity of our relationship with him. W-would that be fine with everyone?”

A beat, a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever at the earnest question…then a nod from one girl, then another, and another…till every person in the room had given their tacit agreement to the barmaid’s “plan”.

“Great! I…think I’ll let him know all of you like him to get things going, but after that, I’ll back off so everyone can get some one-on-one time with Cloud, without my interference. However, I do want everyone to know that if you do need my help…I’m more than happy to lend my support! I know how nerve-wracking it is to try and jump into a new relationship.” Tifa commiserated with them before she seemed to remember something. “And…if you girls don’t mind, could you have your dates after mine? I know it’s selfish…but I was hoping to plan something special with just me and Cloud…and I wanted to get his undivided attention for that night.”

Once again, another round of dazed nods in confirmation.

“Thanks! This is a little embarrassing to say…but I’ve kind of had a crush on him since we were kids, and I’m hoping to give this a real shot.”

Everyone avoided looking at the beautiful woman as she said this, a general sense of awkwardness that seemed to affect everyone but the barmaid, whose happiness seemed to stop her from reading the room. Every girl did something to distract themselves from the display of pure emotions - Nayo deliberately wiping her glasses clean, Kyrie rubbing the back of her neck in secondhand embarrassment, and Aerith and Nellie taking overly long sips of their drinks.

Even Jessie couldn’t help but stare avidly at the sliver of plate-light peeking through the window curtains.

Surprisingly, after a beat, a hand shot up to get Tifa’s attention.

“Um…” Nellie started, dry swallowing a little, her nerves apparent by the light sheen of sweat on her forehead. “W-would you mind helping me ask Cloud out Tifa? I-I’m not sure how I should approach him…should I dress up? I remember from that novel you lent me…that sometimes the suitor might bring chocolates or flowers…”

Her voice trailed off as a second hand shot up.

“W-what if we can’t afford flowers or chocolates?” Kyrie piped in, her raised arm shaking a little as she spoke, the teen’s expression making it clear even she was surprised at the words coming out of her mouth. “And…what’s the etiquette for who pays? Is it the guy...or me since I’m the one asking?”

“Since I already had sex with him…” Nayo began, looking slightly bemused now that the initial shock of Tifa’s request had worn off. “Is it bad form for me to just jump his bones after our dates? I know you said get to know him…but you can’t really put the genie back in the bottle in this case...”

Seeing Tifa struggle to answer everyone’s questions promptly, Jessie couldn’t help but pile on.

“Since I already live with you…" The redhead began jokingly, smiling wide as she leaned forward to bump shoulders with her friend. “And since we’ve been having threesomes for gods knows how long at this point, does that mean I’m dating you too? You gotta do what you preach after all.”

“Um…yes Nellie I’ll help you.” Tifa started, looking overwhelmed by the sudden influx of questions. “And I don’t think you need to do anything fancy if you're just asking him. Kyrie usually I’d say the person asking…but I think in this case Cloud would insist on paying, so you should just enjoy the date. And no…Nayo I don’t expect to stop having sex with him, I’m not cruel, but please remember he’s not just a piece of meat, there’s a very real and beautiful person there–”

“No objection from me.” The spy reassured her, waving the concern away. “I actually wanted to date Cloud when I first saw him, I just…got caught up with the flow of things.”

“Oh? That’s good to hear, also…sorry? And um, Jessie…I suppose we are…I haven’t really considered it.”

Jessie could only grin at the confirmation. “Well, then…you and me need to figure out our own little date–”

“I thought you said you were already dating Cloud?” A voice interrupted, tone neutral. The group turned to look across the table at Aerith, who had been watching the whole thing, her expression unreadable…at least till a wide smile graced her beautiful face, green eyes seeming to shine. “Why’d you lie to me Tifa?”

The barmaid could only rub one arm abashly, like a child with their hand caught in a cookie jar.

“Oh…about that…funny story…”

Chapter Text

As Elena walked down the long hallway to Tseng's office… she couldn’t stop the nervous energy pumping through her veins, setting her capillaries on fire.

A sudden call to the Department –a single order of her PHS to return promptly– but not a word, or warning, of what for. While secrets were the bread and butter of all Turks, –and discretion a well-worn tool in their arsenal– all this pomp and mystery was causing her heart to beat at an unhealthy rate. And it was getting faster with every step that took her deeper into Shinra HQ, her lonely walk though the most avoided section of the building allowed her negative thoughts to run rampant. 

And it caused an unrestrained bout of jitters to shoot down her hands, forcing her fingers to twitch and tingle...

In anger!

Elena had just graduated! What could she have done wrong already?

The teen had only done like... two jobs for the Company, so far!

...and a few self-imposed extracurriculars, she amended. But it was just in her nature to shoot for the stars!

And that shouldn't have gotten her in trouble! If anything, the Company should be giving her a pat on the shoulder, a handshake from the President, and a plaque immortalizing her hard work! An Employee of the Month accommodation, at the very least…and Employee of the Year if they took the time to understand how much effort she put into upholding Shinra’s reputation, even in her personal life!

After all, how was she gonna outshine her sister in the Turks if she didn’t at least do that much!?

Besides, being an overachiever should be rewarded, not punished!

That gripe caused the blonde to stop dead in her tracks… if only to truly consider that line of thought. 

Perhaps… that was it? Maybe she was thinking about this all wrong… assuming things with too little information?

The message she received didn’t flat out say she was in trouble, she had only assumed the worst case…

Maybe, just maybe -on the off chance she was wrong- it was actually something good? Mayhaps…this unscheduled meeting with her superior was a long overdue praise for not only following her assigned tasks to the “t”...but for going above and beyond by taking on all those personal projects? Could it be…that her beautiful boss was actually planning to congratulate her on her hard work this past week? And all this secrecy was his way of showing recognition without causing jealousy among the other Turks?

…possibly.

The blonde had been extremely diligent in her duties since putting on the black suit… it was only right that such effort as her’s be recognized.

Yes, yes! That made sense! 

But the question stood… which ones?

Maybe for catching those thieving accountants from payroll when she discovered them skimming money from the budget? Combined, those criminals stole at least a thousand Gils! That was a whole payroll period for some of their lower managers at Shinra! Combined! And it certainly was not some “margin of error” like they claimed. Those nerds hadn’t been punished like she wanted when she took her discovery to Tseng…but now everyone knew of their greed! And more importantly, they were on her shortlist. One more slip up and she’d pounce, dragging them before the full might of the law! 

Could it be for that time when she cleared out those teenagers who were spray painting the maintenance tunnels during her off hours? Those little miscreants were causing Midgar to waste good taxpayer money to clean up the mess! If only she hadn’t been wearing sandals at the time…she could’ve caught those delinquents and given their parents an earful! Thankfully, her weekly patrol around the area kept any repeat episodes from happening.

Perhaps when she managed to enforce a “three items only” rule for the Turks' shared refrigerator in their Department? It had gone a long way in making sure all her coworkers had equal space for any personal items or foods they wanted to store…and it kept Reno from clogging up the freezer with his disgusting cantaloupe sorbet dessert! Why couldn’t the man eat ice cream like a normal person!? 

There was a chance that it was about her unapproved investigation into the Avalanche terrorist group…but that turned out alright! When Tseng told her that particular assignment would be headed by Rude, with Reno as backup… she couldn't help but stick her nose in. Because she had a hunch! One developed when she went over the files of all known –or at least suspected– dissidents and all the potential criminal activity related to them. All clues pointed to sector 6…and considering she had time to spare…she had to strike while the iron was hot! Which... led her to maybe do some unauthorized field work in Wall Market, hoping to crack some eggs and see what spilled out.

While it didn’t get her any new leads on the terrorists –or let her catch any bodies with her gun– it did allow her to shake down some of the more unsavory types. Not exactly what she had intended, but it was still a net good, making Midgar and Shinra better for your average citizen!

More than worthy of praise, in her humble opinion…and that was just all the stuff off the top of her head!  

Truly, her achievements –since becoming a fully fledged Turk a month ago– were too many to count.

And Shinra wouldn’t have gotten to where they were today, if they hadn’t taken the time to encourage the talented and driven!

Seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, the investigator couldn’t help but grin as she resumed her journey to Tseng's office, lighter than when she started. Elena’s mind was a buzz of anticipation, anxiety…and now even a bit of growing hope! Scratch that… a whole lot of hope! She couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for her! 

Despite the skip in her step, there was a bit of a nagging doubt in the back of her mind, a…little prick of worry that she might be getting ahead of herself again. That it might be exactly what she had first assumed…that a hammer was coming down on her for some unknown failure. Though what, she couldn’t even fathom. But the thought forced Elena to consider once again the worst-case scenarios, causing a jumbled mess of potential outcomes and what-ifs to flit through her subconscious. It was scary to think she might be wrong –there were so many things this impromptu meeting with Tseng could be for– but she squashed those ugly thoughts quickly, trying to think positively. 

Winners don’t doubt themselves! Cause if you don’t believe in yourself, why should anybody else? 

‘Believe, and you can achieve!’ Or so her mother was fond of saying.

And believe she did…because the teen could practically feel the phantom edges of a reward medal in her hands!

Seeing Tseng’s blackwood door only ten steps away, Elena took a deep breath as she approached, and knocked three times.

“Enter.”

She stepped into the office –making sure to quietly close the door behind her– and approached the wide desk in front of her, stopping at a respectable distance.

“You made good time, but I unfortunately need just a few moments. Pull up a chair.”

Tseng nodded for her to take a seat as he finished signing a few bits of papers, which Elena was more than happy to oblige, taking the chance to get a good peek at her boss as she moved.

Gods, why was he so beautiful? Delicate Wutain features, soft long hair, smooth skin as pale as milk, long limbs, on and on… the works.

She would never admit this out loud, lest it be used against her, but she had an embarrassing weakness for pretty men. Not handsome, but pretty. The borderline feminine ones, that made her want to see them in a dress. The kind that made you want to show them off to your friends and bask in the jealous glares. (Not that she had many of those.) The ones that made you have to fight the impulse to corner them when they were alone…

They were like high-class porcelain she wanted to run her hands across, admiring the fragile beauty. 

Even when Elena was studying to become a Turk through the public applicant exams, with no time for frivolous activities like dating…she couldn’t help but admire some of her classmates at the military academy that met her criteria. It was a distraction…but one she couldn’t work up the energy to regret. Of course, she later found some of them were just very androgynous women –spoiling some of those daydreams– but that there was one that was the genuine article.

And, as per usual, thinking about him caused a spike of anger to warm the back of her neck.

It almost made Elena mad thinking about her former classmate… men like that should be at home learning how to take care of the house and kids, not shamelessly walking around public campuses trying to get an education… practically defenseless. Maybe if he had shown some level of high intelligence or aptitude in some skill it might have been acceptable, like her boss before her…but outside of his face, he was painfully average in anything important…so all moot. 

As her father would say, everyone should know their lane…and stick with it.

Why, had she been a less scrupulous citizen of Midgar, she might have–

“-Elena!” 

 The stern voice snapped her out of her reverie, forcing her to make eye contact with the disapproving stare of Tseng.

‘Shit…’

Definitely not how she wanted this meeting to start.

“S-sorry Tseng, you were saying?”

For a long, and excruciating moment, the older man only looked at her… sizing her up as he artfully reformed the mask of cool indifference on his face. 

“I was saying… I might have an assignment for you.”

‘Oh!?’

That caused her to sit up straighter in her seat as she regarded her boss eagerly.

“Whatever you need, sir!” 

“I said might.” Tseng lightly rebuked her, waving a hand as if to stop the rising tide of excitement building in her chest. “Let's see if you're prepared to handle the particulars of the mission first though.” He opened his desk to pull out a file, handing it to her. “What do you remember of Aerith Gainsborough?”

The question took her by surprise, causing her to scramble for an answer…even looking down at the file folder to buy herself a few sweet seconds.

Aerith Gainsborough: The half Centran

Person of interest for the “The Promise Land Project: Neo-Midgar.”

(Redacted)

(Redacted)

(Redacted)

Elena blinked hard as her long hours of studying finally paid off, the relevant information about the airheaded flower girl came rushing into her mind.

“The supposedly last humanoid Ancient.” The blonde started, letting her mouth run on autopilot as she wondered what kind of trouble the girl had gotten herself into. “Daughter of the scientist Gast Faremis and the Centran priest Ifalna, both recorded as officially dead. Was adopted and currently lives with Elmyra Gainsborough in sector 5 –a former associate of Gainsborough Real Estate through her husband– and frequent volunteer of the Leaf House orphanage.”

The opening was met only with silence, forcing the blonde to try and dig up more half-remembered information about the girl.

“...likes growing flowers in that sector 5 church of hers, and selling the harvest on the plate. Without a permit.” Elena couldn’t help but grumble about that last part. “Has been observed exceptionally with magic, but doesn’t seem inclined to use it for anything other than basic house chores. Used to have a boyfriend in the MIA First-Class Soldier Zack Fair that was never officially documented… but her social life outside of that incident is considered almost non-existent, even friendless if I’m being uncharitable.”

…not that Elena could cast stones at having a small friend group.

“Although…a lot of that is second-hand knowledge.” She admitted, even as she was keenly aware that everything she was saying was already known to the man before her. “I haven't actually done any guard duty for the girl yet and met her.” 

“Good,” Tseng said, nodding in approval at her summary. Steepling his fingers before him, he leaned back casually as he observed his subordinate. “Especially the last two bits…it’s actually part of why I called you in from your patrol.”

“Really?” She asked, feeling a little dumbfounded. “If you don’t mind me asking sir… why?”

Elena had thought it was time to bring the Cetran in and force her to find the Promise Land… or that she already did know something and a bit of light torture was in the books… or that the mage was an irritation that needed rubbing out, and the teen was to be given the kill order… 

All reasonable, and possible… at least till Tseng turns her notions upside down. But why would the fact that Aerith was a friendless loser be relevant? Or her, never having met the girl personally important?

“Because Aerith has been making friends… “ Tseng began, hand rummaging once again on his desk, before pulling out two other files and offering them to her. “Normally I wouldn’t mind... unfortunately, she’s associating with the wrong sort of people. ”

Looking at the new folders, she was surprised to see one was the list and profiles of suspected Avalanche members that she had spent many sleepless nights trying to memorize, and the other was… was her.

In disguise!

“Usually I would send you all in force to deal with them,” Tseng said in amusement, no doubt noting the shocked expression she had on her face. “But Aerith is a special case… and thus any situation with her at the center must be treated with delicacy. Especially after the disastrous results of her mother’s treatment. By order of the President, of course. “ He added on, but she wasn’t fooled. For some inexplicable reason, this beautiful man had a fondness for the pseudo-Ancent. Even if it wasn't a standing order by Rigel Shinra, the expatriate Wutain would still treat the mage with kitty gloves. “But her new camaraderie does allow us an unexpected opportunity… a way to kill two birds with one stone, as it were.”

Already Elena could feel dread at what the man was about to say.

“You will make contact with Aerith, become a companion of hers – protect her from any harm if needed – and integrate yourself into the greater group. All the while you will try to discover if their suspected individuals are actual members of Avalanche. And if so, ply them for information into their inner working –spies, operatives, any potential breach into Shinra– and in time…eliminate them.”

There was a long pause of silence as Elena digested the terrible things she had to do.

‘I have to make friends!?’ The teen thought in horror at having to apply the least practice of her considerable skills, the weight of her assignment crushing her like a mountain. ‘Why can’t I just shoot them!?’

000

As Scarlet stared out the skyline window of her apartment and sipped on her third glass of wine –a butler close by, holding a bottle with shaky hands– her mild annoyance was starting to morph into real irritation.

Her servants shivered slightly in the corner, left to imagine the worst if something didn’t happen soon.

‘She’s late! Again!’

Time was of the essence, and her sister was ruining her plans with every second she wasted! 

Just because it was Ginger’s first day back in the city, didn’t mean she should shirk her commitments!

But what did she expect out of the woman!? You would think decades of military service –and an officer's command of the greatest army in the world–  would hammer out those bad habits. Or at least teach her punctuality! One would hope that weeks of the sisters not seeing each other would light a bit of urgency under her big butt… but no! Ginger was just as much of an inconsiderate layabout at 38 as she was at 18! Just like when they were kids! That tomboy had no consideration for the effort she put in to set this dinner…for the time constraints of her older sibling’s position!

There were some people who waited weeks, if not months, for the brilliant engineer to grace them with a simple meeting.

She still remembered that one fool who committed career suicide in an attempt to get 15 minutes of her attention.

And the thing he sacrificed his job for? Trying to show her blueprints for a jetpack of all things. And a shoddily designed one at that!

All that effort got him, was a firing and banishment from Midgar.

Scarlet was a goddamn Executive of Shinra’s Board! She would not be treated like this! By her own little sister! The Director had had people whipped for lesser offenses! Dragged off for a few days of prison time even! 

Only the fact that this meeting was of vital importance, kept the scientist’s temper in check.

Still… when she got her hand on that big-boned bitch–

Whoosh!

The beautiful blonde snapped her head in the direction of her front door, watching as her sister stumbled through the metal entrance and into the foyer. 

A very tall woman at 6ft, muscular build for decades of military service and –Scarlet begrudgingly admitted to herself– attractive blonde with hair cut just below the ears and sapphire for eyes. A surprisingly clean and unblemished appearance overall, in face and body, –almost youthful one could argue– despite having fought in wars and battles for Shinra over many years. 

Strong family genetics, Scarlett thought with no small amount of vanity, reminiscing on her own stunning looks.

But of course, her sister had to muddy the almost envious appearance, by wearing her goddam uniform… 

This was supposed to be a dress-only occasion!

“Where the hell–”

“Sorry, sorry.” Ginger cut in casually, waving away the doorman who tried to help as she shrugged off her red officer’s coat and hat, placing both on the rack by the door as she shook her blonde hair straight. “I got called in last minute for an incident as I was leaving the checkpoint… there was some jurisdiction dispute between the infantry units and the highway patrol over in sector 3. Something or other about equipment usage. Still can’t make heads or tails of it even after I got everyone settled.”

Well... better late than never, the engineer supposed. Besides, the clock was ticking! She instead forced her anger down, gesturing for her sister to follow.

“...and they needed a Commander to step in?” Scarlet asked in disbelief as she turned to lead them to the dining room. As they walked down the long hallway to their destination, she snapped her fingers for the servants to get off their lazy butts and set the table ahead of them. Idly, she wondered if her sister was on someone’s shitlist. Or if this was a roundabout attack on the Director herself. Because her internal danger alarms were ringing loud and clear. “Seems more like grunt work for a sergeant…or a particularly useless lieutenant. Not a decorated officer…”

Otherwise, this reeked of political bullshit… or at the very least, pettiness from higher up the food chain.

Despite her many accolades, Ginger had an unconscionable amount of people who were of a more senior rank than her. People who, for all intents and purposes, had the legal authority to push her little sister around out of malice or envy. Especially once they knew of the familial relationship she had with the Head of Advanced Weaponry and Development. And once they knew, they smelled blood. Typical of vultures and weaklings. After all, just because Scarlet was untouchable, didn’t mean the people around her were… and that invited a lot of bad actors. And despite all reason, many saw that as enough justification to throw their weight around and poke the Tonberry… as if she wasn’t going to make them pay for it a hundredfold.

Maybe she had been too relaxed recently? Allowed too many slights and barbs to go unanswered and unpunished? Perhaps a few mysterious disappearances were in order to set the record straight again?

To draw a very red line in the sand, if needed.

The Director might have to crack down on quite a few idiots… if this incident turned out to be anything less than coincidental.

“Typically… no.” Her sister replied easily, pushing through the double doors and kicking off her boots to the side. 'Ugh, the neanderthal'. She ambled over to the dining table where all the food lay, hot and ready as if they hadn’t been sealed in the last hour due to her tardiness. It was a delicious selection of prime meat cuts and seafood, each favored by the other respectfully. And of course, a dozen different flavors of cake for later for them to enjoy. After all, what was the point of being rich if you couldn’t indulge in what you wanted? “But it was such a… unexpected emergency that they didn’t have anyone of appropriate rank to help arbitrate the situation. So of course, I answered the call.” 

“...but of course,” Scarlet answered nonchalantly, casually taking her own seat at the head of the table, even as she waved a dismissive hand for the servants to get the fuck out and give them privacy. Only a few of the…“trusted” servants were allowed to stay and serve them. She wasn’t going to cater for herself, after all. “ …and who did give the call? Which of our illustrious military leaders sent you… to handle things.”

Because anyone less than Heidegger was going to wake up to a decidedly less stellar day tomorrow.

Ginger stopped mid-cut from where she had been portioning her steak, placing her utensils down gently and looking up to give her older sister a very unimpressed look.

“Stop.” The woman said firmly, inflecting her “Commander” voice as if that at all affected the beautiful scientist.

“What?” Scarlet asked innocently, forking a bit of lobster and bringing the morsel to her lips.

Very casual-like.

“Not every inconvenience or incident is a play against you,” Ginger said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and tossing it onto the table as she stared her sister down, cutting right into the meat of it all, as usual. Absolutely no subtlety, this one. “Sometimes a situation is just that…a situation. A thousand of them happen every day, to everyone big and small. And if, for some inconceivable reason it’s exactly as you believe, not every slight demands a response. Or in your case, an over violent action. Sometimes… you can be the bigger woman and let things go.”

The two beautiful women stared at each other for a long time – one in tired challenge over an argument never resolved, the other in defiance at being reprimanded –  a never-ending battle of wills that harkened back to their childhoods.

A clash that could last hours if needed. Had run for hours over many arguments through their decades of familial love.

At least, till Scarlet cracked a smile.

“That fact that you truly believe that little sister…” The Executive began jovially, barely holding her chuckle back as she pointed upwards. “Is why I get to make decisions…” She gestured out towards the Commander, palm up as she sipped on her wine. “And you take orders. Like you always do.”

Ginger only grunted in response, clearly unfazed by the jab.

“Not every battle is fought in the trenches, covered in mud and blood, wishing you were anywhere but there.” Scarlet continued, crossing her legs and leaning back, idly wondering if she truly should skip the pleasantries and just get into why she wanted to meet with her sister so urgently. “A thousand wars are fought, and won, every day in a humble office. Without a single bullet ever being fired. Why–”

“Enough of you fake sophistry.” The Commander cut in, already bored with the scientist’s speech, and wanting to get on with it. Waving her hand at the plate in front of her, she continued. “Every second you waste, my meal gets colder… so just get on with whatever it is you're trying to ask me. And spare us both the circus.”

Once again the sisters stared each other down –blue vs blue– before Scarlet snapped her fingers, dismissing the rest of her servants from the dining room.

 “...and what makes you think this isn’t a casual dinner between sisters who haven’t seen each other in a while?” She asked, somewhat rhetorically, as she watched the last of the interlopers shuffle out of the room.

“I could believe that… if you didn’t all but demand I meet you the very hour I stepped into the city,” Ginger answered with a tilt of her head as if to say it was obvious. Scarlet suppose it was –credit where credit was due– her sister wasn’t stupid. Far from it. Just very disinclined to use it for something truly worthwhile… like science and weapons! “And the fact that my unit, and several others, were pulled out of our post in Junon and told to return to Midgar… all without a real explanation other than “you’re needed.” has caused an irritable itch in the back of my head.” Settling back in her chair to regard her older sister, as if to suss out from her expression alone, she continued. “A somewhat reasonable response to the reactor bombing, I suppose… if it hadn’t happened months ago and not a single finger was lifted then. So care to fill in the blanks for why now?”

“No,” Scarlet said simply, draining her glass and reaching for the bottle of wine. Looking at her little sister seriously as she uncorked the vintage, she said. “Like I said, when you spend your whole life taking orders, you don’t get to know why decisions are being made.”

“...then why am I here?”

“Because I need you.” 

 Really? That’s it?” Ginger could only narrow her eyes at the vague response, arms crossed as she considered her words. “ Care to elaborate?”

“Not if you want to wake up an only child tomorrow.” 

“...that serious?”

“You never know who’s listening.”

Scarlet only shrugged her shoulders casually, but the implied severity of the situation was clear to both women. 

“I will give you this though.” The Director offered, taping her fingers in rhythm along the wood of the table. “By the end of this week, your troops may be seeing a lot of action. So make sure you men are well supplied and cared for. Because there may be a… considerable amount of chaos that follows. I don’t suspect anything unsightly will happen to us, or anymore we care about, but just in case… I need to know you’ll have my back, no matter how the wind blows. That... if I gave you an order, you’d follow through, no questions asked. ”

“That’s… a lot to take in…” The Commander said slowly, imitating her sister’s motion with her own tap of a single finger. “You think you or mom might be in danger? If so… you need to tell who and how, so I can intervene–”

“Oh please, Ginger,” Scarlet said with an eye roll in exasperation. “I am the danger… so don’t worry your pretty little head about the details. And I could give two flying hoots about that crusty old cougar, so settle down.” Ignoring her sister’s grimace, she continued. “Depending on how my Board meetings with the other Executives go leading up… I might make a move.”

The Commander's eyes widened in surprise.

“You can’t… seriously be trying to make a power play against the Old Man, are you? Cause no matter how you personally feel, I’m still loyal–” 

“Of course not,” Scarlet said dismissively, swatting the concern away with a wave of her hand. “Trying to take that crown from the old buzzard, with anything less than a hundred Sephiroth’s at your back, is hazardous for your health. I like living and plan to do so for many years, so don’t get your hopes up.”  

The joke only got a scoff in response.

“But your thoughts are in the right direction.” She continued, smiling slightly and she internally salivated at the thought of putting those fools in their place. “Aim a little lower… and you just might hit a bullseye.”

Silence as Scarlet’s words sunk in.

“That… is a very dangerous game you're playing,” Ginger said slowly, the implication sending her reeling. “And why now? Why would this “chaos” make you think you can get away with it?”

She let long and unbearable silence be her response, the time for details was over.

“So…” Scarlet began, running a thumb along the edge of her wine glass, heart thrumming in opposition to her calm expression. “Can I rely on you?”

For a third time that evening, a staring match of clashing wills. A locking of eyes as each woman sized the other up, trying to gain just a bit more information from the other.

“...were sisters, do you really have to ask?”

Scarlet could only smile as the pieces of her plan began falling into place. Time and people were starting to move perfectly into a tune, already letting her imagine the perfect moment when all of it would bear fruition. One that she longed for since becoming the Head of Advance Weaponry, and forced to tolerate the presence of her lessers.

And if her plan met some resistance? Forced her to take things to their logical conclusion? Well... who would blink at a couple of bodies turning up?

After all, there was a madman killing Directors… what were a few more?

000

Jenova was getting impatient!

She wanted to know what her girls’ were up to!

And yet…here Cloud was, just laying in bed and decidedly not using his super hearing to eavesdrop on the room of beautiful women next door. The goddang doofus. He was just staring at some hole in their ceiling like some schmuck–debating with himself if he should go out and buy some materials to fix it– but otherwise just twiddling his thumbs, waiting for their girls to return. What was the point of being enhanced if you didn’t use your powers here and there for a little self-indulgent fun?

Just because Jessie said it was a private meeting, didn’t mean they couldn’t listen in on a word or two. 

(I wonder what they’re talking about… and why Aerith, Kyrie, and Nellie are there?)

Yes! 

Even his thick skull was wondering what was happening, yet frustratingly, he was still not doing anything about it! 

Cloud was lucky Jenova couldn’t just take control of his body and make him do stuff…that would solve so many of her problems if she could. Unfortunately, she was stuck in his head as a backseat passenger, trying to gingerly step around the shattered glass that was his psyche and clean up the mess. She couldn’t exactly get comfortable up here when every time she tried to relax, she got stabbed by some random bits of trauma from Cloud’s past. 

Cause, goddam, Hojo did a number on her Chosen.

Seriously, she was glad Red killed the madman…because that loon really messed with her boy’s head. Even now, almost every memory centered around the dead professor was still locked behind some mental vault that even with all of her power, she couldn’t open! 

And the few that got out? Cra~zy stuff. Some of those things were liable to give her nightmares.

(You know what? I'll fix that ceiling before they get back.)

‘...son of a bitch.’ Jenova groused in disbelief.

And he was making good on his word, as the merc slipped on his boot and attached his sword to its holster.

Cloud was getting further and further away from the action! What kind of man walked away from the room full of beautiful women!? That was practically an orgy waiting to happen! He should be doing everything in his power to get in there, like a fox in a hen house!

‘...’

…did she just use a farming analogy? Gods why did her Chosen Vessel have to be from the sticks? He was infecting her mind with all these small-town values, superstitions, and catchphrases…seriously, what the fuck!? She was an alien, she shouldn’t be getting bombarded with this stuff! The moment she had enough power to make her own body, she was going to give this chocobo head a piece of her mind!

...after their celebration orgy for her revival, of course. Jenova had to keep her priorities straight even in anger, after all.

That being said, she could only watch glumly as Cloud opened the front of the apartment door –to go buy plaster coating of all things–...only to run head first into a robed figure! The force of their collision, knocking the poor soul to the ground as if he weighed no more than a feather. The mystery man lay practically unmoving on the floor, weakly gasping for air as Merc stood shocked by their uninvited guest.

‘Holy shit, we’re gonna get sued!’

“R-Reunion…” The robed figure gasped out, stretching a shaky hand out towards the pseudo-goddess and her Vessel.

‘Oh gross, this guy needs some sunlight.’ Jenova quipped, noting how pale and veiny the outstretched limb was. ‘Or a clinic! Do the rulers of this era not take care of their people anymore or something?’

“Marco?” Cloud asked in surprise, already reaching a hand to pull the fallen man back on his up…only for the other man to scramble back onto his feet almost frantically. “Whoa! Are you alright? Where have you been? Tifa and Marle were about ready to send a search party for you.”

The only response was a raspy breath as the man –now standing on his unsteady feet– clung to the Blonde’s shoulder pauldron.

“R-Reunion…” Marco whispered once again.

“Right…” Cloud said slowly, rubbing his forehead a little, only now remembering that the robed man could only say one word. “Let’s just get you back to your apartment and I’ll tell Marle where you are…and we’ll let her make a decision on what to do with you. C’mon.”

‘Reunion? Where have I heard that before?’ Jenova pondered as she watched the merc try to herd the mystery man. ‘Now that I got a good look at this guy…he seems kind of familiar. Wait! Is he one of my Chosen!? Hey Cloud you need to–’

Unfortunately, before this moment the alien had no time to truly ponder the implications of being so close to another of her Children, especially those with a mutated version of her Cells…nor was she able to warn her Vessel away until she had time to think and consider the potential repercussions of these bastardized genomes absorbing her energy.

Because the most extraordinary thing happened.

As the ex-Soldeir tried to guide the other man back to his apartment –a one-in-a-million chance instance had occurred– a slip of the robe’s sleeve down Marco’s arm, Cloud reaching out absentmindedly to direct his neighbor towards room 203. It was only after they stepped past the door –the heavy metal swing shut to lock in the frame, thus shutting them from the eyes of the world– that it happened. It was brief, it was unintended, but for an innocuous moment…the two Soldiers made skin contact.

Time froze, and three minds collided. 

And four things happened…

The first was a sudden pulse of psionic energy that jumped out from where Marco touched Cloud. An invisible dome that grew bigger and faster, the entire thing imperceptible to the human eye, yet rolling out in relentless waves under the plate, bouncing off every individual who bore the proof of Hojo's brilliance and strengthening the "signal". The wave spread throughout all of Midgar…throughout all of the Eastern Continent…throughout all of Gaia.

On and on it went, the shimmering force covering the planet. Most were unaware of what was happening… but a select, special few couldn’t ignore the burst of power even if they tried. It was the general populace, it was no more noticeable than a breeze but for those with a connection to the mysterious alien…it was like a sledgehammer to the skull.

And among those…the most notable was the enigmatic blacked-robed men –who, for the first time in years– turned away from the Northern Crater…and back towards Midgar.

The second event was when Third-Class Soldier Marco Salazar felt an indescribable amount of energy pulse through his body, searing every nerve-ending and cell till it felt like his body was dipped in lava! And it grew hotter and hotter still. The burning feeling rending every inch of flesh on his bone till he was sure that he was going to go mad from pain or meet sweet oblivion...

...only for it to stop an instant later –no more time than it took to snap your fingers– skin and marrow undamaged as if the pain had been a figment of his imagination. Like he had fallen asleep standing up…and was only just waking from a nightmare.

No, that wasn’t true. 

Because Marco felt strong.  

Stronger than he had in years. As if the last four years of his shattered mind being trapped in his decaying body hadn’t happened. 

Like the diseased G-Cells in his body, which had been killing him slowly, had suddenly been pulled out of his body…and replaced with something even better.

The Ex-Soldier could only stare in disbelief as he looked down at his hands –whole and healthy, once again– the white pigment of his hair returning to its natural crimson, and the silent thrumming of mako in his veins healing residual damage and malnourishment of his Soldier Decay.

The third was the alien God-Queen Jenova, who, with the sudden surge of energy…she remembered. A lot. 

And none of it was hers. 

A premature Reunion event with people…who were distinctly not her Chosen.

It was as if the spirits of her fake Children suddenly fought to fill her head –like bits of iron ore to a super magnet– with as much of their life experience as they could. Some of them were physically next to her…some long dead, their essence by happenstance, close by. The memories of the Third-Class Soldier before her came flooding into her head –giving her the memories of his time in Shinra, the process used to turn him superhuman with her cells (which had been very hamfisted), the Wutai War, etc– but it didn’t stop there…the memories of other pseudo-Chosen kept flooding her head till she was able to force the influx closed. 

She only managed to stop at seven.

So many memories…so many emotions, wants, dreams… anger. 

Especially towards Shinra.

Experience upon experience merged into her mind. An almost overwhelming amount that would have driven a mortal insane…but settled quite peacefully into her psychic. 

She loved it…

Because... that sudden flood of information? It gave her possibilities, and a plan....one that was going to net her a whole lot of cuties.

The fourth event was a strange mix of two and three, a sudden spike of energy and power…not the physical kind that burned through Marco’s veins…but a psychic one, as if Cloud’s mind had expanded beyond its metaphysical borders. The merc bearing the full brunt of the three minds clashing.

And…if only for a brief moment, his mind had connected with an abstract being beyond human understanding. 

The sudden contact with this otherworldly being shattered Cloud’s already broken mind…only for the psychic energy to rebuild it stronger and whole. For the first time in months…his thoughts and feelings were his own.

And somehow during that painful process…in an accidental twist of fate, he managed to steal some of this Ancient creature’s secrets.

But which ones?

The blonde couldn’t even begin to comprehend, not now at least…because he had bigger things to worry about. Such as the flooding of memories in his skull. But this wasn’t the animus of fallen Soldiers suddenly invading his mind like it was with Jenova. No…this was smaller, but much more important…much more precious. 

They were his memories.

In that instant, in that moment of forced enlightenment for the room’s three occupants… Cloud remembered everything.

He remembered Nibelheim... and promptly fainted.

Chapter Text

“Keep the change.”

“...yes, ma’am.” The carriage driver replied in disbelief, but smart enough to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he stuffed the extra Gil in his vest and snapped the reins in a hurry, no doubt eager to get as far away from her as possible, lest she change her mind and demand the rest of the money back.

Cissnei should only shake her head in amusement as the man sped away on his Chocobo. 

Sometimes, the redhead Wutain forgot what it was like in the city, in the slums, where things like charity and basic human kindness were... far and few. 

A dog eats dog world.

‘Or a cat scratch cat… maybe fish, nibble on fish?’ She thought humorously, trying her hand at small-town humor. ‘Kind of like during basics.’

The fact that she could find laughter in her rough upbringing at the orphanage, and later harsh training at The Facility… only reinforced how detached she was from her past life, and how readily she embraced the new.

Gongaga, and its village kindness, had truly spoiled her.

Yet, here she was. Dipping a toe back into that dark world… based on nothing but a rumor, a half-baked hunch, and desperate hope. 

Tugging the hood of her cloak down lower, she made the short walk past one of the few working security gates between sectors 5 and 6, letting the AI scan her fake passports as she strolled along. She internally breathed a sigh of relief that she was able to get into Midgar –and its lower city– without incident. The only speed bump was that one caravan smuggler who demanded she pay for his services with something a little more physical.

So she did… although, a broken jaw and fractured wrists probably wasn’t what he had intended.

Taking a deep gulp of polluted air, Cissnei mentally went over what she needed to do… and followed the crowd towards Wall Market.

Well, not before picking up a broken 2-by-4 to use as a cane. 

Stretching out her left hand, palm up, the former Turk lowered her shoulders, hunched her back, and slowed her pace till she was basically just limping along. But made sure each step was uneven to emphasize how unsteady and awkward her rhythm was… just another broken tramp looking for coin or a handout.

An on-in-a-million slum girl down on her luck. But with a countenance that said it wasn’t worth the time or effort to traffic this vagabond, no matter how easy the score was. Didn’t need to even look under the hood to tell she was probably an ugly one, the body language alone basically screamed that, so… not worth much Gil even if you were inclined.

Especially, if she was desperate –or mental– enough to come to this den of “thieves and whores” looking for kindness.

And as it were… no one gave her a second glance. 

Even had a group of street toughs give the redhead a wide berth, probably in fear of catching something… which wasn’t an unreasonable concern under the plate, all things considered. Due to the smog, pollution, and general uncleanness, half the people in the slums were sick with something or other. Still, the assassin made sure to cough extra hard when they passed, enjoying the sight of them picking up their pace, all while trying to keep their nonchalant swagger.

Shaking her head, with just a hint of a smile, Cissnei pushed on, keeping to the edges of the moving throng of people… eventually entering the heart of Don Corneo’s territory.

She took a moment to glance around, eyes constantly flickering and searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Metal shanty buildings and retrofitted shipping containers lined the streets hazardously, creating odd and somewhat confusing turns and alleyways. Hanging lights and neon signs covered everything, giving the illusion of clean and exciting, the brightness hiding the rust and dirt just below the illumination. Various carts, merchants, and ne’doers –selling everything from foods to trinkets, and other “services” of all kinds– took up posts around the bigger shops in an obvious attempt to find business and victims. And of course, the signs advertising the bigger shops and its entertainments covered every inch of bare wall, with the Corneo Cup being the most obnoxious.

However, it was the people she was most aware of.

There was the typical clientele –outsider criminals going from one job to the next with shoulders hunched, terrified newbies who trailed along after (no doubt realizing how deep in the shit they were), over-indulgent young people enjoying the pleasures and debauchery of Wall Market. 

And of course the locals… all bright smiles and hard eyes. Their backs, always to the walls as much as they can manage, and their hands always hovering around certain body parts, no doubt near concealed weapons. Happy for the continuous influx of tourism and gil from these outside thrill seekers, but with no delusions of what these “out-of-towners” may think they could get away with if they flashed enough money around.

And considering the horrifyingly high missing people rates in sector 6… the locals had legitimate concerns.

Although… to be fair, two-thirds of those cases were just Shinra snatching up people off the streets for experimentation or recruitment.

Cissnei herself was an example of a kid getting bagged when she strayed too far from her orphanage.

But no time to ponder over her terrible childhood, because once she confirmed that she wasn’t being followed, even the locals dismissed her after one glance… she took a sharp left on Silken Road, before entering a dark alleyway towards her destination. Plate light was nearly blacked out in a pseudo-tunnel, the opening overhead covered by hanging rooftops and clothing on strings left out to dry. As the redhead walked the stretch of dirt to the other side, she kept a firm hand on one of her shuriken under the cloak. After all, you never really knew what was hidden in one of these dark passages –a prime place to set a trap– and even a Turk, former or not, could get overwhelmed if they aren’t prepared.

Thankfully, she made it to the other side without incident, the back entrance of the massage parlor just up ahead. 

Taking one last cautionary glance around, she made it to the entrance in record time, knuckles already beating out a signal knock for identification–

“Password!”

Cissnei could only blink in confusion as the voice on the other side of the metal demanded some codeword… at least till she remembered who she was dealing with, and the redhead rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Open up… before I break your fancy door.” The assassin said, no real heat behind her words, but already tired of the city and its people… and it’s only been a day! She couldn’t wait to go back to Gongaga… hopefully with a few extra people in tow if her luck held out. “You got five seconds before I put my foot through the–”

The door swung open immediately.

There stood an older Wutain woman, somewhere in her mid to late thirties –with the typical dark hair and pale skin usually associated with most of their people–  beautiful, tall, slender, with quite the bosom. All wrapped up in a fancy dark kimono reminiscent of old Wutain culture, with one sleeve pulled down to show a tantalizing, if tasteful amount of skin.

A bewitching package meant to beguile the gullible and take a sucker for all they were worth.

Unfortunately for the matron, all was wasted on the redhead.

“Fine, fine! Just get in you brat!” Madam M almost shouted, gesturing frantically for Cissnei to enter. Once the redhead stepped into the hallway, the older Wutain quickly shut the entrance and locked it, before rounding on the younger woman. “I thought you Blacksuits were all about secrecy and stealth! You know, discretion?”

“I’m more of a cloak-and-dagger kind of girl.” The assassin said dismissively, taking a moment to shrug off her actual cloak and look around the narrow hallway. And not at all true, Cissnei was an expert at going undercover. Practically half her jobs under Shinra had been long-term spy missions. “Not seeing me till it’s too late is all the stealth I need. And dead men tell no tales, so there’s your secrecy. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that, Maru.”

Also not technically true… she’s only done about maybe a dozen assassination missions in her lifetime despite it being one of her more pronounced skills. A shockingly low amount compared to her former coworkers. It was mainly due to the fact that when Shinra wanted you dead, they’d want you –and everyone else- to be very aware of who was responsible… if not outright spell it out.

Plausible deniability or something.

So… more execution than assassination, if the redhead was splitting hairs.

And the loud stuff tended to be left up to Rude or Reno, with her as a backup in case the unexpected happened.

But Cissnei made sure to look at the other woman as she said that last part, making certain an impression was left. They held eye contact for a brief moment before the shopkeeper broke away in agitation. The redhead didn’t necessarily enjoy threatening people -implied or explicit-  but never could be too careful with these Wall Market people. Especially the ones who sat in positions of power and made it a habit of sacrificing their own people to Corneo.

Cissnei understood doing what it took to survive… but that was a little much even for her.

Say what you will about Shinra –and she knew enough horror stories about them to fill a library– at least when they no longer had use for you, they gave you a clean death. 

Er… cleanish death. 

Madam M may be a pillar of stability and authority in sector 6, but all that net good didn’t wash out the terrible things the woman has done -will keep doing- in defense of said autonomy.

So no, while Cissnei didn’t like threatening people (or even being rude in general), this was one of those situations she didn’t regret reminding the Matron of the implied violence she was capable of. 

Seeing that the woman was sufficiently cowed – for now – she turned her attention to her surroundings, trying to analyze what she saw.

The walls were well maintained if worn. A clock on the left near some stairs, a painting on the right, a few cabinets and desks scattered about, a fake potted plant or two… nothing obviously out of place. No indication of people close by, well… outside of a few muffled voices coming from the other side of the building, where the parlor business was.

It didn’t seem like an ambush. Still… she made sure the knives under her sleeves were nice and loose.

Casually hanging up the disguise on a hook, she nodded to the proprietress. “Where is she?”

Even as the woman avoided her eyes, it did nothing to curb the acid on her tongue.

“Hmph! No finesse with these young ones!” Madam M complained under her breath, even as she began walking towards the stairs, making sure not to touch Cissnei as she passed (smart woman), and led them up. “Your better half showed up thirty minutes ago… with a password ready! And she has been waiting very quietly and demurely since then… all without a single threat of kicking down other people’s doors. You could stand to learn a lesson or two about etiquette from her!”

The ex-Turk could only roll her eyes as she followed the woman up the steps and down the hall to the far-end door.

They stopped just in front of it, with the proprietress giving a sharp rhythmic knock to announce themselves. 

There was no answer.

Maru glanced nervously at Cissnei as the silence stretched on, hand half raised to open the door and fidgeting in place as she stalled. And, for what felt like the hundredth time today, Cissnei rolled her eyes, reaching for the handle even as she palmed one of her blades.

The door swung open and in just a split second, the redhead assessed the threat.

A basic room –windowless for privacy, a beaten-up couch on one side, and a center table with a few chairs in the middle– very sparse and utilitarian. 

Nothing really dangerous, thankfully.

Well, except for the blonde girl eating a bowl of soup in the middle.

Now that… was danger incarnate.

Early twenties, slim, kind of short, blonde with blue eyes that falsely sparkled as if in humor. A cute girl who didn’t look out of place in general, despite the overdone “slum people” disguise she was wearing. Although… that may have been to hide the athletic build underneath, or the three gun outlines Cissnei could just make out from where she stood.

A woman truly living up to her former code Turk codename of “Gun”.

“Howdy,” Emma said, with a limp wave of her hand, her focus still completely on her food as she spooned up another mouthful. 

“Nice disguise… you got rooting in someone’s garbage for that?” Cissnei teased, trying to gauge the woman’s reaction.

They were sort of friends, and had good camaraderie… but months of no contact could change a lot of circumstances.

“At least it’s practical. You look like you took a dip in a very pink rainbow.” The blonde shot back with a grin, licking her utensil. With an over-exaggerated jerk of her head, as if she just remembered something important, the blonde pointed with her spoon down at her soup. “Oh darn, where are my manners… want some?”

The redhead almost smiled at the other woman’s own weak attempt to throw her off balance.

Nothing malicious of course, just a little dance among Shinra’s former black ops.

“...I’ll pass but thank you.” Cissnei said politely, playing along as she crossed the distance of the room and sat in the opposite chair from the “exiled” Turk. Settling into her seat, the redhead half-turned to the masseuse. “Make sure we’re not disturbed, nobody up those stairs for at least a few hours. Use any excuse you want… but I won’t be held responsible if someone stumbles across us. That includes you.”

One last parting threat against any attempts at eavesdropping. The assassin didn’t think the woman would… but people were always unpredictable, even in the best of times. 

“Fine.” Madam M grumbled, clearly irritated at being banned from certain parts of her own establishment. Despite her huffines, and keen awareness of the two killers in the room, she still hesitated by the door frame. “So… about what we spoke about….”

Cissnei could only raise an eyebrow in confusion, before turning back towards her former companion for an explanation.

Gun only smiled.

“Already done.” She answered, raising her cup in mock salute before downing the water. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand rather uncouthly, she added. “Check the secret compartment of your office desk. The one hidden under your finance ledgers and blackmail. I left proof and a note with all the details.”

Well, that wasn’t ominous.

“Excellent!” Maru said happily with a clap of her hand, not even fazed by the invasion of her privacy. But to be fair, when dealing with Turks, who really expected them not to snoop? Smiling for the first time today, she slowly backed out of the room now that she didn’t have to force herself to stay. “We’ll… don’t mind me then ladies! I’ll leave you two to get on with it!”

And without another word she turned around and left, closing the door behind her with aplomb.

“Do I want to know?” Cisnnei asked her coworker with raised brows, once she turned back to face the blonde. 

“Meh, typical criminal power plays. A dime a dozen.” Emma said nonchalantly, scooping up the last of her meal before dropping the spoon back into the bowl and dry-rubbing her hands. She crossed her arms (Cissnei, keenly conscious of how close her right hand was to her left holster) and slouched a little in her chair to regard the redhead. “A big deal for Madam M, an afternoon stroll for me… but pointless information for a “country girl” like you. And absolutely nothing to do with the job you had me do.”

The subtle rebuke to mind her own business was noted.

“Fair enough.” Cissnei conceded, before laying her kunai between them as a symbolic peace offering. Both girls knew that one knife did not at all lower the potential violence should things turn ugly between the former companions… but from the way Gun jovially plopped a bullet shell on the opposite of the blade, the gesture was appreciated nonetheless. They were friends to a point… but it was nice to have an understanding. ”So… all our cards on the table. What do you got for me?”

“No sign of Zack Fair… and Cloud Strife seems to be fucking half of Midgar.”

The redhead could only blink in surprise at the blunt answer, her heart dropping even as her molars nearly cracked in an effort to not ask a thousand questions. Instead, she answered simply. “Oh.”

“Fair’s trail went cold in the wastelands just outside of the city.” Emma elaborated, reaching beneath the table to pull out a notebook and slide it towards her fellow Turk. “There was a hell of a battle with lots of dead infantrymen –the 13 infantry unit nearly wiped out to the man– despite how hard Shinra tried to hide that fact. Trunks full of bodies… but your boyfriend? Vanished. Officially KIA in the Company’s records, though… that was from when we cleaned up Nibelheim.”

“Not my boyfriend,” Cissnei muttered dispassionately, even as her hands tightened ever so slightly as she cracked open the paperback to read the notes. The... reminder of those two disappearing, despite how hard she searched for them before the battle, still cut her deep. “And I already knew that much.”

“So you did.” The blonde responded, some sympathy bleeding through despite trying to stay professional. “I dug Cissnei… trust me I did, no stone unturned. But the records seem legit… and nothing to indicate that even took the body after the battle. Either your boy’s in the wind… or some compassionate fool buried him somewhere out in the desert. I’m sorry.”

Cissnei only nodded to acknowledge the words, her heart cracking under her blank expression. 

Again.

The “official” records Shinra kept, and the doctored words written tended to be worth less than the paper used in those files. But if both she and Gun couldn't find anything hidden within the Company’s servers and black sites…

Then there just wasn’t any point in denying it, despite how much it hurt… Zack was dead.

Some small part of her always hoped –despite the logical side of her telling her to face reality– if only for his parent's sake, and not hers. Such kind and generous people didn’t deserve the unfairness of it all.

And wasn’t that just another knife into her heart… the memory of their sad faces when she told the village she had to leave for a time.

Made her wonder why she did this to herself –get her hopes up at the cost of others– after coming to terms with reality months ago. But the sudden rumors of a Soldier doing mercenary work in Midgar… and a certain blonde infantryman’s sexual exploits reaching her contacts, had set her mind abuzz till she couldn’t ignore the wild stories anymore.  

Cissnei knew traveling all the way to the capital from Gongaga was likely going to result in heartbreak and fresh wounds… but she also knew she’d regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t at least try.

But at least there was some good news.

“And Cloud Strife? You’re certain he’s alive?”

“More than that… he’s living his best life as far as I can tell,” Emma explained, tossing another composition book the redhead’s way. “Can’t speak much on the validity of those rumors… no way to confirm some of them without getting in too close or traveling outside of the city. And since you wanted this one to be a “hands-off” investigation, a week of just following the guy was only going to get me so far. Though, if I was a betting woman, it seems like some of those stories just got blown out of proportion. Details getting exaggerated as it went from word to month. You know how it is with your beautiful elite… all sorts of things get said about you people.”

“Not really.” Cissnei absentmindedly, flipping a page idly even as she heard the other woman scoff.  

Mild bitterness, from the blonde.

It wasn’t her fault that the Shinra’s office grunts and military unofficially ranked her as one of the most beautiful people in the city, the person they most wanted to date. She certainly didn’t ask for that dubious honor. Or the subsequent attempts at “wooing” her after the results came out.

What made people think giving her flowers was going to up their chances?

Besides, the assassin herself didn’t take those polls seriously. Beauty was subjective… how does one even go about quantifying such a thing?

“On the other hand, the basis seems to be true enough…”

The blonde let the sentence trail, milking the moment and catching the redhead's attention. 

“You gonna make me ask, you drama queen?” Cissnei asked rhetorically but only got a grin in response. “Well then, blow my mind… what’s the big reveal?”

“Your other boy’s got a pretty girl or two practically hanging off his arms,” Gun said with a wide smile, very amused by that portion of her mission. “Typical handsome guy behavior, I suppose. Even lives next to one of them, a Tifa Lockhart or something, where she’s allowed to go into his room whenever she wants apparently. Which she does… a lot. And no, I didn’t peek on them before you ask, you perv.” The blonde only grinned at Cissnei’s unimpressed look. “Those ladies are head over heels for the guy, that’s clear enough, but it all seems fairly innocent as far as I can tell. So those rumors could be true, but I don’t think they are. Not that I blame those girls, even if they were. After seeing that pretty face, it makes me wonder if I should have gotten a little more personal in the investigation… just to separate fact from fiction, you know what I mean?”

“I don’t,” Cissnei said flatly, even as she was hit with relief and anxiety in equal measure at Cloud being alive. 

The multiple women rumor when she first heard it, was… strange, and she didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Or even if she should. It was hard for her to reconcile that shy infantryman she had met long ago… doing those kinds of things. He had been too tongue-tied to even speak to girls, she half-remembered. The first time they met, Cloud couldn’t even look her in the eyes.

Then again… years of captivity was plenty of time to change a person…

And it wasn’t really her place to judge or interfere if it had been true.

When she had first heard those salacious rumors about the man, she had thought it was a simple case of gossip mutating out of control as it crossed the continent and finally arrived in Gongaga. Didn’t really take the time to consider the implications… other than it meant there was a possible lead on the two’s location. But even knowing there was some truth to it, the redhead focused on the most important part, the undeniable good news… he was alive! 

And apparently recovered… if maybe drowning himself in sex. 

Likely due to depression over the death of his best friend. 

But Cissnei couldn’t judge… when she found out about Zack’s last stand, her response had been to burn bridges with her old life and hide from the world in a remote village.

It eased her guilt somewhat at not having done more for the two friends… for not having found them first before the 13th attacked.

It was a complicated feeling, knowing the man who had been unconscious and at death’s door, somehow managed to survive despite the odds, yet the First Class didn’t. A small, illogical part of her resented Cloud for his survival, and another was happy for him too … she wanted to talk to him, yet was scared of what he would say to her, if he was angry… wanted to make sure he was alright and cared for, wanted to run back to Gongaga and bury her head in the sand…

But regret was a terrible thing, and she knew she had to see him, despite whatever justified anger he may have when he saw her face. 

It’d be worth it if only to apologize and seek forgiveness. And if it wasn’t too painful… to see if she could ask Cloud about Zack’s final moments. Cissnei knew it was asking a lot, but she hoped he would indulge her, and help her to find closure. But only if he remembered anything and it wasn’t too painful. He had, after all, been a barely breathing corpse the last time she saw him.  

And who knows? If things went well… maybe even beg him to come with her back to Gongaga where she could keep him safe… and live the rest of their lives away from Shinra’s machinations. Grow old in obscurity.

Misery loves company, after all.

A final favor to their fallen friend. She owed them both that much.

In her musing on how she was going to convince the infantryman to come home with her, she didn’t realize her friend hadn’t finished giving her report.

“-told me he was some type of secret Soldier,” Emma complained, taking a sip of water. “Spent hours in the archives trying to find his files because you told me about his infantryman days. Almost got caught on the first day because of that stupid super hearing–”

“I’m sorry.” Cissnei interrupted, wondering if the blonde woman was messing with her. “Did you say, Soldier?”

000

In the dark, damp caverns of the abandoned North Corel Mines a captive and captor stared each other down.

“Let's make a deal Rui.”

Shalua’s head shot up tiredly as she regarded the Avalanche commander speaking to her through her cell bars. 

Tall, slim, if somewhat emaciated due to lack of food, and haggard if the bags underneath his eyes were any indication. Scars on half his body from here he had sacrificed himself to save Elfe. And surprising everyone for surviving an attack from a summon. Dark hair peeking just underneath his bandana. Knife and gun strapped to his belt, each lined with Materia. A duffle bag slung over one shoulder. A mission bag? 

The former bandit Shears –now the Old Guard’s leader– had a look of grim determination on his face. And the scraggly beard was new.

Overall, he did not paint a pretty picture.

The redhead herself knew she wasn’t much to look at too… what with the constant fatigue from months of captivity, malnourished due to the unit’s scarce food supplies (and they certainly weren’t going to give her their best), and missing a goddamn arm and eye. None of that, the bone-deep weariness or otherwise, did much to curb the rolling anger in her gut. A sensible person would wait to hear what this “deal” was, to analyze the situation and work it to her advantage. 

And for a long moment… Shalua just stared at Shears, as if to do just that.

But, doing the reasonable thing, after months of captivity… just wasn’t her style.

Unfortunately, or not, Shalua Rui had never been good at thinking with her head in these critical situations, not when her heart decided it needed to be heard. She was “intelligent”, for all the good that did her, but no one would ever accuse her of being “smart.” 

So with that bit of self-assessment out of the way, the redhead bared her teeth at the stupid man, before working up some saliva and hawking a dry spit that landed just inches from his boots.

Eh, good enough.

“Fuck you and fuck Avalanche.”

It came out more like a weedy rasp than the roar of defiance she was hoping for… but considering the grimace on the old man’s face, it got the message across.

“Harsh words…” The man began, opening the cell and pulling a stool over to sit, glaring at the young woman on the far side of the cage. Unslinging his bad and dropping in next to his feet, her curious eyes following. “Especially coming from someone who used to be a true believer. You don’t want to save the planet anymore?”

A question that didn’t really need answering, especially with how vocal she had been since they threw her in here.

It was more of an attempt to open a dialogue with her… after her harsh response.

Well… if Shears wanted to talk, this girl wasn’t above being petty.

“I never did. And even if I might have entertained it for a hot second… you eco-terrorists don’t exactly practice what you preach.” Shalua said flatly, forcing herself to sit up straighter along the cavern way, despite her muscle soreness. The redhead really should’ve tried stretching a bit during her captivity. But too late for regrets now. “I joined because I thought you idiots were all about beating down Shinra, and were going to Midgar. You know? Where they live?” She asked sarcastically to keep their attention as her right hand fumbled behind her for her sharpened stone. “And don’t stand there and lie to my face. Not after I got dragged halfway across the planet… in your mad attempt to blow up Gaia!”

The former bandit rubbed his face tiredly, taking a deep breath before answering.

“To be fair… none of us –not even those in the inner circle– really knew what Fuhito was planning…”

“Oh, that's great to hear.” She said with a sarcastic roll of her one eye. “So~, Command isn’t just a bunch of planetary psychopaths… just chumps!” Gods! What she wouldn’t give to punch this idiot in the face! “Fuhito bats his eyelashes, whispers shit in your ears behind Elfe's back, and none of you wonder why you weren’t getting the orders directly from our leader!?”

Stone in hand, she waited patiently for an opportunity. Shalua would have to wait till he was closer before making a move. With her depth perception being in the gutter now, she didn’t fancy her chances of dinging him with a throw. She had to make sure it counted… she only had one rock, after all.

He was unarmed, but credit where credit was due, the jerk could fight.

Maybe there was a gun in the bag she could lounge for?

“Now you're being unreasonable.” Shears shot back, crossing his arms grumpily as he regarded his prisoner. “He was her second in command… there was no reason to think his orders didn’t come from here. And not all of us are you Shalua, not everyone got a chance to speak to Elfe whenever we wanted.”

“The wonders of having an actual personality.”

“Or being the only other girl in the Unit”

“Yeah, yeah. And maybe if every guy didn’t look at her like they never saw a woman before.” Shalua said casually, eyeing how he seemed to grow more relaxed as they talked. He must think they were becoming friends or something equally impossible. “So what’s your excuse for blowing up the Corel reactor?”

“Unavoidable at the time, but… we’ve been escalating for months, it was bound to happen. Expected even. If it wasn’t Corel, it would have been some other village caught in the crossfire, I’m sure. Besides, what was that you said? Avalanche is all about taking down Shinra? Couldn’t let them build that thing unopposed. ”

Fair counterarguments… reasonable even.

She still hated him.

“They burned that village down.” The redhead shot back, hoping to see it unbalance him, maybe gain her a bit more of an edge. “All because of what you did. And you didn’t need those miners anymore, you all went about your merry way, dragging me behind in chains–”

“First of many times were we had to throw you in a cell.” Shears cut in, face impassive, but lips drawn down into a hard line. “We can hash this out all we want… but it’s not going to change what happened. So let’s skip the trip down memory lane and get down to business.” The ex-bandit leaned forward, forcing eye contact. “And let's put the tiny rock down. Even if you manage to get a couple of lucky shots in –and you're not– I got about ten guards out there that’ll cut down the moment they see that you're alone.”

Shalua only grimaced, not at all letting go of her “tiny” rock.

“...what are you even doing here?” She asked, mind trying to scramble for a different way to escape, since the whole... braining him scheme, was started to seem less like a sure thing. 

For a brief moment, her eyes flickered to the mystery bag by his feet.

“Like I said, I want to make a deal.”

“Well then, spit it out.”

Leaning back, the former bandit looked her over, no doubt trying to collect her thoughts. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard from your guards that Avalanche’s new “Command” has reached out to us.” Not a question, a statement of fact… because she had. But she waited for him to continue his preamble. “They offered a truce… and a chance to return to the fold. Full clemency all around, past sins and disagreements all forgiven.”

“Why?” Shalua asked plainly, not quite believing her ears.

“Because… they’re getting their asses kicked at Fort Condor.” Shears said simply, not even a smile despite the people who branded him and his group as “traitors” and “extremists” to the cause. Accurate, since they did try summoning a monster to destroy the planet. And the man had some tact at least and the self-awareness that he was, in fact… in the wrong. “It’s getting desperate, so they’re reaching out to any potential allies they can scrape together. Which, funny enough, means us.”

“Shinra must be six inches deep in their gut if they consider you a friendly.”

“Nine if the reports are true.“ He joked, playing along with her crude humor. “However, despite the situation, Command is keeping their head on a swivel… and are limiting the number of people each group can bring to the fight.”

“Smart…” Shalua admitted slowly, curiosity getting the best of her. “No point in doing all this to defend against Shinra, only then to get taken out from the inside by you and other supposed “allies” because they were outnumbered.”

“Truthfully, I wouldn’t but…”

“...but your record speaks for itself, making it hard not to doubt…”

“...so I’ll play along. Show them the “Old Guard” isn’t like that and gain some goodwill.” Shears finished, nodding in acknowledgment at her interruption. “And it’s no skin off my back if I’m being honest. Our numbers aren’t quite what they used to be. Over the last couple of months, a lot of people who stuck with me after Ziconaide defeat… have been having second thoughts.”

“You mean, they abandon you?” She asked bluntly, grinning a little at the admission.

He tapped his nose in confirmation. “Some sneak off in the middle of the night, others group up and tell me to my face they're leaving.” 

Shalua raised a red eyebrow at that honest answer. “I’m surprised I don’t have any cellmates then. Unless… you've been trying to make an example of them?”

With this crazy group –and the fact that they still had a couple of Ravens hanging around– anything was possible with this splitter cell.

“Not at all,” Shears said, dismissing her implication with a wave of his hand. “If their hearts aren’t in it, they’re free to go. I’m not gonna force anyone who isn’t committed to the cause to stay and fight. It’s a waste of all our time.”

The blood in her ears started pounding, her anger rising as his words sunk in.

“Then why the fuck am I still here?” The scientist asked between gritted teeth, trying not to blow her gasket. 

“...because you stabbed three people on your way out the door?” He asked rhetorically as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And…maybe it was. She did raise quite a bit of hell when they caught her trying to sneak away… and she reacted out of instinct and fear. It was a regret that she couldn’t take back. “I understand wanting to leave, things were getting intense. We were doing things nobody signed up for. I had moments where I considered just making a clean break from it all myself. So, had you just left, I would have let you walk… no matter what Fuhito may have wanted. But you didn’t… and well, the punishment needed to fit the crime.”

He finished by taking a look around her cell.

‘Fuck.’ She thought. 

The revelation that her months of imprisonment were… self-inflicted had some of that constant anger in her gut, redirected back at herself. Why did she always do this? Doing without thinking? 

“You should’ve just killed me…”

It caused her captivity because of reckless action.

It made her waste years with Avalanche, trying to inflict pain on Shinra, instead of going straight to Midgar to rescue her sister.

It was the reason Shelke was able to get kidnapped in the first place. All because she wanted to run off and do shitty teenager things instead of looking after the baby of the family.

“It certainly was discussed,” Shear answered quietly, eyes trained intently on her face. “And had those boys not lived, more might have pushed for it. But they did… and I’m not in the habit of killing comrades, former or not.”

“...so, just shitty living conditions for me.”

“At least till I could figure out what to do with you.”

“And now you have?”

“Yes… and it comes back to Command wanting us to limit our numbers.” He explained, rolling his left shoulder where the scars were, working out the kinks as he once again leaned forward. “Believe it or not, we almost meet their requirements as we currently are… just one extra body over, unfortunately. And the burning question in camp was, what do we do about that?”

Shalua wasn’t sure if she should feel dread or hope at those words. Shears just said he wasn’t in the habit of killing former comrades… but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Not if he could square the mental calculus and justify it.

And it’d solve so many of his problems in one fell swoop.

After all, between a lifeline for his starving soldiers and the nuisance Shalua Rui, it was a simple choice… even to her.

“So… liberty or death?” The redhead asked sarcastically, head held up high for the worst outcome.

“A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B,” Shears answered, surprising her, who had half expected him to unholster his gun. “Like many things when it comes to you Shalua, it’s never simple. Because when everyone was pushing for me to make a decision about you, I came up with a third solution.”

She could only watch him warily as he smiled.

“Shinra is apparently about to do something nasty going on in Midgar.” The former bandit elaborated, no doubt noting how she piped up at the mention of the capital. “Don’t know all the details but the fact that the Company had been pulling infantry companies from other cities… and considering our spies have heard words like troops, guns, slums, and Avalanche being thrown around… well, it’s nothing good.”

“So why doesn’t Command do something about it?”

He didn't answer right away. Instead, steepling his fingers, he looked at her over his hands, smiling knowingly as if she just answered her own question.

‘No… he couldn’t possibly mean…’

“The Midgar team has… maybe a dozen people to combat all of that.” He continued, ignoring her question for the moment. “A few spies, some ninjas apparently, Wallace’s split cell… and maybe a Soldier if they aren’t just blowing smoke.”

“That little? Sounds like a death sentence.” Shalua said slowly, hope blossoming in her chest. “A suicide mission for anyone stupid enough to volunteer.”

“Might very well be. They're definitely hurting for people willing to go…” Shears said casually, finally tossing that bag of his towards her. “And I told Command that you were going to leave at first light to assist our brothers-in-arms. With a bit of my encouragement of course, so I can win some favor with them.”

“Gotta win those brownie points somehow…” The redhead said, staring numbly as she pulled her personal items and ration supplies out of the knapsack, before looking up with a grin. “A little bit of A, a little of B, huh?”

“Nobody was happy that I split the difference… but nobody argued against it either.” He said with a shrug, before standing up and dragging the stool with him out the door, before calling out over his shoulder. “I like to think this solves all of our problems quite nicely. And who knows? Maybe if you survive this death run, you’ll have time to commit to… personal projects.”

Shelke…

“Hey!” Shalua called out, finding her glasses and placing them back on her face, finally seeing clearly for the first time in months. Tapping a finger to her left shoulder, she said with a grin. “I’m gonna need an arm.”

Shears half turned to look at her, eyes trailing to where she was pointing, before smiling bemusedly at her with a raised brow.

“...I’m fresh out.”

“I meant I’ll build one, asshole.” 

000

Deep in the heart of Midgar – and then a 100,000 feet deep into its crust– carnage and death abounded in the training facility of the Third Generation of Soldiers was common.

Especially among the two women who fought in The Maze.

“Please, please don’t–!”

Shelke sabers came down, ending the poor woman's life.

No, clone … she ended the clone’s life…

She had to remember that these… that these things weren’t people. They were just constructs created in a lab to serve singular purposes. Some were for experimentation, others as spare parts, but the vast majority were used as a sacrifice for the strong. 

One of the numerous ways Shinra forced the Tsviets to justify their continued existence.

They were kindling for the Deepground Soldiers to prove themselves better than their regular counterparts above ground. And a constant reminder that strength wasn’t just given, it was strived for, perfected… earned. That even the best of them could fall if they let something as asinine as sympathy cloud their judgment.

Just like the one bleeding before her did.

The blonde woman (clone) had gotten the drop on Shelke. This was one of the more advanced prototypes, the worryingly growing number of clones that came with enhancements. Far superior to her own in almost every way. They were no longer just standard bodies simply being regurgitated by the scientist for slaughter, the weak and disposable, thrown into the meat grinder that was Deepground’s “elite”. 

Now… the scientists had gotten creative, inspired even, and it forced the Third generation of Soldiers to truly fight for their lives. 

Or at least it did for Shelke…

The clone had been stronger and faster than the psionic by a frightening degree. Every clash of their blades had nearly ripped her sabers from her hands. Even her ability to turn invisible had given a marginal advantage countered by the blonde woman’s fast reflexes. It had her dead to rights by all accounts, with her gunblade only a second away from firing… only the construct not to pull the trigger. It hesitated… had lowered its weapon… had tried to talk to the Tsviets and reason with the little redhead.

Had even offered to work together to escape the bunker.

As if it could reason with her humanity.

And for the briefest of moments… Shelke had hesitated, bladed lowering ever so slightly…

But then she saw a flash of Crimson down the corridor being the blonde… and the decision was made.

 The redhead severed the arms, the legs… and then a final swing to the head.

A mocking clap echoed across the maze.

“Well, well little one. Once again you survive another day by the skin of your teeth.”

Shelke's eyes trailed up from the dead body, meeting the golden iris of Rosso the Crimson.

A beautiful woman with similar red hair to the teen, but one that was slicked back into a long flow down her back, unlike the hacker’s own short bob. Tall, graceful, slim, with ample curves that bespoke of having matured beautifully into a young woman, and with a tight crimson outfit that was cut to accentuate the body.

A contrast to her own body of a ten-year-old child… the same age and body she’s had for the last six years…

But Shelke knew that underneath the beautiful package of The Crimson was the deranged mind of a serial killer.

One need only see those golden eyes to see the insanity behind them, a predator who saw everyone as prey… the blood-soaked gunblade by her side only adding to the horrific sight. Shelke didn’t even want to know what may have happened to the older woman’s opponent to be… so covered in the red fluid.

The Transparent gripped her blades just a little harder in fear.

“Tsk, tsk such a mess you left,” Rosso said in mock admonishment, having strolled closer with a sway of her hips as she looked at the corpse. 

She fully turned her back to Shelke, not an ounce of concern for what her fellow Tsviets might do with such a vulnerability. And she wouldn’t be wrong, the older woman’s ability to sense blood meant she was never truly defenseless… at least not against any living creature. The psionic knew that should she even make the attempt, a strike at the “open” back… it would not end well for her.

Rosso turned around to look at Shelke with a sharp grin, stepping closer as she spoke

“If I’m being honest, I didn’t think you’d win.” The woman said with a fake titer, stepping playfully into the bloody ground as she walked closer. “This was one of Hollander’s stronger prototypes, you know? Supposedly capable of taking one of the Second Classes above ground in a fair fight. Though… I suppose that Dr. Fatty is going to have to go back to the drawing board if our little Shelke could beat it in a fight.”

Another step closer.

Shelke felt her shoulders hit the wall of the training room Maze… she had subconsciously backed away from The Crimson’s approach.

“Although, fighting you is never simple… is it?” Rosso continued, body practically pressed into Shelke's own, as the woman looked down to meet the teen’s blue eyes with her gold, uncaring that the sabers were within striking range. “Everyone always seems to hesitate when fighting a child, even a fake one like you. You just need to look up at them with those pretty blues… and they hesitate. Just for a moment, just for a breath… but that’s all you really need, isn’t it Shelke?”

“I will use whatever tool is at my disposal.” The psionic began, reciting her long practice speech. “My survival is–”

Rosso’s uproarious laugh cut her off mid-sentence.

“For all that vaunted intelligence… you can be so stupid sometimes, little Shelke.” She said with a sharp grin, casually trailing one finger up the teen’s arm… her throat… before forcing her chin up. ”We are the next step in humanity, the future inheritors of this planet. Something as mundane as survival shouldn’t even be a question for us.” Her right hand dropped back down till it was wrapped firmly around The Transparent’s neck. The woman leaned down, just to the side of her face, cheek to cheek as she whispered into the psionic’s ear. Her mad grin was apparent, even when out of sight. “And the fact you believe you must justify it with every breath you take… is more than enough proof that you don’t belong with the Tsviets.”  

“My use lies in my other abilities, regardless of my strength–”

“Oh, you're so right… you have so many uses.” Rosso mocked, finally leaning back, yet her hand was still firm around Shelke's neck. “But always to the benefit of others, never yourself. But even that has an expiration date, As Shinra unravels the secrets of your abilities, your uniqueness as a psionic starts to yield diminishing returns… it’s only a matter of time till one day, no one needs you. Like a tissue to be used and thrown away.”

She laughed at her own analogy, but the look in the mad woman’s eyes made it clear what she found funny… what would happen should that day come, of who would be doing the disposing.

“But till then…” Shelke countered almost boldly, a spark of defiance even as she forced her tone flat, uncaring. “I’m untouchable.”

The grin on Rosso’s face smoldered that spark in an instant.

“So you say…” The manic whispered in vague acknowledgment. “But even you see that you're on borrowed time.”

“Things can change…”

“Ah, and there’s your “survival” instincts kicking back in,” Rosso said, finally removing her hand… only to move her right index up and brush one of Shelke's bangs away from her face. “The odds are never in your favor, destined to be little more than collateral damage… so you must have a plan then… but what?” A teasing light in her eyes, a sharp contrast to the sharp look of cracked sanity in the gold. “Let’s play a guessing game… What will Shelke do? Will she… try to escape? But to where? And who will even take her in? She’s as friendless up there as she is down here.”

Unfortunately, it was true. 

She’d only be marginally safer up there, compared to down here. Especially once Shinra caught wind of her trying to run.

“Maybe she’ll throw herself at that pervert Hollander’s mercy? Try and fulfill all of his disgusting fantasies with that tiny body of hers? Possible, maybe… he has been staring rather hard at you lately, hasn’t he?”

A… potential option, but not one that would keep her safe for long. Not once the Colors finally enacted their plan to take over Deepground and brand her a traitor for joining the scientists.

“Perhaps another pitiful attempt to get into Weiss’s good graces? But then again, you haven’t exactly gotten stronger since the last time you tried. And your little abilities offer him nothing…”

Also true, The Immaculate only cared for his brother and begrudgingly tolerated the other Tsviets for their strength in his plans. Strength that Shelke did not have and couldn’t tolerate the painful procedures to gain more of. Her ability to turn invisible a constant source of humor and derision among the Third Generation… and her unique SND drive meant nothing to the man now that he was capable of using it himself.

“The other Colors would kill you for even approaching them…” Rosso mused idly, twisting one finger into a tuft of short red hair almost playful, before stiffening as if in surprise. “You know… I just realized you’ve never asked me! Now why is that?”

Ask a woman who quite literally drank the blood of her enemies for protection? A rabbit with a broken foot had a better chance of asking a wolf for mercy.

Those golden eyes seem to sparkle with amusement, practically hearing the thought.

“...what would I even have to offer you?” Shelke asked slowly and a bit rhetorically, playing along with her whims but keenly aware that the woman’s hand was still on her.

“Ah, now there's a bit of the supposed intelligence that Shinra loves,” Rosso said happily, the sharpness of her smile all too apparent in The Maze’s light. “As for what… let’s work that out together! Mmhh… now you're worthless as an ally. With your strength, you're more of a liability in a fight than anything. Likely to get me killed.” She laughed as she leaned her gunblade along her side, unmindful of the blood that dripped on her as she tapped her lips with her free hand. “Maybe as a tool? Spy? No, no… your invisibility is useless among the Soldiers who can hear you. And your SND is so… specific to the situation. It’s like carrying a wrench in your pocket, in the hopes that you’d get to use it someday.” 

Cruel words, yet brutally truthful. 

“Mmmhh… now this is a conundrum.” The Crimson said in mock sadness. “No ability as a warrior, worthless as an ally, barely useful as a tool… and that’s stretching it.” The taller woman looked down forlorn at Shelke as if she had come to a depressing conclusion. “It’s like you were tailor-made to be someone’s prey! Oh Shelke, what am I supposed to do with you?” She asked with a sad sigh, lips pouting and her head down… at least till her eyes flickered up, as if in brilliant thought. “But of course! What does humanity do with all useless living creatures we don’t kill… we make them into pets.”

Shelke could barely hold back her shiver at the wide grin the woman was giving her.

“Now how does that sound? I’ll brush your hair in the morning, feed you from my hands in the afternoon…” Rosso’s body leaned forward, pushing into Shelke’s body, till the redheads could practically feel each other’s pulse. “Bath you in the evening… play with you at night… I’ll do so much more than keep you safe. We can have so much fun together. Doesn’t that just sound fantastic, little Shelke?”

It most certainly did not, it was a sweet offer that held poison behind it. Her body for protection… too good to be true, because it was. Shelke had seen enough poor souls fall for Rosso’s offer, only to disappear a week later as if they never existed in the first place. And no one –not Shinra, the Restrictors, or other Tsviets– seem to care.

Rosso must feel truly secure in Weiss' plans if she was bold enough to offer another Color this tainted apple.

… but how can she answer in any other way that wouldn’t end up with her hurt? 

Killing among the third generation wasn’t allowed without permission… but a beating or two? Now that was almost encouraged by the Deepground scientist. Truly any excuse to get the Soldiers to use their enhancements against each other... only safeguarded by barely defined guidelines.

And The Crimson was known to break even that fragile rule.

Shelke had to dry swallow to even find her voice.

“I-I–”

“Now, now… you may look like a child but we both know you can use big girl words.” Rosso admonished, her tone light, but a spark of true anger reflected in her eyes as she pressed closer. “This is your chance to come to me willingly… before I hunt for my food. And what a bloody mess it’ll have to be if you make me–”

The head snapped up, not in the mocking actions of before, but with the expression of something real catching her attention. As if a voice was speaking directly into her ear, and demanded she listen. A voice that was pointedly not speaking to Shelke. A look of true frustration crossed the beautiful psychopath’s face as she finally pushed away from the wall and teen. 

All that could only mean one thing…

Weiss was calling his trusted Tsviets… and Shelke wasn’t invited.

“Saved by the bell again.” Rosso sighed forlorn, not even looking in The Transparent’s direction as she began walking towards the entrance of the room. Practically stepping into the long cold corpse as she made her way out. Shelke almost took a breath in relief, before the woman turned to face her at the door with a sharp grin. “But tik-tok, little one. My offer doesn’t stand forever, and when it does  run out… no second chances.”

Hours later would see Shelke hidden in the clone template storage units… a collection of macabre bodies, either as kidnapped victims or nearly dead Shinra personnel repurposed for the Company’s experimentation. Rows and rows of tubed people lined the walls and shells, each floating in either green stasis gel or mako. Some whole bodies, others just bits of pieces of their former selves cut and sliced repeatedly for harvest. Even worse, each tank was meticulously labeled with names, descriptions of where they were collected from, and a list of experiments to be done on them, both future and present.

And some of those labels were a mile long…

This row, in particular, was a loose collection of poor village people whose bodies were dragged across the Gaia from whatever tragedy Shinra inflicted on them. Very few were intact, with the vast majority sliced, cut, or burned. Some beyond recognition beyond the vaguest shape…

It was a horrific sight to most… for Shelke it was the only place she could hide and feel safe for a moment. At least till the Restrictors and scientists came calling…

It was a place for her to collect and sort through her thoughts and feelings away from prying eyes. Weaknesses of any kind, even something as simple as emotion, could be used against you. Everyone used it to their advantage –the other experiments to gain an edge in a fight, the scientist to dissect why a tool would feel anything– and it was a hard lesson the former Modeoheim girl had to learn in her first years of captivity to survive.

But here –in the silent tomb of Shinra’s victims– she could let herself go, without fear of recrimination. 

“How do I survive?” Shelke asked the corpse behind her. “I don’t want to die.”

Sitting on the ground –back leaning on one of the tube people for support– the redhead had her knees pulled up in front of her, arms hugging them close to her body, and her head buried into her knees.

As terrible as it was to say, the beautiful blonde woman floating in the tank was her favorite of the clone templates. Even with a vicious cut down her torso, there was just something… so motherly about her. Almost made the redhead feel wanted. An odd thing to seek when Shelke never even knew her own mother. Her earliest memory of any parental love had been her aunt and uncle, now dead, and older sister… also likely killed in Shinra’s attack on her village. 

She was alone in every conceivable way… with only the imagined love of a corpse for comfort.

Even now, her heart had been beating uncontrollably from her confrontation with Rosso.

Hee breath labored as she tried to force calm and control back into her being… to try and think logically, even when her emotions were in flux.

“Every time I step out there, I’m a dead person walking.” Shelke was living on borrowed time! She had to do something, anything! But what? Turning around to follow and look at the floating body of the woman in the pod, she let her desperation bleed into her voice. “What do I do Claudia?”

Chapter Text

After Cloud quietly closed his apartment door, he took a moment to look over the second-floor railing at the rest of the neighborhood. Truthfully, there wasn’t a whole lot to take in –just a lot of half-haphazardly built shanty buildings, first roads, and metal… so much metal– but it did distract him from the tiny blonde woman –the parasite wearing his mother’s face– happily bouncing in place to his left, her austere Nibelheim cut dress swishing from the motion. The merc pointedly ignored her as he took in a deep breath of somewhat fresh morning air, trying to clear his head.

Even 24 hours after his encounter with Marco – 12 of which spent either passed out or forced into bed to rest because of said fainting – he was finally up and walking, if... still a jumbled mess of memories and new knowledge. Yet… Cloud also never felt more focused, sharp even. Like he had just taken a shot of black coffee and could –now in painful clarity– see the cluttered paperwork of his psyche piled high, and waiting ominously to be sorted.

And that damn annoyance to his left started shadowboxing in the air, her long sleeves flopping with every weak jab –a pitiful attempt at imitating Tifa’s morning routine before she left to open her bar– unmindful her constant movement was giving him a headache. 

No, from the slight smirk on “Claudia Strife’s” stupidly beautiful face, she knew exactly how he felt…

Exhaling silently –and trying to keep the annoyance out of his actions, lest he encouraged her– Cloud firmly turned to his left to start his day.

The little blonde parasite followed close by, practically skipping in her wools as she trailed him to room 201.

Standing in front of Tifa’s old apartment, the infantryman knocked firmly to get the tomboy’s attention.

“One second, I’m coming!”

Thirty seconds later, his new “assistant” finally made her appearance –door half opened, hat hanging from her teeth, and hands trying to work her new gun belt on– and practically tripped out of the entrance.

“Kyrie… I thought Tifa told you to get ready an hour ago?” Cloud tiredly, reaching out to stop her fumbling fingers from making more of a mess, as he helped her straighten out and tighten the belt on her hips. Backing up slightly to inspect his work, and satisfied with what he saw, the merc motioned up and down her body with a hand. “This is not ready. You still don’t even have your shoes on…”

“Oh right, right!” The teen said smushing her hat on her hair, not even a little embarrassed at her unprofessionalism, before pushing her door open again and reaching for her boots by the side. Tugging them one at a time as she hopped in place, she looked up at him with a wide grin once she got both on. “So boss, where to first? Off to Seventh Heaven for some grub before we get to work?”

Instead of answering, Cloud took a moment to look the girl over, inspecting her face… especially that overly bright and eager smile. Kyrie already made a bad impression on their first day on the job by being late, even after Tifa came to wake her up. Yet… the blonde couldn’t even work up the effort to stay irritated with the teen. 

She was at least enthusiastic ... which was more than he could say about himself when he first started working.

Had even volunteered to help organize his mercenary request with Tifa yesterday when he had his fainting spell with Marco.

Hell, she and Nellie had kept him company when his girlfriends forced him to stay in bed before they left for work.

The two even cobbled together a half-decent sandwich when he was feeling hungry…

And maybe … the fact that he now knew Kyrie wanted to sleep with him, and her subsequent actions to show said interest… may have curbed any usual annoyance he’d have with the teen for her unpreparedness. 

Just knowing that someone wanted you, did a lot for your tolerance for them as a person. 

(Plus she’s cute.) The blonde woman next to her said with a scholarly air, rubbing one finger along her chin as she looked Kyrie over hungrily. (It’s scientifically impossible to stay mad at cute things.)

Cloud ignored her.

“U-uh hey… you got something to say?” Kyrie said teasingly, even boldly, despite how unsteady her words were. Or even how stained red her face was. Straightening her back and tilting her head up to look at him, hands subconsciously wringing together nervously, she asked. “Or are you so enamored by my beauty, that cat’s got your tongue?”

“More like wondering where you got that gun,” Cloud murmured, skating over her attempt at flirting, trying not to let the way her face fell get to him. “Where’d you get that thing anyway?”

But how was he supposed to respond!?

Cloud wasn’t against flirting in general, especially since the two of them had a date lined up in a couple of days. It’s just… he’s never been the smoothest with words. Never had much experience with it in general, to be honest, outside of a few pitiful attempts with his childhood friend. And each attempt had been a painful experience, leaving him more red-faced than humanly possible. But blessedly… his current girls didn’t particularly mind his terrible way with words. Tifa in fact, seemed to find everything he said to be funny or charming, even the very stupid stuff. Jessie tended to fill up the dead air with her own topics, answering her own questions before he could put his foot in his mouth, basically having a one-woman conversation. From what little time he had hung out with Nayo outside of sex, she seemed to not mind him just sitting there as she worked on a personal project or read a book.

The next three, however, expected a bit more out of him… and Cloud could honestly say, he was struggling.

Besides, now wasn’t really the time for it, he reasoned… they had work to get to!

“Oh…” Kyrie said slowly, she had a rather put-off expression that had the merc already mentally kicking himself. Visibly shaking herself out of her reverie, and putting a bright smile back on her face.“I got it from Nellie! She had it in her bug-out bag, and said I can have it for my mercenary jobs until she can get me something a bit more custom-made!”

(You're an absolute monster.) The blonde woman admonished him, fist on her hips as she glared up at him from eight inches below. (It takes a lot of courage to make the first move, you dolt! I demand you make it up to her for being such a jerk, this instant! …give her a kiss.)

‘Shut up Jenova.’ Cloud shot back in his head, sending every ounce of malicious he could in their odd mental link.

(Why are you always so rude to me? If you understood half the good things I’ve–)

‘Maybe if you weren’t wearing my dead mother’s face, I might be  a  little  more  lenient.’

(Hey, this is partly your fault too.) The alien said with a shrug of her shoulders. (When we made first contact I tried appearing as the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen, to not freak you out. Not my fault that deep in your subconscious that’s your mom. It’s weirdly kind of sweet… if with a lot of unresolved baggage…)

‘Well, then change it!’

(Nope, don’t have the juice for it! We’re locked in for a while with this face ) Jenova said, tracing her phantasmal hands just above Kyrie’s curves. (But maybe if you slept with a few more girls like I tried explaining to you… I could do something about it.)

In the conscious world, the argument was interrupted when the teen then promptly took out the snub-nosed revolver to show him… and forced him to lean to the side so it wasn’t pointed right at him. 

“Please tell me that thing isn’t loaded.” The “Soldier” asked as he gently grabbed it, aiming it up and further away. “And you and I are going to talk about gun safety, especially if you're going to be waving that thing around like that. I refuse to get shot in the head because you got an itchy trigger finger.”

“Heheh… sorry.” Kyrie apologized, shoulders hunched up and rubbing her neck in embarrassment, before perking up as if she remembered something. “Oh, but don’t worry, it’s not loaded or anything! I got all the bullets right here in my pocket.” She patted the right pouch of her crop top coat. “And Nellie even said she took out the pin so it wouldn't go off by accident… whatever that is. Said I should wear the holster to get used to the weight, but not use it till she and Jessie can take me to the shooting range.”

“Sensible…” Cloud acknowledged, eyes looking her over to make sure the teen wasn’t… well, not lying, but at least bending her words. His short time with Kyrie had taught him the half-Wutain wasn’t above stretching the truth if she thought it was in her favor… and wasn't actively hurting anyone. But well, a bullet in the back would definitely hurt… thankfully, she didn’t seem to be fibbing. 

Sighing, he finally let go and motioned his junior to follow him downstairs.

“Well… enough dilly-dallying I guess. C’mon, let’s head over to the Watch and see what they got for us. It might just be a bunch of monster requests – which you gonna stay away from and watch from the side – but occasionally they got something interesting that you might be able to help me with–”

“Wait, wait! We’re not going to the bar?” Kyrie asked in surprise, trailing after him as they headed for the stairs, and grabbing his arm to stop him. “What about breakfast? You know… most important meal of the day…”

“Yeah, maybe an hour ago when we had time,” Cloud said absentmindedly, mind already on what kind of job might be at the watch and not really paying attention to the girl… at least till he noticed the tomboy’s rather adorable pout. Unable to stop himself, he chuckled a little as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led them down. Jessie always said she appreciated him being more physical. Tifa too, although she never said it in so many words. “Look, I don’t typically eat at the bar this early anyway, too much traffic, but we can get something on the way over.”

“...you buying?” Kyrie asked somewhat shyly but eagerly, both hands reaching up to wrap around his hanging arm as she blushed a little.

“Yes, you little brat, I’m buying.” The merc said with a slight smirk, even as he had to stop the roll of his eyes at the question. “What do you want anyway? Nothing greasy mind you, not this early. Tifa would kill me if I didn’t at least try to eat something healthy once in a while.”

He tried not to let the question annoy him, even if it was by a small amount… he’d heard variations of it enough times by now that he should be used to it.

Yet it still irked him that the girls felt the need to ask.

It was in times like these, that Cloud had to remember this was Midgar, not Nibelheim. This wasn’t the country where the men were expected to take the lead in all things, no matter how capable their ladies were. But women were much more “take charge” in the city, and trying to figure out who was going to pay was a legitimate decision. Even now he had to fight that instinct to stop his girlfriends from reaching their wallets whenever they wanted to buy something. Had even scolded him at times when he tried to pull out his money first. 

And truthfully, it was a big drain on his savings, trying to be “gentlemanly” with three girls… let alone, the potential six he might end up dating.

Not very practical.

It was a learning process, but one he was determined to master… if only to stop getting jokingly –and sometimes not so jokingly– accused of being “sexist”, for not respecting their autonomy.

But that being said, he wasn’t going to bend on paying for meals, no matter what they thought. That was one bit of mountain village culture he wasn’t going to give up on, no matter how hard they tried to convince him otherwise. Thankfully, Tifa had eventually, if begrudgingly, relented… with the other girls agreeing to let him have that bit of vice. Though… getting Jessie to agree hadn’t been that hard, considering she was perpetually broke.

Still, it wasn’t the teen’s fault he had these hang-ups.

(Oh no! Women that want to pay for you! What a terrible thing!) Jenova said in mock horror, hands on her cheeks as if she couldn't stand the injustice.

“We~ll, if it's dealer's choice…” Kyrie said with a smile unaware of his internal struggle, pretending to make a decision as she leaned a little more into his shoulder, but the spark in her eyes made it clear she already knew what she wanted. “There’s this wonderful seafood sandwich shop on the way there that we could swing by. I heard it’s even fresh! You didn’t hear it from me, but apparently the owner has a deal with some smugglers from–”

“Well, don’t you two look comfy.”

Cloud felt Kyrie jump in his arms, almost tossing them to the ground as if expecting an attack… only keeping upright due to the fact that he was probably twice the teen's weight.

(I like her game.) Jenova said approvingly, looking over Kyrie clinging to Cloud with a critical eye. (She’s playing the startled damsel up to get handsy with you. A little overdone, but I approve of the effort.)

‘Well… it’s working.’ Cloud thought, knowing someone told her he had a bit of a hero complex, already feeling his arms tighten around her protectively. ‘If Kyrie and the other girls keep working me over like this, Imma end up barking on command soon.’

Recognizing the voice, the “Soldier” in turn looked to the left lazily to meet the amused eyes of Marle, sitting on her porch with her dog… and another old lady? And one he’s never seen before. Cloud knew Marle was fairly popular around sector 7, despite her acid tongue (Or maybe that was just for him?) and enjoyed her golden years “hanging out” with said friends when she wasn’t guarding her property like a hawk… so her having company wasn’t unexpected, but new people always got his guard up. 

Though, the somewhat rotund and diminutive stranger didn’t seem dangerous –or even all that inclined to get off of her seat– if anything she looked content to kick back and stretch her knees out.

Still, the way the woman’s eyes seemed to trail Cloud’s arms around Kyrie… well, it made his spine shiver.

“Morning Marle.” He said, trying to sound casual and ignore his instincts telling him to get ready for a fight. Nodding to the woman next to his landlady, he asked. “Who's… uh, who’s your friend–”

A sudden squeak from his arms cut him off.

“G-grandma! What are you doing here!?” Kyrie asked in surprise, no longer faking her reaction after peeking around to see the person who “startled” her. Spinning full in his arms to face the old ladies on the porch, the junior merc seemed torn between burning herself deeper into Cloud’s chest or making a break for it back to her room. Instead, she firmly stepped out of his arms, a little red-necked at having been caught in such an intimate situation.

“What are you doing here, she asks.” The person who was apparently Mirielle Dudley repeated mockingly, exchanging a “can you believe this girl” type of look with Marle, who snorted with a grin in response. “Oh, I don’t know… how about tracking down my wayward granddaughter who hasn’t contacted me in the last three days?”

“Whu– I…um, left you a note?” 

“Where? I’m your head?” Mirielle asked sarcastically, giving her granddaughter a very unimpressed look. “Thinking about doing it isn’t the same as actually doing it, Kyrie. You nearly gave this old lady a heart attack.”

“S-Sorry? Look a lot of things been happening… and I got good reasons to flaking–”

“Yeah? Like your boyfriend over here?” Ms. Dudley asked, tilting her chin in Cloud’s direction, where he was standing just over her granddaughter's shoulder. The old woman gave him a once over with her eyes before scoffing. “Never would have thought you’d go all mushy in the head for some pretty boy–”

“My name’s Cloud.” The merc interrupted, tired of getting talked around, instead of to. “And you're being unfair, she–”

“Ah, the knight in shining armor speaks!” Marle cut in, cackling at some unknown joke, hand over her chest as if she couldn’t hold back her mirth.

“Bout time too.” Mireille laughed as she jostled her friend, acting like they just saw the funniest thing in the world. “Five minutes he just stood there like some piece of arm candy! All confused smiles and glazed eyes. Was starting to wonder if he could even rub two sticks to make a spark in that spiky head of his.”

“Well, that’s just the way he looks.” His landlady said with a wave of her hand, giving a very backhanded compliment. “And you thinking he might be soft in the head is better than the impression he used to give off. I tell ya, when he first came to Midgar, the kid had a bad habit of looking off into space and muttering to himself. I thought he was going insane half the time!”

“Hohoho, no kidding? How’d a weirdo like that manage to turn my granddaughter’s head then?”

“That’s the funny part… he didn’t! She joined through a mutual connection of theirs, his girlfriend, her friend.”

“Wait, wait… you know about that?” Cloud asked, feeling a little anxious at his and Tifa’s being common knowledge. “How’d you even find out about it? Have… you been snooping?”

“You think you're that interesting that I’m gonna drag my old bones up those steps, just to pry?” Marle asked derisively, giving him a look that asked if he was crazy. “I heard it from the source, of course, a little tea time talk with Tifa and Jessie whenever they stop by. Trust me, if they didn’t tell me about your little “arrangement” – and their part in it – I would have sliced that oversexed tool between your legs for two-timing them!” She waved her cane a little for emphasis, miming a cutting motion. “That being said, I also live beneath you, kid. I would need to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not at least guess at the debauchery underneath my roof.”

“Oh, well I…” Cloud began, and stopped, not sure what to say about all that. “Maybe if you sprung for some thicker walls…”

His landlady only scoffed in humor.

“Whoa! Look at the silver tongue on this one! ” Mireille shot at him, which got the old women laughing to themselves again. “But maybe don’t quit your day job. Cause if that’s the best you got, I’d hate to see you in front of a crowd!” And … it didn’t help that the blonde parasite joined them up on the porch to get in on the bullying, pointing at him as she doubled over, holding her shaking stomach.

‘Fucking Jenova.’ Cloud thought, for perhaps the hundredth time since he had an uninvited passenger in his head.

He knew Tifa, Jessie, and even Nellie to an extent, had a very grandmother/granddaughter-like relationship with Marle, but he didn’t realize how… open they were with the details. That made the knowing looks she had been giving him in the mornings… a lot more embarrassing in hindsight.

“Hey! It’s a very modern arrangement!” Kyrie piped up in defense, her face just as red as Cloud, for having their unique relationship talked about so openly. “I wouldn’t expect a bunch of old biddies like you two to understand that!”

The ex-infantryman was somewhat… touched, by the tomboy’s attempt to defend them.

“Pfft, there’s nothing modern about it, you brat,” Mireille said with a smirk, sharing a knowing look with Marle. “Some sexual deviancy is a tale as old as time! And multiple women sharing the same man? Old hat… although it’s usually the men who try to get that arrangement going.” She admitted as she picked up her tea biscuit and crunched on it as she looked the two young people over, before swallowing and giving them a devious smile. “But I only say usually because me and old Marle here used to be quite famous in our younger days. The ground floor beauties who got even the stuffy topsides coming down to catch a glimpse of us. And if you were lucky, we’d show you why two women were better than one!”

“Ewww!” Kyrie said, using her hands to try and bury her face as if it could stop the image of the two grandmothers “hunting” in their youth.

“Oh~h, you remember Gregor?” Marle asked wistfully.

“How could I forget… built like a mountain, that one!” Mirielle answered, closing her eyes as if trying to savor the memory.

“A man’s man! Always loved them burley.”

“With a nice set of chest hair to grab–”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Kyrie practically shouted, desperately trying to stop the two women from going down memory lane, in excruciating details. “My situation and what you two are describing, are completely different things! I’m in an actual relationship… sorta, but you hags were just slutting it up!”

“Hmph! You say that like it’s an insult.” Ms. Dudley said dryly, giving her granddaughter a smirk. “When you get to my age, young lady, every notch under your belt is a point of pride.”

“By that metric, your grandmother might be the most prideful person in Midgar!” Marle jumped in, getting both ladies back into a laughing fit.

“What can I say? I was always the prettiest between us!” 

“You two are unbelievable! Get bent grandma, now I’m not sorry I didn’t call.” Kyrie said, clearly fed up with the circus as she grabbed his arm to lead them away. “I’m going to work, c’mon Cloud.”

A few more hoots of laughter before a voice called out to them.

“All jokes aside!” Mireille said loudly once they stopped mid-stride and turned around to see what else she was going to throw their way. “If you want to date my granddaughter, like really date her, you're gonna need to prove yourself merc.”

Well… that was unexpected. And honestly, he was tired of them already and wanted to get his day started.

But he did promise to make an effort to get to know Kyrie before they jumped into bed… and trying to get in good with all the girls’ family would be a solid first step…

“...how?” Cloud asked slowly, something telling him he might regret asking.

“When you have some free time… swing by sector 5,” Mirielle said, a sharp grin on her face. “I might have a test or two for you.”

(I like them.) Jenova said, skipping over to the mercenaries.

000

Hours later, at the Seventh Heaven backroom office–

“Shit, shit, shit!”

Cloud couldn’t help but laugh a little at the words even as he kept his pace up from behind the redhead, instead opting to give Jessie’s ass a light slap in rebuke, taking a moment to admire her naked lower half.

Long legs, supple skin, and a perky backside. Giving her another playful swat on the left side this time, he jokingly thought it was like there was a requirement for all avalanche girls to keep themselves nice and tight.

(Oooh, go slower.) Jenova moaned in his head, having canceled her phantasmal body in favor of focusing her full attention on their shared sensations.

A low wine came from Jessie, that might have been her protesting him smacking her butt so much… if it wasn’t for the way she wiggled her bottom needily, pushing the firm muscles back into his pelvis almost irritability.

“Keep it down you, or you gonna get us caught.” He chuckled to her, trying –and failing– to hold back his mirth. Seeing her lower half was spasming a bit out of control, he leaned down in order to cover her back with his chest, using his body weight to force them both flat along the back office table of the bar. Hopefully, this would stop the mechanic from throwing herself accidentally to the floor from all of her jerky movements. Satisfied that he had her in place, Cloud decided to give her a quick bite on the ear, his hips began frantically picking up their pace as he chased his release. Feeling cheeky, he asked her.  “Besides, I'm almost done… you gonna be a good girl and let me finish?”  

“Fuck yoooouuuuu~!” Jessie practically sang out, happily if a bit deliriously, her bandana half across her face and her fingers too numb to actually move it out of the way. Truthfully, her mouth was the only part of her that was still functioning after what he thought might have been her first orgasm. (Cloud was getting pretty good at this.) The mechanic’s body had long ago ragged dolled at this point in their “quickie”,  unable to do more than be a very willing hole for his thrusting.

“Careful… you're gonna bite your tongue,” Cloud warned even as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and stopped his movements, backing off of her to grab at her thighs and push her further on top of the counter. Taking a quick glance to make sure she was mainly on the table, the merc climbed back on his girlfriend and resumed pounding into Jessie’s cushy backside. The new angle sent her body ricocheting slightly off the wood, almost like she was pushing back into him.

It gave Cloud such a wonderful sensation, but he hadn’t been kidding early… he was about ready to blow. The new position, plus the cute kitty-cat mewling coming from Jessie the whole way, all sent him over the edge in record time.

“Fuck!” The redhead yelled, body jerking back to life as he finished in her, her hands wrapping his wrists in a death grip as she rode it out, spine a taut spring… before collapsing limply back on the table, like a puppet with strings cut.

“...you alright?” Cloud asked in concern, laying a hand on her sweaty back – just under where her blue shirt had been rolled up to expose her chest – in order to get her attention. 

No matter how many times he’s seen one of his girls blacked out from a sudden post-coitus exhaustion, seeing them drop like that still sent a spike of worry in his gut. And indeed, under his palm, he felt a ragged vibration, a sudden shaking of Jessie’s body….was she crying? Shaking in anger maybe? Could it be, after all these days of making love together he finally hit the threshold of tolerance she had for him–

A light snore cut through the air.

Yeah… she was alright.

“What’s got her so tired?” Cloud asked, looking over at Nayo, also on the table. She was laying very provocatively on her back, shirt and vest unbuttoned to expose her kiss-marked breasts to his and Jessie's enthusiastic attention. Her short skirt had been pulled up to her waist, with panties and stockings discarded somewhere in the room, leaving pale flesh a mile long for the world to see… with every inch covered in his, um, “juices”. One arm was covering her face, as if she was just about ready to pass out herself, and his voice stopped her from slipping into oblivion.

“....huh?” The spy asked, clearly not having heard a word he said, too lost in her own stupor after the two had sex earlier. Blinking rapidly, her brain trying to clear the haze it was in as it tried to process his words. “Run that by me one more time?”

Cloud repeated himself.

“You mean besides the obvious? She asked teasingly, eyeing the way his hips had been grinding subconsciously into the redhead. Blushing a little, he pulled himself out slowly with a pop, then gently rolled Jessie around so she could sleep on her back instead of her stomach.

Sliding off the table and steadying himself, Cloud took a moment to admire the beautiful sight before him… two gorgeous women practically naked and splayed out before him. Both were covered from the waist down in all their mixed juices and clearly very exhausted… with one already in dreamland and there not far behind.

“Besides the obvious…” Cloud confirmed, walking to one of the drawers where they had hastily put their water and cups, before tearing at each other’s clothes. He could practically feel Nayo’s eyes following him as he walked nude across the room. It was kind of gratifying he could get her so worked up, even when she was so obviously tired. Pouring out a glass for two, he brought both of them to Nayo, helping her sit up on the edge of the table as she drank hers.

“Thank you.” She said after she put her water down and ran a hand through her sweaty hair. “Well, if you scratch out us getting plowed into sleepyville… theeeeen, probably because we’ve been pulling a couple of all-nighters trying to plan out that infiltration mission.”

That caught Cloud’s interest

“The one where Avalanche sends me into the lion’s den… and hope I don’t get shot in the lobby?

“That’s the one.” Nayo acknowledged, taking another sip of her water before closing her eyes and leaning back on her arms. “We more or less finally got things wrapped up on our end, but wanted to have one more team meeting… just to hammer out some do’s and don’ts. And get your opinion on the backstory we cooked up for you.”

“In my opinion… it's a stupid plan. And you still haven’t told me the full plan, other than I’m supposed to sneak in and pretend to still be on the payroll.”

“Duly noted.” The spymaster said nonchalantly, before noticing his unimpressed look… and smiled. “Look we wouldn’t send you in half-cocked if we weren’t prepared for the worst… or if we weren’t just that desperate. If we had more people, more supplies, more information… we would’ve had more leeway to figure something else out. Hell, if we had a couple of platoons backing us up, I wouldn’t even be against the idea of us going for a frontal assault. But as it currently stands, we don’t. And to make matters worse, we’re on a time crunch. This really is the best idea we got.”

“Duly noted.” Cloud said glumly, echoing her earlier statement.

“As for the details… well, that’s what the meeting later is for. We’ll fill everyone in on the particulars and their roles in the operation. So you know, it’s not just you … the strategists gotta keep these things hush-hush in general, since… how does that saying go? “Too many cooks in the kitchen and the soup burns?” ”

The merc could only scoff in disbelief. 

Smiling sympathetically, Nayo reached for his hands and tugged him close till he was standing between her legs.

“Hey… we’re not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.” She said quietly, running her hands up and down his arms as if to soothe him… but the heat between her thighs was getting him worked up again. “Avalanche is just asking you to keep an open mind and heart when we tell you and the rest of the crew the plan later. Nothing is set in stone yet, so we have wiggle room to negotiate on the details if you like.“ Taking his hands and placing it on her hips, she trailed her own fingers up his torso, before laying her palms flat on his chest, smiling cheekily up at him as her eyes quickly glanced below. “Buu~uut that being said, if you do start to get cold feet, please keep in mind… your friends with everyone in Avalanche, rather candidly sleeping with all of their girls, and if that’s not enough to move you black heart… then you may very well be saving tens of thousands of lives.”

“Really? Trying to guilt trip me?” Cloud asked flatly, giving her hips a firm squeeze in half-hearted warning, even as lined himself up with her opening.

“Well, is it working?”

Silence… and as it dragged on, the girl’s smile widened.

“Just for the record, I’m only friends with some of Avalanche. Only sleeping with half the girls… a-and I don’t even know 10,000 people… so, it’s not fair to bring up the saving people part… you know what I’m going to say to that.”

“Ah, like clockwork!” Nayo said happily, migrating her hand to wrap around his neck and give him a peck on the lips, letting her chest rub into the flat of his muscles. “The trifecta always gets people –friendship, love, basic human decency– unless you’re a complete bastard, one of the three is bound to prick at your conscience.”

“And if I was?”

“Then money.” She said simply, now wrapping her legs around his waist as he slowly pushed himself into her. “Lots and lots of money.” She inhaled sharply as Cloud bottomed out in her. “Although some of the more gross ones want sex. Not that we give it to them.”

“You don’t?”

“Do you really have to ask?” She said rhetorically with a flat look.

“Uh…my bad.” He apologized absentmindedly, more focused on picking up his pace… before the implication of his words struck him, stopping his movements. “I really am sorry. I’m just a little distracted right now…”

The spy only rolled her eyes before giving him a fond smile.

“You're lucky you're cute,” Nayo said lightly, although her voice was a little strained and frustrated by the lack of fucking. “Plus, sticks and stones, and all that…” She reached over to give him a slight swat on the ass to get him moving again. “Now enough talking… move those hips!”

(Balls deep in a pretty girl and he still says the wildest things.) Jenova signed from inside his mind.

Chapter Text

Sometime later, Cloud emerged from the kitchen door, feeling very refreshed–. 

“Um… just a little more to the left there Johnny.”

“Whatever you say, babe!”

“You… sure you don’t want to wait for the ladder? Fritz said he’ll have it fixed and ready by tomorrow…”

“Nah, no need! It’s just one more plant!” 

Aaaaaand just like that, that wonderful feeling was gone with the wind.

Taking a quick glance around the dining floor of Seventh Heaven, Cloud noticed that the bar was still half full, but was slowly clearing out. Kyrie and Nellie sitting in one booth eating lunch and giggling over something or other.

“-should have seen me, Nellie! We were clearing out those monster nests in record time!” Kyrie said proudly, popping another fry –from her fish and chips meal– into her mouth, enthusiastically waving her other hand as she recounted her first day as a mercenary. Looking side to side suspiciously as if to check that the coast was clear, she plopped a small sack of coins for her friend to see. “Check it out! They even gave us a bonus for finishing so fast! That’s 50 gils right there, young lady. My cut for all the hard work I put in.”

“Oh, you were fighting them too?” The blonde asked wonderingly, tearing a bit of her own fish to eat as she listened raptly. “That’s really brave of you, Kyrie! Even the more experienced fiend hunters in sector 7 don’t go near those places. The moment the Watch tells us those dens are even a “little” active, I go the long way around.”

“W-Well, I wasn’t “fight-fighting” them.” The teen said, smiling a little embarrassed, before seeming to have remembered something and pointing her finger up enthusiastically. “Sure I wasn’t tussling in the dirt with those freakazoids, bu~ut did I offer Cloud moral support when he needed it… sorta. Cheering him on and all that. I swear, hand on heart, he fought ten times harder because of me!”

“Cheering?” Nellie asked flatly, but not seriously as her lips pulled up into a wide grin, almost impishly. Seeing her friend getting agitated, she added teasingly. ”Doesn’t really sound like you earned that 50. Maybe you should give it back.” 

“What? No! Cloud gave me this himself!” Kyrie said defensively, quickly swiping her bag of coins off the table as if the gunsmith was going to make a grab for it. ”And I did other stuff too….Oh-oh! I know! I, uh… I let him focus on his tasks by taking in all those people’s requests for him! There was basically a queue of people demanding his attention because he was MIA yesterday. And once those grumpy people knew I was his assistant, that all basically went to me! So, I, um… helped him not get distracted, you know?”

“Well… you are his assistant, isn’t that, like… basically the main part of your job? Talking to people so he doesn’t have to?”

“Yeah, I guess if you going strictly by what defines an “assistant.”” Kyrie said casually with a one-shoulder shrug, popping a few more chips in hungrily before continuing with a mouthful. A lot calmer now that she secured her money back into her coat. “But no one warned me about all the complainers!” She pitched her voice into a gruff old man with a furrowed brow. “Hey! When’s the merc gonna clear out the nest in the Southern Path? It’s been blocked for two days! I can’t take any more time off work!” Pitching her voice higher into a shrill woman, and shaking both her hands just above her shoulder as if in a frantic state, she mimicked. “When is Cloud going to get off his lazy butt and take care of those Touch-Me Frogs at the park? My kids can’t play with those monsters running around! Ugh!”

Nellie let out a sudden snort at the show, catching the attention of a few curious onlookers, before covering her mouth with her hands and trying to stop the giggles that followed.

“That does sound terrible.” The quartermaster agreed jokingly, hiccuping a little from the effort at restraining her laughter. “Definitely earned you a slice of that bonus.”

“Exactly,” Kyrie confirmed with a sagely nod and tilt of her head, eyes closed as she pointed a finger at the little blonde. “While I may not have been risking life and limb jumping head first into monster fights, I sacrificed my mental health–”

Looking towards the front of the bar, Cloud saw Biggs and Wedge just outside on the patio sharing a drink of red liquor. The two were talking in low, hushed voices, heads close together as they looked something over. 

“-I don’t think it’s a good idea, Wedge,” Biggs said, shaking his head a little at whatever they were looking at.

“C’mon bro, you gotta keep your mind open to the possibilities!” The big Watchman said earnestly, fidgeting rapidly with the paper on their table. “Think five steps ahead!”

“Possibilities? What possibilities can opening a school for cats even give us?” The lanky strategist asked incredulously.

“Quite a bit if you think in the long term. Hear me out… super pets!” Wedge said enthusiastically, making an arc motion with his hands just above them as if painting a rainbow of dreams. 

“...super… pets? Okay, I’m gonna regret asking this, but what is that?”

“Imagine a world where your cats are human-educated! Able to think and function in high society. Capable of even doing your household chores when you don’t want to, looking after the kids when you need a break, and dare I say… doing your taxes!”

For a moment Biggs just stared at his childhood friend in dazed confusion, before shaking his head and giving a scoff in disbelief.

“Okay one, we live in the slums, we don’t do taxes. I mean… what percentage of nothing is Shinra gonna take?” The teacher began, almost in a lecture-like tone. “And two… that sounds absolutely horrifying. Why would I want my cat doing all of that?”

“B-Because it’d be adorable!”

“Not for long if we put them on equal grounds with us. What do you think is going to happen once they get it into their heads that they can run the world better than us?” Biggs said solemnly, even as the corner of his mouth threatened to quirk up into a smile. “And considering all the stuff Shinra’s done… that’s not a hard conclusion to make. I wouldn’t want to fight an angry cat in the best of times, let alone one capable of using a gun!”

“Why do you always gotta go worst case scenario?” Wedge bemoaned, sitting back in his chair grumpily, arms crossed. “For all you know, we could achieve perfect harmony with our feline brethren!”

“I'm just saying, they look cute and cuddly because they're small… but they’re still predators,” Biggs said with a fake look of horror, taking a sip of his glass to cover his grin. “The only reason why they don’t eat all of us is cause they probably don’t think they could win! Even then, half the ones squatting in your apartment look like they want to take a bite out of me whenever I come over.” He continued, ignoring Wedge furiously shaking his head in denial. “You remember how Ms. Garett passed away in her sleep, but no one realized until a day later? And by the time we found her… half her face was eaten off by her own cat! You had nightmares for three weeks after that!”

“T-That’s just the way nature is. It’s harsh but beautiful too!” Wedge defended stubbornly, taking a gulp from his glass, but unable to look the older man in the eyes. “Like, you can't expect Mr.Mittens to just let himself starve, you know? It was do or die! So… stop with the slander. Cause I can name ten good moments for every one of you bad–”

“Hey, you said think five steps ahead. This is me thinking ten.” Biggs interrupted humorously, no longer able to hold back his mirth over the crackpot idea of a school for animals, before looking at his grumpy friend with a sly smile. “Or maybe I just don’t want to invest all my time and effort in teaching a bunch of cats how to read.”

“Ah-hah, I knew it! You never believed in my dreams, even as kids–” 

Biggs' shoulders shook as he laughed at the half-hearted accusations before he asked. “Dream!? Which one? Because if you're talking about the time you tried starting a Cactuar farm, that was not–”

Turning his gaze to behind the bar, Cloud saw that just off to the side, was Barret hunching over a sad Marlene, who had small pricks tears in her eyes, with a red collar held stubbornly in her tiny hands. 

“Marlene… sweetie… we can’t put a collar on Red–”

“But what if the Crushers catch him without one!” The little girl said defiantly, scrubbing her tears with one arm to glare father. “If the patrols see him, they’ll take him away to the pound!”

“No one’s gonna take him,” Barret said confidently, trying to soothe his daughter but cringing a little as she just kept looking at him like he was a monster hiding in human form. “B-Besides he’s not really meant to be out and about either way! Can’t really walk around incognito when he’s basically on fire… So there's nothing to worry about!”

“But what if–?”

“And … making him wear that... ” The gunman began, using a finger to flick the nametag on the collar for emphasis.“Will make your new friend sad. He may not look it, but he’s a sentient creature –with thoughts and feelings– who wants to be treated like the rest of us. Our boy might get the wrong impression if we treat him like a pet and not a friend, you know? I certainly would be. Now, you don’t want Red to be sad, do you, princess?”

“No…” Marlene said, glumly, looking down at the chockholder as if in a new light.

“Always remember, as a general rule we always treat others how we would want to be treated.” The gunman said, kneeling at eye level to address his daughter, before tilting his head as if in consideration. “Well, with a few notable exceptions, of course. You know how I feel about them Shinra types. If one of them ever darkened my doorstep asking for help, you’d know what I’d say…”

“You’d tell them to kick rocks!” The little girl finished with a giggle, her faux-pass over the collar long forgotten.

“Atta girl! My baby knows me so well.”

Tuning out the odd father-daughter conversation, Cloud looked over the rest of the bar and its occupants.

The main room had… transformed, into a botanist's wet dream. An explosion of color that Cloud had no time to take in when he and Kyrie entered through the back door for lunch. A bouquet was placed neatly in a vase at every table, both booth and island. Every shelf and door had at least one laurel or wreath draped all over it. 

Cloud would never say it out loud… but as someone who liked primary colors –especially those of the darker variety– it was such an eyesore.

But at least the customers seemed to appreciate it if the still half-full bar was any indication.

There were… quite a few stragglers milling about despite the late lunch hour. Not a whole lot, per se… but still enough that the group would have to hold off on the Avalanche meeting till it cleared out completely. 

Some of the hangers-on were sipping slowly on drinks, others rudely rubbing the flower petals in mild wonder, but all of them were enjoying the entertaining sight of Johnny balancing precariously on a stool. They stared and snickered, as the taller man tried to sit a potted flower vase on a high shelf just right.  

“Careful!” The barmaid nearly cried out in worry.

“Oh~ relax, what’s a little danger for boys?” The mage said, not at all fazed by the part-time worker’s precarious situation. “They practically live off that stuff! Right, Johnny?”

“Y-Yeah! It gets my heart pumpkin… in a good way!” The redhead said, with a somewhat strained smile, trying to project confidence even as Cloud saw his knuckles whitening from how hard he gripped the top shelf.

The stool gave an ominous creak.

And standing just below –but a safe distance away from the energetic redhead– were Tifa and Aerith, who were trying to direct the man… but with clear worry in the barmaid's eyes and mild amusement in the mage’s– as they watched him wobble once more on the stool the worker was standing on.

His childhood friend stood there –tall, straight back, and strong–  practically unaware of all the admiring looks and jealous glares coming from her own clientele. A woman whose very presence, and looks, drew the room’s attention even when that was the last thing she wanted. Well… maybe “not wanted” was a bit of a strong phrase, Cloud amended with a chuckle, remembering how Tifa once told him she liked wearing midriffs to show off her abs. 

She wanted to flaunt her hard work a little, but not be too obnoxious about it by bringing up her martial arts training all the time, so the crop tops were her middle ground.

And if it wasn’t obvious… it worked like a wonder.

(Everybody enjoys the sight of a beautiful woman being sexy.) Jenova muttered tiredly in his mind, the sudden image of his mother lying on her back in a dazed state after all the sex, flitted in his vision for a second. ( When you have a bod like that, a little teasing could almost be considered a public service. Enhances the day in my opinion. )

Tifa could be shy, even introverted at times, when it came to the spotlight… but that didn’t mean she didn’t like getting her ego stroked every now and then.

It was a funny thing to know that his girlfriend wasn’t completely unaware of the effect she had on people, despite how bashful she would get when someone worked up the nerve to compliment her on anything. 

Because who would have thought? Tifa Lockhart, prideful… even if it was just a little.

However, unlike most people at the bar, it was the girl next to the fighter that drew Cloud's attention.

The flower merchant was just a bit shorter than the barmaid, with vibrant green eyes, and light brown hair. And despite her flowing dress obscuring most of her body, obviously had a slim build with apparent gentle curves to compliment her figure. All of that combined, it created an aura of alluring softness that, when paired with her impish smile and chiming laughs, had quite a few curious stares sent her way. 

The botanist had enough of a natural pull that those bar patrons kept looking back and forth between the two girls as if they couldn’t decide who to ogle more at.

(Plus, you could crack a walnut with that ass.) Jenova said sleepily, another image of her curling up into a ball under a blanket, ready for sweet oblivion to take her. (If she sat that thing on your face, we’d die a happy death.)

Unfortunately, Cloud only felt dread when he saw Aerith Gainsborough… Zack’s girlfriend.

Who he had a date with at the end of the week…

‘Fuck!’

What a… insane twist of fate, that Tifa managed to randomly meet the one person that Zack dragged Cloud’s comatose dead weight across the continent to meet. Even risking the death trap that was Midgar, just to reunite with the girl he loved–

“Oh, shit!” Johnny shouted in panic, the stool below him tipping over and sending him free-falling backward. 

Before Cloud could think, his body reacted, moving to cross the distance in record time and catching the other man before he could hit the floor.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Tifa said in relief, the tension leaving her body now that the worst had been averted.

“Nice catch!” Aerith hollered over in agreement, clapping a little with her hands, which was shortly followed along with the light applause of the crowd who saw what almost happened.

It took all of the merc’s willpower to blush.

“Bro! Thank you for the save!” Johnny shouted out, almost wrapping his arms around Cloud’s neck for balance before the merc forced him back on his feet. “That would’ve been one nasty fall!”

“You’re… welcome. Uh, just be more careful.” Cloud said awkwardly, giving the other man a stiff nod –who returned it enthusiastically– before walking closer to Tifa and Aerith, giving them a quick greeting before addressing the florist in a low voice. “Can you give us a second?”

For a long moment, Aerith just stared at them, as if trying to read their minds, before turning away towards Johnny.

“Fine, fine… I can tell when I’m not wanted.” She said,  with a smile and a wave towards the couple, as she walked off. At the last second, she whirled on Cloud, placing a light finger on his chest. “But share the wealth, huh? You're not the only one who wants to hang out with Tifa, you know.” 

For a moment he just stared at her in surprise… at least till he noticed the slight curve at the corner of Aerith’s lips.

“Loud and clear.” Cloud grumbled out slightly, relenting to the joke as the mage and barmaid shared a giggle.

“Aa~and, have you given more thought to my suggestion?”

It took the merc a long minute to figure out what the mage was talking about… before a glance at Tifa sent the memory surging to the forefront.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah… I’ll ask her right now.” The “Soldier” said, tilting his head towards his girlfriend.

“Perfect!” She said enthusiastically, giving him a playful flick to one of his yellow spikes before wandering over to the redhead, who had been staring at the broken leg of his chair in morbid fascination (no doubt, grappling with the moral quandary of almost having died to a chair), and shouted out. “You know Johnny? I don’t think that's a good spot… let's move it a little more to the left so we can get some plate light on it.”

“O-Okay… let me just, um… find some tape… and, uh get the stool back up–”

The merc took a moment to just stare after the mage, a mix of guilt and apprehension warring in his stomach again as he watched her retreating back. Shit, he needed to tell her. The longer he waited, the more the anxiety ate him up inside. He had to say something to her–

Cloud felt a gentle slap on his arm, his eyes trailing up the retreating limb, only to see a playful smirk and a knowing look on Tifa’s face.

It almost made him go red at the implication of what she thought he had been doing with his staring.

Turning firmly away from the two, Cloud led Tifa to a secluded corner of the bar, where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“So… what this “suggestion.”” The fighter asked teasingly, once he had her back against the wall… only to lightly slap his hands down when he tried to reach for her hips. “I told you earlier, not right now, I’m swamped with the new decorations! Save it for tonight. Nayo and Jessie should have taken the edge off, you bed monster.”

“Well, sure… “ He begrudgingly admitted, but feeling particularly stubborn, he crossed his arms moodily instead. “But I always want you no matter how many girls I go through … ”

“Sweet… in a weird way, but control yourself Strife!” She said laughingly as he made another attempt at holding her, but this time, not stopping him when he put his hands on her waist. “Alright, Mr. Grabby, what did you want to talk about anyway?”

“Johnny…” Cloud began, tilting his head back towards the redhead. “What’s he still doing here? I thought I told him to leave the city?”

“You did…” Tifa confirmed apologetically, before letting herself be happily dragged deeper into his arms for a hug and quick kiss. That got a round of disgruntled grumbles from the onlookers who had been watching them, which he soundly ignored… even if it did make him feel a little smug. “But he said someone stole his wallet –or lost it, he’s actually not sure which one– just as he was about to leave Midgar… and well, it had all of his gil and transit tickets. And um..” The barmaid took a moment to lick her lips, the outline of her tongue running over her teeth as if she was trying to decipher the flavor of a drink… before giving him an admonishing look. “Hmmm, Cloud… you didn’t wash your mouth properly! I can still taste Nayo on you!”

“Oh…um, sorry?” He began before an absurd question popped into his head. “You can tell the difference?”

She gave him a stern look, but one that didn’t have a whole lot of heart behind it.

“ Don’t change the subject. I’m not mad, but you have to be considerate of the new girls.” She admonished him, using a thumb to wipe his lips, as if to give him a quick cleanse. “It’s bad form to give Nellie and Kyrie their first kiss, only for them to taste another girl on your lips! It’s not very romantic.”

“I know, I know… wait, first kiss!?”

The barmaid jumped slightly at his question before a cagey look came to her eyes as if her brain had just caught up to her words.

“Oh, um… forget I said that…”

(Whoa, nice and fresh. ) Jenova practically purred, now very wide awake, as the illusion of her figment self stepping out of his body to wander over towards the two girls in question, a look of clear excitement on her face. (I don’t want to be that person, but there’s just something about an unplucked fruit… that just drives me nuts! Maybe it’s a kink?)

Cloud could only groan in disbelief, both from the sudden information… and the sight of the alien trying to sniff Nellie’s hair. And considering the parasite didn’t have her own senses to use, having to piggyback off of his anatomy whenever she wanted to experience sensation, he doing that was largely performative. No doubt another attempt to annoy him into talking to her after he decided to stubbornly ignore the creature. Or at least get a reaction.

And the sight of his “mother” pressing herself up against another woman was–

He blinked as if trying to clear the sight in front of him.

‘Those two… sort of… look alike…’

“–but really, don’t tell them I told you that! It was supposed to be, you know… kind of a secret–”

He turned his attention back to Tifa, trying to shake the odd image from his head.

“Why would they even want to date me?” Cloud cut in morosely, focusing on the conversation before him as he leaned his forehead against his girlfriend’s. He closed his eyes with a sign and felt her circling her arms around his neck instantly. “Tifa… I am the worst guy for a girl to have her first time with. Remember ours? You can’t tell me I wasn’t rough with you… or the fact that I stuck it in without making sure you were ready for it–”

He cut off his diatribe when he felt a very sharp flick to the ear.

“What I remember… was a magical night.” She said, cutting him off as she closed her own eyes and braced her back against the wall. She pulled him closer to her, obscuring them from the rest of the patron’s view...  “Where this handsome man took charge and showed me what he wanted… showed me what I wanted.” At that, she opened her eyes and bumped his nose playfully with her own. “And trust me Cloud, I was plenty ready.”

He could only scoff lightly, feeling warmth in his chest as he leaned back a little to stare into those ruby eyes.

“You know, if you keep sweet talking to me like that…” Cloud began, letting his hands slide from her hips and down her backside, where he let it rest on her cheeks, giving them a gentle squeeze. “And making me feel all fuzzy inside, I’m gonna have to show you my appreciation–” He felt a sharp tug on his ear, the strength of the pull nearly bending him sideways. “Ow, ow! Sorry, sorry–”

“Once again, loverboy… save it for tonight,” Tifa said with mock sternness, alluding to how their date was going to end, before finally letting the cartilage go… only to tiptoe up and give his abused ear a gentle kiss in apology. Well… that did make him feel a little better. She wrapped him back up in a hug, holding him close as she nipped the lobe in a playful warning. “And I’m wise to your tricks Strife, so don’t try it again! You can have your fun another time when we don’t have plans. But since I already bought our Airshow tickets and made those dinner reservations… I’m not gonna miss those just because you're feeling randy!”

“...yes, ma’am.” He said reluctantly, but not really able to work up the energy to be too moody with his Tifa being so soft in his arms.

There was no way his girlfriend didn’t know the effect her body had on him when they were molded together like this!

“Perfect! And just bear with Johnny for now, okay?”” The barmaid said, getting the conversation back on topic. “Believe it or not, he really wants to leave the city too. Actually has this whole plan to go to Costa Del Sol and set up a shop there. Not really possible anymore, and it’s not going to be the “hit the ground running” start he was hoping for, but he’s confident he’ll figure something out once he gets there. It’s just… he can’t really afford the trip there with his current savings, you know? It’s pretty much why he’s been doing all these odd jobs and risking his life to put up a flower pot.”

“Fine.” 

“It’s just till he has enough, alright? That honestly shouldn’t take too long at the rate he’s going.”

“Okay.” He agreed, leaning his own cheek against hers as he rested his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

“Good,” Tifa said happily, reaching a hand up to idly card it through his spikes… watching in fascination as the yellow points seemed to defy the impromptu combing. 

At least, he imagined so, this having become something of a favorite pastime of the fighter when they had downtime. Usually, Cloud would feel embarrassed by the oddity of his hair seemingly defying gravity… but the feeling of her fingers running along his scalp. It was honestly lulling him into a drowsy state, his muscles relaxing, and breathing evening out. Was even ready to fall asleep standing up if Tifa kept it up… at least till she spoke up.

“So… what is Aerith’s request?”

“Mmhmm? Oh that, well… she wants to know if she can add a person to our date in a couple of days. If… you were willing  to join us and turn our twosome date into a throuple outing.”

Tifa’s hand stopped for a moment, likely in surprise, before resuming its motions.

“And… is that what you want?” She asked slowly, almost cautiously… causing him to pull back slightly in order to look at her.

“I don’t feel particularly strong about it either way,” Cloud said simply, trying to sound casual and not ruin the moment as Zack’s smiling face flashed in his mind, before adding jokingly. “Although, I think she might use the opportunity to try and woo you. Aerith once told me that if I didn’t treat you right, she was going to steal you from under my nose. And then … she’ll go after the rest of the girls, till I’m left with only my hand and a sock for company.”

Tifa giggled at the thought. “I always thought me and her had this special connection. Well… nice to know I have options now. ”

“You sure about that?” The merc asked, almost cockily. “Because I’m pretty sure Pinkie is missing some of your favorite bits.”

“So? I’ll date Aerith for love… and you can be our side piece.” Tifa mocked, reaching down to give his ass a faux-pinch. “I’ll call you up when I’m feeling an itch, and you’ll come running,  naked and ready when I need you to. Sounds like a win-win for me.”

Cloud could only laugh at his childhood friend’s attempt at sounding perverted. “So, I guess you're fine with letting Aerith have her throuple date?”

“More, the merrier.”

000

A packet of papers was suddenly slammed in front of Cloud.

“Really Yuffie? Right in my fish?” The merc asked irritably, using a finger to shove the stack further away from his food, before pointing at it. “And what the hell is this?”

Cloud watched the kunoichi slide into the seat before him –casually shouldering Kyrie further down the booth, much to the junior merc’s annoyance– before leaning forward on an elbow and stabbing down at the paperwork with a finger, a wide grin on her face.

“This, Mr. Mercenary… is your contract for joining Wutai.” Yuffie confidently, before reaching over casually to steal one of his fries and pop it into her mouth. Licking her fingertips, she produced a pen and presented it to him, the back end aimed his way. “I already went through and filled out all the spots that need your initials… to save you the hassle and all that. You're welcome, by the way. So, go ahead and sign your name at the bottom of pages three, four, and eight. Once that’s taken care of, I do the boring part of filing it away.”

She promptly placed the pen next to his plate, as if it was settled and done.

“This is… a what now?” Cloud asked in genuine confusion, not comprehending the teen's words as if she was speaking a different language. He looked over at Nellie and Kyrie, who looked just as baffled as he felt, the two of them only able to give a perplexed shrug of their shoulders. Seeing no help there, the blonde glanced back at the ninja as she happily tore the tail off his fried fish to eat. 

“A contract.” She said simply, not even looking in his direction, focus apparently on her stolen meal as she chewed. “You know… a commission of services rendered for payment. An agreement of duties to be performed in exchange for compensation. A pledge to perform certain acts, and in return I give you…” Yuffie stopped to ponder for a moment, rotating her hand at the wrist a little as if trying to find the answer to a universal question. “Money? Land? Blood? How do you want to get paid?” She waved the questions away before he could even open his mouth. “You know? Not even important, we’ll hammer out the details later. Go ahead and sign.”

“...no?”

“What… why?” The ninja asked, sounding genuinely surprised by the refusal. 

“Cause you never told him about the offer.” Sonon piped up from Cloud’s right, the tall man had just appeared with two plates of food that he set down before pulling up a chair. Settling into his seat at the edge of the table, he looked over at his leader with a bemused smile, elaborating. “Remember how we said we were going to talk to him about it and give him time to… think it over? And how you insisted on being the one to talk to him… but you never did?”

For a moment she just stared blankly at him, before realization dawned on her.

“Oh, yeah…” Yuffie said wonderingly, looking wide-eyed at the ceiling as she tapped her lips, seemingly having forgotten to approach Cloud. After a beat, she looked back at her partner, giving a dismissive wave of her hand and a shoulder shrug, before saying. “But in my defense, I couldn’t find a minute alone with him.” She looked back at the merc with a cheeky grin. “Well, better late than never!” Pointing a finger at him, she said. “You Cloud Strife, are being formally invited to join the New Wutain Interim government militia branch! We just got some pesky paperwork to fill out first, and then we’ll get you an official officer’s commission under me–”

“Hold up.” Cloud interrupted, gazing between the two ninjas in confusion. “Why am I being offered this?”

“We like to recruit promising assets to the cause,” Sonon said heartily, giving a bright smile full of confidence… which faltered slightly at Cloud’s impassive expression. Recovering himself, the big ninja said brightly. “Finding a First-Class Soldier like yourself who’s not sympathetic to Shinra, and is in fact, actively fighting against them… for all intents and purposes, is a match made in heaven for us. A scratch our back, we’ll scratch your back type of relationship… where you're properly rewarded. In the manner most befitting of you, of course. A quid-pro-quo, if you will.”

There was silence as the table tried to digest the freedom fighter’s… strange words.

‘Quid-pro-quo… the hell is that? Old Wutain?’

(Latin, I believe) Jenova said idly, an image of his mother sitting on an overstuffed armchair and eating a snack, while watching one of his childhood memories like a movie, played in his head. (It’s kind of surprising how much survived over the course of a millennia. Like, you guys using “penny for your thoughts”, even though pennies don’t exist in this era.) 

The big ninja himself subsequently blushing when he realized no one understood what he had been explaining.

“...what did he just say?” Kyrie asked with a tilt of her head, voicing the table’s confusion, as well as seemingly having given up trying to decipher the man’s flowery words herself.

To be fair, most of the people at the table either grew up in a remote mountain village or the slums.

“What my overly educated colleague was trying to say is…” Yuffie began, looking a little embarrassed by the other ninja’s attempt, and failure, to explain the situation. She pulled one of her legs up from under the table, and planted it on the cushion, wrapping her arms around it as she smiled impishly, almost flirtatiously at Cloud. “We hate Shinra, you hate Shinra… and Wutai would like to pay you for your services in doing something about it. You in?”

“...you sure you want to be talking about this so openly? The blonde asked, glancing around before swinging a finger to indicate the two of them.“And fighting Shinra… isn’t that basically what we're doing right now?”

“Meh, it’s all terrorists and freedom fighters… who’s gonna tell?”

And it was true, in just ten minutes the bar had cleared out of the typical patrons, everyone forced to get on with their day, leaving only the five of them in the dining room. All the girls (sans Marlene, who had gone to her friend Betty’s house down the street) were in the basement to get things set up. Barret had joined Biggs and Wedge for a drink out front, keeping an eye out for Nayo’s team to arrive, as well as acting as a bouncer for anyone who thought the restaurant was still open for the public.

“As for the second bit… you’d be absolutely right!” The teen ninja continued happily, giving her knee a slap, before reaching over to the forgotten contract and sliding it back in front of the merc. “So, signing this little guy is more of a formality, just to help define our roles and hierarchy. Maybe even have you take an order of two from me if needed. But we’ll play it by ear.” Yuffie said, looking away and giving a casual shrug of her shoulder as if that last part wasn’t a big deal. “We’ll still do your infiltration mission, still save the city if we can. But afterwards… “ She looked back up at him with a pearly white grin. “Well, let’s just say there’s no end to the paid mission we can offer you, and no limit to the potential damage we can do to the company if we work together. Doesn’t that just sound peachy Mr. Merc?”

“If it makes it any easier, you don’t really have to sign right now,” Sonon added, taking a shaker and adding some salt to his food. “There’s no expiration date to this offer, so definitely think it over if you need to. But that being said, we …” He said, pointing at himself and Yuffie. “...go where we’re needed by the Council. So, no pressure, but sooner rather than later would be ideal.”

“And signing now would be perfection.” The White Rose chimed in. 

“Well–” Cloud began.

“Hey! You can’t take him!” Nellie jumped in, stretching a hand out between the “Soldier” and Kuniochi as if to physically block the offer. “No poaching our people!”

“Yeah!” Kyrie piled on, throwing in her support and shoulder-bumping Yuffie, who pushed back just as aggressively till both brunettes were glaring at each other. “Go stick your offer up where the sun doesn't shine, you homewrecker because Cloud’s Avalanche!”

“No, he’s not!” Yuffie countered, cheek to cheek with the other Wutain girl as he growled out. “He’s an associate of Avalanche… a mercenary! He’s mainly in it for the money. He’s said as much himself! Which Wutai will give him in bucket loads as soon as he signs.”

“It’s not about the money!” The ex-thief said fiercely, surprising her friends a little with that statement.

“Of course, it’s about the money!”

“You–”

“Enough.” Cloud cut in firmly, glaring at both girls till they reluctantly separated, before focusing on the ninja. “I told you before, don’t cause trouble in Tifa’s bar Yuffie. You take your problems outside. I come here to eat and relax, not watch you stir up trouble.”

 “Wha– why are you only telling me!?” The ninja said, hands pressed to her chest and sporting a rather hurt look on her face before she pointed aggressively at the tomboy… or other tomboy? “It takes two to tango!”

Kyrie had a very smug look on her face as she crossed her arms condescendingly.

“Yeah… well, that’s a warning for her then.” Cloud agreed, not being too serious and having no real edge to his voice. However, he did have to force himself to ignore the look of betrayal on his assistant’s face and sudden guilt in his gut. Forcing his attention back on the ninja, he pointed two fingers at her. “You, however, have been the instigator in nearly every problem since I’ve met you, Yuffie. So that’s strike one.”

Truthfully, the merc didn’t really know what he would do if she crossed a line. He wasn’t one for corporal punishment, was not sharp enough with his words to give some a dressing down or lecture, and… didn’t have any real authority over the ninjas to do anything creative.

Like, if he told Yuffie to stand outside and think over her actions… what would stop her from laughing in his face?

The best Cloud had was throwing out some vague implication of violence, which he wasn’t sure he could follow through on… especially since it was just two teenage girls getting on each other’s nerves.

Thankfully, his threats seem to hold strong because the teen only grumbled what might have been an affirmative, before looking off to the side petulantly.

(You know… sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of a wild spirit in the harem.) The alien said, offering her unsolicited opinion. (Someone to cause a bit of tension in the group and get the blood pumping among the girls. That way you can “step in” and help soothe any hurt feelings. Give them something better to work off all that frustration… if you know what I mean! Heh!)

‘Quite.’ Cloud thought, almost automatically. ‘And Yuffie isn’t a part of this… so your terrible advice is moot.’

(But she could be. Trust me, I got a sixth sense about these things.)

Cloud ran a hand through his spikes exasperatedly but looked at the two Wutains consideringly.

“Look, I’m not against doing some jobs for Wutai if you need me to… but this?” He said, tapping the contract for emphasis. “This is a real commitment… and one that I’m not really able to make on my own at the moment.” The merc made a show of folding up the packet in thirds and securing it in his belt harness. “Let me think it over for a bit, have a conversation with a few people first, and then I’ll let you know what I decide.”

The two ninjas looked at him for a long moment before Yuffie slouched in her seat and scoffed a little. ”Tch, fiii~iiine. Go talk to your big-boobed wife and see if she’ll let you off the leash… I guess.”

He didn’t know whether to be offended or… happy at the implication that people already considered him and Tifa a package deal. That he didn’t need to really spell out what he meant when he had to talk to some people… felt kind of good. Although, maybe a bit premature since he was still trying to work on that whole ring business. 

Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised that they didn’t sell fine jewelry in the slums.

“Pfft, this one would never make it in a harem,” Kyrie whispered to Nellie, although… Cloud was certainly able to hear it clear enough from where he was sitting. “She’d have no respect for the hierarchy.”

The blonde nodded solemnly. 

But before he could form a thought on that, Sonon spoke up… while giving Yuffie an admonishing look. “It is fine. A man’s gotta make sure your home life is in order before taking a big step like this. Hell, if my own wife told me to give up this life and find a regular 9-to-5, I would.” The man said casually, seemingly unaware of the startled look the younger ninja gave him. “And… if it helps sweeten the pot any, we’re happy to negotiate on that contract –haggle over the details if needed– especially if there are some things that don’t work for you. Nothing’s set in stone, you know?”

“That’s good to hear,” Cloud said neutrally, a little surprised at how willing they were to bend over backward for him. He was borderline flattered at the interest, he’s never been so… wanted before. At least, for something that didn’t require the horizontal dance. It was… a weird feeling to digest. “But let’s just put a pin in it for now, and we’ll talk later, okay? For now… let’s just eat and relax till the meeting starts.” Seeing the ninjas nod in confirmation, he turned to Nellie. “Uh, sorry about that. You were… um, telling me about your day?”

A shy smile graced her lips, and she nodded enthusiastically. “I–”

“So just out of curiosity, these Avalanche girls…” Yuffie began, cutting the gunsmith off and getting a glare for it, which she subsequently ignored with a grin. “You don’t actually spend every second of your day bumping uglies with them, do you? Cause that can’t be physically possible or healthy. At the very least, the sheer dehydration! I mean… if you need a hobby to kill time, I can introduce you to this wonderful new game called Queen’s Blood–”

“Hey! You shouldn’t talk about other people’s sex life in public…” Nellie cut in, her arms crossed… and just the slightest hint of an adorable pout on her face. “Or making cracks about it. It’s disrespectful! What if someone overhears?”

“Ain't no one gonna hear, the place is practically empty!” Yuffie countered, swinging one arm to encompass the room as she pulled one of the two, almost forgotten, plates toward herself.

And… yeah, it was still just Barret, Biggs, and Wedge out front talking among themselves.

“Well… either way, you shouldn’t be putting our business out there so casually.” The gunsmith said, holding strong as she furrowed her brows… though, there was no real heat behind the glare.

“Oh c’mon, I was just us… wait… “our” business?” Yuffie said pointedly, eyes sparkling with avid interest.  “Hmm… so, it’s not just the old girls downstairs getting tumbled. You… and this traitor as well?” She said pointing a thumb at Kyrie, who looked torn between confusion and offense. Not waiting for a response, the Kuiochi nodded to herself as if in confirmation. “So… there’s room for growth, is there? How… fascinating.”

(Oh, ho ho! What’s this now?) Jenova asked happily, an illusion of her appearing on his lap, wiggling herself comfortably as she stared at the ninja in keen attentiveness.

Cloud tried not to glare at the alien for her choice of seating. 

While he couldn’t feel the woman on him, the sight of his mother in between his legs gave him… uncomfortable thoughts. The kind that should be locked away in a dark cell in the back of his mind, and never allowed to see the light of day.

(What's poking me? Hehe)

Nellie could only stare back at the shinobi like a deer in headlights, frozen by her own slip-up, with Kyrie just as stiff as a board next to her. The ninja noticed both girls' reactions with a sharp eye, her grin growing wider. While it wasn’t a secret, their multi-partner relationship, they hadn’t exactly gotten around to announcing it to the general public either. And truthfully, it wasn’t anyone’s business, so the group wanted to keep things on the “low” for as long as possible. But for the rather sharp smile on the ninja’s face –like a shark that smelled blood– that wasn’t much of a possibility at the moment.

Truthfully, Cloud himself was a little frozen on how to respond… where was Tifa when he needed her!?

“Hey, c’mon… boundaries.” Sonon tried to say, looking a little uncomfortable by the line of questioning happening in front of him.

“What? It’s just a little girl talk between friends.” The teen ninja said unashamedly, despite the disgruntled looks she was getting from said “friends”. She shot Cloud a cheeky grin before briefly looking between the two Avalanche girls… and zeroing in on the blonde, almost hungrily. “So… Soldier boy’s little foursome is actually a sixsome, eh? Well, don’t keep me waiting… spill the beans! How did this all happen? Bigger question, how far have you gotten with him?”

The quartermaster seemed stunned by the onslaught of bold questions.

“W-Well… I… yes and no? I mean–”

“Don’t answer this snake's questions, Nellie!” Kyrie said firmly, jumping to the blonde’s rescue as she fumbled her words. The tomboy got a glare at the ninja, who returned it with just as much venom, before saying scathingly. “Even if what you're implying is real, and not just a figment of your over-hyper, over-sexed imagination… what makes you think you can butt in and ask questions? Or that we all don’t know what you're really trying to do!”

“O~kay, I think I’ll finish my meal outside,” Sonon said quickly, grabbing his plate and making a quick retreat outside.

Stunned, Cloud could only watch stupidly at the man’s back as he left the blonde alone with the arguing women.

(Coward!)

“What? I can’t be curious?” Yuffie asked in mock offense towards the other teen, barely even acknowledging her friend’s escape. Indeed, little seemed to faze the shinobi, the slight grin on her face at Kyrie’s accusation said she didn’t mind being caught red-handed… and felt no shame in it.

“Oh please, like I haven’t noticed you checking out Cloud for the last couple of days! Your desperation is–”

 “So? I was just checking out that sword of his… admiring how big and long it was–”

“Oh blerg! Do you even hear the words that come out of your mouth? And fyi… his sword is on his back, not in front of his pants, you peeping tom–!”

“I know exactly what I said! And “peeping tom?” Are you sure you want to be throwing that accusation around? Because I happen to find a very worn pair of binoculars on a certain someone’s rooftop–

“I-I don’t know what you're trying to imply here… a-and whatever baseless lie you're trying to peddle isn’t gonna work! And there’s no proof that it’s mine–”

“Oh, sor~ry . Maybe it’s some other person with the initials KC–”

(How much longer before you think they're gonna kiss?) Jenova asked with steepled fingers, watching intently as the two girls went at it. (I’m betting the two of them are gonna need to have a bit of a tussle –maybe a bit of clothes ripping?– before they admit to the undeniable attraction–)

“Strike two!” Cloud said loudly, hoping to cut the argument before it got too intense and someone said something they’d regret. “Once again Yuffie, knock it off and stop instigating.” He only got a mulish look in response. “What I –or anyone else that it might involve– do in my personal life is none of your business. And if no one wants to answer your pervy questions… learn to drop it.”

The two teens looked moodily at each other before glancing away in a huff.

Not quite making up, but at least no longer arguing.

Good enough.

He just… really hoped Yuffie didn’t call him on his bluff. Because honestly? Cloud still had no idea what he’d do if it got to strike three.

Realistically, what would he even do to the teen?

“Fine, fine… I get it. Those of us outside of the “circle” don’t get to ask questions.” Yuffie scoffed, somewhat apologetic if dismissive of her wrongdoings. “A square peg like me just has to sit on her hands and speculate quietly in the corner. Watching on in wonder at the debauchery happening near me. Look but don’t touch.” In a moment, the ninja looked him in the eyes, the browns sparkling with unknown mischief, as she whispered too low for the rest of the table to hear… but just loud enough for him to hear. “At least, till some of it spills my way.”

Despite himself, Cloud felt his heart beating just a tick faster, intrigued by the knowing smirk the Wutain girl sent his way.

The sheer challenge in her eyes.

(I’m thinking… she might have called your bluff.)

Chapter Text

“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 your 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'm 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, 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 than 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 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, the man and cat stared at each other in stunned silence. Both tense, 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 couldn’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 in 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's 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 backup.”

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 seconds 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 thievery 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 you're all 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 she 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 an “as you were” gesture with her hand.

Smiling a little fondly at the two, Jessie waved 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 the 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. Those damn cheapskates.”

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 it 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, depressingly, 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, it 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 migraine 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 than 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 a 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 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 one's 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, that 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 suspiciously 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 an eye roll, gaze 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, that 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 headfirst 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 whiteboard 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 gathered everyone’s attention.

“Yes, well… that’s actually more of our backup 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 whittle 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, his body still flat on the cushion, yet with his 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. “We'll 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! This 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 counterintelligence. 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 were 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 a bit more of 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 than 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 scanned 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 everyone considered the tomboy’s words, and 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 a mock salute.

A loud cough to Cloud’s right drew the room’s 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 times, 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 a 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 going to lose any sleep over 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 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 beneficial 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 tickets 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 were 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 anywhere near brave enough to even attempt at trying to pronounce it correctly.

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, an 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 was 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 these 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 of 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? Take 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 hugged you almost every day! The only time she didn’t was because you ran out of 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, awkward 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 knockout 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 on 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 your…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 confirmed, giving the red skin, 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's movements grounded 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 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.”

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, and tense. The barmaid looked 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 it, 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 strangers, with him rock hard to boot, was not the place to have an 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, and 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 insistent. 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 cheekiness 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 breathe again – 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. "The 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 moment he made the most wonderful discovery… her underwear had an opening in the front. She was certainly prepared for an eventful 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 their 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, which 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 in. 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 don'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 “personally 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 show 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 acknowledged 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 setup. 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.”

Immediately, Cloud was busily stuffing his face with some food, trying to do anything but 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 grunted 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 compliment 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 nonetheless 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 squeezed back with just as much force. Affection welled 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 earlier on the train, his implication of love since they were kids... then he definitely understood why she needed a minute to compose herself.

He felt like he might 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!”