Thanks for voting: EternalMeow, Sesshomarubaby18, Kanna-raine, ArsenicPoison, Hana, Jess Ishtar, Cedarville.
And unfathomably huge thanks for the constructive thoughts and comments from:
Daylo: Believe me, I didn't think this ass-backwards romance idea would work either but I'm psyched that you and some others see it happening. And as far as Vincent's goes, you can't go wrong with anyone who can pull of a yellow claw, so it's a vote well spent :)
KawaiiInu-TaiYoukai4ever: Thanks for the awesome review and thumbs up. I'm real big on Vincent, Tifa, and Reno but I regretfully haven't found much where all three of them are trapped in a love triangle. I did however make sure to put a few Reno/Tifa and Vincent/Tifa moments in the new chapter, hope you like it :)
panchat: I don't particularly like being strangled so this chapter's jam-packed with plenty of Vincent and Reno hating each other goodness. I plan on having a part where they eventually go crazy and start fighting too.
Curry Bird: I personally love all the messed up romance. If it could ever happen, I would love to have Tifa end up with all of them :)
bang on the head: I adore Reno/Tifa too, good call :)
NiChee: Glad you asked- see Cloud and Tifa had a small falling out; then he pulled a hissy fit and stormed off. I decided to put this scene in for chapter one as a flashback but he'll be coming back again after some romance settles to make everything awkward. Hope that helps :)
kana: So pleased your digging Tifa's personality and character, to be honest I wasn't sure if most people would complain or not. As far as the plot goes, things start to heat up this chapter so I hope you like it.
7 votes for Vincent
3 votes for Reno
3 votes for Loz
AN: Okay so Vincent wins this round and is rewarded with extra alone Tifa time. And incase your wondering how I'm going to run the polls, it's simple. You vote, I add it up, and whoever gets the most requests will be enjoying some bonus romance scenes with Tifa. As for Reno and Loz, since they tied in second, they'll only be getting a little time with her. But don't give up fans, both have plenty of stuff going on in this chapter. I also started writing the next one too, and regardless of votes, there will be a handful of Reno/Tifa because that's the apparent mood I've been in lately.
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Chapter 1: the Tifa Blues
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Tifa looked at Vincent. Reno looked at Tifa, and Vincent tried to avoid all eye contact with Reno. So they played the waiting game a little longer until our favorite fist-fighter decided to break the silence. "Any ideas about just what the hell is going on," one arm on hip, the other supporting an ice pack for her face, Tifa uncomfortably tried to hide the stuttering in her voice, "because I'm drawing a blank." The woman had such a big heart, but she gave and she gave to everyone but herself. This also included Tifa's stubborn mentality against showing even the slightest bit of weakness; convinced she always had to maintain that expected role as strong, secure doormat.
Reno and Vincent noticed though, sending the woman concerned glances at the obvious pain she was still in from Loz's fight.
"Not a fuckn' clue, sweetheart" the Shin-Ra bodyguard added, "but you're gonna' give me a heart attack if you don't sit down already."
"I'm a big girl, don't worry about it" and by the time Reno threw out his second comment, Tifa had convinced herself she was right.
Maybe. Sort of. Not really.
But ignoring the sharp sting where she had been dragged across rock-hard pavement, the bombshell did her best to fake a half-smile.
It didn't work.
"Well you're starting to bleed again-"
"I said I was fine," and emphasized the fine with enough 'back the fuck off or I'll sock you' that Reno made sure not to ask again.
Meanwhile, Vincent was getting fed up playing cat and mouse with the woman's stubbornness. It was only after analyzing the pieces of Cloud-less surroundings that he finally cracked the puzzle. "-You know I'm not stupid. I know you're not fine. And I don't want to hear anything about it until I fix that broken wrist."
"Yeah!" Reno felt left out of the conversation and decided to jump in with something he wished, after saying, could have sounded a little cooler.
"Just shut up, stay here and keep an eye on the clones." Vincent may have been soft-spoken but the guy never sugar coated anything; especially if he didn't like you. And he really didn't like Reno.
At this point the ex-Turk was fuming, but right about the time some god awful string of words were about to come shooting out his mouth, Marlene appeared behind Tifa, squeezing her hand.
He caught himself thankfully, grounding some composure, and attempted a smirk down at the little girl. "What's up kiddo."
"I heard yelling," then Marlene smiled, reaching arms high in the air to signal a much wanted piggy back ride to bed.
Tifa worded thank you between her lips as she nervously hid the black eye courtesy of Loz; it always made Marlene uncomfortable whenever she was or looked hurt.
"Alright, let's say goodnight to mommy now," Reno picked the girl up and on his shoulders. In the meantime, Vincent looked like he was retreating; Reno clearly had him beat in this department.
The little girl leaned in above Tifa's forehead then, planting a kiss. She melted at the affection up until Marlene followed with a "your turn."
And with the "your turn" obviously directed at Reno, Tifa paled.
Now towering a good four inches taller, Reno was looking her over with a smile that might have even made Tifa go weak in the knees.
Might.
"I know your one tough, caring and more than capable sexy chick, but no more stressing yourself out for the sake of everyone else, okay?" then he stole a quick smooch across her cheek that only Reno noticed turn a light shade of red afterwards.
Then, if looks could kill, the one he sent the gun wielder before taking Marlene upstairs might have been fatal.
Vincent shrugged it off though, ignoring Reno's high school overprotection. Instead he guided Tifa into the bathroom against what she assumed better judgment and roughly pushed her down on the tub. It was really a complement in the ex-Turks case; he never cared about anyone enough to bandage them himself.
"I was going to win," the woman interjected suddenly. "Loz only got the upper hand because-"
Vincent didn't give her a chance to finish, "You don't have to put on a strong or reliable face for me. I'm not Cloud. So give the tough girl mode a rest."
Gulping down her pride in one exhausted sigh, Tifa mumbled an "Alright," and moved her hand out so he could start the healing.
"How long ago did he leave?" Vincent asked suddenly, not making eye contact. "You could have called for help."
"Am I that transparent?" she smiled and the man couldn't help but loosen up a bit. Vincent had no idea why, but he always liked when she did.
"Well, you guessed it. Clouds back to his famous disappearing act;" then Tifa shifted uncomfortably, cracking her knuckles, "But I think it's for good this time."
He nodded, and Tifa being fluent in Vincent Valentine, interpreted the movement as a "go on."
So she did.
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Flashback, one week ago.
Tifa POV
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The worst part was I really thought everything would work itself out. He promised no more running away, but now he's saying "I need to leave," and you can almost taste the enthusiasm.
Cloud couldn't be serious, I told myself. Had the guy forgotten who he's talking to? I mean, these trivial little complaints never stopped me before. So I ask for us to be together. Tell him we have a family now.
But surprise surprise, there he goes on another self-righteous bullshit speech again.
"Sometimes things are so hard to cope with I make mistakes, I say things that I shouldn't, I do things that really should not be done," he continues without any hesitation.
I bite down on my lip.
Hard.
The surprise aftershock never came.
"I'm sorry and I did love you Tifa, but I can't keep doing this. To you, to me, to Aeris. You're a friend, Marlene's just someone else's daughter, and Denzel is an orphan. How could we ever be family."
Despite the fact that I was so very close to hating him right now, part of me just couldn't.
And yeah, I know the whole concept is exceedingly cliché, but there was no changing it.
Sure I'm tough as nails. Sure I saved the world from a handful of psychos. But you can't blame a girl for wanting acknowledgment, hell, even the tiniest bit of affection from that childhood crush she found darn near impossible to forget.
Coincidentally, some primal drive had taken over, and before the whole situation registered, his mouth was already clamped on mine.
What.
The.
Fuck.
Overcoming me with size and leverage, Cloud presses me back into the bed.
This is where my mind fogs up.
Images of us against each other- his pants unzipped, my skirt hiked up; it's what I've been saving myself for.
Right?
Wrong.
For years I imagined how this would happen. Problem was it didn't feel good. And isn't that what a first kiss is supposed to do?
First I try to shove him away, my fists square on his chest. Just my luck with one skillful movement he pushes forward and my arms are trapped.
Overwhelmed now, I break loose and punch him. Something cracks.
Though never hitting the floor, he's bleeding now, bleeding and kissing me a second time.
Firm, not violently.
Next I find myself with an unexpected release; more of a thrown backwards actually.
"Don't come after me," were the last words Cloud said before he was cut off by a brutally shutting door. But he didn't stick around long enough to hear me say "I don't even know who you are anymore."
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End Flashback
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"So it's back to square one," Tifa laughed; something the gun-wielder admired about her. Because through all Cloud's routine of selfish, loveless antics, Tifa never held one ounce of regret, hatred, or even anger really. As an alternative she laughed at herself; always finding humor in the worst of situations. How she did it Vincent had no clue.
The man in red had finished up bandaging Tifa right about the same time she had finished her story. But the unease across Vincent's features deepened. He had never been good at expressing sentiment; not good at all. Comfort was also something that the man's common sense lacked in. But before Vincent could contribute his two cents, Tifa switched gears on him. "You're thinking about her," she smiled as he double took.
"What? No I'm-"
"When did you know you loved her?"
"I can't do this Tifa." So he picked her up before she could protest, arranging to take the woman to bed, when a loud clone-resembled scream came from the kitchen.
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Loz remembered long brown hair that curved slightly at the end. Then he remembered bullets splitting skin as feeling came back into his body, eyes shooting open. Next was his mouth as Loz screeched like nails on a chalk board; Vincent and Tifa hightailing it to the door a little less than five seconds later.
"I-I- cant move!" he started to cry.
"Shhh, listen to me Loz." Tifa spoke gently and set a reassuring hand on his, "I just used a paralyze technique on you, its okay."
Meanwhile Vincent watched in amazement as Tifa offered comfort to someone who had just tried to beat her unconscious. It was moments like this where he really wanted to hurt Cloud for taking and taking from a woman who always gave and never got anything back. Tifa's weakness was her kindness, but there she was; hand over crying murderers shoulder, trying to help regardless.
"I'm going to undo the spell now. Remember, no fighting, alright?" She looked at Vincent quickly, asking for his approval. He nodded, seeing no threat; three against two and two wounded said it all. Still, this was a man always prepared so he made sure to check Cerberus's ammunition.
That's when Loz noticed his brother lying on a spare bed in the corner. Without delay he rushed over, wrapping strong arms around him the second Tifa broke her materia's hold. It was evident through all the cuts and bruises that Vincent had done a number on him but the current reuniting moment was enough for Loz.
"Kadaj, Kadaj," he repeatedly sobbed out. But the crying subsiding when Tifa put a gentle hand across his own and continued to sooth the man with gentle humming. Vincent just stood propped up against a wall, watching curiously at the compassion.It wasn't long before Reno joined the group shortly after putting Marlene to sleep. He came out behind Tifa, looking a little surprised, but decided to hold off on asking questions. By now there was no point in hiding everyone's confusion.
"Loz" Tifa began; her words light and relaxed. "It's a spell."
"Like the one you were in," Reno threw out.
"Right, only this one is helping your brother heal."
That's when Loz let go of the other clones body and stood up. As he faced Tifa with intimidating eyes, she didn't falter; get into fighting position, or anything. Instead she moved to embrace a man who had lost his family; she could sympathize after all. Hesitant at first, Loz gradually put two arms around the woman's strong but slender frame. His feelings multiplied by a thousand as he bawled eyes out on the martial artist's shoulder.
Reno and Vincent watched suspiciously, ready to jump if the clone had a sneak attack planned. But judging by Loz's exhaustion, it was a no brainier.
Tifa let go of one hand, cleverly grabbing a sleep materia in her pocket. Then, with a low, comfortable voice, she made eye contact again. "Were going to figure this whole mess out in the morning alright? Kadaj will wake up and I promise to take care of him. In the meantime though, you have to get some sleep too." Casting the spell quickly; Loz really had no arguments against it, and soon passed out onto Tifa. Fortunately Vincent and Reno joined in to help the clone back into bed and off of the poor girl underneath him. Tifa thanked the guys after catching her breath and then took a seat on a bar stool "It's time to call it a night," she yawned.
"About fucking time," Reno celebrated, whipping his shoes off and jumping on the couch. "I'll take the downstairs shift in case thing one and thing two go nuts."
"You want a blanket?" Tifa asked kindly as she started walking up to her room.
"Nah, I'm good babe. Sweet dreams though."
Again, Vincent ignored Reno's poor choice of nicknames, and followed Tifa upstairs. That's when he suddenly realized how close his face was to her lower half and nearly lost balance. "Something wrong?" the object of his apparent desires turned around to ask while Vincent shoved it off as nothing and walked around her. He hadn't looked at anyone like that in years and was now heavily debating why it happened. Sure Tifa was obviously a strong, beautiful woman, but he had never really looked at her before.
"Hope you don't mind the spare room again."
Still lost in thought, Vincent offered: "How about I take yours" as Tifa's face instantly turned three shades of red.
"So you wouldn't have to sleep in the same place where you and Cloud usually do" he finished, and the woman returned to her normal color.
"Right!" She agreed before Vincent could catch on to what she thought had been implied, "thank you."
"Yeah well, get some sleep. You look terrible" he added sarcastically while trying to focus on something else.
"Says the guy who's been sporting the same outfit for fifty years" Tifa joked back, nudging his shoulder. Then she winced as the bone that Loz had broken earlier made more contact than intended by hitting a rather sore spot. Vincent caught on and quickly lifted the girl into his arms. "What did I tell you about taking it easy?"
"I'm hopeless, I know."
"And even more stubborn." One hand under her knees, the other behind her head, Tifa relaxed comfortably into the gun wielders hold; not even bothered by the metal claw that he was always so cautious with when around her. Vincent was actually just about to move it when she prevented the retreat, holding onto it affectionately. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of," Tifa said smiling. Before he could comment on how that wasn't the reason however, she interrupted again "I had a dream you didn't come back."
For a second Vincent forgot about Lucrecia.
And suddenly all he wanted to do was tell this woman everything would be okay.
Instead, "hmph" came out. A traditional Mr. Valentine response.
"I was wrong to back up Cloud, okay? So shut up and let me finish because you know how hard that is for me to say." Vincent quickly followed instructions and decided on no more interrupting; even if he really didn't want to hear this right now.
"Look, I know you probably don't care about the argument we had two weeks ago, but I can't stop thinking about it or how juvenile Wonder boys behavior was."
"You're overreacting again. People fight. Let it go. I'm fine" which was a flat out lie. He wasn't fine. To be honest he was nothing but a total hypocrite considering the guy had been avoiding Tifa since. But not for the reason she was thinking of. It was just that during his last visit to the bar, Vincent had been keeping Tifa company until closing. Cloud was there too, watching both of them like a hawk until he ultimately made some rude comment like "get a room." Of course, Tifa being Tifa had to jump in and defend herself while Vincent did nothing. For the summary version of what happened next, Cloud said leave, Vincent did, and Tifa made no effort to stop him. But on the gun wielders way out however, Cloud made another appearance. Only this included a cheap shot aimed behind Vincent's head. To say that he missed is obvious, the guy was intoxicated remember, so Vincent had no trouble catching his fist in midair. Since the two had always been evenly matched in hand to hand combat, Cloud ignored his current disadvantage against Vincent and continued to talk his mouth off.
"If you so much as think about touching Tifa, I'll kill you."
"Big words from the person who's destroying her." The man in red twisted Clouds wrist in annoyance.
"You don't know anything!" The blond was really a pathetic display at this point.
"Tifa's my friend."
"Yeah right, she's only nice because she feels sorry for you." This was when Vincent hit his stress limit and threw Cloud into the nearest wall, pointing Cerberus on him as if clockwork.
"You could never make her happy like I do" he arrogantly smirked. "She'll only love me."
Vincent wanted to pull the trigger instantly. He wanted to end the Hero's life. He wanted to let Chaos have a field day. But as this was being debated, Tifa ran out of the bar, heading straight for their direction. Vincent made sure to high tail it somewhere else before she met up with them and watched, hidden, as Tifa lifted up Clouds body and brought him back inside. So following that, he hadn't been planning on visiting anytime soon. Up until Kadaj attacked. And it was a good thing he did too.
"I was way out of line that night," Vincent finally said after remembering.
"Hey, I'm the one trying to apologize here. Would it kill you to acknowledge it?"
"I'm saying it's unnecessary."
"And I'm saying don't disappear again."
Then Tifa put her head on his shoulder, much like she had with Cloud when they were kids. Vincent wrapped an arm around her and they sat in silence.
"I missed you too," he finally added after the woman had gone to sleep.
But it surprised Vincent that she wasn't as Tifa leaned up to his cheek for a quick kiss.
That's when Vincent realized, for the first time in over half a decade, he was blushing.
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Like it? I wasn't sure if the whole Vincent blushing thing would be too OOC but my argument here is that it's justified given his little predicament -grins-
Hope this chapter didn't let anyone down. Oh and be sure to keep up the voting if you'd like to see Tifa with a certain character more.