For The Sacred and Profane. It's all his fault. He mentioned them first!
Enjoy.
fire mystic
Anything You Can Do…
"You cannot!"
Reno glanced at Tifa from where he was sitting on the opposite end of the couch.
"Sure I can."
"In a matter of minutes?"
"A couple maybe."
"What would you use?"
He shrugged. "Anything small. Paperclip, sturdy wire, mouse-tail or small pick if you've got one."
Tifa narrowed her eyes at him.
"Is this something Shinra trains all of their Turks to do?
He lips curled up smugly. "Turks don't need to be trained to do stuff like that. We're born knowing it." His smile turned to a frown, an eyebrow quirking. "Well, except Elena. I wouldn't bet my life on her being able to do it."
Tifa sat up, leaning forward, slapping her hand down on the couch.
"Prove it," she challenged.
He studied her for a moment, searching her eyes, but she couldn't be sure what he was looking for. Then he stood in that slouchy yet graceful way of his and disappeared into the bedroom. He came back a few minutes later, the object of her fascination in his hand.
He handed the handcuffs to her, turning his back and holding his hands behind his back so she could put them on.
"Make sure they're tight enough so I can't slip out of them."
Tifa secured the cold metal over one wrist, then the other, doing as he asked, making sure they were snug.
"What do you want me to use?"
Thinking she was being smart, she put a large paperclip into his mouth.
"Smartath," he said past the clip.
Dropping the clip on the couch, he sat so he could reach it with his hands and went to work on the cuffs. Not two minutes later, he held out one hand, still cuffed, with the other cuff hanging open. Now that he could see, he took care of that one much more quickly.
Tifa was sitting in the chair opposite him, her chin resting in her palm as she watched him avidly. As he presented her with the open cuff, a brief moment of shock flashed across her face, but then her eyes narrowed in devious thought.
"Let me try."
Reno was about to return the cuffs to his Turk suit, but paused at Tifa's request. What the hell? If she couldn't get out, he would just unlock them.
"Okay."
He spun her around and clasped the cuffs around her slender wrists, and placed the same paperclip in her hand.
Tifa went to work on the cuffs with the same intensity she applied to everything. Reno sat back, bemused, watching her struggles. After a few minutes, with her frustration level rising, he offered her a reprieve.
"Would you like me to take them off?"
"No," She huffed at him. "If you can do this, I can do it." She was so adorable as she reapplied herself to her task.
Reno leaned back casually, resting his head against the back of the couch, crossing his arms over his stomach. This was better than watching television.
Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. Breathing hard, and cursing under her breath, Tifa suddenly became aware of him watching her.
"It's your fault! I can't do this while you're watching me! Out!"
Reno raised his hands in a supplicating gesture, just managing to contain his laughter at her temper. At this point, getting caught laughing just might get him hurt. Biting the inside of his lip, he strolled out of the room.
He checked in on her every few minutes, peeking around the door, leaving her to her struggles. After thirty minutes he asked again, only to get snapped at to leave her alone. He still kept watch. Finally, after an hour, he rounded the corner to find Tifa sitting still in the middle of the floor. She was sitting up, with her knees raised in front of her, and had managed to get her hands, still cuffed, trapped in the fold of her knees.
Approaching carefully, he knelt down beside her, holding out the key as if it were a peace offering. There was no way he was going to pick that lock again after her struggles. Tifa pulled her hands out as far as she could, surrendering, and let him unlock the cuffs.
Taking her hands in his, he rubbed at the marks she had managed to make on her wrists. Tifa studied his face as he did so.
"You're not laughing at me."
"No, Baby."
"Why not?"
"Because I love you. If you had given up after a few minutes, I would have laughed, but you gave it everything you had."
He caressed a hand down her cheek. "Tell you what; after I teach you how to do this, and you're as fast as I am, you and I can laugh about this together."
Tifa gave him a small smile.
"In the meantime…" he helped her to her feet, leading her towards the bedroom. "…I'm going to show you a much better use for these, and I guarantee getting loose will be the last thing on your mind."
Tifa's smile morphed to become as mischievous as Reno's.