Promises of Loyalty

Notes: The only excuse I have for the following chapter is that my muse has a thing for schoolgirl outfits.

Chapter 7 - Getting Away With Murder
--------------------------

Telling the story of how there came to be a large hole in the middle of her bar counter was much easier when she did so in front of a mirror. Yet there Tifa stood, leaning against the splintered counter with a gaping hole in the floor to her right, the faint smell of charred wood still lingering in the air. Luckily it was a minor thing, and the presence of flame damage was overlooked. Her story was that during a delivery, a full keg was knocked over onto the bar and crashed through the flooring. The weakness was blamed on termites, as it was an old establishment, and to four of the five regulars who stood before her, the story seemed plausible enough to satisfy their curiosity. Marlene, Jesse, Biggs and Wedge were more than willing to take a 'vacation' to Kalm during the repairs. The rustic little town was full of interesting spots for distractions from their normal lives. Wedge was already dreaming of fishing in the forest lakes by the time Tifa had finished explaining. Barrett, however, was a different story. As the four rushed upstairs to start packing, he approached Tifa with an expression that said he knew something was up.

"There's somethin' y'ain't tellin' us..." Barret said, looking her straight in the eyes.

Somehow, she matched his serious expression, glancing up at his face to answer, "It's my bar, I can handle routine repairs like this myself. Having you all around is just going to cause too much trouble. It'll be fixed in two weeks, just move the operations to Kalm until then, how hard can it be?"

He sighed, turning away and heading toward the lift, "Fine fine, your reasons are your own. Jes' don't get yourself into more trouble, ok?"

Her expression soured toward his turned back. More trouble...as if he were referring to her capture from the last mission. Team relations had been a bit forced after the incident, and a vacation to Kalm as a group would have been the best idea to hopefully regain their lost cohesion, but there was no way she could trust her bar repairs to Zack alone. Tifa's subconscious chimed in that her ulterior motive was to get him alone again without fear of being caught, but as quickly as that naughty little thought entered her mind, she shoved it aside.

Just as promised, Zack arrived two days after the bar was damaged, supply truck loaded with wood, paint, and a variety of tools. If there was one thing she could say about his antics, he was certainly good about making up for their damage. Questions relating to just how he was able to swipe a ShinRa supply truck and the materials were left unanswered. Zack skirted most of the talk about just how he managed to get away with most of the things that he did.

While sanding down the newly attached portion of the bar counter, Tifa couldn't help but watch Zack as he hammered the replacement legs back into one of the tables he had broken. He worked hard and fast, but everything he did was complete perfection...much like he was in bed. She shook her head side to side to clear the dirty little voice from her mind, something that had been happening more recently since her involvement with the black-haired SOLDIER. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips and she reached back to pull her hair into a messy bun to keep it from getting in her way as she grabbed the small can of varnish that was sitting at her feet. Within minutes, the top of the bar was glistening with a drying coat of sealant that made the whole thing look like new. Pleased with her work, she set her tools down and grabbed a pair of glasses from behind the counter. Filling them with cold water, she headed over to where Zack was working to offer him a much needed break.

They had been working all morning and well into the afternoon, pausing only long enough for a short lunch and dinner break, and night had set in, marking the end of a full day of repairs. Even with the cool night air floating in through the open windows, Zack had removed his shirt and was working in the now moonlit front room. She handed the water to him and hopped up onto one of the newly repaired tables, "I can't believe the progress we made today..."

He grinned, gulping down the water and setting the glass on the table beside her, "I assume since you didn't fall flat on the floor after hopping up there, I did a good job, huh?"

She laughed, "I suppose I can give you that. Should have called you a few months ago when the back door needed replacing, too."

Zack took their playful banter as a cue that their work for the night was over and crawled on top of the table to sit cross-legged behind her, running his hands up her arms to start kneading at her shoulders. She tensed a bit at first, still on guard, but soon relaxed into the wonderful things his hands were doing to her sore muscles. It was a picture of contentment, and she soon realized that she hadn't felt this at ease in her own bar for quite some time since the ShinRa capture incident. Suddenly, she was reminded of her current situation and shook him loose from her shoulders. Zack quirked his head at her, confused as to why she suddenly pulled away, and she saw the confusion in his eyes as she turned to face him.

"We can't continue with this, us. If the others found out that I-"

"That you what?" he cut her off, "That you're boning a SOLDIER now?"

She cringed at his bluntness, but it was true. The others wouldn't take lightly to her even associating with a SOLDIER on a first name basis, let alone going to bed with one. He could see the wheels turning in her head with each new issue that their involvement brought up. His palms caught her shoulders, pulling her back into his embrace,

"I know what you're thinking. I don't want our positions in our professional lives to come into play with all this, either. I want us to be together as people, not as titles. Don't look at us as a SOLDIER and an AVALANCHE member, look at us for who we are: a man and a woman. You can't deny that there's something between us. I don't think there's any reason we should have to change what we do for the sake of this, for now we just need to go with it and take care of things as they arise, not worry about what COULD happen."

His carefree nature somehow spread into Tifa's subconscious, helping push aside all the doubts, anger, and fear their involvement had brought into her mind. As he worked his strong hands along her upper back, his lips came close to her ear,

"If you're that worried about your teammates finding out about us, come back to my room instead tonight..."

Goosebumps spread along her arms as she shivered from the hot breath against her neck and the deep hum of his voice.

"And just how am I supposed to get in there? I didn't exactly have much luck the last time."

He chuckled, running his hands down her arms and then wrapping them around her waist, his chin now resting on her shoulder as he kissed lightly at her neck.

"The security measures may be tight, but there's one class of guest that the guards always turn their heads for. Let's just say the low number of female SOLDIERs means that certain...shall we say, provisions, need to be made to keep the morale up."

Tifa considered his explanation for a minute before it sank in. "You want me to dress up like a hooker?!" She jumped off the table and turned to face him, the fire lighting up in her deep crimson eyes.

He grinned at her, "Look, just slip on something skimpy and hang all over me, no one will even notice. It's normal to see girls come and go with recruits at all hours of the night and morning."

Before Tifa could protest any further, Zack had stood from the table and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her up to the bedrooms on the second floor. He tipped her back toward the bed and opened her closet, searching through for something that was fitting for her newly assumed identity of a woman of the night. Shoulders deep in clothing, he let out a triumphant cheer as he pulled out probably the last outfit Tifa ever thought he would grab. Dangling from the hanger in his hands was her old high school uniform, white collared shirt, pleated skirt and all.

Her jaw nearly hit the floor, "Y-you want me to wear THAT?!"

"Well, everything else in here either screams 'martial artist' or 'barmaid', and not in the sexy way. I've seen plenty of women wearing this sort of thing on the job, it'll work perfectly." His reasoning was almost a bit too solid, as if he had a ton of experience in this area, and Tifa shot him an accusing glare. He swallowed hard and tossed the outfit on the bed, "Well, that's my recommendation...I'll, uh, be downstairs waiting in case you find something better..."

She waited until the door was shut before looking back down at her uniform on the bed. He did have one point, all her other clothing was mainly training gi, her mission uniforms which had already been captured on ShinRa surveillance, and baggy shirts and sweatpants for when she did serious cleaning. She hadn't the need for any sort of formal or sexy clothing, since her life as of late had been devoted to two things: Seventh Heaven and AVALANCHE. Slumping her shoulders in defeat, she rifled through her closet to find the matching black flats and knee-high stockings that completed the ensemble, cursing herself for keeping such an embarrassing piece of nostalgia.

Moments later, Tifa tiptoed down the stairs, flushing slightly as she tugged down the hem of the skirt. While the clothing hadn't changed at all in the years since it was retired to the back of her closet, her body had grown in all the right places, making the fit a bit absurd. Her further developed breasts strained at the buttons of the shirt, hidden only by the small black scarf that dangled between them. Her height had increased a few inches as well, causing the bottom to stop short a few inches above her waist, showing off an ample expanse of her torso. The skirt, which used to come to just above her knees, was now stopping short at mid-thigh and rode up with every move she made. The ensemble was complete with white stockings which came up to mid-calf, making her long, toned legs look even longer with the short skirt.

Zack's jaw was on the floor as he watched her decend the stairs and suddenly Tifa felt all too ridiculous in her current attire. Without a word he pulled his shirt back on, picked up his sword, and held his hand out for hers. They left the bar and locked up, taking to the back alleys to head toward ShinRa, avoiding as much of the late night traffic as they could, lest her attire draw any unwanted attention.

When they approached the gated outer yards of the ShinRa building, Zack slipped an arm around Tifa's waist, pulling her closer in a possessive gesture to alert the other men in the area that she was his for the night. However, his display of ownership didn't deter most of the guards and other recruits from ogling his companion. Appreciative studies of her body were being done at every checkpoint, and she could feel them undressing her with their eyes. Suddenly, Tifa felt like a piece of meat dangling over a pack of hungry wolves. Either Zack lied about most of the men bringing companions into the barracks, or this lot just couldn't afford it. Either way, she gripped onto his arm tighter, her other fist balling up as she restrained herself from sending it flying into the face of the next pervert that stared at her ass.

Finally, her walk of humiliation was over as the card key swept through the lock of Zack's room. She stepped in and examined her surroundings once more, vaguely remembering the last time she was there with a slight blush. Meanwhile, Zack had kicked his boots off into a corner and moved over to his desk, picking up his digital camera to snap a candid shot of her. She jumped at the flash and pouted at him, making a move to recover the camera. Another click and he laughed, "Now that was a cute one, think I'll make that the wallpaper on my computer later."

She glared at him and snatched the camera from his hands, going in to delete the images until she started to flip through them. The set taken before had been from their first meeting a few months prior, images of her sleeping almost peacefully in his bed. Tifa glanced up at him, smirking slightly, "I didn't know you were into voyeurism. Any other fetishes I should know about?"

The camera was rescued from her grip and slipped into the drawer below before he spun her around and leaned her against the edge of the desk, slipping his hand up the back of the skirt as he did so. "Didn't know when I'd get to see you like that again, so I wanted a memento. Plus I think you look cute when you sleep, but even cuter in this skirt..."

A streak of mischief slipped into Tifa's mind and she grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from her body so she could hop up to sit on the desk. She deliberately crossed her legs at the knees, letting the skirt ride up just enough to give a slight peek at the lace panties that hid underneath. Her arms were crossed under her chest, pushing her breasts up and tugging at the buttons even more. If he was going to play games, so would she.

"Well, TEACHER, now that you've got me to your office, what did you want to see me about, hm?" Her words were laced with a hint of sarcasm, but the face she looked up at him with showed pure innocence.

He quirked his eyebrows at her sudden change in mood, and his roving eyes swept down her body, grinning at the obvious display she was putting on. Zack placed his hands on the desk on either side of her hips and leaned in close, "Well, I think you're in need for an after-class lesson, since I've heard you can be a very bad girl at times, hm?"

The innocent look was replaced with a slightly feral grin as Tifa uncrossed her legs, folding her hands on her lap and sitting up straight like a model student. Her breasts shifted forward until they were almost touching his chest as she looked up straight into his eyes, "So what are you going to teach me?"

The lump in his throat returned as his mouth ran dry, but Zack regained his composure and continued with their little role-play. He could smell the faint hint of perfume on her neck, and her breasts were just shy of pressing against his chest, both stimulations adding to the growing hardness in his pants. He struggled to keep his cool as he answered her. "Well, that depends...what is the student eager to learn about?"

She couldn't help but take this little charade and run with it, seeing that it had obviously disrupted his usual cocky demeanor. Her finger traced up along his jaw as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "Whatever will get me an A in this class..." The statement was punctuated by a light squeeze to the bulge in his pants, "How about we start with an anatomy lesson?"

Zack suppressed a groan as her touch sent a wave of pleasure through his body, a secondary assault coming from her full breasts pressing up against his chest. Without a word, he unbuckled his pants, letting them fall to his ankles before he ran his hands up her torso and under the hem of her shirt. He cupped both breasts, squeezing them roughly as her hands slipped his boxers down to join his pants on the floor. Before she could pay attention to his throbbing member which had sprang forth, her hands skimmed up his arms to join his at her chest, unbuttoning her shirt and shrugging it off to allow him better access. She leaned in and kissed him teasingly as one hand traveled up to tangle itself in his hair, the other skimming down to tease at the base of his shaft, "So tell me, teacher, what do I do with this?"

Her bra was pulled down to expose her breasts, allowing a rosy nipple to be teased by his fingers. He rolled the tender skin against his palms as he kissed his way along her collarbone, his hard flesh pulsing under her hand. He slid his way up to her shoulders and then gently pushed her down off the desk. Taking his cue, she hopped off and flipped their positions, allowing him to lean against the edge of the desk while she sank to her knees in front of him. Legs folded under her body, she clasped her hands in her lap and looked up innocently for his next instructions.

"This is a review lesson from last class, I trust you remember what you learned."

She nodded obediently and leaned forward, lips parted slightly, to place slow kisses along the head and shaft of his erection. One hand moved up to circle the base as her tongue darted out to lick along his length. Her other hand moved up to her own chest to tease at her breast. She pinched her nipple, moaning slightly and vibrating her pleasure against the flesh in her mouth. Zack's head lolled back as he let out a groan, thrusting forward slightly in an attempt to feel more of her hot mouth against his member. As her tongue danced against the most sensitive spots of his body, she could feel him getting close and took him in deep, massaging and rubbing as much of the slick flesh as she could.

Knowing he couldn't last much longer, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled himself free from her body. "You appear to have a good grasp on that subject," he panted, trying to regain his composure, "I think it's time we moved on to your oral exam, Ms. Lockheart."

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Tifa found herself hoisted to her feet and propped back up to sit on the desk. Zack's hands skimmed up the sides of her legs and up her skirt, finding the sides of her panties and tugging lightly. She placed her palms on the desk and pushed down, lifting her hips up enough so he could rid her of the restricting material. He grinned and twirled the scrap of pink and white lace around his index finger before tossing it to the side and gripping her legs behind the knees. With one swift motion, he pulled her forward, sliding her hips almost off the desk and parting her legs. He sank to the floor, coming to eye-level with her parted thighs and flipped her skirt up to bare her completely to him.

Tifa couldn't help but flush at her exposure, and instinctively moved to pull her skirt back down, but a light slap to her wrist pulled her hands back. "No interruptions in the middle of an exam, Ms. Lockheart, or there will be punishments later..." he threatened, a sultry tone to his voice. The reprimand came as his mouth was inches from her entrance, his breath teasing on her inner thighs. She shifted slightly on the desk, the heat starting to pool between her legs and spread through her abdomen. He kissed lightly along her legs, inching closer to her center, until the kisses stopped, the final one landing gently on her outer lips. His tongue slipped out, teasing the edges of her womanhood, as a finger traced lightly up the back of her knee to join his mouth in its assault on her body. As his oral ministrations sought her hidden bundle of nerves, a single finger was added to the mix which made her gasp in surprise. Pumping it in and out lightly, his tongue soon found its goal and he latched on, suckling lightly as another digit was added, working her slowly.

It was agonizing; Zack's hand and mouth bringing her so close yet setting a slow enough pace to just keep her from the edge. Her hands were gripping the edge of the desk so hard that her knuckles were turning white. "Please..." she whimpered.

He smirked, pausing from drawing slow circles around her clit with his tongue long enough to answer, "Please what?"

Her breath caught in her throat for a second as he thrust his fingers as deep as he could before drawing his tongue up along her entire entrance. "Please, Zack, I need to finish...so close..."

The sight of her nearly shaking from pure arousal at his hands, coupled with her earlier attentions to his body, was almost enough to make Zack lose himself right there. However, he had other plans for bringing them both to their sexual highs. Without a word, he removed his hands from her body and stood, sweeping an arm around her waist and dragging her to stand once more. Her knees buckled, legs having lost the ability to move, and she nearly collapsed into his arms. His other hand caught under her knees and flipped her up into his arms, allowing him to carry her over to the bed and toss her down.

His shirt was stripped off quickly as he knelt at the foot of the bed to examine his pupil. She rested back on her elbows, blouse parted and slipped down to expose her chest completely. Her bra had been bunched up under the swell of her breasts, straps dangling at her sides, and her skirt was still secured at her waist, riding up just enough to remind him that he had already taken care of her panties earlier. With her knees drawn up in the air teasingly keeping the rest of her body from his view, she wiggled her shoes off and kicked them from the bed.

Zack turned and placed his hands on the tops of her stockinged feet, running them up along her calves and up to her knees. Before she could say a word, he snapped her legs open and drew her hips up to meet his. The sudden contact made her gasp in shock, her parted lips a welcome invitation to his mouth as he initiated a slow kiss. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, drawing their bodies closer as she rocked her pelvis into his, creating a light friction that only urged him on further. As his tongue played games at her mouth, gently rubbing and nudging her own, one hand dropped between them to rub and nudge at something much more important.

With his hand guiding him, he slowly drew his still unsatisfied erection along her slit, lubricating his hard flesh with her arousal. The pace was slow, methodic, and driving Tifa insane with each stroke. He had brought her so close a moment earlier, only to leave her on the edge during their shift to the bed. Now he was resuming his slow torture, but just leaving her shy of relief, tightening that knot in the pit of her abdomen even more.

Just when Tifa thought she would scream in frustration, she screamed in ecstasy as he thrust deep in to her with one swift motion. He didn't even have time to pull out as her walls tightened around him, pulsing and drawing him deeper into her body. His eyes clamped shut, forehead falling down to rest between her breasts as he bit his lip in an attempt to hold back his impending release. As she was about to come down from her euphoric high, he pulled out and slid back in once more, rubbing her already sensitive clitoris just enough to trigger a second orgasm. This time, Zack couldn't hold back from the amazing feel of her body once more, and he followed her into release.

A second passed as her body relaxed around him, allowing his spent member to slip from her entrance. He rolled off to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.

The room was silent, save for the rapid beating of their hearts and their slowing breathing. Finally, she spoke,

"And what would you call that lesson?"

"A mid-term exam..." he mumbled, nuzzling the back of her neck. "Let's just stay like this for a while and I'll decide later tonight if you need a final or not."
--------------------------
To be continued in Chapter 8, Love is a Battlefield