Solution
AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for Queen Alla so enjoy! Please R&R.
Tears trailed from Tifa's face as she watched the conclusion to The Princess Bride. But her own tears paled in comparison to Elena's sobs as she sat beside her, the blond taking a large spoonful of Triple Chocolate ice cream to her mouth. Once the credits had rolled, the barmaid stopped the movie and looked over to her friend, who had nearly finished her second bowl of ice cream.
"Elena...what's wrong?" Elena sniffled a little and hung her head.
"What do you mean? I'm fine," she said softly. Tifa lifted her chin up and shook her head.
"You can talk to me Elena, what's bothering you?" Elena sighed then and looked at the floor.
"It's just you and Reno look so happy together and I want that for myself." Tifa patted her shoulder sympathetically. "But maybe I'm doomed to be alone forever," she said, her sobs threatening to reappear.
"No you're not. I'm sure there's a guy out there just for you."
"There's one I like," Elena said quietly, but Tifa managed to hear it anyway. A smirk upturned her lips, one that would make Reno proud.
"Really? Do tell," Tifa inquired. Elena blushed a little at that.
"No, I'm not telling you because you'll tell Reno and then he'll tease me. Now let's paint our nails or whatever you have planned next."
Tifa sighed but nodded and the two women preceded with their girl's night.
Reno, on the other hand, was currently at a bar with Tseng and Rude, the red head taking a shot of Wild Turkey before observing his boss.
"So...why'd you decide to come with us tonight Tseng?" The sable haired Turk looked down at the bar counter before answering, a sigh escaping his lips.
"I'm starting to think that my job shouldn't be the full focus of my life. I want to start a relationship with a certain woman, no I need to. Yet I don't know that she'll accept me for who I am."
"So that's why you wanted to come with us? You wanted advice to seduce your crush?" Reno asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To put it succinctly, yes," Tseng said. "I knew it was a bad idea. Maybe I should just head home and get to work on tomorrow's paperwork." Before he could get out of his stool though, Reno's arm wrapped around his neck.
"C'mon boss, we may be Turks but we're not heartless. We'll help you out, right Rude?"
"Affirmative," Rude answered.
"Here's your first bit of advice: loosen up."
"Loosen up? Is there something wrong with my bearing?" At Tseng's reply, Reno rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, you need to stop acting like an icicle all the time. Just act normal, understand?"
"I think I do." But as the time went on Reno could tell that Tseng was out of his element. The man was more used to dealing with paper than he was with people. And the red head was stumped as to break that aspect of his boss. An idea came to him then, leaving a smirk on the Turk's face. Tseng didn't like it one bit.
"What are you planning?"
"Getting drunk will loosen you up," Reno said with all the confidence in the world.
As Reno dropped his boss off at his apartment, the Turk shook his head. Who knew that Tseng would act like a total maniac when he was drunk? The Wutain had ended up streaking buck naked through the parking lot of the bar before passing out in a fit of giggles.
Reno was at his wit's end. So he went to the one person he knew who always seemed to have the answers: his wife.
Luckily she was still awake by the time he was through the front door. Greeting her with a kiss on the lips, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.
"What's wrong?" She knew he only nuzzled her neck when he was worried about something.
"Tseng's dealing with a midlife crisis or something like that. He wants to be in a relationship with, and I quote, a certain woman. So he asked me for advice."
"That was a mistake," Tifa joked. Reno's eyes narrowed but she motioned for him to continue.
"So I went through the basics. You know loosen up and all that jazz but Tseng couldn't compute it. It's like he's one of those whatchamacallit's on that show about the Enterprise you love so much."
"A Vulcan?" Tifa put in.
"That's it. Anyway then I got him drunk. Needless to say, he loosened up alright. But I don't know what to do now. I mean how do you get a guy like Tseng to actually pursue a woman he likes?" Tifa thought for a moment before it came to her.
"I know just what to do," she said. Reno suddenly kissed her and when they broke apart, she looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"Have I ever told you how hot you look when you're smirking like that?"
"No...but I wouldn't mind another kiss," she whispered in reply.
Reno fulfilled her desire with interest.
The next day, as the sun was drooping below the horizon, Elena opened the door to Seventh Heaven. Tifa had insisted that she come over and have a few drinks. Sitting at one of the stools, she smiled at Tifa.
"What will you have?" Tifa asked.
"I don't know....surprise me." Tifa nodded and went to make the Turk's drink. The bar door opened again and Reno walked in, another person entering behind him. When Elena saw who it was, her eyes widened.
"Ah, there you are Laney! Care to have a drink with me and Tseng here?" Reno asked, sitting beside Elena.
"Reno...I don't think...." but Elena was interrupted by Tifa.
"Reno, leave Elena alone. We're supposed to be going out tonight, remember?" Reno sulked but nodded his head. Tifa then came out from behind the counter and took Reno's arm, dragging him towards the door.
"But Tifa you can't leave me here with Tseng!" Elena cried out, hoping her friend would turn around and come back.
"I'm sorry Elena. Just relax and have fun with Tseng. There's plenty of alcohol to go around. Have a nice night!" And with a wave of her hand, the barmaid had left with her husband. Elena looked over cautiously at her boss, taking in his somewhat agitated expression.
"Tsen-sir, I'm sorry about all this. If you want to leave, go right ahead," the blond murmured.
"I'll stay with you Elena, if you don't mind that is," he replied.
"I don't mind," she said softly. The female Turk met his eyes then but quickly looked away, downing her shot of whiskey in one gulp. It burned her throat something fierce and her thoughts started to get fuzzy.
"Ts-Tseng...I feel...feel...kinda...hot," Elena slurred out. Tseng's eyes were widening by the second, reaching their maximum limit when Elena reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Something wrong Tsengy Wengy?" Tseng bolted behind the counter and quickly mixed himself a drink, not caring or noticing what concoction he put together.
Returning to Elena, he sat down beside her. Finishing his own drink in an instant, he noticed that there were now two Elena's staring at him with a dopey grin on their faces.
"Yur all pink," they murmured. Tseng gave them his own goofy grin and reached out a hand to move some of the blonds' bangs that had fallen in front of their eyes. But his hand dropped to the counter with a crash before he could even go halfway.
Both Turks started to laugh at that.
Reno stared at his two inebriated coworkers before turning to his wife who was pressed against the back wall.
"What did you do to them?"
"I just cast a harmless spell that makes any alcohol they drink forty times as potent. It's non lethal, don't worry," she added quickly.
"So your big plan was to get them together and drunk?"
"Yeah, it'll work. I mean how do you think we got together?" Reno shook his head.
"Babe, we didn't...or did we? I can't remember for some reason," the Turk said. Tifa just chuckled and gazed into her bar.
Tseng was now standing on the counter, his chest was bare and Elena was whooping at the top of her voice.
"Tsengy shake your little tush on the catwalk, HIC!" Tseng started to do as Elena ordered, his butt swaying side to side. It wasn't graceful by any means given his drunken state but Elena could care less as she cheered him on. Tseng smirked and struck a pose but he lost his footing then and ended up falling on Elena, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Laney, you HIC okay?" Tseng asked. A belch was what he got in reply, laughter soon following that.
"You should've seen your face...you were all AHHH and I was like WOAH and then we were like...YO!" the blond yelled out, giggles dripping from her lips. Tseng laughed as well and soon got up before looking down at Elena, hands grabbing her wrists. His face moved closer and he stared into her eyes.
"Your so pretty..." he whispered, a hiccup following his confession. Elena's cheeks were red and not just from the alcohol.
"Th-thanks Tseng...I think your very sexy myself...wanna kiss?" Tseng nodded and their lips met.
Whether it was the euphoria both felt at releasing the passion they had bottled up for so long or their drunken states of mind, eventually the two passed out.
Light speared through Elena's slumbering skull, the blond opening her eyes and groaning.
"Uhhh...stupid sun!" Something was beside her. Thinking she was at home, the blond grabbed it and snuggled with what she thought was her stuffed bear Mr. Poofy.
"Mr. Poofy, I just dreamed that Tseng kissed me on the lips. It was wonderful..." Elena said, sighing. She looked down then and saw her superior's head in her lap. The female Turk then looked around the room, not recognizing a thing.
Where was she? Why was Tseng in the bed with her? What was going on? All these thoughts and more raced through her head like Yuffie on a sugar high looking for Materia. They all came to a halt when Tseng groaned and opened his eyes.
"El-Elena...why are we in bed?"
"I don't know," she answered. Tseng absorbed this for a moment and Elena spoke once more. "Um...why haven't you left already?" He focused on her face as she asked this and gave her a smile.
"I...have feelings for you Elena. And I know that you might not reciprocate given my nature but I still- but whatever the Turk was going to say next was cut off by a pinky finger to his lips.
"I have feelings for you as well. I have for a very long time."
"So what's our next course of action?" Tseng asked.
He got his answer when she kissed him and even though Tseng had often dreamed of this very moment, it was better than even his most lucid of fantasies.
Reno was sitting at the table with Tifa, the pair eating breakfast, when Tseng and Elena came into the kitchen. Their hair was a bit messy and the two Turks moved closer together, Tseng wrapping an arm around Elena's waist.
"I suppose I should thank the both of you," Tseng said.
"There's no supposing for me. Thanks you guys," Elena said. The blond then led the Wutain away, both eager to spend some more time alone with each other.
"Looks like your plan worked babe," Reno said. Tifa gave an affirmative murmur and placed her hand on his.
"So...let's pair up Rude next."
"I know you've been looking for a new hobby Tifa, but matchmaking isn't- but Tifa shut her red head up with a fierce kiss.
He should know better than to try and dissuade Tifa from anything. It never worked.