A/N: This is something that's been in my head in a while and took one really long productive late night to finish so I hope you enjoy. Please R&R
All standard disclaimers apply. Background music: "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven (love this song)
"On My Way to You"
By MakoRain
Friday Night
Well I'm still imagining a dark lit place, or your place or my place.
"Hell yeah, they're playing my song."
Reno couldn't help doing that kind of head nod thing that guys do in lieu to dancing as he checked himself out in the mirror. White shirt unbuttoned just so, check. Black suit wrinkle free; a few moves of his hands smoothing down his clothes made that pretty much a check. Awesome red hair mussed up to unruly perfection; that one made him blanch. Unfortunately, all that head bobbing did nothing for his hair which he seemed to have caught with the comb a few times making a few fiery red spikes stand out more than they should have.
A few more slick downs and pull ups with his hair gel and his magic comb and he was a walking babe magnet, if he did say so himself. Paralyzer was still playing on the radio that was blasting through the entire apartment and Rude just shook his head as he walked past a well groomed Reno, ready for the prowl.
"Don't wait up, buddy." With that and a wink, Reno was a red blur out the door, eager to get the easy pickings.
Rude just shook his head again. His partner wasn't getting lucky tonight.
Seventh Heaven was the place to be and Reno wouldn't be left out, pushing his way past an unhappy Cloud manning the door to the soon to be over packed bar.
"Reno."
The way Cloud had his arms crossed over his chest made him look so much like the ex-SOLDIER the chocobo head once claimed to be that Reno couldn't help poking at the sore subject a bit.
"Whoa, Cloud. Easy there, buddy. No need to pull out the old buster sword on me."
Reno shrugged his shoulders good naturedly, trying to pull off the innocent routine and not getting very far if Cloud's strong arming him from entering was any sign of that.
"I don't have the patience for you tonight Reno, seriously. If you plan on making a mess, just save me the trouble and throw your own ass out."
He stood in Reno's way, still not letting him pass. He knew Reno too well and just waited to see what the big mouth would come up with this time.
"Me? Sweet lil innocent me?"
He hammed it up with the puppy dog eyes and was really getting into it until he had to cough out the comment, "Well, I'm not so little. You know that, being in the locker room at the same time and all…"
That got a few chuckles out of the growing crowd behind him but Cloud just put his hands over his eyes, trying to subside the ever growing headache known as Reno. Sensing Cloud's mood getting darker than usual, Reno decided that enough was enough and extricated himself from the situation.
"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud. Do you think I'd cause trouble for my old buddy, my old pal, my old amigo?" He threw a companionable arm over Cloud's shoulders for emphasis.
"Yes." Cloud punctuated this by shrugging Reno's arm off.
"True, once upon the time. And I appreciate the honesty, by the way, I really do. I'll return the favor by saying that you will have no problems with me tonight. And that's the honest to goodness truth."
Reno was really working to get in tonight and Cloud didn't know why but he'd be lying if he wasn't curious and in the end curiosity won out as he waved the red head in to Reno's shout of "Scout's honor!" over his shoulder before he was swallowed up in the crowd. He wasn't hard to lose, he was like a walking fire ball among the common Friday night crowd and Cloud turned back to the door, ignoring the nagging feeling that he just allowed something bad to happen.
Reno worked the crowd, waving to just the right people he remembered and ignoring those he wished he didn't as he zigzagged his way to gain access to the ever present bartender. She was on fire tonight, pouring shots and sliding them down the bar to their owners all while listening to other customers and the constant gossip that was always flying around her.
"Can I get a gin and tonic and your phone number on the rocks sweet thing?"
Tifa laughed that oh-the-cleverness-of-you-hitting-on-me-while-ordering laugh at just the right time before she looked at who it was hitting on her.
"Reno, for the last time-"
"I know, I know, I already have your number. I was just going to offer it up for auction to one of these poor saps that are hanging around you every single night. Seriously, Teef, don't you ever need a break?"
"From you? Constantly."
"Har har."
Before their friendly banter could continue, Tifa placed Reno's drink in front of him on the bar and walked away, eagerly attending to another guy's order.
Maybe another night, Reno thought as he eyed up Tifa's well toned legs ending at a more than a handful of ass that he'd like to grab. Tonight, he was on a mission because tonight would be the night he would finally hook up with Elena.
Say what you want about relationships in the work place, Reno didn't care. It was all about convenience. The fact that he saw her every day with those piercing blue eyes and sassy short blond hair made him want her, even to the point of where he could close his eyes and picture her petite body filling out the Turk's regulation black suit and white shirt to near perfection. The only one more perfect was he, and he deserved the second best to himself; it was only fair. In fact, with his eyes still closed he swore he could hear her sweet voice calling his name… "Reno"…a little breathier and louder now…
"Reno."
There it was again! Wow, he had a powerful imagination.
"Reno!"
Ok, now this is just getting freaky.
He opened his eyes to see a somewhat shiny-eyed Elena trying to make her way through the throng of people surrounding the bar and so inadvertently was pushed right into Reno's lap. She blushed and tried to get up a few seconds longer than necessary and he enjoyed every one as she made a quick apology and moved up against the bar. Reno stood guard to make sure no one got friendly with her as she ordered her drinks and she gave a smile of thanks before taking a beer in each hand and heading back to her secluded table in the corner.
Table in the corner…perfect.
Before Elena even had a chance to set both drinks down on the table, Reno was sliding into the chair across from her, giving her a look that made her blush again. This was ridiculous, getting flustered over little old Reno. Quickly, she composed herself and gave a small smile, trying her best to figure out why he was sitting across from her and how to get him to move as soon as possible.
Finally, he made his purpose known.
"Elena." He paused, taking a quick sip of his drink before continuing. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was nervous. "Elena, Elena, Elena."
"Yes, Reno?" She asked, waving her hand as if to get him to spit out what he had to say already. Whatever it was, he better say it quick.
"You're hot. But you already know that, right?" The way he wiggled his eyebrows made her laugh out loud at what she thought he was getting at. Instead of letting her answer, he continued.
"As you know, I am also what you would call studly. So I was thinking, since we're both very much above average on the hot scale, that we could…" He let the sentence drift off and she just kept looking at him, making him say it. "You know…" Again, blinking on her part until he finally concluded, "hook up or something."
"Hook up or something." She repeated it and he could feel the tips of his ears on fire. Was she trying to make this harder on him than it already was? Another swig of his drink made that thought go away.
"Exactly. I'm glad you agree. So, your place or mine?"
That's when she burst out laughing. Seriously, doubled over, slapping her hand on the table laughing until little tears stung the corners of her eyes. He sat there and took it all; it wasn't the most embarrassing thing he'd ever faced before or anything. Keeping a straight face, he smiled through it all until she finally stopped laughing.
"Wait, you're serious?" Elena wiped her eyes and looked at him quizzically.
"Why not?" Reno said, genuinely happy that she had stopped laughing in his face.
"But I…I thought you knew."
Now Elena had the decency to look a little ashamed of her actions and set her hands in her lap, a sign of self diplomacy. Oh no, he'd rather have her laughing at him instead of going all serious on him. Seriousness never led to anything good. No, seriousness led him to the one place he wanted to be tonight, and that was not Elena's place.
Still, keeping a brave face in place, he had to ask. "Knew what?"
"Tseng!"
She could not possibly still have a crush on their fearless leader for Christ's sake! He had to break her of this bad habit right here and right now.
"Tseng…Tseng! Seriously, Elena, when will you wake up and realize that he doesn't have any feelings for you. Even if he did, he can't have those feelings for you because he's our boss and that would just be plain creepy. Now I, I have feelings for you-"
"In your pants." She added even as she wasn't looking at him anymore but rather past him and over his head a little.
"And those are the best kind, now am I right or am I right?"
Reno never got his answer as suddenly there was a beefy hand on his shoulder that turned him around to face what, or rather who, Elena was looking at so adamantly.
"Whatever feelings I do or do not have for Elena are none of your concern, and neither are yours for that matter so just get those dirty little thoughts out of your head, Reno. You don't have enough room for them and special weapons tactics which you will be doing first thing Monday morning."
Reno couldn't keep that little whining noise out of his voice as he refused to admit defeat.
"Ah, come on, man! That's not fair." A glare from Tseng still looming over him made him quiet down for a second but barely. "I mean, seriously, you can't date one of your employees, can you? That's just so not cool."
"It has no affect on my working ability so I see no reason that it can't be done and so it will be done."
A quick glance at Elena showed her doe eyed and completely and happily afloat at what Tseng was saying. She was practically hovering out of her chair for crying out loud.
"Well this just sucks!" Reno said with what was left of his indignation flying out the window.
"Now, kindly get out of my seat or I will have to forcibly remove you from it."
Heeding the warning for once, Reno decided to take Tseng at his word for it, stood up and walked away from the scene of Elena completely overjoyed at Tseng coming to her rescue that she just can't help but throw herself at the big muscle brained man.
It disgusted him to think about and in a half hearted attempt, Reno balled his fist and swung around to land a punch at the back of Tsung's head but seeing them just sitting and having a quiet drink had him missing Tseng but following through to some thick necked local.
Reno's hand stopped with a thud before he shrieked and pulled it away, shaking out the bones now riddled with pain. Thick Neck just looked down at Reno and his throbbing hand and cracked his knuckles menacingly. Reno had enough wits about him that he tried to explain.
"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I was aiming for that guy and totally over swung and-"
"Hit me instead." Thick Neck finished for him, taking a step forward.
"That hurt me more than it hurt you!"
"True," was all Thick Neck said before taking another menacing step.
And that was the last thing Reno remembered before being roused at the bar with a glass of cold water soaking his once fiery spikes.
Sputtering, he asked, "What happened?"
Tifa just shook her head and walked back out to the floor, apparently cleaning up a mess that he had helped create.
"Oh, not from you. You passed out before the big guy could land in a swing."
Reno blinked a few times to see his fellow Turk, Cissnei, sitting in a chair at the table he was apparently laying on.
"Thick Neck?" He croaked, slowly feeling his face with his hands to assess the damage.
"Like I said, you passed out before he could actually hit you."
"You can stop saying that any time now, Cissi."
Ignoring him, she continued.
"Instead, he swung and hit some other guy which started an all out brawl that ended with Cloud flashing his buster sword but putting it away to use some good old fashioned physical force to throw their asses out. With Tifa's help in breaking less furniture in the process, of course."
Cissnei lifted a glass in the bar maid's direction and Tifa waved, handing Cloud a broken chair from a busted table set as he nodded back in acknowledgement to the younger girl at the bar.
In his inspection, Reno found a tender bump now growing on the back of his skull and moaned pathetically.
"Oh, that was a little love tap from Tifa, trying to remind you to never do it again," Cissnei clarified to him before yelling, "Great ass kicking, guys!"
They both turned back to their work as Reno just shook his head and snorted. His head didn't hurt nearly as much as his pride did, even as the buzz turning hangover started to build up from the night's activities.
"What? You can't appreciate that some real heroes came in and cleaned up the mess you started?"
"Me? I didn't even do anything!"
"You hit on Elena." Cissnei took an all knowing sip of her drink and held him with her deep brown eyes. Damn those eyes.
Reno sat up and moved off of the table to a chair, pulling his hands through his wet hair and buying time to not have to look into her eyes.
"So what if I did? It's not like they're married." Those brown eyes flickered a little, showing him how wrong he was to even try.
"I didn't even know they were going out, alright? Sheesh, enough with the third degree."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your eyes did."
She blinked at him, a little shocked that he had noticed her eyes so much. She quickly covered it up, happy that he didn't notice. She didn't want him to think she liked him or anything like that.
"It'll never happen." Cissnei said suddenly as if to make sure to keep thoughts like she'd just had clear out of Reno's mind as well.
"Naturally," he agreed so smoothly that she was happy that was the end of that, hiding the little twinge of well, whatever it was she felt at how easily he had agreed.
"Tonight wasn't my night." Reno summed up the horror of the evening quite nicely.
"Apparently."
Ignoring her, Reno added with as much dignity as he could muster and a lift of his glass.
"Tomorrow night is my night!"
Instead of toasting along with him, Cissnei just rolled her eyes and he shrugged his shoulders, both taking a sip of their drink at the same time.
He'd show them. Saturday night would be his, all his.