Yo yo yo, your merry peasant Womble from little England checking in here with chapter 6!

First thing I wanna say is… ahhhh FFXV uncovered! Brotherhood, any anime fans in the house!? Kinsglaive, greatest CGI quality of all time!? Stand by me, not sure if it will fit with the game but sounded good right!? Those trailers! Sean Bean and Aaron Paul! Flying car! Titan! All aboard the hype train! CHOO CHOO!

**Ahem**

Oh yeah, back to this 'innocent' chapter, it's a bit of beast. Average chapter length= 6k words. This chapter length= 11k words. That's all I'm gonna say about it hehe.

Enjoy darlings :)

Chapter 6 Part 1- First fuck

The busy world that was sector 3's central town bustled by, fraught with danger and caked in dirty layers of pollutants prohibited from escaping to the wide open fresh skies by the oppressive plate above. It was a town that, unlike sector 7, actually had paved roads in the form of cobbled streets and therefore in turn, cars. Not fancy cars or streets mind you. Old recycled bangers that spewed out black smog and fought to crawl their way through the throngs of foot traffic that treated the pot-hole haggard paths as much theirs as the machines. It wasn't a pretty town but it was a town. A hive of activity. A metropolis that offered distraction from the depressing reality of slum life in the form of drinking, gambling, food, entertainment and other worldly pleasures.

A place the people of Midgar had made their own.

Jessie dreamily watched the life of the sleepless city sector roll endlessly on from her corner seat view by the window, an irremovable smile upon her flushed lips. She had told the others she would burn time in the scrapyard but after what had just happened, she couldn't. She needed a place to sit and think, to stupidly grin with absent mindedness and a café in the heart of town had become that place.

She had blown-up an entire mako rector less than a couple hours ago, the reports on the television were already flooding in. Engaged in hotly erotic foreplay on a public train less than an hour after that, the luscious heavenly sensations of which were still electrifyingly fresh on her mind and fresh on her body. The kissing, the caressing, the fervent man-handling. The lust and passion that somehow had an indescribable tenderness yet distinct edge of roughness in equal unified measure. The kind of hot inflamed lust that only existed in naughty fictions. The kind of passion the red-head didn't even know she possessed within her.

Jessie traced two fingers across her lips as if to remind herself of the sweet mouth that had branded hers and satisfied her long overdue desire.

Wishful thinking…

Truth was she wasn't satisfied at all, now she had been given a taste she craved him all the more. Wanted her arms wrapped around the warriors strong narrow waist and to bask in the heat of his body again. Wanted her hands coiled once more around his…

… oh gods….

A shiver danced up Jessie's spine, the memory of Cloud's beautiful curve straining under her control exciting beyond compare.

"You've been stirring that for 10 minutes. I think the sugars dissolved sweetie."

She jumped from her elicit reverie, peered up at the mature smirking waitress and bashfully set the small spoon down she had been unknowingly mixing mindless circles with in a coffee she had ordered a lifetime ago. The embarrassed but still glowing red-head prayed her face projected no incriminating signs of what she had been thinking about. The way the large curly-grey haired woman's grin was raining down upon her, it seemed as if she knew exactly what Jessie had been thinking.

"Ah that face, I know that lovely face. He's a very lucky man."

"He?" Jessie played dumb, poorly so as the smile on her mouth only widened.

"This new boyfriend of yours."

"Oh, no he…" Jessie's thumbs traced the rim of cup. "… he's not my boyfriend."

"Well he'd be heavens fool to keep it that way. Let me get you a new one."

"No it's fine, honestly. Thanks anyway" she insisted, keeping her hands to the cold undrinkable cup. Her insides felt too unsettled and jittery to even handle coffee right now.

The sociable older lady simply nodded in understanding and left with a final kind smile. It was only a passing friendly exchange yet it got Jessie thinking, intrigued by how easily she had dismissed Cloud as being her boyfriend. Of course he was by no means whatsoever her boyfriend but it seemed curious, contradictory even, that despite how he often made her feel she possessed no real desire for him to be. Even in wake of what had happened between them last night and on the train.

Did she achingly yearn for the affection and intimacy of a loving partner from him? At times, yes. At other times, no.

Did she want commitment and exclusivity with him? While the thought of him with another woman didn't exactly have her jumping for joy, no. She didn't want that at all.

Jessie had seen the way people acted in relationships and while they would nearly all claim that their partner was also their 'best friend', in her eyes it wasn't true and never the same. They would pretend their relationship had the wonderful dynamic of friendship but the truth was there would always be the undercurrent of darker emotions that prevented true friendship in the way she saw it. Jealousy, possessiveness, insecurity, obligation to the other. Caution on what things one should and shouldn't say. She didn't want any of that with Cloud. Neither of them were in the right place for something like that. She wanted to continue being friends, to be able to hang out talking about absolutely anything, everything, stupid things and without barriers as if she were with Biggs or Wedge.

The only difference was she just wanted to rip the clothes off the ex-SOLDIER's body at the same time.

The red-head sighed and slid the cup she was beginning to irritate herself with away from her hands. Was she being delusional? Was such a thing even possible? To have the best of both worlds. The good without the bad.

Jessie shook her head.

She might well be on the edge of beginning something huge but she was overthinking things again. What had happened between them was wrong, a betrayal against Tifa no matter how she worded it to herself. Problem was she felt helpless to stop it because she knew the moment she next saw Cloud, she would act on instinct regardless of what conclusions she attempted to-

Jessie's body went rigid and the double-take she did out the café window was so fierce it nearly caused her to pull a muscle in her neck. The reality of what she was seeing coinciding with what she was thinking in too stark a coincidence to be real. There, imbedded deep in the crowd flocking in and out of the road that connected the main commerce strip she was on and what was perhaps the only courtyard with a fountain in the whole of Midgar, blonde spikes caught her eye and breath. A brief glimpse of yellow peaks, a strong purposeful stride, the distinct enormous handle of a sword standing above the heads of the crowd and a unique mine shaped pauldron on one shoulder. It was so brief in fact that once it was gone, Jessie wondered if her constant musing about the man had sent her brain into a frenzy and she had imagined him into existence.

Not willing to accept that she had succumbed to hallucinations of Cloud just yet, Jessie dropped 2 gil on the table for the coffee and made for the door.

Chapter 6 Part 2- First fuck

It was a struggle to believe he was actually here. Sure she had directed Cloud towards getting off at sector 3 south while getting off at sector 3 central herself, a bit of a sly move on her behalf that she might have a chance of running into him. But sector 3 was a VERY big place and the likelihood she would actually do so was so improbable she never truly expected it to happen.

Yet there he was, a head across the crowded square stood stationary at the edge of the large dirty marble fountain spewing stagnant water skyward in what were once wide reaching arches. Her heartbeat quickened, excitement peaked, knees pathetically weakened ever so slightly and she wanted to chastise herself for completely failing to maintain a balanced view of seeing him as her friend rather than a piece of hot male ass for her lusting over. Before she could do so however her feet were blazing a path across the square, her hand going up when she was close enough as her mouth parted to call his name.

But she stopped, abruptly realising Cloud was standing opposite someone, arms folded, his stare locked amicably down on a stranger he was seemingly in light conversation with.

The eighteen year old engineer tensed upon sighting the person, a silly reactionary response she readily dismissed and then tilted her head curiously to study the woman who had sparked the negative response. She was beautiful, strikingly beautiful in the most pure and feminine of ways possible who radiated a vitality that was rarely seen in the slums. Just as rare in fact as the basket of flowers she had hanging sweetly on one arm and together with her vigour, the woman stood out from the drab backdrop of the slums like white against black. Long chestnut hair spiralled down her back in a large twist of delicate brown curls like a pretty doll come to life. Round emerald green eyes twinkled bright and full of life accentuating the flower girls raw beauty. As for her clothing, a short sleeved red jacket hugged shoulders as dainty as her own and a well fitted pink dress innocently shaped out a lean womanly figure all the way down into big adorable brown boots.

Her opposite. Exactly the kind of cute girly get-up Jessie could never wear…

… besides the boots of course.

The youngest member of AVALANCHE watched on intently, too far away in the clamouring square to make out any of their conversation but one thing was clear as day, it was a friendly conversation. The porcelain-skinned female spoke cheerily, rocked enthusiastically back and forth on her heels with basket and hands linked together behind her back. As for Cloud he certainly stood with his arms folded but he wasn't stiff in posture like he was with most people and he was listening to her intently, gripped even.

Seconds dragged on, maybe 5 at most with Jessie questioning whether she should stay or leave. Suddenly something happened, something that kept her feet anchored to the spot and crested her reserved emotions in a way she could not discern between feeling terrible or wonderful. Cloud's mouths curved into a full smile. A remarkable unreserved smile full of more life and joy than she had ever seen in him before. An expression so uplifted it hurt her chest. Pleasantly or unpleasantly? Again, she couldn't tell.

She had never seen the striking and actually very cute phenomenon before. It was the reason Jessie had always described his smiles as 'half smiles' or 'smiles that weren't quite smiles', senses always telling her they were never as full as they could be. Held back by some darkness she longed to see lifted, even tried to lift herself. As months rolled on with no success she had begun to think she was wrong and that it truthfully was the full extent of his smile but now she had her answer. There was more she just hadn't been able to draw it out like this woman, her opposite, had.

So he liked the sweet innocent pretty type? Figured.

Fisting the sides of her tough combat trousers like they were irritating her skin the tomboy turned quietly away, deciding it was none of her business and to leave the couple to enjoy whatever discussion they were having. She would kill the last hour in the scrapyard before it was time to return to seventh heaven.

It was in that turn her periphery caught the most minuscule and easy to miss hints of a pristine suit. Too immaculate and high quality for a place like the slums.

Jessie froze and dropped her face immediately to the floor, knowing it would only take a single unchecked glance carelessly thrown for the clever bastards to clock her.

Turks.

Chapter 6 Part 3- First fuck

Calmly and with great control the red-head allowed her feet to wander away from the vicinity of Cloud and the mysterious flower girl. Every hair on her body stood on end, the honed instincts that had allowed a homeless 15 year old girl to survive the slums kicking into action. She couldn't fight like Tifa but she knew how to handle herself and once she believed it safe, Jessie cast out a casual sweeping glance to get another look at the spy. To her great relief there was only one of the suited fuckers and he wasn't watching her in the slightest which allowed her angry predatory gaze to assess the man more clearly as she weaved stealthily through the ever-moving maze of bodies.

She hated Turks.

He was lurking dangerously on the corner of the road she had recently jogged down, signature Turk suit, dark intelligent eyes, mid 30's at a guess with tanned skin and jet black haired pulled back into a sleek ponytail 5 or 6 inches shorter than her own. He was a Wutain. Had to be.

Something about that last detail and the air of lethal capability he carried about him unnerved Jessie more than a Turk usually would. Wutain's carried a deeper hatred for Shinra then anyone and after the atrocities that occurred during the war, they had every reason to. To see one working for the company and as a Turk no less, spoke volumes about what kind of guy this was and that he deserved her increased trepidation. Especially as his sights were narrowed suspiciously where hers had been only moments ago.

A bile of panic rose in the teenagers throat.

The Turk was watching Cloud.

Or the woman?

No. It has to be Cloud.

The red-head whipped her head back towards her teammate, saw whatever the exchange was with the pretty flower girl was coming to an end and looked back to the agent. As they parted ways the Turks eyes followed the woman initially which gave her hope. That hope was speedily crushed when the Wutain's eyes refocused to Cloud and then after a few heartbeats, flicked to stare her alarmingly dead in the eye as if sensing her stare.

Time to go!

Jessie went from stationary to a sprint in an instant. She needed to get her and Cloud out of here, now!

For perhaps the tenth time today her legs were darting urgently to reach her destination.

"HEY!", "BITCH!" a couple she clumsily had to force from her path cursed angrily.

"Jessie?"

She snatched Cloud's hand in hers, only breaking pace for a second to give the deceptively heavy blonde a sharp tug.

"Come with me! Don't ask questions! "

He obeyed her demand, or at least he obeyed for as long as it took their boot's to pound from the square and down three streets, each quieter than the last.

"Why are we running?"

"Not yet!" she squeezed out through quickened breath.

Three more streets, two side alley's and the underpass of a rusted bronze train bridge rushed by before his second demand for answers came.

"Tell me why we're-"

"A little further" Jessie interrupted, detouring randomly down another silent dimly lit road. As random as possible so there was beyond a zero chance anyone could follow.

Perhaps she was over-reacting a bit but experience had taught her that when Turks were involved, over-reaction was the best reaction.

"Jessie."

Her arm jerked her body to a sudden jarring halt and the adamant countenance she peered back upon told her Cloud was not going to go any further. If she had air to do so Jessie would have huffed stubbornly back, instead she circled the ex-SOLDIER and jostled him by the shoulder into the recess of a nearby dark passageway so they were at least out of sight. Upon arrival the girl collapsed her back against the wall, sucking in warm musky night air, her heart hammering painfully in her chest.

"I… hate running… never… no more…"

"No objections here" Cloud's melodic calm voice replied, not in the least bit breathless. "So, what do you plan on doing with me now?"

Hands planted on her quads, the doubled over panting woman managed to grin briefly up at the ex-SOLDIER towering above her, his head slanted in amusement.

"Don't… be getting any ideas… mister."

She didn't really mean that, he could get whatever ideas he liked and she could see why he might. Jessie had only but to raise her hand in front of her and she would be touching him. Step forward and be pressed body to body like before. The narrow alley confining them to within an intense sizzling proximity of each other she was suddenly very much aware of. An alley dark enough that it vividly exploded the blue glow of Cloud's mako eyes and bathed her in a rich warm sapphire light. Jessie broke away before she could be become entranced by the hypnotic light and the profound magnetic influence the man had on her. Like a bug to UV light.

"So you gonna tell me who we were running from?"

The question came as she shifted to the edge of their hiding place to peer up and down the road. In part to gather some bearing on where they were and the rest in genuine expectation that she might see a suit.

"Turks" Jessie replied soberly, her breathing finally beginning to level out. "You had one following you."

"Oh."

She faced her teammate critically. Cloud's 'oh' sounding so unremarkable, so unbothered it begged the question as to whether he had actually heard her correctly.

"… oh? That's it? You do know who the Turks are right?"

"I know." Cloud's response was quick. Short. Through the veil of night casting dark shadows across her teammates delicate features Jessie even thought she saw his jaw clench.

"Then you know that they were probably waiting to capture you once you were out of that crowd?"

"You should have let them."

Jessie bristled under those words.

"Why would you say that?" she demanded instinctively, even slightly reprimanding in tone.

"I would be taken to the Shinra building. Closer chance of getting a shot at killing the president up there."

"Kill the…? Are you serious?" Jessie spluttered her words in disbelief, sticking close to Cloud's heels as he wandered out into the empty street.

Blowing up a mako reactor had been one thing, the biggest thing ever in fact. But killing the president? Not even Barret had considered the notion of it to any serious degree beyond angry rhetoric. It would be outright suicide.

"… I don't know. Maybe. Forget about it" Cloud dismissed absently, attention scanning the road they were on in every direction with a frown.

"Fine. But you really worry me with some of the crazy stuff you come out with at times" she said her piece but otherwise decided to leave the subject.

"Hm. Cute."

"The only thing cute around here is how lost your face looks right now" Jessie retaliated, poking Cloud in the base of his back with her finger and playing down how much she liked the remark.

Oh gods. She was becoming a slave to his every word. Show some independence woman!

"Where are you going?" Cloud asked.

The ungirly slum girl checked the multi-purpose device on her wrist while in the process of ambling her way back towards the rusted bronze pillars suspending the aged rail bridge she intended to climb.

"Still got an hour before we meet back at the bar. That's a lot of time if you're a pro metal scavenger like me."

"Wouldn't you rather get some food?"

Her exit halted abruptly as if arms had sprung out from the pavement and rooted her legs in place. The sudden rush of her spirit perking-up so considerably after such a long day causing her to experience a bit of light-headedness. The tech fanatic made sure to reign in her stupid grin before pivoting back around.

"Food? As in together?"

"Sure."

"I see" Jessie remarked, needing to avert her eyes to her boots to hide the grin this time. "You knooooww, most girls would interpret that as a date. Are you asking me on a date Cloud?"

He simply shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes in mischievous curiosity from afar.

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because you haven't eaten since this morning either so you must be hungry" Cloud met her attempt at extracting some honesty from him unphased.

Nice dodge.

"I think we're both old enough to feed ourselves Cloud. I meant, why do you want to get food with me?" she pressed again, locking her hands to her hips. "Is it because you want to thank me for saving you from the Turks? Or because you don't want to admit that your hopelessly lost and need me to hold your hand to find your way out of here? Orrrrrr is it because you like me?"

"What do you think?" Cloud dodged again, his tongue emerging to lick his lips ever so briefly.

Sight of the pink tip sparked a wave of the unsated lust she carried over from their train ride earlier. Jessie controlled the surge and strode her way back down the street being weakly illuminated by poorly maintained lampposts.

"I think it's because your hopelessly lost." Her boots echoed against black cobblestone all the way until she was confidently stood a hair breadth off the blondes left shoulder. "And because you like me."

Jessie's words and the way she let her breath dance across the bare skin of Cloud's shoulder turned the ex-SOLDIER's head. Pale hazel orbs slipped into radiant ocean blue and there it was again, just as she had anticipated, that connection. She knew it would appear, it always did if they got close enough like this. She knew he felt it to, had zero doubt that this electricity did not run on a one way circuit. How she possessed such certainty was the unexplainable and exciting part. Outward signs of it were subtle and elusive, almost undetectable on a skin deep level. Yet the fact of its existence was as tangible and observable as the curved shapely eyelashes hilariously undermining the rest of the warriors stern guise.

"Your pupils are dilated. Thinking about something you shouldn't?" he goaded her playfully, flickers of what seemed like pride on his expression.

"Don't change the subject" she mercilessly cut off his retreat again.

"Fine. Would calling it a date really change anything?"

Jessie was going to pout at him for that, instead she let her hand shift the inch required for her fingers to lightly stroke the back of his hand. A laugh hummed in the back of her throat when the blondes entire body tensed at the contact, making her point perfectly.

"Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. Either way you're paying."

"I knew you'd say that" Cloud grumbled but not unhappily as she circled behind him playfully.

"So where are you taking me?"

The swordsmen's head pivoted 90 degrees to glance at her, 90 degrees again to stare down one end of the street and finally 180 degrees to glance blankly down the other. Jessie's laugh that had been restrained to a throaty hum broke free. It was mean but the temptation to see that cute lost expression one more time had been too damn strong to resist.

With a light tug to the tips of his fingers she set off in the opposite direction from where they had come.

"Come on helpless little chocobo, I know the perfect place."

Chapter 6 Part 4- First fuck

"…ish pretty good."

"I know right!" Jessie exclaimed enthusiastically. "I can't talk for rest of the world but it's the best burger in Midgar hands down."

"What's in it?" he eyed the last bite of his food with genuine interest after swallowing and she cracked a laugh.

"Rule 101 of the slums Cloud. Never ask what's in your food. You'll pretty much never like the answer."

With a disturbed crease of his brow the blonde folded the last bite away into the wrapper and discarded it on the table top next to her empty wrapper. She had finished hers ages ago, a fact he had already teased her about. Two years of living among a gang of thieves, prostitutes and other helpless souls trying to make their way by any means necessary had taught her to eat fast or not at all. Cloud didn't know that bit when he made the joke, she wouldn't have taken it to heart regardless.

"I admit when you said you knew the perfect place, I wasn't expecting this."

Jessie smiled at the swordsmen as he joined her to sit on the table top with their feet planted on the part of the bench that was intended for sitting upon. They were chilling on one of those wooden outdoor picnic style tables, a comical sight considering you were never truly 'outdoors' in Midgar.

"Well I'm glad I can still surprise you" she tuned, leaning back on her hands feeling totally content to be sat like this forever.

Cloud had probably been expecting her to pick some fancy restaurant, most normal non-dysfunctional girls probably would. But Jessie was Jessie and an empty parking lot with sparsely occupied garden benches in the pitch black besides the residual light of a white halogen lit burger van was much more her style. A mouth-watering aroma wafted from the hot sizzling grills and Giles the 'chef' was the only person who's voice could be heard except the occasional murmurs of three other people scattered out in the darkness. All out for a late night eat like them and minding their own business.

Jessie fondly observed the wiery chef with dishevelled black hair jutting out crazily from under a small white hat talking to himself, or the spatula he was holding, it was hard to tell. She liked Giles, he was a bit odd, a bit eccentric, probably bat shit insane if she thought about it long enough but he had a kind soul and sure could cook a good burger.

"Out of interest, what kind of place did you expect I would take you?" Jessie found herself asking curiously.

Also watching Giles firmly reprimanding his cooking utensils Cloud's face lifted in amusement.

"Nope, this is exactly what I was expecting."

She laughed aloud and shoved the blondes arm who chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That your different… and you eat like a man."

"I can't decide if that's the meanest or nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Depends."

"On?"

"If I get food poisoning."

She laughed yet again. Gaia did she ever stop?

"Hey I enriched your life with that burger. I bet being a disciplined SOLDIER you'd never even had one before you met me."

"Hmmm I had a dragon burger once."

Jessie ceased leaning leisurely back on her arms.

"Wait. So I'm clear, is that just someone's fancy naming or are we talking actual dragon here?"

"Actual dragon. Black dragon, they're pretty common in Nibelheim."

"And you turned them into burgers!? Wow! Have you ever seen one!?"

"Alive? Once. It came down from the mountains and ran our truck off the road when I was returning home four years ago on a mission. They… they never come down from the mountains."

Jessie heard the break in Cloud's voice and saw the frown furrow his brow.

"What happened next?"

"I… don't know. I didn't know that I remembered that until now."

She had helped him remember something.

Jessie felt a swell of elation at that and considered pressing the dragon point further but she could see it was disturbing him and didn't want this light-hearted time together to end, not just yet. So she changed the question up slightly.

"What about the mountains? I'm curious. What are they like?" Jessie laid flat on her back as she voiced her genuine wonder, stare connecting up through the darkness with a hideous jungle of grey scaffolding and unsightly tangle of cables that was the underside of the plate.

"Rocky and cold."

Jessie puffed a chortle platewards.

"I guessed you would say that. Weren't much of a poet in any of your previous lives were you?"

There was a short instance of silence, save the frying of food.

"The mist is what makes them cold. Hangs about all year and has this way of getting into your bones no matter how much clothing you wear" Cloud continued much to her delighted surprise. "It's damp so it's kind of like your breathing vaporized iced water but nicer. The kind of air that clears your head with one breath. I liked it. It was… easier…. to put things in perspective out there in that wide open space. Not like Midgar. The air here is warm, clouded, too cramped. Things get… muddled."

Sprawled on her back the red-head was listening intently and inhaled deeply up at the industrial eyesore above, desperately trying to imagine that fresh clarity in her lungs Cloud was describing.

"What else?"

"Well. The mountains themselves are barren, nothing but thorns and a few ugly trees that refuse to die exist there. People in my town used to try and use those tress as proof that the mako reactor Shinra built was to blame for how Mt. Nibel turned out. Truth is the mountains died long before Shinra ever showed up and were always full of monsters. Carnivores hunting other carnivores in an endless circle, that's the real reason they became so vicious, the mako leaks just made them worse. It's the harshest landscape you can imagine with footfalls that can take you at any minute and dark jagged peaks that look like something from an ancient horror movie. Sounds scary but the funny thing is when you see them, you'll feel the strongest urge to climb to the top. People always feel the need to make it to the top of mountains. That or run back to their home and shut themselves away, one or the other."

"I wonder what I'd feel like doing."

"You'd climb."

Cloud spoke so surely and her stomach fluttered happily as her smile projected upwards ever stronger. She didn't even see the plate anymore, her focus was lost in the expanse of nothing that existed in between. Her minds-eye trying to fill the space.

"I'd like to see mountains one day."

"Yeah?"

"Mountains. Or the ocean. A forest. Anywhere as long the skies above it. I guess that's really what I want to see most. I mean... I have seen the sky. Snuck to the edge of the city gates a couple times" Jessie explained when she saw Cloud gaze at her questioningly from the corner of her eye. "But I imagine a smeary 40 foot reinforced glass wall kinda diminishes the effect, not that I'm an expert."

So you've never been outside Midgar?" the ex-SOLDIER still sat upright with his arms draped over his knees asked in such a way it charmed a giggle from her.

He made it sound so straight forward, like there was a choice. Like the slums were just some temporary pit stop for her before she moved on to her true destination as opposed to being her entire existence. It was never clearer to Jessie that Cloud Strife simply lived in a different world to the one she did and while she knew his was not always a pretty world full of sunshine and rainbows, it was a world she wanted to be in. One with infinitely larger borders than her own. One that could be terribly dark but also wonderfully light rather than just grey.

She was tired of grey.

"No, I've never been out of Midgar" Jessie let her humour at the notion show.

To her pleasant surprise the man kicked back casually to mimic the same laying position beside her, causing the wooden table top to creak under them.

One day she really would ask Cloud how much he weighed.

"Then I'll take you. Least I can do after the help you've given me."

"Really?"

"Sure", "Sure" Cloud replied and Jessie parroted at the exact same time, knowing it was precisely what he was going to say.

They rolled their heads towards each other, then back to the sky and laughed. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt now.

By the time Jessie had supressed her husky amusement to a few small coughs, they had settled in closer, time span without measure and then a familiar coarse hand slipped into her palm at their side. The action didn't even startle her this time like it usually would. Didn't make her adrenaline spike or unsettle her breathing. The video gamer just closed her fingers to form a natural link with the fingers that had slid between each digit of hers.

It was what it was.

She remained lazily observant of the plate for many blissful minutes. Cloud did to, though she suspected he wasn't inspecting it inquite the same structural scrutiny as she was.

"Fucking hell that's ugly" the blonde eventually deadpanned, confirming her suspicion with an unexpected use of vocabulary and she snickered.

"Yes, yes it is."

"Blonde. Big spikey hair. Sword the size of that shitty fridge. Handle longer than a Elphadunks johnson. YO I SAID NO ONIONS!"

Jessie sat bolt upright simultaneously with Cloud and now her adrenaline did spike though not in a pleasant way. Angrily flapping his arms over at the burger van only 30 or so feet away, was the back of a tall lean man with hair as shock red as her own and a sloppily presented variation of a suit she had seen earlier.

"Shit! How did they track us? This way… Cloud come on!" Jessie had to hiss her whisper forcefully to convince the swordsmen, who seemed perfectly happy to stay where he was, to recede away into the darkness with her.

"Picture hedgehog meets chocobo meets Rufus Shinra and they have a threesome. You see a dude who would look like their love child? Well!?"

Jessie felt more than heard her teammates growl and she had to clamp her mouth down to stop from giggling. It was a pretty accurate description.

"Look you goggley-eyed fruit! I heard ya' babbling to ya'self so don't try pulling the mute card with me. He was seen in this area so answer the damn question."

Having crept far enough away towards the nearest street that exited the parking lot, they picked their pace up into a brisk walk.

"Screw it. YO RUDE! YOU WANT SOMETHIN' MAN? Got more chance of picking a turd up by the clean end then getting answers from this Tonberry faced fucker."

The shock of coming face to face with a tall, strongly built black guy standing directly in the middle of the pavement made the eighteen year old female yelp. He must have been bewildered to because for a few tense seconds he did nothing but stare right back at her and Cloud, though it was hard to tell behind sunglasses.

Yes… sunglasses.

Everything happened super-fast from then on. The suited agent's deep commanding voiced barked "FOUND HIM", he lunged at Cloud with frightening agility and swung a vicious gloved fist with a force that would put most professional boxers on their ass. Luckily Cloud saw it coming because she sure didn't, caught the punch in his hand with a painful sounding smack and dodged his face from the path of the other. Both attacks failing locked the pair into a brief grapple and with time to react, Jessie ran in and drove her foot into the Turks shin. Already off balance from over-committing to his opening strikes she was able to kick the hefty assassins leg out from under him. Forced him down onto one knee a swift right hook from Cloud knocked the bald man the rest of the way to the ground.

Angry incoherent cursing split the air from the Turks other foul-mouthed companion who's footsteps were fast approaching and Cloud's hand reached for his sword but she stopped him.

"COME ON!"

She half expected him not to listen but then they were off, her theory that she would do no more running today trampled underfoot. Jessie led the way, knowing precisely where she was heading. The thought that it was too risky to return to seventh heaven after the encounter with the first Turk had her considering the option of if and where they should lay low for the night. Now with confirmation that the fraternity were actively tracking them the necessity to lay low was unquestionable.

Scary thing was and the bit Jessie didn't want to admit, deep down she was actually glad because now she didn't have to try and justify this to herself. The real reason she wanted to lay low Cloud.

It took around 10 minutes before they arrived and she was pulling Cloud off the street and in through the door of a trustworthy local inn.

Chapter 6 Part 5- First fuck

Taking a deep refreshing breath Jessie formed her damp crimson hair into a loose ponytail and stared at the woman in the steamy bathroom mirror. It seemed like a millennia since she had enjoyed a shower that didn't leave her with standing nipples and goosebumps all over her body. She felt invigorated and perhaps a little bit nervous.

Ok, that was a bare-faced lie. She was as nervous as a moogle thrown into a battle arena with behemoths and not because of the encounter they had with Turks earlier.

Stray wet droplets dripped from the tips of her hair wetting the back of her t-shirt , the only movement while Jessie remained totally immobile and both hands clutched to the edge of the square porcelain sink. She had got off the phone to Barret not long ago after explaining why she and Cloud would not be returning tonight. He yelled a bit, told her he was coming down because the 'punk' still could not be trusted. She retorted that it was too dangerous, told him he was being a ridiculous ass and hung up her PHS without telling him where they were.

While all of that was true, danger was last on the list of reasons she didn't want Barret coming down here.

Jessie squirmed uncomfortably, grasping at various sections of her clothes like doing so would improve the shape of them and the general appearance of her physique. She knew what she wanted to happen, she was just terrified about it actually happening.

"Go away brain! He's probably sleeping already anyway."

Not allowing herself to think any further the red-head in turmoil courageously begun her venture out into the room that they had collectively 'agreed' would be safer, cheaper and more pragmatic to share. It was a simple room, clean and smelled nicely of lavender though that was of course an artificial fragrance. Furniture amounted to only a sliding white panelled wardrobe filled with empty hangers and a dresser table that stood both in front of closed blinded windows and at the base of a firm double bed fitted with actual white sheets.

Aaaaand there her gorgeous friend was pulling off the pillows on one side and setting up a bed on the floor.

"… C-Cloud?... What are-" Jessie's voice stammered, sounding tiny and pitched a couple octaves higher than normal as she walked in. "… never mind."

Her cheeks warmed and she hurriedly rushed towards the corner where she had ditched most of her gear before the swordsman could notice.

What the hell was that!? That wasn't her voice!

"The 'ridiculous ass' bit was a nice touch. Others make it back ok?"

Cloud openly expressing any sort of concern for the others would garner her full attention under normal circumstances, if only to point it out to him. Instead Jessie gingerly gathered up her grime covered pauldrons and breast plate and set them on the dresser so she had an excuse to busy her hands.

"Everyone's back and ok, kinda. I could hear Biggs crying in the background. Idiot probably lost a week's rent down at that stupid fight pit again."

Jessie did a remarkable job at managing to form a coherent relevant sentence but the entire time her voice was as thin as iced glass and in real danger of breaking. Meanwhile her fingers fumbled with one of the side latches that clipped her chest armour shut while Cloud spoke again.

"We can leave in the morning. Catch the early crowds and head back on foot."

The metal clasp was dented, had been for some time and it was a kink she usually tackled methodically in a few seconds. Now it proved nigh on impossible for the engineers shaky hands and her frustration grew and grew while her teammate considered their next move.

"It'll take some time to walk through 4 sectors but the trains will be a no go. I know the Turk you described, names Tseng. He's clever... "

Jessie impatiently snapped and shoved the armour down on the dresser with an annoyed thump.

"… Jessie?"

"Sorry!... sorry. I don't… I don't know what's going on with me" she ground out truthfully, alarmed and confused as to why she had got worked up to such a state that her blood was racing wildly through her veins.

Not wanting to reveal more of this weird embarrassing episode than was necessary she didn't glance back towards Cloud's end of the room when at first he remained silent. She just stared down into a murky reflection of herself in the silver plate on the dresser, praying for herself to calm from this mysterious flare-up.

"I do. You want to finish what we started earlier."

Her quickened blood ignited into flames, shooting through her arms, down her legs and coiling in her stomach all at the drop of that one sentence. Jessie's head reared to the mauve curtains with wide eyed astonishment and the intake of oxygen she sharply inhaled made the instantly formed knot in her belly all the worse.

Did he just say…?

Seconds passed with the red-head battling to think of ways she could be misinterpreting what he had just said. It quickly sunk in that she was being a fool, that there was no misinterpretation to be made and they had both known this was coming.

Oh how it had been coming for such a long time.

Quit acting like a moron Jessie!

Straightening up the tomboy composed herself. She was a woman now, not a little girl and it was time to take what she wanted. Squaring her shoulders, firming her desire in her mind, Jessie turned and stared Cloud dead in the eye with unwavering intent.

"Yeah. I want to finish what we started earlier."

Cards laid fully on the table, silence ensued. Not awkward silence. Perfect silence as he beheld her knowingly and she held him right back with an unabashed yet unavoidable blush. A moment raw, honest and intense…

… until Cloud lifted his sleeveless kevlar jumper, the only garment clothing his torso and discarded it without breaking eye contact.

After a couple painfully long seconds of trying her best not to do so, Jessie did break it, dropping her pale brown eyes to what was bared and a small whimper most definitely escaped her throat. Seeing the genetically modified definition of perfection half bared with sinew and grooves for miles, a scattering of warriors scars and thick definition that would make any woman swoon was one thing. Having it bared for her pleasure only was something else, enough to stimulate a very quick response from between her legs.

"Your go" the tear-your-hair-out attractive swordsman uttered, still stood 10 or so steps away beside the bed becoming a growingly more prominent object in the room.

"My go" she echoed with more courage than it had taken to storm a Shinra mako reactor.

Jessie slid her cropped lycra under-armor up passed her bellybutton, all the way to the underside of her bust where she experimented with a pause. A subtle flicker of disappointment flashed across Cloud's features, a look born from true desire and all she needed to gladly pull it the rest of the way leaving her in only a black sports bra moulded tightly to the contours of her breasts.

"Hm. Cute."

It wasn't hard to tell Cloud was staring at her navel when he repeated the same words from earlier. Jessie intended to flirt back with 'I was going to say the same to you'.

"Your turn" was how it came out instead, in nervous lustful challenge towards his trousers no less, finding her eagerness for this was fast catching up.

He saw the challenge, kicked off all his footwear and glanced to the cool laminate floor at her feet with a devilish smirk.

Shit.

She was barefoot.

He was going to follow up with a clever remark, she could see it forming on his lips. Jessie muted him by hitting the three buttons on the front of her trousers, dropping them off her hips and stepping out in underwear she was surprised to see arouse the warrior. Small black boxers stretched low on her pelvis, designed like her bra for tight fitting support as opposed to seducing a lover. Her muscled teammate evidently liked it because once his trousers were off soon after, the stretchy navy material of his own underwear battled against his already well extended manhood in its mission to stand to attention.

Now Jessie's nerves really were quivering and the ball was back in her court. She took a deep breath and reached back for the clips of her bra.

This is it.

"You don't have to-"

"You want this right?" Cloud honourably began and Jessie interjected.

Slowly her man for the night nodded and three teeth of her sports bra being separated later, the red-head trembling with adrenaline was letting her support tumble away from her.

Firm curves that could provide the AVALANCHE mercenary with just about a handful of womanhood stood proud and aroused. She wasn't well endowed like your typical porn star or sporting double D's in a way she assumed most men fantasised about, but she would give him what she had to offer. In full vulnerability Jessie fought the urge to fold her arms across her body and fearfully gauged Cloud's expression. Full adoring lust stared back at her, he was fully erect now and her cheeks mimicked her hair colour happily at the physical compliment, one that was not so easily faked and did wonders to her confidence. He genuinely looked like he couldn't wait to get his hands on her and she was right because soon the 10 steps of distance was reduced to 3 and Cloud was advancing towards her.

"H-hey. That's not fair. I-it's your turn."

He paused an arm's length away and Jessie trembled wonderfully under the powerful aura of immeasurable strength and sexual intent he radiated. Cloud had always appeared lean and athletic in clothes before. Manageable. Now with broad buster-sword wielding shoulders, full chest and a whole lot of vascularity on full display he seemed huge. In more ways than one.

Wet pooled between her weak legs. Instantly more-so when his precious cerulean orbs shone fondly at her demand and he confidently dropped the last scrap of his clothing, forcing her eyes to travel down in a way that was excruciatingly obvious due to how close they were stood. She thought her reaction to seeing it the second time around would not be quite so innocently bug-eyed but low and behold she was thrown off kilter and swallowed hard. It didn't take anywhere near as long for her timid disposition to abate this time. After seconds of staring her responding body increasingly began to ache and reaching out her hands she caressed them along either side of him in shameless curiosity. Cloud shuddered as she ran her hands all the way from the base of him to the tip and then left to take a hold of her own underwear. Cloud's palms engulfed her hips, stopping her and it was only when he moved sensually closer and circled around never removing his hands from her little shorts, that she realised it was so he could savour their removal himself. Her heart jumped giddily, recovered, then jumped giddily again when hot lips pressed a kiss against the back of her bare shoulder blade.

Odin above.

Jessie's eyelids fluttered at the contact and she remained melted to the spot while the naked man behind her sunk to his knees, giving him full control to enjoy her anyway he wanted along the way. Once he had travelled down her with light touches Cloud had all his fingertips tucked in the band of her shorts, peeled them down a short way and replaced a slow open-mouthed kiss over her pelvic bone.

So simple but so good.

"Do that again" Jessie's vocal cords hummed throatily.

Her last article of clothing was slid away completely and she openly watched the man worshipping her skin by sliding his tongue up the curve of her hip. She could have dropped into an orgasm right then and there, everything feeling super-charged as if the nerve endings along the pastel surface of her skin were a thousand times more sensitive or there were a thousand times more of them.

"You like that?" Cloud reverberated as he stood again, lovely coarse hands running up her bare stomach in his ascent and cresting over twin mounds to cradle her assets.

"I-I think if you let go of me right I'll fall over." The warrior huffed a breath of satisfaction at her answer and he shifted the bulk of her still damp hair over one shoulder to nip at her neck. "Mmmmmm… you know you seem awfully good at this… ahhh… for a guy who supposedly bunked with other guys 365 days of the year."

"Think so?" he remarked proudly and with a short swift flick of his foot against her ankle the tech-fanatic's breath hitched as her legs were skilfully kicked apart into a wider stance.

Jessie's nipples were braiding between the ex-SOLDIER's fingers once more as he used her chest to manoeuvre her tight against the bed of muscle that was his body. Every point of contact against him felt comfortable, safe, divine and in a moment that was mental and physical ecstasy he positioned his manhood to touch her in the most intimate of ways possible. He didn't penetrate her, merely used the reason he had kicked her legs open to rub through the folds of her body, coating himself in her glistening arousal and delivering the lubrication on his swollen head all the way up to her clit.

Gaia she was so wet.

Her bones turned to liquid pleasure, not even her imagination that could be extremely rampant at times had been capable of fantasising anything this good.

"Finally" he sighed wonderfully in her ear.

"You wanted to do this to me back on the train?"

Jessie raised her arms overhead, cuddled them back around her taller heroes neck making her back arch and squashing her breasts deeper into stimulating hands.

"I wanted to do this to you the first time I walked into your workshop."

A wave of sensation coursed through her as a result of that delicious admission causing Jessie's knees to buckle ever so slightly and in turn, squeeze her heat tighter around him making Cloud groan. She never knew words could do that.

Patience gone and needing to hear that sound from him again a whole lot more, the red-head carefully flipped around and planted her hands squarely on the blondes pectorals. She was going to take control, fearing that if she didn't he would foreplay with her until she was nothing more than a limp boneless flan of delight on the floor.

"I'm ready. Don't make me wait anymore."

Cloud cocked his head at her and his eyes pulsed brilliantly as if all the mako inside him was blazing its way to the surface.

"Ask nicely."

Jessie's teeth latched on to her lower lip.

He was teasing her again, he always got a kick out of it but this time she knew it was a front. His cock was straining for her just as much as she was longing for it and so she tiptoed, let their mouths touch ever so briefly whilst levelling their eyes.

"No."

Jessie shoved his chest as hard as her strength allowed then followed him down into the crisp covers of the bed and it was game on. Her completely naked body slapped atop his but the fighters trained reflexes were supernatural and he had her rolled over, flipped under him and wrists pinned amongst a fan of her own moist crimson hair quicker than she could notice.

"Ask nicely" Cloud repeated, grinding his stomach flat against hers as if he somehow knew it was filled with butterflies and was purposely trying to piss them off.

He was intentionally dragging the anticipation out to a level that was unbearable, making her want to scream for him to take away her longing and get inside of her. Her lungs were panting erratically and with a guy who looked like some sort of video game or anime sex idol come to life stationed between her parted legs, what woman wouldn't?

"… please… please don't make me wait anymore!"

Yep, she begged with zero shame. She challenged any woman to first have Cloud Strife naked between their knees teasing their pulsing wet core before they claimed they would do anything different.

Thankfully a kiss came crashing roughly down against her mouth in reward, fierce and fiery to fill her head with a few more stars before Cloud gently began easing into her. It felt strange for a second, difficult to accommodate the next and then Jessie jolted when he had got to the point she was expecting but totally not ready to be quite so sharp.

"Jessica?" Cloud froze, not going any further.

Her spine tingled. She loved it when he called her that.

"I'm fine" she lied. "Just be quicker."

"Really?"

His face was a picture of utter confusion and she nodded convincingly. Perhaps that was bad of her, but she knew what needed to be done.

Accepting her assurance the ex-SOLDIER continued, she bit down to ground herself and didn't stop biting while a third of his size quickly occupied her. Jessie felt herself break and her hands shot out to grip Cloud's forearms as a painful cry escaped her. It hurt like a bitch and tears pricked her eyes.

"Jessie! You? You're a-!"

She dug her fingers into his arms and hooked her feet around Cloud's legs, refusing to let him off her. He appeared horrified and on the verge of retreat and she knew why. He now realised she had been a virgin, that she had picked him to be her first and his head was screaming with all kinds of things that simply weren't true.

"It doesn't matter" she gently assured, relaxing the tension in her grip in tandem with the pain slowly subsiding. "It doesn't change anything."

"But-"

"Don't speak. Don't think." Jessie took one of his hands, placed it on one of her breasts and though it was still uncomfortable to do so she rolled her hips to fuck him a little. Cloud's eyes lolled at the tight hot sensation and his lust was soon back with a vengeance.

"Y-you… *hsss* should… have told me."

"I know, I'm sorry" she replied while offering a cheeky 'so not sorry' grin when he began to move inside her. "Now shut up and make me yours mountain boy."

Unable to fight anymore he started gentle. Tiny movements to ease her in for many minutes until discomfort was replaced only with satisfaction at having him in her at last. They kissed deep, exchanged tongues like they did on the train and soon more pleasure was joining their union. His strokes lengthened and when they emerged another few minutes later, breaths were colliding mid-air in laboured exhilaration.

"You feel amazing" he sung sweet music to her ears and presented his fingers to her mouth.

Jessie understood and licked at them, coating them in her own saliva. Kinkily he added his own and then slipped his hand down between their bodies to massage her clit.

That was it. That was exactly what she needed to really get her going until she was better accustomed to being entered and Cloud knew that.

His hand stroked clockwise like magic, his hips pumped down to fill her up a tiny bit more and she moaned onto Cloud's mouth, her legs falling further apart.

His fingers changed direction, Cloud offered her more of his manhood in unison and Jessie's lower muscles tensed, rewarding them both if the sounds they made were anything to go by.

He got deeper, pleasure got stronger. Short groans, small hums and little growls flowed from them both. Receptive little noises alerting each other of approval for the others actions.

Jessie shifted, rolled and lifted her hips to alter the angle of his thrusts, determined to take all of him. The blonde rumbled his love for it.

Cloud's speed gradually increased inside her making their bodies collide together firmer and her impossibly hornier. Jessie purred to the sky.

That must have really got him going because finally, when she was impatiently trying to encourage him deeper, her lover ran her right through to the hilt and connected with something that sent precious volts dancing up from her pussy. Her body went rigid, the volume dial of her audio delight turned right up and her legs wrapped crushingly around the man atop her experiencing a high of his own.

"… Cloud!... f-fuck..."

"Ugh!… I know!"

He retracted, drove and hit it again. Once, twice, three times and Jessie's luckily harmless nails buried viciously into his back, each strike infinitely better than any self-induced orgasm she'd given herself in the past. This was heavenly.

So sex really was as good as the world made it out to be. Interesting.

"… this… you're… incredible!"

Jessie learnt a valuable lesson in that moment. Tell a man he's incredible in bed and you WILL be rewarded.

Constantly hitting away at her sweet spot Cloud's hand suddenly hooked under the crook of her knee and forced it up towards her stomach, allowing him to reach a whole new level of depth and delight that made her body soar. He wasn't even having to use his hand to stimulate her anymore, the exquisite rolling and grinding motion of his hips did all the work in rubbing her off. The way he moved buried Jessie under so many layers of euphoria that when Cloud's mouth clamped around her neck and began sucking hard with his thrusts, she had not a single ounce of willpower to stop him. He was going to leave a love bite that the others and most definitely Tifa was going to see. Her hands possessively grabbed the swordsmen's backside and pulled him deeper between her thighs with an excited groan.

Turned on by that again? What the actual fuck was wrong with her!?

She should be thinking of ways to stop this or at the very least stop him leaving evidence on her body. Instead all her brain could think was.

Bite me! Mark me! Fuck me!

So why resist? It was futile to try and think she could do anything to contain this. His power over her was absolute and that drove her wild.

Shoving off from the covers that her fists had turned to mangled wrecks, Jessie managed to get them rolled over once more in total surrender and a sudden rushing need to call the shots.

"Jess… I…" Cloud's surprised voice strained desperately.

She was straddled across his body, riding him totally drowned with no sense of modesty, breasts bouncing freely with every time she slapped herself down on his length. Possibly more exciting than her own pleasure was that she could read the Nibel's body right now as well as she could read her own. He wasn't going to last now she was in charge and he couldn't focus his mind or control his own pace. That was ok, it was impressive he had gone this long as it had to have been years since he had last been with a woman. She wasn't going to last much longer herself anyway with his hand working her again.

"Don't… hold back… baby."

The endearment rolled off her tongue breathily and she rode him harder. It must have broken a bit of his reservation in trying not to cum because he sat upright, grabbed a fist full of her crimson hair with his free hand and forced her head back. Her breasts perked skywards towards the ceiling, a ceiling that got mistier in her vision when a hot mouth was closed over her nipple and she gasped. It limited her ability to rise and fall but she couldn't stop so her body did what it could and fucked him in grinding back and forth motions instead while his mouth worked her chest.

Cloud soon collapsed to his back again, the new change of movement blanking his brain out and bringing him one step closer to release. When he returned to her his free hand brushed up every beautiful inch of her torso until his thumb was tracing over her lips. She took it in her mouth on primal instinct and swirled her tongue around the digit which rocked the man under her again and left him needing to exert himself upon her, no longer content to lay there. Cloud began thrusting up into her, his muscles flared to bursting point with such a ferocity she could practically feel the power of his enhancements coursing through her. Jessie transitioned from sucking his thumb to biting down on it, not hard enough to break skin but enough to get the fighter, trying to hold out with clenched teeth until she cummed first, to let go. The result was Cloud Strife pounding Jessie so hard her brain close to rattled and it struck her that she was able to command just as much power over him as he did over her.

It turned out that he didn't need to try and hold out any longer because that revelation ushered in a familiar mountain of aggressive pressure rushing up from her genitals. Her teeth mimicked Cloud's in a gritted bite, her senses lost all concept of the world around her and her bad habit of swearing as she rode up a climax reared.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Jessie unrelentingly continued bouncing through the throws, his straining sex stretching inside her making the journey up to her peak better than ever.

"Jes-Jessie!"

"Don't!.. you dare!... hold on!"

Her entire body shimmered with a slick layer of sweat, a layer that Cloud also wore and made his physique an eye candy that 'arousing' was not a strong enough word to describe. And when Cloud's ever hardening thrusts caused her to fall upon that physique and their burning sticky bodies met in slippery rapture, Jessie's orgasm broke the richter scale. Her drawn out cry of bliss most likely did not remain contained to the inn let alone their room and her body clamped down around her teammates.

With her walls squeezing him Cloud only managed to endure 10 or so second of pumping, long enough for Jessie to experience the full extent of her mind-melting orgasm and then some before she was thrown down into the covers. No sooner had she had hit them and Cloud's hot release was spilling on her stomach and down the valley of her cleavage.

The ex-SOLDIER collapsed in beside her, panting for air as heavily as she was for the first time ever and it took a few seconds before both their senses returned enough to peer at each other with heaving chests and laugh. It took Jessie even longer between bouts of pleasurable reverberations and breathlessness to construct a sentence.

"… we… should…. have been doing… this… ages ago…"