Intoxication Part 3/5 [Cloud/Tifa, AU, R]

[ocvalkyrie.livejournal.com]

Title: Intoxication Part 3/5

Author: Valk

Rating: R

Warnings: Language, sex, deception, politics

Word Count: 15,501

Prompt: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, “If you are the poison…”

A/N: Ah, a touch of Cloti Naughty. How was it?

Cloud lay in bed the following morning, holding Tifa to his side while she slept. He glanced over at the clock on his nightstand beside the bottle of wine to see it was only six o’clock. A knock sounded on the apartment door and Zack’s voice called out, “Hey! You kids decent?!”

 

Cloud rolled his eyes and called back, “No!”

 

“Too bad! I’m comin’ in, anyway!”

 

Tifa stirred and looked up at Cloud, questioning all the noise at the early hour when Zack burst into the room with a grin. The small brunette gave a yelp and ducked down beneath the blankets. “Oh, my God! What is wrong with you?!”

 

Zack just grinned wider. “Guess what, Cloud?”

 

“You just barge in on my girlfriend and I while we’re in bed, and expect me to play along with whatever prank you pulled at six in the morning?”

 

“Dude! Don’t you have any faith in me?”

 

“You really haven’t proven yourself worthy of any.”

 

“Fine! Be that way! I just thought I’d let you know I got a job…”

 

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “Really? Where?”

 

“I’ll have you know it’s a nice little company! It’s called Turtle’s Paradise! I’ll just be answering the phone, but it’s a job. One of my old buddies got me in on it.”

 

Cloud’s hand ran over Tifa’s back under the covers. “And how long do you think this one will last?”

 

“Cloud… Can’t you give me any support?”

 

“I’ve supported you for the last eight jobs you’ve gotten and I let you sleep on my couch and stay in my house for free when you were evicted from your apartment.”

 

“Alright, I admit. I haven’t exactly been a model brother to you, but I swear I’ll change! This job is just the ticket I need!”

 

“Prove it to me.”

 

“I will!” He grinned and started out the door, pausing to lean back in and say, “Thanks for letting me borrow one of your suits, by the way. Don’t worry. I took one of your older ones that hadn’t ever made it to the tailor. Pants actually reach my ankles.” He grinned again and ducked out as Cloud threw the television remote at him.

 

Tifa’s head finally poked out from under the covers with a hot blush covering her cheeks. “U-um…”

 

Cloud rubbed her back as she settled her cheek on his chest, keeping her eyes down to hide her face. “I’m sorry about that, Tifa… Zack is never up this early nor has he ever come into my room like that.”

 

“I-it’s okay… I-I mean…”

 

He looked down at her. “Tifa?”

 

“Um, well… I-I just… forgot we were naked…”

 

His jaw tightened slightly. “Oh, right…”

 

“So, uh, Cloud…?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“What happens next?”

 

“Hm, well, I have to work a few hours today, but after that, I was thinking lunch, maybe?”

 

She snuggled her head against his chest to get more comfortable, letting the wide smile spread on her face. “I like that idea.”

 

“Tifa…” He bent down to press a kiss to her hair. “I’m glad this won’t ruin our relationship.”

 

“Quite the contrary, I think.”

 

“Good.”

 

~^~^~

 

Cloud pulled his suit jacket on and turned to Tifa, pressing a kiss to her lips. “If you want to stay here for a bit, I don’t mind. Just lock up before you leave.”

 

“Thanks.” She smiled sweetly at him and giggled when he moved in to kiss her again. “Cloud… Do you mind if I use your shower?”

 

“Not at all. I’ll call you when I get off work. Probably around one-thirty-ish, okay?”

 

“Okay!”

 

“See you later, then. And if Zack bothers you, don’t be afraid to hit him. He’ll deserve it. If not, think of it as punishment for another sin in the past.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Great. See you later, then.”

 

She smiled and watched as he walked out the door and closed it behind him. The second the lock turned, her smile disappeared and she moved over to walk through the apartment. She scoured through the place, searching for her overall target. Bending down on her hands and knees, she started looking under the sofa. She stretched her arm down to feel around for some kind of storage device, looking up in alarm when the locks started opening.

 

She pulled to get her arm out and cursed when she realized it was stuck. In a last-ditch effort, she reached in her bag with her free hand and threw a tube of lipstick under the sofa. The door opened and Zack walked in with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, raising an eyebrow when he saw Tifa. “What the…?”

 

She put on her best innocent face and whimpered, “Zack… My lipstick fell under there and when I tried to pull it out, my arm got stuck! Can you help me, please?”

 

He looked back and forth. “Where’s Cloud?”

 

“He went to work… He said I could stay and get a shower, but I lost my lipstick…”

 

Zack sighed and set his coffee down on the counter before walking over. Bracing his hands on the back of the sofa, he leaned down and tilted it on its back legs so Tifa could get her arm out. She quickly snatched up her lipstick and smiled sheepishly at Zack as he eased the sofa back down. “Um, I’m sorry about that… I probably looked pretty creepy, huh?”

 

“A little, yeah.” He dropped down on the couch after retrieving his coffee. “So, tell me.”

 

She turned to look at him. “Hm?”

 

“Do you, you know, like my brother?”

 

“Yes, Zack, I do. I think…”

 

“You think what?”

 

“I think…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve only been dating for just about three weeks. It’s a little early to say anything else.”

 

“Mm, yeah, I guess.” He pointed a finger at her sternly. “You break his heart and I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

 

She gasped in surprise. “W-what…?”

 

“He’s my little brother and he helped me when no one else would. Now it’s my turn to take care of him, capiche?”

 

“I see… But don’t worry, Zack. I think I’ll find what I’m looking for in this relationship.”

 

He grinned widely. “Good. That’s what I needed to hear. I’m done, then. Go on, do what you were doing.”

 

“I think I’ll head back to my place and change. See you later, Zack.”

 

~^~^~

 

Cloud shifted through the crowds and made his way over to the wide fountain at the center of Sector 8. He smiled to himself when he spotted the brunette already waiting, seated on the wide stone brim. Despite the black coat and red scarf she wore, she still looked cold in the frosty December weather.

 

He tightened his own scarf as he approached her, cracking a wide smile when she spotted him. She grinned back and stood as he closed the space between them and greeted her with a kiss. He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers while slipping a hand in his pocket. He lifted a small, wrapped package from his coat and held it up between them. “Merry Christmas, Tifa.”

 

She gasped and took it from him, looking up at him when she accepted the oblong box. “What is it?”

 

“If I told you, then that would defeat the purpose of wrapping it. Now, c’mon. Open it.”

 

“Um, okay…” She pulled at the red ribbon and slipped a manicured nail under the tape to open it. After sliding the box out of the paper, she cracked the lid and peered inside. “Oh, Cloud! You shouldn’t have!” She lifted the silver necklace with an emerald pendant hanging off of it from inside the box and held it up. “It’s beautiful!”

 

“I’m glad you like you it.” He leaned closer and kissed her softly. “I love you, Tifa.”

 

She pulled away from him and looked up in shock. “Cloud, I…”

 

He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I can’t hold it back any longer.” He smiled gently and whispered, “I love you.”

 

“Cloud…” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer while tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. “I love you, too, Cloud.”

 

~^~^~

 

Cloud shifted to climb out of bed one April morning and snatched his boxers from the floor, stretching his back out and giving a yawn. He turned back to smile over his shoulder at the young woman still sleeping in his bed. She stirred slightly and rolled over, looking at him while she woke. He grinned and started to lean closer before pausing. “I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay?”

 

She nodded against the pillow and sat up as he walked into the bathroom and disappeared around the corner. Grabbing her bra from the floor, she pulled it on before skipping over her underwear and grabbing her sundress. After slipping that on, she reached into her bag and closed her fingers around the familiar metal. She swallowed and settled it into the bust of her dress before grabbing a second, differently shaped piece of metal.

 

She turned with a smile and hid her hands behind her back as Cloud came out of the bathroom, frowning when he saw her. “What did you get dressed for?”

 

Biting down on her lip, she took a deep breath and said, “Cloud, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

 

He took a step closer from his spot in the bathroom doorway. “What is it, Tifa?”

 

She whipped the gun from behind her back and pointed it at him. “Where are the codes for the mako reactors?”

 

His hands shot up on instinct at the sight of a gun. Slowly, his face twisted into one filled with pain as he realized what was going on. “Tifa? All this time, you…”

 

She reached into her top and pulled the handcuffs from her bra. “Cuff yourself to the door. Both wrists, chain through the handle.” She tossed the cuffs to him and, slowly, he knelt to the floor as he did as he was told.

 

Still pointing the gun at him, she walked over and checked the cuffs to make sure they were secure before stepping back. “Tell me. Where are the codes?”

 

He stayed silent for a long moment, finally saying, “Tifa, you’re WRO, aren’t you? You’re a member of the stealthiest resistance group known to mankind…”

 

“I am.”

 

“So, all this… All of this was a lie? You never felt any of those things… You never really loved me… Were you even the girl who grew up next door to me?”

 

“Yes, I really was that girl. That naïve little brat was me.”

 

“What happened to you? You used to be such a sweet girl.”

 

“I had a cold taste of reality. Surely you heard of the reactor incident in Nibelheim? Six years ago, when I was nineteen, my father and a few other people from town were working in the reactor when something went wrong. The whole structure exploded and killed everyone instantly. Not only that, but the tainted Lifestream that spilled out ruined the terrain around the town and made the whole area infertile for plants and wildlife. The whole town was killed then… All because of that reactor… If we didn’t have those, life would be peaceful…”

 

He finally glanced over at her. “Is that what you truly believe? Do you believe people would be happy without the comfort of mako energy? It makes people’s lives easier. Without it, we wouldn’t have lights, heat, cars, nothing. I heard about Nibelheim, yes. My aunt and uncle were killed then. I was already in the military by then, but I still remember the moment I heard about it. Just because one out of the eleven reactors was defective doesn’t mean all of them will do the same.”

 

“Just… Shut up!”

 

“Tifa, no matter who you really are, I still love you. Do you even know what that means?”

 

“Of course I do! I don’t have any need for it, though.”

 

He averted his gaze. “I see. You know, maybe Zack did teach me something worthwhile. Love isn’t worth chasing after. All it brings is hardship and pain.”

 

She felt tears start to prick at her eyes and willed them to stay back. In an effort to bite them down, she spat, “He was pretty good in the sack, too.”

 

He looked up at her in horror. “What?”

 

“How else do you think I found out about that gala? About where to find you and what kind of girl you would be interested in? I went for the easy bait first.”

 

“You… slept with my brother?!”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Ugh… Gods… I knew you were too good to be true.”

 

“Don’t make me pull this trigger! Just tell me where the fucking codes are!”

 

“What does it matter? You’ve already killed me. Just shoot me and end it once and for all.”

 

“Are you sane?! What sort of idiot would take a bullet for something as silly as love?!”

 

“I would. I loved you, Tifa. But you…”

 

“Just give me the codes!”

 

He slowly nodded his head towards the laptop bag under his desk. “Front pocket. There’s a flash drive in there. The codes are on there, but you’ll have to dig around to find them. They’re heavily encrypted.”

 

She pulled it out and pocketed it, not even bothering to check it. “We have people who can break the locks, so to speak.”

 

“Just answer me this, Tifa. What will you do with them? Surely you won’t destroy the reactors… That would just repeat Nibelheim.”

 

“That’s up to the strategic department. They’ll figure it out.”

 

“I find it unlikely that they’ll sympathize with you. I’ll bet they’ll set it to blow. So many more lives and families will be lost. And you’d be the one to blame. Could you live with that?”

 

“That’s not your business.”

 

“Fine. That’s all I have to say to you.”

 

She turned to the door, still pointing her handgun at him and whispered under her breath, “Cloud, I stopped lying by the time autumn came around. I really did fall in love with you.”