Reno tossed and turned in the little available space of his make-shift bed which consisted of his couch, soft pillow and warm blanket. It wasn't really that uncomfortable for him to sleep in, when his occupation had forced him to rest in various kinds of more unsupportive terrains. But tonight doesn't seem to be one of those sleep-while-you-can nights.

"Fuck, 2 AM and still awake." He muttered grumpily before jerking up into a sitting position.

The redhead sighed as he finally stood up and lazily walked to the kitchen, having enough of staring at the plain ceiling. Another sigh-of contempt this time-escaped his lips when the cool beverage from his fridge slid down his parched throat and left its all too familiar bitter taste on his tongue.

The beige sofa slightly bounced as he flopped back on his current accommodation, a can of cold beer in one hand and a black remote in the other.

Light from the flat TV immediately streamed to the previously dark room, flickering vigorously while its owner kept changing the channel in pure boredom and lack of entertainment.

Reno rolled his head back and for the umpteenth time let his reversed vision fell to the door to his room. He couldn't deny that his eyes had been repeatedly gotten distracted by the dark oak wooden door leading to his own room, where a certain brunette lay still, sleeping safe and sound.

The TV once again went dark with a satisfying beep and a simple click of the remote in his hand. After another moment of rolling around and fruitless effort trying to shut his mind, he took a last swig from the can and left it at the coffee table in front of him.

An extra minute passed and The Turk finally came to a final resort, exercise, as he stood and paced in front of his own room like a stalker who was preparing to reveal himself.

What the hell was wrong with him? The Reno is holding himself back when the old him would usually just barge in and seduce whoever he found interest with. Hell, he was in real need of getting laid and boosting his ego back. But for now, a peep wouldn't hurt, right?

The door opened without a sound as the trained redhead pushed it slightly ajar. A portion of the room came to view along with Seira who was sleeping soundly on one side of the bed, her heaving chest being the only indication of life.

He was almost retreating when something red on top of the nightstand caught his sight and was immediately made as an excuse for him to come in.

Reno inspected the scarlet object afar and turned away when he realized that it was just the brunette's wallet.

If he remembered it correctly, there had always been a saying that curiosity killed someone...or was it raped the virgin? But he managed to reason once again, a little peek wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

The redhead picked the leather case and almost jumped when something slipped out of it. A photo was caught in between his fingers before the thick paper landed on the floor and a small frown couldn't help but escape when he looked at its content.

It was a picture of Seira, in the middle of a bigger man with similar features as the brunette's, while the older woman on the other side stood with a resembling posture.

There really was nothing wrong with the portrait, nothing wrong except that it felt so unfamiliar to see the teen's smile as bright as a new light bulb which was glaring its light against him.

The troubled Turk decided to slip the photo back and move out before his frown could get any deeper. Something was officially wrong with him now. It wasn't only an unfamiliar feeling which was raking through his mind but it was also messing up with his behaviors.

"Go...away..." A hushed grunt startled him and made him stop dead on his tracks. He turned around just in time to see the brunette's contorted face as she threw her head to her right before tentatively relaxing back to a peaceful sleep.

Was she dreaming?

Reno blinked a few times, amused, before inching back closer to her. A part of her neck, which was usually covered by her curled locks were now exposed to his bare eyes and he could barely outline something which was out of place on the creamy, soft looking skin.

As he trudged closer and slightly bent down, the thin, white, thread-like scar, just below the base of her jaw became even more evident to his trained sight.

A few short moments of curious staring passed when the redhead finally dared to crane his head down and held his breath, afraid to wake her up with his presence at such close distance.

"Kei..." The name that slipped out of her small mouth was barely above a whisper. Reno himself wasn't even sure if his well-trained ears could've caught it if he wasn't at such close proximity or staring straight at her lips like now.

But before another frown could adore his pale features again, the brunette had thrown and shifted herself to lay on her other side.

The redhead staggered backward and almost lost his balance, startled by the sudden movement and innocent touch. Their lips had met for the briefest fraction of a second and he could feel his face flushed as he ran out of the room, not really bothering to stay as discreet as before.

What the hell was wrong with him? It was nothing as intimate or vulgar as what he was used to but his heart was beating uncontrollably, like a middle school teenager who was in the middle of a confession to his first love. And he also knew that this was nothing related to lust, his pants wouldn't be as loose as this if it was.

Reno let out a fierce sigh and shook his head, as if it could clear out all his jumbled up thoughts and feelings, before making his way back to the couch. Wrong would be a major understatement to describe his behavior these days, it was more like fucked up according to him.

Just one single woman-a teenager in fact, who wasn't even qualified to be called a woman in society yet, was making him like this. Something was really wrong with him when a mere brush of her lips could send him to a daze as if they were having sex or something...that too without turning him on.

Oh Gaia, now he was having a boner because of the sex part. He couldn't help but let his mind wonder how her slim body would feel beneath him...or even on top of him.

The currently insomniac and unconsciously love deprived man groaned in annoyance of his wild fantasies and the heat on his lower abdomen that it was causing. He ran a hand through his fierce scarlet locks and finally let out another frustrated sigh before lying on his back.

Nothing was making sense right now. The redhead nestled his head on the soft pillow and draped an arm above his eyes.

He just hoped that the ticking clock which was stuck at the back of his head would calm his excited senses down and lull him into a dreamless sleep.

"Reno...you look like a Panda. What's with the eye bag? Couldn't sleep last night?" Seira asked innocently to the grumpy looking redhead, who was sitting across her and munching a fork full of the French toast that she had made.

Reno dragged his eye level up to her face before replying with an annoyed tone. "Yeah, that's why I woke up late and you had to make us breakfast."

"It isn't that late." The brunette looked through the small door way to the living room and observed the clock right on top of the TV before continuing. "It's still nine. You can sleep again if you want. We're not in any hurry, right." She reasoned with a straight face, trying not to look too hopeful for another period of peaceful slumber that she silently ached for.

Her body had felt even stiffer than what it had felt like before she went to sleep last night, maybe because of the weird dream that she had. She couldn't recall any details of it at the moment her eyes had snapped opened, but one thing that she remembered was someone tailing her and all the crazy running that made her legs drown with acid just at the thought of it.

The redhead, being the jerk that he was, of course always caught on people's real thoughts and showed no sign of hiding it. He let his trademark cocky smirk cross at his lips before replying haughtily. "You've slept too much, that's why you feel tired."

"Sorry-"

"Stop saying sorry, what's with you and apologizing?" A frown immediately replaced his smug grin as he protested with a slam of his fist.

"I'm sor-it's just being a habit since I came here. I've troubled a lot of people after all."

"Okay, it's decided then!" Reno pumped a fist to the air and cheered.

"What?" The brunette asked lazily as she brought another fork of bread up to her lips.

He swallowed hard, making his Adam Apple slightly bobbed at the motion as his eyes followed the innocent deliberate movement for the briefest moment. "We'll go to Edge and shop. Your job today is to fill my empty fridge, since you're the one with mad cooking skills."

"You, young man, exaggerate too much. And besides, you want me to shop? When I can't even stand by myself?"

"Relax, young lady." The redhead slumped on his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'll carry you around. You need to clear your head from all this crap you're thinking."

"You seriously will carry me around with all those people staring?" Seira asked incredulously, already feeling the heat rising up to her cheeks at the thought of going through it.

"I'm serious, who gives a shit about what people likes to see." He spat the last part and continued their staring competition that he hadn't realized had went on since they started bickering.

The teen finally felt her gaze faltered and sighed in defeat, almost pouting in the process."You'll never listen to anything I say, is it."

A grin made its way almost immediately after she showed sign of lost. "I'll make sure you'll never regret this."

The sun was already setting down when the couple decided to end their shopping spree. Reno walked on the empty road's sidewalk with two bags clinging on his wrists and piggy backing Seira who was carrying another smaller bag behind him.

"You okay with all this load, Reno?" The brunette broke the comfortable silence which had lapsed between them after a heated laughing session where Reno did the loudest in.

"No problem." He jerked her up to a safer and comfortable position before adding. "Just be careful not to slip down."

"Why don't you use your bike? Wouldn't it be easier?"

"We went out for a change of environment, right. So, what's the point of rushing? Besides, I don't really like to ride one, I prefer flying a chopper." The redhead said, boastfully.

"You're a pilot? That's cool." Not more than a second after she complimented him, Seira could feel the regret when she saw Reno's cocky smirk that never fails to make her blush.

And Reno wasn't making any effort at hiding it. "That's one of my many irresistible charms. I'll take you next time when I'm free at work."

Another silence followed and it wasn't one of those awkward moments which demanded someone to think of a topic to break the ice. It was a nice, calm moment with only the rhythmic noise of shoes scraping against the ground as a reminder of time.

"Sorry, I've really become a nuisance in your holiday."

The redhead immediately sighed and clicked his tongue in annoyance, as he heard the familiar tone that the voice behind him was using. "Geez, you're still fussing about this?"

"I can't help it, not doing anything stresses me out. And all these things that you bought for me must've cost something, while I can't even help you, let alone pay." Her voice had dropped as words stumbled out of her mouth. Myriads of emotions were swirling in her and she was sure that another blow would certainly break her down. In fact, her eyes were already starting to sting with unwanted moistness.

"You think too much, I'm helping you coz I wanted to. I never told you to pay me back." Reno said harshly at the end, trying to hide his feeling of getting out of character with his starting statement. Oh my, he was starting to act against his usual ethics, again.

"But I can't...I don't know what to do..." Her voice finally cracked.

Reno just kept walking and continued the now uncomfortable silence between them, baffled and unable to think of any comforting words.

It took them both awhile to realize that one of them was crying. Seira felt the sudden wetness on her cheeks and immediately covered her eyes in hope to stop the annoying leakage, while Reno caught on the faint sobs which she couldn't hold in any longer.

"Oi, oi, you crying? Stop that, don't cry, please." The redhead surprised himself by letting a plea escape his lips when he was unable to contort his neck to an extend that allowed him to fully face the teen.

Turks don't plead for anything, they never and shouldn't. It was a usual scene if someone begged the Reno to just shut up and stop pestering them and he didn't show any signs of not liking them but now it was the Reno begging for a girl to stop crying...even he was taken aback by himself.

"E-even I don't w-want to." The said girl stumbled with her tongue, unable to control her constricting throat and trembling body.

"C'mon, Seira, stop. I promise there'll be something you can do." He cooed with a pleading voice, surprising himself again by not hating the action.

"Really?" She managed to whisper and Reno barely caught the simple query which was being drowned by an approaching, noisy truck behind them.

"You can just...you can just..."The redhead hesitantly said and alas, the goddess' blessing wasn't on his side these days. The loud vehicle which was passing cut off his voice with its annoying, loud engine when he was finally able to say it out loud.

"What? Sorry, I didn't get you."

"You can cook!" The redhead looked forward and hid his frown while he didn't bother to cover the obvious irritated tone in his voice.

"Okay then, I'll make something nice today. We've got all the ingredients after all."

"I'll be waiting." He said begrudgingly. It was actually quite a relief that she didn't catch on what he had just said. The more he thought about it, the more absurd and embarrassing it sounded to himself.

...You can just stay beside me and take care of me.

It took the couple another 20 minutes of walking in awkward conversations before reaching the Turks' apartment and they immediately took turns for a quick shower, Seira first while Reno sorted the groceries and the latter later while the first prepared their meals.

"This looks good." The redhead stared at the freshly made, smoking steak on the plate in his hands and almost drooled, literally. He placed the two plates at haste before returning to the kitchen and rummaging through the fridge and some shelves.

"What are you looking for?" The brunette finally inquired after a long period of observing from her seat in front of the dining table.

"Wait a sec." He replied before returning to the table with two wine glasses, a dark bottle of wine and its corkscrew. "I haven't opened one for awhile."

"Wine? Is there any special occasion today?"

"Nope, just in the mood for one." The redhead said with a grin while the he unscrewed the cork with a satisfying 'pop' sound.

"No, no thanks. I'm not really a fan of wine." Seira interjected right when Reno was pouring her a glass of the dark red liquid.

"What, you serious?" He held the slightly tilted bottle and looked up with an amused face.

"Yes I am, Reno. My parents loved it though and they always forced me to have some." She said and let her face contort with a look of disgust at the memory before picking up the utensils beside her plate. Truth to be told, she had just realized that maybe it was more of her parent's stubborn nature rather than its taste which made her dislike the expensive beverage. She had always been the rebellious type after all.

"Okay then, your lost."Reno sat down and poured himself some wine before picking up his own fork and knife.

Dinner went on in silence for a while, Seira delicately sliced and chewed her food while Reno cut and munched in a rougher manner.

"Hey, I wanna ask you something." The redhead finally opened up his occupied mouth and let the knife held in his hand wave dangerously as he propped his elbow on the table and pointed a lazy hand.

"I'm all ears." The brunette replied without averting attention from the plate in front of her.

"What's with that scar on your neck?"

Seira immediately looked up at the Turk who was still gesturing with his idle hand and a puzzled expression crossed her face before light finally dawned on her. She gathered her curly locks in one hand and pointed at the now exposed barely visible mark. "You mean this? It's nothing, just a scar from the past."

"Saw it accidentally yesterday, what happened?" He watched curiously as his companion shrugged and moved back to her food.

"I can't really remember. I was only around 5 or 6 if I've not mistaken. A mirror shattered beside me and my dad, when we were walking in town and one of it got me." The brunette said casually, focusing her whole attention to the plate and only giving a few glances to check on the man's reaction.

"So...the glass broke without any reason?" Reno was finally able to avert his gaze back to his food, feigning lack of curiosity which was currently all he could think of.

"Yeah, it's okay though. This scar makes me feel lucky. They said it would certainly cost my life if it went a little deeper." A small smile managed to creep up her face while she chewed the red meat a little impatiently.

"Looky who's talking, the girl who had just cried over troubling people and stuffs a few hours ago, never knew you were the optimist type, Seira." Reno scoffed before taking another mouthful of his dinner.

"Well, that's...a different problem." She managed to excuse herself and looked down again to hide the red tint of embarrassment on her face.

"Is it just me or you eat quite a lot for your size?" It took awhile for the teen to comprehend the sudden question which had popped out of nowhere and she couldn't help but show a dumb face as he caught her unguarded.

"I know I eat a lot, it's a thing passed down from my mother's family, high metabolism and all."

"Seriously, people must be jealous with how your body works." He chuckled and added, a little too excited much to his liking.

"Hey, I think you should stop. Your face is getting red." Seira interrupted the glass which was already pressed against her companion's lips as she brought the last carrot from the plate in front of her to her mouth. "And I'm done."

The redhead paused and let out a deep, rumbling laugh before taking another sip. "I won't get drunk from half a bottle of wine if that's what you're saying."

"Whatever." She grumbled and rolled her eyes at his arrogant tone. "Want me to wash the dishes?"

"Nah, don't sweat yourself. You must be tired."

"Haven't even walked all day." She grumbled again. Oh god, she wasn't even PMSing and her moods are swinging like a swing in a park crowded in sugar high children.

"Did you say something?" Reno feigned ignorance as he picked up the plates.

"Nothing, just a little tired." She straightened up and managed to smile tiredly at his retreating back.

The sound of running water and clinking silverwares were the only noises which filled her eardrums for a moment. She let herself relaxed on her chair until a loud yelp and curse jerked her awake.

"Reno, anything wrong?" The brunette called back to the man who had already ducked down and hid himself from her view, opening and closing shelves as if he was searching for something.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong here." He mentally kicked himself when his reply came more suspicious than what he had planned and added. "I'm fine." Which made it sound worst, much to the contrary of his intentions.

"You sure, need a hand there-"

"No, no, I'll be right back." Came his quick answer, followed by rustling and more shelves being opened and closed noisily.

Another five minutes or so passed on in silence, save for some suppressed rustling noises from the kitchen and its hidden owner. Seira rested her cheeks against her sprawled hands on top of the table and stifled a yawn. Being immobile was certainly having more drawbacks than its opposed effects. And snoozing after a meal was something that she certainly quite enjoy despite its definite label of being a negative habit.

"Reno, what are you doing? I'm getting sleepy here." She complained and didn't bother to cover another yawn escaping from her mouth this time.

"Wait a minute." The answer was fast and uncertain, as if secrets would pour out of his open mouth if he left it unlocked for a moment longer than needed. And the brunette was sure this time that he was doing something either dangerous or downright stupid.

"Reno, what are you doing? Just show whatever you're hiding there." The teen called out again, annoyance now clearly written all over her voice and face.

"I'm not hiding anything, something fell and I can't find it again." The redhead sighed and finally stood up before walking out of the kitchen hastily. "Wait here, I need to get something."

"Show me your hand, Reno." She deadpanned and made him stop dead on his tracks, before he could reach the exit doorway.

Reno mentally clicked his tongue and turned around, not forgetting to switch his right hand's position so that it was kept hidden behind his body. "My hand?" He feigned ignorance and extended his other hand to the demanding teen before turning around and making his own way out, but the unusually serious voice cut his path again.

"The other one."

Oh well, Reno slapped his forehead with his good hand before he gave up and walked back. What had he expected, she wasn't that stupid after all and sooner or later he could bet that she would find out.

Seira squinted to the offered hand in front of her. A large gash ran diagonally on its surface and hints of red were still trying to escape out of the open wound, from the blood clothing process. While fresh blood which had found its way out had dried and formed networks like a river's vein on top of his wrinkled palm. "How did you get a cut that big? Take your first aid box and let me fix it." She cringed after turning his hand to check for any other damage and gave a last glance to the injury.

"Okay, okay, as you wish, ma'am." With that said, he was gone and back after not more than a few seconds, a white box clutched against his chest.

"Geez, how did you even get a cut this big?" The brunette asked as she started to treat the man who had dragged a chair and moved closer.

"It's not even a big cut, Seira." He whined and unconsciously moved closer to the warmth which was radiating from the girl who was bent down in front of him.

"It's more than half of your palm, Reno. What's that called if it's not big, a medium cut? Coz it's anything but small to me." The immobilized teen ranted.

"I don't know. I was already holding the plate's pieces when I realized." Reno shrugged and said sheepishly, ignoring the tingling pain from his wounded palm and in concentrated on his current nurse instead.

"Everything has a first time I guess. Here, I'm done." Seira gave a last tug to the bandage to make sure that it wasn't loose and felt her heart skipped a beat when she finally looked up.

Reno was staring at her intently, as if his pale sapphire eyes could devour her and the decreasing space between them didn't go unnoticed by her. "R-Reno, is it too tight?" She dared herself to open her mouth with utmost care so that it didn't brush the other lips which were centimeters away from her own.

"N-no, its okay." The redhead moved back with a burst of realization, immediately taking deep breaths of air which had been cut off from his lungs without his notice and steadying his rapid heart beat. "Sorry, I think it's time to sleep."

"Yeah, today went out quite tiring." The brunette yawned and stretched as if to emphasize her point, while she tried to cool herself down from the previous almost-intimate incident.

"Me too." Was all he said before he awkwardly moved back to her again and carried her to his bed. Reno cursed in his head at how good her skin felt against his own and increased his pace while the said girl tried her best to put her straightest poker face that she could.

She just couldn't relax around him now; her heart was beating as if it was going to explode as they walked closer to their destination and excessive heat was just produced everywhere that she could feel his hard muscles tentatively brushing with her skin.

Both of them parted with their own murmured good nights and the teen felt a twinge of regret when the door closed without a sound behind him. She had been expecting something to happen between them since the previous private space violation between them in the dining room, but she didn't really know if it should be a good or bad thing.

Seira sighed heavily and buried her face against her hands in frustration, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. While the man right outside her door paced furiously in front of his current sleeping quarters.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck." The redhead chose to verbalize his colorful choices of words this time, still remembering to keep a low voice which he was sure only he himself could hear.

The symptoms were getting clearer, every minute he spent with her was turning him soft and the most scaring part was the fact that he was enjoying the moment with great gusto. How many times had he reminded himself not to let this situation come since he joined The Turks? And now after years he was stuck in this dilemma.

Reno groaned and forced himself to sit still for awhile while his hand kneaded the tight frown on his temple. It didn't take him more than a minute to force him in motion again. He walked to the kitchen and rummaged for a while before returning with cans and bottles of alcohol which was dropped on top of the coffee table in front of the couch with a rather loud thud.

He couldn't take anymore thinking of anything involving a brunette.

Screw everything tonight...except her, of course.