I've never done fanfic; I've hardly ever let anyone read my writing!
This is a first...please be gentle.
There's just something about Reno. In fact, in all fairness, I should warn that this isn't so much an FFVII fanfic as a Reno fanfic. I just kinda borrowed him for a mission and a bit of fun. Rude, Elena, and Tseung get an appearance or three, but only where it worked. I hope I got the character right; in my mind, he's a bit (okay, a lot) devilish but has no problem getting the job done, and seems the type that might well take advantage of a situation. I could be wrong, but that's what I tried for.
Rated M for suggestive scenes and more-than-suggestive scenes.
Is this where I put the disclaimer? I do not own FFVII or any of the characters, not even the game, and I have never played the game. Enjoy.
Introductions
She was too old for this. Twenty one was too old to be under constant supervision. Forget explaining things, she had to get permission just to breath, it seemed, and it was becoming unbearable.
Her father was worried, overprotective, and not without good reason, she knew. There had been more than a few assassination attempts on his life, and a few close calls on hers, from which she was whisked away before she even knew what was really happening. She could almost understand instances like that, especially when it involved public appearances, but not being able to even leave the house without permission was taking it too far.
She was starting to feel claustrophobic, locked in, over-protected, and only just a slight bit rebellious about it. Never one to break the rules, she had lately found it not only necessary, but easy, to justify breaking them, slipping away unnoticed whenever possible and sneaking out of the house, even if it was for something as simple as going for a walk.
Bryn was suffocating, and that was all there was to it.
She had finally pushed her escapes too far when she lost her father's bodyguards while walking through town. It had been too easy; just a sidestep here and a dodge down a sidestreet and a quick turn into another. She had returned home a couple of hours later to find her father in a state of fear combined with anger that she had never witnessed in him. She had been restricted to the house for the three days since, having to answer for every step she took outside of her room. It wasn't the worst punishment when she considered the bodyguards had been fired. She hadn't wanted that, and didn't feel it was fair, but her father was having none of her pleas, and had sworn that until he could find bodyguards that could guarantee her protection, she would not step foot outside of the house.
She knew he was only looking out for her safety, but she also knew he was being unreasonable. She had heard Derrick, the security director, arguing with him about the two body guards that were fired, telling him that in order to protect Bryn the way he wanted it done, he would have to seal her in a bubble. "I'm not surprised she bolted," he had calmly stated to her father. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. You've fired two of my best guards because of this, and you're the one who has driven her to this behaviour. You're going to have to find outside help for this one. I'm not risking losing anymore of my men because of this nonsense." And on that quiet promise, he had left the room. Bryn worried that Derrick might also be fired for his bold words, but Derrick was not a man to be trifled with, and her father apparently knew that as well as she. And, she hoped, her father knew somewhere deep within his mind that Derrick was right.
So here she sat on the window seat of her room, Ipod in her ears, staring at the fresh air outside, waiting for her new security detail. Her father hadn't said a word to her about it except that until she had bodyguards she was housebound. So she waited, wondering if her father was making her wait simply to punish her. And just as she was wondering if escape would be worth hurting herself in the jump from her second floor room, and the later wrath of her father, the door opened and she was looking up at her father, who had the same grimace on his face that seemed to be a permanent fixture lately.
She turned the Ipod off. "You could have knocked."
"I did knock. You apparently could not hear me." He motioned at the Ipod.
"Well, there's not much else to do."
"You have only yourself to blame for your current situation. Speaking of which, your new bodyguards have arrived."
She sat up at the news. Finally, she would be able to get out of this house.
"Before you get too excited, let me warn you about a repeat performance that got your previous guards fired. I had to call in a personal favor from a colleague of mine to get these guards, and you will not embarrass me with another display of careless disregard for your safety. Mr. Shinra was nice enough to offer me two of his personal guards to secure your safety. You will not embarrass me or Mr. Shinra by acting out in any way."
"And if I do?" The defiant words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she regretted it immediately.
The expression in his eyes went hard and cold, an expression Bryn had seen him use with only a few people, and none of them friends. She felt her body cringe under his gaze.
"Suffice it to say, the consequences will be severe. Is that understood?"
A meek nod was all she had in her.
"I will see you downstairs in the den in five minutes where the rules will be made clear to both you and your new guards."
He turned and left the room.
She entered the den to find her father sitting behind his desk, apparently alone.
"Bryn, come in and sit down."
Goddess how she hated when he treated her like one of his clients, but she obeyed.
"I am going to be very clear about this. You are not to leave this house without both guards with you, and you will NOT try to evade them. In the house, you will have one guard with you at all times. Is that understood?"
Bryn was incensed. This was even worse than before! Her father had not gotten the message from Derrick or from her behavior.
"What about when I'm in the bathroom?"
"Well of course you will have privacy there. They will be outside the door and give you an appropriate amount of time for personal care. I have told them, however, that if they think you are taking too long, they are to enter the room. You will leave the door unlocked."
"And when I'm sleeping?"
"At least one will be in the room with you."
"So I'm a prisoner in my own home?" Maybe put that way, he would see what he was doing.
No such luck. There was that cold stare again.
"Until further notice, yes."
"Gentlemen, please." He called in a louder voice. The door opened, and Bryn turned in her seat to see a man walk through the door. He was dark-skinned, with a well-muscled, yet trim body that stood well over six feet. His hair was shaved close to his head, with a close shaved beard as well. He was dressed in a simple black suit, the jacket covering a white shirt with a neatly knotted tie, his eyes covered by a set of reflective glasses. He took a step to one side of the door, and his partner stepped in behind him. He was slightly shorter, thinner, but just as fit. He wore the same suit, minus a tie, and with his jacket unbuttoned and his shirttails hanging out. But most remarkable about him was the shock of red hair in the form of unruly bangs, through which a pair of goggles peeked from where they rested on his forehead. A long thin ponytail hung down his back, and matching tattoos highlighted the most incredible green eyes. His face registered a moment of surprise upon seeing her.
"Bryn, this is Reno and Rude." Both men nodded at her. She couldn't tell if the dark one even glanced her way, but the red-head nailed her with those eyes, which seemed to mock her even as they assessed her.
"Gentlemen, my daughter Bryn. I am entrusting her to your care. Mr. Shinra gave his word I would not be disappointed."
As if on cue, the phone rang. "Now, if you will all excuse me. I have business to take care of." As he picked up the phone, the darker guard was already headed out the door. The red-head looked to Bryn, who was frozen in place. After a breath, he approached, reaching a hand out to wrap around her upper arm. She might have resisted, the fury of the situation still coursing through her, but the contact of his fingers against her skin was electrifying, sending a bolt of electricity up her arm to slam into her heart. He guided her from the chair towards the door before dropping his hand. He closed the door softly behind him, and followed her down the hall, the other falling into step behind him. She glanced over her shoulder at him, not making full eye contact.
"Don't touch me again."
She didn't wait for a reaction, but had she looked at him, she would have caught the rebellious smirk that crossed his face to accompany the mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Back in her room, they were almost invisible. Almost. They stood left and right of the door frame, arms at their sides. The dark one was as still as a statue, but the red-head surveyed the room constantly and Bryn wondered if it wasn't out of curiosity rather than security. He also surveyed her. His eyes often came to rest on her as she moved about the room or simply sat at the window. What annoyed her even more was that she was noticing, which meant she was looking as well. At one point, their eyes had met, and Bryn refused to look away, thinking she would back him down. It didn't work. He actually raised his eyebrows in a curiously challenging expression. "Great," Bryn thought. "I've got a player for a body guard."
After an hour of this, she couldn't stand it anymore.
"I am allowed to leave the house now, aren't I?" She confirmed.
The red-head reached out and opened the door as an answer. She walked up to the door, but stopped short of going through. "By the way. Which one of you is which?"
The red-head smiled, casually lifting a hand to his chest. "Reno. This is my partner, Rude." And his hand swung to indicate the darker man, who simply nodded his head.
Bryn nodded once in acknowledgement and headed out the door.
Outside, Bryn was lost. She hadn't thought past getting out of the house, hadn't planned anything. She just wanted to get out. Now she was outside and at a loss for what to do. She decided to head into town and maybe stop to have something to eat at the Tavern, her favorite place to hang out. Maybe she would run into some of her friends. She was on her cycle when it occurred to her that she didn't know how the two guards would travel with her.
"So how does this work?"
"One of us rides with you," Reno said. "The other rides alone." He nodded at Rude, who was coming around the corner of the house with another cycle. "Your choice."
"Like it matters?"
Reno slid onto the bike behind her, leaning in to let his body mold up against hers. "Doesn't it?" She pushed back to create distance between them, but he was already leaning back, his hands on the grips at the back of the seat. She didn't bother to look back at him; she was sure he was perfectly smug. Instead, she backed the cycle from it's spot, and took off in a plume that would have thrown anyone unprepared off balance. Her victory was short-lived however, as he came forward to catch his balance. His body once again made full contact and his hands clutched at her waist. His breath was warm on her ear. "I thought you didn't want me touching you. If you insist on driving like this, I won't have any choice."
"You're really pushing it, you know?"
"No, not really. But I could if I wanted to." One arm circled more fully around her waist, his fingers pressing gently into the smooth tight muscles of her mid-riff.
She skidded the cycle to a screeching, sideways halt and looked back over her shoulder at him.
"Back off, or ride with your partner."
"That's not how Daddy's rules work, Princess." He smirked, but backed off, leaning back away from her again. He seemed to be taking way to much enjoyment out of the situation. On her part, Bryn was irritated; irritated that she had to deal with this, that her father was being such an ass, that this guy was being so smug, and most of all, she realized, that she was attracted to him. As that thought occurred to her, she quickly turned away from him before he could see the blush take over her face; it wouldn't do any good for him to figure that one out.
Finally arriving at the Tavern, Bryn was disappointed that none of her friends were there. She grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out to wander down the street, looking in shop windows, not really interested in anything she saw, or even shopping. She was bored, and doing anything not to go back to her father's house. Out of the corner of her eye, she was aware of her bodyguards. Rude was a distance from her, watching the roof-tops, keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Reno was at her shoulder, checking doorways, alleys, generally intimidating anyone who dared to pass too close. She had to admit that despite his attitude, he apparently knew his job, and did it well. He seemed to have a natural knack for backing people down. She found herself becoming more comfortable, safer, knowing that they were there.
That's when the shot rang out.
She was on the ground before she realized anything else. When she managed to turn her head, she found it was Reno who had taken her to the ground and was holding her there with a firm hand in the small of her back. She looked around to find Rude, but he was nowhere in sight, and she assumed he had taken off after the shooter. Reno waited a second before cautiously getting up into a crouch and looking around. He grabbed her arm and dragged her into a store, continuously scanning out the window as he led her to a rear entrance and out again. He made his way back to the cycle, and got on, literally pulling her on behind him.
"I drive."
"Not now, Bryn. I'll be able to move faster with you back there. Hold on."
She would have argued. What made him think he could handle the cycle better? But he peeled out so hard, she barely had time to grab hold, much less argue. She clutched frantically at him until she could get her arms around his waist. She was small, and she tried to make herself smaller against his back, and was glad she did. Reno swore as another shot rang out, and he dodged the bike down another street, heading out of town. When it became apparent that they were being followed, he took the cycle off road, and Bryn found that if she relaxed and moved with him, he was able to maneuver the cycle without much more effort than if he were alone. She began to appreciate that he had insisted on driving. Speed wasn't a problem, but balancing with all the twists and turns was a different story. Bryn would have never been able to keep the cycle upright; she didn't have the muscles for it. So she did her part, making herself as small a burden as she could manage and making sure she didn't fall off.
Reno couldn't help but be aware of the woman behind him, but not for the reasons she was thinking. She was no burden at all; she knew how to ride and knew how to move for balance, and was doing everything she could. What he was aware of was her arms wrapped around his body, her body pressed against his back, shifting with every slight move he made. When he had met her, he had seen the possibility for a bit of flirtatious fun, but it hadn't turned out as he expected. Hell, her touch was like liquid fire going through him, and maybe she wasn't aware of it, but her resistance to him was even more enticing. Every attempt she made at pushing him away made him want to push a little closer. He was playing with fire, especially with a client he was supposed to be protecting, but he couldn't seem to help himself.
Reno took them into the old city, into a series of structures that would make it easy to evade their pursuers. He finally rounded a corner, spun the cycle around, and backed it into a crevice in a dilapidated building that he had known was there but was well hidden. He turned off the engine to wait for their pursuers to pass them by.
Bryn couldn't help but be restless. The darkness of the building, having to remain quiet, the tension of the moment, waiting to be found, made her want to scream, made her want to just run out in the open and get it all over with. After a few minutes, she swung her leg off the cycle in order to stretch them out. It seemed she had hardly moved when strong hands dug into the soft flesh of her arms, restraining her. Reno lifted her quickly and silently until she was sitting back on the cycle, but this time in front of him, both of her legs draped over his left thigh.
"What…" she blurted out before she could think. A hand across her mouth silenced her, and green eyes pierced hers with a warning look that would have silenced her as well if not better than the hand. He held the stare for a second longer and then slowly lifted his hand from her mouth. The eye contact remained, and the moment changed into something else entirely, the warning in his eyes softening. Reno became aware, even more than before, of her body, soft and warm, spread across his lap. Her breathing had become shallow and a bit too quick, soft puffs of air leaving her parted lips to brush lightly against his skin.
Bryn became aware of Reno in the same moment. Heat radiated from wherever her body made contact with his. His fingers had stopped gripping her arms with such urgency and were now simply holding her loosely. His eyes had gone from hard warning to a different type of hardness she hadn't expected from him. Cocky flirtatiousness she would have known what to do with. This look was…hunger. And when their lips met, she could taste that hunger on his mouth. It started gently; their faces moving imperceptibly closer together, their lips finally meeting simply because they had to. They clung tentatively before he leaned into her, the hunger taking over, his mouth becoming demanding, invading, his tongue licking, stroking, as if he were starved for the taste of her.
Reno couldn't get enough of her, but in a dim part of his mind, he became aware of her hands pushing at his chest, and an idea clicked into place. As much as he liked her resistance, he didn't want this to go any further unless she wanted it as well. Her resistance was cute when he was flirting with her, but if he were to push the intimacy level, he wanted her not only to want it too, but to need it desperately. He wanted her hands to be pulling him closer, not pushing him away.
He wanted her to beg for it. And then, only then, might he consider it.
He let her push him away, and took on that cocky grin of his that always annoyed everyone around him.
"Couldn't resist a taste, could ya?"
He had anticipated the slap before it stung his cheek, but he let her get away with it. Grabbing her arm, he pushed her off his lap in one sharp movement and pulled her onto the back of the cycle in the next, ignoring her whimper at his roughness.
Bryn was glad for that whimper, for his brutal treatment. What the hell had just happened? A part of her had wanted that kiss, had relished in it, even while her hands pushed him away. Her face flamed with the flush of her feelings, how she had enjoyed it, the tender testing, the forceful exploration, the taste of him, the feel of him, and how, at the same time, warning bells had gone off in her head, telling her this was wrong, that it never should have happened. How dare he!
Reno managed to get them back home without incident. He waited until their pursuers were a buzz of noise in the far distance, and returned directly to the house. Rude wasn't far behind, and reported quietly to Reno. Bryn didn't overhear the conversation; she was too busy bee-lining it to her room, but she figured it was a report on his findings and any actions that were taken.
Reno followed her to her room while Rude veered off to speak to her father. Upon entering, she tried to slam the door behind her, but he caught it before it hit and slipped into the room behind her, closing the door with a gentle click behind him.
"Don't get any ideas of trying something like that again," Bryn blurted over her shoulder. She didn't see the tilt of his head and the casual shrug.
"I don't remember having to try too hard."
The bathroom door slammed behind her as she closed it between them. She stipped her clothes while the water in the shower heated till it steamed. Getting in, she washed quickly, lathered her hair and then stood in the steaming water, letting it wash over her, nearly scalding her skin. She liked her showers hot, but usually not this hot. For some reason, it felt really good today. Nothing like being shot at.
She finally turned the water off, wringing the excess water from her hair before pulling back the shower curtain.
Green eyes met hers for a long moment. She was frozen where she stood, her mind whirling to figure out how this was happening, and then she remembered her father saying that if she took too long in the bathroom, someone would check on her.
Why hadn't he knocked? Or said something?
He was still staring at her, eye to eye. She refused to move, refused to cover her body. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had her in a panic. She stood as she was and challenged him.
"Seen enough yet?"
Reno was leaning back against the wall, slouched a bit, enjoying himself far too much. He shifted slightly at her question, then let himself really take her in. She was incredible, her body trim but well muscled, her skin a rich, creamy color, her generous breasts rising and falling with each breath, which was coming a bit too rapidly. Her hips flared gently over long, well-shaped legs, and he couldn't help but notice that she didn't wax, but evidently trimmed.
He let his gaze wander slowly to her feet, and just as slowly back up till he caught her eye again, and then, holding that contact, pushed away from the wall and approached her with deliberate slowness until he stood directly in front of her.
"I have now…for the moment." He said, and handed her the towel he had removed from the basin where she had left it. With that, he turned and left the room.
After the kiss, she had planned on telling her father if something like that happened again, but now she found she couldn't do it. What was she going to say? 'Well Daddy, he kissed me once before. I know I didn't tell you. That's because I wanted him to kiss me, because I enjoyed it.' And what would she say about him being in the bathroom. 'You should have been there, Dad. He was looking at your little girl naked, fresh from the shower, and your little girl was enjoying every second of it.' And she had enjoyed it, his eyes on her body, her own boldness in not covering herself. Her body was betraying her better sense, but she wasn't going to let anyone know; not her father, not Reno, not anyone. After all, he was just playing with her; it's not as if it would ever be more than a flirtation and pushing the limits a bit.
Reno, for his part was surprised by his own audacity, and even more surprised that Bryn hadn't gone to her father and had him canned. He kept his distance from her as much as possible for the next week primarily because he couldn't stop thinking of her. He couldn't get control of the images that ran through his head every time he looked at her. The memory of her standing before him in the shower, skin wet, was bad enough. It was the other images that almost had him undone. Images of his hands tangled in her hair, holding her still for his pleasure. Images of her arms grasping at him in need, of her breath coming short in lust instead of rage, of those long legs wrapped around him, pulling him to her…he mentally shook himself…he had to stop this. He kept reminding himself that she didn't want him, and that above all else, he didn't want her unless she wanted him. The more he thought about it, the surer he was that he wanted her willing, not resistant, and since that was never going to happen, he had to get these thoughts out of his head.
