A/n: So for the second time writing this ( long story ), this is a ReTi AU for The Sacred and Profane.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Tifa, darling look to the side and give me a pout!" the photographer demanded as Tifa Lockhart mimicked his request. She pouted her lips and gave a frosty stare towards the camera. It came easy enough, after all. She had been modeling for years, so this photo shoot was just like any other.
They finished quickly and allowed the brunette to go back to the hair and make-up area to change back into her sweatpants and tank top. She snatched her coffee from the make-up table and walked away from the building in a huff.
Tifa Lockhart was an aspiring fashion model, envied by most and she knew it. Sure she was gorgeous on the outside, but everyone who knew her could tell you that on the inside…she was just one rude bitch. She didn't mind though, as long as she wore designer clothes and got paid, Tifa couldn't care less.
The brunette walked down the street towards her apartment, ignoring all of the people who asked for her autograph.
"Tifa! I love you! Could you sign my arm?" a girl about fourteen years old asked. Tifa rolled her eyes and waved her hand.
"Screw off, brat! Can't you see I'm busy? Now get lo-" she began, only to bump into someone and fall to the ground. She looked up to see a man with striking red hair staring down at her.
"Are you alright?" he asked with a subtle smirk. He offered his hand to the model, but Tifa refused. She stood up and brushed off her pants as she shot him a deathly glare.
"Can't you watch where you're walking!?" she demanded, stomping her foot. Reno looked taken aback as his jaw dropped.
"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything…you okay?" he asked again, scratching the back of his head. Tifa crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly.
"You know who I am, right?" she asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Reno stared at her, trying to place who she was. Was she an Ex-girlfriend…a hook up, someone he had bumped into before? He didn't exactly have the best luck when it came to things.
"I'm sorry, I don't know…" he replied, his voice trailing off. Tifa scoffed and pushed him out of the way.
"I'm a supermodel and you better damn well remember that, you loser!" she called out as she walked away, leaving the redhead standing by himself; the little girl from before tugged on his suit jacket.
"Sir, can you tell me what time it is?" she asked, pulling him from his state of confusion. He nodded and looked at his watch.
"Its one thirty…wait…one…thirty…SHIT! I have a meeting at one fourty-five!" Reno shouted, rushing off towards one of the larger buildings in the inner city. Of course he would be late…he was never lucky enough to be on time…as usual.
Watching this entire scene was Elena, the goddess of matchmaking. She was an expert in matchmaking the most strange couples…and her new project? Tifa the model, and Reno the average banker. It was perfect. She could just see wedding bells. However…for her plan to work…they had to get along…and for that to happen. Tifa, the model, needed to learn a lesson.
"Hmm…now what can I do to someone that's perfect? I know! I'll make them unperfect, unbeautiful…after all, it's the inside that counts, correct?" she said to herself as she tapped her wand on her shoulder. A smile crept onto her lips and she stood up, fixing her toga on the way. Oh, this was perfect.
"By the power of Elena, the muse of love, I pronounce Tifa…to be the opposite of what she is on the outside and Reno? Give him all the luck to get a head start!" she stated proudly, swishing her wand in the air as sparks flew from the black wand. With a sprinkle of light, and a good night's rest…the change would be complete.
Let the show, begin!
That next morning, Tifa grumbled out of bed and sat up. She felt heavier and less lean for some odd reason. Ignoring it, the brunette stood up and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for her day. She shoved the toothbrush in her mouth and began to scrub her teeth when she finally looked up and screamed loud enough to scare her entire apartment awake.
Spitting out the toothbrush, Tifa looked at herself and grabbed the weight she must've gained over night. She looked significantly larger than she had when she went to bed the night before.
"I didn't even eat anything! What the hell!" she screamed breaking into a heap of tears as she slumped helplessly to the floor. What was she going to do? She was only known for her looks…how could she model now? There had to be an explanation for all this! There had to be! She refused to be fat!
"No…no. I'll call Mr. Durry my agent and tell him what's going on! He'll understand! Everything will be okay." Tifa reassured herself as she rushed to her cell phone.
Meanwhile, in an apartment not too far from Tifa Lockhart, Reno Sinclair woke up with a start as his alarm clock went off for once. Usually, the clock would remain silent, making the redhead late to work almost every morning. Luckily, the bank didn't fire him because of his tardy behavior. Despite the habit, he was pretty good at what he did.
Reno pulled himself out of bed and got ready for work. He got in his car, which ran better than it had any other day and drove to work. Every stoplight remained green and he was able to get to work in a short matter of time.
"Hey Reno, hope you doing well. Oh, you have an e-mail from the boss. He just sent it like five minutes ago." The secretary stated as Reno walked through the doors. He grinned at the woman and thanked her, quickly making it to his office. The redhead clicked onto his email and discovered that his boss had given him a promotion…a very nice one at that. Today couldn't have gotten any better!
Today couldn't have gotten any worse for Tifa Lockhart. She called her agent, who refused to see her after catching a glimpse of her new figure in the two way mirrors of the modeling agency. The brunette ran out of the building, crying her way to the local café where she could drown in her thoughts. How could this have happened! What did she do to deserve this?
"Rough day?" a familiar voice asked as she felt someone slide into the chair next to her. She glanced up, prepared to scare off the person who asked when she recognized the man. It was the redhead she was rude to the other day!
"I'm just fine thank you..." she murmured as she cradled her coffee. The man held out a hand and smirked.
"I'm Reno. So tell me…why the sad face, pretty girl?" he teased softly, causing Tifa to look around before replying. Was he talking to her? She saw no one else around and blushed.
"I…I've had a terrible day. My agent let me go because I've somehow gained weight. I know it's crazy, but…you don't understand, I've never looked like this before." She replied, her voice cracking once more and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Reno shook his head and reached out a hand, wiping her tears with his thumb.
"Well, that guy must've been a retard, because I think you're gorgeous the way you are…what's your name?"
"Tifa…Lockhart..."
"Well Tifa…would you like to come to dinner with me tonight? I could use some company to celebrate my promotion!"
"I…I'd like that, a lot, Reno…thanks." Tifa smiled at Reno, her spirits already becoming lifted. It was strange…usually a cute Victoria Secret bra or designer purses would make her feel happy inside…but this man, Reno, he had a way of making her feel so much better, even when she felt like this. She also noticed that she was actually nice to someone for once...maybe…this wasn't so terrible after all.
Over the next few weeks, Reno and Tifa really hit things off. Reno took her shopping and told her she looked pretty in anything and everything. He also took her to dinner and to exotic places for the weekend. Life was actually much better now that Tifa had someone love her for who she really was, not because she was rich, was a model and was supposedly the hottest thing. She liked this new life.
One afternoon, Tifa was curled up in a terry cloth robe on Reno's new apartment balcony, sipping a fresh cup of coffee when Reno walked in with the newspaper.
"Well, this should be good. I have a meeting with a top executive tomorrow and hopefully that will go well!" he beamed as he kissed her softly on the lips before sitting down. Tifa smiled and ran a finger across the rim of her cup. Just then, she felt very strange. She felt her body get tighter and her face was thinning out once more. Was she becoming skinny again? Oh no! What if Reno saw and recognized her as the supermodel bitch!
Tifa suddenly jumped up and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Alarmed by the sudden motion, Reno dropped his newspaper and rapped on the bathroom door.
"Teef, baby, everything okay?"
"Y-yeah…no…oh no…it's horrible. I can't come out!" a muffled cry came from the other side. This confused Reno even more. He quietly picked the lock and opened the door to see a much thinner Tifa, curled up on the floor.
"Don't hate me…I don't know what happened. I became like this in a matter of minutes!" she cried out. Reno's jaw dropped as the thought processed…this was the same woman that was so rude to him months ago. It was different though…she wasn't the same and Reno could tell this, just by looking at her. She wasn't the bitchy woman he had met at first. Her body change had changed her inside as well. She was now sweet and caring.
"No…no Tifa, I don't hate you, I love you all the same. I will always love you. Promise me you won't change…" he whispered as he bent down to kiss her once more. Tifa shook her head roughly.
"I will never be like that again, I promise. I love the new me, the new attitude. I love you, Reno…"
Just then a blonde woman appeared with a toga, carrying a harp and playing it in amusement. She laughed merrily and produced a cup of wine for herself.
"It worked! My plan worked!" she announced. Reno and Tifa exchanged confused looks and turn to the blonde.
"What plan?" Reno asked, crossing his arms. Elena smirked and pointed to Tifa.
"You two are the cutest couple! I'm Elena, the muse of love and romance. I can make matches better than Cupid. You two, as opposite as you are, are meant to be together! Once Tifa learned to love herself and once you learned to have confidence, I decided that you both should return to normal!" she explained. Tifa grinned and looked at Reno, who now looked disappointed. Was he mad at Tifa? Or Elena? Would he still want to be with Tifa?
"Does that mean that my promotion won't be here anymore and I'll go back to being a late nobody?" he asked as he bit his lip. Elena widened her eyes and shook her head.
"You did that all on your own, dear, I didn't do any of that. I just got you out of bed in the morning!" she replied, giggling at the redhead. Reno immediately smiled and turned to Tifa, helping her up as he kissed her passionately. Elena took this as her cue and was gone with a POOF, leaving the couple to themselves.
Weeks later, Reno had gotten the CEO position single handedly with the meeting, and Tifa was back on her feet with a modeling career. They were the hottest couple in the big city, yet it didn't faze them at all. They remained loyal to each other, loyal to their friends, but most of all, loyal to their morals.
"Hey sweetie, guess what! I scored a new dress to wear for tonight's dinner!" Tifa called out as she dropped her bags on the apartment floor and searched for her boyfriend. Reno strolled into the living room, not saying a word, but with a strange smile on his face.
"I have something else that would be perfect." He began as he got down on one knee. "Tifa Lockhart, beautiful woman and amazing person…will you marry me?" he asked, opening up a velvet box. Tifa bit her lip and bent down to Reno, taking the ring in her hand and nodding frantically.
"I will Reno, I will…forever!" she replied, kissing him. Elena watched from the distance.
"Well, my job is complete…now…time to get them ready for a baby! Oh and I need to work on that other couple, the dancer, Yuffie and the stuck up stock broker, Rude! On to business!"
A/n: I hope you liked it! R&R please! Thanks for reading!