Win or Lose

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Several weeks into dating Vincent Valentine, or what could be considered dating with such a private, secretive man, Tifa Lockhart learned a very exciting fact. Contrary to his appearance, Vincent was quite loud.

Oh, he didn’t talk constantly as Yuffie did, nor did he bellow and shout in the way Cid preferred to do. When the group was together, he hardly spoke a word. And as they traveled across cities in order to complete their goal, everyone had turned it into a sort of game. Bet on how many words Vincent would speak in one evening.

The tally had gone up from 4, at the very start, to 10.

Yet, ever since their feelings had come to a head, and he’d kissed her behind the weapons shop several towns back, they’d sneak off as often as they could to be together. It wasn’t something they were ready to share with the group. Vincent’s tumultuous feelings and lack of self worth ensured he was adamant she not make any sort of public commitment to him, no matter how much she longed to. And Tifa wanted to make sure Vincent comprehended, and accepted how much she loved him, before she let everyone else in.

So instead, they spent their hidden hours away, talking, spending time together, kissing, and, recently, all forms of affection that picked up where that left off.

And that was where Tifa had made the surprising discovery: Vincent Valentine, the dark, mysterious man who clouded himself in shadows and hardly spoke a full sentence in an entire day, was extremely vocal between the sheets.

He tried to tell himself it was from the shock of this new and very energetic relationship. He fought to hold it all in, to remain silent and as stoic as possible while the two of them pleasured each other. He did not want the others to inadvertently discover their relationship. But he found it difficult.

And so Tifa decided to turn it into her own little game.

If Vincent could not accept that she loved him as he was, and allow her to share such with the rest of the group, then she would force him to reveal it through the moans and groans he tried so hard to stifle. She would show him that she didn’t care anything for what anyone else might think. She merely wanted to love him as intensely as was possible.

That afternoon, they’d settled into a small inn in the middle of nowhere for an early night before they set off the next day. The building was tiny, no more than eight rooms total, and with nine guests already in residence, the entire group had had to squeeze into two rooms, separating out the girls and guys.

The sun had just set, and Tifa had headed upstairs for a shower after they’d had dinner. Cid was in one of his better moods, so most of the group, reluctant to return to their cramped quarters, were down with him in the bar, playing another one of his raucous drinking games. The way they went at it, the lot of them would probably not be upstairs for another three hours at least. And completely drunk at that.

So for the first time in three days, Vincent had given her the look. Vincent might not say much, but as they’d gotten to know each other, Tifa had learned to read his every mood in his deeply expressive eyes. His mouth did not express much emotion unless they were alone. But his eyes told her everything.

And earlier tonight, he’d looked at her with the fire in her eyes that told her how much he wanted her. A quick glance up the stairs and she knew, ten minutes after she went up, that he would follow.

She had, of course, explained that she would shower as her excuse to leave. Vincent, no doubt, would come up with something completely dull that would make the rest of them forget him for the rest of the evening. Or perhaps he would say nothing at all, and simply leave. It would not be the first time.

But today, she decided to push her little game just a little further. She snuck into the boys’ room, knowing it was closer to the stairs, and the bar where everyone was indulging just a little too much. Today, she decided, she’d ensure the door was accidentally left open when he came upstairs.

Of course, Vincent would notice. He picked up every tiny detail around him, constantly on alert for danger. But he would be too far gone to do anything about it. It would taunt him, reminding him how close to discovery they both were, and make him work even harder to be quiet. Quite the challenge for Tifa.

Before long, she heard a quiet step at the top of the stairs, then the door slid silently open. Tifa launched herself at the mass of black hair, pressing him against the wall directly beside the open door. And then proceeded to rid him of the cumbersome red cloak he always wore.

“Tifa…” She knew her enthusiasm always excited him, setting the stage for their white hot passion. It was a game of give and take, a careful balance on her side of violent fervor, and delicate holding back. The low, husky timbre of his voice told her he was already fiercely aroused.

Once the cloak and bandana were removed, he gathered her into his arms, hugging her against her chest as he simply savored the feel of her. She’d asked him, the second time he’d done so, why he did it. His words were engraved in her mind: “Tifa, you are overwhelming. Your scent, your taste, your touch… they undo me. Before I lose myself in you, I need the calm. I need to feel that I’ve come home.”

So she let him hold her quietly for a moment, wrapping her arms in turn around him, melding their bodies together from head to foot, her body heating as the obvious feeling of his arousal pressed into her lower stomach.

The respite was temporary. As he began to pull back, she grabbed him by the nape of his neck and glued her lips to his. Somehow, it always caught him off guard, and as she opened her mouth to tangle her tongue with his, he was helpless to prevent a deep, rich moan from escaping his throat. Immediately he tensed, frustrated with himself.

She continued her game, savoring the taste of him as she deepened the kiss. “Vincent…” Her lips moved to his ear, licking and suckling. She knew every sensitive point on his body, and wickedly used each to her advantage, as she allowed her throaty, lust filled voice to whisper his name into his ear. He visibly shivered from pleasure. This was one of the other things that could push him over the edge, so she’d learned.

But he wasn’t one to give up easily. His jaw clenched as a groan failed to make its way out of his throat. Before she could blink, he’d grasped her shoulders and switched their positions, pinning her back to the wall and kissing up and then down along the column of her neck. His human hand lifted to tangle in her hair, then slowly made its way downwards as his lips moved down, to the v of her collarbone and right up to the edge of her shirt. Breathy little gasps of pleasure escaped her as he worshipped her with his tongue.

“Vincent, gods I’ve missed you…”

She helped him to pull her shirt over her head, slipping off her bra and exposing her luscious breasts. Immediately, his lips found a nipple, his hand toying with the opposite one and eliciting continuous mewls of pleasure from her kiss-stung lips. “Yes, oh gods yes, Vincent…”

This incredibly reserved man grew aroused even further at her pleas and sounds of pleasure, her mind-numbing desire for him causing his to ignite into a veritable bonfire. As she writhed beneath his hand and very agile tongue, he groaned, savoring her scent and taste. She’d also found he had an uncharacteristic love of dirty talk. So she pushed onwards. “Vincent, I’m going to come, I need you to touch me I-” Her next words were cut off on a squeal as he twisted her nipple one way.

His groans were nearly continuous as he pleasured her, growing louder and wilder at the words that fell from her lips, and his hand lowered to raise up her miniskirt. Suddenly a violently sharp growl nearly caused her to lose her footing. She knew he’d seen beneath her skirt, aware now that there was nothing underneath. “Tifa…”

Struggling to get her muscles to work properly, she pushed off of the wall, turning the game back on him and pressing his back into the wall. “Check your pocket.”

His wine red eyes glinted with fervent lust and disbelief as he reached down into his pants pocket to pull out a skimpy pair of red panties. Immediately those burning red eyes were back up to hers. In contrast with the obvious, near painful arousal he was feeling, his metallic hand rose up gently to her face, grasping her cheek ever so slightly.

“Been there since we went to the market this afternoon.” She grinned at him, allowing him to pull her down to him for an intense kiss. She did not miss the way he slipped her panties back into his pocket. Just as she’d hoped he would.

His tender kiss turned fervent told her without words how much he adored her and appreciated her sexy little gesture. She allowed herself to get lost in his kiss, in the way both of his hands, no longer afraid to touch her, held her firmly against his lips as he devoured her.

Vincent’s kisses, even at the beginning, had never been all that gentle. It was as though he was making up for lost time, and every bit of physical contact with him was intense, consuming and overwhelming. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, caressing her as she kissed him back with all the energy she could muster.

And again, a rich, vibrating moan broke from his chest, as though even now, after months together, he still couldn’t believe she loved him, and allowed him this close. He marveled at the beauty of it, momentarily forgetting the open door and the crowd down the stairs. The beautiful moan resonated throughout Tifa’s body, turning her muscles to jelly as she leaned in to him, clinging to his hard body. He was all too eager to accept her weight, one arm curving around her back to keep her steady.

Too soon, he remembered where they were, and glared at her as though he knew her game. “Tifa, we need to slow down-” Her finger pressed against his lips, silencing him reluctantly.

She eyed him mischievously, before pulling open his shirt and kissing down his throat, biting him a little harder than necessary at a particular spot. “I’ve been wanting to do this all week.” He hissed in a breath, groaning in pleasure before gathering himself back together. “Tifa, we have to shut the door, we need to-OH GOD… be… quiet…”

His voice, lower and deeper than she’d ever heard it, was raspy with sexual tension, his words broken up by hisses and fierce groans as she in turn kissed her way down his chest, nipping and suckling at his nipples before kissing over his scars, one by one.

It had taken a little time to convince him to allow her to see his bare chest, to accept and touch the scars he resented so fervently. But he’d begun learning how to see them as she did. As a reminder that he was strong, and alive, that he’d survived. Now, they were an incredible turn on to her, a little secret only she knew about, and only she appreciated and healed with each kiss along them.

“Tifa… stop, Tif…” He tried to inject anger into his voice, but it failed as the sound broke on a moan that sounded an awful lot like a curse. From the prude lips of Vincent Valentine. Tifa continued kissing down the line of his stomach, over his navel and below, to the shadow of dark hairs that traced a line down beneath his trousers.

Before he could stop her, she had them opened and down his waist, and then she was kissing the neediest part of him. The part he’d once claimed had died along with his heart over thirty years ago.

His cock shivered beneath her kisses, as though reminding her it was well and truly alive. “Tifa! Gods, no… no, nooo…” He drew out the no, pleading it more loudly than intended, saying it like any other person would be saying 'yeeees, please'.

Her plan was working. The heat within her flared up into a crescendo as she allowed her lips to wrap around his length, savoring the musky taste of him, the tiny drops of pre-come that flavored the tip.

On another violent gasp turned moan, his hands raised up to her shoulders, intending to push her away. Already one step ahead, mesmerized by the taste and the softness and hardness of him all together, she began to suckle, lips and tongue wrapping around him.

“Oh fuck…” Obviously, Cid’s influence on him had been more pronounced than the team could have imagined, or his days as a Turk were coming back to him in full force. His hands, both metal and flesh, tightened reflexively on her shoulders, as nonsensical, dark pleas rose from his throat. She savored the slight pain that expressed his complete capitulation to what she was doing to him.

“Tifa, no you can’t… I have to-please…”

She continued her reckless pleasuring of his length, wrapping one hand around the base of him to pump even harder, and allowing her other hand to descend between her legs in an attempt to satisfy the inferno building within her.

Vincent’s eyes did not miss the gesture, and she lapped up another drop of pre-come as his groans turned to an ear splitting roar. He'd always been fiercely possessive of her pleasure. In a flash, he pushed her away from him, slamming the door shut and then pouncing over her where she’d ended up sprawled on the carpet.

She knew she’d pushed him over the edge, bringing out the raw beast beneath the surface that needed nothing but her wrapped around him, her wetness clasping him as he pumped into her over and over.

He was completely unaware he was growling so loud the room shook, and tiny spasms of pleasure shot up and down her spine at seeing him so completely desperate for her. The wicked thrill of pushing the most reserved man she had ever met out of control was a pleasure unto itself. Add onto that the fact that it was Vincent Valentine, the man she’d fallen completely, irrevocably in love with, and she could hardly think straight over the affection and the desire that echoed like shockwaves up and down her body, causing her to literally shake.

Vincent was quick to cover her body with his own, taking her lips in demanding, bruising kisses that left them tingling when he broke away from her. His beautiful red eyes flared hot with arousal and the love he was so cautious about acknowledging in any other circumstance. Another reason she adored pushing him over this edge. It allowed him to expose and express the love he had such trouble accepting and admitting to when they weren't lost in the feeling of each other. As though he tried to convince himself it was her body he craved most, though they both knew differently.


Now, devoid of limitations and inhibitions, he showered her with kisses up and down her body, suckling at her nipples each in turn, kissing along the sides of her stomach, down towards the middle, then laving at her center with long pulls that now made her scream in ecstasy, her nails digging into his back.

Just as her shivers and mewls grew more and more rushed, alerting him to her imminent orgasm, he slipped a long finger into her folds, caressing the center of her that set of fireworks throughout her entire body.

“Vincent! Oh gods, Vincent, Vincent, I need you, Vincent…” His name was a chorus he adored hearing from her lips. He lifted himself up, placing his length at her center as their eyes met, all walls torn down and emotions completely exposed and vulnerable.

And just before he pressed his entire length into her, she wrapped her legs around him, and whispered breathily in his ear, “I love you…”

“Yes!” He groaned, those three small words spurring him into action as he took possession of her, lovingly, adoringly, and yet with a total and complete dominance that sent her head spinning.

She could do nothing but cling to him, her nails digging into his back, her hips lifting to meet each of his thrusts as she kissed him, all too easily willing to give up the game and swallow his moans as he continued to pleasure her.

There was nothing now, but him and her and the incredible feeling of the two of them as one, united in every possible way and completely open to one another.

“I love you…” she repeated. Lost in her, he was quick to reply. “Yes! Tifa, I love you… fuck, I love you so much…” The words sounded torn from him, desperate, as his thrusts increased, sweat glistening up and down his beautiful body.

Her inner muscles contracted, released, and contracted in rhythm with his movements, increasing against her will as the incredible pleasure reached a climax that had her entire body taught, then releasing in an explosion of pleasure.

He adored the sounds she made as she came, and all too eagerly swallowed them with an intense kiss as he continued to thrust within her. She could see, in the tension of his muscles and the wrinkle in his brow, the battle he fought to prolong the pleasure that she brought him. But it was a losing battle.

All too quickly, he shivered over her and yelled out his release, pounding into her as she pulsed around him from her lingering orgasm.

The intensity of their coming together drained them so much, Vincent collapsed atop her, before rolling over to keep her on top of him, ensuring he remained within her for as long as possible. The two remained wrapped around each other, savoring the last aftershocks of their joining and fighting to catch their breath.

When Tifa’s heart returned to a fairly normal pace, she lifted her eyes to his, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I love you.”

His dark eyes burned as he stared at her, the adoration plainly evident, though he had trouble saying those three words when not lost in passion. He would say them to her openly in time, she was confident. To get rid of the frustration in his expression, she kissed him gently.

As though to make up for his inability to return her words, he kissed her again, gifting her with his last remaining energy.

His hands were around her, holding her as though he could never let her go. Tifa could scarcely remember what she’d originally intended, knowing only how much she cared for this man. She lifted a hand to caress his shoulder and the top of his back. “I’m sorry about these.”

“Don’t be.” He caught her hands and pulled them up to his face, kissing each finger in turn.

Vincent had a lot of issues with his scars, issues she’d began to conquer one by one as they’d gotten closer to each other. Now, though, he was almost positive about them, even filled with an adorable pride at the marks she’d added to his back since their relationship had deepened.

She couldn’t help being a little bit happy at having left her mark on him too. A mark of possession.

The two were quiet then, for what seemed like endless moments as they savored the afterglow and the simple pleasure of holding each other skin to skin.

Vincent, for once, broke the silence.

“Next time, I’ll make *you* scream loud enough to be heard the next town away.” He glared playfully at her, and she flushed at realizing he was on to her.

“You’re welcome to give it a try.” She teased him back, nuzzling his neck, content he wasn’t angry with her for her actions. Though truthfully she hadn’t had much fear of it either.

“Perhaps we should return downstairs and join in the fun.” Tifa moved to get up, only to fall back down as Vincent pulled her back against his chest.

“Yes, we will, in just a moment.” And he took her lips in another kiss, this one as wicked as the one she’d greeted him with, before scooting away and standing up. Following his lead, she stood and the two of them pulled their clothes on, moving more slowly than usual as they stopped for kisses every so often.

Moments later, and the two looked fairly presentable. With his characteristically ruffled dark hair, thick bandana and cloak, Vincent was able to conceal most of the damage. Tifa was the one worse off, with evident kiss-swollen red lips, flushed cheeks, and a slight hickey underneath her chin towards her ear which she struggled to cover with a lock of hair.

Still, it was good enough. In their inebriated states, their companions would most likely never notice.

With one final kiss, Tifa pulled open the door and the two headed downstairs, one behind the other, only to be greeted with unusual silence.

As they stepped into the small bar, devoid of most of the patrons outside of their little group, Cloud, Cid, Aeris, Barrett and Yuffie looked at each other, then away, apparently finding the walls and ceiling fascinating objects all of a sudden. Cloud had a disturbed expression of disbelief on his face. Yuffie was red as a tomato, and Cid downed the entire remaining contents of the bottle in his hands.

And there it was, she’d won her game. Tifa stepped quietly up to the bar, taking an empty stool beside Cid, who wouldn’t look at her but shoved a glass of whiskey her way. Vincent stepped downstairs, and the group took turns glancing at him, then looked away with flushed cheeks.

Tifa lifted the glass to her lips, intent to down the entire thing in one gulp, when Vincent’s next words caused her to spit it all back out again.

“Tifa and I are dating.”

Suddenly, everyone did look at him, and he turned to her, a challenging look in his eyes, as though he was saying to her 'and you thought you’d won?'

Looking into his eyes, she knew he was right. She hadn’t won. The whole time, he knew what she’d been after, and he’d accepted it. Accepted them, together, openly.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, as inadvertently tears rose in her eyes. He stepped up beside her and took her hand gently in his.

She knew she should be embarrassed, ashamed of their display and apologizing for causing such ruckus and embarrassing her friends. Yet she felt none of that. All she could focus on was the challenge and the love in his eyes. The eyes of the man she’d learned to love more than anything else. And she understood, this was his first step, in saying to the world how much he loved her in return.

Tifa Lockhart was a loser. But she was the happiest one in the whole world.

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Hope you enjoyed, all reviews welcome :)