Tifa was just finishing folding her laundry and carefully stored it in her mesh laundry bag to be transported home from the public laundry mat that she frequented. She favoured going to them, even if they were a block more out of her way because they offered free coffee to patrons.
She was just finishing her coffee when Reno walked in, obviously off duty as he wore a beaten up looking leather jacket that looked like it had survived a war or two, a t-shirt and scruffy blue jeans with some kind of black boots. She politely greeted him and wasn't shocked when he upended his unsorted garbage bag of clothes into the nearest washer and started plugging quarters into the machine and then bummed some laundry detergent off of her. She said a soft goodbye as he helped himself to a coffee and frowned slightly that he didn't start a fresh pot, just set the empty carafe back into the machine.
Reno sipped his coffee and waited for his clothes to wash, a duller process he couldn't fathom and whipped out his PHS and started watching videos on it at full volume without earbuds and generally pissing off people quietly attempting to do their laundry in peace. However, he was soon headbanging in time with the beat and oblivious to their derision.
His washer finally finished and he went to open the nearest dryer and wondered at the tiny scrap of red he could see towards the back of it and fished the garment out. He thought it was a really small scarf at first, until he stretched them between his fingers and marveled at the tiny red lace thong. He couldn't imagine any woman fitting into the impossibly small garment, it was not only sheer, but had a heart cut out at the front and a smaller one at the back. Reno of course had seen skimpy panties before and wasn't immune to the charms of seductive lingerie. He would certainly be a happy man if his lover came to bed wearing said garment. He found himself frozen as he pondered what occasion a woman would wear them, they certainly didn't look comfortable for everyday use for the wearer. They obviously weren't new, but the owner obviously took good care of them how the lace wasn't tattered in the least.
Tifa tore through her laundry frantically and couldn't find them, they weren't folded into any of the other clothes either. So, where were they? The panties had been a Valentine's day gift from Cloud soon after they moved in together during a happier period of time in their lives. He had made her promise to wear them every Valentine's day since and she had kept that promise, whether he was present or not. She remembered she had put them in the hamper, intending to hand wash them as she normally did but they must have ended up in the machine. Tifa was a practical person for the most part and wore practical woman's cotton briefs normally. She would just die if anyone found out about them. That could only mean...her cheeks heated up at the idea of anyone finding them and she dashed out the door.
She halted in the doorway, struck dumb by the sight of Reno nonchalantly holding them and staring at them as if transfixed.
Reno was wondering if he should just tuck them back into the dryer, turn them over to the bored looking attendant or take them home and leave a note for their owner to contact him. He was really starting to like the sound of the last one, if only to satisfy his curiosity as to the mystery woman who would wear so racy an undergarment. Perhaps he could get a date with her out of gratitude that he rescued her panties?
"Nooooo. Those are mine...give them to me" Tifa cried out as her cheeks flamed and Reno turned to her and silently handed them over and she hid them in the palm of her hand and walked away with as much dignity as she could.
"He's a lucky guy" Reno softly called after her and she scuttled away from the sincerity in his voice as roses bloomed on her cheeks.