Author's note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters. This is set after Advent Children.
Magic of the Night
Elena had nothing against Midwinter exactly. She just wasn't fond of the amount of parties with drunken men she had to attend at this time of year. It got old after awhile. Elena was a Turk, and she could take care of herself. Still, when she was doing her job and fending off drunks, it wore her out. It helped that Tseng was her partner. If he was in the area, he did quite a good job of scaring men off. Reno and Rude were rather helpful as well. Elena didn't exactly like relying on them, but that was what a team was for: helping one another out and guarding each other's backs.
And this was why Elena was tucked away in a corner at tonight's party. She had a good view of the room, but she was mostly out of sight thankfully. With a sigh, she reached a hand up to adjust the halter of her dress. For functions like these, Elena's uniform was a basic black party dress. She looked just like the average partygoer which really was the point. No one expected her to be a bodyguard. From her spot, she could see Rufus circulating around the room with Rude and Reno in tow. Elena could spot Tseng in her field of vision, but that wasn't anything to worry about.
Catching sight of one of more persistent idiots who pursued her, Elena drew further back into the shadows in her corner. She let out a relieved breath when he passed her by without glancing her way. A hand on her elbow made Elena jump, and she whirled around, ready to fend off another set of advances. Tseng quirked an eyebrow at her. She let out a nervous breath.
"Sorry. You should know better than to sneak up on me."
Tseng ran a soothing hand up her arm. "True enough."
His hand finally settled on the small of her back and gently propelled her forward. At Elena's confused look, he explained.
"Rufus is heading with Reno and Rude. We're done for the night."
Her partner escorted her to the door and collected their coats. The two of them slipped out into the night. Tseng tugged Elena a little closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. Elena just let out a sigh and relaxed into his embrace. The end of the day felt good. It was snowing lightly, but not really enough that it bothered them. Tseng steered them towards his loft. More often than not, Elena spent her nights there. Tseng didn't exactly like the neighborhood she lived in, and since they had started seeing one another, Elena had been far from averse to spending the night.
It was nice to get inside the warm building after the chilly walk. Tseng helped her out of her coat and then pulled Elena into his arms in order to kiss her. Elena slipped her hands into his hair and kissed him back. Tseng pulled away for just a few moments in order to whisper, "Happy Midwinter, Elena."
She grinned and kissed him again. "Happy Midwinter."