Behold! It's time for another installment of 'What Stina Does With Her Otherwise Wasted Summer!' Time period? I'd like to say it doesn't matter. But if you must know, it's before 'Stairmaster' and after everything else so far. (More fics will be written, so always check the dates XD) I wanna say there's some kinda mature theme in here but… that sounds so much worse than it is. So I won't :P.
The title… is Latin. English titles just weren't doin' it for me anymore XD I think it's a bit more poetic sounding than the fic requires but… oh well. I'm not telling you what it means. Look it up. It never hurts to educate yourself.
Read on, happy people.
Special, overdue thanks to Stephykins, for being around when I need the other half of my brain.
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She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept in. It was possible she'd woken up before her alarm went off, but judging by the fact that she was roused by bright sun on her face, she concluded that she slept right through it.
It was nice, she thought. She worked a late job—there was really no reason for her to get up as early as she did. She half-opened her eyes, still blurry with sleep, and rolled over, snuggling into the pillows and sheets, more than ready to drift off again. But her pillow… felt weird. Skin, she realized. Felt good though… It seemed an unusual place for it, but the moments immediately after waking were often confusing ones. She reached out to touch it briefly, expecting some sort of sensation, but felt nothing.
So it didn't belong to her. She leaned closer, after rubbing her eyes, to get a better look. And then she remembered.
Blushing, taking in the sight of Reno sleeping next to her, she wondered how she could have ever forgotten. She looked down at herself and blushed even more. She pulled back with growing self-consciousness as he stirred—she must have accidentally woken him when she rolled onto him—and pulled the sheet up over herself, hiding half her face beneath it.
If she were to be honest with herself, she was surprised he was still there, in her bed with her. Her insecurities had convinced her he'd sneak out after she fell asleep, or something to that effect. She almost wished he had. Almost. Then she could at least escape the awkwardness of the next day…
He was grinning at her, and that was doing nothing to lessen her embarrassment. She wanted to run away, or at least hide her head completely in the blankets.
"Morning sunshine," He turned on his side and watched her carefully.
"M-morning," she croaked. She wasn't sure if it was only having just awoken that stole her speech from her. She voiced her thoughts without thinking. "You're still here…"
"You think I'd leave?" he asked incredulously, smile widening. "I'd have to be crazy to after a night like that."
More embarrassment. And he was taking pleasure in embarrassing her too, she could tell. The red in her face deepened. "I don't—I don't know, I just thought…" She really meant to finish her sentence but found herself at a loss halfway through.
He didn't care. "Well I wouldn't—as you can see, because I'm still here."
She nodded, trying to compose herself. Not a big deal Tifa…
"I mean…" he went on, ignoring how uncomfortable she looked. "I thoroughly enjoyed myself," He finally took note of her discomfiture. "But I find it hard to believe that you don't look happy," He leaned a bit closer with a sly grin.
A challenge then. She could handle that. Using teasing and mockery would be a fine way to redirect the awkwardness of the situation. She pulled the sheet down to her collarbone so she could talk more easily. "Oh really?" She turned to face him. "Is that your oh-so-subtle way of implying that you're supposed to be really good at it?" It was at a time like this that she was thankful for the way his mind worked—she knew she didn't have to mention what 'it' was.
"Nah," he said thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling. "If I were trying to imply that, I'd do something more," he waved a hand for effect, "grandiose."
"Yeah?" This prompted him to look at her again. "Like what?"
Before she knew it, he had moved, remaining under the sheets, and was on top of her, his face just inches away from hers. "Like prove it," he said. He smirked when she fidgeted nervously. He enjoyed having that kind of effect on her.
She bit her lip. "Now?" she stammered. She couldn't imagine her face could get any hotter without it bursting into flames.
He pulled back a little. "Well shit. I meant I thought I got my point across last night, but if you're not convinced…" He leaned in again, mischief evident in his tone.
"All right, all right!" She laughed a little, the awkwardness finally getting the better of her. "I concede. You win."
He straightened up, grinning, pleased. "Good."
She replaced the blanket over her mouth and watched him sit at the edge of the bed, retrieving some clothes—his pants, she realized, when he rolled back over to her.
"C'mon Teef," he said, tugging at the sheet, threatening to snatch it away if she didn't comply. "I'm takin' ya out to breakfast."
She glanced at the clock. "Lunch," she corrected.
"Lunch. Fine. Whatever. C'mon."
"Yeah, yeah…" she mumbled, turning over. She felt even more mindful of her lack of dress with him watching her—though she was painfully aware that now it was all just 'nothing he hadn't seen before.' She picked up the first article of clothing she found—his white, button-down dress shirt—and quickly put it on. "But I have to brush my hair first. And teeth," She made her way to the bathroom. "And you too," she added. "You're not above morning breath."
Reno glared at her but she had her back turned.
She rooted around in her medicine cabinet. "Umm… I think I have an extra toothbrush in here somewhere… yeah," When she closed the cabinet door, its mirror told her that Reno had come up behind here. "Here you go," she handed him the toothbrush she retrieved.
She caught the look on his face and tried not to giggle as she set to brushing her teeth. He looked at the brush in his hand, at her, and back at the toothbrush.
She had to permit a chuckle when he finally said what was on his mind. The insulted frown he wore was priceless. "Pink?"
Nothing got to him like threatening his ego or masculinity.
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She wasn't expecting a diner. Then again, she wasn't expecting anything. It was close, so they walked. Strange that she never paid any mind to it before.
She couldn't help but feel proud when he requested a non-smoking table. So he really had quit—or in the very least, he was trying to. So far the outing had been more silent than she'd hoped. Reno was trying to make small talk, but she was only half-listening, smiling and nodding occasionally.
Being out with him after what had taken place suddenly brought everything into perspective—her fears and apprehensions rose to the surface. She'd stopped smiling and nodding. Reno noticed, and he eventually fell silent as well. For a while, there was no sound but the clatter of silverware and the talk of strangers. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she spoke.
"Reno…" She remained staring at her plate as she picked at her food. She then remembered herself, realizing it was more polite, more personal to look someone in the eyes when speaking. "Was…" This was harder than she thought. "Was last night… a one-time thing?" It was difficult to hold his gaze. She hated herself for asking—it was probably the last thing he wanted to hear.
He didn't answer for a moment, and it wasn't making her feel any better. But when he did, she was kind of surprised. "I don't know," He shrugged. "What do you want to do?"
"Me?" she couldn't help but blurt out. She was confused. "Why is it up to me?"
He laughed. "Why is it up to me?"
She opened her mouth, as if to speak, and made a sort of wordless sound of bewilderment and frustration. She'd obviously been expecting some kind of straight answer or something.
"Teef," he said reassuringly. "Don't think so much about it. Things just happen, y'know? Sometimes ya just gotta let 'em."
He was right—they both knew it. She hated herself for asking for a completely different reason now. She hadn't been trying to make a big deal over it… "All right," she said finally, smiling.
It was quiet again—but only because Tifa had decided to actually put some real effort into eating her food. Reno spoke after a while. "You know… it's been exactly a year since our first date?"
She laughed a little. "You called that a date?"
"You didn't? I was telling everyone I knew that I had a date with you."
That made her laugh too—it didn't matter whether or not he was kidding. "Well I can't say I know much of the dating scene, but for me, usually they're not with former enemies who spend the entire evening propositioning me."
"You turned me down every damn time too," He smirked suddenly. "And look how things turned out."
A year ago she would have taken offense to that. Instead, she just pointed her fork at him as a warning. "Don't even go there. Besides… it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind," she said airily.
He grinned. "I just won you over."
"Maybe…" she said, returning the smile. "It only took you a year."
He nodded for a moment. "Ya know, I bet I can still guess what color underwear you're wearing," A grin had appeared by the end of his sentence.
She snorted. "That would hardly be an impressive trick."
"What do you mean?"
She blushed faintly. She couldn't believe he was going to make her say it. "Well you saw me put them on."
And the grin widened.
Once they were outside—she was feeling much better by then—a thought occurred to her. "You know something, I'm actually really surprised that you remembered it was a year ago today," Even she hadn't remembered that.
"Well, to be honest… I only remember cause last year, I should have done something with Rude for his birthday and I, uh… forgot, and went out with you instead. That's actually kind of how he got together with Elena…"
She looked shocked. "You went out with me instead? Why?"
"You didn't give me much of a choice. You said 'blah blah pick me up at 6:30.' I didn't have a chance to argue."
She sighed with exasperation. "Don't blame this on me. You're planning on making it up to him this year, right?"
It looked like he hadn't been planning anything of the sort. "Uhh, right, sure."
"Have you gotten him a gift or anything?"
"No…"
"Well come on then," she grabbed his hand and started pulling him by it. "We're going to the mall."
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The mall had become Tifa's best friend in the past few months. She was never much one for shopping, but living on her own again, making her own money, she liked to spend her earnings on something she could show off—like clothes.
However, 'the mall' wasn't much of a mall. Kalm was a small town and barely warranted anything larger than a few stores all thrown together in a building. But it suited her just fine.
They wandered around for a while, hand in hand, Tifa occasionally prodding Reno and asking him if he'd seen anything good to buy for Rude. He hadn't—and she wasn't sure he was even looking.
So she stopped near the front window of a shop, said she was going inside, and told him to look around and not come back until he'd gotten something. But when he saw the store she planned on entering—a lingerie store—he was less inclined to leave. Despite his protests, she continued directing him to the other stores, insisting she didn't need the 'help' he was offering.
When they met outside the only department store the mall had to offer, she was glad to see that he had a shopping bag with him, claiming it contained something for Rude. He wouldn't let her see what it was. She was suspicious at first, but then realized he probably just didn't want to be seen buying something heartfelt for another man.
She wouldn't let him see what she had bought either, but that was for a different reason.
Satisfied that they had gotten what they came for, Tifa wanted to take a look at the clothing. Nothing much caught her immediate interest, and something about having Reno with her while she shopped made her feel more cautious about what she chose.
"Oh wow," she said suddenly, stopping short as she maneuvered among the racks of outfits.
Reno came up beside her. "What?"
"I love this dress," she declared, walking towards the item mentioned to get a better look.
It was white—one of her favorite colors to wear, she'd realized. She picked it up and looked it over.
"Go try it on," he encouraged her.
She hesitated for a minute, studying the garment. Then she smiled. "All right," It took a bit of convincing to get him to stay out of the dressing room. She allowed him halfway inside when she had changed, making sure no one had seen.
"Well…?" She spun around a few times, letting him get a full view as she waited for his opinion.
He took her in enthusiastically. "You look hot," he said, grinning.
"Shut up."
The skinny halter-style strap at her neck and the ruched fabric showed off her body pretty well, but she was pleased that it wasn't ridiculously short. She admired herself in the mirror for a moment until she saw someone approaching.
"Go on," she gave Reno a little push. "I'll be out in a minute."
It was when she went to undo the zipper and caught sight of the price tag that she remembered why buying clothes was an indulgence. Sure, she liked to splurge occasionally, but she knew she shouldn't be going around spending that kind of money on a dress she really didn't need. She'd forgotten that being the only game in town usually resulted in stupidly high prices.
She carried it out with her and placed it on the 'return-to-shelf' rack, trying not to look too disappointed.
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You're not getting it?"
She finally permitted a frown. "No. It's way too expensive."
"Don't be crazy," He brushed past her and retrieved the dress. "I'm buyin' it for ya."
"What? Reno, no. I can't let you spend that kind of money on me."
He turned to face her with mock annoyance and a trace of a smile. "What part of 'more money than I know what to do with' do you not understand?"
That shut her up. When it was paid for and they were leaving, she grabbed his hand and gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks."
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Tifa insisted that Reno should visit Rude and give him his gift. Reno would have called it 'nagging' if he weren't so sure she'd get mad at him for saying it. He finally agreed to make the trip on the grounds that she would come with him, wearing the new dress.
She felt a little uneasy about it, but she was all over the idea of wearing her new outfit. He still hadn't let her see the gift, no matter how much she asked. She was damn curious, but she knew that Reno was also damn stubborn—she'd probably never know.
When she thought about it, she didn't see why she should be wary about 'meeting' Rude and Elena. Out of all the Turks, she would have pegged Reno as the one she was least likely to ever get along with, and seeing where she was with him, befriending the other two should be a cinch.
It was Elena who answered the door. She looked… angry at Reno, much to Tifa's discomfort. "There you are!" she said accusingly. "Don't you answer your phone anymore? I was trying to call you all last night! Where have you been?"
Tifa stiffened and willed her face not to go red. Reno put his arm around her shoulders and steered her inside. "Never mind Laney."
It wasn't always something she was thankful for, but for once she was glad that he was always prepared with something to say before she could even assemble a coherent thought.
He'd invited both of them inside without asking, but apparently Elena had been trying to call so she could invite them over. She wanted to build her skills as a hostess. Reno had to poke fun at her by pointing out that she hadn't gotten very far—she hadn't offered them anything to eat. Then again, she never claimed she was trying to improve her culinary abilities.
Tifa's instincts led her to the kitchen and she admired it with no small jealousy. She promptly offered to cook—suddenly feeling bad she had brought no gift, despite the fact that Rude wasn't a friend of hers—and Elena volunteered to assist her. She'd heard enough from Reno to conclude that she could learn a thing or two from Tifa when it came to cooking.
As the night progressed she warmed up to Rude and Elena considerably. She liked Reno, but she had the feeling she couldn't always expect the same from his friends. It was a relief to know that they were at least nice people. Elena even complimented her on her dress.
Everyone joked and laughed, and she was happy to say that they managed without any kind of inebriation. Reno at some point had made a disgruntled comment about Elena not keeping any good alcohol in the apartment.
She was even sad to leave, and she couldn't help but wonder when and if she should have Reno meet her friends.
He took her to his place afterwards. She knew she should have thought he was trying to imply something, but really, she just didn't want to go home yet.
"Thanks for making me go," she said when they arrived inside.
He shrugged. "Hey, it was your idea to go over there in the first place."
"Hmm," She nodded thoughtfully. He had a grin on his face when he approached her, a genuine one, which she eagerly returned.
It felt a little different heading into his bedroom this time, but she didn't mind. She felt less hesitant about everything.
She only had fleeting concern for her expensive dress as it fell to his floor.
And when she awoke the next morning, next to the same person but in a different bed, she knew that the night before—and the morning after—was no longer fated to be a one-time thing.
OoOoOoOoOThe ending gave me trouble. Big thanks to Tina for helping. (I wuvs you)
Oh, and I'm only going to say this once, for those of you too naïve, innocent… uhh, stupid, to realize it. They had SEX! Yes, sex. I thought that was clear, but my mind works in… less than conventional ways XD That little button needs some lovin'
…Shame on you Stina.